25-26 October 2015
26 October
Sekhar Basu took over as Chairman of AEC and Secretary of DAE
Renowned Indian nuclear scientist Shekhar Basu on 23 October 2015 took over the posts of Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) in Mumbai.
Basu was appointed as the chairman of AEC on 10 October 2015. He succeeds Ratan Kumar Sinha who headed the AEC for nearly 3.5 years.
Basu started his career in 1975 by joining Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in its Reactor Engineering Division. His initial assignments were design fuel for boiling water reactors. In 1988, he was transferred to Kalpakkam as the project Director with the responsibility to build India's first compact Pressurised Water Reactor powered by enriched uranium.
He has also headed many important positions in the nuclear energy field in India such as the Director of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Project Director of Nuclear Submarine Programme (BARC) and so on.
Shekhar Basu was born on 20 September 1952 in Kolkata, West Bengal. He completed his schooling at the Government High School, Ballygunje, Kolkata district. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI), University of Mumbai. Thereafter, he joined Bhabha Atomic Research Centre training school and completed one year training programme in nuclear science and engineering.
He was also honoured by the prestigious Padma Shri in 2014 for his contributions to the fields of science and technology.
South Africa clinched 1st ever bilateral ODI series in India
South Africa on 25 October 2015 won the five-match One Day International (ODI) series against India 3-2. This was South Africa’s first ever bilateral ODI series win on Indian soil.
In the fifth and final match played at Wankhede stadium in Mumbai, South Africa defeated India by 214 runs, which was India’s second biggest ODI loss in terms of runs. South Africa after winning the toss chose to bat first and posted 438 runs at a loss of four wickets; this was third highest score in the history of ODIs.
In reply, Indian team was bundled out for 224 in the 36th over, with Ajinkya Rahane top scoring with 87.
Series Report
1st Match: Played at Green Park, Kanpur on 11 October 2015, South Africa won South Africa won by 5 runs. AB de Villiers (South Africa) was declared as the Man of the Match.
2nd Match: Played at Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore on 14 October 2015, India won the match by 22 runs. MS Dhoni (India) was declared as the Man of the Match.
3rd Match: Played at Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot on 18 October 2015, South Africa won the match by 18 runs. M Morkel (South Africa) was declared as the Man of the Match.
4th Match: Played at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on 22 October 2015, India won the match by 35 runs. V Kohli (India) was declared as the Man of the Match.
5th Match: Played at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on 25 October 2015, South Africa won by 214 runs. Q de Kock (South Africa) was declared as the Man of the Match.
Player of the series - AB de Villiers (South Africa)
Major Highlights of the series
• South Africa registered their first ever bilateral ODI series win on Indian soil.
• The defeat was also the second biggest loss for India in ODIs in terms of runs.
• The fifth match saw three centuries by Faf Du Plessis (133), skipper AB DeVilliers (119) and Quinton de Kock (109). Three centuries in an ODI inning was made for the second time in the history.
• Bhuvneshwar Kumar created the record of being the most expensive figures by an Indian bowler in ODIs, 106 for 1 wicket from 10 over.
• Hashim Amla, who made 23, broke Virat Kohli's record and became the fastest player to reach 6000 ODI runs.
Earlier, South Africa on 8 October 2015 won the three-match T-20 International series against India 2-0. Now the nation will play 4-match Test series that will be held from 5 November to 7 December 2015. The first Test match will be played in Mohali from the 5 November 2015.
Background
Earlier, the two boards of cricket namely BCCI and Cricket South Africa on 31 August 2015 agreed that all future bilateral series between India and South Africa, including South Africa's forthcoming tour of India, will be called the Mahatma Gandhi-Nelson Mandela series. The Test series will be played for the Freedom Trophy.
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton won 2015 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix title
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton on 25 October 2015 won the 2015 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix title. It was the third title for Hamilton at the Circuit of the Americas in Elroy, Texas of the USA where championship is being held annually.
