Current Affairs of 1 to 31 October 2014

Government is set to launch a new programme, the Unnat Bharat Abhiyan to uplift rural India. This programme will be launched in collaboration with the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) and the National Institutes of Technology (NITs) across the country. The main idea for launching the programme is to provide definitive research that can be aligned with national development. Unnat Bharat Abhiyan is an initiative of the Ministry of Human Resource Development. It will be coordinated and steered by IIT Delhi.

Cricketers Sachin Tendulkar and Steve Waugh have been inducted into the Bradman Hall of Fame. The two cricketers were inducted as honorees of the Bradman Foundation at a gala dinner held at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Sachin Tendulkar had met Bradman on his 90th birthday in Adelaide. Bradman had listed Tendulkar in an all-time XI list prepared by him. Tendulkar holds almost every Test batting record, except for Bradman’s average.

India was ranked 142nd among 189 nations in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Report. ‘Doing Business 2015: Going Beyond Efficiency’ is a World Bank Group flagship publication. The 2015 version is the 12th such annual report. The report seeks to measure the regulations that enhance business activity and those that restrict it. The report quantifies indicators on business regulations and the protection of property rights and then compares it across 189 economies and over different time periods. The WB develops the rankings based on consultations with ‘legal and accounting professionals, government officials and business practitioners, among others, across countries.’

India won its re-election to the EcoSoc. This win comes just a week after India’s re-election to the UNHRC. On election, members serve a three year term. India’s previous term was scheduled to end in 2013. Now, on re-election, India will serve another three year term beginning on 1st January, 2015. Re-election to the EcoSoc A country requires two-thirds of the total votes to become a member. EcoSoc has a total of 54 members. The countries serve for overlapping periods of three years. In October this year, all the members of the UNGA voted to elect 18 members from amongst themselves to the EcoSoc.

The CEO of Prasar Bharati, Jawhar Sircar, was elected unopposed as the Vice-President of the Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU). Also, representatives from Malaysian broadcaster RTM and Japan’s NHK were also chosen as Vice-Presidents while the representative from South Korean broadcaster KBS was chosen as the President. Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) The ABU was formed in 1964, and is a non-profit, non-governmental, professional association of broadcasting organizations. It has over 200 members in over 60 countries/regions. Its headquarters is in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and its President is Yoshinori Imai.

The Jamia Millia Islamia celebrated its 94th Foundation Day on October 29. The celebrations of Foundation Day are spread out over three days. Chief Guest The Foundation Day celebrations began with the Chief Guest, Dr. Karan Singh, Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) along with Prof. Talat Ahmad, Vice-Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia receiving the Guard of Honour by the NCC Cadets of Jamia. That will be followed by a Flag Hoisting Ceremony by the Chief Guest Dr. Karan Singh and a Foundation Day Function. The Chief Guest Dr. Karan Singh will also inaugurate ‘Talimi Mela’, which is an educational fest.

The SC has asked the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to actively involve itself in the cleaning up of the Ganges river Inactivity of other bodies The SC asked the NGT to step in and take up the task of closing down industries polluting Ganga and take action against industries failing to install adequate anti-pollution measures to treat industrial effluents by March 2015. This responsibility had been entrusted to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and state pollution control boards (SPCBs). However, these agencies have failed to even implement SC orders which have been passed over the last 30 years to reduce pollutants in the Ganga.

The Centre has submitted a list of people having illegal accounts in foreign banks to the Supreme Court (SC), who handed it over to the SC appointed SIT (Special Investigation Team) Attorney-General Mukul Rohatgi filed a set of three documents in a sealed cover with the SC, on behalf of the Central Government. The documents contain the names of 627 persons having illegal HSBC accounts in Geneva which was provided by France and a status report of the investigation against them. The deadline for investigation into these accounts under the Income Tax Act is March 31, 2015.

Thanks to its loss to Pakistan in a match of the Abu Dhabi Test Series, India dropped to sixth place in ICC’s Test rankings. This ranking change shall remain irrespective of how the rest of the Abu Dhabi Test series turns out. Pakistan’s ranking After pushing India down a spot, Pakistan will now occupy the fifth ranking. Currently, Pakistan has a 1-0 lead against Australia in the ongoing Abu Dhabi series. If Pakistan wins the second Test match, it will jump over England and Sri Lanka into third position.

Zimbabwean national Cara Black and Indian Sania Mirza won the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore Doubles title. They defeated the defending champions Peng Shuai and Hsieh Su-wei. With the doubles title, Black and Mirza won the Martina Navratilova Trophy and US $5,00,000. Peng Shuai and Hsieh Su-wei were awarded a cash prize of US $ 2,50,000.

USA’s Serena Williams defeated Romania’s Simona Halep to clinch the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore Singles title. Williams’ won the US $2.05 mn prize money, along with the Billie Jean King Trophy. This match also saw the return of Williams after she had to drop out of the Beijing Open due to a knee injury. This win marked Williams’ third consecutive title at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals in Singapore. This is the first time that such a feat has been accomplished by a played since Monica Seles in 1990-92. Williams also won the Billie Jean King Trophy in 2001, 2009, 2012 and 2013.

UK has formally withdrawn from Afghanistan, ending the 13 year war that it was a part of. The lowering of the Union Flag in Camp Bastion marked the end of Britain’s campaign, which is believed to be its longest involvement in a conflict in modern times.

SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft has concluded its mission to the ISS (International Space Station) and returned to Earth. The spacecraft was launched in September in SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launch vehicle. This was Dragon’s fifth visit to the ISS.

Jairam Ramesh, former Environment Minister, has been asked to chair the Future Earth Engagement Committee. Future Earth Engagement Committee The Committee is a global research platform panel on sustainable development. The strategic advisory group was instituted by an alliance of organisations including the UNEP (UN Environment Programme), UNESCO and the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO). However, the Committee is the flagship initiative of the Science and Technology Alliance for Global Sustainability.

The Central Government has granted approval to four out of the 14 identified strategic rail lines. The project has been in deliberation for years. High Level Meeting At a high level meeting of officials from the Planning Commission, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Railways and Ministry of Finance, the PMO ordered Indian Railways to carry out an engineering survey of the 1,000 km of line identified by the Defence Ministry to be of strategic importance. The building of the lines will be commissioned only after the survey, which acts as a blueprint.

In response to the recent crash of a Sukhoi-30 plane in Pune, the Government has ordered the grounding of India’s entire fleet of Sukhoi-30 airplanes pending technical checks on each of them.
Preliminary findings
A Sukhoi-30 MKI had crashed in a field near Pune. The accident is still under investigation, however, the preliminary findings have suggested that a technical problem in the fly-by-wire system was the cause of the accident and not human error. A Court of Inquiry on the accident is also in progress.
Grounded fleet
Around 200 twin engine Sukhoi-30s have been grounded pending technical review. Notably, this has been the fifth accident involving a Sukhoi-30 MKI since 2009, and the Sukhoi-30 fleet has been grounded twice before.

The Birth Anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, which falls on 31 October, will be celebrated as National Integration Day of Rashtriya Ekta Divas from now on.
Objective of the Commemoration
The government will attempt to create awareness among the people about Sardar Patel’s contribution towards India’s freedom struggle and ensuring national integration in India. Sardar Patel played a pivotal role in the merger of princely states with British ruled India to form a sovereign united country called India
Rashtriya Ekta Divas (RED)
The government will try to make RED a mass movement, reaching people from all avenues of life. The participation of the people shall be voluntary. On October 31 this year, the PM will participate in the event and broadcast a short radio address. In the morning of October 31, a ‘run for unity’ marathon will be organized in cities, towns and villages all over India. In the evening, Police and other organizations like the NSS, NCC, Scouts and Guides, Home Guards etc will march on the streets in all district headquarters.

