Pipeline to Pakistan may revive stalled mega projects.

* Indias decision to pipe natural gas and other petroleum products to Pakistan is
being seen as a first step that could lead to the revival of two stalled mega u
ndertakings involving Islamabad the Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) pipeline and the T
urkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) project.
* The sources observed that a new gas pipeline and a products pipeline to Pakist
an from India was the brainchild of the Manmohan Singh government. The Modi admi
nistration has been willing to carry forward the proposal.
Army all set for 15th anniversary of Kargil war.
* The Army is preparing to honour the martyrs of the Kargil War of 1999 in a ser
ies of ceremonies this year.
* The primary event to mark the 15th anniversary of the victory is to be held at
the War Memorial in Drass.
* The Army and the civil administration as well as gallantry award winners of th
e conflict and families of the martyrs, an Army spokesperson.
Google must adhere to map restriction policy.
* Surveyor-General of India Swarna Subba Rao said that Google, which has been po
pulating geospatial data in the cyber space for some time, has to follow the law
of the land and adhere to the map restriction policy of the country that does n
ot allow detailed maps of defence and sensitive locations to be available in pub
lic domain.
* The Government of India has specific guidelines laid down with regard to publi
cation of maps in the public domain and all the maps have to be vetted by defenc
e authorities before being published and Google has refused to follow it.
July 21
Union Government Allocated 200 core rupees to NABARD for Setting up of Mega Foo
d Parks.
* The Union Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley announced to provide a sum of 200 cor
e rupees to NABARD for setting up of mega food parks. This will help promote foo
d processing industry in the country.
* Among the total variety of food produced in India, only 2 percent is processed
. Food processing leads to development of a country and Mega food Park is a sche
me which can create synergy between Agriculture and Industry- two most important
pillars of Indian economy.
Mullaperiyar issue: AIADMK to hold victory conference in Madurai.
* It is celebration time again for the AIADMK cadre, particularly those in the s
outhern districts. Not in a mood to miss the opportunity it has gained from the
Periyar reservoir row, the party is planning a victory conference in Madurai on Ju
ly 28 in which party leader and Chief Minister Jayalalithaa is expected to parti
cipate.
* The Monitoring Committee of the Supreme Court inspected the Mullaperiyar dam t
hree days ago; the shutters were lowered so as to raise the water level to 142 f
eet from 136 feet.
PM Narendra Modi paid first visit to BARC.
* The Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BA
RC) under Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) in Mumbai on 21 July 2014. This was
his first visit to the DAE after becoming the Prime Minister of India in May 201
4.
* India's atomic energy programme; DAE's extensive research and development and
education programmes; and DAE's contributions in other areas such as healthcare,
especially cancer treatment, food security, solid waste management and water pu
rification.
Three former CJIs made improper compromises, alleges Katju.
* Former Supreme Court judge Markandey Katju, Chairman of Press Council of India
, stirred a controversy by alleging that three ex-Chief Justices of India had co
mpromised in giving extension to an additional judge of Madras High court at the
instance of UPA government in the wake of pressure from one of its allies, appa
rently DMK.
* Mr. Katju made the charge while alleging how the three former CJIs - Justices
R.C. Lahoti, Y.K. Sabharwal and K.G. Balakrishnan - had made improper compromises
in allowing the judge, against whom there were several allegations of corruption
, to continue in office.
* These three former CJIs made improper compromises.
July 22
TRAI suggests Rs. 2,400 crore plan for Andaman and Nicobar, Lakshadweep island
chains.
* The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), in keeping with its drive to
create a conducive environment for the business and improve connectivity, on Tu
esday recommended Rs. 2,400 crore project to connect Indias two major outlying is
land chains Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep with stable and strong cab
le-based networks to replace the satellite mode of transmission.
* The regulator has recommended the retention of the satellite option. While bul
k of the investment will be for Andaman & Nicobar Islands, the telecom regulator
estimates an outgo of Rs. 504.96 crore for Lakshadweep.
Union Government notified Public Servants Rules, 2014.
* The Union Government in the third week of July 2014 notified Public Servants (
Furnishing of Information and Annual Return of Assets and Liabilities and the Li
mits for Exemption of Assets in Filing Returns) Rules, 2014.
* The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) under Union Ministry of Person
nel, Public Grievances and Pensions notified the rules under Lokpal and Lokayukt
as Act, 2013.
Union Government proposed to set up three Low Cost Airports for Bihar.
* Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation, G.M. Siddeshwara on 22 July 2014 p
roposed to set up three new low-cost airports in Bihar at Muzaffarpur, Raxaul an
d Gaya. While Gaya will is an operational custom airport, Raxaul will be a non-o
perational airport.
* The development of airports would depends upon availability of land, availabil
ity of mandatory clearances, environmental clearances, traffic projections, and
provision of support services by the State Government. The support services incl
ude access road to the airport, water supply, power supply, services of State Po
lice and State Fire Staff.
Pakistan to release 57 Indian fishing boats.
* The Pakistan government has decided to release 57 Indian fishing boats as a go
odwill gesture after the release of 150 Indian fishermen in May.
* It is for the first time perhaps that the government has agreed to let go of s
uch a large number of boats, according to activists working on the issue of fish
ermen and their release.
* A press release from Pakistans Ministry of Foreign Affairs said a nine-member I
ndian delegation visited Karachi from July 18 to 20 to inspect the boats and dis
cuss modalities for their release with officials of the Pakistan Maritime Securi
ty Agency (PMSA).
28 rebel MLAs tell Governor they have no confidence in Gogoi.
* Twenty-seven rebel Congress MLAs and an associate Congress MLA in Assam on jul
y 22 called on Governor J.B. Patnaik and verbally conveyed to him that they had
no confidence in Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and henceforth they would be playing
the role of constructive Opposition in the Assembly.
* Dissident leader and Health and Education Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who le
d the delegation, tendered his resignation from the ministry to the Governor.
SC issues notice to NGT chief.
* The Supreme Court on july 22 issued a notice to the Chairperson of the Nationa
l Green Tribunal, Justice Swatanter Kumar, on a petition filed by a former law i
ntern seeking transfer of a suit for Rs. 5 crore damages filed by Justice Kumar
from Delhi High Court to a competent court in Bangalore.
* A three-judge Bench of Chief Justice R.M. Lodha and Justices Kurian Joseph and
Rohinton Nariman issued the notice after hearing senior counsel Indira Jaising
for the law intern and senior counsel K.K. Venugopal for Justice Swatanter Kumar
.
July 23
HP selected for pilot Central programme to train heads of govt schools.
* Himachal Pradesh has been selected for a pilot project under a Central sponsor
ed programme to train Principals and Headmasters of government schools.
* Gujarat, Tamilnadu and Rajasthan are the other states selected for this unique
programme in the country.
* According to Ghanshyam Chandra, the State Project Director of the Sarv Shiksha
Abhiyan this training would be helpful in improving education quality.
* The programme has been prepared by the National University of Education, Plann
ing and administration (NUEPA).
CMSA scheme launched in Meghalaya for widows and pensioners.
* In Meghalaya, Chief Minister, Dr. Mukul Sangma launched a Mass Enrolment drive
under the Chief Minister's Social Assistance (CMSA) Scheme for widows and perso
ns with disabilities at Patharkhmah in Ri Bhoi District.
* Under the scheme, financial assistance of Rs. 500 per mont