English Current Affairs October

CONTENTS
Honours & Awards News Makers Appointments Science Snippets Defence Space Science Summits Deaths Economic Scenario Corporate Briefs Schemes Sports NationalRound-Up International Round-Up Knowledge Capsules Banking Awareness (For Bank PO & Clerks Exams) Current MCQ Capsules 28 2 4 6 7 8 8 10 11 12 14 15 16 18 21 24 26
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Statistical Institute won the prestigious prize. Sandip Basu of the Radiation Medicine Centre at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre bagged the prize in the medical sciences category. In physical sciences, Arindam Ghosh of IISc and Krishnendu Sengupta of the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science won the prize. The winners were announced by Samir K Brahmachari, Director General of Council for Scientific and Industrial Research at a function here to mark the 70th foundation day of Council. The prize is named after the founder-Director General of CSIR and carries a cash component of Rs five lakh. It is given annually to young scientists below the age of 45 who have made outstanding contributions in any field of science and technology.
Honours & Awards Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize 2012

Eleven scientists have been selected for Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize-2012, Indias premier awards in the field of science and technology. Shantanu Chowdhury of the Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology and Suman Kumar Dhar of the Special Centre for Molecular Medicine at the Jawaharlal Nehru University bagged the prize in the field of biological sciences. In the area of chemical sciences, the prizes went to Govindsamy Mugesh of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore (IISc) and Gangadhar J Sanjayan of the CSIR National Chemical Laboratory, Pune. Ravishankar Narayanan of IISc and Y Shanthi Pavan of Indian Institute of Technology-Madras won the prizes in the engineering sciences category. In the field of mathematical sciences, Siva Ramachandran Athreya and Debashish Goswami of the Indian
Gulzar nominated for 27th Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration
Renowned poet and filmmaker Gulzar has been nominated for the 27th Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration. Congress President Sonia Gandhi will give away the 27th Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration to the 75year-old lyricist and writer on October 31 in recognition of his yeoman work in promoting and preserving spirit of national integration in the country. The Award consists of a citation and cash of Rs. 5 lakh. Before Gulzar, some of the other film personalities who received the award are director Shyam Benegal, lyricist Javed Akhtar, music composer AR Rahman and writer Mahashweta Devi.
Waheeda Rehman to receive Lifetime Achievement Award

Waheeda Rehman, the veteran actress of Bollywood has been nominated to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award. The award will be presented to the actress during the forthcoming 14th Mumbai Film Festival going to start from 18 October 2012 and end on 25 October 2012. C.I.D. (1956), Pyasa (1957), Solva Saal (1958), Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959), Baat Ek Raat Ki (1962), and Sahib Biwi Aur Ghulam (1962), Kohra (1964), Guide (1965), Teesri Kasam (1966), Mujhe Jeene Do (1966), Neel Kamal (1968) and Khamoshi (1969) are some important films by her name. The committee chaired by Filmmaker, Shyam Benegal in presence of Ramesh Sippy, Sudhir Mishra, MAMI trustee and Amit Khanna, chairman, Reliance Entertainment stated that they have made their decision to award Waheeda Rehman with life time achievement award for her contributions to Indian Cinema.

Former Presidents APJ Abdul Kalam and Shankar Dayal Sharma, late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, late Punjab chief minister Beant Singh, the former head of Ramkrishna Math and Mission Swami Ranganathananda, musician MS Subulakshmi, Aruna Asaf Ali, PN Haksar, Acharya Shree Tulsi Ji, Bishambar Nath Paride and Natwar Thakkar are among the other awardees. The award instituted in the name of late Indira Gandhi is given in recognition to outstanding contribution to this cause by individuals or institutions.
Aung San Suu Kyi got US Congress Highest Honour

The Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi received, the US Congress highest Civilian Honour at a ceremony organized in the Capitol Rotunda on 19 September 2012, before her meet with the US president Barack Obama. Before her, the recipient of this award includes George Washington, Pope John Paul II and Dalai Lama-the Tibetan Buddhist Leader. During her 15 year long house arrest against the military rule in Myanmar, she received the Congressional Gold Medal in 2008.
Haryana Government instituted Awards to Felicitate Women

Haryana government on 18 September 2012 instituted four state-level awards to felicitate women who have done outstanding work in different fields. Three of the awards include Indira Gandhi Mahila Shakti Award, Kalpna Chawla Shaurya Award and Bahin Shano Devi Panchayti Raj Award. The fourth award comprises of two awards, Life time Achievers Award and Women Outstanding Achievers Award. These awards would come into effect from the current financial year 2012-13. Indira Gandhi Mahila Shakti Award, would be given to the women who has done exemplary work in rehabilitation of destitute women and children, widows, victims of atrocities and conflict disabled women and children, aged women. Kalpna Chawla Shaurya Award named after astronaut Kalpna Chawla, would be given to those who perform acts of bravery and meritorious services. The award would carry a cash prize of 51000 rupees and a citation. Life Time Achievement Award would given to woman of 60 years of age or above, who has excelled in administrative skills, career or profession, leadership quality, courage and creative work. It would carry a cash prize of Rs 21,000 and a citation and a shawl.
Virat Kohli became the ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year

The Vice-Captain of Indian Cricket team, Virat Kohli was named as the ODI Cricketer of the year at ICC Awards Function held at Colombo, Sri Lanka on 15 September 2012. He was picked ahead in the competition from Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Kumar Sangakkara and Lasith Malinga. He was awarded with this title for scoring 1733 runs in 31 matches at an average of 66.65, which included eight centuries and six half-centuries. During this period of consideration for the title, he scored his career best of 183 runs in 148 balls against Pakistan in Asia Cup.
Other players awarded at the award function were 1. Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) - The ICC Cricketer of the year, ICC Test Cricketer of the Year and the People`s Choice Award 2. Richard Levi (South Africa) - The ICC Twenty20 International Performance of the Year 3. Daniel Vettori (New Zealand) The Spirit of Cricket Award 4. Sunil Narine (West Indies) - The Emerging Cricketer of the Year 5. Stafanie Taylor (West Indies) The Women`s ODI Cricketer of the Year 6. Sarah Taylor (England) Women`s T20 Cricketer of the Year 7. George Dockrell (Ireland)Associate and Affiliate Cricketer of the Year
KC Abraham awarded with Business Excellence Award

Managing Director of Kunnath Pharmaceuticals and the producer of world famous Musli Power X-tra won Switzerland Business Excellence Award 2012 on 8 September 2012 at Zurich, Switzerland. He got shortlisted for the award because of his visionary leadership skill, hard working nature and dedication. The award has helped Kunnath Pharma ceutical to become a name of rapport across the nation.
News Makers Katy Perry becomes Billboard's woman of the year

Pop star Katy Perry has been named the Woman of the Year by Billboard and will accept the award at the 2012 Billboard Women in Music event in New York this November. This award honors the achievements of a trailblazing female recording artist over the past 12 months and acknowledges her overall success in the music business and her leadership in embracing the changing industry. Since the release of her first mainstream album, "One of the Boys," in 2008, Perry has continued to top the Billboard charts, setting a number of records along the way. The 27-year-old singer is the only woman to score five Hot 100 No.1's from one album "Teenage Dream" in the chart's 54year history. The album spent more than 100 weeks on the Billboard 200 and has sold 2.5 million copies in the US, according to Nielsen Sound Scan. Perry has also sold 48 million tracks in the US, with four of them - 'Firework', 'California Gurls', 'ET' and 'Hot N Cold' - among the top 30 selling downloads of all time. Perry holds the record for the most consecutive weeks (69) with at least one title in the Hot 100's top 10.
Lakshmipathy elected as chairman of the PTI

R Lakshmipathy, the publisher of Tamil daily Dinamalar, was elected as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Press Trust of India (PTI) on 24 September 2012 after the company's Annual General Meeting (AGM). Lakshmipathy, has served as PTI Chairman twice earlier and is also a member of press council. He is succeeding M P Veerendrakumar, Chairman and Managing Director of Mathrubhoomi group of newspapers.Alomg with him K N Shanth Kumar of Deccan Herald was also elected as the Vice Chairman of the Board. K. N. Shanth Kumar is a director of The Printers (Mysore) Private Limited, publishers of Deccan Herald,Prajavani, Sudha and Mayura. He earlier was the president of the Audit Bureau of Circulations which verifies circulation data published by newspapers and periodicals. Press Trust of India (PTI) is Indias premier and largest news agency, which employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India. On an average it puts out more than 2,000 stories and 200 photographs a day which caters the needs of the diverse subscribers, including the mainstream media, the
specialised presses, research groups, companies and Government and nongovernmental organisations.
New Member of UPSC

Manbir Singh, Former Secretary (Economic Relations), Ministry of External Affairs, took the oath of office and secrecy as Member, Union Public Service Commission on September 3. The oath was administered by Prof. D.P. Agrawal, Chairman, UPSC. An officer of Indian Foreign Service of 1976 batch, Manbir Singh has held several important positions which incudes Counselor (Commerce & Economics) in former USSR and later the Russian Republic, Minister at the Embassy of India in the United Arab Emirates, Chief of Protocol at Headquarters, New Delhi, Ambassador of India in the countries of Hungry, Iran and Netherlands. Singh has also served as Indias representative to Convention on Prevention of Chemical Weapons and the International Court of Justice.
Jaideep Sarkar Appointed as new Envoy to Israel

Jaideep Sarkar on 27 September 2012 was appointed as the new Indian Ambassador to Israel. The IITian and diplomat, is a private secretary to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and a joint
Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC) Takes Ove

Vice Admiral SPS Cheema has taken over as the Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC) August 31. He was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 01 Jan 1977. He is a graduate of the National Defence Academy (NDA), Khadakwasala, the Defence Services Staff College (DSSC), Wellington and the College of Naval Warfare (CNW), Mumbai. A specialist in Missile and Gunnery, who has spent majority of his time on afloat appointments. He was the commissioning Commanding Officer of Missile boat INS Nishank, Mauritian Coast Guard OPV Vigilant and the stealth frigate INS Trishul. He also commanded missile corvette INS Khanjar and the India`s only aircraft carrier INS Viraat. His appointments ashore include the Commandant of the Naval Academy and Commanding Officer INS Mandovi. He also has the unique distinction of wining both the Lentaigne and Scudder Medal at DSSC.

secretary of external affairs ministry, has replaced Navtej Sarna, the former ministry spokesperson.
Mamta Banerjee listed among 50 most influencing finance personality

The Bloomberg Markets magazine has included West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee in the list of 50 most influential people in the finance category. The other leading personalities included in that category were Business Tycoon Warren Buffet, Founder of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg and Hyundais chairman Chung Mong Koo. Mamta Banerjee is included in the policy-makers section and is sharing space with US federal chairman Ben S Bernanke, European Central Banks President Mario Draghi and Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The selection was decided on the ability of leader to move markets and shape ideas and policies and his or her influence in affecting the price of a security or the structure of a deal. Two other people of Indian origin who were included in the list were Anshu Jain, Co- CEO of Deutsche Bank and Preet Bharara, US Attorney for the southern District of New York. Mamta banerjee was placed in 21st position. Earlier in April, she was also ranked among 100 most influential personalities of the world by the Time magazine. country director for India on 10 September 2012. He will replace the retiring N Roberto Zagha in October 2012. His appointment at this post will help the bank to formulate and implement developmental programs and steps in the nation.
Ramesh Abhishek appointed as FMC Chairman

An IAS Officer of 1982 Batch Bihar Cadre, Ramesh Abhishek on 24 September 2012 was appointed to be the Chairman of Forward Markets Commission (FMC). His pay-scale and rank has been elevated to that of the additional secretary and FMC Chief respectively.
C.P. Joshi Appointed as New Railway Minister

C.P. Joshi, the Union Road Transport and Highways Minister on 24 September 2012 took an additional charge of the Railway Ministry after the exit of Mukul Roy. With this responsibility in the hands of C.P. joshi, the railway ministry has landed down in the hands of Congress after 17 years. The last railway minister from congress was C.K. Jaffer Sharief (1991-95). Joshi is a congress MP from Bhilwara in Rajasthan. His primary and secondary education was completed from his place of birth in Nathdwara, Rajasthan. He graduated from M.B. College Udaipur with a B.A. degree in Law. He completed his masters degree in Physics and holds a Ph.D in Psychology. Mukul Roy, leader of Trinamool Congress and a member of Rajya Sabha resigned from the position on 21 September 2012 after his party withdrew support from the government. Mukul Roy replaced Dinesh Trivedi as railway minister on 14 March 2012.
President of Tajikistan Visited India

The President of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon visited India from 1 to 4 September 2012. This was the fifth visit to India by President Emomali Rahmon. During this visit, India and Tajikistan signed six agreements in the field of sports, health, culture, education, labour, textiles and energy. It was also decided that India would increase training slots for Tajikistan from 100 to 150 under India Technology and Eco Training Programme. In the course of his visit, President of Tajikistan also addressed a business meeting jointly organised by ASSOCHAM, CII and FICCI.
Bill Gates Still Richest Person in America

Microsoft Co-Founder, Bill Gates remained at the top position in the list of 400 richest Americans released by Forbes Annual
Ranking on 19 September 2012. Gates, succeeded in winning the top position for 19th time in a row with his net worth of $ 66 billion. Bill Gates at present is the chairman of Microsoft and co-chair for Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Onno Ruhl Appointed as India's Country Director for World Bank

World Bank appointed Onno Ruhl a Dutch National to be the
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further orders, whichever event takes place earlier.
Appointments Altamas Kabir sworn in new Chief Justice of India

Justice Altamas Kabir was on September 29 sworn in as the 39th Chief Justice of India by President Pranab Mukherjee. He took over the post from Justice S.H. Kapadia, who served as the CJI for nearly two-and-a-half years. Justice Kabir, 64, took the oath at a brief ceremony in the The main focus of Mrs Rai Bachchan will be to advocate for the Global Plan towards the elimination of new HIV infections among children and keeping their mothers alive. This plan was launched at the United Nations in June 2011. The Global Plan focuses on 22 countries including India, which account for more than 90% of all new HIV infections among children. Twenty one of them are in sub-Saharan Africa, where the estimated number of children newly infected with HIV fell by 25%, from 360 000 in 2009 to 270 000 in 2011. Progress in subSaharan Africa has been made possible through rapid improvement in access to services that prevent new infections in children. There was a dramatic increase in coverage of services in the 21 sub-Saharan African countries between 2009 and 2011: from 34% to 61%. HIV transmi ssion rates from mother-to child have also declined since 2010 with the introduction of more effective prophylaxis regimens.
Kaushik Basu appointed as World Bank Chief Economist

