3-4 march 2015
Namibian President Hifikepunye Pohamba won 2014 Mo Ibrahim Prize for African Leadership
Hifikepunye Pohamba, outgoing Namibian President, on 2 March 2015 won the Mo Ibrahim prize for achievement in African leadership for year 2014. Established in 2007, the Ibrahim Prize recognises and celebrates excellence in African leadership. Pohamba was awarded for serving the country since its independence and his leadership has renewed people’s trust in democracy. He is a role model for the African continent.
During the decade of Hifikepunye Pohamba's Presidency, Namibia's reputation has been cemented as a well-governed, stable and inclusive democracy with strong media freedom and respect for human rights.
Hifikepunye Pohamba was born in 1935 in Namibia and was a former rebel who fought for his country’s independence. He has served as Namibian President two terms. For first time he was elected in 2004 and again in 2009. Now, he is due to be succeeded by elected President Hage Geingob.
About Mo Ibrahim prize for African leadership
• The award is named after Mo Ibrahim, a British-Sudanese mobile communications entrepreneur and philanthropist, who had made billions of fortune from investing in Africa.
• Mo Ibrahim launched this prize in 2007 to encourage African leaders to leave power peacefully. The inaugural prize was awarded to Joaquim Chissano, former president of Mozambique.
• This prize is given each year to an elected leader who has governed well, raised living standards and then left the office.
• It is the world’s most valuable individual award and carries monetary award of 5 million dollar. The award also grants 200000 US dollars per year for ten years towards good causes espoused by the Ibrahim Laureate.
Union Budget 2015-16: Vision 2022
Union Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley on 28 February 2015 presented first full year Union Budget 2015-16 of NDA government in the Lok Sabha. Jaitely presenting his second budget announced the Vision of Budget aimed at achieving certain things by 2022, the 75th Year of India’s independence, which will be observed as Amrut Mahotsav. The vision of Team India, as called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will be led by State and guided by the Central Government. The vision will include following things:
• A roof for each family in India under the vision Housing for All by 2022 requiring construction of 2 crore houses in Urban areas and 4 crore houses in rural areas
• Each house of the country will be provided the basic facilities like 24-hour power supply, clean drinking water, toilet and connection to a road
• To provide access to means for livelihood and employment or economic opportunity to at least one member of each family, to improve his or her lot
• Substantial reduction of poverty visions to eliminate absolute poverty and thus seeks that all schemes will focus and center on the poor
• To electrify remaining 20000 villages in the country by 2020, this will be met by different process including by off-grid solar power generation
• 178000 unconnected habitations will be connected by all weather roads. This process will require completion of 1 lakh kilometer of roads, which are under construction right now and an additional 1 lakh kilometer road will be sanctioned for construction
• Medical services will be provided in each village and city as it is absolutely essential. This thing will help in providing good health to people, which is necessary for the quality of life as well as person’s productivity and ability to serve his or her family.
• To enable every youth to get employment, they will be educated and skill will be provided to them. For this purpose, a senior secondary school is required within 5 kilometer reach of each child, thus 80000 secondary schools will be upgraded and or 75000 junior or middle schools will be upgraded to the senior secondary level. Apart from this, it will be ensured that education is improved in terms of quality and learning outcomes
• For welfare of rural areas there is a need to boost agricultural productivity and ensure reasonable prices for agricultural production. For this purpose, irrigated area will be increased and efficiency of existing irrigation system will be improved. Apart from this, agro-based industry will be promoted for value addition and farm incomes will be increased, and reasonable prices for farm produce will be given
• In terms of communication, the rural and urban divide will be ended and it will be ensured that connectivity to all villages is provided
• Two-thirds of India’s current population is below 35 and, thus to ensure that the young get proper jobs, it has been planned to make India a manufacturing hub of the world. This purpose will be addressed through the Skill India and the Make in India programmes
• Plan to turn India into job-creator from job-seekers and for this purpose spirit of entrepreneurship in India will be encouraged and new start-ups will be supported
• It will be ensured that the Eastern and North Eastern of the country regions are on par with rest of India as currently are lagging behind in development in many fronts
Government wants to achieve all the thirteen major points described above by the time of 75th year of Indian Independence, Amrut Mahotsav is reached. These points will help India to become a prosperous country and responsible global power, which will be a true and meaningful tribute to the freedom fighters of the nation.
Online Taxi-service aggregator Olacabs acquired TaxiForSure
Online Taxi-service aggregator Olacabs on 2 March 2015 acquired Bengaluru-based rival TaxiForSure in a cash and equity deal worth 200 million US dollars. This is the first major acquisition in the taxi-aggregator space in India. As per the acquisition, the leadership and all 1700 employees of TaxiForSure will continue to work with the company. Both the entities are going to operate as individual entities even after the acquisition.
Customers of the TaxiForSure can continue to book a cab through the app, and the call centre and drivers will continue to get access to customers on TaxiForSure’s technology platform.
With this acquisition, Ola’s platform of 100000 vehicles will be enhanced by other 15000 vehicles of TaxiForSure.