Indian boxer L.Sarita Devi has been provisionally suspended by the AIBA for refusing to accept the bronze medal she won after losing the semifinal fight over a controversial decision at the 2014 Asian Games.
Suspension
Along with Sarita Devi, her coaches Gurbaksh Singh Sandhu, B.I.Fernandes and Sagar Mai Dhayal and India’s chef-de-mission Adille Sumariwala to the Incheon Asiad 2014 have also been suspended. All of them are prohibited from participating in the upcoming competitions till further notice. Other than AIBA competitions, they also cannot participate in AIBA events and meetings. This Sarita Devi case has now been sent for review by the AIBA Disciplinary Commission.

Fashion designer, Entrepreneur, Philanthropist and fashion icon Oscar de la Renta passed away at age 82 at his home in Kent, Connecticut. Some of the important facts of his life are:- De la Renta was born in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic in 1932 in a middle class family. Later, he moved to Madrid, Spain and studied at the Academy of San Fernando. He was meant to study painting, but he accidentally got involved in designing.

• In Spain, he worked in the ateliers of Balenciaga, Dior and Lanvin
• He, then moved to USA to work for Elizabeth Arden
• In 1965, he launched his own ready to wear label. His style is described as modern, yet feminine
• He has designed for CEOs, first wives, political icons, socialites and Hollywood elites for the last five decades.
• He served as President of the Council of Fashion Designers of America from 1973 to 1976, and from 1986 to 1988
• Between 1993 to 2002, de la Renta designed haute couture collections for Pierre Balmain, single-handedly helping the revival of fashion house which has been witnessing disappointing sales
• Also, he has served on the boards of The Metropolitan Opera and Carnegie Hall amongst others. He also supports several cultural institutions, including New Yorkers for Children, the Americas Society and the Spanish Institute. He also supports an orphanage in the Dominican
• The Dominican Republic has awarded him the Order of Juan Pablo Duarte and the Order of Cristóbal Colón
• In 2002, he introduced his own furniture line. His brand also has a line of perfumes & fragrance which is sold in over 70 countries
• He has been battling cancer since 2006, and is believed to have passed away due to the disease. Before his death, he appointed British designer Peter Copping as his successor to the Oscar de la Renta brand
• De la Renta is survived by his wife, Annette Engelhard; his son, Moises; three sisters; three step-children and nine step-grandchildren

The Indian National hockey team coach, Terry Walsh, withdrew his earlier tendered resignation. Resignation by Walsh Walsh tendered his resignation as the coach stating bureaucratic hassles, non-payment of dues and his own family commitments as reasons contributing to the decision. He questioned the decision-making process of the bureaucrats given the responsibility of regulating Indian sports. He also mentioned the difficulty in working with the SAI (Sports Authority of India) and HI (Hockey India). Withdrawal of resignation Later, Walsh agreed to put his resignation on hold till November 19, when he expects the SAI to implement some of its proposed solutions. After evaluating the changes, he is expected to make a final decision on his resignation. The withdrawal of Walsh’s resignation gives the authorities the opportunity to address his grievances. According to his contract, Walsh can choose to return to his position one month from the date he tenders his resignation, if both parties can reach an understanding.

Second seeded US Open champion Marin Cilic of Croatia won the Kremlin Cup ATP title in Moscow. He defeated fifth seeded Spaniard Roberto Bautista-Agut in the final. Cilic became the first Croatian to win the Moscow ATP 250 tournament since his coach Goran Ivanisevic beat Yevgeny Kafelnikov in 1996. Kremlin Cup WTA Title Sixth seeded Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia defeated Romania’s Irina-Camelia Begu to wint the WTA title. Anastasia became the first Russian woman to win the Kremlin Cup since Elena Dementieva in 2007. Anastasia earlier won the Open GDF Suez in Paris.

India faced Great Britain at the Taman Daya Hockey stadium in Johor Bahru in Malaysia for the finals of the Sultan of Johor under 21 hockey Cup. Past Title Winners The Sultan of Johor Cup was inaugurated in 2011. The 2011 winner was Malaysia, 2012 winner was Germany and 2013 winner was India. 2014 Title winner India successfully defended its 2013 win, and defeated Great Britain. This makes India the first team to the win the Sultan of Johor under 21 title twice.

China, Afghanistan and Pakistan held a trilateral dialogue to chalk out a roadmap for regional cooperation and strengthen ties with each other. This is the second such dialogue. The first dialogue was held in 2013 in Beijing. Organisers The two day dialogue consisting of officials and experts of the three countries was organised by the Pakistan-China Institute (PCI) and German agency Konrad Adeneaur Stiftung.

Veteran legislator Ganpatrao Deshmukh won the legislative assembly elections for the 11th time. This makes him the longest serving MLA in India. Ganpatrao Deshmukh 88 year old Deshmukh won from Sangola in Solapur district, which he has represented for 54 years. In 2009, Deshmukh became the second legislator in India after M.Karunanidhi to have won 10 elections. Deshmukh belongs to the Peasants and Workers Party (PWP). He has been a Minister twice, but has spent most of his time being part of the Opposition. He was first elected as a MLA in 1962, and since then has won every election except for the 1972 and 1995 elections. In 2012, he completed 50 years in the assembly, for which he was felicitated by the Assembly and the Government.

Harshit Saumitra, a five year and eleven month old Indian has successfully climbed Kalapathar peak. Harshit Saumitra is the son of a famous mountaineer, Rajeev Saumitra.
Kalapathar Peak
The Kalapathar Peak is 200 m above the base camp of Mount Everest in Nepal. The peak is 5,554 m high. It is also the highest peak amongst all the highest peaks of three continents, Europe’s Mount Blanc (4,810 m), Antartica’s Vinson Massif (4,892 m) and Australia’s Punack Jaya or Carstensz Pyramid (4,884 m).
Climb to the peak
Harshit and his team, consisting of his father and two Sherpa guides, landed at Lukla Airport in a helicopter on October 7. It took them 10 days to reach the peak for a climb that normally takes 7 days.
World Records
Harshit’s father has claimed that Harshit has broken a world record set by 7 year old Aryan Balaji, who has climbed to Kalapathar in 2012. They are in the process of registering Harshit’s name for the Limca Book of Records and are considering applying for the Guinness World Records.

Late BJP leader Gopinath Munde’s second daughter, Pritam Munde, won the Beed seat in Maharashtra by a record margin of nearly seven lakh votes. The bypoll was conducted in Beed to fill the seat left vacant by Gopinath Munde after his tragic and untimely demise. Pritam Munde’s record Pritam polled 9,22,416 votes, defeating former Congress minister Ashok Patil by 6,96,321 votes. Shiv Sena and NCP chose not to field any candidate against Pritam. PM Modi had begun his Maharashtra poll campaign in Beed.

Police Commemoration Day was observed on 21 October. Background: At the Annual Conference of Inspectors General of Police of States and Union Territories held in January 1960, it was decided that October 21 would be observed as ‘Commemoration Day’ in all Police Lines across India to mark the memory of police personnel who were killed in Ladakh in a faceoff with the Chinese Army and all the other Police personnel who have been killed on duty elsewhere.

The Government has reconstituted the National Committee to commemorate the 125th Birth Anniversary of India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. The committee will hold its first meeting after Diwali. On its agenda will be the celebrations to be undertaken to mark Nehru’s 125th birth anniversary on 14 November, 2014.

