Last Six Months Current Affairs 2012-13

For All Government Jobs alert visit www.gurujobalert.
com
1
For More details on Banking Recruitment www.ibpsexamguru.in
Last Six months Current affairs 2012-13 for IBPS Specialist Officers and SBI PO Exam
For all Competitive Exams Current Affairs Section
Current AffairsStudy Material for Month of
August 2012
September 2012
October 2012
November 2012
December 2012
January 2013
Content:
1. International
2. India and World
3. National
4. States
5. Conferences
6. Awards and Honours
7. Sports News
8. Economy
9. Science & Technology
10. Persons in news
11. Places In News
12. Abbreviations
13. Books in news
14. Committees
About This Material:
This Material Specially Dedicated for Bank Job Aspirants. Source: Web
International
1. Somalia Assembly Passes the Endorses Draft Constitution :Somalia Constitution on
1 august 2012 endorsed a draft constitution billed a key step to ending the decades of the
civil war. The Horn of Africa countrys outgoing government hailed the end of an eight-year
interim period. Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali expressed happy and announced that
Somalia has from now, left the transitional period. The special assembly chosen by
traditional elders in a U.N.-backed process took eight days to debate and vote on the new
Constitution, as the graft-riddled government approaches the end of its mandate on
August 20.
2. Myanmar abolished Direct Media Censorship : Myanmar on 20 august 2012 he latest
dramatic reform by its quasi-civilian regime, but journalists face other formidable
restrictions including a ban on private daily newspapers and a pervasive culture of self-
censorship. Under the new acts journalists no longer have to submit reports to state
censors before publication, ending a practice strictly enforced during nearly half a century
of military rule that ended in March last year. Previously, every song, book, cartoon, news
report and planned piece of art required approval by teams of censors rooting out political
messages and criticisms of one of Asias most repressive governments.
3. China to shut hundreds of coal mines this year : The State Administration of Work
Safety (SAWS) said the country(China) aims to close another 625 small coal mines this
For All Government Jobs alert visit www.gurujobalert.com
2
year in an attempt to reduce the number of deadly accidents, as the death toll in latest
coal mine explosion mounted to 43, raising concerns over safety
4. Pakistan Supreme Court annulled New Law Protecting the Prime Minister:
Supreme Court of Pakistan on 3 August 2012 annulled the new law called Contempt of
Court Act 2012(COCA 2012). Pakistans Supreme Court 3 August 2012 struck down a law
designed to protect the new prime minister from being charged with contempt and thrown
out of office like his predecessor. The court ousted the previous prime minister, Yousuf
Raza Gilani, from office in June by charging him with contempt of court for failing to
reopen corruption proceedings against President Asif Zardari.
5. OIC suspended Syria: The Organisation Islamic Cooperation(OIC) suspended Syria on
16th August 2012 saying the Muslim world can no longer accept a government that
massacres its people,further isolating the embattled regime.
6. Senkaku Islands became the Bone of Contention between China and Japan : Ten
Japanese on 23 August 2012, made an unauthorized landing on Uotsuri, which is known in
Japan as the Senkaku Islands and in China as the Diaoyu Islands. The uninhabited islands
surrounded by rich fishing grounds are controlled by Japan but also claimed by China and
Taiwan.The Senkaku Islands dispute engulfs in itself a territorial dispute on a group of
uninhabited islands. Of the ten Japanese people who visited the island, five were
apparently conservative local assembly members.The Senkaku Islands are located in the
East China Sea between Japan, and the Republic of China. The archipelago contains five
uninhabited islands.
7. Smita Shah first Indian-American to serve as DNC parliamentarian : Smita Shah a
close supporter of US President Barack Obama, is vice-chair of the Chicago Plan
Commission, become the first Indian-American to serve as a Democratic National
Convention parliamentarian on 5th September 2012.As per the publically available
documents, Smita has been an applauded donor to the campaign of the Democratic Party
and Obama.
8. US strikes Nepal Maoists from terror blacklist : On 06th September 2012 US has
lifted sanctions and removed the Communist party of Nepal(Maoists) Organization of Nepal
from the list of designated terrorist organisation,years after the rebels abandoned their
named struggle and entered open politics and signed a peace treaty.
9. U.S. designates Haqqani network a terrorist group : The United States said on 7th
September 2012 it is designating the Pakistan-based Haqqani network a terrorist
organization, triggering sanctions against a group American officials blame for high-profile
attacks in Afghanistan, and which they say has ties to the Pakistani state.
10. Army in Egypt reports 32 deaths in Sinai crackdown : Egyptian armed forces have
killed 32 criminal elements since launching an operation against Islamist militants in
Sinai on 8th September 2012.
11. Canada cuts diplomatic ties with Iran : John Baird,Foreign minister Canada said:
[Iran] is among the worlds worst violators of human rights; and it shelters and materially
supports terrorist groups, requiring the government of Canada to formally list Iran as a
state sponsor of terrorism under the Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act.Canada cuts
diplomatic ties with Iran.So, Canada has closed its embassy in Tehran and ordered the
expulsion of Iranian diplomats from Ottawa, partly because of the countrys backing of the
Syrian regime.
12. Somalia gets a new president : Somalias parliament elected Hassan Sheikh Mohamud
as the new leader for the African nation on 10th September 2012.
13. Japan to buy disputed East China Sea islands : The uninhabited islands, known as
Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, have long been a source of friction. Japan and
China have competing territorial claims to the islets and surrounding fishing areas and
potentially rich gas deposits.The Japanese government will buy the islets for 2.05 billion
yen ($26.15 million) and the owners will sign a contract soon.
14. Biggest Fire Accident in Karachi 290 Members Die : At least 290 people have been
confirmed dead in a fire that broke out in a garment factory in Karachi on 11th September
2012 night.
15. Bill Gates remains the richest in U.S.: Forbes : Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has
retained his position as the richest person in America for the 19th year in a row this year,
according to Forbes annual ranking of the nations 400 super rich people who have a
combined net worth of $1.7 trillion.Five Indian-Americans, including Silicon Valley venture
capitalist Vinod Khosla and founder of IT major Syntel, Bharat Desai (ranked 239),Founder
and Chairman of the Symphony Technology Group Romesh Wadhwani(ranked 250),
3
Google board member and shareholder Kavitark Ram Shriram (ranked 298),Founder and
CEO of the popular energy drink 5-hour energy Manoj Bhargava(ranked 311).
16. Zardari, Hillary discuss India-Pak trade ties : Improving trade ties between Pakistan
and India, terrorism and violent anti-U.S. protests were among a host of issues that
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari discussed with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
when they met NewYork on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly session on 25th
September 2012.
17. Buddhist temples attacked in Bangladesh: Thousands of Bangladeshi Muslims set fire
to at least 10 Buddhist temples and 40 homes in Ramu town and its adjoining villages
some 350 km from Dhaka in anger over a Facebook photo of a burned Quran on 30th
September 2012.
18. 32 killed in blasts across Iraq : A wave of bombings and shootings in Iraq on 30th
September 2012 killed at least 32 people and wounded 104 .The violence was centred in
Baghdad and the surrounding areas of Taji, Madain and Tarmiyah.
19. Worldwide protests against the film Innocence of Muslims : The attacks will be
continued on 14th September 2012 also in several countries, including Egypt, Iran, Kuwait
and Saudi Arabia due the release of the film Innocence of Muslims.UN Secretary General
Ban Ki-moon has denounced as hateful an anti-Islam movie produced in the United
States.
20. Russia to mine super hard diamonds: Russia has declassified a huge deposit of unique
super hard diamonds that dwarf the global reserves of the precious stone and can meet
the worldwide demand for another 3,000 years.The deposit, located in an asteroid crater
120 km in diameter, has been kept under wraps for nearly 40 decades as the Soviet Union
mined enough diamonds elsewhere and also produced synthetic diamonds.
21. Imran Khan on anti-drone peace march to tribal belt : Imran Khan on 6th October
2012 set off on a motorcade peace march to the terrorists-riddled South Waziristan to
protest US drone strikes in the tribal belt.
22. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Re-Elected for fourth term : Venezuelan
President Hugo Chavez has been re-elected for the third term. Mr Chavez defeated
opposition leader Henrique Capriles. Mr Chavez garnered 54.42 per cent of the vote while
his rival bagged 44 per cent votes.
23. Pakistani youth support Malala Yousufzai : Pakistani teenaged rights campaigner,
Malala Yousafzai, who was on 14th October 2012 shot by the Taliban for publicly opposing
them against the girl education.She got the support from all over the world.
24. Ali Zidan elected Libya PM : Libyas 200-member General National Congress has elected
a former congressman and human rights lawyer Ali Zidan as the countrys new Prime
Minister on 14th October 2012.
25. Austrian skydiver breaks sound barrier : Austrian national Felix Baumgartner, who
jumped from a height of 39 km, became the first skydiver to record the highest ever
freefall and also the first human to go faster than the speed of sound.
26. Five New Non-Permanent Member Countries Elected to UN Security Council : UN
General Assembly elected five new non-permanent members to the Security Council. The
New Members are South Korea, Luxembourg, Argentina, Australia and Rwanda.
27. Iran bans export of 50 basic foods to preserve supplies : Iran has banned the export
of around 50 basic goods in order to preserve supplies of essential items in the wake of
tightening Western sanctions
28. Barack Obama re-elected as President of US : Barack Obama re-elected as President
of US with a clear victory over Republican challenger Mitt Romney on 7th November 2012.
29. Hindu-American elected to US Congress for the first time : Tulsi Gabbard is the first
Hindu-American elected as the US House of Representative from Hawaii in November
2012 elections.
30. Nepal elected to UN ECOSOC board : Nepal elected a board member of the United
Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) for a three-year term starting in January
2013. Nepal along with 17 other countries were elected board members of ECOSOC 8th
November 2012 by the UN General Assembly.
31. Israel fires into Syria : Israel was drawn into the fighting in neighboring Syria for the
first time on 11th November 2012, firing warning shots across the border after an errant
mortar shell landed near an Israeli military installation in the Golan Heights.
32. Chinas Communist Party selects new leadership : China elects the new President as
Xi Jinping and Prime Minister as Li Keqiang on 14 November 2012.
4
33. Japan to go to polls on 16 December 2012 : Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda dissolved
the Lower House of Parliament on 16 November 2012 ,paving the way for elections in
which his ruling party will likely give way to a weak coalition government divided over how
to solve Japans myriad problems. Elections were set for 16 December 2012.
34. U.N. approves Palestinian observer state bid : The United Nations General Assembly
on 30 November 2012 endorsed an upgraded U.N. status for the Palestinian Authority,
despite intense opposition from the United States and Israel.The vote was 138 delegates in
favor of the measure including India, nine against including America, Brazil and Canada
and 41 abstentions including Britain.
35. Mahama Re-elected as Ghanas President : On 10 December Ghanas incumbent
President John Dramani Mahama of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) has
won the countrys presidential election.Mahama took 50.70 percent of the total valid votes
cast, while his closest challenger, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic
Party (NPP) obtained 47.74 percent.With his re-election, Mahama becomes the fourth
president to be elected under the Forth Republic.He had served as Ghanas vice president
since 2009.
36. UN, Pakistan Launched Malala Fund : Pakistan joined forces with the United Nations
on 10 December 2012 to launch a fund aimed at boosting girls education throughout the
world.The fund is named for Malala Yousafzai, the 15-year-old Pakistani girl. Pakistans
President Asif Ali Zardari also announced a $10-million donation for a global war chest to
educate all girls by 2015 set up in the name of Malala Yousafzai for campaigning for girls
education.
37. Shinzo Abe Elected As Japans New PM : The former Prime Minister and the Leader of
LDP Shinzo Abe elected as a Prime Minister with a clear victory over the Prime Minister
and leader of the Democratic Party of Japan(DPJ) Yoshihiko Noda in the Parliamentary
Elections on 26 December 2012.The lawmakers in Japan voted in favour of Abe by 328
votes. Opponent Banri Kaieda, the newly chosen leader of DPJ received merely 57 votes.
38. Jacob Zuma re-elected as South Africas President : South Africas ruling African
National Congress on 18 December 2012 re-elected President Jacob Zuma as the party
chief with a thumping majority. Mr.Zuma received the support of over 75 per cent of the
total voting delegates at the ANC National Conference held in Bloemfontein. Juma was
Deputy President of South Africa from 1999 to 2005
39. Park elected South Korean President : Park Guen-hye, the daughter of former military
dictator Park Chung-hee, beat her opponent on 19 December 2012 in the South Korean
presidential elections. Park is the countrys first woman President. She is the former head
of the ruling Conservative Saenuri Party, had secured the necessary votes and defeated
Moon Jae-in, of the Democratic United Party.
40. Pak Cleared Anti-terror Bill : On 20 December Pakistans National Assembly passed a
bill that will give intelligence and security agencies sweeping powers to conduct
surveillance and collect data from SMSs and emails.The National Assembly or lower house
of parliament approved the Fair Trial Bill 2012 after incorporating amendments
proposed by the main opposition PML-N and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, which is part
of the ruling coalition led by the Pakistan Peoples Party.
41. U.S. House Passed Defense Bill : On 20 December US (United States) House of
Representatives passed the Defence Authorization Act of 2013. The bill authorizing 633.3
billion dollar in defense spending for 2013, easing limits on satellite exports and
providing more Marines for embassy security.
42. Napolitano Dissolved Italian Parliament : On 22 December Italian President Giorgio
Napolitano dissolved Parliament following the resignation of Prime Minister Mario Monti.
Italian Government under the leadership of Mario Monti brought forward a series of
austerity reforms backed by EU and business leaders.
43. Morsi signed on Egypts New Constitution : On 25 December Egyptian President
Mohamed Morsi signed into law a new Islamist-drafted constitution. He signed a
declaration enforcing the charter late after the official announcement of the result of a
referendum approving the basic law. Two-thirds of the members of the 270-seat council
were elected earlier this year in a vote in which only 12 per cent of registered voters
participated. The remaining 90 were appointed by Mohamed Morsi, the Islamist president.
44. Pakistan Recognised the Republic of Kosovo : On 26 December Pakistan Government
officially recognised Kosovo as an independent state, almost five years after it declared
independence from Serbia on 17 February 2008. Pakistan is the 98th country among the
5
193 U.N-member states to recognise Kosovo .Kosovo is a small south east European state
lies between Albania, Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro.
45. Palestinian Authority to be Named State of Palestine : On 7 January Palestinian
Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has signed a decree changing the name of the
Palestinian Authority to the State of Palestine," according to the organizations official
news agency.
46. Pakistani Supreme Court Orders Arrest of Prime Minister : On 15 January 2013
Pakistans Supreme Court ordered the arrest of the prime minister in connection with a
corruption case linked to power projects. The Supreme Court gave authorities 24 hours to
arrest Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf and 16 others.This is the first in the history of
Pakistan to arrest a Prime Minister. The orders of the Court came following the allegations
in connection with a corruption case linked to power projects, done during his office of the
Water and Power Minister.
47. Obama Signed 23 Executive Orders on Gun Safety : On 16 January President Barack
Obama announced 23 executive actions on gun control laws, making them stricter,which
would come into effect immediately after his signatures. One of these measures include
requiring the target shooters to keep their guns locked and also to ban military-style
assault weapons, high capacity magazine as well as to make the background check
mandatory.Obama announced that this was his attempt to keep children safe, keeping in
view the massacre of Newtown where 20 first grade children along with six adults were
killed.
48. 140 Nations Agreed On Global Mercury Limits : On 19 January , More than 140
nations have agreed on the first legally binding treaty to curb mercury pollution.Delegates
at UN discussed in Geneva approved measures to control the use of the highly toxic metal,
which is widely used in chemical production and small-scale mining, in order to limit
mercury emissions.The governments agreed to ban the production, export and import of a
range of products containing mercury by 2020.The treaty has been discussed for four
years, but it is only now that the negotiators agreed over the final version of the
document. The treaty, known as the Minamata Convention on Mercury, provides controls
and reductions across a range of products and processes where mercury is used, released
and emitted.
49. Milos Zeman Elected as Czech Republic new President : On 25 January A leftist
candidate Milos Zeman won the Czech Republics first presidential election decided by
direct vote.Milos Zeman, a former prime minister and head of the Citizens Rights Party,
won with 54.8% of the vote.He defeated Karel Schwarzenberg, an aristocratic foreign
minister with the TOP09 party, who garnered 45.2%.Zeman replaces Vaclav Klaus, who
must step down after serving the maximum of two terms.
INDIA & WORLD
1. EC signs MoU with South Korean counterpart : The Election Commission of India on
01 August 2012 signed an MoU with its South Korean counterpart to help each other in
strengthening the electoral processes and political culture. The Memorandum of
Understanding was signed by Chief
Election Commissioner of India V S Sampath on behalf of the poll panel and by Justice
Nung Hwan Kim of the Republic of Korea at a brief ceremony. This is the 13th MoU signed
by ECI with other countries and international election panels.
2. India-Israel Sign MoU on research programme : India and Israel on 02 August 2012
entered into a memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for launching a programme that
would promote collaborative research across a wide range of disciplines from medical and
information technology to social sciences, humanities and arts. The programme, which will
run for five years will provide support up to $1,00,000 a research project for three years
.The MoU was signed by Chairman of the Israel science Foundation professor Benjamin
Geiger and Chairman of University Grants Commission ved Prakash.
3. India, Monaco ink tax information exchange agreement :Tata Communications
payment solutions providing arm has bagged an exclusive order to install and manage
nearly 14,000 ATMs for all public sector banks in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West
Bengal,Puducherry and Andaman and Nicobar Islands by 201314.Government of India
6
and Government of Principality of Monaco have signed a Tax
Information Exchange Agreement (TIEA) on 02.August 2012.
4. 4. India, Iran & Afghanistan to expand trade,transit through Chabahar port: India,
Iran and Afghanistan have moved one step closer to expand their trade and economic ties.
At a trilateral meeting in Teheran, they agreed to work for expanding trade, investment
and transit cooperation through Chabahar port in Iran. A joint working group consisting of
the representatives of the three countries will meet within the next three months in
Chabahar to expedite the process.
5. 5.India to help Sri Lanka set up SEZs :India will help Sri Lanka establish a special
economic zone to manufacture auto components in Trincomaee, commerce minister Anand
Sharma said in colombo on 03 August 2012. The SEZ would promote exports to the
production chains in India.
6. 6. Indian Scientist , Amitabh Ghosh in NASA team helped choose Curiositys
landing site : An Indian scientist, Amitabh Ghosh part of the NASA team which had
identified the landing site of the Curiosity rover on Mars on 6August 2012 described the
Spot as very exciting and holding great promise.
7. Pakistan asked India to register Oil Marketing: Companies (OMCs) with Pakistan
State Oil In the wake of New Delhis decision to allow pakistani investments, Islamabad
has asked India to register its oil marketing companies(OMCs) with Pakistani State Oil to
take part in spot tenders for
supply of petroleum products such as petrol,diesel, furnace oil and petcoke.
8. India Ranked Second in Search Queries for Education on Google :Indian Ranked
second in education queries on Google.After the US, Indian people from IIT Delhi and IIM
Ahmadabad were the most searched in their respective categories. India was Ranked 8th
in 2008, at present it is behind only to the US.
9. TB screening for Indians seeking UK visa :From August 16, Indians planning to travel
to UK for more than six months will be screened for tuberculosis before they are given a
visa under a pre-entry TB screening programme extended to India. However, the
screening will not be required for those travelling for six months or less.The Home Office
announced that all such applicants would be required to submit a certificate from a local
clinic approved by the British Government to show that they are TB-free. There will be a
fee of Rs 1500 for screening, to be borne by the applicant.
10. India gets first Embraer jet with Indian airborne radar tech : India, with taking the
delivery of the first Embraer 145 Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) in Brazil on
17 August 2012, moved one more step ahead in aerial security.India and Brazil signed a
deal reportedly worth $ 210 million for the supply of three aircraft by 2014. This includes a
comprehensive logistic package that entails training, technical support, supply of spare
parts and ground support equipment.
11. Government extends ban on import of milk, milk products from China :The Food
Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has recommended the extension of the
ban till June 2013 or until further orders.The banned milk products include chocolate,
chocolate products, candies, confectionery, food preparations with milk or milk solids as
ingredient.
12. Sonia is Sixth in Forbes list of 100 most powerful Women : The Forbes magazine on
22nd August 2012 ranked united progressive Alliance(UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi the
sixth most powerful woman in the world in the list of 100women.Germany Chancellor
Angela Merkel got the first place. United States Secretary Hillary Clinton got the second
place and Michelle Obama got the 7th Place.
13. Ranking by World Bank : As per the World Bank Report, India has been ranked at 132
amongst the sample 183 Countries.Recognising the need for Reforming the Regulatory
Environment for doing business in India, a Committee under the Chairmanship of Shri.
M.Damodaran has been constituted on 23 August 2012 by this ministry to extensively
examine different areas
of root functioning such as financial reforms, governance reforms, liberalized policy
framework,process reforms etc, and to suggest a roadmap for improving business climate
in India.
14. Pak hails Indias move to allow FDI : Pakistan 01 August 2012 welcomed Indias
decision to allow Pakistani Foreign Direct Investment, saying the move will create goodwill
and give a boost to efforts to normalise bilateral relations. Foreign Office spokesman
Moazzam Khan welcomed the Indian governments decision to allow Pakistani investments
in all areas except defence, space and atomic energy. Pakistan can explore sectors like
7
cement, textiles and sports for investments in India. Besides, the FDI proposals from
Pakistan need to be cleared from the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB).
15. America Court Summons to Parkash Singh Badal : Punjab Chief Minister Parkash
Singh Badal, who was served summons by a US court last month in a case of alleged
custodial torture and extra judicial killings of Sikhs, has sought dismissal of the motion
against him or additional time of 90 days to defend the charges.The US District Court for
the Eastern District of Wisconsin had issued Summons against Badal on August 8 when he
was in Wisconsin on a private visit to attend a marriage ceremony.
16. No mobile connection for more than 3 months to any foreign tourist: Government
: To check misuse of SIM cards, the government has asked Telecom Service Providers not
to provide mobile connection for more than three months to any foreign tourist visiting
India.According to the fresh guidelines, which have come into effect recently, the
Department of Telecom (DoT) has told the service providers that the proof for issuance of
a mobile connection to any foreigner would be the passport having a valid visa.
17. India, Pakistan to ink 3 pacts to boost economic activity :Hoping that the
forthcoming visit of External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna would lead to a liberal visa
regime agreement, Commerce and Industry Minister, Anand Sharma, on 04th September
2012, said India and Pakistan would soon ink three agreements in the areas of customs
co-operation, mutual recognition of standards and redressal of trade issues to give a fillip
to economic activity.
18. India, China to resume joint military exercises : India and China announced on 04th
September 2012 they would resume joint military exercises after a four-year gap, a move
designed to build trust in the often prickly relationship between the worlds two most
populous nations.
19. Five Indian firms in Forbes list of worlds most innovative companies : Five Indian
companies including Larsen & Toubro, Hindustan Unilever and Infosys are ranked on
Forbes magazines list of The Worlds Most Innovative Companies topped by four US
companies.Larsen & Toubro got the ninth rank,Hindustan Unilever got the 12th rank,
Infosys got 19th rank,Tata Consultancy Services got 29th rank and Sun Pharmaceutical
Industries got 38th rank.Four US companies- Cloud computing king Salesforce.com, drug
major Alexion Pharmaceuticals, internet retail giant Amazon.com and open source software
leader Red Hat took the top four places.
20. India, Pakistan ink visa agreement : Pakistan and India have announced on 8th
September 2012 that they will ease tough visa restrictions, an important step forward in
improving relations between the nuclear armed neighbours.
21. ECIL to supply converters to international science centre : Public sector electronic
manufacturing firm, Electronic Corporation of India Limited (ECIL), has been selected to
supply power converters to the Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR), an
international science centre at Darmstadt near Frankfurt in Germany.ECIL signed a
bilateral contract for supply of convertors with Bose Institute, designated nodal agency to
coordinate between various departments involved in the project.Accordingly, ECIL would
be involved in design, development, manufacturing and supply of around 500 ultra stable
power converters that cost around 7.5 million Euros (about Rs. 50 crore) of the total
Indian contribution of around 36 million Euros.
22. Onno Ruhl appointed World Bank country director for India : The World Bank has
appointed Onno Ruhl as the country director for India. He will replace Roberto Zagha, who
retires in October. Ruhl, a Dutch national, was previously the director for operation
services and quality in the South Asia region of the World Bank, the multi-lateral funding
agency.
23. Saudi Arabia, India hold talks on defence ties : The first meeting of the India-Saudi
Arabia joint committee on defence cooperation was held on 10th September 2012 at New
Delhi and both sides discussed proposals for exchange of high-level visits, training and
functional exchanges in various areas.
24. India pledges $10-million for Palestine : The Prime Minister Manmohan 11th
September 2012 announced to an assistance of $10 million to Palestines budget for this
year to help address its financial requirements.Prime Minister made this announcement
after signing three bilateral pacts the areas of information and communication
technology, vocational training and education with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas,
who is at present in New Delhi for his three-day long state visit.
25. India, Pakistan trade bodies sign Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) : The
Islamabad Womens Chamber of Commerce and Industry(IWCCI)and the Punjab, Haryana
8
and Delhi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) on 12th September 2012 signed
an MoU to promote trade and investment and improve linkages between business
communities of the two countries.
26. Highest under-5 deaths in India : In the Child Mortality Estimates Report 2012
published by United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF), India was placed at the top position
in the chart of 10 countries that topped on the chart. The other countries with their names
on the chart are Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, China, Pakistan, Indonesia,
Ethiopia, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
27. Delhi, Mumbai among least expensive cities around world : A report released Friday
by the Swiss bank UBS, covering 72 cities in 58 countries Capital Delhi and financial hub
Mumbai are the least expensive cities and Tokyo is the most expensive city for food in the
world.
28. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation won work in Jakarta Metro Rail Project : Delhi Metro
has bagged the work of Management Consulting Services for building the Phase- I of
Jakarta Mass Rapid System in Indonesia.This is the first time that Delhi Metro has got a
project outside the country since its inception in 1997.
29. Afghanistan, US, India hold first trilateral meeting : India, Afghanistan and the US
held their first trilateral meeting in New York on 25th September 2012.The major point of
discussion was on the situation in Afghanistan along with the issue of terrorism.
30. India ranks lower than China in global food security index : India has been ranked
66, much lower than neighbouring China, in the 2012 Global Food Security Index released
by the American chemical company DuPont on 26th September 2012.India is ranked 66 ,
China (ranked 39) , Sri Lanka (ranked 62),Pakistan (ranked 75) and Bangladesh ( ranked
81) in the list of 105 countries.
31. India, Australia signs MoU to strengthen bilateral cooperation : India and Austrlia
has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on 1st October 2012 for strengthening
long-term relationship and bilateral Cooperation on Road and Rail Infrastructure.The
agreement was signed between the Minister of Railways and Road Transport and
Highways, Dr. C.P.Joshi and visiting Federal Minister of Transport, Innovation and
Technology of Austrlia, Mrs. Doris Burse in New Delhi.
32. India, Austrlia tie up to develop smart cities : India tie up with Austrlia to develop
two smart cities in all states with a host of modern features like intelligent transport and
carbon neutral status in each of the states in the second phase of the Jawaharlal Nehru
National Urban Renewal mission.Initially half a million to one million population cities will
be developed as smart cities with the help of Austrian Institute of Technology who is
expertise in this field.
33. India gets $500 mn World Bank fund for secondary education : World Bank, the
multilateral lending agency, and the government of India 5th October signed a loan
agreement worth $ 500 million for Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) in the
country.
34. India lags behind China, Pak in reducing hunger level :India lags behind
neighbouring China, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in reducing hunger level, says the 2012 Global
Hunger Index (GHI) released by US-based International Food Policy and Research
Institute.India is ranked 65th out of 79 countries in GHI, behind China at 2nd place,
Pakistan at 57 and Sri Lanka at 37.
35. IOC signs MoU with Korea Gas : Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), on 17th October 2012,
entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Korea Gas Corporation (Kogas)
for jointly exploring opportunities in exploration of oil and gas and LNG business.
36. Cabinet clears Rs 8,000cr missile purchase for armed forces : Proposals worth over
Rs 8,000 crore for procuring around 10,000 Invar missiles from Russia for the Armys T-
90 tanks and over 200 air-launched versions of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles for
the IAF were cleared on 18th October 2012 by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS).
37. India and Australia Sign Four Agreements of Cooperation : India and Australia
agreed to expand cooperation in security and Defence including fight against
terrorism.They also agreed to begin negotiations for an agreement on Civil Nuclear Energy
Cooperation which will precede actual cooperation. Both the countries also signed four
agreements in the field of space science technology and education, cooperation in student
mobility and welfare, skill development and textiles.
38. Iran to complete gas pipeline work by year-end : Iran has said it was for India and
Pakistan to sort out issues related to the proposed Indo-Iran gas pipeline, even as it
9
committed itself to complete its part of 800 km of gas pipeline to India till Irani boundaries
by the end of this year.
39. India, New Zealand sign five pacts to cooperate in field of education : India and
New Zealand signed five Memoranda of Understanding in the different fields of education
on 19th October 2012.
40. India, Switzerland to cooperate in Transport sector : India and Switzerland on 19th
October 2012 discussed ways and means for enhancing cooperation in the field of
Transport sector including roads and Railways.
41. India & Pakistan may introduce a common currency called Papee : After taking
into consideration the decade long success of Euro, and due to increasing demands of
businessmen of India (and terrorists of Pakistan), both countries ruling leaders (i.e.
Indias UPA, and Pakistans Military) are thinking about introducing a common currency for
India and Pakistan.The name with the highest votes , is a word derived by adding pa
from Pakistan and pee from Indian Rupee i.e. Papee
42. Hyderabad is worlds 3rd best city to visit in 2013 : Hyderabad has been named as
one of the best cities in the world to visit in 2013 by travel guide book Lonely Planet
published on 22nd October 2012.The top 10 cities according to Lonely Planet to visit in
2013 are San Francisco, Amsterdam, Hyderabad, Derry/Londonderry, Beijing,
Christchurch, Hobart, Montreal, Addis Ababa and Puerto Iguazu.
43. India, Japan focus on expanding defence cooperation : India and Japan on 22nd
October 2012 discussed ways to expand their security and defence cooperation at a
meeting of their foreign and defence secretaries in Tokyo.
44. Super 30 ties up with Tokyo University : The Super 30 programme for training
students of the backward sections for the IIT-JEE tied up on 24th October 2012 with the
University of Tokyo, which will sponsor study of its students in Japan.This agreement is a
follow-up of the Japanese Government Program named Global 30, of engagement with
Super 30 for increasing the flow of Indian Students to Japan.
45. 7th SAFF begins in Goa: The Seventh South Asia Film Festival (SAFF)-2012 held at
Panaji in Goa from.
46. India-US-Japan trilateral meet : The US pivot-to-Asia policy, Iran, China-Japan
maritime dispute and South China Sea will be among the issues to be discussed during the
3rd round of India-US-Japan Trilateral dialogue in New Delhi on 29th October 2012. The
meet will also focus on finding areas of cooperation between the three countries.
47. India to give financial assistance to Nepals Palpa District :India is to provide an
assistance of four crore and thirty-three lakh Nepali rupees for Palpa District in Western
Nepal on 31st October 2012.
48. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) lift export ban on some milk
products: Amid surplus availability of milk powder in the country, the government is likely
to decide on 1st November 2012 on lifting ban on export of milk products, especially
whole milk powder, dairy whitener and infant milk foods.
49. US included as dialogue partner of Indian Ocean countries:The US was inducted as
a sixth dialogue partner in the 20-nation Indian Ocean Rim-Association for Regional
Cooperation (IOR-ARC) grouping on 3rd November 2012.The ministers of countries which
are members of IOR-ARC decided unanimously to give the US the same status that they
had earlier accorded to the United Kingdom, France, Egypt and Japan.
50. Agreement with World Bank for Assam road project:India has signed a 320-million
dollar loan agreement with the World Bank for road projects in Assam on 5th November
2012.
51. Canada to allow civil nuclear trade with India : India and Canada signed an
agreement on 6th November 2012 in New Delhi for bilateral Cooperation in civil nuclear
trade. So, India imports Uranium from canada for civil nuclear reactors.
52. DRDO ties up with York University, Canada : Defence Research and Development
Organisation and York University, Canada signed a memorandum of understanding for
doing collaborative defence research in the areas of advanced materials, nanotechnology,
life sciences, bio-informatics, chemical and biological defence, sensors, and others.
53. Indian-origin CEO of Datawind and MIT professor among Forbes top 15
education innovators list :Indian-origin CEO of Datawind, the maker of Indias low-cost
tablet Aakash, Suneet Singh Tuli and Massachusettes Institute of Technology professor
Anant Agarwal named by Forbes magazine among the 15 classroom revolutionaries who
are using innovative technologies to reinvent education for students and teachers globally.
10
54. Mahatma Gandhi Grandson elected to Kansas State Assembly : Mahatma Gandhi
grandson Shanti Gandhi elected to a State Assembly in the United States from Kansass
52nd Assembly District as a Republican Party candidate during the general elections held
on 6 November 2012.
55. India and Afghanistan signed four agreements : India and Afghanistan signed four
agreements to cooperate in areas of social welfare, fertilizer, coal mining and youth affairs
on 12th November 2012.
56. Dr Ami Bera is the third Indian-American elected to the US House of
Representatives : An Indian-American physician from California became only the third
person of Indian-origin to be elected to the US House of Representatives by defeating
Republican Dan Lungren with just 184 votes lead.
57. Japan signs pact to import rare earths from India : India and Japan on 16 November
2012 inked a strategic agreement on Tokyo to import rare earth minerals from India.
58. Maldivian Airlines inks pact with Apollo Hospitals : Maldivian Airlines on 19
November 2012 had signed a pact with the Chennai-headquartered Apollo Hospitals to
give discounts to each others clients. For example, Apollo Hospitals will give a discount on
its service charges for those who fly the airline, and the airline will give similar discounts to
the hospitals patients on the airfare.
59. India adds 22 items in the list of border trade with Myanmar : India had notified 22
additional items including agricultural tools, bicycles, coal and garments in the list of items
for border trade with Myanmar.According to a study conducted by Confederation of Indian
Industry (CII), bilateral trade between India and Myanmar is expected to double by 2015
from $1.3 billion, on the back of free trade agreement between New Delhi and ASEAN
region.
