9-10 jan 2015 eng
9 jan
Jharkhand Assembly adopted resolution on opening High Court bench in Dumka
jharkhand Assembly on 8 January 2015 unanimously adopted a resolution urging state government to send a proposal to Union Government for setting up a bench of the Jharkhand High Court in Dumka.
Dumka is the sub-capital of Jharkhand.
The resolution was initiated by Parliamentary Affairs Minister C P Singh after JMM MLA Stephen Marandi raised the demand.
Speaker Dinesh Oraon adopted the resolution. The state will submit a proposal to the Union Government with a request for necessary action.
PM Narendra Modi inaugurated Dandi Kutir museum
PM Narendra Modi on 8 January 2015 inaugurated a state-of-the-art museum Dandi Kutir opposite Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, Gujarat on the occasion of the 13th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas (PBD).
The 13th edition of Pravasi Bhartiya Divas (PBD) is marking the 100th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi's return to India from South Africa.
Dandi Kutir
• Dandi Kutir is located inside a 41-metre high salt-mound as a symbol of Gandhi's famous Dandi march against the salt tax provisions imposed by the British regime in March 1930.
• The museum displays each and every aspect of Mahatma Gandhi's life in the form of sculptures that depict his childhood, early life, his return to India and his role in the country's freedom struggle.
• Key concepts of Gandhian thoughts like Satyagraha, non-violence, self reliance, Gram Swaraj are elaborately explained through a number of exhibits.
• There is also an audio-visual presentation of milestone incidents of the Indian Independence Movement.
India to provide 69 million rupees assistance to Nepal for goitre control
Indian Government on 8 January 2015 decided to provide 69 million rupees to Nepal as assistance to launch the Iodine Deficiency Disorder Control Programme (IDDCP) for goitre control across the country.
Indian Ambassador to Nepal Ranjit Rae handed over a cheque of 17.25 million rupees as an advance payment to the secretary, Ministry of Commerce and Supplies, Nepal for launching the programme.
Background
The IDDCP, earlier known as Goitre Control Programme, was signed under the financial assistance of Government of India on 3 August 2014 during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Nepal.
India had so far provided grant assistance of 686 million Rupees to Nepal for the control of Goitre and other iodine deficiency disorders during 1973-1998, 2004-07, 2009-14 in the form of subsidy for re-iodisation of salt, packing, transportation and advocacy.
Teixobactin, a new antibiotic discovered
New antibiotic named Teixobactin was discovered by a team of scientists from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. Discovered for the first time after about three decades, this antibiotic is capable of fighting infections that kill hundreds of thousands of people each year.
The discovery was published online in the journal Nature on 7 January 2015.
Feature of Teixobactin
• Teixobactin inhibits cell wall synthesis by binding to a highly conserved motif of lipid II (precursor of peptidoglycan) and lipid III (precursor of cell wall teichoic acid).
• Any mutants of Staphylococcus aureus or Mycobacterium tuberculosis resistant to teixobactin has been obtained
• Properties of this compound suggest a path towards developing antibiotics that are likely to avoid development of resistance
How Teixobactin was obtained?
The antibiotic Teixobactin was obtained from uncultured bacteria by cultivation in situ or by using specific growth factors. Uncultured organisms were used for creation of the antibiotic as the team believed that approximately 99% of all species in external environments are an untapped source of new antibiotics.
Why this discovery is essential?
The first antibiotic Penicillin was discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1928 and since that discovery more than 100 compounds have been found. The heyday of antibiotic discovery was in the 1950s and 1960s, but no new class has been found since 1987.
Need of introduction of new antibiotic or drug became essential as diseases like Malaria and MDR TB (Tuberculosis) has became incurable as they have developed resistance against the class of antibiotics available at present, causing a public health crisis. This discovery can be beneficial in the fight against the growing resistance to drugs.
Kailash Satayarthi dedicated his Nobel Peace Prize to the Nation
Kailash Satayarthi on 7 January 2015 dedicated his Nobel Peace Prize to the Nation.
The medal was presented by Satyarthi to the President at a ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The Medal will be put up on display at the Rashtrapati Bhavan museum.