The Central Government has finalized a new pricing mechanism for natural gas. The new gas pricing formula is believed to be much lesser than the formula suggested by the Rangarajan Committee.
Process of finalization
The Centre had constituted a panel of secretaries to determine the methodology of pricing gas. The central cabinet accepted the recommendations of this panel at its meeting held on October 20.
New pricing formula
As per the new formula, domestic gas price will now increase from $4.2 per mmBtu (million British thermal unit) to $5.61 per mmBtu. The Rangarajan Committee has recommended revision of prices to $8.4 per mmBtu. This price will, however be revised every six months. This new gas pricing formula will be effective from the 1st of November. Balancing viability and consumer interests The new gas pricing formula aims to keep the price high enough so that drilling projects remain viable, while keeping the price reasonable enough so that the consumers don’t buckle under the high costs. Also the review that is to be carried out every six months will ensure that the prices are modified suitably to protect the interest of all stakeholders. This six monthly review will eventually lead to free natural gas prices.

The Central government has deregulated the price of diesel. This means that just like petrol prices, the price of diesel too will be determined by the global market forces. The price of diesel shall vary depending on the rise and fall of oil in the international markets
Fall in price
Currently, the price of oil in global markets is on a declining trend. The oil prices are at a four year low. Hence, the deregulation is expected to result in the reduction of diesel prices. In Delhi, the price of diesel is expected to fall by Rs. 3.37 a litre This will be the first reduction in diesel rates in over five years.
Scenario prior to deregulation
From January 2013, diesel prices are being raised in stages through a 50 paisa per litre increase every month, in an effort to bring them to the global diesel price levels. Since January 2013, the rates have cumulatively risen by Rs. 11.81 per litre over a span 19 measured periodical increases. Traditionally, oil firms have incurred huge losses on diesel, because the price tends to be much lower than the costs incurred by the companies in procuring and distributing the fuel .However, since the second half of September, the companies have actually started making profits because of the fall in global oil prices. The profit has reportedly since reached Rs 3.56 per litre. This reduction did not reflect in the prevalent prices of diesel. However, now with deregulation, the price of diesel will be adjusted to reflect this.

Nigeria’s military has issued a statement saying that the Nigerian government and Boko Haram had reached a ceasefire that will lead to the release of around 200 girls that Boko Haram had kidnapped. Negotiations leading to the ceasefire Boko Haram and Nigerians have been engaging in negotiations for over a month now. The talks were held in Chad with the active involvement of Chad’s President, Idriss Deby, and senior officials from Cameroon.

The Election Commission (EC) submitted before the SC that providing NRIs with the option of e-voting will not be possible due to threats such as viruses, spyware, and malware.
Case before the SC
An NRI had filed a PIL before the SC alleging that the provision requiring NRIs to be physically present in the constituency to exercise their vote was discriminatory and violative of their fundamental rights. It is in regard to this case that the EC made representation before the SC. The ruling will affect 12,000 NRIs who are registered as voters.
Appointment of a Committee
The EC submitted before the SC that it had appointed a committee to explore possibilities of allowing NRIs to cast their votes from abroad, and also examine other options to make the process of casting their votes much less cumbersome.
Voting through Proxy
The EC said that even though directly voting online or at diplomatic missions was not an option, voting through proxy could definitely be considered for NRIs. The NRI can designate another person from his own constituency to act as his proxy and cast the vote on his behalf. Voting through proxy is currently available to persons in the armed forces and paramilitary forces. This mode of voting can be efficacious and convenient for all parties concerned. Matters of time constraint and logistics will not be a hurdle
E-postal ballot
E-postal ballot is also an option that the EC is considered. Under this system, a blank postal ballot paper is transferred electronically to the NRIs, which can then be filled and returned by them. This system has almost no risk of manipulation, rigging or violation of secrecy. The EC proposed trying the system on a pilot basis in one or two constituencies during elections to the Legislative Assemblies. If successful, the ballot system could then be expanded to cover Parliamentary elections and eventually to all constituencies

The Central government has launched a National Air Quality Index to provide an easy, understandable measure of air quality. For the next 45 days, the draft National Air Quality Index will be made available to stakeholders and register their comments. If the suggestions are accepted, changes will be made, and the Index will be formalized later this year, and made active by 2015. read more here.

The SAARC Framework Agreement for Energy Cooperation (Electricity) was finalized at the 5th SAARC Energy Ministers Meeting and will be signed by all the parties at the upcoming SAARC Summit that is to be held in November 2014 in Kathmandu, Nepal.
SAARC Framework Agreement for Energy Cooperation
This agreement has been pending since 2010 and is an important step in developing a SAARC Market for Electricity (SAME) on a regional basis. Bangladesh will convene the meeting of Energy Regulators or Agencies in SAARC countries by December 2014.
India\'s role
India has offered to host a seminar on “Sharing Experiences on Energy Pricing Mechanism in the SAARC Region” and also host the second meeting of the Expert Group on Technology/Knowledge Sharing (including Energy Efficiency, coal, etc.) in 2015.
SAARC
SAARC or the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation was established in 1985, with its secretariat in Kathmandu, Nepal. SAARC is an association of eight countries in South Asia. The idea of the regional body was first proposed by the Bangaldeshi President Zia-ur-Rahman in 1980, when the proposed creation of a trade bloc consisting solely South Asian countries. Afghanistan is the most recent, and eighth addition to the grouping. It was added at the behest of India, on 13 November, 2005. China, EU, USA, South Korea, Iran, Myanmar, Australia and Mauritius are observers to SAARC..

The government extended the operation of the Company Law Settlement Scheme by a month, with the deadline now being November 15. At the end of August 2014, there were around 1.42 lakh companies that had not filed their annual returns or balance sheets for more than three consecutive years.
Company Law Settlement Scheme 2014
This scheme, introduced under the new Companies Act, allows companies that have failed to make their statutory filings to do so without attracting prosecution. This scheme initially had a time limit of two months wherein the defaulting companies had to meet the requirements by October 2014. This scheme condones lack or delay of filings by companies by granting immunity from prosecution to the companies and also, give them the advantage of reduced additional fees
Grounds for extension
The extension was granted by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs after requests from various stakeholders including the ICAI (Institute of Chartered Accountants of India).
Companies Act
The new Companies Act contains provisions that provide for stringent norms in dealing with defaulting entities. Even directors can be penalized through disqualification for failing to make the necessary annual filings. Also, the companies are penalized through higher additional fees and penalties.

The India-LAC (Latin America and Carribean) investment conclave was held under the auspices of FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry) and Ministry of Commerce and Industry on October 16 and 17.
Objectives of the conclave
The objectives of the conclave are as follows:-

• Provide insights to LAC region industries on lucrative investment opportunities available in India
• Provide Indian industries insight into the LAC region to enable them to develop suitable strategies to penetrate the LAC region markets
• Facilitate partnerships between industries in the Indian and LAC region
• Enable government representatives from both regions to enhance economic engagement between India and LAC region.

Trade related issues

• The LAC region is set to grow by 3.5% to 4% over the next years. Some of the factors attracting investors to the LAC region are its net FDI flows of $189 bn in 2012, increased international trade and reduced inflation.
• In the backdrop of global economic recovery, India and LAC region are rethinking their strategy for engagement.
• India’s trade with the 33 countries of LAC region, has grown at an annual rate of over 25% over the last decade. The amount of trade reached US $ 46 bn in 2012-13. However, the LAC region has received only around 4% of India’s outward FDI, with an amount of US $ 16 bn. FDI form LAC into India is also very low.

The Central Government has replaced Finance Secretary Arvind Mayaram with Rajasthan Chief Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi. Mayaram is being shifted to the Tourism Ministry. Both officers are IAS officers from the 1978 Rajasthan cadre. Mehrishi has ten months of service left and has prior experience in the Finance Ministry. And Mayaram will replace Parvez Dewan as Tourism Secretary when Dewan retires at the end of October. Secretaries at the Finance Ministry The Finance Ministry has four secretaries, namely, Economic Affairs, Expenditure, Revenue and Financial Services. The senior most of these four secretaries is designated the Finance Secretary.