About Olacabs
Olacabs was founded in 2010 by two IIT Bombay graduates, Bhavish Aggarwal (CEO) and Ankit Bhati. Its headquarter is located in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
At present, Olacabs as cab aggregator is market leader in the personnel taxi hiring segment with 1 lakh registered vehicles platforms.
About TaxiForSure
Founded in 2011, TaxiForSure is a taxi aggregating marketplace which allows its customers to book a taxi in over 47 cities.
With a fleet of 15000 cars, the company offers a range of cars like Tata Indica, sedans such as Mahindra Logan, Swift Dzire, and Toyota Etios, SUVs like Tata Innova and Mahindra Xylo, and premium cars from BMW, Jaguar, and Mercedes.
Core sector growth of India declined to 13-month low in January 2015
Core sector growth of India declined to 13-month low of 1.8 percent in January 2015 as compare to 3.7 percent in 2014. The data was released by the Union Commerce and Industry Ministry on 2 March 2015. Core sector growth of India declined to 13-month low of 1.8 percent in January 2015 as compare to 3.7 percent in 2014. The data was released by the Union Commerce and Industry Ministry on 2 March 2015. Core sector growth of India declined to 13-month low of 1.8 percent in January 2015 as compare to 3.7 percent in 2014. The data was released by the Union Commerce and Industry Ministry on 2 March 2015. Core sector growth of India declined to 13-month low of 1.8 percent in January 2015 as compare to 3.7 percent in 2014. The data was released by the Union Commerce and Industry Ministry on 2 March 2015. Highlights
• The growth of eight core sector industries (coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilizer, steel, cement and electricity) in India slowed to 1.8 percent in January 2015.
• The crude oil production declined 2.3 percent, and natural gas output dropped 6.6 percent in January 2015.
• The coal production increased 1.7 percent, petroleum refinery production rose 4.7 percent, and fertilizer output increased 7.1 percent in January 2015.
• Steel and cement output and electricity generation is slower rate as compare to January 2014.
• Negative growth in crude oil and natural gas and low growth in steel, cement and electricity have led to the dip in the overall growth rate of core industries.
• However, coal and refinery products output grew by 1.7 percent and 4.7 percent respectively in 2015 against 1.2 percent and contraction of 4.2 percent in 2014.
• The growth of core sector was 2.4 percent in December 2014.
• During the April 2014 to January 2015 period, the core sector industries grew 4.1 percent, as compared to 4 percent growth in April 2013 to January 2015.
Roger Federer won the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships
Swiss Tennis ace, Roger Federer on 28 February 2015 won the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships title. To lift his seventh Dubai Championship title, Federer defeated world number one Novak Djokovic of Serbia 6-3, 7-5.
The only other tournaments Federer won seven times are Wimbledon and Halle (Germany), both on grass.
This was 126th ATP final for Federer of which he had won 84th career title. He also passed 9000 aces in singles matches, the fete achieved only by three other players since 1991. The other three tennis players to achieve the fete include Goran Ivanisevic (10183), Ivo Karlovic (9375) and Andy Roddick (9074).
Egyptian court declared Hamas as terrorist group
An Egyptian court on 28 February 2015 listed the Palestinian group, Hamas as a terrorist organisation. Hamas is accused of meddling into the country’s internal affairs and supporting insurgents in Sinai Peninsula. The Judge el-Sayed of the Court for Urgent Matters said Hamas had targeted both civilians and security forces inside the Sinai Peninsula and the group aimed to harm the country.
This ruling came just few days after Egypt adopted a new anti-terrorism law that allows authorities to close the premises of any declared terrorist organisation and freeze its assets as well as those of its members.
Earlier in 31 January 2015, a different court of Egypt labeled the armed wing of Hamas, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, as a terrorist group.
Lok Sabha passed Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2015
The Lok Sabha on 2 March 2015 passed the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2015 by voice vote. The Bill seeks to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955 which regulates the acquisition and determination of citizenship and details registration of Overseas Citizens of India and their rights. The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2015 was introduced in Lok Sabha on 27 February 2015. The Bill, if enacted, will be considered to have come into force on 6 January 2015.
Provisions of the Bill
It allows the Union Government to relax the requirement of 12 months stay or service if special circumstances exist in cases related to citizenship by registration and naturalization. Relaxation up to 30 days may be permitted by the government.
It provides additional grounds for registering an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card such as Minor children whose parent(s) are Indian citizens, spouse of an Indian citizen or OCI/ PIO cardholder subjected to certain conditions, great-grandchild of a person who is a citizen of another country, but meets one of several conditions of Citizenship Act, 1955.
It introduces a new provision which allows the union government to register a person as an OCI cardholder even if he does not satisfy any of the listed qualifications.
It provides that union government may notify that PIO cardholders shall be considered to be OCI cardholders from a specified date. It merges Persons of Indian Origin and Overseas Citizen of India cardholders.
It allows the union government to cancel the OCI card where it is obtained by the spouse of an Indian citizen or Overseas Citizen of India cardholder, if the marriage is dissolved by a court, or the spouse enters into another marriage.
Baldev Sharma appointed as chairman of National Book Trust
Union Ministry of Human Resource Development on 2 March 2015 appointed Baldev Sharma as chairman of National Book Trust (NBT).