In the final race, while his team-mate Nico Rosberg of Germany stood at the second position, Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel (Germany) was at the third.
Also, driver of Force India Sergio Perez (Mexico) was the fifth person to complete the race.
For Hamilton, it was the tenth title in the 2015 season having won the races in Australia, China, Bahrain, Canada, the UK, Belgium, Italy, Japan and Russia prior to the US championship.
With this win, he also won the 2015 World Drivers’ Championship (WDC). It was the third title for Hamilton as he won the WDCs in 2008 and 2014 also.
So far, Hamilton won more races compared to any other British driver in the history of Formula One and is currently 3rd on the all-time list, with 43 wins.
Suresh Arora appointed as DGP of Punjab
The Punjab Government on 25 October 2015 appointed Suresh Arora, a 1982-batch IPS officer, as the Director General of Police (DGP). The appointment came after the government removed Sumedh Singh Saini from the post of DGP.
Suresh Arora, who has a spotless record, had played a pivotal role in fighting terrorism. He was posted in Amritsar as Superintendent of Police (SP) and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) when Operation Black Thunder Iand IIwere conducted.
Arora obtained his masters degree in law from the University of London. He has won various gallantry medals and awards, including thePresident's Meritorious Medal, the Distinguished Service Medaland the Prakram Medal.
Removal of Sumedh Singh Saini from the post
Reportedly, Saini was removed from the post due people's anger towards the police after two Sikhs were killed in a protest against the sacrilege of holy books in Faridkot's Behbalkalan village on 14 October 2015.
He is accused of human rights violations, and is also facing a CBI probe in relation to illegal arrest of some of the accomplices, relatives and father of Khalistan Liberation Forcemilitant Davinder Pal Singh Bhullar.
Abhishek Verma became first Indian to win Silver Medal in Archery World Cup Final
Indian archer Abhishek Verma 24 October 2015 created history by winning a silver medal in the Archery World Cup Final in the compound section held in Mexico City. With this, he became the first ever Indian to bag Archery World Cup Final medal.
Verma went down 143-145 to Turkey's Demir Elmaagcli in the summit clash.
In 2014, Verma bagged the gold medal in the men's compound archery team event along with Rajat Chauhanand Sandeep Kumar, and the silver medal in the men's individual compound event at the Asian Gamesheld at Incheon, South Korea. He also won a gold medal in the compound men's individual section on 15 August 2015 in the third leg of Archery World Cupheld in Wroclaw, Poland.
Ministry of Railways flagged off Vigithon to fight against corruption
Vigithon: A marathon organized by Union Bank of India to fight against corruption
Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu on 25 October 2015 flagged off Vigithon marathon in Mumbai to sensitise people for a fight against corruption at the grass-root level. Vigithon was a run for corruption free India and was organised by public sector lender Union Bank of India.
Several school children, common people, customers and employees of the bank participated in Vigithon. It brought in all the stakeholders together on a common platform to create sensitisation against corruption.
Vigithon was aimed at educating the people about several instances of corruption and empowering them with the means to fight the problem. The run will be organised at other metro centres across the country as well.
The run was organised as a precursor to the Vigilance Awareness Week which is going to be observed from 26 October 2015 till 31 October 2015. Vigilance awareness week is observed every year since 2000 as per the guidelines of the Central Vigilance Commission.
World Polio Day observed globally
24 October: World Polio Day
World Polio Day was observed on 24 October 2015. The day was observed to create awareness about the hazards of the crippling disease.
The Day was established by Rotary International over a decade ago to commemorate the birth of Jonas Salk, who led the first team to develop a vaccine against poliomyelitis.
Use of this inactivated poliovirus vaccine and subsequent widespread use of the oral poliovirus, developed by Albert Sabin, led to the establishment of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) in 1988. Since then, GPEI has reduced polio worldwide by 99percent.
A Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) aims to eradicate polio worldwide by 2018. GPEI is a public-private partnership led by national governments and spearheaded by the World Health Organization (WHO), Rotary International, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and UNICEF.
