Saturday 26 May 2012

The Fourth BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) Summit was held in New Delhi, India

The Fourth BRICS summit was held in New Delhi on 29 March 2012. The theme of the summit was BRICS partnership for Global Stability, Security and Prosperity. The summit was participated by India, Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa. At the end of the summit, Delhi Declaration was issued.  Development banks of BRICS signed two agreements- i) Master agreement on extending credit facility in local currency. ii) BRICS Multilateral letter of credit confirmation facility agreement. The five participating banks are Banco  Nacional de Desenvolvimento Economico e Social- BNDES, Brazil; State Corporation Bank for Development and Foreign Economic Affairs-Vnesheconombank of Russia; Export-Import bank of India; China Development Bank Corporation, and Development Bank of Southern Africa. These two agreements are expected to enhance cooperation among the BRICS development banks and to significantly promote intra-BRICS trade.
Highlights of Delhi Declaration

  • BRICS nations agreed on the reform of IMF and world bank.


  • Brazil, India, China and South Africa congratulated the Russian Federation on its accession to the WTO.


  • BRICS nation said they were committed to playing their part in the global fight against climate change and will contribute to the global effort in dealing with climate change issues.

Background of BRICS
The BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) idea was first conceived in 2001 by Goldman Sachs as part of an economic modeling exercise to forecast global economic trends over the next half century; the acronym BRIC was first used in 2001 by Goldman Sachs in their Global Economics Paper No. 66, "The World Needs Better Economic BRICs".

Expansion of BRIC into BRICS
BRIC Foreign Ministers at their meeting in New York on 21st September 2010 agreed that South Africa may be invited to join BRIC. Accordingly, China, as the host of 3rd BRICS Summit, invited South African President to attend the Summit in Sanya on 14 April 2011 with the concurrence of other BRIC Leaders.

Union Government approved Setting up of a National Centre for Cold Chain Development

The government of India on 9 February 2012 approved setting up of a national cehttp://www.educationalhut.comntre for cold chain development and allocated a one-time grant of 25 crore rupees for its corpus fund. The decision was taken in a Cabinet meeting held in New Delhi under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The move comes in the wake of post harvest losses to the tune of 50000 crore rupees annually in absence of proper storage facilities.
The Cabinet gave its ex-post facto approval for registering National Centre for Cold Chain Development, NCCD, as a society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. The NCCD will be having a Governing Council under the Chairmanship of Secretary with 22 members, covering government officials, Confederation of Indian Industry, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, FICCI and other stake holders.
India is the second largest producer of horticultural commodities in the world. However, a significant portion of the produce, particularly perishables like fruits, vegetables, flowers go waste due to post harvest losses. A robust cold chain infrastructure will go a long way in reducing the losses of perishables.
India, the world's second largest producer of horticulture products after China , accounts for 71.5 million tonnes of fruits, 133.7 million tonnes of vegetables and 17.8 million tonnes of other commodities like flowers, spices, coconut, cashew, mushroom, honey among others. A significant portion of the produce like fruits, vegetables, flowers go waste due to post harvest losses in absence of proper cold storage facilities. A Parliamentary panel has also pointed out that post harvest losses of fruits and vegetables are as high as 35 per cent, valuing more than 50000 crore rupees annually. Earlier the government had constituted a Task Force in 2008 on cold chain development to assess the situation. The Task Force had recommended formation of a dedicated institution for promoting cold chain development. A robust cold chain infrastructure will go a long way in reducing the losses of perishables.
ONLINE TEST SERIES

More Than 120 People killed in the Plane Crash in Pakistan

A passenger aero plane crash near Islamabad in Pakistan on 20 April 2012, left more than 100 people dead. The tragic incident occurred while the airliner was attempting to land during a thunderstorm.

The Bhoja airliner had been flying from the southern seaport city of Karachi and burst into flames right before its landing in the Islamabad following a  3½-hour flight. The airline Boeing 737 was carrying 121 passengers, including 11 children, as well as six crew.

The crash occurred near the Chaklala airbase, a military site used by the country's air force, which is adjacent to the Benazir Bhutto International Airport in Islamabad.

The worst aviation tragedy in Pkistan came in July 2010 when an Airbus 321 passenger jet operated by the private airline Airblue crashed into hills overlooking Islamabad while coming in to land after a flight from Karachi. The deadly incident ended up with the death of 152 people.

The 1992 civilian plane crash is considered to be the deadliest in the history of Pakistan as it claimed the life of 167 people. ONLINE TEST SERIES

A Powerful 6.6-Magnitude Earthquake jolted Eastern Indonesia

A strong 6.6-magnitude eartquake hit waters off eastern Indonesia on 21 April 2012. The tremor was centered only 30 kilometers below the ocean floor.

Indonesia, given its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, is highly prone to earthquakes. The country over the past few months has witnessed a string of seismic turmoil.

More than 2 lakh people were killed in a massive earth quake that hit the country on 26 December, 2004. The deadly quake had triggered a tsunami in the Indian Ocean which subsequently claimed the life of tens of thousands of people across the Indian Ocean region. ONLINE TEST SERIES

US–Afghanistan inked Strategic Pact setting Guidelines for USInvolvement in Afghanistan

US and Afghanistan inked a long-awaited strategic pact on 22 April 2012. The pact aims at setting forth guidelines for U.S. involvement in Afghanistan as forces are withdrawn from the trouble-torn nation.

The pact provides a strong foundation for the security of Afghanistan, the region and the world. Both the countries took almost one year to reach on the mutual agreement. The agreement was expected to be inked before the NATO summit to be held in May 2012.

The agreement speaks for a smaller but longer-term U.S. presence in Afghanistan as it would give western leaders a rationale for supporting Kabul after combat troops are withdrawn in 2014. It also aims to reassure Afghans that the West will not cut and run, and is critical to Afghanistan's financial stability.

US army along with NATO troops has been present in Afghanistan from 2001, as the army is combating the radical Taliban militants in the country. The US forces in May 2011 had gunned down Osama Bin Laden in Abottabad in Pakistan but it proved to be of little help for the Afghanistan government as the country still suffers a great deal of terror every day. Thousands of people have been killed so far in the US war against terrorism in Afghanistan. The US president Barak Obama in an announcement made in 2010 said that the US army will hand over the internal security of Afghanistan to the Afghan security forces by 2014. ONLINE TEST SERIES

European Union suspended Its Sanctions Against Myanmar

The European Union suspended its sanctions against Myanmar on 23 April 2012 for a year. The EU move came in the back drop of a string of political reforms in the south-eastern Asian nation. The group however, maintained that it will hold on to restrictions on arms sales.

The measure, which was adopted by the bloc’s foreign ministers at a meeting in Luxembourg will currently target more than 800 companies and nearly 500 people, and include the withholding of some development aid.

The tough economic sanctions imposed on Myanmar by the European Union and US did not affect the country much as it maintained a flourishing relation with other economic power houses like China, Japan and India.

Japan, in a significant move to help Myanmar in continuing its reform process,  on 21 April 2012 announced to forgive about 300 billion yen (3.7 billion dollar) of Myanmar’s debt and resume development aid to the country.

European and U.S. officials have long been talking about the political reforms in Myanmar, which deprived its citizens of political rights and liberties. The detention of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi prompted the EU to impose tougher sanction on the coutry. But in the past one year Myanmar has achieved substantial feats on the front of civil rights, the relese of Suu Kyi was considered to be the testimony to the Myanmarese government’s commitment to the Political reforms. ONLINE TEST SERIES

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Cabinet resigned Following The Failure of Austerity Talks

The Netherlands’ Prime Minister Mark Rutte and his Cabinet resigned on 23 April 2012 after failing to reach agreement on reducing the country's budget to meet European guidelines. Rutte tendered his resignation to Queen Beatrix, the head of state, at her palace in The Hague, which was accepted by her subsequently.

The queen asked  Rutte’s conservative VVD Party and the Christian Democrats — to continue in the interest of the nation. The new elections, are expected to take place before the end of June 2012.

In the 150-seat Parliament Rutte’s VVD Party has 31 seats, while the coalition partners, the Christian Democrats and Wilders’s Freedom Party have 21 and 23 seats respectively. The opposition Labor Party has 30, while the Socialists have 15.

Rutte, an ally to Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany on fiscal matters and a vociferous supporter of austerity for other European countries has been unable to deliver on his promises of reducing the country's budget.
Although the Netherlands has relatively low levels of national debt, its economy is in recession and it is expected to post a deficit of 4.6 percent in 2012 - well over the 3 percent mandated by European rules.

Pakistan Successfully test-fired Upgraded Version of Shaheen-1 Missile

Pakistan, on 25 April 2012, successfully test-fired an upgraded version of Shaheen-1 missile. The new upgraded Shaheen-1, with its even longer striking range and nuclear carrying capability, can hit its targets in India.

The missile test comes less than a week after India successfully test-fired inter-continental Agni-v missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead as far as Beijing.

India's Agni-V with its range of 5000 kilometers, provides Indian missile defence technology with a defining edge over its arch rival Pakistan. The missile is also able to carry nuclear warheads as far as the Chinese capital as well as Shanghai.

The neighboring nations have a long history of conflict. After being liberated from the British rule in 1947, India and Pakistan have had three direct confrontations while there have been numerous indirect confrontations between the two countries.

Pakistan's missile armory, all christened after the name of Muslim invaders like Muhammmad Gori, Mahmood Ghaznavi, Ahmed Shah Abdali, Babar, includes short, medium and long range missiles. Pakistan, like India, is not a signatory to the NPT ( Nuclear Proliferation Treaty). The two countries have long been indulged in a bitter nuclear arms race as they keep conducting missile tests on a regular interval. Pakistan in 1998 had conducted the nuclear tests right after India which had hold five nuclear tests in May 1998. China, a conventional  rival of India and a friend of Pakistan allegedly helped its ally to get the nuclear technology to counter India. Pakistan originally hit the road for nuclear programme in 1972 after the Bangladesh was carved out of it following the India-Pakistan war in 1971.The nuclear programme was atarted-off under the leadership of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in response to the India's growing military might in the sub-comtinent.

