15-16 September 2016 eng
15 September
Arvind Panagariya led task force on poverty files report, proposes new panel on BPL
Task force headed by NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Arvind Panagariya to prepare a road map for elimination of poverty submitted its report to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on 11 September 2016.
It has suggested setting up a committee to identify people Below Poverty Line (BPL). It also suggested participation from states in defining the BPL population.
The other members of the task force were Aayog Member Bibek Debroy and secretaries from ministries of rural development, housing and urban poverty alleviation.
It asked for constitution of a new committee, which in participation with the states and other stakeholders should work on defining the BPL population and identify them.
It also suggested four options for tracking the poor and they are
First: It asks to continue with the Tendulkar poverty line.
Second: It asks to switch to the Rangarajan or other higher rural and urban poverty lines.
Third: It calls to track the progress over time of the bottom 30 percent of the population
Fourth: It asks to track progress along specific components of poverty such as nutrition, housing, drinking water, sanitation, electricity and connectivity.
Background
The task force was constituted in March 2015 with an initial mandate to finalise its report by 30 June 2015. Its main task was to prepare a road map for elimination of poverty as well as suggest strategies and anti-poverty programmes. Its terms of reference included developing a working definition of poverty and coordinating and developing synergy with central ministries and state government task forces.
Indian Railways Men Hockey Team wins MCC Murugappa Gold Cup Hockey Tournament
Indian Railways Men Hockey Team on 11 September 2016 won the MCC Murugappa Gold Cup Hockey Tournament 2016 in Chennai. It is for the first time that Indian Railways clinched the title.
In the finals, Indian Railways Hockey Team defeated Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) Team by 2 - 1.
As the winning team, Indian Railways takes home the prize money of 5 lakhs rupees, and the runner-up team Indian Oil Corporation receives 2.50 lakhs rupees.
Special awards given in the tournament:
| Special prize | Awarded to | Team |
| Best Forward | AffanYousuf | Indian Railways |
| Best Midfielder | Indian Railways | |
| Best Goal keeper/ Defender | Amit Rohidas | Indian Railways |
| Most Promising Player of the tournament | Joshua | Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu |
| Man of the Match of the Finals | Malak Singh | Indian Rilways |
About MCC and the Tournament
• The Madras Cricket Club is one of the premier sports institutions in the country.
• It organizes major national level tournaments in the disciplines of Tennis, Squash, Cricket, Badminton, Billiards and Hockey.
• From the early days, this tournament has been the premier hockey event in South India and one of the major competitions in the country attracting the top teams and talent.
• This tournament has been keenly observed by coaches and administrators for picking talent to represent the country.
President Pranab Mukherjee presented Rajbhasha awards
President Pranab Mukherjee on 14 September 2016 presented the Rajbhasha awards at Rashtrapati Bhawan. The awards were given away on the occasion of Hindi Divas.
The Rajbhasha awards were instituted by the Department of Official Language of Home Ministry to recognize the excellent contribution of Ministries, Departments and Nationalized Banks in the field of Hindi.
Hindi Divas is celebrated annually on 14 September because on this day in 1949 the Constituent Assembly of the country adopted Hindi language as the official language of India.
Sushmita Rai wins Bronze at World Martial Arts Masterships
Sikkim’s Sushmita Rai in the second week of September 2016 won a bronze medal at the recently concluded World Martial Arts Masterships 2016, which was held at Cheongju, Chungcheongbuk-do of South Korea.
The competition is considered an Olympics for martial arts with 2073 participants from 87 countries.
The World Martial Arts Masterships was the first comprehensive martial arts competition where national teams from across the globe took part.
Who is Sushmita Rai?
• Sushmita Rai is an Indian kick boxer.
• She hails from the village of Bhasmey of Majhitar, Sikkim.
• At present, she is pursuing Bachelors in Arts from the Sikkim Government College.
• She is trained by Coach B.B.Subba.
Fortune released list of most powerful women based outside the US
Fortune on 13 September 2016 released list of most powerful women based outside the US. The list was topped by Banco Santander's Ana Botin. The 2016 list spans 19 countries and is comprised of 16% new names.
Indian’s in the list include top women bankers, namely SBI chief Arundhati Bhattacharya (2nd rank), ICICI head Chanda Kochhar (5th rank) and Axis Bank CEO Shikha Sharma (19th rank).
