East coast of India to get 6th Doppler Radar for weather forecasting

The cycloneprone eastern coast of India will get a new doppler radar to boost the weather forecasting system. It will be commissioned by India Meteorological Department (IMD) in Gopalpur in Odisha which had faced the severe cyclonic storm Phailin in October 2013. It will be the 6th such radar on the country’s east coast and the other such Five radars are located in Kolkata, Chennai, Visakhapatnam, Machilipatnam and Paradip. The move to set up additional radar assumes significance as it will help authorities in taking timely action against cyclones prone to the eastern coast and also help better forecast Earlier in November 2015, the IMD had installed a doppler radar in Paradip which is another coastal district in Odisha that was ravaged by a super cyclone in 1999.

Doppler radar

• It is an observational tool for monitoring & predicting severe weather events such as hailstorms, thunder storms, cyclones & tornados within a radius of 300 km.


• It uses the Doppler effect by bouncing a microwave signal off a desired target to produce velocity data. This data inturn helps in analyzing object’s motion by altered the frequency of the returned signal.


• It mainly gives information about wind velocity and also about precipitation.

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East coast of India to get 6th Doppler Radar for weather forecasting

Former Chief Justice of India HL Dattu takes over as Chairman of the NHRC

Former Chief Justice of India (CJI) HL Dattu took charge as the Chairman of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). With this, he becomes the 7th Chairman of the NHRC, the highest government institution protecting human rights of citizens.
About H L Dattu Born as Handyala Lakshminarayanaswamy:

• HL Dattu on 3rd December 1950 in Chikmagalur in then Mysore State.


• He had started his legal career in 1975 after enrolling as an advocate in Bangalore and dealt with all types of matters like criminal, civil, tax and Constitutional cases.


• 1983 onwards he had appeared in various capacities before the Karnataka High Court including as government pleader for sales tax department etc.


• Dattu was designated as a senior standing counsel for I-T department. Later in 1995, he was elevated as a judge of the Karnataka High Court.


• In 2007, he was elevated as the Chief Justice of the Chhattisgarh High Court and later was shifted in the same capacity to the Kerala High Court.


• He was 42nd Chief Justice of India from September 28, 2014 to December 2, 2015.HL Dattu has several landmark judgments to his credit dealing with protection of Fundamental Rights of citizens and principles of law.

About the National Human Rights Commission:

• NHRC is apex statutory watchdog of human rights in the country, i.e. the rights related to life, liberty, equality & dignity of the individual guaranteed by the Constitution or embodied in the international convents.


• Formed as per the statutory provisions of Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993.


• It is multimember body consisting of Chairman and 4 members.


• President appoints the Chairman & members of the NHRC on the recommendation of the high powered committee that headed by the Prime Minister.


• The committee includes Prime Minister (Head), Lok Sabha Speaker, Union Home Minister, Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha, leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha.

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Former Chief Justice of India HL Dattu takes over as Chairman of the NHRC

Resul Pookutty becomes 1st Asian to win Prestigious Golden Reel Award

The Oscar winning sound designer Resul Pookutty won prestigious American Motion Picture Sound Editors’ (MPSE) Golden Reel Award. Resul Pookutty has won the best sound for documentary “India’s Daughter” directed by Leslee Udwin. This movie is based on the Delhi gangrape incident of December 2012. Government has banned public screening airing of the documentary. With this, he becomes the 1st Asian to win coveted award from Motion Picture Sound Editors’ (MPSE) of United States for the best sound.
About the Resul Pookutty:

• Resul Pookutty is a film sound designer, sound editor & mixer working in Hollywood, Hindi cinema, Malayalam Cinema & Tamil cinema.


• Resul is an alumnus of the Film & Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune. In 2009, he along with Richard Pryke & Ian Tapp had won the Academy Awards (Oscar) for best sound mixing for the film “Slumdog Millionaire”.


• He also was awarded National Film Award for the Best Audiography (2010), Padma Shri (2010).

About the Golden Reel Award:

• The Golden Reel Award has been instituted by the MPSE.


• It recognises excellence in an array of sound editing achievement, sound effects and foley to dialogue & score integration & ADR to music.

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Resul Pookutty becomes 1st Asian to win Prestigious Golden Reel Award

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley presented Union Budget 2016-17

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley presented the Union Budget 2016-17 in the Parliament. It was the 2nd full year Budget of the NDA government under leadership of Prime Minister of Narendra Modi and the 3rd budget of Arun Jaitley as Finance Minister. The Union Finance minister has announced Nine pillars of the budget. They are rural sector, social sector including healthcare, education, skills & job creation, Agriculture and farmers’ welfare, Infrastructure, ease of doing business, financial sector reforms, fiscal discipline, tax reforms to reduce compliance burden.
Key Highlights:

• Higher allocation for agriculture, infrastructure and social sectors.


• Fiscal deficit pegged at 3.5 percent, Revenue deficit was at 2.5 percent during 2015-16.

Taxation

• 1% service charge on purchase of luxury cars over Rs. 10 lakh and in cash purchase of goods and services over Rs. 2 lakh.


• Companies with revenue less than Five crore rupees will be taxed at 29 percent plus surcharge. 5% Krishi Kalyan Cess to be levied on all services.


• Infrastructure cess to be levied. 1 percent excise imposed on articles of jewellery, excluding silver.


• 1 percent Pollution cess of on small petrol, CNG & LPG cars; 2.5 percent on diesel cars of certain specifications and on higher end models 4 percent cess.

Personal Finance

• No changes have been made to existing income tax slabs 1,000 crore rupees will be allocated for Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) scheme.