He is a former Panchajanya editor. He replaced A. Sethumadhavan.
A. Sethumadhavan resigned six months earlier. He was appointed in September 2012.
Panchajanya is an Indian weekly newspaper published by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in Hindi. It was launched by RSS pracharak Deendayal Upadhyaya in 1948 in Lucknow.
The weekly was launched on 14 January 1948, the day of Makara Sankranthi. Its first editor was Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Huawei launched first Android Wear Smartwatch Huawei Watch
Huawei Watch was launched in classic, business and sporty versions powered by Google’s Android Wear operating system.
The Huawei Watch features a 1.4 inch AMOLED, scratch & water-proof display, that can be paired with a smartphone running Android 4.3 or higher.
Moreover, Huawei has also chosen to go with the round-face look, which has received favourable reviews from fashion-conscious youth over square-faced smartwatches.
The device has various health tracking functions and has a built-in advanced heart rate monitor sensor and built-in microphone.
Huawei has also launched other wearables, including TalkBand B2 and TalkBand N1.
According to research firm Gartner, the global wearable electronic devices for fitness shipments are forecast to reach 91.3 million units in 2016 from 73.01 million units in 2013.
Mary Kom to quit boxing after 2016 Rio Olympics
Olympic medalist pugilist MC Mary Kom on 2 March 2015 announced that she will quit boxing after the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. She decided to retire after the Olympic Games as her body would not be able to cope with the rigours of the sport any further.
The 32-year-old May Kom who won a bronze medal in 2012 London Olympics said that after retirement she will concentrate on her boxing academy set up in Imphal, Manipur.
About MC Mary Kom
• Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom also known as MC Mary Kom is an Indian boxer belonging to Kom tribal community of the north-eastern state of Manipur.
• She is a five-time World Boxing champion, and the only woman boxer to have won a medal in each one of the six world championships.
• She is the only Indian woman boxer to have qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics, who won a bronze medal in the flyweight (51 kg) category.
• She became the first Indian woman boxer to get a Gold Medal in the Asian Games in 2014 in Incheon, South Korea.
• Nicknamed Magnificent Mary was born on 1 March 1983 in Kangathei, in Churachandpur district of Manipur.
Some awards and hounours conferred on Mary Kom includes
• In 2013, she received Padma Bhushan for Sports
• In 2010, she received Padma Shree for Sports
• In 2003, she received Arjuna Award for Boxing
• In 2009, she was honoured with Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award.
President gave assent to Maharashtra Animal Preservation (Amendment) Bill 1995
President Pranab Mukherjee on 2 March 2015 gave his assent to the Maharashtra Animal Preservation (Amendment) Bill 1995. This amendment bans slaughter of bulls and bullocks in Maharashtra.
President gave his assent to the Bill as per the provisions in Article 201 of the Constitution of India.
Features of the amendment
• If anyone is found selling beef or in possession of it can be jailed for five years and fined up to 10000 rupees
• The new act will however allow slaughter of water buffaloes, which provides carabeef, generally seen as inferior quality meat (that makes up only 25 percent of the total beef market in the state)
Effect of the ban on beef trade in the state
• The move would leave several people jobless
• It may drive up the cost of other meats
The bill that was signed by President of India into a law was passed by the BJP-Shiv Sena State Assembly in 1995. The slaughter of cows was previously prohibited in the state under schedule 5 of the Maharashtra Animal Preservation Act of 1976. The amendment now puts bulls, bullocks and calves under schedule 5 of the Act, which means a blanket ban on their slaughter.
Earlier, slaughter of bulls and bullocks was allowed based on a fit-for-slaughter certificate under Schedule 6 of the Maharashtra Animal Preservation Act of 1976.
Role of President in State Legislature
Article 201 mentioned in the constitution of India empowers the Governor of the state to give his assent to a bill passed by the Legislative Assembly of the State or send it for consideration to the President.
Article 201: Bills reserved for consideration — When a Bill is reserved by a Governor for the consideration of the President, the President shall declare either that he assents to the Bill or that he withholds assent there from: Provided that, where the Bill is not a Money Bill, the President may direct the Governor to return the Bill to the House or, as the case may be, the Houses of the Legislature of the State together with such a message as is mentioned in the first proviso to article 200 and, when a Bill is so returned, the House or Houses shall reconsider it accordingly within a period of six months from the date of receipt of such message and, if it is again passed by the House or Houses with or without amendment, it shall be presented again to the President for his consideration.
Forbes magazine released Global Billionaire’s 2015 annual list
Forbes magazine on 3 March 2015 released Global Billionaire’s 2015 annual list. Bill Gates co-founder of Microsoft topped the global billionaires list of Forbes magazine with worth of 79.2 billion US dollars for the 16th time. The United States topped the list with 536 rich people, followed by China at 213 rich people, Germany at 103 rich people and India at 90 rich people.
• Carlos Slim Helu from Mexico telecommunications mogul ranked second with worth 77.1 billion US dollars and Warren Buffet, chief of Berkshire Hathaway Inc was ranked third with 72.7 billion US dollars.
