17th Dec- 18th Dec 2014

Union government notified Approach Paper for e-auctioning of 92 cancelled coal mines in first phase

18-DEC-2014

• Union Ministry of Coal on 17 December 2014 notified the draft rules for e-auction of 92 cancelled coal mines in first phase. For this, government fixed a floor price of 150 rupees per tonne for sectors like captive power, steel, sponge iron and cement.
• The draft notification was issued in accordance with the Coal Mines (Special Provision) Ordinance 2014 wherein the Nominated Authority was required to prepare a tender document. Accordingly, Union government prepared an approach paper for public consultation and has sought comments from stakeholders by 22 December 2014.
• As per the draft notification

• The e-auction may be conducted on forward/reverse basis, depending on the end-use industry.
• The forward bidding will be used for production of iron and steel, generation of power for captive use and cement while reverse bidding will be used for generation of power.
• Applications will be sought from intending companies in these sectors for pre-qualifications and only the top 50 per cent of the pre-qualified bidders will be allowed to submit their bids.
• The indicative price offer shall be bid price per tonne of the coal produced. Such bid price shall be above the floor price in case of forward bidding or below the ceiling price in case of reverse bidding.
• The Intrinsic Value of the coal block will be calculated by computing its Net Present Value, based on the Discounted Cash Flow method. 10 per cent of the Intrinsic Value will be payable upfront.
• On fixing the ceiling price for coal mines to be auctioned for power projects having cost—plus power purchase agreements, a ceiling price of the prevailing CIL notified price for each coal mine will be fixed and the bidder will be mandated to quote lower than this ceiling price.
• A fixed reserve price of 100 rupees per tonne of coal shall be payable, as per actual production by the mine allottee.
• For power plants having uncontracted capacity, the bidder shall be restricted to cap its merchant capacity at 20 percent of the installed power capacity linked to the alloted coal mine. The reserve price in such cases shall not be less than 150 rupees per tonne.

• The draft notification will pave the way for auction and allotment of 214 coal blocks cancelled by the Supreme Court in September 2014.

SC directed Union Government to not appoint CVC without its approval

18-DEC-2014

• Supreme Court (SC) on 17 December 2014 directed the Union government to not appoint the Chief Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) and Vigilance Commissioner (VC) without its approval.
• The apex court asked the Union to constitute a panel comprising of 15 names to select the CVC and submit it in a sealed envelope by 15 January 2015.
• Although the court allowed the Union government to continue with the selection process but asked it to submit the details of the selection process. To which, Attorney General Mukul Rohtagi informed the court that he will submit the relevant details in sealed cover.
• The direction was given by a SC bench comprising of Chief Justice of India Justice H L Dattu and Justice Madan B Lokur.
• The direction was given by the SC while hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) Centre for Integrity, Governance and Training in Vigilance Administration.
• In the PIL, the NGO alleged that the selection process for the CVC being done by the Union is opaque as vacancies related to the post of CVC and one VC has not been widely publicized keeping the door closed to common man. The post of CVC and VCs has been lying vacant since the completion of tenure of the then CVC Pradip Kumar and the then VC J M Garg on 28 September 2014 and 7 September 2014 respectively.
• The NGO further contended that Union government ought to have similar procedure for making appointment of CVC and VCs as is being done in the case of filling up one post of chairperson and eight posts of members in the Lokpal under the provisions of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013.

• Background
• Earlier on 18 September 2014, the apex court had rapped the Union for lack of transparency in the selection procedure of CVC and VC on the grounds that this will promote favouritism and nepotism. It asked the Union to widen the selection procedure by picking even the common man and not only bureaucrats.
• To this, the Attorney-General submitted to the court that the Cabinet Secretary and 36 other secretaries had proposed the names of 120 people for the post. Out of this 20 names were selected and only five people were shortlisted from this and forwarded to the selection committee.
• Central Vigilance Commission Act 2003
• Central Vigilance Commission Act 2003 that came into effect on 11 September 2003 provides for composition and selection procedure of the Commission.