• Government will pay 8.33 percent EPF contribution for all new employees for 1st 3 years Exemption of 50,000 rupees for housing loans up to 35 lakh rupees, provided cost of house is not above 50 lakh rupees.


• 15 percent surcharge on income above Rs. 1 crore.

Social

• Allocation of Rs. 38,500 crore for MGNREGA for 2016-17 Allocation of Rs.9,500 crores for Swacch Bharat Abhiyan.


• LPG connections will be provided under the name of women members of family. Rs 2000 crore will be allocated for five years for BPL families.


• Government to launch new initiative to provide cooking gas to BPL families with state support. Grants of 2.87 lakh crore rupees to gram panchayats & municipalitie.


• Under Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission 300 urban clusters to be set up. 4 schemes for animal welfare.

Health

• New health protection scheme will be launched for health cover upto One lakh per family. Additional healthcare cover of Rs 30,000 will be provided to senior citizens under it.


• National Dialysis Service Programme will be launched at all district hospitals with funds through PPP mode. PM Jan Aushadhi Yojana will be strengthened and 300 generic drug store to be opened

Education

• For promoting entrepreneurship among SC/ST, Rs.500 crore will be allocated to Scheme 10 public & 10 private educational institutions will be made world class.


• Digital repository mandatory for all school leaving certificates & diplomas. For the higher education financing, allocation of Rs. 1,000 crore.


• Allocation of 1,700 crore rupees for 1500 multi skill development centres. 62 navodaya vidyalayas to be established to provide quality education.


• Digital literacy scheme will be launched to cover Six crore additional rural households. Entrepreneurship training will be provided at schools, colleges and massive online courses.


• Provide skill training to One crore youth under the PM Kaushal Vikas Yojna in the next Three years. 1500 Multi-skill training institutes will be set up.

Energy

• Allocation of 3000 crore for nuclear power generation Government to chalk out comprehensive plan for exploiting nuclear energy.


• Government to provide incentive for deepwater gas exploration & market freedom for it. Pre determined ceiling price will be on landed price of alternate fuels.

Investments & infrastructure

• 65 eligible habitats will be connected via 2.23 lakh kms of road. Current construction pace is 100 kms/day. Allocation of Rs. 27,000 crore on roadways and Rs.


• 55,000 crore for roads and highways. Total allocation of Rs 97,000 crore for road construction under PMGSY. Shops to be given option to remain open 24*7 across markets.


• On east & west coasts, new greenfield ports will be developed. Underserved airports will be revived. For regional connectivity centre to partner with States to revive small airports.


• 100 % FDI in food processing & marketing of food products produced and marketed in India. Department of Disinvestment to be renamed as Department of Investment and Public Asset Management.


• Government to amend Motor Vehicle Act in passenger vehicle segment to allow innovation. 100% tax exemption for startups for Three years.

Agriculture

• Total allocation of Rs 35984 crore for agriculture & farmer welfare. Five lakh hectares of land will be brought under irrigation.


• Five lakh acres will be brought under organic farming over a 3 year period. Allocation of 60,000 crore rupees for recharging of ground water to focus on drought hit areas cluster development for water conservation.


• 1000 crore rupees Dedicated Irrigation Fund in NABARD. Under the PM Fasal Bima Yojna, nominal premium and highest ever compensation in case of crop loss.

 

Banking

• Allocation of Rs 25,000 crore towards recapitalisation of public sector banks. Banking Board Bureau will be operationalised.


• Govt to increase ATMs, micro-ATMs in post offices in rural areas in next 3 years General Insurance companies will be listed in the stock exchange Under MUDRA, target of disbursement increased to 1,80,000 crore.

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Finance Minister Arun Jaitley presented Union Budget 2016-17

Leonardo DiCaprio wins the Oscar Award 2016

Leonardo DiCaprio has won the Academy Award for the Best Actor for his work in The Revenant. Presenter Julianne Moore, who won the Best Actress at last year’s awards, waited a respectable amount of time before announcing DiCaprio’s name, as if to see if she could make time itself pause briefly in anticipation.
About leo DiCarpio:

DiCarpio Born in 1974 without a statuette, Leonardo Willhelm DiCaprio has starred in over 2 dozen films, including the Gangs of New York & The Basketball Diaries. Leo once had an uncredited role as Darlene’s classmate in a 1991 episode of Roseanne. To date, DiCaprio has won over 40 awards and has been nominated Six times for an Oscar Award. This is his First win. and the finally curse is broken.

THE CURSE IS BROKEN

Following an extended applause, Leo DiCaprio thanked fellow nominees, the cast & crew of The Revenant.

“Climate change is real, it is happening right now, it is the most urgent threat facing our entire speices & we need to work collectively and stop procrastinating. We need to support the leaders around the world… whos speak for all of humanity.”

Other nominees in the category, who may or may not have even bothered to write acceptance speeches, include Bryan Cranston for Trumbo, Matt Damon for The Martian, Michael Fassbender for Steve Jobs,& Eddie Redmayne for The Danish Girl. And now, with Leo’s quest at an end, it’s time to start looking for the next perpetually snubbed performer to memeify.

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Leonardo DiCaprio wins the Oscar Award 2016

Wawrinka won the Dubai ATP Tennis title

On 28th February 2016 Stanislas Wawrinka won his 9th straight final to clinch the Dubai ATP Tennis title. The final played in Dubai, Wawrinka defeated Marcos Baghdatis in straight sets with 6-4, 7-6(13).

This was the 3rd time that Wawrinka has played in Dubai. In his previous 2 visits, swiss star never won a match.

