23-24 April 2015

Bangladesh won 3-match ODI series against Pakistan, 3-0

Bangladesh on 22 April 2015 won the three-match One Day International (ODI) Series against Pakistan in Dhaka by 3-0. This was Bangladesh's first series whitewash against an Asian Test-playing nation.

Series Report
• 1st Match: Played at Shere Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka on 17 April 2015, Bangladesh won by 79 runs, and Mushfiqur Rahim of Bangladesh was declared as the Man of the Match.
• 2nd Match: Played at Shere Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka on 19 April 2015, Bangladesh won by 7 wickets, and Tamim Iqbal of Bangladesh was declared as the Man of the Match.
• 3rd Match: Played at Shere Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka on 22 April 2015, Bangladesh won by 8 wickets, and Soumya Sarkar of Bangladesh was declared as the Man of the Match.

Man of the Series award went to Tamim Iqbal.

Now, both teams will play a T-20 match at Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka on 24 April 2015. It will be followed by a 2-match Test series which will began on 28 April 2015 at Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium in Khulna and end on 10 May 2015 at Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka.

ICICI Bank launched payment service Tap-n-Pay

Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India (ICICI) Bank on 21 April 2015 launched Tap-n-Pay, a near-field communications-enabled payment service. The service was launched in collaboration with Tech Mahindra.

To start with this service, bank has offered it at large campuses of corporate offices. ICICI Bank and Tech Mahindra also are planning to extend this service across the country.

Highlights of Tap-n-Pay Service

• This payment service is based on the near-field communications (NFC) technology which will enable its customers to make over-the-counter payments without using cash.
• It will allow users to tap NFC enabled tag or mobile phone at the merchant’s point-of-sale device to make payments.
• It is a prepaid account which will be available to customers of any bank by simply registering for it and transferring money online from any bank account.
• ICICI Bank customers can also transfer money to the Tap-n-Pay account through an SMS.

President released Postage Stamp commemorating 200 years of Old Seminary in Kottayam

The President of India Pranab Mukherjee on 21 April 2015 released a Postage Stamp commemorating the 200 years of the Orthodox Theological Seminary or Old Seminary, Kottayam in Kerala.

The Orthodox Theological Seminary known as Old Seminary or Cottayam Syrian College is run by the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, the St. Thomas Christians.

This is a heritage monument recognized by the Government for its importance as a two hundred year old quadrangular edifice where English education was started for the first time in Kerala.

It was the first indigenous initiative towards universal literacy and education and was set up by the Malankara Orthodox Church situated in Kerala.

The Seminary also has to its credit several developments like Cottayam College, which was the first English teaching institution in the State. The first printing press was also established in the premises and scholars of the Seminary took active part in standardizing the common Malayalam Script.

Benjamin Bailey along with Hermann Gundert, were among the pioneers of the development of modern Malayalam language and script. The credit of translating Bible into the first Indian language, Malayalam, also goes to the Seminary and College under the leadership of Benjamin Bailey.

Railways launched mobile app utsonmobile for paperless unreserved tickets

The Railway Ministry on 22 April 2015 launched a mobile application named utsonmobile, for paperless unreserved tickets. This mobile application aims to eliminate the need for printing of unreserved tickets.

The application was launched as a pilot project in New Delhi by Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu and will cover 15 stations between Egmore and Tambram suburban sections in Chennai of the Southern Railway.

Later, the service will be extended to in suburban section in all metros of the country in phases.

Feature of the application
• The application is developed by Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) and aims to eliminate the need for printing of unreserved ticket
• It allows the passenger to buy a ticket on the move
• It allows him to board the train with the ticket secured on his mobile phone, without any need for printing the ticket
• The application provides necessary on-screen alerts to guide the passenger during the booking process
• Payment for the ticket is done through the Railway Wallet feature in the App
• The passenger will have to use the ticket within an hour of booking of the ticket
• Every day, the ticket will have distinct colour scheme and it cannot be forwarded to another mobile

Background
The application was launched in accordance to the budget proposal made by Suresh Prabhu in his Railway Budget 2015-16 presented on 26 February 2015. In the budget, he proposed to provide paperless tickets in unreserved segment.

Union Sports Ministry suspended recognition of Paralympic Committee of India

The Union Sports Ministry on 22 April 2015 suspended the recognition of Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) with immediate effect. It was suspended for poor management and conduct of 15th National Para-Athletics Championships held in Ghaziabad in March 2015.

