Maheswari CCE Current Affairs Update- AUGUST

NATIONAL AFFAIRS
Food Security Bill passed by Lok Sabha : On 26 August 2013, Lok Sabha cleared the National Food Security Bill with near-unanimity.The Bill provides for food subsidy to two-thirds of the population and cost the exchequer Rs 1.24 lakh crore during 2013-14. The Bill proposes to provide wheat and rice at Rs 2 and Rs 3 per kg to about 81 crore people, while under the existing Targeted Public Distribution System(TPDS) only 2.5 crore Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) families or about 32.5 crore persons (assuming 5 as the average household size) are getting food grains at these prices. Thus, population getting food grains at these highly subsidized prices as their legal right will increase to 67% from existing 27%.The Congress launched its ambitious food security programme in Delhi, Haryana and Uttarakhand on 21 August, on the occasion of Rajiv Gandhis 69th birth anniversary.Other features of the Bill are as follows: Coverage of two thirds population to get highly subsidized food grains up to 75% of the rural population and up to 50% of the urban population will have uniform entitlement of 5 kg food grains per month at highly subsidized prices of Rs. 3, Rs. 2, and Rs. 1 per kg for rice, wheat and coarse grains respectively. It will entitle about two thirds of our 1.2 billion population to subsidized food grains under the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS). Poorest of the poor continue to get 35 kg per household :The poorest of poor households would continue to receive 35 Kg food grains per household per month under Antyodaya Anna Yajna at subsidized prices of Rs 3, Rs. 2 and Rs. 1. It is also proposed to protect the existing allocation of food grains to the States/Uts, subject to it being restricted to average annual off take during last three years. Special focus on nutritional support to women and children : There is a special focus on nutritional support to women and children. Pregnant women and lactating mothers, besides being entitled to nutritious meals as per the prescribed nutritional norms will also receive maternity benefit of at least of Rs. 6000. Children in the age group of 6 months to 14 years will be entitled to take home ration or hot cooked food as per prescribed nutritional norms. States to get assistance for intra-State transportation and handling of food grains Reforms for doorstep delivery of food grains :The Bill also contains provisions for reforms in PDS through doorstep delivery of food grains, application of information and communication technology (ICT) including end to end computerization, leveraging Aadhaar for unique identification of beneficiaries, diversification of commodities under TPDS etc for effective implementation of the Food Security Act. Some of these reforms are already underway. Expenditure: At the proposed coverage of entitlement, total estimated annual food grains requirement is 612.3 lakh tons and corresponding estimated food subsidy for 2013-14 costs is about Rs.1,24,724 crore. Eligible households to be identified by the States Food Security Allowance in case of non supply of food grains Women Empowerment-- Eldest women will be Head of the household Grievance redressal mechanism at district level Social audits and vigilance committees to ensure transparency and accountability Penalty for non compliance Ministry of Minority Affairs has constituted a committee to evaluate the process of implementation of the recommendations of the Sachar Committee Report and their impact on socio-economic and educational status of the Muslim population. Prof. Amitabh Kundu of Jawaharlal Nehru University will be the Chairman of the committee with other 8 members drawn from various streams.