Top 10 women in the list are
• Ana Botin - Group Executive Chairman, Banco Santander. She is a resident of Spain.
• Arundhati Bhattacharya - Chairperson, State Bank of India. She is a resident of India.
• Isabelle Kocher - CEO, Engie. She is a resident of France.
• Chua Sock Koong - Group CEO, Singapore Telecommunications. She is a resident of Singapore.
• Chanda Kochhar - Managing Director and CEO, ICICI Bank. She is a resident of India.
• Alison Cooper - CEO, Imperial Brands. She is a resident of U.K.
• Guler Sabanci - Chairman, Sabancı Holding. She is a resident of Turkey.
• Ho Ching - Executive Director and CEO, Temasek. She is a resident of Singapore.
• Annika Falkengren - CEO and President, SEB Group. She is a resident of Sweden.
• Omella Barra - Co-COO, Walgreens Boots Alliance. She is a resident of U.K.
National Hindi Divas observed across India
14 September: National Hindi Divas
National Hindi Divas (Hindi Day) was observed across India on 14 September 2016. The day was observed to promote the Matra Bhasha – the mother tongue of India and show its importance as a language in the country and the world at large.
As a part of Hindi Diwas Samaroh, a special function named ‘Hindi Hain Hum’ was also organised at the PHD Chamber of Commerce in Delhi.
On the occasion of Hindi Divas, the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee presented Rajbhasa awards in various categories at a function held at Rashtrapati Bhavan. These awards were instituted by the Rajbhasha Vibhag, Ministry of Home Affairs to recognize the excellent contribution of Ministries, Departments and Nationalized Banks and others in the field of Hindi.
About National Hindi Divas
National Hindi Divas is observed annually in India. Hindi Day is observed because on 14 September 1949, the Constituent Assembly of India adopted Hindi written in Devanagari script as the Official Language of the Union.
About Hindi Language
• Hindi as a language is the fourth most spoken language of the world.
• In India, Hindi is used as a mother tongue by around 258 million people and is a native language for most people living in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, and Rajasthan.
• Outside Asia, Hindi is an official language in Fiji. The Constitution of Fiji states 3 official languages, namely English, Fijian, and Hindi. The dialect of Hindi spoken there is known as Fiji Baat or Fiji Hindi.
Constitutional Provision for Hindi language
Official Language policy of the Union has been explained in detail under Article 120 (Part-5), Article 210 (Part-6), Article 343, 344 and from 348 to 351. In Part - 17 (Article 343 to 351) of the Constitution, the Official Language of the Union and States has been prescribed.
India-Afghanistan inked agreements to enhance bilateral cooperation
India and Afghanistan on 14 September 2016 signed an Extradition Treaty to facilitate exchange of wanted terrorists and criminals.
The two nations also inked agreements on peaceful uses of outer space and on cooperation on civil and commercial matters.
The treaties were signed during Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani’s visit to India. He was on a visit to India from 14-15 September 2016.
In addition, during the meeting the two leaders President Ghani and Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought faster implementation of the trilateral agreement among Afghanistan, Iran and India. This agreement was reached in May 2016 with an aim of creating a network of regional connectivity around Iran’s Chahbahar port.
Besides, India also extended a one-billion dollar to Afghanistan for capacity and capacity building in areas like empowerment of women, education, skill development, health, energy and others. Prime Minister Modi also proposed to supply world class and easily affordable medicines from India and cooperation in solar energy through mutually agreed instruments.
India Blue wins 2016-2017 Duleep Trophy tournament
Gautam Gambhir-led India Blue on 14 September 2016 won the inaugural day/night Duleep Trophy Cricket tournament held in Greater Noida.
In the final, India Blue defeated India Red, captained by Yuvraj Singh, by a massive 355 runs.
Ravinder Jadeja, who bagged 5 wickets in the second innings, finished the game with a 10-wicket haul.
Cheteshwar Pujara was named the Player of the Match.
About Duleep Trophy
• The Duleep Trophy is a domestic first-class cricket competition played in India between teams representing geographical zones of India.
• The competition is named after Kumar Shri Duleepsinhji of Nawanagar.
• The 2016–17 Duleep Trophy was the 55th season of the Duleep Trophy.
• In June 2016, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced that the tournament will feature day/night matches and pink ball will be used.
• The tournament was contested by three teams, namely India Red, India Blue and India Green.