The action of Union Government came a week after PCI was indefinitely suspended by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) for infighting and poor treatment of the para-athletes during the event. IPC had suspended PCI on 15 April 2015.

The government took the action in the backdrop of the report of the inquiry conducted by the Sports Authority of India (SAI). SAI in its report found that the PCI failed miserably in providing adequate facilities to the para-athletes during the National Para Athletics Championships 2015 held from 20 March to 22 March 2015.

Earlier on 7 April 2015, the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) had suspended its president Rajesh Tomar and had constituted a three-member inquiry committee headed by Justice (retd) Shankara Ramakrishnan.

Paralympic Committee of India
Paralympic Committee of India is a non-partisan, non-profit organisation which was recognized by Union Government in November 2011 as a National Sports Federation. It was recognised for promotion of sports amongst physically challenged sportspersons in the country. It works were dedicated for the development and upliftment of Physically Challenged Sports & Wheelchair Athletes.

Cabinet approved amendments to the Juvenile Justice Care and Protection of Children Bill 2014

The Union Cabinet on 22 April 2015 approved amendments to the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill 2014. The bill seeks to amend the Justice Juvenile (JJ) Act, 2000 to try juveniles who are accused of heinous crimes under laws for adults.

The amendment to the JJ (Amendment) Bill, 2014 incorporates the recommendations of the Parliamentary Standing Committee that studied the bill. The bill was referred to the Standing Committee after it was introduced in the Lok Sabha on 12 August 2014.

Some of the approved amendments to the JJ (Amendment) Bill, 2014 include
• Clause 7 which relates to trial of a person above the age of 21 years as an adult for committing any serious or heinous offence when the person was between the ages of 16-18 years has been removed
• The period of preliminary inquiry by the Juvenile Justice Board in case of heinous offences committed by children in the age group of 16-18 years has been enhanced.
• Reconsideration period for surrender of children by parents or guardians has been increased
• The period for inter-country adoption in case the child is not given for domestic adoption has been enhanced
• The role of designated authority to monitor the implementation of the Bill has been assigned to the National

Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR)
• Making the Central and State Governments responsible for spreading awareness on the provisions of the Bill

The above amendments to the JJ Bill were made after it was found that the provisions were discriminatory in nature on the grounds of Article 14 (right to equality), Article 21 (requiring that laws and procedures are fair and reasonable) and Article 20(1) (higher penalty for the same offence).

Key provisions of the JJ (Amendment) Bill, 2014
• The Bill replaces the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000.
• It addresses children in conflict with law and children in need of care and protection.
• It permits juveniles between the ages of 16-18 years to be tried as adults for heinous offences.
• It provides for constitution of a Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) for every district for exercising the powers and discharging its functions relating to children in conflict with law.
• In case a heinous crime has been committed by a person in the age group of 16-18 years, the JJB will examine whether the crime was committed as a ‘child’ or as an ‘adult’.
• The Child Welfare Committee (CWC) will determine institutional care for children in need of care and protection.
• It also proposes to streamline adoption procedures for orphaned, abandoned and surrendered children
• It establishes a statutory status for the Child Adoption Resources Authority (CARA).
• It proposes several rehabilitation and social integration measures for institutional and non-institutional children.
• It also provided for sponsorship and foster care as completely new measures.
• It provided for mandatory registration of all institutions engaged in providing child care.
• New offences including illegal adoption, corporal punishment in child care institutions, the use of children by militant groups, and offences against disabled children are also incorporated in the proposed legislation.

Background
The Juvenile Justice Act of 2000 faced scrutiny after the 2012 Delhi gang rape in which a juvenile was found to be guilty, along with four adults. This new proposed Act provides that in case a heinous crime committed by a person in the age group of 16-18 years will be examined by the Juvenile Justice Board to assess if the crime was committed as a child or as an adult.

Shah Rukh Khan honoured with Dadasaheb Phalke Film Foundation Award 2015

Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan was on 21 April 2015 honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Film Foundation Award 2015 for his performance in the movie Happy New Year. The award ceremony was held in Mumbai.