Supreme Court of Pakistan convicted Prime Minister Yusuf Raja Gilani for Contempt of Court

The Supreme Court of Pakistan convicted Pakistan Prime Minister Yusuf Raja Gilani for contempt of court for refusing to reopen corruption cases against President Asif Ali Zardari. Gilani, who is the first Pakistan prime minister to be held guilty for contempt, could have been jailed for six months but was awarded just a symbolic punishment of about 30 seconds.

Gilani, who was handpicked by Zardari in 2008 to be the Prime Minister of Pakistan, had declined to act on the court's order in the past to reopen corruption cases against Zardari, arguing that the president enjoys immunity under the Pakistani constitution.

Accused of corruption, Zardari had been granted immunity under the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) in 2007 by then president Pervez Musharraf to facilitate his return home and, primarily that of his wife, former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

The NRO that granted immunity to politicians and bureaucrats in corruption cases was struck down by the Supreme Court as void in 2009. The apex court warned the government of action if its ruling on the NRO was not implemented by 10 January, 2012. It also ordered the government to write a letter to the Swiss authorities to reopen cases against Zardari.

On 16 January 2012, the court issued Gilani a contempt notice for not acting against Zardari. Gilani was indicted for contempt of court on 13 February 2012.

Signing of a New Liberal Visa Regime with Pakistan approved by the Indian Cabinet

The Union Cabinet on 26 April 2012 in a meeting headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh approved the signing of a new liberal visa regime with Pakistan thereby paving way for easing travel restrictions and increasing people-to-people exchange. The Cabinet had given its approval to signing of the agreement that would allow common people from either country to visit at least three earmarked cities. India and Pakistan had decided to ease visa regulations during the meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari in New Delhi on 8 April 2012.
As per the cabinet’s directive, businessmen are likely to be issued multi-entry non-police reporting visas and given access to at least five cities instead of three at present. The credentials of the businessmen for qualifying for such a visa will however be endorsed by the nodal chambers of commerce on both sides. From India, it will be Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and from the Pakistani side, it will be Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI).
It was proposed under the new visa regime, that senior citizens would be exempt from police reporting on both sides.
Pakistan decided to allow bigger trucks and containers to carry goods into its territory. Earlier, only 10 wheeler capacity trucks were allowed. Post the easing of terms the number was increased to 22-wheeler capacity trucks. Also, it decided to allow containers with the opening of the new integrated check post (ICP) facility on the Attari-Wagah border. Pakistan’s initiative is likely to give a big boost to the trade between the two nations.

Union Cabinet of India approved Proposal by Oman to hike the Gas Price

The Union Cabinet of India on 28 April 2012 approved the proposal by Oman to hike the gas price for an Indian fertilizer plant in the Gulf nation to 1.5 per million dollar metric British thermal unit (mmBtu), a move that will ensure uninterrupted supply of urea to the Indian market.

The proposal was moved by the Fertilizer Ministry as it required Cabinet's approval for a change in the agreement between the two countries.

Oman, as per a contrct signed between India and Oman in 2005, supplies gas to the Indian fertilizer plant Oman India Fertilizer Company (OMIFCO). Oman, according to the contract, was to provide gas to the Indian plant at 0.77 dollar per mmBtu for 15 years beginning 2005. The gulf nation, however, in the midway decided to increase gas rates to 3 dollar per mmBtu from 1 January  2012 giving global price hike as the reason.

Oman India Fertilizer Company (OMIFCO)

Oman India Fertilizer Company (OMIFCO), a joint venture of Oman's state-owned Oman Oil Co (OCC) and Indian co-operative firms KRIBHCO and IFFCO, produces about 2 million tonnes of urea a year at Sur for exports to India. IFFCO and KRIBHCO hold 25 per cent stake each in OMIFCO, while the balance is with Oman Oil Company.

India to Export 2.1 million tonnes (mt) of Iron Ore to Steel Mills of Japan & South Korea

India on 30 April 2012 announced its decision to export 2.1 million tonnes (mt) of iron ore to steel mills of Japan and South Korea under a long-term agreement due to be signed in May 2012. The iron ore will be supplied to leading steel mills of Japan and Korea, including Posco, Kobe and Nippon Steel.
As approved by the cabinet in March 2012, the iron ore, having 64 per cent Fe content, or high grade lumps is to be sourced from NMDC's Chhattisgarh mines and will be exported through MMTC.
The supplies are slated to begin from July and the agreements are to be signed for three years. Prices are to be decided on a quarterly basis and the export quantity is to increase in the 2012-13 fiscal.
It is expected that the supply of iron ore, although in smaller quantities, had been a core element of India's bilateral ties with Japan and South Korea and would further strengthen the relations.
MMTC's earlier contract to supply iron ore for five years to Japanese and Korean steel mills had expired on 31 March 2011. Following the expiry, further contracts was put on hold as price negotiations had not taken place. As a result of the expiry of the contract, NMDC had managed to export only 1.6 lakh tonnes in the 2011-12 fiscal, too, to the Chinese firms on an ad-hoc basis.

Aung San Suu Kyi sworn in As the Leader of Opposition in Myanmar

Aung San Suu Kyi took the oath of office to become an official member of Myanmar’s parliament on 2 May 2012. Suu Kyi, a Nobel Laureate, pro-democracy leader of Myanmar for the first time has held public office since launching her struggle against authoritarian rule nearly a quarter century ago.

With Suu Kyi assuming the charge of opposition leader in the parliament an all new era of political transformation dawned in Myanmar. But her National League for Democracy party don’t have enough seats in the lower house to claim actual say in the ruling-party dominated house. There are fears the presence of the opposition lawmakers could simply legitimize the regime without any change.

The 66-year-old Suu Kyi was held under house arrest for much of the past 20 years and was released in the wake of mounting pressure of the international community on the Junta government.

In the by-election held on 1 April 2012 National League for Democracy party led by Aung San Suu Kyi had won 43 of 45 seats on which elections were held. The military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party is in the power in Myanmar. The party was declared victorious in the main elections held in 2010.

Twenty People died in Church Attack in Nigerian City of Kano

20 people died and several others left injured in an attack on a Christian church in Nigeria on 29 April 2012. The attackers targeted a Christian church service at a university in Nigeria’s city of Kano.

No militant group claimed responsibility of the attack, but the role of, Boko Haram, a radical fundamentalist Islamic group, was suspected in the attack. The group has been carrying out a campaign of violence in the country. More than 180 people had died in Kano a few months back when the sect targeted its residents.

Nigeria, a west african nation, has a long history of struggle between the muslims and christians. People of both the religions exist in equally good number in Nigeria.

Categories All 2011 Current Affairs 2012 Current Affairs Analysis | Commentary Article on Current Issues Corporate Economy Environment | Ecology Hot Topics International | World National | India News Capsule Science | Technology Sports State Current Affairs for Competitive Exams Read: Current Affairs | Current Affairs 2012 | Current Affairs Preparation | Current Affairs Quizzes | General Knowledge Nepal Cabinet tendered Resignation to form New Government

Nepal cabinet tendered its resignation on 3 May 2012. Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai also slated resigned by the end of the month. The decision to step down came in the wake of an agreement  among  the Nepal’s major political parties to form a new coalition government.

Bhattarai will form the new government, including members of all major parties in Nepal, by the weekend to help draft a new constitution by a 27 May 2012 deadline. Once the constitution process is complete, the prime minister will step down and hand over power. The new government would then hold elections within one year.

A new constitution is a key part of the peace process that began in 2006 after Maoist rebels gave up their armed revolt. Nepal's Constituent Assembly was elected in 2008 and given two years to create a new constitution. Its tenure has been repeatedly extended, but the Supreme Court has ruled that no more extensions are possible.


 

Categories All 2011 Current Affairs 2012 Current Affairs Analysis | Commentary Article on Current Issues Corporate Economy Environment | Ecology Hot Topics International | World National | India News Capsule Science | Technology Sports State Current Affairs for Competitive Exams Read: Current Affairs | Current Affairs 2012 | Current Affairs Preparation | Current Affairs Quizzes | General Knowledge 24 people killed and scores injured in the Suicide Blast in Pakistan

A teenage suicide bomber blew himself up in Pakistan's northwest tribal area of Bajaur on 4 May 2012. The suicide bomber aged 14 to 16, detonated explosives strapped to his chest killing at least 24 people and leaving several others injured.

The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility of the blast, saying it had wanted to kill the local chief and deputy of a tribal police force recruited by the government to help defeat the Islamist insurgency in the northwest.

Bajaur has been one of the toughest battlegrounds in Pakistan's fight against a northwestern Taliban insurgency. The military conducted major offensives there in 2008 and 2009 and has repeatedly declared it secure. Friday's blast was the deadliest bombing in Pakistan since Feb. 17, when 31 people were killed by a suicide attack on Shiite Muslims in the tribal district of Kurram.

Vladimir Putin sworn in as the President of Russia

Vladimir Putin the former Russian Prime Minister and the president of the United Russia Party took the oath as the President of Russia on 7 May 2012. Putin had won the Russian presidential elections with 63.6 % of the vote on 4 March 2012.

Putin, who had served as the President of Russia for two consecutive terms from 2000 to 2008 was constitutionally ineligible to run for the third consecutive term as the president. After Dimitry Medvedev took over as the President of Russia in 2008, he appointed Putin as the Prime Minister of the country.

