Current Affairs 2017

Current Affairs eBook May 2013 Page 1
www.jagranjosh.com Current Affairs eBook May 2013

Page 1
Table of Contents
Preface .......................................................................................................................................... 19
Pick of the Month ......................................................................................................................... 20
Chinese Premier Li Keqiangs visit to India ........................................................................... 20
Pakistan Election 2013 .......................................................................................................... 26
Union Cabinet declared Year 2013 as Water Conservation Year ......................................... 28
RBI reduced the Repo Rate by 25 Basis Points to 7.25 Percent ........................................... 29
Union Cabinet raised OBC Creamy layer Criteria to 6 Lakh .................................................. 30
Indian indigenously developed Rotavirus Vaccine revealed ................................................ 30
Report: Arctic Seas Acidifying at a Fast Pace ........................................................................ 31
Angelina Jolie underwent Double Mastectomy.................................................................... 32
US Scientists Created frist Cloned Human Embryo .............................................................. 32
Legendary Footballer, David Beckham announced Retirement ........................................... 33
International ................................................................................................................................. 34
Nevada Became First US State to Legalise Online Casino .................................................... 34
Ireland Unveiled the Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill ............................................. 35
Maryland Abolished Death Penalty ...................................................................................... 35
Japan Concluded Deal with UAE on Nuclear Power Technology.......................................... 35
New Gas Reserve discovered in Southern Sindh Province ................................................... 36
India granted Consular Access to Pakistan on Daily Basis .................................................... 36
India-Iran Joint Commission was held in Tehran .................................................................. 37
British Territories Signed Deal on sharing Tax Information.................................................. 38
Chinese Ships Sailed Into Disputed Waters of Senkaku Islands ........................................... 38
Libyas Parliament passed Law Banning Gaddafi-era Officials ............................................. 39
India & China pulled back Troops from Daulat Beg Oldi Sector ........................................... 40
National Front won the 13th General Elections of Malaysia ................................................ 40

Page 2
Saudi Arabia on Extension of Grace Period for Foreigners .................................................. 40
14th India-Australia JMC Meeting held in New Delhi ........................................................... 41
Najib Razak sworn in as PM of Malaysia for 2nd Term .......................................................... 41
Cuba launched Complaint against Australian Tobacco laws ................................................ 42
China exported Arms worth 11 Billion US $ in 5 Years ......................................................... 43
World Bank agreed Grant of 100mn USD to Afghanistan .................................................... 43
Russia & USA Commitment to Negotiate to End Syrian Conflict .......................................... 44
British Parliament agreed to Outlaw Caste Discrimination .................................................. 44
Arab League agreed to Israel-Palestine Land Swap Agreement ........................................... 45
US Sanctions against 4 Iranian Nuclear Supply Companies .................................................. 45
Eighth India-Seychelles Joint Commission Meet concluded ................................................ 45
India and China signed Protocol to Enhance Cooperation ................................................... 46
Iran gave Reuters Permission to reopen its Tehran Bureau ................................................. 47
India & Netherlands signed MoU in Field of Urban Planning ............................................... 47
INSEE confirmed that France has Slipped into Recession .................................................... 47
State of Emergency in Three States in Nigeria ..................................................................... 48
India-Lanka FTA Handbook released in Colombo ................................................................. 49
India was granted an Observer Status by Arctic Council ...................................................... 49
5th IBSA Women's Forum Resolution Approved .................................................................. 50
UN adopted Resolution on Syria for Political Transition ...................................................... 51
14th Round of IndiaEU BTIA Negotiation Concluded ......................................................... 52
USA cleared Shale Gas Export to India ................................................................................. 52
North Korea Test Fired Four Missiles off Coast in Two Days ................................................ 52
India Asked for more Market Access from Japan ................................................................. 53
Afghanistan blocked Law on Elimination of Violence against Women ................................ 53
Work on Inga Dam on Congo River to Start in 2015 ............................................................. 54

Page 3
Indias Investments in Sri Lanka reach 1 Billion Dollars Mark .............................................. 55
India and UK Signed MoU on Cooperation in Health sector ................................................ 55
Indo-Swiss Bilateral MeetConcluded at Geneva................................................................... 56
US senators approved 5000 Visas for Tibetan Refugees ...................................................... 57
2nd US-India Homeland Security Dialogue held in Washington ............................................ 57
Indo-China Bilateral Meet on Healthcare Sector held .......................................................... 58
Robert Mugabe signed Zimbabwe's New Constitution into Law ......................................... 58
Obama Defended Drones calling it Just War of Self Defence............................................... 59
China commissioned Satellite Data Receiving Station.......................................................... 59
India-Saudi Arabia Strengthen Cooperation ......................................................................... 60
Israel became the Worlds largest Exporter of UAVs ........................................................... 60
International Quizzes ............................................................................................................ 61
World Dairy ................................................................................................................................... 63
National ......................................................................................................................................... 67
Union Cabinet approved Launch of NUHM .......................................................................... 67
CCS Approved 11000 crore Project for Modernisation of CPF ............................................. 68
Govt launched Vaccination Programme in High-Risk Areas ................................................. 69
Govt envisaged over 12 billion Dollars Investment in Aviation ............................................ 69
Kudankulam Nuclear Plant Got Approval for Operations .................................................... 70
Union Cabinet approved Changes to Aajeevika of NRLM .................................................... 71
Cabinet approved Low Interest Loans for Women SHG ....................................................... 72
Inter-Ministerial Group to check Money Pooling Activities ................................................. 73
MoU Signed Between NCW and HUDCO .............................................................................. 73
Government Cleared Project for Juhu Airport Redevelopment ........................................... 74
Government approved National Cyber Security Policy ........................................................ 74
Tribal Forest Dwellers Empowerment Scheme Launched .................................................... 75

Page 4
Supreme Court dismissed Plea Challenging Cairn-Vedanta Deal ......................................... 75
Amendments in National Food Security Bill Introduced in LS .............................................. 76
Minister for Women & Child Development Launched ISSNIP .............................................. 78
Govt Approved Policy Development of Aviation Hubs in India ............................................ 79
Cabinet Approved Cost Estimates for Phase IV of UID Scheme ........................................... 80
Amendments in Parliament (Prevention of Disqualification) Act, 1959 Approved .............. 80
Monetary Assistance under IAY Hiked.................................................................................. 81
Union Government decided to Advertise Best Practices on RTI .......................................... 82
Expert Committee to measure Backwardness of States ...................................................... 83
Union Government of India decided to launch DBTL Scheme ............................................. 83
Government cuts Import Tariff Value of Gold and Silver ..................................................... 84
Life Saving Drugs Cheaper by up to 80% .............................................................................. 85
Two-finger Test on a Rape Victim violates her Right to Privacy ........................................... 86
Election Commission Signed MoU on Electoral Literacy ...................................................... 86
Age limit under JSY for Institutional Deliveries Relaxed ....................................................... 87
Govt. approved Special Recruitment Drive to Fill Backlog Vacancies for SC, ST & OBCs ..... 88
Proposal to Implement National AIDS Control Support Project ........................................... 88
Government reconstituted the Board of Governors of MCI ................................................ 89
Government decided to Set Up Teacher Training Institutes ................................................ 90
SC: Life Convict can't be Released after Spending 14 Years ................................................. 90
UIDAI Inaugurated Three New Aadhaar-Enabled Services ................................................... 90
Government to Roll Out 43000 crore Green Corridor .......................................................... 91
Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference (Twelfth Amendment)

Regulations, 2013 ................................................................................................................. 92
Indian National Defence University to come at Binola......................................................... 93
Indian Telecom Sector Became the Second Largest in World .............................................. 95
Union Government notified Cauvery Water Scheme, 2013 ................................................. 95

Page 5
National Quizzes ................................................................................................................... 96
India Dairy ................................................................................................................................... 101
Economy...................................................................................................................................... 105
BSE launched broad-based Islamic Equity Index ................................................................ 105
SC upheld 51 Percent FDI in Multi-brand Retail ................................................................. 105
CCEA approved Exchange Trade Fund for PSU stocks ........................................................ 106
Foodgrains Output for 2013 Exceeded its Target ............................................................... 106
ADB to provide 6 billion Dollars to India over next 3 years ................................................ 107
India's Services Growth hit 18-month low: HSBC ............................................................... 107
SEBI approved Kerala's Start-up Village Angel Fund .......................................................... 108
FEE from Tourism grew by 7 percent in April 2013 ............................................................ 108
Government set 325-billion Dollars Export Target for 2013-14 ......................................... 109
India is largest Producer and Consumer of Chickpeas in World ......................................... 110
CCEA approved Proposal to set-up 2 Ports in Bengal & Andhra ........................................ 111
Air India to Implement Cost Cutting Measures .................................................................. 112
Inter-Ministerial Group approved 10% Equity Sale in CIL .................................................. 112
Retail Inflation declined to 9.39 Percent in April 2013 ....................................................... 113
NSE launched Debt Trading Platform ................................................................................. 113
RBI imposed Restrictions on Gold Import by Banks ........................................................... 114
Value of Mineral Production in March 2013 was 20475 Crore .......................................... 114
Exports in India grew up by 1.6 percent in April 2013........................................................ 115
WPI Inflation eased to 4.89 percent in April 2013.............................................................. 115
Government hiked BGRF Entitlement for Uttar Pradesh ................................................... 116
RBI directed Banks to follow Clean Note Policy.................................................................. 116
RBI decided to Launch Inflation Indexed Bonds (IIBs) ........................................................ 116
IMF approved 1.3 bn Dollars Loan for Cyprus .................................................................... 117

Page 6
Govt ratified 8.5 Percent interest on PF Deposits for 2012-13 .......................................... 117
CCEA approved the Same Scale of Allocation to APL Families ........................................... 118
Government directed Airlines to Limit No. of Privileged Seats .......................................... 118
Gold Demand in India Increased by 27% from Jan-Mar 2013 ............................................ 119
Stronger Powers to SEBI to tackle Ponzi Schemes ............................................................. 119
Indian Rupee touched new 6-Month Low at 55.83 against US $ ....................................... 120
20751 Additional Posts to be created in it Department ..................................................... 120
RBI imposed Restrictions on Bank Loans against Gold ....................................................... 120
Quarterly Report (Jan-Mar 2013) on Public Debt Management ........................................ 121
SEBI made Registration Compulsory for Investment Advisors ........................................... 122
Economy Quizzes ................................................................................................................ 122
Corporate .................................................................................................................................... 125
CCEA cleared IKEA's Investment Proposal .......................................................................... 125
Samsung launched 8-inch Galaxy Note 510 Tablet in India................................................ 125
Tech Mahindra Signed Agreement with Falcorp ................................................................ 126
Ivan Menezes Named as New CEO of Diageo ..................................................................... 126
Walmart Replaced ExxonMobil to Record Highest Revenue.............................................. 126
Maruti Launched Limited Edition Ertiga Trim Called Feliz .................................................. 127
Nokia unveiled Asha 501 with New Operating System ...................................................... 127
UK's Cairn Energy sold 8% Stake in Cairn India for 910 US $ .............................................. 128
IFFCO signed Agreement with Vale SA ............................................................................... 128
IL&FS IAML Signed MoU with Eight Public Sector Banks .................................................... 129
Star India launched Star Movies Actions ............................................................................ 129
COMPAT Ordered 11 Cement companies to Deposit 630 Crore ........................................ 129
Morgan Stanley to sell its Wealth Management Unit ........................................................ 130
Yahoo Introduced Revamp in Flickr with 1TB Free Storage ............................................... 131

Page 7
Gold Coins with Sachin Tendulkars Face and Signature .................................................... 131
Govt. Appointed Five Part-Time Directors on Board of Air India ....................................... 132
Corporate Current Affair Quizzes ....................................................................................... 133
Science & Technology ................................................................................................................. 137
US Scientists Developed First Smart RFID-Enabled Paper .................................................. 137
World's Smallest Stop Motion Film: A Boy & His Atom ...................................................... 138
US Scientists Created Worlds Smallest Flying Robot Called Robo-Fly ............................... 138
Hytholamus Mechanism Responsible for Ageing Discovered ............................................ 139
Global Model developed to analyse Routes of Marine Species ......................................... 140
Worlds First Gun made from 3D Printer Technology Fired ............................................... 140
Effective Method devised to Produce Clean Drinking Water ............................................. 141
Annual Report of Pentagon on China Unveiled .................................................................. 141
Solar Impulse Completed First Leg of Journey to Cross US ................................................ 142
IISC designed a New Concept of Vaccine Delivery System ................................................. 143
Benefits of Exposing Skin to Sun Can Outweigh Risks of Skin Cancer: Research ............... 143
A New Type of Wheat developed to Increase Productivity ................................................ 144
Scientists designed Peptide-based Delivery Platforms to cure Cancer .............................. 144
Researchers discovered New species of Dragonfly in Goa ................................................. 145
ISRO planned to launch GSLV D5 ........................................................................................ 145
Worlds Lightest Substance Carbon Aerogel produced ...................................................... 146
Scientists created World's Smallest Droplets ..................................................................... 146
Cluster of Hydrogen Clouds Discovered ............................................................................. 147
Less Expensive Technique of Creating 3D Images Discovered ........................................... 148
Russian Capsule Bion-M returned from Space Tour ........................................................... 149
Mars Rover discovered Rock Esperance is Weathered by Water ...................................... 149
Accurate 3D Gesture Sensing Technology on Mobiles ....................................................... 150

Page 8
Mangalore University and BARC Signed MoU .................................................................... 150
First and Only Satellite of Ecuador, Pegaso Collided With Russian Space Debris .............. 151
NASA to Lease Historic Launch Pad of First Moon Mission ................................................ 152
Canadian Scientists: Neuron Growth cuts Memory Space ................................................. 152
NASA's Observatory discovered Exotic Neutron Stars ....................................................... 152
Opportunity Broke Extraterrestrial Distance Record.......................................................... 153
Scientists discovered that Vitamin C kills Tuberculosis (TB) ............................................... 154
India Test Fired BrahMos Supersonic Cruise Missile .......................................................... 154
Lost Apollo 11 Moon Dust Discovered After 40 Years ........................................................ 154
Solar Impulse Plane HB-SIA set a new Distance Record ..................................................... 155
Centuries-Old Frozen Plants Called Bryophytes Discovered .............................................. 155
ISRO Navigation Centre Inaugurated by V. Narayanasamy ................................................ 156
Science and Technology Quizzes ........................................................................................ 157
Enviornment & Ecology .............................................................................................................. 159
Camarillo Springs Wildfire Broke Out In California ............................................................. 159
Critically Endangered Syzygium Travncoricum from Red List............................................. 161
iCED Inaugurated by the Vice President Hamid Ansari in Jaipur ........................................ 161
Decision to Put a Ban on the Trade of Peacock Feathers ................................................... 161
Increase in Mercury Level Leading to Drastic Decline in Arctic Foxes: Research ............... 162
ESA Gave Green Signal to Biomass Satellite to Monitor Forests ........................................ 163
Elephant Killing Took Place in Central Africa ...................................................................... 164
EU decided to issue Ban on Pesticides that Harm Bees ..................................................... 165
Global Warming Slump will Lead to Lower Rise in Temperatures: Research ..................... 165
Dolphins among Top 100 Mammals Facing Extinction Threat ........................................... 166
10% of UK Wildlife Is Endangered: State of Nature Report................................................ 167
Chile Issued Red Alert in Wake of Copahue Volcano Eruption........................................... 169

Page 9
45-day Fishing Ban came to an End in Tamil Nadu ............................................................. 169
Scientists Solved the Mystery Behind Bengal White Tigers ............................................... 169
UNESCO declared Nicobar Islands as World Biosphere Reserve ........................................ 170
Fossilised Skeleton of Flying Dinosaur Discovered in China ............................................... 171
Sports .......................................................................................................................................... 172
Haryana won 3rd Hockey India Sr. Women Nat. Championship ........................................ 172
Haryana won 3rd HI Jr. Women Nat. Championship .......................................................... 172
S Salman Elected President of Asian Football Confederation ............................................ 172
Somdev Recommended for Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award 2013 .................................... 173
Shuttler PV Sindhu won Malaysia Badminton Grand Prix Title .......................................... 173
Vikas Gowda Clinched Gold at IAAF World Challenge Meet 2013 ..................................... 173
Stanislas Wawrinka won ATP World Tour, Portugal Open 2013 ........................................ 174
Alex Ferguson Retired as Manchester United Manager ..................................................... 174
Stiliyan Petrov, Aston Villa Captain of Retired from Football ............................................. 176
India Bagged 2 Silver in Commonwealth Championship .................................................... 176
Madrid Open 2013: Rafael Nadal won Mens Singles Trophy ............................................ 177
Stability Certificate of M.A. Chidambaram Stadium Cancelled .......................................... 177
Matt Prior named England's Cricketer of the Year for 2012-13 ......................................... 177
Sreesanth Arrested for Spot-Fixing ..................................................................................... 178
Lausanne Talks to bring India Back to Olympic Fold ........................................................... 178
India won Gold at FIBA Asia 3x3 basketball tournament ................................................... 179
Indian Women's Compound Team won Bronze in Archery................................................ 179
CLTA signed a Deal with its Spanish Counterpart MTF ....................................................... 179
Rafael Nadal beat Roger Federar to win Italian Open 2013 ............................................... 180
Serena Williams won Italian Open ...................................................................................... 180
Indonesian Men won Thanthi TV-Asia Pacific Championship ............................................ 180

Page 10
Mike and Bob Bryan won Rome Masters ........................................................................... 181
India won 2013 International Limassol Cup held in Cyprus ............................................... 181
Preeti won Gold in 2013 Sr. Nat. Women's Boxing Championship .................................... 182
NSDF to offer Financial Assistance to MKRBF, Imphal ....................................................... 182
Mumbai Indians Lifted its First IPL Trophy ......................................................................... 183
Sachin Announced Retirement from Twenty20 Cricket Format ........................................ 184
3rd National Sub-Junior Hockey: Odisha clinched Boy's Title ............................................ 184
Ananya won Bronze Medal in World School Chess Champship ........................................ 184
Jamjang Bagged 3 Medals in 15th AYWC ........................................................................... 185
Akshay B. Gaikwad Won 3 Gold Medals in 15th AYWC ...................................................... 185
Sports Current Affairs Quizzes ............................................................................................ 185
State ............................................................................................................................................ 188
President Inaugurated 14 Mega Watt Solar Power Project ............................................... 188
TN Govt announced 9 Crore Grant to Jeevan for Stem Cell Storage .................................. 189
Punjab increased Minimum Wages on the Eve of Labours Day ........................................ 189
Delhi Government decided to hike Auto Fares by 25 Percent ........................................... 190
Haryana hiked DA Rate from Existing 72 Percent to 80 Percent ........................................ 190
Andhra State Government set up State Security Commission ........................................... 190
Kashmir Festival 2013 for Tourism Promotion in Kashmir ................................................. 191
Tamil Nadu Government decided to set up Property Tax Board ....................................... 191
Haryana Government issued Shiksha Setu Cards to Students ........................................... 192
Planning Commission finalized Haryana Annual Plan 2013-14 .......................................... 192
J&K Govt. decided to set up J&K Medical Supplies Corporation ........................................ 193
Support Measures of 985 crore allocated to Tamil Nadu .................................................. 193
Congress won in Karnataka Assembly Elections 2013 ........................................................ 194
Govt of Tamil Nadu banned Pan Masala, Gutka in the State ............................................. 195

Page 11
DDA cleared 26 New Areas for Development .................................................................... 196
Land Pooling Policy in Master Plan Delhi 2021 Approved .................................................. 196
Jharkhand to Impart Technical Training to Unemployed Youth ......................................... 198
UP to ensure Time-bound Clearances to Industries ........................................................... 198
Calcutta HC directed State Govt to hold Panchayat Polls .................................................. 199
Puducherry Government launched Dairy Development Scheme ...................................... 199
TN decided to Implement Coastal Disaster Risk Reduction Project ................................... 199
Bihar Plan for 2013-14 Finalized at 34000 Crore Rupees ................................................... 200
Planning Commission finalized Annual Plan for Maharashtra ........................................... 201
Andhra Govt allocated 500 Crore for Agriculture Loans .................................................... 202
Kerala and Himachal announced Cooperation ................................................................... 202
ADB provided 110-m Dollars loan to Jammu &Kashmir ..................................................... 202
Census 2011: Gurgaon has Lowest Sex ratio in Haryana .................................................... 203
MP Plan for 2013-14 Finalised at 35500 Crore Rupees ...................................................... 205
Govt sanctioned 100 Crore under UIDSSMT to Develop MP ............................................. 205
Himachal Pradesh Assembly Celebrated Golden Jubilee ................................................... 206
Policy to Check Exploitation of Ground Water in Punjab ................................................... 206
MP Government hiked DA Allowance by Eight Percent ..................................................... 206
Planning Commission finalized 2000 Crore Nagaland Plan ................................................ 207
Delhi Police Issued Notification to Curb Sale of NH4NO3 .................................................. 208
Meghalaya Plan for 2013-14 Finalised at 4151 Crore Rupees ............................................ 208
Punjab approved Online Lottery System to Increase Revenue .......................................... 209
Maharashtra approved Grant for Minority Welfare Schemes ........................................... 209
Tripura Plan for 2013-14 Finalised at 2500 Crore Rupees .................................................. 210
One Liners ................................................................................................................................... 211
News Capsule .............................................................................................................................. 213

Page 12
Appointments of the Month ................................................................................................... 213
PK Mohanty appointed as Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh .......................................... 213
Subhash Kumar appointed as Chief Secretary of Uttarakhand .......................................... 214
Staffan de Mistura appointed as Italian Special Envoy to India ......................................... 214
Brazil's Roberto Azevedo appointed Head of WTO ............................................................ 214
Srinivasan Appointed as CEO of Anglogold Ashanti ........................................................... 215
NRI Sunil Chopra elected Deputy Mayor of a London Borough ......................................... 215
Nirbhay Sharma appointed Governor of Arunachal Pradesh ............................................. 216
Shashi Kant Sharma Appointed as CAG of India ................................................................. 216
Chandy Won UN Public Service Award ............................................................................... 217
US Senate confirmed Srinivasan as top US Court Judge ..................................................... 218
Siddaramaiah sworn-in as the 22nd CM of Karnataka ....................................................... 219
Laxman Singh Rathore Elected as Member of WMO ......................................................... 219
Kushal Singh Appointed as the Chairperson of NCPCR....................................................... 220
Awards in the Month of April .................................................................................................. 220
Mary Nongkynrih won ISRO Young Scientists Award for 2013 .......................................... 220
Aparajita Datta Honoured With the Whitley Award 2013 ................................................. 221
Jagran Group bagged Three Awards at INMA Awards Ceremony ...................................... 221
Youssou Ndour and Kaija Saariaho won the Polar Music Prize .......................................... 222
US honoured 15 AAPI Women as Champions of Change ................................................... 222
3rd National Awards for Technology Innovation in Petrochemical and Downstream

Presented ............................................................................................................................ 223
Dadasaheb Phalke Award for Lifetime Achievement to Pran ............................................ 225
National Florence Nightingale Award 2013 were Presented ............................................. 226
Asom Ratna Award for Year 2012 Presented to Indira Goswami....................................... 229
UN Public Service Award 2013............................................................................................ 230
Hariharan won Lata Mangeshkar Samman Alankaran 2013 .............................................. 231

Page 13
Malala Selected for Champion for Global Change Award .................................................. 231
Lydia Davis won 2013 Man Booker International Prize ...................................................... 232
Pratibha Ray Conferred With 47th Jnanpith Award ........................................................... 233
Carole King Became the First Woman to Receive Gershwin Prize ..................................... 234
Ramdarash Mishra awarded with Vyas Samman ............................................................... 235
Blue is the Warmest Colour won Palme d'Or Awards at Cannes ....................................... 235
Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowships and Akademi Awards 2012 ...................................... 236
NTR Literary Award presented to Noted Manoj Das .......................................................... 237
Peter Higgs received Award for God Particle Discovery ..................................................... 237
Personality in News ................................................................................................................. 238
Lifetime ban on Pervez Musharraf for Contesting Elections .............................................. 238
President launched Bichitra Tagore Variorum Website ..................................................... 238
Statue of N T Rama Rao unveiled in Parliament ................................................................. 238
Najib Shortlisted for Best Job in the World Competition ................................................... 239
PK Bansal submitted his Resignations to Prime Minister ................................................... 239
Former Military Leader Montt Sentenced 80 Years in Prison ............................................ 239
External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid visited China.................................................... 240
Pakistani Authorities barred Ashraf from leaving Country................................................. 240
US Tax Agency Head Steve Miller Resigned........................................................................ 241
Raha Moharrak, First Arab Woman to reach Everest Summit ........................................... 241
Anshu Jamshenpa scaled the Mount Everest for the Third Time ....................................... 241
Samina Baig, First Pakistani Woman to Scale Mount Everest ............................................ 242
LS Rathore Elected as Member of Executive Council of WMO........................................... 242
Person Died.............................................................................................................................. 244
Deanna Durbin, Hollywood Actress Died at 91 Years ......................................................... 244
Ian Weathrall, Last British Member of Church Of Delhi Brotherhood Died ....................... 245

Page 14
Sarabjit Singh Died in Lahore's Jinnah Hospital in Pakistan................................................ 245
ATP Chairman Brad Drewett died at the age of 54 ............................................................ 246
Zulfiqar Ali prosecutor in Benazir Assassination Killed ....................................................... 246
Former Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti died at 94 ................................................ 247
Ray Harryhausen, the Master of Visual Effects Died at 92 ................................................. 248
Profulla Borua, the Veteran Indian Journalist died ............................................................ 248
Sanaullah Ranjay, Pakistani Prisoner died at PGI Chandigarh ............................................ 249
Hindi Story Writer and Playwright Surendra Tiwari Died ................................................... 249
Bryan Forbes, Veteran Film Director Passed Away At 86 ................................................... 250
Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar, Dhrupad Vocalist Passed Away ............................................. 251
Harvansh Singh, Deputy Speaker of MP Assembly Died .................................................... 251
Islamic Scholar Asghar Ali Engineer died at Mumbai ......................................................... 252
Uttanur Rajamma, the Bandaya Writer Died...................................................................... 253
Australian Actress Penne Hackforth-Jones died at 64 ........................................................ 253
Former International Sprinter Anand Shetty Passed Away ................................................ 253
Ray Manzarek, One of the Founders of the Doors Died at 74 ............................................ 254
Eddie Braben, the British Comedy Writer and Performer Died ......................................... 254
Nigerian Author Chinua Achebe died following a Brief Illness ........................................... 255
Tamil Playback Singer TM Soundararajan died in Chennai ................................................ 255
Baleshwar Aggarwal, the Veteran Journalist passed away ................................................ 256
Bill Pertwee, the Warden Hodges of Dad's Army died at 86 .............................................. 256
Rituparno Ghosh, National Award Winning Filmmaker died ............................................. 257
Books/Author........................................................................................................................... 257
Book an Ardent Patriot - Dinesh Goswami Released.......................................................... 257
Book Fida-e-Lucknow -Tales of the City and Its People released ....................................... 258
Mohsin Hamids 3rd Book How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia Released ........................ 258

Page 15
Harper Lee, Sued a Literary Agent over Copyright Issue .................................................... 259
Book titled Understanding Bhagat Singh released ............................................................. 259
Dan Browns book Inferno irked Authorities of Manila ...................................................... 259
Important Dates....................................................................................................................... 260
3 May: World Press Freedom Day ...................................................................................... 260
3 May 2013: Indian Cinema Completed its 100 Years ........................................................ 261
World Asthma Day 2013 observed with theme, You Can Control Your Asthma ............... 263
National Technology Day was observed on 11 May 2013 .................................................. 264
17 May 2013: World Telecommunication & Information Society Day............................... 264
Anti-Terrorism Day Observed Across India......................................................................... 265
World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, 21 May ........................ 265
World Hunger Day was observed on 28 May 2013 ............................................................ 266
2014: Friendship Year to promote understanding between India and China .................... 266
Hindi Journalism Day Celebrated In India ........................................................................... 266
Anti-Tobacco Day Observed across the World ................................................................... 267
Reports & Survey ..................................................................................................................... 267
Recent Trends in Material Flows & Resource Productivity: Report ................................... 267
UP accounted for Largest Number of Mobile Subscribers ................................................. 268
India at Top in List of 1st Day Deaths of Infants: Report .................................................... 269
Cancer deaths dropped through Prevention Measures ..................................................... 270
UN Report on World Economic Situation and Prospects 2013 .......................................... 270
Global Index of Religion and Atheism Report ..................................................................... 271
China has Maximum Number of Convinced Atheists ......................................................... 271
Australia ranked as the World's Happiest Developed Nation ............................................ 272
Miscellaneous .......................................................................................................................... 273
Mount Fuji to Be Declared as the UNESCO World Heritage Site ........................................ 273

Page 16
China Successfully Launched Zhongxing-11........................................................................ 274
US Cargo Plane Crashed near Manas Airbase in Kyrgyzstan .............................................. 274
New Sex Superbug can be more Deadly than AIDS ............................................................ 274
1st National Surfing & Stand up Paddle Competition ........................................................ 275
Sahara Created New World Record to Sing National Anthem ........................................... 275
Himalayan National Park for World Heritage nominated for World Heritage Sites .......... 276
Painting by Fernand Leger from 1921 Sold by Madonna for 7.2 Million US Dollar ........... 276
Researchers Discovered a New Species of Dinosaur .......................................................... 277
13 Short Films Based on Tagores Poems Launched........................................................... 277
Cabinet approved National Skill Development Agency (NSDA) ......................................... 278
ISSNIP Project was launched by Government of India ....................................................... 279
External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid visited China.................................................... 279
Cyclonic Storm MAHASEN formed over Bay of Bengal....................................................... 279
GoM constituted to consider Functional Autonomy of CBI ............................................... 280
Delegation from Tourism & I&B Ministry at Cannes .......................................................... 280
Cabinet Nod for Establishment of the Gandhi Heritage Sites Mission ............................... 281
Union Cabinet Approved Setting up Rashtriya Smriti for Last Rites of National Leaders .. 281
MDNIY Designated WHO Collaborating Centre in Traditional Medicine (Yoga) Status ..... 282
Investigation Team to Seek SC's Guidance on Kodnani Death Penalty Issue ..................... 283
Two Andhra Pradesh Ministers Resigned ........................................................................... 283
Huge Tornado Hits Oklahoma; Kills 91, Including 20 Children ........................................... 284
Chennai Airport Ranked low in ACIs Airport Service Quality Rating ................................. 285
Chief of IMF Questioned at Paris Court over Bernard Tapie Payout Amount .................... 285
Mango named Nirbhaya after Delhi Rape Victim ............................................................... 286
Govt. Approval to Classify Malayalam as the Classical Language ...................................... 286
INDU to be established at Binola, Gurgaon ........................................................................ 286

Page 17
Congress Party Convoy Attacked by Maoists at Dharba .................................................... 287
first Fighter Aircraft base inaugurated at Thanjavur .......................................................... 287
BCCI constituted 3-Man Probe Panel to probe IPL Betting ................................................ 287
Oldest Person of World is Last Living Male of 19th Century .............................................. 288
Salman Khurshid visited Saudi Arabia................................................................................. 288
Regional Pravasi Bhartiya Divas was held in Sydney .......................................................... 288
AD Sherpa, Pregnant runner won womens Everest Marathon ......................................... 289
Jethmalani expelled by BJP Party from Primary Membership ........................................... 289
Cochin Shipyard Limited Launched Third Fast Patrol Vessel .............................................. 290
Integrated Action Plan (IAP) extended for Four More Years .............................................. 291
HRD Ministry Constituted National Testing Agency (NTA) ................................................. 291
IAF Inducted Basic Trainer Aircraft Pilatus PC 7 MKII ......................................................... 292
Foreign Minister of Cuba Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla visited India ........................................ 292
Kiran Mazumdar Shaw Figured in Forbes Philanthropy Lists ............................................. 292
Indian-American Arvind Mahankali won National Spelling Bee ......................................... 293
Questions of the Month.............................................................................................................. 293

Page 18
PREFACE
The Current Affairs PDF Magazine May 2013 includes the happenings of May Month. The PDF
magazine available on jagranjosh.com plays an important role in making people aware of the
happenings of the world and it also acts as a guide for candidates engaged in preparations of
different level of competitive exams. The magazine being provide is drafted to meet the
requirements of different level of exams including IAS|PCS, SSC, Banking, LIC, Railway and all
other competitive exams.
The events happening across the world following the series of their occurrence and importance
has been compiled with fineness by the team of experts. The events before being included for
the final packaging are evaluated on different standards to make sure that it helps the
candidates and keep them on right track to clear the upcoming exams, especially IAS Prelims
2013 in the best way. The presentation of the events is planned to stay for a longer period in
the memories of the reader to ease their way of preparation for the exams they will appear in.
Fine perception of the stories allows a candidate to apply the theories behind the making of the
event and face the challenges during the exams everywhere.
Within the magazine one can find the events and happenings of National (Judicial, Executive
and Legislative Development) and International (of World and India and World) importance,
daily affairs of Corporate world and Economy, advancements on the frontiers of Science and
Technology as well as Environment And Ecology, Sports happenings and Issues of different
States of the country, launch of New Books & Authors, Important Appointments, Important
Awards, Personalities who made news, Important Dates and more.

Page 19
PICK OF THE MONTH

CHINESE PREMIER LI KEQIANGS VISIT TO INDIA
China's new premier Li Keqiangs visited India on his first foreign trip to India from 19-22, May
2013, after assuming the charge of his office in March
2013. During the visit of Li Keqiang, both the countries
looked forward to speed up their efforts to settle a
decades-old border dispute and strengthen economic
ties.
The leaders of both the countries had a thorough

exchange of views on bilateral relations and regional and
international issues of common interest in a sincere and
cordial atmosphere and reached broad consensus.
LIST OF DOCUMENTS SIGNED DURING THE VISIT OF LI KEQIANG TO INDIA
1. Protocol between Indian and China on Indian Official Pilgrimage (the Kailash
Mansarovar Yatra) to the Tibet Autonomous Region of China
With the signing of Protocol both the countries have

agreed to conduct the Yatra every year from May to
September. China will make further advancements in the
existing facilities on the route of the pilgrims and to If the trade figures of the two
maintain even communication. They have also agreed to nations is compared than trade
assist in renting wireless sets and local SIM cards. figure of India comes out to be
795 billion US dollar, whereas
2. Agreement on Work Programmes of the Three that of China is 3.82 trillion US
Working Groups under Joint Economic Group dollar.
between Ministry of Commerce & Industry of
India and China.
THE THREE WORKING GROUPS UNDER THE JOINT ECONOMIC GROUP
i. Services Trade Promotion Working Group
ii. Economic and Trade Planning Cooperation
iii. Trade Statistical Analysis
3. MoU on Buffalo Meat, Fishery Products and Agreement on Feed and Feed Ingredients
between Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority of
India and China

Page 20
It is directly aimed at strengthening mutual cooperation in trade and safety of buffalo meat,
fishery products and feed and feed ingredients, and to
meet the regulatory requirements with respect to
safety & hygiene & quarantine and is also supposed to
deal with the growing trade deficit between the two Chinese incursion in the
countries. Despang region came up a day
after China released its
4. MoU between the Ministry of Urban doctrinal document
Development of India and National Diversified Employment of
Development and Reform Commission of China's Armed Forces, which
China on Cooperation in the field of Sewage describes about the changes in
Treatment the countries perspective
towards its neighbours. The
The MoU signed by the Urban Development will
preface of the doctrinal states
enhance cooperation in the field of Sewage Treatment
China's armed forces provide
and ideas and knowledge sharing in the areas of
a security guarantee and
mutual interest in the urban sectors.
strategic support for national
5. MoU between the Ministry of Water development, and make due
Resources of India and The National contributions to the
Development and Reform Commission, of maintenance of world peace
China on Cooperation in the field of Water and regional stability this
Efficient Irrigation means China may take an
advantage of the armed forces
The MoU directly aims at enhancing bilateral for its growth. May be possible
cooperation in the field of water efficient technology the Despang incursion is the
with applicability in the area of agriculture and follow-up of the doctrinal.
exchange of best practices.
6. MoU between the India and the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film
and Television of China on Cooperation in Mutual Translation and Publication of
Classic and Contemporary Work
As per the MoU a Joint Working Group will formed which will coordinate translation and
publication of 25 books of Classic and Contemporary Works of each side over a period of 5
years in to Chinese and Indian languages respectively.
7. MoU between the Ministry of Water Resources of the India and the Ministry of Water
Resources of China upon Provision of Hydrological Information of the
Yaluzangbu/Brahmaputra River in Flood Season by China to India
As per the Memorandum of Understanding China is supposed to provide India with information
of water level, discharge and rainfall of 8:00 hrs and 20:00 hrs(Beijing Time) twice a day from
1st June to 15 October each year in respect of three hydrological stations on the mainstream
Brahmaputra river.

Page 21
8. Agreement between the Ministry of External Affairs, of India and the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, of China to facilitate cooperation and linkages between Indian and
Chinese cities & states/provinces
As per this said agreement both the sides agreed to identify sister cities and sister
states/provinces in India and China with a view to establishing relationships between them in
areas of mutual interest for enhancing greater people to people contacts
IMPORTANT OUTCOMES OF THE MEETING BETWEEN
Both the Countries agreed to a regular exchange of visits between the Heads of State/
Government of the two countries. The leaders of the two countries will also continue to
meet on the sidelines of important multi-lateral forums.
Both the Countries agreed in further strengthening cooperation in the areas of energy
and environmental conservation, new and renewable energy and high-technology. The
two sides agreed to enhance cooperation in the railway sector including heavy haulage
and station development.
India and China showed eagerness to carry out cooperation on establishing industrial
zones so that they can provide platforms for cluster-type development of enterprises of
the two countries.
India and China decided to mark the 60thanniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful
Coexistence (Panchsheel) in 2014 by designating it as the Year of Friendly Exchanges.
Both the Country agreed to encourage their cities/provinces to establish twinning

relationships in accordance with the Agreement to Facilitate Cooperation and Linkages
between Indian and Chinese Cities and States/Provinces.
Both the Country underlined the need to implement all relevant UN resolutions, in
particular UNSC resolutions 1267, 1373, 1540 and 1624.
Both the Countries agreed to enhance coordination in the follow up process of the UN
Conference on Sustainable Development and in discussions on the post 2015
development agenda as well as international negotiations on climate change.
The two countries sides reaffirmed their commitment to promoting multilateral arms
control, disarmament and non-proliferation processes. They support the complete
prohibition and thorough destruction of all nuclear weapons and reaffirm their
opposition to the weaponization of and an arms race in outer space.
Both the countries agreed to work towards simplifying visa procedures.

Page 22
In order to pursue mutual benefit and fulfill their international cooperation objectives,
both the Countries agreed in considering collaborating on development projects of
common interest in third countries.
DECISION ON ACHIEVING TRADE TARGET OF 100-BILLION FOR FINANCIAL YEAR

2014-15
During the same visit of the Chinese premiere, both the nations also decided to scale up its
two-way trade to 100 billion US Dollars by 2015 from 67.8 billion US Dollars in 2012-13. The
decision was made on 20 May 2013.
It is worth mentioning here that bilateral trade between the two countries scaled up from 2.1
billion US Dollars in 2001-02 to 75.6 billion US Dollars in 2011-12 and suddenly it dropped down
to 67.8 billion US Dollars during 2012-13.
SOME IMPORTANT POINTS TO REMEMBER
Indias trade deficit increased from 1.1 billion US Dollars in 2001-02 to 40.8 billion US
Dollars in 2012-13.
In 2012-13, China became Indias fourth largest trading partner from third largest in
2011-2012. Our exports fell from 18.1 billion US Dollars in 2011-12 to 13.5 billion US
Dollars in 2012-13
In year 2010, both countries had set a trade turnover target of 60 billion US Dollars
which was achieved.
An India-China CEOs Forum has been constituted to deliberate on business issues and
make recommendations on expansion of trade and investment cooperation which will
be head by Anil Ambani and Chen Yuan from India and China Side respectively.
As per the exporters increasing of market access to China is critical for a shoot in Indias exports
as the country efforts to change its export profile from raw materials to finished and value-
added products.
INDIA AND CHINA SIGNED MOUS TO ADDRESS CONCERNS ON TRADE DEFICIT
During the visit of the Chinese Premier Li Keqiang to India, the two countries also signed three
Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) on buffalo meat, fisheries and pharmaceuticals and
one agreement on feed and feed ingredients on 20 May 2013.
The MoUs are supposed to deal with the growing trade deficit between the two countries. It is
worth mentioning here that the trade deficit has increased from 1.08 billion US Dollars in 2001-
02 to 40.77 billion US Dollars in 2012-13.

Page 23
The resumption of exporting buffalo meat from India to China, will bring a big merchandise
trade that will not only be helpful in reducing trade imbalance of India but also in Chinas food
security by providing quality and hygiene meat products. Earlier the export of buffalo meat is
not allowed from India to China due to concerns about Foot & Mouth Disease. It was a long
pending issue between two countries.
The Other Mou was signed for import and export trade of fishery products which aims to bring
cooperation in promoting trade of fishery products and healthy development of trade between
India and China.
Another MoU was also signed between Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council of India
(Pharmexcil) and the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Medicines and
Health Products (CCCMHPIE) which will facilitate access to the China market in
pharmaceuticals. The average imports of medicinal and pharmaceutical products from China
during last five years were 4332.37 million US dollars vis--vis exports from India of 692.44
million US dollars.
An important agreement was signed between Export Inspection Council of India (EIC) and
AQSIQ on trade and safety of feed and feed ingredients which is supposed to bring big
merchandise trade for feed & feed ingredients after the resumption of trade as China has
suspended import of feed and feed ingredients since 1 January 2012.
Both the countries also agreed to conduct the Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra every year between
May and September.
AN OVERVIEW
Visit of Li Keqiang and the Dragon talk with the Elephant
During the first foreign visit of the Chinese new Premier, Li Keqiang to India from 19 to 22 May
2013 several documents were signed and agreements on several issues were also reached
between the counterparts of the two nations. Both the countries decided to increase the trade
target between both the nations to 100-billion US Dollars in Financial Year 2014-15, which in
the running fiscal 2013-14, is 67.8 billion US Dollars. Concerns on trade deficit suffered by India
in the previous fiscal of 2012-13 were also made and agreements were reached to make up the
same in the running fiscal.
Li Keqiang India visit came up after the visit of Union External Affairs Minister, Salman Khurshid
to the Peoples Republic of China on 09-10 May 2013, just after the standoff of Chinese troops
in the Daulat Beg Oldi sector for more than three weeks.
Earlier, the 15 April 2013 incursion of a platoon of Chinese troops, 19 kilometers into the Indian
side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Depsang Bulge area of Daulat Beg Oldi sector in
Ladakh turned up to be a heated issue between the two nations. The incursion of the Chinese
troops displayed no signs of ending, despite three rounds of flag meetings between the two
nations. Similar kind of situation of incursion, led the two nations to war in 1962 but even after

Page 24
the war the two sides have yet not been successful in reaching a consensus for demarcating the
formal boundary between the two nations. In 1962, the Chinese troops broke into the area,
which were under the effective control of the Indian defence. Ever since the war ended in 1962,
both the sides have yet not been successful in resolving the border issue and thus have signed
several protocols and agreements to decide the way how the troops of the respective nations
should behave till a final settlement is reached between the two nations.
Chinese incursion in the Despang region came up a day after China released its doctrinal
document Diversified Employment of China's Armed Forces, which describes about the
changes in the countries perspective towards its neighbours. The preface of the doctrinal states
China's armed forces provide a security guarantee and strategic support for national
development, and make due contributions to the maintenance of world peace and regional
stability this means China may take an advantage of the armed forces for its growth. May be
possible the Despang incursion is the follow-up of the doctrinal.
The Elephant (India) and the Dragon (China) have been sharing a long term of established and
troubled relations on different fronts. They have good economic ties and are fairly moving on a
fast pace to be the worlds strongest economy and at the same time, they share bitter and sour
relations on two points, one is related to the borders i.e. the actual line of control and the
second dispute is of water sharing i.e. the construction of a Dam for development of 510 MW
Zangmu hydropower project on the Brahmaputra River (called Tsangpo River in China).
Amid different positive and negative circumstances, what does the visit of the Chinese Premier
Li Keqiangs to India signifies?
Is it a step ahead towards improving the bilateral relations between the two countries or is just
an attempt of the dragon to showcase its power to its counterpart Elephant that amid all
situations, they have the courage to face them. Or is it the feeling of suffering a huge economic
set back at the Dragons part if the economic ties goes wrong with the elephant. India largely
exports ore, slag and ash, iron and steel, plastics, organic chemicals and cotton to China, while
importing electrical machinery and equipment, nuclear reactors, machinery, boilers, cement,
silk and mineral fuels.
If the trade figures of the two nations is compared than trade figure of India comes out to be
795 billion US dollar, whereas that of China is 3.82 trillion US dollar. Under all these
conditions, the synonym of the good relations seems from the dragons part can be quoted as
if one is making huge profits by doing business with someone, he/she will never have the
willingness of killing the profits at the cost of nothing. In past few years, China has also
witnessed a slowdown in the pace of its economic development and is facing challenges of
corruption and decline of the demographic dividend. Thus after tasting the bitterness of
slowing growth, China may not take a direct chance of entering into a war with India but may
be possible to divert the attention of its people from the internal issues faced by the country it
and the slowing down economy it may lend some challenges to the neighbouring nations
including India, which may be in terms of war.

Page 25
PAKISTAN ELECTION 2013
The Election Commission of Pakistan on 14 May 2013 announced results of 272 National
Assembly seats, with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz heading the count with 126 seats,
followed by the Pakistan Peoples Party with 31 seats.
The voting took place for all parliamentary constituencies of Pakistan to elect 342 members for
the National assembly, including 60 seats reserved for women and 10 for non-Muslims,
simultaneously voting took place for the four Provincial Assemblies of Punjab, KPK, Sindh and
Balochistan as well. Over 4600 candidates a contested at the centre for National Assembly
seats, while 11000 candidates contested at provincial levels.
As per the article 51 (6) c of the constitution of Pakistan the members to the seats reserved for
women which are allocated to a Province under clause (3) shall be elected in accordance with
law through proportional representation system of political parties' lists of candidates on the
basis of total number of general seats secured by each political party from the Province
concerned in the National Assembly.
Also with reference to the article 51 (6) e members to the seats reserved for non-Muslims shall
be elected in accordance with law through proportional representation system of political
parties' lists of candidates on
the basis of total number of
general seats won by each
political party in the National
Assembly.
Pakistans General election

2013 was the election to the
14th parliament of Pakistan.
Former Pakistani Prime
Minister Nawaz Sharif
declared winner which was
followed by a historic
election.
The voting has taken place in

all parliamentary constituencies of Pakistan, to elect Members (MNAs) to seats in the National
Assembly, the lower house of parliament.
It is worth mentioning here that the current National Assembly completed its constitutional
term on 18 March 2013, five years after the first session of the National Assembly elected
during the 2008 general election.
Pakistan Election 2013 was intended to elect members of the National Assembly of Pakistan,
the lower house of the Majlis-e-Shoora (the nation's parliament).Pakistan's opposition parties,

Page 26
the Imran Khan`s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (N) were
the major contenders for the general Election.
The 63-year-old Sharif belongs to Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (N) party. He had twice
served as premier. Pakistan Muslim League-N attained an overpowering lead with 130 seats.
The first runner up is Imran Khan`s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) with 37 seats and the last is
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) with 31 seats.
The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), which had a tally of 124 in the 2008 elections and ruled the
country for five years with the support of the MQM and the Awami National Party.
It is important here to note that to win a simple majority, a party or coalition would have to bag
137 of the 272 National Assembly seats for which polls were held. Another 70 seats, reserved
for women and non-Muslims, will be allocated to parties according to their performance in
polls.
To have a majority in the 342-member National Assembly, a party or coalition would need 172
seats. The Senate or upper house of the parliament is currently controlled by the PPP.
PARTY WISE STATISTICS OF THE PROVINCIAL ASSEMBLIES ELECTION
Punjab Sindh KPK Balochistan
PML-N 211/297 PPPP 65/130 PTI 34/99 PMAP 10/51
IND 41/297 MQM 35/130 IND 14/99 PML-N 8/51
PTI 20/297 IND 8/130 PML-N 13/99 IND 8/51
PML-Q 8/297 PML-F 7/130 JUI-F 12/99 JUI-F 6/51
Seats 293/297 Seats 122/130 Seats 98/99 Seats 48/51
FACTS TO REMEMBER ABOUT PROVINCIAL ASSEMBLIES ELECTION
PML (N) leads Punjab Province with 211 out of 297 seats
PPP Party leads the Sindh Province of Pakistan with 65 out of total 130 seats
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party leads the KPK Province with 34 out of total 99 seats.

Page 27
PMAP (Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party) leads the balochistan province with 10 out 21
seats.
SOME FACTS ABOUT THE ELECTION
4670 candidates stood for 272 seats in a first-past-the-post system in the 342-member
lower house.
Sixty seats reserved for women and 10 for non-Muslim minorities are distributed by
proportional representation based on the parties share of the directly elected seats.
A total of 10955 candidates contested in elections for Pakistan s four provincial

assemblies in Punjab, Sindh in the south, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the northwest and
Baluchistan in the southwest.
Only 161 women stood for the national assembly, 3.5 percent of the candidates Voters.
There are 86.2 million registered voters -- 37.6 million women and 48.6 million men.
UNION CABINET DECLARED YEAR 2013 AS WATER CONSERVATION YEAR

2013: Water Conservation Year
The Union Cabinet of India on 9 May 2013 gave its

approval to declare the year 2013 as Water Conservation
Year 2013.
Following the theme of the year, the Government has

proposed to come up with several mass awareness
activities with an emphasis on sensitizing the masses on
water issues and to encourage them to use water
judiciously and conserve it. The Policies and programs of
the Ministry of Water Resource for the year will be to
create a sustainable society and economy.
The national awareness programs launched by the Government will aim towards achieving the
identified objectives of the National Water Policy 2012 and National Water Mission.
WATER AS A NATURAL RESOURCE
Water is a natural resource, fundamental to life, livelihood, food security and sustainable
development. It is also a scarce resource. India has more than 18 percent of the world`s
population, but has only 4 percent of world`s renewable water resources with 2.4 percent of
world`s land area. There are further limits on utilizable quantities of water owing to uneven
distribution over time, as 75 percent of annual rainfall is received in just four months. Also

Page 28
region wise it varies from 10 cm rainfall in Rajasthan to 1000 cm in North Eastern Region. In
addition, there are challenges of frequent floods and droughts in one or the other part of the
country. With a growing population and rising needs of a fast developing nation as well as the
given indicators of the impact of climate change, per capita availability of water is likely to go
down from 1545 cubic metre per year in 2011 to 1341 cubic metre per year in 2025. The
increasing demand of water for various purposes will further strain with the possibility of
deepening water conflicts among different user groups as drinking water need is going to rise
by 44 percent, irrigation need by 10 percent, industry need by 81 percent respectively by 2025.
NATIONAL WATER POLICY 2012
National Water Policy 2012 was adopted by the National Water Resources Council headed by
the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on 28 December 2012. The Policy takes cognizance of the
existing situation and proposes a framework for creation of a system of laws and institutions
and a plan of action with a unified national perspective.
NATIONAL WATER MISSION
The key objective of National Water Mission is water conservation. It is among the eight
national missions under the National Action Plan for Climate Change. The mission aims towards
conservation of water by minimizing wastage and to develop formulae for impartial distribution
of the water resources both in and across the states via integrated water resources
development and management.
WHAT IS WATER CONSERVATION?
Water Conservation is also the key objective of the National Water Mission which is one of the
eight National Missions under the National Action Plan for Climate Change. This envisages
conservation, minimizing wastage and ensuring more equitable distribution of water resources
both across and within States through integrated water resources development and
management.
HOW WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT SHOULD BE DONE?
The effective water resources management must be underpinned by knowledge and

understanding of the availability of the resource itself, the uses to which water is put and the
challenges facing the users of water at all levels of stake holders. This can be done by creating
mass awareness about the fact that water conservation is the immediate need of the hour.
RBI REDUCED THE REPO RATE BY 25 BASIS POINTS TO 7.25 PERCENT

Page 29
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 3 May 2013 reduced the Policy Repo Rate under the
Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF) by 25 basis points, from 7.5 per cent to 7.25 per cent with
immediate effect as part of its Annual Monetary
Policy statement 2013-14. The reverse repo rate
under the LAF also stands adjusted to 6.25 per
cent. The RBI took this step to boost flagging
economic growth.
The Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) rate and the

Bank Rate, both stand adjusted to 8.25 per cent
with immediate effect. The cash reserve ratio
(CRR) of scheduled banks has however been retained at 4 per cent of their net demand and
time liabilities.
In its Monetary Policy Statement the RBI has stated that the balance of risks stemming from the
Reserve Bank's assessment of the growth-inflation dynamic yields little space for further
monetary easing. Interest rates on home and car loans will ease following RBIs decision to cut
key policy rates. The next mid-quarter review of Monetary Policy for 2013-14 will be announced
on17 June 2013.
UNION CABINET RAISED OBC CREAMY LAYER CRITERIA TO 6 LAKH
The Union Government of India on 16 May 2013 revised the criteria for creamy layer of Other
Backward Classes (OBCs) from 4.5 lakh rupees to 6 lakh rupees to avail benefits of reservations
in government jobs and admissions to central educational institutions.
The decision came up in a view to increase the income limits in tune with the increase of the
consumer price index. This would enable more people to take an advantage of reservation
benefits that are extended to OBCs. Creamy layer is the income limit beyond which OBCs are
not eligible for quotas.
INDIAN INDIGENOUSLY DEVELOPED ROTAVIRUS VACCINE REVEALED
India on 14 May 2013 unveiled its indigenously

developed Rotavirus Vaccine named Rotavac after the
Phase-III Clinical Trial of low cost Rotavirus Vaccine. The
Rotavac that has demonstrated strong efficacy and
excellent safety profile; if gets its approval by the Drugs
Controller General of India (DCGI) than will be made
available in the market at a rate of 54 rupees per dose.
Approx 453000 child across the world dies every year

due to Rotavirus diarrhea and following the recent
reports every year approx one lakh children below five

Page 30
years in India die due to severe diarrhea that is caused due to Rotavirus bacteria. India accounts
for 22 percent of the global deaths that occurs due to diarrhoea-causing rotavirus.
Rotavac vaccine has been developed under a public-private partnership and is the third such
vaccine that will hit the Indian market. The previous two vaccines cost more than 1000 rupees
per dose and thus remain out of reach from the hands of millions in developing and third world
nations.
It is an oral vaccine that is administered in infants in three dose course at ages of six, ten and
fourteen weeks, which is given to a child along with the Universal Immunisation Programme
(UIP) vaccines recommended to be given to children.
REPORT: ARCTIC SEAS ACIDIFYING AT A FAST PACE
A new report released in May 2013 claimed that the Arctic Seas are being made more acidic
rapidly due to carbon dioxide emissions. Widespread changes in the ocean chemistry of the
Arctic region were monitored by the scientists
from the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment
Programme (AMAP).
As per the latest report released by the

scientists, if the emissions of carbon dioxide
are stopped with immediate effect at this
point of time, then also it would take tens of
thousands of years for Arctic Ocean chemistry
to revert to pre-industrial levels. The scientists
have forecasted the effects of the emission will
bring in major changes in the marine
ecosystem, but there exists an uncertainty over what kind of changes it will be, but will surely
Impact the life of many marine creatures, including the commercially valuable fish.
CO2 plays a great role in warming of the planet and it helps in making the alkaline water of the
oceans more acidic after being absorbed from air. Cold water absorbs CO2 faster than
compared to water at normal temperature. Thus the ice cold water of Arctic seas becomes
more vulnerable. The recent decline of summer sea ice has also helped in exposing the sea
surface to atmospheric CO2 to a greater extent.
The researchers claim that the water of the Nordic Seas is acidifying to a wide range of depths.
Effect of acidifying is faster at surface water than compared in deep waters. Mosaic of different
levels of pH has been mapped by the researchers across the region that too based on the scale
of change in the local intake of freshwater.
A huge decrease of 0.02 per decade in the pH value has been monitored by the team of
researchers on the Iceland and Barents seas since 1960s. The estimates made states that the

Page 31
average acidity of the surface ocean waters across the world is 30 percent higher by now, than
that before the industrial revolution.
Overall as per the scientists and researchers working on the conditions of sea water, it will be
very early to predict the exact changes that the sea will witness over the times to come.
ANGELINA JOLIE UNDERWENT DOUBLE MASTECTOMY
Angelina Jolie, the Hollywood actress on 14 May 2013

revealed that she has undergone double mastectomy for
reduction of her chances of getting Breast Cancer. She took
the decision of undergoing mastectomy as she was tested
positive for a genetic mutation known as BRCA1. BRCA1
presents a high risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer
in a female.
Angelina Jolies step of revealing the secret of mastectomy

was largely applauded as this will influence many women
across the world with strong family histories of breast cancer
to get genetic tests done.
Earlier before Angelina Jolie, in the history of breast cancer the defining moment occurred in
1974, when Betty Ford, the first lady of United States wife of Gerald Ford reveled about her
mastectomy to spread awareness about breast cancer.
ABOUT BRCA1 AND BRCA 2
BRCA 1
BRCA1 is a human caretaker gene that produces a protein called breast cancer susceptibility
gene 1, responsible for repairing DNA. It has been linked with the hereditary breast and ovarian
cancer in a female and prostate cancer in men. It also increases chances of cervical, uterine,
pancreatic and colon cancer.
BRCA 2
BRCA 2 is a protein found inside cells and is called breast cancer susceptibility gene 2. BRCA 2
also belongs to the tumor suppressor gene family and the protein encoded by these genes are
involved in repair of the chromosomal damage and plays an important role in free repair of
DNA double strand breaks.
US SCIENTISTS CREATED FRIST CLONED HUMAN EMBRYO

Page 32
A group of US Scientists in second week of May 2013 declared that they have succeeded in
creating a cloned human embryo using the technique that helped in developing the cloned
sheep in 1996. The scientists took fifteen years to create
the cloned embryo.
The team of scientists developed the embryo using skin

samples of a womans egg to develop an early cloned
human embryo. Aim of this research is development of a
source of stem cells not a baby. These can be helpful in
repair of damage created after heart attack or brains of
patients of Parkinsons disease.
Somatic Cell Nuclear transfer technique was used in development of the embryo and it is the
same technique that was used for developing the Ship Dolly, the first cloned animal in 1996.
LEGENDARY FOOTBALLER, DAVID BECKHAM ANNOUNCED RETIREMENT
Legendary Footballer and Former England captain David Beckham on 16 May 2013 announced
his retirement from professional football and gave an end to his illustrious career of more than
two decades. He will retire from the professional football after the end of this season.
The 38 year old footballer recently helped his team to win a league title in the fourth country
with Paris Saint Germain.
ABOUT DAVID BECKHAM
Beckham earned 115 caps for England, a record for an outfield player, and won the
Champions League, six Premier League titles and two FA Cups with Manchester United.
David Beckham joined Manchester United as a 14-year-old in 1992 and made 398
appearances, winning six Premier League titles and the Champions League.
He made his debut for England in 1996 and made 115 appearances for the country
He is the most capped outfield player of in the history of England
By securing the Paris Saint-Germain's Ligue 1 wins, he has won 19 trophies of which 10
are League titles
He is the only English player to win Championship titles in 4 different countries
Beckham was a key member of the Treble Team and he helped it in addition of
Champions League, 2 FA Cups, 1 Intercontinental Cup and 4 Community Shields to a
long list of its honours. (Treble Team is a term that is used in football association to
refer a team that wins three trophies in a single season).
He is the first English player who scored in 3 consecutive World Cup Finals
Beckham has the record of joint-second most goal assists in European Championship
Finals history

Page 33
He is among few of the British players who played for Real Madrid, AC Milan, LA Galaxy
and Paris Saint-Germain
He is the first British player to reach 100 champions league appearances
He was successful in winning La Liga Title in the final season of Spain as well as has been
the winner of US MLS Championship twice
He helped the team to win French Ligue 1 Championship in 19 years
INTERNATIONAL
NEVADA BECAME FIRST US STATE TO LEGALISE ONLINE CASINO
Nevada, in the month of April 2013, became the first US State that allowed its residents to play
Online Poker for money, legally. Online Poker gained legitimacy in Nevada in February 2013.
Other states that will legalise online poker soon in US are Delaware and New Jersey.
The Nevada Gaming Control Board issued the 30-day license to enable the websites for
competing against each other for the customers. The first legal online poker website to go live
in Nevada is UltimatePoker.com. Ultimate Poker is the subsidiary of Station Casinos that
operate 16 casinos in Las Vegas.
US authorities claimed that online gambling can generate billions of dollars. Every year, around
10 million US citizens play online poker. However the sites are all offshore, which means that
federal authorities as well as state make no money at all.

Page 34
US had imposed a ban on online gambling in 2006, but the rules could be relaxed now.
RULES FOR PLAYING ONLINE POKER LEGALLY
Under Nevada licenses terms, the players should be at least 21 years of age
The players should be the residents of Nevada
In the year 2010, a research conducted by Gambling Commission found out that there were
approximately 450000 problem gamblers in UK. They had an average debt of 17500 pound.
The first online casino of the world was created 20 years ago by the Microgaming Software
Systems, which are based on Isle of Man.
IRELAND UNVEILED THE PROTECTION OF LIFE DURING PREGNANCY BILL
Irelands government on 1 May 2013 unveiled the Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill. It
explains when life-saving abortions can be performed. Moreover, its a clarification of rights
within the ambit of Current law.
The bill mentioned clearly that anyone illegally involved in abortion could face a maximum 14-
year prison sentence whether he is a doctor or a patient. The bill was unveiled following the
death of an Indian dentist Savita Halappanavar in 2012.
MARYLAND ABOLISHED DEATH PENALTY
Maryland, the U.S. state located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, on 2 May 2013
became the first southern US state to abolish the death penalty.
The measure on it was signed by Democratic Governor Martin OMalley on 2 May 2013.
The person who was attended was former Maryland death row inmate Kirk Bloodsworth. He
will be the first person in the country freed from death penalty because of DNA evidence after
being convicted in a death penalty case.
On the global level, Maryland is the 18th state to abolish the death penalty.
The Governor can commute the death sentences of intimates to life without parole. The
Governor OMalley has asserted that he will consider them on a case-by-case basis. The states
last execution was in 2005.
JAPAN CONCLUDED DEAL WITH UAE ON NUCLEAR POWER TECHNOLOGY

Page 35
Japan on 2 May 2013 concluded a deal with the United Arab Emirates for transferring the
nuclear power technology. It is the first transfer of the nuclear power technology since 2011
Fukushima nuclear accident.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited the Persian Gulf state on the third leg of a weeklong
overseas trip. Shinzo Abe met UAE Vice President and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin
Rashid Al Maktoum on 2 May 2013 in order to conclude the nuclear deal.
The nuclear deal was concluded with an agreement to promote bilateral investments and
economic exchanges. Shinzo Abe also explained about Japans plan for holding the ministerial-
level strategic talks on a regular basis with six Gulf Arab states, known as the Gulf Cooperation
Council.
NEW GAS RESERVE DISCOVERED IN SOUTHERN SINDH PROVINCE

Pakistan in the Month of April had discovered a new Gas Reserve in Southern Sindh Province
that is supposed to help in reduction of acute gas shortages for industry and transport.
The discovery was made by the Italian Energy Company ENI with joint venture partners
Pakistan Petroleum Limited and Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company in the Kirthar
Fold Belt region 270 kilometres (170 miles) north of Karachi.
It was found during the production testing that the gas is flowing at 33 million cubic feet per
day highlighting an excellent potential for the future for energy needs of the country.
It is important here to note that the under an early production scheme, gas supply from the
new reserve would be possible within three years. The discovery of new oil and gas reservoirs is
of imperative importance to cope with the prevailing energy shortage in Pakistan.
One of the largest oil producers, ENI is under existence in Pakistan since 2000 and is the
country's largest producer, with an average production of 54800 barrels of oil equivalent per
day in 2011. Pakistan has a widespread energy crisis for years which is characterized by
frequent blackouts, which has stultified the economy.
INDIA GRANTED CONSULAR ACCESS TO PAKISTAN ON DAILY BASIS

India on 4 May 2013 granted consular access on daily basis to Pakistan officials to visit
Sanaullah Ranjay, who was injured in a fight with another inmate in Jammu jail and was
admitted to a hospital in Chandigarh.
It is worth mentioning here that Earlier, a team of Pakistan High Commission officials had met
Sanaullah at PGI Chandigarh. As per the Ministry of External Affairs, with the grant of Consular
Access, the Pakistan officials can visit Sanaullah once in a day. They will also be briefed twice a
day on the condition of the prisoner.
ABOUT SANAULLAH RANJAY

Page 36
Sanaullah who is a resident of Sialkot in Pakistan was injured during a brawl with another
inmate in Jammu Jail where he was serving life term after
being convicted under TADA provisions. He was arrested
in 1999.
Sanaullah without any delay was shifted from high-

security Kot Balwal jail to Government Medical College
Hospital and later rushed to PGIMR in Chandigarh in an
air ambulance after he was found critical.
As per the Pakistan government the brawl between

Sanaullah and other jail inmates is an obvious retaliation
to the death of Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh in a Lahore
hospital on 2 May 2013. Sarabjit Singh had been attacked by fellow inmates in Kot Lakhpat Jail
on 26 April and succumbed to his injuries six days later. It is being said that Sanaullah is a victim
of a direct assault coming in the wake of the death of Sarabjit Singh.
INDIA-IRAN JOINT COMMISSION WAS HELD IN TEHRAN
The 17th Session of the India-Iran Joint Commission was held in Tehran on 4 May 2013. The
Session was co-chaired by Ali Akbar Salehi, Foreign Minister of Islamic Republic of Iran and by
Salman Khurshid, External Affairs Minister of India.
India and Iran discussed bilateral and regional issues of mutual interest. They discussed Indian
participation in Chahbahar Port project which will provide connectivity with Afghanistan and
will give an impetus to Afghanistan's economic development. They also discussed the
developing situation in Afghanistan and agreed to remain in regular contact. They reaffirmed
their support to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan. The two sides also
reiterated the importance of greater connectivity between Russia, Central and South Asia
through the International North South Transport Corridor (INSTC).
India and Iran reiterated importance of enhancing cooperation in expanding trade and banking
relations. The two sides agreed to study the prospects of joint investment in both countries.
The two sides, while noting their capabilities in the industrial sector, agreed to diversify their
cooperation in this regard.
On developments in Syria, the two nations strongly expressed deep concern on the continuing
and unabated violence and called upon all sides in Syria to abjure violence and resolve all issues
peacefully through discussions taking in to account the aspirations of people of Syria. In this
regard, they supported the Geneva Communiqu which includes the 6-Point Plan of Kofi Annan
and welcomed the efforts of Joint Special Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi.
Salman Khurshid also inaugurated the Indian Cultural Centre in Tehran on 3 May 2013.
INDIA AND IRAN ALSO SIGNED THE FOLLOWING MOUS

Page 37
MOU between Institute of Standards and Industrial Research of Islamic Republic of Iran
(ISIRI) and Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).
MOU between the Foreign Service Institute, Ministry of External Affairs, Republic of
India and School of International Relations,Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Islamic Republic
of Iran.
MOU between the Government of Republic of India and the Government of Islamic
Republic of Iran on cooperation in the field of water resources management.
BRITISH TERRITORIES SIGNED DEAL ON SHARING TAX INFORMATION
Bermuda and other British overseas territories on 1 May 2013 signed deals with financial
centres on sharing tax information. The similar recent deals were struck with Jersey, Guernsey
and the Isle of Man. Other British overseas territories are namely the British Virgin Islands, the
Cayman Islands, Anguilla, Montserrat and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
The move aims to track down banking clients who escape paying taxes by not revealing their
money overseas. It comes in the midst of an international operation against tax evasion and the
use of tax havens.
As per the deal, the bank account details, such as names, addresses, dates of birth, account
numbers, account balances and payment details will be passed on. The data will be shared with
both the UK tax authorities and those in France, Germany, Italy and Spain.
CHINESE SHIPS SAILED INTO DISPUTED WATERS OF SENKAKU ISLANDS
Three Government ships of China on 5 May 2013

entered into waters of Senkaku islands, which are
disputed and controlled by Tokyo. The surveillance
ships of China sailed 12-nautical-mile zone off the
Senkaku islands, also known as Diaoyu by China.
The government ships of China have sailed into five

islands in recent past. This has led to diplomatic
disputes with Japan. In April 2012, eight vessels of
the Chinese Government had entered in the disputed
waters.
THE DISPUTED SENKAKU ISLANDS
Senkaku islands, which are also called Diaoyu Islands in China or Pinnacle Islands, are basically
the group of uninhabited islands. These islands are under the control of Japan in East China Sea.

