January 2010

New Karnataka Speaker K G Bopaiah

K G Bopaiah and senior leader of Bhartiya Janta party has been elected as the speaker of the
Karnataka Legislative Assembly.

Report of 13th Finance Commission Submitted

The Finance Commission is established under Article 280 of the Constitution of India by the
President of India for the purpose of allocation of certain resources of revenue between the
Union and the State Governments as well as to make recommendations on other related issues
as required under its terms of reference.
Dr. Vijay Kelkar, Chairman, 13th Finance Commission has submitted the 13th Finance
Commission report to the president which shall be tabled in the parliament soon. The
Commission’s report to cover the period 2010-15 was to be submitted by December 31, 2009.

Draft National Consumer Policy :

To ensure a structural framework for protection of consumers and their welfare Department of
Consumer Affairs is formulating a National Consumer Policy. The draft policy is ready which has
been prepared by the department in extensive consultations with all stakeholders
includingGovernment, VCOs, NGOs etc. This draft policy has been uploaded on the site of the
department for comments and suggestions.

The objective is to empower consumers, ensure competition, open up competition in areas where
government is the sole service provider and strengthening Voluntary Consumer Organisations, to
collect and disseminate information to consumers.

First Yuva Train:

Howrah Railway Station. 2249/2250 Howrah-New Delhi ‘Yuva’ Express (weekly) has been
launched. This is the first yuva Train of the country. The objective is to ensure that the youth
and low income groups can travel at low rates between major cities. The ‘Yuva Train’ fares are
applicable to unemployed persons between the age group of 15 to 45 years who fulfill the criteria
of Yuva to be ascertained on the basis of Certificate issued under National Rural Employment
Guarantee (NREGA) and valid Registration card issued by aGovernment run Employment
Exchange. Tatkal scheme would not be applicable in ‘Yuva Trains’.

Controller General of Defence Accounts (CGDA) launches pilot project on Rail E-

Ticketing :
Vice Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen PC Bhardwaj has launched a pilot project of Rail e-ticketing for
the Armed Forces which is being implemented by the Controller General of Defence Accounts
(CGDA) across 20 locations around the country. It will be gradually be expanded to more than
5,000 Army, Navy and Air Force units across the country.

Magh Mela : Allahabad

Annual Hindu festival of Magh Mela has started in Allahabad. It involves holy dip at the sangam
and attracts lakhs of devotees and foreigners.

Breeding programme of Central Zoo Authority.

The Central Zoo Authority has initiated a programme for planned coordinated conservation
breeding of critically endangered wild animal species in Indian Zoos. 70 such species have been
identified under the programme.

World Tamil Conference in June:

The World Classical Tamil Conference will be held in Coimbatore June 23-27, 2010. They are
series of occasional conferences held by the government of Tamil Nadu, which aim to unite Tamil
people around the world. First World Tamil Conference was held in 1967 in Kuala lumpur.

India Japan Agreement on Green Buildings

India and Japan have signed agreements to build Eco-friendly cities along the Delhi-Mumbai
industrial corridor which is being developed with the help of Japan External Trade Organisation
(JETRO). Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) and Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor
Development Corp (DMICDC)have signed this MOU.
The 1,483-km Delhi-Mumbai industrial corridor will cover and traverse through 6 states Delhi
and the national capital region, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Haryana.
The project will be finished by 2017.

India and Steel Production:

With production of 46.77 million tonnes of crude steel during the period January-October, 2009,
India emerged as the third largest steel producer in the world.
India is expected to become the 2nd largest producer of crude steel in the world by 2015,
provided all requirements for creation of fresh capacity are adequately met.

Rosa Power Plant:

Rosa in Shahjahanpur district in Uttar Pradesh has witnessed the launch of Rosa Power Plant of
Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group recently.
It is a 300 MW unit. It is a coal based plant and coal for the project would be sourced from the
Ashoka mines in Jharkhand.It will supply the entire power to Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation
Ltd (UPPCL) for which a power purchase agreement was signed on November 12, 2006.
Company now is heading towards commissioning of the two remaining 300 MW units by March
2012, including a 600 MW plant at Butibori near Nagpur in Maharashtra and a 1300 MW plant at
Sasan in Madhya Pradesh.

Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan & World Bank

The 'Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan which was pioneered by Atal Bihari Vajpayee is , now a Flagship
Scheme of UPA Government which aims to acheive universalization of elementary education in a
time bound manner, as mandated by the 86th amendment to the Constitution of India making
free and compulsory education to children of ages 6-14 (estimated to be 205 million in number
in 2001) a fundamental right.

This scheme has shown encouraging results and recently World Bank has come forward with an
offer to provide additional funding of $ 500 million (Rs 2,325 cr approx) for the programme. The
World Bank Proposal is to provide the Indian Government money as soft loans to be paid over a
period of 35 to 40 years with lesser interest.

The World Bank had earlier provided soft loan of $ 600 million (Rs 2,790 cr approx) for the
scheme which aims at universalisation of elementary education. As per the reports , 99 per cent
of the habitations in the country have got a primary school and 270,000 schools have already
been operationalised under sarva Shiksha Abhiyan.

who appoints chairman of state public service commission?

A chairman of a state public service commission is appointed for a period of six years under
Article 316(1) of the Indian Constitution by the Governor of the respective state.

BIMARU go heathy
4 states in India have been traditionally poor in growth and development and called BIMARU
(Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh) , these along with Orissa are now remarkably
doing well , this is what we read in today's ET editorial.
97th Indian Science Congress:
Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, inaugurated the 97th Indian Science Congress at
Thiruvananthapuram.

Moti Nandy
Eminent journalist Moti Nandy, 79 has died. He was Sports Editor for Anandabazar
Patrika.He was awarded the Lifetime Achievement award in 2008 in the Excellence in
Journalism Awards. Kolaboti is a popular sports charecter by Moti Nandi. A writer of 22 novels,
18 stories for children, about a dozen of novels for teenagers. His two novels ''Stopper'' and ''
Koni'' were filmed .

Vishnuvardhan:
Versatile, talented, stylish and popular actor of Kannada film indutry died of cardiac arrest on
December 30, 2009. Some facts:

• Original name: Sampath Kumar

• Acted in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films
• Aopted the name Vishnuvardhan at the insistence of Puttanna Kanagal, who directed his
maiden film Nagarahavu.

National Road Safety Week

21st Road Safety Week is to be observed from 1st January to 7th January, 2010. The theme of
the Road Safety Week this time is “Life is safe if driving is safe”.

People's Welfare Day and Mayawati

Mayawati's 54th Birthday is falling on January 15 and BSP decides to celebrate the day as
''people's welfare day''

INS Industrial Excellence Award 2008

INS Industrial Excellence Award 2008 was conferred to Heavy Engineering Corporation by
eminent nuclear scientist Anil Kakodkar. Its a Govt. of India enterprise based in Ranchi.

Rajnath on Rangnath Mishra Commission Report:

Ranganath Mishra Commission was set up by Government of India to study and find solution for
the minority status of India. Its report was submitted in 2007. It had suggested to curtail the
reservation to the SCs, STs and OBCs while giving reservation to minorities. The three
recommendations of this report were:

• 15% of jobs in government services and seats in educational institutions for minorities
• Reserve 8.4% out of existing OBC quota of 27% for minorities
• SC reservation to Dalit converts.

Rajnath Singh, former BJP national president has said that this would lead to increased disparity
and disharmony among the various religions and castes.
He quotes the example of Congress conference in 1916 in Lucknow, the separate muslim
electorate was given a go ahead and later in 1937, the Peerpur resolution was adopted and
these events led to India Pakistan Divide.

President of International Federation of Company Secretaries (IFCS) : Keyoor Bakshi

Keyoor Bakshi has been elected as the President of International Federation of Company
Secretaries (IFCS) for the year 2010. He is the immediate past President of the Institute of
Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) and a Central Council Member of the Institute. ICSI is the
Founder Member of IFCS.

344th birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh

344th birth anniversary of 10th Sikh Guru Gobind Singh, founder of Khalsa is observed today.
Think Thyroid Month
Indian Thyroid Society (ITS) has marked January has Think Thyroid Month and decides to hold
testing camps across the country that would screen 1.5 lakh patients this month.

Reena Kaushal Dharmshaktu

Reena Kaushal Dharmshaktu has become the first Indian woman to ski to the South Pole.

E-Dharini Project
e-Dharini is the new e-registration project of the Orissa state government

Jan Kranti Party of Kalyan Singh:

Kalyan Singh has launched a new political party-Jan Kranti Party on his 78th birthday. His son
Raj bir singh will be the national president.

Dog Breeding Center of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF)

Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has launched in Ghaziabad its own Dog Breeding Center
keeping in view the rising demand for sniffer dogs at airports and Delhi Metro and for the coming
Commonwealth Games.

Please note that BSF is the first paramilitary force in the country to have a sniffer dog
breeding/ training centre. CISF has thus become second.