• Amancio Ortega, founder Inditex SA from Spain ranked fourth with 64.5 billion US dollars and Larry Ellison Chairman of Oracle Corp ranked fifth with 54.3 billion US dollars.
• Liliane Bettencourt- L’Oreal SA from France ranked tenth with 40.1 billion US dollars.
• Mark Zuckerberg founder of Facebook ranked 16 and for the first time joined the top 20. Michael Jordan, basketball player joined the annual list for the first time.
• Evan Spiegel and Bobby Murphy, cofounders of Snapchat were the youngest billionaires and are each worth 1.5 billion US dollars.
• 90 Indians were present in Forbes annual list, which includes Mukesh Ambani – Reliance Industries Limited, ranked 39, Dilip Shanghvi ranked 44 and Azim Premji ranked 48.
• There is an increased of 15 percent of women made the annual list that is 197 from 172 in 2014. Wal-Mart Stores Inc - heiress Christy Walton ranked eight with 41 billion US dollars.
IAS officer Kewal K Sharma appointed as Delhi Chief Secretary
AS officer Kewal K Sharma was on 3 March 2015 appointed as Chief Secretary of Delhi. His appointment was approved by Union Home Ministry. At present, Sharma is the chief secretary of Goa. Sharma was appointed as the Goa chief secretary on 1 January 2015.
Before becoming the Goa chief secretary, Sharma served as an advisor to the Union Territory administrator of Chandigarh from 2011 to 2014. He also served as Principal Secretary (PWD) of Delhi from 2009 to 2011.
Besides serving the Governments of Delhi, Goa and Arunachal Pradesh, Sharma served in the United Nations (UN) Mission in Kosovo from 1999 to 2005 as a Civil Affairs Officer.
Union Railways Ministry launched Customer Complaint Web Portal and Mobile Application
The Union Railways Minister Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu on 2 March 2015 launched a Customer Complaint Web Portal and Mobile Application. This Customer Complaint-cum-Suggestion portal and mobile App can be freely downloaded and will be useful to track the status of the complaints registered on this portal with the help of mobile App.
The passengers who want to complain or make any suggestions may download the mobile App from the URL www.coms.indianrailways.gov.in. The passengers can also file their complaints and suggestions on the same web page.
The Complaint Management System (COMS) portal consists of:
• A mobile app based complaints and suggestions application.
• A web based complaints and suggestions application on URL www.coms.indianrailways.gov.in.
• A SMS based complaints and suggestions application on the number +91-9717630982.
• A link to Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) will also be provided.
Features of Indian Railways Mobile App
• The Mobile application has been implemented using Android 2.3.3 platform and will be made available for Windows Phone 8.1.
• It uses the latest technology namely HTML5, JavaScript, CSS3.1. It can be downloaded from Google Play Store.
• Validations for station name, train number and PNR number are built into the application for user convenience.
• The Mobile App is linked to the Complaint Management portal of Indian Railways.
Web based Complaint Management Application:
• Passengers can also register complaints through the Web. The complainants will be assigned unique ID number with which they can track the progress of complaints.
• The complaint will be auto assigned to the concerned railway functionary for redressal.
• Detailed MIS reports with various zone wise, division wise, type wise, filters will enable effective monitoring at the administrative end.
• This Customer Complaint Portal will also be available in Hindi and other regional languages.
SMS based Complaint Management Application: Complaint or suggestion can be sent as free flow text as SMS to the number 9717630982. Complaints will be also be assigned a unique complaint ID number which can be used for tracking.
Royal Mint unveiled new Coinage Portrait of the Queen Elizabeth II
The Royal Mint on 2 March 2015 unveiled a new coinage portrait of the Queen Elizabeth II that will appear on coins in Britain. The coin shows a right side profile of the 88-year-old monarch wearing a crown and drop earrings.
The new portrait designed by engraver Jody Clark was unveiled at a ceremony in London's National Portrait Gallery. Clark’s design was selected in a competition organsied by the Royal Mint Advisory Committee, a consultative panel to HM Treasury. Then the art work of Clark was recommended to the Chancellor and then the Queen for final approval.
The coin featuring the new image will go into production from 2 March 2015 but will come into circulation later in 2015.
This is the fifth official coin portrait to be created during her 63-year reign of the queen and replaces a previous portrait that dates back to 1998. This coin was created by Surrey-born artist Ian Rank-Broadley.
Previous four coins carrying Queens’s portrait
• The first coin portrait of the queen – It appeared in 1953 shortly after she took the throne. The coin was designed by Mary Gillick. This coin showed a fresh-faced young Queen wearing an evergreen wreath of laurel, rather than the crown that was available in next four coins.
• The second coin carrying portrait of Queen – It came into circulation in April 1968 was designed by Arnold Machin.
• Third coin carrying portrait of the queen – It came into circulation in 1985 was designed by Raphael Maklouf.
• Fourth coin portrait of the Queen – It came into circulation in 1997 was designed by Ian Rank-Broadley.
History of the British coinage
The Royal Mint that is functional as the government company in England is designing coinage for people of the country for over last 1100 years. The process of the monarch’s mint started in London by the mid-13th century.
