5th Nov- 6th Nov 2014

Law Commission recommended repeal of 73 more obsolete statutes

04-NOV-2014

The Law Commission headed by Justice (retd) A P Shah on 3 November 2014 recommended repeal of 73 more obsolete statutes. With this, the total number of such laws increased to 258.
Law commission submitted its third interim report to the Union Law Ministry. The panel recommended repeal of 258 laws which are clogging the statute books as they have lost their relevance.
It included the one which prescribed punishment for those who dissuaded people from taking part in wars in which the British Empire was engaged. One of the Acts recommended for repeal is the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 1938 enacted just before the beginning of World War II.
Earlier, Law Commission submitted its first interim report in September 2014. Commission had recommended repeal of 72 old Acts.
In its second report submitted in October 2014, the panel had suggested that repealing of another 113 laws, including 11 World War II era ordinances.
The recommendation of the Law Commission is part of its ongoing exercise to help the government weed out unwanted statutes.
The Union Law Ministry had mandated the Law Commission to recommend laws that can be repealed. This is the first time since 2001 that such an exercise is being undertaken by the Law Ministry.

Steps taken by the Union Government to weed out obsolete laws

In August 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi constituted a separate committee to identify obsolete laws which hamper governance by creating avoidable confusion.
This committee will examine all Acts recommended for repeal by the Committee on Review of Administrative Laws which was appointed by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government in 1998. Out of the 1382 Acts recommended by Vajpayee government appointed committee for repeal, only 415 have been repealed so far.
In the Budget Session of Lok Sabha in July 2014, Union Government had introduced Repealing and Amending Bill, 2014 to repeal 32 acts.
The Bill seeks to remove certain Amendment Acts and Principal Acts from the statute books as they have outlived their utility.
The Amendment Acts which are sought to be repealed through the Bill include amendments to the Representation of the People Act, 1951, Special Marriage Act, 1954, Indian Divorce Act, 1869 and Anand Marriage Act, 1909 and Indian Evidence Act, 1872.

Mallikarjun Kharge inducted into the three-member CIC selection committee

04-NOV-2014

Mallikarjun Kharge, a leader of Congress in Lok Sabha on 3 October 2014 was inducted into the three-member CIC selection committee. The committee will select the Chief Information Commissioner (CIC).
The other two members of the committee are Prime Minister Narendra Modi (as head) and Union Finance and Defence Minister Arun Jaitely.
Kharge was inducted in the selection committee by virtue of being the leader of the single largest party in the opposition in Lok Sabha as there as there was a lack of clarity on the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha.
Till now, appointment of the CIC was on hold since 22 August 2014, because there was no clarity on the status of leader of opposition in Lok Sabha. For this purpose the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) had sought a clarification from the Lok Sabha secretariat as early as June 2014.

India-Sri Lanka started joint military exercise, Mithra Shakti

In October 2014, the PMO directed the DoPT to issue an advertisement for the position. This fact was made public in response to an RTI application by Lokesh Batra.
Why a Leader of Opposition was required?
The Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005 says that CIC selection can be done by a three-member panel comprising the Prime Minister, who shall be the Chairperson of the committee, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and a cabinet minister nominated by the Prime Minister.

India-Sri Lanka started joint military exercise, Mithra Shakti

Mithra Shakthi exercise: three week mock war drill between Special Forces of Indian and Sri Lankan Army
The special forces of Indian and Sri Lankan armies on 3 November 2014 began a three-week long mock war drill at the Uva-Kudaoya Commando Regiment Training School near Colombo in the island nation. The exercise will continue till 23 November 2014.
This exercise is a part of counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency in the island nation.

Participants of the Mithra Shakti exercise

India – more than 42 Indian Army personnel are taking part in the exercise
Sri Lanka – a contingent of 168 officers and other ranks from Sri Lanka Army Special Forces and Commando Regiment, accompanied by 16 officers and other ranks from Sri Lanka Navy and 16 officers and other ranks from Sri Lanka Air Force
The exercise is seen as New Delhi’s attempts to advance a dialogue, which began with Colombo in 2012 to counter China’s growing influence in the region and is indicative of strengthening bilateral military relations.