A graduate from the International Law branch of the Law Department of the Leningrad State University, Putin started his political career when he was in the University. Putin became a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union when he was in the university, and remained a member until December 1991 when the party was ultimately dissolved.

Putin’s re-election to the office of president witnessed a series of protest across Russia. He was also accused by the opposition party and some international groups of irregularities during the presidential poll.

The Russian Federation was formed in 1993 after the fall of the Soviet Union. Boris Yelstin was elected as the first president of the Russian Federation.

40 People died in Bomb Explosion in the Capital City of Syria

40 people killed and scores others left injured in two powerful bomb blasts in Damascus on 10 May 2012. The blast prompted UN observer chief to appeal for help to finish off the violence in Syria. According to The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group, 50 people including civilians and security forces members died in the attack. The target of the attack was an intelligence services base.

The opposition Syrian National Council accused President Bashar al-Assad’s government of being involved in the twin bombings, which were among the deadliest attacks in the country's 14-month uprising.

This was the second attack within a period of two days. Earlier on 9 May 2012 a roadside bomb exploded near the convoy of UN observers into the southern flashpoint city of Daraa. There have been numerous bomb explosions in Damascus over the past few months as Assad faces aviolent protest against his regime which his forces are attempting to crush.

Suicide bombers had targeted two security service bases in Damascus on 23 December 2011, killing 44 people. The government had blamed Al Qaida for the attack.

50 People killed in a Superjet 100 Aircraft Crash in Russia

All of nearly 50 people on board were killed in a Superjet 100 aircraft crash about 40 miles (64 km) south of Jakarta on 9 May 2012. The Superjet 100 aircraft, Russia's first all-new passenger jet since the fall of the Soviet Union went missing on 9 May 2012.

The flight was carrying Indonesian businessmen, eight Russians, including embassy officials, pilots and technicians, and journalists. Indonesia's Sky Aviation inked a deal in August 2011 with Sukhoi to buy 12 of the Sukhoi Superjet 100s. The Superjet 100, was on its promotional trip when it got crashed.

Pakistan Successfully test-fired Hatf III Ghaznavi Missile

Pakistan successfully test-fired Hatf III Ghaznavi missile on 10 May 2012. The missile has a range of 290 km and it can hit its target in India. The missile is capable of carrying nuclear warheads. The missile was launched at the conclusion of the annual field training exercise of Army Strategic Force Command.

Pakistan conducts missile tests on routine basis. The Muslim nation over the past few years has developed a good stock of nuclear arsenals, raising the concern of world community. Pakistan like India is not a signatory to the NPT.

Jordan’s Parliament passed a Law to Encourage a Multiparty Political System in the Country

Jordan's parliament on 9 May 2012 passed a law to encourage a multiparty political system in the country. The move is one of the major reform measures announced by Jordanian King Abdullah II, as the country goes to polls before the end of 2012. The new electoral law in Jordan allows parties based on political affiliation to contest in elections. The earlier system encouraged formation of several small parties who voted on the basis of tribal affiliation. It resulted in the lawmakers who were seen as the loyalists of the King Abdullah II.

The new law allows for state funding of election but bans foreign aid to the parties. Most of the restrictions such as allowing the government to monitor activities and financial records of political parties have been revoked.


 

14 People died in a Plane Crash in Jomsom in Nepal

An Agni Airplane crashed in Jomsom in western Nepal crashed on 14 May 2012 killing nearly 14 of the 21 people on board while, 7 people were rescued alive. The plane was flying from Pokhara to Jomsom, Mustang.

There were three crew members on board the plane and 18 passengers, most of whom were Indian. The plane got crashed as the pilot failed to turn the plane from a narrow turn. The front portion of the plane was left completely damaged.

The high-altitude Jomsom, about 200 km northwest of the capital Kathmandu is the gateway to Muktinath Temple, a pilgrimage destination for Hindus from Nepal and India.

Key Afghan Peace Negotiator Arsalan Rahmani Daulat assassinated in Kabul

Arsalan Rahmani Daulat, the Key Afghan peace mediator, was assassinated 13 May 2012. The assassination of Daulat has raised the fears of disruption in the already fragile peace talk.

Rahmani, until April 2012 was the acting head of President Hamid Karzai's Higher Peace Council. Rahmani had received tremendous success in accelerating the peace negotiation over the past few months. He had reached out to key commanders across southern and south-eastern Afghanistan, in an effort to secure a peace deal ahead of the planned withdrawal of the bulk of western troops in the country in 2014.

Earlier the hardliners had also mowed down Burhanuddin Rabbani, the head of the Higher Peace Council and the country's former president.

Coordinated Mock Drills were carried out in New Delhi, Capital of India

In New Delhi, the biggest coordinated mock drills were carried out on 15 February 2012, to check the alertness and preparedness of various public agencies, if an earthquake of high magnitude rocks the national capital. The drills were conducted in several places, including six Metro stations, across the national capital by the National Disaster Management Authority and Delhi Disaster Management Authority. Six metro stations were closed for over half-an-hour and road traffic in many areas in Central, South and North Delhi were diverted as part of the exercise.
A number of simulated situations like collapse of flyovers, crack in metro pillars, damage to hospitals and collapse of residential buildings due to an earthquake measuring 7 on the Richter scale were created. Officials from all the important Emergency Support Functionary departments like police, MCD, DMRC, Health department, Delhi Jal Board and Food and Civil Supplies co-ordinated with senior officials of all the nine districts to make the drill a success.

Union Cabinet approved Defence Ministry Guidelines for its PSUs to establish Joint Ventures

The Union Cabinet of India on 9 February 2012 approved Defence Ministry guidelines for its public sector units (PSUs) to establish joint ventures( JV) with private firms to increase opportunities to obtain advanced technologies from foreign sources. The decision was taken in a Cabinet meeting held in New Delhi under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
It is expected that the guidelines will foster better and deeper partnerships between the DPSUs and private partners, in order that substantive self-reliance is adequately achieved in the synergised environment.

Jean-Marc Ayrault took over as the New Prime Minister of France

Jean-Marc Ayrault a moderate Socialist took over as the France’s new Prime Minister on 16 May 2012.  His predecessor Francois Fillon welcomed him at the 18th century mansion in central Paris that serves as the prime minister’s office.

The 62-year-old has led the country’s Socialists in the lower house of Parliament for more than a decade. Ayarault is considered to have a fair knowledge of Germany and German and his affinity with Germany will prove to be instrumental in reshaping the ties between the two larger European economies. Ayrault has served as a deputy in that lower house since 1986. He is also mayor of Nantes, a city on the Atlantic coast.

The rest of the government ministers will be announced on 16 May 2012. They will hold their first official meeting on 17 May 2012.

Tibetan Spiritual Leader, The Dalai Lama, received the 1.7 Million Dollar Templeton Prize

The Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, received the 1.7 million dollar Templeton Prize on 14 May 2012 for his role in promoting links between spirituality and science. The award was conferred at a ceremony in St. Paul's Cathedral, London.

The Dalai Lama was given this award given his immortal service to humanity, in promoting nonviolence, respect and harmony among the world's different religious traditions, and encouraging greater understanding between modern science and Buddhist science.

The prize money will be used for three different purposes. The bulk of the money will be used to Save the Children in India. The other two fractions of the prize amount will be used in promoting research into spirituality and science and providing science education for Tibetan monks.

The Dalai Lama has consistently been at the target of China for supporting anti-China movement in Tibet. China considers Tibet as the integral part of the country, while Tibetan citizens across the world oppose the Chinese rule over the Buddhist nation. China denigrates the Dalai Lama as a separatist who conspires to set Tibet free from Chinese control. It often accuses the Dalai Lama of stirring up the anti-chinese sentiment around the world. The spiritual leader, however, denies the Chinese charges and has repeatedly maintained that he seeks only autonomy for Tibet, not independence.

Supreme Court directed Closure of all Unauthorized Sandalwood Oil Factories in India

The Supreme Court of India on 15 February 2012 directed closure of all unauthorised sandalwood oil factories in the country and asked the Centre to formulate a suitable policy for conservation of sandalwood, particularly red sanders, which is said to be endangered and available only in India.
A bench of justices K S Radhakrishnan and C K Prasad ruled in a judgement that power is also vested with the central government to delete from the schedule if the situation improves and a species is later found to be not endangered. The bench passed the direction on an application moved by an NGO before the court-appointed Central Empowered Committee for closure of all sandalwood oil industries particularly in Kerala.

The New Version of MGNREGA included more than 25 Agriculture and Allied Activities

The Supreme Court of India on 15 February 2012 directed closure of all unauthorised sandalwood oil factories in the country and asked the Centre to formulate a suitable policy for conservation of sandalwood, particularly red sanders, which is said to be endangered and available only in India.
A bench of justices K S Radhakrishnan and C K Prasad ruled in a judgement that power is also vested with the central government to delete from the schedule if the situation improves and a species is later found to be not endangered. The bench passed the direction on an application moved by an NGO before the court-appointed Central Empowered Committee for closure of all sandalwood oil industries particularly in Kerala.

Reserve Bank of India decided to set up a 2 Billion Dollar Swap Facility for SAARC Nations

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 16 May 2012 decided to set up a 2 billion dollar swap facility for SAARC (South-Asian Association for Regional Co-operation) member-nations. This facility will be available in foreign currency and Indian rupee.

The facility will provide the member nations with the facility to swap U.S. dollar, euro or Indian rupee against the domestic currency or domestic currency-denominated government securities. The withdrawal could be done in multiple tranches.

The move for a SAARC swap facility follows a decision taken by the SAARC Finance Ministers at the Ministerial Meeting on Global Financial Crisis held on 28 February 2009. The move by the RBI will strengthen economic co-operation within the SAARC nations and improve intra-regional trade.