• Composition: The Commission shall consist of a Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) as Chairperson and 2 Vigilance Commissioners (VC) as member
• Eligibility: The Central Vigilance Commissioner and the Vigilance Commissioners shall be appointed from amongst persons—
• who have been or are in an All-India Service or in any civil service of the Union or in a civil post under the Union having knowledge and experience in the matters relating to vigilance, policy making and administration including police administration; or
• who have held office or are holding office in a corporation established by or under any Central Act or a Government company owned or controlled by the Central Government and persons who have expertise and experience in finance including insurance and banking, law, vigilance and investigations
• Appointment: The CVC and the VCs shall be appointed by the President by warrant under his hand and seal provided that

• Every appointment shall be made after obtaining the recommendation of a Committee consisting of the Prime Minister as Chairperson, the Minister of Home Affairs and the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha as Members.
• If there is no recognised Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, then leader of the single largest group in opposition in Lok Sabha shall act as member of the selection committee.

Minorities Rights Day observed across the world on 18 December

18-DEC-2014

• Minorities Rights Day on 18 December 2014 was observed across the world to create awareness on rights of minorities. On this day, governments and NGO’s conduct debates on the recent developments in policies and practices in Minority Rights both in India and at the global level.
• In India, National Commission for Minorities (NCM) is the statutory body that observes Minorities Rights Day on18 December every year.
• About Minorities Right Day
  On 18 December 1992, United Nations (UN) promulgated the Declaration on the Rights of Persons belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities, to strengthen the cause of the minorities.
• UN proclaimed that States shall protect the existence of the National or Ethnic, Cultural, Religious and Linguistic identity of minorities within their respective territories and encourage conditions for the promotion of that identity.

Amit Priyavadan Mehta appointed as Federal judge in the district of Columbia

18-DEC-2014

• Indian-American Amit Priyavadan Mehta was on 17 December 2014 appointed  as a federal judge in the district of Columbia by the US Senate. He is the first Asian Pacific American to occupy this position.
• He was nominated for the post by President Barack Obama in July 2014.
  Amit Priyavadan Mehta
  • Mehta is a graduate of Georgetown University and the University of Virginia School of Law, Order of the Coif. 
  • He had served as a clerk for judge Susan Graber, US court of appeals for the Ninth Circuit. 
  • Mehta has represented plaintiffs and defendants in federal civil matters, including antitrust and a Securities and Exchange Commission enforcement action. 
  • In a pro bono capacity, he has devoted more than 450 hours since 2010 to post-conviction proceedings for an individual convicted of murder. 
  • He is also vice president of the board of directors of the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project. 
  • Mehta has been a partner at Zuckerman Spaeder Llp since 2010 where he represents clients in civil and criminal matters before state and federal courts.

Hariom Singh won Gold in Men’s 50-metre Rifle Prone event at 58th National Shooting champions

18-DEC-2014

• Hariom Singh on 17 December 2014 won Gold medal in the Men’s 50-metre Rifle Prone event at the 58th National Shooting Championships held in Pune. Representing Indian Army Hariom won the Gold with a total of 205 in the finals.
• Aditya U Singh of Air Force won Silver with 204.8 poits and Beijing Olympic Gold medalist Abhinav Bindra won Bronze with 183.8 points. Olympic Bronze medalist Gagan Narang finished at fourth place in the eight-man final.
• Men’s 50m Rifle Prone Team Event
• Gold: Army Marksmanship Unit 1855.3 (Chain Singh 625.7, Surendra Singh Rathore 616.4, Sushil Ghaley 613.2)
  Silver: Air Force 1845.2 (Aditya U Singh 617.8, Ravi Kumar 614.6, Deepak Kumar 612.8)
  Bronze: Uttar Pradesh 1842.4 (Ishan Goel 622.4, Anubhav Pratap Singh 615.9, Ajit Kumar Singh 604.1).

Druzhba-Dosti: A Vision for Strengthening the Indian-Russian Partnership over the Next Decade

18-DEC-2014

• Druzhba-Dosti is a term used for vision statement of India and Russia over the next decade released during the 15th Indo – Russia Annual Summit held in New Delhi on 11 December 2014.
• The joint statement was released by during the visit of Russian President Vladimir V Putin to India at the invitation of the Prime Minister of India Narendra Mod to hold the annual summit.
• The vision statement focused on strengthening the partnership over the next decade through concrete initiatives in diverse areas so as to make the bilateral institutional dialogue architecture more result-oriented and forward-looking. Both the counties also resolved to continue to meet on the margins of multilateral events.

