1-2 april 2015 eng

1-april-2015

RBI imposed 5 lakh rupees fine on 16 Central Co-operative Banks for violation of norms

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 31 March 2015 imposed a monetary penalty of five lakh rupees on 16 Central Co-operative Banks (CCBs).

The penalty was imposed for non-adherence of the Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering guidelines. The 16 co-operative banks on which the penalty was imposed are

Sr. No.

Name of the Bank

The Dumka Central Co-operative Bank Ltd., Dumka (Jharkhand)

The Gumla Simdega Central Co-operative Bank Ltd., (Jharkhand)

The Dhanbad Central Co-operative Bank Ltd., (Jharkhand)

The Rewari Central Co-operative Bank Ltd., Rewari (Haryana)

The Mansa Central Co-operative Bank Ltd., Mansa (Punjab)

The Jind Central Co-operative Bank Ltd., (Haryana)

The Gopalganj Central Co-operative Bank Ltd., Gopalganj (Bihar)

Ajmer Central Co-operative Bank Ltd., Ajmer (Rajasthan)

Hanumangarh Kendriya Sahakari Bank Ltd., (Rajasthan)

10.

The Central Co-operative Bank Ltd., Bikaner (Rajasthan)

11.

The Sirohi Central Co-operative Bank Ltd., Sirohi (Rajasthan)

12.

The Bundi Central Co-operative Bank Ltd., Bundi (Rajasthan)

13.

The Boudh Co-operative Central Bank Ltd., (Odisha)

14.

Bhawanipatna Central Co-operative Bank, (Odisha)

15.

Cuttack Central Co-operative Bank Ltd., (Odisha)

16.

The Sambalpur District Co-operative Central Bank Ltd., (Odisha)

The penalties were imposed on these co-operative banks in exercise of powers vested in RBI under the provisions of Section 47(A) read with Section 46 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 (As applicable to Co-operative Societies), for non-adherence to Know Your Customer (KYC) norms and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) standards.

Myanmar Government and 16 Ethnic Rebel Groups signed draft cease-fire agreement
Myanmar Government and 16 ethnic rebel groups on 31 March 2015 signed a draft nationwide cease-fire agreement. The draft is aimed at ending more than 65 years of civil unrest and armed conflict in the country.

The agreement witnessed by Myanmar's President U Thein Sein was signed between the Union Peace-making Working Committee and the Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team at the Myanmar Peace Centre in Yangon.

The agreement, reached after seven rounds of talks since 2013, agreed at resolving four points of contention. These include amongst others
• There will be a halt to recruitment by the armed groups
• Armed rebel groups' territory and status were confirmed, and
• The nature and composition of the political dialogue

Now the negotiators from the armed rebel groups will consult with their leaders before giving final approval to the draft.

However, these talks were not attended by the rebels from the newest and most active conflict in Kokang.

The idea behind the draft ceasefire agreement is to bring all the rebels into a process that will lead on to talks on greater devolution of power and resources which is something that has been resisted by the Myanmar government since 1948.

Comment
The signing of the draft has been hailed by the United Nations (UN) which said that the move was a "historic and significant achievement" and provided a basis for "genuine and lasting peace in the country."

The move is also a major victory for the Myanmar's semi-civilian government which made ending hostilities with the armed rebel groups a top priority since it took power in 2011 after 49 years of military rule.

Myanmar has been witnessing an armed internal conflict since 1948, few days after it attained independence from the United Kingdom (UK).

The country's internal conflict between the Central government and a group of ethnic and political rebellions is one of the world's longest running civil war. The ethnic groups are seeking greater autonomy since independence.

Peru Prime Minister Ana Jara sacked over alleged domestic spying

Prime Minister of Peru Ana Jara on 30 March 2015 was sacked after she lost the vote of confidence in Congress. Congress voted 72 to 42 to censure Jara, with two abstentions.

The Peruvian Prime Minister was forced to step down over alleged domestic spying. She was censured over media reports that the powerful National Intelligence Directorate (DINI) spied on politicians, journalists, business leaders and thousands of everyday citizens.

This is the first time in half a century that the Congress of Peru deposed a Prime Minister. It was the first such vote since 1963, and only the third in the past century.

Sacking of Jara as Prime Minister has created a situation of crisis for the present President Ollanta Humala. This is the biggest crisis of his Presidency since he took office in July 2011. Now, he will have to choose the seventh Prime Minister and Cabinet within 72 hours.

His nominee will require approval of the Congress in which he does not have a majority. If his choice is rejected than he will have to dissolve Congress and call for legislative elections as in Peru, the supreme executive power are held by the President.

Gujarat Assembly passed the Gujarat Control of Terrorism and Organised Crime Bill 2015
The Gujarat Control of Terrorism and Organised Crime (GUJCOC) Bill, 2015 was passed by the Gujarat Assembly on 31 March 2015.

The bill is a re-worked version of the Gujarat Control of Organised Crime Bill (GUJCOC), 2003, which was earlier rejected twice by the President. It was rejected in 2004 and 2008 by the then Presidents APJ Abdul Kalam and Pratibha Patil respectively.