Problems of the Migrant Workers:

As per a World Bank report, India is the largest recipient of workers' remittance with $52 billion
in 2009. Most significant role played is not of high skilled NRI's byt un-skilled and semi-skilled
migrants. Govt of India organises Pravasi Bhartiya Divas to take care the issues of Industrialist
non-resident Indians , however there is a need for the government to do something in line with
this celebration, for the unskilled labour of the country who go abroad to earn and send back
earnings to support their families.

2 Million Mobile Internet Users and Growing:

A study done by IAMAI-IMRB reveales that more than 2 million people in India access the web
through their mobile phones and other mobile devices on an active basis.

Rio +20 CBD Conference

India will host the eleventh Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in
October 2012. This is called 'Rio + 20' CBD Conference and will commemorate the twentieth
anniversary of the Rio Earth Summit, held in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro . 10th summit will be held in
Nagoya japan in October.

Amar Singh resigns from SP

Samajwadi Party General Secretary Amar Singhresigns from his post and also as a member of
the party Parliamentary Board citing ''health reasons". Probably indicating his differences with
Mulayam Singh Yadav. Health of SP has deteriorated since the Lok Sabha elections.

Buddha Historic Park

In memory of 2550th year of salvation of Lord Buddha, the Bihar govt. has come come up with a
plan to build Historic Park in Patna wiuth facilities for devotees for meditation. The idea behind
this Rs. 150 crore project is to drive tourism from Buddhist countries too.

200th Birth Anniversary of Luis Braille

200th Birth Anniversary was celebrated all around the world on January 4, 2009. Himachal
Pradesh has come up with a plan of launching Two Braile libraries. Braille Library system for use
by visually challenged people and having a number of novel features had been designed, made
and supplied to the State Government, by Pune based companies Modular Infotech Private
Limited and Automatic Control Equipments. Shimla and Surendranagar of Mandi have been
selected for this purpose.

What are Vyomnauts?

India's First space mission is scheduled for 2015. In this mission three-person vehicle will initially
carry two astronauts into 275-kilometre low-Earth orbit. The ISRO is in process of choosing four
astronauts from a pool of 200 fighter pilots. the media has coined a new term for Indian
astronauts - Vyomnauts. Vyoma is space.

Tamil Nadu Environment Protection Fund:

TN Governemnt will set up an "Envrionment Protection and Renewable Energy Development
Fund" to protect the environment and promote clean energy to combat climate change.

Next ISC in Chennai

The next session of the Science Congress will be held in Chennai, to be hosted by SRM
University, Chennai. some 2000 papers were presented in the five-day event and it was the
largest in the history of ISC, in 14 plenary sessions. a Children's Science Congress was also
organised for the first time.

Metlotsavam
Metlotsavam is a festival of steps conducted by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD). Fromm
all over south india Bhajan troupes come to take part in this festival.

New IAF base in Chhattisgarh

New Indian Air Force (IAF) will be set up in Chhattisgarh considering the state's strategic location
in central India. This is very important for India's security reasons to receive immediate help in
case of emergency.

Nivesh Mitra Scheme of Uttar Pradesh:

Nivesh Mitra scheme is a scheme of Uttar Pradesh Government with an objective to create a
facilitative environment for rapid industrial development and to allow the entrepreneurs to
concentrate their fullest attention on productive activities.

Second Training Centre of CoBRA:

Combat Battalion Resolute Action (CoBRA) has right now only one centre at Hyderabad. Next
centre is coming up at West Bengal’s Maoist Affected West Midnapore district.

Currently India is ranked 10th in the stainless steel production in the world, India is the only
country, where 74 per cent production of stainless steel is utilised by utensil manufacturers and
for exports.

Apparel Export Promotion Council Chairman: Premal Udani

Mr Premal Udani has taken over as the new Chairman of Apparel Export Promotion Council
(AEPC), taking charge from Mr Rakesh Vaid whose two-year term has ended.

What is APEC?
The AEPC is a body of 8,000 small, medium and large garment exporters.

India's Textile Industry:

India, which exports apparel worth 11 billion dollars annually, ranks as the fifth largest
worldwide.
World's Largest Auto market is China :
China's auto market has replaced United States and become world largest, due to the stream of
Chinese Policy Incentives.

2nd Global Marathi Literary Meet:

Second Global Marathi meet will be held in Dubai from March 2-6, 2010. Veteran Marathi
litterateur Mangesh Padgaonkar has been selected as president of this meet.

Sixth International Children's Film Festival, Bangalore

Sixth International Children's Film Festival has started in Bangalore. The main theme is
Environment and 13 movies on environment will be screened in this festival.

National Immunisation Day

President inaugurated the National Immunisation Day on January 9,

Subsidiary Multi-Agency Centre (SMAC). This will share intelligence with IB and state
government agencies.

State Farmers’ Commission (SFC) -Orissa

Orissa has constituted a State Farmers’ Commission (SFC) under the chairmanship of SM
Patnaik.

Ban on River Mining - Himachal Pradesh.

The Himachal Pradesh government has banned mining of sand and stones on the Chakki, Neugal
and Sheer rivers as it is causing huge damage to the local environment.

India's first investment and manufacturing zone-Rajasthan

India's first dedicated investment and manufacturing zone will be set up in Rajasthan along the
upcoming Mumbai-Delhi national corridor.

World's strongest Magnet:

Scientists at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory at The Florida State University, US
developed the world's strongest magnet. It is a 36 tesla magnet.

Chennai Samagam - 2010

4th edition of Chennai Samagam , the annual cultural events inaugurated in Chennai. This is the
longest and biggest Open Festival of India presented by Tamil Maiyam and Department of
Tourism and Culture and will finish on January 16. The theme of the inaugural show was
"Pirappokkum", which is also the official theme of the World Classical Tamil Conference to be
held in Coimbatore in 2010.

Chamarajanagara district in Karnataka, is also known as 'Silk City' or Reshme Nagari.

Easy Kit Scheme of NAFED

National Agricultural Co-operative Marketing Federation of India Limited is going to distribute 6
crore easy Kits which would contain 20 essential commodities and given to both APL and BPL
families once a month through State-controlled or Central agencies. This is a scheme to curb the
price rise of essential commodities. Scheme is being launched in New Delhi and Kochi as Pilot
Project and would be later expanded Pan India.

Uttar Pradesh will become the first state in the country to launch the power transmission sub
stations and transmission lines projects on Public-Praivate Parternership (PPP) model, as on
Janaury 15, 2010 it commissions several projects of power transmission sub stations and
transmission lines project.
Padma Sambhav Mahavihara or Rigon Thupten Mindroling monastery is the 5 storyed
largest monastery in South Asia and is inauguated in Gajapati District of Orissa by Dalai Lama.

World's Largest Exporter is China

The Dragon has outplaced Germany and has become world's largest exporter.

Rajasthan: First State in India to launch Web enabled online answering system
The Rajasthan Legislative Assembly becomes the first state in the country to have online
question answering system as today it activates its web enabled online answering information
system for quick online filing of questions by the members, answers to them and effective and
live communication between the Assembly and state government departments.

Sachin Endorses BMC's 'Save Water' campaign

Sachin Tendulkar shoots for an advertisement campaign for the Brihanmumbai Municipal
Corporation's 'Save Water' campaign at MCA ground in Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai.

In which part of India, maximum people use Tobacco?

The Northeastern region exhibits highest rates of tobacco use - in Mizoram more than 80 per
cent of men use some form of tobacco, followed by Tripura (76 per cent) and Assam (72).
Arunachal Pradesh is the second largest state whose people chew tobacco products after
Mizoram.

Aiming to build bridges between cultures and people , the year 2010 will be celebrated as the
International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures by UNESCO.

Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, Iceland President arrives Mumbai, for a 6 day visit to India. On January
13, when he reaches to Delhi , he will be conferred upon Jawaharlal Nehru Award for
International Understanding-2007. some agreements will be signed so we shall follow up.

Director General of UNESCO Irina G Bokova is the first 'international' speaker in the ongoing
IGNOU's Silver Jubilee special lecture Series.

Milan-2010
Milan-2010 is the biggest national level cultural festival organized by SRM University will be held
at its campus in Kancheepuram suburban Kattankulathur from January 27 to 29. 7,000 students
from across the country would participate in the festival. theme: "Celebrating Life"

Maharaja Sayajirao University at Vadodara holds an International Buddhist seminar on January

15.

Bihar : Nawada and Purnia Women to learn economic farming.

National Agriculture Research Council in association with World Bank chooses Nawada and Purnia
districts of Bihar to impart training for commercial farming to women of economically weaker
sections of the society. This comes under "Economic Empowerment of Women" programme
of world bank.

UNESCO 's Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Peace

UNESCO's Director General, Irina Bokova says this institute of peace will be set up by the end of
2010.