DAC approved proposals to buy military equipment worth 4444 crore rupees

18-DEC-2014

• The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) headed by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on 17 December 2014 approved proposals to buy military equipments worth 4444 crore rupees. 
  These proposals include 
  • Purchase of four helicopters for survey vessels for the Indian Navy would cost 2324 crore rupees.
  • Upgradation of Indigenous Samyukta Electronic Warfare systems (EWS) would cost 1682 crore rupees. EWS would be modernised along with a maintenance contract for the next 10 years. Samyukta consists of vehicles with equipment for surveillance, interception, monitoring and jamming of all communication and radar signals
  • Proposal relating to purchase of P-7 Heavy Drop Platform and the naval survey vessels would cost 402 crore. This will extend the life of airbags fitted under the platform for damage free touchdown of payload weighing less than 7 tonnes from eight to fifteen years. 
  • Proposal to acquire propeller engine for offshore patrol vessel of the Coast Guard would cost 36 crore rupees.
• However, DAC could not reach on a conclusion on the joint bid of Tata Sons Ltd and Airbus to replace the Indian Air Force's (IAF) Avro transport fleet though the tender floated by IAF was cleared by DAC in its meeting on 19 July 2014.
• Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL) and Airbus Defence and Space had made a joint bid for 56 medium-transport aircraft of IAF valued at 20000 crore (3 billion US dollars).
• Avro transport fleet is a twin-turboprop tactical military aircraft of six to eight tonne class which has a cruise speed of 800 kms per hour and a range of 2500-2800 kms.
• Earlier on 22 November 2014, DAC had cleared a proposal to buy 814 artillery guns for the army at a cost of 15750 crore rupees to fill gaps in India’s defence capabilities. The army has not bought a single artillery gun since the Bofors scandal exploded in the late 1980s.

• The artillery guns would be bought under the government’s “Buy and Make” procedure introduced in 2013 to strengthen the indigenous defence sector. The plan is to go in for off-the-shelf purchase of 100 guns and manufacture the remaining in the country.
• With the passage of this 4444 crore rupees proposal and including the 15750 crore rupees proposal of November 2014, NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had cleared defence projects of more than 140000 crore rupees since it was voted into power in May 2014.

Empays Instant Money Transfer service received RBI nod

18-DEC-2014

• Empays, a provider company of multi-bank payment systems, on 17 December 2014 announced that its Instant Money Transfer (IMT) service has received authorisation from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
  The company was awarded the IMT payment system certificate of authorisation under the Payments and Settlements Act 2007.
  The certificate issued to Empays enables its IMT payment system to access clearing and settlement arrangements between member-banks directly under the RBI, making it work across banks.
• 
  IMT payment system
  The IMT payment system is a multi-bank mobile transfer solution and it combines mobile phones and ATMs to reach the unbanked making it a unique milestone in money transfers, payments and financial inclusion in India.
  Payments and Settlements Act, 2007 (PSS Act, 2007) 
  The PSS Act, 2007, that came into force on 12 August 2008, provides for the regulation and supervision of payment systems in India and designates the RBI as the authority for that purpose and all related matters. The Act also provides the legal basis for netting and settlement finality.

Ghanta Chakrapani appointed as the first Chairman of TSPSC

18-DEC-2014

• Academician and journalist Ghanta Chakrapani was on 17 December 2014 appointed as the first Chairman of the Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC). He will hold the TSPSC office for six years.
• Chakrapani is presently the Dean of Faculty of Social Sciences at B.R. Ambedkar Open University (BRAOU). 
  Ghanta Chakrapani
  • Born in Yaswada village of Telangana, Ghanta Chakrapani did his post-graduation in Sociology and Communication and Journalism from Osmania University. 
  • He worked in all the popular Telugu newspapers including Udayam, Andhra Jyothi before moving into academics. 
  • He has received national and international fellowships including the prestigious India China Institute fellowship and has worked on Globalisation and Inequalities in India and China. 
  • He published 12 books and 52 research articles. He also received the Best Teacher Award in 2014.
  • Presently, he is writing Ghantapatham, a weekly column in Namasthe Telangana.
  Background
  Earlier in August 2014,  Telangana government notified a Government Order (GO No 43) for constitution of the Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC).
  According to the Article 315 of Indian Constitution and Section 83(2) of the Andhra Pradesh Re-Organisation Act, 2014 (Central Act.6/2014), it is provided for constitution of a Public Service Commission in the Successor State of Telangana after its bifurcation from Andhra Pradesh.

