Current affairs

Contents
1. India and world ..................................................................................................................................... 9
1. INDIA & JAPAN .............................................................................................................................. 9
2. INDIA & PAKISTAN......................................................................................................................... 9
3. INDIA & US .................................................................................................................................. 10
4. INDIA & BRITAIN ......................................................................................................................... 10
5. INDIA & SRI LANKA ...................................................................................................................... 11
6. INDIA & CANADA ......................................................................................................................... 11
7. INDIA & SAUDI ARABIA ............................................................................................................... 11
8. INDIA & UAE ................................................................................................................................ 14
9. INDIA & NETHERLANDS ............................................................................................................... 14
10. INDIA & MALAYSIA .................................................................................................................. 14
11. INDIAN & ZIMBABWE .............................................................................................................. 14
12. INDIA & SOUTH KOREA ........................................................................................................... 15
13. INDIA & FIJI .............................................................................................................................. 16
2. International events ............................................................................................................................ 16
1. Japans population dipped to record low in 2013 ...................................................................... 16
2. IRENA and ADFD planned to bring Power to Rural Communities .............................................. 17
3. Lanka urged Maldives to allow its fishermen in territorial sea waters ....................................... 17
4. United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea ..................................................................... 18
5. Latvia became the 18th member of Euro Zone .......................................................................... 18
6. Emergency rule imposed in Bangkok .......................................................................................... 20
7. Pakistan has planned 7 Nuclear Plants for 8900 MW of electricity by 2030 .............................. 21
8. Tunisias new government sworn in ........................................................................................... 21
9. New Constitution of Tunisia passed............................................................................................ 22
10. A deal signed on electoral reforms in Italy ............................................................................. 22
11. GDP of China decelerated to 7.7 Percent in 2013-14 ............................................................. 23
12. Obama established Af-Pak strategic partnership office ......................................................... 23
13. Iran has halted Uranium Enrichment activities....................................................................... 23
14. Sheikh Hasina sworn-in as Bangladesh Prime Minister .......................................................... 24
15. UKs first public university to accept fees in Bitcoin ............................................................... 24
16. Invitation to Iran withdrawn by UN to attend Syria Peace Conference ................................. 25
17. Peshawar, largest reservoir of polio in world: WHO .............................................................. 25
18. No Lost Generation initiative to save Syrian children ............................................................. 26
19. Three Transgenders got government jobs in Pakistan ........................................................... 26
20. Hery Rajaonarimampianina declared as the President of Madagascar .................................. 27
21. Russia and China to conducted war games in the Mediterranean Sea .................................. 27
22. Russia blocked UN Statement on air-strikes in the city of Aleppo in Syria ............................. 28
23. USA allowed Sikh military men to wear turban ...................................................................... 28
24. Malaysian Government to introduce high-tech ID cards ........................................................ 28
25. China marked arrival of the Year of the Horse ....................................................................... 29
26. Al-Qaida linked forces declared Fallujah as new State ........................................................... 29
27. Penal Code Article on rape amended by Morocco Parliament............................................... 29
28. China aircraft carrier completed tests in disputed South China Sea ...................................... 30
3. National events ................................................................................................................................... 31
1. Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project ................................................................................ 31
2. National Waterway-4 project in Tamil Nadu .............................................................................. 31
3. National Urban Health Mission launched ................................................................................... 31
4. Two year tenure fixed for IAS, IPS ............................................................................................... 32
5. President gave assent to Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill 2013 ......................................................... 32
6. Life expectancy rate increased by five years .............................................................................. 32
7. Standardized voting compartment at Polling station ................................................................. 33
8. What is ICDS Scheme .................................................................................................................. 33
9. Shah Commission report ............................................................................................................. 33
10. Establishment of Medical colleges nod by CCEA for deficient states ..................................... 34
11. Guidelines for the television rating agencies approved ......................................................... 34
12. Guidelines for dealing with mercy pleas ................................................................................. 36
13. National Waqf Development Corporation Limited ................................................................. 36
14. CAG can audit telecom companies ......................................................................................... 37
15. Capacity Building Scheme and Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Climate Change approved ............ 38
16. Cantilever Pamban Bridge completed 100 years .................................................................... 38
17. Policy Guidelines for Land Management by major ports approved ....................................... 38
18. India Post to install 3000 ATM & 1.35 lakh micro-ATM by September 2015 ......................... 38
19. National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013 ................................................................................ 38
20. Implementation of NFSA extended to Karnataka and Chhattisgarh ...................................... 38
21. Amendments to Mega Power Policy 2009 approved ............................................................. 38
22. MRD signed MoU with Digital Green ...................................................................................... 38
23. Set up of Rail Tariff Authority approved ................................................................................. 38
24. The Central Sector Scheme, ILDP approved by CCEA ............................................................. 38
25. Restrictions on Airbus A-380 in India removed ...................................................................... 38
26. Jain community granted minority status across India ............................................................ 38
4. Local events......................................................................................................................................... 38
5. Economics and energy ........................................................................................................................ 38
1. Indias International Investment Position released .................................................................... 38
2. Overall International Investment Position of India ..................................................................... 38
3. Composition of International Financial Assets and Liabilities of India ....................................... 38
4. Share of External Debt and Non-Debt Liabilities of India ........................................................... 38
5. India became third largest crude oil importer in the World ....................................................... 38
6. CRISIL launched Financial Inclusix Index 2013 ............................................................................ 38
7. MOT formed to reassess Hydrocarbon Resources of India ........................................................ 38
8. Currency notes issued before 2005 to be withdrawn ................................................................ 38
9. Government notified new natural Gas Pricing Formula ............................................................. 38
10. Foreign Direct Investment rules relaxed by RBI ...................................................................... 38
11. India ranked lowest in International Intellectual Property Index ........................................... 38
12. China to be become a partner in the proposed NIMZ in Andhra Pradesh ............................. 38
13. Natural Manufacturing Policy benefits extended to Industry Clusters .................................. 38
14. Kelkar panel submitted report ................................................................................................ 38
15. RBI selected CCIL as Legal Entity Identifier ............................................................................. 38
16. India Inclusive Innovation Fund launched .............................................................................. 39
17. HSBC released Services Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) .................................................... 39
18. Sale of 10% stake in IOC to ONGC and OIL approved ............................................................. 39
19. CRISIL forecast on Indian economy ......................................................................................... 39
20. Guidelines on New Land Policy for Major Ports of the Country Released.............................. 39
21. Indian companies allowed by RBI to issue non-convertible debentures ................................ 39
22. Guidelines on National Mission on Oil seeds and Oil Palm .................................................... 39
23. RBI relaxed Gold loan norms ................................................................................................... 39
24. RBI included Hong Kong and Macau in the sensitive list ........................................................ 39
25. IMF forecast of India Economic Growth ................................................................................. 39
26. India signed a Credit Agreement with World Bank for RRSMP .............................................. 39
27. CCI ordered fresh probe into Coal India and subsidiary for violations ................................... 39
28. CIL declared dividend of 290 percent for 2013-14 ................................................................. 39
29. Sale of Governments residual stake of HZL approved ........................................................... 39
30. India to have 243 million Internet users by June 2014 ........................................................... 39
31. 2 oil and gas blocks Offered to ONGC by Sudan at Petrotech 2014 ....................................... 39
32. Third Quarter Policy Review by RBI ........................................................................................ 39
33. NABARD reduced refinance rate for banks ............................................................................. 39
34. 1000 rupees minimum monthly pension plan ........................................................................ 39
35. Guidelines for investment in Equity Exchange Traded Funds issued by IRDA ........................ 39
36. New CPI for Anchoring Monetary Policy ................................................................................. 39
37. Suresh Mathur panel formed by IRDA .................................................................................... 39
6. Awards and prizes ............................................................................................................................... 39
1. 56th annual Grammy Awards ......................................................................................................... 39
2. 71st Golden Globe Awards 2014 .................................................................................................... 40
3. 59th Idea Filmfare Awards 2013 ..................................................................................................... 40
4. Amadelkufa in South Africa ............................................................................................................ 41
5. Padma Awards for the Year 2014 ................................................................................................... 42
6. Lokmanya Tilak National Award ..................................................................................................... 45
7. Sunil Gangopadhyay Award 2012 & 2013....................................................................................... 45
8. Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards ................................................................................................. 45
9. Ramanujan Mathematics award ..................................................................................................... 46
10. The Legion of Honor .................................................................................................................... 47
11. 20th Screen Awards .................................................................................................................... 47
12. Dr. Ambedkar National Merit Awards ........................................................................................ 48
13. UNWTO Ulysses Awards ............................................................................................................. 48
14. Thiruvalluvar award .................................................................................................................... 48
15. National Communal Harmony Awards 2013 .............................................................................. 48
16. DSC prize 2014 ............................................................................................................................ 48
17. Matrix Award .............................................................................................................................. 48
18. Marconi Prize .............................................................................................................................. 48
7. Person in news .................................................................................................................................... 48
APPOINTED ............................................................................................................................................. 48
1. Jamila Bayaz ................................................................................................................................ 48
2. Bikram Singh ............................................................................................................................... 48
3. Kailash Meghwal ......................................................................................................................... 48
4. MS Dhir ....................................................................................................................................... 48
5. R. Chandrashekhar ...................................................................................................................... 48
6. Fattah al-Sisi ................................................................................................................................ 48
7. Janet Yellen ................................................................................................................................. 48
8. Aruna Bahuguna .......................................................................................................................... 48
9. B. G. Srinivas and Pravin Rao ...................................................................................................... 48
10. Arun Gupta .............................................................................................................................. 48
11. Catherline Samba-Panza ......................................................................................................... 49
12. Sirajuddin Qureshi ................................................................................................................... 49
13. S.K.Sharma .............................................................................................................................. 49
14. Professor Rakesh Khurana ...................................................................................................... 49
15. Gopal vittal .............................................................................................................................. 49
16. Morten Sorby .......................................................................................................................... 49
17. Ajoy Misra ............................................................................................................................... 49
DEATH ..................................................................................................................................................... 49
1. Sunanda Pushkar ......................................................................................................................... 49
2. Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin .............................................................................................. 49
3. Karl Slym ...................................................................................................................................... 49
4. Raymond Weil ............................................................................................................................. 49
5. Suchitra Sen ................................................................................................................................ 49
6. Ariel Sharon ................................................................................................................................. 49
7. Tibor Gonczol .............................................................................................................................. 49
8. Pete Seeger ................................................................................................................................. 49
9. Sudhir Mahato ............................................................................................................................ 49
10. Namdeo Dhasal ....................................................................................................................... 49
11. Uday Kiran ............................................................................................................................... 49
12. Ulises Estrada .......................................................................................................................... 49
13. Vishwanath Ramachandra ...................................................................................................... 49
ACCUSED/RESIGNED/CONTROVERSY ..................................................................................................... 49
1. Mykola Azarov ............................................................................................................................. 49
2. Justice A K Ganguly ..................................................................................................................... 49
3. Vijay Bahuguna ........................................................................................................................... 49
HONOUR ................................................................................................................................................. 49
1. Richard Quest .............................................................................................................................. 49
2. Qamar Ahmed ............................................................................................................................. 49
3. Margret Thatcher ........................................................................................................................ 49
BOOKS/AUTHORS .................................................................................................................................... 49
1. Enoch, I am a British Indian ......................................................................................................... 49
2. Sangharsh Ke Safar Ka Nayak Mulayam ...................................................................................... 49
VARIOUS .................................................................................................................................................. 49
1. Alone Yet Not Alone .................................................................................................................... 50
2. Losar ............................................................................................................................................ 50
3. Mukul Sangama........................................................................................................................... 50
4. Garuda Vasudha .......................................................................................................................... 50
5. Stolen 10th Century Indian artifacts ........................................................................................... 50
6. Tropical storm One ..................................................................................................................... 50
7. Lewis Clarke ................................................................................................................................ 50
8. Gorakhpur ................................................................................................................................... 50
9. Dhanu Yatra ................................................................................................................................ 50
10. Indus Civilization ..................................................................................................................... 50
11. Egypt ....................................................................................................................................... 50
12. Nirbheek .................................................................................................................................. 50
13. Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck......................................................................................... 50
8. Sports .................................................................................................................................................. 50
MARCH 2014 UPSC PORTAL ........................................................................................................................ 50
CRICKET ................................................................................................................................................... 50
1. Fastest Century in ODI by Corey Anderson ................................................................................. 50
2. First captain to play in four tied ODIs ......................................................................................... 50
3. International Womens Championship approved by ICC ) ......................................................... 50
4. Shane Warne to mentor Australias spinners ............................................................................. 50
5. India vs Sri Lanka Women ODI series .......................................................................................... 50
6. Kathy Cross is first woman in ICC Umpires Panel ) ................................................................... 50
7. Australia - England ODI series ..................................................................................................... 50
TENNIS ..................................................................................................................................................... 50
1. Australian Open title ................................................................................................................... 50
2. Brisbane International Title 2014 ............................................................................................... 50
3. Inaugural title of Hockey World League ..................................................................................... 50
FOOTBALL ................................................................................................................................................ 50
1. FIFA Ballon dOr award 2013 ...................................................................................................... 50
2. FIFA AWARDS 2013 ..................................................................................................................... 50
3. FIFPro World XI ........................................................................................................................... 50
4. 35th Football Federation Cup ..................................................................................................... 50
BADMINTON ........................................................................................................................................... 50
Aditya Joshi became world no. 1 junior shuttler ................................................................................ 51
CHESS ...................................................................................................................................................... 51
1. Parsvnath International Grandmasters chess tournament ........................................................ 51
GOLF ........................................................................................................................................................ 51
2. Sony Open Golf tournament ....................................................................................................... 51
3. Volvo Golf Champions title ......................................................................................................... 51
VARIOUS .................................................................................................................................................. 51
4. Open du Gard squash title .......................................................................................................... 51
5. 75th National Table Tennis Championship ................................................................................. 51
6. Third Lusofonia taken place in Goa ............................................................................................. 51
7. Lusofonia Games ......................................................................................................................... 51
8. Sumit Malik stripped off gold medal ........................................................................................... 51
9. Third Nations Cup International Boxing Tournament ................................................................. 51
10. Tax exemption for Olympics, CWG and Asian Games winners ............................................... 51
11. Federation Cup National Basketball Championship ............................................................... 51
12. Heena Sandhu sets World record ........................................................................................... 51
13. Indian Fencers barred from competing in Qatar Fencing World Cup ..................................... 51
14. Anju Bobby George declared winner of World Athletics Final, 2005 ..................................... 51
15. National Youth Policy, 2014 .................................................................................................... 51
16. Bernie Ecclestone to be tried on bribery charges ................................................................... 51
9. Science and technology, defence, and environment ......................................................................... 51
1. Potentially hazardous asteroid 2013 YP139 discovered ............................................................. 52
2. Moclic software to predict weather ........................................................................................... 52
3. First multi-coloured 3D Printer launched ................................................................................... 52
4. Dexter .......................................................................................................................................... 52
5. Hubble discovered clouds on new planets ................................................................................. 52
6. Technology to turn Plastic into fuel developed .......................................................................... 52
7. Lice genes evolved faster than those of human, chimp ............................................................. 52
8. Nanotechnology may prevent Cancer from spreading ............................................................... 52
9. Water-jet printer created ........................................................................................................... 52
10. Supercomputer PARAM Yuva- II ranked 1 in India ................................................................. 52
11. Choroideremia: gene therapy shows promise ........................................................................ 52
12. Tulasi genetically engineered to increase pharmaceutical value ........................................... 52
13. Rosetta to reawaken for final mission .................................................................................... 52
14. Indigenous Glucose Monitoring Device .................................................................................. 52
15. NASA Mars Rover discovered doughnut rock ......................................................................... 52
16. Smart contact lens to measure glucose levels in tears ........................................................... 52
17. Antiseptic Mouthwashes can raise Heart Strokes .................................................................. 52
18. NASA rover Opportunity found Mars had life friendly fresh water ........................................ 52
19. Saturns Ring 4.4 billion years old ........................................................................................... 52
10. Other ............................................................................................................................................... 52