ECI launched National Electoral Roll Purification and Authentication Programme
The Election Commission of India (ECI) on 3 March 2015 launched National Electoral Roll Purification and Authentication Programme (NERPAP) throughout India. The programme was launched with the prime objective to bring a total error-free and authenticated electoral roll. About NERPAP
• NERPAP will focus on improving image quality of electors along with sorting issues like corrections of errors etc.
• During the NERPAP, Electronic Privacy Information Centre (EPIC) data of electors will be linked with Aadhar data of UIDAI for the purpose of authentication.
• Electors was provided with the facility where they can feed their respective Aadhar number through sms, email, mobile application and National Voters Service Portal (NVSP) by using web services through election commission website.
• Electors can also feed Aadhar number by making a call at 1950 to state call centres or by submitting the details of Aadhar number and EPIC number in a hard copy of duly filled up Form along with photocopy of both the documents, namely EPIC and Aadhar card.
• The collection and feeding of Aadhar will also be done by Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) by organizing Special Camp, Voter Facilitation Centres, e-Seva centres and Citizen Service Centres authorised by the DEOs (District Magistrate).
• Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will also collect the details of electors during door to door survey.
• Nationwide special camps will be organized by the Electoral Registration Officer on 12 April 2015 to ensure maximum public participation.
• The NERPAP has been provided a facility for voluntarily Disclosure of Multiple Entries by the Voters. The electors with multiple registrations in electoral rolls are advised to fill Form-7 for deletion of their names from the places except where they ordinarily reside.
• The electors may submit Form through Web Portal of NVSP or at EROs Facilitation Centres or Special Camps or Other Centres such as E-Seva, CSC and so on.
04-march-2015
World Wildlife Day observed globally
The World Wildlife Day was observed on 3 March 2015. The 2015 theme of the day is Wildlife crime is serious, let’s get serious about wildlife crime.
The day is celebrated as an opportunity to celebrate the varied forms of wild fauna and flora and to raise awareness of the multitude of benefits that conservation provides to people. The World Wildlife Day was observed on 3 March 2015. The 2015 theme of the day is Wildlife crime is serious, let’s get serious about wildlife crime. The day also reminds us of the urgent need to step up the fight against wildlife crime, which has wide-ranging economic, environmental and social impacts.
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at its 68th session held on 20 December 2013 decided to proclaim 3 March as World Wildlife Day. The date is the day of the adoption of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 1973. CITES plays an important role in ensuring that international trade does not threaten the species’ survival.
3 March was designated as World Wildlife Day in a resolution made at the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES (CoP16) held in Bangkok from 3 to 14 March 2013. The CITES resolution was sponsored by Thailand, the host of CITES CoP16, which transmitted the outcomes of CITES CoP16 to the UN General Assembly.
The secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), in collaboration with other relevant United Nations organizations, facilitates the implementation of World Wildlife Day.
World’s largest and tallest Indian flag unfurled in Faridabad
World’s largest and tallest Indian national flag was unfurled on 3 March 2015 at Town Park in Faridabad, Haryana. The flag was unfurled by BJP president Amit Shah, Haryana CM ML Khattar and Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor. The flag has dimension of 96 feet by 64 feet and weighs 48 kilograms. Flag was hoisted at the height of 250 feet (75 meters). Thus, making it the world’s largest and the highest hoisted Indian flag in the world.
The unfurling event was organised by Nav Chetna Trust which is formed to work on social issues like beti Bachao Beti Padhao Campaign and Swachh Bharat Mission.
Another such flag is located at the Central Park in Connaught Place, New Delhi. This flag is 60 feet in width and 90 feet in length and is hoisted at the height of 207 feet.
Kirket, a film on former Indian cricketer Kirti Azad’s life launched
Kirket, a Hindi film based on former Indian cricketer Kirti Azad’s life was launched on 2 March 2015. 56-year-old, Kirti Azad is the actor of the film which is based on his cricket journey.
The film seeks to depict the difficulties of Bihar cricket and is a genuine story of talented but underprivileged young boys who can do wonders if given chance.
He is a Member of Parliament from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from Darbhanga and is currently serving his third term in Lok Sabha
• He made his Test debut at Wellington, during India tour of Australia and New Zealand in 1980-81
• He was a member of 1983 World Cup-winning squad and played an important role in India winning the semi-final against England
• He was a right-hand batsman and off-spinner who played seven Tests and 25 ODIs during his six-year-long career between 1980 and 1986
• Azad a Maithil Brahmin was born on 2 January 1959 in Purnea, Bihar
• He is the son of former Chief Minister of Bihar Bhagwat Jha Azad.
Maharashtra Government approved the proposal to issue Aadhar-linked ration cards
The state cabinet of Maharashtra on 3 March 2015 approved the proposal to issue Aadhar-linked ration cards. The approval was given in a bid to curb fake beneficiaries and bring in transparency in the Public Distribution System (PDS).
Under this two-phased programme of 173.72 crore rupees, Aadhar-linked ration cards will be distributed to all the 2.32 crore ration card holders in the state in the first phase. In the second phase, all PDS outlets across the state will be connected with a mobile terminal technology–enabled biometric network to recognise each customer’s details before distributing the food grains.