Main provisions of the GUJCOC Bill, 2015
• Section 14 of the Bill says that evidence collected through the interception of wire, electronic or oral communication is admissible in the court.
• Section 16 of the Bill makes confessions before police officers admissible in Court.
• Section 20 (2) (b) also provides extension of the period of investigation from the stipulated 90 days to 180 days.
• It makes offences as non-bailable under Clause 20 (4) which states, notwithstanding anything contained in the Code of Criminal Procedure, no person accused of an offence punishable under this Act shall, if in custody, be released on bail or on his own bond
• It provides immunity to the State government from legal action under Section 25 which states that no suit, prosecution or other legal proceeding shall lie against the State government or any officer or authority of the State government for anything which is in good faith done or intended to be done in pursuance of this Act.

Why the need for GUJCOC, Bill 2015?
• Due to concerns over attempts at cross-border terrorism
• Gujarat's vulnerable coastline
• The proliferation of criminal gangs

Criticism of the GUJCOC Bill, 2015
The GUJCOC Bill, 2015 was criticised by activists and members of the civil society by terming that it carries draconian provisions. They say that it creates a fear and terror among activists, NGO workers and civil society persons with its stringent provisions.

While the Congress said that the Bill goes against the nationally applicable criminal laws such as the National Security Act, Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) and the Indian Evidence Act. The legislation contradicts the national laws.

Amazon and IBM announced plans to enter Internet of Things (IoT) Marketspace

IoT: Internet of Things

The term IoT was in the news because Amazon and IBM on 31 March 2015 announced their plans to enter the IoT marketspace.

IBM is setting up a separate IoT unit with an investment of 3 billion US dollars in the next four years.

Amazon introduced Dash Button on its devices which help the devices connect with the internet.

IoT refers to a network of devices which are embedded with electronic sensors and data transmitting technologies and connected over the internet. By using the Internet the data collected by sensors in a device can be transmitted to other networked devices and systems. The technology goes beyond machine-to-machine communications (M2M) and covers a variety of protocols, domains, and applications.

The technology helps in developing smart devices which work using information provided on a real time basis.

Kyle Mills of New Zealand retired from all forms of International Cricket

Kyle Mills of New Zealand on 31 March 2015 retired from all forms of International Cricket. His decision to retire gives an end to his 14-year international career in Cricket.

The 36-year-old Mills was a member of New Zealand's 15-man World Cup Squad but didn't play in any of its nine matches.

Kyle David Mills in the cricketing world
Kyle David Mills is a right-arm pace bowler who can also score runs in the later stages of one day innings. In October 2009, he was ranked number 1 on the International Cricket Council's (ICC) one-day bowler's rankings after he took nine wickets in New Zealand's series against Australia.

He played his ODI debut match on 15 April 2001 at Sharjah against Pakistan, while his Test debut was against England at Nottingham on 10 June 2004.

Details of his cricket career
Test: Batted in 30 innings of 19 matches and had scored 289 runs of which 57 was his highest score. He bowled in 31 innings and took 44 wickets.
ODI: Batted in 101 innings of 170 matches and had scored 1047 runs of which 54 was his highest score. He bowled in 169 innings and took 240 wickets.
T20Is: Batted in 19 innings of 42 matches and had scored 137 runs of which 33 not out was his highest score. He bowled in 42 innings and took 43 wickets.

Third International Humanitarian Pledging Conference for Syria announced 3.8 billion US dollar aid
The global community on 31 March 2015 pledged financial support of 3.8 billion US dollars to crisis hit Syria at the third International Humanitarian Pledging Conference for Syria held in Kuwait city.

The financial aid will help the United Nations (UN) organisations and partners to meet urgent needs of victims of Syria's civil war and neighbouring countries.

The UN-led conference was attended by representatives of 78 nations and 38 humanitarian organisations.

Major donors are: Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad (300 million US dollars), the European Union (1 billion US dollars), the US (507 million US dollars), the United Arab Emirates (100 million US dollars) and Saudi Arabia (60 million US dollars).

The amount pledged at the third conference is nearly equal to the 3.9 billion dollars pledged at the first and second conferences held in Kuwait in 2013 and 2014 respectively.

In 2013, 71 percent of the 1.5 billion dollars pledged were received, while in 2014, only 58 percent of 2.3 billion dollars promised were received.

The global community has set 8.4 billion US dollars as the target for 2015.

Comment

The armed conflict began in March 2011 between the forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and those opposed to his rule led by Free Syrian Army (FSA), Islamic Front (IF), Hezbollah and Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

According to a UN report released in the third week of March 2015 about 2 lakh civilians were killed, 7.6 million people have been internally displaced and another 3.9 million are seeking refuge in neighbouring countries of Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq due to the ongoing civil war.

In the conference, the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon observed that due to civil war, four out of five people in Syria were living in poverty, misery and deprivation and that the country had lost nearly 40 years of human development.

IBM announced to invest 3 billion US dollars to build an Internet of Things (IoT) unit
IBM announced on 31 March 2015 to invest 3 billion US dollars to build an Internet of Things (IoT) unit over the next four years.

The purpose of the unit is to build industry-specific data services and developer tools and offer them over a Cloud-based open platform to its enterprise customers.