Mauritius assured to help SIT of Indian government in its probe to unearth black money

04-NOV-2014

Mauritius on 3 November 2014 agreed to support Indian government’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) in its probe to unearth black money.
The message was conveyed to the Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj by Mauritius Foreign Minister Arvin Boolell during a meeting at Port Louis.
Besides, Swaraj said that India is also working on the inclusion of Mauritius in the group of countries to be listed in its Visa on Arrival scheme. New Delhi has already granted lifetime visa-free access to India to all PIO card-holders.
Mauritius is a country that is used as the biggest gateway for flow of funds into India through FDI as well as FII routes. But in recent months the FDI inflow from Mauritius has fallen amid concerns about suspected money-laundering. India is concerned that Mauritius, one of the top sources of foreign direct investments in India, is being used for round-tripping of funds.
Round-tripping is usually referred to routing of domestic investments through Mauritius to take advantage of the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) between the two countries.

Maruti Suzuki launched India’s cheapest automatic car Alto K10

04-NOV-2014

Maruti Suzuki on 3 November 2014 launched a new version of Automatic car called Alto K10. The Alto k10 at 3.80 lakh rupees is the cheapest automatic car in India.
Maruti selected the 1000cc version called K10 and upgraded for the automatic variant. It was upgraded with the automatic gear-shift (AGS) technology for its automatic versions.
AGS is basically an inexpensive transmission system that allows the driver to choose between automatic and manual gear changes.
Maruti with the launch expects 30-40 percent of its sales through automatic variants in future.
Hyundai has an automatic variant on its i10 Grand model at the cost of 5.7 lakh rupees.

Hasmukh Adhia appointed as Union Financial Services Secretary

04-NOV-2014

Hasmukh Adhia was appointed as the Union Financial Services Secretary (FSS) on 3 November 2014. He is the 1981-batch IAS officer of Gujarat-cadre.
At the time of being appointed as FSS, Adhia was working as Additional Chief Secretary in the Finance Department of Gujarat government.
He succeeded GS Sandhu who was made the Chairman of the National Authority for Chemical Weapons Convention. Sandhu is a 1980-batch Rajasthan cadre IAS officer.
Adhia replaced Sandhu in a major bureaucratic reshuffle made by Union Government. In this reshuffling, government made over 60 Special and Joint Secretary-level appointments.

About Hasmukh Adhia

Adhia is a doctorate in Yoga from Swami Vivekanada Yoga University, Bengaluru and a gold medallist from IIM, Ahmedabad.
He served as the Principal Secretary to the then Chief Minister of Gujarat Narendra Modi from May 2004 to May 2006.
He is the initiator of the Karmayogi (a teachers' training programme) and Kanya Kelavani (for women's education) programmes in Gujarat
He has written two motivational books titled My notes to my Self. The books deal with government administration and practical tips for all bureaucrats to help in day-to-day governance.

S&P downgraded credit rating of Indian Overseas Bank to speculative grade

04-NOV-2014

Global rating agency Standard & Poor on 3 November 2014 lowered credit rating of state-owned Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) to speculative grade.
S&P revised its assessment of the bank's risk position to weak from moderate. Accordingly, it lowered the rating of IOB to BB from BB+ on weak asset quality. The rating will remain weak over the next 12 months.
The rating continues to reflect IOB's adequate business position, moderate capital and earnings, above average funding, and strong liquidity.

Reason for the decision

The bank's exposure to high-risk sectors, such as iron and steel and textiles, is greater than that of other banks.
The bank's reported non-performing loan ratio rose sharply to 7.3 per cent as of 30 September 2014, from 5 per cent as of 31 March 2014 to become the highest among the Indian banks that are rated.
The share of gross standard restructured loans outstanding in IOB's loan book is also high at 7.85 per cent.
The move will affect the credit cost of the IOB. IOB's credit costs will remain high because of the bank's weak asset quality.
However, the rating agency, mentioned that it could upgrade the rating if its risk management improves, and its asset quality improves sharply and is more in line with that of the industry.