Other Awardees
• Actor Rajkummar Rao won the prestigious award for his performance in the critically acclaimed film Citylights, which was released in 2014.
• Actress Huma Qureshi bagged an award for her memorable performance in the movie Dedh Ishiqya.
• Bollywood actors Shreyas Talpade, Tiger Shroff, actress Jaya Prada, singer Udit Narayan and Pankaj Udhas were also felicitated with the award.
• Several television celebrities were also conferred with the award including actors Rubina Dilaik, comedian Bharti Singh and actor Ravi Dubey.

IOC President Thomas Bach named ambassador of HeForShe by UN Women

Thomas Bach, the president of International Olympic Committee (IOC), was on 22 April 2015 named as ambassador of HeForShe campaign by UN Women.

HeForShe is a solidarity campaign for gender equality established by United Nations (UN) Women.

The campaign was launched by the UN Women Global Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson in September 2014. HeForShe encourages men and boys to join in on the fight for women's rights and gender equality all over the glove. Their goal is to enlist one billion men and boys to become advocates for women's rights worldwide.

Hundres of thousands of men have voiced their commitment to gender equality, since the campaign's launch, and gave their full support for the program.

In November 2014, Farhan Akhtar was named as UN Women's Goodwill Ambassador for South Asia towards the empowerment of women and girls. He serves as an advocate for HeForShe initiative in advocating for gender equality and women's empowerment.

Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting received ISO 9001:2008 certification

The Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) on 22 April 2015 received the ISO 9001:2008 certification from the British Standards Institute (BSI). The ISO certification was granted in respect of various licences issued by ministry for the broadcasts, print media and films.

In this regard, the Ministry has put in place a well-defined procedure and measures in order to ensure quality of services offered to the customers on the basis of ISO 9001:2008. This certification will also ensure delivery of services by the Ministry in a qualitative manner.

ISO 9001:2008 Certification
The ISO 9001:2008 certification is a standard for the Quality Management System. ISO 9001:2008 standards basically focus what the organization do to fulfill:
• Customer's Quality Requirements
• Applicable Legal & Regulatory requirements
• Develop Customer Satisfaction
• Attain Continual Improvement of its performances in chase of these objective

The ISO certification helps organisation to produce desired outcome, ensures ongoing controls and enhances customer satisfaction by meeting customer requirement.

Indian-American Vivek Murthy took oath as 19th US Surgeon General

Indian- American Vivek Murthy on 23 April 2015 took oath as the 19th US Surgeon General. The oath was administered by Vice President Joe Biden at a ceremony in the US. He took the oath on the Gita.

Vivek Muthy became the youngest-ever in-charge of the country's public health. As the US Surgeon General, Murthy carries the rank of Vice Admiral.

He succeeded Boris D. Lushniak who had served as Surgeon General from 2013 to December 2014.

In addition to practicing internal medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital, he in 2009 started a non-profit organisation, Doctors for America, composed of thousands doctors supporting President Barack Obama's healthcare initiatives.

The Surgeon General of the United States is the operational head of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (PHSCC) and thus the leading spokesperson on matters of public health in the federal government of the United States.

The U.S. Surgeon General is nominated by the President of the United States and confirmed by a majority vote of the Senate. The Surgeon General serves a four-year term of office.

KPMG elected Lynne Doughtie as first women CEO and Chairman

Accounting giant KPMG on 22 April 2015 elected company veteran Lynne Doughtie as its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chairman. She is the first women to be elected to this position.

She was elected by KPMG partners for a five-year term which will start in July 2015.

She will succeed John Veihmeyer, who has served as Chairman and CEO since 2010 and simultaneously as Global Chairman of KPMG International since February of 2014.

Currently, she leads KPMG’s Advisory business and she has been at the company for three decades. She started at KPMG in 1985 as an auditor. Most recently, she led the firm’s US consulting branch, which has grown at 17% annual rate since she took over in 2011.

KPMG is one of the world’s leading professional services firms, and the fastest growing Big Four accounting firm in the United States

Cyclonic storm struck the north-eastern border districts of Bihar

Cyclonic storm struck the north-eastern border districts of Bihar on 21 April 2015. The storm with a wind speed of more than 150 kmph hit several districts of the state namely Purnia, Madhepura, Madhubani, Katihar, Sitamarhi, Darbhanga, Samastipur, Bhagalpur and Supaul.

It was reported that at least 55 people were killed (maximum number of about 40 was reported from Purnia). The storm also injured over 2000 people and over 4000 animals perished.

