11-12 march
11-march-2015
Visit Britain roped in Saif Ali Khan to promote Bollywood Britain campaign
Visit Britain, the National tourism agency of Britain on 10 March 2015 roped in Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan to promote an India-centric campaign, Bollywood Britain.
The agency through this campaign wants to focus on locations featured in Hindi films to attract more Indian visitors. It also wants to popularise Wales, Scotland and other destinations, which are not so popular among Indian tourists. With this, Khan has joined the list of Indian celebrities promoting tourist destinations. Other Bollywood actors promoting tourist destinations include Amitabh Bachchan (Gujarat), Akshay Kumar (Canada) and Dia Mirza (Japan).
Attorney General is a public authority under the RTI Act, 2005: High Court of Delhi
High Court (HC) of Delhi on 10 March 2015 held that the office of the Attorney General of India falls under the ambit of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005. The court said that the Attorney General is not merely a lawyer for the government, but also is a Constitutional Authority.
Justice Vibhu Bakhru headed bench of Delhi HC while reversing the decision of the Central Information Commission (CIC) held that the office of Attorney General (AG) is a public authority within the meaning of section 2(h) of the RTI Act. This is because functions performed by the AG under Article 76 (2) of the Constitution of India are in the nature of public functions. The judgment was made by High Court while hearing two separate plea filed by RTI activists Subhash Chandra Agarwal and RK Jain. The two RTI activists had challenged the CIC ruling and urged the court to declare AG office answerable to RTI Act.
Allowing their plea, HC also directed the AG to reconsider the RTI application of RK Jain, whose plea for information was denied on basis of the CIC order that the office of AGI is not a public authority.
Earlier in December 2012, a full bench of CIC had ruled that the AG is only a person and can’t be considered an authority under the RTI Act.
Land Acquisition (amendment) Bill, 2015 passed in Lok Sabha
Lok Sabha on 10 March 2015 passed the Land Acquisition (amendment) Bill, 2015 by voice vote. The bill amends the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (RFCTLARR) Act, 2013.
The Land executive order which was passed on 29 December 2015.
Acquisition (amendment) Bill seeks to ratify an ordinance or emergency
Before being passed the Union Government made nine amendments in the Bill (more than 50 were proposed) which was promulgated on 29 December 2014. But it refused to bring back the consent clause or social impact assessment.
Blackstone appointed former COO of Unilever Harish Manwani as Global Executive Adviser
Blackstone on 10 March 2015 appointed former Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Unilever Harish Manwani as Global Executive Adviser.
As a Global Executive Advisor, Manwani will assist and guide selected Blackstone portfolio companies across the world and help in diligencing investment opportunities. In addition, he will help guide portfolio operations and advise the management teams of Blackstone’s Indian portfolio companies.
Harish Manwani retired from Unilever at the end of 2014. In Unilever, he was responsible for managing Unilever’s P&L in all of the markets in which it operates.
He used to hold various senior general management positions in different parts of the world, including overseeing Unilever’s businesses in Latin America, North America and Asia.
Additionally, he is the non-executive Chairman of Hindustan Unilever Ltd and serves on several international boards, including Qualcomm, Pearson and Whirlpool.
About Blackstone
The Blackstone Group L.P. is an American multinational private equity, investment banking, alternative asset management and financial services corporation based in New York City.
Blackstone was founded in 1985 as a mergers and acquisitions boutique by Peter G Peterson and Stephen A Schwarzman, who had previously worked together at Lehman Brothers, Kuhn, Loeb Inc.
Maharashtra government started helpline for distressed adolescents
The State Government of Maharashtra on 10 March 2015 started a helpline 18002332688 to address the social, physical and psychological issues faced by adolescents.
The helpline was inaugurated by Amruta Fadnavis, the wife of the Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis.
This helpline has been set up under the aegis of National Adolescent Health Programme (Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram) which was launched on 7 January 2014 as a part of the National Health Mission.
Features of the helpline and its benefits
• Expert counsellors, one male and one female will be available between 10 am and 6 pm on the toll free number 18002332688
• The service can be accessed from across the state
• Identity of the callers will be kept secret and thus it will allow them to freely discuss their issues with the counselor in complete confidence
• The helpline will be useful platform for teenagers who are too shy or embarrassed to talk about their problems with their parents, siblings or friends leading to serious consequences
• The experts will guide adolescents between the ages of 10 and 19 on all issues related to exam stress, harmful side-effect of drugs, tobacco and alcohol, reproductive health, pregnancy, contraceptives and sexual harassment.