Bill Gates announced to donate 500 million US dollars to fight malaria

04-NOV-2014

Bill Gates announced the donation of 500 million US dollars to fight malaria and other infectious diseases in the developing world. It was announced on 3 November 2014 at the annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene in the US.
He announced that Gates Foundation has committed more than 500 million US dollars in 2014 to reduce the burden of malaria, pneumonia, diarrheal diseases, and an array of parasitic infections that are leading causes of death and disability in developing countries.
The donation of more than 500 million US dollars includes
Over 150 million US dollars to the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative to advance development of next-generation malaria vaccines
About 29 million US dollars to the Clinton Health Access Initiative to support malaria elimination efforts in Southern Africa and the Greater Mekong Sub-region of Southeast Asia
Besides, the foundation also boosted its annual funding for malaria by 30 percent.
Earlier in September 2014 he announced 50-million US dollars commitment to help scale up efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak.

Google announced the launch of ILIA to promote Indic language content online

04-NOV-2014

Google India on 3 November 2014 announced launch of Indian Language Internet Alliance (ILIA) in partnership with various content providers. The alliance was launched to make available local language content on the internet.
The main objective of the ILIA is to bring 300 million Indians online by 2017 and to promote the growth of Indic language content online.
The alliance will accelerate building Indian language content for Indians who will come online for the first time, mostly via smartphones and mobile devices.
Content providers in ILIA includes Jagran Prakashan Ltd, ABP News, Amar Ujala Publications Ltd, C-DAC (Centre for Development of Advanced Computing), DB Digital, Firstouch, HinKhoj, Times Internet Ltd, LinguaNext Technologies Pvt. Ltd, NDTV, Network 18, Oneindia.com, Patrika Group, Prost Innovation Pvt Ltd, Process Nine Technologies Pvt Ltd, Reverie Language Technologies Pvt Ltd, Ver Se Innovation/NewsHunt and Webdunia.com in addition to Google.

As part of its effort, Google showcased demos of voice search in Hindi and launched a website www.hindiweb.com to help Hindi-speaking Internet users discover Hindi content across websites, apps, videos and blogs. It also informed that it has plans to launch similar tools for other major Indian languages like Tamil, Marathi and Bengali, over next 15 months.
In addition to above initiative of the Google, the Union government is also working on a project to promote local language use across the entire technology eco-system.
The project, called e-basha, is a critical part of the ambitious Digital India programme.

Internet users in India

As per Google, at present India have 200 million internet users which is about 16 percent of the total population of India. Further, about five millions new users are being added every month, of which 100 percent of these are coming through mobile devices.
Out of 200 million internet users, 198 million constitutes part of 400 million persons who speak English in India. With this programme, Google aims to target the remaining 60 percent non-English speakers of India.
Comment: it seems that this programme of Google to promote the growth of Indic language content online will bridge the country’s linguistic digital divide. If this language barrier is broken successfully then in future internet will empower Indian language users to take advantage of web’s huge economic and social potential.

Maruti’s Swift and Nissan’s Datsun GO get zero stars in safety rating

04-NOV-2014

Swift of Maruti Suzuki and Datsun GO of Nissan on 3 November 2014 failed the crash tests and got zero stars in safety rating for their adult occupant protection.
The crash test of both the car was conducted at a speed of 64 km per hour under the Global New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP) and zero star rating indicates high risk of life-threatening injuries.
In the test, Swift’s vehicle structure showed signs of collapsing in the crash and was rated as unstable. The car’s lack of standard-fit airbags meant that the driver’s head makes direct contact with the steering wheel.
However, both the companies got one star for child occupant protection.
Earlier in January 2014, Maruti Alto 800, Tata Nano, Ford Figo, Hyundai i10 and Volkswagen Polo had failed the same crash test.
All these cars received zero stars for adult protection ratings in a frontal impact at 64km per hour. The cars account for around 20 per cent of total new cars sold in India in 2013.

About New Car Assessment Program (NCAP)

New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP) is a government car safety programme. It is tasked with evaluating new automobile designs for performance against various safety threats.
The objectives of the Global New Car Assessment Programme (Global NCAP) are for the promotion of public safety and public health, for the protection and preservation of human life and for the conservation, protection and improvement of the physical and natural environment in particular by:
(a) promoting and conducting independent research and testing programmes that will assess the safety and environmental characteristics of motor vehicles and their comparative performance and disseminating the results to the public; and
(b) promoting the development of new car assessment progrommes, by providing financial support and technical assistance, and facilitating international co-operation with and between such programmes

