December 2014 Jagran Josh

Current Affairs
December 2014 | www.jagranjosh.com
Current Affairs
PREFACE
27
PICK OF THE MONTH
28
Acts & Amendments
28
President signed Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Ordinance 2014
28
President signed National Judicial Appointments Commission Bill, 2014
30
Companies (Amendment) Bill 2014
31
The Repealing and Amending (Second) Bill, 2014
32
The Apprentices (Amendment) Bill, 2014
33
The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2014
35
The Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorized Occupants) Amendment Bill 2014 36

Lok Sabha on 15 December 2014 passed the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorized Occupants) Amendment Bill, 2014.
36
The Textile Undertakings (Nationalisation) Laws (Amendment and Validation) Bill,

2014
37
The School of Planning and Architecture Bill 2014
38
The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Orders (Amendment) Bill, 2014
39
Ordinances Promulgated by the President
40
Ordinance on Delhi Laws Amendment Bill, 2014
40
Ordinance on amendments to Land Acquisition Act, 2013
41
Bills Introduced in either House of the Parliament
43
Goods and Services Tax Bill, 2014
43
The Regional Rural Banks (Amendment) Bill, 2013
46
Union Cabinet approved Anti-Hijacking Bill 2014
48
Lima Call for Climate Action put world on track to New Universal Climate Agreement
48
2
Current Affairs
15th India-Russia Annual Summit in New Delhi
51
Ebola fighters : TIMEs Person of the Year 2014
54
20th edition of the Corruption Perceptions Index 2014 released
56
RBI issued Guidelines to define Non-cooperative Borrower
59
India won Men and Women title of Kabaddi World Cup 2014
61
INTERNATIONAL
63
Beji Caid Essebsi sworn in as President of Tunisia
63
Venezuela entered recession with inflation at 63 percent
64
First Municipal Elections in 60 years held in Myanmar
65
US and NATO officially ended combat mission in Afghanistan
66
Russia successfully test-launched Angara-A5 rocket
67
Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan finalised creation of Eurasian

Economic Union
67
Ukrainian Parliament adopted Bill to join NATO
68
Iran Nuclear deal deadline extended by 7-months to 30 June 2015
69
Nicaragua launched construction of an inter-oceanic canal
71
Afghanistan lower house approved Afghanistan-US bilateral security pact on NATOled troops
71
India exported first warship CGS Barracuda to Mauritius
72
President of Egypt Abdel Fatah Al-Sisi ratified Electoral Constituencies Law
73
UN adopted resolution calling on governments to stop child marriages
74
UNGA Committee passed resolution refering North Korea to ICC for human rights
abuses
75
South Korea constitutional court ordered dissolution of leftist Unified Progressive
Current Affairs
Party
76
Pakistan became Associate Member Sate of CERN
77
US and Cuba restored ties by ending 50 years hostility
78
US President Barack Obama signed Ukraine Freedom Support Bill, 2014 for more
sanctions on Russia
79
UN Security Council extended mandate of UN Disengagement of Forces agreement

in Golan Heights
80
UN Security Council renewed Humanitarian aid to Syria for 12 Months
82
Tehreek-e-Taliban attacked Army-run school in Peshawar, Pakistan
83
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo re-elected for another four year term
85
Global Financial Integrity released the Global Illicit Financial Flows Report 2014
86
ICC upgraded the status of Palestine to Observer State
88
Prime Minister of Haiti Laurent Lamothe resigned following anti-government protests
88
Anerood Jugnauth appointed as Mauritius Prime Minister
90
Anerood Jugnauth was appointed as Mauritius Prime Minister by the President

Purryag on 14 December 2014. With this, he became the Prime Minister of Mauritius for the sixth time following victory of his alliance in Mauritius elections 2014. 90
Bangladesh launched manual campaign to clean up Sunderbans oil spill
90
Google announced to shut down its news linking services in Spain
91
President of Zimabawe Robert Mugabe sacked Vice-president Joice Mujuru
92
Bhutan became 181st member of MIGA, agency of World Bank
93
France and the United States signed agreement to compensate Holocaust survivors
94
China launched Nuclear Power Expansion Scheme to expand large network of nu-
Current Affairs
clear plants
96
CMEC launched mega water supply project in Sri Lanka
97
UK signed an agreement with Bahrain to establish a permanent naval base at Mina

Salman Port
98
UNGA adopted the resolution on establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free world 99

ICC withdrew case against President of Kenya Uhuru Kenyatta
100
India and Japan decided to cooperate in Cyber security & Green ICT
101
World religious leaders signed joint declaration to end modern slavery
102
Tabare Ramon Vazquez Rosas won Uruguay Presidential Election 2014
103
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif inaugurated China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project
104
IRDA renamed to Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India
106
NATIONAL
106
Department of Disabilities Affairs renamed as Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities
106
Sample Registration Survey released Statistical Report 2013
107
Union Government launched Madan Mohan Malviya National Mission on Teachers

and Teaching
108
Union Ministry of Consumers Affairs announced to set up Grahak Suvidha Kendras

109
Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched Mission Indradhanush
110
WTO, WASTE and FINISH signed MoU to end open defecation in India
111
Gujarat to host 13th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in January 2015
112
NSSO released Situation Assessment Survey of Agricultural Households
113
Current Affairs
SC directed Union Government to not appoint CVC without its approval
115
Central Vigilance Commission Act 2003
116
SC directed Union government to complete fencing along Indo-Bangladesh border

in 3 months
117
Union government announced to give 5 year visa to minorities from neighbouring

counties
119
Union Government banned terror group ISIS in India
120
14th Finance Commission submitted its report to President
121
Union Government brought 52 new drugs under NPPA control
123
Union Home Ministry removed Section 309 of IPC decriminalizing attempt to suicide
124
Union Cabinet approved creation of five posts of ASG at High Courts
125
President launched Karnataka Mobile One App in Bengaluru for m-governance 126
Subramanian Committee on Leveraging the Post Office Network submitted report
to Union government
127
Steps need to be taken to stop sex determination contents on internet: SC
128
Supreme Court directed Union to prosecute black money hoarders abroad by 31

March 2015
129
SC constituted Social Justice Bench to deal with social issue
130
Birthday of Atal Behari Vajpayee to be observed as National Good Governance Day

131
PSC on External Affairs recommended Government to introduce a Bill to ratify LBA
with Bangladesh
133
Union government announced 28000 crore rupees package for laying new rail lines
in North-East
135
Current Affairs
Union government decided to amend the Consumer Protection Act 1986
136
ECONOMY
137
Department of Financial Services appointed MD and CEO of four Nationalised

Banks
137
Foreign Exchange Reserves of India reached 320 billion US dollars
138
GAIL, CIL, RCF and FCI signed JV to set up Coal gasification-cum-fertiliser complex in Odisha
139
Union Cabinet approved promulgation of Ordinance hiking FDI in Insurance to 49

percent
140
RBI extended deadline for withdrawal of pre-2005 currency notes to 30 June 2015
141
WTCIS signed agreement with NIESBUD to promote small businesses
142
Suresh Prabhu Advisory Group on Integrated Development of Power submitted

report to Union Government
142
IWAI signed MoU with Odisha government to develop stretches of National Waterway 5
144
BHEL bagged 16.96 million euro contract in Turkey for a thermal power project 145
Union Finance Ministry approved 8.75 percent interest rate on PF deposits for
2014-15
146
IRDA imposed penalty on Canara HSBC OBC Life Insurance & Anand Rathi Insurance Brokers
147
Union government notified Approach Paper for e-auctioning of 92 cancelled coal

mines in first phase
148
RBI imposed monetary penalty on ICICI and Bank of Baroda for violating KYC/AML
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Instructions
149
RBI increased RTGS business hours to 12 hours on weekdays
150
Union Cabinet approved to set up 500 crore rupees Credit Guarantee Fund for factoring for MSME units
151
Union Government divested 5 percent stake in SAIL
152
SBI launched two Composite Indices to track monthly and yearly economic trends
154
RBI notified revised FDI policy in Defence and Railways
155
RBI notified norms to set up TReDS trading platform for MSME receivables
156
RBI relaxed norms for PPIs and doubled the limit to one lakh rupees
157
DIPP issued Press Note 10 to relax FDI norms for the construction development
sector
159
RBI announced fifth Bi-Monthly Monetary Policy Statement 2014-15
160
SEBI allowed 123 entities to set up Alternative Investment Funds in India
162
ENVIRONMENT | ECOLOGY
164
Worlds smallest goanna lizard species discovered in Australia
164
Pompadour Green Pigeon endemic to Western Ghats spotted in Barkheda in Rajasthan
164
98 new species of beetle genus Trigonopterus discovered in Indonesia
165
Pico do Fogo Volcano erupted in Cape Verde archipelago off West Africa coast 166
World Bank released report Turn Down the Heat: Confronting the New Climate Normal
167
United Nations sent team of international experts to clean up Sundarbans oil spill
168
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Complex pattern of Greenland Ice Sheet dynamics revealed
169
WWF-India launched project Mobile Apps for Climate Change
171
Nine species of bush frogs discovered in Western Ghats
171
UNEP released the First Adaptation Gap Report
173
Median time between CO2 emission and the maximum warming caused by it is
10.1 years: Study
175
Subramanian Committee on Review of Environmental Laws submitted report to the

Union Government
177
Singapore to adopt Euro VI emission standards for petrol vehicles from 2017
179
Human induced industrial waste causing Ocean acidification
179
Global Warming to impact Polar Bear population in Canadian Arctic Archipelago by

2100
181
First bio-fuel powered bus became operational in UK
182
CORPORATE
183
L&T Hydrocarbon won offshore contract from ONGC worth 894 crore rupees
183
Trevor Bull appointed as CEO and MD of Aviva India Life Insurance
183
Gujarat Pipavav Port Limited tied up with NYK Auto Logistics to set up Ro-Ro terminal
184
Adani Power signed binding agreement with Avantha group to buy its Korba West
Power Co Ltd unit
185
Adani Welspun Exploration to invest 1.5 billion US dollar in US shale and Canadian
oil sands assets
187
GMR Megawide Cebu Airport Corporation tied up funds for Philippines airport project
188
Current Affairs
Jyotsna Suri elected as the President of the FICCI
189
Helios Travel launched Magic Cabs in Bengaluru
191
Microsoft launched first phase of Skype Translator preview program
191
Historic Geeta Press announced lockout for indefinite period
192
Indian-origin Shriti Vadera appointed as the Chairman of Santander UK Bank
193
HDFC Bank launched mobile banking facility Bank Aap Ki Muththi Mein
194
Bharti Airtel sold over 1100 mobile towers in Zambia, Rwanda to IHS
194
Bharti Airtel on 15 December 2014 sold over 1100 telecom towers in Zambia and
Rwanda to IHS Holding. The amount was not disclosed by the company.
194
Hinduja Group acquired iconic Old War Office Building of Winston Churchill
195
Co-optex launched its e-Commerce Portal
196
Carnival Cinemas Limited acquired Media Works Limited for 710 crore rupees
197
ICICI Bank launched Indias first transparent credit card in association with American Express
197
RIL named former UK judge as its arbitrator in gas dispute
198
Tata Power acquired 540 MW thermal power plant for 3000 crore rupees
198
Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices banned sale of 80 generic drugs
199
Samsung appointed HyunChil Hong as President of Southwest Asia
200
RIL announced to sell 49 percent stake in Textile Business to Chinese firm Shandong Ruyi
201
HCL Infosystems MD & CEO Harshavardhan Madhav Chitale resigned
202
BHEL commissioned Nyaborongo Hydro Power Plant in Rwanda
202
Samsung Electronics appointed Pranav Mistry as Global Vice President
203
Boeing 787 aircraft completed the worlds first flight using Aviation Biofuel
204
10
Current Affairs
Ritu Mallya appointed as Director of MCF board
205
Arun Duggal appointed as non-executive Chairman of Credit rating agency ICRA

206
Infosys appointed Stanford Professor John Etchemendy as independent director
206
Ranbaxy launched arthritis drug Infimab BOW015
207
SCIENCE | TECHNOLOGY
209
LSU Researchers discovered new method to convert Carbon Dioxide into Organic
Compound
209
Worlds smallest hearing aid named Nanoplug developed
210
NASA developing gecko grippers to grab space debris
211
STAP technique: A unique cellular reprogramming phenomenon
213
European space mission Rosetta named as Breakthrough of the Year 2014 by Science journal
214
Scientists at IIT-B developed hollow-fiber membrane to cut dialysis cost, time by

half
216
DRDO successfully tested an indigenous 1000 kg glide bomb
217
Lens-free on-chip Microscope developed to image pathology samples
218
ISRO successfully launched GSLV Mark-III-X from Sriharikota
219
China developed invisible pain beam weapon Poly WB-1 to break-up riots
220
Old laptop batteries could power slums in developing countries: IBM India Study
221
Researchers developed Worlds fastest 2D camera at the Washington University 223
India joined Thirty Meter Telescope Project as a Full Member
11
224
Current Affairs
Rapid evolution of HIV slowing down its ability to cause AIDS: Study
226
Astronomers for the first time measured transit of an Exoplanet 55 Cancri e using
ground-base
227
Researchers identified that Brain has weak spot for schizophrenia and Alzheimers
disease
229
Earths most abundant mineral named as Bridgmanite
230
SPORTS
231
Mahendra Singh Dhoni announced retirement from Test cricket
231
Ankita Raina won NECC International Tennis Association Singles title
232
BCCI banned spinner Pragyan Ojha from bowling in competitive cricket
232
India won Gold in World Youth Under-16 Chess Olympiad
233
Indian cyclist Deborah won four gold medals at Track Asia Cup 2014
233
Magnus Carlsen of Norway won FIDE World Chess Championship 2014
234
Switzerland defeated France to win 1st-ever Davis Cup of Tennis
235
Indian pugilists Sarjubala and Saweety won Silver at World Women Boxing Championships
236
Lewis Hamilton won Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to become the F1 World champion for
second time
236
Shiva Keshavan won Silver at 17th Asian Luge Championships
237
Sachin Tendulkar appointed as ambassador of Cricket World Cup 2015
238
India won 3rd SAFF Womens Championship in Islamabad
239
Hariom Singh won Gold in Mens 50-metre Rifle Prone event at 58th National
Shooting champions
239
Paul McGinley of Ireland won Sports Personality Coach of the Year 2014
240
12
Current Affairs
Rory McIlroy named 2014 Race to Dubai European Tour Golfer of Year
241
AIBA banned Indian boxer Laishram Sarita Devi for one year
241
Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic mascots named Vinicius and Tom
242
Viswanathan Anand won London Classic Chess title
243
Japan teens Mima Ito and Miu Hirano became youngest table tennis champions243
Germany won mens Hockey Champions Trophy for the year 2014
244
Boxer Sarita Devi accepted Asian Games Bronze Medal
244
Gwladys Nocera of France won Hero Womens Indian Golf Open 2014
245
Amos Meindi of Kenya won 29th Pune International full Marathon
246
Kumar Sangakkara became fourth batsman to complete 13000 ODI runs
247
Jacques Kallis appointed mentor and batting consultant for IPL team Kolkata
Knight Rider
248
ICC suspended Pakistani off-spinner Mohammad Hafeez for illegal bowling action
249
India defeated Pakistan to win Blind Cricket World Cup for the year 2014
249
MRF Limited to be the global partner of ICC cricket World Cup 2015
250
US football team goalkeeper Tim Howard won 2014 US Player of year award
251
Raninder Singh became first Indian to be elected to ISSF executive committee 251
Indian Oil won Beighton Cup Hockey tournament
252
East Zone won 2014-15 Deodhar Trophy of cricket
253
UAE captain Khurram Khan became the oldest player to score a century in ODI 254
Mascot for the 2016 European football championship named Super Victor
254
Baichung Bhutia became the first Indian Footballer to conferred AFC Hall of Fame
Award
255
13
Current Affairs
STATE
257
Raghubar Das sworn-in as first non-tribal Chief Minister of Jharkhand
257
West Bengal Governor KN Tripathi appointed as Governor of Bihar
258
Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Election 2014 results declared
259
Jharkhand Assembly Election 2014 results declared
260
Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil appointed as LoP in Maharashtra Legislative Assembly

262
Gujarat CM Anandiben Patel launched MLA Adarsh Gram Yojana
263
Andhra Pradesh Assembly passed Capital Region Development Authority Bill, 2014
264
The Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly on 22 December 2014 passed the Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) Bill, 2014 by voice vote. The Bill was
presented in the Assembly by Dr. P Narayana, Minister for Municipal Administration
and Urban Development.
264
Surat Municipal Corporation partnered with Microsoft to transform Surat into smart
city
264
Maharashtra government made e-tendering mandatory for projects over 3 lakh rupees
265
Maharashtra Government set up all-party committee to review issue of Maratha

reservations
266
Bombay High Court appointed a team of 17 lawyers to function as Commissioners

of Court
267
Ghanta Chakrapani appointed as the first Chairman of TSPSC
268
Lok Sabha passed NCT of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Amendment Bill, 2014
269
The National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Second Act, 2011
14
Current Affairs
269
Survey of India released the revised geographical map of Hyderabad
270
Telugu music director Chakri died of heart attack
271
Six new ministers inducted in Telangana State Cabinet
272
Maharashtra government declared Dahi Handi as adventurous sport
273
Andhra Pradesh CM Nara Chandrababu Naidu launched Farmers Debt Redemption

Scheme
273
Andhra Pradesh Government unveiled Land Pooling Policy to build new state capital
274
Andhra Pradesh Government signed MoU with Singapore for development of its
new capital
275
Karnataka cabinet approved Child Protection Policy for Safe Schools in Karnataka
276
Union MoEF approved the construction of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue in
Arabian Sea
277
Manipur government extended Disturbed Area status under AFSPA for another one
year
278
Meghalaya formed panel to expedite inclusion process of Khasi-language in Constitution
279
UP Government launched the Women Entrepreneurship Scheme 2014-15
280
Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off first passenger train to Meghalaya from
Assam
281
15
Current Affairs
NEWS CAPSULE
282
PERSON IN NEWS
282
Raghunath K. Shevgaonkar, Director of the Indian Institute of Technology -Delhi

resigned
282
Reverend Libby Lane appointed as first female bishop of the Church of England 287
Music composer A R Rahman nominated for Oscar Awards in Music Original Score
Category
289
Miss World honoured Aishwarya Rai for charitable work
290
Sikkim CM Pawan Chamling became longest serving Chief Minister of India
291
Ruhi Singh won Miss Universal Peace & Humanity 2014
292
German Chancellor Angela Merkel re-elected as head of Conservative party
292
Richest man of Russia Alisher Usmanov decided to return the Nobel Prize medal of
James D Watson
293
James D Watson auctioned his Nobel Prize medal for DNA discovery for 4.8 million
US dollars
293
Oldest litigant of Babri Masjid case Hashim Ansari decided to withdraw his plea 294
Ashutosh Maharaj last rites should be performed within 15 days: Punjab & Haryana
High Court
295
Rohtak sisters who thrashed molesters to be honoured on Republic Day
296
Eight-foot bronze statue of World War II Indian pilot Mohinder Singh Pujji unveiled
in UK
297
Person Resigned
298
Koppillil Radhakrishnan retired as ISRO chief
298
16
Current Affairs
US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel resigned
298
Stem cell scientist of Japan Haruko Obokata resigned over stem cell scandal
299
USAID head Rajiv Raj Shah resigned from his position
300
Person Appointed
302
A.K. Mittal appointed as Chairman of Railway Board
302
President Pranab Mukherjee appointed Governors of Mizoram, Uttarakhand and

Meghalaya
302
Vrinda Sarup appointed as Secretary to Department of School Education and Literacy
303
Former SC judge Chandramauli Kumar Prasad chosen as the next chairperson of

PCI
303
Deepak Gupta appointed as Chairman of UPSC
304
Sunil Manohar appointed as Advocate General of Maharashtra
305
Prakash Mishra appointed as Directorate General of CRPF
306
Shyam Srinivasan appointed as Chairman of IBA committee on Member Private

Sector Banks
306
Vasan Srinivasan inducted into the Australian Multicultural Council
307
Amit Priyavadan Mehta appointed as Federal judge in the district of Columbia
308
Union Government appointed Dineshwar Sharma as Director of Intelligence Bureau

309
Maleeha Lodhi appointed as Pakistan Ambassador to the United Nations
310
Vivek Hallegere Murthy appointed as 19th Surgeon General of America
311
Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed appointed as the new head of the UNMEER
312
Anurag Jain appointed as the Joint Secretary in Prime Ministers Office
312
17
Current Affairs
Randhir Singh appointed as honorary member of IOC
313
Richard Rahul Verma became first Indian-American to be appointed as US Ambassador to India
314
Physicist Ashton Carter nominated as next defense secretary of US
315
Indian-American scientist Arun Majumdar appointed as US Science Envoy
316
Justice Sardar Muhammad Raza Khan appointed as new Chief Election Commissioner of Pakistan
317
Sikh woman Preet Didbal elected as council member of Californias Yuba City
317
Anil Kumar Sinha appointed as new CBI director
318
319
Union Home Ministry approved appointment of OP Singh as Director General of

NDRF
320
Science | Space
321
NASA found the Meteoritic Evidence of Water Reservoir at Mars
321
Indian Communication Satellite GSAT-16 launched successfully
322
Japan launched asteroid explorer Hayabusa 2 to explore origin of earth
323
Russia launched new generation GLONASS-K navigation satellite
324
Person on Visit
325
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Fiji
325
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Nepal
326
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj visited United Arab Emirates
327
327
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Australia
328
18
Current Affairs
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh visited Israel
329
President Pranab Mukherjee visited Bhutan
330
President Pranab Mukherjee visited Norway
331
Person Died
333
Rajan Devadas, an acclaimed Indian-American photojournalist died
333
Oldest litigant in Babri Masjid case Mohammad Farooq died
334
Noted Hindi poet Nand Chaturvedi died
334
Malayalam Film Actor Narayanan Lakshmi Balakrishnan Died
335
Emmy-winning Director Joseph Sargent died
336
Filmmaker Kailasam Balachander passed away
336
Former Union Minister Murli Deora died
337
Senior Marathi actor-director Raghuvir Nevrekar died
338
Former Union Minister G. Venkataswamy died
339
British singer Joe Cocker passed away
339
Actress Billie Whitelaw of England died at age of 82
340
Veteran Telugu Sports Journalist Maddineni Babu Rao died
341
Italian film actress Virna Lisi died
342
Veteran freedom fighter Chunibhai Vaidya passed away
342
Pioneer of home video game console Ralph Henry Baer died
343
Veteran Journalist Piratla Venkateswarlu passed away
344
Hockey Olympian Grihanandan Singh died
345
Carnatic vocalist Nedanuri Krishnamurthy died
345
Belgiums former Queen Fabiola died
347
Justice Vaidyanathapura Rama Krishna Iyer died at 100
348
19
Current Affairs
American saxophonist Bobby Keys died at 70
350
Former Maharashtra CM Abdul Rahman Antulay passed away
351
Bollywood actor-comedian Deven Verma died at 78
352
Former Arunachal Chief Minister Jarbom Gamlin passed away
353
Veteran music critic SV Krishnamurthy passed away
354
Renowned Egyptian novelist Radwa Ashour died
354
Renowned theatre personality Veenapani Chawla died at 67
355
Awards | Honours
356
Amitabh Bachchan honoured with Yash Chopra Memorial Award
356
Bilal Tanweer won Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize 2014
356
Atal Bihari Vajpee and Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya to receive Bharat Ratna
358
Dilip Vengsarkar received Col CK Nayudu Lifetime achievement award
360
TVS Chairman Venu Srinivasan conferred honorary citizenship of Busan
361
Veteran poetess Imtiaz Dharker awarded with the Queens Gold Medal for Poetry
2014
362
Xu Youyu of China won Olof Palme Human Rights Prize for the year 2014
364
Miss South Africa Rolene Strauss crowned Miss World 2014
365
Asha Bhosle awarded DIFF Lifetime Achievement Award 2014
365
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz awarded the Confucius Peace Prize 2014
367
Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yousafzai received Nobel Peace Prize for the year
2014
368
Azim Premji awarded Swiss Ambassadors Award
369
Indian PM Narendra Modi named as the Asian of the Year 2014 by The Straits
Times
370
20
Current Affairs
President Pranab Mukherjee presented Niryat Shree and Niryat Bandhu Awards 371
Film artist Duncan Campbell won Turner Prize for the year 2014
372
The Economic Times Awards for Corporate Excellence announced
373
Places in News
375
Maoist attacked CRPF personnel in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh
375
Militants attack Nigerian city Maiduguri and Damaturu
376
Books | Authors
377
Book titled Why I Assassinated Gandhi written by Nathuram Godse and Gopal
Godse
377
PM Narendra Modi launched Born Again on the Mountain by Arunima Sinha
377
Prince of Gujarat: The Extraordinary Story of Prince Gopaldas Desai released
378
Rajdeep Sardesai penned the book titled 2014: The Election That Changed India
380
Accident | Incident
382
AirAsia flight QZ8501 carrying 162 passengers went missing
382
Strong earthquake of 6.3 magnitude hit Tibetan region of southwestern China
382
South Korean fishing boat Oryong 501 sank in Bering Sea
383
Defence | Security
384
Indian Army launched Operation All Out against Bodo militants in Assam
384
DAC approved proposals to buy military equipment worth 4444 crore rupees
384
IAF launched second phase of air combat game called Guardian of the Skies
386
21
Current Affairs
Advanced version of Mark-II Pinaka Rocket successfully test-fired from Chandipur
in Odisha
387
Sikorsky Corp bagged 6000 crore rupee deal to supply S-70B Seahawks to Indian
Navy
388
Border Security Force celebrated 49th Raising Day
389
Nuclear-capable missile Agni-IV test fired from Wheeler Island
389
Report | Survey
391
Report titled Future of India- The Winning Leap released by PwC
391
Time Magazine released list of 25 Best Inventions 2014
394
WHO released the Global status report on violence prevention 2014
396
Fortune 500 list of Indian companies 2014 released
398
UN World Economic Situation and Prospects 2015 (WESP) report released
399
World Wide Web Foundations Web Index 2014 released
402
WEF released 2013 Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index
404
IntelCenter released Country Threat Index ranking 45 countries in terms of terrorist

threat
405
Summit | Conference
407
8th India-Republic of Korea Joint Commission meeting held in South Korea
407
World Diamond Conference held in New Delhi
408
15th Indio-Russian Bilateral Annual Summit held in New Delhi
409
Urban Mobility India Conference concluded with recommendations to address urban mobility in India
410
22
Current Affairs
Committees | Commissions
412
Union Government set up Mathur committee to examine constitution of SIT on

1984 anti-Sikh riots
412
Union Finance Ministry constituted High Level Committee to hear industrys tax issues
413
Abbreviations | Terms
415
Koala diplomacy, the Australian soft power-based foreign policy
415
HRIDAY scheme for conservation of heritage characters of cities
415
Section 309 of IPC: Attempt to Suicide removed
416
EXACTO: The bullet that can change direction mid-air
417
US released three Cuban spies of Wasp Network
418
GSLV Mark-III-X successfully test fired along with human Crew module, CARE 418
Druzhba-Dosti: A Vision for Strengthening the Indian-Russian Partnership over the
Next Decade
419
PM Narendra Modi coined acronym SMART for police forces across the country419
Union Government released Calendar for the year 2015 with theme Clean India
Art | Culture
421
Green India
421
Losar, the New Year festival of Ladakh region, began
421
India observed National Mathematics Day to commemorate birth anniversary of

Srinivasa Ramanujan
422
Marathi film Kapus Kondyachi Goshta nominated for Oscar Award in Best Picture
Category
423
23
Current Affairs
Indian film Jal nominated for Oscar contenders of 2014 in two categories
424
Movie titled Bhopal: A prayer for Rain released to mark the 30th anniversary of
Bhopal Gas Tragedy
425
45th International Film Festival of India concluded in Goa
426
Inventions | Discoveries
427
Late Harappan period house discovered in Chandyan village of Uttar Pradesh
427
Archaeologists discovered Buddhist sculptures and Kushan-era coins in Pakistan

428
Archaeologists discovered 12th century royal palace hidden under prehistoric fortress at Old Sarum
428
Exhibition | Fare
430
President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated IITF 2014 in New Delhi
430
Border haat opened in Tripura
431
Biggest electronics trade exhibition of Japan CEATEC concluded
431
Union MNRE announced the organisation of the first RE-INVEST Promotion Meet &
Expo
432
Day | Week | Year
434
Union Government observed 25 December 2014 as Good Governance Day
434
Tenth anniversary of Indian Ocean Tsunami observed on 26 December
435
International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women observed on 25

November
436
29th National Consumers Right Day observed across India
436
24
Current Affairs
World Fisheries Day observed across the world on 21 November
438
Minorities Rights Day observed across the world on 18 December
438
Victory Day celebrated in Bangladesh on 16 December
439
Vijay Diwas observed across the country on 16 December
439
National Energy Conservation Day observed on 14 December
440
Nation remembered and paid homage to martyrs of Parliament attack
441
Human Rights Day observed globally on 10 December
442
International Anti-Corruption Day observed on 9 December
442
Armed Forces Flag Day observed across the nation
443
UN observed International Volunteer Day on 5 December
444
UN declared 2015 as the International Year of Soils
445
First World Soil Day observed on 5 December
446
Mahaparinirwan Diwas observed on 6 December to pay tribute to B R Ambedkar

446
43rd Navy Day observed on 4 December
447
Bhopal gas tragedy remembered across the country on 3 December
448
International Day of Persons with Disabilities observed on 3 December
449
International Day for the Abolition of Slavery observed on 2 December
450
26thWorld AIDS Day observed across the world on 1 December
451
Plan | Programme
453
Global campaign Girl Rising launched in New Delhi to create awareness on girl education
453
25
Current Affairs
Miscellaneous
454
Sushaasan Express flagged off by the Union Ministry of Mines and Steel
454
First Arabic translation of Indian Constitution launched in Cairo
454
Worlds first herbal Holy Quran unveiled in Dubai
455
India set Guinness Record for largest human formation of a national flag in world
456
President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated Golden Jubilee Celebrations of Rama
Devi Womens College
456
Remember Bhopal museum inaugurated
457
DNA test of skeleton of King Richard III raised questions over succession in British
monarchy
458
Mission We Remember, a Motorcycle expedition by Navy concluded in Kerala
459
Singapore launched National Day song in Tamil language to celebrate 50 years of

Independence
459
WORLD DAIRY December 2014
461
INDIA DAIRY December 2014
470
TOP 100 CURRENT AFFAIRS OF 2014
481
26
Current Affairs
PREFACE
The Current Affairs December 2014 eBook covers the current events that happened in the month of
December. Current Affairs is a crucial component of any competitive exams including IAS|PCS, SSC,
Banking, MBA. The lack of preparation for current affairs by the aspirants and candidates often is a main
cause of their failure. Even though the candidates know it but they are often confused about how to prepare
the current affairs section of the different competitive exams. It is to clear such doubts and confusion,
Jagranjosh.com has come up with eBook concept. Although current affairs section per se is very wide to be
covered, yet we have tried to cover all the possible current affairs for the month of December 2014.
The Current Affairs December 2014 eBook is divided into different section keeping in mind the need of various
exams. The sections covered namely are International, National, Economy, Ecology and Environment,
Science & Technology, Corporate, Sports, States, and News Capsule. Every news item in each section is
arranged date wise with the most recent news being covered first and so on. Although there might be some
deviations but that is solely to give priority to the most important current affairs in each section.
Presentation of the given current affairs has been planned meticulously. It has been planned in such a
way that it remains in the minds of readers for a longer duration. Wherever necessary each news item is
presented along with a background and analysis so as to help candidates contemplate all the important
current events at the time of exam in an effective way.
Copyright Jagranjosh.com
All rights reserved. No part or the whole of this eBook may be copied, reproduced, stored in retrieval system or
transmitted and/or cited anywhere in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or
otherwise), without the written permission of the copyright owner. If any misconduct comes in knowledge or brought
in notice, strict action will be taken.
Disclaimer
Readers are requested to verify/cross-check up to their satisfaction themselves about the advertisements, advertorials,
and external contents. If any miss-happening, ill result, mass depletion or any similar incident occurs due to any
information cited or referenced in this e-book, Editor, Director/s, employees of Jagranjosh.com cant be held liable/
responsible in any matter whatsoever. No responsibilities lie as well in case of the advertisements, advertorials, and
external contents.
27
Current Affairs
PICK OF THE MONTH

Acts & Amendments
The winter session of the Parliament held in November December 2014 saw
introduction and passing of many legislative bills either by the Lok Sabha or Rajya
Sabha. These bills intend to amend many existing laws in accordance with the
changing needs of Indian polity, society and economy.
The passage of large number of pending bills made this winter session of Parliament
one of the most productive sessions in recent memory. This happened on account of
formation of majority government in so many years.
In this lieu, this eBook has provided important features of important bills that were
either introduced or passed by the either House of the Parliament so as to help
students in their preparation for different competitive exams.
President signed Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Ordinance

2014
The President Pranab Mukherjee on 26 December 2014 signed Coal Mines (Special
Provisions) Ordinance to facilitate e-auction of coal blocks. He signed the ordinance
in accordance with the Article 123 (1) of the Constitution.
Earlier, Union Cabinet had approved the re-promulgation of the Ordinance to facilitate
e-auction of coal blocks for private companies for captive use and allot mines directly
to state and central Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs).
28
Current Affairs
The re-promulgation of ordinance on coal blocks was approved after Union government
was not able to get the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Bill, 2014 passed in Rajya
Sabha in the winter session of Parliament in 2014. Though, Lok Sabha had passed
the bill on 12 December 2014.
Besides, President Pranab Mukherjee also signed ordinance on insurance allowing
100 percent Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in medical devices in the pharmaceutical
sector and 49 percent FDI in Insurance Sector.
Main Provision of Bill

It allows Union Coal Ministry to acquire the land of the 214 cancelled coal blocks
and plants on it and e-auction them. The Ministry had approved 101 mines,
including 65 through auction, in the first phase.
Among 101 blocks, 63 mines would be given to the power sector, while the rest
would be for sectors like steel and cement. As many as 36 blocks will be directly
allotted to state-owned companies.
It also seeks to amend the Coal Mines (Nationalisation) Act, 1973 to effectively
open up the coal mining sector to all companies in India including subsidiaries of
foreign entities.
It details the process the Union government will follow in taking over the mines
that had been allocated to privately-owned and public-sector power, steel and
cement companies between 1993 and 2010.
It allows companies that had their coal block allocations for captive use cancelled
by the Supreme Court to bid for the mines. However, it barred entities convicted
of offences related to the allotment.
It lays down the provisions for public auction of the mines by way of competitive
bidding, which will require bidders to pay a fee not exceeding 5 crore rupees.
It also allows a prior allottee to participate in the auction process subject to
payment of the additional levy within such period as may be prescribed
Any prior allottee who is convicted for an offence relating to coal block allocation
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Current Affairs
and sentenced with imprisonment
for more than three years, shall
not be eligible to participate in the
auction
It classifies mines and their assets

in three schedules.
The President Pranab Mukherjee on

31 December 2014 signed National
Judicial Appointments Commission
Bill, 2014. With this, National Judicial
Appointments Commission Act, 2014
has come into effect.
The first schedule contains all

mines de-allocated by the Supreme
Court on 24 September 2014, the
coal bearing land acquired by
previous allottees of these mines
and the mining infrastructure.
The Bill also called the 121st

Constitutional Amendment Bill,
2014 will set up National Judicial
Appointments Commission (NJAC)
replacing collegiums system to
appoint judges of higher judiciary.
The second schedule comprises

42 mines mentioned in the first
one but which are producing coal
and for which the apex court has
allowed a six-month grace period.
The third schedule coal mines
comprises of 32 Schedule I coal
mines listed in Schedule III or
any other Schedule I coal mine
identified by the Union government
for the purposes of specified end
use.
The NJAC Bill was passed by both the

Houses of Parliament in August 2014.
Till December 2014; it was ratified by
the Legislatures of 16 States, thus
crossing the 50 percent ratification
needed by the States in case of a
Constitutional Amendment Bills as per
Article 368 of the Constitution.
It provides for a nominated

authority to ensure the transfer
of the rights, interest and titles
of these blocks, and the auction
money will accrue to it. A Union
government-appointed officer not
below the rank of joint secretary
Main Features of the NJAC Act,

2014
It gives NJAC a Constitutional status
for appointment of judges to the
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Current Affairs
shall be the nominated authority.
Supreme Court and the High Courts.
It lays down a detailed procedure

for reallocation of all prospecting
licences or mining leases granted
both by the central and state
governments.
It also gives the executive an

equal role in the appointment of
judges to the highest judiciary, as a
constitutional body.
Background
Supreme Court in its order of 24
September 2014 had cancelled 214
coal block mines out of 218 allotted
since 1993 saying they were given in an
illegal and arbitrary manner.
It specifies amendments to Articles

124 (2) and 217 (1) that deals with
the appointment of judges in the
Supreme Court and the High Courts,
respectively.
After decision of Supreme Court,

the Union Government through an
Ordinance started the process of
auctioning at least 74 operational or
ready-to-operate blocks and has set
a deadline to auction them by March
2014, the deadline set by the court for
companies operating the mines to wind
up operations.
Now the judges in the Supreme

Court and the High Courts will
be appointed by the President in
consultation with the NJAC.
Once the NJAC is in place then

Union government has to intimate
NJAC within 30 day about the
vacancies in the Supreme Court and
the High Courts. Vacancies to come
up within the next six months should
also be intimated to the commission
in advance.
Companies (Amendment) Bill

2014
The Lok Sabha on 17 December 2014
passed the Companies (Amendment)
Bill, 2014 to amend the Companies
Act, 2013.
The main objective of the bill is to ease
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Current Affairs
the process of doing business in India.
Main Provisions of the Bill

The paid-up capital criteria has been scrapped while threshold limits for various
transactions for getting shareholders nod has now been stipulated.
Specific punishment is prescribed for those raising illegal deposits from the public.
For meeting a corporate demand, an amendment proposes prohibiting public
inspection of Board resolutions filed in the registry.
Protection of confidentiality of board resolutions, as well as the provision of
auditors will be required to report suspected frauds at the companies audited by
them.
The Bill also proposes to exempt corporates from the need to get shareholders
nod in the case of related party transactions valued lower than 100 crore rupees
or 10 percent of net worth.
The bill also exempts related party transactions between holding companies
and wholly owned subsidiaries from the requirement of approval of non-related
shareholders.
Inclusion of the provisions for writing off past losses/depreciation before declaring
dividend for the year.
For winding up the cases speedily, now the cases shall be heard by 2-member
Bench instead of a 3-member Bench.
Special Courts will try only those offences that carry imprisonment of two years
or more.
The Repealing and Amending (Second) Bill, 2014

The Lok Sabha on 8 December 2014 passed the Repealing and Amending (Second)
Bill, 2014 to repeal obsolete Acts. The Bill passed by voice vote seeks to repeal 90
laws and pass amendment to two laws.
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Current Affairs
The Bill was introduced by the Union Minister of Law and Justice D V Sadananda
Gowda in Lok Sabha on 3 December 2014. It was introduced as a periodic measure
for updating the list of laws in force.

The Bill intends to repeal certain enactments as well as to amend certain other
enactments which have either become obsolete or their retention as separate
Acts is unnecessary.
The Bill repeals certain laws that have been listed in the First Schedule of the Bill.
As many as 90 Acts listed in the First Schedule of the Bill have been proposed to
be repealed
Out of the 90 acts, 88 are being repealed entirely as they are amendment acts and
the changes have been incorporated into the principal acts.
Besides, the Bill also proposes to amend the Railways (Amendment) Act, 2008
and the Indian Maritime University Act, 2008 to rectify typographical errors
The Bill proposes amendments to some laws including the Arbitration Act and
Motor Vehicles Act to bring down pendency of cases in the courts.
The Apprentices (Amendment) Bill, 2014

Rajya Sabha on 27 November 2014 passed the Apprentices (Amendment) Bill, 2014
by voice vote. The bill seeks to amend the Apprentices Act, 1961. The Bill was passed
by the Lok Sabha on 7 August 2014.
Main Provision of the Bill

It amends the definition of appropriate government to include an establishment
operating in four or more states to be regulated by the central government.
It amends the definitions of: (i) designated trade, (ii) graduate or technician
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Current Affairs
apprentice, (iii) trade apprentice, (iv) industry and (v) worker and add two new
definitions: (i) optional trade, and (ii) portal-site.
It adds that the minimum age for apprenticeship in designated trades related to
hazardous industries shall be 18 years although the Act sets the minimum age for
being engaged as an apprentice at 14 years.
It states that the hours of work and leave will be as per the discretion or policy of
the employer. Earlier the hours of work and leave as per the Rules prescribe in the
Act.
The Bill specifies the amount/maximum amount of the fine and removes the provision
for imprisonment for such offences. Earlier certain offences were punishable with
imprisonment up to six months or with a fine (quantum unspecified) or both under
the Act.
It states that the central government shall prescribe the number of apprentices to
be engaged by an employer for designated trade and optional trade. Earlier it was
central government, after consulting the Central Apprenticeship Council (CAC)
established under the Act shall prescribe the minimum number of apprentices.
It permits multiple employers to come together, either themselves or through
an approved agency (as against only themselves given in the Act), to provide
apprenticeship training (as against practical training given in the Act) to apprentices
under them.
The Bill removes the requirement for Advisers approval for practical training to
apprentices as was required under the Act.
It specifies that basic training to apprentices can be provided in any institute with
adequate facilities.
It adds that proficiency test for apprentices may be conducted and certificates
may be granted by other authorised agencies as well. This is in addition to the
proficiency test conducted and the certificates granted by the National Council for
Vocational Training (NCVT).
The Bill states that powers to make rules to implement the Act shall include
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Current Affairs
the power to make Rules retrospectively with effect from a date on or after the
President grants his assent to the Bill. No Rule shall have a retrospective effect
if it prejudicially affects the interests of any person to whom such Rule may be
applicable.
The Apprentices Act 1961

The Act was enacted in 1961 and came into force in 1962. It was enacted for regulating
the programme of training of employees working as apprentices in the company.
The Apprentices Act 1961 was first amended in 1973 through the Apprentices
(Amendment) Bill 1973 for induction of graduate engineers as Graduate Apprentices.
The Act was further amended through the Apprentices (Amendment) Bill 1986 to
include training of 10+2 vocational stream as Technician (Vocational) Apprentices.
The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2014

The Lok Sabha on 18 December 2014 passed the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill,
2014 to legalize e-rickshaws by bringing them under the ambit of the Motor Vehicles
Act, 1988.
The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2014 was introduced in Lok Sabha on 15
December 2014. The Bill seeks to amend the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.

Under the Act, a motor vehicle or vehicle is defined as any mechanically propelled
vehicle adapted for use upon the roads.
The bill does not include (i) a vehicle running upon fixed rails or (ii) a vehicle of a
special type adapted for use only in a factory or in any other enclosed premises
or (iii) a vehicle having less than four wheels fitted with engine capacity of not
exceeding 25 cc.
The Bill brings e-carts and e-rickshaws under the ambit of the Motor Vehicles Act,
35
Current Affairs
1988. E-carts and e-rickshaws are defined as special purpose battery powered
vehicles, having three wheels, and with power up to 4000 watts.
Under the Act, a person shall be granted a learners licence to drive public service
vehicles, goods carriages, educational institution buses or private service vehicles,
only if he has held a driving licence to drive a light motor vehicle for at least one
year.
The Bill states that the conditions for issuing of driver licences for e-cart or
e-rickshaw shall be prescribed.
The Bill also provides for the central government to make Rules on the specifications
for e-carts and e-rickshaws and the manner and conditions for issuing driving
licenses.
The Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorized Occupants)

Amendment Bill 2014
Lok Sabha on 15 December 2014 passed the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorized Occupants) Amendment Bill, 2014.
The Bill seeks to amend the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants)
Act, 1971.

The Bill proposes to make suitable amendments in Sections 2, 4, 5, 7 and 9 of the
1971 Act.
The bill redefines public premises to include companies in which at least 51 percent
of the paid-up share capital is held by Central and state governments.
Out of 20 suggestions given by the Supreme Court in its 2013 judgment about
unauthorized occupancy, 18 have been incorporated in the Bill.
The bill seeks to bring the properties of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation and other
36
Current Affairs
Metro Rails which may come up in future and also the properties of New Delhi
Municipal Council within the ambit of the 1971 Act.
Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1971

The Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1971 was enacted
to provide for speedy machinery for the eviction of unauthorised occupants from
public premises. Earlier, this Act has been amended thrice in the years 1980, 1984
and 1994.
The Textile Undertakings (Nationalisation) Laws (Amendment

and Validation) Bill, 2014
Rajya Sabha on 8 December 2014 passed the Textile Undertakings (Nationalisation)
Laws (Amendment and Validation) Bill, 2014 during the parliamentary session.
The Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha by the Union Minister of Textiles Santosh
Kumar Gangwar on 1 December 2014.
The Bill seeks to amend the Sick Textile Undertaking (Nationalisation) Act, 1974 and
the Textile Undertakings (Nationalisation) Act, 1995 in order to revive sick Textile Mills.
The amendments are made to protect assets of sick textile undertakings and ensure
lease-hold right of such units remains with the central government.

According to the Statement of Objects and Reasons of the Bill, the Bills seeks
to clarify the vesting of lease-hold land with the central government in order to
prevent the vacating of this land by National Textile Corporation (NTC) at the expiry
of the lease.
Court proceedings directing lease-hold land that are meant to be divested from
NTC will not be maintained or continued.
37
Current Affairs
Lease-hold rights over land will continue to be exercised by NTC on behalf of the
central government.
Even though lease-hold rights of the land are vested in the central government,
NTC has the right to prosecute or defend any proceedings in respect of this land.
No proceedings can be instituted against NTC on the ground that textile operations
were discontinued in the textile undertaking.
Any lease-hold property divested from NTC to other persons as a result of court
proceedings must be returned to NTC.
The transfer of any property from NTC through any order of a civil court or other
authority, which is not in keeping with either Act as amended by the Bill, will be
deemed void.
The School of Planning and Architecture Bill 2014

The Lok Sabha on 3 December 2014 passed the School of Planning and Architecture
Bill, 2014. The Bill was passed by a voice vote.
The Bill intends to declare three existing Schools of Planning and Architecture (SPA) as
institutions of national importance to promote education and research in architectural
studies. These institutes are located in New Delhi, Bhopal and Vijayawada.
The new status will empower the institutes to award degrees as in order to confer
degrees, an institute has to be made a deemed university by an act of Parliament.

These three institutes will be entitled to grant degrees to the students under the
provision of the Bill.
The Bill also proposes to set up a council for the SPAs similar to the Indian Institutes
of Technology (IITs) and National Institutes of Technology (NITs) to advise the
Centre on policy matters in the field of architecture and planning.
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Current Affairs
The reservation policy for admission and others will be applicable in lines with IITs
and NITs.
The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Orders (Amendment) Bill,

2014
Lok Sabha on 27 November 2014 passed the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Orders
Amendment Bill, 2014. The bill seeks to include more castes under Scheduled Castes
category in four states and exclude Majhi (Nepali) community from it in Sikkim.
The four States mentioned in the Bill are Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Tripura.
For this, the Bill seeks to amend the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950
and the Constitution (Sikkim) Scheduled Castes Order, 1978.
List of community under SC category that have been included in the Bill
Kerala: Pulluvan, Thachar (other than Carpenter)
Madhya Pradesh: Dahiya
Odisha: Amata, Amath, Bajia, Jaggili, Jagli, Buna Pano
Tripura: Chamar-Rohidas, Chamar-Ravidas, Dhobi, Jhalo-Malo
During the debate on the Bill in Lok Sabha, the Union Social Justice and Empowerment
Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot rejected the demand of some parties that Christian
and Muslims Dalits too should be included in the Bill.
The Union Government rejected the demand on the ground that the matter is pending
before the Supreme Court.
Background
The bill was first introduced in Lok Sabha in 2012 but lapsed after the 15th Lok Sabha
was dissolved. It was later introduced by Narendra Modi-led NDA government in
39
Current Affairs
August 2014 in Lok Sabha.
Article 341 of the Constitution empowers the President to specify castes which will
be deemed as Scheduled Castes through a notification. It also empowers Parliament
to include or exclude castes from the list of Scheduled Castes in the notification.
Ordinances Promulgated by the President

Ordinance on Delhi Laws Amendment Bill, 2014
The Union Cabinet on 29 December 2014 approved promulgation of an Ordinance on
Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Amendment Bill, 2014. The ordinance was approved
in a Cabinet meet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.
The ordinance seeks to amend the National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special
Provisions) Second Act, 2011 so as to regularise unauthorised colonies in Delhi.
After amendment, all the unauthorised colonies that have come up till 1 June 2014
will now be regularised. Previously, the cut-off date for regularisation of unauthorised
colonies was 31 March 2002.
This will provide the benefits accruing from regularisation to 60 lakh people residing
in 895 unauthorised colonies of Delhi that have come in existence between 31 March
2002 and 1 June 2014.
Background
The amendments were proposed against the backdrop of unsatisfactory experience
of Delhi government in regularising the unauthorised colonies. Thus, Delhi government
had sought extension of cut-off date for regularization to bring planned constructions
in these colonies under existing building bye-laws and other applicable rules.
40
Current Affairs
Ordinance on amendments to Land Acquisition Act, 2013
The Union Cabinet on 29 December 2014 approved promulgation of an ordinance
that amends the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition,
Rehabilitation and Resettlement (RFCTLARR) Act, 2013.
The amendments were approved in a cabinet meet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi. The decision to amend the act was taken in the backdrop of suggestions
that came up in interactions with the State Revenue Ministers and key implementing
Ministries, who faced difficulties in implementing the Act.
The proposed amendments will serve both objectives namely, farmer welfare and
along with the strategic and developmental needs of the country.
Main amendments in the RFCTLARR Act, 2013

Certain provisions of the Act were relaxed and Section 10 A was added to the
legislation
It also removes Consent Clause (CC) and Social Impact Assessment (SIA) for
acquiring land for five purposes, but compensation and rehabilitation and
resettlement packages will be applicable as per the new Land Acquisition Act for
acquiring land for these purposes. The five cases include
a) National security
b) Defence
c) Rural infrastructure including electrification
d) Industrial corridors
e) Building social infrastructure including PPP where ownership of land continues to
be vested with the government
It proposes to amend section 105 (read with Schedule IV) in order to bring 13
central legislations to enable people from whom the land will be acquired for
higher compensation and rehabilitation and resettlement benefits. Following acts
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Current Affairs
have been brought under the purview
a) The Atomic Energy Act, 1962
b) The Indian Tramways Act, 1886
c) The Railways Act, 1989
d) The Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958
e) The Petroleum and Minerals Pipelines (Acquisition of Right of User in Land) Act,
1962
f) The Damodar Valley Corporation Act, 1948
g) The Electricity Act, 2003
h) The Requisitioning and Acquisition of Immovable Property Act, 1952
i) The Resettlement of Displaced Persons (Land Acquisition) Act, 1948
j) The Metro Railways (Construction of Works) Act, 1978
k) The Coal Bearing Areas Acquisition and Development Act, 1957
l) The National Highways Act, 1956
m) The Land Acquisition (Mines) Act, 1885
Background
The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation
and Resettlement Act, 2013 came into effect on 1 January 2014. The Bill related to
this was passed by the Parliament in 2013
The act seeks to provide just and fair compensation to farmers while ensuring that
no land can be acquired forcibly
The Act also stipulates mandatory consent of at least 70 per cent for acquiring
land for Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects and 80 per cent for acquiring
land for private companies.
The Act, which replaced Land Acquisition Act, 1894 made it mandatory
42
Current Affairs
compensation that is up to four times the market value in rural areas and two
times the market value in urban areas.
Bills Introduced in either House of the Parliament

Goods and Services Tax Bill, 2014
Union Government introduced Goods and Services Tax Bill, 2014 in the Lok Sabha
on 19 December 2014. The Bill also called the Constitution (122nd Amendment) Bill,
2014 will facilitate the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime in
India.
The 122nd Constitution Amendment Bill seeks to inserts Article 246A, 269A, Article
279A and omits Article 268A which was inserted by the Constitution (88th Amendment)
Act, 2003. It also omits Entry 92 and 92C from the Union List and Entry 52 and 55 of
the State List of the Seventh Schedule
Besides, it amends Article 248, 249, 250, 268, 269, 270, 271, 286, 366, 368, Sixth
Schedule and the Entry 84 of the Union List and Entry 54 and 62 of the State List of
Seventh Schedule of the Constitution.
Article 246A: Empowers Legislature of every State to make laws with respect to
goods and services tax imposed by the Union or by such State provided that these
powers are subject to laws made by Parliament in accordance with the Article 246A
(2).
Article 246A (2): Parliament has the exclusive power to make laws with respect to
GST where the supply of goods, or of services, or both take place in the course of
Inter-State trade or commerce.
Article 269A: Provides that GST on supplies of the good and services taking place in
the coruse of inter-state trade will be levied and collected by the Union and apportioned
between the Union and the States in the manner provided by the Parliament by law
on the recommendations of the GST Council.
Article 279A: Empowers President of India to constitute a Goods and Service Tax
43
Current Affairs
(GST) Council within sixty-days of the commencement of the 122nd Constitution
Amendment Act.
Main Provision of the Bill

It provides for constitution of a Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council to recommend
to the Union and States on the inclusion and exclusion of goods and services
It brings petroleum crude, high speed diesel, motor spirit, natural gas, aviation
turbine fuel and tobacco and tobacco products within the purview of Union List
and State list.
It proposes an additional tax on supply of goods, not exceeding one percent,
in the course of inter-State trade will be levied and collected by the Union for a
period of two years and apportioned to the States
The net proceeds of additional tax on supply of goods, except the proceeds from
Union Territories, will not form the part of Consolidated Fund of India and shall be
deemed to have been apportioned to States from where the supply originates.
It proposes that Parliament by Law on the recommendation of the GST Council
provide for the compensation to the States for loss of revenue arising on account
of implementation of GST for a period of five years.
It subsumes all the Central indirect taxes, levies and Central Sales Tax and State
Value Added Tax and Sales Tax
It dispenses with the concept of declared goods of special importance under the
Constitution
It covers all goods and services except alcoholic liquor for human consumption
for the levy of GST.
In case of petroleum products, these goods will not be subjected to GST till a date
is notified on the recommendation of the GST Council
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Current Affairs
About Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council
1. The GST Council comprises of following members
Union Finance Minister: Chairperson
Union Minister of State in charge of Revenue or Finance: Member
Minister in charge of Finance ot Taxation or any other Minister nominated by each
State government: Members
2. The GST Council should choose one amongst them to be the Vice-Chairperson
of the Council for such period as they may decide.
3. Functions of GST Council

To make recommendations to Union and State on the taxes, cesses and surcharges
levied by Union, State or local bodies that can be subsumed in the GST
To make recommendations on goods and services that may be subjected to, or
exempted from the GST
To propose a model GST Laws, principles of levy, apportionment of Integrated
GST and the principles that govern the place of supply
Recommend the threshold limit of turnover below which goods and services amy
be exempted from GST
Recommend the rate including floor rates with bands of GST
Recommend any special rate or rates for a specified period to raise additional
resources during any natural calamity or disaster
Recommend special provisions with respect to the States of Arunachal Pradesh,
Assam, Jammu and Kashmir, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim,
Tripura, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand
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4. Every decision of the Council shall be taken by a majority of not less than threefourth of the weighted votes of the members present and voting in accordance
with the following principles:
(a) The vote of the Union government shall have a weightage of one-third of the
total votes case
(b) The votes of all the States government taken together shall have a weightage of
two-third of the total votes cast in the meeting
5. One half of the total number of members of the GST Council shall constitute the
quorum at its meeting
The Regional Rural Banks (Amendment) Bill, 2013

The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 2 December 2014
approved Regional Rural Banks (Amendment) Bill, 2013. The Bill seeks to amend the
Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) Act, 1976.
The Bill will help enhance authorized and issued capital to strengthen their capital
base and to bring flexibility in the shareholding between Union Government, State
Government and Sponsor Bank.
Apart from this, the cabinet also decided that the term of the non-official directors
appointed by the Union Government will be fixed and should not exceed three years.

The Regional Rural Banks (Amendment) Bill, 2013 was introduced in the Lok Sabha
on 22 April 2013. The Bill was referred to the Standing Committee on Finance
under the Chairmanship of Yashwant Sinha for examination.
The Bill removes the five year upper limit mandated for Sponsor Banks to subscribe
to the share capital of RRBs, train their personnel and provide managerial and
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financial assistance, thus allowing such assistance to continue beyond this
duration.
It increases the authorized capital of RRBs from 5 crore rupees to 500 crore rupees
and the threshold limit from 25 lakh rupees to 1 crore rupees.
It increases the ability of Union government to specify the capital issued by an
RRB from earlier 25 lakh rupees 1 crore rupees to 1 crore rupees and beyond.
At present the shareholding pattern of RRB is 50 percent is subscribed to by the
Union government, 15 percent by the concerned state government and 35 percent
by the Sponsor Bank. The Bill permits an RRB to raise capital from other sources in
addition to Union government, concerned State government and Sponsor Bank.
In such case, however, the combined shareholding of the Union government and
the Sponsor Bank shall not be less than 51 percent.
It requires Union government to consult the concerned state government if the
latters level of shareholding falls below 15 percent.
The Bill provides for the appointment of Board of Directors by other entities also
in addition to the nominations made by the Union government, the concerned
state government, the Reserve Bank of India, NABARD and the Sponsor Bank.
However, such nomination by other entities shall be in proportion to the share held
by such entities.
The Bill removes the specification that the term of a director shall not exceed
two years and that he shall be eligible for re-nomination. However, this is only for
directors other than those appointed by the central government.
It retains the two year maximum term for directors appointed by the central
government. Further, it states that such a director shall be eligible for re-nomination
provided that he does not hold office for more than four years.
As per the Act, the books of an RRB should be closed and balanced as on
December 31 every year. The Bill changes the above date to March 31.
Regional Rural Banks (RRBs)
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Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) were established in 1975 under the Ordinance
promulgated on the 26 September 1975 and followed by Regional Rural Banks Act,
1976. It was established to create an alternative channel to the cooperative credit
structure and to ensure sufficient institutional credit for the rural and agriculture sector.
As a result of amalgamation, number of the RRBs has been reduced from 196 to 64
as on 31 March 2013.
Union Cabinet approved Anti-Hijacking Bill 2014

The Union Cabinet on 2 December 2014 approved introduction of a comprehensive
Anti-Hijacking Bill 2014. This Bill provides for stringent punishment including death
penalty to hijackers in case of death of a hostage or security personnel.
It also provides imprisonment for life and the moveable and immoveable property of
such persons shall also be liable to be confiscated.
The Bill is expected to be introduced in Parliament in the winter session 2014.
The cabinet also decided to repeal the Anti-Hijacking Act, 1982 (amended in 1994)
and withdrawal of the Anti-Hijacking Amendment Bill, 2010. The decision was made
during a Union Cabinet meet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Lima Call for Climate Action put world on track to New Universal
Climate Agreement
Lima Call for Climate Action issued on 14 December 2014 put the world on track to
new universal climate agreement.
The Lima Accord was issued at the conclusion of the 20th session of the Conference
of the Parties (CoP) and the 10th session of Conference of the Parties serving as the
meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP) held in Lima, Peru 1 December
2014 to 14 December 2014.
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The member nations participating at the Lima Climate Conference for the first time
agreed that nations, large and small, developed and developing each will make
pledges aimed at cutting global greenhouse gas emissions.
The President of 20th CoP was Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, the Minister of the Environment
of Peru and more than 190 nations participated at the Lima Climate Conference. The
Indian side was represented by Prakash Javadekar, Union Minister of Environment,
Forest and Climate Change
Main highlights of the Lima Call for Climate Action

Principle of Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC): It will form the
foundation for climate action post 2020 when the new agreement is set to come into
effect.
Pledges towards Green Climate Fund: As part of this, pledges were made to the
Green Climate Fund in Lima by the governments of Norway, Australia, Belgium,
Peru, Colombia and Austria--the pledges brought the total sum pledged to the Green
Climate Fund to close to 10.2 billion US dollar.
In a further boost to the adaptation ambitions of developing countries, Germany
made a pledge of 55 million Euros to the Adaptation Fund. China also announced 10
million US Dollar for South-South cooperation and mentioned they would double it
till 2015.
Nazca Climate Action Portal: The portal was launched as part of Lima Climate
Action Agenda by the Government of Peru with support from the UNFCCC. The
portal is designed to inject additional momentum into the process through to Paris
by demonstrating the wealth of non-state action.
Forests and the Lima Information Hub for REDD +: The portal named the was
announced by the COP President to provide an information hub on the UNFCCC
web site, spotlighting actions by countries carrying out REDD+ activities.
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Lima Ministerial Declaration on Education and Awareness-raising: It is aimed
at developing education strategies that incorporate the issue of climate change
while also raising awareness on climate change in the design and implementation of
national development and climate change strategies.
Lima-Paris Action Agenda: The governments of Peru and France launched to

catalyze action on climate change, to further increase ambition before 2020 and
support the 2015 agreement. Building on the UN Climate Summit in September 2014,
the agenda is designed to galvanize national, city and private sector action.
Multilateral Assessment: A new process launched that saw several industrialized

countries submitting themselves to questioning about their emissions targets. This
will increase the levels of transparency and confidence-building. The launch of this
process marks an historic milestone in the implementation of the Measurement,
Reporting and Verification of emission reductions under the UNFCCC
Lima Work Programme on Gender: The programme aims to advance gender

balance and to promote gender sensitivity in developing and implementing climate
policy.
UNFCCCs Technology Mechanism: It was further strengthened through the

consideration of a link to the Green Climate Fund and the UNFCCC Finance
mechanism.
Kyoto Protocol Doha Amendment: Nauru and Tuvalu submitted their instrument
of acceptance to the Doha amendment, bringing the number of Parties to 21. 144
Parties need to accept it to bring it into force.
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Lima Adaptation Knowledge initiative: It is a pilot project in the Andes under the
Nairobi Work Programme which underlines that adaptive needs of the communities
can be successfully established.
National Adaptation Plans (NAPs): It will now be made more visible via the UNFCCC
website which should improve the opportunity for receiving backing. The President
of 20th COP, Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, launched a NAP Global Network involving Peru,
the US, Germany, the Philippines, Togo, the UK, Jamaica, and Japan.
Conclusion
The Lima accord will serve as an outline text for 21st CoP scheduled to be held in
December 2015 in Paris, where world leaders are expected to finalize and sign an
international climate deal. The U.N. has targeted 2015 for such a deal, which would
then go into effect in 2020.
15th India-Russia Annual Summit in New Delhi

India and Russia on 11 December 2014 signed 20 agreements during the 15th IndiaRussia Annual Summit held in New Delhi. The agreements were signed in presence
of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russia President Vladimir Putin, who is on the
official visit to India.
The agreements signed included eight agreements between government entities and
12 between private enterprises and covered the fields of nuclear energy, oil and gas,
health, investment, mining, media and wind power. These agreement include Russias
help in building at least 12 nuclear reactors and a plan to manufacture advanced
Russian military helicopters and defence spare parts in India
During the summit, both the countries also vowed to strengthen the special strategic
partnership and unveiled Druzhba-Dosti vision statement for the next decade.
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List of Agreements signed
International Relations
Protocol for consultations between the External Affairs Ministry of both the
countries for the period 2015-2016: The agreement envisages close consultation
on as many as 17 issues, ranging from Asia-Pacific to West Asia to West Europe to
Latin America as also at various multilateral for a like UN, G20, BRICS, SCO, RIC.
Nuclear Energy
Strategic vision for strengthening cooperation in peaceful uses of atomic energy
envisaging a roadmap of bilateral cooperation in the civil nuclear energy sector
for the next two decades. It contains plans to build over 20 nuclear power units in
India
Provisions for the technical data and information non-disclosure in the framework
of cooperation in the field of peaceful use of nuclear energy to provide an impetus
to scientific and technological cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy
Supplement to the General Framework Agreement (GFA) for Units 3 and 4 of
Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project between Nuclear Power Corporation of India
Limited (NPCIL) and ATOMSTROYEXPORT (ASE) to operationlise the General
Framework Agreement (GFA) and Technical Commercial Offer (TCO) signed in
April 2014
Contract between Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and
ATOMSTROYEXPORT (ASE) for unit 3 and 4 of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant
for supply of some major equipment by ASE
Oil and Gas

Programme of Cooperation (POC) under Framework of Inter-governmental
Agreement for Enhancement of Cooperation in Oil & Gas in 2015-16: The agreement
sets out a concrete programme for cooperation, envisaging projects including
joint exploration and production of hydrocarbons, long term LNG supplies and
joint study of a hydrocarbon pipeline system connecting Russia with India.
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MoU between TATA Power and Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) to explore
investment opportunities in the energy sector across the Russian Federation
MoU between Oil India Limite and Zarubezhneft to facilitate technological
association on hydrocarbon projects in India
MoU between ESSAR and ROSNEFT for long-term supply of crude oil envisaging
ten year supply and purchase by India of crude oil and feed stocks/products
Economic Sphere
MoU on technical cooperation on accreditation: Aims at development of
accreditation systems, sharing of information, recognition of test reports, and
creation of conditions for the elimination of technical barriers in trade and economic
cooperation.
MoU between ACRON of Russia and NMDC of India to implement 2 billion US
dollars potash mine project of ACRON in Russia
MoU between Vneshtorgbank (VTB) of Russia and ESSAR Groupenvisaging
finance arrangement of 1 billion US dollar to ESSAR by VTB
MoU between Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation Ltd (IDFC) and
Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) on a co-investment opportunity up to 1
billion US dollars
MoU between FICCI and Delovaya Rossiya to broaden and strengthen economic
ties and identifying new areas of economic cooperation
MoU between Electronics and Software Export promotion Council of India (ESEPCI)
and Skolkovo Foundation of Russia to enable companies in these sectors to enter
new markets by means of joint ventures, strategic alliances and in joint research
and development
MoU between Gamesa Wind Turbine Pvt Ltd. of India and ROTEK of Russia to
facilitate cooperation between the two companies in wind power equipment
MoU between news agencies PTI and TASS on exchange of news and the right to
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use news items
Health sector
MoU on cooperation in Health Research: Envisages programme of cooperation in
specific areas of health research such as oncology, bioinformatics & bioimaging,
neurosciences, new generation vaccine research and research in HIV/AIDS.
Space
MoU between EIRENE SYSTEMS and GLONASS Union to contribute to joint
development and implementation of projects like Navigation Platform and
Geographical Information System in India
Defence
Agreement for training of Indian defence personnel in the defence establishments
of the Russia: This will facilitate better understanding between the two defence
forces.
Comment
Being shunned by the West, the host of agreements signed between India and Russia
including the Russia assistance in building nuclear reactors highlight that Russia
would remain Indias most important defence partner even if Indias options have
increased.
Ebola fighters : TIMEs Person of the Year 2014

Ebola fighters collectively were named as the TIMEs Person of the Year 2014 on 10
December 2014 by the TIMEs magazine. The announcement was made by Nancy
Gibbs, the Managing Editor of TIME.
They were selected from an initial list of 50 world leaders, business heads and record-
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breaking artists for their tireless acts of courage and mercy, for buying the world
time to boost its defences, for risking, for persisting, for sacrificing and saving the
thousands of lives from Ebola Virus Disease (EVD).
In their honour, the magazine has come out with five cover pages featuring
five of them. These are:
Dr Kent Brantly: the U.S. doctor who contracted Ebola while treating patients in
Liberia
Dr Jerry Brown: A Liberian surgeon who turned his hospitals chapel into the
countrys first Ebola treatment center
Foday Gallah: An ambulance driver who survived the infection
Salome Karwah: Medecins Sans Frontieres nurse
EVD since its outbreak in early 2014 turned into an epidemic killing more than 7000
people across Liberia, Guinea, Nigeria and Sierra Leone before traveling to Europe
and the U.S.
The Top Four Runners Up of the TIMEs Person of the Year 2014
In the TIMEs Person of the Year 2014, Ferguson Protesters came at the second place.
They started their protest in August 2014 and built a movement that revived national
conversation about race and justice. The protesters took to the streets following the
shooting down of 18-year-old unarmed black man Michael Brown by police officer
Darren Wilson.
At third place came the Russian President Vladimir Putin who invaded Crimea in
February 2014 and in doing so, restored Russias honour and saw his approval ratings
soar.
The fourth place was bagged by Masoud Barzani, the acting president of the Iraqi
Kurdish Region.
At fifth place came Chinese entrepreneur Jack Ma, who founded Alibaba, the Chinese
e-commerce giant that debuted with 25 billion US dollars IPO in September 2014
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making it one of the worlds most valuable tech companies.
Other than this, in the readers poll of TIMES magazine that was conducted online
Prime Minister Narendra Modi won the poll with a whopping 16 percent margin.
TIMEs Person of the Year since 2000

This is an annual honour bestowed by Time magazine since 1927. It goes to the
person who most influenced the news during the year for better or worse.
2000: George W. Bush
2001: Rudolph Giuliani, who was New York Citys mayor on 9/11
2002: The Enron Whistleblowers
2003: The American soldier
2004: George W. Bush
2005: The Good Samaritans - Bono and Bill Gates
2006: You - represented by the Internet
2007: Vladimir Putin
2008: Barack Obama
2009: Ben Bernanke
2010: Mark Zuckerberg
2011: The Protester
2012: Barack Obama
2013: Pope Francis

The 20th edition of the Corruption Perceptions Index 2014 was released on 3
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December 2014. The Index measures the perceived levels of public sector corruption
in 175 countries and territories.
The 2014 Corruption Perceptions Index shows that economic growth is undermined
and efforts to stop corruption fade when leaders and high level officials abuse power
to appropriate public funds for personal gain.
It also highlighted that corporate secrecy and global money laundering is makes it
harder for emerging economies to fight corruption.
India with a score of 38 was ranked 85th among 175 nations on the index, thus
improving its position slightly compared to 96th position and a score of 36 in 2013. Its
ranking though an improvement from 2013 is still lower than sub-Saharan countries
such as Benin and Burkina Faso.
Highlights of the index

No single country got a perfect score and more than two-third countries scored
below 50, on a scale of 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).
The index was topped by Denmark with a score of 92. It was followed by New
Zealand and Finland with a score of 91 and 89 respectively. At fourth and fifth
place lied Sweden and Norway with a score of 87 and 86 respectively.
At the bottom of the list are South Sudan (171), Afghanistan (172), Sudan (173)
and North Korea and Somalia shared the last place at 174 with a score of 8 each.
Turkey, Angola, China, Malawi and Rwanda saw the biggest fall in their scores.
These all countries noted a fall of 4 in their scores compared to 2013 despite
experiencing an average economic growth of more than 4 percent over the last
four years.
The biggest improvement in scores over 2013 were witnessed in Cte dIvoire,
Egypt, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (+5), Afghanistan, Jordan, Mali and
Swaziland (+4).
It called on countries at the top of the index where public sector corruption is limited
to stop encouraging it elsewhere by doing more to prevent money laundering and
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to stop secret companies from masking corruption.
Countries at the bottom need to adopt radical anti-corruption measures in favour
of their people. Countries at the top of the index should make sure they dont
export corrupt practices to underdeveloped countries.
Corruption Perception Index 2014 and India

India with a score of 38 has been ranked 85 out of 175 nations once again
highlighting that corruption still remains rampant in the country
Corruption continues to be Indias biggest challenge despite the engagement,
innovation and participation of vibrant civil society, media and people at large.
Corruption in India emanates from the inadequacy of structures of accountability
and transparency to deter the corrupt and the access to such mechanisms by the
people.
To tackle corruption, the conversion of political commitment to concrete action
at the highest level of government is needed. That is, it needs stronger law
enforcement, corruption watchdogs and protection of whistleblowers.
The low score of India at 38 along with low scores of other countries in the
Asia-Pacific region indicate a general weak or ineffective leadership to counter
corruption, posing threats for both sustainability of their economies and somewhat
fragile democracies.
The low score of India also sends a loud statement that leaders must create
societies that are more systematically resistant to corruption. That means taking a
more inclusive approach to fighting corruption.
BRICS economies
Corruption and money laundering are also problems for the other BRIC countries.
South Africa is the highest ranked country in the BRICS. It is ranked 67 with a score
of 44. Next among the BRICS is Brazil ranked 69 with a score of 43 followed by India
ranked 85 with score 38, China ranked 100 with score 36 and Russia ranked 136 with
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a score of 27.
SAARC Countries
Among the SAARC countries, Bhutan is ranked highest and Afghanistan lies at the
bottom. Bhutan is ranked 30 with a score of 65 whereas Afghanistan is ranked 172
with a score of 12. In between lies India and Sri Lanka at 85 with a score of 38,
Pakistan and Nepal at 126 with a score of 29 and Bangladesh at 145 with a score of
25.
About Corruption Perceptions Index

The Corruption Perceptions Index is prepared by Transparency International (TI)
which is a global coalition against corruption. The Index is based on expert opinions
of public sector corruption and countries are ranked on the basis of corruption
perception score measured on the scale of 0 100. A score of 0 means highly corrupt
country whereas a score of 100 means very clean country.
Transparency International (TI) is based in Berlin Germany and its Managing Director
is Cobus de Swardt.
At present, TI is running a campaign called Unmask the Corrupt, urging European
Union, United States and G20 countries to follow Denmarks lead and create public
registers that would make clear who really controls, or is the beneficial owner, of
every company.

