27-28 August 2015 Hindi

Union Cabinet cleared 4 months extension for 7th Pay Commission

Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 26 August 2015 gave 4 months extension (up to 31 December 2015) to the 7th Central Pay Commission. Justice Ashok Kumar Mathur is the Chairman of the Commission.
The extension was approved after the commission sought extension of 4 months due to volume of work and intensive stake-holders’ consultations. The Commission constituted by the Central Government in February 2014 was mandated to submit its recommendations by 27 August 2015.

Seventh Pay Commission is scheduled to come into effect from 1 January 2016.

The Sixth Pay Commission headed by Justice BN Srikrishna was implemented with effect from 1 January 2006, the fifth from 1 January 1996 and the fourth from 1 January 1986.

Besides, the Cabinet also gave its approval for the agreement on legal and judicial cooperation in civil and commercial matters with Afghanistan and Oman.
In another decision it also approved amendments in the Central List of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in respect of Gujarat and Uttarakhand. It has been done as per the advices received from the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC). Sipai and Patni or Turk Jamat communities in Gujarat and Kahars and Tanwar Singhariyas in Uttarakhand will be added in the list.

Kolkata Port adjudged as the best 'Major Port of 2014-15'

Kolkata Port was on 21 August 2015 adjudged as the ‘Major Port of the Year’ amongst 12 major ports in the country for the year 2014-15. It was honoured in recognition of its impressive growth rate in volumes, optimizing capacity utilization, growth in output per berth and customer satisfaction.
It has been declared in the Gateway Award 2015 programme held at Mumbai.

Kolkata Dock System and Haldia Dock System under Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) together handled 16.834 million tonnes (MT) of traffic during April to June 2015, which stands against 13.698 MT handled during the corresponding period 2014.
KPT has achieved traffic growth of 23 percent, while all other major ports of the country have together recorded a growth of 5.8 percent. The port handles two private train operators apart from CONCOR.
The major commodities handled by KoPT during this period includes container, vegetable oil, limestone, coking coal, petroleum coke, iron & steel, POL, LPG, other liquid cargo and finished fertilizer. In an effort to attain customer satisfaction, KoPT has inducted state-of-the-art modern equipments, introduced various customized packages and other user-friendly, cost-effective measures.

Union Cabinet approved Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty in Civil and Commercial matters with Oman

The Union Cabinet on 26 August 2015 gave its approval for signing and ratification of the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) in Civil and Commercial matters with Oman.

This agreement was under negotiation since 2003 and shall come into force on the 30th day after the exchange of the Instrument of Ratification.

Areas covered under Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT)

• Service of judicial orders, summons and other legal and judicial documents or processes.
• Taking of evidence through request.
• Execution of judgments, settlements and arbitral awards.
• Request for reciprocal legal assistance relating to civil and commercial matters submitted before or after its entry into force.
• Service of summons and other judicial documents shall not be refused on the ground that the request does not show sufficient grounds supporting merits of the case, unless the requested State, considers that compliance with the request would infringe its sovereignty, security or public policy.

The provisions of the agreement are in conformity with the provisions of the Code of Civil Procedure (CPC) and the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996. No amendment in these enactments would be required. Further, the CPC does not discriminate between citizens of India and alien friends.

Dilip Vengsarkar elected as president of ACSSI, India's premier cricket Statisticians association

Former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar in the third week of August 2015 elected as the president of the Association of Indian Statisticians and scorers of India (ACSSI).

At present, Vengsarkar is the vice president of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA).

He was elected unopposed during the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of ACSSI.

Also, Dara Pochkhanawalla and Ganesh Iyer were elected as the two vice presidents of the organisation.

The ACSSI was formed in 1987 to do serious research on Indian cricket, both past and present and provide one-stop accurate information about Indian domestic, test and limited overs international cricket statistics.

Union Cabinet approved Amendments to the Arbitration and Conciliation Bill, 2015

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 26 August 2015 gave its nod for amendments to the Arbitration and Conciliation Bill, 2015. The amendments are based on the Law Commission’s recommendations of 246th reports and suggestions received from stakeholders.
The Union Government has decided to amend the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 by introducing the Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill, 2015 in the Parliament. These amendments will help India to become a hub of International Commercial Arbitration.