Mudgal Committee on IPL Spot Fixing submitted final report to Supreme Court

04-NOV-2014

The Justice Mukul Mudgal Committee on 3 November 2014 submitted its final report on IPL Spot fixing to the Supreme Court (SC).
The report was submitted in a sealed envelope to the two-judge SC bench of Justice TS Thakur and Ibrahim Kalifulla who are hearing the case of IPL spot fixing. The bench will take cognizance of the report on 10 November 2014.
The Mudgal committee was appointed by the Supreme Court to investigate the fixing and betting scandal in the cricket Indian Premier League (IPL). The probe committee also included Additional Solicitor General L Nageswara Rao, advocate Nilay Datta, Deputy DG (Narcotics Control Bureau) BB Mishra and former India captain Sourav Ganguly.
Earlier, prominent IPL players S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan were arrested on allegations of spot-fixing. The former Chennai Super Kings Team Principal Gurunath Meiyappan and Bollywood actor Vindoo Dara Singh were also behind the bars on allegations of betting during the sixth edition of the league. At present, they are all out on bail.
This betting and spot-fixing scandal forced N Srinivasan to step down as the President of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). He stepped down after Supreme Court asked him to step down on his own to ensure a fair inquiry into allegations of betting in the Indian Premier League

Union Cabinet approved dissolution of Delhi legislative assembly

04-NOV-2014

Union Cabinet on 4 November 2014 approved dissolution of Delhi legislative assembly. The approval will pave the way for holding of fresh Election in Delhi.
The decision to conduct fresh elections was made after Lieutenant Governor (LG) Najeeb Jung in its report to the Union government asked to dissolve the Delhi Assembly.
Najeeb Jung sent his report on the latest political situation to President Pranab Mukherjee and the home ministry after meeting leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
All the parties expressed their inability to form the government and said they were in favour of fresh elections.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had asked the L-G to explore the possibility of forming a government by 11 November 2014 as SC had prescribed a mechanism, according to which, the gap between announcement of polls and vote should be about 40 days.
Delhi has been under the President's Rule since February following the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP government's resignation after 49 days in office.

New tower of World Trade Center re-opened 13 years after 9/11 attacks

04-NOV-2014

World Trade Center of the United States on 3 November 2014 re-opened its new tower for business. The tower was reopened for business thirteen years after the original twin towers were destroyed in the 9/11 terrorist attack.
It took eight long years to build New York's World Trade Center at an expense of 3.8 4 billion US dollar. It is now the tallest building in the US.
The 104-storey building is the centrepiece of the 16-acre site where the twin towers once stood, before they came crashing down on 11 September 2001, killing about 3000 people.
At present, almost 60 percent of the building is leased and employees of the publishing giant Conde Nast have started moving in. Executive Director of the Port Authority, which owns the restored site, said that the building is the most secure office building in America.

Ashok Kumar appointed as DGP of Tamil Nadu

04-NOV-2014

A 1982 batch IPS officer Ashok Kumar was on 3 November 2014 appointed as the Director-General of Police (DGP) of Tamil Nadu. He succeeded K. Ramanujam who was heading the Tamil Nadu police since May 2011.
Presently, Ashok Kumar holds the charge of Director General of Police (DGP) intelligence.

Background

The state government forwarded a proposal to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to convene the empanelment committee meeting to prepare a panel of officers for appointment to the post of DGP (law and order).
UPSC convened the meeting on 27 October 2014 and communicated its recommendations to the Tamil Nadu government.
The empanelment committee shortlisted Ashok Kumar, R Sekar and Anoop Jaiswal. After careful examination, the state appointed Ashok Kumar.

Ashok Kumar

Kumar entered police service as assistant superintendent of police (ASP), Tirumangalam. Afterwards, he was promoted as superintendent of police (SP), Tiruchi before being transferred and posted as Deputy Commissioner of Police, south Chennai.
He was then moved to central deputation as SP, CBI and worked there for seven years before becoming the Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG).
Ashok Kumar had served the CBI for about 18 years in different capacities. In 2013, he was elevated as Director-General of Police (DGP).

Manmohan Singh received the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Paulownia Flowers

04-NOV-2014

Former Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh on 3 November 2014 received the Japan’s top national award The Grand Cordon of the Order of the Paulownia Flowers 2014.
He was awarded for his contribution to the enhancement of relations and promotion of friendship between Japan and India for about 35 years. Manmohan Singh became the first Indian to receive this rare honour.
He is among other 57 foreign recipients who are also named for the Order of the Paulownia Flowers 2014.