International Day of Democracy observed
15 September: International Day of Democracy
International Day of Democracy was observed on 15 September 2016 with theme Democracy and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The day provides an opportunity to review the state of democracy in the world.
The 2016 theme of the day is based on the United Nations resolution that was adopted in September 2015 by all 193 Member States that is the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The 2030 agenda seeks to achieve a better future for all by ending extreme poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and protect Earth.
About International Day of Democracy
• It was created by the UN General Assembly through a resolution in 2007 to strengthen national programmes devoted to the promotion and consolidation of democracy.
• It was observed for the first time in 2008.
• Though the word Democracy is nowhere is mentioned in the UN Charter of 1945, the UN has played a pivotal role in nurturing Democratic values, practices and institutions.
• The theme for the 2015 was: Space for Civil Society.
Reliance Communications and Aircel to be merged to create 4th largest telco
Anil Ambani-led Reliance Communications and Maxis Communications Berhad (MCB), promoters of Aircel, on 14 September 2016 agreed to merge their wireless businesses to form the fourth-largest telecom operator in the country.
The merger is termed as the biggest consolidation deal in India's telecom sector.
Key highlights of the merger
• R-Com will demerge its wireless business and transfer it to the new entity. Its standalone business will focus on the enterprise segment and data centre businesses.
• Sistema will continue to hold 10 per cent in standalone R-Com.
• Both R-Com and Maxis will hold 50 per cent each in the new entity.
• The merged company will be one of India’s largest private sector companies. It will have an asset base of over 65000 crore rupees and net worth of 35000 crore rupees.
• The entity will enjoy substantial benefits of scale driving significant revenue growth, and capex and opex synergies with a net present value of 20000 crore rupees.
• The company will be managed by an independent professional team under the supervision of the board.
• After completion of the merger in 2017, RCom’s overall debt will reduce by 20000 crore rupees or over 40 per cent of its debt.
• Aircel’s debt will reduce by 4000 crore rupees.
• The entity will have the second-largest spectrum holding amongst all operators, aggregating 448 MHz across the 850, 900, 1800 and 2100 MHz bands.
• It will enjoy enhanced business continuity through extended validity of spectrum holdings till 2033-35.
Subramanian Swamy honoured with Tamil Ratna in US
Subramanian Swamy on 11 September 2016 was honoured with ‘Tamil Ratna’ by America Tamil Sangam. The America Tamil Sangam is a body of Tamil diaspora based in US.
The senior BJP leader and Rajya Sabha MP was presented with the award in New York for his fight against corruption and work for bringing more transparency in the functioning of the government.
Previous Tamil Ratna awardees include Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman, movie director Bharathi Raja, Bharatha Natyam exponent Kamala Lakshman and Srinivasa Varadhan, the winner of the Abel Prize for mathematics among others.
Subramanian Swamy
• He is an Indian politician and economist who serves as a member of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian Parliament.
• He has served as a member of the Planning Commission of India and was a Cabinet Minister in the Chandra Shekhar government.
• Earlier in November 1978, he was member of the Group of Eminent persons and was called to Geneva, Switzerland to prepare a report of the United Nations (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)) on Economic Co-operation between Developing countries (ECDC).
• He also simplified trade procedures and formulated a new export strategy which became the forerunner of trade reform adopted subsequently.
• In 1994, he was appointed as Chairman of the Commission on Labour Standards and International Trade by former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao.
• He has written on foreign affairs of India dealing largely with People's Republic of China (PRC), Pakistan and Israel.
US sign 38 billion dollars deal with Israel
The United States on 14 September 2016 signed a 38 billion dollars deal with Israel to provide the country with military assistance over a 10-year period, from 2019 to 2028. The deal is the largest such agreement the US has ever had with any country.
Under the terms of agreement, Israel will receive 3.8 billion dollars a year from the US. At present US gives 3.1 billion dollars to Israel annually under a 10-year deal that ends in 2018.
Following 10 months of tense negotiations, the two allies finalised the memorandum of understanding (MoU) with a signing ceremony in Washington. It was signed with the hope that this contribution would help in security.
Hiroshi Nakagawa takes over as Chairman of Isuzu Motors India
Japanese automobile maker Isuzu Motors on 14 September 2016 announced the appointments of Hiroshi Nakagawa as the Chairman of Isuzu Motors India (IMI) with immediate effect.
Hiroyasu Miura, the erstwhile Chairman of IMI will take over as the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Isuzu Engineering Business Centre India Pvt Ltd (IEBCI) with immediate effect.