The French Open champion claimed the 13th title of his career & the 2nd of the season after Chennai, improving to 13-2 in 2016. This was his 2nd title of the year. He won a 3rd consecutive Chennai title in January 2016.

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Wawrinka won the Dubai ATP Tennis title

Additional Finance Secretary Dinesh Sharma elected as Chairperson of the Governing Council of IFAD

Dinesh Sharma, the Additional Finance Secretary and India’s Governor to the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) was unanimously elected as Chairperson of the Governing Council of IFAD for a period of 2 years in its 39th Session held on 17 February and 18 February 2016 in Rome, Italy.

Governing Council Session of IFAD was marked by the special focus on inclusive growth and on the investments required to meet the sustainable development goals in the realm of eradicating poverty & hunger.

About the International Fund for Agriculture Development:

• International Fund for Agriculture Development was set-up in 1977 as the 13 Specialised Agency of United Nations.

• It works towards removing the poverty & hunger in rural areas all over the world.

• India is a founder member of the IFAD and a key contributor among the member countries.

• It is managed by the 2 main governing bodies:

the Governing Council and the Executive Board. Governing Council is the highest decision making body & consists of 176 member countries.

• The President of the IFAD is Kanayo F. Nwanze from Nigeria, who was elected for a 2nd 4-year term in 2013.

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Additional Finance Secretary Dinesh Sharma elected as Chairperson of the Governing Council of IFAD

Vinod Rai appointed as 1st Chairman of the Banks Board Bureau

Former Comptroller & Auditor General (CAG) Vinod Rai has been appointed as1st Chairman of the Banks Board Bureau (BBB). His appointment comes after Prime Minister has approved the proposal of the Department of Financial Services for constitution of the Banks Board Bureau.
Appointed Members of Banks Board Bureau are Vinod Rai :

Vinod Rai is former CAG from January 2008 and May 2013.

N. Sinor (Member): He is former Joint Managing Director of ICICI Bank.
Anil K Khandelwal (Member):

He is former CMD of Bank of Baroda’s Rupa Kudwa (Members)

She is former chief of CRISIL. The tenure of Mr Rai and other members of board will be of 2 years.
About the Banks Board Bureau :

• BBB will be a super authority of eminent professionals and officials for public sector banks (PSBs). It will replace the Appointments Board of Government.


• The bureau was announced by the Union Government in August 2015 as part of 7 point Indradhanush Mission to revamp the PSBs.


• Functions:Give recommendations for appointment of full time Directors as well as non-Executive Chairman of the PSBs.


• Give advice to the PSBs in developing differentiated strategies for raising funds through innovative financial methods & instruments and to deal with the issues of stressed assets.


• Guide banks on mergers and consolidations and also ways to address the bad loans problem among other issues.


• Currently, there are 22 other state owned banks or PSBs in India including the State Bank of India (SBI), IDBI Bank & Bhartiya Mahila Bank etc.

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Vinod Rai appointed as 1st Chairman of the Banks Board Bureau

Economic Survey 2015-16: Sectoral Overview - IV

On 26th February 2016 the Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitely presented the Economic Survey of India 2015-16 in the Parliament.

The Survey reviews the developments in the Indian economy over the previous 12 months, summarises the performance on major development programmes and highlights the policy initiatives of the government and the prospects of the economy in the short to medium term.
Expenditure on Social Infrastructure

• Expenditure on education as a proportion of GDP has hovered around 3% during the period 2008-09 to 2014-15.

• Similarly, there has not been any significant change in the expenditure on health as a proportion of GDP, which has remained stagnant at less than 2% during the same period.

Education

• Though India has made considerable progress in education over the years, there still persist inequalities in access and achievements across regions & populations.

• There has been perceptible improvement in the education of girls, with the Gender Parity Index becoming favourable at all levels of school education, except for SC students in higher education & ST students at all levels of education, for which special efforts have to be made.
Employment Scenario

• As per the 4th Annual Employment-Unemployment Survey conducted by the Labour Bureau during the period January 2014 to July 2014, the Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) (usual principal status) is 52.5 for all persons.

• The LFPR of women is significantly lower than that of males in both rural & urban areas.

• A notable aspect of the employment situation in India is the large share of informal employment & growth in informal employment in the organized sector.

• The share of informal employment in total employment has remained above 90 % throughout the period 2004-05 to 2011-12.
Health & Sanitation

• According to the World Bank’s Universal Health Coverage Index 2015, India’s level of immunization is very low.

• With the aim of covering all those children who are either unvaccinated, or are partially vaccinated, against 7 vaccine preventable diseases by 2020, Mission Indradhanush was launched in December 2014 and has covered 352 districts of the country so far.
• Swachh Bharat Mission:

More than 122 lakh toilets have already been constructed in rural areas since the beginning of the Swachh Bharat Mission.

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Economic Survey 2015-16: Sectoral Overview - IV

Mumbai has won the Ranji Trophy for the 41st time

On 26th February 2016 Mumbai has won the Ranji Trophy with an innings and 21 runs victory over the Saurashtra. It won the trophy for the 1st time in 3 seasons.

With this, they have 41 titles in 45 finals with Ten of them being an innings victory. Karnataka stands 2nd in the overall Ranji standings with 8 titles.

It was the repeat of 2012-13 final where Mumbai had made short work of Saurashtra with an innings & 125-run victory.

Mumbai made 371 runs in 82.2 overs in their 1st innings and in reply Saurashtra managed 235 & 115 runs in 1st & 2nd innings respectively.

Mumbai pacer Shardul Thakur shackled opposition batting in the 2nd innings and claimed 5 wickets for 26 runs in 13.2 overs to took his match tally to 8.