United States announced the Partial Rollback of Sanctions on Myanmar

United States on 17 May 2012 decided to ease the stiff economic sanctions imposed on Myanmar and named the first ambassador to the former pariah state in the past 22 years. The US’ move came after Myanmar introduced a host of political reforms in the country.

Though both Republican and Democrat senators welcomed the move, the human rights activists dubbed the decision as premature as the country’s government is still dominated by its military and have hundreds of political prisoners.

Myanmar’s pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi was elected to parliament in the elections held in April 2012. The election of Suu Kyi to the parliament prompted Western countries to ease the stiff sanctions against the Asian nation also known as Burma, which is emerging from decades of authoritarian rule and diplomatic isolation.


 

Supreme Court directed Government to implement the Interlinking of Rivers Project

The Supreme Court of India on 27 February 2012 directed the union government of India to implement the ambitious interlinking of rivers project in a time-bound manner. Observing that the project has already been delayed resulting in an increase in its cost, a three-judge bench, headed by S H Kapadia, appointed a high-powered committee to chart out and execute the project.
The committee will comprise of Union Minister of Water Resources, its Secretary, Secretary of Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) and four expert members appointed by Water Resources Ministry, Finance Ministry, Planning Commission and the MoEF. Representatives from state governments, two social activists and senior advocate Ranjit Kumar, who has been assisting the court in the case, will also be members of the committee.

HRD Ministry Launched Portal for Implementation of NSIGSE

The Supreme Court of India on 27 February 2012 directed the union government of India to implement the ambitious interlinking of rivers project in a time-bound manner. Observing that the project has already been delayed resulting in an increase in its cost, a three-judge bench, headed by S H Kapadia, appointed a high-powered committee to chart out and execute the project.
The committee will comprise of Union Minister of Water Resources, its Secretary, Secretary of Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) and four expert members appointed by Water Resources Ministry, Finance Ministry, Planning Commission and the MoEF. Representatives from state governments, two social activists and senior advocate Ranjit Kumar, who has been assisting the court in the case, will also be members of the committee.

Serbian Progressive Party Leader Tomislav Nikolic won the Serbia’s Presidential Election

The Serbian Progressive Party leader Tomislav Nikolic won the Serbia’s presidential election on 20 May 2012. Nikolic beat his centrist opponent, the incumbent Boris Tadic in a closely contested election. Nikolic accounted for 50.21% of the total vote, against 46.77% for Tadic, with 40% of votes counted.

Nikolic, during his previous stints in power worked as a deputy prime minister under the former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, who was put on trial for genocide at The Hague. He was also the part of the government when Nato forces attacked Serbia in 1999. Nikolic, an ultra-nationalist, has widely been considered as anti-European Union given his vocal opposition of the bloc. He, however, in a bid to recapture the power toned down his antipathy towards the European Union and vowed to not deviate from its European path, after winning the elections.

Serbia, located at the intersections between Central and Southern Europe, became a separate sovereign republic in summer 2006 after Montenegro voted in a referendum for independence from the Union of Serbia and Montenegro. The country has its unemployment rate spiraling high at 24%. The total foreign debt of the country is also piling up as the current figure stands at 24 billion euro.

Union Cabinet of India approved the Proposed Changes in the Motor Vehicle Act 1988

The Union cabinet of India on 1 March 2012 approved the proposed changes in the Motor Vehicle Act 1988, which includes longer jail terms and higher fines for repeat traffic violations. The new act has a provision of 500 rupees fine if one does not wear seat belt and helmet or jumps a red light.  Anybody caught using mobile phone while driving will be fined.
Repeat traffic offences like jumping red lights or not using seat belts and helmets will attract fine between 500 rupees to 1500 rupees. Crossing the speed limits could attract a fine of 1000 rupees, if the offence is committed first time. In case the offence is repeated, the penalty could be as much as 5000 rupees.
In case, the same offender violates the traffic rules again, the fines will multiply. The new act also provides that the offence of drunk driving will be awarded with a punishment of a two-year jail term and a fine of 5000 rupees or both.

The fines are increased in the new act with the objective of targeting the major causes of accidents on Indian roads which are- speeding, use of cell phones, not wearing seatbelts and helmet and drunk driving. Motor Vehicle Act 1988 governs licensing rules and offences on Indian roads.  An expert committee appointed by ministry of road transport and highways suggested the changes.

Supreme Court appointed Justice HS Bedi as Panel head to Investigate Encounter Killings in Gujarat

The Supreme Court of India on 2 March 2012 appointed its former judge, Justice H S Bedi as the chairman of the monitoring authority. He will investigate the case of 22 alleged fake encounter killings in Gujarat between 2002 and 2006. It also rejected the plea of government to extend the time till 12 March 2012 to sort out the issue of appointment of chairman.

It also directed the Gujarat government to provide full facility and cooperation to Justice Bedi. The monitoring authority will submit its interim report within three months.

India surpassed China as the largest Arms Importer in the World

According to a report published in March 2012 by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), India topped China as the largest importer of arms during 2007-11 and accounted for 10 per cent of global arms import as compared to Chinese share of five per cent

According to a report published in March 2012 by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), India topped China as the largest importer of arms during 2007-11 and accounted for 10 per cent of global arms import as compared to Chinese share of five per cent.

The report mentioned China, which was the largest importer of arms during 2002-2006, slipping to fourth spot in 2007-11 given the significant advancement in China’s arms industry and increased arms exports.

India has taken numerous measures to modernise its armed forces in the past ten years. The country has signed several deals to procure military hardware such as 10 C-17 strategic lift aircraft, six C-130 Super Hercules Special Operations aircraft, additional Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter jets along with several warships.

The report revealed the countries from Asia and Oceania as the leading arms importers as they accounted for 44 per cent of arms imports followed by Europe, the Middle East, the Americas and Africa which accounted for 19 per cent, 17 per cent, 11 per cent and 9 per cent of total arms imports respectively.

In the budget presented in the parliament for the fiscal year 2012-13, the Finance Minister announced to increse India's defence budget by 17 per cent and doled out 1.93 trillion Indian rupees for the defence purpose. Of this outlay, 41 percent has to be spent on procuring modern weapons systems and military hardware.

.

 

Suicide Bomber killed more than 90 soldiers and left over 200 injured in Yemen

A suicide bomber killed more than 90 soldiers and left over 200 people injured in Yemeni capital Sanaa on 21 May 2012. Terrorist group Al-Qaida claimed the responsibility of the attack.

The suicide bomber, dressed in military outfit,  detonated his hidden explosives when the chief of army staff was watching the parade. The two top military officials managed to survive the multiple bombings.

The west Asian country, which is also the poorest among the Arab nations, is facing a great danger from the radical Islamic elements in the country. It has been battling the Islamist militants scattered across the region.

Yemen over the past few years has emerged as a strong base of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. The strong presence of Islamic fanatics in the country poses a grave threat not only to regional security but also to the global peace. Militants have taken the maximum advantage of political turmoil in Yemen over the past one year to gain a foothold in the country. The political uprising in the country in 2011saw the president Ali Abdullah Saleh stepping down after a long year of rule.

India inked TAPI Gas Sale and Purchase Agreement with Turkmenistan

GAIL (India) Limited inked the gas sale and purchase agreement (GSPA) with TurkmenGaz, Turkmenistan's national oil company, for the 7.6-billion TAPI project on 23 May 2012. The agreement would enable India to bring gas from Turkmenistan.

The Union Cabinet of India had approved the TAPI project on 17 May 2012, which subsequently paved the way for signing the agreement. The proposed 1680 km pipeline of which, 144 km falls in Turkmenistan, 735 km in Afghanistan and 800 km in Pakistan, will have a capacity to supply 90 mscmd (Million Standard Cubic Metres per Day) of gas. India and Pakistan each will be entitled to have 38 mscmd of the gas while the remaining 14 mscmd will be given to Afghanistan.

The TAPI pipeline is expected to be operational in 2018 and supply gas for the next 30 years. The GSPA includes all the terms and conditions related to the pact and will be signed bilaterally between the members. The bids for building and operating the pipeline will be invited following the agreements among all the member countries.

Government cleared Rs 8500-crore Project to promote connectivity in Naxalite-affected Districts

The Union government on 17 May 2012 cleared a Rs 8500-crore project under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) with an objective to connect 6000 habitations in the 78 naxalite-affected districts of nine states. Under the project money will be utilised for new connectivity and upgradation of habitations, which will be an addition to the core network, approved in 2002 by the Union Ministry of Rural Development.
Norms of PMGSY were relaxed for the first time to provide road connectivity to these habitations, in view of the naxalite problem.
Bihar, Jharkhand and Orissa will be the biggest beneficiary of this package. There are some 1000 unconnected habitations in nine Naxal-hit districts of Bihar and another 2500 in 17 districts of Jharkhand. The remaining habitations are spread over 18 districts in Orissa, 16 in Chhattisgarh, eight each in MP and AP, three each in West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh and two in Maharashtra.
PMGSY is the single-most important rural development intervention that is believed to significantly transform the ground-level situation in Maoist-hit areas.
Roads are the prime targets of the Naxals, the reason why PMGSY works are severely lagging in Maoist-hit areas. The problem is most acute in 20 districts, and has the worst record in implementation in Bijapur and Narayanpur in Chhattisgarh, Rohtas, Hazaribagh and Gaya in Bihar and Deogarh in Orissa are among them.
Major relaxations in norms have been made in the rural roads programme to improve connectivity in Maoist-hit districts. The population norm for a habitation to be connected has been reduced from 500 to 250 in these districts. The tender package for road construction was kept at Rs 50 lakh, as against Rs 1 crore earlier, to stimulate local contractors.
The move to boost road connectivity is aimed at preventing tribals and backwards from falling for the Naxal campaign revolving around government neglect and under-development. The roads will also increase government interaction with these villages thereby providing better security besides being a key indicator of development. Cement-concrete roads have been pushed in Naxal areas because of the plea of security agencies that they were better insurance against Naxal landmines. The Centre bears 90% of the cost of these roads.