Features of the amendments are
(i)   In order to ensure neutrality of arbitrators, it is proposed to amend Section 12 to the effect that when a person is approached in connection with possible appointment of arbitrator, he shall disclose in writing about existence of any relationship or interest of any kind, which is likely to give rise to justifiable doubts. Further, if a person is having specified relationship, he shall be ineligible to be appointed as an arbitrator.
(ii)   Insertion of a new provision that the Arbitral Tribunal shall make its award within a period of 12 months. Parties may extend such period up to six months. Thereafter, it can only be extended by the Court, on sufficient cause. The Court while extending the period may also order reduction of fees of arbitrator(s) not exceeding five percent for each month of delay, if the court finds that the proceedings have been delayed for reasons attributable to the arbitral tribunal. If the award is made within a period of six months, arbitrator may get additional fees if the parties may agree.
(iii)   It is proposed to insert a provision for fast track procedure for conducting arbitration. Parties to the dispute may agree that their dispute be resolved through fast track procedure. Award in such cases shall be given in six months period.
(iv)   Amendment of Section 34 relating to grounds for challenge of an arbitral award, to restrict the term 'Public Policy of India" (as a ground for challenging the award) by explaining that only where making of award was induced or affected by fraud or corruption, or it is in contravention with the fundamental policy of Indian Law or is in conflict with the most basic notions of morality or justice, the award shall be treated as against the Public Policy of India.
(v)   A new provision to provide that application to challenge the award is to be disposed of by the Court within one year.
(vi)   Amendment to Section 36 to the effect that mere filing of an application for challenging the award would not automatically stay execution of the award. Award can only be stayed where the Court passed any specific order on an application filed by the party.
(vii)   A new sub-section in Section 11 to be added to the effect that an application for appointment of an Arbitrator shall be disposed of by the High Court or Supreme Court as expeditiously as possible and an endeavour should be made to dispose of the matter within 60 days.
(viii)   A new Section 31A is to be added for providing comprehensive provisions for costs regime. It is applicable both to arbitrators as well as related litigation in Court. It will avoid frivolous and meritless litigation/arbitration.
(ix)   Section 17 is to be amended for empowering the Arbitral tribunal to grant all kinds of interim measures which the Court is empowered to grant, under Section 9 and such order shall be 'enforceable in the same manner as if it is an order of Court.

Apart from these, amendments in Sections 2(1)(e) , 2(1)(f)(iii), 7(4)(b), 8(1) and (2), 9, 11, 14(1), 23, 24, 25, 28(3), 31(7)(b), 34 (2A) 37, 48, 56 and in Section 57 are also proposed for making the arbitration process more effective.
Background
The Union Government has under its consideration proposals for making Arbitration a preferred mode for settlement of commercial disputes by making it more user-friendly and cost effective. This will lead to expeditious disposal of cases.
The Law Commission of India in its 246th Report has recommended various amendments in the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996. The Law Commission also submitted a Supplementary to Report No. 246 on “Amendments to the Arbitration Act, 1996 on ‘Public Policy’- Developments post Report 246", wherein the Law Commission taking into account subsequent decisions of the Supreme Court has recommended reformulation of amendment in Section 34(2)(b) of the Act.

Three Indians named Fellows of American Society for Metals for 2015

Three Indians were named as Fellows of American Society for Metals (ASM) in the fourth week of August 2015. These three Indians along with three other Indian-origin persons featured among the list of 29 fellows who were named as Fellows of ASM for 2015.

While, the Indian Fellows were Pradeep Goyal, Vivekanand Kain, and Gankidi Madhusudhan Reddy, the Indian-origin achievers were Pranesh Aswath, Suveen Mathaudhu and Muthukumarasamy Sadayappan.

All the 29 persons were honoured for their contributions in the field of materials science and engineering. The fellows will be presented with their awards in October 2015 during the Materials Science and Technology event at Columbus in Ohio State of the USA.

About Fellows

Pradeep Goyal: He is the CMD for Pradeep Metals Ltd. in Mumbai. He was chosen for his establishment of the internationally-known Industrial Microwave Research Centre and for his contributions towards environmental and energy improvements in ore and petrochemical processing industries using new technologies.

Vivekanand Kain: He a professor and scientist at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai. He was selected for significant contributions focused on understanding and controlling corrosion in nuclear power plants, especially the corrosion of stainless steel and nickel and zirconium based alloys.

Gankidi Madhusudhan Reddy: He is a scientist at the Defence Metallurgical Research Lab in Hyderabad. He was picked up for his outstanding contributions in welding science and technology with special emphasis on the development of solutions enabling the fabrication of critical components used in defence and aerospace applications.

Pranesh Aswath: He is a professor and associate dean at the University of Texas in Arlington, the USA. He was selected for his significant contributions to the science of tribology through establishing fundamental relationships between lubricant additive chemistry, tribofilm formation and friction and wear.

Suveen Mathaudhu: He is an assistant professor at UC Riverside and he was selected for his scientific leadership, management, and advocacy of the US Army materials research efforts, and in particular for the development and support of new advanced lightweight metals and bulk nano-structured materials.

Muthukumarasamy Sadayappan: He is a research scientist at Canmet Materials in Canada. He was selected as a Fellow for his significant contributions to the field of non-ferrous foundry metallurgy and solidification processing.

About American Society for Metals (ASM)

It is a technical community of experts associated with materials science and engineering.

The fellowship of the ASM was created in 1969 to provide recognition to for their distinguished contributions to materials science and engineering, and to develop a broad-based forum of technical and professional leaders to serve as advisers to the society.

Rajendra Singh conferred with 2015 Stockholm Water Prize

The Waterman of India Rajendra Singh on 26 August 2015 was conferred with the 2015 Stockholm Water Prize.

King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, Patron of the Stockholm Water Prize presented the prize at a Royal Award Ceremony during World Water Week in Swedish Capital Stockholm.

Singh was named for the prestigious award for his innovative water restoration efforts, improving water security in rural India, and for showing extraordinary courage and determination in his quest to improve the living conditions for those most in need.