Union Ministry of Corporate Affairs released the data of top ten Corporate of 2014
Union Ministry of Corporate Affairs on 10 March 2015 released data of top ten Corporate of 2014. The pack of top ten corporate comprises of eight public sector undertakings and two private sector undertakings. In term of assets, Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) is the largest corporate with assets worth 3.68 lakh crore rupees. RIL is followed by state-owned Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) with assets worth 2.52 lakh crore rupees and mortgage lender Housing Development Finance Corp (HDFC) with assets worth 2.25 lakh crore rupees.
Other entities in the top ten are Power Finance Corporation (4), National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) (5), Rural Electrification Corporation (devil), Power Grid Corporation (7), LIC Housing Finance (music), Steel Authority of India Limited (9) and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (10).
Power Finance Corp's assets stood at 1.94 lakh crore rupees, NTPC 1.80 lakh crore rupees, Rural Electrification Corp 1.53 lakh crore rupees, Power Grid Corp 1.40 lakh crore rupees, LIC Housing Finance 95777 crore rupees, Steel Authority of India 91962 crore rupees and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd 89333 crore rupees.
The list is based on data from 415886 companies which had filed their balance sheets for the year 2013-14 till November 2014.
The total reported value of the assets of all the 415886 companies was 117.08 lakh crore rupees and the share of top ten companies in the total value of assets was 15.3 percent in March 2014.
United Arab Emirates won the bid to host AFC Asian Cup 2019
United Arab Emirates (UAE) on 9 March 2015 won the bid to host Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup 2019. The AFC Asian Cup 2019 will be the 17th edition of the games.
The announcement was made by the AFC Executive Committee in a meeting at Manama, Bahrain.
The UAE defeated Iran Football Federation (IFC) to win the hosting rights by unanimous vote. Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Oman and Kuwait had all bid for the event, with China and Bahrain withdrawing after showing initial interest.
The UAE bid proposed to organise the tournament in three cities: Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Al-Ain. These all cities have stadiums that could host the games. It will be the second time that the UAE will host the Asian Cup. Earlier, UAE had held the AFC Asian Cup in 1996.
AFC Asian Cup is an international football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
US President Barack Obama nominated David Hale as Ambassador to Pakistan
The United States (US) President Barack Obama on 11 March 2015 nominated veteran diplomat David Hale as next Ambassador to Pakistan. His appointment was confirmed by the US Senate and he will succeed Cameron Munter. He has been the US Ambassador to Lebanon since 2013. Hale previously served as the Special Envoy for Middle East Peace from 2011 to 2013 and as Deputy Special Envoy for Middle East Peace from 2009 to 2011.
From 2008 to 2009, he was a Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs at the US Department of State. Prior to that, Hale served as US Ambassador to Jordan from 2005 to 2008. He served at the US Embassy in Jordan as Charge d Affaires from 2004 to 2005 and as Deputy Chief of Mission from 2003 to 2004.
Hale also served as Director of the Office of Israel and Palestinian Affairs, Executive Assistant to the Secretary of State and in other positions overseas in Bahrain, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia. He joined the Foreign Service in 1984.
1998 Asian Games gold-medallist Dingko Singh included in National Boxing Selection panel
1998 Asian Games gold-medallist Dingko Singh on 10 March 2015 was included in National Boxing Selection panel. The goal of the panel will be to pick a bunch that can deliver medals at the Olympics. Currently, Dingko Singh is working as a coach at the Imphal centre of the Sports Authority of India (SAI).
The 10-member selection panel will be headed by Arjuna awardee Gopal N Devang and it comprises of few Boxing India officials and all the national coaches as additional invitees. The selection panel will remain in office till 2016.
The other members of the National Boxing Selection panel are
• Padam Bahadur Mall: India's first Asian Games gold-medallist has been appointed Vice-President. He won the Gold medal in boxing at Jakarta Asian Games in 1962.
• Mohammad Ali Qamar: The country's first Commonwealth Games gold-medallist has been named the Convener. He won the Gold Medal at 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester.