Reserve Bank of India on 22 December 2014 issued guidelines to define noncooperative borrowers. RBI also fixed the cut off limit for classifying borrowers as
non-cooperative borrowers.
As per the guidelines, a non-cooperative borrower is one
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who does not engage constructively with his lender by defaulting in timely
repayment of dues while having ability to pay;
who thwarts lenders efforts for recovery of their dues by not providing necessary
information sought, denying access to assets financed/collateral securities,
obstructing sale of securities, etc; and
who have aggregate fund-based and non-fund based facilities of 5 crore rupees
from the concerned bank/financial institution (FI)
Main Highlights
A non-cooperative borrower in case of a company will include its promoters
and directors (excluding independent directors and directors nominated by the
Government and the lending institutions).
In case of business enterprises (other than companies), non-cooperative borrowers
would include persons, who are in-charge and responsible for the management of
the affairs of the business enterprise.
Banks/FIs to report information on non-cooperative borrowers to the Central
Repository of Information on Large Credits (CRILC)
The banks/FIs to put in place a transparent mechanism for classifying borrowers
as non-cooperative.
The decision to classify the borrower as non-cooperative borrower should be
entrusted to a committee headed by an Executive Director and consisting of two
other senior officers of the rank of general managers/deputy general managers as
decided by the board of the concerned bank/FI.
An opportunity should be given to the borrower for a personal hearing if the
committee feels such an opportunity is necessary.
The order of the committee should be reviewed by another committee headed by
the Chairman/CEO and MD and consisting of two independent directors of the
bank/FI and the order shall become final only after it is confirmed by the Review
Committee.
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Boards of banks/FIs to review on a half-yearly basis the status of non-cooperative
borrowers.
India on 20 December 2014 won the Men and Women title of Kabaddi World Cup
2014. This was the fifth Kabaddi World Cup.
In Men, India defeated Pakistan while in women, India defeated New Zealand to win
the title for the fourth consecutive time.
The final match of the cup was played at Guru Gobind Singh Multipurpose Stadium
in Jalandhar, Punjab, India.
Final match report

Mens Kabaddi team
Indian mens team defeated Pakistan 45-42 for the fourth time Indian
Womens Kabaddi team

Indian Womens team defeated New Zealand 36-27 for the second time in a row
Awards
Awards in Mens section
The winner of men section, India, bagged prize money of 2 crore rupees and first
runners up, Pakistan won 1 crore rupees. Iraq that stood third won prize money of
51 lakh rupees.
Best raiders: Sandeep Surakhpur (India) and Shafiq Ahmad Chishti (Pakistan)
Best stopper: Yadwinder
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They were awarded with Preet Tractors each.
Awards in Womens section

The winner of women section, India, bagged prize money of 1 crore rupees and first
runners up, New Zealand, won 51 lakh rupees. Pakistan that stood third won prize
money of 25 lakh rupees.
Best raiders: Ram Bateri (India), Priyanka (India), Lani Perese (New Zealand)
Best stopper: Anu Rani (India) and Tito (New Zealand)
Both best raider and stopper were awarded with a case prize of 1 lakh rupees each.
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INTERNATIONAL
Beji Caid Essebsi on 31 December 2014 was sworn in as the President of Tunisia. He
became the first freely elected leader of Tunisia since it gained independence from
France in 1956.
The results of 2014 Presidential elections of Tunisia were declared on 22 December
2014. Beji Caid Essebsi of Nidaa Tounes party won the elections with 55.68 percent
of the run-off vote.
On the other hand, his rival and incumbent Moncef Marzoukis won 44.32 percent of
the votes.
In the first round of voting no candidate won a majority leading to a second round of
voting on 21 December 2014 to decide between incumbent Moncef Marzouki and
Essebsi.
Essebsis victory will enable him to consolidate power, with his party already controlling
Parliament after defeating the main Islamist party in legislative elections in October
2014.
88-year old Essebsi is a veteran of Tunisias political establishment. He was the Prime
Minister of Tunisia from 27 February 2011 to 24 December 2011. Before that he was
both Foreign and Interior Minister for his predecessor, Habib Bourguiba. He is the
founder of the Nidaa Tounes party.
Comment
The Tunisian Presidential elections were held on 23 November 2014 and were the
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first regular Presidential elections of Tunisia held after the Arab revolution in 2011 and
adoption of the Constitution in January 2014.
The elections saw a voter turnout of 60.11 percent and were pronounced free and
fair. However, the voter turnout was less than the nearly 70 percent in the legislative
elections in October 2014.
The election of President marked the final step in the countrys transition to full
democracy, four years after the Arab Revolution of 2011 toppled long-time leader
Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

Venezuela on 30 December 2014 entered recession with economic growth shrinking
in the first three quarters of 2014. It was announced by the Central bank of Venezuela.
The economy of Venezuela shrank 2.3 percent in the third quarter after shrinking 4.8
percent in the first quarter and 4.9 percent in the second quarter.
Besides, the inflation of Venezuela has reached 63 percent in the month-ending
November 2014 which is the highest inflation in the world. Price increases were the
sharpest especially for housing, food and alcoholic beverages, and restaurants and
hotels.
Though Venezuela government has introduced mandatory price cuts to control
inflation but has not managed to get the inflationary spiral under control. Inflation has
been aggravated by severe shortages of basic goods and fall down of crude prices.
Balance of payments of Venezuela is in surplus of 6.8 billion US dollars by the end
of the third quarter in 2014, with a current account surplus of 899 million US dollars,
and the capital account showing a deficit of 568 million US dollars.
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First Municipal Elections in 60 years held in Myanmar
First Municipal Elections in 60 years were held in Myanmar on 27 December 2014 for
electing the Yangon City Development Committee (YCDC).
The ballot for the YCDC was the first chance for the residents of Yangon, the biggest
city of Myanmar, to vote under the countrys quasi-civilian government which replaced
outright military rule in 2011.
However, the voters voted under severe voting restrictions and limited power of the
councilors being elected.
Voting was limited to one person per household and the age of the candidates were
narrowly prescribed. Further there was a ban on political parties taking part in the
campaign.
As a result, only 4 lakh of the Yangons several million residents were eligible to vote
for the elections.
Also only 300 candidates, among them businessmen, retired civil servants and
activists, are competing for 115 positions on the committee. Though, the top posts
will remain largely appointed.
Comment
Elections in Yangon city on were closely watched as a test of the countrys democratic
credentials ahead of a landmark nationwide poll scheduled for November 2015.
It was also a rare opportunity to have a say over the future of the countrys commercial
hub, where residents complain about runaway construction and soaring rents,
worsening traffic, poor sanitation and weak pollution control.
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The United States and NATO on 28 December 2014 officially ended their combat
mission in Afghanistan. The combat mission that ran for 13 years saw its end with
Commanders of joint coalition forces lowering the flag during a ceremony in Kabul.
The ceremony ending the combat mission was followed by raising the flag of the new
mission named Resolute Support.
From 1 January 2015 the alliances role will shift to training and support mission for
the Afghan army. The training and support mission will be administered by more than
13000 troops mostly Americans who will stay in Afghanistan to support local forces.
NATO that formally ended combat operations in Afghanistan had transferred full
security responsibility of the country to the Afghan government.
The end of the combat mission was welcomed by US President Barack Obama, who
in his communication said that US forces has made, extraordinary sacrifices and end
of the longest war in American history was coming to a responsible conclusion.
US-NATO combat War in Afghanistan
US and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) launched their war in Afghanistan
in December 2001 in the backdrop of the 9/11 attacks against US. The war aimed at
dismantling al-Qaeda and removal of Taliban from power.
Comment
End of NATO mission from Afghanistan comes at a time when the Taliban that was
ousted from power 13 years ago is trying to re-emerge in the country. In such condition
it might be possible that Afghanistan may go Iraq way. Iraq saw emergence of ISIS
few years after US troops withdrew from the country.
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Russia successfully test-launched Angara-A5 rocket from Plesetsk in northern Russia
on 23 December 2014. The rocket was designed to succeed Proton and other Sovietera launchers. The Angara is billed as the first rocket to have been completely built
after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
The rocket Angara was named after a Siberian river flowing out of Lake Baikal. It was
expected to launch a payload of two tonnes into space. The rocket was developed
with a view to launch manned spacecraft.
The test launch of the light version of the Angara rocket ended in embarrassment in
June due to a sudden automatic launch abort.
The Angara-A5 is the first space-booster designed from scratch since the Soviet
era. It took two decades of design work and scientific research. The test launch cost
approximately 3 billion US dollar.
The clean engine eco-friendly Angara rocket family is capable of delivering up to 25
tonnes to a low orbit.
Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan finalised

creation of Eurasian Economic Union
Russia and four other ex-Soviet nations, viz., Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia and
Kyrgyzstan on 23 December 2014 finalised the creation of Eurasian Economic Union
(EEU).
The decision to finalise the creation was taken during the CSTO (Collective Security
Treaty Organization) meeting in Moscow, Russia.
The creation of this economic alliance is intended to bolster their integration among
the ex-Soviet states and will come into existence on 1 January 2015.
The EEU will also help promote free trade among the member countries.
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Besides, it will help coordinate the financial systems and regulate the industrial and
agricultural policies along with labour markets and transportation networks among
the member countries.
The new union will have a combined economic output of 4.5 trillion US dollars and
bring together 170 million people.
About Eurasian Economic Union (EEU)

The Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) is an economic union of states located primarily
in northern Eurasia. A treaty aiming for the establishment of the EEU was signed on
29 May 2014.
In 1994, President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, first suggested the idea of
creating a regional trading bloc during a speech at Moscow State University.

Ukrainian Parliament, Rada, on 24 December 2014 overwhelmingly adopted a bill
that enables the country to join North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). The bill
was adopted by 303 to eight votes.
With this, Ukraine dropped the non-aligned status to join NATO. The non-aligned
status was adopted by Ukraine in 2010 under Russian pressure. The status of nonaligned prevents states from joining any military alliances.
During his election campaign in early 2014, President Petro Poroshenko had vowed
to put Ukraine under Western military protection.
Comment
Russia is strongly opposed to any eastward expansion of NATO. Earlier, in February
2008 Russian President Vladimir Putin had said Russia may target its missiles at
Ukraine if its neighbour joins NATO and accepts the deployment of a US missile
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defence shield.
Russia has long complained about NATO expanding east, up to Russias borders.
Russia would view Ukraines membership of the alliance as a direct threat to its
national security.
But Moscow has been quick to denounce the Ukrainian parliament for renouncing
the countrys non-aligned status.
The move to join NATO would drive another wedge between Kiev and Moscow. The
move may complicate efforts to resolve the current crisis.
Iran Nuclear deal deadline extended by 7-months to 30 June

2015
Iran and P5 + 1 Countries on 24 November 2014 agreed to extend the deadline on
Iran Nuclear deal by 7-months to 30 June 2015. The deadline, which was to be met by
24 November 2014, was extended after both the parties failed to reach an agreement
on Irans nuclear programme at an emergency meeting held in Vienna, Austria.
As per the agreement, Iran and the five permanent members of the U.N. Security
Council plus Germany would seek to strike an outline deal by 1 March 2015 and a full
technical accord by 1 July 2015.
However, the conditions set by Interim Accord in November 2013 will remain in place
including a continued freeze by Iran of contentious parts of its nuclear activities.
In return, Iran will keep receiving around 700 million US dollars in frozen funds per
month.
Differences between the two sides

The 12-year stand-off though has made some progress but both the sides, especially
Iran and the US, remained far apart on two crucial points: uranium enrichment and
sanctions relief.
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On uranium enrichment, the two sides are arguing over how many, and what kind, of
centrifuges Iran should be allowed to have.
The US initially wanted Iran to slash its centrifuges to less than 2000 from the nearly
10000 it now runs, but says it can accept 4500 if Tehran agrees to other conditions
meant to slow its ability to turn toward making weapons-grade uranium.
However, Iran, which came to the talks in February 2014 insists that it be allowed to
keep its present program, says it can reduce to 8000.
This is important to be resolved because the US believes that machines can enrich
uranium from low reactor-fuel level up to grades used to build the core of a nuclear
weapon. Thus, the US wants deeper and more lasting cuts in the program than
Tehran is willing to give.
Iran and the US also differ on how long constraints should remain on Tehrans nuclear
program. On the one hand, US want restrictions between 10 and 15 years, but
theIranians insist on no more than 10 years.
Risks of not meeting the 30 June 2015 deadline

U.S.-Iran relations have warmed since Hassan Rouhani became the President of Iran
in 2013 and the thaw has extended to the nuclear negotiations.
Another extension, however, carries risks of its own, including possible fresh U.S.
sanctions that could lead Iran to walk away.
On the one hand, it is feared that Republican controlled Senate in the US might not
want any relaxation in the sanctions on Iran and may impose additional sanctions.
This is because according to the Republicans Iran is not serious on any deal and just
trying to buy out time.
On the other hand, hard-liners in Iran are of the view that their country will give
away more than it gets under any final deal. This may increase pressure on Supreme
Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to break off talks.
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Nicaragua on 22 December 2014 launched the construction of an inter-oceanic canal
linking Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean.
The project aims to rival Panamas waterway and revitalize the economy of Nicaragua,
the second poorest country in the Americas after Haiti. The 50 billion US dollar
project is backed by China.
Canal will be 278-km long and will be operational by around 2020. It would raise
annual economic growth to more than 10 percent.
Construction of the new waterway will be run by Hong Kong-based HK Nicaragua
Canal Development Investment Co Ltd (HKND Group), which is controlled by Wang
Jing, a little-known Chinese telecom mogul well connected to Chinas political elite.
Comment
The canal could give China a major foothold in Central America, a region long
dominated by the United States, which completed the Panama Canal a century ago.
Afghanistan lower house approved Afghanistan-US bilateral security pact on NATO-led troops
Afghanistan lower house of Parliament on 23 November 2014 approved the Bilateral
Security Agreements with the United States and NATO (North Atlantic Treaty
Organization). The pact will allow about 12500 NATO-led troops to stay in Afghanistan
till 2015 to fight Taliban forces.
United States led NATO combat operations were about to finish at the end of 2014,
but the Taliban launched a series of recent offensives that have severely injured
Afghan soldiers and police.
The original plan was for the 9800 remaining troops to only train and advise Afghanistan
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forces and conduct counterterrorism missions.
Highlights of the Bilateral Security Agreement

The new NATO mission named Operation Resolute Support will focus on supporting
the Afghanistan forces in parallel with US counter-terrorism operations against the
Taliban and other militant groups.
The Afghan security forces will be in charge of full security of their country and will
be further equipped and strengthened through NATO training.
The new order also allows air support from US jets, bombers and drones for
Afghan combat missions.
But by the end of 2015, half of the 9800 American troops will leave Afghanistan.
The rest will consolidate in Kabul and Bagram and then will leave by the end of
2016.
India exported first warship CGS Barracuda to Mauritius

India on 20 December 2014 exported CGS Barracuda offshore patrol vessel (OPV) to
Mauritius. This is the first warship ordered by a foreign country from shipyard of India.
The CGS Barracuda is a warship worth of 58-million US dollars (365 crore rupees).
It measures 74.10 meter in length and is capable of moving at a maximum speed of
22 knots (37 kilometers an hour) with an approximate displacement of 1350 tonnes.
It has been designed for the usual OPV tasks - anti-piracy, anti-smuggling, antipoaching and search and rescue. The additional capabilities include: pollution
response, external fire fighting, and the movement by sea of troops.
The CGS Barracuda was built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited
(GRSE), Kolkata.
Earlier, India has gifted several warships to smaller Indian Ocean countries such as
Maldives, Seychelles and Mauritius. Sukanya-class OPV which is a used vessel was
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sold to Sri Lanka and now it serves as the flagship of Sri Lanka navy.
Other than this, GRSE has also bid to build two frigates for the Philippines Navy,
for an estimated 1000 crore rupees each. If GRSE wins this order, for which major
global shipyards are bidding, including Navantia of Spain, STX of France and Korean
majors, Hyundai and Daewoo, then it would be the first time a warship designed and
built in India is selected in an international tender.
Chairman and Managing Director of GRSE: Rear Admiral A K Verma
President of Egypt Abdel Fatah Al-Sisi ratified Electoral Constituencies Law

President of Egypt Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi on 22 December 2014 ratified the Electoral
Constituencies law. The ratification paved the way for parliamentary elections of
2015. He also announced to hold parliamentary elections before the end of March
2015.
Provisions of Electoral Constituencies Law

Egypt is divided into 237 constituencies assigned for individual nominees, and
into four constituencies for the party list system.
It also defines the range and elements of each constituency and the number of
seats assigned to them, taking into consideration fair representation of population,
governorates and voters.
It also guarantees a fair representation of vote from all governorates in the Peoples
Assembly (parliament) regardless of their population.
It takes into account a number of regulations which includes a representative
of any constituency have to represent the same number of voters that the rest
of the representatives in other constituencies represent in order to apply fair
representation of voters in the council of representatives.
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Background
The parliamentary elections are the third pillar for the countrys road map, after the
presidential elections and the constitutional referendum. The road map was announced
by the then defence minister Al-Sisi on 3 July 2013 when Islamist president Mohamed
Morsi was ousted by a popular uprising.
In lieu of this, an Election Law was approved by the Interim President Adly Mansour
which provided that the Parliament will comprise of 567 seats out of which 27 will be
elected by the President.
The remaining 540 will be distributed between 420 members, to be elected individually
by voters, and 120 seats allocated to party lists.
UN adopted resolution calling on governments to stop child marriages

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) rights committee on 21 November
2014 adopted the first-ever resolution calling on governments to stop child marriages.
The resolution was presented by Canada and Zambia. The 118 countries sponsored
the resolution that includes Mali, Ethiopia and the Central African Republic, which are
among the 10 countries with the highest rates of child marriage.
The resolution urges all the states to enact laws to end child, early and forced
marriages that is to end about 15 million girls worldwide become child brides every
year and more than 700 million women are married before the age of 18 globally.
According to the resolution, early marriage is also a serious threat to the physical and
psychological health of girls who are not physically mature enough as it increases
the risk of unintended pregnancy, maternal and newborn mortality and sexually
transmitted infections.
At the UNGA rights committee, Britain took the floor to express disappointment on
behalf of some 20 countries over the failure of earlier resolution to address girls
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education about their sexuality.
According UN statistics, child marriage among girls is most common in south Asia
and sub-Saharan Africa especially in Niger, Bangladesh and India countries.
In Niger, West Africa has the highest overall rate that is 77 percent of women
between 20 and 49 were married before the age of 18.
Bangladesh has the most girls who married under 15 and India is home to one
third of all child brides worldwide.
The resolution will go to the full UN General Assembly for formal approval in December
2014 and then the resolution is not legally binding but can increase political pressure
on countries.
UNGA Committee passed resolution refering North Korea to ICC

for human rights abuses
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Committee on 18 November 2014
adopted a resolution condemning North Korea human rights abuses and referred to
the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The resolution was passed with 111 accepted votes, 19 rejected and 55 abstentions.
The resolution will go to the full UN General Assembly for formal approval in December
2014.
The resolution also linked the alleged abuses to the policies of leadership of North
Korea and called on the UN Security Council to consider targeted sanctions against
those responsible for human abuses.
Cuba voted down and proposed amendment to scrap the key provisions on referring
North Korea to the ICC and look the issue in reasonable grounds to committed crimes
against humanity.
In February 2014, UN human rights commission of Inquiry report detailing wide-range
of abuses in North Korea which includes prison camps, systematic torture, starvation
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and killings comparable to Nazi-era atrocities.
Analysis:
The vote on resolution will increase political pressure on North Korea but it is largely
symbolic. China would probably use its Security Council veto power to stop any ICC
referral and its stance would likely be supported by Russia.
South Korea constitutional court ordered dissolution of leftist

Unified Progressive Party
Constitutional court of South Korea on 19 December 2014 ordered the dissolution of
leftist Unified Progressive party (UPP) accused of pro-North Korea activities.
This is the first time that constitutional court of South Korea ordered the breakup of
the political party since it was founded in 1988.
The Unified Progressive party is a merger of small progressive groups which was
founded in 2011. It has five lawmakers and court deprived all of them of their seats.
In November 2013, the Justice Ministry of South Korea petitioned the court to disband
the Unified Progressive party (UPP) for supporting North Korea-style socialist systems
and posing a threat to liberal democracy of South Korea.
Earlier, UPP party members were arrested for allegedly plotting a pro-Pyongyang
rebellion to overthrow the South Korean government in the event of a war on the
Korean peninsula before to the petition.
However, UPP members argue that they wanted only greater reconciliation with North
Korea. They accuse the South Koreas spy service of fabricating the rebellion charges
to divert criticism over revelations that spy agents launched illicit online campaigning
to help then ruling party candidate, now the president, and win elections in December
2012.
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Comment
The court order exposes limits of freedom of expression in South Korea. The President
Parks government infringes upon freedom of speech and could further aggravate a
bitter political divide between the right and left.

Pakistan on 19 December 2014 became Associate Member Sate of CERN (European
Organization for Nuclear Research).
CERN Director-General Rolf Heuer and the Chairman of the Pakistan Atomic Energy
Commission, Ansar Parvez, signed a document in the presence of Prime Minister
Nawaz Sharif.
The decision to grant associate membership to Pakistan was taken in lieu of
Pakistans contribution to building the CMS and ATLAS experiments since it signed a
Co-operation Agreement with CERN in 1994. Pakistan is also involved in accelerator
developments, making it an important partner for CERN.
Pakistan had applied for the CERN associate membership in February 2013.
By 2010, CERN membership was exclusively restricted to European countries.
However, it is now open to non-European states as well.
The status of associate member is also the pre-stage to full membership. In May
2014, Turkey became the Associate Member state of CERN.
Benefit of being a member

Associate Membership will allow Pakistan to participate in the governance of CERN,
through attending the meetings of the CERN Council.
Moreover, it will allow Pakistani scientists to become members of the CERN staff,
and to participate in CERNs training and career-development programmes.
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Finally, it will allow Pakistani industry to bid for CERN contracts, thus opening up
opportunities for industrial collaboration in areas of advanced technology.

The United States and Cuba agreed on 17 December 2014 to restore diplomatic ties
between the two countries. The US President Barack Obama and Cuba President
Raul Castro announced the restoration of full diplomatic relations between the two
countries.
The US President Obama called for an end to the long economic restriction against
its old Cold War enemy Cuba. He also announced the opening of an embassy in
Havana for the first time in more than a half-century by ending the hostility between
two countries.
Obama announced that a rigid and outdated policy of isolating Cuba had failed to
achieve change in Cuba. The Vatican and Canada facilitated the deal where Pope
Francis played an active role in pressing for American Alan Gross release from Cuba.
Restrictions lifted
Both the countries Presidents Obama and Raul Castro agreed on a breakthrough
prisoner exchange, the opening of embassies in each others countries, and an
easing of some restrictions on commerce.
The US administration policy shift includes an opening to more commerce in some
areas, allowing use of US credit and debit cards, increasing the amount of money
that can be sent to people of Cuba and allowing export of telecommunications
devices and services.
The deal includes Cuba to release American Alan Gross, 65, who had been
imprisoned in Cuba for five years and the US in return to release three intelligence
agents of Cuba held in the US.
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Restrictions remained
Travel restrictions for most Americans to visit Cuba will be eased but the restrictions
will not yet be open for broad US tourism to Cuba.
The US trade restrictions will remain same that has been in force more than 50
years until t it gets congressional approval of the US.
Background
Cuba and the United States have been ideological enmity since the 1959 revolution
in Cuba which brought Fidel Castro, to power who was old brother of Raul Castro.
The US broke diplomatic relations with Cuba in 1961 as Cuba steered a leftist course
that made Cuba into a close ally of the former Soviet Union. The hostilities were
disturbed by crises over spies, refugees and the Cuban missile crisis of October
1962 that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war.
After the disintegration of Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War in early 1990s,
the US was alone in its efforts to squeeze Cuba.
Since 2008, Raul Castro who took over the President from Fidel Castro has maintained
a one party political system.
US President Barack Obama signed Ukraine Freedom Support

Bill, 2014 for more sanctions on Russia
The US President Barack Obama on 18 December 2014 signed Ukraine Freedom
Support Bill, 2014 passed by the US Congress. With this, the Bill has now become
Ukraine Freedom Support Act, 2014.
The Act authorizes more sanctions on Russia for its role in the Ukraine crisis.
However, it does not intend to impose sanctions on Russia. Rather, the Act gives the
administration additional authorities that could be utilized if any circumstance arises.
The Act also authorizes 350 million US dollars in lethal and non-lethal military aid to
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the Ukrainian government, including anti-Tank weapons, munitions and surveillance
drones.
The Act also gives the administration the authority to impose further sanctions on
Russia against Ukraine crisis, that is, Russias annexation of the Crimean peninsula
from Ukraine and support for separatists in eastern Ukraine.
The Act extends applicability of certain US sanctions involving Russia and Ukraine
to non-US persons.
However, the Act would terminate when the US President certifies to Congress that
Russia has, among other actions, ceased undermining the peace, security, stability,
sovereignty, or territorial integrity of Ukraine.
The Act significantly expanded the scope of US sanctions against Russia as a result
of the Ukrainian crisis and it comes on the same day when European Union imposed
new sanctions on Russia which was described by Russia as absolutely unacceptable.
UN Security Council extended mandate of UN Disengagement

of Forces agreement in Golan Heights
United Nation Security Council (UNSC) on 18 December 2014 extended the mandate
of the UN Disengagement of Forces agreement (UNDOF) in Golan Heights until 30
June 2015.
It extended the mandate so that UNDOF personnel are able to carry out unimpeded
delivery of its equipment and the temporary use of alternative ports of entry and
departure.
The UNSC while extending the mandate called on both Israel and Syria to scrupulously
abide by the terms of the disengagement accord to prevent any breaches of the
ceasefire.
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Main highlights of the UNSC decision
The Council reaffirmed to put sanction on groups providing financing and arms
support to Al-Nusra Front or to Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and the Levant
(ISIL).
It condemned Syrian rebel groups use of improvised explosive devices in the
UNDOF area of operation.
It underscored that there should be no military activity of the armed opposition
groups in the area of separation and urged Member States to convey this message
to Syrian armed groups.
It also recognized the necessity to adjust UNDOFs posture on a temporary basis to
minimize security risk to UN personnel while continuing to implement its mandate.
It also requested Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to continue to report every 90
days on developments in the area and measures taken to implement relevant
resolutions.
Comment
The mandate was extended following a recent fighting in the area and amid the
reports that region is likely to remain tense due to ongoing conflict in Syria spilling
over to neighbouring nations.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon in its latest report covering September to
November 2014 period warned that the military activities in the area of separation
have the potential to escalate tensions between Israel and Syria.
The report further said that this would jeopardise the ceasefire between the two
countries and poses a risk to local civilians as well as UN personnel on the ground.
About UN Disengagement of Forces agreement (UNDOF)

UNDOF was established by the UNSC to monitor the ceasefire between Syria and
Israel after their 1973 war. Since then, UNDOF has remained in the area to maintain
the ceasefire and to supervise the implementation of the disengagement agreement.
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As of 31 July 2014 there are 1223 peacekeepers from six countries serving in UNDOF.
The countries namely are Fiji, India, Ireland, Nepal, Netherlands, and the Philippines.
UN Security Council renewed Humanitarian aid to Syria for 12

Months
United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on 17 December 2014 renewed its
authorization for humanitarian aid to Syria for 12 months without Syrias government
consent. The resolution, pursuant to resolution 2165 passed in July 2014, extends
the humanitarian assistance for Syrian civilians until 10 January 2016.
Main highlights of the Resolution

The humanitarian aid renewed is for conflict lines and four border crossings in
Syria from Turkey, Iraq and Jordan.
The four border crossings namely are Al Yarubiyah on the Iraq border, Al-Ramtha
from Jordan, Bab al-Salam and Bab al-Hawa from Turkey.
It called on UN humanitarian aid agencies and their partners to scale up humanitarian
deliveries into hard-to-reach and besieged areas, including by using, as effectively
as possible, (the authorized) border crossings.
It expressed grave concern over the ineffective implementation of its previous
resolutions 2139 and 2165 and demanded increased aid access to civilians in
hard-to-reach areas.
It called on all parties to the Syrian domestic conflict to cease attacks against
civilians and the targeting of schools and hospitals, as well as the indiscriminate
use of weapons and use of starvation of civilians as a method of combat.
It strongly condemned the arbitrary detention and torture of civilians and
kidnappings and demanded the immediate end of these practices and the release
of all arbitrarily detained persons starting with women, children, the wounded and
elderly.
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It called for continuing monitoring mechanism for loading aid convoys in
neighbouring countries, which confirms for Syria that aid consignments are in fact
humanitarian relief.
It also supported UN mediator for Syria Staffan de Misturas action plan to
implement local ceasefires in some regions of Syria by voice.
According to UN estimates, at present some 12.2 million people of Syria need
humanitarian aid, an increase of 2.9 million people in just 10 months. Nearly half of
the population of Syria is displaced with more than 7.6 million internally displaced
and over 3 million refugees in neighbouring countries of Syria.

Tehreek-e-Taliban on 16 December 2014 carried out a massacre in the Army-run
school in Peshawar, Pakistan. In the terror attack, at least 141 people including 132
students and 9 staff members of the school were killed. Several others were injured.
The militant outfit claimed the responsibility for the attack and said that it was a
revenge for the militarys operation against militants in the North Waziristan tribal
area close to Peshawar. Presently, Pakistans military is carrying out Operation Zarbe-Azb and Operation Khyber-I against militants of the nation.
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who visited the site of incident described the
attack as national tragedy and said that the military operation Zarb-e-azab to flush
out terrorists from the countrys tribal belt will continue. Pakistan government also
announced three-day nationwide mourning of the massacre.
The incident drew condemnation from world leaders

The United States strongly condemned the Taliban assault on the school and said
the US strongly condemns senseless and inhumane attacks on innocent students
and educators, and stands in solidarity with the people of Pakistan.
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UN Secretary General BanKi-moon led the world body in condemning the Taliban
attack said that no cause can justify such brutality and horror. He said no grievance
can excuse such horror and it is an act of horror and rank cowardice to attack
defenceless children.
British Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Francois Hollande
also strongly condemned the terrorist attack.
Indias stand on the attack

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif
over telephone and strongly condemned the brutal terrorist attack. India has offered
all possible help to Pakistan and in the wake of dastardly attack in Pakistan, the
Prime Minister appealed to schools across India to observe two minutes of silence
on 17 December 2014 as a mark of solidarity.
School attacks in different countries

10 November 2014: Suicide Bombing of a Potiskum Government School by Boko
Haram, Nigeria - at least 47 fatalities reported
6 Jul 2013: Yobe State School shooting by Boko Haram, Nigeria - at least 42
fatalities reported
3 September 2004: Beslan School hostage crisis, Russia at least 385 fatalities
reported
26 March 2001: Arson in Kyanguli Secondary School-Machakos, Kenya - at least
57 fatalities reported
15 May 1974: Netin Meir Elementary Schoool hostage crisis, Israel - at least 34
fatalities reported
18 May 1927: Bombing in School-Bath, United States - at least 44 fatalities
reported
Between 2009 and 2013: 1073 attacks in Afghanistan
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In 2013, 54 and 35 attacks were carried out in schools of Somalia and Yemen,
respectively
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo re-elected for another four year

term
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on 14 December 2014 was re-elected for another
four-year term. He was re-elected after Japans ruling coalition (Liberal Democratic
Party and Komeito) won a two thirds majority in the Snap elections held for the Lower
House (House of Representatives) of the Bicameral legislature, the National Diet.
Snap elections were called by Abe to secure support for his Abenomics, which is a
blend of aggressive monetary easing, public spending and economic reforms.
The elections saw the voter turnout at 52.7 percent, which was a post-World War II
record low. The turn-out was also down nearly 7 percentage points from the previous
lower house election in 2012.
Snap elections Result

Abes party Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) won 290 seats and its coalition partner
Komeito won 35 seats together garnering a total of 325 seats out of 475 seat of
Lower House.
While, the largest opposition group, the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), won 73
seats, which is 11 more than its pre-election strength of 62. But DPJ President
The Japan Communist Party nearly tripled its seats to 21, while another opposition
party, the Innovation Party, took 41 seats.
Comment
A two thirds majority in the Lower House will allow the re-enactment of bills rejected
by the Upper House. Apart from this, the two-third majority in the Lower House will
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allow the ruling party to propose amendment of Constitution.
Global Financial Integrity released the Global Illicit Financial

Flows Report 2014
The Global Financial Integrity (GFI) on 15 December 2014 released the Global Illicit
Financial Flows Report 2014 titled Illicit Financial Flows from the Developing World:
2003-2012.
The report finds that the developing world lost 6.6 trillion US dollars in illicit financial
flows from 2003-2012.
Highlights of the report

Illicit outflows are alarmingly increasing at an average rate of 9.4 percent per year.
991.2 billion US dollars flowed illicitly out of developing and emerging economies in
2012. The illegal capital outflows originate from crime, corruption, tax evasion and
other illicit activity.
Asia continues to be the region of the developing world with the greatest volume of
illicit financial flows, comprising 40.3 percent. It is followed by Developing Europe at
21.0 percent, the Western Hemisphere at 19.9 percent, MENA (the Middle East and
North Africa) at 10.8 percent, and Sub-Saharan Africa at 8.0 percent.
MENA region saw the largest percent increase in illicit outflows from 2003 to 2012
at 24.2 percent per annum. Sub-Saharan Africa followed at 13.2 percent with
Developing Europe at 9.8 percent, Asia at 9.5 percent, and the Western Hemisphere
at 3.5 percent.
The top five exporters of illicit capital over the past ten years on average are: China,
Russia, Mexico, India, and Malaysia.
Top 10 Country Rankings in terms of Largest Average Annual Illicit Outflows (20032012)
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Rank Country
1
China
Russian Federation
3 Mexico
4
India
Malaysia
Saudi Arabia
Brazil
Indonesia
Thailand
10
Nigeria
Recommendations on curbing the opacity in the global financial system

GFI recommended that world leaders should focus on curbing the opacity in the
global financial system comprising of tax haven secrecy, anonymous companies and
money laundering techniques that facilitates these outflows. Its recommendations
are:
Governments should establish public registries of meaningful beneficial ownership
information on all legal entities.
Government authorities should adopt and fully implement all of the Financial
Action Task Forces (FATF) anti-money laundering recommendations.
Trade transactions involving tax haven jurisdictions should be treated with the
highest level of scrutiny by customs, tax, and law enforcement officials.
Governments should significantly boost their customs enforcement by equipping
and training officers to better detect intentional misinvoicing of trade transactions.
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All countries should publicly disclose their revenues, profits, losses, sales, taxes
paid, subsidiaries, and staff levels on a country-by-country basis as a means of
detecting and deterring tax avoidance practices.

International Criminal Court (ICC) on 8 December 2014 upgraded the status of
Palestine to Observer State. The acceptance of Palestine as an Observer State came
in a procedural move at the opening session of the Assembly of States Parties to the
Rome Statute in The Hague, the Netherlands.
The Rome Statute that came into force on 1 July 2002 helped establish International
Criminal Court in The Hague in the Netherlands.
The step is seen as moving closer toward joining the worlds permanent war crimes
tribunal and it will help Palestine to press charges against Israel for alleged war crimes.
UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly in November 2012 to upgrade the
Palestinians status from a UN observer to a non-voting member state, which allows
it to be an observer under the rules of the Assembly of States Parties and to ratify the
Rome statute and to accept its jurisdiction.
Previously, the Palestinians could attend as an entity without those rights.

Prime Minister of Haiti Laurent Lamothe on 13 December 2014 resigned following
anti-government protests over delayed elections and calls for elections. The President
Michel Martelly accepted the resignation of Laurent Lamothe.
Lamothe was appointed as Prime Minister by the President Michel Martelly in 2012
and there is now speculation that Lamothe might seek the presidency in forthcoming
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elections.
The violent anti-government protests in Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti, were
denounced by the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti and it said that it is
investigating the report of excessive use of force.
Background
President Martelly has repeatedly delayed the elections of Haiti since 2011 that
resulted into opposition senators accusing him for returning Haiti to dictatorial rule.
Consequent to this, the protestors took on to the streets and have demanded that
both Prime Minister Lamothe & President Michel Martelly should step down.
Haiti has been mired in extreme poverty and instability for years. It is still grappling
with the aftermath of a catastrophic 2010 earthquake that killed more than 230000.
Indian Navy won the fifth edition of Admirals Cup Sailing Regatta on 13 December
2014. The International Sailing Regatta for the Admirals Cup was held at Ettikulam
Bay, Ezhimala from 11 to 13 December 2014.
The Regatta witnessed a total of nine races and seventeen International Navies
participated in the Admirals Cup 2014. Bahrain Navy and United Kingdom Navy
teams came second and third respectively.
In the individual position of open category, Cadet Ebrahim Bin Sameer Al Shuwaitar
of Saudi Arabia stood first. Cadet Ahmed Abdullah of Bahrain and Lieutenant Anke
Dahlmann of Germany stood at second and third position respectively.
In the individual position for womens category, Lieutenant Anke Dahlmann stood
first.
The seventeen navies that participated in the event includes Australia, Bangladesh,
Bahrain, China, Egypt, France, Fiji, Germany, Mauritius, Oman, Saudi Arabia, South
Africa, Sri Lanka, UAE, USA, United Kingdom and India.
The International Sailing Regatta for the Admirals Cup event was introduced in 2010.
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In 2013, the fourth edition of the Admirals Cup International Sailing Regatta was won
by the United Arab Emirates team. The Indian Navy and Brazil teams stood at second
and third respectively.

Anerood Jugnauth was appointed as Mauritius Prime Minister by the President Purryag on 14 December 2014. With this, he became the Prime Minister of Mauritius for
the sixth time following victory of his alliance in Mauritius elections 2014.
Jugnauth replaced Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam of Labour Party, who
resigned as the Prime Minister on 13 December 2014.
Jugnauth belongs to the Militant Socialist Movement party and his party made alliance
with Lepep in the Mauritius elections 2014. In the elections centre-right Alliance of
Jugnauth, Lepep won 47 seats out of 62 seats in the Parliament. The coalition of
the Labour Party and Mau Mauritian Militant Movement (MMM) won 13 seats in the
election.
Previously Jugnauth served as President of Mauritius from 2003 to 2012. He has also
severed as Prime Minister of Mauritius from 1982 to 1995 and again between 2000
and 2003.

Bangladesh on 13 December 2014 launched an intensified manual campaign to clean
up Sunderbans oil spill.
The forest department had engaged nearly 100 boats to collect the furnace oil spilled
from the tanker which sank in the Shela river in the Sundarbans after being hit by a
cargo vessel.
The seepage spread in the Shela and the Pashur rivers and over 20 canals which
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crisscross the Sundarbans in the past four days while officials found four out of six
chambers of the tanker carrying 358000 litres oil damaged.
Officials said oil spill from the sunken tanker affected seven young saltwater crocodiles
at Karamjal Wildlife Reproduction Centre and they were concerned about the fate of
dolphins in the region it is their natural abode.
The authorities have filed a lawsuit against the owners of both ships. Bangladesh
is yet to seek any overseas assistance to remove the oil but a London-based team
officered its assistance for the clean-up.
The Sundarbans is the world largest mangrove forest, which covers 26000 square
km in India and Bangladesh. It is also the habitat of famous Royal Bengal Tigers.
Google announced to shut down its news linking services in

Spain
Google on 11 December 2014 announced to shut down its news linking services in
Spain over new intellectual property law. As per the law, publishers will soon be force
to pay for re-publishing headlines or snippets of news to Internet sites.
The norm in the Spanish intellectual property law has been dubbed as the Google
Tax. New Law will come into effect on 1 January 2015.
In a response, Google said that the new law makes the Google News service
unsustainable and that it will remove Spanish publishers from Google News sites
worldwide and shut down this service in Spain on 16 December 2014.
The move also means readers in Latin America and around the globe will no longer
find links to articles from any Spanish news publishers on Google News.
Googles action caps a decade of acrimony with news publishers who blame the
search giant for revenue and readership declines. The company maintains that it
sends millions of clicks that allow news sites to make money via online advertising.
The stand-off also comes amid a growing campaign by politicians, regulators and
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courts across Europe to rein in Googles power over the Internet search market and
the impact it has on deeply ingrained social norms around personal privacy.
In recent years, publishers in countries from Germany and France to Spain have
pushed to pass new national copyright laws that force Google and other web
aggregators to pay licensing fees when they publish snippets of their news articles.
In Spain and Germany, these laws require publishers who want their content to
continue to show up in Google search results to give the company explicit permission
to do so.
President of Zimabawe Robert Mugabe sacked Vice-president

Joice Mujuru
President of Zimabawe Robert Mugabe sacked Vice-president Joice Mujuru on 9
December 2014. She was sacked for corruption and plotting to kill the President
Mugabe.
Mugabe exercised his executive powers to dismiss Vice-President Joice Mujuru with
immediate effect from 9 December 2014. He also dismissed seven other government
ministers in connection with the same allegations.
The seven other ministers include Didymus Mutasa (Presidential Affairs), Webster
Shamu (Information Communication Technologies, Postal and Courier Services),
Francis Nhema(Youth Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment), Olivia Muchena
( Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development), Dzikamai
Mavhaire (Energy and Power Development Minister), Nicholas Goche (Public
Service, Labour and Social Welfare), Simbaneuta Mudarikwa( Minister of State for
Mashonaland East Province) and Munacho Mutezo (Deputy Minister Engery and
Power Development).
Mujuru, 59, was accused that she had led a disloyal meeting in which she planned to
try and remove the President Robert Mugabe from the post.
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Comment
Mugabe has been in power since independence of Zimbabwe in 1980. He is due to
stand for election again in 2018. Grace Mugabe wife of President Mugabe entered
the politics recently and she repeatedly accused Vice-President Mujuru of plotting
against Mugabe.
Mugabe believed Grace Mugabe allegations and supported her allegations. Since
then Mujuru has been under siege and Mujurus relationship with President Mugabe
had broken down.
Mujuru fought alongside Mugabe in the 1970s guerrilla war against British rule and
she had been thought a possible successor as president.

Bhutan on 8 December 2014 became the 181st member of Multilateral Investment
Guarantee Agency (MIGA). MIGA is the political risk insurance and credit enhancement
arm of the World Bank Group.
Bhutan has fulfilled all of its membership requirements to become the member of
MIGA.
Benefits of becoming a member

The move will allow the private sector and corporations of a country to explore
external commercial borrowing (ECB).
Once a member of MIGA, the private sector and corporations in the country will
have the option of directly applying to MIGA for issuance of guarantee to attract
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).
MIGAs guarantee can help investors obtain access to ECB with improved financial
terms and conditions.
Premium rates are decided on per project basis, and vary by country, sector,
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transaction and the type of risk insured.
Bhutan is now eligible for the Agencys investment guarantees.
Investors from Bhutan going into MIGAs other developing member countries may
also receive coverage for their investments.
Earlier, in October 2012, Bhutan has applied for the membership of MIGA.
To become a member, the country is required to sign the MIGA convention, and
deposit its instrument of ratification.
The signed convention will further submitted to Parliament for ratification. The ratified
instrument will be deposited with the World Bank. Finally, the country will have to
subscribe to shares of MIGAs capital stock.
Membership in MIGA is available only to countries that are members of the World
Bank. Bhutan does not have credit rating but has been a member of the World Bank
since 1981.
About Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency

MIGA is a member of the World Bank Group. MIGA aims to promote foreign direct
investment (FDI) into developing countries to help support economic growth, reduce
poverty, and improve peoples lives.
MIGA consists of total of 177 member Governments, out of which 152 are developing
and 25 are industrialised countries.
France and the United States signed agreement to compensate

Holocaust survivors
France and the United States signed a 60 million US dollars agreement on 8 December
2014 to compensate thousands of Holocaust survivors who were deported to
concentration camps by Frances state rail company SNCF during Nazi occupation.
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Although SNCF is not a party to the agreement, the company will contribute 4 million
US dollars over the next five years to fund Holocaust memorials and museums in
the US, Israel and France.
The agreement will come into effect after the approval by the French parliament.
Highlights of the agreement

Under the agreement, the French government will pay 60 million US dollars to
Holocaust survivors and their families.
The agreement aims to pay those people who were deported from France to Nazi
concentration camps through the French rail company SNCF during the countrys
occupation by the Germans between 1940 and 1944.
In order to gain the benefits of the deal, the person should not have had access
to any compensation or pension programmes which France has been providing
since 1946.
Spouses of the deportees who were not nationals of French, Belgian, Polish or
British will also be compensated. These countries are already covered by bilateral
agreements with France.
Survivors including nationals from Israel and Canada as well as Americans may
receive up to 100000 US dollars each while heirs and spouses may receive several
tens of thousands.
As part of the deal, the US Government will work to end lawsuits and compensation
claims against SNCF.
Background
The accord came after Maryland lawmakers demanded that SNCF compensate
Holocaust victims before being allowed to join a bidding process on a 25-kilometer
(16-mile) public-private light rail project worth nearly 2.4 million Euros.
From 1942 to 1944, some 76000 Jews were transported by French railways to Nazi
death camps after Frances Vichy regime collaborated with the Nazis in their efforts
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to wipe out Europes Jewish population. Only around 3000 survived.
These Jewish people passed through Drancy camp near Paris on their way to Nazi
extermination camps during World War II.
However, France has already paid out around 49 million euros to French nationals
who were victims of the Holocaust under a scheme which was set up in 1946.
China launched Nuclear Power Expansion Scheme to expand

large network of nuclear plants
China on 5 December 2014 launched a Nuclear Power Expansion Scheme to
expand its large network of nuclear plants. The decision was announced by National
Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) of China.
The NDRC also announced plans to develop offshore nuclear power projects. It
assured that all projects will comply with the highest international security standards
to overcome the problems which are under construction of third generation reactors
in China.
Actually, third generation rectors of China which are under construction have problems
with pumps and valves as well as with its inflexibility of design. China is on to resolve
those problems.
At present, there are 27 nuclear power plants under construction in China along with
new 1000 MW reactors in association with US based Westinghouse. China is about
to build 200 nuclear plants.
However, nuclear energy contributes less than 2 percent of the power supply of
China which is far below the world average of 15 percent. The initiative is expected
to give the nuclear power sector a boost, driving high-end equipment production and
optimizing power generation in china.
In 2011, China ceased issuing approvals for nuclear power projects following
the Fukushima nuclear meltdown. China signed a MoU with South Africa in the
establishment of partnership in nuclear fuel recycling.
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The Beijing-based China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC) on 6 December
2014 launched the mega water supply project in Sri Lanka to construct a water supply
system in Gampaha district.
The project was launched with the foundational laying of pipe by Sri Lankan Economic
Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa in the town of Mahara. This 230 million US
dollars water supply project is the largest ever project undertaken by the Sri Lankan
government.
Once completed, the project will provide clean drinking water to about 600000 people
in 42 villages scattered around the region.
Highlights of the project

CMEC will be responsible for the design, procurement, civil engineering, installation,
commissioning and other tasks of the project.
Exim Bank of China is financing the project with a 20-year 229.5 million US dollars
loan.
The Sri Lankan government is providing an estimated 20 million US dollars for the
implementation of the project.
During the 36-month project, CMEC will build a water treatment plant with a supply
capacity of 54000 cubic meters a day and a new water intake volume of 85000
cubic meters per day.
Background
The CMEC in May 2013 entered into a master contract with the National Water Supply
& Drainage Board of Sri Lanka for the construction of Gampaha, Attanagalle and
Minuwangoda Integrated Water Supply Scheme.
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The topographic survey and soil investigation of the water treatment plant was
completed in June 2014 and site clearing for the plant was also wrapped up in
November2014 allowing the CMEC to begin laying over 1000 km of water pipes.
CMEC has been working in Sri Lanka for nearly a decade on a variety of projects. Its
largest venture is the Lakvijaya coal power plant that was built with assistance from
the Chinese government at a cost of 1.2 billion US dollars.
UK signed an agreement with Bahrain to establish a permanent

naval base at Mina Salman Port
The United Kingdom (UK) on 6 December 2014 signed an agreement with Bahrain to
establish a permanent naval base at Mina Salman Port in Bahrain.
The agreement was signed between the Foreign Secretary of UKs Philip Hammond
and Foreign Minister of Bahrain Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Khalifa
in Manama, the capital of Bahrain.
The new base will bolster and provide the Royal Navy with a forward operating base
and a place to plan, store equipment for naval operations and accommodate Royal
Navy personnel.
The base will be built by Bahrain at an estimated cost of 15 million pounds with the
British underwriting the ongoing costs. It will be completed in 2015.
The base will be in addition to the UKs four-mine hunter warships permanently based
in Bahrain that supports British destroyers and frigates in the Gulf.
Comment
The naval base will become the springboard for Britains involvement in the Middle
East, most importantly its operations in Iraq as part of the US-led coalition against
the armies of the Islamic State.
The country already hosts the Naval Support Activity Bahrain controlled by the US
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government, which is the port where the US Fifth Fleet is positioned. It is also where
the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command for the region is headquartered.
UNGA adopted the resolution on establishment of a nuclearweapon-free world

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on 2 December 2014 adopted a
resolution on establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free world and accelerating the
implementation of nuclear disarmament commitments.
The resolution was introduced as a part of First Committee Recommendations on
Disarmament and International Security.
It was adopted by a recorded vote of 169 in favour to 7 against with 5 abstentions.
The countries who voted against the resolution were Democratic Peoples Republic
of Korea, France, India, Israel, Russian Federation, United Kingdom and the United
States.
The countries with abstentions were Bhutan, China, Federated States of Micronesia,
Pakistan, Palau.
The resolution primarily aimed at nuclear weapon possessing countries asked them
to immediately and unconditionally accede to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) as
non-nuclear-weapon states and put all their nuclear facilities under International
Atomic Energy Agency safeguards.
The resolution was adopted along with other 63 Drafts on First Committee. These
other included convention prohibiting the use of those weapons, the Hague Code
of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation, and establishment of a nuclearweapon-free zone in the Middle East among others.
Other adopted resolutions called for lessening international tension by reducing the
operational readiness of the several thousand nuclear weapons that remained on
high alert despite the end of the cold war, and requested the five nuclear-weapon
states to review nuclear doctrines and take steps to reduce the risks of the use of
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nuclear weapons.
This resolution and similar ones are generally not binding under the UN Charter, but
are symbolic in nature.
Comment
The resolution mainly targeted countries namely Israel, Pakistan and India among
others. Israel and Pakistan also voted against the provision. India has been firm in
rejecting the NPT, which it considers discriminatory in trying to preserve the nuclear
weapon monopoly of five nations the US, Russia, China, France and Britain.

International Criminal Court (ICC) on 5 December 2014 withdrew the case against
President of Kenya Uhuru Kenyatta thus ending the case against him. He was being
tried on count of charges of crimes against humanity for his involvement in ethnic
violence that erupted after elections in 2007.
Kenyatta is the first sitting President to appear before the ICC court for ethnic violence.
The ICC ended the case after the Chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda filed a withdrawing
notice against President Kenyatta.
The notice was filed due to lack of evidence which could have proved Kenyattas
culpability beyond a reasonable doubt. Also, Kenya locked the case by not cooperating
in the investigation.
The withdraw notice also added that prosecutors reserved the right to file charges
again if more evidence become available related to the case.
Case
President of Kenya Kenyatta was accused of helping to plan and finance a wave of
ethnic violence after disputed elections in 2007. More than 1200 people died and
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600000 fled their homes in Naivasha and Nakuru due to ethnic violence.
India and Japan decided to cooperate in Cyber security & Green

ICT
India and Japan will cooperate in the fields of Cyber security and Green Information
and Communication Technology (ICT).
The two countries announced their decision on 4 December 2014 after India-Japan
Joint Working Group Meeting on ICT held in New Delhi. Accordingly, the two countries
will cooperate in five different projects,namely
Green ICT - Green Mobile Base Station project
Cyber Security Cooperation - Japan-India Combat Spam project
ICT for Disaster Management (ICT4DM) - ICT Use in disaster-affected areas project
ICT Application for Social and Economic Challenges - National ID Application and
Utilization Platform project
Cooperative project for detecting symptoms and quick response to cyber attacks
(PRACTICE)
Union Ministry for Communication and Information Technology (MCIT) and Ministry
of Internal Affairs and Communication (MIC) Japan will coordinate the activities for
taking these projects forward by involving industrial partners in both the countries.
The two countries have aimed that the joint projects should be implemented by early
2015.
To discuss and further work towards implementation of these projects, the next
meeting of the joint working group is to be held in Tokyo in 2015.
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World religious leaders signed joint declaration to end modern
slavery
The world religious leaders gathered and signed a joint declaration against modern
slavery. The declaration was signed during the International Day for the Abolition of
Slavery on 2 December 2014 in Vatican City.
Representatives of Anglican, Orthodox, Jewish, Shia and Sunni Muslim, Hindu and
Buddhist gathered at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences in Vatican and signed the
declaration.
During the meeting, the Pope Francis addressed all the religious leaders that slavery
is an absurd evil and a crime against humanity.
The declaration commits all the leaders and their communities to work together for
the freedom of all people and to eradicate the terrible scourge of modern slavery in
all its forms.
Besides, all religious leaders declared that modern slavery, in terms of human
trafficking, forced labor and prostitution, and organ trafficking, is a crime against
humanity.
Background
In November 2014, Walk Free Foundation released Global Slavery Index and
announced that almost 36 million people around the globe are trapped in modernday slavery. It also revealed that India, China, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and Russia are
ranked high on the modern slavery list.
According to index, slavery was defined as controlling or possessing people in such
a manner that their freedom is deprived with the intention of exploiting them for profit
or sex, usually by violence, coercion, or deception.
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Tabare Ramon Vazquez Rosas won Uruguay Presidential Election 2014
Tabare Ramon Vazquez Rosas on 30 November 2014 won the 2014 presidential
elections of Uruguay extending the decade-long rule of a leftist coalition. Vazquez
belongs to the leftist Broad Front coalition party of Uruguay.
Vazquez won comfortably with 52.8 percent votes support while his centre-right
challenger Luis Lacalle Pou of the National Party trailed on 40.5 percent votes.
He will succeed President Jose Mujica who was barred by law from running for a
second consecutive term.
Vazquez won the first round of voting in October with more than 46 percent of the
vote but it was not enough for an outright majority.
The Broad Front narrowly won the majority in Congress in legislative elections held in
November 2014. It indicates that Vazquez will be in firm control when his term begins
on 1 March 2015.
Tabare Ramon Vazquez Rosas

Vazquez is a respected oncologist who helped heal rifts inside the Broad Front in
the late 1990s and led it to power in 2005 ending two decades of conservative rule
that followed a military dictatorship.
He had been the President of Uruguay from 2005 to 2010 when his mix of welfare
programs and pro-business policies helped kick-start a decade of robust growth.
As president, he presided over considerable improvements in education and
working conditions, a significant expansion of the welfare system and a dramatic
reduction in poverty.
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Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif inaugurated China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on 29 November 2014 inaugurated ChinaPakistan Economic Corridor project in Hazara. The Economic Corridor will pass
through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
The inauguration of the Hazara Motorway signals the implementation of the ChinaPakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) agreement.
This 60 km long four lane fenced Hazara Motorway in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province
will cost 297 million US dollars and will take two years to complete.
The prime minister also announced the construction of a railway track to link Hazara
with Karachi and Quetta while another track will be constructed to link Hazara with
Muzaffarabad.
During his China visit earlier in November 2014, Sharif signed deals worth 45.6 billion
US dollars that included projects connected with the Corridor. Sharif has promised
full security to Chinese personnel involved in construction of this mammoth project.
China-Pakistan Economic Corridor

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor was proposed in the China-Pakistan
Economic Corridor (CPEC) agreement reached during Chinese Premier Li Keqiang
visit to Pakistan in May 2013.
The Corridor is seen as a flagship project to strengthen Chinas connectivity with
neighbouring countries. It is an initiative set to aid strategic framework for pragmatic
cooperation between the two nations.
China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is a development programme to connect Gwadar
Port in southern Pakistan to Chinas northwestern region of Xinjiang via highways,
railways and pipelines to transport oil and gas.
The corridor will serve as a primary gateway to trade among China, Middle East and
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Africa through Pakistan. Particularly, the oil from the Middle East will be offloaded at
Gwadar which is located just outside the mouth of the Persian Gulf.
The oil will be transported to China through the Baluchistan province in Pakistan.
Such a link would vastly cut the 12000 kilometres route that Mideast oil supplies now
take to reach Chinese ports.
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NATIONAL
IRDA renamed to Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India
Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) was renamed as Insurance
Regulatory and Development Authority of India on 30 December 2014.
The change in name came in to effect after the promulgation of Insurance Laws
(Amendment) Ordinance, 2014, by the President of India on 26 December 2014.
The amendment was done to the Insurance Regulation and Development Act,
1999 by inserting the words India after Development Authority in Section 105 of the
Ordinance amends section 2 (1)(b) of the IRDA Act.
Department of Disabilities Affairs renamed as Department of

Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities
Union Government on 29 December 2014 renamed the Department of Disability
Affairs (Nishaktata Karya Vibhag) as Department of Empowerment of Persons with
Disabilities (Viklangjan Sashaktikaran Vibhag).
This department is functional under the Union Ministry of Social Justice &
Empowerment.
The Union Government in June 2012 created the Department of Disability Affairs
under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. The department was created
to act as the nodal agency for matters pertaining to disabilities.
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The decision to create Department of Disability Affairs was taken in accordance to
Census 2001 that revealed that over 21 million (2.1 crore) people in India (12.6 million
males and 9.3 million females) are suffering from one or the other kind of disability.
This population was equivalent to 2.1 percent of the population.

The Sample Registration Survey (SRS) released its Statistical Report 2013. According
to the report, the fertility rate is falling faster than expected.The report was released
on 22 December 2014.
India will reach replacement levels by 2020 with the total fertility rate (TFR) in 8 States
below 2 children per woman.
Highlights of the Survey

Among the Northern and Eastern States, nine States except Gujarat have a TFR
levels above 2.1. TFR below 2.1 means population has begun to decline.
West Bengal along with the Southern States, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab and
Himachal Pradesh has the lowest fertility in India. Odisha also has reduced the
fertility rate to 2.1.
Fertility is declining rapidly, including among the poor and illiterate. India is now
just 0.2 point away from reaching replacement levels at 2.3.
With these rates, India will achieve its demographic transition and reach replacement
levels as early as 2020 or 2022.
Among bigger States, Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala,
Maharashtra, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal has the average Total Fertility
Rate (TFR) below 2.0 during 2011-13.
The Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) is less positive but IMR has fallen to 40 deaths per
1000 live births, and 49 deaths of children under the age of 5 for every 1000 live
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births.
The IMR has fallen mostly in rural areas than in urban areas whereas Chennai has
the lowest IMR (16) among the metros.
Among States, Kerala has the best IMR at 12 deaths per 1000 births and it is
followed by Delhi and Maharashtra.
Higher mortality rates still remain the same for infant girls and for girls under the
age of five than for boys, as against the global trend.
Union Government launched Madan Mohan Malviya National

Mission on Teachers and Teaching
and Teaching on 25 December 2014. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the
mission at Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi.
The mission was launched the mission with an outlay of 900 crores rupees during
12th five year plan. It envisages to addressing comprehensively all issues related
to teachers, teaching, teacher preparation, professional development, Curriculum
Design, Designing and Developing Assessment & Evaluation methodology, Research
in Pedagogy and developing effective Pedagogy.
On One hand, the mission will address current and urgent issues such as supply of
qualified teachers, attracting talent intoteaching profession and raising the quality of
teaching in schools and colleges.
On another hand, the mission will pursue long term goals of building a strong
professional cadre of teachers by setting performance standards and creating top
class institutional facilities for innovative teaching and professional development of
teachers.
The Mission will focus on both urgent issues and long term goals in a holistic manner
dealing with the whole sector of education without fragmenting the programmes
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based on levels and sectors as school, higher, technical etc.
The mission is an umbrella scheme will create synergies among the various ongoing
initiatives on Teachers and Teaching under Union Ministry of Human Resources
Development and other autonomous institutions.
The Mission will have the components such as Schools of Education (in Central
Universities), Centres of Excellence for Curriculum and Pedagogy,) Inter-University
Centres for Teachers Education, National Resource Centre for Education, Centres for
Academic Leadership and Education Management, Innovations, Awards, Teaching
Resource Grant, including Workshop & Seminar and Subject Networks for Curricular
Renewal and Reforms.
Besides, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Campus Connect wi-fi of
Banaras Hindu University by remote control. He unveiled the plaque of the InterUniversity Centre and also launched the Varanasi Mahotsav.
Union Ministry of Consumers Affairs announced to set up Grahak Suvidha Kendras

Union Ministry of Consumers Affairs on 25 December 2014 announced to set up
Grahak Suvidha Kendras in each zone of the country. The move is aimed to provide
a number of services to the consumers.
The proposed zones where the Government decided to set up the Kendras are North,
South, West, East, North East, Central and the National Capital.
The Kendras will provide counseling to consumers in redressal of their grievances
and assist them in registering their complaints in the appropriate consumer forums.
The government will also be authorized to take up complaints with private companies
and service providers on behalf of the government.
The Ministry has invited applications from registered and eligible Voluntary Consumer
Organizations for setting up the Kendras.
It has also drawn several other plans and programmes for empowerment of consumers
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and their welfare. Initiative has been taken on mainstreaming consumer advocacy in
the policy decisions of other seven sectors of housing and health.
Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched Mission

Indradhanush
Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on 25 December 2014 launched Mission
Indradhanush to achieve full immunization coverage for all children by 2020.
The Mission Indradhanush aims to cover all those children who are either unvaccinated
or are partially vaccinated against seven vaccine preventable diseases including
diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio, tuberculosis, measles and hepatitis B.
The Mission was launched on Good Governance Day that marks the birth anniversary
of Bharat Ratna Madan Mohan Malaviya and birthday of Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari
Vajpayee.
Highlights of the Mission Indradhanush

Under Mission Indradhanush, four special vaccination campaigns will be conducted
between January and June 2015 with intensive planning and monitoring of these
campaigns.
The ministry has identified 201 high focus districts that have nearly 50 percent of
all unvaccinated or partially vaccinated children. These districts will be targeted by
intensive efforts to improve the routine immunization coverage.
Out of the 201 districts, 82 districts are in just four states of UP, Bihar, Madhya
Pradesh and Rajasthan and nearly 25 percent of the unvaccinated or partially
vaccinated children of India are in these 82 districts of 4 states.
201 districts will be covered in the first phase of the mission, 297 districts will be
targeted for the second phase in the year 2015.
The Ministry will be technically supported by WHO, UNICEF, Rotary International
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and other donor partners.
Mass media, interpersonal communication, and sturdy mechanisms of monitoring
and evaluating the scheme are crucial components of Mission.
Background
Between 2009-2013, immunization coverage has increased from 61 to 65 percent,
indicating only 1 percent increase in coverage every year.
To accelerate the process of immunization by covering 5 percent and more children
every year, the Mission Mode has been adopted to achieve target of full coverage by
2020.
WTO, WASTE and FINISH signed MoU to end open defecation in

India
Three global organisations on 24 November 2014 signed a memorandum of
understanding (MoU) to end open defecation in India. The agreement is for three
years.
These three organisations are the World Toilet Organisation (WTO), WASTE and the
Financial Inclusion Improves Sanitation and Health (FINISH). They share the common
goal of making sanitation accessible and affordable to all citizens.
The MoU was signed to share best practices in the sanitation sector and help millions
of Indians gain access to basic sanitation facilities.
The objective of the agreement is to support the Central government in making the
country free of open defecation and promoting sustained usage of sanitation systems.
Status of open defecation in India

Open defecation is the practice of defecating outside or in public. It can be the
outcome of cultural practices or having no access to toilets.
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India has the largest number of people defecating in open in the world. Globally, India
continues to be the country with the highest number of people (597 million people)
practising open defecation as per the United Nations report the Progress on Drinking
Water and Sanitation 2014.

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on 22 December 2014 announced that Gujarat will
host 13th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) from 7 January 2015 to 9 January 2015.
The 13th edition of PBD will mark the 100th year of Mahatma Gandhis return to India
from South Africa. PBD is an event which celebrates the achievements of Indians
living abroad.
The chief guest of the 13th PBD would be Guyana President Donald Ramotar.
On 7 January 2015, the youth segment of PBD will be inaugurated with the theme
Bharat ko jano and Bharat ko mano. The aim of the youth segment is to familiarising
children of migrant Indians with the traditions and history of the country as well as its
modern day achievements in different fields.
The main highlights of the 13th PBD will include a plenary session in which
presentations will be made on the flagship programmes of the government such as
Namami Ganga, Swachh Bharat, Skill Development and Urban Development and
NRIs and People of Indian origin (PIO).
Besides, there would be separate sessions for Girmitya, Indian migrants taken to work
in plantations, Gulf countries, French speaking countries and Diaspora organisations
in various countries and the Ambassadors of these countries would be present to
understand their problems.
PBD is the worlds largest annual gathering of people of Indian origin. PBD is aimed
at enhancing networking and reinforcing commercial linkages. There are 25 million
people of Indian origin residing outside India.
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NSSO released Situation Assessment Survey of Agricultural
Households
National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) on 19 December 2014 released Situation
Assessment Survey of Agricultural Households for the Crop Year 2012-13. The survey
was conducted between January 2013 and December 2013.
The survey focused on a common perception regarding agriculture how it generates
just 15 per cent of Indias GDP (2012-13 data) despite rural areas houses 68.8 per
cent of the total population (2011 Census).
The survey aimed at capturing the condition of agricultural households in the rural
areas of the country in the context of policies and programmes of Government of
India.
A total number of 35200 households were surveyed in the first visit and 34907 of
them were re-surveyed in second visit.
Highlights of the survey

The survey found that hardly 58 per cent of rural households in India are engaged
in farming activity, which, in turn, contributes not even 60 per cent to their average
total monthly incomes.
Only 9.02 crore (57.8 percent) out of the countrys estimated 15.61 crore rural
households were agricultural. Agricultural was defined as those having at least
one member self-employed in farming, either in principal or subsidiary status,
during the last 365 days.
Further, even within the 9.02 crore agricultural households, only 68.3 percent
reported farming (i.e. cultivation, livestock rearing and other agricultural activity)
as their principal source of income.
A mere 39.5 percent of rural households today are dependent on agriculture as
the source yielding the maximum share of income.
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Uttar Pradesh accounted for about 20 percent of all agricultural households in the
country.
Rajasthan had highest percentage of agricultural households (78.4 percent) among
its rural households
Kerala had the least percentage share of agricultural households (27.3 percent) in
its rural households.
Net receipts from cultivation and rearing of animals accounted for just 59.8 percent
of the average Indian farming familys monthly income.
The remaining was from wage/salaried employment, non-farm business and other
sources such as remittances, interest and dividends.
Agricultural activities, comprising cultivation and livestock rearing, are reported to
be the principal source of income for majority of agricultural households in all the
major states.
Kerala is the only state where about 61per cent of the agricultural households
reported to have received maximum income from sources other than agricultural
activities.
More than half of marginal farmers (56 per cent), who possess less than 0.01
hectare plots, are not relying on agriculture as principal source of income. They
rely on other sources like wages or employment salary as principal source of
income.
13 per cent of the marginal farmers do not have ration cards.
Out of total agri-households, 23 per cent of agricultural households depend on
livestock as prime source of income.
The households which possess 0.4 ha of land claimed that agriculture is the
principal source of income for them.
Forty-four per cent of total agricultural-households possess MGNREGA job cards.
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Difference between 2003 Survey and 2012-13 Survey

Last survey on agricultural households was conducted in the 59th round in 2003. The
only difference between the 2003 Survey and 2012-13 Survey is that there has been
change in definition.
In 2003 Survey, agricultural households were defined as those possessing some
land and the members were engaged in agricultural activities over a year. In 201213 Survey, agricultural households are defined as those whose value of agricultural
produce is more than 3000 rupees and at least one member of a family is engaged
in agricultural activities.
SC directed Union Government to not appoint CVC without its

approval
Supreme Court (SC) on 17 December 2014 directed the Union government to not
appoint the Chief Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) and Vigilance Commissioner (VC)
without its approval.
The apex court asked the Union to constitute a panel comprising of 15 names to
select the CVC and submit it in a sealed envelope by 15 January 2015.
Although the court allowed the Union government to continue with the selection
process but asked it to submit the details of the selection process. To which, Attorney
General Mukul Rohtagi informed the court that he will submit the relevant details in
sealed cover.
The direction was given by a SC bench comprising of Chief Justice of India Justice
H L Dattu and Justice Madan B Lokur.
The direction was given by the SC while hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL)
filed by Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) Centre for Integrity, Governance and
Training in Vigilance Administration.
In the PIL, the NGO alleged that the selection process for the CVC being done by the
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Union is opaque as vacancies related to the post of CVC and one VC has not been
widely publicized keeping the door closed to common man. The post of CVC and
VCs has been lying vacant since the completion of tenure of the then CVC Pradip
Kumar and the then VC J M Garg on 28 September 2014 and 7 September 2014
respectively.
The NGO further contended that Union government ought to have similar procedure
for making appointment of CVC and VCs as is being done in the case of filling up one
post of chairperson and eight posts of members in the Lokpal under the provisions
of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013.
Background
Earlier on 18 September 2014, the apex court had rapped the Union for lack of
transparency in the selection procedure of CVC and VC on the grounds that this
will promote favouritism and nepotism. It asked the Union to widen the selection
procedure by picking even the common man and not only bureaucrats.
To this, the Attorney-General submitted to the court that the Cabinet Secretary and
36 other secretaries had proposed the names of 120 people for the post. Out of
this 20 names were selected and only five people were shortlisted from this and
forwarded to the selection committee.
Central Vigilance Commission Act 2003

Central Vigilance Commission Act 2003 that came into effect on 11 September 2003
provides for composition and selection procedure of the Commission.
Composition: The Commission shall consist of a Central Vigilance Commissioner
(CVC) as Chairperson and 2 Vigilance Commissioners (VC) as member
Eligibility: The Central Vigilance Commissioner and the Vigilance Commissioners shall be appointed from amongst persons
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who have been or are in an All-India Service or in any civil service of the Union or in a
civil post under the Union having knowledge and experience in the matters relating
to vigilance, policy making and administration including police administration; or
who have held office or are holding office in a corporation established by or under
any Central Act or a Government company owned or controlled by the Central
Government and persons who have expertise and experience in finance including
insurance and banking, law, vigilance and investigations
Appointment: The CVC and the VCs shall be appointed by the President by
warrant under his hand and seal provided that
Every appointment shall be made after obtaining the recommendation of a
Committee consisting of the Prime Minister as Chairperson, the Minister of Home
Affairs and the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha as Members.
If there is no recognised Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, then leader
of the single largest group in opposition in Lok Sabha shall act as member of the
selection committee.
SC directed Union government to complete fencing along IndoBangladesh border in 3 months

The Supreme Court (SC) on 17 December 2014 directed the Union Government to
complete fencing work along Indo-Bangladesh border within three months.
The direction was given to check cross-border influx of illegal Bangladesh nationals
into Assam. It also asked the government to streamline the process to deport them
back.
The court also asked the Union government why even after 67 years of independence,
the eastern border is left porous while border with Pakistan is properly fenced. It
further said that it would monitor the steps taken by the government and sought
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periodic status report after every three months.
The apex court, taking note of the existing mechanism for deportation and international
protocol, also asked the government to hold discussions with the Bangladesh
government for ensuring that illegal migrants are sent back.
Slew of measures suggested by the bench in its 70-page verdict includes

To prevent illegal access to the country from Bangladesh, the bench advised fencing
(double coiled wire fencing) in such parts or portions of the Indo-Bangladesh
border (including Assam) where presently the fencing is yet to be completed
Effective maintenance of continuous patrolling and vigil along the riverine boundary
Patrolling and monitoring at vulnerable points in such parts of the international
border that is considered as inhospitable on account of the difficult terrain, as
these points could provide means of illegal entry
For effective and intensive patrolling, motorable roads alongside the international
border has been advised in the regions where they are either incomplete or have
not been built
Flood lights installation at the required points
Asked to update the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam so that the
entire updated NRC is published by the end of January 2016
It asked the Union government to detect and deport all illegal migrants who came
to Assam after 25 March 1971 and advised to award citizenship to the foreigners
who came to India between 1 January 1966 and 24 March 1971 as per law
Constitutional Validity of Section 6A of Citizenship Act, 1955

With regard to this, the apex court referred the case to a larger bench to make a
decision on the issue of Constitutional validity of Section 6A of the Citizenship Act,
1955 with regard to the cut-off date for awarding citizenship to the migrants.
The bench said whether, Section 6A of the Citizenship Act, violates Articles 325 and
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326 of the Constitution of India in that it has diluted the political rights of the citizens
of the State of Assam.
The direction was passed by the SC bench comprising of Justice RF Nariman and
Justice Ranjan Gagoi. These directions were given while hearing the pleas of Assam
Sanmilita Mahasangha, Assam Public Works and All Assam Ahom Association.
The three organizations had filed their plea in the aftermath of large-scale riots in the
year 2012 and in 2014 in Assam that resulted in deaths of a large number of persons.
The petitioners argued that the sovereignty and integrity of India is itself at stake as a
massive influx of illegal migrants from a neighbouring country has affected the core
constitutional value.
Union government announced to give 5 year visa to minorities

from neighbouring counties
Union Government on 16 December 2014 announced that members of the minority
communities from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh will be given five years visa
as part of governments effort to address their grievances and accord citizenship in
future. Earlier, they were granted one-year visa.
Main Highlights
The long-term visa for five years will be issued initially by the Home Ministry on the
specific recommendation of the state government or union territory administration.
The government also delegated powers to Foreigners Regional Registration Officer
(FRRO) and Foreigners Registration Officer (FRO) concerned to grant extension
for a period up to six months on the short-term visa of the minority nationals
from neighboring countries applying for long-term visa. Earlier, they had power to
extend the visa for maximum three months.
Also, for processing such applications, a time-line of one month for FRRO and
FRO and 21 days for the state government and union territory administration has
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been fixed.
These long-term visas will allow children of minority nationals from neighbouring
countries to stay in India and take admission in schools, colleges, universities,
technical and professional institutions.
They also will not require any specific permission from the state government or
union territory administration for the admission. Only intimation is to be given in
this regard to FRRO or FRO concerned.
Minority nationals from neighbouring countries staying in India on long-term visa
can also engage themselves in employment of purely private nature, as the state
governments and union territory administrations have also been empowered to
grant permission to them.

The Union Government on 16 December 2014 banned Islamic State of Iraq and Syria
(ISIS) under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The action came few days after an
engineer was detained for running a popular Twitter account that praised the militant
groups military campaign.
The aim of the ban is to limit the activities of the West Asia group which has carved
out swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria. The detained techie Mehdi Masoor Biswas
was working for a food company from the southern tech hub of Bengaluru. He was
running the pro-Islamic State Twitter handle @ShamiWitness that had 17800 followers.
He was picked up by police on 13 December 2014
Why the group was not banned till date?

Earlier, India didnt issue a ban on the group due to lack of its activity in India. Also
because India considered that the fate of 39 Indian construction workers who are
missing in Iraq lies in the hands of the group. It is believed that these Indians are held
by ISIS.
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The 14th Finance Commission headed by former RBI Governor YV Reddy submitted
its report to the President of India on 15 December 2014. The report was submitted
by A N Jha, Secretary of the Finance Commission to Omita Paul, Secretary to the
President of India.
The panel has given its views on the devolution of tax receipts from the Centre to the
States between 1 April 2015 and 31 March 2020.
Report submitted by the Commission will be a key input in the preparation of the
Union Budget 2015-16.
About the 14th Finance Commission

The 14th Finance Commission was appointed on 2 January 2013 under the
chairmanship of YV Reddy and was asked to submit its report by 31 October 2014.
Further on 31 October 2014, the President of India issued order for extension of time
for the 14th Finance Commission by two months (till 31 December 2014).
President issued an order extending the term of the commission after it sought an
extension of two months for submission of its report to examine financial projections
and carry out consultations with the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana governments in
view of the additional term of reference made to it on 2 June 2014.
The panel was also asked to look into the Goods and Services Tax.
Terms of Reference of 14th Finance Commission

The resources of the Central Government, for five years commencing on 1 April
2015, on the basis of levels of taxation and non-tax revenues likely to be reached
during 2014-2015
The demands on the resources of the Central Government, in particular, on account
of the expenditure on civil administration, defence, internal and border security,
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debt-servicing and other committed expenditure and liabilities
The resources of the State Governments and the demands on such resources
under different heads, including the impact of debt levels on resource availability
in debt stressed states, for the five years commencing on 1 April 2015, on the
basis of levels of taxation and non-tax revenues likely to be reached during 201415
The objective of not only balancing the receipts and expenditure on revenue
account of all the States and the Union, but also generating surpluses for capital
investment
The taxation efforts of the Central Government and each State Government and the
potential for additional resource mobilisation to improve the tax Gross Domestic
Product ratio in the case of Union and tax-Gross State Domestic Product ratio in
the case of the States
The level of subsidies that is required, having regard to the need for sustainable
and inclusive growth, and equitable sharing of subsidies between the Central
Government and State Governments
The expenditure on the non-salary component of maintenance and upkeep of
capital assets and the non-wage related maintenance expenditure on plan
schemes to be completed by 31st March, 2015 and the norms on the basis of
which specific amounts are recommended for the maintenance of the capital
assets and the manner of monitoring such expenditure
The need for insulating the pricing of public utility services like drinking water,
irrigation, power and public transport from policy fluctuations through statutory
provisions
The need for making the public sector enterprises competitive and market oriented;
listing and disinvestment; and relinquishing of non-priority enterprises
The need to balance management of ecology, environment and climate change
consistent with sustainable economic development
The impact of the proposed Goods and Services Tax on the finances of Centre
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and States and the mechanism for compensation in case of any revenue loss.
The Finance Commission of India is constituted by the President underArticle 280
of the Constitution of India. The commission is constituted to define the financial
relations between the centre and the state.
As per the Constitution, the commission is appointed every five years and consists
of a chairman and four other members.
1st Finance Commission of India constituted in 1951 was chaired by K.C. Neogy.
Its plan was operational during 195257.
13th Finance Commission constituted in 2007 was chaired by Dr. Vijay L. Kelkar,
Former Union Finance Secretary and Adviser to the Finance Minister. Its plan was
operational during 20102015.