About the award The Grand Cordon of the Order of the Paulownia Flowers

In 1888, Grand Cordon of the Order of the Paulownia Flowers was established as the highest award under the Orders of the Rising Sun. The award is presented by the Japanese Government.
The medal features rays of sunlight radiating from the rising sun wreathed by Paulownia flowers. It is worn on the left chest.
It is a high level National Order and a rare honour awarded to those who are recognised for their distinguished contribution

ISIS massacred 322 people of Iraqi Al-Bu Nimr tribe in Anbar

03-NOV-2014

Anbar, Iraq: ISIS massacred 322 people of Iraqi Al-Bu Nimr tribe

Anbar in Iraq was in news because of massacre of 322 people of Iraqi Al-Bu Nimr tribe by ISIS militant group on 2 November 2014. The killed peoples included dozens of women and children whose bodies were dumped in a well.
The massacre happened after ISIS group captured the village of Al-Bu Nimr tribe called Zauiyat Albu Nimr.
The Al-Bu Nimr tribe is a Sunni clan which has been fighting the ISIS and has kept the group out from the western Anbar province for weeks, before running out of fuel and ammunition.
The massacre marked the worst bloodshed since the ISIS group swept through the north in June 2014 with the aim of establishing medieval caliphate there and in Syria.

Indian Navy to commemorate 1000th-year of coronation of Rajendra Chola

03-NOV-2014

Indian Navy on 3 November 2014 announced to commemorate the 1000th anniversary of the coronation of ancient Tamil King Rajendra Chola with a series of activities.
Tamil Nadu Governor K Rosaiah would flag off the ship from the Chennai Port Trust premises to Nagapattinam. It will symbolize the achievements of the Chola Navy. Nagapattinam is believed to be one of the naval bases of Rajendra Chola’s navy.
Indian Navy will join hands with the National Maritime Foundation and the Tamil Nadu government for the celebration.
As part of the celebrations, INS Sudarshini is being brought to Chennai and its journey will conclude till Nagapattinam.
INS Sudarshini is a sailing and training ship of the Indian Navy. It is now on its voyage around the world or circumnavigation and is on its way back to Kochi. It is only fitting that a circumnavigating ship is being involved in the celebrations of a king, whose navy has gone beyond boundaries even in those ancient times.
Boats belonging to Tamil Nadu Sailing Association and Royal Madras Yacht Club would escort INS Sudarshini out of Chennai harbour, while the local elite and dignitaries would welcome her on her calling the Nagapattinam port.

About Rajendra Chola

Rajendra Chola I considered as one of the greatest rulers and military leaders of the Indian Tamil Chola Empire. He succeeded his father in 1014 CE as the Chola emperor.
During his reign, he extended the influences of the already vast Chola Empire up to the banks of the river Ganges in the north and across the ocean. Rajendra’s territories extended coastal Burma, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Maldives, conquered the kings of Srivijaya and Pegu islands with his fleet of ships.
He defeated Mahipala, the Pala king of Bengal and Bihar, and to commemorate his victory he built a new capital called Gangaikonda Cholapuram. The Cholas became one of the most powerful dynasties in Asia during his reign.
The successful invasions of Rajendra Chola were applauded by several medieval Tamil poets like Jayamkondan in his text Kalingattupparani and Ottakkoothar in his text Ula.
He received the titles Gangai Kondan (He who took the Ganges river in north India) and Kadaram Kondan (He who took kedah in Malaysia).

European Aviation Safety Agency approved Airbus and Boeing pilot training

03-NOV-2014

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) on 2 November 2014 gave its approval to Pilot training facility Flight Simulation Technique Centre (FSTC) for training Airbus A320 and Boeing pilots.
Following the approval of EASA, UAE's Rotana Jet Ltd tied up with FSTC for training their pilots.

About Flight Simulation Technique Centre (FSTC)

Located close to the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in New Delhi, Flight Simulation Technique Centre (FSTC) is a Type Rating Training Organisation (TRTO). It trains pilots to fly the Boeing and Airbus 320 types of aircraft.
FSTC is a joint venture between Fly Wings Aviation and SIM Industries, a Lockheed Martin Corporation company.