60. India votes against UN resolution on death penalty ban : India was among the 39
countries that voted against a UN General Assembly draft resolution which called for
abolishing the death penalty, saying every nation had the sovereign right to determine
its own legal system.
61. India, China joint economic strategy held at New Delhi : The Second India-China
Strategic Economic Dialogue was held in New Delhi on 26 November 2012. In this meeting
China and India discussed several topics including greater cooperation at the global level,
strengthening communication on macroeconomic policies, deepening and expanding trade
and investment and promoting bilateral cooperation in the financial and infrastructure
sectors. The bilateral trade between these two countries enhanced from $74 billion to $100
billion.
62. India- Maldives joint military training exercises held at Belgaum : The fourth joint
military training exercises between the Indian Army and the Maldives National Defence
Force (MNDF) EKUVERIN 2012 was held in Belgaum from 12 to 25 November 2012.
63. Nitish Kumar, Hazare, Malala Among The Top 100 Global Thinkers List : On 2
December According to the United States-based Foreign Policy magazine has released its
list of the 100 Top Global Thinkers from 2012. The magazine has placed the Indians in
the list include Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who features way below at the 77th
place, Anna Hazare who has been placed at the 37th position for his anti-corruption
crusade in the country. 15-year-old Pakistani child rights activist Malala Yousafzai at 6th
position, Aung San Suu Kyi is ranked first in list.
64. Bangladesh Agreed on Zero Line Fencing along Tripura Border : On 2 December
Bangladesh had agreed to set up barbed wire fencing along zero line in nine stretches on
the Indo-Bangladesh border in Tripura. According to the MHA communique, fencing along
zero line was to be allowed in 9 areas.
65. India & Japan Signed Currency Swap Agreement : India signed a bilateral swap
arrangement (BSA) with the Bank of Japan to swap their local currencies for an amount of
$15 billion for a three year period on 4 December 2012.The BSA will effect from 5
December 2012.
66. India is Among Top Five Terror-Hit Nations : The Australian think tank released The
Global Terrorism Index (GTI) on 4 December 2012, according to this GTI, India, Pakistan
and Afghanistan were among the nations most impacted by terrorism in 2011. In 2011,
the Middle East, India, Pakistan and Russia were the areas most impacted by terrorism.
Indias GTI rank was 4 out of the 159 countries surveyed. While Iraq stood at number1,
Pakistan at number 2, Afghanistan at number 3 and Yemen was number 5.
67. Bangalore Best Indian City To Live : Bangalore ranks better than New Delhi, Mumbai,
Chennai and Kolkata amongst Indian cities in overall global quality of living index,
11
according to a Mercer 2012 Quality of Living Survey.Bangalores overall quality of living
rank went up from 141 in 2011 to 139 in 2012 and is highest amongst other Indian cities.
68. India Ranked 94th Position in Corruption : Denmark, Finland and New Zealand
tied for the first place in watchdog Transparency Internationals 2012 index of the least
corrupt countries. India is on 94th position in the Corruption Perceptions Index. Most
corrupted nations are Afghanistan, North Korea and Somalia in 174th positions.
69. US Extends Exemptions For India to Iran Oil Sanctions : On 8 December the US
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has extended exemptions to India, China ,South Korea,
Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Taiwan from Iranian Sanctions
Act mainly because of their significant reduction in oil import from Iran.The 9 countries
have again qualified for an exception to sanctions outlined in Section 1245 of the National
Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2012, based on additional reductions in
the volume of their crude oil purchases from Iran.This is for the second time that countries
including India has received waiver from US under the Iranian sanctions act.
70. 3 Indian Projects among Strategic- Global Infrastructure Projects List : Three
Indian projects have placed in the new yorks Global Infrastructure Leadership Forum Top
100 Strategic Global Infrastructure Projects list. GIFT city (Gujarat International Financial
Tech city), Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail project (Maharashtra) and the Hyderabad
Metro Rail (HMR) project (Andhra Pradesh).
71. India, Ukraine Signed on Five Agreements : India and Ukraine on 10 December 2012
signed on five agreements in New Delhi to enhance cooperation including in areas of
defence, Nuclear, Science and Technology and also to remove barriers in trade and
commerce.
72. Indians Largest Ethnic Minority Group in UK :On 11 December According to the
2011 Britain population census record Indians are the largest ethnic minority group in the
UK.With 1.5 percent of the Hindu religion became a third-largest religion in the nations.
The Christian population in the country is also a drop in the statistics.. The Muslim
community population in the countrys fastest growing increased by 3 percent to 4.8.
73. India& Pak Signed on New Visa Agreement : The new Visa Agreement between India
and Pakistan on 14th December, 2012 at New Delhi. However, the Visa-on-Arrival will
come into effect from 15th January, 2013. Shri Sushilkumar Shinde, Home Minister of
India and Mr. A. Rehman Malik, Pakistan Interior Minister singed on the agreement.
74. Cell Phone Connections to exceed the World Population by 2014 : The
International Telecommunications Communication Union (ITU) to be designed and released
Information Society 2012 Observe report on 11 December. According to the report
number of cell phone connections exceeding the worlds population by 2014. Now 6 billion
(hundreds of millions) cell phone connections they will reach 730 Millions by 2014 .Then
the worlds population is 700 crore.Already in Russia 1.8 times cell phone accounts more
than 25 million people.
75. Indians now Live Longer but in Poor Health in Old Age : According to the the
prestigious British medical journal, The Lancet report the life expectancy (LE) at birth of
an average Indian male has gone up by 15 years between 1970 and 2010. An average
Chinese male is living 10 years longer than an Indian male, while a Chinese woman is
living 11.5 years longer than her Indian counterpart. An average American lives nearly 13
years longer than an Indian.
76. World Malaria Report 2012 : According to the WHO World Malaria Report 2012 India,
the country most affected by malaria in the South East Asian Region, is projected to see a
decrease of 50-75 per cent in malaria case incidence by 2015.In South East Asia Region,
Bhutan, Korea, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand have registered decreases of 75 per cent or
more in the incidence of microscopically confirmed malaria incidence rates between 2000
and 2011.
77. Hinduism Third Largest Religion of World :According to the Pew research survey
report Hinduism is the third largest religion of the world after Christianity , Islam and 97
per cent of all Hindus live in the worlds three Hindu-majority countries (India, Mauritius
and Nepal), and nearly nine-in-ten Christians (87 per cent) are found in the worlds 157
Christian majority countries.In the total world population 2.2 billion Christians (32 per cent
of the worlds population), 1.6 billion Muslims (23 per cent) around the world as of 2010.
78. India & Russia signed Rs 22,000 crore Defence Deals : India and Russia signed
defence deals worth around Rs. 22,000 crore ($4 billion) on 24 December. According to
this pact Russia will sell India 71 military helicopters for $1.3 billion and technological kits
to assemble 42 Sukhoi jet fighters for $1.6 billion.
12
79. India Pakistan Exchanged Nuclear Units Lists : On 1 January India and Pakistan
exchanged their nuclear units lists , as it is customary since 20 years. The list which
contains the names of nuclear units of two countries, are exchanged between India and
Pakistan as a custom and part of an agreement which prevents them from aiming the
nuclear installations of each others nations.
80. Thousands of illegal Indian Migrants in UK : According to a 2012 UK Home Office
report, India has been named along with Pakistan, China, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh,
Afghanistan, Vietnam, Brazil and Iran as the main sources of illegal immigration to
Britain.What the report does not mention is how many of the 863,000 illegal migrants that
it says are living in the UK are students. This is a contentious area because critics of the
coalition government claim it is counting students among overall immigrants.
81. World Economic Forums Global Risks Report :According to the World Economic
Forum (WEF) report , India ranks lowest among the worlds major economies for its
preparedness to tackle global environmental risks and second-lowest for economic
risks.Switzerland is best placed among the worlds 10 major economies for adapting to or
recovering from global economic and environmental risks.While India is ranked 9th in
terms of its ability to tackle global economic risks, it comes last at 10th position for
environmental risks.However, India fared relatively better at 6th position in terms of the
governments risk management effectiveness.The US and China were ranked fourth and
fifth respectively.
82. Indians Top the List of Working in Dream Jobs : According to survey conducted by
networking website LinkedIn,Indians have emerged at the top of the list of people working
in their dream job.The dream job league table:1. India 44 percent 2. Indonesia 42
percent 3. United Arab Emirates 35.7 percent 4. Germany 33 percent 5. Brazil 32
percent 6. Austria 31 percent 7. Switzerland 30 percent 8. USA 29 percent 9. France,
Canada, Sweden, South Africa 28 percent 13. Singapore, Hong Kong 27 percent 15.
Australia 26 percent 16. New Zealand 25 percent 17. UK 21 percent
83. India Vietnam Signed on Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises : On 15 January
India and Vietnam signed an MoU aimed at building capacity for developing institutional
framework and identifying thrust areas and opportunities for micro, small and medium
enterprises in this country.The MoU was signed here between the Ministry of Planning and
Investments of Vietnam and Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) of
India .
84. India and Sri Lanka signed Anti-terror, Tax evasion Agreements : On 22nd January
India and Sri Lanka signed two separate agreements on combating international terrorism
and avoidance of double taxation, eyeing elevation of robust bilateral ties to building of
a special economic partnership.The two key accords were signed after the 8th India-Sri
Lanka Joint Commission meeting held at New Delhi , both countries discussed enhanced
cooperation in a range of areas including civil nuclear energy.At the meeting, the Indian
side was led by External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid while the Lankans were led by
his counterpart G.L. Peiris.During the meet, both the parties also decided setting up of the
Special Economic Zone at Trincomali and a textile and pharmaceutical cluster in Sri Lanka.
85. International Tea Producers Forum formed : On 22 January India, along with five
other tea producing countries, has formed the International Tea Producers Forum (ITPF) at
Colombo.Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry D Purandesari signed the
joint communique on behalf of India along with representatives of Kenya, Sri Lanka,
Indonesia, Rwanda and Malawi in Colombo.The ITPF will initially be an independent body
but in future may get affiliated to Food & Agriculture Organisation of United Nations.
86. India , Bangladesh Signed Extradition and Visa Agreements : On 28 January
Bangladesh and India signed an extradition treaty and struck a deal to relax business visa
restrictions between the neighbouring countries. However, refusal provisions were
incorporated into the extradition treaty.Home minister Sushilkumar Shinde signed the
agreement with his Bangladeshi counterpart Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir at the end of their
bilateral talks.
87. India Dropped to 140th Rank in Press Freedom : According to the report Reporters
Without Borders India has dropped nine places to the 140th rank in the list of 179
countries in the latest World Press Freedom Index.China (173rd, +1) shows no sign of
improving. Its prisons still hold many journalists and netizens, while increasingly unpopular
Internet censorship continues to be a major obstacle to access information.As last year,
the list is topped by three European countries Finland, Netherlands and
13
Norway.Turkmenistan, North Korea and Eritrea continue to be at the bottom of the list as
has been in the last three years
NATIONAL
1. Ban on SIMI upheld by Tribunal: A special tribunal has upheld the ban imposed by the
Centre on Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), which has links with Pakistan-based
terrorist outfits including Lashkar-e-Taiba and its front, Indian Mujahideen. The Home
Ministry on February 3 extended the ban on SIMI by two more years.
2. India is the second-largest mobile phone user in world : India is the second-largest
mobile phone user with over 900 million users in the world said Union Health Minister
Ghulam Nabi Azad in London on 03 August 2012. Telecom Regulatory Authority of India
(TRAI) announced that the mobile users in India are increased to 93.4 crore.
3. Hamid Ansari re-elected as Indias 14th Vice President : Hamid Ansari has been re-
elected as the 14th Vice President of India.He received 490 votes in his favour.His rival,
BJP nominee Jaswant Singh polled 238 voted.He became the only person after
Dr.Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan to get a second term.
4. PSCC recommends declaration of tea as national drink: The Parliamentary Standing
Committee on Commerce (PSCC) headed by BJP Rajya Sabha member Shanta Kumar has
recommended declaration of tea as a national drink.Stating this at Palampur on Friday,
Kumar said the 102nd report of the Committee on the Tea Industry had placed in both
houses of the Parliament that 96 percent to 99 percent people in both Urban and Rural
areas of the country consume tea and as such it has already acquired the status of a
national drink.
5. NRHM to be expanded to towns also : The government will expand the scope of the
NRHM(National Rural Health Mission) to all towns and cities, by converting it into a
National Health Mission(NHM).
6. Mobile base Station radiation limit will be cut from September 1 : The Union
government has told parliament that exposure limit of radio frequency fields(base station
emissions) will be brought down to one-tenth of the existing level from 1st September
2012,because they receive petitions in High Courts and Supreme Court on fears of health
hazards like cancer from mobile tower radiations.RF signals produced by base stations are
caused for short and long term health effects.
7. Complete ban on child labour below 14 approved by Cabinet : The Union Cabinet on
28th August 2012 approved a proposal for amending the Child Labour (Prohibition and
Regulation) Act, 1986, to ban employment of children aged up to 14 in any form of
industry. It will be an offence to employ such children not only in factories or industries but
also in homes or on farms, if their labour is meant to serve any commercial interest.
8. Supreme court upholds death sentence for Kasab : The Supreme court has upheld
the death sentence for pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab in the 26/11/2008 Mumbai terror
attack.
9. 2% Reservation to Sports Persons : Youth Services and Sports Sports Policy -
Incentives to Sports Persons Extension of Sports Reservation to Two (2%) to meritorious
sports persons in direct recruitment in Government Departments / Undertaking / Grant
in Aid Institutions at all levels Instructions and Guidelines Notification Orders Issued.
10. Sebi plans investor website in 13 Indian languages : Market regulator Sebi is
planning to soon offer its investor website in as many as 13 Indian languages, besides the
existing one in English, to spread awareness among investors and to help resolve their
grievances.
11. Supreme Court lifts ban on iron ore mining in Karnataka: Supreme Court partially
lifts ban on iron ore mining in Karnataka on 3rd September 2012, on the basis of the
recommendations of the Central Empowered Committee (CEC). CEC divides the leases of
iron ore mines in three categories A,B,C.marginal irregularities and no irregularities of
leases come under A category, most irregularities in leases come under C
category,moderate irregularities come under B category.The Supreme Court has lifted the
banwould only be effective in 18 category A mines, subject to their compliance with
statutory clearances.The ban will continued on the remaining leases.
14
12. Lok Sabha passed two Bills on 3rd September 2012 : Lok Sabha passed two bills on
3rd September 2012 They are 1.Sexual harassment may mean loss of business
licence:Non-compliance with the provisions of the law will be punishable with a fine of up
to Rs 50,000. Repeated violations may lead to higher penalties and cancellation of licence
or registration to do business.2.National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) expansion bill
passed
13. 4.6 magnitude quake rocks Ladakh, no impact in Kashmir : A 4.6 magnitude quake
rock Ladakh region in Jammu and Kashmir on 4th September 2012 afternoon. However, it
was not felt in the Kashmir valley.Its epicentre was in Southern Xinjiang China, located at
a distance of 327 km from Leh.
14. MGNREGA work days raised to 150, crop loans cut to 7% : Empowered Group of
Ministers(EGoM) on drought headed by Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar decided to
increase the number of guaranteed work days under Mahatama Gandhi National Rural
Employment Guarantee (MGNREGA) to 150 days and cut interest rates on crop loans to 7
percent for one year for the farmers in drought-affected states.
15. Women and Child Development Ministry launched a Web Portal named Track
Child : The Union Women and Child Development Ministry on 18 September 2012 decided
to launch a web portal named Track Child, which will serve as a central database of all
those children who have gone missing in different parts of the country. The portal will act
as a coordination mechanism between child homes, police departments and state
governments.
16. Govt launches Rajiv Gandhi Equity Savings Scheme : The Finance Minister P
Chidambaram on 21st September 2012 cut withholding tax on overseas borrowings to 5
percent from 20 percent and approved the Rajiv Gandhi Equity Savings Scheme
(RGESS).While the RGESS is aimed at encouraging first time retail investors to invest in
stock markets through tax concessions, the cut in withholding tax to 5 percent seeks to
lower the cost of foreign borrowings by the Indian companies.The RGESS will give tax
benefits to new investors who invest up to Rs 50,000 and whose annual income is below
Rs 10 lakh.
17. C P Joshi given additional charge of Railways : Union Minister of Road Transport and
Highways C P Joshi has been assigned the additional charge of the Ministry of Railways in
place of Mr Mukul Roy, who was among the six Ministers who resigned from the United
Progressive Alliance (UPA) government 22nd September 2012.
18. Election Commission Ban the usage of animal and birds in poll campaign : The
Election Commission of India (ECI) on 26th September 2012 issued an order banning the
use of animals and birds by political parties during campaigns. People for the Ethical
Treatment of Animals (PETA) India said that following repeated requests by animal activist,
the Election Commission asked political parties and candidates to refrain from using
animals for their campaigns.
19. FICCI urges Centre to ban bauxite exports : Trade body Federation of Indian
Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) has urged the Union ministry of commerce
and industry to ban bauxite exports fearing closure of alumina refineries for shortage of
the key raw material required to produce alumina.
20. Supreme Court directs Centre and states to provide basic facilities to students :
The Supreme Court on 3rd October 2012 directed all schools across the country to provide
basic infrastructure facilities like drinking water and toilets to school children within six
months and failure to implement will be viewed seriously. The order was passed on a
petition filed by an NGO Environmental and Consumer Protection Foundation.
21. Kejriwal forms political party, promises to change the system : Social activist
Arvind Kejriwal added a new dimension to his movement against corruption as he formally
launched his political party and said it belonged to the people of the nation. :
22. Ministry of Rural Development Launched Nirmal Bharat Yatra : Ministry of rural
development on 3 October 2012 started a campaign named Nirmal Bharat Yatra which
focuses on making the country free from open defecation.The yatra will begin from Wardha
District of Maharashtra from 3 october 2012 and will go through Indore, Kota, Gwalior, and
Gorakhpur and end up in Bettiah district of Bihar on November 17, covering about 2000
km of distance.
23. SC orders new survey to identify bonded labour : The Supreme Court on 15th
October 2012 directed all states and Union Territories to conduct fresh surveys to identify
bonded labour problems in the country and regretted that a large number of children
continue to work as domestic help even after the enactment of the Right to Education Act.
15
24. Centre to launch Aadhaar based delivery system : The much awaited Aadhaar
enabled system for direct cash transfer to beneficiaries under social schemes such as
MNREGA and pension will be launched on 19th October 2012 by PM Manmohan Singh at
Dudu, Rajasthan.
25. Indias infant mortality rate drops : Indias infant mortality rate (IMR) has come down
by three points from 47 to 44 deaths per 1,000 live births during 2011.
26. Centre, states sign MoU for broadband linking of villages : The Central government
has signed a tripartite agreement with 16 states and union territories and a special
purpose vehicle Bharat Broadband Network Ltd (BBNL) has been launched to expedite the
mission of connecting every gram panchayat with broadband network.
Reshuffling of Central Cabinet
Cabinet Ministers Portfolio
M. Veeerappa Moily Petroleum & Natural Gas
S. Jaipal Reddy Science & Technology and Earth Science
Kamal Nath Urban Development & Parliamentary Affairs
Vayalar Ravi Overseas Indian Affairs
Kapil Sibal Communications & Information Technology
C.P. Joshi Road Transport & Highways
Kumar Selja Social Justice & Empowerment
Pawan Kumar Bansal Railways
Salman Khursheed External Affairs
Jairam Ramesh Rural Development
K. Rahman Khan Minority Affairs
Dinsha J. Patel Mines
Ajay Maken Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation
M.M. Pallam Raju Human Resource Development
Ashwani Kumar Law & Justice
Harish Rawat Water Resources
Chandresh Kumar Katoch Culture
Ministers of State with
Independent Charge
Portfolio
Jyotiraditya Madharao Scindia Power
K.H. Muniappa Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises
Sachin Pilot Corporate Affairs
Jitendra Singh Youth Affairs & Sports
Manish Tewari Information & Broadcasting
K. Chiranjeevi Tourism
Ministers of State Portfolio
E. Ahamed External Affairs
D. Purandeswari Commerce & Industry
Jitin Prasada Defence & Human Resource Development
S. Jagathrakshakan New & Renewable Energy
R.P.N. Singh Home
K.C. Venugopal Civil Aviation
Rajeev Shukla Parliamentary Affairs & Planning
Shashi Tharoor Human Resource Development
Kodikunni Suresh Labour & Employment
Tariq Anwar Agriculture & Food Processing Industries
K.J. Surya Prakash Reddy Railways
Ranee Narah Tribal Affairs
Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury Railways
A.H. Khan Choudhury Health & Family Welfare
16
Sarvey Sathyanarayana Road Transport & Highways
Ninong Ering Minority Affairs
Deepa Dasmunsi Urban Development
Porika Balram Naik Social Justice & Empowerment
Kruparani Killi Communication & Inforamtion Technology
Lalchand Kataria Defence
Resigned Cabinet Ministers Portfolio
S.M. Krishna External Affairs
Ambika Soni Information and Broadcasting
Mukul Wasnik Tourism
Mahadev Khandela Minister of State Justice and Empowerment
27. President Pranab Mukherjee released a commemorative postage stamp on late
Ramgopal Maheshwari : President Pranab Mukherjee released a commemorative
postage stamp on late Ramgopal Maheshwari on 20 November 2012.
28. Arvind Kejriwal launches Aam Admi Party : Arvind Kejriwal announced the name for
his newly launched party as Aam Admi Party on 24 November 2012 in New Delhi.
29. Bangalore among top polluted megacities in the world : Indias silicone valley
Bangalore was rated among top polluted megacities in the world, claims a new study,
using data collected by NASAs high-tech satellites.Scientists at Tel Aviv University tracked
pollution trends for 189 megacities, including Mumbai, New York City and Tokyo, by
analysing eight years worth of data from three of NASAs high-tech aerosol monitoring
satellites.
30. Sexual Assault a Gender-Neutral Offence Bill Passed by Lok Sabha : The Criminal
Law (Amendment) Bill, replacing the word rape by the phrase sexual assault and seeking
to widen the scope of the offence passed by Lok Sabha on 4 December. Both men and
women could soon be able to invoke the provisions of a criminal law in case of sexual
assault .The amendment bill expands the definition so that cases of sexual assault where
victims were male would fall under the same law along with cases where victims were
women.
31. Cabinet Approved Naval Base Phase II of Project Seabird : On 7 December The
Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) cleared a Rs 13,500 crore major expansion plan of
the strategic Karwar naval base Phase II Alpha of the project Seabird in Karnataka is set
to become the countrys biggest Naval base by 2025. The Karwar naval base is Indias
third major naval base after Mumbai and Visakhapatnam on the east coast.
32. Over 7 Crore Unemployed Youth in India : According to the National Sample Survey
Office (NSSO) report an approximate 7 crore youth people in India are either unemployed
or under-employed. The figures were revealed by Labour and Employment Minister
Mallikarjun Kharge in Rajya Sabha.As per results of the latest survey conducted by NSSO
during 2009-10, the number of unemployed or under-employed persons on usual status
basis in the country was 95 lakhs and about six crore respectively.
33. Rajya Sabha Passed SC/ST Quota Bill : A Constitution 117th amendment bill providing
for quota for SCs and STs in government job promotions was on December 17 passed by
Rajya Sabha.
34. Unlawful Activities Amendment Bill Passed by Rajya Sabha : On 20 December
Parliament passed a bill that makes economic offences, including circulation of high
quality counterfeit currency, a terrorist act.The Rajya Sabha passed Unlawful Activities
(Prevention) Amendment Bill, 2012 by voice vote while several parties. The bill was
already passed by Lok Sabha.
35. LokSabha Approved Company Bill 2011 : On 18 December Lok Sabha passed the
Companies Bill 2011 paving the way for a new modern company law.The Bill is aimed at
improving corporate governance. It contains provisions to strengthen regulations for
corporate as well as auditing firms.
36. Banking Bill passed by Lok Sabha : The Banking Laws Amendment Bill, 2011, have
been passed in the Lok Sabha on 20 December .The amendments pave the way for the
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to issue new bank licences, and also opens door for more
foreign investment into the sector.
17
37. Usha Mehra commission for Delhi incident victim Nirbhayas Case : A female
physiotherapy intern student Nirbhaya beaten and gang raped in Delhi on 16 December
and died on 29 December while undergoing emergency treatment in Singapore for brain
and gastrointestinal damage from the assault.The government has formed a committee of
enquiry under justice Usha Mehra to reconstruct the events leading to the incident identify
lapses by police and other agencies and fix responsibility for the crime.
38. Microsoft Launches 14 Innovation Centres in India : Microsoft Corporation (India)
Pvt. Ltd had launched 14 Microsoft Innovation Centres (MICs) in India. It has signed
agreements with leading academic institutions across four States.As part of the global
programme, which currently has 75 MICs, Microsoft aims to launch a 100 such centres in
India in the next two years.
39. Govt Launched Direct Cash Transfer Scheme in 20 Districts : On 1 January 2013
The government launched its scaled down Cash Transfer Benefit (CBT) in 20 districts,but
food, fertiliser and fuel subsidies will not be covered in the initial phase. All 26 schemes are
ready for rollout. On 1 January 2013 the seven schemes in which payout is due in the (20
selected) districts, the money will be transferred through the direct benefit transfer system
using the UIDAI platform.The scheme is going to be rolled out in 43 districts by 1 March
2013, 20 districts from January 1, 11 districts from February 1 and 12 districts from March
1. By end of 2013, the direct cash benefit transfer will be rolled out in all the districts of
the country.
40. PA Sangma launched National Peoples Party : PA Sangma, who broke away with
the NCP in 2012 to contest the presidential elections, though unsuccessfully, on 05
January 2013 launched National Peoples Party (NPP), and chosen a book as its symbol.
Sangma has chosen to align his party with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
41. President Released Stamps on Swami Vivekananda : On 12 January The President,
Shri Pranab Mukherjee released the Commemorative Postage Stamps, at the
Commemoration of the 150th Birth Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, in New Delhi .
42. Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2012 : On 17 January According to the
Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2012 report has found that learning levels have
dipped to an all-time low. So, almost half the 6-7 year-olds (Class I) in India cannot read
even one letter in any language, over 57% cannot read any English while almost 40%
cannot recognize numbers between 1 and 9.The 12.8% children between Class I and V
could not read a single letter while 10.7% could not recognize numbers 1 to 9. The
number of children in Class V who could read Class II text fell from 53.7% in 2010 to
46.8% in 2012. In 2010, seven out of 10 children could solve a two-digit subtraction
problem with borrowing. This has come down to five out of 10 in 2012.
STATES
1. Orissa is the first state to provide e-payment : facility for government employees
Orissa became the First Indian state to provide epayment facility for government
employees from 1 August 2012.Now, the government employees in the state will receive
their salaries and pensions
through the online Portal of Reserve Bank of India.Employees received their salaries and
pensions directly to their bank account.
2. Keshubhai Patel launched Gujarat Parivartan (GPP) Party : Former Chief Minister of
Gujarat, Keshubhai Patel launched Gujarat Parivartan (GPP) Party on 6 August 2012.
Keshubhai Patel and the former union textile minister Kanshiram Rana resigned from
Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) on 4 August 2012. This Party would contest all the 182 seats in
Gujarat assembly elections which will be held by the end of 2012.
3. Himachal Bagged top slot in Environment Index :Environment Performance
Index(EPI)-2012 compiled on July Month.According to the Survey Report conducted across
all 28 states and 7 Union territories, the EPI is an Indication of the Environmental well-
being of a state. Himachal
bagged first and Andhra Pradesh bagged Second. The rankings, the report added, have
18
been decided based on five broad parameters: air pollution, forests, water quality, waste
management and climate change.
4. MJP merges with Keshubhai party : The anti-Narendra Modi factions in the Bharatiya
Janata Party(BJP)in Gujarat under one umbrella, the Mahagujarat Janata Party(MJP),
formed five years ago, was on 8 August 2012 merged with the Gujarat Parivartan
Party(GPP) formed by the former Chief Minister and Mr. Modis arch rival Keshubhai Patel.
5. Maharashtra bans Bt cotton seeds : The Maharashtra government has banned the sale
and distribution of the genetically modified Bt cotton seeds of Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds
Company (Mahyco), a partner of US multinational Monsanto, in the state with immediate
effect for supplying inferior quality seeds. The government has banned the Mahyco
company with immediate effect,
agriculture commissioner Umakant Dangat told IANS(Indo-Asia News Service) 9 August
2012,
when asked about the canceling of the companys license.
6. Haryana to ban food articles containing Nicotine and Tobacco : Haryana
government will impose a complete banon food articles containing nicotine and tobacco
from 2012 August 15.
7. House Sparrow declared State Bird of Delhi : The good old house sparrow, which is
becoming rarer by the day, has been declared State Bird of Delhi by Chief Minister Sheila
Dikshit as part of a new campaign to save the species and enhance awareness about their
life and habitat.High court imposed a fine of Rs.5000 rupees to State Government for the
appointment of DGP
8. The State Government challenged the Central : Administrative Tribunal(CAT) order in
the High Court. Ironically for the State, the High Court imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on the
government, while declaring the appointment of Dinesh Reddy in the post of DGP as
invalid.
9. Drug Trial Related Deaths Highest in Maharastra : According to data released by the
Drug Controller General of India Maharastra has recorded the maximum deaths number of
deaths due to serious adverse events (SAEs) during drug trials, while Madhya Pradesh saw
the least number of such deaths.During the 49 months period (January 2008 to January
2012) , the country had recorded the 2,061 drug trial related deaths. while maharastra
recorded maximum number of deaths 268 deaths to stand first among top five states.It is
followed by Andhra Pradesh (153), Delhi/National Capital Region (97), Gujarat (87) and
Karnataka (78). The number of deaths in Maharashtra was over 10 times that of Madhya
Pradesh, which is the lowest among the top 10 States. :
10. Delhi launched the Kerosene-free Delhi scheme : Delhi Government set to launch an
ambitious scheme(Kerosene-free Delhi scheme ) on 21st August 2012 under which 3.56
lakh households will get LPG cylinder and a gas stove free of cost.
11. Punjab Approves Rs.93crore Milk Production Scheme : The Punjab Government has
started a special programme to increase the milk production in the state by spending
Rs.93crore during 2012-13. This was announced by Dairy Development Minister Gulzar
Singh Ranike. Punjab government has bought 3 lakh doses of foreign semen from America
and Canada for improvement of cow breeds in the state.
12. Uttarakhand Cabinet increases age limit for jobs : Uttarakhand Cabinet the maximum
age limit for government jobs had been increased from 35 to 40 years for general category
candidates from 21 August 2012 onwords.Candidates belonging to other categories would
also get the benefit of the decision accordingly.
13. Odisha tops in FDI proposals; Andhra, Gujarat next : Odisha attracted the largest
value of investments from foreign direct investment (FDI) proposals filed in 2011-12,
followed by Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat.Odisha garnered 27 per cent of the total
investments (worth about Rs 49,527 crore), though barely 17 FDI proposals were filed
for the State. Andhra Pradesh ranked second with a share of about 19 per cent through
about 70 proposals, attracting investment worth about Rs 33,936 crore.Gujarat, which
received 131 FDI proposals, ranked third with a share of over 11 per cent attracting
proposed investment worth Rs 20,258 crore.
14. Jaane Apna Rajasthan scheme for NRIs : The Rajasthan Government on 27 Aug
launched a scheme aimed at making the young non-resident Indians(NRIs) familiar, with
the culture and traditions of the state under the Jaane Apna Rajasthan(Know your
Rjasthan)scheme announced by the chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. According to this scheme
the NRIs who visit Rajasthan will be taken around historical places, tourist
19
attractions,sanctuaries,famous educational institutions, ancestral villages and major
Industrial projects will be shown to them . :
15. HC(High Court) fixes quota in local bodies at 50 percent : The AP High Court on 04
September 2012 ruled that the combined reservations for Backward Classes, Scheduled
Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the Panchayat Raj local bodies should not exceed the
upper ceiling of 50 per cent.The court directed the state to cut the quota for BCs and bring
the cumulative figure down to 50 per cent. :
16. Bill for special status for six districts in Hyderabad-Karnataka region introduced :
In the Lok Sabha on 7th September 2012 ,Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde introduced
a Bill to amend the Constitution and thus provide a special status to the Hyderabad-
Karnataka region , under a new Article 371(J).Once it is approved by Parliament the
Hyderabad-Karnataka region covering six backwards districts Bidar, Gulbarga, Koppal,
Yadgir, Raichur and Bellary will get more central funds for development and will be on
par with the Telananga region of Andhra Pradesh. Besides, there will be reservation in jobs
and education for the locals. :
17. Supreme Court issues notice to Tamil Nadu government on 69 per cent
reservation : The Supreme Court 10th September 2012 issued a notice to Tamil Nadu
government on a petition challenging the constitutional validity of the 69 per cent
reservation by the state government in employment and educational institutions. The
petition, filed by students, challenged the governments decision to exceed the 50 per cent
limit in reservation mandated by the Mandal Commission judgement.The ten student
petitioners from Tamil Nadu had approached the Court after failing to secure admission to
the Medical College despite having secured 198/200.
18. Punjab government amends Canal and Drainage Act : The offence of theft of canal
water can now attract both fine and 6 months imprisonment after an amendment in the
law relating to canals and drainage.Punjab Irrigation Minister, Janmeja Singh Sekhon
informed that the Punjab government has amended section 70 of the Act for this. :
19. NHRC issues notice to Maharashtra over farm suicides: The National Human Rights
Commission (NHRC) has sought a reply from the Maharashtra government over seven
farm suicides that took place last week within a span of 72 hours in the states Vidarbha
region.A total of 528 farmers have committed suicide in the Vidarbha region between Jan 1
and Sep 2 this year.
20. Ban on gutka in Delhi comes into effect : A blanket ban on manufacturing, sale,
storage and display of all gutka products in the national capital came into effect from 13th
September 2012. States like Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Kerala, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and
Bihar have already announced ban on gutka products. A similar comprehensive ban came
into effect in Gujarat from 12th September 2012.