Shreyas Iyer was named man of the match for his 117 runs in Mumbai’s only innings of the match. He ended the season as the leading run-getter with 1321 runs at 73.38 including 4 centuries and 7 fifties.

In 2015, the trophy was Karnataka which was their 8th title. In the final, Karnataka defeated Tamil Nadu.

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Mumbai has won the Ranji Trophy for the 41st time

Former Scientific Adviser to Defence Minister Dr Avinash Chander received Aryabhata Award 2013

On 25 February 2016 Former Scientific Adviser to Defence Minister & ex-DRDO chief Dr Avinash Chander received the Astronautical Society of India’s Aryabhata Award 2013.

Dr. Avinash Chander received the award from Dr R Chidambaram, Principal Scientific Adviser to Union Government and Dr AS Kiran Kumar, Chairman ISRO, at ASI-ISRO Awards function That held at Space Applications Centre in Ahmedabad.

Besides, Dr.Ranganath R Navalgund, Vikram Sarabhai Distinguished Professor, received the Aryabhata Award for the year 2012.
About the Aryabhata Award:

• It was named after the 5th century Indian astronomer & mathematician and also in commemoration of the 1st Indian Satellite launched on 19 April 1975, Aryabhata.

• It is presented every year to an individual for outstanding lifetime contribution to promotion of astronautics in India.

• It consists of a citation and 1,0000 rupees in cash.

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Former Scientific Adviser to Defence Minister Dr Avinash Chander received Aryabhata Award 2013

India losses solar case against the US at WTO

India has lost solar case against the United States(US) at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) for in breaching of international trade rules. In this regard, WTO’s Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) ruled that India’s domestic content requirement for National Solar Mission (NSM) discriminated against imported solar technology. The DSB ruled that India domestic content requirement lacked domestic manufacturing capacity in solar cells & modules and there was risk of a disruption in imports.
What is the case?

• United States had dragged India to WTO’s DSB in 2013 alleging that domestic content requirement on solar power developers discriminated against American and other imported solar technology. .

Implications of this decision:

• United State companies manufacturing solar equipments are looking NSM which has set an ambitious target of generating 20,000 Mega Watts solar power by 2022 as a big business potential.

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India losses solar case against the US at WTO

The Union Government appoints Three Information commissioners of CIC

Union Government has appointed 3 Information Commissioners at the Central Information Commission (CIC). They were administered the oath of office by the Chief Information Commissioner Radha Krishna Mathur. With their induction, for the 1st time CIC has full strength i.e. the total number of Information Commissioners including the Commissioners at the Central Information Commission has gone up to 11. Their appointments have been made for a term of Five years or till they turn 65.
Appointees are Amitava Bhattacharya: He is retired IAS officer who had served Chairman of the Staff Selection Commission (SSC)
Bimal Julka: He is retired IAS officer who had served as Information & Broadcasting Secretary.

Divya Prakash Sinha: He is retired IPS officer and counter terror veteran who had served as Secretary (security) at the Cabinet Secretariat.
About Central Information Commission:

• CIC is designated statutory authority to receive and inquire into a complaint from any person who have not been able to submit information.


• It was established in 2005 as per the The Right To Information (RTI) Act, 2005 that has provisions for establishment of Central and State information commissioner.

Appointment:

The Chief Information Commissioner & Information Commissioners are appointed by President on the recommendation of a selection committee comprising of Prime Minister as Chairperson, leader of single largest opposition party in the Lok Sabha and Union Cabinet Minister nominated by the Prime Minister.

Tenure: The Chief Information Commissioner & Information Commissioner hold office for a term of five years or till he attains the age of 65 years.Chief Information Commissioner is not eligible for reappointment.

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The Union Government appoints Three Information commissioners of CIC

Rajendra Singh appointed as New DG of Coast Guard

Union Government has appointed Rajendra Singh as the Director General (DG) of Indian Coast Guard (ICG), country’s coastal protection force. With this appointment, Rajendra Singh becomes the 1st DG of ICG from its own internal cadre since it was set up in 1978. So far this top post was only held by the officers who were commissioned in Indian Navy. R.Singh will replace Vice Admiral HCS Bisht who has been promoted as the Flag Officer Commanding in Chief of the Eastern Naval Command.
About Rajendra Singh:

• Mr. Singh is 1980 batch officer of ICG cadre. Prior to this appointment R.Singh was serving as Additional Director General (ADG).


• He was the 1st officer from the Coast Guard cadre elevated to 3 star officer by the Union Defence Ministry (UDM) during his appointment to as ADG in 2013.


• He has commanded each class of Coast Guard Ship in service, which includes the Interceptor Boat, Fast Patrol Vessel, Inshore Patrol Vessel, Offshore Patrol Vessel & Advanced Offshore Patrol Vessel.


• R.Singh has served in various capacities both ashore and afloat and has an impeccable track record in the field of Operations, Administration, HR and Policy and Plans as well.

Awards: He was awarded the Tatrakshak Medal (TM) by the President on Aug 15, 2002.
About the Indian Coast Guard:

• Indian Coast Guard is India’s statutory multi-mission paramilitary organization that protects country’s maritime interests or enforces maritime law.


• It was established on 18th August, 1978 by the Coast Guard Act, 1978 and operates under the aegis of Union Ministry of Defence (UMD).


• It has jurisdiction over the territorial waters of India, including its contiguous zone and exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

 

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Rajendra Singh appointed as New DG of Coast Guard

Lok Sabha passes Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2016

Lok Sabha has been passed Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2016 to grant voting rights to people who became citizens of India following the exchange of enclaves between India & Bangladesh. The bill seeks to amend the Representation of the People Act, 1950 and the Delimitation Act, 2002. These Acts regulate allocation of seats to the Lok Sabha and state legislatures and delimitation of parliamentary or state assembly constituencies.
Key facts:

• This bill aims to empower the Election Commission of India to carry out delimitation in areas that were affected by the enactment of the Constitution (100th Amendment) Act, 2015.


