01 to 15 May, 2010

National

 Now gold coins with India Post logo: India Post introduced gold coins bearing its logo.
Manufactured by renowned Valcambi, Switzerland, the gold coins are in the
denomination of 0.5 g, 1 g, 5 g and 8 g of 24 carat with 99.99 per cent purity. The coins
are available in 466 post offices across India and this facility will be extended soon to 700
post offices.
 Airports Authority to execute GAGAN project: Airports Authority of India in
collaboration with ISRO is in the process of implementing the GPS-aided geo augmented
navigation (GAGAN) system under three phases. When implemented, India will become
the fourth country in the world to adopt this system which will enhance the accuracy and
integrity of GPS signals to meet precision approach requirements in the civil aviation.
 Rajya Sabha passes Plantation Labour Bill: The Rajya Sabha passed a bill relating to
safety of workers in plantations and providing them compensation in case of accident. The
plantation labour (Amendment) Bill, 2008, empowers State governments to make rules for
prohibiting and restricting employment of women and adolescents in handling or using
hazardous chemicals. The Bill was approved by Lok Sabha. The Bill also puts the onus on
the States governments to ensure that every worker who is exposed to agro-chemical-
insecticides, pesticides and toxic substances- gets medical cover.
 Lok Sabha passes green tribunal Bill: The Lok Sabha adopted the National Green
Tribunal (NGT) Bill, 2009. It envisages the setting up of a national tribunal, a judicial
body exclusively to deal with environmental laws and to provide citizens a right to
environment.
 ICIC Bank, HDFC Bank not Indian-owned: Centre: The Central Government said
ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank could not be called Indian-owned banks, setting at rest the
debate generated over the nationality of the top two private sector lenders. "At best, the
two can be called Indian-controlled banks," Department of Industrial Policy and
Promotion (DIPP) Secretary R. P. Singh said when asked about the government's stand in
the wake of the two seeking clarifications on the matter. However, ICICI Bank and HDFC
Bank have over 74 per cent foreign holding, including that of foreign banks and overseas
institutional investors.
 Pact on lining of rivers signed: Maharashtra and Gujarat have signed an agreement to
prepare project reports on linking of rivers that will benefit both. Watched by Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh, the tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was
signed by Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, his Gujarat counterpart Narendra
Modi and Minister for Water Resources Pawan Kumar Bansal.
 Prasar Bharati funding to be cut 50%: In a move aimed at making the public
broadcaster self-dependent, the government is all set to reduce the financial support to
Prasar Bharati by half starting this fiscal. This effectively means Prasar Bharati will now
get annually around Rs 600 crore less from the government going forward and it will have
to fend for itself to meet the shortfall.
 Lok Sabha passes labour welfare Bill: Amidst furore, the Lok Sabha passed, without
discussions, a slew of labour welfare measures, including a Bill to raise the ceiling of
gratuity for employees in private sector to Rs.10 lakh from Rs.3.5 lakh. The House, which
witnessed an Opposition uproar over the 2G spectrum “scam” and reports about alleged
 involvement of a central Minister in an illegal arms deal, adopted without discussion The
Payment of Gratuity (Amendment) Bill, 2010. A corollary benefit of the gratuity ceiling
enhancement is that the amount will also qualify for exemption from income tax.
 Use of narco analysis, brain mapping unconstitutional: Court: In a major blow to
investigating agencies, the Supreme Court held unconstitutional and violation of the ‘right
to privacy' the use of narco analysis, brain-mapping and polygraph tests on accused,
suspects and witnesses without their consent. A three-Judge Bench of Chief Justice K.G.
Balakrishnan and Justices R.V. Raveendran and J.M. Panchal, in a 251-page judgment,
said: “We hold that no individual should be forcibly subjected to any of the techniques in
question, whether in the context of investigation in criminal cases or otherwise. Doing so
would amount to an unwarranted intrusion into personal liberty.”
 Parliament approves increase in gratuity limit: Parliament approved the increase in the
gratuity limit for employees from Rs.3.5 lakh to Rs.10 lakh, with the Rajya Sabha
approving the legislation by voice vote.
 Stone inscription with Indus signs found in Gujarat: An inscription on stone, with
three big Indus signs and possibly a fourth, has been found on the Harappan site of
Dholavira in Gujarat. The discovery is significant because this is the first time that the
Indus script has been found engraved on a natural stone in the Indus Valley. The Indus
script has so far been found on seals made of steatite, terracotta tablets, ceramics and so
on. Dholavira also enjoys the distinction of yielding a spectacularly large Indus script with
10 big signs on wood. This inscription was three-metre long.
 Sikkim makes an organic shift: This ecological hotspot of the eastern Himalayas has
moved towards sustainable agriculture in a big way, covering almost 90% of its
agricultural land. Use of chemical pesticide, insecticide or chemical inputs was slowed
down as early as 2003 but what was awaited was blanket certification. Now, even that
seems to be on the fast track. Of 70,000 hectares of arable land in Sikkim, 6000 hectares
is already organic-certified. By 2015, Sikkim aims to be completely organic certified.
Organic farming combines ecologically-sound modern technology with traditional
agricultural practices including crop rotation, green manure and biological pest control to
ensure reduction.
 Stamp duty on property to be 5% says Centre's draft: The Centre is finally set to
overhaul the over 100-year-old Indian Stamps Act to bring in more consistency among the
states in the way the stamps and registration duties are charged by them, besides
rationalising rates and curbing evasion. Currently, there is wide disparity among states
both in the manner of this impost payable on legal documents as also the rates. States had
collected about Rs 45,000 crore as stamp and registration duties and property tax in 2008-
09. As per the draft Bill for amendment put out by the finance ministry, the impost on
transfer of immovable properties would now be around 5 per cent, a narrower band as
compared to 5-9 per cent at present. The rates have also been rationalised in case of
instruments like debentures. The stamp duty on debentures has been proposed to be 0.25
per cent of the instrument’s face value or Rs 25 lakh, whichever is less, as against a wider
range of 0.75-3.75 per cent at present
 Governors can’t be removed at Centre’s whims: The Supreme Court held that a
Governor cannot be removed on the ground that he/she is out of sync with the policies and
ideologies of the Union government or the party in power at the Centre. Nor can he/she be
removed on the ground that the Union government has lost confidence in him/her. A five-
 judge Constitution Bench, comprising Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan and Justices S.H.
Kapadia, R.V. Raveendran, B. Sudershan Reddy and P. Sathasivam was disposing of a
petition filed by the former Member of Parliament, B.P. Singhal.
 Spl. package for Himachal and Uttarakhand stays: Commerce minister Anand Sharma
cleared the air over the status of the special industrial package given to Himachal Pradesh
and Uttarakhand in 2003, saying it has not been withdrawn. The government had granted
an industrial package to the two hilly states for 10 years, which provided 100% excise
duty exemption too. It was later curtailed to March 2010. Himachal had been pushing for
an extension till 2013.
 Mukesh Wins a big one: Supreme Court ruling in favour of Mukesh Ambanis Reliance
Industries. Terming natural gas a national resource, the court ruled that RIL cannot give
gas to Anil Ambanis Reliance Natural Resources Ltd (RNRL) at a rate lower than the
price fixed by the Centre. It also directed RIL, by far India’s largest company, and RNRL
to initiate renegotiation of their gas supply master agreement (GSMA) within six weeks
and finalize the new terms within another eight weeks.
 Accreditation of colleges, universities set to be mandatory: Accreditation from
independent agencies is set to become mandatory for all universities and colleges with the
introduction of the National Accreditation Regulatory Authority for Higher Educational
Institutions Bill in Parliament recently. In addition to institutional accreditation, academic
programmes offered in colleges and varsities, including deemed universities, will be
evaluated through a uniform countrywide methodology. Presently, course-based
accreditation is done only for technical programmes by the National Board of
Accreditation (NBA).
 Supreme Court upholds quota in local bodies: The Supreme Court upheld the
constitutional validity of Articles 243 D (6) and T (6), providing for reservation of seats in
any panchayat or offices of Chairpersons in panchayats and municipalities in favour of
backward classes. A five-judge Constitution Bench comprising Chief Justice K.G.
Balakrishnan, and Justices R.V. Raveendran, D.K. Jain, P. Sathasivam and J.M. Panchal
also upheld Articles 243 D (4) and 243 T (4) reserving chairpersons' posts in local bodies,
irrespective of whether the beneficiaries are SCs, STs and women and even if it is a single
post.
 India and Pakistan Relation: Destination Islamabad:
o P. Chidambaram will hold talks with Pakistan interior minister Rehman Malik on
sidelines of the SAARC home minister’s meet in Islamabad on June 26.
o Nirupama Rao will meet her counter Salman Bashir to finalize the agenda for
foreign minister’s meeting.
o S M Krishna to visit Islamabad and hold extensive talks with Pakistani
counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi on July 15.
 Cherlapalli Central Jail: Hyderabad’s Cherlapalli Central Jail to have BOP unit in its
premises. 200-250 inmates could be hire, will be short listed from inmates who are
matriculates and graduates. Ideal is to ensure that prisoners find it easy to get absorbed in
the mainstream after being released.
 Rare archival records likely to be thrown open to public: Until now, ordinary citizens
had no access to millions of such documents, which are a repository of the country's past
and are locked away in the Delhi-based National Archives of India. But thanks to a
proposed amendment to the law that governs access to these records, all that could soon
 change. Any common man, and not just academic researchers, could soon be able to go
through the history documented in them. The National Archives is a treasure trove of
records kept by the government of India. It was set up in 1891 in Calcutta as the Imperial
Record Department and was shifted to Delhi in 1926. While it is based in the national
capital, it also has centres in Bhopal, Jaipur, Puducherry and Bhubaneswar. Under the
present laws, only a ‘research scholar' can read anything kept in the National Archives.
This too involves a considerable amount of red tape.
 Stan Chart to give $475m loan to AI: Air India has tied up with the Standard Chartered
Hank for a short term loan of $475 million for acquisition of three Boeing 777 aircrafts.
The two companies signed the agreement late last months on the terms and conditions, an
airline official said.
 India’s Emissions: India’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions went up by 58% between
1994 and 2007, but the energy intensity showed a reverse trend by going down by more
than 30%, according a report released. The report, India’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions
2007, released by environment & forests minister Jairam Ramesh, says that India’s
emissions went up to 1.9 billion tonne in 2007, up from 1.2 billion tonne in 1994, thanks
to hectic activities in cement production, electricity generation and transportation.
Pointing out that India is still behind the US, China, the European Union and Russia in
terms of aggregate GHG emissions, Ramesh said, “The US and China emit almost four
times that of India.”
 IGI adjudged fourth best airport in its category: Indira Gandhi International Airport
(IGI) has been ranked the fourth best airport in the world at the Airport Council
Internationals Annual Airport Service Quality (ASQ) awards that were given out evening.
The airport was adjudged in the 15-25 million passenger traffic per annum category and
also bagged the award for the Most Improved Airport in the Asia Pacific region.
 Govt. gears up to draw the line on coastal front: It will be one of the most mammoth
tasks for Survey of India - mapping 7,500 kilometres of coastline and marking a danger
line that will, in effect, protect the environmentally sensitive coastal areas. With six
million people residing along the coast and several thousand others depending on coastal
resources for their livelihood, with trading posts and ecologically unique areas, India's
edges are priceless. A committee under M S Swaminathan's chairmanship has brought the
issue back to life.
o Survey of India to map 7500 km coastline and mark hazard line to demarcated
eco-sensitive areas.
o Plan was abandoned after fishing and other coastal communities protested in 91.
o Digital map to be drawn up in less than 5 yrs will also help gauge rise in sea levels
due to climate change.
 Missile Programme: Sanctioned: 1983
o Trishul and Alkash SAM system- Not inducted.
o Nag anti tank guided missile: Not inducted
o Prithvi (150-350 km) and Agni-I (700 km): Inducted
o Agni-II (2000 km) and Agni-III (3,500 km): Being operationalized
o Agni-V (5,000 km): First Test in 2011.
o Tejas LCV: Sanctioned: 1983, Original Cost: Rs. 560 Cr., Revised cost: Over
Rs. 13,000 or with FSED (full scale engineering development) extend to 2018.
 Status: Final Operation clearance for IAF LCA is Dec. 2012 and naval LCA is
Dec. 2014.
o Kavri Engine (Tejas): Sanctioned: 1989, Original Cost: Rs. 383 Cr., Revised
Coast: Rs. 2893 Cr. Status: Not operational.
o Arjun Tank: Sanctioned: 1974, Original Cost: Rs. 155 Cr. Revised Cost: Rs.
306 Cr. Status: First regiment inducted only 2009. Army keen on inducting, 1,657
Russian-origin T-905 tanks and only 124 Arjuns for its main battle tank
requirements for the immediate future.
 New CJI: Justice Sarosh Homi Kapadia, the senior most judge of the Supreme Court was
sworn in as the 38th Chief Justice of India. President Pratibha Patil administered the oath
of office to him at a brief ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Justice Kapadia, first CJI
born after Independence will have tenure of two years and four months till September 28,
2012.
 Bill Gates signs agreement with Bihar to boost health standards: In a move to bolster
Bihar's public health standards, the State government signed a Memorandum of
Cooperation (MoC) with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Microsoft Chairman Bill
Gates, who visited Bihar, signed the agreement in the presence of Chief Minister Nitish
Kumar with the objective of accelerating State-wide improvements in maternal, newborn
and child health.
 India to get a national defence University: India has long lacked a robust strategic
thinking culture both within the military as well as outside it. The government is now
finally scrambling to establish the Indian National Defence University (INDU) to help
craft strategic planning and analysis in keeping with the country's long-term geo-political
objectives. The Union Cabinet will take up the proposal to set up INDU, as a fully-
autonomous institution to be created by an Act of Parliament, decades after it was first
mooted. Even the 2001 GoM report on "Reforming the national security system'' had
strongly recommended INDU's creation to usher in much-needed synergy between the
academic world and the executive. US, China and several other countries have institutions
like INDU to ensure cross-pollination of ideas and strategic thinking between academia
and government. In Washington, for instance, it's commonplace to find "strategists''
straddling both the worlds with equal ease. Officials said INDU's charter will be to
undertake long-term defence and strategic studies create "synergy'' between academicians
and government functionaries, and "educate national security leaders on all aspects of
national strategy''. “We hope to infuse governance with an appropriate strategic culture. It
will also promote coordination and interaction among Army, Navy and IAF,'' said a senior
official. INDU will bring together existing institutes like the National Defence College
(Delhi), College of Defence Management (Secunderabad), Defence Services Staff College
(Wellington) and National Defence Academy (Khadakwasla), which are currently
affiliated to different universities, under its umbrella.
 India set to get its first bridge on sea runaway: India is all set to get its first bridge-on-
sea runway. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has proposed to extend the runway at
Agatti island by building a 1,000-foot-long bridge on the sea and link it to the existing
4,500-feet-long runway of the airport. This technological marvel, along with a new
terminal building, is expected to be built at a cost of Rs 150 crore within two years of
getting Lakshadweep administration's nod.
 Panel on TRP System: I&B ministry has constituted a seven-member committee headed
 by FICCI General Secretary Amit Mitra to suggest alternatives to the current Television
Rating Points (TRP) system. The committee will review the existing TRP system in India
and suggest measures to bring in place an effective mechanism for a transparent TRP
system in the country.
 India, Venezuela ink pact to develop $20 billion oil project: In a big-ticket investment
aimed at giving a boost to its holding of oil and gas assets abroad, the Oil and Natural Gas
Corporation Videsh Limited (OVL), along with its partners, entered into an agreement
with the Venezuelan government to develop a $20-billion oil project in that country. The
project is expected to give India 3.6 million tonnes of crude a year. OVL and its partners
signed the agreement with Petroleos de Venezuela SA (PdV) for development and
production of hydrocarbons from the Carabobo project in the Orinoco region.
 Mayapuri scrap market: The Mayapuri scrap market here is still a danger zone, with
some hotspots registering radioactivity that is up to 5,000 times higher than normal,
according to Greenpeace radiation experts.
 Super 30 features in Time: Time magazine has selected mathematician Anand Kumar's
school - Super 30 - in the list of Best of Asia 2010. Last year, all the 30 students of the
coaching institute set up by a mathematician Anand Kumar in Patna cracked the IIT-JEE
examination. “Super 30 centre has a pass rate of 100 per cent. What makes that feat even
more remarkable is that these students are the poorest of the poor who would otherwise
never be able to afford full-time coaching,” Time magazine said.

International

 Japanese cos to develop cities along Del-Mumbai corridor: Leading Japanese

infrastructure companies have entered into joint pacts with state governments for the $90-
billion Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) to model and develop cities on the lines
of Japan’s Yokohama and Kitakyushu. The Japanese firms who are becoming
stakeholders in DMIC include Toshiba, Mitsubishi Group, Hitachi and Tokyo Electric
Power.
 Greece seals rescue deal with EU and IMF: Greece has sealed a deal with the European
Union and IMF that opens the door to a multi-billion euro financial bailout and will
require big sacrifices from the Greek people, Prime Minister George Papandreou. Those
sacrifices amount to budget cuts of 30 billion euros ($40 billion) over three years, on top
of measures already agreed and aimed at bringing a towering budget deficit back to the
EU limit by 2014. The government told Greeks, who have already taken to the streets in
protest against the austerity drive, that they had to chose between a rescue or an economic
collapse.
 United Air to acquire continental for $3.2bn: UAL Corp, parent of United Airlines,
will buy Continental Airlines Inc for $3.2 billion, in a deal that forms the world's largest
airline in terms of passenger traffic. The two airlines will merge in an all-stock deal to
form an airline that will carry the United Airlines brand, but the planes will have the
Continental colours and logo. The new airline would jump past Delta Air Lines in size
and have flights reaching from Shanghai to South America. The deal will first need
approval from shareholders and antitrust regulators.
 HCL bags $500-m IT contract from Merck: The country’s fourth largest IT services
firm, HCL Technologies, said that it has bagged a five-year, $500-million contract from
 the US-based research-driven pharmaceutical firm, MSD (Merck & Co). The firm said the
deal was the result of an extended relationship with the US Company since 2004. Under
the agreement, HCL would provide software-led IT solutions, remote infrastructure
management, engineering, business and knowledge process services to Merck.
 Pakistan tests nuclear-capable ballistic missiles: Pakistan said it had successfully tested
two surface-to-surface missiles — capable of carrying both nuclear and conventional
warheads –and ensured the operational readiness of the Strategic Missile Groups equipped
with Ghaznavi and Shaheen missile systems. About the two missiles tested today, ISPR
said while Ghaznavi can carry warheads up to 290 km, Shaheen's range was in the vicinity
of 650 km.
 Russia to develop lander for Chandrayan-II: Russia will develop a lander that will
ferry a rover to explore the moon's surface as part of the Chandrayaan-II mission, slated
for launch in 2013, project director of Chandrayaan-I and II M. Annadurai. “The GSLV
will be the launch vehicle for Chandrayaan-II and the prime responsibility of realising the
lander is Russia's. The rover, to be realised by us [Indian Space Research Organisation],
will carry out in situ probe on the moon's surface. We will also develop the scientific
instruments to go around with it.
 EU-IMF prepare $1tn plan to avert Greek tragedy: The European Union and IMF put
together a $1trillion “shock & awe” rescue package for the Euro giving a massive boost to
investor sentimental across global markets. In the foreign exchange market.
 India, Singapore to double trade: Seeking to put the trade relations between the two
countries on a fast track, India and Singapore decided to double their trade in the next five
years from $16 billion to $32 billion. India also asked Singapore to recognise its
professionals, such as doctors, nurses, accountants and architects in Singapore. Both the
countries also launched the second review of the India-Singapore free trade and services
agreement officially known as the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement
(CECA). India also signed a pact with Singapore for greater market access for its generic
(off-patent) drugs in the Southeast Asian nation.
 David Cameron is new British Prime Minister: Britain's first post-war coalition
government, with Conservative leader David Cameron as Prime Minister and his Liberal
Democrat counterpart Nick Clegg as Deputy Prime Minister, took office, promising to
give the country a “historic new direction” as the sun set on the 13-year Labour rule with
Gordon Brown's dramatic resignation.
 Libya crash kills, 103, 8-yr old sole survivor: A Libyan Airbus jet crashed as it tried to
land in Tripoli airport, killing 103 people on board, most of them Dutch leaving an 8-year-
old Dutch body the sole survivor.
 EU customs rules: India, Brazil move to WTO: India and Brazil have finally moved to
the World Trade Organisation against the Netherlands and EU on enforcement of
European Union customs rules, claiming that EU has erred in confiscating generic Indian
medicines in transit. The EU, on the other hand, claims that the seizure was meant to
prevent trade in counterfeit medicines. Around 18 shipments of generic medicines from
India have been seized in transit at European ports since the beginning of 2008 on the
grounds of alleged patent infringement. Custom officials in Germany, France and the
Netherlands have seized and detained Indian drug consignments for months at the request
of companies including Sanofi-Aventis SA, Novartis AG and Eli Lilly & Co. India claims
that most of these were cases of trademark violations in the transit countries but the drugs
 are perfectly legitimate in the source country, that is India and destination countries in
Latin America and Africa. Brazil said in January 2009 that the seizure by customs
authorities in Rotterdam of shipments of Dr Reddy’s generic drug Losartan, used to treat
high blood pressure, that were in transit to Brazil “raised doubts about the commitment of
European countries to help people in developing countries gain access to medicines.” The
current EU law permits customs authorities to seize goods in transshipment if the products
are suspected of infringing intellectual property rights.

 Gm Crops Chronology:
o 1990: Cotton plants are first genetically engineered to produce enough Bt toxin
(derived from the Bacillus thuringiensis bacterium) to be protective against insects
o 1996: The first Bt cotton varieties, known as Bollgard Cotton in the U.S., are
introduced commercially by Monsanto and Delta and Pine Land Company
o 1997: China begins cultivating Bt cotton, increasing the area of the crop planted to
1.8m hectares worldwide.
o 2003: Large scale field trials of herbicide-tolerant GM crops in Britain show that
changes in herbicide use have an impact on weeds and insects that might also
affect country wildlife
o 2009: 49 per cent of cotton production worldwide is Bt cotton — using 16m
hectares
o 2010: Pakistan, the world's fourth largest cotton-grower, becomes the latest
country to adopt Monsanto's Bt Cotton
o 2010: No GM crops are grown commercially in the U.K. Spain is the biggest
producer in Europe, but there are also significant amounts of crops grown in
France, Germany and the Czech Republic.

Economy

 SC clears National Company Law Tribunal: The National Company Law Tribunal
(NCLT) to fast-track company law cases and corporate structuring by replacing the
Company Law Board and the BIFR got the approval of the Supreme Court. The tribunal
that was proposed in the 2002 amendment to the Companies Act was caught in a major
legal wrangle amid fears that its structure as proposed by the government flouted the
Constitutional separation of powers by vesting essential functions in the quasi-judicial
body.
o All company related matters with CLB, BIFR & HCs will move to NCLT
o NCLT will speed up approval process for M & As
o Tribunal to fast track winding up of sick companies, prevent deterioration of assets
o Supreme Court wants the tribunal to retain ‘Judicial favour’
 Unique ATM: The world’s first gold vending machine unveiled in a hotel in Abu Dhavi
in the UAE began attracting customers minutes after it was opened.
 Subsidised grain unlikely for better-off in revamped PDS: The government’s plans to
fix up the public distribution system (PDS) to strengthen food supply to the poor could
 weed out the better off population from the welfare scheme and save nearly Rs 8,000
crore a year for the exchequer. The move is part of the government’s efforts to ensure
adequate supply of wheat or rice to every BPL family. It has formed a panel of ministers
led by finance minister Pranab Mukherjee to draft a National Food Security Act. The
government felt there is a pressing need to overhaul PDS because under the food security
legislation, all households including the BPL and APL sections must get at least 35 kg of
foodgrain. As there are nearly 20-crore households — 8.1-crore BPL and 11.5-crore APL
— in this category, the financial burden on the government will be huge.
 Education loans to come cheap: The government is working on a refinance scheme to
offer education loans at interest rates as low as 4%, and plans to extend the repayment
period for those who aspire to become doctors, engineers, fashion designers and IT
professionals. The scheme envisages the setting up of National Education Finance
Corporation to refinance banks for giving education loans below prime lending rates.
Currently, interest rates for education loan varies between 10% and 12%. The ministry of
human resource development (HRD), which has drawn up the plan, also wants to extend
loan repayment periods from 5-7 years to 6-12 years. NEFC is to be set up with an initial
equity capital of Rs 5,500 crore. The ministry has proposed to infuse Rs 3,000 crore in the
company every year so that it reaches to Rs 35,500 crore by 2020. An interest rate of 4%
will be charged from those students whose parental income will be less than Rs 4.5 lakh
per annum. This will be 7% for those with parental income above this mark but wanting
an education loan of less than Rs 12 lakh. Loans above Rs 12 lakh will be charged at 9%.
 India opposes move to link CSR, trade: India is trying to mobilise opinion against the
proposed international standard on corporate social responsibility that could give legal
sanction to developed countries to reject exports from developing countries like India. 
ISO 26000 sets out the basic minimum goals corporates should achieve in areas such as
labour, environment and human rights. Complying with this could increase costs for
companies from developing countries, eroding export competitiveness of the products
produced by them.  Indian officials fear that this standard could be easily adopted by some
developed countries such as Japan and the European Union as a tool to discourage imports
from developing countries. In a submission to the ISO last May, India had argued that for
the purposes of the multilateral trading system governed by the World Trade Organisation
(WTO), ISO-26000 should not be interpreted as an international standard, guideline or
recommendation. The US and Canada had supported India’s submission.
 Some stats about the online retailing place: The size of online retailing in India is
estimated at about Rs 500 crore a year and that of teleshopping is estimated at Rs 900
crore. That makes a total of just over $300 m. US recorded $131 billion retail e-commerce
in 2009.
 ECB annual cap raised to $40b: Indian firms can borrow up to $40 billion this year
from overseas markets, with the government moving in to ensure easy availability of
funds for the rapidly recovering economy. The high level co-ordination committee on
external commercial borrowings decided in principle to raise the annual indicative ceiling
to $40 billion for 2010-11 from $35 billion last year, a government official said. The
higher limit will allow Indian corporates to access cheaper funds abroad at a time when
interest rates are set to harden in the domestic market due to the central bank’s monetary
tightening measures. The companies are allowed to access overseas debt on a first-come-
first-served basis within the $40 billion limit. But actual borrowing in the year could
 exceed the $40 billion limit as some dollar funds can also come through the automatic
route, where prior approval from RBI is not needed. The government seems to be of the
view that credit needs and not capital flows is the more urgent issue now. Even the limit
on foreign institutional investments into corporate bonds is likely to be hiked to $20
billion from $15 billion.
 Country's exports may be hit because of Europe crisis: Indian exporters managed to
battle the global economic crisis with aplomb to close the 2009-10 fiscal with shipments
worth $176.5 billion, a bare 4.7% lower than the previous year, but the shadow of the
fresh financial crisis in Europe looms large over the future. Europe accounts for 26% of
India’s exports. Imports for 2009-10 are pegged at $278.7 billion, down 8.2% from a year
ago, leaving a trade deficit of $102 billion against a deficit of $118 billion in the previous
fiscal.
 Global markets get a trillion-$ fillip from EU: Indian shares gained the most in Asia on
global investors’ euphoria after central banks across the world opened the floodgates of
liquidity, and the European Union agreed to a trillion-dollar financial assistance to save
the battered euro and debt-ridden member countries. The actions revived memories of the
days following the collapse of Lehman Brothers when easy policy measures helped revive
investor confidence in markets and led to a surge in flow of funds to emerging stocks. The
global financial turbulence may be a blessing for emerging markets such as India as
international investors would invest their cheap money in these nations to capture high
economic growth. Their central banks may keep interest rates at record lows to prevent
the financial systems and economies from collapsing.
o The EU & IMF agreed on emergency measures worth about $1,000 billion to
protect the euro zone against a sovereign debt crisis.
 Why are solar companies unhappy with the Government?: The government’s decision
to import solar power equipment for its flagship clean energy programme-Jawaharlal
Nehru National Solar Mission. The mission aims to add 20,000 mw of grid connected
power by the year 2020. Many countries impose domestic content clauses on importers.
Canada mandates minimum domestic content level of 50%; China has given a $586-
billion stimulus package to those projects that purchase local products.
 ONGC, IOC face US embargo for energy ties with Iran: The Obama administration
has threatened to slap sanctions against 41 oil firms that include ONGC and Indian Oil
Corporation for having energy ties with Iran. The Iran Sanctions Act (ISA) provides for
sanctions against persons, including foreign firms, who invest more than $20 million in
Iran’s energy sector in any 12-month period. India, however, is not unduly worried as it
feels that PSUs have not violated US laws that could make it liable for sanctions. The list
of 41 companies has been prepared to help the US Congress, which is looking at pushing
through tough sanctions on Iran for its nuclear programme by seeking to punish
international firms doing business in Iran. The House of Representatives and Senate
versions of a bill seeking economic sanctions against Iran are currently being reconciled
into one. The legislation seeks to sanction companies that help expand Iran’s oil refining
capacity or help Tehran produce or import products like gasoline.
 Foreign investors will have to take security pledge now: Foreign investors will be
required to give a commitment that they will not do anything detrimental to India’s
interest as the government looks to tighten scrutiny of foreign direct investment, but
experts say the regulation is not so innocuous. India has attracted $131 billion in foreign
 investment since 1991, when it opened its economy to foreign investors. Over 40% of this
has come from Mauritius, which means its actually a third country investment, the origin
of which may be difficult to trace.      Since enacting a new legislation will take time, the
department of industrial policy and promotion (DIPP) has proposed making a security
declaration mandatory for all foreign investors irrespective of the sector they plan to
invest in. The rule will apply to all sectors including those on the automatic route and not
requiring Foreign Investment Promotion Board’s approval.

Science & technology

 New species of frog found n Eravikulam National Park: Scientists have discovered a
new bright reddish-orange-coloured frog with multiple glands and extremely short limbs
from the highest mountain peak of the Western Ghats. The newly discovered species,
located in the Eravikulam National Park, is restricted to less than three sq. km on the
summit of Anamudi and deserves immediate conservation priority, scientists said in the
latest edition of Current Science.
 Zettabyte pips petabyte as largest data storage unit: It's official. Zettabytes is now the
largest unit of digital measurement. Yes, the size of the "digital universe" will swell so
rapidly this year that a new unit–the zettabyte–has been invented to measure it. And, it has
overtaken petabytes as the largest unit of digital measurement.
 plasma rocket can reach mars in just 39 days: Nasa is looking forward to flying a
plasma-powered rocket to survey an asteroid that could take astronauts to Mars in a little
over a month’s time. The rocket called Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket
(VASIMR) is a twin of one being developed for testing aboard the International Space
Station.
 Software to turn blurred photos into clear images: A team of engineers has developed
software that can transform blurry photographs into clear pictures. Computer vision
engineer Neel Joshi at the University of California, San Diego, and his colleagues.
 Chemical signature of Archaeopteryx revealed: For the first time ever, chemical
analysis of Archaeopteryx–a transitional fossil between dinosaurs and bird — has been
carried out, and first ever maps of dinobird's chemistry have been created. The maps
reveal half a dozen elements (mainly phosphorus, sulphur, zinc, calcium, manganese,
iron) that were actually part of the living animal.

Sports

 Govt. cuts short long reign of sports bosses: The ministry said it had fixed a tenure of
12 years, with or without breaks, for presidents of the Indian Olympic Association and
national sports federations. Similarly, for the secretaries and treasurers of such bodies, the
tenure cannot be more than two successive terms of four years each.
 Mohd. Azlan, Nicol David emerge champions: Top seeded Malayasiazn Mohd. Azlan
defended his title while World. No. 1 Nicol David clinched her seventh successive Asian
women’s crown at the Indian Squash Academy.
 Neil Robertson reigns: Australian's Neil Robertson won the snooker World
Championship at The Crucible business beating Scotlands Graeme Dott 18-13 in the final.
The 28 years old from Victoria became the first man from outside Britain and Ireland to
 win the title since Canadian Cliff Thorburn trimphed in 1980.
 Nadal shows no signs of letting up: Rafael Nadal breezed to a fifth Rome Masters title in
six years and then revealed that he is losing none of the fire that has seen him dominate
clay tennis since 2005. The 23-year-old World No. 3 matched American legend Andre
Agassi's record of 17 Masters titles as he beat compatriot and 13th seed David Ferrer 7-5,
6-2 at the Foro Italico. He has won the Monte Carlo Masters six years in a row, won
Rome five times in six years, won Barcelona five years in a row before skipping it this
season and will be aiming for a fifth win in six years at Roland Garros later this month.
 Dottin hits fastest T20 century: West Indies' Deandra Dottin wrote herself into cricket's
record books by becoming the first woman to becoming the first woman to score a century
in a Twenty 20 International.
 Support for whereabouts: The Executives committee and the foundation board of the
world anti doping agency have supported the current system of whereabouts regulations.
The panels which met in Montreal reviewed the practical implementation of the ‘athletes’
whereabouts’ requirements by the National Anti Doping Organisation (NADOs) and
International Federations (Ifs) and stamped their approval of the current practice.
WADA’s new whereabouts rules, implemented from January 1, 2009 had come in for
criticism from world renowned sportspersons from a few Ifs, notably the International
Cricket Council (ICC).
 Sushil Kumar: An in form Sushil Kumar notched up his first ever gold medal in the
Asian wrestling championship as host India generated its second yellow metal of the meet
at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex wrestling stadium.

Persons

 Raina First Indian to hit INTL T20 TON: Suresh Raina hit 101 off 60 balls including
five sixers and nine fours to become the final Indian batsman and only the third ever (after
Chris Gayle and Brendon McCollum) to hit a century in an international T20 match.
Raina is the only non-opening batsman to achieve the feat.
 M. M. Joshi to be chairman of Public Accounts Committee: Murli Manohar Joshi has
been appointed chairman of the Public Accounts Committee for 2010-11.
 Jonathan is Nigerian President: Nigeria's Goodluck Jonathan (52) was sworn in
President of the oil-rich African nation riven by religious and political divisions, hours
after the death of incumbent Umaru Yar'Adua.
 IDBI Chief named PFRDA boss: The Centre has appointed IDBI Bank CMD Yogesh
Agarwal as chairman of the interim Pension Fund Regulatory Development Authority
(PFRDA). The appointment order for Agarwal has been issued early this week by the
ministry of finance. Agarwal, who has been appointed for five years.
 Acharya Mahapragya Passes away: Acharya Mahapragya the 10th Acharya (sage) and
supreme head of the Jain Swetambar Terapnath community, died following a cardiac
arrest at Sardarshahar in Churu district of Rajasthan.
 Anand stays world champion: Vishwanathan Anan retained the FIDE World Chess
Championship defeating Bulgarian Veselin Topaloy with black pieces in the final classic
game of the series in Sofia. Anand won the 12 game matches with a score of 6.5-5.5 to
defend the title he claimed in 2007.
 Shantha Sinha: The Centre decided to appoint Shantha Sinha as chairperson of the
 National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) for the second term. Ms.
Sinha, a renowned child rights activist, was appointed as the chairperson of the child
rights panel in 2007. An academic with the Central University Hyderabad, Ms. Sinha is
the winner of prestigious Magsaysay Award for 2003. She was presented the Padma Shree
Award in 1999 for her work on child rights.
 Justice Balakrishnan retires: Justice K.G. Balakrishnan laid down office, after a tenure
of three years and four months as Chief Justice of India and nearly 10 years as judge of
the Supreme Court.
 Sayeeda Hussain Warsi: 39-year-old Sayeeda Hussain Warsi is, uniquely, Christian
Britain's first Muslim cabinet minister. The youngest member of the House of Lords, she
was, on the recommendation of now PM David Cameron, conferred the title of Baroness
of Dewsbury in 2007. Warsi has made a virtue of being a daughter of a Pakistani
immigrant mill worker. "Its terribly humbling,'' she said as this diminutive figure
demurely walked through the British capital's government district of Whitehall to attend
her first cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street.
 Vishwanathan Anand: Vishwanathazn Anand confirmed his position as the number one
chess player in the world by defending the world championship title. He did so by
defeating Viselin Topalov in the final game. In a sport which is choack-a-block with
young players, Anand at 40 years has shown that he still has the mental agility and
toughness to stay at the top.
 Bill Gates: Thanks to Rahul Gandhi, Amethi had a super special guest in Microsoft
founder Bill Gates pledge to turn Amethi and Rae Bareli into IT hubs and fix US troops
for computer learners. Impressed by self-help group women, the famous philanthropist
may well keep his word. Whether UP CM Mayawati blowing hot and cold with the
Congress-will like it is another matter.
 Justice Dipak Misra: President Pratibha Patil has transferred the Chief Justice of the
Patna High Court.  Justice Dipak Misra, as the new Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court.
He succeeds Justice A.P. Shah, who retired this past February. Justice Misra, 56, has been
asked to assume charge on or before May 28.

Awards

 Sand Artist Pattnaik wins gold in Russia: Celebrated Indian sand artist Sudarsan
Pattnaik has won the ‘People's Choice' Gold Medal at the second World Sand Sculpture
Championship here for his sculpture of legendary Bollywood actor Raj Kapoor. The
theme of this year's championship was ‘World cinema'.

Book and Author

 On the Brink-Inside the Race to Stop the Collapse of the Global Financial System :
Hank Paulson
 Quarantine: Rahul Mehta
 Year of the Tiger: Sohaila Abdulali
 One Amazing Things: Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
 Vulnerable India A Geographical Study of Disaster: Anu Kapur
 The Tusta Tribe on North East India: Narayan Singh Rao
  India Federalism-Emerging Trends: Hamid Hussan
 Special Child Problem and Solutions: Manjeet Singh Bhatia

Miscellaneous

 CFL for –bulbs to be world’s biggest carbon credit project: India has bagged the
world's largest carbon credit project that will help replace 400 million incandescent light
bulbs with energy saving CFL bulbs at dirt-cheap prices in a year while preventing 40
million tonnes of carbon from entering the atmosphere annually. The project, which will
allow the government, investors, discoms and CFL manufacturers to sell CFLs at Rs 15
each, instead of the Rs 100 they currently cost on average, has been approved by the UN
under the global carbon credit scheme called Clean Development Mechanism.
 Manmohan Singh, Sachin Tendulkar feature in 'Time 100': Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh, cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and economist Amartya Sen are
among nine Indians figuring in Time magazine's annual list of 100 most influential people
while Bollywood sensation Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan tops its 100 Alumnae list.
Manmohan Singh finds himself in the 19th spot in the Leaders list headed by Brazilian
president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva with US President Barack Obama in the fourth place.
 Videocon barred from doing business with World Bank: Accusing Venugopal Dhoot-
led Videocon of indulging in fraud and corrupt practices in dealings with it, the World
Bank has blacklisted the Indian company for three years, ending January 11, 2013.
Videocon Industries has been barred from doing any business with the World Bank for
violating “procurement guidelines”, for three years, beginning January 11, 2010, a
notification on the Bank's website said.
 Keeping up with times, India Post is on Twitter: The Department of Posts, one of
India's oldest establishments, has become the first government organisation to be on the
social networking site Twitter. Tilted ‘Post Office India,' the DoP's page already has
around 200 followers, from both India and abroad, in less than two months of its
operations.
 Tata Teea is now Tata Global Beverages: The name of Tata Tea Ltd (TTL) is to be
changed to Tata Global Beverages Ltd. The board of directors of TTL has approved the
name change. Shareholders' nod would be sought by way of postal ballot in accordance
with the relevant provisions of the Companies Act. The company said that following the
name change, Tata Tea, Tetley, Eight O’clock Coffee and other company names will
change into one corporate name: Tata Global Beverages Limited.
 Microsoft Office 2010: Microsoft Corporation launched its latest software-office 2010,
Share Point 2010, Visio 2010 and Project 2010-for business customers, promising unified
productivity experience across computers, web and mobile.
 Huawei bosses making emergency call to India: India is the world’s largest market for
telecom gearmakers and offers a $150-billion opportunity over the next five years as new
operators set up their networks and 3G services are rolled out. India is also the second-
largest market outside China for both ZTE and Huawei. ZTE’s sales in India increased by
50% in 2009-10 and contributed over 10% to its $8.8-billion revenues during this period.
From just $170 million in annual revenues from India in 2005, Huawei ended 2009 with
sales of over $2.3 billion. But Indian government has been wary of the equipment from
Chinese majors as it can be bugged to keep a tab on the conversations of the users and
 thus poses a security threat for the country. But Chinese makers say that it is a bogie that
is raised by the Western companies because they are unable to compete with them on
price terms.
 Govt puts Karnataka miners on notice for false numbers: India is the fourth-largest
iron ore producer and last year mined 212-million tonne of iron ore. Karnataka accounts
for the lion’s share of non-captive iron ore mining at 31% and has been the centre for
large-scale mining.