These services and tools will help the business clients to integrate data from the IoT and traditional sources and help them make business decisions in a better way.

The Cloud based services will also help manufacturers to design and produce a new generation of devices that are better suited for IoT.

Pat Toole will head the new unit as the General Manager.

About Internet of Things

So far Intel and Google among others entered into the IoT market space.

Intel released Galileo which is a single board computer in October2013. The device is a low-power, small-core product and developed using the Intel Quark technology.

Google bought the smart home company Nest for 3.2 US billion dollars in February 2014.

Amazon also announced its plans to enter the IoT segment on 31 March 2015 by introducing Dash Button on its devices.

Vice President released a book titled Aatank Ke Saaye Men written by Garima Sanjay

Aatank Ke Saaye Men: Garima Sanjay

Vice President of India Hamid Ansari on 31 March 2015 released a book titled Aatank Ke Saaye Men written by Garima Sanjay. She is a professional author & documentary filmmaker by profession.

The book mainly dwells upon the menace of the burning problem of terrorism in most of the countries worldwide and highlights that with the problem of terrorism, not only that individual who is affected but his family, social circle and the society at large get affected. It says that how terrorism has hampered the path of growth in these countries.

The book also speaks against the social evils like anti girl child attitude and dowry.

Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved uniform gas price for urea plants

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on 31 March 2015 approved to supply gas at uniform delivered price to all fertilizer plants on the gas grid for production of urea through a pooling mechanism.

As per the estimation of the Department of Fertilizer (DOF), the decision will lead to additional production of around 37.13 lakh million tones (MT) of urea in existing fertilizers units over the next four years, that is, from 2015-16 to 2018-19.

Further, the decision will reduce import dependence and will result in saving of 1550 crore rupees of subsidy.

It is expected that the cost of production of urea at pooled price would be less than the price of imported urea, which will encourage the existing urea units to produce beyond their reassessed capacity.

This reform measure is also expected to augment indigenous manufacturing capacities. It is expected to help in reviving the Gorakhpur, Barauni and Sindri urea plants. These three urea plants will serve as the anchor load customers for Jagdishpur Haldia pipeline. As a result, work on this pipeline which was approved in 2007 is expected to start in this financial year.

At present, there are 30 urea producing units in the country, out of which 27 units are gas based and three units, viz., Mangalore Chemicals and Fertilizers Limited (MCFL), Madras Fertilizers Limited (MFL) and Southern Petrochemicals Industries Limited (SPIC) are Naphtha based.

Out of the total consumption of about 30 Million Metric Tonne Per Annum (MMTPA) of urea, about 23 MMTPA of Urea is currently produced in the country. In addition to domestic production of Urea, around 2 MMTPA is imported from Oman under the Urea Off-Take Agreement (UOTA) which will continue till 2020.

The shortfall of about 5 MMTPA Urea is being met through imports. Urea demand during 2017-18 is projected to be about 34 MMTPA and by 2024-25, it is expected to be 38 MMTPA. Hence, in absence of new capacity addition in the country, urea imports would have increased.

Mustafa Kamal resigned from the post of President of International Cricket Council
Mustafa Kamal on 1 April 2015 stepped down as the President of the International Cricket Council (ICC). He sent out the resignation letter to the ICC.

The Bangladeshi cricket administrator had succeeded Alan Isaac as the 11th President of the ICC in June 2014 for a period of two years.

He has been associated with cricket for 30 years and served cricket in different capacities. In 2012, he was named as the Vice-President of the ICC for the term 2012-2014.

Prior to this, he was the Chairman of Audit Committee of ICC and also served as the President of Bangladesh Cricket Board.

He served as the President of Asian Cricket Council from 2010 to 2012 and served as the Chairman of the Cricket Committee of Abahani Limited from 1990 to 2010.

Mustafa Kamal is also a politician and member of the Jatiya Sangsad (Bangladesh parliament) from the constituency of Comilla-10 in the Chittagong Division.

Rajasthan Government opened women milk bank Jeevan Dhara in Jaipur

Rajasthan Government on 31 March 2015 opened women milk bank Jeevan Dhara in Jaipur. It was inaugurated by Health Minister Rajendra Rathore. The move is aimed at curbing the high infant mortality rate of Rajasthan.

The state Government launched the bank in collaboration with Norwegian government and JK Lon Hospital.

The bank would store milk from donating lactating mothers that can be used for feeding infants who are deprived of it.

The infants will get free of cost milk from lactating mothers who willingly donate it. The process of donation starts only after the donors are screened and medically tested for HIV, Syphilis, Hepatitis and other diseases. This is followed by pasteurization of milk that takes around three months.

First government owned woman milk bank was opened in Kolkata and Jaipur is the second in this series. However, the first mother's milk bank in the State was started by a non-governmental organisation (NGO) in a government hospital in Udaipur.

The infant mortality rate in Rajasthan, as per Sample Registration System (SRS) 2012, stands at 49 per 1000 live births and this is due to high non-availability of mother's milk on time.

RBI approved the amalgamation of ING Vysya Bank with Kotak Mahindra Bank

he Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 1 April 2015 sanctioned the scheme of amalgamation of ING Vysya Bank Ltd. with Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd. The Scheme will come into force with effect from 1 April 2015.