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K. Rahman Khan, the Union Minister for Minority Affairs launched a dedicated toll free Helpline for minorities called Khidmat. Government has released the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) on June 30, 2008. NAPCC comprises, inter alia, of eight National Missions in specific areas of Solar Energy, Enhanced Energy Efficiency, Sustainable Habitat, Water, Sustaining the Himalayan Eco-system, Green India, Sustainable Agriculture and Strategic knowledge for Climate Change. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 30 August 2013 permitted the premature encashment of 8 percent savings (Taxable) Bonds for individual investors who are 60 years and above in age. Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram unveiled the National Skill Certification and Monetary Reward Scheme that will be implemented on pan-India basis on 17 August. The scheme was first proposed by the Finance Minister in the last Union Budget to allocate Rs. 1,000 crore for a scheme that will motivate the youth of this country to acquire a vocational skill. The scheme is expected to benefit a million people in the first year of its implementation. The scheme that is branded as STAR (Standard Training Assessment and Reward) for promotional purposes envisages that a monetary reward that will in essence financially help those who wish to acquire a new skill or upgrade their skills to a higher level. The National Skilling Mission envisages adding 500 million skilled Indians by the year 2022. The hand-woven Pashmina shawls of Kashmir were accredited recently with the Geographical Indication (GI) mark. The Union Government has constituted of a High Level Committee on 17th August, to prepare a report on the socio-economic, health and educational status of the tribal communities of India. The High Level Committee is headed by Prof. Virginius Xaxa as Chairman Central Government has launched the National Monsoon Mission to set up a state-of-the-art climate model for (a) improved prediction of monsoon rainfall on extended range to seasonal time scale (16 days to one season) and (b) improved prediction of temperature, rainfall and extreme weather events on short to medium range time scale (up to 15 days). The Rajya Sabha passed the much-awaited Companies Bill on 8th August, replacing the decades old Companies Act, 1956. The Bill had been passed by the Lok Sabha in December last year. The new rules in the legislation require the companies to earmark of funds by companies for corporate social responsibility (CSR) spending mandatory. Companies are required to spend at least 2 per cent of their net profit on CSR. The maximum number of directors in a private company has been increased from 12 to 15, which can be increased further by special resolution. MCX Chairman Venkat Chary and five other directors on the commodity exchange board resigned on 30 August 2013 following the implementation of new guidelines. The Cabinet gave its nod to amend the Right to Information (RTI) Act to keep political parties out of the ambit of transparency law on 1st August. The decision to change the RTI Act was taken during a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, official sources said. The move followed after the Central Information Commission (CIC) had in June held that six national parties - Congress, BJP, NCP, CPI-M, CPI and BSP - have been substantially funded indirectly by the central government and were required to appoint Public Information Officers (PIOs) as they have the character of a public authority under the RTI Act. The Public Enterprises Selection Board on 30 August 2013 recommended Dinesh K Sarraf as the next head of the ONGC. The Supreme Court of India, in the last week of August 2013, cleared the project of Indian Railways, Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) Project passing through Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) after hearing under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. The Union Government of India on 30 August 2013 approved denotification of six Special Economic Zones (SEZs) projects, including one textile sector and five IT SEZs. With the objective to prevent women and children from all types of violence, United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government has introduced an awareness and women empowerment program Ahimsa Messenger on 31 August,. The UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi launched this program in
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an event in the presence of Women and Child Development Minister Krishna Tirath, which was organized by Ministry of Women and Child Development at New Delhi. This programme will be implemented through all Anganwadi Centres, all Panchayati Raj Institutions, Sabla Girls (in the age group of 16-18 years) and Poorna Shakti Kendras (PSK) coordinators under the National Mission for Empowerment of Women (NMEW) will be trained as Ahimsa Messengers. Gujarat CM, Narendra Modi was felicitated by people of newly-formed districts of Gujarat, Chhota Udaipur and Mahi Sagar, on 30 August 2013. The graphic biography on former Indian Hockey player Dhyan Chand titled Dhyan Chand-The Wizard of Hockey was launched at Dhyanchand Stadium in New Delhi on 29 August 2013. The biography was launched on the National Sports Day to commemorate the 108th birth anniversary of the legend. The book has been written by Luis Fernandes. National Sports Day is observed across the country on 29 August 2013 to commemorate the birth anniversary of Indian hockey legend Dhyan Chand. Asin Bhatkal, the primary conspirator in various bomb blasts in India as well as the co-founder of the Indian Mujahideen (IM), was arrested from the India-Nepal border in Bihars Raxaul town. A major fire broke out on board INS Sindhurakshak at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai on 14th August and sunk the submarine. INS Sindhurakshak is the ninth of the ten Sindhughoshclass diesel-electric submarines of the Indian Navy. Prakash Jha, the veteran film maker of bollywood on 28 August 2013 released a book titled Satyagraha: The Story Behind the Revolution. The Union Cabinet cleared a proposal to scrap the collegium system of appointing judges to the Supreme Court and High Courts on 22 August 2013. A Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) will be set up which will replace the collegium system of appointing judges to Suprecme Court and High Courts. According to the proposal, the government