India's Bid to non-permanent seat in United Nations Security Council

2010 Quality of Life Index: India on 88

2010 Quality of Life Index is published by travel magazine International Living. India is 88th best
country in the world to live in, leaving behind nations like Russia and China and moves up 35
places in a year. Bhutan is ahead of India. India is second best place in the subcontinent. Last
year India ranked after Bhutan, Maldives and Sri Lanka.

COPTA: Control of Tobacco Products Act

SIMCON: State Information Minister Conference

USAID: United States Agency for International Development

ISKCON: International Society for Krishna Consciousness

Vice President's Africa Visit

Our Vice president Hamid Ansari has returned from a 12-day tour of three African nations-
Zambia, Malawi and Botswana respectively

Maharashtra: Mumbai Monorail Project:

Mumbai Monorail is being constructed by Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority.
This is going to be first monorail of Independent India.
In British India there was Patiala State Monorail Train ways which got closed in 1927.
Its a 4 line project & will be opened in 2011. Construction has started from January 2009 and
today, first Monorail rake arrives at Nhava Sheva Port from Malaysia and is awaiting clearance
from the Custom authorities. The single Mono Rail rake, which sailed from Port Klang, Malaysia,
on January 7, 2010, in vessel TS Malaysia, is about 12 meters long and has the carrying capacity
of about 110 people. The rake will ride on the beams, for the trial tests, three days before the
scheduled trial run on January 26, 2010.

Rs. 200 Crore for Tiger Conservation:

Next 5 years Indian Government proposes to spend Rs. 200 crore on tiger conservation. Major
part of this money will be spent for the development of Sundarbans biosphere in West Bengal,
which is a UNESCO world heritage site and home to 400 Royal Bengal Tigers. Money will be
infused for integrated coastal zone management from World Bank. Money will be used for
plantation, wildlife protection and anti-trafficking activities under the Project Tiger scheme of the
federal government running since 1973.

Tigernet
A national website on tiger conservation www.tigernet.nic.in has been launched to give Tiger
reserve directors and chief wildlife wardens in India the ability to key-in crucialinformation about
Tiger deaths, poaching and seizures immediately. The Tigernet website will be the first
consolidated database on mortality and details on poaching related to Tigers and other protected
species within Tiger reserves. Gathering accurateinformation on such Tiger activities is crucial to
assisting anti-poaching efforts

Century's first Mahakumbha:

First Mahakumbh Mela of the Century commences with taking of a holy dip in the Ganges in
Haridwar by tens of Lakhs of devotees, which is organized every 12 years and is also famous as
the largest religious gathering in the world.

National Noise Monitoring Network

India's Union Environment and Forests Ministry decides to set up a National Ambient Noise
Monitoring Network on the pattern of existing Air and Water Networks.

Karnataka: Plan Bangalore 2020

Plan Bangalore 2020 is a blue print for transforming the city into a world-class metropolis
created by Agenda for Bengaluru Infrastructure Development Task Force (ABIDE). The final
version has been released. This suggests that mass transit and public transport should be made
the backbone, and it should take 60% burden of the commuting people.
Crocodile census in Bhitarkanika National Park
The Bhitarkanika National Park comprises of Mangrove wetland in Orissa state located in the
delta of the Brahmani and Baitarani rivers. The mangroves home to one of India's largest
populations of saltwater crocodiles. After imposing a week long entry of tourists in the park ,
Orissa State forest department conducted Crocodile census from December 31 to January 8 ,
2010, which reveals that there are 1610 Estuarine crocodiles. 38 more than last year.

Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS)

Chief Minister of Delhi, Sheila Dikshit inaugurates Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) in
New Delhi which is Asia's first super-specialty liver institute.

India is Developing Anti Satellite Weapons

Anti-satellite weapons are designed to incapacitate or destroy satellites for strategic military
purposes. Right now this technology is held by US, Russia & China. USwas first to successfully
test this weapon in 1985. China tested a weapon successfully in 2007.

10% Divestment in EIL

Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) clears 10 % disinvestment in the Engineers India
Ltd. There are 60 companies identified by the Department of Disinvestment for selling
government stake. (Please note that at one place in this blog we mention 36 companies). IN EIL
Govt. holds 90.40% stake.

New Chairman & MD of MTNL : Kuldip Singh

This year marks 2500th anniversary of Marathon.

Himachal Pradesh : Appointment of Rakhas under MNREGA

Himachal Pradesh Government will consider proposing crop protection from wild animals under
'Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Assurance Scheme' (MNREGA) by
appointing Rakhas (Guards) as per the provisions of the scheme. Rakhas will help in protection
of the two Rabi and Kharif crop from the wild boar and monkeys which were causing intensive
damage to standing crops resulting in loss to the farmers in rural areas.

National Human Rights Commission New Secretary General : K S Money

K S Money, IAS is new secretary general of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). He
replaces AK Jain.

Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas 2010

Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas is organized every year from 7 to 9 January. 9 January marks the return
of Mahatama Gandhi in India from South Africa (January9, 1915)

Ladakh- Spituk Gustor festival

The 'Spituk Gustor', is an annual two-day monastic festival that starts the Spituk Monastery in
the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir. This festival marks the victory over the evil and is
celebrated during 11th month of Tibetan Calender.

Karnataka: Niranthara Jyoti Scheme

Niranthara Jyoti Scheme is of Karnataka Government which intends to to supply 24-hour
uninterrupted power to the agriculture and rural areas in the state. This scheme is launched on
January 16, 2010.

Ministry approaches World Bank for Satellite Coastal Survey:

Ministry of Environment and Forests Government of India has approached World Bank for an
assistance of Rs 1200-crore project proposal which intends to conduct survey of the entire
coastline of the country through satellite to demarcate the volatile line in a bid to protect the
coast and prevent loss of lives and property.

Why Abhinav is angry?

Abhinav Bindra is angry over the ''unprofessional'' attitude of the NRAI (National Rifle Association
of India) claiming it as ''insensitive'' towards sportspersons. His name is not there in the list of
the participants of the commonwelath games.

Governor of Jharkhand: M O H Farook

A K Matoo Resigns from Hockey India President:

Songadh Tribal Festival

Thousands of tribal’s from South Gujarat and Maharashtra participate in a two-day cultural
festival at Songadh village in Tapi district of Gujarat.

Heimtextil fair - Frankfurt

India dominates the ongoing four-day Heimtextil fair in Frankfurt - the world's largest fair for
home textiles and furnishing products. Maximum number of exhibitors are from India 385, which
surpasses 281 exhibitors from Germany. China with 380 exhibitors took the third position.

World's Largest University : IGNOU

Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) is now 'Largest University in the World'
according to UNESCO.

Punjab: Who Was Sham Singh Attarwala?

Sham singh attariwala, 1790's at Attari which is very near to Indo Pak Border was the appointed
first a Jatthedar and later Governor of Kashmir by Maharaja Ranjit singh. He had led many
campaigns and one of the frontrunner generals of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. He had made
significant contribution for strengthening the kingdom of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and later he laid
down his life while fighting the British Army that had invaded Punjab after the death of Maharaja
Ranjit Singh.

On January 17, 2010, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal inaugurates the memorial at
Amritsar to the great Sikh warrior Sham Singh Attariwala.

North India's first Doppler radar - Palam

North India's first Doppler radar will be installed at a height of 16 meters on the top of a building
in Shahabad Mohammadpur village in Palam area of the Indira Gandhi International Airport. It
will provide short range accurate weather prediction in a nearly 500 km radius.

Update on Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS)

India gets second AWACS in March 2010

Car of the Year : Nano

Film Festival " Fasle" Lucknow

Fasle is the name of the film festival which kicks off on January 18, 2010 at Lucknow.

Sagar Parikrama is India's First solo circumnavigation voyage in which INSV Mhadei was flagged
off from Mumbai on August 19, 2009, by Admiral (Retd) Sureesh Mehta, former Chief of Naval
Staff.

Commonwealth Judo Championship -Singapore (Indian Winners)

Namaskar Africa 2010
On January 15, 2010, Anand Sharma, India's Minister of Trade & Commerce along with his
Nigerian counterpart also inaugurated the “Made in India” exhibition, with participation from 50
Indian companies. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between ECOWAS and FICCI was
also signed. The theme of the event was Namaskar Africa 2010.

Nigeria is India’s largest trading partner in Africa with the overall trade at $ 10.2 billion in 2008-
2009.

500th anniversary of coronation of Krishnadevaraya

Tuluva Sri Krishna Deva Raya was the Emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire and during his time,
the empire was on its zenith. He hsi also known by his other titles Kannada Rajya Rama Ramana
, Mooru Rayara Ganda & Andhra Bhoja. he ruled from 1509 to 1530 AD. This year marks the
500th anniversary of coronation of Krishnadevaraya.
Karnataka government celebrates 500th anniversary of the coronation of Shri Krishna Devaraya
of Vijayanagar empire January 27 to 29.

The world's second largest milk producer, India produced 108.5 million tonne of milk last year.