On 5 September 2012, The World Bank appointed Kaushik Basu, as its chief economist and senior vice president. Basu, an Indian national and a Cornell University professor most recently served as chief economic adviser of the India's Union Ministry of Finance. He has to take over as the chief economist at the World Bank on October 1. Kaushik Basu, 60, holds a doctorate from the London School of Economics and has also founded the Centre for Development Economics at the Delhi School of Economics in 1992 is also a founding member of the Madras School of Economics. He had his wide contributions in the field span development economics, welfare economics, industrial organisation and public economics. He has earlier served as chairman of Cornell's economics department and was a director of its Center for Analytic Economics. He was awarded with one of the country's highest civilian awards, the Padma Bhushan in May 2008. In his twoand-a-half-year stay in the Union finance ministry, Basu gave some constructive thoughts on food coupons and innovative ways to tackle corruption among other advices.
Ashoka Hall of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Justice Kabir was appointed Supreme Court judge on September 9, 2005. He has delivered several landmark judgements, including on human rights and election laws. He will serve a tenure of nine months till July 18, 2013. He is part of the bench hearing the case of the two Italian Marines who allegedly shot dead two Kerala fishermen taking them as pirates.Justice Kabir headed a bench which recently decided the case of disqualification of MLAs by the Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly. The bench quashed the Speakers order on disqualification of the MLAs who had defected from the BJP.
Rajiv Mehta to be the New Director General of NCB

Rajiv Mehta, IPS has been appointed as Director General, Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). His appointment will be on deputation basis for a period of five years from the date of assumption of charge of the post or till the date of his superannuation or until
Aishwarya Rai appointed Goodwill Ambassador for UNAIDS

The United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) hasappointed Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as its International Goodwill Amba ssador. She will raise global awareness on protecting children from HIV infection and increasing access to antiretroviral treatment.
Pakistani-origin women appointed as Norwegian Cultural Minister

A 29 year old women of Pakistani origin Hadia Tajik was appointed as Norwegian Cultural Minister on 24 September 2012. Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg appointed her to this post during the cabinet reshuffle activity. She is the youngest minister and first Muslim in the Norwegian Political history.
Science Snippets Australian scientists Discovered Alzheimer's Treatment

Australian scientists along with US experts claimed that they are a step closer to create a treatment for Alzheimer patients following a study finding a link to abnormalities inside brain cells. In a joint study, researchers at Queensland Brain Institute and Havard medical School team found that when a toxic protein builds up, it starves brain cells of energy, causing them to die. According to ABC online report, in the study of over three years, scientists tried to unveil the mystery surrounding Alzheimers disease and a section of the brain cell called the mitochondria, the part responsible for metabolising energy, was analysed. This is the first study to directly link toxic levels of Tau, a protein in the brain that is related to dementia, to abnormalities in the mitochondria, which starves them of energy and destroys brain cells. Researchers claimed that the latest development was a promising step towards developing an effective treatment for sufferers.
Gene Therapy that can Restore the Sence of Smell Developed

Scientists of the University of Michigan developed a gene therapy which they claimed could restore the sense of smell in human beings who lost the ability to sniff odours from birth. The scientists used gene therapy to re-grow cilia, cell structures that are important for olfactory function. These results could result in to one of the first therapeutic options for treating people with congenital anosmia. They also set the stage for therapeutic approaches to treating diseases which involve cilia dysfunction in other organ systems. Many of these diseases can be dangerous if left untreated. Olfactory dysfunction can be a symptom of a class of genetic disorders, known as ciliopathies. It includes diseases as diverse as polycystic kidney disease and retinitis pigmentosaan inherited, degenerative eye disease- that causes severe vision impairment and blindness. framed policies framed aims to phase out the issues related to nuclear power of the country for next three decades. which is known by Vienna convention for the protection of ozone layer.
International Day on Preservation of Ozone Layer Celebrated

On 16 September every year, from 1995 onwards the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer is celebrated. This date was designated by the United Nations General Assembly in its resolution 49/114, to memorialize the signing of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. With this, The Montreal Protocol is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. The ozone layer is a layer in Earth's atmosphere which contains relatively high concentrations of ozone (O3). The ozone layer is mainly found in the lower portion of the stratosphere from approximately 20 to 30 kilometres (12 to 19 mi) above Earth. It protects the earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation. Scientist in the 1970s discovered that the layer was thinning as a result of the release of CFCs which resulted in the development of ozone hole. In 1985 national around the world signed an agreement and developed a framework for cooperative activities to protect the ozone layer in Vienna
Great Indian Buster Got Shonkaliya Region to Breed

The endangered birds, Great Indian Bustard and Lesser Florican have got a dedicated land for breeding in the Shonkaliya Region of Ajmer District, Rajasthan. The villagers of Ajmer District have agreed for conserving the grounds for these endangered birds. Population of the Great Indian Bustard (the state bird of Rajasthan) is reportedly not sizeable with six males seen in the area. The Great Indian Bustard needs to lure with at least three to four females in number for making of the family. Nests of the Great Indian Bustard have been noticed in the crop fields of the area. The Lesser Floricans are available in a large number as compared to the Great Indian Bustards in the region. Nest of lesser Floricans have also seen around the crop lands of the area. Floricans make a visit to this northw e s t e r n region of the country during their breeding season of advancing monsoons.
New Nuclear Safety Agency Launched in Japan

Japan launched a new Nuclear Safety Agency on 18 September 2012. The formation of this fivemember Nuclear Regulation Authority was done after the country was hit by Tsunami in the year 2011 resulting in major breakdown and leakage of the Nuclear Power Plants in the tsunami-stricken-area of Fuku shima Dai-Ichi Plant. Headed by the nuclear Physicist, Shunichi Tanaka, this agency is responsible for reviewing of the nuclear policies of the country. Before the incident, Japan relied on nuclear power for at least one-third of its energy requirements but now its planning to increase it to a level of 50 percent of its total energy requirements. The
Defence India successfully testfired Agni-IV Missile

India on 19 September 2012 test fired its nuclear-capable surface-to-surface Agni-IV missile from Wheeler Island, off the Odisha Coast. Fitted with composite rocket motor technology, the missile was test fired from the road mobile launcher. The full range of the missile is 4000 kilometer. The launch was declared to be successful after the missile succeeded in hitting the predecided target after taking a flight of 20 minute at an altitude of about 800 kilometer in the atmosphere at a roasting temperature of about 3000C. The support of Micro Navigation System (MINGS) along with the Ring Laser Gyro based Inertial Navigation System (RINS) ensured the two digit perfection in making the missile reach its target. The 20 meter long, 1.5 meter broad and 17 ton in weight, is capable of carrying about 1000 kilogram of explosives along with it. Light in weight, this missile is fitted with two stage solid propulsion with a payload for reentry into the heat shield. One of its kinds, Agni-IV Missile Indias first indigenously developed ballistic missile is embedded with 5th Generation on Board Computer state-of-the-art Avionics and a finely distributed architecture, which allows correction and guidance during in-flight disturbances.
Space Science Indias heaviest satellite GSAT-10 launched

GSAT-10, the country's newest and heaviest satellite, was launched September 29th from the Kourou launchpad in French Guiana in South America. It will directly boost telecommunications and direct-to-home broadcasting among others. The satellite, 9th in ISRO's present fleet, will be operational in
November and add 30 transponders to the domestic INSAT system, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said soon after the launch. The ISRO launched the 3.4-tonne spacecraft on the European Ariane 5 rocket as the agency cannot currently launch satellites of such mass on its own vehicles. The satellite and the launch fee cost the agency Rs. 750 crore. The ISRO called its 101st mission "a grand success," adding that the satellite was in good health. It carries 30 communication transponders - 12 in Ku-band, 12 in C-band and six in extended Cband. The ISRO is currently leasing 95 foreign transpondes to meet domestic demand. The INSAT/ GSAT system has 168 trans ponders. GSAT-10 also has the second GAGAN payload which augments or finetunes the US GPS signals into far more accurate readings. GAGAN, a venture of the Department of Sapce and Airports authority of India, is primarily meant to benefit airlines and their aircraft flying into and out of India. GSAT-8, launched in May 2008, carried the first GAGAN payload. Built for 15 years, GSAT 10 will be co-located with InSAT-4A and GSAT-12.
China included Liaoning as its first Aircraft Carrier

China on 25 September 2012 launched its first aircraft carrier giving a push to its fast expanding navy's blue-water capability beyond its territorial waters. The aircraft carrier is a former Soviet ship with a capacity of 60000 tonne that is brought from Ukraine and later renovated in China. The carrier is capable of accommodating 33 fixed wing aircraft. It is named as 'Liaoning', after a Chinese province liberated from Japanese occupation in 1945. The aircraft carrier came amid high end dispute between China and Japan on East China Sea islands, called Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China. The aircraft carrier, which is formerly known as the Soviet ship Varyag, underwent about seven years of refitting efforts to install engines, weapons, as well as a year-long sea trial. With this advancement China has become the tenth country in the world and the last among the five permanent members of the UN Security Council to have an aircraft carrier in active service.
ISRO scores a centum

A Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C21) blasted off from Sriharikota on September 9 and placed two foreign satellites in orbit, accomplishing the Indian Space Research Organisations 100th mission, a milestone in the countrys space journey. After a 51-hour countdown, the PSLV lifted off at 9.53 a.m., two minutes behind schedule, to avoid any collision with space debris. In the textbook launch, it carried SPOT-6, a 712-kg French earth observation satellite and injected it into an orbit of 655-km altitude, inclined at 98.23 degrees to the equator. Proiteres, a 15-kg Japanese microsatellite, was put into orbit as an additional payload. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and a host of dignitaries watched the flight path on electronic screens, as the 44-metre tall PSLV accomplished its task, reinforcing the fact that it is the ISROs workhorse, with 21 successful missions in a row. The four-stage ignition and the injection of the satellites into the orbit took 18 minutes and 37 seconds. As Proiteres separated at the final moment, the scientists erupted into joyous applause. SPOT-6, an optical remotesensing satellite capable of imaging the earth with a 1.5-metre resolution, is built by Astrium SAS, a European space technology company.
Sunita takes over command at space station

Indian-American astronaut Sunita Williams has taken over the command of the International Space Station (ISS), becoming the second woman in history. A three-member crew of the Expedition 32 returned safely to earth, wrapping up a mission lasting more than four months. The three-man crew onboard a Russianmade Soyuz capsule touched down successfully in central Kazakhstan steppe on Monday morning after spending 123 days at the Space Station. Just after the Soyuz spacecraft separated from the space station. NASA astronaut Sunita Williams took over command of Expedition 33 at the station from Commander Gennady Padalka, becoming the second woman in history to do so. 46-year-old Williams will be sharing the Space Station with veteran Russia cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko and Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide until mid-October, when three more astronauts, including NASA astronaut Kevin Ford, will arrive and round out the full crew of Expedition 33. Proiteres is meant to study the powered-flight of a small satellite by an electric thruster and to observe Japans Kansai district with a high-resolution camera. PSLV-C21 mission, the ISRO has launched 62 satellites and 38 rockets. It has so far injected 28 foreign satellites into orbit, beginning with Germanys 45-kg DLR-TUBSAT aboard the PSLV-C2 in 1999. SPOT-6 is the the PSLVs biggest commercial lift so far. At a press conference, Dr. Radhakrishnan said the financial matters relating to the launch could not be disclosed, but the cost of the vehicle was recovered. The ISRO also sent its own payload, Mini Resins, for demonstration of an instrument called Redundant Strap down Inertial Navigation System. Manmohan Singh watched the historic 100th mission of the Indian space agency and scientists at Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) rocket's mission control room kept an eye on the rocket that escaped the earth's gravitational pull. Interestingly SPOT 6 is the heaviest foreign satellite to be carried by a PSLV rocket since 1999 when ISRO started launching satellites owned by foreign agencies. The successful launch of SPOT 6 would make ISRO's PSLV rocket a strong contender to carry SPOT 7 planned by French company Astrium SAS soon. According to ISRO, the satellite launch agreement between Antrix and Astrium is part of the long-term agreement signed between the two agencies in September 2008. The space agency has also jointly built two heavy satellites - 3,453 kg W2M and 2,541 kg Hylas - for the French agency. India has the largest constellation of remote sensing satellites in the world providing imagery in a variety of spatial resolutions, from more than a metre ranging up to 500 metres, and is a major player in vending such data in the global market. With 12 remote sensing/ earth observation satellites orbiting in the space, India is a world leader in the remote sensing data market. The 12 satellites are TES, Resourcesat 1, Cartosat 1, 2, 2A and 2B, IMS 1, Risat-2, Oceansat 2, Resourcesat-2, MeghaTropiques and Risat-1.
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continent. South Africa also carries the profound memories of Mahatma Gandhis association with that region. The 9th World Hindi Conference would deliberate on a series of traditional and contemporary themes related with both classical and modern aspects of Hindi. The theme of the conference this year will be Bhasha ki Asmita Aur Hindi Ka Vaishvik Sandarbh. The conference would also have nine academic sessions on such subjects as Mahatma Gandhis linguistic vision; Hindi and modern technology; role of Indian epics in propagation of Hindi; contribution of foreign scholars in disse mination of Hindi; Mass media and Hindi, etc. The last eight World Hindi Conferences have been held at the following places: First WHC - Nagpur (India) : 10-12 January, 1975 Second WHC - Mauritius : 28 30 August, 1976 Third WHC - New Delhi (India) : 28-30 October, 1983 Fourth WHC - Mauritius : 2-4 December, 1993 - Port of Spain (Trinidad & Tobago) : 4-8 April, 1996 Sixth WHC - London (UK) : 14-18 September, 1999 Seventh WHC - Paramaribo (Suriname) : 6-9 June, 2003 Eighth WHC - New York (USA) : 13-15 July, 2007 Fifth WHC
Summits Ninth World Hindi Conference held at Johannesburg

The Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India with the support of Hindi Shiksha Sangh, South Africa and other stakeholders is organizing the Ninth World Hindi Conference (WHC) in Johannesburg, South Africa from 22-24 September, 2012. The Conference will be held at Johannesburg, South Africa. The tradition of the World Hindi Conferences began with the first conference having been organized in Nagpur in the year 1975. Since then, these conferences have achieved a global profile and momentum of their own. The subsequent eight World Hindi Conferences were organized in different world cities, namely, twice in Port Louis (Mauritius), twice in India, Port of Spain (Trinidad and Tobago), London (UK), Paramaribo (Suriname) and New York (USA). All these conferences have always attracted a galaxy of renowned scholars and followers of Hindi. In keeping with this growing reach and popularity of this event, the Government has decided to organize the next conference in Johannesburg, South Africa, which would also be an apt recognition of Indias historic, close and growing ties with the whole of the African
Joint Committee on defence cooperation from Saudi Arabia and India

The Joint Committee on defence cooperation from Saudi Arabia and India met for creation of defence ties on 11 September 2012. Decisions for this establishment of joint committees was decided during the visit of Indian defence minister A.K. Antony to Saudi Arabia and his meet with the Crown Prince and defence minister of Saudi Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud in February 2012. The 11 member team from Saudi Arabia was headed by the Chief of the Armed Forces Operations of Saudi Arabia Maj Gen Suleiman Saleh AlKhalifa. The Indian side was headed by the Joint Secretary, Ministry of Defence.
MekongGanga sixth Cooperation meeting

MekongGanga sixth Cooperation meeting was held in New Delhi on 3-4 September 2012. Senior official meeting was held on September 3 whereas the Foreign Ministers meet was held on 4 September 2012. The Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC) was established on November 10, 2000 in Vientiane, Lao Peoples Democratic Republic with a purpose of cooperation amongst India and the five Mekong region countries - Cambodia, Lao Peoples Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Vietnam and Thailand. It was basically established to emphasize on four areas of cooperation, which are tourism, culture, education, and transportation linkage, in order to build strong foundation for future trade and investment cooperation among the region. This is the first time that the Mekong Ganga Cooperation meeting was hosted by India. India had earlier chaired the 5th MGC Ministerial Meeting on the sidelines of the ASEANIndia Meetings. Five Mekong Ganga Cooperation ministerial meetings has held so far, In Vientiane, Lao Peoples Democratic Rebuplic on November 10, 2000; In Hanoi, Vietnam on July 28, 2001; In Phnom Penh, Cambodia June 20, 2003; In Cebu, Philippines on January 12, 2007 and in Manila, Philippines on August 1, 2007.
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Deaths Indian first National Security Advisor Brajesh Mishra died

The first National Security Advisor of India, Brajesh Mishra died on 28 September 2012 at New Delhi after suffering from a heart ailment. Mishra (84) played a pivotal role in making of the foreign policies during the NDA regime of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and was a trouble shooter to him.
Verghese Kurien, father of White Revolution, dies

Verghese Kurien, the father of White Revolution in India and the founder of Amul, died after a brief spell of illness at Nadiad in Gujarat. He was 90. Mr Kurien's body has been kept at the Sardar Hall of Amul dairy in Anand for people to pay their last respects. Mr Kurien, the man behind Operation Flood, was the chief architect who made India the largest milk producer in the world. He helped modernise the Anand model of cooperative dairy development and engineered the White Revolution in India. Today over 10 million farmers at 200 dairies across the country produce over 20 million litres of milk every day. In 1949, Mr Kurien decided to quit a lucrative government job to join a small-time dairy cooperative. Since then, milk procurement of the cooperative grew from a few hundred litre a day to over 90 lakh litre a day now under one of India's most popular brands - Amul. arrested and sent to Juvenile jail for 16 days. He was expelled from his college, Maharaja College at Pudukottai after making protests against the Diwan of Travancore, Sir C.P. Ramaswami Iyer. Gopu was brought to Chennai by CPI leader K. Balathandayutham to be a member of the partys body Janashakti. character was as Kallu Varkey- he played role of a drunkard in Kolangal in 1981. For his role in Yavanika, he got his first state award in 1981 followed by two more state awards in the year 1994 and 1998, Santhanagopalam and Gamanam respectively. Some of his notable works include Randam Bhavam, Sphadikam, Namukku Parkkan Munthiri Thoppukal, Moonnam Pakkam, Panchagni, Dhwani, Sanmanassullavarkku Samadhanam, Mookkilla Rajyathu, Kaattu Kuthira and Yavanika.
Urdu Poet Muzaffar Razmi died

The famous Urdu poet Muzzaffar Razmi died on 19 September 2012 in Kairana in Shamli district. Razmi (76) suffered a brief illness and is now survived by his two daughters and three sons. Razmi wrote three books of Urdu Poetry. His book, Lahmon ki Khattah released in the year 2004 was uncovered by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Former Sarsanghchalak of RSS KS Sudarshan died

KS Sudarshan, the former RSS Sarsanghchalak died on 15 September 2012. He suffered a heart attack at the Nagpur headquarters of RSS. He was in Nagpur for release of a book written by Gopal Vyas a Rajya Sabha MP from Chhattisgarh that was held on 14 September 2012.
First laptop designer Bill Moggridge dies

British-born industrial designer, who created the clamshell-shape design for computer laptops, has died from cancer. He was 69. Moggridge designed the Grid Compass computer in 1979.
Sardar Man Singh Batra Died

Former footballer from Delhi, Sardar Man Singh Batra died on 19 September 2012 following a prolonged illness. Batra (88) is now survived by his wife, a daughter and two sons.
Malayalam Actor Thilakan Died

Surendranatha Thilakan, the Malayalam film actor and winner of National Award died due to multiple organ failure, at the age of 77 on 24 September 2012 at Thiruvananthapuram. He also was an acknowledged theater artist. In the year 2009, he was awarded with Padma Shri (the fourth highest civilian award in India) for his contributions to the (film) form of art. He made his debut in the industry in the year 1972 with Periyar, followed by Gandhar vakshetram and many more in a row. His first movie as a lead
Communist leader A.M. Govindarasu passed away

A.M. Govindarasu (A.M. Gopu), the veteran communist leader and the Freedom Fighter passed away on 13 September 2012 at Chennai. He became a part of the freedom movement, when he was in class ninth in the year 1942. Supported by three more classmates, he came on the streets at Tiruvidaimarudur shouting slogans against British government, where he was
Veteran Communist Leader Govindarasu Died

A.M. Govindarasu (A.M. Gopu), the veteran communist leader and the Freedom Fighter passed away on 13 September 2012 at Chennai. The 83 year old, who survived six bullet shots by the police in 1950, is survived by his daughter. Following his wish of not being cremated, his family members donated his body to the Rajiv Gandhi Government Hospital.
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Economic Scenario India ranked 111th in economic freedom list

India ranks very low at 111th position in terms of economic freedom, behind countries like China, Nepal and Bangladesh, a global study has claimed in a worldwide index of 144 nations. The annual ranking, titled 'Economic Freedom of the World: 2012', is topped by Hong Kong, followed by Singapore, New Zealand, Switzerland (8.24) and Australia in the top-five. The index has been prepared by Canadabased public policy think-tank, Fraser Institute, in cooperation with independent institutes in 90 nations and territories, and claims to measure the degree to which the policies and institutions of countries support economic freedom. India's ranking has fallen from 103rd last year, while Hong Kong has retained its top slot, the report said. Canada is ranked sixth on the list, while others in the topten include Bahrain, Mauritius, Finland and Chile. The countries with lowest level of economic freedom are -- Myanmar, Zimbabwe, Republic of Congo and Angola. India shares its 111th position with two other countries, Iran and Pakistan, while those ranked lower include Guyana, Syria and Nigeria. India has scored an overall rating of 6.26 in the economic freedom index as against an average global scrore of 6.83. In the economic freedom index, China is at 107th position with a score of 6.35, Bangladesh at 109th with a score of 6.34 and Nepal is at 110th position (6.33). The report said that Hong Kong offers the highest level of economic freedom worldwide, with a score of 8.90 out of 10, followed by Singapore (8.69), New Zealand
Shimla Municipal Corporation introduced Green Tax

Shimla Municipal Corpo ration on 15 September 2012 introduced Green Tax on Shimla entry of vehicles not registered in Himachal Pradesh. The Corporation Commissioner M.P. Sood stated that the vehicles crossing the entry points of the town will have to pay the imposed tax. The tax will be imposed on automobiles on both commercial and non-commercial category. By imposing the tax, the corporation will increase its revenue by Rs 6 crore per year. The taxes will be charged on the four entry points of the city namely, Totu, Tara Devi, Dhalli and Mahali.
(8.36), Switzerland (8.24), Australia and Canada (each 7.97), Bahrain (7.94), Mauritius (7.90), Finland (7.88) and Chile (7.84). The report noted that on an average, the poorest 10 per cent of people in the freest nations are nearly twice as rich as the average population of the least free countries. Interestingly, the US, which is considered a champion of economic freedom among large industrial nations, continues its protracted decline in the global rankings. This year, the US plunged to its lowest-ever ranking of 18th, after being ranked at as high as second position in 2002. The decline is attributed to higher spending and borrowing on the part of the US government. The rankings and scores of other major economies include Japan (20th), Germany (31st), Korea (37th), France (47th), Italy (83rd), Mexico (91st), Russia (95th) and Brazil (105th).
NSIC Empowering Women for Self Employment

National Small Industries Corporation has launched specialised Incubation Program for Unemployed girls and Women to take up their own ventures. Speaking at the 12th Global Conference on Trade Liberalization and its impact on Women Entrepreneurs, Dr. H. P. Kumar, CMD, NSIC stated that NSIC has set up Incubation Centres all over the country and invited young girls, aspiring Women Entrepreneurs to join the NSIC-Incubation program free of
Prime Minister led National Investment Board

Finance Minister P. Chidambaram on 15 September 2012 pitched for institutionalization of a National Investment Board under the leadership of Prime Minister. The formation of the board will help in speeding the approval of the proposals, for the mega projects and their implementation. Formation of the board will help the country in achieving the targeted growth for the twelfth five year of 8.2 percent. At the meeting of the full planning commission under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the finance minister expressed his concern on the delayed implementation of the mega projects and stressed on the fact that the decision made by the National Investment Board (NIB) to be taken as the final decision. Chidambaram also insisted interference by any other authority on the approvals and decisions made by the NIB will be entertained. He also added to his statement that NIBs role will be limited to the projects with investments of Rs 1000 crore or more.

Cost. The NSIC Incubation program is a integrated support by way of providing hands on training on working projects, it provides necessary facilities for prospective entrepreneurs and start up companies to learn product manufacturing processes coupled with technology development and business development.
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Telecom base to cross 1-billion mark by March

Despite the sharp 20.7 million fall in telecom subscriber base last month, the first time since the mobile revolution in 1997, the industry is expected to touch 1,042 million users by the fiscal-end, CMIE has said. The total subscriber base is expected to reach 1,042 million by March 2013, economic research agency Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) said in its monthly report. The telecom subscriber base fell to 944.81 million in August from 965.52 million in August, according to TRAI data. Market leader Bharti lost a net 1.9 million customers in August, Vodafone 1.56 million and Idea Cellular lost 1.65 million. These control 67 per cent of the mobile market. RCom, which is yet to report its August numbers, had lost a whopping 20.5 million customers in July. Tata Teleservices, which has also not reported its August numbers, had lost over 2.4 million wireless customers in the month. Uninor lost over 1 million, Videocon 0.41 million, Loop and state-run MTNL each lost around 0.15 million in July. However, the new wireless subscribers for the fiscal are likely to decline by nearly 14 per cent, CMIE said. Wireless service providers are expected to add 92.7 million new subscribers this fiscal, significantly lower than the 107.6 million they added in FY12, the agency said. contained to 5.2 per cent with the proposed reforms. The committee also recommended that over the next two-three years the government should raise resources by selling unutilised and under-utilised land of the PSUs, Port Trusts, and the Railways, to fund infrastructure sector. As for disinvestment, it said that in the absence of adequate steps the government will be able to raise around Rs. 10,000 crore, as against the target of Rs. 30,000 crore. With regard to petroleum subsidy, it suggested that the government should seek to eliminate diesel subsidy by 201314 and our policy goal should be to eliminate the LPG subsidy by 2014-15 by reducing it by 25 per cent this year, with the remaining 75 per cent reduction over the next 2 years. Regional Rural Banks (RRBs), Cooperatives Banks and NABARD enabling them to provide shortterm crop loans of up to Rs 3 lakhs to farmers at 7% p.a. during the year 2012-13. It was also decided to provide additional interest subsidy of 3% p.a. to those farmers who repay loans within one year of disbursement in the current fiscal year. The Cabinet allowed the release of 10901 crore Rupees as interest subvention for 2012-13. Interest subsidy is allowed for small and marginal farmers having Kisan Credit Cards for loan. The Cabinet approved the release of 442 crore rupees as interest subsidy to small and marginal farmers having Kisan Credit Cards against negotiable warehouse receipts, for post-harvest. Centre has subsidized short-term crop loans to farmers since 2006-07 to ensure the availability of crop loans to farmers of upto Rs.3 lakh at 7% p.a. Banks have been consistently meeting the target set for agriculture credit flow in the past years. For the year 201213, the target for agricultural credit flow has been raised to Rs 575000 crore from Rs 475000 crore in the year 2011-12.
Kelkar for hike in PDS price

In its report on the road map to fiscal consolidation, the threemember committee headed by the former Finance Secretary and 13th Finance Commission Chairman, Vijay L. Kelkar, has suggested a host of bold reform measures on ways of slashing the subsidy bill which, it admitted, would result in some short term pain and hardships. The committees reco mmendations also include sale of surplus land with public sector undertakings (PSUs), fast-tracking of the Centres disinvestment programme, expansion of the service tax net to raise revenue as also an overhaul of the Direct Taxes Code (DTC). The government has reiterated its intention to implement the promise of food security for all. While taking a final view on the various recommendations, the government will bear in mind that the goal is to achieve high growth, inclusive development, and economic and social justice for all. In its report, the committee suggested phased elimination of subsidy on diesel and LPG in the next four years and reduction in kerosene subsidy by one-third by 2014-15. As for food and fertilizer subsidies, it has sought an increase in the urea price and a hike in the issue price of foodgrains at ration shops. Alongside, it cautioned that without these measures, the fiscal deficit of the government could shoot up to 6.1 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the current financial year. It can be
Union cabinet approved interest subsidy for farmer loans

The Union Cabinet on 6 September 2012 gave its approval to continue interest subsidy to Public Sector Banks (PSBs),
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Deepak Parekh, eminent authors Gurcharan Das and Rama Bijapurkar were also nominated as members of the EPAG of the Commission. Others on the tenmember panel comprises former, Biocon CMD Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, CAG V N Kaul, NGO activist Rohini Nilekani and former RBI Deputy Governor Rakesh Mohan.
Corporate Briefs BoI opened its first branch in South Africa