will set up a panel headed by the Chief Justice of India (CJI) to appoint and transfer senior judges. The other members of the proposed Commission will comprise the Law Minister, two judges of the Supreme Court, two eminent persons as members and Secretary (Justice) in the Law Ministry as Member Secretary. The Lok Sabha on 29 August 2013 passed the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, 2011, also called the Land Acquisition Bill. The aim of the bill is providing fair compensation to people whose land has been taken away for setting up the buildings or factories. The aim of the bill is to bring in more transparency to the process of land acquisition, thereby bringing assurance of rehabilitation to the affected people. The National Teeka Express was launched by Ghulam Nabi Azad, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare in the presence of Jitendra Singh, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Youth Affairs and Sports at Alwar, Rajasthan on 1 August. It has been launched to protect children from life-threatening childhood diseases. India's first Cyber Forensic Laboratory (CFL) has been set up in Tripura. The lab, established at the Tripura High Court will provide court case related information. The Rashtriya Uchattar Shiksha Abhiyan proposes to put a ceiling of maximum number of colleges to be affiliated to any university at two hundred. Justice K.N Basha, a retired judge of the Madras High Court, took charge as the chairman of the Intellectual Property Appellate Tribunal on 28 August 2013. The Intellectual Property Appellate Board has its headquarters at Chennai and holds sitting benches at Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Ahmedabad. National Media Center was inaugurated at New Delhi by Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi. Janata Party was merged with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) following a meeting of Janata Party President Subramanian Swamy and BJP President Rajnath Singh on 11th August. Government has proposed to set up the Central Institute of Hotel Management, Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition at Jagdishpur (Sultanpur Dist.), Uttar Pradesh. The melodious RTE Anthem was launched on 29 August, by Union Minister for HRD Dr. M.M. Pallam Raju, in the presence of MoS for HRD, Dr. Shashi Tharoor and also the lyricist and MP Javed Akhtar. National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) supported the Ministry in
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creating the Anthem, which has been written by renowned lyricist Javed Akhtar and sung by Sonu Nigam and Sunidhi Chauhan. The anthem will be dubbed in English and 15 regional languages. The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 mandates eight years of elementary education to all children in the 6 to 14 years age group. The Union Cabinet gave its nod to the proposal for establishing the International Centre for Drinking Water Quality in Kolkata on 13th August. The Union Government of India on 30 August 2013 gave its approval to three projects under the Electronic Manufacturing Clusters (EMC) scheme.

International Affairs
International Youth Day is an awareness day designated by the United Nations to be observed on 12th August every year. August 13 is celebrated as international left-handers day. The world observed the International Day of the World's Indigenous People on 9 August 2013. The theme selected for the year 2013 is Indigenous peoples building alliances: Honouring treaties, agreements and other constructive arrangements. Veddas, the tribal community of Sri Lanka was felicitated on 9 August 2013 by Mahinda Rajapaksa, the President of Sri Lanka on the occasion of the World Indigenous Peoples Day. Bill Clinton and Oprah Winfrey would receive the US Presidential Medal of Freedom for 2013 by President Barack Obama. Melbourne, Australia has been named the worlds most liveable city for the third year in a row, according to a survey of 140 cities released by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). Syrian capital Damascus has been ranked last. Facebook and other technology giants launched Internet.org, an initiative on 21 August, designed to give the whole world access to the internet. The projects goal is to cut the cost of smart phone-based Internet services in developing countries.Everything Facebook has done has been about giving all people around the world the power to connect, The company founder Mark Zuckerberg said. The other partners in the project are Nokia, Ericsson, Samsung, Qualcomm, MediaTek and Opera, while Twitter and LinkedIn also due to sign up. 30 August was declared as the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances by the UN General Assembly expressing its concern by the increase in the number of involuntary or enforced disappearances in different parts of the world. The UN General Assembly declared this day by its resolution 65/209, on 21 December 2010. Former rebel leader Michel Djotodia sworn in as president of the Central African Republic on 18 August, five months after seizing power in the violence-wracked country. Robert Mugabe sworn-in as Zimbabwe President for a new five-year term: On 22 August 2013, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, Africas oldest leader at 89, was sworn in for a new fiveyear term in the face of criticism from opponents and the West that his re-election in a July vote was not credible. Mugabe, who has ruled since independence from Britain in 1980. His long-time rival and opponent in the last three elections, Morgan Tsvangirai, boycotted the ceremony. He has denounced the July 31 election as a huge fraud and a coup by ballot, alleging massive rigging by Mugabes ZANU-PF party. The United Nations Trusteeship Council elected Alexis Lamek of France as its President and Peter Wilson of the United Kingdom as its Vice President on 15th August. The Trusteeship Council is a principal organ of the UN, created to administer 11 Trust Territories placed under the Organizations care at its founding in 1945. The second ADMM (ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting) Plus meeting was held in Brunei on 29 August 2013. Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has been announced as Mali's new president on 16th August, after he won a landslide victory in a poll intended to give a fresh start to the African nation .The ex-prime minister won an overwhelming 77.6 per cent of the vote, with his rival Soumaila Cisse trailing on 22.4 per cent.