21. Haryana government institute awards for women : Haryana government has
instituted four state-level awards to felicitate women who have done outstanding work in
different fields. These are 1.Indira Gandhi Mahila Shakti Award(given to those engaged in
promoting self help groups or women empowerment initiatives, established their own
business or industry and have contributed to development of women besides
entrepreneurship and done exemplary work in public service.) 2.Kalpna Chawla Shaurya
Award(who perform acts of bravery and meritorious services) 3.Bahin Shano Devi
Panchayti Raj Award(exemplary work in promoting female literacy, health and nutrition,
universalisation of education, sanitation, water, hygiene and other health determinants)
and 4.Life time Achievers Award( given to woman of 60 years of age or above, who has
excelled in administrative skills, career or profession, leadership quality, courage and
creative work) and Women Outstanding Achievers Award(women who have done
commendable work in their respective fields)
22. Door-to-door cancer campaign in Punjab : Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal
sanctioned the biggest ever door-to-door campaign for a symptoms-based early
detection and awareness about cancer.At least 50,000 personnel and volunteers would
visit 54 lakh households in 12,603 villages and 217 census towns, for the exercise that
begins in Faridkot district on October 2.
23. In Goa Housewives with family income less than Rs 3 lakh to get Rs 1000 to fight
inflation : Housewives in Goa just got a breather from rising inflation, the Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP)-led coalition government on 2nd October 2012 launched a scheme to
provide an allowance of Rs 1,000 a month to housewives in households whose annual
incomes are less than Rs 3 lakh.
20
24. EC announces dates for assembly polls in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh :The
Election Commission on 3rd October 2012 announced dates for Gujarat and Himachal
Pradesh Assembly elections. While Gujarat will have elections in two phases December
13 and 17, Himachal Pradesh will vote on November 4. The counting for both the assembly
elections will take place on December 20.
25. UP government announces ban on gutka industry from April 2013 : On 3rd October
2012 Uttar Pradesh government decided to impose a ban on gutka industry in the state
with effect from April 2013.
26. Supreme Court bans mining activities in Goa : In Goa, the Supreme Court imposed a
complete ban on the mining activities as well as transportation of iron and manganese ore
on 5th October 2012.
27. Arvind Kejriwal launches bijli-paani satyagraha in Delhi : Activist Arvind Kejriwal
on 6th Octomber 2012 launched a bijli-paani satyagraha in Delhi to protest against
inflated power and water bills and hike in tariffs by restoring electricity connection to the
household of a labourer which was disconnected for non-payment of bills.
28. EC fiat to Himachal Pradesh : On 7th October 2012 The Election Commission (EC)
stopped the BJP government in Himachal Pradesh from distributing free PDS bags carrying
photographs of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
29. Maharashtra tribals demand ban on alcohol : Tribal women from Maharashtras
Chandrapur have sent 80,000 postcards to Chief Miniter Prithviraj Chavan asking to make
the district liquor-free.
30. UPRVUNL, NLC to set up thermal plant at Ghatampur : The UP Rajya Vidyut Utpadan
Nigam Ltd (UPRVUNL) and the central government PSU Neyveli Lignite Corporation Ltd
(NLCL) signed a joint venture agreement (JVA) to set up a 2,000 MW thermal power plant
at Ghatampur (Kanpur) on 7th October 2012 .
31. Union Government ruled out the decision of Cauvery River Authority : Decision of the
Cauvery River Authority was ruled out by the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on 8
October 2012. The Prime Minister ordered Karnataka to release 9000 cusecs of water to
Tamil Nadu every day, till 20 October 2012.
32. Railways put 400 CCTVs at 10 stations to improve security system : The Delhi
division of Northern Railway authorities have completed the installation of 400 CCTVs at
10 stations with Rs. 20 crore to ensure better security and mobility at its stations.Only in
the New Delhi Railway station they installed more than 100 CCTV cameras as part of an
integrated security system (ISS).
33. Presidents son Abhijit Mukherjee wins Jangipur Lok Sabha by-poll : Abhijit
Mukherjee, son of President Pranab Mukherjee and Congress candidate, on 13th October
2012 won the Jangipur Lok Sabha by-election by 2,536 votes defeating the CPI-M rival
Muzaffar Hussain. :
34. Union Power Ministry gave its Nod to Implement Islanding Scheme in Delhi : The
Union Power Minister Veerapa Moily on 17 October 2012 announced the implementation of
Islanding Scheme for Delhi by January 2013 to protect it from massive disruptions caused
due to grid failures in power supply. The scheme of Delhi is different to that of the existing
ones in cities like Mumbai and Kolkata because the transmission lines of different states is
routed through Delhi.
35. Haryana to give Rs.11,000 to couples at mass weddings : The Haryana Government
has announced on 20th October 2012 that it will give Rs.11,000 to each newly wedding
couple at a mass marriage.
36. Uttarakhand Named best Performing States in terms of Environmental standards
: The state of Uttarakhand on 29 October 2012 tops the Environmental Performance Index
(EPI) list of being best-performing States and Union territories in terms of environmental
well-being released by Planning Commission.
37. 50% reservation for women in Assam Panchayat Elections : The Assam State
Election Commission has announced 50 per cent reservation of seats for women in the
forthcoming panchayat polls as stated by State Election Commissioner Biren Dutta on 9th
November 2012
38. Chain of static sensors positioned along the coast of Andhra Pradesh : Union
Minister of State for Defence Jitendra Kumar inaugurated a chain of static sensors
positioned along the coast of Andhra Pradesh at a programme organised at the Coast
Guard district headquarters Visakhapatnam on 23 November 2012.This will improve
surveillance along coast.
21
39. Ban on plastic bags comes into force in New Delhi : The ban on manufacture, sale
and use of most types of plastic bags in the Capital came into force on on 23 November
2012
40. Delhi Government Launched Delhi Annshri Yojna : UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi
was launched a major food security programme of Delhi Government Delhi Annshri Yojna
on 15 December 2012.under which a monthly cash subsidy of Rs. 600 will be transferred
directly into Aadhaar-linked bank accounts of the senior-most female members of two lakh
poor families.
41. BJP Won in Gujarat Assembly Elections : The BJP registered its fifth consecutive
victory in Gujarat on 20 December 2012.This is the third victory under Modi leadership.
BJP won the 115 seats. Congress won the 61 seats. Modi won by a landslide from
Maninagar constituency in Gujarat, beating his nearest Congress party rival Shweta Bhatt
by a margin of 86,373 votes.
42. Congress has won Himachal Pradesh Elections : The Congress returned to power in
Himachal Pradesh after five years, defeating the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Himachal
Pradesh State Assembly elections conduced on 4 November 2012.The Congress secured 36
seats and the BJP 26 seats. The Congress Leader Virbhadra Singh won from Shimla (Rural)
constituency and defeated the rival from BJP Ishwar Rohal by 19033 Votes.
43. Meghalaya Passed Lokayukta Bill 2012 : On 14 December the Meghalaya Lokayukta
Bill, 2012 was passed in the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly and replaced the existing
Lokayukta Act, 2002 amidst opposition from legislators. The new act under the lokayukta
bill covered the chief minister, governor and all public servants, but allowed the state
government through a clause to exclude the complaints by citing public interest.
44. Madhya Pradesh Government Set Up a Senior Citizen Commission : On 21
December the Madhya Pradesh Government has set up a Senior Citizen Commission to
look into problems of the elderly in the State.
45. Assam Government Announced Special Health Scheme : On 12 December Assam
government announced that 50 riverine public health centres would be set up in the state
soon under the National Rural Health Mission.The public health centres would be located
primarily in the districts of Barpeta, Dhubri, Goalpara and Darrang.
46. 30% Reservation for Rural Candidates in Assam Govt. Jobs : Assam Chief Minister
Tarun Gogoi on 26 December 2012 announced that 30 per cent state government jobs will
be reserved for candidates belonging to rural areas from 2013.
47. Odisha Launched Public Service Delivery System : On 2 January The Odisha
government launched the much-sought after Public Service Delivery System for citizens
under the Odisha Right to Public Service Act, 2012.Under the new act, people will get
services like issue of driving license, birth and death certificates, passport and trade
license within a stipulated time.Odisha is among the 12th state to implement the law.
48. Haryana Government announced Kanyadan Scheme for Bride participants of Mass
Marriages : The Government of Haryana on 3 January 2012 announced its plan of
launching a Kanyadan Scheme in the state for brides participating in the mass marriage
ceremony, which would be organised by any of the registered NGO or the Red Cross
Society. The scheme would carry an incentive amount of 11000 rupees and would come
into effect from 1 April 2012. The incentive amount of 11000 rupees would be given to
brides from all castes, creeds, race, religion and the income category to which the girl
belongs.
49. Arunachal Pradesh Collaborated with NSDL for Adoption of National Pension
Scheme : On 9 January The state of Arunachal Pradesh entered into an agreement with
signing of MoU with National Securities Depository Ltd (NSDL), permitting it to work as a
Central Record Keeping Agency (CRA) for adoption of the National Pension System
(NPS).National Pension Scheme NPS is an initiative of the Union Government of India and
Arunachal Pradesh is the 26th State to adopt it.
50. Gujarat Tops List of Indian States on Economic Freedom Policy : According to the
Economic Freedom of States in India report which was released by former Reserve Bank
of India (RBI) Governor and present Rajya Sabha Member Bimal Jalan.The top state in
India in (terms of) economic freedom in 2011 was western Indian state Gujarat. It
displaced southern Indian state Tamil Nadu which had been at the top in 2009.Gujarat
freedom index has been rising fast and estimated at 0.64 points. The biggest
improvement has been registered by Madhya Pradesh with freedom index score rose from
0.42 in 2009 to 0.56 in 2011 enabling it to move up from sixth to third position.
22
51. Assembly polls in Tripura,Meghalaya and Nagaland on Febrauary : Assembly
elections in Tripura will be held on February 14 and in Meghalaya and Nagaland on
February 23 and their results will be out on February 28, the Election Commission
announced on 10 January 2013.The EC also announced byelections to nine assembly
constituencies in Mizoram, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Punjab on February 23 and in
Assam, Bihar and Maharashtra on February 24, but their results will be out together on
February 28.
52. Presidents Rule Imposed on Jharkhand : On 18 January Pranab Mukherjee, the
President of India imposed Presidents Rule in Jharkhand under Article 356(1) of the
Constitution.The Presidents Rule for the third time since its formation 12 years ago.The
decision came as a follow up of the recommendation made by the Union Cabinet of India
and fall of the state machinery in form of Government on 8 January after the Jharkhand
Mukti Morcha the supporting party to BJP led Coalition Government withdrew its support
from it. The state was placed under Presidents Rule in 2009 and 2010.
53. Three New High Courts for North East : The Centre has constituted three new High
Courts in the northeast Meghalaya, Manipur and Tripura taking the total number of High
Courts in the country from 21 to 24.According to Law Ministry sources, the strength of
judges in each High Court will be as follows: Tripura 4 (including the Chief Justice), and
Meghalaya and Manipur: three each (including the Chief Justice).
CONFERENCES
1. Cairns in Australia to host G20 financeministers meet in 2014 : The Prime Minister
Gillard announced on 05 August 2012, the tropical northen Australian city of Cairns will
host a meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bank governors in 2014.
2. The eleventh Energy Efficient Summit : The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)
Summit held in HICC, Novotel Hyderabad. The summit was held between 22 August 2012
to 25 August 2012.The objective of the summit was to facilitate the Indian industry to
improve energy efficiency on a continuous basis and help them in achieving the target set
as part of Perform Achieve and Trade under the National Mission on Enhanced Energy
Efficiency. It was ended on 31st August 2012.
3. 16th Non Alignment Movement in Iran :The Two-day meet of the 120 grouping of
nations takes place at Tehran in Iran. The key issues like the worsening situation of Syria,
Irans nuclear programme and other matters of global are main agenda of this NAM
summit which opened on 30
Aug 2012. Prime Minister Manmohan singh is leading the Indian delegation to the summit,
which is being attended by over 30 Heads of state and government. This summit ended on
31 August, 2012.
4. APEC Russia 2012 Summit : The APEC Russia 2012 Summit is the 24th annual gathering
of APEC leaders of 21 countries.Leaders from the member economics are currently
meeting on Russky Island off the Coast of Vladivostok, Russia from September 2-9 ,2012 .
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation(APEC) is a forum for Rim Countries(formally member
Economics) that seeks to promote free trade and Economics throughout the Asia-Pecific
region established in 1989.
5. Indian National Science Academy Summit : In the last day of the summit conducted
from 7th to 9th September 2012 in New Delhi,Scientists across South Asia decided to work
closely in research initiatives and advise decision makers in offering solutions to problems
ranging from healthcare to energy security.The three-day meeting saw participation from
the Science Academies of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Nepal, Pakistan, Mauritius and
Sri Lanka.
6. Emerging Kerala investment meet to see 51 nations taking part : 51 countries with
2,500 registered delegates and around 300 VIPs comprising ambassadors, high
commissioners and ministers have confirmed their participation in the Emerging Kerala
2012 investment meet to be held in Kochi from Sep 12-14.KSIDC is the nodal agency for
the event which will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.The main aim of
this event is highlight investment opportunities available in Kerala and advertise to the the
world its state of readiness to receive the investors.
23
7. 9th World Hindi Conference To held in Johannesburg : The 9th World Hindi
Conference to be held in Johannesburg ,South Africa from 22-24 September 2012.The first
world Hindi Conference was held in Nagapur from 10-12 January 1975 under aegis of
RashtrabhashaPracharaSamiti ,Wardha.The main theme of the conference is Bhasha Ki
Asmita Aur Hindi Ka Vaishvik Sandarbh.
8. The international biodiversity meet in Hyderabad : The XI Conference of Parties
(CoP-11) on the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) being hosted by India at
Hyderabad starts on 1st October 2012.
9. Asia Co-operation Dialogue Summit held in Kuwait : Asia Co-operation Dialogue
Summit has given a call for stronger co-operation among member nations and to work for
the improvement of living conditions.Leaders from 32 countries pledged to focus on key
areas to fulfill the aspirations of the people. These include sustainable energy and
development, economic growth, food security, trade and commerce, health care, climate
change and co-operation in financial and education sectors.
10. South Korea to host next UN biodiversity meet in 2014 : South Korea will host the
12th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP12) to the Convention on Biological
Diversity in 2014, it was announced in Hyderabad on 19th October 2012.
11. Third Worldwide Cybersecurity Summit : The 3rd Worldwide Cybersecurity Summit
organized by EastWest Institute, a New York based think-and-do tank, kick-started in the
New Delhi on 30th October 2012.
12. SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians Conference held at Islamabad : The sixth
conference of the Association of SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians held in Islamabad
on 4th November 2012.From India, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar and Deputy Chairman
Rajya Sabha Professor P. J. Kurien are participated the conference.In this conference they
discussed the role of women parliamentarians for social justice and the strengthening of
democracy in South Asia.
13. Countries G20 finance ministers and central bankers summit held in Mexico : The
G20 countries finance ministers and central bankers summit held in Mexico on 4th
November 2012.In this summit the Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said the Indias
economy should grow by 5.5 percent to 6.0 percent in the year 2012 and return to 7
percent growth in 2013.
14. E-9 countries review meeting held in New Delhi : E-9 countries review meeting held
in New Delhi on 9th and 10th November 2012.The E-9 countries are India, Pakistan,
Bangladesh, China, Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, Nigeria and Mexico .
15. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh went to Cambodia for South Asian summits :
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh went to Cambodian capital Phnom Penh on 18 November
2012 to attend the ASEAN and East Asia Summits.
16. Bangladesh Opted out of D-8 Summit Scheduled to be Held in Pakistan :
Bangladesh opted out of the key summit known as D-8 Summit in Pakistan which is
scheduled to be held later in November, 2012. Bangladesh opted out because Pakistan
refused to apologise for the deeds committed during 1971 war which eventually led to
Bangladeshs independence.
17. The 8th meeting of the India-UK Joint Working Group (JWG) on counter terrorism
: The 8th meeting of the India-UK Joint Working Group (JWG) on counter terrorism was
held on 20 November 2012 in New Delhi.
18. UN Climate Change Conference (COP 18) : The United Nations Climate Change
Conference , which is the 18th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 18) and 8th
session of the Conference of the Parties (serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto
Protocol ) ends on 8 December in Qatar, Doha. United Nations climate talks in Doha had
agreed to extend the Kyoto Protocol through 2020. Poland will host the next round of 19th
session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) UN climate talks in 2013.
19. World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT-12) : The First
ever World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT) from 3 -14 December
held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.The conference reviewed the current International
Telecommunication Regulations (ITRs).The 193 member states of the ambassadors are
attended this conference.While 89 states have signed the UN International
Telecommunications agreement and another 55 countries have refused the deal.The new
agreement will come into effect in January 2015.
20. ASEAN India Commemorative Summit held in New Delhi : India is hosted the
ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit held from December 20-21 in New Delhi to mark
the 20th anniversary of the ASEAN India dialogue partnership and the 10th anniversary
24
of ASEAN-India Summit-level partnership.The theme of the summit is ASEAN-India
Partnership for Peace and Shared Prosperity. ASEAN and India have signed the awaited
Free Trade Agreement (FTA) on comprehensive economic cooperation as foundations for
the establishment of an ASEAN-India Trade and Investment Area.
21. 100th Indian Science Congress held in Kolkata : The 100th Indian Science Congress
was held from 3 to 7 January in Kolkata (West Bengal) .The theme of the session is
Science for Shaping the Future of India .The session was inaugurated by Pranab
Mukherjee the President of India .In the session Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
released The Science, Technology and Innovation Policy(STI) 2013 .On 4 January
Former President Dr. A.P.J.Abdul Kalam inaugurated a Children Science Congress as part
of the 100th Indian Science Congress .The 100th Indian Science Congress (ISC 2013) is
also organized a special programme Women empowerment for the development of the
country to showcase the contribution of women in science and technology.This is the 13th
time the Indian Science Congress is being hosted by Kolkata
22. 11th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas held in Kochi : 11th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) was
held from 7- 9 January at Kochi (Kerala).Mauritius President Rajkeswur Purryag was the
chief guest of this official inaugural session.2000 delegates from 40 countries attended
the convention.The theme for this years Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is Engaging Diaspora
the Indian Growth Story.On 7th January in the event they discussed on problems that
people from Kerala face in the region.Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will inaugurated the
annual flagship event and released the postage stamp on Ghadar Movement on 8 January
and President Pranab Mukherjee will delivered the valedictory address on January 9 and
also presented the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman awards.Pravasi Bhartiya Divas (PBD) is
celebrated on January 9 every year to mark the contribution of overseas Indian community
in the development of India.The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, the first of its kind involving the
Indian Diaspora, was held in 2003 at New Delhi.
23. Fourth Meeting of ASEAN and India Tourism Ministers held in Vientiane : The
Fourth meeting of ASEAN and India Tourism Minister (4th M-ATM+ India) was held in
Vientiane, Lao PDR from 21 to January in conjunction with the ASEAN Tourism Forum
2013 (ATF2013).The Meeting was jointly co-chaired by H.E. Prof. Dr. Bosengkham
Vongdara, Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Lao PDR, and H.E. Dr. K.
Chiranjeevi, Minister for Tourism, Government of India.In the meeting Both the Ministers
have signed the Protocol to amend the Memorandum of Understanding between ASEAN
and India on Strengthening Tourism Cooperation.
24. World Economic Forum Summit Held in Davos : The 43rd World Economic Forum
Annual Meeting held from 23 27 January at Davos-Klosters in Switzerland.The annual
forum, which has been running for over 40 years, provides a platform for decision-makers
in politics, non-governmental organisations and businesses to gather and to exchange
views on the worlds most pressing problems.The World Economic Forum (WEF) unites
international political leaders, business leaders and journalists from across the globe to
discussed and shape global, regional and industrial agendas with regards to economics,
health and the environment.The WEF was founded in 1971 as a non-profit organization by
the German Klaus Schwab, a business professor at the University of Geneva.
AWARDS & HONOURS
1. Ashok sen received Yuri Milner award : Ashok Sen who is working in Harish chandra
research institute as scientist in physics got Yuri Milner Fundamental Physics prize of worth
Rs 16.7Crore(USD $3 million) on 1st August 2012.This Fundamental Physics prize has
been established by Russian Business man Yuri Milner , which is three times more than
Noble prize. He has been recognised for his work on String Theory.
2. NASI- Reliance Industries Platinum Jubilee Award 2012 for Bhadra : Dr. Manik
Pal Bandra, Principal scientist of chemical biology division,CSIR Indian Institute of
Chemical Technology Hyderabad, has been selected for the NASI- Reliance Industries
Platinum Jubilee award 2012. Dr.Bhadra was nominated for the award by the National
Academy of science for significant contribution in the area of applications of
orientedinnovations in biological sciences for 2012. He was given this for his involvement
in the synthesizing or
25
orally administered next generation nano particles to deliver material like DNA an RNA for
effective gene therapy. This award will be presented on November 29,2012 at New Delhi.
3. Sastra Ramanujan Prize to Zhiwei Yun : The 2012 sastra Ramanujan prize will be
given to the Professor Zhiwei on December 22, The birth anniversary of mathematical
genius Ramanujan, in New Delhi. The award will be given away during the closing
ceremony of the International conference in the legacy of Ramanujan, organized by the
National Board of Higher Mathematics of India &
co-sponsored by sastra University and Delhi University. prof.Zhiwei Yun has made
fundamental contributions to sevaral areas that lie at the interface of representation
theory. This Prize will be given to under 32 age, at the same age as Ramanujan died.
4. Rajiv Gandhi Sadbhavana award for D.R.Mehta : Renowned social worker DR Mehta,
founder and chief patron of the organization that popularized the Jaipur Foot, has been
selected for the Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award for the year 2012. D.R. Mehta
will present the 20th Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavna Award at a function New Delhi on
20 Aug 2012.The award, which carries a citation and
cash of Rs 5 lakh, is being given to Mehta, a former chairman of the Securities and
Exchange Board of India, for his outstanding contribution towards promotion of communal
harmony, peace and goodwill.Former recipients of the award include Mother Teresa,
Ustad Bismillah Khan, Lata Mangeshkar, Sunil Dutt, S.N. Subbarao and Dilip Kumar.
5. NRI heart surgeon Dr Mukesh Hariawala : chosen for Indias Most Admired
Surgeonaward India born internationally acclaimed NRI HeartSurgeon and Research
Scientist from the famed Harvard University, Dr Mukesh Hariawala, has been unanimously
selected by the National Healthcare jury to be honored with the prestigious Indias Most
Admired Surgeon 2012 Award.
6. NASI awarded for IICT Scientist : Dr.SuryaPrakash Singh ,Scientist of Inorganic and
Physical Division, CSIR Indian Institute of Chemical Technology in Hyderabad has been
selected for NASI(National Academy of Science,India)-Young Scientist PlatinumAward
2012.
7. Jaipur Bags JRD TATa Award for Health schemes : Odishas Jaipur district has bagged
the coveted fifthJRD Tata Memorial Award 2011 for Population reproductive health and
Family planning programme. The award was presented by the Nobel Laureate Amartyasen
at JRD Tata memorial Award and Oration Function held in New Delhi.
8. Indian Urdu Literature to get Rare Pakistanis Honour : An Urdu literature Professor
Gopi Chand Marangs name figures in the list of Civilian honours announced by Pakistan on
its Independence day. He has been conferedSitara-i-Imtiaz(Star of excellence) the third
highest civilian honour bestowed by the nation.He received the Padma Bhushan. It was
great that an Indian selected for Pakistans highest honour
for his selfless work for urdu. eminent poet Josh Mahihabadi also selected for Hilal-i-
Imtiaz.
9. P.K.B Pattnaik Honoured with Damien -Dutton Award : State Leprosy Officer P.K.B.
Pattnaik, has been selected for the coveted Damien-dutton award for the year2012 for his
work in the field of leprosy eradication. Mother Teresa, Babu Amte and Dr.Dharmendra has
given this award. He is an
Odisha doctor. He said thatWe have been able to treat 12 lakh leprosy patients, rehabited
40,000 patients with leprosy and performed surgical defromitry correction on 3,500
patients.
10. Gruber cosmology Prize 2012 to Charles L Bennett : Johns Hopkins University
professor Charles L. Bennett and members of the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe
(WMAP) space mission that he led will receive the Gruber Foundations 2012 Cosmology
Prize in Beijing, China.Bennett and the 26-member WMAP team will share the $500,000
prize and are being recognized by the foundation for their transformative study of an
ancient light dating back to the infant universe.
11. The Best Story Award for Indo-American : Indian American Rajan Gangahar has
won the Best Story award for the movie Kushiyaan at the Punjabi International film
Academy Award (PIFAA) held in Toronto. New york based Rajan was presented with the
award at a function held in
Toronto. His first film as a story writer, Rajan wrote dialogue and scree play for
Khushiyaan, made by another Indo-American Trilok Malik.
12. Pakistans Highest Civilian Award to Saadat Hasan Manto : The Writer Saadat Hasan
Manto Posthumously received the Pakistans Highest awardNisan-i- Imtiaz. He died at 42
in 1955, Manto is best known for his short stories, especially he explored the impact of
26
the partition of the subcontinent into India & Pakistan in 1947. along with Manto,
renowned singer Mehdi Hassan was also Posthumously honoured with Nishan-i-Imtiaz
Hassan Popularly known as the Shahenshah-e-Ghazil who died in June 2012 at the age
of 84.
13. Delhi Scientist Aditi Mukherji won Morman Baorlaug award : A Delhi based scientist,
Aditi Mukherji has won the worlds most prestigious award for young researchers in food
and water management, named after the father of Indias Green revolution Norman
Borlaug on 29 Aug 2012. The World food prize Foundation started by Borlaug has picked
Mukherji for the first ever Norman Borlaug award for his application of work in
transforming access to water for thousands of farmers in west Bengla. The award comes
with $10,000 prize. It will present to Mukherji on October 17 in Dea Moines , lawa US.
14. Indian American selected as Presidential Innovation Fellow : Indian American
entrepreneur Karl Mehta has been selected among the 18 Presidential Innovation Fellows
who will work on five high-impact projects in the US capital.Selected from an applicant
pool of nearly 700 innovators from across the
country, the Fellows would spend six months in Washington DC to work on five high-
impact projects aimed at upporting entrepreneurs, small businesses and the economy,
while significantly improving how the Federal Government serves the American people.
15. Utsa Patnaik gets V.V. Giri award : The V.V. Giri Memorial Award 2011 for outstanding
contribution to labour studies was conferred on Utsa Patnaik, Professor in Jawaharlal Nehru
University, New Delhi on 29 August 2012. The award, instituted by the V.V Giri National
Labour Institute, was conferred by Labour Minister Mallikarjun Kharge, who stressed on
the importance of
systematic and sound research to understand the nature and characteristics of the
emerging labour landscape.
16. University of Calicut to honour Montek, M.S. Swaminathan, Fathima Beevi :
University of Calicut will confer honorary Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.) degrees on noted
agriculture scientist M.S. Swaminathan, economist and Planning Commission Deputy
Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia and jurist and former Supreme Court judge Fathima
Beevi.
17. Young woman In Science Award for Indian Origin Sorojini Nadar : Indian Origin
has been selected for a prestigious science award in south Africa for her contribution to the
avancement of science and building the knowledge base.Sarojini Nadar has been named
the winner of the Distinguished Young Women in Science Award, which was announced
by Naledi Pandor, South African Minister of Science and Technology.
18. Eight Sporting Coaches received Dronacharya Award for 2012 : Dronacharya Award
is an award presented by the government of India for excellence in sports coaching. Eight
Sporting Coaches selected for the Dronacharya Award for 2012 are Wrestling coach
Yashvir Singh, Boxing Coach BI Fernandez, Athletics Coaches Virender Poonia, J.N.Bhatia,
Kabaddi Coach Sunil Davas, Parathletics Coach Dr. Satyapaul , Hockey Coach Harinder
Singh, Table Tennis Coach BhavaniMukherjee,.Fernandez will become the first foreign
coach to be awarded the the Dronacharya Award
19. Arjuna Awards : Deepika Kumari , Laishram Bombayla Devi (archery),
Sudha Singh , Kavita Ramdas Raut (athletics),
Ashwani Ponnappa , Parupalli Kashyap (badminton),
Aditya S Mehta (billiards and Snooker),
Vikas Krishan (boxing),
Yuvraj Singh (cricket),
Sardar Singh (hockey),
Yashpal Solanki (judo),
Anup Kumar (kabaddi),
27
Samir Suhag (polo),
Annu Raj Singh, Omkar Singh, Joydeep Karmakar (shooting),
Deepika Pallikal (squash),
Sandeep Sejwal (swimming),
Ng. Sonia Chanu (weightlifting),
Narsingh Yadav , Rajinder Kumar , Geeta Phogat (wrestling),
M. Bimoljit Singh (wushu),
Deepa Mallick, Ramkaran Singh (athletics, Paralympics).
20. Four Sports persons receive Dhyan Chand Award-2012 : Dhyan Chand Award is
Indias highest award for lifetime achievement in sports and games, given by the
Government of India. Four persons selected for the Dhyan Chand Award-2012 are
Jagrajsinghman (Athletics), Gundeep Kumar(Hockey), Vinod Kumar (wrestling), Sukhbeer
Singh Tokan (para sports).
21. 9 Indian- Americans Awarded for Enhancing Indo-US Ties : 9 Indian- Americans
were awarded by Indo American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Houston (IACCGH) for
their contribution towards enhancing relationships between India & US. The 2012
Excellence Award, was presented to Suresh
Khator. RK Chopra was awarded International Business Advocate of the Year. Woman
entrepreneur of the year award was presented to Vijay Dhingra and Pushpa Shenoy.
22. Dr. M.V. Reddy get the Bharat Jyoti Award : The Director, Department of Animal
Husbandry,Dr. M.V.Reddy got the Bharat Jyoti Award .This award was presented by the
India International Friendship Society.
23. Three National awards for State Literacy Mission : the Andhra Pradesh State Literacy
Mission Authority (SLMA) has received awards for its work in Vizianagaram district and one
gram panchayat P Yeleru of Anantapur district. Andhra Pradesh is the only State which
received the Saakshar Bharat Award in the entire Country. The Awards comprising a
trophy and a certificate which will be given by the Vice-President of India Hamid Ansari on
the occasion of International Literacy Day to be celebrated on September 8 at Lucknow in
Uttar Pradesh.
24. Apollo Hospitals bags 4 awards : The Apollo Hospitals Group has bagged the Asian
Hospital Management Awards ( AHMA) 2012 in four categories.It received awards for
customer service, corporate social responsibility, cost reduction and patient safety. AHMA
2012 garnered 363 entries representing 89 hospitals from 12 countries.
25. Aung San Suu Kyi Receives US Congressional Gold Medal : Burmese democracy
leader Aung San Suu Kyi has received the Congressional Gold Medal the highest honor
Congress can bestow, at a ceremony in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on 19th September 2012.
Members of the U.S. Congress from both chambers and both major political parties
gathered to pay tribute to Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was first
awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 2008, while she was under 15 years of house
arrest in Burma.
26. Barfi! makes it to the Oscars : Ranbir Kapoor starrer Barfi! has been nominated as
Indias entry to the Oscars next year in the foreign film category.
27. Iran to boycott 2013 Oscars in wake of anti-Islam film : The Iran government will
boycott the 2013 Oscars in the wake of the anti-Islam video made in the United States
that denigrates the Prophet Muhammad.
28. T.S. Subramanian among winners of nuclear societys awards : T.S. Subramanian,
Associate Editor, Frontline, Chennai, and R.K. Singh, Head, Media Relations and Public
Awareness Section, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay, have been selected for the
Indian Nuclear Societys INS Outstanding Service Award for 2011 for Science
Communication.The awards will be presented on November 7 during the inaugural function
of the 23 annual conference of the INS to be held in Mumbai.
28
29. Waheeda Rehman to get lifetime achievement award : Veteran actress Waheeda
Rehman will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the forthcoming 14th Mumbai Film
Festival, which starts on October 18. Mumbai Academy of Moving Image(MAMI) is
organising the film festival.
30. Ebrahim Alkazi awarded top French honour : Ebrahim Alkazi, the grand old man of
Indian theatre has been conferred Frances highest cultural award for his contribution in
nurturing and presenting modern theatre in India and preserving the treasures of
photography and other art forms for posterity.Alkazi, was awarded Knight of the Order of
Arts and Letters (Chevalier dans lOrdre des Arts et des Lettres) on 29th September 2012.
31. DRDO scientist G. Satheesh Reddy received IETE Award : G. Satheesh Reddy,
outstanding scientist and associate director, Research Centre Imarat, a premier laboratory
of the Defence Research and Development Organisations (DRDO) Missile complex, was
given IETE B.V. Baliga Memorial Award on 30th September 2012 at Bangalore.
32. President Confers Shastri awards to ISRO scientist Tessy Thomas : On 1st October
2012 President Pranab Mukherjee conferred the prestigious Lal Bahadur Shastri National
Award 2012 to ISRO scientist Tessy Thomas at an award function in Rashtrapati Bhawan.
Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award is conferred every year for doing excellent work in the
field of Public Administration, Academics and Management.
33. Banaras Hindu University VC wins MV Pylee award for best academician : Banaras
Hindu University (BHU) vice chancellor and renowned molecular biology scientist Dr Lalji
Singh has won the 7th MV Pylee award for the best academician. The MV Pylee award was
constituted in year 1996 in honour of Cochin Universitys former vice chancellor MV Pylee.
The award includes Rs 2 lakh, a memento and citation for excellence in teaching and
research and contribution to academic community. It is awarded once every three years.
S.No Department Name of the Person/
Organization
Country Field of Research
1. PHYSICS Serge Haroche and France For ground-breaking
experimental methods that
enable measuring and
manipulation of individual
quantum systems
David J. Wineland America
2. CHEMISTRY Robert J. Lefkowitz and America For studies of G-Protein-
coupled receptors
Brain K. Kobilka America
3. PHYSIOLOGY OR
MEDICINE
Sir John B. Gurdon and Britan For the discovery that mature
cells can be reprogrammed to
become pluripotent
Shinya Yamanaka Japan
4. ECONOMIC
SCIENCES
Alvin E. Roth and America For the theory of stable
allocations and the practice of
market design
Lioyd S. Shapley America
5. LITERATURE Mo Yan China Who with hallucinatory
realism merges folk tales,
history and the contemporary
6. PEACE PRIZE European Union (EU) Europe For over six decades
contributed to the
advancement of peace and
reconciliation. Democracy
and human rights in Europe.