India - Finland MOU

India and Finland sign a Memorandum of Understanding to promote cooperation and exchange of
information in the Information Security sector for five years.

United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)

India is a party to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), and the
Government of India in fulfillment of one of the obligations of the parties to the convention,
submitted a National Action Programme to Combat Desertification to the Secretariat of the
UNCCD in 2001.

Orissa: Biju Saharanchal Bidyut Yojana & Piyush Yojna

Orissa govt introduces Biju Saharanchal Bidyut Yojana in all the 104 Urban Local Bodies(ULB).
Besides a drinking water scheme named ''Piyush'' for the urban poor in the state has also been
introduced. In this scheme the urban poor under the BPL (Below Poverty Line) category would be
provideddrinking water with the provision of one tap at a monthly charge of Rs 30, with five per
cent hike every year.

Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL) on January 20, 2010 becomes the first 100%
BCBP compliant airport in India to receive a platinum certification. BCBP or Bar Coded
Boarding Pass is an IATA standard. Right now more than 200 airlines are using this standtrad.
Its a part of IATA's (International Air Transport Association) Simplifying the Business program.

Dr Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary Critical Wildlife Habitat

Dr Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary and the adjoining mangrove areas at Chorao are being declared as
Critical Wildlife Habitat under the Scheduled Tribe and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers Act,
2006.

POSCO- OTPCL Power Pact

POSCO , a steel major from South Korea which is setting up a 12 million tonne mega steel plant
at Paradip with an estimated cost of Rs 54,000 crore signs an agreement with the Orissa Power
Transmission Company Limited (OPTCL) to avail 24 MW of power for the project.

India US MOU's
Two Memoranda of Understanding have been signed between India and United States. One on
the deployment of sky marshals and the other for cooperation in airport technical visits, marking
the beginning of continued cooperation on security issues.

India tests Laser-guided Bombs

India carries out two successful flight trials of laser-guided bombs (LGBs) for the Indian Air
Force. Two flight trials were conducted at Integrated Test Range, Chandipur, to test the
effectiveness of the guidance and control systems of the LGBs.

Janeshwar Mishra:
Veteran socialist leader and Samajwadi Party Rajya Sabha member Janeshwar Mishra dies of
heart attack in Allahabad.

January 24 - National girl child day of India

Member of International Nuclear Energy Academy - Baldev Raj

Jharkhand Online Payment Facility:

Shibu Soren inaugurates online pension payment facility for the elderly on the eve of Republic
Day.

Official broadcaster for Commonwealth Games - Prasar Bharti

PPP X Change - Mumbai

PPPX change is a bi-annual Public Private Partnership workshop launched by Asian Development
Bank (ADB) and Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Union Ministry of Finance at Mumbai.
This aims at enhancing the Public Private Sector partnerships.

e-PRI is a a unique scheme of Panchayati Raj Ministry that proposes to provide a whole range of
IT related services to Panchayati Raj Institutions as part of the Mission Mode Projects (MMPs)
under NeGP (National E Governance programme).
 February 2010

Secretary, Department of Disinvestment - Shri Sumit Bose

Shri Sumit Bose , IAS assumes the office of Secretary, Department of Disinvestment, Ministry of
Finance.

52nd Grammy Awards

Mozart of Madras , A R Rahman has won 2 Grammy awards in the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards

Dr Ambedkar National Award - Dr Narendra Jadhav

Suraj Kund Mela: Haryana

The 24th annual Surajkund Crafts Mela inaugurated by Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari.
Suraj Kund mela is held every year from February 1-15. It was started in 1987. Traditional
craftsman (artists, painters, weavers and sculptors) from all parts of the country participate in
this annual celebration named as the “Surajkund Crafts Mela” or "Surajkund designer’s Village”.

First Annual Conference of Chief Secretaries - New Delhi

New Delhi First annual conference of Chief Secretaries of States opens at New Delhi. Now
onwards this annual conference will become a forum for useful and productive exchange of views
between the Centre and the States.

War Resisters International (WRI) Conference - New Delhi

War Resisters International (WRI) conference was held at Gujarat Vidyapeeth in Ahmedabad to
investigate the links between militarism, war profiteering and the patterns of development
pursued across the world today. Participants from Orissa presented a picture of the mining-led
displacement of tribal communities in various parts of the state as well as the destruction of
environment threatened by Vedanta/Sterlite in the Niyamgiri hills or due to Hindalco in Kashipur
or two various steel plants in Kalinganagar. Non-violent activists from 32 countries took part in
this.

2010 'Year of Forensic Science'

Union Home Minister P Chidambaram declares 2010 as 'the Year of Forensic Science'.

On INS Chakra
The K-152 Nerpa is Akula II type nuclear-powered attack submarine. The submarine will
eventually be leased to the Indian Navy in 2010 as recommissioned INS Chakra. Indian Navy
gets this missile now in July 2010. It was partly financed by India under a deal signed with
Russia in January 2004. It is being built at Komsomolsk-on-Amur shipyard in Russia. It will be
commissioned into the Indian Navy as INS Chakra. Please note that India previously leased a
Charlie-I class nuclear submarine from the erstwhile Soviet Union from 1988 to 1991.

*Latest data on Foreign Trade:

India’s exports during December, 2009 were valued at US $14606 million (Rs. 68107 crore)
which was 9.3 per cent higher in dollar terms (4.8 per cent in Rupee terms) than the level of US
$ 13368 million (Rs. 65015 crore) during December, 2008. Cumulative value of exports for the
period April- December, 2009 was US $ 117587 million (Rs 563304 crore) as against US $
147569 million (Rs. 652919 crore) registering a negative growth of 20.3 per cent in Dollar terms
and 13.7 per cent in Rupee terms over the same period last year. (PIB)

Latest projection of World Bank about India's Economy

India's economy will grow at 7.5 percent in the 2010-11 fiscal beginning April 1 and will increase
by 8 percent in the year after that. This is the latest projection of Hans Timmer, director of the
World Bank's Development Prospects Group.

*International Wetland Day: 2010

The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance is an international treaty for the
conservation and sustainable utilisation of wetlands

US Congressional Award - M Karunandhi

US Congress has decided to honour Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunandhi with the prestigeous
"US Congressional Award". Mr Karunanidhi would be the first Indian to receive this award. The
award will be presented in the World Classical Tamil Conference to be held in Coimbatore from
June 23 to 27, 2010.

First NEMPF
North East MPs' Forum (NEMPF) is going to hold its first summit in Gangtok on February 12.
There are 39 MPs from North East India.

'BioAsia 2010' - Hyderabad

BioAsia is the ideal platform at Hyderabad where suppliers of equipment & consumables meet
engineers, research-personnel & procurement managers of biotec-companies. It is being held at
Hyderabad from February 3-6, 2010 at Hyderabad. BioAsia will have anInternational Conference,
a Tradeshow, a Business Forum, a poster program, CEO Conclave and an Awards Nite. Over 60
exhibitors, 1000 conference delegates, 70 international speakers and 15,000 visitors across the
globe are expected to participate in this event. This is the 7th edition of the event.

74th five-day conference of Presiding Officers and Secretaries of Legislative Bodies

74th five-day conference of Presiding Officers and Secretaries of Legislative Bodies starts from
Feb 4, 2010 at Madhya Pradesh Vidhan Sabha. Meira kumar is the chairperson of the conference.
This is for the third time this conference is held at Madhya Pradesh after 1971 and 1989.

Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme

Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF) was launched by Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh at Barpeta in Assam on 19th February 2006.

On Himalayan Biodiversity
To conseve Himalayan biodiversity,the Ministry of Environment and Forests have notified 6
Biosphere Reserves, 30 National Parks, 112 Wildlife Sanctuaries and 15Conservation Reserves in
the Himalayan Region.

National Biodiversity Authority has been set up in 2003 to conserve the Biodiversity of the
Country. Ministry has also released “Governance for Sustaining Himalayan Ecosystem (G-SHE)
Guidelines & Best Practices”

Biological Diversity Act, 2002 and Biological Diversity Rules, 2004 provide for the conservation of
biological diversity, use of its components, and fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out
of the use of biological resources knowledge and for matters connected therewith or incidental
thereto. Accordingly, National, State and local level mechanisms have been provided for
implementation of the Act. (PIB)

On The National Afforestation Programme

The National Afforestation and Eco-development Board of the Ministry is implementing the
National Afforestation Programme aimed at regeneration of degraded forests and fringe areas.
This is done through a two tier institutional set-up of Forest Development Agencies (FDAs) at the
district level and Joint Forest Management Committees at the village level. 270 projects have
been approved for the current year. The National Afforestation Programme is likely to incurre Rs.
345.62 crores during current financial year for this purpose.

First Private IT Park of Orissa:

Orissa gets its first private software technology park on the outskirts Bhubaneswar by city-based
JSS Group. This JSS Software Technology Park has a built-up area of about 55,000 square feet
and can accommodate about 1,000 IT (Information Technology) professionals.

Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High court: Kurian Joseph

Execrcising the powers conferred by clause (1) of article 217 of the Constitution of India, the
President of India Smt. Pratibha Patil appoints Shri Justice Kurian Joseph, Judge of the Kerala
High Court, to be the Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court with effect from the date
he assumes charge of his office.

Mahatma Gandhi NREGA Sammelan–2010

1200 participants from across the country, gather at Vigyan Bhawan New Delhi.

Buddhist Conclave - Nalanda

Buddhist scholars, academicians, monks, travel and tour operators and media persons from
across the world attend a two-day international Buddhist conclave at Nalanda in Bihar. The
theme is 'International Buddhist Conclave - Experience Buddhism'. Union ministry of tourism,
Bihar tourism department and Nava Nalanda Mahavihara are organizing this conclave in which
delegates from more than 12 countries are coming. Objective of theinternational conclave is to
give a major thrust to cultural tourism and explore the potential related to the Buddhist circuit in
India and especially in Bihar.

On PIL on violation of labor laws at Commonwealth Games sites

A public interest litigation (PIL) was filed by Peoples Union for Democratic Rights. The Delhi high
court passes an order to form a 4 member committee to probe the alleged violations of labour
laws at Commonwealth Games project sites.

On India Hungary Trade:

Second Session of the India-Hungary Joint Commission on Economic Cooperation (JCEC) and
Joint Business Commission (JBC) meetings was held at Hungary's capital Budapest during
February 1-2 2010. Mr. Anand Sharma, Union Minister of Commerce & Industry was there in
Budapest. Shri Sharma highlighted new sectors for cooperation like energy, medical equipment,
agro-processing, dairy plants, water management, waste management and waste water
purification. Both sides agreed to increase the level of trade to US $ 1 billion by 2012.

An agreement for oil exploration has already been signed between MOL (Magyar Olaj- és
Gázipari Nyrt., ) the Hungarian Oil Company, and ONGC of India in which MOL is a 35% partner.
It was agreed that the two countries will strengthen cooperation in the IT sector and an MoU
detailing the areas of cooperation will be entered into between the Hungarian association of IT
companies and Electronics & Computer Software Export Promotion Council (ESC) India. The
India-Hungary S&T fund of Euro 2 million per annum for the promotion of joint research projects
will soon be operationalised and bilateral S&T projects would be selected for funding.

A Social Security Agreement was signed between the two countries on the sidelines of the JCEC,
which would address the issues on social security tax particularly in the case of IT sector. An
agreement on Trade and Investment cooperation was also signed between Federation of Indian
Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and ITD Hungary. The chambers of the two
countries also signed an agreement on arbitration.
First Consultative Committee meeting (of the 15th Lok Sabha )of the Ministry of
Shipping takes place. Some notes:

1. The traffic handling capacity of Major Ports has gone up by about 48 per cent in the last
five years. It has increased from 389.5 MT in 2003-04 to 574.77 MT in 2008-09.
2. A three-fold increase is projected in traffic handling capacity of Major Ports by 2025-26 by
augmenting the capacity to 1595.07
3. Traffic handled by Indian ports have registered a growth of 5.14 per cent in the period
from April to December 2009 compared to the same period in 2008.
4. The traffic in India had registered a growth of 2.1 per cent during 2007-08,despite global
economic downturn.
5. The 12 Major Ports, six each on the West and the East coast handled 72 percent of the
total port traffic while 28 per cent of the port traffic was handled by 66 non-major ports.

Maldives Delegation Visiting India

Home Minister of Maldives Mohamed Shihab Shihab leads a delegation to India to visit the
facilities related to forensic sciences. cyber crime etc. The visit Central Bureau of Investigation
(CBI) headquarters, Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL), DNA lab, computer forensics
and voice spectrograph division, ballistics division and lie-detection division in the CFSL.
Maldives wants India to help in establishing a police academy along with forensic science
laboratory, corporate fraud cell and also training for its investing officers for which India assures
for all possible assistance.

Finnair which is Finland's largest airline has been cooperating with UNICEF since 1994 to
improve conditions for the world's children.
For this purpose Finair's initiative Change For Good has been active to raise collections for
world's children. Till now The Change for Good has collected one million euros .

The subject of the programme keep changing. For 2010, the subject of this programme is
"UNICEF's Clean Water and Environment for the Children of India programme" This is a three
year programme which highlights in particular the importance of sanitation, hygiene and clean
water. This programme has collected 69,772 euros during the just-concluded festive season.

World CEO Forum 2010

Recognizing the increasingly important role played by the business sector in transforming the
world economy, and its stakes in sustainable development, TERI- BCSD India, in association with
the WBCSD (World Business Council for Sustainable Development ) Geneva organized the
World CEO Forum 2010 on 4 February 2010 at Hotel Taj Palace, New Delhi. 'Vision for a
Sustainable Tomorrow- Business as a Game Changer' was a seminar where IPCC chief R K
Pachauri calls upon the tycoons of Indian trade and industry to opt decisively for solar energy if
sustainable future has to be ensured.

90th Anniversary Celebrations of International Labour Organization (ILO)

The International Labour Organization (ILO) deals with labour issues and is a specialized agency
of the United Nations with its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland. ILO is the winner of
Nobel Peace Prize in 1969. It was established as an agency of the League of Nations following
the Treaty of Versailles. The Treaty of Versailles is one which ended World War I.

India has been one of the founder members of ILO and over the years, the mutual relationship
has been very meaningful.

Anti dumping duty on carbon black

India Government imposes anti-dumping duty of ranged between Rs.4 to Rs.20 per kilogram of
imported carbon black for 5 years as carbon black
from Thailand, China, Russia and Australia was being sold to Indian companies below their
normal value.

CPCB survey - highest e-waste producing city, Mumbai

As per Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)'s survey Mumbai tops the list of electronic waste
producing cities in the country. Delhi was placed second in the list. Kolkata is 3rd.

India's Ambassador to Congo - Devendra Nath Srivastava

Devendra Nath Srivastava who is Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs is
appointed as the next Ambassador of India to Congo.

India's next Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan - Professor Phunchok Stobdan

Professor Phunchok Stobdan, an expert on issues concerning national and international security
with specific focus on Asian affairs covering Central Asia and South Asia has been appointed as
the next Ambassador of India to Kyrgyzstan.

Mark Benson retires from ICC Elite Panel

Mark Richard Benson is a former International cricketer and is with ICC Elite Panel as cricket
umpire since 2006 retires from the panel.

National Festival of Tribal Dances & Music - Prakriti

Minister of Tribal Affairs Kantilal Bhuria inaugurates "Prakriti", National Festival of Tribal Dances
& Music at New Delhi.

National Science and Engineering Research Board

The Government of India is going to set up a National Science and Engineering Research Board
on the lines of National Science Foundation in the United States. The proposal was announced in
2008. This will be an autonomous body that will focus on promoting basic research in science
and engineering. A meeting of PM's Scientific Advisory Council was held on January 29, 2010 and
now it is official that the Board will be formally launched in March 2010. Rs. 4000 crore are
slated to be allotted as funds for next 3-4 years.

Goa : Bondla Zoo

Bondla Zoo is in Goa and Central Zoo Authority had identified the Bondla Zoo as the Bison
breeding centre. It exchanges Bisons wth other animals.
Now the Central Zoo Authority sanctions Rs. 20 Crore for a Master plan for development and
Upgradation.

Bihar : Steady Decline in Polio Cases:

As per latest figures released by the UNESCO and World Health Organization(WHO), Bihar has
shown a steady fall in Polio cases since 2007. The number was 503 in 2007, came down to 233
in 2008 and 117 in 2009 thus making Bihar as one of the least affected states in the country.

Rajasthan : Liquor Policy

The new state excise and liquor policy of Rajasthan is out and approved. State Government aims
Rs. 2400 Crore earnings in the fiscal 2010-11. The new policy marks some changes such as 20%
hike in the license of IMFL (India Made Foreign Liquor). This policy is coherent with the
conservative and reformative approach of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's new government, which
is quite different from the previous government of Vasundhara Raje.

*Uttar Pradesh - Budget 2010-11 some memorable points:

Following new programs have been launched in Uttar Pradesh in the Budget of State 2010-11.

1. The ambitious "Sodic Land Reclamation Project-Third" launched.

 2. "Dr. Ambedkar Krishi Urja Sudhar Yojna" launched to connect the pump sets in rural areas
with a separate power feeder.
3. Proposal to extend the benefit of the "Savitri Bai Phule Balika Shiksha Madad Yojna" also
to the girl students getting admission in ITIs and polytechnics.
4. 'Decision to give benefit of the "Uttar Pradesh Mukhyamantri Mahamaya Garib Arthik
Madad Yojna to the woman head of the family.
5. Under the scheme, the B.P.L. families which are not covered under the schemes of
subsidised food grains and pension will be given financial assistance at the rate of Rs. 300
per month.