Contributions of Rajendra Singh

Singh has invested several decades of his life to defeat drought and empowering communities of Rajasthan through his organisation Tarun Bharat Sangh (India Youth Association).

He addressed the problem of waters in villages of Rajasthan through building Johads or traditional earthen dams. These Johads, by now about 8600 in number, helped 1000 villages of the state in revival of water.

His efforts also helped in increasing the forest cover in the state, which helped the return of antelope and leopard in the state.

About Stockholm Water Prize

The Stockholm Water Prize is a global award founded in 1991 and presented annually by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) to an individual, organisation or institution for outstanding water-related achievements. The Stockholm Water Prize Laureate receives 150000 US Dollars and a specially designed sculpture. King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden is patron of the prize.

About Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI)

Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) is a policy institute that generates knowledge and informs decision-makers towards water wise policy and sustainable development. SIWI organizes the World Water Week in Stockholm – the leading annual global meeting place on water and development issues – and hosts the Stockholm Water Prize, the Stockholm Junior Water Prize and the Stockholm Industry Water Award.

Union Cabinet approved amendments in the Central List of Other Backward Classes

The Union Cabinet on 26 August 2015 approved the amendments in the Central List of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in respect of two States Gujarat and Uttarakhand for making suitable amendments in the Central List of OBCs.

The amendments were approved following the advices received from the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC). The following castes/communities have been included in the Central List of OBCs in the two States of Gujarat and Uttarakhand:-

Sl. No	Gujarat	Uttarakhand
1	Sipai	Kahar
2	Patni Jamat or Turk Jamat (all Muslims)	Tanwar Singhariya

The amendments will enable the persons belonging to these castes/ communities to avail the benefits of reservation in Government services and posts as well as in Central Educational Institutions as per the existing policy.
They will also become eligible for benefit under various welfare schemes, scholarships being administered by the Union Government, which are at present available to persons belonging to the OBCs.

About National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC)
• The NCBC was set up in pursuance to the Supreme Court judgement in the Indra Sawhney case as per the NCBC Act 1993.
• The Commission examines requests for inclusion of any class of citizens as a backward class in the lists and hear complaints of over-inclusion or under-inclusion of any backward class in such lists.
• It tenders advice to the Union Government as it deems appropriate; and the advice of the Commission is ordinarily bound upon the Union Government.
• The NCBC has been tendering advice to the Central Government from time to time. A total of 35 notifications have been issued so far and till date, a total of 2404 entries have been notified in the Central list of OBCs for 24 States and 6 Union Territories.

Serbia, Kosovo agreed to implement 2013 Brussels Agreement

Kosovo and Serbia on 26 August 2015 agreed to implement the 2013 Brussels Agreement paving the way for normalizing the relations between both the countries.

The First agreement of principles governing the normalisation of relations or more famously known as the Brussels Agreement was reached between both the countries under the mediation of the European Union on 19 April 2013 in Brussels, Belgium.

Key Features of Brussels Agreement

• Autonomy to Northern Areas: Serbs in northern Kosovo will enjoy greater rights. Kosovo has a majority Albanian population, but under the agreement ten areas with large Serb populations will be able to manage issues such as the local economy and education. Further, Serb Municipalities would have an assembly, president and a flag.
• Kosovo will have a separate international dialing code. It will put an end to the inconvenience for Kosovo's mobile phone users of using Monaco or Slovenia international codes. However, Serbian-majority areas in the north will still be able to use Serbian calling codes.
• The two sides also agreed on how to share the symbolic Mitrovica Bridge (on Ibar River) that separates Albanian and Serb communities in the north.

Background

Before becoming an independent nation in 2008, Kosovo was a province in the southern part of Serbia.

While Kosovo as a whole is inhabitated by Albanian Muslim population, the northern parts have majority Serbian population. The varying demographic profile within Kosovo often led to tensions between both the countries especially along the border areas.

The decision to implement the Brussels Agreement will pave the way for diffusing troubled relations between both countries that are underway since the formation of Kosovo.

GSLV-D6 successfully launched GSAT-6 communication satellite

Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV)-D6 was successfully launched on 27 August 2015. It was launched from the Second Launch Pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR (SDSC SHAR), Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.

GSLV-D6 inducted 2117 kg GSAT-6, an advanced communication satellite into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO). The satellite is intended to provide S-band communication services in the country.

Key Features of GSLV-D6

• It is the ninth flight of GSLV. It is also the fifth developmental flight of GSLV.
• This is the third time the indigenously developed Cryogenic Upper Stage (CUS) is being carried on-board during a GSLV flight. The flight is significant since it intends to continue the testing of CUS.
• It is configured with all its three stages including the CUS similar to the ones successfully flown during the previous GSLV-D5 mission in January 2014. GSLV-D5 successfully placed GSAT-14 satellite carried on-board in the intended GTO very accurately.

Importance of Cryogenic Upper Stage (CUS)

A Cryogenic rocket stage is more efficient and provides more thrust for every kilogram of propellant it burns compared to solid and earth-storable liquid propellant rocket stages.