Page 38
These islands are located in the east of Mainland China, northeast of Taiwan, west of Okinawa
Island as well as north of the southwestern end of Ryukyu Islands.
There is terrestrial sovereignty over Senkaku islands as well as maritime boundaries around
these islands are disputed between China, Taiwan and Japan.
China and Taiwan claim that Senkaku islands have remained a part of China since 1534.
However, in 1894-1895, Japan got the control of the islands during first Sino-Japanese War and
the Treaty of Shimonoseki was signed.
LIBYAS PARLIAMENT PASSED LAW BANNING GADDAFI-ERA OFFICIALS
Libyas parliament on 5 May 2013 passed a comprehensive law which bans anyone who served
as a senior official under Muammar Gaddafi during his 42 year-long rule from working in
government.
The passing of such Political Isolation Law possibly will lead to the dismissal of many current
leaders, some of whom had defected to the rebel side during the countrys 2011 civil war or
had been elected to office since Gaddafis ouster and killing.
The move is also likely to further stall the countrys already unsteady transition to democracy
by ousting elected lawmakers. The General National Congress, Libyas elected parliament,
voted overpoweringly in favour of the law. Out of 200 lawmakers, 169 attended the vote.
AFTER EFFECTS OF THE LAW
The law is supposed to give a boost to Islamists, who performed poorly in recent
elections compared to their counterparts in other Arab states.
The law was partially driven by the unpopularity of Libyas current crop of politicians
among many of the still-powerful former rebels who toppled Gaddafi, and others who
say little has improved since. Backers of the law say it is necessary to complete the
revolution.
The law may affect a number of ambassadors, heads of governmental agencies,

professors and media professionals on government payrolls.
Security officials such as the militarys chief of staff Maj. Gen. Youssef Mangoush, once a
Special Forces commander under Gaddafi, may also come under the law. He quit his
post 10 years before the uprising began and sided with rebels during the war.
The law states that parliamentarians who lose their post will be replaced by either the
next name on the party list or by the independent candidate who came in second in a
district. This could benefit many Islamists, who trailed in the elections and came in
second in many districts.

Page 39
INDIA & CHINA PULLED BACK TROOPS FROM DAULAT BEG OLDI SECTOR
India and China on 5 May 2013 pulled back their troops

from the stand off point at Daulat Beg Oldi sector in
Ladakh, where the Chinese forces had intruded nearly
three weeks back.
A battalion of Chinese troops estimated at about 50 and

accompanied by vehicles and dogs had intruded 19 km
inside the Indian Territory across the Line of Actual
Control (LAC) in Daulat Beg Oldi sector on April 15 and
set up five tents. The Indian troops had also established
tented posts facing the Chinese forces at a distance of
300 metres.
An agreement was reached for both nations to pull back their troops simultaneously from the
face off point.
NATIONAL FRONT WON THE 13TH GENERAL ELECTIONS OF MALAYSIA
The National Front of Malaysia, that is led by Najib Razak on 5 May 2013 won by simple
majority in the 13th General Elections to secure its 56-year hold on the power. The Barisan
Nasional (National Front) Coalition secured 133 seats of the 22 member Parliament seats. This
is the worst ever election performance of the National Front.
The opposition Pakatan Rakyat a three party alliance that is led by Anwar Ibrahim won 89 seats.
The alliance was the toughest of all oppositions faced by the National Front till date. In 2008,
the National Front won 135 seats of the 222 seats, the first time when the Najibs Party lost
two-third majority in the Parliament in its 56 years of journey. With this win Najib will get his
second term in the office.
SAUDI ARABIA ON EXTENSION OF GRACE PERIOD FOR FOREIGNERS
The Interior Minister of Saudi Arabia on 6 May 2013 announced that there would be no
extension over the three month grace for foreigners staying in the country illegally. The Interior
Ministry has urged people to take advantage of the grace period provided to them for
regularization of their situation.
The country will adopt a zero tolerance policy for people who fail to regularize their situation
and stay in the country illegally after the completion of the grace period. The government also
appealed to the emigrants staying illegally in the country to contact with the authorities and
rectify their status of being in the country following its rules and regulations.

Page 40
Earlier, Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz the King of Saudi issued a three month grace period for the
foreigners staying illegally in the country to correct their residency status in the country or exit
the nation after following due procedures.
14TH INDIA-AUSTRALIA JMC MEETING HELD IN NEW DELHI
The 14th India-Australia Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC) Meeting was held in New Delhi on
29 January, 2013 co-chaired by Anand Sharma, Union Minister of Commerce, Industry and
Textiles, India and the Craig Emerson MP, Australian Minister for Trade and Competitiveness
and Minister assisting the Prime Minister on Asian Century Policy.The issues discussed during
JMC meeting were institutional framework for growth in bilateral trade and investment,
initiatives of India Australia CEO forum, Australia and Indias mutual interests in the
effectiveness of global and regional economic institutions, launch of Regional Comprehensive
Economic Partnership (RCEP) negotiations, strengthening of the East Asia Summit as a forum
that incorporated all major economies in the India-Pacific region, G-20, WTO, IOR-ARC,
Education and skill development, agriculture cooperation and food security, people-to-people
links, etc.
During the JMC, both nations also reviewed bilateral co-operations in sectors like Agriculture,
Civil Nuclear Energy Cooperation Agreement and Comprehensive Economic Cooperation
Agreement (CECA) etc.
In April 2008, a Joint Study Group (JSG) was constituted, inter alia, to examine the feasibility for
establishing a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and Australia. Based on the
recommendations of the JSG, India-Australia is negotiating CECA covering trade in goods,
services, investment and IPR related issues. The 1st round of India-Australia CECA negotiations
was held during 28th-29 July, 2011. Four rounds of negotiations have been held so far as under:
2nd round 17-18 November, 2011; 3rd Round 24-25 May 2012; 4th round 8-9 November 2012.
Both nations are negotiating the CECA as stated above and the fifth round is likely to take place
in Mid May, 2013. It is not feasible to indicate the time likely to be taken to complete the
negotiations in a balanced manner bringing mutual benefit, and this was recognised by both
leaders in JMC.
NAJIB RAZAK SWORN IN AS PM OF MALAYSIA FOR 2 ND TERM
Najib Razak on 6 May 2013 was sworn in as the

Prime Minister of Malaysia for a second term by
Malaysias king Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah.
The coalition of Najib Razak, Najibs Barisan

Nasional (National Front) which was ruling from of
his 56-year once again retained power in elections
but this time it was branded as fraudulent by the

Page 41
opposition. Najib Razaks party, the 13-party Barisan Nasional (National Front), secured 133 of
the 222 parliamentary seats on 5May 2013.
The coalition that has ruled since independence in 1957 held off a well determined opposition
challenge to retain a firm parliamentary majority in elections widely forecast to be the biggest-
ever threat to the ruling bloc. It is important here to note that this time the vote saw a record
turnout of more than 10 million people.
Najib Razak took office in 2009, and has faced rising public calls for reform. He has responded
with some limited liberalisation moves while his critics dismiss it as superficial steps that darted
deep change to avoid upsetting ruling elite.
BRIEF INSIGHT INTO NAJIB RAZAKS POLITICAL CAREER
Najib Razak became the sixth Prime Minister of Malaysia in year 2009.
He previously held the post of Deputy Prime Minister from 7 January 2004 and has
succeeded Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to become the Prime Minister on 3 April 2009.
Najib Razak was first assigned into the Cabinet of Malaysia I year 1978 where he was
appointed Deputy Minister of Energy, Telecommunications and Post.
In Year 1991, Najib was appointed Minister of Defence.
In Year 1995, Najib Rzak left the Defense Ministry and was appointed as the Minister of
Education.
In September 2008, Najib Razak overtook the control of the Ministry of Finance.
CUBA LAUNCHED COMPLAINT AGAINST AUSTRALIAN TOBACCO LAWS
Cuba on 6 May 2013 has launched a legal challenge to Australia's tobacco packaging laws at the
World Trade Organization, the Geneva-based trade body.
It is important here to note that Cuba has never before

launched WTO litigation. Its challenge follows related
complaints about Australia's tough tobacco packaging
rules by Ukraine, Honduras and Dominican Republic.
Cuba has touched off a 60-day window for Australia to try

to resolve the problem in talks with Cuba. After that Cuba
could ask the WTO to appoint a panel of adjudicators to
judge its complaint.
It was in December 2012 when Australia's law came into force banning cigarette logos and
requiring packets to be plain olive green with graphic health warnings. It was seen as a model

Page 42
for others considering a similar move, including the European Union, India, Norway, South
Korea, New Zealand and Canada.
So, in order to bring in the world's toughest rules on tobacco packaging, Australia had to win a
court fight against cigarette makers British American Tobacco, Imperial Tobacco, Philip Morris
and Japan Tobacco.
CHINA EXPORTED ARMS WORTH 11 BILLION US $ IN 5 YEARS

According to a report released by Pentagon China signed agreements for arms exports worth 11
billion US dollars from 2007 to 2011. Pakistan maintains its position as Beijings primary
customer for conventional weapons. The report added that Chinese defence firms are
marketing and selling arms throughout the world with the majority of their sales to Asia and the
Middle East/North Africa. In 2012, China unveiled the Yi Long tactical unmanned aerial vehicle.
It will be marketed to developing nations.
China engages in both arms sales and defence industrial cooperation with Islamabad, including
co-production of the JF-17 fighter aircraft, F-22P frigates with helicopters, K-8 jet trainers, F-7
fighter aircraft, early warning and control aircraft, tanks, air-to-air missiles, anti-ship cruise
missiles, and cooperation on main battle tank production.
China's military modernisation may have potential implications for regional stability. According
to the report, Sub-Saharan African nations consider China as a provider of low-cost weapons
with less political hassles compared to other international arms suppliers.
WORLD BANK AGREED GRANT OF 100MN USD TO AFGHANISTAN
The World Bank on 7 May 2013 announced that it will

provide grant of 100 million US dollar to Afghanistan for
expansion of the basic health and essential hospital
services in the country. The World Bank and Afghan
Government released a press statement on the
agreement reached and signed between the two to this
effect at Kabul.
World Banks International Development Association

(IDA) will provide the grant with an aim to help the
Afghan Public Health Ministry for its System
Enhancement Health Action in Transition (SEHAT) program.
Afghanistan will use the grant for expansion of the scope and quality of the basic health and
essential hospital services across the nation, which includes 22 rural and urban areas of its 34
provinces. It will also strengthen the National Health System by developing the capacity of the
Public Health Ministry.

Page 43
Afghanistan has made a steady progress in the health sector in the past decade. The facilities of
health in 11 targeted provinces of Afghanistan has also tripled in a decades time from 148 to
432 as per official records, with about 20000 trained community health workers. The number of
facilities with trained female health workers rose from 25 percent before the project to 74
percent today. The functional health care facilities in Afghanistan has gone up to 2000 from 496
and thus resulted in significant improvement in the coverage of reproductive and child health
services, there has been a marked drop in maternal and child mortality.
RUSSIA & USA COMMITMENT TO NEGOTIATE TO END SYRIAN CONFLICT
Foreign Minister of Russia, Sergei Lavrov and Secretary of United States John Kerry announced
their commitments to a negotiated settlement for the end of the conflict of Syria at Moscow on
7 May 2013. The two have pushed forward for an international conference on the crisis
situation.
The decision came up after the talks that lasted for hours between the Visiting US Secretary of
State John Kerry and Russian President Vladimir Putin further proceeded by the Russian Foreign
Minister Sergei Lavrov in a bid to lessen the differences between Washington and Russia over
the Syrian Conflict.
Both the nations will try to come up with an international conference over the conflict of Syria
and will try to convince the regime as well as the rebels to accept the terms of Geneva that was
agreed and suggested by the world powers in June 2012.
Geneva agreement was reached by the world leaders on 30 May 2012 by setting up the path
towards the formation of the transitional Government in Syria, without declaring the fate of
President Bashar al-Assad.
The International Conference will aim at bringing together the leaders of the government and
the opposition at one platform to come up with a negotiated settlement of issue, to end the
bloodshed in Syria.
BRITISH PARLIAMENT AGREED TO OUTLAW CASTE DISCRIMINATION
The British parliament finally agreed to outlaw caste discrimination by amending the Equality
Act 2010. The Act prohibited race discrimination,
harassment and victimisation in the workplace, till now.
The definition of race mentioned in the Act includes
colour, ethnic or national origin and nationality but makes
no specific reference to caste.
The British parliament finally voted for legal protection for

the four lakh dalits residing in the country. With this step,
UK has become the first country outside South Asia to
legislate against caste discrimination. The legislation will

Page 44
protect thousands of people, who has suffered abuse and prejudice because they were
considered low caste.
The issue has created a divide among the Indian diaspora in the UK.The groups like Caste Watch
UK are rallying to urge MPs to introduce legal protection for those from traditionally lower-
caste backgrounds wheras the Hindu Alliance called for a boycott of the amendment. According
to the 2011 census, there are 81633 Hindus are living in UK.
ARAB LEAGUE AGREED TO ISRAEL-PALESTINE LAND SWAP AGREEMENT
Arab nations on 1 May 2013 collectively agreed to accept an arrangement that will allow Israelis
and Palestinians to carry on with their land swap agreement to resolve differences instead of
sticking to the pre-1967-war position.The decision of Arab nations followed a meeting in
Washington of Arab officials and the US Secretary of State John Kerry. The Arab league
delegation affirmed after the talks that the agreement should be based on the two-state
solution on the basis of the 4 June 1967 line, with the possibility of comparable and mutual
agreed minor swap of the land.
The Arab Leagues proposal in its original form-proposed in 2002 at the Arab Leagues Summit
in Beirut- included a full Arab recognition of an Israeli state, provided it gave up land captured
in the 1967 Israel-Arab war and it should accept a just solution for Palestinian refugees. The
Israel had earlier rejected the plan. Israel refuses to return to 1967 borders, inclusion of East
Jerusalem in a future Palestinian state and the return of Palestinian refugees displaced in earlier
Israel-Arab wars.
US SANCTIONS AGAINST 4 IRANIAN NUCLEAR SUPPLY COMPANIES
The United States on 10 May 2013 slapped sanctions against four Iranian Nuclear Supply
Companies and an individual for their attempt to procure goods for Iranian Nuclear
Programme.
The four Iranian companies are Aluminat, Pars Amayesh Sanaat Kish, Pishro Systems Research
Company and Taghtiran Kashan Company and the Iranian Citizen is Parviz Khaki. Parviz is
alleged for procurement and attempt to procure goods for Irans nuclear programme, which
can be used for construction, operation and maintenance of gas centrifuges to enrich Uranium.
The foreign financial institutions facilitating significant transactions to or from the sanction
entities and individual are exposed to potential loss of access to US Financial Sector, following
the rules of the US State Department.
EIGHTH INDIA-SEYCHELLES JOINT COMMISSION MEET CONCLUDED

Page 45
The eighth India-Seychelles Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) was held on 8 May 2013 at New
Delhi. The Joint Commission exchanged views on bilateral, regional and international matters of
mutual interest during the meet.
Review of the ongoing cooperation between the two nations in different fields was also done
and views were exchanged for expanding and strengthening the perimeter of the cooperation
between the two sides.
The Indian Delegation to the meeting was led by Sudhir Vyas, Secretary (West), Ministry of
External Affairs and the Seychelles delegation was headed by H.E. Ambassador Maurice Jean
Leonard Loustau-Lalane, the Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Seychelles.
The next meeting of the Joint Commission will be held in Seychelles at mutually convenient
date.
INDIA AND CHINA SIGNED PROTOCOL TO ENHANCE COOPERATION

Union External Affairs Minister, Salman Khurshid paid an official visit to the Peoples Republic of
China from 9 to 10 May 2013 at the invitation of the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi. Both
countries signed a new protocol to enhance cooperation between their foreign ministries, while
working on a mechanism to step up coordination for providing timely information to the media.
The protocol that was signed by Salman Khurshid and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on 9
May 2013 was essentially an upgradation of a similar protocol signed in 2006. The 2006
protocol the two countries listed various new dialogue mechanisms that has been in existence
between the two sides, since then.
Discussions over bilateral, regional and global issues of concern were discussed by the two sides
during the visit of Salman Khurshid to China. The two countries reviewed the fallout of the
recent stand-off in the Depsang Valley in Daulat Beig Oldi sector of Ladakh. The two sides also
tried to make existing mechanisms more effective to respond with greater urgency in dealing
with border violations and recent episode on the border on the Line of Actual Control, LAC was
also discussed. The two sides also discussed upon the Visit of the Chinese Premier to India.
The two day visit of the Union Foreign Minister to China took place in May 2013 amid the de
facto border tensions in the western side of the Himalayas and just before the scheduled visit of
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang to India. Few days, back India asked the China to withdraw its
troops from the border area of the Daulat Beig Oldi Sector of Ladakh after their 19 kilometers
of incursion and camping over there.
The rivalry between the two nations was termed as the Dragon-Elephant rivalry, but apart from
the rivalry between the two, both the nations have been advocating for the rights and interests
of the developing nations since decades. Earlier the new Chinese Premier after his appointment
to the office also declared that he respects the Chinese ties with India and will work forward to
strengthen the same.

Page 46
IRAN GAVE REUTERS PERMISSION TO REOPEN ITS TEHRAN BUREAU
Iran on 11 May 2013 gave Reuters news agency permission to reopen its Tehran bureau. The
work there was suspended in March 2012 over one of its video reports.
In September 2012, a court found Reuters guilty of propaganda against the regime, and
publishing false information in an effort to disturb public opinion. Domestic Iranian and foreign
media outlets in the Islamic republic need permission from the culture and Islamic guidance
ministry to operate.
The authorities in Iran routinely monitor and restrict the activities of the few journalists
working for foreign media in Iran.
INDIA & NETHERLANDS SIGNED MOU IN FIELD OF URBAN PLANNING

India and Netherlands on 14 May 2013 signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Technical
Cooperation in the field of Spatial Planning, Water Management, and Mobility Management at
Hague, Netherlands during the visit of Kamal Nath, Minister for Urban Development and
Parliamentary Affairs.
The Memorandum of Understanding will enable greater cooperation in the areas of - Spatial
planning, urban and regional planning and development and architecture; Water management
in terms of Water supply and sanitation and governance structures; Transport management
and transport systems and infrastructure; Energy-efficient and sustainable built forms.
Under the MoU, a Joint Working Group would be set up that would prepare annual work
programmes. It was decided that the first seminar under the MoU would take place in June
2013 at Rotterdam to be followed by another seminar in India later in the year.
During Kamal Naths visit it was noted that the bilateral trade between India and Netherlands is
increasing at a brisk pace and it was agreed that there is a need to expand the trade basket to
other important areas such as Urban Development.
INSEE CONFIRMED THAT FRANCE HAS SLIPPED INTO RECESSION
Preliminary data released from the INSEE (National Institute for Statistics and Economic
Studies) statistics agency on 14 May 2013 revealed the fact that the French economy has
entered a shallow recession after shrinking by 0.2 percent in the first quarter of the year. The
economy entered into recession because of weak exports, investment and household spending.
France is already suffering number of jobless people; the number of unemployed people in
France went up to all time high in March 2013. The country's economy shrank by the same
amount in the last quarter of 2012. France has record unemployment and low business and
consumer confidence.

Page 47
As per the INSEE statistics, investment in France contracted by 0.9 percent in the first quarter of
the year. Similarly business investment went down by 0.8 percent and exports went down bu
0.5 percent in the second quarter. The household consumption also recorded a fall of 0.1
percent; this is the first downfall in household consumption since second quarter of 2012.
Recession is defined as regular contraction of GDP for consecutive two quarters. In case of
France, the economy shrank by 0.2 percent in last quarter of 2012.
Earlier this month, the European Commission warned France would enter recession this year
and said the eurozone would shrink by 0.4 percent. The European Commission has also offered
French Economy a time limitation of two years to bring the public deficit of the nation in line
with the European Union limit of 3percent of GDP.
STATE OF EMERGENCY IN THREE STATES IN NIGERIA
Nigerian president, Goodluck Jonathan on 14 May 2013 imposed a state of emergency in three
states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa in an effort to curb the increasingly violent attacks by
radical Islamist armed group Boko Haram.
The decision was taken after a series of attacks on security forces and government targets by
Boko Haram in its northeast stronghold in May 2013 to restore public safety and security.
A large number of troops are being deployed immediately

in these areas. A similar move was made in January 2012
following an increase in Boko Haram attacks, but earlier in
that case the pronouncement only applied to specific local
government areas in four states.
It has been seen that from Boko Haram fighters have

surrendered in last few weeks. It was found that Boko
Haram has killed more than 2000 people since it started
insurgency in 2009.
ABOUT BOKO HARAM
Boko Haram is a Jihadist Militant Organisation based in the northeast of Nigeria and north
Cameroon. It is an Islamist Organisation which strongly opposes man-made laws and
westernization. The organisation was founded by Mohammed Yusuf in 2001 and it seeks to
establish Sharia Law in the country. The group is also known for attacking Christians and
bombing churches.
The group identified internationally following sectarian violence in Nigeria in July 2009, which
had left over 1000 people dead. In year 2011 the group was accountable for at least 450 killings
in Nigeria.

Page 48
INDIA-LANKA FTA HANDBOOK RELEASED IN COLOMBO
Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka launched a handbook on Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in
Colombo on 15 May 2013. FTA has helped Sri Lanka increase its exports to India manifold and
the trade imbalance has decreased as a result of the favourable terms of the Free Trade
Agreement between the two countries.
Sri Lankan businessmen need to take advantage of Indias vast market and aim at becoming a
part of supply chains in Indian industry.
India-Sri Lanka Free Trade agreement was the first of such agreements that was signed by India.
It had come into effect in the year 2000 and has helped trade between the two countries grow
from 400 million dollars to over 5 billion dollars in a decade.
INDIA WAS GRANTED AN OBSERVER STATUS BY ARCTIC COUNCIL
India on 15 May 2013 was successful in getting the observer status in the Arctic Council along
with five other nations namely China, Italy, Singapore and South Korea. This step of the Arctic
Council will give India a foothold in the resource rich Arctic Ocean with the melting of the ice.
As India will get an access from navigation to oil and gas exploration. The observer status was
assigned to India after a meeting held at Kiruna, Sweden.
With this success, India will get an opportunity to contribute its scientific expertise mainly its
capabilities in polar research to the work of the Arctic Council and support its objectives.
The observer status of India in the Arctic Council if seen at the realpolitik level; India will get an
access for hydrocarbon exploration that is offered in the Arctic Circle. For this India will have to
join its hands with one of the five countries gearing up for the purpose among US, Canada,
Russia, Denmark and Russia.
If seen with the perspective of geographical distance than Russia is an ideal partner for India
and to make this happen India will have to take a firm stand on the Lomonosov Ridge and the
Mendeleev Ridge for Russia. Russia claims that the Lomonosov Ridge and the Mendeleev Ridge
are the extension of its continental shelf. This support will also bring in Indias chances to get
access in the rich deposits of Arctic Belt and utilize the North Sea Route.
ABOUT MELTING ICE OF ARCTIC CIRCLE AND INTERESTS OF NATIONS &

RESEARCHERS
The level of melting ice in the Arctic sea in September 2012 went down to the new lows and
attracted interest of nations and researchers towards it. Various nations placed their interest in
the region for exploration of its rich mineral resources and navigation purposes.
India has its Arctic research station named Himadri since 2008 that is located at the
International Arctic Research base, Ny-Alesund at Spitsbergen, Svalbard, Norway. The station is

Page 49
operated by the National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research. Indias approach in the
Arctic Circle since 2008 has always been purely scientific.
China became the first Asian country to navigate the area with a three-month sea voyage in an
ice breaker across the Arctic Circle.
5TH IBSA WOMEN'S FORUM RESOLUTION APPROVED
India, Brazil and South Africa approved the fifth India Brazil South Africa (IBSA) Womens Forum
Resolution, in New Delhi on 16 May 2013.
MAIN POINTS OF THE RESOLUTION
The joint resolution stated that the three countries are committed to recognizing the
key role of government with the support of civil society to ensure and accelerate all
efforts towards achieving gender equality and empowerment of women.
It also acknowledges the Forums shared commitment to various international

conventions on rights of women and girls.
The resolution recommends the following- to end violence against women and girls; to
work towards economic empowerment of women, especially rural and marginalized
women; to promote gender responsive budgeting, and equitable and sustainable
development.
Through this Resolution the three countries commit to

working for womens empowerment and for fighting
gender-based discrimination and violence against women
in all forms. The platform of the IBSA is for enhanced
efforts for continuously engendering the policies and
programmes of the three countries and for
mainstreaming the marginalized sections. The violence
perpetuates discrimination against women, and there are
increasing instances of growing violence against women,
which strengthens the need for concerted efforts to fight
such discrimination and injustice.
IBSA platform has the three largest democracies from the

southern continent and their joint efforts through this forum will go a long way in
mainstreaming the debate of womens issues.
IBSA RESOLUTION TO EMPOWER WOMEN SIGNED BY KRISHNA TIRATH
The Union Minister for Women and Child Development Krishna Tirath on 16 May 2013 signed
the Fifth India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Womens Forum Resolution at the end of the three day

Page 50
meet of IBSA Womens Forum. The signed joint resolution, will allow the three countries to
recognize the key role of Governments of these countries with the support of the Civil Society
to ensure and accelerate efforts towards achieving gender equality and empowerment of
women.
The resolution was signed between Krishna Tirath, her South African counterpart Lulama
Xingwana and Maria do Carmo Godinho Delgado, Secretary of Evaluation of Policies and
Economic Autonomy of Women of Brazil.
To end violence against women for development of the equitable society and model for
effective delivery of financial benefits to poor families, South Africa is running a Stop Rape
Campaign and on similar grounds Brazil is running a campaign named Bolsa Familia of Brazil.
The platform of IBSA was constituted to enhance the efforts for continuous engendering of the
policies and programmes of India, Brazil and South Africa and to bring in the marginalized
section into the mainstream.
IBSA (INDIA BRAZIL-SOUTH-AFRICA) TRILATERAL
IBSA is a trilateral, developmental initiative between India, Brazil and South Africa to promote
South-South cooperation and exchange. Formation of IBSA for the first time was discussed
during the G-8 meeting that took place in Evian, France in 2003. Further, the External Affairs
Minister of India, Yashwant Sinha, the Foreign Affairs Minister of Brazil, Celso Amorim and the
Minister of Foreign Affairs of South Africa; Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma met in Brasilia on 6 June
2003 and farmalised the launch of IBSA Dialogue Forum with an adoption of the Brasilia
Declaration.
WOMENS FORUM OF IBSA
The Womens Forum initiative launched under the People-to-Peoples Forum by the heads of
the IBSA states came up during the second IBSA Summit in South Africa in 2007. The forum
came into existence with the aim of cooperation between the three countries with the
objective of promoting gender equality and empowerment.
UN ADOPTED RESOLUTION ON SYRIA FOR POLITICAL TRANSITION
The UN General Assembly on 15 May 2013 adopted a resolution (non-binding in nature) calling
for a political transition in Syria and condemning President Bashar al-Assad Government for its
increasing use of heavy weapons. A majority of 107 states voted to adopt the resolution. There
were 12 votes against and 59 abstentions.
Russia was fiercely opposed to the resolution, termed it as unbalanced and inadequate to
address adequately atrocities allegedly committed by rebel groups. The resolution was drafted
by Arab states that have supported the rebels.

Page 51
The resolution asked for immediate financial support to neighboring countries, which are
hosting 1.5 million refugees. The UN resolution on Syria highlighted the dire situation of the
4.25 million internally displaced people.
14TH ROUND OF INDIAEU BTIA NEGOTIATION CONCLUDED
The Chief negotiators met in New Delhi from 15 May to 17 May 2013 for 14th round of
negotiation for India EU BTIA (Broad-based Trade and Investment Agreement). All issues on
the table were discussed. Negotiators felt that some positive movements have been
accomplished though many critical issues are still needed to be discussed further. Negotiators
reiterated their commitment for a balanced and ambitious agreement. Negotiators on both
sides acknowledged that some positive movements were accomplished, however many critical
issues still needed to be discussed further.
The negotiations included trade in goods, sanitary and phyto-sanitary measures and technical
barriers to trade, investment, trade in services, intellectual property rights and geographical
indications, competition policy, customs and trade facilitation, trade defence, government
procurement, dispute settlement and sustainable development.
Negotiations were carried out as per mandate received from the Trade and Economic Relations
Committee (TERC).
USA CLEARED SHALE GAS EXPORT TO INDIA
USA on 18 May 2013 granted conditional authorization to export domestically produced

liquefied natural gas (LNG) to countries that do not have Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with it. It
opens up the prospects of export of shale gas to India. The decision was announced by
Department of Energy in USA. The gas will be exported from Freeport Terminal on Quintana
Island in Texas.
The companies from nations like Japan, China and Britain have huge stake in the Texas
Company, Indian chances to benefit immediately from this grant of license are rare. India does
not have a free trade agreement with the USA. But Indian companies can seek similar licenses
for import of the shale gas from the U.S. in large quantities from other terminals.
The present federal law generally requires approval of natural gas exports to nations that have
an FTA with the U.S. But those nations that do not have an FTA with the U.S., the Natural Gas
Act direct the Department of Energy to grant export authorizations provided that the proposed
exports will not harm the public interest.
NORTH KOREA TEST FIRED FOUR MISSILES OFF COAST IN TWO DAYS
North Korea on 19 May 2013 test-fired a short-range missile off its east coast, counted as
fourth test firing in two days. The missile was fired into the Sea of Japan. Earlier on 18 May

Page 52
2013 the North Korea fired three short-range missiles off its east coast, considered as part of a
military drill.
The launching of missile by North Korea is not usual but it came at a time of sensitive alert on
the peninsula followed by the Pyongyangs nuclear test in February 2013 which had led to
tougher UN Sanctions.
The launch of missile by North Korea was to demonstrate its military ambitions in
rebelliousness of international sanctions and diplomatic efforts to convince the totalitarian
state to return to talks.
The United States, Russia and the United Nations have all issued renewed calls for restraint
from North Korea. Followed the firing of three short-range projectiles, South Korea urged the
North to stop provocations.
INDIA ASKED FOR MORE MARKET ACCESS FROM JAPAN
The Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Anand Sharma during his two day visit to Japan
from 17 to 18 May 2013 sought more market access for Indian exporters in sectors like
agriculture, marine and pharmaceutical products in Japan. During his visit to Japan, Anand
Sharma expressed concern towards the mounting trade deficit, with Japanese Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe and Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo.
It is projected that the Japanese pharmaceutical market will touch 100 billion US dollar and in
providing affordable healthcare, the Indian generics can play a key role in providing affordable
healthcare. In 2012-13 trade deficit of India with Japan measured to 6 billion dollar.
The two day visit is targeted towards a comprehensive review of the bilateral economic
engagement with Japan. Anand Sharma apprised Shinzo Abe about the successful
implementation of the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) project, which was
conceptualized during his visit of to India in 2007. During his meet with the Foreign Minister
Fumio Kishida expressed satisfaction on the healthy growth of trade after the signing of
Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between the two countries
AFGHANISTAN BLOCKED LAW ON ELIMINATION OF VIOLENCE AGAINST

WOMEN
Afghanistan Parliament on 19 May 2013 blocked law aimed at strengthening provisions for
women's freedom. The Parliament argued that parts of the law violated Islamic principles and
encouraged disobedience.
In fact, the Law on Elimination of Violence against women is in force since 2009, but only by
Presidential decree. The law was now presented in the parliament to get its approval so that in
future no president could repeal it to satisfy the wishes of orthodox religious parties.

Page 53
FEATURES OF THE LAW
The law criminalizes child marriage and forced marriage.
It bans baad, the traditional practice of selling and buying women to settle disputes.
It also makes domestic violence a crime punishable by up to three years and specifies
that rape victims should not face criminal charges for fornication or adultery.
The Taliban while in power imposed a strict interpretation of Islam that put severe restrictions
on the freedom of women. Taliban even banned women from working and going to school, or
even leaving home without a male relative. In public, all women were forced wear a head-to-
toe burqa, which even covered the face. Violators faced public flogging or execution.
Since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001, women's freedoms have shown improvement, but
Afghanistan still exhibits conservative culture, mainly in rural areas. As per the UN analysis in
late 2011, only a small percentage of reported crimes against women were taken into
consideration by the Afghan government. Between March 2010 and March 2011 only 7 percent
of the total number of crimes reported.
WORK ON INGA DAM ON CONGO RIVER TO START IN 2015
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on 19 May 2013 declared that it will start the work on
worlds biggest hydroelectric Inga dam on Congo River in October 2015. DRC made the
announcement on the construction of the dam in Paris after the talks between the DRC and
International officials ended.
The meet on the development of the dam involved multilateral lending institutions. The
planned Inga dam Project will produce 40000 megawatts power and provide electricity to half
the African Continent. Whereas, the World Bank has estimated that DR Congos total
hydropower resources can generate up to 100000 megawatts. As per the World Bank estimates
if the project is completed at full its capacity than it will be capable of providing power to about
500 million African households.
During the first phase the Inga 3 Basse Chute project will have a capacity of 4800 megawatts.
The Paris meet of the DR Congo and the International officials followed the deal signed on 7
May 2013 between South Africa and DR Congo for cooperation in the energy sector. As per the
7 May 2013 deal, South Africa will buy some of the electricity produced by the project
The project will be developed on the powerful Inga Falls that lie is a narrow strip of DR Congo
Territory, through which the Congo river runs down to the Atlantic Coast.
At present, Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River of China is the world's largest hydropower
complex, with a capacity of 22500 megawatts.

Page 54
INDIAS INVESTMENTS IN SRI LANKA REACH 1 BILLION DOLLARS MARK
As per the Indian envoy to Colombo Ashok K Kantha Indian companies have invested nearly 1
billion dollars in Sri Lanka since 2003.
The figure is supposed to rise above 2 billion dollars in the next five years. It is important here
to note that with investment inflows of 160 million Dollars in 2012; nearly 2 billion Dollars
worth of FDI had been committed by Indian companies for the next five years or so.
SOME POINTS TO BE KNOWN
In 2011-12, Indias imports from Sri Lanka went up by almost 45 per cent to cross 720
million dollars, making Sri Lanka the largest source of merchandise from the South Asian
region for India.
It was a big jump from the 45 million dollars imports in 2000-01, when Sri Lanka
occupied 4th rank as an import source for India in the region.
Sri Lankas exports to India had multiplied by over 16 times in this period, while Indias
exports to Sri Lanka had gone up by less than 7 times.
Basically the FTA had brought significant benefits to both sides, but more to Sri Lanka. In Last
few years a number of top Indian companies had displayed high interest in Sri Lanka, investing
in the country across sectors such as infrastructure, manufacturing, services, and construction.
INDIA AND UK SIGNED MOU ON COOPERATION IN HEALTH SECTOR
An MoU was signed between Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare India, Ghulam Nabi
Azad and Secretary of State for Health, UK, Jeremy Richard Hunt on cooperation in the field of
health sector on 19 May 2013 at Geneva between the Government of India and the
Government of the United Kingdom.
The aim of the agreement is promotion of wide-ranging cooperation in the health sector
between the two countries.
MAIN AREAS IDENTIFIED FOR COOPERATION IN MOU INCLUDE
Promoting exchange on healthcare policy in India and the UK
Human resources for Health
Regulatory issues
Health technology development

Page 55
Primary healthcare
Strengthening of public infrastructure and capacity
Health security, including cooperation on infectious diseases, emerging infections and

drug resistance
India, at present, is the strategic partner to the UK and has been a recipient of UKs bilateral
assistance in the form of grants since 1975. The aid agency of the UK is Department for
International Development (DFID). The priority for DFID and Government of India partnership is
improvement of maternal & child health and reducing the burden of communicable diseases.
INDO-SWISS BILATERAL MEETCONCLUDED AT GENEVA
A bilateral meeting between Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare, India, Ghulam Nabi
Azad and Minister of Health Switzerland, Alain Berset, was concluded on 20 May 2013 at
Geneva. The meeting was held on the sidelines of World Health Assembly at Geneva. The aim
of the meeting was to give further impetus to cooperation in the field of healthcare.
In the past, various bilateral institutional arrangements between India and Switzerland have
been signed and these include Indo-Swiss Joint Commission, Swiss- India Chamber of
Commerce, Indo-Swiss Joint Committee on Science & technology and many more.
In the meeting, it was decided that an MoU between the two countries will be inked soon for
broadening the scope of bilateral ties.
MAJOR AREAS OF COOPERATION OF THE MOU
Non-Communicable Diseases including controlling the associated risk factors of tobacco

use, harmful alcohol use, unhealthy diet, etc.
Communicable Diseases and Anti- Microbial resistance
Universal Health Coverage
Maternal & Child health
Sexual & Reproductive Health
Health & Medical Research
Therapeutic Products
Electronic Medical Records
Global Health Governance

Page 56
In the meeting, it was exuded that Switzerland will extend full support to India on global
platforms in order to carry forward the pursuits of providing high quality generic medicines at
affordable prices.
US SENATORS APPROVED 5000 VISAS FOR TIBETAN REFUGEES
US lawmakers on 21 May 2013 approved the provision of 5000 visas to Tibetan refugees to
enter the US over the next three years which is aimed at aimed at fixing the US immigration
system.
The measure, approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee by voice vote, is supposed to make
conditions easier for displaced Tibetans living in India and Nepal, where Tibetan resettlement
facilities is around 50 years old.
SOME IMPORTANT POINTS TO BE REMEMBERED
The immigration Bill would ultimately provide a 13-year path to citizenship, or longer,
for most of the 11 million people living in the US illegally.
However, its prospects of getting through both the Senate and the House of
Representatives remain uncertain. The Tibetan visa provision would take effect if the
wider Bill becomes law.
More than 110 Tibetans who have self immolated since 2009, with most dying of their
injuries, in demonstrations against what they view as Chinese oppression.
Senators have already waded through nearly a third of the more than 300 amendments being
considered for the bipartisan immigration bill. Several of the measures are aimed at making the
sweeping legislation more palatable to conservatives.
2 ND US-INDIA HOMELAND SECURITY DIALOGUE HELD IN WASHINGTON
The second US-India Homeland Security Dialogue was held in Washington on 21 May 2013. At
the end of the dialogue, the two nations reaffirmed the commitment to, and importance of,
bilateral homeland security cooperation between the US and India on common challenges
faced such as terrorism, and countering violent extremism.
It was decided to strengthen the global strategic partnership between the United States and
India on issues ranging from cyber-security and megacity policing, to counterterrorism and
countering violent extremism.
India and USA reaffirmed the commitment of the two nations to work cooperatively on law
enforcement issues, to combat common threats, improve bilateral cooperation through the
development and application of innovative technology, combat the flow of illicit finances and
currency counterfeiting, and to work closely to counter terrorism and promote cyber-security.

Page 57
The United States and India planned to enhance cyber security and critical infrastructure
protection engagement; increase training on countering illicit financing through DHS' Cross
Border Financial Investigations Training Program; share best practices and lessons learned in
the context of megacity policing; and identify areas in which the United States and India can
collaborate on science and technology development and its application in the homeland
security context. The United States and India will explore areas in which to share best practices
and lessons learned by both countries on how to enhance the ability of federal, state and local
police to better detect, prevent and respond to acts of violent extremism.
In May 2011, the first Homeland security dialogue between India and USA was held in India.
INDO-CHINA BILATERAL MEET ON HEALTHCARE SECTOR HELD

India-China bilateral meet on healthcare sector in Geneva was held in Geneva on 21 May 2013.
The meeting was held on the sidelines of World Health Assembly with the objective of
strengthening of bilateral cooperation between the two countries in healthcare sector.
India and China stressed to have a more broad-based cooperation in healthcare sector and
suggested to formulate a comprehensive framework after mutual consultations to give further
impetus to bilateral ties.
Both the nations were of the opinion to have a closer cooperation in specific areas like maternal
and child health, infectious diseases, geriatrics, emerging health challenges, besides
collaboration in specific projects. It was also realized that Working Groups should meet more
frequently to do the groundwork for more intense and meaningful cooperation.
China was especially enthusiastic to forge collaboration for dealing with the threat posed by
leukemia. China also offered to have joint research projects in this area. China can access cost-
effective medicines from India for the treatment of leukemia.
India and China being great proponents of traditional medicines can fruitfully collaborate in this
area for mutual benefit. In fact, India is one of the largest suppliers of quality generic medicines.
China can reduce healthcare costs and out-of pocket expenses by sourcing medicines from
India.
India and China can learn a lot from each other considering the fact that both countries have
huge populations to look after and attained independence at the same time. They drew
attention towards the bilateral agreement of 1994 relating to health sector and emphasized the
need to hasten the work in the areas identified for bilateral cooperation.
ROBERT MUGABE SIGNED ZIMBABWE'S NEW CONSTITUTION INTO LAW
President Robert Mugabe on 22 May 2013 signed Zimbabwe's New Constitution into Law,
clearing the path to crucial elections later this year. The Constitution was unopposed through

Page 58
both houses of parliament. The new constitution was approved overwhelmingly in a

referendum in March 2013.
FEATURES OF NEW CONSTITUTION ARE
The constitution cut short the powers of the president, limits presidential tenures to
two five-year terms and does away with the post of prime minister.
However, it does not apply retroactively so the 89-year-old Mugabe could technically
extend his three decades in office by another 10 years.
A new constitution is one of the pre-conditions for elections to pick a successor to the
power-sharing government Mugabe formed four years ago with Tsvangirai. The date for
the elections is yet to be announced.
Mugabe has ruled Zimbabwe since 1980 when the country gained independence from Britain.
His regime has been tainted by allegations of rights abuses against his opponents and critics.
Mugabe and Tsvangirai formed a power-sharing government in 2009 to avoid the conflict
following a bloody and violent Presidential run-off election in 2008. The power-sharing
government faced difficulties frequently over the allocations of key government posts, the
implementation of key reforms and incidents of violence.
The five-year coalition parliament was formed under the same power sharing agreement. It
expires on 29 June 2013, and parliamentary and presidential elections have to take place within
90 days of that date. Mugabe and his allies want the elections as early as possible, while
Tsvangirai insists on the application of reforms for ensuring a free and fair election.
OBAMA DEFENDED DRONES CALLING IT JUST WAR OF SELF DEFENCE
Barack Obama, the President of United States of America, while outlining his future course of
counter-terrorism policies on 23 May 2013 defended the use of drones by calling it Just War of
Self-Defence against the terrorists.
While justifying the use of the unmanned armed aircrafts, drones the US President termed it as
legal and a highly effective tool to target the high value terrorist hideouts. He also indicated
that his administration will continue the use of drones as one of the key asset in its war against
terrorism.
CHINA COMMISSIONED SATELLITE DATA RECEIVING STATION
China in the month of May 2013 commissioned a satellite data receiving station meant to
monitor the disputed South China Sea, where Beijing was involved in maritime disputes with a
number of South East Asian countries.

Page 59
The satellite data receiving station was launched in the Chinas southern island province of
Hainan by the Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth under the Chinese Academy of
Sciences.
With the commissioning of station China will now be able to obtain satellite remote sensing
data of the countrys southern territorial waters for civil use directly from its ground-based
receiving facility.
It is important here to note that the station has two sets of data receiving and transmission
systems, getting information from more than 10 satellites. Also, a research centre based at the
Sanya station was launched that is going conduct scientific research in disaster monitoring,
marine sciences and of the environment.
INDIA-SAUDI ARABIA STRENGTHEN COOPERATION

India and Saudi Arabia on 26 May 2013 decided to further strengthen and deepen their
counter-terrorism cooperation. This was decided during the 4-day visit of External Affairs
Minister Salman Khurshid to Saudi Arabia. The counter-terrorism issue is emerging as a key area
of cooperation between India and Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia deported deported Abu Jundal, wanted in the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attack
about a year back. Saudi is concerned about the rise of extremism in the region, including in
Pakistan, notwithstanding their close ties.
Both nations discussed the menace of terrorism the world continues to face and agreed to
further strengthen our counter-terrorism cooperation which is an essential element of the
Riyadh Declaration signed in 2010.
India held talks with Saudi Arabia on a number of issues including the controversial 'Nitaqat'
law, counter-terrorism measures and energy security. Saudi Arabia also tried to allay India's
fears over the Nitaqat law and stated that the procedures are being taken in the best interest of
Indian workers. The Nitaqat law and the ongoing drive to identify workers who are overstaying
in the Arab Kingdom was one of the main areas of focus during the talks held between the two
nations.
Khurshid's visit is the first by an Indian External Affairs Minister in the last five years to Saudi
Arabia, India's biggest supplier of oil.
ISRAEL BECAME THE WORLDS LARGEST EXPORTER OF UAVS
As per the study by a business consulting firm, Israel became the worlds largest exporter of
unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in terms of number of systems sold.
The Country has earned an enormous 4.6 billion dollars in sales during the last eight years,
excluding a major deal with India for the upgrade of unmanned aircrafts, Frost & Sullivan.

Page 60
It was noted that the sales of UAVs, or drones, constitute nearly 10 per cent of Israels total
military exports. Unmanned equipment exports are a relatively volatile market.
POINTS TO REMEMBER
Israel had 150 million dollars in UAV exports in 2008, which was increased significantly
in 2009 to 650 million dollars.
Exports of the small surveillance planes peaked in 2010, a record year for drone sales, to
979 million dollars.
The sales since then have been dropped with UAV exports in 2011 slumping to 627
million dollars and in 2012 further to 260 million dollars.
Israels average overall military exports over the past eight years have been about 6.1
billion dollars a year.
The United States accounted for a mere 3.9 per cent of Israels UAV export sales from 2005 to
2012.
It is because of the Israel Air Forces impressive squadrons of UAVs that Israel is considered as a
powerhouse in the field of unmanned aircraft. This fleet includes Eitan, which boasts a
wingspan of up to 26 meters, and the Hermes 450, which as per the foreign reports can be
armed to carry out targeted killings from the air.
INTERNATIONAL QUIZZES
1. Iran in May 2013 gave ______________ news agency permission to reopen its Tehran
bureau. The work there was suspended in March 2012 over one of its video reports?
a) Reuters
b) APTN
c) PTI
d) Federal Agency on Press
Answer. (a) Reuters
2. Preliminary data released from _______________ statistics agency in May 2013

revealed the fact that the French economy has entered a shallow recession after
shrinking by 0.2 percent in the first quarter of the year.
a) UK National Statistics
b) Albania Institute of Statistics
c) Bahamas The Department of Statistics
d) INSEE (National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies)

Page 61
Answer. (d) INSEE (National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies)
3. India and Netherlands in May 2013 signed a Memorandum of Understanding on

_____________ in the field of Spatial Planning, Water Management, and Mobility
Management at Hague, Netherlands during the visit of Kamal Nath, Minister for Urban
Development and Parliamentary Affairs.
a) Development Cooperation
b) Planning Cooperation
c) Technical Cooperation
d) None of the above
Answer. (c) Technical Cooperation
4. 14th Round of IndiaEU BTIA Negotiation Concluded in May 2013 was held at _______?
a) London
b) Geneva
c) New Delhi
d) Mumbai
Answer. (c) New Delhi
5. Name the country that legalized Gay Marriage in May 2013?

a) Britain
b) France
c) Germany
d) USA
Answer. (b) France
6. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in May 2013 declared that it will start the work
on worlds biggest hydroelectric __________ dam on Congo River in October 2015?
a) Inga Dam
b) Three Gorges Dam
c) Congo Dam
d) Kiymbi Dam
Answer. (a) Inga Dam
7. The Indian envoy to Colombo Ashok K Kantha in May 2013 announced that Indian
companies have invested nearly ________ billion dollars in Sri Lanka, since 2003.
a) 11
b) 1

Page 62
c) 3
d) 7
Answer. (b) 1
8. A bilateral meeting between India and Switzerland was concluded in May 2013 at
__________? The meeting was held on the sidelines of World Health Assembly.
a) New Delhi
b) Bern
c) Zentrum Paul Klee
d) Geneva
Answer. (d) Geneva
9. Afghanistan Parliament on in May 2013 blocked law aimed at strengthening provisions

for women's freedom. The Parliament argued that parts of the law _____________?
a) Violated Islamic principles and encouraged disobedience
b) Violated Islamic Principles
c) Encouraged Disobedience
d) Violation of moral code and religious law of Islam
Answer. (a) Violated Islamic principles and encouraged disobedience
10. What is the target that India China wants to achieve in two-way trade by 2015 for the
financial year 2014-15?
a) 110 Billion US Dollars
b) 100 Billion US Dollars
c) 90 Billion US Dollars
d) 105 Billion US Dollars
Answer. (b) 100 Billion US Dollars
WORLD DAIRY
29 April 2013
The 3rd Ministerial Conference of the Istanbul Process was held in Almaty.
India and Saudi Arabia decided to set up a Joint Working Group to address Nitaqat Law.
30 April 2013
Dutch Queen Beatrix abdicated in favour of son Willem Alexander.

Page 63
Serbia and Kosovo reached agreement on Power-Sharing.
1 May 2013
Abdul Hamid was sworn in as Bangladesh President to replace Zillur Rahman.
Lifetime ban on Pervez Musharraf for contesting elections.
2 May 2013
Nevada became first US State to legalise online casino.
Ireland unveiled the Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill.
3 May 2013
Maryland became the first southern US state to abolish death penalty.
4 May 2013
Japan concluded a deal with UAE for transferring the nuclear power technology.
New gas reserve discovered in Southern Sindh Province of Pakistan.
India granted consular access to Pakistan on daily basis.
5 May 2013
The 17th session of the India-Iran Joint Commission was held in Tehran.
British Territories signed deal on sharing tax information.
6 May 2013
Three Chinese ships sailed into disputed waters of Japan-Controlled Senkaku Islands.
Libyas Parliament passed a law banning Gaddafi-era officials from state posts.
India and China pulled back their troops from Daulat Beg Oldi sector.
Najib Razak sworn-in as Prime Minister of Malaysia for second term.
7 May 2013
Saudi Arabia: no extension of grace period for foreigners staying illegally in the country.
The 14th India-Australia JMC Meeting held in New Delhi.
Cuba launched complaint against Australian tobacco laws at WTO.
Pentagon: China exported arms worth 11 Billion US Dollars in 5 Years.

Page 64
8 May 2013
World Bank agreed grant of 100mn USD to Afghanistan for expansion of health services.
Russia and USA announced commitment to negotiate to end Syrian conflict.
9 May 2013
British Parliament agreed to outlaw caste discrimination.
Arab League agreed to Israel-Palestine Land Swap Agreement.
10 May 2013
US slapped sanctions against 4 Iranian nuclear supply companies.
11 May 2013
Eighth India-Seychelles joint commission meet concluded at New Delhi.
India and China signed protocol to enhance cooperation between foreign ministries.
12 May 2013
Iran gave Reuters permission to reopen its Tehran Bureau.
13 May 2013
Pakistan election result 2013: Nawaz Sharif's party PML-N bagged 126 Seats.
14 May 2013
Britain launched Super Priority Visa Service for travellers from India.
15 May 2013
India and Netherlands signed MoU in the Field of Urban Planning.
INSEE confirmed that France has slipped into recession.
President of Nigeria declared state of emergency in three states.
16 May 2013
India-Lanka FTA handbook released in Colombo by Indian High Commission.
UN adopted resolution on Syria calling for political transition.
India was granted an Observer Status by Arctic Council.
5th IBSA Women's Forum Resolution was approved by India, Brazil and South Africa.

Page 65
17 May 2013
IBSA resolution to empower the women signed by Krishna Tirath.
18 May 2013
14th Round of IndiaEU BTIA negotiation concluded in New Delhi.
India and USA announced Co-Operation in knowledge sector.
France became the 14th country in the world to legalise gay marriage.
19 May 2013
USA (United States of America) cleared shale gas export to India.
20 May 2013
North Korea test fired four missiles off coast in two days.
India asked for more market access from Japan during the visit of Anand Sharma.
The Law on Elimination of Violence against women blocked in Afghanistan.
Work on world's biggest hydroelectric Inga Dam on Congo River to start in 2015.
Indias investments in Sri Lanka reach 1 billion dollars mark.
21 May 2013
MoU signed between India and United Kingdom on cooperation in health sector
Indo-Swiss bilateral meeting concluded at Geneva on sidelines of World Health

Assembly.
India and China signed MoUs to address concerns on trade deficit.
India and China set 100-billion targets for financial year 2014-15.
US senators approved 5000 visas for Tibet refugees.
22 May 2013
The second US-India Homeland Security Dialogue was held in Washington.
Indo-China bilateral meet on healthcare sector held in Geneva.
23 May 2013
President Robert Mugabe signed Zimbabwe's new constitution into law.

Page 66
24 May 2013
Barack Obama defended use of drones and called it just war of self defence.
Carole King became the first woman to receive Gershwin Prize.
US Senate confirmed Srinivasan as top US Court Judge to the District of Columbia

Circuit.
25 May 2013
Dan Browns book Inferno irked Authorities of Manila
26 May 2013
Mumbai Indians defeated Chennai Super Kings in final to lift its first IPL Trophy.
NATIONAL
UNION CABINET APPROVED LAUNCH OF NUHM
The Union Cabinet of India on 1 May 2013 approved the launch of the National Urban Health
Mission (NUHM) to reduce rates of infant mortality, maternal mortality and for universal access
to reproductive health care. The cost of the National Urban Health Mission for 5 years is 22507
crore rupees and the Central government will share 16955 crore rupees. The mission will be
implemented in 779 cities and towns each with the population of more than 50,000 has
expected to cover about 7.75 crore people.
The Cabinet also gave its nod to a bill which provides for confiscating property illegally acquired
by corrupt public servants. The major changes to the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 were
approved by the Cabinet. A timeframe has also been set for getting sanction of the competent
authority to prosecute serving and retired bureaucrats and reasons will have to be specified for
giving the nod or refusing it.
The Union Cabinet also approved the Empowered Group of Minister's (EGoM)s decision to
conduct auction of 839 channels of FM radio stations in 294 cities through e-auction. The
decision is part of the amendments in the Policy Guidelines for Phase III expansion of FM Radio
broadcasting services through private agencies.
The government also approved amendments to a bill that seeks to eradicate manual
scavenging. The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Bill,
2012 includes provisions for mandatory inclusion of women in vigilance committees at the
district, state and national level and a survey to identify manual scavengers.

Page 67
The Union Cabinet also referred the Marriage Laws (Amendment) Bill to a Group of Ministers.
The law deals with a woman's right to marital property in case of a divorce.
CCS APPROVED 11000 CRORE PROJECT FOR MODERNISATION OF CPF
The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) under the Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh
approved 11000 crore Rupees project on 1 May 2013 for modernisation of Central Paramilitary
Forces (CPF). These forces include ITBP as well, which is responsible for guarding the Sino-
Indian border. The approval will be implemented in five years duration, beginning 2013-14
fiscal years.
The approval of the project is followed by altercation along Sino-Indian border in Ladakh. The
approval will also benefit Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF),
Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), National Security Guard (NSG),
Assam Rifles and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).
Modernisation will make sure that all these forces get better night vision devices, arms,
vehicles, patrolling equipment and ammunition along with infrastructural upgrade.
Name of the Force Constituted in Role of the Force
Border Security Force (BSF) Established in 1 December Guards Indo-Pak and Indo-
1965 Bangaladesh borders apart
from assisting in internal
security.
Central Reserve Police Force Came into existence as Crown Guards civil airports as well as
(CRPF) Representative's Police on 27 major installations of India such
July 1939 as aero space domain and
nuclear domain.
Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) Established as Special Service Guards Indo-Bhutan and Indo-
Bureau in May 1963 Nepal frontiers.
Indo-Tibetan Border Police Established in 24 October 1962 Guards Sino-Indian border.

(ITBP)
National Security Guard (NSG) Set up in 1984 as a Federal Specialist counter-terrorism

Contingency Deployment Force force.

Page 68
Assam Rifles Raised as Cachar Levy in 1835 Guards Indo-Myanmar border.

and is the oldest Central Para It is also deployed in counter-
Military Force in India insurgency operations in
Northeast India.
Central Industrial Security Came into existence in 1969 Deployed for anti-naxal
Force (CISF) operations, law and order
maintenance as well as internal
security.
GOVT LAUNCHED VACCINATION PROGRAMME IN HIGH-RISK AREAS
The Union Government on 2 May 2013 had launched its four-week special immunisation
programme in high-risk areas across the country. The vaccination sessions, is planned to be
held for a week each in June, July and August 2013.
The vaccination Programme is launched in a bid to promote vaccination. The Government is

Encouraging state and development partners to focus on vaccines that are provided free of cost
under the Universal Immunisation Programme.
Despite the fact that full immunisation prevents approximately 4 lakh deaths from vaccine
preventable diseases in the under-five category every year, but with an astonishing figure
revealed by Government it was found that around 75 lakh children miss childhood vaccinations
each year. So, in that sense globally, every fifth child is not immunised.
It is important here to note that the first special immunisation week, which took place from
April 24-30, was organised in collaboration with UNICEF.
The government has declared the year 2012-13 as the Year of intensification of routine
immunisation. Intensification efforts saw the expansion of the pentavalent vaccine to six more
states, after Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The pentavalent vaccine protects children from Hib
pneumonia and Hib meningitis in addition to diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus and Hepatitis B.
GOVT ENVISAGED OVER 12 BILLION DOLLARS INVESTMENT IN AVIATION
Civil aviation minister Ajit Singh on 3 May 2013 asserted that the government envisages
investment of 12.1 billion dollars in the Aviation sector in the 12th plan period (2012-2016).
The rapidly expanding air transport network and opening up of infrastructure to the private
sector have fuelled the growth of air traffic in India. Out of the investment of 12.1 billion dollars
in the airports sector during the 12th Plan period, 9.3 billion Dollars is expected to come from
the private sector.

Page 69
FACTS TO BE REMEMBERED
The Union government had taken several steps in the regulatory framework for making
the aviation sector grow despite the challenges facing domestic aviation industry,
reeling under mounting losses and rising debt burdens.
The aircraft acquisition committee has been abolished to liberalise the acquisition of
aircraft by the scheduled, non-scheduled airlines, flying institutes and for private use,
which will give momentum to the growth and expansion of airlines in India.
The Indian airport system is balanced to handle 336 million domestic and 85 million
international passengers by 2020, making India the third largest aviation market.
KUDANKULAM NUCLEAR PLANT GOT APPROVAL FOR OPERATIONS
The Supreme Court of India directed that the Kudankulam nuclear plant situated in Tamil Nadu
could start its operations now. A bench of Justice K.S. Radhakrishnan and Dipak Misra issued
the directions to the government on safety as well as security of the plant, along with its
operations.
The Supreme Court directed Nuclear Power Corporation of India and the Atomic Energy
Regulatory Board to ensure that all steps were taken for the safety of the nuclear plant.
The Apex Court explained that the Kudankulam nuclear

plant was absolutely safe and secure and that it was
necessary to start its operations for economic growth
as well as welfare of India.
In 2012, the fishermen as well as villagers protested

against the fuelling of this plant. Opponents of this
plant, People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy
(PMANE) complained that it was situated in the area
which was affected badly by 2004 Asian tsunami and
that there was a fear of disaster like that of Fukushima
nuclear plant of Japan in 2011.
The Kudankulam nuclear plant is among those plants which is a part of Indias aim of generating
63000 MW of nuclear power by 2032.
CONTROVERSY OVER KUDANKULAM NUCLEAR PLANT
Kudankulam nuclear plant is the under-construction nuclear power plant in Kudankulam in

Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu. The construction of this plant began in March 2002. The delay

Page 70
in the construction of the plant is attributed to anti-nuclear protests by the locals as well as
People's Movement against Nuclear Energy (PMANE).
The pre-service inspection of the first unit of Kudankulam nuclear plant began by the engineers
in 2012. The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board completed the inspection of reactor pressure
vessel of Unit-1 and it was found that there were no defects at all.
UNION CABINET APPROVED CHANGES TO AAJEEVIKA OF NRLM
The Union Cabinet on 6 May 2013 had cleared important changes to the National Rural
Livelihoods Mission (Aajeevika) in a major boost to the roll out of the womens self help group
model across the country.
The changes is supposed to provide additional resources and additional elasticity to implement
the NRLM (Aajeevika) in a more effective and accelerated manner across the country thereby
creating new livelihoods and empowering women across rural India.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE CHANGES APPROVED ARE
Improved targeting, by doing away with BPL criteria and instead identifying target
groups through the Participatory Identification of Poor (PIP) process.
The Participatory Identification of Poor process has been expansively demonstrated to

be very effective in states where womens self-help-groups have been succeeded. The
list finalized through the P.I.P process will be inspected by the Gram Sabha and
approved by the Gram Panchayat.
The P.I.P process will also have a set of exclusion criteria, automatic inclusion criteria
and a set of deprivation indicators for enabling poverty ranking in a participatory
manner. This delinks N.R.L.M target group from the BPL list. Interest subvention and
additional interest subvention in 150 districts
Union Cabinet has approved the provision of interest subvention to Women SHGs,
enabling them to avail loans up to 3 lakh Rupees at an interest rate of 7 per cent per
annum.
Women SHGs that repay loans in time will get additional 3 per cent subvention,
reducing the effective rate to 4 per cent. The initiative, in the first phase, would focus on
150 districts, including the 82 IAP districts, affected by Left Wing Extremism.
CHANGE IN THE PATTERN OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE - REPLACING CAPITAL

SUBSIDY WITH A COMMUNITY INVESTMENT SUPPORT FUND

Page 71
The Cabinet has approved to withdraw capital subsidy to S.H.Gs and instead provide
financial support S.H.G federations and livelihoods organizations of the S.H.G members
in the intensive blocks through a grant called Community Investment Support fund.
SETTING UP OF NATIONAL LEVEL SOCIETY UNDER N.R.L.M FOR MORE EFFECTIVE

IMPLEMENTATION
The Cabinet also approved the setting up an autonomous, adequately staffed,

professionally managed and empowered agency at the national level to implement the
N.R.L.M, called the National Rural Livelihoods Promotion Society (N.R.L.P.S) under the
Societies Registration Act.
The NRLPS will act as the technical support unit of N.R.L.M. The setting up of such a
Society is essential to implement the programme in a mission mode, as livelihoods
programmes require a wide range of specialization and experience.
The Society structure would enable access to high quality professional support, provide
flexibility to create partnerships and facilitate innovations and would serve as a
knowledge center for rural livelihoods for the state missions.
Further it will provide an opportunity for formally involving State Governments in

decision-making, by nominating them to the Executive Committee of the Society.
CABINET APPROVED LOW INTEREST LOANS FOR WOMEN SHG
The Union Cabinet of India on 1May 2013 approved major changes to the National Rural
Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) with the objective of removing poverty in rural areas by
empowering women. Approximately, 25 lakh Women Self Help Groups (SHGs) will be given
bank loans at an interest rate of seven percent. They could avail loans upto 3 lakh rupees
annually. At first, the scheme will begin as a pilot project in 150 districts which includes the 82
Integrated Action Plan districts affected by naxal violence while 75 per cent of the cost will be
carried by the Central government and 25 per cent by the States in the rest of the states.
All women SHGs are now getting bank loans at 11.5 to 14 per cent rate of interest. In the 150
districts, the Union government will carry the complete cost of the interest subvention from the
market rate to seven per cent. The entire cost of the project is approximately 1650 crore rupees
for 2013-14, out of which, 1400 crore rupees shall be carried out by the Union government and
250 crore rupees by the States.
Aajeevika - National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) was launched by the Ministry of Rural
Development (MoRD), Government of India in June 2011. Aided in part through investment
support by the World Bank, the Mission aims at creating efficient and effective institutional
platforms of the rural poor enabling them to increase household income through sustainable
livelihood enhancements and improved access to financial services.

Page 72
INTER-MINISTERIAL GROUP TO CHECK MONEY POOLING ACTIVITIES
The Union Government of India on 7 May 2013 constituted an Inter-Ministerial Group to

suggest the possible ways to tackle with the fraudulent money pooling activities and protect
the investors interest in the same.
Members of the inter-ministerial group will comprise of representatives from the Finance and
Corporate Affairs Ministries, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and Securities and Exchange Board of
India (SEBI).
The decision to constitute a Inter-Ministerial Group was taken in wake up of the instances of
people being defrauded by Ponzi Schemes like the Kolkata-based Saradha Group cheating in
which many investors were fooled via fraudulent money pooling schemes.
Ponzi Schemes are activities that involve collecting money from public (investors) on a large
scale making fraud promises of big returns. These are paid from the money that is paid by the
new investors and in this type of scheme the old investors get big returns by bringing in new
investors.
MOU SIGNED BETWEEN NCW AND HUDCO
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between National Commission for

Women (NCW) and HUDCO on 7 May 2013 in New Delhi. The MoU was signed by V P Baligar,
IAS, Chairman & Managing Director (HUDCO) and K. Ratna Prabha, IAS, Member Secretary,
National Commission for Women (NCW). The MoU was signed to improve living conditions of
destitute women.
MAJOR POINTS OF THE MOU
The importance of the MoU is that both the Ministries will be cooperating in elevating
the condition and status of the marginalized and destitute women in India.
This MoU is a part of Corporate Social Responsibility of HUDCO, under which focus will
remain on providing better amenities of housing and other facilities such as drinking
water, sanitation and electricity to poor and destitute women.
HUDCO and NCW, under the MoU, agreed to co-operate and work together by utilizing
their respective strengths for improvement of the living conditions of destitute women
and also facilities like women hostels and remand homes.
The two bodies entered into the MoU for improving the living conditions of destitute
women on anything that is related to women welfare or development by enhancing the
quality of their habitat.

Page 73
HUDCO and NCW shall cooperate in the areas of re-construction of existing structures
where women in distress are housed, providing for living quarters, kitchens and toilets,
construction of living quarters, kitchens and toilets in pre-identified sites.
Under the MoU, NCW shall identify the areas where the activity or project has to be
undertaken and HUDCO shall provide financial assistance for implementation of these projects
along with technical advice.
GOVERNMENT CLEARED PROJECT FOR JUHU AIRPORT REDEVELOPMENT
The Union Government of India decided to redevelop the Juhu Airport of Mumbai by extending
runway 650 metres into sea. This has been done to ease the congestion of traffic at Chhatrapati
Shivaji International (CSI) Airport. It is worth noticing that this is the first ever kind of a project
in India where the realigning and extension of the runway would be done into the sea.
The government planned that the Juhu runway would be operational by 2017. It is forecasted
that by 2017, the CSI Airport would become completely saturated. The Juhu Airport thus would
cater to the small turboprop and the private jets along with ATR operations that encompass
approximately 15 percent of total operations of CSI Airport. This means that there would be a
diversion in aircraft movement from CSI to Juhu Airport by around 15 percent. Apart from this,
the Juhu Airport would also cater to the helicopter operations with its second and smaller
runway.
The cost of the project is estimated to be somewhere around 2000 crore Rupees. The Juhu
Airport runway will run parallel to CSI main runway. Both these airports would be able to take
on landings as well as take offs simultaneously.
The decision on whether this project would be taken up by public-private partnership or

Airports Authority of India (AAI) is yet to be decided. Feasibility options for Juhu Airport
development were studied at a recent meeting of AAI, Maharashtra government officials as
well as Aviation Ministry.
The Aviation Ministry explained that the Bandra Versova sea-link as well as redevelopment of
Juhu Airport projects would be done in such a way that both these can co-exist. Concerns over
environmental issues and hampering of Juhu Beach area would be considered as well.
GOVERNMENT APPROVED NATIONAL CYBER SECURITY POLICY
The Union Government of India on 8 May 2013 approved

a National Cyber Security Policy (NCSP) with an aim to
create a secured computing environment across the
country. The Policy also aims towards building the
capacities to strengthen the current set-up and increase
the focus on manpower training.

Page 74
The policy was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) that lays stress on
augmentation of the Indias indigenous capabilities in terms of developing the cyber security
set-up.
The policy also caters to every spectrum of ICT users and service providers as it includes home
as well as small users, medium and large enterprises and government and non-government
entities. The policy also aims at the creation of the cyber security framework to address all
related issues pending over a long period. The set framework will also enhance the security
posture of the countries cyber space via specific actions and programmes. Cyber Security Policy
will also help in enhancing the intelligence as its integral component and help in anticipating
attacks and adopt, counter measures.
TRIBAL FOREST DWELLERS EMPOWERMENT SCHEME LAUNCHED
Tribal Forest Dwellers Empowerment Scheme of National Scheduled Tribes Finance and
Development Corporation (NSTFDC) for economic upliftment of Schedule Tribe forest
dwellershere was launched on 8 May 2013 by the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs & Panchayati
Raj. This is a significant scheme for economic development of Scheduled tribes. The Forest
Rights act recognized and regularized the preexisting rights of ST forest dwellers and under this
scheme, financial assistance will be provided them at concessional rate for their empowerment.
The Government enacted a Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers
(Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006. Under this act, the Scheduled Tribes and Other
Traditional forest Dwellers have been given the right to hold the forest land for habitation or
for self-cultivation or for carrying out any other traditional activity for their livelihood. Most of
the Scheduled Tribes are poor and need financial support for productive utilization of land for
their livelihood.
In order to provide concessional finance to the Forest Dwelling STs, the NSTFDC has formulated
the new Tribal Forest Dwellers Empowerment Scheme. NSTFDC would generate awareness,
provide training and assist in market linkage apart from providing financial assistance at
concessional rate of interest of 6% p.a. to the beneficiaries. This assistance would be made
available through 33 State Channelizing Agencies of NSTFDC and certain PSU Banks/ Regional
Rural Banks having refinance agreements with NSTFDC.
SUPREME COURT DISMISSED PLEA CHALLENGING CAIRN-VEDANTA DEAL
The Supreme Court on 8 May 2013 dismissed a PIL challenging 8.5 billion US Dollars Cairn-
Vedanta deal and its validity.
A bench of justices comprising of K.S. Radhakrishnan and Dipak Misra asserted that the decision
by the Centre and ONGC pertaining to the deal was taken after due consideration and the court
is not liable to sit in judgment on the decision taken by parties in business dealing.