Renowned economist Arvind Subramanian has been appointed the Chief Economic Advisor (CEA). The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved his appointment, on a contract basis, for three years. Facts About Arvind Subramanian Arvind Subramanian is a well respected academician, economist, author and global thinker. The US based economist obtained his undergraduate degree from St.Stephens College in Delhi, postgraduate degree from IIM-Ahmedabad and did his doctorate at the University of Oxford in UK. Subramanian has been advising the Indian government in different capacities. He has been a member of the Finance Minister’s Expert Group on the G-20. He was Assistant Director in the Research Department of the IMF and was associated with the GATT (1988-92) during the Uruguay Round of trade negotiations..

President Pranab Mukherjee returned from a five day visit to Norway and Finland on October 17. He signed a multitude of agreements during his time there.
Nuclear Energy
India signed an agreement for nuclear cooperation with Finland. The agreement was signed between the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) of India and the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority of Finland. Other than nuclear cooperation, radiation safety regulation, exchange of information and personnel related to the peaceful use of nuclear energy will be the spheres of collaboration.
Trade
India and Finland agreed to double bilateral trade to $2 bn over the next three years. Around 19 agreements for cooperation across various fields like education, biotechnology, nuclear and radiation safety, and renewable energy were signed to further increase the bilateral trade.
Energy cooperation
A joint venture partnership agreement was signed between Chempolis Oy and Numaligarh Refinery Ltd. to build India’s first BioRefinery.
Science & Technology
An MoU was signed between the Department of Biotechnology and Tekes, the Finnish Funding Agency for Innovation to increase cooperation in the field of biotechnology. This will help the two countries collaborate in the areas of diagnostics in health and well being through joint funding of projects and workshops.
Agreements with Norway
India and Norway also signed a plethora of agreements to increase cooperation in defence, science and technology, education and other areas.

India successfully tested Nirbhay, India’s first indigenously designed and developed long range sub-sonic cruise missile. The missile was fired from the Integrated Test Range at Balasore, Odisha. Nirbhay maintained an accuracy better than 10 m throughout its path and covered a distance of more than 1000 km.

The Union Health Ministry has issued a gazette notification amending the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling) Rules, 2008 to change the specifications of the statutory warning that cigarette packs carry.
Scenario prior to notification
Prior to this notification, cigarette packs only has to issue statutory warning covering either 40% of pack on one side or 20% of the pack on both sides. However, this is not sufficient by global standards and are ineffective according to reports.

The Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister has announced its decision to introduce the practice of ‘Tithi Bhojan’ as a part of the Mid Day Meal scheme. The HRD Minister headed a meeting of the Empowered Committee on Mid Day Meal Scheme to review the functioning of the Mid Day Meal scheme. The meeting consisted of representatives of State Governments, Food and Nutrition experts and senior officers of the Central Government. The Committee was formed last year.

IndiGo, the airline with the largest market share, has announced plans to expand its fleet or airplanes. The airline has placed an order for 250 of Airbus’ latest A320 neo planes. The order is being valued at $25 bn. In addition to the 250 planes, IndiGo has purchase rights for another 100 planes from Airbus. If IndiGo were to buy these planes, their list price would be around $8 to $10 bn. IndiGo is set to receive the first of the 250 planes in October 2015.

The first meeting of the talks on the bilateral border under the framework of the Border Affairs Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (BAWMCC) was held on October 16. The focus of the talks was on issues of mutual interest like border patrolling and management.
BAWMCC
The BAWMCC was created in 2012, as a forum to address issues arising out of aggressive patrolling along the contentious border. The BAWMCC is co-chaired by the Joint Secretary (China Division) in the Ministry of External Affairs and his/her Chinese counterpart. The goal of the BAWMCC is to prevent recurrence of incidents between the two countries like the one in Chumar. Also, the BAWMCC calls for discussion of issues related to border management by foreign ministry and defence officials, in an effort to maintain peace. The disputed boundary issue is discussed by special representatives.

A High Level meeting took place in Berne between India’s Revenue Secretary and his Swiss counterpart, State Secretary for International Financial Matters to discuss tax matters. Various multilateral and bilateral tax and financial issues were discussed. Both sides agreed to keep the dialogue between the two countries open.
Outcomes of the meeting
In a major boost to India’s efforts to track black money allegedly stashed abroad, Switzerland has agreed to examine requests from India for banking information. The information will be provided in a time bound manner and requests from India will be considered on a priority basis. Also, Switzerland will, on request by India, assist in determining genuineness of bank documents and speedily provide information on requests regarding non-banking information also. If for any reason, the Swiss are unable to comply with Indian requests on a timely manner, they will communicate to the Indian officials, the reasons for the delay/non-compliance as soon as possible.

The Bombay high Court has ruled in favour of Indian unit of Vodafone Group Plc in a INR 3,200 crore transfer pricing dispute. The Court stated that there is no taxable income coming from issuance of shares. The Vodafone India Services Pvt. Ltd. Was involved in a case where the Income Tax department had accused the company of under-pricing the shares in a rights issue to the parent firm for fiscal 2009-2010 and had issued a show-cause notice to Vodafone India in January.

India’s forex reserves continued their downward journey for the fifth consecutive week, India’s foreign exchange reserves plunged by $2.754 billion to $311.427 billion in the week to October 3. The largest fall is seen in US currency assets which make a big component of the overall reserves. During the last quarter under review, this drop in forex was basically due to drop in valuation of Indian rupee on the back of a stronger US currency against other global currencies and talks of withdrawal of quantitative easing by the US. The Federal Reserve has now deferred its tightening programme to next year, helping rupee to regain some of its lost ground this week.

World Health Organisation every year observes October 10 as the World Mental Health Day. The Day aims to make people sensitive to issues related to mental health and also become more aware of the mental health issues around the world. It marks a day to channelize efforts in the direction to support mental health. The day involves people and stakeholders to express their concerns, views and approaches to deal with issues related to mental health. The experts are required to share their work and any breakthroughs which they have achieved.

Industrial production growth has taken a hit from the contraction in manufacturing output and consumer goods sectors. The Index of Industrial Production (IIP) has shown a dismal rate of growth of 0.4%. IIP which is a measure of the short-term changes in the industrial activity in the country covers sectors like mining, manufacturing, electricity and a basket of 682 products depending on the contribution of the same to the total output of the country. The data though released on every month, is usually gauged every year. Industry comprises a major part of India’s GDP; the indicator is a measure of the health of the industry. A robust industrial activity reflected in IIP makes a considerable impact on GDP and investor sentiment.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has awarded the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize to Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yousafzai for their “struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education.” The Committee specifically pointed out how commendable it was for “a Hindu and a Muslim, an Indian and a Pakistani, to join in a common struggle for education and against extremism”. The Committee also hoped that their fight for the rights of children will contribute to the larger goal of “fraternity between nations” that Alfred Nobel has explicitly mentioned in his will as one of the criteria for awarding the Nobel Peace Prize.

The World Bank (WB) has launched the GIF to specifically cater to the infrastructure needs of the emerging economies and developing countries. The GIF will channel money towards bankable infrastructure project in such countries. GIF also places importance on sustainable development. Its key focus will be on climate friendly infrastructure investments and projects that will boost trade. The GIF will collaborate with other international and multilateral agencies which provide loans and financial assistance to countries across the globe. It will also help these agencies with its expertise in financing, supervising and implementing projects. Another areas where GIF could provide assistance it ensuring that all regulatory, environmental and social safeguards are met with while investing in large scale infrastructure projects. GIF will also work with private entities like asset management companies, private equity firms, pensions and insurance funds and commercial banks to tap into multiple sources of funding.