The cryogenic stage is technically a very complex system compared to solid or earth-storable liquid propellant stages due to its use of propellants at extremely low temperatures and the associated thermal and structural challenges.

Oxygen liquifies at -183 deg C and Hydrogen at -253 deg C. The propellants, at these low temperatures, are to be pumped using turbo pumps running at around 40,000 rpm.

About GSAT System

• The GSAT or Geosynchronous satellite is a constellation of communication satellites developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) with an objective to make India self-reliant in broadcasting services.
• Satellites are called GSAT because they function in a geosynchronous orbit around the Earth.
• It is designed to inject 2 ton class of communication satellites into GTO.
• The first satellite in the series GSAT-1 was launched in April 2001.
• Till date, 12 satellites were launched and only six among them are operational.

Tennis Player Novak Djokovic appointed as Goodwill Ambassador of UNICEF

Novak Djokovic, the world’s top ranked tennis player, was on 26 August 2015 appointed as the Goodwill Ambassador of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), after having served as the UNICEF’s Serbia Ambassador.

He also signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the World Bank and the Novak Djokovic Foundation to promote early childhood development. The Fund and the Foundation have established a close cooperation on bringing early childhood services to every child and family in Serbia.
Novak Djokovic has been lending his support to children's welfare since he teamed up with UNICEF in 2011. He has been working for improving the lives of children, especially those who are amongst the most marginalized, with a particular focus on the importance of early childhood education.
With this, Djokovic has joined other accomplished and dedicated UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors including Danny Kaye, Audrey Hepburn, David Beckham, Harry Belafonte, Orlando Bloom, Katy Perry, Sir Roger Moore, Shakira, Maxim Vengerov, Serena Williams and others.
Djokovic is one of the most dominant players to ever set foot on a tennis court. To date, Djokovic has won a total of 54 career titles, including 9 Grand Slams and he was a Medallist at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
Novak Djokovic's contributions to UNICEF
He has also supported the improvement of quality of preschool programmes in Serbia. His foundation, Novak Djokovic Foundation, also funded UNICEF Serbia’s innovative family outreach service aimed at connecting with families living in urban areas, which has now been integrated into the Serbian child protection system.
During the floods in the Balkans in 2014, Novak made donations to UNICEF to help with the emergency aid efforts.
He also supported the Schools for Asia initiative in Bangladesh, China and the Philippines alongwith the help of apparel giant UNIQLO.

US designated Aziz Haqqani as global terrorist

The United States (US) in last week of August 2015 designated Abdul Aziz Haqqani, the new leader of the Haqqani network, as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. He was declared as a global terrorist for being involved in planning and carrying out attacks against Afghan government targets.

Following the designation of a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, Aziz Haqqani comes under the ambit of US sanctions. The sanctions, prohibits any US national from maintaining any relationship with him. It also allows seizure of all his assets, if any, in the US.
In August 2014, the US had announced a reward of up to 5 million US dollars for information leading to the location of Aziz.
Popularly known as Aziz Haqqani, he assumed the leadership role of the Haqqani network after the death of his brother Badruddin Haqqani. The Haqqani Network has planned and carried out a number of significant kidnappings and attacks against US interests in Afghanistan, as well as Afghan government and civilian targets.

Union Cabinet approved signing of agreement between India and Afghanistan

The Union Cabinet on 26 August 2015 approved signing of the agreement between India and Afghanistan on legal and judicial cooperation in civil and commercial matters for the service of summons, judicial documents, commissions, execution of judgements and arbitral awards.

Highlights of the Agreement
• Service of judicial orders, summons and other legal and judicial documents or processes.
• Taking of evidence through request.
• Execution of judgments, settlements and arbitral awards.
• The agreement also applies to any request for reciprocal legal assistance relating to civil and commercial matters submitted before or after its entry into force.
• It states that service of summons and other judicial documents shall not be refused on the ground that the request does not show sufficient grounds supporting merits of the case.
• The agreement also deals with taking of evidence by Diplomatic and Consular representatives from nationals of the country they represent, without compulsion, in order to help in completion of judicial proceedings commenced in the courts of the country they represent.
The agreement will come into force on the 30th day after the exchange of instrument of Ratification. It shall remain in force until terminated by either party by giving six months notice. The provisions of the agreement are in conformity with the provisions of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 and the Arbitration and Cancellation Act, 1996.
This agreement will be beneficial for the citizens of both countries. It will also fulfill the desire of both countries to strengthen the bonds of friendship and fruitful cooperation in the judicial and legal spheres, which is the spirit, essence and language of the preamble of the agreement.

Wealth-X released the list of Top 20 Wealthiest People Under 35

Global wealth intelligence and prospecting company Wealth-X on 19 August 2015 released the report on Top 20 Wealthiest People Under 35.

As per the report, Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg is the wealthiest individual under the age of 35, with a personal fortune of 41.6 billion US dollars.

Zuckerberg is followed by Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz, who claimed the second place on the list with an estimated net worth of 9.3 billion US dollars and with Huiyan Yang on the third spot with an estimated net worth of 5.9 billion US dollars.