16 to 30 Apr. 2010
National

 Centre writes to States on loan interest subsidy scheme: The Centre has asked the
States to designate an appropriate authority at the district level for identifying
economically backward families to ensure uniformity in sanctioning interest subsidy on
education loans-under the Central scheme for students belonging to economically weaker
sections-from scheduled banks. Under the Educational Loan Scheme of the Indian Banks
Association (IBA), students belonging to families with income from all sources of less
than Rs.4.5 lakh annually will be entitled to full interest subsidy for pursuing courses of
studies in technical education and professional streams from recognised institutions in
India. The only criterion to obtain the income certificate is economic backwardness and
not social background.
 Special train to showcase e-governance initiatives: To showcase e-governance
initiatives of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government, the Department
of Information Technology has decided to launch an exhibition on train that will run
across the country. Planned in association with the Railway Ministry, the theme of the
exhibition would be IT and sports. “This unique initiative has been planned to inform
people about the objectives of the national e-governance programme that aims to leverage
IT to deliver services to citizens which include issuing various certificates, digitising land
records, and providing other useful information like agricultural techniques.”
 1,000 more model schools for backwards blocks: The Cabinet Committee on Economic
Affairs (CCEA) has approved a proposal to set up 1,000 additional model schools as a
benchmark of excellence in educationally backward blocks (EBBs) through State
governments. With these, the number of model schools to be set up will go up to 3,500.
The cost of setting up 2,500 schools, which were approved by the CCEA in November
2008, was estimated to be Rs. 9,322 crore during the 11th Five-Year Plan, of which the
Centre's share is Rs. 7,457 crore.
 PM to get say on naming CJI: The government has seen a devil in the existing
Memorandum of Procedure (MoP) for appointment of the Chief Justice of India and has
initiated the process to amend it and give the final say to the Prime Minister in tricky
situations. Since the executive had lost primacy in the appointment of judges to the
Supreme Court and the high courts nearly 17 years ago, it is the senior-most judge of the
Supreme Court who is appointed to the top post after the retirement of the CJI. But, there
 is a catch. The process for appointment of the senior-most judge to the top judicial post
can be initiated only after the incumbent CJI gives a recommendation saying he is
eminently suitable for the job. CJI refuses to send any recommendation or sends a
recommendation proposing the name of a judge junior to the senior-most judge? Should
the appointment process for the CJI come to a standstill for this purpose? Law ministry
sources said that the government has already drafted the proposed change in the MoP that
would empower the Prime Minister to step in such eventualities. If the CJI gives a
recommendation proposing the name of a judge other than the senior-most judge of the
SC or sends no recommendation, then the PM would advise the President to appoint the
senior-most judge as the CJI.
 Lapang quits making way for Dy. C.M.: Faces with a revolt from within congress.
Meghalaya Chief Minister D. D. Lapang submitted his resignation to governor R S
Mooshhary, paying the way for his deputy Mukul Sangma to take over. Sangma was elect
CLP leader and will be sworn in.
 Chidambaram tell Rammohan Panel, Fix responsibility up to my level: Admitting to
command and control failure in the Dantewala massacre of 76 CRPF Jawans. Home
Minister P. Chidambaram told the Rajya Sabha that he had asked the inquiry committee
headed by E.N. Rammohan to fix responsibility from top to bottom. The Minister ruled
out the use of the Army and the Air Force in the naxal-affected areas but said the
government was examining whether a special force could be used to supplement the
paramilitary forces. The Rammohan inquiry committee appointed to probe the recent
Naxalite attack in Chhattisgarh which killed 76 Security Personnel submitted its report to
Home Minister P. Chidambaram.
 One health centre soon for every 50,000 population: The Delhi Cabinet gave its nod for
introduction of Public Health Standards for Primary Urban Health Centres (PUHC) in the
Capital. As per the plan, for every 50,000 population, one such health care unit would be
identified, strengthened and upgraded to a PUHC. The public health standards for PUHCs
have been approved to improve availability and access to quality health care for all
citizens and in particular the poor and vulnerable sections of the population.
 Food Security Act: The government has now agreed to provide 35 kgs of foodgrain
every month to roughly 8.5 crore families living below the poverty line. The empowered
group of ministers (EGoM), headed by Pranab Mukherjee, will meet and decides this will
also consider providing 11.7 kgs of rice to those living above the poverty line. The EGoM
had met again and asked the Planning Commission to firm up the numbers for the BPL
ceiling. The Planning Commission after initial reluctance accepted the Tendulkar
Committee report which estimated that 37.2% of the population lives below the poverty
line–roughly 8.5 crore families.
 Atomic Research centre to be set up in Haryana: National Atomic Research Institute
would be set up in Haryana. Talking to media persons at village Chuchakwas in Jhajjar
district he said that was a major achievement for Haryana. The Bhabha Atomic Research
Centre was India’s only other nuclear research centre based in Mumbai, he added. Mr.
Hooda, son of Haryana Energy Commission Chairman and Bhabha atomic research
Centre Director S. Banerjee had visited village Jasor Kheri in Jhajjar to review the site.
 Rural court opened in Haryana: D.D. Jain of the Supreme Court inaugurated the first
rural court of Haryana at the Tehsil complex in Shahabad town. Mr. Justice Jain celled for
a separate cadre of judicial officers for these courts saying that the judges from this cadre
 should be appointed only for the rural courts so that the work in other courts was not
affected. He further disclosed that 5,000 rural courts would be set up in the country for
early disposal of cases.
 Rooftop water harvesting in Rajasthan: The Rajasthan Government has made the
construction of rooftop water harvesting structures mandatory in buildings erected on
plots measuring 300 square meters or more in the urban areas of the state. The water
connections to such buildings will be released only after the construction of these
structures.
 Tejas project cost goes past Rs 13k cr: The overall developmental cost of Tejas Light
Combat Aircraft has quietly zoomed past the Rs 13,000-crore mark, with the government
sanctioning the extension of the fighters full-scale engineering development (FSED) till
December 31,2018. This, in effect, means the Tejas developmental saga will now stretch
across 35 years, sanctioned as the project was way back in 1983 at a cost of Rs 560 crore
to replace the ageing MiG-21 s. Tejas, in fact, can now give the Arjun main-battle tank a
run for its money in terms of years taken for full development. The tank project, after all,
was first approved 36 years ago. It is, of course, critical for India to boost indigenous
defence production, importing as it still does 70% of its military hardware and software.
 Power from first Kudankulam unit by December: It is indeed good news for the
energy managers of power-starved Tamil Nadu. Electricity will start cascading from the
first unit of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) by December. The
mandatory pre-commissioning milestone event of loading of ‘dummy fuel assembly' into
the reactor core of the first of the 2 X 1,000 MWe unit began.
 Rangrajan to head panel on public expenditure: The Planning Commission announced
the setting up of an 18 member expert committee headed by Prime Minister’s Economy
Advisory Council Chairman C. Rangarajan to recommend measures for efficient
management of public expenditure.
 NTPC-NPCIL sign JV agreement: Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited
(NPCIL) and NTPC entered into a joint venture agreement (JVA) to set up nuclear power
projects. The agreement was signed by S. K. Jain, Chairman and Managing Director,
NPCIL, and R. S. Sharma, Chairman and Managing Director, NTPC. The agreement
envisages incorporation of a company for setting up nuclear power projects in the country.
While NPCIL will have 51 per cent equity in the new company, the remaining 49 per cent
will be held by NTPC. The joint venture company was expected to be operational in a
couple of months. The venture was the brainchild of the then Minister of State for Power
Jairam Ramesh who had held extensive talks with NPCIL to work out a viable venture for
NTPC's foray into nuclear power.
 Siemens commissions Aurangabad railway bogie unit: Siemens Rolling stock Pvt. Ltd.
as 100 per cent subsidiary of Siemens has set up the first dedicated bogie plant at
Aurangabad with an initial investment of Rs. 200 crore. The factory will provide direct
employment to about 250 people and indirect employment to about 1,000 people.
 New tech puts phone tapping beyond law: It is now possible to tap so unobtrusively
that a service provider would never come to know. The new generation of phone tapping
machines dispense with all paperwork. It's called passive - a deceptively innocuous term
of art. Nothing needs to be done at the service provider's end to initiate this kind of
tapping. Besides, since it involves no rerouting of calls and emits no signal, the tapping
remains largely undetected.
 Govt. nod for Lafarge to mine is Meghalaya: The Ministry of Forest and Environment
(MoEF) gave green signal to limestone mining in Meghalaya by French multinational
Lafarge for its cement plant in Bangladesh but put a series of conditions, to fulfil which
the company would have to shell out more than Rs. 100 crore.
 INS Shivalik: INS Shivalik, India's first indigenous stealth frigate, which commissioned
at Mazagon Dock Limited Mumbai. The 143-metre long vessel, with 6,100 tonne
displacement, has been designed and built in India. More than 60 per cent of its value was
met within the country. MDL is building two other warships in the Shivalik series under
Project-17: INS Sayahdri which will be commissioned by the end of this year, and INS
Satpura by the middle of next year.
 World highest tiger density in Kaziranga: The Kaziranga National Park, famous for
one-horned rhino, has the highest density of tigers in the world. This was revealed in a
report titled ‘Monitoring of Tigers and Prey Animals of Kaziranga National Park,'
released by Assam Forest and Environment Minister Rockybul Hussain at the State Zoo.
The report says that the density of tigers at Kaziranga is 32.64 tigers per 100 sq. km., the
highest in any known tiger habitat. Previously, this status was held by the Corbett Tiger
Reserve in northern India which had 19.6 tigers per 100 sq. km. The usual density varies
from three to12 tigers per 100 sq. km. in different tiger reserves throughout the country,
the report states.
 India will find it tough to go beyond 2020 commitment: Once the low-hanging fruit of
energy efficiency technologies has been plucked in order to meet India's 2020
commitment to reduce emissions intensity, the country will find it difficult and expensive
to reduce any further, according to a study by the Centre for Science and Environment. In
January, India told the United Nations that it had made a voluntary commitment to reduce
the emissions intensity of GDP by 20 to 25 per cent from 2005 levels by 2020. CSE
researcher Chandra Bhushan studied 164 projects in the six most emission intensive
industrial sectors – power, steel, cement, aluminium, paper and pulp, and fertilizers–to see
just how feasible that commitment is. An expert group set up by the Planning Commission
to map a low carbon growth strategy is also likely to draw upon the findings of the CSE
study. The group is headed by former Planning Commission member Kirit Parikh, who
says an interim report will be released by mid-May.
 Airport’s new terminal to be opened on July 3: Indira Gandhi International Airport's
Terminal 3 (T3), which is being touted as one of the most modern airports in the world,
would be inaugurated on July 3 while operations would commence from July 14. Spread
across 5.5 million square feet, T3 would be capable of handling 34 million passengers per
annum.
 Nearly 49,000 slums in India: Even as the Indian economy remains one of the bright
spots in the world showing an upward growth trajectory, around 49,000 slums continue to
blight the urban landscape forcing lakhs of people to live in pathetic conditions. To make
things worse, of these 49,000 slums, 24% was located along nallahs and drains and around
12% along railway tracks, according to a report released by National Sample Survey
Office (NSSO). Not surprisingly, around 57% of slums came up on public land, owned
mostly by local bodies and state government.
 UID number gets brand name, logo now: The 16-digit unique identification number to
be assigned to each individual by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI)
will now come under the new name ‘AADHAR’; and will also bear a logo. The brand
 name and logo for the unique number were made public at a meeting chaired by UIDAI
chairman Nandan Nilekani, who said the symbols were necessary to make the scheme and
the number recognisable and communicate the spirit and essence of the mandate to the
people and win their confidence.
 Soon, biometric database of all criminals: The government has launched a project to
have a biometric database of all criminals across the country. The project–Automated
Fingerprint Identification Systems (AFIS)–is currently being implemented in 21 states and
two Union Territories including Delhi and Puducherry under the ongoing Crime &
Criminal Tracking Network and System (CCTNS), which is aimed at inter-linking all
14,000 police stations and 1,300 prisons in the country by next year. Key objectives of the
CCTNS project include creating platforms at state and central levels for sharing crime and
criminal information and databases.
 Jaypee's huge outlay on Ganga Expressway project: The Jaypee Group of Industries
announced that it would invest Rs. 70,000 crore in the next five years to build the
ambitious 1,047 km long Noida-Ballia Ganga Expressway project. It also said that the
Yamuna Expressway project would be completed two years ahead of schedule by March
2011.
 Nirma gets go ahead for cement plant: The Gujarat High Court permitted the Nirma
group to go ahead with the construction of its proposed cement plant at Mahuva near
Bhavnagar in the Saurashtra region, but laid down a set of conditions. The counsel of the
displeased agitating local farmers however, said the petitioners planned to challenge the
High Court's order in the Supreme Court.
 Global Warming affects Lake Tangnytika’s unique ecosystem: Surface water in Lake
Tanganayika, the second oldest and second deepest lake in the world, are currently
warmer than at any time in the previous 1500 years, according to a study published
recently online issue of the journal.

International

 Zardari signs on dotted line, clips own wings: Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari
signed into law the constitutional reforms, relinquishing his key powers to sack the prime
minister, dissolve the parliament and appoint the chiefs of armed forces, at a ceremony
attended by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and opposition leader Nawaz Sharif.
President Zardari termed the signing of the bill as an important milestone that aimed at
undoing the constitutional changes made by the undemocratic forces. "With the signing of
this bill, the doors for dictators had been closed forever.
 IIFA goes to Sri Lanka: 11th International Indian Film Academy (IIFA), scheduled to be
held in India from June 3 to 5. Sri Lanka was chosen from among countries such as south
Africa the united and emirates, Australia and South Korea.
 BRIC declares 2010 deadline for world bank, IMF reform: The declaration issued by
the BRIC nations at a summit meeting shows a collective assertiveness in world economic
matters that is bound to make leaders and bankers in the west sit up and take notice. With
a confidence borne of their successful role as a caucus at G-20 meetings over the past
year, the leaders of brazil, Russia India and china demanded the commitment to reform
the Bretton Woods financial institution that the advanced economies made at Pittsbursh
during the G-20 summit be completed by this year itself. “The IMF and the World bank
 urgently heed to address their legitimacy deficits,” the BRIC summit declaration says.
“We call for the voting power reform of the world bank to be fulfilled in the upcoming
spring meetings, and expect the quota reform of the IMF to be concluded by the G-20
Summit in November this year.”
 Renault to exit Logan JV with Mahindra: After months of deliberations, Carlos Ghosn-
led French carmaker Renault has finally decided to exit its loss-making joint venture with
Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) for the logan, handing out full control to the Indian auto
major.
 India to receive $4.5 million US assistance to fight terrorism: With India requesting
for higher-level training from the United States in the wake of 26/11 Mumbai attacks, the
Obama administration has asked the Congress to double its anti-terrorism budget to India
to $4.5 million for the fiscal 2011.
 India-US naval exercise begins: Navies of India and the United States have begun
annual war exercises involving anti-submarine warfare surface firings, visit board, search
and seizure and submarine operations. The 14th edition of MALABAR in the Arabian Sea
will see frontline units of the U.S. Navy's 7 Fleet and Indian Navy's Western Fleet taking
part in the 10-day exercise.
 Sixteenth SAARC Summit (28-29 April, 2010, Thimpu): Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh led South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) leaders in
introspecting on the progress made by the eight-member regional association in its 25
years of existence. “We have created institutions for regional cooperation, but we have not
yet empowered them to be more proactive,” he said in his opening statement at the 16th
SAARC summit. In a candid speech, Dr. Singh said SAARC members must acknowledge
that the glass of the grouping's accomplishments was half empty compared with the
progress made by similar blocs in East and South-East Asia. On the positive side, new
fora of cooperation such as a development fund, food bank, free trade agreement and a
university were finding their feet and poised to grow in maturity. Maintaining that
declarations did not amount to regional cooperation, the Prime Minister said the SAARC's
potential would be met only when free movement of people, goods, services and ideas
took place. “In other words, the region must be better connected, empowered, fed and
educated.” While SAARC members were able to cooperate individually in international
fora, it was unfortunate that the people of South Asia did not have the voice they “should
and could have” in the global polity. The eight-member SAARC decided to convene a
meeting on the issue before the meeting of the Committee of Parties to be held in Mexico.
Bangladesh and Maldives were in favour of some sort of commitment on the peaking of
emissions, a stand that did not find favour with China and India during the Copenhagen
climate change summit. It was, therefore, decided to establish an Inter-governmental
Expert Group on Climate Change to develop a clear policy direction and guidance for
regional cooperation as envisaged in the SAARC Plan of Action on Climate Change. The
member-states also resolved to commission a study, for presentation to the 17th summit,
on ‘Climate Risks in the Region: ways to comprehensively address the related social,
economic and environmental challenges'. It was decided to plant one crore trees over the
next five years to build a “green and happy South Asia” and enhance trade cooperation.
The statement pledged to concentrate on the uplift of poverty-stricken people in the region
that is home to 1.5 billion people — one-fourth of the world population.
 Hamid Karzai’s visit: Afghanistan assured India of its commitment to provide full
 security to Indians working there and New Delhi conveyed readiness to augment its
assistance to Kabul for capacity building and strengthening public institutions. He said
both leaders, who met for the first time after the February 26 attacks in Kabul, viewed the
incident as the handiwork of those who did not wish to see the emergence of a strong,
independent and pluralistic Afghanistan. The Prime Minister told Mr. Karzai that
perpetrators of such attacks would not succeed in undermining India's commitment to
assist the Afghan people. India also said it was ready to augment its assistance for
capacity building and for skills and human resource development to help strengthen
public institutions in Afghanistan. In a joint statement, both countries expressed grave
concern over the threat posed by terrorism to Afghanistan's national development efforts
and expressed their determination to work with the international community to combat the
forces of terrorism which posed a threat to the region. India's development partnership is
focussed on areas of infrastructure development, human resource development and
capacity building, food assistance and small development projects that bring immediate
benefits to the people at the grass roots. The two leaders, in particular, took note of the
Zaranj-Delaram road project, the Pul-e-Kumri to Kabul transmission line project and
scholarship programmes which had brought direct benefits to the Afghan people. They
welcomed the progress being made in the construction of the building for the Afghan
Parliament.
 Russia, Ukraine ratify base deal: The Russian lower house of parliament, the State
Duma, has approved an additional plenary session on April 27 to ratify an agreement on
prolonging the presence of the country's Black Sea Fleet in Ukraine's Crimea for another
25 years. While in Russia’s State Duma the accord sailed through seamlessly, with 410
deputies voting for and none against. The agreement reached last week by the Russian and
Ukranian President Dmitry Medvedeve and Victor Yanukovich extends the lease on the
Russian base in the port of Sevastopol for 25 years after the current lease expires in 2017.
Under the package the Russia has agreed to cut the price of natural gas it supplies to
Ukraine by 30 percent a discount that will add up to a wobbling $40 billion over the next
10 years. Russia’s Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said the price of naval base extension
was exorbitant but was still worth it as this would pave the way to the strengthening of all
round strategic ties between the two mains ex-Soviet Slavic nation.
 First Woman to conquer 14 peaks: A South Korean mountaineer became the first
woman to scale the world’s 14 highest mountains, officials said. Oh Eun-sun, 44, arrived
at the final, steep stretch of Annapurna in the Himalayas 13 hours after she left the last
camp to beat a Spanish rival to the record. Ms. Oh narrowly beat Edurne Pasaban of Spain
to the record.
 Jindal Steel gains a foot hold in Gulf with $464-m Shadeed buy: Jindal Steel land
Power (JSP) said it would acquire Oman’s Shdeed Iron and Steel Co. for $464 million
(Rs. 2,134 crore) with an aim to tap the demand for steel in West Asian and North African
countries.
 Bushehr to start by August: Iran's first nuclear plant, which Russia is building in
Bushehr, should go online by August, said Russia's atomic energy chief.

Economy

 Handicraft sector makes smart recovery: All seems to be finally getting to be well for
 the handicraft sector. After registering massive slips of 19 per cent in 2007-08 and 41.6
per cent in 2008-09, the export of handicrafts from India has registered an increase of 6.55
per cent during the just ended 2009-10 fiscal year. According to the provisional data
released by the Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts, the exports have gone up to
Rs. 8,718.94 crore, as against Rs. 8,183 crore during 2008-09. The highest increase was
recorded in imitation jewellery exports, where there was a growth of 18.03 per cent. It
was followed by woodwares (15.17 per cent). Country-wise, U.S. was the single largest
market for the Indian handicrafts during the year, accounting for 29 per cent of the
exports. But, as a region, the European Union topped the list, accounting for 40.33 per
cent of the exports.
 Panchayats should play a big role in helping us tackle Maoists: Even as Maoists
continue to pose a threat to the government, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh urged
panchayats to play a big role in helping the Centre tackle the rebels by working more
effectively and ensuring administrative transparency. Inaugurating a conference to
celebrate ‘National Panchayati Raj Day' under the auspices of the Ministry of the
Panchayati Raj, Dr. Singh said that if Panchayati Raj institutions (PRIs) functioned
properly and locals participated in the development process, the Maoist threat could be
countered. April 24 is observed as Panchayati Raj Day because on this day in 1993, the
73rd Constitutional Amendment was implemented, setting up the three-tier panchayats
system–village panchayats, panchayat unions and district panchayats–for grass roots-level
governance.
 Direct tax kitty misses 2009-10 targets: Direct tax collections fell Rs 12,000 crore short
of the Rs 3.87 lakh crore target last fiscal, largely owing to lower realisation from
corporate tax payers. The collection from corporate income tax and personal income tax,
however, was 13.1 per cent up from the 2008-09 level, Finance Ministry sources said.
 India is 7th in World Bank shareholder pecking order: In a reflection of its growing
economic clout, India has become the 7th largest shareholder in the World Bank with the
multilateral agency agreeing to give more powers to emerging economies. India would
also be able to get additional $7-10 billion in the coming years from the World Bank as
member nations decided to increase total capital base that would allow the agency to lend
an additional$ 86 billion. “This extra capital can be deployed to create jobs and protect the
most vulnerable through investments in infrastructure, small and medium sized
enterprises, and safety nets,” World Bank president Robert B Zoellick said. At the spring
meeting of the World Bank-IMF in Washington, the member countries agreed to increase
India’s voting power from 2.77%to 2.91%.
 National Jute Board constituted: National Jute Board, a statutory body set up by
subsuming Jute Manufacturers Development Council (JMDC) and National Centre for
Jute Diversification (NCJD) has been newly formed under the administrative control of
Ministry of Textiles with effect from April 1.

Science & Technology

 New CDAC software to fend off cyber attacks: Taking into consideration the intensity
of cyber attacks and threats of data theft, the Centre for Development of Advanced
Computing (CDAC) has developed new software-‘NAYAN,' ‘USB Pratirodh,' and
 ‘Malware Resist'- “keeping end-users in view. Most of the research and development was
done on the vulnerability of computers due to malware and data thefts.” NAYAN, short
for Network Abhigham Niyanthran, controls the computer's access to different network
services, thus protecting the internal network from threats and misuse. “The software
helps the administrator control access of a computer to network services and monitor
activity from anywhere in the network,” says executive director N. Sarat Chandra Babu.
 Sensor devices to predict freak weather: New, a team of scientists from Southampton
University has stepped up to the challenge. Led by Dr. Kirk Martinez, a senior lecturer at
the university’s school of electronics and computer science, the group has created a new
sensor device that can help to reduce the unpredictable factor of flash flooding, as well as
making other geographical phenomena such as landslides much easier to forecast. The
technology was developed in 2003 when Martinez began working on a sensor probe that
was placed under glaciers to measure climate change.
 New human malaria species: scientists investigating ovale malaria, a form of the disease
thought to be caused by a single species of parasite, have confirmed that the parasite is
actually two similar but distinct species which do not reproduce with each other,
according to research published in the journal of infectious diseases. Bangkok noticed that
the single parasite plasmodium ovale, though visible through a microscope, was not
detected by forensic DNA tests designed to identify the species.
 For brain, 3 tasks is one too many: Multitasking may be the need of the hour, but
scientists say it’s very difficult as the brain typically struggles to do too many different
things at once. A new study has found the mind may easily deal with two separate tasks at
the same time as it can channel them into the two separate parts of the front of the brain;
but when a third activity is introduced, the mind gets overloaded. Not only the accuracy
declines but people are much less able to carry out tasks, the scientists say. The study’s
finding may explain why humans tend to prefer a simple choice between two options
rather than three or more.
 Indigenous engines bring down GSLV: In a setback to India's space programme, GSLV
D-3, the satellite launch vehicle showcasing its indigenous cryogenic technology, trailed
off its designated course and went out of control shortly after lift-off from the spaceport.
The rocket, along with its two payloads -- satellites GSAT-4 and GAGAN-crashed into
the Bay of Bengal 293 seconds after launch. The launch was key to India's space
programme as it would have become the sixth nation to successfully deploy the cryogenic
technology, joining US, Russia, Japan, China and France. The earlier five versions of the
GSLV had Russia engines. Indian’s cryogenic upper stage engine was to replace these. It
took scientists of the Indian Space Research Organization (Isro) around 17 years to
develop cryogenic motors after its bid to import the technology from Russia in 1992 failed
because of opposition from the US.
 Massive Ocean current discovered: The deep ocean current with a volume equivalent to
40 Amazon Rivers has been discovered by the Japanese and Australian researchers near
the Kerguelan Plateau, in the Indian Ocean sector of the Southern Ocean, 4,200 kilometer
south-west Perth.
 First complete face transplant performed: A Spanish hospital said it performed the
world's first complete face transplant in March on a man who could not swallow, breath or
talk normally following an accident five years ago. While 11 other face transplants have
 been carried out around the world previously, Barcelona's Vall d'Hebron hospital said
they involved only part of the patient's face.
 Now, drive with your eyes only: German researchers are presenting new technology that
lets drivers steer cars using only their eyes. Raul Rojas, an artificial intelligence researcher
at Berlin's Free University, said that the technology tracks a driver's eye movement and, in
turn, steers the car in whatever direction they're looking.
 World’s first dengue vaccine set to be unveiled: The first dengue vaccine in the world is
set to be unveiled. Developed by the Health Ministry together with a private company, the
vaccine is set to become a medical breakthrough. While there are some ongoing vaccine
development programmes, there has been so far no tested and approved vaccine for the
dengue virus.

Sports

 Sahara Pune Warriors is new IPL team: The Sahara India group launched the Pune
team of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The team was named Sahara Pune Warriors.
 Lin Dan Claims Asian men’s Title: This was one title that was missing from the almost
intimidating resume of Lin Dan. The current world and Olympic champion did one better
than his effort in 2001 and won the badminton Asia championship with a highly expected
straight game victory over fellow Chinese Wang Zhengming.
 Maiden WISPA title for Dipika: Dipika Pallikal ensured her graduation to the world of
Professional squash picking up her maiden WISPA title outclassing second-seeded Emma
Beddoes of England 3-1 in the women’s final of the Indian challenger at the Calcutta
racket club.
 Junior World Badminton: Young Indian shuttlers B Sai Praneeth and H S Prannoy won
two bronze medals in the recently concluded Junior World Badminton Championships
held at Guadalajara, Mexico.
 Third IPL: Chennai Super Kings outwitted Mumbai Indians to win the DLF IPL-III title
as Dhoni scored over his counterpart Sachin Tendulkar with quick decisions in the
decisive phase. CSK refused to be rattled by the sight of Tendulkar opening the batting,
nor by Kieron Pollard's assault in the closing stages. Three run-outs, brilliant catches by
Suresh Raina and Shadab Jakati snuffed out the home team's hopes at the D.Y. Patil
stadium.

Persons

 Wakefield: John Wakefield, the torchbearer of Karnataka's first eco-tourism project–the

Kabini River Lodge on the banks of the Kabini at Karapur in Mysore district–passed away
at the Kabini lodge. Mr. Wakefield (95), fondly known as ‘Papa,' died of age-related
illness.
 Elkann: The board of directors of Fiat formally named John Elkann, the grandson of
historic boss Gianni Agnelli, to the chairmanship of the auto giant, the group said in a
statement. At 34, Mr. Elkann is the group's youngest chairman ever and replaces Luca
Cordero Mantezemolo.
 Jayaratne: Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa appointed Dissa Nayake Mudiyanse
Lage Jayaratne (79), a founder member of the Sri Lanka Freedom party (SLFP), as the
 prime minister.
 Samaranch: Juan Antonio Samaranch, who died aged 89, was a giant of the Olympic
movement, heading the IOC for 21 years after the body's founding father, Baron Pierre de
Coubertin. The Baron was the man who brought the Games into the modern era, heading
the IOC from 1896 to 1925 – but it was under the tutelage of Samaranch that the
movement really took off in the age of increasing global mass media and growing
influence of sport.
 Manglik: IT industry body National Association of Software and Services Companies
(Nasscom) announced that Harsh Manglik will take over as the Chairman of its Executive
Council for 2010-11, effective from April 20. Mr. Manglik, who replaces Pramod Bhasin,
will take on the role as the country's IT sector recovers from the impact of the global
economic slowdown.
 Dorothy Height: Activist Dorothy Height, described by President Obama as the “the
godmother of the civil rights movement” passed away at the age of 98 years after weeks
of being in a serious condition. Ms. Height, a pioneer of the 1960s movement, had joined
historic marches with Martin Luther King Jr. and led the National Council of Negro
Women for 40 years.
 Justice Gyan Sudha Misra: President Pratibha Patil cleared the appointment of Chief
Justice of the Jharkhand High Court Gyan Sudha Misra as Supreme Court judge. She is
the fourth woman judge of the Supreme Court after Fatima Beevi, Sujata Manohar and
Ruma Pal.
 Kamla Presad Bissessar: Indian origin Kamla Presad Bissessar, who just become the
first woman prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago could be its face or change. Having
campaigned on a platform of inclusive development she now has the opportunity to usher
in a new era that transcends ethnic politics. The Caribbean nation will surely benefit if she
delivers on her promises.
 Chirayu Amin: Jolted by the alleged dubious dealings in the Indian Premier League
(IPL), the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) set in motion a clean-up act here
on Monday by appointing vice-president (West Zone) Chirayu Amin as interim chairman
of the IPL. Lalit Modi ceased to hold all positions (chairman, IPL and Champions League
T20 and vice-president, BCCI) after the BCCI served a show-cause under BCCI Rules
and Regulations 32 (iv) and suspended him under Rule 32 (vi) at the conclusion of the
DLF-IPL III final at the D. Y. Patil Sports Stadium.
 Prabha Rau: Rajasthan Governor Prabha Rau died in Delhi following a heart attack.
 R.K. Sinha: Ratan Kumar Sinha took over as Director of the Bhabha Atomic Research
Centre (BARC), Trombay, from Srikumar Banerjee also Chairman of the Atomic Energy
Commission. Mr. Sinha was Director of the Reactor Design and Development Group and
the Manufacturing and Automation Group at BARC.
 ATM inventor dies at 84: India born Scot John Shepherd Barron, inventor of the
Automated Teller Machine (ATM) has died after a short illness, aged 84. The
businessman, who worked for a printing firm at the time, came up with the concept of a
self service cash dispenser in 1965.

Awards

 Delhi Jal Board: The Delhi Jal Board was conferred an award by the Housing and Urban
 Development Corporation (HUDCO) for its efforts to improve the water management
system in the national Capital. The award for the best performing water utility of the year
2009-10 was given to the Jal Board by HUDCO at a function at New Delhi, a release said.
Jal Board CEO Ramesh Negi received the award, “bestowed on the basis of its
performance in the water sector for the year 2009-10,” the release said.
 Anti Imperialist writer wins the ‘lost’ Booker: More than 30 years after his death, the
anti-imperialist Anglo-Irish writer, J.G. Farrell, was posthumously awarded a special one-
off “lost” Booker prize for his novel Troubles, published in 1970. The prize, which carries
no cash award, was created to recognise books of 1970 which missed out because of a
change in rules that meant that the 1971 Booker was given to novels published that year,
rather than retrospectively, as had been the practice until then.
 Bengali novel short listed for Independent Foreign Fiction Prize: Nearly 50 years after
it was first written in 1962 Bengali novelist Mani Sankar Mukherjee’s book,
Chowringhee, has been short listed for one of the independent foreign fiction prize for
2010 the first time that an Indian work has accomplished the feat.

Book and Author

 Breaking the Barriers-Towards Women’s Empowerment: Suseela Mathew.

 Beyond A border- The Causes and consequences of Contemporary immigration:
Peter Kivisto, Thomas Faist
 India Migration Report 2009-Past, Present and The Future outlook: Binod Khadria
 Essence of Leadership-Expiration from Literature: S. Mani Kutty, S.P. Singh
 Reasoning with Faith: Harsh Surana
 Labour in Global Production Networks in India: Anne Posthuma, Dev Nathan
 Human Rights Violation: J. Cyril Kanmony
 Security in a complex Era- Emerging Challenges Facing India: Neil Padukone
 Antoni of Mollusca: Rita Rawat
 Mother Teresa, Faith in the Darkness: Greg Watts
 Mother Pious Lady-Making Sense of Everyday India: Santosh Desai
 Heat and Dust: Shujaat Hussain
 Transforming Government through New Public Management: Pradip N. Khandwalla.
 Coastal Histories Society and Ecology in Pre-modern India: Yogesh Sharma

Miscellaneous

 Buddha is smiling on India-China ties: The Buddha is smiling on people-to-people

contact between India and China. In a hugely symbolic gesture, India will give China a
replica of the Sanchi Stupa with a Sarnath Buddha inside. The Indian government has
built a two-storey replica of the famous stupa near the historic White Horse temple, the
first Buddhist temple in China. The replica is in Henan province. It will be inaugurated by
President Pratibha Patil
 Govt. can retire employee in public interest-CAT: The Central Administrative Tribunal
has held that compulsory retirement of a government employee cannot be treated as a
 punishment and in can be done in public interest. “The order of compulsory retirement is
passed on the subjective satisfaction of the government and it does not amount to
punishment”, the tribunal bench, comprising Vice-Chairman L.K. Joshi and member D.P.
Sharma, Said. The Tribunal Passed the order on a petition by an Assistant (Posted at CISF
HO) Surrender Pal Singh, challenging an order of the union home ministry retiring him
from service compulsorily in the wake of a report by the internal review committee of the
central industrial recommended force.
 Tata, RIL rank in top 50 cos for innovation: Two Indian corporate giants, Tata group
and Reliance Industries, have made to a new list of world’s 50 most innovative
companies, but it is Apple sitting on the top. Between them, Tata Group is better placed as
the world’s 17th most innovative compared to Mukesh Ambani-led RIL’s 33rd position
globally in this league.
 Genetic Garden: “The year 2010 has been designated by the united nations as the
international year of biodiversity.”
 Volcanic ash blocks N Europe airspace: A huge ash cloud from an Icelandic volcano
turned the skies of northern Europe into a no-fly zone, stranding hundreds of thousands of
passengers. The European air safety organization said the disruption, the biggest seen in
the region, could last another two days and a leading volcano expert said the ash could
present intermittent problems to air traffic for six months if the eruption continued.
 Obama, Dalai Lama world’s most popular leader: Poll: US President Barack Obama
and the Dalai Lama are the world's two most popular leaders, according to a poll
conducted in six countries and released. Obama won 77 per cent backing, one percentage
point higher than in November, in the poll conducted by Harris Interactive for France 24
and Radio France-Internationale. Thed Tibetan spiritual leader was at second place at 75
per cent followed by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at 62 per cent. Pope Benedict
XVI was the seventh most popular leader with 36 per cent support.