• Manoj Pingale: Named Joint Secretary of the panel. He won the Gold medal at the Junior Asian Boxing Championship in 1985
• V Devarajan: Former World Cup bronze-medallist named Joint Secretary. He won the Bronze medal in the 1994 World Boxing Championship in Bangkok. He was the second Indian to win a medal at the Boxing World Cup after Pu Zoramthanga, from Mizoram
Boxing India Vice-Presidents Kishen Narsi and Jaipal Singh are among the invited members of the committee.
Kumar Sangakkara created history by scoring four successive centuries in a Cricket World Cup
Sri Lanka’s batsman Kumar Sangakkara on 11 March 2015 entered the record books by scoring four consecutive centuries in a Cricket World Cup. He achieved the feat when he scored 124 runs against Scotland in the Pool A match of the 2015 Cricket World Cup in Hobart, New Zealand.
With this, he became the first cricketer to achieve this feat in the One Day Internationals (ODI) history.
The 37 year old left-hander’s 124 runs in the match helped Sri Lanka to post 364 runs victory target for Scotland.
Details of four centuries of Sangakkara
• 26 February 2015: 105 against Bangladesh, Melborune Cricket Ground
• 1 March 2015: 117 not out against England, Westpac Stadium, Wellington
• 8 March 2015: 104 against Australia, Sydney Cricket Ground
• 11 March 2015: 124 against Scotland, Bellerive Oval, Hobart
Sangakarra leads the run-scoring chart in the 2015 World Cup with 496 runs in 6 innings and 124 runs against Scotland was his 25th ODI century.
With five World Cup centuries, Sangakarra is second only to the record of six centuries held by Sachin Tendulkar.
Sangakkara has so far scored 14189 runs in his ODI career and is second only to 18426 runs scored by Sachin Tendulkar.
Industrialist Deepak Khaitan died
Industrialist Deepak Khaitan died on 9 March 2015 after a prolonged spell of illness. He was 60.
He was the vice-Chairman of the Williamson Magor Group and the eldest son of BM Khaitan. He is best known for the acquisition of the Eveready brand from the Union Carbide.
BM Khaitan Group has companies like Eveready Industries, Mcleod Russel and Mcnally Bharat Engineering among others. The turnover of the group is around 6000 crores rupees.
He became the Chairman of McNally Sayaji Engineering in June 2009. He was also the non-executive Chairman of Kilburn Engineering Ltd. He was the executive Chairman at McNally Bharat Engineering Co Ltd and also served as its Chairman of the board till August 2011.
Aditya Birla Retail acquired Total hypermarket
Aditya Birla Retail on 10 March 2015 acquired Total Hypermarket. Total Hypermarkets is owned by Jubilant Retail. This is the second acquisition for Aditya Birla, the first being its 2007 buyout of Trinethra Super Retail. Total Hypermarkets will be merged with Aditya Birla Retail's hypermarket and supermarket brand More.
Aditya Birla Retail is a part of Aditya Birla Group. It is the fourth largest supermarket retailer in the country. Aditya Birla Retail currently operates over 500 supermarkets and 16 hypermarkets under the More brand.
Bangalore-based Total Super Store operates in five stores with the hypermarket format spanning across over 400000 sq.ft of area. Serving over eight lakh customers every month, the outlets are located in densely populated areas of the city.
12-march-2015
Union Government appointed Nine Executive Directors in Public Sector Banks
The Union Government on 11 March 2014 appointed nine Executive Directors (EDs) in Public Sector Banks (PSBs). The appointment of these EDs was approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet. List of appointments
• Charan Singh – Executive Director of UCO Bank
• K Venkata Rama Moorthy –Executive Director of Bank of Baroda
• RP Marathe – Executive Director of Bank of India
• Harideesh Kumar B – Executive Director, Canara Bank
• NK Sahoo – Executive Director of Allahabad Bank
• Pawan Kumar Bajaj - Executive Director of Indian Overseas Bank
• Ravi Shankar Pandey - Executive Director of Syndicate Bank
• Kishore Piraji Kharat - Executive Director of Union Bank of India
• RC Lodha - Executive Director of Central Bank of India
These appointments were made on the basis of recommendation of selection panel headed by the Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan.
Indian Railways signed MoU with LIC for implementing Railway projects
Indian Railways on 11 March 2015 signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) to augment its resources for speedier execution of projects. The MoU was signed by Rajalakshmi Ravikumar, Financial Commissioner (Railways) and SK Roy, Chairman of LIC. Under this MoU, LIC will make available a Financial Assistance of 150000 crore rupees to the Indian Railways for implementing Railway projects over the next five years. The Financial Assistance will be available from the Financial Year 2015-16.