Highlights of the Report
• Eleven of the world’s top 20 wealthiest individuals under the age of 35 are from the United States, while three are from China (including Hong Kong) and another three are from Switzerland.
• The youngest individual on the list is Snapchat chief executive Evan Spiegel, who at the age of 25 has already amassed a personal fortune of 1.9 billion US dollars.
• The top 20 list features six women. Huiyan Yang, the 34-year-old vice chairman of Chinese real estate developer Country Garden Holdings, is the richest woman on the list.
• However, no Indian is featured on the list.
List of Top 10 Wealthiest People Under 35

Rank	Individual	Company	Net Worth
1	Mark Zuckerberg	Facebook Inc	41.6 billion US dollars
2	Dustin Moskovitz	Asana	9.3 billion US dollars
3	Huiyan Yang	Country Garden Holdings	5.9 billion US dollars
4	Eduardo Saverin	99	5.3 billion US dollars
5	Scott Daniel Duncan	Enterprise Products Partners	5.0 billion US dollars
6	Elizabeth A Holmes	Theranos	4.5 billion US dollars
7	Nathan Blecharczyk	AIRBNB	3 billion US dollars
8	Brian Chesky	AIRBNB	3 billion US dollars
9	Joe Gebbia	AIRBNB	3 billion US dollars
10	Thomas Persson	Hennes & Mauritz	2.7 billion US dollars

About Wealth-X
• Headquartered in Singapore, Wealth-X is the authoritative source of intelligence on the ultra wealthy people with the largest collection of research on ultra high net worth (UHNW) individuals.
• The Wealth-X Professional solution is the standard for banking, luxury marketing and not-for-profit professionals working with the ultra prosperous people.
• Wealth-X has 13 offices across five continents.

28 August

AB de Villiers broke Sourav Ganguly's record of fastest 8000 ODI runs

South African skipper AB de Villiers on 26 August 2015 became the fastest batsman to reach 8000 One Day International (ODI) runs. He achieved the fete during the third ODI against New Zealand in Durban which South Africa won by 62 runs to claim the series, 2-1.
De Villiers, who went past 8000 runs in just his 182 innings, broke the previous record held by former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly.

Ganguly achieved the fete in 200 innings and Sahin Tendulkar, the leading run-scorer in ODIs achieved it in 210 innings.
De Villiers currently holds the record for the fastest half-century, fastest century and the fastest 150 in ODIs.

NITI Aayog launched second version of India Energy Security Scenarios 2047

NITI Aayog on 27 August 2015 launched the second version of the India Energy Security Scenarios 2047 (IESS 2047) by its Vice Chairman Arvind Panagariya in New Delhi.

The open source web based tool aims to explore a range of potential future energy scenarios for India, for diverse energy demand and supply sectors leading up to 2047.

The first version of the energy calculator was launched by Planning Commission, which is now defunct, on 28 February 2014.

Key Features of India Energy Security Scenarios 2047, 2.0

• Its purpose is to engage various stakeholders in the country’s energy planning and facilitate informed debates at different levels.
• It explores India’s possible energy scenarios across energy supply sectors such as solar, wind, bio fuels, oil, gas, coal and nuclear and energy demand sectors such as transport, industry, agriculture, cooking and lighting appliances.
• The model allows users to interactively make energy choices, and explore a range of outcomes for the country-from carbon dioxide emissions and import dependence to land use.
• It will support the Government’s vision of achieving power for all and 175 GW of renewables by 2022, rural electrification and reducing import dependency.
• It will enable policy makers and parliamentarians make a more secure and sustainable energy future for India.
• It was developed in consultation with multiple stakeholders, such as think tanks, industry bodies and research organizations.
• The UK Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) is the initiative partner with NITI Aayog in this project.
• Similar to this tool, more than 20 countries have now developed their own energy/climate calculators, such as China, Bangladesh and South Africa.

Reliance Communications Ltd tied up with Jasper to offer Internet of Things services in India

Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group’s Reliance Communications Ltd. (RCoM) was on 27 August 2015 entered into an agreement with the USA based Jasper Technologies, Inc. to offer Internet of Things (IoT) services in India.

The services are expected to be rolled out by 30 September 2015.

Key Features of partnership between RCoM and Jasper

• Enterprises and individuals in India will be offered IoT services to launch and manage business activities and monitor individual behavioural patterns. Further, it will help businesses to build, implement and go to market faster, while gaining real-time visibility, control and service reliability he said.
• RCoM will provide or install chips that can relay feedback to its data centres for processing and appropriate action.
• A host of services can be provided for smart cities and to the Government of India under its Digital India initiative.
• It uses RCoM’s Global Cloud Xchange (Cloud X) with 11 data centres and Jasper Centre platform to enable enterprises to deliver IoT services.

About Internet of Things

IoT refers to a network of internet connected devices which are embedded with electronic sensors and data transmitting technologies. By using the Internet, the data collected by sensors in the IoT devices like cars, power systems and even as small as tooth brushes transmitted to other networked devices and data processing systems. Thus, the information generated by processing the data will be used by the companies and individuals to make better decisions.

As per an estimate, there will be roughly 100 billion IoT based devices in the world by 2025, with 2 million new sensors deployed every hour.