Nakagawa has been actively involved in Isuzu business division for over 20 years in key Isuzu markets.
About Isuzu Motors
• Isuzu Motors Limited is a Japanese commercial vehicles and diesel engine manufacturing company headquartered in Tokyo.
• Its principal activity is the production, marketing and sale of Isuzu commercial vehicles and diesel engines.
• The company was established in 1916.
• In 1934, the company fused with the carmaker and was renamed Isuzu, after the Isuzu River.
• By 2009, Isuzu had produced over 21 million diesel engines, which can be found in vehicles all over the world.
• Isuzu diesel engines are used by dozens of manufacturers, to include Ford Motor Company and Renault-Nissan Alliance.
2016 Kabaddi World Cup's logo unveiled
Vijay Goel, Union Sports Minister, Janardan Singh Gehlot, President of International Kabaddi Federation, on 14 September 2016 formally unveiled the logo of the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup.
The logo is derived from the natural heritage of Gujarat, the Asiatic Lion, symbolising the ferocity of a Kabaddi defender and the agility of a raider.
The 2016 Kabaddi World Cup will be held at The Arena by TransStadia in Ahmedabad from 7 October to 22 October 2016.
A total of 12 teams including hosts India will compete for the top honours in the tournament, which has been divided into two groups of six teams each.
The teams will play in a round robin league format, while the semi-finals will be played on 21 October 2016 and the final is slated for 22 October 2016.
The participating countries are: USA, Thailand, UK, Australia, Iran, Poland, Argentina, Bangladesh, South Korea, Kenya and Japan.
About Kabaddi World Cup
• Kabaddi is a contact sport that originated in Ancient India.
• India always dominated the event by winning all the gold medals in both men's and women's category.
• Kabaddi World Cup was first played in 2004, then in 2007 and then annually from 2010 onwards.
• 2004 and 2007 were played in Standard Style and other years in Circle Style.
• World Cup 2015 was cancelled because of 2015 Guru Granth Sahib desecration controversy.
• Sri Muktsar Sahib in Punjab was the host of the Kabaddi World Cup 2014.
• The winner of the Kabaddi World Cup 2014 was India. New Zealand was the Runner-up. Pakistan stood on the third place.
Indian-American Abraham Verghese selected for 2015 National Humanities Medal
Abraham Verghese, Indian-American physician-author, on 14 September 2016 was selected for the prestigious 2015 National Humanities Medal.
On the other hand, Mel Brooks, Morgan Freeman, Audra McDonald, Berry Gordy and Philip Glass are on the list for the National Medal of Arts, while Terry Gross and Wynton Marsalis are among the Humanities recipients.
President Barack Obama will award the medals on 22 September 2016 in a ceremony in the East Room of the White House.
About Abraham Verghese
• Abraham Verghese is a physician-author, Professor for the Theory and Practice of Medicine at Stanford University Medical School.
• He is also the author of three best-selling books, two memoirs and a novel.
• In 2011, he was elected to be a member of the Institute of Medicine.
• He was born in Ethiopia to parents from Kerala.
Full list of honourees:
National Medal of Arts
• Mel Brooks, Actor, Comedian and Writer
• Sandra Cisneros, Author
• Eugene O’Neill Theater Center
• Morgan Freeman, Actor
• Philip Glass, Composer
• Berry Gordy, Record Producer & Songwriter
• Santiago Jiménez, Jr., Musician
• Moises Kaufman, Director & Playwright
• Ralph Lemon, Dancer, Choreographer, Writer, & Visual Artist
• Audra McDonald, Actress & Singer
• Luis Valdez, Playwright, Actor, Writer & Director
• Jack Whitten, Painter
National Humanities Medal
• Rudolfo Anaya, Author
• José Andrés, Chef & Entrepreneur
• Ron Chernow, Author
• Louise Glück, Poet
• Terry Gross, Radio Host & Producer
• James McBride, Author
• Louis Menand, Author
• Elaine Pagels, Historian & Author
• Prison University Project, Higher Education Program
• Abraham Verghese, Physician, Professor & Author
• Isabel Wilkerson, Journalist & Author
About National Medal of Arts
• The National Medal of Arts is an award and title created by the United States Congress in 1984.
• It was created for the purpose of honouring artists and patrons of the arts.