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Ghanas Supreme Court on 27 August, upheld President John Dramani Mahama's victory in elections last year, dismissing the opposition's case alleging voter fraud in a test for one of Africas most stable democracies. Malala Yousafzai on 27 August 2013 won 2013 International Childrens Peace Prize Indian Weightlifting Federation President Birendra Prasad Baishya was appointed as the chairman of the Ethics Commission of the IWF in Beijing. Typhoon Trami affected 3.61 lakh people in central Hunan Province of China The 2nd Vice President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan H.E. Mohammad Karim Khalili, was on an Official Visit to India. The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif has announced that China has agreed to set-up four coal-fired power plants at Gadani Power Corridor in Balochistan, Pakistan. Brazilian Foreign Minister Antonio Patriota resigned on 26 August 2013 in the backdrop of helping the Bolivian senator to cross into Brazil. Nidal Malik Hasan was sentenced to death in connection of the Fort Hood shooting, Texas. The shooting took place in November 2009 at Central Texas Army Post. The Union Cabinet of India on 29 August 2013 approved the Social Security Agreement between India and Canada. Brushing aside pleas and warnings from President Obama, Russia granted founder of WikiLeaks Edward J. Snowden temporary asylum. U.S. President Barack Obama has cancelled a muchtalked-about summit with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin next month, blaming Russias decision to grant whistleblower Edward Snowden temporary asylum and other components of a bilateral morass. Global digital measurement and analytics comScore stated in its report that India is the worlds third largest Internet user. Mamnoon Hussain was elected as the 12th President of Pakistan on 30 July 2013. 73-year old Mamnoon Hussain belonged to the PML-N Party. Italy's Supreme Court on 1 August, upheld a jail sentence against Silvio Berlusconi for tax fraud in a devastating blow to the former prime minister that could throw the country's fragile coalition government into crisis. Indian-Origin Beverly Singh became a part of the team of specialist engineers building the fastest car of the world in the UK. India has suggested Myanmar to set-up a Joint Border Working Group to address the issues of demarcation of border between the two countries. The Foreign Minister of Nicaragua, Samuel Santos Lopez paid an official visit to India since 19 August to 23 August 2013. Earlier, he had visited India in June 2008 to participate in the India-SICA (Central American Integration System) Foreign Ministers' meeting. Nicaragua is an important member of SICA with which India has an institutionalised dialogue mechanism at the Foreign minister level. During his visit, India and Nicaragua discussed bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest. The Chinese and Pakistani air forces on 28 August 2013 decided to hold a joint exercise called Shaheen-2

Economy News
The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth of India decelerated even more to 4.4 percent, the slowest rate of expansion in 4 years, i.e., since 2008 economic meltdown. The GDP growth stood at 4. 4 percent in the first quarter (April-June) of the fiscal year 2013-14. The reason for this drop is poor performance of the manufacturing as well as mining sector. As per the Provisional Estimates released by CSO on 31st May, 2013, Agriculure sector is estimated to grow at 1.9% in 2012-13 at 2004-05 prices and the contribution of agriculture to the GDP is likely to decline to 13.7 % in 2012-13. Inspite Government has launched several schemes to increase the growth rate of agriculture and boost farm production in terms of its contribution to the GDP such as Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY), National Food Security
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Mission (NFSM), Development and Strengthening of Infrastructure facilities for Production and Distribution of Quality Seed, National Horticulture Mission(NHM), Rainfed Area Development Programme (RADP), Integrated Scheme of Oilseeds, Pulses, Oil Palm and Maize (ISOPOM), Gramin Bhandaran Yojana etc. GDP in agriculture is on low. In addition, Government has substantially improved the availability of farm credit; implemented a massive programme of debt waiver,introduced better crop insurance schemes; increased Minimum Support Price (MSP), improved marketing infrastructure, etc. Mid-sized private lender Ratnakar Bank has acquired British banking major RBS business banking, credit cards and mortgage portfolio businesses in india. Reserve Bank of India on 28 August 2013 has decided to open a forex swap window to meet the entire daily dollar requirements of three public sector oil marketing companies (IOC, HPCL and BPCL). Under this Forex Swap Facility Reserve Bank will undertake sell/buy of USD-INR forex swaps for fixed tenor with the oil marketing companies through a designated bank. The data released by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 9 August 2013 revealed that the Foreign exchange reserves of India have fallen by 2.995 billion US dollars to 277.167 billion US dollars in first week of August 2013. As per the data released, the foreign currency assets, a major component of the forex reserves, have dropped by 2.155 billion US Dollars to 249.895 billion US dollars, while gold reserves have dropped by 808.5 million dollars at 20.747 billion dollars in the first week of August 2013. The report also stated that the country's reserve position with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has also gone done by 10.7 million US dollars to 2.171 billion US dollars. Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Videsh Ltd. (OVL), announced that it would buy a 10 per cent stake in Mozambique gas field from Anadarko Petroleum Corp of U.S. for US $ 2.64 billion The Cabinet Committee on Investment (CCI) on 26 August 2013 cleared 36 projects worth 1.83 lakh crore rupees in power and other infrastructure sectors which were stalled on account of regulatory hurdles. The big projects that have been cleared by the CCI include Reliance Powers 4000 MW Ultra Mega Power Project (UMPP) at Sasan in Madhya Pradesh, L&Ts Metro Rail project, Hindalco Industries project and Essar Powers Jharkhand project.GMR Kishangarg Express way, JAS Infra and Power, Utkal Alumina, Athena Chhattisgarh Power and Essar Powers Tori-I power plant were the other projects which were reviewed. The Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, K. H. Muniyappa inaugurated the Indian School for Entrepreneurs and Enterprise Development iSEED in New Delhi The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), in accordance with the Government of Indias disinvestment policy on 2 August, has approved the disinvestment of 10 percent paidup equity in the Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), out of its equity capital holding of 78.92 percent. The disinvestment will be through Offer for Sale (OFS) method in the domestic market according to the SEBI rules and regulations. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 20 August 2013 further relaxed the Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) to provide more funds to banks for lending. This was in view of the losses suffered by banks in their investment portfolio. Revising its earlier limit, asking banks to reduce their hold-tomaturity bond holdings gradually to 23 per cent of deposits, RBI has now allowed banks to retain those holdings at 24.5 percent. To further ease rupee volatility, RBI will conduct open market operations of long dated government securities worth Rs. 8000 crore on 23 August 2013. RBI stated that depending on evolving market conditions, it will thereafter decide on the amount and frequency of OMOs (Open Market operations). SLR stands for Statutory Liquidity Ratio and it indicates the minimum percentage of deposits that the bank has to maintain in form of gold, cash or other approved securities. In other words, it is ratio of cash and some other approved securities to liabilities (deposits). As per the data released by Ministry of Tourism on 26 August 2013, the number of foreign tourists visiting India has shown a steady increase in the past three years. The number of foreign tourist visits has increased to 207.31 lakh in 2012 as compared to 194.97 lakh in 2011 and 179.10 lakh during 2010. This shows an increase of almost 16 per cent in the past two years. The highest number of
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foreign tourists inflow was recorded in Maharashtra at 51.20 lakh followed by Tamilnadu at 35.62 lakh and Delhi at 23.46 lakh in the year 2012. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on 2 August has approved creation of the Special National Investment Fund for the specific objective of meeting the minimum public shareholding of 10 percent requirement in the following six Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs). (i) Andrew Yule & Company Ltd. (ii) Fertilizers & Chemicals (Travancore) Ltd. (iii) Hindustan Photo Films Manufacturing Co. Ltd.(iv) HMT Ltd. (v) ITI Ltd. (vi) Scooters India Ltd. The Minister of State in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry Dr. E. M. Sudarsana Natchiappan on 14th August, in a written reply in Rajya Sabha informed that, in-principle approval for National Investment and Manufacturing Zones (NIMZs) in Chittoor, Medak and Prakasam districts has been accorded as requested by the Government of Andhra Pradesh. The government has set up a high-level panel under chairmanship of Parthasarathi Shome to review tax laws and suggest ways for a stable and non-adversarial tax administration. The seven-member Tax Administration Reform Commission (TARC) will have 18 months to suggest various measures. The Union Cabinet on 13th August, approved the proposal for setting up of the Tax Administration Reform Commission (TARC). The Commission will consist of a Chairman, two full time members and four part-time members The Reserve Bank of India on 27 August 2013 released the Discussion Paper on Banking Structure in India The Way Forward