According to UNICEF data, polio does not exist in most of the world, as the cases are down by 99.9 percent worldwide. There have been 51 cases of wild polio virus globally since the beginning of 2015, compared with 242 wild polio cases for 2014.
Just two countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan, have reported cases of wild polio so far in 2015, while on 24 July 2015, Nigeria, Africa's last remaining polio-endemic country, recorded the first year in history without a single case.
Indian Railways developed warning system for unmanned level crossings
Indian Railways has developed a vandal-proof warning system for unmanned level crossings which is working satisfactorily for the last three months on Coimbatore-Metupallayam section.
The specifications of the system have been finalised by the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO), the research wing of Indian Railways.
The system has been developed with a Mumbai-based vendor and RDSO will call for an expression of interest from other vendors for the production of more such systems.
Highlights of the warning system
• The system is equipped with two blinkers and one siren to alert people when a train is within one km radius of the level crossing.
• Fitted with solar panel, it has a theft protection system.
• In case of vandalisation of the system at the level crossing by unscrupulous elements or for any other reason, SMS alert will be sent to pre-programmed mobile numbers by the system.
• Besides, there is a provision in the system for sending SMS alerts about trains crossing to pre-programmed mobile numbers.
• The system consists of two sensor modules and a control module in which train movements are detected and siren and blinker alerts are produced when the train is within one km of the level crossing.
• Sensor modules are located within one km of level crossing to detect train movement on track.
With time, the warning system will be installed in all zonal railways in their respective areas as a step towards prevention of accidents. Presently, there are 30348 level crossings across the country out of which around 11563 are unmanned.
Mishaps at level crossings account for about 40 percent of train accidents and about 60 percent of fatalities due to the failure of the railways to man these crossings or build road overbridges or underpass.
Nandakumara, Sivanesan honoured in UK with Lifetime Achievement Award & Sangeet Acharya Ratna
Indian High Commissioner to the UK, Ranjan Mathai in October 2015 honoured Dr MN Nandakumara and Sivasakthi Sivanesan with Lifetime Achievement Award and Sangeet Acharya Ratna Award respectively in London.
Nandakumara, Executive Director of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, London, and Sivasakthi Sivanesan, Resident Carnatic Music at the Bhavan were awarded for their contribution to Indian arts and music at a function held at the Nehru centre.
The duo has been propelling the Bhavans mission of teaching and promoting traditional Indian arts and culture in the UK.
Other awards announced and their recipients include
• Nritya Acharya Award - Pushkala Gopal
• Tarang Musician of the Year - Jasdeep Singh Degun
• Samyo Musician of the Year- Sanjuran Keerthikumar
• Young Musician of the Year - Yarline Thanabalasingham
• Young Dancer of the Year - Parbati Chaudhury
Nandakumara who spent his working life at the Bhavan has taught Sanskrit at the Bhavan. He carries PhD in devotional literature at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London. He commenced full-time work at the Bhavan in 1984 and took the helm as Executive Director in 1996.
Sivasakthi Sivanesan, who passes on the knowledge of centuries of music through teaching in the traditional guru-shishya way, has been teaching carnatic vocal and Vina at the Bhavan. She is an outstanding performer in her own right.
This was the first ever National Indian Arts Awards hosted by Indian arts development trust Milapfest. Milapfest established the awards in order to recognise the dedication of arts professionals working in the field of Indian arts and to celebrate the hard work and passion of young artists.
• Milapfests Executive Director- Prashant Nayak
The awards were supported by Arts Council England whose Deputy Chief Executive Althea Efunshile extolled the role of arts and culture.
Haryana Government announced to open Sanskrit University at Mundri for Scheduled Castes
Chief Minister of Haryana on 24 October 2015 announced to open a Sanskrit University for Schedule Castes (SCs) at Mundri village, which will be named after Maharishi Valmiki.
The announcement was made during an address at Bhagwan Valmiki Prakat Diwas Samaroh, which was celebrated as Samrasta Diwasin the state.