1. India and world
1. INDIA & JAPAN
Throughout history, IndiaJapan relations have
traditionally been strong. For centuries, India and
Japan have engaged in cultural exchanges,
primarily as a result of Buddhism which spread
indirectly from India to Japan, via China and
Korea. During the Second World War, Subhas
Chandra Bose's Indian National Army and the
Japanese Imperial Army fought together in battles
against the British forces.[1] India is the largest
recipient of Japanese official development
assistance (ODA).[2] Political relations between
the two nations have remained warm since India's
independence. Japanese companies, such as
Sony, Toyota, and Honda, have manufacturing
facilities in India, and with the growth of the
Indian economy, India is a big market for
Japanese firms. Japanese firms in fact, some of
the first firms to invest in India. The most
prominent Japanese company to have an
investment in India is automobiles multinational
Suzuki, which is in partnership with Indian
automobiles company Maruti Suzuki, the largest
car manufacturer in the Indian market, and a
subsidiary of the Japanese company. In
December 2006, Indian Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh's visit to Japan culminated in
the signing of the "Joint Statement Towards
Japan-India Strategic and Global Partnership".
Japan has helped finance many infrastructure
projects in India, most notably the Delhi Metro
system. Indian applicants were welcomed in 2006
to the JET Programme, starting with just one slot
available in 2006 and 41 in 2007. Also, in the year
2007, the Japanese Self-Defence Forces and the
Indian Navy took part in a joint naval exercise in
the Indian Ocean, known as Malabar 2007, which
also involved the naval forces of Australia,
Singapore and the United States. The year 2007
was declared "India-Japan Friendship Year."[2]
According to a 2013 BBC World Service Poll, 42%
of Japanese people view India positively, with 4%
expressing a negative view.[3]
2. INDIA & PAKISTAN
Relations between India and Pakistan have been
strained by a number of historical and political
issues, and are defined by the violent partition of
British India in 1947, the Kashmir dispute and the
numerous military conflicts fought between the
two nations. Consequently, even though the two
South Asian nations share historic, cultural,
geographic, and economic links, their relationship
has been plagued by hostility and suspicion. After
the dissolution of the British Raj in 1947, two new
sovereign nations were formedthe Union of
India and the Dominion of Pakistan. The
subsequent partition of the former British India
displaced up to 12.5 million people, with
estimates of loss of life varying from several
hundred thousand to a million.[1] India emerged
as a secular nation with a Hindu majority
population and a large Muslim minority while
Pakistan was established as an Islamic republic
with an overwhelming Muslim majority
population.[2][3] Soon after their independence,
India and Pakistan established diplomatic
relations but the violent partition and numerous
territorial disputes would overshadow their
relationship. Since their independence, the two
countries have fought three major wars, one
undeclared war and have been involved in
numerous armed skirmishes and military
standoffs. The Kashmir dispute is the main centre-
point of all of these conflicts with the exception of
the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971, which resulted in
the secession of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).
There have been numerous attempts to improve
the relationshipnotably, the Shimla summit, the
Agra summit and the Lahore summit. Since the
early 1980s, relations between the two nations
soured particularly after the Siachen conflict, the
intensification of Kashmir insurgency in 1989,
Indian and Pakistani nuclear tests in 1998 and the
1999 Kargil war. Certain confidence-building
measures such as the 2003 ceasefire
agreement and the DelhiLahore Bus service
were successful in deescalating tensions.
However, these efforts have been impeded by
periodic terrorist attacks. The 2001 Indian
Parliament attack almost brought the two nations
to the brink of a nuclear war. The 2007 Samjhauta
Express bombings, which killed 68 civilians (most
of whom were Pakistani), was also a crucial point
in relations. Additionally, the 2008 Mumbai
attacks carried out by Pakistani militants[4]
resulted in a severe blow to the ongoing India-
Pakistan peace talks. According to a 2013 BBC
World Service Poll, 11% of Indians view Pakistan's
influence positively, with 45% expressing a
negative view, while 19% of Pakistanis view
India's influence positively, with 54% expressing a
negative view.[5] Since the election of new
government in Pakistan in mid-2013, significant
steps are being taken to improve relations, in
particular the consensus on the agreement of
Non-Discriminatory Market Access on Reciprocal
Basis (NDMARB) status for each other, which will
liberalize trade
3. INDIA & US
IndiaUnited States relations (or Indo-American
relations) refers to the international relations that
exist between the Republic of India and the
United States of America. Despite being one of
the pioneers and founding members of the Non-
Aligned Movement of 1961, India developed a
closer relationship with the Soviet Union during
the Cold War. During that period, India's relatively
cooperative strategic and military relations with
Moscow and strong socialist policies had a
distinctly adverse impact on its relations with the
United States. After the dissolution of the Soviet
Union in 1991, India began to review its foreign
policy in an unipolar world, and took steps to
develop closer ties with the European Union and
the United States. Current Indian foreign policy is
based on maintaining strategic autonomy to
promote and safeguard national interests.[1][2]
Key recent developments include the rapid
growth of India's economy and bilateral trade, the
close links between the Indian and American
computer and Internet industries, a geopolitical
coalition to balance the rise of an increasingly
assertive China, the weakening of U.S.-Pakistan
relations over various ongoing disputes, and the
2008 reversal of long-standing American
opposition to India's nuclear program. Today,
India and the US share an extensive cultural,
strategic, military, and economic
relationship.[3][4][5] According to Gallup's
annual public opinion polls, India is perceived by
Americans as their 6th favorite nation in the
world, with 75% of Americans viewing India
favorably in 2012,[6] though this declined
somewhat to 72% in 2011
4. INDIA & BRITAIN
IndianBritish relations are foreign relations
between India and the United Kingdom. India has
a high commission in London and two consulates-
general in Birmingham and Edinburgh.[1] The
United Kingdom has a high commission in New
Delhi and five deputy high commissions in
Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and
Kolkata.[2] Both countries are full members of the
Commonwealth of Nations. Since 1947, relations
between the two countries have been mostly
friendly. In India, English is one of the official
languages, and Cricket is one of the most popular
sport. In the UK, Indian Cuisine is hugely popular.
Britain imports most of its tea from India, and
there are a number of words of Indian origin in
the English language. India is the third largest
investor in the British economy. The UK has an
ethnic Indian population of over 1.6 million. Prime
Minister David Cameron described Indian British
relations as the "New Special Relationship" in
2010

5. INDIA & SRI LANKA
Bilateral relations between the Democratic
Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and the Republic of
India have been generally friendly, but were
controversially affected by the Sri Lankan civil war
and by the failure of Indian intervention during
the war. India is the only neighbour of Sri Lanka,
separated by the Palk Strait; both nations occupy
a strategic position in South Asia and have sought
to build a common security umbrella in the Indian
Ocean.[1] Historically and culturally, the two
nations have been considerably close, with 70% of
Sri Lankans continuing to follow Theravada
Buddhism to this day.

6. INDIA & CANADA
Indo-Canadian relations are the longstanding
bilateral relations between India and Canada,
which are built upon a "mutual commitment to
democracy", "pluralism", and "people-to-people
links", according to the government of Canada.[1]
In 2009, bilateral trade between India and Canada
was at about C$4.14 billion.[2] Most notably, the
bombing of Air India Flight 182 by Canadian
residents, killing a vast quantity of Canadian
citizens, had effects on relations for about 20
years. However, India's Smiling Buddha nuclear
test added strains to the relationship between the
two nations, with allegations that India broke the
terms of the Colombo Plan.[3] Although Jean
Chrtien and Romo LeBlanc both visited India in
the late 1990s, relations were again halted, albeit
temporarily, after the Pokhran-II tests.[3] India
and Canada are taking steps to become strategic
partners,[4] with Prime Minister Stephen Harper
making a state visit in 2012.[5] Both are former
British colonies and full members of the
Commonwealth of Nations

7. INDIA & SAUDI ARABIA
Trade and cultural links between ancient India
and Arabia date back to third millennium BC.[1]
By 1000 AD, the trade relations between southern
India and Arabia flourished and became the
backbone of the Arabian economy.[2] Arab
traders held a monopoly over the spice trade
between India and Europe until the rise of
European imperialist empires.[3] India was one of
the first nations to establish ties with the Third
Saudi State. During the 1930s, India heavily
funded Nejd through financial subsidies.[4]

Formal diplomatic relations between
contemporary India and Saudi Arabia were
established soon after India gained independence
in 1947. Relations between the two countries
have strengthened considerably owing to
collaboration in regional affairs and trade. Saudi
Arabia is one of the largest suppliers of oil to
India, who is one of the top seven trading
partners and the fifth biggest investor in Saudi
Arabia.[5]

In history there have been three visits to Saudi
Arabia by an Indian Prime Minister: Jawaharlal
Nehru (1955), Indira Gandhi (1982) and
Manmohan Singh (2010).[6] The two countries
share similar views on combating terrorism.[7]
Background

Since its independence in 1947, India has sought
to maintain strong ties with Saudi Arabia, an
important regional power and trading base in
West Asia. In a major visit by King Saud of Saudi
Arabia to India in November 1955,[8][9][10] both
nations agreed to shape their relationship based
on the Five Principles of Peaceful Co-
existence.[11] Saudi Arabia is also home to more
than 1.4 million Indian workers.[12] India was the
only South Asian nation to recognise the Soviet-
backed Democratic Republic of Afghanistan,
whereas Saudi Arabia was one of the key
supporters of the Afghan mujahideen, who fought
the Soviets and their Afghan allies from
Pakistan.[11][13]
Development of bilateral relations

India's strategic relations with Saudi Arabia have
been affected by the latter's relations with
Pakistan.[13] Saudi Arabia supported Pakistan's
stance on the Kashmir conflict and during the
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, at the expense of its
relations with India.[11] The Soviet Union's close
relations with India also negatively affected Indo-
Saudi relations.[11][13] During the Persian Gulf
War (199091), India officially maintained
neutrality. Saudi Arabia's close military and
strategic ties with Pakistan have also been a
source of continuing strain.[11][13]

Since the 1990s, both nations have taken steps to
improve ties. Saudi Arabia has supported granting
observer status to India in the Organisation of
Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and has expanded its
collaboration with India to fight Islamic terrorism
in the Middle East.[14] In January 2006, King
Abdullah of Saudi Arabia made a special visit to
India, becoming the first Saudi monarch in 51
years to do so.[13] The Saudi king and the Indian
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh signed an
agreement forging a strategic energy partnership
that was termed the "Delhi Declaration."[15] The
pact provides for a "reliable, stable and increased
volume of crude oil supplies to India through
long-term contracts."[16] Both nations also
agreed on joint ventures and the development of
oil and natural gas in public and private
sectors.[16] An Indo-Saudi joint declaration in the
Indian capital New Delhi described the king's visit
as "heralding a new era in India-Saudi Arabia
relations."[14]
Commerce

Since the 1990s, India's economic liberalisation
has helped bolster trade with Saudi Arabia, which
annually supplies to India nearly 175 million
barrels (25 million metric tonnes) of crude oil, or a
quarter of its needs.[14] In 200607 bilateral
trade stood at USD 16 billion (USD 3 billion
excluding oil) and is expected to double by
2010.[17][18] India's current exports to Saudi
Arabia stand at USD 2.6 billion, while Saudi
Arabia's exports are in the range of USD 13.4
billion (USD 1.2 billion excluding oil).[17][18]
India's major exports include basmati rice, textiles
and garments and machinery, while it imports
organic and inorganic chemicals, metal scrap,
leather, gold and oil from Saudi Arabia.[17][18]
Both nations are expected to expand trade and
cooperation and joint ventures in
telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, health
services, information technology, biotechnology,
agriculture, construction projects, energy and
financial services.[15][17][18] Both countries
agreed to launch joint ventures for developing
gas-based fertiliser plants in Saudi Arabia.[15][17]
India agreed to set up institutes of higher
education and research, provide educational
opportunities in India for Saudi Arabian students
and expand cooperation between India's Council
of Scientific and Industrial Research and the Saudi
Arabian Standards Organisation (SASO).[15][17]

India and Saudi trade was almost USD 25 billion
last fiscal year with about 2 million Indians
working in Saudi Arabia .[19]
Bilateral investment

India and Saudi Arabia are developing countries
and need two-sided flow of investment in
infrastructure and development. Progressive
growth has been observed between the countries
in bilateral investment after the liberalisation
policy of India in 1991 and little bit faster increase
in new millennium. Saudi Arabia is ranked at 15th
position in country-wise FDI joint venture in India
and it is second in Arab countries followed by
UAE. Saudi has US$21.55 million worth value in
FDI joint venture during 200405 to 200708.
Saudi is also among the major FDI investing
countries in India, it has invested INR42.21 crore
(US$7.0 million) during August 1991 to December
1999 and INR69.071 crore (US$12 million) during
January 2000 to August 2008. Investment is
observed in diverse fields such as paper
manufacture, chemicals, computer software,
granite processing, industrial products and
machinery, cement, metallurgical industries, etc.
Indian firms also has shown the interest in Saudi
market after new Saudi laws and established joint
venture projects or wholly owned subsidiaries in
the Kingdom. According to Saudi investment
authority survey, India has 56 FDI projects having
worth of 304 million SAR during 2005 in Saudi
Arabia. These licenses are for projects in different
sectors such as management and consultancy
services, construction projects,
telecommunications, information technology,
pharmaceuticals, etc. Moreover, several Indian
companies have established collaborations with
Saudi companies and working in the Kingdom in
the areas of designing, consultancy, financial
services and software development.[20]
2010 visit to Saudi Arabia by Manmohan Singh

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
undertook a three-day visit to Saudi Arabia
beginning 27 February 2010. He was accompanied
by his wife Gursharan Kaur, Health Minister
Ghulam Nabi Azad, Commerce and Industry
Minister Anand Sharma, Petroleum Minister Murli
Deora and Minister of State for External Affairs
Shashi Tharoor.[21] It was the first visit to the
kingdom by an Indian Prime Minister since 1982
and the third to date.[6][22]

In a rare diplomatic gesture symbolising the
strong cultural and socio-economic ties between
the two nations, Dr Singh and his official
delegation were received at the royal terminal of
the King Khalid International Airport by Crown
Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz accompanied by his
entire cabinet. In departure from the protocol
norms, a red carpet was rolled out to the Prime
Minister, instead of the traditional green carpet.
The nearly 40-km route from the airport to the
city centre was lined with Indian and Saudi
Arabian flags.[6]

On the second day a formal reception was held in
honour of the state guests.[6] Singh was
scheduled to address the Majlis-e-Shura, a
privilege that has been described as "a singular
honour".[23] Female diplomat Latha Reddy was
permitted not to wear the abaya or the hijab. This
special gesture was described as "largely symbolic
in nature, but it is a sign of the changing
times".[23]

During his visit Dr Singh received an honorary
doctorate from Saudi Arabias prestigious King
Saud University. An MoU for co-operation was
signed between Indian Institute of Science,
Bangalore and the King Saud University in the
presence of the Prime Minister. Later, speaking at
a community event at the Indian Embassy hosted
by Indian Ambassador Talmeez Ahmed, the Prime
Minister praised the contributions made by the
over 1.8 million Indian citizens. India is proud of
you and proud of your achievements in this
country, he said.*24+

An extradition treaty was signed by Indian Health
and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad
and Prince Naif bin Abdul Aziz the Saudi Arabian
Second Deputy Prime Minister and Interior
Minister.[25] Four agreements pertaining to
transfer of sentenced persons, cultural co-
operation, Memorandum of Understanding
between Indian Space Research Organisation and
King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology for
co-operation in peaceful use of outer space and
joint research and information technology were
also signed in presence of the two leaders. Four
other agreements were also signed the day
before, including one by Tata Motors to supply
school buses worth US$80 million.