Science and technology News

GSAT7 (Rechristened as Rukmini), is the first Indian exclusive defence satellite was successfully launched on 29 August 2013 by the European space consortium Arianespaces Ariane 5 Rocket from the Kourou Spaceport of French Guiana. This launch will push ahead Indias maritime security. Indian Navy will use the multi-band home-built communication spacecraft that is expected to become operational by September 2013. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) called off GSLV-D5 mission to launch into orbit the advanced communication satellite GSAT-14, due to a fuel leak on 19 August. It is an indigenous cryogenic engine based Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) programme of ISRO. The Rs. 205-crore expendable rockets mission was to inject the cuboidshaped and 1982-kg weighing GSAT-14 in orbit to signal Indias entry into an ivy league of nations with frontier capabilities of launching 2,000-2,500 kg class of advanced communication satellites in outer space. The GSAT-14, the 23rd geostationary communication satellite built by ISRO, would have joined a line-up of nine Indian satellites to help provide a host of satellite-based communication services, including tele-education and tele-medicine. The satellites mission was also to augment the in-orbit capacity of the extended C and Ku-band transponders in the INSATGSAT ecosystem to set the stage for new and exciting experiments driven by satellite-based communication. Kirobo, the world's first talking humanoid robot "astronaut", has been launched into space. It will act as a companion for astronaut Koichi Wakata and will communicate with another robot on Earth. Kirobo derived from the Japanese words for hope and robot was among five tons of supplies and machinery on a rocket launched on 28 July, from Tanegashima in southwestern Japan. In a significant step for automobile research and development (R&D) in the country, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and automobile major Tata Motors have developed a hydrogen-powered bus. The bus is currently in trial stages as the company looks to reach a viable market proposition. The Tata Starbus Fuel Cell is a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) type of bus using hydrogen bottles as fuel. These are stored on top of the bus. The vehicle has been developed following several years of research as Tata Motors had entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in 2006 with ISRO to design and develop such a product. Bharat Biotech, on26 August, launched a fourth-generation conjugate vaccine for immunization of children and adults from typhoid fever. The vaccine, Typbar-TCV, was
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launched by Director-General of the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) Christian Locqu in Hyderabad Kerala state government on 22 August 2013 laid the foundation store of Bio 360. The park will be positioned as a knowledge centre of life sciences industries research institutions and is expected to attract investments (both domestic and foreign) in related areas. Kerala is designated as one of the 34 biodiversity spots in the world. institutions like the Sree Chitra Centre for Science & Technology, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Regional Research Laboratory, Tropical Botanical Gardens and Research Institute, Central Marine Fisheries Institute, Regional Cancer Centre, Hindustan Life Care Limited and many more, make Kerala an enormously potent life sciences hub of the country. Giving a major boost to strategic airlift capabilities of the Air Force, Defence Minister A.K. Antony formally inducted the 75-80 tone american C-17 heavy-lift transport aircraft into service on September 2 at the Hindon Air Base. India has activated the atomic reactor on board INS Arihant, a development that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh described as a "giant stride" in the progress of the country's indigenous capabilities. India is the only nation in the Indian Ocean region to have a nuclear submarine and the sixth in the world to have the capability to design and construct a nuclear submarine. INS Arihant is longer than any of the submarine in the Indian Navy's fleet so far. India is the only nation in the Indian Ocean region to have a nuclear submarine and the sixth in the world to have the capability to design and construct a nuclear submarine. INS Arihant is longer than any of the submarine in the Indian Navy's fleet so far. The submarine can carry 12 nuclear missiles K15. India will launch its first indigenous aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, on August 12 from the Kochi shipyard. This will make India only the fifth country after the US, Russia, Britain and France to have the capability to build such vessels. India successfully test-fired two rounds of indigenously developed Pinaka rockets from a multibarrel rocket launcher (MBRL) from a base at Chandipur-on-sea near Balasore, off the Odisha coast on 7 August 2013.