Reason for the Aadhar-linked ration cards programme
The Aadhar-linked ration cards programme was made in the backdrop of complaints about the irregularities and malpractices in PDS outlets. Beside this, fake or duplicate ration cards are also used by ineligible people to avail undue benefits of the state government under various schemes.
Benefit of the Aadhar-linked ration cards programme
• The government will be able to gauge the exact number of beneficiaries of various schemes of the state and weed out the fake beneficiaries so that genuine persons get the benefit
• This programme will end to all these malpractices and bring in transparency in the system
With the commencement of this initiative, Maharashtra will be the third state in India to come up with Centre-initiated scheme of Aadhar-linked ration cards. The other two states are Punjab and Gujarat.
Ornithologist KS Lavkumar Khachar died at 84
Ornithologist and naturalist KS Lavkumar Khachar died on 3 March 2015. He was 84. Khachar was among the pioneers of nature conservation in India.
He worked to spread awareness about ornithology, nature and wildlife conservation. He had a long association with the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) India.
Khachar belonged to the erstwhile princely family of Jasdan in Gujarat and he was educated at Rajkumar College in Rajkot.
He organized and led several environmental education activities in Gujarat especially conservation work in the Gulf of Kutch islands and Gir forest, famous for Asiatic Lions.
He served as director of the Nature Discovery Centre of the Centre for Environment Education (CEE) in 1984. He produced Sixty Indian Birds book along with RS Dharmakumarsinhji in 1981.
He was awarded several prestigious awards that include The Salim Ali-Loke Wan Tho Lifetime Award for Excellence in Ornithology for his pioneering work in ornithology and on the Nanda Devi National Park.
He was also awarded the Venu Menon Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004.
Lok Sabha passed Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2015Lok Sabha on 3 March 2015 passed Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2015. The bill amends the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 in order to regulate the mining sector in the country. The bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on 24 February 2015.
Provisions of the Bill
• It adds 4th Schedule to the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 in order to include bauxite, iron ore, limestone and manganese ore as notified minerals. The Union government may, by notification, amend this Schedule.
• It creates a new category of mining license i.e. the prospecting license-cum-mining lease, which is a two stage-concession for the purpose of undertaking prospecting operations (exploring or proving mineral deposits) followed by mining operations.
• It allows the union government to increase the area limits for mining, instead of providing additional leases.
• It changes the lease period for all minerals other than coal, lignite and atomic minerals. Mining leases for minerals shall be granted for a period of 50 years. On expiry of the lease, the leases shall be put up for auction, instead of being renewed.
• It specifies that any lease granted before the commencement of the Bill, shall be extended (i) up to 31 March 2030 for minerals used for captive purpose and up to 31 March 2020 for minerals used for other than captive purpose or (ii) till the completion of renewal period or (iii) for a period of 50 years from the date of grant of such lease, whichever is later.
• It states that state governments shall grant mining leases and prospecting license-cum-mining leases for both notified and other minerals. All leases shall be granted through auction by competitive bidding, including e-auction.
• It states that union government shall prescribe the terms and conditions and procedure for auction for the selection of bidders. For mining leases, the government may reserve particular mines for a specific end use and allow only eligible end users to participate in the auction.
• It states that the holder of a mining lease or prospecting license-cum-mining lease may transfer the lease to any eligible person, with the approval of the state government and as specified by the Union government. Only mineral concessions granted through auction will be allowed for transfer.
• It provides for the creation of a District Mineral Foundation (DMF) and a National Mineral Exploration Trust (NMET). The DMF is to be established by the state government and NMET shall be established by the union government for regional and detailed mine exploration.
Indian-American physician Rahul Jindal selected for Fulbright Nehru Distinguished Chair
Indian-American physician Rahul Jindal was on 3 March 2015 selected for the prestigious Fulbright-Nehru Distinguished Chair. The Ahmedabad-based HL Trivedi Institute of Transplantation Sciences will host Rahul Jindal for the duration of the chair. The Institute performs about 400 kidney transplants in a year and has developed innovative transplant tolerance models.
Rahul Jindal is a Professor of Surgery and Global Health at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland. Jindal was also presented with a prestigious immigrant award of the US government in 2013, in recognition of his outstanding achievements.
Awards in the Fulbright Distinguished Chairs Program are viewed as among the most prestigious appointments in the Fulbright Scholar Program.
The Chairs Program comprises approximately forty distinguished lecturing, distinguished research and distinguished lecturing/research awards ranging from three to 12 months.
Union Government and RBI signed an agreement on Monetary Policy Framework
Union Government and Reserve Bank of India (RBI) signed an agreement on Monetary Policy Framework. The agreement was signed on 20 February 2015 but was made public on 2 March 2015.
The agreement empowers the RBI to go for inflation targeting that is common in developed countries and it also empowers RBI to monitor its monetary policy framework.
As per the agreement, RBI will aim to bring down the inflation below six percent by January 2016 and inflation target for 2016-2017 and subsequent years will be 4 percent +/-2 percentage points.