Page 75
The PIL was filed by a resident of Bangalore Arun Kumar Agarwal who had alleged that there
was a clause in the agreement between Cairn group and ONGC that in case Cairn Group wanted
to sell its shares in Cairn India, it would first offer the same to ONGC and this right was not
asserted by the PSU and the Centre.
It was also alleged that the decision on the deal had been made on extraneous considerations
and without taking into account the relevant aspects. As per the clause, Cairn could sell its
shares to other parties only after ONGC refused to buy the stake and ONGC, thus, had the right
of first refusal (ROFR).
As per the petitioner Cairn Energy had violated the clause and signed a deal with Vedanta group
to sell its shares in Cairns India, without making an offer to ONGC and that the exchequer would
have benefited by over one lakh crore Rupees if ONGC had insisted on enforcing the clause.
ABOUT CAIRN INDIA LTD
Cairn India Ltd, a subsidiary of UK-based Cairns Energy, is the operator of the Rajasthan oil
block. It had entered into an agreement with UK-based Vedanta Group on 16 June, 2010, to sell
its majority stake in Cairn India for a consideration of around 8.5 billion US Dollars without
offering the shares to its partner ONGC in the joint venture as per the agreement of right of
first refusal.
AMENDMENTS IN NATIONAL FOOD SECURITY BILL INTRODUCED IN LS
Ministry for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution introduced amendments in the
National Food Security Bill in the Lok Sabha (LS) on 9 May 2013 and placed the amended Bill
for consideration and passing by the House. Based on the recommendations of the Standing
Committee on Food, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution, the Government decided to
move certain amendments to the Bill. These amendments seek to make the framework of the
proposed legislation simpler, provide more flexibility to States/UTs in its implementation and to
address some of the concerns raised by them.
MAIN AMENDMENTS TO THE BILL ARE AS

UNDER
Coverage and entitlement under Targeted

Public Distribution System (TPDS): Instead of
coverage of up to 75 percent of the rural
population and up to 50 percent of the urban
population under two categories of priority and
general households with different entitlements
and issue prices provided in the original Bill,
there would be only one category of
beneficiaries with uniform entitlement of 5 kg

Page 76
per person per month.
Protection of entitlements under Targeted Public Distribution System: The entitlement

of Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) households, which constitute poorest of the poor will,
however, be protected at 35 kg per household per month. It is also proposed to accept
the recommendation of the Committee to protect the existing allocation of food grains
to the States/UTs, subject to it being restricted to average annual off take during last
three years (2009-10 to 2011-12).
State-wise coverage and identification of beneficiaries: Corresponding to coverage of

75 percent/50 percent of the rural/urban population at the all India level, State-wise
coverage will be determined by the Planning Commission. The work of identification of
eligible households is proposed to be left to the States/UTs, which may frame their own
criteria or use the Social Economic and Caste Census (SECC) data.
Subsidized Prices under TDPS and their Revision: Uniform prices of 3/2/1 rupees per kg
for rice/wheat/coarse grains will be applicable to all eligible beneficiaries. It is proposed
to fix these prices for the first three years of implementation of the Act, and thereafter
link the same suitably to MSP.
Cost of intra-State transportation & handling of food grains and FPS Dealers Margin:
In order to address the concerns of States/UTs regarding additional financial burden, it
is proposed that Central Government may provide assistance to States towards cost of
intra-State transportation, handling of food grains and FPS Dealers margin, for which
norms will be devised.
Maternity Benefit: It is proposed to allow States/UTs to use the existing machinery of

District Grievance Redressal Officer (DGRO), State Food Commission, if they so desire, to
save expenditure on establishment of new set up.
The National Food Security Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on 22 December 2011
to addresses the issue of food security in a comprehensive manner, by adopting a life
cycle approach. The Bill was introduced after a wide-ranging consultation with various
stakeholders.
After introduction, the Bill was referred to Standing Committee on Food, Consumer Affairs and
Public Distribution, who interacted with other Central Ministries, various other organizations
and individuals and visited States before submitting its report to the Speaker, Lok Sabha on 17
January 2013. The recommendations of the Standing Committee were examined in
consultation with concerned Central Ministries and also with the Food Ministers and Food
Secretaries of States/UT.
At the coverage and entitlement now proposed, total estimated annual food grains
requirement is 612.3 lakh tons and the corresponding estimated food subsidy for
implementation of NFSB, at 2013-14 costs, is about 124747 crore rupees. When compared to

Page 77
the estimated food subsidy requirement under existing TDPS and Other Welfare Schemes, the
additional food subsidy implication is about 23800 crore rupees per annum. Requirement for
assistance to States for meeting the expenditure on Transportation, Handling and FPS Dealers
margin, etc., would be additional.
MINISTER FOR WOMEN & CHILD DEVELOPMENT LAUNCHED ISSNIP
The Minister for Women & Child Development, Krishna Tirath on 9 May 2013 launched the
World Bank assisted ICDS Systems Strengthening and Nutrition Improvement Project (ISSNIP).
The aim of the programme is improvement of child development and nutritional outcomes for
children in selected districts having higher proportional of
child under nutrition.
The project is worth 2893 crore Rupees with 70 percent IDA

share of2025 crore Rupees over the time duration of 7
years. The cost of phase 1 of the project is estimated to be
around 682 crore Rupees. The project received an initial
support of 106 million US dollar by World Bank, which is
payable over the time of 25 years. This will be followed by
the support for second phase of 344 million US dollar,
which will be subject to assessment of phase 1.
First phase of this project will support the efforts of Union Government to strengthen policy
measures and institutional capacity and will also finance innovative pilots and programmers in
162 high malnutrition-burden districts across eight States. Apart from this, the project will also
support the urban and sub-urban pilots in NCR of Delhi and convergent nutrition action pilots in
Odisha and Uttarakhand.
The Minister for Women & Child Development took various other measures for strengthening
the programme management, planning and monitoring of ICDS with introduction of revised
MIS, and the 5-tier monitoring and supervision committee with representation of Peoples
representatives to review the progress in ICDS at different levels.
The ISSNIP project will support the governments efforts in building the necessary institutional
capacity and systems needed to improve nutrition in the targeted groups of mothers and
children.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the implementation of the International
Development Association (IDA) assisted ICDS Systems Strengthening and Nutrition
Improvement Project (ISSNIP) in October 2012.
FEATURES OF ISSNIP
ISSNIP is designed to supplement and provide value addition on the existing ICDS
programme, through systems strengthening for better service delivery, as well as to

Page 78
allow the selected States and Districts to experiment, innovate and conduct pilots of
potentially more effective approaches for ICDS in order to achieve early childhood
education and nutrition outcomes.
The additional support through the project is catalytic and is an important dimension of
MWCDs overall efforts to strengthen and restructure the ICDS programme.
FOUR MAJOR COMPONENTS UNDER THE PROJECT
(i) Institutional and systems strengthening in ICDS
(ii) Community mobilization and behaviour change communication
(iii) Piloting multi-sectoral nutrition actions, and
(iv) Project Management, Technical Assistance and Monitoring & Evaluation
GOVT APPROVED POLICY DEVELOPMENT OF AVIATION HUBS IN INDIA
The Union Government of India on 9 May 2013 approved the policy development of aviation
hubs in India. Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari announced that the Inter-
Ministerial Committee will be developed that will work out on different models for this policy.
The formation of the hubs would require establishment of various facilities such as foreign
exchange, immigration, provisions for visa-on-arrival as well as customs. For this various
ministries will be involved and therefore the Inter-Ministerial Committee will be developed.
This committee would facilitate establishment of various aviation hubs in different major cities.
The approval of the policy is termed as the major initiative for infrastructural development.
The aviation hub is basically an airport that is used as intermediate point for transferring air
travellers from original destination to final destination of their journey. This is also technically
called hub-and-spoke operation.
The policy will focus on not just development of the global hubs in India, but also establishment
of domestic regional hubs which will cater to growing air traffic from the non-metro
destinations in areas such as Northeast.
The Union Cabinet, along with the approval of policy development of aviation hubs, also
approved constitution of autonomous body called the National Skill Development Agency
(NSDA) by including the National Skill Development Coordination Board (NSDCB), Office of the
Adviser to the PM on Skill Development as well as Prime Minister's National Council on Skill
Development (PMNCSD). The National Skill Development Agency (NSDA) will come under the
Ministry of Finance.

Page 79
The role of NSDA is coordination as well as harmonization of Governments skill development

efforts as well as private sector for achieving skilling targets of 12th five-year plan. NSDA will
also play the role of anchoring and operationalising National Skills Qualifications Framework
(NSQF) as well as the nodal agency for Sector Skills Councils.
CABINET APPROVED COST ESTIMATES FOR PHASE IV OF UID SCHEME
The Cabinet Committee on Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) on 9 May 2013
approved the cost estimates of Phase IV of the UID Scheme. The estimated cost of the scheme
is around 3436 crore Rupees.
The cost includes different components of the projects such as the cost of enrolment for 40
crore other residents through different registrars, additional rent for the regional offices of
UIDAI, data centres, non-data centres, cost of updation services, additional cost of the
construction of buildings for the headquarters and cost of printing as well as delivering the
Aadhaar cards.
EXPENDITURE OF THIS SCHEME INCLUDES
1600 crore Rupees for cost of enrolment of other 40 crore residents
490 crore Rupees for the cost of updation services
1049 crore Rupees for cost of printing as well as delivering the Aadhaar letters
247.16 Crore Rupees towards the construction of buildings of headquarters, data

centres as well as non-data centres
The Phase IV of the UID Scheme will begin with an immediate effect. The UID project was
launched on 29 September 2010. Since then, over 31 crore residents have been issued with the
UID numbers. By March 2014, additional 40 crore residents will be allocated the UID.
Under the UID project, all residents of the country are provided with the unique numbers. It is
aimed at making sure that each and every Indian resident has a unique form of identity. UID
numbers are also provided to the marginalized people, thereby providing equity. Apart from
this, UID also ensures effective governance and better service delivery.
AMENDMENTS IN PARLIAMENT (PREVENTION OF DISQUALIFICATION)

ACT, 1959 APPROVED
The Union Cabinet of India on 9 May 2013 gave its approval to Amendments in the Parliament
(Prevention of Disqualification) Act, 1959 by introducing a Bill in the Parliament named
Parliament (Prevention of Disqualification) Amendment Bill, 2013.

Page 80
The Section 3 of the Parliament (Prevention of Disqualification) Act, 1959, has been amended
time to time. It lists certain offices of profit under the Government of India or the Government
of any State, which do not disqualify the holders thereof for being chosen as, or for being, a
Member of Parliament. The Chairperson of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and
Scheduled Tribes is exempted from such disqualification under Sub-clause (ii) of clause (ba) of
section 3 of the Parliament (Prevention of Disqualification) Act, 1959.
By the 89th Amendment Act of 2003 of the Constitution of India, the National Commission for
Scheduled Castes and Tribes was bifurcated into two independent Commissions namely the
National Commission for the Scheduled Castes and the National Commission for the Scheduled
Tribes. With the 89th amendment Act Article 338 of the Constitution was amended and a new
article, namely, Article 338A was inserted in the Constitution.
MONETARY ASSISTANCE UNDER IAY HIKED
The Union Government of India on 13 May 2013 hiked the monetary assistance by 25000
rupees under the Indira Awas Yojana (IAY), the housing
scheme for the poor, giving priority to the scheduled
castes, tribes and minorities. The cost for 250 square foot
housing unit has gone up to 70000 rupees in plain areas
and 75000 rupees in hilly and difficult areas from 45000
rupees.
The Union Government under the new guidelines of the
Indira Awas Yojna has decided to transfer the share of its
funds to the State Governments rather than making a
district based allocation. The Union Governments assistance got procurement of a homestead
site to the states has been doubled for landless poor from 10000 rupees to 20000 rupees.
The changes has been brought in following the agreement reached between the Government
and the Jan Satyagraha on 11 October 2012 at Agra, also known as the Agra Agreement on Land
Reforms in which 10-point agreement was signed by the Rural Development Minister Jairam
Ramesh at Agra.
INDIRA AWAS YOJNA (IAY)
Indira Awas Yojna is a flagship scheme of the Union Ministry of Rural Development to address
the rural housing needs of providing grants for construction and upgradation of dwelling units
of BPL families. Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY) was launched in May 1985 as a sub-scheme of
Jawahar Rozgar Yojana. It is being implemented as an independent scheme since 1 January
1996.
GOVERNMENT NOTIFIED NEW GUIDELINES FOR THE INDIRA AWAS YOJNA
Building Toilets has been made compulsory under the Indira Awas Yojna

Page 81
Manual scavengers freed bonded labourers and tribal groups will be given preference in
allotments.
The allocation for each dwelling unit was increased from 45000 rupees to75000 rupees
In Maoist-affected and hilly regions, the allocation would now be 75000 rupees from the
existing 48500 rupees. Landless labourers which were given 10000 rupees for buying
land would now be given 20000 rupees
Apart from the above guidelines, a major change was introduced which is that funds will
be given to only consolidated proposals from state governments and not district-level
organisations
Indira Awas Yojana is a flagship scheme under the rural development ministry. It addresses
rural housing needs by giving grant for construction of dwelling units of BPL families.
UNION GOVERNMENT DECIDED TO ADVERTISE BEST PRACTICES ON RTI
The Union Government on 14 May 2013 decided to publicise best practices on implementation
of Right to Information (RTI) Act by public authorities all over the country.
For the Publicity purpose, a write ups about the best practices on RTI being adopted by public
authorities all over the country, has been invited by the citizens from the Department of
Personnel and Training (DoPT), which is a nodal body for the implementation of RTI Act.
The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) is on their way to publish a compendium of
best practices on the RTI being adopted by a government department or public authority.
As per the DoPT, the best 20 write-ups are supposed to be selected for inclusion in the
compendium. The individuals whose write ups are selected for inclusion in the compendium
would be rewarded with amount of 25000 each.
PROVISIONS LAID BY DOPT FOR THE WRITE UPS
The write up should carry need felt or problem faced by the public authority leading to
adoption of such practice, details of the said practice including its scope, financial
implications, and deployment of resources such as manpower, infrastructure, etc and
lessons learnt by the concerned department during its implementation.
The neatly typed write-ups should be of about 5000 words and must reach the
department before 28 June 2013.
The Centres flagship Right to Information Act, which was enacted in 2005, mandates timely
response to citizen requests for government information. One has to pay a fee of 10 Rupees for
seeking information.

Page 82
It is important here to note that the DoPT had last in month of April 2013 also started a unique
facility of submitting RTI applications and fees online. It has created a portal
www.rtionline.gov.in which is intended to help people use their right to know through online
medium.
EXPERT COMMITTEE TO MEASURE BACKWARDNESS OF STATES
The Union Government on 15 May 2013 had set up a 6 Member Expert Committee under the
supervision Raghuram G Rajan, Chief Economic Adviser to evolve a composite index to
measure backwardness of states.
The panel is set up in consistent to the Budget announcement, and it can also invite other
experts as Special Invitees for discussions.
The decision was taken amid demands for special category status by Bihar. The backwardness
of the States will be consider in terms of measures like distance of the State from the national
average under criteria such as per capita income and other human development indicators and
for evolving a Composite Development Index of States.
The Committee is supposed to submit its report within 60 days. The other members of the
committee are Shaibal Gupta, Bharat Ramaswami, Najeeb Jung, Nirija G Jayal and Tuhin
Pandey. It is important here to note that the present criteria for determining backwardness are
based on terrain, density of population and length of international borders.
UNION GOVERNMENT OF INDIA DECIDED TO LAUNCH DBTL SCHEME
Government of India decided to launch Direct Benefit Transfer for LPG (DBTL) scheme in 20
high Aadhaar coverage districts from 1 June 2013. The scheme aims to curb leakages and
prevent black-marketing and provide subsidy to consumers in their bank accounts.
ALL LPG CONSUMERS ARE ADVISED TO DO THE FOLLOWING TO AVAIL OF

SUBSIDY IN THEIR BANK ACCOUNTS
Get an Aadhaar number if they dont have one at Aadhaar enrollment centers.
Open a bank account with Aadhaar number if they do not have one by going to a bank
branch with Aadhaar number.
If they already a bank account then link their Aadhaar number with their bank account
by visiting their branch or through a request form available with LPG distributors and
deposit it in the drop boxes placed at LPG distributors premises.
Provide Aadhaar numbers to LPG distributors for linking with LPG consumer number.

Page 83
For the benefit of LPG consumers, OMCs have provided the facility on their web-sites to check
whether the Aadhaar number has been attached to LPG consumer number/bank account.
For the benefit of LPG consumers, who cannot complete formalities by 1 June 2013, a grace
period of three months is being given to complete the formalities. After this period, all
consumers who have not completed the formality will get LPG cylinders at market price,
without any subsidy, till they complete the same.
SALIENT FEATURES OF DBTL SCHEME ARE DESCRIBED BELOW
All LPG consumers desirous of availing subsidy will have to provide the Aadhaar number
to Oil Marketing Companies and also to their bank accounts for linking with their LPG
consumer numbers and bank accounts respectively.
All Aadhaar linked domestic LPG consumers will get an advance in their bank account as
soon as they book the first subsidized cylinder even before delivery. This is to reduce
their financial burden when they purchase the first LPG cylinder after launch of scheme
at market rate.
As soon as, the first cylinder is delivered to such consumers, subsidy eligible on date of
delivery will again get credited in the bank account, which will then be available for the
purchase of the next cylinder at market rate.
Thus, subsidy eligible on each such domestic cylinder, up to the cap of 9 cylinders per
year will be directly transferred to the Aadhaar enabled bank account of the consumer.
All LPG consumers who are not Aadhaar linked will have three month grace period to
link LPG consumer number and bank account with Aadhaar number and during this
period they will continue to get the LPG cylinders at subsidized rate, as they are getting
today, up to their entitlement.
After the grace period, LPG cylinders will be sold to all domestic LPG consumers at
market price. However, the subsidy will be transferred to only those who have linked
Aadhaar in LPG database and Bank account. Others will not get any subsidy.
After the grace period, as soon as a consumer links the Aadhaar number to bank
account and in LPG database, one-time advance and subsidy transfer will re-commence
as per balance entitlement.
Consumers who do not provide Aadhaar will continue to get LPG cylinders at market
price.
GOVERNMENT CUTS IMPORT TARIFF VALUE OF GOLD AND SILVER

Page 84
The Union government on 16 May 2013 slashed the import tariff value of gold and silver to 466
Dollars per ten grams and 761 Dollars per kg, respectively.
The decision to slash the import tarrif was taken Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC)
after considering weak global price trend. Earlier in April 2013, the tariff value of gold was 472
Dollars per ten grams, while silver was 762 Dollars per kg.
Government has cut the import tariff value of gold as international prices of gold and silver
showed a declining trend as investors shifted funds to equities with firming up of dollar.
Tariff value is actually the base price on which the customs duty is determined to prevent
underinvoicing.
IMPORTANT POINTS TO REMEMBER
The government has also hiked the tariff value of

crude palm oil to 831 per tonne from 827 Dollars
per tonne, while RBD palm oil has been reduced
to 836 per tonne from 857 Dollars tonne in 27
April 2013.
The tariff value of crude soyabean oil and their

varieties of palm oil have also been raised.
In the London market, gold prices fell by 1.6 per

cent to 1370.82 Dollars per ounce, while silver declined by 1.8 per cent to 22.20 dollars
an ounce.
Similarly, gold prices in the national capital fell by 500 Rupees to 26800 Rupees per ten
grams, while silver dropped by 1000 to 43700 rupees per kg.
LIFE SAVING DRUGS CHEAPER BY UP TO 80%
The department of pharmaceuticals on 16 May 2013 notified the Drug Price Control Order
2013 and with its coming into effect prices of 348 essential medicines including life saving drugs
will go down by up to 80 percent.
As per the new Drug Price Control Order 2013, the

National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) 2012 is
authorized to regulate the prices of the 348 essential
medicines as it is listed in the National List of Essential
Medicines (NLEM) 2011.

Page 85
The government has notified the Drug Prices Control Order (DPCO) 2013, with effect from 15
May 2013 and replaced the 1995 order.
In its previous order prices of 74 bulk drugs were regulated and as per the new order all
dosages and strengths specified in the NLEM will be under price control. The ceiling prices of
the NELM drugs will also be decided as per the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Policy and the
policy states that the ceiling price of an essential drug will be the simple average of all brands
with a market share of at least 1 per cent.
TWO-FINGER TEST ON A RAPE VICTIM VIOLATES HER RIGHT TO PRIVACY
The Supreme Court of India on 19 May 2013 held that the two-finger test on a rape victim
violates her right to privacy. It also directed the government to provide better medical
procedures to confirm sexual assault. A bench of Justices BS Chauhan and FMI Kalifulla gave the
ruling. The court stated that even if the report of the two-finger test is affirmative, the consent
on part of a rape victim cannot be proved. The court held that rape survivors are entitled to
legal recourse that does not violate their physical or mental integrity and dignity.
Medical procedures should not be conducted in a way that includes inhuman or degrading
treatment and health should be given topmost consideration while dealing with gender-based
violence. The State is responsible to make such services available to survivors of sexual
violence. The Supreme Court gave this ruling keeping in mind the International Covenant on
Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights 1966 and the UN Declaration of Basic Principles of Justice
for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power 1985.
ELECTION COMMISSION SIGNED MOU ON ELECTORAL LITERACY
The Election Commission of India and the National Literacy Mission Authority, Ministry of
Human Resource Development, on 21 May 2013 signed a Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) on Electoral Literacy and Greater Participation for a Stronger and Inclusive Democracy in
New Delhi. The MOU is the first ever by the Election Commission of India with a Government
Department.
Under the MoU, ECI and NLMA will work jointly to sensitize citizens; especially the vulnerable
and disadvantaged including women, SCs, STs, Minorities, in NLMA covered districts, about
their electoral rights and about exercise of franchise. Electoral Literacy will form part of
curriculum for adult Literacy and Basic education. NLMA will spread electoral literacy during its
environment Building and mass mobilization campaigns, with specific focus on electoral
registration and informed and ethical voting in co-ordination with the Election Commission.
The MOU will help bridge the deficit in enrolment, particularly among women and the youth. It
can be described as a historic beginning and innovative collaboration based on common
objectives. Such convergence could serve as a model for governance for more empowered
democracy.

Page 86
AGE LIMIT UNDER JSY FOR INSTITUTIONAL DELIVERIES RELAXED
The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on 21 May 2013 relaxed the eligibility
parameters for the Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY), with an expectation of reducing the neonatal
and maternal mortality in young mothers. Janani Suraksha Yojana provides financial assistance
to mothers for institutional deliveries. With the relaxation of the scheme, the women who
belong to Below Poverty Line (BPL) category can get an access to JSY benefits irrespective of
their age and the number of Children they have.
The benefits of the scheme is extended to every women from BPL Category as well as
Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes from all States and Union Territories of the country if
they give birth to the new one in Government as well as the Private accredited health facility, as
well as to those women from BPL category who delivers at home (as part of their choice).
ABOUT THE JANANI SURAKSHA YOJANA (JSY)
Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) is a safe motherhood intervention under the National Rural Health
Mission (NRHM) that is implemented with the objective of reducing maternal and neo-natal
mortality by promoting institutional delivery among the poor pregnant women. The Yojana,
launched on 12 April 2005, by the Prime Minister, is being implemented in all states and UTs
with special focus on low performing states.
JSY is a 100 % centrally sponsored scheme and it integrates cash assistance with delivery and
post-delivery care. The success of the scheme would be determined by the increase in
institutional delivery among the poor families.
ELIGIBILITY FOR CASH ASSISTANCE (BEFORE RELAXATION)
LPS States All pregnant women

delivering in Government
health centres like Sub-
centre, PHC/CHC/ FRU /
general wards of District and
state Hospitals or accredited
private institutions
HPS States BPL - pregnant women, aged

19 years and above
LPS & HPS All SC and ST women

delivering in a government
health centre like Sub-centre,

Page 87
PHC/CHC/ FRU / general ward

of District and state Hospitals
or accredited private
institutions
REASON BEHIND AGE RELAXATION
The decision of relaxing the age parameters for the JSY came up after the Government realized
that the majority of women who could have been benefitted with the scheme needed to prove
that they were above 19 years in age and didnt had more than two children. Because of the
initial parameters that existed under the purview of the JSY scheme, the JSY failed to respond
to the maternal mortality of the girls aged 14-15 (who suffered maximum), as they didnt
succeeded in getting the age verification as well as the number of children they had.
The Union Health Ministry data claims that after the launch of the scheme, there has been an
increase in the institutional deliveries of from 47 percent in 2007-08 to 72.9 percent in 2009
(Coverage Evaluation Survey).
GOVT. APPROVED SPECIAL RECRUITMENT DRIVE TO FILL BACKLOG

VACANCIES FOR SC, ST & OBCS
The Union Cabinet of India on 23 May 2013 approved the Special Recruitment Drive to fill the
backlog in reserved vacancies of Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other
Backward Classes (OBC). The decision to bring the special recruitment drive into effect was
chaired by Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh at New Delhi.
Under the recruitment drive of 75000 identified vacancies 48000 were filled in 2012 under the
drive and the government wants to fill the remaining backlog by 2013. During the meet of the
cabinet, different ministries and departments were made responsible to make concerted
efforts to fill the remaining backlog of reserved vacancies.
PROPOSAL TO IMPLEMENT NATIONAL AIDS CONTROL SUPPORT PROJECT
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on 23 May 2013 approved the proposal of
Department of AIDS Control, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare for the implementation of
National AIDS Control Support Project (NACSP) under the National AIDS Control Programme
(NACP). The amount for this would be 2550 crore Rupees. The Government of India as well as
the World Bank will finance the NACP in equal proportions.
BENEFITS OF PROJECT
Strengthening Behaviour Change Communication (BCC) and demand generation

Page 88
Intensifying and consolidating prevention services with a focus on highly vulnerable

populations, high risk groups and bridge population
Institutional strengthening and financial management
The project would also help in controlling the spread of HIV infection in India
OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT
The main objective of the project is increasing the safe behaviour among high risk
groups groups in pursuance of the national goal of accelerated reversal of the HIV
epidemic by 2017.
The focus of the activities of this project would be on strengthening as well as scaling up
prevention interventions and related BCC strategies for sub-groups of population
identified to be most-at-risk by the NACP. These vulnerable groups include Injecting
Drug Users (IDU), Transgender (TG), Female Sex Workers (FSW) and Men who have sex
with Men (MSM).
The aim of the project is also to support the planned expansion and consolidation of
tailored interventions for other at-risk populations which include migrant workers and
truckers.
The BCC strategies which are developed under this project will emphasis on demand
generation for prevention services among high risk groups and vulnerable populations.
This will have special focus on the youth.
ABOUT NATIONAL AIDS CONTROL PROGRAMME (NACP)
National AIDS Control Programme (NACP) in its third phase (2007-2012) saw remarkable
success in controlling spread of HIV. As a result, India is on its track to meet the
Millennium Development Goal (MDG) for HIV prevention and control.
Over past 10 years, there has been reduction of 57 percent in the new HIV infections
and 29 percent reduction in AIDS-related deaths.
GOVERNMENT RECONSTITUTED THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF MCI
The Government of India reconstituted the Board of Governors of Medical Council of India
(MCI) after the President of India; Pranab Mukherjee promulgated the Ordinance amending
Indian Medical Council Act, 1956. Dr R K Srivastava was appointed as the new Chairman of the
Board of Governors of Medical Council of India.
EFFECTS OF AMENDMENT IN INDIAN MEDICAL COUNCIL ACT, 1956

Page 89
The amendment in the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956 enables the Overseas Citizens
of India to practice medicine in India.
The amendment also removes the restriction on foreign doctors to practice only for
teaching, research or charitable work.
The amendment also provides for separate representation to Union Territories and
more representation to Health Universities.
The Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Bill, 2013 was promulgated as the Ordinance by the
Government of India. It was introduced in Rajya Sabha during the Budget session.
The term of the present Board of Governors of the Medical Council of India ended on 14 May
2013, but it has been given extension.
GOVERNMENT DECIDED TO SET UP TEACHER TRAINING INSTITUTES
The Union Government of India on 24 May 2013 announced that under the 12th Five Year Plan
it will set up Institutes of Teacher Training at Block Level in 196 districts. The decision of the
union Government will help in strengthening the teacher training capacity across the nation.
The Government has decided to develop these institutes in SC/ST/Minority concentrated

districts of the country. Under this program, a budget of more than 690 crore rupees has been
approved for the project development and execution. One third of the total budget allocated
will be invested in the high teacher deficit states namely Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh,
Odisha, West Bengal, Assam, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh.
SC: LIFE CONVICT CAN'T BE RELEASED AFTER SPENDING 14 YEARS
The Supreme Court of India held that a life convict cannot claim to have a right to be released
after spending 14 years behind the bars. A bench of P Sathasivam and J S Khehar ruled that life
imprisonment means imprisonment for whole life and only the President and the Governors
can remit the sentence and allow the convict to be released. The bench, however, stated that in
those cases the government should take into account the gravity of offence, while remitting the
sentence.
The court passed the order on a plea of a convict, who was awarded death sentence by trial
court but was commuted into life imprisonment by Gauhati High Court, seeking direction to
release him on the ground that he spent 14 years behind the bars. He was convicted in the
rape-cum-murder case of a 22-year-old girl in 2000.
UIDAI INAUGURATED THREE NEW AADHAAR-ENABLED SERVICES

Page 90
Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) on 25 May 2013 inaugurated three new
Aadhaar-enabled services- e-KYC, OTP (one time pin) authentication and Iris authentication,
which would in turn help the residents of India in authenticating their identity anywhere and
anytime via any digital platform.
Apart from this, the UIDAI also announced establishing around 300 permanent enrolment
centres, also called Aadhaar Kendras. By September 2013, number of Aadhaar Kendras will
increase to around 1000. These centres would help those residents in enrolling which were left
during the camps being organised by registrars in past. The centres will also help in facilitating
biometric and demographic update.
ABOUT E-KYC SERVICE
Among the three services, e-KYC service will help the individuals in authorizing the service
providers so that they can receive electronic copy of their identity proof along with the address.
This particular service can be installed by various agencies for verifying the identity as well as
address of the residents. Only the information such as Name, Address, Gender, Mobile Number,
Date of Birth and Photograph, which is accumulated during enrolment of Aadhar, will be shared
and that too with the permission or request of Aadhaar number holder.
ABOUT OTP (ONE TIME PIN) AUTHENTICATION
The OTP service, on the other hand, allows Aadhaar based authentication of the residents by
making use of the mobile phone anytime and anywhere. This can be done on the self service
mode without making the use of biometric authentication device. Under this service, the digital
platform of the authority will not share the demographic details, unlike e-KYC service.
ABOUT IRIS AUTHENTICATION
Iris authentication will help the residents in authenticating the identity for availing this
Aadhaar-enabled service by facilitating the combination of Aadhaar number as well as the Iris
image. Just like the OTP (one time pin) authentication, the authority will also not share the
demographic details of the resident.
GOVERNMENT TO ROLL OUT 43000 CRORE GREEN CORRIDOR
Union Government plans to roll out a 43000-crore rupees green energy corridor project to
facilitate the flow of renewable energy into the national grid.
The blueprint for the project has already been submitted to the Power Ministry by Power Grid
Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL). For implementation, the project would be split into intra- and
inter-State.
ABOUT GREEN ENERGY CORRIDOR

Page 91
The green energy corridor is aimed at synchronising electricity produced from

renewable sources, such as solar and wind, with conventional power stations in the grid.
Germany has committed developmental and technical assistance of 1 billion Pounds for
the project.
The Government is aimed at strengthening the distribution network across the country making
it smart to handle fluctuations after seeing the massive grid failure happening round the nation.
As per the Central Electricity Authority, India has 27541.71 MW of installed renewable capacity
excluding hydro power stations. The country has a total installed capacity of 223625.60 MW as
on 30 April 2013.
India is already in talks with Germany for making its grid compatible for distributing renewable
energy. Germany has smart grids that integrate renewable energy into the national grid.
TELECOM COMMERCIAL COMMUNICATIONS CUSTOMER PREFERENCE

(TWELFTH AMENDMENT) REGULATIONS, 2013
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) issued the Telecom Commercial
Communications Customer Preference (Twelfth Amendment) Regulations, 2013 in the last
week of May 2013. The Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference (Twelfth
Amendment) Regulations, 2013 prescribes further measures to tighten the framework for
controlling Unsolicited Commercial Communications (UCC).
In the recent past too, TRAI issued various measures for curbing UCC. The Telecom Commercial
Communications Customer Preference Regulations, 2010 was also issued on 1 December 2010
and came into force on 27 September 2011. In order to address the operational issues as well
as for tightening the regulatory framework, various amendments have also been issued apart
from various directions.
PURPOSE OF ISSUING THE TELECOM COMMERCIAL COMMUNICATIONS

CUSTOMER PREFERENCE (TWELFTH AMENDMENT) REGULATIONS, 2013
The Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference (Twelfth Amendment)

Regulations, 2013 has been issued to tighten the grip of regulatory framework, especially
relating to commercial communication from subscribers indulging in telemarketing activities,
deliberately masking themselves without registering as telemarketer with TRAI.
The subscribers indulge in the activities like these without making payment of promotional SMS
charge or the other kind of charges or deposits which should be paid by the registered
telemarketers.

Page 92
These subscribers also evade the procedures for telemarketing by registered telemarketers.
The subscribers like these indulge in sending unsolicited commercial communications to the
customers who are even registered in NCPR.
FEATURES OF THE REGULATION
In case there is any valid UCC complaint, the originating Access provider will be liable to
disconnect all the telecom resources allotted to such subscriber, after making necessary
investigations. This provision will come into effect with immediate effect.
The name as well as address of the subscriber like this will be entered into the blacklist for two
years tenure and this record will be maintained separately for this purpose. Once the subscriber
enters into the blacklist, all the Access Providers will disconnect the telecom resources provided
by it to such subscriber within twenty four hours. This provision of the regulation will come into
effect within one month from the publication of the regulation in Gazette.
In order to settle the grievance of the subscriber whose connections are disconnected, the
present re-dressal system will help.
INDIAN NATIONAL DEFENCE UNIVERSITY TO COME AT BINOLA
The Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh on 23 May 2013 laid the foundation stone of the
Indian National Defence University (INDU) at Binola, Gurgaon. The university is going to be an
autonomous institution of national importance.
The Defence University came up following the recommendation of the Review Committee
constituted after the Kargil Conflict by the Government for the establishment of a University
that deals exclusively with defence and strategic matters. The review committee was headed by
eminent strategic expert K Subrahmanyam.
AIM OF INDU
INDU aims to provide knowledge based higher education for management of the
defence of India to the military leadership and other concerned civilian officials. It will
also keep them abreast of the emerging security challenges via scholarly Research and
Training
It will develop and propagate higher education in Defence Studies like Defence
Management, Defence Science and Technology. It will also promote the policy with its
orientation towards, research related to National Defence.
It will prepare officers for high level leadership as well as staff and policy responsibilities

Page 93
The think tanks of the University will be responsible for providing inputs for Policy
Formulations
It will focus on higher education in defence studies, defence management and defence
science and technology
The university will offer post graduate studies and doctoral / post doctoral research
CONSTITUENT COLLEGES AND INSTITUTIONS OF INDU
National College of Defence Studies (NCDS)
Indian Institute of Defence Technology (IIDT)
Indian Institute of Defence Management (IIDM)
Defence Institute of Distance and Open Learning (DIDOL)
INSTITUTES AND COLLEGES OF INDIAN ARMED FORCES THAT WILL BE AFFILIATED

THROUGH INDU
National Defence College (NDC) New Delhi
Defence Services Staff College (DSSC) Wellington
College of Defence Management (CDM) Secunderabad
National Defence Academy (NDA) Khadakwasla
The University will be instituted by the Act of the Parliament and President of Indian Union will
be a visitor to it and Defence Minister will be the Chancellor.
INDU will be governed as per its own norms and will be responsible to promote coordination
and interaction between Institutions of Armed Forces or establishments of the country. It will
give opportunity of higher studies through distance learning to both military and civilian
personnel. It will also give affiliation to defence training institutions to award degrees.
The Institute will be headed by its President (who will be a three star serving General /
equivalent officer with C-in-C status on appointment) and the Vice-President will be a civilian.
The University is being planned on the lines of IIT/IIMs.
The students of the University will constitute 66 percent students from armed forces and
remaining 33 percent would be drawn from other government agencies, police and civilian. The
teaching faculty will comprise of both military personnel and civilians in the ratio of 1:1.

Page 94
INDIAN TELECOM SECTOR BECAME THE SECOND LARGEST IN WORLD
The Indian telecom sector became the second largest telephone network in the world, after
China by registering exceptional growth during last nine years. The reasons for growth of
telecom sector were reform measures by the Government of India, active participation of the
private sector as well as wireless technology.
National Telecom Policy-2012 (NTP-2012) was announced with an objective to maximise public
good by facilitating reliable, secure and affordable telecommunication as well as broadband
services in India. When NTP 2012 was implemented, a range of telephonic connections
increased considerably. The telephone connections in India till January 2013 were 893.14
million. The rural telephone connections increased by around 10 million in the year 2012.
Overall, the teledensity was 73.07 percent till January 2013. Rural teledensity crossed the 40
percent mark. Comparatively, in March 2004, the overall teledensity was 7.04 percent while the
rural teledensity was 1.7 percent.
In case of mobile penetration, the preference of the use of wireless telephony increased
considerably. As on 31 March 2012, the wireless telephones increased from 96.62 percent to
96.74 percent by June end 2012. The share of landline phones increased from 3.38 percent to
3.44 percent from April to December 2012.
The wireless subscriber base also increased from 33.6 million in March 2004 to 864.72 million
till December 2012. The average tariff for every outgoing call per minute for GSM services went
down from 2.89 Rupees in March 2004 to 47 paisa in December 2012.
UNION GOVERNMENT NOTIFIED CAUVERY WATER SCHEME, 2013
The Union government notified Cauvery Water (Implementation of the Order of 2007) Scheme,
2013 to implement the final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT), 2007.
Under the scheme, a supervisory committee will be formed as notified by the ministry of Water
Resources. The committee will be headed by the Water Resources Secretary, while Chief
Secretaries of the Cauvery basin States/Union Territory (Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry
and Kerala) will be the members. The Central Water Commission (CWC) chairman will also be a
member and the CWC's chief engineer will be the Member-Secretary. The headquarters of the
committee will be in New Delhi.
The scheme will be in place till the Cauvery Management Board is constituted as mentioned in
the award. The chairman of the Committee may apply to the Supreme Court for appropriate
directions with notices to other States if he thinks it is necessary. As per the notification of the
final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT), 2007 in February 2013, the
Cauvery River Authority (CRA), chaired by the Prime Minister, and the Cauvery Monitoring
Committee (CMC), headed by the Water Resources Secretary are no longer functioning.

Page 95
Both committees were formed as per the directives of the Supreme Court to monitor the
implementation of the interim orders of the tribunal.
Supreme Court of India in its interim order on 10 May 2013 had directed the union government
to constitute a supervisory committee for implementation of the final order of the CWDT dated
5 February 5, 2007 as notified on 19 February 2013.
The Tribunal which included Chairman Justice N.P. Singh and members N.S. Rao and Sudhir
Narain was set up in 1990. It had determined the total availability of water in the Cauvery basin
at 740 thousand million cubic (TMC) feet at the Lower Coleroon Anicut site in a Unanimous
award in February 2007. In the final order the Tribunal gave Tamil Nadu 419 TMC of water (as
against the demand of 562 TMC); Karnataka 270 TMC (as against its demand of 465 TMC);
Kerala 30 TMC and Puducherry 7 TMC. It had reserved 10 TMC for environmental protection.
NATIONAL QUIZZES
1. The Union government keeping into consideration the widening trade gap, had set up a
six-member inter-ministerial committee in the last week of April 2013 under the
chairmanship of ___________ to suggest measures for enhancing MSME exports.
a) R S Gujral
b) Sumit Bose
c) Madhav Lal
d) S R Rao
Answer. (a) R S Gujral
2. Which of the following statements about the roles and duties will the six member
committee on trade-gap is true?
I. The committee will suggest short and long term measures to enhance exports from
MSME sector.
II. It will submit its recommendations by mid-May 2013.
III. The other members of the committee include Commerce Secretary S R Rao, Revenue
Secretary Sumit Bose, MSME Secretary Madhav Lal, Financial Services Secretary Rajiv
Takru and Chief Economic Adviser Raghuram Rajan.
IV. None of these statements are true
a) Statements IV is true
b) Statements I, II, and III are true

Page 96
c) Statements I and II are true
d) Statements II and III are true
Answer. (b) Statements I, II, and III are true
3. The Union Cabinet of India in May 2013 approved the launch of the ___________
Mission to reduce rates of infant mortality, maternal mortality and for universal access
to reproductive health care.
a) National Urban Health Mission
b) National Maternity Management Mission
c) National Infant and Mother Mortality Mission
d) Universal Access To Reproductive Health Care Mission
Answer. (a) National Urban Health Mission
4. The recently proposed National Urban Health Mission is will implemented in how many
cities of towns across the country?
a) 999
b) 779
c) 949
d) 786
Answer. (b) 779
5. The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) under the Prime Minister of India, Manmohan
Singh approved 11000 crore Rupees project in May 2013 for modernisation of
_____________?
a) Delhi police
b) Central paramilitary forces.
c) Black Commando Force
d) Indian Army
Answer. (b) Central paramilitary forces.
6. The Union Cabinet in May 2013 had cleared important changes to the National Rural
Livelihoods Mission _________ in a major boost to the roll out of the womens self help
group model across the country?

Page 97
a) Khadyaan
b) Sukhoslam
c) Jeevan Suraksha
d) Aajeevika
Answer. (d) Aajeevika
7. The Union Cabinet of India in May 2013 approved major changes to the National Rural
Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) with the objective of removing poverty in rural areas by
empowering women. Approximately, 25 lakh Women Self Help Groups (SHGs) will be
given bank loans at an interest rate of _______ percent?
a) 7 percent
b) 6 percent
c) 7.2 percent
d) 6.8 percent
Answer. (a) 7 percent
8. The Union Government of India in May 2013 approved _____________ policy with an
aim to create a secured Computing environment across the country?
a) Computing Policy of India
b) National Cyber Policy
c) National Policy of Computing
d) National Cyber Security Policy
Answer. (d) National Cyber Security Policy
9. The Minister for Women & Child Development, Krishna Tirath in May 2013 launched the
World Bank assisted___________. The aim of the programme is improvement of child
development and nutritional outcomes for children in selected districts having higher
proportional of child under nutrition.
a) ICDS Systems Nutrition Improvement Project
b) ICDS Systems Strengthening and Nutrition Improvement Project
c) ICDS Systems Strengthening for the Nutrition Improvement Project
d) ICDS Nutrition Improvement Project

Page 98
Answer. (b) ICDS Systems Strengthening and Nutrition Improvement Project (ISSNIP)
10. Ministry for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution introduced amendments in
the National Food Security Bill in the Lok Sabha in May 2013 and placed the amended
Bill for consideration and passing by the House. Which of the following statements
related to the Bill are true?
I. The Government decided to move certain amendments to the Bill Based on the
recommendations of the Standing Committee on Food, Consumer Affairs and Public
Distribution
II. These amendments seek to make the framework of the proposed legislation simpler,
provide more flexibility to States/UTs in its implementation and to address some of the
concerns raised by them.
III. Protection of entitlements under Targeted Public Distribution System:The entitlement

of Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) households, which constitute poorest of the poor will,
however, be protected at 35 kg per household per month.
IV. Statement I and II are only true
a) Statement I, II and III are true
b) Statement IV is true
c) Statement I and II are only true
d) Only statement I is true
Answer. (a) Statement I and II are only true

Page 99

Page 100
INDIA DAIRY
6 May 2013
Union cabinet approved changes to aajeevika, the national rural livelihoods mission
Government has constituted an inter-ministerial group to suggest ways to tackle

fraudulent money pooling activities by Ponzi Schemes.
7 May 2013
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between National Commission for

Women (NCW) and HUDCO on 7 May 2013 in New Delhi.
8 May 2013
National Cyber Security Policy was approved by the Union Government which will help
in creation of Secured Computing environment in India.
Tribal Forest Dwellers Empowerment Scheme was launched by the Union Ministry of
Tribal Affairs & Panchayati Raj.
9 May 2013
The Supreme Court dismissed a PIL challenging 8.5 billion US Dollars Cairn-Vedanta deal
and its validity.
Ministry for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution introduced amendments in
the National Food Security Bill in the Lok Sabha
10 May 2013
The Minister for Women & Child Development, Krishna Tirath launched the World Bank
assisted ISSNIP.
The Union Government of India approved the policy development of aviation hubs in
India.
The Cabinet Committee on Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) approved the
cost estimates of Phase IV of the UID Scheme.
11 May 2013
Amendments in the Parl. (Prevention of Disqualification) Act, 1959 was approved by

introducing Parl. (Prevention of Disqualification) Amendment Bill, 2013.
The decision to declare the year 2013 as Water Conservation Year 2013 was approved
by the Union Cabinet of India.

Page 101
12 May 2013
Monetary assistance under under the Indira Awas Yojana has been hiked by 25000
rupees by the Union Government following the agreement signed in Agra.
13 May 2013
The Union Government decided to publicise best practices on implementation of RTI Act
by public authorities all over the country.
Indigenously developed Rotavirus Vaccine named Rotavac was unveiled by India. DCGI
approval for commercial production of the vaccine is awaited.
The government approved new guidelines for the Indira Awas Yojna Scheme for rural
poor.
14 May 2013
Union Government set up an expert Committee to evolve a composite index to measure

backwardness of states.
Government decided to launch DBTL scheme in 20 high Aadhaar coverage districts from
1 June 2013.
15 May 2013
Star India in the month of May 2013 launched its new movie channel, Star Movies
Actions, which is targeted at male audiences.
16 May 2013
OBC creamy layer criteria were raised to 6 lakh rupees from previous 4.5 lakh rupees by
Union Cabinet of India.
The Union government slashed the import tariff value of gold and silver to 466 Dollars
per ten grams and 761 Dollars per kg, respectively.
17 May 2013
With the implementation of the Drug Price Control Order 2013 the prices of the 348
essential medicines listed in NLEM 2011 will go down by up to 80%.
18 May 2013
The Supreme Court of India held that the two-finger test on a rape victim violates her
right to privacy.
Indian Farmers Fertiliser Co-operative (IFFCO), signed an agreement Vale SA for supply
of rock phosphate.

Page 102
19 May 2013
Singer Hariharan was conferred with the Lata Mangeshkar Samman Alankaran which
was instituted by Madhya Pradesh government in 1984.
20 May 2013
Union Cabinet approved the Special Recruitment Drive to fill the backlog of reserved
vacancies of SCs, STs and OBCs.
P Sabita Reddy and D Prasada Rao, the State Cabinet Ministers of Andhra Pradesh
charged in the YS Jaganmohan Reddy's disproportionate assets case resigned.
21 May 2013
The findings of the ACI survey gave the Chennai Airport an Airport Service Quality (ASQ)
rating of 3.21 out of five for the year 2012.
Vyas Samman for 2011 and 2012 were conferred to Prof. Ramdarash Mishra and Dr
Narendra Kohli for their works Aam ke Patte and Na Bhooto Na Bhavishyati.
22 May 2013
India on 22 May 2013 successfully test fired the 290-km range BrahMos supersonic
cruise missile
Chief Minister of Kerala, Oommen Chandy won United Nation's Public Service Award for
his Mass Contact Programme.
The Union Cabinet of India, approved to classify Malayalam as the Classical Language.
23 May 2013
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the proposal for the
implementation of National AIDS Control Support Project.
President of India conferred the 47th Jnanpith Award for the year 2011 on Pratibha Ray
at Balyogi Auditorium in New Delhi.
24 May 2013
Government has decided to set up teacher training institutes at block level across eight
teacher deficit states of India under 12th Plan.
Supreme Court held that a life convict cannot claim to have a right to be released after
spending 14 years behind the bars.
25 May 2013

Page 103
Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) inaugurated three new Aadhaar-enabled

services to help residents.
Union Government plans to roll out a 43000-crore rupees green energy corridor project
to facilitate the flow of renewable energy into the national grid.
26 May 2013
TRAI issued The Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference (Twelfth

Amendment) Regulations, 2013.
Indian telecom sector became the second largest telephone network in the world, after
China by registering exceptional growth during last nine years.
Defence Ministry inaugurated the first fighter aircraft base at Thanjavur
27 May 2013
Union Defence Minister AK Antony dedicated to the nation the New Air Force Station at
Thanjavur at a brief function held to mark the occasion
External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid ended his four-day visit to Saudi Arabia.
The Union Cabinet of India gave clearance to Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) to roll
out its mobile network in the Naxal-affected areas.
28 May 2013
BJP expelled senior lawyer and MP Ram Jethmalani from the primary membership of
party for six years over breach of discipline.
The Ministry of Women and Child Development appointed Kushal Singh as the
Chairperson of National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR).
Manoj Das, the Noted Oriya writer was presented the NTR National Literary Award.
29 May 2013
44 Years old Ang Dami Sherpa from Nepal won the Everest Marathon in womens
category of Year 2013.
A Group of Ministers approved the Coal Regulatory Authority Bill which seeks to set up
independent regulatory authority for the coal sector.
The Union government notified Cauvery Water Scheme, 2013 to implement the Cauvery
Water Disputes Tribunal award
30 May 2013
Rituparno Ghosh, the renowned Bengali film maker died of cardiac arrest at his south
Kolkata residence.

Page 104
Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, N C Menon, Vineet Nayar and Ronnie Screwvala figured in 2013
year list of Asia-Pacific's most remarkable givers.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on 30 May 2013 was elected to the Rajya Sabha for
the fifth time from Assam.
31 May 2013
The HRD Ministry decided to set up a seven member Task Force NTA under the
Chairmanship of Sanjay Dhande.
The IAFs premier Academy located at Dundigal, Hyderabad inducted basic trainer
aircraft Pilatus PC 7 MKII.
ECONOMY
BSE LAUNCHED BROAD-BASED ISLAMIC EQUITY INDEX
The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) on 30 April 2013 launched an Islamic equity index based on
the wide-measure S&P BSE 500 index. It will provide a new benchmark for Islamic investors in
one of the world's largest stock exchanges. The new
index includes the largest 500 companies in the BSE, out
of more than 5000 listed. These companies fulfill Islamic
finance principles such as bans on investing in alcohol,
tobacco and gambling-related businesses. The BSE had
launched the countrys first Islamic index in 2010 after
tracking the 50 largest and most liquid stocks.
India's Islamic banking industry has made slow progress

because banking rules need lenders to declare the rates
of interest they charge customers. This condition it at
odds with Islamic banks which base their products on
profit rates instead. In this regard to satisfy the needs of Muslims in India, the industry is trying
to develop investment products.
SC UPHELD 51 PERCENT FDI IN MULTI-BRAND RETAIL
The Supreme Court of India on 1 May 2013 upheld the constitutional validity of Governments
decision allowing 51 percent foreign direct Investment in the multi-brand retail sector. A bench
of Justices R M Lodha, Madan B Lokur and Kurian Joseph gave the ruling.
The bench observed that there was no harm in giving the policy a chance. It saw merit in the
policy that it would eliminate middlemen and help provide farmers a better price for their
produce. It dismissed the petition filed against the 51 percent FDI in multi-brand retail. As per

Page 105
the court, the policy will affect the lives of only 13.3% of the country's population living in 53
cities.
CCEA APPROVED EXCHANGE TRADE FUND FOR PSU STOCKS
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on 2 May 2013 cleared the government
proposal to set up an exchange traded fund backed by a basket of PSU stocks, commonly
referred as CPSEETF.
The basic idea behind setting up of fund is that among other benefits, PSU divestments could
be carried out in a much less disturbing manner for the market and can also incentivize retail
investors. An empowered group of ministers would take this forward.
The government plans to float such a fund so that, The CPSEETF will comprise a basket of
shares of different PSUs which would track an index, but will trade like a stock on the exchange.
ICICI Securities is the adviser to the ETF and Goldman Sachs is learnt to be the fund manager.
The release on CPSEETF noted that each stock would have a fixed weightage in the basket and
the ETF will give discount to investors. It is important here to note that the Selling a mutual
fund at a discount to its NAV is a new concept in the Indian market, and would require some
rule change by the market regulator SEBI.
FOODGRAINS OUTPUT FOR 2013 EXCEEDED ITS TARGET
The Union Government of India on 3 May 2013 revised the production estimates of the
foodgrains upwards by 5.22 million tonnes for 2012-
13, over earlier expectation of 254.24 million tonnes
due to the higher output of wheat, rice and coarse
cereals.
With this revision the total cereal output estimation

has gone up to 255.36 million tonnes. The wheat and
rice production pegged at 93.62 million tonnes and
104.22 million tonnes respectively.
The earlier estimate set for the foodgrains for the year was 254.24 million tonnes. The third
advance estimate that was officially released on 3 May 2013 estimated that the total foodgrain
production for the year will be lower by 3.96 million tonnes from the previous year 2011-12
ecord production of 259.24 million tonnes. As the total output for wheat and rice in 2011-12
were 94.98 million tonnes and 105.31 million tonnes respectively. While for 2012-13 it is
estimated to be 93.62 million tonnes and 104.22 million tonnes respectively.
STATES THAT LACKED IN PRODUCTION DUE TO ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

Page 106
Delayed monsoon and drought in different parts of states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka,
Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan had an impact on the production of pulses and
coarse cereal during Kharif season.
ADB TO PROVIDE 6 BILLION DOLLARS TO INDIA OVER NEXT 3 YEARS
Asian Development Bank (ADB) on 5 May 2013 announced that it is going to provide about 6
billion dollars loan to India over the next three years which was decided at the concluding day
of the 46th Annual Meeting of the Funding Agency.
Although, the ADB is facing the challenge of raising

resources, the basic idea behind providing loan is to
maintain its lending level to India. The bank is working
on partnership strategy and is planning to maintain the
level of lending to India.
It is important here to note that India is the biggest

borrower of ADB and ADB had extended a 2.4 billion
dollars loan to India in 2012 across sectors like
transport, energy, commerce, industry, trade and
finance.
The bank will also continue to lend10 billion dollars a year across the member-nations despite
generating lower return from investments. ADBs capital was tripled in 2009. The fund
enhancement came after a gap of 15 years.
INDIA'S SERVICES GROWTH HIT 18-MONTH LOW: HSBC
As per the survey undertaken by HSBC, in the month of May 2013, Indias services sector grew
at its slowest pace in one and half years during the month of April 2013 as costs for raw
materials, petrol and labour increased considerably.
It is important here to note that the pace of hiring by private sector companies was also slowest
in seven months, as per a monthly HSBC India survey of services sector managers.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE REPORT
The HSBC India Composite Output Index fell to 50.5 in April from 51.4 in March.
The latest reading indicated that activity increased marginally and at the slowest pace
since October 2011.
The seasonally adjusted HSBC Business Activity Index declined to 50.7 in April from 51.4
in the previous month.

Page 107
Input prices saw further increase in April 2013 the trend continued for the 49th
consecutive month and cost of raw material, petrol and labour were higher, HSBC
noted.
The rates of increase in average selling prices were slower at both manufacturers and
service providers.
Despite the fact that new businesses placed at services and manufacturing firms in India
increased last month, the rates of expansion eased.
The manufacturers cited power cuts while service providers mentioned extreme
weather and challenging market conditions for such a trend.
SEBI APPROVED KERALA'S START-UP VILLAGE ANGEL FUND
Market regulator SEBI in May 2013 had approved an angel fund of 10 million Dollars to address
the problem of resource crisis for start-up companies across the country.
The fund could go up to 20 million dollars with an over-allotment option that would focus on
telecom and internet firms. The Fund is supposed to start investing once the initial close of 2
million Dollars is achieved.
Consultancy KPMG is the advisor and ILFS is trustee of the fund based at Start-up Village which
is the country's first telecom incubator.
ABOUT VILLAGE ANGEL FUND
The angel fund will be investing not only in the most promising start-ups located in Start-up
Village but also in similar enterprises across the country.
Infosys co-founder and Start-up Village chief mentor Kris Gopalakrishnan, MobME, the
country's first campus telecom start-up, Ravi Pillai, founder of the.16000-crore Rupees Bahrain-
based RP Group and other leading angel investors in India will be part of the fund.
The Village angel fund will act like a shot in the arm for Start-up Village, which would become
the first incubator in India to have its own in-house fund.
The fund will help the internet-telecom incubator to get the most conducive ecosystem for
product start-ups.
FEE FROM TOURISM GREW BY 7 PERCENT IN APRIL 2013
The Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEEs) from tourism in terms of Rupee in April 2013 rose by
seven percent from the one recorded in April 2012. The Foreign Tourists Arrival (FTAs) in April
2013 remained the same 4.52 lakh with the one recorded in April 2012.

Page 108
The FTAs in a quarters time from January to April 2013 has risen by 1.9 percent to 24.80 lakh.
In January to April 2012 the FTAs were 24.34 lakh.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE FTAS AND FEES DURING APRIL 2013 FROM TOURISM
Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs)
In April 2013 the number of FTAs was 4.52 lakh, while, the number of FTAs in April 2012, was
also 4.52 lakh. There was no growth in FTAs recorded in April 2013, whereas, the FTAs grew by
1.3 percent during April 2012 over April 2011.
Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEEs) from Tourism in rupee terms and USdollars terms
During the month of April 2013 the FEEs was 7248 crore rupees, which was 6745 crore
rupees in April 2012 and 5724 crore rupees in April 2011.
In terms of rupees the FEEs grew by 7.5 percent in April 2013 over April2012 as
compared to 17.8 percent of April 2012 over April 2011
The FEEs in terms of rupee from tourism from January to April 2013 is 37323 crore
rupee with a growth of 17.7 percent as compared to the FEE of 31713 crore rupees with
a growth of 28.5 percent during January-April 2012 over the corresponding period of
2011.
In terms of USDs the FEEs during the month of April 2013 were 1.333 billion US dollar as
compared to FEEs of 1.305 billion US dollars during the month of April 2012 and 1.290
billion US dollars in April 2011.
The FEEs grew by 2.1 percent in terms of US dollars in April 2013 over April 2012. It was
1.2 percent in April 2012 over April 2011.
FEE from tourism in terms of US dollars during January-April 2013 were US dollars 6.878
billion with a growth of 9.6 percent, as compared to US dollars 6.275 billion with a
growth of 14.7 percent during January-April 2012 over the corresponding period of
2011.
The monthly estimates of FTAs are compiled by the Ministry of Tourism and are made based
upon the data received from the major ports and the FEEs from tourism on the basis of data
received from Reserve Bank of India.
GOVERNMENT SET 325-BILLION DOLLARS EXPORT TARGET FOR 2013-14
The Union Government announced an export target of 325 billion dollars for the current
financial year 2013-14 to support the slowdown in the global markets.

Page 109
It is due to the global slowdown in developed regions like that of US and Europe, the exports of
India went down for the first time in three years with a dip of 1.8 per cent to 300.6 billion
Dollars in 2012-13, making the trade deficit to a record high level of 191 billion dollars.
It is important here to note that, the Government had set an export target of 360-billion dollars
for the financial year 2012-13.
According to the provisional figures, export registered an increase of 0.8 per cent for the month
of January 2013 after a permanent fall during May, June, July, August, September, October,
November and December 2012.
INDIA IS LARGEST PRODUCER AND CONSUMER OF CHICKPEAS IN WORLD
Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO) in its latest report for 2011 claimed that India is the
largest consumer and producer of Chickpeas in the world. The second advance estimates for
2012-13 marked a record production of Chickpea is 8567.8 thousand tonnes.
Production details of Chickpeas in India as compared to the World Chickpea producing nation
Country Production (000 tonnes)
India 8221.10
Australia 513.34
Myanmar 466.74
Turkey 487.48
Ethiopia 322.84
Pakistan 496.00
Islamic Republic of Iran 290.24
Canada 90.80

Page 110
United Republic of Tanzania 71.18
Systematic and concentrated research on Chickpeas is undertaken by Indian Council of

Agricultural Research (ICAR) through its on-going plan
projects under Indian Institute of Pulses Research (IIPR),
Kanpur and All India Coordinated Research Project on
Chickpea. In past three years, thirteen types of high
yielding varieties of chickpeas have been released in
India.
Creation of basic and strategic research for development

of location specific climate supporting high yielding
chickpea varieties and improved production and
protection technologies are the major steps included in
the research program.
Several Crop development schemes like Food Security Mission (NFSM-Pulses), Rashtriya Krishi
Vikas Yojana (RKVY) and others are implemented by the Government of India in order to
increase the production and productivity of Pulses including Chickpeas. Special Plan to achieve
more than 19 million tonnes of pulse production during 2012-13 has also been initiated.
CCEA APPROVED PROPOSAL TO SET-UP 2 PORTS IN BENGAL & ANDHRA
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on 9 May 2013 approved the proposal of
the Ministry of Shipping for setting up of two major ports in the country. The two ports will be
set up through a Public Private Partnership Mode in West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh each.
As per the proposal approved the port will be developed at Sagar Island in West Bengal after
obtaining environmental clearances and following exact procedures for development of the
project. The cabinet also agreed for appointment of the transaction advisers and legal
consultants and finalization of the project structure in consultation with the State Government
of West Bengal and the Planning Commission.
In case of Andhra Pradesh, the Cabinet identified Dugarajapatnam location for development of
the port and looked forward to find out the techno-economic feasibility report for
commissioning of the port.
BENEFITS OF SETTING-UP THE TWO PORTS
Sagar Port in West Bengal: At present Kolkata has facilities of two ports namely Kolkata Docks
at Kolkata and Haldia Dock Complex at Haldia. Both these ports being reverine face limitations
of draught due to the morphological changes (change in river platform) in Hooghly because of

Page 111
siltation. Development of Sagar Port will provide a deep draught port for handling the large size
vessels by doing away the heavy maintenance dredging activity.
Port of Andhra Pradesh: It will facilitate the economic development of Andhra Pradesh as the
rapid industrialization across Visakhapatnam Port has created a necessity of a new port in the
state.
AIR INDIA TO IMPLEMENT COST CUTTING MEASURES
Air India on 10 May 2013 declared a set of transformations by implementing certain cost
cutting measures. The airlines will soon start charging passengers travelling in economy class on
domestic sectors for food. The recommendations on transformation suggested by the
committee constituted to suggest cost-cutting measures for the bleeding national carrier were
accepted by the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation.
The constituted committee has suggested a set of 46 recommendations, which when

implemented will save an estimated annual expenditure of 3240 crore rupees. One of the major
recommendations suggested by the committee is serving tea, cold drinks, coffee, peanuts and
biscuits, free of cost by doing away the meal. The complete meal on an Air India flight costs 175
rupees which will come down to 25 rupees, with the implementation of recommendation and
help in saving about 100 crore rupees annually to Air India.
The Union Ministry of Civil Aviation has recommended to Air India to implement the
recommendations and provide a schedule on implementation to it within a weeks time. The
Ministry of Civil Aviation on 29 April 2013 allowed airlines to unbundle charges for services like
preferential seating, meals, snacks, drinks (doesnt include water) and use of lounges and
baggage.
The free baggage allowance was reduced to 15 kg from previous 20 kg by Air India and Jet
Airways, following the announcement from the Ministry of Civil Aviation. For baggage above 15
kg, 250 rupees per kg extra will be charged by the passengers. The decision from the Aviation
Ministry came up in wake up of the nod given to Air Asia to launch a local airline by the Union
Ministry of Finance.
The constituted committee that suggested the recommendations on the cost cutting measures
and Optimal Utilisation of Resources in Air India was a five-member Committee, headed by
Ravindra H. Dholakia, Professor of Economics and Public Systems, IIM, Ahmedabad to suggest
various measures for cost cutting and optimal utilisation of resources in Air India.
INTER-MINISTERIAL GROUP APPROVED 10% EQUITY SALE IN CIL
An Inter-Ministerial Group (IMG) on 10 May 2013 approved 10 percent equity sale of Coal India
Limited. This equity sale is likely to fetch, about 17000 crore rupees to the Union Government.
Union Governments holds over 90 percent stake in Coal India at present.

Page 112
The Inter-Ministerial Group was headed by Ravi Mathur, the Disinvestment Secretary and it is
guiding the process of disinvestment of Governments Equity in CIL. The CIL with a cash balance
of 60000 crore rupees is the biggest disinvestment for the Government in the current fiscal year
2013-14 and Union Government is in the plan to generate 40000 crore rupees with sales of
PSUs stakes in the current fiscal.
RETAIL INFLATION DECLINED TO 9.39 PERCENT IN APRIL 2013
Retail inflation declined to 9.39 per cent in April because of reduction in prices of vegetables,
edible oil and protein-based items as per the data released on 13 May 2013. Retail inflation
which is based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) stood at 10.39 per cent in March 2013.
The prices in the vegetables basket reduced to 5.43 per cent in April 2013 from 12.16 per cent
in March 2013. Inflation in egg, meat and fish was registered at 13.60 per cent during April
2013. In oils and fats segment, inflation stood at 7.52 per cent.
The overall food and beverages registered an inflation of 10.61 per cent in April 2013 as against
12.42 per cent in March 2013. Among all the constituents that constitute the CPI, cereals saw
the highest inflation of 16.65 per cent in April 2013.
Moreover, inflation in pulses recorded 10.91 per cent and in sugar it was 10.49 per cent on an
annual basis. In urban areas, retail inflation fell to 9.73 per cent in April 2013 from 10.38 per
cent in March 2013. The CPI for rural population declined to 9.16 per cent during April 2013
from 10.33 per cent in March 2013.
NSE LAUNCHED DEBT TRADING PLATFORM
National Stock Exchange, the Leading bourse on 11 May 2013 launched the countrys first
dedicated debt trading platform.
The new Platform launched is awaiting the market regulator SEBIs guidelines for allowing
participation of mutual funds, insurance companies and pension funds. NSE had recently
received approval from SEBI to launch the debt segment.
FUNCTION OF THE DEBT TRADING PLATFORM
The debt trading platform is supposed to provide retail investors an opportunity to

invest in corporate bonds on a liquid and transparent exchange platform.
Banks and primary dealers are the first to enter and they will provide enough liquidity in
the debt segment.
The mutual funds, insurance companies and pension funds are also expected to
participate after guidelines for the same are issued.

Page 113
The Debt Trading exchange platform is an innovation, which has been launched after intensive
feedback from market participants. It is similar to RBIs NDS-OM, where Government securities
are traded on a transparent platform
RBI IMPOSED RESTRICTIONS ON GOLD IMPORT BY BANKS
The RBI on 12 May 2013 imposed restrictions on gold import by banks in order to moderate the
demand of gold for domestic use. The RBI decided to restrict the import of gold on consignment
basis by banks, only to meet the genuine needs of exporters of gold jewellery.
The RBI stated that the decision is based on the recommendations of the Working Group on
Gold that had suggested aligning gold import regulations with the rest of the imports for
creating a level playing field between gold imports and other imports. The restrictions have
come into effect immediately.
VALUE OF MINERAL PRODUCTION IN MARCH 2013 WAS 20475 CRORE

As per the data released by Ministry of Mines on 14 May 2013, the index of mineral production
of mining and quarrying sector in March 2013 was higher by 16.5 percent compared to that of
the preceding month. The mineral sector has shown a negative growth of 2.9 percent during
March 2013 as compared to that of March 2012.
The total value of mineral production (excluding atomic & minor minerals) in the country during
March 2013 was 20475 crore rupees. The contribution of coal was the highest at 7766 crore
rupees (38 percent). Next in the order of importance were: petroleum (crude) 5888 crore
rupees, iron ore 2530 crore rupees, natural gas (utilized) 1992 crore rupees, lignite 595 crore
rupees and limestone 391 crore rupees. These six minerals together contributed about 94
percent of the total value of mineral production in March 2013.
Production level of important minerals in March 2013 were: coal 650 lakh tonnes, lignite 54
lakh tonnes, natural gas (utilized) 3112 million cu. m., petroleum (crude) 32 lakh tonnes,
bauxite 1677 thousand tonnes, chromite 348 thousand tonnes, copper conc. 11 thousand
tonnes, gold 135 kg., iron ore 113 lakh tonnes, lead conc. 18 thousand tonnes, manganese ore
215 thousand tonnes, zinc conc. 161 thousand tonnes, apatite & phosphorite 226 thousand
tonnes, dolomite 579 thousand tonnes, limestone 250 lakh tonnes, magnesite 16 thousand
tonnes and diamond 4408 carat.
In March 2013 the output of diamond increased by 58.3 percent, chromite 35.1 percent, lignite
29.1 percent, coal 25.3 percent, zinc conc.16.6 percent, copper conc. 15.0 percent, petroleum
(crude) 12.1 percent, natural gas (utilized) 10.5 percent, lead conc. 10.0 percent, limestone 9.6
percent, bauxite 9.3 percent, iron ore 7.7 percent, gold 6.3 percent, manganese ore 6.2
percent, dolomite 2.3 percent and apatite & phosphorite 0.1 percent. However the production
of magnesite decreased by 0.3 percent.