India has set up a ‘Japan Plus’ management team to follow through on the $35 bn that Japan has promised to invest in India over a span of five years via PPP and overseas development assistance. This is a follow through on the agreements and initiatives agreed to by India and Japan during PM Modi’s visit to Japan. Japan is the fourth largest foreign investor in India. It contributes to approximately 8% of India’s total FDI inflows. It is already actively involved in various infrastructure projects in India. Responsibilities of the Japan Plus team The team will provide the Indian government assistance with respect to initiating, attracting, facilitating and fast-tracking of Japanese investments in India. The team will be responsible for all areas of investment promotion, research, outreach and issues post investment. It will also help identify areas for Indo-Japan collaboration and viable projects for Japanese investment. Composition The team has been set up by DIPP (Department Of Industrial Policy and Promotion) and is operational from October 8. It consists of government officials from both countries. The team will have four Indians and two Japanese, and will be coordinated by Kenichiro Toyofuku from Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. India-Japan Investment Promotion Partnership An Indo-Japan Investment Promotion Partnership core group has also been constituted. It will be headed by the Cabinet Secretary and will comprise of the Chairman of Railway Board, Foreign Secretary and secretaries of DIPP, revenue, economic affairs, financial services, urban development, information technology and others. It will coordinate and monitor investments from Japan. Also, it will facilitate investment in various sectors and enable effective transfer of technologies .

The Nobel Prize in Literature for 2014 has been awarded to the French author, Patrick Modiano, “for the art of memory with which he has evoked the most ungraspable human destinies and uncovered the life-world of the occupation”. The last time a French author won a Nobel for Literature was in 2008 when Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clezio won. Modiano has also been the recipient of other awards including Grand prix du roman de l’Academie francaise in 1972 and the 2010 prix mondial Cino Del Duca by the Institut de France for lifetime achievement. In 2012, he won the Austrian State Prize for European Literature. Patrick Modiano Modiano was born on July 30, 1945 in a suburb of Paris. He studied at the Lycée Henri-IV in Paris. His private geometry coach, Raymond Queneau, was also a writer and had a significant influence on Modiano’s career. His writings are in French, though some have been translated into English and other languages. He made his writing debut in 1968 with La place de l’étoile. His first work was widely discussed and well known but it hasn’t been translated into English. Most of his work centres around ambiguous themes such as memory, oblivion, identity and guilt. His stories also tend to be of an autobiographical nature and draw upon his city and its history. Some of Modiano’s works have been translated into English, among them Les boulevards de ceinture (1972; Ring Roads : A Novel, 1974), Villa Triste (1975;Villa Triste, 1977), Quartier perdu (1984; A Trace of Malice, 1988) and Voyage de noces (1990; Honeymoon, 1992). His latest work is the novel Pour que tu ne te perdes pas dans le quartier. Other than an author of novels, Modiano has also written children’s novels and movie scripts.

The case of the explosion that took place in Khagragarh area of Burdwan in West Bengal has been handed over to the NIA. The explosion killed two persons who are suspected of being militants. A large quantity of chemicals used to make bombs and some IEDs were found at the site of the explosion. Investigations have led to the arrest of four persons including two women.
Issue on Consent of state ggovernment
The Centre invoked a rarely used clause of National Investigation Agency Act, to surpass the state government and have NIA handle the case without the state government’s consent. In light of the circumstances and probable involvement of foreign terrorists, the Centre felt it necessary for the NIA to investigate the matter. The legislation gives the Centre the power to intervene and direct NIA to take over from the state, without the state’s consent only if certain crimes which have been listed in the act’s schedule have been committed. Terror related activities are covered by the schedule .

The Government has modified the timeline for Cable TV Digitisation. As per the new timeline, Phase III will be over by end of 2015 and Phase IV, a year later, by end of 2016. In Phase III and IV, cable TV digitization will spread to the rural areas. Phase I was digitization of metro cities, and Phase II was digitization of cities with a population of more than 1 million people, Phase III covers all urban areas and Phase IV covers the rest of India.

The Minister for Minority Affairs, Najma Heptullah, announced the establishment of a nation level skill development Academy, “Maulana Azad National Academy for Skills” (MANAS) with headquarters in Delhi. MANAS will focus on providing skills, upgrading abilities and training members of minority communities in those sectors of the economy which are either facing a shortage or labour or where demand for labour is expected to surge. MANAS will also train people so that they may be self-employed. The National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation (NMDFC) will provide assistance with credit for persons who have undergone training at MANAS and wish to establish their own business or be self employed. MANAS will also collaborate with multiple national and international agencies to provide certification and assistance with placement for the trainees, and also to secure funding for the program. A MoU was also signed by MANAS and the National Skill Development Corporation to establish an All India Collaborative Network for MANAS.

The Central government is planning to reconstitute and revive the PM’s Council on Cilmate Change. This Council oversaw the implementation of the eight missions under the NAPCC (National Action Plan on Climate Change). This advisory body had not met in the last three years. An Executive Committee had been set up in January 2013, comprising of officials from relevant Ministries, to assist the Council and monitor implementation of the eight missions. However, despite this, lack of funding and co-ordination lead to slow implementation of proposals under the eight missions. Most missions have been underperforming in relation to their targets. With renewed emphasis on climate change in the international, the government has deemed it imperative to formulate a coherent domestic climate change policy. The reconstituted Council is expected to review the implementation of the eight missions and undertake a comprehensive reassessment of the country’s climate change policy. Moreover, the composition of the Council is expected to be tweaked to accommodate more members from the industrial sector.

Modernist Tyeb Mehta’s painting was sold at the Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art sale in Sotheby’s for a whooping Rs. 11 cr. The Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art sale marked the beginning of Sotheby’s Indian and Islamic Week, which will see three separate auctions dedicated to the works of established artists from the Indian sub-continent and the Islamic world. The blue painting was brought for a price far higher than its pre-auction estimate by an anonymous bidder. The painting is thought to be an important transitional work of Mehta’s, and a departure from his pet themes of angst and suffering. The depiction of the female body is believed to be inspired from the works of international artists such as Barnett Newman, Kazimir Malevich and Henri Matisse.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) celebrated its 82nd foundation day as Air Force Day at the Hindon Air Force Station in Ghaziabad, UP. Till 2006, Air Force Day celebrations were held at the Palam airport. Sachin Tendulkar was also present at the ceremony. He was made a Honorary Group Captain in the IAF in 2010. He is the first sportsperson to have been honoured with that distinction. Celebrations The Air Force Day Parade was held at the base along with the Investiture ceremony. The Air Force Warrior drill team displayed rifle handling skills along with march etc as part of the parade. Various airplanes of the IAF were on display. Also, planes like the MIG-21, MIG-29, Sukhoi-30 MKI, Globemaster, Hercules and Mirage 2000 performed multiple maneuvers.

Limitation on Resolution It was assumed by the scientific community that it would be impossible to study living cells in its tiniest molecular detail. The microscopist Ernst Abbe had set 0.2 micrometres as the maximum resolution that could be achieved through optical microscopy. This development took place in 1873, and for decades no scientist could achieve a better resolution. These three scientists surpassed Abbe’s limitation and enabled scientists to analyse the nanoscopic world. The scientists have been awarded for their work with two different approaches, namely, stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy and single molecule microscopy.

A meeting of the Licensing Committee of the DIPP has cleared 33 pending defense deals, some of which have been languishing with the DIPP for yeards. The defence proposals were by Reliance Aerospace, Bharat Forge, Mahindra Telephonic Integrated Systems Ltd, Punj Lloyd Industries, Mahindra Aero Structure Pvt Ltd, Tata Advanced Materials Ltd etc. The DIPP has been able to clear these defence proposals now because of the regulatory and policy changes . Changes in Policy/Regulations The FDI limit in the defence sector has been increased to 49% from 26%. The government reduced the number of items requiring industrial licenses by 60% in June 2014, so a vast number of items have been delicensed and do not require items anymore. Also, dual use items, meaning products which are of use to military as well as civilians, do not require defence clearances. Hence, multiple industries now require no licenses but only have to submit an IEM. Further 24% portfolio investment through the automatic route is now allowed. And the requirement of 51% ownership by a single Indian company has been removed, with multiple Indian companies holding a cumulative share of 51% being sufficient. Also, these clearance are in line with the PM’s Make in India campaign which calls for increased domestic production by industries based in India.