Relief and rescue operations have been stepped up in the cyclonic affected areas of the state.

Besides, the state government had announced an ex gratia of 4 lakh rupees to the family of each victim. This announcement was made after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar made an aerial survey of the affected areas to assess the situation and the extent of damage.

Union Cabinet approved agreement between India and Jordan on maritime transport

The Union Cabinet on 22 April 2015 gave its approval for signing of a shipping agreement between India and Jordan. The agreement aims at strengthening cooperation and providing sustained mutual assistance on merchant shipping and other related maritime matters.

The nod was given in a Cabinet meet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi after recognizing the significant mutual benefit which can be derived from cooperation in area of shipping between the two countries.

Main benefits of India-Jordan shipping pact
• It will help the two nations to encourage and facilitate development of their maritime relationship.
• It will help the two nations to cooperate in the task of enhancing and stimulating steady growth of maritime traffic.
• It will help in exchange and training of staff and students from various maritime establishments, exchange of information necessary for accelerating and facilitating flow of commercial goods at sea and at ports.
• It will help in establishment of joint ventures in maritime transportation, shipbuilding and repairs, maritime training, information technology, including development of simulators, port facilities and related activities.

Other decisions made during the Cabinet meet chaired by Prime Minister includes
• Approved the proposal to introduce the Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Bill, 2015 in Parliament. The amendments are focused on clarifying jurisdiction related issues for filing cases of offence committed under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881. Section 138 deals with the offence pertaining to dishonour of cheque for insufficient funds in the drawer’s account.
• Cleared a proposal to permit Reserve Bank of India to enter into Currency Swap Agreement with the central bank of Sri Lanka for extending 1.1 billion dollar as a special or ad-hoc swap outside the Framework on Currency Swap Arrangement for SAARC Member Countries.
• Approved introduction of the Commercial Division and Commercial Appellate Division of High Courts and Commercial Courts Bill, 2015 in the current session of Parliament.

UN observed World Book and Copyright Day across the world

23 April: World Book and Copyright Day

United Nations (UN) observed World Book and Copyright Day across the world on 23 April 2015. The day is an opportunity to recognise the power of books to change our lives for the better and to support books and those who produce them.

For the year 2015, UNESCO designated Incheon, South Korea as the World Book Capital 2015 in recognition of its programme to promote reading among people and underprivileged sections of the population.

Various programs were held by UNESCO to promote reading habits among people. The programs also focused on discussing various issues pertaining to the world of authors, publishers, distributors as well as promoting their works and causes.

World Book Day was celebrated for the first time on 23 April 1995. The day is also known as International Day of the Book or World Book Days and is organised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to promote reading, publishing and copyright.

In 1995, UNESCO decided that the World Book and Copyright Day would be celebrated on 23 April, as the date is also the anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, as well as that of the birth or death of several other prominent authors.

Shah Rukh Khan honoured with Dadasaheb Phalke Film Foundation Award 2015

IOC President Thomas Bach named ambassador of HeForShe by UN Women

Thomas Bach, the president of International Olympic Committee (IOC), was on 22 April 2015 named as ambassador of HeForShe campaign by UN Women.

HeForShe is a solidarity campaign for gender equality established by United Nations (UN) Women.

Hundres of thousands of men have voiced their commitment to gender equality, since the campaign's launch, and gave their full support for the program.

Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting received ISO 9001:2008 certification

The ISO certification helps organisation to produce desired outcome, ensures ongoing controls and enhances customer satisfaction by meeting customer requirement.

Indian-American Vivek Murthy took oath as 19th US Surgeon General

Indian- American Vivek Murthy on 23 April 2015 took oath as the 19th US Surgeon General. The oath was administered by Vice President Joe Biden at a ceremony in the US. He took the oath on the Gita.

Vivek Muthy became the youngest-ever in-charge of the country's public health. As the US Surgeon General, Murthy carries the rank of Vice Admiral.

He succeeded Boris D. Lushniak who had served as Surgeon General from 2013 to December 2014.

The U.S. Surgeon General is nominated by the President of the United States and confirmed by a majority vote of the Senate. The Surgeon General serves a four-year term of office.

KPMG elected Lynne Doughtie as first women CEO and Chairman

Accounting giant KPMG on 22 April 2015 elected company veteran Lynne Doughtie as its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chairman. She is the first women to be elected to this position.