Page 114
EXPORTS IN INDIA GREW UP BY 1.6 PERCENT IN APRIL 2013
Exports in the month of April 2013 recorded a growth of 1.6 percent and stood at 24.16 billion
US Dollar as against 23.7 billion US dollar in April 2012. The surge in gold imports pushed the
trade deficits to 17.7 billion US dollar. This is the fourth consecutive month that exports have
witnessed growth.
Imports of gold and silver in April 2013 doubled by 138 percent to 7.5 billion US dollar from 3.1
billion US dollar in April 2012. The merchandize imports rose by 10.9 percent to 41.95 billion US
dollar bringing up the trade deficit by more than 72 percent from March. Widening of trade
deficit attributed to the high gold imports.
The targeted exports for the current fiscal 2013-14 set by the Union Government is 325 billion
US dollar.
WPI INFLATION EASED TO 4.89 PERCENT IN APRIL 2013
As per official data released on 14 May 2013, WPI Inflation eased to 4.89 percent in April 2013.
Declining price of food items, including fruits and vegetables caused a three and a half year low.
Inflation based on the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) stood at 5.96 percent in March 2013. In
April, 2012, it was 7.50 percent. This is the lowest level of inflation since November, 2009 when
it was 4.78 percent.
THE MAJOR DATA ARE GIVEN AS FOLLOWING
WPI inflation in the manufactured items category declined to 3.41 percent in April from
4.07 percent in March.
Also, inflation in food articles category, which has a 14.34 percent share in the WPI
basket, came down to 6.08 percent. Inflation in this category was at 8.73 percent in
March 2013.
The easing in food inflation was helped by a sharp drop in prices of vegetables. Inflation
in vegetables stood at (-) 9.05 percent in April 2013, against (-)0.95 percent in March
2013.
The inflation in fruits declined to 0.71 percent during April 2013 as compared to 4.71
percent in March 2013. However, the rate of price rise in onion was high at 91.69
percent for the month of April, as against inflation rate of 94.85 percent in the previous
month.
Inflation for February was revised upwards to 7.28 percent from 6.84 percent as per
provisional estimates. The retail inflation, as measured by consumer price index, came
down to single digit at 9.39 percent in April after many months, indicating that
inflationary expectation is on declining trend.

Page 115
Inflation in wheat eased to 13.89 percent in April, as against 19.87 percent in the
previous month. Potatoes too saw decline to (-)2.42 percent, from 20.06 percent in
March. Inflation rate in rice and cereals eased to 17.09 percent and 15.63 percent,
respectively, in April 2013.
Pulses prices declined marginally to 10.28 percent during the month. While the inflation
rate in egg, meat and fish category stood at 10.44 percent, for milk it was 4.04 percent.
For the fuel and power category, it was lower at 8.84 percent in April as compared to
10.18 percent in March 2013.
GOVERNMENT HIKED BGRF ENTITLEMENT FOR UTTAR PRADESH
The Union Government of India on 15 May 2013 announced increment in the Backward Region
Grant Fund (BRGF), entitled to Uttar Pradesh. The fund has gone up to 818.17 crore rupees for
2013-14 from initial 667 crore rupees.
To release the funds for Uttar Pradesh, the Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj has directed the
state Government to submit its annual plan by 25 June 2013. 35 districts of Uttar Pradesh are
entitled for the BRGF Scheme.
In 2012-13, Uttar Pradesh failed to get its share of BRGF grants as the Government ordered a
probe into the alleged irregularities that was committed during the Mayawati regime and it
stopped the work which was being carried on in the BRGF beneficiary districts.
RBI DIRECTED BANKS TO FOLLOW CLEAN NOTE POLICY
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 14 May 2013 directed banks to follow the Clean Note Policy
strictly and issue clean currency notes to public. RBI issued a notification that also asked the
banks to do away the process of stapling the currency notes and to secure the note packets
with paper bands.
In its notification to the banks, the RBI also directed to sort notes into re-issuable and non-
issuable notes and to withdraw soiled notes from circulation in the market. Banks have also
been asked to stop writing of any kind on watermark window of bank notes as it disfigures the
watermark impression and recognition becomes difficult.
As per RBI, on an average 20 percent of notes is disposed off after getting soiled every year and
in the fiscal year 2012-13 that ended on 31 March 2013 the number of such soiled currency bills
stood at over 13 billion units.
RBI DECIDED TO LAUNCH INFLATION INDEXED BONDS (IIBS)
The RBI (Reserve Bank of India) on 15 May 2013 decided to launch Inflation Indexed Bonds
(IIBs). The first tranche of the IIBs 2013-2014 for 1000 to 2000 crore rupees will be issued on 4

Page 116
June 2013. The maturity period of these bonds will be 10 years. The total issue size will be
12000 to 15000 crore rupees in 2013 to 14.
The RBI will do on monthly basis to attract household savings of up to 15000 crore rupees so as
to discourage investments in gold.
After the first tranche, bonds will be issued on the last Tuesday of every month. While the first
series of the bonds will be open for all class of investors, the second series issue - beginning
October - will be reserved exclusively for retail investors.
IMF APPROVED 1.3 BN DOLLARS LOAN FOR CYPRUS
The International Monetary Fund on 15 May 2013 approved a three-year, 1.3 billion dollars
loan for supporting Cyprus attempts to stabilize its financial sector and to bring the
Governments deficit under control and restore economic growth.
The IMF loan to Cyprus is basically a part of a rescue package of 10 billion euros (12.9 billion
dollars) counterfeit in March 2013 with the eurozones
bailout fund.
The loan was approved by IMFs executive board which

also includes an immediate disbursement of 110.7 million
dollars. Counting the IMF disbursement, Cyprus has
received about 2.7 billion dollars in the third week of May
2013 from its international lenders.
The Luxembourg-based European Stability Mechanism,

which is a eurozone bailout fund, on 13 May 2013,
announced that it had approved its first bailout tranche for Cyprus and transferred an initial 2
billion euros (2.6 billion dollars). The rest of the tranche up to 1 billion Euros will be
transferred by 30 June 2013.
The loans approved by the European Stability Mechanism help to maintain financial stability in
the euro area and buy time for Cyprus. It is important here to note that in the Euro zones long-
running fiscal crisis, Cyprus followed Greece, Ireland and Portugal to become the fourth Euro
zone country since 2010 to agree to a full bailout.
GOVT RATIFIED 8.5 PERCENT INTEREST ON PF DEPOSITS FOR 2012-13
The Finance Ministry on 16 May 2013 approved payment of 8.5 per cent interest rate for 2012-
13 from 8.25 per cent in the previous fiscal, which will benefit over 5 crore EPFO subscribers.
The approved payment of interest rate will enable the Employees Provident Fund
Organisations (EPFO) which is the apex decision making body to settle claims at 8.5 per cent
and also credit interest into the accounts of subscribers for 2012-13.

Page 117
It is important here to note that the Central Board of Trustee

(CBT), decision on interest rate is required to be notified by
the Finance Ministry. Only after notification, the interest is
credited into the accounts of subscribers.
Also, as per the norms, EPFO is anticipated to announce the

rate of interest on PF deposits before the commencement of
the financial year. But for the past few years, there has been
delay in announcement of the rates. This time, the rate of
interest is being notified after the end of the financial year.
CCEA APPROVED THE SAME SCALE OF ALLOCATION TO APL FAMILIES
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on 16 May 2013 approved the continuation
of the same scale of allocation to APL families during 2013-14 (at the rate of 15-35 kg monthly
per family) under the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS).
As on 1 April, 2013, the total stocks of rice and wheat in the Central Pool is 596.75 lakh tonnes
comprising 354.68 lakh tonnes of rice and 242.07 lakh tonnes of wheat. The procurement
during the year is expected to be 401.3 lakh tonnes for rice and 441.21 lakh tonnes for wheat.
Thus it is expected that there will be sufficient stock of food grains in the Central Pool.
The CCEA has accordingly approved additional allocation of 41.89 lakh tonnes of wheat and
19.84 lakh tonnes of rice at APL issue prices to States/Union Territories (UTs) for ensuring a
minimum allocation of 15 kg per APL family per month in 22 States/UTs and 35 kg per family
per month in 13 States/UTs. They are Manipur, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Nagaland,
Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh,
Lakshdweep and Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
The Government of India has been making allocation of food grains to the accepted number of
APL families at the rate of 15 kg per family per month in 22 States/ UTs and at the rate of 35 kg
per family per month in 13 States/UTs under TPDS since June 2011.
GOVERNMENT DIRECTED AIRLINES TO LIMIT NO. OF PRIVILEGED SEATS
The Union Ministry of Civil Aviation on 17 May 2013 asked all airlines to limit the number of
privileged seats for which they can charge the fee, as few carriers impose price tags on a large
number of these seats. The Aviation Ministry has also asked the airlines to identify the rows of
seats to be charged.
However, no upper limit is set on the number of privileged seats or was any time limit fixed for
the airlines to take a decision on the issue. The deadline for reduction of the number of foreign
pilots to zero was also extended by three years till 2016. The Civil Aviation Ministry also
directed the airlines to reduce the number of expatriates in their ranks and to recruit more
Indians, who hold the Commercial Pilot License, even as trainees. The deadline for both the

Page 118
things was earlier set till 2013 and in a period of two years from 2010 to 2012, the number of
expatriate pilot came down from 854 to 324.
GOLD DEMAND IN INDIA INCREASED BY 27% FROM JAN-MAR 2013

Demand for gold in India increased by 27 per cent to 256.5 tonnes during the January-March
2013 quarter, while its imports declined by 5.7 per cent to 215 tonnes, as per the data released
by World Gold Council (WGC) on 16 May 2013. In terms of value, Indias gold demand increased
by 32 per cent to 72899.4 crore rupees in January-March 2013 from 55148.7 crore rupees in
the corresponding period of 2012.
The demand for the gold was registered at 202.1 tonnes in January-March 2012 and imports at
228 tonnes. The jewellery demand increased by 15 per cent to 159.5 tonnes from 138.3 tonnes,
while investment demand increased by 52 per cent to 97 tonnes from 63.8 tonnes in the review
period.
The demand for gold would remain strong because of lower prices and higher buying in the
wedding and festive season. An expected rise in rural income due to good monsoon projected
this year can also contribute to the demand.
At the world level, gold demand decreased by 13 per cent to 963 tonnes in the first quarter of
2013 as strong demand for gold jewellery, bars and coins was exceeded by significant total
outflows from Gold Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs).
STRONGER POWERS TO SEBI TO TACKLE PONZI SCHEMES
The Union Government in Month of May 2013 has

proposed Stronger Powers to SEBI (Securities and Exchange
Board of India) enabling it to carry out search and seizure
operations and for attachment of assets.
With this a Special power has also been proposed to SEBI

with which it can seek information on telephone call data
records, from any persons or entities in respect to any
securities transaction being examined by it.
It is worth mentioning here that Proposals to make required

amendments in the SEBI Act and other relevant regulations
have been finalised after detailed consultations with the market regulator and are being
presented before the Union Cabinet for its approval.
A Cabinet note in this regard has also been circulated by the Department of Economic Affairs to
other departments in the Finance Ministry, as also to the Corporate Affairs, Home, Law and
Telecom ministries, Reserve Bank of India, Planning Commission and Prime Ministers Office for
their comments and feedback on the proposals.

Page 119
The Government is planning to introduce the Securities Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2013 in
Parliament to carry out the proposed changes for grant of stronger powers to SEBI.
The Government has come up with the decision of accepting most of the proposals made by
SEBI in this regard and the amendments would be carried out after the Cabinet approves them
and the required amendment Bill is passed by Parliament.
WHAT IS PONZI SCHEMES?
A Ponzi scheme is basically a fraudulent investment operation that pays returns to its investors
from their own money or the money paid by following investors, rather than from profit earned
by the individual or organization running the operation.
The Ponzi scheme generally tempts new investors by offering higher returns than other
investments, in the form of short-term returns that are either abnormally high or unusually
consistent.
INDIAN RUPEE TOUCHED NEW 6-MONTH LOW AT 55.83 AGAINST US $
The Indian rupee on 23 May 2013 declined by 37 paise to trade at a fresh six-month low of
55.83 in early trade at the Interbank Foreign Exchange market. Besides dollars strengthening
against euro and other currencies in the overseas markets, sustained dollar demand from
importers and some banks and a lower opening in the stock market put pressure on Indian
currency.
On 22 May 2013, the rupee had lost five paise to close at 55.46, its lowest closing since 27
November 2012. Meanwhile, the BSE benchmark Sensex fell by 84.54 points, or 0.42 per cent,
to 19977.70 in early trade on 23 May 2013.
20751 ADDITIONAL POSTS TO BE CREATED IN IT DEPARTMENT
The Union Cabinet of India on 23 May 2013 approved the proposal for creating 20751
additional posts in the Income Tax Department in various cadres. This means that there will be
1349 additional posts in IRS cadre as well as 19402 additional posts in non-IRS cadres.
The move will help the Income Tax Department in collection of more revenue, while at the
same time providing better Tax Payers Services. Apart from this, additional expenditure of
449.71 crore Rupees per annum will be incurred on creation of these posts as well as
upgradation of the existing posts. This extra expenditure will be compensated by increased
revenue, which will be over 25000 crore Rupees per annum.
RBI IMPOSED RESTRICTIONS ON BANK LOANS AGAINST GOLD

Page 120
The Reserve Bank of India on 27 May 2013 imposed restrictions on banks and NBFCs for
providing loans against gold coins as well as units of gold ETFs and mutual funds to curb
demands for gold. Also banks were asked to ensure that the amount of loan to any customer
against gold ornaments, gold jewellery and gold coins (weighing up to 50 grams) should be
within the board approved limit.
Banks are currently permitted to grant advances against gold ornaments and other jewellery
and against specially minted gold coins sold by banks. However, no advances can be granted by
banks for purchase of gold in any form, including primary gold, gold bullion, gold jewellery, gold
coins, units of gold exchange traded funds and units of gold mutual funds.
Government has taken several steps recently, including raising import duty, to curb the inbound
shipments of gold. RBI too had put restrictions on banks on gold imports, which has led to forex
outflow and widening of the Current Account Deficit.
While there may not be any objection to grant of advances against specially minted gold coins
sold by banks, there is a risk that some of these will weigh much more, thereby circumventing
the RBI's guidelines regarding restrictions on grant of advance against gold bullion.
In a separate notification, RBI stated that no advances should be granted by NBFCs for purchase
of gold in any form, including primary gold, gold bullion, gold jewellery, gold coins, units of gold
ETF and units of gold Mutual Funds.
QUARTERLY REPORT (JAN-MAR 2013) ON PUBLIC DEBT MANAGEMENT
Quarterly Report on Public Debt Management for the Quarter January - March 2013 was
released by the Union Finance ministry on 28 may 2013. For Fiscal Year 2012-13 (FY13), Gross
and Net Market Borrowings were higher than previous year by 9.4 per cent and 7.1 per cent
respectively. Auctions during Q4 of Fiscal Year 13 were held in accordance with the pre-
announced calendar apart from the cancellation of one auction 12000 crore rupees scheduled
in February 2013.
The weighted average maturity of dated securities issued during fourth quarter of Financial
Year 2013 at 13.50 years was higher than 13.38 years in the previous quarter while weighted
average yield (cut-off) of issuance during the quarter declined to 7.95 per cent from 8.26 per
cent in third quarter. Weighted average yield of issuance during Fiscal Year 2013 at 8.36 per
cent was lower than 8.52 per cent in the previous fiscal year, while weighted average maturity
at 13.50 years was higher than 12.7 years in Financial Year 2012. The cash position of the
Government during fourth quarter was comfortable and remained in surplus mode during the
quarter.
The total public debt (excluding liabilities under the Public Account) of the Government at end-
March 2013 increased on a quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) basis by 0.4 per cent (provisional)
compared with an increase of 4.0 per cent in the previous quarter (Q3 of FY13). Internal debt
constituted 91.1 per cent of public debt and marketable dated securities accounted for 75.0 per

Page 121
cent of total public debt. About 31 per cent of outstanding dated securities have a residual
maturity of up to 5 years, which implies that over the next five years, on an average; slightly
more than 6.0 per cent of outstanding stock needs to be rolled over every year.
In the secondary market, bond yields eased during the quarter due to policy easing by a total of
50 bps as well as OMO purchases by RBI, decline in inflation rate, slowdown in GDP growth rate
and reduced supply of securities. Trading volumes increased significantly during the quarter
driven by falling yields. Outright transactions during Fiscal Year 2013 increased by 89.0 per cent
over Fiscal Year 2012. The annualised outright turnover ratio for Central Government dated
securities for fourth quarter of Fiscal year 2013 went-up to 6.0 from 3.2 during the previous
quarter.
SEBI MADE REGISTRATION COMPULSORY FOR INVESTMENT ADVISORS
Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on 29 May 2013 in its notification made it
compulsory for investment advisors to first obtain a certificate of registration for the same. SEBI
ruled that in terms of Investment Adviser Regulations, no person shall act as an investment
adviser unless he has obtained a certificate of registration from the Board or he is specifically
exempt. In a move to curb the risks related to advisory services, the regulator said the
investment adviser cannot enter into transactions on its own account contrary to the advice
given to clients for at least 15 days from the day of such advice.
SEBI further instructed that advisors must disclose the fee they get for advice on a particular
product, their holdings in products on which they are advising, the risks involved and any
conflict of interest arising out of their association with issuers of the financial products. The
market regulator stated that the applicant seeking to act as an investment adviser should make
an application to SEBI in a prescribed format along with the necessary supporting documents. A
time period of one year has been given for existing investment advisers to comply with
necessary capital adequacy requirements.
ECONOMY QUIZZES
1. What amount of loan is supposed to be provided by Asian Development Bank to India
over next 3 years?
a) 6 Billion Dollars
b) 4.5 Billion Dollars
c) 4 Billion Dollars
d) 4.8 billion dollars
Answer (a) 6 Billion Dollars

Page 122
2. As per the survey undertake by HSBC, in the month of May 2013, Indias services sector
grew at its slowest pace in one and half years during the month of April 2013 as costs
for raw materials, petrol and labour increased considerably. What was the downfall in
Composite Output Index from 51.4 Percent in March 2013?
a) 50.50 Percent
b) 50.35 Percent
c) 50.23 Percent
d) 50.39 Percent
Answer (a) 50.50 Percent
3. Market regulator SEBI in May 2013 approved an angel fund to address the problem of
resource crisis for start-up companies across the country. What amount of Fund was
approved?
a) 10 Million Dollars
b) 6 Million Dollars
c) 7.5 Million Dollars
d) 9 Million Dollars
Answer (a) 10 Million Dollars
4. The Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEEs) from tourism in terms of Rupee in April 2013 rose
by what percent from the one recorded in April 2012?
a) 4 Percent
b) 5 Percent
c) 6.5 Percent
d) 7 Percent
Answer (d) 7 Percent
5. What export target was announced by Union Government for the current financial year
2013-14 to support the slowdown in the global markets?
a) 375 Billon Dollars
b) 450 Billion Dollars
c) 325 Billion Dollars

Page 123
d) 365 Billion Dollars
Answer (c) 325 Billion Dollars
6. As per latest Report by the Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO) which country is the
largest consumer and producer of Chickpeas in the world?
a) Australia
b) Myanmar
c) Turkey
d) India
Answer (d) India
7. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on 9 May 2013 approved the
proposal of the Ministry of Shipping for setting up of two major ports in the country. In
which Indian state the two ports will be situated?
a) West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh
b) Himachal Pradesh and Goa
c) Tamil Nadu and Kerala
d) Gujarat and Meghalaya
Answer (a) West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh
8. What Percent of Equity sale was approved by Coal India Limited in an Inter-Ministerial
Group (IMG) on 10 May 2013?
a) 13 Percent
b) 12 Percent
c) 10 Percent
d) 16 Percent
Answer (c) 10 Percent
9. By what percentage Retail inflation declined in April 2013 because of reduction in prices
of vegetables, edible oil and protein-based items as per the data released on 13 May
2013.
a) 9.39 Percent
b) 10.39 Percent

Page 124
c) 11.69 Percent
d) 7.39 Percent
10. By what percent the Indian exports grew in the month of April 2013 and stood at 24.16
billion US Dollar.
a) 1.6 Percent
b) 3.5 Percent
c) 4.3 Percent
d) 6.4 Percent
CORPORATE
CCEA CLEARED IKEA'S INVESTMENT PROPOSAL
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on 2 May 2013 cleared Swedish furniture
major IKEAs 10500-crore rupees investment proposal in India. It will allow IKEA to establish 25
exclusive stores and food cafes in India.This will be the biggest foreign investment in the retail
segment till now. It will also provide an opportunity to Indian small and medium enterprises in
a wide range of labour intensive sectors for integrating into global value chain. Moreover, it will
also provide a diverse choice for the Indian consumers for a wide range of products.
In 2012, the government had relaxed foreign investment rules and regulations, which allow 100
percent FDI in single brand retail. The government also had removed some of the restrictive
conditions which include removing the mandatory 30 percent sourcing of goods from Indian
small enterprises for single brand retail trading.
IKEA has more than 300 stores across the world and an annual revenue of 27.5 billion Euros
(190000 crore rupees).
SAMSUNG LAUNCHED 8-INCH GALAXY NOTE 510 TABLET IN INDIA
Samsung, the South Korean electronics company on 3 May 2013 launched an 8-inch tablet,
Galaxy Note 510.
The launch of the tablet is aimed at increasing its presence in the Indian tablet market. Galaxy
Note 510 is priced at 30900 rupees and has 16 GB internal memory that can be expanded
through a micro SD card to up to 64 GB.

Page 125
Current Affairs PDF April 2013 Page 126
SPECIFICATION OF THE GALAXY NOTE 510 TABLET
The 3G-enabled tablet is powered by Android Jelly Bean OS and runs on 1.6 GHz quad-
core processor with 2 GB (RAM).
Galaxy Note 510 Tablet provides innovative solutions like the multi-window, which splits
the portable 20.32 cm screen and allows optimal access to a number of live applications.
An integrated application named Awesome Note is introduced in the tablet for the first
time which is capable of unlimited note-taking uses including memo, diary and must-
remember lists.
It also contains Air View and the S Pen needs to drift over the screen to see previews of
videos, emails, photos and appointments on S Planner without opening the file or
application in full.
TECH MAHINDRA SIGNED AGREEMENT WITH FALCORP
Tech Mahindra on 6 May 2013 signed agreement with Falcorp of South Africa to float a new
company. Tech Mahindra and Mahindra Satyam together employed close to 300 associates in
South Africa.
The region is moving towards recovering from the impact of the recent economic downturn,
local telecom providers have demonstrated a shift in their IT spends. The company is intending
to bring in our expertise around network, mobility, analytics, cloud and security.
IVAN MENEZES NAMED AS NEW CEO OF DIAGEO
Ivan Menezes was named as the new Chief Executive Officer of Spirits Company Diageo on 7
May 2013. He replaced Paul Walsh who remained the CEO of this British firm since 2000. Ivan
Menezes was the Chief Operating Officer of the company.
Menezes will take on his office from 1 July 2013. The Chairman of Diageo, Franz Humer
explained that the handover of the role of CEO was given to Ivan Menezes at the time when
their business was strong in terms of global development.
Ivan Menezes originally hailed from India. He later headed up the key North America division of
Diageo for 8 years before he was appointed as the COO in 2012.
Paul Walsh, 57, has not decided about his new job yet. He however has a lot of corporate non-
executive roles. He was also working as the business ambassador of the business department of
the British government.
WALMART REPLACED EXXONMOBIL TO RECORD HIGHEST REVENUE

Page 126
500 largest companies of the US, Fortune 500 scored the near-record revenues in 2012 and
retailer Walmart became the biggest profit maker on annual list by replacing ExxonMobil,
according to the Fortune magazine. Apple reached into the list of top 10. This was the first time
that Apple entered the list of Top 10, an increase of six places from number 17 positions in
2011.
The overall earnings of Fortune 500, accounted for 820 billion US dollar in 2012, a decrease
from an all-time high of 824.5 billion US dollar in 2011. Fortune magazine described that
earnings of Fortune 500 amounted to a sale of 6.8 percent.
Fortune senior editor-at-large Shawn Tully explained that these companies will have to increase
their staff as well as pay higher salary in the wake of improving economy. Walmart won the first
position on the list, replacing energy company ExxonMobil after it posted revenue of 469.2
billion US dollar or 19.3 billion US dollar more than the revenue of ExxonMobil.
It is worth noticing that both Walmart and Exxon have exchanged top most positions in recent
years. In the list, various energy companies emerged great players. Chevron remained at the
third position and Phillips 66 remained at the fourth position. Valero Energy was placed at the
ninth position.
In the list of top 10 companies were, Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway at the fifth position,
Apple (sixth), General Motors (Seventh), General Electric (Eighth) and Ford Motor (Tenth).
In the financial sector, JPMorgan Chase was placed at 18th position, Bank of America at the
21st position, Wells Fargo at 25th position and Citigroup ranked at 26th position.
MARUTI LAUNCHED LIMITED EDITION ERTIGA TRIM CALLED FELIZ
Maruti on 9 May 2013 launched a limited edition trim of the Ertiga called the Feliz, in
celebration of the MPVs first anniversary. It is available in the VXi and VDi variants at prices of
6.89 lakh rupees and 8.24 lakh rupees respectively, which is 20000 rupees higher than the
regular Maruti Ertiga.
Ertigas exteriors include features in the form of a silver colored grille, silver colored rear-view
mirrors (which have integrated indicators), and a pair of silver colored fog lamps. There are
changes to the body graphics on the side, and a rear spoiler was also added.
Ertigas interior features have also been changed. These are in the form of beige steering
wheel, seat covers and floor mats with branding, a different music system, an interior display
kit and new door sill guards.
NOKIA UNVEILED ASHA 501 WITH NEW OPERATING SYSTEM
Nokia on 8 May 2013 announced Asha 501, a smart phone to beat the low-cost Android phones
in developing markets like India.

Page 127
The company had been very impressed by the way Asha phones performed so far and they
want to restore the platform. The Series 5 Asha phones had been made purposely for
consumers in countries like India.
The Asha 501 will cost around99 Dollars plus taxes in India. The Phone will be made available in
June in India. The device supports only 2G connection and Wi-Fi. The 3G version is planned to
be launched later.
SPECIFICATIONS OF THE ASHA 501
The Asha 501 runs on a revamped Asha operating system.
The device has a design similar to that of low-end Lumia phones. It will be available in
six colours.
It has a 3-inch touchscreen and a 3.2MP camera. It will come with a 4GB microSD card.
Asha 501 will not run on the old Symbian S40 operating system, but an entirely new
one.
The Asha 501 will be available in two variants - single SIM and dual SIM. The dual SIM
variant will have two slots for micro SIM, of which one will be hot swappable.
Inspired by the Lumia design, the Asha 501 will be available in six colours - bright red,
bright green, cyan, yellow, white and black.
It has 17 hours of talktime with 48 days of stand-by for the single SIM variant and 26
days for the dual-SIM model.
Nokia also announced a global partnership with Facebook, with this the Asha 501 users on
Airtel and MTNL will get free access to the social networking site.
UK'S CAIRN ENERGY SOLD 8% STAKE IN CAIRN INDIA FOR 910 US $

UKs Cairn Energy plc on 7 May 2013 sold 8 per cent stake in Cairn India for 910 million US
dollars. Cairn Energy retains about 10 per cent shareholding in Cairn India following the sale.
The fund will be used to fulfill Cairns current capital needs, which include the development of
discovered resources in the North Sea. Cairn Energy in June 2012 had sold 3.5 per cent stake in
Cairn India for about 360 million US dollars. Cairn Energy is based in Edinburgh.
IFFCO SIGNED AGREEMENT WITH VALE SA
Indian Farmers Fertiliser Co-operative (IFFCO), on 11 May 2013 signed a long-term agreement
with Brazilian mining company Vale SA for supply of rock phosphate. It is used in manufacturing
phosphatic soil nutrients.

Page 128
IFFCO signed this agreement in order to strengthen its phosphate sourcing for manufacturing of
phosphatic fertilisers in India.
IL&FS IAML SIGNED MOU WITH EIGHT PUBLIC SECTOR BANKS
IL&FS Infra Asset Management Limited (IAML), an Asset Management Company (AMC)
promoted by IL&FS Financial Services Limited (IFIN) to manage the IL&FS Infrastructure Debt
Fund (IIDF), on 13 May 2013 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with eight Public
Sector Banks (PSBs) including Allahabad Bank, Bank of India, Canara Bank, Central Bank of India,
Indian Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, Oriental Bank of Commerce and UCO Bank for acquisition of
infrastructure loans.
Signing this landmark MoU which will pave the way for setting-up of more such infra debt funds
and financing thereof.
IIDF will complement domestic banks in providing required funding to infrastructure sector and
would be integral part of the IL&FS Groups efforts in taking Indias infrastructure growth story
to the next level.
STAR INDIA LAUNCHED STAR MOVIES ACTIONS
Star India in the month of May 2013 launched its new movie channel, Star Movies Actions,
which is targeted at male audiences.
The new channel is supposed to replaces the companys action brand Fox Action Movies. The
channel had strong tie-ups with the top four Hollywood studios and has a library of nearly 300
exclusive movies. The channel is going to begin with having premiers of recent action movies
that includes Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter and Taken 2. The channel will also be airing
big franchisee movies such as Rambo, Fast and Furious, Resident Evil and Jaws.
On the other hand, there are several new brands targeting males that were being launched
across categories such as automobiles, two-wheelers, handsets and consumer goods, and the
company was banking on these brands for Star Movies Action.
The company has planned an aggressive marketing plan to promote the channel. While the
band Pentagram has sung a special channel anthem for Star Movies Action, the company would
be spending on promotion across mediums.
COMPAT ORDERED 11 CEMENT COMPANIES TO DEPOSIT 630 CRORE
The Competition Appellate Tribunal (COMPAT) on 17 May 2013 ordered 11 cement

manufacturers to deposit an amount of 630 crore Rupees before it heard manufacturers
appeal against 6307 crore Rupees fine imposed on them by Competition Commission of India
(CCI) in June 2012. Competition Commission of India (CCI) is the competition watchdog for

Page 129
price manipulation as well as cartelization. COMPAT posted cement manufacturers case for
final hearing in the month of August 2013.
COMPAT had ordered the cement manufacturers to deposit a 10 percent amount of total
penalty imposed on it by CCI in June 2012.
THE LIST OF THESE CEMENT MANUFACTURERS INCLUDE
JP Associates
UltraTech Cement
Ambuja Cements
ACC
Binani Cement
India Cements
Grasim Cements
Madras Cements
Century Textiles
JK Cements
Indian unit of France's Lafarge SA
All these manufacturers have been ordered to make the payment within one month. Failure of
doing so will result in their appeal being dismissed.
The spokesperson for JP Associates explained that all the cement manufacturers were looking
for different options, which also includes challenging the decision of Compat in Supreme Court.
The matter will also be discussed with the Cement Manufacturers Association of India (CMA).
CCI imposed highest penalty of 1323.6 crore Rupees on the JP Associates. Additionally, the fine
of 73 lakh was imposed on CMA.
The penalty was stayed by the Competition Appellate Tribunal, but the desist order as well as
the cease order would remain against these manufacturers.
MORGAN STANLEY TO SELL ITS WEALTH MANAGEMENT UNIT
Morgan Stanley on 20 May 2013 signed an agreement to sell its Indian wealth management
unit to Standard Chartered. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Page 130
The sale of the unit underscores a growing trend of consolidation in Asia's wealth management
industry as private banks struggle to earn profits in the face of rising regulatory costs and
wafer-thin advisory fees.
Morgan Stanley is an American multinational financial services corporation. It is headquartered

in the Morgan Stanley Building, Midtown Manhattan, New York City.
YAHOO INTRODUCED REVAMP IN FLICKR WITH 1TB FREE STORAGE
Yahoo, in the month of May 2013, redesigned the Flickr photo-sharing service by offering its
users up to 1 TB storage without levying any fee. The restoration enables the users to host the
longer video clips as well as high resolution photos. Apart from this, new app was also launched
for the Android devices.
The principal technology analyst at consultants Davies Murphy Group Europe, Chris Green
explained that this move by Yahoo would help it in putting Flickr back in the market. This also
shows the competition with Google.
Google offers its users an overall free storage of 15 GB across the primary cloud service.
Facebook, on the other hand, has no defined limits like these, but it adjusts by compromising
on the quality of high-resolution images.
Flickr was bought by Yahoo in 2005. The number of users increased on the site since then, but it
still did not reached up to its maximum potential, especially when compared to the competitors
like 500px, Facebook and Instagram.
NEW FEATURES INTRODUCED IN REVAMPED FLICKR
1TB upload limit
A redesigned user-interface
New Activity Feed
New Android app
Larger 200MB limit on every photos size
Three-minute cap on playback of video clips
However, certain charges have also been levied. For example, users wishing for advert-free
interface will have to shell out 49.99 US dollar yearly. Anyone who wishes to get 2TB storage
limit will have to pay 499.99 US dollar yearly.
GOLD COINS WITH SACHIN TENDULKARS FACE AND SIGNATURE

Page 131
The limited edition gold coins with Sachin Tendulkars face and signature engraved on them
were launched on 13 May 2013 by Valuemart Gold and Jewels on the occasion of Akshaya
Tritiya.
ABOUT THE LIMITED EDITION GOLD COINS
A total number of one lakh limited edition Sachin Tendulkar gold coins were launched by
Valuemart Gold and Jewels.
Each coin weighs 10 grams.
The price of each 24 karat gold coin is 34000 Rupees.
The limited edition special gold coin can be had from valuemartgold.com as well as
jewellery stores in India.
Valuemart Gold and Jewels also additionally signed Sachin Tendulkar as the brand
ambassador for time duration of three years in February 2013.
GOVT. APPOINTED FIVE PART-TIME DIRECTORS ON BOARD OF AIR INDIA
The Minister of Civil Aviation, Ajit Singh appointed five part-time Directors on Board of Air India
in the Last week of May 2013. This has been done in order to use the specialised skills as well as
suggestions of the Directors in order to achieve the targets which are set up by the Government
of India in the Turnaround Plan and Financial Restructuring Plan for Air India.
The five non-official part-time Directors appointed on the Board of Air India are:
Gurucharan Das: He is a Graduate with Hon. from Harvard University in Philosophy and
has worked as CEO of Procter & Gamble India.
Prem Vrat: He is M.Tech. and Ph.D. and is presently working as Vice Chancellor and
Professor of ITM University Gurgaon.
Air Marshal (Retd.) K.K. Nohwar: He is a military aviator with more than 40 years of
experience in the field of aviation.
Ravindra H. Dholakia: He is Ph.D. in Economics and M.A. with distinction, Gold Medalist
in Economics and Eco-Metrics. He is Professor in Economics and Public System of IIM,
Ahmedabad.
Renuka Ramnath: She holds a Bachelor Degree of Engineering and MBA with AMP from
Harvard Business School. She is a founder, Managing Director and CEO of Multiples
Alternate Asset Management which manages 400 million US dollar of Indian and
international capital.

Page 132
CORPORATE CURRENT AFFAIR QUIZZES

1. Tech Mahindra on 6 May 2013 signed agreement with which South African company to
float a new company?
a) Falcorp
b) Anglo Platinum
c) Tongaat Hulett
d) Sanlam
Answer: (a) Falcorp
2. Who was named as the new Chief Executive Officer of Spirits Company Diageo on 7 May
2013?
a) Franz Humer
b) Paul Walsh
c) Ivan Menezes
d) None of these
Answer: (c) Ivan Menezes
3. Which company became the biggest profit maker on annual list of Fortune 500?
a) ExxonMobil
b) Walmart
c) Chevron
d) Apple
Answer: (b) Walmart
4. Who was appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer of South Africas AngloGold
Ashanti on 9 May 2013?
a) Mark Cutifani
b) TT Mboweni
c) TJ Motlats
d) Srinivasan Venkatakrishnan

Page 133
Answer: (d) Srinivasan Venkatakrishnan
5. Which mobile company on 8 May 2013 announced launch of Asha 501, a smart phone
to beat the low-cost Android phones in developing markets like India?
a) Vodafone
b) Nokia
c) Reliance
d) Tata Indicom
Answer: (b) Nokia
6. Which industry manufacturers were on 17 May 2013 ordered by the Competition

Appellate Tribunal (Compat) to deposit an amount of 630 crore Rupees, an amount
equal to 10 percent of total penalty imposed on it by CCI in June 2012?
a) Oil manufacturers
b) Iron Ore manufacturers
c) Petroleum manufacturers
d) Cement manufacturers
Answer: (d) Cement manufacturers
7. Which company on 15 May 2013 achieved 50 billion apps download milestone?
a) Apple
b) Google
c) Yahoo!
d) Samsung
Answer: (a) Apple
8. Star India in the month of May 2013 launched which new movie channel?
a) Star Movies
b) Star Movies Actions
c) Fox Action Movies
d) Fox Movies

Page 134
Answer: (b) Star Movies Actions
9. Which Asset Management Company on 13 May 2013 signed a Memorandum of

Understanding (MoU) with eight Public Sector Banks for acquisition of infrastructure
loans?
a) IL&FS Financial Services Limited (IFIN)
b) IL&FS Infrastructure Debt Fund (IIDF)
c) IL&FS Infra Asset Management Limited (IAML)
d) None of these
Answer: (c) IL&FS Infra Asset Management Limited (IAML)
10. Indian Farmers Fertiliser Co-operative (IFFCO), on 11 May 2013 signed a long-term
agreement with which Brazilian mining company for supply of rock phosphate?
a) Vale SA
b) Ferrous Resources
c) Votorantim Metais
d) Caemi
Answer: (a) Vale SA

Page 135

Page 136
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

US SCIENTISTS DEVELOPED FIRST SMART RFID-ENABLED PAPER
The scientists at the North Dakota State University developed a process called Laser Enabled
Advanced Packaging (Leap) which can help embed the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)
chips on the paper. This process is cheaper and faster as well as it offers a range of applications
than the present method.
This technique is useful for preventing fraudulent practices. It also gives a new meaning to
paper trail. In this process, lasers are used to transfer as well as assemble the chips on the
paper. The paper would thus be called a smart paper, which in turn can be used for various
purposes such as smart labels, banknotes, tickets and legal documents.
These findings would be presented at Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

conference on RFID in Orlando, Florida. There are already some RFID-enabled papers in the
market but chip are thicker, which leads to either bumpy surface or bulky paper. This means
that such a paper would not be printed.
The chips are at first, thinned by the plasma etcher. The technology is yet to be patented. It
makes use of the laser beams energy in order to transfer the ultra-thin chips precisely.
Antennas are embedded by making use of the same method.
Prof Val Marinov, the Head of the project explained that this process was twice faster than the
present method of manufacturing. It is also cheaper because of less material used. Therefore,
there is an extensive potential for this technology.
Prof Val Marinov also explained that the European bank and Bank of Japan had hinted towards
their intention for development of this technology, but they did not go for it. Therefore, the
technology developed by the US scientists is the first one which demonstrates the functional
RFID tag embedded in paper.
The team that developed the technology is now looking for the commercial partners of this
technology.
WHAT IS RFID?
RFID is expanded as Radio-frequency identification. RFID is primarily the wireless non-contact

application of the radio-frequency electromagnetic fields for transferring data. It is used for
automatic identification as well as tracking the tags which are attached to the objects.
The tags are encompassed with electronically stored information. Some of these tags are
powered as well as read at the short ranges through the electromagnetic induction or magnetic

Page 137
fields. Other tags make use of the local power source like battery, but they collect the energy
from interrogating EM field.
WORLD'S SMALLEST STOP MOTION FILM: A BOY & HIS ATOM

The IBM scientists on 1 May 2013 released the smallest movie of the world called A Boy and His
Atom. The movie tracks movement of the atoms which are magnified 100 million times.
The movie, A Boy and His Atom, is a story of the character called Atom who in turn befriends
the single atom and then follows him on journey of bouncing and dancing which helps in
explaining the science behind the data storage.
A scientist at IBM Research, Andreas Heinrich explained that positioning, shaping and capturing
the atoms in order to create the original motion picture on atomic level was completely first-of-
its-kind and precise science. The movie is actually a fun-filled way of sharing the atomic-scale
world.
HOW WAS THE SMALLEST MOVIE OF THE WORLD MADE?
In order to make this movie, the scientists moved the atoms with the help of IBM-invented
scanning tunneling microscope. Scanning Tunneling Microscope is the device which helped its
inventors get the Nobel Prize as well. This was the first tool which helped the scientists in
seeing the world in the form of single atoms.
The device weighs two tons and operates at the temperature of -268 degrees Celsius. It
magnifies the atomic surface more than 100 million times. With the availability of this device,
IBM Research lab is one of those rare places in the world where it is possible to move the atoms
with precision of such a level.
Guinness Book of World Records certified this movie as the World's Smallest Stop Motion Film.
The film made use of the microscope in order to control the super-sharp needle along copper
surface in order to attract the atoms as well as molecules and then, in turn, pull them to
specified location on any surface.
Such a kind of science could help in improvement of computer data storage. This is so because
the data creation as well as consumption is getting bigger and therefore, there is a need of
making data storage smaller. IBM is now applying this technique for developing new computer
architectures as well as alternative ways for storing the data in order to make this movie.
US SCIENTISTS CREATED WORLDS SMALLEST FLYING ROBOT CALLED

ROBO-FLY
US Scientists at the Harvard University created a robot of the size of fly, which can perform fast
manoeuvres of omnipresent insects. The robot called Robo-Fly is built from the carbon fibre

Page 138
which weighs just a fraction of the gram and also has super-fast electronic muscles that are
used to power the wings.
The developers of the robot described that the tiny robots like these could be used in various
rescue operations. For example, such a kind of the robot could be used for navigating through
the tiny spaces in buildings which have collapsed.
Dr Kevin Ma of Harvard University as well as his team which was led by Dr Robert Wood
described their creation as the world's smallest flying robot. The fly-like agility that this robot
encompasses, allows it to evade the fastest human efforts to swat them. This ability came
because of precise wing movements.
The robot has the ability to perform immediate evasive manoeuvres as well as hover, by
constant adjustment of the effect of lift and thrust which acts on the body at extremely high
speed. Like any real fly, the flexible and thin wings of the robot can beat around 120 times per
second.
This high speed of the wings can be achieved with the help of a special substance known as
piezoelectric material. This material contracts each time with the application of the voltage to
it. The scientists switched on and off the voltage very rapidly and this helped them in making
the material behave like tiny muscles which make the flys wings beat very fast.
The scientists explained that the primary goal of this research was not to build the useful robot,
but understand the flight working of the insects. However, now, with the development of the
robot, there could be various uses of the machine. These robots could also be used for the
monitoring of the environment by being dispersed into habitat for sensing trace chemicals or
certain other factors.
Dr Ma also explained that these robots were able to behave like the real insects and could also
help in pollination of crops. At present, the model of robo-fly is small, off-board power source.
However, in the next step, it would be created as the completely wireless flying robot.
HYTHOLAMUS MECHANISM RESPONSIBLE FOR AGEING DISCOVERED
The US team of scientists found the mechanism in the hypothalamus- which is located deep
inside the brain- and showed that it is responsible for the ageing process. Scientists carried out
a series of experiments to find that they could extend the lives of mice by a fifth, without the
problems such as animals suffering from muscle weakness, bone loss or memory problems
associated with old age.
Scientists discovered that a chemical called NF-kB became more active in the hypothalamus of
mice as they reached old age. When they blocked NF-kB, mice lived up to 1100 days, compared
with 600 to 1000 days in normal condition. But all the mice died within 900 days, when NF-kB
was given to them in abundance.

Page 139
Further experiment showed that NF-kB reduced levels of a hormone called GnRH, which plays a
key role in fertility and the development of sperm and eggs. When the mice were given daily
dose of GnRH, it resulted into fresh neurons growing in their brains.
GLOBAL MODEL DEVELOPED TO ANALYSE ROUTES OF MARINE SPECIES
Scientists developed the first global model that analyses the routes taken by marine invasive
species. They examined the movements of cargo ships across the world to detect the hot spots
where these aquatic aliens could thrive.
Marine species wreak havoc in new locations causing the extinction of natives. A well-
documented boom has been observed in global shipping over the last 20 years and this has
resulted into growing numbers of species moving via ballast tanks.
The ports such as San Francisco and Chesapeake Bay have informed about several exotic new
species arriving every year. Economic data indicates that marine invaders can have effects that
last for decades.
Therefore, scientists came out with a model that can curb these marine species. They procured
detailed logs from nearly three million voyages that happened in 2007 and 2008.
WORLDS FIRST GUN MADE FROM 3D PRINTER TECHNOLOGY FIRED
The first gun of the world made out of 3D printer technology was fired successfully in US.
Defense Distributed created this firearm and the form also planned to make these blueprints
available online.
Defense Distributed spent a year for creation of this firearm, which was fired successfully on 4
May 2013 at firing range south of Austin, Texas. The anti-gun campaigners criticised this
project, while the law enforcement of Europe is monitoring the developments of this project.
Victoria Baines of cybercrime centre of Europol explained that the criminals at present were
likely to pursue the established routes for obtaining these firemans, but with the passage of
time, the 3D printer technology would become more user-friendly as well as cost-effective,
thereby posing risks.
Cody Wilson, 25, a student of the University of Texas is the head of Defense Distributed. 3D
printing has successfully been called the future of manufacturing.
WORKING OF THE 3D PRINTER TECHNOLOGY
The 3D printer technology works by building layer upon layer of the material, which is
basically plastic. This is done in order to build the complex and solid objects.

Page 140
This technology is cheaper and instead of buying the goods from markets, the
consumers will be able to download its designs. Then these can be printed out at the
home itself.
However, like all technologies, there are advantages as well as disadvantages. The first gun of
the world made out of 3D printer technology cost 8000 US dollar from eBay. The gun was
assembled from different printed components which were made out of ABS plastic. The firing
pin was made out of metal.
Cody Wilson was fiven the manufacturing as well as sellers license from US Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in order to make this gun.
US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) official Donna Sellers explained
that the gun was legal in US as long as it wasnt a National Firearms Act weapon.
3D printing technology was used in the past by certain criminal organisations for creation of
card readers skimmers, which are inserted in the bank machines. Law enforcement agencies
across the world have professionals for monitoring cybercrimes.
EFFECTIVE METHOD DEVISED TO PRODUCE CLEAN DRINKING WATER
A team led by an IIT-Madras professor devised a cheap and effective method for producing
clean drinking water. With this device in place, 10 liters of water could be produced which will
be free from bacteria and virus. The total cost for producing this amount of water will be 10-12
rupees per month. The team headed by T Pradeep used silver nanoparticles in his device.
Silver nanoparticles are not only affordable but they also do not need electricity or hydrostatic
pressure to produce potable water. They can operate at ambient temperatures ranging from 5-
35 degrees Celsius. Moreover, the production of the nanoparticle matrix is eco-friendly.
The team applies sustained release of about 50 parts per billion (ppb) of silver ions in a large
volume of water to destroy microorganisms. Silver ions have the ability to destroy the integrity
of cell membranes and damage DNA.
To achieve this, Scientists prepared a composite of aluminium oxy-hydroxide on which silver

nanoparticles were deposited. The composite with silver nanoparticles is in the form of sand
grains.
ANNUAL REPORT OF PENTAGON ON CHINA UNVEILED
The Annual Report of Pentagon on China unveiled that the Government and Military of China
targeted the computers of the US Government in order to cyber spy the US computers.
Intrusion into US computers was directed towards collection of intelligence on the US
diplomatic, defence and economic sectors. This in turn would have helped China in its defence
programme.

Page 141
It is important to note that this is the first time that the annual report of the Pentagon directly
linked the cyber spying attacks like these to the Government of Beijing. In the past, China has
always denied any kind of hacking and has instead blamed others for the attacks like these.
The Pentagon report in the meanwhile also criticised the military modernisation programme of
China as well as defence spending on the basis of lack of transparency. The report highlighted
that in the year 2012, various computers across the world, including the ones owned by the US
government, were a target of the intrusion and some of these were directly related to the
Chinese military and the government.
The attacks basically focused on exfiltrating information which could in turn provide benefit to
the defence industry of China. This added concerns primarily because the skills which were
required for intrusions like these were most likely the similar ones required for conducting the
computer network attacks.
In March 2013, China announced that the annual defence budget of the country was 114 bn US
dollars, an increase of 10.4 percent. Pentagon however estimated that total military
expenditure of China in 2012 was much more, somewhere between 135 bn US dollar and 215
bn US dollar. China, at present, is in disputed state with a lot of its neighbours and these also
include East China Sea and South China Sea.
SOLAR IMPULSE COMPLETED FIRST LEG OF JOURNEY TO CROSS US
Solar Impulse, the plane powered by Sun completed its first leg of journey with an aim to cross
US. The plane took off from San Francisco, California on 3 May 2013 and landed in Phoenix,
Arizona on 4 May 2013.
It is planned that Solar Impulse will also halt in Dallas, St Louis, Washington DC and New York.
The wingspan of the plane is similar to that of Airbus A340, but its weight is merely 1.6 tonnes.
Solar Impulse already completed a flight which lasted more than 26 hours. The aim is now to
circumnavigate it around the world in 2015.
This indicated that Solar Impulse spent a lot of hours in darkness and relied only on energy
which was stored in a range of lithium-ion batteries, used to drive the propellers. In the
daylight, these lithium-ion batteries were charged by around 12000 solar cells which cover the
wings as well as stabilizer of the plane. Bertrand Piccard, the co-founder of this plane project
was the pilot of HB-SIA craft. He is also the same person who circumnavigated the globe in hot
air balloon in 1999.
This is the first ever attempt of America to create zero-fuel aircraft. At present, the HB-SIA
aircraft is the prototype of plane which will be used for round-the-world trips as well as
transoceanic flights. By the end of 2013, HB-SIB will be completed.

Page 142
The Solar Impulse is said to be the Clean Generation Initiative of the creators. This would serve
as an effort for encouraging the policy makers as well as businesses for the development as well
as adoption of sustainable energy technologies.
WHAT IS SOLAR IMPULSE?
Solar Impulse is the Swiss long-range solar-powered project. The aim of this project is to
circumnavigate the globe with the use of just solar power. Bertrand Piccard as well as Swiss
businessman Andr Borschberg led the project.
Successful solar flights were conducted by Piccard and Borschberg in 2012 from Switzerland to
Spain and Morocco. In 2013, successful flight was taken within USA.
IISC DESIGNED A NEW CONCEPT OF VACCINE DELIVERY SYSTEM
The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) designed and successfully tested a new concept of
needleless vaccine delivery system in the laboratory. IISc has become the only organization in
the world that has developed such a device. The new device was the result of collaboration
among the laboratory for hypersonic and shock wave, the department of aerospace
engineering, and the microbiology and cell biology department of the Indian Institute of
Science.
Typhoid vaccine was successfully delivered into mice in laboratory using the new technique.
The device utilizes the instantaneous mechanical impulse produced by micro-blast waves to
achieve delivery of vaccines into mice. A negligible amount of chemical energy is used to
generate the micro-blast wave inside a small disposable plastic tube.
Since the depth of penetration of drug below the skin is not much, animals do not feel the pain
during vaccine delivery. The trials on animals have proved that by using this device a lesser
quantity of vaccines is sufficient to provide resistance to animals against in comparison to
conventional methods. The new system is safe, economical and painless.
BENEFITS OF EXPOSING SKIN TO SUN CAN OUTWEIGH RISKS OF SKIN

CANCER: RESEARCH
Edinburgh University research suggested that the benefits of exposing the skin to sun can
outweigh the risks posed to health. The research indicated that sunlight is useful for reducing
the blood pressure, stroke risks as well as risks of heart attack. It can even prolong the life.
It was found that the ultraviolet rays exposed from the sun release a compound called nitric
oxide which can lower the blood pressure. The heart strokes as well as heart diseases which are
associated with high BP can prove to be 80 times more fatal than the deaths due to skin cancer
in UK.

Page 143
Nitric Oxide production is different from the manufacturing of vitamin D in human body.
Vitamin D can be increased in the body after exposure to the sunlight. During their research,
the researchers studied blood pressure of 24 volunteers under heat and UV lamps. In a single
session, these volunteers were exposed to heat of the lamps as well as the UV rays. In the other
session, volunteers were not exposed to the UV rays and so, they were exposed only to the
heat of lamps.
The result indicated that volunteers exposed to UV rays during one hour session had significant
drop in the blood pressure level, than that of heat-only sessions. The researchers thus
suggested that the UV rays of the sun can lead to benefits. During both the sessions, the level of
Vitamin D remained unaffected. The study will be presented in Edinburgh on 10 May 2013 at
largest gathering of the skin experts, International Investigative Dermatology conference.
A NEW TYPE OF WHEAT DEVELOPED TO INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY
British scientists developed a new type of wheat which

could increase productivity by 30 percent. The last 15
years have registered little growth in the average wheat
harvest from each acre in Britain. The Cambridge-based
National Institute of Agricultural Botany combined an
ancient ancestor of wheat with a modern variety to
produce a new strain. The scientists used cross-
pollination and seed embryo transfer technology to
transfer some of the resistance of the ancient ancestor
of wheat into modern British varieties.
The resulting crop turned out to be bigger and stronger than the current modern wheat
varieties. Scientists will carry out more tests before it is harvested by farmers. This Scientific
development ensures that the global food security demands of the next five decades can be
met.
SCIENTISTS DESIGNED PEPTIDE-BASED DELIVERY PLATFORMS TO CURE

CANCER
Scientists at CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) invented peptide-based
delivery platforms for targeting tumours. This can be helpful in curing Cancer. The scientists
developed this platform by using bacterial fermentation to bind DNA or small interfering RNA
(siRNA) or short hairpin RNA (shRNA) and delivering them into cells to target tumours. Given
that DNA, siRNA and shRNA are negatively-charged, they need carriers like recombinant
proteins.
The benefit of DNA or siRNA is that they help in silencing the targeted genes. For example, if
the TF gene involved in new blood vessel formation is silenced, the tumour will degenerate. At

Page 144
CCMB, the scientists developed chimeric peptide by fusing three peptide modules to deliver
DNA or shRNA for degenerating tumours.
Chimeric proteins with varied functional properties can be obtained from any organism or a
virus and produced in bacterial factories using standard practices of recombinant DNA method.
The advantage of using chimeric proteins is that they could be changed to target different
tumours. Scientists are making efforts to evolve peptide-based platform technology with other
homing ligands recognising different targets.
RESEARCHERS DISCOVERED NEW SPECIES OF DRAGONFLY IN GOA
Researchers in the Month of May 2013 discovered a new species of dragonfly from a wildlife
sanctuary in Goa.
The new species was spotted at Bhagwan Mahaveer Wildlife sanctuary at Collem in south Goa
by researchers Parag Rangnekar and Rohan Naik in collaboration with Dr K A Subramanian, the
scientist with Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata.
The species is scientifically named as (Idionyx Gomantakensis), and is restricted to evergreen

forest. As per the researchers, most of the species of this genus are known from South India,
while Goa has two.
It is important here to note that, the research was conducted under the banner of Mineral
Foundation of Goa and supported by the Department of Science and Technology, Government
of Goa.
The government wild be conducting focused surveys could result in discovery of more species
from the state.
SOME POINTS TO REMEMBER ABOUT DRAGONFLY
Dragonflies and Damselflies belong to the Order Odonata.
This group of insects is dependent on water for completion of their life-cycle and hence
the quality of water defines the species composition.
The group was an excellent indicator of the health of a water body and can be
effectively used in bio-monitoring.
ISRO PLANNED TO LAUNCH GSLV D5
Scientists at ISRO will launch a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle, GSLV D5 from the
spaceport in Sriharikota in July 2013. The announcement of the launch schedule was
announced by Union Minister, V Narayanasamy on 16 May 2013.

Page 145
The GSLV D5 that is fitted with the indigenously developed Cryogenic Engine will place a
communication satellite GSAT-14 into orbit. Russia denied India from offering a cryogenic
engine as a result of which, the Indian scientists started their work for development of the GSLV
D5 with cryogenic engine.
ABOUT GSAT-14
It is a satellite with six extended C band and 6 Ku band transponders
The communication satellite GSAT-14 will enhance the communication transponder

capacity
Earlier, two attempts of ISRO to launch the satellites GSLV-F06 carrying satellite GSAT-5P on 25
December 2010 and GSLV-D3 carrying satellite GSAT-4 on 15 April 2010 resulted in a failure.
WORLDS LIGHTEST SUBSTANCE CARBON AEROGEL PRODUCED
Zhejiang University in China in May 2013 announced that the team of scientists produced an
ultra-light substance known as carbon aerogel, which has the density of 0.16 milligrams per
cubic centimeters.
The scientists claimed that this was the lightest material ever produced by anyone. The carbon
aerogel is made of granite as well as the carbon nanotubes which can absorb around 900 times
its own body weight.
The lead scientist, Professor Gao Chao explained that carbon aerogel was structure-wise, just
like carbon sponge. When the aerogel with the size of a mug was put on Setaria, then even the
grass would not bend. Professor Gao Chao also explained that the carbon aerogel can provide
effective solutions to major problems like cleaning oil spills as well as pollution control.
WHAT ARE AEROGELS?
Aerogels are primarily produced by extraction of liquid component of the gel through
supercritical drying. This enables liquid to slowly dry off without having an impact on solid
matrix. This means that the solid matrix in gel does not collapse from the capillary action, which
would take place with conventional evaporation.
First aerogels were manufactured from the silica gels. Samuel Stephens Kistler in 1931
produced aerogels based on tin dioxide, chromia and alumina. First carbon aerogels were
developed in late 1980s.
SCIENTISTS CREATED WORLD'S SMALLEST DROPLETS

Page 146
Scientists from Switzerland created the smallest drops of liquid ever made in the lab. Scientists
carried out a series of experiments at the Large Hadron Collider, the worlds largest and most
powerful particle collider located at the European Laboratory for Nuclear and Particle Physics
(CERN) in Switzerland.
Evidence of the tiny droplets was obtained following the collision of protons with lead ions at
velocities approaching the speed of light. These short-lived droplets are the size of three to five
protons-that is about one-100000th the size of a hydrogen atom or one-100000000th the size
of a virus according to scientific calculation. These small droplets flow in a same manner as
quark-gluon plasma does. It can be defined as a state of matter that is a mixture of the sub-
atomic particles that constitutes protons and neutrons and only found at extreme
temperatures and densities.
Scientists proposed that the whole universe once consisted of this strongly interacting elixir for
fractions of a second after the Big Bang when conditions were dramatically hotter and denser
than todays conditions. Since then the universe has spent billions of years expanding and
cooling, the only way scientists can reproduce this primeval plasma is to bang atomic nuclei
together with a very large amount of energy.
CLUSTER OF HYDROGEN CLOUDS DISCOVERED
Astronomers at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory discovered a cluster of hydrogen

clouds between our two nearby galaxies - Triangulum (M33) and Andromeda (M31). The
cluster of these clouds was never seen before. The researchers contemplated that these were
the rare blobs of gas condensed from gigantic and undetected pool of ionized and hot gas.
These objects were detected by the astronomers by making use of National Science
Foundation's Green Bank Telescope (GBT) at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory
(NRAO) in Green Bank.
Spencer Wolfe of West Virginia University in Morgantown explained that when the area
between M31 and M33 was observed, presence of neutral and colder hydrogen was detected
but the astronomers were not able to find out if this hydrogen had any definitive structure or
not. But with the help of high resolution images sent by GBT, the astronomers were able to see
distinct concentrations of neutral hydrogen which emerged from featureless field of gas.
The astronomers were able to see neutral atomic hydrogen, also referred to as HI (H and the
Roman numeral one). This is because of the unique signal that it emits at the radio wavelengths
that can be detected on our planet by the radio telescopes. It is interesting to notice that this
material is found abundantly throughout the universe, but in space between the galaxies, it is
very shaky. Also, between the two signals, it sends very faint signals which are very difficult to
catch.
Astronomers explained that more than 10 years ago, they had hint about unrecognized
abundance of hydrogen lying between M31 and M33. But because of very faint signal from the

Page 147
gas, no firm conclusions about the origin, nature or its existence could be made. But in 2012,
data from GBT confirmed the presence of hydrogen gas between the nearest galaxies.
Thorough studies of the data from GBT revealed that presence of hydrogen gas was not there in
the form of just streamers but a complete 50 percent of hydrogen was clustered into discrete
and self-gravitating blobs. These blobs could also hint towards dwarf galaxies, which, as the
name says, are small collection of stars tied together by gravitational pull. These dwarf galaxies
contain a few thousands to few million stars.
Interestingly, GBT also tracked motion of the newly discovered clouds of hydrogen, depicting
that these were travelling across the space at velocities which were like M31 and M33. Felix J.
Lockman, the astronomer from NRAO in Green Bank explained that the clouds had their own
identities and that they were not suburbs of either of the two galaxies.
The reason why GBT could detect the signal from the gas is because of it huge size, exceptional
design and location at National Radio Quiet Zone of West Virginia. Otherwise, radio telescopes
could not catch these faint signals.
National Radio Astronomy Observatory is the facility of National Science Foundation which is
operated under the cooperative agreement by Associated Universities.
LESS EXPENSIVE TECHNIQUE OF CREATING 3D IMAGES DISCOVERED
Scientists at University of Glasgow's School of Physics and Astronomy discovered a new less
expensive technique of creating 3D images. They created a system which makes use of the
detectors that have single pixel for sensing the light instead of various pixels used in imaging
sensors found in digital cameras.
The detectors have the capability of judging the frequencies beyond visible light, which in turn
would help in various new applications for 3D imaging in geography and medicine. The
scientists explained that the single pixel detectors will cost just a few pounds in comparison to
present systems which amount to thousands of pounds.
The scientists believe that the ability of this system to sense the wavelengths beyond digital
cameras capabilities, as well as its low cost would result in making it a valuable tool for various
industries. Possible applications include use in medical industry for finding tumours.
Prof Miles Padgett, the lead researcher of the team at University of Glasgow's School of Physics
and Astronomy explained that single pixel detectors in four locations can be used for detecting
the light from data projector, which elucidates objects with the sequence of black-and-white
patterns. 3D images were created with the combination of images from four detectors while
making use of a technique known as shape from shade.
The 3D computational imaging, also known as ghost imaging produces the detailed images of
the objects in merely a few seconds. Conventional 3D imaging systems make use of multiple

Page 148
digital camera sensors for producing 3D image from 2D information. However, there is a need
of careful calibration for making sure that multi-megapixel images align properly.
The digital camera sensors have restricted sensitivity beyond spectrum of light, where single
pixel detector can be used for capturing information beyond visible reaching wavelengths from
the X-ray to TeraHertz.
RUSSIAN CAPSULE BION-M RETURNED FROM SPACE TOUR
A Russian Capsule Bion-M craft that was filled with 45 mice and 15 newts along with other
animals returned from a months long mission in Orbit on 19 May 2013. The data received on
the return of the orbit mission may pave a way ahead for the scientists for a manned flight to
Mars.
The study was aimed at determining the way bodies adapted the weightlessness so that the
living creatures can survive the extended flights.
Other animals those were sent in the capsule were lizards, snails, small crayfish & fish and
gerbils as well as plants and microflora. Less than half of the 45 mice and other animals sent on
the mission survived the flight. The capsule was launched on 19 April 2013 from the Baikonur
Cosmodrome. Earlier, research craft that carried animals into the space spent 12 days in orbit in
2007.
Bion-M craft landed in the Orenburg Region about 1,200 kilometres south-east of Moscow with
the help of a special parachute system.
MARS ROVER DISCOVERED ROCK ESPERANCE IS WEATHERED BY WATER
Mars Rover, Opportunity of NASA in the third week of

May 2013 completed examining the fractured rocks on
Mars, the red planet those were altered by water. The
rover was searching for the evidences of the wet ancient
environment that possibly favoured the life of the planet
Now the Opportunity has been driven towards a new

study area after finishing 20 months on the dubbed Cape
York location. The scientists from NASA gave several
weeks to study and get the measurement of the fractured
rock named Esperance, which was important for them from many aspects.
Esperance was spotted by the team of NASA, while exploring a portion of Cape York, where the
Compact Reconnaissance Spectrometer for Mars on NASAs Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
detected the clay mineral. After studying the area, the rover team found an outcrop called
Whitewater Lake that has a small amount of clay altered due to its exposure to clay.

Page 149
ACCURATE 3D GESTURE SENSING TECHNOLOGY ON MOBILES
Andrea Colaco, a native of South Goa's Velim in May 2013 developed real-time, millimetre
accurate 3D gesture sensing on the mobile phones. The development will enable the users in
interacting with the devices via medium of thin air. This would also pass the touchscreen
technology.
Earlier in May 2013, Andrea Colaco also won the 100000 US dollar entrepreneurship
competition of Massachusetts Institute Technology (MIT) for the innovation. She explained
that in the immediate market like cellphone devices, gesture recognition is the only next
interface for the devices.
This innovation was put on the podium at a competition as 3dim solution. 3dim solution was set
up by Andrea Colaco along with its co-founder Ahmed Kirmani. The technology accomplishes
high-quality 3D sensing when it employs patented signal processing ways which were invented
at Massachusetts Institute Technology.
For the panel of scientists, industry professionals, venture capitalists and the entrepreneurs
who judged the eight finalists out of 3000 participants at the entrepreneurship competition of
Massachusetts Institute Technology (MIT) for the innovation, Andrea Colacos idea was the
most appropriate one from finance point of view.
ABOUT ANDREA COLACO
Andrea Colaco earned her Bachelors as well as Masters degree along with the
doctorate seats from prestigious Massachusetts Institute Technology (MIT).
She has also won various Goa scholars award 2010.
She has remained a student of Margao's Fatima Convent High School and ranked second
at Goa board Class X exams in 2001.
In 2003, she topped Class XII exams as well.
MANGALORE UNIVERSITY AND BARC SIGNED MOU
The University Science Instrumentation Centre at Mangalagangotri and Bhabha Atomic

Research Centre (BARC) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for conducting
collaborative research on amount of radioactivity in Chitradurga district.
Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) and Mangalore University, in the month of May 2013,
decided to conduct the collaborative research on quantity of radioactivity in or around Dodda
Ullarti near Challakere in Chitradurga district. BARC is constructing its new campus on 1810
acres.

Page 150
There will be a special material facility whose aim would be upgrade the nuclear fuel which in
turn will be used for applications such as strategic purposes as well as power production.
OBJECTIVE OF THE MOU
The objective of this MoU is carrying out detailed and independent study in order to
establish the extensive baseline database on radiation levels as well as radionuclides in
or around Dodda Ullarti.
Also, the aim is to conduct study for understanding concentration of stable elements in
environment around the area of Dodda Ullarti.
In order to facilitate the detailed and independent study, environmental samples (which include
aquatic, atmospheric and terrestrial samples) will be gathered from around this project site,
within the 30 km radius.
Detailed analysis would be conducted on 222 Rn concentrations in outdoor as well as indoor air
and in the ground water as well. 222 Rn is the colourless, radon, radio-active gas which is
formed during the process when uranium and thorium decay into lead.
FIRST AND ONLY SATELLITE OF ECUADOR, PEGASO COLLIDED WITH

RUSSIAN SPACE DEBRIS
The only satellite of Ecuador, Pegaso (Pegasus) nanosatellite collided with the Russian space
debris, the Ecuadorean Space Agency (EXA) announced on 23 May 2013. The Pegasus collided
with the Russian rocket debris which was launched 30 years ago.
The hit took place around 1000 miles above the east coast of Madagascar. Pegaso (Pegasus)
nanosatellite was launched on 25 April 2013 in Jiuquan spaceport in China. It is important to
note that the only purpose of this satellite was nothing more than transmitting video images as
well as sending Morse Code Signals from the space.
Russia will launch another satellite in July on behalf of Ecuador. This satellite is named Kryasor.
Pegasus is the first and only satellite in the space from Ecuador.
The US-based Joint Space Operations Center explained that the crash did not take place directly
but there was a lateral collision with the particles of Russian rocket. US-based Joint Space
Operations Center is responsible for monitoring all the artificial objects that orbit around the
Earth. The Joint Space Operations Center keeps an eye on over 22000 objects which orbit the
Earth. Out of these, 87 percent are debris and inactive satellites.
It would still take 48 hours time duration to find out the damage by making use of radar.
Pegasus is a nanosatellite which weighs merely 1.2 kg. It has been orbiting Earth at the height of
650 km and transmits pictures from the space.