About European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is the European regulator of aviation safety. The Agency develops common safety and environmental rules.
European Union’s aviation safety system is comprised of the Agency, the European Commission and the National Aviation Authorities (NAAs). It monitors the implementation of standards through inspections in the Member States and provides the necessary technical expertise and training to the system.

Hockey India President Narinder Batra became a member of FIH Executive Board

03-NOV-2014

Hockey India President Narinder Batra on 2 November 2014 became a member of International Hockey Federation (FIH) Executive Board.
The decision was taken during the 2014 Ordinary Congress of FIH. The event was held in Marrakesh, Morocco.
Voting for Ordinary Members of the FIH Executive Board also took place for the positions of two female members, one male member and two open positions.
The voting for the new Executive Board members began with the female vote. Maureen Craig-Rousseau from Trinidad and Tobago was elected and Pamela Stuper from the USA was re-elected to the Board.
The male place went to Dr. Narinder Batra from India. The two open positions saw the re-election of Marc Coudron from Belgium and Qasim Zia from Pakistan.

Hockey Revolution Congress

During the event, a new ten-year strategy for hockey was launched and well-received by delegates.
The well-attended two-day event was titled the Hockey Revolution Congress and delegates learnt about the Hockey Revolution.
The FIH laid out ambitious goals for the next ten years for hockey around entertainment, professionalism, image and following. A clear strategy was outlined for hockey focusing on five key initiatives; fan-focused entertainment portfolio; world-class content creation and distribution; joined-up global marketing.
The 44th Congress welcomed five new national associations from three continents. From Africa — Burundi, Cameroon and Sierra Leone all became Sole Governing Member National Associations.
Vietnam join from Asia and Ha join from Pan-America, meaning FIH now has 132 National Associations.
The FIH Executive Board is the legislative body of the FIH. It meets three times a year and is made up of the President, the Chief Executive Officer and 14 members, five of which represent the Continental Federations and one that serves as the athletes' representative.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon launched global campaign to end female genital mutilation

03-NOV-2014

United Nations (UN) chief Ban Ki-moon on 30 0ctober 2014 launched a global campaign in Kenya to end the deadly practice of female genital mutilation.
More than 125 million girls and women have been cut in 29 countries in Africa and the Middle East. If current trends continue, 86 million young girls are likely to undergo same form of the practice by 2030.
As per the UN, the practice of female genital mutilation is a violation of human rights. In 2012, the U.N. General Assembly adopted a resolution declaring zero tolerance for female genital mutilation (FGM) with the hope to raise awareness against the practice.

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) ranges from the hacking off of the clitoris to the mutilation and removal of the entire female genitalia and is carried out from the youngest babies to teenagers.
FGM is mostly carried out on young girls sometime between infancy and age 15. It can cause severe bleeding and health issues including cysts, infections and infertility as well as complications in childbirth and increased risk of newbork deaths.
In 2001, Kenya passed a law to criminalize FGM especially for girls under 18. The law came into effect in 2011. The government established the anti-FGM board and developed a policy to implement the prohibition of FGM under the FGM Act 2011.
The government also employed various strategies in the campaign against FGM these include awareness raising and education campaigns.

Bomb blast at Wagah border in Pakistan side

03-NOV-2014

Wagah border in Pakistan side: suicide attacker blew himself after detonating a powerful bomb

Wagah border was in news on 2 November 2014 due to suicide bomb blast that occurred in Pakistani side. The blast claimed lives of at least 61 people including 11 women and three security personnel. More than 200 people were also injured who have been hospitalized.

The incident

The incident occurred minutes after the flag-lowering ceremony at the main Indo-Pak land border crossing, when a suicide attacker detonated a powerful bomb. The suicide bomber blew himself up near one of the exit gates at Wagah, when people were returning after watching the flag ceremony.
In lieu of the horrific blast, there will be no beating retreat ceremony at Wagah border for 3 days from 3 November 2014 at the request of Pakistan.

Responsibility of the attack

Al-Qaeda affiliated militant group Jandullah claimed the responsibility for the attack. Jandullah is the same militant group that was behind a suicide bombing that killed at least 78 Christians at a church in Peshawar in September 2013.