UP, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Goa recorded the Highest ever Voting Percentage in their History

UP, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Goa recorded the highest ever voting percentage in their history in the recently concluded Assembly elections. Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa and Uttarakhand registered unprecedented polling percentages. Uttar Pradesh recorded around 60 percent in the seven-phased election as against 46.07 percent voting in the last assembly elections in 2007. So far, the highest voting percentage was 57.13 percent in 1993.

Punjab recorded 78.57 percent against 75.45 percent in 2007 state assembly elections. Goa registered a voting percentage of 81, which is more than the previous highest percentage of 70.51 in 2007.

The large voter turnouts will help improve the quality of governments.

NCPCR released Guidelines to Eliminate Physical Punishment in Schools

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) on 4 March 2012 released guidelines to eliminate physical punishment and to discipline schools.  The NCPCR survey disclosed that the use of physical punishments is common in Indian schools and corporal punishments are often used by teachers as a means to discipline children. Even children in the age group of 3 to five years are not spared.

The NCPCR released the Guidelines after a detailed study. The study was conducted in 2009-10 and it involved 6632 children across seven states in India.

The guidelines suggested the formation of Corporal Punishment Monitoring Cells (CPMCs) by schools. Besides hearing grievances related to corporal punishment, child sexual abuse and mental harassment, CPMCs will forward recommendations to district level authorities within 48 hours of the occurrence.

Arunachal Pradesh received a Special Package of 130 crore Rupees from the Centre

The Union government  of India on 1 March 2012 sanctioned a special package of 130 crore Rupees for Arunachal Pradesh for the modernisation of the police forces in troubled Tirap and Changlang districts of the state.The 130 crore Rupees package will be used for improving all the existing police stations and opening of new ones in both the districts.

Arunachal Pradesh is strategically important for India as it borders with China, India’s arch rival. China still considers Arunachal Pradesh as its integral part and it has been a bone of contention between the two countries.

Results for Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa Assembly Elections declared

Election results for the assembly elections held in five states namely Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa were declared on 6 March 2012.

Samajwadi Party won the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections by claiming 224 in a 403-member house. Akhilesh Yadav, son of Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav became the chief minister of India’s most populous state.

In Punjab, the Shiromani Akali Dal-Bhartiya Janata Party combine emerged victorious as the alliance bagged 68 seats in a 117-member assembly. Shiromani Akali Dal chief Parkash Singh Badal became the chief minister of the state.

Uttarakhand witnessed a hung house as none of the party got the majority. While the Congress pocketed 32 seats, the BJP finished at 31. Congress, however, formed the government with support of 4 BSP MLAs.  Vijay Bahuguna was appointed as the chief minister of the hilly state.

In Goa, Manohar Parrikar led Bhartiya Janata Party recorded a victory. The party claimed 26 seats in a 40-member assembly. Principal opposition party Congress managed to win 16 seats. Manohar Parrikar, the leader of state BJP took on as the chief minister of the state.

Manipur state assembly was reclaimed by the ruling congress party as the party led by Ibobi Singh recorded the third consecutive victory in the state. The party got 42 seats in a 60-member house. Ibobi Singh who spearheaded the entire election campaign of the Congress Party was slated to be the chief minister of the state.

By Not Auctioning Coal Blocks between 2004 & 2009 Government incurred a Loss of Rs 10.67 lakh crore

According to comptroller and auditor general’s draft report titled ‘Performance Audit Of Coal Block Allocations’, the government lost Rs 10.67 lakh crore by not auctioning coal blocks between 2004 and 2009.
155 coal blocks were given to commercial entities without auction between 2004 and 2009 thereby causing the exchequer a loss of Rs 10.67 lakh crore at 31 March 2011 prices . The estimated loss is six times higher than the loss figure of Rs 1.76 lakh crore suffered for the 2G scam.
The government extended undue benefits totalling a mind-boggling Rs 10.67 lakh crore to commercial entities between 2004 and 2009. The beneficiaries include some 100 private companies, as well as some public sector units, in industries such as power, steel and cement.
How CAG estimated the loss
An estimate of the cost of production for each block was arrived at first by taking into account the actual cost of production in a similar Coal India mine for the same year. Difference between CIL’s sale price and cost of production was then multiplied by 90% of the reserves in each block. The figure obtained was the windfall gain for that block.
CAG also specified the reason behind taking 90% of the total reserves rather than the entire lot. According to CAG, detailed exploration establishes reserves at a confidence level of 90%.
As per CAG’s report, the coal ministry had maintained in 2004 that the chances of any allocatee not being able to recover this much from the reserves would be, if at all, very remote. CAG added in this respect that the actual amount of gain to the allocatees could possibly change depending upon the mining plan, cost of extraction of coal, market price of coal and quality.
On the basis of the calculation made on the basis of the 90% of coal reserves indicated in the geological reports for each block, the auditors worked out a total of 33,169 million tonnes (MT). Experts considered the figure sufficient to fuel over 150,000mw of generation capacity for 50 years.
Beneficiaries
CAG report listed both private entities and public utilities as beneficiaries of the alleged largesse. private companies were believed to have benefitted more than Rs 4.79 lakh crore of the giveaway, while around Rs 5.88 lakh crore went to central and state government utilities.
The major private sector beneficiaries include Tata Group entities, Jindal Steel & Power Ltd, Electro Steel Castings Ltd, the Anil Agarwal Group firms, Delhi-based Bhushan Power & Steel Ltd, Jayaswal Neco, Nagpur-based Abhijeet Group and Aditya Birla Group companies. Essar Group’s power ventures, Adani Group, Arcelor Mittal India, Lanco Group and a host of small to medium players also figure in the list.
The list however did not name Reliance Power, which is setting up the Sasan and Tilaiya ultra-mega power projects. Reliance Power is missing from the list because the section on Windfall benefit to private companies does not include 12 coal blocks given for the government’s showpiece power projects since they were allocated through a tariff based competitive bidding route.
Public sector entities that benefited the most are- central generation utility NTPC and trading firm MMTC, several West Bengal government corporations, and mines and mineral development corporations of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh.

Supreme Court:Caretakers can’t Claim Ownership of Property

The Supreme Court of India in the third week of March 2012 ruled that one cannot acquire title to a property only because he or she had been allowed to stay in the premises for long. The apex court directed the courts to deal firmly with those involving innocent owners in prolonged real estate litigation.  A three-judge bench including justices Dalveer Bhandari, Deepak Verma and HL Dattu gave the ruling.
The bench also set fresh guidelines that caretakers, servants and watchman do not acquire property merely because of its possession by them for several years.

The Union Government of India notified NCTC (National Counter Terrorism Centre)

The Union Government of India on 3 February 2012 notified the setting up of the anti-terror body called National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC). NCTC will have the power to carry out operations including arrest, search and seizure. It will draw its functional power of search and seizures under the provisions of the UAPA (Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. It will work as  an integral part of Intelligence bureau.

The notification mandates the terror-fighting agencies to share their inputs with NCTC and it also appoints the director and his core team. Director of NCTC will have full functional autonomy and he will have the power to seek information on terror from National Investigation Agency, NATGRID, intelligence units of CBI, National Technical Research Organisation and directorate of revenue intelligence in addition to all seven central armed police forces including NSG. He will report to the IB chief and the home ministry. The notification was issued under the Article 73 of the Constitution of India.

Article 73 in The Constitution Of India 1949
73. Extent of executive power of the Union
(1) Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, the executive power of the Union shall extend
(a) to the matters with respect to which Parliament has power to make laws; and

(b) to the exercise of such rights, authority and jurisdiction as are exercisable by the government of India by virtue of any treaty on agreement: Provided that the executive power referred to in sub clause (a) shall not, save as expressly provided in this constitution or in any law made by Parliament, extend in any State to matters with respect in which the Legislature of the State has also power to make laws

(2) Until otherwise provided by Parliament, a State and any officer or authority of a State may, notwithstanding anything in this article, continue to exercise in matters with respect to which Parliament has power to make laws for that State such executive power or functions as the State or officer or authority thereof could exercise immediately before the commencement of this Constitution Council of Ministers

Union Cabinet approved the Marriage laws (Amendment) Bill, 2010

The Union Cabinet of India on 23 March 2012 approved the redrafted Marriage laws (Amendment) Bill, 2010. The bill seeks to give a woman share in her husband’s property in case of a divorce but the quantum of share will be decided by the courts on case by case basis. It also aims at giving rights to adopted children on par with biological off-springs.
According to the redrafted bill, adopted children will have rights on par with biological off-springs of a couple in case the parents go for a divorce. It is important to note that all these changes in the bill were based on the recommendations made by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law and Justice and Personnel.
The Marriage Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2010, was introduced in the Rajya Sabha in August 2010 and then it was referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law and Justice and Personnel.  Earlier, The Union Cabinet of India on 10 June 2010 had approved the introduction of a Bill, namely, the Marriage Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2010 to further amend the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 and the Special Marriage Act, 1954, to provide therein irretrievable break down of marriage as a ground of divorce.

The Bill would provide safeguards to parties to marriage who file petition for grant of divorce by consent from the harassment in court if any of the party does not come to the court or try to avoid the court to keep the divorce proceedings inconclusive.

At present, various grounds for dissolution of marriage by a decree of divorce are laid down in section 13 of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955. The grounds inter alia include adultery, cruelty, desertion, conversion to another religion, unsoundness of mind, virulent and incurable form of leprosy, venereal disease in a communicable form, renouncement of the world and not heard as being alive for a period of seven years or more. Section 27 of the Special Marriage Act, 1954 also lays down similar grounds. However, section 13-B of the Hindu Marriage Act and Section 28 of the Special Marriage Act provide for divorce by mutual consent as a ground for presenting a petition for dissolution of marriage.