Dr Singh returned home on 1 March 2010
concluding this 3-day visit.[21][26] This visit is
considered as India's attempt to increase the
depth of relationships between the two countries
and make a pitch for investments from Saudi
Arabia.[27]

8. INDIA & UAE

Indians in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)
constitute the largest part of population of the
country. Over a million Indian migrants are
estimated to be living in the UAE (2000),[2] who
form over 30% of the total population of the
UAE.[1] A majority of Indians live in the three
largest cities of the UAE Dubai, Abu Dhabi and
Sharjah. Indian contact with the emirates that
now constitute the UAE dates back several
centuries, as a result of trade and commerce
between the emirates and India. More recently,
the UAE has experienced a tremendous increase
in the population of Indians who, having migrated
to the country as a result of opportunities in
petroleum, construction and other industries, far
outnumber the population of local emiratis. While
most Indian migrants support the manufacturing
and transport industries, a sizable minority of
migrants are involved in professional services and
entrepreneurship. Relations between India and
the UAE have traditionally been friendly, though
recent incidents relating to the treatment of the
Indian migrant labour force by companies in the
UAE have been the source of friction between the
two nation.
9. INDIA & NETHERLANDS
Indians in the Netherlands are an ethnic group of
Indian origin in the Netherlands. Most of the
Indians in the Netherlands are of Surinamese
origin. Just before and just after the
independence of Suriname on 25 November 1975
many Indians emigrated to the Netherlands. They
are mainly located in the cities of The Hague,
Amsterdam, Utrecht, Rotterdam and Almere and
the municipalities around it. Indians of
Surinamese origin are also known as
Hindoestanen (Dutch pronunciation:
*ndustan(n)]). Hindoestanen is a Dutch word
derived from Hindustani, a Persian word for
someone from Hindustan (India). Hence, when
Indians migrated to the Netherlands they were
referred to as Hindustanis, people from Indian
origin.
10. INDIA & MALAYSIA

IndiaMalaysia relations (Malay Hubungan India-
Malaysia) refers to bilateral foreign relations
between the two countries, India and Malaysia.
India has a high commission in Kuala Lumpur,[1]
and Malaysia has a high commission in New
Delhi.[2] Both countries are full members of the
Commonwealth of Nations,[3] Asian Union and
G15.[4] India and Malaysia are also connected by
various cultural and historical ties that date back
to antiquity.[5] The two countries are on
excellently friendly terms with each other seeing
as Malaysia is home to a strong concentration of
Indian immigrants. Mahathir bin Mohamad, the
fourth and longest serving Prime Minister of
Malaysia is of Indian origin - his father Mohamad
Iskandar was an Indian Muslim (who migrated
from Kerala province in south India) and his
mother Wan Tampawan, was a Malay.[6] On
trade front their bilateral trade volume stands at
$10.5 billion and is poised to reach $25 billion by
2020
11. INDIAN & ZIMBABWE
India and Zimbabwe have a long history of close
and cordial relations. During the era of the
Munhumutapa Kingdom, Indian merchants
established strong links with Zimbabwe, trading in
textiles, minerals and metals. Sons of the royal
house of Munhumutapa journeyed to India to
broaden their education. In the 17th century, a
great son of Zimbabwe, Dom Miguel - Prince,
Priest and Professor, and heir to the imperial
throne of the Mutapas- studied in Goa. An
inscribed pillar stands today at a chapel in Goa, a
tribute to his intellectual stature. India supported
Zimbabwe's freedom struggle. Former Prime
Minister Smt. Indira Gandhi attended
Zimbabwean independence celebrations in 1980.
There were frequent exchange of high level visits
in the past, bilateral or to attend Summits such as
NAM. Former Prime Minister Shri Vajpayee and
President Mugabe met twice in the year 2003 on
the sidelines of UNGA and NAM Summit.
12. INDIA & SOUTH KOREA
IndiaSouth Korea relations have been relatively
limited, although much progress arose during the
past three decades. Since the formal
establishment of the diplomatic ties between the
two countries in 1973, several trade agreements
have been reached: Agreement on Trade
Promotion and Economic and Technological Co-
operation in 1974; Agreement on Co-operation in
Science & Technology in 1976; Convention on
Double Taxation Avoidance in 1985; and Bilateral
Investment Promotion/ Protection Agreement in
1996. Trade between the two nations has
increased exponentially, exemplified by the $530
million during the fiscal year of 1992-1993, and
the $10 billion during 2006-2007.[1] During the
1997 Asian financial crisis, South Korean
businesses sought to increase access to the global
markets, and began trade investments with
India.[1] The last two presidential visits from
South Korea to India were in 1996 and 2006,[2]
and the embassy works between the two
countries are seen as needing improvements.[3]
Recently, there have been acknowledgments in
the Korean public and political spheres that
expanding relations with India should be a major
economical and political priority for South Korea.
Much of the economic investments of South
Korea have been drained into China;[4] however,
South Korea is currently the fifth largest source of
investment in India.[5] To the Times of India,
President Roh voiced his opinion that co-
operation between India's software and Korea's IT
industries would bring very efficient and
successful outcomes.[2] The two countries agreed
to shift their focus to the revision of the visa
policies between the two countries, expansion of
trade, and establishment of free trade agreement
to encourage further investment between the
two countries. Korean companies such as LG and
Samsung have established manufacturing and
service facilities in India, and several Korean
construction companies won grants for a portion
of the many infrastructural building plans in India,
such as the National Highways Development
Project.[5] Tata Motor's purchase of Daewoo
Commercial Vehicles at the cost of US$102 million
highlights the India's investments in Korea, which
consist mostly of subcontracting.[5] The latest in
the relations between the two countries is the
historic Free Trade Agreement and Presidential
invitation for 2009 Republic Day celebrations in
New Delhi. In June 2012, India, a major importer
of arms and military hardware purchased eight
warships from South Korea. India-RoK relations
have made great strides in recent years and have
become truly multidimensional, spurred by a
significant convergence of interests, mutual
goodwill and high level exchanges. Prime Minister
Dr. Manmohan Singh paid an official visit to Seoul
from 2427 March 2012, both for bilateral and
Nuclear Security Summits, which led to the
deepening of bilateral strategic partnership that
was forged during President Lee Myung-baks
State visit to India. An agreement on visa
simplification was signed on 25 March 2012 in the
presence of the two leaders at the Blue House. A
Joint Statement was also issued during PM's visit.
PM had last visited Seoul from November 1012,
2010 for the G20 Summit. Earlier President Smt.
Pratibha Devisingh Patil came on a State Visit to
RoK from 2427 July 2011 during which the Civil
Nuclear Energy Cooperation Agreement was
signed. President Lee paid a landmark visit to
India, as Chief Guest at India's Republic Day
celebrations on 26 January 2010, when bilateral
ties were raised to the level of Strategic
Partnership. His visit preceded an equally
successful State Visit to RoK by President Dr. APJ
Abdul Kalam, in February 2006 that heralded a
new vibrant phase in India-RoK relations. It
interalia led to the launch of a Joint Task Force to
conclude a bilateral Comprehensive Economic
Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which was signed
by Minister for Commerce and Industry Shri
Anand Sharma at Seoul on August 7, 2009.
13. INDIA & FIJI
FijiIndia relations refer to foreign relations
between Fiji and India. Fiji has a high commission
in New Delhi, whilst India has a high commission
in Suva. There are strong cultural links between
the countries as 38 percent of Fiji's population is
of Indian descent. India has used its influence in
international forums such as the Commonwealth
of Nations and United Nations on behalf of ethnic
Indians in Fiji, lobbying for sanctions against Fiji in
the wake of the 1987 coups and the 2000 coup,
both of which removed governments, one
dominated and one led, by Indo-Fijians.





















2. International events



1. Japans population dipped to record
low in 2013
The Health Ministry of Japan on 1 January 2014
estimated that a quarter of the population is
currently aged over 65 and the figure is expected
to reach nearly 40 percent by 2060. It has
estimated that the population of the country in
2013 declined by a record 244000 people. It also
says that if in case the same trend persists in
future, the population of Japan will lose a third of
its population in next 50 years.
The estimate also highlights concern over the
dwindling workforce of the country. As per the
estimate, 103100 babies took birth in Japan in
2013, which fell by 6000 from the births of 2012.
Apart from this, the deaths of the country
increased by 19000 from 2012 to 1275000 people
in 2013. These deaths were the highest annual
deaths since World War II. To spur growth of the
population, Japan had aggressively taken
measures in recent months. At present, Japans
economy is the third biggest economies of the
world after years of stagnation. Prime Minister of
Japan, Shino Abe is trying to boost its economy by
a combination of its quantitative easing and cash
ejections, which includes higher taxes, higher
government spending and longer-term structural
reforms.
2. IRENA and ADFD planned to bring
Power to Rural Communities
The International Renewable Energy Agency
(IRENA) and the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development
(ADFD) on 19 January 2014 announced
approximately 41 million dollar in concessional
loans for renewable energy projects in developing
countries. The total combined capacity of the
financed project is 35 MW and would bring
reliable and sustainable power to rural
communities that lack an access to modern
energy services. image The loan as per the plan
will be dispensed to a geographically diverse
countries namely Republic of Ecuador, Maldives,
Sierra Leone, Mauritania, Mali and Samoa. The
two institutions IRENA and ADFD have selected
the projects to isolated off-grid populations in
some cases it will be for the first time. Analysis:
This local economic development will stimulate in
raising the living standards, as financing is one of
the key issues renewable energy is facing
particularly in the developing world. This is the
reason because of which, the two institutions
IRENA and ADFD teamed up to de-risk investment
in promising renewable projects. The UAE
government has committed a total of 350 million
dollar in concessional loans through ADFD to
support the deployment and sustainable use of all
forms of renewable energy in developing
countries. The current financing cycle is the first
of seven. IRENA is assessing the socio-economic
impact and technical merit of the projects, and
ADFD is making its selection based on the
Agencys recommendation. Projects selected
need to be transformative, innovative and
replicable. About the Abu Dhabi Fund for
Development (ADFD) Abu Dhabi Fund for
Development (ADFD) was established back on 15
July 1971, as an independent subsidiary of Abu
Dhabi Government, responsible for managing
foreign aid. Over the years, it has established its
position among the top development aid
organizations worldwide. image Since its
establishment, ADFD has played an important role
in advancing economic development in
beneficiary countries by providing concessionary
loans that enable these countries to surmount
challenges, address economic problems, and
improve the living standards of their people. The
Fund has managed a quantum leap in its financial
performance through investments and direct
long-term contributions in active companies in
strategic sectors of the developing countries,
along with investing in a variety of financial
instruments. To date, the total grants, loans
provided and managed by ADFD and UAE
government reached to arround AED 60 billion for
financing 363 development operations in 63
countries around the world.
3. Lanka urged Maldives to allow its
fishermen in territorial sea waters
Abdulla Yameen, the President of Maldives during
his visit to Sri Lanka Colombo has been asked by
Sri Lanka to allow its fisherman the facility of
innocent passage through its territorial waters to
the Arabian Sea. A discussion on the matter was
done during a bilateral meeting between the
delegations in Colombo on 22 January 2014. This
is the first visit of Yameen to Sri Lanka since he
assumed the office of the President. He is on a
three day official visit to Colombo. Similar such
request has been made by Sri Lanka to India
following the cross of local fishermen of the
country have to cross the international boundary
for tuna fishing. image Apart from this bilateral
meet, Abdullah Yameen also met Mahinda
Rajapaksa, the President of Sri Lanka and both
sides also agreed to strengthen bilateral
cooperation in trade, banking and finance,
agriculture, fisheries, defence and maritime
sectors and education. United Nations
Convention on the Law of the Sea The United
Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
(UNCLOS), which is also called as the Law of the
Sea Convention or the Law of the Sea treaty. It is
an international agreement that came into
existence of the third United Nations Conference
on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS III), which took
place between 1973 and 1982. The Law of the Sea
Convention has defined the rights and
responsibilities of nations in their use of the
world's oceans. It also provides the rights to
establish guidelines for businesses, the
environment, and the management of marine
natural resources to the countries. The
Convention, concluded in 1982 and it replaced
four 1958 treaties. UNCLOS came into force in
1994 a year after Guyana became the 60th nation
to sign the treaty. At present 165 countries of the
world as well as the European Union has joined
the Convention. This is a data as per the
membership of August 2013.
4. United Nations Convention on the
Law of the Sea
The UNCLOS replaces the older and weaker
'freedom of the seas' concept, dating from the
17th century: national rights were limited to a
specified belt of water extending from a nation's
coastlines, usually three nautical miles, according
to the 'cannon shot' rule developed by the Dutch
jurist Cornelius van Bynkershoek. All waters
beyond national boundaries were considered
international waters: free to all nations, but
belonging to none of them (the mare liberum
principle promulgated by Grotius). In the early
20th century, some nations expressed their desire
to extend national claims: to include mineral
resources, to protect fish stocks, and to provide
the means to enforce pollution controls. (The
League of Nations called a 1930 conference at The
Hague, but no agreements resulted.) Using the
customary international law principle of a nation's
right to protect its natural resources, President
Truman in 1945 extended United States control to
all the natural resources of its continental shelf.
Other nations were quick to follow suit. Between
1946 and 1950, Chile, Peru, and Ecuador
extended their rights to a distance of 200 nautical
miles (370 km) to cover their Humboldt Current
fishing grounds. Other nations extended their
territorial seas to 12 nautical miles (22 km). By
1967, only 25 nations still used the old three-mile
(5 km) limit, while 66 nations had set a 12-
nautical-mile (22 km) territorial limit and eight
had set a 200-nautical-mile (370 km) limit. As of
28 May 2008, only two countries still use the
three-mile (5 km) limit: Jordan and Palau.[4] That
limit is also used in certain Australian islands, an
area of Belize, some Japanese straits, certain
areas of Papua New Guinea, and a few British
Overseas Territories, such as Anguilla.

5. Latvia became the 18th member of
Euro Zone
Latvia became the 18th member of the euro area
today, with half the former Soviet republics
citizens opposing the currency switch and
expectations of rising prices at a seven-year high.
Finance Minister Andris Vilks, who helped make
euro adoption one of the countrys key goals as
Latvians endured the worlds deepest recession in
2008-2009, withdrew euro notes from a cash
machine in front of TV cameras after midnight.
Today is a very important day for Latvia, difficult
to imagine three or four years ago, Vilks said at a
news conference. Everything is just beginning for
Latvia. Euro adoption will cap a journey of more
than two decades for Latvia, which will become
the fourth former communist country in the
currency area after Slovakia, Slovenia and
neighboring Estonia. Opponents of the switch
outnumber proponents two-to-one in the country
of 2 million, according to opinion polls. The
resentment is stoked by concern that prices will
rise and the country will be forced to take on new
responsibilities in the currency union. Im
convinced prices will rise with the euro, said
Andris Liepins, 51, a shop owner in Riga, the
capital. Its a fact that Latvia will have to help
pay for other countries debt after adopting the
euro. Why does a country have to pay other
countries debts? Austerity Drive Prime Minister
Valdis Dombrovskis pushed through austerity
measures equivalent to 16 percent of gross
domestic product as part of a bailout program
that shored up finances and kept the currency
pegged to the euro. The economy, which shrank
by more than a fifth in 2008-2009, grew 4.5
percent in the third quarter from a year earlier,
the fastest pace in the European Union. The yield
on Latvias dollar bonds maturing in 2020 rose 1
basis points or 0.01 percent to 3.71 percent
yesterday, according to data compiled by
Bloomberg. Standard & Poors raised its outlook
to positive on Dec. 13 on Latvias BBB+ rating, the
third-lowest investment grade. Dombrovskiss
government resigned Nov. 27 following a
supermarket collapse that killed 54 people. He
will remain as a caretaker prime minister until a
new one is nominated by the president and
confirmed by parliament. Political parties havent
yet agreed on a candidate whom the president is
willing to nominate as leader until elections in
October. Inflation Concern Concern that inflation
will accelerate is rising even after consumer prices
fell 0.4 percent in November from a year earlier,
the sixth month this year without an increase. The
Finance Ministry estimates prices will rise 2.3
percent next year as the economy expands 4.2
percent. About 83 percent of people say they
fear the euro will trigger unwarranted price
increases, the European Commission said in a
report Dec. 3. The government is focusing on the
potential benefits. Adopting the euro will attract
more investment and promote export growth,
which will allow the economy to expand more
quickly and raise welfare, Vilks said in a
statement Dec. 27. Half the country remains
unconvinced. Opposition to euro adoption is 50
percent, according to a Dec. 27 report by the
polling company SKDS, compared with 58 percent
in October. Sixty-seven percent of respondents
said last month that they expected prices to rise,
the most since at least December 2006, according
to a separate poll by SKDS. Each poll has a margin
of error of 3.1 percentage points. Elite Project
The euro has always been an elite project
anyway -- some grand vision for a unified Europe
at its core, said Tim Ash, chief economist for
emerging markets at Standard Bank (SBK) Group
Ltd. in London. Lithuania is determined to qualify
to adopt the euro a year from now, convinced
that joining Latvia and Estonia in the currency
area will bolster economic growth, investor
confidence and regional trade ties, Bank of
Lithuania Governor Vitas Vasiliauskas said today
in an e-mailed statement in Vilnius. Acceptance
into the euro club confirms that a country is able
to implement responsible economic policy,
Vasiliauskas said. Lithuania is also following that
path. For the euro area, Latvia will mean the
addition of another country that favors austerity
and has won accolades from German politicians
including Chancellor Angela Merkel for its
commitment to budget cuts. Paid Off Joining
the euro marks the completion of Latvias journey
back to the political and economic heart of our
continent, and that is something for all of us to
celebrate, EU Economic and Monetary Affairs
Commissioner Olli Rehn said in a statement
yesterday. Your efforts have paid off, and your
countrys strong economic recovery offers a clear
message of encouragement to other European
countries undergoing a difficult economic
adjustment. Latvians, whether they like the
concept or not, will need to get used to their
fourth currency in 22 years. The country
introduced the Latvian ruble to replace the Soviet
one in 1992, then resurrected the pre-World War
II lats a year later. I personally wont like giving
up the familiar lats and start using the euro, but
its an entirely irrational sentiment, Alf Vanags,
director of the Baltic International Centre for
Economic Policy Studies, said by phone. On
balance, euro adoption is good for Latvia, since it
provides a mutual insurance policy that countries
can draw on when they get into trouble.