Union Government brought 52 new drugs under National Pharmaceutical Pricing
Authority (NPPA) control to keep check on prices of essential medicines. The decision
was notified by NPPA on 11 December 2014.
National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) extended the price control
mechanism on 52 drugs which includes some commonly used painkillers and
antibiotics as well as medicines used to treat cancer and skin disorders.
The medicine include such as antibiotic Ciprofloxacin, BCG vaccine and anti-diabetic
Metformin, Paracetamol, Glucose, Amoxycilline, Diazepam, Codeine Phosphate,
Losartan and Diclofenac.
These new drugs join a list of nearly 400 essential treatments which is more than 450
drugs that involve NPPA ceiling and retail prices for these medicines.
The price caps on drugs only to specific companies include

Lupin Limited of India
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Cadila Healthcare Company of India
Merck Company, Indian arm of Merck KGaA of Germany Company
Earlier in September 2014, the NPPA had fixed the prices of 36 drugs that include
those to treat infections and diabetes.
About National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority

The NPPA was established under the Drugs Prices Control Order (DPCO).
Union Government established NPPA to fix or revise the prices of controlled bulk
drugs and formulations and to enforce prices and availability of the medicines in
India.
Comment:
The decision of ranging price cut will hit both domestic and foreign drugmakers
and it was opposed by industries commenting that drug prices in India was already
among the lowest in the world.
Union Home Ministry removed Section 309 of IPC decriminalizing attempt to suicide
Union Home Ministry on 10 December 2014 removed Section 309 of Indian Penal
Code (IPC) decriminalizing attempt to suicide. The Ministry decided to remove Section
309 of IPC after 20th Law Commission recommended to decriminalize attempt to
suicide.
As a result, attempt to suicide now will not be taken as a criminal offence as against
the earlier position that a person charged with Section 309 of the IPC faced up to one
year in prison and a fine.
20th Law Commission headed by Justice (retd) A P Shah in its 210th Report on
Humanization and Decriminalization of Attempt to Suicide had recommended that
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Section 309 of IPC needed to be effaced from the statute book because the provision
is inhuman, irrespective of whether it is constitutional or unconstitutional.
18 States and four Union Territories have backed the governments decision. However,
states like Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi did advise due caution before scrapping
of the provision.
Bihar government asked the Union Home Ministry that the section should not be
omitted as there are suicide bombers who fail in their attempt to blow themselves
up and other terrorists who consume cyanide pills with the intention to wipe out
evidence.
Union Cabinet approved creation of five posts of ASG at High

Courts
The Union Cabinet on 10 December 2014 gave its approval for creation of five posts
of Additional Solicitors General (ASG), one each for the High Courts of Punjab &
Haryana, Patna, Jharkhand, Karnataka and its Circuit Benches at Hubli-Dharwad &
Gulbarga and Gujarat.
The decision was made in a Cabinet meet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The decision will help in strengthening the litigation machinery to represent the Union
Government efficiently and effectively as a whole and specifically in these courts.
These posts will facilitate transaction of business in accordance with procedures and
thus enable assigning of functions to legally trained persons. This will result in greater
accountability of Government Departments to curb frivolous litigation and lessen the
burden of Government cases in these Courts.
It will also boost the morale of Government Department in following the rule of law
and defending government policies and preventing high revenue pilferages.
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President launched Karnataka Mobile One App in Bengaluru for
m-governance
President Pranab Mukherjee on 8 December 2014 launched the Karnataka Mobile
One App (M One app) in Bengaluru. The app will provide a platform for m-governance
in the State and is first such initiative of India.
The M One app has been developed by Karnataka governments Centre for
E-Governance and mobile VAS provider IMIMobile. It has been developed under the
ICARE program of Karnataka government.
The app is currently available for Android and iOS devices. However, feature phone
users can access the Mobile One services through Interactive Voice Response (IVR)
or SMS by dialling 161 or through Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD)
by dialling *161#.
The M One app is expected to provide more than 4000 services, including 637
government services & 3644 private services to the citizens.
Citizens through the M One app will be able to pay electricity bills, book train &
bus tickets, recharge their mobile phones, receive traffic updates, track income tax
refund status, book cabs, and much more.
Citizens can also keep a track of all transactions processed through this platform,
complete with bill date, payment mode, bill number and many more services.
Comment
Karnataka Mobile One app is a pioneering effort to integrate mobile enabled services
delivery system that signals a new era in Governance. This will improve delivery
system and facilitate prompt redressal of grievances.
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Subramanian Committee on Leveraging the Post Office Network
submitted report to Union government
Subramanian Committee on Leveraging the Post Office Network on 4 December
2014 submitted its report to the Union Ministry of Communications and Information
Technology. The objective of the Committee was to transform the Post Office Network
in keeping with changing market trends and competition.
The committee has made around 181 recommendations to make the post office
competitive and efficient. These recommendations ranges from formulation of a New
Postal Law to New Organisational design of India Post to Extension of Post Office
network in Rural areas.
Following are the recommendations made by Committee:

Committee has suggested creation of a Postal Bank of India (PBI), which wouldwork
independently within the postal department with banking professionals.
It has also suggested setting up of three subsidiaries as a part of a holding
company under the postal department for extending services in the fields of
banking, e-commerce and insurance.
The task force has also recommended to launch the proposed postal bank through
an Act of the Parliament and not by approaching the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
which would make it easier for the government to take a decision in this regard
even if the RBI has objections to it.
It has recommended widening the ambit of work for India Post.
It has said that India Post would not only run as a payment bank but also as a fullfledged commercial bank, which would help in financial inclusion with its 1.5 lakh
postal offices across the country.
It has also made several other recommendations to leverage the vast network of
India Post and its local knowledge across regions in the country.
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The panel said commercial banks have reached only to urban cities and towns
but postal banks will cover interior villages which have largely been excluded from
banking services. This would be a major boost to govenrments financial inclusion
in real sense.
The committee claimed that with restructuring of India Post and establishing
postal bank and involving e-commerce and other services, it would add 5 lakh
more jobs.
Background
Government constituted the committee to review the operations of India Post headed
by former Cabinet Secretary TSR Subramanian in August 2014.
Other members of the panel include Ravindra H Dholakia of IIM, Ahmedabad, former
Sebi chairman GN Bajpai and former Infosys board member TV Mohandas Pai
amongst other top officials from the government.
India Post has around 1.4 lakh post offices in rural areas and handles savings deposits
of 600000 crore rupees and postal insurance of over 40000 crore rupees, which is
just next to Indias largest bank, the state run State Bank of India.
It has already started connecting all its branches through internet and ATMs across
the country.
Steps need to be taken to stop sex determination contents on

internet: SC
The Supreme Court on 3 December 2014 asked the Union government to take efforts
to stop sex determination contents on internet.
The bench comprising of Justice Dipak Misra and justice U U Lalit asked the Union
government that an effort has to be taken to ensure that websites like Google India,
Yahoo India and Microsoft Corporation (I) Pvt Ltd do not show contents in violation of
the Indian law prohibiting sex determination of a foetus. The determination of sex of
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foetus is prohibited under the Pre-conception and Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques
(Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act, 1995.
The court also directed the websites that they do not violate the Indian law and they
merely provide a corridor and they do not have any control.
The court also expressed unhappiness over a 2010 affidavit of Group Coordinator of
Cyber Laws Formulation and Enforcement Division of Department of IT Centre.
The apex court also highlighted the Union governments inability to filter or block
such information like advertisement of sex-determination kits, tools and clinics on
Interest of above mentioned websites.
However, the Union government in its reply expressed its inability to block such
content citing technological limitations. It also said that information published on
the websites is generally aimed at wider, worldwide dissemination and caters to the
needs of many countries, which may not be for Indian citizens and these sites have
servers outside India.
The Court took intervention on the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by NGO
Voluntary Health Association of Punjab seeking intervention of Supreme Court in
view of decreasing number of girl child in India.
Supreme Court directed Union to prosecute black money hoarders abroad by 31 March 2015
The Supreme Court on 3 December 2014 directed the Union to complete prosecution
of black money hoarders abroad under the Income Tax Act, 1961 by 31 March 2015.
A SC Bench comprising of Chief Justice of India H L Dattu, Justice Madan B Lokur
and Justice A K Sikri directed the Union and Special Investigation Team (SIT) to
probe the cases of black money.
The court also said that if for any reasons the probe remains inconclusive then
appropriate decision will be taken by Union to extend the deadline of 31 March 2015.
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The court also asked SIT head Justice M B Shah to consider the plea of petitioner
Ram Jethmalani to provide him the copies of the reports of SITs probes into the black
money cases without blackening the content.
Earlier in October 2014, the Centre submitted to the Supreme Court a list of 627
Indians holding black money in accounts abroad in HSBC bank, Geneva.
According to the amendment of Income Tax Act, 1961 recently, the period of limitation
for launching prosecution has been extended from six years to 16 years to enable the
prosecution of black money hoarders.

Supreme Court on 3 December 2014 set up a Social Justice Bench to exclusively
hear cases related to women, children and underprivileged. The apex court set up
the special bench in lieu of the specialized approach needed for dealing with such
social issues.
The newly constituted two-judge SC bench will be headed by Justice Madan B Lokur
and comprises of Justice U U Lalit as member. The bench will assemble every Friday
at 2 PM from 12 December 2014 onwards.
The Social Justice Bench is a brainchild of Chief Justice of India H L Dattu to ensure
early disposal of the pending cases related to social justice so that the masses will
realize the fruits of the rights provided to them by the Constitution.
The new bench will take up not only pending matters but also new ones in order to
secure social justice as enshrined in the Preamble of Constitution of India.
Type of issues that will be heard by the Social Justice Bench include
Issues related to the release of food grains lying in stock for use in drought-affected
areas, framing of a fresh scheme for their public distribution
Taking of steps to prevent the untimely death of women and children for want of
nutritious food, hygienic mid-day meals in schools, clean drinking water, provision
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of safety and secured living conditions for women forced into prostitution
Issues related to children to provide night shelter to destitute and homeless
To provide medical facilities to all the citizens irrespective of their economic
condition
In past, the Supreme Court has often set up dedicated benches; however, these
were primarily set up to deal with economic issues like tax issues. The apex court
has also set up dedicated bench to deal with environmental cases which was earlier
called Forest Bench but was later renamed the Green Bench.
Similarly, the lower judiciary has courts dedicated to crimes against children and
offences like sexual assault.
Birthday of Atal Behari Vajpayee to be observed as National

Good Governance Day
The birthday of the former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on the 25 December
will be observed as National Good Governance Day. The decision was announced
on 2 December 2014 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Bharatiya Janata Partry
(BJP) Parliamentary Board meeting in New Delhi.
On that day, all BJP Member of Parliamentarians (MPs) and government officials will
make the day symbolic of good governance.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked all party MPs to highlight all BJP-run governments
and bodies across the country as models of good governance on the day. He also
asked the BJP MPs to work for an hour in their respective constituencies for the
Clean India campaign.
About Atal Behari Vajpayee

He was born on 25 December 1924 in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh.
He is a three time Prime Minister of India who served the first term in 1996 for just
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13 days. During his second term in 1998-1999 he served for 13 months.
He began a push for a full-scale diplomatic peace process with Pakistan and
initiated a new peace process aimed towards permanently resolving the Kashmir
dispute and other conflicts with Pakistan.
In his final and third term he completed the full five-year from 1999-2004. Thus, he
became the first Prime Minister from outside the Indian National Congress party
to serve a full five-year term.
During his second term, Operation Shakti was conducted in May 1998 under
which five nuclear test were conducted in Pokhran, Rajasthan.
dispute and other conflicts with Pakistan. With this view he inaugurated DelhiLahore bus service in February 1999 and signed Lahore Declaration with Nawaz
Sharif, the then PM of Pakistan.
Lahore Declaration was followed by Kargil War in June 1999 in which India became
victorious.
During his third term, Parliament attack took place on 13 December 2001 resulting
into Operation Parakaram. Also his famous pet projects National Highway
Development Project and Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana during his third
stint as Prime Minister.
Vajpayee was elected to the Lok Sabha nine times and twice to the Rajya Sabha.
In 1957, Vajpayee was elected to the Lok Sabha for the first time from Balrampur
in Uttar Pradesh
He was also the Minister of External Affairs in the cabinet of Prime Minister Morarji
Desai in 1978. As foreign minister, that year Vajpayee became the first person to
deliver a speech to the United Nations General Assembly in Hindi.
When Janata government collapsed, Vajpayee restarted the Jana Sangh as the
Bharatiya Janata Party in 1980.
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PSC on External Affairs recommended Government to introduce

a Bill to ratify LBA with Bangladesh
The Parliamentary Standing Committee (PSC) on External Affairs on 1 December
2014 tabled its report in Parliament.
In the report, the panel recommended to introduce a bill to give effect to the Land
Boundary Agreement (LBA) with Bangladesh and end the 67-year old dispute between
the two countries.
The Standing Committee headed by Shashi Tharoor of Congress Party and comprising
of Trinamool Congresss Sugata Bose and BJPs Ananthkumar Hegde and Varun
Gandhi as members were unanimous on the point that Land Boundary Agreement
(LBA) is in national interest and will pave way for broader ties with Bangladesh.
Recommendation of the Parliamentary Standing Committee

It asked the government to carry out effective consultations with the concerned
State Governments for smooth implementation of the Land Boundary Agreement
It asked the government to keep a blueprint ready for development of the
Bangladeshi enclaves that will be ceded to India
It also urged the Government to address all issues related to the rehabilitation of
the people returning to the Indian Territory
It asked the Centre to take measures to check the bonafides of the Bangladeshi
residents who shall be extended Indian citizenship
It also asked Government to ensure adequate safeguards for the Indian nationals
who will be staying back in Bangladesh after the implementation of the Accord
The recommendation of the Standing Committee comes one day after Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on 30 November 2014 confirmed that Government is serious to
introduce the LBA and solve the problem of infiltration.
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Even Sushma Swaraj, External Affairs Minister, had also promised the Bangladesh
government that the BJP would reverse its stand and push for both the LBA as well
as the Teesta river water settlement.
Earlier, the Land Boundary Agreement was promised to Bangladesh by former Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh during his visit to Dhaka in 2011. But the bill was not
presented in the Parliament due to opposition from the BJP over Assam enclaves
and the Trinamool Congress over West Bengal enclaves.
119th Constitution amendment Bill, 2013

Earlier on 18 December 2013, the UPA Government had introduced 119th Constitution
amendment Bill, 2013 in the Rajya Sabha to give effect to the LBA with Bangladesh.
However, the Bill was referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law and
Justice on 31 December 2013.
The Bill was introduced to ratify the India-Bangladesh Agreement or Indira Mujib
pact that was signed in 1974 but not ratified as it involved transfer of territory which
required a Constitutional Amendment.
Main features of the 119th Constitution amendment Bill, 2013

It amends the First Schedule of the Constitution to give effect to the LBA between
India and Bangladesh agreed on 16 May 1974. The First Schedule of the
Constitution defines the area of each state and union territory which together
constitute India.
The Bill amends paragraphs in the First Schedule relating to the territories of
Assam, West Bengal, Meghalaya, and Tripura.
The Bill demarcates land boundaries in accordance with the India-Bangladesh
agreement signed on 16 May 1974. This agreement underwent further modification
through letters exchanged thereafter and a protocol on 6 September 2011.
The Bill provides for swapping of territories involving handing over 17160 acres
of land to Bangladesh in return for 7110 acres in 111 enclaves in West Bengal,
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Assam, Tripura and Meghalaya
Comment
In the whole swap more than 50 thousand people will be involved of which about
15000 are on the Indian side of the border. The ratification of the bill will adversely
affect lives of a number of Indian nationals who lives in Indian enclaves in Bangladesh
territory. They would lose their claim to Indian citizenship.
Union government announced 28000 crore rupees package for

laying new rail lines in North-East
Union government on 1 December 2014 announced 28000 crore rupees package for
the development of North-East. The announcement was made by the Prime Minister
of India Narendra Modi during his visit to North Eastern States of India.
During his visit, he announced

28000 crore rupees for laying new railway lines in the region and develop the
untapped tourism potential of the area.
Sanctioned 5000 crore rupees to provide 2G mobile coverage in the area for
comprehensive telecom development plan of the northeast region
To set up a National Sports University in Manipur and the people of the region will
be great beneficiaries.
To set up six new agriculture colleges in North East region to make it organic
capital of the country.
To set up Apparel manufacturing centres in each of the eight Northeast states
starting with Assam, Nagaland and Sikkim.
To provide scholarships for students from the Northeast saying that 10000 students
will be beneficiaries of the same.
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Union government decided to amend the Consumer Protection

Act 1986
Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution on 30 November
2014 decided to amend the Consumer Protection Act (CPA) 1986.
The move aims to strengthen the three-tier grievance redressal system stipulated
under the Act.
Ministry announced the following amendment:

The amendment will set up a consumer protection authority that will take care
of groups or classes for which no remedial measures could be taken under the
present form of the Act as it focuses on cases pertaining to individuals only.
The amendment covers e-commerce, product liability, misleading advertisements
within its purview.
The strength of National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) will
be increased and five more members, including a woman and one each from
SC, ST, OBC and minority communities, will be added to it. At present is has 10
members and a Chairman.
The strength of the state consumer commissions and district fora will also be
strengthened.
The amendment is set to introduce product liability charges even in cases like train
or flight delays. Instead of just refunding the amount paid, the service providers
will be liable to punitive action, fine and compensation.
The amendment will also do away with the compromise rule under the CPA if the
matter is related to danger to life or public safety.
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ECONOMY
Department of Financial Services appointed MD and CEO of four
Nationalised Banks
The Department of Financial Services (DFS) under the Union Ministry of Finance
on 31 December 2014 appointed the Managing Directors (MD) and Chief Executive
Officers (CEO) of four Nationalised Banks.
The chiefs were appointed on the recommendations of Appointments Board chaired
by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Raghuram Rajan.
Appointments
Bank of India Executive Director R Koteeswaran was appointed as MD and CEO
of Indian Overseas Bank (IOB).
Bank of India Executive Director Animesh Chauhan was appointed as MD and
CEO of Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC).
Punjab & Sind Bank Executive Director Kishore Kumar Sansi was appointed as
MD and CEO of Vijaya Bank.
Bank of Baroda Executive Director P. Srinivas was appointed as the MD and CEO
of United Bank of India.
They are appointed for a period of three years or till the date of superannuation,
whichever is earlier. The appointment in Syndicate bank is still under consideration
of Government.
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For the first time, PSU banks will have a non-Executive Chairman, giving operational
responsibility to Managing Director and Chief Executive Officers.
Revised Selection Procedures for the Chiefs of the PSBs

In PSBs, so far the top executive was designated as CMD, with the exception of
the largest lender State Bank of India. However, the post of Chairman and MD in
the private sector banks was separated in 2007 as per the recommendations of AS
Ganguly committee constituted by RBI.
The bifurcation of the CMDs post was also suggested by Reserve Bank to the Union
Finance Ministry for PSBs. However, the recommendation had been pending with the
government for years.
Meanwhile, the arrest of Syndicate Bank CMD S K Jain in August 2014 for allegedly
receiving a bribe of 50 lakh rupees brought the issue to the fore again.
Henceforward, the Union Government has separated the post of Chairman and
Managing Director of a Public Sector Bank (PSB). Now, in the new appointments
of PSBs other than SBI, the Chairman will be a part time Board Member who would
preside over the Board Meetings and will not be an Executive Chairman.
The procedure for selection of part time Chairman will be announced by the government
later. For three Large Banks, i.e. Bank of Baroda, Punjab National Bank and Canara
Bank, the Government has decided to go for a fresh selection procedure with a view
to widen the search of candidates.

Foreign Exchange Reserves of India reached 320 billion US dollars on the back of a
massive jump in foreign currency assets. This was revealed by Reserve Bank of India
(RBI) data on Foreign Exchange released on 26 December 2014.
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As per the data on foreign exchange
During the week 8 December to 19 December 2014 the flow of foreign exchange
hit 3.163 billion US dollars enabling total foreign exchange reserves to reach
319.997 billion US dollars.
The foreign currency assets (FCAs), which are a major constituent of overall
reserves, jumped by 3.310 billion US dollars to reach 295.670 billion US dollars
during the week ended 19 December 2014. FCA is expressed in dollar terms that
include the effect of appreciation and depreciation of non-US currencies such as
the euro, pound and yen, held in reserves.
The gold reserves remained unchanged at 18.985 billion US dollars.
Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) decreased by 29.2 million US dollars to touch
4.199 billion US dollars. With this, Indias SDR with the International Monetary
Fund (IMF) dipped by 117.6 million US dollars to reach 1.142 billion US dollars.
During the week ending on 25 July 2014 the reserves had touched 320.56 billion
US dollars, which is little less than the life-time high of 320.79 billion US dollars on
2 September 2011.
GAIL, CIL, RCF and FCI signed JV to set up Coal gasificationcum-fertiliser complex in Odisha
Four Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) on 23 December 2014 signed joint venture
agreements to set up an integrated coal gasification-cum-fertiliser and ammonium
nitrate complex in Talcher, Odisha.
GAIL (India) Ltd, Coal India Ltd (CIL), Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers (RCF) and
Fertilizer Corporation of India (FCI) singed joint venture agreements.
The integrated coal gasification-cum-fertiliser and ammonium nitrate complex will be
set up with an estimated combined investment of 9000 crore rupees.
The execution of construction activities of the projects will start in 2015-16 and
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expected to complete by 2019.
Highlights of the Joint venture agreements

First Joint Venture (JV) GAIL Coal Gas (India) led by GAIL will set up the Upstream
Coal Gasification and Gas Purification section for production of Ammonia Syn
Gas for downstream fertilizer unit. The JV will invest around 3000 crore rupees.
Second JV Talcher Chemicals & Fertilizers led by Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers
(RCF) will set up Ammonia-Urea, Nitric Acid-Ammonium Nitrate plants. The JV will
be initiated with an estimated investment of 6000 crore rupees and majority stake
will be held by RCF & CIL.
The overall project comprises of 3850 MTPD Urea plant, 2700 MTPD Ammonia
plant, 850 MTPD Nitric Acid plant and 1000 MTPD Ammonium Nitrate plant.
The entire project will produce 3850 tonne of urea, 2700 tonne of ammonia, 850
tonne of nitric acid and 1000 tonne of ammonium nitrate per day respectively.
Union Cabinet approved promulgation of Ordinance hiking FDI

in Insurance to 49 percent
Union Cabinet on 23 December 2014 approved promulgation of an Ordinance to hike
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) cap in the insurance sector to 49 percent from 26
percent. Now President will sign the ordinance as per Article 123 of the Constitution.
The ordinance route was taken after Insurance Laws Amendment Bill, 2008 could not
be passed in the winter session of Parliament in December 2014.
The 49 percent of cap in insurance sector will include both FDI and foreign portfolio
investments.
The hike in FDI of insurance sector has potential to attract up to 7-8 billion US dollars
(about 50000 crore rupees) from overseas foreign investors.
At present, total capital deployed in the private life insurance sector is close to 35000
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crore rupees and the foreign equity is close to 8700 crore rupees when FDI cap is at
26 percent.
There are 52 insurance companies operating in India, among them 24 are in the life
insurance business and 28 in general insurance business.
The Insurance Laws Amendment Bill, 2008 has been pending in the Rajya Sabha since
2008. The bill seeks to increase the composite foreign investment limit in insurance
companies to 49 percent from 26 percent.
Besides, Union cabinet also apporved the re-promulgation of Ordinance on coal
blocks auction titled Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Bill, 2014 after it also could not
be passed in the winter session of the Parliament in December 2014 due to impasse
in Rajya Sabha.
RBI extended deadline for withdrawal of pre-2005 currency

notes to 30 June 2015
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 23 December 2014 extended the deadline for
exchanging pre-2005 of various denominations by another six months till 30 June
2015.
RBI in a statement said that all such notes will continue to remain legal tender and
can be exchanged for their full value. It has urged public to deposit the old design
notes in their bank accounts or exchange them at a bank branch convenient to them.
Earlier, in March 2014, RBI had set the last date for public to exchange these notes
was 1 January 2015.
How to identify the pre-2005 currency notes?

As per RBI, the currency notes which were issued before 2005 do not have the year
of printing on the reverse side, whereas, notes issued post 2005 have the year of
printing at the bottom of the reverse side.
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Why this exchange is essential?
According to RBI, the post-2005 notes have added security features and will help in
curbing the menace of fake currency.
WTCIS signed agreement with NIESBUD to promote small businesses

The World Trade Center India Services Council (WTCIS) and National Institute for
Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBUD) on 22 December
2014 signed an agreement to promote and develop small businesses in the country.
The agreement will allow WTCIS to expand its services to the MSME sector in India,
which will play a vital role in socio-economic development.
Under the agreement, WTCIS would assist NIESBUD to promote and develop an
entrepreneurial environment through training, research and consultancy, and it will
also assist organisations in developing and promoting entrepreneurship and selfemployment.
NIESBUD is an organisation under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium
Enterprises, and is engaged in training, consultancy as well as research, to promote
entrepreneurship.
NIESBUD Director General - Arun Kumar Jha
WTCIS Director - Khair Ull Nissa
Suresh Prabhu Advisory Group on Integrated Development of

Power submitted report to Union Government
The Advisory Group for Integrated Development of Power, Coal and Renewable
Energy headed by Suresh Prabhu submitted its report to the Union Ministry of Power
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and Coal on 22 December 2014.
The Group has suggested measures for enhancement of coal production in the short,
medium and long term.

There is a need for improvements in Coal India Limited (CIL) and its subsidiaries
including Central Mine Planning and Design Institute Limited (CMPDI)
It has recommended opening up of the coal sector and upgradation of Coal India
Limited (CIL) and its subsidiaries. This will increase domestic production of the dry
fuel.
It also mentioned the issues of coal block auction Process, coal linkage
rationalisation and swapping of coal linkages and stressed on the need for urgent
action on coal linkages to power plants already commissioned and likely to be
commissioned by March 2015.
It also suggested that various options should be explored to develop Railway
infrastructure from coal mines to main Railway system, including through a JV
company on infrastructure by CIL.
The report also called for expediting reforms in the distribution sector of coal with
targeted actions, including public-private partnership in distribution of coal.
It called for separation of Carriage and Content in the Distribution license
It also called for restricting the authority of the State Governments to issue directive
to prevent Open Access
To set up a mechanism for review of performance of Regulatory Commissions
through Forum of Regulators
It also suggested a need for enhanced role of and improvements in working of
CEA (Central Electricity Authority), amendments to Electricity Act, tariff policy and
standard bidding documents.
It also recommended the measures in respect of Renewable Energy like Green
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Transmission Corridors, Incentivizing Renewable Capacity Addition, Coal-based
Generating Companies to be obligated to also set up Renewable Power generation,
Priority in purchase of Renewable Power by Distribution Utilities, Improving the
functioning of Solar Corporation and IREDA.
About Suresh Prabhu Advisory Group

The Advisory Group was set up by the Union Government to on 25 June 2014.
The Group was chaired by Suresh Prabhu, Union Railway Minister. Other members
include RV Shahi, Former Power Secretary; Pratyush Sinha, Former Chief Vigilance
Commissioner; Anil Baijal, Former Home Secretary; Anil Khandelwal, Former
Chairman of Bank of Baroda; KK Nohria Former CEO of Crompton Greaves; Partho
Bhattacharya ,Former CMD of Coal India and Vallabh Bhansali, Former CEO of
ENAM.
IWAI signed MoU with Odisha government to develop stretches

of National Waterway 5
The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) on 22 December 2014 signed the
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Odisha government and 2 ports to
develop commercially viable stretches of National Waterway 5.
These two ports are Paradip Port and Dhamra Port Company Limited that serve the
Eastern and Central parts of the country.
In the National Waterway-5, East Coast Canal has been integrated with Brahmini
river and Mahanadi delta rivers (588 km).
National Waterways (NW)

The Inland Waterways Authority of India Act, 1985 established the Inland Waterways
Authority of India (IWAI) for the regulation and development of Inland Waterways as
National Waterways (NWs). The development of National Waterways (NW) comes
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under the purview of central government.
So far, the following waterways have been declared as NWs: Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly river system (Allahabad-Haldia-1620 km) in National
Waterway
River Brahmaputra (Dhubri-Sadiya-891 km) in National Waterway-2.
West Coast Canal (Kottapuram-Kollam) along with Udyogmandal and Champakara
Canals-(205 km) in National Waterway-3.
Kakinada-Puducherry canals along with Godavari and Krishna rivers (1078 km) in
National Waterway-4.
East Coast Canal integrated with Brahmani river and Mahanadi delta rivers (588
km) in National Waterway-5.
Background
The National Waterways-1, 2 & 3 have already been made operational. For development
of NW-4 & 5, Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) were completed in 2010.
Initially, the government tried to explore possibility of developing stretches of the
fairway on National Waterway-4 and 5 under Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode.
However, it was not found to be feasible. It has been decided that fairways in the
National Waterways will be developed through budgetary support and multilateral
assistance.
BHEL bagged 16.96 million euro contract in Turkey for a thermal power project
Bharat Heavy Electricals (BHEL) on 22 December 2014 bagged a 16.96 million Euro
(approximately 130.8 crore rupees) contract for a thermal power project in Turkey.
This is BHELs maiden entry in the Turkish Power Market.
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The contract was placed by Electricity Generation Company (EUAS) which is the
largest electric power company in Turkey and it aims at reducing the emission levels
drastically.
Details of the Contract

BHEL needs to rehabilitate 3 units of Electrostatic Precipitators (ESPs) for the 430
MW Tuncbilek Thermal Power Project in Turkey on EPC (Engineering, Procurement &
Construction) basis.
It envisages dismantling, supply, civil works and erection & commissioning of the
Electrostatic Precipitators
The Electrostatic Precipitators will be manufactured and supplied by BHELs Ranipet
unit, Motors and other auxiliaries by its Bhopal facility and Controls by the BHELs
Bangalore unit.
About EUAS
EUAS owned by the Turkish government generates and supplies electricity throughout
the country. It was founded to generate electricity in compliance with the energy and
economic policies of the state and in accordance with the principles of efficiency and
profitability.
Union Finance Ministry approved 8.75 percent interest rate on

PF deposits for 2014-15
The Union Finance Ministry on 19 December 2014 approved 8.75 percent interest
rate on Provident Fund (PF) deposits for the year 2014-15.
This rate of interest on PF deposits will now be notified by the Union Labour Ministry
as well as by the Income Tax Department. The decision will be implemented from the
date of notification.
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Background
The rate of interest on PF deposits for 2013-14 was 8.75 percent itself. On 26 August
2014, Employees Provident Fund Organisations Central Board of Trustees (CBT)
had decided to retain the interest rate on PF deposits at 8.75 percent only for the
2014-15.
As per the practice, decision of the trustees of EPFO on interest rate is implemented
after the concurrence of the Finance Ministry.
IRDA imposed penalty on Canara HSBC OBC Life Insurance &

Anand Rathi Insurance Brokers
The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) on 18 December 2014
imposed monetary penalty on Canara HSBC Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC) Life
Insurance Company Ltd and Anand Rathi Insurance Brokers for violating regulatory
norms.
Penalty on Canara HSBC OBC Life Insurance Co

The monetary penalty imposed on Canara HSBC Oriental Bank of Commerce Life
Insurance Company Ltd was 31 lakhs rupee which has to be remitted within 15 days
from the date of receipt of the order. The company was penalised on charges of delay
in payment of claims, non-adherence to product specification and violating licensing
of corporate agents norms.
The Life Insurer practice was considered violation of Clause C-7 of the Group
Insurance guidelines and the penalty was imposed by IRDA under powers vested
under section 102 of the IRDA Act, 1999.
IRDA also advised the company to strengthen its internal controls to ensure strict
compliance with investment regulations.
Penalty on Anand Rathi Insurance Brokers
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Anand Rathi Insurance Brokers was imposed a penalty of 5 lakh rupees which is
payable through Demand Draft drawn within 15 days from the receipt of letter.
The company was directed to stop transfer of funds between broker and their parent
company Anand Rathi Financial Services. IRDA also warned the company to ensure
strict compliance of the regulations.
IRDA took action against the company under Regulation 34(2) of IRDA (Insurance
Brokers) Regulations 2002.
Union government notified Approach Paper for e-auctioning of

92 cancelled coal mines in first phase
Union Ministry of Coal on 17 December 2014 notified the draft rules for e-auction of
92 cancelled coal mines in first phase. For this, government fixed a floor price of 150
rupees per tonne for sectors like captive power, steel, sponge iron and cement.
The draft notification was issued in accordance with the Coal Mines (Special Provision)
Ordinance 2014 wherein the Nominated Authority was required to prepare a tender
document. Accordingly, Union government prepared an approach paper for public
consultation and has sought comments from stakeholders by 22 December 2014.
As per the draft notification

The e-auction may be conducted on forward/reverse basis, depending on the
end-use industry.
The forward bidding will be used for production of iron and steel, generation of
power for captive use and cement while reverse bidding will be used for generation
of power.
Applications will be sought from intending companies in these sectors for prequalifications and only the top 50 per cent of the pre-qualified bidders will be
allowed to submit their bids.
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The indicative price offer shall be bid price per tonne of the coal produced. Such
bid price shall be above the floor price in case of forward bidding or below the
ceiling price in case of reverse bidding.
The Intrinsic Value of the coal block will be calculated by computing its Net Present
Value, based on the Discounted Cash Flow method. 10 per cent of the Intrinsic
Value will be payable upfront.
On fixing the ceiling price for coal mines to be auctioned for power projects
having costplus power purchase agreements, a ceiling price of the prevailing
CIL notified price for each coal mine will be fixed and the bidder will be mandated
to quote lower than this ceiling price.
A fixed reserve price of 100 rupees per tonne of coal shall be payable, as per
actual production by the mine allottee.
For power plants having uncontracted capacity, the bidder shall be restricted to
cap its merchant capacity at 20 percent of the installed power capacity linked to
the alloted coal mine. The reserve price in such cases shall not be less than 150
rupees per tonne.
The draft notification will pave the way for auction and allotment of 214 coal blocks
cancelled by the Supreme Court in September 2014.
RBI imposed monetary penalty on ICICI and Bank of Baroda for

violating KYC/AML Instructions
The Reserve Bank of India on 17 December 2014 imposed monetary penalty on ICICI
bank and Bank of Baroda for violation of its instructions regarding norms on Know
Your Customer (KYC) and Anti Money Laundering (AML).
Penalty details of the two banks

Bank Penalty
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ICICI Bank
5 million rupees
Bank of Baroda
2.50 million rupees
RBI imposed the penalties on these organizations in exercise of powers vested

under the provisions of Section 47(A)(1)(c) read with Section 46(4)(i) of the Banking
Regulation Act, 1949.
Apart from this, RBI also cautioned State Bank of India, Axis Bank and State Bank of
Patiala for violating KYC or AML instructions.
RBI took the action on the basis of a complaint from a statutory organization in
August 2013 through which details of a fraud committed in these five banks, namely,
State Bank of India, ICICI Bank Ltd., Bank of Baroda, Axis Bank Ltd. and State Bank
of Patiala, with the participation of certain officials of the statutory organization were
brought to the Reserve Banks notice.
The complaint mentioned that fraudsters managed to open fictitious accounts in the
name of the statutory organisation in the above five banks and operated the accounts
mainly for encashing cheques/demand drafts/postal orders of which they were not
the rightful owners, for periods ranging from one month to two years, without being
detected by the banks.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 15 December 2014 increased RTGS (real time
gross settlement) business hours from 7.30 hours to 12 hours. With this, now the
business hours for RTGS will be 8 am to 8 pm on weekdays as against the earlier 9
am to 4.30 pm.
Further on Saturdays, the RTGS business hours has been increased from earlier
5 hours to 7.30 hours, that is, now a consumer will be able to transfer fund online
between 8 am to 3.30 pm as against the earlier timings of 9 am to 2 pm.
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The decision will promote electronic payments and it will be effective from 29
December 2014.
Back ground
In 2013, RBI launched RTGS system, to keep enhancing the systems and procedures
to meet the growing needs of markets or customers, and to cater to the expanding
volume and to provide liquidity.
The current minimum amount that can be transferred through RTGS channel is 2 lakh
rupees. The amount below 2 lakh rupees can also be transferred online via NEFT
(National Electronic Fund Transfer).
The RBI revised the RTGS business hours to meet the market expectation. There
has been demand for extending business hours of the RTGS system to facilitate
customer and inter-bank transactions and also to facilitate other market obligations
to settle in the RTGS system.
Union Cabinet approved to set up 500 crore rupees Credit Guarantee Fund for factoring for MSME units
Union Cabinet on 10 December 2014 approved to set up of 500 crore rupees Credit
Guarantee Fund for factoring of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) units
with an aim to promote factoring without recourse.
The factoring will provides liquidity to MSMEs and facilitates collection of receivables.
Main feature of the proposed Credit Guarantee Fund

Department of Financial Services (DoFS) will be the Settlor and shall establish a
Fund for guaranteeing factored debts.
The Fund shall be under National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company (NCGTC).
The NCGTC will have a Management Committee consisting of Secretary, DoFS as
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the ex-officio Chairman.
The convener of the Management Committee will be nominated by the Settlor. The
Management Committee shall be responsible for all policy aspects of the Fund.
The fund provides a credit guarantee cover for a maximum of 50 percent of factored
debt. To start with, only transactions covered under the Factoring Regulation Act,
2011 will be included.
The guarantee fee chargeable from the MLIs shall not exceed 0.75 percent per
quarter of the guaranteed factored debts for the amount of guarantee cover.
Claims shall be filed by MLIs with the proposed Fund, as per guidelines prescribed
by the Management Committee.
The actual interest rate to be charged from the MSMEs will be left to Factors.
About Factoring
Factoring is a financing arrangement for suppliers by making pre-payments against
invoices.
The Factoring Regulation Act, 2012 provides the legal framework for factoring and
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) already has issued guidelines in which insurance is
excluded for factoring. The gross factoring of India is below 20000 crore rupees.
Union Government divested 5 percent stake in SAIL

The Union Government on 5 December 2014 divested its 5 percent stake in Steel
Authority of India Ltd (SAIL). The government divested 20.65 crores shares of
SAIL through offer for sale (OFS) through stock exchanges as per SEBI Rules and
Regulation.
With the sale of 5 percent stake in SAIL at a floor price of 83 rupees per share, Union
government mopped up around 1715 crore rupees.
As a result, the government stake in SAIL came down from present 80 percent to 75
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percent meeting the SEBI norms on listing of public shareholding.
As per the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Rules of SEBI, minimum public
shareholding in listed state-owned firms should be 25 percent and all the listed PSU
norms has to comply with the norm by 21 August 2017.
Apart from this, as much as 10 percent of the offered shares were reserved for retail
investors, who can buy shares worth up to 2 lakh rupees in the disinvestment. A
minimum of 25 percent of the issue size was reserved for mutual funds and insurance
companies.
Background
The SAIL disinvestment is first PSU share sale of the fiscal year 2014-15 under NDA
government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
During the fiscal year 2013-14, government raised 1500 crore rupees from sale
of SAIL shares while the entire disinvestment proceeds stood at over 16000 crore
rupees.
The NDA government, after coming to power in May 2014, in September 2014
decided to raise 43425 crore rupees in the financial year 2014-15 through selling
shares in Coal India Ltd (CIL), Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and National
Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC).
The NDA governments disinvestment plans include 5 percent stake sale in ONGC,
10 percent in CIL and 11.36 percent in NHPC.
Besides, the 5 percent stake sale formed the second tranche of the 10.82 percent
stake sale in SAIL envisaged by the previous UPA government in July 2012. The first
tranche of disinvestment of 5.82 percent in SAIL was completed in March 2013 when
the government had mopped up 1500 crore rupees.
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The State Bank of India (SBI) on 9 December 2014 launched two indices namely the
SBI Monthly Composite Index and the SBI Yearly Composite Index. These indices
will primarily track manufacturing and services activity to determine contraction and
expansion of the Indian economy.
This is the first time that an Indian bank launched a forward-looking economic index.
Earlier to determine the economic trends, markets depended upon HSBC India
Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) and HSBC India Services Business Activity.
The SBI Composite Indices have been developed on the basis of the SBIs internal
loan portfolio, which mirrors the credit demand in the country.
Characteristics Feature of the SBI Composite Indices

The indices will be released every month post-RBIs credit growth numbers
It will be published on a monthly basis and track two months in advance the
possible trends in official estimates
Indices will determine the trends of economic activity on a scale of 0 to 100. Index
above 50 implies growth over previous respective period and less than 50 will
suggest a contraction over respective period.
It will help policymakers and market participants to identify turning points in the
manufacturing cycles in advance and adjust their investment plans or strategy
The index will also take into account other indicators of economic activities such
as consumer spending, mining, interest rates, inflation and exchange rates on a
monthly basis.
The data collection will not be outsourced as is the case with the HSBC data.
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Sample prediction for SBI Composite Index
As per the sample prediction of manufacturing activities during October 2006 to
March 2013, the SBI Composite Indices was at 71 percent as against PMI at 49
percent.
During April 2013 to September 2014, the SBI Composite Index for manufacturing
activities was at 72 percent as against PMI at 50 percent.
SBI Composite Index projects a stronger manufacturing recovery in December 2014.

The Reserve Bank of India on 8 December 2014 notified revised Foreign Direct
Investment (FDI) policy in Railways Infrastructure and Defence sectors.
As per the revised norms notified by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion
(DIPP) in August 2014, foreign investment ceiling in defence sector was increased to
49 percent and in rail infrastructure it was permitted 100 percent.
Revised guidelines in Railway

Government permitted 100 percent FDI in railway infrastructure sector under the
automatic route subject to conditions.
100 percent cap is allowed in railways sectors such as construction, operation &
maintenance of suburban corridor projects through PPP, high speed train projects
and dedicated freight lines and Mass Rapid Transport Systems.
FDI also allowed in rolling stock including train sets, and locomotives or coaches
manufacturing and maintenance facilities, railway electrification, signaling systems,
freight terminals and passenger terminals, among others.
FDI beyond 49 of the equity of the investee company in sensitive areas from
security point of view will be under the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) for
consideration on a case to case basis.
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Revised guidelines in Defence

The foreign investment in defence sector (FDI, FIIs, RFPIs, NRIs, FVCIs and QFIs)
up to 49 percent has been permitted under government route (FIPB). The earlier
cap was 26 percent.
Foreign Portfolio investment and FVCI investment will be under automatic route.
The both will not exceed 24 of the total equity of the investee company.
RBI notified norms to set up TReDS trading platform for MSME

receivables
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 4 December 2014 notified norms to set up Trade
Receivables Discounting System (TReDS) trading platform for micro, small and
medium enterprises (MSME) receivables.
TReDs is a scheme for setting up and operating the institutional mechanism to
facilitate the financing of bills of MSMEs from corporate and other buyers, including
government departments and public sector undertakings (PSUs).
Norms notified by RBI

MSME sellers, corporate and other buyers, including the government departments
and PSUs, and financiers (both banks and NBFCs) will be direct participants in the
TReDS.
The TReDS will provide the platform to bring these participants together for
facilitating uploading, accepting, discounting, trading and settlement of the
invoices or bills of MSMEs.
The TReDS should have a minimum paid up equity capital of 25 crore rupees and
it will not allow any credit.
Among all the entities only promoters will be permitted to have shareholding in
excess of 10 percent of the equity capital of the TReDS.
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The foreign shareholding in the TReDS would be as per the extant foreign
investment policy.
TReDS should have sound technological basis to support its operations, be able
to provide electronic platform for all the participants and information about bills,
discounting and quotes should be in real time supported by a robust information
system.
The TReDS shall have a suitable Business Continuity Plan (BCP) including a disaster
recovery site and shall have an online surveillance capability which monitors
positions, prices and volumes in real time so as to check system manipulation.
Comment
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) plays an important role in the economic
fabric of the country but it continue to face constraints in obtaining adequate finance,
particularly in terms of their ability to convert their trade receivables into liquid funds.
In order to address the above constraints of MSMEs RBI want to provide an institutional
mechanism called TReDS for financing trade receivables and to raise the adequate
funds from multiple financers.
RBI relaxed norms for PPIs and doubled the limit to one lakh
rupees
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 3 December 2014 relaxed the norms for Pre-paid
Payment Instruments (PPI) and doubled the limit of PPI from 50000 rupees to one
lakh rupees.
The move would help in achieving the objective of limiting cash transactions in the
system.
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Highlights of RBI norms on PPI
The maximum validity of gift cards has been enhanced from one year to three
years. Other provisions of PPI guidelines with respect to gift cards will continue.
RBI also allowed issue of multiple PPIs by banks from fully-KYC compliant bank
accounts for dependent or family members.
Only one card can be issued to one beneficiary.
The bank may put in place mechanisms to monitor and report suspicious
transactions on these PPIs to Financial Intelligence Unit India (FIU-IND).
The central bank also permitted banks to issue rupee denominated PPIs for visiting
foreign nationals and NRIs.
However, this would be subject to certain conditions like the cards can be issued
by overseas branches of banks in India directly or it can be issued by co-branding
with the exchange houses/money transmitters up to a maximum amount of 2 lakh
rupees by loading from a KYC compliant bank account.
Such PPIs should be activated by the bank only after the traveller arrives in India
and cash withdrawal will be restricted to 50000 rupees per month.
The cards should be issued strictly for use in India and transactions should be
settled in Indian rupee.
Prepaid payment instruments

Prepaid payment instruments (PPIs) are those which facilitate purchase of goods
and services against the value stored on such instruments. The value stored on such
instruments represents the value paid for by the holder, by cash, by debit to a bank
account, or by credit card.
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DIPP issued Press Note 10 to relax FDI norms for the construction development sector
Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) on 3 December 2014 issued
Press Note 10 of 2014 series to relax the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) norms for
the construction development sector. DIPP is under the Union Ministry of Commerce
and Industry.
The eased norms include easy exit norms and reduced built-up area and capital
needs.
Revised norms under Press Note 10

100 percent of FDI is allowed in construction development sector through the
automatic route. However, 100 percent FDI is permitted only in completed projects
for operation and management of townships, malls/ shopping complexes and
business centres.
FDI is not permitted in an entity which is engaged or proposes to engage in
real estate business, construction of farm houses and trading in transferable
development rights (TDRs).
Foreign investor will be permitted to exit on completion of the project or after
development of trunk infrastructure, that is, roads, water supply, street lighting,
drainage and sewerage.
The new norms has made exit easy and has done away with the three-year lockin period for repatriation of investment. Earlier, investor investors were permitted
to exit on completion of the project or after three years from the date of final
investment in trunk infrastructure.
There is no minimum land area required in case of developed service plots.
In case of construction-development projects, the minimum floor area requirement
has been reduced to 20000 square metres from 50000 square metres earlier.
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It permits an investee company to bring minium FDI of 5 million US dollars within
six months of commencement of the project. Earlier it was 10 million US dollars.
The investee company can bring the subsequent tranches of FDI till the period of
10 years from the commencement of the project or before the completion of the
project, whichever expires earlier.
The government may permit repatriation of FDI or transfer of stake by one nonresident investor to another non-resident investor, before the completion of project.
These proposals will be considered by FIPB on case to case basis.
The Indian investee company will be permitted to sell only developed plots. For the
purposes of this policy developed plots will mean plots where trunk infrastructure
has been made available.
The government has exempted the conditions of minimum floor area and capital
requirement if an investee or joint venture companies commit at least 30 percent
of the total project cost for low-cost housing.
Comment
The new norms will attract foreign funds in construction of townships, hospitals
and hotels and new measures will result in enhanced inflows into the construction
development sector. It is also likely to result in creation of much needed low cost
affordable housing and development of smart cities in India.
Now smaller projects can attract FDI with reduction in minimum built-up area
requirement. Though 100 percent FDI was allowed in townships, housing and builtup infrastructure and construction developments since 2005, but the government
had imposed certain conditions.
RBI announced fifth Bi-Monthly Monetary Policy Statement

2014-15
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 2 December 2014 announced fifth Bi-Monthly
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Monetary Policy Statement. RBI in its fifth bi-monthly monetary policy statement
kept the policy rates unchanged.
Based on the assessment of the current and evolving macroeconomic situation, the policy rates as on 2 December 2014 are:
Repo rate: 8 percent
Reverse repo rate: 7 percent
Marginal standing facility (MSF) rate: 9 percent
Bank Rate: 9.0 percent
Cash Reserve Ratio: 4 percent
Besides,
Liquidity under overnight repos will continue to be provided at 0.25 percent of
bank-wise NDTL at the LAF repo rate
Liquidity under 7-day and 14-day term repos will continue to be provided at 0.75
percent of NDTL of the banking system through auctions
Daily one-day term repos and reverse repos to smooth liquidity will be continued
Assessment of the macroeconomic situation in India

Domestic activity weakened in Q2 of 2014-15, and activity is likely to be muted in
Q3 also because of a moderate kharif harvest.
The deficiency in the north-east monsoon rainfall has constrained the pace of rabi
sowing, except in the southern States.
Despite the uptick in September 2014, the growth of industrial production slumped
to 1.1 per cent in Q2 with negative momentum in September 2014, unable to
sustain the improvement recorded in the preceding quarter.
In the services sector, the October 2014 purchasing managers survey indicates
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deceleration in new business. In contrast, tourist arrivals and domestic and
international cargo movements have shown improvement.
Assessment of the macroeconomic situation of Global Economy

Since September 2014, the global economy has slowed, though the recent sharp
fall in crude prices will have a net positive impact on global growth.
The recovery in the United States is broadening on the back of stronger domestic
consumption, rising investment and industrial activity.
In the Euro area, headwinds from recessionary forces continue to weaken industrial
production and investment sentiment.
In Japan, growth may be picking up again on the back of stronger exports, helped
in part by further quantitative and qualitative easing that has led to a depreciation
of the yen.
In China, disappointing activity and still-low inflation have prompted rate cuts by
the Peoples Bank of China.
In other major emerging market economies (EMEs), downside risks to growth from
elevated inflation, low commodity prices, deteriorating labour market conditions
and stalling domestic demand have become accentuated.
Comment
This is the fifth consecutive time that the RBI has kept key interest rates unchanged
despite clamours from the industry to cut rates to boost economy. RBI Governor
Raghu Ramrajan cited WPI inflation as the rationale for the status quo policy.
SEBI allowed 123 entities to set up Alternative Investment

Funds in India
Market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on 1 December 2014
allowed as many as 123 entities to set up Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs).
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The 123 Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs) have been registered with the Securities
and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) since July 2012.
Of these, around 34 entities got the approval of SEBI to operate so far in 2014, 67 in
2013 and the remaining 22 in 2011.
The AIFs that have registered with SEBI in November 2014 are Religare Dynamic
Trust, Indus Way Emerging Market Fund and Carpediem Capital Partners Fund and
those registered in October 2014 are Singular India Opportunities Trust.
What is Alternative Investment Funds?

AIFs are basically funds established or incorporated in India for the purpose of pooling
in capital from Indian and foreign investors for investing as per a pre-decided policy.
Under SEBI guidelines, AIFs can operate broadly in three categories. The SEBI rules
apply to all AIFs, including those operating as private equity funds, real estate funds
and hedge funds, among others.
The Category I: AIFs are those funds that get incentives from the government, SEBI
or other regulators and include Social Venture Funds, Infrastructure Funds, Venture
Capital Funds and SME Funds.
The Category III: AIFs are those trading with a view to making short term returns and
it includes hedge funds, among others.
The Category II: AIFs can invest anywhere in any combination but are prohibited from
raising debt, except for meeting their day to day operational requirements.
These AIFs include private equity funds, debt funds or fund of funds, as also all
others falling outside the ambit of above two other categories.
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ENVIRONMENT | ECOLOGY
Worlds smallest goanna lizard species was discovered on 30 December 2014 from the
Kimberley region of Australia. The new species has been named Dampier Peninsula
Goanna while its scientific name is Varanus sparnus.
The species was discovered by consultants Roy Teale and Greg Harold from Biota
Environmental Sciences while undertaking a survey in the region.
It weighs barely 16 grams and has a maximum known size of only 23 cm.
The goanna lizard is the 78th species of the Varanus group of lizards which at present
has 77 species.
Varanus group of charismatic lizards also contains large-bodied species such as the
Australian desert-dwelling Perentie (Varanus giganteus) at over 2 metres long, and
the famous Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis) from Indonesia at over 3 metres
long and over 80 kg (the largest lizard in the world).
Pompadour Green Pigeon endemic to Western Ghats spotted in

Barkheda in Rajasthan
Pompadour Green Pigeon (Treron pompadora), a native of the Western Ghats and
Sri Lanka was spotted in December 2014 over a Bar tree (Ficus bengalensis) of
Barkheda village in Rajasthan.
The Pompadour Green Pigeon was photographed by Durga Lal Verma, a computer
hardware mechanic-turned bird-lover. Verma shared the photographs of the bird with
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environmentalists to establish its real name.
Barkheda village is a place that witness arrival of some 50-odd species of birds
during winter season. Some surprise arrival of the year 2014 includes Great White
Pelicans, Greater Flamingos and Demoiselle Cranes.
About Pompadour Green Pigeon

The pompadour green pigeon is a pigeon complex in the genus Treron. These pigeons
have red legs, red-splashed wings marked by yellowish bars, orange breast and
head. Pompadour green pigeon has been split into six multiple species, namely
Sri Lanka green pigeon (Treron pompadora) from Sri Lanka
Grey-fronted green pigeon (Treron affinis) from the Western Ghats in India
Andaman green pigeon (Treron chloropterus) from the Andamans and Nicobars
Ashy-headed green pigeon (Treron phayrei) from northeast India and Nepal, east
to Yunnan in China, and south through Indochina (north of the Isthmus of Kra)
Philippine green pigeon (Treron axillaris) from the Philippines and includes the
subspecies amadoni, canescens and everetti
Buru green pigeon (Treron aromaticus) from small islands in the Flores Sea and
Buru, Indonesia
98 new species of beetle genus Trigonopterus discovered in Indonesia

The researchers discovered 98 new species of beetle genus Trigonopterus in Java,
Bali and other Indonesian islands.
The researchers from the Natural History Museum Karlsruhe, the Zoological State
Collection Munich and the Indonesian Research Centre of Biology discovered and
published the findings in the Journal ZooKeys in the third week of December 2014.
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Among the 98 new beetle species found in Indonesia, one species is named after
famed English naturalist Sir David Attenborough. It was named after the naturalist
and broadcaster to recognise his documentary work over the last 50 years.
The species Trigonopterus attenboroughi is reddish-brown in colour and measures
up to 2.63mm in length. These species were found in Bali forest areas which are
regularly visited by package tours.
Many of these beetle species are restricted to small areas and sometimes they are
found only in a single locality. These beetles are wingless and usually stay for millions
of years where they are.
Already a grasshopper, a tree, a type of shrimp and a spider are among species
already named after Attenborough.
Pico do Fogo Volcano erupted in Cape Verde archipelago off

West Africa coast
The Pico do Fogo volcano in the Cape Verde archipelago off the coast of West Africa
erupted on 24 November 2014.
The eruption led to rise of huge plume of smoke in the sky but it is not clear that does
the eruption caused some injuries or death or not.
The Prime Minister of the island country Jos Maria Neves called for residents of Cha
das Caldeiras to evacuate.
About Pico do Fogo volcano in Cape Verde

Pico do Fogo is the highest peak of Cape Verde, rising to 2829 metres (9281 ft)
above sea level. It is an active stratovolcano lying on the island of Fogo.
This volcano last erupted in 1995, when it caused minor damage. The larger eruption
occurred in 1951. The only deadly eruption was in 1847 when earthquakes killed
several people.
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The former Portuguese colony is located about 600 km off the coast of Senegal.
Fogos volcanic peak, surrounded by vineyards, is a hiking destination.
World Bank released report Turn Down the Heat: Confronting

the New Climate Normal
The World Bank on 23 November 2014 released report on the impact of global
warming titled Turn Down the Heat: Confronting the New Climate Normal. The report
focuses on the specific regional impacts of warming.
The report explores the risks worsening climate change poses to lives and livelihoods
across three regions: Latin America and the Caribbean, Eastern Europe and Central
Asia, and the Middle East and North Africa.
In the report the World Bank warned that Climate change could undermine efforts
to defeat extreme poverty around the globe. The World Bank has set an ambitious
target of eliminating extreme poverty around the world by 2030, and it can still be
done if warming is limited to just two degrees.
Main highlights of the report

Sharp temperature rises will cut deeply into crop yields and water supplies in
many areas and possibly set back efforts to bring populations out of poverty
Climate change poses a substantial and escalating risk to development progress
that could undermine global efforts to eliminate extreme poverty and promote
shared prosperity
If early action is not taken then warming could exceed 1.5 to 2 degree Celsius
and its impact could significantly worsen intra and intergovernmental poverty in
multiple regions across the globe
It warned that in case concerted action is not taken than the real danger is that
the average global temperature increase could go to 4.0 degrees Celsius by the
end of the century.
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Turn Down the Heat

Turn Down the Heat: Confronting the New Climate Normal is the third in a series of
reports that was commissioned by the World Bank Group from the Potsdam Institute
for Climate Impact Research and Climate Analytics.
The first report looked at risks globally if the world were to warm by 4C.
The second report focused on three regions Africa, South Asia, and South East
Asia and the risks to food security, water security, and low-lying cities exposed
to dangerous sea level rise and vulnerability to storms.
Comment
The report came on the heels of strong new warnings from the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) about the pace of climate change and the energy
transformations necessary to stay within 2C warming.
World Bank President Jim Yong Kim in Washington said that ending poverty, increasing
global prosperity and reducing global inequality is already difficult and will be much
harder with warming of two degrees Celsius, but at four degrees, there is serious
doubt whether these goals can be achieved at all.
United Nations sent team of international experts to clean up

Sundarbans oil spill
The United Nations (UN) on 18 December 2014 sent a team of international experts
to help Bangladesh in cleaning up the Sundarbans oil spill. The team belonging to
the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) was sent on a
request from Bangladesh government.
The UN team will help Bangladesh government in the ground work and will also
conduct an assessment and advise on recovery and risk reduction measures. The
team comprises of experts from Britain, European Union, France and the United
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States.
Besides, the UN asked Dhaka to impose a complete ban on the movement of
commercial vessels through the Sundarbans.
Sundarbans, the world largest mangrove forest, was hit by huge oil spill after an oiltanker carrying 350000 litres of furnace oil collided with another vessel in Mongla
near River Shela in Bangladesh on 9 December 2014.
The oil spill has now spread 350 sq km inside the delicate protected mangrove forest
area that are home to rare Irrawaddy and Ganges dolphins and endangered Royal
Bengal Tigers.
The accident occurred inside one of three sanctuaries set up for the dolphins in 2011
after studies found they are home to some 6000 dolphins.
Sunderbans are spread over an area of 10000 sq km and is a UNESCO-listed
World Heritage Site. The delta comprises a network of rivers and canals straddling
Bangladesh and India.

A new study has revealed the Complex pattern of Greenland Ice Sheet dynamics and
provided the first comprehensive picture of how Greenlands glaciers have changed
over the past decade.
The findings of the study were published in the journal Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences (PNAS) on 15 December 2014.
The research was conducted at the University at Buffalo by a team of researchers led
by geophysicist Beata Csatho.
Findings of the study

The scientists were able to provide new estimates of annual ice loss at high spatial
resolution as the current models fail to accurately capture how the entire Greenland
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Ice Sheet is changing.
The Greenland Ice Sheet lost about 243 metric gigatons of ice annually from 200309. This loss is estimated to have added about 0.68 millimeters of water to the
oceans annually.
Most of the outlet glaciers have been thinning during the last two decades,
interrupted by episodes of decreasing thinning or even thickening.
However, the intricate spatiotemporal pattern of dynamic thickness change
suggests that regardless of the forcing responsible for initial glacier acceleration
and thinning, the response of individual glaciers is modulated by local conditions.
There are 242 outlet glaciers wider than 1.5 km on the Greenland Ice Sheet and their
behavior is complex in space and time. The local climate, geological conditions
and the local hydrology, all of these factors have an effect.
Study Process
The study was carried out by using the activity of four well-studied glaciers,
Jakobshavn, Helheim, Kangerlussuaq and Petermann to forecast how the entire ice
sheet will dump ice into the oceans.
However, the research shows that activity at these four locations may not be
representative of what is happening with glaciers across the ice sheet.
The study includes presentation of detailed reconstruction of surface elevation
changes of the Greenland Ice Sheet from NASAs laser altimetry data.
The information is crucial for developing and validating numerical models that predict
how the ice sheet may change and contribute to global sea level over the next few
hundred years
Significance of the Study

Time series at nearly 100000 locations allow the characterization of ice sheet
changes at scales ranging from individual outlet glaciers to larger drainage basins
and the entire ice sheet.
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The record shows that continuing dynamic thinning provides a substantial
contribution to Greenland mass loss.
The large spatial and temporal variations of dynamic mass loss and widespread
intermittent thinning indicate the complexity of ice sheet response to climate
forcing.

World Wide Fund for Nature India (WWF-India) on 10 December 2014 launched the
project Mobile Apps for Climate Change: A Citizen Science Programme for Schools
in Metros in Hyderabad. It launched the project in collaboration with the Hyderabadbased L V Prasad Eye Institute.
The project was launched to make students aware about biodiversity and make them
interested in environment.
As part of the project, three mobile apps on urban birds, butterflies and trees were
launched. These apps will go live from 12 December 2014.
The apps were proposed and developed by V Shubhalaxmi-led Ladybird Environmental
Consulting (LEC).
These apps will bring urban biodiversity information on the fingertips of the users in
four metros, namely Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata and Hyderabad.
In addition to mobile apps, the project also includes a School Citizen Science
Programme titled Urban iNaturewatch Challenge. This programme will allow 40 city
schools to take up local biodiversity studies as part of their project work.

Nine new species of bush frogs were discovered in the Western Ghats by scientists
from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore. Bush frogs are a miniature frog
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species distributed throughout South and South East Asia.
Findings of the discovery were published in international journal Zootaxa. IISc team
that discovered these species was led by S P Vijayakumar and Kartik Shanker.
All the nine species of bush frogs belong to the genus Raorchestes frogs, which are
distributed across the Western Ghats. Some of these discovered frogs are tiny as a
thumbnail while other are brightly coloured or plain slimy.
The list of nine frogs and their characteristic

Raorchestes flaviocularis: The species carries metallic-yellow patches on its eyes
and was discovered perched on the leaves of short trees in a disturbed forest
fragment within a tea estate
Raorchestes aureus: It is known for its golden eyes, which is surrounded by
speckles. This species was found in 2010 in grasslands on the edge of a forest.
Raorchestes primarrumpfi: the species live in grasslands and swamps at high
elevations. Its name has been derived from the German word, Primarrumpf.
Raorchestes echinatus: Carries horn-like ridges on its back and its eyes are
speckled gold with a brown band on the lower edge. The species was spotted on
grass blades in 2011.
Raorchestes emerald: the species is about 5 cm long and is the largest Raorchestes
species known. The species has fleshy purplish armpits, and yellow spots scattered
on its body.
Raorchestes leucolatus: the species is found along the edges of wet evergreen
forests on shrubs and grasses. It is a dark-brownish-red with white spots.
Raorchestes archeos: It is a light-brown, medium-sized bush frog and its half
arms are black while the other half is brown. It was first spotted in wet evergreen
forests in 2010.
Raorchestes blandus: It has been named after its melodious mating calls and in
which bland (a Latin word) means pleasant. Spotted first time in 2008, carries an
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irregular regular-brown glandular patches on its skin and
Raorchestes indigo: It has been named after the patches of indigo on the underside
of its legs. It was found on leaves on the forest floor of Kudremukh, a mountain
peak that has an uncanny resemblance to a horses face.
The project was funded by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) and
Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR - India). Forest departments from
Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu also supported the team in their study.
Earlier in June 2014, scientists had also discovered 14 new species of dancing frogs
in the Western Ghats of southern India. The Indian Dancing frogs are scientifically
known as Micrixalidae and their family comprises a single genus Micrixalus.
UNEP released the First Adaptation Gap Report

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on 5 December 2014 released
the first Adaptation Gap Report. The Report was released during a crucial round of
climate talks in Lima, Peru.
The Adaptation Gap Report serves as a preliminary assessment of global adaptation
gaps in finance, technology and knowledge. It lays out a framework for future work
on bridging these gaps.
The report says that even if global greenhouse gas emissions are cut to the level
required to keep global temperature rise below 2C this century, still the cost of
climate change adaptation in developing countries is likely to reach two to three
times the previous estimates of 70-100 billion US dollars per year by 2050.
Highlights of the first Adaptation Gap Report

Despite adaptation funding reaching 23 billion-26 billion US dollars in 2012-2013,
there will be a significant funding gap after 2020 unless new and additional finance
for adaptation is made available.
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Without further action on cutting greenhouse gas emissions, the cost of adaptation
will rise even further as more-expensive action is needed to protect communities
from the intensifying impacts of climate change.
The report provides a reminder that the potential cost of inaction carries a price tag.
It finds that the earlier figures are likely to be a significant underestimate.
Extending the analysis to all developing countries indicates a chance that adaptation
costs could climb as high as 150 billion US dollars by 2025/2030 and 250 billion-500
billion US dollars per year by 2050. These costs are based on the assumption that
wide-ranging action is taken to cut emissions.
The Report also highlights that Least Developed Countries and Small Island
Developing States are likely to have far greater adaptation needs as without early
efforts, the existing adaptation gap will widen.
Financial Gap
There is evidence that financial commitments to adaptation objectives have
increased in recent years, but scaling up financial flows to adaptation remains a
priority.
Private-sector funding is not systematically tracked. For this reason, estimates of
adaptation finance flows are underestimated.
The additional revenue can be raised from the international auctioning of emissions
allowances and the auctioning of allowances in domestic emissions trading
schemes, revenues from international transportation and financial transaction
taxes.
The estimates show that 26 billion-115 billion US dollars can be raised by 2020,
while 70 billion-220 billion US dollars can be raised by 2050, depending on the
level of climate change mitigation efforts put in place.
Technological gap
The report highlights that there is a need to accelerate the propagation and
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international transfer of technologies for adaptation many of which already exist.
This requires governments to remove barriers to technology uptake.
The report looks at scientifically developed seeds which can be used to sustain
agriculture within the context of a changing climate critical for most African
countries.
For instance, in Madagascar, rice varieties that mature in four months have been
introduced. These rice varieties stand a greater chance of reaching maturity before
the height of the cyclone season.
Knowledge gap
The report also points to considerable opportunities for using existing knowledge
on climate change and adaptation more effectively.
For many regions and countries, there is a lack of systematic identification and
analysis of adaptation knowledge gaps.
Integrating and interpreting scientific evidence from different sources and making
it available to decision makers at all levels is one of the most important knowledge
needs today.
The report recommends that consideration of knowledge gaps be integrated more
explicitly in project to ensure that the knowledge produced responds better to
user needs.
The report also suggests that a repository of adaptation options can play a pivotal
role in informing development decisions.
Median time between CO2 emission and the maximum warming caused by it is 10.1 years: Study
The median time it takes to cause maximum warming following a Carbon Dioxide
(CO2) emission is 10.1 years. This was revealed by study titled Maximum warming
occurs about one decade after a carbon dioxide emission published in journal
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Environmental Research Letters on 2 December 2014.
The study was conducted by Katharine L Ricke and Ken Caldeira of Carnegie
Institution for Science.
Apparatus of the study

For the study, the researchers combined the results from two large modelling
studies - carbon-cycle and physical-climate model inter-comparison projects.
One is about the way carbon emissions interact with the global carbon cycle
and other is about the effect of carbon on the Earths climate used by the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Further, they evaluated the uncertainties in timing and amount of warming and
divided them into three contributing factors: carbon cycle, climate sensitivity and
ocean thermal inertia. If uncertainty in any one factor is reduced to zero without
reducing uncertainty in the other factors, the majority of overall uncertainty remains
there.
Findings of the Study

After carrying out the conjoined study, researchers found that the median time
between an emission and the maximum warming is 10.1 years, with a 90 percent
probability range of 6.630.7 years.
The study further found that the Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions can cause longterm environmental damage. The findings of the study were published in the.
The warming caused by a single emission reaches the maximum number of people
quickly, but the damage caused by this warming can play out over longer periods
leading to sea level rise and also causing harm to ecosystems.
The results indicated that benefit from avoided climate damage from avoided CO2
emissions will be manifested within the lifetimes of people who acted to avoid that
emission.
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Subramanian Committee on Review of Environmental Laws submitted report to the Union Government
High Level Committee on Review of Environmental Laws headed by former Cabinet
Secretary TSR Subramanian submitted its report to Union Ministry for Environment,
Forests and Climate Change on 18 November 2014.
The committee recommended formulating a new umbrella law to streamline the
process of environment clearances for development projects in the country.
Main recommendations of the Committee

It proposed new Environment Loss Management Act (ELMA).
It recommended full-time expert bodies, National Environment Management
Authority (NEMA) and State Environment Management Authority (SEMA), to be
constituted at the Central and state levels respectively.
The NEMA and SEMA recommended to evaluate project clearance (using
technology and expertise), in a time bound manner, providing for single window
clearance.
A fast track procedure for linear projects (roads, railways and transmission lines),
power and mining projects and for the projects of national importance has been
prescribed in the new mechanism.
The committee has suggested amendments to almost all green laws, including
those relating to environment, forest, wildlife and coastal zone clearances.
It also recommended that an environmental reconstruction cost should be assessed
for each project on the basis of the damage caused by it to the environment and
should be dovetailed with the cost of the project.
An Environment Reconstruction Fund is proposed to be established for
accumulation of this cost and other penalties recovered from projects.
The report also proposes a National Environment Research institute on the lines of
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the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education to bring in the application
of high-end technology in environment governance.
The committee has not suggested any major changes in the forest laws but has
recommended revision of the compensatory afforestation policy.
It has suggested that the area for compensatory afforestation in the revenue land
should be doubled from the current one hectare for each hectare of forestland
diverted to non-forest use for development projects.
The committee also recommends identification of no go forest areas primarily
with over 70 per cent canopy cover and protected areas which shall not be
disturbed except in exceptional circumstances and that too only with the prior
approval of the Union Cabinet.
The committee also recommended increasing the net present value (NPV) of the
forest paid by the project proponents for diversion of forests to five times of what
it is today.
The committee has also recommended reducing power of National Green Tribunal
(NGT). It suggests district-level courts to decide on infringement of environmental
laws.
About the Subramanian committee

The Committee was constituted by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and
Climate Change on 29 August 2014 to review the processes, laws and Acts of the
Ministry.
The committee was constituted to review the key environment laws

Environment Protection Act (EPA) of 1986
Forest Conservation Act (FCA) of 1980
Wildlife Protection Act (WPA) of 1972
The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act of 1974
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The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act of 1981
Later, the Indian Forest Act (IFA) of 1927, the colonial law which governs the forest
administration in the country, was also added to the list of laws for the committee
to review.
Singapore to adopt Euro VI emission standards for petrol vehicles from 2017
Singapore on 1 December 2014 announced to adopt the Euro VI emission standards
for petrol vehicles from 2017. While, for diesel vehicles Euro VI will apply from 2018.
The announcement is a part of pledge of the nation to cut carbon emissions by 7
per cent to 11 per cent below 2020 business-as-usual (BAU) levels, and in case of a
binding international agreement, by 16 per cent below BAU.
The new regulation will further reduce nitrogen oxide and fine particulate emissions
from vehicular emissions and help to improve Singapores ambient air quality.
Currently, the standards for petrol and diesel vehicles here are Euro IV and V
respectively.
The EUs vehicular emission standards impose strict rules on tailpipe gas emissions
of new vehicles sold in EU member states. They have also been progressively
implemented in Singapore and other countries.
From September 2017, the nation will accept petrol vehicles using Port Fuel Injection
(PFI) technology that have achieved Japanese emission standards as being equivalent
to meeting Euro VI emission standards.
Human induced industrial waste causing Ocean acidification

Human induced industrial and agricultural processes have significantly caused the
Ocean acidification. This fact was revealed in a study titled Increasing anthropogenic
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nitrogen in the North Pacific Ocean published in latest issue of Science Magazine on
28 November 2014.
The study claimed that, recent increase in anthropogenic emissions of reactive
nitrogen from northeastern Asia and the subsequent enhanced deposition over the
extensive regions of the North Pacific Ocean (NPO) have led to a detectable increase
in the nitrate (n) concentration of the upper ocean.
Main findings of the study

The rate of increase of excess N relative to phosphate (P) was found to be highest
(0.24 micromoles per kilogram per year) in the vicinity of the Asian source
continent, with rates decreasing eastward across the NPO, consistent with the
magnitude and distribution of atmospheric nitrogen deposition.
This anthropogenically driven increase in the N content of the upper NPO may
enhance primary production in this N-limited region, potentially leading to a longterm change of the NPO from being N-limited to P-limited.
The rate of deposition of reactive nitrogen from the atmosphere to the open
ocean has more than doubled globally over the last 100 years. This anthropogenic
addition of nitrogen has reached magnitude comparable to about half of global
ocean nitrogen.
Study process
In the study, the researchers used ocean data in conjunction with the state-of-the-art
Earth System Model to reconstruct the history of the oceanic nitrate concentration
and make predictions about the future state of the North Pacific Ocean.
Their assessment revealed a consistent picture of increasing nitrate concentrations,
the magnitude and pattern of which can only be explained by the observed increase
in atmospheric nitrogen deposition.
The change in nitrate concentration between the 1960s and 2000s across the
open North Pacific Ocean was assessed by David Karl, at the University of Hawaii,
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along with researchers from Korea, Switzerland and the U.S. National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration.
Global Warming to impact Polar Bear population in Canadian

Arctic Archipelago by 2100
Global warming will impact Polar Bear population in Canadian Arctic Archipelago by
2100. This was revealed by a study titled Projected Polar Bear Sea Ice Habitat in the
Canadian Arctic Archipelago published in the latest issue of Journal PLOS ONE. The
lead author of the study was Stephen G. Hamilton from University of Alberta.
The study claimed that, due to heavy loss of Arctic sea ice induced by global warming,
Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) may face starvation and reproductive failure by 2100.
Main Findings of the Study

Polar bears are inextricably linked to Arctic sea ice and are sensitive to sea ice
loss
Polar bears rely on sea ice as a platform for hunting, migrating, and mating, but
are forced to move to land in regions where sea ice does not seasonally persist
Sea ice across the Arctic is declining and altering physical characteristics of marine
ecosystems. Polar bears have been identified as vulnerable to changes in sea ice
conditions.
Energetics modeling and population projections indicate that continued sea ice
loss with climate warming will negatively affect polar bear survival and reproduction
potentially leading to population declines
Study Process
To gain insight into the conversation challenges for polar bears with respect to habitat
loss, the team used sea ice projections for the Canadian Arctic Archipelago from
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2006 2100 by using metrics developed from polar bear energetics modeling.
First bio-fuel powered bus became operational in UK

Bus powered entirely by human and food waste became operational in United
Kingdom. This is the first bio-waste powered bus in UK. Initially its service has started
between Bristol and Bath.
Engineers expect that the bus service will help in cutting emissions in polluted towns
and cities by providing a sustainable way of fuelling public transport.
The 40-seater Bio-Bus runs on gas that is generated through the treatment of sewage
and food waste thats unfit for human consumption, helps to improve urban air quality
as it produces fewer emissions than traditional diesel engines.
This bus that runs on the waste products, which are renewable and sustainable, can
travel up to 300 kilometers on a full tank of gas. This bio-gas is generated at Bristol
sewage treatment works, a plant run by the company GENeco.
Comment: The use of bio-fuel created by treating the sewage and food to create
bio-methane can be beneficial for the world as it will help reduce dependability on
traditional fossil fuels and providing a sustainable fuel.
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CORPORATE
L&T Hydrocarbon won offshore contract from ONGC worth 894
crore rupees
Larsen & Toubro (L&T) Hydrocarbon on 29 December 2014 won offshore contract
from Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) worth 894 crore rupees for additional
development of the Vasai East project.
The project includes the work to improve recovery factor of Vasai East field where
production was started in 2008 and it is scheduled to be completed by April 2016.
L&T Hydrocarbon Engineering (LTHE) bagged the contract on complete turnkey basis
from ONGC. LTHE is a fully owned subsidiary of L&T.
The contract includes total engineering, procurement, construction and installation
of two wellhead platforms, subsea pipelines and modification of existing facilities in
Heera-Panna-Bassein block of Mumbai offshore.
The 2500 crore rupees project will result in incremental oil production of 1.83 million
metric tonne (MMT) and incremental gas production of 1.971 billion cubic metres
(BCM) by 2030.
Trevor Bull appointed as CEO and MD of Aviva India Life Insurance

Trevor Bull was on 26 December 2014 appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
and Managing Director (MD) of Aviva India Life Insurance Ltd.
He succeeded TR Ramachandran who led Aviva India since October 2008. Bull will
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take charge of the post from January 2015.
Trevor Bull
Bull has more than 35 years of experience in the insurance industry across Asia
and Europe.
He was also the head of Philam Life insurance company in the Philippines.
He served as the Managing Director of Tata AIA Life Insurance Company Limited
from February 2006 to June 2009.
Bull was the Chief Executive Officer and President of The Philippine American Life
and General Insurance Company from July 2009 to June 2011.
Bull served as a Director of Zurich Insurance Malaysia Berhad from June 2013 to
February 2014.
Gujarat Pipavav Port Limited tied up with NYK Auto Logistics to

set up Ro-Ro terminal
Gujarat Pipavav Port Limited (APM Terminals Pipavav) on 26 December 2014 tiedup with NYK Auto Logistics (India) Ltd to set up a dedicated Roll-on/Roll-off (Ro-Ro)
automobile terminal at Pipavav port in Gujarat.
Highlights of the agreement

Gujarat Pipavav Port sub-leased 85000 square meters of land for 10 years inside
its premises to NYK Auto to develop a dedicated common user integrated Ro-Ro
terminal.
The facility will also have a pre-delivery inspection (PDI) unit and a vehicle
processing centre (VPC).
The terminal will be commissioned in mid-2015. It will have an annual designed
capacity of 2.50 lakh vehicles.
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Gujarat Pipavav Port will provide all the port and related facilities for ensuring
smooth and seamless flow of automobile cargo.
About APM Terminals Pipavav

Located in Gujarat, APM Terminals Pipavav is the first Public Private Partnership
(PPP) port in India.
APM Terminals Pipavav is part of an integrated Global Terminal Network of 56
ports and 154 inland facilities in 63 countries.
Port Pipavav is managed and operated by APM Terminals, the ports and terminals
company of the maritime giant the A.P. Moller-Maersk Group.
It has two facilities in India currently- Indias largest container terminal, APM
Terminals Mumbai in JNPT at Nhava Sheva, Mumbai and Port Pipavav in Gujarat.
NYK Auto Logistics (India) Ltd

NYK Auto Logistics (India) is a part of automotive ocean transportation and logistics
major NYK Group of Tokyo. NYK group operates 18 Ro-Ro terminals globally,
including seven in China, Thailand and Singapore.
Adani Power signed binding agreement with Avantha group to

buy its Korba West Power Co Ltd unit
Adani Power 24 November 2014 signed a binding agreement with Gautam Thaparled Avantha Group to buy its Korba West Power Co Ltd (KWPCL) unit. Adani will buy
the 600 MW coal based power plant unit of Avantha group in at 4200 crore rupees.
The 600-MWs coal based power plant is at Korba in Chhattisgarh.
With this deal, Adani Power became the largest private sector power utility in India
with an installed capacity of 11040 MW. The company has set a target of 20000 MW
capacities by 2020.
In August 2014, Adani group acquired the 1200-MW coal-fired Udupi plant from the
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debt-laden Lanco Infra for 6000 crore rupees.
About Adani group

Adani Group was established in 1988. The company has three components: resources,
logistics and energy creating an international and integrated infrastructure business.
Adani Power already has operational capacity of 9240 MW, comprising 4620 MW
at Mundra in Gujarat, 3300 MW at Tiroda in Maharashtra and 1320 MW at Kawai in
Rajasthan. It has a 660 MW plant ready for commissioning at Tiroda in Maharashtra
shortly.
Adani Group chairman: Gautam Adani
Xiaomi launched Redmi Note 3G & 4G phablets
Xiaomi on 24 November 2014 launched phablets Redmi Note 3G and 4G in India.