01 to 15 Apr. 2010
National

 'Indigenize making of notes to combat counterfeiters': The government has been

advised to indigenize the making of bank note paper, security ink, other security features,
related equipment and coin plating. A committee, under the chairmanship of ex-
bureaucrat Shilabhadra Banerjee, that was constituted to review security features for
currency notes and the relevant procurement manuals, emphasised this in its report to
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee. It further suggested constituting a single national-
level coordinating agency for intelligence, law enforcement and investigation to tackle the
menace of Fake Indian Currency Notes.
 Education becomes a fundamental right: April 1, 2010 India will join a group of few
countries in the world, with a historic law making education a fundamental right of every
child coming into force. Making elementary education an entitlement for children in the
6-14 age group, the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 will
 directly benefit close to one crore children who do not go to school at present. As per the
Act, private educational institutions should reserve 25 per cent seats for children from the
weaker sections of society. The Centre and the States have agreed to share the financial
burden in the ratio of 55:45, while the Finance Commission has given Rs. 25,000 crore to
the States for implementing the Act. The Centre has approved an outlay of Rs.15,000
crore for 2010-2011 for the purpose.
 UP announces new purchase policy: Big private companies like ITC and other bulk
consumers will now be allowed to procure wheat directly from farmers in Uttar Pradesh at
the minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 1,100 per quintal. The state had barred private
purchasers from the procurement process in 2007, as it was affecting government
procurement, since the former offered better price to farmers. Giving its nod to the 2010-
11 wheat procurement policy, the state Cabinet has permitted “private wholesale traders
and companies” to purchase wheat on certain conditions.
 CAG faults policy of building a dam after every 5-7km of river: CAG (Comptroller
and Auditor General) report attacks the hydro-power policies of the Uttarakhand
government for sanctioning at least 53 hydel power projects on the two rivers, which
when completed would translate to a dam every 5-7km of the river stretch. While five
power projects are already operational out of the 53 sanctioned and under construction,
more than 200 are in the pipeline. As a result of such intense damming, the report says
that 3- 4km of the riverbed around each project will have no water. According to the state
power policy, projects generating 100 MW and above will have to pay a royalty of Rs 5
crore to the government annually. Any project less than that will have an obligation of
only Rs 5 lakh. And as a result, most of the 53 power projects are below 100 MW, sources
said.
 India launches Census 2011, the biggest-ever in history: India launched “Census
2011,'' the biggest-ever census attempted in the history of mankind enumerating the
country's 1.2 billion population and classifying usual residents according to their gender,
religion, occupation and education. The massive exercise, to be spread over next 11
months, will mark a milestone as the first-ever National Population Register (NPR) will
also be prepared in which all persons aged over 15 years will be photographed and
fingerprinted to create a biometric national database. With this India will probably
become the first democratic nation in the world which would have got its population
fingerprinted in a year from now. As the first citizen of the country, President Pratibha
Devisingh Patil was the first person to be listed in the decennial exercise. The 15th
National Census exercise, since 1872, will see over 25 lakh officials capturing the socio-
economic-cultural profile of its citizens. It will cost around Rs. 2,209 crore while the
expenditure on NPR will be Rs. 3,539.24 crore. The exercise will also consume more than
11 million tonnes of paper. The Vice-President M. Hamid Ansari was the next one to be
listed by the Census officials. The second phase, called the Population Enumeration
phase, will be conducted simultaneously all over the country from February 9 to 28, 2011,
and the entire exercise would be completed by March 5, 2011. All 640 districts, 5,767
tehsils, 7,742 towns and more than six lakh villages will be covered.
 Narcotics Control Bureau gets zonal units in Bangalore, Patna: The Ministry of Home
Affairs sanctioned two new zonal units for the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) at
Bangalore and Patna. The Bangalore unit will have jurisdiction over Karnataka and
Andhra Pradesh, while the unit in Patna will cover Bihar and Jharkhand.
 Carmakers record robust sales in 2009-10: New launches in the small car segment and
robust economic growth have led carmakers recording impressive sales in the last fiscal
(2009-10). While leading carmaker Maruti Suzuki sold over 10-lakh units, making it the
first company in India to achieve this feat in a single year, its closest competitors Hyundai
and Tata Motors sold over 6-lakh and 3.5-lakh units, respectively.
 Dalit icons now get special security: Not waiting for the Governor, B.L. Joshi's approval
for the Uttar Pradesh Special Zone Protection Force Bill (SZPF) and the Ordinance of the
same name meant for constituting a force for guarding the monuments of Dalit icons, the
Chief Minister, Mayawati decided to constitute a special force of ex-servicemen with
immediate effect. The SZPF Bill passed by both the Houses of the U.P. Legislature on
February 18 was sent to the Governor for his approval.
 First standard gauge of Delhi Metro corridor inaugurated: The first standard gauge
rail network of the country -- the Inderlok-Mundka metro corridor -- was inaugurated by
Union Urban Development Minister Jaipal Reddy and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila
Dikshit. The inaugural train on the 15.1 km corridor, also known as the Green Line”, was
flagged-off from the Inderlok metro station.
 Education system: The country's entire education system – both at the level of school
education and higher education – is being revamped on a holistic and systematic basis,
with changes in the content of education and not just in the processes of education, Union
Minister for Human Resource Development Kapil Sibal said. Presently, India's Gross
Enrolment Ratio (GER) was 12.4 per cent and GER came as a main difference between
the developing and developed world. “In the developed world, the GER is not less than
40. We are not as developed because our GER is 12.4 per cent,” he asserted. Stressing the
importance of high quality education, he termed the Eleventh Five Year Plan (2007-2012)
as virtually being a National Education Plan. “The plan allocation for education has been
stepped up from around 7.7 per cent of the government budgetary support in the 10th plan
to over 19 per cent in the 11th plan. In nominal terms, there is going to be more than five-
fold increase in spending on education,” he said.
 Tavinjal panchayat tops in MGNREGS fund use in India: Tavinjal Grama Panchayat
in Wayanad district of Kerala has stood first in the country in fund utilisation of the
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), spending
as much as Rs. 5.05 crore during the financial year 2009-10. Edavaka Panchayat, which
spent Rs.4.33 crore, in the district came second. Adimaly Panchayat in Idukki district and
Agaly Panchayat in Palakkad district stood third and fourth,
 Child mortality among tribals exceeds national average: Orissa figures among four
tribal-dominated States among India where child mortality among tribal population has
exceeded the national tribal child mortality average. According to a World Bank's Policy
Research Working Paper on “Child Mortality among Adivasis in India”, STs make up 8 to
9 per cent of the population, but account for about 14 per cent of all under-five deaths, and
23 per cent of deaths in the 1-4 age-group in rural areas.
 IAF gets new airfield in Rajasthan: Providing further boost to its presence in the South
Western Sector, the Indian Air Force (IAF) will get a new airfield at Phalodi in Rajasthan
with the base capable of taking all types of operations. The airfield is located between
Jaisalmer and Jodhpur and the IAF fighter jets can touch Pakistan border in close to five
minutes. The airfield is complete with modern infrastructure
 MAOISTS MASSACRE 74 CRPF MEN: In their deadliest attack on paramilitary forces
 yet, Maoist rebels killed 74 members of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and 2
policemen from the Chhattisgarh police and destroyed an Armoured Personnel Carrier
(APC) in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district. The attack took place in the Mukrana forest,
about 540 km south-east of the State capital Raipur.
 Science Express is back in Delhi: After touring over 150 locations around the country
over a period of 600 days, the science exhibition train “Science Express” is now back in
the Capital. The main objective of the unique venture is to nurture curiosity among the
youth, rekindle their interest in science and encourage them to pursue careers in science.
The exhibition train would be stationed at Delhi Cantonment railway station till April 9.
The train has been custom-made for the Union Science and Technology Department by
the Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala. While most of the exhibits have been developed by
the Max Planck Society, Germany, some exhibits are indigenous. The inaugural edition of
the Science Express was flagged off from Delhi Safdarjung station on October 30, 2007,
and has already set four national records.
 CAG finds fault with short-lived train: The Comptroller and Auditor General has
pulled up the Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation on its short-lived luxury train,
“Heritage on Wheels” (HOW). The whole concept of running a luxury train on the metre
gauge from May 2006 was ill conceived as the train could not have lasted beyond two
years due to the ongoing uni-gauge programme of the Indian Railways.
 National Police Information Technology Centre: Karnataka Home Minister V.S.
Acharya inaugurated the Police IT software applications Bangalore. A National Police
Information Technology (IT) Centre - for capacity building in the police force, to
undertake research and development in the field of IT applications in policing - would
come up in Bangalore.  Karnataka has been permitted to implement its own software
Police IT, and the software is being developed in association with Wipro Technologies.
 NSG airbase becomes operational: In order to reduce the response time of the elite NSG
in case of a terror strike or a hijack attempt, a base to station the Counter Terrorist Task
Force of the commandos has become operational near the Indira Gandhi International
(IGI) Airport New Delhi. The base-named Sudarshan Complex-will facilitate quick
mobilization of commandos enabling them to be airborne in the minimum possible time.
It will house a fully equipped task force of the NSG.
 Centre halts HPV vaccine project: In the wake of reports of violation of ethical
guidelines and exploitation during the “clinical trials” of HPV (human papilloma virus)
vaccine, meant to prevent cervical cancer among women, the Centre advised the State
governments to suspend the vaccine programme until the issue is settled.
 Green corridors between Delhi and Lucknow: The Delhi-Lucknow highways will soon
become greener. Acting fast on the Centre’s approval for two green gas corridors on the
500-km route between New Delhi and Lucknow, GAIL India is setting up two green
energy corridors. One route would run via Bareilly, Shahjehanpur, Moradabad and
Ghaziabad, the other would run via Unnao, Kanpur, Auraiya, Mathura and Agra. The
state-run Navratna Company is working on setting up CNG stations at every 100 kms.
While in the first route, CNG stations already exist at Delhi, Bareilly, Moradabad and
Ghaziabad, station at Shahjanpur is expected to be completed next year.
 Srikrishna panel: The Srikrishna Committee set up to go into demands of “separate
Telangana” and “united Andhra Pradesh” will begin personal interactions with the various
stakeholders, including the political parties from April 16.
 Govt. bans fresh FDI in cigarette manufacturing: The government banned fresh
foreign direct investment (FDI) in cigarette manufacturing. The ban will be effective in
the special economic zones also.
 Cabinet gives nod to Rs 4,355-cr highway construction: The government cleared
highway construction works with a total cost of more than Rs 4,355 crore in several states,
including Bihar and Rajasthan. The nod was given for four-laning of Beawar-Pali section
and Pali-Pindwara section of national highway (NH) 14 in Rajasthan at an estimated cost
of Rs 1,102 crore and Rs 1,326.54 crore, respectively. The concession period, for which
the developer will own and operate the road, will be 21 years for the first project and 19
years for the second one, information and broadcasting minister Ambika Soni said after a
meeting of Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure (CCI) meeting. The government also
approved Rs 658.64-crore project for four-laning of Deoli-Kota section of NH 12 in
Rajasthan and Rs 605.82-crore project for four-laning of Patna-Bhaktiyarpur stretch of
NH 30 in Bihar.  Among other projects that have been approved are Rs 662-crore
improvement of Yamunanagar-Saha-Barwala-Panchkula stretch of NH 73 in Haryana,
construction of 28 roads in the north east region at a total estimated cost of Rs 6,866 crore
 A record Plan outlay for Rajasthan: The Planning Commission fixed the outlay for
Rajasthan's Annual Plan 2010-11 at Rs.24,000 crore, the highest ever in its history. The
current outlay is Rs.6,678 crore more than the Annual Plan of Rs.17,322 crore sanctioned
by the Commission for the previous year. The increase is 38.55 per cent over the last year.
The top priority in the Plan has been accorded to the energy sector and social and
community services. Thereafter the focus areas are agriculture and associated services,
rural development, irrigation and flood control.
 Bharat stage III fuel: Dispelling doubts about the preparedness of state-owned oil
retailers to supply Bharat stage III auto fuel, the petroleum ministry has said retailers have
started supplying it in Goa earlier this month and are set to cover all major states.
 National Integration Council Reconstituted: The government has reconstituted the
National Integration Council (NIC) which will be chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh.  The NIC has 147 members, including Union Ministers, Leaders of the Opposition
in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, the Chief Ministers of all States and Union
Territories with Legislatures.  Set up in the early 1960s by Prime Minister Jawaharlal
Nehru, the NIC held its first meeting in 1962. The NIC aims at finding ways and means of
combating the menace of communalism, Casteism and regionalism.
 India moves to expand strategic Karwar naval base: India is finally going in for a
major expansion of its newest naval base at Karwar in coastal Karnataka, which provides
it "strategic depth" on the western seaboard and will house aircraft carriers and nuclear
submarines in the future. This comes after a long delay since the ambitious `Project
Seabird' to build the futuristic Karwar naval base was first approved by the government
way back in 1985 at an initial cost of Rs 350 crore. Budgetary constraints derailed the
project for a decade before a truncated Phase-I was approved in 1995, with the work
finally commencing in 1999 with a Rs 2,500 crore fund allocation. "Phase-I is now fully
complete. We have 10 warships based there. Now, the detailed project report for Phase-II
is in the final stages. After approval by the Cabinet Committee on Security, construction
will begin next year,'' Navy chief Admiral Nirmal Verma said. Navy will be able to berth
25 to 30 big warships at Karwar after Phase-II gets over by 2017, he added.
International

 International Congress of Mathematicians: For the first time ever, the Fields Medal-
popularly known as the Nobel Prize for mathematics — will be announced from Indian
soil. India has won the bid over Canada to host the prestigious International Congress of
Mathematicians 2010.
 ‘Sovereign Fund': In an indication of India turning aggressive in its hunt for energy
assets abroad, the government is drawing up ambitious plans to set up a ‘Sovereign Fund'
that would help its state-run companies pursue acquisition of oil, gas, coal, LNG and other
raw material in other countries in order to compete with China. The proposed fund is
being aimed at providing financial backing for acquiring assets in various shapes that will
include all the raw material that India imports. It will not be limited to energy assets,”
Petroleum Secretary S. Sundereshan told. Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Videsh
Limited (OVL) had been told to pursue at least one major oil and gas asset every year.
China, with $2.4 trillion of reserves and a $300-billion sovereign fund, has outpaced India
in the global quest for resources to feed the world's fastest-growing major economies.
Chinese companies spent a record $32 billion last year buying oil, coal and metal assets
abroad, while a $2.1-billion investment by OVL was India's sole energy acquisition. OVL
last year bought Imperial Energy Plc for £1.4 billion ($2.1 billion) in India's biggest
energy acquisition.
 ASEAN rights meet discusses roadmap of programmes: The ASEAN
Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) convened its first meeting
from March 28 to April 1 at the ASEAN Secretariat in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta.
 Bharti Launches $300 million Unity cable system: Bharti Airtel, part of a consortium of
global telecom players, launched the Unity cable system that would boost trans-Pacific
connectivity. The $300-million system provides direct connectivity between Chikura,
located on the coast near Tokyo, and West Coast network points-of-presence in Los
Angeles, Palo Alto and San Jose. At Chikura, Unity is seamlessly connected to other cable
systems, further enhancing connectivity into Asia. This cable link synergises with Bharti
Airtel's existing multiple high speed connectivity options from India to Singapore on i2i,
and from Tokyo to the U.S. west coast. Bharti Airtel's investments in Unity consortium,
comprising Global Transit, Google, Kokusai Denshin Denwa (KDDI) Corporation, Pacnet
and SingTel, are part of its plans to expand its global network.
 Toyota closes joint venture with gm: Toyota motor Corp closed its joint manufacturing
plant with genral motos co in California after about 25 years of operation as a symbol of
cooperation between the top U.S. and Japanese automakers.
 Design flaws in Westinghouse reactor may delay India contract: Design shortcomings
in the reactor the U.S.' biggest nuclear supplier, Westinghouse Electric, intends to sell to
India are likely to delay the conclusion of a commercial agreement by at least a year. The
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is examining the modified reactor design
submitted by Westinghouse after an assessment in October last. The NRC was not
convinced that three aspects of the design shield would withstand earthquakes and
tsunamis of a certain magnitude.
 India-Singapore naval exercises: The navies of India and Singapore will hold annual
exercises this year, starting, in the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal. The 2010 edition
 of the Singapore Indian Maritime Bilateral Exercise (SIMBEX) will go on till April 16.
Eight platforms — five Indian and three Singaporean—will take part in the exercise,
besides fixed and rotary aircraft. The cooperation was formalised in 1994, when the
Singaporean naval ships started training in the anti-submarine warfare with the Indian
Navy.
 Flood of fears over China's projects: China's dam-building spree along the Mekong
River in south-western Yunnan province has raised fears among several of its neighbours,
who say the dams have led to shrinking levels of water downstream. Officials from
Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia, countries which lie in the Mekong basin, will
voice their concerns over eight dams that China is building along the Mekong, in talks
with Chinese officials in Thailand. The four countries in 1995 set up the Mekong River
Commission (MRC) to facilitate joint management and water-sharing in the Mekong
region, though China and Myanmar have so far refused to formally join the body. The
Mekong runs almost half of its 4,400 km course in China's south-west, where it is known
as the Lancang, before entering Myanmar and Laos. The MRC's concerns closely echo
those voiced by India in the past over China's plans to build dams along the Brahmaputra,
or the Yarlung Tsangpo as it is known in Tibet. An estimated 60 million people depend on
the Mekong river in the five countries that lie downstream. China has already built three
dams in Yunnan. Five more are in the works, including the massive $4-billion Xiaowan
dam, scheduled to open in 2012, which is the world's highest dam.
 India-Bangladesh Sunderbans Ecosystem Forum to be launched: India and
Bangladesh will launch a forum for cooperation in the conservation of the Sunderbans, a
region that is ecologically vulnerable and sensitive to climate change. “We have to
recognise that the entire Sunderbans region is one ecosystem — 40 per cent of which is in
India and the remaining 60 per cent in Bangladesh, and we must share our experiences
and working plans for conservation,” Union minister of state for environment and forest
Jairam Ramesh said.
 Despite casualties, India remains committed to Afghan projects: Despite several
attacks not only on its property, but its citizens as well, India’s resolve to rebuild the
infrastructure in Afghanistan is visible just about everywhere, be it education, health,
power or telecommunications. Nearly 4,000 Indians are engaged in the development
projects here. In January 2009, India completed the 218-km Zaranj-Delaram highway in
south-west Afghanistan near the Iranian border, a crucial step that will reduce New
Delhi’s dependence on Pakistan for overland access and spur trade not just between the
two countries but also between Afghanistan and the energy-rich central Asian countries.
 Oman places order for weapons from India: Oman has become the first country in
West Asia to place an order for guns from India. According to senior officials, Indian
Small Arms System (INSAS) gun from the ordnance factory board is currently
undergoing trials for the Oman army.
 India-U.S. initiative to open up markets: India and the US launched the “India-U.S.
Financial and Economic Partnership”, an initiative aimed at easing the entry of foreign
capital, especially in the financial and infrastructure sectors. The partnership is part of the
U.S. initiative to encourage other countries to open up their economies even as the Barack
Administration attempts to limit domestic consumption, increase the savings rate and
reduce borrowings.
 India, China sign pact on hotline: India and China signed an agreement to set up a
 hotline to open up direct communication between their Prime Ministers.
 U.S., Russia sign nuclear arms pact: Presidents Barack Obama of the United States and
Dmitry Medvedev of Russia signed a Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty which will reduce
their nuclear weapons stockpiles by a third. The START deal, which will last for 10 years,
was signed at a meeting in Prague, where Mr. Obama outlined his vision for nuclear
disarmament and non-proliferation about a year ago. the two nations that hold over 90 per
cent of the world's nuclear weapons — to pursue responsible global leadership. The
agreement succeeds the 1991 START, which expired in December. It will have to be
ratified by the U.S. Senate and the Russian Parliament. The new treaty limits the number
of strategic nuclear warheads to 1,550 — about a third less than the 2,200 currently
allowed. It also mandates a combined limit of 800 deployed and non-deployed Inter-
Continental Ballistic Missile launchers, Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile launchers
and heavy bombers equipped for nuclear armaments.
 Rajapaksa's alliance wins Lanka polls: Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa’s
ruling coalition has won a simple majority of seats in parliament. Rajapaksa’s united
people’s freedom alliance had won 120 seats out of 180 initially decided for the 225-
member parliament, Results released by the department of government information
showed.
 India 2nd in auto mkt. after China: While the global car market shrank, India’s auto
industry displayed its resilience and strength, racing past several developed markets to
emerge as the worlds second-fastest growing light vehicle market,second only to China
and ahead of Germany, France, Japan and the US.
 World Bank's nod for controversial coal plant loan: The World Bank approved a
controversial $3.75bn loan to build one of the world's largest coal plants in South Africa,
defying international protests and sharp criticism from the Obama administration that the
project would fuel climate change. The proposed Medupi power station, operated by
South Africa's state-owned Eskom Company, was fiercely opposed by an international
coalition of grassroots, church and environmental activists who said it would hurt the
environment and do little to help end poverty. As planned, it would put out 25m tonnes of
carbon dioxide a year and would prevent South Africa making good on a promise to try to
curb future emissions. The bank said it had acted to help South Africa escape a crippling
power shortage. “Without an increased energy supply, South Africans will face hardship
for the poor and limited economic growth,” said Obiageli Ezekwesili, the World Bank's
vice president for Africa.
 New Russian gas pipeline to Europe: Russia has launched the construction of a new gas
pipeline to Europe that will strengthen its dominant positions in the European energy
markets. The $12-billion Nord Stream pipeline would carry up to 55 billion cubic metres
(bcm) of gas a year from Siberian gas fields 900 km over land and 1,200 km under the
Baltic Sea from Vyborg in Russia to Greifswald in Germany.
 Polish President killed in plane crash in Russia: Polish President Lech Kaczynski and a
high-level delegation were killed when a plane carrying 97 people crashed in thick fog as
it was approaching Russia.
 China builds 'Peace' airport just 100 km from Mt Everest: Barely 100km from the
Qomolangma (as the mountain is known in. Tibetan) base camp. in a bid to turn its side of
the world’s tallest peak into a climber’s paradise, China is building a new airport, to be
called ‘Peace Airport’. The $71.7-million airport coming up in Xigaze (also called
 Shigatse) in Tibet, which shares borders with Nepal, Bhutan and India.
 Nuclear Security Summit opens in Washington: A major international summit
convened by Barack Obama to discuss ways of improving the security of nuclear
materials got under way with the American President underlining the importance of
preventing terrorists from getting hold of the ingredients for a nuclear bomb. The two-day
summit brings together 47 countries, including the U.S., 37 of whom are being
represented by their heads of state or government.
 India to move WTO against EU herbal drug order: Brussels’ bid to create a “trade
barrier” to Indian exports of herbal medicines to the 27-country European Union has
prompted policymakers to move the World Trade Organisation for mediation. The EU’s
recent traditional herbal medicine product directive (THMPD) would practically make it
impossible for most ayurvedic drugs to be marketed in EU member countries after March
2011. Companies like Himalaya Drug Company, Shree Baidyanath Ayurved Bhawan Ltd
and Zandu Pharmaceutical Works Ltd market ayurvedic products in European countries.
The EU move has damaging economic implications for India as the country with 15,000
plant species is aggressively trying to expand its share in the $75-billion global market for
herbal medicines, which is now dominated by China. India’s total exports of herbal
medicines and medicinal plants come close to $1 billion.
 Maternal deaths in sharp decline across the globe: For the first time in decades,
researchers are reporting a significant drop worldwide in the number of women dying
each year from pregnancy and childbirth, to about 342,900 in 2008 from 526,300 in
1980.The findings, published in the medical journal The Lancet, challenge the prevailing
view of maternal mortality as an intractable problem that has defied every effort to solve
it. The study cited a number of reasons for the improvement: lower pregnancy rates in
some countries; higher income, which improves nutrition and access to health care; more
education for women; and the increasing availability of “skilled attendants” — (people
with some medical training) — to help women give birth. Improvements in large
countries like India and China helped to drive down the overall death rates.

Economy

 Single policy platform for FDI: Union Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma
released the final document of FDI Policy framework that would now comprise the single
document on FDI policy and mark the inception of a whole new chapter on FDI policy.
 Savings accounts to yield better returns: The savings account will yield 30 to 40 basis
points more to the account holder from April 1 with banks shifting to the new method for
calculating interest on savings deposits. Following the Reserve Bank guidelines, the banks
would be required to calculate interest on savings deposits on a daily basis beginning
April 1. At present, the interest rate on savings accounts is calculated on the minimum
balance held from the 10th day to the last day of each month. Savings deposit yields an
interest rate of 3.5 per cent and is credited to the account on a half-yearly-basis — in
March and September. Payment of interest accumulated, however, even after with the
daily calculation would be as per the existing practise of at the end of six months.
 Rs. 625-cr sops for trailing export sectors: The government unveiled incentives worth
Rs 625 crore to exporters of garments, electronic and engineering goods and agro
chemicals, as the demand for these products are yet to pick up in key western markets
 while the country's overall exports are looking up. The sop, equivalent to 2% of the export
value, will be available for six months starting from April 1. Bulk of these incentives (Rs
400 crore), under the commerce ministry's market linked focus product Minnesota Logger
Education Program Federation of Indian Export Organization (MLEP) scheme, would go
to garment exporters, with 300 export items to the two largest markets - the US and 27-
country EU bloc-being eligible for the benefit. India's apparel exports declined by 14% to
$862 million in January 2010 compared to $998.31 million in January 2009. Garment,
handicrafts and the leather sectors were expected to be the worst-hit due to the currency
appreciation. This prompted Fieo to call for fixed exchange rate for exporters. Exporters
fear that they would lose out heavily against the Chinese counterparts, if the rupee
remains strong.
 New income tax rate: Salary earners with an annual income between Rs 3 lakh and Rs 8
lakh will have more money in their pockets with the new income tax rates coming into
effect. Annual earnings of salaried people in the range of Rs 3 and 8 lakh will now attract
10.3 and 20.6% income tax respectively, against 20.6 and 30.9% in the fiscal ended.
These rates are inclusive of 3% education cess.
 What is a chicken market in the stocks trade?: ‘Chicken market’ is used to represent
one of the stock market trends represented through the index. Bearish and bullish markets
implicate downward and upward trends respectively, whereas a chicken market interprets
no significant movement of the stock market index. The term chicken is used for an
investor who is afraid to take risks.
 New norm to reverse FDI leeway: In a policy reversal, the finance ministry has decided
to shut the route that allowed firms with up to 49% FDI to make downstream investments
in sectors where FDI is prohibited, like multi-brand retail, agriculture, lottery and atomic
energy. This is despite such firms being treated as “domestic companies” and their
downstream investments as “domestic investment” in last year’s controversial norms for
FDI . Firms with up to 49% FDI would be a allowed to invest in banned sectors through
subsidiaries  FDI is prohibited in sectors like multi-brand retail, agriculture, lottery and
atomic energy
 Kelkar says GST compensation to states can exceed Rs 50k cr: In the grand bargain
for implementing the goods and services tax (GST), the Centre can even consider a
compensation package that is higher than Rs 50,000 crore for states, according to Vijay
Kelkar, chairman of the Thirteenth Finance Commission (TFC). In its report tabled in
Parliament in February, the TFC has suggested for states a compensation of Rs 50,000
crore to provide for the possibility their revenues may slip. But it has made it conditional
on the states agreeing to introduce the GST before 2013 at a single rate, along with other
features suggested by the commission. The empowered committee of state finance
ministers had demanded Rs 1 lakh crore as the compensation package for introducing the
GST
 Soyameal exports drop to five-year low: Due to sluggish global demand and low
crushing, India’s soyameal exports went down to a five year low of 2.1 million tonne in
2009-10, declining from 4.2 million tonne achieved a year ago. Vietnam, Thailand,
Indonesia and South Korea are the key export destination for Indian soyameal.
 Reserve Bank reopens MSS window: After almost two years, the Reserve Bank of India
(RBI) announced augmentation of market stabilisation scheme (MSS) to suck out liquidity
from the system to keep inflation under check. The central bank has fixed a ceiling for the
 MSS outstanding at Rs 50,000 crore for 2010-11. In 2007-08, the RBI had built up Rs
2,50,000 crore of MSS which was majorly liquidated over next two years to provide
liquidity to the system in the aftermath of global financial crisis.
 In a first, big-four PSUs to pitch for Maharatna status: In a first of sorts, the four PSU
contenders for the coveted Maharatna status have been asked to present their case to the
government. This is quite a departure from the existing process, where the department of
public enterprises decides on giving more autonomy or Navratna status to eligible public
sector companies. According to official sources, three PSUs — Indian Oil Corporation
(IOC), NTPC and Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) — have already made presentations
before an inter-ministerial committee (IMC) on why they deserve the title. Upstream oil
major ONGC is also expected to make a pitch before the high-level committee
 Food Safety & Quality Assurance in Agriculture: In 1947, when India gained
independence, there were several food laws in existence with many states following own
food laws, which resulted in practical problems in interstate trade. The Central Advisory
Board appointed by the government of India in 1937 and the Food Adulteration
committee appointed in 1943 to review food adulteration recommended a central
legislation namely the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act (PFA) which came into effect
from 15th June, 1955. However, the proliferation of varying food and food safety laws led
to many practical problems and both government and food supply chain members realized
the necessity of consolidating diverse orders and statutory requirements on food safety
and allied issues. This has resulted in the birth of the food safety and standards Act 2006
(FSSA) which is in the process of being implemented currently. Notwithstanding the
hurdles facing the implementation of FSSA, on food law and one authority for the
anomalies in the existing food laws will be removed.
 Disinvestment in SAIL: The Union Cabinet approved the big ticket disinvestment in
Steel Authority of India Ltd. (SAIL) to mop up about Rs.16,000 crore by selling its equity
and issuing fresh shares to the public. SAIL will be first state-owned company to hit the
capital market this fiscal as part of the government's ambitious disinvestment programme
to raise the targeted Rs.40,000 crore. As part of the proposal, which was approved by the
Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), SAIL will raise an additional 10 per
cent of the paid-up equity and the government, on its part, will disinvest 10 per cent of its
holding.
 National Aviation signs $190 m deal with SITA: The National Aviation Company of
India (NACIL) announced that Society International Telecommunication Aeronautiques
(SITA), a company specialising in IT solutions for the aviation industry, has been selected
to provide its hosted Horizon passenger services system (PSS) to Air India on a turnkey
basis. Horizon provides hosted PSS services to 140 airlines carrying 120 million
passengers worldwide. The system, by providing a single airline code, would facilitate
“seamless integration of the former domestic carrier Indian Airlines with Air India for the
first time since they merged in August 2007,”
 Tata Tea, PepsiCo to form venture: Tata Tea has signed a non-binding memorandum of
understanding (MoU) with PepsiCo to explore the formation of a joint venture in the area
of non-carbonated ready-to-drink beverages, focussed on health and enhanced wellness.
 Ericsson bags $1.3-billion Bharti Airtel network deal: The Swedish equipment
manufacturer Ericsson has bagged the country’s largest telecom operator, Bharti Airtel’s
$1.3 billion network expansion contract. Ericsson will expand and upgrade Airtel’s
 network in 15 of India’s 22 telecom circles. The upgradation will ensure that the core
network is ready for 3G services.
 African headquarters of Bharti will be in Nairobi: In a bid to give its mega $10.7
billion Zain deal a leg-up, Bharti Airtel has decided to base its African headquarters in
Kenya's capital Nairobi. A global consortium, of which Bharti is a part, launched an
undersea cable between Japan and the west coast of the US providing high-capacity
bandwidth access across the Pacific region. Besides Bharti Airtel, the other partners of the
Unity consortium includes Global Transit, Google, KDDI Corp, Pacnet and SingTel.
 Punjab to tie up with US firms for solar power plants: The Punjab Government has
decided to set up a chain of solar power plants in collaboration with the US-based Sun
Power Corporation and Enterprise Business Solutions (EBS) for generating nearly 1,000
MW power in a phased manner over the next two years.
 Godrej to acquire Megasari of Indonesia: Godrej Consumer Products Ltd (GCPL)
entered into an agreement to acquire the PT Megasari Makmur Group and its distribution
company in Indonesia for an undisclosed amount.
 United Spirits becomes world No.2: United Spirits (USL), the flagship company of the
Vijay Mallya-promoted UB Group had crossed sales volume of 100 million cases in 2009-
10, making it the world's No 2 spirits company in volume terms. Mallya said USL had
dislodged Paris-headquartered Pernod Ricard from that position. Diageo, the No 1 spirits
company, is now only about 9 million cases ahead of USL,
 British Airways, Spain's Iberia sign merger deal: British Airways PLC and Spain's
Iberia SA have signed a merger deal to create one of the world's biggest airline groups, the
companies announced. The deal, which is still subject to approval by European union
regulators, would create a new group with a combined market value of roughly $7.5
billion that would be 55% owned by British airways shareholders and headquartered in
London.
 BGR, Orissa Govt sign pact: BGR Energy Systems has signed a memorandum of
understanding (MoU) with the Orissa Government for setting up a 1,320 MW (2 x 660)
power plant at Bhapur in Nayagarh district, Orissa, at an investment of about Rs. 6,287
crore.
 Aditya Solar, UAE firm in $545-m deal: UAE-based Mulk Holding has announced an
agreement with Bangalore-based Aditya Solar Power Industries to develop a 200
megawatt solar thermal project in the UAE.
 Infosys to manage IT needs of MS: Microsoft has outsourced its internal IT services to
Infosys Technologies, a three-year deal that is valued at over $100 million.
 Daikin plant in Rajasthan: Daikin Air conditioning India Pvt. Ltd., the fully-owned
subsidiary of Japan's Daikin Industries announced the opening of its first manufacturing
facility in India. The plant, strategically located at Neemrana in Rajasthan, has been set up
with an investment of Rs.210 crore, while more investments are in the pipeline.
 Khedar plant: Anil Ambani-promoted Reliance Infrastructure Ltd said that its
engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) division has commissioned the first 600
mw unit of the Rajiv Gandhi Khedar thermal power project in Hissar, Haryana. “With this
project, Rel Infra has set new benchmarks in fast-track commissioning of power projects
in the country. Synchronisation of the first unit was achieved in 33 months, creating a
record in the domestic power sector history for a Greenfield power project of this size,”
the company said. The project—which is envisaged to have two units of 600 mw each—is
 being developed by Haryana Power Generation Corporation Limited (HPGCL). RInfra—
which is implementing the project on EPC basis—has imported power equipment from
Chinese supplier Shanghai Electric Corporation.
 L N Mittal gets iron ore licence: The government has granted licence to Arcelor Mittal
for prospecting iron ore in Karampada region of Jharkhand, a move which will give boost
to the steel giant's proposed Rs 50,000-crore project in the state.

Science & technology

 Breakthrough heart surgery at AIIMS: In a first, doctors at AIIMS say they have
replaced a patients aorta the largest artery in the body without stopping the blood supply
or cooling the patients body, thereby ensuring no side effects like permanent neurological
problems post surgery. Said Dr. Shiv Choudhary of the Cardiothoracic and Vascular
Sciences (CTVS) department who led the surgery.
 One of science's great mysteries unraveled: In 1972, the late, world famous astronomer
Carl Sagan and his colleague George Mullen formulated ‘The faint early sun paradox' The
paradox consisted in that the earth's climate has been fairly constant during almost four
and a half billion years that the planet has been in existence, and this despite the fact that
radiation from the sun has increased by 25-30 per cent.
 Great day for science: After a few anxious hours of delay following some electrical
glitches, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) got off to a glorious start on its research
programme at an unprecedented realm of energy towards our understanding of the
universe. On March 30, the two counter-rotating beams of protons in the 27-km-long
underground ringed particle accelerator at the European Organisation for Nuclear
Research (CERN) in Geneva attained the intended peak energy of 3.5 trillion (tera)
Electron-Volt (TeV) each and were successfully brought to collide against each other. The
LHC suffered a mishap soon after its commissioning in September 2008, so the success
must taste the sweeter for the accelerator physicists and engineers who have toiled to get it
up and running. It was a great day for particle physicists round the world. This
breakthrough has set the stage for a potentially rich harvest of new physics during the
LHC's scheduled continuous run for 18-24 months at a record-shattering total available
collision energy of 7 TeV, which is 3.5 times the energy reached so far at the Tevatron
accelerator at Fermilab, USA. This will do no less than recreate the conditions of the early
universe.
 ISRO exploring low-cost access to space: The Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO) is exploring low-cost access to space and has begun taking various measures,
ISRO Chairman K. Radhakrishnan has said. Dr. Radhakrishnan said that by 2012, low-
cost access to space would be made possible by ISRO's GSLV Mk3 with indigenous
cryogenic technology. “Right now, the cost per kg is $20,000. With GSLV Mk3, the cost
can be reduced by half,” he added. India had been applauded for its shoestring budget for
space programmes, which was three per cent of NASA's budget, 12 per cent of Europe
and one-third of China's, he said. Climbing into space Until now, Indian Space Research
Organisation (isro) has used Russian-made cryogenic engines for putting its satellite
launch vehicles into space. The polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLV) is used for launching
remote sensing satellites into polar orbits and geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle
(GSLV) for launching communication and meteorological satellites into geo-synchronous
 transfer orbit. But later this month, if the Indian space agency's attempt to launch its
largest rocket, the GSLV-D3 with an indigenous cryogenic engine succeeds, then India
will join the elite club of five nations in the world to have successfully developed such
technology. For the country's rocket scientists, the yet-to-be-achieved breakthrough is
significant on two fronts-one, they will achieve self reliance and confidence in space
technology. Two, India will emerge as a serious player in the $4 billion global satellite
launch market. Till date, the US, France, Japan, Russia and China have developed their
own engines for satellite launch vehicles. Though Isro was to launch five satellites in
2009-10, it could launch only three- Oceansat-2, Risat-2 (radar imaging satellite) in
association with Israeli Aerospace Industries, and Anusat, a micro-satellite. Later this
year, Isro plans to launch the polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLV-C15). This will carry
Cartosat-2B, an Algerian satellite, and two micro satellites—Youthsat from Canada and
Studsat built by college students from Karnataka.
 Smile, dental implants to soon cost just 3K: Dental implants could soon cost a tenth of
what they do now. The Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences (MAIDS), under the
New Millennium Indian Technology Leadership Initiative by the Ministry of Science and
Technology, has successfully developed a new, indigenous dental implant which will cost
between Rs 2,000 and Rs 3,000. Screw-shaped dental implants imported from countries
like Israel and the US and used as replacements for missing teeth, cost up to Rs 20,000.
 TOOTHBRUSH TO DETECT ORAL CANCER IN JUST 15 MINUTES: In a
breakthrough, scientists have developed a toothbrush-like instrument that could detect oral
cancer just in 15 minutes with a gentle touch. A team of scientists led by researchers at the
Rice University have created a nano-bio-chip that was found to be 97 per cent "sensitive"
and 93 per cent specific in detecting which patients had malignant or premalignant
lesions.
 Super-heavy element 117 created: A collaboration of Russian and US physicists has
finally created element 117 — a super-heavy element made of atoms containing 117
protons that is roughly 40 per cent heavier than lead. The team produced the elusive
element 117 by fusing together atoms of calcium and another rare, heavy element known
as berkelium.
 After 3G, TD-LTE may drive telecom: Even as the government hopes to raise around
$9 billion from the 3G and BWA auctions, foreign Telco’s waiting in the wings are eager
to unfurl a new technology TD-LTE which is akin to 4G technology. US-based
Qualcomm and Sweden’s Erickson aim to piggyback on TD-LTE hoping that it will help
them gain a toe-hold in India, the world’s fastest growing mobile market. Qualcomm is to
participate in the broadband wireless access (BWA) spectrum auction. If it does secure its
bid in the auction, India could well become the first country after China to roll out TD-
LTE.
 Global Information Technology Report: Around 132 Countries across the world
already have third generation mobile technology. During 2009-10 India climbed 11 places
(compared to the previous year), in the global information technology report ranking that
measure the performance of countries in creation of an environment for harnessing
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for their progress. The report was
brought out by the world economic forum in partnership with the business school
INSEAD (European Institute of Business Administration).
 Mycobacterium tuberculosis genome mapping released: The government's Open
 Source Drug Discovery (OSDD) initiative released the results of its ‘Connect 2 Decode'
(C2D) project to re-annotate the biological and genetic information relating to the
Mycobacterium tuberculosis ( Mtb) genome. This is the first time that a comprehensive
mapping of the Mtb genome has been compiled, verified and made publicly available.
C2D's findings may contain critical data to unlock previously undiscovered details of
tuberculosis (TB); resulting in development opportunities for urgently needed new TB
drugs in India and other developing countries. They accomplished this feat by pooling in
the open source drug discovery model, introduced by the Council for Scientific &
Industrial Research (CSIR) in September 2008. This could expedite the discovery of a
new drug, research on which pharma MNCs companies have virtually given up. The TB
bacterium has over the years developed resistance to the multi-drug regimen, currently
being used worldwide to eliminate it. Around 1.7 million people die from TB every year
globally, one-fifth of them in India, according to the WHO.
 Impending quakes detected by toads: Common toads (Bufo bufo) can detect impending
seismic activity and alter their behavior from breeding to evacuation mode, suggests a
new study in the Zoological Society of London's (ZSL) Journal of Zoology. Researchers
from The Open University reported that 96 per cent of male toads in a population
abandoned their breeding site five days before the earthquake that struck L'Aquila in Italy
in 2009. The breeding site was located 74 km from the earthquake's epicenter.
 In a 1st, 4 women in orbit at same time: The space shuttle Discovery readied for launch
to rendezvous with the International Space Station that will put more women in orbit at
the same time than ever before. As Discovery prepared for lift-off with its crew of seven,
including three female astronauts, American Tracy Caldwell Dyson headed for the space
station aboard a Soyuz spacecraft with two Russian cosmonauts. Discovery's arrival at the
space station would mark a first in space, with four women in orbit. One female astronaut
already is circling Earth in a Russian capsule, bound for the International Space Station.
Discovery's trip is also the first shuttle mission with three female crew members.

Sports

 South Africa will host the Football world cup in June-July, in recognition of the
continent’s new found status as a rising superpower in the game.
 Narain to drive for PSV: India's Narain Karthikeyan will be driving for the Power
Sensor Unit (PSV) Eindhoven squad for the 2010 summer racing season, in the Super
League Formula series that links two of the world's most popular sports — football and
motor sport. PSV Team Principal Jan Lammers, a former Formula One and Le Mans 24
Hour racer, has confirmed Narain will be at the wheel for the Dutch team starting this
weekend at the first round of the 2010 Superleague Formula Series at Silverstone, U.K.
 Phil Mickelson wins his third Masters title: U.S. star Phil Mickelson won his third
Masters Golf title and fourth Major crown.

Persons

 Soonawala: After spending more than four decades with the Tata group, Noshir A
Soonawala is set to retire in June when he turns 75 — adhering to the group's retirement
policy for non-executive directors. Soonawala is the vice-chairman of Tata Sons, the apex
 holding company of the Tata group and is the chairman of the listed Tata Investment
Corporation. He also serves on the board of several other Tata entities like Tata Industries,
Indian Hotels Company and Trent.
 V.K. Singh takes over as new Army chief: The most senior infantry officer Gen VK
Singh, was handed over charge of the Indian Army, the world’s second largest, by
outgoing chief Gen Deepak Kapoor.
 Indian Bank new CMD: T. M. Bhasin took over as the new Chairman and Managing
Director of the Indian Bank.
 Apa Sherpa: Famous mountaineer of Nepal, Apa Sherpa, is all set to climb Mt Everest
again. Mr. Apa said he would leave for the Everest Base Camp on April 6 for his 20th
climb. Mr. Apa broke his own world record by climbing the Everest 19th time last year, in
Kathmandu. Mr. Apa, WWF's ambassador for Climate For Life Campaign, would also be
involved in a mountain cleaning campaign, as the team he is leading would dig out frozen
garbage from the mountain.
 Baldauf: Loss-making national carrier Air India announced the appointment of Capt
Gustav Baldauf as its first Chief Operating Officer (COO). The Austrian national will be
first expatriate in the management team of the country's flagship airline.
 Ajay Banga: An entirely India-educated financial pundit climbed a world corporate
pinnacle with master card inc the ubiquitous financial company, naming Pune-Born,
Delhi-educated, IIM-Ahmedabad alum Ajay Banga as its CEO. Banga will take over to
position from current CEO Robert Selander on July 1.
 Barin Ghosh: The controversy over the Supreme Court's recommendation to shift
Karnataka Chief Justice P.D. Dinakaran to the Sikkim High Court took a new turn, after
an official announcement that Jammu and Kashmir High Court Chief Justice Barin Ghosh
would be sworn in as Chief Justice of the Sikkim High Court as per an earlier decision.