6. Emergency rule imposed in Bangkok
Who: Thailand Government Where: Bangkok
What: issued a two month emergency When: 21
January 2014 Why: to curb the protests against
the government 60-day state of emergency has
been imposed in Bangkok by the Thai government
on 21 January 2014. The emergency has been
imposed in the province to suppress the anti-
government protest that has blocked the parts of
the capital and to take care of the situation and to
enforce the law. The emergency decree bans
public gatherings, censor the news reports and
imposition of curfew for next 60 days. The
emergency measure came into effect from 22
January 2014. image Emergency was announced
by the Deputy Interior Minister, Visarn
Techateerawat after a cabinet meeting. The
government has also said that it has no plan to
disperse the protest movement that is led by the
opposition Suthep Thaugsban. Following the
emergency, a leader of pro-government leader of
red-shirt group has been shot. The incident came
as the protesters continued to block parts of
Bangkok with the demand of resignation of the
Prime Minister. The emergency decree had given
a wide ranging power to the government,
including control of crowds and censor media. To
suppress the unrest of the country, the Prime
Minister has already called-in for elections on 2
February 2014. To issue a ruling on how and
whether the ballot can be delayed the Election
Commission is expected to request the
constitutional court. Bangkok is witnessing anti-
government protests with the demand to force
Yingluck Shinawatra, the Prime Minister of
Thailand to step down. The protests of the
country started in November 2014. The protesters
claim that Yingluk Shinawatra government is
influenced by her brother Thaksin Shinawatra.
Thaksin was the prime minister of Thailand from
2001 to 2006 and was ousted by a military coup in
2006. He exiled himself in 2008 to avoid the two-
year prison sentence. With this emergency the
Thai government hopes that the restrictions and
curfews will help it in quelling the street
demonstrations and also restore calm. Whereas,
before this protests of people, the country has
also witnessed demonstrations in 2010 which was
named as the Red Shirt riots in Bangkok. The Red
Shirts riots occurred in Bangkok from March to
May 2010 against the government led by the
Democrat party that demanded the then prime
minister Abhisit Vejjaajiva to dissolve the
parliament and hold elections at the earliest.
During the Red Shirt protest the protesters also
fought the military forces. The riots came to an
end after the surrender of the leaders of Red Shirt
opposition after six day long violent clashes.
image Result of the anti-government protest: The
political unrest of the country has led the Thai
government to issue an advisory for the tourists
asking them to be vigilant and try to avoid the
sites of protest. Following the recent unrest in
Thailand the Indian tourists had cancelled their
plans of trips to the country.
7. Pakistan has planned 7 Nuclear
Plants for 8900 MW of electricity by
2030
Pakistan on 2 January 2014 announced its plan to
set up seven functional nuclear plants of 1100
MW each by 2030. The government is set to
install 325 MW Chashma-4 (C-4) plant. image
Pakistan took this decision to combat the problem
of shortage of power supply in the country.
Nuclear power was set to become a major player
in the country's power sector. As per the Pakistan
government, by 2030 the Pakistan Atomic Energy
Comission (PAEC) will be operating four nuclear
power plants of 325 to 340 MW and seven
nuclear power plants with the capacity of 1100
MW each, in addition to four units of 300 MW,
producing a total of 8,900 MW of electricity. The
power generated through C-3 and C-4 (650 MW)
will be linked to national grid by 2016. Pakistan
would install more nuclear power plants to
generate 42000 MW of electricity under its Vision
2050. China has committed 6.5 billion dollar
finance for the construction of a major nuclear
power project in the port city of Karachi. China
National Nuclear Cooperation (CNNC) has
promised to grant a loan of at least 6.5 billion
dollar to finance the project, which will have two
reactors with a capacity of 1,100 megawatts each.
Blackouts lasting more than half a day in some
areas have infuriated many Pakistanis and
sparked violent protests, undermining an
economy already beset by high unemployment,
widespread poverty, crime and sectarian and
insurgent violence. Pakistan had carried out its
first nuclear tests in 1998, soon after India
conducted tests. Both refuse to join the Nuclear
Non-proliferation Treaty, which would oblige
them to scrap atomic weapons. China has already
helped supply two nuclear reactors at the
Chashma nuclear power complex in Punjab, while
another two are also under construction with
Chinese assistance.

8. Tunisias new government sworn in
New technocratic government of Tunisia that is
headed by the Prime Minister Mehdi Jomaa was
sworn in on 29 January 2014. This ceremony has
replaced the Islamist-led administration under an
accord to end the political turmoil of the country.
This government will also prepare for fresh
elections. image The former transfer of the
power was approved by 149 of the countrys 193
lawmakers. This transfer happened at the
Presidential palace after a parliamentary session.
The new ministers of the country took oath of
their offices in from of Moncef Marzouki, the
President of Tunisia. This was made possible after
the dominant Islamist party Ennahda agreed to
surrender power of the government, which was
formed in 2013. This agreement has also pulled-in
the adoption of the new constitution that has
been long delayed, which was adopted on 27
January 2014. The national assembly finally
adopted a new constitution three years after the
Arab Spring revolution. The Parliamentary and
Presidential elections will be held by the end of
2014. image Apart from this, the International
Monetary Fund that has supported the new
government formation of Tunisia has released
more than 500 million dollar support on 29
January 2014. Due to the political instability of the
country, the finances of 1.76 billion dollar loan
that was agreed in June 2013 were held. The
funds included disbursement of 1.76 billion
dollars and 506.7 billion dollars in two years. The
given released loan is the second part of the loan
deal reached in 2013.
9. New Constitution of Tunisia passed
Who: National Constituent Assembly Where:
Tunisia, Tunis What: Approved New Constitution
When: 26 January 2014 National Constituent
Assembly of Tunisia passed the new Constitution
on 26 January 2014. The Tunisian assembly
passed the new Constitution with 200 votes in
favour out of total 216 seats in the assembly.
Assembly speaker Mustapha Ben Jaafar, Tunisian
President Moncef Marzouki and outgoing Prime
Minister Ali Larayedh signed the document on 27
January 2014 in the assembly. image Main
features of the new Constitution The new
Constitution is a written one and it makes Tunisia
a democracy with a civil state instead of Islamic
state. It recognizes the protection of citizen
rights, including protection from torture, the right
to due process, and freedom of worship. It
guarantees equality between men and women
before the law and the state commits itself to
protecting women's rights. It guarantees
"freedom of belief and conscience," which would
permit atheism and the practice of non-
Abrahamic religions frowned upon in other
Islamic countries. It also bans incitement to
violence and declaring a Muslim an apostate a
fallen Muslim which leaves them open to death
threats. The constitution enshrines the freedom
of religion but Islam remains as a state religion.
Analysis This is the first Constitution drafted and
passed since the ousting of President Zine el-
Abidine Ben Ali three years ago in 2011. The new
Constitution is being termed as the most
progressive Constitution in the Arab world. The
passage of the new Constitution will help in usher
the era of democracy in Tunisia that ushered the
Arab Spring in the Arab world in 2011. Despite
some drawbacks, the new Constitution is an
historic compromise between identity and
modernity. It can serve as a model for other
countries in the region seeking a balance between
an Arab-Islamic heritage and contemporary ideas
of human rights and good governance. While the
constitution itself will not solve the country's
persistent unemployment, rising prices, crushing
debt and constant demonstrations. Yet it will
move politics forward and reassure foreign
investors that the country is back on track after a
rocky transition. It is different from the draft
Constitution of Egypt that was approved in the
third week of January 2014. Egypt's charters were
quickly drafted by appointed committees and
involved little public debate or input. In Tunisia,
an elected assembly of Tunisian Islamists, leftists
and liberals worked on a detailed roadmap for
their political future. However, it was the
overthrowing of Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt in
July 2013 that helped the various parties reach a
compromise.
10. A deal signed on electoral reforms in
Italy
Who: Silvio Berlusconi and Matteo Renzi
Where: Rome What: Signed a deal When: On
18 January 2014 Why: To make Italy more
governable Silvio Berlusconi, founder head of the
Forza Italia party and Matteo Renzi, leader of
Democratic Party (PD) on 18 January 2014 signed
a deal on electoral reforms in Italy. Both leaders
agreed to back reforms to finally make Italy more
governable. Berlusconi founded Forza Italia party
is center-right party of Italy while Matteo Renzi
lead Democratic Party (PD) is the largest center-
left party of Italy. Both leaders held two-and-a-
half hours of talks at PD headquarters in Rome.
Main features of the electoral reforms deal are
following: Both favoured a system based on
proportional representation with a large number
of small constituencies each electing four or five
representatives and a winner's bonus of 15-20
percent of seats. Parties winning below five
percent of the vote would not get into
parliament. Both leaders agreed on the need for
an electoral law that "favors governability and a
bi-polar system, and eliminates the blackmail
power of the smallest parties". They also
favoured a reform of the upper house Senate so
that it does not merely duplicate the work of the
lower house Chamber of Deputies as well as
changes to the governing structure of Italy's
regions and provinces. The deal struck down the
system of voting for party lists of candidates and
the rules that gave the largest coalition an
automatic 55 percent of seats - on a national basis
in the lower house and regionally in the senate. It
also said voters should have the right to choose
representatives, not simply vote for lists picked
and ranked by party bosses.
11. GDP of China decelerated to 7.7
Percent in 2013-14
The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of China
decelerated to 7.7 percent in 2013-14. It is the
slowest GDP growth rate clocked by China in last
14 years. This was revealed by the data released
by the National Bureau of Statistics of China on 20
January 2014.
The deceleration in the GDP growth was on
account of poor performance of the Chinese
economy in the final quarter of 2013. In the final
quarter of 2013 the Chinese economy grew by 7.7
percent compared to the 7.8 percent in the third
quarter of 2013. The decline in the GDP growth in
the last quarter was due to fall in exports,
investment and factory output. The fall in these
sectors was contributed by global and domestic
factors. However, the actual performance of the
economy came out to be slightly better than the
7.5 percent GDP growth projected by the Chinese
government. The low growth in the world's
second largest economy has caused serious
anxiety across the globe and pushed down prices
of Asian stocks.
12. Obama established Af-Pak strategic
partnership office
Ahead of the drawdown of US troops from
Afghanistan by the end of 2014, US President
Barack Obama announced to establish an Af-Pak
Strategic Partnership Office (APSPO) on 18
January 2014. The objective is to oversee smooth
transition and promote normalised diplomatic
presence in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
APSPO has been tasked to perform the specific
project of supporting executive departments and
agencies in facilitating a partnership with the two
South Asian countries of Afghanistan and
Pakistan. APSPO will be a temporary office and
would be based in Washington, Islamabad and
Kabul. It would promote security and stabilisation
and transitioning to a normalised diplomatic
presence in both the countries. The office will
also aid in coordinating the final drawdown of the
Department of States civilian field operations and
staff in Afghanistan. Besides, it will also support
agencies in transitioning to a partnership with the
governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan in the
economic, diplomatic, cultural, technology, and
security fields. It will be particularly in the areas of
program management, rule of law, and program
oversight.
13. Iran has halted Uranium Enrichment
activities
Iran has started halting the Uranium enrichment
and has begun down-blending Uranium enriched
to higher level. The steps were taken on 20
January 2014 by Iran to limit its nuclear
programme as per an interim deal with the world
powers. This report was confirmed by the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that
Iran has halted enrichment work of the uranium
and paved ways to suspend some sanctions
imposed on it by the European Union and the
United States. image The deal with the world
powers has asked Tehran to power down the key
nuclear equipment for six months, which will be
followed by the easing of crippling sanctions
imposed on it. The report of IAEA has also
mentioned that Iran has started diluting its
stockpile of uranium, which was enriched to the
fissile concentration of 20 percent. This level took
Iran closer to its capability of production of fuel
for an atom bomb. It also confirmed that Iran has
started converting some of its reserves into oxide
for production of reactor fuel making it less
suitable to manufacture bombs. IAEA has
confirmed that Iran has ceased enrichment of
uranium above 5 percent U-235 at the two
cascades at the Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant (PFEP)
and four cascades at the Fordow Fuel Enrichment
Plant (FFEP), which were previously used for this
purpose. image Background: Since 2010, Iran has
been enriching uranium to 20 percent
concentration of the fissile U-235 isotope. This
process alarmed the western nations over the
nature of its nuclear programme. Now Iran will
enrich uranium to a lower-level following the
nuclear agreement with six world powers namely
United States, France, Britain, Germany, China
and Russia. Uranium in its enriched form has can
be used for both the purposes of villains and
military. The interim deal between Iran and P5+1
the US, UK, France, Russia, China and Germany
reached in November 2013. The Geneva
agreement has asked Iran to dilute its uranium
stockpile that has been enriched to 20 percent
and allowed that the country can enrich its
uranium to maximum 5 percent, which can be
used for civilian power requirements.


14. Sheikh Hasina sworn-in as
Bangladesh Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina along with her Cabinet of 49
Ministers was sworn-in before President Abdul
Hamid at the Bangabhaban (the Presidents
House) on 12 January 2014. Sheikh Hasina was
sworn-in as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh for
the third time. image The new Cabinet has 29
Ministers, 17 State Ministers, and two Deputy
Ministers. She had won an overwhelming
majority in the Bangladesh general election held
in January 2014 by defeating opposition party,
Jatiya party. The Awami League has secured
absolute majority in the 10th Parliament elections
by bagging 232 seats 105 contested and 127
uncontested. The Jatiya Party was declared as the
second largest party in the parliament bagging 33
seats 13 contested and 20 uncontested. While
the majorities in the new Cabinet are from Awami
League, the rest are from Jatiya Party, Workers
Party, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, and Jatiya Party
(Manju).
15. UKs first public university to accept
fees in Bitcoin
Cumbria University of UK became the first public
university to accept fees in digital currency,
Bitcoin. A system for processing the payments is
already operational. image The payment of fees
through Bitcoin will be only applicable to two new
courses on the roles of complimentary currencies
in economic systems, which will be taught from
summer this year at the Institute for Leadership
and Sustainability (IFLAS). The University said it
hoped that the acceptance of Bitcoins on these
courses would lead to learning by doing. The
University supported Bitcoin due to its speed and
cost, others due the new era of financial freedom
it could enable. Cumbria is thought to be the first
public university in the world to accept the
currency, although a private University in Cyprus
announced last year that it would do so. What is
Bitcoin Bitcoin is an online currency and
payment system which enables the international
transmission of funds. Though thousands of
merchants worldwide accept this
cryptocurrency so called because it uses
cryptography to guarantee its security it has
often been associated with illicit activity, most
notably with the online illegal drug market called
Silk Road. How Bitcoin work: Bitcoin is often
referred to as a new kind of currency. Each of the
millions of Bitcoin currently in existence is
represented by a unique online registration
number. To receive a Bitcoin, a user must also
have a Bitcoin address - a randomly generated
string of 27 to 34 letters and numbers - which acts
as a kind of virtual post box.
16. Invitation to Iran withdrawn by UN
to attend Syria Peace Conference
Ban Ki-moon, the Secretary-General of United
Nations on 20 January 2014 withdrew the
invitation for Iran to join the peace conference on
Syrian crisis. This action was taken following the
Tehrans step to back the plan to form a Syrian
transitional government, which is the basis of the
conference. image Apart from this, the other
reason for the withdrawal of the invitation is
reports that indicate the political opposition of
Syria saying, until the Secretary General retracts
the invitation to Iran, it would withdraw from the
talks. US have also suggested to UN
headquartered in New York that it could support
Irans participation if it explicitly declared support
for the action plan. Peace Conference on Syrian
Crisis has been planned to end the nearly three-
year-old civil war of Syria voicing deep
disappointment. The one week long conference
opening will take place in Montreux, Switzerland
on 22 January 2014 and its foundation for the
negotiations between the Syrian parties will begin
on 24 January 2014 in Geneva. The peace
conference is the biggest diplomatic effort to end
the three-year conflict. image Earlier, after
Foreign Minister Javad Zarifs assurance to UN
that his country understands the basis of the talks
in full implementation of an action plan, which
was adopted in the so-called Geneva
Communique of 2012 allowed UN to invite Iran to
attend the conference. The Geneva Communique
of 30 June 2012 remains the internationally
agreed framework for ending the crisis and calls
for a transitional government to lead to free and
fair elections.
17. Peshawar, largest reservoir of polio
in world: WHO
Peshawar in Pakistan had the largest number of
polio cases in the world in 2013. This was
revealed by World Health Organisation (WHO) in
a global analysis for polio cases on 17 January
2014. imageThe analysis by World Health
Organisation (WHO) further said that Pakistan is
the only polio-endemic country which reported
more polio cases in 2013 than in 2012. Pakistan
reported 83 cases in 2013 compared to 58 cases
in 2012. In 2013, 369 cases were reported
worldwide. In Pakistan, 59 cases were from
Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), 10
from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and seven each from
Punjab and Sindh. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province,
of which Peshawar is the capital and adjoining
tribal districts, has been found to be the polio
hotspot in Pakistan. All the polio cases reported
from Pakistan are type-1 cases. No report of type-
3 polio cases has been reported from Pakistan.
The analysis by WHO suggested that viruses from
Toba Tek Singh, Sahiwal, Lahore and Multan are
closely related with each other. This reflects a
common source of outbreak because of a
significant immunity gap in the central region of
Punjab. As a result, the most immediate
epidemiological challenge is to control this
transmission in the region. At the same time,
building super high immunity in southern districts
of the province is needed to reverse previous
trends of transmission moving to the south after
the central region outbreak.