Supreme Court refused to Pass Order on Clemency Petition of Balwant Singh Rajoana

The Supreme Court of India on 30 March 2012 refused to pass any order on a mercy petition in the death sentence to Balwant Singh Rajoana, awarded death sentence for assassination of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh.

A Supreme Court Bench of Justices T S Thakur and Gyan Sudha Misra observed that since the convict has not filed any petition before the court and the petitioner Abhinav Ramakrishna has no locus standi to plead on his behalf, the court can not pass any order in the clemency petition.

Petitioner Abhinav Ramakrishna, an advocate, was told by the court that since petition was filed under Article 32, it cannot be entertained as in no way, any fundamental right of the petitioner was violated.

The bench ruled that the Article 32 of Indian Constitution could only be invoked by a person whose fundamental right is violated.

CVC reconstituted the Advisory Board on Bank, Commercial and Financial Frauds

The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) on 29 March 2012, reconstituted the advisory board on bank, commercial and financial frauds. The board, with former Deputy Governor of RBI Shyamala Gopinath as its chairman, will help CBI in investigating cases of bank, commercial and financial frauds.

The six-member board, which is the part of the organizational set up of CBI, will have a tenure of two years. The board will be provided with the operational funding by the RBI.

The other members on the reconstituted board include retired Indian Administrative Service officer Vivek Mehrotra, retired Indian Police Service officer Balwinder Singh, former Chairman and Managing Director, Bank of Maharashtra, A S Bhattacharya, ex Executive Director of Corporation Bank, Asit Pal and Chartered Accountant, T N Manoharan.

Supreme Court sought Details of 18 Mercy Plea Pending Before the President

The Supreme Court of India on 3 April 2012 directed the Union government to provide records of all 18 mercy pleas, pending before the President of India. The court asked Additional Solicitor-General Harin Raval to furnish details of all the mercy pleas pending consideration before the President for periods ranging from one to seven years.

A Supreme Court bench comprising justices G S Singhvi and S J Mukhopadhaya also asked Ram Jethmalani, amicus curiae, to file written submissions on "whether the President should objectively apply mind while deciding mercy petitions". The apex court observed that the role of the state was perhaps advisory and the final verdict lies with the President.

The court directions came while hearing a plea filed by death convict Devender Pal Singh Bhullar, challenging the undue delay in disposal of his mercy petition by the President.

K T S Tulsi, senior counsel, appearing for Bhullar, told the court that between 1997 and 2011, the President has disposed off 32 mercy petitions, 13 of which were done after a 10-year wait. He further submitted that 14 other cases were disposed off after a delay ranging between four and 10 years, while the remaining cases were disposed off between one-four years.

Earlier Jethmalani told the court that there should not be even a day's delay in disposal of the mercy petition of the convict as it was violative of the persons right to liberty under Article 21 of the Constitution.
Jethmalani further submitted that section 302 IPC lay down a maximum sentence of death but delay in execution of the death sentence or disposal of the mercy petition is tantamount to imposing additional punishment on the convict "if not sanctioned by law".

Important Information

Amicus curiae is a legal Latin phrase, which means friend of the court. The term refers to someone who is not a part of a case but voluntarily submit important information on a point of law or some other aspect of the case to help the court in deciding a matter before it. The information may be a legal opinion in the form of a brief, testimony that has not been solicited by any of the parties, or a learned treatise on a matter that bears on the case. The decision whether to admit the information lies with the discretion of the court.

Allahabad High Court: Media should not Report on Movement of Troops

The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court on 10 April 2012 directed the Union government of India and the Uttar Pradesh government to ensure that there is no reporting on movement of troops by the print or electronic media. Acting on a PIL, a bench comprising justices Uma Nath Singh and Virendra Kumar Dixit ruled that the issue of movement of army troops does not require public discussion at the cost of defence secrecy and the security of the country.

The court, however, dismissed the plea for a high-level probe into the report by a national daily alleging unusual movement of troops on the night of 16 January 2012, the day the Army Chief Gen VK Singh approached the Supreme Court on the issue of his date of Birth.

Supreme Court: Furnish Details of Mercy Petitions filed by Death Row Convicts

The Supreme Court of India on 11 April 2012 directed seven states to furnish within 48 hours, details of mercy petitions filed by death row convicts pending with respective Governors. In case these states fail to do so, the Home Secretaries of the states concerned would have to appear before it. The states which reportedly failed to comply with the order are Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Orissa and West Bengal.
A bench of Justices G S Singhvi and S J Mukhopadhyaya passed the direction. The court had passed earlier order in this regard which was brought to its notice by Additional Solicitor General Harin Raval.

Supreme Court upheld the Constitutional Validity of the RTE Act, 2009

The Supreme Court of India on 12 April 2012 upheld the constitutional validity of the Right to Education Act, 2009, which mandates 25 per cent free seats to the poor in government and private unaided schools uniformly across the country. The apex court clarified that its judgment will come into force from 12 April 2012. However, the act will apply uniformly to government and unaided private schools except unaided private minority schools.
A three-judge bench of Chief Justice S H Kapadia and justices K S Radhakrishnan and Swantanter Kumar gave the ruling.
The   bench had reserved its verdict on 3August 2012 on a batch of petitions by private unaided institutions which had contended that the  section 12 (1)(c) of RTE Act violates the rights of private educational institutions under Article 19(1) (g) which provided autonomy to private managements to run their institutions without governmental interference.

Right to Education Act (RTE) was passed by the Indian parliament on 4 August 2009.The act came into force on 1 April 2010. It  has the provision of free and compulsory education for children between 6 and 14 in India under Article 21A of the Indian Constitution. India became one of 135 countries to make education a fundamental right of every child.

Section 12(1)(c) of the RTE act says that every recognized school imparting elementary education is obliged to admit underprivileged children even if it is not aiaded by the government to meet its expenses.

Union Cabinet gave its approval to the Public Procurement Bill

Union Cabinet on 12 April 2012 gave its nod to the Public Procurement Bill. The bill is aimed at bringing transparency in the bidding process for public procurement. The bill will regulate the government purchases of above 50 lakh rupees through a transparent bidding process.

At present there is no legislation exists governing public procurement by the central government and central public sector enterprises. The General Financial Rules, 2005, govern procurements made by the Centre.

The present bill provides for a jail term ranging from six months to five years for public servants found guilty of demanding and accepting bribes from bidders of government contracts.

The legislation is largely based on the suggestions made by Committee on Public Procurement headed by former bureaucrat Vinod Dhall which were accepted by a Group of Ministers to tackle corruption on 22 February 2012. The GoM headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee had sent the bill for the approval of the Union Cabinet.

Union Cabinet approved Bill seeking Amendment in the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969

The Union Cabinet on 12 April 2012 gave its approval to the introduction of a Bill seeking an amendment in the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969 to include registration of marriages as well, so that the existing administrative mechanisms will be able to carry out such registration of marriages in accordance with the specified procedures and be able to maintain necessary records and statistics for registration of marriages also.

The Cabinet also approved introducing a Bill in Parliament to further amend the Anand Marriage Act, 1909 to provide for registration of marriages under the Act.

The proposed Bill is set to benefit the women from unnecessary harassment in matrimonial and maintenance cases. It also seeks to provide evidentiary value in the matters of custody of children, right of children born from the wedlock of the two persons whose marriage is registered and the age of the parties to the marriage.

Supreme Court upheld Election Commission’s Poll Symbol Rules

Supreme Court of India on 18 April 2012 upheld Election commission’s poll symbol rules, which entitled a political party the status of state party and common symbol for its candidates only if it secures not less than 6 percent of the total votes polled in a state and returns at least two members to the assembly.
The court dismissed the petitions, which challenged the poll symbols order as discriminatory. The petitions had challenged the constitutional validity of Clause 6 B of Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order on the basis that although smaller political parties secured less than 6 percent votes, they were able to get two candidates elected to assembly.

Election commission of India amended the Election Symbols Order, 1968 in December 2000(inserting clause 6 B) to set the benchmarks for a political party to get Election Commission’s recognition as political party.

Supreme Court dismissed Petition against Army Chief- Designate Lieutenant General Bikram Singh

The Supreme Court of India on 23 April 2012 dismissed a petition challenging the appointment of Lieutenant General Bikram Singh as the next Army Chief. Lt. Gen. Bikram Singh is slated to succeed General V.K. Singh as the army chief after the latter completes his tenure in the office on 31 May 2012.

The apex court bench of Justice R.M. Lodha and Justice H.L. Gokhale, while dismissing the petition by Admiral Ramdas and six others, said: "We don't find any justifiable cause to invoke Article 32 of the Constitution. The writ petition is accordingly dismissed."

In a petition filed on 4 April 2012, the army chief designate Singh was accused of being indulged in a fake encounter in the Kashmir Valley during a counter-insurgency operation. The PIL also accused Singh of inaction in the charges related to sexual harassment against Indian officers when he was heading a peacekeeping force in Congo.

Rajyasabha passed the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment) Bill 2010

The Rajaya Sabha, the upper house of Indian parliament, on 24 April 2012, passed the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment) Bill 2010. The amendment seeks to provide the right to receive home-based education to children with severe disabilities.

The amended bill gives school management committees an advisory role in minority schools, both aided and unaided, and keeps madrasas and Vedic schools and other institutions providing primarily religious instruction out of the perview of the Act.

Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment) Bill 2010 is the first education bill to be passed in Parliament in two years. There are 13 pending education bills in Parliament.

Fifty Leaders from Different Political Parties sworn in as The Member of Rajya Sabha

50 leaders from different political parties took the oath as the Rajya Sabha member on 24 April 2012. Leader of the Opposition Arun Jaitley, BSP supremo Mayawati, Union ministers Vilasrao Deshmukh and Rajeev Shukla, and Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi and actor Jaya Bachchan were among the leaders who took oath in the Rajya Sabha.

Former Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha K Rahman Khan, former Union minister Renuka Chaudhary, Petroleum Minister S Jaipal Reddy and BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu also took the oath.

The Rajya Sabha, which is also referred to as the Upper House of the Parliament, has at most 250 members, of which 238 are elected indirectly by the legislatures of each state and union territory. Seats are allotted in proportion to the population of each state or union territory. The other 12 members are nominated by the President of India

Rajya Sabha passed amendments to the Central Educational Institutions Act

The Rajya Sabha on 27 April 2012 passed amendments to the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admissions) Act, 2006, exempting some central institutions from implementing the other backward castes (OBC) quota.

The institutions where implementation of the Act exceeds the 50 percent reservation limit fixed by the Supreme Court will fall under the amendment.

The move aims to balance state and central reservation policies. The amendment says that if seats reserved for Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes in a central educational institution exceed 50 percent of the annual strength permitted, the institution need not make any reservation for OBCs.

The institutions located in states like Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura and Assam's tribal areas need not to reduce the percentage of seats reserved for SC/ST candidates from the level obtaining on the date immediately preceding the date of the Act's commencement.

If the institution is in any other area, the percentage of seats reserved for SC/ST candidates will be reduced to 50.

Information and Broadcasting Ministry notified Cable Television Networks Rules, 2012

The information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry of India on 28 April 2012 notified the much awaited Cable Television Networks Rules, 2012, which paves the way for digitalisation of the sector.

The I&B ministry has set 30 June 2012 as the date for digitalisation of the cable sector in the four metros and these cable rules would provide the framework on which the digitalised cable networks would provide services.

As per the new rules, cable operators and multi-sector operators (MSOs) will now have to ensure that they have the capacity to carry minimum number of channels as specified by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai). MSOs, under the new rules, will have to buy back set top boxes from subscribers in case they are leaving the area. A provision to surrender Set Top Box back has also been provided under the new rule.

Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of India issued Tariff Order for TV Channels

The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) in its much-awaited tariff order issued on 30 April 2012, ordained the TV channels to carry a minimum of 100 free-to-air channels on their networks.

As per the TRAI order, the basic service tier (BST) will comprise at least five channels of news and current affairs, infotainment, sports, kids, music, lifestyle, movies and general entertainment in Hindi, English and regional language of the concerned region.

While multi-system operators (MSO) have to offer the BST, it is not mandatory to subscribe to it. The subscriber is free to subscribe to his own package of a maximum of 100 FTA channels, but in either case, the MSO can’t charge the subscriber more than 100 rupees a month.

Besides having to carry a minimum of 500 channels from next year, Trai has mandated that every MSO will have a minimum capacity to carry 200 channels from1 July, 2012.

The Trai's order came following the I&B ministry's Cable Television Networks Rules 2012 notification issued on 29 April 2012. Broadcasters shall not provide their channels to MSOs who have channel carrying capacity of less than 200 channels immediately and less than 500 channels from 2013.

Trai also gave the responsibility of fixing Carriage Fee to the MSO in a uniform and transparent manner. MSOs can fix the retail tariff, and package and price offerings. But, the sum of the a-la-carte rates of channels — part of a bouquet — shall not exceed 1.5 times the rate of the bouquet.

Supreme Court of India held Farmers entitled to the Highest Market Value as Compensation

The Supreme Court of India on 27 April 2012 held that Farmers whose land is acquired for a public purpose are entitled to the highest market value as compensation. The Supreme Court’s ruling came following a case of land acquisition in Punjab’s Faridkot district where the land owner was awarded a compensation of 1 lakh rupees per acre despite the land was located in commercially important area.

The Supreme Court bench of Justices P. Sathasivam and J. Chelameswar held that in the case When the land is being compulsorily acquired, the owner is entitled to the highest value which similar land in the locality is shown to have fetched in a bona fide transaction entered into between a willing purchaser and a willing seller near about the time of the acquisition.

Land Acquisition

Land acquisition has always been an issue of contention between the governments and the land owners. With the dawn of industrial economy in the country post economic reforms, the problem has got even worsened as the farmers in most of the cases were forced to sacrifice their land at lower price. Recent years have witnessed a string of cases when farmers have raised their voice against the forced acquisition of their land.

The land acquisition muddle of present India has its origin in  an old bill, the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 where prices per-acre of land has been fairly low. The law was made by british colonial rulers to facilitate the land acquisition from the farmers at the cheapest price.Post independence, the political parties in the country enjoyed a wider control over the land acquisition process in India. The bill is under the consideration of the parliament to bring out required amendments into it.

Supreme Court directed Union Government of India to do away with the Haj Subsidy

The Supreme Court of India on 8 May 2012 directed the Union Government to eliminate the Haj subsidy completely by reducing it gradually over the next ten years. The court further ruled that the amount of Haj subsidy should be used for the uplift of the community.

A Supreme Court bench of Justices Aftab Alam and Ranjana Prakash Desai observed that the Haj subsidy is provided by the government is continuously increasing given the rising air fare and pilgrims. Though agree to the fact that subsidy is constitutionally valid, the court did not find any rationalization in charging the pilgrims a much lesser price.The Apex Court also instructed the government to end the practice of sending a goodwill Haj delegation.

What is Haj Subsidy?

The Haj subsidy is a subsidy provided to Indian Muslim Hajj pilgrims by the Union Government of India through a heavy concession in airfare. Pilgrims who apply through the Haj Committee of India are entitled to the reduced fare. The Government of India reimburses the subsidy to Air India.

Government cleared Rs 8500-crore Project to promote connectivity in Naxalite-affected Districts

The Union government on 17 May 2012 cleared a Rs 8500-crore project under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) with an objective to connect 6000 habitations in the 78 naxalite-affected districts of nine states. Under the project money will be utilised for new connectivity and upgradation of habitations, which will be an addition to the core network, approved in 2002 by the Union Ministry of Rural Development.
Norms of PMGSY were relaxed for the first time to provide road connectivity to these habitations, in view of the naxalite problem.
Bihar, Jharkhand and Orissa will be the biggest beneficiary of this package. There are some 1000 unconnected habitations in nine Naxal-hit districts of Bihar and another 2500 in 17 districts of Jharkhand. The remaining habitations are spread over 18 districts in Orissa, 16 in Chhattisgarh, eight each in MP and AP, three each in West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh and two in Maharashtra.
PMGSY is the single-most important rural development intervention that is believed to significantly transform the ground-level situation in Maoist-hit areas.
Roads are the prime targets of the Naxals, the reason why PMGSY works are severely lagging in Maoist-hit areas. The problem is most acute in 20 districts, and has the worst record in implementation in Bijapur and Narayanpur in Chhattisgarh, Rohtas, Hazaribagh and Gaya in Bihar and Deogarh in Orissa are among them.
Major relaxations in norms have been made in the rural roads programme to improve connectivity in Maoist-hit districts. The population norm for a habitation to be connected has been reduced from 500 to 250 in these districts. The tender package for road construction was kept at Rs 50 lakh, as against Rs 1 crore earlier, to stimulate local contractors.
The move to boost road connectivity is aimed at preventing tribals and backwards from falling for the Naxal campaign revolving around government neglect and under-development. The roads will also increase government interaction with these villages thereby providing better security besides being a key indicator of development. Cement-concrete roads have been pushed in Naxal areas because of the plea of security agencies that they were better insurance against Naxal landmines. The Centre bears 90% of the cost of these roads.


 

Union government of India approved the changes in the Marriage Laws (Amendment) Bill 2010

The Union government of India approved the changes in the Marriage Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2010, introduced in the Rajya Sabha on 2 May 2012. The Union Cabinet in its meeting held on 17 May 2012 approved the amendments seeking to give the wife and children a clearly-defined share in the husband’s immovable residential property in case of divorce.

The Cabinet meeting, which was presided over by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, also gave its consent to a provision that both husband and wife seeking divorce will have to file petitions together for waiver of the six-months cooling period.

The Marriage Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2010 seeks amendments in the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 and the Special Marriage Act, 1954. The bill, which was tabled in the Rajya Sabha on 2 May 2012, had faced severe criticism of the opposition parties in the house and the civil society outside for some of its provisions.

The Union Cabinet approved 7.6 Billion Dollar TAPI Gas Pipeline Project

The Union Cabinet approved the 7.6 billion dollar TAPI gas pipeline project on 17 May 2012. The TAPI gas pipeline project which originates from the central Asian nation Turkmenistan and reaches to India via Afghanistan and Pakistan is also referred to as the “peace pipeline” as some of the countries that it passes through don’t enjoy good relationship with each other.

The TAPI gas project will have a total length of 1680 km. Of the total length 144km will be in Turkmenistan, 735km in Afghanistan, and 800km in Pakistan, bringing it to the India border. The pipeline, will be entirely functional in 2018 and supply gas over the next thirty years.

The pipeline would produce 90 million standard cubic metres of gas per day (mscmd).  Of the total gas pumped through it, India and Pakistan will get 38 mscmd each and Afghanistan the remaining 14 mscmd. At present India requires 176 mscmd of gas, of which a little more than one-sixth is imported. The country’s need of the gas might reach the level of about 400 mscmd by 2020.

The Indian government was pursuing a similar project with the Iran which was put on hold by the Indian government given the pressure from the USA. The TAPI gas project also involves Asian Development Bank which has bestowed financial assistance to the project.

The TAPI pipeline, was proposed in the early 1990s, but was delayed due to the political and economic hurdles involved into the project. Security of the pipeline has been the major issue of concern which passes through some of the most unstabled regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan, where the project may face the risk of sabotage. India joined the project in April 2008.