• It is the highest honour specifically given for achievement in the arts conferred to an individual artist on behalf of the people.
• Honourees are selected by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and ceremoniously presented the award by the President of the United States.
• The medal was designed for the NEA by sculptor Robert Graham.
Indian cyclists bag 6 medals on opening day of 2016 Track Asia Cup
Indian Cyclists won six medals, including three gold, two silver and one bronze on the opening day of the Track Asia Cup 2016 in New Delhi.
The medal winners for India include Deborah Herold, Kezia Vargheese, Alena Reji, Rajkumari Devi, Nayana Rajesh and Anu Chutia.
Deborah Herold won two gold medals at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex Velodrome. Her first gold came in women’s elite 500 by clocking 35.964 seconds. Mohd. Adnan Farina Shawati of Malaysia and Yin Yin from Hong Kong bagged the silver and bronze medals respectively.
Her second Gold came in team sprint women elite event, where the Indian team comprising Deborah Herold and Kezia Vargheese defeated the team from Kazakhstan to bag the gold medal. A bronze medal was awarded to Rajkumari Devi, due to walkover at the women elite pursuit 3kms event.
In men's elite team sprint event, the team from Iran bagged gold with a time of 46.330 followed by team Malaysia and team Kazakhstan bagging the silver and bronze medal respectively with timing of 47.999s and 47.641s. The Indian team finished fourth in the event.
On the other hand, in the men’s junior team won silver in the sprint event by defeating the team from Kazakhstan with a time of 49.299s. The junior women's team bagged gold in the Team Sprint event, Nayana Rajesh and Anu Chutia defetaed the team from Uzbekistan with a timing of 37.452s.
Another star for India was Alena Reji, who was taking part in her first international event as she won a silver beating Jantuganova Olga from Uzbekistan. Anis Amira from Malaysia won the gold medal in this event with a timing of 38.443s.
At the end of the first day of the championship, India and Malaysia shared the top spot with three gold, two silver, one bronze medal each.
Hong Kong, with three gold and two bronze, stand second in the tally followed by Iran with one gold.
Track Asia Cup
The Track Asia Cup cycling completition is being held from 14 September to 16 September 2016 at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex velodrome. This is the third year in succession that India is hosting the event. The event is recognised by the International Cycling Federation and is part of the World Championship qualifier.
The event is being held in four categories namely elite and juniors in men and women’s.
16 September
East Bengal wins Calcutta Football League 2016
Indian football giants East Bengal on 16 September 2016 won the Calcutta Football League (CFL) for the seventh consecutive time.
The team defeated Mohammedan Sporting 1-0 at the Kalyani Stadium.
East Bengal bettered its own record of winning it six times straight from 1970 to 1975.
About East Bengal Football Club
• East Bengal Football Club is a professional football club, based in Kolkata, West Bengal.
• East Bengal FC was founded in 1920.
• It currently competes in the I-League, the top-tier of Indian football pyramid.
• The club has won 3 National Football League, 8 Federation Cups, 3 Indian Super Cups and many more.
• The club has represented India the most number of times in the Asian competitions, with its best performance being a semi-final berth in the AFC Cup 2013.
• East Bengal had also won ASEAN Club Championship in 2003.
About Calcutta Football League
• Calcutta Football League is the football league system where several football clubs of Kolkata participate.
• It currently consists of seven-tier pyramid system.
• Indian Football Association (IFA) conducts the CFL with 157 mostly Kolkata based clubs and units.
• Started in 1898, this league is regarded as one of the oldest football competitions in the world.
India declares itself free from bird flu
India declared itself free from the highly contagious avian influenza (H5N1) or bird flu from 5 September 2016. The declaration was made by the Department of Animal Husbandry under the Agriculture Ministry.
The Department in a statement said that it had notified the same to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE). However, it also stressed that there is a need for continued surveillance.
To make sure that this H5N1 free status is maintained, the union government has asked the chief Secretaries of states to continued surveillance especially in the vulnerable areas bordering infected countries and in areas visited by migratory birds.
Background
The outbreak of the avian influenza was notified on 9 May 2016 at Humnabad, Bidar district, Karnataka. In areas on the one-kilometre radius of the outbreak location, the government took measures, including culling, disinfection and clean-up, to contain the spread of avian influenza.
Bird flu affects mainly the domestic poultry. The disease spreads from infected birds to other winged creatures through contact with nasal and respiratory secretions and also due to contamination of feed and water.