18. No Lost Generation initiative to save
Syrian children
No Lost Generation initiative has been launched
by United Nations and its humanitarian partners
on 10 January 2014 to save millions of Syrian
Children from loosing generation amidst the civil
war in the country. The Since past three years,
Syria is engaged into the civil war and due to this
more than one million children are leading their
life as refugees. image Ban Ki-moon, the
Secretary-General of United Nations has added
his support to the campaign Initiative has been
launched by UN refugee agency (UNHCR), UN
Childrens Fund (UNICEF), World Vision, Save the
Children, and other NGO partners. No Lost
Generation emphasizes that saving a generation
of potential leaders, teachers, engineers, doctors
and above all- peacemakers - protects the
prosperity of an entire society. The No Lost
Generation initiative has sought international aid
of 1 billion dollar to help the children of Syria by
not allowing them to lead their life of despair,
broken futures and diminished opportunities.
Antonio Guterres, the UN High Commissioner for
Refugees has asked the world for massive and
immediate international support at the period of
crisis in Syria. This move of UN has come ahead of
the Syria donor conference on 17 January 2014 in
Kuwait. The 1 billion dollars will be channeled
through the UN agencies and their partners into
the programme in partnership with Governments
and local communities by practical opportunities
to: Deliver safe education Protection from
exploitation Abuse and violence Psychological
support Peace building efforts Avert the loss
of an entire generation with activities and
interventions To offer more opportunities for
social cohesion and stability in an already volatile
region by restoring their hopes The programme
initiative will also include the strengthening and
community-based child protection systems to
respond the needs of the girls, boys and families
from highly risk of abuse, exploitation, neglect
and violence, while protecting children against
such risks. It will also include access of quality
education to them via formal and non-formal
approaches by introducing accelerated curricula
for those children, who are out of the school,
vocational, and teacher training and other
initiative programmes. It will also create safe
environments to reduce the exposure of
childrens to such risks. Since the crisis of Civil
war began in Syria nearly three years ago, more
than one million children from Syria have become
refugees of which more than 425000 are under
the age of five. The vast majority of these
refugees have fled either to Lebanon, Jordan,
Turkey, Egypt and Iraq. Among them, around
8000 children have been identified as being
separated from their families.

19. Three Transgenders got government
jobs in Pakistan
The Sindh government in Pakistan employed
three transgendered persons in different
departments on 31 January 2014. This is for the
first time that three transgenders have been
employed in Pakistan. Sindh Minister for Social
Welfare and Development, Rubina Qaimkhani
confirmed appointment of Riffay Khan, Muskaan
and Anjum. Riffay holds a masters degree,
whereas Muskaan and Anjum have both
completed their schooling up to matriculation.
image According to official estimates there are
around 500000 gender confused people in
Pakistan and these include eunuchs,
hermaphrodites, transsexuals, transvestites and
homosexuals in addition to castrated men. In
2011, the Supreme Court of Pakistan gave a ruling
that transgenders should be issued national ID
cards and registered as voters and allowed to cast
votes which they did in the general elections in
May 2013.
20. Hery Rajaonarimampianina declared
as the President of Madagascar
Hery Rajaonarimampianina, a former Finance
Minister of Madagascar on 17 January 2014 was
declared as the new President of the nation. His
election as the President came as the result of the
elections conducted on 20 December 2013 with
an aim to restore democracy in the nation. Hery
Rajaonarimampianina was officially declared as
the president of the country by Francois
Rakotozafy, the president of the electoral court.
He was successful in garnering 53 percent of
votes in the elections. image The announcement
of the results was delayed due to a pending court
ruling over the allegations of irregularities in
voting. The allegation was made by his rival
Robinson Jean Louis, who was the candidate of
the ousted President Marc Ravalomanana. Louis
has won 46.51 percent of the votes. About half of
eight million eligible voters were successful in
casting their votes. Hery is backed by Andry
Rajoelina, who staged a coup in 2009 against the
then president Marc Ravalomanana. This coup
attempt pushed Madagascar into a political and
economic crisis. The ousted President
Ravalomanana has gone to South Africa into an
exile. Madagascar was suspended by the African
Union and Southern African Development
Community. With thios election, might be
possible that the country will be allowed back into
the regional; bodied. image The World Bank in its
report on Madagascar estimated that the political
crisis of the country cost it around 8 billion dollar
in lost growth. In 2012, the economy of the
country grew just by 3.1 percent, which made it
to lag behind most African nations.
21. Russia and China to conducted war
games in the Mediterranean Sea
Russia and China will conduct their first ever naval
war games in the Mediterranean Sea from 1
February 2014. The joint naval drill, involves
Russias heavy nuclear missile cruiser Peter the
Great and Chinese frigate Yancheng. image The
main purpose of the drill is to enhance the
interoperability of Russian and Chinese combat
ships for joint operation in the Eastern
Mediterranean.
The Russian and Chinese warships will perform
joint manoeuvring, in the course of which the
Russian cruiser will set up a smokescreen and
ship-borne helicopters of the two vessels will
practise landing on each others deck.
On 7 January 2014, both countries escorted the
first consignment of Syrian chemical weapons
materials that has left the country on a Danish
ship. This became the first practical interaction
between the Russian and the Chinese navies. In
July 2013, Russia and China held a three-day joint
naval military exercise. The Naval Interaction-
2013 in the open waters off the Port of
Vladivostok, Russia. It became Chinas largest
overseas military exercises in terms of the
number of troops deployed outside its territorial
waters. In recent years, the Chinese navy has
participated in a series of joint exercises in the
Pacific and Indian oceans, while Chinese ground
forces have taken part in land war games
organized by the SCO.
22. Russia blocked UN Statement on air-
strikes in the city of Aleppo in Syria
Russia on 8 January 2014 blocked a statement of
UN Security Council that condemned the Syrian
Governments use of air-strikes against civilians in
the city of Aleppo. The city of Aleppo, which once
was a business hub of the country, has now been
divided between the rebel and government
forces. image UN condemned the use of barrel
bombs and scud missiles by the forces of
President Assad, which has killed more than
hundreds of people. Russia by being joined by
China and has vetoed three Security Council
resolutions that has condemned the government
of Syria and has threatened it sanctions. Russia
on 19 December 2013 opposed a similar
statement that would have condemned attacks
on the civilians by the troops of Syrian
government. The council failed to reach an
agreement on 8 January 2014 following the
amendments that was proposed by Russia. As per
an UN diplomat, the proposed amendment has
been designed to rob the statement of any
reference to what has happened in Aleppo. The
statement was British drafted and had councils
express of outrage on the airstrikes of the
government troops in the city of Aleppo in which
more than 700 people have been killed leaving
behind approximately 3000 people injured since
15 December 2013. Till now, more than one lakh
people been killed and numerous have been
forced to flee from Syria in a period of three years
of civil war in the country.
23. USA allowed Sikh military men to
wear turban
USA allowed the Sikh military men to wear
turbans, head scarfs and other religious clothing
with their uniform. USA updated its policy on 23
January 2014. imageThis move is likely to
improve military job prospects for members of
the Sikhs community in USA. Although, the ban
has not put off completely, instead USA army has
put some relaxation. Citing the security issues and
military discipline, it has granted individualised
accommodations to serve in the U.S. Army while
wearing turbans and maintaining beards in a neat
and conservative manner, both in accordance
with operational requirements and their Sikhs
religious beliefs. Whenever a service member
requests such an accommodation it could be
denied only if an official determines that mission
accomplishment needs outweigh the need of the
service member and each request will be assessed
on a case-by-case basis. The Sikhs community
was also allowed to wear protective equipment,
including helmets and gas masks, in conformity
with safety requirements.
24. Malaysian Government to introduce
high-tech ID cards
Malaysian Government announced on 13 January
2014 to introduce high-tech ID cards for foreign
workers. The cards will be introduced by the end
of December 2014. These biometric identity cards
are being introduced to control the influx of illegal
foreign workers. image The new ID cards,
embedded with high-tech chips, would ensure
only legal foreign workers are working in the
country. The cards will store identification
documents of the holder and could be examined
easily by the security personnel. The cards will
come in different colours to indicate various
sectors of employment. The ID cards will have
barcodes that will allow enforcement officers to
scan them using a smartphone to access the
workers' details. These security elements are
important to prevent fraud and forgery of the
card. Malaysia depends heavily on foreign
workers to strengthen its tourism and
infrastructure industry. Currently, more than 2.25
million foreign workers are registered in the
country. The workers from countries like India,
Indonesia, Bangladesh and Cambodia constitute
the main workforce in Malaysia.
25. China marked arrival of the Year of
the Horse
31 January 2014: Chinese Lunar New Year China
on 31 January 2014 marked the arrival of its Year
of the Horse, which is celebrated across the world
by Chinese people. This is the Chinese Lunar New
Year is the only traditional day of holiday for the
people of China. The Chinese Lunar New Year is
also the largest annual mass migration on the
earth as hundreds of millions of people of China
head back to their home towns to spend the
festival with their families. image A call for ethnic
harmony among the people living in China was
issued by Xi Jingping, the President of China on
this day to mark the greetings to the people in his
Lunar New Year. This day is marked by riotous
displays of fireworks, which is thought by people
that it scares off the evil spirits and brings good
luck in return.
26. Al-Qaida linked forces declared
Fallujah as new State
T he Iraq government has lost control of the
strategic city of Fallujah after being captured by
Al-Qaeda linked forces. image Fallujah was
located on the west of Baghdad. Militants now
control the south of the city. Fighting erupts after
government troops broke up a protest camp by
Sunni Arabs in the city of Ramadi on 4 January
2014. They have been accusing the Shia-led
government of marginalising the Sunnis. The
army has surrounded Fallujah, which is just 65km
west of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. It is located in
the vast Sunni-dominated area and is largely
desert province of Anbar. Fallujah borders Syria,
where ISIL fighters are also battling to topple
President Bashar al-Assad. The Prime Minister on
6 January 2014, Nuri al-Maliki appeals to the
tribes and people of Fallujah to expel the
terrorists from the city in order to spare
themselves the risk of armed clashes. The old Al-
Qaeda in Iraq has regenerated itself as the Islamic
State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), also called the
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). During
the last few months, ISIS has become a magnet
for Sunni jihadists around the world. ISIS's
victories in Iraq are a sign of the growing strength
of ISIS in the region. The move is another sign
that Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has not been
able to maintain control of the country since the
United States withdrew its troops in 2011, failing
to reach an agreement with the Maliki
government to leave behind a residual force.
27. Penal Code Article on rape amended
by Morocco Parliament
Morocco Parliament amended Penal Code Article
on rape 24-JAN-2014 Jagran Josh recommends
this article for Bank Exams, Civil Services Exam,
SSC Exams Suggested Readings: 2014 Current
Affairs, International | World, January 2014
Current Affairs 3 1Google +0 A+A- The
Parliament of Morocco on 23 January 2014
unanimously amended an article of the penal
code that allowed rapists of underage girls to
avoid prosecution by marrying their victims.
Country has amended the code following lobbying
of activists seeking better protection of young
rape victims. The Article 475 of the penal code
that generated unprecedented public criticism.
Issue came to public prominence in 2012, when a
16-year-old Amina Filali killed herself after she
was forced to marry with the rapist. A prison term
of one to five year is mentioned to anyone who
abducts or deceives a minor is given in the Article
475. Its second clause says that in case the victim
gets married with the culprit than he cannot be
prosecuted. This clause provides prosecutors to
defend themselves. The right groups have
welcomed the amendment. Gender inequality
and violence against women in Morocco are the
subjects of frequent demonstrations in the capital
Rabat. This amendment was proposed first by the
Islamist-led government of the country in 2013.
image Earlier, Morocco passed a new family code
in 2004, which was more progressive for the
rights of the women than the past.

28. China aircraft carrier completed
tests in disputed South China Sea

China's first aircraft carrier on 1 January 2014
successfully finished a series of tests during a
training mission in the disputed South China Sea
and has returned to port. It has completed a 37-
day deployment, which was carried out amid
mounting regional tensions Japan in December
2013 drilled off the coast of the Hainan Island. As
per the regional military officers and analysts, the
Decembers drill marked not only the first time
China has sent a carrier into the South China Sea
but also it was the first time that its maneuvered
with the kind of strike group of escort ships US
carriers deploy image Liaoning, the aircraft
carrier carried more than 100 tests, which
includes its combat systems. At present it is
docked at the Qingdaos port northern city.
Liaoning is a Soviet-era ship, which was bought
from Ukraine in 1998. It has been re-fitted in the
Chinese shipyard and has been a symbol of naval
build-up of china. It went into service in
September 2012. The military budget of China
has seen a first double digit increase after two
decades. The admirals plan of China is to develop
a full blue-water navy, which will be capable of
demanding the growing economic interests as
well as the disputed territory in South and East
China seas. Provoking the international reactions,
China in November 2013 declared its air defence
rights over most of the part of the East China Sea.
It also claims maximum part of the South China
Sea.
























3. National events
1. Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved
the implementation of the Rural Water Supply and
Sanitation Project for Low Income States (RWSSP-LIS) of
Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh with World
Bank assistance over a period of six years (from 2013-14 to
2019-20)
2. National Waterway-4 project in Tamil Nadu
The Union Government has decided to take up
development of the stretch of 37 Kms of the National
Waterway-four (NW-4) between Sholinganallur to
Kalpakkam in South Buckingham Canal. Launching the
project the Minister of Shipping Shri G.K. Vasan said that
the main components of the project include dredging and
excavation to develop navigational channel, construction
of three terminals and navigational locks, replacement of
one existing bridge at Kelambakkam, and installation of
navigational aids. Over Rs.123crores has been sanctioned
by the central government for the purpose and the project
is expected to be completed in two years. The minister
said that other stretches of the National Waterway-4,
which covers the states of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu
and Puducherry, would also be taken up for development
subsequently. NW-4 covers a total length of 1078 Km
consisting of Kakinada-Puducherry canal systems
integrated with Godavari and Krishna Rivers.

Also inaugurating an office of the Inland Waterways
Authority of India at the campus of the Indian Maritime
University in Chennai today, the minister said the project
will ease out the transportation problems in Chennai
suburbs to a great extent besides promoting tourist
movement to important tourist spots at Mahabalipuram
and Puducherry. The development of South Buckingham
Canal can also improve the drainage system during flood
season in Chennai city.
The canal will be developed to make it suitable for safe
navigation of cargo vessels up to 300 ton capacity for
transportation of general cargo like food grain, fertilizers,
building materials, etc. The canal shall also be suitable for
movement of the passenger and tourist vessels of higher
capacity from Chennai to Mahabalipuram and in future
upto Puducherry and vice versa. The terminals at
Shollinganallur, Mutukkad and Mahabalipuram have been
planned for construction and will be operated with
necessary facilities for cargo, passenger and tourist
vessels.
Earlier addressing the 5th Shipping Conclave organised by
the Southern India Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Shri Vasan said that the maritime education and training
has been another area of focus for the Shipping Ministry.
The aim has been to develop quality trained manpower for
the industry while at the same time opening another
avenue for career to the youth of our country both in the
domestic and international marine sectors. The minister
said that he had the pleasure of opening the Thoothukudi
campus of the prestigious Maritime Training Institute of
Shipping Corporation of India in September last year and
the Karaikal Campus of the IMU earlier this week with this
objective. The government also has planned to open
campuses of the Indian maritime university in all coastal
states of India, the minister added
3. National Urban Health Mission launched
The Union Cabinet gave its approval to launch a National
Urban Health Mission (NUHM) as a new sub-mission under
the over-arching National Health Mission (NHM). Under
the Scheme the following proposals have been
approved:1. One Urban Primary Health Centre (U-PHC) for
every fifty to sixty thousand population.2.One Urban
Community Health Centre (U-CHC) for five to six U-PHCs in
big cities.3.One Auxiliary Nursing Midwives (ANM) for
10,000 population.4.One Accredited Social Health Activist
ASHA (community link worker) for 200 to 500 households.
The estimated cost of NUHM for 5 years period is
Rs.22,507 crore with the Central Government share of
Rs.16,955 crore. Centre-State funding pattern will be 75:25
except for North Eastern states and other special category
states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and
Uttarakhand for whom the funding pattern will be 90:10.
The scheme will focus on primary health care needs of the
urban poor. This Mission will be implemented in 779 cities
and towns with more than 50,000 population and cover
about 7.75 crore people.
The interventions under the sub-mission will result in
Reduction in Infant Mortality Rate (IMR)
Reduction in Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR)
Universal access to reproductive health care
Convergence of all health related interventions.
The existing institutional mechanism and
management systems created and functioning under
NRHM will be strengthened to meet the needs of NUHM.
Citywise implementation plans will be prepared based on
baseline survey and felt need. Urban local bodies will be
fully involved in implementation of the scheme.
NUHM aims to improve the health status of the urban
population in general, particularly the poor and other
disadvantaged sections by facilitating equitable access to
quality health care, through a revamped primary public
health care system, targeted outreach services and
involvement of the community and urban local bodies.
Background
The Union Cabinet in its meeting held in April 2012 has
already approved the continuation of the National Rural
Health Mission (NRHM) and the other sub-mission under
NHM till 31.3.2017.
4. Two year tenure fixed for IAS, IPS
Officers of the three premier services IAS, IPS and IFoS
will now spend a minimum of two years in each posting,
according to new rules aimed at checking political
interference.
However, transfers and postings before two years will be
done by a Civil Services Board to be constituted by states
under the new rules circulated by Department of
Personnel and Training (DoPT) of the central government.
A cadre officer, appointed to any cadre post, shall hold the
office for at least two years unless he or she is promoted,
retired or sent on deputation outside the state or for
training exceeding two months, the rules said.
The Centre or the state government... may transfer a
cadre officer before the minimum specified period on the
recommendation of the Civil Services Board, the rules
said.
States have now been mandated to constitute a civil
services board, which is to be headed by the chief
secretary.
However, the competent authority may reject the
recommendation of the Civil Services Board by recording
the reasons for the same.
For transfer and postings of Indian Administrative Service
officers, the board will have the senior-most Additional
Chief Secretary or Chairman, Board of Revenue or
Financial Commissioner, or an officer of equivalent rank
and status as member, and Principal Secretary or Secretary
of the Department of Personnel in the state government,
as member secretary.
For the posting and transfer of Indian Police Service
officers, the board will have two more members
Principal Secretary or Secretary, Home, and the Director
General of Police.
For Indian Forest Service officers as well, the board is to
have two additional members Principal Secretary or
Secretary, Forest, and the states Principal Chief
Conservator of Forest.
All appointments of cadre officers shall be made on the
recommendation of the civil services board, state the
rules, which were notified by the DoPT on Tuesday.
5. President gave assent to Lokpal and
Lokayuktas Bill 2013
The much talked-about Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill, 2013,
got President Pranab Mukherjees assent on
Wednesday.The Bill, which was passed by Parliament in
the just-concluded winter session, provides for creation of
anti-graft ombudsman to investigate corruption charges
against public functionaries including Prime Minister,
Ministers and Members of Parliament.