Besides, the state government also decided to provide the children of Scheduled Caste families a relaxation of 10 percent marks in the eligibility criteria for getting scholarship under Dr Ambedkar Medhavi Chhattar Yojna.
It was also announced that Government Residential Senior Secondary Schoolswill be opened at each district headquarters in the state to impart quality education to the students.
In addition, 5 crore rupees each will be granted to three Assembly segments of the district, Kaithal, Kalayatand Guhla, for various development works announced by the government.
Sin Tax to be imposed on alcohol, tobacco during GST regime
Sin Tax: An excise tax levied on products and services considered bad for health or society
Sin Tax was in news in fourth week of October 2015. It was in news as it has been included under the proposed Goods and Services Tax (GST) law that will be effective from 1 April 2016. GST is being seen as one of the biggest tax reforms in the country.
Sin tax is an excise tax levied on products and services like alcohol, tobacco and gambling considered bad for health or society. These additional taxes are also seen as efforts to discourage people from use of such products or services.
This kind of tax is often used by government to attract higher their tax revenues as people generally refrain from opposition to such levies as they are indirect in nature and affect only their end users.
China made copying in examinations a crime punishable up to seven years
As per the Ninth amendment of Criminal Law of China, students trying to copy in examinations in China will face a jail term of up to seven years. This new law will be effective from 1 November 2015. The information was published by China Radio International on 25 October 2015.
The law will make cheating on major exams in China a crime punishable with a jail sentence. Parents involved will also be seriously punished.
The amended criminal law stipulates that those who aid in cheating will be sentenced to three to seven years in prison and face penalties. The law also stipulates that people trying to impersonate during examinations will be detained by police.
Previously, college students involved in exam-related fraud were only punished by their universities, through warning, disqualification of their degree or dismissal.
Andhra Pradesh signed two memorandums with Japan for development of the State
Government of Andhra Pradesh on 22 October 2015 signed a MoC for development of economic infrastructure and a MoU to develop Amaravati with the Government of Japan. They were signed on the sidelines of foundation stone laying ceremony of Amaravati, the new capital of Andhra Pradesh.
AP-Japan Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC)
• It was signed by the state chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Japanese State Minister for Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) Yosuke Takagi.
• Its primary objective is to accelerate industrial development in the state through effective policy coordination. To achieve this, Andhra Pradesh Investment Task Force will be established in Japan.
• Its focus is on development of industry, ports and super critical power stations and transfer of agriculture technology.
AP-Japan Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
• It was signed between Andhra Pradesh Finance department and Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC).
• Its focus is on inviting foreign investments and developing the state's new capital city and the surrounding region.
Japan’s connection with Amaravati
Ancient Amaravati, from which the proposed capital derives its name, has long cultural ties with Japan. In Japan, around 34 percent of population practises Vajrayana Sect of Buddhism that was founded by Acharya Nagarjuna in Amaravati between 150 AD and 250 AD.
India’s first AC double-decker Shatabdi train to run on Mumbai-Goa route
The Ministry of Railways on 23 October 2015 announced that India’s first AC double-decker Shatabdi train will soon run between Mumbai and Goa route.
As per the announcement, the proposed train between Mumbai and Goa will cater to growing demand by tourists that come to Goa from all over the globe.
The first double-decker air conditioned train between Howrah and Dhanbad was flagged off in October 2011. Since then, the service is operational between many cities, including Ahmedabad-Mumbai, Chennai–Bangalore, Delhi-Jaipur and Delhi-Lucknow.
Shatabdi Express, which is considered prestigious by the Indian Railways, runs over short to medium distances.
The first Shatabdi, which means centenary in Hindi language, train was started in 1988 by Madhav Rao Scindia to commemorate the centenary of Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru's Birthday. The train operated from New Delhi to Jhansi, and was later extended to Bhopal.