Bank of India (BoI) opened its first branch in South Africa in a move to enhance the relationship between South Africa and India while contributing to the overall development of the BRICS grouping. BoI opened branch in Johannesburg which is in South Africa.
Tata Steel won High Speed Rail Contract in France

Tata Steel, the Indian major iron and steel making company, received a letter of intent from French, Eiffage Rail on 19 September 2012 for supplying high quality rails for the 182 kilometer high speed line. The line will connect the cities named Rennes and Le Mans. The project with its value Rs 315.15 Crore and will have to supply 50,000 tonnes rails for making of the Brittany-Loire Valley line. The rail line that is an extension of the high-speed link in existence will reduce the travel time by 37 minutes in between Rennes and Paris.
HDFC Bank announced to launch of credit card for teachers

HDFC Bank on 5 September 2012 announced to launch of credit card for teachers, coinciding with the celebration of Teachers Day. The card offers special features like multiple reward points, weekend bonanza points, petrol surcharge waiver and 500 special gift reward points to be credited annually on the Teachers day. With a combined market size of more than 450 million students and growth rates of 10-15 per cent
During state visit of then Indian president Pratibha Patil to South Africa in May 2012, both countries agreed to increase twoway trade to 15 billion US dollars by 2014 from 10.64 billion US dollars. India can take advantage of the huge opportunities on the African continent, particularly in infrastructure and communication. South Africa and India both are members of BRICS, which also includes Brazil, Russia and China.
DMRC won work in Jakarta Metro Project

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on 23 September 2012 was awarded with the work of Management Consulting Services by Jakarta Metro Rail Project. Before this, DMRC assisted them in preparation of SAPI (Special Assistance on Project Implementation). The work in its first phase will be done in a distance of 15.7 kilometer. DMRC will be working in a joint-venture with eight international companies.
Deepak Parekh nominated to Competition Commission of India

The Union government of India on 31 August 2012 nominated industry leader Deepak Parekh to Competition Commissions Eminent Persons Advisory Group (EPAG). The group advises the antitrust regulator on good global practices and other issues. The group was constituted in a way that CCI could avail from the advice of eminent persons representing a wide arena from the Corporate Sector. Along with HDFC Chairman
expected over the next decade, education is one of the largest service sectors in India. In fact, it is the largest issuer of credit cards in the country with a customer base of 5.60 million as of 31 March, 2012.
Financial action task force

Financial action task force is an inter-governmental body responsible for setting global standards on anti-money laundering and combating financing of terrorism. The FATF Secretariat is housed at the headquarters of the OECD in Paris and after long wait, India has finally become a full-fledged member of the FATF.
History of the FATF

In response to mounting concern over money laundering, the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering (FATF) was established by the G-7 Summit that was held in Paris in 1989. Recognising the threat posed to the banking system and to financial institutions, the G-7 Heads of State or Government and President of the European Commission convened the Task Force from the G-7 member States, the European Commission and eight other countries.
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Schemes
National Family Benefit Scheme
The Ministry of Rural Development is implementing, through State Governments and UT Administrations, a scheme namely National Family Benefit Scheme (NFBS). Under this scheme, earlier a provision of grant of Rs. 5,000/was made in case of natural death of BPL primary bread winner. The primary BPL bread winner specified in the scheme, whether male or female, had to be a member of the household whose earning contributed substantially to the total household income. The death of such primary bread winner occurring whilst he/she was in the age group of 18 to 64 years. In the year 1998, the amount of benefit has been raised to Rs. 10,000/- in case of death due to natural causes as well as accidental causes. The funds are released to State Governments and UTs by Ministry of Finance as Additional Central Assistance. The National Family Benefit Scheme is a sub-scheme of the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) and details of funds released sub-scheme wise to State/UTs are not maintained. These sub-schemes are only for BPL families.
Schemes to Financially Help BPL Widows

The Government in the Ministry of Rural Development is implementing through State Governments and UT Administrations the major schemes /programmes namely Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), Swarnjayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojana (SGSY)/ National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) and Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY) for providing wage, self employment and houses in rural areas respectively. These schemes have specific provision to provide benefits to rural women including widows to enhance their income and living standard. Besides, Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme (IGNWPS) is also implemented in urban and rural areas for Below Poverty Line (BPL) widows, between the age groups of 40 to 59 years. death during the period of coverage, under this scheme. However, there is no proposal to introduce a special package for Indian workers returning to India from conflict-ridden countries. There is also no plan to start a Pravasi Bank for Overseas Indians by the Ministry. District hospitals existing in the states and union territories of Goa, Haryana, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Mizoram, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Lakshadweep and Puducherry had been co-located with AYUSH facilities, whereas, the states having more than 50% of the District hospitals co-located with AYUSH facilities were Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttarakhand., There had been no co-location of AYUSH facilities in the Districts hospitals of the remaining 12 states and union territories.
Integration of Ayush in Health Care System under National Rural Health Mission
After the launch of NRHM, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has taken several steps for strengthening health care facilities by integrating AYUSH systems in national health care delivery systems. The integration is facilitated by appointing or colocating AYUSH doctors & supporting staff and creating infrastructure according to local needs. There were 640 districts, 6431 blocks and 638588 villages incorporating 605 District Hospitals (DHs), 4535 Community Health Centres (CHCs) and 23673 Primary Health Centres (PHCs) till March 2011. Out of these, AYUSH facilities had been co-located with 416 District Hospitals, 2942 Community Health Centres and 9559 Primary Health Centres during 2011. About 68.76% District hospitals had been co-located with AYUSH facilities till 2011. All the
Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana

Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana has been extended to licensed porters, licensed vendors and licensed hawkers on the Railways in consultation with Ministry of Labour & Employment. Railways are facilitating below poverty line beneficiaries for coverage under the scheme being implemented by the concerned State Governments. In the case of above poverty line beneficiaries, 75 per cent of the premium will be borne by the Railways subject to a maximum of Rs. 565/- per family per annum, whichever is less and the remaining 25 per cent to be contributed by the beneficiaries, who will also have to pay an amount of Rs. 30/- per family per year as registration/renewal fee.
Mahatma Gandhi Suraksha Yojana

The Government has launched a scheme called Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Suraksha Yojana (MGPSY) for Indian workers holding Emigration Check Required (ECR) passports and a valid work permit in an ECR country. This scheme encourages and enables Overseas Indian Workers to save for their return and resettlement and to save for their old age by providing a cocontribution from the Government. This also provides a free Life Insurance Cover against natural
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Sports Australian eves beat England to win Womens World T20 championship
Australian women produced an impressive performance to edge out their English counterparts by four runs in an exciting final of the ICC Womens World Twenty20 here on October 7. Put into bat, Australia put up a competitive 142 for four in 20 overs with almost all the batswoman getting runs. Jess Cameron with 45 was the top scorer but openers Meg Lanning (25), Alyssa Healey (26) and Lisa Sthalekar (23 not out) all chipped in with useful contributions. In reply England could manage 138 for nine as Australian bowlers got wickets at regular intervals. Needing 16 of the last over, England managed only 11 runs off spinner Erin Osbornes over. England needed an over boundary of the last delivery but could manage a single as girls in canary yellow celebrated enthusiastically.
Sandeep Patil appointed as the Chief for BCCI Selection Committee

Former Cricketer and allrounder, Sandeep Patil was appointed as the Chairman of the five member senior selection committee of BCCI on 27 September 2012. The other four members of the committee include Saba Karim, Roger Binny, Vikram Rathour and Rajinder Singh Hans. The four members of the previous panel that was headed by K. Srikkanth departed from the office after completion of their four years tenure. Mohinder Amarnath, the selector from North Zone departed from his office after serving the selection panel for one year of his tenure.
Brazil Picks Endangered Armadillo as 2014 Mascot

FIFA and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) are excited to introduce one of the most high-profile ambassadors of the
2014 FIFA World Cup: a u n i q u e Brazilian three-banded armadillo (the To l y p e u t e s tricinctus), a creature that is indigenous to Brazil.FIFA has announced the tournament's mascot -- an endangered Brazilian armadillo.The yet to-be-named armadillo was revealed by former Brazil soccer star Ronaldo. The three-banded armadillo, which is in danger of extinction, rolls up into the shape of a ball when threatened and is commonly found in northeastern Brazil. The mascot carries the colors of the Brazilian flag. It is yellow, with green shorts and a blue shell and tail. It is dressed in a white shirt with the words "Brazil 2014" written on it. "The fact that the threebanded armadillo is a vulnerable species is very fitting," FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke said in a statement. "One of the key objectives through the 2014 FIFA World Cup is to use the event as a platform to communicate the importance of the environment and ecology.
Scores: Australia:
142 for 4 in 20 overs (Jess Cameron 45, Alyssa Healey 26, Meg Lanning 25; Holly Colvin 2/21).
West Indies Wins T20 World Cup

West Indies defeated Sri Lanka by 36 runs in the ICC World Twenty20 final at the R. Premadasa Stadium here on October 7. Chasing the West Indies 137 for six, Sri Lanka was a nervous-wreck and finished with a measly 101. The diverse challenges that a small target strangely evoke, were in full force once Ravi Rampaul cleaned up Tillakaratne Dilshans stumps. Mahela Jayawardene (33) had the onerous task of keeping his head and anchoring the chase while his nation, including President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Marlon Samuels (78, 56b, 3x4, 6x6) waged a lone-battle while the Sri Lankan spinners buzzed around and nearly ruined Sammys dreams of batting big on winning the toss.
England:
138 for 9 in 20 overs (Charlotte Edwards 28; Jess Jonassen 3/25, Lisa Sthalekar 2/ 16).
Scores:
West Indies: 137/6 Sri Lanka : 101/10 Man-of-the-match: Marlon Samuels. Player-of-the-tournament: Shane Watson.
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US OPEN 2012 WINNERS

Andy Murray with first grand slam title:
It had been 76 years since a British man won a Grand Slam singles championship Ending a nations long drought Andy Murray won the US Open 2012 beating Novak Djokovic 7-6 (10), 7-5, 2-6, 3-6, 6-2. The 25-year-old also became the first man in history to win Olympic singles gold and the US Open in the same year.
Girisha bags silver at Paralympic Games

Girisha Hosanagara Nagarajegowda gave India its first medal at the Paralympic Games after bagging silver in the mens high jump F42 event in London. The 24-year-old from Karnataka, who has an impairment in his left leg, sailed over a height of 1.74m using scissors technique in the final of the event to finish second in the presence of an 80,000 capacity crowd. Iliesa Delana of Fiji won the gold, while Lukasz Mamczarz of Poland settled for bronze. Although Delana finished on the same height of 1.74m as Girisha and Mamczarz but won gold on the basis of taking less jumps.
India at Paralympics
Games 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 Total Place Gold Silver Bronze Total Rome did not participate Tokyo did not participate Tel Aviv 0 0 Heidelberg 1 0 Toronto 0 0 Arnhem 0 0 Stoke Mandeville /New York 0 2 Seoul 0 0 Barcelona 0 0 Atlanta 0 0 Sydney 0 0 Athens 1 0 Beijing 0 0 London 0 1 2 3
Serena Williams wins 2012 U.S. Open:

Serena beat top-ranked Victoria Azarenka, 6-2, 2-6, 7-5, Sunday night for her fourth championship at Flushing Meadows and 15th Grand Slam title overall. Williams(31) is the first 30 year old woman to win the US Open since Martina Navratilova in 1987.She won her very first major championship at age 17 at the 1999 US Open.
0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 3
0 1 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 8
Bob and Mike Bryan lifted doubles title:

Bob and Mike Bryan raised a record-equalling 12th Grand Slam men's doubles title with victory over Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek at the US Open. The second-seeded American brothers defeated Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek 6-3, 6-4 in the US Open final. The victory gave the Bryan twins their 12th Grand Slam title, the most by any team in the Open era, which began in 1968.
tournament. To qualify for this round, Indu succeeded in lop-sided pre-quarterfinals over Russian Aziyata Khomushku.
Dhoni named as Caotain for ICC ODI team of the Year

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the captain of Indian Cricket team has been named as the Captain of ICCs ODI team of the year. Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir are two more players from Indian squad to be selected in the ICCs ODI team for the year. Dhoni has been nominated to be a member of the team for fifth consecutive year in a row. The complete team of twelve members selected for the ICCs One Day International team of the year includes three Indians and two members from each of the team Australia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan
and England along with one nominated South African player as a whole. The team was selected by the a panel headed by the former West Indian Captain Clive Lloyd that included other members like Carl Hooper (Former Skipper-West Indies), Marvan Atapattu (Former Captain Sri Lanka), Tom Moody (former Australian all-rounder) and Clare OConnor (Former Captain of Englands women team).
Indu's triumph with a bronze at world junior championship

Indu Choudhary, the 20 year old Indian grappler won Bronze in the World Junior Championship at Pattava on 6 September 2012. She won bronze in the womens 44 kg category after defeating Turkish Evin Demirhan. With this medal India opened its account in the
Indian Women won SAF Foot Ball Championship 2012

Indian Women registered a thumping win over Nepal in the final of SAF Football Championship in Colombo. India defeated Nepal by 3-1. India had defeated Bhutan and Sri Lanka in the league stage and thrashed Afghanistan 11-0 in the semis to romp into the final.
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standard IS-10500. He said, the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation assists the State Governments technically and financially through the centrally sponsored National Rural Drinking Water Programme for supplementing their efforts in providing safe drinking water in the rural areas of the country. The NRDWP guidelines clearly mention that IS-10500 standards have to be followed regarding quality specifications of drinking water being supplied in the rural areas of the country. Most of the developed countries like Australia, UK and USA have already decided the quality standard of potable water. Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. Green groups have been demanding a blanket ban on plastic bags in the capital for long. Following a Delhi High Court order, the government had in January, 2009 imposed a ban on the use of plastic bags in various markets, shopping malls, hotels and hospitals but it has not produced any desired result. The government has now decided to impose the ban as per provision of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 under which the violators could face imprisonment up to five years and fine of upto Rs 1 lakh or both.
National Round-Up World's first Bamboo guitar to be launched in Nagaland