Among other provisions, the Bill makes it incumbent upon
States to make within a year their own law for setting up
Lokayuktas on the lines of the Lokpal Bill.

The Bill was sent to the President on Tuesday. It will now
be notified in the official gazette for it to become an Act.
The Act shall be notified by the Law Ministry.

The Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha in 2011 and was
taken up in the Rajya Sabha but could not be voted upon.
It was referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee.
Later the Bill was tabled in the Rajya Sabha and referred to
the select committee. The amended Bill was again tabled
in the Rajya Sabha on December 16 and passed by voice
vote. The following day, it was passed by the Lok Sabha
without debate.
Keywords: Lokpal Bill, President Pranab Mukherjee,
Presidential nod, Law Ministry, Rajya Sabha, Lok Sabha

6. Life expectancy rate increased by five years
Statistics released by the Union ministry of health and
family welfare show that life expectancy in India has gone
up by five years, from 62.3 years for males and 63.9 years
for females in 2001-2005 to 67.3 years and 69.6 years
respectively in 2011-2015. Experts attribute this jump
higher than that in the previous decade to better
immunization and nutrition, coupled with prevention and
treatment of infectious diseases.

The World Health Organization defines life expectancy as
"the average number of years a person is expected to live
on the basis of the current mortality rates and prevalence
distribution of health states in a population". In India,
average life expectancy which used to be around 42 in
1960, steadily climbed to around 48 in 1980, 58.5 in 1990
and around 62s in 2000.
The overall health indicators have also shown significant
improvement across the country in the past 10 years.
Infant mortality ratio has come down to 42 in 2012 from
58 per 1,000 live births in the 2005. "Maternal mortality
ratio has declined from 301 per 100,000 live births in
2001-03 to 212 in 2007-09," the health ministry said.

"A steady supply of food is the prime reason for increased
life expectancy," says Dr George Thomas, editor of the
Indian Journal of Medical Ethics. Since the time of
Independence, famine has reduced dramatically in our
country and people have a decent supply of nutrition.
However, the real challenge lies in taking the numbers
beyond this."

Universal healthcare

The government has increased budget outlay by 335 per
cent to Rs. 3 lakh crore in the 12th Plan for health care to
achieve universal and inclusive health care for all citizens.
Moreover, under the National Health Mission (NHM) there
are two sub-components namely National Rural Health
Mission (NRHM) and National Urban Health Mission
(NUHM) which aim to provide accessible, affordable, and
quality health care to rural as well as urban population.

The NUHM as a sub-mission of NHM, approved by the
Union Cabinet on May 1, 2013, envisages meeting health
care needs of the urban population with a focus on urban
poor, by making available to them essential primary-
health-care services and reducing their out-of-pocket
expenses for treatment. In the 12th Plan an allocation of
Rs. 15,143 crore has been made for NUHM.

NRHM was launched by the government more than eight
years ago and substantial progress had been achieved
under it. More than Rs. 1,11,000 crore had been released
by the Health Ministry to 35 State governments and UTs.
More than 70,000 beds had been added in Government
health institutions for provision of essential and
emergency services across the country.

Addition of nearly 1.6 lakh human resources that include
specialists, doctors, nurses, ANMs, and para-medics and
nearly 9 lakh community health workers called ASHAs had
been appointed in villages to facilitate interface between
communities and the health system.

For management of children with Severe Acute
Malnutrition, 872 Nutrition Rehabilitation Centres have
been operationalized in the country till December, 2013.
Training Package for Facility Based Management of
Children with Severe Acute Malnutrition had been shared
with the States in 2013.

National Programme for the Health Care of Elderly
addresses health-related problems of the elderly.

Reduction in new HIV cases by almost 57 per cent

Infant mortality rate has come down to 42 per cent
7. Standardized voting compartment at
Polling station
Voting compartment shall be made only of cardboard
or flex-board that are opaque and reusable. This shall be in
three folds, each fold having minimurn dimension of
23"X23". lt may be noted here that if any state / UT has
got voting compartments in conformity with the
Commission's earlier instructions i.e. each fold having
dimension of 21"X21", these need not be changed. lf more
than one BU is used for poll, the width of the voting
compartment may be increased as per requirement. 3. lt is
clarified that if standard voting compartment, as
prescribed by the Commission is already available, no new
purchases may be made. ln this regard, the CEO shall take
a review with all DEOs and a decision may be taken
8. What is ICDS Scheme
Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) is
Government of India sponsored programme, is India's
primary social welfare scheme to tackle malnutrition and
health problems in children below 6 years of age and their
mothers. The main beneficiaries of the programme were
aimed to be the children below 6 years of age, pregnant
and lactating mothers, and adolescent girls. The gender
promotion of the girl child by trying to bring her at par
with the male child is a key component of the scheme.
9. Shah Commission report
The Shah Commission report on illegal mining in Odisha
has been placed before a Committee of Secretaries (CoS)
to finalise an action taken report (ATR) in order to submit
the two together before Parliament. This was decided on
Thursday at the Union Cabinet meeting.
The report of the Shah Commission, appointed under the
Commissions of Inquiry Act, must be placed before
Parliament together with an ATR. The ATR will be drafted
by the CoS and then the Cabinet will take a final view on
that, said Finance Minister P. Chidambaram to the media
after the Cabinet meeting, Parts of the scathing report;
indicting both the Central and the State government for
systematic illegal mining worth thousands of crores in
Odisha, which went unchecked for years was leaked by
The Hindu.
The report has been sitting with the government for more
than six months but they have dithered from either tabling
it in Parliament or even finalising the ATR. The report had
been classified as secret by the government and it was
only a case filed before the Supreme Court on the matter
that finally stirred the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) to
consider it at the Union Cabinet and move it a step closer
towards its logical conclusion. Under the regulations, the
Centre is obliged to table the report along with a
memorandum of action (taken by the government on the
report) in Parliament within six months. Sources in the
government said while the individual Ministries involved
the Mines and Environment Ministries had prepared
draft ATRs, the decision to now move it through a CoS
could further stretch the process of finalisation. Earlier,
the Shah Commission reports embarrassed the UPA with
the panel indicting the Environment Ministry for gross
violation of regulations in the Goa mining cases when the
Prime Minister held the Cabinet portfolio.
The government has refused permission to the Shah
Commission to finish its work in Jharkhand and
Chhattisgarh and denied it another extension. The five-
volume report of the Shah Commission, had noted a
collusion of officials from the State and the Central
government with the miners that lead to exploitation of
loopholes in the mining regulations and flagrant abuse of
green laws. While asking for criminal proceedings against
the officials and the mining companies that violated laws,
the panel has also asked for recovery of costs of the
illegally mined ore at market or export prices. Keywords:
Odisha, Illegal mining, Shah Commission, Report,
Committee of Secretaries, action taken report, Shah
Commission
10. Establishment of Medical colleges
nod by CCEA for deficient states
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has
approved the proposal of the Ministry of Health and
Family Welfare relating to the Centrally sponsored
scheme for establishment of new medical colleges
attached with existing district/referral hospitals. The
approval is for establishment of 58 new medical
colleges by upgradation of existing district hospitals
in deficient states with intake capacity of 100 MBBS
seats in each medical college. This will result in an
increase of about 5800 seats. The central assistance
share will be of Rs. 8457.40 crore and State/UT share
of Rs. 2513.70 crore. The funding pattern will be
90:10 by Central and State Governments
respectively for North Eastern States and special
category States and in the ratio of 75:25 for other
States. The total cost of establishment of the one
medical college is approximately about Rs.189 crore.
The distance between the district/referral hospital
and the medical college shall be within 10 kms and
on two pieces of land.
11. Guidelines for the television rating
agencies approved
Policy Guidelines for Television Rating Agencies in
India
The Union Cabinet today approved the proposal of
the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting for
bringing out a comprehensive regulatory framework
in the form of guidelines for Television Rating
Agencies in India. These guidelines cover detailed
procedures for registration of rating agencies,
eligibility norms, terms and conditions of
registration, cross-holdings, methodology for
audience measurement, a complaint redressal
mechanism, sale and use of ratings, audit, disclosure,
reporting requirements and action on non-
compliance of guidelines etc. The proposal is based
on recommendations made by the Telecom
Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on "Guidelines
for Television Rating Agencies" dated 11th
September, 2013.
Based on the recommendations of TRAI,
comprehensive policy guidelines for television rating
agencies have been formulated.
Salient features of these guidelines are as follows:
All rating agencies including the existing rating
agencies shall obtain registration from the Ministry
of Information and Broadcasting.
Detailed registration procedure, eligibility norms,
terms and conditions, cross-holding norms, period of
registration, security conditions and other
obligations have been delineated.
No single company / legal entity either directly or
through its associates or interconnect undertakings
shall have substantial equity holding that is, 10
percent or more of paid up equity in both rating
agencies and broadcasters/advertisers/advertising
agencies.
Ratings ought to be technology neutral and shall
capture data across multiple viewing platforms viz.
cable TV, Direct-to- Home (DTH), Terrestrial TV etc.
Panel homes for audience measurement shall be
drawn from the pool of households selected through
an establishment survey. A minimum panel size of
20,000 to be implemented within six months of the
guidelines coming into force. Thereafter the panel
size shall be increased by 10,000 every year until it
reaches the figure of 50,000.
Secrecy and privacy of the panel homes must be
maintained. 25 percent of panel homes shall be
rotated every year.
The rating agency shall submit the detailed
methodology to the Government and also publish it
on its website.
The rating agency shall set up an effective
complaint redressal system with a toll free number.
The rating agency shall set up an internal audit
mechanism to get its entire methodology/processes
audited internally on quarterly basis and through an
independent auditor annually. All audit reports to be
put on the website of the rating agency.
Government and TRAI reserve the right to audit the
systems /procedures/mechanisms of the rating
agency.
Non-compliance of guidelines on cross-holding,
methodology, secrecy, privacy, audit, public
disclosure and reporting requirements shall lead to
forfeiture of two bank guarantees worth Rs. one
crore furnished by the company in the first instance,
and, in the second instance shall lead to cancellation
of registration. For violation of other provisions of
the guidelines, the action shall be forfeiture of bank
guarantee of Rs. 25 lakh for the first instance of non-
compliance, forfeiture of bank guarantee of Rs.75
lakh for the second instance of non compliance and
for the third instance, cancellation of registration.
30 days time would be given to the existing rating
agency to comply with the guidelines.
The guidelines would come into effect immediately
from the date of notification.
The Guidelines for Television Rating Agencies in India
are designed to address aberrations in the existing
television rating system. These guidelines are aimed
at making television ratings transparent, credible
and accountable. The agencies operating in this field
have to comply with directions relating to public
disclosure, third party audit of their mechanisms and
transparency in the methodologies adopted. This
would help make rating agencies accountable to
stakeholders such as the Government, broadcasters,
advertisers, advertising agencies and above all the
people.
Background:
Television Rating Points (TRPs) have been a much
debated issue in India since the present system of
TRPs is riddled with several maladies such as small
sample size which is not representative, lack of
transparency, lack of reliability and credibility of data
etc. Shortcomings in the present rating system have
been highlighted by key stakeholders that include
individuals, consumer groups, government,
broadcasters, advertisers, and advertising agencies
etc. Members of Standing Committee on
Information Technology had also expressed concern
over the shortcomings.
In 2008, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
(MIB) had sought recommendations of TRAI on
various issues relating to TRPs and policy guidelines
to be adopted for rating agencies. TRAI, in its
recommendations in August 2008, had amongst
other things recommended the approach of self-
regulation through the establishment of an industry-
led body, that is the Broadcast Audience Research
Council (BARC).
The Ministry had constituted a Committee under the
Chairmanship of Dr. Amit Mitra, the then Secretary
General FICCI, in 2010 to review the existing TRP
system In India. The committee also recommended
that self-regulation of TRPs by the industry was the
best way forward.
Since, the BARC could not operationalise the TRP
generating mechanism, the Ministry of Information
& Broadcasting sought recommendations of TRAI in
September 2013 on comprehensive
guidelines/accreditation mechanism for television
rating agencies in India to ensure fair competition,
better standards and quality of services by television
rating agencies. TRAI recommendations on Guideline
for Television Rating Agencies were received in
September 2013. While supporting self-regulation of
television ratings through an industry-led body like
BARC, TRAI recommended that television rating
agencies shall be regulated through a framework in
the form of guidelines to be notified by MIB. It also
recommended that all rating agencies, including the
existing rating agency, shall require registration with
MIB in accordance with the terms and conditions
prescribed under the guidelines.
12. Guidelines for dealing with mercy
pleas
Supreme Court laid down 12 guidelines for
authorities in dealing with death-row prisoners on
22 January 2014. Supreme Court said that the
solitary confinement of prisoners is unconstitutional.
Three judges bench headed by Chief Justice
P.Sathasivam formulated the guidelines for the
conduct on how death row inmates should be
treated.
As currently there is no symmetry between the
manuals of state and central jail authorities.
Guidelines are as follows:
The procedure should be followed while placing
the mercy plea before the President. All the required
documents and records should be sent to the
Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in one stroke instead
of piece-meal basis.
Once MHA received all the details, it should
convey its recommendations to the President within
a reasonable and rational time.
MHA should send periodical reminders if there is
no response from the office of the President.
If there is a rejection of mercy plea by the
President or the Governor, the same should be
communicated in writing to the prisoners and to
their family.
The death convicts are entitled "to receive a copy
of the rejection of the mercy petition by the
President and the Governor.
There must be a gap of 14 days between receipt
of communication of rejection of mercy petition and
execution date. This would allow the death convict
to prepare himself mentally for the execution.
Without sufficient notice of the scheduled date
of execution, the right of prisoners to avail of judicial
remedies will be thwarted.
There should be a provision of final meeting
between condemned prisoners and their family as
such a procedure is intrinsic to humanity and justice,
and should be followed by all prison authorities.
There should be regular mental health evaluation
of all death row convicts and appropriate medical
care should be given to those in need.
After the issuance of execution warrant, the
prison superintendent should satisfy himself on the
basis of medical reports by government doctors and
psychiatrists that the prisoner is in a fit physical and
mental condition to be executed.
It is necessary that copies of relevant documents
should be furnished to the prisoner within a week by
prison authorities to assist in making mercy petition.
The apex court also made post-mortem of death
convicts after their hanging obligatory.
Mercy Petition
As per the constitution of India, There is a provision
under Article- 72, which states that president of
India has a power to grant pardon to any person
convicted of any offence.
The President is guided and advised by the home
minister and the council of ministers in his decision.
There is no timeframe in which the President has to
make the decision which is subject to judicial review.
13. National Waqf Development
Corporation Limited

Who: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
Where: New Delhi
What: inaugrated National Waqf Development
Corporation Limited
When: 29 January 2014
Why: to work for development of Waqf
properties for the community welfare
Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister of India
on 29 January 2014 inaugurated National Waqf
Development Corporation Limited (NAWADCO)
that is a new Central Public Sector Enterprise in
New Delhi. It will be remain under the Ministry
of Minority Affairs. National Waqf Development
Corporation (NAWADCO) has been established
with an authorized share capital of Rs.500
Crore.