Awards

 President presents Padma awards: Nobel laureate Indian-origin scientist Venkatraman

Ramakrishnan, noted theatre personality Ebrahim Alkazi and founder-chairman of the
Apollo Hospitals Prathap Chandra Reddy were conferred the Padma Vibhushan, second
highest civilian award, by President Pratibha Patil. Music maestro A.R. Rahman, film
actor Aamir Khan, classical vocalist Pandit Channulal Mishra and prominent hotelier
Captain C.P. Krishnan Nair were among 21 distinguished persons who were honoured
with Padma Bhushan at a ceremony in the Ashoka Hall at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Non-
Resident Indian hotelier Sant Singh Chatwal, music composer Ilaiyaraaja and
businessman Vindi Banga were conferred the Padma Bhushan awards by President
Pratibha Patil  Noted Mridangam exponent Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman, former Reserve
Bank of India Governor Y.V. Reddy and nonagenarian artiste Zohra Segal were honoured
with the Padma Vibhushan. The loud applause was reserved for sportspersons Saina
Nehwal (badminton), Virendra Sehwag (cricket) and Ignace Tirkey (hockey), when they
walked up to the podium to receive Padma Shri award from the President. Dhrupad
exponent Ustad Faiyaz Wasifuddin Dagar; businesswoman Anu Aga; multi-lingual actor
Arundhati Nag; the former CBI director, D.R. Karthikeyan; plant scientist Palpu
Pushpangadan; eye surgeon Vikas Mahatme; and cardiologist K.K. Aggarwal were among
 those awarded Padma Shri. Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar's ‘guru' Ramakant Achrekar,
boxer Vijender Singh, leading actor of yesteryear Rekha, sound technician and Oscar
Award winner Resul Pookutty and car racer Narain Karthikeyan were among those
conferred with the Padma Shri.
 Classical Tamil Award: Asko Parpola, leading authority on the Indus script and
Professor Emeritus of Indology in the University of Helsinki, Finland, has been chosen for
the Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi Classical Tamil Award for 2009. He was selected for his
work on the Dravidian hypothesis in interpreting the Indus script because the Dravidian,
as described by him, was very close to Old Tamil.

Book and Author

 Songs of blood and sword: Fatima Bhutto

 A tiger at Twilight and cyclones: Manoj Das
 Stateless in South Asia: Deepa, K. Singh
 Life-o-Logy: Renuka Puntambekar
 Rukmini Devi-A Life: Leela Samon
 The Tryst Betrayed- Reflections on diplomacy and development: Jagat S Mehta
 The politics of Prevention –A Global Crisis in aids and education: Tania Bole, David
Archer
 Agricultural Risk and insurance in India-a Problems and prospects: S.S. Raju,
Ramesh Chand
 Changing Pace - Memoir: Sir Richard Hadlee;
 To nature, with love: Karthikeyan, Balasubramanian
 A bride’s worth: Sanjay Panikar,
 Troubled periphery crisis of India’s North East: Subir Bhamik
 Akbar : The Great Mughal – his new policy and his new religion: Ahmad Basher;
 World’s great scientists: Snehe Gupta;
 World’s great personalities: Shalini Mathur
 Encyclopaedia on Hinduism released: A encyclopedia in English on Hindu religion has
been released. The encyclopaedia has been prepared by Rishikesh based Parmarth Niketan
headed by swami Chidanand Muni

Miscellaneous

 End of the road for Maruti 800: The small car that changed the way Indians drove and
helped put the Indian automobile market into the global big league will stop rolling out of
showrooms in major cities. It has been driven off the roads by stringent emission laws that
the original people's car is unable to comply with any more. After over 26 years and sale
of over 28-lakh units, India's bread-and-butter car, Maruti Suzuki's M800, will no longer
be available in 13 cities that will switch over to stricter Bharat Stage-IV emission norms.
India's leading automaker has decided not to upgrade this car to meet the emission
standards, particularly when other more profitable options, like India's highest-selling car
Alto, is already available with the company to compete in the fast-growing Indian car
 market. From April 1, 13 cities — Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and
Ahmedabad besides National Capital Region (Delhi and its adjoining townships) — will
switch over to BS-IV emission norms, while the rest of the country will upgrade to BS-III
norms from October this year. However, M800 will still be available across India as it has
BS-III complaint engine.
 Finally, Harley to cruise on Indian roads from June: Iconic bike maker Harley-
Davidson of US is all set to begin operations in India and will start bookings for its
cruisers from the middle of April.
 Columbia University to have an Ambedkar Chair: Columbia University has instituted
a chair in constitutional law in the name of B R Ambedkar and Jagdish Bhagwati
Fellowships after India's renowned economist who presently teaches at the university.
 Ships give way to camels as Aral turns dead-sea: The drying up of the Aral Sea is one
of the planet's most shocking environmental disasters, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-
moon said as he urged Central Asian leaders to step up efforts to solve the problem. Once
the world's fourth-largest lake, the sea has shrunk by 90% since the rivers that feed it were
largely diverted in a Soviet project to boost cotton production in the arid region.
 Number of Chinese billionaires ‘second only to U.S.: China now has more billionaires
than any other country besides the United States, according to Forbes magazine. There are
a total of 64 people in that bracket in mainland China, the magazine says in its annual list
of the world's richest people. The figure is perhaps not surprising considering that China's
economy has seen rapid growth over recent years. China is set to overtake Japan as the
world's second-biggest economy sometime this year. According to Forbes, the world now
has 1,011 billionaires. The country with the biggest concentration is the U.S., with 403.
But China comes second with 64 living in the mainland. That figure jumps to 89 if Hong
Kong is included. The former British colony was returned to China in 1997, but largely
governs its own affairs.
 Archaeologists uncover site untouched for 6,000 years: The mound of Tell Zeidan in
the Euphrates River Valley near Raqqa, Syria, which had not been built upon or excavated
for 6,000 years, is revealing a society rich in trade, copper metallurgy and pottery
production. Artifacts recently found there are providing more support for the view that
Tell Zeidan was among the first societies in the Middle East to develop social classes
according to power and wealth. A team of archaeologists from the University of Chicago's
Oriental Institute, along with a team of Syrian colleagues, is uncovering new clues about
the prehistoric society that formed the foundation of urban life in the Middle East prior to
invention of the wheel, one the greatest achievements.
 First Arctic balloon crossing: Jean-Louis Etienne (French Explorer) travelled 3,130 km
in his special balloon, sailing over the Arctic Circle.
 World's Deepest Known Undersea Volcanic Vent Found: Scientists using a remote-
controlled Submarine have discovered the deepest known volcanic vent and say the
superheated waters inside could contain undiscovered marine species and perhaps even
clues to the origin of life on earth. Experts aboard the RRS James Cook said they found
the vent more than three miles (five kilometers) beneath.
 Mecca to have world's second tallest tower in June: World's second tallest building, 11
metres shorter than Burj Khalifa, featuring a clock claimed to be the largest in the globe
 will be open to the public from June this year in the holy city of Mecca.

16 to 31 Mar. 2010
National

 Census 2011 to begin on April 1: Billed as the largest census ever attempted in the
history of mankind, Census 2011 is all set to take off on April 1. It will also involve the
task of preparing, for the first time, the National Population Register (NPR). “This
information will help the government in preparing for the XII Five-Year Plan,” while
addressing a press conference Union Home Secretary G. K. Pillai said. Census 2011, the
15th census since 1872, will be the most credible source of information on demography,
economic activity, literacy and education, housing and household amenities, urbanisation,
fertility and mortality, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, language, religion,
migration and disability. In the second phase, to be conducted simultaneously all over the
country from February 9 to 28 next year, the population will be enumerated.
 New Moore no more: Once a flashpoint in Indo-Bangla ties, the New Moore island or
Purbasha in the Bay of Bengal, which Dhaka called the South Talpatti, has ceased to exist,
consumed by hungry tides and the rising sea. This was announced by the School of
Oceanographic Studies, Jadavpur University after it scrutinised recent satellite maps of
the region. “There is no presence of the island now. The recent satellite images establish
this. This is the first time the loss of the island is being reported,” Professor Sugata Hazra,
Director of School of Oceanographic Studies, told in a meeting. In the early 1980s, both
Bangladesh and India staked claim to the island — 3.5 km long and 3 km wide, located 2
km from the mouth of the Hariabhanga River. In 1981, India sent naval ships to the island
and deployed BSF personnel, who hoisted the Tricolour to establish, legitimize Indian
claim on New Moore. But there was never any permanent settlement there. The New
Moore Island was first noticed in 1974 in satellite images but experts claimed the island
was more than 50 years old. The island surface was only two metres above the sea level.
 Educational financial corporation planned: The Union Human Resource Development
Ministry proposes to set up an education financial corporation to provide soft, long-term
loans for developing educational infrastructure. The corporation will also help students
get loans for pursuing higher education, but this will be through refinance by banks.
 New nuclear reactor sites: Nuclear power reactors of 700 MWe Capacity each will come
up at two new inland sites – at Kumharia in Haryana and Bargi in Madhya Pradesh. These
reactors will be indigenous Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) that will use
natural uranium as fuel and heavy water as both moderator and coolant. The Union
government has also approved building imported reactors of a minimum of 1,000 MWe
each at Chhayamithi Virdi in Gujarat, Kovvada in Andhra Pradesh and Haripur in West
Bengal. These reactors will use enriched uranium as fuel and light water as both coolant
and moderator. All these reactors will be built by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India
 Limited (NPCIL). The sixth reactor at Rawatbhata in Rajasthan was connected to the grid.
It is an indigenous PHWR of 220 MWe capacity. It reached first criticality in January.
Power from this plant will be shared by the northern States. There are 20 nuclear power
reactors, including this reactor, operational in the country now and their total capacity is
4,560 MWe. Four more reactors are expected to be commissioned in a couple of years.
They include two Russian reactors of 1,000 MWe each at Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu, the
Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor of 500 MWe at Kalpakkam, also in Tamil Nadu and the
fourth PHWR (220 MWe) at Kaiga in Karnataka.
 Hat-trick for missile technologist: In a hat-trick for missile technologists and the armed
forces in the last two days, Agni-I, which can carry nuclear weapons and has range of 700
km, was flight-tested successfully from the Wheeler's Island, off the Orissa coast.
Nuclear-capable, ship-based Dhanush and surface-to-surface Prithvi-II were successfully
flight-tested in quick succession with both systems zeroing in on pre-designated targets
with a high degree of accuracy. Each missile achieved its full range (Dhanush 350 km and
Prithvi-II 290 km) and splashed down within a few metres of the target in the Bay of
Bengal after a flight of about 500 seconds. An indigenously-developed advanced
navigation and guidance system, which was tested in the two launches, provided a very
high degree of accuracy, according to Defence Research and Development Organisation
officials.
 Annual Plan for Mizoram: The annual Plan for Mizoram for 2010-11 was pegged at Rs.
1,500 crore at a meeting between Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh
Ahluwalia and State Chief Minister Lalthanhawla. This includes an additional Central
assistance of Rs. 70 crore for priority projects.
 West Bengal Budget: Presenting the 2010-11 Budget in the State Assembly West Bengal
Finance Minister Asim Kumar Dasgupta unveiled a financial statement that laid priority
on minority affairs and madrasa education, backward classes' and women's development
and emphasis on job creation. The State Government has decided to introduce for the
urban areas a West Bengal Urban Employment Scheme from next fiscal with an allocation
of Rs.250 crore. With additional revenue mobilisation of Rs.110 crore. The outlay for
self-help groups and self-employment has been doubled to Rs.200 crores. The first-of-its-
kind scheme benefiting 17 lakh workers will see the State Government paying the
premium for a health insurance scheme that has been built into it. Its target would now
include 44 categories -- railway hawkers, cobblers, porters, auto-rickshaw drivers, masons
and fishermen.
 Haryana shows keen interest in Norway-India initiative: Haryana has shown a keen
interest in implementing the Norway-India Partnership Initiative (NIPI–UNOPS) under
which various steps are taken to reduce child and maternal mortality by increasing access
to neonatal care and services in the state.
 National press centre in New Delhi by 2012: By the end of 2012, New Delhi will have a
brand new National Press Centre that has been in the pipeline for over eight years, and has
doubled in cost since that time. the Press Information Bureau (PIB) signed a contract with
the National Building Construction Corporation (NBCC) to construct the National Press
Centre (NPC) on a ready-to-occupy basis for Rs. 60 crore. In December 2001, then-Prime
Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee laid the foundation stone for a state-of-the-art press centre.
PIB then estimated the cost to be Rs. 30 crore.
 Foreign Universities Bill: The Union Cabinet cleared the Foreign Educational
 Institutions (Regulation of Entry and Operation) Bill, 2010, for introduction in Parliament.
It seeks to allow foreign education providers to set up campuses in the country and offer
degrees.
 ICGS Vishwast to be commissioned: ICGS Vishwast, the first of the new class of
offshore patrol vessels indigenously designed and built by Goa Shipyard Ltd.(GSL) will
be commissioned in the Indian Coast Guard by Defence Minister A.K. Antony.
 A new deal for BPL families: The Centre will set up a Central Food Security Fund to
monetarily compensate the Below Poverty Line (BPL) beneficiaries of the Targeted
Public Distribution System (TPDS) who fail to get the proposed mandatory 25 kilograms
of wheat or rice per family per month at a subsidised rate of Rs. 3 per kg. The
compensation would be at the economic cost of the foodgrains so that an entitled
beneficiary can buy grains from the open market. State governments who avail the Central
allocation of foodgrains but fail to provide the mandatory grains to an entitled BPL family
will have to bear the cost of compensation. They would have to undertake PDS reforms to
streamline the system so that grains reach the targeted beneficiaries. While there is no
proposal in the Union Food Ministry's draft Bill to reduce the current allocation of 35 per
kg for the BPL population, it is not decided yet whether the balance 10 kg would continue
to be provided at the current subsidised rates or would be sold at a further reduced rate of
Rs. 3 per kg. The subsidy for providing 25 kg wheat or rice to the current number of 6.52
crore BPL households at Rs. 3 per kg would amount to over Rs. 28,000 crore.
 First-ever action against Haryana Khap panchayats: The first ever action against the
illegal Khap Panchayats was taken by the administration in Haryana's Bhiwani district by
suspending two village Panchayat members, including the sarpanch for taking an
unconstitutional decision. Panchayat Sarpanch Surender and member Ramesh of
Samaspur village in Bhiwani, were placed under suspension under section 51(1)(a) of
Haryana Panchayati Raj Act, 1994, for declaring void the marriage.
 TB cases in India, China: India and China are home to 50% of the globe’s multi-drug
resistant TB (MDR TB) cases.
o According to WHO report an estimated 4.4 lakh people globally got infected with
multi-drug resistant TB in 2008 while 15 lakh died of it.
o India estimates that 3% of all new TB cases is the type that can no longer be
treated with standard drug regimens.
o Drug resistant TB arises when people are poorly treated or take substandard
medicines.
 India will report 1.6 m stroke cases a year by 2015: By 2015, India will report 1.6
million cases of stroke annually, at least one-third of whom will be disabled. Stroke is a
major cause for loss of life, limbs and speech in India, with the Indian Council of Medical
Research estimating that in 2004, there were 9.3 lakh cases of stroke and 6.4 lakh deaths
due to stroke in India, most of the people being less than 45 years old. Experts say that if
deaths as well as disability are counted together, then India lost 63 lakh of disability-
adjusted life years in 2004. WHO estimates suggest that by 2050, 80% stroke cases in the
world would occur in low and middle income countries mainly India and China.
 53% of urban population lives in small towns: In mid-2009 it was declared that the
tipping point has been crossed: world urban population crossed the 50% mark for the first
time in human history. Contrary to the general impression, the bulk of this urban
population does not stay in big metropolises. Over 53% of the world’s total urban
 population of 3.4 billion resides in towns with less than 5 lakh population. Of these, about
1.14 billion, or one third, stay in towns with less than 1 lakh population. At the other end
of the spectrum are the better-known mega-cities, each with population of over 10 million
(1 crore). Only about 9% of the world’s urban population lives in the 21 such mega-cities
existing today.
o Indian Cities in the Top 30 list (Rank in brackets)
o 1950 Kolkata (8), Mumbai, (17)
o 1960 Kolkata (11), Mumbai (14)
o 1970 Kolkata (12), Mumbai (15), Delhi (20)
o 1990 Mumbai (5), Kolkata (7), Delhi (11), Chennai (29)
o 2000 Mumbai (5), Delhi (5), Kolkata (8)
o 2010 Delhi (23), Mumbai (40), Kolkata (8)
 SC gives half-nod to quota for backward Muslims: The Supreme Court restored the
Andhra Pradesh law providing 4% exclusive quota in jobs and educational institutions for
"backward" groups among Muslims, in a development that can give a fillip to the demand
for implementation of the Ranganath Misra Commission's recommendations for 15%
quota for minorities. The interim order passed by SC revived the law which was struck
down as unconstitutional by a seven-judge bench of the Andhra high court on the ground
that it violated the constitutional provision forbidding faith-based quota.
o 2004 YSR govt. issues order in July for 5% quota for Muslims in education, jobs
HC strikes its down in Sept.
o 2005 AP categorized all Muslims as backward, issues ordinance for 5% quota,
becomes in Act in Oct. HC strikes it down in Nov, calling quota on basis of
religion as unconstitutional.
o 2007 State enacts Act for 4% quota to 15 backward Muslim groups in August
Month later, SC stays admission under quota.
o 2008 Supreme Court vacates stay, sends case back to Andhra H.C.
 India lines up Israeli drones in race with Pak: New Delhi is quietly working with the
growth of its fleet of reconnaissance and "killer" Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). In
the latest such agreement with Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI), a few days ago, India has
inked a few more "Heron MALE (medium altitude, long service life in order), drones,
ground control systems and terminals for around Rs 700 crore, Defense Ministry sources
said
 Firms can now set up medical colleges: According to a notification issued by the
Medical Council of India a few days back, corporate hospital chains like Fortis
Healthcare, Max Healthcare, Apollo Hospitals can now set up medical colleges that offer
pure medicine courses. These companies that own large hospitals chains have already
diversified into health insurance and pharmacy businesses, but are left out of pure medical
education, a handicap when it comes to their ambitious expansion plans. MCI has also
relaxed the land norms for players planning to set up medical colleges in cities. For mega
cities such as Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi and some large cities that include
Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Pune, Bangalore and Kanpur, the land requirement has been
reduced to a minimum total built-up area of 10 acres based on the permissible floor area
ratio allowed in the area concerned. This is a huge relief from the previous requirement of
25 acres of contiguous area, which made it almost impossible to situate a medical college
 in large cities.
 Vertical launch of BrahMos missile successful: BrahMos, the supersonic cruise missile,
lifted off vertically from Naval destroyer INS Ranvir and punched a hole in a
decommissioned vessel 290 km away in the Bay of Bengal off the Orissa coast. This is the
22nd launch of BrahMos, which has already been inducted into the Army and the Navy. It
has been jointly developed by India and Russia. The missile is nine-metre long and
weighs three tonnes. It can fly at almost three times the speed of sound and can reach
targets 290 km away. It is essentially an anti-ship missile.
 India to need $120 bn for aviation infra by 2020: study: India would require $120-
billion for aircraft acquisition and building aviation infrastructure to meet domestic
passenger traffic, which is expected to touch 240-260 million per annum by 2020. The
airport sector alone would require a total of $20 billion investment over the next decade,
in addition to the $10 billion already committed in the last five years, according to a
White Paper on the aviation industry. “By 2020, domestic traffic will reach 160-180-
million passengers per annum and international traffic will exceed 80 million, which will
require investment of up to $120 billion in aircraft, airport development and ancillary
services,” a White Paper on IT in Indian Aviation, presented jointly by the Centre for Asia
Pacific and SITA, said.
 Sealink completed: Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan inaugurated the second
phase of the Bandra-Worli sealink which became fully operational. With all four lanes
stretching up to 4 kilometers, the sealink will connect Bandra to Worli in seven minutes at
a speed limit of 50 kilometers per hour.

International

 India, Britain discuss security cooperation: India and Britain agreed to work more
closely to fight terrorism following talks between Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram
and his British counterpart Alan Johnson. Mr. Chidambaram also held talks with Foreign
Secretary David Miliband as part of what was described as continuing India-UK bilateral
dialogue on security and intelligence-related issues. While the Foreign Office declined to
disclose details, the Home Office said that a “range of issues including counter-terrorism”
were discussed.
 Google to stop censoring China search results: Google Inc. evening announced that it
would stop censoring the results of its search engine in China. The move follows Google's
allegations of cyber-attacks by China in January — which the Chinese government denied
— and subsequent testimonies on the matter by Google, to the United States Congress.
Since Google stopped censoring its results, users visiting Google.cn were being redirected
to Google.com.hk, the company said, where uncensored search in simplified Chinese was
on offer. “This website was specifically designed for users in mainland China and
delivered via our servers in Hong Kong,” said Google.
 Chinese Vice - Premier in India: Chinese Vice-Premier Hui Liangyu will arrive in New
Delhi for talks with Indian officials on furthering co-operation between the two countries
on a range of agricultural and environmental issues. Of particular focus during Mr. Hui's
visit will be an exchange of views on an issue that has recently stirred up much debate and
public concern in both countries-the use of genetically modified (GM) foods in
agriculture. The Ministry of Agriculture has come under fire in recent weeks for giving
 the green light to field trials for GM corn and two strains of rice. GM soybean, potatoes
and papayas are already widely consumed in China. Chinese officials said they would use
the visit to exchange ideas with India on regulating the use of biotechnology in
agriculture, and also to hear of Indian concerns that were voiced in the recent debate on Bt
Brinjal.
 26 years on, Zia to be stripped of ‘prez’ title: Twenty-two years after his death in a
mysterious plane crash, late Pakistan strongman Zia-ul-Haq faces his presidency being
blotted out from history books when a constitutional amendment package is passed by
lawmakers this week. Under the bill to be tabled in parliament, Zia will be stripped of his
title of president as his election through a referendum in December 1984 will be deleted
from the constitution.
 India and Russia finalize: India and Russia quietly firmed up the 10 years lease of the K-
152 Nerpa submarine during Russian PM Vladimir Putin’s visit.
o The lease flows from a January 2004 secretive agreement inked between New
Delhi and Moscow.
o India will find part of sub-construction in Russia with an initial $650 million.
o While Nerpa is nuclear propelled, it will not come armed with its long range
nuclear tipped missile.
o It will train Indian sailors in the fine art of operating nuclear submarines.
o Nerpa will be used to provide protection to INS Arihant, which will be the launch
platform for nukes after it becomes operational.
 Dhaka, New Delhi to strengthen military ties: Chief of the Army Staff of Bangladesh
General Mohammad Abdul Mubeen, who arrived New Delhi on a six-day goodwill visit,
met his Indian counterpart, General Deepak Kapoor, and discussed issues of bilateral and
regional interest. The visit, which last till March 20, assumes special significance in the
light of improving military cooperation between the two countries in consonance with
India's growing relationship with Bangladesh. India-Bangladesh relations are multifaceted
and founded on historical linkages.
 U.S. India sign trade and investment agreement: A framework for cooperation on trade
and investment was signed by Indian Minister of Commerce and Industry Anand Sharma
and U.S. Trade Representative Ronald Kirk. The agreement aims to strengthen bilateral
cooperation between India and the U.S., building on rapid growth between the two
countries in recent years, according to an official statement. Saying that the numerous
synergies linking the two economies have not been tapped fully yet Mr. Sharma added
that this agreement would encourage development of small and medium enterprises, and
also help with the deployment of clean energy and environmental technologies.
 India to sign five new extradition treaties: After signing extradition treaties with Saudi
Arabia and South Korea, India has finalised draft agreements with five more nations —
Iran, Sri Lanka, Brazil, France and Israel. The government is now working out the dates
on which the treaties can formally be signed. The treaty with Saudi Arabia was signed in
February, during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Riyadh. Another such treaty
was signed with South Korea when its president, Lee Myung-Bak, visited New Delhi in
January. With bilateral cooperation in security and counter-terrorism measures assuming
significance, India has stepped up efforts to formalise agreements with other nations so
suspects can be brought back to the country to be tried under Indian laws. India has
extradition treaties with several other countries, including Nepal, Belgium, Netherlands,
 Canada, UK, Switzerland, Bhutan, USA, UAE and the Russian Federation.
 Iran, Pak ink pipeline deal: Iran and Pakistan have signed a deal in Turkey paving the
way for constructing the much-delayed natural gas pipeline that was originally envisaged
to extend up to India. The Inter-State Gas Systems, a semi-autonomous body that will take
care of Pakistan's interests in the import of gas through the pipeline, and the National
Iranian Oil Company signed the heads of agreement and an operational accord in Istanbul.
Under the agreement, Pakistan will have the right to charge transit fee for gas transported
to India. The pact also addresses the issue of transportation tariff, which will be worked
out in line with international practices. Pakistan has said the pipeline, which will connect
Iran’s South Pars gas field with Balochistan and Sindh provinces, is crucial to averting a
growing energy crisis that is already causing severe electricity shortages. The volume of
750 : Mmcfd. mmcfd. Millions of cubic feet per day (of gas) mmcfd to 1 Baltimore
County Fire Department (bcfd) gas, expected to be in the system by the middle of 2015,
will help overcome the shortage of gas in Pakistan. The 2,700-km pipeline was originally
envisaged to transport Iranian gas to energy-deficient Pakistan and India. However, India
has not participated in talks on the venture since 2008.
 China set to export trains for Mumbai metro rail project: China is set to export its
domestically built trains for the first time for Mumbai's Metro Rail project, officials said.
A fleet of 18 trains, custom-made for the conditions and track requirements of Mumbai's
new subway system, which is scheduled to open later this year, are nearing completion in
the eastern city of Nanjing. The trains were recently inspected by the Mumbai Metro Rail
project officials. The CSR Nanjing Puzhen Rolling Stock company signed a deal in
Mumbai in May 2008 to supply 18 trains for the new subway system. The deal, worth
around $100 million, is the biggest-ever contract for underground trains signed by a
Chinese firm.
 U.N. recognises Russia-led bloc: A Russia-led defence bloc of ex-Soviet states signed a
cooperation pact with the United Nations that is likely to pave the way for the alliance's
greater involvement in Afghanistan. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon signed the
document in Moscow along with General Nikolai Bordyuzha, head of the Collective
Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO). The CSTO includes Russia, Armenia, Belarus,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The agreement amounts to a
recognition of the CSTO as a full-fledged international security organisation. Two years
ago the U.N. signed a similar pact with NATO. The Atlantic Alliance has consistently
refused to sign a cooperation agreement with CSTO, which is often described as a
counterbalance to NATO in Central Asia. General Bordyuzha said CSTO could make
available its rapid-reaction forces for U.N. peacekeeping operations outside the former
Soviet Union.
 UN-HABITAT report: Governments across the world have done well collectively to lift
227 million people out of slum conditions, surpassing the Millennium Development target
by 2.2 times. The achievements of China and India in particular have been spectacular,
commends the UN-HABITAT report on the ‘State of the World Cities 2010/2011:
Bridging the Urban Divide' released. This biennial report for 2010 appreciates China for
improving the conditions of 65.3 million urban residents who were deprived of shelter and
India for bettering the lot of 59.7 million since 2000. As a result, the proportion of people
living in slum conditions came down from 37.3 per cent in 2000 to about 28.2 per cent in
2010 in China and from 41.5 per cent in 1990 to 28.1 per cent in 2010 in India. However,
 the report cautions, the progress in slum improvement is not satisfactory and efforts are
inadequate, since the “absolute number” of slum dwellers in the world increased from
776.7 million in 2000 to about 827.6 million in 2010. Unless radical measures are
adopted, the world slum population may grow by six million each year and the total slum
population will reach 889 million by 2020.

Economy

 TVS launches India's first clutchless bike: The country's third-largest two-wheeler
manufacturer TVS Motor Ltd launched India's first clutchless motorcycle.
 Maruti Suzuki: Maruti Suzuki rolled its millionth car of the year from its Manesar plant
near Gurgaon and announced plans to double productions of its K-series engines within a
year.
 Japan Govt. passes record $1-trn Budget: Japan’s Parliament passed a record 92.3 trillion
yen ($1 trillion) budget seeking to underpin a fragile recovery in the world’s number two
economy. It was the first budget for Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, who came to power
in September 2009 after a historic electoral victory. The record budget reflected
Hatoyama’s promise to cut wasteful spending on public works and boost funding for
social welfare. The budget raised concern over Japan’s already tattered finances as the
government will issue a record 44 trillion yen in bonds to fund the budget. Japan
shoulders the biggest public debt among industrialised nations. Its debt stood at 218.6 per
cent of GDP (gross domestic product) in 2009, according to the International Monetary
Fund.
 India on top of global power list: Prolonged shortfalls in power supply throughout the
country have led India to boast the highest cost per unit of electricity in the world. During
the first half of the 11th five-year plan, the cost rose to Rs 5.9 per unit for the 59,000 crore
units flowing through the sector's various mechanisms for inter-state trading, according to
a Planning Commission report. With short supply causing the price of power to rise, those
states with excess energy have made a profitable scheme out of the sale of power, while
managing to keep their consumer tariffs low. Unfortunately, states with power deficits are
dictating power exchange trends resulting in frequent unscheduled interchanges (UI).
They pay an unscheduled interchange surcharge ranging from 12 paise per kilowatt hour
(kWh) to 735 paise per kWh, depending on the fluctuation in frequency. Haryana,
Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Punjab and Andhra Pradesh are the chief violators, bringing in
58.86 per cent of the power traded through UI.
 Dell may move china biz to India: The world’s largest PC manufacturer, Dell, has hinted
at moving its manufacturing base from China, possibly to India. Dell buys equipment and
parts worth $ 25 billion from China, reports Surabhi Agarwal. Dell’s founder and CEO
Michael Dell met PM Manmohans Singh.
 DMIC project: Report The Japanese government has selected four consortiums led by
companies such as Toshiba Corp, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Hitachi, for
construction related works along the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) project in
India. India and Japan have partnered for the ambitious Rs 3.6 lakh crore DMIC project
which seeks to create integrated investment regions and industrial areas across six states.
 The projects are part of a USD 90-billion Indian government initiative to build a 1,500-
kilometre industrial corridor linking Delhi and Mumbai by arterial freight railway.
 $10 BN Jindal power plant: Jindal Steel and Power will invest $10 billion to set up a coal-
to-liquid plant and a 2,000 MW thermal power plant in Orissa, Managing Director Naveen
Jindal said.
 Work on 12 new airport soon: Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said the construction of
12 new greenfield airports was likely to begin soon with the government granting them
approval. The real test for the Indian aviation sector is to create more (infrastructure)
facilities approvals have been granted to ferent parts of the country, Patel said while
addressing an infra structure conference organized by the Planning Commission. In 2004,
India had 50 operational airports and a present there are over 90, Patel said. The
penetration of civil aviation in India was among the lowest, with the country having a
ratio of 2.89 million passenger per aircraft compared with 0.06 million in the U.S the civil
aviation minister said. The government’s policy to allow 100 per cent foreign direct
investment in the construction of Greenfield airports was a key factor, which was
attracting huge investments in aviation infrastructure.
 Cairn finds more oil in Rajasthan: Cairn India Ltd, which began crude oil production from
its Rajasthan block in August, has found more hydrocarbon reserves in the block. This
will add 37 per cent to its peak production from the Barmer basin, the company said. The
potential in-place resource for the Rajasthan block has increased to 6.5 billion barrels of
oil equivalent from the earlier 4 billion barrels, and in-place discovered resource rose to 4
billion barrels of oil equivalent as against 3.7 billion barrels, Cairn said. “The higher
resource base provides a peak production of 240,000 barrels of oil per day from the
current 175,000 barrels,” Cairn India Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer
Rahul Dhir said. Cairn is currently producing around 25,000 barrels of crude oil daily.
The company is hoping to ramp up production to 125,000 barrels of oil per day in the
second half of 2010.
 Two-laning of entire NH network by 2014: The Centre has embarked upon an ambitious
programme to convert and develop the entire national highways (NH) network to a
minimum of two lanes by December 2014. The Road Transport and Highways Ministry
has estimated that at least 19,064-km length of NH still continues to be just a single-lane
stretch. The objective is to work out programmes to upgrade the stretches which do not fit
into any of the approved programmes. According to sources, at least 6,304-km length of
NH which are below the two-lane standards are not included for upgrading under any of
the approved schemes and the Ministry is struggling to put a plan in place to upgrade
these stretches. The Ministry has identified about 3,770-km length of NH for
improvement with the help of the World Bank, from which it intends secure a loan
assistance of $2.96 billion in phases.
 11th Plan growth seen at 8% plus: Planning Commission for the mid term appraisal of the
11th Plan would make a gung ho projection of 8% plus GDP growth rate for the five year
(2007-2012) period, as against 7.8% growth achieved during the previous plan. According
to officials sources, the Commission calculated the growth rate on the back of a broad
based recovery.
 RIL, MRPL to buy OVL’s Venezuelan oil: Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Industries
Limited (RIL) and Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemical Limited (MRPL) have
committed to buy up to 45 per cent of the crude oil to be produced by ONGC Videsh Ltd
 (OVL) and its partners from Venezuelan oilfields.
 India to grow at 7.7% next fiscal, says EIU: India is likely to grow by 7.7 per cent in the
next fiscal and by 8 per cent in 2011-12 driven by strong domestic demand, Economist
Intelligence Unit (EIU), an arm of The Economist said consumption, spurred by rising
incomes and a growing middle class, will be the primary drivers of India’s growth, “EU
South Asia senior analyst Anjalika Bardalai Said. However, she said high inflation and a
weak fiscal position could hamper growth.
 RBI’s first Financial Stability Report:
o The Good:
 Banks Remain well capitalized in terms of regulatory capital adequacy
ratios.
 Stress Test for credit and market risk reveal banks ability to withstand
unexpected levels of stress.
 Mandated Liquid investments gives a further sense of regulatory comfort.
 Present Asset quality continues to give a sense of comfort.
o The Bad:
 Corporates to leave foreign exchange exposers unhedged.
 Instance of large had been increasingly using derivatives to manage risks.
 Banks in India has been increasingly using derivatives to manage risk.
 Over Reliance on bulk deposits in certain institutions.
 Bank’s Margins may face pressure of Mark to Market (MTM) impact on
investment portfolio.
 Growth Management Centre at NTPC: NTPC Limited has commissioned a Growth
Management Centre, comprising Project Monitoring, Operation Monitoring and Investors
Services Centre, at it's Corporate Office in New Delhi. Equipped with state of the art
communication and display systems with large video walls for conferencing the Centre
shall be linked to Ministry of Power, Ministry of Statistics and Programme
implementation.
 NHPC Bhutan agreement: NHPC Limited has signed Agreement with Department of
Energy, Royal Govt. of Bhutan for providing engineering & consultancy services relating
to pre-construction activities of Mangdechhu Hydroelectric Project (720 MW) in Bhutan.
 ONGC report 3 discoveries: Flagship explorer Oil and natural gas corporation reported
making three oil and gas finds this month and said its board has approved an investment
of Rs. 3241 Cr. For developing marginal field in the Western offshore region ONGC said
it discovered gas in a well drilled in East Godavri district in Andhra Pradesh and Oil and
Gas in a separate well in shallow water. The company struck oil in a Gujarat acreage also.
 Videocon starts mobile services: The Videocon Group became the 13th mobile operator in
India with its launch of GSM services in Chennai. The company plans to roll out services
in 100 cities and towns in the next 100 days and be a pan-India player by the end of
September.
 Zain is largest Indian acquisition in Africa: The Bharti-Zain deal at $10.7 billion is by far
the largest Indian acquisition in Africa, which takes India's total investment in the
continent to $16.7 billion. Indian investment flows into Africa were sharply higher than
the first half of 2008 ($80 million), growing of 463.8%. Amongst Indian companies, the
Tata group so far leads the pack with investment of $1.6 billion in Africa across
automobiles, telecom, hotels, and mining leading to the coinage of the term, Tata fication
 of Africa. Taj hotels recently opened the luxury Taj Cape Town with an investment of
Rand 500 million. Besides the Tatas, other Indian corporates that are active in Africa are
Videocon, Suzion, Godrej, Mahindra and Mahindra, UB group, Cipla, Dr. Reddy’s labs,
NIIT, Kirloskar and Essar. Though in recent year, Indian oil companies have clinched
deals in Sudan, Kenya, Libya, and Nigeria, Indian investments in Africa have diver sifted
away from oil and minerals to sectors such as telecommunications, financial services and
food processing. To tap into its vast population of a billion, people, Indian FMCG
companies like Godrej, Marico and Dabur have also made acquisitions and investments in
Africa.
 India up 11 slots to 43rd in WEF report on global ICT: India ranks 43rd in the Global
Information Technology Report 2009-2010, released by the World Economic Forum—a
jump of 11 positions from the 54th slot it held in the previous edition of the report.
Sweden tops the rankings and is followed by Singapore and Denmark (which stood first
consecutively for the last three years). Switzerland (4), the US (5) and the other Nordic
countries, together with Canada, Hong Kong and the Netherlands, complete the list for the
top 10.
 CIL: Powering the nation: Coal India Limited (CIL) a fully state owned Navaratna
Company, with the mission to produce planned quantity of coal efficiently and
economically with due regard to safety, conservation and quality, is the single largest coal
producer in the world. Operating through 81 mining areas and 473 mines, CIL is an apex
company with 7 wholly owned coal producing subsidiaries and 1 mine planning and
consultancy company. CIL’s operations are spread over 8 provincial states of India. Coal
India, which came into being in mid 70s to play a lead role in meeting the growing energy
demand of the Indian Industry, fulfilled the expectations of the planners in a responsible
way. Nationalisation yielded positive results in modernizing mining methods. With a
modest coal production of 79 Million Tonnes (MTs) at its inception in 1975 CIL grew
from strength to strength and now produces over 400 mts annually. With respect to its
subsidiaries, CIL lays down policies, formulates systems and producers, makes long term
and short term plans and provides assistance in achieving their objectives and goals. Six
subsidiary companies of CIL have ‘Mini Ratna’ status. CIL is the holding company of
seven wholly owned coal producing subsidiaries and one consultancy company, Central
Mine Planning & Design Institute Ltd (CMPDIL), which encompasses the entire gamut of
identification of coal reserves and undertakes exploration with design and
implementation. CMPDIL also optimises operations for coal extraction in its mines.
 Qatar to supply more gas to India: Qatar agreed to supply India with 4 million tones of
additional LNG to meet its growing energy need. Qatar will begin with one million tones
in 2011 and ramp up the supply to four million tones.
 OVL-led group's $2bn Venezuela plan gets nod: The Cabinet approved an ONGC Videsh-
led Indian consortium to invest over $2 billion in an oilfield they last month won in
Venezuela and cleared award of 33 exploration acreages -- half of which were won by
ONGC and its partners -- bid out in the eighth round of auction in October last year. In
Venezuela, the Indian firms together hold 18% in the Carabobo-1 field. The project in the
Orinoco heavy oil belt would involve a total investment of close to $21 billion over 25
years. Spain's Repsol-YPF and Petronas of Malaysia are also partners with 11% each in
the winning consortium, while Venezuela's PDVSA will hold 60% equity. The Indian
firms have sought approval for investing $2.18 billion only as they hope to fund most of
 the future investment from the revenues they will earn when the project goes on-stream in
three years.