Visitors to the Rashtrapati Bhavan will now be able to see the Nobel Peace Prize received by child rights activist Kailash Satyarthi. The medal is made of 18-carat gold and weighing 196 gram.
He became the second indian to dedicate his noble prize to nation after CV Raman. CV Raman received his Nobel Prize for Physics in 1930.
Satyarthi and Pakistan’s Malala Yousafzai were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on 10 December 2014 for their pioneering work on promoting child rights.
His Non-Government Organisation (NGO) Bachpan Bachao Andolan claimed to have rescued over 83000 children from bonded labour and slavery since its inception in 1980.
President Pranab Mukherjee said this was an unusual gesture because most former winners of the award kept the same in their respective institutions, including Tagore, whose medal was housed at Viswa Bharati at Santiniketan.
The Indian Parliament – A Critical Appraisal written by Sudha Pai and Avinash Kumar released
The Indian Parliament – A Critical Appraisal: Sudha Pai and Avinash Kumar
Book titled The Indian Parliament – A Critical Appraisal was released by Vice President Hamid Ansari on 8 January 2015. The book is authored by Prof. Sudha Pai and Avinash Kumar of Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.
The book examines the credibility and legitimacy of the Indian Parliament and has scrutinised various aspects of its functioning. It also provides a broad-ranging analysis of the relationship between the functioning of Parliamentary institutions and the rapid changes that has been witnessed by the Indian society, particularly the onset of coalition politics and the initiation of economic reforms.
The book has been divided into three parts, namely
• Examines the institutional standards of performance of the Parliament
• Focuses on different forms of parliamentary control, as well as the evolving relationship between the legislature and the executive in a period of unstable coalition formations
• Analyses the external factors which affect and determine the internal functioning of Parliament
Former Gauhati High Court Chief Justice Rajkumar Manisana passed away
Retired Gauhati High Court Chief justice Rajkumar Manisana passed away on 8 January 2015 following a brief illness. He was 82.
Rajkumar Manisana
• Rajkumar Manisana started his career as a lawyer in 1956 and became an advocate on 15 July 1958.
• He was the advocate cum public prosecutor of the Manipur Government from October 1972 to October 1974.
• In November 1979, he was appointed as the Advocate General of Manipur and became a justice of the Gauhati High Court in November 1984.
• Manisana became the Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court on 24 January 1994.
• He was also appointed as the Chairman of the Assam Human Rights Commission in January 2002.
Haryana Government appointed Yash Pal Singhal as Haryana DGP
Haryana Government on 8 January 2015 appointed Yash Pal Singhal as Director General of Police (DGP). His appointment was confirmed by the Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.
He took over the post with immediate effects. He succeeded S N Vashisht who has been posted as Director General of State Vigilance Bureau.
Earlier, Singhal was working as Director General of Vigilance Bureau.
He is the IPS of 1983 batch. Singhal will have two-year tenure and he will retire in March 2017.
Modibo Keita appointed as the Prime Minister of Mali
Modibo Keita was on 8 January 2015 appointed as the Prime Minister of West African nation Mali. His appointment was confirmed by Mali's President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.
Modibo Keita succeeded Moussa Mara who resigned on 8 January 2015 under pressure from the President due to the strife-torn condition of the nation.
Modibo Keita
• Modibo Keita had previously served as the Secretary General of the Presidency of Mali.
• In 2002, Modibo Keita was appointed as the Prime Minister of Mali under the regime of President Alpha Oumar Konare.
• Keita in April 2014 was named as Mali's state representative for inter-Malian inclusive dialogue to bring together the government and rebels based in northern Mali.
India to provide 60 million dollar LoC to Guyana for road infrastructure projects
Union Government will provide 60 million US dollars Line of Credit (LoC) to Guyana for its road infrastructure projects and passenger ferry service. The LoC will help the country in tackling its transport problem.
The decision of granting the LoC was made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the bilateral talks with Guyana President Donald R. Ramotar on the sidelines of the 13th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas in Gandhinagar, Gujarat on 8 January 2015. Guyana President is the chief guest of Pravasi Bhartiya Divas.