An official release said that the Waqf
Corporation is an important institution that will
work for development of Waqf properties for
the community welfare. It will also facilitate and
mobilize financial resources for the
development of Waqf properties for community
development purposes in a joint venture with
the state and Union Territory Waqf Boards and
the Mutawallis.
The corporation has been establishment as a
follow-up of the recommendation of Sachar
Committee. In India more than 4.9 lakh
registered Waqf properties are present and it
fetches about 163 crore rupees annually. The
recommendation of Sachar Committee says
that if the properties of Waqf board are
developed properly than it will bring an annual
income of about 12000 crore.
NAWADCO has been established with an
authorized share capital of 500 crore rupees
with an aim of facilitating and mobilizing the
financial resources.
About Sachar Committee
The Government of India constituted a Prime
Minister's High Level, Justice Sachar Committee
for preparation of a Report on the Social,
Economic and Educational Status of Muslim
Community of India. The Committee has
submitted its report and this report is under
implementation. The Sachar Committee Report
is under implementation and in its findings it
has established that Muslims in India are most
backward community despite of their rich
cultural heritage. The committee was chaired by
Justice Rajindar Sachar and was constitution
following the notification issued by the PMO on
9 March 2005.
Apart from the Sachar Committee, the
Government also constituted Justice Ranganath
Mishra Commission for identifying criteria for
socially and economically backward classes
among the religious and linguistic minorities,
and to suggest various welfare measures for
Minorities including Reservation. The
Government has tabled the Justice Ranganath
Mishra Report in the Parliament and
considering various aspects for implementation
of the Report.
14. CAG can audit telecom companies

15. Capacity Building Scheme and Rajiv
Gandhi Institute for Climate Change
approved
16. Cantilever Pamban Bridge
completed 100 years
17. Policy Guidelines for Land
Management by major ports
approved
18. India Post to install 3000 ATM &
1.35 lakh micro-ATM by September
2015
19. National Food Security Act (NFSA),
2013
20. Implementation of NFSA extended
to Karnataka and Chhattisgarh
21. Amendments to Mega Power Policy
2009 approved
22. MRD signed MoU with Digital Green
23. Set up of Rail Tariff Authority
approved
24. The Central Sector Scheme, ILDP
approved by CCEA
25. Restrictions on Airbus A-380 in
India removed
26. Jain community granted minority
status across India

4. Local events
5. Economics and energy


1. Indias International Investment
Position released
2. Overall International Investment
Position of India
3. Composition of International
Financial Assets and Liabilities of
India
4. Share of External Debt and Non-
Debt Liabilities of India
5. India became third largest crude
oil importer in the World
6. CRISIL launched Financial Inclusix
Index 2013
7. MOT formed to reassess
Hydrocarbon Resources of India
8. Currency notes issued before 2005
to be withdrawn
9. Government notified new natural
Gas Pricing Formula
10. Foreign Direct Investment rules
relaxed by RBI
11. India ranked lowest in
International Intellectual Property
Index
12. China to be become a partner in the
proposed NIMZ in Andhra Pradesh
13. Natural Manufacturing Policy
benefits extended to Industry
Clusters
14. Kelkar panel submitted report
15. RBI selected CCIL as Legal Entity
Identifier
16. India Inclusive Innovation Fund
launched
17. HSBC released Services Purchasing
Managers Index (PMI)
18. Sale of 10% stake in IOC to ONGC
and OIL approved
19. CRISIL forecast on Indian economy
20. Guidelines on New Land Policy for
Major Ports of the Country
Released
21. Indian companies allowed by RBI
to issue non-convertible
debentures
22. Guidelines on National Mission on
Oil seeds and Oil Palm
23. RBI relaxed Gold loan norms
24. RBI included Hong Kong and Macau
in the sensitive list
25. IMF forecast of India Economic
Growth
26. India signed a Credit Agreement
with World Bank for RRSMP
27. CCI ordered fresh probe into Coal
India and subsidiary for violations
28. CIL declared dividend of 290
percent for 2013-14
29. Sale of Governments residual
stake of HZL approved
30. India to have 243 million Internet
users by June 2014
31. 2 oil and gas blocks Offered to
ONGC by Sudan at Petrotech 2014
32. Third Quarter Policy Review by RBI
33. NABARD reduced refinance rate for
banks
34. 1000 rupees minimum monthly
pension plan
35. Guidelines for investment in Equity
Exchange Traded Funds issued by
IRDA
36. New CPI for Anchoring Monetary
Policy
37. Suresh Mathur panel formed by
IRDA

6. Awards and prizes

1. 56th annual Grammy Awards
Who: The Recording Academy
Where: Los Angeles, California
What: Grammy Awards
When: 26 January 2014
56th Annual Grammy AwardsThe Recording
Academy announced the 56th Annual Grammy
Awards at Staples Center in Los Angeles,
California on 26 January 2014. This year the
Grammy Awards weren't just about the music
and they were also about making a statement in
the same-sex marriage debate.
Category Album Name of
Artist
Album of the
year
Random
Access
Memories

Daft Punk
Record of the Get Lucky Daft Punk ,
year Pharrell
Williams and
Nile Rodgers
New artist Macklemore
and Ryan
Lewis

Song of the
year
Royals Lorde

Childrens
album
Throw a
Penny in the
Wishing
Well
Jennifer Gasoi
Pop solo
performance
Royals Lorde

About Grammy Awards The Grammy awards
are the recording industrys most prestigious
award presented annually by The Recording
Academy.The Recording Academy also known
as The National Academy of Recording Arts &
Science in United States was established in
1957. The Grammy Awards are truly a peer
honor, awarded by and to artists and technical
professionals for artistic or technical
achievement. The Grammy Awards
presentation brings together thousands of
creative and technical professionals in the
recording industry from all over the world.

2. 71st Golden Globe Awards
2014
71st Golden Globe Awards were announced at
Los Angeles on 11 January 2014. The event was
organised by Hollywood Foreign Press
Association. image It is one of the few awards
ceremonies that span both television and
motion picture achievements. The winners in
the various categories are as follows- -
Best Motion Picture, Drama: 12 Years a
slave
Best Director - Motion Picture: Alfonso
Cuaron for Gravity
Best Actress in a Motion Picture: Cate
Blanchett for Blue Jasmine
Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama:
Mathew Mc Conaughey for Dollas Buyers Club
Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy -
American Hustle
Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or
Comedy - Leonardo DiCaprio The Wolf of Wall
Street
Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or
Comedy - Amy Adams American Hustle
Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama,
Musical or Comedy - Jared Leto Dallas Buyers
Club
Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama,
Musical or Comedy Jennifer Lawrence -
American Hustle
Best Screenplay- Spike Jonze Her
Best Animated Feature Film- Frozen
Best Foreign Language Film - The Great
Beauty (Italy) Woody Allen won a lifetime
achievement award for more than four decades
of writing, producing and directing films.
3. 59th Idea Filmfare Awards
2013
9th Idea Filmfare Awards were given away on
24 January 2014. At the 59th Idea Filmfare
Awards, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag grabbed seven
Black Lady awards. The award for the Best
Actor was given to Farhaan Akhtar for his
performance in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. Deepika
Padukone on the other hand was adjudged as
the Best Actress for Ramleela. image Bhaag
Milkha Bhaag was awarded with the Best Film
award, and its director Omprakash Mehra won
the Black Lady for the Best Director. The
lifetime achievement award was given away to
Tanuja. Rest of the awards was as follows:
Award for Best Debut Director: Ritesh Batra
(The Lunchbox) Award for Best Debut (Male):
Dhanush (Raanjhanaa) Award for Best Debut
(Female): Vaani Kapoor (Shuddh Desi Romance)
Award for Best Film (Critics): Ritesh Batra (The
Lunchbox) Award for Best Actor (Critics):
Rajkummar Rao (Shahid) Award for Best
Actress (Critics): Shilpa Shukla (BA Pass) Award
for Best Screenplay: Abhishek Kapoor, Chetan
Bhagat, Supratik Sen and Pubali Chaudari (Kai
Po Che) Award for Best Story: Subhash Kapoor
(Jolly LLB) Award for Best Actor in a Supporting
Role: Nawazuddin Siddiqui (The Lunchbox)
Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role:
Supriya Pathak Kapur (Goliyon Ki Raslila- Ram
Leela) Award for Best Music: Jeet Ganguly,
Mithoon and Ankit Tiwari (Aashiqui 2) Award
for Best Lyrics: Prasoon Joshi for Zinda (Bhaag
Milkha Bhaag) Award for Best Playback Singer
Male: Arijit Singh (Tum hi ho, Aashiqui) Award
for Best Playback Singer Female: Monali Thakur
(Sawaar loon, Lootera) The RD Burman Award:
Sidharth Mahadevan Award for Best Action:
Thomas Struthers and Guru Bachchan (D Day)
Award for Best Cinematography: Kamaljit Negi
(Madras Cafe) Award for Best Editing: Aarif
Sheikh (D-Day) Award for Best Costume: Dolly
Ahluwalia (Bhaag Milkha Bhaag).
4. Amadelkufa in South Africa
Ela Gandhi, the granddaughter of Mahatma
Gandhi was honoured with Amadelkufa in
South Africa on 26 January 2014. She was
honoured for her lifetime contribution to the
freedom struggle of South Africa. Amdelkufa in
Zulu language means Sacrifice. She formed the
trio of Indian-origin South Africans along with
Sunny Singh and Mac Maharaj. These three
played an active role in the Umkhonto we Sizwe
(Spear of the Nation). The Umkhonto we Sizwe
was the armed struggle wing of the African
National Congress. Umkhonto we Sizwe's
former members were incorporated into the
South African defence force after 1994, when
multi-racial democracy came in existence in the
country, followed by the release of Nelson
Mandela. Mandela was the first democratically-
elected president of South Africa. image About
Ela Gandhi Ela Gandhi was born on 1 July 1940
in South Africa and is a peace activist in the
country She was a Member of Parliament in
South Africa from 1994 to 2004. She was an
alternate member of the Justice Committee and
served on Theme Committee 5 on Judiciary and
Legal Systems Gandhi grew up in an ashram of
the Phoenix Settlement near Durban, South
Africa. This settlement area is the place where
Mahatma Gandhi ran his successful anti-
discrimination activities during his tenure in
Durban She has served as an executive
member of the Natal Organisations of Women
from its inception until 1991 During apartheid,
Gandhi was banned in 1975 from political
activism and subjected to house arrest for a
total of nine years She was among the
members of the United Democratic Front who
met with Nelson Mandela prior to his release
from Pollsmoor Prison on 11 February 1990
Prior to the 1994 elections, Gandhi was a
member of the Transitional Executive
Committee.

5. Padma Awards for the Year
2014
The Union Government of India on the eve of
the 65th Republic Day function announced the
Padma Awards 2014. Pranab Mukherjee, the
President of Union of India on 25 January 2013
approved 127 Padma Awards. Two people
were conferred with Padma Vibhusan, twenty
four were conferred with Padma Bhushan and
101 people were given Padma Shree. Out of 127
awardees, 27 were women and 10 people
belonged to categories like NRIs, PIOs,
Foreigners and Posthumous.
Following is the list of 127 Padma Award
winners:
Padma Vibhushan
Name Discipline State/
Domicile
Dr. Raghunath A.
Mashelkar
Science and
Engineering
Maharashtra
B.K.S. Iyengar Others-Yoga Maharashtra
Padma Bhushan
Name Discipline State/
Domicile
Prof. Gulam
Mohammed Sheikh
Art - Painting Gujarat
Begum Parveen Sultana Art - Classical
Singing
Maharashtra
T.H. Vinayakram Art - Ghatam Artist Tamil Nadu
Kamala Haasan Art-Cinema Tamil Nadu
Justice Dalveer
Bhandari
Public Affairs Delhi
Prof. Padmanabhan
Balaram
Science and
Engineering
Karnataka
Prof. Jyeshtharaj Joshi Science and
Engineering
Maharashtra
Dr. Madappa
Mahadevappa
Science and
Engineering
Karnataka
Dr. Thirumalachari
Ramasami
Science and
Engineering
Delhi
Dr. Vinod Prakash
Sharma
Science and
Engineering
Delhi
Dr. Radhakrishnan
Koppillil
Science and
Engineering
Karnataka
Dr. Mrityunjay Athreya Literature and
Education
Delhi
Anita Desai Literature and
Education
Delhi
Dr. Dhirubhai Thaker Literature and
Education
Gujarat
Vairamuthu Ramasamy
Thevar
Literature and
Education
Tamil Nadu
Ruskin Bond Literature and
Education
Uttarakhand
Pullela Gopichand Sports - Badminton Andhra
Pradesh
Leander Paes Sports - Tennis Maharashtra
Vijayendra Nath Kaul Civil Service Delhi
Late Justice Jagdish
Sharan Verma
Public Affairs Uttar
Pradesh
Late Dr. Anumolu
Ramakrishna
Science and
Engineering
Andhra
Pradesh
Prof. Anisuzzaman Literature and
Education
Bangladesh
Prof. Lloyd I. Rudolph Literature and
Education
USA
Prof. Susanne H.
Rudolph
Literature and
Education
USA
Dr. (Smt.) Neelam Kler Medicine -
Neonatology
Delhi
Padma Shri
Name Discipline State/
Domicile
Mohammad Ali Baig Art - Theatre Andhra
Pradesh
Nayana Apte Joshi Art - Maharashtra
Musafir Ram Bhardwaj Art - Instrumental
Music - Pauna
Manjha
Himachal
Pradesh
Sabitri Chatterjee Art - Film West
Bengal
Prof. Biman Bihari Das Art - Sculptor Delhi
Sunil Das Art - Painting West
Bengal
Elam Endira Devi Art - Manipuri Dance Manipur
Vijay Ghate Art - Instrumental
Music - Tabla
Maharashtra
Rani Karnaa Art - Kathak West
Bengal
Bansi Kaul Art - Theatre Jammu &
Kashmir
Ustad Moinuddin Khan Art - Instrumental
Music-Sarangi Player
Rajasthan
Geeta Mahalik Art - Odishi Dance Delhi
Paresh Maity Art - Painting Delhi
Ram Mohan Art - Film Animation Maharashtra
Sudarsan Pattnaik Art - Sand Artist Orissa
Paresh Rawal Art - Cinema and
Theatre
Maharashtra
Wendell Augustine
Rodricks
Art - Fashion
Designing
Goa
Prof. Kalamandalam
Sathyabhama
Art Mohini Attam Kerala
Anuj (Ramanuj) Sharma Art - Performing Art Chhattisgarh
Santosh Sivan Art - Film Tamil Nadu
Supriya Devi Art-Bengali Cinema West
Bengal
Sooni Taraporevala Art- Script Writing Maharashtra
Vidya Balan Art-Cinema Maharashtra
Durga Jain Social Work Maharashtra
Dr. Rama Rao Anumolu Social Work Andhra
Pradesh
Dr. Brahm Dutt Social Work Haryana
Mukul Chandra Goswami Social Work Assam
J.L. Kaul Social Work Delhi
Mathurbhai Madhabhai
Savani
Social Work Gujarat
Tashi Tondup Public Affairs Jammu and
Kashmir
Dr. Hasmukh Chamanlal
Shah
Public Affairs Gujarat
Sekhar Basu Science and
Engineering
Maharashtra
Madhavan
Chandradathan
Science and
Engineering
Kerala
Prof. Sushanta Kumar
Dattagupta
Science and
Engineering
West
Bengal
Dr. Ravi Bhushan Grover Science and
Engineering
Maharashtra
Prof. Eluvathingal
Devassy Jemmis
Science and
Engineering
Karnataka
Ramkrishna V. Hosur Science and
Engineering
Maharashtra
Dr. Ajay Kumar Parida Science and
Engineering
Tamil Nadu
Dr. Malapaka Yajneswara
Satyanarayana Prasad
Science and
Engineering
Andhra
Pradesh
Kiran Kumar Alur Seelin Science and
Engineering
Gujarat
Dr. Brahma Singh Science and
Engineering
Delhi
Prof. Vinod Kumar Singh Science and
Engineering
Madhya
Pradesh
Dr. Govindan
Sundararajan
Science and
Engineering
Andhra
Pradesh
Ramaswamy R. Iyer Science and
Engineering
Delhi
Dr. Jayanta Kumar Ghosh Science and
Engineering
West
Bengal
Ravi Kumar Narra Trade and Industry Andhra
Pradesh
Rajesh Saraiya Trade and Industry Maharashtra
Mallika Srinivasan Trade and Industry Tamil Nadu
Pratap Govindrao Pawar Trade and Industry Maharashtra
Dr. Kiritkumar
Mansukhlal Acharya
Medicine -
Dermatology
Gujarat
Dr. Balram Bhargava Medicine -
Cardiology
Uttar
Pradesh
Prof. (Dr.) Indra
Chakravarty
Medicine - Health &
Hygiene
West
Bengal
Dr. Ramakant Krishnaji
Deshpande
Medicine - Oncology Maharashtra
Prof. (Dr.) Pawan Raj
Goyal
Medicine - Chest
Disease
Haryana
Prof. Amod Gupta Medicine -
Opthalmology
Haryana
Prof. (Dr.) Daya Kishore Medicine Uttar
Hazra Pradesh
Prof. (Dr.) Thenumgal
Poulose Jacob
Medicine - Vascular
Surgery
Tamil Nadu
Prof. (Dr.) Shashank R.
Joshi
Medicine -
Endocrinology
Maharashtra
Prof. Hakim Syed
Khaleefathullah
Medicine - Unani
Medicine
Tamil Nadu
Dr. Milind Vasant
Kirtane
Medicine - ENT
Surgeory
Maharashtra
Dr. Lalit Kumar Medicine - oncology Delhi
Dr. Mohan Mishra Medicine Bihar
Dr. M. Subhadra Nair Medicine -
Gyneacology
Kerala
Dr. Ashok Panagariya Medicine - Neurology Rajasthan
Dr. Narendra Kumar
Pandey
Medicine - Surgery Haryana
Dr. Sunil Pradhan Medicine - Neurology Uttar
Pradesh
Dr. Ashok Rajgopal Medicine -
Orthopaedics
Delhi
Dr. Kamini A. Rao Medicine -
Reproductive
Medicine
Karnataka
Dr. Sarbeswar Sahariah Medicine - Surgery Andhra
Pradesh
Prof. Om Prakash
Upadhyaya
Medicine - Punjab
Prof. (Dr.) Mahesh
Verma
Medicine - Dental
Science
Delhi
Dr. J.S. Titiyal Medicine-
Opthalmology
Delhi
Dr. Nitish Naik Medicine- Cardiology Delhi
Dr. Surbrat Kumar
Acharya
Medicine-
Gastroentrology
Delhi
Dr. Rajesh Kumar Grover Medicine-Oncology Delhi
Dr. Naheed Abidi Literature and
Education
Uttar
Pradesh
Prof. Ashok Chakradhar Literature and
Education
Delhi
Chhakchhuak
Chhuanvawra
Literature and
Education
Mizoram
Keki N. Daruwalla Literature and
Education
Delhi
Prof. Ganesh Narayandas Literature and Gujarat
Devi Education
Prof. Kolakaluri Enoch Literature and
Education
Andhra
Pradesh
Prof. (Dr.) Ved Kumari
Ghai
Literature and
Education
Jammu and
Kashmir
Manorama Jafa Literature and
Education
Delhi
Prof. Rehana Khatoon Literature and
Education
Delhi
Dr. Waikhom Gojen
Meeitei
Literature and
Education
Manipur
Vishnu Narayanan
Namboothiri
Literature and
Education
Kerala
Prof. Dinesh Singh Literature and
Education
Delhi
Dr. P. Kilemsungla Literature and
Education
Nagaland
Anjum Chopra Sports - Cricket Delhi
Sunil Dabas Sports - Kabbadi Haryana
Love Raj Singh
Dharmshaktu
Sports -
Mountaineering
Delhi
Dipika Rebecca Pallikal Sports - Squash Tamil Nadu
H. Boniface Prabhu Sports - Wheelchair
Tennis
Karnataka
Yuvraj Singh Sports - Cricket Haryana
Mamta Sodha Sports -
Mountaineering
Haryana
Parveen Talha Civil Service Uttar
Pradesh
Late Dr. Narendra
Achyut Dabholkar
Social Work Maharashtra
Ashok Kumar Mago Trade and Industry USA
Dr. Siddharth Mukherjee Medicine-Oncology USA
Dr. Vamsi Mootha Medicine -
Biomedical Research
USA
Dr. Sengaku Mayeda Literature and
Education
Japan