The phones are priced at 8999 rupees for the 3G variant and 9999 rupees for the 4G
LTE variant respectively. The 3G phones will be available on Flipkart while the 4G
phone will be available in Airtel stores in six Indian cities.
Xiaomi also revealed that it is planning to have more than 100 service centres
operational in India by 2015.
Specifications of Redmi Note 3G

It is a dual SIM support (2G and 3G) smart phone with octa-core 1.7 Ghz processor
coupled with 2GB of RAM
It sports 5.5-inch screen of 720x1280-pixel IPS LCD
It comes with 13 megapixel rear camera and 5 megapixel front camera.
It has a heavy duty battery of 3100mAh
This model runs on Android 4.2.2 with Xiaomis MIUI v5 skin on top.
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Specifications of Redmi Note 4G
It runs on quad-core 1.6 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor coupled with
2GB of RAM
It is a single SIM phone
It will come with Android 4.4.2 KitKat with the same MIUI v5 skin.
It sports 5.5-inch screen of 720x1280-pixel IPS LCD
It also sports 13MP rear camera and 5MP front camera.
Xiaomi is a Chinese company which entered India in July 2014, created a stir in the
smartphone market with its low priced but feature-rich smartphones. It sells through
Flipkart, and is estimated to have sold about half a million Redmi devices and 1.2
lakh Mi3 handsets.
Adani Welspun Exploration to invest 1.5 billion US dollar in US

shale and Canadian oil sands assets
Adani Welspun Exploration (AWEL) on 23 November 2014 announced to invest 1.5
billion US dollar in US shale and Canadian oil sands assets. AWEL is the joint venture
between Gautam Adani led Adani Group and towel-to-pipe conglomerate Welspun
led by B K Goenka.
The investment will be made towards stake purchases in select Louisiana and Texas
shale fields in the US and some Alberta oil sands projects in Canada.
Although the joint venture has an overall investment plan of 1.5 billion US dollar for
overseas energy assets, it seeks to buy a minimum investment of 300 million US
dollar.
AWEL is a strategic partnership for oil and gas business between Adani and Welspun
with two Indian corporate honchos holding interests in conventional blocks in India,
Thailand and Egypt.
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The two groups feel that shale and oil sands, which have significant potential, will
play a greater role in the worlds total energy mix and, hence, want to invest in these
areas.
If AWEL investment fructifies in the North American region known for its rich reserves
in unconventional resources it will mark AWELs first investment in shale and oil
sands properties.
Indian firms have so far invested over 10 billion US dollar in US shale gas, of which
Reliance alone has invested over 7 billion US dollar.
Indian companies like Reliance Industries and state-run GAIL, IOC and Oil India have
been scanning oil and gas assets abroad to meet the growing energy demand of
Asias third largest economy, which meets four-fifths of its crude oil and about a
fourth of its gas requirements through imports.
GMR Megawide Cebu Airport Corporation tied up funds for Philippines airport project
GMR Megawide Cebu Airport Corporation (GMCAC) on 22 December 2014 tied up the
finances of nearly 525 million US dollars for developing Macatan Cebu International
Airport in Philippines. GMCAC is a joint venture of GMR Group and Manila-based
Megawide Construction.
The tied up finances of 525 million US dollars is 70 percent of the total cost of 750
million US dollars (or 33 billion Philippines Pesos) that is required to develop the
Cebu International airport.
Philippines-based BDO Capital & Investment Corporation acted as the lead arranger
to the transaction and the loan is being provided by a consortium of six banks.
The financial closure was done under a 25-year concession agreement that GMCAC
signed. Under the concession agreement
The GMR Group will hold 40 percent equity in the Joint Venture firm GMCAC and
60 percent equity will be held by Megawide Construction.
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The total equity contribution of GMR to GMCAC will be around 90 million US
dollar, out of which GMR has already invested 48 million US dollar and the balance
will be paid over four years.
It will be responsible for construction, development, renovation, expansion and
operation of the airport for a period of 25 years as provided in the concession
agreement.
GMCAC will build a brand new terminal within three years to cater to the growing
traffic.
At the same time, the immediate priority will be to upgrade the existing terminal
and enhance operating systems and processes to improve service quality and
efficiency.
Mactan Cebu is the first airport in Philippines to be privatised under the administrations
ambitious public-private partnership programme, aimed at modernising key
infrastructure assets.
Jyotsna Suri elected as the President of the FICCI

Jyotsna Suri, Chairperson of Bharat Hotels, on 20 December 2014 was elected as
the President of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI).
She was elected as the President at the conclusion of the FICCI 87th annual general
meeting.
She succeeded Sidharth Birla, Chairman of Xpro India Limited and Digjam Limited.
Also, Ambuja Neotia group Chairman Harshavardhan Neotia was elected Senior Vice
President and Zydus Cadila Chairman Pankaj R. Patel as Vice President.
About Jyotsana Suri

Jyotsana Suri has been the Chairperson of the FICCI tourism committee since last
five years and is the only Indian member on the International Executive Committee of
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the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC).
Under her direction, FICCI introduced The Great India Travel Bazaar in the year 2008
and The Great Domestic Tourism Bazaar in the year 2011.
She has won many awards and accolades. Few among them includes
Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws from the Warwick University, the UK
World Travel Market Global Award (2011)
Asias Leading Woman in Hospitality Award at the Women in Leadership (WIL)
Asia Awards 2012
About Harshavardhan Neotia

Harshavardhan Neotia is the Chairman of Ambuja Neotia Group. He was conferred
with Padma Shri by the President of India in 1999 for his outstanding initiative in
social housing. He was also honoured with YPO Legacy of Honour Award in 2005.
About Pankaj R. Patel

Pankaj R. Patel is the Chairman and Managing Director of Zydus Cadila - Cadila
Healthcare Ltd. He is the Chairperson of the Board of Governors of the Indian Institute
of Science Education and Research, IISER, Kolkata.
About FICCI
The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) is an association
of business organizations in India. The organisation was established in 1927, on the
advice of Mahatma Gandhi by GD Birla and Purushottam Das Thakurdas.
It is the largest, oldest and the apex business organisation in India
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Helios Travel launched Magic Cabs in Bengaluru
Helios Travel on 16 December 2014 launched Magic Cabs in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
Magic Cabs service has its own fleet of taxis and can be accessed through a
combination of voice calls, online reservations and mobile application. The service
will initially be available on Android phones.
The companys online system will extend its footprint to more than 30 cities across
India within two to three months.
Magic Cabs fully automated high-end reservation and logistics management systems
ensure seamless service delivery even as customers enjoy reliable rides in clean,
well-maintained cars driven by experienced chauffeurs. The cabs are equipped with
a swipe machine for card payments.
The company plans to raise 40 crore rupees to strengthen its national presence with
a coverage of 150 locations to emerge as a 600-crore rupees company within five
years.
B Rajiv is the CEO of Helios Travel Solutions.
Microsoft launched first phase of Skype Translator preview program

Microsoft on 16 December 2014 launched the first phase of Skype Translator preview
program. With this, Skype moved towards auto-translation.
Under this programme, Microsoft launched a Spanish-English test program using
its Skype messaging service. The programme is based on the vision of the universal
translator.
The program had its first trial with school children in Mexico City and their counterparts
at a school in Tacoma, Washington.
The preview program was kicked off with two spoken languages, Spanish and English.
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Skype Translator will open up endless possibilities for people around the world to
connect, communicate and collaborate.
Skype Translator relies on machine learning, which means that the more the technology
is used, the smarter it gets.
Skype is based on a freemium model. Skype is telecommunications application
software that specializes in providing video chat and voice calls from computers, tablets
and mobile devices via the Internet to other devices or telephones/smartphones.
Skype was first released in August 2003. It was created by Dane Janus Friis and
Swede Niklas Zennstrm in cooperation with Estonians Ahti Heinla, Priit Kasesalu,
and Jaan Tallinn. Later, Skype was acquired by Microsoft in May 2011.
Historic Geeta Press announced lockout for indefinite period

The historic Geeta Press on 16 December 2014 announced its lockout for an indefinite
period after talks between its management and employees over wage issues failed.
Background
The workers at the press had been demanding higher wages and medical benefits
from the management. The situation went out of control in the last one month when
the employees protested against the management.
The employees of the Press have resorted to dharna since 3 December 2014 and
were not allowing others to work which affected the work.
Presently 185 permanent and 300 contractual employees are working at the Geeta
Press, a 90-year-old publication.
About Geeta press

Geeta press was founded in 1923 by Jaya Dayal Goyandka for promoting the
principles of Sanatana Dharma by propagating the holy scripture Bhagavath Gita.
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Geeta press is a unit of Kolkata-based Gobind Bhawan Karyalaya registered under
the Societies Registration Act, 1860 (presently governed by the West Bengal
Societies Act, 1961).
Over the years, the press has made available more than 370 million copies of the
Gita, Ramayan, Bhagvat, Durga Saptashati, Puranas, Upanishads and BhaktaGathas in more than ten languages including Sanskrit, Hindi and English.
Indian-origin Shriti Vadera appointed as the Chairman of Santander UK Bank

Indian-origin Shriti Vadera was on 12 December 2014 appointed as the Chairman
of Santander UK, a major British bank. She will be the first woman to head a major
British Bank.
Vadera will join the board of Santander UK Bank as Joint Deputy Chairman in January
2015 and later in March 2015 she will succeed Lord Burns as Chairman of the Bank.
Shriti Vadera
Vadera also known as Baroness Vadera was born in 1962 in Uganda into a family
of Indian origin.
She has served 14 years at the investment bank UBS Warburg where she advised
governments of developing countries on debt relief and restructuring.
In 2007, Shriti Vadera was appointed as the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of
State in the Department for International Development by former UK Prime Minister
Gordon Brown during the height of the Eurozone financial crisis.
She became a Life Peer on 11 July 2007 as Baroness Vadera of Holland Park in
the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
In October 2008, she became a Parliamentary Secretary in the Cabinet Office.
However, she left the UK government in 2009 to take up a job with the G20 group.
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She has been on leave from the House of Lords since 2011 to take non-executive
roles at companies like BHP Billiton and AstraZeneca.
HDFC Bank launched mobile banking facility Bank Aap Ki Muththi Mein
HDFC Bank on 16 December 2014 launched mobile banking facility Bank Aap Ki
Muththi Mein. An initiative which turns a mobile phone into a bank branch.
The facility will offer over 75 transactions.These are both financial and non-financial
transactions that one needs in their daily life.
It is by far the largest offering of its kind by any bank in India.
Banking facility will work on both a smartphone as well as a basic phone that supports
internet browsing. For phones that do not support internet browsing, there is SMSbanking and missed-call banking. It is technology agnostic and will run on all mobile
devices popular technology platforms.
All that a customer needs to do is send a text to or call a toll free number to know his
account balance, get a mini
ment, request a check book or detailed account statement.
The initiative is a part of the banks digital banking offering christened GoDigital.
Bharti Airtel sold over 1100 mobile towers in Zambia, Rwanda

to IHS
Bharti Airtel on 15 December 2014 sold over 1100 telecom towers in Zambia and
Rwanda to IHS Holding. The amount was not disclosed by the company.
American Tower and Airtel are expected to close the deal during the first half of 2015,
subject to regulatory approvals. According to reports, American Towers values the
deal at around 1.05 billion US dolla.
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This is fourth such deal since July 2014 in the African market. The deal is a part of the
10-year renewable contract, Bharti Airtel will lease back the towers from IHS.
Bharti Airtel entered Africa in 2010 with the acquisition of Zain Telecom for about 10.7
billion US dollar.
In November 2014, Bharti sold 4800 communication towers to American Tower
Corporation in Nigeria in an effort to cut debt.
Also, in September 2014, Bharti sold its African telecom tower assets to Eaton Towers.
The company signed a 10-year contract to sell and lease back over 3500 towers to
Eaton in six countries.
Hinduja Group acquired iconic Old War Office Building of Winston Churchill
Hinduja Brothers, Srichand and Gopichand Hinduja, in the second week of December
2014 acquired the iconic old war office building of Winston Churchill. The building
will be restored and redeveloped into a five-star hotel and residential apartments.
The Hinduja acquired the 580000 square-feet landmark at 57 Whitehall in Central
London in partnership with a Spanish industrial company Obrascon Huarte Lain
Desarrollos (OHLD). The building was sold on a 250-year lease arrangement for an
undisclosed amount.
The decision to sell the building was taken by the Ministry of Defence in order to
invest in defence priorities. It was put up for sale after being declared surplus to MoD
requirements in August 2013.
The building has more than 1000 rooms and two-and-a-half miles of corridors and
had escaped largely unscathed even after being bombed eight times during World
War II. The building stands diagonally opposite to Prime Minister David Camerons
official residence 10 Downing Street.
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About the Old War building

The Old War Office Buildings was designed in Edwardian Baroque style (a style
which paid homage to Renaissance architecture), by William Young and completed
after his death by his son, Clyde Young, assisted by Sir John Taylor.
The work of construction of the building started in 1901 and it took five years to
complete it. It was developed at an expenditure of over 1.2 million Pound (expensive
for the time).
The building was constructed for the Imperial General Staff and was central to
operations. It remained a focal point for military planning throughout the major
conflicts of the 20th century. The Old War Office housed secretaries of state like Lord
Haldane, Lord Kitchener, David Lloyd-George and Churchill.
Co-optex launched its e-Commerce Portal

The Tamil Nadu Handloom Weavers Cooperative Society (Co-optex) on 15 December
2014 launched its online shopping portal offering a range of silk and cotton sarees.
The portal was launched by Tamil Nadu Handloom Minister S Gokula Indira in Chennai.
By launching its e-commerce portal, Co-optex hopes to tap the growing business
potential.
Co-optex also launched a gift voucher scheme that includes the gift vouchers of 500
rupees, 1000 rupees and 2000 rupees. These coupons can be redeemed in any of
the outlets in the country within 90 days. The coupons also allow discounts.
Tamil Nadu Handloom Weavers Cooperative Society (Co-optex)

Established in 1935, Tamil Nadu Handloom Weavers Co-operative Society has a
rich tradition in Handloom History of about 78 years.
The handloom fabrics produced in Tamil Nadu by the Co-optex are marketed all
over India. Co-optex has a network of 203 showrooms spread all over India.
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Each product of Co-optex displays the artistry and craftsmanship of weavers from
Tamil Nadu.
Carnival Cinemas Limited acquired Media Works Limited for

710 crore rupees
Carnival Cinemas Limited on 15 December 2014 acquired Anil Ambani led Media
Works limited for 710 crore rupees.
As per the deal, Carnival agreed to acquire 100% stake in multiplex operator Big
Cinemas, a division of Reliance MediaWorks Ltd.
Reliance MediaWorks Ltd (RMW) is a part of Reliance Capital of Reliance group.
With the addition of 242 screens of Big Cinemas, Carnival is now within the top 3 film
exhibition companies with over 300 screens nationwide.
Other two companies are PVR Cinemas and Inox. India currently has 1700 multiplex
screens with PVR in pole position with 454 screens, followed by Inox at 361 screens.
The deal will enable Reliance Capital to reduce its debt by 700 crore rupees through
a combination of transfer of debt of RMW and infusion of cash proceeds.
ICICI Bank launched Indias first transparent credit card in association with American Express
ICCI Bank on 12 December 2014 launched Indias first credit card with a unique
transparent design and a distinctive look. The credit card named ICICI Bank Coral
American Express Credit Card. The card is a part of Gemstone Collection of ICCI
Bank in association with American Express.
The new credit card will have the entire feature of plastic credit cards but without
the opacity. The plastic cards are generally opaque in nature having details like card
holders name, photograph, signature and bar code, among others.
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The card provides features with an extended period for repaying of retail purchases
for the first two bill cycles by paying the minimum amount due.
Other offers of the card include complimentary movie tickets, access to certain
lounges at Mumbai and Delhi airports, minimum 15 per cent discount on bills at
leading restaurants across the country and no surcharge on fuel transactions at
HPCL outlets, among others.

Reliance Industries (RIL) on 11 December 2014 named former UK Judge Sir Bernard
Rix as its arbitrator in the KG-D6 cost recovery dispute case with the Government of
India (GOI).
He will sit on a three-member arbitration panel headed by Supreme Court-appointed
neutral arbitrator Michael Kirby, a former Judge of an Australian High Court. The
arbitrator from the government side is former Chief Justice of India V N Khare.
RIL suggested his name after former Chief Justice of India S P Bharucha quit the
case in the first week of December 2014.
Bharucha quit from the case after the government challenged his nomination on the
grounds that he had not disclosed all previous associations with RIL and that his
arbitration could create doubts about his independence and impartiality.
Rix recently retired as Lord Justice of Appeal with 20 years experience in the
Commercial Court and the Court of Appeal.
Tata Power acquired 540 MW thermal power plant for 3000

crore rupees
Tata Power on 10 December 2014 acquired 540-megawatt (MW) thermal power plant
in Maharashtra for 3000 crore rupees.
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The thermal plant was acquired from the promoters of IRB Infrastructure. With this
deal, Tata Power aimed to increase its total capacity to 8885 MW.
Until now, Tata Power used to be the nations biggest private sector electricity
producer but after the new announcements by Adani Power, Tata Power is under
deficit of Production. Adani Power has total capacity of 11040 MW.
The power sector has been short-circuited by regulatory uncertainties, fuel supply
disruptions and high debts. The uncertainties have seen M&A deals worth more than
22000 crore rupees in the recent past as big players consolidate their business.
About Tata Power

Tata Power is an Indian electric utility company based in Mumbai, India. It is part
of the Tata Group. The core business of the company is to generate, transmit and
distribute electricity.
With an installed electricity generation capacity of about 8560 MW, it is Indias second
largest private power producer.
Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices banned sale of

80 generic drugs
German drug regulator Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) on
10 December 2014 banned the sale of 80 generic drugs with immediate effect on the
grounds that their clinical trials were insufficient.
It also suspended the marketing authorisation given to the drugs concerned based on
the data of clinical trials conducted by the Indias pharmaceutical research company
GVK Biosciences between 2008 and 2014.
As per the data, the generic versions of these drugs have the same effect on the
human body as the original branded versions, which cannot be accepted as a basis
for marketing approval.
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The regulator itself investigated the marketing authorisation of 176 medicines by 28
pharmaceutical companies.
The ban comes after regulators in Germany, France and Belgium suspended marketing
approval of 25 generic drugs in the first week of December 2014.
Highlights of the ban

All the drug manufacturers, wholesale dealers, medical stores and other outlets
were ordered not to sell or use these 80 drugs any longer.
With the ban of 80 drugs, the medicines for treating high blood pressure, depression,
migraine, epilepsy and Parkinsons disease will be affected.
These medicines involved the products of 16 pharmaceutical companies including
Stada and Dr Reddys, Lupin, Micro Labs and Torrent. MNC companies facing the
ban include Mylan and Abbott.
The banned drugs include Escitalopram, Clopidogrel, Irbesartan, Levetiracetam
and Valsartan, Cefpodoxim and Tacpan. Patients using these medicines were
advised to consult their doctors.
Samsung appointed HyunChil Hong as President of Southwest

Asia
Samsung Electronics Ltd on 10 December 2014 announced the appointment of
HyunChil Hong as President of Southwest Asia Headquarters.
He will take the charge with immediate effect. He succeeded President B D Park.
B D Park will now head Sales & Marketing for Digital Appliances Business at the
headquarters in South Korea.
Hong will lead all of Samsung Electronics business in South West Asia that includes
India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal.
Hong previously served as the President of Samsung Electronics Latin America, a
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sales subsidiary in Central America for three years. Prior to that, he successfully
headed Samsung Electronics sales subsidiaries in Chile.
Outgoing President BD Park has been serving in India since 2008. He was appointed
as Head of the Mobile and IT Division of Samsung India Electronics Ltd (SIEL). In
2012, he was elevated to the position of President and CEO, Samsung Southwest
Asia.
RIL announced to sell 49 percent stake in Textile Business to

Chinese firm Shandong Ruyi
Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries (RIL) on 9 December 2014 announced to
sell 49 percent stake in the textiles business to Chinese textile firm Shandong Ruyi
Science and Technology Group for an undisclosed sum.
RIL will hive off its textiles business into a new joint venture, in which it will have a 51
percent stake and the rest will be held by the Ruyi Group.
RIL operates its existing textile business under the brand Vimal. The business was
started by RIL founder Dhirubhai Ambani about five decades ago in 1966 under the
name of
Reliance Textiles, the company which later became Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) in
1985.
The textile business is located at Naroda near Ahmedabad. But it now contributes
300-350 million US Dollar, or less than 1%, to the overall 65-billion US dollar annual
revenues of RIL.
In 2012, RIL had appointed bankers to sell its textile business but the sale was called
off due to a tepid market and lack of buyers.
About Shandong Ruyi Science and Technology Group

Ruyi is a leading textile company in China. It has a global presence, including in
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America, Europe, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and China.
It has a portfolio of world-renowned brands such as Taylor & Lodge, Harris Tweed,
Royal Ruyi China, Nogara Italy and Indios Italy.
Ruyi also operates in India under the Georgia Gullini brand in the suiting segment of
the market. This business operation and its other activities would get realigned to
strengthen the JV.
HCL Infosystems MD & CEO Harshavardhan Madhav Chitale resigned

HCL Infosystems Managing Director (MD) and CEO Harshavardhan Madhav Chitale
resigned on 8 December 2014 from the company. He will remain with the company
till 31st December 2014.
Director and Executive Vice-Chairman of HCL Infosystems Premkumar Seshadri, who
was appointed as the MD & CEO of the company in September 2014, will succeed
him with effect from 1 January 2015.
Earlier, Harshavardhan was the Vice President and GM of Honeywell Process
Solutions. Prior to that, from November 2004 to November 2006, he was the Vice
President (Global Marketing) of Honeywell Process Solutions.

Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) on 8 December 2014 successfully
commissioned a 28 MW Nyaborongo Hydro Electric Project in Rwanda on turnkey
basis.
With the commissioning of this project, the installed generating capacity of Republic
of Rwanda has gone up by 24 percent from 119 MW to 147 MW.
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Nyaborongo Hydro Electric project
Nyaborongo Hydro Electric project is owned by the Government of Rwanda and
has been financed under the Government of Indias Line of Credit.
BHELs scope of work in the contract included turnkey execution for the Nyaborongo
hydro power project comprising two hydro generating units of 14 MW each.
Major equipment supplied for the project include hydro turbines, generators,
transformers, controls, monitoring and protection systems and switchgear.
Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL)

BHEL is an integrated power plant equipment manufacturer and one of the largest
engineering and manufacturing company of its kind in India.
BHEL has a vast experience in hydro-electric plants having contracted over 28000
MW of projects across the globe.
The company has the capability to deliver complete Hydro Power Plants including
design, engineering, supply/logistics, erection and commissioning.
BHEL had established its presence in a number of African nations like Sudan,
Libya, Ethiopia, Egypt, Zambia, Tanzania, Uganda, Nigeria, etc.
BHELs hydro installations are working in India, Azerbaijan, Bhutan, Malaysia,
Nepal, New Zealand, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand and Vietnam.
Samsung Electronics appointed Pranav Mistry as Global Vice

President
Samsung on 7 December 2014 appointed Pranav Mistry as Global Vice-President.
He is currently working as the Vice-President of Samsungs U.S. research unit in the
Silicon Valley and heads the Think Tank team of Samsung.
Mistry, aged 33, hailing from Gujarat, India, is the youngest person to be elevated to
head the Samsung Electronics in a recent management reshuffle involving about 350
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people.
Mistry played a big role in launching Samsungs Galaxy Gear in September 2013,
its line of wearable technology products, and invented SixthSense, a technology
that enables users to use their hands to interact with digital information about the
physical world around them.
Pranav Mistry joined Samsung as the Director of Research in 2012. Earlier, Pranav
worked as a UX Researcher with Microsoft.
The appointment of Mistry who hails from Gujarat in India comes at a time when
Samsung is seeing a decline in profits and is looking to turn around its smartphone
business.
He joins the list of several Indian nationals taking global roles in technology companies
in the past few years. Earlier this year in 2014, Satya Nadella was named as chief
executive of Microsoft Corp., while Google Inc. named Sundar Pichai an Indian as
head of its marquee Android products division.
Boeing 787 aircraft completed the worlds first flight using Aviation Biofuel
A Boeing 787 aircraft on 3 December 2014 completed the worlds first flight using
green diesel as Aviation Biofuel. Green Diesel is a sustainable biofuel made from
vegetable oils, waste cooking oil and animal fats. The airplane performed in the same
manner as it does with conventional jet fuel.
The company powered its ecoDemonstrator 787 flight test airplane on 2 December
2014 with a blend of 15 percent green diesel and 85 percent petroleum jet fuel in the
left engine.
The flight test was coordinated with the US Federal Aviation Administration, RollsRoyce and Pratt & Whitney.
The company will provide data from several ecoDemonstrator flights to support
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efforts to approve this fuel for commercial aviation and help meet the industrys
environmental goals.
Sustainable Green Diesel

Sustainable green diesel is widely available and used in ground transportation.
As discovered by Boeing, green diesel is chemically similar to HEFA (hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids) aviation biofuel approved in 2011.
Green diesel offers a tremendous opportunity to make sustainable aviation biofuel
more available and more affordable for the passengers.
With production capacity of 800 million gallons (3 billion litres) in the US, Europe
and Asia, green diesel could rapidly supply as much as 1 percent of global jet fuel
demand.
On a lifecycle basis, sustainably produced green diesel reduces carbon emissions
by 50 to 90 percent compared to fossil fuel.
Ritu Mallya appointed as Director of MCF board

Ritu Mallya on 4 December 2014 was appointed as Director of Mangalore Chemicals
and Fertilisers (MCF) board. She succeeded Vijay Mallya.
Vijay Mallya had to quit the board of MCF after State Bank of India advised the
company that it will be difficult for them to lend money to MCF with a willful defaulter
Mallya on the board.
She will continue to be director until the next annual general meeting of the company,
where the shareholders approval will be sought.
Ritu Mallya is a Bengaluru-based lawyer and was married to late Vittal Mallya, founder
of the UB group who died in 1983. Ritu Mallyas old name was Kailash Advani and
ran a garments business at the time of her marriage to Vittal Mallya.
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About Mangalore Chemicals and Fertilizers Limited
Mangalore Chemicals and Fertilizers Limited (MCFL) started in 1966 with Dugal
Enterprises Private Limited, New Delhi as its first promoters. The name of the company
was changed to its present name in August 1971.
MCFL is the only manufacturer of chemical fertilizers in the state of Karnataka, India.
The company deals with fertilizers like Urea, Diammonium phosphate, granulated
fertilizers, liquid fertilizers, soil conditioners, Muriate of potash among others.
The marketing offices of MCF are located in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala,
Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.
Arun Duggal appointed as non-executive Chairman of Credit rating agency ICRA

Credit Rating Agency ICRA Limited on 5 December 2014 appointed Arun Duggal
as non-executive Chairman after he was elected unilaterally by the ICRA Board.
Currently, Arun Duggal is serving as an independent director on the Board of ICRA
Ltd.
He will replace Pranab Kumar Choudhury who will resign from ICRA Limited and all
other affiliated entities on 29 January 2015. He has been associated with the rating
agency for 24 years.
Duggal is the former Chairman of the non-banking financial company Shriram Capital
Ltd.
Infosys appointed Stanford Professor John Etchemendy as independent director

Infosys on 4 December 2014 appointed Stanford Professor John W. Etchemendy as
an Independent member on its Board of Directors (BoD).
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As per Infosys, Etchemendys joining will help the company to reinvent their core
foundation of learning.
About John W. Etchemendy

Etchemendy has been a faculty member in Stanfords Department of Philosophy
since 1983
He is also a faculty member of the Symbolic Systems Programme and a senior
researcher at the schools Centre for the Study of Language and Information (CSLI)
Before joining Stanford, he served as the faculty at Princeton University for two
years.
He has authored several books and articles on logic
He has been co-editor of the Journal of Symbolic Logic and on the editorial board
of several other journals
Ranbaxy launched arthritis drug Infimab BOW015

Indias largest pharmaceutical company, Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited, on 1
December 2014 launched arthritis drug Infimab (BOW015).
Infimab is Indias first bio-similar of infliximab drug. The product was launched at the
Indian Rheumatology Association Conference (IRACON) in Chandigarh.
The drug can be used for treating various conditions including rheumatoid arthritis.
Infimab also has an excellent treatment potential to treat other crippling painful
arthritis like ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis.
Infimab is being introduced in the Indian market through a licensing partnership
with EPIRUS Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. a US and Swiss-based Biopharmaceutical
Company focused on the global development and commercialization of bio-similar
monoclonal antibodies.
Infimab will be manufactured by Reliance Life Sciences at a facility in Mumbai.
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Infimab marks Ranbaxys entry into mAb (Monoclonal Antibodies) biologics, and will
help the company provide greater access to quality biologic medicines in management
of conditions like rheumatoid arthritis.
Rheumatoid arthritis is one of the most common chronic inflammatory diseases that
cause disability. The literature estimates a prevalence of 0.5 percent to 0.75 percent
in India.
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SCIENCE | TECHNOLOGY
LSU Researchers discovered new method to convert Carbon Dioxide into Organic Compound
The researchers at Louisiana State University (LSU) discovered a new method to
convert Carbon Dioxide (CO2) into an Organic Compound. The findings were
published in the journal Nature Communications on 19 December 2014.
The research team led by Andrew Maverick have discovered a cyclic copper complex
that converts carbon dioxide to oxalate, changing the environmental pollutant into a
more useful organic compound.
A key component to this discovery was the development of a compound that would
react with carbon dioxide. The compound takes four to five days to react.
Process of the study

Maverick and his team developed a three-step reaction sequence in which a
copper complex converts carbon dioxide to oxalate under mild conditions.
The copper complex is reduced to copper in solution, either electrochemically or
using sodium ascorbate.
The reduced complex selectively reacts with carbon dioxide from air and fixes it
into oxalate, with the oxalate ion bridging between two copper atoms.
The bound oxalate ion is released as oxalic acid on treatment with mineral acids,
regenerating the original copper complex.
The research team created more than 50 different compounds before finding the
one that would react with carbon dioxide.
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Background
Carbon dioxide is naturally present in the air as part of the normal circulation of
carbon in the atmosphere.
However, human activities are adding more carbon dioxide and influencing natures
ability to remove the greenhouse gas from the atmosphere. On the other hand, Carbon
dioxide does not want to react with any compound.
Even highly energetic molecules often do not react with CO2. So, it was important
to search for compounds which will convert CO2 into something with a little more
stored energy.

The worlds smallest hearing aid named Nanoplug was developed by an international
team of researchers. The development of Nanoplug was revealed in the fourth week
of December 2014 in The Times of India.
The concept of Nanoplug was first conceived by Nevena Zivic and then brought
to execution by industrial designer, Jongha Lee, audio engineer Mladen Stavri and
electromechanical engineer Zoran Marinovi.
The Nanoplug is so tiny that it is almost undetectable. The designing of this hearing
aid was funded through Indiegogo, a crowdfunding platform.
The development of device was made possible by advances in Nanotechnology,
most notably by the US Photonics Endure nanobattery that is as about the size of a
grain of sand and is able to work six days without recharge.
Highlights of the Nanoplug

Nanoplug is comprised of micro-components and a nano-battery.
The hearing aid is meant to be less intrusive, less noticeable and less expensive.
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The device is just 7.1mm x 5.7mm x 4.17mm, which is half the size of any other
hearing aid.
As claimed by the researchers, hearing aid battery has no toxic chemicals inside,
nor heavy metals.
Nanoplug can be programmed using software running on a computer, the results
of which can be downloaded directly to the device via a cable.
The Nanoplug is shaped roughly rectangular; it is placed inside a mushroom
shaped sleeve which allows for comfort in keeping the hearing device securely in
place.
A tool is also provided for removal of the hearing aid.
The Nanoplug does not entirely fill the ear canal which means it allows sound to
be localized.
NASA developing gecko grippers to grab space debris

Researchers at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California are
developing gecko grippers to grab space debris which includes the objects like orbital
debris or defunct satellites. Gecko gripper is basically an adhesive gripping tool.
The news related to this was published on the website of Jet Propulsion Laboratory
The gripping system has been developed by Aaron Parness who is a JPL robotics
researcher and the principal investigator for the grippers.
The system is inspired by geckos, type of lizards belonging to the infraorder Gekkota,
found in warm climates throughout the world.
How it works
The Gecko grippers being developed have synthetic hairs like tiny hairs in Geckos
feet. These synthetic hairs also called stalks are wedge-shaped and have a slanted,
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mushroom-shaped cap.
When the gripping pad lightly touches part of an object, only the very tips of the hairs
make contact with that surface. The stickiness of the grippers can be turned on and
off, by changing the direction in which you pull the hairs.
The non-permanent stickiness of the gecko gripper is achieved through use of van
der Waals force. The force is named after Nobel Prize-winning physicist Johannes
Diderik van der Waals.
When the van der Waals force is applied to the adhesive pad material, the synthetic
hairs tend to bend. This increases the real area of contact between the hairs and the
surface, which corresponds to greater adhesion. When the force is relaxed and the
hairs go back to being upright, this process turns off the stickiness.
These temporary adhesive forces happen because electrons orbiting the nuclei of
atoms are not evenly spaced, creating a slight electrical charge. Such forces persist
even in extreme temperature, pressure and radiation conditions.
The successful experiments

More than 30 spacecraft surfaces tests have been conducted to check the accuracy
of the grippers at JPL.
Earlier in August 2014, a test flight was conducted on the gecko gripper project through
the Flight Opportunities Program of NASAs Space Technology Mission Directorate.
During the test researchers used the grippers in brief periods of weightlessness
aboard NASAs C-9B parabolic flight aircraft.
During the test, the grippers were able to grapple a 20-pound cube as it floated. The
grippers also were able to grapple a researcher wearing a vest made of spacecraft
material panels, representing a 250-pound object.
Grippers have also been tested successfully in a JPL thermal vacuum chamber, with
total vacuum conditions and temperatures of minus 76 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 60
degrees Celsius) to simulate the conditions of space.
Also, the grippers were tested separately in more than 30000 cycles of on and off,
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with the adhesive staying strong. Several prototypes have since been designed.
Uses of Gecko gripper

Besides grappling orbital debris, the grippers could help inspect spacecraft or assist
small satellites in docking to the International Space Station.
The system could also grapple objects in space that are spinning or tumbling, and
would otherwise be hard to target.
Why there is need of such tool

There are more than 21000 pieces of orbital debris larger than 3.9 inches (10
centimeters) in Earths orbit. The U.S. Space Surveillance Network routinely tracks
these objects. In 2009, an accidental collision occurred between an operational
communications satellite and a large piece of debris, destroying the satellite.
STAP technique: A unique cellular reprogramming phenomenon

Stimulus-triggered acquisition of pluripotency (STAP) technique is a unique cellular
reprogramming phenomenon. The STAP technique was in news as stem cell scientist
of Japan Haruko Obokata, who is at the heart of stem cell scandal, resigned from
Riken Research Institute, Japan on 19 December 2014.
Stimulus-triggered acquisition of pluripotency (STAP) requires neither nuclear transfer
nor the introduction of transcription factors. Rather in this, committed somatic cells
give rise to STAP cells by reprogramming rather than selection.
STAP cells are produced from purified lymphocytes and as well as gene rearrangement
analysis.
It is an alleged method of generating pluripotent stem cells by subjecting ordinary
cells to certain types of stress, such as the application of a bacterial toxin, submersion
in a weak acid, or physical squeezing.
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In this technique, strong external stimuli such as a transient low-pH stressor
reprogrammed mammalian somatic cells is given resulting in the generation of
pluripotent cells.
Research on STAPs cells has shown a substantial decrease in DNA methylation in the
regulatory regions of pluripotency marker genes. Blastocyst injection showed that
STAP cells efficiently contribute to chimaeric embryos and to offspring via germline
transmission.
The studies on STAP cells also show that robustly expandable pluripotent cell lines
from STAP cells can also be derived. This means that epigenetic fate determination
of mammalian cells can be markedly converted in a context-dependent manner by
strong environmental cues.
European space mission Rosetta named as Breakthrough of the

Year 2014 by Science journal
The European space mission Rosetta was on 19 December 2014 named as the most
important scientific Breakthrough of the Year 2014 by Science journal.
Rosetta landed its three-legged Philae module on the comet 67P/ChuryumovGerasimenko on 12 November 2014, 10 years after the spacecraft was launched.
At the end of a seven-hour journey after being separated from Rosetta, Philae bounced
twice off the speeding comets surface before making a soft landing, but it appeared
to have rested on its side and in the shadows of a cliff.
Rosettas collection of spectrometers, known as the Rosetta Orbiter spectrometer
for Ion and Neutral Analysis (ROSINA), has detected water, methane, and hydrogen
as well as some rarer molecules, including formaldehyde and hydrogen cyanide in
the comet 67Ps halo.
About the Rosetta Mission

The mission began in March 2004. It was launched from Kourou in French Guiana
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aboard an Ariane 5 rocket. The spacecraft is an aluminium box weighing about 3000
kg and carries Philae, which is about 100 kg.
Rosetta reached the Comet named 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in August 2014.
It has been orbiting it and scrutinizing it from as close as 10 kilometers away. The
mission will end in December 2015.
Runner-ups for the Breakthrough of the year 2014 as selected by Science

journal
1. The birth of birds: In 2014, evolutionary biologists figured out the spectacular
evolutionary transition from dinosaurs to birds. A series of papers that compared
the fossils of early birds and dinosaurs with modern birds revealed from where the
modern birds came.
2. Young blood fixes old: Researchers showed that blood or blood components from
a young mouse can rejuvenate an old mouses muscles and brain. The research
strengthened the evidence that something in young blood can reverse multiple
signs of aging.
3. Robots that cooperate: Researchers have come up with new software and
interactive robots capable of cooperating on rudimentary tasks. The study has
shown that robots can work as a team without human supervision
4. Chips that mimic the brain: In 2014, computer engineers at IBM and other
companies rolled out the first large-scale neuromorphic chips that are designed
to process information in ways more similar to living brains.
5. Europes cave art has a rival: Researchers discovered that hand stencils and
animal paintings in a cave in Indonesia was 35000 to 40000 years old. It was once
thought to be only 10000 years old. These findings meant that humans in Asia
were producing symbolic art as early as the first European cave painters.
6. Cells that might cure diabetes: Studied have sought to turn human embryonic
stem cells into cells of the pancreas called cells. cells respond to rising blood
sugar by making insulin, a hormone that allows cells to take up and use glucose.
These cells might provide a cure for Diabetes.
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7. Manipulating memories: Researchers discovered ways to manipulate specific
memories in mice using optogenetics, a powerful technique that can trigger nerve
cells in animals brains. In a series of experiments, they showed that they could
delete existing memories and incept false ones.
8. Rise of the CubeSat: Cheap satellites with sides that are just 10 centimetres
squared are called CubeSats. They became popular in 2014 as these satellites
have carried out important studies this year.
9. Giving life a bigger genetic alphabet: Researchers engineered the E. coli bacteria
to incorporate two additional nucleotides X and Y into their genetic alphabet that
make up the standard building blocks of DNA. There are four natural nucleotides
G, C, A and T.
Scientists at IIT-B developed hollow-fiber membrane to cut dialysis cost, time by half
Scientists at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT-B) on 20 November 2014
have developed a hollow-fiber membrane that cuts the cost and time required in
dialysis procedure by almost 50 per cent.
The research was conducted under the leadership of Jayesh Bellare at the Chemical
Engineering Department of (IIT-B).
The product has completed laboratory tests and awaits pre-clinical trials. The
researchers are expecting that their product will be available in market in the next
three years.
The newly discovered membrane is a key component of the filter and removes
impurities from the blood during the dialysis process. The hollow-fiber membrane
provides faster, efficient dialysis with less side affects at low cost.
Each dialysis session lasts two-three hours and a patient requires the treatment twothree times in a week.
The process of dialysis involves artificially removing excess water and waste from
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blood in a patient.
Experts say that filter developed in India will indeed help decrease the cost and more
people will be able to afford it.
Scientists claimed that they have formulated a special material which improves
performance and permitting faster treatment. They also claimed that the membrane
shows superior biocompatibility.
The treatment is often, according to a study conducted by AIIMS, very costlier and
thus around 90 per cent kidney related patients in India die within months because
of lack of proper treatment.
Annually two lakh people in India develop advanced kidney failure. A recent study
stated that the number of Indians with diabetes is predicted to reach 101 million by
2030.

Indias Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on 19 December
2014 successfully tested an indigenously built 1000 kg glide bomb. The bomb had
successfully hit a target 100 km away in the Bay of Bengal off the Odisha coast.
The bomb was dropped by an Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft in the ocean. It glided for
nearly 100 km before hitting the target with great precision. The bomb was guided by
an on-board navigation system.
The flight of the glide bomb was monitored by radars and electro-optic systems
stationed at Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur in Odishas Balasore district,
about 230 km from Bhubaneswar.
About the Glide Bomb

The glide bomb was designed and developed by Defence Research and
Development Organisation (DRDO).
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Multiple DRDO laboratories including Avionics Research Establishment (DARE),
Pune-based Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE)
and Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL) have contributed towards
development of the glide bomb.
The complete avionics package and navigation system for the testing of bomb
was designed and developed by Research Centre Imarat (RCI).
Lens-free on-chip Microscope developed to image pathology

samples
The Lens-free on-chip Microscope developed by the researchers can be used for the
wide-field computational imaging of pathology samples. The study was published on
17 December 2014 in the journal Science Translational Medicine.
The study was conducted by the team of researchers including Aydogan Ozcan,
professor of electrical engineering and bioengineering at University of California.
The Lens-free on-chip Microscope can emerge as a less expensive and more
portable technology for performing common examinations of tissue, blood and other
biomedical specimens to detect the presence of cancer.
The method may prove useful in remote areas and in cases where large numbers of
samples need to be examined quickly.
Lens-free on-chip Microscope

The Lens-free on-chip Microscope can be used for high-throughput 3-D tissue
imaging to study the disease.
The device works by using a laser or light-emitting-diode to illuminate a tissue or
blood sample that has been placed on a slide and inserted into the device.
A sensor array on a microchip captures and records the pattern of shadows
created by the sample.
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The wide-field lens-free images produced by the microscope have sufficient image
resolution and contrast for clinical evaluation.
Study Process
The team tested the device by studying Papanicolaou smears, human breast section
which indicated cervical cancer, tissue specimens containing cancerous breast cells
and blood samples containing sickle cell anaemia.
The lens-free device produced images that were many hundred times larger in area
than those captured by conventional bright-field optical microscopes.
Background
Optical examination of microscale features in pathology samples is one of the gold
standards to diagnose disease.
However, the use of conventional light microscopes is partially limited due to their
relatively high cost, bulkiness of lens-based optics, small field of view (FOV), and
requirements for lateral scanning and 3D focus adjustment.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched Indias heaviest
rocket GSLV Mark-III-X carrying Crew module Atmospheric Reentry Experiment
(CARE) from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh on 18 December 2014. It weighs 630
tonnes.
Objective behind the test of the 155 crore rupees mission was to check the atmospheric
stability around four tonne luggage and study the re-entry characteristics of the crew
module.
The GSLV Mark-III-X lifted off from the second launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space
Centre carrying the human crew module CARE and separated the crew module at an
altitude of 126 km for re-entry into the earths atmosphere.
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The module controlled by 3 parachutes safely splashed down into the Bay of Bengal
off Andaman and Nicobar Islands and was recovered by coast guards near Indira
Point, the southernmost point of India.
The experiment lasted for about 20 minutes saw all the events as pre-planned. The
successful completion of the experimental test will boost Indias mission of sending
human to the space. It will also double the capacity of payloads India can carry into
space.
The full fledged launch of the rocket will take place in two years and is likely to be
held in another two years.
A few years back ISRO had carried out a similar experiment on a smaller scale in
which the module had orbited around the earth for 15 days before entering back.
Importance of GSLV MK III-X

It will help India become self-reliant in launching heavier communication satellites
of INSAT-4 class weighing 4500 to 5000 kg.
It would also enhance the capability of the country to be a competitive player in
the multimillion dollar commercial launch market.
It will double the capacity of payloads India can carry into space boosting Indias
mission of sending human to the space.
China developed invisible pain beam weapon Poly WB-1 to breakup riots
China in the third week of December 2014 developed a long-range and non-lethal
Pain Beam weapon named Poly WB-1. The weapon can be used to break up riots or
protests from a distance.
The Poly WB-1 was unveiled at an air show in China and it uses a millimeter-wave
beam that can travel distances of up to One kilometer.
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China developed the weapon for naval applications to deal with confrontation in nonlethal ways. The WB-1 will be mounted in ships, majorly in those patrolling disputed
waters.
Poly WB-1 is similar to the Active Denial System (ADS) created by Raytheon, which
was sent to Afghanistan with the United States military, but was not used in combat
and recalled in 2010.
How it disperses crowd?

Once the beam comes in contact with a person, the beam disperses the crowd
through heating up water molecules just below the skin causing intense pain resulting
into recoiling of the person. But if longer busts are made at certain frequencies, it will
cause the flesh to burn and blister.
Old laptop batteries could power slums in developing countries:

IBM India Study
A new IBM India study showed that old laptop batteries could power slums in
developing countries like India. The concept was tested in the Indian city Bangalore
in 2014.
The findings were published in a paper titled UrJar: A Lighting Solution using Discarded
Laptop Batteries in the first week of December 2014.
Using discarded batteries is cheaper than existing power options. It helps deal with
the mounting electronic-waste (e-waste) problem.
By carrying put the proper research, the team of researchers proposed a low-cost
solution called UrJar to solve the problem of unavailable electrical power in developing
regions of the world.
Methodology
The IBM group, working with a hardware Research and Development firm
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RadioStudio, opened the discarded laptop battery packaging and extracted
individual storage units called cells.
They tested 35 cells individually to pick out the good ones and recombined them
to form refurbished battery packs.
After adding charging dongles as well as circuitry to prevent overheating, they
gave them to five users in Bangalore who lived in slums or operated sidewalk
carts.
After sometime, the users said the battery packs had worked well.
Findings of the Study

23 devices were battery-powered wherein batteries were charged by the
participants at home using Alternate Current grid power.
5 devices required solarbased Direct Current charging and the remaining 7 were
powered directly by fossil fuels such as Liquified Petroleum Gas or kerosene oil.
The researchers found that 70 percent of discarded batteries had enough power
to keep an LED light on for more than four hours a day for a year.
UrJar Device
The IBM team created UrJar- a device that uses lithium-ion cells from the old
batteries to power low-energy devices such as a light. UrJar has the capacity to
last for a year.
If the UrJar is made in sufficiently large volume, researchers estimate that the
price per unit will be 600 rupees.
UrJar has the potential to channel e-waste towards the lessening of energy poverty.
UrJar provides a means to utilize the latent residual capacity in laptop batteries,
which would otherwise be wasted.
UrJar provides a cleaner and potentially cheaper alternative than burning kerosene
in order to meet lighting requirements.
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Background
E-waste is a major problem particularly in the developing world. IBMs research said
142000 computers are thrown away in the US daily which makes up for around 50
million a year.
India receives a lot of e-waste from other countries. With a booming IT market, India
is also generating huge amount of e-waste of its own, around 32 tonnes a day.
Researchers developed Worlds fastest 2D camera at the Washington University

Researchers led by Professor Gene K Beare developed worlds fastest 2D camera
at the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, Washington
University. The research related to this was published in the journal Nature on 3
December 2014.
The camera can capture events up to 100 billion frames per second and it may have
wider application in areas like biomedicine, astronomy and forensics.
The researchers used a technique called compressed ultrafast photography (CUP) to
make movies of the images they took with single laser shots.
The camera doesnt look like a Kodak or Cannon rather and it is a series of devices
envisioned to work with high-powered microscopes and telescopes to capture
dynamic natural and physical phenomena.
This camera has the potential to greatly enhance our understanding of very fast
biological interactions and chemical processes and allows to build better models of
complex, dynamical systems.
The current ultrafast imaging techniques are limited by on-chip storage and electronic
readout speed to operations of about 10 million frames per second.
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India on 2 December 2014 joined the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) Project as a Full
Member. With this, India joined the elite group of countries including USA, China,
Japan and Canada to build the largest telescope in the world at Mauna Kea in Hawaii.
India became the full member of the project after K Vijay Raghavan, Secretary,
Department of Science and Technology (DST) under the Union Ministry of Science
and Technology, signed the documents to change Indias formal relationship from
Associate to Member of the TMT International Observatory (TIO). DST is the financial
authority of India-TMT.
India-TMT will be a joint project of the DST and Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) that
will be anchored in the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) and led by IIA; Aryabhatta
Research Institute of Observational Sciences, Nainital; and Inter-University Centre
for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pune.
Indias contribution to the Project

In September 2014, Union cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave
its approval for Indias participation in the TMT project at a total cost of 1299.8 crore
rupees from 2014 to 2023.
Indias contributions to the project will be in the areas of software systems, segment
production and the production of the very high precision sensors and actuators that
make the primary mirror possible.
India will deliver 100 smaller, hexagonal mirrors out of a total of 492 that is needed to
build the 30m diameter primary mirror of the telescope. Japan, China and the US will
supply the remainder whereas Canada will construct the dome.
India will also deliver 3444 edge sensors that will guide the actuators in aligning the
segments.
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About TMT Project
Thirty Metre Telescope (TMT) is being built at the height of 4050 meter on Mauna
Kea Mountains in Hawaii. It is expected to be completed by 2020. It will enable
astronomers to study objects in our own solar system and stars throughout our
Milky Way and its neighboring galaxies, and forming galaxies at the very edge of the
observable Universe, near the beginning of time.
The TMT project was born out of the merging of three earlier large-telescope
projects:
The California Extremely Large Telescope (CELT), which was a partnership between
Caltech and University of California (UC)
The Very Large Optical Telescope (VLOT) led by Association of Canadian Universities
for Research in Astronomy (ACURA)
The Giant Segmented Mirror Telescope (GSMT), which was a partnership
between the National Optical Astronomical Observatory (NOAO) and the Gemini
Observatory.
As a result, the nonprofit TMT Observatory Corporation was founded in June 2003
by the Association of Canadian Universities for Research in Astronomy (ACURA), the
University of California (UC), and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).
The TMT Master Agreement was signed by the Scientific Authorities of all
partners on 24 July 2013. The partner signatories are:
Association of Canadian Universities for Research in Astronomy (ACURA)
The California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
The Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA)
The National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences
(NAOC)
The National Optical Astronomy Observatory of Japan (NAOJ)
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The University of California (UC)
On 6 May 2014, the TMT International Observatory LLC (TIO) was formed
with founding Members:
The California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
The National Institutes of Natural Sciences (Japan)
The National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Science
(China)
The Regents of the University of California (UC)
The goal of TIO is to design, develop, build and operate the Thirty Meter Telescope.
The design, development, and construction phases of TMT is funded by the support
of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
Rapid evolution of HIV slowing down its ability to cause AIDS:

Study
A new study has found that the rapid evolution of Human Immunodeficiency Virus
(HIV) is slowing down its ability to cause Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
(AIDS). The findings of the study were published in the journal Proceedings of National
Academy of Sciences (PNAS) on 1 December 2014.
The study was conducted by Professor Philip Goulder and his team at the Nuffield
Department of Medicine at Oxford University.
Apparatus of the Study

Goulders team conducted their study in Botswana and South Africa, the two countries
with high incidences of AIDS.
To start with, they first enrolled more than 2000 pregnant women with HIV and looked
at whether the interaction between the bodys natural immune response and HIV
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leads to the virus becoming less virulent or able to cause disease.
In the second part of the study, they examined the impact of antiretroviral therapy
(ART) on HIV virulence.
Findings of the study

The team demonstrated that the weakening of the immunodeficiency virus is due
to its rapid evolution and ability to mutate over time.
A gene known as HLA-B*57 in a person acted as a protection against the HIV
virus. The study finds that the virus has adapted to the gene, which therefore no
longer offers protection.
However, the unforeseen result of this is that the mutation of the virus also weakens
it and reduces its ability to replicate. One reason for this could be because of the
growing use of HIV drugs.
Significance of the Study

Factors that influence the virulence of HIV are of direct relevance to ongoing efforts
to contain and eradicate the HIV epidemic.
HIV is better adapted to HLA-B*57 gene which in Botswana has no protective
effect, in contrast to its impact in South Africa.
Modelling studies indicate that increasing antiretroviral therapy access may also
contribute to accelerated declines in HIV virulence over the coming decades.
Astronomers for the first time measured transit of an Exoplanet

55 Cancri e using ground-base
A team of astronomers for first time measured the transit of an exoplanet named 55
Cancri e (super-Earth) in front of a Sun-like star using a ground-based telescope. The
exoplanet 55 Cancri e was measured by 2.5 meter Nordic Optical Telescope located
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on La Palma Island in Spain.
The study related to this was published in the December 2014 issue of The
Astrophysical Journal Letters. Lead author of the study is Enst de Mooij of Queens
University Belfast, in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom.
During its transit, the planet crosses its host star, 55 Cancri which is located just 40
light-years away from the Earth and visible to the naked eye. During the transit it
blocked a tiny fraction of the starlight, dimming the star by 1/2000th (or 0.05 percent)
for almost two hours.
Some facts of the 55 Cancri e (super-Earth)

The planet 55 Cancri e is about twice as big and eight times as massive as the
Earth with a period of 18 hours
It is the innermost of five planets in the 55 Cancri System. The other four planets
of the system are HD 75732, HIP 43587, HR 3522, and 55 Cnc
Because of its proximity to the host star, the planets dayside temperature reaches
over 1700 Celsius - hot enough to melt metal - with conditions quite inhospitable
to life.
Significance of the discovery

Discovery of 55 Cancri e using ground-based telescope is important because it
raises the prospects of more such exoplanets in upcoming space missions such as
Planetary Transits and Oscillations of stars (PLATO) and Transiting Exoplanet Survey
Satellites (TESS) can find many small planets around bright stars.
Planetary Transits and Oscillations of stars (PLATO)

Planetary Transits and Oscillations of stars (PLATO) will be launched by the European
Space Agency in 2024. It will be launched with an aim to search for transiting terrestrial
planets.
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Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellites (TESS)
NASAs 2017 Explorer Program that involves a space telescope named Transiting
Exoplanet Survey Satellites (TESS) will be launched exclusively for the purpose of
searching exoplanets.
Researchers identified that Brain has weak spot for schizophrenia and Alzheimers disease
The team of British researchers led by Gwenaelle Douaud of Oxford University
identified that brain has weak spot for schizophrenia and Alzheimers disease. The
findings were published in Journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
(PANS) on 24 November 2014.
The Study
Researchers from the University of Oxford used Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
scans to observe brain structure in 484 healthy people between ages 8 and 85.
The scans revealed a sort-of brain network within grey matter that is the last to
develop and also the first to show signs of age-related decline.
This brain network of nerve cells or grey matter co-ordinate high order information
coming from the different senses such as sight and sound.
This complex region shows heightened vulnerability to unhealthy developmental and
aging processes as shown by schizophrenia and Alzheimers disease even though
these two diseases have different origins and appear at very different times of life.
When team compared their study scans to those done on Alzheimers and schizophrenia
patients, they found significant similarities between the three. This would suggest
certain areas of the brain play a role in the emergence of these diseases.
This large-scale and detailed study provides an important link between development,
aging, and disease processes in the brain.
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Earths most abundant mineral named as Bridgmanite

The most abundant mineral on earth was named as Bridgmanite by a team of American
geologists. The findings were published in the Journal Science on 28 November
2014.
The team of American geologists extracted a sample large enough to analyse the
most abundant mineral that allowed them to name it as bridgmanite.
The mineral is named in honour of Percy Bridgman, a physicist who won the 1946
Nobel Prize in Physics for his fundamental contributions to high-pressure physics.
Percy Bridgman pioneered the use of high pressure experiments to understand how
many geological formations can come about.
Up to now, the mineral was referred to as perovskite because according to rules set
down by the International Mineralogical Association, a mineral cannot be given a
formal name until a specimen has been found that can be examined first hand.
The study
The researchers looked at a meteorite that had fallen inside Australia in 1879 as
a likely candidate for samples. They used a test that involved the use of a microfocused X-ray beam in conjunction with electron microscopy.
The researchers noted that the sample had more sodium and ferric acid than had
been expected.
Their discovery is expected to aid future geological research and could offer clues
about what goes on when celestial bodies collide and potentially also about the
formation of the universe.
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SPORTS
Mahendra Singh Dhoni on 30 December 2014 announced retirement from International
Test Cricket with immediate effect.
Dhoni decided to retire from Test Cricket by citing the strain of playing all formats of
Cricket. Now he wants to concentrate on ODI and T20 formats.
His decision to retire from Test Cricket came after the Third Test against Australia at
the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Although the match ended in a draw, however,
Dhoni surpassed Kumar Sangakkara record of stumping 134 players in all the three
formats.
Virat Kohli will be the captain of the Indian Team for the Fourth and Final Test against
Australia that will be played in Sydney from 6 January 2015. India has already lost
the series.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni in Test Cricket

He made his Test debut on 2 December 2005 as wicket-keeper against Sri Lanka
Under his leadership India became the No. 1 team in the Test Rankings
He became the captain of Indian Test Cricket team in 2008
In his Test career, he has played 90 matches and scored 4876 runs in 144 innings
His highest Test score is 224 runs
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Ankita Raina on 29 December 2014 won the International Tennis Association (ITF)
singles title of the World Tennis Association circuit held in Pune. This was her first
maiden 25000 US dollars ITF singles title.
Ankita defeated Katy Dunne of British 6-2, 6-2 in the final to win the title. With this, she
also became the first Indian to clinch the title in the NECC-ITF womens tournament
after 14 years.
Radhika Tulpule was the first Indian to won the NECC-ITF title in the inaugural year
of the tournament in 2001.
About NECC ITF

The NECC ITF International Womens Tournament is a tennis tournament on the ITF
Womens Circuit, under the tier of the WTA Tour, played on outdoor hard-courts. It is
held annually since 2001 in Pune, India.
The prize money of the tournament was 10000 US dollars during 20012006 but it
was upgraded to 25000 US dollars in 2007-2008. Since 2010, the prize money has
been 25000 US dollars though it was upgraded to 50000 US dollars for a year in
2009.
BCCI banned spinner Pragyan Ojha from bowling in competitive

cricket
The BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) on 28 December 2014 banned leftarm spinner Pragyan Ojha from bowling in competitive matches. He was banned
after his bowling action was found illegal.
Ojhas action was tested at the ICC-recognised centre in Chennai and the test
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concluded that Ojhas elbow flexed more than the permissible limit of 15 degrees.
BCCI officially informed Ojhas home state association Hyderabad that his action
needs remedial measures. Ojha will now head to Chennai for taking corrective
measures.

India won Gold in World Youth Under-16 Chess Olympiad on 22 December 2014. India
won against Turkey 3.0-1.0 in the final round at the FIDE (Federation Internationale
des Echecs) tournament held at Gyor, Hungary.
Russia defeated Ukraine 3.5-0.5 in the final round to come at second place and
win the Silver medal. The third place was clinched by Iran while Hungary finished at
fourth place in the tournament.
In the final round, three Indians International Master (IM) Murali Karthikeyan, IM
Aravindh Chithambaram and Kumaran Balaji won their respective matches to clinch
the Gold. Only IM Diptayan Ghosh lost to Vahap Sanal of Turkey.
Karthikeyan won against Ali Marandi, Chithambaram against Volkan Sevgi and Balaji
against Tuna Tuncer. Chithambaram was the best among the Indians in the 10-round
tournament who scored eight points in the nine games (8 wins, 1 loss). Karthikeyan
also scored eight points in the ten 10 games (6 wins, 4 draws).
Ghosh scored 5.5 points in the nine games and Balaji scored 4.5 points out of nine
games. G K Monnisha was the fifth player in the team of India and scored 0.5 points
from three games.
Indian cyclist Deborah won four gold medals at Track Asia Cup
2014
Indian Cyclist Deborah on 23 November 2014 won four gold medals at the Track Asia
Cup Cycling Championship 2014. The Track Asia Cup Cycling Championship was
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held from 21 to 23 November 2014 at Indira Gandhi Stadium, New Delhi.
Deborah won two gold medals - in the womens elite keirin (8 laps) and sprint finals
(3 laps) - on the concluding day of the championship for an overall individual tally of
four gold medals.
Earlier, Deborah had won a combined gold with Kezia Varghese in the team sprint
final on 22 November 2014. She won the 500 metre time trial gold in womens elite
section on the opening day of the Track Asia Cup 2014.
Apart from this, in the championship India finished with medal tally of total 18 medals
(5 Gold, 4 Silver and 9 Bronze).
About Deborah
19-year-old Deborah is a tribal girl from Andaman and Nicobar Islands who survived
the 2004 Tsunami that devastated the islands. She was trained at the Sports Authority
of India (SAI) centre in Andaman and has emerged as one of the rising stars of Indian
cycling.
Magnus Carlsen of Norway won FIDE World Chess Championship 2014

Magnus Carlsen of Norway on 23 November 2014 won FIDE World Chess
Championship 2014 played at Sochi, Russia.
He defeated Viswanathan Anand of India with a score of 6.5 4.5. Out of a total of 12
games played, he won the Game 2, Game 6 and Game 11. Anand only managed to
win the Game 3 whereas Game 4 and Game 5 were drawn between the two.
Thus, Carlsen became the first player to score 6.5 points to win the FIDE World
Championship.
With this he retained the FIDE World Championship which he had won in Chennai in
2013. In 2013 he had won the game in just 10 games against Anand
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Switzerland defeated France to win 1st-ever Davis Cup of Tennis
Switzerland led by Roger Federer on 23 November 2014 defeated France to win their
first-ever Davis Cup of Tennis. Swiss tennis team defeated French team by 3-1 in the
finals played at Lille Stade Pierre Mauroy, France.
Davis Cup 2014 results

Round 1: Stan Warwinka of Switzerland defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France
6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2
Round 2: Gael Monfils of France defeated Roger Federer of Switzerland 6-1, 6-4,
6-3
Round 3: Roger Federer & Stan Warwinka defeated Julien Benneteau & Richard
Gasquet of France 6-3, 7-5, 6-4
Round 4: Roger Federer of Switzerland defeated Richard Gasquet of France 6-4,
6-2, 6-2
With this win, Switzerland became the fourteenth nation to win the Davis Cup in the
competitions 115-year history.
The Davis Cup 2014 between France and Switzerland will go down in history as the
Cup that witnessed world record crowd of 27228 viewers.
Following the Davis Cup 2014 results, the top three teams are: Czech Republic,
Switzerland and France.
About Davis Cup

The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in mens tennis. It is run by
the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and is contested annually between teams
from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition began in 1900 as
a challenge between Great Britain and the United States.
The womens equivalent of the Davis Cup is the Fed Cup.
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Australia, the Czech Republic, and the United States are the only countries to have
held both Davis Cup and Fed Cup titles in the same year.
Indian pugilists Sarjubala and Saweety won Silver at World

Women Boxing Championships
Indian Women Boxers Sarjubala Devi and Saweety on 24 November 2014 won Silver
medals at the 8th World Womens Boxing Championships, in Jeju, South Korea.
In the final of the 48kg division, Sarjubala lost to Nazym Kyzaibay of Kazakhstan, 0-3.
While, in the 81kg final, Saweety lost to Chinas Xiaoli Yang, 0-3.
Their silver win has helped India to improve its performance from a bronze, won in
the previous edition to a couple of silvers in the 8th edition of the championships.
2014 Womens World Amateur Boxing Championships was held at the Halla
Gymnasium of Jeju City, South Korea between 13 and 25 November 2014.
Sarjubala Devi
Sarjubala Devi born on 1 June 1993 is an Indian woman boxer from Manipur. She
joined boxing at school in 2005, after being inspired form the stories of Mary Koms
success, two years later, she joined a
Authority of India training centre in her city, Imphal India.
She won the world youth championships in 2011 and later went on to win the senior
national championships in 2011.
Lewis Hamilton won Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to become the F1

World champion for second time
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain on 23 November 2014 won the Abu Dhabi
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Grand Prix (GP) of Formula One (F1) racing at Yas Marina circuit in United Arab
Emirates (UAE).
With this he also won the F1 racing championship for the year 2014 and joined the
elite ranks of F1 world champions who have won the F1 world Drivers title twice.
Also, Abu Dhabi win by Hamilton gave the World team title of 2014 to Mercedes who
won the title with 701 points. At second was placed Red Bull Racing Renault and
third place was won by Williams-Mercedes team.
Hamilton won the Abu Dhabi GP win with 50 points, 14 points ahead of Brazilian
driver Felipe Massa who finished second while Finland driver Valtteri Bottas came
third in the race.
Abu Dhabi win was Hamiltons eleventh win of the season 2014 and with this he won
the world drivers title of 2014 with a total of 384 points, 67 points ahead of his team
mate and rival Nico Rosberg of Germany.
The World number one, Lewis Hamilton took his first world drivers title with McLaren
in 2008 has now become the first British double world champion since Jackie Stewart
in 1971 and only the countrys fourth. The other two Britons with two titles are Jim
Clark and Graham Hill.
Jackie Stewart won the title thrice in 1969, 1971 and 1973. Graham Hill won the two
tiles in 1962 and 1968, while Jim Clark won the title in 1963 and 1965.
Apart from this, Hamilton has also joined number of other drivers on two titles like
Fernando Alonso of Spain. Michael Schumacher of Germany is the all-time record
holder with seven F1 world titles, while the most successful current driver is German
Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull Racing Renault who has won it four times.
Shiva Keshavan won Silver at 17th Asian Luge Championships

Shiva Keshavan on 21 December 2014 won Silver at the 17th Asian Luge
Championships. He clocked 49.934 seconds to cover the 1326 metre long ice track
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in the mens luge competition at the Spiral Olympic Sliding Centre in Nagano, Japan.
The Gold was won by Japans Hidenari Kanayama with a time of 49.791 seconds
while Kim of Korea bagged the bronze with a timing of 50.178. Hidenari had also won
gold in 2011 and 2022 Asian Luge Championships.
However, Keshavans Asian records remain intact. He has the start record of 3.191
seconds and speed record of 134.3 kmph in the Asian Luge Championhips.
On the other hand, in the Class B of the Asia Cup also saw Indias Murlidhar Negi
finish ninth.
In the Ladies Class B section, Indias Yuvavanti Negi, Nikita Thakur and Jahnavi
Rawat finished fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively.
Sachin Tendulkar appointed as ambassador of Cricket World

Cup 2015
Sachin Tendulkar was appointed as the ambassador of Cricket World Cup 2015. The
decision was announced by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on 22 December
2014.
He was appointed as ambassador of Cricket World Cup of ICC for the second
successive time. Tendulkar in the role of ambassador will promote and support a
variety of ICC initiatives to enhance the profile of the tournament.
Cricket World Cup is the third biggest sporting event in the world and 2015 World
Cup will take place in Australia and New Zealand from 14 February to 29 March 2015.
In 2013, Sachin retired from international cricket after representing India in 200 Tests,
463 One-Day International and one Twenty20 International. In his 24 years of career
he scored a total of 34357 international runs and 100 centuries. He is the all-time
leading run-getter in World Cup history with 2278 runs in 45 matches at an average
of 56.95.
In World Cup 2003, he was awarded player of the tournament for his 673 runs in the
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tournament.
India won 3rd SAFF Womens Championship in Islamabad

India on 21 November 2014 won the 2014 South Asian Football Federation (SAFF)
Womens Championship at the Jinnah Stadium in Islamabad. Indian team won 6-0
over Nepal to register their first series win on Pakistan soil.
With this win, the Indian team has won all the three SAFF women finals against Nepal.
These two teams played all the three finals of the championship since its inception
in 2010.
Ngangom Bala Devi was the star of the game as she scored 4 goals to take her
overall tally to 16, the highest scored in a single edition of the championship. Kamala
Devi and Prameshwori Devi were the other goal scorers.
Indian captain - Oinam Bembem Devi
Nepal captain - Anu Lama
Hariom Singh won Gold in Mens 50-metre Rifle Prone event at

58th National Shooting champions
Hariom Singh on 17 December 2014 won Gold medal in the Mens 50-metre Rifle
Prone event at the 58th National Shooting Championships held in Pune. Representing
Indian Army Hariom won the Gold with a total of 205 in the finals.
Aditya U Singh of Air Force won Silver with 204.8 poits and Beijing Olympic Gold
medalist Abhinav Bindra won Bronze with 183.8 points. Olympic Bronze medalist
Gagan Narang finished at fourth place in the eight-man final.
Mens 50m Rifle Prone Team Event

Gold: Army Marksmanship Unit 1855.3 (Chain Singh 625.7, Surendra Singh Rathore
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616.4, Sushil Ghaley 613.2)
Silver: Air Force 1845.2 (Aditya U Singh 617.8, Ravi Kumar 614.6, Deepak Kumar
612.8)
Bronze: Uttar Pradesh 1842.4 (Ishan Goel 622.4, Anubhav Pratap Singh 615.9, Ajit
Kumar Singh 604.1).
Paul McGinley of Ireland won Sports Personality Coach of the

Year 2014
Paul McGinley won Sports Personality Coach of the Year 2014 at the BBC Sports
Personality of the Year awards in Glasgow. He was awarded for guiding the European
team to win the Ryder Cup of Golf at Gleneagles in UK in September 2014.
Under his guidance Europe defeated the United States by 16.5 points to 11.5 points.
In December 2014, McGinley was appointed as captain of the Irish golf team for the
Rio Olympics scheduled to be held in 2016.
The Sports Personality of the Year Awards is presented by the BBC Sports annually
in December.
Other Sport Personality awards

Sports Personality of the Year: Lewis Hamilton of Britain (F1 Driver)
Young Sports Personality of the Year: Italy-born Claudia Fragapane of Britain
(Artistic gymnast)
Lifetime Achievement: Sir Christopher Andrew Chris Hoy of Britain (Racing
driver and former track cyclist)
Overseas Sports Personality of the Year: Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal (Footballer)
Get Inspired Unsung Hero: Jill Stidever of Leicestershire (Swimming coach)
Helen Rollason award: Invictus Games competitors of London
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Team of the Year: England womens rugby union team
Rory McIlroy named 2014 Race to Dubai European Tour Golfer

of Year
Rory McIlroy of Ireland on 16 December 2014 was named as the 2014 Race to Dubai
European Tour Golfer of the Year. He won the award for the second time in three
seasons. Earlier he won the award in 2012.
Having been named Golfer of the Month in May 2014, July 2014 and August 2014,
he was unanimously voted the top player for 2014
He defeated Henrik Stenson, the 2013 European Tour Player of the Year, and became
the first player to top both the PGA Tour and European Tour money lists in the same
year on two different occasions.
Currently, he is the World Number One and a four-time major champion. His major
triumphs in 2014 came at the 143rd British Open Championship and US PGA
Championship, the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and the BMW PGA Championship,
the European Tours flagship event.
The International Boxing Association (AIBA) on 17 December 2014 banned the Indian
boxer Laishram Sarita Devi for one year for not accepting her bronze medal at Asian
Games 2014 medal ceremony.
Laishram Sarita Devi was also fined one thousand Swiss Franc for the act. Indias
foreign coach Blas Iglesias Fernandes was also banned for two-year for standing by
Sarita during her protest.
Both of them were banned with effect from 1 October 2014, the day of medal
ceremony of the games.
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Moreover, AIBAs disciplinary committee also banned Saritas personal coach Lenin
Meitei for a year and suspended her husband Thoiba Singh from the ringside for two
years.
Background
Citing wrong judgment from referees, Sarita at the podium ceremony of Asian Games
2014 tried to give her medal to her opponent as a mark of protest.
Thereafter, AIBA had suspended Laishram Sarita Devi from all competitions after she
refused to wear her bronze medal following her semifinal loss to South Koreas Ji Na
Park at Incheon in October 2014.
Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic mascots named Vinicius and

Tom
The Rio 2016 Olympics and Paralympics Games mascot have been named as Vinicius
and Tom, respectively. The names were declared on 14 December 2014 after they
were chosen by a public vote that was conducted over the past three weeks, since
the mascots were unveiled.
Mascot Vinicius is a yellow feline animal similar to cat and represents Brazils rich
fauna and wildlife. Tom is a blue and green figure with leaves that covers it head and
presents countrys diverse and rich flora.
Vinicius and Tom were chosen ahead of the other two shortlisted pairs of names:
Oba and Eba, and Tiba Tuque and Esquindim.
The names are in honour of Brazilian musicians and partners Vinicius de Moraes and
Tom Jobim. They were exponents of Bossa Nova music, the musical movement that
got the whole world singing about the beauty of Rio de Janeiro. They were also the
creators of the famous song, The Girl from Ipanema.
2016 Olympics scheduled to be held from 5 August to 21 August 2016 will be the first
one to be held in the continent of South America.
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Viswanathan Anand won London Classic Chess title

Five-time World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand of India on 15 December
2014 won his maiden London Classic Chess title. To win the title, he defeated British
Grandmaster Michael Adams in the fifth and final round.
Results Final round

Viswanathan Anand (India, 7) beat Michael Adams (England, 4)
Anish Giri (Netherlands, 7) drew with Vladimir Kramnik (Russia, 7)
Hikaru Nakamura (USA, 6) drew with Fabiano Caruana (Italy, 4)
The victory at London Classic confirmed Anands presence in elite chess for some
time as earlier in November 2014 he had lost to Magnus Carlsen of Norway in the
world championship match at Sochi. The quick recovery of Anand in London suggests
that there is more to expect from the Indian on the chess board.
Japan teens Mima Ito and Miu Hirano became youngest table
tennis champions
Japanese teens Mima Ito and Miu Hirano became youngest table tennis champions
on 13 December 2014 in table tennis World Grand Finals.
The Table Tennis World Grand Finals was held in Bangkok.
Mima Ito and Miu Hirano took the womens doubles title by defeating Natalia Partyka
and Katarzyna Grzybowski of Poland with a score of 11-7, 11-6, 11-4, 11-5.
Also, they became the youngest ever winners to claim a 40000 US Dollar share of the
prize money.
The Japanese teens had already defeated the Polish women at the German Open in
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2014.
While, Japans mens pair Kenta Matsudaira and Koki Niwa lost their final against
South Koreas Cho Eon-Rae and Seo Hyun-Deok .
Germany on 14 December 2014 won Hockeys Champions Trophy for the year 2014.
In the final match played at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, Olympic
Champions Germany defeated Pakistan by 2-0 margin.
This was 10th Champions Trophy crown for Germany. It had last won the tournament
in 2007.
This was the fifth Champions Trophy final played between Germany and Pakistan.
Last time they had final clash in 1994, when Pakistan defeated Germany through
penalty shoot-outs in Lahore, Pakistan.
Earlier for the third position and bronze medal, world champion Australia defeated
India 2-1.
Till date India had won only a single medal in the Champions Trophy, it won a bronze
in the 1982 edition in Amstelveen, the Netherlands. In 2012, India finished at fourth
position in the tournament played in Melbourne, Australia.
In other play-off match, the Netherlands defeated Argentina 4-1 for the fifth position
while England defeated Belgium 3-2 for the seventh position.
Champions Trophy is an eight-nation tournament of Hockey.
Boxer Sarita Devi accepted Asian Games Bronze Medal

Boxer Sarita Devi on 10 December 2014 accepted the Asian Games Bronze Medal.
The medal was presented to her by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) secretarygeneral Rajeev Mehta.
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Mehta presented the medal to the Manipuri boxer at the IOA headquarters.
Earlier, she had refused to accept the medal at the victory ceremony in Incheon Asian
games following the controversial semifinal loss in the Games.
Sarita Devi won bronze medal in boxing 60kg weight category at the 17th Asian
Games 2014 held in Incheon, Korea.
Sarita was provisionally suspended by the International Boxing Federation (AIBA)
after she refused to accept her medal following a controversial semifinal loss in the
Asian Games.
Gwladys Nocera of France won Hero Womens Indian Golf Open

2014
Gwladys Nocera of France on 6 December 2014 won the Hero Womens Indian Golf
Open 2014 at the Delhi Golf Club. She received the prize money of 300000 US dollars.
She won her first title of the 2014 season with a score 11 under par total of 208.
Hannah Burke of England, Fabienne In-Albon of Switzerland and Hyeon Seo Kang
of South Korea tied for second position while Vaishavi Sinha of India finished at fifth
position.
The Hero Womens Indian Golf Open began in 2007 with prize money of 100000
US dollars. The Tournament is sanctioned by three organisations namely the Ladies
European Tour, the Ladies Asian Golf Tour and the Womens Golf Association of India.
The Winner of Hero Womens Indian Open 2013 was Thidapa Suwannapura of
Thailand.
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Amos Meindi of Kenya won 29th Pune International full Marathon in Mens category
on 7 December 2014. He finished the race by completing 41.175 km in 2 hours 18
minutes and 36 seconds.
Regassa Bezida of Ethiopia and Teresse came at second place and third place
respectively.
Women category
Nancy Wambua of Kenya won the half marathon in Women category in 71 minutes
and 55 seconds. Herlen Musyoka of Kenya and Timbit of Ethiopia came at second
place third place respectively.
The theme of the Pune International full marathon for the year 2014 was World Peace.
Spiritual Dada J P Waswani was awarded for his contribution to the world peace that
was instituted from 2014.
About Pune International full Marathon

Pune International Marathon started in 1983
Athletics Federation of India has awarded the status of National Marathon
Championship to Pune International Marathon where runners across the world
participate
The event has a special theme every year and the event is not only about sports
but has a social message with a charity run.
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Kumar Sangakkara became fourth batsman to complete 13000
ODI runs
Sri Lanka batsman Kumar Sangakkara on 3 December 2014 became the fourth
batsman to complete 13000 One-Day Internationals (ODI) runs.
Sangakkara achieved the feat of crossing 13000 run during the third match of ODI
series with England. He took 386 matches to complete these many runs.
The all-time list of most-run getters in ODI is led by Sachin Tendulkar of India with
18426 runs from 463 ODIs. He is followed by Ricky Ponting of Australia with 13704
runs from 375 ODIs and Sanath Jayasuriya of Sri Lanka with 13430 runs from 445
matches.
About Kumar Sangakkara

Sangakkara made his international debut in 2000.
He is a left-handed batsman and wicket-keeper. He no longer is wicket-keeper for
Sri Lanka at Test level.
He is just 12 runs short of completing 12000 Test runs. He has so far scored 11988
runs in 128 Tests.
He dominated the number one spot in the ICC Test batting rankings between 2005
and 2014. As of August 2014, Kumar Sangakkara is placed at number 1 in ICC
Test rankings.
He won the ODI Cricketer of the Year in 2011 and 2013.
He also won the LG Peoples Choice Award in 2011 and 2012.
In 2012, Sangakkara won the prestigious Cricketer of the Year and Test Cricketer
of the Year at the annual ICC awards ceremony in Colombo.
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Jacques Kallis appointed mentor and batting consultant for IPL
team Kolkata Knight Rider
The South African cricketer Jacques Kallis on 5 December 2014 was appointed as the
mentor and batting consultant for Indian Premier League (IPL) team Kolkata Knight
Rider (KKR).
He renewed his association with KKR for mentoring the team from the 2015 season
of IPL.
He will become part of the KKR support staff which already has Vijay Dahiya, Wasim
Akram and Trevor Bayliss.
Earlier, Kallis spent the last four seasons with Kolkata Knight Riders as a player.
During which the franchise won two IPL titles (2012 & 2014) and finished runners-up
in the Champions League T20 in 2014.
During his IPL stint, he amassed 424, 409 and 311 runs in the first three seasons with
KKR before bringing an end to his international career in August 2014.
Kallis began his IPL career with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the inaugural
edition in 2008. He moved to Kolkata in 2011.
About Jacques Henry Kallis

Jacques Henry Kallis is a former South African male cricketer. A right-handed batsman
and right-arm fast-medium swing bowler, Kallis is regarded as one of the greatest all
rounders of cricket.
He is the only cricketer in the history of the game to score more than 11000 runs and
take 250 wickets in both one-day and Test match cricket.
Kallis played 166 Test matches and had a batting average of over 55 runs per innings.
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The International Cricket Council (ICC) on 7 December 2014 suspended Mohammad
Hafeez from bowling in international cricket with immediate effect for illegal bowling
action. Hafeez is the Pakistani cricket all-rounder who bowls off-spin.
ICC suspended Hafeez after he failed to pass the bio-mechanic test conducted for
his bowling action. The test revealed that all deliveries of Hafeez exceeded permitted
15 degrees level of tolerance (by which the arm is allowed to bend).
The test was done by the Human Movement Specialists team of ICC on 24 November
2014 at the National Cricket Performance Centre in Loughborough.
The test was done after his bowling action was reported for an illegal action during
the first Test between Pakistan and New Zealand in Abu Dhabi.
However, Hafeez can apply for re-assessment after he modifies his bowling action in
accordance with clause 2.4 of the Regulations for the Review of Bowlers Reported
with Suspected Illegal Bowling Actions.
Earlier on 9 September 2014, ICC also had suspended other off-spinner of Pakistan
Saeed Ajmal for a similar reason.
India defeated Pakistan to win Blind Cricket World Cup for the
year 2014
Indian Blind Cricket team on 7 December 2014 won the fourth edition of the Blind
Cricket World Cup (BCWC) 2014 by defeating defending champions Pakistan. The
captain of the Indian team was Shekar Naik.
In the final held at Wally Wilson Cricket Ground in Cape Town, South Africa, Pakistan
batting first scored 389 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in 40 over. Chasing a tough
target, India managed to reach the target in 39.4 over, losing 5 wickets in the process
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In the semi-finals, Pakistan had defeated England, while India had ousted Sri Lanka.
The inaugural edition of the Blind Cricket World Cup played in 1998 was won by
South Africa.
Pakistan won the title in 2002 before successfully defending it in 2006.
The participating countries in the fourth edition of Blind Cricket World Cup were Sri
Lanka, Australia, Bangladesh, England and hosts South Africa.
Blind Cricket in India

The number of visually challenged cricketers in India is 22000, far more compared to
the 4000 in Pakistan and only 200 in South Africa.
The Cricket Association for the Blind in India is run by the Samarthanam trust, a
Bangalore-based NGO dedicated to the promotion of sports for the physically
disadvantaged. Samarthanams Sports Wing also focuses on chess, volleyball,
tennis, kabaddi, table tennis and athletics.
MRF Limited to be the global partner of ICC cricket World Cup

2015
MRF Limited of India will be the global partner for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015.
The decision was announced by International Cricket Council (ICC) on 1 December
2014 during the unveiling occasion of the ICC Cricket World Cup Trophy.
With this, MRF will have access to multiple branding opportunities at all game venues
during the Cricket World Cup and at other promotional events held by the ICC across
the world.
Already, MRF Pace Foundation Academy had been working alongside some of
the fastest bowlers in world cricket and now it shares the commitment of ICC to
continuous quality improvement.