IoT in India

In India, the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY) released the Draft Internet of Things (IoT) policy in November 2014 to develop business opportunities in this emerging technology.

Union Government in July 2015 announced to set up a Centre of Excellence on Internet on Things (IoT) as a joint initiative of Department of Electronics & Information Technology (DeitY), Education and Research Network (ERNET) and NASSCOM.

Usain Bolt won 200 meter title at 2015 World Championships in Athletics in Beijing

Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt on 27 August 2015 won the 200 meter title at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics held at Beijing in China.

Bolt completed the race in 19.55 seconds surpassing his American rival Justin Gatlin who completed the race in 19.74 seconds.

Earlier, on 23 August 2015, he also won the 100 metre gold against the same rival Justin Gatlin.

Usain Bolt and his records

• He is widely regarded as the fastest person ever. He is the first man to hold both the 100 metres and 200 metres world records since fully automatic time measurements became mandatory in 1977. His records and titles include
• Six Olympic Gold medals: these medals were won at Beijing Olympic 2008 and London Olympics in 2012 in three events and they were 100 metres , 200 metres and 4x100 metres
• Ten World Championships Gold Medals: these medals were won at Berlin 2009 in events 100 metres , 200 metres and 4x100metres , Daegu 2011 in events 200 metres and 4x100 metres, Moscow 2013 in events 100 metres , 200metres and 4x100metres and in 100 metres and 200 metres events in Beijing in 2015.
• One Gold medal at Commonwealth Games: won at Glasgow 2014 in 4x100 metres event
• He also holds the world records of covering 100 metres s in 9.88 seconds and 200 metres in 19.19 seconds

The 28-year-old six-time Olympic gold medalist declared that he would retire after 2017 World Championships in London.

Union Government announced names of 98 smart cities

The Union Government on 27 August 2015 declared the names of 98 cities for its ambitious smart cities project. The aspirant cities were selected by the States and Union Territories on the parametres set by the Centre.
Name of the selected cities were announced by Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu in New Delhi.

The selected cities include 12 cities from Uttar Pradesh, 12 from Tamil Nadu, 10 from Maharashtra, 7 from Madhya Pradesh, 3 each from Bihar and Andhra Pradesh. All other states have also got one or two cities for the purpose, except Jammu and Kashmir. Nearly 13 crore population across 98 cities, which constitute 35 percent of urban population, will be covered under the mission.
List of cities and towns selected under smart cities mission

Sl. No.	Name of State/UT	No. of cities shortlisted	Names of selected Cities
1.	Andaman & Nicobar Islands	1	1. Port Blair
2.	Andhra Pradesh	3	1. Vishakhapatnam 2. Tirupati 3. Kakinada
3.	Arunachal Pradesh	1	1. Pasighat
4.	Assam	1	1. Guwahati
5.	Bihar	3	1. Muzaffarpur 2. Bhagalpur 3. Biharsharif
6.	Chandigarh	1	1. Chandigarh
7.	Chhatisgarh	2	1. Raipur 2. Bilaspur
8.	Daman & Diu	1	1. Diu
9.	Dadra & Nagar Haveli	1	1. Silvassa
10.	Delhi	1	1. New Delhi Municipal Council
11.	Goa	1	1. Panaji
12.	Gujarat	6	1. Gandhinagar 2. Ahmedabad 3. Surat 4. Vadodara 5. Rajkot 6. Dahod
13.	Haryana	2	1. Karnal 2. Faridabad
14.	Himachal Pradesh	1	1. Dharamshala
15.	Jharkhand	1	1. Ranchi
16.	Karnataka	6	1. Mangaluru 2. Belagavi 3. Shivamogga 4. Hubballi-Dharwad 5. Tumakuru 6. Davanegere
17.	Kerala	1	1. Kochi
18.	Lakshadweep	1	1. Kavaratti
19.	Madhya Pradesh	7	1. Bhopal 2. Indore 3. Jabalpur 4. Gwalior 5. Sagar 6. Satna 7. Ujjain
20.	Maharashtra	10	1. Navi Mumbai 2. Nashik 3. Thane 4. Greater Mumbai 5. Amravati 6. Solapur 7. Nagpur 8. Kalyan-Dombivali 9. Aurangabad 10. Pune
21.	Manipur	1	1. Imphal
22.	Meghalaya	1	1. Shillong
23.	Mizoram	1	1. Aizawl
24.	Nagaland	1	1. Kohima
25.	Odisha	2	1. Bhubaneshwar 2. Raurkela
26.	Puducherry	1	1. Oulgaret
27.	Punjab	3	1. Ludhiana 2. Jalandhar 3. Amritsar
28.	Rajasthan	4	1. Jaipur 2. Udaipur 3. Kota 4. Ajmer
29.	Sikkim	1	1. Namchi
30.	Tamil Nadu	12	1. Tiruchirapalli 2. Tirunelveli 3. Dindigul, 4. Thanjavur, 5. Tiruppur, 6. Salem, 7. Vellore, 8. Coimbatore, 9. Madurai, 10. Erode, 11. Thoothukudi 12. Chennai
31.	Telangana	2	1. Greater Hyderabad 2. Greater Warangal
32.	Tripura	1	1. Agartala
33.	Uttar Pradesh**	12	1. Moradabad 2. Aligarh 3. Saharanpur 4. Bareilly 5. Jhansi 6. Kanpur 7. Allahabad 8. Lucknow 9. Varanasi 10. Ghaziabad 11. Agra 12. Rampur
34.	Uttarakhand	1	1. Dehradun
35.	West Bengal	4	1. New Town Kolkata 2. Bidhannagar 3. Durgapur 4. Haldia

Government will release two crore rupees each for the cities for the preparation of the smart city plan in the next few days.