India-Guyana relation
India and Guyana, once a part of the British Empire share historical relations as more than 3 lakh Guyanese citizens are of Indian descent. The Indo-Guyanese make up the largest ethnic group in Guyana.
In terms of economic cooperation, India has offered credit facilities to Guyana for use in mutually accepted designated fields, agriculture and information technology, being two of these. Guyanese people are also offered scholarships for educational purposes from India, like forty scholarships through Indian Technical & Economic Cooperation (ITEC).
The two nations also share some cultural connection. India in 1972 established the Indian Cultural Centre in Georgetown with the objective of strengthening cultural relations and mutual understanding between India and Guyana and their peoples.
The two nations share a cordial relation since independence of Guyana in May 1966. Late Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi visited Guyana in 1968, which was followed by visits of late Vice President of India Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma in 1988 and late Vice President of India Bhairon Singh Shekhawat in 2006.
The Lunchbox nominated for BAFTA 2015 under Non-English Best Film Category
The Lunchbox on 8 January 2015 was nominated for British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Awards 2015 under non-English best film category. The film is the only Indian film to be nominated for 2015 BAFTA Awards.
The Lunchbox, starring Nimrat Kaur and Irrfan Khan is directed by Ritesh Batra.
The film is competing with Polish-Danish drama film Ida, Russian drama Leviathan, Brazilian-British adventure drama thriller film Trash, and Belgian drama Two Days, One Night.
BAFTA awards will be hosted by Stephen Fry. The award ceremony will be held on 8 February 2015.
The Lunchbox revolves around a misplacement of a Tiffin in Mumbai's efficient lunchbox delivery system. This wrong delivery of a lunchbox connects a neglected housewife to an about to retire government servant.
Commemorative Postage Stamps released to mark 100 Years of Mahatma Gandhi’s Return to India
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 8 January 2015 released Commemorative Postage Stamps to mark 100 Years of Mahatma Gandhi’s Return from South Africa to India. A set of two Commemorative Postage Stamps were released during the 13th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
The coins are of denomination of 100 rupees and 10 rupees, while the stamps are of value of 25 rupees and 5 rupees.
The coins and stamps show two pictures of Gandhi, one when he was a young barrister and another one when he came to be known as Mahatma by people across the globe.
Mahatma Gandhi arrived in South Africa at a young age of 24 years as the legal counsel of Indian traders based in the city of Pretoria. He spent more than two decades in South Africa, where he developed the concept of Satyagraha while fighting against the gross injustice, discrimination and racism prevailing in South Africa.
In 1915, Gandhi returned to India with a formidable reputation to lead the Indian masses struggling for freedom from colonial domination through civil disobedience and non-violence, which proved to be highly effective moral weapon in the struggle for Independence in India.
Vaccine Raksha Blu for bluetongue disease launched
To counter the deadly bluetongue disease, Raksha Blu vaccine was launched on 8 January 2015 by Gachibowli facility of Indian Immunologicals Limited (IIL) in Hyderabad, Telangana.
The vaccine was launched with an aim to minimise the economic loss of the animal farming community that occurs due to bluetongue disease.
This is India’s first vaccine for bluetongue disease. This viral disease has about 24 strains prevalent across the world of which five are mostly prevalent in India.
The vaccine has been developed to protect the animals against five strains of the ‘bluetongue’ virus prevalent in the country. Per dose of the vaccine will be available for farmers at an expense of 5 rupees.
The vaccine is the result of collaborative efforts of IIL, TANUVAS (Tamil Nadu University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences) and ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research). The vaccine was developed in three years.
This vaccine will be developed at Hyderabad facility of ILL, which has produced the first batch of three million doses.
This vaccine will be given to four-year-old cattle population and will be followed by a booster dose three months and onwards one dose will be given every year.
Bluetongue Disease
Bluetongue disease is a non-contagious, insect-borne, viral disease of ruminants which affects lakhs of sheep, goats, buffalo, deer, dromedaries and antelope across the country. It is caused by the pathogenic virus, Bluetongue virus (BTV), of the genus Orbivirus, of the Reoviridae family and is transmitted by the midge Culicoides imicola, Culicoides variipennis and other culicoids.