ICC Chairman: N Srinivasan
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MRF Limited Chairman and Managing director: K M Mammen
US football team goalkeeper Tim Howard won 2014 US Player

of year award
US football team goalkeeper Tim Howard on 5 December 2014 won the 2014 US
Player of the Year award for his work with the U.S. national team.
Howard received 101 first-place votes from a panel of journalist nationwide thus
beating compatriot footballer Jermaine Jones and Clint Dempsey to win the award.
It is the first time that Howard has won the prestigious honor given to a U.S. team
member.
He had made eight appearances for the national team including some spectacular
performances at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He made 16 saves in the Americans 2-1
loss in extra time to Belgium in the second round in Brazil.
He became the second keeper to win the award after Kasey Keller. Kasey Keller got
this award twice.
Howard also won US Soccers Male Athlete of the Year.
Raninder Singh became first Indian to be elected to ISSF executive committee

Raninder Singh on 3 December 2014 became the first Indian to get elected as a
member of the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF)s Executive Committee.
He is the President of National Rifle Association of India (NRAI).
This is the first time in the 107-year history of ISSF that an Indian has been elected
as the member of the global body representing the sport of shooting.
Contesting his first election, Raninder garnered 22 out of 25 votes in the General
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Assembly meeting held at Munich, Germany.
He was also elected as the member of the Administrative Council of ISSF with 145
out of 293 votes.
About Raninder Singh

He was appointed as the President of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI)
in December 2009
He has been an accomplished international level trap shooter
He belongs to royal house of Patiala belonging to the Phulkian dynasty
Raninder Singh born on 2 August 1967 is an Indian politician from Punjab, India,
and is son of former Chief Minister of Punjab Amarinder Singh
International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF)

International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) is the global body representing the
sport of Shooting at International level. It was established in 1907.
The organization, with 154 national member federations, has its headquarters in
Munich, Germany. Its current President is Olegario Vazquez Rana and its Secretary
General is Franz Schreiber.

Indian Oil won the 119th Beighton Cup Hockey tournament on 4 December 2014. In
the final match played at the SAI Eastern Centre in Kolkata the Indian Oil defeated
the Punjab National Bank in tie-breaker by 5-4 goals.
The match ended in a draw at 2-2 goals at the schedule time of the game.
The awards of the tournament were presented by the West Bengal Governor Keshari
Nath Tripathy.
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About Beighton Cup

Beighton Cup is one of the oldest field hockey tournaments in the world and running
till date. It was instituted in 1895. It is organised by Bengal Hockey Association
The other one of the oldest Hockey tournaments of India is Aga Khan Cup. It is held
in Mumbai since 1896.
East Zone won 2014-15 Deodhar Trophy of cricket

East Zone won the 2014-15 Deodhar Trophy of cricket on 3 December 2014 by
defeating West Zone by 24 runs. The final match was played at the Wankhede
Stadium in Mumbai.
This was the first Deodhar Trophy win for East Zone after 11 seasons.
East Zone won the toss and opted to bat first posted 269 for 8 in the stipulated 50
overs. In reply to the target, West Zone bundled out for 245 in 47.2 overs.
Pacer Ashok Dinda of East Zone who bagged 4 wickets was adjudged man of the
match.
Captain of East Zone: Manoj Tiwary
Captain of West Zone: Yusuf Pathan
The 2013-14 Deodhar Trophy was won by West Zone. In the finals, it defeated North
Zone by 133 runs on 27 March 2014 at Visakhapatnam.
Deodhar Trophy
Deodhar Trophy is a List A cricket competition in Indian domestic cricket. It is named
after Prof. DB Deodhar who is known as the Grand Old Man of Indian cricket. It is a
50-over knockout competition played on an annual basis among the 5 zonal teams North Zone, South Zone, East Zone, West Zone and Central Zone.
The competition was introduced in 1973-74 season with South Zone winning the
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trophy.
UAE captain Khurram Khan became the oldest player to score a

century in ODI
United Arab Emirates (UAE) captain Khurram Khan became the oldest player to score
a century in the One-Day International (ODI). He scored the winning century against
Afghanistan in Dubai on 30 November 2014.
He achieved the feat at an age of 43 years and 162 days thus breaking the record
held in the name of Sanath Jayasuriya of Sri Lanka. Jayasuriya scored 107 against
India in 2009 when he was 39 years old.
Khan smashed 17 fours to score unbeaten 132 run and he also put on a 160 run third
wicket partnership with Mohammad Shadzad.
Mascot for the 2016 European football championship named

Super Victor
The mascot for the 2016 European football championship has been named Super
Victor. The announcement was made on 30 November 2014.The name for the cartoon
character boy dressed as a footballer in blue and white with a red cape and number
16 jersey was preferred to Driblou and Goalix.
The mascot made its first appearance on the pitch of Marseille`s new Velodrome
stadium before kickoff of France`s 1-0 friendly victory over Sweden. In 1984, the
mascot for the European Championships organised in France was Peno, and the
1998 World Cup mascot was called Footix.
Euro 2016 will take place in France from 10 June 2016 to 10 July 2016.
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Baichung Bhutia became the first Indian Footballer to conferred
AFC Hall of Fame Award
Former Indian football captain Baichung Bhutia became the first Indian Footballer to
be conferred with Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Hall of Fame Award. The award
was conferred on 30 November 2014 by FIFA president Sepp Blatter in Philippines.
The AFC organized the award ceremony for the first time to celebrate its 60th
anniversary. Apart from Baichung, nine other legendary Players from Asia were also
honoured.
Baichung has played 107 matches for India and scored 42 goals.
About Baichung Bhutia

Baichung Bhutia is an Indian footballer of Sikkimese Bhutia descent. He plays as a
striker. Bhutia is considered to be the torchbearer of Indian football in the international
arena.
He is often nicknamed the Sikkimese Sniper because of his shooting skills in football.
He became three-time Indian Player of the Year.
He became the first Indian to boycott the Olympic torch relay in support of the Tibetan
independence movement.
In October 2010, he founded Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools in Delhi in partnership
with football by Carlos Queiroz and Nike. In August 2011, Bhutia announced his
retirement from international football.
His Honours
Arjuna Award for football in 1998
Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award in India, in 2008
Banga Bhushan award in 2014
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PV Sindhu won 2014 Macau Open Grand Prix Gold Badminton Title
Two-time World Badminton Championship bronze medallist PV Sindhu won 2014
Macau Open Grand Prix Gold Badminton Title on 30 November 2014. She successfully
defended the 120000 US dollar Macau Grand Prix Gold trophy.
This was first title of the season for Sindhu.

In the summit clash of the womens singles, world number eleven Sindhu defeated
91st ranked Kim Hyo Min of Korea in straight games 21-12, 21-17 at the Tap Seac
Multisport Pavilion in Macau.
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STATE
Raghubar Das sworn-in as first non-tribal Chief Minister of
Jharkhand
BJP leader Raghubar Das was sworn-in as tenth Chief Minister of Jharkhand on 28
December 2014. 59-year-old Raghubar Das is the first non-tribal Chief Minister of
Jharkhand since the state came into being on 15 November 2000.
The oath of office and secrecy was administered by the Jharkhand Governor Syed
Ahmed at a ceremony held at the Birsa Munda football stadium in Morhabadi in
Ranchi.
Apart from Das, four ministers (three from the BJP and one from the All Jharkhand
Students Union (AJSU) were sworn-in as ministers. They are
Ranchi MLA and former speaker of Jharkhand assembly - CP Singh of BJP
Dhanbad MLA - Dr Louis Marandi of BJP
Khunti MLA - Neelkanth Singh Munda of BJP
Ramgarh MLA and former minister - Chandra Prakash Choudhary (only MLA from
AJSU party)
About Raghubar Das

Raghubar Das is a five-time MLA from East Jamshedpur
In August 2014, he was elected as BJP national vice president
He also served as BJP President in Jharkhand
After the 2009 Assembly elections, he was appointed as the deputy chief minister
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in the Shibu Soren government
He had served as a minister in Jharkhand in the governments led by Babulal
Marandi, Arjun Munda and held portfolios of finance, labour and urban development
during his stint as cabinet minister
For the first time, he was elected as MLA to the undivided Bihar assembly in 1995
He also has served Tata Steel in Jamshedpur as a Grade 4 employee
Das belongs to the influential Vaishya community
Das, during his education days at the Jamshedpur Co-operative College was
an active student union leader and joined the student movement launched by
Loknayak Jaiprakash Narayan in 1974.
He was born on 3 May 1955 in Bhalubasa area of Jamshedpur
Comment
Jharkhand as a state has seen ten Chief Ministers including Das since its creation in
2000. It has also witnessed three stints of Presidents Rule. Previous Chief Ministers
of Jharkhand include Babulal Marandi, Arjun Munda, Shibu Soren, Madhu Koda and
Hemant Soren, all of these were tribal leaders.
West Bengal Governor KN Tripathi appointed as Governor of Bihar

West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi was appointed as Governor of Bihar
by the President Pranab Mukherjee on 23 November 2014. He will discharge the
functions of the Governor of Bihar in addition to his own duties as Governor of West
Bengal.
He will take the charge from Bihar Governor D Y Patil, who completes his tenure on
26 November 2014.
In July 2014, he was appointed as 22nd Governor of West Bengal. He will be in
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charge of Bihar until regular arrangements for the office of the Governor is made.
According to article 153, there shall be a Governor for each State but the 7th
Constitutional Amendment Act 1956 facilitated the appointment of same person as
governor for two or more states.

Election Commission of India on 23 December 2014 declared the results of Assembly
elections of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). Jammu & Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party
(JKPDP) of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed with 28 seats emerged as the largest party in
the house of 87 seats. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with 25 seats (all seats came
from the Jammu region) stood at the second position.
Position of different parties in Jammu and Kashmir Assembly polls

Party
Won
Vote Share in percent
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
25
23.0 percent
Communist Party of India (Marxist) 1
0.5 percent
Indian National Congress (INC)
12
18.0 percent
Jammu & Kashmir National

Conference (JKNC)
15
20.8 percent
Jammu & Kashmir Peoples

Democratic Party (JKPDP)
28
22.7 percent
Jammu & Kashmir People

Conference (JPC)
1.9 percent
Jammu And Kashmir People

Democratic Front (Secular)
(JKPDF)
0.7 percent
Independent
Total
87
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Current Affairs
Jammu and Kashmir is going to witness a hung assembly, as no party was able to
garner a full majority. BJP that fought the elections on its Mission 44 failed to attain it
but was successful in garnering more than double of its seats. BJP in 2001 won only
one seat in the state and 11 seats in 2008.
National Conference (NC) leader and outgoing Chief Minister Omar Adbullah lost
Sonawar but managed to win Beerwah after a tough fight against PDPs Nazir Ahmad
Khan.
In 2008 Jammu and Kashmir elections the NC had won 28 seats, Congress 17, PDP
21, BJP 11, Panthers Party 3 and CPM had one. The independents had bagged six
seats.
Background
The elections were held in five phases starting from 25 November to 20 December
2014. Of 87 seats 7 seats were reserved for SC candidates. J&K Assemblys tenure
is of 6 years, while of other 28 states the assembly tenure is 5 years only.
The Election Commission of India held the elections in lieu of expiry of the Legislative
Assemblies of Jammu and Kashmir, which was supposed to expire on 19 January
2015. The Election Commission of India conducted the elections in the state under
the power, duties and functions assigned to it under Article 324 read with Article
172(1) of the Constitution of India and Section 15 of Representation of the People
Act, 1951.

Election Commission of India (ECI) on 23 December 2014 declared the results of
Assembly elections of Jharkhand. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with 37 seats emerged
as the largest party in the house of 81 seats.
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) with 19 seats stood at the second position.
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Position of different parties in Jharkhand Assembly polls
Party
Won
Vote Share in percent
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)
1.8 percent
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
37
31.3 percent
Indian National Congress (INC)
10.5 percent
AJSU Party
3.7 percent
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)
19
20.4 percent
Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik)
10.0 percent
Communist Party of India (MarxistLeninist) (Liberation) CPI(ML)(L)
1.5 percent
Jai Bharat Samanta Party
Jharkhand Party
Marxist Co-Ordination
Jai Bharat Samanta Party
Jharkhand Party
Navjawan Sangharsh Morcha
Total
81
81
BJP fought the election in combination with All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU),
as a result garnering 42 seats out of 81 seats. It is all set to form the government in
the state. In the election, BJP contested on 72 seats while its alliance partner AJSU
contested on 8 seats (won 5 seats).
The main part of the declared results was that several stalwarts including former
Chief Ministers lost the elections.
Chief Minister Hemant Soren (leader of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha) who won the
Barhait constituency lost in Dumka
CM candidate Arjun Munda lost in Kharsawan
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Current Affairs
BJPs alliance partner AJSUs chief and former deputy chief minister Sudesh
Mahto lost from his home turf Silli
Jharkhands first Chief Minister Babulal Marandi (Chief of Jharkhand Vikas Morcha)
lost from Giridih as well as Dhanwar
Former CM Madhu Koda (chief of Jai Bharat Samanta Party) lost the Majhgaon
seat
Background
The elections were held in five phases starting from 25 November to 20 December
2014. Of 81 seats 37 seats were reserved for SC and ST candidates (28 seats for STs
and 9 seats for SCs).
The Election Commission of India held the elections in lieu of expiry of the Legislative
Assemblies of Jharkhand, which was supposed to expire on 3 January 2015. The
Election Commission of India conducted the elections in the state under the power,
duties and functions assigned to it under Article 324 read with Article 172(1) of the
Constitution of India and Section 15 of Representation of the People Act, 1951.

Congressman Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil was on 23 December 2014 appointed as
Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, the lower house.
His appointment was announced by the Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Haribhau
Bagde in the Lower House.
Vikhe Patils appointment came a day after the Nationalist Congress Party member
Dhanjay Munde was appointed as Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra legislative
council, the upper house.
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Background
For over two weeks, the lower House of Maharashtra was functioning without the
LoP, after Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde gave up the post when his party joined the
Devendra Fadnavis government.
The LoP is the most important post in both houses and is much needed during the
discussions on important issues in the houses and also on the budget.
As per the Salary and Allowances of Leaders of Opposition in Parliament Act 1977,
Leader of the Opposition is the Leader of that House of the Party in Opposition to the
Government having the greatest numerical strength and recognized by the Chairman
of the upper house or the Speaker of the lower house.
Gujarat CM Anandiben Patel launched MLA Adarsh Gram Yojana

Gujarat Chief Minister (CM) Anandiben Patel on 23 November 2014 launched the
MLA Adarsh Gram Yojana in tune with the concept of ideal village (Adarsh Gram
Yojana) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Lilapur village of Daskroi takluka in Ahmedabad district was adopted as an ideal
village under the MLA Adarsh Gram Yojana.
The MLA Adarsh Gram Yojana is not limited to basic facilities like road and drinking
water among other things, but it aims for proper education facilities and health
facilities at each Adarsh village.
182 MLAs in the state were called upon to adopt one village each in their constituency
and work for its development. Patel directed the government authorities to work in
coordination with the people and also take up development work in the village which
are needed the most.
Moreover, the administration was directed to hold meeting with village elders to
provide the physical amenities as part of development projects in a time bound
manner. Each villager was asked to voluntarily pick up a task of cleanliness.
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The top priority was given to cleanliness in every street, every drain and every locality
in the entire village and include toilets in every home and school.
Andhra Pradesh Assembly passed Capital Region Development

Authority Bill, 2014
The Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly on 22 December 2014 passed the Capital
Region Development Authority (CRDA) Bill, 2014 by voice vote. The Bill was presented in the Assembly by Dr. P Narayana, Minister for Municipal Administration and
Urban Development.
The Bill seeks to establish the Capital Region Development Authority which will plan
and enable building of the new state capital near Vijayawada.
The proposed legislation provides a legal sanctity to the governments plan to procure
land from farmers of the villages earmarked for construction of the new capital city by
adopting land pooling system.
Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu during the debate on the Bill assured that the
capital is being planned with world-class facilities and will serve the purpose even
during the 22nd century.
Surat Municipal Corporation partnered with Microsoft to transform Surat into smart city
The Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) on 19 December 2014 announced that it had
partnered with Microsoft India to transform Surat into a smart city.
The city will be transformed into a smart city under Microsofts CityNext Program,
a plan that will make citizen services more responsive, transparent, efficient and
productive.
Under the partnership, Microsoft and its partners will help SMC to bring solutions for
water management and urban planning, including building plan approvals.
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In past, Surat had partnered with Microsoft technologies to implement several
e-governance schemes. These includes
Property tax payments
Birth and death registration
Grievance redressal system
Vaccination alert system
Application tracking systems
Solid waste management system
Earlier, Union government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, after coming into
power in May 2014, announced the setting up of 100 smart cities across the country.
About Surat
Surat a city with population of about 50 lakh people
It is the fourth fastest growing city in the world
It is a place where 80 percent of worlds diamonds are processed
40 percent of Indias demand for textiles is met by the city
Surat Municipal Commissioner - Milind Torawane
Maharashtra government made e-tendering mandatory for projects over 3 lakh rupees
State Government of Maharashtra on 18 December 2014 decided to make e-tendering
compulsory for projects over 3 lakh rupees. The step was taken to bring transparency
and curb irregularities in the state administration.
It will become compulsory from 1 April 2015. Till then, people have the choice of
using the e-tendering facility or not.
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However, for bids over 10 lakh rupees e-tendering has been made compulsory with
immediate effect.
These norms will be applicable to all the departments of the state government, urban
and rural local self-government bodies like gram panchayats and zilla parishads and
corporations.
E-tendering in Maharashtra
The e-tendering process has been in Maharashtra since 2010. The state government
started the process after receiving flak for corruption in the manual tendering process.
But earlier, the process was applicable only for schemes and projects of 50 lakh
rupees and above. Later, in 2013, the amount was brought down to 10 lakh rupees.
Maharashtra Government set up all-party committee to review

issue of Maratha reservations
The Maharashtra Government on 21 November 2014 set up an all-party committee
to review the issue of Maratha reservations.
The appointment of committee came up after Bombay High Court stayed 16 percent
reservation to Maratha community and 5 percent to Muslims in education and jobs.
The committee is headed by state Education Minister, Vinod Tawde will study the
court order thoroughly and point out discrepancies. It will be corrected by amending
the law in the upcoming winter session of Maharashtra Assembly.
The other members of the committee includes

State Cooperatives Minister, Chandrakant Patil
Leader of opposition, Eknath Shinde
Former deputy chief minister, Ajit Pawar
Senior congress leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil and other legal experts
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The state government of Maharashtra decided to challenge the Bombay High Court
order to stay the reservations of Maratha community and Muslims in the Supreme
Court.
Bombay High Court appointed a team of 17 lawyers to function

as Commissioners of Court
The Bombay High Court on 19 December 2014 appointed a team of 17 lawyers to
function as Commissioners of Court to help in removing the illegal hoardings.
The court also ordered that all civic bodies should have a toll-free number to enable
people to register complaints against illegal hoardings.
Tasks to be served by the Commissioners of Court

These Commissioners of Court were asked by a bench of judges headed by
Justice Abhay Oka to visit various places in the state and detect illegal posters,
banners and hoardings put up by political parties.
After detecting the illegal hoardings, these Commissioners will then have to inform
the concerned civic body so that steps can be initiated to remove them.
The Court Commissioners have also been asked to check whether the concerned
municipal body has taken action against such illegal hoardings or not.
The commissioners of court have to submit a report in this regard by the end of
February 2015.
Background
Earlier, the Bombay High Court was hearing a bunch of petitions alleging that political
parties were putting up hoardings, posters and banners without taking permission.
These hoardings were defacing public and private properties.
In November 2014, the court had pulled up municipal bodies in the state for not
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complying with its earlier orders on removal of illegal hoardings, posters and banners
exhibited by political parties.
The bench of judges had even warned that it would dissolve civic bodies if they do
not take steps to remove illegal hoardings.

Academician and journalist Ghanta Chakrapani was on 17 December 2014 appointed
as the first Chairman of the Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC). He
will hold the TSPSC office for six years.
Chakrapani is presently the Dean of Faculty of Social Sciences at B.R. Ambedkar
Open University (BRAOU).
Ghanta Chakrapani
Born in Yaswada village of Telangana, Ghanta Chakrapani did his post-graduation
in Sociology and Communication and Journalism from Osmania University.
He worked in all the popular Telugu newspapers including Udayam, Andhra Jyothi
before moving into academics.
He has received national and international fellowships including the prestigious
India China Institute fellowship and has worked on Globalisation and Inequalities
in India and China.
He published 12 books and 52 research articles. He also received the Best Teacher
Award in 2014.
Presently, he is writing Ghantapatham, a weekly column in Namasthe Telangana.
Background
Earlier in August 2014, Telangana government notified a Government Order (GO No
43) for constitution of the Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC).
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According to the Article 315 of Indian Constitution and Section 83(2) of the Andhra
Pradesh Re-Organisation Act, 2014 (Central Act.6/2014), it is provided for constitution
of a Public Service Commission in the Successor State of Telangana after its bifurcation
from Andhra Pradesh.
The Lok Sabha on 16 December 2014 passed the National Capital Territory (NCT) of
Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Amendment Bill, 2014. The bill was presented in Lok
Sabha by the Union Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu.
The Bill seeks to amend the National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special
Provisions) Second Act, 2011 as the deadlines provided under the 2011 Act expires
Thus, the bill seeks to extend the deadlines under the National Capital Territory of
Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Second Act, 2011 up to 31 December 2017.
The National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions)

Second Act, 2011
The 2011 Act provided that no action will be taken till 31 December 2014 with
respect to (i) Encroachment or unauthorized development as of 1 January 2006;
and (ii) Unauthorized colonies, village abadi areas that existed on 31 March 2002
and where construction took place up till 8 February 2007 and other areas as of 8
February 2007.
Relocate slum dwellers and Jhuggi-Jhompri clusters in accordance with the
provisions of the Delhi Shelter Improvement Board Act, 2010 and the Master Plan
for Delhi, 2021.
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Regulate street vendors in accordance with the policy for street vendors outlined
in the Master Plan for Delhi, 2021.
Regularise unauthorised colonies, village abadi areas (and their extensions).
Create a policy for farm houses constructed beyond permissible limits.
Create a policy or plan for all other areas of the National Capital Territory of Delhi
in keeping with the Master Plan for Delhi, 2021.
Why the Bill was needed?

The Bill was needed to make sure that any punitive action is not taken on the
unauthorized developments/colonies in the NCT of Delhi. The bill also seeks to
provide opportunity for Government agencies to finalise the norms, policy guidelines
and feasible strategies as well as orderly implementation of Delhi Master Plan, 2021.

The Survey of India on 16 December 2014 released a revised geographical map of
Hyderabad. The new map showed an expansion from all the sides compared to the
last revised map released in 2002.
The Centre made use of satellite imagery from Cartosat, a series of indigenous
observation satellites, to draw up the maps of the extended city. They also carried
out the physical verification to finalise the map.
The Survey of India is also ready with a new map of India showing Telangana and
Andhra Pradesh as separate states after the bifurcation on 2 June 2014. The Map will
be released after being verified from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
Highlights of the revised geographical map of Hyderabad

The new Hyderabad maps show 625 sq km of area falling under Greater Hyderabad
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Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits, thereby being a part of the city.
Eights kinds of the map have been brought out including one in Telugu.
The entire set of eight part maps of Hyderabad is being made available to the
public for 495 rupees.
Survey of India
Survey of India is the National Survey and Mapping Organization of India under
the Department of Science & Technology. It is the oldest scientific department of
the Government of India.
Established in 1767, Survey of India bears a special responsibility to ensure that
the countrys domain is explored and mapped suitably.
The organisation acts as adviser to the Government of India on all survey matters
including Geodesy, Photogrammetric, Mapping & Map Reproduction.

Telugu music director Chakradhar or Chakri died on 15 December 2014 due to heart
attack in Hyderabad. He was 60.
His career spanned for about 15 years. He composed music for about 85 films out
of which huge hits are: Idiot, Amma Nanna O Tamil Ammayi, Chakram, Simha and
Desamuduru.
He debuted with Puri Jagannadhs directorial Bachi in 2000 and went on to compose
music for over 85 films. He received State governments Nandi Award for his tunes
in Simha.
His combination with director Puri Jagannadh was considered as the most suhcessful
combination.
Chakri last scored music for Erra Bus which was directed by Dasari Narayana Rao.
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He was born on 15 June 1974 and was a native of Mahabubabad in Warangal district.
Chakris father Gilla Venkata Narayana, singer and actor, too died of heart attack two
years ago in 2012.
Six new ministers inducted in Telangana State Cabinet

Six new ministers were on 16 December 2014 inducted into Telangana State cabinet
by Chief Minister K Chandrasekhara Rao. The ministers took the oath of office and
secrecy at the Raj Bhavan in Hyderabad.
Before the induction of the new batch of ministers, there were 12 cabinet ministers
in Telangana cabinet. Now, the total strength of the cabinet is 18, which is also the
maximum permissible cabinet size in Telangana.
Moreover, the Chief Minister also revived the posts of Parliamentary Secretaries to
accommodate a number of aspirants.
List of the ministers

1. Thummala Nageswara Rao (Former MLA of Khammam)
2. Charlakola Lakshma Reddy (MLA from Jadcherala constituency, Mahabubnagar
district)
3. Azmeera Chandulal (MLA from Mulugu, Warangal district))
4. Jupally Krishna Rao (MLA from Kollapur,Mahabubnagar district))
5. Allola Indrakaran Reddy (MLA from Nirmal, Adilabad district))
6. Talasani Srinivas Yadav (MLA representing Sanathnagar, Rangareddy)
The Constitution (Ninety-First Amendment) Act, 2003

As per the Article 164 (1A) of the Indian Constitution, the total number of Ministers
including the Chief Minister in the State Council of Ministers shall not exceed fifteen
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percent of the total number of Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLA).
The Article also provides that the number of Ministers including Chief Minister in a
State shall not be less than twelve.
Maharashtra government declared Dahi Handi as adventurous

sport
The Maharashtra Government on 12 December 2014 declared Dahi Handi as
adventurous sport to make it a safe sport. Dahi Handi involves making a human
pyramid and breaking an earthen pot filled with buttermilk tied at a height on the
occasion of Krishan Janmashtami. It is a traditional sport in Maharashtra.
The state government took decision to make Dahi Handi as a safe activity and will
formulate new rules and safety guidelines prescribed by the state commission. It will
also ensure proper training for the participants and the use of all safety instruments.
In August 2014, Bombay High Court had banned the participation of children below
18 years of age in Dahi Handi citing fatal accidents at the events. However, Supreme
Court had reduced the age limit to 12 years and had asked the organizers to use
proper safety measure at events.
Andhra Pradesh CM Nara Chandrababu Naidu launched Farmers Debt Redemption Scheme
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister (CM) Nara Chandrababu Naidu on 11 December 2014
launched the Farmers Debt Redemption Scheme to give debt relief to every eligible
farmer.
As per the Scheme, farmers who took loans between 1 April 2007 and 31 December
2013 are eligible for the waiver. About 22.79 lakh farmers will be benefitted by the
scheme.
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Highlights of the scheme

Under the Debt Redemption Scheme, all the debt of up to 50000 rupees of each
farmer will be repaid to the banks after the verification process.
The verification process will bring out the names of the farmers who have a debt
burden of over 50000 rupees to 1.5 lakh rupees which is the upper limit as set by
the government.
Farmers whose loan amounts are up to 1.5 lakh rupees will get waiver in installments
with an initial 20 percent payment.
Under the scheme, District Collectors and Joint Collectors will be held accountable
if any farmer was compelled to sell his produce for less than the minimum support
price.
Andhra Pradesh Government unveiled Land Pooling Policy to

build new state capital
The Andhra Pradesh government on 8 December 2014 unveiled a Land Pooling
Policy to build new state capital near Vijayawada-Guntur region.
Under the policy, the state will secure about 30000 acres of land in order to construct
a riverfront capital city on the southern side of the Krishna river.
Pooling of land for the capital will begin on 9 December 2014 as a majority of 22405
farmers in 29 villages are ready to part with their lands.
Highlights of the Land Pooling Policy

The state government will immediately release a sum of 200 crore rupees to provide
debt relief of up to 1.5 lakh rupees to each farmer as a one-time settlement.
Under the package, farmers owning dry land will be given 1000 square yards of
residential plot and 200 square yards of commercial plot as compensation for
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every acre given to the Andhra Pradesh government.
Owners of wet land will be given 1000 square yards of residential land and 300
square yards of commercial plots in the proposed zone closer to their existing
lands.
The assigned land owners will be given 800 square yards of residential and 100
square yards of commercial plot against one acre of land.
Besides, owners of dry land will also be paid 30000 rupees per annum as
compensation for ten years with a 10 percent hike every year who give away one
acre of land, while those owning wet lands will get 50000 rupees as well as a 10
percent hike per annum.
12000 landless families will be given pension of 2500 rupees a month for 10 years
through the Capital Region Social Security Fund.
Once a farmer hands over the land, he will be immediately handed over a Land
Pooling Ownership Certificate (LPOC) and the developed land will be handed over
to him within three years.
The farmers in the new capital region will be exempted from paying farm loans.
Andhra Pradesh Government signed MoU with Singapore for development of its new capital
Andhra Pradesh Government on 8 December 2014 signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) with Singapore for the development of its new capital that is
set to come up near Vijawayada region.
The MoU was signed by International Enterprise Singapore CEO Teo Eng Cheong
and the Infrastructure Corporation of the Andhra Pradesh representative Sambasiva
Rao.
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Highlights of the MoU
Under the MoU, Singapore will prepare a master plan for building the new capital
of Andhra Pradesh.
The master plan will be designed for the capital region that is likely to come up in
an area of approximately 7300 square kilometres and also for the capital city that
will be spread in an area of 125 square kilometres.
A joint High Level Committee will be set up to monitor the progress of the project.
The first phase of the development of the capital will be completed by 2019 and
some Singapore companies might also be involved in capital construction.
The Centre for Liveable Cities and Singapore Cooperation Enterprise will also help
Andhra Pradesh by providing training programmes for state government officials
who will be involved in the development of the capital city.
Karnataka cabinet approved Child Protection Policy for Safe

Schools in Karnataka
Karnataka cabinet on 6 December 2014 approved Child Protection Policy for Safe
Schools in Karnataka. The cabinet approved the policy in wake of several child abuse
incidents in schools and with an intention to provide safety to children in schools.
According to the Child Protection Policy

School managements and staff will be responsible for the safety of children in
their institutions.
It covers all kinds of atrocities against children long with sexual harassment of
Children.
It will be applicable to all schools that is government, aided or non-aided and
those that comes under CBSE, ICSE and other boards, including international
schools. Even Pre-schools, coaching centres and private tuitions also come under
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the policy.
The policy proposes that every school in the state should have its own child safety
policy and mandatory checklists, besides facilities for emergency treatment in
conformity to the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) norms
Proposes to constitute a Child Protection Committee (CPC) consisting of the
principal, a senior teacher, one senior non-teaching staff, student representatives,
parents and an external person from the neighbourhood
Apart from the principal, every school will have to nominate a child protection
officer (CPO) from among the teaching or non-teaching staff.
Union MoEF approved the construction of Chhatrapati Shivaji

Maharaj statue in Arabian Sea
The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) on 4 December 2014 gave its
approval for the construction of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue and memorial in
the Arabian Sea, off the Mumbai coast.
As the project is environmentally sensitive, it will cost approximately 2000 crore
rupees to ensure that it does not cause any environmental damage.
Highlights of the project

The proposal put forward by the state includes a 190-feet statue that is to be
erected on a rocky projection 1.5km from Raj Bhavan. The total area will be 15.96
hectares.
The plan is also comprised of three levels of pedestal with museums, art galleries
and recreation centres.
On the mainland, there will be two jetties- the existing one at the Gateway of India
and a proposed jetty at Nariman Point to ferry passengers and commodities.
To make it environmentally sustainable, there will be a sewage treatment plant
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and desalination plant along with wind mills, solar shelters, solar light poles, tidal
turbines etc.
The memorial will consist of three layer pedestal of concrete with stone cladding
of granite. The rocky outcrop will be fortified with a Reinforced Cement Concrete
sea wall.
Background
In January 2014, the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA)
had recommended to the MoEF to consider a special dispensation under the Coastal
Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification-2011 for the proposal to install Chhatrapati Shivaji
Maharajs statue and memorial in the Arabian sea as a permissible activity.
It had also asked the ministry to delegate powers to the MCZMA under CRZ
Notification 2011 to recommend the project from a CRZ point of view to the planning
authority at the state level.
Manipur government extended Disturbed Area status under AFSPA for another one year
The Manipur Government on 1 December 2014 extended the Disturbed Area status
for Manipur to another one year under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA)
with effect from 1 December 2014.
Except the eight assembly segments in the Imphal Municipal Council of Manipur, the
disturbed area status will be applicable to the valley and hill districts in the rest of the
state. The extension will allow security forces to operate and aid civil administration
to flush out insurgents.
The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting after taking serious note of frequent
bomb blasts and other acts of violence.
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Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA)

The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) is an Act of the Parliament of India
which was passed on 11 September 1958. It extends to the whole of the State of
Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura and the Union Territories of
Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram.
The AFSPA was first imposed in Manipur in September 1980. However, it has been
extended from time to time. Section 3 of the AFSPA empowers the state government
to extend the Disturbed Area status over the entire state or some selected areas.
It grants special powers to the Indian Armed Forces to maintain public order in the
places that are termed as Disturbed Areas under the Act.
Meghalaya formed panel to expedite inclusion process of Khasilanguage in Constitution

State Government of Meghalaya on 3 December 2014 constituted a committee to
speed up the process of getting the Khasi-language included in the Eighth Schedule
of the Constitution of India.
The 15-member committee will be headed by Deputy Chief Minister RC Laloo.
The committee was formed after Chief Minister Dr. Mukul Sangma in last week of
November 2014 assured the assembly that the government will constitute a committee
for the purpose.
About Khasi-language
Khasi also known as as Khasia, Khassee, Cossyah or Kyin is a language of the
Mon-Khmer linguistic branch
Khasi language is recognized as the Associate Official Language of the state after
the Meghalaya State Language Act, 2005 received the governors assent on 1
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May 2005
The language is spoken by at least 1.5 million people in the Meghalaya, mainly by
people of Khasi and Jaintia tribes
The Khasi language has obtained credible status at the academic level and is
included in the syllabus of graduate and post graduate studies of North Eastern
Hill University (NEHU) enabling students to do research work in Khasi leading to
the MPhil and PhD degrees
The Khasi authors have been awarded with Bhasha Samman by the Sahitya
Akademi in 1996 and 2012.
Since 1971, Khasi community has been struggling to accord constitutional
recognition of Khasi-language
UNESCO on 6 April 2012 said that Khasi-language is no longer in danger and
withdrew Khasi from its Atlas of the Worlds Languages in Danger.
UP Government launched the Women Entrepreneurship Scheme

2014-15
Uttar Pradesh (UP) government on 2 December 2014 launched the Women
Entrepreneurship Scheme 2014-15 to empower women and ensure their participation
in the process of industrialization.
Under the scheme, the state government is encouraging micro-level and individual
traditional industries and handicraft units to form a special purpose vehicle (SPV).
The collection of 25 or more such units would qualify for benefits under a scheme
that seeks to boost traditional Indian craft such as chikankari, terracotta, zari, zardozi
and toys.
Highlights of the Women Entrepreneurship Scheme 2014-15

The Central government will provide 70 percent of the 15 crore rupees under the
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scheme.
The unemployed women are eligible for easy seed capital to start their own micro
or small enterprise.
The loan will be provided by nationalized banks, financial institutions or the State
Financial Corporation for the purchase of plant and machinery.
The beneficiaries are entitled to a loan of 50000 rupees per year at five percent
interest subjected to a ceiling of 2.50 lakh rupees in five years.
This scheme is applicable to both manufacturing and service sector units.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off first passenger train

to Meghalaya from Assam
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 29 November 2014 flagged off first passenger train
to Meghalaya from Assam. The move has put Meghalaya on Indias railway map for
the first time.
Modi flagged off the train via remote control at a function at Railway Stadium in
Maligoan in Guwahati.
The newly-laid 19.75 Km Mendipathar (Meghalaya) -Dudhnoi (Assam) railway track
will connect Mendipathar in Garo Hills to Guwahati.
Also, he laid the foundation stone of a board gauge railway line from Bhairabi to
Sairang in Mizoram.
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu was also present, along with chief ministers of
Assam, Meghalaya and Mizoram.
Chief Minister of Meghalaya Mukul Sangma said the first railway track in the state
would pave a new way of economic growth and prosperity for people of Meghalaya
especially the farmers.
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NEWS CAPSULE
PERSON IN NEWS
Raghunath K. Shevgaonkar, Director of the Indian Institute of
Technology -Delhi resigned
Raghunath K. Shevgaonkar, Director of the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi
was in news on 28 December 2014 after a controversy erupted in media over his
resignation.
Shevgaonkar resigned from the post of Director, IIT-Delhi on 22 December 2014 citing
personal issues.
Prof. Shevgaonkar sent his resignation to the Chairman of IIT Board of Governors
Vijay P Bhatkar which was forwarded to the Union Human Resource Development
Ministry on 26 December 2014.
The resignation will have now to be approved by the President Pranab Mukherjee.
Only the President, in his capacity as Visitor of the IIT, could accept the resignation.
Shevgaonkar became the Director of IIT-Delhi in 2011. He is still left with two years
tenure.
Earlier, he was Deputy Director (Finance and External Affairs) of IIT Bombay from
2005 to 2008.
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K Radhakrishnan, Chairman of ISRO, featured in Top 10 List of
Journal Nature
Koppillil Radhakrishnan, Chairman of ISRO, featured in the Top 10 List of Journal
Nature. The edition of the top 10 people that mattered in science in 2014 was released
This is the first time in the recent past that the Nature chose an Indian working in
India.
Achievements of K Radhakrishnan
In January 2014, the space organisation achieved spectacular success with the
spaceflight of an Indian cryogenic engine and stage. India has been striving hard for
some years to indigenously develop a cryogenic engine to improve the reliability of
GSLV rockets and to take the rocket to greater heights.
On 24 September 2014 when Indias Mangalyaan successfully settled into Mars orbit,
the country became the first and only nation to have done so on its maiden attempt.
India also became the first Asian country to reach Mars.
The recent launch of the heaviest and tallest GSLV Mark III and the successful reentry of the unmanned crew module were the other landmark achievements.
The other nine persons in the list are

Andrea Accomazzo: A former test pilot who was flight director of the European
Space Agencys Rosetta mission, which has for the first time put a spacecraft in
orbit around a comet and soft-landed Philae spacecraft on it.
Suzanne Topalian: A clinician who helped pioneer PD-1 inhibitors, a new class of
drug therapy for cancer. The drugs allow T cells in the immune system to freely
attack tumours.
Radhika Nagpal: An Indian-origin researcher who used biology-inspired robotics
to get a swarm of 1024 robots to assemble and form various shapes.
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Sheik Humarr Khan: An infection disease expert from Sierra Leone, who became
a part of a team of scientists who carried out the first genetic sequencing studies
of the Ebola virus. He helped treat many Ebola patients as lead physician at Sierra
Leones Kenema Government Hospital, but himself succumbed to the disease in
July 2014.
David Spergel: The astrophysicist who spotted an error in the evidence provided
by a team of scientists that they had probably detected gravitational waves from
space.
Maryam Mirzakhani: the first female mathematician to win the Fields Medal, the
equivalent of a Nobel in mathematics.
Pete Frates: A former university baseball coach who started the Ice-Bucket
challenge that gained worldwide attention in 2014 and raised 115 million US dollar
for combating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a neuro-degenerative disorder.
Masayo Takahashi: An ophthalmologist, who successfully tested the safety
and efficacy of using induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, which are adult cells
genetically reprogrammed to an embryonic stem cell, to treat blindness.
Sjors Scheres: A biologist who developed a software called RELION, which can
produced extremely detailed 3D reconstructions of molecular machines which are
components of molecules responsible for mechanical movement. This can help
scientists visualize molecular machines more clearly than was possible before.
Pope Francis conferred sainthood on Father Chavara Achen &

Sister Euphrasia
Pope Francis on 23 November 2014 conferred sainthood on two Indians -Father
Kuriakose Elias Chavara and Sister Euphrasia. Pope Francis pronounced them as
saint at a special mass St Peters Square at Vatican.
Father Kuriakose Elias Chavara is popularly known as Chavara Achen and Sister
Euphrasia is popularly known as Evuprasiamma both were from Kerala.
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They were conferred sainthood along with four Italian saints. These were
Giovanni Antonio Farina- Bishop of Vicenza in the late 1800s
Missionary Ludovico da Casoria
Fellow Franciscans Nicola da Longobardi
Amato Ronconi
The process of considering a person for sainthood is an often decades-long process.
The person has been dead for five years and has been credited with bringing about
two miracles.
Sister Alphonsa was the first Indian to be declared as saint in 2008.
About Chavara Achen

Father Kuriakose Chavara was proclaimed as a priest in 1829. He was beatified
in 1986 and he received the beatification after claims of several miracles by his
followers.
Chavara was also a social reformer and believed that intellectual development
and education of women was the first step towards overall social welfare.
He first introduced the system called A school along with every church, which was
successful in making free education available for everyone.
Chavara died in Jan 1871 at the age of 65.
About Sister Euphrasia

Sister Euphrasia was beatified in 2006 and she was known as praying mother and
saint among nuns.
Sister Euphrasia was declared a Servant of God in 1987 and followed by Venerable
in July 2002.
She was declared as Blessed by Cardinal Mar Varkey Vithayathil, the Major
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Archbishop of the Syro Malabar church in December 2006.
She died in August 1952 at the age of 75.
US President Barack Obama to be the Chief Guest of Indias Republic Day 2015
The US President Barack Obama will be the Chief Guest at 66th Indias Republic Day
celebrations 2015. The White House on 21 November 2014 accepted the invitation
of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Obama will participate in the Republic Day celebrations of India, which will be held
in New Delhi on 26 January 2015. He will be the first US President to attend the
Republic Day Parade of India.
Obama will also meet the Prime Minister and Indian officials to strengthen and expand
the US-India strategic partnership.
Obama will be the first US President to travel to India twice. Earlier, he had visited
India at the invitation of then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2010. During his
visit, he also addressed a joint session of Parliament and students in Mumbai.
Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, main accused of 26/11 Mumbai terror

attack, granted bail
The mastermind of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, was
in news recently after an Anti Terrorism Court (ATC) in Pakistan granted bail to him
on 18 December 2014.He was granted bail against a surety amount of one million
rupees (10000 dollars).
Lakhvi, Chief Operation Commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), was among the seven
persons charged with planning and helping carry out the Mumbai attacks in 2008
in which more than 160 people were killed. Other six who have been charged with
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planning, financing and executing the attacks in Mumbai, Indias financial capital are
Abdul Wajid, Mazhar Iqbal, Hamad Amin Sadiq, Shahid Jameel Riaz, Jamil Ahmed
and Anjum.
He was arrested in Pakistan in 2009 in connection with the attack on Mumbai after
the lone surviving gunman identified Lakhvi as the mastermind of the attack. Lakhvi
was in Pakistans top-security Adiala Jail in the city of Rawalpindi, adjacent to the
capital, Islamabad.
He is also the accused of overseeing the 2006 train bombings in Mumbai, in which
over 200 people were killed and 700 injured.
The courts verdict came two day after Pakistan saw one of its biggest ever militant
attacks. The attack happened in an Army-run school of Peshawar in which at least
141 people including 132 students were killed.
Indias response to the Courts verdict

India condemned the verdict and immediately called upon Pakistan to take steps to
reverse the decision of granting bail to Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi. It said that release of
Lakhvi on bail is unacceptable to India and is very unfortunate.
Reverend Libby Lane appointed as first female bishop of the

Church of England
Reverend Libby Lane was on 17 December 2014 appointed as the first female bishop
of the Church of England. She will become the new Bishop of Stockport, a post that
was vacant since May 2014.
Libby will succeed the Reverend Robert Atwell, who is now the Bishop of Exeter. The
nomination of Libby as the new Bishop of Stockport was approved by the Queen of
England.
As Bishop of Stockport, she will serve as a suffragan (assistant) bishop in the Diocese
of Chester. Presently, Lane is the vicar at St Peters Hale and St Elizabeths Ashley.
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Lane will be consecrated as the eighth bishop of the town at a ceremony at York
Minster on 26 January 2015. Her appointment will end centuries of male leadership
of the Church.
Reverend Libby Lane

Libby Lane was ordained as a priest in 1994 and has served a number of parish
and chaplaincy roles in the North of England in the Dioceses of Blackburn, York
and Chester.
She has been the vicar at St Peters Hale and St Elizabeths Ashley since 2007.
Later in 2010, she became the Dean of Women in Ministry for the diocese since
January 2010.
Prior to moving to Hale, Libby was Team Vicar in the Stockport South West Team,
and Assistant Diocesan Director of Ordinands in the Diocese of Chester.
Libby has served in the Diocese of York as Chaplain in hospital and as Family Life
Officer for the Committee for Social Responsibility in the Diocese of Chester.
Her husband George is also a priest, they were one of the first married couples in
the Church of England who were ordained together.
Background
The Church of England supported the introduction of female priests in 1992 and the
first female bishops were appointed two years later. However, till date women have
not been able to take on the Churchs most senior roles.
The historic appointment comes just after the Church of Englands ruling General
Synod formally enacted a change to Canon Law by opening the episcopate for the
women for first time.
The law opened the way for the first woman to be appointed to the episcopate as
early as before 2015.
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Tashi-Nungshi became worlds 1st twin to climb highest peaks
of seven continents
Tashi Malik and Nungshi Malik from Dehradun, Uttarakhand on 16 December 2014
became the worlds first twin and sibling to climb the highest peaks of the seven
continents.
They achieved the feat after scaling Antarcticas highest mountain, Mount Vinson at
4892 meters during their Mission 2 for 7. The two sisters dedicated Mission 2 for 7 to
the cause of the Indian girl child.
Journey of Tashi Malik and Nungshi Malik in Mission 2 for 7

February 2012: Conquered Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania (Africa continent)
May 2013: Conquered Mount Everest in Nepal (Asia continent)
August 2013: Conquered Mount Elbrus in Russia (Europe continent)
January 2014: Conquered Mount Aconcagua in Argentina (South America
continent)
March 2014: Conquered Mount Carstensz Pyramid in Indonesia (Oceania continent)
June 2014: Conquered Mount McKinley in Alaska (North America continent)
December 2014: Conquered Mount Vinson of Antarctica (Antarctica continent)
Music composer A R Rahman nominated for Oscar Awards in

Music Original Score Category
Allah Rakha Rahman on 12 December 2014 was nominated for Oscar Awards for the
year 2015 in the Music Original Score Category for three films.
He was nominated for the films Million Dollar Arm, The Hundred-Foot Journey and
Indian film Kochadaiiyaan.
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The nomination list of 118 names was released by the Academy of Motion Picture
Arts and Sciences on its website. The final nominations shortlist for the prestigious
awards will be announced on 15 January 2015, while the presentation ceremony will
be held on 22 February 2015.
Earlier in 2009, Rahman had won the award for Danny Boyles Slumdog Millionaire
for his best original scores and best original song Jai ho from the same film.
In 2011, he had received two nominations for the 83rd Annual Academy Awards for
his original score in Boyles 127 Hours as well as original song If I Rise for the same
movie.
Besides this, his impressive list of awards include two Grammy Awards, a BAFTA
Award, a Golden Globe, four National Film Awards, fifteen Filmfare Awards and
thirteen Filmfare Awards South.
Miss World honoured Aishwarya Rai for charitable work

Miss World honoured Aishwarya Rai Bachan on 14 December 2014 for charitable
work. She was honoured with a special award at the Miss World 2014 ceremony in
London.
The prize was announced to applause her charitable work since she crowned Miss
World in 1994.
Aishwarya Rai Bachan appeared on stage with her husband Abhishek Bachchan,
their daughter Aaradhya and her mother Vrinda Rai.
Aishwarya Rai was the first runner-up of the Miss India pageant. She won the Miss
World pageant in 1994. She made her acting debut in the 1997.
She has received several awards and nominations, including two Filmfare Awards.
She was awarded with the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2009, and the
Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the Government of France in 2012.
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Sikkim CM Pawan Chamling became longest serving Chief Minister of India
Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling on 12 December 2014 became longest serving
Chief Minister of India. He completed his 20 years in the office on 12 December 2014.
He has been chief minister of Sikkim since 12 December 1994.
Earlier, the longest serving CM was late Communist leader Jyoti Basu who was chief
minister of West Bengal.
Chamling will create an Indian political history record of being 25 years in the office
should he complete his present term, his fifth. He has led his Sikkim Democratic
Front (SDF) party to a record mandate for the fifth time in a row in the assembly
elections held in May 2014.
The ruling SDF has won 22 out of a total 32 seats on the plank of promoting peace,
security and development. The party got majority 55 per cent vote share in multi
corned contest in the state.
He was elected as the president of Yangang Gram Panchayat in 1982. In 1985, he was
elected to the Sikkim Legislative Assembly for the first time. After being elected for
the second time from Damthang constituency, he became the Minister for Industries,
Information and Public Relations from 1989 to 1992 in the Nar Bahadur Bhandari
cabinet.
After a series of major political upheavals in Sikkim, Chamling formed the Sikkim
Democratic Front in 1993. The Sikkim Democratic Front won the 1994, 1999, 2004
and 2009 State Assembly elections.
Chamling has launched various flagship programme like Rural Housing Mission to
make Sikkim the first Kutcha House-Free State in the country by 2013. So far, 6000
Pakka houses for poor Sikkimese families have been constructed. The objective of
the mission is to provide permanent and a safe roof over every family in Sikkim.
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Ruhi Singh won Miss Universal Peace & Humanity 2014
Ruhi Singh of India was in news because she won Miss Universal Peace & Humanity
2014 at Beirut, Lebanon on 10 December 2014.She is the first person to win this
pageant from India and she won the pageant among the 145 other countries. She
was Femina Miss India East first runner-up in 2011.
Rebecca Boggiano from Australia finished as first runner-up and Sofia Alkhadra from
Palestine was the second runner-up.
Miss Universal Peace & Humanity 2014 Pageant promotes, inspires, and empowers
all women to develop and utilize their strengths and inner qualities to positively impact
all people throughout the world.
About Miss Universal Peace & Humanity

The Miss Universal Peace & Humanity 2014 was conceptualized by the World
Peace Mission Organization under the patronage of the International Human
Rights Commission.
The purpose of international grand beauty pageant with the theme Beauty Speaks
for Peace is to call out for peace, to embrace peace, to preserve peace.
The main aim is to identify and showcase the worlds best tourism cause and
ambassadors for peace. It also aims at promoting peace around the world and
beauties from around the world compete in this event.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel re-elected as head of Conservative party

German Chancellor Angela Merkel was re-elected unopposed as head of Conservative
Christian Democrats party on 9 December 2014. She was elected as the head of the
party for the eighth time by winning 96.7 percent of delegates votes.
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She has been the leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) since 2000 and the
Chancellor of Germany since 2005. She is the first woman to hold either office.
A former research scientist, she entered politics in the wake of the Revolutions of
1989 and was appointed as the Federal Minister for Women and Youth in 1991 under
Chancellor Helmut Kohl. She became the Federal Minister for the Environment,
Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety in 1994, serving until 1998.
In 2007, Merkel was President of the European Council and chaired the G8, this
made her the second woman (after Margaret Thatcher) to do so. She played a central
role in the negotiation of the Treaty of Lisbon and the Berlin Declaration.
Richest man of Russia Alisher Usmanov decided to return the

Nobel Prize medal of James D Watson
Richest man of Russia Alisher Usmanov was in news in the first week of December
2014 as he decided to return the Nobel Prize medal to James D Watson which he
bought for 4.8 million US dollars at auction from him.
He bought the Nobel Prize medal in order to return the medal to the American
geneticist James D Watson, thinking that the medal will stay with the person who
deserved it.
Watson was awarded for the discovery of the structure of DNA and he was awarded
the Nobel Prize along with Maurice Wilkins and Francis Crick in 1962. Watson planned
to donate part of the proceeds to charities and to support scientific research.
According to Forbes magazine, Steel and telecom tycoon of Russia Alisher Usmanov
is worth 15.8 billion US dollars. He is a major shareholder in Arsenal Football Club.
He is the second richest man in Britain in 2014 according to the Sunday Times.
James D Watson auctioned his Nobel Prize medal for DNA discovery for 4.8 million US dollars
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James D Watson was in news the first week of December 2014 because he auctioned
his Nobel Prize medal for 4.8 million US dollars. He, thus, became the first living
recipient to auction the Nobel Prize medal.
He decided to donate part of the proceeds to charities and to support scientific
research.
He was awarded the Nobel Prize for the discovery of the structure of DNA in 1962.
He was awarded the Nobel Prize along with Maurice Wilkins and Francis Crick, with
each receiving a gold medal.
He was forced to auction off the medal after being excluded for seven years for his
public comments about black African IQ in 2007 treating as racist.
After commenting African IQ, Watson has not been invited to give public lectures and
fired from the boards of companies, so he dont have income apart from academic
income.
Oldest litigant of Babri Masjid case Hashim Ansari decided to

withdraw his plea
The main and oldest litigant in the Ram Janmbhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute, Mohammad
Hashim Ansari (94) was in news recently as he decided to withdraw his plea on the
case on 3 December 2014. He has been fighting the case since 1959.
His decision came three days before the 6 December, the anniversary of Babri Masjid
demolition.
Exasperated over the politicization of the issue, Ansari said that he was ready for
talks with the Prime Minister for peaceful negotiations in the matter if he promises to
ensure punishment to the demolition accused.
Meanwhile, the legal experts say that Hashim Ansaris withdrawal will not make any
difference as several others still remain as the party in the matter.
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About Ram Janmbhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute

The original title suit was filed in the Faizabad court in 1959 and the petition contested
the placement of Hindu idols inside the Masjid complex. But the dispute took an ugly
turn on 6 December 1992, when the mosque was demolished-leading to large-scale
rioting across the country.
In 2010, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court had ruled in a majority
judgement that there be a three-way division of the land on which the Babri mosque
stood one part each for Ram Lalla (infant Ram), Nirmohi Akhada and Sunni Waqf
Board.
That High Court verdict was subsequently stayed by the Supreme Court which
admitted appeals by both Hindu and Muslim organisations.
Ashutosh Maharaj last rites should be performed within 15 days:

Punjab & Haryana High Court
Ashutosh Maharaj was in news because the Punjab and Haryana High Court on 1
December 2014 directed the Punjab government to perform last rites of him within
15 days. The direction led to protest and fortification of Divya Jyoti Jagriti Sansthan
(DJJS) by followers of Godman Ashutosh Maharaj.
Ashutosh, who headed the DJJS sect with its headquarters at Nurmahal near
Jalandhar, was declared clinically dead by doctors on 29 January 2014. However,
the sect management kept his body in a deep freezer claiming that the sect leader
had gone into samadhi (deep meditation).
About Ashutosh Maharaj

Ashutosh Maharaj alias Mahesh Kumar Jha was born in 1946 in Bihar who later
became a spiritual leader, preacher, and founder of Divya Jyoti Jagriti Sansthan
(DJJS). He preached that every individual can become an embodiment of truth,
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fraternity, and justice through the eternal science of self-realization Brahm Gyan,
uprooting in its wake all social evils and threat.
He was a controversial figure among Sikh community, who have alleged him to be
hurting Sikh religious sentiments.
Rohtak sisters who thrashed molesters to be honoured on Republic Day

The Haryana government on 1 December 2014 announced that it will honour the two
sisters, Pooja and Aarti, who single-handedly took on three molesters in a moving
bus. The two sisters will be honoured and given cash awards on the occasion of
Republic Day, 26 January 2015.
Incident
Three boys, identified as Kuldeep, Mohit and Deepak tried to molest both girls (sisters)
in a moving bus of Haryana Roadways at Rohtak. Opposing to their action, the two
sisters thrashed these men, while the co-passengers watched the whole incident.
Two of the molesters are Indian Army personnel and the third is a college student.
They have been arrested and a case under section 354 (assault or criminal force with
intent to outrage womans modesty) and section 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) of the
Indian Penal Code was registered against them.
After the incident, the Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said that effective
steps will be taken to ensure security of women passengers. He asked the director
general of police (DGP) and the transport department to take steps to ensure safety
and security of passengers, especially women, who travel in the Haryana roadways
buses.
He also directed the bus driver and conductors to make sure that such incidents do
not occur in future.
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Eight-foot bronze statue of World War II Indian pilot Mohinder
Singh Pujji unveiled in UK
World War- II Indian pilot Late Mohinder Singh Pujji was in news because UK on
28 November 2014 honoured him by unveiling his eight-foot bronze statue at St
Andrews Garden in Gravesend, Kent, Great Britain.
Squadron Leader Mohinder Singh Pujji flew Hawker Hurricanes during World War II.
About Mohinder Singh Pujji

Pujji was an Indian Sikh fighter pilot who joined the Britains Royal Air Force (RAF)
in World War II
He learned to fly at the Delhi Flying School in 1936
Mohinder Singh was one of 24 qualified Indians who volunteered for the Royal Air
Force in 1940. The Indian Air Force officers reached London on 8 October 1940
Pujji also flew combat missions in Britain, Europe, North Africa and the Middle
East during the war
During his service, he was downed twice, first over the English Channel and then
in the Middle East
He was awarded with a Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) for bravery for his
services in Burma
In 2010, he published a book about his wartimes experiences entitled, For King
and Another Country
He was born in Shimla on 14 August 1918
He died at Darent Valley Hospital in Kent at the age of 92 on 18 September 2010
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Person Resigned
Koppillil Radhakrishnan retired as ISRO chief
Koppillil Radhakrishnan retired as the Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO) on 31 December 2014. He was appointed as the Chairman of the organization
in October 2009 as successor of G. Madhavan Nair.
Earlier, Radhakrishnans tenure as ISRO chief, Secretary, Department of Space and
Chairman, Space Commission was extended by four months in August 2014 till 31
December 2014.
Shailesh Nayak, a Secretary, Union Earth Sciences Ministry, will hold additional and
interim charge as Chairman for a month or until a regular chief is named.
Radhakrishnan spearheaded ISRO through several milestones like low-cost (74 million
US dollars) Mangalayaan, the Indian mission to the red planet, Mars. Some other
milestones include five consecutive successful PSLV missions including PSLV-C11
that lofted Chandrayaan-1, Indias unmanned mission to the Moon and GSLV-MK-III
that carried a human crew module to the space.
US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel resigned

US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel on 24 November 2014 resigned after remaining
at the top military post for less than two years (February 2013 to November 2014). He
will stay on as secretary until his successor is confirmed.
68 years old Hagels resignation came under pressure from the US President Barack
Obama who asked him to quit, as Pentagon embarked a new strategy to deal with
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the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
President Barack Obama accepted the resignation of Defence Secretary Chuck
Hagel and paid tribute to his class and integrity.
Hagel is the first Cabinet-level person to resign after Democratic Party lost majority
in the Senate and Obama administration is struggling to deal with the militant group
ISIS.
Chuck Hagel
He was the 24th United States Secretary of Defence
Between 1997 and 2009, he served as United States Senator from Nebraska
Hagel is a Vietnam War veteran and former Republican senator and received two
Purple Hearts as an infantry squad leader
A member of the Republican Party, Hagel was first elected to the United States
Senate in 1996.
He was reelected in 2002, but didnt run in 2008
Comment
In October 2014, it was reported that Hagel was sharply critical of the US strategy
against ISIS and in relation to the Syria regime. He raised questions about Obamas
strategy towards Syria in a two-page internal policy memo, which was leaked. The
memo said that Obamas policy was in jeopardy due to its failure to clarify its intentions
towards Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Stem cell scientist of Japan Haruko Obokata resigned over stem

cell scandal
Stem cell scientist of Japan Haruko Obokata, who is at the heart of stem cell scandal,
resigned on 19 December 2014. She resigned because she was not able to replicate
her breakthrough discovery of STAP (stimulus-triggered acquisition of pluripotency)
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technique for making stem cells quickly and cheaply.
In January 2014, she published her groundbreaking research in Journal Nature. Her
research claimed that she reprogrammed cells from newborn mice into cells with
embryo-like flexibility by simply dipping them into acid for a 30-minute shock period.
The method would have been a huge improvement over existing techniques that use
genetic engineering.
Following this, in February 2014, Riken Research Institute started an investigation
and found that some of the results shown by Obokata were fabricated. She was later
found guilty of misconduct by the Institute where the research on STAP cells is being
done.
Earlier, Scientist of Korea Hwang Woo-suk was also found for stem cell misconduct
in early 2000s that he had cloned embryos from human adults and made stem-cell
lines out of them.

The head of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Rajiv
Raj Shah on 17 December 2014 resigned from his position.
Rajiv will leave the office in February 2015. However, the reason behind his resignation
was not revealed.
Shah joined the office of USAID on 24 December 2009. Being the head of USAID,
Shah led more than 9600 professionals in 80 missions around the world, and managed
an annual budget of over 22 billion US dollars.
Rajiv Raj Shah

Shah served as Under Secretary of Agriculture for Research, Education and
Economics and Chief Scientist at the US Department of Agriculture in 2009.
He worked in a range of leadership roles at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
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including Director of Agricultural Development, Director of Financial Services and
manager of the Foundations 1.5 billion US dollars commitment to the Vaccine
Fund.
He co-founded Health Systems Analytics, a health care consulting firm and the
Project IMPACT for South Asian Americans.
He also served as an advisor to Philadelphias Public Health Commissioner and
worked at the World Health Organization.
Shah previously served on the boards of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in
Africa (AGRA).
In 2007, he was named as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum
and he serves on the Forums Global Agenda Council for Food Security.
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Person Appointed
A.K. Mittal was appointed as the Chairman of Railway Board on 31 December 2014.
He succeeded Arunendra Kumar who superannuated from Railway Services on 31
December 2014.
At the time of this appointment, Mittal was Member Staff, Railway Board and exofficio Secretary to the Government of India.
He had also served as General Manager of South Western Railway-SWR (Headquarters
Hubli) and was also looking after the additional charge of General Manager, South
Central Railway- SCR (Headquarters Secunderabad).
President Pranab Mukherjee appointed Governors of Mizoram,

Uttarakhand and Meghalaya
The President of India Pranab Mukherjee on 30 December 2014 appointed the
Governors of Mizoram, Uttarakhand and Meghalaya.
Appointments
Governor of Uttarakhand Aziz Qureshi was transferred and appointed as Governor
of Mizoram for the remainder of his term.
Meghalaya Governor Dr Krishan Kant Paul was transferred and appointed as
Governor of Uttarakhand for the remainder of his term. Krishan Kant Paul will
continue to hold the additional charge of the office of the Governor of Manipur, till
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further orders.
Keshari Nath Tripathi, Governor of West Bengal, will take additional charge as the
Governor of Meghalaya in addition to his own duties, till further orders.
Vrinda Sarup appointed as Secretary to Department of School

Education and Literacy
Senior IAS officer Vrinda Sarup on 29 December 2014 was appointed as Secretary
to the Department of School Education and Literacy under Union Ministry of Human
Resource Development. Her appointment was approved by the Appointments
Committee of the Cabinet.
She succeeded R Bhattacharya who is due to retire on 31 December 2014. R
Bhattacharya is a 1978 batch IAS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre.
She will take the charge with immediate effects.
Vrinda Sarup is a 1981 batch IAS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre. She is presently
working as Special Secretary to the Department of School Education and Literacy
under the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development.
Department of School Education & Literacy is responsible for development of
school education and literacy in the country. The Department has its eyes set on the
universalisation of education and making better citizens out of our young brigade.
Former SC judge Chandramauli Kumar Prasad chosen as the

next chairperson of PCI
Former Supreme Court (SC) judge Justice Chandramauli Kumar (CK) Prasad was
on 24 November 2014 chosen as the next chairperson of the Press Council of India
(PCI).
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CK Prasad will succeed Justice Markenday Katju as the Chairman of the PCI. He was
selected by a committee headed by Vice-President Hamid Ansari.
Justice Chandramauli Kumar Prasad

Born on 15 July 1949, Chandramauli Kumar Prasad graduated in Science from
Magadh University and did Law from Patna University.
He was enrolled as an Advocate on 27 November 1973 where he practiced in
Civil, Constitutional, Criminal and Service matters at Patna High Court.
Prasad was appointed as the Additional Advocate General of the State of Bihar in
1993.
In November 1994, he was elevated as permanent Judge of the Patna High Court
and later in the same year he was transferred to Madhya Pradesh High Court.
He took oath as the Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court on 20 March 2009.
In February 2010, CK Prasad was elevated as the Judge of Supreme Court of
India.
Deepak Gupta appointed as Chairman of UPSC

Deepak Gupta on 23 November 2014 was appointed as chairman of Union Public
Service Commission (UPSC). He was appointed as Chairperson of UPSC by the
President Pranab Mukherjee in accordance with the Article 316 (1) of the Constitution.
He took charge as UPSC chairman on 23 November 2014. Gupta replaced Rajni
Razdan, who completed her term on 22 November 2014.
He is the first non-UPSC member to be appointed as UPSC chairman. He is a retired
IAS officer of Jharkhand cadre. Traditionally, UPSC chairman is appointed from the
serving members of the Commission.
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Other members of the UPSC Commission are
Academician David R Syiemlieh
Former IFS officer Manbir Singh
Former CBI Director Amar Pratap Singh
Former Navy Vice Chief D K Dewan
Ex-Railway Board Chairman Vinay Mittal
Educationists P Kelimsungla and Hem Chandra Gupta
Former IAS officer Chhatar Singh
Sunil Manohar appointed as Advocate General of Maharashtra

Eminent lawyer Advocate Sunil Manohar was on 18 November 2014 appointed as
the Advocate General (AG) of Maharashtra. His appointment was approved by State
Cabinet.
Manohar replaced Darius Khambatta who was appointed as AG in 2012. Sunil
Manohar is the third person from city Nagpur to assume the post in Maharashtra.
Coincidentally, the last AG from Nagpur was Sunils father VR Manohar.
Presently, Manohar is a senior counsel practising at Nagpur Bench of the Bombay
High Court.
Sunil Manohar
Manohar pursued graduation in Commerce before joining the three-year LLB
course. He received eight medals, including four golds during the convocation
ceremony in 1988 for topping the course.
Manohar started his law practice under his father VR Manohar just after graduation.
Today he has 27 years of experience in the legal field.
He had been Vidarbha Ranji cricket player as he played one match against Madhya
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Pradesh.
Manohar appeared in hundreds of high-profile cases that included PWD scam,
chancellors powers to appoint VCs, controversy over duplication of Agneepath
song and ban on screening of Dirty Picture on TV.