NDRF tied up with 30 PSUs to tackle man-made or natural disasters
India’s elite disaster mitigation combat force, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) in October 2015 tied up with about 30 Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) in order to develop mutual understanding and enhance capabilities to jointly tackle man-made or natural emergencies.
In regard to the same, a coordination meet was held on 23 October 2015 between the NDRF and prominent PSUs like Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL), Air India and those in the mining and shipping and heavy industries sector.
This first of its kind initiative will ensure that in case of any emergency or disaster the two sides can come together and act as one strong unit and also ensure that in case of small or mid-level exigencies these units can function as first responders till the NDRF arrives on the scene.
As per the decision, NDRF has proposed that these PSUs will extend its skill modules like on tackling nuclear, biological and chemical disasters to train their personnel.
Once trained the workforce of these organisations can effectively help NDRF as force multipliers during big challenges and they can render a relief and rescue task independently when any state government or local administration seeks their help.
For the purpose, the two sides also exchanged vital contact numbers after the meeting and agreed to initiate joint mock drills and disaster combat exercises in the future.
National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)
National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) was constituted in 2006 with 08 Battalions (Bns) (02 Bn each from BSF, CRPF, ITBP and CISF). It was formed with the enactment of the Disaster Management Act on 26 December 2005, which came into force following two national calamities, namely Orissa Super Cyclone (1999) and Gujarat Earthquake (2001).
At present, the force has eleven battalions positioned in various states of the country to undertake relief and rescue operations in the event of any disaster, accident or emergency.
•NDRF Director General- O P Singh
Doordarshan emerged as most watched Hindi channel
Public service broadcaster Doordarshan claimed on 24 October 2015 that it has emerged as the most-watched Hindi channel in terms of time spent per viewer ahead of top General Entertainment Channels (GEC).
The claim was made after Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC)released the All India viewership data, which includes rural India for the very first time.
As per the BARC’s ratings, DD National, the flagship channel of Doordarshan, registered an Average Time Spent of 51 Min per viewer, which was highest among Hindi GECs, in the week 41 (from 10 October 2015 to 16 October 2015).
The ratings indicated that the viewers preferred to watch DD National, the most widely available terrestrial television channel in India, for a longer duration of time rather than frequently switching the channels, as compared to other GECs.
The data also showed that the channel’s gross viewership in lakhs (GVL) rose from 479.9 lakhs in week 40 to a massive 4040.5 lakh in week 41.
As per the data, DD National also fetched 7th position in Hindi-speaking markets in the week 41.
About Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC)
Broadcast Audience Research Council India is an industry body, which designs, commissions, supervises and owns an accurate, reliable and timely television audience measurement system for the country.
The body is guided by the recommendations of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and Ministry of Information and Broadcasting notifications of January 2014.
WHO released report titled Reducing global health risks through mitigation of short-lived climate pollutants
The World Health Organization (WHO) on 22 October 2015 released a report titled Reducing global health risks through mitigation of short-lived climate pollutants.
The report was produced in collaboration of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition to Reduce Short-Lived Climate Pollutants, a voluntary global partnership of governments, intergovernmental organizations, businesses, scientific institutions and civil society.
WHO rated more than 20 affordable measures to mitigate short-lived climate pollutants including vehicle emissions standards, switching from fossil fuels to renewables, reducing food waste and improving household cooking fuels, to see which have the greatest potential to prevent climate change.
Highlights of the report
• The report spotlights the need to reduce short-lived climate pollutants like black carbon, ozone, methane and carbon dioxide that contribute to climate change and lead to more than 7 million deaths linked to air pollution each year. Every day, these pollutants threaten the health of people.
• The report recommends that countries, health and environment ministries, and cities can take right now to reduce emissions, protect health and avoid illness and premature deaths.
• Short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs), including black carbon, methane, and ozone, are responsible for a substantial fraction of climate change as well as for a significant proportion of air-pollution related deaths and diseases that kill some 7 million people per year.