Cyclonic storm Hudhud is building over the Bay of Bengal and is likely to bring torrential rains and strong wind to the region over the next few days. The name Hudhud has been given by Oman, and it is derived from the name of an Afro-Eurasian bird. Preparations for Hudhud The cyclone is scheduled to hit the Odisha coast by October 12. It is also expected to hit the Andhra Pradesh coastline. However, it will not directly hit West Bengal, though the state is expected to feel the impacts of the cyclone. The states in the Bay of Bengal region have issued warnings asking fishermen not to venture deep into the sea. The intensity of Hudhud is expected to be on the lines of that of cyclone Phailin which hit Odisha last year. Evolution of Hudhud Hudhud first appeared as a low pressure are over the South Myanmar coast adjoining Andaman Sea. This evolved in to a depression around 250 km east of Port Blair on 6 October. This depression is expected to intensify into a cyclonic circulation by 8 October. The immediate effect of the cyclone formation will obviously be felt on the Andaman & Nicobar Island where heavy rains and minor damage to loose and unsecured structures have been predicted. After crossing the Andamans, the cyclonic circulation is expected to south-west into the Bay of Bengal and take shape of a cyclonic storm.

Madhya Pradesh has launched the 2014 edition of it Global Investors Summit. The event will be held from October 8 to October 10 in Indore. Indore is considered the business capital of Madhya Pradesh. Through the Global Investors Summit, the government seeks to display the strengths and industrial prowess of Madhya Pradesh. It is a bid to attract Indian and foreign investors to Madhya Pradesh. The Global Investors Summit will also act a forum for interaction between the Indian entrepreneurs, heads of states, policy makers, investors and other stakeholders.Multiple countries are also expected to be a part of the Global Investors Summit.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced its decision to award the Nobel Prize for Physics to Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano and Shuji Nakamura “for the invention of efficient blue light-emitting diodes which has enabled bright and energy-saving white light sources”. Isamu Akasaki Isamu Akasaki is a Japanese citizen. He was born 1929 in Chiran, Japan and educated in Japan. He is currently a Professor at Meijo University, Nagoya, and Distinguished Professor at Nagoya University, Japan. Hiroshi Amano Hiroshi Amano is a Japanese citizen. He was born in 1960 in Hamamatsu, Japan and educated in Japan. He is a Professor at Nagoya University in Japan. Shuji Nakamura Shuji Nakamura is an American citizen. He was born in 1954 in Ikata, Japan and educated in Japan. He is currently a Professor at University of California in USA. Discovery of blue LEDs The three scientists of Japanese origin have been awarded the Nobel for inventing blue light emitting diodes or LEDs. Although red and green LEDs have been in existence for decades now, development of blue LEDs posed a formidable challenge to scientists and researchers. Within a LED, current is applied to multiple semiconductor materials, which emit a particular wavelength of light depending on the chemical make-up of the semiconductor materials in question. Gallium nitride was the semiconductor used by the Japanese researchers to develop the blue LED. Growing adequately big crystal of gallium nitride was the challenge that many researchers couldn’t figure out. Akasaki and Amano, worked together in 1986 to get the gallium nitride to grow to a big size, with the help of a specifically designed scaffold partially made from sapphire. In 1990, Nakamura also managed to induce the gallium nitride to grow to a big size by manipulating the temperature to induce its growth. Their work in discovering blue LEDs led to the combining of red, green and blue LEDs to form white LEDs. Significance of blue LEDs Blue LED is an extremely significant development on its own, and because it was a stepping stone in the development of white LED, it is a path-breaking milestone. Blue LEDs are used in many products nowadays. Smartphones, for example, use blue LEDs. White LEDs are used in a plethora of products from lamps tto television screen to computer screens. LEDs use much less energy than incandescent lamps, and are efficient enough to run on locally generated solar power. It is major development in the 21st century where energy conservation has become vital

Kenyan President Kenyatta has confirmed his appearance at The Hague, Netherlands on October 8 to respond to multiple charges against him at the ICC (International Criminal Court). Resignation In an unprecedented move, Kenyatta has invoked a hitherto unused article of the Constitution to resign temporarily, with the Deputy President, William Ruto, taking his place as Acting President till the return of Kenyatta. This step has been taken because Mr.Kenyatta has insisted that he will appear before the ICC in his personal capacity and not as the President of a nation. It is to be noted that Kenyatta had also appeared at the ICC before he became President in 2013. Kenyatta will risk an international arrest warrant and international condemnation against him personally and economic sanctions against Kenya, if he failed to comply with the summons issued by the ICC. Charges against Mr.Kenyatta Kenyatta faces five charges of crimes against humanity, inciting violence and organizing ethnic massacres that killed 1,200 people. He has denied all the charges that have been brought against him. In September, the ICC postponed the trial after prosecutors said the Kenyan government had failed to submit important documents. The case of the prosecution is weak as of now because several prosecution witnesses have withdrawn from the case. The ICC has summoned Kenyatta for a status hearing so he may explain allegations that evidence against has been withheld by the Kenyans. His request to participate by video was rejected by the Court. Massacres The massacres that Mr.Kenyatta is accused of playing a role in, took place after the 2007 elections in Kenya. Kenyatta was a close ally of the winner of the election, Mwai Kibaki. Kibaiki’s opponent, Raila Odinga, claimed that the elections were rigged. The dispute then lead to violence with peoples of different ethnicities pitted against each other. Kenyatta is accused of organizing ethnic gangs to attack rival groups. Around a thousand people were killed and hundreds of thousands were displaced in the violence.

Central Government has recently announced that State-of-the-art virology diagnostic laboratories will be operational in 120 districts by 2015. Need for virology labs The outbreak of the swine flu epidemic in 2009 exposed the lack of infrastructure and preparedness in India. Only two labs in India then had the required capabilities to test for the disease. The outbreak of the Ebola virus has again emphasized the need for setting up of modern and updated testing facilities to cope with the crises that may arise in the future. Model Rural Health Research Units (MRHR) The government also has plans to strengthen the Model Rural Health Research Units which will be set up by ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research) in collaboration with the local primary centres under the administration of the State government. The MRHR model will be advanced to improve coverage of health services and early detection of diseases in rural areas. These MRHR units will be equipped with modern technologies and state of the art infrastructure

John O’Keefe and Norwegian couple May-Britt and Edvard Moser have won the 2014 Nobel Prize for medicine for their work which has led to discovering the brain’s internal positioning system. About Nobel Prize in Medicine The Nobel award for medicine is given to persons whose discoveries have significantly enhanced the understanding of life or the practice of medicine. The Nobel comes with prize money of 8 mn Swedish kroner or $1.1 mn. The winner is chosen by the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute which is a group of 50 professors which has an 18 member working body that evaluates nominations from scientists around the world and proposes the names of top candidates for the award. The Nobel Prize for medicine is always announced before the Nobel Prize for other categories. The Nobel Assembly, made the announcement at Sweden’s Karolinska Institute saying that the discovery had provided a solution to an issue that has plagued the mind of researchers and philosopher alike for centuries : “How does the brain create a map of the space surrounding us and how can we navigate our way through a complex environment?”