Senior IPS officer Prakash Mishra was on 22 December 2014 appointed as the
Directorate General of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). He will serve the office
till February 2016.
The post of CRPF Directorate General was vacant since 30 November 2014 after
incumbent Dilip Trivedi retired.
His appointment was confirmed by the appointments committee of the Union Cabinet.
Mishra was till now serving as the Special Secretary (Internal Security) in the Union
Home Ministry.
Prakash Mishra
Prakash Mishra is a 1977 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer from Orissa
cadre.
Mishra was appointed the Director General of Police (DGP) in June 2012.
In July 2012, he was appointed as the chairman-cum-managing director of the
Orissa State Road Transport Corporation.
Shyam Srinivasan appointed as Chairman of IBA committee on

Member Private Sector Banks
Federal Bank CEO Shyam Srinivasan was on 19 December 2014 appointed as the
Chairman of the reconstituted Indian Banks Association committee on Member
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Private Sector Banks for 2014-15.
The committee consists of executives from 13 private banks. The committee is tasked
to look after the specific needs of all the 23 private sector banks that are members of
the IBA. The term of the committee is one year.
Shyam Srinivasan
Shyam Srinivasan is an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata
and Regional Engineering College, Tiruchirapally.
He has served on the Global Executive Forum (the top 100 executives) of Standard
Chartered Bank from 2004 to 2010.
In September 2010, Shyam Srinivasan took charge as the Managing Director &
Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Bank Ltd, a major private commercial bank
in India.
He is a member of the committee on Financial Sector Legislative Reforms set up
by the Reserve Bank of India.
Vasan Srinivasan inducted into the Australian Multicultural

Council
Indian-origin Vasan Srinivasan was on 18 December 2014 inducted into an Australian
national body Australian Multicultural Council (AMC). He will be serving the council
till 16 December 2017.
Srinivasan is currently the Chairman of Confederation of Indian Australian Associations.
Vasan Srinivasan
Vasan was a former Member of the Lord Mayors Charitable Grants Committee.
He was a Member of Family Panel from 2003 2013
Vasan is the Founder, Member, Chairman of the Multicultural Liberal Business Club
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(MLBC). Earlier, he served as the president of Federation of Indian Associations of
Victoria.
Vasan was appointed as the Vice Chairman for the 2010 Commonwealth Games
Committee in India for the closing ceremony in Delhi.
He was also the founding member of Federation of Indian Multi-Faith Organisations
of Victoria (FIMO).
Australian Multicultural Council (AMC)

AMC is a six-member council that advices the Australian government on
multicultural affairs and policy programmes.
It is a ministerial appointed body that works with a focus on harnessing economic
and social benefits of Australias culturally diverse population.
It advices the government on ways to sustain and support social cohesion within
communities.
It works to ensure that all Australians have the opportunity to participate, engage
and contribute to Australian life.
Amit Priyavadan Mehta appointed as Federal judge in the district of Columbia

Indian-American Amit Priyavadan Mehta was on 17 December 2014 appointed as a
federal judge in the district of Columbia by the US Senate. He is the first Asian Pacific
American to occupy this position.
He was nominated for the post by President Barack Obama in July 2014.
Amit Priyavadan Mehta

Mehta is a graduate of Georgetown University and the University of Virginia School
of Law, Order of the Coif.
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He had served as a clerk for judge Susan Graber, US court of appeals for the Ninth
Circuit.
Mehta has represented plaintiffs and defendants in federal civil matters, including
antitrust and a Securities and Exchange Commission enforcement action.
In a pro bono capacity, he has devoted more than 450 hours since 2010 to postconviction proceedings for an individual convicted of murder.
He is also vice president of the board of directors of the Mid-Atlantic Innocence
Project.
Mehta has been a partner at Zuckerman Spaeder Llp since 2010 where he
represents clients in civil and criminal matters before state and federal courts.
Union Government appointed Dineshwar Sharma as Director of

Intelligence Bureau
Dineshwar Sharma was appointed as Director of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) by the
Appointment Committee of Cabinet (ACC) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi
on 13 December 2014. He will take charge of the office from 1 January 2015 and will
have two-year tenure.
Sharma will succeed Syed Asif Ibrahim who will retire on 31 December 2014. However,
before taking charge of Director of IB, Sharma will first serve as Officer on Special
Duty (OSD) with immediate effect.
Dineshwar Sharma is a 1979 batch IPS officer from Kerala cadre and was serving as
Special Director in the Intelligence Bureau before this appointment.
Ibrahim, a 1977 batch IPS officer from Madhya Pradesh cadre, was the first Muslim
to be appointed as Director of IB and had taken over from Nehchal Sandhu.
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Veteran journalist-turned-diplomat Maleeha Lodhi was on 15 December 2014
appointed as 16th Pakistan Ambassador to the United Nations (UN). Lodhi succeeded
incumbent Ambassador Masood Khan.
Lodhi will join the office as Pakistans representative to the UN in February 2015.
Maleeha Lodhi
Maleeha started her career in journalism and is the first woman in South Asia
to become the editor of a national daily The News International. She entered
diplomacy after a career in journalism.
Lodhi taught Politics and Political Sociology at the London School of Economics
from 1980 to 1985.
Lodhi has twice served as Pakistans Ambassador to the United States in 199396 and 1999-2002.
She had been the Pakistan High Commissioner to the United Kingdom between
2003 and 2008.
Lodhi has also served as a member of the United Nations Secretary Generals
Advisory Board on Disarmament Affairs in 2001-2005.
She received the Pakistan presidential award Hilal-e-Imtiaz in 2002 for her public
services.
She is a member of the National Defence University Senate and a member of the
advisory council of the London- based International Institute of Strategic Affairs.
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Vivek Hallegere Murthy appointed as 19th Surgeon General of
America
Indian-American physician Vivek Hallegere Murthy was on 15 December 2014
appointed as the 19th Surgeon General of America. His appointment was confirmed
by the United States (US) Senate as he won 51 votes to 43 votes.
As surgeon general, Murthy will serve as the US top spokesperson on public health
issues. He will be the youngest and the first Indian-American to hold the post.
Background
The post of Surgeon General of America was vacant since 2013. Boris Lushniak was
the acting Surgeon General of America since July 2013.
US President Barack Obama in November 2013 had nominated Vivek Hallegere
Murthy to this top administration post on public health issues.
Murthys nomination received broad support from over 100 medical and public health
organizations in the US.
Vivek Hallegere Murthy

Murthy is a Hospitalist Attending Physician and Instructor in Medicine at Brigham
and Womens Hospital at Harvard Medical School since 2006.
He co-founded VISIONS Worldwide in 1995, a non-profit organisation focused on
HIV/AIDS education in India and the United States.
Murthy has been the Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board of TrialNetworks, a
cloud-based Clinical Trial Optimization System since 2007.
He is also the co-founder and president of Doctors for America organization since
2009.
In 2011, he was appointed as a Member of the Advisory Group on Prevention,
Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health.
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Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed appointed as the new head of the
UNMEER
Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed of Mauritania was on 11 December 2014 appointed as
the new head of the UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER). His
appointment was confirmed by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
Ahmed will succeed American Anthony Banbury in January 2015.
Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed

Ahmed is currently deputy special representative of the UN chief and deputy head
of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL).
He served as United Nations resident coordinator, humanitarian coordinator and
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) resident representative in Syria
(2008-2012) and Yemen (2012- 2014).
Ahmed has also held several positions with the United Nations Childrens Fund
(UNICEF).
Background
UNMEER was established in September 2015 to coordinate efforts to combat the
worlds worst outbreak of the Ebola virus.
Ebola outbreak has till now killed 6533 people in the three West African countriesSierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea. It has infected around 18118 people.

Senior IAS officer Anurag Jain was on 10 December 2014 appointed as the Joint
Secretary in Prime Ministers Office (PMO) of India.
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Jain will serve the PMO till 28 June 2016, the balance period of his central deputation.
He is presently working as Joint Secretary in Department of Financial Services under
the Union Finance Ministry.
Anurag Jain
Anurag Jain is a 1989 batch IAS officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre.
He was appointed as a Director at National Housing Bank in October 2011.
He became the Interim Chief Executive Officer and Interim Managing Director of
IFCI Limited from May 2013 to July 2013.
He has also served as an Acting Chairman and Acting Managing Director of ExportImport Bank of India from December 2013 to February 2014.
Randhir Singh appointed as honorary member of IOC

Randhir Singh was appointed as an honorary member of the International Olympic
Committee (IOC). He was appointed as the honorary member during the IOC session
in Monaco held from 8 December 2014 to 9 December 2014.
He was named for the honorary membership of the IOC after he served IOC as a full
member from India from 2001 to 2014.
Randhir Singh is the second Indian to become an honorary member of the IOC after
Ashwini Kumar. Ashwini Kumar was also given the membership after serving as full
IOC member from India.
An honorary member of the IOC can attend its sessions without having the right to
vote.
Randhir Singh is a former Secretary General of Indian Olympic Association (IOA) who
served the association from 1987 to 2012. He is also a former shooter who took part
in five Olympics.
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Richard Rahul Verma became first Indian-American to be appointed as US Ambassador to India
Indian-American Richard Rahul Vermas nomination as the next US Ambassador to
India was confirmed by the US Senate on 9 December 2014. With this, he became
the first Indian-American to be the US Ambassador to India.
Verma will replace Nancy Powell who resigned from the post in March 2014 after a
damaging row over the treatment of a junior diplomat of India, Devyani Khobragade.
At present, the US Embassy in New Delhi is headed by a charge daffaires, Kathleen
Stephens.
Currently, he is a senior counsellor at Steptoe & Johnson law firm and the Albright
Stonebridge Group, a business advisory company led by former US Secretary of
State Madeleine Albright.
About Richard Rahul Verma

Rahul verma served as Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs at the
US State Department in the Obama administration from 2009 to 2011.
He was a member of the Commission on the Prevention of WMD proliferation and
terrorism, and co-authored World at Risk in 2008.
He was a senior adviser to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid from 2002 to 2007.
He served as an Air Force judge advocate in the US Air Force.
He played an important role in the Congressional passage of India-US Civilian
Nuclear Deal and is a strong advocator of Indo-US ties. In this regard, he started
an India 2020 project at a top American-think tank named Center for American
Progress.
Richard Rahul Verma was born in 1968 in the US after his parents migrated to the
US in 1960s.
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Comment
The very fact that Verma nomination was confirmed by voice vote in a bitterly divided
Senate signifies the bi-partisan support to stronger India-US relationship.
Physicist Ashton Carter nominated as next defense secretary of

US
Physicist Ashton Carter was nominated as the next defence secretary of US
Department of Defence. He was nominated by the President Barack Obama on 5
December 2014.
Ashton will replace Chuck Hagel as US Defence Secretary, who resigned in November
2014. He will take over as defense secretary in 2015. He will be the fourth defence
secretary of President Obama in six years.
About Ashton Carter

Ashton carter was born in 1954 and he is a physicist and former Harvard professor.
He was professor and chair of the International Relations, Science, and Security
faculty in Kennedy school of Harvard.
He served as assistant secretary of defense for international security policy under
President Clinton (1993-94).
As assistant secretary of defence, he directed military planning during the 1994
crisis over nuclear weapons program of North Korea and he played an important
role in removing all nuclear weapons from the territories of Ukraine, Kazakhstan
and Belarus.
He authored many articles, scientific publications, government studies and
Congressional testimonies.
He authored books like Directed Energy Missile Defense in Space, Ballistic Missile
Defense, Managing Nuclear Operations , Soviet Nuclear Fission: Control of the
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Nuclear Arsenal in a Disintegrating Soviet Union and Keeping the Edge: Managing
Defense for the Future .
He had been a longtime member of the Defense Science Board and the Defense
Policy Board, the principal advisory bodies to the Secretary of Defense of US.

Indian-American scientist Arun Majumdar was on 4 December 2014 appointed as
the United States (US) Science Envoy with effect from 1 January 2015.
Arun Majumdar will join the office along with three other US Envoys Peter Hotez,
Jane Lubchenco and Geri Richmond. These distinguished scientists will engage
internationally at the citizen and government levels.
They will work to develop partnerships, improve collaboration and forge mutually
beneficial relationships between other nations and the US. Their aim will be to
encourage improved scientific cooperation and promote economic prosperity.
Presently, Arun Majumdar is the Jay Precourt Professor at Stanford University where
he serves on the faculty of the Department of Mechanical Engineering.
Arun Majumdar
An IIT-Bombay alumnus, Arun Majumdar is a material scientist, engineer.
He formerly ran the Environmental Energy Technologies Division at the Lawrence
Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL).
He was also the deputy director of LBNL as well as a professor of mechanical
engineering at the University of California, Berkeley.
Majumdar is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the American
Academy of Arts and Sciences.
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Justice Sardar Muhammad Raza Khan appointed as new Chief
Election Commissioner of Pakistan
Justice Sardar Muhammad Raza Khan was on 4 December 2014 appointed as new
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of Pakistan. The office of CEC was lying vacant
since 2013 after the retirement of Fakhruddin G. Ibrahim.
The announcement was made by Senator Rafiq Rajwana, chief of the parliamentary
committee just a day before the expiry of a Supreme Court deadline to fill this key
constitutional office. The Supreme Court had set 5 December 2014 as deadline for
the appointment of a permanent CEC.
Presently, Sardar Muhammad Raza Khan is the Chief Justice of the Federal Shariat
Court of Pakistan.
Justice Sardar Muhammad Raza

Justice Sardar Muhammad Raza Khan belongs to Abbottabad in Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
He was appointed as Chief Justice of Peshawar High Court on 25 April 2000.
During this time, he twice served as acting Governor of North-West Frontier
Province (NWFP).
In 2002, he was elevated as Judge of Supreme Court of Pakistan where he served
for more than 8 years. He retired as a judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan in
2011.
Sikh woman Preet Didbal elected as council member of Californias Yuba City
A Sikh woman Preet Didbal was on 3 December 2014 elected as a council member
of Californias Yuba City that has huge concentration of Sikhs in comparison to other
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cities.
Preet Didbal was sworn in by her daughter as part of the Yuba City ceremony for new
council members. This is the first time that a Sikh Woman is elected to the council of
California.
Preet Didbal
Currently Preet Didbal is a correctional health care services manager in the California
Department of Correction. She has also served on the Yuba City Planning Commission
for eight years.
Dibal holds an associate degree in nutrition, a bachelors degree in physical education
and a masters in public administration.
Yuba City
Yuba City in California has one of the largest concentration of Sikhs in the United
States.
It is known nationwide for the annual Sikh Day parade, which is attended by the
thousands of people from across the country.
In 2009, Kash Gill became the first Sikh American to be elected as Mayor of the
Yuba City.

Senior IPS officer Anil Kumar Sinha was appointed as the new CBI Director on 2
December 2014. At the time of appointment as Director of CBI, Sinha, a 1979 batch
IPS officer of Bihar cadre, was serving as a Special Director in CBI.
Anil Sinha will succeed Ranjit Sinha who retired on 2 December 2014. As per an
official notification, term of Anil Sinha will be for two years from the date he takes
charge.
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The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi, cleared the name of Anil Sinha who was among the 40 candidates shortlisted
by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).
About Anil Kumar Sinha

Sinha has earlier held several important positions in his home cadre
He has been a part of investigations of a number of disproportionate assets cases
He has also served as DIG and IG in Special Protection Group, New Delhi, and
Additional Secretary in Central Vigilance Commission

Senior IPS officer Anil Kumar Sinha was appointed as the new CBI Director on 2
December 2014. At the time of appointment as Director of CBI, Sinha, a 1979 batch
IPS officer of Bihar cadre, was serving as a Special Director in CBI.
Anil Sinha will succeed Ranjit Sinha who retired on 2 December 2014. As per an
official notification, term of Anil Sinha will be for two years from the date he takes
charge.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi, cleared the name of Anil Sinha who was among the 40 candidates shortlisted
by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).
About Anil Kumar Sinha

Sinha has earlier held several important positions in his home cadre
He has been a part of investigations of a number of disproportionate assets cases
He has also served as DIG and IG in Special Protection Group, New Delhi, and
Additional Secretary in Central Vigilance Commission
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Union Home Ministry approved appointment of OP Singh as Director General of NDRF
Union Home Ministry on 1 December 2014 approved the appointment of OP Singh
as Director General of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).
A 1983-batch IPS officer of UP cadre, Singh will now be the full fledged Chief of
NDRF in the rank of Additional Director General for his remaining period of central
deputation till 15 January 2018.
He was posted in Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and NDRF was an additional
charge given to him. OP Singh took over additional charge of Director General of
NDRF on 2 September 2014. He succeeded Mahboob Alam who retired on 31 August
2014.
Other appointments approved by Union Home Ministry

AP Maheshwari, IPS officer of the 1984 batch was appointed as Additional Director
General of the Border Security Force (BSF).
DK Pandey was appointed as Additional DirectorGeneral of the Central Reserve
Police Force (CRPF). Pandey succeeded RK Pachnanda.
RK Pachnanda was posted as Additional Director- General (Airport) of Central
Industrial Security Force (CISF). He will be looking after the security of 59 civil
airports in the country.
Ramesh P Singh, on promotion, was appointed as Additional Director General of
BSF. He is also a 1984 batch IPS officer from Odhisa cadre.
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Science | Space
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and an international team of
planetary scientists found an evidence in meteorites on Earth that indicates Mars has
a distinct reservoir of water or ice near its surface.
The findings were published in the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters on 18
December 2014.
This discovery helps resolve the question of where the missing Martian water may
have gone. However, the controversy still surrounds the origin, abundance and history
of water on Mars.
The findings support the hypothesis that a buried cryosphere accounts for a large
part of the initial water budget of Mars.
Findings of the research

The research provides evidence for the existence of a third reservoir that is
intermediate in isotopic composition between the Mars mantle and its current
atmosphere.
This reservoir has a non-atmospheric hydrogen isotopic composition. This
hydrogen reservoir represents hydrated crust or ground ice.
The distinct hydrogen isotopic signature of the water reservoir must be of sufficient
size that it has not reached isotopic equilibrium with the atmosphere.
This reservoir could account for a large part of the initial water budge of Mars.
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Study Process
Researchers from the Tokyo Institute of Technology, the Lunar and Planetary
Institute in Houston, the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington and NASAs
Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Division studied three Martian
meteorites.
Scientists compared water, other volatile element concentrations and hydrogen
isotopic compositions of glasses within the meteorites which may have formed due
to the eruption of rocks to the surface of Mars in ancient volcanic activity.
They examined two possibilities that the signature for the newly identified hydrogen
reservoir either reflects near surface ice interbedded with sediment or that it reflects
hydrated rock near the top of the Martian crust.

Indian Communication Satellite GSAT-16 was on 7 December 2014 launched
successfully from the Kourou space port in French Guiana. It was launched by the
European Ariane-5 launch vehicle VA221 of Arianespace.
Ariane-5 accurately placed the GSAT-16 into the projected Geosynchronous Transfer
Orbit (GTO) after a flight of 32 minutes and 20.4 Seconds duration.
ISROs Master Control Facility (MCF) at Hassan in Karnataka acquired the signal
from the satellite and the commanding of the satellite was initiated.
The satellite will be placed in the Geostationary Orbit by 12 December 2014 and
subsequently the satellites communication transponders will be switched on for inorbit testing.
The satellite launch was originally scheduled for 5 December 2014 but was postponed
due to bad weather.
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About GSAT-16
The GSAT-16 satellite was built by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in
Bengaluru. It is the 18th satellite launched by Arianespace for ISRO.
GSAT-16 is an advanced communication satellite weighing 3181.6 kg at lift-off
and is inducted into the INSAT/GSAT system.
GSAT-16 carries a total of 48 communication transponders, the largest by a
communication satellite developed by the ISRO so far.
It replaced the INSAT-3E which expired in April 2014 at 55 degrees East longitude.
GSAT-16, with an operational life of 12 years, will boost public and private television
and radio services, large-scale Internet and telephone operations.
GSAT-16 will be finally positioned at 55 degrees East longitude in the Geostationary
Orbit and will be co-located with GSAT-8, IRNSS-1A and IRNSS-1B satellites.
Japan launched asteroid explorer Hayabusa 2 to explore origin

of earth
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) along with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Ltd on 3 December 2014 launched its second-generation asteroid explorer Hayabusa
2 from Tanegashima Space Center in Japans southwestern Kagoshima prefecture.
The Hayabusa 2 was launched aboard the H-2A Launch Vehicle No.26 (H-2A F26)
and it is the second mission of Japan after Hayabusa (MUSES-C) launched in 2003
to collect asteroid samples.
Hayabusa 2 will explore one of the C-type asteroids called 1999 JU3 in space, retrieve
materials and bring them to Earth.
The Hayabusa2 is expected to reach the asteroid in mid-2018 and return to earth in
late 2020. During its 18 month stay it will blow a crater in a remote asteroid and study
it. It will bring back rock samples in hopes of gathering clues to the origin of Earth.
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At the same time, it will attempt to obtain new technologies such as creation of
artificial craters and high-speed communications in deep space.
Haybusa 2 weighs 600 kg and loaded with a set of spectrometers, cameras, variety
of remote-sensing instruments and a small lander and a rover.

Russia on 30 November 2014 launched the new generation navigation satellite
GLONASS-K from the Plesetsk space centre in Russias northwestern Arkhangelsk
region.
The satellite was launched on a Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket with a Fregat upper stage.
The carrier rocket was launched in a normal mode.
This is the fifth launch of a Global Navigation Satellite System satellite (GLONASS)
from the Plesetsk space centre. The first launch of a GLONASS satellite from Plesetsk
took place on 26 February 2011.
GLONASS-K
GLONASS is a space-based satellite navigation system operated by the Russian
Aerospace Defence Forces and is Russias counterpart of the US Global Positioning
System (GPS).
Developed by the Reshetnev Information Satellite Systems, the GLONASS-K marks
a substantial improvement over the previous GLONASS-M second-generation
satellites.
The K Series are an advanced improvement of the previous M second-generation
satellites with longer lifespan and better accuracy.
By 2010, GLONASS achieved 100 percent coverage of Russias territory.
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Person on Visit
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited to Fiji on 19 November 2014. He had a meeting
with Pacific Island Leaders and announced measures to strengthen partnership with
Pacific Islands.
He is the first Indian Prime Minister to visit the Pacific countries after Indira Gandhi
who visited in 1981. He met the Prime Minister of Fiji, Bainimarama and he is also
first Indian Prime Minister to address the Fiji Parliament.
The following are the measure

A Special Adaptation Fund of 1 million US dollars
Pan Pacific Islands Project
Indian Visa on arrival to all the fourteen Pacific Island Countries
Increased Grant-in-Aid to Pacific Island Countries
Establish Trade Office in India
Deputation of ITEC experts
Distinguished Visitors Programme
Space Cooperation
During his visit three MoUs were also signed

MoU on Cooperation on exchange of information on structure and content of
training programs for diplomats.
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MoU on earmarking of land for the Diplomatic Missions in respective capitals.
MoU for extending 70 million US dollars Line of Credit for establishing a CoGeneration Plant at Rarawai Sugar Mills in Fiji.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Nepal

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Kathmandu, Nepal from 27 November to 28
November 2014. He visited Nepal as a part of 18th SARRC Summit.
During his visit, Prime Minister Modi also had bilateral interactions with all six leaders
of SAARC member countries to develop closer neighbourly ties, except Pakistan
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
He had meeting with Prime Minister of Nepal Sushil Koirala and both the leaders
witnessed the signing of many memorandums of understanding (MoU) and agreements
between India and Nepal that includes on tourism, youth exchange, and a motor
vehicle agreement.
He also held bilateral talks with the other five leaders countries includes Prime Minister
of Bhutan Tshering Tobgay, Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina, President
of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani , President of Maldives Abdulla Yameen and President
of Sri Lanka Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also urged the SAARC countries to fulfil the pledge
taken by them to combat terror and trans-national crimes. He also reminded the
terror attack in Mumbai in 2008 and asked to work together to combat terrorism.
Prime Minister Modi has invited Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay to visit India,
in January 2015 in view of Vibrant Gujarat event.
At the end PM Narendra Mondi met Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif and
broke the ice. The two leaders during the whole summit spent cold shouldering each
other.
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Current Affairs
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj visited United Arab
Emirates
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj visited United Arab Emirates from 10
November to 12 November 2014 at the invitation of UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh
Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
During her visit, both the countries leaders discussed bilateral, regional and other
issues of mutual interest. She interacted with the top UAE leadership and also
interacted with the Indian community in UAE.
She expressed hope that Bilateral Trade and Investment Protection Agreement
(BTIPA) between India and UAE which have entered into force with effect from 23
September 2014 will help facilitate the safety to investments in India.
She also expressed hope that Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) with
UAE has certain preferential features conductive features for increased investment
in India.
Both countries tried to explore ways to enhance engagement in key areas of trade,
investment and energy security.
Background
UAE is eleventh largest investor in India in terms of foreign direct investments. It also
contributes significantly to energy security of India and is the sixth largest supplier of
crude oil to India. In 2013-14, the bilateral trade between the two countries amounted
to 59 billion US dollars.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited to Fiji on 19 November 2014. He had a meeting
with Pacific Island Leaders and announced measures to strengthen partnership with
Pacific Islands.
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He is the first Indian Prime Minister to visit the Pacific countries after Indira Gandhi
who visited in 1981. He met the Prime Minister of Fiji, Bainimarama and he is also
first Indian Prime Minister to address the Fiji Parliament.
The following are the measure

A Special Adaptation Fund of 1 million US dollars
Pan Pacific Islands Project
Indian Visa on arrival to all the fourteen Pacific Island Countries
Increased Grant-in-Aid to Pacific Island Countries
Establish Trade Office in India
Deputation of ITEC experts
Distinguished Visitors Programme
Space Cooperation
During his visit three MoUs were also signed

MoU on Cooperation on exchange of information on structure and content of
training programs for diplomats.
MoU on earmarking of land for the Diplomatic Missions in respective capitals.
MoU for extending 70 million US dollars Line of Credit for establishing a CoGeneration Plant at Rarawai Sugar Mills in Fiji.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Australia

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited to Australia from 15 November to 18 November
2014. He visited Australia as part of G-20 summit and bilateral summit with Australia.
He became the first Indian Prime Minister to address the Australian Parliament.
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During the summit, he met all the G-20 leaders of the world. He attended the Business
Breakfast with the economic leaders of Queensland that was hosted by Premier of
Queensland Newman.
During the visit he reconstituted the CEO Forum and both the leaders agreed to
speed up negotiations on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.
He visited the Australian War Memorial with Prime Minister of Australia Tony Abbott to
strive together for a better world. He also addressed the Indian diasporas in Australia.
During his visit the following agreements were signed by the both the countries
The Social Security Agreement
Agreement concerning Transfer of Sentenced Prisoners
MoU on Combating Narcotics Trafficking and Developing Police Cooperation
MoU on Cooperation in the Field of Arts and Culture
MoU in the Field of Tourism
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh visited Israel

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on 13 November 2014 visited Israel to discuss
bilateral issues including strengthening security ties and fight against terror.
This is the first visit by a Home Minister of India to Israel since 2000 when L K Advani
visited Jerusalem, marking an upsurge in bilateral cooperation.
Highlights of the Visit

During his visit, he met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and held discussions
to strengthen India and Israel bilateral relations.
Both the leaders also discussed the regional situation and the evolving threats to the
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global communities from terror.
Besides, Rajnath Singh also made a strong pitch for cooperation in the field of cyber
security.
He visited holy sites in the old city of Jerusalem and the Jordan valley, northern and
southern region of Israel by helicopter with National Security Adviser of Israel Yossi
Cohen.
He made a special reference to Make in India initiative and invited Israeli industries,
including the defence sector, to take advantage of the investment friendly policies
adopted by the Union government.
Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu expressed willingness to send the
delegation from Israeli industries to visit India to explore manufacturing opportunities
in different sectors.
Comment
The visit highlights the strategic importance which India attaches to Israel. India is
Israels largest purchaser of defence equipments and Israel is the second largest
supplier of arms and armaments for New Delhi, next only to Russia.
President Pranab Mukherjee visited Bhutan

President Pranab Mukherjee visited Bhutan on 7-8 November 2014 to strengthen
ties between the two countries. This is the first bilateral visit by a President of India
to Bhutan in 26 years.
During his visit he had meeting with the King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel
Wangchuck and Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay. He also discussed issues of mutual
interest which includes bilateral and regional importance.
He also addressed Bhutanese leaders, officials, professionals and intellectuals on
the subject of India-Bhutan relations.
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During his visit, the two countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on
Nalanda University. According to MoU, India will provide appropriate visa to students,
faculty and staff for travelling to India to study or work in the University.
Besides, three more MoUs were signed

The Royal University of Bhutan and English and Foreign Languages University,
Hyderabad
The Royal University of Bhutan and National Innovation Foundation under the
Department of Science &Technology
The Royal Civil Services Commission and Indian Institute of Management,
Ahmedabad
He also announced the doubling of Ambassadors Scholarship to 2 crore rupees per
annum for Bhutanese students to pursue their higher education in Indian Universities
and institutes.
Both the countries agreed to strengthen the training programmes in the areas of
agriculture, food processing and post-harvest technologies to build extensive
assistance.
Pranab was accompanied by a high level delegation including Minister of State for
Railways, four Members of Parliament, senior officials and senior representatives of
educational and academic institutions.
President Pranab Mukherjee visited Norway

President Pranab Mukherjee visited Norway from 13 to 14 October 2014. He became
the first Indian head of state to visit Norway and first president to cross the Arctic
Circle. He was invited for a ceremonial reception at the Royal Palace in Oslo and held
talks with King Harald V.
During his visit, he held meeting with top Norwegian political leaders and signed 13
agreements to reaffirm Indias long-standing friendly ties with Norway.
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MoU to promote cultural co-operation and exchanges between the two nations
MoU in the field of Earth System Sciences to allow exchange of scientific resources,
personnel and technical knowledge
Three MoU signed by IIT Kanpur with NTNU, University of Oslo and NILU.
Two MoU signed by IISER, Thiruvananthapuram with SINTEF Materials and
Chemistry and Institute of Energy Technology
Three MoU signed by University of Hyderabad with University of Oslo, NTNU and
University of Bergen
Statement of Intent (SoI) in Defence sector
MoU to support promotion and extension of cooperation in Scientific Research
and Technology Development
MoU to establish a health research relationship for encouraging research in a
range of health-related areas
MoU between Indira Gandhi National Tribal University and University of Agder
Pranab Mukherjee explained that Indias interests in the Arctic region are scientific,
environmental, commercial as well as strategic. He also mentioned that India does
not want to be left out in the cold in the ongoing race among the countries to explore
and exploit the vast reservoirs of oil and gas present in the Arctic region.
In case of new deep sea shipping routes (Arctic Ocean), he expressed that India
can join hands with a member state like Russia for both navigation and exploration
of hydrocarbons, even though its present policy is largely geared towards scientific
research.
He invited Norway to join the Make in India initiative, so that investors and entrepreneurs
can explore possibilities of investment in infrastructure sector of India. He extended
an invitation to the King of Norway, Harald V to visit India.
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Person Died
Rajan Devadas, an acclaimed Indian-American photojournalist
died
Rajan Devadas, a photojournalist whose lenses chronicled Indo-US relations from
Washington DC, for more than half-a-century died on 26 December 2014. He died due
to cardiac arrest at the Hebrew Home of Greater Washington in Rockville, Maryland.
He was 93.
He is survived by his wife Kimiko and eight children.
About Rajan Devadas

Devadas in his career as a photojournalist covered the US visit of every Indian
Prime Minister from Jawaharlal Nehru to Manmohan Singh
He also photographed every US President from John F Kennedy to George W
Bush
Other world leaders he photographed include
a) Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher of Britain
b) President JR Jayewardene of Sri Lanka
c) President Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
d) Spiritual leaders such as Pope John Paul, Dalai Lama and Mother Teresa
In 2002 he was awarded with Padma Shri, one of Indias highest civilian honors
He was born in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala in 1921
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The oldest litigant in the Babri Masjid case Mohammad Farooq passed away on 24
December 2014 due to old age-related ailments. He was 100.
Farooq, a resident of Ayodhya, was one of the seven main litigants from Muslim side
in the 1949 Babri Masjid case regarding placing of Lord Rama idols in the premises.
Now, the eldest son of late Farooq, Mohammad Saleem will inherit his legacy of the
case and may become litigant in place of his father as per Uttar Pradeshs Additional
Advocate General and convener of Babri Masjid Action Committee Zafaryab Jilani.
Background
On the night of 22 December 1949, an idol of Lord Rama mysteriously appeared
inside Ayodhyas Babri Masjid. This incident had set in motion a chain of events in
the Indian politics.
Farooq was one of the seven main litigants from the Muslim side who filed civil
suits pledging their respective claims to the site. The rest of the six main litigants
are Hashim Ansari, Ashhad Rashidi, Maulana Mahfuzurur Rahman, Mufti Hasbullah,
Mahmud and Sunni Central Waqf Board.
Farooqs father Mohammad Zahur was one of the original complainants regarding
the placing of the idols of Lord Rama in the Babri Masjid.

Noted Hindi poet and a litterateur Nand Chaturvedi died on 26 December 2014
following a brief illness. He was 91.
Nand Chaturvedi
Born in 1923 in Jhalawar, Chaturvedi done his Master of Arts in Hindi from Rajasthan
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University.
He retired as Professor of Hindi from Vidya Bhawan Rural Institute.
Apart from teaching, he wrote poems and essays including Yeh Samai Mamuli
Nahin, Shabd Sansar ki Yayavari- a collection of essays, Imandar Dunya Ke Liye.
He was given Bihari Puraskar of K K Birla Foundation for his poem Yeh Samai
mamuli nahin in 1996 and he also received Prasaran Sanmaan by Prasar Bharati.
He was also honoured with Mira Puraskar, the highest literary honour of Rajasthan
Government.
Malayalam Film Actor Narayanan Lakshmi Balakrishnan Died

Malayalam film actor Narayanan Lakshmi (NL) Balakrishnan died on 25 December
2014 following a prolonged illness. He was 72.
Narayanan Lakshmi Balakrishnan

Being a diploma-holder in painting, Balakrishnan began his career as a still
photographer and later turned to acting.
He was associated with over 180 films as still photographer and appeared in
major and minor roles in around 100 movies.
His performances in movies like Kakkothikkavile Appooppan Thadikal,
Pattanapravesham and Joker won him appreciation.
He worked as a photojournalist in Kerala Kaumudi for eleven years from 1968 to
1979.
Balakrishnan has also published a book titled Black and White in 2011.
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Emmy-winning Director Joseph Sargent died
American film director Joseph Sargent died on 22 December 2014 at his home in
Malibu, California following chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He was 89.
Joseph Sargent
Born as Giuseppe Danielle Sorgente in Jersey City, he served in the Army during
World War II and fought in the Battle of the Bulge.
After the war, he studied at the Actors Studio before moving to California in the
early 1950s. Sargent acted on television shows like Gunsmoke and The Twilight
Zone in the 1950s.
His best-known work was the 1974 thriller The Taking of Pelham One Two Three,
which presented the embattled New York City of the 1970s.
He won four Primetime Emmy Awards for television movies. He won his first Emmy
in 1973 for directing The Marcus-Nelson Murders, a TV movie written by Abby
Mann.
Sargent also won Emmys for his works Love Is Never Silent (1985), Caroline?
(1990) and Miss Rose White (1992).
Filmmaker Kailasam Balachander passed away

South Indian filmmaker Kailasam Balachander died on 23 December 2014 following
a heart attack. He was 84.
Kailasam Balachander
Born in Thanjavur in 1930, Balachander developed an interest for films when he
was just nine years old.
Though he took up a government job at Accountant Generals Office, he continued
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his experiments in theatre and wrote dialogues for film Deivathai in 1965.
Balachander debuted with his Tamil film Neerkumizhi in 1965. He has directed
films in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi and has produced more than 100 films.
It was in his film Apoorva Ragangal, Balachander shaped superstar Rajinikanth
out of a Bangalore bus conductor Shivaji Rao Gaekwad.
His films like Bama Vijayam, Sindhubhairavi, Varumayin Niram Sivappu and
Thanneer Thanneer are some of notable films in the history of Tamil cinema.
He was honoured with the Padma Shri in 1987and is a recipient of the ANR National
Award and Dadasaheb Phalke Award, Indias highest award in cinema in 2010.
Former Union Minister Murli Deora died

Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Murli Deora died after a prolonged
illness on 24 November 2014 in Mumbai. He was 77 and is survived by his wife and
two sons, including former MP Milind Deora.
He held several important positions during his long political career. During the
Manmohan Singh-led UPA government, he served as the Minister of Petroleum and
Natural Gas and Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology.
In November 2001, the Supreme Court of India in Murli S Deora vs. Union of India
and Ors., recognized the harmful effects of smoking in public and also the effect on
passive smokers, and in the absence of statutory provisions at that time, prohibited
smoking in public places like auditoriums, hospital buildings, health institutions,
educational institutions, libraries, court buildings, public office, public conveyances,
including the railways.
About Murli Deora

He was first time elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2002 from Maharashtra and since
then had completed two terms. At present, he was serving his third term
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He was elected to the Lok Sabha three times (1984, 1989 and 1991) from Mumbai
South, a seat later held by his son, Milind, who is also a former MP and ex Union
minister
He was president of the Mumbai Regional Congress Committee for 22 years from
1981 to 2003
The industrialist and social worker-turned-politician began his innings from the
Mumbai Municipal Corporation in 1968 when he was elected as Councillor of
Municipal Corporation of Mumbai
Later in 1977, he was elected as mayor of Mumbai
He first contested the Lok Sabha polls from Mumbai South constituency in 1980
Deora also hosted the first IndiaAfrica Hydrocarbon Conference and Exhibition
in November 2007
Senior Marathi actor-director Raghuvir Nevrekar died

Senior Marathi actor-director Raghuvir Nevrekar died in Mumbai on 23 November
2014 following a brief illness. He was 85.
Raghuvir Nevrekar
Raghuvir Nevrekar gained popularity on the Marathi stage through his performances
in both positive and negative roles which he executed beautifully.
Nevrekar was active member of the Goa Hindu association, one of the oldest
cultural and social organizations representing Hindu Goans in Mumbai.
He was well known for his character Falgunrao in Marathi musical comedy Sanshay
Kallol.
He was also one of the earliest playwrights for Konkani radio plays. His play Poppe
Babali Mumbai was popular for its humourous characterization of Poppe Babalis
visit to Mumbai.
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He also starred in the first marathi television serial Shwetambara in the 1980s.
Former Union Minister G. Venkataswamy died

Former Union Minister G. Venkataswamy died on 22 December 2014 in Hyderabad,
Telangana. He was 85.
He represented the Peddapalli constituency of Andhra Pradesh (present Telangana)
and was a member of the Indian National Congress (INC) political party.
He was a member of the 14th Lok Sabha of India.
About Gaddam Venkataswamy

He was elected to the Assembly of the undivided Andhra Pradesh in 1950 and
held several key positions in the government as well in the party
During his political-career of more than five decades, he was elected to the State
Assembly twice (1957- 62 and 1978-84) and seven times for Parliament (fourth,
fifth, sixth, ninth, tenth, eleventh and fourteenth Lok Sabha)
He served in the congress government led by former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi
and PV Narasimha Rao
He held Pradesh Congress Chairman for Andhra Pradesh
Popularly known as Kaka was born on 5 October 1929 in erstwhile Hyderabad
state (now in Telangana)
British singer Joe Cocker passed away

Legendary soul and rock singer Joe Cocker died on 22 December 2014 in the US
state of Colorado following the lung cancer. He was 70.
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Joe Cocker
Born as John Robert Cocker on 20 May 1944 in Sheffield, he worked as a gas
fitter while pursuing a singing career in pubs in northern England in the 1960s.
During his prolific career, Cocker released nearly 23 studio albums and 40 albums.
He was named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) at Buckingham
Palace in 2011.
His 1974 song You Are So Beautiful was voted the fourth-most popular love song
in a US online poll in 2013.
In 1983, Cocker won the Grammy Award for his US number one song Up Where
We Belong, a duet with Jennifer Warnes. The same song won the Academy Award
in 1983 for its lyrics.
His last studio album Fire It Up was released in 2012.

Actress Billie Whitelaw of England died in London on 21 December 2014. She was
82. She was famous for her roles as Mrs Baylock in horror film The Omen.
Billie Whitelaw was famous for her roles on both stage and screen. She played a
starring role as Violet Kray in The Krays and recently she appeared in comedy Hot
Fuzz.
About Billie Whitelaw

Whitelaw was born in Coventry, England in 1932.
She made her first stage appearance in Bradford in a performance of Pink String
and Sealing Wax at age 18 in 1950.
She made her film debut in The Sleeping Tiger (1954) and performed roles in
Carve Her Name With Pride (1958) and Hell Is a City (1960).
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She won BAFTA award as Best Actress in a Supporting Role in Charlie Bubbles in
1967 and also another BAFTA award for her role as sensuous mother of college
student Hayley Mills in Twisted Nerve in 1969.
She also won a BAFTA award as Best Actress for her performance in The Sextet
in 1972.
She acted in films the Last, Start the Revolution without Me, Gumshoe and the
Alfred Hitchcock thriller Frenzy.
She also appeared in many television series includes long-running BBC1 police
series, Dixon of Dock Green (1955), as Mary Dixon, daughter of George (Jack
Warner).
Veteran Telugu Sports Journalist Maddineni Babu Rao died

Senior Telugu sports journalist Maddineni Babu Rao passed away on 17 December
2014 at Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh following a cardiac problem. He was 74.
Maddineni Babu Rao

Born at Gannavaram, Andhra Pradesh in 1941, Babu Rao worked as physical
education teacher in Zilla Parishad High Schools at Kaluvapamula, Jaggaiahpeta,
Mylavaram, Penamaluru, Guntupalli.
After his retirement as a physical education teacher, Rao wrote sports news for
some Telugu newspapers including Eenadu, Vaartha and Andhra Jyothi and
covered several national and State meets.
He was the first Telugu sports journalist in the Krishna district and had an authority
on all sports.
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Italian film actress Virna Lisi died
Acclaimed Italian actress Virna Lisi died on 18 December 2014. She was 78. Famed
in 1960s for appearing opposite stars like Frank Sinatra, Lisi carved a successful
career in Hollywood.
Lisi is now survived by a son, Corrado Pesci and three grandchildren.
About Virna Lisa Pieralisi

She was born in Ancona near Adriatic coast on 8 November 1936
She won best actress at Cannes for 1994 French historical epic La Reine Margot
She won several other awards like David di Donatello (presented by The Academy
of Italian Cinema), Nastro dArgento (also known as Silver Ribbon (it is given by
Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists)) and Cesar award (national film
award of France)
She debuted in Italian film industry with La corda dacciaio (The line of steel, 1953)
and further starred in several movies like E Napoli canta (Napoli sings, 1953) and
the successful Questa la vita (1954, with the popular Tot)
She debuted in Hollywood with How To Murder Your Wife (1965) and other films
include Not with My Wife, You Dont! (1966), Assault on a Queen (1966), The Secret
of Santa Vittoria, The 25th Hour
In 2004, she was awarded an honorary Italian Golden Globe award in recognition
of her cinematic achievements

Veteran Gandhian and freedom fighter Chunibhai Vaidya passed away on 19 December
2014 at Ahmedabad, Gujarat following brief illness. He was 97.
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Chunibhai Vaidya
Chunibhai Vaidya was born on 2 September 1918 in a small village in Patan district
of North Gujarat.
He began his life in activism with freedom struggle. He also actively participated
in Vinoba Bhaves Bhoodan Movement.
Being an editor of Bhoomiputra magazine, he raised battle against political
emergency in 1975 and faced imprisonment.
Vaidya formed Gujarat Lok Samiti, a voluntary organization in 1980.
He was felicitated with Vishva Gujarati Pratibha award by Vishva Gujarati Samaj.
He wrote a book titled Assassination of Gandhi : Facts and Falsehood which was
translated and published in eleven languages.
Pioneer of home video game console Ralph Henry Baer died

The pioneer of home video game console Ralph Henry Baer died on 6 December
2014 in Manchester following a brief illness. He was 92.
He was famously known as the Father of Video Games due to his contributions to
video game industry.
Ralph Henry Baer

Born to a Jewish family in south-western Germany in 1922, Baer and his family
fled the country in 1938 to escape the Holocaust.
In the late 1960s, Baer developed a system known as the Brown Box while working
for Sanders Associates, a New Hampshire-based defence contractor. Later, Brown
Box was named as Magnavox Odyssey.
A version of Baers Brown Box is now at the American History Museum at the
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Smithsonian in Washington D.C.
In 1967, he designed the game Chase, the first game played in a television set.
Baer is credited for creating the first light gun for video game console. He is the
co-creator of the light-up memory games Simon and Super Simon.
Baer received the National Medal of Technology from President George W Bush in
2006 and in 2008, he received the Game Developers Choice Pioneer Award.
In 2010, Ralph Henry Baer was inducted into the United States National Inventors
Hall of Fame.
In 2005, he donated all original videogame units and documents to the Smithsonian
Institution.
Veteran Journalist Piratla Venkateswarlu passed away

Veteran journalist Piratla Venkateswarlu passed away on 8 December 2014 in
Narayanaguda following a brief illness. He was 74.
Piratla was unwell due to diabetes-related nervous complications.
Piratla Venkateswarlu
Piratla began his career as a full-time Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker.
He was the National Secretary of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the
students wing of Bharatiya Janata Party.
Later, he took up journalism by working for News Channel Jagruthi.
He became the editor of Krishna Patrika Telugu daily in 1982 and ran the publication
till 2012.
He is also actively associated with small newspapers association of India
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Hockey Olympian Grihanandan Singh died on 7 December 2014 in New Delhi. He
was 88.
Nick named Nandy Singh was an Indian field hockey player who won two Olympic
gold medals, at the 1948 London Olympics and later in 1952 Helsinki Olympics with
the Indian team.
About Nandy Singh

Singh was born on 18 February 1926, in Lyallpur district of undivided Punjab (now
Faisalabad in Pakistan)
He was a prolific centre-forward and a contemporary of the legendary Balbir Singh
Before independence, he played for the Undivided Punjab University from 194346 before moving to Kolkata after Independence
He joined the Indian Navy in 1949 and achieved the rare distinction of leading both
the Navy team and the combined Services team at the time
He was awarded with the Dhyan Chand award for Lifetime Achievement in Sports
in 2006
He retired as commander from the Indian Navy and was decorated with the Param
Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM)
He served as the general secretary of the Jawaharlal Nehru Hockey Tournament
Society
Carnatic vocalist Nedanuri Krishnamurthy died

Veteran Carnatic vocalist Nedanuri Krishnamurthy died on 8 December 2014 in
Visakhapatnam. He was 87. He was undergoing treatment for lung cancer.
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Sangita Kalanidhi Nedanuri Krishnamurthy

He was born on 10 October 1927 in Kothapalli in the erstwhile Hyderabad State
of British India
He underwent training in Carnatic music (vocal and violin) with Dwaram Narasinga
Rao Naidu in Maharajas Music College at Vizianagaram in early 1940s
Later he developed his style of music under guidance of Carnatic vocalist, Sripada
Pinakapani
He was Principal of the Government Music & Dance Colleges in Vijayawada,
Secunderabad and Visakhapatnam
His style was the epitome of elegance with an emphasis on aesthetics and subtle
embellishments
Some of his notable contributions to music include the setting to tune of 108
compositions of the 15th century saint-composer Annamacharya from Andhra
Pradesh
He was conferred with several prestigious awards, some of them were

Sri Tyagaraja Seva Ratnam in 2011
Sangeetha Kalasikhamani in 2011
Asthana Vidwan in 2010
Pratibha Rajiv Puraskar in 2006
National Eminence Award in 2006
National Artiste Award in 2004
Raja Lakshmi Award in 2002
Teulgu Talli Award in 2000
Sangeetha Ratnamara, 2000
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Gana Kala Bharathi in 1993
Sangita Kalanidhi in 1991
Swar Vilas in 1981
Sangeetha Choodamani in 1976
Carnatic Music
Carnatic music is a system of music commonly associated with the southern part of
the Indian subcontinent, with its area roughly confined to four Indian states, namely
Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The main emphasis in Carnatic
music is on vocal music and it is one of the main sub-genres of Indian classical music
that evolved from ancient Hindu traditions.
Most of the compositions of the Carnatic are written to be sung, and even when
played on instruments, they are meant to be performed in singing style.

Belgiums former Queen Fabiola, the widow of the Belgium king Baudouin, died on 5
December 2014 in Brussels. She was 86.
The cause of Queen Fabiola death was not indicated.
Queen Fabiola of Belgium

Born as Dona Fabiola de Mora y Aragon in Madrid to Spanish nobility, she married
King Baudouin in December 1960.
After marrying Baudouin, she became the fifth queen of the Belgians.
She remained Queen Consort for 33 years until Baudoins death in 1993.
After Baudouins death, Fabiola moved out of the Royal Palace of Laeken to take
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up residence at Stuyvenbergh Castle.

Justice Vaidyanathapura Rama Krishna Iyer died on 4 December 2014 in Kochi at the
age of 100. He died due to renal and cardiac failure. He was former Supreme Court
Judge, an MLA from Kerala, a philosopher and a renowned social activist.
Throughout his life, Krishna Iyer stood for the cause of justice, equality and socialism
who played the role of a peoples tribune till the end of his life. As he had said, Judges
are the spinal cord of the rule of law, and the final interpreters of the Constitution.
Their judgments govern social and economic justice.
He was leading light among the judicial fraternity who had pushed for reformative
theory, in contrast to deterrence theory in the criminal justice system.
His Landmark Judgements

Shamsher Singh & Anr vs State Of Punjab, August 1974: This case interpreted the
powers of the Cabinet vis--vis the President and the Governors wherein it held that
President and Governors are bound to act on the aid and advice of the Council of
Ministers except in certain situations.
Maneka Gandhi vs Union of India, January 1978: This case gave a new dimension
to Article 21 of the Constitution related to Right to Life and personal liberty so as to
imply many more fundamental rights from Article 21.
C. B. Muthamma vs Union of India & Ors, September 1979: The SC ruled against
gender discrimination. Allowing a case filed by C B Muthama, Indias first woman
ambassador, the court struck down a provision which mandated that on marriage,
women IFS officers should resign.
Municipal Council, Ratlam, vs Vardhichand AIR 1980: This case interpreted Article 21
to include the right to a wholesome environment and changed the whole approach of
the courts in matters concerning environment.
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He was also known for other landmark judgments, especially for granting a stay on
the Allahabad High Courts judgment against former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi,
which led to the Emergency in 1975. Allahabad High Court verdict had declared
former Indira Gandhis election to the Lok Sabha void.
About Justice Krishna Iyer

Justice Iyer was part of the citizens panel that inquired into the 2002 Gujarat riots
along with retired justice P.B. Sawant and others.
He had unsuccessfully contested against the Congress R Venkataraman in the
presidential polls of 1987.
He became the judge of the Supreme Court on 17 July 1973 and retired at the age
of 65 on 14 November 1980.
In 1968, he was appointed as a Judge in Kerala High Court
He was appointed as Law Commission Chairman in 1971
He was elected to the then Madras Assembly in 1952 and was a member of Kerala
Legislative Assembly in 1957.
He had also served as the Minister for Law, Home, Irrigation, Power, Prison, and
Inland Navigation in the first communist government of Kerala headed by E M S
Namboodiripad during 1957-59.
He was instrumental in the passage of the Kerala Education Bill, Agrarian Relations
Bill, and the Agricultural (Indebtness Relief) Bill which brought relief to marginalised
farmers. The Kerala Dowry Abolition Bill was introduced when he was the Minister.
He is the last but one Supreme Court judge who have previously served as a
politician
Justice Iyer called Bhopal gas tragedy as Bhoposhima (Bhopal + Hiroshima)
caused by gasassination.
In 1999, he was conferred with Padma Vibhushan by Atal Bihari Vajpayee
government
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He was born on 15 November 1914 at Vaidyanathapuram near Palakkad, in
Malabar region of Kerala in a Tamil Brahmin family
Books written by Justice Krishna Iyer

There are 105 published books by V. R. Krishna Iyer which includes four travelogues.
Some other books include
Law and the People (1972)
Law, Freedom and Change (1975)
Law India, Some Contemporary Challenges (1976)
Social Justice and the Handicapped Humans (1978)
The Indian Law (Dynamic Dimensions of the Abstract) (2009)
Wandering in Many Worlds (2009) is the autobiography of V.R. Krishna Iyer
American saxophonist Bobby Keys died at 70

American saxophonist Bobby Keys died in Franklin, Tennessee on 2 December 2014.
He was 70. He played saxophone for the The Rolling Stones, English rock band
formed in Kent in 1962.
Bobby was most famous for his work with the The Rolling Stones on the classic track
Brown Sugar and album Exile On Main Street. He made a unique musical contribution
to The Rolling Stones band since 1960s.
About Bobby Keys

Bobby Keys was born in Texas in 1943.
He was a self-taught musician and he was a rock n roller in every sense of the
term.
He recorded with a Whos Who of rock, Chuck Berry, Eric Clapton, John Lennon,
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George Harrison, Carly Simon, Country Joe and the Fish, Harry Nilsson, Joe
Cocker and Sheryl Crow.
He played saxophone for The Rolling Stones that includes the albums Let It
Bleed, Sticky Fingers, Exile on Main St., Goats Head Soup, Emotional Rescue,
Stripped and etc .,
His other albums with other artists include Ringo, Goodnight Vienna, Gimme Some
Neck, Mahoneys Last Stand, Barbra Joan Streisand, No Secrets and Hotcakes.

Former Chief Minister (CM) of Maharashtra and a veteran Congressman Abdul Rahman
Antulay passed away on 2 December 2014 following a severe kidney ailment. He was
85.
Abdul Rahman Antulay

Born on 9 February 1929, Antulay was active in Congress since his younger days
and rose from the district level to become MPCC general secretary, later he moved
to All India Congress Committee.
Antulay was the first and only Muslim Chief Minister of Maharashtra during the
years 1980 to 1982. However, his tenure as chief minister was cut short due to
controversy popularly known as cement scandal that forced him to resign.
The leader again got elected in 1985 to the state assembly and remained there
until 1989, when he was elected to the 9th Lok Sabha from Kolaba which later
came to be known as Raigad.
From June 1995 to May 1996, he was Union minister of health and family welfare
and from February to May 1996 he was given an additional charge of water
resources.
In 1996, he was re-elected to the 11th Lok Sabha and in 2004 he was elected to
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the 14th Lok Sabha.
He was also the Union minister for minority affairs in Manmohan Singhs UPA-I
government.
He fought his last election in 2009, which he lost to the Shiv Sena, after which he
was out of the active politics.

Veteran Bollywood actor-comedian, director and producer Deven Verma died on 2
December 2014 in Pune after a severe cardiac attack and kidney failure. He was 78.
He was best known for his comic performance in movies like Khatta Meetha, Angoor
(dual role of Bahadur) and Andaz Apna Apna. He worked in around 149 films.
He is survived by his wife Rupa Ganguly, the younger daughter of the late legendary
actor Ashok Kumar.
About Deven Verma

He made his Bollywood debut with a supporting role in Yash Chopras Dharmputra
in 1961
He became famous as an actor with his performance in film Chori Mera Kaam of
1975, which bagged him his first Filmfare Award for Best Comedian
He had worked with eminent filmmakers like Basu Chatterji, Hrishikesh Mukherjee
and Gulzar
He had also worked in Marathi and Bhojpuri films
Some of his memorable films include Chor Ke Ghar Chor, Angoor, Gol Maal,
Khatta Meetha, Naastik, Rang Birangi, Dil, Judaai, Andaz Apna Apna, Bemisal,
Kora Kagaz and Dil Toh Pagal Hai.
He produced and directed films like Yakeen (debut as producer), Nadaan (debut
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as director).
He produced and directed Amitabh Bachchan-starrer Besharam in 1978
Verma had won three Filmfare awards
a)
In 1976 he won it for 1976 Chori Mera Kaam
b)
In 1979 for Chor Ke Ghar Chor
c)
In 1983 for Angoor
He was last seen on the big screen in 2003 film Calcutta Mail
He was born on 23 October 1937 in Pune and studied at the Nowrosjee Wadia
College for Arts and Science (University of Pune) (195357)
Former Arunachal Chief Minister Jarbom Gamlin passed away

Former Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Jarbom Gamlin died on 1 December 2014
following a brief illness at a hospital in Gurgaon. He was 53.
Jarbom Gamlin
Born on 16 April 1961, Gamlin obtained his law degree from Campus Law Centre,
University of Delhi in 1984. Later, he practised as a lawyer in Dibrugarh.
He was president of the All Arunachal Pradesh Students Union (AAPSU) for three
years from 1981 to 1984.
Although Gamlin first joined the Peoples Party of Arunachal (PPA), later he switched
over to Congress and became a member of the Lok Sabha from 1999-2004.
In 2004, he was elected to the state Assembly and became home minister in the
Gegong Apang ministry. In 2009, he became power minister in the Dorjee Khandu
government.
On 5 May 2011, Gamlin became the chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh after the
death of Dorjee Khandu in a chopper accident.
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Veteran music critic SV Krishnamurthy passed away

The veteran music critic of The Hindu SV Krishnamurthy passed away on 30 November
2014 after a brief illness. He was 89.
SV Krishnamurthy
Born in 1925, Krishnamurthy joined The Hindu in 1947 in a Kasturiranga Iyengar
studentship and was promoted as a sub-editor in 1948.
He rose to be an Assistant Editor in 1970, first looking at the editions and then
working for the Sunday magazine .
Though he formally retired in 1983, he was on extension of service till 1990.
He continued as a consultant and music critic of the newspaper till the very end.
Renowned Egyptian novelist Radwa Ashour died

Acclaimed Egyptian novelist and educator Radwa Ashour died on 30 November 2014
in Cairo after a long battle with cancer. She was 68.
Radwa Ashour
Born in Cairo in 1946, Ashour obtained her Ph.D. in African-American literature
from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
She chronicled her fight against cancer in her novel Heavier than Radwa which
was set against the turbulent days of Egypts revolution.
She wrote more than fifteen books, the best-known of which is the Granada trilogy,
which chronicles the rise and fall of Arab civilization in Spain.
Ashour won multiple awards including the Constantine Cavafy Prize for Literature
in 2007 and the Owais Prize in 2011.
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Renowned theatre personality Veenapani Chawla died at 67

Veenapani Chawla, an acclaimed theatre personality died on 30 November 2014
after a severe heart attack. She died at a private hospital in Puducherry. She was 67.
About Veenapani Chawla

Chawla was an actress-director-choreographer-writer-composer
She founded Adishakti Laboratory for Theatre Art Research in 1981, which aimed
to promote research into the creation of new performance methodologies
She was considered a pioneer of experimental theatre in India
She received a Fellowship for a one month Residency at Villa Waldberta, Munich
in 2006
In 2006, she was honoured with the Zee Astitva Award for excellence in theatre
In 2007, she was appointed on the board of editors for Theatre, Dance and
Performance Training, a theatre journal published from the University of Leeds,
London
In 2011, she was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar for her contribution
to Indian theatre as a director
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Awards | Honours
Megastar Amitabh Bachchan was honoured with the Yash Chopra Memorial Award
Maharashtra Governor C Vidyasagar Rao honoured him with the award.
Amitabh Bachchan is the sceond recipient of the award. The award was first conferred
to melody queen Lata Mangeshkar in 2013.
The Yash Chopra Memorial Award has been instituted by the TSR Foundation of T
Subbarami Reddy in the memory of the late producer-director in 2013. Yash Chopra
died in 2012.
Bilal Tanweer won Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize 2014

Lahore-based author Bilal Tanweer on 24 November 2014 won the 2014 Shakti Bhatt
First Book Prize for his novel The Scatter Here Is Too Great (Random House India).
Bilal Tanweer was selected by the jury of the award consisting of authors Amit
Chaudhuri, Aatish Taseer and Mridula Koshy. The award comprised of the price
money of 2 lakhs rupees and a trophy.
The five other books shortlisted for the 2014 Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize were: A
Bad Character by Deepti Kapoor, The Vanishing Act by Prawin Adhikari, A cool dark
place by Supriya Dravid, The Competent Authority by Shovon Chowdhury and The
Smoke Is Rising by Mahesh Rao.
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The Scatter Here Is Too Great: Bilal Tanweer

Bilal Tanweers book underlines the crucial importance of literature in our larger cultural
landscape. The Scatter Here Is Too Great balances the universality of existential
torment with the often horrifying nitty-gritty realities of its location, Karachi.
A vivid and intricate novel-in-stories, The Scatter Here Is Too Great explores the
complicated lives of ordinary people whose fates unexpectedly converge after a
deadly bomb blast at the Karachi train station.
Bilal Tanweer reveals the pain, loneliness, and longing of the characters and celebrates
the power of the written word to heal lives and communities plagued by violence.
Bilal Tanweer
Tanweer, born and raised in Karachi, has published fiction, poetry and translation
in various international journals.
In 2011, he was selected as a Granta New Voice and was one of the eleven
recipients of the 2010 PEN Translation Fund Grant.
His fiction, poetry and translations have appeared in various international magazines
including Granta, Vallum, Critical Muslim, and Words Without Border
He was recently named an Honorary Fellow of the International Writing Program
at the University of Iowa.
Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize

The Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize is an award named after journalist Shakti Bhatt,
who passed away in 2007.
The Shakti Bhatt Prize represents the evolving ethos of South Asian literature. Other
shortlists in the category included books based in the urban Indian metropolitans
and rural Nepal, amongst other locales.
The award was won by Nilanjana Roy in 2013 for her book The Wildlings.
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Atal Bihari Vajpee and Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya to receive

Bharat Ratna
Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpee and freedom fighter Pandit Madan Mohan
Malaviya (posthumously) will receive the Bharat Ratna. The decision to confer the
highest civilian award of the country was announced by the Union Government on
24 December 2014.
Till now 43 people have been honoured with the Bharat Ratna. In 2013, cricketer
Sachin Tendulkar and scientist C N R Rao were awarded Bharat Ratna for their
contribution in their respective fields.
About Madan Mohan Malaviya

He was a freedom fighter and educationist who was part of the Indian National
Movement
He was popularly known as Mahamana.
He was president of Indian National Congress (INC) for two terms in 1909 and1918.
He was one of the founders of the Hindu Mahasabha.
He was one of the leading educationists of India before independence and he was
founder of the Banaras Hindu University in 1916.
He was also the Chairman of Hindustan Times from 1924 to 1946. His efforts
resulted in the launch of its Hindi edition in 1936
Malviya was born in Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh, India on 25 December 1861
About Atal Bihari Vajpayee

Vajpayee is a three time Prime Minister of India who served the first term in 1996
for just 13 days. During his second term in 1998-1999 he served for 13 months.
In his final and third term he completed the full five-year from 1999-2004. Thus, he
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became the first Prime Minister from outside the Indian National Congress party
to serve a full five-year term.
When Janata government collapsed, Vajpayee restarted the Jana Sangh as the
Bharatiya Janata Party in 1980.
dispute and other conflicts with Pakistan. With this view he inaugurated DelhiLahore bus service in February 1999 and signed Lahore Declaration with Nawaz
Sharif, the then PM of Pakistan.
He was also the Minister of External Affairs in the cabinet of Prime Minister Morarji
Desai in 1978. As foreign minister, that year Vajpayee became the first person to
deliver a speech to the United Nations General Assembly in Hindi.
About Bharat Ratna Awards

Bharat Ratna is the highest civilian award of India that was instituted on 2 January
1954 by the order of Rajendra Prasad, the former President of India. Bharat Ratna
recipients rank seventh in the Indian order of precedence, but constitution prohibits
using the award name as title.
The award is conferred in recognition of exceptional service or performance of the
highest order, without distinction of race, occupation, position, or sex.
The award was originally limited to achievements in the arts, literature, science
and public services but the union government expanded the criteria to include any
field of human endeavour in 2011.
Recommendations for the Bharat Ratna are made by the Prime Minister to the
President, with a maximum of three nominees being awarded per year. Recipients
receive a Sanad (certificate) signed by the President and a peepal-leafshaped
medallion and award does not contain any monetary grant.
Original provisions of the Bharat Ratna did not allow any one to grant the
posthumous awards. Later in January 1966, a provision posthumous was inserted.
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The former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri was the first individual to be
honoured posthumously in 1966.
The first recipients of the Bharat Ratna were C Rajagopalachari, scientist C V
Raman and Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan were honoured in 1954.
Dilip Vengsarkar received Col CK Nayudu Lifetime achievement

award
Former Indian cricket captain Dilip Vengsarkar on 21 November 2014 received the
prestigious BCCI-instituted Colonel C K Nayudu Lifetime achievement award. He
was conferred with the award for his contribution to Indian cricket.
The 58-year-old Vengsarkar who was a member of the Indian team that won the
World Cup in 1983 received a citation, trophy and cheque for Rs 25 lakh. He was also
a member of the World Championship of Cricket in 1985 and led India in ten Tests in
1987-89.
Apart from this, Indian medium-pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Rohit Sharma were
also rewarded for their stupendous performance. Bhuvneshwar Kumar received the
Polly Umrigar award and a cheque of Rs 5 lakh for his superb display with the ball
and bat. Rohit Sharma received a special award for slamming a world record 264 in
the fourth ODI against Sri Lanka in the recent series.
Other prominent awardees at the eighth annual BCCI Awards ceremony

were
Parvez Rasool received the Lala Amarnath Award for the Best All-Rounder in this
seasons Ranji Trophy
R. Vinay Kumar was awarded for his all-round performance in domestic limitedovers competitions
The Maharashtra Cricket Association and Railway Sports Promotion Board shared
the honours for Best Overall Performance in 2013-14
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About Dilip Vengsarkar

He was also known by the nickname Colonel
He was a key player in the Indian batting line up in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
He went on to play till 1989
He represented Bombay in the Ranji Trophy
For Test matches played in India, he has one of the highest batting averages
He made his international cricket debut against New Zealand at Auckland in 197576, as an opening batsman
Between 2006 and 2008, he was the Chairman of the All-India Senior Selection
Committee
He was Chairman of the BCCIs Talent Research Development Committee for three
years
TVS Chairman Venu Srinivasan conferred honorary citizenship

of Busan
TVS chairman Venu Srinivasan was made Honorary Citizen of Busan, Korea on 18
December 2014. He was conferred with the citizenship for his efforts to enhance
friendship and cooperation between India and Republic of Korea.
He was conferred the title by Mayor of Busan Metropolitan City, Suh Byung-soo
during the honorary citizenship ceremony held at Busan, the second largest city in
Korea, after Seoul.
Srinivasan, who is also Honorary Consul General of the Republic of Korea in Chennai,
is the first Indian industrialist to be granted honorary citizenship.
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About Venu Srinivasan
He is an Indian industrialist who is the Chairman and Managing Director of
Sundaram Clayton Ltd and Chairman of TVS Motor Company, the third largest
two wheeler manufacturer in India.
For the year 2009-10, he served as the President of Confederation of Indian
Industry.
In 2010 he was conferred with Padma Shri by the President of India for his
contributions in the field of trade and industry.
In 2010, he was honoured by South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, with the
distinguished civilian honour, Order of Diplomatic Service Merit, in recognition of
his contribution in promoting bilateral relations between South Korea and India.
Asian Network for Quality (ANQ) chose Venu Srinivasan as one of the winners of its
prestigious Ishikawa-Kano Award for the year 2012 for his substantial contribution
to the advancement of theories and practices of quality management within TVS
Motor.
He was appointed as the Honorary Commander of Korean Navel vessel, ROKS Choi
Young (DDH-981). This is a rare honour for a civilian, and is given in appreciation
for his/her dedication to enhance the friendship and Co-operation between the
Republic of Korea and India.
Veteran poetess Imtiaz Dharker awarded with the Queens Gold

Medal for Poetry 2014
Noted Pakistan-born poetess Imtiaz Dharker was on 17 December 2014 awarded the
Queens Gold Medal for Poetry 2014 for her latest poetry collection Over the Moon.
The award recognizes Imtiaz Dharker lifes contribution to poetry. It will be presented
to Dharker in 2015.
Earlier on 4 December 2014, Dharker was unanimously chosen for the award by the
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Poetry Medal Committee at Windsor. Her nomination was approved by the Queen of
the United Kingdom.
Imtiaz Dharker
Dharker was born in Pakistan in 1954 but grew up a Muslim Calvinist in a Lahori
household at Glasgow, Scotland.
Some of her poems are included in syllabus of schools in the United Kingdom.
She has so far published five books including Postcards from God and Purdah
in 1997, I Speak for the Devil in 2001, The Terrorist at my Table in 2006, Leaving
Fingerprints in 2009 and Over the Moon in 2014.
Imtiaz is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and has been Poet in Residence
at Cambridge University Library. She is also a recipient of the Cholmondeley Award.
She has also been awarded by the President of India with Silver Lotus for the best
short film.
Queens Gold Medal for Poetry

The Queens Gold Medal for Poetry was created in 1933 by George V at the
suggestion of the then poet laureate John Masefield.
The award is given for a book of verse published by someone from the United
Kingdom or a Commonwealth realm.
The committee of eminent men and women of letters under the chairmanship of
the Poet Laureate gives the recommendations for the award.
The recipient receives a gold medal. The obverse of the medal bears the crowned
effigy of The Queen.
In 2013, the medal was won by Douglas Dunn. Other winners of the award were
W. H. Auden (1936), R. S. Thomas (1964), Ted Hughes (1974), Fleur Adcock (2006)
and John Agard (2012).
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Xu Youyu of China won Olof Palme Human Rights Prize for the
year 2014
Pro-democracy activist of China Xu Youyu won the Olof Palme Human Rights Prize
for the year 2014. The award given annually by the Stockholm-based Olof Palme
Memorial Fund of Sweden was announced on 16 December 2014.
He received the award for his strong-principled work for democracy, social justice,
human rights and freedom of speech which has universal meaning. Through his
research and dialogue-oriented debate articles, he made a great contribution to the
peaceful and democratic development in China.
As a political philosopher and a committed Chinese citizen, he advocates respect for
the freedoms guaranteed in the Constitution. In 2008, he was one of the most evident
signatories of Charta 08 manifesto that urged a series of reforms in China.
He has worked consistently for a democratization of Chinese society, while
condemning any form of violence as a political method.
Born in 1947 in Beijing, at present, he is a Professor of Philosophy at the Chinese
Academy of Social Science. He is an expert on western social theories including
Marxism and the Frankfurt School.
He is the recipient of the Olof Palme professorship and worked in this capacity
at Stockholm University in 2001-02. The Olof Palme professorship is held by an
internationally prominent researcher who focuses on areas of importance to the quest
for peace in a broad context.
About Olof Palme Prize

The Olof Palme Prize is an annual prize worth 75000 US dollars granted by the Olof
Palme Memorial Fund established by the Social Democratic Party of Sweden and
Olof Palme family.
It commemorates the spirit of Olof Palme, Social Democratic Prime Minister of
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Nordic country. He was an outspoken international human rights advocate, who was
assassinated in the Swedish capital in 1986.
In 2013, it was given to Rosa Taikon of Sweden and the first prize was won by
Cyril Ramaphosa in 1987, the Secretary General of National Union of Mineworkers
of South Africa.
The other awardees include Myanmars Aung San Suu Kyi and former UN Secretary
General Kofi Annan.

Miss South Africa, Rolene Strauss on 14 December 2014 was crowned Miss World
2014 at the final of the beauty pageant held in London, UK. Strauss, 22-year-old
fourth-year medical student at University of the Free State, was presented with the
sash by the outgoing Miss World, Megan Young of the Philippines.
Rolene Strauss will now travel to the violence-hit Central American nation to build a
school named in their honour.
Miss Hungary, Edina Kulcsar, was the runner-up and Miss United States, Elizabeth
Safrit, came third in the 64th annual competition, contested by women from 121
countries.
Indias 21-year-old Jaipur-born Koyal Rana made it to the top 10 but failed to make
it to the top five. However, she bagged the sub-title of Best Designer of the world.
She also shared the Beauty With A Purpose title with Kenya, Guyana, Brazil and
Indonesia.
Priyanka Chopra was the last Indian winner of the coveted title in 2000.
Asha Bhosle awarded DIFF Lifetime Achievement Award 2014

Playback singer Asha Bhosle on 10 December 2014 was awarded the Lifetime
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Achievement Award at the 11th Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) held in Dubai.
She received the award for her decades of dedication to Indian Film Industry.
Along with her, another Egyptian actor Nour El-Sherif was also received the DIFF
Lifetime Achievement Award for his work on over 100 films, in a career spanning
nearly five decades.
The DIFF Lifetime Achievement Award is dedicated to honour the worlds greatest
film actors, writers, directors and producers. Previous winners of the awards includes
Martin Sheen, Omar Sharif, Faten Hamamah, Adel Imam, Jameel Rateb, Sabah,
Morgan Freeman, Sean Penn, Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Daoud Abdel
Sayed, Youssef Chahine, Rachid Bouchareb, Yash Chopra, Subhash Ghai among
others.
About Asha Bhosle

Asha Bhosle was born in 1933 and started her career as playback singer in 1943.
She has recorded more than 12000 songs and she is known for her versatility as
a singer is it folk songs, Indian classical music, pop songs, ghazals and bhajans.
She is noted as the most recorded artist in music history by the Guinness Book of
World Records.
She was also awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2000 and the Padma
Vibhushan 2008.
In 2013, she made acting debut in the Mai movie at the age of 79 and played role
of 65 years old-mother who suffers from Alzheimers disease and is abandoned
by her children.
About Dubai International Film Festival

The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) is the leading film festival started in 2004.
The festival serves as an influential platform for Arab filmmakers and talent at an
international level, by leading the cinema movement in Gulf region.
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Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz awarded the Confucius Peace Prize

2014
Former Cuban Leader Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz was on 9 December 2014 awarded
the Confucius Peace Prize 2014 for his important contributions in eliminating nuclear
war after his retirement.
He was selected from more than 20 nominees including UN Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon and two organizations.
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz

Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban politician and revolutionary who served as
Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976.
He became President of Cuba in 1976. However, he formally relinquished the
presidency in February 2008 because of health problems.
After his retirement, he has been actively meeting with leaders and groups from
all over the world and has made important contributions to emphasizing the need
to eliminate nuclear war.
Confucius Peace prize

The Confucius Peace prize was established in 2009 as an eastern alternative to
the Nobel Peace Prize following the proposal of Chinese businessman Lui Zhiqin.
The award is in the form of a gold statuette and includes a cash prize of 15000 US
dollars.
It was created following the Norwegian Nobel committees decision to honor
imprisoned Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo.
Confucius Peace Prize of China is equivalent to Nobel Peace Prize and was first
awarded in 2010.
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Previous recipients of award are former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and
then Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
In 2013, Yi Cheng, who is the honorary head of the Buddhist Association of China,
was awarded the Confucius Peace prize.
Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yousafzai received Nobel Peace

Prize for the year 2014
Child rights campaigner of India Kailash Satyarthi and Education activist of Pakistan
Malala Yousafzai received the Nobel Peace Prize for the year 2014. Both the recipients
received medals and prize money 1.4 million US dollars from the Norwegian Nobel
Committee at Oslo, Norway on 10 December 2014.
Both Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yousafzai were awarded for their struggle against
the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to
education.
Both the co-winners of the Nobel Peace Prize have been described by the Norwegian
Nobel Committee as Champions of Peace. Besides, US Senate also passed a
resolution recognizing both the co-winners as a symbol of peace.
Kailash Satyarthi is a childrens rights activist and has been active in the Indian
movement against child labour since the 1990s. He founded an organisation Bachpan
Bachao Andolan has freed over 80000 children from various forms of servitude and
helped in successful reintegration, rehabilitation and education of them.
Child education activist of Pakistan Malala Yousafzai at the age of 17 became the
youngest ever recipient of the Nobel Prize and also the first person to win the Nobel
Prize from Pakistan. She is known for her activism for right to education for women
especially in the Swat Valley where the local Taliban had at times banned girls from
attending school.
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Other Nobel Laureates of 2014

Other Nobel laureates received their Nobel Peace Prizes from the Chairman of
the Norwegian Nobel Committee in the presence of King Harald V of Norway at
Stockholm, Sweden.
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine: John OKeefe, May-Britt Moser and Edvard
I. Moser for their discoveries of cells that constitute a positioning system in the
brain.
Nobel Prize in Literature: French author Patrick Modiano for the art of memory
with which he has evoked the most ungraspable human destinies and uncovered
the life-world of the occupation.
Nobel Prize in Physics: Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano and Shuji Nakamura for
the invention of efficient blue light-emitting diodes which has enabled bright and
energy-saving white light sources.
Nobel Prize in Chemistry: Eric Betzig from Janelia Research Campus, Stefan Hell,
Gottingen and William E. Moerner for their role in the of super-resolved fluorescence
microscopy.
Nobel Prize in Economics: Jean Tirole for his analysis of market power and
regulation.