About Wagah

Wagah (Wahga in Pakistan) is the only road border crossing between Indian city Amritsar and the Pakistani City of Lahore. It lies on the Grand Trunk Road between the cities of Amritsar, Punjab, India, and Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.
The border is located 22 kilometres from Lahore and 32 kilometres from Amritsar. It is a village through which the controversial Radcliffe Line, the boundary demarcation line dividing India and Pakistan upon the Partition of India, was drawn. The village was divided in 1947 by independence in 1947. At present, the eastern half of the village remains in India while the western half is in Pakistan.
This border area is particularly known for the elaborate Wagah border ceremony that happens at the border gate before 5PM each day.

Historic Nazi gate with cynical slogan Work Sets You Free stolen from Dachau camp

03-NOV-2014

Germany’s historic wrought-iron gate bearing the Nazis’ cynical slogan Arbeit macht frei (Work Sets You Free) was stolen from the former concentration camp at Dachau on 2 November 2014.
The wrought-iron gate measured 190 by 95 centimeters and was set into a larger iron gate.
Earlier in December 2009, similar infamous Arbeit macht frei sign that spanned the main gate of the Auschwitz death camp, built by the Nazis in occupied Poland was stolen.

Nazis’ cynical slogan Arbeit macht frei

Arbeit macht frei is a German phrase that means work makes you free. This slogan was placed over the entrances to a number of Nazi concentration camps during World War II.
The expression of the phrase comes from the title of a novel by German philologist Lorenz Diefenbach, Arbeit macht frei: Erzahlung von Lorenz Diefenbach (1873), in which gamblers and fraudsters find the path to virtue through labour.
The phrase was adopted in 1928 by the Weimar government as a slogan commending the effects of their desired policy of large-scale public works programmes to end unemployment. This use of the phrase was continued by the Nazi Party when it came to power in 1933.

About Dachau Concentration Camp

Dachau, near Munich, was the first concentration camp setup by the Nazis in 1933. The camp saw imprisonment of more than 2 lakh people from across Europe and over death of 40000 prisoners before it was liberated by US forces on 29 April 1945. The camp is now a memorial

SC held kitchen of Delhi Gymkhana Club is a factory under ESI Act, 1948

03-NOV-2014

The Supreme Court (SC) of India on 2 November 2014 held that the kitchen of Delhi Gymkhana Club is a factory under Employees State Insurance (ESI) Act, 1948. A Bench of SC Justices T.S. Thakur and R. Banumathi gave the judgment.
As per the Employees State Insurance Act, 1948, factory means any premises whereon ten or more persons are employed or were employed on any day of the preceding twelve months and in any part of which a manufacturing process is being carried on or is ordinarily carried on but does not include a mine subject to the operation of the Mines Act, 1952 or a railway running shed.
The club kitchen admittedly employed over 20 persons. Moreover, the kitchen used power as it maintained a refrigerator, geyser and other equipment to prepare foodstuffs which made the preparation of food a manufacturing process.
As the club caters to the elite people of Delhi, it operates on a big budget promoting activities like polo, hunting, racing, tennis and other games, athletic sports and other recreations amongst its members. Therefore, the kitchen has a direct connection with these activities.
The judges ordered the Delhi Gymkhana Club Ltd. to pay its kitchen and catering staffers the amounts due to them under the statute from 1986.

Delhi Gymkhana Club

The Club was established on 3 July 1913 as the Imperial Delhi Gymkhana Club at Coronation Grounds, Delhi for use of the elite comprising of officers of the Indian Civil Service, Armed Forces and Civil Residents of the Delhi.
When India gained Independence in 1947, the word Imperial was dropped and it was simply known as Delhi Gymkhana Club. Spencer Harcourt Butler was its first President of the Delhi Gymkhana Club.
The club is primarily a sporting club and has the distinction of having 26 grass courts and 7 clay courts. The Club has the proud privilege of holding several National & International championships including the Grand Prix Tennis Tournament and the Davis Cup matches.
The Club has various Food & Beverage Outlets like Cafe Coffee Day, Family Dining Room, Kashmiri Lounge Restaurant, Terrace Bar and Cocktail Bar.