The paramilitary CISF which has the responsibility of securing the Delhi Metro Network has launched ‘Operation Kali’ to better protect women using the metro especially in the ladies compartments. CISF has deployed 5,000 men and women personnel for securing the Delhi Metro Network. Operation Kali Under this Operation, CISF will deploy a special squad of undercover female commandos in the metros. These commandos have been trained to use the techniques of the martial arts form ‘Pekiti-Tirsia Kali’ to neutralize threats with the help of seemingly harmless objects that people carry everyday like pens or hairpins. They have also been trained to tackle multiple threats at a time. Other than this, some personnel in uniform will also be deployed. Pekiti-Tirsia Kali This is a style of martial arts that has its origin in Philippines. It was founded in 1897, and is a combat oriented system. It is a form of close quarter combat where the focus is on offensive and counter offensive strategies instead of defensive moves. The style also involves using of a knife, machete or any edged or empty hand weapons. It has been adopted by elite Philippine military and law enforcement units.

Indian actor Shahrukh Khan was awarded the Global Diversity Award 2014 for his outstanding achievements in the field of cinema and his involvement in philanthropic endeavors in UK. The Award was presented to him by the Speaker of the House of Commons, the Right Honourable John Bercow, at a ceremony held in the House of Commons itself. This award was instituted by the Rainbow Foundation. Previous recipients of this award include Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Sheikh Hasina, Lewis Hamilton, Jackie Chan and Dionne Warwick amongst other. Shahrukh Khan is also a recipient of France’s Legion of Honour, which is its highest civilian honour.

The High-level government committee on infrastructure headed by Deepak Parekh submits the last part of its report in October. The Committee consisted of Uday Kotak, G.M.R Rao, Sanjay Reddy and top officials from LIC, SBI, ICICI and IDFC. Some of their proposals are as follows:- Establish a PPP model for power distribution, starting first with the cities Modernise public sector distribution companies. The viability gap for such companies should be funded by the Central government Earmark 15% of power generation of the central PSUs for open access customers so that the market becomes more competitive in an attempt to attract the open access clientele. This is also expected to increase investment in the electricity sector. (Open access customers refers to customers who buy in bulk and can directly choose where to buy their electricity from, according to the Electricity Act, 2003. Hence, the open access customers at least will not have to rely on the state controlled power distribution companies Tariffs should be rationalized with a grading system that distinguishes between consumers depending on their paying capacity. Also, high income households, commercial consumer and industries should eventually be moved to market based pricing. The consumers subject to market based pricing may be allowed to choose from different suppliers of electricity. Low income consumers, however, should be subject to low tariffs and their requirements should be met with supplies from depreciated power station Privatise coal mining wherein Coal India or its arms/subsidiaries can retain ownership of mines Constitute a High level task force headed by a deputy governor of RBI to decide on measures to restore the health of power projects facing financial trouble due to scarcity of fuel Fixed charges of a reasonable amount should be apportioned to idle power plants

In the Champions League Twenty-20 final match, Chennai Super Kings defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by 8 wickets to win the Champions League Trophy. Player of the Match P.Negi of the Chennai Super Kings was named the Player of the Match. Past Performance This is the second Champions League win for the Chennai Super Kings, who won earlier in 2010.

Drug manufacturer Cipla has signed an agreement with its distributor in Iran to set up a manufacturing unit there. Cipla is expected to contribute machinery, equipment and technical knowledge worth Rs. 225 cr over thethe next 3 years in return for a 75% stake. The investment is yet to receive the necessary regulatory approvals. The Iranian venture is a part of Cipla’s strategy to expand to other Asian countries Cipla is an Indian company that was established in 1935 in Mumbai. It sells over 2,000 products in 180 countries around the world. It has a turnover of US $1.5 bn and employed 26,000 persons as of 2012-13.

Canada’s M3M (Maritime Monitoring and Messaging Micro-Satellite) is set to be launched by India’s PSLV rocket. The agreement for the same was signed by India’s Antriux Corp. and Canada’s COM DEV Intl. The satellite is due to be launched in July 2015. The satellite was built for the Canadian Department of National Defence, and is a communications satellite. The satellite was built at a cost of $21 mn by COM DEV Intl. Initially, the satellite was to have been launched on a Soyuz rocket in Russia. However, in light of the international restrictions on trade with Russia due to the Crimea and Ukraine crisis, Canada decided not to go ahead with the arrangement.

China test fired a new variant in its Dongfeng-31 missile range on September 25 Dongfeng-31A It is a 10,000 km long range missile that is capable of targeting Europe and the West Coast of USA. It can strike with three warheads, including nuclear warheads. Dongfeng-31B This is latest variant, and an advanced form of Dongfeng-31A. This is also a long range missile with a reach of 10,000 km. However, it can carry multiple nuclear warheads, unlike Dongfeng-31A which is restricted to three. Dongfeng-41 China is also working on developing a Dongfeng-41 missile. Dongfeng-41 is expected to have a range of 12,000 km which will enable it to target all the parts of USA.

Australia and Canada are the latest additions to the countries providing military support to the American led war on ISIS in Iraq and Syria. Australia has deployed its warplanes for air strikes in Iraq and will also send its special forces operatives on the ground. The Australian called the efforts ‘an essentially humanitarian mission’. Australia has been providing material to the effort even before it committed to military assistance. Canada also announced the dispatch of its warplanes for conducting air strikes and surveillance missions in the region. It already has 26 troops in Iraq serving in a non-combative capacity Participation of other countries The US, France and UK have already been carrying out air strikes and other military operations in the Iraq-Syria region. Germany has sent arms and paratroopers to reinforce the fighters in the Kurdish region of Iraq. The Netherlands has sent its F-16 airplanes to supplement the other planes engaged in air strikes. Other European countries like Denmark, Czech Republic, Belgium etc are shipping arms and equipment to the region. The countries which have promised to provide support or are expected to assist in the near future are Spain, Italy and New Zealand.

PM Modi reached out to the common masses through a special speech titled ‘Man Ki Baat’ that was primarily aired on AIR (All India Radio), even though some television channels also aired it. Amongst other issues, he spoke about the radio and the simplicity of it as a mode of disseminating information. He emphasized how the radio reached even the most remote areas of the country, and thus, had extensive reach. Key Points The PM encouraged the people to take a cleanliness pledge, like he had done on October 2 while launching the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. He asked the people to support the khadi industry by buying at least one garment made of khadi. He emphasized on the need of Indians to trust each other and believe in their capabilities, so that the people of the country may grow together as one He said India’s strength lay in its cottages and villages and it farmers. Speaking of specially abled children, he said they were the responsibility of the society as whole and not only their families. It was imperative that they too be made a part of the journey of development He highlighted the Mars Orbiter Mission, and spoke of it as an example of the strength and capabilities of Indians He supplemented his speech with many anecdotes, especially from Swami Vivekananda

After a gap of 16 years, India defeated Pakistan in the Men’s Hockey finals of the Asian Games , to win the gold medal. India had earlier won the gold in 1966 and 1998, while Pakistan has clinched the gold eight times in the past including the Asian Games at Guangzhou in 2010. Olympics This win ensures India’s direct entry to the 2016 Summer Olympics that is scheduled to be held at Rio de Janeiro. This will be a refreshing change after the 2012 London Olympics where India had struggled and qualify and finished last in the competition in the end. Women’s Team The Indian hockey women’s team defeated Japan to win the bronze medal at the Asian Games. India national field hockey team The national filed hockey team is controlled by Hockey India, which is the body that governs field hockey in India. The Indian team was the first Non-European team to be a part of the International Hockey Federation. The team won its first Olympic gold in 1928. With a total of eight gold medals, India’s hockey team has the maximum medals of any single country.