LIC will invest in bonds issued by various railway entities such as Indian Railways Finance Corporation. There will be a 5 year moratorium in interest and loan repayment. The bonds will have a tenor of 30 years and will be disbursed over the next five years.
In his Budget Speech 2015-16, Union Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu had announced his intention of meeting a part of the total Plan Budget of 100011 crore rupees through extra budgetary resources, such as market borrowings by tapping low cost long term funds.
Google CFO Patrick Pichette announced his retirement
Google's Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Patrick Pichette on 11 March 2015 announced his retirement from the office citing personal reasons. The effective date of his retirement was not yet finalised. However, Pichette will stay at Google till the company finds a replacement. Pichette joined Google as CFO since August 2008 when Google was roiled by the economic downturn caused by the financial crisis.
Before joining Google, he worked at McKinsey & Company and Bell Canada (2001–2008). He is also on the advisory board of Engineers Without Borders (Canada).
Pichette holds a Bachelor degree in Business Administration from Universite du Quebec a Montreal (UQAM) in 1987 and did his Post-Graduation in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Pembroke College, Oxford.
India and Seychelles signed four agreements to boost security cooperation
India on 11 March 2015 signed four agreements with the Indian Ocean island nation Seychelles to boost security and maritime partnership. The agreements were signed during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Seychelles. The four agreements were signed in following categories:
• Cooperation in hydrography
• Cooperation in renewable energy
• Cooperation in Infrastructure development
• Cooperation in Sale of navigation charts and electronic navigational charts
Modi also launched the Coastal Surveillance Radar Project in Seychelles, describing it as another symbol of the cooperation between the two countries. He also announced that India will grant free visas to for three months to the citizens of Seychelles.
Moreover, Seychelles will continue to make an enormous contribution to the safety and security of the Indian Ocean Region. With this visit, Modi became the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Seychelles in 34 years. Indira Gandhi had visited the country in 1981.
India and Mauritius inked five MoUs to give impetus to bilateral relations
India and Mauritius inked 5 Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) on 11 March 2015 to give new impetus to bilateral co-operation between the two nations. The MoUs were signed in Port Luis in presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Mauritian counterpart Sir Anerood Jugnuth.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a five day official tour of three ocean nations, namely Seychelles, Mauritius and Sri Lanka. The journey started on 10 March 2015 and will conclude on 14 March 2015.
This is the first visit to Mauritius by an Indian Prime Minister in over three decades.
The five MoUs which were signed between the two nations include
• MoU in the field of Ocean Economy: The agreement provides for mutually beneficial cooperation for exploration and capacity development in the field of marine resources, fisheries, green tourism, research and development of ocean technology, exchange of experts and other related activities
• MoU on Programme for Cultural Cooperation for the year 2015-18: The programme will help to enhance bilateral cooperation and will also enhance greater people-to-people participation between the two countries.
• MoU on the Protocol for the importation of fresh mango from India: The aim of this Protocol is to facilitate importation of fresh mango fruits from India by Mauritius to enable the Mauritian to relish the flavor of the world-renowned Indian mangoes.
• MoU for the Improvement in Sea and Air Transportation Facilities at Agalega Island of Mauritius: This will help in betterment of the condition of the inhabitants of this remote Island. These facilities will enhance the capabilities of the Mauritian Defence Forces in safeguarding their interests in the Outer Island.
• MoU on Cooperation in the field of Traditional System of Medicine and Homeopathy: This MoU will promote cooperation in the field of traditional system of health and medicine between the two countries. It envisages exchange of experts, supply of traditional medicinal substances, joint research and development and recognition of the traditional systems of health and medicine in both countries. It also aims at promotion and popularization of the various Indian traditional systems which fall under AYUSH.
Beside the summit-level talks and exchange of documents of the MoUs, India also offered a concessional line of credit of 500 million US dollars to Mauritius for key infrastructure projects.
Also, fee on the Electronic Travel Authorisation to visiting Mauritian citizens was waived off. The fee was waived off with an aim to enhance people-to-people contact between the two nations along with promotion of tourism.
The two Prime Ministers also discussed ways to combat climate change.
Comment and Analysis
The MoUs which were signed during the visit of Prime Minister Modi’s visit can be seen as an approach to revive the cultural ties between the two nations along with economic as well as maritime security options.