With this sanction, all branches of ING Vysya Bank will function as branches of Kotak Mahindra Bank with effect from 1 April 2015.

The Scheme was sanctioned in exercise of the powers contained in Sub-section (4) of Section 44A of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.

This approval of RBI for the merger deal would create Kotak as the country's fourth largest private sector lender after HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank and Axis Bank in terms of market capitalisation.

Also, the deal is the first major bank takeover since Bank of Rajasthan was amalgamated with the ICICI Bank on 13 August 2010.

About the Kotak and ING Vysya merger
Kotak Mahindra Bank's shareholder approved the amalgamation of ING Vysya Bank on 20 November 2014. As per the deal
• 725 shares of Kotak will be swapped for every 1000 share of ING Vysya at a share exchange ratio of 0.725 : 1
• ING Vysya including its business and branches will be merged into Kotak
• Kotak will issue shares to ING Vysya shareholders
• All shareholders (that of Kotak and ING Vysya) participate thereafter in the (merged) Kotak business

On 23 February 2015, the 15000 crore rupees merger deal received approval from the Competition Commission of India (CCI).

ING Vysya Bank is an old private sector bank that was set up in 1930 whereas Kotak Mahindra Bank is a new private sector bank that came into existence in 2003.

Uday Kotak is the Vice-Chairman and Managing Director of the Kotak Mahindra Bank.

India launched Operation Raahat to evacuate 4000 Indian nationals from Yemen

Operation Raahat: massive air and sea operation to evacuate over 4000 Indians from Yemen

Operation Raahat was in news on 1 April 2015 as India launched a massive air and sea operation to evacuate over 4000 Indian nationals from Yemen. The operation will involve total of five ships and four aircraft.

The operation started after India got permission to dock its offshore patrol vessel INS Sumitra at the Aden harbor of Yemen. In the evacuation exercise, 350 Indian nationals were evacuated from Aden to Djibouti by INS Sumitra. The nationals will be flown to India in two Air Force C-17 Globemasters.

The 350 evacuated people belong to different states of India and they are Kerala (206), Tamil Nadu (40), Maharashtra (31), West Bengal (23), Delhi (22), Karnataka (15), and Andhra Pradesh/Telangana (13).

The complete rescue operation was overseen by Minister of State for External Affairs General (retd.) VK Singh.

Beside INS Sumitra, two more Indian Navy Ships namely INS Mumbai and INS Tarkash have also sailed for Yemen to take part in Operation Raahat. Two merchant vessels namely, Kavaratti and Coral will also take part in the operation along with two 180-seater Airbus A320 planes.

Why Operation Raahat?
The Operation Raahat was launched to make sure that Indian nationals are not harmed in the military operation that was started in Yemen in last week of March 2015 by Saudi Arabia and 10 other countries. The military operation was started against Houthi rebels, who drove out the Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

Who are Houthis?
They are followers of the Shia Zaidi sect and are officially known as Ansarallah (the supporter of God). The group began as a movement to preach tolerance and peace in the Zaidi stronghold of North Yemen in 1990s.

The group takes its name from Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi, who launched an insurgency in 2004 against the ruler Ali Abdullah Saleh that lasted till 2010. They participated in the 2011 Arab Spring inspired revolution in Yemen that replaced Saleh with Abdrahbu Mansour Hadi.

Currently the group controls the Yemeni capital Sana'a and the Parliament.

Alibaba signed digital distribution deal with German music rights group BMG

World's largest e-commerce firm Alibaba on 31 March 2015 signed digital distribution deal with Germany's music rights group BMG in a bid to become a digital media empire.The deal will bring more than 2.5 million copyrights to Alibaba, whose music platforms already had many of the songs from artists including Kylie Minogue, the Rolling Stones and Jean-Michael Jarre.

The digital Entertainment arm of Alibaba will promote BMG writers and artists through channels such as its streaming apps Xiami and TTPod.

Alibaba has set its eyes on becoming an online-media powerhouse, with music, film and television. The 210 billion US dollar firm has touted the potential for selling digital products as well as physical products in China, despite the country's track record of users not paying for media content.

BMG in November 2014 linked up with Chinese independent company Giant Jump to manage publishing and recording rights both at home and overseas.

BMG is an international music company focused on the management of music publishing, recording rights and music distribution. The company operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of the international media conglomerate Bertelsmann, its name being the legacy of the former BMG, which was sold to Sony Music Entertainment in 2008.

Currently, BMG is the fourth-largest music publisher in the world based on revenue.

General Muhammadu Buhari won Presidential Election of Nigeria

General Muhammadu Buhari won the Presidential Election of Nigeria. Election commission of Nigeria declared the result on 31 March 2015. Muhammadu Buhari defeated Goodluck Jonathan.

His party All Progressives Congress (APC) secured 15424921 votes and Goodluck Jonathan's People's Democratic Party (PDP) secured 12853162 votes.

He defeated Goodluck Jonathan by more than 2.5 million votes. General Muhammadu Buhari is a former military ruler.

It is the fourth time that General Buhari has sought the presidency. He ruled Nigeria from January 1984 until August 1985, taking charge after a military coup in December 1983.