Union government proposes to give financial support to the Mission to the extent of 48000 crores rupees over next five years. Of this amount, two hundred crore rupees will be released during the first year.

Air India won Guru Tegh Bahadur Hockey title after 7 years

Air India's Hockey team on 27 August 2015 won the Guru Tegh Bahadur Hockey title. In the finals played at the MHA-Mahindra Stadium in Mumbai, Air India defeated defending champions Army XI 3-1 via the penalty shoot-out after the two teams were deadlocked goalless in regular play.
Air India regained the title after seven years. Last time, it won the title in 2008.

Air India's goalkeeper Adrian D'Souza won the Player of the final Award from the tournament's organizers, Mumbai Hockey Association Limited. Army’s goalkeeper Najmudeen was declared as the Best Goalkeeper in the tournament.
The winning team got 1.5 lakh rupees, while the runners-up received 75000 rupees.

Law Commission of India submitted report on Early Childhood Development and Legal Entitlements

The Law Commission of India on 27 August 2015 submitted the 259th report titled Early Childhood Development and Legal Entitlements to the Union Law Minister D V Sadananda Gowda.

The report examined the present constitutional, legal and policy framework including international agreements and conventions related to early childhood and presented suggestions to improve conditions of children under age of 6 years.

Important suggestions of the report

• A new Article 24A be inserted to Part III of the Constitution to ensure that the child’s right to basic care and assistance becomes an enforceable right. The Article should read as 24A. Every child shall have the right to care and assistance in basic needs and protection from all forms of neglect, harm and exploitation.
• In order to extend the right to education to children in the under-6 age group as well, Article 21A of the Constitution should be amended to read as follows The State shall provide free and compulsory education to all children in such a manner as the State may by law determine.
• Article 51 A(k) of the Constitution should be amended so that the duty is placed on every citizen who is a parent or guardian to provide opportunities for education to his/her child or, as the case may be, ward under his/her care.
• The Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 should be amended so that maternity benefits should be increased from twelve weeks to 180 days.
• A statutory authority or Council for Early Childhood Development be created in order to ensure proper emphasis on the promotion of early childhood development.
• Provision should be made for the training of teachers to provide pre-school education, and there should be a budgetary allocation to fund training programs for the same to ensure quality standards and a proper implementation of the best methods of promoting play and learning.
• It is suggested that every child under six should have an unconditional right to crèche and day care provided, regulated and operated by the State, as found for example in the Act on Children’s Day 69 Care of 1973, Finland.

Call To Action Summit 2015 on ending preventable child and maternal deaths held in New Delhi

The Call To Action Summit 2015 on ending preventable child and maternal deaths was held on 27 August and 28 August 2015 in New Delhi.

The summit was a prelude to the United Nations Summit for the adoption of post-2015 development agenda that will be held in September 2015 in New York.

During the summit, the participants took stock of progress, best practices for ending preventable child and maternal deaths and discussed further steps to be taken in the area.

Further, The Every Woman Every Child (EWEC) movement initiated by the UN Secretary General office was also a pivotal area for deliberations at the Summit.

The summit was co hosted by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Ethiopia’s Ministry of Health, USAID, UNICEF, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Tata Trusts and attended by 24 priority countries that committed to the global Call to Action for Child Survival in June 2012.

India was selected to host the summit for the first time outside the USA because of her huge strides in ending preventable child and maternal deaths in recent times.

Manipur government handed over 336.93 acres land for National Sports University

Manipur Government on 27 August 2015 handed over 336.93 acres of land at Yaithibi Khunou in Thoubal district to Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports for construction of National Sports University.
Earlier in first week of August 2015, a central team headed by Sports Secretary visited the site and identified it as the first preference for establishment of the University. They visited the site after Union Government announced its plan to set up a University in the state.

The University will introduce B.PEd, MPEd, diploma/certificate courses, physiotherapy, fitness, sports management, sports journalism and others.
The academic session is likely to begin from next year at Integrated Sports Complex at Khuman Lampak, Imphal. Initially, it will be affiliated to North Eastern Regional Centre (NERC) of Laxmibai National Institute of Physical Education (LNIPE), Gwalior before obtaining full-fledged university status.

Kandakatla Manohar appointed as Director of NIMS

Dr Kandakatla Manohar was on 27 August 2015 appointed as the Director of Nizams Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) of Hyderabad. His appointment was approved by the Telangana Government. He succeeded Dr L Narendranath.