Science and Technology

 Big Bang machine creates record collision: Scientists smashed sub-atomic particles into
each other with record energy aiming to recreate conditions just after the Big Bang that
gave rise to the universe 13.7 billion years ago. CERN's Large Hadron Collider (LHC),
the world's biggest machine, slammed beams of particles together at a record collision
energy of 7 tera-electron volts (TeV) or 7 million electron volts-three and a half times
faster than previously achieved in a particle accelerator. The collisions took place at a
nano-fraction of a second slower than the speed of light in the LHC's 27 km (16.8 mile)
tunnel about a hundred meters (330 feet) below ground.
 Dragon shaped nebula seen by Eso telescope: NGC 5189 is a planetary nebula with an
oriental twist. Similar in appearance to a Chinese dragon, these cosmic fireworks are the
last swansong of a dying star. This planetary nebula has an inner ring of gas discharged by
the star.
 Himalayan glaciers shrank 16% in 50 yrs. Isro: Himalayan glaciers retreated by 16% in
the last nearly five decades due to climate change, investigations by India’s scientists in
selected basins in four states has revealed. The retreat of Himalayan glaciers and loss in a
real extent were monitored in selected basins in J&K, Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal and
Sikkim, under a programme on space-based global climate change observation by Indian
Space Research Organisation (Isro). “Investigations on glacial retreat were estimated for
1,317 glaciers in 10 sub-basins from 1962. This has shown an overall reduction in glacial
area from 5,866 sqkm to 4,921 sqkm since 1962, showing an overall de-glaciation of
16%”, says the latest annual report of Isro.
 DRDO kit detects A (H1N1) virus in an hour: The Defence Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO) has developed a diagnostic kit that can detect A(H1N1) virus in an
hour. The kit does not need sophisticated instruments and can be used in villages where
electricity is not available. It just costs Rs.1,500. It uses a simple technique called real-
time loop amplification methodology (RT LAMP) to detect the A(H1N1) virus, said W.
Selvamurthy, Chief Controller (Life Sciences and Human Resources), DRDO. The kit has
been developed by a DRDO laboratory called the Defence Research and Development
Establishment (DRDE), situated at Gwalior.
 U.S. Russia conclude START pact: The United States and Russia have agreed the most
“comprehensive arms control agreement in nearly two decades,” President Barack Obama
announced. Elaborating on some of the details of the new START Treaty, Mr. Obama said
it would make progress in several areas.
 A vaccine in mosquito bite to fight malaria?: Japanese team generated a transgenic
mosquito having the leis mania vaccine within its saliva. Bite from the insect succeded in
raising antibodies, indicating successful immunization of humans

Sports

 Yousuf Retires: Pakistan batsman Mohammad Yousuf has retired from international
cricket in response to the Pakistan Cricket Board’s decision to ban him for an indefinite
 period.
 Sachin Tendulkar on Wisden Cricketer cover: Sachin Tendulkar will grace the cover page
of April issue of the Wisden Cricketer magazine which is recognising the Indian
batsman’s historic ODI double hundred against South Africa last month. The world’s
best-selling cricket magazine made a late decision to change its original cover image to
commemorate Tendulkar’s landmark innings.
 Rajput bags silver at WC: India's Sanjeev Rajput bagged silver in the men's air rifle event
on the opening day of the ISSF World Cup in Sydney. The 29-year-old Navy shooter, who
has never before finished on the World Cup podium.
 India’s fists of gold: 6 medals: Vijender Singh lands on England’s Frank Buglloni, in his
way to his first international gold in two years, the Commonwealth Boxing Championship
at Talkatora Stadium in New Delhi. Within his teammates adding five more medals, India
won the overall team title.
 G.P. Koirala passes away: Girija Prasad Koirala, Nepal's freedom fighter and political
hero, who played a major role in ending the Maoists' decade-long People's War and
restoring peace in the country, died, aged 86. The Nepali Congress president, who served
as Prime Minister four times and as head of state once.
 The Law Commission Chairman: The former Supreme Court judge, P.V. Reddy. Has
been appointed Chairman of the law commission his name was cleared by the
Appointments committee of the cabinet eight months after justice A.R. Lakshmanan
retired.
 Saina enter top five: India's ace badminton player Saina Nehwal has gained her career-
best rankings after she gained the fifth spot following her stupendous show in the All
England Badminton Championships earlier this month.

Persons

 Dilip Chenoy: Chenoy, director general of the Society of Indian Automobile

Manufacturers (Siam) has been appointed chief executive and managing director of the
National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC). Chenoy, who has been with Siam since
March 2004, will take charge on 7 May.
 Sonia appointed chairperson of NAC: The government appointed Congress President
Sonia Gandhi chairperson of the National Advisory Council (NAC). She had resigned
from the post in March 2006 following a controversy over the office of profit.
 After three years, woman judge for Supreme Court: The Supreme Court will very soon
have a woman judge, after more than three years. The Supreme Court collegium, headed
by Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, has recommended the elevation of Chief Justice of
the Jharkhand High Court Gyan Sudha Misra as a Supreme Court judge. Justice Misra
will be the fourth woman judge of the Supreme Court, after Fatima Beevi, Sujata
Manohar, and Ruma Paul, who retired in June 2006. The collegium has also
recommended the elevation of Madras High Court Chief Justice H.L. Gokhale as a
Supreme Court judge.
 • Information Commissioner: Information Commissioner with the Central Information
Commission Shailesh Gandhi says that growing number of pending cases under Right to
Information Act in the country poses the threat of killing the very spirit of the law. The
 national average of disposal of cases under RTI is 600 while in important States such as
Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka there is a backlog of six months. With the
Central Information Commission the number of pending cases is 11,500. Maharashtra has
15-18,000 pending cases which is equivalent to one year's disposal.
 Lakshmi Venu on SCL board: Sundaram-Clayton Limited (SCL) announced the
appointment of Lakshmi Venu, daughter of Venu Srinivasan, Managing Director of SCL
and Chairman of TVS Motor Company Limited (TVSM), as an additional director with
immediate effect, says a release from the company.
 Youngest solo across the Atlantic: Katie Spotz completed her mission, becoming the
youngest person to row an entire ocean solo, and the first American to row a boat without
help from mainland to mainland. After 70 days 5 hours 22 minutes in the Atlantic, Spotz,
22, arrived in Georgetown, Guyana, in South America.
 Hemant Singh: Avon Beauty Products India Pvt. Ltd. has appointed Hemant Singh as its
managing director. Singh succeeds Sebastian Bako, who has spent two and-a-half years
with Avon India, according to a company release.
 Raghuvanshi out of ATS, Maria takes over: Under fire for sharing details with the media
after the arrest of two alleged terror suspects, Maharashtra ATS chief K.P. Raghuvanshi
has been shunted out. He has been replaced by Joint Commissioner Rakesh Maria.
 S. K. Razdan: In a stirring achievement, a paraplegic Army officer confined to a
wheelchair, Brigadier S K Razdan, is all set to become a two-star officer or a major-
general. Razdan was awarded the Kirti chakra, the nation’s second highest peacetime
gallantry award, in 1996 for his act of valour. The officer, who uses a wheelchair, later
went on to become a brigadier
 Kanu Sanyal: Kanu Sanyal, one of the founder members of the Naxalite movement in the
late 1960s-early 70s, was found hanging from the ceiling of a room in his house in
Hatighisa village in Naxalbari in North Bengal. It was from Naxalbari that the Naxalite
movement began on May 25, 1967 under the Communist group led by Sanyal and Charu
Majumdar.
 P. J. Nayak: Global financial services Major Morgan Stanley has appointed former Axis
Bank Chairman P. J. Nayak as its new country head and Chief Executive Officer for
India.

Awards

 Pritzker Prize for 2010: The Pritzker Prize, considered the highest honour in architecture
and regarded by many as equivalent to the Nobel Prize, has been awarded to the Japanese
duo Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa, partners in the architecture firm SANAA. The
Pritzker prize carries $100,000 in grant and bronze medallions and will be awarded to
Sejima and Nishizawa on May 17 in New York.
 Abel Prize: The prestigious Abel Prize in Mathematics for 2010 has been awarded to 85-
year-old American mathematician John Torrence Tate, one of the most outstanding
number theorists in recent times, “for his vast and lasting impact on the theory of
numbers.”
 Saraswati Samman: Punjabi poet Surjit Patar has been chosen for the coveted Saraswati
Samman for his poetry collection ‘Lafzan Di Dargah'. The award, constituted by the K. K.
Birla Foundation, carries a cash prize of Rs.5 lakh, a citation and a plaque.
  Chennai-born Scientist honoured: Chennai-born Shankar Balasubramanian of Cambridge
University has been named Innovator of the Year by the Biotechnology and Biological
Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), Britain's leading agency for academic research and
training in non-clinical life sciences. He has been awarded £10,000 in recognition of his
work on Solexa sequencing, the high speed genome sequencing technology.
 Vyas Samman: Noted Hindi writer Amar Kant has been awarded top literary awards of
the country, for his work Inhin Hathi Varon se. Set in the backdrop of rural Balia, the
novel opens with the Quit India Movement of 1942 and journeys to Independence in
1947. The Vyas Samman, given each year to an outstanding literary work by an Indian
language citizen in any Indian language, carries a cash prize of Rs. 25 lakh. The Vyas
Samman is the second most prestigious award given by the K.K. Birla Foundation, which
has an extensive programme in literature in addition to other activities. There are three
high level award in literature, the first being the Saraswati Samman, then the Vyas
Samman and the third is the Bihari Puraskar. An annual award, the Vyas Samman is given
to an out standing literary work published in the last 10 years that can belong to any genre
of writing such as poetry, novel, short story, play, drama, history of language, criticism,
essay of biography.
 President Pratibha Patil presented the Moortidevi: President Pratibha Patil presented the
Moortidevi award of Bharatiya Gyanpith trust to law minister M Veerappa Moily for hi
“outstanding work” Shri Ramayana Mahanveshanm. Moily is an established writher in
Kannada, having authored several novels, collection of poems and essays besides his five-
volume magnum opus Shri Ramayana Mahanveshana.
 International Award for G.S. Chahal: The Pacific Area Travel Writer's Association
(PATWA) has conferred the award of "Lifetime Contribution in Tourism Marketing" on
G.S. Chahal, Chief advisor, MP State Tourism Development Corporation. Chahal's
selection was endorsed by the international Council of PATWA, and the award was given
out during the "World Tourism Leaders's Summit on the theme "Agenda for Future
Tourism" held in Berlin during ITB which is the biggest travel-trade international event
attended by 190 countries.

Miscellaneous

 Shortest man dead: The world’s shortest man has died in Italy, where he was to take part
in a T.V. show, the programme’s production company. He Pingping of China, who was 2
ft., 5.37 inches (74.6 cm) tall, had become a recognized figure across the world.
 Indian-origin student wins intel honour: Akhil Mathew, 18, a student of Indian origin, has
won the third place in America's pre-college science competition, the Intel Science Talent
Search 2010.
 Piracy cost B'wood $959m: Report: It was not the global recession but piracy that did the
Indian film industry in 2008, while nearly every sector increased the number of pink slips,
the film and TV industry created nearly 1.8 million jobs and contributed $6.2 billion to the
Indian economy in 2008. A new report economic contribution of Indian film and
television industry by price-water house coopers said the film industry was in fact
significantly impacted by online piracy. In 2008, piracy cost the Indian film industry $959
million and about 871,000 jobs.
01 to 15 Mar, 2010

National
         Govt. Spends Less than Rs. 1200 Per Woman a Year: The government's per capita
allocation for women-centric schemes is less than Rs. 1,200 per woman per annum
with a majority of allocations restricted to health and education, leaving areas like
economic and political participation neglected. According to the gender budgeting
statement analysis by Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability (CBGA), per
capita allocation increased from Rs. 410 in 2007-2008 to Rs. 1,000 in 2009-2010. This
rose by 16% in this year's budget to Rs. 1,190. An issue of greater concern is that the
largest allocations are restricted to education (31.62%) and health (27.28%) with
economic and political participation garnering less than 1% of the resources. While
Sectoral allocation for political participation-including awareness programmes -- is
0.07%, economic participation in the form of skill development or creation of resources
for women is 0.49%. While there is an increase in allocation for women-centric
schemes, rights' activists feel that the real test is the impact such schemes have on the
ground.

         Competition Panel to Drag CAT to Apex Court: The move to set up an appellate
tribunal against decisions passed by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) is
already backfiring. The Commission plans to move the Supreme Court against the
Competition Appellate Tribunal (CAT), alleging it has overstepped its brief. The CCI, set
up by the government to break monopoly and unfair trade practices, is upset over a
stay order imposed by CAT, a quasi-judicial body. In a recent order, the Tribunal had
asked for halting investigations by the Commission into an alleged “cartel-like
arrangement” between SAIL and the Indian Railways. CCI is upset as it believes the
Competition Act clearly states CAT can only hear cases after these have been settled.
“CAT cannot impose a stay order because they are not authorised to look into this,”
said an official with the Commission. Only final orders passed by the Commission can
be appealed against in the CAT. This is also the rule for all sectors with government
regulators.

         States Asked to Ready Plans for Leprosy Eradication: The Centre has asked the
States to draw up action plans to overcome the shortage of manpower in dealing with
leprosy, a highly stigmatized and debilitating disease. The plans are to be reflected in
the project implementation plans (PIPs) for 2010-11. Only nine States — Andhra
Pradesh, Gujarat, Goa, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Orissa, Tamil Nadu and West
Bengal — have dedicated Leprosy Officers in place. The situation at the district Level is
even worse, with 116 posts lying vacant as against the sanctioned 311 posts in 523
districts in 20 States.

         Chandrayaan finds Ice on Moon: First water, then Vapour, now Ice. India's
Chandrayaan-1, in its most recent lunar mark, has discovered ice in the Moon's craters
 -- a finding that indicates the presence of as much as 600 million metric tonnes of
water ice on the Moon's north pole. The announcement on the breakthrough, with far-
reaching consequences for space travel, was made late at the 41st Lunar and Planetary
Science Congress organized by the Houston-based Lunar and Planetary Institute. The
discovery was made by a Nasa payload on board Chandrayaan-1 called Mini-Sar
(miniature synthetic aperture radar), a lightweight instrument that weighs 10 kg. It
found more than 40 craters with water ice, the size of the craters ranging between two
and 15 Kilometres in diameter. Scientists say the discovery of water ice anywhere on
the Moon is extremely important because it can serve as a natural resource for
astronauts on future lunar landing missions. The ice could be melted into drinking
water or be separated into its components of oxygen and hydrogen to provide breathing
air and rocket fuel for launching interplanetary missions from the moon. In September
2009, Isro's moon impact probe and the hyper spectral imaging camera (Hysi) along
with Nasa's moon Mineralogy Mapper announced the discovery of water molecules on
the moon. Mini-Sar collected strips of data while flying over the lunar poles. Each strip
is eight kilometres wide and 150-300km long. By June 23, 2009, it had completed its
first polar imaging campaign and mapped more than 90% of both the moon's poles. The
results are to be published in a US journal called Geophysical Research Letters. The ice
was found in the permanently shadowed crater of the moon's north-pole. Similar
conditions of perpetual night exist at the lunar South Pole too. Although the total
amount of ice depends upon the thickness in each lunar crater, it is estimated that
there could be at least 1.3 trillion pounds of water ice on the moon. Mini-Sar collected
strips of data while flying over the lunar poles. Each strip is eight kilometres wide and
150-300km long. By June 23, 2009, it had completed its first polar imaging campaign
and mapped more than 90% of both the moon's poles. The results are to be published
in a US journal called Geophysical Research Letters. The ice was found in the
permanently shadowed crater of the moon's north pole. Similar conditions of perpetual
night exist at the lunar South Pole too. Although the total amount of ice depends upon
the thickness in each lunar crater, it is estimated that there could be at least 1.3 trillion
pounds of water ice on the moon.

         New Generation Airbus A320 Joins Air India Fleet: The first of the new generation
Airbus A320 joined the Air India fleet. It has a host of latest facilities, including
advanced Weather Radar System, Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System
(EGPWS) and an LCD cockpit display system. The 140-seater aircraft is also equipped
with the latest digital cabin management system. The aircraft, the 74th of the 111
ordered by the national carrier as part of its fleet acquisition, will be on display at India
Aviation 2010.

         Delhi High Court Strikes Down Gender Discrimination in Army and Air Force:
Ruling that not granting permanent commission to Short Service Commissioned women
officers in the Air Force and the Army amounts to gender discrimination, the Delhi High
Court directed the two defence services to give permanent commission to all such
women officers who were recruited before May 2006. The judgment by a Division Bench
of the Court comprising Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice M. C. Garg came on a
bunch of petitions by some Short Service Commissioned women officers. Their
contention was that the Air Force had promised in its advertisement for recruitment
that the Short Service Commissioned officers would be offered permanent commission
after completion of five years in service and subject to availability of vacancy and
suitability of the candidates. However, the Air Force changed the recruitment policy in
 May 2006 saying that no Short Service Commissioned officers whether male or female
would be given permanent commission. The women officers submitted before the Court
that they were not given permanent commission when they applied for it. However,
their counterpart male officers working with them were granted permanent commission,
which was discriminatory. The women Short Service Commissioned officers of the Army
had sought their absorption in the permanent commission on the ground of parity with
the Air Force women officers. Allowing the petitions, the Bench said: “The Short Service
Commissioned women officers of the Air Force who had opted for permanent
commission and were not granted the same but granted extension of Short Service
Commission, and of the Army are entitled to permanent commission at par with male
Short Service Commissioned officers with all consequential benefits.''

         “Kaziranga Short Staffed to Protect Rhinos”: Assam Forest and Environment
Minister Rockybul Hussain informed the Assembly that the present strength of frontline
staff of the Kaziranga National Park (KNP) was not sufficient to protect rhinos and other
animals there. Replying to a question by Communist Party of India (CPI) member
Drupad Borgohain, Mr. Hussain said the strength of the frontline staff in 152 camps
inside the park was 386 and this remained unchanged for the past 20 years though the
area had doubled and the rhino population grown from 1,069 to over 2,000. Largest
Population- According to the 2009 census there are 2,201 rhinos in Assam of which
2,048 (the largest population of one-horned rhinos in the world) are found in this World
Heritage Site. The present area of the KNP is 940 sq.km.

         India’s First Open Jail for Women Opened in Pune: India's first open Jail for women
was inaugurated at the Yerawada Central Prison here by Maharashtra Home Minister
R.R. Patil. Addressing a gathering of prisoners, politicians and police officials, Principal
Secretary (Home) of the Prisons department Medha Gadgil termed the measure a
“historic moment” unfolding in the centenary year of the International Women's Day.
During the winter session of the Assembly last year, MLC Mohan Joshi raised a
question about starting an open jail for women. Male prisoners had the facilities of an
open jail at the prisons in Yerawada, Aurangabad, Paithan and Morshi. Mr. Patil then
announced that an open jail for women would be opened at Yerawada on January 26,
2010. However, due to the model code of conduct in place because of the elections to
the Legislative Council, it could not happen. Initially, 50 out of the 500 women
prisoners lodged in the Byculla (in Mumbai) and Yerawada (in Pune) jails would be
selected for the open jail, said Ms. Gadgil. The number would be increased in future.

         ‘Paid news’: Centre plans to Empower PCI:  The Centre said it was mulling over
giving more powers to the Press Council of India (PCI) to tackle the ‘paid news
syndrome' that was influencing the functioning of a free Press. “The PCI, an
autonomous body set up under the Press Council Act, 1978, has been asking for more
powers… We have got fresh proposals from them, which are currently under
consideration,” Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni said in the Rajya
Sabha. Responding to a call attention notice, she said the PCI had been writing to
successive governments to enhance its powers, but the issue was hanging fire. It had
come to the limelight once again when some leading media organisations and other
stakeholders complained about the ‘paid news syndrome' during the Lok Sabha
elections. “In view of all this, the PCI has constituted a sub-committee to consider this
issue and has met various stakeholders, including the Election Commission of India,
the Indian Newspapers Society (INS) and the Indian Language Newspapers Association
 (ILNA). It will submit its report by the month-end for further Action.”

          Govt. 11th Plan Social Sector Math Goes Awry: It is going to be a tremendous
challenge for the government to meet its social sector expenditure commitments it had
chalked out for the 11th Five Year Plan. The actual total spend for four years out of the
five as laid out in the Budget tables including those for 2010-11, show the government
has not crossed the 50% mark in several cases and is way off almost everywhere. The
alternatives are therefore clear. Either the government finds the cash to make up this
scale of shortfall or as the table demonstrates, in the case of all the flagship
programmes, it will have to scale down the planned spend for each before the end of the
11th Plan period that runs from 2007-08 to 2011-12.

      Hits and Misses

11th Plan outlay for the key social sector Programme and actual budget outlay for four
years of the plan.

                                                         11th Plan Outlay         Actual*                  %

      MGNREGA                                  1,00.000                      109.000                 109

      Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan             71,000                         49.500                   69.71

      Rashtriya Madhyamik               22,620                         2,004                     8.86

      Shiksha Abhiyan                      

      National Rural                           90.103                         46,426                   51.52

      Health Mission                          

      Integrated child Dev.                  52,000                         25,485                   19.00

      Service

      Swarna Jyanti Gram                 14,500                         8,342                     57.53

      Swarozgar Yojana                     

      National Rural Dinking              47,306                         32.145                   67.95

      Water-Mission                           

         Expert Panel on Rajiv Awas Yojana Formed: The Union government has set up an
independent eight-member expert committee to review the draft guidelines of Rajiv
Awas Yojana (RAY), a housing scheme for slum dwellers and urban poor. Chaired by
Deepak Parekh, the committee will give its comments on the scheme. This was
announced by the Minister for Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation and Tourism
Kumari Selja swhile speaking at the Parliamentary Consultative Committee attached to
 her Ministry. The other members of the committee are: Nasir Munjee, S. Sridhar,
Professor O.P. Mathur, Renana Jhabwala, Sheela Patel, Rohtas Goyal and Kumar Gera,
all Members of Parliament. 

         More Domestic Suppliers for Russia Type Reactors: Atomic Energy Commission
Chairman Srikumar Banerjee said there would be an increase in indigenisation of
component supplies for the reactors to be constructed in collaboration with Russia in
the coming years. “The roadmap, which India signed with Russia, called for progressive
indigenisation of suppliers for reactors to be constructed in collaboration with Russia
beyond the level already envisaged in units 3 and 4 at Kudankulam," Banerjee said. The
first two units of 1,000 mw was a technical co-operation and are under construction at
Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu. For this, heavy equipments and fuel came from Russia,
while civil work and other requirements are met with Indian suppliers. "The units 3 and
4 which have already got government sanction, the indigenisation process involving
Indian industries is expected to reach up to 70 to 80 per cent. "For units 3 and 4, 5 and
6 at Kudankulam and units 7 and 8 in Haripur, West Bengal the percentage of planned
localisation of component production by Indian industries will progressively be
increased to a maximum amount," he said.

         Highlight of India Aviation 2010: 1. The event would see the participation of around
200 companies from civil aviation sector with 115 international companies and around
75 domestic companies exhibiting their products. An increase of around 18%
companies from the last event. 2. As many as 12 SMEs (small and Medium enterprises)
participating from the ‘partner country –France’, (first time in india) other than the big
companies like airbus, eurocopter, Thales, Cubic Feet per Minute (CFM). Safran. 3. As
many as 11 SMEs participating from ‘focus country- USA’ companies like Boeing, BELL
Textron, GE aviation Gulf Stream, UTC, Hawker Beachcraft, Oskosh etc. 4. 40
differences between types of Aircraft on display along with the display of ‘AN-148’
passenger Aircraft form Antanov/UAC Russia, for the first time in India. 5. A conference
on Civil Aviation Sector with focus on policy issues and business aspects will be held
concurrent to the exhibition. Eminent Speakers, policy makers and experts will address
the conference.  6. Country pavitions of Canada, Germany along with Czech Republic,
Russia and The Netherlands would be an added attraction at the event. 7. Static &
Customer Demonstration fights from the companies like Airbus, Bell helicopter, Boeing,
Bombardier. Cessna Aircraft, Dasault Aviation, Gulfstream Aerospace, Howker Beech
Craft, UAC etc. 8. Huge Airlines participation- Air India, Kingfisher, Jet Airways, Indigo,
SpiceJet, paramount and Qutar Airways etc. Companies that deal with airport
infrastructure Viz, Airport authority of India CMR, GVK, Bangaluru international
Airport, super Airports, Selex (Italy) Smiths Detection etc. also participating in the
event. 

         Haryana’s First N- Power Plant to Come up at Fetehabad Village: Nuclear Power
Corp of India Ltd (NPCIL) has selected Gorakhpur village (Around 175 km from Delhi) in
Fatehabad district of Haryana to set up the state’s first 4X700 mw nuclear power
Plant.          

International
         Kobelco sets up facility at Sri City: Kobelco Construction Equipment India Pvt. Ltd.,
a subsidiary of Kobelco Group of Japan, is setting up an equipment machinery facility
 at the fast coming up multi-product special economic zone (SEZ) of Sri City at Tada in
Andhra Pradesh. The SEZ with a domestic tariff zone (DTZ) is coming up on 6,000
acres. Kobleco will build a manufacturing facility for excavators. It will come up on 17-
acres. According to Tadahiro Akihara, Country Head, the project will come up in two
phases.

         Airtel Makes foray into Digital Media: Bharti Airtel announced its entry into the
media and entertainment sector by launching Airtel Digital Media Business that will
help the company offer content delivery solutions for the sector. “There is a clear
demand for secure digital distribution capability across multiple platforms. Airtel
Digital Media Business will help establish India as an innovation hub for global content
and format delivery. This significant step takes Brand Airtel ahead from being just a
telecom brand to a lifestyle enabler,” Bharti Airtel CEO (India and South Asia) Sanjay
Kapoor said.

         Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre opens in Dhaka: The Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre of
the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, New Delhi, was formally inaugurated by ICCR
president Karan Singh. “Bangladesh and India share a common heritage and
commonalities in art, culture, literature and language,” Dr. Singh said, adding that the
centre was aimed at promoting bilateral exchanges in these fields.

         India and Russia in Pacts: India and Russia sealed agreements in the defence and
strategic spheres, besides taking steps to extend their partnership in new areas such as
energy and fertilizers. In all, the two sides signed five agreements-two each in the
nuclear sphere and fertilizers and one in the civilian space segment-in the presence of
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the visiting Russian Prime Minister, Vladimir
Putin. Several other pacts were signed on the sidelines, including supplementary
agreements on the aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov to finalise cost and technical
issues, and a deal in the military aviation sphere that includes the purchase of more
naval version MiG-29 fighters. Commercial level agreements were signed between
Gazprom and ONGC; NPCIL and Atomostroy export (for the next two units at
Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu); and Alrosa and Diamonds India Limited.

         India-Africa Summit to take up 145 Projects Worth $9billion: At a three-day

interactive conference with the African continent next week in New Delhi, ministers,
businessmen and experts from both sides will discuss 145 business projects worth $9
billion. External affairs minister SM Krishna will inaugurate the sixth India-Africa
Project Partnership conclave on March 14, being jointly organised by the external
affairs and commerce ministries, as well as the EXIM Bank and the CII. Ghana’s vice-
president John Dramani Mahama will be the guest of honour at the conclave. The
conference that seeks to give a fresh momentum to India’s multifaceted engagement
with the African continent will take-off with a CEOs’ roundtable which will put forth an
action plan to scale up bilateral trade to $70 billion in the next five years. Also, it is
expected to revolve around four linked sub-themes: India-Africa partnership, rural
economies, Africa tomorrow and Going Green. The major focus of the conclave will be
on the infrastructure development in Africa. The presence of a strong Indian diaspora in
several African nations further improves the ties with African business and trade
networks, sources said. The other focus areas of discussion will be project financing,
mining and minerals, agriculture and agro-processing, energy, consultancy, transport
connectivity, SMEs promotion, pharmaceuticals and healthcare and human capital
 formation. Major Indian investment in Africa is in sectors like manufacturing; non-
financial services such as IT and IT-enabled services (ITeS) and energy. Sudan and
Mauritius are among the top five investment destinations for India, with both
accounting for about 18 % of India's total FDI flow. However, infrastructure in the
region still remains a critical area for investment. In 2009, the delegates from both
sides discussed projects worth over $12 billion, the fourth conclave, held in New Delhi
in March 2008, and had discussed projects worth over $10 billion.

         Indo-German Technology: An Indo-German Science and Technology Centre (IGSTC)

will be established in about two months. This was stated by T. Ramasami, Secretary,
Department of Science and Technology (DST), and Thomas Rachel, Parliamentary
Secretary of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The Committee
meets once a year alternately in Germany and India. The centre's mandate is to bring
together scientists and industry from both countries to carry out R&D projects in a
“2+2” collaborative arrangement. That is, scientists from India will identify a partnering
Indian firm to collaborate with a corresponding German scientists-industry partnership
group.

         8m tonne-a-yr Methane leak in Arctic Stirs warming Fears: Large amounts of a
powerful greenhouse gas are bubbling up from a long-frozen seabed north of Siberia,
raising fears of far bigger leaks that could stoke global warming, scientists said. It was
unclear, however, if the Arctic emissions of methane gas were new or had been going on
unnoticed for centuries. The study said about 8 million tonnes of methane a year,
equivalent to the annual total previously estimated from all of the world's oceans, were
seeping from vast stores long trapped under permafrost below the seabed north of
Russia. "Subsea permafrost is losing its ability to be an impermeable cap," Natalia
Shakhova, a scientist at the University of Fairbanks, Alaska, who co-led the study, said.
The experts measured levels of methane, a gas that can be released by rotting
vegetation, in water and air at 5,000 sites on the East Siberian Arctic Shelf from 2003-
08. In some places, methane was bubbling up from the seabed. Previously, the sea floor
had been considered an impermeable barrier sealing methane, Shakhova said.

         ONGC Videsh Strikes oil in Syria: ONGC Videsh Ltd, the overseas arm of state owned
oil and Natural Gas Corporation, has made two oil discoveries in an acreage in
northeastern Syria.

         ‘Missing Girls’ Increasing in East Asia: UNDP: The problem of “missing girls'' – a
scenario where more boys are born than girls, as girl foetuses are presumably aborted,
and women die from health and nutrition neglect – is growing in the Asia Pacific. Birth
gender disparity is greatest in East Asia, where 119 boys are born for every 100 girls.
China and India together account for more than 85 million of the nearly 100 million
“missing'' women estimated to have died from discriminatory treatment in health care,
Nutrition access or pure neglect – or because they were never born in the first place,
“Power, Voice and Rights – A Turning Point for Gender Equality in Asia and the Pacific,''
a report brought out by the United Nations Development Programme to mark the
International Women's Day said. One-tenth of women in the region report being
assaulted by their partners, and a majority of women who do work – up to 85 per cent
of South Asia's working women – are engaged in unstable low-end Work in the informal
economy. Few women hold property. Although women predominate in agriculture, they
head only 7 per cent of farms, compared to 20 per cent in most other regions of the
 world. The region is far behind where it could be on basic issues, such as protecting
women from violence, upholding entitlements to property – even allowing people to
divorce in an informed and reasonable way. Few countries have adopted or
Implemented laws prohibiting violence against women, despite widespread evidence of
discrimination and assault. Nearly half of the countries in South Asia, and more than
60 per cent of those in the Pacific, have no laws against domestic violence. Nor are
there many provisions against sexual harassment in workplaces, though 30 to 40 per
cent of working women report experiencing verbal, physical or sexual abuse, the report
said.

         Chile Quake Moved Entire City 3 metres: The massive earthquake, which struck the
west coast of Chile last month moved the entire city of Concepcion more than three
metres to the west, scientists said recently. Preliminary measurements drawn from
global positioning stations showed that Concepcion, Chile's second largest city, is now
3.04 meters further west than it was prior to the 8.8-magnitude quake which struck
February 27. It was the fifth most powerful quake recorded since instruments have
been available to measure seismic shifts and there have been hundreds of aftershocks,
several exceeding magnitude 6.0. The Chilean capital of Santiago also shifted 27.7
centimetres to the west, according to measurements gathered by a team of Chilean and
US scientists and released by Ohio State University. On South America's east coast,
Argentina's capital Buenos Aires moved nearly four centimetres to the west and
significant displacements were recorded as far away as the Falkland Islands.

Economy            

         Tea Exports Drop in Volume: Tea Exports in 2009 were 11.6 million kg less but
earnings have increased amid a shrinking world market that is struggling to emerge
from the downturn. Crop was lower in the world's largest tea producing country, India,
but the losses of the first-half were made-up in good measure after September. Exports
are estimated at 191.49 million kg according to Union Commerce Ministry sources as
compared to 203.1 million kg between January and December 2008. However, the unit
price of Indian tea increased by nearly 16 per cent to touch Rs. 136.64 a kg against 117
a kg a year before. Earnings are estimated at Rs. 2,616 crore as compared to Rs. 2,392
crore.

         India Among Global top 10 in Industrial Production: India has emerged as one of
the world's top ten countries in industrial production, according to UNIDO's (United
Nations Industrial Development Organisation) ‘Yearbook of Industrial Statistics 2010'.
In 2009, India overtook Canada, Brazil and Mexico and moved up to the ninth position,
three places up from the 12th position it held in 2008. The top ten in 2009 were: the
U.S., China, Japan, Germany, the Republic of Korea, France, Italy, the U.K., India and
Brazil. As per the yearbook, the sectors in which India figures among the global top ten
are textiles; leather, leather products and footwear; coke, refined petroleum Products,
nuclear fuel; Chemicals and Chemical products; basic metals; electrical machinery and
apparatus; and other transport equipment, other than motor vehicles, trailers and
semi-trailers. Despite the global financial crisis, India maintained its industrial growth
and overtook its major competitors in the developing world as a consequence.
Alongside, however, the country's manufacturing value added (MVA) per capita at $283
 is still way below that of Brazil ($631) and Mexico ($1,093).

Science and Technology

         Advanced Technology Vehicle Successfully Flight Tested: The Indian Space
Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully flight-tested its new-generation, high-
performance sounding rocket at the spaceport in Sriharikota. The Advanced Technology
Vehicle (ATV- D01), weighing three tonnes at lift-off, is the heaviest sounding rocket
developed by the ISRO. It carries a passive scramjet (Supersonic combustion Ramjet)
engine combustor module as a test-bed for a demonstration of the air-breathing
propulsion technology. An ISRO release said the rocket successfully flew at a velocity of
more than Mach 6 (six times the speed of sound) for seven seconds.
         Invisible Star Shooting Comets at Earth: Scientists have claimed that an invisible
star, five times the size of Jupiter, might be lurking near our solar system, occasionally
kicking deadly comets towards the Earth. According to scientists, the brown dwarf star
is up to five times the size of Jupiter and could be responsible for mass extinctions that
occur on Earth every 26 million years. They believe that the star nicknamed Nemesis or
'The Death Star" could be hidden beyond the edge of our solar system and only emits
infrared light.  It is believed to orbit our solar system at 25,000 times the distance of
the Earth to the Sun, the scientists said.
         Chandrayaan also found deepest Moon Crater:  Scientists have discovered moon's
biggest and deepest crater—some 2,400 kms long and 9 km deep — using data from a
Nasa instrument that flew aboard India's maiden unmanned lunar mission
Chandrayaan-I. The US Space agency's Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) detected the
enormous crater — the South Pole-Aitken basin — that was created when an asteroid
smacked into moon's southern hemisphere shortly after the formation of earth's only
natural satellite. "This is the biggest and deepest crater on the moon — an abyss that
could engulf the US from the east coast through Texas," said lead researcher Noah
Petro of Nasa's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt.
         Flowing lava Crated Mars ‘Rivers: what could influence the likelihood of finding life
on Mars, astronomers have claimed that flowing lava could have possibly made river
like channels on the red planet. Whether the meandering channels on Mars were
formed by water or lava has been debated for years. Now, a Nasa team has pointed out
that flowing lava could have played a vital role in this connection. 

Sports      
         All England title for Chong Wei: World No.1 Lee Chong Wei secured his first All
England title with a 21-19, 21-19 victory over unseeded Japanese Kenichi Tago. The
Malaysian lost out in last year's final to world and Olympic champion Lin Dan but the
Chinese exited this time round in the quarterfinals, easing the way for Chong Wei.

         Alonso Leads Massa in Emphatic Ferrari Triumph: Fernando Alonso won the season-
opening Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix and led a Ferrari one-two in a dream debut
with the Italian glamour team.

         Karun Chandhok all set F1 Circuit: Chennai racer Karun Chandhok signed up with
Hispanic racing and will participate in the 2010 formula one grand prix series the 26
 year old is only the second Indian after Narian Karthikeyan to set a race seat in formula
one.

         Kapil Dev Inducted into Hall of Fame: Kapil Dev was inducted into the International
Cricket Council (ICC) Cricket Hall of Fame at a Ceremony in Dubai. According to an ICC
communication, a commemorative cap was presented to Kapil by the ICC President,
David Morgan, in the presence of fellow Hall of Fame member, former West Indies
captain Clive Lloyd. The Hall of Fame, run in association with the Federation of
International Cricketers Associations (FICA), recognises some of the legends of the game
from its long and illustrious history.

Persons                                                              
                                   
         New Appointment: Brij Mohan Bansal, director (planning and business development)
has taken over the additional charge of the chairmen of Indian oil corporation Ltd. he
took over the reins from Sarthak Behuria who completed his tenure on February 28.
Prior to joining the Indian Oil Board as director (R &D), he was heading IO’s Mathura
refinery.

         Iravatham Mahadevan: Iravatham Mahadevan, an expert on the Tamil Brahmi

inscriptions and the Indus script, has said the discovery of three potsherds with Tamil
Brahmi inscriptions at Marungur, near Vadalur in Tamil Nadu, “underlines the
importance of inscribed pottery to demonstrate the prevalence of early and widespread
literacy in the Tamil country during the Sangam age.”

         Bhaskar Sen takes over as New CMD of UBI: Dena Bank executive director Bhaskar
Sen has taken over as chairman and managing director of United Bank of India (UBI)
with effect from 1 March. A UBI statement said he has taken over the charge after the
superannuation of S. C Gupta.

Awards

         Oscars’ Golden Girl: Katherine Bigelow became the first woman ever to win an Oscar
for Best Director. Her film, The Hurt Locker, was the awards night’s big winner with five
more Golden Statues.

         Oscar Awards:

      Motion picture: The hurt locker

      Actor: Jeff Bridges, Crazy heart

      Actress: Sandra Bullock, the blind side

      Supporting Actor:             Christoph Waltz Inglourious Basterds

      Supporting Actress: Mo ‘Nique,

      Director: Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker

      Foreign film: EL Secreto de Sus Ojos, Argentina

      Original screenplay: Mark Boeal, The Hurt Locker

      Animated feature film: up

      Art direction: Avatar

      Cinematography: Avatar

      Sound mixing: The hurt Locker

      Sound editing:  The Hurt Locker

      Original score: up, Michael Giaccchino

Original Song: The weary king (Theme from crazy heart) from crazy heart, Ryan
Bingham and T Bone Burnett.

         Award for Filmmaker Yavar Abbas: Veteran British Asian Filmmaker Yavar Abbas will
be honoured with the Lifetime achievement award by the South Asian Cinema
Foundation (SACF) for making films like India! My India!

         FICCI Award for ONGC: Oil and natural gas corporation Limited (ONGC) has been
conferred with the FICCI annual award 2008-2009 for ‘Outstanding corporate vision
business performance, social and environmental action and globalization’. Pranab
Mukherjee, union finance minister, handed over the award to R. S. Sharma, CMD,
ONGC, at the inaugural session of the FICCI annual General Meeting (AGM) recently.

Miscellaneous
         More Evidence Unearthed at Ancient Port of Muziris: Pattanam, a small village
located 25 km north of Kochi, is the new pilgrimage spot on the international
archaeological map. This quiet place, archaeologists now confirm, was once the
flourishing port known to the Romans as Muziris and sung in praise by the Tamil
Sangam poets as Muciri. Every year since 2005, excavations have yielded artifacts,
structures and even a canoe in one instance to confirm this conclusion. This year has
also been productive for archaeologists. A figure of a pouncing lion carved in great
detail on a semi precious stone and a bright micro metal object with intricate designs
are two of the special objects found during the ongoing excavations that began in
February. Copper antimony rods, usually associated with cosmetic use, were also
found. The semi precious stone with the lion figure measures about 2 cm and is
rounded at the edge. It appears to be part of a pendant or a ring. The object is yet to be
dated in a scientific manner, but going by the depth at which it was found, it is
tentatively placed in the early historic period — 1 st century BCE to 4th century CE. It
 was during this time that trade with the West Asian and Roman ports was extensive.