SC directed Union government to complete fencing along Indo-Bangladesh border in 3 months

18-DEC-2014

• The Supreme Court (SC) on 17 December 2014 directed the Union Government to complete fencing work along Indo-Bangladesh border within three months. 
  The direction was given to check cross-border influx of illegal Bangladesh nationals into Assam. It also asked the government to streamline the process to deport them back.
• The court also asked the Union government why even after 67 years of independence, the eastern border is left porous while border with Pakistan is properly fenced. It further said that it would monitor the steps taken by the government and sought periodic status report after every three months.
  The apex court, taking note of the existing mechanism for deportation and international protocol, also asked the government to hold discussions with the Bangladesh government for ensuring that illegal migrants are sent back. 
  Slew of measures suggested by the bench in its 70-page verdict includes
  • To prevent illegal access to the country from Bangladesh, the bench advised fencing (double coiled wire fencing) in such parts or portions of the Indo-Bangladesh border (including Assam) where presently the fencing is yet to be completed
  • Effective maintenance of continuous patrolling and vigil along the riverine boundary 
  • Patrolling and monitoring at vulnerable points in such parts of the international border that is considered as inhospitable on account of the difficult terrain, as these points could provide means of illegal entry
  • For effective and intensive patrolling, motorable roads alongside the international border has been advised in the regions where they are either incomplete or have not been built
  • Flood lights installation at the required points
  • Asked to update the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam so that the entire updated NRC is published by the end of January 2016
  • It asked the Union government to detect and deport all illegal migrants who came to Assam after 25 March 1971 and advised to award citizenship to the foreigners who came to India between 1 January 1966 and 24 March 1971 as per law
• Constitutional Validity of Section 6A of Citizenship Act, 1955

• With regard to this, the apex court referred the case to a larger bench to make a decision on the issue of Constitutional validity of Section 6A of the Citizenship Act, 1955 with regard to the cut-off date for awarding citizenship to the migrants.  
  The bench said whether, Section 6A of the Citizenship Act, violates Articles 325 and 326 of the Constitution of India in that it has diluted the political rights of the citizens of the State of Assam. 
  The direction was passed by the SC bench comprising of Justice RF Nariman and Justice Ranjan Gagoi. These directions were given while hearing the pleas of Assam Sanmilita Mahasangha, Assam Public Works and All Assam Ahom Association. 
  The three organizations had filed their plea in the aftermath of large-scale riots in the year 2012 and in 2014 in Assam that resulted in deaths of a large number of persons. The petitioners argued that the sovereignty and integrity of India is itself at stake as a massive influx of illegal migrants from a neighbouring country has affected the core constitutional value.

US slapped sanctions on Oil trading firms of Switzerland and Netherland for dealing with Syria

18-DEC-2014

• The United States (US) on 17 December 2014 slapped sanctions on oil trading firms of Netherland and Switzerland countries. These oil firms are Staroil B V of Netherlands and Rixo International Trading Ltd and Bluemarine SA of Switzerland.
• The US Treasury put sanctions on the firms due to their dealings with the Government of Syria, which has been engaged in bloody civil war with rebel forces. As a result, these firms were effectively cut from the US financial system.
• The US Treasury also put sanctions on several officials from the Syria-based firms, as well as on companies from Syria and another from the United Arab Emirates.