He became the first opposition candidate to win a presidential election in Nigeria.

Nigeria is the most populous country of Africa, has its largest economy and is its leading oil producer.

About Presidential System

The Nigerian general election of 2015 was the 5th quadrennial election to be held since the end of military rule in 1999.

Voters elect the President and members to the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Article 134 (2) of the Nigerian Constitution stipulates that a presidential candidate will be duly elected after attaining both the highest number of votes cast; and has received at least a quarter of the votes at each of at least two-thirds of all the states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) of Abuja.

If no candidate satisfies the requirement, a second election will be held between the two leading candidates within seven days from the pronouncement of the result.

2-APRIL-2015

General Muhammadu Buhari won the Presidential Election of Nigeria. Election commission of Nigeria declared the result on 31 March 2015. Muhammadu Buhari defeated Goodluck Jonathan.

His party All Progressives Congress (APC) secured 15424921 votes and Goodluck Jonathan's People's Democratic Party (PDP) secured 12853162 votes.

He defeated Goodluck Jonathan by more than 2.5 million votes. General Muhammadu Buhari is a former military ruler.

It is the fourth time that General Buhari has sought the presidency. He ruled Nigeria from January 1984 until August 1985, taking charge after a military coup in December 1983.

He became the first opposition candidate to win a presidential election in Nigeria.

Nigeria is the most populous country of Africa, has its largest economy and is its leading oil producer.

About Presidential System

The Nigerian general election of 2015 was the 5th quadrennial election to be held since the end of military rule in 1999.

Voters elect the President and members to the House of Representatives and the Senate.

If no candidate satisfies the requirement, a second election will be held between the two leading candidates within seven days from the pronouncement of the result.

Renowned Hindi poet Kailash Vajpeyi died on 1 April 2015 due to cardiac arrest in a private hospital of Saket in New Delhi. He was 79.

He is survived by his wife and daughter Ananya Vajpeyi.

Kailash Vajpeyi was born in 1936 at Hamirpur of Uttar Pradesh and began his career as a journalist and subsequently started teaching at Delhi University.

A number of his poems were banned like Naya Rashtrageet (A new national anthem).

Award and hounours conferred on Kailash Vajpeyi includes
• Sahitya Akademi award in 2009 for his work Hawa mein hastakshar (Signature in the air)
• Vachaspati title from Lucknow University
• He was honoured by Delhi Academy of Letters and New York's Literary Society

2-april-2015

Renowned Hindi poet Kailash Vajpeyi died

Renowned Hindi poet Kailash Vajpeyi died on 1 April 2015 due to cardiac arrest in a private hospital of Saket in New Delhi. He was 79.

He is survived by his wife and daughter Ananya Vajpeyi.
Kailash Vajpeyi was born in 1936 at Hamirpur of Uttar Pradesh and began his career as a journalist and subsequently started teaching at Delhi University.

He published 28 books, including 14 volumes of poetry. Some of his works includes Sufinama, Sankrant, Dehant se Hatkar (Away from Death), Teesra Andhera (Third Darkness), Prthvi ka krshnapaksha, Rajdhani and Bhavishya Ghat Raha Hai (The future is shrinking).
A number of his poems were banned like Naya Rashtrageet (A new national anthem).
Award and hounours conferred on Kailash Vajpeyi includes
• Sahitya Akademi award in 2009 for his work Hawa mein hastakshar (Signature in the air)
• Vachaspati title from Lucknow University
• He was honoured by Delhi Academy of Letters and New York's Literary Society

Odisha Government launched Aahar Scheme to provide subsidised food to urban poor

Odisha Government on 1 April 2015 launched a cheap meal scheme Aahar for providing subsidised food to urban poor. The scheme was launched by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on the occasion of State's Foundation Day, that is, Utkala Diwas.
In the first phase, the scheme was launched in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Berhampur, Sambalpur and Rourkela.

As part of the scheme, Aahar outlets will be opened in these five cities. These outlets will serve meal comprising of Rice, Dalma and Pickle at a subsidised rate of 5 rupees with financial assistance from three State run corporations and Tata Steel.

Further under the scheme, each Aahar outlet will cater to one thousand people daily between 11 am and 3 pm.

The organisations that will support the scheme in different citiesinclude
• In Cuttack and Bhubaneshwar - Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC)
• In Rourkela - Odisha Power Generation Corporation (OPGC)
• In Sambalpur - Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO)
• In Berhampur – Tata Steel

Andhra Pradesh Cabinet approved Amaravathi as capital of the State

Andhra Pradesh Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on 1 April 2015 approved that Amaravathi will be the new capital city of the state. The capital will come up at Tullur in Vijayawada-Guntur region of the state.

The name of Amaravathi as state capital was finalised in view of its historical, spiritual and mythological significance.