The symptoms include fever and blue tongue.
All-women contingent of Indian defence to march past for the first time on 2015 Republic Day parade
All-women contingent of Indian army will march for the first time on 2015 Republic Day (RD) parade. The chief guest of 2015 Republic Day will be the US President Barack Obama.
The decision to have all-women contingent was taken by the Indian armed forces in the first week of January 2015 following an order from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to display Nari Shakti as a theme for the 2015 RD Parade.
The all-women contingent would comprise of 150-odd women army officers who will give a salute to the President of India.
Women and Indian Armed forces
In 1992 for the first time, Indian Army allowed women as officers. They were introduced as Special Entry Group for four years, which extended up to 14 years in 2004.
However, the extended service cannot promote a woman officer up to the rank of a Colonel, which is mandatory to be the commanding officer of the unit.
At present, women can join the army as short service commission officers and get posted in less-critical branches such as Judge Advocate General Branch, Army Medical Corps and Military Nursing Service.
In 2012, for the first time in history of RD parade, the Indian Air Force contingent was led by women. Flight Lieutenant Sneha Shekhawat from Sikar in Rajasthan led the IAF contingent at the 63rd Republic Day parade.
Recently in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government cleared the Indian Army’s proposal to offer permanent commission to women officers. With this women will get bigger role in units like Intelligence Corps, Signals Corps, Ordinance Corps, Army Service Corps and Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Corps.
However, still women in Indian armed forces are not allowed into combat fields unlike the countries like the US, Israel, Australia, Sri Lanka and Sweden, where women officers serve in combat roles.
Egypt to hold parliamentary elections in March 2015
Egypt will hold parliamentary elections for House of Representatives in two phases. The decision was announced by the Egypt election commission on 8 January 2015.
The first phase of election will be conducted from 22 March 2015 to 23 March 2015. The second phase of election will be conducted from 26 Aril 2015 to 27 April 2015.
Egypt will hold the parliamentary elections for 567-member House of Representative. Out of 567 seats 27 will be elected by the President. The remaining 540 seats will be distributed between 420 members, to be elected individually by voters, and 120 seats allocated to party lists.
Earlier in December 2014, President of Egypt Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi ratified the Electoral Constituencies’ law to pave the way for parliamentary elections of 2015.
Since June 2012, Egypt has been without a parliament when a court dissolved the democratically elected main chamber, reversing a major accomplishment of the 2011 uprising, which outsed autocrat Hosni Mubarak. Hosni Mubarak was a long term President of Egypt for 30 years.
The parliamentary election is the final step in a political road map of Egypt announced by the then defence minister Al-Sisi in July 2013 after ousting Islamist Mohamed Mursi, first democratically elected president of Egypt following mass protests against his troubled rule. In lieu of this, an Election Law was approved by the Interim President Adly Mansour in 2013.
DMRC launched first public bicycle sharing scheme for Delhi Metro users
Delhi Metro Rail Corporation on 7 January 2015 launched first public bicycle sharing scheme for Delhi Metro users. The scheme will help the commuters to seamlessly reach their destination via the metro rail.
The scheme aims to provide pollution free last-mile connectivity to DMRC commuters. The eco-friendly project was inaugurated from the Saket Metro Station in south Delhi.
As part of the scheme, three bicycle shelters have been opened at Saket, Hauz Khas and Akshardham metro stations.
Commuters willing to use the service need to either register online or visit the nearby metro station where the facility is available and deposit their forms, following which a smart card will be issued to them.
As part of its last-mile connectivity, DMRC has been running 200 metro feeder buses and about 300 more such buses will soon be added to its fleet.
The DMRC has already been running a hire-a-cycle scheme from its Vishwavidyalaya metro Station in last six years in partnership with city-based private firm Greenolution.
Such bicycle schemes are quite popular in European and Scandinavian countries and our idea is also to promote eco-friendly policies.
Freedom fighter Perin Romesh Chandra died
Freedom fighter Perin Romesh Chandra died on 8 January 2015 following a prolonged illness. She was 96.
Perin Romesh Chandra
• Chandra was born as Perin Bharucha in Chaman, Pakistan on 2nd October 1918.