29
34. sachin Tendulkar to be made member of Order of Australia : Australian Prime
Minister Julia Gillard made the announcement on 16th October 2012 that the first Indian
sportsperson Tendulkar to be conferred with the Membership of the Order of Australia, an
honour rarely bestowed on non-Australians.
35. First-ever India Biodiversity Awards presented : The women who led the ecological
restoration of Gundlaba village in Odishas Puri district after the 1999 super cyclone are
among the four winners of the first India Biodiversity Awards. The awards, instituted by
the Ministry of Environment and Forests and the United Nation Development Programme
(UNDP).
36. Vijay Kumar honoured with Services Best Sportsman : London Olympics silver
medallist shooter Vijay Kumar was named as the Services Best Sportsman award for
2012 at the Army Headquarters in New Delhi.The award is given to best sportsman from
out of all the three services-Army, Air Force Navy.
37. Bangladesh honours fifty-two Indians : Bangladesh has honoured foreign friends who
contributed to achieve the nations independence from Pakistan in 1971.Of the 61
recipients of the award in the third phase, 52 are from India and the rest are from Nepal,
the United States, the United Kingdom, Vietnam, Australia, Sweden, and Italy.The former
Indian Prime Minister, I.K. Gujral, and the former Nepalese Prime Minister, the late Girija
Prasad Koirala, received the Bangladesh Muktijuddho Sammanana.
38. Singham Bravery Award Posthumously given to IAS and Security Personnel :
Narendra Kumar the IPS officer who was brutally killed by illegal mining mafia in Madhya
Pradesh and many other Security Personnel who had laid down their life for fighting
against Maoists and anti Social element on 21 October 2012 were awarded with Singham
Bravery Awards.
39. Bangladesh honours Babu Jagjivan Ram : Former Deputy Prime Minister and Defence
Minister of India, late Babu Jagjivan Ram has been awarded with the Friends of Liberation
War Honour by the Government of Bangladesh for his contribution in the 1971 War.
40. Narayan Murthy honoured with Hoover Medal : IT giant Infosys founder, N.R.
Narayan Murthy honoured with Hoover Medal for promoting science at Global Humanitarian
Technology Conference in Washington.
41. Gavaskar to receive BCCIs lifetime achievement award : Former India captain Sunil
Gavaskar will be conferred the Col C K Nayudu Lifetime Achievement award at the annual
BCCI awards function on 25th October 2012.
42. Amitabh Bachchan gets best TV host award for Kaun Banega Crorepati : Amitabh
Bachchan has won the best television host award for the popular game show Kaun Banega
Crorepati.
43. Lord Indarjit Singh conferred Punjab Ratan Award : Lord Indarjit Singh, the first
member of the House of Lords to wear a turban, has been presented with the Punjab
Ratan (Jewel of Punjab) award by the World Punjabi Organisation, in recognition of his
contribution to promoting Punjabi culture, heritage and inter-faith services.
44. Delhi Metro bags JICA President Award : The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC)
was awarded the prestigious Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Presidents
Award 2012 on 29th October 2012.
45. Noted film lyricist and poet Gulzar presented with Indira Gandhi award for
National Integration : The Indira Gandhi award for National Integration for 2011 has
been given to noted film lyricist and poet Gulzar in recognition of his contribution to
national integration.
46. Katy Perry Honored With Billboards Woman of the Year : Pop Singer Katy Perry
was honored with Billboards Woman of the Year 2012 (The Star of the Women) award in
New York.
47. Shah Rukh Khan Conferred With Moroccos Medal of Honour : Bollywood superstar
Shah Rukh Khan had given the prestigious Medal of Honour by the Prince of Morocco
(Moulay Rachid) on 3 December 2012 in 12th Marrakech International Film Festival.
48. DRDO Scientist Gets Top Award : Brajnish Sitara scientist from Research Centre
Imarat(RCI), a premier laboratory of DRDOs missile complex was conferred with
INAE(Indian National Academy of Engineering)Young Engineer Award for 2012 at the
academys annual conventionheld at Roorkee on 6 December 2012.
49. Rajan and Sajan Mishra Conferred National Tansen Samman : On 14 December
2012 noted vocalist duo of Rajan and Sajan Mishra will be awarded prestigious National
Tansen Samman for year 2011-12 for their contribution to Hindustani classical music
30
50. Stephen Hawking Won Yuri Milner Award : A Russian billionaires foundation was
awarded two special prizes of $3 million each to British cosmologist Stephen Hawking for
his work on black holes and to seven scientists at the worlds biggest atom-smasher for
their roles in the discovery of a new subatomic particle believed to be the long-sought
Higgs boson. Yuri Milners Fundamental Physics Prize Foundation announced the awards on
11 December 2012.Hawking is honored for his discovery of Hawking radiation from black
holes and his deep contributions to quantum gravity and quantum aspects of the early
universe.
51. Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award for Ravi Shankar : Sitar maestro Pandit Ravi
Shankar will be honoured with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously.He
becomes the first Indian to get the prestigious award. The decision to honour Ravi
Shankar, a three-time Grammy winner, was made before his death.
52. Indian Journalists Association Honoured Sir Charles Wheeler : On 16 December
Indian Journalists Association has conferred its Lifetime Achievement Award for 2012
posthumously to former BBC correspondent Sir Charles Wheeler.
53. Scientist Venkatesh Mannar honoured with Order of Canada Award : A Chennai
born scientist of Indian origin, M.G Venkatesh Mannar and President, Micronutrient
Initiative, Canada was awarded with Canadas Highest Civilian Award the Order of
Canada on December .US, was honoured with the award for his forty years long
contribution working towards reduction of debilitating micronutrient deficiencies among the
worlds most vulnerable.
54. Arunachal CM Selected for IAEWP Award : On 18 December Arunachal Pradesh
Chief Minister Nabam Tuki has been selected by the International Association of Educators
for World Peace (IAEWP) for a Lifetime Achievement Award. IAEWP is a non-governmental
organization affiliated to the United Nations and engaged in the promotion of world peace.
Besides the individual award he would also receive the Green State of the Year Award on
behalf of the Arunachal Pradesh Government for maintaining greenery in the state.
55. Top Honour For 7-year-old South African Indian Rhino Campaigner : A seven-year-
old Indian-origin girl Afeefah Patel won a prestigious a wildlife conservation award in
South : Africa for writing a letter to President Jacob Zuma asking for his assistance in
saving endangered rhinos. Afeefah Patel, who has just finished Grade One, became the
youngest winner ever of SANParkss Corporate Contribution to Conservation Award in
individual category at the 8th annual Kudu Awards.
56. P.Chidambaram received Best Administrator Award : On 20 December Union
Finance Minister P. Chidambaram received Best Administrator in India award instituted
by K. Karunakaran Foundation.The award was presented to him by Vice President of India,
M. Hamid Ansari.The award is being offered in the memory of renowned Congress leader
as well as the former Kerala Chief minister K.Karunakaran. First Karunakaran Foundation
Award was given to Pranab Mukherjee.
57. Archaeologist C.Govindarajanar Received Presidential Award : President Pranab
Mukherjee on 21 December 2012 conferred the Presidential Awards for Classical Tamil at
a function in Rashtrapati Bhavan. Prof. C. Govindarajanar was conferred Tolkappiyar
Award for outstanding contribution in the field of Tamil studies.
58. Top U.S. Innovation Award For Indian-American : A renowned Indian-American
inventor at IBM, Rangaswamy Srinivasan, was nominated by U.S. President Barack Obama
for the prestigious National Medal of Technology and Innovation. He named the
phenomenon Ablative Photo Decomposition (APD). He got this award for the discovery of
APD.
59. Shihab Ghanem the First Arab to receive Indias Tagore Peace Prize : On 26
December The Asiatic society will award the Tagore Peace Prize to Emirati poet and
translator Shihab Ghanem .Shihab Ghanem the first Arab to receive Indias Tagore Peace
Prize.The peace prize is named after Rabindranath Tagore, a Bengali creative talent and
Indias first Nobel laureate.
60. Pratibha Ray Won 2011 Jnanpith Award : Leading Oriya novelist and academician
Pratibha Ray, who has over 40 novels, travelogues and short stories to her credit, was
named for the prestigious Jnanpith Award for the year 2011 on 27 December 2012.
61. Astronautical Societys Aryabhatta award for Muthunayagam & Saraswat : The
former secretary of the Department of Ocean Development, A.E. Muthunayagam, will
received the prestigious Aryabhatta award, instituted by the Astronautical Society of India
(ASI), for 2010 and V.K. Saraswat, Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister, will receive
the award for 2011.They have been selected for their achievements in rocketry.
31
62. Malala won 2012 Tipperary International Peace Award : On 3 January Malala
Yousafzai, the teenaged Pakistani school girl shot by a Taliban gunman last year , has
been awarded the 2012 Tipperary International Peace Award from Ireland for her
courage and determination to speak out in support of equal access to education for
children.Malala is the second Pakistani to get the award. In 2007, it was given to late
Benazir Bhutto.
63. Malala honored with the French Simone de Beauvoir Prize : On 9 January Malala
Yousafzai (15), the schoolgirl from Pakistan shot by Taliban for campaigning girls
education, received Frances Simone de Beauvoir Prize for Womens Freedom in Paris.
Malalas father Ziaudin Yousafzai received the honour on her behalf. he award is
accompanied with 2.5 million RupeTes honorarium.
64. Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award 2013 : On 9 January Pranab Mukherjee President of
India presented the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman (Awards) 2013 to 14 people, included
Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi and Mauritius President Rajkeswur Purryag, He was
also the Chief Guest of 11th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2013. In accordance to Tradition,
Pravasi Bharatiya Samman (Awards) 2013 have been given to notable Indians living
abroad. The other awardees are Prof Dr Gurusharan Singh Chhatwal of Germany for
science, Dr Rasik Vihari Joshi (Mexico) for Literature, Gilbert Canabady Moutien (Reunion
Island) and Mohammed Rabeeh Karuvanthodi (Saudi Arabia) for business, Patricia Maria
Rozario(UK) for Music, Dr Narendra Ramakrishna Kumar (USA) for Healthcare, Subash
Razdan (USA) and Islmail Ebrahim (South Afrcia) for Public service. Dr Satendra Kumar
Singh (New Zealand), Australia India Society of Victoria (Australia) and Bava Pandalingal
(UAE), Ashok Shambhomal Vaswani (Guinea), Indian Doctors Forum, Kuwait for
community service, Tan Sri Ravindran Menon from Malaysia for Community service, are
among others on the list of awardees.
65. Mamata Banerjee gets gift from PCB : Overwhelmed by the hospitality at the Eden
Gardens during India-Pakistan second ODI in Kolkata, the PCB sent the gift as a silver-
coated Quran to the Cricket Association of Bengal who handed it over to the CM during a
function at the Netaji Indoor in Kolkata on 10 January 2013.
66. Mahaveer Golechha Bags Award for Alzheimers Drug : On 17 January The London-
based Indian researcher Mahaveer Golechha, was selected to be felicitated for an award
that includes his work on a drug that can be a potential cure of Alzheimers disease.In the
study conducted by Golechha, he found discovered that naringin has essential anti-
Alzheimer activity.
67. 70th Golden Globe Awards 2013 : On January 13 The 70th Golden Globe Awards
honored the best in film and television of 2012, was presented in California .
Best Film : Argo
Best Actor : Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln)
Best Actress : Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty)
Best Director - Ben Affleck (Argo)
Best Musical or Comedy -: Les Miserables
Best Foreign Language Film : Amour
Best Animated Feature Film -: Brave
68. Krishi Karman Awards 2011- 2012
On 15 January President Pranab Mukherjee presented the Krishi Karman awards for the year
2011-12 at an award ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The awards were presented to the
State Governments for their excellent performance in increasing the production of food grains in
their respective states.
32
Awards in Different Segments :-
- The Awards for Special Contribution to Total Food Grains Production - Madhya Pradesh, Tamil
Nadu, Manipur and Nagaland
- Award for Contribution to Production and Productivity of Rice Bihar
- Award for Contribution to Production and Productivity of Wheat - Haryana
- Award for Contribution to Production and Productivity of Pulses - Jharkhand
- Award for Contribution to Production and Productivity of Coarse Cereals Uttar Pradesh
69. 58th Filmfare Awards
The 58th Filmfare Awards were held honoring the best films of 2012 from the Hindi-language film
industry (commonly known as Bollywood). The ceremony was held on January 20, 2013 at
Mumbai.
Best Movie :- Barfi!
Best Actor :- Ranbir Kapoor (Film -Barfi!)
Best Actress :- Vidya Balan (Film Kahaani )
Best Director :- Sujoy Ghosh (Film Kahaani )
Lifetime Achievement Award :- Yash Chopra (After Death)
69. Prof C N R Rao awarded by Chinese Academy of Sciences : The Chinese Academy of
Sciences was awarded Prof C N R Rao, National Research Professor and Honorary President
of Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCAR), the prestigious
International Scientific Cooperation Award 2012. The award is designed to acknowledge
outstanding scientists for their contribution to science and for promoting global networking
of international science cooperation.
70. Padma Awards 2013President of India Approved the Conferment of 108 Padma
Awards : On 25 January Pranab Mukherjee, the President of Union of India approved
conferment of 108 Padma Awards. Four people have been conferred with Padma Vibhusan,
twenty four are conferred with Padma Bhushan and 80 people would be receiving Padma
Shree Awards. Out of all the awardees twenty-four are ladies and 11 people belong to
categories like NRIs, PIOs, Foreigners and Posthumous awardees.
Padma Vibhushan
Raghunath Mohapatra, Art, Orissa
S Haider Raza, Art, Delhi
Prof Yash Pal, Science and Engineering, Uttar Pradesh
Prof Roddam Narasimha, Science and Engineering, Karnataka
Padma Bhushan
Sharmila Tagore, Art, Delhi
33
Dr (Smt) Saroja Vaidyanathan, Art, Delhi
Late Rajesh Khanna, Art, Maharashtra
Late Jaspal Singh Bhatti, Art, Punjab
Adi Burjor Godrej, Trade and Industry, Maharashtra
Prof Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Literature & Education USA
Rahul Dravid, Sports, Karnataka
H Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom, Sports, Manipur
Padma Shri
Hosanagara Nagarajegowda Girisha, Sports, Karnataka ,
Subedar Major Vijay Kumar, Sports, Himachal Pradesh
Yogeshwar Dutt, Sports, Haryana
B Jayashree, Art, Karnataka
Sridevi Kapoor, Art, Maharashtra
Ramesh Gopaldas Sippy, Art, Maharashtra
71. 359 Gallantry and Other Defence Decorations Announced : On 26 January President
Pranab Mukherjee has approved awards of 359 Gallantry and other Defence decorations to
Armed Forces personnel and others on the eve of the 64th Republic Day Celebrations .This
includes 01 Kirti Chakra, 11 Shaurya Chakra, 56 Sena Medal (Gallantry), 01 Bar to Nao
Sena Medal (Gallantry), 03 Nao Sena Medal (Gallantry), 03 Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry),
28 Param Vishisht Seva Medal, 03 Uttam Yudh Seva Medal, 06 Bar to Ati Vishisht Seva
Medal, 44 Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, 12 Yudh Seva Medal, 02 Bar to Sena Medal (Devotion
to Duty), 37 Sena Medal (Devotion to Duty), 01 Bar to Nao Sena Medal (Devotion to
Duty), 07 Nao Sena Medal (Devotion to Duty), 14 Vayu Sena Medal (Devotion to Duty), 04
Bar to Vishisht Seva Medal and 116 Vishisht Seva Medal..Major Abup J Manjali of the
Rashtriya Rifles was selected for the award of Kirti Chakra for his extraordinary bravery
efforts in counter- terrorist operations in Jammu and Kashmir.
72. Taiwan Business Magnate Launched Tang Prize (Asian Noble Prize)
On 28 January Samuel Yin , A business magnate tycoon from Taiwan has launched the Tang
Prize(Asian Noble prize) for outstanding achievements in natural and social sciences.He announced
that he would establish Tang Prize Foundation which would have an initial donation of 103 million
dollar.Tang Prize Foundation was decided that the prizes under the Tang Prize Foundation will be
awarded every alternate year to the international leaders in sustainable development,
biopharmaceutical science, the rule of law as well as the study of China.
SPORTS & GAMES
34
The 30th Olympics 2012 held at London on 27 July and ended on 12 August. This is a 17 days
Festival of Five Rings. There are 204 countries and more than 10,000 athletes participated in 300
events. US secured top place in medals of acquiring 104 medals in total, 46 gold, 29 silver and 29
bronze. the next place occupied by China of 99 medals. Britain stood at 3rd place of acquiring 65
medals in total. India stood at 55th place by acquiring 6 medals in total, 2 silver and 4 bronze.
India got 6 medals among 81 athletes who participated in London Olympics. The next Olympics
will be host by Rio De Janeiro on
2016. The Winter Olympics 2014 will be host by Russia, Sochi.
1. The name of the Indian Medalists are : 1. Gagan Narang won the bronze Medal in the event
of Mens 10m. Air Rifle shooting.
2. Vijay Kumar won the Silver Medal in the event of individual 25 metre rapid fire pistol. He was
awarded Khel Ratna by the Government of India of his performance inLondon Olympics 2012.
3. Saina Nehwal won the Bronze medal in the Event of Badminton Womens Singles.
4. Mary Kom won the bronze medal in the event of Womens Fly 51kg. Boxing.
5. Yogeswar Dutt won the bronze medal in the event of Mens 60kg. Free style wrestling. He was
awarded Khel Ratna by the Government of India of his performance in London Olympics 2012.
6. Sushil kumar who is an Indian Flag Bearer and also won Silver Medal in the event of Mens
66kg. Free style wrestling
2. London Olympics world Records:
Name Event World Record
Dong Hyun Im Archery 699 Points
Rebecca Soni Swimming Breast Stroke 2:19.59 hr:mm:ss
Xiaojun Weight Lifting 379 kgs
Xiaojun Lu Weight Lifting 175 kg
Lulu Zhou Weight Lifting 333 kg
Ilya Ilyin Weight Lifting 418kg
Ilya Ilyin Weight Lifting 233kg
Zulfiya Chinshanlo Weight Lifting 131kg
Un Guk Kim Weight Lifting 327kg
Usian Bolt Runner 100m race 9.63 seconds
Rudisha Runner 800m race 1:40.91
Jason Kenny Cycling (Track)Individual 9.713 seconds
Sergei Martynov Shooting 50 m Rifle Prone 705.5points
Leuris Pupo Shooting 25m rapid fire
pistol
34 points
Jessica Rossi Trap 99 points
Alexei Klimov Shooting rapid fire pistol 592 points
Shiwen Ye Swimming (400m Individual
Medley)
4:28:43 hr:mm:ss
Missy Franklin Swimming Back stroke 2:04:06 hr:mm:ss
Dana Vollmer Swimming (100m Butterfly) 55.98 secs
3. List of Countries ranking by gold Medal:
Rank Country Gold Silver Bronze Totla
Medals
1 United 46 29 29 104
35
states of
America
2 Peoples
Republic of
China
38 27 23 88
3 Great
Britain
29 17 19 65
4 Russian
federation
24 26 32 82
5 Republic of
Korea
13 8 7 28
55 India 0 2 4 6
4. Highest Medals in Olympics won by Individuals:
Country Athlete
name
Gold Silver Bronze Total
USA PHELPS
MICHAEL
4 2 0 6
USA FRANJKLIN
MISSY
4 0 1 5
USA SCHMITT
ALLISON
3 1 1 5
Jamaica BOLT USAIN 3 0 0 3
USA FELIX
ALLYSON
3 0 0 3
5. Gold Medalists:
6. Andrian Clinhes Gold by a Finger Tip : Nathan Andrian clinched the Olympic 100 m free
style gold by a fingertip on 1 August 2012 to become the first American to hold the title since
1988.
7. Serena Williams Wins Olympic Gold : Serena Williams secured her first ever gold medal
victory in the womens singles with 6-0, 6-1 win over the Russian beauty, Maria Sharapova at the
All England Lawn Tennis Club in Wimbledon on 4 August 2012.Serena becomes the second women
to win the Olympic gold medal in addition to all four different Grand Slam titles. she also set the
record of being the only female professional to attain the number one spot in both singles and
doubles category.
8. Ben Ainslie Claims a Record : Britains Ben Ainslie became the most successful Olympic
sailor on 5 August 2012 won a gold medal in the single handed finn class to claim a record
breaking fifth consecutive medal.
9. Murray Won Olympic Gold : Britains Andy Murray demolished Roger Federer 6-2,6-1,6-4 in
the mens final on 5 Aug 2012 to wins first gold medal ad avenge his Wimbledon final defeat
against the world no1. Roger Federer bagged Olympic Silver , Juan Martin del potro bagged
copper.
10.Serena and Venus Williams won Olympics Gold in Womens Doubles : Serena and
Venus Williams teamed to win womens doubles title at the Olympics on 5 August 2012. The third
time the dynamic duo taken Home the gold medal.
11. Lin Defends Olympic Badminton Gold : Chinas Lin Dan over hauled Lee Chong Wei in the
final to win Olympic mens badminton singles on 5 August 2012.
36
12.Salimikordasiabi Won Olympic Gold : nrans Beh Salmi Kordasiabi won gold in the event of
weightlifting competition at London to claim the title of Strongest man at the Olympics. He lifted
455 kg in total.silver for sajjad Anoushiravani. He is from Iran. Bronze for Russias Rulsan ALbegor
with 448kg.
1. Sally Pearson Won 100m Hurdled Olympic Gold : Sally Pearson an Australian Won
100m hurdles Olympic Gold. She made an Olympic record time of 12.35seconds at
Olympic Stadium, London. The Victory margin record time of 12.37 seconds made by
Joanna Hayes of US in Athens.
2. Decathlon Gold for Ashton eaton : Decathlon is the toughest event in the Olympics.
which consists of 10 events as one event.On 10 Aug America based Ashton eaton who is
an Olympic Gold winner of Decathlon of total of 8,869 points m ade at London. Previously
he made a World Record by acquiring 9,026 points at U.S. Olympic trials.
3. Yodisha Won Womens Wrestling Title : Japans saori Yodish won a third Olympic 55
kg womens free style Wrestling title on 9 August 2012.
4. Womens Soccer Won By America : The U. S Womens Football team won its third
straight Olympic medal on 9 August 2012 by beating Japan of 2-1.The midfielder Carli
Lloyd, who made critical 2 goals to Americas victory.
5. Oscar Pistorius : South African athlete Oscar Pistorius made a history when he became
the first double amputee to participate in an athletics event of 400meters at the Olympics
on 04 August 2012.
6. Olympic Swimming: Power Ranking Michael Phelps 18 Gold Medal Performances
: Michael Phelps is an American swimmer who has won 22 Olympic medals (18 Gold, 2
Silver, & 2 Bronze). He is an Olympic legend who broke the record for most medals while
participating at the London 2012 games. Michael Phelps swam in four Olympic Games. He
broke 39 world records. He beat the record of Larisa Latynina Soviet Union gymnast.
7. Nicola Adams wins first ever women boxing gold : Britains Nicola Adams became the
first ever Olympic womens boxing champion with a 16-7 flyweight final win over Chinas
world champion Ren Cancan on 9 August 2012.
8. Lysenko bags Gold : World champion Tatyana Lysenko of Russia added the Olympic
gold to her collections with an Olympic record 78.18m in womens hammer throw at the
Olympic stadium on 10 August 2012.
9. Roger Federer and Lina were Crowned the : Cincinnati Masters Tennis Championship
World No.1 Tennis player Roger Federer won a record fifth Western and Southern open
title (Cincinnati Masters) at Cincinnati on 19 August 2012. Federer beat second seeded
Novak Djokovic 6-0, 7-6. This was the first time when top seeded mens players clashed in
the final.
10. India beat Australia to win Under-19 World Cup : India won their third Under-19
World Cup title as captain Unmukt Chand saved his best for last, coming up with a crucial,
unbeaten ton in the final against Australia on 26 August 2012.
11. New Heaven Open title to Czench star : Petra kvitova beat Maria Kirilenko on 25 Aug
to win the New Haven Open, the Czech stars second WTA tournament title.
12. South Africas Hashim Amla becomes fasters : players to 3,000 ODI runs South
Africas Hashim Amla became the fastest player to 3,000 one-day international runs during
the course of his 150 that set up the Proteas 80- run win over England at the Ageas Bowl
in Southampton.
13. Lydia Ko won CN Canadian Womens Open LPGA Golf : Lydia Ko Won CN Canadian
Womens Open LPGA Golf on 26 Aug to become the youngest winner in LPGA Tour History
and only the fifth amateur championship. she is 15-year-old .
14. US PGA Golf champion is Rory Mccllroy : Rory Mallory won US PGA Golf Championship
at kaiwah Island on 12 August 2012.This is his second major title with a record setting
eight shot victory. The Northern Irishman,23, hit a six-under 66 to finish 13 under and
return to world number one.
15. Dhoni named Castrol Indian cricketer of the year : The Castrol Awards for Cricketing
Excellence are the premier cricketing awards recognizing outstanding performances by
Indian cricketers past, present and future. Mahendra Singh Dhoni was declared the
Castrol Indian Cricketer of the Year
2011 whilst Ajit Wadekar received the Castrol Lifetime Achievement Award and Indias
37
Under 19 World Cup winning Captain Unmukt Chand was awarded the Castrol Junior
Cricketer of the Year Award.
16. V.V.S. Laxman retired from international cricket : V.V.S. Laxman retired from
international cricket on 18 August 2012. He played 134 tests, amazing 8781 runs and an
coverage of 45.97 and hitting 17 hundreds. He played 86 ODI for an aggregate of 2338
runs at an average of 30.76.
17. Life Long Ban on Lance Armstrong : The U.S. anti doping agency 14 years of Lance
Armstrong strong career on 24 Aug , including his record of seven tour de France Titles
and banned him for life from the sport. He was cyclist who retired an year ago. He would
no longer challenge USDA and declined to exercise his last option by entering arbitration.
He denied again that he ever took banned substances in his career, called USADAs
Investigation a witch hunt without any physical evidence
18. India beat Cameroon to lift Nehru Cup for the third consecutive time : India beat
Cameroon in a thrilling penalty shoot-out to lift the Nehru Cup 2012 football tournament.
This is Indias third consecutive Nehru Cup title, infact they have just won the three.
19. Indias Girisha Hosanagara Nagarajegowda wins silver in London Paralympics :
The Girisha Hosanagaara Nagarajegowda won Indias first medal at the London 2012
paralympic Games.The Karnataka athlete bagged the silver with a 1.74m effort in the
mens high jump F42 event on 03 September 2012.
20. India slips to 169th in world rankings : The world football governing body FIFA
released the latest FIFA World Rankings on 5th September 2012 in which India has lost
one spot to be now ranked 169th amongst the 209 ranked nations and territories, while
within Asia India remains 32nd amongst 46 nations in the rankings.
21. USA wins third FIFA U-20 womens World Cup : United States of America beat former
champion Germany 1-0 in Tokyo to claim its third FIFA U-20 womens World Cup crown on
8th September 2012.
22. Oscar Pistorius Wins Paralympics Gold In 400 Meters : The Blade Runner of South
Africa ,Oscar Pistorius successfully completed 400m-T44 event in 46.68 sec in Paralympics
and won the gold medal.
23. Serena clinches fourth US Open title : Serena Williams captured her 15th Grand Slam
title and fourth career US Open crown with a 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 victory over World No. 1
Victoria Azarenka on 9th September 2012.
24. Andy Murray first Britisher to win Grand Slam men`s singles title in 76 years :
Andy Murray has overpowered Serbias Novak Djokovic in five gruelling sets in a classic US
Open final to become the first Britisher to win a Grand Slam mens singles title in 76 years.
25. Armadillo to be 2014 FIFA World Cup mascot : A rare species of armadillo is set to be
the official mascot for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil on 12 September 2012.In the
previous FIFA World Cup the mascots were:
FIFA 2010 World Cup in South Africa- Zakumi the green-haired leopard
FIFA 2006 World Cup in Germany- Goleo named lion
26. Dhoni named captain of ICC ODI team, Kohli, Gambhir in XI : Indian captain
Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been named captain of ICCs ODI Team of the Year which also
includes Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir.This is for the fifth consecutive year in a row that
Dhoni has been selected in ICCs ODI Team of the Year.ICC awards are announced in
Colombo on 15th September 2012. Indias Virat Kohli was on15
September 2012 rewarded with ODI Cricketer of the Year.at the ICC annual awards
function in Colombo.
27. Indian Womens football defeated Nepal And Clinch 2012 SAFF Womens
Championship : Defending champions India have won the SAFF(South Asian Football
Federation) Womens Championship 2012 defeating Nepal in the finals played on 16th
September 2012.
28. Saina signs up 40-crore deal with Rhiti Sports : The London Olympics bronze-
medallist in badminton Saina Nehwal has signed up a 40-crore deal with Rhiti Sports
Management company, making her the countrys highest paid sportsperson outside cricket.
29. Lifter Chandrika first Indian to win medal in Youth Worlds : Chandrika Tarafdar on
19th September 2012 became the first Indian to win a medal in Youth World Weightlifting
Championships after she bagged two bronze in the girls 44kg category on the opening day
at Kosice, Slovakia.Tarafdar won a bronze each in clean and jerk and total lift. She lifted
55kg in snatch, 74kg in clean and jerk for a total effort of 129kg.
38
30. Deepika Kumari won Silver at Recurve World Cup : Deepika Kumari won Silver at
Recurve World Cup on 23 September 2012 in Tokyo. In the finals of the tournament, she
lost against the Korean double Olympic gold medalist, Ki Bo-Bae
31. India got 3rd position in ICC T20 rankings : India got the third position in Reliance
ICC T20 Championship table released by ICC on 26th September 2012 .South Africa and
England got the 1st and 2nd positions respectively.
32. Indian wrestler Babita wins world championship bronze : Babita Kumari (51kg)
became the second Indian female wrestler to win a World Championships medal after she
clinched a bronze in Edmonton, Canada.
33. Humpy wins Ankara Grand Prix-2012 : Grandmaster Koneru Humpy won gold medal in
FIDE Grand Prix in Turkey at Ankara on 28th September 2012
34. Indian judokas win 2 silver, 3 bronze in Asian Championship : Indian judokas
bagged two silver and three bronze in the Asian Youth and Junior Championships held in
Chinese Taipei.In the Youth Championships, Vijay Kumar Yadav and Besto Rani Devi won a
silver each in boys 60kg and girls 48kg categories respectively.Preety and Mongjam
Kabita Devi won a bronze each in gilrs 40kg and 44kg respectively in the September 28-
30 event.Khaidem Rashi Devi bagged a bronze in 70kg category in the junior
section.Indian judokas had won one gold, four silver and two bronze in the Asian Youth
and Junior Championships in Lebanon last year.
35. India move up to 2nd spot in T20 rankings : India might have failed to qualify for the
semi-finals of the ongoing ICC World Twenty20, but four wins out of five matches have
pushed the India by one place to the second spot in the latest T20 International team
rankings released on 3rd October 2012.India now trail Sri Lanka (129) by nine points and
are followed by Pakistan (118) and England (118).
36. India 168th in FIFA rankings : Indian football team moved a place up to be 168th in
the latest FIFA rankings, India, who last month won a hat-trick of Nehru Cup titles, have
114 points.
37. Red Bull driver Vettel wins Japanese Grand Prix : Sebastian Vettel ,the driver Red
Bull won the Japanese Grand Prix 2012 on 7th Ocober 2012.
38. Australia retain womens World Twenty20 title : The Australian Women Cricket team
on 7 October 2012 defeated England by four runs to retain the Women T-20 world cup
title.
39. West Indies won the ICC World Twenty20 Tournament : West Indies 7th October
2012 clinched the ICC World Twenty20 crown with a comfortable 36-run victory over Sri
Lanka.
40. Kaltenborn becomes first female F1 team principal : India born Monisha Kalterborn is
set to become Formula 1s first woman team principal after she takes charges from
founder of Sauber chief Peter Sauber on 12th October 2012.
41. Jeevan Neduncheziyan and Prerna Bhambri emerge champions : Jeevan
Neduncheziyan and Prerna Bhambri emerge champions in the Fenesta Open national
tennis championship at the RK Khanna Stadium in New Delhi on 13th October 2012.
42. Hat-trick for Vettel : Sebastian Vettel has claimed his third successive victory at the
Korean GP on 14h October 2012.He is already won the Singapore and Japan GP titles.
43. Novak Djokovic beats Andy Murray to win Shanghai Masters : Novak Djokovic
beated British Tennis Player Andy Murray, on 14 October 2012 saving five match points to
seal a stunning 5- 7, 7- 6 ( 13/ 11), 6- 3 victory in the Shanghai Rolex Masters final.
44. Bhullar wins Macau Open golf : Indias Gaganjeet Bhullar completed a commanding
start-to-finish victory at the Venetian Macau Open golf on 14th October 2012.
45. Indias Saina Nehwal win Denmark Open Badminton Title : Indian badminton player
and Olympic bronze medallist Saina Nehwal has won the Denmark Open Super Series
Premier trophy on 21st October 2012.
46. Martin Guptill wins NZ top cricket award : Opening batsman of New Zealand Cricket
team Martin Guptill on 18 October 2012 claimed the top honour at the New Zealand
Cricket Awards in Auckland, winning the Sir Richard Hadlee Medal for 2011-12. Martin
Guptill was also named ODI and Twenty20 player of the year, based on performances
between 1 September 2011 and 31 August 2012.
47. Anaka Alankamony clinches her second WISPA title : Asian junior gold medallist
Anaka Alankamony today claimed her second title and first one abroad in the womens
professional squash tour when she beaten the top seed Kylie Lindsay of New Zealand in
the final of the Ipswich Open in Queensland.
39
48. Lance Armstrong stripped of his 7 Tour de France titles, banned for life : Cyclings
governing body agreed on 22nd October 2012 to strip Lance Armstrong of his seven Tour
de France titles and ban him for life, following a report from the US Anti-Doping Agency
(USADA) that accused him of leading a massive doping program on his teams.
49. Womens Indian Golf Open from November 30 : The creme-de-la-creme of Indian
womens golf will be up against a strong international field, including the likes of Laura
Davies and defending champion Caroline Hedwall, when the tri-sanctioned Hero Womens
Golf Open tees off from November 30.