Besides this, AP cabinet also approved the first phase of the master plan prepared by Singapore government agencies and the new industrial policy, which will accelerate industrialisation of the state.
About Amaravathi
• Amaravathi, located on the banks of river Krishna, derives its name from Lord Amareswara temple in the village and it is known as Dakshina Kashi (Kashi of the South).
• It was the ancient seat of power of the Satavahanas for 400 years who ruled the country way back in 230 BCE.
• It also means the City of Gods (in Sanskrit, it literally means the Abode of Immortals) and as per Puranas, the city was ruled by Lord Indra
• It is a place, where not only Saivism and Vaishnavism developed but also Buddhism and Jainism flourished here
• It is one of the 12 heritage cities of the country which was chosen by the Union Government for development

Justice Sunil Kumar Sinha appointed as Chief Justice of the Sikkim High Court
Justice Sunil Kumar Sinha on 30 March 2015 was appointed as the Chief Justice of the Sikkim High Court (HC). He was appointed by the President Pranab Mukherjee in accordance with the Article 217 (1) of the Constitution of India.

He assumed the charge of the office of Chief Justice of Sikkim HC on the date he was appointed.

Before this appointment he was serving as the acting Chief Justice of the Sikkim HC since October 2014. He became a Judge in the Sikkim HC in July 2014.

As per the provisions of the Article 217 (1) of the constitution of India, the president of India appoints chief justice of a high court after consultation with the Chief Justice of India and the Governor of the State and he will be in the office till he attains 62 years.

About Justice Sunil Kumar Sinha
• He enrolled himself as an advocate in the State Bar Council of Madhya Pradesh in 1980.
• In May 2003 he was appointed as an Additional Advocate General of Chhattisgarh.
• In December 2004 he was appointed as a Judge of the High Court of Chhattisgarh.

Union Sports Ministry signed MoU with IIFCL to support TOP Scheme for Badminton

Union Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports (MYAS) on 31 March 2015 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with India Infrastructure Finance Company Limited (IIFCL) to support Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOP) Scheme for Badminton sport.

Under the MOU, IIFCL shall contribute 30 crore rupees to the TOP Scheme under its initiatives for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). IIFCL have contributed 10 crore rupees so far.

Activities that will be taken as part of the MoU

To provide customized training and coaching to TOP Scheme Athletes at institutes/centers having world class facilities under the guidance of renowned coaches,
To provide world class equipment to TOP Scheme Athletes,
To ensure the availability of high quality support staff for the benefit of TOP Scheme Athletes, including but not limited to, physiotherapists and sports psychologists; and
To ensure that appropriate support whatever required, including but not limited to medical, nutrition and physiological support, is made available to the TOP Scheme Athletes during the Term.
Union Sports Ministry initiated the TOP Scheme under the NSDF. The scheme envisages identification of athletes who are potential medal winners in Olympics and providing support to them for preparation for Olympics.

The National Sports Development Fund (NSDF) was established by the Union Sports Ministry with the objective of promotion of sports in general and specific sports disciplines and individual sports persons in particular for achieving excellence at the National and International level.

Jaish al-Fatah army group captured Syrian city Idlib

Jaish al-Fatah: A coalition of armed forces fighting against the Syrian Government to capture Idlib

Jaish al-Fatah or Fattah Army was in news because the militant group captured Idlib city in Syria on 28 March 2015.

The city is strategically located on the highway which connects country's largest city Aleppo with the Syrian capital Damascus.

The group is a coalition of seven armed factions formed on 24 March 2015. The aim of the group is to capture Idlib from the Syrian government. Ahrar al-sham and Nusra Front are important partners in the group.

The armed conflict that began in March 2011 between the forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and those opposed to his rule has so far killed around 2 lakh civilians and 7.6 million people have been internally displaced with another 3.9 million seeking refuge in neighbouring countries of Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq.

Brendon McCullum conferred with Sir Richard Hadlee Medal for 2014-15

New Zealand cricket team captain Brendon McCullum on 1 April 2015 was conferred with the Sir Richard Hadlee Medal for 2014-15. McCullum won the award for his remarkable performance both as a player and the captain during the 2014-15 season.

The highest cricketing honour of New Zealand was presented to him during the New Zealand Cricket (NZC) Awards presentation ceremony held in New Zealand's capital Auckland.

List of New Zealand Cricket Awards 2014-15 winners

Sir Richard Hadlee Medal - Brendon McCullum
International Women's Player of the Year - Suzie Bates
Redpath Cup (batting) - Kane Williamson
Winsor Cup (bowling) - Trent Boult
ANZ Twenty20 International Player of the Year - Kane Williamson
ANZ ODI Player of the Year - Kane Williamson
ANZ Test Player of the Year - Kane Williamson
Domestic Cricketer of the Year (men) - Andrew Ellis
Domestic Cricketer of the Year (women) - Amy Satterthwaite
Best Sutcliffe Award - Ross Dykes

Brendon McCullum performance in 2014-15
• He scored double Test Century against Pakistan in Sharjah in November 2014 and in the process scored the fastest test century by a New Zealander.
• He was the first New Zealander to score 1000 Test runs in a calendar year in the test against Sri Lanka at Hagley Oval in Christchurch where he also scored another captain's knock of 195. Overall, he scored 1164 runs in the season.
• Under his leadership the team registered the successful test season, claiming five Test wins.
• He scored an ODI century against Sri Lanka in the lead up the ICC Cricket World Cup and was selected as the captain of the ICC tournament team.
• He successfully lead the team to their first ever ICC Cricket World cup final in March 2015 in which Australia won by 7 wickets.
• Overall McCullum has scored 5451 runs in 89 Tests and 5808 runs in 248 ODI matches.