The MoU on the co-operation in the Ocean Economy lays ahead a chance for the two nations to develop new areas of ocean economy and follow sustainable practices in use of blue assets. It also provides a chance to boost scientific and economic partnership as well as understanding of marine ecology.
Besides, these MoUs will also broaden the regional cooperation and enhance peace and prosperity in maritime region.
Veteran sports journalist K Baskaran died
Veteran sports journalist K Baskaran died on 11 March 2015 following a brief illness. He was 80. He is survived by his wife, a son and three daughters. Being a dedicated sports scribe, Baskaran had reported on most of the games in his long career working for Free Press Journal, Indian Express, Newsday (defunct) and then The Times of India where he spent more than 25 years.
Generally, Baskaran reported on football from all over the country. He was also well-admired for his coverage of other ball games like basketball.
He also authored a book on football titled Wills Book of Football.
Delhi government decided to enhance financial powers of bureaucrats
The Aam Aadmi Party-led Delhi Government on 11 March 2015 decided to enhance financial powers given to top bureaucrats. The decision was made in order to increase efficiency of all its departments and to clear projects.
Main points of the proposal
• Fund allocation to Head of Departments (HoDs) and administrative secretary will be increased. The expenditure limit of the every HoD will be increased to 3 lakh rupees per year from existing is 2 lakh rupees per year, while expenditure limit of secretaries will be increased to 5 lakh rupees from existing 3 lakh rupees.
• HoD will be allowed to shell out one lakh rupees on conveyance per month, at present, they are eligible for 30000 rupees for hiring conveyance. They can also shell out up to 2 lakh rupees on petty works, repairs and day to day and annual maintenance of the building.
• Secretaries will not be required to take nod from the Finance Department for executing the works and schemes which cost up to 10 crore rupees, at present, the limit is up to 5 crore rupees. They can shell out 7 lakh rupees on petty works, at present it was 5 lakh rupees.
• Approval of the financial department will be required for all schemes costing from 10 crore rupees to 15 crore rupees.
• Further, for all schemes above 15 crore rupees, up to 50 crore rupees will need approval of the empowered finance committee, headed by State Finance Minister.
• For projects up to 100 crore rupees, approval of the Chief Minister will be required and for projects costing more than 100 crore rupees approval of the council of the ministers will be needed.
N Sakthan elected as Speaker of Kerala Assembly
Congress legislator and deputy speaker N Shakthan on 12 March 2015 was elected as the speaker of the Kerala Assembly. Shakthan defeated CPI (M) candidate P Aysha Potty by 74 to 66 votes.
He succeeded G Karthikeyan who died on 7 March 2015 in Bangalore, Karnataka following a prolonged illness.
Before contesting for the post of speaker, Shaktan resigned from the post of Deputy Speaker of the Assembly on 10 March 2015. About N Shakthan
• He is an incumbent Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Kattakada constituency in Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala
• He started his political career through trade union in Kerala
• For the first time, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the state in 1982 from Kovalam constituency
• He was re-elected to the state assembly as a representative of Congress in 2001 and 2006 from Nemom constituency
• At present, he is an MLA from Kattakada constituency of Thiruvananthapuram. He was elected from this constituency in 2011
• Between 2004 and 06, he had served as a Minister for Transport in state cabinet in Oommen Chandy government
• Born at Kanjiramkulam on 5 May 1951, Shakthan belongs to Nadar community, a powerful segment in Southern Kerala
13-march-2015
Karnataka clinched eighth Ranji title of cricket
Defending champions Karnataka on 12 March 2015 won their eighth Ranji Trophy title of cricket. In the title clash played at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai, Karnataka defeated Tamil Nadu by an innings and 217 runs.
Tamil Nadu was bundled out for 134 in the first innings. Karnataka then scored 762 runs. Chasing an imposing 628, Tamil Nadu was shot out for 411 in the final session of the fifth day's play. Karnataka’s middle-order batsman Karun Nair scored 338 runs to help the team in scoring a winning target. While leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal of Karnataka who bagged four wickets for 26 wrecked the batting order of Tamil Nadu.
Skipper of Karnataka R Vinay Kumar, who became the joint leading wicket taker this season, ended with two wickets, along with Sreenath Aravind.
Karnataka Ranji team was captained by R Vinay Kumar, while the Tamil Nadu team was captained by Abhinav Mukund.