Union Government and Reserve Bank of India (RBI) signed an agreement on Monetary Policy Framework. The agreement was signed on 20 February 2015 but was made public on 2 March 2015.
The agreement empowers the RBI to go for inflation targeting that is common in developed countries and it also empowers RBI to monitor its monetary policy framework.
As per the agreement, RBI will aim to bring down the inflation below six percent by January 2016 and inflation target for 2016-2017 and subsequent years will be 4 percent +/-2 percentage points.
Rani Mukerji awarded by National Institute of Gender Justice for representing the cause of women
Bollywood actress Rani Mukerji was on 3 March 2015 awarded with the National Award for the Best Representation of the Cause of Safety, Security and Protection of Women and Girl Child by National Institute of Gender Justice (NIGJ). Bollywood actress Rani Mukerji was on 3 March 2015 awarded with the National Award for the Best Representation of the Cause of Safety, Security and Protection of Women and Girl Child by National Institute of Gender Justice (NIGJ). Rani is the first ever film personality to be felicitated with this prestigious award. She was awarded for creating awareness about child trafficking in New Delhi.
Rani was honoured not only for her incredible work in cinema but also for the kind of work she has been doing to create awareness about child trafficking.
The powerful and fearless performance of Rani Mukerji in Mardaani idealised the role of police in prevention of crime against women, especially trafficking of girl child for commercial sexual exploitation.
The film Mardaani has been directed by Pradeep Sarkar where Rani has played the role of Senior Inspector (crime branch) Shivani Shivaji Roy.
The past awardees include Anna Hazare, Pratibha Patil, Pandit Jasraj and Mahashweta Devi.
Istanbul Civil Court of Peace fined Turkish President for calling Monument to Humanity a Monstrosity
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on 3 March 2015 was fined one lakh Turkish Lira (40000 US dollars) by the Istanbul 3rd Civil Court of Peace for calling an Armenian peace sculpture called Monument to Humanity a monstrosity.
The court ordered Erdogan to pay compensation to artist Mehmet Aksoy for psychological damage caused to him after he called Aksoy’s sculpture, symbolizing Armenian-Turkish friendship, a monstrosity.
Erdogan in January 2011 had expressed disapproval of the Monument to Humanity, during a visit to the Turkish city of Kars. He referred to it as a monstrous sculpture, and said it should not be next to the tomb of the Muslim scholar Hasan Harakani. The statue was taken down on 14 June 2011 by the Kars Municipality.
At the time of calling the statue a monstrosity, Erdogan was serving Turkey as its Prime Minister.
The artist Aksoy filed a lawsuit against the Turkish President and criticised his remarks. He said that the sculpture carries a message of friendship and peace.
The statue or the Monument to Humanity was two 30-meter-tall concrete figures reaching out to each other. It was built on a hill above Kars, just 40 kilometers from the Armenian border, in 2008.
Sun Pharmaceutical announced to buy GlaxoSmithKline's opiates business in Australia
Dilip Shanghvi led Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd on 3 March 2015 announced to buy GlaxoSmithKline's opiates business in Australia.
As per the deal, GSK's opiate facilities in Latrobe in Tasmania) and Port Fairy in Victoria will be transferred to a subsidiary of Sun Pharma along with GSK’s portfolio of opiates products along with inventory.
However, Sun Pharma will retain the staff at both the facilities.
The acquisition is part of the Sun Pharma's plan to improve its presence in the pain management segment and GSK's plan to exit the non-core business, that is, it will allow GSK to focus its innovative products that will be central to the company's growth strategy in Australia.
Poppy industry of Australia is the world's largest legal supplier of pharmaceutical grade opiates for painkillers.
GSK is one of three firms that control the crop and production in Tasmania and supplies a quarter of the world's medicinal opiate needs from poppies grown by farmers in Tasmania.
Lok Sabha passed Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2015
The Lok Sabha on 3 March 2015 passed the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2015 by voice vote. The Bill seeks to amend the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 to bring e-rickshaws and e-carts into the ambit of the Act. The bill was introduced in Lok Sabha on 2 March 2015. The Bill, if enacted, will be considered to have come into force on 7 January 2015.
Provisions of the Bill
• It brings e-carts and e-rickshaws under ambit of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 so they can ply on roads across the country.
• It defines e-carts and e-rickshaws as special purpose battery powered vehicles with power up to 4000 watts and having 3 wheels. These vehicles can be used for carrying goods or passengers.
• These vehicles should be manufactured, equipped and maintained in accordance with specifications as prescribed by Union government.
• It exempts drivers of e-rickshaw and e-cart from the requirement of learner’s licence to drive.
• It gives powers to Union government to make Rules on the specifications for e-carts and e-rickshaws, and the conditions and manner for issuing driving licenses.
Three South Asian women selected for International Women of Courage Award
Three South Asian women, namely Niloofar Rahmani, Nadia Sharmeen and Tabassum Adnan on 3 March 2015 were selected for the prestigious International Women of Courage Award for the year 2015 given by the US Secretary of State.
They were among the 10 extraordinary women selected from 10 countries for the award for demonstrating exceptional courage and leadership in advocating for peace, justice, human rights and gender equality.