Earlier in February 2015, he was named as the New Zealand sportsman of the year and became the first cricketer to win the title since 1991.

Haryana School Education Department ordered 10% reservations to EWS in private unaided schools
The Haryana Department of School Education (DPSE) on 31 March 2015 issued an order regarding the mechanism for implementing the provisions of Rule 134-A of Haryana School Education Rules (HSER), 2003.

The rule prescribes 10% reservation for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) and Below Poverty Line (BPL) category students from Classes I to XII in private unaided schools.

The order was issued by the DPSE in compliance with the Punjab and Haryana High Court (HC) order which was issued following a petition filed by private unaided schools of Haryana.

In July 2014 private unaided schools of Haryana had challenged the Rule 134-A in the Punjab and Haryana HC because of the following reasons:
• The rule imposes reservation of 10% over and above the 25% reservation already under implementation as prescribed by Section 12 (1)(c) of Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009.
• Under the RTE Act, 2009 schools reserve seats for EWS children in class one or previous classes only whereas the Rule 134-A requires reservation of 10% seats in all classes from I to XII.
• The main difference is that unlike the RTE Act, 2009 where the Union Government and state governments share cost burden 68% and 32% respectively, Rule 134-A passes entire responsibility on the private schools.

Union Cabinet approved amendments to the Homoeopathy Central Council Act, 1973

The Union Cabinet on 31 March 2015 gave its nod to the proposed amendments to the Homoeopathy Central Council Act, 1973.
The amendments are aimed at improving the quality of homeopathy education in the country.

Following are the approved amendments:

• The Union Government's permission to undertake annual admissions is being made mandatory for all the homoeopathy colleges in the country.
• The Union Government is empowered to give permission for five years to colleges which conform to the prescribed standards as specified in the regulations made under the Act.

The amendments to the act were necessitated due to the fact that under the present form of the Act, the Union Government is not in a position to stop those homeopathy colleges which are not adhering to the quality standards specified under the Act. Due to this, the quality of homoeopathy education is being compromised.

Union Cabinet approved signing and ratifying the UNESCAP agreement on Dry Ports

The Union Cabinet on 31 March 2015 gave its nod to signing and ratifying of the Inter-Governmental Agreement on Dry Ports of International Importance.

The cabinet's decision is in tune with the Resolution of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) regarding development of dry ports within member countries of UNESCAP, in which India is a member.

Importance of the agreement
• The agreement promotes international recognition of dry ports, facilitates investment in infrastructure, improves operational efficiency of inter modal transport services, establishes guiding principles for development and operation of dry ports and enhances the environmental sustainability of freight transport.
• The agreement will help in connectivity and integration of the Asian highway network, the trans-Asian railways network and other modes by working towards development of dry ports.
• The agreement will facilitate and expand international goods transport as a consequence of growing international trade in the region.
• The agreement will lead to strengthening of connectivity and seamless international movement of goods, facilitate increased efficiency and reduce cost of transport and logistics as well as extend reach to inland areas and wider hinterlands.

The agreement is an outcome of the UNESCAP resolution 66/4 of 19 May 2010 on the implementation of the Bangkok Declaration on Transport Development in Asia.

Seventeen countries have signed this Agreement so far. These are Armenia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Iran, the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam.

Vijay L Kelkar resigned from Tata Chemicals Board
Vijay L Kelkar, the Chairman of the 13th Finance Commission, resigned from the Tata Chemicals Board on 1 April 2015. He was appointed on the Board of Tata Group firm on 30 May 2012.

He is an Indian economist and academician who served as the Chairman of the Thirteenth Finance Commission constituted by the President of India. He also served as Advisor to the Union Ministry of Finance (2002–2004), and is known for his role in economic reforms in India.

He also served as Finance Secretary, Government of India 1998–1999, and in 1999 he was nominated as Executive Director of India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Sri Lanka on the board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian award, in January 2011.

Sunita Tomar, the face of India's anti-tobacco campaign, died

Sunita Tomar, the face of India's anti-tobacco campaign, died on 1 April 2015 at her native village in Bhind district of Madhya Pradesh. She was 28.

In 2014, she shot a 30-second video titled Sunita highlighting the devastating effect of smokeless tobacco. In the video she shared her experience, which later was used by the government for its anti-tobacco drive to warn people against consumption of smokeless gutkha and pan masalas.

She teamed up with Voice of Tobacco Victims (VoTV) to produce the video which tells about her struggle with oral cancer.

Sunita was among the 60 percent oral cancer patients of India who die within a year or two of their diagnosis because they turned too late for treatment.

Every year in India some one million people die due to tobacco consumption and some 35 percent of adults use tobacco in some form or other form in India.

Satishchandra Doreswamy resigned as Chief Business Officer of Wipro
Satishchandra Doreswamy, the Chief Business Officer (CBO) of Wipro, resigned on 1 April 2015. As a CBO at Wipro, he had responsibilities for Business Operations Group, Delivery Leadership and Global Transformation charter.