Paul McGinley of Ireland won Sports Personality Coach of the Year 2014

18-DEC-2014

• Paul McGinley won Sports Personality Coach of the Year 2014 at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards in Glasgow. He was awarded for guiding the European team to win the Ryder Cup of Golf at Gleneagles in UK in September 2014.
• Under his guidance Europe defeated the United States by 16.5 points to 11.5 points.
• In December 2014, McGinley was appointed as captain of the Irish golf team for the Rio Olympics scheduled to be held in 2016.
• The Sports Personality of the Year Awards is presented by the BBC Sports annually in December.
• Other Sport Personality awards
  • Sports Personality of the Year: Lewis Hamilton of Britain (F1 Driver)
  • Young Sports Personality of the Year: Italy-born Claudia Fragapane of Britain (Artistic gymnast)
  • Lifetime Achievement: Sir Christopher Andrew "Chris" Hoy of Britain (Racing driver and former track cyclist)
  • Overseas Sports Personality of the Year: Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal (Footballer)
  • Get Inspired Unsung Hero: Jill Stidever of Leicestershire (Swimming coach)
  • Helen Rollason award: Invictus Games competitors of London
  • Team of the Year: England women's rugby union team

Tashi-Nungshi became world’s 1st twin to climb highest peaks of seven continents

18-DEC-2014

• Tashi Malik and Nungshi Malik from Dehradun, Uttarakhand on 16 December 2014 became the world’s first twin and sibling to climb the highest peaks of the seven continents.
• They achieved the feat after scaling Antarctica’s highest mountain, Mount Vinson at 4892 meters during their Mission 2 for 7. The two sisters dedicated Mission 2 for 7 to the cause of the Indian girl child.
  Journey of Tashi Malik and Nungshi Malik in Mission 2 for 7 
  • February 2012: Conquered Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania (Africa continent)
  • May 2013: Conquered Mount Everest in Nepal (Asia continent)
  • August 2013: Conquered Mount Elbrus in Russia (Europe continent)
  • January 2014: Conquered Mount Aconcagua in Argentina (South America continent)
  • March 2014: Conquered Mount Carstensz Pyramid in Indonesia (Oceania continent)
  • June 2014: Conquered Mount McKinley in Alaska (North America continent)
  • December 2014: Conquered Mount Vinson of Antarctica (Antarctica continent)

USAID head Rajiv Raj Shah resigned from his position

18-DEC-2014

• The head of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Rajiv Raj Shah on 17 December 2014 resigned from his position.
• Rajiv will leave the office in February 2015. However, the reason behind his resignation was not revealed.
  Shah joined the office of USAID on 24 December 2009. Being the head of USAID, Shah led more than 9600 professionals in 80 missions around the world, and managed an annual budget of over 22 billion US dollars.
  Rajiv Raj Shah
  • Shah served as Under Secretary of Agriculture for Research, Education and Economics and Chief Scientist at the US Department of Agriculture in 2009.
  • He worked in a range of leadership roles at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation including Director of Agricultural Development, Director of Financial Services and manager of the Foundation's 1.5 billion US dollars commitment to the Vaccine Fund.
  • He co-founded Health Systems Analytics, a health care consulting firm and the Project IMPACT for South Asian Americans.
  • He also served as an advisor to Philadelphia's Public Health Commissioner and worked at the World Health Organization.
  • Shah previously served on the boards of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA).
  • In 2007, he was named as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and he serves on the Forum’s Global Agenda Council for Food Security.

ISRO successfully launched GSLV Mark-III-X from Sriharikota

18-DEC-2014

• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched India’s heaviest rocket GSLV Mark-III-X carrying Crew module Atmospheric Reentry Experiment (CARE) from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh on 18 December 2014. It weighs 630 tonnes.
• Objective behind the test of the 155 crore rupees mission was to check the atmospheric stability around four tonne luggage and study the re-entry characteristics of the crew module.
  The GSLV Mark-III-X lifted off from the second launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre carrying the human crew module CARE and separated the crew module at an altitude of 126 km for re-entry into the earth's atmosphere.
• The module controlled by 3 parachutes safely splashed down into the Bay of Bengal off Andaman and Nicobar Islands and was recovered by coast guards near Indira Point, the southernmost point of India.
• The experiment lasted for about 20 minutes saw all the events as pre-planned. The successful completion of the experimental test will boost India’s mission of sending human to the space. It will also double the capacity of payloads India can carry into space.
• The full fledged launch of the rocket will take place in two years and is likely to be held in another two years.
• A few years back ISRO had carried out a similar experiment on a smaller scale in which the module had orbited around the earth for 15 days before entering back.