Avian influenza
Avian influenza (AI) is an infectious viral disease of birds. AI viruses are divided into 2 groups based on their ability to cause disease in poultry: high pathogenicity or low pathogenicity. Highly pathogenic viruses result in high death rates (up to 100% mortality within 48 hours) in some poultry species. Low pathogenicity viruses also cause outbreaks in poultry but are not generally associated with severe disease.
Key facts
• Most avian influenza viruses do not infect humans; however some, such as A(H5N1) and A(H7N9), have caused serious infections in people.
• Outbreaks of AI in poultry may raise global public health concerns due to their effect on poultry populations, their potential to cause serious disease in people, and their pandemic potential.
• Reports of highly pathogenic AI epidemics in poultry, such as A(H5N1), can seriously impact local and global economies and international trade.
• The majority of human cases of A(H5N1) and A(H7N9) infection have been associated with direct or indirect contact with infected live or dead poultry. There is no evidence that the disease can be spread to people through properly cooked food.
• Controlling the disease in animals is the first step in decreasing risks to humans.
India, Sri Lanka sign MoU to support fishermen in Hambantota district
India and Sri Lanka on 15 September 2016 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to support livelihood of the fishing and farming communities in Hambantota district of Sri Lanka.
The project envisages gift of equipment and tools such as grub hoes, bicycles, life jackets and sewing machines, worth 300 million SLR, to the fishing and farming communities in Hambantota district. Part of the grant is expected to be used for developing fisheries villages under a national programme.
More than 75000 people across the district will get direct benefit from the project. The project will be implemented in consultation with the relevant local authorities.
BHVS Narayana Murthy appointed Director of Research Centre Imarat
BHVS Narayana Murthy, an expert in Avionics, in the second week of September 2016 was appointed as Director of Research Centre Imarat (RCI).
The RCI is a premiere Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) laboratory located in Hyderabad.
Who is BHVS Narayana Murthy?
• BHVS Narayana Murthy has made contributions towards design, development and delivery of onboard computers, Missile launch processors, real-time mission software etc. in the last 30 years.
• He is an alumnus of NIT, Warangal.
• For his contributions to various defence R&D projects, he has won several awards and recognitions.
• He has been honoured with the Astronautical Society of India Rocket and Related Technologies Award, AGNI Award for Excellence in Self Reliance as a team Leader and DRDO Scientist of the Year Award.
• The Avionics Systems (Onboard computers, Navigation, Control) developed under his leadership has played a key role in the success of the Indian ICBM class Agni 5 and other missions.
About Research Centre Imarat
• Research Centre Imarat is responsible for Research and Development of Missile Systems, Guided Weapons and advanced Avionics for Indian Armed Forces.
• It was established by APJ Abdul Kalam in 1988.
• It made pioneering contributions towards successful flight testing of India's maiden Inter Continental Ballistic Missile Agni 5.
• It is the leading laboratory, which has successfully spearheaded the Indo-Israel joint development Medium Range Surface to Air Missile (MRSAM) programme and had hat-trick success in its first three consecutive missions.
Indo-US combined military exercise Yudh Abhyas 2016 begins
Yudh Abhyas 2016, a joint military training exercise of Indian and US Armies, commenced at Chaubattia, Uttarakhand.
Company strength army personnel from USA and an equal number of Indian soldiers are taking part in the two weeks long joint training exercise. The exercise will see them hone their tactical and technical skills in countering insurgency and terrorism in a UN Peace Keeping scenario involving a combined deployment at a Brigade level.
During the exercise, the two sides will jointly train, plan and execute series of well developed tactical drills for neutralization of likely threats that may be encountered in UN peace keeping operations.
UIDAI bans sharing of Aadhaar details
In a step to ensure that the details of Aadhaar is not misused, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) asked agencies in possession of Aadhaar number of an individual to not publish or post the information publicly.
It said that the agencies will have to ensure security and confidentiality of the 12-digit resident identification number under the Aadhaar Act.
Regulations
• The core biometric information, collected by the Authority, cannot be shared with anyone for any reason.
• Any violation of the Aadhaar Act will constitute an offence and is punishable under the Act.
• The agencies that collect the Aadhaar number will also have to specify whether submission of the number or proof of Aadhaar is mandatory or voluntary.
• The regulations also provide for obtaining consent of the Aadhaar number holder for collection, storage and use of the same for specified purposes.