• Under the 2015 Act, enclaves were exchanged between India & Bangladesh. India received 51 enclaves from Bangladesh and transferred 111 enclaves to Bangladesh in July 2015.


• The bill empowers ECI to amend the delimitation order for:


• (i) Include in the relevant constituencies the Bangladeshi enclaves that were transferred to India.


• (ii) Exclude of relevant constituencies in the Indian enclaves that were transferred to Bangladesh.


• The RPA, 1950 and Delimitation Act, 2002 provide the ECI the responsibility to maintain up-to-date delimitation orders. Delimitation orders specify the boundaries of territorial constituencies.

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Lok Sabha passes Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2016

Union Government extended E-Tourist Visa Scheme extended to 37 more countries

The Union Government has extended e-Tourist Visa Scheme to 37 more countries. With this, the total count of countries under the scheme will become 150. The new countries included in e-Tourist Visa scheme are Austria, Albania, Botswana, Brunei, Bulgaria, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Comoros, Cote d’lvoire, Cape Verde, Czech Republic, Croatia, Eritrea, Denmark, Gabon, Greece, Guinea, Gambia, Ghana, Madagascar, Malawi, Iceland, Lesotho, Liberia, San Marino, Moldova, Namibia, Romania, South Africa, Swaziland, Switzerland, Senegal, Serbia, Slovakia, Trinidad & Tobago, Tajikistan, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

About E-Tourist Visa Scheme :

• Union Government had launched e-Tourist Visa Scheme in November 2014. e-Tourist Visa Scheme facilitates pre-authorization of Visa i.e. electronic travel authorization given to foreigners prior to travel.


• Under this scheme, an applicant registers for visa online and receives an email authorizing him/her to travel to India after it is approved.


• On arrival, the visitor has to present the authorization to the immigration authorities who will in turn allow to enter into the country.


• Scheme seeks to tap the vast tourism potential of India which still remains untapped & explored.

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Union Government extended E-Tourist Visa Scheme extended to 37 more countries

1st time Falcated Duck sighted in Goa

Birdwatchers for 1st time have sighted Falcated Duck in Goa which is considered as rare vagrant migrant bird species to the south of India. Earlier the bird was sighted 2 times in southern parts of India away from its natural migratory habitat in North India. For 1st time ever it was sighted in Tamil Nadu in 2012 and the 2nd time in Akola (Maharashtra) in January 2015.

About the Falcated Duck:

Falcated Duck is a migratory bird, breeding in Russia & north China in summers and in winter migrate towards north of India.

Conservation prioritisation: The Falcated Duck is classified as near threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. World population of this species is about 89,000 individuals as per the recent estimates.

Threats faced globally: Loss of habitat and hunting. Loss of habitat especially wetland ecosystem in their winter migratory region is also a cause for concern.

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1st time Falcated Duck sighted in Goa

India’s 1st nuclear submarine INS Arihant passes the deep sea tests

India’s 1st indigenously built nuclear armed submarine INS Arihant has been successfully passed several deep sea diving drills as well as weapons launch tests. These successful tests undertaken off Vishakhapatnam coast where submarine was build. These tests makes it ready for formal induction into the Naval Fleet.
About the INS Arihant:

• INS Arihant’s design is based on Russian Akula-1 class submarine. It is 6,000 tonne nuclear powered submarine & is 112 M long.


• Powered by 83 Mega Watt pressurised light water reactor built with Russia’s help. This reactor generates the tremendous heat, driving a steam turbine.


• Capable of launching 12 short range nuclear capable ballistic missile BO-5 (K 15) which has a range of 700 kms & 4K 4 ballistic missile with a range of 3,500 killo meter.


• Presently, Indian Navy operates the INS Chakra, a nuclear powered submarine which is leased for 10 years from Russia in 2012.

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India’s 1st nuclear submarine INS Arihant passes the deep sea tests

Naval Exercise IBSAMAR 2016 between the India, South Africa & Brazil kicked off in Goa

5th edition of IBSAMAR 2016 trilateral naval exercise between Brazil, India & South Africa kicked off in Goa. IBSAMAR is abbreviated as India-Brazil and South Africa Maritime. This is the for the 1st time the exercise is held in India as all the previous editions were held in South Africa since it began in 2006.
Key facts:

• This trilateral naval exercise aims at increasing :
  
  (i) Interoperability among navies of three countries
  
  (ii) Common understanding maritime security between them.


• This edition of IBSAMAR naval exercise will be conducted 2 phases namely Harbour phase and Sea Phase.


• During harbour phase, wide range of the professional interactions will be undertaken & during Sea Phase diverse range operational activities will be conducted off Goa coast.


• The thrust of the exercises will be on anti submarine warfare (ASW), air defence, flying operations, surface firing, search & rescue & tactical procedures.


• Indian navy is represented by INS Mumbai– a missile destroyer, INS Shalki– a Shisuhumar class diesel electric submarine and INS trishul– a stealth frigate.


• The Brazilian Navy is represented by the Brazilian Naval Ship (BNS) Amazonas embarked with Special Forces. South African Navy is represented by the SAS Spioenkop with integral helicopter & embarked with the Special Forces.

Comment The IBSAMAR trilateral naval exercise epitomises the strong long-term strategic relationship between the three democracies or vibrant economies. It represents the most visible manifestation of convergence of democratic values, economic interests and maritime co-operation.