She was elected by KPMG partners for a five-year term which will start in July 2015.

She will succeed John Veihmeyer, who has served as Chairman and CEO since 2010 and simultaneously as Global Chairman of KPMG International since February of 2014.

KPMG is one of the world’s leading professional services firms, and the fastest growing Big Four accounting firm in the United States.

Cyclonic storm struck the north-eastern border districts of Bihar

Union Cabinet approved agreement between India and Jordan on maritime transport

Union Cabinet approved the introduction of The Commercial Courts Bill 2015 in Parliament

Union Cabinet on 22 April 2015 approved the introduction of The Commercial Division and Commercial Appellate Division of High Courts and Commercial Courts Bill, 2015 in the current session of Parliament.

The bill aimed at setting up exclusive commercial divisions in courts was approved by the union cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The bill will provide a mechanism to ensure speedy disposal of high value commercial disputes.

The bill was based upon the Law Commission's recommendations. The Law Commission in its 253rd Report recommended establishment of Commercial Courts, Commercial Divisions and Commercial Appellate Divisions in the High Courts.

The salient features of the proposed Bill are as under

The bill will deal with Commercial dispute which is defined broadly to mean dispute arising out of ordinary transactions of merchants, bankers, financiers and traders such as those relating to mercantile documents; joint venture and partnership agreements; intellectual property rights; insurance and other areas.
Commercial Divisions are to be set up in those High Courts which are already exercising ordinary original civil jurisdiction such as Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta, Madras, and Himachal Pradesh High Court.
The Commercial Division shall have territorial jurisdiction over such area on which it has original jurisdiction.
Commercial Appellate Division shall be set up in all the High Courts to hear appeal against Orders of Commercial Division of High Court and Orders of Commercial Courts.
Commercial Courts which will be equivalent to District Courts are to be set up in (i) The States and UTs where the High Court do not have ordinary original civil jurisdiction, and (ii) In the States where the High Court has original jurisdiction, in respect of those regions to which the original jurisdiction of a High Court does not extend. The minimum pecuniary jurisdiction of such Commercial Courts and commercial division is proposed as One Crore rupees.
Commercial Divisions or Commercial Courts shall not have jurisdiction in matters relating to commercial dispute, where the jurisdiction of the civil court has been either expressly or impliedly barred under law.
All pending suits and applications relating to commercial disputes involving a claim of One Crore rupees in the High Courts and Civil Courts will be transferred to the relevant Commercial Division or Commercial Court as the case may be.
It is proposed to have a streamlined procedure which is to be adopted for the conduct of cases in the Commercial Division and in the Commercial Court by amending the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 so as to improve the efficiency and reduce delays in disposal of commercial cases. The amended CPC as applicable to the Commercial Divisions and Commercial Courts will prevail over the existing High Court Rules and other provisions of the CPC to the contrary.

The establishment of commercial courts in India is a stepping stone to bring about reform in the civil justice system.

UN observed World Book and Copyright Day across the world

24 April

Nitish Kumar constituted panel on salary revision for fixed pay teachers

Nitish Kumar, the Chief Minister of Bihar on 23 April 2015 constituted a high level committee to consider demand of hike in pay for fixed pay teachers. The four member committee headed by Chief Secretary Anjani Kumar Singh has been asked to submit its report to the government in one month time.

Other members of the committee are Development Commissioner, Principal Secretary Finance, Education and Principal Additional Advocate General Lalit Kishore.

The decision to form the committee was taken at a high level meeting held by the Chief Minister.

Union Government rolled out online LTV applications system for Pakistani nationals

Union Government on 22 April 2015 rolled out an online system for submission of the Long Term Visa (LTV) applications by the eligible Pakistani nationals and for its processing by various agencies.

The Union Home Ministry took the decision to address the difficulty of the minority communities in Pakistan who come to India with the intention to settle permanently. The applications can be submitted online through hyperlink indianfrro.gov.in/frro

Feature of the Online System
• The system alows the eligible Pakistani nationals to submit the applications online for Long Term Visa.
• The system will also enable the applicant to monitor and track their applications and will also help in their speedy disposal.

Till now, such LTV applications were accepted through a manual system. This manual system will continue to exist along with online system for three months. From 1 August 2015, all applications for LTV will be received and processed only on the online mode.