• Apart from being a veteran Communist, she served in the peace movement of international communism and was part of its Indian leadership.
• Perin was a leader and stalwart of the All India Peace & Solidarity Organisation (AIPSO).
• The greater part of her life was spent in the peace and solidarity movements including the movement against the US occupation of Vietnam, the struggle to free South Africa from apartheid, caste discrimination and for people-to-people contacts between Indians and Pakistanis.
K K Paul sworn in as sixth Governor of Uttarakhand
Krishan Kant Paul on 8 January 2015 was sworn in as the sixth Governor of Uttarakhand. Chief Justice of Uttarakhand Justice V K Bisht administered the oath of office and secrecy to him at the Raj Bhavan.
He succeeded Governor Aziz Qureshi who was appointed as the Governor of Mizoram on 30 December 2014.
Prior to this, he was the Governor of Meghalaya and held additional charge Governor of Manipur and Mizoram.
Paul joined the Indian Police Service (IPS) in 1970 of AGMUT (Arunachal Pradesh–Goa–Mizoram–Union Territories) cadre.
He was Delhi Police commissioner from February 2004 to July 2007, thus becoming the longest serving commissioner of Delhi Police.
After retirement, he became a member of Union Public Service Commission in July 2007.
Kotak Mahindra Bank secured shareholders approval for merger with ING Vysya Bank
Kotak Mahindra Bank secured its shareholders approval for amalgamation with ING Vysya Bank. It was announced by the Kotak Mahindra Bank on 8 January 2015.
The extraordinary General Meeting of Kotak Mahindra Bank approved a share exchange ratio of 725 equity shares of the bank for every 1000 equity shares of ING Vysya Bank.
The amalgamation was approved by 99.30 percent in number representing 99.93 percent in value of the shareholders present of Kotak Mahindra Bank. With this amalgamation, Kotak Mahindra Bank will become the fourth largest private sector bank.
In November 2014, Kotak Mahindra Bank had announced the takeover of ING Vysya Bank in an all-stock deal valued at 15000 crore rupees.
Maithripala Sirisena won 2015 Presidential Elections of Sri Lanka
Mithripala Sirisena, Health Minister in Rajapaksa government, won the 2015 Presidential Elections of Sri Lanka. The Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya announced the results on 9 January 2015.
Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa from United People's Freedom Alliance got 47.6 percent and Opposition candidate Maithripala Samisen from United National Party got 51.3 percent of the votes polled in the Presidential elections held on 8 January 2015.
Rajapaksa conceding defeat moved out of Templetrees, the official residence of the Sri Lanka President after ruling for ten years.
The results of elections were unexpected and dethroning of incumbent President Rajapaksa, South Asia’s longest serving leader, has come as a surprise to the world community.
Moreover, the results came as a shock to Rajpaksa who had called for snap elections in November 2014 and amended the Constitution of Sri Lanka to stand for a third term. In September 2010, under President Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka passed the eighteenth amendment to the Constitution and removed the two term limit on Presidents.
According to the Constitution of Sri Lanka normal term for President is six years although an incumbent may call an election at any time after four years in office.
Further, the result ends a decade of rule that critics said had become increasingly authoritarian and marred by nepotism and corruption. The election results are seen as the most significant for decades in the island nation and a last chance for democracy.
Election Results and relations with India vis-à-vis China
The winning of Sirisena is seen by many as advantage to India as during the Rajapaksa rule; he had opposed the infrastructure related contracts between the island nation and China.
Moreover, he has announced to scrap many of the contracts between Sri Lanka and China including a new city proposed to be built on reclaimed land off Colombo at a cost of 1.5 billion US dollars.
However, if moderation in Tamil Nadu is not observed, the new government could become a plaything in the hands of the Buddhist clergy.
Vistara airline started domestic flight operation in India
Vistara airline, a joint venture of Tata-SIA, started its flight operation in India on 9 January 2015. Vistara flight took off with its first flight from Delhi to Mumbai.
Vistara will be the third full-service carrier in India, after state-run Air India and private carrier Jet Airways.
In December 2014, Vistara announced the launch of its operation from 9 January 2015 with flight from Delhi to Mumbai and Ahmedabad.