50. Sun TV Network Acquired Hyderabad IPL Franchise : Chennai based SUN TV Network
acquired the Indian Premier League (IPL) Hyderabad franchise on 25 October 2012 for an
enormous amount of 85.05 crore Rupees per year.
51. Sebastian Vettel won F1 Second Indian Grand Prix : Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel
won the Indian Grand Prix 2012 on 28 October 2012 at the Buddh International Circuit
(BIC) for the second time in a row extending his Formula One championship lead.This is
his fourth consecutive success in this year.
52. Pankaj Advani defeats Russell, clinches seventh World Billiards Championship
title : India`s Pankaj Advani won his seventh World billiards title when he outclassed
defending champion Mike Russell 1,895-1,216 in the final on 28th October 2012.
53. Joshna Chinappa wins Penang Open squash title : Indias top squash player Joshna
Chinappa claimed the IJM Land Penang Open, defeating top seed and local favourite Siti
Munirah Jusoh in straight games on 28th October 2012.
54. India retains third spot in ICC ODI ranking : India retains the third spot in the ICC
ODI ranking after England and South Africa. England has retained the top spot in the latest
ODI rankings with 121 points followed by South Africa. The latest ICC rankings were
released in Dubai on 30th October 2012.
55. India lifts the Asian Cricket Council Womens Twenty-20 trophy at Guangzhou in
China : Indian women lifted the title of Asian Cricket Council Womens Twenty-20 Asia
Cup cricket tournament by defeatingthe Pakistan by 18 runs in the final match at
Guangzhou in China.
56. Kimi Raikkonen won Abu Dhabi GP : Kimi Raikkonen won an Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on
4th November 2012.
57. Mahesh Bhupathi-Rohan Bopanna win Paris Masters : Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan
Bopanna clinched the Paris Masters, their second title of the year, after scoring a hard-
fought win over Aisam-ul-haq Qureshi and Jean-Julien Rojer in Paries on 4th November
2012.
58. Czech Republic lifted Fed Cup : The Czech Republic got the Fed Cup title after beating
Serbia in the final on 4 November 2012.
59. National Anti-Doping Disciplinary panel suspendes 11 athletes for two years : The
National Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel (NADDP) suspended all the 11 athletes for two
years, who were tested positive with methyl hexane amine (MHA) in the run-up of the last
Commonwealth Games.The suspended 11 athletes are :Two athletes, Saurabh Vij and
Akash Antil; Six wrestlers, all of them internationals, Arjuna awardee Rajeev Tomar,
Joginder Singh, Sumit Sehrawat, Rahul Maan, Gursharanpreet Kaur and Khatri; and three
swimmers, Amar Muralidharan, Jyotsana Pansare and Richa
60. Pakistan won Second Asian Kabaddi Championship 2012 : Pakistan won the Second
Asian Kabaddi Championship 2012 against India on 6th November 2012.
61. Gaganjeet Bhullar, Youngest Indian on Elite Golfers League : Gaganjeet Bhullar,
24, became the youngest Indian to make it to the elite group of the worlds top-100
players in the latest rankings.
62. Hanoi to host 2019 Asian Games : Vietnams capital Hanoi will host the 2019 Asian
Games.
63. India bags four medals in 14th Asian Youth (boys & girls) weightlifting
championships : India won four medals on the opening day of the 14th Asian Youth
(boys & girls) weightlifting championships at Yangon, Myanmar, on 8th November
2012.Santa won a bronze in snatch with a lift of 95 kg before securing a gold each in clean
and jerk and total lift with efforts of 126 kg and 221 kg respectively. The other medal of
the day for the Indians was won by Chandrika Tarafdar in youth girls 44 kg category. She
won a silver with a total lift of 132 kg.
64. Rahul bags 3 more golds for India in Asian Youth Weightlifting : Ragala Venkat
Rahul won three gold medals to help India increase their medals tally to seven on the
second day of the 14th Asian Youth (Boys & Girls) Weightlifting Championships at Yangon,
40
Myanmar on 9th November 2012.Competing in the 77kg weight category, Rahul secured
the yellow metals in snatch, clean and jerk and overall with a total lift of 280 kgs.
65. International news agencies boycott India-England Test series : International news
agencies on 15 November 2012 decided to boycott the high-profile Test series between
India and England which began in Ahmedabad to protest against the restrictions imposed
by the BCCI on some photo agencies covering the tour.
66. Saina Nehwal retains 3rd place in Badminton World Federation womens rankings
:London Olympics bronze medallist Saina Nehwal retained her third place in the Badminton
World Federation (BWF) womens rankings released on 16 November,2012.
67. Priyanka is Asian under-10 champion : Asian under-10 girls chess champion Nuthaki
Priyanka bagged the world youth chess championship at Maribor, Slovenia on 18
November 2012. She completed with 9.5 points of 11 rounds.
68. McLarens Lewis Hamilton won United States Grand Prix 2012 : McLaren-Mercedes
driver Lewis Hamilton won the 2012 United States Grand Prix race at Circuit of the
Americas, Austin, Texas. It was the first F1 race in United States since 2007.
69. Usain Bolt, Allyson Felix named IAAF world athletes of the year : Usain Bolt won
the IAAF(International Amateur Athletic Federation) World male Athlete of the Year award
for the fourth time and United States sprinter Allyson Felix won the womens World Athlete
of the Year award on 24 November 2012.
70. Sebastian Vettel won third Formula One world title : Sebastian Vettel became the
youngest triple champion in Formula One history on 25 November 2012.He stood sixth
position in Brazilian Grand Prix with 8 points.But overall he got F1 world title for this
season with 281 points. This is the third time consecutively he got the F1 title.
71. India to hold 3rd World cup Kabaddi in December : Punjab would host 3rd World
Kabaddi Cup from 1 to 15 December 2012. 23 countries are participating in this world
cup.The prize money for this world cup is Rs.4.54crores.
72. Lalith Babu Top in Commonwealth Chess Championship : Grandmasters M R Lalith
Babu and Sergei Tiviakov scored final round victories to reached the top of the table with
9.5 points in the Commonwealth Chess Championship in Chennai on 01 December 2012.
Lalith was crowned the Commonwealth Champion 2012 title.
73. Rory McIlroy named PGA Tour Player of the Year : On 2 December The PGA(
Professional Golfers Association of America) Tour has announced Rory McIlroy as Tour
Player of the Year after McIlroy won four times on Tour in 2012. McIlroy, becomes the
youngest player to earn Player of the Year honors since Tiger Woods in 1998.
74. Anna Ushenina is World Womens Chess Champion : Anna Ushenina of Ukraine 02
December 2012 won the womens World Championship crown, defeating Antoaneta
Stefanova of Bulgaria in the first set of tie-break games.
75. Air India Won Lal Bahadur Shastri Tournament : Air India defeated Bharat Petroleum
3-1 to emerge champion in the 23rd Lal Bahadur Shastri hockey tournament at the Shivaji
Stadium New Delhi on 4 December 2012.
76. Jadeja Created History Hitting 3rd Tripleton in FC Cricket : Ravindra Jadeja became
first Indian and only eighth batsman in the First-Class (FC) cricket history of world to score
three triple-centuries in the unbeaten 320 runs against Railways in the Ranji Trophy Group
A match on 2 December 2012 in Rajkot.
77. International Olympic Committee Suspended India : The International Olympic
Committee (IOC) suspended Indias national Olympic committee on 4 December 2012
because of government interference in its election process.
78. Australia Won 5th Consecutive Champions Trophy Hockey : On 8 December
Australia won fifth Consective Champions Trophy Hockey after defeated Netherlands in
Melbourne.The bronze medal was claimed by Pakistan after they beated India on 9
december.
79. Indian Wrestlers Won Nine Gold Medals in Copa Brasil Tournament : The Indian
wrestling contingent finished with a haul of nine gold and four bronze medals in the recent
Copa Brasil-2012 tournament held at Rio in December 2012.
80. Magnus Carlsen won the 4th London Chess Classic Tournament : On 10 December
Norways chess ace Magnus Carlsen won the 4th London Chess Classic Tournament in
London .Carlsen defeated the World Champion Viswanathan Anand in the final round and
claim the winners trophy.Kramnik is second place , Adams and Hikaru Nakamura share
the third place and Viswanathan Anand fifth place.
41
81. India Won Blind Cricket T20 World Cup : India won the first T20 world cup for the
Blind .In the final on 13 December 2012 India defeated the Pakistan by 29-runs.India did
well to clinch the first ever blind cricket T20 World Cup on the home soil.
82. India Won the World Cup Kabaddi Tournament 2012 : India won the 3rd World Cup
Kabaddi Tournament for the third consecutive time in the Mens category and second
consecutive time in the Womens category on15 December 2012. Indian men defeated the
Pakistan and India Women defeated the Malaysia in the finals held at the Guru Nanak Dev
Stadium in Ludhiana.
83. Jeev Honoured with Asia Pacific Lifetime Achievement Award : Indian golfer Jeev
Milkha Singh (in pic) won the Asia Pacific Lifetime Achievement award along with Jack
Nicklaus and Colin Montgomerie on 15 December 2012.
84. China Claimed All Titles at Junior World TT Championship : On 16 December China
claimed the all titles at Volkswagen 2012 World Junior Table Tennis Championship after it
won girls as well as boys trophies. Girls Singles : Zhu Yuling, Girls Doubles: Gu Yuting and
Zhu Yuling, Boys Singles : Fan Zhendong, Boys Doubles : Gu Ruochen and Lin Gaoyuan,
Mixed Doubles : Zhendong and Liu Gaoyang.
85. Federer & Nicola named Swiss Athletes of the Year 2012 : Tennis star Roger
Federer was named Swiss male athlete of the year at the 2012 Credit Suisse Sports
Awards on 16 December in Zurich.Federer received the honour for the fifth time. The
female Athlete of the year was Nicola Spirig, the Olympic triathlon champion of
Switzerland.
86. England Won Test Series : On 17 December The last test match between India and
England of the Tournament England Tour to India ended up as a draw and with this India
lost the four-test match cricket series against England .With this win England succeeded in
ending a 28 year long wait of winning a test series on Indian Soil.
87. Syed Rahim Nabi Named AIFF Player of the Year 2012 : Syed Rahim Nabi has
been named the AIFF (All India Football Federation) Player of the Year, 2012 on 20
December.
88. Sachin Retired From One Day Cricket : On 23 December Sachin Tendulkar announced
retirement from one day cricket. Sachin scored 18426 runs in 463 one-day matches and
also made 49 hundreds in the one-day format, including a double hundred which is the
first in this form of cricket and 96 half centuries. He became the first cricketer to score a
double century in the history of One Day international Cricket against South Africa in
February 2010.Tendulkar scored his 100th international century on 16 March 2012 against
Bangladesh, where he scored 114 runs.
89. Kashyap Won First Grand Prix Title : Kashyap Parupalli defeated Thailands Tanongsak
Saensomboonsuk in a tight three game match to take his first Grand Prix title at the
Shaheed Dr. KL Garg, Syed Modi India Grand Prix Gold 2012.
90. Apurvi Chandela Won Air Rifle Gold : On 24 December Apurvi Chandela of Rajasthan
won Womens Air Rifle Gold in the Sahara 56th National Shooting Championship.Former
champion and National record holder, Pournima clinched the bronze.
91. Djokovic won World Tennis Championship : On 29 December Spanish tennis player
Novak Djokovic won World Tennis Championship final after defeated Nicolas Almagro in
Abu Dhabi.
92. Vijay Won Gold in National Shooting Championshipfire pistol event at the 56th
National Shooting Championship in New Delhi.
93. McGrath inducted into Hall of Fame : The ICC announced on 30 December 2012 that
McGrath, who took more Test wickets (563) than any other fast bowler and holds the
record for most wickets in World Cups (71), will be inducted as the 68th male player in
the International Cricket Councils Hall of Fame.
94. Kohli is CEAT International Cricketer of the Year : On 4 January Vice-captain of
Indian Cricket team Virat Kohli was named the International Cricketer of the Year while
Pakistan cricket team was named as the Best International Cricket Team in the 2011-2012
season at the CEAT cricket awards in New Delhi. Unmukt Chand, who led India to the U-19
World Cup win last year, got the inaugural Indian Youngster of the Year award.The Former
Pakistan cricket captain Zaheer Abbas received the Lifetime Achievement Award.
95. Uttarakhand won 63rd National Basketball Championship : On 4 January
Uttarakhand won 63rd National basketball championship mens title after defeated Punjab
in the final at Ludhiana (Punjab).In the womens section, Railways won the title against by
first-time finalist Tamil Nadu in the final.
42
96. Tipsarevic won Chennai Open Tennis Title : On 6 January Second-seeded Janko
Tipsarevic of Serbia has won the ATP Chennai Open Title after defeated Roberto Bautista-
Agut of Spain in the final at Chennai.Tipsarevic won the chennai open title for the first time
in his career.
97. Nicol David won World Series Squash Title : On 6 January Nicol David won the World
Series Squash Finals womens title after defeated Englands Laura Massaro in the final at
London.In the mens final, Egypts Amr Shabana came from behind to beat Englands Nick
Matthew .
98. Australia Won Test Against Sri Lanka : Australia secured a five-wicket won in the third
and final Test match against Sri Lanka on 6 January at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) .
99. Brisbane International Tennis Winners 2013 : Womens Singles :Serena Williams
(USA) won the WTA Brisbane International womens singles title on 5 January with a
straight sets demolition of Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.Mens Singles : In the
Mens singles Category Andy Murray from scotland won the title after defeated Bulgarian
Grigor Dimitrov .Womens Doubles : Sania Mirza and her partner Bethanie Mattek-Sands
won the womens doubles trophy by winning against Kveta Peschke and Anna-Lena
GroenefeldMens Doubles : Marcelo Melo Tommy Robredo won the doubles title after
defeated Eric Butorac Paul Hanley .
100. Pakistan won the Three Match Series : On 6 January Pakistan won the three-
match series by 2-1 against India.With this win over Pakistan, India lost the three matches
one day series .Nasir Jamshed of Paksitan was declared as the Player of the
tournament.MS Dhoni was once again chosen as the Player of the match.
101. Lionel Messi, the man of the four Golden Balls : Lionel Messi became the first
four-time winner of the FIFA Player of the Year award after shattering the world record
with 91 goals last year(2012) for Barcelona and Argentina.His 91 goals topped Gerd
Muellers mark of 85 for Bayern Munich and Germany in 1977
102. Bangar quits first-class cricket : Former India player and Railways captain
Sanjay Bangar announced his retirement from first-class cricket after guiding his team to
a 122-run victory over Bengal in the final league game of the Ranji Trophy on 01 January
2013 in Kolkata.He played 165 first class matches amassing 8342 runs at an average of
33.35 and has 300 wickets to his credit.
103. National Table Tennis Championship Winners : On 11 January Soumyajit
Ghosh became the youngest national champion after he defeated six-time winner Achanta
Sharath Kamal in the summit clash of the 74th National Table Tennis Championship mens
singles final at Raipur.Shamini Kumaresan won the womens singles title.Sourav
Chakraborty and Ganeshan Sathiyan won the doubles title.In the Women doubles category
K. Spoorthy and Nikhat Banu (AP) defeated Madhurika Patkar and Pooja Sahasrabudhe in
the final and got the title.
104. Haryana girls retain U-20 hockey title : Haryana defeated Uttar Pradesh 1-0 to
retain their under-20 women hockey national championship at the Gachibowli Stadium on
16 January 2013.
1. Kerala won 61st National Volleyball Championship Title : On 16 January Kerala
defeated Tamilnadu to retain the mens title in the 61st Senior National Volleyball
Championship at the Sawai Man Singh Indoor Stadium in Jaipur.In the womens section,
Railways defeated Kerala and won the title in the final.
2. Malaysian Open Badminton Championship Winners
Mens Singles: Lee Chong Wei (Indonesia) won the Mens singles title after defeated Sony Dwi
Kuncoro in the final at Kuala Lumpur on 20 January.
Mens Doubles: Mohd Ahsan (Indonesia) -Hendra Setiawan (China) defeated Ko Sung-hyun-Lee
Yong-dae (Malaysia) in the final.
Womens Singles: Tai Tzu-ying (Thailand) won the womens singles title after defeated Yao Xue
(Korea)
Womens Doubles: In the event Bao Yixin-Tian Qing (China) won the title after defeated Misaki
Matsutomo-Ayaka Takahashi (Japan)
43
3. Lalith Babu takes top honours : Lalith Babu defeated Swapnil Dhopade in the final
round to clinch the Chennai Super Kings International Grandmaster chess tournament that
concluded at the Nehru Stadium in Chennai on 23 January 2013.Lalith Babu won
Rs.200,000 and the trophy after becoming the first Indian player to claim the Chennai
Open
4. Australian Open Tennis Tournament 2013 Winners : Womens Singles :- Victoria
Azarenka of Belarus won the Womens Singles title of the Australian Open Tennis
tournament after defeated Li Na of China in the final at Melbourne on 26 January .
Mens Singles:- Novak Djokovic (Serbia) has won the mens singles title after defeating Andy
Murray (Britain) in four sets. This is Djokovics fourth Australian Open and over all six Grand Slam
single title.
Womens Doubles:- Top seeds Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci won the title, defeating wild cards
Ashleigh Barty and Casey Dellacqua in the final.
Mens Doubles : Top seeded American brothers Bob and Mike Bryan won the mens doubles title.
Americans Mike and Bob Bryan won their record 13th Grand Slam doubles title, defeating the
Dutch team of Robin Haase and Igor Sijsling .
5. Magnus Carlsen Won Tata Steel Chess Championship : Magnus Carlsen won Tata
Steel 2013 Chess tournament title in the final at Netherlands on 27 January .In the final
round tournament, he scored 10 points , winning clear first ahead of second-place finisher
Aronian (Armenia).World champion Viswanathan Anand at third position.
6. Mumbai won 40th Ranji Trophy Title : On 29 January Mumbai won its 40th Ranji
Trophy title against Saurashtra by an inning and 125 runs in the final at Wankhede at
Mumbai .Wasim Jaffar was declared Man of the Match. Ajit Agarkar was the captain of the
winning team.
ECONOMY
1. Chinas millionaire number crosses million mark : The number of millionaires in
China crossed a million mark for the first in the Communist nation, putting it in the elite
club of the wealthy nations like US and Japan. The elite millionaires group includes 63,500
billionaires, according to Hurun Report, a Chinese event and publishing group which
compiled the Chinas list of the rich.The number of Chinese
worth more than 10 million yuan (USD 1.6 million) broke the million mark in 2011 for the
first time, with 1.02 million people now in this elite group. Of these million-plus wealthy
individuals, 84 per cent are concentrated in the eastern, northern and southern regions of
China, with Beijing home to the greatest number, at 1.79 lakh millionaires.
2. Crisil Research cuts 2012-13 GDP growth forecast to 5.5% : Crisil Research has cut
Indias real GDP growth forecast for 2012-13 from 6.5 per cent to 5.5 per cent. This
downward revision in GDP is due to deficient monsoon and worsening of the Euro Zone
economic outlook.
3. CIBIL working on Risk Index to help banks : Credit Information Bureau (India) Ltd
(CIBIL) is planning to introduce a risk index that will help the countrys banks take quicker
decisions on extending loans to corporates and business houses. The index follows the
credit information firms TransUnion score for individual borrowers being used by financial
institutions and banks to take decisions in respect
of credit cards and home loans. Any individual with over 750 score can be considered as
good.
4. P.M.s Economic Panel Lowers the Indian : Growth Estimate to 6.7% for 2012-13
Prime Ministers economic advisory panel on 17 August 2012 pegged GDP growth for the
current financial year to 6.7 percent. This is mainly due to poor Monsoon which will pull
down the agriculture
44
growth rate to 0.5 percent from 2.8 percent last year. Economy will grow at 6.7 percent
in 2012- 13, Prime Ministers economic Advisory council (PMEAC) chairman C.Rangarajan
said that while releasing Economic outlook for 2012-13. He asked the government to
open multi brand retail to foreign investment and raise diesel prices in one (or) more
steps to contain the subsidy bill. India has registered 6.5% growth in the fiscal year 2011-
12. Which was the lowest in the past nine years.
5. Government Detected Rs.49,325 crore Black Money in India : Government said that
Rs.49,325 crore has been detected in the country in the last three years while tax evasion
of Rs.600 crore found on input from abroad under multi-prolonged efforts to heck black
money menance. this information has been contained in a 13 page fact-sheet released by
the Finance Ministry.The fact-sheet say the Central Board of Direct Taxes(CBDT) has
detected undisclosed income of over Rs.32,000 crore besides seizing assets valued at over
Rs 2,600 crores. 17,325 crore income detected in survey. Government also disclosed that
under Double Avoidance agreement(DTAA), investigation of information from German and
France has led to detection of tax evasion of Rs.600 crore and realization of Rs.200 crore
in taxes.
6. Union Finance Minister Approved the Proposal FDI raise up to 49% : The Union
Finance Minister P.Chidambaram approved the raise of FDI in Insurance and Pension
sector up to 49%. Earlier the limit of FDI was up to 26%. This Proposal of 49% raise of
FDI was made during the tenure of Pranab mukherjee. It was delayed because of
resistance from the cronies.
7. ISC directs Sahara Group to refund Rs 17,400 crore to investors : In a major
setback to the Sahara Group, the Supreme Court on 31st August 2012 directed two of its
companies to refund around Rs 17,400 crore to their investors within three months with 15
percent interest.A bench of justices K S Radhakrishnan and J S Khehar directed SEBI to
take action against the companies, Sahara India Real Estate Corporation
and Sahara Housing Investment Corporation, if they fail to refund the money.
8. India, China joint panel to address trade concerns : India and China have agreed to
establish a joint working group to address all trade-related issues, including the widening
trade balance between the countries. The decision was taken at a meeting between trade
minister Anand Sharma and his
Chinese counterpart Chen Deming in New Delhi on 27th August 2012.Trade between the
countries was $75.4 billion in 2011-12, against $59 billion in 2010- 11. In 2011-12,
exports to China stood at $17.9 billion while imports from there stood at $57.5 billion,
resulting in a trade deficit of $39.6 billion.
9. Indias GDP to remain below 6% for 2012-13 : CII(Confederation of Indian Industry)
survey indicated that the GDP growth during 2012-13 is expected to remain below 6
percent
10. Planning Commission for cut in 12th Plan annual GDP growth target to 8.2% :
Planning Commission is proposing to lower annual average growth target for the 12th Five
Year Plan (2012-17) to 8.2 per cent from its earlier projection of 9 per cent in view of
uncertain global environment and sluggish performance of the manufacturing sector at
home.
11. CRR cut to inject Rs.17,000 crore : The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), on 17th
September 2012, retained the indicative policy rates at the current level while cutting the
Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) by 25 basis points to 4.50 per cent, injecting a liquidity of
around Rs.17,000 crore into the banking system.
12. Naveen Jindal tops executive pay chart with Rs 73.4 crore package : The
Chairperson and Managing Director of Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL),Naveen Jindal has
topped the executive pay charts for listed companies in the country with a package of Rs
73.42 crore for the last fiscal 2011-12, which grew by over Rs six crore from previous
year.
13. Govt approves 49% FDI in insurance & pension sectors : On 4th October 2012 The
Cabinet has cleared proposals to allow more Foreign Direct Investment or FDI in the
insurance and pension sectors.In both the sectors government approves 49% of FDIs.
14. Govt approves 12th Five-Year Plan : On 4th October 2012 Government approved the
12th Five-Year Plan (2012-17) document that aims to achieve annual average economic
growth rate of 8.2 per cent, down from 9 per cent envisaged earlier, in view of fragile
global recovery.
15. HDFC Bank partners Indian Oil Corporation to offer rural banking services : HDFC
Bank has partnered Indian Oil Corporation to provide banking services in the rural areas
45
where IOCs petrol pump outlets Kisan Seva Kendras will act as the business
correspondents for the banks.
16. IMF cuts Indias Growth Forecast for 2012 to 4.9 Percent : The International
Monetary Fund (IMF) has slashed Indias growth forecast to 4.9 per cent for 2012 due to
low business confidence and sluggish structural reforms.
17. India-US trade to touch $100 bn : Bilateral trade between India and the US is expected
to touch USD 100 billion in the coming years on increasing economic engagement between
the countries.
18. Rangarajan lowers FY13 GDP growth forecast to 6% : Prime Ministers key advisor C
Rangarajan 25th October 2012 lowered the growth projection for the current fiscal to 6 per
cent from 6.7 per cent estimated earlier.
19. Rs 6,000-cr fine on Tata Steel for illegal mining : The Odisha government imposed a
fine Rs 6,000 crore on Tata Steel for its alleged involvement in illegal and excess
mining at its captive mines.
20. India signs loan agreement with World Bank for USD 70 million : India signed a
70-million US Dollar loan agreement with World Bank for financing the Karnataka Health
Systems Development as well as Reform Project on 22 November 2012.
21. The ADB cut Indias Growth Forecast to 5.4 percent : The Asian Development Bank
(ADB) cut Indias growth forecast to 5.4 per cent in 2012-13 fiscal, barely two months
after it had made a projection of 5.6 per cent growth for the Asias third largest economy.
Indias growth forecast is revised from 5.6 per cent to 5.4 per cent in fiscal year 2012 and
from 6.7 per cent to 6.5 per cent in FY 2013.
22. Rich Gulf Families Own Wealth Worth USD 1.2 Trillion : According to the KFH-
Research report said one million wealthy families in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)
countries own investment assets worth about USD 1.2 trillion.The report about wealth and
funds management said that the worlds population of high net worth individuals (HNWIs)
grew by a marginal 0.8 per cent year on year to 11 million in 2011.
23. India Economy Would Dominate the Economy of the World by 2030 : US
intelligence counsel was released report on 10 December 2012 declared that India would
straddle international commerce and will also dominate the economy of the whole world by
2030.
24. IOC Retains Top in Fortune 500 India List : Government owned Indian Oil Corporation
(IOC) is ranked as the largest company in terms of revenue, the Fortune 500 list of Indian
companies for 2012 . In this list Indian Oil Corporation got the first place with a full-year
revenue of Rs 4,202 billion, Reliance Industries Limited got the second place with a full-
year revenue of Rs 3,675 billion and Bharat Petroleum Corporation got the third place with
a full -year revenue of Rs 2,148 billion
25. Indias Lost $123 bn in Black Money : According to the report of Illicit Financial
Flows from Developing Countries: 20012010, released by Global Financial Integrity
(GFI) India lost $123 billion in black money during 2001-2010. However Indias loss is far
less than that of China, which according to the report suffered a loss of $ 2.74 trillion
during the same period (2001 to 2010). India is the eighth largest victim of black money
loses.
26. India Lags Several Nations in Per Capita Income : India is lagging behind several
countries in per capita income due to different levels of development and various other
factors, the central government was informed on 19 December. Indias per capita GDP on
Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) basis was $3,403 in 2010 and is estimated at $3,662.69 in
2011 and $3,851.31 in 2012.
27. Philippines introduced sin tax : A sin tax on cigarettes and alcohol was introduced in
the Philippines on 01 January 2013, as part of a government bid to boost finances.Many
stores started selling tobacco and drink at inflated prices before midnight , ahead of the
official implementation of the tax hikes on January 01, hitting partygoers in the pocket.Tax
on cigarettes will gradually be raised to 30 pesos ($0.72) per pack by 2017, roughly
doubling the current price to around 52 pesos.Duty on alcohol will also increase gradually
until 2017, increasing the price of a bottle of beer by 23.50 pesos, with varying levels for
other drinks including wine and spirits.
28. LIC Launched New Jeewan Nidhi & Flexi Plus Policies : The Life Insurance
Corporation (LIC) of India launched two new Insurence policies New Jeevan Nidhi, a
pension scheme, and Flexi Plus on 3 January .New Jeewan Nidhi provides the facility of
insurance coverage of full amount while the insured person keeps depositing
premiums.The Flexi policy is a unit linked insurance product. The plan not only provides a
46
lump sum benefit on death but also maturity benefit irrespective of survival of the policy
holder
29. Mukesh Ambani 18th richest man in world : Indian business magnate Mukesh
Ambani is the 18th richest person in the world with a personal wealth of $24.7 billion in
2012, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, a daily ranking of the worlds 100
wealthiest individuals. Mexican telecommunications magnate Carlos Slim remained the
worlds richest person last year holding a personal fortune of more than $70
billion.Microsoft founder Bill Gates and the founder of fashion retailer Zara, Amancio
Ortega, got a second and third places respectively.
30. Indian Companies Top Globally in R&D Investment : According to the European
Commission report Indian companies have come on the top globally when it comes to
growth in their research and development (R&D) investments, leaving their counterparts in
the US and Europe far behind.Indian firms rank far below when it comes to absolute R&D
investments made by them and the top-ranked company from the country.These are the
only 14 Indian companies present in a list of top-1500 entities worldwide in terms of their
annual R&D investments.The top-ranked Indian company is Infosys at 329th place and
Japanese company Toyota Motor appears at the top of the ranking in the 2012 Scoreboard.
31. IMF forecasted Indian Economic Growth Rate to be 5.9 percent in 2013 : The
International Monetary Fund (IMF) on 23 January 2013 pegged Indias economic growth
rate in 2013 at 5.9 per cent and projected a higher growth of 6.4 per cent next year in line
with the gradual strengthening of global expansion.
32. World Banks Global Economic Prospects 2013 Report : According to the World
Bank Global Economic Prospects 2013 report , Indias growth is expected to inch closer
to that of China in near future, in which the economies of developing countries like India,
China and Brazil are projected to be recovering and higher growth rate.The World Bank
expects that by 2015, the growth rate of China would be 7.9% and that of India 7%.While
the growth of the world economy growth is projected to inch up from 2.3% in 2012 to
2.4% in 2013, with the high-income countries remaining at the same level of growth of
1.3% in both 2012 and 2013, it is the emerging markets like India, China and Brazil that
would show significant signs of recovery.They are expecting a recovery in India from 5.1%
growth in 2012 to 6.1% growth in 2013.
33. India 119th on Economic Freedom Index : According to the Heritage Foundation
2013 Index of Economic Freedom survey report , India has been ranked as the 119th
freest country in the world and Indias economic freedom score stood at 55.2, as its
institutional shortcomings continue to undermine the foundations for long-term economic
development.The top ten countries in the list include Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia,
New Zealand, Switzarland, canada, Chili, Mauritius, Denmark and US.
34. India second in steel production globally : India is second only to China in terms of
steel production. In the last 5 years Indias production grew by 33 percent, thus making it
behind China among the top 5 steel producing nation. World Steel Association (WSA) data
has revealed that Chinas production grew by 39 per cent during 2008-2012, Indias by 33
percent and Indias production grew constantly in the last five years from 57.8 MT in 2008
to 63.5 MT in 2009, 69 MT in 2010, 73.6 MT in 2011 and 76.7 MT in 2012
35. RBI cuts CRR, Repo Rates : On 29 January The Reserve Bank of India slashed its key
interest rates by 0.25 per cent and released 18000 crore rupees additional liquidity into
the system to perk up growth through reduced cost of borrowing. RBI in its third quarter
monetary policy review surprised the market by cutting short-term lending rate called
repo, by 0.25 per cent to 7.75 per cent and Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) by similar margin to
4 per cent.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
1. SPOT6 reached to SHAR : The Satish Dawan Space Centre in Nellore district at
Sriharikota will launching PSLV C-21 rocket(100th rocket) with French satellite
SPOT6(800kg) and a small Japanese satellite weighing around 15kg in the month of
September.This is the hundredth rocket in the 49 years of ISRO history.
47
2. Cabinet Clears Mars mission : The Union Cabinet on 03 August 2012 cleared the Indian
Space Research Organization(ISRO) mission to Mars next year November The project
envisages putting a spacecraft in the red planets orbit to study its atmosphere with the
help of the polar Satellite launch vehicle. India joins the United states , Russia, Europe,
Japan and China in undertaking such an
effort. The spacecraft will have a scientific payload of 25 kg and its proposed to be placed
in an orbit of 500 x 80,000 km around the planet.The mission is estimated to cost about
Rs $450 crore.
3. Curiosity Landed on Red Planet : The Robotic Explorer Curiosity blazed through the
pink skies of mars, steering itself to gentle landing inside again crater for the most
ambitious dig yet into the red planet. It was NASAs seventh landing on earths
Neighbor.In November 2011 American Space Research Centre NASA Launched the
curiosity into the space. On 6 Aug 2012 the Curiosity landed safely on the Mars.The
Voyage to Mars took more than eight months and spanned 352m million miles(566 million
kilometers). It sliced through Martian atmosphere ay 13,000mph(21,000kph). The first of
what scientists predict will be enormous
amounts of Information, Including a possible answer to whether Mars ever supported
conditions for Organic life, to find evidence of life itself,alive or fossilized-its raft of 10
scientific instruments will hunt for carbon based compounds considered essential
to microbial life. It stays 2 years in Mars to collect all these Information. This is the next
space mission of NASA after 1970. Ashwini, Indo-American scientist involved in this
mission.
4. NASA picks 3 firms to develop space taxis : NASA picks 3 firms to develop space
taxis,the companies are the Boeing Co,Space Exploration Technologies called SpaceX, and
Sierra Nvada Corp.
5. A new oxidant in the atmosphere identified : Scientists have found for the first time
unequivocal evidence of another oxidant playing a vital role in the formation of gaseous
sulphuric acid in the atmosphere. Until now, it was thought that the combination of OH
(hydroxyl radical) oxidant with sulphur dioxide (SO) was the dominant way by which
gaseous sulphuric acid is formed in the atmosphere. They found the new oxidant has
significant capacity to oxidise sulphur dioxide.
6. Largest 3D Map of Galaxies : Astronomers have unveiled the largest ever 3D map of the
sky, encompassing massive galaxies and distance black holes, based on sloan digital sky
survey III(SDSS- III). These galaxies are captures by a 2.5 meter wide -angle telescope
located at the Apache Point observatory in New Mexico.The release Includes of 200 million
galaxies and spectra of 1.35 million galaxies, according to a Harvardsmith soniam
statement with SDSS-III.
7. Agni-II Test Fired Successfully : Surface to Surface missile Agni-II soared to a
successfully test fired on 9 august 2012 at Wheeler Island of the Odisha. It have a height
of 20km and weighted as 17 tonnes and have the capacity to carry a nuclear war head of
weighing one ton. The missile Ranging Agni-I 700km , Agni-II 2,000 km , Agni- III-
3,300km. The future projects are Agni 4 andAgni 5 to launch.
8. Print High Resolution Images Without Ink aNew Technology Developed : The team
of scientists with Indian origin has developed a new technology of printing high resolution
images without ink. The Institute of materials research and Engineering in Singapore has
demonstrated that 1,00,000 dots per inch(dpi) can
produce sharp and full spectrum color images.Which can be applicable in reflect colour
displays , anti-counterfeiting, and high density optical recording.Karthik Kumar says that
size and spacing of the nanodots is critical to the final image quality. The closer the dots
are together and because of their small size, the higher the resolution of the image.
9. Nanotechnology for Solar panel efficiency : A University of Houston researchers has
developed a nano particle coating for solar panel that makes it easier to keep them clean.
This helps in keeping them efficient and cuts maintains cost. NASA spies cosmic supermom
Scientists have found a cosmic supermom, a galaxy that gives birth to more stars in a day
than Earths does in a year. Astronomers used NASAs Chandra X-ray telescope to spot
this distant gigantic galaxy creating about 740 new stars a year. By comparison,
our Milky Way Galaxy spawns just about one new star each year.
10. Prithvi-II missile test, a Success : The strategic Forces Command, which is in charge of
nuclear weapons, successfully fired the surface to surface Prithvi-II missile from Chandipur
in Odishas Balasore district on 25th August 2012, confirming yet again that the armed
48
forces are
capable of launching nuclear missiles independently.
11. China Military test fires 14,000km range missile : The china central television(CCTV)
reported that the chinas military had successfully tested the new 14,000 rang Dong feng-
41 Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM). It have the capacity to carry 10 nuclear war
heads.
12. Blue moon on 31st August 2012 : When a full moon appears in the night sky for the
second time in a calendar month ,it is called a blue oon.The next blue moon will occur on
July 31,2015.
13. In US, Indias First C-17 transport aircraft takes shape : Now the Indian Air Force is
planned to introduce a C-17 Globemaster III heavy lift military planes in place of old Cargo
planes for the next year June. So India made deal with Boeing for $410 crores in the last
year.C-17 has the capacity to fill oil in the air.
14. China developing new class of guided missile destroyer : The Chinese Navy is
developing a brand new class of guided-missile destroyer, a new type of naval warship
with upgraded air-defence missiles, anti-ship and anti-submarine missiles.The new
destroyers are equipped with two 32-unit vertical launch systems capable of launching HQ-
9B air-defence missiles, anti-ship and anti-submarine missiles.The new destroyer is
comparable to the Aegis equipped destroyers of the US Navy which use powerful
computers and radars to track and guide weapons to destroy enemy targets
15. Gliese 163C: New Earth-Like Planet Might Sustain Life : Dubbed Gliese 163C, the
planet is about seven times the mass of Earth and orbits a red dwarf, or a small, relatively
cool star. Gliese 163C is 49 light years away. Its thought to be composed of mostly rock
and water and gets 40 percent more light from its parent star than Earth gets from the
sun, making it hotter with a surface temperature of 60 degrees Celsius.
16. Air Indias first Dreamliner landing at IGI Airport : After a four-year delay and
subsequent acrimony, the first of Air Indias advanced Boeing B-787 Dreamliner landing at
the Indira Gandhi International Airport on 08th September 2012.It is capable of flying over
15,000 km non-stop. For AI, the plane has been configured to have 256 seats 18 full-
flat business class seats and 238 in economy.Air India, which ordered 27 Dreamliners six
years ago, will get two more in the next few weeks. A total of eight will arrive by March
2013.
17. PSLV-C21 delivers two satellites into their intended Orbits : The Indian Space
Research Organization(ISRO) successfully put into orbit two foreign satellites( French SPOT
6(712kgs) and Japanese micro Satellite(15kgs)) marking Indian space agencys 100th
mission since the launch of the first satellite,Aryabhata,in 1975 by Russian rocket.
18. ISRO to launch SARAL satellite on 12 Dec 2012 : Indo-French satellite SARAL would
be launched onboard PSLV-C20 from the spaceport of Sriharikota on 12 December 2012
Indian Space Research Organisation Chairman K Radhakrishnan said at the Bangalore
Space Expo 2012 on 12th September 2012.
19. U.S.-Russian space crew lands safely in Kazakhstan : A Russian Soyuz capsule
landed on the Kazakh steppe on 17th September 2012, delivering a trio of astronauts from
a four-month stint on the International Space Station.
20. India tests Agni-IV n-missile : India successfully tested its nuclear-capable surface-to-
surface Agni-IV missile from a military base in Odisha on 19th September 2012.The new
generation missile, which has the capability to hit targets at about 4,000 km.
21. India test-fires N-capable Agni-III missile successfully : India on 21st September
2012 successfully test-fired its nuclear-capable Agni-III surface-to-air missile with a strike
range of over 3000 km and capable of carrying a warhead of 1.5 tonnes from the Wheeler
Island off the Odisha coast.
22. China launches its first aircraft carrier : China launched its first aircraft carrier on 25th
September 2012. The 60,000 tonne carrier, a former Soviet ship brought from Ukraine and
later refurbished locally is named Liaoning, after a Chinese province liberated from
Japanese occupation in 1945, in what can be seen as another symbolic warning to Tokyo.
The 300m long Liaoning carrier has the capacity to bring 3
23. NASA says Curiosity rover finds evidence of water on Mars : NASA scientist say the
Curiosity rover has found evidence of a vigorous thousand-year water flow on the surface
of Mars.
24. Indias heaviest satellite, GSAT-10 launched from Kourou launch pad in French
Guiana : Indias advanced communication satellite GSAT-10 was successfully launched on
49
board Ariane-5 rocket from Europes spaceport in French Guiana on 29th September
2012.This is the Indias heaviest satellite of 3,400kg weight.
25. Scientists discover bacteria that can produce 24-carat gold : Scientists have
discovered a bacteria that has the ability to withstand incredible amounts of toxicity and
can be the key to creating 24-carat gold.Researchers from the Michigan State University
have found that the metal-tolerant bacteria Cupriavidus metallidurans can grow on
massive concentrations of gold chloride or liquid gold, a toxic chemical compound found in
nature.
26. India sucessfully test-fires Prithvi-II ballistic missile : On 4th October 2012 India
sucessfully test-fired surface-to-surface Prithvi-II ballistic missile from the Integrated Test
Range (ITR) in Chandipur of Balasore district off Odisha coast.
27. India successfully test-fires nuclear-capable Dhanush missile : A day after the
launch of Prithvi-II, India successfully test-fired nuclear-capable Dhanush ballistic missile
for its full range of 350 km from a naval ship off Odisha on 5th October 2012.
28. Australia launches worlds fastest radio telescope : In the remote Australian outback,
scientists have launched the worlds fastest radio telescope which will exponentially
increase astronomers ability to survey the universe, mapping black holes and shedding
new light on the origins of galaxies.The Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder
(ASKAP), located near the region of Murchison about 650 kilometres north of Perth, was
officially opened 5th October 2012 by Science Minister Chris Evans.
29. Indian navy successfully test-fires BrahMos supersonic cruise missile : The Indian
Navy on 7th October 2012 successfully test-fired the 290-km range BrahMos supersonic
cruise missile, capable of carrying a conventional warhead of 300 kg, from a warship off
the Goa coast.
30. The Barcode Turns 60 Years Old : October 7, 2012 marks the 60th anniversary of the
registration of the first bar code patent. The original patent for what we know today as the
modern barcode was granted on October 7, 1952 to Norman Joseph Woodland and
Bernard Silver, its inventors.
31. New planet discovered in Earths backyard : Astronomers have found a new planet
called exoplanet in Alpha Centauri , the closest yet outside our solar system and just an
astronomical stones throw away at four light years.Alpha Centauri is a three-star system
consisting of two stars similar to our sun and a faint red star called Proxima Centauriand
another one is the Alpha Centauri B.The Exoplanet orbits Alpha Centauri B.
32. Indian diamond fetches 16.9 million euros at auction : A 76-carat flawless diamond
from Indias famous Golconda mines broke world record by fetching a whooping 16.9
million euros (Rs 1,18,16,98,700) at an auction in Geneva on 14 November 2012.
33. Scientists Created a Paper-thin material that can stop bullets : A team of
mechanical engineering and materials scientists from Rice University and MIT has created
special nanomaterials that were able to stop bullets in the lab. The type of material, called
a structured polymer compositecan actually self-assemble into alternating glassy and
rubbery layers.
34. Solar Systems largest planet discovered : A team of astrophysicists had discovered
an enormous gaseous planet that is 13 times more massive than Jupiter, earning the name
Super-Jupiter and is the largest planet in our own solar system.
35. India successfully test fires supersonic interceptor missile : India successfully test-
fired an indigenously developed supersonic interceptor missile, capable of destroying a
hostile ballistic missile, from a test range off the Odisha coast on 23 November 2012.
36. Drug that can halt cancer spread : Scientists was developed a new drug called
Aflibercept, for stop the cancer cells from multiplying.
37. Pakistan tests nuclear-capable ballistic missile : Pakistan successfully test-fired a
nuclear-capable ballistic missile called Hatf-V(Ghauri) on 28 November 2012 that can hit
targets up to 1,300 km (807 miles) away.
38. Astronomers Discovered Giant black hole in tiny galaxy : Astronomers claim to
have discovered the most massive black hole ever known in a small galaxy about 250
million light-years from Earth, holding a mass equivalent to 17 billion Suns.The super-
massive black hole is located inside the galaxy NGC 1277 in the constellation Perseus.It
makes up about 14 per cent of its host galaxys mass, compared with the 0.1 per cent a
normal black hole would represent, scientists said, adding that it has a mass equivalent to
17 billion Suns
39. Canadian Scientists Created Artificial Brain : Software engineers as well as
neuroscientists at University of Waterloo, Canada claimed that they have developed a
50
closest model of the functioning human brain, known as Spaun which is advanced enough
for passing the basic IQ tests. This is the virtual brain which functions on the
supercomputer and comprises of a digital eye, which can be used for visual input. It also
has the robotic arm which can be used for drawing the response.
40. Voyager 1 Drifts Into Unknown Region of Space : NASAs Voyager 1 spacecraft has
discovered a new layer of the solar system that scientists hadnt known was there,
researchers announced on 4 December 2012. Voyager 1, in particular, has entered a new
region of the heliosphere that scientists are calling a magnetic highway, which allows
charged particles from inside the heliosphere to flow outward, and particles from the
galaxy outside to come in.
41. New Anti-HIV Gel for HIV Transmission : Researchers led by Dereuddre-Bosquet from
the European Combined Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Microbicides (CHAARM) Consortium
describe the gels key ingredient, which are small peptides engineered to present a decoy
to bind up the virus and prevent it from entering and infecting the body cells. Because this
is a gel it can be topically applied and could represent a powerful preventative agent
against sexual transmission of HIV. Bosquet and colleagues engineered peptides named
miniCD4s because they mimic the CD4 receptor used by HIV to gain entry into immune
cells of the body.
42. NASA to Send New Rover to Mars in 2020 : NASA was announced plans to send a
new robotic explorer to the the Red Planet, Mars in 2020.
43. 7 Planets Discovered In The Milky Way : New York Scientists have been discovered
Seven planets in the Milky Way outside our solar system that could potentially harbour life
and researchers from an ambitious project to catalogue all habitable worlds claim.
44. Russia Delivered MiG-29 Fighter Jets to India : Russia on 10 December 2012
delivered the first three upgraded MiG-29UPG fighter jets to India under a USD 900
million contract to modernise the ageing fleet of MiG-29 aircraft with the IAF.
45. Tata Group Developed new Artillery Gun : On 11 December In a step towards
developing the indigenous private sector defence industry, the Tata group has created a
new Artillery Gun. The 155mm 52 calibre gun developed by the Tata group is likely to have
a strike range of 52 kms, which would probably be the longest in the Indian inventory.
46. India Successfully Test Fired Agni-I Ballistic Missile : India on 12 December 2012
successfully test-fired its indigenously developed nuclear capable Agni-I ballistic missile
with a strike range of 700 km from a test range off Odisha coast. Weighing 12 tonnes, the
15-metre-long Agni-I, which is capable of carrying payloads up to 1000 kg and destroy
the targets at a distance of 700 km.
47. North Korea Launched Unha-3 Rocket : On 12 December North Korea launched a
long-range rocket Unha-3 despite international opposition and growing tensions in the
region successfully delivering a scientific satellite Kwangmyongsong-3 into orbit.Unha-3 is
the second version of satellite Kwangmyongsong-3 which is successfully lifted off from the
Sohae Space Center by carrier rocket.The US and its allies view the launch as a disguised
test of ballistic missile technology.
48. NASAs Twin Probes Crashed Successfully onto Lunar Mountain : Ebb and Flow, the
gravity mapping satellites of NASA ended the successful mission to Moon by crashing on
the rim of crater. Lunar surface on which Ebb and Flow crashed will be given a name after
Sally Ride, the first woman of America in the space who died earlier in 2012.
49. Rocket with 3 Astronauts Takes off for ISS : A Soyuz spacecraft carrying three
astronauts took off atop a towering Russian rocket on 19 December 2012, headed for the
International Space Station.It launched from Russias manned-space facility in the frigid
steppes of Kazakhstan. American Tom Marshburn, Russian Roman Romanenko and
Canadian Chris Hadfield are travelled in capsule.
50. Prithvi-II Flight- Tested Successfully : The Strategic Forces Command (SFC)
successfully flight-tested nuclear weapons-capable Prithvi-II missile from Chandipur, off
the Odisha coast on 20 December 2012. The surface-to-surface ballistic missile, was fired
from a road mobile launcher and tested for its full range of 350 km.The single-stage, liquid
propelled missile can carry a payload of 500 kg.
51. Astra Missile Successfully Test-fired : India on December 2012 test launched its
indigenously developed beyond visual range (BVR) air-to-air interceptor missile Astra at
the interim test range(ITR) at Chandipur in Odisha.Astra which has the capability to
intercept and destroy enemy aircraft at a supersonic speed can be fitted into any fighter
aircraft. Considered as one of the best of its kind in the world, the 3.8 metre long missile
which weighs about 160 kg can carry explosive loaded conventional warheads up to 15 kg.
51
52. Scientists Discovered Mini Nile River on Saturns Moon Titan : Nasa scientists had
spotted the longest extraterrestrial river system ever on Saturns moon Titan and it
appears to be a miniature version of Earths Nile river.
53. Higgs Boson Tops Journal Sciences 2012 List : The discovery of the Higgs Boson, an
invisible particle that explains the mystery of mass, leads a list of the top 10 scientific
advances of 2012 released by the US journal Science on 22 December .
54. America Launched Reusable Rockets : US California based SpaceXs industry
successfully launched Grasshopper reusable rockets.The rocket took a giant leap for
commercial space flight and when it rose 131 feet and landed safely back on Earth.
Grasshopper rocket rose to a height of 131 feet around ten storeys and hovered before
landing safely on its launch pad using closed loop thrust vector and throttle control. :
55. Hot Spots For Worlds more Powerful Earthquakes Revealed : The locations of
where the worlds largest earthquakes are most likely to take place had pinpointed with
greater accuracy than ever before, by researchers from the University of Sydney.The
coasts of Southern Chile and Peru, Indonesias Sumatra Island, and several regions along
the eastern Eurasian coastline, are some of the regions prone to great earthquakes.
56. US approved First new Tuberculosis Drug : On 1 January The US Food and Drug
administration approved a Johnson & Johnson tuberculosis drug in 40 years .This is the
first new medicine to fight the deadly infection in more than four decades.The disease is
rare in the US, but kills about 1.4 millionpeople a year worldwide.
57. Spiral galaxy IC 2233 : Astronomers had captured one of the flattest galaxies known in
the universe, sitting like a silver needle in the haystack of space. The NASA/ESA Hubble
Space Telescope produced a beautiful image of the spiral galaxy IC 2233, one of the
flattest galaxies. The IC 2233 is located about 40 million light-years away from Earth. This
galaxy was earlier discovered by British astronomer Isaac Roberts in 1894.
58. Immune system booster may hit cancer : Japanese research where stem cells
were used to clone and produce large numbers of a specialized type of white blood cell.
These cells, known as cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs), are produced by the immune
system and are able to recognize specific markers on the surface of various tumour cells,
causing them to launch an attack to kill the tumour cells.The researchers are succeeded in
using stem cells to mass-produce CTLs in laboratory conditions.
59. Chinese Biologists Discovered Antibiotic In Panda Blood : Chinese biologists have
discovered that the blood of the endangered giant panda includes a compound called
Cathelicidin-AM which acts as a natural antibiotic. The nature of the blood compound
makes it an attractive treatment for so-called superbugs, those strains of disease that
have become immune or resistant to traditional antibiotics.
60. India to make worlds largest solar telescope : India is likely to begin construction of
the worlds largest solar telescope on the foothills of the Himalayas in Ladakh to
understand the fundamental processes taking place on the Sun by year-end.A 2-metre
class, state-of-the-art National Large Solar Telescope (NLST), built by Bangalore-based
Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), will permit Indian scientists to carry out cutting edge
research aimed to study Suns atmosphere.
61. Internet emits 830 mt of carbon dioxide annually : According to Researchers from
the Centre for Energy-Efficient Telecommunications (CEET) and Bell Labs, Internet and
other components of information communication and technology (ICT) industry annually
produces more than 830 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2), the main greenhouse gas,
and is expected to double by 2020
62. Lakshya Missile Successfully Tested : Indias indigenously developed, Lakshya was
sucessfully tested on 7 January .It was launched from the Integrated Test Range ITR, at
Odisha .25 meters in length, 100 km away from the target to the missile .
63. 17 billion Earth-sized planets in Milky Way : The Milky Way contains at least 17
billion planets the size of Earth.Astronomers using NASAs Kepler spacecraft found that
about 17 percent of stars in our galaxy have a planet about the size of Earth in a close
orbit.The Milky Way is known to host about 100 billion stars, meaning that about one of
every six has an Earth-sized planet around it.
64. Brahmos cruise missile test fired in successfully : Supersonic cruise missile BrahMos
scored once again in its 34th launch on 09 January 2013 off Visakhapatnam in the Bay of
Bengal, hitting a decommissioned vessel with accuracy.As it took off vertically from a naval
warship, reached an altitude of 14 km, levelled out and started cruising at three times the
speed of sound, it performed a double manoeuvre in S-form and hit the decommissioned
ship, about 290 km away.
52
65. Astronomers Found NGC 6872 Largest known Spiral Galaxy : A team of
astronomers from the United States, Chile and Brazil has crowned it the largest-known
spiral galaxy, a spectacular behemoth five times bigger than our own Milky Way, based on
archival data from NASAs Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) mission.The title-holder is
now NGC 6872, a barred spiral found 212 million light-years away in the southern
constellation Pavo. The distance between NGC 6872s two huge spiral arms is 522,000
light-years, compared to about 100,000 light-years for the Milky Way.
66. Indian Scientists Discovered Molecule for Cancer Treatment : A team of Indian
researchers, led by Dr Sathees C Raghavan of the Indian Institute of Science at Bangalore,
have identified a molecule which they claim will revolutionise the cure for cancer.The
molecule has been named after Sathees as SCR7 and a detailed account of it has been
carried in the international scientific journal Cell".Scientists world over believe that the
double strand break (DSB) of DNA is one of the most lethal form of DNA damage, resulting
in drastic consequences such as genome instability, and cancer.
67. Largest Space structure in the Universe:Large Quasar Group : An international
team lead by astronomer Roger Clowes of the University of Central Lancashire in England
discovered the largest known structure in the universe, a clump of active galactic cores
that stretches 4 billion light-years from end to end.This is the largest Space structure in
the Universe.This structure is known as a Large Quasar Group(LQG).
68. Indian Scientists Discovered Molecule for Cancer Treatment : A team of Indian
researchers, led by Dr Sathees C Raghavan of the Indian Institute of Science at Bangalore,
have identified a molecule which they claim will revolutionise the cure for cancer.The
molecule has been named after Sathees as SCR7 and a detailed account of it has been
carried in the international scientific journal Cell".Scientists world over believe that the
double strand break (DSB) of DNA is one of the most lethal form of DNA damage, resulting
in drastic consequences such as genome instability, and cancer.
69. Worlds First Global Renewable Energy Atlas Launched : On 13 January Abu Dhabi-
based International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) launched the worlds first clean
energy atlas at IRENAS General Assembly , currently offers open-access information on
solar and wind power throughout the world and the creators plan to expand to other
renewable energy resources over the next two years.The atlas includes information on
clean energy resources in 37 countries, including those which have no diplomatic relations
with the United Arab Emirates.The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) is
working in partnership with the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century
(REN21) to build a qualitative and quantitative data framework for renewable energy in
developing countries.
70. Ancient River Found on Mars : On 17 January The European Space Agency scientists
have revealed a 1500 km long and 7 kilometre wide river that once ran across Mars.The
images which were captured by the ESAs Mars Express showed Reull Vallis, the river-like
structure, which is believed to have formed when water ran from the surface of Mars in
distant past. The structure which surprised the astronomers stretches for around 900 miles
or 1500 km across the Martian surface and also shows various tributaries. These
structures, it is believed, were formed somewhere around 3.5 billion years ago.
71. India Increased Rafale Fighter Jets Order : India could buy up to 189 of the Rafale
fighter jets currently being used by France to bomb Islamist militants in Mali, sources close
to negotiations on the multi-billion dollar deal .The possibility of an additional 63 jets being
added to an expected order for 126 was raised by India .The Indian press has estimated
the value of the deal for 126 Rafales at $12 billion (nine billion euros).A 50 per cent
increase in the number of planes ordered would take it to around $18 billion, in a huge
boost for the French defence industry.
72. Japan to replace Fukushima plant with worlds largest wind farm : In the wake of
the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, Japan had decided to build the worlds largest
offshore wind farm to replace the crippled nuke plant.The country plans to build a total of
143 wind turbines on platforms 16 kilometres off the coast of Fukushima by 2020, which is
home to the stricken Daiichi nuclear reactor that hit the headlines in March 2011 when it
was damaged by a severe earthquake and tsunami.The wind farm will generate 1 gigawatt
of power once completed, and is part of a national plan to increase renewable energy
resources following the post-tsunami shutdown of the countrys 54 nuclear reactors.The
wind farm will surpass the 504 megawatts generated by the 140 turbines at the Greater
Gabbard farm off the coast of Suffolk, UK currently the worlds largest farm.
53
73. India, US finalise Rs 3,000 crore deal for jet engines : India and the US have
finalised a Rs 3000-crore deal for supplying 99 jet engines to be used in the indigenous
Light Combat Aircraft Tejas being developed by the DRDO.Around two years ago, India
had selected the American company General Electric over its rival European Eurojet 2000
for the LCA Mark II programme expected to be ready around 2014-15.The deal worth Rs
3,000 crore has been finalised with the US for procuring 99 engines for the LCA Tejas
MkII.As per the contract, the order could be for 99 engines initially but India will have the
option of ordering another 100 engines in the future.
74. INS Saryu Inducted into Indian Navy : On 21 January Air Marshal PK Roy,
Commander-in-Chief, Andaman and Nicobar Command, commissioned INS Saryu into the
Indian Navy at Goa .INS Saryu is the lead ship of the indigenous Naval Offshore Patrol
Vessel (NOPV) Project designed and built by Goa Shipyard Limited, the ship aptly
demonstrates the immense potential of the countrys indigenous designing and ship
building capabilities.Capable of carrying a helicopter (ALH) onboard, the ships weapon and
sensor outfit includes a SRGM 76.2 mm gun with an electro-optic fire control system, two
30mm guns as close in weapon systems, latest navigational and early warning radars,
chaff launchers for self protection and an integrated ESM system to undertake all assigned
missions.
75. MIT researchers Created Moisture Powered Polymer : MIT ( Massachusetts
Institute of Technology ) researchers have created a new polymer film that can generate
electricity by drawing on a ubiquitous source: water vapor.The new material changes its
shape after absorbing tiny amounts of evaporated water, allowing it to repeatedly curl up
and down. Harnessing this continuous motion could drive robotic limbs or generate enough
electricity to power micro- and nanoelectronic devices, such as environmental sensors.
76. India Sucessfully Test Fired K-5 Ballistic Missile : On 27 January India successfully
test fired medium range K-5 ballistic missile ,with a strike range of around 1500
kilometres, from an underwater platform in Bay of Bengal.K-5 is part of the family of
underwater missiles being developed by Defence Research and Development Organization
(DRDO) for the Indian strategic forces underwater platforms.
77. Iran successfully sent monkey into space : Iran on 28 January 2013 announced that
it had successfully send a monkey to the space.It also declared that the monkey come
back to the Earth successfully.The rocket called Pishgam (meaning Pioneer) reached at a
height of 120 km (75 miles) for a sub-orbital flight before returning its shipment intact.
The first country to launch the primate into space was US
PERSONS IN NEWS
1. Sushil Kumar Shinde as the new Leader in house of Lok Sabha : Sushile Kumar
Shinde has been appointed as the new Leader in the House of Lok Sabha taking the place
of Pranab Mukherjee who has now become the President on 3 August 2012.
2. Hyderabadi Advocate becomes a Vice-Chairman of ABA : Hyderabad based lawyer
Mr.JLN Murthy has been appointed to the Vice-Chairman of the AmericanBar Association
Section of International Law, Europe Committee, for the year 2012-13.The main aim of
this association is to focus on several international legal issues.
3. Nasim Ahmad Zaidi is new election commissioner : Former civil aviation secretary
Syed Nasim Ahmad Zaidi was 7 August 2012, appointed an election commissioner by
President Pranab Mukherjee.The former EC V.S. Sampath took charge as CEC(Chief
Election Commissioner.
4. Dimple Yadav and M. Raja Mohan Reddy takes oath as Lok Sabha member :
Dimple Yadav, the wife of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, 8 August 2012 took
oath as a Lok Sabha member from Kannauj. She had won the by-election, caused by her
husbands resignation, unopposed in June.Along with Yadav,
M. Raja Mohan Reddy, the newly-elected MP from Nellore in Andhra Pradesh, also took
oath. Reddy is from the YSR Congress
54
5. .Raghuram Rajan is chief economic advisor : The government has issued formal
orders to appoint Raghuram Rajan, former International Monetary Fund chief economist,
as the chief economic advisor in the finance ministry. The economist, who is currently a
professor at Chicago Universitys Booth School of Business, is not expected to take charge
for the next few weeks due to academic commitments. Rajan will take over at a time when
the government is trying to combat a hostile economic climate.
6. Cabinet nod for Customs first-ever woman chief : The Appointments Committee of
the Cabinet has given its nod for Praveen Mahajan to be a full-fledged Chairperson of the
Central Board of Excise and Customs(CBEC). She is the first lady ever to head the highest
policy-making body on indirect
taxes.Prior to this elevation, she was Member (Personnel and Vigilance) in the CBEC from
August 2011.
7. Ansari takes oath for second term : Hamid Ansari became the second Vice-President of
India to take oath of office for second consecutive terms in New Delhi on 11 August 2012
Ansari, a former diplomat, followed Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan who served two successive
terms as Vice-President.
8. Indian origin Sanjay Reddy, appointed as the director of new York Universitys
Centre
: New Yorks leading University, the new school, has named an Indian-origin academician
as director of its center of trans-regional study, which is focused on research on the
relations between India, china and U.S. He associate Professor of Economics,has been
named academic director of the new schools India, China Institute(ICI) along with Mark
Frazier, Professor of Politics on 16 August 2012.
9. New Envoy to Syria is Lakhdar Brahimi : The United Nations on 17 August, 2012
confirmed that Veteran Algerian diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi will replace the former UN
Secretary general Kofi Annan as the International mediator on Syria as the 17 month old
conflict slides deeper into civil war. Brahimi, who served as Algerias foreign minister from
1991 to 1993 and joined UN in 1994 and
served various high profile positions until he retired in 2005.
10. P.J. Kurien is Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman : P.J. Kurien is unanimously elected as
Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha on 21 August 2012.
11. Poonam Kishore Saxena appointed as Chairman of CBDT : The government
appointed Dr.Poonam Kishore Saxena,a 1975 batch IRS officer as the Chairman of Central
Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) on 22nd August 2012.
12. P. M. Nair Appointed as Director General,NDRF & CD : Shri P. M. Nair, IPS has been
appointed as Director General, National Disaster Response Force & Civil Defence (NDRF &
CD), Ministry of Home Affairs.Shri Nair is presently working as Special Director General,
Central Reserve Police Force.
13. Admiral D K Joshi takes charge as new Navy chief : Admiral Devendra Kumar Joshi
took over as the new Indian Navy chief on 31st August 2012.Admiral Joshi is the 21st
Chief of Naval Staff of independent India and the 19th Indian to command the Indian
Navy.
14. New President Of Libya is Mohammad Magarief : National Assembly of Libya elected
their former Opposition leader Mohammed Magarief as its New President. Mr.Magarief seen
as a Moderate Islamist, will head the 200-member congress. The 72-year-old Magarief
who is the head of National
front party. An economist and former Libyan ambassador to India who had lived in exile
since the 1980s, Magarief was a leading figure in Libyas oldest movement opposition
movement. Magarief won 113 votes versus independent Alli zindan who secured 85 votes.
15. New Jammu Varsity Chancellor is Vohra : Jammu & Kashmir governor N.N.Vohra has
been appointed the first chancellor of the Central University of Jammu. Pranab Mukharjee
on his visit to that University appointed Mr. Vohra the chancellor if the University for a
period of five years.
16. Gopal Goyal Kand Home Minster of Haryana Quits : Haryana Minster of state for
home, Goyal Kanda resigned on 5 August 2012 night after a 23-year old farmer air
hosters named him in a suicide note before hanging herself.
17. Kofi A.Annan Resigns as Syria Peace Envoy : FreeJobAlert.com Current Affairs 20 Kofi
A.Annan resigned as the UN Peace envoy to Syria on 2 August 2012 by complaining the
international community had not done enough to support his bid to persuade Bashar al-
Assad to
55
accept a peace plan. His term as UN peace interlocutor was set to expire on 31 August
2012. Annan was appointed the UN-Arab League Peace envoy to Syria in February 2012.
18. Indo American Fareed Zakaria resigned from Yale Government Board : After a long
association with Yale University the noted Indo American Writer and and journalist Fareed
Zakaria has resigned from its governing body to focus on journalistic career.Zakaria, who
received his bachelors degree from the university, was associated with the Yale
Corporation for past six years. The decision of Zakaria to shed some of his
non-journalistic responsibilities has come close on the heels of accusations of plagiarism
against him.
19. Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi Quit as Iraq communication Minister : Iraqi
Communications minister Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi quit his post in 27 Aug accusing Prime
Minister Nuri Maliki of Political Interference in his ministry. Allawis resignation is the
first by a cabinet member since Iraqs national unity government was formed in December
2010.
20. Contrarian Author Gore Vidal Dies : Writer Gore Vidal, who filler his novels and essays
with acerbic observation on politics,sex and American culture. While carrying on feuds with
bigname literary rivals,died on 1 August 2012 at home in Los angels of complications from
pneumonia,age 86. His historical novels was Burr, 18762 .Lincoln,The Golden Age.
21. Vilasrao Deshmukh passes away : The Union Minister for science and Technology and
Ex. chief Minister of Maharashtra Vilasrao Deshmukh ,who was suffering from sclerosis of
the liver, passed away at a chennai hospital on 2012 August 14th.
22. Hindi cinematographer Ashok Mehta Passed away : The ace cinematograoher Ashok
Mehta, who lost the battle with lung cancer at a mumbai hospital on 15 August 2012.The
man who worked with best in the business, raging from the highly accomplished shyam
benegal, Girish Karnad and shekhar Kapur, hugely populared Sunhash Ghai. He did films
like Utsav, Mandi,36 chowsinghee Lane.
23. Science Friction Writer Harry Harrison Passed Away : American Author Harry
Harrison has died in Britain on 16 august 2012 at 87. He was best known for hisThe
Stainless Steel rat series. His 1966, Make room! Make Room!- a Science Friction take on
the horrors of over population. The Other works included anthologies, collections and
childrens stories-including one particularity goofs tale about an Intergalactic force of
Mutant pigs.
24. Philippine Minister Jesse Robredo died in Plane Crash : The most powerful minister
of Philippine died in plane crash on 19 August 2012. The Interior secretary Jesse Robredo.
This crash was held at the central island of Masbate.
25. Prime Minister of Ethipio Meles Zenavi passed away : Meles Zenavi, the Ethiopian
Prime Minister, passed away on 20 August 2012 following prolonged illness. He was 57
Ethiopios foreign minister will assume the change as the acting P.M. of the country.
26. US Astronaut Neil Alden Armstrong passed away : US Astronaut , Armstrong, as the
commander of the Apollo 11 mission, became the first human to land on the moon on 20
July 1969,passed away on 25th August 2012.
27. Veteran actor Hangal Passed away : Actor A.K.Hangal, who had the rare ability to
imbue the smallest and the most ordinary of roles with quality and dignity, passed away
on 26 Aug at Mumbai followed Health complications caused by a recent hip fracture.
28. Fijian President calls on Pranab : Fijian President Ratu Epeli Nailatikaw called on his
Indian counter part Pranab Mukherjiee at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on 7 August
2012 and discussed the scope for expanding trade and bilateral ties.Mr. Mukherjiee also
granted Fiji for
joining the Non-Alignment movement.
29. Chinese defence minister to visit India : India and China are expected to discuss ways
of strengthening defence ties during the three-day visit of Chinese defence minister
General Liang Guanglie starting September 2 in Mumbai.
30. Miss China Crowned Miss World : Chainas Wen Xia Yu was on 18 August 2012 crowned
Miss world-2012 the competitions are conducted in China at Innar Mangolia Erina. Wales
Sophie Moulds was first runner up and the second runner up position to Jessica. Kahawaty
of Australia. Indian beauty Vanya Mishra on the 6th position by winning two awards in
miss world competition. The
multimedia award and social networking skin & beauty.