Padma Awards Padma Awards are the highest
Civilian Awards and are conferred to people in
three different categories namely, Padma
Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri.
These Awards are conferred on people for the
work done by them in different categories
including art, social work, public affairs, science
and engineering, trade and industry, medicine,
literature and education, sports, civil service,
and many more. Padma Vibhusan is conferred
on the people for the exceptional and
distinguished services done by them.
Padma Bhushan for distinguished service of
high order
Padma Shri is given to a person for his/her
distinguished service in any field These awards
are announced on the eve of Republic Day
celebration and are conferred by the President
of India at a function organised at Rastrapati
Bhawan sometime around March/April every
year.
6. Lokmanya Tilak National
Award
Mammen Mathew, the Chief Editor and
Managing Director of Malayala Manorma has
been chosen for prestigious journalism award
instituted by a trust founded by Lokamanya Bal
Gangadhar Tilak on 31 December 2013. image
The Lokmanya Tilak National Award instituted
by the Kesari Mahratta Trust for excellence in
journalism consist a memento and a cash of 1
lakh rupees. It will be given on the day of
celebrations of the trusts 133rd foundation day
at Tilakwada, Pune on 4 January 2013. About
Mammen Mathew Mammen Mathew is a
senior journalist with an experience of 44 years
of working in reputed publications in India and
abroad. He served as the President of the
Editors Guild of India He has been a President
of Indian Newspaper Society; it is an association
of newspaper owners He has also been a
member of the National Security Advisory
Board He was the first Indian, Director Trustee
of the Thomson Reuters Founders Share
Company
7. Sunil Gangopadhyay Award
2012 & 2013
President of India, Pranab Mukherjee presented
the Sunil Gangopadhyay Memorial Award of
2012 and 2013 on 11 January 2014 to two
eminent Bengali poets, namely Nirendranath
Chakraborty and Sankha Ghosh, respectively.
The awards were given at a function at Raj
Bhawan in Kolkata. About Sunil Gangopadhyay
Memorial Award image The Sunil
Gangopadhyay Memorial Award was instituted
by a cultural organisation The Bengal in 2012
following his death. Gangopadhyay had a talent
of bringing in the historical research works into
his writings.

8. Pravasi Bharatiya Samman
Awards
Pranab Mukherjee, the President of India on 9
January 2014 conferred the Pravasi Bhartiya
Samman Awards to thirteen NRIs, PIOs and
organisations for their outstanding contribution
in the country of their residence as well as to
India. The Pravasi Bhartiya Divas was organised
in New Delhi from 7 to 9 January 2014. The
theme for the year was Engaging Diaspora:
Connecting Across Generations. image
Following people were awarded Lisa Maria
Singh from Australia she was given for Public
service and fostering friendly relations between
India and Australia. Kurian Varghese from
Bahrain was awarded for Business for
enhancing Indias image and for Promotion
better understanding of India abroad. Vasdev
Chanchlani from Canada was awarded for
Community service and fostering ties between
India and Canada and efforts in promotion
Indian culture and heritage. Ramakrishna
Mission from Fiji was awarded for Community
service and philanthropic activity and enhancing
Indias prestige abroad. Satnarainsing Rabin
Baldewsingh from Netherlands was awarded for
Public service and developing closer ties
between India and South Africa. Bikas
Chandra Sanyal from France was awarded for
Education and culture and enhancing Indias
image. Sasindran Muthuvel from Papua New
Guinea was awarded for the field of Public
service. Shihabudeen Vava Kunju from Saudi
Arabia was awarded for the Community service
and promoting ties between India and the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Ela Gandhi from
South Africa was awarded for Public service,
enhancing Indias image and promoting ties
between India and South Africa. Shamsheer
Vayalil Parambath from United Arab was
awarded for Health business and in promoting
Better understanding of India United Arab
Emirates. Shailesh Lakhman Vara from United
Kingdom has been awarded for Public service
and in promoting ties between India and the
people of U.K. Parthasarathy Chiramel Pillai
from USA was awarded for Science and for
fostering closer relations between India and
USA. Renu Khator from USA has been
awarded for Education and enhancing Indias
prestige abroad. Pravasi Bharatiya Divas
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) is celebrated on 9
January every year to mark the contribution of
Overseas Indian community in the development
of India. Mahatma Gandhi returned from South
Africa to India on 9 January 1915 and thats the
reason that the day has been chosen to
celebrate the day. He has been termed as the
greatest Pravasi of India, who led the freedom
struggle and changed the lives of Indians
forever. PBD conventions are being held every
year since 2003. These conventions provide a
platform to the overseas Indian community to
engage with the government and people of the
land of their ancestors for mutually beneficial
activities. These conventions are also very
useful in networking among the overseas Indian
community residing in various parts of the
world and enable them to share their
experiences in various fields

9. Ramanujan Mathematics
award
Anand Kumar, a mathematician and founder of
Super30 classes was conferred with the 2014
Ramanujan Mathematics Award in Rajkot on 27
January 2014. The award was given to him at
the Eighth National Mathematics Convention
organised in Rajkot. image As award, he was
presented a cash award of 20000 rupees by the
Pitamber Patel, an Atomic scientist and JJ
Rawal, a scientist. About Ramanujan
Mathematics Award Ramanujan Mathematics
Award is an annual award that is given to a
person who has at least three papers published
in international journals and is involved in
teaching mathematics. Ramanujan Prize was
first awarded in 2005 to Marcelo Viana from
Brazil Other Indian to be awarded with the
prize is Ramdorai Sujatha, India in 2006 About
Anand Kumar Anand is a native of Bihar and a
founder of an institution named Super30 In
2010, Anand Kumar won the Maulana Abdul
Kalam Azad Shiksha Puraskar that is the highest
award by the Government of Bihar
Mathematical Spectrum and Mathematical
Gazette of the UK has published a number of
papers of Anand Kumar. During graduation,
Kumar submitted papers on Number Theory,
which were published in Mathematical
Spectrum and The Mathematical Gazette
Three times, Kumar has been invited jointly by
the Mathematical Association of America and
the American Mathematical Society to present
his papers About Super30 Super30 was
established in 2002 in Patna, Bihar under the
banner of Ramanujan School of Mathematics by
Anand Kumar. The institution gives free
residential mentoring to 30 selected students
from underprivileged families to appear in the
entrance exam of IIT-JEE. Super30 as an
institution that has achieved international
recognition for social awakening Time
Magazine selected Super30 in the list of the
Best of Asia 2010 It was included in the list of
four most innovative schools in the world by the
Newsweek Magazine

10. The Legion of Honor
Who: Danielle Steel What: Frances highest
honour, the Legion of Honor When: on 1
January 2014 Danielle Steel awarded Frances
highest honour, the Legion of Honor. It was
revealed by the governments official
newsletter on 1 January 2014. Steel, US
author joined other foreigners such as singers
Bono, Douglas MacArthur, Julia Child and Bob
Dylan or writer Philip Roth who received the
France highest honour in recognition of service
to France. She has sold 600 million copies of
her books in 70 countries and in 43 languages.
Steel had been already decorated as an officer
of the Order of Arts and Letters, Frances top
Cultural honour. She was made a Chevalier of
the order, which was founded by Napoleon in
1802. image About Award France traditionally
announces the awards on 1 January of every
year, as well as on every Easter and on 14 July,
the countrys national day. Those who have
already become members of the Legion
dHonor can be elevated to higher ranks.
11. 20th Screen Awards
Deepika Padukone and Farhan Akhtar won the
Best Actress and Best Actor awards respectively
on 15 January 2014 at the 20th Screen Awards.
Padukone was awarded as the best actor Award
(female) for Ram-leela and Farhan was awarded
for his power packed performance in the Bhaag
Milkha Bhaag. image Apart from the award of
the best actress, Padukone also bagged the
most popular choice award (female) for
Chennai Express. She had four blockbuster
movies in 2013 namely Race 2, Yeh Jawaani Hai
Deewani, Chennai Express and Ram Leela. All
the four films were ranked in the 100-crore club
in the box office. image The Most Popular
Choice Award (male) was given to Shah Rukh
Khan for Chennai Express. Amitabh Bachan
received the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Other awards announced and given were:
Special Jury Award: won by director Anand
Gandhi for Ship of Theseus Ram Nath Goenka
Memorial award won by John Abraham for
Madras Cafe Best on-screen Jodi of the Year
given to Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor
of Aashiqui 2 Best Film Award won by Bhaag
Milkha Bhaag Best Director Award won by
Shoojit Sircar for Madras Cafe Best Story
Award won by Mohan Sikka for BA Pass Best
Screenplay won by Hansal Mehta, Sameer
Gautam Singh and Apurva Asrani for the biopic
on murdered lawyer Shahid Azmi (Shahid)
Best Supporting Actor awards won by Saurabh
Shukla and Swara Bhaskar for Jolly LLB and
Raanjhanaa respectively Best Actor in
Negative Role (male) won by Rishi Kapoor for
his role in D Day in which he played the role of
Dawood Ibrahim Best Actor in Negative Role
(female) won by Shilpa Shukla for her erotic
drama in BA pass Best Actor in Comic Role
award won by Richa Chadda for Fukrey Most
promising newcomer award - won bySushant
Singh Rajput for Kai Po Che Most promising
newcomer (female) won by Aida Ei-Kashef for
Ship of Theseus Most promising debut
director won by Ritesh Batra for The Lunchbox
12. Dr. Ambedkar National
Merit Awards
The Minister of Social Justice and
Empowerment, Kumari Selja on 7 January 2014
gave away the Dr. Ambedkar National Merit
Awards to meritorious students belonging to
Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. The
awards were given to students, who have
appeared in Secondary and Senior Secondary
School Examination - 2013 conducted by
State/Central Education Boards/Councils.
image 517 meritorious students from 13 boards
of 10th class and 17 boards of 12th class of the
year 2013 were found eligible for the Awards.
Dr. Ambedkar National Merit Awards Dr.
Ambedkar National Merit Awards is given by
the Dr. Ambedkar Foundation, which is an
autonomous organization under the aegis of
Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment. The
award is distributed to the meritorious students
every year to recognize and encourage the
students belonging to Scheduled Castes and
Scheduled Tribes. They are given the awards for
their commendable performance in Class 10th
and Class 12th examinations. The award carries
a citation and cash award.
13. UNWTO Ulysses Awards

14. Thiruvalluvar award

15. National Communal
Harmony Awards 2013

16. DSC prize 2014

17. Matrix Award

18. Marconi Prize
7. Person in news
APPOINTED
1. Jamila Bayaz
2. Bikram Singh
3. Kailash Meghwal
4. MS Dhir
5. R. Chandrashekhar
6. Fattah al-Sisi
7. Janet Yellen
8. Aruna Bahuguna
9. B. G. Srinivas and Pravin Rao
10. Arun Gupta
11. Catherline Samba-Panza
12. Sirajuddin Qureshi
13. S.K.Sharma
14. Professor Rakesh Khurana
15. Gopal vittal
16. Morten Sorby
17. Ajoy Misra

DEATH
1. Sunanda Pushkar
2. Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin
3. Karl Slym
4. Raymond Weil
5. Suchitra Sen
6. Ariel Sharon
7. Tibor Gonczol
8. Pete Seeger
9. Sudhir Mahato
10. Namdeo Dhasal
11. Uday Kiran
12. Ulises Estrada
13. Vishwanath Ramachandra

ACCUSED/RESIGNED/CONTROVERS
Y
1. Mykola Azarov
2. Justice A K Ganguly
3. Vijay Bahuguna
HONOUR
1. Richard Quest
2. Qamar Ahmed
3. Margret Thatcher

BOOKS/AUTHORS
1. Enoch, I am a British Indian
2. Sangharsh Ke Safar Ka Nayak
Mulayam

VARIOUS

1. Alone Yet Not Alone
2. Losar
3. Mukul Sangama
4. Garuda Vasudha
5. Stolen 10th Century Indian
artifacts
6. Tropical storm One
7. Lewis Clarke
8. Gorakhpur
9. Dhanu Yatra
10. Indus Civilization
11. Egypt
12. Nirbheek
13. Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck


8. Sports
MARCH 2014 UPSC PORTAL
CRICKET
1. Fastest Century in ODI by Corey
Anderson
2. First captain to play in four tied
ODIs
3. International Womens
Championship approved by ICC )
4. Shane Warne to mentor Australias
spinners
5. India vs Sri Lanka Women ODI
series
6. Kathy Cross is first woman in ICC
Umpires Panel )
7. Australia - England ODI series
TENNIS
1. Australian Open title
2. Brisbane International Title 2014
3. Inaugural title of Hockey World
League
FOOTBALL
1. FIFA Ballon dOr award 2013
2. FIFA AWARDS 2013
3. FIFPro World XI
4. 35th Football Federation Cup
BADMINTON
Aditya Joshi became world no. 1 junior
shuttler
CHESS
1. Parsvnath International
Grandmasters chess tournament
GOLF
2. Sony Open Golf tournament
3. Volvo Golf Champions title
VARIOUS
4. Open du Gard squash title
5. 75th National Table Tennis
Championship
6. Third Lusofonia taken place in Goa
7. Lusofonia Games
8. Sumit Malik stripped off gold
medal
9. Third Nations Cup International
Boxing Tournament
10. Tax exemption for Olympics, CWG
and Asian Games winners
11. Federation Cup National Basketball
Championship
12. Heena Sandhu sets World record
13. Indian Fencers barred from
competing in Qatar Fencing World
Cup
14. Anju Bobby George declared
winner of World Athletics Final,
2005
15. National Youth Policy, 2014
16. Bernie Ecclestone to be tried on
bribery charges



9. Science and technology,
defence, and environment

1. Potentially hazardous asteroid
2013 YP139 discovered
2. Moclic software to predict weather
3. First multi-coloured 3D Printer
launched
4. Dexter
5. Hubble discovered clouds on new
planets
6. Technology to turn Plastic into fuel
developed
7. Lice genes evolved faster than
those of human, chimp
8. Nanotechnology may prevent
Cancer from spreading
9. Water-jet printer created
10. Supercomputer PARAM Yuva- II
ranked 1 in India
11. Choroideremia: gene therapy
shows promise
12. Tulasi genetically engineered to
increase pharmaceutical value
13. Rosetta to reawaken for final
mission
14. Indigenous Glucose Monitoring
Device
15. NASA Mars Rover discovered
doughnut rock
16. Smart contact lens to measure
glucose levels in tears
17. Antiseptic Mouthwashes can raise
Heart Strokes
18. NASA rover Opportunity found
Mars had life friendly fresh water
19. Saturns Ring 4.4 billion years old

10. Other