Aeser

fsdgd

Lok Sabha passed Copyright (Amendment) Bill 2010

The Lok Sabha, the lower house of the parliament, passed the Copyright (Amendment) Bill 2010 on 22 May 2012. The bill seeks to provide royalty to the lyricists and remove operational difficulties.

The Copyright (Amendment) Bill 2010 was approved by the Union Cabinet on 24 December 2009, and introduced in the Rajya Sabha on 19 April, 2010. The bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha on 17 May 2012.

Major provisions of the Copyright (Amendment) Bill 2010 are presented below:

• The amendment bill provides lyricists and artists a level playing field with the music companies and producers to negotiate the terms of royalty for their artistic creations.
• According to the new legislation it is mandatory for radio and television broadcasters to pay royalty to the owners of the copyright each time a work of art is broadcast.
• The bill exempts work, prepared for the physically challenged in special formats such as Braille, from copyright.
• It also permits compulsory licence to be granted for a certain number of copies in non-special formats to non-profit organisations working to help disabled persons
• The bill provides exmptions to the students from the copyright laws who use artistic works for research purposes.
• It seeks to impose a fine and two years' imprisonment on persons indulging in piracy.
• The bill seeks ban on bringing out cover versions of any literary, dramatic or musical work for five years from the first recording of the original creation.

Friday 25 May 2012

Apply with us

Recent News

Educationalhut will keep you updated with the latest careers,employment and the scope to develop your personality and get a career of your interest.

Small Industries Development Bank of India (Amendment) Bill, 2012 tabled in the Lok Sabha

The Union government on 22 May 2012 tabled the Small Industries Development Bank of India (Amendment) Bill, 2012 in the Lok Sabha, allowing sectors including floriculture, tourism, restaurants, and the entertainment industry to access loans from the bank.

The SIDBI (Amendment) Bill tabled by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee
•    empowers SIDBI to confiscate the mortgaged property or right to transfer by way of lease or sale in case enterprise makes a default in repayment of any loan or advances.
•    The bill envisages the widening of the scope of industrial concerns as well as aims at conferring more powers upon the board of directors of bank to decide investment limit for these industrial concerns.
It was believed that an amendment would replace definition and expression of industrial concern in small sector with industrial concern or micro enterprise or small enterprise or medium enterprise in the SIDBI Act 1989. The board of directors would be empowered to unanimously resolve to decide the investment limit for the purpose of industrial concern.
The change in definition as stated in the bill will thus help businesses such as convention centres, travel and transport, tourist service agencies, guidance and counselling services to tourists, financial assistance by way of venture capital, risk capital factoring and discounting , construction and development of roads to take loans and advances from the bank.

Oil Marketing Companies raised Petrol Prices by 7.54 Rupees a Liter

The state-owned oil marketing companies increased the price of Petrol by 7.54 rupees a litre to 73.18 rupees with effect from midnight 23 May 2012. The price of diesel, LPG and kerosene was, however, left unchanged.

It is the highest one-time hike in petrol prices ever as the previous instances of price hike saw price going up by maximum of 5 rupees. The oil marketing companies had twice increased the petrol prices by 5 rupees, the first on 15 May 2011, when the rate in Delhi was increased from 58.37 rupees to 63.37 rupees; and second on 24 May 2008, when it was hiked up to 50.56 rupees.

With the current increase in the petrol prices, it will cost 78.57 rupees a litre in Mumbai, against previous 70.66 rupees.  In Kolkata, the rate will go up by 7.85 rupees to 77.88 rupees. In Chennai, it will be 77.53 rupees, up by 7.98 rupees.

The oil marketing companies had recorded the collective loss of 138541 crore rupees in revenue during the fiscal year 2011-12. This year, the loss is expected to touch the figure of 193880 crore rupees. During 2011-12, petrol prices were revised five times in order to bring domestic prices in line with those in the international market. The rates were raised on three occasions and lowered on two.

India inked TAPI Gas Sale and Purchase Agreement with Turkmenistan

GAIL (India) Limited inked the gas sale and purchase agreement (GSPA) with TurkmenGaz, Turkmenistan's national oil company, for the 7.6-billion TAPI project on 23 May 2012. The agreement would enable India to bring gas from Turkmenistan.

The Union Cabinet of India had approved the TAPI project on 17 May 2012, which subsequently paved the way for signing the agreement. The proposed 1680 km pipeline of which, 144 km falls in Turkmenistan, 735 km in Afghanistan and 800 km in Pakistan, will have a capacity to supply 90 mscmd (Million Standard Cubic Metres per Day) of gas. India and Pakistan each will be entitled to have 38 mscmd of the gas while the remaining 14 mscmd will be given to Afghanistan.

The TAPI pipeline is expected to be operational in 2018 and supply gas for the next 30 years. The GSPA includes all the terms and conditions related to the pact and will be signed bilaterally between the members. The bids for building and operating the pipeline will be invited following the agreements among all the member countries.

Mahashweta Devi resigned as Chairperson of Bangla Academy

Veteran Bengali Author Mahashweta Devi on 23 May 2012, resigned as the chairperson of the Bangla Academy, an autonomous body set up to promote the Bengali literature. The body falls under the Information and Cultural Department of West Bengal, which is controlled by the state Chief Minister Mamata Banarjee.

The 86-year-old litterateur, who had also been awarded with the Raman Magsaysay and Gyanpith award, decided to quit as she was left annoyed with the manner in which the award committee selected the recipient for the prestigious Vidyasagar award.

The award committee had been set up by Mahasweta Devi herself after becoming chairperson of the academy. The award is named after 19th-century social reformer Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar, who himself was a noted Bengali literary figure. The award committee had selected Shibaji Bandhopadyay as the recipient of the award for the year 2010.

The ricipient of several national and international awards, Mahashweta Devi was given the Sahitya Academy Award in 1979, while she was conferred the Gnanpeeth Award, India’s highest award in the field of literature, in 1996. In 1997, she was given the Raman Magsaysay Award for her contribution to the field of Journalism, Literature, and the Creative Communication Arts.

Bharti Airtel acquired 49 Per Cent Stake in Qualcomm’s Broadband Wireless Access Business





India’s leading telecom company Bharti Airtel on 23 May 2012, acquired 49 per cent stake in Qualcomm’s broadband wireless access (BWA) business in India in a deal worth 165 million dollar (about 922 crore rupees).

Qualcomm had won spectrum for high-speed data services in the four circles through auction in June, 2010, and had paid 4912.54 crore rupees (about 1 billion dollar) for the same. The company had received the license for 20 years but later it was reduced to 18.5 years given the delay in the allotment of the spectrum.

Bharti Airtel already holds BWA licenses in four circles including Punjab, Maharashtra, Kolkata and Karnataka. The newly found alliance will combine the strength of Bharti’s national telecom footprint and Qualcomm’s technological leadership in the LTE TDD space.



National Green Tribunal suspended Environment Clearance to the Srikakulam Thermal Power Plant

The National Green Tribunal suspended environment clearance to the thermal power plant in Srikakulam district in Andhra Pradesh on 24 May 2012. The tribunal also instructed the Union Environment Ministry to come with the final guidelines and site criteria for Thermal Power Plants urgently.

The tribunal was hearing petitions filed by 6 locals against the 2640 MW thermal power plant of Nagarajuna Construction Company. The petitioners had alleged that the land allotted for the thermal power plant is not suitable for the commercial use. They argued that the proposed plant will adversely affect the ecological system of the vicinity.

The tribunal in its findings mentioned that the existing guidelines to set up a thermal power plant don’t take notes of the factors that affect the environment and ecology today. The tribunal also quashed environment clearance to the 1200 MW thermal power plant in the Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu.

India Successfully test-fired Akash missile from Odisha

India successfully test-fired the indigenously built Akash missile from the DRDO’s (Defence Research Development Organisation) Interim Test Range (ITR), at Chandipur in Balasore district of north Odisha on 24 May 2012. The surface-to-air missile was launched from the launch pad number three of the premier missile testing centre at 11:9 hours.

5.7 meter long and 720 kg in weight, anti-aircraft missile can hit its target locating at a distance of 25 to 30 kms. The missile is capable of carrying both conventional as well as nuclear warheads up to 60 kg. It can also track and shot down several targets in one go with the help of Rajendra, a sophisticated radar, built by the DRDO.

The missile has been developed by the DRDO under the ambitious Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP). It has already been inducted into the Indian armed forces following several successful trials.

Navis acquired the Full Ownership of Indian Fastfood Chain Nirula's

Malaysiaian private equity company Navis Capital Partners acquired the stake of Samir Kuckreja the co-owner of Nirula’s to gain complete control over homegrown fast food chain. Navis had bought Nirula’s in a 90 crore rupees deal in 2006. Post-acquisition, it invested  30 crore rupees directly, while another 20 crore was infused by the franchisees for store rollouts, equipment and kitchens.

Nirula’s was among the first fast-food chains in the country which made ‘big boy burgers’ and ‘hot chocolate fudge’ famous. It also pioneered the concept of family-style restaurant when it opened its first outlet in Delhi in 1934.

The organised restaurant industry is estimated at 7000-8500 crore rupees, according to a white paper by the National Restaurant Association of India, with organised players accounting for a meagre 2-3% of the overall business.

Quiza

grehghtr sdghgerh xdbdfh

Thursday 24 May 2012

Career Dimensions

Connect to Educationalhut and let your carrer to be spanned through horizons. Keep Checking for new career updates.

Apply Online

Apply online to government and private recrutment, admission forms and don't miss the chance.

Latest News

Educationalhut will keep you updated with the latest careers,employment and the scope to develop your personality and get a career of your interest.

Concentrated Studies

Define your targets according to your interest and will and make your mindset to achieve it in any condition.

Wednesday 23 May 2012

Hello world!

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!