The Labour Ministry is set to Launch a National Career Service Portal which will serve as an intermediary between job-seekers and job-providers. This project was originally proposed under the UPA government with an outlay of 150 cr as part of a larger revamping of the Employment Exchanges. The new government, with its emphasis on skill development and providing increased job opportunities, has taken up the project now. The portal will connect the people seeking jobs with people/companies looking for employees to hire. It will act purely as an intermediary for persons with different needs to meet. The portal will aggregate all information pertaining to jobs, job seekers, training and the employers. It will seek to connect the two parties using SMS, call centres and electronic means of communication like emails. The portal can be accessed by employers from the public sector and private sector, along with intermediaries like recruitment agencies, skill development institutes and trainers. MoU with UK The portal in India will be established on the lines of a similar initiative of the UK government. The government has even signed an MoU with UK to learn from its project. The UK government’s National Career Service was launched in 2012 and is an integrated free service which provides advice and information for training, learning and work opportunities to anyone older than 13 years. The service is available online via web chat, through phone and can be directly accessed through multiple walk in centres. This is an improved version of an earlier plan called ‘Next Step’ that was available to those aged above 18.

The Indian Women’s Kabaddi team defeated Iran to the win the gold at the Asian Games. This is the second successive Asian Games win for the team since women’s kabaddi was introduced in 2010 in the Guanzhou Asian Games. The Indian Men’s kabaddi team also won a gold at the Asian Games. India has won a gold consistently since the game’s introduction in the 1990 Asian Games in Beijing. This is the men’s team’s 7th successive win. Kabaddi in India and the World Kabaddi is a contact sport whose origins are believed to be in South India, though now the game is popular throughout South Asia. It is also the national game of Bangladesh and Nepal, not to mention the State Game of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Bihar and Punjab. Governing Bodies KFI (Kabaddi Federation of India) was founded in 1950, and its most significant contribution was the compiling of a standard set of rules. AKFI (Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India) was established in 1973 and AKFI has modified the rules for kabaddi. Kabaddi at the international level is governed by the International Kabaddi Federation (IKF), which was formed in 2004. 31 national associations are members of IKF, including India. The founding President of KFI was Jarnardhan Singh Gehlot, who was the President of AKFI for 28 years and was also made its life President in 2013.

Indian boxer Sarita Devi had refused to accept her bronze medal in the lightweight 57-60 kg category at the Asian Games. The boxer handed the medal to South Korean silver medalist Park Ji-na, to whom she had suffered a controversial loss in the semi-finals.
Disciplinary Action
The International Boxing Association (Amateur) or AIBA has ordered a probe against her for returning the medal during the podium ceremony. The Disciplinary Action Process to review this case has already begun. AIBA Supervisor and Technical Delegate David Francis has already submitted a formal report detailing the incident to the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA). In a statement, AIBA said that the Indian side did not have a clear understanding of the AIBA Technical Rules
Semi-final match
The ruling by the judges in Sarita Devi’s match against Korean Park Ji-na was controversial with two judges ruling against Sarita. She lodged an official complaint with AIBA’s technical jury team over the decision, but it was rejected as no complaint can be filed against a Judge’s ruling according to the Rules.
Support in India
Three Union Ministers, thus far, have expressed support for Sarita Devi. The Sports Minister, Sarbananda Sonowal, asked the Indian Olympic Association to submit a detailed report on Sarita Devi’s loss in the semi-finals. The Minister of State for Home also said that the Indian officials should have been more pro-active in lodging a protest with the authorities at the Asian Games. This claim was also supported by the Minister of State for North East Region Affairs.
Boxer Mary Kom has also expressed her support for Sarita Devi.

Greenwood High School, Nagaland defeated Government Model High School, Chandigarh, 5-4 at the Ambedkar Stadium, New Delhi to win the under 14 title in the 55th edition of the Subroto Cup.
Awards
The winning team was awarded Rs. 2.5 lakh while the runners up were given 1.25 lakh. Harsh Bartwan of the team from Chandigardh was adjudged Best Player of the tournament, while Jesse and Mughato Sumi from Nagaland won Best Keeper and Best Coach respectively. All three were awarded Rs. 40,000 each. Eugeneson E. Shylla from Meghalayawas given the award for the Best Promising Player. The Fairplay Award was given to Namchi Sports Hostel from Sikkim
Subroto Cup
The Subroto Cup is an inter-school football tournament. It has two categories: under 14 and under 17. It was the brainchild of Air Marshal Subroto Mukerjee. He conceived the idea of a football tournament so as to promote the game at the grassroot level in India. After his unfortunate demise in 1960, the Subroto Mukerjee Sports Education Society was conducting the tournament. The tournament is conducted by the Indian Air Force in remembrance of Air Marshal Subroto Mukerjee. The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports also supports the tournament with an annual grant of Rs. 5 lakh. The Subroto Cup has the distinction of being the only Indian football tournament for school boys. The tournament had started out as a tournament for school boys in India only, but has since expanded to include teams from other nations as well.

Former Supreme Court Judge, G.S.Singhvi, has been appointed the Chairman of the Competition Appellate Tribunal. He retired from the Supreme Court in December 2013. Justice Singhvi fills in the position that has been vacant since Justice V.S.Sirpurkar retired as Chairman in August. The Triubnal, however, is short of two members. CCI (Competition Commission of India) The CCI whose predecessor was the MRTPC (Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Commission) was established to eliminate practices that adversely affect competition in different industries/areas and protect interests of consumers and ensure freedom of trade. The Competition Act of 2002 called for the creation of CCI. However, it was established in 2003 and became fully functional only by 2009. The CCI is a quasi judicial body which gives opinions to statutory authorities and also deals with other cases.

The RBI announced its fourth bi-monthly monetary policy on September 30, 2014. This follows the third bi-monthly monetary policy which was announced in August 2014.
CRR
The CRR of scheduled was kept unchanged at 4% of the bank’s NDTL (net demand and time liabilities). CRR refers to the proportion of its deposits that a bank has to hold in the form of cash. The RBI uses CRR as a tool to control liquidity in the market (and thereby inflation) and to reduce the risk to investors’ deposits.
SLR (Statutory Liquidity Ratio)
The SLR remained unchanged at 22%. SLR refers to the proportion of its total NDTL that the bank has to maintain in form of liquid assets. These liquid assets can either be cash or gold or unencumbered government securities. This directly affects the proportion of funds that the bank can lend.
LAF (Liquidity Adjustment Facility)
The policy repo rate under the LAF was kept unchanged at 8%. The reverse repo rate also remained unchanged at 7%. LAF is the tool by which banks borrow to meet their short term day to day monetary requirements. Difference between LAF and Bank rate is the requirement of collateral. Repo rate is the interest that banks pay to borrow from the RBI. Reverse repo is the rate at which RBI borrows from banks after lending securities as collateral. LAF was introduced in India in accordance with the recommendation of the Narasimham Commttee on Banking Reforms.

Orkut was Google’s first foray into the social networking space, which failed to take off due to tough competition from rival services such as Facebook and Twitter. Orkut was started in 2004 and it initially caught the fancy of youth all over the world. While Orkut wasn’t a big success across the world, it was very popular in India and Brazil. Google later launched another social network called Google+, which turned out to be far more popular than Orkut. Google stated that the growth of communities of YouTube, Blogger and Google+ outpaced Orkut’s growth and hence it was decided to bid Orkut farewell.

- GDP growth rate projected at 5.5% for current fiscal
- The high growth rate during Q1 (Apr-June 2014) may not be sustained in Q2 and Q3
- Consumer Price Index (CPI)-based inflation projected to remain at 8% by Jan 2015 and 6% by Jan 2016
- Repo rate (short term lending rate) unchanged at 8%
- Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) unchanged at 4%
- Statutory Liquidity Ratio (used for unlocking banking funds) retained at 22%
- The liquidity rate under Export Credit Refinance (ECR) reduced from 32% to 15% (w.e.f. 10 October 2014)