Page 151
NASA TO LEASE HISTORIC LAUNCH PAD OF FIRST MOON MISSION
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is looking forward to lease out the
historic launch pad in Florida that was used for the first moon mission and by the Atlantis
Shuttle to commercial operators.
The Launch Complex of 39A at the Kennedy Space Centre in Cape Canaveral has not been in
use since the retirement of Atlantis in 2011. NASA expects that at least two privately-owned
space exploration companies can bid for the contract.
The Launch Complex 39A is one of the two launch pads that was built during 1960s as part of
the Apollo Moon Programme and has supported more than 90 launches since November 1967.
NASA is looking forward to lease the Complex 39A because since 2011, after the end of NASAs
space shuttle programme the facilities have not been in use.
More than 150 facilities at Florida Spaceport has been demolished or transferred to commercial
operators. NASAs commitment towards right-sizing its portfolio is based on reduction of the
number of underused facilities or the facilities which are not required for Space Launch System
and Orion. The Space Launch System and Orion is the next generation deep space mission of
NASA and are designed for carrying the astronauts to destinations past the international space
station.
CANADIAN SCIENTISTS: NEURON GROWTH CUTS MEMORY SPACE
Canadian scientists discovered that the reason we struggle to recall memories from our early
childhood is due to high levels of neuron production during the first years of life. The formation
of new brain cells increases the capacity for learning but also clears the mind of old memories.
The findings were presented to the Canadian Association of Neuroscience.
Neurogenesis or the formation of new neurons in the hippocampus, a region of the brain
known to be important for learning and remembering, reaches its peak before and after birth.
It then declines steadily during childhood and adulthood.
Scientists wanted to find out how the process of new neuron generation impacted on memory
storage. They carried out their research on younger and older mice in the lab.
NASA'S OBSERVATORY DISCOVERED EXOTIC NEUTRON STARS
Scientists from the NASA Obsevatory in the month of May 2013 have found that magnetars
the dense remains of dead stars that erupt periodically with bursts of high-energy radiation
may be more diverse and common than earlier considered.
It is found that when a massive star runs out of fuel, its core collapses to form a neutron star,
which is an ultra-dense object about 16 to 24 kilometres wide. The gravitational energy

Page 152
released in this process blows the outer layers away in a supernova explosion and leaves the
neutron star behind.
Most magnetars have extremely high magnetic fields on their surface that are ten to a
thousand times stronger than for the average neutron star. As per the observations it was show
that the magnetar known as SGR 0418+5729 (SGR 0418 for short) does not fit that pattern. It
has a surface magnetic field similar to that of mainstream neutron stars.
The researchers monitored SGR 0418 for over three years using Chandra, ESAs XMM-Newton
as well as NASAs Swift and RXTE satellites. They were able to make an accurate estimate of the
strength of the external magnetic field by measuring how its rotation speed changes during an
X-ray outburst.
These outbursts are likely caused by fractures in the crust of the neutron star precipitated by
the buildup of stress in a relatively strong, wound-up magnetic field lurking just beneath the
surface.
WHAT ARE NEUTRON STARS?
A neutron star is a very small and dense star made up of almost completely of neutrons. It is a
very large nucleus held together by gravity. It has a radius of about 10 kilometres (6 mi) and a
mass from about 1.4 to 5 times the mass of the Sun.
They are usually what is left of very big stars that have exploded (these are called supernovas).
Some are what happen to white dwarfs (small stars) that have got a lot of extra mass.Neutron
stars usually turn very fast, taking from 0.001 second up to 30 seconds to turn.
Most neutron stars are spinning rapidly a few times a second but a small fraction have a
relatively low spin rate of once every few seconds, while generating occasional large blasts of X-
rays.
OPPORTUNITY BROKE EXTRATERRESTRIAL DISTANCE RECORD
The Opportunity rover of NASA broke the 40-year-old extraterrestrial distance record on 16
May 2013, after 9 long years of Mars exploration. The six-wheeled robot, Opportunity created
record by travelling a total distance of 35.760 kilometres ever since it landed on Mars in 2004.
The team that operates Opportunity received a confirmation in transmission from the Red
Planet that opportunity drove 80 metres on 16 May 2013, thus bringing its overall odometry to
35.760 km since its landing on Mars.
When the astronauts of Apollo 17, Harrison Schmitt and Eugene Cernan visited the Moon for
three days in 1972, they drove the roving vehicle for 35.744 km or 19.3 nautical miles. Since
then, this was the farthest overall distance travelled by any NASA vehicle that drove on world
apart from Earth.

Page 153
At present, the international record of extraterrestrial distance is held by remote-controlled

Lunokhod 2 rover of Soviet Union that travelled 37 km on Moon in 1973.
SCIENTISTS DISCOVERED THAT VITAMIN C KILLS TUBERCULOSIS (TB)
Scientists recently discovered that Vitamin C kills tuberculosis. Scientists in an experiment

managed to kill lab-grown tuberculosis (TB) bacteria with good old Vitamin C.
This scientific discovery will lead to better, cheaper drugs. A team from Albert Einstein College
of Medicine in New York made the finding while researching how TB bacteria become resistant
to the TB drug isoniazid.
TB was declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organisation (WHO) 20 years
ago, but remains a leading cause of death by an infectious disease despite a 41-percent drop in
the death rate from 1990 to 2011. As per WHO data, in 2011, 8.7 million people fell ill with TB
and 1.4 million died.
INDIA TEST FIRED BRAHMOS SUPERSONIC CRUISE MISSILE
India on 22 May 2013 successfully test fired the 290-km

range BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from the Navy's
latest guided missile frigate INS Tarkash off the coast of
Goa.
The missile performed the high-level 'C' manoeuvre in the

pre-determined flight path and successfully hit the target.
Jointly developed by India and Russia, the BrahMos is
capable of carrying a conventional warhead of 300 kg.
India is readying several different versions of the missile
which includes land attack, anti-ship and submarine-
launched versions.
LOST APOLLO 11 MOON DUST DISCOVERED AFTER 40 YEARS
In a rare kind of discovery, various priceless vials of Moon dust which were gathered by one and
only Apollo 11 by the late Neil Armstrong, and Buzz Aldrin were found after almost 40 years in
the lab warehouse of California.
Vials of the Moon Dust brought on Earth by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were discovered in
the month of April 2013 by an archivist, Karen Nelson in the Lawrence Berkeley National
Laboratory, California.
Apollo 11 returned from the historic flight in the year 1969. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin
collected the lunar soil and brought to Earth, which was sent to around 150 laboratories across

Page 154
the world. One of these labs was Space Sciences Laboratory in Latimer Hall on the UC Berkeley
campus.
But, after experiments were done and publications of the papers, the lunar soil samples should
have been sent to NASA but they were found in storage for over four decades. Karen Nelson
discovered these samples of Moon Dust with handwritten labels which dated back to 24 July
1970.
SOLAR IMPULSE PLANE HB-SIA SET A NEW DISTANCE RECORD
The Solar Impulse plane HB-SIA set a new distance record for solar-powered flight on the
second leg of its trans-American journey on 22 May 2013. The craft landed in Dallas, Texas,
after an 18-hour flight and a journey of 1541 km from Phoenix to Arizona.
In the coming weeks, the craft will make a stop-over at St Louis, Missouri, and Washington DC
before heading to New York in early July. The objective of this project named as Across America
is to showcase the capabilities of renewable energy. The Across America is termed as the first
cross-continental, solar powered flight.
The Solar Impulse HB-SIA has the same wingspan as an Airbus A340. The plane's wing and
stabiliser are covered with approximately 12000 solar cells, which drive its four propellers and
charge the plane's 400kg of lithium-ion batteries for night-time flying.
CENTURIES-OLD FROZEN PLANTS CALLED BRYOPHYTES DISCOVERED
Researchers at the University of Alberta announced that the plants which were frozen centuries
ago were sprouting with new growth. Samples of the bryophytes, 400-year-old plants bloomed
under certain laboratory conditions. Researchers declared that this reflected the recovery of
ecosystems from the cyclic long periods of ice coverage of the Earth.
The group of researchers was making exploration in area around the Teardrop Glacier which is
situated in Canadian Arctic. This regions glaciers are receding at a rapid pace (around 3-4 m
annually) since 2004. This is also the place where it is said that the light of daytime has not
reached since Little Ice Age, the widespread cooling which took place from 1550 AD to 1850 AD.
The lead author of the study, Catherine La Farge explained that huge populations of bryophytes
were observed from beneath the glacier which reflected a greenish tinge.
Bryophytes are very different from land plants. These plants do not have any vascular tissue.
This means that these plants can survive without drying up even in the long Arctic winters.
Eventually, these plants grow in warmer times.
The researchers observed new growth of the green lateral branches on the stems of the plant.
A lot of other species were observed in the Teardrop Glacier and almost all these are
completely unknown to science.

Page 155
ISRO NAVIGATION CENTRE INAUGURATED BY V. NARAYANASAMY
V. Narayanasamy, the Minister of State in the Prime Ministers Office, Ministry of Personnel,
Public Grievances and Pensions, Bengaluru, inaugurated ISRO Navigation Centre (INC),
established at Indian Deep Space Network (IDSN) complex at Byalalu, about 40 km from
Bangalore on 28 May 2013.
The ISRO Navigation Centre (INC) is the important element of Indian Regional Navigation
Satellite System (IRNSS), which is an independent navigation satellite system developed by
India.
At the inauguration event, V. Narayanasamy also gave the awards instituted by Astronautical
Society of India (ASI) and ISRO.
ABOUT INDIAN REGIONAL NAVIGATION SATELLITE SYSTEM (IRNSS)
Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) will have a total of seven satellites
network and it will enable the users in determining the location as well as time
accurately.
All these satellites will be positioned in the geostationary and inclined geosynchronous
orbits 36000 km above the surface of the Earth.
The coverage of IRNSS will extend all over India and its neighbourhood.
All the IRNSS satellites are equipped with high precision atomic clocks and continuously
transmit navigation signals to users.
IRNSS will have an overall network of twenty one ranging stations geographically
distributed in India. These stations will facilitate data for orbit determination of IRNSS
satellites and monitoring of the navigation signals.
ROLE OF ISRO NAVIGATION CENTRE (INC)
The ISRO Navigation Centre (INC) will remain the focal point of critical operations of
IRNSS.
The INC is responsible for providing the time reference, generation of navigation
messages and monitoring and control of ground facilities which include ranging stations
of IRNSS.
INC will also host various technical facilities for supporting various navigation functions.
The data from overall network of twenty one ranging stations of IRNSS will be sent to
the data processing facility at INC where it will be processed to generate the navigation

Page 156
messages. The navigation messages in turn will be transmitted from INC to IRNSS
satellites through the spacecraft control facility at Hassan.
INC is also connected to ranging stations as well as the satellite control facilities through
two highly reliable dedicated communication networks which consist of satellite and
terrestrial links.
The host of network of satellite communication links is INC.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY QUIZZES

1. The Environment Ministry of India decided to put a ban on the trade of feathers of
which bird as a measure to conserve the species?
a) Dove
b) Peacock
c) Hen
d) Eagle
Answer: (b) Peacock
2. According to the scientists from the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, an
increase in mercury level is leading to decline of which species?
a) Russian foxes
b) Polar Bear
c) Seal Carcasses
d) Arctic Foxes
Answer: (d) Arctic Foxes
3. At which World Heritage Site in Central Africa did an unidentified number of elephants
killing took place?
a) Dzanga-Ndoki national park
b) Aapravasi Ghat
c) Aksum
d) Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Answer: (a) Dzanga-Ndoki national park

Page 157
4. Which organisation become the only organization in the world to design and
successfully test a new concept of needleless vaccine delivery system?
a) Voluntary Health Association of India (VHAI)
b) World Health Organisation Collaboration
c) Indian Institute of Science (IISc)
d) WHO, India
Answer: (c) Indian Institute of Science (IISc)
5. Name the Sun-powered plane that completed its first leg of journey with an aim to cross
US on 4 May 2013.
a) Solar Impulse
b) Zero-Fuel Aircraft
c) Clean Generation Plane
d) HB-SIA
Answer: (a) Solar Impulse
6. The European Union made decision in May 2013 to impose a continent-wide ban on the
Pesticides namely neonicotinoids to help which species of insects?
a) Honey Bees
b) Ants
c) Beetle
d) Lady Bird
Answer: (a) Honey Bees
7. Scientists of which country created the smallest droplets of the world?
a) Poland
b) England
c) Switzerland
d) US
Answer: (c) Switzerland

Page 158
8. Name the technique that was used in generation of first Cloned Human Embryo by the
American Scientists?
a) Somatic Cell Nuclear transfer technique
b) Nuclear transfer Somatic Cell technique
c) Nuclear transfer technique for Somatic Cell
d) None of the above
Answer: (a) Somatic Cell Nuclear transfer technique
9. Name the first Indigenous developed Rotavirus Vaccine of India.
a) Rotacid
b) Rotovac
c) Rotomid
d) Rotavac
Answer: (d) Rotavac
10. What is the name of worlds ultra-light substance created by Zhejiang University in
China?
a) Carbon Nanotubes
b) Carbon Aerogel
c) Granite
d) Lead
Answer: (b) Carbon Aerogel
ENVIORNMENT & ECOLOGY

CAMARILLO SPRINGS WILDFIRE BROKE OUT IN CALIFORNIA
Camarillo Springs Wildfire broke on 2 May 2013 near Camarillo in California. Six huge wildfires
in all broke in California, which tripled in size since 3 May 2013. Over 3000 fire fighters struggle
with the blazes in California. Among these wildfires, one of the fiercest fire compelled shutting
down Pacific Coast Highway for second time, with 30-mile stretch off-limits.

Page 159
Camarillo Springs Wildfire is spread over the area of 18000 acres. The wildfires, also known as
Springs Fire reached north-west of Los Angeles, thereby posing a major threat to various homes
as well. Fire crews in America have already dealt with 680 wildfires in 2013. This Springs Fire
has already damaged over 12 homes and there are more than 4000 other homes at risk.
WEATHER CHANGE AFFECTING SPRINGS FIRE
Change in wind direction is also affecting the wildfire because the wind fanned the fire through
coastal wilderness to the beach. The fire is fanned by dry Santa Ana winds. These winds are
occurring late in 2013. It is the strange weather pattern and is also affecting the firemen dealing
with the wildfire.
However, the National Weather Service predicted that calmer ocean air might raise humidity
level which would help in fighting the fire.
OTHER FIRES IN THE RECENT PAST IN CALIFORNIA
McNally Fire in 2002 spread over 150700 acres was the largest fire in Sequoia NF
history.
In 2003, Old Fire broke out over an area of 91281 acres.
Cedar Fire in 2003, spread over an area of 280278 acres was the largest recorded fire in
the history of California.
September 2005 California wildfires broke out over an area of 17000 acres.
Esperanza Fire broke out in 2006 over 40200 acres of area.
In 2007, Angora Fire broke out in California over 3500 acres of area.
In 2007, Zaca Fire broke out in California over 240207 acres of area. It was the second
largest fire recorded in the history of California.
California wildfires of October 2007 were a series of wildfires over 500000 acres of area.
In 2008, summer 2008 California wildfires broke out in Northern California. It was
spread over 1557293 acres of area.
In 2009, Station Fire broke out in California. It was spread over 157220 acres of area. It is
the 10th largest fire in the history of the state.
In 2012, Ponderosa Fire broke in California. It was spread over 28098 acres of area and
destroyed 52 residences and 81 outbuildings apart from damaging 1 residence and 5
outbuildings.

Page 160
CRITICALLY ENDANGERED SYZYGIUM TRAVNCORICUM FROM RED LIST
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in the first week of May 2013
removed the critically endangered Syzygium Travncoricum (locally known as kulavetti or
vadhamkolli) tree endemic to Kerala from its red list.
Kerela Forest Research Institute (KFRI) conducted a field study in wake of the IUCN classification
and suggested that the tree can now be moved to the endangered list.
The tree entered the critically endangered list of IUCN in 1998 on the basis of the Conservation
Assessment Management Plan (CAMP) workshop conducted under the Biodiversity
Conservation Prioritisation Project India. IUCN classified the Syzygium Travncoricum under the
critically endangered Red List after the camp study discovered that due to habitat destruction
(the prime cause) the estimated population of the tree went below 200.
Maximum of the last trees of the Syzygium Travncoricum group were seen in Southern Part of
the state raising concerns of the environmentalist about the tree.
ICED INAUGURATED BY THE VICE PRESIDENT HAMID ANSARI IN JAIPUR
The International Centre for Environment Audit and

Sustainable Development (iCED) was inaugurated by Vice
President Hamid Ansari in Jaipur on 5 May 2013. The iCED
was set up by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).
The centre will try to improve accountability and
governance in the field of environment and sustainable
development.
The centres objective is to utilize Indias expertise in

conducting over a 100 environment audits in the past
twenty years to offer extensive training and an international forum for experience sharing in
this field. iCED is also the Global Training Facility for The International Organization of Supreme
Audit Institutions, an organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions at global level.
The iCED facility was looked on as a green building and several features were added in design
and construction to minimise the buildings carbon footprints. The Energy Conservation
Building Code 2006 rules are in force for the buildings energy and water efficiency, site
selection, material usage during construction and indoor environment quality.
DECISION TO PUT A BAN ON THE TRADE OF PEACOCK FEATHERS
The Environment Ministry of India decided to put a ban on the trade of peacock feathers as a
measure to conserve the national bird of India- peacock.

Page 161
The government has no data regarding peacock population,

but it is evident that the number of peacocks in India is
dwindling because of poaching of the feathers which fetches
good price in not just international markets, but also within
Indian markets.
World Wide Fund for nature in 1991 did the only stock-taking
of peacock population in India. It was found that India had
only 50 percent of overall peacock population left, in
comparison to what existed during independence. It is
believed that the population of the peacocks went down even more since 1991 because of a
rise in poaching as well as habitat loss.
There has been an increased demand of the peacock feathers, also called morpankh. Therefore,
the Environment Ministry decided to completely ban the trade of any kind (sale, purchase or
transport) of the peacock feathers.
Environment and Forest Minister Jayanthi Natarajan explained that the decision was taken to
put a complete ban on the trade of morpankh.
WILDLIFE PROTECTION ACT, 1972 AND THE TRADE OF NATURALLY SHED PEACOCK
FEATHERS
Trading of the naturally shed peacock feathers is permitted under the Wildlife Protection Act,
1972. This act completely prohibits peacock killing. However, because of the loophole in the
Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, extensive killing of peacocks takes place in India for the lucrative
business of peacock feathers.
With the approval of the Union Government of India, an amendment will be made to the
Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 in order to make trading of any body part of national bird an
offence, which would be equivalent to the punishment granted for killing the other non-
endangered species. This means that anyone caught buying or selling the peacock feathers or
the trophies would be jailed for up to 2 years under amended Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
INCREASE IN MERCURY LEVEL LEADING TO DRASTIC DECLINE IN ARCTIC

FOXES: RESEARCH
Scientists from the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research in the month of May 2013
unveiled that foxes in the Arctic region who fed on ocean prey were exposed to higher levels of
mercury. In the time duration of 100 years, the mercury levels of oceans of the world have
doubled, as per the United Nations. Most of the mercury deposits take place in Arctic than
other parts of Earth.
The Arctic Council described that an increase of ten times has been observed in mercury levels
in top most region of the Earth in past 150 years.

Page 162
On Mednyi, the Russian island, it was found that the foxes survived exclusively on the sea birds
as well as some seal carcasses. The fox population of this island decreased drastically in 1970s.
Although the population of foxes is stable, but they are still in poor condition or have very low
body weight. IUCN lists them as critically endangered species.
Lead author of the research Dr Gabor Czirjak explained that they believed infection to be the
cause of shrinking number of foxes, but it wasnt found. However, when the hair samples of the
foxes as well as the animals on which they fed, were examined, it was found that there was a
significant rate of mercury in it.
When the Russian foxes were compared with the Arctic foxes, very different results were
found. The foxes in the Arctic had comparatively lower level of poison in the body. These results
would be of a great help for conservation of foxes in the Arctic.
The research raised some of the important questions regarding how accumulation of mercury
was taking place in marine food chain in Arctic region.
It is worth noticing that global efforts were undertaken to control a boost in the mercury level
earlier in 2013 when over 140 countries of the world agreed signing legally binding treaty for
curbing the mercury pollution.
ESA GAVE GREEN SIGNAL TO BIOMASS SATELLITE TO MONITOR FORESTS
The European Space Agency (ESA) gave a green signal to Biomass, the satellite that can weigh
the forests of the Earth. Biomass would be launched in 2020. The Earth Observation
Programme Board of ESA approved 400 million Euro for the Biomass mission on 7 May 2013.
Biomass will carry the state-of-the-art radar system which can sense trunks as well as the
branches of the trees from orbit. This satellite will be used by the scientists for calculating the
carbon amount stored in forests of the world. It will also be used for monitoring the changes in
the forests during its five-year mission.
The data from the satellite will be used by the scientists to understand role of trees in cycling of
carbon on Earth and that how it affects the climate of our planet.
The scientists explained that this would in turn help in formation of the treaties which would
help the developing countries in preservation of the forests by undertaking measures such as
UN Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) initiative.
Biomass will be the seventh satellite of ESAs Earth Explorers, a series of the spacecrafts which
are designed for innovative science. So far, ESA has sent its three missions in the orbit, which
sent back vital information such as ocean salinity, soil moisture, polar ice cover and gravity.
The spacecraft that will study the magnetic field of the Earth will be launched by the ESA in
2013. The satellites under this mission will study wind as well as fine particles in atmosphere.

Page 163
FEATURES OF BIOMASS
Biomass is the 1.2-tonne satellite at the launch, which means that it would go into the
orbit through new Vega rocket of ESA.
The sole instrument of Biomass will send 70 cm radar pulse on the Earth which will
penetrate the canopies of forests but will scatter into large woody parts of the trees.
Biomass will sense volume of the material at resolution of around 200 m, basically; it
will help in weighing the amount of carbon associated with the forests of the world.
The 12 m reflector antenna will capture return signal from radar.
At present, Biomass is not permitted to operate on Europe, Arctic and North America.
This is so because the US Department of Defense (DoD) warned that the radar of
Biomass would interfere with the missile early-warning as well as space tracking
systems.
The Natural Environment Research Council (Nerc) of UK funded the basic science which
underpinned the concept of Biomass. Britain is senior partner of Earth observation
programme of ESA. It will play a crucial industrial role in biomass mission.
ELEPHANT KILLING TOOK PLACE IN CENTRAL AFRICA
The armed gang of poachers, in the month of May

2013, killed an unidentified number of elephants at
Dzanga-Ndoki national park, the world heritage site in
Central African Republic.
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) explained that these

ivory poachers were observed with the help of
observation platform of the scientists used to shoot
animals.
The Dzanga-Ndoki Park is situated in south-western

corner of the Central African Republic (CAR) that
borders Cameroon and the Republic of Congo. This Park is described as the ne-of-its-kind
habitat for primarily the forest elephants. Dzanga-Ndoki Park is also called the village of
elephants and around 200 elephants gather everyday in this Park for drinking mineral salts
which are found in the sands.
On 6 May 2013, WWF issued warning about the group of 17 armed poachers who had heavy-
calibre rifles. The armed men made use of the Dzanga-bai observation platform for shooting
these elephants. This platform is mostly used only by the tourists and the scientists.
Dr Anna Feistner of WWF explained that Sudanese ivory poachers were taking benefit out of
lawless state of this country.

Page 164
Elephant raid in the world heritage site also alarmed the international conservation authorities
such as Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites).
Serious illegal killing of the elephants has been observed in African countries over the past. In
African countries, the amount of seized ivory is at highest level in past 16 years.
EU DECIDED TO ISSUE BAN ON PESTICIDES THAT HARM BEES
The European Union made decision in May 2013 to impose a continent-wide ban on the
Pesticides namely neonicotinoids that harm bees. The EU came up with a decision to ban the
use of the pesticides after scientists came up with the conclusion that chemicals posed an acute
risk to honeybees that pollinate many of the crops grown in Europe on a commercial scale.
Bees as pollinators play a vital role in food production. The hives of honeybees across the globe
are dying off in the phenomenon that is known as Colony Collapse disorder.
The European countries in May 2013 voted on banning

neonicotinoids, which is mainly found in pesticides.
Fifteen of the twenty seven member states that included
France voted for a two-year restriction on the
neonicotinoids which is not enough to form a qualified
majority. The voting was made amid strong opposition
from chemical companies.
The final decision is now with the European commission,

which will implement the ban. According to EU rules, the
Commission will now impose a two-year restriction on neonicotinoids.
Neonicotinoids are mainly produced mainly Switzerland's Syngenta and Germany's Bayer. The
conservationists called up for a ban on the use, whereas the organizations related to agriculture
claimed that farmers will face hardship and will have an impact on food production, which will
cost Europe a loss of billions of Euros due to loss of crop yield.
As per a United Nations report released in 2011, the bees and other pollinators like butterflies,
birds and beetles do a worldwide work of pollination that worth 203 billion dollar every year.
GLOBAL WARMING SLUMP WILL LEAD TO LOWER RISE IN

TEMPERATURES: RESEARCH
Researchers in the month of May 2013 found that recent slump in global warming would lead
to lower rise in temperatures in short-term. Since the year 1998, there has remained
unexplained stagnation in heating of the atmosphere of Earth. The researchers explained that
this will bring down the rate of predicted global warming in coming decades.

Page 165
However, in the long term, the expected rise in the temperatures will not change much.
Slowdown in expected global warming rate has remained a subject of study for quite some time
now. Earlier in 2013, the UK Met Office also brought down the five-year temperature forecast.
The new research depicts a clear picture of how a slowdown can affect the temperatures in
short term and long term. A collective team of international researchers studied how previous
10 years would affect long term balance of the climate sensitivity as well as short term climate
response.
Climate sensitivity studies the impact of doubled concentrations of carbon dioxide in

atmosphere. On the other hand, climate response is the short term calculation that is also
based on doubled carbon dioxide.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in the year 2007 observed that short
term rise in temperature would be around 1-3C (1.8-5.4F). But in the new analysis, the
estimated range would be 0.9-2.0C.
The authors of the story found out that over a period of a few coming decades, the global
average temperatures of Earth would warm by around 20 percent slower than forecasted.
However, when the long term picture is kept in mind, the work remains consistent with the
previous forecasts. IPCC revealed that climate sensitivity remained at the range of 2.0-4.5C.
The researchers explained that difference between lower short-term estimates as well as
consistent long-term picture remains on the fact that heat from previous 10 years was
absorbed into and stored in oceans of the world.
DOLPHINS AMONG TOP 100 MAMMALS

FACING EXTINCTION THREAT
The Zoological Society of London in the month of May

2013 revealed that Indian dolphins as well as the wild
elephants were among recent top 100 mammals facing
the risks of extinction. The Zoological Society of London
(ZSL) scored mammals of the world for the first time on the basis of how Evolutionarily Distinct
and Globally Endangered (EDGE) they were.
In the list which included most extraordinary threatened species, were frogs which gave birth
via skin as well as the mammals which were immune to cyanide. A lot of these mammals in the
list are not known to people and therefore also do not receive the attention from conservation
point of view. The latest entries in this list are the two mammals from India as well.
STATUS OF WILD ELEPHANTS IN THE LIST OF TOP 100 ENDANGERED MAMMALS
The latest list of the endangered mammals rang an alarming bell, especially for the largest land
mammal of Asia, the wild elephant, which ranked 17th on ZSL list.

Page 166
ZSL revealed that merely 35000 to 50000 Asian elephants were there in the wild in the year
1995. Since that time, the population of the wild elephants has dwindled a lot of times and it is
believed that the present population would have diminished even below this estimate.
Majority of the elephants are found in India (20000-25000) and Myanmar (5000-6000). In
Vietnam, a little less than 200 elephants are surviving. The major factor of diminishing
population of Asian elephants is habitat loss.
Also, these elephants are constantly coming in contact with the local people and the farmers
because of the destruction of their feeding grounds. As a result, these elephants destroy
properties, raid the crops and even kill people. Farmers and local people even the score by
killing these elephants, which result in a decline in their population.
Other reason for decline in the population of Asiatic elephants is poaching for their ivory as well
as occasionally for meat.
STATUS OF RIVER DOLPHIN IN THE LIST OF TOP 100 ENDANGERED MAMMALS
River dolphin ranked 60th in the list of top 100 endangered mammals of the world. In India, in
the river basins, these dolphins are found primarily in plains that have rivers with slow flow. At
present, dolphins are found in Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna and Karnaphuli-Sangu river
systems of Bangladesh as well as India.
ZSL surveyed parts of range of Ganges subspecies and found that they accounted for 1200 to
1800 in number.
The reason for dwindling population of dolphins, according to ZSL is that their habitat is one
among the most densely populated areas of the world. Therefore, they are threatened because
of damming of the rivers for electricity generation as well as irrigation. This leads to
degradation of the habitat, prevention of seasonal migration and isolation of the population.
In the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Megna River systems alone, over 18 high dams and 20 barrages
have been built since 1956. ZSL explained that a lot of decline in dolphin population could be
seen because more dams and barrages are planned or under construction in the range of this
species.
Professor Jonathan Baillie of ZSL explained that results of mapping exercise were alarming
because at present, merely 5 percent of EDGE mammals identified areas and 15 percent of
EDGE amphibian identified areas were protected.
10% OF UK WILDLIFE IS ENDANGERED: STATE OF NATURE REPORT
Around 60 percent of the British animal as well as plant species declined in last 5 decades,
leaving one out of 10 species to disappear revealed the latest State of Nature report. The State
of Nature report is compiled together by 25 wildlife organisations, which include RSPB and

Page 167
British Lichen Society. The report assembles assessments of 3148 species, while also hinting
towards 59000 species of UK.
The species in which largest declines were observed included hedgehogs, turtle doves, red
squirrels and water voles. The report indicated that there were various reasons for the decline
in these species but major factors were habitat degradation and rising temperatures.
The worst affected are the species which require specific habitat, but are not able to adapt in
accordance with the changing environment of the country. Naturalist Sir David Attenborough
launched this report and explained that though the species of UK were in trouble but there is a
huge network of conversation groups that will help in preservation of these species.
The State of Nature report extracts data from individual reports which were published in the
recent past and explained the positions of mammals, moths, bees and birds of UK. The report
revealed gaps in certain data, primarily marine species, invertebrates and fungi, but also
additionally offered expertise in marine conservation and moss conservation.
Formerly, threatened plants and animals which were considered as the priority species were
included in the Biodiversity Action Plans of the UK government in order to target and formalize
the conservation actions.
The State of Nature report also indicated the watchlist which explains how the populations of
these species fell in past 5 decades. Conservationists explained that it was difficult to provide
the definitive list of most endangered species of UK because of complexities involved in
comparison of different species.
HOWEVER, FOLLOWING SPECIES FROM 10 DIVERSE GROUPS OF UK WERE

HIGHLIGHTED
Turtle Doves
Hedgehogs
Small Tortoise
Shell Butterfly
Natterjack Toad
European Eel
Early Bumblebee
V-moth
Corn cleavers

Page 168
Harbour Seals
Bastard Gumwood
CHILE ISSUED RED ALERT IN WAKE OF COPAHUE VOLCANO ERUPTION
Authorities in Argentina and Chile ordered evacuation of around 3000 people that live in
proximity with Copahue volcano, situated in south of Argentina-Chile border. The authorities
declared that the Copahue volcano is on the verge of eruption any time.
The Copahue volcano is situated at a height of 2965 m or around 10000 feet and sits in Andes
cordillera. It has just spewed gases. In this area, various light earth tremors were registered as
well. The red alert was issued after the activities of this volcano were monitored and it was
found that seismic activities of the volcano increased.
The Emergency Office of Chile declared that the evacuation will have an adverse effect on
around 460 families that live within 15 miles radius of this volcano. Earlier, Argentinas
authorities had declared yellow alert, but it was revised to higher level later.
Copahue volcano is one of the most active volcanoes in that region which spews gas and ash
along with smoke that rises to around 1.5 km in sky.
45-DAY FISHING BAN CAME TO AN END IN TAMIL NADU
The 45-day fishing ban was imposed from 15 April 2013 in the Eastern coast of Tamil Nadu to
ensure unhindered breeding of fish. The fishing ban coming to an end on 29 may 2013. The
fishermen of Nagapattinam, Rameswaram and Thoothukudi are ready for fishing. The
fishermen will venture out into the sea with their equipments. The district administration
warned the fishermen not to venture out of the international maritime border line to avoid
confrontation with Sri Lankan Navy. The fishermen were also warned against using banned
fishing nets which will destroy the sea wealth.
The governments of Tamil Nadu and Puduchery had imposed the ban under provisions of the
Deep sea Fishing Regulation Act, 2001. Every year, between 15 April 2013 and 29 May 2013,
engine propelled trawlers are banned from fishing activities. This ban coincides with the
spawning season for fish, during which they release eggs. The fishing nets used by trawlers can
trap eggs and young ones leading to their destruction.
USA, Australia and Spain impose similar bans every year. Kerala was the first Indian state which
first imposed the ban aiming at resource conservation in 1988. Other coastal states followed
the same rules and regulations.
SCIENTISTS SOLVED THE MYSTERY BEHIND BENGAL WHITE TIGERS

Page 169
Scientists from Peking University, Beijing in May 2013 discovered that a change in single amino
acid (A477V) in one pigmentation relate gene (SLC45A2) is the cause of white fur or sepia
brown stripes in some tigers. The scientists studied 16 captive white tigers from three different
parents to come up with the conclusion.
As per the scientists, two types of melanin namely pheomelanin and eumelanin are used for
identifying the color of fur, eye and stripes of the tiger. In case of the white tigers, pheomelanin
that produces red and yellow color is affected. As per the research, the point mutation in the
amino acid blocks a particular channel partially; as a result of this blockage yellow pigment
forming process is affected. Same type of mutation in pigmentation-related gene (SLC45A2)
causes light skin colour in modern Europeans as well as mouse, chicken and horse too.
As per the study, human often force the tigers to inbreed for increasing the number of white
tigers in zoos. This type of forced inbreeding may create some health side effects in the tigers
as it has been a reason of health ailments in humans. In tigers this forced inbreeding has
resulted in human-induced inbreeding has resulted in premature death, stillbirth and
deformities.
White tigers are a part of the genetic diversity of the tigers, which is caused due to mutation
and are worth conserving. The findings of the research were published in Thursday in the
Current Biology journal. The study was conducted under the leadership of Shu Jin Lau of Peking
University.
UNESCO DECLARED NICOBAR ISLANDS AS WORLD BIOSPHERE RESERVE
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in the Month of
May 2013 had declared India's Nicobar Islands as a world biosphere reserve under its Man and
the Biosphere Programme.
Such reserves are established by Member countries. The UNESCO basically recognizes them
under the programme to promote sustainable development based on local community efforts
and sound science.
The World Biosphere Reserves are considered as sites of excellence, where new and optimal
practices to manage nature and human activities are tested and demonstrated.
ABOUT NICOBAR ISLAND
The Nicobar Islands are an archipelagic island chain located in the eastern Indian Ocean.
The island chain is home to 1800 animal species and some of the world's most
endangered tribes.
It is among 12 new sites added to the global network of biosphere reserves in Paris.

Page 170
The Nicobar Islands are recognized as a distinct terrestrial ecoregion, the Nicobar Islands
rain forests, with many endemic species.
The Nicobar Islands are part of a great island arc created by the collision of the Indo-
Australian Plate with Eurasia.
ABOUT WORLD BIOSPHERE RESERVE
Biosphere reserves are sites established by countries and recognized under UNESCO's Man and
the Biosphere (MAB) Programme to promote sustainable development based on local
community efforts and sound science. It is a tool tools to help countries implement the results
of the World Summit on Sustainable Development and, in particular, the Convention on
Biological Diversity and its Ecosystem Approach.
Such reserves are located in 117 countries and nine of them are now located in India.
Other sites added to the list include Pakistan's Ziarat Juniper forest and China's Snake
Island.
There are currently 621 biosphere reserves including 12 transboundary sites.
FOSSILISED SKELETON OF FLYING DINOSAUR DISCOVERED IN CHINA

Researchers at Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences in
Brussels discovered new fossilised skeleton of flying
dinosaur called Aurornis xui in China. This new species is
approximately the size of a chicken. It lived around 150
million years ago.
The flying dinosaur from the Middle-Late Jurassic period was 20 inches in length and also had
teeth. Its diet could be insects. The discovery provides an insight into understanding of
evolution of birds.
Aurornis xui was discovered from Tiaojishan Formation of Liaoning Province, China. The lead
author and researcher, Pascal Godefroit explained that the dinosaur might have had four wings,
two alongside the arms and two alongside the legs.
The specimen, which is preserved in the clay sediment is an adult. Earlier, another fossil from
around 150 million years ago, known as Archaeopteryx was considered as most primitive bird,
but with this discovery, it is expected that Aurornis Xui is even more primitive bird that
Archaeopteryx.
The discovery hints towards the relationships between early species of the birds as well as the
dinosaur relatives of these birds. This means that the species which were called birds could be
considered as the troodontids or vice-versa.

Page 171
SPORTS
HARYANA WON 3RD HOCKEY INDIA SR. WOMEN NAT. CHAMPIONSHIP
Haryana on 30 April 2013 defeated Railways 4-1 to win the third Hockey India Senior Women
National Championship at the Major Dhyan Chand Stadium in the Guru Gobind Singh Sports
College, Lucknow.
Railways scored their opening goal through Amandeep Kaur in the 15th minute. Haryana scored
through Udita (34th, 65th min) and Narinder (47th, 49th min) to win the match. Jharkhand
defeated Punjab 2-1 to finish third in the championship. Jharkhand scored through Ebha
Kerketta and Basanti Kachhap.
HARYANA WON 3RD HI JR. WOMEN NAT. CHAMPIONSHIP

Haryana clinched the 3rd Hockey India (HI) Junior Women National Championship title in the
final match on 1 May 2013 in Astroturf Hockey Stadium in Ranchi. Haryana registered a 2-1
victory over Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy. Jharkhand defeated Punjab 6-0 to claim the
bronze medal.
Madhya Pradesh opened their account with penalty corner in fourth minute by Shyama
Tickadam. Haryana leveled this in 35th minute through penalty corner which was converted by
Navneet Kaur. Jyoti Guptas scored the final goal in fifth minute of extra time which helped
Haryana win the championship.
Two semi-final matches were played between Haryana and Jharkhand as well as Punjab and
Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy on 30 April 2013. In the final, Haryana took over Madhya
Pradesh Hockey Academy.
S SALMAN ELECTED PRESIDENT OF ASIAN FOOTBALL CONFEDERATION
Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim al-Khalifa was elected as the new president of Asian Football
Confederation on 2 May 2013. He replaced Mohamed Bin Hammam. Bahraini Sheikh Salman
won 33 votes out of 46 in Malaysia to beat his rival Yousuf Al Serkal of the United Arab Emirates
as well as Worawi Makudi of Thailand.
Sheikh Salman claimed the vacant seat on executive committee of FIFA as well, which was held
by Bin Hammam. On this seat, Sheikh Salman defeated Qatar World Cup organising chief
Hassan Al Thawadi. It is important to note that Bin Hammam was given a lifetime ban in 2011
by FIFA on the basis of allegations that he tried to buy the votes. He eventually retired from
football in July 2012 after his suspension was annulled.

Page 172
Sheikh Salman took over last 20 months of term of Bin Hammam as the AFC president. Next
elections will be held in January 2015. The position of AFC president gives a person the control
of all major football events in Asia.
SOMDEV RECOMMENDED FOR RAJIV GANDHI KHEL RATNA AWARD 2013
Somdev Devvarman, the winner of two gold medals at Asian Games in Guangzhou as well as
singles gold medal in Commonwealth Games in India was
recommended for Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award 2013 by
All India Tennis Association (AITA).
Somdev Devvarman had formed Indian Tennis Players

Association (ITPA) along with Mahesh Bhupati and
Leander Peas. Somdev Devvarman played a very
important role in placing India at the World Group in Davis
Cup. The Davis Cup coach Zeeshan Ali, on the other hand
was recommended for Arjuna award, apart from Rushmi
Chakravarthi, a womens tennis player of India.
Nandan Bals name was recommended for Dronacharya Award. For the award of Dhyan Chand
life time achievement, Vijay Amritraj was recommended.
SHUTTLER PV SINDHU WON MALAYSIA BADMINTON GRAND PRIX TITLE
India's rising shuttler PV Sindhu on 4 May 2013 won her maiden Grand Prix Gold title winning
Malaysia Open women's final. In a thrilling clash in Kuala Lumpur this afternoon, top seed
Sindhu got her act together in time and defeated lower seed, Gu Juan of Singapore, 21-17, 17-
21, 21-19, with an exceptional racket display. She hit as many as 17 smash winners compared to
just nine by the Singaporean girl.
With this, the World Number 13 Sindhu has become the second Indian girl to have won the
Grand Prix Gold competition, after India's shuttle queen and London Olympics bronze medalist;
Saina Nehwal achieved the feat in 2006. PV Sindhu was the only Indian who had made it to the
final stage of this tournament. Saina Nehwal did not take part in the tournament.
VIKAS GOWDA CLINCHED GOLD AT IAAF WORLD CHALLENGE MEET 2013
At the IAAF World Challenge meeting in Jamaica, Kingston, US-based discus thrower, Vikas
Gowda clinched Gold on 5 May 2013 with the throw of 61.38 metres.
He defeated Jamaicans Jason Morgan and Fedrick Dacres with throws of 60.96 and 59.30
metres respectively. Both these Jamaicans finished at the second and the third positions. In the
100 metres sprint, USs Tyson Gay recorded 9.86 and secured the top most position.

Page 173
In women category, the best performance was that of US Gia Lewis-Smallwood with 62.41
metres. The IAAF World Challenge meeting in Jamaica was organised at the Kingston's National
Stadium.
STANISLAS WAWRINKA WON ATP WORLD TOUR, PORTUGAL OPEN 2013
Switzerlands Stanislas Wawrinka defeated Spains David Ferrer in the final match of ATP World
Tour, Portugal Open 2013 title at Oeiras on 5 May 2013 by a 6-1, 6-4 margin.
David Ferrer, in spite of the defeat, maintains a record of 7-4 against Stanislas Wawrinka. This is
the fourth career title of Stanislas Wawrinka and also first since January 2011.
ABOUT STANISLAS WAWRINKA
Stanislas Wawrinka won challenger titles at San Benedetto and Geneva in 2003.
He made his Davis Cup debut in the year 2004.
In 2006, he won his first ATP title in Umag against Djokovic.
In 2007, he finished in Top 40 for second straight year.
In the year 2008, he recorded a most consistent season by entering into Top 10 and
reaching to the finals of two ATP- ATP Masters Series Rome and Doha. He also won
doubles gold medal at Beijing Olympics in the same year.
In 2011, he reached to the finals of ATP in doubles category at ATP World Tour Masters
1000 Indian Wells.
In 2012, he finished in Top 20 for the second year in a row as well as third time in the
career.
ALEX FERGUSON RETIRED AS MANCHESTER UNITED MANAGER
Alex Ferguson on 8 May 2013 declared that he would step down as the Manager of
Manchester United at the end of the season. His declaration has put to an end, his 26 years
journey as the in-charge of Manchester United. After retirement, he will join the board of the
football club.
The 71 year old, Alex Ferguson would step down from the position of manager after the
Uniteds game against West Bromwich Albion to be played on 19 May 2013. Alex will now take
over the position of both Director and Ambassador for the club.
ABOUT ALEX FERGUSON

Page 174
Alex Ferguson is the most successful manager

in the English Football History
He took over the charge of the team as its

manager in 1986 from Ron Atkinson and since
then has helped the team in winning five FA
Cups and two Champions League
In 26 years of his journey he managed to win

13 league titles
He was the in charge of 1498 matches for the club
After taking the charge of Manchester United, he helped the team to win the English
title of 1992-93 by defeating Liverpool
Players like David Beckham, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes, Eric Cantona, Cristiano
Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney started their career under Alex Ferguson
CHAMPIONSHIPS WON UNDER ALEX FERGUSON BY MANCHESTER UNITED
Championships Years of Winning
Premier League 1993, 1994, 1996,

1997, 1999, 2000,
2001, 2003, 2007,
2008, 2009, 2011 and
2013
Champions League 1999 and 2008
FA (Football Association) 1990, 1994, 1996,

Cup 1999 and 2004
League Cup 1992, 2006, 2009 and

2010
FIFA World Cup 2008

Page 175
STILIYAN PETROV, ASTON VILLA CAPTAIN OF RETIRED FROM FOOTBALL
Stiliyan Petrov, the captain of Aston Villa retired from football in May 2013 at the age of 33
years. Stiliyan Petrov retired because of his fight with leukaemia. He was diagnosed with the
disease in March 2012. Aston Villa Football Club is the English professional association football
club that is based in Birmingham.
Stiliyan Petrov became a part of Aston Villa in 2006 from Celtic for 6.5 million Pound. He played
for Aston Villa in the Premier League and the Bulgaria national team. He also won Bulgarian
Footballer of the Year award in 2003 while playing for Celtic.
In 2005, Stiliyan Petrov also wrote the autobiography titled You Can Call Me Stan. The book was
a description of the correct spelling of his name.
HONOURS AND AWARDS WON BY STILIYAN PETROV
Bulgarian Championship: 1997
Bulgarian Cup: 1997, 1999
Scottish Premier League: 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006
Scottish Cup: 2004, 2005
Scottish League Cup: 2000, 2006
UEFA Cup: Runner-up 2003
Football League Cup: Runner-up 2010
SPFA Young Player of the Year: 2001
Celtic Player of the Year: 2005
Aston Villa Players' Player of the Year: 2009, 2012
Aston Villa Supporters' Player of the Year: 2009
SPL Player of the Month: 3 times
Bulgaria's Player of the year: 2003
INDIA BAGGED 2 SILVER IN COMMONWEALTH CHAMPIONSHIP

Page 176
India on 10 May 2013 finished their candidature in the tournament with a record haul of 2
Silver and 7 Bronze in the 19th Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships that concluded in
New Delhi.
One silver medal on behalf of India was won by Soumyajit Ghosh and Mouma Das in the mixed
doubles event, and the other one was won by the men's team earlier in the tournament.
Indians represented the country in atleast six of the eight tournaments that included doubles
too, but didnt turned up to be successful in securing a gold medal for the country. At the same
time, Singapore delivered the best and claimed gold in every category except the women's
individual competition. Mo Zhang from Canada pulled off the gold from Singapores world no
27 Mengyu Mu by securing a 4-3 win in the finals.
MADRID OPEN 2013: RAFAEL NADAL WON MENS SINGLES TROPHY
In the Men's Singles title clash of the Madrid Open played on 12 May 2013, World Number Five
Nadal defeated Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka, in straight sets, 6-2 and 6-4. Spain's Rafael Nadal has
clinched his fifth title in seven tournaments since returning from a seven-month knee injury
layoff.
In the Women's Singles, World Number One Serena Williams of the United States bagged her
50th career Singles title. She beat Russian Maria Sharapova, 6-1 and 6-4.
STABILITY CERTIFICATE OF M.A. CHIDAMBARAM STADIUM CANCELLED
The stability certificates of all the nine stands of M.A. Chidambaram Cricket Stadium Chepauk
were cancelled by the Tamil Nadu Government on 13 May 2013.
Three stands I, J and K were sealed by the Chennai Cooperation on 13 May 2013 on charges of
unauthorized building at the cricket stadium. This action of the authorities of Tamil Nadu came
up as a follow up after the Supreme Court granted an interim stay against the 6 February 2013
order of the Madras High Court that favoured the Tamil Nadu Crickets Association to use the
stands.
The Madras High Court in its decision had set aside the orders of different authorities of Tamil
Nadu namely Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority, Tamil Nadu Housing and Urban
Development Department, the Chennai Corporation and the Additional Commissioner of Police,
in 2011 and 2012 that restrained the State Cricket Association from using the reconstructed
stands in the stadium.
MATT PRIOR NAMED ENGLAND'S CRICKETER OF THE YEAR FOR 2012-13

Page 177
Matt Prior was named the England cricketer-of-the-year for

2012-13, in an acknowledgement of the Sussex wicket-
keeper's consistency with both bat and gloves. Prior was
presented with his award at Lords on 14 May 2013.
The 31-year-old is now one of the first names on the team

sheet after England captain Alastair Cook. The latest
demonstration of his worth to the side came with his match-
saving unbeaten hundred in the drawn third Test against
New Zealand in Auckland in March.
SREESANTH ARRESTED FOR SPOT-FIXING
Indian fast bowler, S. Sreesanth and his two team

mates from Rajasthan Royals namely Ajit Chadila and
Ankeet Chavan were arrested by Delhi Police on 16
May 2013 on charges of Spot Fixing in Indian Premier
League (IPL).
The three cricketers were arrested from Mumbai and

will be brought to Delhi for being produced in a Court.
Apart from the three cricketers the police also arrested seven bookies. Both the cricketers and
the bookies are charged under two sections of Indian Penal Code, Section 420 (cheating) and
Section 120B (criminal conspiracy).
The arrests made were a part of the investigations being conducted by the Special Cell of the
Delhi Police over months on alleged Spot Fixing in the cash rich IPL.
SPOT FIXING
Spot Fixing is an illegal activity in a sport, in which any part of the game may be an over or a ball
is fixed between the player and the bookies. Under this, the player agrees to play in accordance
to the agreement made before the game with the bookies, so that they can bet upon the same.
Although betting on any sport is illegal in India.
LAUSANNE TALKS TO BRING INDIA BACK TO OLYMPIC FOLD
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on 15 May 2013 agreed in principle on a roadmap
to bring India back in the Olympic Fold after a meet with Indian Olympic Association (IOA) in
Lausanne.
The International Olympic Committee on 4 December 2012 put a ban on India its failure to

Page 178
adhere the Olympic Charter. The meet of Lausanne was of a great importance with Indian
perspective as it will decide the sporting future of India, after the ban.
The IOC in its meet with the IOA stated that during a meet of the interim body would take over
from the IOA and hold fresh elections under the amended IOA constitution. This announcement
was made by the IOC after the Union Sports Minister Jitendra Singh convinced IOC on the
Sports Bill that the Bill as a sign of government interference is necessary for good governance of
Indian sports.
INDIA WON GOLD AT FIBA ASIA 3X3 BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

Indian women basketball team won gold in inaugural FIBA Asia 3x3 basketball tournament 2013
in Doha on 17 May 2013. India defeated Mongolia 21-14 in the final play-off. Mongolia had
defeated Turkmenistan in the semi-finals.
In the 3X3 format, this is the third consecutive gold medal of India. It won gold at South Asian
Beach Games in Sri Lanka as well as Asian Beach Games in China in 2012 in the same format.
In the Indian team, Geethu Anna Jose, Anita Pal Durrai, Manisha Dange and Pratima Singh were
the key players. Indian team won all six games in the tournament. India was placed in the
Group B.
Geethu Anna Jose won the title of Best Player of the Tournament. India defeated Qatar 21-5 in
the quarterfinals and Hong Kong 21-8 in the Semi-finals.
INDIAN WOMEN'S COMPOUND TEAM WON BRONZE IN ARCHERY
Indian womens compound team which comprised Gagandeep Kaur, Trisha Deb, and P Lily
Chanu, won Bronze medal on 18 May 2013 at Shanghai. This is Indias first ever world medal in
archery.
The Indian trio, defeated Italy which included Katia D'Agostino, Laura Longo and Marcella
Tonioli in the bronze medal play-off in the World Cup archery Stage I by 228-223. India was
ahead by two points after the first end, four at the halfway mark and three points after the
third end. Shooting first in the last end, Italy landed two 8s, whereas India finished the match
with 8-9-10-10-10-10 for a well-deserved victory.
In 2012 at Shanghai, Italy had triumphed over an inexperienced Indian trio of Parveena,
Gagandeep Kaur, and V. Jyothi Surekha, by 230-217.
CLTA SIGNED A DEAL WITH ITS SPANISH COUNTERPART MTF
Chandigarh Lawn Tennis Association (CLTA) on 18 May 2013 signed a deal with its Spanish
counterpart, Madrid Tennis Foundation (MTF) with the objective of improving the quality of the
sport in the region.

Page 179
The deal was signed for the next three years. Under the protocol, the training and coaching
systems of CLTA will improve a lot. Top tennis coaches from Spain will visit CLTA regularly to
upgrade the training facilities, help the coaches and teach latest skills to trainees. CLTA also has
rural scheme CHART apart from Centre of Excellence.
RAFAEL NADAL BEAT ROGER FEDERAR TO WIN ITALIAN OPEN 2013
Rafael Nadal beat Roger Federar in the final match played on 19 May 2013 to lift his seventh
Italian Open title. He defeated Federar in straight sets 6-1, 6-3. The match was played on clay
court.
This was Nadals 20th victory against Federar. He has lost only 10 matches to Federar so far. It
was Nadals fifth title since returning earlier this year from a seven-month layoff due to a left
knee injury. Nadal collected 400 points from this victory which carried him into fourth position
on the rankings ladder.
SERENA WILLIAMS WON ITALIAN OPEN
Serena Williams on 19 May 2013 won her fourth

consecutive tennis title after thrashing out the former
world number one Victoria Azarenka 6-1 6-3 to take the
Italian Open on the Rome Clay. This is the second Rome
Open title won by Serena, before this Serena won the
Rome title 11 years ago in 2002.
The world number one Serena Williams has not lost a single match since the Belarusian
Azarenka defeated her in the Doha Final in February 2013. Before the Italy Open in 2013,
Serena Williams won Miami, Charleston and Madrid Open. To win the 51st Career Title, Serena
Williams broke serve of Azarenka three times in a one-sided first set and with this win, she also
secured her career-best winning streak of 24 games.
INDONESIAN MEN WON THANTHI TV-ASIA PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIP
The mens and womens finals of the Thanthi TV-Asia Pacific under-21 Beach Volleyball
Championship were won by Indonesia and Australia respectively. The final matches were
played on 19 May 2013 at Marina beach in Chennai.
In women category, the Australian pair of Mariafe Artacho and Jessyka Ngauamo defeated
Japans Chiyo Suzuki and Satono Ishitsubo 21-11, 21-12. Mariafe and Jessykas all-round
performance enabled an easy victory for Australia. The pair was exceptional and brilliant with
smashes and blocks. The Australian pair didnt have any trouble in both sets. Japanese women
were not upto the mark. They made far too many errors at the net. They seemed unable to give
their best.

Page 180
In the mens final, Indonesias Mohammad Ashfiya and Rendy Verdan beat Vladislav
Pustynnikov and Sergey Bogatu of Kazakhstan 21-16, 19-21, 15-10. Although Kazakhstan players
were playing together for the last five years at the International level, Indonesians played very
aggressively against them.
India lost in the quarterfinals but three teams managed a berth for the World u-21
championship to be held in Umag, Croatia from June 20 to 23. India-1 (Rajkumar & Yogaraj) &
India-2 (Shankar & Mahesh Kumar) in men, and the womens India-1 (R. Deepika & S. Eshwari)
team made the grade. The top six teams in men and women will go to Croatia.
MIKE AND BOB BRYAN WON ROME MASTERS
Mahesh Bhupati and Rohan Bopanna lost in final to top seeded American team of Mike and Bob
Bryan on 19 May 2013 at the Rome Masters. They lost the match in straight sets. With their
runners-up finish, Bhupathi and Bopanna split 76060 euros as prize money and earned 600
ranking points each.The sixth seeded Indian combination lost 2-6 3-6 in the summit clash of the
clay court event. Such was the domination of the veteran American pair that Indians could not
earn even a single break chance.
The Indians lost their serve twice in the opening set and once in the second. Bhupathi and
Bopanna were playing their second final of the season and first together. Bhupathi had won the
Dubai event with Michael Llodra while Bopanna had triumphed at Marseille, France with Colin
Fleming.
INDIA WON 2013 INTERNATIONAL LIMASSOL CUP HELD IN CYPRUS
Indian boxers won the 2013 Invitational FXTM International Limassol Boxing Cup held in
Limassol, Cyprus on 19 May 2013. They won 10 medals which included four gold medals, three
silver medals and three bronze medals which ensured them the first rank. Indian boxers won
the tournament on the European circuit for the first time.
INDIAN BOXERS PERFORMED IN THE FOLLOWING WAY
Reigning national champion Madan Lal (52kg) beat Ayigah Dodsi from Belgium to bag
the flyweight title.
Gold medallist at the 2009 Youth Olympic Games V Durga Rao (56kg) beat German
Dieter Dier to bag his very first international medal on the senior tour.
Mandeep Jangra (69kg) beat Victor Vega Blanco of Spain in a completely one sided affair
to bag the welterweight title.
Super heavyweight boxer Praveen Kumar (+91kg) won the fourth gold for Indiabeating
Beguerni Hamza from Algeria.

Page 181
Manoj Kumar (64kg), Olympian Dinesh Kumar (91kg) and Sukhdeep Singh (75kg) won a
silver medeal each.
Earlier in the tournament, Anil Kumar (60kg), Jagroop Singh (81kg) and L Devendro Singh
(49kg) reached the semi-finals and claimed a bronze medal each.
PREETI WON GOLD IN 2013 SR. NAT. WOMEN'S BOXING CHAMPIONSHIP
Pugilist Preeti Beniwal on 22 May 2013 bagged the gold medal in Senior National Women's
Boxing Championship. In the event held at Khatima, uttarakhand, Preeti out-punched Manipur's
Y Sandhya 22-9 in the final of the 60kg category.
Preeti Beniwal was born on 25 December 1987. She hails from Hisar. Her father Subey Singh is a
boxing coach. Her elder sister is married to famous Indian Boxer Akhil Kumar. Preeti is
employed with Haryana Police as sub inspector.
PREETI BENIWALS BOXING CAREER
Gold in 58th All India Police Women Boxing Championship, Pune, Maharashtra from
2010-04-06 to 2010-04-10.
Gold in 4 N.C. Sharma Memorial Federation Cup Women Boxing Champioships 2008-09
at Nainital, Uttarakhand.
Gold in 9th Senior Women National Boxing Championships at St. John's College,, Agra
from 2008-11-02 to 2008-11-07
Gold in Trg.-cum-compet Canada, 2008
Gold in Women Open Boxing Tournament Hanoi, 2006
NSDF TO OFFER FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO MKRBF, IMPHAL
The Union Sports Ministry on 24 May 2013 gave its approval for a grant of 309.56 Lakhs rupees
to Mary Kom Regional Boxing Foundation (MKRBF), Imphal for construction of gymnasium hall
and procurement of gym equipments for the foundation.
The grant will be disbursed from the National Sports Development Fund (NSDF). The grant will
be released in installments on fulfillment of certain conditions that is required by NSDF Scheme.
Mary Kom Regional Boxing Foundation is looking forward to create facilities at the new site
allotted to it by the State Government of Manipur.

Page 182
Before this National Sports Development Fund released funds of 492 lakh rupees for Usha
School of Athletics, Kozhikode, Kerala, for laying an 8 Lane Synthetic Track of international
standard with supporting facilities.
MUMBAI INDIANS LIFTED ITS FIRST IPL TROPHY
In the final match of Indian Premier League 2013, Rohit Sharma led Mumbai Indians defeated
Chennai Super Kings by 23 runs to lift the title for the very first time at Eden Gardens on 26 May
2013.
Mumbai Indians decided to bat first and scored 148 runs

for nine in 20 overs. On the other hand, in a chase of 148
runs, the Chennai Super Kings managed to score just 125
runs for nine in 20 overs. This was the first IPL trophy for
Mumbai Indians. Earlier they had lost in the finals to the
Chennai Super Kings in 2010. Chennai Super Kings, now
have lost three times in the final, i.e., in the year 2008,
2012 and 2013.
In the final match between MI and CSK on 26 May 2013,

MS Dhoni was highest individual scorer of the match (63
not out for 45 balls).
ABOUT MUMBAI INDIANS
Mumbai Indians is the franchise cricket team of Indian Premier League and it represents
the Mumbai city.
MI is one among the eight founding members of IPL in 2008.
MI is owned by Reliance Industries through 100 percent subsidiary IndiaWin Sports.
PREVIOUS IPL WINNERS
IPL Season 1: Rajasthan Royals
IPL Season 2: Deccan Chargers
IPL Season 3: Chennai Super Kings
IPL Season 4: Chennai Super Kings
IPL Season 5: Kolkata Knight Riders
IPL Season 6: Mumbai Indians

Page 183
SACHIN ANNOUNCED RETIREMENT FROM TWENTY20 CRICKET FORMAT
Sachin Tendulkar announced retirement from Twenty20 cricket format on 26 May 2013,
immediately after Mumbai Indians beat Chennai Super Kings to lift the title of Pepsi Indian
Premier League 2013 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. This means that IPL Season 6 was the last IPL
season played by Sachin Tendulkar.
SOME IMPORTANT FACTS
Sachin Tendulkar was the captain of Mumbai Indians

team in 2010.
He has represented this franchise in 86 matches in all

and finished with 2529 runs. These runs include one
century and 14 half-centuries.
Sachin Tendulkar played the last game for Mumbai

against Sunrisers Hyderabad at Wankhede Stadium
on 13 May 2013. He was injured thereafter.
Twenty20 cricket is the second format from which he announced his retirement. Earlier
in December 2012, he had announced retirement from the One-Day Internationals.
He also has the unbroken record of 15837 test runs as well as 18426 ODI runs.
3RD NATIONAL SUB-JUNIOR HOCKEY: ODISHA CLINCHED BOY'S TITLE
Odisha on 27 May 2013 clinched the boys title while Haryana won the girls championship at
the third National Sub-Junior Hockey tournament. Odisha crushed Jharkhand, 8-0 while
Haryana beat Madhya Pradesh, 3-2 in the finals played at Bhopals Aishbagh stadium. The goal
scorers for Haryana were Sonika (3 min), Ritu (35 min) and Navneet Kaur (49 min) while
Karishma (4 min) and Neelu (24 min) scored goals for Madhya Pradesh.
Earlier, Jharkhand defeated Chandigarh 2-1 to claim the third position in women category. In
the men's category Punjab defeated Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy 1-0 in a hard-fought
match to get the third position. Punjab scored the winning in the 30th minute through a penalty
corner converted by Arvinder Singh.
ANANYA WON BRONZE MEDAL IN WORLD SCHOOL CHESS CHAMPSHIP
Nine-year-old Mumbai girl Ananya Gupta claimed a bronze medal in the World School Chess
championship held at Haldikki in Greece. She won seven out of nine games to bag the bronze in
the tournament. It was held from 6 May to 15 May 2013.

Page 184
Ananya created waves by beating the much higher ranked Yvonne Beline of France on way to
finishing third in the competition. Earlier, she clinched gold at the 9th Singapore Chess Festival.
Ananya, had clinched gold at the 9th Singapore Chess Festival earlier. Ananya is a product of
South Mumbai Chess Academy (SMCA).
JAMJANG BAGGED 3 MEDALS IN 15TH AYWC
Jamjang Deru of Arunachal Pradesh, India won three medals including two golds and one
silver, on 28 May 2013, the opening day of 15th Asian Youth Weightlifting Championships
(AYWC) in Doha. He won the medals in the boy's 50kg category.
Jamjang Deru won silver with 87 kg and bagged gold with 113 kg lift. Finally, he signed off with
the gold with a total of 200 kg.
It is worth noticing that Jamjang Deru had also secured a fourth position at the IWF Youth
World Championships at Tashkent in April 2013 with an overall lift of 195 kilograms. These were
the 15th Asian Youth Weightlifting Championships.
AKSHAY B. GAIKWAD WON 3 GOLD MEDALS IN 15TH AYWC
Akshay B. Gaikwad won three gold medals on second day of 15th Asian Youth Weightlifting
Championships in Doha. On the other hand, Lalu Taku won silver as well as two bronze in the
championships.
In the 15th Asian Youth Weightlifting Championships, India now has a total of eight gold, five
silver as well as four bronze medals overall. Akshay B. Gaikwad won the gold each in snatch and
clean and jerk (C&J) with 109kg and 135kg respectively and got the first position overall in 62 kg
category. Lalu Taku won silver in snatch and also a bronze in clean and jerk (C&J) and
completed with a total of 242 kg, which fetched him another bronze.
In 44 kg girls category, Chandrika Tarafdar got the first position with a total of 131kg in two
lifts. Earlier, TBC Lalchhanhima (56kg) won bronze with overall lifts of 90 kg and 130kg.
SPORTS CURRENT AFFAIRS QUIZZES

1. Which Switzerland based Tennis Player defeated Spains David Ferrer in the final match
to win ATP World Tour, Portugal Open 2013 title at Oeiras on 5 May 2013.
a) Andy Murray
b) Novak Djokovic
c) Rafael Nadal
d) Stanislas Wawrinka

Page 185
Answer (d) Stanislas Wawrinka
2. Name the Manchester United Manager who announced his retirement on 8 May 2013
putting an end to his 26 years journey as the in-charge of Manchester United.
a) Alex Ferguson
b) Ron Atkinson
c) Dave Sexton
d) Matt Busby
Answer (a) Alex Ferguson
3. Name the captain of Aston Villa who retired from football in May 2013 at the age of 33
years as he was diagnosed with leukaemia.
a) Ron Vlaar
b) Brad Guzan
c) Christian Benteke
d) Stiliyan Petrov
Answer (d) Stiliyan Petrov
4. Which of the Following is correctly matched with reference to the Number of silver and
bronze medal won by India in the 19th Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships
that concluded in New Delhi?
a) 3 Silver and 5 Bronze
b) 7 Silver and 4 Bronze
c) 2 Silver and 7 Bronze
d) 6 Silver and 7 Bronze
Answer (c) 2 Silver and 7 Bronze
5. Name the International tennis Player who had won Mens Singles Trophy in the Madrid
Open 2013.
a) Stanislas Wawrinka
b) Rafael Nadal
c) Andy Murray

Page 186
d) Novak Djokovic
Answer (b) Rafael Nadal
6. Name the three cricketers who were arrested by the special cell of Delhi on the alleged
spot fixing charges during the sixth edition of Indian Premier League?
a) Shreesanth, Ajit Chadila and Ankeet Chavan
b) Shreesanth, Ajit Chadila and Ajinkya Rahane
c) Shreesanth, Ajinkya Rahane and Ankeet Chavan
d) Shreesanth, Mohit Khurana and Ankeet Chavan
Answer. (a) Shreesanth, Ajit Chadila and Ankeet Chavan
7. Name the IPL team from which the three cricketers Shreesanth, Ajit Chadila and Ankeet
Chavan arrested by Special Cell of Delhi Police belong?
a) Kings XI Punjab
b) Delhi Daredevils
c) Rajasthan Royals
d) Chennai Super Kings
Answer. (c) Rajasthan Royals
8. Name the place, where the meet between International Olympic Committee (IOC) and
Indian Olympic Association (IOA) was held to identify the principle on a roadmap to
bring India back in the Olympic Fold?
a) New Delhi
b) Geneva
c) Lausanne
d) Kiruna
Answer. (b) Lausanne
9. Which Cricketer from England was named the England cricketer-of-the-year for 2012-13,
in an acknowledgement of the Sussex wicket-keeper's consistency with both bat and
gloves?
a) Matt Prior
b) Alastair Cook

Page 187
c) Stuart Board
d) James Anderson
Answer (a) Matt Prior
10. Name the Legendary Footballer and Former England captain who on 16 May 2013
announced his retirement from professional football and gave an end to his illustrious
career of more than two decades.
a) Ashley Cole
b) Wayne Rooney
c) Steven Gerrad
d) David Beckham
Answer (d) David Beckham
STATE
PRESIDENT INAUGURATED 14 MEGA WATT SOLAR POWER PROJECT
The President of India, Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the

14 mega watt Solar Power project at Deoghar in Jharkhand
on 30 April 2013. Along with the inauguration of this solar
power project, the President also laid Foundation Stones for
Pilgrim Queue Complex and Deoghar Basukinath 44 kilo
metre Solar Street Light Project.
The initiatives taken in Deoghar will help in the overall

growth of Deoghar along with helping in establishing the
high standards for pilgrimage management. The initiative was taken by the government
authorities and local MPs in order to establish the high technology solar lighting project.

Page 188
TN GOVT ANNOUNCED 9 CRORE GRANT TO JEEVAN FOR STEM CELL

STORAGE
The Government of Tamil Nadu on 30 April 2013 allotted a grant of 9 crore Rupees to the Public
Cord Blood Bank established by the Jeevan Blood Bank and Research Centre in Chennai. The
grant was allotted to process and store about 3000 cord blood donations from Tamil Nadu. The
allotted money is supposed to be disbursed in a span of over three years.
ADVANTAGE OF THE GRANT
It will be a major boost to public cord blood banking in India; as the area can flourish
only with government patronage.
It is important here to note that the Umbilical cord blood, which is discarded after
childbirth, is one of the richest sources of blood forming stem cells and is being used
across the world for over two decades for the treatment of blood cancers, Thalassemia
and blood disorders.
But for this the HLA (Human Leucocyte Antigen) matching of the donor and the recipient is
critical for the successful transplant of stem cells. It usually depends on the background of the
patient and donor. In the nonappearance of an Indian inventory, the chances of an Indian
finding a match is less than 10 per cent across the world. If anyone is lucky enough to find a
match elsewhere, it will cost the patient close to 20 lakh Rupees to import it.
PUNJAB INCREASED MINIMUM WAGES ON THE EVE OF LABOURS DAY
The Punjab government on 1 May 2013 announced to increase the minimum wages of
unskilled, semi-skilled and skilled workers with effect from 1 March 2013.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE REVISED WAGES
The wages of unskilled labourers like chowkidaar, peon, and helpers have been revised
from 5200 to 5695 Rupees per month.
The wages of semi-skilled workers have been revised from 5980 to 6475 Rupees per
month.
The skilled worker like black smith and electrician having five year experience on un-
skilled post will get minimum 7372 Rupees per month instead of 6877 Rupees.
Wages of high-skilled like graduate, technical degree holder, truck driver has been
revised from 7909 to 8404 Rupees.