His other areas of focus at the company were building capabilities around business transformation driving large/strategic transformation deals, enriching client centricity, establishing domain leadership and inducting next generation tools, processes & practices.

Prior to joining Wipro, he had a successful stint at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) where he held the position of Vice President and Global Head for Infrastructure Services.

He is an industry veteran with more than two decades of experience. He has provided leadership across strategy, merger & acquisitions, sales, delivery and operations.

Union Government issued Guidelines for administration and operationalisation of Nirbhaya Fund
Union Government on 1 April 2015 issued Guidelines for utilization of the Nirbhaya Fund with a corpus of 3000 crore rupees. The fund has been approved by the Union Finance Ministry.

The Nirbhaya Fund was set up by Union Government under which various departments can seek money from the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) for schemes to improve safety and security of women in the country.

The Guidelines are as follows:

Ministry of WCD is the nodal authority which can be approached by various Ministries/Departments with the proposals/schemes, to be funded from Nirbhaya Fund targeted to strengthen the safety and security of women in the country.
Ministry of WCD would appraise these schemes to decide their suitability to qualify for getting funds from the Nirbhaya Fund.
Ministry of WCD shall forward the suitable proposals to Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) for necessary budgetary allocations in the respective Demands.
DEA shall appraise the proposal on financial and other aspects to avoid any duplicity of schemes/Government efforts to strengthen safety and security of women in the country.
Budget Division of DEA would approve the funding of schemes from the fund and would also be the nodal Ministry for any accretion into and withdrawal from the fund.
About Nirbhaya Fund

The setting up of Nirbhaya Fund was announced by the Union Finance Minister in the Union Budget 2013-14 with Government contribution of 1000 crores rupees for empowerment, safety and security of women and girl children. The Fund is administered by Department of Economic Affairs of the Union Finance Ministry.

In the Union Budget 2014-15, two schemes were announced by the Finance Minister for funding through Nirbhaya Fund. These were:

150 crore rupees allocated to the scheme on backend integration of distress signal from victims with mobile vans and control rooms administered by Union Ministry of Home Affair
50 crore rupees allocated to scheme on Women Safety on Public Road Transport administered by Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
Union Government launched FAME-India scheme to boost electric, hybrid vehicle sales

Union Government on 1 April 2015 launched Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric vehicles (FAME) – India Scheme.

The scheme was launched with an aim to boost sales of eco-friendly vehicles in the country. It is a part of the National Mission for Electric Mobility.

The scheme envisages providing 795 crore rupees support till 2020 for the manufacturing and sale of electric and hybrid vehicles.

Characteristic Features of FAME – India Scheme

It envisages providing demand incentives to electric and hybrid vehicles from two wheelers to buses in range of 1800 rupees to 66 lakh rupees
Focus areas of the scheme will be technology development; demand creation; pilot projects; and charging infrastructure
Depending on technology, battery operated scooters and motorcycles will be eligible demand incentives ranging between 1800 rupees to 29000 rupees
In three-wheeler the incentives will range from 3300 rupees and 61000 rupees
In four-wheeler segment incentive ranges from 13000 rupees and 1.38 lakh rupees
In case of Light Commercial Vehicles (LCV) incentive ranges from 17000 rupees to 1.87 lakh rupees
In case of buses the incentive ranges from 34 lakh rupees to 66 lakh rupees
The Department of Heavy Industries will be nodal department for the scheme.
Implementation of the Scheme

The scheme will be implemented in phases with fund allocations of 260 crore rupees and 535 crore rupees for the first two years respectively. The funds will be spent on technology platform (including testing infrastructure) demand incentives, charging infrastructure, pilot projects and operations.

In the first phase, the scheme will be implemented over a two year period between 2015-16 and 2016-17. The government will review the implementation of the scheme in first phase after 31 March 2017.

The future allocation will depend on the outcome and experience gained during the period.

National Electric Mobility Mission Plan

Union Government launched the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP) 2020 in 2013. NEMMP aims to achieve national fuel security by promoting hybrid and electric vehicles in the country. There is an ambitious target to achieve 6-7 million sales of hybrid and electric vehicles year on year from 2020 onwards.

Government aims to provide fiscal and monetary incentives to kick start this nascent technology. With the support from the Government, the cumulative sale is expected to reach 15-16 Million by 2020.

Indian-origin nurse Subadhra Devi Rai named for 2015 International Achievement Award

Dr Subadhra Devi Rai, an Indian-origin Singaporean nurse, on 2 April 2015 was named for the 2015 International Achievement Award by the Florence Nightingale International Foundation (FNIF) of the International Council of Nurses.

She was named for the award for her work in the healthcare sector of women and refugees and will receive the award on 21 June 2015 at a conference in Seoul.

With this 51-year-old Rai became the first Singaporean to get the prestigious biennial prize since its introduction in 1999.

At present, she is a senior lecturer at the School of Health Sciences (Nursing) at Nanyang Polytechnic in Singapore.

Rai began her career in Singapore where she worked in the intensive care unit following her general nursing training. She began to focus on health issues concerning women and refugees in 1997 during her time in Canada's Edmonton Centre for Survivors of Torture and Trauma