Man-of the-match - Karun Nair for his maiden triple century in first-class cricket
British Irish Visa Scheme came into force in IndiaThe British Irish Visa Scheme came into force in India on 10 February 2015. The information related to this was revealed by Minister of State for External Affairs, VK Singh while answering the unstarred questions in Rajya Sabha on 12 March 2015.
The scheme allows Indian nationals to travel to the United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland on a single-visit visa from either country, on the same trip. Applicant can apply at one of the existing Visa Application Centres in India of Ireland & the UK.
This scheme allows the holder of short-stay visa issued by the country of first arrival to travel freely between Ireland and the UK including Northern Ireland, for the duration of that visa.
High Courts cannot entertain plea against Armed Forces Tribunal: Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of India on 11 March 2015 held that High Courts (HCs) are barred from entertaining pleas under writ jurisdiction against the verdicts of the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) in disputes pertaining to Armed Forces.
Supreme Court (SC) bench comprising Justice SJ Mukhopadhaya and Justice NV Ramana in its direction said that if the HCs entertain a petition under Article 226 of the Constitution of India against the order passed by AFT, it would by-pass the machinery of statute as enshrined in the AFT Act, 2007. Therefore, there is likelihood of anomalous situation for the aggrieved person in praying for relief from this court. SC gave away the direction while hearing a bunch of appeals questioning whether the right of appeal under Section 30 of the Armed Forces Tribunal Act, 2007 against an order of the Tribunal will bar the jurisdiction of the High Court under Article 226 of the Constitution regarding matters related to Armed Forces.
Section 30 of AFT Act stipulates that an appeal against the final decision or order of the Tribunal shall lie in the Supreme Court.
Beside this, the SC also set aside an order of Delhi High Court which allowed the writ petition against army personnel.
Mass nesting of Olive Ridley turtles started in Ganjam district of Odisha
The mass nesting of endangered species Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) sea turtles started in second week of March 2015 near river Rushikulya mouth in Ganjam district of Odisha.
On the first day of nesting, around 10000 female turtles laid eggs in over 3-km-long sandy beach from Gokharakuda to Podampeta. Wildlife experts anticipated that the unique phenomenon would continue for some more days.
This mass nesting season of Olive Ridley was followed by the sporadic nesting in the rookery, which is considered as the second largest after Gahiramatha (world's most important nesting beach for Olive Ridley Sea Turtles).
Other famous places as mass nesting sites for the Olive Ridley also includes the Devi River mouth in Odisha coast.
Actions taken to secure the Olive Ridley and their eggs
Around 100-150 eggs are laid by each female turtle and to protect the Olive Ridley and its eggs and around 175 persons including forest personnel, wildlife activists and nearby villagers are engaged round the clock. This protection will continue for next 50 days till the hatching takes place.
The protection is required as the mother turtles do not wait for 45 to 50 days to see the baby turtles emerge hatching.
World Kidney Day 2015 observed with theme Kidney Health for All
World Kidney Day (WKD) was observed globally on 12 March 2015. The theme for the year 2015 is Kidney Health for All.
The day is a global health awareness campaign that focuses on the importance of the kidneys and reducing the frequency and impact of kidney disease and its associated health problems worldwide.
World Kidney Day
The World Kidney Day is annually observed on the second Thursday in March. It is a joint initiative of the International Society of Nephrology (ISN) and the International Federation of Kidney Foundations (IFKF). World Kidney Day started in 2006. Themes of the day since its startincludes
• 2015 Kidney Health for All
• 2014 Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) and aging
• 2013 Kidneys for Life – Stop Kidney Attack!
• 2012 Donate – Kidneys for Life – Receive
• 2011 Protect your kidneys: Save your heart
• 2010 Protect your kidneys: Control diabetes
• 2009 Protect your kidneys: Keep your pressure down
• 2008 Your amazing kidneys!
• 2007 CKD: Common, harmful and treatable
• 2006 Are your kidneys OK?
The International Society of Nephrology (ISN)
The International Society of Nephrology (ISN) is a not-for-profit society dedicated to advancing the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of kidney diseases in 126 countries. The Society celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2010.
The International Federation of Kidney Foundations (IFKF)
The IFKF, a not-for-profit federation founded in 1999 and currently has a membership of 63 kidney foundations and patient groups in 41 countries. IFKF advocates worldwide improving the health, well-being and quality of life of individuals with kidney disease.