31. Student Prafull Sharma Discovers SOHO : A Delhi boy has discovered a new comet
using data from NASA and European Space Agency;s Space Craft-based observatory SOHO
56
that studies the sun. Prafull sharma, is a XII class student of Ahlcon public school, the
new comet SOHO-2333 is a fragment believed to have separated from a relatively larger
comet Machholz when it last came close to the sun in 2007. sharma, who has been
associated with Delhi-based NGO science. Popularization Association of Communicators
and educators (SPACE), ia apart of a world wide team os comet hunters. Who scour
through images of the sun transmitted back to earth by Solar and Heliosphere
Observatory(SOHO).
32. Zakaria suspended by CNN/TIME Magazine : Indo American Journalist and author
Fareed Zakaria has been suspended by his employers and Time Magazine because he
copied some Portions of an article he wrote on Gun Control for Time, from the New
Yorker Magazine. He suspended for one month.
33. Ex-Prez Pratibha Patil spent 140Cr on air Travel : ccording to RIT report Indias ex-
President visited 18 Countries in 10 trips from November 2008 to October 2011.Indias
former president Pratibha Patil sets a new record by spending 140 Cr travel expenses
alone. Patil was the most frequent flyer using IAF planes 255 times as compared to PM
ManMohan(108) abd Vice President Ansari(106).
As A.P.J.Abdul Kalam visited 17 Countries in 7 trips and K.R.Narayana covered 10
Countries in 6 trips. S.D.Shrama covered 16 Nations in 4 trips.
34. Himachal Hotel Gets Heritage Status : The Castel Magar, Himachal Pradesh Tourism
Development Corporations prime hotel in the picturesque, Kullu Valley was notified under
the heritage status by the Union tourism ministry on 23 August 2012. Maggar was the
capital of the erst
while kullu state for about 1460 years. The Castle was built by Raja Sidhi Singh in the 16th
century.
35. Amir Khan on the Cover Page of Time Magazine : The most successful Tv show
Satyamev Jayate made Amir Khan features in the cover page of the Time Magazine.Aamir
Khan is featured on the cover of Time with the caption Khans Quest. Bollywood actors
who have featured before on Time cover are Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan
and Parveen Babi. Parveen Babi became the cover girl of Times July 1976 issue, after
acting in super hit flick Deewar. The cover story was titled Asias Frenetic Film Scene.On
one of 2003 issues, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was called New Face Of Film. The magazine
mentioned: Aishwarya Rai leads the invasion as Bollywood goes global and becomes hip.
36. 9 IAF personnel killed in mid-air copter collision : Nine IAF personnel, including five
officers, were killed when two Mi-17 medium-lift utility helicopters collided in mid-air while
on a live firing exercise at the Sarmat field range near the Jamnagar airbase in Gujarat
on 30 August 20112.
37. Obama appoints IIT graduate to admin post : U.S. President Barack Obama has
announced to appoint eminent Indian-American, Romesh Wadhwani, to a key
administration post by making him board of trustees of the prestigious John F Kennedy
Center for the Performing Arts.
38. Browne is new chairman of chiefs of staff : IAF chief Air Chief Marshal N A K Browne,
who has become the senior most among the three Service chiefs after Admiral Nirmal
Verma retired on 31st August 2012, has taken over as the new chairman of the chiefs of
staff committee (CoSC) on 1st September 2012.
39. Chief Justice of India names Justice Kabir as his successo : Chief Justice of India S
H Kapadia, who retires 28th September 2012, has recommended the name of seniormost
Supreme Court judge Justice Altamas Kabir as his successor, setting in motion the process
of change of guard in the apex court.
40. Deveshwar appointed on RBI board : The government has appointed ITC chairman
Y.C. Deveshwar as a director on the central board of directors of the Reserve Bank of
India.
41. Kaushik Basu World Bank chief economist : Kaushik Basu appointed as chief
economist and Senior Vice President of World Bank by World Bank Group President Jim
Yong Kim on 05th September 2012.He take charges from 1st October 2012.
42. Sachin Pilot commissioned as Territorial Army officer : Sachin Pilot 06th September
2012 became the first Union minister to be commissioned as a regular officer in the
Territorial Army, fulfilling his desire to follow his fathers footsteps to be in the armed
forces.
43. Indian-American elected to Royal Society of Canada : Ponisseril Somasundaran, an
Indian American member of the faculty of Columbia University School of Engineering and
57
Applied Science, has been chosen as the sole foreign fellow of the prestigious Royal
Society of Canada.
44. K N Tilak Kumar elected president of INS : K N Tilak Kumar of Deccan Herald and
Prajavani was on 13th September 2012 elected president of The Indian Newspaper Society
(INS) for 2012-13 at its 73rd annual general meeting held at Bangalore. He succeeds
Ashish Bagga of India Today.
45. BCCI joint secretary Anurag Thakur becomes member of Asian Cricket Council :
BCCI joint secretary and Hamirpur BJP MP, Anurag Thakur has been inducted as member
of executive board of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC).BCCI chief N Srinivasan is also the
president of ACC.
46. Mary Kom brand ambassador of Raj Kundras SFL : Actress Shilpa Shetty Monday
named Olympic bronze medal-winning boxer Mary Kom as the brand ambassador of Super
Fight League (SFL).Shilpas husband, Britain-based businessman Raj Kundra, has
collaborated with actor Sanjay Dutt for SFL, Indias first professional Mixed Martial Arts
(MMA) event.
47. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan appointed as International Goodwill Ambassador. : The
United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has appointed Bollywood actress
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as its International Goodwill Ambassador.She will raise global
awareness on protecting children from HIV infection and increasing access to antiretroviral
treatment.
48. Ramesh Abhishek is FMC chairman : Ramesh Abhishek, an IAS officer of 1982 Bihar
cadre, appointed as chairman of Forward Markets Commission (FMC) on 24th September
2012
49. Woman of Pakistani origin becomes minister in Norway : Norwegian Prime Minister
Jens Stoltenberg has appointed a Pakistani Muslim woman, Hadia Tajik as Norways culture
minister. :
50. Sandeep Patil appointed as the Chief for BCCI Senior Selection Committee :
Former Cricketer and all-rounder, Sandeep Patil was appointed as the Chairman of the five
member senior selection committee of BCCI on 27 September 2012. The other four
members of the committee include Saba Karim, Roger Binny, Vikram Rathour and Rajinder
Singh Hans.
51. Altamas Kabir sworn in as new Chief Justice of India : Justice Altamas Kabir,
seniormost Judge of the Supreme Court, was sworn in as the 39th Chief Justice of India on
29th September 2012.
52. Australian Cricketer, Matthew Hayden retired from all formats of the game :
Former Australia Test opener Matthew Hayden has decided to retire from all forms of
cricket, adding the Twenty20 version of the game to the Test and international one-day
formats he stopped playing in 2010.Hayden played 103 Tests for Australia, hitting 30
centuries with a top score of 380 and an average of 50.73.
53. Ajit Pawar resigns as Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister : Nationalist Congress
Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar resigns as Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister on 25th
September 2012 due the allegations of an irrigation scam when he was the states water
resource minister.
54. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, S.H. Kapadia, retired. : The Chief Justice of
the Supreme Court, S.H. Kapadia, retired on 28th September 2012.
55. Dr. Verghese Kurien, father of Indias White Revolution passes away : Dr.
Verghese Kurien, the Father of the White Revolution, passed away on 9th September 2012
after a brief illness. Dr. Kurien was the architect of Indias White Revolution, which helped
India emerge as the largest milk producer in the world.
56. Iraq vice president sentenced to death : A Baghdad court sentenced in absentia Iraqs
vice president, Tariq al-Hashemi, to death on hanging for the murder of a woman lawyer
and terrorism charges .
57. U.S. ambassador to Libya killed in mob attack : The ambassador of the United States
to Libya, Christopher Stevens, has been killed during an armed mob attack in Benghazi on
the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.Mr. Stevens is the second U.S. ambassador to be
killed during an outstation posting since the death of Adolph Dubs in 1979 during his
tenure in Afghanistan
58. .Ex-CJI Ranganath Misra passes away : Former Chief Justice of India Ranganath
Mishra died at a private hospital in Bhubaneshwar on 13th September 2012.Misra, served
as the Chief Justice from September 25, 1990, till November 24, 1991. He was also the
first chairman of the NHRC.
58
59. Veteran actor-director Dinesh Thakur passes away : Veteran theatre actor-director
Dinesh Thakur, known for his character roles in Hindi films of the 70s, passed awayin
Mumbai on 20th September 2012 after prolonged illness.
60. Freedom fighter, Telangana leader Bapuji dies : Eminent freedom fighter and a well-
known figure in the Telangana movement, Konda Lakshman Bapuji died in Hyderabad on
21st September 2012. He earned the nickname Bapuji for his participation in the Quit
India Movement.
61. Popular Malayalam film actor Thilakan passes away : Thilakan, who had acted in
around 200 films and had won the national award for the best actor in a supporting role,
died in Thiruvananthapuram on 24th September 2012.
62. Former National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra dead : Brajesh Mishra, the
countrys first National Security Adviser who played a key role in foreign policy matters
and pushed for deeper engagement with the US, died in New Delhi on 28th September
2012 following a heart ailment.
63. India, Tajikistan upgrade ties, sign four pacts : India and Tajikistan, the energy-rich
Central Asian nation, 03rd September 2012 decided to upgrade their ties to the level of
strategic partnership and signed four pacts in areas of education, health, sports and
culture.Prime Minister Manmohan Singh held talks with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon
on a wide range of bilateral, regional and global issues and decided to upgrade their
growing ties to the level of a strategic partnership.
64. Antony opens army hospital in Male : Defence Minister A.K. Antony, on a three-day
visit to the Maldives, on 16th September 2012 opened SENAHIYA, a Maldives National
Defence Force (MNDF) hospital, established in Male with Indian assistance.Maldives
Defence Minister Mohamed Nazim thanked India for its assistance to his country in all
areas of development and said the enduring friendship between the two countries would
improve and expand, irrespective of political changes.
65. Washington Post calls PM a tragic figure : Soon after Time magazine labelled Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh an Underachiever, the noted American news daily, Washington
Post, has referred to him as a tragic figure.The Washington Post said Singhs image is of
a dithering ineffectual bureaucrat presiding over a deeply corrupt government.
66. Sunita Williams takes over command at International Space Station : Indian-
American astronaut Sunita Williams has taken over command of the International Space
Station (ISS), yet another feather in her cap as she already holds three records for female
space travellers including a new record for total cumulative spacewalk time by a female
astronaut.
67. Space Triathlon Completed By Sunita Williams : Williams became the first person in
history to complete a triathlon in space.Williams, who is currently aboard the International
Space Station finished her half mile swim, 18 mile bike ride, and four mile run in one hour,
48 minutes, and 33 seconds.
68. Pakistani Government Relents in Judicial Standoff Over Zardari Corruption Case :
Pakistans government relented on 18th September 2012 to judicial demands that it agree
to write a letter to the authorities in Switzerland regarding corruption charges against
President Asif Ali Zardari.
69. Nivedita Bhasin becomes first woman B-787 Dreamliner pilot : Senior Air India pilot
Capt Nivedita Bhasin has become the first woman to command the new Boeing 787
Dreamliner.She is presently the only women pilot for the B-787s commercial flight in the
world.
70. $1,00,000 cash reward for the death of an anti-Islam film producer : A Pakistani
government Railways Minister Ghulam Ahmad Bilour has offered a $100,000 (61,616)
reward for the death of the maker of an anti-Islam film produced in the US.
71. Congress selects Raja, Suresh Kalmadi and Kanimozhi as members of standing
committee : The congress on 3 October 2012 nominated the former Union Minister, A.
Raja, Kanimozhi and Suresh Kalmadi as the members of the Parliamentary Standing
Committees on Energy, Home Affairs and External Affairs respectively.Raja was arrested in
the 2G scam case on February 2 last year and is on bail since 15 May 2012. Suresh
Kalmadi, who was accused in the Commonwealth Games scam case, spent about nine
months in jail and was released on bail on 19 January 2012. DMK MP Kanimozhi, also an
accused in some cases related to the 2G spectrum allocation, was nominated to the
Standing Committee on Home Affairs.
59
72. Ajit Saran Appointed as Secretary in National Commission for Women : Senior IAS
officer Ajit M Sharan was appointed as Member Secretary in National Commission for
Women (NCW). Ajit Sharan is a 1979 batch officer of Haryana cadre.
73. Vivek Rae appointed new MSME secretary : On 5th October 2012 the government
appointed Vivek Rae as secretary, ministry of micro, small and medium enterprises. Rae, a
1978 batch IAS officer of the UT cadre, is currently director general, acquisition, defence
ministry. He will take over from RK Mathur.
74. Anil Kumble appointed chairman of ICC Cricket Committee : Former India captain
Anil Kumble was unanimously appointed chairman of ICC`s Cricket Committee by the
game`s governing body, replacing West Indies great Clive Lloyd on 11th October 2012.
75. Jaspal Rana appointed junior pistol chief coach : Multiple Asian Games gold medallist,
Jaspal Rana, has been appointed chief coach for junior pistol shooters by the National Rifle
Association of India (NRAI) on 16th October 2012.
76. Ashok Kumar appointed Indias ambassador to Brazil : Mr. Ashok Tomar has been
appointed as the next Ambassador of India to Brazil on 31st October 2012.
77. Michael Schumacher announces retirement from Formula One : Michael
Schumacher has announced that he will retire from Formula One at the end of the
season.Schumachers announcement follows news last week that he will be replaced at
Mercedes by Lewis Hamilton in 2013.
78. UP revenue minister resigns due involved in CMO abduction : UP revenue minister
Vinod Singh was forced to resign on 12th October 2012 for his alleged involvement in the
abduction of Gonda chief medical officer (CMO) SP Singh.
79. External Affairs Minister S M Krishna resigned : External Affairs Minister SM Krishna
has resigned from his post ahead of on 28th October 2012 cabinet reshuffle.
80. Badminton Player Peter Gade Retired From International Career : Danish legend
Baminton Player, Peter Gade on 30 October 2012 retired from international badminton
81. Historian Eric Hobsbawm dies, aged 95 : Eric Hobsbawm, one of Britains most
eminent historians, has died at the age of 95, on 1st October 2012 at the Royal Free
Hospital in London .Mr Hobsbawm, a historian in the Marxist tradition, wrote more than 30
books.He published his final book, How to Change the World, in 2011.
82. Freedom fighter, ex-Governor Satyanarayana is dead : Freedom fighter and former
governor of Uttar Pradesh B Satyanarayana Reddy died at a hospital in Hyderabad on 6th
October 2012.
83. Zimbabwe cricket coach Kevin Curran passes away : Kevin Curran, the former
Zimbabwean all rounder and coach, has died in Mutare on 10th Ocober 2012.
84. Cambodia ex-king Sihanouk dies : Cambodias former king Norodom Sihanouk died on
15th October 2012 in China at Beijing.
85. Bandya Kakade dead : Bandya Kakade, former India football goalkeeper, passed away
here on 18th October 2012 evening. Kakade and Kuppuswami Sampath (MEG, Bangalore)
were the two goalkeepers of the Indian team that won the bronze medal at the 1970
Bangkok Asian Games. Kakade was also part of the Indian team
86. Yash Chopra, the King of Romance passes away : Yash Chopra, one of Bollywoods
most well-known filmmakers, died of dengue fever on 21st October 2012
87. Eminent litterateur Sunil Gangopadhyay passes away : Eminent litterateur and
Sahitya Akademi President Sunil Gangopadhyay died at his South Kolkata residence on
23rd October 2012 following a massive heart attack.
1. U.S. Treasury Secretary Geithner to visit India on Oct. 9 : U.S. Treasury Secretary
Tim Geithner visit India on 9th October 2012 to participate in the third annual meeting of
the U.S.-India Economic and Financial Partnership with Finance Minister P. Chidambaram.
2. Australia PM Julia Gillard begins India visit : Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard
has begun a three-day visit to India.The two countries are expected to announce
negotiations on civil nuclear co-operation during Ms Gillards visit.
3. Suu Kyi to visit India next month : After 40 years, Myanmars Opposition leader Aung
San Suu Kyi will travel to India on November 13. She will deliver the prestigious
Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Lecture in New Delhi on November 14.
4. Steven Joyce, Minister for Tertiary Education, New Zealand visited India : Hon.
Steven Joyce, Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment, New Zealand visited
the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), New Delhi on 18th October 2012.
5. Ex-Bangladeshi PM Khaleda Zia to meet PM Manmohan Singh : Bangladeshs former
prime minister and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Begum Khaleda Zia, who
60
is on a week-long trip to India, will meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singhin New Delhi on
28th October 2012.
6. Pakistan spinner Rehman hit with ban after failed drug test : Pakistans Abdur
Rehman has been banned from cricket for 12 weeks after testing positive for cannabis
during his recent stint with Somerset.
7. Mukesh Ambani richest Indian : The China-based research firm Hurun releases a report
on 10th October 2012 declared Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani is the
richest person in India.
8. Hyderabads last Nizam named all-time richest Indian : Osman Ali Khan, the last
Nizam (or ruler) of Hyderabad is Indias all-time richest person.According to a new
inflation-adjusted list of the worlds richest people of all time, the Nizam, who ruled
Hyderabad between 1886-1967, was ranked sixth with $ 236 billion.
9. Mukesh Ambani tops Forbes India rich list : Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh
Ambani is the richest Indian for the fifth year in a row with a net worth of $21 billion,
according to the Forbes India rich list.
10. Manju Seth appointed as next Ambassador of India to Madagascar : Ms Manju Seth
has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to Madagascar.She is presently
Consul General of India in Reunion Island, which is a French-administered territory in the
Indian Ocean between Mauritius and Madagaskar
11. Rakesh Mohan appointed as executive director on IMF board : Former RBI Deputy
Governor Rakesh Mohan appointed as executive director on the board of the International
Monetary Fund (IMF).
12. VK Malhotra re-elected Archery Association President : Vijay Kumar Malhotra was on
9th November 2012 re-elected as President of the Archery Association of India after
beating Assam unit vice-president BVP Rao in Archery Association presidents elections.
13. Obama appoints Indian-American Rajiv Shah to head USAID : Indian-Americans
won one of their highest-ever appointments in the US government when President Obama
on 13 November 2012 nominated Dr Rajiv Shah as administrator of the United States
Agency for International Development (USAID).
14. Anil Dev Singh appointed new chief of IOA election panel : Anil Dev Singh, retired
Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court, appointed as the new Chairman of The Indian
Olympic Association (IOA) on 19 November 2012.
15. Scott Flemming named Indias basketball coach : The Basketball Federation of India
(BFI) had appointed Scott Flemming, who brings along with him over 30 years of collegiate
and professional experience in the United States, as the head coach of the mens national
team on 19 November 2012.
16. BBC appointed Tony Hall as new director general : Royal Opera House chief executive
Tony Hall had appointed as director general of the BBC on 22 November 2012,replacing
George Entwistle who resigned earlier this month in a burgeoning scandal over the
corporations reporting of sexual abuse.
17. Ranjit Sinha appointed new CBI Director : Senior IPS officer Ranjit Sinha was
appointed the Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation for two-year term on 22
November 2012.
18. Barbosa sworn in as first non-white President of Brazils Supreme Court : Joaquim
Barbosa was sworn-in as Brazils Supreme Courts first non-White President on 23
November 2012 at a packed ceremony in the capital Brazilia . Barbosa, became famous in
Brazil after overseeing one of the countrys biggest corruption trials involving key members
of the former President Lula Da Silvas government.
19. Alok Joshi new RAW chief : The Haryana cadre IPS officer Alok Joshi was appointed
head of Indias external intelligence gathering agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW)
on 27 November 2012. Alok Joshi will take charge from S.K. Tripathi on December 30,
2012.
20. Luiz Felipe Scolari appointed new Brazil Football team coach : Brazilian Football
Confederation have appointed Luiz Felipe Scolari as the new coach for Brazil Football team
on 29 November 2012.
21. Mohan re-elected as vice president of IBSF : Capt Mohan, the president of the
Billiards and Snooker Federation of India, was re-elected as the vice president of the IBSF
(International Billiard & Snooker Federation). The election took place at the Annual General
Body meeting of International Billiards and Snooker Federation, at Sofia, Bulgaria on 29
November 2012.
61
22. American CIA Director David Petraeus resigned : American Central Intelligence
Agency(CIA) Director David Petraeus resigned on 10th November 2012 due illegal affair
with Broadwell that was proved by the FBI in investigation.
23. BJP suspended Ram Jethmalani from party for indiscipline : The BJP on 25
Novemebr 2012 suspended a Rajya Sabha member Ram Jethmalani from the party for
gross indiscipline. He recently attacked the for for criticizing the appointment of the new
CBI chief.
24. Ricky Ponting retired from international cricket : Former Australia captain Ricky
Ponting has announced he will retire from international cricket at the end of the third Test
against South Africa.He is the second highest run scorer in Test history behind Sachin
Tendulkar.Ponting has scored 13,366 runs at an average of 52.21 in his career.
25. Yeddyyurappa quits BJP, Assembly : The former Karnataka Chief Minister
B.S.Yeddyurappa quits the BJP and resigned to the Legislative Assembly on 30 November
2012. He started his political career when he was elected as President of the Shikaripura
Taluk erstwhile Jana Sangha in 1972. He won his first Assembly election in 1983 as BJP
candidate. He became the first BJP chief minister in South India.
26. Yerram Naidu senior TDP leader dies in road accident : K. Yerran Naidu, Telugu
Desam Partys senior leader and former union minister for rural development died in a car
accident in Andhra Pradeshs Srikakulam district on 2nd November 2012.
27. Cartoonist,T.Samuel passes away : Veteran cartoonist, T Samuel, a pioneer of pocket
cartoons in India, passed away on 2 November 2012. He worked for the famous
newspapers like Times of India ,Indian Express and Nav Bharat Times etc.. He became
famous as the creator of pocket cartoon Babuji.
28. BJP leader Kailashpati Mishra passes away : Veteran BJP leader and former governor
of Gujarat and Rajasthan Kailashpati Mishra died in Patna on 3rd November 2012.
29. Veteran freedom fighter V P Murthy Raju passes away : Freedom fighter and former
Andhra Pradesh minister Ch V P Murthy Raju passed away in West Godavari district on
12th November 2012.Raju had been MLA for six terms and served as a minister when late
P V Narasimha Rao was Chief Minister.
30. Ex-Minister KC Pant passes away : Indias former defence minister and Planning
Commission deputy chairman Krishna Chandra Pant died on 15 November 2012.Pant was
Indias defence minister between 1987 and 1989, when the Congress party was in power
under then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.
31. Shiv Sena Chief Balasaheb Thackeray died : Shiv Sena chief Balasaheb Thackeray died
in Mumbai on 17 November 2012
32. Ajmal Kasab hanged, buried at Punes Yerwada Jail : Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab,
the only terrorist caught alive during the 26/11 attacks on Mumbai, was hanged at Punes
Yerwada Jail on 21 November 2012.Two secret codes are used the government with
respect to Kasab to maintain secrecy 1. Operation X:-Hanging code named Operation X. X
stood for execution 2. C-7096 :-C-7096, the number by which Kasab was identified
officially.
33. Nobel winner and organ transplant pioneer Joseph Murray passes away : Dr.
Joseph Murray, the surgeon who carried out the first successful kidney transplant and later
won a Nobel Prize for his work in medicine and physiology, died on 26 November 2012 in
Boston.
34. Indias diplomatic politician and former PM IK Gujral passes away : Former Prime
Minister Inder Kumar Gujral passed away on 30 November 2012 in Gujral. Born on 4
December, 1919 in Jhelum.IK Gujral started as the Vice President in NDMC in the 1950s
and later became a Union Minister. Later He became the Indias Ambassador to the
USSR. Gujral, an intellectual who propounded the Gujral Doctrine of five principles for
maintaining good neighbourly relations, left the Congress to join the Janata Dal in the late-
1980s. In the 1989 elections, Gujral was elected from Jalandhar parliamentary
constituency in Punjab and he became Minister for External Affairs, first under V P Singh
(in December 1989) and then under Deve Gowda (in June 1996). Later he became the
12th Prime Minister of India in April 1997 for one year.
35. William Hague on four day official visit to India : The Secretary of State for Foreign
and Commonwealth Affairs of United Kingdom, Mr. William Hague will be on a four day
official visit to India from 7th November 2012.During his visit Mr. Hague will discuss
bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest with External Affairs Minister,
Mr Salman Khurshid in New Delhi.
62
36. Canadian Prime Minister visited India : Prime Minister of Canada, Stephen Harper,
visited the India from November 3rd to 9th, during his visit India and Canada signed
several agreements including Civil Nuclear Deal, Social Security Agreement, a
Memorandum of Understanding for Cooperation in Information Technology and electronics
and an agreement to boost bilateral cooperation in Defense Science and Technology.
37. Hamid Karzai arrived to India on four day visit: Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai
arrived to India on 9th November 2012 on a four-day visit.
38. Aung San Suu Kyi met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh : Myanmars pro-democracy
leader Aung San Suu Kyi met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh In New Delhi on 14
November,2012 during her 6 day visit to India.She then visited Shantivan to pay tribute to
Jawaharlal Nehru.Later in the day, she will deliver the Nehru Memorial Lecture on the
occasion of the former PMs birth anniversary.
39. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh went to Cambodia for South Asian summits :
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh went to Cambodian capital Phnom Penh on 18 November
2012 to attend the ASEAN and East Asia Summits.
40. Barack Obama makes first US presidential visit to Burma : Barack Obama became
the first American president visited the Myanmar. He visited the Myanmar on 18
November 2012 and then went to Cambodia to attend the ASEAN and East Asia Summits.
41. Sunita Williams embarks on record 7th space walk : Indian-American Sunita Williams
along with Flight Engineer Aki Hoshide on 1st November 2012 ventured out of the
International Space Station, adding to her record-setting space walking sojourns, to find
an ammonia leak in the vital radiator system.
42. China invites Abdul Kalam to teach at Peking University : China invited APJ Abdul
Kalam to teach at Peking University
43. Irom Sharmila, the Iron Lady of Manipur completed 12 Years of Fast : Iron Lady
from Manipur, Irom Sharmila on 5 November 2012 completed 12 years of her fast
demanding for cancellation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958 (AFSPA). She
blames AFPSA as the main cause for violence in the state of Manipur and other parts of
Northeastern India.
44. Life Ban on Mohammad Azharuddin Lifted by Andhra Pradesh High Court : The
Andhra Pradesh High Court on 8 November 2012 lifted the life ban from playing Cricket on
Mohammad Azharuddin which was imposed by Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)
in Year 2000.
45. Ramanujans genius Proved by US Mathematician : Ramanujans genius Proved to
the world by Ken Ono of Emory University in Atlanta on the occasion 125th Birth
Anniversary of Ramanujan.Ken Ono of Emory University proved the Ramanujans formula
of outputs for the roots of 1 like the square root 1.
46. Cancer charity drops Armstrong name : Lance Armstrongs cancer charity removed the
former cycling champion Lance Armstrongs name from its title. The Lance Armstrong
Foundation now officially known as the Livestrong Foundation.
47. Burmas Suu Kyi Named New UN Ambassador : The United Nations announced
Myanmars opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi as an ambassador to its program on
HIV/AIDS. Suu Kyi accepted the invitation to head the program during a meeting with
UNAIDS executive director Michel Sidib.
48. Visually-challenged Indian-American in key US post : On 1 December Obama
administration was appointed a visually-challenged Indian-American Sachin Dev Pavithran
as a Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board member.
49. Ajit Pawar sworn-in as Maharashtra Deputy CM : Ajith Pawar sworn-in as
Maharashtra deputy chief minister on 7 December. After getting the clean chit from the
government on corruption in irrigation projects.
50. Chautala Elected as IOA President : Abhay Singh Chautala was on December 2012
unanimously elected president of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) while Lalit Bhanot
became the new secretary general.
51. Parthasarathy Shome Appointed Adviser to Finance Minister : The government of
India appointed tax expert Parthasarthi Shome as adviser to Finance Minister P
Chidambaram with minister of state rank, sending a strong signal that tax reforms may
top its economic agenda in the remainder of the UPA governments second term.
52. Malalas Father Ziauddin Yousufzai Appointed UN Education Adviser : Ziauddin
Yousufzai, the father of 15-year-old Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousufzai, who was shot by
the Taliban for advocating girls right to education, has been appointed as Special UN
Adviser on Global Education on 10 December.
63
53. Vijay Kumar appointed Senior Security Adviser in Home Ministry : The Union
government had appointed the former Director-General of the Central Reserve Police
Force, K. Vijay Kumar, as Senior Security Adviser in the Home Ministry where he will
advise on security and development in the Naxal-affected States.
54. Vinod Rai Re-elected as Chair of UN Auditors Panel : Comptroller and Auditor
General (CAG) of India Vinod Rai was re-elected Chair of the (UN) auditors Panel for the
year 2013, while the CAG of the United Kingdom, Amyas Morse, was re-elected the vice-
chair of the Panel.
55. Naina Lal Kidwai Becomes First Woman President of FICCI : Country Head of HSBC
India, Naina Lal Kidwai, took over as President of FICCI on 15 December 2012. She
become the first woman to head the leading industry body.
56. Rita Singh Elected Federation of Indian Associations President : Rita Singh, an
Indian American businesswoman from Bihar was elected the first woman president of
Chicago-based Federation of Indian Associations (FIA).
57. Subhash Joshi Appointed As New BSF Chief : Subhash Joshi was appointed as the
new chief of Border Security Force (BSF) on 18 December 2012. Chadha, Special Secretary
was appointed as Director General of ITBP(Indo-Tibetan Border Police).
58. Obama Nominates John Kerry to be Secretary of State : The senior senator John
Kerry was nominated as Americas Foreign Minister by President Barack Obama on 21
December 2012.The John Kerry, who is the senior Senator from Massachusetts, now he
became the chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
59. Smita Singh Appointed as member of Global Development Council : On 22
December The Obama administration has appointed Indian-American Smita Singh as
member of the presidents Global Development Council.
60. Virbhadra Singh Sworn in as Himachal Pradeshs Chief Minister : On 25 December
Former Union Minister Virbhadra Singh was sworn-in as Himachal Pradeshs chief minister
for a record sixth term in Shimla. He was Chief Minister five times between 1983 and
1985; 1985 and 1990; 1993 and 1998 and 2003 and 2007.
61. Narendra Modi Sworn in Gujarat CM for 4th time : Narendra Modi sworn in as
Gujarat chief minister for the fourth consecutive time on 26 December 2012. He was
sworn in along with seven ministers of Cabinet rank and nine ministers of state.
62. Cyrus Mistry took charge as Tata Group Chairman : Cyrus Mistry, the new chairman
of the Tata Group, took charge of his office on 31 December.Mistry is the sixth chairman of
the Tata empire.
63. Mali Prime Minister Cheick Modibo Diarra Resigned : On 11 December Malian Prime
Minister Cheick Modibo Diarra resigned and dissolved his government after he was
arrested by the army in the West African nation.He was acting Prime Minister of Mali from
April 2012
64. Singapore Parliament Speaker Resigned : Singapores parliament speaker Michael
Palmer announced his resignation on 12 December 2012 over an extramarital affair with a
staff member of the Peoples Association, a statutory body leading efforts to reach out to
members of the public.
65. Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Resigned : Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman
formally submitted his resignation on 16 December 2012 due to a pending indictment
against him for fraud and breach of trust.
66. Japan Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda Resigned : On 16 December Japanese Prime
Minister Yoshihiko Noda resigned from his post to take responsibility for his Democratic
Party of Japan (DPJ) defeat in Lower House Election .He was formally appointed by the
Emperor on 2 September 2011.
67. Geophysicist Devendra Lal Died : Devendra Lal, geophysicist and visiting professor at
the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) of the university of california, has died on 1
December in San Diego.He was conferred with Padma Shri in 1971. Devendra Lal also
won NASA Group Achievement Award.
68. Worlds Oldest Woman and Tallest Woman Both Died : Besse Cooper, the woman
listed as the worlds oldest person was died on 4 December 2012 in Georgia at the age of
116. Meanwhile, a Chinese woman, Yao Defen, was certified as the tallest in the world was
also died. Mrs Cooper was declared the worlds oldest person in January 2011.Chinese
woman Yao Defen was listed as the worlds tallest woman by Guinness World Records in
2010.
64
69. Jazz Pianist & Composer Dave Brubeck Died : On 5 December Legendary Jazz
composer and pianist Dave Brubeck died in Norwalk. He had also won various awards
during his career which spanned over six decades.The Library of Congress designated him
as the Living Legend.
70. British Astronomer Sir Patrick Moore Died : British astronomer and broadcaster Sir
Patrick Moore on 9 December 2012 in Selsey, West Sussex.Sir Patrick presented the BBC
programme The Sky At Night for over 50 years, making him the longest-running host of
the same television show ever.
71. Ex-Bangladesh President Ahmed Died : Former Bangladeshi President and
Bangladesh Nationalist Party(BNP) leader Iajuddin Ahmed passed away on 10 December
2012. Iajuddin Ahmed was the 13th president of Bangladeshserving from Sept. 6, 2002
until Feb. 12, 2009.
72. Bharat Ratna Pandit Ravi Shankar Died : Bharat Ratna Pandit Ravi Shankar, whose
mastery over the sitar helped rejuvenate the classical instrumental tradition in India and
popularise Indian music in the West through concerts and collaborations with well known
artists, died in San Diego, U.S. on 11 December 2012.
73. Former Ranji Cricketer Nimbalkar Died : Former Ranji cricketer B B Nimbalkar was
passes away on 11 December 2012. BB Nimbalkar, who made an unbeaten 443 runs for
Maharashtra against Kathiawar in a Ranji Trophy match in 1948-49. Yet this is the Indias
highest scorer in first-class cricket.
74. First CM of Uttarakhand Nityanand Swami Passed Away : The first Chief Minister of
Uttarakhand Nityanand Swami died at Dehra Dun on 12 December 2012.He worked as a
first Chief Minister of Uttarakhand after dividing it from Uttar Pradesh in 2000.
75. Barcode Co-inventor Woodland Died : Norman Joseph Woodland, who co-created the
barcode, was died on 9 December 2012 in New Jersey at the age of 91. Woodland was the
co-inventor of bar code. He as well as his partner Bernard Silver (who died in 1963)
patented this idea of bar code back in 1952.