At present, Vistara has two leased A320s and will operate 148-seater Airbus A320-200 with 16 seats in business class, 36 in premium economy and 96 in economy on Delhi to Mumbai and Ahmedabad routes.
Further, Vistara airline will operate flights from Delhi to Goa, Mumbai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Srinagar, Jammu and Patna in the first year.
The airlines also plan to operate 87 flights in the first year, with five leased Airbus A-320s. Later the airline plans up to 301 flights by the fourth year with a fleet of A320s.
In 2014, Tata Group announced the joint venture of 51:49 with Singapore Airlines (SIA) to launch a full-service carrier in India.
Presidential rule imposed in Jammu and Kashmir
President rule was imposed in Jammu and Kashmir (J &K) on 9 January 2015. President Pranab Mukherjee approved the recommendation of the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir N N Vohra.
Governor N N Vohra had recommended for President Rule in light of deadlock over the formation of the new government continued in J & K.
The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly election were held in five phases in December 2014. In the Assembly election, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) won 28 seats, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 25 and National Congress (NC) won 15 seats.
The political parties failed to form government after no party was able to muster the majority of 87 seats required to form the government. Even the attempts of PDP and BJP to cobble up a coalition did not fructify.
Hence Presidential Rule was recommended by the Governor after Caretaker Chief Minister Omar Abdullah requested Governor Vohra to relive from his duties.
Constitutional Provision of Presidential Rule
Article 356 of the Constitution empowers the President to issue proclamation; if he is satisfied that situation has arisen in which the government of state cannot be carried on in accordance with the provisions of constitution.
However, in case of Jammu and Kashmir, for the imposition of President Rule, Section 92 of the Jammu and Kashmir Constitution is invoked. Governor's rule proclamation is issued by Jammu & Kashmir State Governor after obtaining consent of the President of India.
If it is not possible to revoke Governor's rule before within six months of imposition, President's Rule under Article 356 of the Constitution of India is imposed. But for all practical p
10 jan
Actor Rodney Sturt Taylor passed away
Australian actor Rodney Sturt Taylor died on 7 January 2015 following a brief illness in Los Angeles. He was 84.
Rodney Sturt Taylor
• Born in Sydney in January 1930, Taylor studied art at East Sydney Technical College.
• He got his first leading role in the 1960 adaptation of HG Wells' science-fiction film The Time Machine.
• He appeared in over 50 films including leading roles in The Time Machine, Seven Seas to Calais, The Birds, Sunday in New York, Young Cassidy, Dark of the Sun, The Liquidator and The Train Robbers.
• In 2009, he made a cameo as ex-UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill in Quentin Tarantino's film Inglourious Basterds.
• His famous Australian films were King of the Coral Sea in 1954, Daddy-O and Welcome To Woop Woop.
Legendary Gospel performer Andrae Crouch died
Veteran gospel performer and songwriter Andrae Crouch died on 8 January 2015 following a heart attack in the Los Angeles. He was 72.
Andrae Crouch
• Born in San Francisco, Crouch wrote his first gospel tune at the age of 14 and in 1960, he formed the group Church of God in Christ Singers.
• He wrote several gospels including The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power, My Tribute (To God Be the Glory) and Soon and Very Soon.
• His work graced songs of Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley and Madonna and movies such as The Lion King.
• Crouch was honoured with the 2256nd star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles in 2004.
• He won a total of 7 Grammy Awards in his career and also received an Academy Award nomination for his arranging work for the 1985 film The Colour Purple.
Maithiripala Sirisena sworn-in as 7th President of Sri Lanka
Pallewatte Gamaralalage Maithripala Yapa Sirisena (Maithiripala Sirisena) was on 9 January 2015 sworn-in as the 7th President of Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court Judge K Sri Pawan administered the oath of office to Maithiripala Sirisena at a oath taking ceremony held at the Independence Square in Colombo.
Before the swearing-in ceremony of President Maithripala Sirisena, the leader of the United National Party (UNP) Ranil Wickramasinghe took the oath as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka.
Maithripala heads a rainbow coalition of several parties including United National Party and the Buddhist Monk party.