Page 189
The wages of category-A staff like post graduate, MBA has been revised from 10370 to
10865 Rupees.
Category-B Staff like graduate has been revised from 8700 to 9195 Rupees
Category-C staff like under-graduate has been revised from 7200 to 7695 Rupees
Category-D staff like matriculate has been revised from 6000 Rupees to 6495 Rupees
per month.
It is Important here to note that the Punjab Government is all set to build labour sheds
and night shelters in different parts of the state for the construction workers with the
cost of 10 crore Rupees in the financial year 2013-14.
DELHI GOVERNMENT DECIDED TO HIKE AUTO FARES BY 25 PERCENT
The Delhi government on 1 May 2013 decided to hike auto fares by 25 per cent in the national
capital. The new rate came into effect from 2 May 2013. Now passengers will have to pay 25
rupees instead of the existing 19 rupees for the first two kilometers and further per kilometer
they will have to pay eight rupees in place of the existing 6.5 rupees.
The fare of non AC taxi will increase from 11 rupee to 14 rupees per kilometer rate for AC taxis
will be 16 rupees a kilometer instead of 13 rupees a kilometer. There is no change in the
waiting charges.
HARYANA HIKED DA RATE FROM EXISTING 72 PERCENT TO 80 PERCENT
Haryana government on 2 May 2013 announced an increase in rate of dearness allowance (DA)
payable to state government employees from 72 percent at present to 80 percent. The revised
DA will be given in cash with effect from 1 January 2013.
The 8 Percent increase was made in dearness allowance of Haryana government employees on
the pattern of Central government employees. The hike in DA will put an annual burden of Rs
420 crore on state exchequer.
ANDHRA STATE GOVERNMENT SET UP STATE SECURITY COMMISSION
Andhra Pradesh State Government on 4 May 2013 set up the State Security Commission under
the chairmanship of the state Home Minister. The Six-Member Commission has been set up
following the Supreme Courts directions for efficient, transparent and accountable
performance of police system.
Chief Secretary to the state Government, Principle Secretary in Home department, Law
Secretary and a retired High Court Judge will be members of the commission. The Director
General of Police will be the Convener and Secretary of the commission.

Page 190
The commission will advice the state Government on broad policy guidelines pertaining to
effective policing and will assist it in identifying organizational goals for preventive tasks. It will
also recommend the Government on strategic and perspective plans for police.
KASHMIR FESTIVAL 2013 FOR TOURISM PROMOTION IN KASHMIR
The Union Minister of Tourism K. Chiranjeevi on 4 May 2013 announced major initiative for the
promotion of tourism in Kashmir Valley, in the form of Kashmir Festival 2013 which will be held
for a fortnight from 13 May 2013 to 29 May 2013. The festival will be held at different places in
Jammu & Kashmir.
MAJOR FEATURES OF THE KASHMIR FESTIVAL 2013
The Union Minister of Tourism announced that financial support will be provided for the
Kashmir Festival 2013.
The festival will take place at various places such as Sonmarg, Lolab Valley, Gulmarg,
Doodhpathri, Manasbal, Yousmarg, Pahalgam and Srinagar.
The festival will involve various activities such as Horse Races, Swimming Competition,
Painting, Para Gliding, River Rafting, Canoeing, Cycle Races and Shikara Races.
The Kashmir Festival 2013 will put forward culture of Jammu & Kashmir through
performances by the cultural troupes of the State.
In order to make the festival a huge success, the Ministry of Tourism also planned to coordinate
with the other ministries such as Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Civil Aviation for
outlining the concessional fares / tour package, Ministry of Culture for organizing cultural
events through different cultural troupes and Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports for
undertaking sports activities such as Boat Race and other adventure sports like paragliding,
horse race etc.
The local service providers like guest house owners such as Boats of Kashmir Division as well as
hoteliers have started offering 20-30 percent discounts for the tourists as well as tour packages
for the festival.
TAMIL NADU GOVERNMENT DECIDED TO SET UP PROPERTY TAX BOARD
The Tamil Nadu government in month of May 2013 decided to set up a property tax board in
order to enable an independent and transparent process to assess the property tax levied on
land and buildings.
A bill on Property tax board was introduced in the assembly by Tamil Nadu Minister for
Municipal Administration K.P. Munusamy that provides for the establishment of the board.

Page 191
So, once the bill is enacted, the Tamil Nadu State Property Tax Board Act, 2013, will provide for
creation of the board in line with the recommendations of the 13th Finance Commission.
FUNCTION THE PROPERTY TAX BOARD WILL PERFORM
It will access the performance grants of local bodies recommended by the Finance
Commission.
Every property under each municipality and municipal corporation will be enumerated
and the property tax board will assist the urban local bodies formulate systems and
procedures for assessing and regularly revising the property tax.
HARYANA GOVERNMENT ISSUED SHIKSHA SETU CARDS TO STUDENTS
State Government of Haryana on 5 May 2013 issued Shiksha Setu Cards for Government
Schools to keep students and teachers updated about the performance of students.
The Shiksha Setu Cards are issued for ensuring individual attention over every student as this
will help to impart quality education to students in Government schools. These cards will act as
the report cards for the students. This can be considered as a state Governments step towards
effective implementation of the Section 134 A of the Right to Education Act, which envisages
for admission of children belonging to poor and needy families in private schools.
PLANNING COMMISSION FINALIZED HARYANA ANNUAL PLAN 2013-14
The annual plan of 27,072 crore rupees for Haryana for the financial year 2013-14 was finalized
on 6 May 2013 by the Planning Commission of India at New Delhi. Deputy Chairman of Planning
Commission, Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Chief Minister of Haryana, Bhupinder Singh Hooda
together finalized the plan.
The GDP growth rate and per-capita income of the state during the 11th Plan was among the
highest in the country. The state needs to pay more
attention to make the growth more inclusive.
The innovative steps to improve the achievements of the

state in sectors like education, health and infrastructure
development were commendable. The state need to
concentrate towards agricultural promotion as focus is
needed in terms of horticulture in the states. The state also
needs to develop storage capacities of the produce which
includes cold storages. Modern agricultural practices should
be adopted to enhance productivity waking efficient use of
water available with the state.

Page 192
The state showcased the lowest sex ration at 877 females for every 1000 males. This is even
short from the national average of 940. The state has seen an improvement of 11 points in
terms of Child Sex Ratio (0-6 years) from 2001 in 2011, but remains lowest in the country with
830 points. To control the situation and to empower girl and women the state government has
implemented Ladli Scheme but it needs to do more to change the real picture. Khap
Panchayats violence towards women and girl child also drew the attention.
STATES FOCUS FOR 12TH PLAN
First priority will be the development of Social Service Sector
Second highest priority has been accorded to the development of infrastructure of

irrigation, power, roads & road transport and projects under the economic stimulus
package
Health
Universal access to school with increased access to higher education
The state has planned to lay special attention on the needs of the Scheduled Castes,
Backward Classes, minorities, women and children
J&K GOVT. DECIDED TO SET UP J&K MEDICAL SUPPLIES CORPORATION
The State Government of Jammu and Kashmir on 6 May 2013 decided to set up the J&K
Medical Supplies Corporation. The decision was made to do away the existing purchase
committee in place for procurement of drugs in the state run hospitals.
The decision was made in a high level meeting chaired by the Chief Minister of State, Omar
Abudullah at Srinagar. At present the Government has decided that the Corporation will
function on the pattern of the Tamil Nadu Corporation. Chief Minister of the state will be the
Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Corporation.
SUPPORT MEASURES OF 985 CRORE ALLOCATED TO TAMIL NADU
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa in May 2013 announced a series of support measures
covering a range of crops. Amongst the programmes announced is 275-crore Rupees
sustainable sugarcane initiative covering 50000 acres to be implemented through sugar mills.
The initiative basically involves increasing yields by changes in cultivation practices including
raising a sugarcane nursery and transplanting them, along the lines of paddy crop, with
adequate spacing, and using optimal quantities of water and fertilisers.
DIFFERENT SUPPORT MEASURE THAT WERE ANNOUNCED

Page 193
A measure which includes a 114-crore Rupees programme was announced to make

Tamil Nadu self-sufficient in food grains production. Scientists, farmers and extension
workers will be brought together to bring down the yield gap the difference in crop
yields observed at the laboratory level and field level in crops.
Three programmes focussed on paddy, coarse grains and pulses will be formulated.
Over 55.60 crore Rupees has been earmarked for drip irrigation equipment for tur dal
crop over an area of 10000 acres. The total area under tur dal under this programme
will be 50000 acres.
The State Government has also set aside 23.60 crore Rupees to establish marketing
centres for coconuts in Coimbatore district, bananas in Tirunelveli, and improve
approach roads in 10 regulated marketing yards and establish regulated marketing yards
in Bodinayakanur and Mudukalathur.
The SPV will be created under the Horticulture Department with equity of 1 crore
rupees.
Infrastructure for this facility will be set up at a cost of 112 crore, Rupees Farm
machinery.
The Government is now implementing a project to create 55000 farm ponds in the
Cauvery delta districts to augment ground water supply.
The Agricultural Engineering Department will buy 700 rain guns and mobile sprinklers at
a cost of 57 crore Rupees and rent them out at low cost to farmers in the Delta districts.
This will help them to efficiently use water from the farm ponds.
The Government also plans to bring under cultivation over 12500 acres of fallow lands.
It has earmarked a back-ended subsidy of 4000 Rupees an acre and will provide inputs
at a subsidised cost.
To increase the yield of horticulture crops and improve marketing, 186.46 crore Rupees
will be sanctioned to create a modern, hub-and-spoke model.
The Chief Minister also announced plans for a special purpose vehicle (SPV) with 100-
crore Rupees interest free revolving fund to supply quality inputs to farmers.
The State Government has also earmarked 124.70 crore Rupees to supply farm
machinery at subsidized prices.
CONGRESS WON IN KARNATAKA ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS 2013
Karnataka Elections: Congress Secured 121 seats of the 223 Seats to emerge as winner.

Page 194
Congress on 8 May 2013 won 121 seats of the 223 seats on which polls were contested in
Karnataka Assembly Elections 2013, the elections were held on 5 May 2013. Congress returned
back to power after seven years in the state. The party of opposition BJP and Janta-Dal secular
managed to win 40 seats each.
RESULTS OF KARNATAKA ELECTIONS: STATUS KNOWN FOR 223 OF 224

CONSTITUENCIES
Congress - won 121
BJP - won 40
Janata Dal (Secular) - won 40
Samajwadi Party - won 1
KJP 6
Others - won 15
Parties like Karnataka Janatha Party of BS Yeddyurappa and the BSR Congress of B Sriramulu
were reduced to single digits in context of seats. Whereas, Samajwadi party managed to secure
Chennapatna seat and opened its account for the first time in the state.
The major setbacks of the election were the defeat of defeat of former State President of BJP K
S Eshwarappa and Karnataka State Congress President G Parameshwar. After the results were
declared, Chief Minister Jagadish Shetter submitted his resignation to the Governor of the state
following the defeat of his party in the state.
In 2008, BJP came to power in the state for the first time after winning 110 seats against
congress 80 seats and JDs 28 in the 224 member house. Polling was held on 223 seats in the
state. Date for polls in the Periyapatna in Mysore district was postponed to 28 May 2013
following death of a BJP candidate Sannagoge Gowda on 1 May 2013.
Removal of BS Yeddyurappa from the Chief Minister's post and his decision to form his own
party were identified as the two major reasons for the huge defeat suffered by BJP in
Karnataka, considered to be a gateway to South India for BJP.
GOVT OF TAMIL NADU BANNED PAN MASALA, GUTKA IN THE STATE
The Tamil Nadu Government in the month of May 2013 had banned the production,
possession, distribution and sale of tobacco products such as pan masala and gutka in the State.
It is worth mentioning here that in some states, which include Kerala and Andhra Pradesh,
there is already a ban on the sale of pan masala and gutka.

Page 195
Making its own motion statement in the Assembly on 8 May 2013 Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
J. Jayalalithaa denoted to the Supreme Courts remarks in a case pending before it, looking for
to know the action taken by state governments in controlling the usage of tobacco and
announced the governments decision.
J. Jayalalithaa had also mentioned to her Governments notification on 19 November 2011, to

ban the use of tobacco under the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954, for five years, on
which the Supreme Court ruled that the Centre alone had the powers to issue such
notifications.
The Government had constituted a separate department Tamil Nadu Food Safety and Medical
Administration, after the Centre announced the Food Safety and Standards Act.
DDA CLEARED 26 NEW AREAS FOR DEVELOPMENT
The Delhi development authority on 8 May 2013 had declared Twenty-six villages as
development areas which are identified as low density residential areas under the farmhouse
policy.
A resolution in this regard was passed at a DDA meeting. Now, the DDA will be responsible for
regularisation of farmhouses and providing of civic amenities in these low density residential
areas.
It is being considered as a necessary step to ensure overall integrated development of
urbanisable area under the recently approved land pooling policy and also the planned
development of low density areas like farmhouses, country homes, etc, to declare villages
identified as low density residential areas as development areas of DDA.
The DDA has drawn up a list of 26 villages for development under a policy that seeks to
regularise farmhouses built before 2 February, 2007, including built-up area beyond permissible
limits, by levying penalty charges.
The funds that will be collected through levy for regularisation of existing farmhouses are
supposed to be shared by DDA and MCD as per modalities decided by the Centre.
Also, In another development, there is plan of providing more floor area ratio (FAR) to the city
hospitals based on the width of the right of way of the road outside and subject to no-
objection certificates from agencies concerned.
LAND POOLING POLICY IN MASTER PLAN DELHI 2021 APPROVED
The modification regarding Land Pooling Policy in Master Plan Delhi 2021 (MPD-2021) was
approved by the Ministry of Urban development on 18 April 2013. The Policy envisages 40
percent land will be kept with DDA for land parcels above 20 Hectare and 60 percent for land
parcels below 20 Hectare. The Development Fee as decided under the Policy shall be payable
by the Land owner.

Page 196
MPD 2021, provides a comprehensive policy to meet the growing demands of Housing and
Urbanization. DDA is currently engaged in extensive modification of the Master Plan of Delhi -
2001 and is preparing MPD with a perspective up to 2021 to cater to the increasing population
and the changing requirements of the city.
AS A PRELUDE TO PREPARATION OF MPD - 2021, TWELVE SUBGROUPS HAVE

BEEN CONSTITUTED COMPRISING
Experts and Professionals
Eminent Persons
Public Representatives
Concerned Departments
Sectoral Studies
Series of Seminars inviting politicians, administrators, local bodies & RWA's etc.
About 200 Experts are Delibrating on different aspects.
THE SUB-GROUPS ON
Demographic Profile
Regional and Sub-Regional
Shelter
Trade and Commerce
Industry
Physical infrastructure
Traffic and Transportation
Social Infrastructure
Mixed Land Use
Conservation and Urban Renewal
Environment and Pollution
Development Controls

Page 197
STAGES
Public participation through series of seminars and interaction with Residents Welfare
Associations etc
Recommendations of the sub-groups
Central/state government and authority advice - (Guidelines received from GOI -

additional input being publicised for consultation with stakeholders)
Draft plan
Approval of GOI for issue of public notice to invite objections & suggestions
Consideration of objections and suggestions
Final plan
JHARKHAND TO IMPART TECHNICAL TRAINING TO UNEMPLOYED YOUTH
The Government of Jharkhand on 12 May 2013 decided to impart Technical Skill Development
Training to all unemployed youth of the naxal affected areas. This government's decision has
come in the wake of recent success of one such project in Chaibasa where the unemployed
youths of erstwhile naxal affected areas of Saranda were trained in a special institute- Gurukul.
Saryu is one such naxal affected area of Jharkhand and presently, a special development plan
called Saryu Development Plan, is being carried out there.
This area of Latehar and Palamu often faces acute water crisis. The Saryu Development Plan is
designed on the lines of an identical project at Saranda. Here Integrated Watershed
Management Programme is a part of the development plan and its aim is to save the surface
water. With the help of satellite, pictures of catchment area and command area have been
obtained which show the possibilities of management of surface water, something that would
hopefully bring a new phase in the lives of people of this part of Latehar and Palamu.
UP TO ENSURE TIME-BOUND CLEARANCES TO INDUSTRIES
The Uttar Pradesh government on 13 May 2013 announced its decision to frame an exclusive
law to ensure time-bound issuance of clearances to industries. The mandate of the proposed
Uttar Pradesh Industrial Services Guarantee Act includes provisions for delivering notified
services within stipulated time limits and fixing accountability of licensing authorities for the
delay. The imposition of penalty on erring officers has also been proposed.
In the first phase, 14 clearances from seven departments - industries, electrical safety, fire
safety, power, pollution control, labour and factories - will be included under the proposed act.

Page 198
CALCUTTA HC DIRECTED STATE GOVT TO HOLD PANCHAYAT POLLS
The High Court of Calcutta on 14 May 2013 directed the State Government of West Bengal to
conduct the Panchayat Elections in three phases in the state. The division bench of the Calcutta
High Court that comprised Chief Justice Arun Mishra and Justice Joymalya Bagchi directed the
state government to announce full notification in consultation with the State Election
Commissioner within three days.
The High Court in its orders also directed the state government to conclude the poll process by
15 July 2013 and asked it to deploy armed police in each and every hypersensitive and sensitive
polling booth.
Earlier, the West Bengal Government moved to the Division Bench seeking stay on the orders
that was passed by the single bench of the Court by Justice Vishwanath Sammadar to conduct
of Panchayat polls.
PUDUCHERRY GOVERNMENT LAUNCHED DAIRY DEVELOPMENT SCHEME
The Puducherry administration in Month of May 2013 launched a central government-

sponsored scheme to promote dairy activities and to enhance socio-economic status of the
farmers in the Union Territory.
Under the Rashtriya Kisan Yojana Scheme 400 beneficiaries have been selected in the first
phase of which 27 have been extended a subsidy of 50000 Rupees each running to a total of
13.5 lakh Rupees. However, the rest would be sanctioned the amount in the next phase.
The scheme ideates distribution of 50 per cent subsidy for each farmer starting dairy projects.
As per the scheme, each farmer is supposed to get 50000 Rupees to launch a mini-dairy project
with three milch cows. This subsidy is meant to enable the farmers to purchase milch animals
and meet part of the expenditure to raise infrastructure for cow shed.
The Government has also formulated a separate scheme to assist farmers living below poverty
line and initially 47 farmers would be extended a total subsidy of 12500 each as 50 per cent
subsidy for purchasing a milch cow.
The efforts were made to ensure improved milk production in Puducherry as there is a coiling
demand for milk from different sectors.
TN DECIDED TO IMPLEMENT COASTAL DISASTER RISK REDUCTION

PROJECT
The Tamil Nadu Government in the month of May 2013 decided to implement a 1481 crore
Rupees Coastal Disaster Risk Reduction Project with financial assistance from the World Bank.

Page 199
As per the Chief Minister, J. Jayalalithaa, 121 Coastal Safety Centres, roads up to 50 km to these
centres and 439 warning systems is supposed to be facilitated under this project. The Project
would be managed by Tamil Nadu Disaster Management Authority, with the necessary
infrastructure facilities that would be created for the Authority.
The Government also has decided to make underground electric line in the Coastals district of
Cuddalore and Nagapattinam to reduce loss during natural disasters. As per the TN
government, the work would be started by the end of year and is supposed to be completed in
the next five years.
BIHAR PLAN FOR 2013-14 FINALIZED AT 34000 CRORE RUPEES
The Annual Plan for the year 2013-14 for Bihar was finalized in New Delhi on 15 May 2013 at a
meeting between Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Chief
Minister of Bihar, Sh. Nitish Kumar. The plan size was
agreed at 34000 crore rupees. In the total proposed outlay
of 34000 crore rupees for Annual Plan 2013-14, the share
of agriculture sector has been enhanced to 9.99 percent
while that of social services has been enhanced from 36.5
percent in 2012-13 to 40.59 percent in the annual plan
proposal for 2013-14.
Bihar has introduced Mission Manav Vikas in its plan

programme which would help in monitoring human
development index in the State through 20 monitorable
targets. Bihar was growing at a slower rate than the
country for decades till around 2001-02. However, the State picked up the pace of growth in
the recent past and has been doing very well in terms of growth performance in the last few
years. It was one of the best performers in terms of growth during 2002-03 to 2008-09 second
only to Gujarat. The Gross Domestic Product of the State (during 2004-2005 to 2012-13)
increased from 77781 crore rupees in 2004-05 to 157957 crore rupees in 2012-13 at the
constant (2004-2005) prices.
The per capita Net State Domestic Product (NSDP) at constant (2004-2005) prices also
increased from 7914 rupees in 2004-2005 to 14268 rupees in 2012-13. Per Capita NSDP of Bihar
has remained significantly lower than the per capita NSDP at all India level. The States per
capita NSDP has however increased by 84.13 percent from 7749 rupees in 2005-06 to 14268
rupees in 2012-13 compared to an increase of 50.5 percent in per capita NSDP at the national
level during the same period. The Bihars per capita NSDP is still 36.45 percent of the all India
per capita NDP in 2012-13.
The literacy level of the state has improved to 63.82 percent in 2011 from 47.53 percent a
decade ago, but is still lower than the 74.04 percent literacy rate achieved at all India level.
However, female literacy rate is a cause of concern as the male literacy in Bihar is 73.39 percent
and female literacy is 53.33 percent compared to the national literacy level of 82.14 percent for

Page 200
males and 65.46 percent for females in 2011. The Commission pointed that the Accelerated
Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) is being revamped so that the gap between potential
created and potential utilised in the irrigation sector is reduced substantially.
PLANNING COMMISSION FINALIZED ANNUAL PLAN FOR MAHARASHTRA
The Annual Plan for the financial year 2013-14 of 49000 crore rupees was finalized for
Maharashtra on 16 May 2013 by the Planning Commission of India (PCI). Deputy Chairman of
Planning Commission, Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Prithviraj
Chavan together finalized the plan. In addition to this the PSE plan at 31500 crore rupees was
also fixed during the meeting making an aggregate plan of 80500 crore rupees.
The planning commission praised Maharashtra government for making appreciable efforts to
reduce poverty in the state as the poverty ratio of the state registered a decline of 13.7 percent
point to 24.5 percent in 2009-10 when compared from
2004-05. The commission also suggested the state to make
efforts on its way to reduce head-count ratio of
consumption poverty by 10 percent points, by the end of
12th five year plan.
During the 11th Five Year Plan, the state achieved an

average GSDP growth rate of 8.6 percent against the
targeted 9.1 despite of the global slowdown. In 2011-12,
the per capita NSDP of Maharashtra was recorded at 64951
rupees, which stood ahead of the per capita NSDP of
Haryana that was 62825 rupees and Tamil Nadu that was
54550 rupees.
During the 11th five year plan Industry Sector it achieved a growth rate of 8.1 percent against
the target of 8.0 percent and was higher than the growth rate achieved by the country at 7.2
percent.
In the health sector, the IMR, IMMR, child malnutrition and anaemia among women in
Maharashtra are less than the national average with IMR and IMMR in the State is 25 (SRS,
2011) and the 104 (SRS, 2007-09) respectively and in rural area the IMR (30) and urban IMR
(17).
Maharashtra is looking forward to make concerted efforts towards improvement of literacy

rate and elimination of the gender and social gap in school enrolment by the end of 12th Five
Year Plan. The state also laid attention towards the large gender gap in literacy rate of 14.34
percentage point with literacy rate of male at 89.92 percent and female 75.48 percent.
In the 12th Plan period, the State Government announced that drought proofing, balanced
industrial growth along with infrastructure development would be given priority. Social sector
would continue to get priority and investment from private sector would be encouraged.

Page 201
As part of decentralised planning decided to reserve 50 per cent of elected seats in the District
Planning Committees for woman and to strengthen the district level plan, the State
Government has proposed an allocation of 5,200 crore rupees in the District Plan.
ANDHRA GOVT ALLOCATED 500 CRORE FOR AGRICULTURE LOANS

The AP State government in the Month of May 2013 announced that it had allocated 500 crore
Rupees in the 2013-14 budget to meet the expenditure under interest free agricultural loans.
The AP government has been implementing this scheme for years to save farmers from interest
burdens on agricultural loans.
As per the Finance Minister of Andhra Pradesh Anam Ramnarayana Reddy, any farmer who
repays his agricultural loan within a period of 12 months is eligible for the interest free
agricultural loan scheme under which the government has already disbursed 140 crore Rupees.
The State Government had released 1662 crore Rupees to clear dues under the input subsidy
scheme to drought-hit tehsils of the state, besides another 428 crore Rupees released as input
subsidy to cyclone affected areas. It is worth mentioning that the dues to farmers would be
paid directly to their accounts and requested farmers to open no-frills accounts in any
commercial bank convenient to them.
KERALA AND HIMACHAL ANNOUNCED COOPERATION
Kerala and Himachal Pradesh on 18 May 2013 announced that they would share information
about feasible models and best practices to strengthen implementation of their rural
development projects. Kerala's Panchayats and Social Welfare Ministry shared details about
local self governance in the state, community farming and the Kudumbashree programme with
Himachal Pradesh. A larger ministerial team from Himachal is likely to visit Kerala to assess the
progress made in the state in the sector of social security.
A delegation from Kerala will pay a visit to Himachal Pradesh to study development projects for
tribal communities there and to replicate that in their state.
ADB PROVIDED 110-M DOLLARS LOAN TO JAMMU &KASHMIR
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Month of May 2013 has provided a 110-million Dollars
loan to Jammu and Kashmir in order to help in improving urban services, including water
supply.
As per Asian Development bank, more than two million people in the two cities are supposed to
be benefitted from improved access to water supply, functional drainage systems and better
road facilities.

Page 202
The second portion of the loan under the Jammu and Kashmir Urban Sector Development
Investment Programme will help develop infrastructure for solid waste management, drainage
and transport in Jammu and Srinagar.
SOME POINTS TO REMEMBER
The Centre will provide counterpart funds of 71 million Dollars for a total project
investment cost of 181 million under this tranche. The ADB loan has a 25-year term
including a grace period of five years.
The project will support the State to increase average water supply in Jammu from 90
litres per day per capita to 135 litres per day per capita through rehabilitation and
improvement of infrastructure.
It will also support to reduce inner city traffic congestions, resulting in positive economic
impacts.
Mumbai Recorded 44 percent Rise in Abortion Cases in 2012
A data released by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) reported that Mumbai
witnessed a rise of 44 percent in the number of abortions in the year 2012 with 28455
abortions. The released data was a compilation of data received by various private and public
hospitals and nursing homes in 2012.
In 2011, Mumbai witnessed 19701 cases of registered abortions in the year. Bhandup that
recorded 2603 cases in 2012 and turned up to be the abortion capital of the year. Bhandup was
followed by Chembur with 2509 abortions and Andheri East that reported 2489 cases of
abortion cases.
As per the experts, the abortions couldnt be linked with the sex-determination tests as
maximum of the abortions took place in first trimester, the period when it is not possible to
detect the sex of the fetus. The sudden increase in the number is the reason of the better
reporting of data by hospitals that is also supported due to computerization. The report is being
considered as an accurate one because of the stringent follow-up of the Pre-Conception and
Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Law.
CENSUS 2011: GURGAON HAS LOWEST SEX RATIO IN HARYANA
According to data released by Haryana Census department in Chandigarh for Census 2011,
lowest sex ratio was observed in Gurgaon at 854, Sonipat at 856 and Jhajjar at 862. The highest
sex ratio was registered in Mewat at 907, followed by Fatehabad at 902, as per Census 2011.
Overall sex ratio of Haryana increased from 861 in 2001 to 879 as per the census 2011.
THE MAJOR FACTS RELATED TO CENSUS OF HARYANA

Page 203
As per details from Census 2011, Haryana has population of 2.53 Crore, an increase
from figure of 2.11 Crore in 2001 census. Total population of Haryana as per 2011
census is 25353081 of which male and female are 13505130 and 11847951 respectively.
In 2001, total population was 21144564 in which males were 11363953 while females
were 9780611.
The total population growth in this decade was 19.90 percent while in previous decade
it was 28.06 percent. The population of Haryana forms 2.09 percent of India in 2011. In
2001, the figure was 2.06 percent.
Literacy rate in Haryana has seen upward trend and is 76.64 percent as per 2011
population census. Of that, male literacy stands at 85.38 percent while female literacy is
at 66.77 percent. In 2001, literacy rate in Haryana stood at 67.91 percent of which male
and female were 76.10 percent and 59.61 percent literate respectively.
In actual numbers, total literates in Haryana stands at 16904324 of which males were
9991838 and females were 6912486.
Total area of Haryana is 44212 sq. km. Population Density of Haryana is 573 person per
sq km which is higher than national average 382 per sq km. In 2001, density of Haryana
was 478 person per sq km, while nation average in 2001 was 324 person per sq km.
Sex Ratio in Haryana is 877 i.e. for each 1000 male, which is below national average of
940 as per census 2011. In 2001, the sex ratio of female was 861 per 1000 males in
Haryana.
Out of total population of Haryana, 34.79 percent people live in urban regions. The total
figure of population living in urban areas is 8821588 of which 4714094 are males and
while remaining 4107494 are females. The urban population in the last 10 years has
increased by 44.25 percent.
Sex Ratio in urban regions of Haryana was 871 females per 1000 males. For child (0-6)
sex ratio the figure for urban region stood at 829 girls per 1000 boys. Total children (0-6
age) living in urban areas of Haryana were 1054823. Of total population in urban region,
11.96 percent were children (0-6).
Average Literacy rate in Haryana for Urban regions was 83.83 percent in which males
were 89.37 percent literate while female literacy stood at 77.51 percent. Total literates
in urban region of Haryana were 6510733.
Of the total population of Haryana state, around 65.21 percent live in the villages of
rural areas. In actual numbers, males and females were 8791036 and 7740457
respectively. Total population of rural areas of Haryana state was 16531493. The
population growth rate recorded for this decade (2001-2011) was 10.00 percent.

Page 204
In rural regions of Haryana state, female sex ratio per 1000 males was 880 while same
for the child (0-6 age) was 831 girls per 1000 boys. In Haryana, 2242901 children (0-6)
live in rural areas. Child population forms 13.57 percent of total rural population.
In rural areas of Haryana, literacy rate for males and female stood at 83.20percent and
60.97 percent. Average literacy rate in Haryana for rural areas was 72.74 percent. Total
literates in rural areas were 10393591.
MP PLAN FOR 2013-14 FINALISED AT 35500 CRORE RUPEES
The Annual Plan for the year 2013-14 for the state of Madhya Pradesh was finalised in New
Delhi on 22 May 2013 at a meeting between Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, Montek
Singh Ahluwalia and Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Shivraj Singh Chouhan. The plan size
has been agreed at 35500 crore rupees.
During the meeting, attention was drawn to strong potential available in both culture and
tourism sectors, the State was advised to focus more on development of projects in these
sectors . It was pointed out that the State continues to lag
behind All India average in most of the Socio-Economic
indicators. There is a widening gap between per capita
income of State (27850 rupees) and the Country (43624
rupees). The State has to take continuous and a concerted
effort to improve its the development indicators. The
Twelfth Five Year Plan, which aims for faster, more inclusive
and sustainable growth, will require continued work in
several areas of development and a change in strategy in
some others.
Madhya Pradesh government sought Planning Commission

support in getting adequate allocation of coal blocks and
coal-linkages, forest clearance for power projects, continuing the present funding pattern of
Central Share in SarvaShikshaAbhiyan (SSA), increasing Central Assistance of Viability Gap Fund
for infrastructure projects.
GOVT SANCTIONED 100 CRORE UNDER UIDSSMT TO DEVELOP MP

Union Urban Development Ministry on 22 May 2013 sanctioned 100 crore rupees under Urban
Infrastructure Development Scheme for Small and Medium Towns-UIDSSMT for development
of small and medium towns of Madhya Pradesh. This scheme aims at improvement in urban
infrastructure in towns and cities in a planned manner.
The ministry also sanctioned 195 rupees crore rupees for the state under Jawaharlal Nehru
National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNRUM).

Page 205
HIMACHAL PRADESH ASSEMBLY CELEBRATED GOLDEN JUBILEE
The Himachal Pradesh assembly celebrated its Golden Jubilee on 24 May 2013. On the
occasion, the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee will become the second president to
address special session of HP assembly in Shimla.
In the year 2004, the former President of India, APJ Abdul Kalam addressed the Himachal
Pradesh assembly but during that time, the session of the state assembly was in progress.
Himachal Pradesh assembly is nestled in the historic building known as Council Chambers. It is
the same place where the central assembly during the British Raj was held as well as
inaugurated by Lord Reading on 27 August 1925. Lord Reading was the then viceroy of India.
The Speaker of the Himachal Pradesh assembly is Brij Bihari Lal Butail. Pranab Mukherjee will
address the special session of the HP state assembly, after which he will go to Indian Institute of
Advanced Studies (IIAS) where Rabindra Nath Tagore centre-cum-museum will be inaugurated.
POLICY TO CHECK EXPLOITATION OF GROUND WATER IN PUNJAB
Punjab government in third week of May 2013 has approved a policy stipulating guidelines for
the release of electric connections for agricultural pump sets in the state for 2013-14 to prevent
exploitation of ground water.
As per the Agriculture Power Tube Wells Policy, Punjab Electricity Regulatory Commission has
prescribed the state government to decide on the number of agricultural pump set connections
to be released each year for reasons of ecology, inadequate ground water potential and
declining water table.
For this a new policy guidelines have been formulated in the backdrop of state governments
ambitious programme of crop diversification.
AIMS AND OBJECTIVE OF POLICY
The policy aims to popularise drip/micro irrigation amongst farmers, especially the
vegetable and fruit growers with a thrust on conservation of water.
Reckless use of ground water has rendered 45 blocks in Punjab as over exploited blocks
as revealed in the latest report of Central Ground Water Authority.
MP GOVERNMENT HIKED DA ALLOWANCE BY EIGHT PERCENT
Madhya Pradesh government in the Month of May 2013 has hiked the dearness allowance of
Employees by eight per which would be effective from 1 January 2013.

Page 206
The hike in dearness allowance was announced by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on 26
May 2013 while laying the foundation stone for several developmental projects worth 27.66
crore Rupees at Budha village in Mandsour district. Subsequent to the revised allowance, the
state employees are now entitled to a total of 80 per cent DA along with their salaries.
PLANNING COMMISSION FINALIZED 2000 CRORE NAGALAND PLAN
The Annual Plan of 2000 crore rupees for the financial year 2013-14 was finalized for Nagaland
on 27 May 2013 by the Planning Commission of India. The plan size was finalized in a meeting
between the Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission, Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Chief
Minister of Nagaland, Neiphiu Rio.
During the 12th Five Year Plan, Nagaland is aimed to focus on development of the agricultural
sector in the state as it carries a good potential of f006Coriculture and horticulture. To
encourage growth of agriculture, the state needs better infrastructure and good connectivity
via roads and in developing a better infrastructure (accelerating road construction), the
planning commission will provide help to the state.
In past few years, the state has performed well and the human development index of the state
indicates that the growth achieved by the state was all inclusive.
ACHIEVEMENT NOTICED BY THE PLANNING COMMISSION
Despite late start, difficult mountainous terrain, backwardness of the area, significant
progress and development has taken place since Statehood.
Satisfactory progress has been made in construction of roads, village connectivity,

primary/middle/high/higher secondary schools, and health facilities
In terms of Social Sector Development the state has male and female literacy rates of
83.29 percent and 76.69 percent as against national average of 82.14 percent and 65.46
percent respectively as per the latest census 2011
Gender gap in literacy is almost 6.60 percent in the State
Overall literacy of Nagaland is 80.11 percent as against the national average of 74.04
percent in 2011 with Dropout Rate (DOR) at elementary level is 45.4 percent which is
higher than the national average of 40.6 percent.
Manufacturing sector of the state grew at 11.84 percent and registered sector grew at a
rate of 34.16 percent. The Construction sector witnessed a growth of 11.38 percent and
is fourth highest contributor at 13.33 percent of the GSDP.
STATES FOCUS DURING 12TH PLAN

Page 207
The Chief Minister of Nagaland, Neiphiu Rio cleared that the state wants to be in tune
with the National Approach.
The state has planned to look forward towards an inclusive economic growth and will
lay an emphasis on Agriculture and allied sector, Power, connectivity including Air,
Surface and Railway, Human Resources Development including Skill Development,
Development of Backward and Under Development Areas and planned Urban centers.
The state has projected a growth rate of 10 percent during the 12th Plan period
Growth forecast in the mining and quarrying sector is projected at 14.53 percent as the
State intends to go in a full way to exploit the mineral resources. During the 11th Plan
period the state achieved a growth rate if 7.44 percent with per capita income of 67430
rupees.
DELHI POLICE ISSUED NOTIFICATION TO CURB SALE OF NH4NO3
Delhi Police issued a notification in the last week of May 2013 declaring a curb on the sale as
well as use of Ammonium Nitrate (NH4NO3). It is important to note that ammonium nitrate
comes under the special category of substances under the Explosive Substances Act.
Delhi Police, in its notification, declared that the traders should apply for the licence by 31 May
2013 in case they want to sell or use the substance. This will be followed by crackdown in order
to identify as well as punish the illegal sellers of ammonium nitrate.
FEATURES OF THE NOTIFICATION ISSUED BY DELHI POLICE
All the traders need to apply for licence latest by 31 May 2013 for legally selling
Ammonium Nitrate.
Clinics, schools, laboratories, colleges as well as hospitals will be allowed to keep only
less than 5 kg of Ammonium Nitrate. However, the area SHO needs to be informed
about this possession of the substance.
In case of violation of this rule, maximum punishment would be life term.
The buyer of Ammonium Nitrate will have to provide his/her identity as well as purpose
of purchasing it. These details will be recorded and cross-checked.
The move was initiated by the additional commissioner of police (licensing) Madhup Tiwari in
light of blasts which took place in Delhi high court as well as Bangalore BJP headquarters where
traces of certain chemicals were found in explosives. In Hyderabad twin blasts in 2007,
Ammonium Nitrate based Neogel 90 was used.
MEGHALAYA PLAN FOR 2013-14 FINALISED AT 4151 CRORE RUPEES

Page 208
The Annual Plan for the year 2013-14 for the state of Meghalaya was finalised on 28 May 2013
at a meeting between Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, Montek Singh Ahluwalia and
Chief Minister of Meghalaya, Mukul Sangma. The plan size has been agreed at 4151 crore
rupees.
The state was advised during the meeting to undertake academic and governance reforms in
the higher education system. Also the details regarding the enrolment in public and private
institutions, investment in private sector and any initiative on PPP mode needs to be provided.
The state may prepare a comprehensive strategic plan indicating the measures and
interventions for development of higher education and consolidation of existing institutions in
the state.
The State Government was suggested by the Planning Commission to take necessary policy
initiatives for further strengthening industry sector. Effort should also be made to fully exploit
immense tourism and art and craft potential. Planning Commission also advised the State
Government to make full use of Science and Technology in improving pace of development.
State should also encourage public private partnership in all sectors of economy. The State
should provide special focus on the integrated water resources management, basin planning,
water quality, monitoring and management.
PUNJAB APPROVED ONLINE LOTTERY SYSTEM TO INCREASE REVENUE
Punjab government on 28 May 2013 gave its approval for starting an online lottery system in
order to increase revenues of the state.
FUNCTIONING OF THE ONLINE LOTTERY SYSTEM
The online lottery system would be conducted, operated and regulated as per
provisions of the Lottery Regulation Act, 1998 and the Punjab State Lotteries Rules,
1998.
The online system ideates offering lottery games through a network of computer
terminals and with some devices that may be approved by the government to be
installed at retail locations.
The terminals would be connected to a main data centre at a central headquarter.
A distributor or a selling agent would be appointed by the government who is supposed

to design procure, install and commission, operate and maintain, promote and market
and carry out other activities to be required for managing the online lottery.
The selection of the distributor or the selling agent would be done through tenders and
a monitoring committee.
MAHARASHTRA APPROVED GRANT FOR MINORITY WELFARE SCHEMES

Page 209
The Maharashtra government on 29 May 2013 approved release of grant for various schemes
of minorities' development. State finance ministry approved 10 crore rupees for improving
infrastructure in schools and 10 crore rupees more for modernisation of madrasa institutions.
An additional 1.5 crore rupees were allocated for police pre-recruitment training scheme and
for increasing the stipend of teachers from 3000 rupees to 5000 rupees under the Marathi
Language Foundation class scheme. 3.5 crore rupees were allotted to provide free bicycles to
girls from the minority community. 3 crore rupees will be allocated for a Haj house at
Aurangabad for the same. 50 crore rupees were also provided for Maulana Azad Financial
Development Corporation.
TRIPURA PLAN FOR 2013-14 FINALISED AT 2500 CRORE RUPEES
The Annual Plan for the year 2013-14 for Tripura was finalised on 29 May 2013 between Deputy
Chairman, Planning Commission, Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Chief Minister of Tripura, Manik
Sarkar. The size of the plan was agreed upon at 2500 crore Rupees.
In the development strategy, the focus has remained on agriculture. Also, with this, the aim
would be early completion of central infrastructure projects being implemented in Tripura.
ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE OF TRIPURA
The Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) at the constant (2004-05) prices of Tripura
increased by 90.84 percent from 2004-05 to 2012-13.
The national GDP increased by 85.21 percent for this period only.
From 2004-05 to 2012-13, the per capita NSDP at constant (2004-05) prices of Tripura
increased by 74.14 percent, higher than the increase in national per capita NNI of 62.13
percent.
PLANNING COMMISSION SUGGESTIONS TO TRIPURA GOVERNMENT
The Tripura Government was advised to adopt investment friendly policies which were
aimed at encouraging private participation in both physical and social infrastructure
development.
Need to focus on health and education was also emphasised.
Tripura was also advised to strengthen the service delivery system with more
accountability and transparency with minimal procedures by making use of information
technology.
Promotion of Dairy production systems was also advised to Tripura Government.

Page 210
Women empowerment should also be focused upon and for that, in order to look after
the welfare of SC/ST and women, a committee was constituted in each Gram Panchayat
which started functioning to impart necessary training to both the officials as well as
elected representatives.
IMPROVEMENTS OF THE STATE
According to the 2011 census, Tripura has male and female literacy at 92.18 percent and
83.15 percent respectively against 82.14 percent and 65.46 percent at the national level
respectively.
The overall literacy is 87.75 percent which is higher than the national literacy rate of
74.04 percent.
Tripura is among those states where Restructured ICDS is rolled out. While initiating the
strengthened and re-structured ICDS, the focus would be on promotion of joyful
learning approach for children 3-6 years of age.
ONE LINERS
The Book Released by Hamid Ansari, the Vice President of India and compiled by Kumar
Deepak Das- An Ardent Patriot Dinesh Goswami
The Parliamentary Speaker who on Parliamentary Speaker who sworn in as Bangladesh

President to replace Zillur Rahman- Abdul Hamid
An IAS officer of the 1979 batch who on 1 May 2013 was appointed as Chief Secretary of
Andhra Pradesh government- Prasanna Kumar Mohanty
The Former President of Pakistan who was imposed with a lifetime ban from contesting
elections- Pervez Musharraf
The communication Satellite successfully launched by China from Xichang Satellite

Launch Center in Sichuan province- Zhongxing-11
The last British member of the Church of North Indias Delhi Brotherhood who passed
away on 30 April 2013- Father Ian Weathrall
The day celebrated as the World Press Freedom Day across the world with a theme safe
to Speak- 3 May 2013
The Indian national and a death row prisoner in the Lahores Kot Lakhpat Jail who died
on 2 May 2013 at the Lahore's Jinnah hospital- Sarabjit Singh
The young Indian biologist who was honoured with the Whitley award, also known as
Green Oscar, in London on 2 May 2013- Aparajita Datta

Page 211
The former tour player and president of ATP since January 2012 who died on 3 May
2013- Brad Drewett
The Person who on 3 May 2013 took over the office of Chief Secretary of Uttarakhand
for second time- Subhash Kumar
The prosecutor who was handling the Mumbai terror attack and Bhutto assassination
case was gunned down in Islamabad- Zulfiqar Ali
Italian Deputy Foreign Minister who was appointed as the special envoy to India to work
out on fair trials for the Italian Marines- Staffan de Mistura
The Prime Minister of Italy who died on 6 May 2013 at Rome after serving as the Italian
Prime Minister seven times between 1972 and 1992- Giulio Andreotti
The first ever national surfing and stand up paddle (SUP) competition of India concluded
at Kovalam beach on 5 May 2013- Spice Coast Open
The Senegalese singer and Finnish composer who were named as the recipients of Polar
Music Prize 2013- Youssou Ndour and Kaija Saariaho
An Indian conglomerate company who created a new Guinness World Record on 6 May
2013 when its 121653 workers sang Indias national anthem in Lucknow- Sahara India
Pariwar
The Pakistani Prisoner who was attacked by an inmate in Kot Bhalwal jail in Jammu died
at the hospital in Chandigarh on 9 May 2013- Sanaullah Ranjay
The person who was appointed as the Head of the World Trade Organisation and will
take the charge of his office from outgoing Pascal Lamy in September 2013- Roberto
Azevedo
The English film director, actor, screenwriter and novelist, who died on 8 May 2013 in
Virginia Water, Surrey following the long illness- Bryan Forbes
The Legendary actor who was presented with the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke award
for life time achievement 10 May 2013- Pran
The leader of the Indian National Congress who on 11 May 2013 was sworn in as the
22nd chief minister of the state of Karnataka- Siddaramaiah
The Deputy Speaker of Madhya Pradesh State Assembly and a senior leader of Congress
Party who died due to cardiac arrest- Harvansh Singh
The renowned Islamic Scholar and recipient of National Communal Harmony Award in
1997, who died on 14 May 2013- Asghar Ali Engineer

Page 212
The acting director of IRS who had resigned amid the criticism over the tax agency's
handling of conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status- Steven Miller
The Person who on 16 May 2013 appointed as governor of Arunachal Pradesh as the
term of present incumbent Gen (retd) J J Singh ended in January 2013- Nirbhay Sharma
The Saudi woman who made history by reaching the Everest summit- the world's
highest mountain- Raha Moharrak
The place where the 45th Session of the Indian Labour Conference concluded on 18 May
2013- New Delhi
The Person who on 19 May 2013 became the first Pakistani woman to scale Mount
Everest. Samina Baig is 22 years of age- Samina Baig
NASAs Mars Rover which broke the 40-year-old extraterrestrial distance record on 16
May 2013, after 9 long years of Mars exploration- Opportunity rover
The Person who was elected as the Member of Executive Council of WMO during the
65th Executive Council of WMO meeting which is ongoing at Geneva- Laxman Singh
Rathore
NEWS CAPSULE
APPOINTMENTS OF THE MONTH
PK MOHANTY APPOINTED AS CHIEF SECRETARY OF ANDHRA PRADESH
Prasanna Kumar Mohanty, an IAS officer of the 1979 batch on 1 May 2013 was appointed as
Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh government.
He will be succeeding Minnie Mathew who retired on 1 May 2013 after completing a three-
month extension.
BRIEF INSIGHT INTO PRASANA KUMAR MOHANTYS CAREER
Prasana Mohanty obtained his Masters and doctorate degrees from Boston University
and completed his post-doctorate work in Finance Policy and Urban Affairs from the
Harvard.
Prasana Kumar Mohanty has worked in various capacities in different parts of the State.
He was the collector of Guntur, Commissioner of Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation,

and Commissioner and Special Officer of (erstwhile) Municipal Corporation of
Hyderabad.

Page 213
He had also won the Prime Ministers Award for best civic services and it was during his
tenure from 1999 to 2001 that Hyderabad got a facelift as it emerged a metropolis.
He was Joint Secretary and Mission Director in the Union Urban Affairs Ministry in 2006 and
later elevated to become Secretary and Mission Director.
SUBHASH KUMAR APPOINTED AS CHIEF SECRETARY OF UTTARAKHAND
Subhash Kumar, an IAS Officer from 1977 batch on 3 May 2013 took became the Chief
Secretary of Uttarakhand for second time. He has succeeded Alok Kumar Jain in the office. His
first term in the office was from September 2010 to May 2012.
Before being appointed in the office for the second time, Subhash Kumar was the Chairman of
the Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd (UJVNL).
STAFFAN DE MISTURA APPOINTED AS ITALIAN SPECIAL ENVOY TO INDIA
Italy in the 1st week of May 2013 appointed Staffan de Mistura the Deputy Foreign Minister of
Italy as the Special Envoy to India on Marines Issue. His appointment to the post was done by
the Prime Minister of Italy Enrico Letta.
Staffan de Mistura's appointment as the special envoy was done to work out for a fair outcome
of the case against the two Italian Marines facing trial for killing two Indian fishermen on the
coast of Kerela in February 2012. He has been a frequent visitor to India from the Italian side,
since the two marines Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone were arrested in the case.
BRAZIL'S ROBERTO AZEVEDO APPOINTED HEAD OF WTO

Roberto Azevedo from Brazil on 8 May 2013 was named as the head of the World Trade
Organisation (WTO). His appointment to the office came up at the time when the organization
is struggling to identify ways to revive the talks on freeing global commerce and to help poorer
nations in development. He will take charge of his office from Pascal Lamy of France in the
Geneva-based Body in September 2013.
Azevedo is the first Latin American to be appointed as the head of the WTO since it was created
in 1995. The process of electing the WTO Head took a period of about six months. A total of
nine people were competing for the post.
After being into the office, his journey will start with the 9th ministerial in Bali, Indonesia from 3
to 6 December 2013.
ABOUT ROBERTO AZEVEDO

Page 214
Since 2008, the 55 years old, Roberto Azevedo has been serving WTO as the Permanent
Representative of Brazil to WTO and other International Economic Organisation in
Geneva
He was the Deputy Chief of Staff for Economic Affairs to the Foreign Minister from 1995
to 96
He was the head of Dispute Settlement Unit from 2001 to 2005
Director of the Department of Economic Affairs from 2005 to 2006
Vice Minister for Economic and Technological Affairs from 2006 to 2008
ABOUT WTO
WTO was established with the signing of the Marrakesh Agreement/ Marrakesh Declaration at
Marrakesh, Morrocco in 1994. WTO came up as a replacement of the General Agreement on
Tariffs and Trade (GATT). GATT was overseeing the rules of commerce since 1948. GATT
covered trade in goods, whereas WTO deals with trade of inventions, designs and services too.
SRINIVASAN APPOINTED AS CEO OF ANGLOGOLD ASHANTI
Srinivasan Venkatakrishnan, also known as Venkat was on 9 May 2013 appointed as the new
Chief Executive Officer of South Africas AngloGold Ashanti. Venkat has remained with the
Johannesburg headquartered AngloGold Ashanti for nine years. At present, he is the finance
head of the company. Venkat replaced Mark Cutifani who quit in April 2013.
Venkat was the Chief Financial Officer at Ashanti Goldfields. Later, Ashanti Goldfields merged
with the AngloGold Limited in May 2004, which eventually created AngloGold Ashanti. With the
merger of these two companies, Venkat became the CFO of the combined company.
He held Associate Chartered Accountant degree from Universidad Pontificia Comillas de

Madrid. The company announced that he will continue to hold the position of CFO at AngloGold
Ashanti, till notified further.
AngloGold Ashanti is the gold mining company at international level. It has 20 operations on
four continents. The company produced 3.944 million ounces of gold in 2012. In gold income, it
generated 6.35 billion US dollar.
NRI SUNIL CHOPRA ELECTED DEPUTY MAYOR OF A LONDON BOROUGH
A leading NRI in United Kingdom, Sunil Chopra was elected as the Deputy Mayor of a London
Borough. Councillor Sunil Chopra was elected as the Deputy Mayor of Southwark for 2013-14.

Page 215
Delhi-born Chopra, General Secretary of the Indian Overseas Congress, London, is the first and
only Indian-origin elected councillor in London Borough of Southwark Council, which has only
1.5 per cent Indian-origin people.
Sunil Chopra, born and brought up in Delhi before moving to the UK was the first President of
College of Vocational Studies in Delhi. During his University days he was the Vice President of
Youth Congress Delhi and also was president of NSUI, Delhi.
NIRBHAY SHARMA APPOINTED GOVERNOR OF ARUNACHAL PRADESH
Nirbhay Sharma on 16 May 2013 appointed as governor of Arunachal Pradesh as the term of
present incumbent Gen (retd) J J Singh ended in January 2013.
The tenure of 65 year old Nirbha Shrama will come into effect from the day he assumes charge
of his office, a Rashtrapati Bhavan.
A BRIEF INSIGHT INTO CAREER OF NIRBHAYA SHARMA
Nirbhaya Sharma is an MPhil in Defence Studies and Master of Science in Military

Sciences, spent 40 years in the Army before retiring in 2008.
He served eight tenures in Jammu and Kashmir and the north east in various command
assignments beside holding important assignments in Military Operations, Planning,
Crisis Management, Material Management and UN Peace Keeping Missions.
He was appointed as Member of UPSC in May 2008 and after completion of his five year
stint, Sharma is taking over as the governor of Arunachal Pradesh, the third retired Army
officer to do so after Gen Singh and Lt Gen (retd) S K Sinha.
He was heading the Army division when the Uri- Muzaffarabad road was opened and his
men were involved in the construction of 'Aman Setu', a bridge connecting the two sides
of Kashmir.
He was also a part of the Airborne Assault Group, the first Indian Army Unit to enter
Dacca (Dhaka) during 1971 war.
SHASHI KANT SHARMA APPOINTED AS CAG OF INDIA
The President of Indian Union, Pranab Mukherjee on 21 May 2013 appointed Shashi Kant
Sharma as the new Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG)
of India. Shashi Kant Sharma will succeed Vinod Rai who
superannuates on 21 May 2013 after completing tenure of
five and a half years as the Head of the Constitutional
Financial body.

Page 216
His appointment to the post of CAG by the President was made on basis of Article 148 (1) of
the Constitution of India. He will assume the charge to the office of CAG on 23 May 2013 after
administering the oath of the office by the President of India.
ABOUT SHASHI KANT SHARMA
He is the IAS officer of 1976 Bihar Cadre and at present was holding the post of Defence
Secretary in the Ministry of Defence, Government of India.
He holds a Masters degree in Political Science from the University of York
He has served as the Secretary in the Department of Financial Services
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India is appointed for a maximum term of six
years or till he attends the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier.
Earlier, during the tenure of Vinod Rai, CAG came under sharp attacks from the Union
Government of India for its assessment reports of 1.76 lakh crore rupees loss in Allocation of 2G
Spectrum and Public Exchequers Loss at 1.86 Lakh Crore in Coal Blocks Allocation. Tenure of
Vinod Rai to the office of CAG was accused for going beyond its ambit of auditing and analyzing
the policy decisions.
CHANDY WON UN PUBLIC SERVICE AWARD
The Chief Minister of Kerala, Oommen Chandy won United Nation's Public Service Award for
his Mass Contact Programme on 22 May 2013. In the Mass Contact Programme, he engaged
with masses of Kerala to address the grievances.
He was conferred with the first prize from the Asia Pacific region along with other awardees
that are selected on yearly basis from five different zones of the world.
ABOUT UNITED NATION'S PUBLIC SERVICE AWARD
Since the year 2003, United Nations has been awarding people as part of the
programme for Public Service Day that is celebrated
on 23 June.
The United Nation's Public Service Award was

instituted through the UN resolution and are
announced after the three-tier security as well as
meticulous examination.
The candidates who are shortlisted are kept under

examination by the seven-member sub-committee of Committee of Experts in Public
Administration of the United Nations.

Page 217
The UN Public Service Day ceremonies are scheduled to be organised from 24 June 2013 to 27
June 2013 in Bahrain. The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon will confer the awards on the
awardees on 27 June 2013.
MASS CONTACT PROGRAMME OF OOMMEN CHANDY
The Mass Contact Programme was appraised worldwide as the democratic experiment.
The CM of Kerala, Oommen Chandy met a lot of people without intermediaries.
He got up to 5.5 lakh petitions, out of which he resolved approximately 3 lakh petitions
and also distributed financial aid of 22.68 crore Rupees as part of this programme.
The criteria of evaluation included mechanism for increasing the ability of people to receive
information on time, monitor the decision making as well as transparency. Other parameters
included documentation and accountability, procedural as well as fiscal requirement as well as
evidence of the conformity of government.
US SENATE CONFIRMED SRINIVASAN AS TOP US COURT JUDGE
The US Senate on 23 May 2013 approved Srikanth Srinivasan

was as the most senior US Judge of the South Asian descent
to the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia
Circuit. The unanimous approval of Srinivasan gave birth to
speculations that one day he may be tapped for the
Supreme Court.
Srinivasan born in Chandigarh, India and raised in Kansas is

the first justice who has been confirmed to the Washington
court since 2006 a year after Chief Justice John Roberts elevation created a vacancy. The
senate confirmed his name to fill the vacancy created seven years ago by 97 votes in his favour.
ABOUT SRIKANTH SRINIVASAN
He is the Principle Deputy Solicitor General and defends the policies of US President
Barack Obama before the Supreme Court
Earlier he has also worked under the former President, George W. Bush
He is a proud recipient of the Attorney Generals Award for Excellence in Furthering US

National Security in 2003
He also won Office of the Secretary of Defence Award for Excellence in 2005
He is described as a trailblazer by the US President, Obama

Page 218
He is the first India-American to be appointed to the top American Court
His nomination to the post for the first time was made by President, Barack Obama in
June 2012, which was returned back to him on 2 January 2013 due to sine die
adjournment of the senate. Obama re-nominated Srinivasan for the same position on 3
January 2013
In 1989, he received his BA with honours from Stanford University and in 1995 received
his Juris Doctor (JD) in 1995 from Stanford Law School. He was elected to Order of the
Coif and further served as the editor of the Stanford Law Review
SIDDARAMAIAH SWORN-IN AS THE 22ND CM OF KARNATAKA

Siddaramaiah, the leader of the Indian National Congress on 11 May 2013 was sworn in as the
22nd chief minister of the state of Karnataka.
64 years old Siddaramaiah was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor HR
Bhardwaj at Sree Kanteerva stadium.
It is important here to note that Siddaramaiah led the Congress in Karnataka which won 121
seats in the 225-member assembly for which election was held on 5 May 2013 and voted
counted on 8 May. The Congress last ruled the state on its own in 1999-2004. For nearly two
years in 2004-2006, it headed a coalition with Janata Dal-Secular.
A BRIEF INSIGHT INTO THE POLITICAL CAREER OF SIDDARAMAIAH
In year 1992 Siddaramaiah was appointed as Secretary General of Janata Dal.
In Year 1994 became the Minister for Finance in the Janata Dal Government headed by
Deve Gowda.
He served as a Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka twice, first in 1996 when JH Patel
became Chief Minister and again in 2004 when JDS formed a coalition government with
Dharam Singh.
In Chief Minister Ramakrishna Hegde's government, he handled diverse portfolios such

as Sericulture, Animal Husbandry and Transport portfolios during different stages.
LAXMAN SINGH RATHORE ELECTED AS MEMBER OF WMO

Laxman Singh Rathore, the Director General of Meteorology & Permanent Representative of
India with World Meteorological Organization (WMO) was elected as the Member of
Executive Council of WMO during the 65th Executive Council of WMO meeting, which is
ongoing at Geneva.

Page 219
He had served a term as the Vice President of Commission of Agriculture Meteorology of WMO
and was also elected to serve the Executive Council in an individual capacity. The council
includes 37 Heads/Directors/Director Generals of National Meteorological Services and also the
President and three Vice-Presidents who are elected by Congress. Apart from this, the
presidents of the six regional associations are also a part of this council.
WHAT IS THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL OF WMO?
The Executive Council of WMO is an executive body of this organisation. The council meets
yearly to implement the decisions of Congress, coordinate the programmes, examine the
utilization of budgetary resources, consider and take action on recommendations of Regional
Associations and Technical Commissions and guide their work programme, provide technical
information, counsel and assistance in the fields of activity of the Organization and study and
take actions on matters affecting international meteorology and related activities.
KUSHAL SINGH APPOINTED AS THE CHAIRPERSON OF NCPCR
The Ministry of Women and Child Development appointed Kushal Singh as the Chairperson of
National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR). She was selected by the
Committee which was headed by Krishna Tirath, Minister of Women and Child Development.
ABOUT KUSHAL SINGH
Kushal Singh held various high level posts in the Central Government as well as the
Government of Rajasthan.
She was the Chief Secretary of the Government of Rajasthan.
She also held the post of the Chairperson Board of Revenue, Rajasthan Pollution Control
Board and the Commissioner for Disabled Persons, Government of Rajasthan.
Kushal Singh was the Secretary Women and Child Development and Social Welfare,
Principal Secretary for various ministries such as Social Welfare and Tribal Area
Development, Environment and Social Security, Government of Rajasthan.
She has also served as the Senior Directing Staff (Civil Services), National Defence
College, Ministry of Defence.
Apart from this, she has remained the Regional Cement Controller at Bombay for the
Ministry of Textiles, Government of India.
AWARDS IN THE MONTH OF APRIL
MARY NONGKYNRIH WON ISRO YOUNG SCIENTISTS AWARD FOR 2013

Page 220
Jenita Mary Nongkynrih, a young woman scientist from Meghalaya was selected for ISRO
Young Scientist Award 2013 for her urban information system project in the North East. The
award for Jenita Mary Nongkynrih carries a citation and cash of 50000 rupees.
Jenita Mary Nongkynrih is currently working as a scientist at the North Eastern Space
Applications Centre (NESAC), Umiam, Nongkynrih.
APARAJITA DATTA HONOURED WITH THE WHITLEY AWARD 2013
A young Indian biologist, Dr. Aparajita Datta was honoured with the Whitley award, also
known as Green Oscar, in London on 2 May 2013. Aparajita Datta, the Indian wildlife biologist
was conferred with the award by Princess Anne, daughter of Queen Elizabeth, at the Royal
Geographical Society in London for her efforts in order to save the endangered hornbills in
Eastern Himalayas.
Aparajita Datta is the head of the program for conservation of the hornbills in dense tropical
forests of Arunachal Pradesh, at Nature Conservation Foundation. The tropical forests of
Arunachal Pradesh are an abode to five hornbill species. Hornbills are the brightly coloured and
curved-beak birds which are catalyst of seed dispersal; these birds remain endangered for the
beats as well as feathers by a tribal group, known as Lisu.
Aparajita Datta set up the community-based conservation program along with tribal hunters in
order to protect hornbills. The focus of the program was to bring down the poaching activities.
Schools were started by her and the team in order to build the river embankments for checking
soil erosion. The team of Aparajita Datta also focused on marketing the handicrafts of Lisu as
well as development of the nature tourism, which would in turn facilitate Lisu with better
financial gains than poaching.
The Whitley awards are given every year in order to honour exceptional individuals for the
efforts in conservation of nature in the developing countries. Aparajit Datta won the award
along with eighth other conservationists who belonged to different countries. They shared the
prize money worth 295000 pounds.
JAGRAN GROUP BAGGED THREE AWARDS AT INMA AWARDS CEREMONY
Jagran group bagged three awards in three different categories at the International News
Media Marketing Association (INMA) awards held in New York. Dainik Jagran won the award
for its campaign How Much More Time Does Jharkhand Need: Awakening a State.
In this campaign, there was an active participation of social activists, politicians, students,
women and youths. Apart from Dainik Jagran, Mid-Day won second prize in the category of
Digital Audience Usage while i-Next bagged second prize in the category of Advertising Sales
and Retention. Earlier, Dainik Jagran had bagged prize for campaigns related to judicial reforms.

Page 221
In addition, Dainik Jagran got second prize in the Readership/Usage of the Print Publication
category.
INMA is the world's leading provider of global best practices and marketing ideas for news
media companies and nearly 5000 media institutions in 80 countries are its members. There
were total of 87 entries from across the world, including America, Germany, England, Canada
and Pakistan, in this category.
YOUSSOU NDOUR AND KAIJA SAARIAHO WON THE POLAR MUSIC PRIZE
Senegalese singer Youssou Ndour and Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho were named as the
recipients of Polar Music Prize 2013. Each winner will get one million Kronor (98600 euros)
from the Royal Swedish Academy of Music.
The awards will be presented at a Stockholm ceremony on 27 August 2013 by King Carl XVI
Gustaf. Sweden's highest musical honour is awarded annually to both a pop performer and
classical artist.
The prize is awarded for exceptional achievements in the creation and advancement of music.
The academy recognized Ndour as a singer, poet, and storyteller, singer of praise, entertainer
and verbal historian.
US HONOURED 15 AAPI WOMEN AS CHAMPIONS OF CHANGE

The US Government on 6 May 2013 honoured 15 Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI)
women as champions of change in recognition of their important contribution to the
community. This includes two Indian-Americans; Aparna Bhattacharyaa from Atlanta and
Pramila Jayapal from Washington State.
Aparna Bhattacharyya is the Executive Director of Raksha, in Atlanta. She is a passionate

advocate for immigrant survivors of family and sexual violence and plays a key role in providing
them access to safety, justice and healing. Aparna at present is a board member for the Georgia
Coalition against Domestic Violence, VIDA Legal Assistance and the National Immigrant
Women's Advocacy Project.
Pramila Jayapal founded the non-profit organization OneAmerica in the aftermath of 9/11. One
America is the largest immigrant advocacy organisation in Washington State.
Pramila at present is the Distinguished Taconic Fellow at Center for Community Change and a
Distinguished Fellow at the University of Washington Law School. The Champions of Change
programme honours groups of Americans, individuals, businesses and organisations, who are
doing extraordinary things to empower and inspire members of their communities.
Other awardees of the Champions of Change are; Minh Dang from California; Catherine Eusebio
from California; Atsuko Toko Fish from Boston, Lusiana Tuga Hansen from Alaska, Myrla
Baldonado from Chicago, Arline Loh from Delaware, Mia Mingus from California, Natalie Nakase

Page 222
from Los Angeles, Mary Frances Oneha from Hawaii, Nancy Tom from Chicago, Karen Suyemoto
from Boston, Van Ton-Quinlivan from California and Shireen Zaman from Washington, DC.
3RD NATIONAL AWARDS FOR TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION IN

PETROCHEMICAL AND DOWNSTREAM PRESENTED
The Union Minister of State (Independent charge) for Chemicals & Fertilizers and Statistics &
Programme Implementation Srikant Kumar Jena presented 3rd National Awards for
Technology Innovation in Petrochemical and Downstream, Plastic Processing Industry in New
Delhi on 7 May 2013.
The awards were given away to winners for their outstanding contribution in the fields of
Polymeric Material, Polymeric Products, Polymer Processing Machinery & Equipment, Polymer
Waste Management & Recycling Technology, Polymeric Materials & Products, Polymers in
Agriculture and Water Conservation, Green Polymers in Public Health care and Research in the
field of Polymer Science & Technology. The awards were aimed at recognizing the innovations
in niche areas of petrochemicals and plastics processing.
The award included a shield, a citation as well as cash prize of 2 lakh Rupees. The runners-up
received a shield and a citation.
NATIONAL POLICY ON PETROCHEMICALS & INTRODUCTION OF AWARDS
The National Policy on Petrochemicals was approved in April 2007 by the Government of India.
The aim of the policy was increasing investment, competitiveness, and Research &
Development efforts in thrust areas of polymeric materials.
The Award Scheme was introduced by the Department of Chemicals & Petrochemicals (DCPC),
Government of India to incentivize meritorious innovations and inventions isn various fields of
Polymer Science and Technology, by Individual/Team, Industry, Academic and R&D Institutions.
The aim of these awards is development of petrochemical industry as a globally competitive

industry. The implementation of scheme of National Award for Technology Innovation in
Petrochemicals & Downstream Plastic Processing Industry is entrusted with the Central
Institute of Plastics Engineering and Technology (CIPET), an autonomous institute under DCPC.
ABOUT THE 3RD NATIONAL AWARDS
In 3rd National Awards, 306 nominations were received which were scrutinized and evaluated
by a committee of experts consisting of academicians, members from the Industry, experts
from R&D institutions.
Out of these, 11 nominations were selected as the winners, 8 nominations were chosen as the
runners-up and 6 were recommended for Commendation Certificate for Technology Innovation

Page 223
in Petrochemicals and Downstream Plastic Processing Industries in the third year of its
operation in 2012-13.
LIST OF THE WINNERS
Gharda Chemicals Ltd., for An Economical Process to Manufacture ABPBI (2.5

Polybenzimidazole) parts in the Industry category of Innovation in Polymeric Materials.
Anindya Deb, Centre for Product Design And Manufacturing, Indian Institute of Science
for Nanoclay -Polypropylene Based Enhanced Automotive Upper Interior Head Impact
Safety Protection in the Individual / Team category of Innovation in Polymeric Products.
Shriji Polymers (India) Pvt. Ltd., for their innovation of Child Resistant Cap in the Industry
category of Innovation in Polymeric Products.
M. J. Giridharan, C. G. Enterprises, for Multiport HDPE Saddle Welding Machine in the

Individual / Team category of Innovation of Polymer Processing Machinery &
Equipments.
CSIR- Indian Institute of Petroleum for Technology to Convert Waste Plastics

(Polyolefins) to Automotive Grade Fuel and Petrochemicals in the Academics and R&D
Institution category of Innovation In Polymer Waste Management & Recycling
Technology.
Team comprising Dr. S.T. Mhaske, Vilas S. Karande & Niranjan R. Savadekar from
Institute of Chemical Technology for their innovation Synthesis of Nanocellulose
(Nanowhiskers and Nanofibers) and its Applications in Biopolymers to enhance their
Performance Properties in the Academics and R&D Institution category of Innovation in
Green Polymeric Materials & Products.
Reliance Industries Ltd. for Polymeric Packaging for Extending Shelf Life of Agriculture,
Floriculture and Horticulture Produce in the Industry category of Polymers In Agriculture
And Water Conservation.
Team comprising Mr. Jandas P. J., Dr. Smita Mohanty & Prof. S. K. Nayak from
Laboratory for Advanced Research in Polymeric Materials (LARPM)-CIPET for their
innovation Polyimide Based Piezoelectric-Induced Pressure Pulse (PIPP) Films for
MEMS Applications in the Academics and R&D Institution category of Innovation in
Polymeric Materials.
Mohana Orthotics and Prosthetics Center for Plastics in the field of Physically
Handicapped in the Industry category of Polymers in Public Health Care.
Niranjan Karak, Tezpur University for Biodegradable Tough Transparent Novel

Hyperbranched Polyurethanes from Vegetable Oils in the Individual / Team category of
Research in the Field of Polymer Science & Technology.