Chairman of Wipro Azim Premji was awarded Swiss Ambassadors Award in Mumbai
on 3 December 2014. He was awarded for inspirational and socially responsible
leadership.
Switzerland ambassador Linus von Castelmur praised Azim Premji as a beacon of the
corporate world who has maintained values such as tolerance, honesty and modesty.
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About Swiss Ambassadors Award

Swiss Ambassadors Award was constituted in 2010. The award recognises individuals
who have contributed to the promotion of Indo-Swiss relations or have stood out for
their exceptional role in society and industry.
In past, the award has been conferred on Yash Chopra director producer of
Bollywood; Ratan Tata Chairman-Emeritus of Tata Sons; Glenn Saldanha CMD of
Glenmark Generics Limited and RV Kanoria, Chief Managing Director of Kanoria
Chemicals & Industries Ltd.
About Wipro
Wipro was established in 1945 as Western India Vegetable Products Limited in
Maharashtra. Later it ventured into the fledgling IT industry in 1981.
Wipro started operations in Switzerland in 1999 and at present the company counts
over 60 percent of the Swiss-headquartered blue chip companies as its customers
and partners. Wipro is located at Zurich, Basel and Geneva in Switzerland.
Indian PM Narendra Modi named as the Asian of the Year 2014

by The Straits Times
Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi was on 5 December 2014 named as the
Asian of the Year 2014 by Singapores leading newspaper The Straits Times for being
a development-focused leader.
The editors of the paper picked Narendra Modi as he created an impressive election
victory for his party Bhartiya Janata party (BJP) in the national election that ended in
May 2014.
The award also recognises Modis record as an administrator who has propelled his
home state Gujarat to global attention.
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The Straits Times choice of Narendra Modi as Asian of the Year 2014 was
based on several factors:
After assuming the office of PM in May 2014, Narendra Modi has made a mark on
Asia by reaching out to neighbouring countries and receiving international leaders
like Xi Jinping of China and Tony Abbott of Australia.
Moreover, Modi has had a highly successful visit to Japan for a summit with
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
On the economy level, Modis Make in India campaign could help enhance the
growth engines of the economy and can provide equilibrium to the region when
the top Asian economy China is slowing, and Japan is in recession.
Politically and socially, Modi has energized India with his moving calls that aimed
at the development of India.
In January 2015, he will receive US President Barack Obama, the first time that a
US leader will be the chief guest at the annual Republic Day celebrations in India.
About the award Asian of the Year by The Straits Times

Every December, editors of The Straits Times pick an Asian whose actions have
significantly impacted his own society or the wider Asian continent in the 12
months past.
In 2013, the award was shared by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
The first Asian of the Year award went to President Thein Sein of Myanmar in 2012.
President Pranab Mukherjee presented Niryat Shree and Niryat

Bandhu Awards
The President of India Pranab Mukherjee on 1 December 2014 presented the Niryat
Shree and Niryat Bandhu Awards for outstanding performance in exports for the year
2010-11 and 2011-12 in New Delhi .
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Forty-four companies received Niryat Shree Awards while six were honoured with
Niryat Bandhu for their outstanding performance in the field of exports.
The Niryat Shree and Niryat Bandhu Awards were instituted by the Federation of
Indian Export Organizations.
Contribution of Exports Sector to Indias GDP

India has done reasonably well in all parameters of socio-economic activity over the
last decade. It is today the third largest economy in the world in terms of purchasing
power parity with economy growing at an average rate of 7.6 percent per year from
2004-05 to 2013-14.
The international trade to GDP ratio, which was less than 15 percent in 1991-92 is
now close to 42 percent. From 17.9 billion US dollars in 1991-92, the value of exports
has increased to 312.6 billion US dollars in 2013-14.
The compound average growth rate of our exports during 1991-92 to 2001-02 was
9.4 percent. This has increased to 17.8 percent during the period 2001-02 to 201314.
Film artist of Ireland Duncan Campbell on 1 December 2014 won Turner Prize 2014
for a video called It For Others. The video reflects on African art and includes a dance
sequence inspired by Karl Marx. He received the prize of 25000 pounds at Tate
Britain in London.
He became the fifth winner of Tuner Prize 2014 since 1996 and the fourth graduate of
our Master of Fine Art programme from the Glasgow School of Art to have won the
prize in the last 10 years.
In 2013, Laure Prouvost won the prize for an installation named Wantee and some of
the previous winners of the Turner Prize include Damien Hirst and Antony Gormley.
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About Turner Prize
Turner Prize was established in 1984 to promote discussion of new developments
in contemporary British art.
The prize fund is 40000 pounds with 25000 pounds going to the winner and 5000
pounds each for the other shortlisted artists.
About Duncan Campbell

Duncan was born in 1972 and he studied at the University of Ulster, Belfast, before
completing a Master of Fine Art programme at Glasgow School of Art in 1998.
His films bring together archive footage, photographs, interviews, animation and
re-enactment.
His recent solo exhibitions include The Common Guild, Glasgow (2014); Carnegie
Museum of Art, Pittsburgh (2012); Belfast Exposed, Belfast; Arbeit, Hotel, London
(2011).
The Economic Times Awards for Corporate Excellence announced

The Economic Times Awards for Corporate Excellence was announced on 30
November 2014. The awards were announced in the following category:
Business Leader of the Year Dilip Shanghvi
Company of the Year Tata Consultancy Services
Emerging Company of the Year Adani Ports & SEZ
Global Indian of the Year Satya Nadella
Startup of the Year Zomato
Business Reformer of the Year UK Sinha
Corporate Citizen of the Year Tata Steel
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Lifetime Achievement Yusuf Hamied
Entrepreneur of the Year - Dhiraj Rajaram
Entrepreneur of the Year - Chandra Shekhar Ghosh
About ET Awards
ET awards are the awards conferred by The Economic Times in the field of business,
corporate and government policies, economies in India. It is an annual award. The
award was sponsored by Standard Chartered Bank. Since 2012, Standard Chartered
Bank has been the presenting sponsor of The Economic Times Awards for Corporate
Excellence.
The winners were decided by the jury panel of 11 members. The ET Awards jury
included some of Indias top industrialists, bankers and lawyer.
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Places in News
Chintagufa area of Sukma district: Maoist killed dozen CRPF personnel
Chintagufa area of Sukma district in Chhattisgarh on 1 December 2014 was in news
as Maoists killed more than dozen CRPF personnel in an attack. Several others were
injured in the attack. The victims of the attack were from the 223 battalion of the
CRPF.
CRPF personnel were inside the forest for an operation when the Maoists ambushed
them.
This Maoist-attack is being considered as one of the biggest single-day casualty of
2014 in Chhattisgarh area of Sukma district.
The incident took place in the same region where seven personnel were injured in
a Maoist attack on 21 November 2014, when they also attacked the IAF helicopter
Mi17 that was sent to evacuate the injured.
The CRPF in November 2014 launched massive operations in the interior areas of
Sukma against Maoists. Under the operation about 5000 CRPF personnel were
deployed in the forests of Bastar. Might be possible, this ambush by Maoists is a
response to CRPF operation.
The attack took place around nine km from Chintagufa, where 76 jawans were killed
in 2008 in one of the worst Maoist attacks ever.
The attack also comes a day before the Peoples Liberation of Guerrilla Army of the
CPI (Maoist) is set to begin its foundation week from 2 to 8 December 2014.
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According to Home Ministry, the Maoists are one of the biggest internal security
threats to the nation, as they are operational in 20 of the Indias 29 states. They have
several thousands of fighters.
Militants attack Nigerian city Maiduguri and Damaturu

Maiduguri & Damaturu, Nigeria: Attacked by Boko Haram militants
Maiduguri and Damaturu city in Nigeria were in news as Boko Haram militants on 1
December 2014 attacked the cities killing at least 5 people and wounding more than
40 people. Suicide attacks were made by two female bombers.
Yobe, Borno and Adamawa states in Nigerias northeast have been the main targets
of Boko Haram militants fighting for five years to carve a radical Islamist state out of
Africas top oil-producing and most populous country.
Two state capitals are located in north-east Nigeria. In Damaturu, explosions and
gunfire were heard as militants rampaged through the city.
Maiduguri was the headquarters of Boko Haram, until it was driven out of the city by
the security forces and vigilante groups.
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Books | Authors
Book titled Why I Assassinated Gandhi written by Nathuram
Godse and Gopal Godse
Why I Assassinated Gandhi: written by Nathuram Vinayak Godse and Gopal
Vinayak Godse
The book titled Why I Assassinated Gandhi written by Nathuram Godse and Gopal
Godse was in news in third week of December 2014.
The first revised edition of book was published by Delhi-based Farsight Publishers
and Distributors. The revised edition has been compiled and edited by Virender
Mehra. The book was first published in 1993 by Surya Bharti Prakashan.
The 14-chapter, 208-page book includes a profile of Godse, and critical commentary
on Gandhis politics. It also includes Nathuram Godses statement before the court
at the Red Fort trial in its unabridged form.
Besides, it contains the narrative of Justice G D Khosla who was the part of full
bench of the then East Punjab High Court that heard the Nathuram Godse case on
23 May 1949.
Bombay High Court in 1968 had lifted the ban on Nathuram Godses statement to
the special court.
PM Narendra Modi launched Born Again on the Mountain by

Arunima Sinha
Born Again on the Mountain : Arunima Sinha
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 12 December 2014 launched a book tittled Born
Again on the Mountain by Arunima Sinha. She is the first Indian amputee and first
female amputee to climb Mount Everest.
The book is about her unforgettable story of hope, courage and resilience.
She was a national level volleyball player who was pushed out of a running train by
thieves in 2011 as she attempted to fight them off.
The accident cost her left leg and sporting career, but it never deterred her. Two years
later, she retrained as a mountaineer and became the first female amputee to scale
Mount Everest.
Arunima Sinha is now dedicated towards social welfare and she wants to open a free
sports academy for the poor and differently-abled persons. She is donating all the
financial aids she is getting through awards and seminars for the same cause.
Prince of Gujarat: The Extraordinary Story of Prince Gopaldas

Desai released
Prince of Gujarat: The Extraordinary Story of Prince Gopaldas Desai (1887-1951):
Rajmohan Gandhi
Book titled Prince of Gujarat: The Extraordinary Story of Prince Gopaldas Desai
(1887-1951) authored by Rajmohan Gandhi was released on 7 November 2014.
In this biography, author Rajmohan Gandhi has used letters, rare documents, personal
accounts and historical narratives in the book and tried to recreate vivid and moving
detail of life and times of a leader of supreme honesty and unalloyed patriotism who
also battled against the hierarchies of Indian society.
The writer in the book has described the story of Gopaldas born in 1887 into a clan
of princely Patels, Darbar (Prince) of the people of his tiny state in Saurashtra and
his active and courageous participation in the struggle for Indias freedom and social
justice. He also narrates the story of Gopaldas fight for minority Gujarats Muslims,
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dalit rights and women rights.
About Gopaldas Desai

Gopaldas Ambaidas Desai also called Darbar Gopaldas Desai was born at Vaso
in the present day Kheda district of Gujarat in 1887
He was a former prince and later ruler of the State of Dhasa in Saurashtra and a
noted Gandhian political and social activist
He is remembered as the first prince in India who gave up his principality to become
a freedom fighter against the British Raj
He along with his wife Bhakti Lakshmidevi Desai better known as Bhaktiba became
active freedom fighters from 1922 after which his state was confiscated.
He was deposed as ruler by the British after he disobeyed the British Resident
Generals warnings against his involvement in the national movement and extending
financial support to Gandhi
The British then rejected the claims of Gopaldas other three sons and instead
appointed Gopaldas brother Chaturbhai as the new ruler
He died in 1951
About the Author

Rajmohan Gandhi born in 1935 is a biographer and grandson of Mahatma Gandhi.
He is a research professor at the Center for South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies,
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA. He is also a Scholar in residence at
Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar.
His father was Devdas Gandhi, son of Mahatma Gandhi, Father of the Nation.
Some of his books include

Rajmohan Gandhi last book was Punjab: A History from Aurangzeb to Mountbatten,
published in 2013
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In 2009 his study, A Tale of Two Revolts: India 1857 and the American Civil War
was published in India, the UK and the US
Ghaffar Khan: Nonviolent Badshah of the Pakhtuns published in 2004
Revenge & Reconciliation: Understanding South Asian History published in 1999
Patel: A Life, a biography of Vallabhbhai Patel (1875-1950), Deputy Prime Minister
of India, 1947-50
Eight Lives: A Study of the Hindu-Muslim Encounter (1987)
The Good Boatman: A Portrait of Gandhi was published in 2009 in a Chinese
translation in Beijing
Few books those were awarded

Mahatma Gandhi, Mohandas: A True Story of a Man, His People and an Empire it
received the prestigious Biennial Award from the Indian History Congress in 2007
Rajaji: A Life, a biography of Chakravarti Rajagopalachari (1878-1972) for the
book in 2001 he received the Sahitya Akademi Award.
Rajdeep Sardesai penned the book titled 2014: The Election

That Changed India
2014: The Election That Changed India: Rajdeep Sardesai
Rajdeep Sardesai penned the book titled 2014: The Election That Changed India.
The book was released on 1 November 2014.
The book tracks the story of 2014 Indian general elections that changed the political
landscape of India and is regarded as the most important elections in Indian history
since 1977. The 2014 election led to the demise of grand old party of India Congress
Party and spectacular rise of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
In his book, Sardesai, the Indias top journalist tells the story through all the key players
and the big news stories. The book contains the events beginning with 2012, when
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Narendra Modi won the state elections in Gujarat for a third time, to the scandals
that crippled Manmohan Singh and UPA 2 regime and moving to the back-room
strategies of Team Modi, the extraordinary missteps of Rahul Gandhi and the political
dramas of an election year.
The book is a thoughtful reflection on what ails Indias sensation-seeking, ratingsaddled and chronically shallow news television.
About Rajdeep Sardesai

Rajdeep Sardesai is an Indian news presenter and author. Sardesai is currently a
consulting editor at the India today group and will be doing a marquee show for
Headlines Today.
He was the Editor-in-Chief of IBN18 Network which includes CNN-IBN, IBN7 and
IBN-Lokmat from where he left in July 2014.
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Accident | Incident
AirAsia flight number QZ8501 went missing with 162 people on board en route from
the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore on 28 December 2014.
Flight 8501 (Airbus A320-200) lost contact with the air traffic control in Indonesian
airspace (over the Java Sea) after pilots requested a change of flight plan due to bad
weather. The pilot was not allowed to alter course.
Actions taken to search the missing flight

Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia have launched a search-and-rescue operation
near Belitung Island in the Java Sea after the plane went missing. The search operation
includes 12 navy ships, five planes, three helicopters and a number of warships.
This is the third incident of the year 2014 in which the Malaysia based carrier has
suffered. The two other incidents include
Still-unexplained disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 (239 passengers
and crew no report about them) in March 2014
Downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 (all 298 on board died) in July 2014 over
Ukraine
Strong earthquake of 6.3 magnitude hit Tibetan region of southwestern China

Strong earthquake of 6.3 magnitude hit Tibetan region of southwestern China on 22
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November 2014. The epicenter of the earthquake was Tagong Township in Sichuan
province.
The earthquake killed at least five people and affected nearly 80000 others. It injured
more than 50 people and damaged around 25000 houses.
China launched an all-out rescue operation. A 35-member rescue team of armed
police have been made to rescue the peoples. Besides, 6 military aircraft, 60 medical
staff and nearly 1000 soldiers and militia participated in the rescue operation.
Sichuan, neighbouring the Tibet Autonomous Region, is a mountainous and quakeprone area. Seismic activity frequently affects Sichuan. A devastating earthquake
that hit the province in 2008 left more than 87000 people dead or missing.

South Korean fishing boat Oryong 501 sank in the Bering Sea off Russias far-eastern
Chukotka peninsula on 1 December 2014. One person died in the incident and at
least 54 are missing.
South Korean Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said that the boat sank with 60 crew
members on board, of which eight people were rescued, but one of them died later.
The 2153-ton trawler Oryong 501 operated by Sajo industries sank in the Bering Sea
while catching pollock, a popular fish in South Korea. The cause of sinking, in the
frigid waters that lie between far-eastern Russia and Alaska, wasnt clear.
At the time, when the trawler went down near the Chukotka peninsula there were
more than 60 people on board. Seven people had been saved, including citizens of
several Asian Nations. The crew consisted of 35 Indonesians, 13 Filipinos, 11 South
Koreans and one Russian.
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Defence | Security
Indian Army launched Operation All Out against Bodo militants
in Assam
Operation All Out: launched by Indian army to flush out Bodo militants
Union Government in the fourth week of December 2014 decided to launch Operation
All Out against Bodo militants. The decision to launch the operation was taken during
the meeting of Army chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag and Union Home Minister
Rajnath Singh in Delhi.
The meeting was to review the security situation in Assam after National Democratic
Front of Bodoland (NDFB) militants on 23 December 2014 massacred at least 81
tribal people in two districts of Assam, Kokrajhar and Sonitpur.
The two-tier armed operation will be carried on by about 9000 soldiers of Indian
Army and paramilitary troopers on the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border to flush out
militants of the NDFB (Songbijit Brahma group).
Apart from this, authorities have also mulled coordinated action with armies of Bhutan
and Myanmar to hunt the NDFB(S) militants, as the group has its bases in the two
countries. Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay has assured its support to India
in its action against the Bodo militants.
DAC approved proposals to buy military equipment worth 4444

crore rupees
The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) headed by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar
on 17 December 2014 approved proposals to buy military equipments worth 4444
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crore rupees.
These proposals include

Purchase of four helicopters for survey vessels for the Indian Navy would cost
2324 crore rupees.
Upgradation of Indigenous Samyukta Electronic Warfare systems (EWS) would
cost 1682 crore rupees. EWS would be modernised along with a maintenance
contract for the next 10 years. Samyukta consists of vehicles with equipment
for surveillance, interception, monitoring and jamming of all communication and
radar signals
Proposal relating to purchase of P-7 Heavy Drop Platform and the naval survey
vessels would cost 402 crore. This will extend the life of airbags fitted under the
platform for damage free touchdown of payload weighing less than 7 tonnes from
eight to fifteen years.
Proposal to acquire propeller engine for offshore patrol vessel of the Coast Guard
would cost 36 crore rupees.
However, DAC could not reach on a conclusion on the joint bid of Tata Sons Ltd and
Airbus to replace the Indian Air Forces (IAF) Avro transport fleet though the tender
floated by IAF was cleared by DAC in its meeting on 19 July 2014.
Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL) and Airbus Defence and Space had made a joint
bid for 56 medium-transport aircraft of IAF valued at 20000 crore (3 billion US dollars).
Avro transport fleet is a twin-turboprop tactical military aircraft of six to eight tonne
class which has a cruise speed of 800 kms per hour and a range of 2500-2800 kms.
Earlier on 22 November 2014, DAC had cleared a proposal to buy 814 artillery guns
for the army at a cost of 15750 crore rupees to fill gaps in Indias defence capabilities.
The army has not bought a single artillery gun since the Bofors scandal exploded in
the late 1980s.
The artillery guns would be bought under the governments Buy and Make procedure
introduced in 2013 to strengthen the indigenous defence sector. The plan is to go in
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for off-the-shelf purchase of 100 guns and manufacture the remaining in the country.
With the passage of this 4444 crore rupees proposal and including the 15750 crore
rupees proposal of November 2014, NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi had cleared defence projects of more than 140000 crore rupees since it was
voted into power in May 2014.
IAF launched second phase of air combat game called Guardian

of the Skies
The Indian Air Force (IAF) on 11 December 2014 launched the second phase of its 3D
mobile air combat game, Guardians of the Skies (GOTS). The game will be available
on all three popular mobile platforms - Android, iOS and Windows.
In the game, IAF focused on getting a realistic picture of its flying operations, which is
also a first of its kind effort by any Air Force in the world on a mobile based platform.
About Guardians of the Skies

The game puts players into a stimulated world where players become IAF pilots
and battle it out with a fictitious country called Zaruzia.
In the game, the player undergoes flying training and subsequently gets engaged
in combat missions in various aircraft types of the IAF fighters, transport and
helicopter fleet.
Apart from a single player campaign, the game will also have multiplayer mode in
which players will be able to carry out simulated combat against each other over
a WiFi network.
The game is optimized to run on devices with as less as 512 MB RAM.
Earlier in July 2014, the first phase of the game with teaser missions was released to
attract generation-next youth to pursue a career in the force especially in Air force.
The game received an enthusiastic response from gamers in the age group of 15-25
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years and has been complimented for its realistic graphics and game play. The game
has won the prestigious Best Indian Game award from Microsoft on its windows
application store.
The game has been developed by Threye Interactive in accordance with the strict
concept and guidelines laid down by the IAF.
Advanced version of Mark-II Pinaka Rocket successfully testfired from Chandipur in Odisha
The advanced version of Mark-II Pinaka Rocket was successfully test fired on 9
December 2014 from the Proof & Experimental Establishment (PXE) at Chandipur,
about 15-km from Balasore in Odisha. It was test-fired using a multi-barrel launcher.
The tests were conducted by the Pune-based Armament Research and Development
Establishment (ARDE) of DRDO with logistical support from the PXE labs.
Advance version of Mark-II rocket has a range of more than 60-km and capable of
acting as a force-multiplier. It was developed to supplement artillery guns.
Pinaka is the unguided rocket system meant to neutralise large areas with rapid
salvos. It has undergone several tough tests since 1995. It has been inducted into the
Army and the present trials were conducted with some improvements.
Characteristic feature of Pinaka

The Pinaka rocket is also known as the Weapon Area System (WAS) and it can fire
rockets with a range of 40-65 km
With a battery of six launchers, the Pinaka system can fire a salvo of 12 rockets
with 1.2 tonne of high explosives in 44 seconds
It can neutralise a target area of 3.9 sq. km and is meant as a supplement to the
existing artillery system at a range beyond 30 km.
It can be fitted with a variety of warheads ranging from blast-cum-pre-fragmented
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high explosives to anti-tank mines.
Sikorsky Corp bagged 6000 crore rupee deal to supply S-70B

Seahawks to Indian Navy
Sikorsky Aircraft Corp of the US on 5 December 2014 bagged the 6000 crore rupees
deal for supply of 16 Multi-role Helicopters (MRH) to the Indian Navy with an option
for eight additional aircraft. The company will also provide complete logistics support
and training program.
Sikorsky was selected for the deal after it won the commercial bids that were opened
on 4 December 2014.
As per the deal, Sikorsky will supply S-70B Seahawk to India. The S-70B aircraft
is part of Sikorskys SEAHAWK helicopter family (including the SH-60 and MH-60
models) and can be used both for anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare.
The proposed Indian Navy S-70B variant will include avionics and flexible open
architecture Weapons Management Systems that will integrate advanced sonar, 360
degree search radar, modern air-to-surface missiles, torpedoes for the ASW role, and
a blade and tail fold capability will facilitate shipboard storage.
Background
Earlier in 2008, Indian Navy had floated a tender for 16 helicopters with an option
for another eight and had selected Finmecccanicas NH-90 and Sikroskys S-70B
helicopters for evaluation.
But European company Finmeccanica, which is the parent company of AgustaWestland
was banned in August 2014 due to 3550 crore rupees VVIP helicopter scam leaving
Sikrosky as the sole bidder.
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The Border Security Force (BSF) celebrated its 49th Raising day on 1 December
2014. The force was raised on 1 December in 1965. Home Minister Rajnath Singh
also participated in the celebrations.
BSF will celebrate its Golden Jubilee year from 1 December 2014 to 30 November
2015.
The motto of BSF is Jeevan Paryant Kartavya. BSF was raised with role to provide
a sense of security among the people living in the border areas, to prevent transborder crimes, unauthorized entry into or exit from the territory of India and to prevent
smuggling and any other illegal activity.
BSF was established under KF Rustamji as first Director General to guard the IndoPak and Indo-Bangla international borders.
Currently, DG of BSF is Devendra Kumar Pathak, IPS.
About Border Security Force

The BSF is being extensively utilised on internal security duties in several states.
Besides, it is manning 3323 kms length Indo-Pakistan border, which runs through the
states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir.
The force is also deployed over 288.95 km in the Line of Control (LoC) bordering
Pakistan.
It is also entrusted with the duty of manning 4096.70 kms long India-Bangladesh
border, which runs along the states of West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram
and Tripura.

Nuclear capable missile Agni-IV was test fired on 2 December 2014 from Integrated
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Test Range in Wheeler Island, Odisha. The test fired was conducted by Strategic
Force Command (SFC) of Indian Army.
This was the fourth successful trial in a series. The long range Radars and ElectroOptical Tracking systems (EOTS) located all along the coast tracked and monitored
all the parameters throughout the flight.
The missile carrying one tonne war head splashed down near its pre-designated
target point in Indian Ocean.
Agni-IV is a surface-to-surface missile with 4000 km range and 20 meter-long
indigenously developed missile.
The missile is a two-stage, weighing 17 tonne and 20-metre tall. Agni-IV is equipped
with state-of-the-art avionics, a fifth generation on-board computer and distributed
architecture. It also has the latest features to correct and guide itself for in-flight
disturbances.
The missiles most accurate Ring Laser Gyro based Inertial Navigation System (RINS)
and supported by highly reliable redundant Micro Navigation System (MINGS),
ensures the vehicle reach the target within two digit accuracy.
Agni-IV has already been inducted into the Army. Agni-I (700 Km), Agni-II (2000km)
and Agni-III (3000 km) and Prithvi II (350 km) are already in the arsenal of armed
forces.
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Report | Survey
Report titled Future of India- The Winning Leap released by PwC
The report titled Future of India- The Winning Leap was released on 24 November 2014
by global professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) International
Ltd.
The report revealed the winning solutions required to lead India to unprecedented
economic growth along with radical improvements in the Human Development Index
(HDI) over the next two decades.
The report emphasises that India has the potential to achieve 9 percent growth rate and
become a 10 trillion US dollars economy by 2034. To achieve this growth, a concerted
effort from Corporate India, supported by a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem and a
constructive partnership with the government will play a critical role.
The report is outcome of the research that comprised interviews with about 80 leaders
in India and abroad, workshops with sector leaders, insights from academic and
economic specialists, and an online survey completed by more than 1500 people.

India can only build shared prosperity for its 1.25 billion people by transforming the
way the economy creates value. For India, to create 10-12 million jobs every year in
the coming decades, corporations and entrepreneurs must work together to help
deliver new solutions and build capabilities for growth.
The report investigates 10 sectors- education, healthcare, agriculture, retail, power,
manufacturing, financial services, urbanisation and enabling sectors such as Indias
digital and physical connectivity. Together, these sectors constitute over 70 percent
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of Indias GDP.
The report states that each of the sectors face challenges whose resolution will
require new and scalable solutions that are resource efficient and environmentally
sustainable. Moreover, all of these sectors are interconnected and hence a setback
in one spawns setbacks in others and vice-versa.
The report stresses that linear growth in each sector would not be enough to meet
the growth ambition envisioned for India. Given the complexity and scale of the
challenges facing India, the resources required, and the urgency of demands for
change coming from Indian citizens, sector players must deploy solutions that deliver
non-linear growth.
To enable such non-linear growth, organisations must focus on five key themes which
should form the basis of their capability building measures and investments:
Serving informed and empowered customers
Creating flexible and adaptive operating models
Drawing on non-traditional resources and partnerships
Adapting a growth and innovation mindset
Focusing on accountability, integrity and sustainability
The government also needs to extend support by creating national platforms that
enable this growth and improving the ease of doing business index. For instance,
immediate changes that could be harvested could be in areas like ease in starting a
company and in paying taxes.
Winning Leap solutions from private sector fall within three broad categories:
Fierce Catch-Up: This involves following traditional approaches or technologies to
surmount challenges, but at an accelerated pace. For example Improving energy
transmission and distribution efficiency.
Significant Leap: This involves adopting new or different approaches or
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technologies, which may have been developed elsewhere but would also work in
India. For example Shifting from coal-based power generation to nuclear or solar
energy.
Leapfrog: This represents a radically different approach- a paradigm shift that
entails applying a new and potentially disruptive business model. For example
moving from central to distributed power generation.
According to the report, if each sector of the Indian economy executes solutions
drawn from above three categories, it will expand fivefold and can achieve 9-10
percent sustained economic growth over the next 20 years in a resource efficient
manner.
Three Economic growth scenarios

With data and modelling from Oxford Economics, the report defines three possible
economic growth scenarios for India, each hinging on different strategies and
achievements that could come from corporations, entrepreneurs, and Government,
and each reflecting a different focus for investment:
Scenario 1: Pushing old ways faster outlines a focus on investment in education,
health, and other dimensions related to human capital. The analysis suggests that
in this scenario, Indias GDP could see a 6.6 percent compound annual growth rate
(CAGR) between 2014 and 2034.
Scenario 2: Turbocharging investment outlines the impact of rapid and significant
investment in physical infrastructure and envisions a 7.0 percent CAGR for GDP
leading up to 2034.
Scenario 3: The Winning Leap includes investment in both human and physical
capital as per the previous two scenarios but also focuses on investment in Research
& Development and innovation and envisions a 9.0 percent CAGR for GDP by 2034.
About PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) International Ltd

PwC helps organisations and individuals create the value they are looking for. It is a
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network of firms in 157 countries with more than 195000 people who are committed
to delivering quality in assurance, tax and advisory services.
In India, PwC has offices in Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi NCR, Hyderabad,
Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune where it provides Advisory and Tax Regulatory services
by presenting finely defined deliverables.

Time Magazine on 20 November 2014 released list of 25 Best Inventions 2014.
Mangalyaan has been named among the best inventions of 2014 which described it
as a technological feat that will allow India to flex its interplanetary muscles.
The list also includes two inventions of Indians for developing an exercise space for
prisoners in solitary confinement called Blue Room and a tablet toy for kids called
Osmo.
List of 25 Best Inventions 2014

The Real-Life Hoverboard- a type of skateboard that levitates like a magic carpet
The Supersmart Spacecraft- Mangalyaan went into orbit around the Red Planet, a
technological feat by ISRO of India
A Reactor that Could Realize Nuclear Fusion - nuclear fusion reactors small enough
to fit on the back of a truck and the design uses magnetic mirror confinement to
control the reaction
Wireless Electricity- Witricity is a technology that involves a plug-in coil that creates
a magnetic field, which in turn powers objects as far away as 8 feet
3-D-Printed Everything- 3-D printer devices that can build objects from digital
blueprints, usually by layering plastic or other materials
Watches that Redefine Smart- Apples Watch reimagines the computer for the
wrist, using a novel interface that combines a touch screen and physical buttons
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The Smartphone that Puts Privacy First- smartphone designed to put data privacy
with software that encrypts calls, texts and browsing history at levels far beyond
normal smartphones
The Cooler that Powers Your Party- worlds smartest all-purpose party cooler
which stores food and drinks. It also touts a blender, an LED lid light, a USB
charger, a Bluetooth speaker and big wheels designed to navigate many terrains.
The Chip that Stops Your Slouching- Lumo Lift is a chip like gadget can be inserted
in their shirt, it analyzes neck and spinal positions and vibrates when theyre less
than ideal position.
The Car that Makes Electric Enticing- BMW i3- it drives 70 to 110miles (113 to 177
km) on a single three-hour charge, its novel design allows drivers to use a single
pedal to both accelerate and brake which is a more energy-efficient driving
The Tablet that Replaces Laptops- Microsoft Surface Pro 3- Microsofts latest
hybrid bundles the power of a laptop into a svelte 12-in. tablet and can run desktop
apps like Word, Excel and PowerPoint
The Pillbox that Gets Personal
Bananas that Prevent Blindness- developing a vitamin-A-enriched superbanana
The Wheel that Gives Bikers a Boost- Copenhagen Wheel is a standard-size wheel
which can be attached to the back of most bicyclesthat boasts a rechargeable,
battery-powered motor
The Seamless Sign-Language Translator- MotionSavvy uni is a tablet and
attachment that leverages motion-sensing cameras and voice recognition to
translate American Sign Language into spoken wordsand spoken words into
textin real time for deaf people
The Filter that Fights Ebola- Hemopurifier is a specially designed cartridge that
attaches to a dialysis machine, can tip the balance back in the bodys favour:
its lectin filter attracts Ebola viruses and sucks them from the blood as it flows
through.
The Selfie Stick- the selfie stick enables users to position their smartphone beyond
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arms reach to get better photo angles
The AC that Lowers Your Energy Bills- Quirky + GE aros is a provocative departure
from the familiar window unit. For one thing, its elegant, with a sleek white exterior
thats almost Apple-esque.
The Prison Room that Helps Inmates Relax- Blue Room is an exercise space
where a projector plays video of open deserts, streaming waterfalls and other
outdoor scenes
The Tablet Toy that Gets Physical Osmo is a virtual play and its reflective AI
attachment enables the iPad camera to interpret physical objectsallowing kids
to mimic an onscreen pattern with colored tiles, for example, and get rewarded for
doing it correctly
The Coaching Basketball 94fifty smart sensor comes embedded with nine
sensors and a Bluetooth chip that sends performance data to a mobile app
allowing players to measure, say, the arc of their jumpshot
Wrappers You Can Eat- Wikipearls is a paired shell is made of particles of dried
fruit or other natural substances that are tiny enough to be electrically attracted
to one another; they are combined with calcium and sugar to strengthen the form
Screens that Showcase Digital Art- Electric object contains flat screens are wired
specifically to display art. Their brightness dims in tandem with sunlight, and their
matte finish blocks glare so they resemble actual paintings.
Action Figures that Empower Girls- IAmelemental is women figures designed and
commissioned to build series of action figures, meant to portray women as heroes
with strong personalities. Each figure embodies a different element of heroism,
like persistence or honesty
WHO released the Global status report on violence prevention

2014
The World Health Organisation (WHO) on 10 December 2014 released the Global
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status report on violence prevention 2014 to describe the state of the problem of
interpersonal violence worldwide.
The report was jointly published by WHO, the United Nations Development Programme,
and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
The report reveals that 475000 people were murdered in 2012 and homicide is the
third leading cause of death globally for males aged 1544 years. The report highlights
the urgent need for more decisive action to prevent violence.
Highlights of the Report

Only one third of the 133 countries surveyed are implementing large-scale initiatives
to prevent violence such as bullying prevention programmes, visits by nurses to
families at risk and support to those who care for older people.
About half the countries are fully enforcing a set of 12 laws generally acknowledged
to prevent violence, however 80 percent of countries have enacted them.
Violence also contributes to leading causes of death such as cancer, heart disease
and HIV/AIDS as victims are at an increased risk of adopting behaviours like
smoking, alcohol and unsafe sex.
One half of countries are implementing school-based programmes to teach
children and adolescents life-skills such as non-violent conflict resolution.
One half of countries are promoting efforts to change gender norms supportive of
violence against women.
Less than one quarter of countries are developing public information campaigns
to prevent elder abuse.
About 98 percent of countries have laws against rape; 87 percent of countries
have laws against domestic violence; 84 percent of countries have laws against
carrying weapons in schools and 40 percent of countries have laws against abuse
in institutions for older people.
Recommendations of the Report

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The Global status report on violence prevention 2014 pressed the need of scaling
up of violence prevention programmes in all countries and stronger legislation and
enforcement of laws relevant for violence prevention.
Providing care and support to victims of violence is important for reducing
psychological trauma, helping victims heal and preventing further involvement in
violence.
It calls for strengthened justice and security institutions to uphold the rule of law
and enhanced services for victims of violence.
It also advocates for better and more effective use of data to inform violence
prevention programming and to measure progress.
Global status report on violence prevention 2014

The Global status report on violence prevention 2014 is the first report of its kind to
assess national efforts to address interpersonal violence namely child maltreatment,
youth violence, intimate partner and sexual violence and elder abuse.
The report assessed the scale of implementation of 18 best buy violence prevention
programmes. This report takes stock of the measures taken by the countries to
prevent and respond to interpersonal violence.
The report also reviewed 12 laws which are relevant for violence prevention. The report
is intended for use by governments to help identify gaps and encourage and guide
actions and by nongovernmental organizations and experts to assist governments in
their efforts.
Fortune 500 list of Indian companies 2014 released

Fortune 500 List of Indian companies 2014 was released by the Fortune Magazine on
second week of December 2014.
Among the 500 companies, Indian Oil Corp (IOC) tops the list with an annual revenue
of 500973 crore rupees followed by Mukesh Ambani led Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL)
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with an annual revenue is 444021 crore rupees.
Highlights of the Fortune 500 List of Indian Companies

IOC, RIL, BPCL and HPCL have retained their 2013 respective ranks.
There has been 9.5 percent annual growth in total revenues, while in terms of
profit it is 4.5 percent.
The government-owned companies account for 38 percent of the total revenue
and have seen a 6.6 percent growth, while private companies with 56.7 percent
share with 10.2 percent of revenue growth.
Foreign-owned companies accounts for 5.3 percent of total revenue with 25.5
percent revenue growth.
Manufacturing with 298 companies has a 67 percent share of the total revenue,
marginally lower than 68.7 percent in 2013.
The revenue share of services companies around 143 firms has increased to 27.7
per cent from 26.3 percent in 2013.
The Profits of manufacturing share has fallen to 55.1 percent from 56.6 percent
that of services has gone up to 44.1 percent from 40.9 percent.
UN World Economic Situation and Prospects 2015 (WESP) report released

The UN World Economic Situation and Prospects 2015 (WESP) report was released
According to report, global economic growth is forecasted to continue increasing
over the next two years, despite legacies from the financial crisis continuing to weigh
on growth, and the emergence of new challenges, including geopolitical conflicts
such as in Ukraine, and the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.
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Highlights of the WESP 2015 report

The global economy is expected to grow at 3.1 percent in 2015 and 3.3 percent
in 2016. These figures are higher than the 2.6 percent growth recorded in 2014,
where the pace of expansion has been moderate and uneven.
Among the developed countries, the United States fared well and has maintained
economic growth above 2 percent in 2014, and expected to continue growth of
2.8 percent in 2015 and 3.1 percent in 2016.
Economic growth in South Asia is also set to gradually pick up from an estimated
4.9 percent in 2014 to 5.4 percent in 2015 and 5.7 percent in 2016.
In 2014, Economic growth of East Asia, including China managed to register
relatively robust growth, while India led South Asia to a moderate strengthening.
The developing countries as a group are expected to grow at 4.8 percent in 2015
and 5.1 percent in 2016, up from the 4.3 percent estimated for 2014.
Average inflation for developing economies will also fall slowly over the outlook
period.
The inflation for East Asia will stay around the recent levels of 23 percent over the
outlook period.
A pronounced decrease is forecast for South Asia due to falling inflation in almost
all countries, especially in India and Iran.
Regional average inflation for South Asia is projected to decrease gradually from
14.7 percent in 2013 to 7.2 percent in 2016.
Apart from India, the baseline forecast projects a moderate growth recovery in
2015 and 2016 for almost all emerging economies, including Brazil, Indonesia,
Mexico, Russia, South Africa and Turkey.
A slight improvement of economic growth is expected in Western Europe from 1.7
percent in 2015 to two percent in 2016.
The Western Europe is held back by the travails of the euro area, where the level
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of GDP has yet to regain its pre-recession peak.
It is imperative to strengthen international policy coordination to reduce risks and
meet challenges of global economy.
The forthcoming further normalization of the US Federal Reserves monetary
policy posed significant risks and uncertainties for the global economic outlook,
depending on the timing and strategy of the monetary tightening, as well as the
response by financial markets.
Along with robust external demand, global economic growth is expected to
be underpinned by a moderate strengthening of domestic consumption and
investment as countries benefit from improved macroeconomic conditions.
Some economic indicators are positive and moving in the right direction which
points to the potential for a gradual return to consistent economic growth, many
risks and uncertainties could dash efforts to get the global economy on track and
moving forward.
There is a significant downside risks for the South Asian region due to the continuing
fragility of the global economy and considerable country-specific weaknesses,
including political instability and the agricultural dependency on the monsoon.
The worldwide macroeconomic policies should be aligned toward supporting
robust and balanced growth, creating productive jobs, and maintaining long-term
economic and financial stability.
WESP on India
The recovery in South Asia will be led by India, which accounts for about 70
percent of regional output and other economies such as Bangladesh and Iran are
also projected to see stronger growth in the forecast period.
Economic growth of India, which is estimated to record a 5.4 percent economic
growth in 2014, will improve to 5.9 percent in 2015 and 6.3 percent in 2016.
India is likely to make progress in implementing economic policy reforms and help
provide support to business and consumer confidence.
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The forecasted growth of India about six percent growth in 2016 will be the highest
since the 2008-2011 period when it had grown at about 7.3 percent. It has slowed
to 4.7 percent in 2012.

The Web Index 2014 was released on 10 December 2014 was World Wide Web
Foundation to measure the internets contribution to social, economic and political
progress in the world.
Highlights of the Web Index 2014

Web users are at increasing risk of indiscriminate government surveillance. Laws
preventing mass surveillance are weak in over 84 percent of countries.
Online censorship is increasing as moderate or extensive Web censorship is now
seen in 38 percent of countries.
Online organising leads to offline change as Web and social media are making a
major contribution to sparking citizen action in three in five countries. Meanwhile,
women in 60 percent of countries are using the Web to exercise their rights to a
moderate or extensive degree.
Internet use has increased from around 45 percent to 78 percent in high-income
countries since 2005, in low-income countries it has remained below 10 percent
year after year.
Online Gender Based Violence is not tackled effectively. In 74 percent of Web Index
countries, law enforcement agencies and courts are failing to take appropriate
actions.
Almost 60 percent of the worlds people are not online, while half of all Web users
live in countries that severely restrict rights online.
An estimated 4.4 billion people mostly poor, female, rural and living in developing
countries have no access to the Internet at all.
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At least 1.8 billion face severe violations of their rights to privacy and freedom of
expression when they go online.
The higher a countrys per capita income, the higher its Web Index ranking.
Digital divides also exist within countries. The skills and education needed to fully
benefit from technology are very unevenly distributed.
Powerful state economic elites are gaining more control over what ordinary people
can do and say online.
Almost 40 percent of countries blocked politically or socially sensitive Web content
to a moderate or extreme degree.
One in five female Internet users live in countries where harassment and abuse of
women online is extremely unlikely to be punished.
Top 10 Web Index 2014-15 Rankings

Rank Country Score
1 Denmark 100
2 Finland 98.81
3 Norway 97.32
4
United Kingdom Of Great Britain And Northern Ireland
95.67
5 Sweden 94.97
6 United States of America 94.52
7 Iceland 93.72
8 Korea 92.81
9 Netherlands 91.84
10 Belgium 89.61
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Indias Ranking in the Web Index 2014

India ranks at the 48th Rank with 44.6 score in the index. It ranks behind China and
other BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) nations.
Indias Internet penetration rate is comparable to Nepal or Namibia. Despite promises
of a digital revolution, the Web in India is still inaccessible to a large population.
Affordability is Indias biggest concern as the cost of broadband access in the country
is greater than in countries in the neighbourhood such as Bangladesh.

World Economic Forum (WEF) on 8 December 2014 released the 2013 Travel &
Tourism Competitiveness Index. The theme of the 2013 Index isReducing Barriers to
Economic Growth and Job Creation.
Out of 140 economies assessed in the 2013 Index, Switzerland topped the list in
terms of travel and tourism competitiveness. It is followed by Germany and Austria
at second and third place respectively.
The other countries in the top ten are: the United Kingdom, the United States, France,
Canada, Sweden and Singapore.
India has been placed at 65th position in the 2013 Index and is positioned at 11th
place in the Asia-Pacific region.
African countries namely Nigeria, Chad, Mauritania, Lesotho, Guinea, Sierra Leone,
Burundi and Haiti are positioned last in the index.
About the 2013 Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index

The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2013 assesses 140 economies
worldwide based on the extent to which they are putting in place the factors and
policies to make it attractive to develop the travel and tourism sector.
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The report explores how, on one hand, the travel and tourism industry has the potential
to boost economic resilience and job creation but, on the other, a number of factors
continue to hinder its development.
IntelCenter released Country Threat Index ranking 45 countries

in terms of terrorist threat
US based think tank IntelCenter on 9 December 2014 released Country Threat Index
(CTI) ranking 45 countries in terms of terrorist and rebel threat to a country.
The Country Threat Index (CTI) rankings of these countries have been prepared after
examining the volume of terrorist and rebel alerts, messaging traffic, videos, photos,
incidents and the number of killed and injured in a country over the past 30 days.
According to the CTI,

There are a total of 45 countries with a CTI greater than zero.
The average CTI for these countries is 74 whereas the Global CTI is 3313.
The higher the CTI score the greater the risk in that country.
A low CTI does not necessarily reflect the absence of risk, however, it does reflect
a lower level of activity over the preceding 30 days
The Top 10 Most Dangerous Countries

Rank
Country
CTI Score
1 Iraq 576
2 Nigeria 458
3
Somalia
336
4 Afghanistan 309
5
Yemen
290
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6
Syria
233
Libya
166
Pakistan
162
Egypt
95
10 Kenya 86
About Intel Center

IntelCenter was established in 1989 in the US. The firm has been providing
counterterrorism intelligence services for more than 20 years to the intelligence,
military and law enforcement communities in the US and around the world.
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Summit | Conference
8th India-Republic of Korea Joint Commission meeting held in
South Korea
The 8th India-Republic of Korea Joint Commission Meeting was held in Seoul on
29 December 2014. The meeting was co-chaired was by Union External Minister of
India Sushma Swaraj and Minister of Foreign Affairs of South Korea Yun Byung-se.
During the meeting, both the ministers held consultations on all aspects of bilateral
ties to chart out a road map for further strengthening and deepening of strategic
partnership of the both countries.
Highlights of the Meeting

Both the countries comprehensively reviewed the development of bilateral relations
and expressed their satisfaction at the steady expansion of bilateral ties.
They highlighted the importance of high-level exchanges in imparting necessary
momentum to the bilateral relationship.
They agreed to consider the potentials for further expanding bilateral economic
and investment cooperation.
The two sides also discussed possibilities of addressing the trade deficit which is
in favour of South Korea.
Both countries also discussed the possibility of co-production of LNG (liquefied
natural gas) tankers of South Korea with shipyards of India among the specific
issues.
India raised the need for a level playing field for Indian pharmaceuticals and
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software exports.
Both the countries also agreed to step-up exchanges between officials and
academics of the two sides.
India invited South Korea to become an important partner of India in the Make in
India initiative and Finance Minister of South Korea Yun agreed to encourage the
South Koreas industry to engage with India more closely.
India invited F M Yun to visit India in 2015 for the 9th India-ROK Joint Commission
Meeting
President of South Korea Park Geun-hye reiterated the cordial invitation to Prime
Minister Narendra Modi to visit South Korea which was welcomed by India.

World Diamond Conference was held in New Delhi on 11 December 2014. Prime
Minister Narendra Modi and President Vladimir Putin along with Minister for Mineral
Resources of South Africa Susan Shabangu attended the inauguration of World
Diamond Conference.
The conference was organized by Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council in
association with Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry and in association with
the World Diamond Mark Foundation (WDMF).
The aim of the conference is to increase the global market for diamonds. Major
companies retailers and diamond cutting industries were participated the conference.
During the conference, ALROSA- the largest rough diamond supplying company of
Russia signed agreements for direct sale of rough diamonds with 12 Indian companies.
Under these 12 agreements, 2.1 billion US dollars worth of rough diamonds will be
supplied to India at the rate of 700 million US dollars per year over the next three
years.
India is the worlds largest centre for cutting and polishing diamond and its largest
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importer of uncut diamond. At present, India exports cut and polished diamond worth
20 billion US dollars.

15th Indio-Russian Bilateral Annual Summit was held in Delhi 11 December 2014.
President Vladimir Putin of Russia visited India to hold the summit on the invitation of
Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Vladimir Putin released a joint statement
in which both the countries agreed on a vision for strengthening the India-Russia
partnership over the next decade.
Highlights of the summit

During the summit, both the countries signed 20 agreements in the fields such as
nuclear energy, oil and gas, health, investment, mining, media and wind power.
Both the countries agreed on the construction of at least 12 new nuclear power
units within the next 20 years, including two new units at the Kudankulam Nuclear
Power Plant. Both also countries agreed to find a new site to construct a new
nuclear plant.
Both the countries agreed to promote bilateral economic, trade and investment
cooperation, including the idea of exploring the use of national currencies in
settlements.
Both the countries agreed to consult and coordinate in multilateral forums such as
G20, East Asia Summit (EAS), BRICS and RIC. The bilateral program on enhanced
cooperation in oil and gas sphere underlines the serious commitments of the two
counties to develop cooperation in energy area of great promise.
Both the countries envisage broader collaboration between hydrocarbon
companies of the two countries in oil and gas exploration and production as well
as in LNG projects and supplies.
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India reassured Russia that Russia will remain primary defence partner of India,
though both the countries did not reach a concrete agreement on the fifth generation
fighter aircraft (FGFA) and a multirole transport aircraft (MTA) projects.
Russia expressed that it would look at participating in the Delhi Mumbai Industrial
Corridor project and will speed up the negotiations for a free trade agreement
between India and the Eurasian Union.
Russia looks forward to India to become a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation
Organisation (SCO).
India and Russia supports the evolution of open, balanced and inclusive security
architecture in the Asia Pacific region based on collective efforts, considering
legitimate interests of all states of the region and guided by respect for norms and
principles of international law.
About Indo-Russian Annual Summit

President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Vajpayee launched the annual Summit
process in 2000. The first summit Prime Minister Vajpayee visited Moscow and
held the summit.
This is President Vladimir Putins eleventh Annual Summit and first summit of
Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Urban Mobility India Conference concluded with recommendations to address urban mobility in India
Urban Mobility India Conference concluded on 28 November 2014. The conference was
organised by the Institute of Urban Affairs and Union Ministry of Urban Development.
It came out with a set of recommendations to address the urban mobility issue in
India.
The conference ended with the conclusion that efficient public transport is the
solution and urged early intervention to enable the emerging cities to cope up with
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the problem so as to avoid the unwieldy experiences of mega and major cities.
Highlights of Conference
The conference recommended the formulation of Comprehensive Mobility Plans
for cities with over one lakh population focusing on introduction of public transport
systems at an early stage to avoid the kind of problems that bigger cities are
facing at present.
It recommended that urban development needs to be centred on transport planning
through formulation of Comprehensive Land Use and Mobility Plans.
It recommended the main focus is on mass transit system in combination with last
mile connectivity which needs a holistic planning of Smart City.
Building high quality public transport system based on roads, flyover and elevated
roads may provide short term relief but there will soon be swamped by growing
private motorized transport.
It recommended Government to take up a Pilot Project to develop a database for
one city using smart card based technologies, which could then be replicated by
others, as a pre-condition to the smart cities program.
Merely building a high cost metro or Bus Rapid Transport System (BRT) would
not be enough on its own and recommended integrated multi-modal systems
ensuring last mole connectivity for better outcomes.
It recommended that media should be co-opted at the stage of conceptualization
of new initiatives for subsequent wider dissemination by noting the role of media
in promoting awareness about sustainable transport.
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Committees | Commissions
Union Government set up Mathur committee to examine constitution of SIT on 1984 anti-Sikh riots
Union Ministry of Home Affairs on 23 December 2014 set up Mathur committee
to examine the possibility of constitution of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) for
reinvestigation of the 1984 anti-Sikh riot cases.
The Committee will be headed by former Supreme Court Judge Justice (retired) G.P.
Mathur. It will submit its report till April 2015.
The committee will also look into the issue of implementation of the payment of
enhanced compensation of 5 lakh rupees per person killed during the riots. The
compensation was approved by the Union Cabinet on 10 December 2014.
The committee will also look into various grievances relating to the anti-Sikh riots.
Home Ministry decided to set up the committee after it received huge number of
complaints from individual entities and associations in the matter of anti-Sikh riots.
Earlier, the Justice Nanavati Commission had recommended reopening of only four
of 241 cases closed by police but BJP wanted the reinvestigation of all the other 237
cases.
The move assumes significance as 2733 victims of the total 3325 victims of anti-Sikh
riots belonged to the national capital Delhi.
Anti-Sikh riots of 1984 had broken out after the assassination of the then Prime
Minister Indira Gandhi on 31 October 1984 by her Sikh body guards.
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Union Finance Ministry constituted High Level Committee to
hear industrys tax issues
The Union Finance Ministry on 3 December 2014 constituted a High Level Committee
(HLC) to interact with trade and industry on tax-related issues on a regular basis. The
high level committee will be headed by former Chief Economic Advisor (CEA) Ashok
Lahiri.
Other two members of the committee are Sidhartha Pradhan, retired member of the
Settlement Commission (Income Tax and Wealth Tax) and Gautam Ray, retired DG
(Audit) of the Customs and Central Excise.
Terms of Reference (ToR) of the High Level Committee

The High Level Committee will interact with trade and industry on regular basis
and ascertain areas where clarity in tax laws is required.
The HLC will give recommendations to the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT)
and the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) for issuance of appropriate
clarifications by way of circulars, instructions on tax issues.
The CBDT/CBEC will issue the required clarifications, circulars, instructions within
a period of 2 months from the date of receipt of recommendations of the HLC.
The HLC will be assisted by two Nodal Officers not below the rank of Joint
Secretary/Commissioner, one each from Income Tax and Customs & Central
Excise. The choice of Nodal Officers will be recommended by CBDT and CBEC.
The appointment of the Nodal Officers will be made with the approval of Revenue
Secretary.
The HLC shall set its own procedures for regulating its work.
The HLC may consult experts and tax professionals from outside as it may consider
appropriate. The HLC may also invite officers from Department of Revenue,
including CBEC and CBDT and other Government Departments for interaction.
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The Chairman and two members of the Committee will function on part time basis.
The term of the Committee shall be for one year from the date of its constitution,
subject to further extensions as may be considered appropriate by the Department
of Revenue, Union Ministry of Finance.
The HLC will submit half-yearly reports to the Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.
Background
In 2014-15 Budget speech, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had announced the
governments intention to set up a high level committee to interact with trade and
industry on a regular basis and ascertain areas where clarity in tax laws was required.
This was among several measures that the NDA government had unveiled to boost
the confidence of tax payers and provide certainty and clarity in tax laws.
The government is dealing with several high profile tax disputes with multinationals
and has taken steps to calm nerves of investors by promising a non-adversarial tax
regime.
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Abbreviations | Terms
Koala diplomacy, the Australian soft power-based foreign policy
Koala diplomacy: Helped Australia bridge differences among world leaders
Koala diplomacy was in news recently during the G-20 Summit of major economies
held in Brisbane, Australia on 16 November 2014.
Prime Minister of Australia Tony Abbot arranged a warm and fuzzy welcome for the
world leaders at end of G20 summit with a campaign named koala diplomacy.
Koala diplomacy involved world leaders getting photographed and cuddling with
Koala named Jimbelung- the furry grey animals, shy native marsupials of Australia.
Jimbelung, which means friend in a local Aboriginal dialect, was later gifted to Japan.
The diplomacy helped Australia bridge the differences that emerged between world
major powers during the summit resulting into successful conclusion of the Summit
with Brisbane Action Plan.
Koalas were brought to the summit not only to increase the cuteness factor of the
event but also to share the Koala story to the global community that number is
dropping and these are not listed as endangered.
Koalas are officially considered vulnerable and efforts to increase their population
have been stepped up in recent years.

HRIDAY National Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana
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The National Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) was in
news recently as Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu announced
the plans to launch the scheme.
HRIDAY is a scheme for conserving and preserving the heritage characters of 12
cities. These are: Amritsar, Varanasi, Gaya, Puri, Ajmer, Mathura, Dwarka, Badami,
Velankanni, Kanchipuram, Warangal (Telangana) and Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh).
The scheme aims at developing tourism and job creation because Indias rich cultural,
historical, religious and natural heritages have a huge potential of tourism.
Earlier, in his maiden budget speech in July 2014, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley
had made the announcement of launching HRIDAY scheme.
As per the announcement, the scheme will involve a partnership between the
government, academic institutions and local communities, combining affordable
technologies.
Section 309 of IPC: Attempt to Suicide removed

Section 309 Indian Penal Code (IPC) was in news recently as Union Home Ministry
decided to remove this Section, thus decriminalizing attempt to suicide.
According to Section 309 of IPC, any person, who attempts to suicide will be treated
as criminal offence and person who charged with section 309 of IPC will face up to
one year in prison and a fine.
With the recent decision of Union Home Ministry decriminalizing attempt to suicide
now suicide will not be taken as criminal offence. 20th Law Commission had
recommended decriminalising attempt to suicide and removing the section 309 IPC.
France was the first country to decriminalise attempted suicide after the French
Revolution.
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EXACTO: Extreme Accuracy Tasked Ordnance
Extreme Accuracy Tasked Ordnance (EXACTO) is a 0.50 caliber round bullet that can
change direction mid-air to reach its target.
It was in news recently as it was revealed recently that Defense Advanced Research
Projects Agency (DARPA) of the US Department of Defense concluded the Phase-II
of the technology development.
The phase-II involved testing of design, integration and demonstration of aeroactuation controls, power sources, optical guidance systems, and sensors.
Aim and Objective of EXACTO

It seeks to improve sniper effectiveness and enhance US military troop safety
by allowing greater shooter standoff range and reduction in target engagement
timelines.
To revolutionize rifle accuracy and range by developing the first ever guided smallcaliber bullet.
How it Works?
The EXACTO technology uses a combination of manoeuvrable bullet and a realtime guidance system to track and deliver the projectile to the target. This allows
the bullet to change path mid-air to compensate for any unexpected factors that
may drive it off course.
The bullet uses optical sighting technology to greatly extend the day and nighttime
range over current state-of-the-art sniper systems.
The next phase of the program includes a system-level live-fire test and technology
refinement to enhance and improve performance.
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Wasp Network: Five member espionage team of Cuba
Wasp Network was in news recently because the United States in third week of
December 2014 released three Cuban spies of this network. These spies were
released as part of announcement restoring diplomatic relations between the US
and Cuba after more than 50 years of enmity.
The Wasp Network is a spy ring of Cuba that included five members of a 14 member
espionage team called La Red Avipsa.
The Wasp Network was engaged in a wide range of activities, including locating
vulnerable points of entry into the state of Florida for the importation of arms and
explosives, infiltration of the US Southern Command, and the attempted subversion
of anti-Communist organizations in the US.
In 2001, five members of spies of Cuba were convicted of being unregistered foreign
agents, and three also were found guilty of espionage conspiracy for failed efforts to
obtain military secrets from the US Southern Command headquarters.
GSLV Mark-III-X successfully test fired along with human Crew

module, CARE
GSLV Mark-III-X: Geo-Synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark-III-X
GSLV Mark-III-X was in news recently because Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO) on 18 December 2014 launched it successfully from Satish Dhawan Space
Centre at Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
GSLV Mark-III-X is the heaviest rocket (630 tonnes) of India, which was launched
on an experimental mission along with human Crew module Atmospheric Reentry
Experiment (CARE). It was launched with an aim to check its atmospheric stability
with luggage of around four tonne and to study re-entry characteristics of the crew
module.
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In the experimental mission, the crew module separated itself from the rocket at
an altitude of 126 km for re-entry into the earths atmosphere. Crew module, in the
process of re-entry into earths atmosphere, was controlled by 3 parachutes which
helped it to splash safely into the Bay of Bengal off Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Further, the crew module was successfully recovered by the Indian Coast Guard near
Indira Point, the southernmost point of India.
Druzhba-Dosti: A Vision for Strengthening the Indian-Russian

Partnership over the Next Decade
Druzhba-Dosti: A Vision for Strengthening the Indian-Russian Partnership over the
Next Decade
Druzhba-Dosti is a term used for vision statement of India and Russia over the next
decade released during the 15th Indo Russia Annual Summit held in New Delhi on
11 December 2014.
The joint statement was released by during the visit of Russian President Vladimir V
Putin to India at the invitation of the Prime Minister of India Narendra Mod to hold the
annual summit.
The vision statement focused on strengthening the partnership over the next decade
through concrete initiatives in diverse areas so as to make the bilateral institutional
dialogue architecture more result-oriented and forward-looking. Both the counties
also resolved to continue to meet on the margins of multilateral events.
PM Narendra Modi coined acronym SMART for police forces

across the country
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 30 November 2014 coined the acronymSMART for
police forces across the country. He coined the acronym at the 49th annual conference
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of India DGPs and IGPs hosted by the Intelligence Bureau (IB) in Guwahati, Assam.
Acronym SMART policing means

S for strict but sensitive
M for modern and mobile
A for alert and accountable
R for reliable and responsive
T for techno-savvy and trained
The two-day conference for first time was held outside the national capital, New
Delhi.
Apart from this, the Prime Minister also called for documentation of stories of police
martyrs and develop a document for use in training of police personnel in their
respective state academies. Since independence over 33000 police personnel have
laid their lives for the country.
He said that an e-book can also be developed with these stories uploaded in all the
languages of our country.
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Art | Culture
Union Government released Calendar for the year 2015 with
theme Clean India Green India
Union Government released Calendar for the year 2015 with the theme Clean India
Green India. The Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley
launched the calendar and its mobile app on 17 December 2014.
The calendar highlights the societal work of the union government through the visuals
of Swachch Bharat or Clean India Programme with picture of Prime Minister Narendra
Modi wielding the broom on the first page of the calendar.
The calendar also contributes to the union governments Digital India programme
with its mobile calendar app.
The mobile app will display all gazetted and restricted holidays and also date-wise
events. It will also provide information on Press Information Bureau events and
releases, the latest five tweets by the Prime Ministers Office, All India Radio news,
Doordarshan news, a list of government websites and link to the ministry on YouTube.
At present, the mobile app being developed for Android platforms and in future the
app will be available on other mobile platforms.
Losar, the New Year festival of Ladakh region, began

Losar, the Buddhists festival of Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir, started on 22
December 2014. The festival marks the beginning of New Year in Ladakh.
The festival is celebrated by people of the area with traditional and religion fervor. The
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festival begins with illumination of religious and residential places.
Buddhists of Ladakh celebrate Losar as their new year. Before the rule of Jamiang
Namgyal (1955 to 1610) this day was celebrated on the first day of Ladakhi Buddhist
Year which is based in the moon and sun (quite similar to Hindus). However, the day
was advanced by two days after Jamiang Namgyal decided to invade Skardu before
the New Year.
Since then, Losar is celebrated on the last two days of the 10th Bodhi month that
coincides with December of Christian calendar.
During this, people of Ladakh specially remember ancestors of their family. On
this day, people visit graveyards of their family members and pray for peace of the
departed soul. Apart from this, people also visit each other houses for exchange of
Losar greetings.
India observed National Mathematics Day to commemorate

birth anniversary of Srinivasa Ramanujan
22 December: National Mathematics Day
India on 22 December 2014 celebrated National Mathematics Day. The day is
observed to commemorate the birth anniversary of great Indian Mathematician
Srinivasa Ramanujan.
The declaration to observe 22 December as National Mathematics Day was made by
former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on 26 February 2012 at Madras University
on the occasion of 125th birth anniversary of Ramanujan.
It was also declared to observe year 2012 as the National Mathematics Year.
About Srinivasa Ramanujan

Srinivasa Ramanujan was born on 22 December 1887 in Erode district of Tamil
Nadu.
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He died on 26 April 1920
Ramanujan did wonders in number theory, infinite series, mathematical analysis,
and making formulas and equations.
He compiled more than 3900 mathematical results and equations, and his
discoveries namely Ramanujam Prime and Ramanujam theta inspired further
research on the subject.
He along with a British Mathematician Godfrey Harold Hardy discovered the
smallest number represented as sum of two cubes 1729 which came to be known
as Hardy-Ramanujan number.
Ramanujan was said to be a natural genius, in the same league as mathematicians
such as Euler and Gauss.
Marathi film Kapus Kondyachi Goshta nominated for Oscar

Award in Best Picture Category
The Marathi film Kapus Kondyachi Goshta (The Unending Story) in the second week
of December 2014 was nominated in the Best Picture Category of the 87th Academy
Awards, popularly known as Oscars.
The film is based on the real-life story of four sisters in a small village near Nagpur.
The American Academy of Motion Picture, Arts and Sciences recently disclosed the
list of 323 films that have been nominated in the Best Picture category.
The final nominations shortlist for the Oscar awards will be announced on 15 January
2015 while the awards will be given on 22 February 2015.
About Kapus Kondyachi Goshta (The Unending Story)

The film directed by Pune-based director Mrunalini Bhosale is about the daily struggles
of four sisters against the backdrop of farmer suicides in Vidarbha in Maharashtra.
The film depicts the story of triumph over tragedy, where the strong will of simple
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village girl wins over all odds to become an inspiration for many. The film also details
the social ostracism and poverty rife among Vidarbhas cotton growers.
The film is produced by Ravindra alias Nitin Bhosale and written by Prasad
Namjoshiand. Lead actors of the film are Makarand Anaspure, Samidha Guru and
Bharat Ganeshpure.
The movie has been screened at many film festivals and received a lot of awards and
appreciations. These include:
Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival

2014: Best Film - Women Empowerment - Mrunalini Bhosale
International Indian Film Festival of Queensland in Brisbane

2014: Best Feature Film - Kapus Kondyachi Goshta
Sahyadri Cine Awards 2014

2014: Best Feature Film - Kapus Kondyachi Goshta
Maharashtra State Film Awards 2014

2014: Best Actress Award - Samidha Guru
Mrunalini Bhosale is a specialist in the agricultural documentary and had created and
directed about 50 films. All her films focus on the pitfalls and triumphs of men and
women who work the soil.
Indian film Jal nominated for Oscar contenders of 2014 in two

categories
Indian film Jal was nominated on 13 December 2014 for Oscar contenders of 2014 in
two categories. The two categories are Best Picture and Best Original Score.
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The film which has the backdrop of water scarcity and tells the story of Bakka, a
person gifted with a special ability to find water in the desert.
The film will compete alongside path-breaking films like Interstellar,Exodus and 300
Rise of Empire.
Apart this, the films screenplay has also been invited to the Oscar Library for their
permanent core collection.
The film features Purab Kohli, Kirti Kulhari and Tannishtha Chatterjee in prominent
roles. The film was directed by Girish Malik.
The music and background score for the film has been composed by Sonu Nigam
and Bickram Ghosh.
The other Indian film nominated for the Best Original score is Kochadaiiyaan starring
Rajnikant.
The music composition by A.R. Rahman.
The final nomination list will be announced on 15 January 2015, while the presentation
ceremony will be held on 22 February 2015 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
Movie titled Bhopal: A prayer for Rain released to mark the 30th
anniversary of Bhopal Gas Tragedy
A movie titled Bhopal: A prayer for Rain, Worlds Deadliest Industrial Disaster was
released worldwide on 5 December 2014 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of
Bhopal Gas Tragedy.
The film revisits the Bhopal gas tragedy of 3 December 1984 that left around 3700
people dead and countless others were incapacitated for life.
The film is directed by Ravi Kumar. The cast in the lead roles are Martin Sheen,
Mischa Barton, Kal Penn, Rajpal Yadav, Tannishtha Chatterjee, and Fagun Thakrar.
Sahara Movie Studios and Rising Star Entertainment have produced the movie and
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have been committed to it since inception.
The film shows how Union Carbide flouted major safety precautions, resulting in the
gas leak.
45th International Film Festival of India concluded in Goa

45th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) was held in Goa from 20 November to
30 November 2014. The chief quest of the film festival was Bollywood actor Amitabh
Bachchan.
During the opening ceremony, Amitabh Bachchan along with Union Minister of
Finance Arun Jaitely presented the Centenary award for Film personality of the Year
to Tamil actor Rajinikanth.
The Festival screened 178 films from 79 countries across different categories which
include World Cinema (61 films), Masterstrokes (11 films), Festival Kaleidoscope (20
films), Soul of Asia (7 films), Documentaries (6 films), and Animated Films (6 films).
The festival had 20 international and 91 Indian premieres including the Panorama
section.
During the conclusion, the festival paid tribute to departed legends of cinema
including Robin Williams, Richard Attenborough, Zohra Sehgal, Suchitra Sen and
Farooq Shaikh by screening some of their works.
45th IFFI Awards

Life Time Achievement Award: Hong-Kong filmmaker Wong Kar-wai he is known for
his films In the Mood for Love, Ashes of Time and Chungking Express.
Best Actor Award: Leviathan star- Alexel Serebriakov & Benagal actor -Dulal Sarkar
for the film Chotoder Chobi
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Inventions | Discoveries
Late Harappan period house discovered in Chandyan village of
Uttar Pradesh
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) discovered a house belonging to late
Harappan period (1900 1800 BC). The remnant of the house was discovered during
the excavations carried out at Chandyan village in Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh.
This is the first time evidence of habitation pertaining to late Harappan period found
in the Upper Doab region between Ganga and Yamuna.
The archeologists also found remnants of a human skull with a copper crown
corresponding to the late Harappan period at a brick kiln site in Chandyan village.
Besides, they also discovered a number of items such as around 20 burial pots, a
pelvic bone of the same man whose skull and a few beads like carnelian, faience and
agate pertaining to late Harappan period. Also a mud wall with pot holes was found
wherein wooden pillars were fixed to support thatched roofs, multi-level foundations
that supported structures in different times.
The late Harappan phase link with the Uttar Pradesh was established in 2005 when a
farmer accidentally discovered a huge burial site at Sinauli village located just 40km
from Chandayan. The Sinauli graves are also believed to correspond to the late
Harappan period, strengthening conviction of archaeologists.
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Archaeologists discovered Buddhist sculptures and Kushan-era
coins in Pakistan
Archaeologists discovered ancient Buddhist sculptures and precious coins during
ongoing excavation at an ancient Buddhist Stupa in northwest Pakistan. The findings
were revealed by Press Trust of India in the fourth week of December 2014.
During excavation, precious coins of Kushan period were also unearthed around the
Stupa. These coins and sculptures date back from second to fifth century BC.
The sculptures were discovered at Bhamala Buddhist complex in Haripur district of
Pakistans Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province during an excavation work.
Background
Bhamala archaeological site had earlier been declared as national and world heritage
site located near Khanpur dam on the Haro river.
The stupa situated near Khanpur dam is cross-shaped and looks like an Aztec
Pyramid.
Earlier, the Bhamala site was partially excavated in early 1930s.
Archaeologists discovered 12th century royal palace hidden under prehistoric fortress at Old Sarum
Archaeologists from the University of Southampton on 3 December 2014 revealed
their discovery of one of the largest medieval royal palace of 12th Century buried
under the ground inside a vast prehistoric fortress in Old Sarum.
The research team of students and academics carried out a geophysical survey
of the ancient monument. Their investigations revealed the layout of a settlement
including structures from the late 11th century, contemporary with the construction
of a cathedral and castle.
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The palace was discovered while mapping a long-vanished medieval city Old Sarum
which has lain under grass on the site for more than 700 years.
Techniques used for archeological excavation

The team used a variety of techniques to examine the outer and inner bailey of the
site. These included the use of topographic survey methods and geophysical survey
techniques.
These techniques comprised of magnetometry, earth resistance, ground penetrating
radar (GPR) and electric resistivity tomography (ERT) survey.
The archaeologists also used geophysical ground-penetrating x-ray technology to
map the long-vanished medieval city.
Background
The city Old Sarum was inhabited for over 300 years, but declined in the 13th century
with the rise of New Sarum (Salisbury). Old Sarum was originally an Iron Age fort
established around 400 BC and occupied by the Romans after the conquest of Britain
in AD 43.
A castle, originally built of timber and later stone, was built after the Norman Conquest.
By 1092 a cathedral had been constructed with an extension added in 1130.
Eventually, a new cathedral was established during the 1220s in what is now modern
day Salisbury marking the start of a gradual decline of Old Sarum.
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Exhibition | Fare
President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated IITF 2014 in New Delhi
President Pranab Mukherjee on 14 November 2014 inaugurated India International
Trade Fair (IITF) 2014 at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi.
The fair will be held from 14 November 2014 to 27 November 2014. The fair is
conducted by India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO).
In its 34th edition, the theme of the fair is Women Entrepreneurs. Partner country
of the trade fair is South Africa. Focus Country of the fair is Thailand while the focus
state is Delhi.
About IITF
IITF was started in 1980. IITF is the largest integrated trade fair with B2B and B2C
components. It has emerged as the largest consumer goods fair in the Indian subcontinent.
The format of IITF has Business, Social, Cultural and Educational Dimensions
that are weaved together where visitors and exhibitors, media persons, marketing
professionals, social activists, NGOs come together to explore their objectives.
A number of Government Organisations use this platform to spread awareness about
their programmes and policies among the public. As such almost all States and
Union Territories of the Federal Government of India participate in this event.
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Border haat opened in Tripura
The first border haat (market) facility on zero line on the Indo-Bangla international
border in Tripura was inaugurated on 20 October 2014. The facility was opened to
boost bilateral trade by Union Minister of Commerce Nirmala Sitharaman and her
Bangladesh counterpart Tofil Ahmed at Srinagar in south Tripura.
This hatt on the Srinagar-Ramgarh border is second in North-East after Meghalaya.
Selected commodities from both countries would be trade during, the border hatt
period. As per notification, people residing living within a distance of 5 km from the
border are entitled to do business at the haat. Business in haat would take place
once in a week initially.
It is anticipated that the haat would cater the livelihood option to more than thousand
of marginal income families and small traders of both the countries. It would be
beneficial for people of the region as no tax would be imposed on the items to be
sold in the haat and currencies of both the countries will be allowed.
Biggest electronics trade exhibition of Japan CEATEC concluded

The biggest electronics trade exhibition of Japan CEATEC concluded on 11 October
2014 at Makuhari Messe International convention complex in Chiba prefecture of
Japan. CEATEC stands for Combined Exhibition of Advanced Technologies. The
five-day exhibition had started on 7 October 2014.
The main highlight of the exhibition was the introduction of sign and display technology
solutions by Japanese companies like Fujifilm which provides total solutions for wideformat print system.
The technology will come handy for the outdoor advertising industry in India and
ASEAN region where the trend of outdoor advertising on billboards and POP is fast
catching up.
The technology mainly uses graphics based on Ultra-Violet (UV) inks. UV inks are
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used because they remain protected in outdoor climate and do not evaporate, so the
system can be installed in one room.
On the other hand, the harmful VOC - solvent based ink systems are used to the
conventional wide-format printing machine, which required the separate forced
exhaust facility.
About CEATEC
CEATEC provides a platform for companies and organizations from all over the world
to showcase their cutting-edge products, services and technologies. The event
also serves as key industry networking and information-gathering opportunity, with
numerous seminars and other activities offered during the fair.
Union MNRE announced the organisation of the first RE-INVEST

Promotion Meet & Expo
The Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy ( MNRE) on 30 September 2014
announced the organisation of the first Renewable Energy Global Investors Meet &
Expo (RE-INVEST). The meet is scheduled to be held on 15 February 2015 in New
Delhi.
The central theme of the meet is to attract large scale investments in the renewable
energy sector in India. The event, which is the follow-up to the Make in India initiative,
is proposed to be inaugurated by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
It will be the first major platform for investment promotion in the renewable energy
sector at the level of Government of India.
Highlights of the RE-INVEST Promotion Meet & Expo

RE-INVEST will be jointly organised by Indian Renewable Energy Development
Agency (IREDA), Confederation of Indian Industry(CII) and Federation of Indian
Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
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Moreover, other leading industrial and sector specific Associations including
ASSOCHAM and PHDCII will also be closely associated.
RE-INVEST will enable the global investment community to connect with renewable
energy stakeholders in India. Over 1000 delegates are expected to attend the
Meet.
The event is expected be attended by over 200 investors including domestic and
international.
RE-INVEST will be the culmination of a conference and exhibition of manufacturers,
project developers, investors and other players in the renewable energy space to
showcase manufacturing capabilities, latest technologies, financing options and
investment opportunities.
International companies in the renewable energy space from different countries
will also have the opportunity to exhibit and showcase at the Expo to a wide
Indian audience.
Renewable Energy Sector in India

Renewable Energy Sector is contributing about 6.5 percent in the electricity mix of the
country. FDI up to 100 percent under the automatic route is permitted in Renewable
Energy Sector.
Major initiatives by the Government including accelerated depreciation, generation
based incentive, feed-in-tariff, viability gap funding is expected to add massive
investments in the renewable energy sector.
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Day | Week | Year

Union Government observed 25 December 2014 as Good Governance Day. The day
was observed to celebrate the 90th birth anniversary of Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
The ministry also organised Multimedia Exhibition on former Prime Minister Shri Atal
Bihari Vajpayee to mark Good Governance Day at the IGNCA complex.
Union Ministry of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting organised the rich
repository of archival footage on eminent personalities . The footage will be available
with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to the public through Doordarshan,
All India Radio and Social Media platforms of the New Media Wing.
The Exhibition also witnessed screening of three films based on the life of Shri
Vajpayee provided by the Film Division of the Ministry. Photo Division provided the
photos being mounted at the Exhibition. The Song and Drama Division of the Ministry
of Information & Broadcasting gave cultural performances during the Exhibition.
Publication Division organized a Book Exhibition at the venue. Doordarshan provided
short-films to highlight the achievements of the former Prime Minister Shri Vajpayee.
The Multimedia Exhibition on former Prime Minister Shri Vajpayee was an example
of the innovative approaches being adopted towards information dissemination
by different Media Units of the Ministry. The Exhibition reiterated the integrated
communication approach being practiced for effective outreach and impact.
At the closing ceremony, prizes were awarded to children who participated in painting
competition organized at the venue during the Exhibition. The theme of the painting
competition was Swachhta and National unity.
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Tenth anniversary of Indian Ocean Tsunami observed on 26 December

Indian Ocean Tsunami: 26 December
Tenth anniversary of Indian Ocean Tsunami was observed on 26 December 2014.
The tsunami was struck off the coastal countries of Indian Ocean triggered by a
9.1magnitude earthquake in 2004.
In Sri Lanka, the day was observed as the National Safety Day with a series of
commemoration functions across the nation. Memorial ceremonies are held for the
victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami in Indonesia, India, Thailand and Sri Lanka.
In Banda Aceh of Indonesia, thousands of people gathered at the Great Mosque,
a19th Century building and paid homage to the victims of tsunami. In India also paid
homage to the victims of tsunami especially in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and
Orissa.
About Tsunami 2004

Tsunami or Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea mega thrust earthquake that
occurred on 26 December 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra,
Indonesia.
Tsunami was triggered by a 9.1magnitude earthquake, which struck off the costal
countries of Indian Ocean such as Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand and others.
This was among the deadliest natural disasters in human history with at least 290000
people killed or missing in 14 countries bordering the Indian Ocean.
Tsunami was also known as the SumatraAndaman earthquake and it has given
various names, such as South Asian tsunami, Indonesian tsunami, the Christmas
tsunami and the Boxing Day tsunami.
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International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women observed on 25 November
International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women observed across the
world on 25 November 2014. The day was observed to raise awareness about violence
against women and discuss solutions that would work for women community.
The campaign called Orange Your Neighbourhood to raise awareness against GenderBased Violence will be held from 25 November to 10 December 2014. The campaign
is part of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moons campaign UNiTE to End violence against
Women.
The campaign was taken to local streets shops and businesses, and organizes
Orange Events in their own neighbourhoods. Orange events includes from marches,
marathons and panel discussions to radio and television programmes, concerts and
film festivals.
UN Women also launched HeForShe, a global campaign to engage men and boys as
advocates and agents of change for the achievement of gender equality and rights
of women.
About International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women

The Day was observed to create the awareness about violence against women,
end the violence against the women and to show that prevention is possible
against violence of women.
The day was chosen to commemorate the Mirabal sisters, three political activists
from the Dominican Republic, who were brutally assassinated in 1960 during the
Rafael Trujillo dictatorship (1930-1961).