Renaming of Birla Global Finance:

Birla Global Finance is a Non Banking Finance Company (NBFC) arm of Aditya Birla Financial
Services Group (ABFSG). It has been renamed as Aditya Birla Finance (ABF) now. Sudhakar
Ramasubramanian is the newly appointed CEO of the company.

Pitroda panel:
Prime Minister had constituted a committee under Sam Pitroda in January 2010 to look into the
functioning of two telecom public sector units BSNL and MTNL. Noted banker Deepak Parikh and
the telecom secretary are members of this panel. recently BSNL had invited bids for GSM
equipment for an estimated investment of over Rs 36,000 crore (Rs 360 billion) but the PSU
could not place the orders even after 20 months of tender due to various issues, including legal
battles. Now PM asks the department to refer this case to pitroda Panel.

Milan Exercise
Exercise Milan is a largest four-day naval war game hosted by India starts on February 5, 2010.
12 navies of the Asia-Pacific region within the context of the Indian Navy's "Look East" policy and
naval interactions to this effect take part in this mega naval exercise event. Milan is a biennial
gathering which involves navies of the Indian Ocean. It is being organized by Indian Navy at Port
Blair since 1995.
Participants are Naval ships of Singapore (two ships), Sri Lanka, Thailand, Australia, Bangladesh,
Indonesia, Malaysia and Myanmar, with representatives from navies of Brunei, Philippines,
Vietnam and New Zealand.

Indo-UK Joint Economic & Trade Commission (JETCO)

6th session of the Indo-UK Joint Economic & Trade Commission (JETCO) concludes in London
and both the countries agreed on the need for further improvement in the regulatory
environment impacting trade and investment flows. This JETCO Session was attended by Shri
Anand Sharma, Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Lord Peter Mandelson, Secretary of
State for Business, Innovation & Skills, Government of the UK. The UK is among India’s major
trading partners. Bilateral trade with UK during 2008-09 stood at US $ 12 billion .

Sustainable Urban Transport Project Agreement of Government of India with World

Bank
Government of India signs an agreement with World Bank for World Bank assisted Sustainable
Urban Transport Project (SUTP). It was signed by Dr. Anup K. Pujari, Joint Secretary,
Department of Economic Affairs on behalf of the Government of India and by Mr N. Roberto
Zagha, Country Director on behalf of the World Bank.

What is this project about?

The project will have a loan component of US$105.23 million from International Bank for
Reconstruction and Development(IBRD) and a grant of US$20.33 million from Global
Environment Facility(GEF). The projects will be implemented over a period of five years. The
project will be implemented in five cities of four States: Maharashtra (Pune & Pimpri-
Chinchwad), Madhya Pradesh (Indore), Chhattisgarh( Naya Raipur) and Karnataka (Mysore).

The objective of SUTP is to promote environmentally sustainable transport and to improve the
usage of environmentally friendly transport modes in project cities. The project consists of
Capacity Development Assistance for selected Cities and City Demonstration Projects.

On B K Somashekhara Commission
The Government of Karnataka in 2008 had constituted Justice B.K. Somasekhara Commission of
Inquiry to inquire into the sequence of events and circumstances leading to attack on the
Churches and prayer halls and incidents thereafter which occurred during the month of
September 2008 in Dakshina Kannada and other districts of Karnataka. The judicial proceedings
of the commission come to an end. Now the commission expresses its displeasure over the less
time given and urges thegovernment to give reasonable time to finish the work.

Government has instructed the commission to finish the job by March 31.

National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID): Government of India is setting up a national

intelligence grid called NATGRID.It is a brainchild of Home Minister P Chidambaram. This
NATGRID will be fully set up by May 2011 where each individual's data ranging from land
records, Internet logs, phone records, gun records, driving license, property records, insurance,
and income tax records would be available in real time and with no oversight.

Meditech Valley
'MediTech Valley' is going to be developed by Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority
(HMDA) on the outskirts of the city as a cluster for manufacturing medical devices and diagnostic
equipment. This cluster would attract investors from the country as well as from abroad in
manufacturing of medical devices and equipment. It is located close to Genome Valley.
On February 6, 2010 AP Governor E S L Narasimhan unveils the logo of Meditech valley.

US President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities Member : Jhumpa Lahiri

World Tamils Protection Secretariat

World Tamils Protection Conference decides to set up a permanent World Tamils Protection
Secretariat at Penang in Malaysia

Punjab: Amritsar International Festival

Amritsar International Festival is the third International Folk Festival in Amritsar organised to
promote the culture of Amritsar to the people across the world and to promote the heritage of
the city globally. Third Amritsar International Festival is organised recently.

Bihar : JP Samman Pension Scheme:

JP Samman Pension Scheme had been initiated for those who participated in the ''total
revolution'' launched by veteran socialist leader Jai Prakash Narain in 1974.Recently the
committee headed by state Home Secretary Amir Subhani approved the list of 1686 beneficiaries
after their claims of having participated in total revolution were found correct following
verification from jail records.

1. Those served more more than 6 months get Rs. 5000 per month and less than 6 months
will get 2500 per month.
2. Activists serving less than one month jail term during the total revolution would be given
mementos and citation papers.

Costa Rica's president-elect Laura Chinchilla

Wheat and Wheat Products: Towards Millennium Goals'
This is the 5th international seminar on wheat which shall be organised at Ahmadabad from Feb
19.

Sikkim: 27th Office of Reserve Bank of India at Gangtok

Latest CSO Data on Indian Economy growth

As per the latest data released by Central Statistical Organisation, Indian economy is expected to
register a growth of 7.2 per cent during this fiscal as against 6.7 per cent reported last year.

BHEL gets Punatsangchhu-I Hydroelectric project order

Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) bags an order worth Rs 1,016 crore for 1,200 MW
Punatsangchhu Hydroelectric Project Authority (PHPA), Bhutan. This is ''single largest contract''
for the company in the hydro electric power generation business segment. the project is being
set up by Indian Government and Bhutan Government on the basis of a bilateral agreement.
BHEL has presence in Bhutan for last 25 years and has successfully executed three Hydro
Projects--336 MW Chukha, 60 MW Kurichu and 1,020 MW Tala--that accounts for nearly 95 per
cent of the total power generating capacity in the country.

Gen Sarath Fonseka arrested

Sri Lanka's defeated opposition presidential candidate Gen Sarath Fonseka arrested and the
government announced he will be court-martialed for committing "military offenses.

DG of National Investigation Agency: SC Sinha

Pangsau Pass winter festival

Pangsau Pass winter festival is a 4 day cultural extravaganza held in Nampong of Arunachal
Pradesh. More than 26 tribes and sub-tribes with different cultures and unique festivals of their
own exist in Arunachal Pradesh. The festival brings them all together.

Wipro, CSIR sign MoU

IT Major of India Wipro had entered water business in March 2008 through the acquisition of
Aquatech Industries (India) Pvt Ltd. A MOU is signed between CSIR and Wipro water for partner
in the area of water and waste water treatment, desalination and other related solutions. Central
Salt & Marine Chemicals Research Institute (CSMCRI), Bhavnagar has partnered with Wipro
Water for this purpose.

Reserve Bank of India's Financial Literacy Tram:

The Reserve Bank of India will launch a ''Financial Literacy Tram'' in Kolkata on February 12 to
create awareness about various financial education themes of the central bank.

Mission Seven Summits

‘Mission Seven Summits’ is an adventure-laced expedition to conquer the highest summits in
seven different continents of the world. It has been launched by Indian Air Force.
Having scaled the highest and most difficult mountain of the Asian continent, Mt. Everest (8848
M) in 2005, five ace IAF mountaineers led by Wg Cdr RC Tripathi, an Everest climber, will
attempt Mt. Aconcagua 6,962 meters (22,841 ft), the highest mountain in the South Americas
and the highest mountain outside Asia, from February 11 to March 2, 2010.

Andhra Pradesh : India's First Big Budget 2D animation Movie - Lava Kush- The warrior
Twins
Lava Kush- The warrior Twins is India's first big budget 2D animation movie which has been
launched by Hyderabad based-Rayudu Group. Produced as Rayudu Vision Media (RVML
Animation) studio, Hyderabad, at the cost of USD five million.
Devendra Pandey Committee has been constituted jointly by two ministries of Government of
India viz. Environment and Forest Ministry, and the Tribal Affairs Ministry to study and assess
the impacts of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (recognition of forest
rights) Act, 2006, with regards to the Sustainable Management of Forest Resources.

Kerala: India's first 'total electrified district' Palakkad

Palakkad in Kerala is India's first "total electrified district" as declared by Union Power Minister
Sushil Kumar Shinde at February 16, 2010.

Lok Karmis:
Government of India is considering to appoint an educated person from scheduled castes and
scheduled tribes or minority communities in each panchayat as Lok Karmi to help villagers. This
Lok karmi will be an educated person and will help the illiterate people. The Lok karmis would be
a women preferably.