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Naval Exercise IBSAMAR 2016 between the India, South Africa & Brazil kicked off in Goa

Ex-CJI HL Dattu selected as new the new Chairman of NHRC

The Union Government has been selected former Chief Justice of India (CJI) H L Dattu as the new Chairman of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). HL Dattu will succeed Mr. K.G. Balakrishnan who had demitted office after his 5 year term ended in May 2015. Since then Justice C Joseph is functioning as the acting Chairman.

Background Selection Committee: HL Dattu was selected by the high powered committee headed by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The committee also included Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, The Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha P J Kurien and the leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad. His name will be sent to the President for his approval.
Statutory provisions:

As per the provisions of Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, President appoints the Chairman and the members of the NHRC on the recommendation of the high powered committee headed by Prime Minister.

About H L Dattu:

HL Dattu Born on 3rd December 1950 in Chikmagalur in then Mysore State. Dattu had started his legal career in 1975 after enrolling as an advocate in Bangalore and dealt with all types of matters like criminal, civil, tax & Constitutional cases. 1983 onwards he had appeared in various capacities before the Karnataka High Court including as government pleader for sales tax department etc. HL Dattu was designated as a senior standing counsel for the IT department. Later in 1995, he was elevated as judge of Karnataka High Court. In 2007, he was also elevated as the Chief Justice of the Chhattisgarh High Court and later was shifted in the same capacity to Kerala High Court. HL DAttu was 42nd Chief Justice of India from September 28, 2014 to December 2, 2015.

NHRC: It is apex statutory watchdog of human rights in the country,the rights related to life, liberty, equality & dignity of the individual guaranteed by the Constitution or embodied in international convents.

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Ex-CJI HL Dattu selected as new the new Chairman of NHRC

Agreement on the Cessation of Hostilities in Syria to come into effect on 27 February

US – Russia announced to have reached an Agreement on Cessation of Hostilities in Syria that will come into effect on 27th February 2016.

The announcement was made by United State Secretary of State John Kerry & Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as co-chairs of the International Syria Support Group Ceasefire Taskforce.

The agreement said that the group would work to “develop procedures” to ensure those abiding by the deal are not attacked by Russian armed forces or a United State-led coalition both of which are carrying out air strikes in the country.

It also said that the truce did not include so-called Islamic State in Iraq & Syria (ISIS) and the al-Qaeda-linked Nusra Front. Thus, the air strikes by Syria, Russia and the US-led coalition against ISIS, Nusra & other terrorist organisations designated by the UN would continue.

The agreement was welcomed by the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon who said that, if respected, the agreement would constitute a significant step forward in the implementation of Security Council Resolution 2254 (2015).

The Resolution 2254 gave the UN an enhanced role in shepherding the opposing sides to talks for a political transition, endorsing a timetable for a ceasefire, a new constitution and elections.

So far more than 2 lakhs 50 thousands Syrians have been killed in the conflict which began in March 2011.

Meanwhile, Syria’s government led by President Bashar al-Assad has called for a parliamentary election on 13 April 2016. Assad issued a decree, which included seat allocations for each of the provinces in Syria, which last held parliamentary elections in May 2012.

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Agreement on the Cessation of Hostilities in Syria to come into effect on 27 February

RBI extended SAARC Currency Swap Arrangement

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 23rd February 2016 extended the Two billion US dollars SAARC Currency Swap Arrangement till 14th November 2017. The extension aims at enhacing economic co-operation and strengthens financial stability within the SAARC region.

Under this arrangement, Reserve Bank of India will offer Swap Arrangement up to and overall amount of Two billion US dollar both in foreign currency & Indian rupee to SAARC nations.

Reserve Bank of India offered the SAARC Swap Arrangement to SAARC nations on 15th November 2012. All SAARC member countries including the Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan & Sri Lanka can avail the facility.

Swap amount available to various member central banks has been arrived at broadly based on 2 months import cover subject to a floor of 100 million US dollar and a maximum of 400 million US dollar per country.

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RBI extended SAARC Currency Swap Arrangement

India remains the world’s largest arms importer

India continues to remain the world’s largest arms importer, accounting for 14 percent of the global arms imports in the 2011-2015 timeframe. It was revealed by report on the international arms transfers released by a global think tank, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
Key highlights:

• Top arms importers are:
  
  India (14 percent), China (4.7 percent), Australia (3.6 percent), Pakistan (3.3 percent), Vietnam (2.9 percent) and South Korea (2.6 percent).


• India’s arms imports: It remains 3 times greater than those of its rivals Pakistan & China. Its biggest suppliers are Russia, United States, Israel and France.


• This indicates India’s failure to build a strong domestic defence industrial base and Indian arms industry has failed to produce competitive indigenously designed weapons.


• India has spent over the 120 $ billion on arms acquisitions over the last 15 years most of them from foreign suppliers.


• China’s scenario: Earlier China used to be top on the imports chart but in past few decades it has gradually built a stronger.


• China has emerged as the world’s 3rd largest arms exporter after United States and Russia.


• Pakistan is the main recipient of Chinese arms exports accounting for 35 percent of the total imports followed by the Bangladesh (20 percent) and Myanmar (16 percent).


• Russia is China’s largest arms supplier accounting for 59 percent followed by France (15 percent) and Ukraine (14 percent).

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India remains the world’s largest arms importer

Pakistan Parliament has becomes the 1st in world to run entirely on solar power

Pakistan’s Parliament building located in national capital Islamabad became the 1st in the world to completely run on solar power. It achieved this feat after pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif switched on solar powered building of parliament in a simple ceremony.
Key facts: 

• Project to run parliament building on solar power is a venture supported by Pakistan’s close ally & strategic partner China.