Times Higher Education released The World Reputation Rankings 2015
The Times Higher Education on 13 March 2015 released the World Reputation Rankings 2015. This year rankings show that the United Kingdom boasts 12 of the 100 most renowned higher education institutions in the world. For the fifth consecutive year, the rankings highlight an elite group of six US and UK universities that hold a significant lead over the rest. The Harvard University ranks at the 1st position followed by Cambridge University at second position and Oxford University on the third.
Highlights of the World Reputation Rankings 2015
• The University of Bristol entered the ranking this year in the 91-100 band, while Durham University and the University of Warwick entered the 81-90 group.
• The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine dropped out of the list this year.
• Both Cambridge University and Oxford University climbed two places and are ranked second and third respectively.
• United States remains dominant in the annual rankings, claiming 43 of the top 100 universities and eight universities in the top 10.
• Germany remains the best-represented nation after the US and the UK, with six top 100 universities.
• France now boasts five institutions in the table, all of them based in Paris.
• Asia’s best performer The University of Tokyo, slipped one place to 12th position. Meanwhile, China’s top institution Tsinghua University climbed 10 places to 26th and Peking University leaped from 41st to 32nd place.
Union Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers launched Pharma Jan Samadhan scheme
The Union Minister of Chemicals & Fertilizers Ananth Kumar on 12 March 2015 launched the Pharma Jan Samadhan scheme. It is a web enabled system for redressal of consumers’ grievances relating to pricing and availability of medicines. The system was created by National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA). The ministry also released Compendium of Ceiling Prices of Essential Medicines 2015 prepared by NPPA.
Pharma Jan Samadhan scheme
• The Pharma Jan Samadhan scheme will put in place a speedy and effective complaint redressal system with respect to availability and pricing of medicines.
• It will serve as a robust e-governance tool for protection of consumers’ interests through effective implementation of the Drugs (Price Control) Order, 2013.
• It will provide consumers with an on-line facility to redress their complaints relating to over-pricing of medicines, non-availability or shortage of medicines, sale of new medicines without prior price approval of NPPA, and refusal of supply for sale of any medicine without good and sufficient reason.
• Once the complaint is redressed, NPPA will initiate action on the complaint within 48 hrs of its receipt.
Indian-origin Ganasen Reddy awarded with KwaZulu-Natal 2015 National Teachers Awards
Ganasen Reddy, an Indian-origin South African educator, was on 12 March 2015 awarded with KwaZulu-Natal 2015 National Teachers Awards at the annual National Teaching Awards held in Johannesburg. KwaZulu-Natal 2015 National Teachers Awards is a Lifetime Achievement Award for teaching in South Africa.
Ganasen Reddy was felicitated by South African minister of basic education Angie Motshekga. The award was given to Reddy for sustaining a high-level of achievement throughout his long teaching career by receiving results, awards and recognition over a long period of time.
Other Indian-origin teachers who were felicitated at the awards function were:
• Silas Pillay, who received the Excellence in Primary School Leadership Award
• Anneline Govender, who was placed second in the category Excellence in Primary School Teaching
• Caryn Reddy, who took third place in the category Excellence in Special Needs and Inclusive Teaching
The National Teaching Awards honour, recognise and reward teachers in South Africa that perform their duties exceptionally well and in doing so inspire others to be the best in everything that they do.
Veteran fantasy author Sir Terence David John Pratchett passed away
Renowned fantasy author Sir Terence David John Pratchett (Terry Pratchett) passed away on 12 March 2015 in London, United Kingdom following a prolonged illness. He was 66. Sir Terry Pratchett was famously known as the creator of the Discworld series of more than 40 interconnected comic novels. His first Discworld novel The Colour of Magic was published in 1983. Pratchett has sold more than 85 million books worldwide in 37 languages.
About Sir Terry Pratchett
• In a career spanning 44 years, Pratchett had written more than 70 books which were translated in 37 languages.
• His debut novel The Carpet People was published in 1971 and his first Discworld novel The Colour of Magic was published in 1983.
• Pratchett was the UK’s best-selling author of the 1990s and later was surpassed by Harry Potter author JK Rowling.
• He was knighted by the Queen Elizabeth II in 2009 for his services to literature and was appointed as officer of Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1998.
• In 2010, he was awarded the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement.