9-10 August 2015
10 August
Goa Tourism Minister Parulekar conferred with PATWA 2015 award
Goa Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar on 7 August 2015 received the Pacific Area Travel Writers Association (PATWA) - Safari India South Asia Travel Award 2015. Parulekar is the first tourism minister of Goa to receive this prestigious award.
Pacific Area Travel Writers Association (PATWA) found in 1998 at the Pacific Area Travel Association (PATA) Conference in Colombo, Sri Lank, is a professional organization of travel writers.
PATWA is an affiliate of United Nations and World Tourism Organization (WTO). It adheres to the fundamental principles of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the United Nations (UN), and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
Safari India is a regional tourism magazine covering India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan and South East Asia.
Foxconn decided to invest 5 billion US dollar in Maharashtra over next five years
Global electronic manufacturing giant Foxconn and Maharashtra Government on 8 August 2015 signed an agreement in Mumbai to invest 5 billion US dollar in the state over the next five year. This investment will be the largest investment by a foreign company in the western province.
The agreement was signed by the state’s industry secretary Apurva Chandra and Foxconn’s chief financial officer David Huang.
The agreement was signed after Foxconn plant was granted 1500 acres of land at Talegaon in Pune district along the Pune-Mumbai expressway. Soon, the company would come up with its plant in the region.
Foxconn manufactures gadgets for world’s leading electronic brands, including Apple, Huawei, Xiaomi, BlackBerry and Motorola.
This was second major coup for Maharashtra in the past fortnight. On 30 July 2015, General Motors announced an investment of 6400 crore rupees in the state.
Ajeet Kumar Saroj, Varanasi jail inmate awarded with IGNOU gold medal
Ajeet Kumar Saroj, a 23-year-old culpable homicide convict lodged in Varanasi central jail was on 8 August 2015 awarded with gold medal by the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) at Banaras Hindu University (BHU). He was awarded for topping in Diploma in Tourism Studies.
He was awarded his diploma at the 28th convocation of IGNOU held at BHU, where he was escorted to receive it. He is the only gold medalist from Varanasi region of IGNOU, which covers 20 districts.
Ajeet, who is serving a 10-year imprisonment, was lodged in jail in February 2012. He has pursued four certificate courses from IGNOU before pursuing the Diploma in Tourism Studies.
Four other certificate courses pursued by him includes certificate course in human rights, certificate course in disaster management, certificate course in NGO management and certificate course in food and nutrition. In these courses and had procured over 65 percent marks in each one of them.
IGNOU Vice Chancellor said that IGNOU is perhaps the only university in the world with extensive programmes for education and training of jail inmates. Fee waiver has been a significant factor in providing impetus to the rehabilitation of prisoners encouraging them to be productive members of society.
Suraksha Bandhan drive launched to facilitate enrolment under Social Security Schemes
Union Government on 9 August 2015 launched Suraksha Bandhan drive in a Mission Mode through participating banks and insurance companies to facilitate enrolment under social security schemes.
The schemes are Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY), Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) and Atal Pension Yojana (APY).
The drive launched in the back drop of Raksha Bandhan aims at taking forward the Government’s objective of creating a universal social security system in the country, targeted especially at the poor and the under-privileged. Participating Banks supported by the participating Insurance Companies will work towards local outreach, awareness building and enrolment facilitation during this drive.
The last date for enrolment under the PMSBY and PMJJBY schemes has been extended till 30 September 2015. Persons enrolling within this period would not be required to submit a certificate of good health for Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana. Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana enrolment does not in any event require any such certification.
The drive will be supported through the Jeevan Suraksha Gift Cheques, which will be available for purchase for 351 rupees in Bank branches by persons wishing to gift them to facilitate one year payment of premium for Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana by the recipient.
The recipient of the gift cheque would deposit the instrument in his or her bank account for a realizable value of 342 rupees, out of which 12 rupees will be for one year subscription of PMSBY and 330 rupees for PMJJBY. The balance of 9 rupees will be retained by the issuing Bank as a service charge.
Michael Clarke announced retirement from International Cricket
Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke on 8 August 2015 announced his decision to retire from International Cricket after playing the ongoing Ashes series.
The 2015 Ashes series between England and Australia that started on 8 July 2015 will end on 24 August 2015. Clark will play his last Test at the Oval, London, scheduled to be held from 20 August to 24 August 2015.
Michael Clarke
Michael John Clarke nicknamed "Pup" is an Australian Test cricketer and current Australian cricket team Test captain. He was also the Australian ODI cricket captain until his retirement from ODI cricket after the 2015 Cricket World Cup.