•Niloofar Rahmani (Afghanistan): She is a Captain from Afghan Air Force
•Nadia Sharmeen (Bangladesh): She is a Journalist and women's rights activist
•Tabassum Adnan (Pakistan): She is the founder of Khwendo Jirga
Besides these three women, other women who have been selected for the award for the year 2015 are:
•Rosa Julieta Montaño Salvatierra (Bolivia): She is Founder and Director of Oficina Jurídica para la Mujer
•May Sabe Phyu (Burma): She is the Director of Gender Equality Network
•Béatrice Epaye (Central African Republic): She is the President of Fondation Voix du Coeur
•Marie Claire Tchecola (Guinea): She is a nurse, Ebola survivor and an activist
•Sayaka Osakabe (Japan): She is the Founder and Representative of Matahara Net
•Arbana Xharra (Kosovo): She is the Editor-in-Chief of Zeri
•Majd Chourbaji (Syria): She is the External Relations Director of Women Now for Development Centers
The 2015 recipients of the award reflect women’s roles as agents of change and leaders in many of the crisis and challenges that is being faced in the world at present times. They will receive the award in the presence of First Lady of the US Michelle Obama in Washington DC on 10 March 2015.
International Women of Courage Award
Established in 2007, the annual Secretary of State's International Women of Courage Award honours women around the globe who have exemplified exceptional courage and leadership in advocating for human rights, women’s equality, and social progress, often at great personal risk. This is the only Department of State award that pays tribute to emerging women leaders worldwide.
Since the inception of this award in 2007, the Department of State has honoured 86 women from more than 50 different countries including India.
Union Ministry of Shipping, Road Transport & Highways launched a website Shipping Samvad
Union Ministry of Shipping, Road Transport & Highways on 3 March 2015 launched a website Shipping Samvad. The website was launched by the Union Minister of Shipping, Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari.
The objective of the website is to invite innovative ideas and suggestions from general public and experts related to Indian maritime sector for improvements in the shipping, ports and inland waterways sector.
The ideas and suggestions submitted through this portal will be further examined for implementation by Ministry of Shipping and the workable ideas and suggestions will be published on this website.
The Ministry will also upload the draft policies/new initiatives from time to time on the portal for the valuable suggestions/feedback from the citizen. This will help Ministry of Shipping in bringing transparency and blue revolution in the country.
The initiative is meant to engage the experts and common public in the development of Shipping, Ports and Inland Waterways in India and will provide impetus to the Ministry of Shipping in its efforts.
RBI reduced Repo rate by 25 basis points to 7.5 percent
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 4 March 2015 reduced the repo rate by 25 basis points to 7.5 percent with immediate effect. This is the second time since January 2015 that RBI reduced the repo rate by 25 basis points.
With this, the reverse repo rate under the LAF stands adjusted to 6.5 percent, and the marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the Bank rate to 8.5 percent.
The RBI reduced the repo rate outside the bi-monetary policy review cycle taking into account the following developments:
- The new Consumer Price Index (CPI) rebased to 2012 was released on 12 February 2015. As per this, inflation in January 2015 stood at 5.1 percent which was well within the target of 8 percent for January 2015.
- The prices of vegetables and inflation excluding food and fuel reached a new low indicating that disinflation is evolving along the path set out by the RBI in January 2014 and at a faster pace than earlier envisaged.
- The recently-released GDP estimates based on base year 2011-12 by Central Statistical Office (CSO) pictures a steadily recovering economy which appears to be right.
- In Union Budget 2015-16, many important and valuable structural reforms has been included. This will help improve supply over the medium term and help achieve fiscal consolidation.
- The rupee remained strong relative to peer countries, thus, creating disinflationary impulses.
Why RBI acted outside the policy review cycle?
The RBI acted outside the policy review cycle because
(i) certain sectors of the economy are still weak and also there has been global trend towards monetary easing; and
(ii) the agreement on the monetary policy framework between the Union government and RBI allows RBI to go for inflation targeting.
Accordingly, the RBI seeks to bring the inflation rate to the mid-point of the band of 4 +/- 2 percent provided for in the agreement, i.e., to 4 percent by the end of a two year period starting fiscal year 2016-17.
Union Ministry of Shipping signed agreement with Toyota for Export of Automobile Units
nion Ministry of Shipping on 3 March 2015 signed an agreement with Toyota for export of automobile units. The export of automobile units will be done through Kamarajar Port Limited (KPL). The agreement mainly includes the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) commitment to use KPL as their primary port and KPL will give volume based discount on the tariff on certain facilities for smooth functioning of the operations. The Agreement is for a period of 10 years.
KPL is the youngest among the twelve major ports, developed as Land Lord Port. The port has a General Cargo Berth (GCB) under its control to handle automobile units. It is RORO berth (Roll on Roll off) where the cars are directly driven into the vessel. The Berth is having a draught of 10 meters and capable of accommodating all types of Car Carriers.
The port has also developed a large car parking yard of 141000 sq m with a capacity to park 10000 cars, in addition to parking of 2000 cars at the Berth while loading. Additional parking yard is also being developed to facilitate parking of additional 4000 cars with all facilities.