The first ever bamboo guitar will be launched on the occasion of 'World Bamboo Day' at the statelevel celebration of the Nagaland Bamboo Resource Centre (NBRC) in Dimapur, Nagaland. The much anticipated 'Bamboo Guitar' is made of laminated strips of the bamboo species 'Bambusa Tulda' and 'Schizostachyum Dullooa.' Bambusa Tulda is also called 'Khoprei/Rietho' in Angami or 'Longmei' in Ao dialect and the electric guitar is made out of this. The box guitar is a combination of Bambusa Tulda and Schizostachyum Dullooa. Schizostachyum Dullooa is Anih in Ao and Ah in Phom dialect. This is the third year running since the first World Bamboo Day celebration was held in Nagaland, at Kisama, near Kohima in 2010. This years commemoration under the theme 'Green Future 2012' has on the tray a food court with bamboo based food delicacies, bamboo craft sale and exhibition and an interesting competition on innovative bamboo products and applications from various entrepreneurs and craftsmen from the eleven districts of the State.
Delhi govt imposes blanket ban on plastic bags

In a major environmentfriendly initiative, the Delhi government on September 11 decided to impose a blanket ban on manufacture, sale, storage and use of plastic bags in the national capital. The decision was taken at Cabinet meeting presided over by
Indias first multi-lateral Social Science research collaboration with four European Nations
India has managed to enter into its first multi-lateral Social Science research collaboration with four European Nations by the approval of projects for networking and social science research cooperation in between the
First time in 44 years a Speaker resigns

With the resignation of Assembly Speaker D. Jayakumar, it was after a gap of 44 years that a Speaker had chosen to quit the post. The last time a Speaker resigned was August 1968 when S.B. Athithanar stepped down to become Minister. After the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam captured power in 1967, Athithanar was elected Speaker. In February 1969, he became cooperation minister. In the 1950s, two Assembly Speakers had left the post. J. Sivashanmugam Pillai, in his second term as the presiding officer of the Assembly, resigned the post in August 1955. He held the post since May 1946. Subsequent to the 1951-1952 Assembly elections, Pillai was again elected Speaker in May 1952. He was the only person to hold the post for nine long years at a stretch. Pillai was succeeded by N. Gopala Menon in September 1955. Menons election was marked by a contest in which he got 134 votes as against 64 votes secured by S. Swayamprakasam. A year later, Menon resigned from the post as his constituency was merged with the State of Kerala. K.A. Mathialagan was the only Speaker to have been removed through a motion adopted in December 1972 amid uproarious scenes. Mathialagan became the Speaker in March 1971 on DMK retaining power in the Assembly elections held that year.
BIS maintains quality of water for rural areas

The Government has informed that Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has the mandate of setting up standards for various products and services in the country. The Minister for Rural Development and Drinking Water and Sanitation Jairam Ramesh said that BIS has published Drinking Water Specifications in its

researchers of these nations on 5 September 2012. The French Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR), the Deutsche For schungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation), the UK Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) are the four bodies with which India has been successful in created tie-ups. The social scientists will get national funds for creating collaborations with European Partners via a scheme. This is help in eradication of bureaucratic restrictions and obstacles. Its expected to economise and rationalize the efforts of Europe towards production of high impact and quality research on social science that can address to the challenges forwarded by the global arena in terms of growth, economy, development, climate change, well being and health. As per the scheme the proposal can be made on any hemisphere of social science that can be of a help in understanding the social and individual behavior of a person and influence the policies beyond the boundaries. The targeted six proposals that have been awarded with the funds after being mapped in the month of May 2011, will deal in the aspects of wellbeing, ageing, bullying, mapping the cultural authority of science, globally accessible medicine, climate governance and pupil-safety.
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Delhi CM, Sheila Dikshit green signaled the Ladies Special Buses
Delhi Transport Corporation green signaled Ladies Special Buses with women conductors on 27 September 2012 from 11 different points across the city. Chief Minister of Delhi, Sheila Dikshit flagged off the bus from Delhi Secretariat. All this has been done to ensure safe and comfortable journey for the ladies during the peak office hours in the city. Chief Minister Delhi informed that the number of buses will increase in accordance to the frequency of the commuters in the near future. members. In its third academic year (2012-13), the University has enrolled over 300 students and has 48 faculty members. The University is currently functioning from Akbar Bhawan premises in New Delhi.
Rashtriya Aarogya Nidhi scheme Launched

The State Health Ministry of Arunachal Pradesh launched Rashtriya Aarogya Nidhi scheme in Itanagar on 14 September 2012. The scheme which is under the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare provides financial assistance up to 1.5 lakh rupees to BPL patients suffering from life threatening diseases in the form of a one-time grant. In the event of the treatment cost exceeding 1.5 lakh rupees, the patients can avail the assistance from the Central Rashtriya Aarogya Nidhi scheme. The Central governments contribution to the scheme for Arunachal Pradesh, will be two crore rupees.
Study on Women Death due to Child Birth

As per the latest data on Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) from the Sample Registration System of Registrar General of India (RGISRS), MMR in the country is 212 per 100,000 live births for the period 2007-09 which translates into an approximate number of 56,000 maternal deaths in one year. As per SRS 2010, the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) is 47 per 1000 live births which translates into approximately 12.5 lakh children dying before they reach their first birthday. As per the report titled Maternal Mortality in India: 19972003 trends, causes and risk factors published from the same source, major causes of maternal deaths in the country are Haemorrhage (38%), Sepsis (11%), Hypertensive Disorders (5%), Obstructed Labour (5%), Abortion (8%) and Others (34%) which includes Anaemia. The main reasons for Infant Mortality in India as per the Registrar General of India (200103) are perinatal conditions (46%), Respiratory infections (22%), Diarrhoeal diseases (10%), other infectious and parasitic diseases (8%) and Congenital anomalies (3.1%).
EC Prohibited use of animals in Campaigns

The Election commission on 27 September 2012 directed the Political Parties and candidates not to use birds and animals in the campaigns. The commission also directed that in case the use of animal is unavoidable then the party or candidate will have to ensure that no harm is caused to the animal including violation of any law as well as cruelty towards the creature. To justify the decision the commission pointed towards Article 51(g) of the Indian Constitution that states compassion for all living creature as well as Prevention of Cruelty of
SAARC University
SAARC University esta blished in the country has started functioning. The South Asian University (SAU) is functional since August 2010. It commenced its first academic session with an intake of 50 students in two Masters Courses (Development Economics and Computer Applications). In its second academic year, the SAU enrolled 170 students (from all eight SAARC member States) and 30 faculty

Animals Act, 1960. The commission also pointed towards the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 that prohibits overloading and torturing of the animals. The Election Commission has also sent letters to the political parties as well as the Chief Electoral Officers of every state and union territories. The decision was made following the representations received by the election commission by some organization and individual stating the cruelty that animals suffered during the election campaign of the political parties.
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Punjab Government Amended Canal & Drainage Act

Punjab state government on 11 September 2012 amended the section 70 of Canal and Drainage Act, 1873 to punish the offence of canal water theft. As per the amendment, those who puncture a canal to irrigate their fields will face a fine of 5000 rupees, imprisonment or both. For the second offence of canal water theft, water supply would be ceased for full term during the crop season. In case any person still continues to use water in an unauthorised manner, they would be excluded from the command area of the canal for a period of two years. Before this amendment, there was a provision of Rs 1,000 fine or 1 month imprisonment or both.
A.P. to setup 15 Marine Police Stations

The Andhra Pradesh state government on 19 September 2012 decided to set up 15 marine police stations along its coastline in addition to the existing six ones. The decision was taken in a bid to beef up security along the 974 km long coastline of the state. The government also decided to appoint special police officers (SPOs) in coastal villages. Police sources said marine police will conduct patrolling in the deep sea within their jurisdiction in coordination with the Coast Guard, but SPOs will play a major role and keep a constant watch on the coastline activities in their villages.
NDMA observed it's 8th Formation Day

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on 28 September 2012 observed its 8th Formation day at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi and reaffirmed its commitment towards making Disasters in India resilient. During the ceremony, the vice-chairman of NDMC M. Shashidhar Reddy threw light on some of the contributions made by the authority in all these years and the management system developed by them to control the situation of disaster. The Chief Guest and the Guest of Honour on this occasion were the Union Minister of Water Resources and Parliamentary Affairs Pawan Kumar Bansal and Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs Mullapally Ramachandran respectively. NDMA was constituted on 30 May 2005 with its notification done on 27 September 2006 by the Prime Minister of India as its Chairperson. The organization is responsible to ensure the prevention measures along with preparedness, mitigation, generation of awareness, recovery and rehabilitation along with fine recommendations related to fund allocation at times of all types of manmade and natural disaster across the nation.
UP Launched Samajwadi Swasthya Seva

Uttar Pradesh state government on 14 September 2012 launched the Samajwadi Swasthya Seva, the biggest emergency medical transport service in the country. The ambitious service was launched in 13 districts - Mainpuri, Etawah, Lucknow, Kannauj, Saharanpur, Meerut, Rampur, Moradabad, Muzaffarnagar, Sambhal, Shamli, Baghpat and Ambedkarnagar - in the first phase. The facility can be availed free of cost by dialing 108. The ambulance service was launched with the help of a private service provider.
Haryana Signed MOU

Haryana government had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with four independent power producers for setting five bio-mass power projects. The capacity of power projects is of 51 MW and required an investment of 230 crore. Out of four, two projects is going to be commissioned soon. Haryana is among the leading states in implementing energy conservation programmes. The memorandum was basically signed to tackle with the prevailing power crisis in the state
Barfi nominated as India's entry to Oscars 2013

Bollywood film "Barfi" has got an official entry to the Oscars, and actor Ranbir Kapoor said he has high hopes from the film even though at the moment it has not reached the nomination stage. "So far in the history of Indian cinema, only three Bollywood films, including Mehboob Khan's "Mother India" (1957), Mira Nair's "Salaam Bombay" (1988) and Ashutosh Gowariker's "Lagaan" (2001), have made it to the nomination stage. Directed by Anurag Basu, "Barfi" features Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and Ileana D'Cruz among others.
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International Round-Up France to ban words 'mother' and 'father' from official documents
France is set to ban the words 'mother' and 'father' from all official documents underits controversial plans to legalize gay marriage. The move, that has outraged certain sections, means only the word 'parents' would be used in identical marriage ceremonies for allheterosexual and same-sex couples. The draft law states that "marriage is a union of two people, of different or the same gender". All references, according to the draft, to 'mothers and fathers' in the civil code - which enshrines French law - will be swapped for simply 'parents'. The law would also give equal adoption rights to homosexual and heterosexual couples.
US, India and Afghanistan held its First Trilateral Discussion

US, India and Afghanistan held its first ever trilateral meeting on 25 September 2012. The major point of discussion was on the situation in Afghanistan along with the issue of terrorism. The discussion marks the strengthening of Afghanistan relation with India and US who are totally behind the vision of a secure, peaceful, democratic and prosperous Afghanistan living in peace, security, friendship and cooperation with its region and the wider world. The meeting was held at the Afghan Mission in New York and was attended by Joint Secretary (Pakistan/Afghanistan/Iran) Y K Sinha and Joint Secretary (America) Jawed Ashraf from the Indian side, Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Jawed Ludin, US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Ambassador Marc Grossman and Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert Blake. The discussions also mark the beginning of a series of consultations among the three governments, who share common interests across South and Central Asia and who have pledged to work together on common challenges and opportunities including combating terrorism and violent extremism, reviewing cultural exchanges and increasing regional trade, investment and economic integration.
India, Myanmar and Thailand decided to implement Trilateral Connectivity Project by 2016
India, Myanmar and Thailand on 10 September 2012 reviewed the eagerly awaited trilateral connectivity project and decided to make all efforts to implement this by 2016. This was done at the meeting of the IndiaMyanmar-Thailand Joint Task Force, which met in New Delhi. It was also agreed during the meeting that steps be initiated to address issues related to harmonisation of customs and immigration procedures at border check-posts to enable seamless movement of goods and people to realise the full potential of the trilateral highway.
New Nuclear Safety Agency launched in Japan

Japan launched a new Nuclear Safety Agency on 18 September 2012. The formation of this five-member Nuclear Regulation Authority was done after the country was hit by Tsunami in the year 2011 resulting in major breakdown and leakage of the Nuclear Power Plants in the tsunami-stricken-area of Fukushima Dai-Ichi Plant. Headed by the nuclear Physicist, Shunichi Tanaka, this agency is responsible for reviewing of the nuclear policies of the country. Before the incident, Japan relied on nuclear power for at least one-third of its energy requirements but now its planning to increase it to a level of 50 percent of its total energy requirements. The framed policies framed aims to phase out the issues related to nuclear power of the country for next three decades.
Czech Republic to be the Partner Country in the India Engineering Sourcing Show 2013
Speaking at the India-Czech Joint Commission and the concurrent business seminar at Brno on September 11, 2012, Shri
Anand Sharma, Union Minister for Commerce, Industry & Textiles said that India-Czech partnership can become the harbinger of a new growth story in these times of economic stress. Leading a business delegation of over 135 Indian Engineering companies, Minister Sharma signed the minutes of the India-Czech Joint Commission which took place earlier, during which he set a target of doubling bilateral trade taking it to a level of USD 2 billion for the India-Czech bilateral trade by 2015. Minister Anand Sharma also announced the participation of the Czech Republic as partner country in the 2013 edition of the India Engineering Sourcing Show. The event was also addressed by Minister of Industry & Trade of the Czech Republic, Mr. M Kuba. Two MoUs were signed between the Czech Export Bank and Export

Import Bank of India and between EEPC India and the Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic. bilateral ties apart from deciding to elevate it to "strategic partnership" which will include cooperation in a wide spectrum of areas, including political, economic, defense and counter-terrorism. Both the countries agreed to enhance their trade and investment relations. MoU was signed between India and Tajikistan in the field of sports also. Both the countries also agreed to explore the possibilities to develop transport corridors. In an attempt to intensify developmental partnership, India has offered to undertake a series of development projects in Tajikistan.
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politically connected with an information and management technology firm having four contracts of several million dollars potentially in the year 2011. Being an engineer with license, she founded Spaan Tech in the year 1998 and since then has been a great participant in the success story of the company. The Chicago born is serving as a Chairman with DelhiChicago Sister Cities Committee. To promote the exchange of values in relation to culture, social and economy in between the two nations, she guided the Chicagos Mayor Richard M Daley trade mission to India.
Russia's Oldest person dies at 122