• It was launched in 2015 when Chinese President Xi Jinping visited and addressed the Parliament.


• The project was 1st announced in 2014 by the Chinese government as an act of friendship with financial support of $55 million.


• The solar panels of parliament have installed capacity 80 MW of which 62 MW is sufficient for it while remaining 18 MW will be connected to national grid.


• It is for 1st time since Pakistan became independent in 1947, the parliament became self sufficient in electricity through the solar power.

Note: Currently, there some parliaments in world like Israel’s Knesset that partly run on solar power.
About the Parliament of Pakistan:

It is officially termed as Majlis-e-Shoora in Urdu. It is the federal and supreme legislative body of Pakistan. It is a bicameral legislature that consists of the Senate and the National Assembly (lower houses).

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Pakistan Parliament has becomes the 1st in world to run entirely on solar power

Japan has been launched the astronomy satellite ASTRO-H

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has been successfully launched astronomy satellite ASTRO-H from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture.

The satellite was launched on board H-IIA rocket, which was previously known as New X-ray Telescope (NeXT), and is expected to operate in low Earth orbit for 3 years.
Features of ASTRO-H Mission:

• ASTRO-H is the eye to study the hot & energetic universe. The ‘H’ refers to the word Japanese word Hitomi that means pupil or entrance window of the eye.

• Mission involves the 2700 KG satellite that is equipped with the Four telescopes & Six detectors, allowing it to study both “hard” and “soft” x-rays & gamma rays.

• High energy astronomy mission primarily seeks to study X-Rays emanating mainly from black holes and galaxy clusters.

• Mission was led by the JAXA in partnership with the NASA, European Space Agency, Canadian Space Agency, Netherlands Institute for Space Research & universities in Japan, Europe & North America.

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Japan has been launched the astronomy satellite ASTRO-H

Prem Kumar won silver in long jump at Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar

On 22 February 2016 India’s Kumaravel Prem Kumar bagged silver in long jump at the 7th Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar. Prem Kumar cleared creditable 7.92m in his final attempt to win the silver.

Zhang Yaoguang of China won gold with a best effort of 7.99m. Another Indian, Ankit Sharma could manage only 7.66m with 4 fouls which marred his chance to win a medal.

Om Prakash Singh Karhana added a bronze in shot put by clearing a distance of 18.77m. With this, the Indians signed off their campaign in Doha with One Gold, Three silver and Three bronze medals.

In the overall rankings, Indian Women’s team finished at the 6th place while men’s team could succeed in securing the 8th spot. The only gold medal for India was won by the Mayookha Johny who topped the podium in long jump.

Meanwhile, Ranchi will host 2017 Asian Athletics (Outdoor) Championships.

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Prem Kumar won silver in long jump at Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar

Indian origin Sikh officer Amar Singh appointed as Commissioner of Police of Kuala Lumpur

An Indian-origin Sikh officer Amar Singh was in news in the 3rd week of February 2016 as he was appointed as the Kuala Lumpur’s commissioner of police. It was the highest police rank that achieved by a Sikh in Malaysia.

Amar Singh succeeded Tajuddin Mohamed, who will be moved to federal headquarters as the deputy director of commercial CID on 14th March 2016.

At the time of this appointment, Amar Singh was holding the position of deputy director of CID.

As per the Malaysia Samachar website, the highest police rank achieved by any Sikh before this appointment was a senior assistant commissioner-I. Santokh Singh was the one who became police chief of Selangor state.
About Amar Singh:

• His father and maternal grandfather were both policemen.

• His father Ishar Singh relocted to Malaysia from Punjab in 1938 & joined the Federated Malay States Police in 1939.

• His maternal grandfather, Bachan Singh has joined the police force in the early 1900s and served as a constable.

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Indian origin Sikh officer Amar Singh appointed as Commissioner of Police of Kuala Lumpur

Vinay Kumar Singh has appointed as new Manaing Director of NCRTC

Indian Railway Officer Vinay Kumar Singh has been appointed as MD of National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC). Prior to this appointment, Vinay Kumar was working with Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), a railway PSU involved in the study of high speed rail corridors. Vinsy Kumar was appointed by the search & selection committee through an interview process. The committee comprised of Urban Development Secretary, official from the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Railway Board Member (Staff) and expert from World Bank.
About National Capital Region Transport Corporation:

• NCRTC is a nodal implementing agency of the 3 corridors of the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) in the National Capital Region (NCR) zone. The 3 rapid rail corridors will connect capital with Panipat, Meerut & Alwar.


• Established: Headquarter:


• New Delhi. Functions: Undertake design construction, operation and maintenance of the RRTS project on a similar pattern as the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation.


• RRTS: It uses the maglev technology recommended by the High Speed Rail Authority (HSRA) to provide high speed travel services compared to current Delhi Metro. RRTS corridors will facilitate high speed travel connectivity between the capital and suburb covering Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan & Uttar Pradesh.

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Vinay Kumar Singh has appointed as new Manaing Director of NCRTC

Renjith Maheswary won silver in Triple jumper at Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in Qatar

Triple jumper Renjith Maheswary won the silver medal at 7th Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar. His silver helped India to increase its medal tally to 5 in the championships.