• Importance of GSLV MK – III-X
• • It will help India become self-reliant in launching heavier communication satellites of INSAT-4 class weighing 4500 to 5000 kg.
• • It would also enhance the capability of the country to be a competitive player in the multimillion dollar commercial launch market.
• • It will double the capacity of payloads India can carry into space boosting India’s mission of sending human to the space.

Reverend Libby Lane appointed as first female bishop of the Church of England

18-DEC-2014

• Reverend Libby Lane was on 17 December 2014 appointed as the first female bishop of the Church of England. She will become the new Bishop of Stockport, a post that was vacant since May 2014.
• Libby will succeed the Reverend Robert Atwell, who is now the Bishop of Exeter. The nomination of Libby as the new Bishop of Stockport was approved by the Queen of England.
• As Bishop of Stockport, she will serve as a suffragan (assistant) bishop in the Diocese of Chester. Presently, Lane is the vicar at St Peter's Hale and St Elizabeth's Ashley.
• Lane will be consecrated as the eighth bishop of the town at a ceremony at York Minster on 26 January 2015. Her appointment will end centuries of male leadership of the Church.
• Reverend Libby Lane
• • Libby Lane was ordained as a priest in 1994 and has served a number of parish and chaplaincy roles in the North of England in the Dioceses of Blackburn, York and Chester.
• • She has been the vicar at St Peter's Hale and St Elizabeth's Ashley since 2007. Later in 2010, she became the Dean of Women in Ministry for the diocese since January 2010.
• • Prior to moving to Hale, Libby was Team Vicar in the Stockport South West Team, and Assistant Diocesan Director of Ordinands in the Diocese of Chester.
• • Libby has served in the Diocese of York as Chaplain in hospital and as Family Life Officer for the Committee for Social Responsibility in the Diocese of Chester.
• • Her husband George is also a priest, they were one of the first married couples in the Church of England who were ordained together.
• Background
• The Church of England supported the introduction of female priests in 1992 and the first female bishops were appointed two years later. However, till date women have not been able to take on the Church's most senior roles.
• The historic appointment comes just after the Church of England’s ruling General Synod formally enacted a change to Canon Law by opening the episcopate for the women for first time.

• The law opened the way for the first woman to be appointed to the episcopate as early as before 2015.

China developed invisible pain beam weapon Poly WB-1 to break-up riots

18-DEC-2014

• China in the third week of December 2014 developed a long-range and non-lethal Pain Beam weapon named Poly WB-1. The weapon can be used to break up riots or protests from a distance.
• The Poly WB-1 was unveiled at an air show in China and it uses a millimeter-wave beam that can travel distances of up to One kilometer.
• China developed the weapon for naval applications to deal with confrontation in non-lethal ways. The WB-1 will be mounted in ships, majorly in those patrolling disputed waters.
• Poly WB-1 is similar to the Active Denial System (ADS) created by Raytheon, which was sent to Afghanistan with the United States military, but was not used in combat and recalled in 2010.
• How it disperses crowd?
• Once the beam comes in contact with a person, the beam disperses the crowd through heating up water molecules just below the skin causing intense pain resulting into recoiling of the person. But if longer busts are made at certain frequencies, it will cause the flesh to burn and blister.

Lima Call for Climate Action put world on track to New Universal Climate Agreement