Earlier in September 2014, the Home Ministry had set up a task force to monitor and expedite the processing of such people’s citizenship and LTV applications.

Indo-French Naval exercise VARUNA commenced at Goa

The fourteenth edition of Indo-French Naval Exercise named VARUNA-15 commenced on 23 April 2015 off the coast of Goa. The 10-day long joint naval exercise will end on 2 May 2015.

It is aimed at further deriving mutual benefit from the experiences of the two navies and strengthening the bilateral ties between India and France.

The French Navy is represented by Aircraft Carrier Charles de Gaulle, two destroyers Chevalier Paul and Jean de Vienne, replenishment tanker Meuse and a maritime patrol aircraft Atlantique 2. The Aircraft Carrier Charles de Gaulle is carrying its complement of fighter aircraft Rafale M, Strike Aircraft Super Etendard, E2C Hawkeye AWACS and helicopters Dauphin and Alouette 3.

The Indian Navy is represented by Aircraft Carrier INS Viraat, destroyer INS Mumbai, stealth frigate INS Tarkash, guided missile frigate INS Gomati, replenishment tanker INS Deepak, submarine INS Shankul and a few Fast Attack Craft. Aviation assets of the Indian Navy participating in VARUNA-15 include carrier-borne fighter aircraft Sea Harriers, maritime reconnaissance aircraft P-8 I and Dornier along with integral helicopters Seaking 42B and Chetak.

Background
The Indian Navy and the French Navy have been conducting naval exercises since 1983 and following the establishment of a strategic partnership in 1998, these exercises were christened as VARUNA in 2001. Till date, thirteen such exercises have been conducted and the last exercise VARUNA 12 was conducted in the Mediterranean Sea from 19-22 July 2012 off Toulon in France.

National Panchayati Raj Day observed on 24 April 2015

24 April: National Panchayati Raj Day
National Panchayati Raj Day was observed across India on 24 April 2015. The day is observed to mark the passing of the Constitution (73rd Amendment) Act, 1992 that came into force with effect from 24 April 1993.

The Amendment institutionalized Panchayati Raj through the Village, Intermediate and District levels Panchayats. This registers a defining moment in the history of decentralization of political power to the grassroots level.

On the day, the best performing Gram Panchayats and Gram Sabhas were honoured with Panchayat Sashaktikaran Award 2015 and Rashtriya Gaurav Gram Sabha Award 2015.

Besides, the Prime Minster Naredra Modi also addressed a national conference to highlight the steps taken by the government for real devolution of administrative and financial powers.

Pathai Ananthasubramanian Murali resigned as CFO & ED of United Spirits Limited

Pathai Ananthasubramanian Murali on 23 April 2015 resigned as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Executive Director (ED) of Bengaluru-based United Spirits Limited. Murali also resigned from the boards of all subsidiaries.

United Spirits is the largest alcoholic beverage company of India.

Murali is a Chartered Accountant by profession. He has been in the industry for over 32 years and with the UB Group companies for 22 years.

He joined the UB Group in 1993 as senior manager (finance) in Mumbai and was later transferred to Bangalore. He was involved in the Group’s acquisition activities in the beer segment in the Republic of South Africa and the US.

He was instrumental in restructuring the erstwhile United Breweries Ltd by demerging the beer business from the UB Group.

Murali also played a pivotal role in getting a strategic partner into the beer business and in the formation of the joint venture with Scottish & Newcastle Plc and the Diageo deal.

China, Pakistan signed an agreement on Economic Corridor plan worth 46 billion US dollars

China and Pakistan on 21 April 2015 signed an agreement on China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) plan worth 46 billion US dollars. The agreement was signed by China's President Xi Jinping and Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

As part of the agreement, China will provide up to 37 billion US dollar in investment for energy projects to generate 16400 MW of power. Concessional loans will cover nearly 10 billion US dollar of infrastructure projects.

China's government and banks, including China Development Bank and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Ltd, will lend to Chinese companies, which will invest in projects as commercial ventures.

The planned Chinese spending exceeds that of the United States, which has given 31 billion US dollars to Pakistan since 2002.

Besides, during the visit of Chinese President Xi to Pakistan, the two sides also agreed to strengthen cooperation in civil nuclear energy, space and maritime technology, counter-terrorism and defense.