AWARDS
Eminent Malayalam poet Sugathakumari was conferred the Saraswati Samman 2012 for her collection of 27 poems in book Manalezhuthu (Writings on the Sand) at a function New Delhi on 2nd August. The prestigious award instituted by the K.K. Birla Foundation carries a citation and a plaque, apart from Rs. 10 lakh as prize money. It is given annually to an outstanding literary work published during the last 10 years in any of the Indian languages. Gallantry Awards, 2013: Ashok Chakra: Indias highest peacetime gallantry award, the Ashoka Chakra, has been awarded posthumously to Andhra Pradesh Police Sub Inspector KLVSSHNV Prasad Babu, who was leading an assault unit of Greyhounds in an anti-Maoist operation near Andhra Pradesh-Chhattisgarh border. Kirti Chakra: The second highest peacetime gallantry award has been awarded to Major Mahesh Kumar of the Punjab Regiment, Lt Commander Abhilash Tomy of the Navy, who circumnavigated the earth alone, and Inspector Lohit Sonowal of the Assam Police. Sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan will be honoured with the Rajiv Gandhi National Sadhbhavna Award for his contribution towards promotion of communal harmony and peace.The award carries a citation and a cash award of Rs five lakh. It will be conferred on Khan on August 20, the birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi.

National Sports Awards

Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award: Ronjan Sodhi (Shooting). Arjuna Award: Chekrovolu Swuro (Archery), Renjith Maheshwari (Athletics), PV Sindhu (Badminton), Kavita Chahal (Boxing), Rupesh Shah (Billiards & Snooker), Virat Kohli (Cricket), Abhijeet Gupta (Chess), Gaganjeet Bhullar (Golf), Saba Anjum (Hockey), Rajkumari Rathore (Shooting), Joshna Chinnappa (Squash), Mouma Das (Table Tennis), Neha Rathi (Wrestling), Dharmender Dalal (Wrestling), Amit Kumar Saroha (Athletics -- Para).
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Dronacharya Award: Poornima Mahato (Archery), Mahavir Singh (Boxing), Narinder Singh Saini (Hockey), KP Thomas (AthleticsLifetime contribution), Raj Singh (WrestlingLifetime Contribution). Dhyan Chand Award: Mary DSouza Sequeira (Athletics), Syed Ali (Hockey), Anil Mann (Wrestling), Girraj Singh (Para Sports - Athletics). The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna awardee will receive a cash award of Rs 7.5 lakh along with a medal and citation. The Arjuna, Dronacharya and Dhyan Chand Awardees will receive statuettes, citations and cash prize of Rs 5 lakh each. These awards are presented every year on August 29 (National Sports Day). A team of three Indian-American students defeated teams from 17 other regions to win top honour at the 11th National Geographic World Championship in Russia's St. Petersburg city. Tata Steel was adjudged the Best Performing Integrated Steel Plant in the country for the year 201112 based on the recommendations made by a Panel of Judges that selected companies for the Prime Minister`s Trophy awards for the year 2011-12. International Childrens Peace Prize, 2013 :Teenage activist Malala Yousafzai of Pakistan, shot in the head by a Taliban militant in October 2012 after campaigning for girls right to education, has won the prestigious International Childrens Peace Prize. The inaugural Mahathir Award for Global Peace has been awarded to former South African president Nelson Mandela. Current South African president Jacob Zuma accepted the award on Mandelas behalf on 27 August. Describing Mandela as a friend, former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said it was appropriate that the South African leader was the first recipient of the award as he was truly a man of peace. The Mahathir Award for Global Peace will be presented annually to recognise those who have made valiant efforts in promoting peace. NTPC has been conferred three Awards by the World HRD Congress and Star Group at the 4th Asians Best Employer Brand Awards held at Singapore recently.

APPOINTED/ELECTED
Hassan Rowhani: He has been elected as the President of Iran. Raghuram Rajan: Chief Economic Adviser to UPA government, he has been appointed as the Governor of Reserve Bank Of India (RBI). Dilip Trivedi: Senior IPS officer, he has been appointed as the Chief of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

DISTINGUISHED VISITORS
G.L. Peiris: External Affairs Minister of Sri Lanka. He came to invite Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meet in Colombo in November. Mohammad Karim Khalili: Vice President o Afghanistan. During his three-day visit security issues and trade and other bilateral issues were discussed. Nuri al-Maliki: Prime Minister of Iraq. The visit was the first high-level bilateral trip in 38 years. Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had visited Iraq in 1975. Malikis trip saw India and Iraq sign an agreement on energy cooperation. Tshering Tobgay: Prime Minister of Bhutan. This was his first overseas visit after assuming office in July 2013. He briefed New Delhi on the talks between his country and China over their boundary dispute, which has strategic implications for Indias security.