16 to 28 Feb, 2010

National

         Shot in the Arm for Impartial Probe: Raghavan: The former CBI director, R.K.
Raghavan, welcomed the Supreme Court ruling that High Courts and the Supreme
Court could order a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into a
Cognisable offence without the State’s consent.
         Another Officers Training Academy in Gaya: The Cabinet Committee on Security has
approved the opening of an Officers Training Academy at Gaya in Bihar in addition to
the one in Chennai. This is a major long-term step to obviate the problem of shortage of
Army officers, a Defence Ministry release said. To start with, the academy will provide
training to 250 officer cadets annually. In due course, it will be upgraded to train 750
officer cadets. It will also cater to the training of officer cadre from friendly foreign
countries. It will have state-of-the art infrastructure and training facilities. The project,
which will cost approximately Rs. 360 crore, will offer employment and economic
opportunities in the area.
         Tata, Agusta Set up Joint Venture: Tata Sons and Italian defence major Agusta
Westland signed an agreement for formation of a joint venture company, which will
establish a final assembly line for AW-119 helicopters for the Indian Army and the
global market. The agreement was signed by Tata Group Chairman Ratan Tata and
Agusta Westland CEO Giuseppe Orsi. The AW-119 has been offered to India by Agusta
for army’s requirement for 197 choppers to replace its ageing fleet of Cheetah and
Chetak light helicopters. The new company would be responsible for AW-119 final
assembly, completion and delivery while Agusta Westland would be responsible for
worldwide marketing and sales, Agusta officials said. The first aircraft was scheduled to
be delivered from the new facility in 2011 with production forecast to rise to 30 aircraft
a year to meet worldwide demand, they added.
         Supreme Court bans mining in Aravalli ranges:  The Supreme Court banned mining
in 157 mines in the Aravalli Ranges, in respect of which applications for renewal of
lease have been pending with the Rajasthan government. A Bench of Chief Justice K.G.
Balakrishnan and Justices S.H. Kapadia and Aftab Alam also ordered satellite imaging
of the Aravalli Ranges spread over a 50,000-km area in 15 districts. It said the court-
appointed Central Empowered Committee on environmental matters and the Rajasthan
government would cooperate with the Forest Survey of India in carrying out satellite
imaging. The Bench said the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and
Planning Authority (CAMPA) Advisory Council would provide Rs. 5 crore for the
exercise.
         Tiger Sighting in new Reserve: Parambukulam wildlife sanctuary, Kerala, which was
declared the country’s 38th tiger reserve. Union Minister of State for Environment and
Forests Jairam Ramesh said the tiger population in 18 of the 38 tiger reserves in the
country “may die out any time.” Inaugurating the Parambikulam Tiger Reserve. He said
 there were only nine functioning tiger reserves in the country.
         Supreme Court again says ‘no’ to demand for regional Benches: The Full Court of
the Supreme Court has rejected the Law Commission’s suggestion that the highest
court in the land be split into a Constitution Bench in Delhi and Cassation Benches in
the four regions. The Full Court, comprising 27 judges and headed by Chief Justice of
India K.G. Balakrishnan, which met to consider the demand for regional Benches,
reiterated its stand that dividing the Supreme Court would affect the country’s unitary
character. A unanimous resolution said the Full Court, having independently
considered the earlier requests and the latest letter from Union Law Minister M.
Veerappa Moily was of the view that regional Benches could not be established.
Thereby, it reiterated the four resolutions passed in 1999, 2001, 2004 and 2006.
         1,000-Crore Hike for Job Scheme: The Union budget provided Rs.1,000-rore hike in
allocation for the flagship programme Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment
Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS). The allocation has been pegged at Rs. 40,100 crore as
against the allocation of Rs. 39,100 crore, where as the Ministry of Rural Development
had demanded an allocation in excess of Rs. 65,000 crore for the next fiscal year.
         Massive hike in Social Sector outlay will Benefit Backward Classes: With the social
sector outlay gradually increasing to 37 per cent of the total plan outlay in 2010-11, the
Union government proposes to allocate Rs.4,500 crore to the Ministry of Social Justice
and Empowerment in the next fiscal, a substantial increase of 80 per cent over last
year. Announcing the increase in the Union budget, Union Finance Minister Pranab
Mukherjee said this would help the social sector focus more on the welfare of the
Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and the Other Backward Classes, besides the
physically challenged. Mr. Mukherjee said the increased allocation would help the
Ministry enhance the scholarship amounts for students belonging to these sections.
“The allocation will allow the Ministry to expand the various schemes it is running for
the welfare of the physically challenged, and for the SCs/STs and the OBCs.”
         Court allows Madhya Pradesh to proceed with dams: The Supreme Court permitted
the Madhya Pradesh Government to go ahead with acquisition of land, excavation and
canal network construction work for implementation of the Indira Sagar dam and
Omkareshwar dam projects subject to final orders to be passed by the Union Ministry
of Environment and Forests on approvals for Command Area Development plans. A
three-Judge Bench of Chief Justice K. G. Balakrishnan, Justice J. M. Panchal and
Justice B. S. Chauhan thereby modified the Madhya Pradesh High Court judgment
restraining the State Government from acquiring land, carrying out excavation and
construction of canal work for the two projects. The High Court had passed the
restraint order on a petition from social activist Medha Patkar.
         Kingfisher Airlines joins one world Alliance: Vijay Mallya-led Kingfisher Airlines has
announced that it will be joining the global airline grouping one world that would
enable it to offer passengers an enhanced choice of routes serviced by member airlines
and vice-versa. “The agreement was concluded at a meeting between Kingfisher Airlines'
Chairman Vijay Mallya and Chief Executives from one world's 11 existing member
airlines,” a statement from the airline company said. Kingfisher will become the first
Indian carrier in the alliance that includes American Airlines, British Airways and
Finnair. With around 400 daily departures, Kingfisher will bring to one world 58 new
Indian destinations, enhancing the alliance's portfolio of routes. 800 destinations-
Including Kingfisher, one world has a total of about 800 destinations in 150 countries,
to which the alliance flies with around 2,350 aircraft. The starting date of membership
 will be announced once India's aviation authorities approve Kingfisher's application.
“Kingfisher Airlines applied to India's Ministry of Civil Aviation for authority to proceed
with its membership of one world,” Kingfisher said. It generally takes around 18
months to complete the membership formalities.
         Virtual Maps to Help in Disaster Management: The set-up is straight out of a sci-fi
movie. But its applications are for real disasters. Taking a cue from the tsunami that
hit the Indian shores on December 26, 2004, the Indian National Centre for Ocean
Information Services (INCOIS) virtually mapped Nagapattinam district of Tamil Nadu to
study levels of inundation in the area for future use in case of natural disasters. The
pilot project, which was initiated by the Government of India during 2007, involved
creating 3D maps of coastal areas which provide basic details that can be used during
emergency situations. Information on buildings, roads and population can be seen on
the maps which are accessed by the Tsunami Warning Centre (TWC) on the INCOIS
campus in Hyderabad.
         ICDS short of funds, 44% children still Malnourished: The world’s biggest children’s
nutrition program, called the Integrated Child Development Service (ICDS) runs in
India. Over 72 million children and 15 million pregnant or lactating mothers are given
nutritional supplements every day in nearly 1 million anganwadi centres. Started in
1975, the program was limping along till the Supreme Court ordered its
universalisation in 2004. The Court also started keeping a watch on the progress and
ordered that hot cooked meals should be served. As a result, the government has
repeatedly promised that it will extend the program to all 14 lakh habitations in the
country. But is the government really putting the money where its mouth is? Analysis
done by the Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability (CBGA) shows that there
is a wide gap between the financial allocations currently being made and the need for
running such a massive program smoothly. As the government scrambles to meet the
Supreme Courts directions, the state of decay and inefficiency is sought to be papered
over with gross figures. In the 2009-10 Union budget the government allocated Rs
6,705 crore for running the currently operational 10.44 lakh anganwadi centres (AWCs)
under ICDS. Each has one anganwadi worker and one helper. The worker is paid a
measly Rs 1,500 while the helper gets just Rs 750 per month. Each centre gets just Rs
300 for buying stationery, towels, soap etc. About a third of the anganwadis are
running in rented rooms, and nearly a fifth are functioning from kuchha structures.
Nearly 15,000 Anganwadis function in open spaces. Infrastructure facilities are
abysmal just 32% have drinking water, 25% have toilets, 29% have kitchens although
60% have cooking equipment. Officially, there are supposed to be nearly 11 lakh
anganwadi workers and 11.35 lakh helpers, guided by about 8,000 senior officers and
over 45,000 supervisors. In reality, about one third of posts are lying vacant.
International

         Sri Lanka loses EU benefits: The European Union member states have decided to
temporarily withdraw preferential tariff benefits known as Generalised System of
Preferences (GSP) granted to Sri Lanka from August on the ground that there are
“significant shortcomings” in the implementation of three U.N. human rights
conventions. The EU and Sri Lanka have been engaged in consultations on the subject
for several months now with the former pointing to alleged human rights violations in
the war with the LTTE and the latter asking the EU to take into account the turbulent
times on account of the Tigers. Sri Lanka stands to loose concessions to the tune of
$100 million to the textile and apparel industry, directly affecting at least one lakh
workers. The EU said the suspension of GSP+ benefits was temporary, as the
 overarching EU objective remained to use GSP+ as an incentive to improve the human
rights situation, and would only take effect in six months, giving Sri Lanka time to
address the problem.
         Iran could be making Nuclear Warhead, says IAEA: The United Nation's nuclear
watchdog has raised concerns for the first time that Iran might be developing a nuclear
warhead for a missile. In his first report on Iran, new Director-General of the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Yukiya Amano, broke with the more
cautious style of his predecessor Mohamed ElBaradei and suggested Iran could have
looked into the construction of a weapon, and that weaponisation work could be under
way. Mr. Amano's report to the IAEA board also confirmed that Iran had succeeded in
producing 20 per cent enriched uranium, a level of enrichment much closer to weapons
grade than it had attempted before. It criticised the Iranian authorities for taking the
step without giving IAEA inspectors notice. Iran's envoy to the IAEA, Ali Asghar
Soltanieh, said the report confirmed Iran's “peaceful nuclear activities”. But Mr.
Amano's comments on the “possible military dimensions” of the programme are likely to
add to the diplomatic pressure on Tehran, as they go further than the official position of
U.S. intelligence that weaponisation work is likely to have been suspended in 2003.
         Obama Dalai meet: China Says US Action Hurting ties: China summoned US
ambassador in Beijing, Jon Huntsman, to lodge a strong protest against US President
Barack Obama meeting with Dalai Lama. But the reaction was subdued as compared to
the threats voiced by Chinese officials to block the meeting. The Chinese foreign
ministry issued a statement advising Obama to take "concrete actions" to ensure
healthy growth of China-US relations and wipe out the baneful effect of the meeting.
This is very different from its earlier statement when the ministry said the proposed
meeting will gravely harm Sino-US relations.
         India Bangladesh Power Plant Deal: India and Bangladesh have decided to set up a
joint-venture 1,320-megawatt power plant as a mark of co-operation. The two
neighbours have also agreed to a cross-border power grid. The joint-venture power
plant, to be constructed in southern Khulna in Bangladesh, will be operational within
two years. The decisions were taken at the second meeting of the Bangladesh-India
Joint Steering Committee on the power sector which was formed during Bangladesh
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's recent visit to New Delhi. The cooperation will facilitate
Bangladesh's import of 250 mw to meet the power demand. Power Secretary HS
Brahma said India was offering “the cheapest rates” — varying between Rs 2 and Rs 2.5
(Tk 3-3.5). India's National Thermal Power Cooperation (NTPC) and the Bangladesh
Power Development Board (BPDB) signed the MoUs.
         Chile a Seismic hot spot: Expert: Chile covers an area where two tectonic plates meet
and which sees some of the greatest seismic activity anywhere in the world, with a 8.0
quake every decade or so, a Paris-based expert said. "Chile is a unique natural
laboratory to study earthquakes, since the speed of plate movements is very
significant," said Chilean tectonic specialist Rolando Armijo of the Paris Institute of
Earth Physics. "The subduction zones are the most exposed regions of the world to
seismic risks and tsunamis," Armijo said, describing a geological process in which one
tectonic plate moves under another. The massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake that
rocked Chile early Saturday has killed at least 82 people, toppled buildings and
triggered a tsunami threatening the Pacific rim of fire. But it is not the biggest
earthquake the country has witnessed. The world's largest-ever registered tremor, the
9.5-magnitude Valdiva quake, shook Chile in 1960.
         Bamiyan: Taliban rebuffed Japan’s offer: Japan offered to hide Afghanistan’s
Bamiyan Buddha statues to prevent the Taliban from destroying them, but the hardline
regime instead suggested the Japanese convert to Islam, a new memoir says. Abdul
Salam Zaeef, who was Taliban-ruled Afghanistan’s most public face as ambassador to
Pakistan, wrote that Japan was the most active country in pressing the regime not to
demolish the 1,500-year-old statues in 2001.
         Indian-American’s ‘Power plant in a box’ unveiled: A much-awaited energy venture,
known as a “power plant in a box,” was unveiled by its Indian-American initiator,
promising to provide clean electricity to homes, office buildings and even whole villages
in the developing world. Bloom Energy, one of Silicon Valley’s most secretive start-ups,
unveiled its groundbreaking technology ‘Bloom Box,’ invented by rocket scientist K.R.
Sridhar. “Bloom Energy is dedicated to making clean, reliable energy affordable for
everyone in the world,” said Dr. Sridhar, principal co-founder and CEO of Bloom
Energy. “Fuel cell device” - The key to the ‘Bloom Box’ is the “fuel cell device,” which
consists of a stack of ceramic disks coated with secret green and black “inks.” These
disks are separated by cheap metal plates. The Bloom Energy Server, a smooth metal
box the size of a pickup truck, can generate electricity from multiple fuels while
producing relatively few greenhouse gas emissions. NASA days - Founded in 2001,
Bloom Energy traces its roots to NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration)
Mars space programme. Among its board of directors, is the former Secretary of State,
Collin Powell, who joined last year.
         M. F. Hussain gets Qatar Nationality: M. F. Husain, India’s greatest and most
celebrated artist, has been conferred Qatar nationality – something that is very rarely
given, need now to give up the citizenship of the land of his birth, which he has lovingly
and secularly celebrated in his art covering a period of over seven decades. India does
not allow dual citizenship, even though it has instituted the category of the ‘Overseas
Indian Citizen.’ Mr. Husain will no doubt seek to acquire OIC status after completing
the due procedures.
         World trade hit by biggest drop since war: WTO: World trade fell by 12 percent last
year as the economic crisis caused the biggest drop since 1945, World Trade
Organization chief Pascal Lamy said. "World trade was reduced by 12 percent in 2009,"
Lamy told the European Policy Centre, a Brussels think tank. He said it was the
"sharpest decline" since the end of the World War II. The drop was worse than the 10
percent fall that the WTO had forecast in December.
         Israel’s plan stirs unrest: Scores of Palestinians clashed with Israeli forces in the West
Bank city of Hebron, a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced
plans to include two hotly contested sites — a Hebron shrine and a tomb in another
West Bank city — on a list of Israeli national heritage sites. Both sit in areas that Israel
controls and that the Palestinians demand as part of the territory of a future state, and
both have been focal points of past violence. Their inclusion on the Israeli list enraged
Palestinian leaders and prompted the U.N. special coordinator for West Asia to express
concern. Mr. Netanyahu laid out a $100-million government plan to rehabilitate what
he called “archaeological and Zionist heritage sites”, during a special Cabinet meeting
held in northern Israel at Tel Hai, the scene of a 1920 battle between Arabs and early
Zionist settlers. He said he intended to include the Cave of the Patriarchs, also known
as Ibrahimi Mosque, the Hebron shrine revered by Jews, Muslims and Christians as the
burial place of Abraham, on the list of about 150 sites. In 1994, a Jewish settler,
Baruch Goldstein, fatally shot 29 Palestinian Muslim worshippers inside the shrine. Mr.
Netanyahu said he also planned to include Rachel's Tomb, a shrine just inside the West
 Bank city of Bethlehem. “People must be familiar with their homeland and its cultural
and historical vistas,” he told the Cabinet. Mr. Netanyahu had come under pressure
from Israeli rightists to include the two shrines. He said the list of sites submitted to
the Cabinet was neither final nor closed. But the announcement drew sharp criticism
from Palestinian officials and the Fatah party, led by Palestinian President Mahmoud
Abbas.
         EU Prepares £22bn bailout for Greece: A Greek bailout package worth up to 25
billion euros (22 billion) is being put together by eurozone finance ministers, according
to German reports. The financial assistance would include loans and guarantees, with
the burden being spread between members of the European single currency. It is
understood that Germany would put up 4 billion euros to 5 billion euros. The plan
emerged as Greece prepares to launch a multi billion euro bound in move that will test
its credibility in the financial markets. It also comes amid concern over the OK’s fiscal
position, which continues to hit the value of the pound. Sterling lost almost 2% against
the dollar and 1% against the euro last year.
         Franco Russian warship deal sparks concern: Moscow’s first major military purchase
from a NATO country is alarming ex-soviet states such as Georgia and the Baltic states.
In a deal worth up to $750m, France will sell Russia one mistral class warship and is
considering a request for three more vessels to be built under license in Russian
Shipyards MISTRAL AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT SHIP: Can carry 16 helicopters, 450
troops, 60 armoured vehicles or 13 main battle tanks, and either four landing craft
utility or two assault hovercraft.
         Environment not part of WTO: Khullar: In response to moves by developed nations
to adopt unilateral trade-restrictive measures such as carbon taxes to combat climate
change, a commerce ministry body released a booklet arguing that such moves are
incompatible with World Trade Organization (WTO) rules and will spark trade wars
among countries. A carbon tax is a tax on the carbon dioxide emissions from burning
fossil fuels. The body argued that the failure to impose a carbon tax or otherwise
internalize the full price of carbon does not currently give other WTO members the right
to impose anti-dumping duties on imports. “There is an attempt to bring in
environmental issues such as cap on trade, virtual carbon and carbon leakage to the
WTO agenda through backdoor.
         EU Chief urges ‘Rethink’ on climate dealings: The head of the European
Commission warned that European leaders must "rethink" their approach to climate
change negotiations with major partners such as China and the United Sates. In a
letter to the 27 European Union leaders, Jose Manuel Barroso said a UN summit in
Copenhagen in December at which bloc negotiations were outmaneouvred "showed us
just how tough it will be" to convince the world to adopt similar policies.  
         BHEL, Toshiba Join hands: Seeking to expand its horizon, state-run Bharat Heavy
Electrical Limited (BHEL) has inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to set up a
50:50 joint venture company with Toshiba of Japan for manufacturing power
equipment for transmission and distribution in India and abroad. The joint venture will
receive technology for the equipment and systems from Toshiba. The power equipment
manufacturer would be adding another 8,000 people in the remaining two years of the
Plan period.

Economy
         U. K. Tea Company enters India: U.K.-based premium tea company Newby Teas
 entered the Indian branded tea market. In India, the company planned to enter through
the Horeca, a big brand in hotels, restaurant and the catering sector, and then followed
it up with retail presence in lifestyle chain.
         OVL, GAIL get nod for stakes in China Pipeline: The government has given ONGC
Videsh Ltd (OVL) and GAIL India the go-ahead to pick up a 12.5% stake in the $2.01-
billion pipeline being built by China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) to ferry gas
from the A-1 and A-3 blocks in Myanmar to China. OVL and GAIL hold 17% and 8.5%
stakes in the gas fields, respectively. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs
(CCEA) approved the proposal allowing OVL $167.84 million to take a 8.35% stake in
the pipeline. GAIL will invest $83.88 million for taking a 4.17% stake. Gas from the
blocks would be sold to China at a price of $7.72 per million British thermal unit at the
landfall point in Myanmar.
         3.98% rise in Defence outlay: The Union budget increased the outlay for the defence
sector by 3.98 percent with a total allocation of Rs. 1, 47,344 crore as against the
previous allocation of Rs. 1,41,703 crore.
         GST from April 1 not feasible: FM: The state finance ministers have stated that the
proposed GST, which will replace most of the indirect taxes at the central and the state
levels, cannot be implemented from April this year as envisaged. FM Pranab Mukherjee
would meet state finance ministers in early April to the discuss implementation of the
GST.
         NPPA to reviser pricing norms: Drug price regulator National Pharmaceutical Pricing
Authority (NPPA) has decided to undertake a study to revise the norms and
methodology for fixing and changing the prices of medicines in the country. "As per the
provisions of DPCO-1995, NPPA has taken up a study to revise and fix the norms for
conversion cost (CC), packing charges (PC), process loss (PL) and packing material (PM)
for the year 2010."
         Anti-dumping duty on stainless steel import: India has imposed anti-dumping duty
up to $2,254 per tonne (Rs 104,134) on import of certain stainless steel product used
by consumer durables and auto industries from the US, EU, Chaiona South Korea,
South Africa, Taiwan, Japan and Thailand. Meanwhile, the Directorate general of Anti-
dumping and allied duties had recommended an anti dumping duty on Baus and truck
radial tyres from China and Thailand.
         Jouve acquires Tex Tech: Jouve group, a European service provider specialising in
digital and print content management and publishing services, has announced the
acquisition of the Chennai based Tex-Tech International along with its U.S. subsidiary,
Tex-Tech inc, engaged in publishing services for books and e-Books.  

Science and Technology

         WHO Recommends A (H1N1) Virus as seasonal flu Vaccine: The World Health
Organisation (WHO) recommended that the pandemic A(H1N1) virus should be used for
making seasonal influenza vaccines in the northern hemisphere. Besides the pandemic
A (H1N1) virus, the A (H3N2) virus and the influenza B virus should also be included in
making influenza vaccines in the 2010 — 2011 northern hemisphere influenza season,
the U.N. agency said in a statement. The recommendation was announced following a
four-day closed-door meeting of influenza experts, which was meant to select the
seasonal vaccine strains for the northern hemisphere.
         Hottest temp in lab recreates big Bang soup: Scientists have created the hottest
temperature ever in the lab — 4 trillion degrees Celsius — hot enough to break matter
down into the kind of soup that existed microseconds after the birth of the universe.
They used a giant atom smasher at the US department of energy’s Brookhaven National
Laboratory in New York to knock gold ions together to make the ultra-hot explosions —
which lasted only for milliseconds. But that is enough to give physicists fodder for years
of study that they hope will help them understand why and how the universe formed.
“That temperature is hot enough to melt protons and neutrons,” Brookhaven’s Steven
Vigdor said at a meeting of the American Physical Society in Washington. These
particles make up atoms, but they are themselves made up of smaller components
called quarks and gluons.     

 
 
 
Sports
         Oz anthem Plays for Indian Shooting Gold: It was proud moment for India, shooters
Anisa Sayyed and Annuraj Singh had won a gold on the first day of the commonwealth
shooting championships and were standing on the podium.
         Double delight: Sachin Tendulkar became the first man to score a double century in
one day international.
         Venus retains title: Venus Williams retained her Dubai championship crown by
defeating Victoria Azarenka of Belarus 6-3, 7-5 in final. It was the third seeded
American’s 42nd singles title, putting her one ahead of Justine Henin at the top of the
list of active players.
         India to host world cup Kabaddi from March 31: The Much awaited world cup Kabaddi
will commence from March 31.
         Sharapova wins in Memphis: Maria Sharapova put her disappointing Australian open
performance behind her, as she beat Sofia Arvidsson 6-2, 6-1 to win the WTA tour’s
Mebphis title.
Persons
         Anand Mahindra: Anand G. Mahindra, vice-chairman and managing director of
Mahindra Group, has been named Ernst & young Entrepreneur of the year 2009. The
lifetime Achievement Award has gone to N.V. Vaghul for his unparalleled contribution
to the Indian financial sector.
          Carl Peter Forster: Tata Motors has appointed Carl-Peter Forster as the group Chief
Executive Officer of the company. He will have the overall responsibility of Tata Motors
operations globally, including Jaguar Land Rover.
         Janaki Ballabh: Eminent Hindi poet Acharya Janaki Ballabh Shastri, who had on
Republic Day refused to accept the Padma Shri, has turned down once again. His
famous works include Roop Aaroop, Teer Tarang Meghgeet, Pashani, Tamsa and Iravati.
He has been conferred with awards such as the Rajendra Shikhar Samman, the Bharat
Bharti Award and the Shivpujan Sahay award.
         Ralf Speth: Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), owned by Tata Motors, said it has appointed Ralf
Speth as CEO with overall responsibility of the company’s operations. He will report to
Carl peter Forster, the recently appointed group CEO of Tata Motors.
         Shyam Saran: Prime Minister's special envoy on climate change and India-US nuclear
issues Shyam Saran has decided to quit.
Awards
         Akademi honours Artistes: Renowned Hindustani vocalist Pandit Jasraj, veteran film
actor Shreeram Lagoo and danseuse Yamini Krishnamurti are among six eminent
personalities to be awarded with Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellows (Akademi Ratna). The
General Council of Sangeet Natak Akademi, the National Academy of Music, Dance and
Drama, has honoured these personalities for their contribution in the field of
performing arts. The other three artists are Carnatic musician Lalgudi Jayaraman,
theatre personality Kamlesh Dutt Tripathi and vocalist Kishori Amonkar, the academy
said.
         10 Young Scientists wink Scopus Award: Ten young scientists have won this year’s
National Academy of Sciences India (NASI) Scopus Awards instituted by the National
Academy of Sciences, India, and Elsevier, a leading research publisher of scientific,
technical and medical information products and services. The winners include
Kaviyarani R. Prasad, Siddhartha Gadgil and Vijay B. Shenoy of the Bangalore-based
Indian Institute of Science; Tanmay Basak of IIT-Madras, and Suresh Babu of the
Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram. The other winners are Vinay
Nandicoori of the National Institute of Immunology, Ellora Sen of the National Brain
Research Centre, Siddharth Pandey of IIT-Delhi, S.N. Tripathi of IIT-Kanpur, and Pratap
Ray Chaudhuri of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai.
         SEWA’s Ela Bhatt Chosen for Niwano Peace Prize: Social worker Ela Bhatt has been
chosen for the Niwano Peace Prize this year for her contribution to the uplift of poor
women in India. Ms. Bhatt, a follower of Mahatma Gandhi’s teachings and recognised
as one of the pioneers in the development of the most oppressed and poorest women of
India for more than three decades. The award, which recognises the significant
contribution of an individual to inter-religious understanding and cooperation leading
to world peace.
         Jean Mayer Award for Journalist: Eminent journalist Sanjoy Hazarika has been
awarded the Dr. Jean Mayer Award for Global Citizenship by the U.S.-based Tufts
University for his contribution to the north-east of India, initiatives in health and
governance, besides advocacy of issues. The award is given annually to scholars and
practitioners who make significant contributions to improving the lives of people in
their areas of work and impacting both research and policy. The previous awardees
include Nobel laureates Amartya Sen and Desmond Tutu.
         US award for Dalia Lama despite China ire: The Dalai Lama was bestowed with a US
award for his commitment to democracy, the latest honor for the Tibetan spiritual
leader despite China's angry protests over his White House welcome. The National
Endowment for Democracy gave the Dalai Lama a medallion and hailed him for
supporting a democratic government in exile.
         Berlin fest Honour Polanski: The 60th Berlin film festival wrapped up day after
crowning roman polanski the best director, although the film maker, who is under
house arrest in Switzerland over a 1977 sex case, missed the premiere of his latest
 movie.
Books and authors
         My life is My Massage: Narayan Desai
         Joy-Ride Towards Divinity: A spiritual autobiography; Shobha Rajagopal Menon
         The Dancing peacock: Indian insights into religion and development; Kuruvilla 
Pandikattu SJ James Ponniah
         White flower of yesterday: Sakuntala Gananathan
         India: Yesterday and today; T. P. Sankaran Kutty Nair

Miscellaneous
         Scientist discovers Himalayan Wildcat Haven: A little-known rainforest in north-east
India could be home to the world’s largest number of wildcat species, with no less than
seven species Photo-Documented by a wildlife biologist at the end of her two-year
survey. Kashmira Kakati’s camera-trap shots reveal that the wildcats share a relatively
small, 500 sq.km. Patch of rainforest in the Jeypore-Dehing lowlands in Assam, which
includes the Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary. Among the cats are the elusive and rare
clouded leopard (Neofelis Nebulosa), the marbled cat (Pardofelis Marmorata) and the
Asian golden cat (Catopuma temminckii), besides the relatively more widely distributed
tiger (Panthera Tigris), the leopard (Panthera Pardus), the leopard cat (Prionailurus
bengalensis), and the jungle cat (Felis Chaus). 

01 to 15 Feb, 2010

National

         After 4th test, Agni-III ready for Induction: India successfully test-fired its indigenous Agni-III
ballistic missile, which has a range of over 3,500 km and can even strike targets deep inside
China. This paves the way for induction of the nuclear-ca pable missile into the armed forces and
consolidates India’s position among a select group of nations having intermediate-range ballistic
missile (IRBM) capability. It was tested on the Inner Wheeler Island at Dhamra, a launch site in
Bhadrak district around 200 km from Orissa capital Bhubaneswar. One of the country’s most
Powerful Missile. The missile, which has a two-stage solid propellant system, reached a peak
height of 350 km during the course of flight and reentered the atmosphere successfully, tolerating
surface temperatures that reached nearly 3,000 degree Celsius.
         India has Highest Number of new Leprosy Patients: According to WHO's latest estimate,
around 35% of new leprosy cases in India-48,000-are women. India also recorded the highest
number of children newly detected with leprosy-13,610. India, which is home to over 700 leper
colonies, was also ahead of all other countries in the number of relapse cases at 325. Leprosy is a
chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae, which mainly affects the skin,
peripheral nerves, upper respiratory tract and the eyes. It is curable and treatment provided in
the early stages averts disability. Official figures show that approximately 2.49 lakh new cases
 were reported globally in 2008. The leprosy causing bacteria multiplies very slowly and the
incubation period of the disease is about five years. Symptoms can take as long as 20 years to
appear. India's National Health Policy 2002 had set the goal of elimination of leprosy (reduce the
number of cases to less than 1/10,000 population) by the year 2005. India achieved this goal in
December 2005, when the recorded prevalence rate (PR) in the country was 0.95/10,000
population.
         A. P. quota for Sections of Muslims Quashed: In a significant judgment having national
ramifications, the Andhra Pradesh High Court struck down the four per cent reservation
provided by the State government to selected sections of Muslims in education and public
employment. These sections were categorised as additional “E” group and included among the
existing Backward Classes enjoying reservation, first through an ordinance and then legislation.
Five judges on the Bench allowed the writ petitions challenging this Act 26 of 2007, while two
differed with this view. The report of the A.P. Commission for Backward Classes, which was
relied upon by the government for extending the reservation, came in for severe criticism by the
judges. Declaring the A.P. Reservation in favour of Socially Educationally Backward Classes of
Muslims Act, 2007 “unsustainable,” the five judges said the Act “is religion-specific and
potentially encourages religious conversions.” This is the third time the government is facing an
embarrassment over a quota for Muslims.
        

Hottest Years since 1901

Year        Temp above           Year        Temp above

                Mean (in 0C)                          mean (in 0C)