CPEC plan and its benefits

The CPEC plan is a network of roads, railways and pipelines aimed to build energy and infrastructure projects in Pakistan by establishing an economic corridor between Pakistan's southern Gwadar port on the Arabian Sea and China's western Xinjiang region.

The corridor would transform Pakistan into a regional hub and give China a shorter and cheaper route for trade with much of Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Also, the investment will strengthen the struggling economy of Pakistan and help end chronic power shortages.

While on the Chinese part, the plan is part of China's aim to forge Silk Road land and sea ties to markets in the Middle East and Europe. The projects will give China direct access to the Indian Ocean and beyond.

Japan's Nikkei 225 closed above 20000 for the first time in 15 years

Japan’s main stock market index Nikkei 225 on 21 April 2015 closed above the 20000 level for the first time in 15 years. The index surged by just over 15% in 2015, building on an incredible 140% boom since June 2012.

The index performance improved against the background of central bank of Japan pumping money into the economy at a rapid pace, and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledging to reform the way Japan Inc. does business.

Also, stocks rallied as the country logged a trade surplus in March 2015 after the weaker Japanese Yen boosted exports and cheaper oil prices lowered its import bill.

The prime minister's ambitious plan for Japan's economy -- dubbed Abenomics -- also helped end deflation, boost corporate earnings and send stock prices through the roof.

Most recently, Abe has been lobbying to get companies to raise worker wages. The idea is that workers will then increase spending; completing a so-called virtuous cycle that will deliver sustained economic growth across the nation.

Union Home Ministry puts Ford Foundation under watch list

Union Home Ministry on 23 April 2015 has placed the international funding organisation the Ford Foundation on its watch list.

The Ministry took this decision on the basis of inputs received from security agencies. It was found that Ford Foundation has been funding those entities which are not registered under Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, and such activities amount to serious violation of Act.

The Ministry by exercising the powers conferred under Section 46 of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act 2010 has instructed Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to ensure that funds coming from it be brought to the notice of the Home Ministry.

Further, RBI is requested to instruct all the banks and their branches to ensure that any fund flow from the Ford Foundation to any person, NGO, organisation in India shall be brought to the notice of the ministry so that funds are allowed to be credited into the accounts of the recipient only after clearance of this ministry.

The ministry also wants to ensure that the funds are utilised for bonafide welfare activities without compromising on concerns of national interest and security.

After the decision now all funds coming from the US arm of the foundation will have to be cleared by the Home Ministry.

The move was taken in response to the allegation made by the Gujarat government that the organisation was interfering in the internal affairs of the country and also abetting communal disharmony through an NGO run by social activist Teesta Setalvad.

There have been allegations that the recipients NGOs have not filed mandatory annual reports and balance sheets with the government.

World Happiness Report 2015 released

The World Happiness Report 2015 was released on 23 April 2015. The report was published by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) an initiative under the United Nations.

The report was topped by Switzerland followed by Iceland, Denmark, Norway and Canada. The World Happiness Report examined 158 countries and is aimed at influencing government policy.

Togo, Burundi, Benin and Rwanda, with civil-war wracked Syria, were least happy.

The study based its rankings on data from the Gallup World Poll and takes into account variables such as real GDP per capita, healthy life expectancy, corruption levels and social freedoms.

The SDSN is comprised of people from academia, government and the private sector and was first launched in 2012.

The World Happiness Report 2015 reveals trends in the data judging just how happy countries really are. On a scale running from 0 to 10, people in over 150 countries, surveyed by Gallup over the period 2012-15, reveal an average score of 5.1 (out of 10).

The 2015 report is the first to consider the findings by gender and age. Women’s evaluations of their wellbeing tended to be slightly stronger than those of men – on average 0.09 higher on a 10-point scale – although there were some variations by region.

Six key variables explain three-quarters of the variation in annual national average scores over time and among countries: real GDP per capita, healthy life expectancy, having someone to count on, perceived freedom to make life choices, freedom from corruption, and generosity.

The World Happiness Report 2015 shows that at both the individual and national levels, all measures of well-being, including emotions and life evaluations, are strongly influenced by the quality of the surrounding social norms and institutions.

The report also demonstrates that a key national challenge is to ensure that policies are designed and delivered in ways that enrich the social fabric, and teach the power of empathy to current and future generations.