Died
Pandit Raghunath Panigrahi: Eminent Indian classical singer and music director from Odisha, better known as a noted vocalist of Jayadevas Gita Govind, he died on 25 August 2013.

Sports News
ARCHERY Indian Women Archers retain World title: The Indian team, comprising Bombayla Devi,
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Deepika Kumari and Rimil Buriuly, pipped by four points to retain their World Cup title during the fourth and final stage of the World Cup-2013 that concluded at Wrolaw, Poland. ATHLETICS World Athletics Championships, 2013 : The 2013 World Championships in Athletics were the fourteenth edition of the international athletics competition and were held in Moscow, Russia, from 1018 August 2013. Russia won the most gold medals to top the table for the first time since 2001. The United States won the most overall medals. With 1974 athletes from 206 countries, it was the biggest IAAF World Championships ever and the biggest single sports event of the year. Jamaica's Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce both won three gold medals in the men's and women's 100 metres, 200 metres and 4100 metres relay, respectively, to become the most successful athletes at the event. Kenyas Edna Kiplagat became the first woman to retain the marathon world title when she eased home to earn the first gold medal on the opening day of the World Athletics Championships. The 33year-old timed 2hr 25min 44sec to take gold ahead of long-time leader Valeria Straneo of Italy (2:25.58) while Japans Kayoko Fukushi took bronze (2:27.45) Usain Bolt, already enshrined as one of the greatest Olympians of all time, became the most successful athlete in world championship history when he anchored Jamaica to victory in the 4x100 metres relay at the World Championships in Moscow. Bolt followed up the 100 and 200m double with his third gold in the final event, taking his all-time tally to eight. That matches American trio Carl Lewis, Michael Johnson and Allyson Felix, but the Jamaican moved ahead by virtue of his two silvers from 2007. BADMINTON World Championship: Teenage Thai Ratchanok Intanon won her first badminton world championship title when she upset Olympic champion Li Xuerui in the women's singles final to end Chinas decade of domination. Indias P.V. Sindhu won the bronze. P.V. Sindhu thus became first Indian woman to reach semifinal of world badminton championships. In the mens singles, Lin Dan retained his title with another closely fought battle with Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia. Womens doubles: Wang Xiaoli/Yu Yang . Mixed doubles: Tontowi Ahmad/Liliyana Natsir. ACC Emerging Trophy : The Indian under-23 team lifted the Asian Cricket Councils Emerging Trophy tournament, held in Singapore, after thrashing arch-rivals Pakistan by nine wickets in the final. Under-19 World Cup: Unmukt Chands unbeaten ton helped India lift their third Under-19 World Cup. Taking on hosts Australia at Townsville, Chand took centre-stage and left nothing to chance as India romped home comfortably by six wickets. GOLF PGA Championship: Jason Dufner won his first major title with a two-stroke victory over Jim Furyk at the PGA Championship. HOCKEY Indian girls create history in Junior World Cup: Indian girls created history by winning countrys first ever bronze medal in the junior women hockey World Cup as they pipped England 3-2 penalties, riding on striker Ranis dazzling show. Asia Cup, 9th:South Korea has won the Asia Cup, defeating India in the final. India made a spirited fight-back in the second half but failed to earn a direct berth in 2014 World Cup as they lost the highscoring summit clash 3-4 to defending champions South Korea. Already out of 2014 World Cup, to be held at The Hague, Netherlands, Pakistan had something to cheer about as the three-time champions defeated hosts Malaysia 3-1 to win the bronze medal. TENNIS Rogers Cup: Rafael Nadal thumped Canadas Milos Raonic 6-2 6-2 in the mens Rogers Cup final to win his eighth ATP title in 2013. Serena Williams crushed Romanias Sorana Cirstea in the final of the womens Rogers Cup to capture her 54th WTA singles title.

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