Eco-friendly Wipro Greenware desktops

IT Giant Wipro claims that It is the first Indian company to build a 100 percent recyclable and
toxin-free computer, and joins a small group of manufacturers worldwide who have developed
toxic-free electronics.

Indian Oil Companies in Venezuela:

Venezuela has the largest conventional oil reserves and the second-largest natural gas reserves
in the Western Hemisphere. Recently ONGC and and partners Indian Oil Corporation and Oil
India Ltd won a bid to develop a major crude oil block Carabobo-1 in Venezuela's Orinoco Belt
with Spain's Repsol YPF SA and Malaysia's Petroliam National Bdh. Total spending on the block
over 25 years would be $19 billion.

Defexpo India 2010

Defexpo India 2010 is the the sixth edition in the series of biennial Land and Naval Defence
Systems Exhibition held at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi from Feb 15 to 18, 2010.

Task Force on Project Elephant

On February 12, 2010, Ministry of Environment and Forests has set up a task force on Project
Elephant to give detailed recommendations to upgrade it for a more effective conservation and
management of wild as well as captive elephants.

Polavaram Project
Polavaram Project is located in East Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh. intention to complete
the project within five years.

Recently the country also came up with a new demand to name this project as Indira-YSR Sagar
Project. A high-level Central team comprising officials of Water Resources, Central Water and
Planning Commission etc. had visited the project site in May 2009.

The Constitution (One Hundred and Eleventh Amendment) Bill, 2009 was introduced in
Lok Sabha on 30 November, 2009. The bill has been referred to the Departmentally Related
standing Committee on Agriculture under the Chairmanship of Shri Basudeb Acharia, MP for
examination and report to the Parliament in February 2010.

Constitution (One Hundred and Eleventh Amendment) Bill, 2009 proposes to incorporate a new
part (part IXB) in the Constitution so as to provide for legal framework to regulate the
functioning of co-operative societies like democratic, autonomous and professional functioning.

A new article (Article 43B) is also proposed to be inserted in part IV of the Constitution (Directive
Principles of State Policy) for the states to endeavour to promote voluntary formation,
autonomous functioning, democratic control and professional management of cooperative
societies.

Proposed National Seed Bank

Government of India is planning to establish a National Seed Bank. This seed bank will help
farmers in the event of any crisis of shortage of seeds to cultivate.

Indian Cultural Centre (ICC) - Malaysia

ICCR president Karan Singh and Malaysia's Human Resource Minister S. Subramaniam
inauguarte a full-fledged Indian Cultural Centre (ICC), complete with a dance studio, music and
yoga rooms, in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).

New Air Services Agreement (ASA) between India and Nepal

Keeping in view the recent developments in the civil aviation sector, and with a view to
modernize and update the existing ASA based on the ICAO template,Government of India
approves a new Air Services Agreement (ASA) between India and Nepal.

The agreement on new text was initiated in September 2009.

After this agreement , both the countries shall be entitled to designate any number of airlines for
operation of mutually agreed services for which the respective country shall grant appropriate
authorization and permission.

International Boxing Association (AIBA) rankings - Vijender Singh on top

Our Vice president Hamid Ansari has returned from a 12-day tour of three African nations-
Zambia, Malawi and Botswana respectively. Several agreements in agriculture, health, power
and small and medium enterprises were signed during this visit.
The tour began from Zambia and later he travelled to Malawi and Botswana. He returned India
on January 12, 2010. He was accompanied by Minister of State for Labor and Employment
Harish Rawat, three members of parliament and a business delegation.

This was highest level visit from India to these African countries.
Objectives:
Objectives of this visit were to emphasizes the commitment that India has to continue to foster a
multifaceted and mutually beneficial relationship with African countries, and to sign a variety of
agreements during the visit, including in sectors like agriculture, SMEs, foreign offices
interaction, health and power.

Extension of Credit:
India has also extended lines of credit to these countries - $30 million to Malawi, $20 million
to Botswana and $10 million to Zambia. Besides, India also announces to give another $50
million line of credit to Zambia for the Itezhi Tezhi Hydropower project, with the deal to be
signed during the vice-president's visit.

Maharashtra: Mumbai Monorail Project:

Mumbai Monorail is being constructed by Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority.
This is going to be first monorail of Independent India.
In British India there was Patiala State Monorail Train ways which got closed in 1927.
Its a 4 line project & will be opened in 2011. Construction has started from January 2009 and
today, first Monorail rake arrives at Nhava Sheva Port from Malaysia and is awaiting clearance
from the Custom authorities. The single Mono Rail rake, which sailed from Port Klang, Malaysia,
on January 7, 2010, in vessel TS Malaysia, is about 12 meters long and has the carrying capacity
of about 110 people. The rake will ride on the beams, for the trial tests, three days before the
scheduled trial run on January 26, 2010.

Rs. 200 Crore for Tiger Conservation:

Next 5 years Indian Government proposes to spend Rs. 200 crore on tiger conservation. Major
part of this money will be spent for the development of Sundarbans biosphere in West Bengal,
which is a UNESCO world heritage site and home to 400 Royal Bengal Tigers. Money will be
infused for integrated coastal zone management from World Bank. Money will be used for
plantation, wildlife protection and anti-trafficking activities under the Project Tiger scheme of the
federal government running since 1973.

Karnatka: Ranganathittu Bird Sancutary

Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary is located in Mandya District of Karnataka. Comprises six islets on
the banks of the Kaveri River. In 2009 Salim Ali Interpretation centre was opened in this
century. Now the Department of Forest of the state comes up some new plans to provide
additional amenities for tourists.

Mysore: 'Pustakotsava'
'Pustakotsava' is the name of state level exhibition-cum-sale of Kannada Books, and was held at
Mysore.

Manipur: Lui-Ngai-Ni
Lui-Ngai-Ni is the name of Naga seed sowing festival in which the blessings of the Almighty God
are sought for a bountiful and bumper harvest for the well-being of mankind, is the common
festival of the Nagas. Observed in Manipur and Nagaland of North East India.

On National Institute of Oceanography

A Y shaped new building is inaugurated at National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) campus
Dona Paula, Goa by Union Minister for Science and Technology and Earth Science Prithviraj
Chavan. He mentions purchasing of 3 new research vessels. Rs. 250 crores will be spent for this
purpose.

Vessels of NIO:
Here is brief description of the research vessels of NIO

1. Gaveshani is NIO's first research vessel acquired in December 1975. She serviced till
1994.
2. Sagar Sukti: It is a coastal research vessel, converted by acquiring a fishing trawler built
1990 by M/s Hooghly Dock & Port Engineers Limited (HDPEL) Howrah, West Bengal, India
and owned by NIO with refit in 2001 by Dempo Shipbuilding & Engineering Ltd, Goa.
3. Sindhu Sankalp: Originally built as fishing training vessel (FV Chisio Maru) by the
Japanese Government in 1989 was bought by NIO in 2008. It is undergoing extensive
modifications and will be available for the scientist community from January 2010.
4. Sindhu Sadhna: Under construction at present. It will be a new multi-disciplinary
oceanographic research vessel will have capabilities to undertake basin scare observations
and will enable Indian oceanographers to take up studies not only in the seas around
India, but also in any part of the Indian Ocean.

Andhra Pradesh Sports Authorities (Amendment) Bill 2010: to nominate in the Sports
Authority of Andhra Pradesh(SAAP) eminent sportspersons working in State, Union
Governments, corporations and nationalized banks.
Andhra Pradesh Excise Act(Amendment) Bill 2010: for maintenance of public peace and
law and order as the government had to close retail IML (India Made Liquor) shops and bars in
the State.
Andhra Pradesh Public Procurement Bill, 2010: for envisaging greater transparency,
efficiency, cost-effectiveness, grievance redressal mechanism in public procurement

On Technology Perspective and Capability Roadmap

Defense Minister A K Antony also announced that India will soon publish ''Technology Perspective
and Capability Roadmap'' for future production and procurement of Defense equipment keeping
in mind the future needs of the armed forces

'Trust Barometer' survey for 2010

'Trust Barometer' survey for 2010 was in the series of the annual surveys by public relations firm
Edelman. The survey reveals that India headquartered companies have been ranked as
trustworthy by 78 per cent of people surveyed in India, 63 per cent of respondents in Mexico and
52 per cent in United Arab Emirates.

President of the All India Students Federation (AISF) - Paramajit Singh Dhaban

Educational Development Index - Punjab leads

National University of Educational Planning and Administration (NUEPA) has conducted a survey
which says that based upon Education Development Index which is prepared by NUEPA, Punjab
pushes Delhi on second to lead with 0.917 points in school infrastructure index compared to
Delhi.

RBI's HR audit:
HR audit is a diagnostic tool which examines the organization’s HR policies and procedures to
reveal the strengths and weaknesses of employees and suggests solution wherever required.
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) embarks on its biggest ever human resources (HR) audit
programme to take a complete re-look at its man management practices.