He is a right-handed middle-order batsman, an occasional left-arm orthodox spin bowler and also a slip catcher.
Details of his cricket career
• Test: Batted in 197 innings of 114 matches and scored 8628 runs of which 329 not out was his highest score.
• ODI: Batted in 223 of 245 matches and scored 7981 runs of which 130 was his highest score.
• T20Is: Batted in 28 of 34 matches and scored 488 runs of which 67 was his highest score.
Freedom fighter Kayyara Kinhanna Rai passed away
Eminent Kannada poet and freedom fighter Kayyara Kinhanna Rai passed away on 9 August 2015 at Badiyadkka in Kasaragod district of Kerala. He was 101. He was an author, poet, journalist and Indian independence activist.
He was forefront in the movement of merging the Kannada-speaking region of the Chandragiri river (Kasaragod district) with Karnataka in order to fulfill its linguistic and development aspirations after the 1957 States Re-organisation. For this cause, he had founded Kasaragod Vileenekarana Kriya Samiti.
About Kayyar Kinhanna Rai
• Born on 8 June 1915 in Kasaragod during Madras Presidency of British India, Rai began his career as a secondary school teacher and later moved to journalism.
• Some of his famous poems are Aikyagana, Shreemukha, Chethana, Punarnava and Koraga. His other important works are Sahithya Drushti and Malayala Sahitya Charithre (History of Malayalam literature) which is a translation of an original work by P. K. Parameshwaran Nair.
• In 1998, he had served as President of 67th Akhila Bharatha Kannada Sahitya Sammelana which was held in Mangalore.
• He was awarded with various awards for his achievements including Karnataka Sahitya Academy Puraskar (1969), National Award for Best Teacher (1969), Karnataka Ekikarana (Unification) Award (2007).
Union Government & Delhi Government agreed to prepare blueprint to Clean & Rejuvenate Yamuna River
Union Government and Delhi Government on 8 August 2015 agreed to set-up a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for the cleaning-up and rejuvenation of the Yamuna River.
The two governments agreed to prepare a blueprint for this purpose during the next 45 days. They also discussed the issues related to beautification of the Yamuna River Front.
The agreement was reached during the meet between Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal held in New Delhi.
Apart from this, Bharti accepted the Chief Minister’s request of convening a joint meeting soon with Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu and Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari.
The two sides expressed confidence that a joint effort will lead to a clean Yamuna, an issue which has now been pending since decades
Param Tyag Chakra Initiative launched to honour families of martyrs
The Param Tyag Chakra initiative was launched on 9 August 2015 by the Alumni Association of Rajagiri School of Engineering and Technology to honour family members of brave military men, who sacrificed their lives for the nation.
For this initiative, the Alumni Association of Rajagiri School of Engineering and Technology in association with the management and students launched a web platform aimed at collecting the details of these family members.
Everyone including the general public, the government, corporates, the media can join this initiative in multiple ways like by identifying and referring such families or by channeling the support required for them etc.
The initiative is planned in multiple phases. The first phase will be launched as part of the Independence Day.
Ram Nath Kovind appointed as Governor of Bihar
Senior Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ram Nath Kovind was on 8 August 2015 appointed as Governor of Bihar. The appointment will take effect from the date when Kovind will assume the charge of office. He succeeds West Bengal Governor Keshri Nath Tripathi, who was holding additional charge of Bihar.
His appointment was confirmed by President Pranab Mukherjee. Kovind, who had been a two-time Rajya Sabha member between 1994 and 2006, hails from Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh. A lawyer by profession, Kovind had also been BJP Scheduled Caste Morcha chief.
Appointment of Governor of Himachal Pradesh
Apart from the appointment of Kovind, President Pranab Mukherjee also appointed Acharya Dev Vrat as Governor of Himachal Pradesh.
Acharya Dev Vrat succeeds Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh, who was holding the additional charge of Himachal Pradesh.
Deoghar Stampede: At least 11 killed and several injured
Durga temple at Bela Bagan in Deoghar: 11 'Kanwarias' devotees died in a stampede
At least 11 people including one woman were killed in a stampede near Durga temple in Jharkhand's Deoghar on 10 August 2015. More than 20 people were injured in the incident.
The injured have been admitted to local government hospital in Deoghar.
The incident occurred around 4.30am at Bela Bagan about three kilometers away from the main temple complex. The stampede was triggered when some devotees allegedly tried to run ahead of others, while queue formation for onward journey for darshan.