A man thought to be Russia's oldest person has died at the age of 122, authorities in the North Caucasus region of Dagestan said on September 11. Magomed Labazanov, a retired labourer who lived in Serebrya kovka village close to the city of Kizlyar, died early Friday, the local government said on its website. Labazanov was reportedly born in Dagestan and worked in a sawmill and later on a farm. He never learned to read and write. The date of his birth has not been authenticated as he did not have an original birth certificate. Labazanov was one of the thousands of people in North Caucasus republics who were uprooted during World War II on Stalin's orders and deported to Central Asia, returning only in the 1950s.
First Indian American at DNC Parliamentarian

Smita Shah a close supporter of US President Barack Obama became the first person from Indian-American origin to serve as a parliamentarian for Democratic National Convention on 6 September 2012. As per the publically available documents, Smita has been an applauded donor to the campaign of the Democratic Party and Obama. She is the Vice-Chair at Chicago Plan Commission. Smita heads Spaan Tech, a unit that was described by The Chicago Tribune to be
Worldwide Protests against the film Innocence of Muslims

Innocence of Muslims, written and produced by Sam Bacile turned up to be the reason for protests across the Islamic nations. The movie has claimed lives of many including the US Ambassador to Libiya, Chris Stevens. The film has seen protests in Libiya, Egypt, India and the Arabic speaking world. Producer of the film, Sam Bacile with original name Nakoula Basseley Nakoula hired
India and Tajikistan sign new pacts

Tajikistan, a key partner of India in the Central Asian region, signed several agreements with India for enhancing cooperation in various areas like health, education, industry, energy, labour, employment and culture. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon held talks on key regional and international issues and reviewed the current status of
Forbes released the Annual Ranking List of 400 richest Americans

Forbes on 19 September 2012 released the list of 400 richest Americans. Bill Gates with his total net worth of $ 66 billion managed to remain at the top position for 19th year in a row. Warren Buffet of Berkshire Hathaway with net asset of $ 46 billion was at second position in the list. Larry Ellison of Oracle remained at third position with net asset of $ 41 billion. Some of the known names in the list include: 1. Jeff Bezos, at No. 11, with estimated net worth of $23.2 billion 2. Steve Ballmer at 19th position with net asset of $15.9 billion 3. Paul Allen grabbed 20th position with net asset of $15 billion 4. Mark Zuckerberg of facebook, slipped from his previous years 11th position to 36th position with net asset of $17.5 billion 5. James Jannard secured 150th position with his net asset of $2.8 billion 6. Craig McCaw was placed at number 311 in the list with his net asset of $1.5 billion 7. Bruce Nordstrom remained at. 360th position with net asset of $1.2 billion

the director of many soft-core porn flicks to do the job. Some of the films of the Robert include The Happy Hooker Goes Hollywood, Lost at War and Zombie Wars. The reason of protests against the film is the insult of Prophet Mohammad. The director of the film, who is an Israeli-American, has portrayed Prophet to be a philanderer, fool and a religious fake. There are scenes in the movie that illustrates Prophet to be a fake person along with scenes that have thrown light on the sexual acts of Prophet.
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MIT Topped on the World University Rankings Chart

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) topping the list of best universities issued by the QS World University Rankings for 20112012 for the first time that there is a massive rise in the tech-based universities of the world. Cambridge University that had managed to be at second position in the list has seen a slight depression from its first slot, whereas Harvard University was ranked to be at third position in the list. University College, London (UCL), Oxford and Imperial are the ranked to be at fourth and fifth position. Four universities from United Kingdom have taken the slot among six best universities of the world. In the announced rankings, none of the Indian universities have been successful in managing a rank even in the top hundred. The published results are based on the QS Academic reputation survey in which 46,000 academics from across the world were engaged in identifying the leading universities of their respective field.
New President of Somalia

Hassan Sheikh Mohamud won the presidential elections of Somalia on 10 September 2012. He won the election by gaining 190 votes to 79 in the second round of competition. Alliances were formed between the Prime Minister Abdiweli Ali and Hassan Sheikh. His election as a President is welcomed by many nations of the world and there are expectations that Somalia will soon see a new dawn.
India & Pakistan Signed MoU to Expand Business Base

The Islamabad Womens Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the PHDCCI on 12 September 2012 signed a MoU. The objective of the MoU is to develop policies in trade, investment and tourism between Pakistan and India and expand the existing business base and increase understanding. The two chambers agreed to establish and develop commercial links between the business communities of both countries and their members. According to the MoU, both trade bodies will endeavour to improve cooperation, assist trade missions, exchange information and find methods for promoting trade. The two chambers will also organise seminars, exhibitions, trade fairs and other promotional activities.
investment and increase imports from Sri Lanka. China and Sri Lanka agreed that holders of diplomatic and service passports of the other nation will be exempt from visa requirements. China-Sri Lanka bilateral trade volume reached 3.14 billion dollars in 2011.
US & Japan agreed deploy missile defence system

The United States and Japan on 17 September 2012, announced an agreement to set up second advanced missile defense radar on Japanese province. It is an effort which is distinctively designed to counter the ballistic missile threat from North Korea. The radar which is named as Xband radar is meant to protect Japan as well as the U.S. homeland. The United States and its allies in the region have expressed growing concern about North Korea's missile tests and nuclear arms programs. Despite warnings by the international community, Pyongyang fired a rocket in April, saying it was meant to launch an experimental satellite. But it was generally believed the launch was a missile test. This deal came when China and Japan is on dispute for an uninhabited, resource-rich island chain known as Diaoyu in China and Senkaku in Japan. The joint missile defense system encourages Japan to keep a forceful position in the Diaoyu Islands dispute, which is sending China a very negative message.
US Diplomat to Libya killed in Benghazi Attack

United State ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens with three other embassy staff were killed on 9 September 2012 after some fundamentalist mobs fumed and protesting over a film mocking Prophet Mohammed, attacked Consulate building in Benghazi city of Libya. The said event happened on the day which is also marked as the 11th anniversary of 9/11. The US ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens was the man who had helped Libyan opposition to overthrow the Gaddafi regime. The protest came after 14 minute trailer of the film posted on You Tube. The film named as Innocence of Muslims, was directed and produced by an Israeli- American real estate developer. It depicts the Prophet in poor light.
China Signed 16 new Agreements with SriLanka

China on 16 September 2012 signed 16 major agreements with Sri Lanka in Colombo on a range of issues, from visa exemption and marine development to economic and technology cooperation. China also promised to expand
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Knowledge Capsules
Different Types of Awards (India & World)
Nobel Prize:
It is the most coveted international award of the world. It was instituted by the inventor of dynamite, Alfred Bernard Nobel (1833-96) The award is given on Dec.10, which is the death anniversary of its founder. Nobel made a trust from the money that he earned through the patent of his invention whose interest is used to give the money for the Nobel Prizes. Nobel Prize is given every year to those eminent person who have made pioneering achievements in the field of Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Peace, Literature and Economics. Apart from Economics, all other categories have been given since 1901. Economics Nobel Prize was in 1967 and was first given in 1969. It was instituted in 1970 and named after the US Publisher Joseph Pulitzer. It is conferred annually in the USA for accomplishments in journalism, literature and music. They were instituted in 1957 and named after Ramon Magsaysay, the late President of Philippines, who died in an air crash. This award is given annually on August 31, for outstanding contributions to Public service, community leadership, journalism, literature and creative arts and international understanding. They are often regarding as the Nobel Prize of Asia. It is the highest literary award given to the authors of British, Irish and Commonwealth countries. It is instituted in 1968 by the Booker Company and the British Publishers Association along the lines of Pulitzer Prize of US. Booker Prize has been renamed as Man Booker Prize, as the sponsorship has been taken by the Man Group, an international stockbroker. It is given annually to persons for outstanding contributions to the promotion of international understanding and goodwill among the people of the world. These awards were instituted in 1929 and conferred annually by the Academy of Motion Pictures in USA. These are considered the most prestigious award in the cinema world. The first Indian to get an Oscar was Bhanu Athaiya for the movie Gandhi. Satyajit Ray was the First Indian who was awarded Oscar for lifetime achievements in cinema in 1992. It was instituted in 1980 by the Right Livelihood Society, London. It is renowned as alternate Nobel Award to promote and contribute in the field of environment and social justice. It was instituted in 1995 by the Government of India. It is presented for international peace on the lines of Nobel Prize. It is presented by United Nation Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for extraordinary contribution for international peace. It is also presented by UNESCO for contributions in the field of Human Rights Awareness. It is given every alternate year. It is presented by United Nation (UN) for personal contribution for the cause of human rights. It is presented every sixth year. It is presented by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), one of the branches of UNO, for the cause of agriculture and food development.
Oscar Awards:

Right Livelihood Award:

Pulitzer Prize:

Mahatma Gandhi Peace Prize:

Magsaysay Awards:
UNESCO Peace Prize:
UNESCO Human Right Award:

Booker Prize:

UN Human Right Award:
World Food Prize:
Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding:

It was instituted in 1965 by the Government of India.
Indira Gandhi Award for International Peace, Disarmament and Development:

It is presented by Indira Gandhi Memorial Fund for specialized contribution in the filed of International disarmament and development.
Current News & Events Bharat Ratna:

It is the highest civilian award of India. It is presented by the Government of India. It is presented for exceptional public service and rarest achievements in the field of art, literature and science. It was instituted in 1954 and the first recipient was Dr. Radhakrishnan. Padma Vibhushan is the second highest civilian award for distinguished services in any field including Government service. Padma Bhushan and Padma Shree are the other important civilian awards. It was instituted in 1965 and is given for distinguished works in any reconised language by a scholar. It was instituted in 1955 and is given for any exclusive writing in any of the 22 languages including English literature during last 5 years. It was constituted in 1948 and is given in any Indian language or English literature, for distinguished contribution to Indian values. It was instituted in 1991 by the K. K. Birla Foundation and is given for any distinguished literary work made during last 10 years in any of the Indian language. These awards are given by the Government of Madhya Pradesh for the outstanding contribution in the field of music. It was instituted in 1992 by K. K. Birla Foundation for outstanding contribution to Hindi literature. These awards are given by the Government of Madhya Pradesh for the outstanding contribution in the field of literature. These awards are given to the Indian scientist for their exceptional performance. These awards are given in the field of medical sciences. These awards are given for the extra ordinary performance in medical sciences.
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Arjuna Awards:
These were instituted in 1961and given by Sports Ministry, Government of India. These are given for the special achievements in different types of sports. These were instituted in 1985 and given by Sports Ministry, Government of India. These are given to sports coaches. The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna (RGKR) is Indias highest honour given for achievement in sports. The words "Khel Ratna" literally mean "sports gem" in Hindi. The award is named after the late Rajiv Gandhi, former Prime Minister of India. It carries a medal, a scroll of honour and a substantial cash component. Up to 200405, the cash component was Rs. 500,000/- (c.11,500 USD).The money has been increased from Rs. 500,000 to Rs. 750,000. It was instituted in 1962 and is presented for commendable display by the players. Param Vir Chakra : It is Indias highest award for bravery. Mahavir Chakra : It is the second highest gallantry award. Vir Chakra : It is the third highest gallantry award. Ashok Chakra : It is the highest peace-time gallantry award. The objective of the Prime Ministers Shram Award is to recognize the outstanding contribution made by workmen as defined in the Industrial Dispute Act, 1947, in organisations both in public and private sector and who have distinguished record of performance, devotion to duty.
Dronacharya Awards:

Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna:
Bhartiya Jnanpeeth Awards:
Sahitya Akademi Award:

Murtidevi Award:
Gallantry Awards:

Saraswati Samman:
Tansen Awards:
Prime Minister's Shram Award:
Vyas Samman:
Iqbal Samman:
Shaheed Niyogi Memorial Award for Journalism:

The award was instituted in 1998 to recognise the contribution of Journalists in upholding the legacy of Shanker Guja Niyogi, the firebrand trade union leader and social activist from Chhattisgarh, who was murdered on September 28, 1991 by the industrial mafia. In 1976, the Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation was established for promoting Gandhian constructive programmes and assisting constructive workers who devoted themselves to the national cause. The foundation has instituted four annual awards, each carrying a cash prize of Rs. 5,00,000 or its equivalent in foreign currency, a citation and a trophy.
Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Awards:
R. D. Birla Award:
Jamnalal Bajaj Awards:
Dhanvantri Award:
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Banking Awareness
For Bank PO
1. Which of the following is not required to open a bank account? 1) Identity Proof 2) Address Proof 3) Domicile Certificate 4) Latest Photographs 5) None of these 2. 'www.paisaboltahai.rbi.org.in' is a? 1) Website of RBI to collect the donations from public 2) Website of RBI to bring the awareness among public about Base Rate of Banks 3) Website of RBI to bring the awareness among the public about detection of fake currency notes 4) Website of Government of India to tell the people to save money to counter Inflation 5) None 3. Which of the following public sector banks has won the Best Risk Master Award for its outstanding record in loan appraisal standards, loan portfolio management, NPAs and restructured loan book management ? 1) Indian Bank 2) OBC 3) Syndicate Bank 4) BOB 5) UCO Bank 4. As per the RBI Governor statement, how much fund needed by the Indian Banking Sector to fulfil the Basel -III norms by 31st March 2018? 1) Rs.5 Lakh Crore 2) Rs.4 Lakh Crore 3) Rs.8 Lakh Crore 4) Rs.15 Lakh Crore 5) Rs.3.5 Lakh Crore 5. Aim to establish the proposed Post Bank of India (PBI) by the Department of Posts (DoP) is?
& Clerks
Exams
1) Public Sector Banks 2) Private Banks 3) RRBs 4) Foreign Banks functioning in India 5) All the above 12. Which of the following banks launched a dedicated 'Ajeevika' cell to help alleviating poverty in rural hinterlands on April 15, 2012? 1) RBI 2) SBI 3) OBC 4) IDBI Bank 5) NABARD 13. Khandelwal committee report deals with? 1) Banking sector human resource management 2) Poverty in rural areas 3) Railway Traffic 4) Human Trafficking 5) None 14. Banks usually share the information of CIBIL at the time of giving loans to the borrowers. CIBIL stands for? 1) Credit Inform Bureau (India) Limited 2) Credit Information Bureau (India) Limited 3) Consumer Information Bureau (India) Limited 4) Credit Information Board (India) Limited 5) Collective Information Bureau (India) Limited 15. National Housing Bank (NHB) granted Rs. ...... crore under rural housing Fund on 13th September 2012. 1) 2500 2) 1500 3) 6000 4) 4000 5) 8000 16. Name the new version of Automated Teller Machine (ATM) which will alllow common ATMs that will be owned and managed by non-banking entities ?
1) To provide banking services with special focus on rural areas 2) To say Post Offices are not inferior to banks 3) To resist the dominance of Reserve Bank of India 4) To get the profits more than Banks 5) None 6. .....became the first bank to offer 'RuPay Kisan Card' with 'Aadhaar' authentication? 1) SBI 2) OBC 3) Syndicate bank 4) Andhra Bank 5) ICICI 7. Pratip Chaudhuri is the Chairman of? 1) SBI 2) NABARD 3) NHB 4) PFRDA 5) TRAI 8. The Union Cabinet on June7, 2012 allowed capital infusion of Rs.632 crore in which of the following banks? 1) SBI 2) SBI Associate Banks 3) All Public Sector Banks 4) Private Banks 5) Regional Rural Banks 9. Which among the following is not a foreign bank working in India? 1) Standard Charted Bank 2) HSBC 3) Yes Bank 4) Royal Bank of Scotland 5) CITI bank 10. Reserve Bank Staff college is at ? 1) Hyderabad 2) Pune 3) Chennai 4) New Delhi 5) Kanpur 11. Which banks are insured by the Deposit Insurance and Credit G-uarantee Corporation (DICGC)?