76. Guinness Worlds Oldest Person Dina Manfredini Died : Dina Manfredini (115 Years)
the worlds oldest person and a resident of Iowa, has died on 17 December in Johnston
.Guinness World Records identified Manfredini as the worlds oldest person on December 5,
a day after the death of 116-year-old Besse Cooper of Georgia.
77. Former India Volleyball Captain Tilakam Gopal Died : Tilakam Gopal, former India
captain died on 18 December 2012. Mr.Gopals achievements was being member of the
silver medal winning Indian squad in the 1962 Jakarta Asian Games and even led India in
the five-Test series against the visiting Russians in 1966 which later on helped him to
continue be captain in the Bangkok ASIAD in 1966 where India stood fourth.
78. Hockey Legend Leslie Claudius Died : Legendary hockey player and one of Indias
greatest Olympians Leslie Claudius, passed away in Kolkata on 20 December 2012. India
won the silver medal in the Asian Games in 1978 in Bangkok, when he was the team
manager.He got the Padma Shree award in 1971.
79. Former England Cricket Team Captain Tony Greig Died : Tony Greig, the South
Africa-born cricketer who became England cricket team captain and later continued to
make his mark on the game as a revered commentator in Australia, died on 29 December
2012.He played 58 tests for England and scored 3,599 runs at an average of 40.43 and
took 141 wickets at 32.20.
80. Palestinian Hamas leader Meshaal Visited Gaza : The political leader of Hamas,
Khaled Meshaal has visited Gaza on 6 December .He attended a commemoration of the
25th anniversary of the founding of Hamas and a victory celebration .He visited southern
Gaza strip through Egypts Rafah border crossing over for the first time in 45 years.
81. Ukrainian President Yanukovych Visited India : Viktor Yanukovych the President of
Ukrainian visited India from 9th to 12th December. During this visit he signed 5
agreements .He met Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan and the both nations discussed ways
to improve bilateral relations.
82. Pak Minister Rehman Malik Visited India : Pakistans Interior Minister Rehman Malik
visited India from 14th to 16th December .During the visit he met Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh and both nations signed on new visa agreement.
83. Russian President Putin Visited India : Russian President Vladimir Putin visited India
on 24 December .During the visit he met Manmohan Singh in New Delhi and signed a
series of pacts on defense cooperation and reached consensus to develop economic and
trade relations.Putin last visited India as prime minister in 2010.
65
84. China Launched First High Speed Train in Extremely Cold Areas : The worlds first
high-speed train in areas with extremely low temperature started operation in China 01
December 2012.This train move with a speed of 350 Kmph in the areas of minus 40
degrees temperature. This is the fastest train world in this areas.
85. Forbes 2012 Most Powerful Persons List : On 6 December 2012 Forbes Magazine
released the most powerful persons list in the world. In that list AICC President Sonia
Gandhi got the 12th place and Prime Minister of India Man Mohan Singh got the 20th
place. As usually this year also American President Barack Obama got 1st place. German
chancellor Angela Merkel got the 2nd place. The list also includes Russian President
Vladimir Putin at number three, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates (4), Richest Person in India
Mukesh Ambani (37).
86. Mumbai Among Worlds Dirtiest Cities : Indias commercial capital, Mumbai, was
named among the worlds dirtiest cities, ranking last in the cleanest streets category, a
global survey of 40 key tourist cities has found. According to TripAdvisors Cities Survey,
Tokyo grabbed the first place while Mumbai ranked last in the list of cleanest streets.
87. Jiroemon Kimura named Worlds Oldest Person : On 18 December Jiroemon Kimura
(115 years) has been named the worlds oldest person after the death of his predecessor,
an American woman named Dina Manfredini who died on 17 December after receiving the
title of oldest person of the world.Jiroemon Kimura was born on 19 April 1897 and is just
15 days younger than the deceased Dina Manfredini.
88. Miss Universe 2012 Olivia Culpo (USA) : Miss USA Olivia Culpo is crowned Miss
Universe 2012 on 19 December 2012, on the Las Vegas. Miss Philippines, Janine Tugonon,
came in second, while Miss Venezuela, Irene Sofia Esser Quintero, placed third.
89. Obama is Times Person of the Year : President Barack Obama had been named
Time magazines Person of the Year for 2012 on 19 December 2012. Obama also
received the honour in 2008.
90. 8 Indians Among Worlds Best Performed CEOs
Eight Indian CEOs have made it to the list of 100 best performing global chief executives, compiled
by Harvard Business Review (HBR). Deveshwar was first among the Indian CEOs featured in this
list, and cornered the seventh place overall.Former chairman and MD, ONGC Subir Raha (Rank
13).Chairman and CEO, Reliance Industries, Mukesh Ambani (Rank 28).Chairman and Managing
Director, Larsen & Toubro, AM Naik (Rank 32). Former CMD, Bharat Heavy Electricals, AK Puri
(Rank 38). Chairman, Bharti Airtel, Sunil Bharti Mittal (Rank 65). CEO, Jindal Steel & Power,
Naveen Jindal (Rank 87). Former Chairman, SAIL,VS Jain (Rank 89). Former Apple CEO, Steve
Jobs (Rank 1). CEO, Amazon.com CEO, Jeff Bezos (Rank 2).
1. China Launched Worlds Longest High-Speed Rail
China launched service on the worlds longest high-speed railway on 26 December 2012 with trains
scheduled to run 2,298 kilometres between Beijing and Guangzhou in about eight hours.Travelling
at an average speed of about 300 km per hour, the service would cut the journey time from more
than 20 hours by conventional trains.
1. Asif Ibrahim appointed as chief Intelligence Bureau : Indian Police Service officer
SA Ibrahim appointed as chief of the Intelligence Bureau on 01 January 2013 and he
becoming the first from the countrys main minority community(Muslim Community) to
hold the post. Ibrahim, an IPS officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre, has taken over as
from Nehchal Sandhu who retired December 31. He will hold the post for two years.
2. Urjit Patel appointed as RBI deputy governor : On 02 January 2013 Urjit Patel, a
consultant at Boston Consulting Group, had been appointed a deputy governor at the
Reserve Bank of India, succeeding Subir Gokarn who was aiding the governor in shaping
the monetary policy.
3. YV Reddy to head 14th Finance Commission : On 02 January 2013 former RBI
governor YV Reddy was appointed chairman of the 14th finance commission to suggest
principles of sharing of revenues between the Centre and the states and insulate pricing of
public utilities like electricity, water and public transport from policy fluctuations.
66
4. Ami Bera and Tulsi Gabbard Sworn In As US Lawmakers : On 4 January Indian
American physician from California, Ami Bera, and the young Iraq war veteran from
Hawaii, Tulsi Gabbard, created history after being sworn in as new members of the US
House of Representatives.Bera is only the third Indian American have ever been elected
to the House of Representatives.Tulsi Gabbard is the first Hindu ever to won the
Congressional election.
5. Malalas Father Appointed as Education Attache in Birmingham : On 3 January
Malalas father Ziauddin Yousafzai has been appointed as the education attache at the
Pakistan consulate in Birmingham, England.The job is believed to be for up to three years.
6. Indian American Srinivasan re-nominated as Federal Judge : On 4 January Srikanth
Srinivasan a brilliant Indian American legal mind has been re-nominated by US President
Barack Obama to serve as Federal Judge for the District of Columbia Circuit.In June 2012
he was nominated by Obama to serve on the US Court of Appeals for the District of
Columbia Circuit.
7. Justice D K Jain appointed new Law Commission chief : The Union Cabinet of India
on 7 January 2013 appointed Justice D K Jain as Chairman of 20th Law Commission of
India. He gives advice to the government on complex legal issues. Justice Jain, 64, will
take over as the chief of the law panel on January 24 after retiring from the Supreme
Court on the same day.
8. John Brennan as a CIA director : U.S. President Barack Obama announced on )7
January 2013 John Brennan wasnominated as director of the American Intelligence
Agency(CIA) and Chuck Hagel as a Defense secretary. John Brennan played a key role in
encounter the Osama Bin Laden.
9. Indian-origin politician to be Singapores first woman speaker : Indian-origin
politician Halimah Yacob elected as the first woman Speaker of Singapores Parliament on
08 Janauary 2013.She take charges from 14 January 2013.Halimah, a former labour
lawyer, is a member of Parliament from the ruling Peoples Action Party (PAP).
10. Kulwant Singh Gill Took charge as new Commandant of NDA : On 8 January Air
Marshal Kulwant Singh Gill took charge as the new commandant of the National Defence
Academy (NDA) at Khadakwasla, Pune.The NDA provides three-year training in defence
and academics to its cadets before they move on to their respective officers training
academies for another one-year course and get commissioned into the armed forces.
11. R.K. Dubey Took Charge as Canara Banks new CMD : On 11 January R.K. Dubey has
assumed charge as the Chairman and Managing Director of Canara Bank .Mr. Dubey was
previously worked as a Punjab National Bank General Manager in 2008 and was appointed
as Executive Director of Central Bank of India in 2010.
12. Rajkumar Goyal Took Charge as Central Bank of India new ED : On 11 January
Rajkumar Goyal has took charge as Executive Director (ED) of Central Bank of India
(CBI).He was previously with the bank of India as the General Manager of Human
Resources Department
13. Obama nominated Jack Lew as new Treasury Chief : On 11 January President Barack
Obama nominated his chief of staff, Jack Lew, to become the next Treasury secretary and
succeed Timothy Geithner.Last year, Lew was named Obamas chief of staff, and before
that he had served as the White House budget director.
14. First Gujarati in UK cabinet : Lord Dolar Popat has appointed a minister in the UK
cabinet .He become the first Gujarati taking his place in the UK cabinet .Popat was
appointed minister for business, innovation & skills and transport.
15. Mohan Pieris assumes duties as 44th Chief Justice of Sri Lanka : On 15 January
2013 ,Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa appointed his cabinets legal advisor as the
countrys new Chief Justice to succeed Shirani Bandaranayake. Rajapaksa sworn in new
Chief Justice Mohan Peiris to replace Sri Lankas first woman chief justice who was
impeached by the parliament in a controversial move.Peiris, a British qualified solicitor who
retired in 2011 as the Attorney General was serving as the legal advisor to the Cabinet.
67
16. Ved Prakash is UGC chairman : Ved Prakash, serving as acting chairman of the
University Grants Commission, had been appointed as its chairman on 18 January
2013.The chairmans post remained vacant ever since S. Thorat retired in February 2011.
Since then Mr. Prakash had been the acting chairman.
17. Obama Sworn in as the US President for Second Term : On 20 January US President
Barack Obama Barack Obama was sworn in as the President of the country for a second
four-year term.Obama as the 44th president of the United States and also he is the third
consecutive president to win two terms, after Bush and Clinton. Joe Biden sworn-in for
second term as US vice-president.
18. Suchitra Ella, Founding Chairwoman of CIIs women wing : Suchitra K. Ella, Joint
Managing Director, Bharat Biotech International, had been nominated as the Founding
Chairwoman of the Indian Women Network of CII. The network aims to provide a platform
for working women to come together and discuss issues and opportunities and share best
practices. She is currently the Chairperson of CII Andhra Pradesh State Council for 2012-
13. She had earlier been elected to the CII Andhra Pradesh State Council. She has been
awarded the International Women Entrepreneurial Challenge award 2007 by the Chamber
of Commerce of Barcelona, the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce and the FLO GR8
Women Achievers Award 2008 for entrepreneurial excellence.
19. Jharkhand CM Arjun Munda resigned : Political uncertainty deepened in Jharkhand on
08 January 2013, with Chief Minister Arjun Munda submitted his resignation to Governor
Syed Ahmed. On 07 January 2013, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) announced the
withdrawal of its support to the BJP-led government.
20. Rajapaksa Dismissed First Woman Chief Justice of the Country : On 13 January
Mahinda Rajapaksa, the President of Sri Lanka dismissed the first woman chief justice of
the country, Shirani Bandarnayake after endorsing her impeachment by the Parliament
that caught her guilty on the corruption charges.She appointed as a chief Justice on May
2011.
21. Violin maestro MSG passes away : M.S. Gopalakrishnan legendary violinist known for
his mastery of both the Carnatic and Hindustani systems of classical music passed away
on 03 January 2013 in Chennai.In his career spanning 75 years, he not only broke new
ground as an accompanist, but also rose to become one of the best solo violinists in the
country, along with Lalgudi G. Jayaraman and T.N. Krishnan. The three are considered the
violin trinity of south Indian classical music.Despite enviable success and accolades that
came in the form of national honours such as the Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri, and
innumerable titles, including the Sangita Kalanidhi title awarded by The Music Academy,
Chennai.
22. Pakistani singer Mehnaz Begum is no more : Renowned Pakistani singer Mehnaz
Begum died on 19 January 2013.Mehnaz specialized in ghazal, thumri, dadra, khayal,
drupad and reciting salam, noha and marsiya.Mehnaz was the daughter of popular sub-
continental singer Kajjan Begum.She sang over 2,500 songs for radio television and films
in a variety of genres like ghazal, thumri, dadra, khayal and drupad.
23. Mauritius President Rajkeswur Purryag Visited India : Mauritius President
Rajkeswur Purryag visited India from 3 10 January .During the visit Purryag met Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh and Pranab Mukherjee on 4 January in New Delhi. In Bihar , he
visited his ancestral village , Bojeetpore near Patna.President Purryag also the chief guest
of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas .He attended the 3 days event 11th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas
held in Kochi (Kerala).
24. Vice President Hamid Ansari Visited Vietnam : Vice President Hamid Ansari visited
Vietnam from 14 to 17 January.During the visit Ansari met Vietnams Deputy Prime
Minister Vu Van Ninh and discussed the both countries bilateral issues , signed several
agreements .Ansari attended the closing ceremony of the celebrations to mark the 40th
anniversary of the India-Vietnam diplomatic ties.
68
25. Bhutan King Wangchuck Visited India : The King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel
Wangchuck visited India from 23-30 January.During the visit he attended the Indias
Republic Day celebrations as a Chief Guest.Wangchuck met President Pranab Mukherjee,
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and the United Progressive Alliances Chairperson, Sonia
Gandhi.This is the fourth time since 1954 that a Bhutanese King will be a Chief Guest at
Indias Republic Day celebrations.
26. Ex-Haryana CM Chautala, son get 10 years jail : Former Haryana chief minister Om
Prakash Chautala and his son Ajay had been sentenced to 10 years in jail in connection
with a teachers recruitment scam.Special CBI Judge Vinod Kumar sentenced the Chautalas
and seven others to 10 years in jail while one convict was given five years in jail and 45
others four years in jail.
27. Swaminarayan sect opens $100-million quake-proof temple near Hollywood : One
of the biggest Hindu temples in the US, built at a whopping cost of $100 million near the
Hollywood city in Los Angeles .The 68th Swaminarayan temple of Bochasanwasi Shri
Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) had been built using 35,000 pieces of
meticulously hand carved Italian Carrara marble and Indian Pink Sandstone.
28. Premlata Conquers Summit of Mt Vinson in Antarctica : On 17 January Premlata
Agrawal, the oldest woman in India to have climbed Mt. Everest, has conquered Mt. Vinson
in Antarctica in pursuit of the Mountaineering Challenge of climbing the Seven
Summits.She completed her Mt. Vinson expedition on January .The person successful in
conquering all the seven summits is considered a member of the Hall of Fame for
mountaineers.Premlata will become the first Indian woman and one of the oldest in the
world to conquer all seven summits.
29. Ex-ISRO chairman Inducted in to Satellite Hall of Fame : The Indian Space
Research Organisation (ISRO) announced its former chairman and Department of Space
secretary Prof U R Rao by inducting him as the member of the prestigious Satellite Hall of
Fame , Washington.Since 1987, the SSPI Hall of Fame has been recognising the
invaluable contribution of the visionaries who have transformed life on planet earth for the
better through satellite technology. Members of the Hall of Fame are recognised pioneers
in communications, satellite related aerospace scientific research or development and
delivery of applications for business, institutions and government via satellite.
30. David Headley sentenced for 35 years for 26/11 role(Mumbai attacks) : Pakistani-
American Lashkar-e-Tayiba terrorist David Headley was on 24 January 2013 sentenced to
35 years in jail by a Chicago court for his unquestionable role in the massacre of 166
people in the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
31. Forbes India Celebrity 100 List : According to the Forbes India Celebrity 100 List
The Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, topped the inaugural Forbes India Celebrity
100 list.Forbes India estimates, the total earning of Shah Rukh from October 2011 and
September 2012 was 202.8 crore Rupees.The ranking was given based on the popularity
as well as income of the biggest entertainers of India. Second on the list was Salman Khan
and MS Dhoni followed in the third position.The special edition of Forbes India judged in
eight different categories directors, film actors, TV personailities, models, comedians,
sports stars, authors and singers/musicians.The youngest celebrity in the list of Forbes
India was Saina Nehwal, aged 23 years.
32. Switzerland best place to be born, India 66
th
: Switzerland has been called the best
place in the world to be born in 2013 according to the The Economist Intelligence Unit
(EIU), a sister company of The Economist. The worst place for a baby to start life was
violence-hit African country Nigeria. The survey included 80 nations and Australia ranked
second followed by Norway, Sweden and Denmark. Singapore, Netherlands, Hong Kong,
Canada and New Zealand were also ranked among top 10. India was ranked 66th
place.The survey included significant parameters to judge the best country to be born and
these factors included demography, geography, cultural and social characteristics, state of
economy, future income per head as well as public policy.
69
33. Death toll in Irans twin earthquakes is over 250Two strong earthquakes that struck
north-west Iran on 11th August 2012 killed more than 250 people and left grieving
survivors buffeted by repeated aftershocks in a state of trauma.The first quake, of
magnitude 6.2, jolted the Ahar area around 1600 hours local time, Fars News Agency
(FNA) reported. Almost an hour later, a quake of 6 magnitude rocked the city of Varzaqan
and its surroundings in the same province.Thousands of people, rattled by at least 35
aftershocks, fled from their homes. Many families spent the night in parks, braving chilly
conditions that prevail in the mountainous province.
34. Typhoon Haikui Hit East Coast China : Typhoon Haikui hit to the east coast china on 8
August 2012. By hitting hard the area around the business metropolis of shanghai with
heavy wind and rain. The storms winds were at Severe typhoon. It made land fall in the
Province of Zhejiang, about 225 kilometers(140 miles) south of Shanghai. The wind speed
in between 150 and 184 kilometers per
hour. Chinese officials had relocated 374.000 people from shanghai and 250,000 from
zhejiang.
35. 37 killed in Sivakasi cracker unit blast : 37 people have been killed and at least 60
have been injured in a huge fire at a Om Siva Sakthi Crackers in Mudalipetti, near
Sivakasi, in Tamil Nadu.
36. Two Same magnitude earthquake in China at Yunnan and Guizhou : 80 people were
died , more than 730 people were injured,twenty thousand homes were destroyed and
nearly one hundred thousand persons have been evacuated after the two earthquakes at a
magnitude of 5.6 hit Yunnan and Guizhou provinces in China on 07th September 2012.
37. Shadman Chowk renamed as Bhagat Singh Chowk in Lahore : Pakistan government
has finally renamed Shadman Chowk as Bhagat Singh Chowk in Lahore as a mark of
respect to the martyr and an acknowledgement of his role in the struggle against British
rule.
38. Mercedes-Benz rolls out M-Class luxury SUV from Pune facility : Mercedes-Benz
India has rolled out its first locally manufactured M-Class luxury SUV from its facility in
Chakan, Pune. The company has also declared the start of operations of its paint shop at
the same location.India is the only country outside of the USA where the German luxury
car maker has begun production out of the new ML-Class.
39. 44 killed in Syrian air strikes : At least 44 people were killed in air strikes on the Syrian
rebel-held town of Maaret al-Numan on 18th October 2012.
40. 5.5 magnitude earthquake hits off Taiwan : A 5.5-magnitude earthquake struck off
southern Taiwan on 25th October 2012, the islands Seismology Center said, but there
were no reports of any damage or casualties.
41. Earthquake in Canada triggers tsunami in Hawaii : A powerful 7.7-magnitude
earthquake rattled the west coast of Canada, triggering tsunami warnings for Hawaii on
28th October 2012.
42. Earthquake in Guatemala : Guatemalans hit by A powerful earthquake with a magnitude
of 7.4 on 8th November 2012.
43. Mumbais Sufi shrine Haji Ali Dargah bans entry of women : The management of
Mumbais iconic Sufi shrine Haji Ali Dargah, which is visited by thousands of devotees
every year, has restricted the entry of women.
44. Strong Earthquake strikes Myanmar : A strong earthquake with magnitude of 6.8 hit
the Myanmar on 11th November 2012 .
45. North Island New Zealand volcano Mt Tongariro erupts : New Zealands Mount
Tongariro volcano in the central North Island erupted on 21 November 2012.
46. Typhoon Bopha Killed Hundreds in Philippines : Bopha, the strongest typhoon hit the
Philippines on 5 December 2012, was left at least 325 died. The typhoon with central
winds of 115 kph and gusts of up to 145 kph was moved to west-northwest of the central
Philippines on 6 December 2012.
70
47. Powerful Earthquake in Japan : The powerful earthquake had occurred in Japan on 7
December 2012.The magnitude of this earthquake was recorded as 7.3. This earthquake
had occurred in 240 km beyond the Miyagi coast in the Pacific Oceanin a depth of 10m
48. Strong Quake in Indonesia : On 22nd January A strong, shallow earthquake rocked
parts of western Indonesia early killed 30 persons and panicking residents and ruining
homes. Several other people were injured.Indonesias meteorology and geophysics agency
put the preliminary magnitude at 6.0 and said the inland quake caused no tsunami. It was
centered southwest of the city of Banda Aceh and 10 miles (6 kilometers) beneath the
earths crust, according to the U.S. Geological Survey..
49. 233 People Killed in Brazil Night Club Fire Accident : On 27 January The blaze in the
university town of Santa Maria nightclub fire killed at least 233 people in southern Brazil
.Most of those who died were suffocated by toxic fumes that rapidly filled the crowded
club after sparks from pyrotechnics used by the band for visual effects set fire to
soundproofing on the ceiling.
COMMITTEES
1. Pak Prez Formed a Panel to Talk with Pak Hindus : Pakistan President Asif Ali zardari
has set up a three member committee of Parliamentarians to meet and reassure Hindus in
sindh of their security after their families decided to flee their homes. Zardari has taken
serious notes of reports of the Sense of Insecurity among hindus families in sindh and
directed authorities to address their unfair treatment and report to him. This panel
consists of senator Hari Ram, National Assembly member Lal Chand and Federal Minister
Moula Bakhsh Chandio.
2. Panel to Examine Western Ghats Report : Environment Ministry has constituted a high
level working panel to headed by eminent space scientist and panning commission
member K Kasturirangan to examine the Western Ghats ecology expert panel report in a
holistic and multidisciplinary fashion. The nine member group will examine the the
Madhav Gadgil committee report released recently in a holistic and multidisciplinary
fashion keeping in view the comments received from the concerned state governments,
central ministries, stakeholders.It will also study the effects and challenges of climate
change in the ecologically significant Western Ghats region, the implications of the
UNESCO heritage site recognition of some parts of the Western Ghats and the
constitutional implications of Centre-State relations regarding the conservation and
sustainable development of the region. It is also expected to recommend further course
of action regarding the
report within two months.
3. Two Member Panel to Study on Universal Health coverage : The National Advisory
council has set up a two member working group to study the report on Universal Health
Coverage (UHC) prepared by the high level expert scope of the National rural health
Mission(NRHM) and convert it into a National Health Mission. The Two-member group,
comprising Mirai chatterjee and A.K.Shiva kumar,will work closely with the Ministry of
Health and Family welfare and the planning commission to resolve any possible issues
arising on health.
4. SL Committee pulled up for diluting civilnuclear Liability Rules : The subordinate
legislation committee of the lok sabha has pulled up the department of atomic energy for
diluting the civil. liability for clear Damage(CLND)Act. The committee monitors whether
the rules tabled in parliament are in tune with the act passed by parliament. This is 15
member panel has represented from all parties.
5. Rangarajan panel for total decontrol of sugar industry : The Rangarajan panel will
submit the report on decontrol of sugar industry within two weeks
6. Rangarajan panel for total decontrol of sugar industry : Rangarajan Committee has
recommended deregulation of the sugar sector, by giving freedom to mills to sell sugar in
71
the open market.The Millers should sell the 10%of sugar to government below the market
price,for running the ration shops ,remaining should sell in the open market.
7. Pope Benedict XVI appoints six non-European cardinals for Pope selection
committee : Pope Benedict XVI has appointed six priests from non-European countries to
be cardinals, at a service in the Vaticans St Peters Basilica.From India Baselios Cleemis
Thottumkal, head of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church was selected as a one of the
Cardinal for the pope selection committee.
8. Usha Thorat Committee for NBFCs : Indias majority of Non-Banking Finance
companies (NBFCs) may be freed from the regulatory clutches provided Reserve Bank of
India (RBI) implements one of the recommendations made by Usha Thorat Committee.
The committee had submitted its recommendations to RBI. Currently, those
recommendations are under RBIs consideration.
9. Chandrashekhar Committee to Frame Rules for Foreign Investors : On 13
December The market regulator Sebi has appointed a committee under ex-Cabinet
secretary K M Chandrashekhar to frame a single set of guidelines for all types of foreign
investors.The committee will suggest ways to simplify the investment process for all
overseas entities like foreign institutional investors, foreign venture capital investors
(FVCIs), qualified financial, institutional investors (QFIs)
10. Vijay Kelkar Committee for Fiscal Consolidation : The Vijay Kelkar Committee, which
was appointed by Finance Ministry to suggest a roadmap for fiscal consolidation, has
suggested immediate hike in fuel prices and complete deregulation of diesel prices by start
of 2014-15 fiscal.It also suggested raising kerosene and LPG rates.Now the Kelkar
committee recommendation is still at proposal stage.
11. Justice Verma Committee Submitted Report : On 23 January The three-member
committee included former Chief Justice of India, J S Verma, who headed the committee,
Justice (Retd.) Leila Seth, former Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court and Gopal
Subramanian, former Solicitor General of India , set up to suggest ways to make rape laws
stronger in the country, has submitted its report with recommendations to enhance and
amend existing laws dealing with cases of sexual crime.The Justice Verma panel
recognised failure of governance as primary cause of sexual crimes.The Panel suggested
Trafficking should be made punishable with imprisonment ranging from not less than 7
years to 10 years .There was a need for the separate Bill of Rights for women that will
make sure that women would have their own rights for having sexual autonomy.
BOOKS IN NEWS
1. Mission That Killed Osama Bin Laden: A New Book released : No Easy Day: The
Firsthand Account of the Mission that Killed Osama Bin Laden was written by a Navy SEAL
under the pseudonym Mark Owen with co-author Kevin Maurer and is to be released next
month on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks. This book has claimed that
Abbottabad house where al-Qaeda chief lived was carved outfrom Pakistan Military
Academy compound and its powerful army chief may have been briefed beforehand on the
Kill Osama Mission.
2. Vice President Releases the Book Muslims in Indian Cities : Vice President after
releasing the book entitled Muslims in Indian Cities edited by Laurent Gayer and
Christoph Jafferlot on 10th September 2012 at New Delhi, Shri Ansari has said that
Muslims have lived in Indias religiously plural society for over a thousand years, at times
as rulers, at others as subjects and now as citizens. They are not homogenous in racial or
linguistic terms and bear the impact of local cultural surroundings, in manners and
customs, in varying degrees.
3. 800-year-old Chinese encyclopaedia on display in Taiwan : Taiwan (AP) An 800-
year-old Chinese encyclopaedia is on display at a book fair in Taipei. The rare
publicationwas recently purchased by a Chinese publishing house for US$33 million
(S$40.5 million) at an auction in Beijing. :
72
4. Salman Rushdie released his Book Joseph Anton : Joseph Anton the 633 page book
depicts a memoir of Salman Rushdie during his 10 years long run to protect himself from
the Fatwa issued by his name was released on 18 September 2012.
5. Hilary Mantel wins Booker Prize for Tudor saga : British writer Hilary Mantel won the
prestigious Booker literary prize for a second time on 16th October 2012 with her blood-
soaked Tudor saga. Ms Mantel, who took the 50,000 pound ($82,000) award in 2009 for
Wolf Hall, is the first British author, and the first woman, to achieve a Booker double. :
6. The Folded Earth and A Free Man won the 11th Economist Crossword Book
Award : The Folded Earth written by Anuradha Roy and A Free Man by Aman Sethi won
the 11th Economist Crossword Book Award that was declared at Mumbai.
7. Governor releases Ek Thhi Kusum by former Speaker : Uttarakhand Governor Aziz
Qureshi on 22nd October 2012 released Ek Thhi Kusum, a short stories collection
authored by former State Assembly Speaker Prakash Pant.
8. Vice President Releases Series of Books Granthavali : The Vice President Mohammad
Hamid Ansari released a collection of writing and works -Granthavali of late Dr
Dineshnandini Dalmia in New Delhi on 2nd November 2012.
9. Saina Nehwal autobiography book released by Gagan Narang : Ace shuttler Saina
Nehwal , Ace shooter Gagan Narang and badminton player Parupalli Kashyap released
book autobiography of Saina Nehwal Playing to win-My life on and off the court in
Hyderabad on 7 November 2012.
10. Yuvi book on Yuvraj released : The book on Indian Cricketer Yuvraj Singh named
Yuvi was released in third week of November 2012. Yuvi, the book on Yuvraj Singh is
published by Harper Sport and written by Makarand Waingankar. The book illustrates the
brilliance of cricket shown by Yuvraj Singh in his career as a cricketer and the way he
recovered from Cancer.
11. Chief of the Air Staff and Chairman COSC Air Chief Marshal Nak Browne Releases
Book : Chief of the Air Staff and Chairman COSC Air Chief Marshal Nak Browne Releases
Book titled VICTORY INDIA A Key to Quality Military Leadership on 20 November
2012.The book is a collection of well written contributory articles by military experts.The
book focuses on the process of identification, selection and training of our dynamic youth
to mould them into inspiring effective quality military leaders.
12. Amitav Ghosh, Jeet Thayil shortlisted for literature prize : Six books including River
of Smoke by Amitav Ghosh, Narcopolis by Jeet Thayil and The Wandering by Pakistan-
based author Jamil Ahmad, have been shortlisted for the DSC South Asian Literature Prize
2013.The finalist will be announced at the DSC Jaipur Literature Festival January 2013.
13. The Peak Book Released on Sachin Tendulkar : On 2 December Indian Cricketer
Yuvraj Singh was launched Sachin Tendulkars new book named The Peak which is a
unique photographed story on Tendulkar by photo-journalist Suman Chattopadhyay.
The book captures some rare and memorable moments of Tendulkars life through
Chattopadhyays lens and the stories behind them in the masters own words
14. Pankaj, Bengals Forgotten Hero Book Released : On 3 December Senior batsman
Sachin Tendulkar and former India captain Sourav Ganguly released a book on former
India opener Late Pankaj Roy named Pankaj, Bengals Forgotten Hero has been written by
Bengali sports journalist Gautam Bhattacharya. Pankaj Roy had played 43 Tests for India
in a span of 10 years scoring 2442 runs with five centuries.
15. My Tryst with Justice Book Released : On 12 December President Pranab
Mukherjee released a book My Tryst with Justice which was written by Former Chief
Justice P.N.Bhagwati .The book would be a prized possession for every Indian who wants
to make a difference to the world and who aspires for a world more just, he added.
16. M.S. Subbulakshmi Queen of Carnatic Music Book Launched : The life story of
carnatic music legend M.S. Subbulakshmi, the first musician to be conferred the Bharat
Ratna, is now detailed in a graphic illustrated book launched on December. The story of
the nightingale of carnatic music, fondly known as MS. It is being told through Amar Chitra
Kathas new title M S Subbulakshmi Queen of Carnatic Music
17. Swami Vivekananda The Monk as Man Book Released : The renowned Bengali
writer Shankar wrote a The Monk as Man book on Swami Vivekananda ,who spread the
message of Indias spiritual heritage across the world.In the book Shankar described
Vivekananda used to emphasise greatly on physical strength and is known for the shocking
statement Better to play football than read the Gita.
18. McChrystal My Share of the Task: A Memoir Book Released : General Stanley
McChrystal, the former American commander in Afghanistan, wrote a My Share of the
73
Task: A Memoir, book which was released on 7 January .In the book Chrystal explained
that tensions between the White House and the Pentagon were evident in the Obama
administration from its opening months in office.This book is not just for aficionados of
military history or for students of American foreign policy .
ABBREVIATIONS
EPT Environment Performance Index
NASI National Academy of Science, India
SPSS Sloan Digital Sky Survey
SFC Strategic Forces Command
DRDO Defense Research and development Organization
DTAA Double Taxation of direct Agreement
CBDT Central Board of Direct Taxes
SPACE Science Popularization Association of Communicators and educators
SOHO Solar and HelioSpheric Observatory
AITA-All India Tennis Association.
IOR-ARC Indian Ocean Rim-Association for Regional Cooperation
SAARC-South Asian Association For Regional Cooperation
USAID-United States Agency for International Development
IAAFInternational Amateur Athletic Federation.
UNFCCC - United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
WCCB Wildlife Crime Control Bureau
TRAI Telecom Regulatory Authority of India
SCI Shipping Corporation of India
NSC National Security Council
OIL Oil India Limited
GAAR General Anti Avoidance Rules
NCHRH National Council for Human Resources in Health
74
IOA Indian Olympic Association
GCC Gulf Cooperation Council
NDAA National Defence Authorisation Act
INAE Indian National Academy of Engineering
ITSMA Information Technology Services Marketing Association
GTI Global Terrorism Index
CBT-Cash Transfer Benefit
EIUEconomist Intelligence Unit
CBSCentral Bureau of Statistics
NLST-National Large Solar Telescope
CEET-Centre for Energy-Efficient Telecommunications
CIAAmerican Intelligence Agency
WEF-World Economic Forum
PBSPravasi Bhartiya Divas
MSMEMinistry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
BWFBadminton World Federation
Follow me On Facebook
IBPSEXAMGURU www.facebook.com/ibpsexamguru
Guru Job Alert www.facebook.com/gurujobalert
Gkguru.in www.facebook.com/gkguru
All The Best
Regards
Gajendra

Last Six Months Current Affairs 2012-13

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Last Six Months Current Affairs 2012-13

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

For All Government Jobs alert visit www.gurujobalert.

You might also like