Deoghar
Deoghar is the main city of the Deoghar District in the Santhal Parganas division of Jharkhand. It is an important Hindu pilgrimage centre with the Baidyanath Temple being one of the twelve Shiva Jyothirlingas in India and one of the 51 Shakti Peethas in India. It is the only place in India where the jyotirlinga and the saktipeeth are together.
Deoghar is a Hindi word and the literal meaning of 'Deoghar' is abode ('ghar') of the Gods and Goddesses ('dev'). The city is famous for the mela of Shrawan (5th month according to the Hindu calendar system).
Each year between July and August (on the eve of shravan month) about 7 to 8 million devotees come from various part of India to offer holy water from the Ganges at Sultangunj—almost 108 km from Deoghar—to present it to Shiva.
Raghavendra Gadagkar awarded with Germany's Cross of Order of the Merit
Indian sociobiologist Raghavendra Gadagkar was on 7 August 2015 awarded with the Germany's highest civilian honour Cross of Order of the Merit at the German Consulate in Bengaluru
He was bestowed with the honour for his contribution in the field of behavioural ecology and sociobiology and for strengthening research corporation between India and Germany.
Currently, Gadagkar is a professor at the Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science (IISc). He is also the president of the Indian National Science Academy and has published more than 270 research papers and two books.
His first book, Survival Strategies, has been translated into Chinese and Korean. He was also the founding Chair person of the Centre for Contemporary Studies, established at IISc in 2004.
About Cross of Order of the Merit
• The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany was instituted in 1951 by Federal President Theodor Heuss.
• This accolade is awarded by the President of the Federal Republic of Germany for outstanding achievements in political, economical, cultural, intellectual, and volunteering fields.
• The Order of Merit may be awarded to Germans as well as to foreigners. No pecuniary reward is attached with the award.
Union Government launched School Nursery Yojana to bring students closer to nature
Union Government on 10 August 2015 launched the School Nursery Yojana, an initiative to bring students closer to nature. The Yojana seeks to engage class VI to IX in raising of saplings in nurseries created in schools.
The Yojana was launched by Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar in New Delhi. The underlying theme of the Yojana is to plant a tree for sustainable future and to make the nation clean and green.
Urging every student to plant a tree each, Javadekar said that every school must earmark space to prepare a small nursery where the saplings could be planted.
The Minister also presented a sapling and a packet of seeds to students from each school for planting in their school. He exhorted the students to take the grown sapling planted by them along with their annual results to their homes.
About School Nursery Yojana
• The Yojana in its first phase would cover 1000 schools and would be extended to 5000 schools in 2016 and 10000 schools the following year.
• Under the Yojana, students will grow saplings as part of practical exercise for biology classes and extra-curriculum activities.
• The schools will have eco clubs and school principals will maintain the nursery for at least five years.
• Each school will initially receive first time financial grant of 25000 rupees for creation of the nursery with essential facilities.
• The state forest departments will guide and provide technical support to schools under the scheme.
BHEL commissioned 500 MW Thermal Unit at Vindhyachal STPS
Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) on 8 August 2015 commissioned a 500 MW coal-based power plant unit at Vindhyachal Super Thermal Power Station (STPS) in Vindhyanagar, Singrauli district of Madhya Pradesh.
With the commissioning of this unit, BHEL has now commissioned seven sets of 500 MW each aggregating to 3500 MW, the highest by BHEL in a power project.
BHEL’s scope of work in this project envisaged design, engineering, manufacture, supply and erection and commissioning of steam generator and steam turbine generator along with the associated auxiliaries and state of the art controls and instrumentation.
The equipment for the project was manufactured at BHEL’s Tiruchi, Ranipet, Haridwar, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Bhopal plants, while the company’s Power Sector- Western Region undertook the work of erection and commissioning of the equipment.
About BHEL
• BHEL, owned by Union Government, is a power plant equipment manufacturer and operates as an engineering and manufacturing company based in New Delhi, India.
• It particularly makes sets of 500 MW rating class and has commissioned so far 76 sets in the country. The sets supplied by BHEL have better operating Heat rate that consumes less coal.
• In current financial year (2015-16), it has commissioned power plants with a cumulative capacity of 2480 MW.
About Super Thermal Power Stations (STPS)
• Super Thermal Power Stations (STPS) are a series of ambitious coal based power projects that were planned by the Union Government in 1990. The capacity of such thermal plant is 1000 MW and above.
• There are over 65 STPS in India and Mundra Thermal Power Station of Adani Power in Kutch district of Gujarat is the largest among all.