1) Ezee ATM 2) Clear Card 3) Visa Card 4) White- label ATM 5) Smart Card 17. Which bank launched its online application service for Credit Card - Click2Card on 28th August 2012? 1) Bank of Baroda 2) Union Bank of India 3) State Bank of India 4) ICICI 5) Axis Bank 18. Foreign Exchange Reserves are kept in the custody of? 1) RBI 2) SEBI 3) NABARD 4) Ministry of External Affairs 5) None 19. Which is the largest commercial bank of the country ? 1) RBI 2) PNB 3) SBI 4) Canara Bank 5) None of these 20. From 1 April 2012, the validity of cheque is? 1) 3 months 2) 6 months 3) 9 months 4) 12 months 5) 18 months 21. RBI has made it mandatory for all banks to print which of the following on the Passbook and Statement of Account of the customers? 1) MICR code 2) IFSC code 3) PAN 4) Both 1 and 2 5) None of these 22. The Reserve Bank of India asked the banks not to levy any penalty on pre-payment of? 1) Commercial Loans 2) Vehicle Loans 3) Loans given to Infrastructure 4) NRI loans 5) Housing loans 23. In the banking, we use the acronym PIN. PIN means? 1) Pure Identification Number 2) Personal Identification Noise 3) Personal Ignorance Number 4) Personal Identification Number 5) Phone Indemnity Number 24. On 8th August 2012, which bank introduced the First Financial Super market at Jaipur? 1) Syndicate Bank 2) Andhra Bank 3) Canara Bank 4) ICICI 5) State Bank of Bikaner & Jaipur 25. Punjab National Bank and Central Bank of India will jointly set up a bank in? 1) Mozambique 2) Somalia 3) Sri Lanka 4) Australia 5) South Africa 26. Asian Development Bank (ADB) headquarters is in? 1) Manila (Philippines) 2) Tokyo (Japan) 3) Mumbai (India) 4) Colombo (Sri Lanka) 5) Beijing ( China) 27. If an account opened by Account holder and written nominee name, if nominee dies first then? 1) Account holder loose the amount in the account 2) Account holder is not allowed to write another's name as nominee 3) Account holder must open other account 4) Account holder is allowed to write another's name as nominee 5) Account holder must close the account 28. The Reserve Bank of India issues notes under which one of the following methods ? 1) Fixed fiduciary system 2) Maximum fiduciary system 3) Minimum reserve system 4) Proportional reserve system 5) None of these 29. Government shareholding in Public Sector Banks cannot be below? 1) 33% 2) 74% 3) 51% 4) 100% 5) 67% 30. Expand BRBNMPL ? 1) Bharatiya Reserve Borrow Note Mudran Private Limited 2) Bangalore Reserve Bank Note Mudran Private Limited 3) Bharatiya Resale Bank Note Mudran Private Limited 4) Bharatiya Reserve Bank Negotiable Mudran Private Limited 5) Bharatiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran Private Limited
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31. Which committee recomm ended for the amalgamation of RRBs? 1) K.C.Chakravarthy 2) Usha Thorat 3) Vyas 4) C.V. Anand Bose 5) Ajay Kumar Seth 32. RBI does not mint ...... paper currency. 1) Rs. 5 2) Rs. 10 3) Rs. 1 4) Rs.100 5) Rs. 20 33. Which among the following one is not a Private Sector bank? 1) ING Vysya Bank 2) HDFC 3) Punjab & Sind Bank 4) ICICI 5) Yes Bank 34. Largest Private Sector bank in India is? 1) HDFC 2) ICICI 3) KVB 4) City Union Bank 5) Axis bank 35. Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology (IDRBT) at? 1) Gurgoan 2) Jalandhar 3) Chennai 4) Hyderabad 5) Pune 36. Which International Monetary Organisation extended $ 150 million loan for 1st tranche of Railway Sector Investment Program in India on 10th July 2012? 1) IMF 2) World Bank 3) ADB 4) IDA 5) ODA 37. Which co-operative bank applied for the license with RBI to join the group of commercial banks on 12th June 2012? 1) APGVB 2) DGB 3) REPCO 4) CGGB 5) SGB
ANSWERS
1. 3 6. 2 11. 5 16. 4 21. 4 26. 1 31. 3 36. 3 2. 3 7. 1 12. 5 17. 3 22. 5 27. 4 32. 3 37. 3 3. 1 8. 5 13. 1 18. 1 23. 4 28. 3 33. 3 4. 1 9. 3 14. 2 19. 3 24. 5 29. 3 34. 2 5. 1 10. 15. 20. 25. 30. 35. 3 4 1 1 5 4
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Current MCQ Capsules