Maithiripala Sirisena
• Born on 3 September 1951, Sirisena earned a Diploma in Political science at the Maxim Gorky Literature Institute in Russia.
• Sirisena joined mainstream politics in 1989 by contesting the parliamentary elections as an Sri Lankan Freedom Party candidate in Polonnaruwa district and was elected to Parliament.
• In 2001, Sirisena became the General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party.
• In 2004, he was appointed as the Cabinet Minister of Mahaweli, River Basin & Rajarata Development.
• He was appointed as the Cabinet Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Mahaweli Development in 2005. Later in 2010, he was appointed as Cabinet Minister of Health.
Yu Min honoured with State Preeminent Science and Technology Award 2014
Chinese nuclear physicist Yu Min was on 9 January 2015 presented with the State Preeminent Science and Technology Award 2014 by Chinese President Xi Jinping. He was awarded for his involvement in research into nuclear weapons since the 1960s.
Yu Min is presently an academician at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Yu Min
• Born in Tianjin, China in 1926, Yu began serving as a researcher at the Modern Physics Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1951.
• Yu Min was behind China's first successful hydrogen bomb test in the Cold War era in 1960s.
• He was part of the miniaturization of nuclear weapons, technological breakthroughs in the neutron bomb and the theory of atomic nucleus.
• He was also the recipient of the Two Bombs, One Satellite Achievement Medal in 1999 for his contributions to China's first satellite project.
About State Preeminent Science and Technology Award
• The State Preeminent Science and Technology Award was set up in 1999. It is awarded to the top two scientists of China every year.
• The award includes a cash prize worth 5 million-yuan (805200 US dollars), 10 percent of which is given to the awarded scientist.
• The first State Preeminent Science and Technology Award was given to Yuan Longping in 2000. So far, 25 Chinese scientists have won the award including Zhang Cunhao and Wu Liangyong.
Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari presented Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards 2015
Vice President of India Mohammad Hamid Ansari on 9 January 2015 presented the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards 2015 to sixteen personalities. The awards were presented during the occasion of Pravasi Bhartiya Divas at Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
The awardees were:
1. Mala Mehta from Australia
2. President Donald Rabindernauth Ramaotar from Guyana
3. Dr Rajaram Sanjaya from Mexico
4. Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi from New Zealand
5. Rajamal Parakh from Oman
6. Duraikannu Karunakaran from Seychelles
7. Essop Goolam Pahad from South Africa
8. Bharat Kumar Jayantilal Shah from UAE
9. Ashraf Pellarkunnmal from UAE
10. Mahendra Nanji Mehta from Uganda
11. Nathuram Puri from the United Kingdom
12. Satyanarayan Nadela from USA
13. Kamlesh Lulla from the US
14. Nandani Tandon from US
15. Lord Raj Lumba from the United Kingdom
Apart from these fifteen awardees, Senator Liza Singh from Australia also received the award as he could not accept the award in 2014
About the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards
The Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award was constituted by the Union Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs to honour the contributions of Non-Resident Indians in their respective profession. The award is given by the President of India.
Organized annually since 2003, the award is presented to a Non-Resident Indian (NRI), Person of Indian Origin or an organization established and run by the NRIs.
Sindhushree Khullar appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of NITI Aayog
Senior bureaucrat Sindhushree Khullar was on 10 January 2015 appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog with effect from 1 January 2015. She will serve the position for one year.
Her appointment was approved by the Appointment Committee of the Cabinet.
Sindhushree Khullar
• Sindhushree Khullar is 1975-batch officer of the Indian Administrative Service’s (IAS) Union Territories cadre.
• She became the Member-Secretary of Planning Commission in April 2012 by replacing Sudha Pillai.
• In March 2013, she was appointed as Secretary of the Planning Commission on contract basis for two years.
Background
Union Government on 1 January 2015 replaced the decades old Planning Commission with a new institution named National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog). The institution will be chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Noted Economist Arvind Panagariya was appointed as the Vice Chairman of the NITI Aayog. Economist Bibek Debroy and former DRDO chief V K Saraswat were appointed as full-time members of NITI Aayog.