11 September 2014

National:

Union Cabinet clears Rs 1,200 crore for Aadhaar
After Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured full support to the Aadhaar project, the Union Cabinet
sanctioned Rs 1,200 crore to Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to meet the target of
enrolling 100 crore residents by the end of 2015. The Cabinet sanctioned Rs 1,200 crore to accelerate
the ambitious project in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand. The financial support will
help UIDAI speed up enrollment in these populous states which are lagging behind as they came under
the mandate of home ministry's National Population Register (NPR). UIDAI has already started
enrollment process in these states and has opened 3,000 stations in UP and 1,000 in Bihar and is likely
to open more stations in these states.

Third gender gets Bihar cabinet nod, to get quota
Bihar cabinet has given nod to recognize eunuchs and Trans genders as the third gender in view of the
landmark Supreme Court judgment in this connection in April this year. While eunuchs, even those
coming from upper castes, will be treated as OBC annexure II (popularly called Extremely Backward
Classes or Most Backward Classes) and get reservation benefits. Eunuchs and trans genders from
scheduled castes and scheduled tribes will remain in the same castes.

Govt to change wage norms in MGNREGS
The Centre may retain the 20-point preference for employment over material cost for a bulk of work under
the job guarantee scheme despite saying that the lopsided weightage for wages was behind MGNREGS's
failure to create durable assets. The rural development ministry has announced that the mandatory 60:40
wage to material ratio would be changed to 51:49 to allow higher spending on construction material like
cement etc. for creation of durable assets. The BJ P government has been critical that MGNREGS had
become a ditch-digging scheme with the high outflow of funds showing little for output. The scheme has
been allocated Rs 33,000 crore for 2013-14.

International:

Sushma Swaraj inaugurates new Indian embassy building in Kabul
A new $40 million Indian embassy building was inaugurated by external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj,
in the heart of Afghan capital here which features an integrated security system. The building is spread
over an area of 5 acres and has been constructed at the cost of $40 million. The total area of the building
is 8,300 square metres. The building is at Wazir Akbar Khan close to the Afghan foreign ministry. The
foundation stone of the building was laid by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2005 and the
actual work started in 2009. The building, constructed by Central Public Works Department (CPWD), has
a modern integrated security system which has been installed by Electronics Corporation of India Limited
(ECIL).

UN gives $3.8 million for flights in Ebola areas
The United Nations humanitarian chief has allocated $3.8 million from an emergency fund to support a
UN air service operating in the Ebola-struck West African region. A reduction in commercial air flights as a
result of the Ebola outbreak has hindered the urgent deployment of health workers and supplies. The
$3.8 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund will assist the UN Humanitarian Air Service, run
by the World Food Program, to move humanitarian personnel, medical supplies and equipment and aid
rapidly to remote locations in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.



11 September 2014
Open for talks on 13th Amendment
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa is open for a dialogue with the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) on
the implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution, which devolves more powers
to provinces in the island nation.

Business & Economy:

Disinvestment in Coal India, ONGC, NHPC to fetch record Rs 45,000 crore
The government kicked off the most ambitious disinvestment programme, targeting to mop up a record
Rs 45,000 crore by selling shares in blue chips public sector companies Coal India, ONGC and National
Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC). While the exact dates are yet to be finalized, SAIL's
disinvestment, which was cleared earlier, is likely later this month, with a 10% stake sale in Coal India
expected around Diwali. The energy behemoth will help the government raise around Rs 23,600 crore
based on its current share price. If prices hold, this sale alone is going to match the best ever
disinvestment receipts of Rs 23,957 crore in 2012-13, when the government had sold shares of NTPC
and NMDC, among others. ONGC, where the government can garner close to Rs 19,000 crore via a 5%
sale, is expected later in the year as the government is awaiting clarity on gas prices before the issue,
sources in the government told TOI. Somewhere during the course of the year, it will also sell 11.3% in
NHPC which, going by current price, will help generate around Rs 3,000 crore.

Indian economy poised to grow at 5.6 per cent in 2014: UNCTAD
The Indian economy will grow at a rate of 5.6 per cent in 2014 while developing economies as a whole
will see between 4.5 and 5 per cent rise in economic expansion, a report by the United Nations
Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).The UNCTAD Trade and Development report 2015
forecasts that developing economies as a whole are likely to repeat the performance of previous years,
growing at between 4.5 and 5 per cent. It forecasts Chinas economy to grow by 7.5 per cent in
2014.Improved performance of mining, manufacturing and services sector pushed Indias economic
growth rate to two-and-a-half- year high of 5.7 per cent in the April-J une quarter.

ICICI Bank offers 'Cardless Cash Withdrawal' at ATMs
ICICI Bank launched a facility under which an account holder with it can transfer money to a mobile
phone user in the country even without the latter having an account with any bank. A customer having a
savings account with the countrys largest private lender can initiate a fund transfer using online banking
by giving only the mobile number and address of the beneficiary. For availing of funds under the
Cardless Cash Withdrawal scheme, the beneficiary need not have an account with any bank. A secure
six-digit code gets sent to the mobile number of the beneficiary, who can withdraw the amount from any
of the banks 10,000 ATMs, using that number. The money has to be withdrawn within two days of the
transfer.

Honda introduces self-driving car
Honda shared its vision of the hands-free highway commute, a car that can safely drive itself on the
freeway while the driver's hands are off the wheel. While the car is just a prototype, Honda says the
technology could start appearing on Honda cars in 2020 and beyond. The prototype, an Acura RLX
sedan, has cameras that monitor lane marking and multiple radar sensors on the front and sides. On top
is a beacon that uses laser beams to continually scan the car's surroundings, similar to self-driving
prototypes already introduced by Google, Ford and Toyota. GPS also helps the car stay on a previously
mapped course and follow the speed limit.