1. 2. Kaushik Basu is recently appointed as the Chief Economist of? 1) World Bank 2) IMF 3) ADB 4) AFD 5) RBI Theme of 'World Economic Forum on India' to be held between 6th and 8th November 2012 is? 1) Crisis to Revival 2) From Weakness to Strength 3) From Damage to Repair 4) From Debilitation to Rise 5) From Deliberation to Transformation Dr. Verghese Kurien passed away on September 9, 2012. He is the father of India's? 1) Green Revolution 2) Blue Revolution 3) Yellow Revolution 4) White Revolution 5) Golden Revolution The shooting World champion ship of 2018 was awarded to which of the following country? a) Korea b)Thailand c) China d) Qatar 5) None of these Which book won the Pulitzer Prize 2012, under the category 1) An American Life 2) Life on Mars 3) A life of Reinvention b the Life Manning Marble 4) Water by the Spoonful 5) None of these Which of the following political party won the parliamentary elections in Jamaica recently ? 1) Jamaica Labour Party 2) Peoples National Party 3) New Nation Coalition 4) National Democratic Movement 5) None of these Name of the Kerala based UAE business magnate, who was awarded with Inter Faith Harmony Award at Kuala Lumpur ? 1) A.S. Yasin 2) Rafeeq Ahmed 8. 9. 3) Usman Haider 4) MA Yusuf Ali 5) None of these Which country has surpassed Saudi Arabia to become the world's largest holder of proven oil reserves? 1) Canada 2) Russia 3) Iran 4) Venezuela 5) Kuwait Which state celebrating 2012 as 'Yuva Shakti Varsh' or the 'Year of Youth Power' to commemorate Swami Vivekananda's 150th birth anniversary? 1) West Bengal 2) Tamilnadu 3) Gujarat 4) Tripura 5) Andhra Pradesh Expert Committee on GAAR (General Anti- Avoidance Rules) headed by? 1) K.C.Chakravarthy 2) Vijay C. Kelkar 3) Montek Singh Ahluwalia 4) C.V. Anand Bose 5) Parthasarathi Shome Recently Delhi and Rajasthan extended the age bar on child labour from 14 years to? 1) 16 years 2) 21 years 3) 18 years 4) 25 years 5) 30 years How much percent of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in insurance and pension sector proposed to allow by the Finance Ministry on 22nd August 2012? 1) 100 2) 51 3) 49 4) 74 5) 41 Which of the following schemes has been started to provide health services in the rural areas? 1) Bharat Nirman 2) Operation Flood 3) SGSY 4) ASHA 5) JNNURM 14. Which of the following Indian channels was granted broadcast rights in China ? 1) Zee Tv 2) Doordarshan 3) Network 18 4) SAB TV 5) None of these 15. Vanuatu is the 157th member of ? 1) UNO 2) WTO 3) World Bank 4) SAARC 5) NATO 16. Which of the following districts of Bihar has achieved record Paddy and Potato production? 1) Nawada 2) Nalanda 3) Saharsa 4) Saran 5) None of these 17. John Baird visited India and held talks with S.M.Krishna in September 2012. Baird is the Foreign Minister of which of the following countries? 1) France 2) Argentina 3) Canada 4) U.K. 5) Australia 18. World Bank has set up its first Indian branch in Chennai. It is based in which of the following Asian countries? 1) China 2) Sri Lanka 3) Singapore 4) South Korea 5) Japan 19. Micro Finance Companies provide loans to? 1) Rich people 2) Government employees 3) Poor class people 4) Billionaires 5) RBI 20. Miss World 2012 is? 1) Sophie Moulds (Wales) 2) Jessica Kahawaty (Australia) 3) Yu Wenxia (China) 4) Vanya Mishra (India) 5) Mariana Notarangelo (Brazil) 21. Who was declared as the most powerful woman in the world by Forbes magazine on 22nd August 2012? 1) Sonia Gandhi 2) Michelle Obama
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3) Angela Merkel 4) Hillary Clinton 5) Dilma Rousseff Which of the following represents the ratio of equity of the Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) held by the Central Government, the sponsor bank and the concerned State Government respectively? 1) 50:20:30 2) 50:35:15 3) 40:35:25 4) 40:40:20 5) 50:30:20 Which Russian city hosted the 24th Summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in September 2012? 1) Yekaterinburg 2) Vladivostok 3) Moscow 4) Novosibirsk 5) Saint Petersburg Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has made electronic filing of tax returns mandatory for individuals with income above Rs? 1) 50 Lakh 2) 100 Lakh 3) 10 Lakh 4) 15 Lakh 5) 1 Lakh Disinvestment means? 1) Government put investment in Private Sector 2) Private Share holders buy the shares in PSU 3) Government buys the shares in Banks 4) Government withdraws its share in PSU 5) Foreign banks buy all the shares in PSU The youngest country of the world, South Sudan, recently choose ___ as its official language? 1) French 2) Arabic 3) English 4) Spanish 5) Swahili Asia's first and largest, a 600 MW solar power park situated at which one of the following places? 1) Badmer, Rajasthan 2) Patan, Gujarat 3) Anand, Gujarat 4) Jaisalmer, Rajasthan 5) None of these Who has been appointed as CEO of Prasar Bharati ? 1) Jawahar Sircar 2) Mohan Rawat 3) Sachin Gupta 4) Vinod Shankar 5) None of these As per a report published recently by Save the Children, a global non-governmental organi-zation, which country has the highest number of deaths due to premature births? 1) Niger 2) Bangladesh 3) Somalia 4) India 5) Nigeria World Sepsis day observed for the first time on? 1) August 13 2) September 7 3) September 13 4) September 30 5) September 1 Which Indian chosen for the Ramon Magsaysay Award for the year 2012, for economic empowerment of thousands of women and their families in rural areas? 1) Anna Hazare 2) Sundarlal Bahuguna 3) Kulandei Francis 4) Baba Ramdev 5) C.Ranga Rajan The purchase of shares and bonds of Indian companies by Foreign Institu tional Investors is called? 1) FDI 2) Portfolio Investment 3) NRI Investment 4) Foreign Indirect Investment 5) None of these Who assumed charge as the 18th Chief Election Commiss ioner (CEC) on June 11, 2012? 1) H.S.Brahma 2) S.Y.Quraishi 3) V.S.Sampath 4) N.Gopalaswami 5) None of these Iceland topped the Global Peace Index (GPI) for 158 countries that was released on June 12, 2012. What is India's rank? 1) 142 2) 137 3) 149 4) 134 5) 135 Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls or 'SABLA' includes a complete nutrition program for girls in the age group of?
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1) 13 to 19 years 2) 11 to 18 years 3) 11 to 15 years 4) 12 to 19 years 5) 12 to 18 years 36. Which of the following is the name of the norms by which a bank satisfies itself about the customers' identity and activities? 1) Lending norms 2) Service norms 3) Basal norms 4) KYC norms 5) None of these 37. Which Stock Exchange and United Bank of India has signed a Memorandum of Under standing with for offering an internetbased equity trading platform? 1) National Stock Exchange 2) Bombay Stock Exchange 3) Calcutta Stock Exchange Ltd 4) Madras Stock Exchange 5) None of these 38. SWIFT is an internationallyrecognized idenidentification code for banks around the world, which has 8 or 11 alphanumeric characters. SWIFT means? 1) Stand for Worldwide Interbank Financial Tele communication 2) Society for Worldwide Internal bank Financial Tele commu nication 3) Society for World Interbank Financial Telecommunication 4) Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Tele communication 5) None 39. Pakistan and India held talks on Siachen during the month of July 2012 at? 1) Rawalpindi 2) New Delhi 3) Mumbai 4) Tokyo 5) Washington 40. where is Indias first radio frequency based toll plaza located ? 1) Parwanoo 2) Zirakpur 3) Chandimandir 4) Sonipat 5) None of these 41. In which of the following states is the Pagladia Dam Project located?
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1) Arunachal Pradesh 2) Sikkim 3) Assam 4) West Bengal 5) None of these Who won the112th U.S open golf tournament, which was played recently? 1. Tiger Woods 2. Webb Simpson 3. Graeme McDowell 4. Lucas Glover 5) None of these Christopher Stevens was killed during an armed mob attack in Benghazi in September 2012. He was the ambassador of the United States to which of the following countries? 1) Iran 2) Iraq 3) Egypt 4) Libya 5) Afghanistan "Prithvi II" was successfully launched from the Odissa Coast. Which type of missile is Prithvi II? 1) Air-to-air missile 2) Surface-to-air missile 3) Air-to-surface missile 4) Surface-to-surface missile 5) None of these The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) released the Red List of threatened species on June 20, 2012. According to this list how many species of plants and animals from India are Critically Endangered? 1) 310 2) 132 3) 282 4) 252 5) 270 International donors meeting that pledged $16 billion contribution for development aid to Afghanistan until 2015, held in? 1) New Delhi 2) Washington 3) Tel Aviv 4) Tokyo 5) Paris Who was chosen as the official Event Ambassador for the ICC World Twenty20 Champion ships that is held in Sri Lanka in 2012? 1) Ajanta Mendis 2) D.Chandimal 3) Lasith Malinga 4) Mahela Jayawardene 5) Kumar Sangakkara 48. Who was appointed as the head of Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Awards Committee? 1) Sachin Tendulkar 2) P.T.Usha 3) Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore 4) Sushil Kumar 5) Abhinav Bhindra 49. Where was 100th Indian Science Conference held ? 1) Chennai 2) Kolkata 3) Bhubneshwar 4) Jaipur 5) None of these 50. Which Stock Exchange became the world's largest bourse in terms of the number of trades in equity segment for the first six months of 2012? 1) BSE 2) MSE 3) NSE 4) SEBI 5) MCX-SX 51. Effective from September 22, 2012 what is the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR)? 1) 4% 2) 4.75% 3) 4.5% 4) 4.25% 5) 5% 52. Who headed the committee to review the structure of the National Small Savings Fund (NSSF)? 1) Y.V. Reddy 2) C. Rangarajan 3) U.K. Sinha 4) Shyamala Gopinath 5) Subir Gokarn 53. As per the statement given by Finance Minister on 25th August 2012, Public sector banks should disburse Rs. ...... agriculture during the current fiscal year 2012-13. 1) 6 Lakh Crore 2) 5 Lakh Crore 3) 7 Lakh Crore 4) 2 Lakh Crore 5) 1.5 Lakh Crore 54. Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) on drought headed by? 1) Sharad Yadav 2) Chidambaram 3) Man Mohan Singh 4) Sushma Swaraj 5) Sharad Pawar 55. The seventh G-20 summit was held on June18-19, 2012 in which of the following cities? 1) Chicago (USA)
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2) Camp David (USA) 3) Seoul (South Korea) 4) Los Cabos (Mexico) 5) Cannes (France) Which Private Indian Bank tied up with Bahrains Ahli United Bank for inward remittances? 1) Yes Bank 2) ICICI Bank 3) Citi Bank 4) Axis Bank 5) None of these 'Kerosene-free' scheme recently launched by? 1) Delhi 2) Andrha Pradesh 3) Madhya Pradesh 4) West Bengal 5) Gujarat Bujar Nishani assumed office as the 6th President of which of the following countries on July 24, 2012? 1) Montenegro 2) Kosovo 3) Albania 4) Macedonia 5) Turkey World Bank appointed whom as the country director of India on 10th September 2012? 1) Vineeth Verman 2) Raghuram Rajan 3) Onno Ruhl 4) C.Ranga Rajan 5) Y.V.Reddy On 22nd August 2012, Supreme Court banned the tourism in the core areas of? 1) Crocodile Parks 2) Lion Reserves 3) Western Ghats 4) Rhino Parks 5) Tiger Reserves Which of the following has become the first Indian state to launch health insurance policy covering all its people ? 1) Goa 2) Haryana 3) Bihar 4) Kerala 5) UP Which among the following players did not get any medal in Olympics 2012, from India? 1) Sushil Kumar 2) Saina Nehwal 3) Abhinav Bindra 4) Yogeshwar Dutt 5) Gagan Narang Guy Ryder was elected as the tenth Director-General of which of the following organizations?
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1) WHO 2) ILO 3) WTO 4) UNICEF 5) UNESCO Who was awarded the Common-Wealth Book Prize for 2012 for his debut novel 'Chinaman: The Legend of Pradeep Mathew'? 1) Emma Martin (New Zealand) 2) Rana Dasgupta (UK-India) 3) Alecia Mckenzie (Jamaica) 4) Shehan Karunatilaka (Sri Lanka) 5) None of these Which committee submitted recommendations to review the guidelines on restructured advances of banks and financial institutions? 1) Janaki Raman 2) Upadhyaya 3) Mahapatra 4) Tarapore 5) C.Ranga Rajan Sunitha Williams is an? 1) Indo-Russian Painter 2) Indo-American Political Leader 3) Indian origin governor of South Carolina 4) Indo-American Astronaut 5) Indo-Srilankan Business tycoon India's first Food Bank was inaugurated as part of war against hunger in June 2012 in which of the following cities? 1) Chennai 2) New Delhi 3) Hyderabad 4) Chandigarh 5) Jaipur G-20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meet 2014 will be held in? 1) USA 2) Australia 3) England 4) India 5) France Which one of the following state govt.s launched Panch Parmeshwar Scheme ? 1) MP 2) Bihar 3) UP 4) Kerala 5) None of these Bhagyam Oil fields, which were recently in news, are located in which of the following states in India? 1) Rajasthan 2) Gujarat 3) Assam 4) Maharashtra 5) Karnataka 71. Which of the following ports is called the "Offspring of Partition" as it was developed after the partition as a substitute for Karachi port? 1) Paradip 2) Ennore 3) Tuticorin 4) New Mangalore 5) Kandla 72. Who was named One Day International Cricketer of the Year at the ICC awards in September 2012? 1) Hashim Amla 2) Michael Clarke 3) Virat Kohli 4) Sunil Narine 5) Kumar Sangakkara 73. TAPI gas pipeline passes through? 1) Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Panama and Iran 2) Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Indonesia 3) Turkey, Australia, Paraguay and India 4) Thailand, Andorra, Pakistan and Iran 5) Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India 74. India's Gayatri Spivak, a literary critic and Professor at Columbia University, won which of the following prizes in June 2012? 1) Templeton Prize 2) Abel Prize 3) Pritzker Prize 4) Kyoto Prize 5) Ondaatje Prize 75. The most important small scale indu stry in India is the? 1) Handloom industry 2) Textile Industry 3) Jute industry 4) Paper industry 5) None of these 76. Pakistan's Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry and which of the following Indians have been awarded the prestigious International Jurists Award 2012? 1) Salman Khurshid 2) Sonia Gandhi 3) Mulayam Singh Yadav 4) Justice S.H. Kapadia 5) None of these 77. Who is the richest sportsperson in India,
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according to the Forbes magazine? 1) Mahendra Singh Dhoni 2) Sachin Tendulkar 3) Saina Nehwal 4) Vijender Singh 5) Baichung Bhutia Karnal has been in news recently for setting Guiness World record in making ? 1) Worlds largest tree house 2) worlds largest radio telescope 3) worlds largest human red ribbon 4) worlds largest formation in air 5) None of these Who among the following has won the 26th Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration ? 1) Javed Akhtar 2) Mahashweta Devi 3) Balraj Puri 4) Mohan Dharia 5) None of these Asian Games 2014 would be held in? 1) Japan 2) S. Korea 3) China 4) India 5) None of these ...... launching is 100th mission of ISRO. 1) PSLV C-20 2) PSLV C-21 3) SLV C-21 4) PSLV -21 5) ASLV C-21 GAAR means? 1) General AdvantageAvoidance Rules 2) General Anti-Avoidance Rules 3) Government Anti-Avoidance Rules 4) General Anti-Advantage Rules 5) None International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) is an international policy forum for securities market regulators. Who has been reelected Chairman of the Asia Pacific Regional Committee of the IOSCO? 1) D.Subba Rao 2) J.Harinarayan 3) Rahul Khullar 4) U.K.Sinha 5) None of these
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84. In the prestigious Yale University's Environmental Performance Index, India holds...... 1) 140th rank 2) 15th rank 3) 170th rank 4) 125th rank 5) 128th rank 85. In which city Indian Aviation 2012 held? 1) Hyderabad 2) Bengaluru 3) Chennai 4) New Delhi 5) None of these 86. Which state has launched India's first river-lake linking project? 1) Tamil Nadu 2) Gujarat 3) Maharashtra 4) Madhya Pradesh 5) Uttar Pradesh 87. Who has been appointed as Chairman cum Managing Director of the Indian Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO)? 1) Rajeev Kher 2) Chandra Bhushan Paliwal 3) Rita Menon 4) CS Verma 5) None of these 88. TRAI regulates the functioning of which of the following services? 1) Trade 2) Transport 3) Telecom 4) Insurance 5) None of these 89. Who was the head of the panel which recommended direct transfer of subsidies on kerosene, LPG and fertilizer? 1) Y.B.Reddy 2) Nandan Nilekani 3) Shyamala Gopinath 4) C.Rangarajan 5) None of these Where was the 7th meeting of G-20 heads of Government held in 2012? 1) Mexico 2) Canada 3) Paris 4) France 5) None of these Pakistan successfully test-fire which missile on 5 June 2012? a) Hatf-VII (Babur) cruise missile b) Agni VI (air drone) c) Alacran missile d) Velvet Glove 5) None of these The labeling of Genetically Modified (GM) foods has been made mandatory. The amendment will come into effect from? 1) October 2, 2012 2) January 1, 2013 3) January 26, 2013 4) April 1, 2013 5) December 1, 2012 September 29 is celebrated every year throughout the world as? 1) World Health Day 2) World Heart Day 3) World Diabetes Day 4) World Climate Day 5) World Anti-Corruption Day India won Nehru Cup football tournament beating? 1) Israel 2) Sri Lanka 3) China 4) Cameroon 5) France Which two of the following credit cards HDFC launched recently for Doctors? 1) Prescription & Doctor 2) Platinum & Titanium 3) Superia & Platinum 4) Stethoscope & Me 5) Call & Me Which Delhi based scientist, won the prestigious Norman Borlaug Award for her work in transforming access to water for thousands of farmers in West Bengal? 1) R.Srinivasan 2) Panchala Gore
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3) Aditi Mukherjee 4) Aditya Mukherjee 5) Kala Singham 97. If a cheque bearing date prior to the date, when it was actually drawn, it is called? 1) No date cheque 2) Every date cheque 3) Last date cheque 4) Anti-dated cheque 5) Stale cheque 98. Who won the first gold medal of the 2012 London Olympic Games? 1) Yu Dan 2) Yi Siling 3) Katrina Emmons 4) Sylwia Bogacka 5) None of these 99. Planning Commission approved Rudrasar Develop ment Scheme. The scheme is related to? 1) Sikkim 2) Asom 3) Manipur 4) Tripura 5) Madhya Pradesh 100. 11th Meeting of Conference of the Parties (CoP-11) to the convention on Biological Diversity will be held at ........ in October 2012? 1) Hyderabad 2) Pune 3) Mumbai 4) New Delhi 5) Chennai
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1. 1 6. 2 11. 3 16. 2 21. 3 26. 3 31. 3 36. 4 41. 3 46. 4 51. 3 56. 4 61. 1 66. 4 71. 5 76. 3 81. 2 86. 4 91. 1 96. 3 2. 5 7. 4 12. 3 17. 3 22. 2 27. 2 32. 4 37. 3 42. 2 47. 3 52. 4 57. 1 62. 3 67. 2 72. 3 77. 1 82. 2 87. 3 92. 2 97. 4 3. 4 8. 4 13. 4 18. 4 23. 2 28. 1 33. 3 38. 4 43. 4 48. 3 53. 1 58. 3 63. 2 68. 2 73. 5 78. 3 83. 4 88. 3 93. 2 98. 2 4. 1 5. 2 9. 3 10. 5 14. 1 15. 2 19. 3 20. 3 24. 3 25. 4 29. 4 30. 3 34. 1 35. 2 39. 1 40. 3 44. 4 45. 2 49. 2 50. 3 54. 5 55. 4 59. 3 60. 5 64. 4 65. 3 69. 1 70. 1 74. 4 75. 1 79. 4 80. 2 84. 4 85. 3 89. 3 90. 1 94. 4 95. 3 99. 4 100. 1
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CONTENTS

Current News & Events

Honours & Awards Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize 2012

Waheeda Rehman to receive Lifetime Achievement Award

Current News & Events

Aung San Suu Kyi got US Congress Highest Honour

Haryana Government instituted Awards to Felicitate Women

Virat Kohli became the ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year

KC Abraham awarded with Business Excellence Award

Current News & Events

News Makers Katy Perry becomes Billboard's woman of the year

Lakshmipathy elected as chairman of the PTI

New Member of UPSC

Jaideep Sarkar Appointed as new Envoy to Israel

Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC) Takes Ove

Current News & Events

Mamta Banerjee listed among 50 most influencing finance personality

Ramesh Abhishek appointed as FMC Chairman

C.P. Joshi Appointed as New Railway Minister

President of Tajikistan Visited India

Bill Gates Still Richest Person in America

Onno Ruhl Appointed as India's Country Director for World Bank

Current News & Events

Appointments Altamas Kabir sworn in new Chief Justice of India

Kaushik Basu appointed as World Bank Chief Economist

Rajiv Mehta to be the New Director General of NCB

Aishwarya Rai appointed Goodwill Ambassador for UNAIDS

Pakistani-origin women appointed as Norwegian Cultural Minister

Current News & Events

Science Snippets Australian scientists Discovered Alzheimer's Treatment

Gene Therapy that can Restore the Sence of Smell Developed

International Day on Preservation of Ozone Layer Celebrated

Great Indian Buster Got Shonkaliya Region to Breed

New Nuclear Safety Agency Launched in Japan

Current News & Events

Defence India successfully testfired Agni-IV Missile

Space Science Indias heaviest satellite GSAT-10 launched

China included Liaoning as its first Aircraft Carrier

Current News & Events

ISRO scores a centum

Sunita takes over command at space station

Current News & Events

Summits Ninth World Hindi Conference held at Johannesburg

Joint Committee on defence cooperation from Saudi Arabia and India

MekongGanga sixth Cooperation meeting

Current News & Events

Deaths Indian first National Security Advisor Brajesh Mishra died

Verghese Kurien, father of White Revolution, dies

Urdu Poet Muzaffar Razmi died

Former Sarsanghchalak of RSS KS Sudarshan died

First laptop designer Bill Moggridge dies

Sardar Man Singh Batra Died

Malayalam Actor Thilakan Died

Communist leader A.M. Govindarasu passed away

Veteran Communist Leader Govindarasu Died

Current News & Events

Economic Scenario India ranked 111th in economic freedom list

Shimla Municipal Corporation introduced Green Tax

NSIC Empowering Women for Self Employment

Prime Minister led National Investment Board

Current News & Events

Telecom base to cross 1-billion mark by March

Kelkar for hike in PDS price

Union cabinet approved interest subsidy for farmer loans