2009        0.913                       1998        0.514

2002        0.708                       1941        0.448

2006        0.6                           1999        0.445

2003        0.560                       2001        0.429      

2007        0.553                       1987        0.413      

2004        0.515                       2005        0.410

January and August in 2009 recorded the highest monthly mean since 1901. January was 1.430C
warmer than its mean of 18.930C and august 10C warmer than its mean of 26.880C.
Andamanese Tribes, Languages die: When Boro died on Strait Island last November, The world lost
a language. The death of these last surviving speakers of two Great Andamanese languages, Khora
and Bo, has resulted in the extermination of their unique tribes on the islands. “There are just 50
Great Andamanese left,” says Anvita Abbi, a professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University who has
undertaken a project to document the languages of these tribes. “Now we only have Jeru and Sare
speakers in the group.” Originally, the Great Andamanese were a group of ten tribes with a total
population of 5,000 when the British colonised the Andaman Islands. Over the years, most were
killed or died of the diseases brought by settlers.
         2009 India’s hottest year ever, 1 0C over average: The annual mean temperature for 2009 was
25.55 degrees Celsius, 0.913 degrees higher than the long-term annual average of 24.64 degrees
Celsius. Interestingly, of the 12 hottest years in the 108 years since 1901, when the Met
department started maintaining temperature records, 8 have been in the past decade. This is in
keeping with the global trend of the last decade being the warmest on record. Data available with
the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) also indicates that it was in fact the winter and
monsoon seasons in 2009 that have been the warmest ever.  Temperature over (the) hilly regions
of the western Himalayas was 3-5 degrees Celsius above normal in the second fortnight of
January, while in February the mean temperature over almost the entire country was above
normal.
         Golden Gujarat ‘Rath Yatra’: In a bid to involve the rural masses in celebrating the golden
jubilee of the existence of the State, the Gujarat government has planned an elaborate “Swarnim
Gujarat Sankalp Rath Yatra” (Golden Gujarat Resolve Rath Yatra) to cover all the 19,165 villages in
the State. The separate State of Gujarat was created by bifurcating the erstwhile Bombay State on
May 1, 1960
         A Toast for project Elephant: The government has now set up a task force to ensure that Project
Elephant gets the same attention as Project Tiger. The Ministry announced that the task force, set
up to make the conservation and management of wild and captive elephants more effective, will
submit its report by May end. It has been asked to devise an institutional framework to ensure
that the Project Elephant gets “the same impetus and is brought at par with Project Tiger” at both
the Central and State levels, according to a Ministry statement. One of the reasons why elephant
conservation may have lagged behind is simply the relative lack of urgency in the numbers-while
there are more than 27,000 elephants in the country, there are just about 1,400 tigers.
         Right to Education to be notified: Come April 1, children in the 6-14 age groups will finally get
their right to education. Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibbal took the decision
to notify The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, signalling the end
of his Ministry’s wrangling with the Finance Ministry over budgetary allocation. The notification
will bring to a close the long journey which has its first official milestone in December 2002, when
the Fundamental Right to Education was enacted. While the efforts to bring compulsory
education for children in the age group of 6-14 out of the Directive Principles of State Policy and
making it a Fundamental Right predate 2002, the governments in subsequent years made several
attempts to pass the Right to Education Act — law to operationalise the Fundamental Right to
Education. It was enacted in August 2009.
         N-tipped Agni-V can hit all of china, Pak: After successful Agni-III test, India now hopes to test
its first-ever intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) within a year. This nuclear-capable Agni-V
missile will be able to hit even northernmost China. Moreover, in the backdrop of Beijing testing
anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons and ballistic missile defence (BMD) systems, DRDO chief V K
Saraswat said India already had the 'building blocks' for ASAT weapons and was far ahead of
China in the BMD arena. The 17.5-metre tall Agni-V will be a canister-launch missile system to
ensure it has the requisite operational flexibility to be swiftly transported and fired from
anywhere. DRDO is also developing MIRV (multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles)
warheads for Agni missiles. An MIRV payload on a missile carries several nuclear warheads,
which can be programmed to hit different targets. A flurry of such missiles can hence completely
overwhelm BMD systems.
         Agni-III: 3,500km strike range, First test in July 2006 failed. But next three- in April 2007,
May 2008 and February 2010-Successful, Ready for production, user trials and deployment
will be able to hit china’s northernmost region.
          Agni-V: Over 5,000km strike range, First test in early 2011, adds third stage to Agni-III, with
some advanced tech like ring laser gyroscope and accelerator for navigation and guidance,
will be able to hit china’s northernmost region.
         BMD System: Fourth test, with Endo-interceptor missile, in end March/early-April, ongoing
phases-I for tackling enemy missiles with a 2,000km range, phase-II being designed to
intercept missiles in the 5, 000km range.
         ASAT Weapon: Tech for neutralizing ballistic missiles and satellites some what similar
combines propulsion system of Agni Missiles and ‘Kill Vehicle’ of BMD, work in progress on
‘direct ascent’ ASAT missiles, hit-to-kill ‘Kinetic’ and directed energy laser weapons.
International
         NATO Chief seeks broader ties with China’ India, Russia: The head of NATO Fogh
Rasmussen said its troubles in Afghanistan showed it was vital to boost ties with nations like
China, India and Pakistan and transform the alliance into a global security hub. Drawing from
flaws exposed in Afghanistan, where NATO is struggling to hold off a Taliban and Al-Qaeda
insurgency, Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the military alliance should become a forum for
consultation on major hot spots. "India has a stake in Afghan stability. China too. And both could
help further develop and rebuild Afghanistan. The same goes for Russia. Basically, Russia shares
our security concerns," he said. NATO and its partners have more than 110,000 troops in
Afghanistan, but they have been unable to put down the insurgency more than eight years after a
US-led coalition ousted the Taliban from power. NATO has 28 member nations, but its
partnership involves 44 countries in Afghanistan, as well as ties with other regional forums, such
as the group of Mediterranean nations.
         New find in “dinosaur city”: Archaeologists in China have uncovered more than 3,000 dinosaur
footprints, state media reported, in an area said to be the world’s largest grouping of fossilized
bones belonging to the ancient animals,. The footprints, believed to be more than 100 million
years old, were discovered after a three month excavation at a gully n Zhucheng in the eastern
province of Shandong.
         The Kavoshgar-3 (explorer) satellite: Iran launched into space its satellite carrier Kavoshgar 3.
On board were living organisms — a rat, two turtles and worms.
         India, Iran Discuss Afghanistan: India and Iran have held extensive discussions on the
developments in the region including Afghanistan as part of their annual diplomatic
consultations. Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao headed the Indian delegation, while Mohammad
Ali Fathollahi, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Asia and Oceania led the Iranian side during
the two-day dialogue. Substantial discussions were held on “regional issues” including the recent
developments regarding Afghanistan and the transit route from Iranian port of Chabahar to
Afghanistan, which Iran and India have jointly developed. In the past, both India and Iran have
been wary of engaging the so-called “moderate Taliban” in Afghanistan. However, last month’s
conference in London, in which Iran did not participate, has decided to create a fund in
anticipation that resources would be needed to draw a significant number of Taliban into the
Afghan mainstream. Discussions were also held on transit, including further activation of the
North-South corridor, which has been a joint initiative of India, Iran and Russia.
         Yanukovych wins Ukraine run-off: Ukraine’s opposition leader Viktor Yanukovych narrowly
beat Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko in the presidential election run-off that is expected to see
Ukraine tilt back towards Russia.
         Costa Rica elects first Woman President: Laura Chinchilla (50), a social conservative who
opposes abortion but wants more help for the poor, became Costa Rica’s first woman president
after a convincing election triumph. Her main opponents conceded defeat and the ruling party
candidate joined thousands of supporters celebrating in San Jose.
         India, U. K. Finalise text of Civil Nuclear Cooperation Deal: India and the U.K. have agreed on
the text of a civil nuclear cooperation deal that is likely to be signed soon on a convenient date.
The agreement came after a meeting between British Business Secretary Peter Mandelson and
visiting Union Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma in London. Mr. Sharma, who
reached London evening from his visit to Hungary, led the Indian delegation at a meeting of the
U.K.-India Joint Economic Trade Committee (JETCO). When the deal is signed, it will be the
seventh civil nuclear agreement inked by India since its first historic deal with the United States
in October 2008. Since then, it has signed deals with France, Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan,
Argentina and Namibia. India has already finalised a civil nuclear cooperation deal with Canada,
which is expected to be signed next year. The U.K. has been one of India’s leading supporters
after it sought re-entry into international nuclear trade after the 2005 India-U.S. joint statement.
The British nuclear industry reportedly exports nuclear goods and equipment worth over £700
million and can supply almost 70-80 per cent parts of a new nuclear reactor.
         Obama Keeps North Korea off terror list: North Korea would remain off the US list of terrorist
state, President Barack Obama has certified, despite demands by Several American lawmakers
for the Stalinist state to be put back on for its provocative actions. In a memorandum to the
Congress, Obama concluded that North Korea “does not meet the statutory criteria to again be
designated as a state sponsor of terrorism”. The previous bush administration had removed
Pyongyang from such a list return for progress on declaring the extent of its nuclear activities in
2008.
         Russia Unveils first Stealth fighter JET: Russia has test flown its first fifth generation jet fighter,
the Sukhoi T-50, the stealthy warplane is regarded as a direct challenger to the U.S. built F-22,
Raptor, which entered service in 2005.
         Devout Hindu wins funeral pyre case: A devout British Hindu Devendra Ghai founder of the
Anglo Indian friendship society in London won a protracted legal battle over the right to be
cremated on a traditional funeral pyre consistent with his religious practices, after he agreed that
the cremation site could be surrounded by walls and have a roof with an opening.
         Vancouver is World’s most livable city: Canadian city of Vancouver has been named as the
world’s most livable city while Delhi and Mumbai are being placed at 113 th and 117th position
respectively in an annual survey of livability that assesses living conditions in 140 global cities.
The Survey, conducted by the Economist intelligence Unit (EIU), listed Vancouver, the host of the
2010 winter Olympics, on the top for second consecutive year.
         Tin Oo set Fee, to lead NLD: Octogenarian Tin Oo, now set free by Myanmar’s military rulers,
will lead the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) as long as Nobel Peace Laureate
Aung San Suu Kyi remains under house arrest. She has so far spent over 14 years in detention,
either at her own residence in Yangon or in prison, during the past two decades.
Economy
         Wind Energy sector must gear up: Suzlon Energy Ltd said the country’s wind energy sector
needs to gear up faster than before. Suzlon Energy CMD Tulsi Tanti said, "India needs to expand
the wind energy sector faster than it has in the past. The country has taken 20 years to add 10,000
mw of wind power, while China's wind power industry installed 12,000 mw in just one year."
Tanti expressed doubts about National Action Plan on Climate Change's (NAPCC) target. "The
NAPCC's 15% target requires an addition of more than 1,00,000 mw of renewable energy
capacity in the next 10 years. Without concrete steps to support the growth of renewable, this
cannot become a reality. India has an estimated potential of over 1,00,000 mw from onshore and
offshore sites and it was simply a matter of foresight and commitment to make a difference, Tanti
said.
         ICTT Project to be Operational by June: The International Container Transshipment Terminal
 (ICTT) at Vallarpadam in Cochin is likely to be operational by June this year. Once it is
operational, the Rs 2,000 crore port-based infrastructure project, which started in 2007, will be
capable of handling three million TEU (20-foot equivalent units). Currently, around 70% of the
Indian container cargo is being transshipped at the ports of Colombo, Singapore, Dubai and Al
Salalah. According to a report by Ernst & Young, the successful implementation of container
transshipment projects is likely to flow to all the ports more rapidly than before.
         Hun Kim new country director for ADB: The Manila-based Asian Development Bank (ADB)
has appointed Hun Kim as its new Country Director for India. A Republic of Korea national, Mr
Kim took over his new position with effect from February 1. According to an ADB statement, Mr.
Kim’s priorities would be to oversee and give direction to the multilateral lending agency’s
operations in India and ensure that they align closely with the priorities and objectives of the
government and the bank’s own long-term development framework, ‘Strategy 2020’. His
responsibilities also include promoting regional cooperation in South Asia, supporting public-
private partnership initiatives of the government and strengthening relationships with
stakeholders and other development partners in India.
         Gamesa Sets up wind turbine Unit in Chennai: Gamesa, a Spanish company specialising in
sustainable energy technologies, mainly wind power, announced the launch of its operations in
India, with the setting up of a subsidiary, Gamesa Wind Turbines Pvt. Ltd. The company was
inaugurated at Red Hills in Chennai.
         IT-BPO market: India’s IT-BPO market (including exports) could touch $285 billion in 2020
growing at a CAGR of 15 per cent, according to a report. IT-BPO industry in India has achieved
impressive growth rates over the past decade and stood at $71.6 billion in 2009, said the report
prepared by KPMG and ASOCIO (Asian-Oceanian Computing Industry Organization). The
report, ‘Asia-Oceania Vision 2020: Enabling IT leadership through collaboration’ was released
here at NASSCOM India Leadership Forum 2010. India is the current market leader in global
sourcing supply, serving about 51 per cent of overall global sourcing demand. The report
highlighted that the composition of demand will undergo a change from 2008 to 2020. The
contribution of some of the developed countries like Japan, Australia and New Zealand in the
regional demand for IT-BPO service is likely to decrease. However, the contribution of
developing countries like India and Thailand is expected to increase in the coming years.
Countries such as Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh are also expected to make their mark on
the global sourcing supply landscape by 2020.
         HPCL Plans Rs. 25,000 cr. Refinery in Maharashtra: State-run Hindustan Petroleum Corp. Ltd.
(HPCL) plans to set up an 18 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) refinery in Maharashtra, investing
about Rs25,000 crore, to help it meet domestic demand, a top company executive said. The
company currently has two refineries—at Mumbai (6.5 mtpa) and Visakhapatnam (7.5 mtpa)—
and controls 20% of the market share. HPCL is also constructing a 9 mtpa refinery at Bhatinda in
Punjab in a joint venture with Lakshmi N. Mittal, chairman and chief executive of Arcelor Mittal.
         RBI Introduces new Category of NBFCs: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued a notification
introducing a new category of Non-Banking Finance Companies (NBFCs) as “Infrastructure
Finance Companies (IFCs)”. The existing categories of NBFCs are Asset Finance Companies
(AFCs), Loan Companies (LCs) and Investment Companies (ICs). Further with a view to
encouraging larger flow of funds to infrastructure, the exposure of a bank to infrastructure
finance companies has been enhanced up to 20 per cent of its capital funds. The IFCs should
deploy a minimum of 75 per cent of its total assets in infrastructure loans. Net owned funds of
Rs. 300 crore or above with a minimum credit rating ‘A’ or equivalent of Crisil, Fitch, CARE,
ICRA or equivalent rating by any other accrediting rating agencies could enter infrastructure
financing.
         Khedar Power Plant: The prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Thermal Power Project (RGTPP), Khedar in
 district Hisar achieved a major milestone when its first unit of 600 mw was fired on coal and
synchronised with the grid in a record period of 36 months.
         Brinjal Agriculture: Brinjal is grown on around 5.5 lakh hectare in the country. It is a critical
cash crop for more than 1.4 million small and marginal. Orissa, Bihar and West Bengal account
for close to 60% of the production. There are around 3,000 varieties of Brinjal grown in India.
         POSCO Eyes Rs. 10k cr. Plant with SAIL:  Posco, the South Korean steel behemoth, has offered
to set up a Rs. 10,000-crore joint venture plant with Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) in the
industrial town of Kulti, Burdwan, about 200 km from Kolkata.
         China is world’s No. 1 Exporter: Germany’s multi-year reign as the world’s No. 1 exporter is
officially over, with the crown formally passing to rising Asian power China after new figures
showed that German exports slid by nearly a fifth in 2009, the biggest decline in 60 years. China’s
customs agency said that total 2009 exports were more than $1.2 trillion, well ahead of the nearly
$1.1 trillion that Germany reported. For Germany, the figure was a drop of 18.4% from 2008,
although exports returned to year-on-year growth in December.
         Airtel to Sign $10.7bn deal, enter Africa: India’s largest telecom company, Bharti Airtel, is set to
try its luck for the third time to dial an entry into Africa. The board of Kuwait-based Mobile
Telecommunications Company KSC—which functions under the ‘Zain’ brand accepted Bharti’s
proposal to buy its Africa operations, excluding Morocco and Sudan, in a $10.7 billion (Rs. 50,000
crore) all-cash deal. The Zain board is likely to make an announcement late and take the proposal
to its shareholders. Zain’s largest shareholder is the state-owned Kuwait Investment Authority
that owns a 24.6 per cent stake. The Kharafi family is the other large shareholder. The company is
listed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange. If the deal is successful, Bharti — which offers services in
three countries (India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh) — will become an operator in 15 more in
Africa.
         Euro IV Petrol Diesel from BPCL: The Mumbai refinery of Bharat Petroleum Corporation
commenced production of Euro IV petrol and diesel. The upgraded facility of BPCL was
inaugurated by S. Sundareshan, Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, in the
presence of BPCL Chairman and Managing Director Ashok Sinha and other senior officials. Most
of the demand of Mumbai and Delhi cities for HSD/petrol of Euro IV quality will be met by the
BPCL Mumbai refinery, BPCL said in a release. Euro IV fuels will go a long way in ensuring a
much cleaner environment.
         GDP Growth Pegged at 7.2%: The government pegged economic growth at 7.2 percent in 2009-
10, which was short of the optimistic projections of the reserve bank of India (RBI), Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh and the Finance ministry, although it was higher than 6.7 percent
recorded a year ago.
         China Beats Rich Nations in Renewable energy rage: “China vaulted past competitors in
Denmark, Germany, Spain and the United States last year to become the world’s largest maker of
wind turbines, and is poised to expand even further this year.” “China has also leapfrogged the
West in the last two years to emerge as the world’s largest manufacturer of solar panels. And the
country is pushing equally hard to build nuclear reactors and the most efficient types of coal
power plants.” “These efforts to dominate renewable energy technologies raise the prospect that
the West may someday trade its dependence on oil from the Mideast for a reliance on solar
panels, wind turbines and other gear manufactured in China.”
Science and Technology
         Stratospheric clouds’ effect on surface heat:  A 10 percent drop in water Vapour in the
stratosphere has had a big impact on global warming.  This finding might help explain why
global surface temperatures have not risen as fast in the last ten years as in the 1980s and 1990s.
         Methane Hydrate may Augment Natural gas: Naturally found methane hydrate maybe a huge
 source of methane, the main component of natural gas, ultimately augmenting conventional
natural gas supplies, says a new report from the national research council. U. S.
         Tomatoes that keep longer: A team of scientists at the National Institute of Plant Genome
Research in New Delhi has developed a technique to create transgenic tomatoes that do not
become squishy even one and a half months after being plucked. India is the world’s second
largest producer of fruits and vegetables, but 35 per cent to 40 per cent of such produce is lost
because of softening that accompanies ripening. The softening increases the damage during
handling and transportation. The two enzymes, á-mannosidase and a-D-N-
acetylhexosaminidase, were present at high levels during the ripening of many fruits, noted the
scientists.
         Chandrayaan’s M3 discovers new lunar rock type: The Moon Minerology Mapper (M3) on
Chandrayaan-1, which famously discovered the presence of water and hydroxyl molecules on
the lunar surface material last year, has now identified a new lunar rock type on the far side of
the moon. The M3 is a NASA instrument. The rock-type is dominated by a mineral termed as
‘magnesium spinel.’ Spinel is a generic name given to a class of minerals having the chemical
formula AB{-2}O{-4} and the usual spinel formations found in lunar rocks is an iron-magnesium
admixture of the form (Mg, Fe) (Al, Cr){-2}O{-4}. These rocks are usually found along with
magnesium-iron silicate (olivine) and calcium-rich Aluminium silicate (pyroxene).
Sports
         Bopanna-Qureshi wins first ATP Title: The partnership between Rohan Bopanna and Aisam
Qureshi has gathered quite a fan following since the Indo-Pak pair began playing on the tour
four years ago. They had managed a noticeable run at Challenger events, winning seven titles
together, but despite making it to two finals, an ATP trophy still eluded them., they redressed
that statistic, defeating Slovakian Karol Beck and Harold Levy of Israel in the final of the South
African Open at Johannesburg 2-6 6-3 10-5 for their first doubles win on the ATP tour.
         Chennai Open: Maxim Turov of Russia offered and got a 17-move draw in the final round to win
the Chennai Open 2010 International Grandmaster chess tournament. Turov won eight games
and drew three to win the title by a clear margin and take home the trophy and Rs.2 lakh prize
money.
India recorded best Medal Haul-India had the smallest contingent of three in boxing but the trio
of Amandeep Singh (men’s 48kg.) Suranjoy Singh (51 Kg.) and Chhote Lal (57 Kg.) emerged in
their respective bouts to earn three gold medals.
      Country           G            S             B
      India                88            53            29
      Pakistan           18            25            34
      Bangladesh      18            23            55
      Sri Lanka         15            32            51
      Nepal               7             9             18
      Afghanistan     7             9             16
      Bhutan             0             2             3
      Maldives          0             0             2
         Asia Cup in Sri Lanka: The Asia cup ODI tournament will be held in Sri lanka from June 16 to 25
this year.
         India to host next South Asian Games:  The 12th South Asian Games (SAG) will be hosted by
India in 2012 at a venue to be announced later. This was decided after 41 st south Asian Olympic
Council (SAOC), meeting Dhaka. India had hosted the erstwhile South Asian Federation (SAF)
 games twic, at Kolkata in 1987 and at Chennai in 1995.
         Australian Open: World No.1 Roger federer won his fourth Australian open
Persons     
         JHUMPA ON OBAMA PANEL: The Indian-American Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Ms
Jhumpa Lahiri, has been appointed as a member of the US President, Mr Barack Obama's,
Committee on the Arts and Humanities.
         Shalil Shetty: Amnesty international has appointed Shalil Shetty, an Indian who headed the U.
N. Millennium campaign, as its next secretary general.
         Mehsud: Pakistani Taliban Chief Hakimullah Mehsud has succumbed to injuries sustained in a
U.S drone attack earlier this month, the state-run television reported in what could be a
devastating blow to the militant outfit.
         Nominated to Canadian Senate: For the first time, an India-born businessman has been
nominated to the Canadian Senate by Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Vim Kochhar (73) is
expected to take the oath of office next week. He is among five outstanding Canadians who have
been nominated to the Senate by Mr. Harper, whose Conservatives party is now closer to taking
back control of the Upper House with the new appointments.
         Amitabh Bachchan: Hindi film icon Amitabh Bachchan accepted the Gujarat government’s offer
to be the new “brand ambassador” for the State. In his letter of acceptance to Chief Minister
Narendra Modi, Mr. Bachchan said: “You have very graciously considered my appointment as
brand ambassador for Gujarat. I accept the offer with great humility. I hope we will be able to
work together for the betterment of Gujarat.”
         Dick Francis: Prolific British author Dick Francis, a former jockey whose thrillers rode high in
best-selling lists for decades, has died at the age of 89.
 Awards
         ICAEW award for HDFC Chairman Parekh: HDFC chairman, Deepak Parekh, has been
conferred the outstanding achievement award by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in
England & Wales. The ICAEW accolade for 2010 has been conferred on Parekh in recognition of
his outstanding contributions to the finance and accountancy profession, a press release said
here.
         Bharat Asmita Award:  P. Sainath, Rural Affairs editor of The?Hindu, was given the Bharat
Asmita national award, instituted by the Maharashtra Institute of Technology (MIT) group of
institutions, the MIT campus. He shared the award with film and theatre director Jabbar Patel for
using cinema as a medium for public awakening.
         Honorary degree of Doctor: Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar conferring an honourary degree of
doctor in science on ISRO Chariman K. Radha Krishnan at the convocation of SRM University in
Kattankulathur, near Chennai.
         Kalpna Chawla Award: Social activist and actor Nafisa Ali and Kiran Bedi, the first woman IPS
officer in the country received the Kalpana Chawla excellence Awards 2010 in New Delhi.
         Grammy winners in Main Categories: Affirming her role as the reigning queen of pop, beyonce
was the top winner at the 52nd Annual Grammy award, taking six prizes, including song of the
year for her single ladies (Puta ring on it). She shard the spotlight with Taylor Swift, the new
country superstar with four wins. RECORD OF THE YEAR- Use Somebody - Kings of Leon,
ALBUM OF THE YEAR- Fearless - Taylor Swift, SONG OF THE YEAR- Single Ladies (Put A Ring
On It) - Thaddis Harrell, Beyonce Knowles, Terius Nash & Christopher Stewart, songwriters
(Beyonce), BEST NEW ARTIST- Zac Brown Band, BEST FEMALE POP VOCALPERFORMANCE-
Halo Beyonce, BEST MALE POP VOCAL PERFORMANCE- If You Don't Know Me By Now-Seal.
Books and authors
         “You Can Sell”: Shiv Khera
         The Long Shadow: Muthiah Alagappa
         Coalition politics in India: C. P. Bhambhri
         Beyond Developmentality: Constructing inclusive freedom and Sustainability; Debal Deb
Miscellaneous
         Pre-Historic findings in Rajasthan: Fragments of pre-historic Ostrich eggshells estimated to be
25,000 years old and earthen dice belonging to the Kushan period are the latest additions to a
treasure trove of archaeological objects discovered in Bundi district of Rajasthan. The findings are
set to throw new light on the hoary past of the Hadauti region which is believed to have
sustained an ancient civilisation.
         Ornamental fish: Hope is finally burning bright for ‘Miss Kerala’ (Puntius denisonii), an
ornamental fish facing the danger of extinction from commercial exports. A freshwater fish
endemic and once largely exclusive to the Achencoil and the Chaliyar rivers, Miss Kerala, also
known as red line torpedo barb, was a major export revenue earner for the State in the
ornamental fish export sector, with each of these beauties raking in at least Rs.1,500. However,
with no steps to curb the exports, the species was slowly swimming to extinction. Now, giving a
shot in the arm for those fighting to save Miss Kerala, the International Union for Conservation of
Nature (IUCN) has put her on its Red List, regarded the most comprehensive inventory of the
global conservation status of plant and animal species since 1963.

16 to 31 Jan, 2010

National

         On literacy front, Himachal next Only to Kerala, Mizoram: Himachal Pradesh made impressive
strides in promoting primary education, is fast catching up with Kerala — the most literate state
in the country. State Economics and Statistics Department adviser Pradeep Chauhan said
Himachal had achieved almost 83% literacy rate and claimed that if it retains its annual growth
rate it could well overtake Kerala by 2011-end. Kerala has a literacy rate of 91%, followed by
Mizoram (89%), according to the 2001 census.
         Govt. Okays Divestment of Punjab Alkalies: The Punjab government has cleared
disinvestment of Punjab Alkalies and Chemicals Ltd (PACL), which was considered by the
Cabinet committee in 2003. It has appointed Industrial Financial Corporation of India Ltd (IFCI)
as global advisor to facilitate the process.
          Healthcare in India: Healthcare has not been an important election campaign issue except in
2004 when the United Progressive Alliance promised to raise expenditure on healthcare to 2 to 3
per cent of the Gross Domestic Product. According to recently released National Health Accounts
(NHA) statistics, public health expenditure as a share of GDP increased from 0.96 per cent in
2004-05 to just 1.01 per cent in 2008-09.
         President Lee to be Chief Guest: President of Republic of Korea Lee Myung Bak will be the
chief Guest at this year’s Republic Day Parade.
         Brahmos to be assembled in Pilani: The country’s next assembling centre for the prestigious
BrahMos missiles will be Rajasthan’s Pilani. The State Government has already allocated 80
hectares of land near Pilani town, better known for its Birla Institute of Technology and Science
(BITS Pilani) for this purpose. At present the Brahmos missiles, a joint venture of India and
Russia, are assembled in Hyderabad. There is also a Brahmos Aerospace Thiruvananthapuram
Limited near the Kerala capital.
         Tata Power net rises 40%: India’s largest private sector electricity utility, Tata Power Co. Ltd,
posted a 40.40% increase in net profit, riding on lower fuel and power purchase costs as coal
prices fell in the three months to December. Net profit rose to Rs141.89 crore in the third quarter
from Rs101.06 crore in the same period in 2008. But revenue declined to Rs1,566.51 crore from
Rs1,776.87 crore.
         Nod for NFL’s feedstock Plan: The Union Cabinet approved the three feedstock changeover
projects of National Fertilizers Limited (NFL) at its Nangal, Panipat and Bathinda units, at a cost
of Rs. 1,478.63 crore, Rs. 1,292.94 crore and Rs. 1,294.94 crore respectively. The Cabinet
Committee on Economic Affairs headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also approved the
amendment in the policy for conversion subsidy dated March 6, 2009, to exclude the element of
Income tax from the special fixed cost component.
         Special Medical Courses for Rural India: In an attempt to improve access to medical facilities in
rural areas, the health ministry is working in tandem with Medical Council of India to introduce
a three-and-a-half-year undergraduate course—Bachelor of Rural Medicine and Surgery. “It
would be something on the lines of medical schools of USA. The syllabus for the proposed course
is almost finalised,” To address the overall human resource crunch in the medical profession in
the country, the ministry has also decided to recognise the medical degree and teaching
experience gained by doctors of Indian origin from five of the English speaking countries, viz,
US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. “More countries would be added to the current list
of countries.
         No clearance to 88 Polluting Industrial Clusters: Union Minister of State for Environment and
Forest Jairam Ramesh said a nation-wide Comprehensive Environmental Assessment found that
88 industrial clusters were critically polluted. Out of these 88 clusters, 8 are in Maharashtra
including Tarapur and Chembur. The environment Ministry will not give clearance to any
industry in these 88 clusters unless Action Plan is prepared and implemented to improve the
environment in these areas, said Mr. Ramesh, while dedicating HPCL’s EURO-4 Petrol
Production Facilities to the Nation. Speaking on this occasion Environment Minister said that
“we have to be tough in matters related to environment.” Drastic and tough measures are to be
taken to save the environment. Elaborating further, he said environment and public health are
inter-dependent. In a place like Bhatinda where there is a critically polluted industrial cluster, the
number of Cancer patients is very high. Where the environment is polluted beyond a certain
level, it has caused health hazards for the inhabitants of the area. Although, in India, transport
emission forms 7 to 8 per cent of the Green House Gases (GHS), but keeping in view the rapid
growth in transport sector, there is urgent need to provide clean fuel at affordable price, the
Minister added. Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Murali Deora in his address said
EURO-4 petrol would be introduced in 13 mega cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata,
Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore etc. by April 2010 where as EURO-3 petrol would be available in
rest of country by October 2010.
         NHPC signs agreements with MEA: NHPC Limited has signed Agreements for taking up
Additional Investigations and Preparation of Updated Detailed Project Reports for 1200 MW
Tamanthi H.E. Project and 642 MW Shwezaye H.E. Project in Myanmar, as consultancy
 assignments, with Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). Government of India through MEA has
funded the cost for the additional investigations and preparation of updated DPRs for both the
projects i.e. Rs. 20 Crore for each project together totaling to Rs. 40 Crore.
         Meet on e-governance: The Rajasthan Government’s Information Technology Department will
organise the 13th national e-governance conference in collaboration with the Union
Government’s Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances Department.
         Governors take oath: Shivraj Patil (Punjab), K. Sankaranarayanan (Maharashtra), E.S.L.
Narasimhan (Andhra Pradesh) and M.O.H. Farook (Jharkhand) - took oath in the respective State
capitals.
         Andhra to get$770 m world Bank Assistance: The finance ministry signed loan agreements with
the World Bank totaling $770 million for three development projects in Andhra Pradesh in
Hyderabad. These include a road improvement and safety project, a rural water supply and
sanitation project and a municipal development project in Andhra Pradesh.

International
         Tribals make poor Progress, stay at Bottom of Heap: The first ever UN State of the World’s
Indigenous Peoples Report (2010) finds that indigenous people across the world suffer
disproportionately high levels of poverty, illiteracy, poor health and human rights abuse. The
poverty levels of India’s tribals have remained persistent over time and are lower than those of
Scheduled Castes, on a par with those of sub-Saharan countries, says the report which was
released globally. Indigenous peoples — in both developed and developing countries — make up
5% of the world’s population but 15% of the poor and one-third of the 900 million extremely poor
rural people. Their health indicators are even more skewed: more than 50% of indigenous adults
suffer from type-2 diabetes.
         Trading places: The global trading system is becoming more efficient as uniform shipping and
border control methods are helping some countries emerge faster from the global recession. India
ranked 47th, while the US and china ranked 15 th and 13th, respectively, on the list of trade friendly
nations, which was topped by Germany.
         Inclusive Heritage cities: There is a lesson or two for Indian cities in the United Nations
Development Programme’s initiative to conserve the Rimac neighbourhood, a World Heritage
site, of Lima in Peru. This is perhaps the first time a conservation project is attempting to
improve, in a major way, the “precarious conditions” of the poor who inhabit a historical area.
Continuous neglect has turned the two-century-old core of Lima, known as the ‘City of Kings,’
into a blighted area. The challenge was to preserve the historical character without displacing the
poor migrant residents. Consistent pro-poor efforts have paid off and legislation was recently
adopted to confer property rights on the residents of Rimac.
         A billion acts of Green for Earth Day: Earth Day on April 22 marks the anniversary of the birth
of the modern environmental movement in 1970. Since then a billion people all over the world
take part in activities related to that day.
         Cabinet nod for ONGC Videsh investment in Nigerian venture: The Union Cabinet approved
ONGC Videsh Limited’s (OVL) proposal to invest $359 million (Rs. 1,651 crore) for oil
exploration in two deep-sea blocks in Nigeria over the next five years.
         India-France civil nuclear agreement takes effect: India and France operationalised the civil
nuclear agreement signed between the two sides in 2008 with New Delhi and Paris exchanging
instruments of ratification. France was the first country with which India signed the agreement
 soon after the formalities in regard to removing restrictions on the New Delhi to do commerce in
nuclear energy was lifted by the Nuclear Suppliers Group. As responsible States with advanced
nuclear technologies, India and France intend to develop multifaceted civil nuclear cooperation
covering a wide range of activities including nuclear power projects, fuel supply, research and
development, nuclear safety, education and training, the release said.
         Hong Kong approves $8.6 billion rail link to China: A controversial $8.6-billion plan to link
Hong Kong to China’s national high-speed rail network won approval from local lawmakers.
The measure to build the railroad plus accompanying road and infrastructure to connect Hong
Kong to the mainland system passed the Chinese territory’s legislature 31-21, according to the
government.
         JAL files for Bankruptcy: Japan Airlines filed for bankruptcy protection owing more than $25
billion, and vowed to slash 15,700 jobs in an effort to survive in an industry hit by volatile fuel
costs and fickle flyers. The carrier said it had a total of 2.3 trillion yen, or $25.4 billion, in debt as
of the end of September. Japan’s state backed turnaround agency said it planned to inject about
300 billion yen, or $3.3 billion into the carrier as part of a plan to revive it. The airline will cut its
workforce to 36.201 within three years from 51.862 currently, according to a government
document, all board members have voted to resign, the agency said, JAL, Asia’s largest airline by
revenue, will remain in the skies as it reorganizes but cut unprofitable routes. In a statement, the
agency said that total debt forgiveness from creditors would come to about 730 billion yen. JAL,
Which has been bailed out by the Japanese government multiple times in the past 10 years, must
now look to reinvent itself through painful operational cuts and tough decisions about foreign
capital and alliances.
         China Records 8.7 per cent Growth: A year after suffering one of its worst declines in decades,
China's economy has rebounded strongly, recording 8.7 per cent growth in 2009. The Chinese
government's official growth figures for last year, released, have exceeded earlier forecasts: the
economy registered an unexpectedly high 10.7 per cent growth between October and December,
largely on the back of record government spending on infrastructure projects. China is now on
course to overtake Japan as the world's second-largest economy, though confirmation of that
development will have to wait until next month, when Japan's official GDP figures are released.
         India, Malaysia sign Extradition Agreement: India and Malaysia signed an extradition treaty
and several other agreements covering fields from trade to education in an effort to scale up their
relations. The agreements were signed after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Malaysian
counterpart, Najib Razak, held wide-ranging talks in New Delhi. The two countries also agreed
to conclude a free trade agreement (FTA) by the end of 2010. Expanded cooperation in
countering terrorism, more collaboration in knowledge industries and fast-tracking negotiations
on an FTA figured prominently in the discussions. The agreements included an extradition
treaty, a memorandum of understanding on higher education and a pact between the Securities
and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and Securities Commission of Malaysia to strengthen ties
and identify cross-border opportunities through the capital market.
         In Haiti, worst is yet to come: An earthquake killing up to 200,000 people would have been bad
enough anywhere, but in Haiti, where AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria are rampant, children are
malnourished and hygiene is already a challenge, it may create one of the worst medical disasters
ever. Medical teams pouring in to set up mobile hospitals say they are already overwhelmed by
the casualties and fear the worst is yet to come as infection and disease take hold.
        
·         Admiral Gorshkov for about $2.3 billion. Induction in 2013
·         45 Mig-29ks for about $1.7 billion

·         230 sukhoi-30MKI fighters for about $8.5 billion, over 105 already inducted. India likely to order another 50 jets

·         Six talwar class stealth frigates for Rs.8.514 cr. Talwar, Trishul and Tabar inducted, deliveries of
teg, Tarkash and Trikand from 2012.

·         5. 657 T-90S main battle tanks for Rs. 8525 crore. Over 310 already inducted. Another 1,000 T-90S
tanks to be manufactured in India.
$1.2bn Mig deal in Offing: Russia is all set to reassert its numero uno status in the Indian defence
market with another mega arms deal. The two nations are now poised to ink around $1.2 billion
contract for 29 more MiG-29K fighter jets for Indian Navy. India is also on course to formally join the
$10 billion Russian project to build the Sukhoi T-50 PAK-FA fifth-generation stealth fighter. The 29
new MiG-29Ks will be in addition to the 16 jets already contracted in the initial $1.5 billion Gorshkov
package deal in January 2004. Incidentally, only $974 million had been earmarked for Gorshkov's
refit at that time. Rechristened INS Vikramaditya, Gorshkov will now be delivered to India by early-
2013 or so. But three of the 16 original MiG-29Ks have already arrived at the Goa naval airbase to
constitute the 303 `Black Panthers' squadron, with the next three slated to follow shortly. MiG-29Ks
will operate from the 44,570-tonne Gorshkov as well as the 40,000-tonne indigenous aircraft carrier
being built at Cochin Shipyard, which should roll out by 2014-2015.

         Cadbury slips into U.S Giant Kraft foods: Cadbury, a monument to the British chocolate bar,
fell to US giant Kraft by accepting an offer worth 11.5 billion pounds, which creates a world
leader in food and confectionery. Cadbury-Kraft will provide large cost savings and create a
global market leader, with annual sales totalling more than 100 million dollars, they added.
         India, S Korea to Cooperate in Civil N-Arena: India and South Korea agreed to facilitate
development of a framework for bilateral civil nuclear cooperation. In a meeting over a wide
range of issues, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak
agreed that nuclear energy could play an important role as a safe, sustainable and non-polluting
source of energy. The two sides also signed four agreements including a pact for transfer of
sentenced persons. The two leaders discussed the possibility of cooperation in civil nuclear field,
particularly with regard to technology, as the South Korean president emphasised that the
country had expertise, which would be "productive" in the case of collaboration. South Korea is a
member of Nuclear Suppliers Group and had supported waiver for India at the meeting of the
45-nation grouping in September 2008.
         Basic bloc: The group of four major emerging economies: The group of four major emerging
economies Brazil, South Africa, India and China expressed their intention to communicate
information on their voluntary mitigation actions to the United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change (UNFCCC) by January 31. This decision was taken at the second Ministerial-
level meeting of the BASIC group of countries. The BASIC members have already announced a
series of voluntary mitigation actions for 2020, with India declaring to reduce its greenhouse gas
emission intensity up to 25 per cent.
         L &T Malaysian venture to start work on ONGC’s MHN project in November: The major
regional offshore oil and gas Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contactor Larsen
& Toubro (L&T) has awarded critical phase I installation works with an estimated value of $75
million for ONGC’s prestigious MHN project to offshore international FZC, a joint venture
formed between L&T and SapuraCrest Petroleum Berhad of Malaysia. L&T holds 60 per cent
 equity in the joint venture and the balance held by SapuraCrest Petroleum. The joint venture
between the two companies was formed in September 2007 to build, own and operate LTS 3000, a
derrick lay vessel, to undertake installation of platforms and pipelines in offshore India, the
Middle East and Southeast Asia.       

Economy
         Millennium’s Longest annular solar Eclipse covered, 1,000km: The millennium’s longest
annular solar eclipse covered a Swathe of 1, 000km. The rest of India only witnessed a partial
solar eclipse.   
         Loss making oil PSUs to get Rs. 12,000cr compensation: Virtually rejecting the claims of the
Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry for a Rs. 29,405-crore compensation through oil
bonds, the Finance Ministry agreed to release just over Rs. 12,000 crore in cash to loss making
State-run oil companies to cover for their losses in the current fiscal.
         Volkswagen Aim sat 10% market share in India: Volkswagen, one of the largest car
manufacturers in Europe, is betting big on India with its small Car portfolio. Though India
contributes mere 0.3% to the global sales of Volkswagen group, the company is planning to
increase its market share in the country by 8 to 10% in the next four-to-six years from 1.35% now.
         ‘NTBs obstruct correction in trade imbalance with China’: Non-tariff barriers are stymieing
India's effort to correct its huge trade imbalance with China. Beijing's policy has adversely
affected not only the exports of agriculture and food items like. A disproportionate amount of
India's exports to China are essentially raw commodities with little value addition. Nearly 60% of
India's total exports to China are in ores, slag and ash. Another 10% is in cotton. India's imports
from China, on the other hand, are higher value added manufacturing items—electrical
machinery constitute 28.1% of imports from China, followed by nuclear reactors, boilers,
machinery and mechanical appliances at 17.8%. Processed iron and steel make up about 14% of
imports from China.
         Bharti Walmart opens first agri co-op centre in Punjab: Bharti Walmart, the joint venture
between Bharti Enterprises and Walmart Stores Inc for wholesale cash and carry and back-end
supply chain management operations, has opened its first agricultural cooperative centre in
Sirhind, Punjab. The agricultural cooperative centre aims to build a robust aggregating, handling,
packaging and delivering system of fresh produce to best price and Bharti Retail’s easy day
stores. This initiative is part of Bharti Walmart’s direct farm programme in partnership with 100
small and marginal farmers near Ludhiana, Punjab. The farmers will be paid for their produce
within 24 hours post delivery. All legalities including Agriculture Produced Market Committee
(MAPMC) tax will be fully complied with.
         India, Korea to double Bilateral Trade by 2014: Their bilateral trade of over $16 billion, which
got a boost with the coming into force of the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement
(CEPA) on January 1 this year, India and South Korea agreed to double the bilateral trade
between the two countries to $30 billion by 2014. 1. The Korean envoy urged the Indian govt. to
look at Korea’s expertise in civil nuclear energy production and strike beneficial collaboration. 2.
The Korean President urged Korean firms to invest in the Indian economy and Indian companies
to turn their attention to Korea. 3. Two way trade between Korea and India grew 39% to $15.6
billion at the end of 2008, with South Korea posting a surplus of $2.39 billion.
         IMF pegs India’s Economic Expansion at 7.8percent in 2011: The International Monetary fund
(IMF) scaled up India’s economic growth rate by 1.3 percentage points to 7.7 per cent for 2010,
saying it is bullish on the country’s growth story. In Its latest World Economic outlook IMF
 pegged India’s economic expansion at 7.8 per cent in 2011, up 0.5 per cent projected in the
previous outlook.

Science and Technology

         Most Powerful rocket motor successfully tested: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
successfully tested on ground at Sriharikota, its biggest and most powerful rocket motor called S-
200, powered by 200 tonnes of solid propellants. This is a vital step in the development of its
Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark-III (GSLV Mk-III), which will put a satellite
weighing four tonnes in orbit.
         Atlantis, Endeavour up for grabs: The price of these 1970s era spaceships from $42 million to
$28.8 million apiece. The shuttles are for sale once they quit flying.

Sports
         ICC Bans Kotla: The ICC has banned Ferozsshah Kotla from hosting international matches for a
year, after match referee Alan Hurst reported that the wicket prepared for the final ODI between
India and Sri Lanka was “Unfit”.
         Women’s Boxing in Asian Games: Women's boxing will make its debut at the Asian Games later
this year ahead of its inclusion as an Olympic sport at London in 2012, officials. Li Xiaofeng, a
senior official at the Guangzhou Asian Games Organising Committee, said in a statement that the
decision was made in conjunction with the Olympic Council of Asia. International Olympic
Committee president Jacques Rogge is a strong advocate of women's boxing and he pushed
through the decision to make it an Olympic sport last year. Women's boxing, which first came to
prominence in England in 1720, appeared as a demonstration sport at the 1904 Olympics but did
not reappear on the radar until a vain attempt to have it introduced into the Games failed in 2005.
The Asian Games, and the Olympics, will have three categories -- flyweight, lightweight and
middleweight.
         Gebrselassie wins Dubai Marathon: Haile Gebrselassie won the Dubai Marathon falling three
minutes short of his own world record.

Persons                                                         
                         
         Mattoo resigns from all Posts: A.K. Mattoo has resigned as the President of Hockey India (HI).
Mattoo has also resigned from all administrative posts in sports including from his positions as
the Treasurer of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and the Organising Committee of the
Commonwealth Games (OCCG).
         Shiv Shankar Menon is the Next NSA: The Centre issued order appointing Shiv Shankar
Menon as the Next national security Adviser (NSA) Mr. Menon, who retired as Foreign secretary
last year, will be the fourth NSA, succeeding M. K. Narayanan, who has been designated as West
Bengal Governor.
         Joyti Basu, 95, Passes away: Jyoti Basu, veteran Marxist leader and one of the tallest figures in
the country’s political life, died of Septicemia due to pneumonia that led to multi organ failure.
Mr. Basu was India’s prominent communist leader, and one of post independence India’s
greatest and most respected mass political leaders. He was the last of the nine founding Polit
bureau members and India’s longest serving chief minister.
         Rajesh Kamat named COO of Viacom18: After Being credited with the success of Hindi general
 entertainment channel colors, Rajesh Kamat, chief executive officer of colors has been promoted
as chief operating officer (COO) of the Viacom18 group.
         Amitabh Chaudhary is HDFC standard MD, CEO: HDFC Standard life insurance has
appointed Amitabh Chaudhary as its new managing director and chief executive officer (CEO).
Prior to this, Chaudhary was the managing director and CEO at infosys BPO Ltd.
         Pujari banned for life: Taking a serious view of repeated doping offences in India, the
international weightlifting federation (IWF) has banned six players including former
commonwealth games gold medallist Shailaja Pujari for life, an Indian weightlifting officaial said.
Pujari, who has won a gold medal in the 75kg in 2002 commonwealth games, has failed a dope
test in Pune last year, her second after testing positive for steroid stonaozolol and was dropped
from the 2006 commonwealth games team.
         Venu Srovovasam honoured: Venu Srinivasa, Honorary consul general of the republic of Korea,
Chennai and Chairman, TVS motor company, was honoured by south Korean presient Lee
myung Bak, with the distinguished civilian honour, order of diplomatic service merit, in
recognition of his contribution in promoting Korea India bilateral relations.
         Mrinal Pande is Prasar Bharati Chairperson: Journalist Mrinal Pande has been appointed the
chairperson of Prasar Bharati board till 30 April 2011. The announcement comes a month after
previous chairman Arun Bhatnagar’s resignation was accepted by the information and
broadcasting ministry. Last year, Pande had resigned as the chief editor of Hindi daily
‘Hindustan’ after a nine-year tenure.
         VK Singh appointed next army chief: Lt. Gen. V K Singh, at present the General Officer
Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Command, has been appointed as the next Chief of the Army
Staff in the rank of General with effect from the afternoon of March 31, 2010. The defence
ministry issued the order after the cabinet committee on appointment cleared Singh’s name for
the top post.
         Sunil Mitra is new revenue secretary: Disinvestment secretary Sunil Mitra will be the new
revenue secretary in place of P V Bhide, who retires on January 31. The name of Mitra, a 1975
batch IAS officer from West Bengal [Images] cadre, was cleared by the appointments committee
of the Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. As revenue secretary, Mitra will play
a crucial role in the formulation of the budget proposal, the process for which is on in the finance
ministry. Sumit Bose, secretary of 13th Finance Commission, will take over as new secretary of
the disinvestment department.
         Former Malaysian monarch passes away: Sultan Iskandar of Johor, who was the eighth
constitutional monarch of Malaysia, passed away at Johor Bahru, according to well-placed
diplomatic sources and some media reports from Kuala Lumpur.

Awards
         Cameron’s ‘Avatar’ wins top honours at globes: The Golden Globes gave top honours to James
Cameron’s Avatar.
         Phalke award for V. K. Murthy: Mysore born V. K. Murthy has become the first
cinematographer to be chosen for the Dada Saheb Phalke award. Murthy is best remembered for
his lighting techniques in Pyaasa, Kaagaz Ke Phool and Sahib Bibi aur Gulam, as he crafted some
of the finest images in Indian cinema.
         Padma Vibhushan: 1. Venkatraman, 2. Prathap C. Reddy, 3. Umayalpuram Sivaraman, 4.
 Ebrahim Alkazi, 5. Zohra Segal, 6. Y. V. Reddy.
         Padma Bhushan: 1. Aamir Khan, 2. A. R. Rahman, 3. Bipan Chandra, 4. Abhijit Sen, 5. Mallika
Sarabhai, 6. Ilaiyaraaja.
         Padma Shri: 1. Sheldon Pollock, 2. Virender Sehwag, 3. D. R. Karthikeyan, 4. Venu Srinivasan, 5.
Saina Nehwal, 6. Resul Pookutty.
         Ashok Chakra Presented: President Pratibha Patil presents the Ashok Chakra to Major Sharma,
wife of major mohit Sharma (Posthumous), Ms. Beeta, wife of Havildar Rajesh Kumar
(Posthumous) and Major D. Sreeram Kumar of 39 Assam Rifles during the 61 st Republic Day
celebration in New Delhi.
         Uttam Yudh Sena Medal: Lieutenant General R.K. Swamy, Chief of Staff at the Headquarters of
the Southern Command, was conferred with the Uttam Yudh Seva Medal by the President on the
Republic Day for his distinguished command of a vital corps handling the operations on the LoC,
as well as counter-insurgency in the Jammu & Kashmir.
         Priyanka Chopra, Upendra Limaye bag national awards for best actor: Bengali film Antaheen
has been chosen as the best feature film, while Upendra Limaye and Priyanka Chopra bagged the
best male and female actor awards at the 56th National Film Awards for 2008. Antaheen won
awards in three other categories, including best cinematography and best lyrics. Limaye bagged
the top honour for the Marathi feature film Jogva, while Priyanka won the award for Madhur
Bhandarkar’s Hindi film Fashion. Hariharan and Shreya Ghoshal won the best playback singer
awards for Antaheen and Jogva. Kangana Ranaut and Arjun Rampal have been selected as the
best supporting actors for Fashion and Rock On. The latter has also bagged the best Hindi film
award.  Sh. Bala has won the award for best direction for the Tamil film Naan Kadavul. Kannada
film Gubbachigalu gets the best children’s film award. Shams Patel bagged the best child artist
award for his role in the Hindi film Thanks Maa. The special jury award has gone to the
Malayalam film Bioscope produced by the National Film Development Corporation. Neeta Lulla
has been selected the best costume designer for the Hindi film Jodhaa Akbar.