Manohar is a native of Penchikalapeta of Warangal district and is working as the Superintendent of the MGM Hospital in Warangal.

Background
In 2014, a writ petition was filed in the AP High Court, questioning the government's decision to appoint Dr L Narendranath as Director of NIMS. Petitioner Dr RJ Bhaskar claimed that the appointment of Dr Narendranath was in violation of Rule 3 of the minimum qualifications for teachers in Medical Institutions Regulations, 1988.
Dr Narendranath never worked as professor of orthopaedics or head of the department for five years as required under the MCI regulations. The minimum qualifications prescribed by the Medical Council of India are binding on all medical institutions in the country.
Following this, the hospital witnessed protests from doctors belonging to Telangana. However, Narendranath refuted all allegations and continued in his post.

Festival Thiru Onam celebrated in Kerala

Thiru Onam (Thiruvonam) festival, the most auspicious day of the Onam, was celebrated with traditional gaiety on 28 August 2015 in Kerala. The celebrations of Onam started with Atham ten days ago.
Thiru Onam celebrated by Keralites without any boundaries of caste or religion, marks birthday of Sri Padmanabham, the presiding deity of Thiruvananthapuram. It is the most important day of Onam.

Thiru Onam celebrations started with the colourful floral pattern called Ona Pookkalam on the floors to welcome Maha Bali. Ona Pookkalam is similar to rangoli, but made of flowers instead of colour powders. On this day, people of Kerala perform Poojas at temples, including hill shrine of Sabari Mala, Guruvayur and Thrikkakara, which is believed to be the capital of legendary King Maha Bali.
Onam is a Hindu festival celebrated in Kerala is also the state festival of Kerala. It falls during the Malayalam month of Chingam (August – September) and marks the commemoration of Vamana avatara of Vishnu and the subsequent homecoming of the mythical King Mahabali who Malayalees consider as their King.
The traditional feast called Ona Sadya is another significant part of Onam celebrations. On this day, numerous cultural programmes are also organised in every districts of Kerala.

Union Government launched E-Payment Module for Deposit of Compensatory Levies into CAMPA Funds

The Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar on 27 August 2015 launched an e-payment module to accept compensatory amount for diversion of forest land in the country.

This e-payment module will cut delays and bring transparency in the system which is meant for collecting fund from user agencies which diver forest land for non-forest purpose.

Highlights of the E-payment Module
• The payment through the e-payment module has to be made to the designated account, depending on the State in which the forest land proposed to be diverted is located.
• The deposit of compensatory levies through the e-portal will be optional till 31 August 2015.
• However, the payment of compensatory levies by User Agencies will be accepted only through the e-module from 1 September 2015.
• With the activation of the e-payment portal, no payments will be accepted other than through the portal, unless specifically ordered by Ad-hoc CAMPA.
• Initially, payments will be permitted through two modes Online challan mode through RTGS and NEFT and Offline challan mode.
Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA)
Any user agency which diverts forest land for non-forest purpose is required to deposit prescribed amount to the government body. This amount is managed by an ad-hoc body, Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA).
The CAMPA was created by the Union Government under the Supreme Court order of October, 2002. So far, 38,000 crore rupees have been accumulated with the ad-hoc CAMPA.
This fund is meant for carrying out reforestation and other related activities including protection of forest area and wildlife conservation. The collected amount, however, remains unspent in absence of an institution mechanism to disburse the money to states.
The verification of receipt of compensatory levies in the ad-hoc CAMPA has, till now, been done manually.

Tripura decided to implement National Food Security Act

State Cabinet of Tripura on 27 August 2015 decided to implement the National Food Security Act (NFSA). The NFSA will be come into effect from 1 September 2015 and will be continued till 2021.
Implementation of the Act will make Tripura the first state to implement the NFSA in entire north-eastern region.

Its implementation will benefit over 25 lakh people from more than six lakh families of the state. This would cause an extra burden of over 16.73 crore rupees on the State Government in the form of subsidy.
National Food Security Act (NFSA)
The National Food Security Act (NFSA) came into effect on 5 July 2013. It aims at providing legal entitlement to 5 kg of subsidised foodgrains per person per month at 1 rupee to 3 rupees per kilogram to two-thirds (67 percent) of the country’s population.

Rajiv Mangla appointed as CTO of Snapdeal

Rajiv Mangla was on 26 August 2015 appointed as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of eCommerce major Snapdeal. As a CTO, Mangla will help the organisation in establishing its technical vision and will lead all aspects of technological development of the company.

He succeeded Amitabh Misra, who vacated the post in February 2015 to start a new travel venture Bona Vita Technologies. Mangla is a graduate from IIT Mumbai.
Prior to this appointment, Mangla was serving as Vice President (Engineering) of Digital Marketing at Adobe Systems and has spent about 10 years in this company. Mangla had also been an entrepreneur for 10 years and founded a couple of companies.

About Snapdeal
• Snapdeal was established in February 2010 by Kunal Bahl and Rohit Bansal, alumnus of IIT Delhi.
• Presently, it offers an assortment of 4 million+ products across diverse categories from over 50000 sellers and it ships to around 4000 towns and cities in India.