18-DEC-2014

• Lima Call for Climate Action issued on 14 December 2014 put the world on track to new universal climate agreement.
• The Lima Accord was issued at the conclusion of the 20th session of the Conference of the Parties (CoP) and the 10th session of Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP) held in Lima, Peru 1 December 2014 to 14 December 2014.
• The member nations participating at the Lima Climate Conference for the first time agreed that nations, large and small, developed and developing each will make pledges aimed at cutting global greenhouse gas emissions.
• The President of 20th CoP was Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, the Minister of the Environment of Peru and more than 190 nations participated at the Lima Climate Conference. The Indian side was represented by Prakash Javadekar,  Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
• Main highlights of the Lima Call for Climate Action
• Principle of Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC): It will form the foundation for climate action post 2020 when the new agreement is set to come into effect.
• Pledges towards Green Climate Fund: As part of this, pledges were made to the Green Climate Fund in Lima by the governments of Norway, Australia, Belgium, Peru, Colombia and Austria--the pledges brought the total sum pledged to the Green Climate Fund to close to 10.2 billion US dollar.
• In a further boost to the adaptation ambitions of developing countries, Germany made a pledge of 55 million Euros to the Adaptation Fund. China also announced 10 million US Dollar for South-South cooperation and mentioned they would double it till 2015.
• Nazca Climate Action Portal: The portal was launched as part of Lima Climate Action Agenda by the Government of Peru with support from the UNFCCC. The portal is designed to inject additional momentum into the process through to Paris by demonstrating the wealth of non-state action.
• Forests and the Lima Information Hub for REDD +: The portal named the was announced by the COP President to provide an information hub on the UNFCCC web site, spotlighting actions by countries carrying out REDD+ activities.
• Lima Ministerial Declaration on Education and Awareness-raising: It is aimed at developing education strategies that incorporate the issue of climate change while also raising awareness on climate change in the design and implementation of national development and climate change strategies.

• Lima-Paris Action Agenda: The governments of Peru and France launched to catalyze action on climate change, to further increase ambition before 2020 and support the 2015 agreement. Building on the UN Climate Summit in September 2014, the agenda is designed to galvanize national, city and private sector action.
• Multilateral Assessment: A new process launched that saw several industrialized countries submitting themselves to questioning about their emissions targets. This will increase the levels of transparency and confidence-building. The launch of this process marks an historic milestone in the implementation of the Measurement, Reporting and Verification of emission reductions under the UNFCCC
• Lima Work Programme on Gender: The programme aims to advance gender balance and to promote gender sensitivity in developing and implementing climate policy.
• UNFCCC’s Technology Mechanism: It was further strengthened through the consideration of a link to the Green Climate Fund and the UNFCCC Finance mechanism.
• Kyoto Protocol Doha Amendment: Nauru and Tuvalu submitted their instrument of acceptance to the Doha amendment, bringing the number of Parties to 21. 144 Parties need to accept it to bring it into force.
• Lima Adaptation Knowledge initiative: It is a pilot project in the Andes under the Nairobi Work Programme which underlines that adaptive needs of the communities can be successfully established.
• National Adaptation Plans (NAPs): It will now be made more visible via the UNFCCC website which should improve the opportunity for receiving backing. The President of 20th COP, Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, launched a NAP Global Network involving Peru, the US, Germany, the Philippines, Togo, the UK, Jamaica, and Japan.
• Conclusion

• The Lima accord will serve as an outline text for 21st CoP scheduled to be held in December 2015 in Paris, where world leaders are expected to finalize and sign an international climate deal. The U.N. has targeted 2015 for such a deal, which would then go into effect in 2020.

Marathi film Kapus Kondyachi Goshta nominated for Oscar Award in Best Picture Category

18-DEC-2014

• The Marathi film Kapus Kondyachi Goshta (The Unending Story) in the second week of December 2014 was nominated in the Best Picture Category of the 87th Academy Awards, popularly known as Oscars. 
  The film is based on the real-life story of four sisters in a small village near Nagpur.
  The American Academy of Motion Picture, Arts and Sciences recently disclosed the list of 323 films that have been nominated in the Best Picture category.
• The final nominations shortlist for the Oscar awards will be announced on 15 January 2015 while the awards will be given on 22 February 2015.
  About Kapus Kondyachi Goshta (The Unending Story)
  The film directed by Pune-based director Mrunalini Bhosale is about the daily struggles of four sisters against the backdrop of farmer suicides in Vidarbha in Maharashtra. The film depicts the story of triumph over tragedy, where the strong will of simple village girl wins over all odds to become an inspiration for many. The film also details the social ostracism and poverty rife among Vidarbha’s cotton growers.
  The film is produced by Ravindra alias Nitin Bhosale and written by Prasad Namjoshiand. Lead actors of the film are Makarand Anaspure, Samidha Guru and Bharat Ganeshpure.
• The movie has been screened at many film festivals and received a lot of awards and appreciations. These include:
• Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival
• • 2014: Best Film - Women Empowerment - Mrunalini Bhosale
• International Indian Film Festival of Queensland in Brisbane

• • 2014: Best Feature Film - Kapus Kondyachi Goshta 
  Sahyadri Cine Awards 2014
  • 2014: Best Feature Film - Kapus Kondyachi Goshta
  Maharashtra State Film Awards 2014
  • 2014: Best Actress Award - Samidha Guru
  Mrunalini Bhosale is a specialist in the agricultural documentary and had created and directed about 50 films. All her films focus on the pitfalls and triumphs of men and women who work the soil.