Page 224
Prof. Mangala Joshi from Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi and Dr. Amitava
Bhattacharyya, PSG Institute of Advanced Studies for Polyurethane / Nanographite
based Multifunctional Coatings for Defense Applications in the Academics and R&D
Institution category of Research in the Field of Polymer Science & Technology.
LIST OF THE RUNNERS UP
Dr. S Anitha & Dr. T. S. Natarajan from Indian Institute of Technology Madras for
Development of Electrospun Nanocomposite Smart Material in the Academics and R&D
Institution category of Innovation In Polymeric Materials.
Sachin Joshi, Mohit Mehta & Sarojini Swain of Crompton Greaves Limited for the
innovation of Mild Steel Based Storage Water Heater Tank, Inside Coated with Specially
Developed Nano Based Liquid Polymer Applied by 2 Axis Synchronized Robotic Painting
System in the Industry category of Innovation in Polymeric Products.
Manoharmayum Manihar Sharma for the innovation of Solar Multi Silk and Mugha
Reeling cum Spinning Machine in the Individual / Team category of Innovation Of
Polymer Processing Machinery & Equipments.
CSIR-Central Electronics Engineering Research Institute for On-line Sorting of Consumer

Plastic Groups through Near Infrared Spectroscopy in the Academics and R&D
Institution category of Innovation In Polymer Waste Management & Recycling
Technology.
Sridevi Avancha, Ajaya Kumar Behera, Ramkrishna Sen & Dr. Basudam Adhikari of IIT-
Kharagpur for the innovation of Biodegradable and Eco-friendly Jute Soy Composite and
Sapling pot in the Academics and R&D Institution category of Innovation In Green
Polymeric Materials & Products.
Godavari Polymers Pvt. Ltd. for Break through Techniques in Drip in Line Lateral Design
in the Industry category of Polymers in Agriculture and Water Conservation.
Dr. K. P. Chellamani, D. Veerasubramanian & R. S. Vignesh Balaji from The South India
Textile Research Association for the innovation of Barbed Bi-directional Surgical Sutures
in the Industry category of Polymers In Public Health Care.
Prof. Pralay Maiti, Prof. Nira Misra & Mr. Govinda Kapusetti from IIT (BHU) for the
innovation of Polymer Based Nanobiocomposites for Faster Bone Healing in the
Academics and R&D Institution category of Research In The Field Of Polymer Science &
Technology.
DADASAHEB PHALKE AWARD FOR LIFETIME

ACHIEVEMENT TO PRAN

Page 225
The Ministry for Information & Broadcasting, on 10 May 2013 presented the prestigious
Dadasaheb Phalke award for life time achievement to Pran Kishan Sikand, popularly known as
Pran at his residence in Mumbai. The veteran actor was unable to travel to New Delhi for the
National Film Awards function held on 3 May 2013.
The veteran actor was presented the coveted award, comprising of a Swarn Kamal, Citation,
Shawl and a cash prize of 10 lakhs rupees.
Pran is the 44th recipient of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award that was instituted in 1969, the birth
centenary year Dadasaheb Phalke, considered the Father of Indian Cinema. The veteran actor
has given sterling performances in many films along with Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand and Raj
Kapoor in 1950s 60s and 70s. Prans performances have received acclaim in films like Azaad,
Madhumati, Devdas, Dil Diya Dard Liya, Ram Aur Shyam and Aadmi, Ziddi, Munimji, Amar Deep,
Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai, Aah, Chori Chori, Jagte Raho, Chhalia, Jis Desh Men Ganga Behti Hai,
Zanjeer etc.
MAJOR FACTS RELATED TO PRAN
Born in the year 1920 in Old Delhi, Pran started his career way back in 1940.
He first ventured into photography but a chance meeting with a film producer got him
his first role in a film called Yamla Jat.
He has acted in over 400 films in a career spanning six decades.
In 2001, the Government of India had honoured Pran with the Padma Bhushan award.
NATIONAL FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE AWARD 2013 WERE PRESENTED
The President of India Pranab Mukherjee presented National Florence Nightingale Award 2013
to 35 nursing professionals for their services with devotion, sincerity, dedication and
compassion in New Delhi on 12 May 2013. The awards were given on the occasion of
international Nurses Day.
The Florence Nightingale Award was instituted by the

Health Ministry to appreciate the selfless services rendered
by Nurses with devotion, sincerity, dedication and
compassion. The Award carries 50000 rupees cash, a
certificate, a citation certificate and a Medal.
This award would inspire nursing professionals all over India

to encourage them to join this noble profession and provide
better healthcare service to the people.The National
Florence Nightingale Award is given to the outstanding
nursing personnel employed in Central, State/UTs. Nurses

Page 226
working in Government, Voluntary Organizations, Mission institutions and private institutions

can apply with due recommendation of concerned State Government. Altogether 272 nurses
have been decorated with this award by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare so far.
NURSING PROFESSIONALS HONOURED WITH NATIONAL FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE

AWARD 2013
Sl. No. Name State/Department
1. Ms. N. Leela Samuel Andhra Pradesh
2. Ms. Sunita Kumari Bihar
3. Ms. Geeta Sayasinh Thakore Dadar & Nagar Haveli
4. Ms. Bhanuben R. Patel Dadar & Nagar Haveli
5. Ms. Aneetha Abraham Daman & Diu
6. Ms. Eliza Rodrigues Goa
7. Ms. Gomti Dadwal Himachal Pradesh
8. Ms. Vijayalakshmi Banerjee Haryana
9. Ms. Kamla Dahiya Haryana
10. Ms. P.K. Indira Kerala
11. Ms. Kochuthresiamma Thomas Kerala
12. Ms. Rathi Shedthy Karnataka
13. Ms. Salve Dropadi Tukaram Maharashtra

Page 227
14. Ms. Shakila Bashir Shaikh Maharashtra
15. Ms. Vandana Narayan Rao Uikey Maharashtra
16. Ms Shobha Samuel Yohanna Maharashtra
17. Ms. Thongam Memcha Devi Manipur
18. Ms. Hoikhochin Haokip Manipur
19. Ms. Bisilda Langstieh Meghalaya
20. Ms. Itees Muktieh Meghalaya
21. Ms. Themkhoneng Nagaland
22. Ms. K. Kannammal Puducherry
23. Mr. Hemendra Kumar Rajasthan
24. Ms. Asha Sen Rajasthan
25. Ms. Annamma Samuel Rajasthan
26. Ms Jayalakshmi Vadivel Tamil Nadu
27. Dr. Jeyaseelan M. Devadason Tamil Nadu
28. Ms. Leela Masih Uttar Pradesh
29. Ms. Maya Bisht Uttarkhand
30. Ms. Aparna Bhusan West Bengal

Page 228
31. Ms. Amrita Edwin Chandigarh
32. Ms. Pushpa Evelyne Singh Delhi
33. Ms. Niang Neikim Simte Delhi
34. Ms. Y. Flora Thangam Karnataka
35. Major General HJ Bhullar, VSM Defence
ASOM RATNA AWARD FOR YEAR 2012 PRESENTED TO INDIRA GOSWAMI
The President of India, Pranab Mukherjee presented the

Asom Ratna Award for the year 2012 to Indira Goswami
(posthumously) and the Srimanta Shankardeva Award for
the year 2008 to Sharmila Tagore on 13 May 2013 at a
function at Guwahati, Assam. Sharmila Tagore has
contributed richly to Indias cultural life as a goodwill
ambassador for UNICEF and Chairperson of the Indian
Film Censor Board.
Indira Goswamy was a legendary story teller and prolific

novelist who courageously advocated social change in a
very volatile period in Assams history. She would be
particularly remembered for her role as a mediator in
talks between armed militants in Assam and the Government of India. In all her works,
Mamoni as she was known, had focused on women, the disadvantaged and the oppressed in
society. By creating a consciousness about these problems, she was able to sow the seeds of
change.
The Srimanta Sankardeva award would propagate the teachings of Swami Srimanta
Shankardeva, an Assamese saint, scholar and social reformer who lived in the 15th and 16th
Centuries. His Neo-Vaishnava movement repudiated caste barriers and sought to create an

Page 229
egalitarian civil society based on the shared values of fraternity, equity, humanism and
democracy.
UN PUBLIC SERVICE AWARD 2013
Cottage and Village Industry Department of the Madhya Pradesh Government on 16 May
2013 bagged United Nations Public Service
Award for year 2013 for their initiative named
Graamin Haat. The United Nations honours
outstanding public welfare works at international
level under different categories every year.
The Cottage and Village Industry Department of

Madhya Pradesh was successful in winning the
honour of United Nations for their initiative of
Graamin Haat. The initiative of Graamin Haat was
started in the state with the aim of strengthening
and empowering the women's self-help groups. The initiative has helped the self help group in
becoming more self-reliant economically and ensured participation of women in social
decisions.
The award will be presented to Kanchan Jain, the Principal Secretary of the Cottage and Village
Industry Department of Madhya Pradesh on 27 June 2013 in Manama, the Kingdom of Bahrain.
Apart from Graamin Haat other Indian initiatives those were recognized and won award include
Institution Initiative
Chief Ministers Office Mass Contact Programme (MCP)
District Administration, Dhanbad Swavalamban
UNITED NATIONS PUBLIC SERVICE AWARD FOR YEAR 2013
The United Nations Public Service Forum Day and Awards ceremony will take place in Manama,
the Kingdom of Bahrain, from 24 to 27 June 2013 with its theme, Transformative e-Government
and Innovation: Creating a Better Future for All.
The Forum is organized by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs
(UNDESA), Division for Public Administration and Development Management (DPADM) in

Page 230
partnership with the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of
Women (UN Women), and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western
Asia (UN ESCWA), in collaboration with the hosting Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain.
UNITED NATIONS PUBLIC SERVICE AWARDS 2013 WILL BE GIVEN IN THREE

DIFFERENT CATEGORIES
Category 1 Preventing and Combating Corruption in the Public Service
Category 2 Improving the Delivery of Public Services
Category3 Fostering participation in public policy decision making through innovative

mechanisms
Category 4 Promoting whole-of-government approaches in the Information Age
Category 5 Promoting Gender- Responsive Deliveries of Public Services
HARIHARAN WON LATA MANGESHKAR SAMMAN ALANKARAN 2013
Singer Hariharan was conferred with the Lata Mangeshkar Samman Alankaran in Indore on 20
May 2013. The Lata Mangeshkar Samman Alankaran is conferred by the Madhya Pradesh
government on playback singer, Hariharan.
The award distribution was a part of three-day cultural event held in Indore.
ABOUT LATA MANGESHKAR SAMMAN ALANKARAN
Madhya Pradesh government instituted the award in 1984.
The first recipient of this award was music composer Naushad.
The Lata Mangeshkar Samman Alankaran consists of 2 lakh Rupees as well as citation.
It is instituted by Madhya Pradesh government.
The award is conferred upon to the music composer and singer alternately. In 2012, the
award was given away to Rajesh Roshan.
This was the 28th Annual Lata Mangeshkar Award.
Hariharan is the Padma Shri recipient as well. He sung various songs in different
languages including Hindi, Telugu, Bhojpuri, Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada and Marathi.
MALALA SELECTED FOR CHAMPION FOR GLOBAL CHANGE AWARD

Page 231
The Pakistani activist, Malala Yousafzai (15) was selected for UNA-USA's Global Leadership
Award called Champion for Global Change Award for 2013, in the month of May 2013. Malala
Yousafzai was shot in 2012 by Taliban for promotion
of girl education.
She will receive the Champion for Global Change

Award for 2013 at Gotham Hall on 6 November 2013
in the event which will be hosted by UN Foundation
and benefits UN Foundation and the United Nations
Association of the USA (UNA-USA)'s Global
Classrooms Model UN programme.
It was declared on 20 May 2013 that Malala will

receive the UNA-USA's Global Leadership Award for advocating education as well as
empowerment of girls across the world. In 2012, the UN Secretary, General Ban Ki-moon had
declared 10 November as the Malala Day. She was also given the title of daughter of the United
Nations.
UN Foundation as well as UNA-USA, together represents a single largest network of American

supporters of UN.
LIST OF AWARDEES SELECTED FOR UNA-USA'S GLOBAL LEADERSHIP AWARD 2013
Malala Yousafzai for advocating education of girls and empowerment of girls
Front-line polio workers for commitment to vaccine those who have threat of
contracting polio
10x10 for efforts to make sure that all girls receive education
GE Africa for helping the countries in Africa on challenges to meet the demands of water
and clean energy
LYDIA DAVIS WON 2013 MAN BOOKER INTERNATIONAL PRIZE
American writer Lydia Davis won 2013 Man Booker International Prize for her innovative and
influential writing. The winner of the Prize was announced at the awards ceremony at Victoria
and Albert Museum in London on 22 may 2013. This was the fifth Man Booker International
Prize.
Lydia Davis is a professor of creative writing at the University of Albany. She is also an
accomplished translator. Her works include The End of the Story and Varieties of Disturbance.
Lydia Davis is also known for her work as a translator of French literature and philosophy, most
notably of Marcel Proust and Gustave Flaubert. Her translations led her to be named a
Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French government.

Page 232
Well-known Kannada author UR Ananthamurthy was the only Indian to be shortlisted for the
prestigious award.
The Man Booker International Prize recognises one writer for his or her achievement in fiction.
Worth 60000 ponds, the prize is awarded every two years to a living author who has published
fiction either originally in English or whose work is generally available in translation in the
English language. The winner is chosen solely at the discretion of the judging panel and there
are no submissions from publishers.
The Man Booker International Prize is significantly different from the annual Man Booker Prize
for Fiction. In seeking out literary excellence, the judges consider a writer's body of work rather
than a single novel.
PRATIBHA RAY CONFERRED WITH 47TH JNANPITH AWARD
The President of India, Pranab Mukherjee conferred the 47th Jnanpith Award for the year 2011
on Pratibha Ray on 22 May 2013 at Balyogi Auditorium in New Delhi.
The award includes cash prize of 11 lakh Rupees, a citation as well as bronze replica of Goddess
Saraswati.
ABOUT DR. PRATIBHA RAY
Pratibha Ray was born in Alabol, a village in Jagatsingpur district of Odisha.
She is the first Oriya woman and fourth Oriya writer to get the coveted award. Prior to
her, Sitakant Mahapatra (1993), Sachidananda Rout Roy (1986) and Gopinath Mohanty
(1973) were the other Oriya writers to be conferred with this award.
Her first novel was Barsa Basanta Baishakha in 1974, for which she was recognised as a
writer for the first time.
The most acclaimed work of Pratibha Ray was Yajnaseni, for which she received
Bharatiya Jnanpith Trusts Moorti Devi Award in 1991. She was the first woman to be
conferred with this prestigious Moorti Devi Award in 1991.
Apart from this, she also won various awards such as Orissa Sahitya Akademi Award,
Moortidevi Award by Bharatiya Jnanpith and Saptarshi Award.
Pratibha Ray has 20 novels, 24 short stories, 10 travelogues, two poetry collections and
a number of essays to her credit.
Her literary works have been translated into not just English, but various other foreign
languages and various Indian languages as well.
Pratibha Ray is one of the most widely read Oriya novelists and short story writers.

Page 233
She is also renowned for her role of womans voice.
Her works revolve around various themes such as racial consciousness, mythology,
lifestyle, fiction, rural culture and many more. Her novels have various subject matters
as well as interests.
ABOUT THE JNANPITH AWARD
The Jnanpith Award is one of the highest literary honours of India. Other honour
includes Sahitya Akademi Fellowship.
This award was instituted first in 1961 and is presented by Bharatiya Jnanpith, the trust
founded by Sahu Jain family, the publishers of The Times of India newspaper.
Any Indian citizen who presents his/her work in any official Indian language can be
eligible for this award.
G. Sankara Kurup was the first one to receive this award in 1965.
Post 2011, the cash prize of this award has been increased from 7 lakh Rupees to 11
lakh Rupees.
CAROLE KING BECAME THE FIRST WOMAN TO RECEIVE GERSHWIN PRIZE
US singer-songwriter Carole King became the first woman to receive the Library of Congress
Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. The President of America, Barack Obama conferred upon her,
the Gershwin Prize that is given as a Lifetime Achievement in Popular Music. The award was
given away at the White House in Washington.
ABOUT CAROLE KING
Carole King is 71 years of age.
She is known most popularly for her hit songs such as Aretha Franklin's (You Make Me
Feel Like) A Natural Woman.
Carole King has won the Grammy Award four times.
She was the co-writer of her first number 1 hit song in 1960. The song was Will You Love
Me Tomorrow which was recorded by The Shirelles.
She became the first solo artist to sell over 10 million copies of a single album with 1971
release, Tapestry.
ABOUT THE GERSHWIN PRIZE

Page 234
The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, also known as, Gershwin Prize
is conferred upon the performer or composer for lifetime contribution to popular music.
The award was created in 2007 by the Library of Congress.
Gershwin Prize is named after brothers - George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin, both of
whom contributed to popular music.
First recipient of this award was Paul Simon. Other awardees of this prize are Stevie
Wonder (2008) and Sir Paul McCartney (2009).
RAMDARASH MISHRA AWARDED WITH VYAS SAMMAN
Professor Ramdarash Mishra and Dr Narendra Kohli were conferred with the Vyas Samman on
23 May 2013 for the year 2011 and 2012 respectively.
Professor Ramdarash Mishra (89) was honoured with the award for his collection of poems
Aam ke Patte published in 2004. The collection of poems has tried to establish a relationship of
man with ordinary objects like pen and table and has reminded their unnoticed importance in
human life.
Dr Narendra Kohli (73) was honoured for his historical novel Na Bhooto Na Bhavishyati
published in 2004. The book has portrayed Swami Vivekananda, the culture of his time and his
quest to be a sanyasi for National Unity. The award was presented by Professor Surya Prasad
Dixit, a noted scholar of Hindi and the Chairman of the Selection Committee.
ABOUT VYAS SAMMAN
Vyas Samman was instituted by the K.K. Birla Foundation in 1991 and is awarded annually in
recognition of the hindi literary work published in past 10 years in genres like plays, novels,
poetry, short stories, critiques and others. The award carries 2.5 lakh rupees and a citation and
a plaque.
BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOUR WON PALME D'OR AWARDS AT CANNES

Blue is the Warmest Colour which is directed by French-Tunisian filmmaker Abdellatif Kechiche
won the top honour - the Palme d'Or - at the 66th Cannes Film Festival.
The awards were decided after reviewing 20 films in competition by a nine-member jury led by
US filmmaker Steven Spielberg, joined by Australian actress Nicole Kidman and Oscar-winning
director Ang Lee among others.
The film is a three-hour love story based on a graphic novel by Julie Maroh starring Adele
Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux. It is basically a story about a teenage girl who falls in love with

Page 235
a slightly older woman. Overall, the movie is about sexual awakening, heartbreak, and self-
discovery.
With this the runner-up award, the Grand Prix, went to Inside Llewyn Davis which is directed by
the Coen brothers. It is important here to note that the Coen brothers had won the Palme d'Or
in 1991. Also, the Jury Prize went to Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-Eda for Like Father, Like
Son.
SOME OTHER IMPORTANT AWARDS
Mexico's Amat Escalante won the best director prize for his film Heli.
Hollywood veteran actor Bruce Dern took the best actor prize for his performance in
Nebraska.
Argentine-born Frenchwoman Berenice Bejo was awarded the best actress prize for her
role in The Past.
SANGEET NATAK AKADEMI FELLOWSHIPS AND AKADEMI AWARDS 2012
he President of India, Pranab Mukherjee conferred the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowships
(Akademi Ratna) on violinist N Rajam, Grammy award-winning percussionist T H Vikku
Vinayakram and veteran playwright Ratan Thiyam for the year 2012, on 28 May 2013. The
awards were given away at a ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.
Apart from these three personalities, other 34 artists were given away the Akademi awards
(Akademi Puraskar). These artists were from different spheres such as theatre, music, dance
and traditional arts. For the overall contribution to the performing arts, Nandini Ramani and
Arun Mahadev Kakade were also given away the awards.
ABOUT THE SANGEET NATAK AKADEMI FELLOWSHIPS (AKADEMI RATNA)
Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship and Awards are given by the Sangeet Natak
Akademi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama.
It is the highest national recognition given to practicing artists.
The Akademi Award, also known as Akademi Puraskar has been conferred on people
since 1952 and the Akademi Fellow honour also called Akademi Ratna has been
conferred since 1954.
Akademi Fellowship carries a prize amount of three lakh rupees and the Akademi
Awards carry a prize amount of one lakh rupees, besides Tamrapatra and Angavastram.

Page 236
The Fellowships are restricted to forty living recipients at any given time. New Fellows
are elected upon the demise of an existing Fellow.
Karaikudi Sambasiva Aiyer, Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar, Allauddin Khan, Hafiz Ali Khan,
and Prithviraj Kapoor were the first awardees of Sangeet Natak Akademi fellowships.
ABOUT THE SANGEET NATAK AKADEMI
Sangeet Natak Akademi was established by the Government of India in 1953 and is
India's National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama.
It is responsible for promotion and preservation of the performing arts of the country.
One of the important activities of the Akademi is to honour artists of outstanding

individual achievement in the fields of music, dance and drama.
NTR LITERARY AWARD PRESENTED TO NOTED MANOJ DAS
Manoj Das, the Noted Oriya writer on 28 May 2013 was presented the NTR National Literary
Award.
The NTR National Literary Award was chosen by the jury of NTR Vignana Trust, headed by its
chairperson N. Lakshmi Parvati, which carries a cash prize of 1 lakh Rupees and citation. The
award recognises Dass contribution to literature, both in Odiya and English.
Manoj Das was also conferred with Padma Sri Award and had his stories figured in the
compilation of best literary works released in the US. The award is instituted in memory of the
actor-turned-politician who made a mark for his struggle to protect Telugu pride. He has
penned down his first novel at the age of 14. The award is coincidently given to Manoj Das on
the same day, which is marked by the birth anniversary of former Chief Minister and Telugu
Desam founder Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao.
PETER HIGGS RECEIVED AWARD FOR GOD PARTICLE DISCOVERY
The Asturias Foundation announced on 29 May 2013 that Physicist Peter Higgs and Francois
Englert and the European organization for Nuclear Research won the 2013 Prince of Asturias
Award for Technical and Scientific Research in recognition of their work establishing the
existence of the so-called God particle.
Higgs and Englert - along with the late Robert Brout - formulated in 1964 the existence of a
subatomic particle that came to be known as the Higgs boson. But it was only in 2012 that the
European Organization for Nuclear Research, or CERN, was able to confirm the existence of
this particle through experiments conducted with the Large Hadron Collider.

Page 237
This finding, which has been called the greatest discovery in the history of the understanding of
Nature, enables a glimpse at what happened immediately after the Big Bang.
Higgs is a native of Newcastle, England, who taught for 16 years at the University of Edinburgh.
Englert is an 80-year-old Belgian, is affiliated with the Institute for Quantum Studies at
Chapman University in California.
Along with a cash prize of 50000 euros (about 64000 US dollars) and a sculpture by Joan Miro,
each award recipient gets a diploma and an insignia bearing the Prince of Asturias Foundation's
coat of arms. Spain's Crown Prince Felipe will give the award at a ceremony in the northern city
of Oviedo. The prize is regarded as the Ibero-American world's equivalent of the Nobels.
PERSONALITY IN NEWS
LIFETIME BAN ON PERVEZ MUSHARRAF FOR CONTESTING ELECTIONS
The High Court in the northwestern city of Peshawar on 30 April 2013 imposed a lifetime ban
on former President Pervez Musharraf from contesting elections. It was the first time a court in
Pakistan had declared a citizen ineligible from contesting elections for life.
Musharraf returned in March 2013 after nearly four years of self-imposed exile to contest May
11 general election.
The court observed that Musharraf abrogated the Constitution twice. The first was when he
carried out a coup to oust a democratically elected government. The second time when he
declared emergency in 2007 and detained 60 judges.
Musharraf had filed nominations from four constituencies namely Chitral, Karachi, Kasur and
Islamabad.
PRESIDENT LAUNCHED BICHITRA TAGORE VARIORUM WEBSITE
The President of India Pranab Mukherjee launched the Bichitra Tagore Variorum Website on 5
May 2013 at a function at Jadhavpur University, Kolkata.
Bichitra would convey the message of Tagores art and thought across the world. In fact,
Tagores works are a treasure which speaks of humanitys eternal message. By making Tagore`s
works available to all Bichitra will remind us the high moral standards he set for us. Let us reset
our moral compass.
STATUE OF N T RAMA RAO UNVEILED IN PARLIAMENT
Meira Kumar, the Speaker of Lok Sabha (Lower House of the Parliament) on 7 May 2013
unveiled the statue of former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Founder of Telgu Desam Party
N T Rama Rao in the Parliament.

Page 238
The statue was donated by NTRs daughter and Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Dr
D Purandeswari.
ABOUT NANDAMURI TARAKA RAMA RAO
N T Rama Rao also known as NTR was born on 28 May 1923 and died on 18 January
1996
He was a film actor, director and producer by profession and his debut film was Mana
Desam that was directed by L. V. Prasad in 1949. He starred in about 320 Telugu Films.
In 1982, he founded the Telgu Desam Party (TDP)
He served Andhra Pradesh as its Chief Minister for three terms from 1983 to 1995.
He played an instrumental role in formation of the National Front Government, which

governed India from 1989 to 1990 as a coalition of non-congress parties
NAJIB SHORTLISTED FOR BEST JOB IN THE WORLD COMPETITION
Afghan Women, Moska Najib is among the 25 shortlisted for one of the best jobs of the world
in the Australia's 'Best Job in the World competition. The 29 year old Moska Najib is a
documentary film maker and photographer by profession.
The Delhi based Moska is the only Afghan to beat 6 lakh applicants in the race and if she wins
the race by gaining the job, she will earn 100000 Australian dollars in six months.
PK BANSAL SUBMITTED HIS RESIGNATIONS TO PRIME MINISTER
Union Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal and Union Law Minister of India Ashwani Kumar
submitted their resignation to the Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh on 10 May 2013.
Railway Minister PK Bansal resigned from his office after a weeks time since his nephew Vijay
Singla was arrested for his alleged involvement of bribery of 90 lakh rupees from the Railway
Board Member, with a promise of promotion.
Ashwani Kumar the Union Law Minister submitted his resignation after being into attack by the
opposition and the CBI affidavit submitted to Supreme Court for vetting up the CBI report in the
Coal Block allocation scam.
FORMER MILITARY LEADER MONTT SENTENCED 80 YEARS IN PRISON
A Guatemala Courts three-judge tribunal has found Efrain Rios Montt, a former military ruler
guilty of genocide and other crimes against Humanity and sentenced him to 80 years in prison.

Page 239
The 86 year old Montt, was convicted by the court for ordering the deaths of 1771 people of
the Ixil Maya ethnic group during 1982 and 1983, his term in the office.
It is the first time, when a former head of state had been found guilty of genocide by a court in
his/her country. The rest of the convicts of the incident were handed over to the international
courts.
Mauricio Rodriguez Sanchez, the former chief of military intelligence who was facing the trials
into the case of genocide and crimes against humanity along with Rios Montt was acquitted
from the case.
The sentence of 50 years for genocide and 30 years for crimes against humanity against Riosd
Montt was read out by Judge Jazmin Barrios in Guatemala City. The decision from the three-
judge tribunal of Guatemala Court is a historic decision and can be considered as a great
breakthrough for human rights in the Guatemala region.
During the 1960-1996 civil war of Guatemala, an estimated 2 lakh people were killed; the
majority of the people who died were Mayans.
ABOUT IXILS
The Ixils in Guatemala were considered to be the public enemies of the state. They were victims
of racism and were considered to be the inferior race.
EXTERNAL AFFAIRS MINISTER SALMAN KHURSHID VISITED CHINA
External Affairs Minister, Salman Khurshid, paid an official visit to the Peoples Republic of
China on 09-10 May 2013. The two nations discussed bilateral, regional and global issues of
concern to both sides. They also discussed the proposed visit to India of Chinese Premier Li
Keqiang.
India and China also discussed Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor and

regional trading arrangement. They also discussed their recent problem on the Line of Control
during this visit.
PAKISTANI AUTHORITIES BARRED ASHRAF FROM LEAVING COUNTRY
The former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Raja Pervez Ashraf on 13 May 2013 was barred from
Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), of Pakistan from leaving the country over allegation of
corruption in setting up the Rental Power Projects. His name has been placed on the Exit
Control List.
The immigration authorities and airports of the country were ordered by FIA to ensure that
none of the accused in the Power Project Scam case including Raja Parvez Ashraf leaves
Pakistan.
Earlier, the National Accountability Bureau of Pakistan (anti-corruption agency) has decided to

Page 240
file a case over the Rental Power Projects after the 11 May 2013 polls. The charges against
Ashraf dates back to his tenure as the Power Minister of Pakistan.
US TAX AGENCY HEAD STEVE MILLER RESIGNED
Steven Miller, the acting director of the Internal Revenue Service on 15 May 2013 had resigned
amid the criticism over the tax agency's handling of conservative groups seeking tax-exempt
status.
The Scandal came into highlight when it was found that officials studying tax exempt status
applications singled out groups with names including phrases like Tea Party or Patriots, which
could thus be expected to be fiercely opposed to US President Barack Obama.
Steven Miller said in a message to colleagues there was a strong and immediate need to restore
public trust in the nation's tax agency. The scandal has been one of several to enervate the
White House in recent days.
Analysing the situation President Barack Obama asserted that had reviewed the Treasury
Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) report on the IRS's targeting of conservative
groups and found the misconduct uncovered was inexcusable.
RAHA MOHARRAK, FIRST ARAB WOMAN TO REACH EVEREST SUMMIT
Raha Moharrak, a Saudi woman made history by reaching the Everest summit-the world's
highest mountain. Raha became the first Saudi woman and also the youngest Arab to make it to
the top of Everest. She is 25 years old.
She is part of a four-person expedition which comprises the first Qatari man and the first
Palestinian man as well who are attempting to reach the summit. The expedition is trying to
raise fund for education projects in Nepal.
Moharrak is a university graduate currently based in Dubai and she hails from Jeddah. She had
to overcome a lot of barriers to achieve her goal.
ANSHU JAMSHENPA SCALED THE MOUNT EVEREST FOR THE THIRD TIME
Anshu Jamshenpa of Arunachal Pradesh scaled the Mount Everest on 18 May 2013 for the third
time. She holds the record of being the only mother in the world to scale the peak twice in 10
days. She was among the six mountaineers from the north-east to make it to the summit.
Among the six were David Zohmangaiha of Mizoram, Tarun Saikia of Assam and Wangsuk
Myrthong of Meghalaya, who became the first mountaineers from their States to have
successfully scaled the Mount Everest.

Page 241
Other members of the team were Kazi Sherpa of Sikkim and Nameirakpam Chingkheinganba of
Manipur. Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi announced a financial assistance of 20 lakh rupees
to Saikia for his achievement.
SAMINA BAIG, FIRST PAKISTANI WOMAN TO SCALE MOUNT EVEREST
Samina Baig on 19 May 2013 became the first Pakistani woman to scale Mount Everest. She did
this along with Nunshi and Tashi Malik, the first Indian twin sisters to scale the Everest.
After reaching to the top of Everest, all three women hoisted Indian and Pakistani flags along
side, depicting a message of collaborative action, friendship and peace.
The Nepal Mountaineering Department officials confirmed the feat, while at the same time,
also explaining that 35 foreigners along with 29 Nepalese Sherpa guides scaled the Everest after
climbing from highest camp on South Col, which is the pass between Mt. Everest and another
neighbouring mountain.
ABOUT SAMINA BAIG
Samina Baig is 22 years of age.
She is a Shimshal village native. Shimshal village is situated in Karakorum Range in Upper
Hunza.
While scaling Mount Everest, she was accompanied by guide and brother Mirza Ali (29).
The attempt was made to complete the summit without the use of supplementary
oxygen.
She is an Arts student and began climbing at the age of 4 years.
Overall, she is the third Pakistani to reach atop Mount Everest, second one being her
own brother Mirza Ali. First Pakistani to climb Mount Everest was Nazir Sabir on 17 May
2000.
Mount Everest is highest mountain of the world with peak at 8848 metres or 29029 ft
above the sea level.
LS RATHORE ELECTED AS MEMBER OF EXECUTIVE COUNCIL OF WMO
Laxman Singh Rathore, the Director General of Meteorology & Permanent Representative of
India with World Meteorological Organization (WMO) was elected as the Member of Executive
Council of WMO during the 65th Executive Council of WMO meeting which is ongoing at
Geneva.

Page 242
He had served a term as the Vice President of Commission of Agriculture Meteorology of WMO
and was also elected to serve the Executive Council in an individual capacity. The council
includes 37 Heads/directors/Director Generals of National Meteorological Services and also the
President and three Vice-Presidents who are elected by Congress. Apart from this, the
presidents of the six regional associations are also a part of this council.
WHAT IS THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL OF WMO?
The Executive Council of WMO is an executive body of this organisation. The council meets
yearly to implement the decisions of Congress, coordinate the programmes, examine the
utilization of budgetary resources, consider and take action on recommendations of Regional
Associations and Technical Commissions and guide their work programme, provide technical
information, counsel and assistance in the fields of activity of the Organization and study and
take actions on matters affecting international meteorology and related activities.
ARUNIMA SINHA BECAME THE FIRST INDIAN AMPUTEE TO SCALE MT EVEREST
Arunima Sinha became the first Indian amputee to conquer Mount Everest on 21 may 2013.
25-year-old Arunima Sinha is former national level volleyball player and had lost one of her legs
after being thrown off a moving train of Padmawati Express for resisting a chain-snatching
attempt by some criminals, when she was travelling from Lucknow to Delhi on 12 April 2011.
She scaled the 8848 metre-high summit of the worlds highest peak at 10.55 a.m. as IST on 21
May 2013.
ABOUT ARUNIMA SINHA
She was hospitalised with serious leg and pelvic injuries and in a proposition to save her
life, doctors had to amputate her left leg below the knee.
Arunima successfully scaled the 6622-metre-high Mount Chhamser Kangri of Ladakh in

year 2012 .
Arunima started training at the Tata Steel Adventure Foundation (TSAF) camp in
Uttarkashi last year under the guidance of Bachendri Pal, the first Indian woman to
conquer Mt Everest.
Yuichiro Miura, 80-Year-Old Japanese Mountaineer Became Oldest Man to Climb

Mount Everest
Yuichiro Miura, the 80-year old mountaineer from Japan reached Mount Everests
summit on 23 May 2013. With this, he became the oldest man to climb the highest
mountain peak of the world.

Page 243
Yuichiro Miura climbed the Everest at the age of 70 and 75 as well. As the oldest man to
climb Mount Everest, he replaced Nepal's Min Bahadur Sherchan who climbed the
Everest at the age of 76 years in 2008. It is important to note that Min Bahadur
Sherchan will again attempt climbing Mount Everest in the last week of May 2013, at
the age of 81 years.
Yuichiro Miura reached the height of 29035 foot (8850-meter). He climbed the Everest
with three more Japanese climbers, which included his son and six Nepalis Sherpas.
PERSON DIED
DEANNA DURBIN, HOLLYWOOD ACTRESS DIED AT 91 YEARS
Deanna Durbin, the renowned face of Hollywood in 1930s and early 40s died on 20 April 2013
in the village outside Paris. She was 91 years of age.
ABOUT DEANNA DURBIN
Deanna Durbin was among the highest paid stars in US in 1947. She retired at the age of
just 27 years.
She debuted in 1936 MGM short Every Sunday. She appeared with Judy Garland.
She was born in Winnipeg, Canada in 1921.
She was promoted by the producer Joe Pasternak.
Deanna Durbins first movie was Three Smart Girls for the Universal studios. This movie
was also nominated for best picture Oscar in 1937.
In 1936, she also auditioned for part of Snow White.
In 1939, she won Juvenile Academy Awards for her significant contribution to screen,
along with her fellow teen stars.
Her most notable achievement was that her films success saved the Universal Studios
from Bankruptcy in late 1930s. It was estimated that her films accounted for 17 percent
of overall revenue of the Universal Studios during that decade.
In 1946, Deanna Durbins salary was 323477 US dollar, which made her the second
highest-paid woman in America, behind Bette Davis.
She retired from the films at the peak of her career in 1949 and moved to a village in
France.

Page 244
IAN WEATHRALL, LAST BRITISH MEMBER OF CHURCH OF DELHI

BROTHERHOOD DIED
Father Ian Weathrall, who was the last British member of the Church of North Indias Delhi
Brotherhood passed away on 30 April 2013. He was 91 years of age. He died because of cancer
in Delhi.
ABOUT FATHER IAN WEATHRALL AND DELHI BROTHERHOOD
Most notable fact about Father Ian Weathrall is that he was the last British member of
the Church of North Indias Delhi Brotherhood.
He studied the subject of Theology in Britain and came back to India in late 1940s to
serve as Anglican priest.
He became a part of the Brotherhood (community of priests) in 1951. The Brotherhood

was founded in 1877 and made contributions to Delhi.
Renowned St. Stephens College of Delhi University as well as St. Stephens Hospital is
among many institutions founded by the Brotherhood.
Father Ian Weathrall was the head of the Brotherhood and also a member of the
Supreme Council of St. Stephens College. He was also a member of governing body of St
Stephens Hospital.
The Government eventually banned the missionaries that came to India and therefore
the British members of the Brotherhood reduced considerably. At present, there are
just six members.
The Brotherhood is involved in social work, primarily in East Delhi. It provides education
to deprived, care for elders as well as help to the leprosy patients.
He also served for long at St James Church in Kashmere Gate as well as the Cathedral
Church of the Redemption.
SARABJIT SINGH DIED IN LAHORE'S JINNAH HOSPITAL IN PAKISTAN
Sarabjit Singh, the Indian national and a death row prisoner in the Lahores Kot Lakhpat Jail died
on 2 May 2013 at the Lahore's Jinnah Hospital in Pakistan. He was on the life-support system
since 26 April 2013 after being attacked by the inmates in the jail.
49 years old Sarabjit Singh is an Indian national who was born in Bhikhiwind Province of Punjab
and had spent 23 years in Pakistani jail, after being convicted of involvement in the serial bomb
blasts of 1990 in Lahore and Faisalabad that killed 14 people.

Page 245
He was arrested from Kasur Border for illegal crossing the border in Pakistan in August 1990. In
May 2012, his fifth mercy petition was dismissed.
ATP CHAIRMAN BRAD DREWETT DIED AT THE AGE OF 54
54 years old Brad Drewett, the former tour player who led the ATP as executive chairman and
president since January 2012 died on 3 May 2013 after battling with motor neuron disease.
It was Brad Drewett, who helped in increasing the prize money at Grand Slam tournaments.
SOME FACTS ABOUT BRAD DREWETT
Brad Drewett was a top-40 singles and top-20 doubles player before he retired in 1990.
He was hired in 2006 to lead operations in the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific regions.
He led the ATP since January 2012.
Drewett won two singles titles in the early 1980s during his playing career. He also rose
to No.34 in the world rankings.
Drewett also developed and managed a number of successful businesses in the sport
and fitness industry.
He had worked as a commentator for two Australian television broadcasters.
He is survived by his wife Joanne and four children- Jack, Ally, Joe and Tom.
ZULFIQAR ALI PROSECUTOR IN BENAZIR ASSASSINATION KILLED
Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali, a senior government prosecutor in Pakistan who was handling two major
cases of Mumbai Terror Attacks of 2008 and assassination of the former Prime Minister of
Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto of 2007 was gunned down by unidentified gunmen on 3 May 2013 in
the capital city Lahore.
Zulfiqar Ali was gunned down on his way to Rawalpindi, while he was proceeding ahead for a
hearing in Benazir Bhutto assassination case. He was shot on his head, shoulder and chest
during the attack.
OVERVIEW
Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali was the prosecutor of the two high profile cases in the Court of Pakistan
namely, 26/11 Mumbai Attacks and Benazir Bhutto Assassination. Thus the attacks can be seen
by linking the two major cases behind his murder. Zulfiqar was a highly competent prosecutor
of Pakistan and had a huge experience of handling such high-profile cases.

Page 246
Earlier, the ex-military ruler Parvez Musharraf returned back to the country on 24 March 2013
after a long self-imposed exile of four years to contest elections. On his return to the country he
was placed under a two-week house arrest by the Federal Investigation Agency in Pakistan over
the charges of conspiring to murder Bhutto.
Thus the killing of Zulfiqar Ali can be seen linked with some or the other incidences that
followed as few days back he asked the government to increase his security.
FORMER ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER GIULIO ANDREOTTI DIED AT 94
Giulio Andreotti, the former Italian Prime Minister died on 6 May 2013 at the age of 94 in
Rome. He was one of the most powerful figures in
the politics of the country after World War II. In the
last days of his life, he suffered from respiratory and
heart problems.
ABOUT GIULIO ANDREOTTI
He was born on 14 January 1919 to a

schoolteacher parents in Rome
He started his political career in Italian

Parliament in 1946 and remained active for
more than six decades, before turning up a
senator for life
He was a member of the Christian Democratic Party and served as the Prime Minister of
Italy seven times between 1972 to 1992.
In the last years of his political career he suffered allegations of corruption and mafia
links.
He met pope for the first time at the age of eight after sneaking away from the a Vatican
tour group
Became a Junior Minister at the age of 28
He was a pro-European, who was committed towards European integration to help in

forging the way forward to a single currency
He was one of the most prominent faces of the Years of Lead in Italy, the time during
1970s and 1980s when several people were killed in Political violence (Years of Lead was
a period of socio-political disorder in Italy)
He was accused of sharing a Kiss of Honour with the Mafia boss of the time Toto Riina in
a secret meeting in 1987, who was captured in 1993.

Page 247
An appeals Court sentenced him to 24 years in Prison for cultivating a relationship with
Mafia bosses in November 2002
RAY HARRYHAUSEN, THE MASTER OF VISUAL EFFECTS DIED AT 92
Ray Harryhausen, the master of visual effects and stop-motion animation, died on 7 May 2013
in Hammersmith Hospital in London, UK. He was 92 years of age.
ABOUT RAY HARRYHAUSEN
Raymond Frederick Harryhausen, popularly known as Ray Harryhausen was born in June
1920 in Los Angeles.
Ray Harryhausens stop-motion animation

films such as Clash of the Titans, and Jason
and the Argonauts were acclaimed highly.
He made his models with his own hand and

shot them by each frame for creation of
best-known animated sequences.
He was an inspiration for various film

directors such as Peter Jackson of the Lord
of the Rings, James Cameron and Steven
Spielberg.
In 1992, he received special Oscar for his work with special effects in days just before
computer-generated imagery.
The animator, Ray Harryhausen donated his overall collection, around 20000 objects to
National Media Museum in Bradford in the year 2010.
His work was also celebrated at the London's Museum of the Moving Image (MOMI) in
1990.
The primary screening theater at Sony Pictures Digital Productions was named in the
honour of this animator, in the year 2010.
He was inducted in the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2005.
He won the annual British Fantasy Society Wagner Award in 2008 for the lifetime
contribution to animation.
In 2003, he was honoured with star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
PROFULLA BORUA, THE VETERAN INDIAN JOURNALIST DIED

Page 248
Profulla Borua, the veteran Indian journalist passed away in Guwahati, Assam after prolonged
illness on 6 May 2013. He was 75 years of age. He died after a fight with cancer.
ABOUT PROFULLA BORUA
Profulla Borua held the post of the editor in some of the prominent Assamese
newspapers.
In his career span of 50 years, he had dynamic spirit of journalism.
From 1969 to 1986, he was the editor of Janambhumi, the prominent newspaper of
North East.
He was also the editor of Dainik Asam from 1987-95.
Lately, he was the editor of Uddipam, which is the only weekly for the senior citizens of
northeastern region.
He was also the executive trustee of celebration and documentation of 150 years of
newspapers in Assam by Media Trust.
He was arrested twice in 1981 and 1983 while fighting for Press independence.
SANAULLAH RANJAY, PAKISTANI PRISONER DIED AT PGI CHANDIGARH
Sanaullah Ranjay, the Pakistani prisoner who was attacked by a jail inmate in Kot Bhalwal jail in
Jammu died due to multi-organ failure at the PGI Hospital in Chandigarh on 9 May 2013.
Sanaullah was attacked by a fellow inmate on 3 May 2013 after the death of Sarabjit Singh an
Indian Prisoner in Jinnah Hospital Lahore after he was assaulted and attacked by his jail inmates
in Kot Lakhpat Jail in Pakistan. Sanaullah was in prison for the past 17 years on militancy related
charges. He was attacked by a former Indian army soldier. Sanuallah was a resident of Sialkot,
Pakistan and was serving a life term in India after being convicted under the TADA provisions.
He was arrested in 1999.
HINDI STORY WRITER AND PLAYWRIGHT SURENDRA TIWARI DIED
Hindi story writer and playwright Surendra Tiwari died due to brain haemorrhage on 7 May
2013. He was 64 years of age. He is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter.
ABOUT SURENDRA TIWARI
Surendra Tiwari wrote and edited 25 books in all.

Page 249
He also edited 51 stories of Nobel Prize winners as well as 10 volumes of stories of 251
female storytellers.
He wrote various plays during his career, which included Deewarein, Ek Aur Raja and
Chabutra.
In 1974, his first story collection called Doosra Footpath was published.
In the year 1975, his play called Deewarein was published.
His renowned novels included Agniparv and Antatah.
He also served in the Indian Information Service.
He served in AIR Publications Department as well as Registrars Office of the

newspapers.
He was born on 8 October 1948 in Ballia, Uttar Pradesh.
BRYAN FORBES, VETERAN FILM DIRECTOR PASSED AWAY AT 86
Bryan Forbes, the English film director, actor, screenwriter and novelist, died on 8 May 2013 in
Virginia Water, Surrey following the long illness. He was 86 years of age.
He is known for his horror film, Stepford Wives (in 1970s). Additionally, he wrote as well as
directed a range of critically acclaimed films such as King Rat (1965), Sance on a Wet
Afternoon (1964) and Whistle Down the Wind (1961). He scripted various films such as Only
Two Can Play (1962), The Angry Silence (1960) and The League of Gentlemen (1959).
ABOUT BRYAN FORBES
He was born in east London on 22 July 1926.
Bryan Forbes was popularly described as the Renaissance Man.
He was one of the most prominent members of the British film industry.
His latest novel was The Soldier's Story, which was published in 2012.
BRYAN FORBES AWARDS AND HONOURS
In the year 2006, he was conferred with the Dilys Powell Award at London Film Critics'
Circle Awards for his outstanding contribution to Cinema.
The Angry Silence, his 1960 screenplay won the BAFTA award. It was also nominated for
the Oscar.

Page 250
In 1962, Only Two Can Play won Best British Comedy Screenplay of the Writers Guild of
Great Britain.
1965 Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best Foreign Film was given
to Sance on a Wet Afternoon. Sance on a Wet Afternoon also won 1964 Best British
Dramatic Screenplay of the Writers Guild of Great Britain.
The directorial debut of Bryan Forbes, Whistle Down the Wind reached to various
nominations of BAFTA awards.
In the year 2004, he was made the Commander of the Order of the British Empire for his
services to the arts.
In 2007, he was given the BAFTA tribute for the celebration of his extraordinary
achievement in filmmaking.
USTAD ZIA FARIDUDDIN DAGAR, DHRUPAD VOCALIST PASSED AWAY
Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar (1932-2013), the dhrupad vocalist passed away on 8 May 2013
following brief illness at his Gurukul near Panvel. He was 80 years of age. Drupad is the oldest
existing north Indian classical music form.
ABOUT USTAD ZIA FARIDUDDIN DAGAR
Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar was born in Udaipur, Rajasthan on 15 June 1932.
He was also the court musician of Maharana Bhupal Singh of Udaipur.
He played a prominent role in reviving the dhrupad tradition in the 20th century along
with his brother late Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar, the legendary rudra veena player.
He was the master of srutis. He was renowned for his drupad vocal in not just India, but
also across the world.
He gave performances in various popular festivals in India and abroad.
He won various prestigious honours and awards such as Tagore Ratna Award, Tansen
Samman and Sangeet Natak Academy Fellowship.
He was also conferred upon with the Padma Shri- India's fourth highest civilian honor in
2012, but he turned it down.
He also remained a distinguished guest faculty at the Dhrupad Sansar of IIT Bombay for
5 years.
HARVANSH SINGH, DEPUTY SPEAKER OF MP ASSEMBLY DIED

Page 251
Harvansh Singh, the Deputy Speaker of Madhya Pradesh Assembly died on 14 May 2013 due to
cardiac arrest in Barra of Seoni District. Harvansh Singh, 65, is now survived by his wife Pawan
Bai, a daughter and two sons.
ABOUT HARVANSH SINGH
He was born on 11 November 1949 in Bindari Village of Chhindwara
He was a senior congress leader and a former Minister and held many portfolios in
Madhya Pradesh like Public Health Engineering, Transport and Home departments
He was elected from Keolari Assembly seat of Madhya Pradesh in 2008, for the first time
he was elected as member of Madhya Pradesh State Legislative Assembly from the
same seat in 1993
He served Seoni district Youth Congress Committee as its President in 1971
He was the Vice president of MP State Handloom in 1983 to 86 and also the Chairman
for the same from 1986 to 88.
He became the General Secretary of Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee in 1992.
He served as a Cabinet Minister during the Digvijay Singh Government in Madhya

Pradesh
ISLAMIC SCHOLAR ASGHAR ALI ENGINEER DIED AT MUMBAI
Asghar Ali Engineer, a noted Islamic scholar died on 14 May 2013 after a prolonged illness in
Suburban Santa Cruz, Mumbai. The 73 year old Asghar is survived by his son and a daughter.
From 1980, he edited the journal named the Islamic Perspective and during 1980s, he
published a series of books on Islam and communal violence in India. His books were based on
his investigations in the post-independent India.
ABOUT ASGHAR ALI ENGINEER
He was born in 1940 and completed his BSc in civil engineering from Vikram University
The USA International Student Assembly and the USA Indian Student Assembly
honoured him with Distinguished Service Award in 1987
For communal harmony, he received Dalmia Award in 1990
He was honoured with three doctorate degrees

Page 252
He was the Chairman of the Centre for Study of Society and Secularism (CSSS) founded
in 1993 after the 1992 Babri Mosque destruction
He edited Indian Journal of Secularism
He also edited a monthly paper named Islam and Modern Age and published Secular
Perspective, a fortnight paper
He received the National Communal Harmony Award in 1997
He won the USA Award from the Association for Communal Harmony in Asia in 2003
UTTANUR RAJAMMA, THE BANDAYA WRITER DIED
Uttanur Rajamma, 70, a veteran Bandaya writer died on 14 May 2013 at his residence in
Chintamani in Chickballapur district of Karnataka.
ABOUT UTTANUR RAJAMMA
Uttanur Rajamma belonged to Kolar district of Karnataka
She advocated for the emancipation of women
From 1970s she is identified for with the Bandaya literary movement
AUSTRALIAN ACTRESS PENNE HACKFORTH-JONES DIED AT 64
Penne Hackforth-Jones, one of Australia's most recognisable actors died at the age of 64 after
battling lung cancer. Born in 1949 in the US state of Connecticut, she was brought up in
Australia. Her first credited role was in the 1969 TV series Riptide. Hackforth-Jones appeared in
many well-known Australian television series, including A Country Practice, All Saints and
Mother and Son.
She also featured in a number of movies, including Mao's Last Dancer in 2009 and Muriel's
Wedding in 1994. Her last appearance was in The Doctor Blake Mysteries.
FORMER INTERNATIONAL SPRINTER ANAND SHETTY PASSED AWAY
Former international sprinter Anand Shetty passed away on 21 May 2013 in Mangalore. He is
survived by his wife, daughter and son. He met with a car accident and was rushed to KMC
Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. He was 49 years old. He was an excellent athlete
and earned a name for himself in the 100m and 200m sprints with his running.

Page 253
Anand came to limelight after winning silver in the 200m at the World Junior Games in Seoul in
1982. He was also the 100 and 200m National champion from 1981 to 1989, a period marked
by his inter-State and Open National records.
RAY MANZAREK, ONE OF THE FOUNDERS OF THE DOORS DIED AT 74
Ray Manzarek, one of the founders of 1960s rock group called The Doors, died on 20 May 2013
in Rosenheim, Germany. He was 74 years of age. He died because of bile duct cancer.
ABOUT RAY MANZAREK
Ray Manzarek was born on 12 February 1939.
He was a musician, songwriter as well as a filmmaker.
In the year 1965, he formed The Doors along with singer Jim Morrison, guitarist Robbie
Krieger and drummer John Densmore.
His major genres included rock and roll, Psychedelic rock, jazz rock, jazz fusion, funk,
blues rock, acid rock, blues and hard rock.
The instruments that he played included percussion, keyboards, keyboard bass, guitar,
Marxophone and vocals.
After playing in The Doors, he also played in Nite City.
In the year 2010, he recorded along with the guitarist Roy Rogers. In 2011, his album called
Translucent Blues was released and it was ranked at number 3 position on Top 100 Roots Rock
Albums of 2011 by The Roots Music Report.
EDDIE BRABEN, THE BRITISH COMEDY WRITER AND PERFORMER DIED
Eddie Braben, the British comedy writer as well as performer, renowned for Morecambe and
Wise died on 21 May 2013. He was 82 years of age. He is survived by his wife, three children
and six grandchildren.
ABOUT EDDIE BRABEN
Eddie Braben was born on 31 October 1930.
He became the full-time comedy writer in 1950s.
His most popular comedy write up was Morecambe and Wise, which was written in
1969.

Page 254
Sir Bruce Forsyth, the English TV entertainer and host gave him the title of third man of
the comedy.
His first joke was sold for two shillings and six pence to Charlie Chester.
He starred in radio comedies in 1970s. His first radio comedies included The Show with
Ten Legs.
In 2001, he wrote The Play What I Wrote in collaboration with Hamish McColl and Sean
Foley. This play won the Olivier award as well.
In 1972, he won the special Bafta award for contribution to TV.
NIGERIAN AUTHOR CHINUA ACHEBE DIED FOLLOWING A BRIEF ILLNESS
Renowned Nigerian author Chinua Achebe died on 22 March 2013 in Boston at the age of 82
following a brief illness. He had been living in the US since 1990 after a car crash left him
partially paralysed and in a wheelchair. South African writer and Nobel laureate Nadine
Gordimer called him the father of modern African literature in 2007. In fact, she was among the
judges to award him the Man Booker International Prize in honour of his literary career in the
same year.
CHINUA ACHEBE FACT-SHEET
He was born in 1930, 30 years before Nigeria's independence
His First novel Things Fall Apart was published in 1958; sold 10 million copies
He wrote about the effects of colonialism and corruption
Nelson Mandela called him the writer in whose company the prison walls came down
Involved in a road accident in 1990 which left him partially paralysed
Refused Nigerian honours
In 2012, Achebe published a long-awaited memoir about the brutal three-year Biafran
war - when the south-eastern Igbo region tried to split from Nigeria in 1967.
Achebe's body is due to be buried near his family's home in Ogidi, a small town in the hills of
Anambra state.
TAMIL PLAYBACK SINGER TM SOUNDARARAJAN DIED IN CHENNAI
Tamil playback singer T M Soundararajan died at his residence in Chennai on 25 May 2013 after
a brief illness. He was 91 years old. He is survived by his wife and two sons. He had been

Page 255
awarded various honours including the Padmashri and the state governments Kalaimani. He
hailed from Madurai. He was a playback singer for nearly four decades in Tamil cinema. He
almost sang for all the leading actors.
He had rendered over 5000 cinema and devotional songs. He had last sung in the theme song of
the World Classical Tamil Conference in 2010, composed by AR Rahman. TMS also had sung
devotional songs, especially on Lord Muruga, with his most famous 'Ullam uruguthayya' (The
Heart Melts) instantly evoking devotion.
BALESHWAR AGGARWAL, THE VETERAN JOURNALIST PASSED AWAY
Baleshwar Aggarwal, the veteran journalist as well as the secretary general of Antar Rashtriya
Sahyog Parishad (ARSP) died on 23 May 2013. He was 91 years of age.
ABOUT BALESHWAR AGGARWAL
Baleshwar Agrawal was born on 17 July 1921 in Balasore, Odisha.
He was the former Managing Editor of the Hindustan Samachar, the Hindi news agency.
He held post of ARSP secretary general ever since it was incepted in 1978.
He had close relations with the Non-Resident Indians.
BILL PERTWEE, THE WARDEN HODGES OF DAD'S ARMY DIED AT 86
William Desmond Anthony Bill Pertwee, popular for enacting Warden Hodges in Dad's Army
died on 27 May 2013 at Royal Cornwall Hospital, Truro, Cornwall, England. He was 86 years of
age.
ABOUT BILL PERTWEE
Bill Pertwee was born in Amersham, Buckinghamshire. He lived in Wadebridge,

Cornwall.
He is popularly known for playing Warden Hodges in Dad's Army.
At first, he played the warden in Dad's Army in the year 1968. The show also fetched
Bafta for best comedy in the year 1971.
He was the founder member as well as the president of Dad's Army Appreciation
Society.
He was also made an MBE in the year 2006 for charity services to children's hospices.

Page 256
Other popular credits of Bill Pertwee included Carry on Girls, Carry on Loving and Carry
On at Your Convenience.
Dads Army is the British sitcom in context with Home Guard during the Second World
War. Dads Army was authored by Jimmy Perry and David Croft. It was broadcasted on
BBC between 1968 and 1977.
RITUPARNO GHOSH, NATIONAL AWARD WINNING FILMMAKER DIED
Rituparno Ghosh, the renowned Bengali film maker died on 30 May 2013 of cardiac arrest at his
south Kolkata residence.
49 Years old Rituparno Ghosh is the winner of 12 national and some of the international
awards. Ghosh came into limelight by his direction of a children's film Hirer Angti in year 1994.
His film Unishe April won national award winner in 1995.
Some of his famous films include Dahan, Asukh, Chokher Bali, Raincoat, Bariwali, Antarmahal
and Noukadubi. He had won the Best Director National Award for Abohomanin year 2012.
Rituparno Ghosh was born on 31 August 1963 in Kolkata. His father was a well known
documentary filmmaker.
A BRIEF INSIGHT INTO GHOSH'S CAREER
Rituparno started his career as advertising Professional and his directional debut was
Hirer Angti (The diamond ring).
He won the National film award for Best Director for his Bengali film Abohoman starring
Jishu Sengupta, Ananya Chatterjee, Dipankar Dey and Mamata Shankar.
He made his first screen presence in an Oriya film Katha Deithilli Ma Ku which is directed
by Himanshu Parija and released in 2003.
He hosted two celebrity chat shows, namely Ebong Rituporno on ETV Bangla and Ghosh
and co. on Star Jalsha.
He was also the scriptwriter of Gaaner Opa.
BOOKS/AUTHOR
BOOK AN ARDENT PATRIOT - DINESH GOSWAMI RELEASED
An Ardent Patriot Dinesh Goswami: Compiled and Edited by Kumar Deepak Das
Hamid Ansari, the Vice President of India on 30 April 2013 released a book titled An Ardent
Patriot Dinesh Goswami, compiled and edited by Kumar Deepak Das, Member of Parliament.

Page 257
The book is compilation of Parliamentary Speeches of veteran parliamentarian from Assam-

Dinesh Goswami. The book comprises of the Parliamentary speeches made by him in the
Parliament during his tenure of Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha from 1971 to 1990.
Dinesh Goswami was an eminent political leader from Assam who was a distinguished
parliamentarian. Apart from this, he was also a reputed legal luminary, a skilled orator and an
ardent champion of public service. His work includes that as the Chairman of the Committee on
Electoral reforms in 1990, popularly called the Dinesh Goswami Committee. The Dinesh
Goswami Committee played a key role in relevant recommendations on reforms of our
electoral system which remain valid even today.
BOOK FIDA-E-LUCKNOW -TALES OF THE CITY AND ITS PEOPLE RELEASED
Fida-e-Lucknow -Tales of the city and its people by Parveen Talha
The Vice President of India, Hamid Ansari released a book entitled Fida-e-Lucknow -Tales of the
city and its people on 1 May 2013. The book is authored by Parveen Talha, former Member
UPSC.
It is important to note that a lot of authors as well as poets have also penned down about
Lucknow and its culture. Cultural civilization grew in the city because of its rich tradition and
specialty.
Fida-e-Lucknow -Tales of the city and its people is the collection of 22 short stories. It peeps
into the flavours and textures of life in Lucknow. The book takes its readers through the history
of its Ganga-Jamuni culture and the changes which came over the city and its people in the
post-Independence period.
The book also describes about the story of Lucknows women.
MOHSIN HAMIDS 3RD BOOK HOW TO GET FILTHY RICH IN RISING ASIA
RELEASED
How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia by Mohsin Hamid
How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia was released in April 2013. The book is written by a
Pakistani writer, Mohsin Hamid. His other books include Moth Smoke (2000) and The Reluctant
Fundamentalist (2007).
The book is a tale of the man who takes his journey from a poor rural boy to the corporate
magnate. The book takes the outline from the self-help business books which are read by youth
all across the rising Asia.
How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia is a tale of contemporary life amidst crushing upheaval.
The book brings out characters that develop a sense of intimacy amidst shattering changes.
How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia in published in various languages in different countries.
These languages include Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese, Bulgarian, Chinese, Danish, English,

Page 258
French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Italian, Malayalam, Marathi, Russian,
Spanish and many more.
Mohsin Hamids first novel, Moth Smoke reached to the final stage of PEN/Hemingway Award,
which is given to best first novel in the US. His second novel, The Reluctant Fundamentalist,
became an international bestseller and was shortlisted for Man Booker Prize. This book won
various awards which included Anisfield-Wolf Book Award as well as the Asian American
Literary Award.
HARPER LEE, SUED A LITERARY AGENT OVER COPYRIGHT ISSUE
Harper Lee, 87, the author of To Kill A Mockingbird sued a literary agent, Samuel Pinkus on the
grounds that Pinkus tricked her into assigning the copyright of the book which also won the
Pulitzer Prize.
To Kill A Mockingbird is a classic book published in 1960. Over 30 million copies of this book
were sold. This is the only book published by Harper Lee who lives in Monroeville, Alabama.
In the lawsuit, Harper Lee bid the court to assign all rights of this book owned by Samuel Pinkus
to the author. She also bid the court to return commission that Pinkus took from 2007 onwards.
To Kill A Mockingbird is the tale of a lawyer that defends a black man who was accused of
raping the white woman.
BOOK TITLED UNDERSTANDING BHAGAT SINGH RELEASED
Book: Understanding Bhagat Singh by Prof. Chamanlal
Understanding Bhagat Singh a book by Prof. Chamanlal was released in the on 3 May 2013.
Professor Randhir Singh, Eminent Thinker released the book at School of Social Sciences (SSS- I)
Auditorium, JNU in New Delhi.
There exist more than 400 votes on the martyr, Bhagat Singh who lived for just 23 years on this
earth. The book Understanding Bhagat Singh has tried to explain the soul or spirit of Bhagat
Singh like his principle of achieving objectives with dignity, honesty and fearlessness.
Chamanlal is an Indian author and scholar, who is a professor in Hindi translation at centre of
Indian languages of Jawaharlal Nehru University. Vice-Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru
University, Prof. S. K. Sopory and Sheila Bhallan, JNU economics professor were the Guest of
honor on the occasion of the book release.
DAN BROWNS BOOK INFERNO IRKED AUTHORITIES OF MANILA
Book: Inferno by Dan Brown

Page 259
Inferno a novel written by Dan Brown in the third week of May 2013 came into attack by the
Philippines authorities for its portrayal of Manila as - the gates of hell.
In the novel Inferno, Brown has included a character a doctor, who describes Manila as a city of
horrible traffic jams, poverty, child sex-trade and crime. In Inferno, the character described by
Dan Brown states Ive run through the gates of hell about her experiences in Manila.
Francis Tolentino, the Chairperson of the metropolitan Manila wrote a letter to Dan Brown and
its publishers showcasing his disappointment regarding the inaccurate portrayal of the capital
city and defining it for the terrible description of poverty and pollution.
Dan Brown is the writer of the famous novel, Da Vinci Code, the book, whose film adaptation
was banned from screening in Manila City in 2006 by stating it as an offensive act against
Catholic Church.
ABOUT DAN BROWN
Dan Brown is the author of number one bestselling novels like Da Vinci Code, The Lost Symbol,
Angels & Demons, Deception Point and Digital Fortress. Da Vinci Code was a novel that created
a huge debate among the readers and scholars and renewed the interest of people in Leonardo
da Vinci and the early history of Christianity.
His novels are published in 52 languages around the world with 200 million copies in print. In
2005, Time Magazine named him among one of the top 100 most influential people in the
world.
IMPORTANT DATES
3 MAY: WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY

World Press Freedom Day is celebrated across the world on 3 May 2013. The theme for World
Press Freedom Day 2013 is Safe to Speak: Securing Freedom of Expression in All Media.
This is the 20th anniversary of World Press Freedom Day. This day was proclaimed by the UN
General Assembly in December 1993 after recommendations of General Conference of
UNESCO. Ever since then, 3 May is observed as the World Press Freedom Day on the
anniversary of the Declaration of Windhoek.
World Press Freedom Day is the opportunity to:
Celebrate fundamental principles of press freedom
Assess state of press freedom all over the world
Defend attack on media independence

Page 260
Pay tribute to those journalists who died during dissemination of their duty
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION: A FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN RIGHT UNDER 19 OF THE

UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS
It is worth noticing that Freedom of Expression is the fundamental human right under 19 of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
In various countries across the world, thousands of publications are suspended, censored, shut
down or fined. Various journalists, publishers as well as the editors are attacked, harassed,
murdered and detained. In last 10 years, over 600 journalists have been killed and out of these
120 have died in 2012 alone.
3 MAY 2013: INDIAN CINEMA COMPLETED ITS 100 YEARS
On 3 May 2013, Indian cinema completed exactly 100 years with the release of two films-
Bombay Talkies and Shootout at Wadala. The first Indian feature film, Raja Harishchandra was
released on 3 May 1913 and this marks the completion of exact 100 years of the Indian cinema.
HISTORY OF THE INDIAN CINEMA
Raja Harishchandra was the first Indian feature film which was made by Dada Saheb
Phalke in the year 1913.
During the first decade of the Indian cinema, i.e., from 1913-1920, various films were
made, but they were mostly mythological or religious.
In the second decade of the Indian cinema, another genre of cinema was born and film
makers started with the comedy or satirical films that dealt with the social issues. Some
films of this era were Gun Sundari and Typist Girl (1918) made by ChandulalShah of
Bombay.
Some of the early satiric comedies of Indian cinema were England Returned (1921) and
Barristers Wife, made by DG Ganguly of Calcutta.
The first lady of Indian film industry was Devika Rani, Rabindranath Tagore's great-
grandniece and her first main role was in Karma (1934).
From 1896-1931, a lot of silent films were made, but destroyed. At present, just about
ten silent films are preserved by National film Archives, Pune.
The first ever talkie film that was shown in India was Melody of Love (1929).
Indias first talkie film was Alam Ara, made by Ardeshir Irani. Alam Ara had 12 songs in
all and it was released first in Bombay.