Books and authors

         Courage My Companion: R. V Rajan
         The Rediscovery of India: Meghnad Desai
         Speaking with success: Susan J Benjamin
         The Feminist Challenge: Alice Munro and Anita Desai
         The eye: A mystic voice: Anel C Sarasan
         Blame it on Me: A real life Black comedy: Seshadri Reddy
         Arrack in the Afternoon: Mathew Vincent Menancherry

Miscellaneous
         Yasuni National Park is one of the Most Biodiverse places on Earth: Scientists have confirmed
that an average upland hectare (2.47 acres) in Yasuni National Park, Ecuador, contains more tree
species, 655, than are native to the continental United States and Canada combined. The number
of tree species rises to more than 1,100 for an area of 25 hectares. A team of scientists has
documented that Yasuni National Park, in the core of the Ecuadorian Amazon, shatters world
 records for a wide array of plant and animal groups, from amphibians to trees to insects. The
authors also conclude that proposed oil development projects represent the greatest threat to
Yasuni and its biodiversity.
         Netaji currency made public: A currency issued by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s Bank of
Independence has been made public on the eve of his 103rd birth anniversary. In the 1980s, Ram
Kishore Dubey, a retired contractor with the State Irrigation Department, discovered the note in
his grandfather’s Ramayana book, but did not realise its historical significance till recently. The
currency, of denomination one lakh, has a photograph of Bose on the left side and a pre-
independence map of the Indian Territory with the inscription “swatantra bharat” in Hindi on
the other. In the middle are inscribed the words “Jai Hind” in English, with the words “I promise
to pay the bearer the sum of one Lac” below it. On the top of the note is a series of flags of the
Azaad Hind Fauj over a bold inscription saying “Bank of Independence” with “good wishes”
inscribed at the bottom. Several historians contend that in April 1944, Netaji established the Azad
Hind Bank or the Bank of Independence in Rangoon (now Yangon) to manage funds donated by
the Indian community from across the world.

01 to 15 Jan, 2010

National

        104 ‘Restricted’ Himalayan Peaks now open for Treks: In a confidence building
measure Spelling normalcy in J&K, the government has given its nod for opening of a
whopping 104 peaks for expeditions. The peaks — located in the Leh-Ladakh area —
along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and Line of Control (LoC) were so far ‘restricted’.

        Uttar Pradesh to Transfer NREGS funds Directly to Panchayats: To tackle the
problem of delayed payment of wages under the National Rural Employment Guarantee
Scheme (NREGS), the UP government will start direct transfer of funds to all the 52,716
Panchayats, instead of the existing practice of routing these through districts. This is
expected to speed up payments by two months. UP is the first state where the new
system will be introduced across the state in one go. It was first introduced in a small
way in Karnataka in June, and is being gradually extended to cover the entire state.

        Badal declares 2010 as Year of Governance Reforms: Year 2010 has been declared
as a year of governance reforms. Stating this, Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh
Badal said, “Administrative reforms are long overdue to steer the state out of legacy of
the colonial mindset and make government machinery fully accountable and responsive
to the needs of the common man”. Reviewing 2009, he said, “One central university and
another World University, two greenfield airport, Punjab’s first ever IIT, and Indian
School of Business, an unprecedented recruitment of over 29,000 school teachers in a
single year, putting the Bathinda Oil refinery back on track, pushing four new power
 plants towards completion and taking up of a comprehensive revamp of the canal
irrigation network in Punjab were the achievements.”

        Initiatives in Higher Education: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will launch in
Thiruvananthapuram a higher education scholarship scheme instituted by the Kerala
government. The purpose is two-fold. First, it aims to enable needy and meritorious
students to pursue higher education. Secondly, it seeks to promote the study of, and
research work in, the social sciences, humanities, sciences and business studies. By
means of the scheme, the government hopes to effect a qualitative change in the field of
higher education. Much of the interest in, and discussion on, higher education in the
State is now confined to the field of professional education, which only a minuscule
section of the total number of students actually pursue. Yet, they Monopolise the
attention of educationists and the State. In the process, the problems that affect the
overwhelming majority of students are marginalised. The Kerala State Higher Education
Council that the State government constituted in 2007 has been seeking to promote a
holistic view of higher education in order to create well-trained but socially sensitive
citizens. Funds to the tune of Rs.100 crore, which will be generated through
contributions from the public and a matching grant from the government, will be
available for the scheme. The idea is that those who are meritorious should not be
denied opportunities for financial reasons.

        Doing good for Science:  At a time when rich Nations and fast-Growing developing
countries alike are looking to ensure that science and its associated technological
benefits become the bedrock for future competitiveness, India cannot afford to fall
behind in this race. In the seven years up to 2007, research publications from India
rose by about 80 per cent, noted a recent report from Thomson Reuters; it added that if
this trajectory continued, India’s productivity would be “on a par with most G8 nations
within 7-8 years and overtake them between 2015-2020.” Inevitably, comparisons are
made with neighbouring China. China’s spending on science has risen so rapidly that it
is now just behind the United States and Japan in terms of gross expenditure on R&D.
It has increased its share of the world’s researchers from 14 per cent in 2002 to about
20 per cent in 2007, according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. China has over
1,000 researchers per million inhabitants while India has only one-seventh of that.

        J&K declares 2010 as ‘Visit Kashmir’ year: After fall in militancy, Jammu and
Kashmir government has declared 2010 as "Visit Kashmir" year to attract domestic and
foreign tourists to the state.  The State has recorded a fall in Militancy as terror violence
was lowest last year in the past two decades. There were no suicide attacks.

        Life Insurers’ losses soar 43% in FY09: The Insurance Regulatory & Development
Authority (Irda) said the life insurance industry reported a total loss of Rs 4,878.49
crore at the end of March 2009. This is about 43% higher than the previous year’s total
loss of Rs 3,412.81 crore. Out of 22 life insures, only four have reported profits. They
are LIC, Kotak Mahindra, Met Life and Shriram. LIC has reported an increased profit of
 Rs 957.35 crore as against the previous year’s profit of Rs.844.63 crore. Kotak
Mahindra, for the first time, has reported a net profit of Rs 14.34 crore. During the
previous year, the company had incurred a loss of Rs 71.87 crore. Met Life and Shriram
have reported a net profit of Rs 14.52 crore and Rs 8.11 crore, respectively. ICICI
Prudential, the largest private sector life insurer, reported losses for the eighth
consecutive years.

        Babus’ Assets come under RTI: After politicians and judges of Supreme Court, now
the assets of Babus have been prised open to public scrutiny. In a landmark order, the
Central Information Commission has said that disclosure of information such as assets
of a public servant, routinely collected by the public authority, should be made
available to the public under the Right to Information Act. Passing the order in a case
involving an officer with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, information commissioner
Shailesh Gandhi noted that such disclosure could not be construed as an invasion on
the privacy of an individual and therefore, it should be made public under the Act.

         ONGC Dahej Unit to be Anchor tenant: The proposed petroleum, chemicals and
petrochemicals investment region (PCPIR) hub at Dahej in Gujarat is likely to attract an
investment of Rs. 50,000 crore and the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation’s Rs.13,000-
crore complex will be the anchor tenant. “An agreement to this effect was signed
between the Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals and the Gujarat Government
for setting up a region at Dahej.” The Union Cabinet had in March 2009 approved
setting up of three such regions to bring in investments to the tune of Rs.4.86 lakh
crore, while generating employment for 30 lakh people. The regions which would be
spread over 1,307 sq. km in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and West Bengal.

         Classical Status for Telugu, Kannada: Court Declines to intervene: In a setback to
the conferment of classical language status to Telugu and Kannada, the Supreme Court
declined to interfere with an interim order of the Madras High Court that the grant of
the status by the Centre on the basis of an expert committee’s recommendation would
be subject to the final decision of the High Court in a litigation. A Bench of Chief
Justice K.G. Balakrishnan and Justice B.S. Chauhan rejected a special leave petition
filed by the Andhra Pradesh Official Language Commission and Deepak Thimaya
challenging the Madras High Court’s order dated August 5, 2008.

         Healthcare left to Pvt. Sector mercy: India has one of the most privatised healthcare
systems in the world. Pakistan is a constant companion in this club, along with
countries like Burundi, Ivory Coast, Laos and Congo. If you take public expenditure on
health as a percentage of GDP, in India it is a mere 0.9%, among the lowest in the world
and ahead of only four countries—Burundi, Myanmar, Pakistan, Guinea and Laos. If
you take the share of the government in total health expenditure, India figures at the
bottom of the pile, with government spending accounting for just 25% of the total
health spend in the country. The only other countries with lower public health
expenditure are Burundi (8%), Pakistan (16%), Laos (19%), Congo (19%), Cameroon
 (21%) and Ivory Coast (24%).

       1 Lakh Govt. Schools to go ‘Smart’: In a bid to further improve information

communication technology (ICT) in schools, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs
approved the revised scheme on ICT that will benefit 1.5 crore students in 1.08 lakh
secondary and senior secondary schools. “The revised scheme on ICT will cover about
1.08 lakh government, government aided secondary and higher secondary schools and
would help to bridge the digital divide,” HRD minister Kapil Sibal said after the meeting.
Sibal said the revised scheme, involving a cost of Rs 6,929 crore, would enable teachers
and students to get acquainted with the ICT system. The Centre would provide 75%
share while the states, other than the North-Eastern states, will bear 25%. The schools
would be provided the required computer hardware, software and e-content for the
purpose. Dependable power supply and Internet connectivity, preferably broadband,
would be provided to the schools. The government has been running the ICT scheme
since 2005-06. Under this scheme, nearly 53,000 schools have been included. The
revised scheme envisages covering an additional 58,000 schools.

       ASHA Workers to be trained for Tuberculosis Eradication: Workers of accredited

social health activists (ASHA) who are involved in reproductive health care of women
and children in the rural areas will now be trained for the multi drug resistant
tuberculosis eradication programme in North-East Delhi. Under the DOTS-plus (Direct
observation treatment plus) scheme, ASHA workers will be trained and employed for the
MDR (Multi Drug Resistance)-TB eradication programme.

         Manmohan Singh Launches ‘Solar India’: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called for
creation of “solar valleys” in India, akin to the Silicon Valley, as a contribution to the
national as well as global efforts at combating climate change. Launching the
Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission or ‘Solar India,’ Dr. Singh said its success
could transform India’s energy prospects. Terming industry’s role in the mission
critical, he said the mission planned to create an installed capacity of 20,000 MW by
the end of the 13th Plan.

         CJI comes under RTI act: Delhi High Court: The Delhi High Court has held that the
office of the Chief Justice of India (CJI) is a “public authority” that comes within the
ambit of the Right to Information (RTI) Act and it is bound to provide information about
the declaration of asset details by Supreme Court judges. A Bench of the High Court,
comprising Chief Justice A.P. Shah and Justices Vikramjit Sen and S. Muralidhar,
upheld the judgment of a single judge and dismissed an appeal filed by the Secretary-
General of the Supreme Court.

         Euro IV fuel for 13 cities from April 1: The government announced that the state-
run oil firms will start supplying Euro-IV grade petrol and diesel in 13 big cities and
Euro-III compliant petrol in rest of the country from April 1. However, supply of the
cleaner diesel to rest of the country may be delayed by three to six months. “Euro-IV
petrol and diesel will be supplied for sure in 13 designated cities that include Delhi,
Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad from April 1,”
 Petroleum Secretary R.S. Pandey told journalists.

         All tax returns Open to Public Scrutiny: Are income-tax returns filed by individual
citizens open to public scrutiny under the Right to Information? Yes, says the Central
Information Commission. In a controversial December 14 ruling with far-reaching
implications, the CIC (Central Information Commission) held that individual Assessees
could not invoke privacy concerns to prevent an unrelated “third party” from inspecting
returns filed with the Income-Tax Department. Sources in the Commission said the
ruling must be seen as a trendsetter that could eventually lead to the tax returns of all
citizens being put up on the department’s website. The ruling by Information
Commissioner Shailesh Gandhi came on a specific application filed under the RTI Act,
2005. Rakesh Kumar Gupta had applied to the Commissioner of Income Tax in Delhi
seeking to inspect the IT returns filed by various branches of the Escorts Heart Institute
as well as by a heart surgeon, previously in the hospital’s employ.

         GTL to buy Aircel tower Assets: Delhi: Signaling growing consolidation in the mobile
tower segment, independent firm GTL Infrastructure has agreed to buy the tower assets
of the country’s seventh-largest mobile firm, Aircel, for around Rs 8,500 crore.
Following the acquisition, GTL will emerge the largest independent tower firm in the
country with around 32,000 masts. The deal would be the largest so far in the domestic
tower sector. Indus towers--a three-way joint venture between Bharti, Vodafone and
Idea Cellular—is the largest firm in the sector overall with more than 1 lakh towers.

         Honda small car only for India, Bangla, Nepal & Bhutan: Honda’s small car,
scheduled for launch in 2011, will have around 80% components made in India. Honda
will make India the lead country and the cars will be exported to just Nepal, Bangladesh
and Bhutan to start with. “We do not have plans to export the cars to other countries,”
Honda Siel India’s vice-president (marketing) Jnaneshwar Sen told.

         India-France Nuke deal comes into force: The India-France deal for civil nuclear
cooperation came into force with foreign secretary Nirupama Rao and French
ambassador Jerome Bonnafont exchanging the instruments of ratification of the
agreement, which was signed by the two countries on September 30, 2008. The
agreement will allow France and India to develop a multiform civil nuclear cooperation.
The French embassy said in a statement that the coming into force of the agreement
would give a new impetus to the Indo-French partnership and would contribute to
"further strengthening the deep ties of friendship and long-standing cooperation
between the two countries".

         BSNL-NFL Pact: Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) Has announced its strategic
alliance with leading fertilizer giant, National Fertilizers Limited (NFL), So as to offer a
comprehensive range of BSNL mobile and broadband services to the rural consumers in
India, Utilizing the wide network base of the NFL distributors. The NFL, BSNL has
committed itself to launch a pilot for selling BSNL mobile products in MP and
Chhttisgarh where NFL enjoys a substantial market share of its products.

                           

International
         No Joint Branding with Nissan, says Ashok Leyland: Auto major Ashok Leyland
launched a new platform called U-Trucks and said it would migrate all its existing
products to it by 2012-13. The country’s second largest commercial vehicle
manufacturer also said it would roll out its first light commercial vehicle with JV
partner Nissan by March 2011.

         India to help Nigeria Build Energy Projects: As part of the recently shaped ‘Focus on
Africa’ policy and to counter the growing Chinese influence in the African world, India is
likely to offer help to oil and gas-rich Nigeria to not only build infrastructure projects
but also make major foray into the power sector and jointly use the African nation’s
own rich natural minerals and resources for its development during the visit of the
Union Commerce and Industry Minister, Around 15 per cent of the crude oil India
imports come from Nigeria.

         India, Japan to Develop Solar City: Japanese delegation led by Minister for Internal
Affairs and Communications, Kazuhiro Haraguchi met the Union Minister for New and
Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah and decided to jointly develop a solar city in India.
After a detailed discussion and mutual agreement, the two sides decided to jointly
develop one city in India as “solar city.” The solar city project aims to reduce a
minimum of 10 per cent of its projected demand of conventional energy at the end of
five years through energy efficiency measures and generation from renewable energy
installations. The Union Government has, so far, given in-principle approval to 34 cities
to be developed as solar cities. Japan is keen on promoting “Midori no Bunken” which
aims at changing centralised society to community-based society to enhance self-
sufficiency within a region through maximising natural resources, including forest, sea,
food and energy, with emphasis on not relying on electricity generated by others. It
focusses on renewable energy such as solar, wind, micro hydro and biomass energy.

         Cuba Trips up ‘Hagen pact: The Copenhagen Accord will not become an official
consensus decision under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change with
Cuba formally rejecting it. The formal submission by Cuba to the UN opposing the
controversial accord, comes after four countries — Venezuela, Bolvia, Cuba and Sudan
— had opposed it during the recently concluded climate meet.

         Reliance Media Works buys U. K. firm: Reliance Media Works Ltd. (RMW), fastest
growing film and entertainment services company and a part of the Reliance ADA
group, strengthened its international presence with the opening of a dedicated film and
media services facility in London that will offer front-end, processing, restoration, 2D to
3D conversion and post-production services to broadcasters and studios.

         China set to overtake India as World’s Biggest gold Consumer: China, the world’s
largest producer of gold, is set to overtake India as the metal’s biggest consumer for the
first time in history. China’s gold consumption in 2009 has now been estimated at 450
tonnes, according to data released this week. This exceeds estimates for India’s net
consumption last year, which is forecast at around 380 tonnes, according to the
Bombay Bullion Association.

         Confidence Petro to set up LPG Plants in Indonesia: Confidence Petroleum India Ltd
(CPIL), the country’s largest manufacturer of LPG cylinders, will open 10 LPG bottling
 plants in Indonesia with an investment of Rs 75 crore.

         Visa-on-arrival for 5 Countries: The Government has decided to issue visas on arrival
to those holding passports from Japan, New Zealand, Finland, Singapore and
Luxembourg. The visas will be issued at Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata Airport.

         Govt. Clears Pepsico’s Proposal to Inject $200m: The government cleared a proposal
of the US based soft drinks major Pepsico Holdings Pvt. Ltd. to inject additional lequity
of $200 million (around Rs930 crore) into its Indian arm within three years.

         World rubber Supply Shrinks; India Climbs to third Position: The shortage in global
natural rubber supply is assuming alarming dimensions, the data collected by
Association of Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC) is any indication. In 2009, the
rubber belt of India produced at least 1,000 tonne more rubber than Malaysia. In eight
major rubber producing countries, the fall in rubber production has expanded to 6.4%
in the 12-month period up to November 2009.

          India to give Bangla a leg up: Hasina’s visit will yield three treaties and one MoU. As
their foreign minister Dipu Moni announced, “Three treaties will be signed on mutual
legal assistance on criminal offences, agreement on the transfer of sentenced persons
and agreement on combating international terrorism, organized Crime and illegal Drug
trafficking. India’s greatest expectations from Bangladesh are all, in the security sphere.
The Handover of Ulfa ideologue Aurobindo Rajkhowa, India has also promised to dredge
the Ichchamati River in Bagladesh, and work out long term agricultural cooperation
with Dhaka. Sharing agri-technology, seeds, etc.  India to give bangla $1bn Line of
Credit: Taking the current bonhomie with the Sheikh Hasina government to a new level,
PM Manmohan Singh announced a $1 billion line of credit for Bangladesh, the highest
one-time line of credit assistance to any country by India. Authorities described the aid
as an apt reciprocation to the cooperation received from Bangladesh in dealing with
terrorism and insurgency since Sheikh Hasina came back to power. The credit will aid
Infrastructural development in that country, including building railway bridges, supply
of locomotives and assistance in dredging. Sheikh Hasina assured that no anti-India
activity would be allowed to be carried out from the country.

         NHPC assignments: Public sector Hydropower major NHPC has been allocated the
task of undertaking preparation of detailed project report (DPRs) for the 1,200 mw
tamanthi and 642 mw shwezaye hydroelectric project in Myanmar. The consultancy
assignments will be funded by the ministry of external affairs.

         Israel to fence Egypt Border: Israel has approved the construction of fences on its
southern border with Egypt to prevent people from illegally crossing into the Jewish
state. Israel is a popular refuge for Africans fleeing war-torn and impoverished
countries who enter through its porous, 250k southern border with Egypt. Israeli police
say 100 to 200 Africans enter illegally through Egypt each week. Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu has approved the construction of two sections of fence: one
opposite the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah in the southern and another near the red
Sea.

         Malaysia to Enhance ties with India: Raising the expectations of a “substantive visit”
 to India, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak said that India would be a major
player in the region and beyond. The scope of Malaysia’s defence-related cooperation
with India now was “not sub-optimal,” he said. Kuala Lumpur would look at some of
the equipment developed by the defence companies in India and study the capabilities
of its weapon systems. Mr. Najib said the bilateral discussions would cover highways
and road construction, education, oil and gas exploration, information and
communication technology, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, tourism, renewable energy
and green technologies. He said a number of agreements might be signed during his
visit. Most of them would be in the private sector — “13 and still counting.” Taking note
of the sensitivities in India to the ASEAN-India Free Trade Agreement that came into
force on New Year’s Day, Mr. Najib hoped both countries could reactivate talks on a
comprehensive economic cooperation agreement. He evinced interest in attracting the
burgeoning Indian middle class to Malaysia as a destination for medical and eco-
tourism. Asked about Malaysia’s withdrawal of visa-on-arrival for Indians, Mr. Najib
said the decision was based on the fact that nearly 40,000 Indians went “missing” by
the end of 2009 after the scheme was introduced. Chennai was the port of embarkation
in these cases, he said.

         $185 m India Credit for Rail Line in Sri Lanka: India and Sri Lanka signed a
commercial agreement for construction of a railway line between Omanthai and Pallai
in the war torn Northern Province. A press statement by the Indian High Commission
said that the pact was signed at the Ministry of Transport in the presence of Sri Lanka
Minister of Transport Dullas Alahapperuma and High Commissioner of India Ashok K.
Kantha on behalf of IRCON International (a Government of India Undertaking which
will construct the railway line) by S.L. Gupta and on behalf of the Sri Lanka Railways
by P.P. Wijesekara. “The agreement is backed by a Government of India line of credit for
$185 million. It is part of a larger package of assistance directed at the rehabilitation of
railway infrastructure in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka, for which the Government
of India has committed a total amount of $425 million in lines of credit,” it said.

         China’s exports show Revival:  After a 13-month slump, China’s flagging exports
have rebounded back to life, recording unexpectedly strong growth in December and
likely propelling the country past Germany to become the world’s biggest exporter.
China’s exports were up 17.7 per cent in December from a year ago, exceeding most
expectations after a year and a half of steep declines. Exports were down by more than
20 per cent last year as a result of the economic slowdown. Imports last month
recorded an even stronger rebound, growing 56 per cent year-on-year, according to
figures released by the General Administration of Customs (GAC). China will still
overtake Germany to become the world’s biggest exporter in 2009, with German exports
estimated at around $1.1 trillion last year.

         $1 Billion Credit line for Bangladesh announced: India announced a credit line of $1
billion to Bangladesh for strengthening its infrastructure during Bangladesh Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina’s ongoing state visit. This is the highest-ever credit line
extended by India to any country, noted official sources. This credit line will be used for
railway infrastructure, supply of broad gauge locomotives and passenger coaches,
rehabilitation of Saidpur workshop, procurement of buses and dredging projects. The
two sides signed five pacts. In a joint communiqué, it was agreed that Bangladesh will
allow use of Mongla and Chittagong sea ports for movement of goods to and from India
through road and rail. Bangladesh also conveyed its intention to give Nepal and Bhutan
 access to these ports. While recognising the need to check cross border crime, both
Prime Ministers agreed that the respective border guarding forces exercise restraint and
underscored the importance of regular meetings between the border guarding forces to
curtail illegal cross border activities and prevent loss of lives. Ms. Hasina thanked Dr.
Singh for facilitating the provision of electricity in Dahagram-Angarpota and invited
India to construct a flyover across Tin Bigha Corridor for exclusive Indian use. They
agreed on the need to amicably demarcate the maritime boundary between India and
Bangladesh. They noted the initiation of proceedings under annex VII of the United
nations convention on the law of the sea (UNCLOS). It was also agree that the
construction of the proposed Akhaura Agartala railway link be financed by grant from
India.  Dr. Singh agreed that the Rohanpur Singabad broad gauge railway link would be
available for transit to Nepal. Bangladesh wants to convert the Radhikapur Birol
railway line into broad gauge and requested for a railway transit link to Bhutan as well.
India reiterated the Assurance that India will not take steps on the Tipaimukh Hydro
electric project that will adversely impact Bangladesh. It was agreed that trucks for
movement from Bhutan and Nepal be allowed to enter about 200meters into Zero point
at Banglabandh at the Banglabandh-Phulbari land customs station.

         Bharti Airtel to Acquire 70% in Warid Telecom:  Bharti Airtel said it would acquire
70 per cent stake in Bangladesh’s Warid Telecom, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the
Dhabi Group. Under the agreement, Bharti Airtel will have management and board
control of Warid Telecom and make a fresh investment of $300 million to expand its
operations in Bangladesh, making it the largest investment by any Indian company in
Bangladesh.

         India, China to share anti-piracy information: India and China have resolved to
undertake several military-level confidence measures (CBMs). These include sharing
information in anti-piracy measures in the Gulf of Aden, beginning groundwork for a
joint military exercise in China in 2011, and ensuring greater interaction at the border
in the form of sports competitions between the troops to mark the 60th anniversary of
establishment of diplomatic relations, said highly placed sources.

         India, Malawi to finalise MoU on mineral Resources:  India and Malawi explored the
possibility of entering into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the development
of the southern African nation’s mineral resources, particularly uranium and coal.
Though Malawian Vice-President Joyce Banda specifically sought India’s assistance in
the development of its recently discovered uranium sources, the Indian delegation, led
by Vice-President Hamid Ansari, remained non-committal as Malawi made it clear that
it primarily wanted India’s help in generating energy out of its resources. The discovery
of uranium in Malawi a few years back has drawn considerable world attention and
recent years have seen several countries open diplomatic missions there. Large-scale
mining of uranium is yet to be developed, with uranium production beginning as
recently as September 2009 at the Kayelekara mine owned by Paladin Energy of
Australia. India announced a $1 million grant as emergency relief for the rehabilitation
of victims of the series of earthquakes in the country, and a $4 million grant to support
development in agriculture, health and education. Besides, India has decided to extend
a Line of Credit of $50 million to support the development goals of Malawi as part of its
effort to give a concrete expression of Indian commitment to the progress of a valued
friend.
                 

Economy

        Give States 31.5% of centres’s tax mop-up: The Thirteenth Finance Commission
chaired by Vijay Kelkar has recommended a higher devolution or a larger share of
Centre’s gross tax receipts for states, separate grant from the Consolidated Fund of
India for states that increase their forest cover, more resources for urban local bodies, a
new five-year fiscal prudence strategy and a complete stop to ‘below-the-line’ budgeting.
According to government officials, the Commission that submitted its report to
President Pratibha Patil on December 30, has recommended that states get around a
percentage point higher share of the Centre’s gross tax receipts for the next five years
beginning April 1, 2010. At present, states get 30.5% of the gross tax receipts. The
increased share in tax resources will reflect in the budget for next fiscal.

         Next only to Gujarat, Bihar grew by 11.03%: Bihar is India's new miracle economy.
In the five-year period between 2004-05 and 2008-09, Bihar's GDP has grown by a
stunning 11.03%, way beyond the definition of 7% growth for a ``miracle economy''. In
this period, Bihar - traditionally a laggard state that actually saw a 5.15% negative
growth in 2003-04 - is the second fastest growing state, just a shade behind Gujarat's
well-publicized growth of 11.05%. Apart from Bihar, the growth rate of the other four
are: Uttarakhand 9.31%, Orissa 8.74% and Jharkhand 8.45%. The all-India growth
during this period was 8.49%.

         Forex reserves Swell 11% in 2009: The country's foreign exchange reserves have
gone up by 11% to $283 billion between January and December 2009, after witnessing
an 8% fall in 2008 to $254 billion. During 2009, forex reserves increased $29 billion on
the back of large inflows into the stock market of just over $17 billion during the year
and despite some moderate intervention by the central bank to check the rupee’s
appreciation. The bigger capital flows have resulted in the Indian currency
strengthening by 4.4% during the current year taking the rupee to 46.62 against the
dollar. The rupee has bounced back by almost 13% after touching a record low of
52.185 in March 2009.

         BRIC by Brick: The BRIC index has soared 367% since November 30, 2001,
surpassing the 22 country emerging markets index by 124 percentage points and the
world’s index of 23 developed market by 350% points.

         India is well Placed in development of non-banking financial services: Several

attempts have been made to measure the extent of financial development of a country
to develop benchmarks and enable comparisons. One of the most comprehensive
indexes of financial development has recently been put out by the World Economic
Forum (WEF). The forum, starting September, 2008, releases an annual Financial
Development Report (FDR), which provides an index and ranking of world’s leading
financial systems. The 2009 FDR, released in October 2009, ranks 55 countries based
on over 120 variables spanning institutional and business environments, financial
stability, and size and depth of capital markets, among others. It defines financial
development as “the factors, policies and institutions that lead to effective financial
intermediation and markets, and deep and broad access to capital and financial
 services”. Accordingly, it recognises various aspects of development of a financial
system, presenting them as “seven pillars” of the Financial Development Index (FDI).
These pillars are institutional environment; business environment; financial stability;
banks, non-banks; financial markets and access of individuals and businesses to
different forms of capital and financial services. The FDR 2009 places most of the
developed countries in the top rankings, with the UK holding the first rank. Amongst
the emerging economies, Malaysia (22), South Korea (23) and China (26) are leaders.
India is at position 38 in its overall ranking. It ranked 31 out of 52 countries in FDR
2008.

         L N Mittal’s Rs 30k cr K’taka plant gets nod: Arcelor Mittal, whose steel projects in
Orissa and Jharkhand are in limbo for many years now, received a red-carpet welcome
from Karnataka which cleared a Rs 30,000 crore proposal for an integrated steel plant
by the world's largest maker of the alloy. "Mittal has come forward to set up a mega
steel plant in Karnataka with an investment of Rs 30,000 crore with a direct
employment potential for 10,000 people," chief minister B S Yeddyurappa said after his
meeting with Mittal.

         India Inc’s forex earnings Growth declines in ’08-09: The slowdown in the global
economy seems to have taken its toll on the growth rate of exports, especially the large
industrial houses. An analysis of the export and foreign exchange earnings performance
of the top 25 (according to sales) industrial houses during last three financial years has
seen a sharp decline in the rate of export growth. The growth of foreign exchange
earnings of the top 25 industrial houses has decreased from 24.9% during 2007-08 to
9.7% during 2008-09. Incidentally, these houses accounted for roughly 20% of the total
export earnings by the Indian economy in 2008-09.

         Shanghai trumps Tokyo as busiest Asian Stock Market: Shanghai overtook Tokyo
as Asia’s biggest stock market by trading value last year, as an 80% jump in China’s
benchmark index boosted equities demand. Shares worth $5.01 trillion changed hands
on the Shanghai Stock Exchange in 2009, compared with $4.07 trillion on the Tokyo
Stock Exchange, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The Shanghai and Tokyo
exchanges were ranked third and fourth globally, the Nikkei newspaper reported, citing
the World Federation of Exchanges. Only the Nasdaq stock market and the New York
Stock Exchange had higher trading volumes than Shanghai.

Science and Technology                      

         Cold to H1N1, super lozenge can fix all flus: In a breakthrough, Australian scientists
have developed a drug that prepares the immune system to effectively fight all cold and
flu infections, including swine flu virus. The Veldona lozenge, which tastes like a sweet
and dissolves in the mouth, prepares the immune system to attack every cold and flu
virus. Chairman of the department of microbiology and immunology at the University of
Western Australia in Perth, Manfred Beilharz, who tested the drug, said.

         DRDO builds Technology Blocks to kill Enemy Satellites: The Defence Research and
Development Organisation (DRDO) is building the technology blocks needed to
 “Neutralise” hostile satellites in low earth and polar orbits, according to V.K. Saraswat,
DRDO Director-General and Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister. These blocks are
the kill vehicle that will bring down the adversarial satellites, long-range radars,
communication systems, laser-based systems and imaging infra-red seekers which will
give a complete picture of the satellite. They will be generated as part of the DRDO’s
Ballistic Missile Defence Programme, which will reach “maturity in totality” in 2014.

         ‘Hole in Moon Perfect base for Astronauts’: In a major discovery, geophysicists have
identified a vertical hole they believe is a skylight on the surface of the Moon that could
serve as a lunar base for astronauts. The dark pit in an intact lava tube is located in
the Marius Hills region, a volcanic area on the Moon, a report published in Geophysical
Research Letters said. The discovery was made using images from the moon-orbiting
Japanese SELENE (also known as Kaguya) spacecraft.

         20 Million Solar lights Planned by 2022: India plans to install 20 million solar lights
and 20 million square metres of solar panel to generate 20,000 MW by 2022 as part of
the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission, Union Minister for New and Renewable
Energy Farooq Abdullah said. “By 2022, we aim to install 20 million square metres of
solar thermal collectors and save 7,500 MW power generation capacity,” he said at the
launch of the mission. “We want 20 million solar lights to be installed by 2022, which
would result in a saving of one billion litres of kerosene every year.” As per the official
data, of India’s total installed generation capacity of 155.8 GW, renewable energy
accounts for a mere 10 per cent. Most of this clean power is derived from wind, while
solar power’s share is negligible. “In the next three years, India plans to add 1,300 MW
of solar power, of which 1,100 MW will be grid-connected and 200 MW will be off-grid.
The initial cost of solar energy is very high, especially for grid power generation. Over
the next three years, he said, the NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam would purchase solar
power at rates fixed by the Central Regulatory Electricity Commission.

         Russia to be first to Build Nuclear-powered Spacecraft: Russia will endeavour to

become the world’s first nation to build a nuclear-powered spacecraft for interplanetary
flights. The Russian Government has allocated 500 million roubles ($17 million) in
2010 for designing a nuclear engine and a spacecraft for long space travel. The draft
design of the spacecraft is slated to be ready by 2012, while the actual model is
expected to be developed by 2018. The total cost of the project is estimated at about
$600 million.

Sports
         Karnataka Regains B. C. Roy Trophy: Karnataka regained the Dr. B.C. Roy Trophy after
eight years. Karnataka shut the doors on a Lacklustre Orissa with a 2-0 triumph in the
final of the 46th National junior football championship.

         Spain Regains Hopman Cup: Tommy Robredo was the driving force as Spain came
from behind to beat Great Britain 2-1 to win the Hopman Cup for a third time.

         India bags Bronze Medal: India Crushed Brazil 3.5-0.5 in the final round to win the
 bronze medal in the world team chess championship, which concluded at Bursa in
Turkey. Top seed Russia retained the title by defeating Israel 3-1 in the final round to
finish with 15 match points. Russia had won this once-in-year team event in 1997 and
2005. India scored its third win in a row to bag the bronze with 13 match points and
lower tiebreak score.  

Persons                                                              
                                   
         Munde appointed PAC Chairman: Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar has appointed
Gopinath Munde as Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on the
recommendation of Leader of the Opposition.

         Vimal Kaushik named Maytas Infra CEO: The board of directors of Maytas Infra Ltd
approved the appointment of Vimal Kaushik as managing director and CEO of the
company. He has been appointed with immediate effect after the resignation of
company’s director Hari Sankaran.

         UK’s first Sikh judge gets Knighthood: Mota Singh, the UK’s first Sikh and Asian
Judge, was knighted receiving the highest civilian honour for his services to the
administration of justice and community relations.

       Bharti makes Kohli Head of global biz: In order to enhance its focus on overseas
expansion, telecom major Bharti Airtel announced top-level management changes.
While the present CEO Manoj Kohli will become the head of its International Business
Group, deputy CEO Sanjay Kapoor will take the position of Kohli.

       Kochhar on ISB Board: Three new directors, including ICICI Bank CEO Chanda
Kochhar and Citigroup South Asia head Mark Robinson, have joined the board of
Indian School of Business (ISB).

       ADB’s South Asia DG: Multilateral lending agency Asian Development Bank has
appointed S Hafeez Rahman of Bangladesh as the director general of the bank’s South
Asia department to handle operations in the region, including India. Rahman would
look after the ADB operations in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal and Sri
Lanka. “Rahman, who took up the appointment on January 11, was formerly the
director general of ADB's Pacific department, where he was responsible for ADB’s work
in its 14 Pacific member countries,” the bank said.   

Awards

        Rukhsana to get Award: President Pratibha Patil has approved the Sarvottam Jeevan
Raksha Padak for Jammu girl Rukhsana Kosser, who braved the bullets of militants
 and killed one of them to save her family.

        Paa Steals the Show at Screen Awards: At the Nokia 16th Annual Star Screen Awards
held in Mumbai- Best Film: 3 Idiots, Best Director (3 Idiots): Rajkumar Hirani, Best
Actor male (Paa): Amitabh Bachchan, Best Actor female (Paa): Vidya Balan, Best
Supporting Actor male (Luck By Chance: Rishi Kapoor, Best Supporting Actor female
(Paa): Arundhati Nag.

Books and authors

         On Nuclear Terrorism: Michael Lervi
         India’s Financial Sector: An Era of reforms: Vyuptakesh Sharan
         Microfinance India: State of the Sector report 2009: N. Srinivasan
         Strategic Technologies for the Military Breaking New frontiers: Ajey Lele
         In Search of Truth: Lanka Siva Rama Prasad
         Sources for the History of Bhutan: John a Ardussi
         The Wicked City Crime and Punishment in colonial Calcutta: Sumanta Banerjee
         A Tale of Two Revolt India 1857 and the American Civil War: Rajmohan Gandhi
         Coalition Politics in India, First Decade of 21 st century: C. P. Bhambhri
         Before The divide, Hindi and Urdu Literary Culture: Francesca Orsini
         The Partition of India: Ian Talbot and Gurharpal Singh
         India’s Fragile Borderlands, The Dynamics of Terrorism in North-East India:
Archana Upadhayay.
         The Dhammapada: Eknath Easwaran
Miscellaneous
        New VRS for State-Owned General Insurers gets Lukewarm Response: For the first
time, the government has offered voluntary retirement scheme (VRS), named as Golden
Gate, to the senior officials of the general insurers who have missed their promotions
for three times consecutively. Officers starting from the rank of chief managers to
general managers are eligible to avail themselves the scheme, which has been
announced in the first week of December and will remain open for next two months.
        MCI Prohibits Doctors from Taking Gifts: The medical council of India (MCI) has
banned doctors from accepting gifts, travel facilities and hospitality of any kind from
any pharmaceutical or allied health care industry. The ethics committee of the MCI will
soon meet to decide the quantum of punishment for violation of any of these
regulations. According to MCI president, Dr. Ketan Desai, the council has brought in a
blanket ban on gifts and hospitality of any kind.
        Punducherry Plans its own ‘Eiffel’: Union territory of Puducherry, in an effort to
strengthen its French connection, is erecting a replica of Paris’s Eiffel Tower at Yanam,
its enclave in Andhra Pradesh, 840 km from Puducherry. If things go as per plans, you
could dine at the multi-cuisine restaurant on the desi Eiffel Tower offering a panoramic
view of Godavari, Bay of Bengal, the ruined Dutch port, the seaside town of Kakinada,
 high-tech gas plants established by Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) and lush green
coconut groves of Konaseema belt.
        Armed with Rs 15k crore, Govt. Vows clean Ganga by 2020: The Centre has
expressed confidence that by 2020 the polluted River Ganga would be cleaned and Rs
15,000 crore will be spent on it.
        Tata Nano is ‘Car of the Year’: Tata Nano was adjudged the car of the year while Bajaj
Kawasaki Ninja 250R was named the Bike of the year at the CNBC-TV18 overdrive
awards 2010 focusing on the road ahead for the auto industry in the face of increasing
need for green technology and environment conservation. While Maruti Suzuki India
was the Manufacturer of the year, the green award for the year went to Bangalore based
Rea electric car-company.
        Travel Services at Post offices Now: For the convenience of foreign visitors during the
forthcoming Commonwealth Games, the Delhi Postal Circle signed an agreement with
Thomas Cook (India) to provide all travel-related services through select post offices in
the Capital.
         ICTS to have its new Campus in Bangalore by 2012: The new campus of the
international centre for theoretical sciences (ICTS) of Tata institute of fundamental
research (TIFR) will come up by 2012 in Heassarghatta near Bangalore.