• Reducing emissions of SLCPs, which persist in the atmosphere from days to about a decade, can provide health benefits directly from reduced air pollution and related ill-health, indirectly from reduced ozone and black carbon effects on extreme weather and from other types of health benefits.
• This report reviews a range of strategies and policies for action covering sectors such as urban planning, transport, household energy and building design, food production and consumption, power generation, industry, and waste management.
Four key interventions to reduce climate pollutants
• Reducing vehicle emissions by implementing higher emissions and efficiency standards could reduce black carbon and other co-pollutants from fossil fuels, improve air quality and reduce the disease burden attributable to outdoor air pollution
• Policies and investments that prioritize dedicated rapid transit such as buses and trains and foster safe pedestrian and cycle networks can promote multiple benefits including safer active travel and reduced health risks from air and noise pollution, physical inactivity and road traffic injuries
• Providing cleaner and more efficient stove and fuel alternatives to approximately 2.8 billion low-income households worldwide dependent on primarily wood, dung and other solid fuels for heating and cooking could reduce air pollution-related diseases and reduce the health risks.
• Encouraging high and middle-income populations to increase their consumption of nutritious plant-based foods could reduce heart disease and some cancers, and slow methane emissions associated with some animal-sourced foods.
Reducing SLCP emissions can yield near-term benefits to health making measures particularly attractive to policy-makers, as well as slowing the pace of climate change over the next few decades.
The report builds off a 2011 assessment by the UN Environment Programme and World Meteorological Organization that estimated that a global deployment of 16 SLCP reduction measures would prevent an average of 2.4 million premature deaths annually by 2030.
However, the new estimates could raise that to 3.5 million lives saved annually by 2030 and between 3 to 5 million lives per year by 2050. These latest projections take into account WHO’s latest data on deaths linked to air pollution as well as some new SLCP measures.
Haryana to commission 215 new power sub-stations in three years
Haryana Government on 25 October 2015 announced that it planned to commission 215 additional sub-stations of various capacities to reduce transmission and distribution (T & D) losses.
These new facilities will be deployed by 2018 and are in addition to some of the recent initiativestaken by state and Union Governments to improve power supply in the state. The state government's inititatives are
• Initiative to augment 418 existing sub-stations and putting in place 3171 kilometre transmission and distribution lines by 2018.
• Mhara Gaon - Jagmag Gaon scheme was launched in 1 July 2015, to provide 15 hour uninterrupted power supply from the existing 12 hours in rural areas.
• Gave in-principle approval to develop a Smart Power Grid in Gurgaon at estimated cost of 7000 crore rupees with the help of Union Government.
• In-principle approval was given to phase out four old and inefficient units of the Panipat thermal power station and replace them with a new 800-MW Supercritical Unit.
Union Government initiatives
• The Union Government approved a sum of 316 crore under the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana for development of power sector infrastructure in rural areas.
• Around 390 crore rupees were granted to the state under the Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS) for strengthening of the distribution system in urban areas.
• The Kalyanpur-Badalpara coal mine was allocated to Haryana that had been under the joint control of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. The coal from this mine will be utilized for setting up 800 MW unit at Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram thermal power plant in Yamunanagar district
Emily Kristine Pedersen of Denmark won Hero Women’s Indian Open 2015
Emily Kristine Pedersen of Denmark on 25 October 2015 won the Hero Women’s Indian Open 2015 at the DLF Golf and Country Club in Gurgaon, Haryana. It was her maiden European Tour title.
She beat the trio of Cheyenne Woods, Becky Morgan and Malene Jorgensen, who tied for the second position, to pocket the winner’s cheque of 60000 US dollars.
While amateur Aditi Ashok was the best Indian performer, who tied at the 13th position, Vani Kapoor, finished tied 20th, was adjudged as the best Indian professional at the tournament.
About Hero Women’s Indian Open
It is a 400000 US dollar event which is tri-sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour, the Ladies Asian Golf Tour and the Women’s Golf Association of India. The annual event was started in 2007 and attracts best of talent from across the globe with the majority of players coming from Europe and Asia.