Union Government announced measures to rejuvenate Goa’s shipping industry

03-NOV-2014

The Union Government on 2 November 2014 announced series of measures to help rejuvenate the shipping industry in Goa and development of the Mormugao port.
Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari also outlined the priorities of transport after visiting the areas of proposed expansion plan for Mormugao Port.
Gadkari also signed a tri-partite agreement between the Goa government, the Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) and the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) for construction of a five kilometer stretch of a four-lane highway linking to the port.
The measures include development of the port at an expenditure of 500 crore rupees. Apart from this, Gadkari also announced that the Mumbai Goa Highway will be four lanned with an expenditure of 5000 crore rupees.

Veteran Bollywood actor Sadashiv Amrapurkar died

03-NOV-2014

Veteran Bollywood actor Sadashiv Amrapurkar died on 3 November 2014 in Mumbai following lung infection. He was 64.
Amrapurkar started his career as an actor in Marathi theatre, eventually acting and directing nearly fifty plays, before transitioning to films.
He was also a director and writer and won a number of prestigious awards in theatre and film.

Sadashiv Amrapurkar

Born as Ganesh Kumar Narwode, the actor adopted the stage name Sadashiv Amrapurkar in 1974.
On 22 June 1897, Sadashiv got his first onscreen break in the Marathi film where he played Bal Gangadhar Tilak.
His last onscreen appearance was in Bombay Talkies where he did a cameo in the short film by Dibakar Banerjee.
In 1981-82, Amrapurkar acted in a Marathi stage play Hands-Up! alongside stage actors Avinash Masurekar and Bhakti Barve-Inamdar.
He has acted in more than 300 movies in Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Oriya, Haryanvi.
The actor is also known for his performance in films like Aankhen, Ishq, Coolie No 1 and Gupt: The Hidden Truth among others.
In his long career, he had won two Filmfare awards, one in 1984 as the best supporting actor for Ardh Satya and another in 1991 for his Best Performance in a Negative Role in Sadak.
Interestingly, Filmfare Award for the Best Actor in a Negative Role was first introduced to acknowledge his villainous performance in Sadak. In Sadak directed by Mahesh Bhatt, he played the role of a eunuch Maharani.

Legendary jazz clarinetist Acker Bilk died

03-NOV-2014

English clarinet player Acker Bilk died on 2 November 2014 in Bath, southwestern England following a brief illness. He was 85.
His last concert was held in August 2013.

Acker Bilk

Born in Pensford in Somerset in 1929, Bilk tried a number of different careers before becoming a learned clarinet player.
Born as Bernard Stanley Bilk, he changed his name to Acker after learning to play the clarinet in the Army.
He learned the clarinet as a bored army recruit stationed in Egypt after World War II.
He formed his first band in Bristol after his demobilisation.
Bilk was named as a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in 2001 for services to music.
His most famous number Stranger on the Shore was the UK's biggest selling single of 1962 and made him an international star.

Central Zone defeated South Zone to lift Duleep Trophy of Cricket

03-NOV-2014

Central Zone won the 2014-15 Duleep Trophy title of cricket on 2 November 2014 by defeating South Zone in the finals played at Feroz Shah Kotla Ground, Delhi with 9 runs. This was the first Duleep title for Central zone in ten seasons and the narrowest win in the tournament’s history, in terms of runs.
South Zone, while chasing a victory target of 301 in the second innings of the final match were all out for 291 in 88.4 over.

Final Scores

Central Zone 276 & 403
South Zone 379 and 291

Captains of the two teams

Central Zone: Piyush Chawla
South Zone: Vinay Kumar
K Rahul was adjudged as the Man-of-the-match for his knocks of 185 and 130 in the final.

TNCC chief BS Gnanadesikan resigned from his position

03-NOV-2014

Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) president B.S. Gnanadesikan on 30 October 2014 resigned from the post over differences with All India Congress Committee (AICC).
The move followed an argument between Gnanadesikan and Mukul Wasnik, Congress General Secretary in-charge of Tamil Nadu after a meeting over membership drive.
Gnanadesikan was upset at the utter lack of respect from the AICC in decision making. There had been no coordination with the TNCC leadership including appointments to TNCC posts.

B. S. Gnanadesikan

B. S. Gnanadesikan is a Member of the Parliament of India representing Tamil Nadu in the Rajya Sabha.
He served as General Secretary and Official Spokesperson of Tamil Maanila Congress (Moopanar) from 1996 to 2002.
From 2004 to 2009, he was Member of Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Home Affairs and Committee on Chemicals and Fertilizers