Page 261
Colour was introduced in the Indian films in 50s. The first coloured Indian film was
Jhansi ki Rani (1953), which was made by Sohrab Modi.
In 1950s, the biggest filmmakers were Guru Dutt and Raj Kapoor. Renowned Raj Kapoor
hits included Bobby, Mera Naam Joker, Awara, Shree 420, Prem Rog and Ram Teri
Ganga Maili.
The biggest grosser of Indian cinema during 50s were Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje (1955)
of V. Shantaram and Mother India (1957) of Mehboob Khan.
In 1960s, emergence of super stars was seen. Some of the biggest superstars of 1960s
were Rajesh Khanna, Shashi Kapoor, Shammi Kapoor and Jeetendra.
The trend of shooting at the foreign locations was started by Raj kapoor. Sangam (1964)
was among early films shot at foreign location.
In 1970s, another superstar, Amitabh Bachchan was introduced to the screen.
During 1970s, violence was the central theme of the Indian cinema.
The films of 80s were a blend of romance, revenge, dance and music. Disco entered
India in 80s through Mithun Chakravartys Disco Dancer.
The notable development in 1990s was increased shooting at the foreign locations.
THE 100 CRORE CLUB
Indian cinema has now become one of the largest producers of movies in the world.
In 2012, around 1500 films were produced in India.
The audiences of Indian films have been expanding continuously. The audiences do not
just remain confined to India, but all over world, especially South Asia.
From first feature film in 1913, Indian films have risen to the 100-crore club. It includes
the earning of the films to 100-crore Rupees or 18 million US dollar, after exclusion of
the entertainment tax.
Till February 2013, overall 19 Indian films made their entry into the 100-crore club.
The first film in Indian cinema that made it to the 100-crore club was Ghajini (2008).
Salman Khan is the actor who gave maximum films (5) to the 100-crore club.
Some of the films that made it to the 100-crore club include Ghajini (2008), 3 Idiots (2009),
Dabangg (2010), Golmaal 3 (2010), Ready (2011), Singham (2011), Bodyguard (2011), Ra. One
(2011), Don 2 (2011), Agneepath (2012), Housefull 2 (2012), Rowdy Rathore (2012), Bol

Page 262
Bachchan (2012), Ek Tha Tiger (2012), Barfi! (2012), Son of Sardar (2012) and Jab Tak Hai Jaan
(2012).
WORLD ASTHMA DAY 2013 OBSERVED WITH THEME, YOU CAN

CONTROL YOUR ASTHMA
First Tuesday of May is observed as World Asthma

Day
World Asthma Day was observed across the world on

7 May 2013. The day is observed across the world to
spread awareness and care around the world
including India. The theme for 2013 is You Can
Control Your Asthma and the sub-theme for the year
introduced by GINA is It's Time to Control Asthma.
The day is organized and sponsored by the Global

Initiative for Asthma (GINA) as a partnership
between health care groups and asthma educators to
raise awareness about asthma.
Across the world there are across 300 million people who are suffering from Asthma and of
them 2.50 lakh deaths every year is attributed to the chronic respiratory disease Asthma.
ABOUT THE WORLD ASTHMA DAY
The World Asthma Day is organised annually by the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) to
improve awareness and care of the world towards Asthma. World Asthma Day takes place each
year on the first Tuesday in May. The World Asthma Day for the first time was organised in
1998 and was celebrated across 35 counties in conjunction with the first World Asthma
Meeting that was held in Barcelona, Spain.
GINA is one of the founding participants in the World Health Organization's Global Alliance
against Chronic Respiratory Diseases (GARD).
GINA GLOBAL STRATEGY TO CONTROL ASTHMA
A strategy for achieving and maintaining asthma control is set out in the GINA Global Strategy
for Asthma Management and Prevention. The strategy requires four interrelated components
of therapy:
Develop patient/doctor partnership
Identify and reduce exposure to risk factors

Page 263
Assess, treat, and monitor asthma
Manage asthma exacerbations
NATIONAL TECHNOLOGY DAY WAS OBSERVED ON 11 MAY 2013
11 May 2013: National Technology Day
National Technology Day was celebrated on 11 May 2013 as a symbol of quest for scientific
inquiry, technological creativity and the translation of that quest in the integration of Science,
Society and Industry. This day is also celebrated to honour technological innovations and their
successful commercialization which makes fruits of research reach people at large. This years
function is centered on the Theme Innovation - Making a Difference.
On 11 May 1998 India achieved a major technological breakthrough by successfully carrying out
nuclear tests at Pokhran. Also first, indigenous aircraft Hansa-3 was test flown at Bangalore on
this day and India also performed successful test firing of the Trishul missile on the same day.
Considering above technological achievements on a particular date i.e. 11 May, the day of 11
May was chosen to be commemorated as National Technology Day.
To commemorate this day, TDB instituted a National Award which is conferred upon both the
provider of technology and the developer of technology product. The award carries an amount
of 10 Lakh rupees each to the Industrial Concern and the technology provider, and a trophy
each to both. In addition to this TDB has introduced cash Award of 5 lakhs rupees and a trophy
to be given to maximum three SSI units which have successfully commercialized a technology
based product.
The National Award for the year 2013 is being awarded to Biovet Private Limited, Malur, Kolar
for successfully developing commercial production of Bluetongue pentavalent vaccine and
Johnes disease vaccine and to Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) Izatnagar, Uttar
Pradesh for developing the technologies of the two vaccines.
17 MAY 2013: WORLD TELECOMMUNICATION & INFORMATION SOCIETY

DAY
World Telecommunication and Information Society Day was celebrated on 17 May 2013. It is
celebrated on this day every year to raise awareness about the positives of Information and
Communication Technologies, ICTs, among people. The day aims to make information and
communication more accessible to people living in remote areas. The theme of the day this
year was - ICTs and improving road safety.
The day marks the founding of the International Telecommunication Union, ITU, and signing of
the first International Telegraph Convention in 1865. It focuses on filling up the technological
gaps, promoting connectivity and bridging physical distances through the Internet, television
and phone. This year's theme is significant in the wake of a UN report attributing 1.3 million

Page 264
deaths each year and 20-50 million people getting injured in road accidents mainly in
developing countries. Driver distraction and road-user behaviour while driving are among the
leading contributors to road accidents. The ITU is behind developing standards for safe
communication systems in vehicles to eliminate distraction while driving.
ANTI-TERRORISM DAY OBSERVED ACROSS INDIA
21 May 2013: Anti Terrorism Day/ Martyrdom of Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi
Martyrdom of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, also known as Anti Terrorism Day is
observed across the country on 21 May 2013. The day is celebrated as the 22nd anniversary of
martyrdom of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. On 21 May 1991, Rajiv Gandhi died at the
hands of terrorists.
Rajiv Gandhi memorial, Vir Bhumi in New Delhi is where President Pranab Mukherjee, Vice
President Hamid Ansari, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Congress Vice President Rahul
Gandhi paid homage to him.
OBJECTIVE OF CELEBRATING ANTI TERRORISM DAY
Anti Terrorism Day is celebrated to create awareness among different sections of people
regarding the danger of terrorism and violence and its ill effect on the people.
The objective is also to make people stay away from violence and terrorism.
On this day, various symposia, debates, lectures, seminars and discussions are organised in
universities, schools and colleges. Also anti-terrorism pledge is taken in government offices,
public institutions and public sector undertakings.
WORLD DAY FOR CULTURAL DIVERSITY FOR DIALOGUE AND

DEVELOPMENT, 21 MAY
21 May 2013: World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development
World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development was observed on 21 May 2013.
The day is observed every year to raise awareness about the importance of intercultural
dialogue, diversity and inclusion. The day provides an opportunity to learn to live together in
harmony.
The theme this year is Do one thing for Diversity and Inclusion. The day was adopted in the
wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the US, which claimed around 3000 lives. UNESCO adopted
the Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity in 2001, and in December 2002, the UN General
Assembly declared 21 May as the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and
Development.

Page 265
WORLD HUNGER DAY WAS OBSERVED ON 28 MAY 2013
28 May 2013: World Hunger Day
World Hunger Day was observed on 28 May 2013 across the globe. It is an annual event which
celebrates sustainable solutions to ending extreme hunger and poverty. The day seeks to
inspire people in both the developed and developing worlds to show their solidarity and
support to enable many more to end their own hunger and poverty and make the journey to
self-reliance.
870 million, one eighth of the worlds population live in extreme hunger and poverty and exist
on less than 80 pence a day. Hunger kills more people than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis
combined. Millions of women, men and children die each year because of chronic persistent
hunger Two million are children.
Even today, the 90 percent majority of those suffering with hunger and poverty are living in
other parts of the world, not affected by famine, earthquake or flood, but because of the
chronic persistent hunger that exists in the developing world, in particular, Africa, South Asia
and Latin America.
2014: FRIENDSHIP YEAR TO PROMOTE UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN

INDIA AND CHINA
2014 was declared as the Friendship Year by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang for increased people-
to-people interaction between India and China. 2014 was declared as the year of exchanges
between the two countries in order to enhance friendship and understanding.
As a measure, Li Keqiang declared that they would support Chinese enterprises to increase
investments in India and help Indian products to have access to Chinese market.
The objective of 2014 Friendship Year would be peaceful co-existence between India and China,
which will be of global significance. Stability and peace in South-East Asia region will also be the
aim of 2014 Friendship Year.
HINDI JOURNALISM DAY CELEBRATED IN INDIA
30 May: Hindi Journalism Day or Hindi Patrakarita Diwas
30 May is celebrated as the Hindi Journalism Day in Indias journalism every year. On 30 May
1826, the first Hindi newspaper of India called Udant Martand was edited and published. With
this, the Hindi Journalism completed its 187 years in India.
First Hindi newspaper was initiated by Jugal Kishor Shukla. Hindi daily publishing took place in
Braj and Khari languages. Jugal Kishor Shukla helped in creating journalism as the fourth pillar
of the Indian democracy.

Page 266
ABOUT UDANT MARTAND- THE FIRST HINDI NEWSPAPER OF INDIA
Udant Martand was the first Hindi newspaper in India.
It was published from Calcutta.
It was published on 30 May 1826, which is celebrated as the Hindi Journalism Day or
Hindi Patrakarita Diwas.
However, Udant Martand could not be published for long due to higher postal rates as
well as distant readership.
ANTI-TOBACCO DAY OBSERVED ACROSS THE WORLD
31 May: World No-Tobacco Day
According to World Health Organisation, World No-Tobacco day is observed every year on 31
May 2013. The Theme this year is Ban tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship. It is a
global tragedy that diseases are allowed to be caused by tobacco consumption. WHO urged
Governments (with its message free yourself) everywhere to address this needless threat to
public health.
The day is meant to highlight the risks associated with tobacco usage and reduce its
consumption. Tobacco is the single largest cause of preventable death globally and
approximately 5.5 million people die around the world every year - with India accounting for
nearly a fifth of this. The primary risk of tobacco usage includes many forms of cancers. The
ultimate goal is to contribute to protect present and future generations not only from these
devastating health consequences, but also against the social, environmental and economic
scourges of tobacco use and exposure to tobacco smoke.
REPORTS & SURVEY
RECENT TRENDS IN MATERIAL FLOWS & RESOURCE PRODUCTIVITY:

REPORT
UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Report Recent Trends in Material Flows and Resource
Productivity in Asia and the Pacific 2013 released on 24 April 2013 reported that Asia Pacific has
surpassed the rest of the world in material consumption and will continue to dominate the
world material flow. The findings and conclusions of the report is based on an updated material
flows database which presents data up to 2008, and the onset of the Global Financial Crisis
(GFC).
As per the findings of the report, the trade balance of Asia Pacific indicates that the current rate
of exploitation of the resource base is not sufficient to fulfill the ever-growing demands of the

Page 267
fast-growing economies and the changing lifestyles. The report indicated that from 1970 to
2008, the consumption of construction minerals in the region increased 13.4 times. Similarly
metal ores and industrial mineral consumption increased 8.6 times. Biomass and fossil fuels
have also seen an increase of 2.7 and 5.4 times respectively.
The report indicates that at such a pace of development the area will have to depend upon
imports. The material intensity of the region consumption of materials per dollar Gross
Domestic Product (GDP) is an area of serious concern. The development of the region has
increased pressures over the environment by exceeding the rapid growth of the region.
At present the material intensity of the Asia-Pacific is three times the rest of the world. The
current rate of consumption is also having a negative impact on the environment.
From 1970 and 2008, the material consumption of the area has gone up to 37.5 billion tonnes
from 6.2 billion tonnes. In all these years, the region has grown at a rate of 4.8 percent. By 2008
in the record of consumption, China accounts for 60 percent and India accounts for 14 percent
of the total regional domestic material consumption. Overall Asia Pacific accounts to 89 percent
of the average per capita income of the world.
CHINA
Between 2005 to 2008, the per capita material consumption increased by 25 percent
Due to the strong domestic demands, it has reinforced its position as a net importer of
materials (in particular petroleum)
Since 1980s the resource efficiency of China has shown a good progress
INDIA
Over-all material Consumption of India has remained low, whereas the consumption of
metal ores, industrial minerals has grown 8.6 percent every year from 1998 to 2008.
Thus India is moving at a great pace to change itself into an industrialized economy
The report also identified that the Asia-Pacific is making a slide transition to mineral based
economy from the biomass based economy, i.e. a transition from agrarian economy to
industrialized economy. The biomass in the region has gone down to 25 percent, which
accounts to more than half of the domestic extraction, whereas the construction material has
seen a growth of 51.4 percent.
The report has called up for being vigilant in making up of the development policies and
recommended the establishment of a harmonised database to share materials.
UP ACCOUNTED FOR LARGEST NUMBER OF MOBILE SUBSCRIBERS

Page 268
According to a Survey, the country's most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, accounted for the
largest number of mobile subscribers in India followed by Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Andhra
Pradesh and Bihar. Uttar Pradesh has a total of 121.60 million mobile phone connections, while,
Tamil Nadu has 71.81 million subscribers, according to the TRAI data. Maharashtra is at the
third position, with a subscriber base of 67.73 million followed by Andhra Pradesh and Bihar at
64.12 million and 60.73 million, respectively. These five states together account of 366 million
mobile subscribers, which is 45 per cent of the total cell phone connections in the country.
Karnataka stands sixth with 52.45 million mobile subscribers followed by the central Indian
state of Madhya Pradesh with 51.43 million subscribers. Gujarat, fast rising as the most
industry-friendly state, came eighth with 51.23 million cell phone connections, while Rajasthan,
the largest state in terms of area, has a total of 47.83 million mobile subscribers.
India, which is the world's second largest mobile phone market in terms of subscribers, had a
total of 861.66 million mobile connections as on February 2013, data from telecom regulator
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) showed. Mobile subscriber base in the country
declined by 0.11 percent to 861.66 million at the end of February 2013 from 862.6 million in
January 2013. India's total telecom subscriber base, which includes mobile and landline
connections, declined marginally to 892 million in February 2013 from 893.1 million at the end
of January this year. India's telecom subscriber base had touched an all-time high of 965.5
million in June 2012.
INDIA AT TOP IN LIST OF 1ST DAY DEATHS OF INFANTS: REPORT
State of the Worlds Mothers report released in first week of May 2013 reported that India
holds the record of first day death of newborns than any other country of the world. As per the
latest report released, India accounts to more than 309300 deaths of new born on the first day
and accounts to 29 percent of the global population.
The basic reason for the deaths of the infants of the first day as per the records of the report
are the complications associated with the preterm birth, maternal health and hygiene
standards.
The report is based on the

survey done on 186
countries came up with the
finding that South Asia that
accounts for about 24
percent of worlds
population recorded 40
percent of the first day
death of child. As per the
report, the first day death
occurs mainly in 10
countries of which the

Page 269
most populated countries like India and Indonesia.
Others countries placed high in the list are Pakistan, Afghanistan and African nations like
Nigeria and Ethiopia. The developed countries accounts for only 1 percent of the global first-
day deaths. Bangladesh and Pakistan also have a high rate of deaths at 28000 abd 60000
respectively. These deaths are the reason of chronic malnourishment of the mother and other
fatalities of the reason. Despite being more populated, China ranks 4th and accounts for only
5% of the global share of first-day deaths.
IDENTIFIED CAUSES FOR THE FIRST DAY DEATH OF THE CHILD INCLUDES
Complications during birth
Prematurity and infections, low birth weight (28% of babies in India are underweight)
Limited access to low-cost, life-saving interventions as the access could cut down the
figures by as much as 75 percent
Early marriage and childbearing heightens the risk for babies further. In India 47 percent
girls are married off by the age of 18
As per the report the reason for the deaths in South Asia is the availability of just 14 doctors or
nurses over every 10000 people. In the category of maternal deaths, India is placed at 142nd
position among 176 countries with 56000 maternal deaths per year.
CANCER DEATHS DROPPED THROUGH PREVENTION MEASURES
A research conducted by the New South Wales Cancer Council in the second week of May 2013
came up with a conclusion that 60000 people in the country have been saved through Cancer
Prevention Measures over the past 20 years. The researchers in the study compared the recent
deaths with cancer with the deaths reported in 1980s.
After studying the two cases, the group came up with a conclusion that the overall deaths due
to cancer were reduced by 30 percent. The largest deaths reductions were seen in bowel, lung
and breast cancers.
The latest advances in cancer prevention, treatment and screening have improved, whereas
there are scopes of improvements in brain, palate and pancreatic cancers.
UN REPORT ON WORLD ECONOMIC SITUATION AND PROSPECTS 2013
United Nations released its forecast report World Economic Situation and Prospects 2013
(Update as of mid 2013) in the third week of May 2013. The latest Economic Forecast from
United Nations (UN) projected that the global economic growth can gain a slow momentum for
the rest of the year as a result of improved global financial conditions.

Page 270
The forecast has cleared that after a down-turn of over two years, it is expected that the global
economic activity will gain momentum in the second half of 2013 and 2014 being backed by the
accommodative monetary policies in the developing and developed economies. As per the
forecast the moderate pick-up activity will be witnessed by the world but the growth will be
seemingly below potential. The employment gains mainly in the developed economies will
remain weak. The short term risks associated with the economic slowdown in the large
developing nations, fiscal adjustments of US and the worsened situations of the Euro Area have
gone down but havent diminished.
The risks carries both the possibilities one is of returning back on a good track and the second
one is of getting derailed the improving world economy.
The forecast has put forward a light for the policy makers to look forward for a balanced global
recovery with a focus on job creation to be prioritized. To mitigate the negative policy spillovers
and to promote cooperation and curb protectionism, as per the forecast there exists a need of
enhancing the International Policy Coordination as this will help in reforming the international
financial system and ensuring sufficient resource flows in developing economies and in the
third world nations.
GLOBAL INDEX OF RELIGION AND ATHEISM REPORT
The new poll called Global Index of Religion and Atheism, by WIN/Gallup International which
measures self-perceptions on the beliefs on global level, indicated that 13 percent of the world
population identified themselves as atheists. Around half of the Chinese population comprised
of non-believers. The poll indicated that in the United States, religiosity was declining notably.
The 2012 Global Index of Religion and Atheism surveyed over 50000 people in 40 countries.
These people were surveyed on categories- religious, non-religious and convinced atheists.
Overall, the results declared that 59 percent of world population was religious, 23 percent was
non-religious and 13 percent was convinced atheist.
CHINA HAS MAXIMUM NUMBER OF CONVINCED ATHEISTS
Maximum numbers of convinced atheists were found in China. Around 47 percent of Chinese
population was convinced atheist. The reason for such a large population of China being atheist
is attributed to the political history. The Republic Government of China was originally atheist
during the formation in 1949.
Error margin of the Global Index of Religion and Atheism was between 3 to 5 percent.
NON-RELIGIOUS POPULATION IN INDIA ON THE RISE

Page 271
The Global Index of Religion and Atheism also revealed that non-religious population in India
was rising considerably. In the survey conducted in 2005, 87 percent population had declared
itself to be religious. This percentage fell to 81 percent in 2012.
Also, there was 1 percent sink in the population of atheist in India. In 2005, there were 4
percent atheists in India, which sank to 3 percent in 2012.
GLOBAL TREND
Globally, similar kind of trend was observed. Overall, the Religiosity dropped down by 9
percent, while atheism increased by 3 percent. The Global Index of Religion and Atheism report
revealed considerable decline in self-description of being religious.
Pakistan saw an increase in number of religious population (6 percent). In Argentina (where the
current Pope is present), there was a decrease of 8 percent in people believing in religion.
South Africa saw a 19 percent dip in religious people. In US, there was a sink of 13 percent,
while in Switzerland, France and Vietnam; there was a dip of 21 percent, 21 percent and 23
percent respectively.
WHAT IS GLOBAL INDEX OF RELIGION AND ATHEISM?
The WIN-Gallup International Religion and Atheism Index measures the global self-perceptions
on beliefs. It is based on the interviews which were conducted with more than 50000 men as
well as women from 57 countries across the world in 5 continents. This survey provided insight
into the trend data of shifts in the attitude of people since 2005. WIN-Gallup International is the
network of top most independent pollsters of the world.
AUSTRALIA RANKED AS THE WORLD'S HAPPIEST DEVELOPED NATION
Australia on 27 May 2013 was ranked as the world's happiest nation among developed
economies for the third consecutive year as per the Better Life Index compiled by the
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Sweden, Canada, Norway and
Switzerland ranked second, third, fourth and fifth position respectively. The survey ranked
more than 30 countries on criteria like income levels, health, safety and housing.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SURVEY
More than 73 percent of Australia's 23 million people aged 15 to 64 hold a paid job,
which is above the OECD average.
Life expectancy at birth is also higher, at almost 82 years.
Australia's economy registered more than two decades of straight growth due to
demand for its natural resources.

Page 272
It also managed to overcome the worst of the financial crisis and was the only major
developed nation to avoid the global recession in 2009.
The Australian dollar is currently trading close to 30 year highs.
However, Australia is facing challenge in the form of a widening income gap. According
to the OECD, the top 20 percent of Australia's population earn six times more than the
bottom 20 percent.
MISCELLANEOUS
MOUNT FUJI TO BE DECLARED AS THE UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE
Mount Fuji, Japan: International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) approved Japans
Mount Fuji to be declared as the UNESCO World Heritage site. Mount Fuji is the snow-topped
volcano in Japan. Formal decision would be taken about its declaration as the world heritage
site when the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO will meet in Cambodia in June 2013.
ABOUT MOUNT FUJI
Japans Mount Fuji is located at 12460 feet and is the highest mountain of Japan.
The volcano that erupted around a little more than 300 years ago is situated to south-
west of Tokyo. It is visible from Tokyo easily.
Mount Fuji is also featured in the historic art work of Japan, which also includes wood
blocks prints.
It is also said to be a part of traditional Three Holy Mountains, apart from Mount Haku
and Mount Tate, both of which lie in Central Japan.
INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL ON MONUMENTS AND SITES
International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) approved Mount Fuji an

appropriate site for registration.
ICOMOS evaluates the cultural properties which are nominated to World Heritage List. It
is also responsible for submission of the recommendation to UNESCOs annual
meetings.
At present, there are 16 World Heritage listed Sites in Japan, out of which 12 are cultural and
four natural. Recent additions to this list were Buddhism-linked gardens and temples of
Hiraizumi, which were recognised as World Heritage Site in 2011.

Page 273
CHINA SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHED ZHONGXING-11
China, on 2 May 2013, successfully launched a communications satellite called Zhongxing-11

from Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest Sichuan province. The satellite was launched
into its present orbit from Long March-3B rocket. This marked the 176th launch of Long March
series of rockets of China.
ABOUT ZHONGXING-11
Zhongxing-11 has the lift-off mass of approximately 5000 kg as well as design lifetime of
more than 15 years.
Zhongxing-11 is based on DFH-4 platform and is manufactured by China Academy of

Space Technology.
It features multiple high power fixed along with mobile beams as well as transponder
switching capability.
Its application is mainly to provide services for the commercial communications and
broadcasting.
The satellite is also responsible for meeting needs of digital broadband multimedia,
streaming media for clients, Direct-to-Home as well as data transmission for the Asia-
Pacific region.
US CARGO PLANE CRASHED NEAR MANAS AIRBASE IN KYRGYZSTAN
US Cargo Plane KC-135 Stratotanker crashed near Chaldovar village on 3 May 2013 after taking
off from an airbase in Kyrgyzstan. It crashed at around 15:00 local time. The tanker aircraft took
off the flight from US Manas Airbase in the capital city Bishkek. The Cargo Plane was carrying
fuel when it crashed after disappearing off from the radars.
Manas Airbase is used by US to maintain its operations in Afghanistan. Like ferry troops into the
country, refuel warplanes and evacuate wounded soldiers. Earlier on 29 April 2013 a Civilian
Cargo Plane Boeing 747 crashed at Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan. In this incident, seven crew
members of the plane died on-board.
NEW SEX SUPERBUG CAN BE MORE DEADLY THAN AIDS
Doctors have warned that the new sexually transmitted Sex-Superbug named H041 can be
much more deadly than the AIDS virus. Recently, two cases of the sex-superbug were
confirmed in Hawaii. Doctors have claimed that the superbug is the antibiotic resistant strain of
gonorrhea.

Page 274
In 2011, the superbug was discovered for the first time in Japan and then it spread to Hawaii
and now visible in Norway and California. As per
Doctors, the H041 bacteria can be much more
deadly than the AIDS Virus because the bacteria is
more aggressive and will affect more people quickly
and effect is more direct.
ABOUT GONORRHEA
Gonorrhea also known as Clap is a disease that is sexually transmitted and is in existence since
the medieval age. The infection results in genital discharge and painful sores. This is also related
to the sterility and ectopic pregnancies in both men and women.
1ST NATIONAL SURFING & STAND UP PADDLE COMPETITION
Kovalam Beach, Thiruvananthapuram: Spice Coast Open, the first ever national surfing and
stand up paddle (SUP) competition of India took place here.
Tamil Nadu surfers grabbed the first position at the first ever national surfing and stand up
paddle (SUP) competition of India, Spice Coast Open, which concluded on 5 May 2013 at
Kovalam beach at Thiruvananthapuram.
Over 100 athletes from across the country took part in the competition. Participants took part
in various categories at finals in competitions which took place over three days time duration.
Among surfers from different state, Karnataka and Kerala surfers were the winners.
The winners in different categories were honoured with cash rewards, trophies and certificates.
ABOUT SPICE COAST OPEN 2013
Spice Coast Open is the first official national competitive event of the sport.
It was organised by Surfing Federation of India (SFI). SFI is the body recognised by the
International Surfing Association (ISA) along with state Department of Tourism.
Spice Coast Open 2013 competition was inaugurated in Kovalam by former South
African cricketer and surfing enthusiast Jonty Rhodes.
SAHARA CREATED NEW WORLD RECORD TO SING NATIONAL ANTHEM
Lucknow, UP: Sahara India Pariwar created a new Guinness World Record on 6 May 2013 when
its 121653 staff and workers sang Indias national anthem Jana Gana Mana in union at
Lucknow. The present world record is in the account of Pakistan where 42813 people sang
national anthem in a group at one place.

Page 275
Apart from this, Sahara India Pariwar had also attempted the record of more than one million
employees singing the national anthem in one uniform at 4512 offices of Sahara spread in India.
Sahara came to be recognised on the global map through acquisition of Plaza Hotel in New York
and London's Grosvenor House hotel.
The representatives of Guinness World Record witnessed the moment and confirmed the world
record. Subrata Roy Sahara, the Chairman of Sahara India Pariwar was conferred with the
certificate by officials of Guinness Book of World Records.
HIMALAYAN NATIONAL PARK FOR WORLD HERITAGE NOMINATED FOR

WORLD HERITAGE SITES
Rajasthan and Great Himalayan National Park: India nominated cluster of six hill forts in
Rajasthan as well as Great Himalayan National Park in Himachal Pradesh for World Heritage
Sites for 2013. The UNESCOs World Heritage Committee will be held in Phnom Penh in
Cambodia in June 2013 and conferring the status of World Heritage Sites on these places will be
decided in this meeting.
HILL FORTS OF RAJASTHAN
Hill forts at six places Amber, Chittorgarh, Gagron, Jaisalmer, Kumbhalgarh and Ranthambore
are showcase of the military architecture of Rajput, which are seen in memorials, temples as
well as palaces. These forts were built between 13th and 19th century and they are absolutely
unique in the region.
THE GREAT HIMALAYAN NATIONAL PARK
The Great Himalayan National Park is spread over 75400 hectares and is situated in western
part of the Himalayan Mountains in Kullu District. This rich in biodiversity site is one of the most
scenic places of India. It nests 25 forest types and supports 805 different varieties of plants. It
also hosts 31 mammal species and 209 kinds of birds.
The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) evaluates cultural properties for
UNESCO. These sites were inspected by ICOMOS in 2012 and final recommendation will be
given by 17 May 2013.
Overall, India has 29 World Heritage Sites; out of which 23 are cultural 6 are natural properties.
PAINTING BY FERNAND LEGER FROM 1921 SOLD BY MADONNA FOR 7.2

MILLION US DOLLAR
The painting by Fernand Leger, which was owned by Madonna sell for 7.2 million US dollar in
New York on 7 May 2013 at the Sotheby's auction house. The painting called Three Women at

Page 276
the Red Table dates from 1921. The proceeds from this sale will fund Madonna's Ray of Light
Foundation that supports the projects of girls education in South Asia and Middle East.
The sale was a part of Sotheby's sale of Impressionist as well as modern art which took over 230
million US dollar. In the meanwhile, the painting Les Pommes, a still life by French artist Paul
Cezanne claimed the highest price, i.e., 41.6 million US dollar.
L'Amazone, a portrait of French socialite Baroness Marguerite de Hasse de Villers by Amedeo

Modigliani, was sold for 25.9 million US dollar. A Pablo Picasso sculpture of his young muse
Sylvette went on sale for 13.6 million US dollar.
In the same auction in 2012, the version of Edvard Munch's The Scream was sold for a world
record price of 119.9 million US dollar.
RESEARCHERS DISCOVERED A NEW SPECIES OF DINOSAUR
Researchers of University of Toronto discovered a new species of dinosaur, which according to

them is oldest in North America, or possible even the world. This is the bone-headed, dog-sized
herbivorous dinosaur species which had a skull shaped like a dome and is called Acrotholus.
The researchers unveiled that this new species of dinosaur fills gap in the family tree of
dinosaur. The researchers explained that there were some other small dinosaurs such as
Acrotholus audeti that await discovery.
The kind of dinosaur unearthed is scientifically called pachycephalosaurs. Pachycephalosaurs

are the kinds of dinosaurs that are like thick-headed lizards or bone-headed dinosaurs. These
are a very strage group of dinosaurs, which are herbivorous and have thick-boned dome over
their skulls.
ABOUT ACROTHOLUS
Acrotholus, according to researchers, is almost the size of large dog.
It weighed around 40 kg, walked on two legs as well as had the skull which is composed
of solid bone that is more than 10cm thick.
The discovery of the fossil of this new dinosaur offers a lot of information about the
evolution of bone-headed dinosaurs.
It is worth noticing that information about the diversity of small dinosaurs (weighing less than
100 kg) is very limited because they are under-represented in fossil record.
13 SHORT FILMS BASED ON TAGORES POEMS LAUNCHED

Page 277
The Union Minister of Culture, Chandresh Kumari Katoch launched 13 short films based on the
poems of Rabindranath Tagore in New Delhi on 9 May 2013. All the films have been produced
with the financial support of Ministry of Culture.
Buddhadeb Dasgupta, the noted Director directed these 13 short films through the National
Film Development Corporation. The project of Production of 13 short films or documentaries is
a part of commemoration celebrating 150th Birth Anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore.
The Screening Committee was constituted under the Chairmanship of Shyam Benegal in order
to examine film production and related proposals for the commemoration.
All the 13 short films are of 25-30 minutes time duration. These are based on the Tagores
poems namely, Bansi (The Flute), Krishnakali (The Dark Maiden), Mukti (The Freedom), Phanki
(Deception), Pukur Dhare (From the pool side), Ek Gaye (A Village), Camellia (Camellia),
Banshiwallah (The Flutist), Shesh Chithi (The Last Letter), Hothat Dekha (The Unexpected
Meeting), Patralekha (The letter ought to be written), Basha Bari (The mansion) and Istition
(The Station).
The films depict the Tagores humanism as well as creativity in him. The films reflect a wide
range of his intellectual thinking from Romance to Philosophy and tradition to the
contemporary ills. Rabindranath Tagore is known across the world for his literary and artistic
genius, creativity, humanism and internationalism.
CABINET APPROVED NATIONAL SKILL DEVELOPMENT AGENCY (NSDA)
NSDA: National Skill Development Agency approved by Union Cabinet
The Union Cabinet of India on 9 May 2013 gave its approval for constituting an autonomous
body called the National Skill Development Agency (NSDA) by subsuming the Prime Ministers
National Council on Skill Development (PMNCSD), the National Skill Development Coordination
Board (NSDCB) and the Office of the Adviser to the PM on Skill Development. The NSDA will be
located in the Ministry of Finance.
The NSDA will coordinate and harmonise the skill development efforts of the Government and
the private sector to achieve the skilling targets of the 12th Plan and beyond; anchor and
operationalise the National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF) and be the nodal agency for
Sector Skills Councils and endeavour to bridge the social, regional, gender and economic divides
in skilling. It will also be empowered to raise extra budgetary resources. The Central Ministries
and NSDC will continue to implement schemes in their remit.
The NSDA is expected to provide the much needed single point focus to ensure that skilling
quality and standards meet sector specific requirements benchmarked to international
standards. Such an initiative will boost employability of youth in India.

Page 278
The proposal to set up the National Skill Development Agency (NSDA) was first considered by
the Cabinet in its meeting held on 31 January 2013 and it was referred to a Group of Ministers
(GoM) to review all aspects.
ISSNIP PROJECT WAS LAUNCHED BY GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
Ministry for Women & Child Development launched the World Bank assisted ICDS Systems
Strengthening and Nutrition Improvement Project (ISSNIP) in New Delhi on 9 May 2013. The
programme aims at improving child development and nutritional outcomes for children in
selected districts having higher proportional of child under nutrition.
The programme aims at improving child development and nutritional outcomes for children in
selected districts having higher proportional of child under nutrition. Total size of the project is
2893 crore rupees with 70 percent IDA share of 2025 crore rupees (450 million US dollars) over
7 years. The estimated cost of phase 1 of the project is about 151.50 million US dollars (682
crore rupees) of which 106 million US dollars is the IDA share (70 percent). The World Bank is
supporting this project initially with a concessionary loan of 106 million US dollars payable over
25 years. This is likely to be followed by a second phase of support of 344 million US dollars
subject to assessment of phase 1. The first phase of the project will support the governments
efforts to strengthen policy measures and institutional capacity and will also finance innovative
pilots and programmers in 162 high malnutrition-burden districts across eight States. In
additional the project will support urban/sub-urban pilots in NCR of Delhi and convergent
nutrition action pilots in Odisha and Uttarakhand.
The first phase of the project will support the governments efforts to strengthen policy
measures and institutional capacity and will also finance innovative pilots and programmers in
162 high malnutrition-burden districts across eight States. In additional the project will support
urban/sub-urban pilots in NCR of Delhi and convergent nutrition action pilots in Odisha and
Uttarakhand.
EXTERNAL AFFAIRS MINISTER SALMAN KHURSHID VISITED CHINA
External Affairs Minister, Salman Khurshid, paid an official visit to the Peoples Republic of
China on 09-10 May 2013. The two nations discussed bilateral, regional and global issues of
concern to both sides. They also discussed the proposed visit to India of Chinese Premier Li
Keqiang.
India and China also discussed Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor and

regional trading arrangement. They also discussed their recent problem on the Line of Control
during this visit.
CYCLONIC STORM MAHASEN FORMED OVER BAY OF BENGAL
MAHASEN: The Cyclonic Storm formed over Bay of Bengal in the Second week of May 2013

Page 279
The cyclonic storm MAHASEN formed over Bay of Bengal in the second week of May 2013 and
it is expected to skip Chennai and move towards Bangladesh-Myanmar coast in the next couple
of days. The storm will move initially north-northwestwards during the next 12 hours and
thereafter northeastwards towards the Bangladesh-Myanmar coast. Under its influence, rainfall
would occur at many places.
Squally winds would prevail along the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Fishermen of the Islands
are advised not to venture into the sea during the next 48 hours. The Met office has also
forecast rain or thundershowers at a few places over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Coastal Andhra
Pradesh and South interior Karnataka.
GOM CONSTITUTED TO CONSIDER FUNCTIONAL AUTONOMY OF CBI

The Union Cabinet of India on 14 May 2013 approved constitution of a Group of Ministers
(GoM) to consider the matter relating to an appropriate law being made to provide for the
independence of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and its functional autonomy.
It has also been decided, with the approval of the Prime Minister that the composition of the
GoM will be as under:
P Chidambaram, Minister of Finance
Sushilkumar Shinde, Minister of Home Affairs
Kapil Sibal, Minister of Communications and Information Technology and Minister of

Law and Justice
Salman Khurshid, Minister of External Affairs
V Narayanasamy, Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and

Pensions; and Minister of State in the Prime Ministers Office.
The GoM will prepare the draft law and the draft affidavit to be filed in the Supreme Court in
the context of the Writ Petition (Civil) No. 120 of 2012, within three weeks. The GoM will be
serviced by the Department of Personnel and Training.
DELEGATION FROM TOURISM & I&B MINISTRY AT CANNES
A delegation from Information and Broadcasting and Tourism Ministry has participated in the
66th Cannes Film Festival for showcasing the heritage of Indian Films, in third week of May
2013. The main objective of this participation is promotion of the country as filming
destination.
The Cannes Film Festival 2013 that was inaugurated on 15 May 2013 is celebrating the 100th
anniversary of Indian Cinema. The tourism ministry has set up an Incredible India booth at the

Page 280
event and will give a presentation on Incredible India to provide opportunities of business
networking. The I&B and Tourism Ministry of Indian Union has signed an MoU with each other
to promote cinema as a sub brand of Incredible India at different International Film Festivals.
CABINET NOD FOR ESTABLISHMENT OF THE GANDHI HERITAGE SITES

MISSION
The Union Cabinet of India on 16 May 2013 approved the establishment of the Gandhi Heritage
Sites Mission. The objective behind this approval is to conserve and restore the heritage sites
associated with the Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation.
Gandhi Heritage Sites Mission will be assigned with the identification, collation and assessment
of the information on Gandhi Heritage material, its management and deployment. The mission
will also be responsible for identifying the conservation methodology as well as the priorities
for documents and objects, with its point of view of archival storage and museology and for
physical structures and sites, as also guidelines for their subsequent maintenance.
The mission will disseminate the information that is based on relevant material for
identification, collation and assessment and conservation would be through a web based
portal, audio/visual (like digital prints and CDs), publications. It will also communicate through
core sites and specify the function, use and significance of the site, wherever necessary.
The mission will also preserve the 2000 important sites identified by the panel that was chaired
by Gopalkrishna Gandhi, ex-Governor of West Bengal along with the other 39 core sites.
UNION CABINET APPROVED SETTING UP RASHTRIYA SMRITI FOR LAST

RITES OF NATIONAL LEADERS
Rashtriya Smriti, New Delhi: The Union Cabinet gave approval for setting up Rashtriya Smriti to
perform the last rites of the departed national leaders.
The Union Cabinet of India, on 16 May 2013 gave approval for setting up Rashtriya Smriti at the
Samadhis Complex near Ekta Sthal in New Delhi. The Rashtriya Smriti is established to perform
the last rites of the departed national leaders.
The national leaders include Presidents, Vice Presidents, Prime Ministers, Former Presidents,
Vice Presidents, Prime Ministers and such other leaders which will be decided by the Cabinet.
It is important to note that previously, separate memorials for the national leaders were
created near the Rajghat which consumed a lot of space. Therefore, the Cabinet decided that
no new Samadhi would be developed for departed national leaders anymore and that the
Rashtriya Smriti would be used for performance of last rites of these leaders.

Page 281
The Smriti area will also provide for the space for last rites apart from space for the public
gathering.
MDNIY DESIGNATED WHO COLLABORATING CENTRE IN TRADITIONAL

MEDICINE (YOGA) STATUS
The Department of Yoga Therapy and Training of Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga
(MDNIY) was designated as the WHO Collaborating Centre in Traditional Medicine for a period
of four years in the month of May 2013.
In 2008, MDNIY started its collaboration with WHO Country Office under the biennium
programme of traditional medicine and developed Yoga Resource Centre. It also initiated
disease-specific booklets of Yogic interventions for healthcare.
It is important to note that WHO lacks its own institutional network but identifies institutions
from member countries to work in specific areas of health. They are designated the WHO
Collaborating Centres status. At present, there are 21 WHO Collaborating Centres for
Traditional Medicine all over the world, but there is not even a single centre in India despite
availability of large number of AYUSH institutions and 32 Collaborating Centres for Modern
Medicine.
Department of AYUSH took the matter with WHO and eventually two institutions of AYUSH-
Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga, New Delhi and Institute of Postgraduate Teaching &
Research in Ayurveda, Jamnagar, Gujarathave were designated as WHO collaborating centres in
traditional medicine.
WHO collaborating centres are institutions such as research institutes, parts of universities or
academies, which are designated by the Director-General of WHO to carry out activities in
support of the Organizations programmes. At present, there are more than 800 WHO
collaborating centres in over 80 Member States working with WHO on areas such as nursing,
occupational health, communicable diseases, nutrition, mental health, chronic diseases and
health technologies all over the world.
The overall network of 23 designated WHO Collaborating Centres for Traditional Medicine aims
at assisting the WHO in implementation of WHO strategies and resolutions relating to
traditional medicine.
ACTIVITIES THAT WILL BE TAKEN OVER BY MDNIY AS THE WHO COLLABORATING

CENTRE
Development and dissemination of standardized health promotion Yoga modules for

various target groups (Children, Adolescents and Women of reproductive age, Geriatric
population, and Mental Health promotion).

Page 282
Preparation and dissemination of consumer information on proper use of Yoga.
Organization of capacity building workshops and training programmers on the role,

scope, practice and evidence -based use of Yoga in non-communicable disease.
Meta-analysis of Yoga research studies for documentation and promotion of evidence-

based uses of Yoga.
ABOUT MORARJI DESAI NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF YOGA
Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga is the autonomous organisation under

Department of AYUSH, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
This institute was established as the Centre of Excellence for undertaking activities of
education, training, therapy and research in Yoga.
MDNIY is involved in multifarious Yoga promotion and propagation activities.
INVESTIGATION TEAM TO SEEK SC'S GUIDANCE ON KODNANI DEATH

PENALTY ISSUE
The Special Investigation team in the third week of May 2013 decided to seek the Supreme
Court's guidance on Kodnani death penalty issue in Gujarat. The decision comes after the
reported U-turn by the Gujarat Government on the death penalty for former minister Maya
Kodnani and nine others, convicted in 2002 Naroda Patiya riot case in which 96 people were
killed.
The team will file an application before the special bench of the Supreme Court apprising it
about the recent Gujarat Government's decision to withdraw the sanction for filing appeal in
the Naroda Patiya case.
Maya Kodnani was a Member of Legislative assembly from Naroda constituency in Gujarat for
its 12th legislative assembly and a former Minister for Women and Child Development of
Gujarat. She is the first female and first MLA to be convicted in a post-Godhra riots case.
Godhra riots took place in 2002.
TWO ANDHRA PRADESH MINISTERS RESIGNED

Andhra Pradesh Home Minister P Sabita Reddy and Roads and Buildings Minister D Prasada Rao
resigned on 19 May 2013 from their office after the two were accused in disproportionate
assets case that involved Kadapa MP YS Jaganmohan Reddy.
P Sabita Reddy has been named as an accused in the illegal allocation of mines to certain
cement companies, while handling the profile of Minister of Mines in the state. Prasada Rao has

Page 283
been accused in the CBI chargesheet in the Vanpic Land Allotment Scandal, when he was the
Revenue Minister in the YS Rajasekhara Reddy led Government.
The two ministers submitted their resignation to the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, N Kiran
Kumar Reddy. Their resignations will be forwarded to the Governor ESL Narasimhan for
approval by the Chief Minister.
HUGE TORNADO HITS OKLAHOMA; KILLS 91, INCLUDING 20 CHILDREN
Oklahoma City suburbs, US: 91 people, including 20 children were killed because of huge
tornado that went through Oklahoma City suburbs in US on 20 May 2013. The worst affected
area was Moore, situated towards the south of Oklahoma.
The tornado travelled with the speed of 200 mph or 320 kmph. Apart from 91 killed, 120 are
seriously injured. The President of US, Barack Obama declared the Oklahoma tornado as the
major disaster. Tornadoes, high winds as well as hail storms hit Kansas as well.
WORST TORNADOES IN US SINCE 1900
18 May 1902: 114 deaths in Goliad, Texas
24 April 1908: 143 deaths in Amite, Louisiana and Purvis Mississippi
23 March 1913: 103 deaths in Omaha, Nebraska
18 March 1925: 695 deaths in Missouri, Illinois and Indiana
5 April 1936: 216 deaths in Tupelo, Mississippi
6 April 1936: 203 deaths in Gainesville, Georgia
9 April 1947: 181 deaths in Woodward, Oklahoma
11 May 1953: 114 deaths in Waco, Texas
8 June 1953: 116 deaths in Flint, Michigan
22 May 2011: 158 deaths in Joplin, Missouri
WHAT IS A TORNADO?
Tornado is the rotating column of air which is in contact with the earth as well as
cumulonimbus cloud, at the same time. They are also called cyclones or twisters.

Page 284
The tornado is encircled by the cloud of dust and debris. Most of the tornadoes travel with a
speed of less than 110 miles per hour and are around 250 feet across. Before dissipating, they
travel to several kilometres.
CHENNAI AIRPORT RANKED LOW IN ACIS AIRPORT SERVICE QUALITY

RATING
The findings of the Airports Council International (ACI) survey in the month of May 2013 gave
the Chennai Airport an Airport Service Quality (ASQ) rating of 3.21 out of five for the year 2012.
It is important to note that the target of rating of Chennai Airport was 4.1.
The reasons for much lower rating are crowded parking places, poor Internet connectivity as
well as bad toilet facilities. Poor shopping facility was another reason for low rating. These are
the parameters for the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) rating. The Chennai Airport was rated on
overall 33 parameters.
Airport Authority of India (AAI), in the meanwhile, explained that old terminals of the Chennai
Airport had various issues and the services were poorly maintained. In case attention was not
given on these, the Chennai Airport might also be removed completely from the ACI list of
airports.
Airports Council International (ACI) is an international body comprising of 597 member airports
as well as airport authorities which operate more than 1679 airports in a total of 177 countries.
CHIEF OF IMF QUESTIONED AT PARIS COURT OVER BERNARD TAPIE

PAYOUT AMOUNT
The Chief of International Monetary Fund Christine Lagarde was questioned at the Court of
Justice of the Republic (CJR) in Paris over payout amount to the magnate Bernard Tapie during
her tenure as a finance minister.
In the Paris court, she was asked to explain the handling of 2007 row which led to payout of 400
million Euros to Bernard Tapie. The Court of Justice of the Republic (CJR) will be investigating
the ministerial misconduct.
BACKGROUND OF THE CASE
The roots of the case go back to 1993 when Bernard Tapie, the known business tycoon in
French world, sold the stake in Adidas to Credit Lyonnais. After that, the bank sold the same
stake for higher profits, after which Tapie claimed to be defrauded. In 2007, the finance
minister was suggested by French President Nicolas Sarkozy to move this case to arbitration.
Bernard Tapie, eventually won higher payout than expected in the court.

Page 285
MANGO NAMED NIRBHAYA AFTER DELHI RAPE VICTIM
A new variety of mango, harvested at Uttar Pradesh famous mango centre Malihabad, was
named Nirbhaya after the 23-year-old Delhi girl who was brutally gang-raped on 16 December
2012 and died of her injuries two weeks later.
The new variety is a way of honouring the bravery and spirit of the young physiotherapist,
whose rape and death galvanized the entire nation.
GOVT. APPROVAL TO CLASSIFY MALAYALAM AS THE CLASSICAL

LANGUAGE
The Union Cabinet of India, on 23 May 2013 approved to classify Malayalam as the Classical
Language. Earlier, the Government of India had notified Kannada, Tamil and Telugu as the
classical languages.
THE BENEFITS THAT ARE ENJOYED BY THE CLASSICAL LANGUAGES INCLUDE
Two major annual international awards for scholars of eminence in classical Indian
languages
A Centre of Excellence for Studies in Classical Languages will be established
The University Grants Commission will be requested to create and start with at least in
the Central Universities, a certain number of Professional Chairs for Classical Languages
for scholars of eminence in classical Indian languages
A request for declaration of Malayalam as the Classical Language was started by the Kerala
government as well as certain other organisations. These requests were then referred to
Sahitya Akademi and were also discussed by Committee of Linguistic Experts. A meeting of
Committee of Linguistic Experts was held in January 2011. The members suggested that this
committee should be reconstituted. Eventually, new panel of the committee was constituted
and a decision was finalised.
INDU TO BE ESTABLISHED AT BINOLA, GURGAON
Binola, Gurgaon: Indian National Defence University (INDU) is to be developed over here
Foundation stone of Indian National Defence University (INDU) was laid down by the Prime
Minister, Manmohan Singh at Binola, Gurgaon. INDU is Indias first defence university and will
be an autonomous institution of national importance.

Page 286
The plan for the making of the Defence University came into existence following the
recommendation of the review committee that was constituted after Kargil Conflict by the
Union Government.
CONGRESS PARTY CONVOY ATTACKED BY MAOISTS AT DHARBA
Group of armed Maoists trapped and attacked the Congress party convoy at Dharba Valley in
Chhattisgarh on 25 May 2013. In the attack, 17 people were killed on the spot as well as around
20 injured. Among the injured was former central Minister and senior Congress leader V.C.
Shukla.
The Maoists triggered the blasts with heavy Improvised Explosive Device (IED) on the road as
well as opened fire in dense forested area of Darbha, which is situated around 40 km away
from Jagdalpur district. There were approximately 100 Maoists that opened fire on the
Congress convoy. The Maoists abducted Chhattisgarh Congress president Nand Kumar Patel
along with his son.
During the firing, Mahendra Karma, the Senior Congress leader and former leader of opposition
as well as the former legislator Uday Mudaliar were killed.
FIRST FIGHTER AIRCRAFT BASE INAUGURATED AT THANJAVUR
Union Defence Ministry on 27 May 2013 inaugurated the first fighter aircraft base at Thanjavur
in southern India. Su-30MKI combat aircraft will be stationed here. Thanjavur airbase can be
another strategically important airbase of the Indian Air Force. IAF can protect vast area of
interests by stationing frontline fighter aircraft Sukhoi at Thanjavur.
The setting up of the premier fighter base is important because of current geo-political scenario
and threat perception in the Indian peninsula and in the Indian Ocean.
BCCI CONSTITUTED 3-MAN PROBE PANEL TO PROBE IPL BETTING
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on

29 May 2013 constituted a three-man inquiry
commission to probe the allegations against
Gurunath Meiyappan and the three Rajasthan
Royals players, who were arrested on charges of
betting in the IPL-6 matches. The Commission will
be initiating the adjudication proceedings at the
earliest. The committee consisting of Former Judge
of the Karnataka and Tamil Nadu High Courts
Justice T. Jayaram Chouta, Former Judge of the Tamil Nadu High Court Justice R
Balasubramanian, and Secretary of BCCI Sanjay Jagdale.

Page 287
They will probe charges against M Gurunath, former Team Principal of Chennai Super Kings, as
well as the three Rajasthan Royals cricketers who were arrested for alleged spot-fixing. The
committee will also probe India Cements Ltd. the owner of the Chennai Super Kings Franchise
and Jaipur IPL Pvt. Ltd. the owner of the Rajasthan Royals Franchise.
OLDEST PERSON OF WORLD IS LAST LIVING MALE OF 19TH CENTURY
The oldest person of the world, Jiroemon Kimura, 116 years Japanese man became the last
male of the 19th century in the world. Jiroemon Kimura was given the title of last male alive to
be born in the 19th century after the death of Barbados in the third week of May 2013 at the
age of 113 years and 90 days.
Gerontolgy Research Group at University of California, Los Angeles found out that as far as
female were concerned, there are in all 21 women born before 1 January 1901 and they are still
alive. Most of these 19th century women are in Japan and US, while others are in Canada and
Europe. But amongst the male, Jiroemon Kimura is the only alive person of 19th century.
Jiroemon Kimura was born on 19 April 1897. He has lived to witness the reigns of four kings as
well as 61 Japanese prime ministers. In the year 1962, i.e., at the age of 65 years, he retired
from the Japanese post office after serving 45 years in the office.
At present, he lives in Kyotango. The oldest living woman of the world, Misao Okawa, 115 years
old is also from Japan.
SALMAN KHURSHID VISITED SAUDI ARABIA
External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid on 27 may 2013 ended his four-day visit to Saudi
Arabia. During this visit, he discussed a number of issues including the controversial Nitaqat
law, counter-terrorism measures and energy security with top Saudi leaders.
Significantly, India and Saudi Arabia decided to further strengthen and deepen their counter-
terrorism cooperation. Saudi Arabia had deported Abu Jundal, wanted in the 26/11 Mumbai
terrorist attack in 2012. It also tried to mitigate Indias fears over the Nitaqat law.
Salman Khurshids visit is the first by an Indian External Affairs Minister in the last five years to
Saudi Arabia. In 2008, then Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee had visited Saudi Arabia. Saudi
Arabia is Indias biggest supplier of oil.
REGIONAL PRAVASI BHARTIYA DIVAS WAS HELD IN SYDNEY
Sydney: The seventh edition of the annual Regional Pravasi Bharatiya Divas will be held here.
The seventh edition of the annual Regional Pravasi Bharatiya Divas will be held in Sydney in
November 2013. India's Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi and Premier of New

Page 288
South Wales Barry O'Farrell jointly announced this during a video conference conducted
between their offices in New Delhi and Sydney.
The 2013 Regional Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, the seventh such conference to be held outside
India is expected to attract about 1000 delegates from the Asia-Pacific. The aim of the Regional
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas or Overseas Indian Conference - is to connect India with its vast Indian
Diaspora and bringing their knowledge, expertise and skills together.
AD SHERPA, PREGNANT RUNNER WON WOMENS EVEREST MARATHON
44 Years old Ang Dami Sherpa from Nepal won the Everest Marathon on 29 May 2013 in
womens category of Year 2013.
Ang Dami Sherpa won the womens title in 11th Tenzing-Hillary Everest Marathon in a timeline
of 6 hours, 2 minutes and 10 seconds. This win is counted as Sherpas second title at the 42.2-
km race, as she already won another title in year 2006.
The Everest Marathon is considered as one of the most strenuous marathon events, which
starts at the Everest Base Camp at an altitude of 5364 m, and ends at Namche Bazaar at 3446
meters.
Ang Damis received 50000 Nepalese Rupees (31250 Rupees) as the Prize Money. It is
important here to note that the race was coincided with the diamond jubilee celebrations of
the first ascent of Everest by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay.
The oldest runner in the mens section was Christopher Geiger of Switzerland and the youngest
runner from the womens section was 18-year-old Monyean Foote of Australia.
ABOUT EVEREST MARATHON
The Everest Marathon is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the highest marathon in the
world. The start line is at Gorak Shep 5184m (17000 feet), which is close to Everest Base Camp
in Nepal. The finish line is at the Sherpa town of Namche Bazaar at 3446m (11300 feet) and the
course is a measured 42 km (26.2 miles) over rough mountain trails. It is considered as the
worlds most spectacular race and has been held fourteen times since 1987.
The race is a non-profit-making venture organised by Bufo Ventures Ltd with all profits put into
the Everest Marathon Fund, a UK registered charity.
JETHMALANI EXPELLED BY BJP PARTY FROM PRIMARY MEMBERSHIP
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on 28 May 2013 expelled senior lawyer and MP Ram
Jethmalani from the primary membership of party for six years over breach of discipline.

Page 289
In a letter to Jethmalani, BJP general secretary Ananth Kumar on 28 May 2013 asserted that the
partys parliamentary board had taken an undisputed decision to expel him from membership
of the party.
SOME OF THE FACTS RESPONSIBLE FOR HIS EXPULSION
Ram Jethmalani had criticised senior party leaders Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley for
their complete ignorance of relevant facts
for opposing the appointment of the new
CBI director.
Earlier, he had also demanded the

resignation of party president Nitin Gadkari
following charges of corruption.
In November 2012, just a day after he

questioned his party's stand on the
appointment of the new CBI director, the BJP
had suspended Ram Jethmalani from the
party with immediate effect.
COCHIN SHIPYARD LIMITED LAUNCHED THIRD FAST PATROL VESSEL

Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) on 28 May 2013 launched its third Fast Patrol Vessel (FPV) which
is built for the Indian Coast Guard. The vessel was launched by Nina Paul Antony, the Chairman
of Cochin Port Trust. This vessel was named Abhinav.
ABOUT THE FAST PATROL VESSEL
The Fast Patrol Vessel was named Abhinav.
The Fast Patrol Vessel weighs 120 tons and was placed on the specially designed cradles
at the dock head which was hoisted by the gantry crane.
This vessel is third in series of 20 numbers FPVs contracted by CSL.
The primary objective of the vessel is monitoring, fisheries protection as well as

patrolling within within Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Also, the objective of this vessel
is coastal patrolling and involvement in patrolling for anti smuggling, search and rescue
operations and for anti piracy operations.
The secondary role of the vessel is to provide communication link as well as escort
convoys during the war time as well as hostilities.

Page 290
The three Fast Patrol Vessels are small in size but they are technologically challenged
and complex.
These ships are propelled by water jets in order to achieve the speed of 33 knots.
Cochin Shipyard developed certain special techniques in order to make sure of the high quality
welding as well as fabrication of Aluminium structures.
At present, the Cochin Shipyard has 25 ships on the order which consists of 20 Fast Patrol
Vessels, 3 Offshore Support ships for Indian and foreign owners, one Prestigious Aircraft Carrier
for the Indian Navy as well as 1 Buoy Tender vessel for the Department of Lighthouses and
Lightships.
INTEGRATED ACTION PLAN (IAP) EXTENDED FOR FOUR MORE YEARS
The Union government of India on 30 May 2013 decided to extend the Integrated Action Plan
(IAP), a specially conceived development programme for the worst Naxal-affected districts, for
four more years with annual allocation of one thousand crore rupees. The aim of this initiative
is to provide public infrastructure and services in Maoist-affected districts.
Each of the 82 IAP districts will be given 5 crore rupees annually while remaining 590 crore
rupees will be distributed among the districts on the basis of their population and area. Andhra
Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh
and West Bengal are the nine states covered under the plan.
The IAP is implemented under direct supervision of the Planning Commission of India. IAP was
formulated as an additional central assistance scheme on 100 percent grant basis in November
2010.
HRD MINISTRY CONSTITUTED NATIONAL TESTING AGENCY (NTA)
The HRD Ministry on 31 May 2013 decided to set up a seven member Task Force under the
Chairmanship of Sanjay Dhande. It will have the representatives from CBSE, UGC, NCERT, AICTE
and from the Ministry. It will prepare a blue print for creating a special purpose vehicle to take
the concept of National Testing Agency (NTA) forward.
The rationale for setting up the NTA lies in ensuring that multiplicity of entrance examination
leading to stress on the students is addressed in a comprehensive manner by formulating a
uniform entrance examination for admissions in different branches of higher learning.
The decision for setting up the National Testing Agency was taken in the meeting of Central
Advisory Board for Education (CABE) which was held on 2nd April 2013. In the meeting it was
decided that the proposal to set up National Testing Agency shall be taken forward in
consultation with all stakeholders.

Page 291
IAF INDUCTED BASIC TRAINER AIRCRAFT PILATUS PC 7 MKII
The IAFs premier Academy located at Dundigal, Hyderabad on 31 May 2013 inducted basic
trainer aircraft Pilatus PC 7 MKII. The PC 7 MK II Aircraft would be used for Basic Training of all
pilots of the Indian Air Force, in addition to the pilots of the Indian Navy and the Coast Guard.
Till now this role was performed by the reliable but ageing workhorse, the HJT-16 Kiran aircraft.
A total of 75 aircraft have been contracted from Pilatus, Switzerland. The procurement of PC 7
MKII was approved by the government in May 2012 and the first batch of PC-7 MK II arrived at
the Academy in February this year as a part of accelerated induction plan. The first batch of
Flight Cadets would start their training on PC-7 MK II from Julys onwards.
FOREIGN MINISTER OF CUBA BRUNO RODRIGUEZ PARRILLA VISITED

INDIA
The Foreign Minister of Cuba, Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla paid an official visit to India from 25
May 2013 to 27 May 2013. During his visit, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriquez Parrilla held talks
with his Indian counter-part and discussed bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual
interest.
India and Cuba share a historic, warm and friendly relationship which has been marked by
growing cooperation in diverse areas such as Sports, Hydrocarbons, IT, Biotechnology and
Development Partnership. The two countries share common perspectives on a wide variety of
issues in the global arena.
Both nations also explored the possibilities of increased trade ties between India and the
Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, which at present is chaired by Cuba.
KIRAN MAZUMDAR SHAW FIGURED IN FORBES PHILANTHROPY LISTS
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, P N C Menon, Vineet Nayar and Ronnie Screwvala figured in 2013
year list of Asia-Pacific's most remarkable givers.
The annual list of Heroes of Philanthropy is compiled by Forbes Asia magazine. It features a
total of 48 persons from the Asia-Pacific region which includes countries like China, Singapore,
Hong Kong and Indonesia.
Keeping into view Kiran Mazumdars work on improving cancer care and her pledge to give
away 75 per cent of wealth she was listed as one of the major Philanthropist.
BRIEF INSIGHT INTO THE PHILANTHROPY ACTIVITY OF THE FIGURED INDIAN IN

FORBES PHILANTHROPY LIST

Page 292
P N C Menon - 64 Years old , Chairman Emeritus of Sobha Developers plans to give away half his
estimated 435 million dollars fortune .The Sri Kurumba Trust, his familys charitable arm,
adopted 4 villages in his native Kerala state in 2006 and helps families with a monthly income
below 90 Dolars. On a 10-acre site it runs Sobha Hermitage, a home for senior citizens and
young widows; Sobha Academy, a free school for more than 700 poor children; and a medical
center. The trust also provides free meals and conducts mass weddings.
Vineet Nayar - HCL Technologies Vice Chairman Vineet Nayar sold shares in the outsourcing
company for 24 million US Dollars in year 2012 and the proceeds went mostly to Sampark, a
charity he started long with his wife Anupama. It works with local governments to improve
schools, fund social ventures and expand water supply.
Ronnie Screwvala - Entertainment mogul Rohinton Ronnie' Screwvala is the co-founder of UTV
Group and is India Managing Director of Walt Disney's. He plans to spend 180 million US Dollars
over 5 years to uplift 1 million villagers in Maharashtra. His foundationstarted more than 20
years ago and rechristened as Swades (or Homeland) in year 2012 and is already working with
1800 villages in the state.
INDIAN-AMERICAN ARVIND MAHANKALI WON NATIONAL SPELLING BEE
Indian-American Arvind Mahankali, after years of close calls, won the Scripps National Spelling
Bee on 30 May 2013. It was the 86th version of the
competition. Arvind who hails from Bayside Hills,
New York correctly spelled knaidel, a German-
derived Yiddish word for a small mass of leavened
dough to win the competition.
The bee tested brain power, composure and, for the

first time, knowledge of vocabulary. Arvind finished
in third place in both 2011 and 2012, and both times,
he was eliminated on German-derived words.
This time, he got two German-derived words in the

finals, including the winning word, eliciting groans
and laughter from the crowd. He spelled both with
ease. Thirteen-year-old Pranav Sivakumar of Tower Lakes, Illinois, finished second.
The Scripps National Spelling Bee (formerly the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee and
commonly called the National Spelling Bee) is an annual spelling bee in the United States, with
participants from the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Jamaica, New Zealand, Ghana and The Bahamas.
The National Spelling Bee was formed in 1925.
QUESTIONS OF THE MONTH

Page 293
Q.1) President Robert Mugabe on 22 May 2013 signed Zimbabwe's new constitution into law.
Discuss the present scenario in Zimbabwe. Do you agree that the new constitution could
improve the political situation there?
Q.2) The Second US-India Homeland Security Dialogue was held in Washington. Critically
describe and discuss the features of security dialogue.
Q.3) The Election Commission of India and the National Literacy Mission Authority on 21 May
2013 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Electoral Literacy. In what way
electoral literacy can strengthen democracy in India? Discuss.
Q.4) The government on 17 May 2013 cut the import tariff value of gold and silver to 466 US
dollars per ten grams and 761US dollars per kg, respectively. Enlist the reasons behind the
government decision. How it affects the economy?
Q.5) Write brief notes on the following:
a) 3D Gesture Sensing Technology
b) Carbon Aerogel
c) GSLV D5
d) First Cloned Human Embryo
e) Chinua Achebe
f) Yuichiro Miura
g) Pratibha Ray
h) Lydia Davis
Q.6) The Zoological Society of London in the month of May 2013 revealed that Indian dolphins
as well as the wild elephants were among recent top 100 mammals facing the risks of
extinction. Describe the status of dolphins and Elephants in the report. Suggest measures to
save them from extinction.
Q.7) The government on 13 May 2013 approved new guidelines for the Indira Awas Yojna
Scheme for rural poor. What are the new guidelines? How it will benefit the poor?

Page 294

Page 295

Current Affairs 2017

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Current Affairs 2017

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Current Affairs eBook May 2013 Page 1

www.jagranjosh.com Current Affairs eBook May 2013

Pick of the Month ......................................................................................................................... 20

Chinese Premier Li Keqiangs visit to India ........................................................................... 20

Pakistan Election 2013 .......................................................................................................... 26

Union Cabinet declared Year 2013 as Water Conservation Year ......................................... 28

Union Cabinet raised OBC Creamy layer Criteria to 6 Lakh .................................................. 30

Indian indigenously developed Rotavirus Vaccine revealed ................................................ 30

Report: Arctic Seas Acidifying at a Fast Pace ........................................................................ 31

Angelina Jolie underwent Double Mastectomy.................................................................... 32

US Scientists Created frist Cloned Human Embryo .............................................................. 32

Legendary Footballer, David Beckham announced Retirement ........................................... 33

Nevada Became First US State to Legalise Online Casino .................................................... 34

Ireland Unveiled the Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill ............................................. 35

Maryland Abolished Death Penalty ...................................................................................... 35

Japan Concluded Deal with UAE on Nuclear Power Technology.......................................... 35

New Gas Reserve discovered in Southern Sindh Province ................................................... 36

India granted Consular Access to Pakistan on Daily Basis .................................................... 36

India-Iran Joint Commission was held in Tehran .................................................................. 37

British Territories Signed Deal on sharing Tax Information.................................................. 38

Chinese Ships Sailed Into Disputed Waters of Senkaku Islands ........................................... 38

Libyas Parliament passed Law Banning Gaddafi-era Officials ............................................. 39

National Front won the 13th General Elections of Malaysia ................................................ 40

www.jagranjosh.com Current Affairs eBook May 2013

Saudi Arabia on Extension of Grace Period for Foreigners .................................................. 40

14th India-Australia JMC Meeting held in New Delhi ........................................................... 41

Najib Razak sworn in as PM of Malaysia for 2nd Term .......................................................... 41

Cuba launched Complaint against Australian Tobacco laws ................................................ 42

China exported Arms worth 11 Billion US $ in 5 Years ......................................................... 43

World Bank agreed Grant of 100mn USD to Afghanistan .................................................... 43

Russia & USA Commitment to Negotiate to End Syrian Conflict .......................................... 44

British Parliament agreed to Outlaw Caste Discrimination .................................................. 44

Arab League agreed to Israel-Palestine Land Swap Agreement ........................................... 45

US Sanctions against 4 Iranian Nuclear Supply Companies .................................................. 45

Eighth India-Seychelles Joint Commission Meet concluded ................................................ 45

India and China signed Protocol to Enhance Cooperation ................................................... 46

Iran gave Reuters Permission to reopen its Tehran Bureau ................................................. 47

India & Netherlands signed MoU in Field of Urban Planning ............................................... 47

INSEE confirmed that France has Slipped into Recession .................................................... 47

State of Emergency in Three States in Nigeria ..................................................................... 48

India-Lanka FTA Handbook released in Colombo ................................................................. 49

India was granted an Observer Status by Arctic Council ...................................................... 49

5th IBSA Women's Forum Resolution Approved .................................................................. 50

UN adopted Resolution on Syria for Political Transition ...................................................... 51

14th Round of IndiaEU BTIA Negotiation Concluded ......................................................... 52

USA cleared Shale Gas Export to India ................................................................................. 52

India Asked for more Market Access from Japan ................................................................. 53

Afghanistan blocked Law on Elimination of Violence against Women ................................ 53

Work on Inga Dam on Congo River to Start in 2015 ............................................................. 54

www.jagranjosh.com Current Affairs eBook May 2013

Indias Investments in Sri Lanka reach 1 Billion Dollars Mark .............................................. 55

India and UK Signed MoU on Cooperation in Health sector ................................................ 55

Indo-Swiss Bilateral MeetConcluded at Geneva................................................................... 56

US senators approved 5000 Visas for Tibetan Refugees ...................................................... 57

2nd US-India Homeland Security Dialogue held in Washington ............................................ 57

Indo-China Bilateral Meet on Healthcare Sector held .......................................................... 58

Robert Mugabe signed Zimbabwe's New Constitution into Law ......................................... 58

Obama Defended Drones calling it Just War of Self Defence............................................... 59

China commissioned Satellite Data Receiving Station.......................................................... 59

India-Saudi Arabia Strengthen Cooperation ......................................................................... 60

Israel became the Worlds largest Exporter of UAVs ........................................................... 60

International Quizzes ............................................................................................................ 61

World Dairy ................................................................................................................................... 63