Maheswary had a modest jump of 16.16 metres. Gold went to Kazakhstan’s Roman Valiyev with 16.69m & Rashid Ahmed Al Mannai won the bronze with 15.97m.
India’s other medal winners in the event are:

• Mayookha Johny won the Gold in long jump and silver in triple jump

• Dutee Chand won Bronze in 60m sprint

• Sugandha Kumari won Bronze in women’s 1500m

Dutee got the Bronze in women’s 60m dash after clocking 7.37 seconds in the final game. Earlier in the day, she had shattered the national record at Asian Indoor Athletics Championships on her way to win the medal in 7.28 seconds. The earlier best timing by an Indian in women’s 60m race was the 7.81 seconds in the name of Arjina Khatun set during the Asian Indoor Games in Hanoi, Vietnam in 2009.

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Renjith Maheswary won silver in Triple jumper at Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in Qatar

India and Nepal ink 7 Agreements

India & Nepal have signed 7 agreements for co-operation in various fields. These agreements were signed at a summit meeting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his visiting Nepali counter part KP Sharma Oli in New Delhi. This is the 1st official foreign visit of K.P. Sharma Oli after he became Prime Minister of Nepal.

Signed Agreements are:

• MoU on Post earth quake re-construction assistance:
  
  It deals with utilization of US 250 million dollars Grant component India’s Assistance package for Post earthquake reconstruction assistance of Nepal.


• MoU on strengthening of road infrastructure in Nepal:
  
  It will enable speedy implementation of remaining work on 17 Roads in Terai area of Nepal.


• MoU in the field of performing arts:
  
  Singed between Nepal Academy of Music and Drama & Sangeet Natak Academy. It aims to enhance relations in the field of performing arts between both countries.


• Letters of Exchange on Transit Routes:
  
  (i) Operationalization of Vishakhapatnam Port. (ii) Transit between Nepal and Bangladesh through Kakarbitta-Banglabandh corridor.


• Letters of Exchange on Rail Transport:
  
  (i) Rail transit facility through Singhabad for Nepal’s Trade with Bangladesh. (ii) Rail transport to and from Vishakhapatnam.


• Inauguration of Muzaffarpur-Dhalkebar transmission line:
  
  Initial supply of 80 MW from Nepal to India. It will be later augmented to 200 MW by October 2016 & 600 MW by December 2017.


• Establishment of Eminent Persons Group (EPG):
  
  It will comprise Eight members with each country nominating Four members. Its mandate would be to review bilateral relations and recommend measures including institutional frameworks in order to enhance bilateral ties.

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India and Nepal ink 7 Agreements

Swachh Himachal Padhai bhi, Safai bhi campaign was launched

HPCA (Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association) has been launched ‘Swachh Himachal – Padhai bhi, Safai bhi’ campaign in Dharamsala. With this unique campaign, Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association became the 1st cricket association in the country to work towards Swatch Bharat Abhiyan initiated by the Union Government.
Some Key facts:

• The campaign aims at involving youth to promote good health and sanitation in urban & rural areas in the Himalayan state.


• Its objective is to showcase Himachal’s beauty as India’s cleanest & greenest state. Under it, the sport of cricket will be linked with the Swatch Bharat Abhiyan and youth’s will be termed as Swatch Captain & teachers as Swatch Coach.


• They will start cleanliness drive with the help of students from universities, educational institutes and then in their local neighbourhood.

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Swachh Himachal Padhai bhi, Safai bhi campaign was launched

Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan Govt. set up SPVs for implementation of Smart City Plans

Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan Government have set up Special Purpose Vehicles (SPV) for the implementation of Smart City Plans. SPVs have been set up for 5 cities: Jabalpur, Indore & Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh and Jaipur & Udaipur in Rajasthan. These cities are among the 1st batch of the 20 winners of Smart City Challenge Competition that held by the Union Ministry of Urban Development. The Ministry will release 200 crore rupees for each of the 20 selected cities only after SPVs are set up.

Smart Cities Project:

The Smart Cities mission is a pet project of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that seeks to improve infrastructure or service delivery of selected cities through application of Information & Communication Technology (ICT) and e-governance. Urban local Bodies and State Governments will play a key supportive role in the development of the Smart Cities.
Special Purpose Vehicles (SPV):

• SPVs must be registered under the Companies Act, 2013 to ensure timely, cost effective and efficient execution of smart city projects with operational freedom.


• They will ensure that the qualities of the outcomes of these smart city projects are benchmarked against global standards.


• SPVs shall have 50-50 equity that will held by states & respective urban local bodies. Private equity is also allowed but the management control will rest with the Governments only.


• SPVs will be headed by a CEO and shall approve, sanction and execute the projects besides mobilizing resources from various sources.

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Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan Govt. set up SPVs for implementation of Smart City Plans

India, Myanmar conduct 4th co-ordinated patrol

4th edition of the India and Myanmar Co-ordinated Patrol (IMCOR) was successfully undertaken from February 13 to 16, 2016. It was conducted by the navies of the 2 countries along the strategically significant International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) in the Andaman Sea & Bay of Bengal. In this edition IMCOR, Indian Navy Ships Saryu and Bitra along with the Myanmar Ships Aung Zeya & FAC 563 participated. Navies of India and Myanmar are conducting bilateral IMCOR along the Maritime boundary since 2013 as part of the ongoing India-Myanmar defence relations.

Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) Signed:

• During the Closing Ceremony of Fourth IMCOR, Indian Navy & Myanmar Navy also singed Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for IMCOR.


• The signing of the SOP will facilitate smooth conduct of co-ordinated patrols between 2 friendly neighbours that share a long maritime boundary in the strategically significant Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal.


• With this Myanmar became only the 3rd country after Indonesia and Thailand with which India has signed a formal agreement for maritime co-ordinated patrols.


• It reflects growing naval interaction between India and Myanmar and is significant achievement in case of Naval patrolling.

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India, Myanmar conduct 4th co-ordinated patrol