National Consumers Right Day: 24 December
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29th National Consumers Right Day was observed across India on 24 December
2014. The day provides an opportunity to highlight the importance of the consumer
movement and the need to make every consumer more aware of their rights and
responsibilities.
The Consumer Protection and Action Committee (CPAC) celebrated the day by
distributing complaints forms, information brochures and other consumer rights
literature freely to the public.
The CPAC rewarded the 5000 applicant with a sum of Ten rupees who with their
names, addresses provide the names and addresses of the consumer courts in the
particular region.
The CPAC also rewarded with 101 rupees to the aware citizen who raises voice
against unfair trade practice and also fifty rupees cash reward will be for each of the
LPG cylinder consumer who will point out malpractice rampant in cylinder under
filling.
About National Consumers Rights Day

The day is being observed annually on 24 December, since the Consumer Protection
Act, 1986 was enacted on 24 December1986.
About Consumer Protection Act

The Consumer Protection Act was enacted with the objective of providing better
protection of consumers interest.
The act provides effective safeguards to the consumer, against various types of
exploitations and unfair dealings, relying mainly on compensatory rather than a
disciplinary or preventive approach.
The act applies to all goods and services unless specifically exempted, which
covers the private, public and cooperative sectors. It also provides speedy and
inexpensive adjudication
The Act envisages the promotion and protection of rights of consumers such as
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Right to Safety, Right to be informed, Right to Choose and Right to be heard.
The World Consumer Rights Day is observed on 15 March annually.
World Fisheries Day observed across the world on 21 November

21 November: World Fisheries Day
World Fisheries day on 21 November 2014 was observed across the world by the
fisher folk communities. The day will remind the world to ensure sustainable stocks
of fisheries and healthy oceans ecosystems.
The day also helps to highlight the problems like over fishing and mechanization and
moves towards finding solutions to the increasingly inter-connected problems that
world facing and in the longer term, to sustainable means of maintaining fish stocks.
Fishing communities across the world celebrated through rallies, workshops, public
meetings, cultural dramas, exhibition, music show, and demonstrations to highlight
the importance of maintaining the fisheries of world.
As a part of celebrations of World Fisheries Day, Union Government of India announced
to launch Blue Revolution to increase in fish production and productivity in India.

18 December: Minorities Rights Day
Minorities Rights Day on 18 December 2014 was observed across the world to create
awareness on rights of minorities. On this day, governments and NGOs conduct
debates on the recent developments in policies and practices in Minority Rights both
in India and at the global level.
In India, National Commission for Minorities (NCM) is the statutory body that observes
Minorities Rights Day on18 December every year.
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About Minorities Right Day
On 18 December 1992, United Nations (UN) promulgated the Declaration on the
Rights of Persons belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities,
to strengthen the cause of the minorities.
UN proclaimed that States shall protect the existence of the National or Ethnic,
Cultural, Religious and Linguistic identity of minorities within their respective territories
and encourage conditions for the promotion of that identity.
Victory Day celebrated in Bangladesh on 16 December

Victory Day was celebrated in Bangladesh on 16 December 2014. The day observes
liberation of Bangladesh from the Pakistan forces in 1971 War of Liberation in which
about three million people were killed.
On this day, President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina paid their
homage to the 1971 Liberation War martyrs at the National Memorial in Bangladesh.
The day was celebrated with 31-gun salute at National Parade Ground in Sher-eBangla Nagar in Bangladesh. Many leaders of Bangladesh and diplomats of many
countries also paid their homage to the martyrs.
About Victory Day

Victory Day observed on 16 December annually commemorates the surrender of
Pakistan forces to allied Indian and Bangladeshi forces in the Bangladesh Liberation
War in 1971. In Bangladesh this day is a national holiday and is known as Bijoy
Dibosh in Bangladesh.
Vijay Diwas observed across the country on 16 December

Vijay Diwas was observed across the country on 16 December 2014. On this day,
nation remembers martyrs, who laid down their lives during Indo-Pak War of 1971.
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Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, Army Chief D S Suhag, Navy Chief R K Dhowan
and Air Chief Arup Raha remembered martyrs and paid tributes at Amar Jawan Jyoti
in New Delhi.
Vijay Diwas day was celebrated by organising special programmes at the headquarters
of the Eastern Command at the Fort William in Kolkata.
About Vijay Diwas

On 16 December 1971, General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi, Chief of Pakistan forces
along with 93000 troops had surrendered unconditionally to the allied forces consisting
of Indian Army and Mukti Bahini, led by General Jagjit Singh Aurora in Dhaka after
the defeat of Pakistan in the India- Pakistan war 1971.
The end of the India- Pakistan war 1971 also resulted in subsequent secession of East
Pakistan into Bangladesh. The day is being celebrated as Victory Day in Bangladesh
and Vijay Diwas in India.
National Energy Conservation Day observed on 14 December

National Energy Conservation Day was observed on 14 December 2014. The National
Energy Conservation Day was celebrated every year in India by the Bureau of Energy
Efficiency (BEE).
The celebrations was marked by giving out of National Energy Conservation Award
by the Ministry of Power, Government of India. The award was given to companies
from different industry groups for creating benchmarks in energy conservation.
India has an act on Energy conservation, The Energy Conservation Act 2001.
The Energy Conservation Act 2001 is implemented by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency
(BEE). BEE is a statutory body under Government of India. The act envisages creation
of cadre of professionally qualified energy managers and auditors with expertise in
energy management, project management, financing and implementation of energy
efficiency projects, as well as policy analysis.
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Energy conservation means using less energy and avoiding excessive or wasteful
uses. Energy efficiency, on the other hand, means using less energy while getting the
same results. Efficiency is therefore a subset of conservation; one way to conserve
energy is to use it more efficiently.
The concept of doing more with less offers an approach that seems both feasible
and affordable.
Nation remembered and paid homage to martyrs of Parliament

attack
Nation remembered and paid homage to martyrs of Parliament attack on 13th
anniversary of Parliament attack on 13 December 2014.
Nation paid homage to martyrs of Parliament attack that took place on 13 December
2001. On this day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra
Mahajan paid tribute to the soldiers who lost their lives during the terror attack.
Other leaders include UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, former Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh, Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj, Home Minister Rajnath
Singh and other members attended a formal ceremony held in Parliament.
About Parliament attack

The parliament attack was terror attacks at the Parliament of India in New Delhi on
13 December 2001.The five persons responsible for attack of Indian parliament were
Lashkar-e-Taiba (Let) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorists.
During the attack, all the five militants: Hamza, Haider alias Tufail,Rana, Raja and
Mohammed were killed by the security of India. In the investigation found that the
other three militants namely Maulana Masood Azhar, Ghazi Baba and Tariq Ahmed
were also involved in planning the attack.
And also the investigation revealed involvement Afzal Guru, Shaukat Hussain and
S.A.R. Gilani were convicted for the offence. The court has imposed death sentences
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on the three accused for the offences under Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA).
Later, Geelani and Afsan were set free by the high court on appeal but upheld death
sentence of Shaukat Hussain and Afzal Guru. Even Shaukat Hussian was released
but Afzal Guru was hanged in February 2013 in secrecy due to security reasons.
Human Rights Day observed globally on 10 December

10 December: Human Rights Day
Human Rights Day was observed globally on 10 December 2014. The theme for the
2014 Human Rights Day is Human Rights 365. The theme was based on the idea that
every day is Human Rights Day and everyone is entitled to basic human rights day.
The day celebrates the fundamental proposition in the Universal Declaration that
each one of us, everywhere, at all times is entitled to the full range of human rights,
that human rights belong equally to each of us and bind us together as a global
community with the same ideals and values.
The date was chosen to honour the United Nations General Assemblys adoption
and proclamation of Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) on 10 December
1948.
The day is marked both by high-level political conferences and meetings and by
cultural events and exhibitions dealing with human rights issues.
In addition it is traditionally on 10 December that the five-yearly United Nations Prize
in the Field of Human Rights and Nobel Peace Prize are awarded.
First Human Rights Day was celebrated in 1950.
International Anti-Corruption Day observed on 9 December

9 December: International Anti-Corruption Day
International Anti-Corruption Day was observed by the United Nations on 9 December
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2014. The day was observed to raise public awareness about corruption and what
people can do to fight it.
The theme of 2014 International Anti-Corruption Day was Break the Corruption Chain.
The theme focused on showing the importance of individual engagement in tackling
a phenomenon that strikes hardest at the poor, hinders inclusive economic growth
and robs essential services of badly needed funds.
On the theme a joint international campaign called Break the Corruption Chain was
launched to focus on how corruption undermines democracy and the rule of law,
leads to human rights violations, distorts markets, erodes quality of life and allows
organized crime, terrorism and other threats to human security to flourish.
About International Anti-Corruption Day

On 31 October 2003, UN General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the United Nations
Convention against Corruption and designated the United Nations Office on Drugs
and Crime (UNODC) as secretariat for the Convention against corruption.
The UNGA also designated 9 December as International Anti-Corruption Day. The
Convention entered into force in December 2005.
Armed Forces Flag Day observed across the nation

7 December: Armed Forces Flag Day
Armed Forces Flag Day was observed across the nation on 7 December 2014. The
Day is named as Armed Forces Flag Day because on this day a fund is collected by
issue of special flags.
On this day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the Indian Armed Forces and
appealed to the citizens for generous donations for the welfare of the Armed forces.
About Armed Forces Flag Day

The committee of Defence Minister in 1949 decided that Flag Day will be observed
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on 7th December each year.
On this day, donations are collected by distributing token and car flags in return
of donation for the welfare and rehabilitation of ex-Servicemen, war widows or
disabled and their dependents.
Token flags and car flags in red, deep blue and light blue colours representing the
three Services are distributed to the public through Rajya and Zila Sainik Boards
throughout the country by the Kendriya Sainik Board in return for donations.

International Volunteer Day: 5 December 2014
UN observed International Volunteer Day (IVD) on 5 December 2014. The theme of
the IVD 2014 was Peoples Participation. Make change happen, volunteer!
On IVD 2014, UN not only celebrated and recognized volunteerism in all its facets
but also paid special tribute to the participation of people in making a difference at
all levels: locally, nationally and globally.
IVD 2014 highlighted the contribution of volunteers in engaging people from the grassroots in decision-making processes, ultimately creating space for participation that
leads to: stronger governance, social cohesion, peace and sustainable development.
About International Volunteer Day

International Volunteer Day (IVD) is an international observance designated by the
United Nations. It was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly through a
resolution on 17 December 1985.
It is viewed as a unique chance for volunteers and organizations to celebrate their
efforts, to share their values, and to promote their work among their communities,
non-governmental organizations (NGOs), United Nations agencies, government
authorities and the private sector.
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United Nations General Assembly on 5 December 2014 declared 2015 as the
International Year of Soils (IYS). With this, UN celebrated the first official UN World
Soil Day 2014 on 5 December 2014.
Celebrations of IYS was organized as part of the 69th session of the UN General
Assembly in New York, coupled with concurrent events in Bangkok, Rome and
Santiago.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has been nominated to
implement the IYS 2015, within the framework of the Global Soil Partnership and in
collaboration with Governments and the secretariat of the United Nations Convention
to Combat Desertification.
The IYS 2015 aims to increase awareness and understanding of the importance of
soil for food security and essential ecosystem functions.
The specific objectives of the IYS 2015 are to

Raise full awareness among civil society and decision makers about the profound
importance of soil for human life;
Educate the public about the crucial role soil plays in food security, climate change
adaptation and mitigation, essential ecosystem services, poverty alleviation and
sustainable development;
Support effective policies and actions for the sustainable management and
protection of soil resources;
Promote investment in sustainable soil management activities to develop and
maintain healthy soils for different land users and population groups;
Strengthen initiatives in connection with the SDG process (Sustainable Development
Goals) and Post-2015 agenda;
Advocate for rapid capacity enhancement for soil information collection and
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monitoring at all levels.

First World Soil Day was observed by the United Nations Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) on 5 December 2014. On eve of the first World Soil Day,
UNFAO along with Global Soil Parternership (GSP) declared the year of 2015 as UN
International Year of Soils.
On this day, events took place to raise the importance of soil as a critical component
of the natural system and as a vital contributor to the human commonwealth through
its contribution to food, water and energy security.
The 2015 International Year of Soils will be observed across the world with events
organised in Rome, New York and Santiago de Chile. The events will continue
throughout the year to raise awareness and promote more sustainable use of this
critical resource.
The United Nations approved the date of World Soil Day on the request of the King
of Thailand Bhumibol Adulyadej and the FAO Global Soil Partnership (GSP) to raise
awareness about the soil and usage of soil. The day coincides on the birthday of King
of Thailand Bhumibol Adulyadej.
Mahaparinirwan Diwas observed on 6 December to pay tribute

to B R Ambedkar
6 December: Mahaparinirwan Diwas
Mahaparinirwan Diwas was observed across India on 6 December 2014. On this day,
followers of B R Ambedkar paid tribute to him.
6 December is observed as Mahaparinirwan Diwas across India to mark the death
anniversary of Dr B R Ambedkar.
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Dr B R Ambedkar was fondly known as messiah of the marginalised people and also
the Father of the Indian Constitution had died on 6 December 1956.
About Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar

Dr BR Ambedkar is popularly known as Babasaheb
He was an Indian jurist, economist, politician and social reformer who inspired
the Modern Buddhist Movement and campaigned against social discrimination of
Dalits, women and labour
He was Independent Indias first law minister and the principal architect of the
Constitution of India
In 1956 he converted to Buddhism, initiating mass conversions of Dalits
In 1990, Ambedkar was posthumously conferred with the Bharat Ratna, Indias
highest civilian award
Ambedkar was born on 14 April 1891 into a poor low Mahar caste in the town and
military cantonment of Mhow in Madhya Pradesh

43rd Navy Day was observed on 4 December 2014. On this day, Chief of Naval
Admiral Robin K Dhowan and navy personnel rededicated themselves to the service
of the nation.
The President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi commended
dedication of Indian Navy to protect the maritime interests of nation.
The Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha and Army Chief Lt. General Dalbir Singh Suhag also
paid tributes to martyrs of INS Sindhurakshak at the Amar Jawan Jyoti in New Delhi.
As a part of Navy Day celebrations, a series of operational displays was held in
Vishakhapatnam and 20 ships, 23 aircraft and a submarine showcased the capability
and versatility of Naval ships, submarines, aircraft and the Special Forces.
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About Navy Day

The Navy day will be celebrated every year to commemorate the success of Operation
Trident of Indian Navy on Karachi Harbour during the 1971 Indo-Pak war.

Nation on 3 December 2014 remembered the Bhopal gas tragedy that happened 30
years back on 3 December 1984. Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shivaraj Singh
Chouhan paid homage to victims and promised that efforts for rehabilitation of gas
victims will continue.
Parliament also remembered the victims of Bhopal gas tragedy and extended the
support to the victims. In Lok Sabha, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan and in Rajya Sabha,
Chairman Hamid Ansari expressed their houses support and commitment to the
people affected by the gas leak.
On the occasion, a unique museum preserving the belongings and pictures of victims
of the Bhopal gas tragedy was unveiled on the 30th anniversary of the disaster.
Event like religion prayer meeting was held in Barkatullah Bhawan of Bhopal to pay
homage to the victims of gas tragedy. Non-government organizations organised
rallies, meetings and effigy burning programme to mark the tragedy.
About Bhopal gas tragedy

The Bhopal gas tragedy was the worst industrial disaster in the World. The gas of
methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas and other chemicals leaked on the night of 2 December
to 3 December 1984 from Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) pesticide plant in
Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
Due to leakage, almost five thousand people died in the incident and many victims are
still facing problems like proper medical facilities, better living conditions including
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safe drinking water and employment after the 30 years of the tragedy. Toxic waste
lying in the defunct plant of Union Carbide has yet to be disposed off.

International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) was observed across the world on
3 December 2014. The theme - sustainable development: the promise of technology,
with the aim of improving technology and making it more widely available to those
living with disabilities.
The day will work to harness the power of technology to promote inclusion and
accessibility to help realize the full and equal participation of persons with disabilities
in society and shape the future of sustainable development for all.
The International Day of Persons with Disabilities will focus on the role of
technology in:
Disaster Risk Reduction and Emergency Responses
Creating Enabling Working Environments
Disability-Inclusive Sustainable Development Goals
As a part of observation, Events like art exhibitions promoting artwork by people with
disabilities and other events like protests to highlight the difficulties disabled people
have in playing a full role in society.
About International Day of Persons with Disabilities

The International Day of Disabled Persons was proclaimed by the United Nations
General Assembly resolution in 1992. The day aims to promote an understanding of
disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, rights and well-being of persons
with disabilities.
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The day also seeks to increase awareness of gains to be derived from the integration
of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural
life.

The International Day for the Abolition of Slavery was observed by the United Nations
on 2 December 2014.The day is observed to focus on the elimination of human
trafficking, child labour and other forms of modern-day slavery.
As a part of observation, the religious leaders across the world gathered in the Vatican
for the eradication of modern slavery and signed a joint declaration against modern
slavery. The religious leaders include Pope Francis joined Anglican, Orthodox,
Jewish, Shia and Sunni Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist representatives in the Pontifical
Academy of Sciences.
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on world leaders, businesses
and civil society alike to banish the barbaric practices of human trafficking, sexual
exploitation, the worst forms of child labour, forced marriage and the forced recruitment
of children for use in armed conflict.
The International Labour Organization (ILO) has teamed up with prominent artists,
athletes and advocated a new campaign to End Slavery Now. Many events took
place on the day that people around the world share their perspective in writing
through poetry, opinion pieces and short stories.
According to the data, 21 million women, men and children are trapped in slavery all
over the world.
About International Day for the Abolition of Slavery

International Day for the Abolition of Slavery marks the date of adoption on 2 December
1929 by the United Nations General Assemblys Convention for the Suppression of
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the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others.
The day focuses on eradicating contemporary forms of slavery, such as trafficking
in persons, sexual exploitation, and the worst forms of child labour, forced marriage,
and the forced recruitment of children for use in armed conflict.
26thWorld AIDS Day observed across the world on 1 December

26th World AIDS Day was observed across the world on 1 December 2014. The day
is observed to raise awareness to the Aids pandemic caused by the spread of the
HIV infection.
The theme is Focus, Partner, Achieve: An AIDS-free generation to highlight the
need to for governments and health officials, NGOs and individuals to address Aids
prevention and treatment.
As a part of World AIDS Day, The United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) pushed
for more investment and access to treatment for children saying that more infections
among children under age 15 need to be averted.
UNICEF released data that AIDS-related deaths are not decreasing in the age group
10-19 and still other groups have experienced about a 40 percent decline between
2005 and 2013.
About World AIDS Day

The idea for World Aids Day was conceived by James Bunn and Thomas Netter,
who are the public information officers for the Global Programme on Aids at the
World Health Organisation in 1987.
The history of HIV and Aids in the US began in 1981, when the country recognised
a new illness among a small number of gay men. Although it widely accepted that
the origin of HIV lies in Africa, the US was the first country to bring the virus into
the public consciousness.
World AIDS Day will be held on 1 December every year and is an opportunity for
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people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show their support for people
living with HIV and to commemorate people who have died.
First World AIDS Day was held in 1988 and is the first ever global health day.
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Plan | Programme
Global campaign Girl Rising launched in New Delhi to create
awareness on girl education
Girl Rising: A Global campaign to highlight importance of girls education
Bollywood actresses Priyanka Chopra and Freida Pinto launched a multi-level global
campaign, Girl Rising on 29 November 2014 in New Delhi. The campaign aims at
spreading awareness about importance of girls education and includes documentary
film featuring the two stars and seven other actresses.
Priyanka and Freida are part of the global feature, which also co-stars Oscar-winners
Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway.
The Indian version of the documentary that features top Bollywood actresses
tells stories of nine unforgettable girls around the world striving against difficult
circumstances to achieve their dreams of an education.
The girl rising campaign aims to create awareness and create a tangible platform to
affect change.
What is Girl Rising?

Girl Risings Engage Campaign was launched in 2014 with the support of USAID. It
is a global campaign for girls education. The campaign narrates stories to share the
simple truth that educating girls can transform societies.
The campaign aims at changing the way the world values the girl by helping people
understand her worth and the benefits to educating and empowering her.
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Miscellaneous
Sushaasan Express flagged off by the Union Ministry of Mines
and Steel
The Sushaasan Express was on 25 December 2014 flagged off by the Union Ministry
of Mines and Steel. The Sushaasan (good governance) Express was launched from
Gwalior, the birth place of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
The train will run between Gwalior and Gonda via Hazrat Nizamuddin and Lucknow.
The train was launched on the occasion of Good Governance Day that marks the
birthday of Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee and birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna
Madan Mohan Malaviya.
Other announcements made during the function

On the same occasion, Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu sanctioned 29 crore
rupees for the development of railways in Gwalior.
Besides, another announcement was that the Union tourism ministry has approved
a plan worth 24.93 crore rupees proposed by the Madhya Pradesh Tourism
Development Corporation to develop Gwalior as a mega tourist centre.

The first Arabic translation of Indian Constitution was launched on 9 December 2014
in Cairo.
The Arabic translation was launched by the Secretary General of the Arab League
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Nabil El Araby along with Indian Secretary (East) ambassador Anil Wadhwa.
The launch was organised in the Secretariat of the League of Arab States by the
Embassy of India in collaboration with the League of Arab States.
The translation was undertaken by the International Institute for Democracy and
Electoral Assistance (IDEA).
The translated Constitution meets the aspirations of all sections of society and is
characterised by large lingual, religious and ethnic diversity.
Worlds first herbal Holy Quran unveiled in Dubai

The worlds first handcrafted herbal Holy Quran was unveiled on 8 December 2014 in
Dubai. It is made from about 200 medicinal plants.
The Quran has been made by the Islamic arts and calligraphy company Heddem
Arts and has been crafted over 23 years from 1957 to 1979 by Turkish Unani Doctor
Hamdi Taher.
The Herbal Holy Quran

The Quran is made of high potency herbal mixtures prepared as per Unani medical
system.
Herbal sheets of the Holy Quran have many therapeutic properties when the reader
moves his fingers on the letters or in and around the pages, the herbal mixture
seeps through the pores in the fingers, providing health benefits.
The herbal-cream-written Quran includes 606 pages and weighs about 7.5 kg.
Every word and design in the Holy Quran is made without using any printing
technology, tools or machinery because of which it is truly one of a kind.
The Holy book includes a mixture of herbs that had been directly extracted from
seeds, fruits, leaves, stems, barks and roots used in Unani medicine.
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About Unani Medicine

Unani is Arabic word for Ionian which means Greek. It is a formal medicine that has
been practiced for 6000 years.
Unani is also known as hikmat, a Unani Tibb Medicine that was developed by the
Greek physician Hippocrates from the medicine and traditions of the ancient Egypt
and Mesopotamia.
India on 7 December 2014 set the Guinness Record for largest human formation of
a national flag in the world. To set the record around 50000 volunteers from Chennai
gathered at YMCA Grounds to form the human Tricolour with Chakra, the National
Flag of India.
The previous world record was in the name of Sports Club of Lahore, Pakistan wherein
28957 people were involved in forming the national flag of Pakistan.
Guinness official Syeda Subasi-Gemici, adjudicator of Guinness World Records Ltd.,
presented the certificate validating the attempt.
The event of forming the human Tricolour was organised by Governor of Rotary 3230
as part of the My Flag My India campaign. The campaign was organised with an aim
to infuse patriotism and nationalism in the present generation and next-generation
youth.
President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated Golden Jubilee Celebrations of Rama Devi Womens College
President of India Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated Golden Jubilee Celebrations of
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Rama Devi Womens College on 30 November 2014 at Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
On this occasion, President paid tribute to the unique contribution and leadership of
Rama Devi.
Rama Devi was one of the most committed workers in Indias national movement
and a devoted disciple of Mahatma Gandhi.
She along with Gopabandhu Choudhury and Acharya Harihar Das organized mass
meetings in Odisha during the Civil Disobedience Movement in 1931.
She led the Dandi March that took place on the West Coast of India in 1930. Inchudi
on the Balasore Coast and Kujanga in Cuttack were selected by the Utkal Provincial
Congress Committee to break the Salt Law.
She was an organiser, speaker, campaigner and inspirer of ordinary men and women.
She worked hard to root out untouchability and communalism.
She organised a pada yatra to support Vinobha Bhaves Bhoodan Movement and
gave utmost emphasis to education, emancipation and empowerment of women.
Remember Bhopal museum inaugurated

Museum named Remember Bhopal was inaugurated on the eve of 30 years of Bhopal
gas tragedy on 3 December 2014.
The museum portrays the trauma and 30 years of relentless struggle by the victims to
get justice. It houses photographs and personal items of the victims, accompanied
by audio clips recorded by relatives.
The museum has nearly 50 original audio recordings of the survivors cut into
three minutes loops that can be heard by picking up phone receivers hung on the
walls. Besides, survivors or families of the several victims have recorded their own
testimonies for the museum.
The museum is split into five sections Trauma Room, Health Room, Anderson Wall,
Toxic Water Wall, Compensation Room and the Movement Room . Every section is
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a heart-wrenching reminder of the catastrophe and meticulously conserves the last
tangible link with the dead and those who survived.
DNA test of skeleton of King Richard III raised questions over

succession in British monarchy
Scientists at University of Leicester in a DNA test conducted on skeleton of King
Richard III found that the male line of descent was broken at one or more points. The
lineage was broken between Richard III and Henry Somerset, 5th Duke of Beaufort
(1744-1803).
The study related to this was published in the latest issue of Nature Communications
and the study was led by Turi King of Leicester University.
The researchers said that the study has provided scientific evidence for the first time
of a possible question mark over medieval lines of succession in the monarchy.
In the study, the paternity tests on the DNA of a living male-line descendant of Richard
IIIs royal lineage have failed to match. Researchers said that this discovery points to
some royal person being born on the wrong side.
The study found that there were 19 links in that chain, so there is an equal probability
of any one of those 19 being broken.
However, the DNA test passed on exclusively through the maternal line, and matches
precisely with two female-line descendants alive today. These two descendants are
14th cousins twice removed from Richard III.
About King Richard III

King Richard III born on 2 October 1452 was King of England from 1483 until his
death on 22 August 1485. He died in the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last
king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty.
His defeat at Bosworth Field, the last decisive battle of the Wars of the Roses, marked
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the end of the Middle Ages in England.
Mission We Remember, a Motorcycle expedition by Navy concluded in Kerala

Mission We Remember, the one month motor cycle expedition organized by the
Southern Naval Command concluded on 2 December 2014 at Kochi in Kerala. The
expedition was organised as part of the Navy Week Celebrations 2014
The motorcycle expedition was a part of Indian Navys efforts to strengthen relations
with former Naval persons (who are no more). During the journey, the motorcyclers
visited 768 naval widows residing in Kerala.
The expedition had 54 members which were divided into three teams and included
Naval officials from Southern Naval Command, Kochi and Naval Academy, Ezhimala.
These three teams visited all the 14 districts of Kerala as part of this novel expedition.
The expedition was flagged off at the Indian Naval Academy (INA), Ezhimala on 7
November 2014 by Vice Admiral S.P.S. Cheema, Flag Officer Command-in-Chief.
Singapore launched National Day song in Tamil language to celebrate 50 years of Independence
Singapore on 30 November 2014 launched National Day song in Tamil language to
celebrate 50 years of independence in 2015. Tamil is the fourth official language of
Singapore.
The song and music has been composed by Logapreyan Renganathan to create
something new and fresh to celebrate SG50, the abbreviation of multi-racial
Singapores 50 years of independence.
The SG50 Celebration Fund granted 50000 Singapore dollar grant for the song and
music composition project.
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The main composition of Singapore population is Chinese, Malays and Indians with
Malay. Chinese, Tamil and English are the official languages of Singapore.
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WORLD DAIRY
December 2014
1 December 2014
Astronomers for the first time measured transit of an Exoplanet 55 Cancri e using
ground-based telescope
Rapid evolution of HIV slowing down its ability to cause AIDS: Study
26th World Aids Day observed across the world on 1 December
2 December 2014
UNGA adopted the resolution on establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free world
World religious leaders signed joint declaration to end modern slavery
Chinese and Maldives Government signed MoU for preliminary study on bridge
construction
3 December 2014
Researchers developed Worlds fastest 2D camera at the Washington University
Prime Minister of Sweden Stefan Loefven called for snap elections in March 2015
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Kumar Sangakkara became fourth batsman to complete 13000 ODI runs
MRF Limited to be the global partner of ICC cricket World Cup 2015
Japan launched asteroid explorer Hayabusa 2 to explore origin of earth
4 December 2014
India and Japan decided to cooperate in Cyber security & Green ICT
Justice Sardar Muhammad Raza Khan appointed as new Chief Election
Commissioner of Pakistan
5 December 2014
China launched Nuclear Power Expansion Scheme to expand large network of
nuclear plants
India sent humanitarian assistance to Maldives to resolve water crisis in Male
India and Russia signed Inter-Governmental Agreement for developing Multi Role
Fighter Aircraft
Physicist Ashton Carter nominated as next defence secretary of US
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6 December 2014
UK signed an agreement with Bahrain to establish a permanent naval base at
Mina Salman Port
Gwladys Nocera of France won Hero Womens Indian Golf Open 2014
7 December 2014
8 December 2014
James D Watson auctioned his Nobel Prize medal for DNA discovery for 4.8 million
US dollars
France and the United States signed agreement to compensate Holocaust
survivors
US and NATO ended combat mission in Afghanistan
9 December 2014
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz awarded the Confucius Peace Prize 2014
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IntelCenter released Country Threat Index ranking 45 countries in terms of terrorist
threat
President of Zimabawe Robert Mugabe sacked Vice-president Joice Mujuru
International Anti-Corruption Day observed
Richard Rahul Verma became first Indian-American to be appointed as US
Ambassador to India
10 December 2014
Ebola fighters named TIMEs Person of the Year 2014
Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices banned sale of 80 generic drugs
Human Rights Day observed globally
11 December 2014
Google announced to shut down its news linking services in Spain
Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed appointed as the new head of the UNMEER
12 December 2014
India-Russia signed 20 agreements during the 15th India-Russia Annual Summit
in New Delhi
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13 December 2014
Indian film Jal nominated for Oscar contenders of 2014 in two categories
Japan teens Mima Ito and Miu Hirano became youngest table tennis champions
Prime Minister of Haiti Laurent Lamothe resigned following anti-government
protests
14 December 2014
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo re-elected for another four year term
15 December 2014
China developed invisible pain beam weapon Poly WB-1 to break-up riots
Lima Call for Climate Action put world on track to New Universal Climate Agreement
Global Financial Integrity released the Global Illicit Financial Flows Report 2014
Vivek Hallegere Murthy appointed as 19th Surgeon General of America
16 December 2014
US Senate passed resolution recognising Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yousafzai
as symbols of peace
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Rory McIlroy named 2014 Race to Dubai European Tour Golfer of Year
Victory Day celebrated in Bangladesh
Xu Youyu of China won Olof Palme Human Rights Prize for the year 2014
17 December 2014
Lens-free on-chip Microscope developed to image pathology samples
UN Security Council renewed Humanitarian aid to Syria for 12 Months
US slapped sanctions on Oil trading firms of Switzerland and Netherland for
dealing with Syria
Veteran poetess Imtiaz Dharker awarded with the Queens Gold Medal for Poetry
2014s
Amit Priyavadan Mehta appointed as Federal judge in the District of Columbia
Reverend Libby Lane appointed as first female bishop of the Church of England
18 December 2014
US President Barack Obama signed Ukraine Freedom Support Bill, 2014 for more
sanctions on Russia
United Nations sent team of international experts to clean Sundarbans oil spill
UNGA adopted resolution referring North Korea to ICC for human right abuses
UN Security Council extended mandate of UN Disengagement of Forces agreement
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in Golan Heights
Michael Garcia resigned as Chief ethics investigator of FIFA Ethics Committee
19 December 2014
South Korea constitutional court ordered dissolution of leftist Unified Progressive
Party
20 December 2014
21 December 2014
22 December 2014
Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany agreed to hold new round of peace talks
on Ukraine
2014 Presidential Elections of Tunisia results declared; Beji Caid Essebsi won the
elections
President of Egypt Abdel Fatah Al-Sisi ratified Electoral Constituencies Laws
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23 December 2014
Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan finalised creation of Eurasian
Economic Union
China and Nepal signed agreement to expand the use of local currencies for
border trade
Afghanistan and Pakistan agreed to coordinate military operations across the
borders
Taiwan launched its largest Missile Warship Tuo Chiang
24 December 2014
Global Arms Trade Treaty came into force
Archaeologists discovered Buddhist sculptures and Kushan-era coins in Pakistan
25 December 2014
British actor David John Ryall died
Former England cricketer Geoff Pullar died
26 December 2014
LSU Researchers discovered new method to convert Carbon Dioxide into Organic
Compound
Rajan Devadas, an acclaimed Indian-American photojournalist died
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27 December 2014
First Municipal Elections in 60 years held in Myanmars
28 December 2014
29 December
Tropical storm Jangmi struck Philippines
Greece Parliament failed to elect President leading to General Elections in January
2015
India became second largest foreign trading partner of Dubai after China
30 December
AirAsia plane QZ8501 debris, bodies found floating in Java Sea
UNSC rejected resolution demanding end to Israeli occupation of Palestinian
territories by 2017
31 December
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INDIA DAIRY
December 2014
1 December 2014
SEBI allowed 123 entities to set up Alternative Investment Funds in India
PSC on External Affairs recommended Government to introduce a Bill to ratify
LBA with Bangladesh
Union government announced 28000 crore rupees package for laying new rail
lines in North-East
Manipur government extended Disturbed Area status under AFSPA for another
one year
2 December 2014
Union Cabinet approved bill on coal block auctions to replace Coal Mines
Ordinance 2014
Union Cabinet approved Regional Rural Banks (Amendment) Bill, 2013
RBI announced fifth Bi-Monthly Monetary Policy Statement 2014-15
Union Cabinet approved Anti-Hijacking Bill 2014 giving death penalty to hijackers
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UP Government launched the Women Entrepreneurship Scheme 2014-15
3 December 2014
DIPP issued Press Note 10 to relax FDI norms for the construction development
sector
Lok Sabha passed the School of Planning and Architecture Bill 2014
Supreme Court directed Union to prosecute black money hoarders abroad by 31
March 2015
Meghalaya formed R C Laloo panel to expedite inclusion process of Khasilanguage in Constitution
4 December 2014
RBI notified norms to set up TReDS trading platform for MSME receivables
Air India and NBCC signed MoU for Monetization of Land Assets
Subramanian Committee on Leveraging the Post Office Network submitted report
to Union government
Union MoEF approved the construction of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue in
Arabian Sea
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5 December 2014
Jacques Kallis appointed mentor and batting consultant for IPL team Kolkata
Knight Rider
Sikorsky Corp bagged 6000 crore rupee deal to supply S-70B Seahawks to Indian
Navy
Indian PM Narendra Modi named as the Asian of the Year 2014 by The Straits
Times
Assam government launched Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi Concrete Road Nirman
scheme
Punjab Government banned health camps in the State
Union Cabinet relaxed norms for e-rickshaw drivers
6 December 2014
Old laptop batteries could power slums in developing countries: IBM India Study
Mahaparinirwan Diwas observed on 6 December to pay tribute to B R Ambedkar
Karnataka cabinet approved Child Protection Policy for Safe Schools in Karnataka
7 December 2014
India defeated Pakistan to win Blind Cricket World Cup for the year 2014
8 December 2014
Rajya Sabha passed Textile Undertakings (Nationalisation) Laws (Amendment and
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Validation) Bill, 2014
Ministry of Railways inaugurated Wi-Fi broadband services at New Delhi railway
station
President launched Karnataka Mobile One App in Bengaluru for m-governance
Delhi government banned Uber taxi services
9 December 2014
Union Government and ATDC signed MoU for employment oriented training to
youths
Advanced version of Mark-II Pinaka Rocket successfully test-fired from Chandipur
in Odisha
10 December 2014
Union Home Ministry removed Section 309 of IPC decriminalizing attempt to
suicide
Union Cabinet approved creation of five posts of ASG at High Courts
CCEA approved implementation of Tea Development and Promotion Scheme
Tata Power acquired 540 MW thermal power plant for 3000 crore rupees
Union Cabinet approved to set up 500 crore rupees Credit Guarantee Fund for
factoring for MSME units
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11 December 2014
Andhra Pradesh CM Nara Chandrababu Naidu launched Farmers Debt Redemption
Scheme
IAF launched second phase of air combat game called Guardian of the Skies
12 December 2014
PM Narendra Modi launched Born Again on the Mountain by Arunima Sinha
Maharashtra government declared Dahi Handi as adventurous sport
ICICI Bank launched Indias first transparent credit card in association with
American Express
13 December 2014
Indian Navy won fifth edition of Admirals Cup for Sailing Regatta
Nation remembered and paid homage to martyrs of Parliament attack
14 December 2014
National Energy Conservation Day observed
15 December 2014
Lok Sabha passed Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorized Occupants)
Amendment Bill 2014
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16 December 2014
Union government announced to give 5 year visa to minorities from neighbouring
counties
Tashi-Nungshi became worlds 1st twin to climb highest peaks of seven continents
Vijay Diwas observed across the country
17 December 2014
SC directed Union Government to not appoint CVC without its approval
SC directed Union government to complete fencing along Indo-Bangladesh border
in 3 months
Union government notified Approach Paper for e-auctioning of 92 cancelled coal
mines in first phase
RBI imposed monetary penalty on ICICI and Bank of Baroda for violating KYC/
AML Instructions
Hariom Singh won Gold in Mens 50-metre Rifle Prone event at 58th National
Shooting champions
Defence Acquisition Council approved proposals to buy military equipment worth
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4444 crore rupees
18 December 2014
Lok Sabha passed the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2014
IRDA imposed penalty on Canara HSBC OBC Life Insurance & Anand Rathi
Insurance Brokers
Maharashtra government made e-tendering mandatory for projects over 3 lakh
rupees
19 December 2014
Union Finance Ministry approved 8.75 percent interest rate on PF deposits for
2014-15
Union Home Ministry issued guidelines to step up security in Schools
Bombay High Court appointed a team of 17 lawyers to function as Commissioners
of Court
Union Government introduced Constitution (122nd Amendment) Bill to facilitate
introduction of GST
20 December 2014
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21 December 2014
Book titled Why I Assassinated Gandhi written by Nathuram Godse and Gopal
Godse
22 December 2014
Suresh Prabhu Advisory Group on Integrated Development of Power submitted
report
IWAI signed MoU with Odisha government to develop stretches of National
Waterway 5
BHEL bagged 16.96 million euro contract in Turkey for a thermal power project
Andhra Pradesh Assembly passed Capital Region Development Authority Bill,
2014
23 December 2014
RBI extended deadline for withdrawal of pre-2005 currency notes to 30 June 2015
President signed Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Ordinance to facilitate e-auction
of coal blocks
GAIL, CIL, RCF and FCI signed JV to set up Coal gasification-cum-fertiliser
complex in Odisha
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Snapdeal launched online Agri Store to aid farmers
S Bhattacharya appointed CMD of Coal India
Union Government set up Mathur committee to examine constitution of SIT on
1984 anti-Sikh riots
24 December 2014
Pompadour Green Pigeon endemic to Western Ghats spotted in Barkheda in
Rajasthan
Atal Bihari Vajpee and Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya to receive Bharat Ratna
25 December 2014
and Teaching
Sushaasan Express flagged off by the Union Ministry of Mines and Steel
Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched Mission Indradhanush
Indian Army launched Operation All Out against Bodo militants in Assam
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26 December 2014
Tenth anniversary of Indian Ocean Tsunami observed
27 December 2014
28 December 2014
16 States ratified National Judicial Appointments Commission Bill, 2014
Raghubar Das sworn-in as first non-tribal Chief Minister of Jharkhand
BCCI banned spinner Pragyan Ojha from bowling in competitive cricket
29 December
Department of Disabilities Affairs renamed as Department of Empowerment of
Persons with Disabilities
DeitY announced to set up Fast Track Task Force to boost mobile manufacturing
Union Cabinet approved promulgation of ordinance on amendments to Land
Acquisition Act, 2013
Union Cabinet approved hike of government stake in IFCI to 51 percent
RBI liberalised norms for Overseas Direct Investment by Indian companies
RBI released Financial Stability Report December 2014
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30 December
Union Government signed 75 million dollar loan deal with ADB for KIUWMIP
Noted journalist Boobli George Verghese died
Union Government constituted a Committee to look into NATGRID
President Pranab Mukherjee appointed Governors of Mizoram, Uttarakhand and
Meghalaya
Pompadour Green Pigeon endemic to Western Ghats spotted in Barkheda in
Rajasthan
31 December
M Sathiyavathy became Indias first woman DGCA
Department of Financial Services appointed MD and CEO of four Nationalised
Banks
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TOP 100 CURRENT AFFAIRS OF 2014

Goods and Services Tax Bill, 2014 introduced in Lok Sabha

It is also called Constitution (122nd Amendment) Bill
It seeks to introduce Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime
Inserts article Articles 246A, 269A and 279A in the Constitution
Provides for Union Finance Minister headed GST Council
Sets in a uniform and integrated indirect tax regime in India

It covers the period between 1 April 2015 and 31 March 2020
The Commission headed by former RBI Governor Y V Reddy
Provides for devolution of tax receipts from the Centre to the States
Article 280 of Constitution provides for appointment of Finance Commission

First and 13th Finance Commission was headed by K C Neogy & Dr Vijay Kelkar
resp.
Union government decriminalized Attempt to Suicide

For this purpose Section 309 of Indian Penal Code removed

20th Law Commission headed by Justice A P Shah recommended in its 210
Report

210th Report on Humanization and Decriminalization of Attempt to Suicide
France was the first country to decriminalize this offence
Lok Sabha passed the Repealing and Amending (Second) Bill, 2014

Introduced as a periodic measure for updating the list of laws in force
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Seeks to repeal 90 laws and pass amendment to two laws
Proposes to amend the two laws to rectify typographical errors

The laws are Railways (Amendment) Act, 2008 and the Indian Maritime University
Act, 2008
Karnataka Mobile One App launched for m-governance

Launched by President Pranab Mukherjee in Bengaluru
First such app in India to usher in an era of mobile governance
Developed under the ICARE program of Karnataka government
Expected to provide more than 4000 services to citizens
Social Justice Bench constituted on social issue

Constituted by Supreme Court on 3 December 2014
Started operation on 12 December 2014
The brainchild of Chief Justice of India H L Dattu
Two-judge bench to be headed by Justice Madan B Lokur
The other member is Justice U U Lalit
627 names of Indians holding black money abroad submitted to SC

Includes details of treaties India signed with France and other nations
Half of the 627 names are Non-Resident Indians (NRIs)
Most of them have accounts with HSBC Bank, Geneva
SIT headed by Justice M B Shah is probing black money case
Union government unveiled new counter-Naxal doctrine
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Proposes four-pronged approach to deal with Naxals

These are Security, Development, Rights and Entitlement and Public Perception
Management

Focus on security interventions in worst LWE-affected areas
In moderately-affected areas, security and development initiatives will be focus
In less affected areas, development interventions will take precedence
Swachh Bharat Mission launched

Launched on occasion of 145th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi
Aims at making India clean by 2019
The year 2019 will be 150th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi
Nine people nominated to inspire people to join the Mission
SC quashed allocation of 214 coal blocks

Quashed by SC bench headed by Justice R M Lodha
Allocations were arbitrary and illegal
4 out of 218 coal blocks not cancelled

Includes one of NTPC and SAIL each and two of Sasan UMPP owned by Anil
Ambani
Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) launched

It was launched on 28 August 2014
Aims to open 15 crore bank accounts by 15 August 2015
It is a mega financial inclusion plan
Each person covered to be provided bank accounts and RuPay debit cards
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Also provision for inbuilt insurance cover of 1 lakh rupees
India: first Country to Ratify the Marrakesh Treaty

India ratified the treaty on 30 June 2014
Will facilitate access to published works for blind and visually impaired persons
The treaty was signed in Marrakesh, Morocco on 28 June 2013
It has been signed by 64 countries
SC ruled Shariat Courts are illegal

No legal status has been granted to the Sharia Courts
Its fatwas/decrees are illegal if it violates fundamental rights
The decision was delivered by SC bench headed by Justice C K Prasad
The judgement given on a petition filed by Vishwa Lochan Madan in 2005
India became permanent signatory to Washington Accord

India signed the Accord on 13 June 2014
Joined a select group of 17 countries who joined the Accord

Global employment opportunities for Indias technical and engineering
graduates to increase

Accord promotes mobility and quality assurance of engineers across
international boundaries
Sumitra Mahajan elected as Speaker of 16th Lok Sabha

She replaced Meira Kumar
Became the second women presiding officer of the Lok Sabha
She was elected to 9th Lok Sabha in 1989 for the first time
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2014 elections was her eighth continuous term as Member of Parliament
Telangana became the 29th state of India

It achieved statehood on 2 June 2014
Ten districts of the then Andhra Pradesh became part of Telangana
Chandrasekhar Rao sworn-in as the first Chief Minister
ESL Narasimhan is the Governor of Telangana
Hyderabad is the joint capital of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh
Narendra Modi sworn-in as 15th Prime Minister of India

He was sworn-in on 26 May 2014
He took oath with 45 Council of Minister including 23 Cabinet Ministers
First Prime Minister of India born in independent India
For the first time 25% of the Cabinet post allocated to women
Swearing-in ceremony attended by heads of seven SAARC countries
16th Lok Sabha Elections 2014

The election results for 543 constituencies declared on 16 May 2014
Bharatiya Janata Party emerged victorious with 282 seats
Congress led incumbent government just secured 44 seats
BJP won the majority for the first time since independence
The elections were conducted in nine phases from 7 April 12 May 2014
Karnataka: first state in India to launch Health Adalat

The Health Adalat was launched in Gulbarga, Karnataka.
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Aims to ensure that all health facilities extended by the government reached all
sections of society.

During Health Adalat the department will interact with public representatives.
Debroy Panel on restructuring Railway Board

The Panel would submit its report till the end of 2015
The seven-member panel will be headed by economist Bibek Debroy

Mandated to estimate the financial needs of railways and ensure policies to
raise resources

Restructuring of railway board announced in Union Budget 2014-15
Film Liars Dice: Indias official entry for Oscar Awards 2015

The movie has been directed by Geethu Mohandas
It is nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film category
12-member jury headed by eminent filmmaker T Hariharan nominated it
Leading casts are Geetanjali Thapa and Nawazuddin Siddiqui
The 87th Oscar Awards will be held in the US on 22 February 2015
C Rangarajan Committee on Poverty

Total number of poor in India at 363 million or 29.6 percent of the population
The daily per capita expenditure pegged at 32 rupees for the rural poor
The daily per capita expenditure pegged at 47 rupees for the urban poor
Poverty line is pegged 972 rupees per month for rural India
Poverty line pegged at 1407 rupees per month for urban India
Largest Solar Power Plant of India launched

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Current Affairs

130-MW Welspun Solar Plant launched at Bhagwanpur in Neemuch, MP
It is also the Asias Largest Solar Power Plant.
It was constructed at a cost of 1100 crore rupees.
The Project will raise Indian solar capacity by 7 percent.
US President signed Ukraine Freedom Support Bill, 2014

The Act authorizes administration to impose sanctions on Russia
The sanctions to be imposed if needs arises
Sanctions were imposed on Russia over Ukraine crisis
Authorizes 350 million US dollars in lethal and non-lethal military aid Ukraine
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe re-elected

He was re-elected for another four year term
Japans ruling coalition won a two thirds majority in the Snap elections
Elections were held for the Lower House of the National Diet.

The elections saw the voter turnout at 52.7 percent, the lowest since World
War-II
Nobel Prize presented

Peace Prize winners Kailash Satyarthi & Malala Yousufzai
Physiology Prize winners John OKeefe, May-Britt Moser and Edvard I. Moser
Literature Nobel Prize winner French author Patrick Modiano
Physics Nobel Prize winner Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano and Shuji Nakamura

Chemistry Nobel Prize Eric Betzig from Janelia Research Campus, Stefan Hell,
Gottingen
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Economic Nobel Prize given to Jean Tirole
First World Soil Day observed on 5 December 2014

The Day was observed by the UNFAO
UNFAO and GSP declared the year 2015 as UN International Year of Soils
Events held to raise idea that soil is a critical component of natural system
The day coincides with birthday of Thailands King Bhumibol Adulyadej
Corruption Perceptions Index 2014 released

This was the 20th edition
Measures perceived levels of public sector corruption in 175 countries
India with a score of 38 was ranked 85th
The index was topped by Denmark with a score of 92.
Index is prepared by Transparency International

Mangalyaan named among the best inventions of 2014
Magazine describes it as a technological feat
It is described as Supersmart Spacecraft- Mangalyaan

The list also includes two inventions of Indians namely Blue Room and tablet
toy, Osmo
The G20 Summit 2014 concluded

The Summit saw release of Brisbane Action Plan
Action Plan comprises of 800+ reforms to boost global growth
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Sets an ambitious goal to lift G20 growth by 2.1 percent by 2018

Seeks to reduce the gender gap in labour force participation rates by 25 percent
by 2025
25th anniversary of Fall of Berlin Wall celebrated

The fall of the Berlin Wall happened on 9 November 1989
It was the most significant event in recent German history
The Berlin Wall was built in 1961 by East Germany
It was built to stop people fleeing from East Germany to the West
The Wall stretched for 155 kilometers of which only 3 kilometer remains now
Forbes list of Worlds Most Powerful People 2014 released

The list gives the annual ranking of the Worlds 72 Most Powerful People
The list was topped by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was ranked 15th
Mukesh Ambani is ranked 36th on the list
India re-elected to UNHRC

It was re-elected for the period 2015-2017
India received the highest 162 votes in the Asia Pacific group
Indias first term as member due to end on 31 December 2014
14 other member states also elected to UNHRC for a three-year term
The UNHRC promotes and protects human rights
India-Vietnam signed 7 pacts
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Current Affairs

Pacts signed to strengthen Strategic Partnership
Signed during President Pranab Mukherjee visit to Vietnam
President gifted sapling of the holy Bodhi Tree to Vietnam
Diplomatic relations between the two countries established in 1972
The strategic relationship between the two countries established in 2007
Inaugural Tang Prizes 2014 presented in Taipei

The Tang Prize is treated as Asias version of the Nobels
Winners of the inaugural Tang Prizes are
Sustainable Development - Gro Harlem Brundtland former Premier of Norway
Sinology Chinese American, Historian Yu Ying-shih
Biopharmaceutical Science - James P Allison of US and Tasuku Honjo of Japan

The Rule of Law - Albie Sachs, former justice of the Constitutional Court of
South Africa
Unity Deal signed in Afghanistan

Unity deal signed between Abdullah Abdullah and Ghani Adhmadzai

The deal ended three-month stalemate over government formation in
Afghanistan

The stalemate was due to allegations that elections were rigged
The deal calls of creation of post of CEO who will be the acting Prime Minister
Ebola Virus Disease outbreak

More than 7000 patients died due to the Ebola Virus in West Africa.
Ebola Virus disease first surface in Guinea in March 2014
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Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia are the countries affected
Ebola disease was first detected in Congo basin of Zaire
Fields Medal 2014

The Fields Medal Awards held in Seoul, South Korea.
The award recognized contributions of four medalists.
Artur Avila, Manjul Bhargava, Martin Haire, Maryam Mirzakhani are the recipients
The Fields Medal was first awarded in 1936.

First winner were Finnish mathematician Lars Ahlfors and American
mathematician Jesse Douglas.
Prayuth Chan-ocha elected Prime Minister of Thailand

He is the 29th Prime Minister of Thailand

He was elected with a vote of 191-6 votes in National Legislative Assembly
(NLA)

He is a former Army Chief of Thailand
He seized the power in June 2014
6th BRICS Summit: Fortaleza Declaration

Held in Fortaleza, Brazil on 15 July and 16 July 2014.
Theme of the Summit was Inclusive Growth: Sustainable Solutions.
The participating countries Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa
The BRICS Network University will be established
BRICS Development Bank to be established
UNSC adopted resolution to probe into MH-17 plane crash

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Current Affairs

Resolution adopted by 15-member UNSC unanimously.
It demands free access to the crash site of Malaysian plane MH17.
It insisted on dignified and respectful treatment of bodies of the victims.
Scientific breakthrough of the year 2014: Rosetta space mission

Rosetta is the European space mission
First spacecraft to land on a comet
The comet is named 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
It landed on 12 November 2014, 10 years after the launch

This was the experimental launch of the rocket
Weighing 630 tonnes, it is Indias heaviest rocket
It carried Crew module Atmospheric Reentry Experiment (CARE)
The full fledged launch of the rocket will take place in two years.
India joined Thirty Meter Telescope Project

India jointed the project as Full Member
India to deliver 100 smaller, hexagonal mirrors
The project in India coordinated by Dept of Science & Technology and DAE
The telescope will be the largest in the world.
It is being built atop Mauna Kea Mountain in Hawaii.
Worlds first womb-transplant baby born
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The baby boy was born to a Swedish woman
It was born at the University of Gothenburgs hospital
The woman was born without a womb, although the ovaries were intact
The replacement womb came from a 61-year-old woman
She was suffering from a genetic condition called Rokitansky syndrome
New compound BQU57 developed

It will block protein Ral aiding cancer growth
Developed at University of Colorado Cancer Center
The study of the compound published in journal Nature
The lead author of the study is Dan Theodorescu
ISRO launched Mangalyaan to Mars orbit

India inserted the spacecraft in Mars orbit in first attempt

ISRO became the fourth space agency in the world to send a mission to Mars
successfully

Mangalyaan costs 74 million US dollars, the most cost-effective in world
It will be finding the presence of methane on the Mars
INS Kolkata dedicated to nation

INS Kolkata commissioned at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai
It is the countrys largest indigenously built warship

Equipped against enemy submarines, surface warships, anti-ship missiles and
fighter aircraft

It is commissioned without its main air defence weapon
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The warship has been constructed by Mazagon Dockyards Limited
New biochip to detect blood sugar via saliva

The advancement will help diabetics to not to undergo blood test

It is made from a one-inch-square piece of quartz coated with a thin layer of
silver

It uses a series of specific chemical reactions combined with plasmonic
interferometry

The device is sensitive enough to detect minutest differences in glucose
concentrations
Lima Call for Climate Action

Issued at the conclusion of the 20th session of the Conference of the Parties
(CoP)

The President of 20th CoP was Manuel Pulgar-Vidal

Intended Nationally Determined Contributions to form foundation for climate
action post 2020

Seeks to put world on track to New Universal Climate Agreement
21st COP will be held in Paris, France
The US and China agreed to cut greenhouse gas emissions

US will reduce carbon emissions by 26 to 28 percent by 2025, compared with
2005 levels

China did not set a specific target, but said emissions would peak by 2030

The two countries agreed to reduce the possibility of military accidents in the
air and sea

The two countries together produce about 45% of the worlds carbon dioxide
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Current Affairs
India State of Forest Report 2013

It was released by Union Ministry of Environment & Forest
The India State of Forest Report 2013 was the 13th report in the series

States with maximum increase in forest cover are West Bengal, Odisha and
Kerala

States with largest forest cover are MP & Arunachal Pradesh
Mizoram has the highest forests cover in terms of percentage of forest
Bor Wildlife Sanctuary of Maharashtra

It is Indias 47th Tiger Reserve
Union Environment Ministry notified Sanctuary as Tiger Reserve
Bor sanctuary is in Wardha district of Maharashtra

It will be an important corridor between Tadoba Andhari and Pench Tiger
Reserves

Tiger Reserves in Maharashtra: Melghat, Pench, Tadoba, Nagzira and Sahyadri

Outgoing Miss World, Megan Young of the Philippines presented the sash
Miss Hungary, Edina Kulcsar, was the first runner-up
Miss United States, Elizabeth Safrit, was the second runner-up
Indias Koyal Rana bagged the sub-title of Best Designer of the world
This was the 64th Miss World Competition

He died on 4 December 2014 due to renal and cardiac failure.
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He was former Supreme Court Judge and an MLA from Kerala.
He became the judge of the Supreme Court in 1973
He retired at the age of 65 in 1980.
There are 105 published books by V. R. Krishna Iyer.
Australian opener Philip Hughes died

Died after a bouncer ball of Sean Abbott hit back of his head
The accident happened at Sheffield Game at Sydney Cricket Ground, Australia
He was a left-handed opening batsman
He had played 26 Tests and 25 ODIs for Australia
Indian cricketers Raman Lamba and Nari Contractor also died in same situations
Chief Guest of Republic Day 2015: US President Barack Obama

He will be the first US President to attend the Republic Day Parade of India.

Obama will participate in the Republic Day celebrations of India on 26 January
2015.

Obama will be the first US President to travel to India twice.
Legendary Kathak danseuse Sitara Devi died

Dance based on themes, poetry and choreography of her father
She was born as Dhannolakshmi in the Brahmin family
Rabindranath Tagore described her as Nritya Samragini
She is known as a pioneering force in bringing the genre to Bollywood
Neha Gupta won International Childrens Peace Prize 2014
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Awarded for her work to help orphans in India
Her organisation Empower Orphans has helped 25000 vulnerable children
She became the first ever American to be awarded with the prize
In 2013, the award was conferred on Malala Yousufzai
Hindi poet Kedarnath Singh received 49th Jnanpith Award

Conferred for his outstanding contribution towards Indian literature
10th Hindi writer to receive the countrys highest literary award
Known for his work Abhi Bilkul Abhi and Yahan Se Dekho
First recipient G Sankara Kurup for Odakkuzhal (Flute) in Malyalam language
Sanjaya Rajaram received World Food Prize 2014

Awarded for his research that led to increase in wheat production
He is credited with developing the Veery lines of wheat in the 1980s
He helped secure 1.3 percent rise in global wheat production per annum.

He is senior scientific advisor at the International Center for Agricultural Research
in the Dry Areas
Arvind Subramanian appointed Chief Economic Advisor

Appointed Chief Economic Advisor (CEA) for a period of three years
Third economist of international rapport to be appointed as CEA
Expert of the Indian and Chinese economy
Raghuram Rajan, the RBI Governor, was previous CEA
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Justice H L Dattu sworn-in as 42nd Chief Justice of India

Oath of office administered by President Pranab Mukherjee.
Succeeded Chief Justice RM Lodha
Lodha demitted office on 27 September 2014
Dattu will retire from his office on 2 December 2015.
He joined Supreme Court of India as a Judge on 17 December 2008.
Lalitha Kumaramangalam appointed Chairperson of National Commission

for Women

Eighth chairperson of National Commission for Women
She was the National Spokesperson National Executive of BJP

National Commission for Women was set up as a statutory body in January
1992

It was set up under the National Commission for Women Act, 1990
Narula Brothers won 7 crore rupees in Season 8 of KBC

The two brothers, Achin and Sarthak Narula emerged victorious in Season 8 of
KBC

The tagline for the season 8 is Yahan Sirf Paise Nahi, Dil Bhi Jeete Jate Hain
The show was first telecast on Star Plus in 2000
It is based on the UK game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
Govind Mishra received Saraswati Samman 2013

He received it for novel Dhool Paudhon Par
His novel was published in 2008
The novel illustrates the struggle of modern Indian women
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He is the second Hindi author to be conferred with award
Harivansh Rai Bachchan was the first Hindi author to receive the award
Pran, the Creator of Chacha Chowdhury died at 75

He created or sketched Chacha Chaudhary for the Hindi magazine Lotpot in
1969

His Chacha Chaudhary strips found a permanent place in International Museum
of Cartoon Art, USA.

His name was included in People of the Year 1995 by Limca Book of Records.
Lt General Dalbir Singh Suhag took over as Chief of Army Staff

He succeeded General Bikram Singh to become the 28th Army Chief
He will serve as Army chief for 29 months till 31 December 2016
He is the 2nd Gorkha Rifles officer to become Army chief
First was Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw
Veteran actress Zohra Sehgal died at 102

She was called as the grand old lady of Bollywood
She was the recipient of Padma Vibhshan, Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri
Sehgals daughter Kiran in 2012 wrote her biography named Zohra Segal: Fatty
Zohra last appeared in Sanjay Leela Bhasalis film Saawariya in 2007
Chandi Prasad Bhatt won the Gandhi Peace prize 2013

He is a Gandhian, an environmentalist and a social activist.
In 1964, he founded Dasholi Gram Swarajya Sangh (DGSS) in Gopeswar.
He was awarded with the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership
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in 1982.

In 2005, he was awarded with Padma Bhushan.
Germany won mens Hockey Champions Trophy 2014

Germany defeated Pakistan by 2-0 margin to win the trophy
This was 10th Champions Trophy crown for Germany.
It had last won the tournament in 2007
For bronze medal, World champion Australia defeated India 2-1
UAE captain Khurram Khan: the oldest player to score an ODI century

He scored the winning century against Afghanistan in Dubai
He achieved the feat at an age of 43 years and 162 days
He broke the record of Sanath Jayasuriya
Sanath Jayasuriya had scored 109 against India in 2009 at the age of 39
Indian cricketer Rohit Sharma scored the highest ODI score ever of 264

The score of 264 runs is also the second-highest List A score
With this he became the only cricketer to score two Double ODI centuries
He achieved this distinction during the 4th ODI between India and Sri Lanka
He broke the record of highest ODI score of 219 runs made by Virender Sehwag
Sachin Tendulkar was the first cricketer to score double century in ODIs
Virat Kohli became fastest cricketer to reach 6000 ODI runs

He achieved the distinction after his 53-run knock in the third ODI between
India and Sri Lanka
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He took 144 match and 136 innings to make 6000 runs
He is the eighth Indian to have scored 6000 or more runs and 47th overall
He overtook legendary West Indian Vivian Richards record
Richards reached the milestone in 1989 by playing 141 innings in 156 matches
MC Mary Kom bagged her first Asian Games Gold Medal

She defeated Zhaina Shekerbekova of Kazakhstan
She won in womens flyweight category (48-51kg)
First Indian woman boxer to clinch a gold medal at the Asian Games
She is nicknamed as Magnificent Mary
Chennai Super Kings won 2014 Champions League Twenty20 title

It defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by 8 wickets
The match was played at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
Chennai Super Kings won the trophy for the second time.
Earlier they won the CLT20 in South Africa in 2011.
Hockey Player Manpreet Singh named Junior Men Player of the Year by AHF

The announcement was made at Asian Hockey Federation Congress
The congress was held at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Indian midfielder Manpreet Singh has played 103 international matches.
He is the captain of the India Junior Hockey team.
He made his international debut in 2011.
Marin Cilic of Croatia won Mens Singles title of US Tennis Open
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Cilic defeated 10th seed Kei Nishikori of Japan
The Womens singles was won by Serena Williams of US
The Mens Doubles title was won by Mike and Bob Bryan of US
Sania Mirza of India and Bruno Soares of Brazil won the Mixed Doubles title

Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina of Russia won the US Open womens
doubles title
2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games concluded

The Medal tally was topped by England
India stood at the fifth position in the rankings.
India won 64 medals (15 Gold, 30 silver and 19 Bronze)

This was third highest medal haul after 2010 Delhi CWG and 2002 Manchester
CWG

The 21st Commonwealth Games will be held in Gold Coast in Australia
Kush Kumar first Indian player to reach semis of World Junior Squash Championship

The World Junior Squash championship held at Windhoek in Namibia.
He defeated Englands George Parker in straight games in quarterfinal.
Kush Kumar is a professional squash player from Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
Presently, his ranking is 220 in the world.
Himachal Pradesh to host First Para-gliding World Cup 2015 in India

This will be the first para-gliding World Cup to be hosted in India.
To be organised under Para-gliding World Cup Association, France.
It will be hosted in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh from 24 October 2015
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Himachal Pradesh had hosted the Para-gliding pre-World Cup in 2013
Germany won the 2014 FIFA Football World Cup

Germany beat Argentina 1-0 in the final
Final was played at the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Mario Gotze scored the lone goal of final during the extra-time
It lifted the trophy for 4th time in FIFA world Cup history and first since 1990

Germany became 1st European team to win World Cup played in North or
South America
Sim Bhullar became first Indian-origin basketball player to join NBA

He signed a summer contract with the Sacramento Kings.
Sacramento Kings is a professional basketball team in the US.
Sim Bhullar is originally from Canada and his parents are from Punjab.
Novak Djokovic of Serbia won the Mens Wimbledon Tennis Open 2014

He defeated Roger Federer of Switzerland
This is the second Wimbledon title for Djokovic
Djokovic won the seventh career Grand Slam
Djokovic won his first Wimbledon title in 2011
Advisory Group on Integrated Development of Power

The Group was headed by Suresh Prabhu
It has suggested opening up of the coal sector
Called for improvement in Coal India Ltd and its subsidiaries
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Expedite reforms in the distribution sector with targeted actions
SBI Mutual Fund launched Shariah Equity Fund

The fund is aimed at attracting investments from Muslim populations of India.
The fund approved by the All India Muslim Personal Law Board
SBI MF fourth fund house in India to have an Islamic equity fund.

India second country outside the Islamic world where a state-owned bank is
offering such fund

The UK is the first country who issued sovereign Islamic bonds in June 2014
Kotak Mahindra Bank first bank in India to fully own insurance business

RBI gave permission to the bank for setting up Kotak General Insurance

Kotak General Insurance will be the 29th non-life insurance company in the
country

The CEO of the company will be Mahesh Balasubramanian
The bank already promotes life insurance with Old Mutual of South Africa
SEBI de-recognised Delhi Stock Exchange (DSE)

De-recognised on account of serious irregularities in demutualisation process

SEBI demutualisation rules requires every stock exchange to sell brokers 51%
equity

DSE was incorporated in 1947

It is an amalgamation of Delhi Stock and Share Brokers Association Ltd and
the Delhi Stocks and Shares Exchange Ltd
Shell India won 18000-crore rupees tax dispute case
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Current Affairs

It won the tax case against Income Tax department
The decision given by Bombay High Court
Decision based on legal principle laid down in the Vodafone case
It ruled that transfer pricing does not arise in case of transfer of shares
The case pertains to alleged under pricing of shares issued by Shell India
Alibaba made the record of earning 9.3 billion US dollars on a single day

Alibaba shipped 278 million orders out of which 43 percent were mobile devices
It achieved the staggering figure on Singles Day shopping event
The event celebrates the bachelorhood of Young single Chinese
Alibaba is a Chinese e-commerce giant founded by Jack Ma
SoftBank of Japan to invest 10 billion dollars in India

Will invest in Indias IT and communications sector in coming years
Announced to invest 627 million US dollars in Snapdeal
Signed definitive agreement to invest 210 million US dollars in ANI Technologies
Chairman and CEO of the SoftBank is Masayoshi Son
Union government de-regulated diesel and hiked natural gas rates

The price of diesel to be market-linked
The retail rates will reflect price changes in the global market.
The government will no longer provide subsidy on diesel.
This is the first reduction in diesel rates since 2009.
Google closed Orkut
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Current Affairs

Orkut is a social network site
Google announced to shut down Orkut in June 2014.
Old users of Orkut can take back up of pictures till September 2016.
Orkut was started in 2004 and named after its creator, Orkut Buyukkokten.
Google has moved to a new platform the Google Plus.
Union government decided to wind up HMT Watches

The unit has been incurring losses since 2000

HMT Watches is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hindustan Machines Tools (HMT)
limited

HMT Limited was set up at Bangalore in 1961 in collaboration with Japans
Citizen Watch

In 2000, HMT Watch Business group was restructured as HMT Watches Ltd.
RBI fixed the upper age limit at 70 years for M.D. and CEO in private sector banks

The decision was taken to comply with the Section 196(3) of the Companies
Act, 2013

Individual banks boards free to prescribe a lower retirement age for whole time
Directors

Earlier, no maximum age was specified and decisions were taken case by case
Union Government granted Navratna Status to CONCOR

CONCOR is the 17th Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) to achieve
Navratna Status.

The status was accorded by the Department of Public Enterprises.
CONCOR current Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) is Anil Kumar Gupta.
It deals in Export-Import and domestic trade and commerce policy of India.
506
Current Affairs
Expenditure Management Commission constituted

The Commission will be headed by Bimal Jalan
He is a former RBI Governor

Commission will suggest the way for managing public finances by reducing
subsidies.
ICICI Bank became the first bank in India to launch EMI facility on Debit
Card

This was so far available only for credit cardholders.

Will enable customers to convert their high value transactions into easy
installments

Facility available to debit cardholders with minimum fixed deposit of 10000
rupees
C S Verma elected as First President of Indian Steel Association

C S Verma is currently working as the head of Steel Authority of India Limited
The Indian Steel Association was formally launched on 26 August 2014
Aims to work towards transforming the Indian steel industry as a global leader

Membership of ISA open to any steel producer with a yearly capacity of at least
2 million tones
DIPP notified Press Note 8 allowing 100% FDI in Rail infrastructure

FDI in rail infrastructure will be through automatic route
FDI will not be allowed in train operations and safety

Proposals involving FDI beyond 49 percent in sensitive areas to be placed
before the Cabinet Committee on Security

Definitions of infrastructure and common facilities have also been widened
507
Current Affairs
Union Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley presented Union Budget 2014-15

This was the first budget of newly appointed government led by Narendra Modi

It focussed on providing good infrastructure like public transport, solid waste
disposal

Emphasized on skill development and entrepreneurship in the budget
Announced that the FDI cap in Defence sector would be raised to 49 percent
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Current Affairs

December 2014 | www.jagranjosh.com

PICK OF THE MONTH

Acts & Amendments

President signed Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Ordinance 2014

President signed National Judicial Appointments Commission Bill, 2014

Companies (Amendment) Bill 2014

The Repealing and Amending (Second) Bill, 2014

The Apprentices (Amendment) Bill, 2014

The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2014

The Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorized Occupants) Amendment Bill 2014 36

The Textile Undertakings (Nationalisation) Laws (Amendment and Validation) Bill,

The School of Planning and Architecture Bill 2014

The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Orders (Amendment) Bill, 2014

Ordinances Promulgated by the President

Ordinance on Delhi Laws Amendment Bill, 2014

Ordinance on amendments to Land Acquisition Act, 2013

Bills Introduced in either House of the Parliament

Goods and Services Tax Bill, 2014

The Regional Rural Banks (Amendment) Bill, 2013

Union Cabinet approved Anti-Hijacking Bill 2014

Ebola fighters : TIMEs Person of the Year 2014

20th edition of the Corruption Perceptions Index 2014 released

RBI issued Guidelines to define Non-cooperative Borrower

Beji Caid Essebsi sworn in as President of Tunisia

Venezuela entered recession with inflation at 63 percent

First Municipal Elections in 60 years held in Myanmar

US and NATO officially ended combat mission in Afghanistan

Russia successfully test-launched Angara-A5 rocket

Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan finalised creation of Eurasian

Ukrainian Parliament adopted Bill to join NATO

Iran Nuclear deal deadline extended by 7-months to 30 June 2015

Nicaragua launched construction of an inter-oceanic canal

India exported first warship CGS Barracuda to Mauritius

President of Egypt Abdel Fatah Al-Sisi ratified Electoral Constituencies Law

UN adopted resolution calling on governments to stop child marriages

South Korea constitutional court ordered dissolution of leftist Unified Progressive

December 2014 | www.jagranjosh.com

Pakistan became Associate Member Sate of CERN

US and Cuba restored ties by ending 50 years hostility

UN Security Council extended mandate of UN Disengagement of Forces agreement

UN Security Council renewed Humanitarian aid to Syria for 12 Months

Tehreek-e-Taliban attacked Army-run school in Peshawar, Pakistan

ICC upgraded the status of Palestine to Observer State

Prime Minister of Haiti Laurent Lamothe resigned following anti-government protests

Anerood Jugnauth appointed as Mauritius Prime Minister

Anerood Jugnauth was appointed as Mauritius Prime Minister by the President

Google announced to shut down its news linking services in Spain

President of Zimabawe Robert Mugabe sacked Vice-president Joice Mujuru

Bhutan became 181st member of MIGA, agency of World Bank

December 2014 | www.jagranjosh.com

CMEC launched mega water supply project in Sri Lanka

UK signed an agreement with Bahrain to establish a permanent naval base at Mina

UNGA adopted the resolution on establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free world 99

World religious leaders signed joint declaration to end modern slavery

Tabare Ramon Vazquez Rosas won Uruguay Presidential Election 2014

IRDA renamed to Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India

Department of Disabilities Affairs renamed as Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities

Sample Registration Survey released Statistical Report 2013

Union Government launched Madan Mohan Malviya National Mission on Teachers

Union Ministry of Consumers Affairs announced to set up Grahak Suvidha Kendras

Gujarat to host 13th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in January 2015

NSSO released Situation Assessment Survey of Agricultural Households

December 2014 | www.jagranjosh.com