RBI imposed monetary penalty on ICICI and Bank of Baroda for violating KYC/AML Instructions

18-DEC-2014

• The Reserve Bank of India on 17 December 2014 imposed monetary penalty on ICICI bank and Bank of Baroda for violation of its instructions regarding norms on Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti Money Laundering (AML).
  Penalty details of the two banks

• Bank	Penalty
  ICICI Bank	5 million rupees
  Bank of Baroda	2.50 million rupees

• RBI imposed the penalties on these organizations in exercise of powers vested under the provisions of Section 47(A)(1)(c) read with Section 46(4)(i) of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949. 
  Apart from this, RBI also cautioned State Bank of India, Axis Bank and State Bank of Patiala for violating KYC or AML instructions. 
  RBI took the action on the basis of a complaint from a statutory organization in August 2013 through which details of a fraud committed in these five banks, namely, State Bank of India, ICICI Bank Ltd., Bank of Baroda, Axis Bank Ltd. and State Bank of Patiala, with the participation of certain officials of the statutory organization were brought to the Reserve Bank’s notice.
  The complaint mentioned that fraudsters managed to open fictitious accounts in the name of the statutory organisation in the above five banks and operated the accounts mainly for encashing cheques/demand drafts/postal orders of which they were not the rightful owners, for periods ranging from one month to two years, without being detected by the banks.

Complex pattern of Greenland Ice Sheet dynamics revealed

18-DEC-2014

• A new study has revealed the Complex pattern of Greenland Ice Sheet dynamics and  provided the first comprehensive picture of how Greenland's glaciers have changed over the past decade.
• The findings of the study were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) on 15 December 2014.
• The research was conducted at the University at Buffalo by a team of researchers led by geophysicist Beata Csatho.
• Findings of the study
• • The scientists were able to provide new estimates of annual ice loss at high spatial resolution as the current models fail to accurately capture how the entire Greenland Ice Sheet is changing.
• • The Greenland Ice Sheet lost about 243 metric gigatons of ice annually from 2003-09. This loss is estimated to have added about 0.68 millimeters of water to the oceans annually.
• • Most of the outlet glaciers have been thinning during the last two decades, interrupted by episodes of decreasing thinning or even thickening.
• • However, the intricate spatiotemporal pattern of dynamic thickness change suggests that regardless of the forcing responsible for initial glacier acceleration and thinning, the response of individual glaciers is modulated by local conditions.
• • There are 242 outlet glaciers wider than 1.5 km on the Greenland Ice Sheet and their behavior is complex in space and time. The local climate, geological conditions and the local hydrology, all of these factors have an effect.
• Study Process
• The study was carried out by using the activity of four well-studied glaciers, Jakobshavn, Helheim, Kangerlussuaq and Petermann to forecast how the entire ice sheet will dump ice into the oceans.
• However, the research shows that activity at these four locations may not be representative of what is happening with glaciers across the ice sheet.

• The study includes presentation of detailed reconstruction of surface elevation changes of the Greenland Ice Sheet from NASA’s laser altimetry data.
• The information is crucial for developing and validating numerical models that predict how the ice sheet may change and contribute to global sea level over the next few hundred years
• Significance of the Study
• • Time series at nearly 100000 locations allow the characterization of ice sheet changes at scales ranging from individual outlet glaciers to larger drainage basins and the entire ice sheet.
• • The record shows that continuing dynamic thinning provides a substantial contribution to Greenland mass loss.
• • The large spatial and temporal variations of dynamic mass loss and widespread intermittent thinning indicate the complexity of ice sheet response to climate forcing.