MOU for Biomass Gasifier Systems:

In order to facilitate the rice mills to avail the special financial package expeditiously a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between State Bank of India, Patna and
M/s Beltron Telecommunication Ltd, Patna. Through this technical & financial mechanism, about
500 rice mills would be able to avail the benefit by setting up biomass Gasifier systems during
2010 which will lead to the saving of about 20-25 million liters of diesel annually and at the same
time avail the benefits of a reliable power supply.

Partners in Population and Development

The Partners in Population and Development (PPD) is an intergovernmental alliance of twenty-
four 'developing' countries. This is the only organization in the world which is fully dedicated to
South-South partnerships. Headquarters are at Dhaka. In this meeting India has announced 10
fellowships at the National Institute of Health and Family Welfare, New Delhi to the participants
from Member Countries for building their capacity.

What is Mahesh Rangarajan committee related to?

Mahesh Rangarajan led 11-member Committee will submit its report about the disturbances in
elephant corridors before May 2010. After this report is submitted, the central government will
prepare the "elephant protection plan" to save wild elephants.

India - Latvia Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement

On 18th Feb. 2010, India and Latvia signed a Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection
Agreement (BIPA) for a period of ten years. This agreement is aimed at enhancing bilateral
investment and technology flows between the two countries by creating favorable conditions for
investors.
Which Indian Companies are investing in a China Pipeline to Myanmar?
China National Petroleum Corporation is building the USD 2.01-billion pipeline to ship gas from
blocks A-1 and A-3, where OVL and GAIL India hold 17 per cent and 8.5 per cent stakes
respectively, to China. On February 18, 2010, Government of India permits Oil and Natural Gas
Corporation and GAIL to pick 12.5 per cent stake in a pipeline that China is building in Myanmar,
and allowed them to invest $1 billion more in fields that will provide gas to be shipped to China
through the pipeline.

Nirmal Pandey
At the age of just 41 years, Nirmal pandey who is best known for his role of Vikram Mallah in
Shekhar Kapur's ''Bandit Queen,'' dies at Mumbai of a heart attack.

Kerala: India's 38th Tiger Reserve : Parambikkulam wildlife sanctuary

IMF restores Zimbabwe's voting rights after seven years

International Monetary Fund (IMF) elects to make Zimbabwe a full voting member, seven years
after suspending its voting rights over a failure to pay back loans. However, Zimbabwe will still
only have limited access to the IMF's lending facilities. Zimbabwe paid back some of its
outstanding loans in 2006, but still owes the IMF about $140 million.

Shiv Jayanti:
Birth anniversary of national Hero, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (Full name Shivaji Raje Bhosle )
celebrated in Maharashtra and all over India. He was born on February 19, 1630.

Arunachal Pradesh: 24th Statehood Day

Arunachal Pradesh celebrates its 24th Statehood Day.
The former name of Arunachal Pradesh is NEFA (North East Frontier Agency) & it was created in
1954. Arunachal Pradesh attained its statehood on 20th February 1987. Arunachal is the largest
state area-wise in the north-east region, even larger than Assam which is the most populous.

New Delhi: 12th National Conference of Chairpersons of State Public Service

Commissions
Minister for Personnel, Public Grievances and pension, Mr Prithviraj Chavan asks the state Public
Service Commissions to adopt best practices for transparent selection process while inaugurating
the 12th National Conference of Chairpersons of State Public Service Commissions the Minister
for Personnel, Public Grievances and pension at New Delhi. State Public Service Commissions
should work out a purposeful training procedure for the officers and staff to help their effective
functioning.

Jammu & Kashmir : 148 Crore Rupees for Nehru Yuva Kendras
To implement the announcement made by Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh in Srinagar, in
2009, the central government sanctions Rs. 148 crore for engaging 8,000 volunteers through
Nehru Yuva Kendras in Jammu and Kashmir in various nation building activities. This scheme will
be launched from May 2010. The scheme would provide a unique opportunity for the rural youth
to engage themselves in nation building activities. This scheme will infuse the spirit of
volunteerism and self-help which will go a long way in sustainable development of the J&K State.

New Delhi :India's first Standard Gauge train depot - Mundka

Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) unveils India's first Standard Gauge train depot at Mundka.
It costed Rs. 250 Crore. The Mundka depot is equipped with 16 stabling tracks, three inspection
tracks and four tracks in the workshop area, the depot can accommodate 90 coaches.

Update on Amendment of Press and Registration of Books (PRB) Act

On October 15, 2009 The Union Information & Broadcasting Minister, Ambika Soni had stated
that Government will soon amend Press & Registration of Books Act, (PRB Act) 1867 on a larger
scale, as the existing provisions of the Act are inadequate to cater to the phenomenal growth of
the print media in view of the liberalization of the government policies.

In this context, draft amendments are put on Registrar of Newspapers for India (RNI) website,
www.rni.nic.in and also on the website of the Ministry, www.mib.nic.in. Besides, the RNI has also
written to various newspaper associations separately inviting suggestions on the proposed
amendments. The government invites suggestions from all the stakeholders on the proposed
amendments to the Press and Registration of Books (PRB) Act.

Punjab: India's First Double Decker Coach

Rail Coach Factory (RCF), Kapurthala has developed the India's first air conditioned double
decker prototype coach within a record time of eight months. This was announced in Union
Railway Budget of last year 2008-09.

What are Western Disturbances?

Western Disturbance (WD) are extra tropical storms which brings sudden winter rain and snow
to the northwestern parts of the Indian subcontinent. This is a non-monsoonal precipitation
pattern driven by the Westerlies. The moisture in these storms usually originates over the
Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Extra tropical storms are a global, rather than a
localized, phenomena with moisture usually carried in the upper atmosphere (unlike tropical
storms where it is carried in the lower atmosphere). In the case of the subcontinent, moisture is
sometimes shed as rain when the storm system encounters the Himalayas.

China: Oldest Bricks Found

In China's Shaanxi Province, five calcined bricks were unearthed from a site of the Yangshao
Culture Period dating 5,000 to 7,000 years ago. Till now the oldest bricks known are 4000 years
old.

India Carpet Expo-2010

India Carpet Expo-2010 is a 4 day event that begins Pragati Maidan in New Delhi , inaugurated
by Union Minister of Textile, Mr Dayanidhi Maran.

The carpet sector has revived and it has registered around 8 per cent growth in carpet export in
the month of January this year while it was 5.5 per cent in December last year. 230 exhibitors of
Handmade carpets and other floor covering from Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir,
Panipat and Delhi are displaying their products.

Gujarat: India's first yachting expedition

India's first ever land yachting expedition kicks off in great Rann of Kutch in Gujarat. This is a
unique expedition which is being organized to mark the golden jubilee celebration of Air-Defense
Regiment of Indian Army. Six air-defense regiment adventurers are participating in the 105
kilometer land yachting which will be completed in four days in the Run of Kutch.

Karnataka: 12 millionth Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) Smart Card

The Union Minister of Labour & Employment, Mallikarjun Kharge and the Chief Minister of
Karnataka, Shri B.S. Yeddyurappa hand over the 12 millionth Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana
(RSBY) Smart Card. Till now 23 states have joined the RSBY. Karnataka is 23rd state. Rashtriya
Swasthya Bima Yojana or RSBY started rolling from 1st April 2008. Beneficiaries under RSBY are
entitled to hospitalization coverage up to Rs. 30,000/- for most of the diseases that require
hospitalization.
Punjab: Foundation stone for two power projects based on biomass
Union Minister for New & Renewable Energy, Dr. Farooq Abdullah lays the foundation stone for
two power projects based on biomass in Punjab. These Include 10 MW biomass power plant at
village Binjon in Hoshiarpur district and 14.5 MW plant at village Channu in Muktsar district.

More than 114 biomass power projects of an aggregated capacity of 830 MW have been
commissioned and another 55 biomass power projects of about 500 MW capacity are under
implementation. The States of Punjab, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra,
Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu have taken lead role in this sector.Punjab proudly leads all states and
in Punjab 28 MW capacities have been completed and about 36 projects of aggregate 275 MW
capacities are in pipeline.

Total number of Operational SEZs in India (as of February 2010) = 105

Maximum number of Operational SEZs: Andhra Pradesh (21)

What is Hoda Committee?

The Anwarul Hoda committee was set up by the Planning Commission to review the country's
minerals and mining policy. This committee submitted its report to the Government on 20th July,
2006 with recommendations on changes in the National Mineral Policy to attune it to the present
requirements of the world economy for evolving of mining code adapted to the best international
practices, streamlining and simplifying of procedures for grant of mineral concessions to reduce
delays, strengthening the infrastructure for mining activities and recommendations on other
issues for improving the environment for investment in the mining sector.

Madhya Pradesh Government will start Mukhayamantri Gram Sadak Yojna for the villages
having population up to 500.

Chandigarh: Australia's Trade Department

Australian government will soon set up a trade and commerce department in Chandigarh to
boost the bilateral trade between Australia and India in general and Punjab in particular.