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A goal is a dream with a deadline.

NATIONAL Centre approves amendments in existing Labour laws to improve working conditions of construction workers The Union Cabinet approved the Amendment to the Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) { BOCW (RECS)} Act, 1996 and Building and Other Construction Workers' Welfare Cess Act, 1996 and the introduction of the Building and Other Construction Workers Related Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2012 in Parliament in its ensuing session. This amendment will streamline the process of the registration of the construction workers. The State Welfare Boards will be able to consolidate their finances and incur expenditure on administrative and other purpose for smooth functioning of the Board. The provisions in the Amendment are given below: a) Empower the Central Government to specify the maximum cost of construction by notification, in place of the present limit of Rs.10 lakh, which shall fall within the definition of establishment under the BOCW (RECS) Act. b) To empower Central Government to appoint such number of Director Generals not exceeding 10 to coordinate with the Central
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Government in carrying out its responsibility of laying down the standard of inspection and to exercise the power of an inspector. c) To empower the State Govt. to file Complaints for contravention of provisions of the Act. d) To prescribe a time limit of 30 days for cess collecting authorities to deposit cess to the State Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board. e) To constitute a Committee consisting of Secretary (Labour), Secretary (Finance), Secretary (Planning) and Secretary (Social Welfare) of the State for performing the functions of the State Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board till such time a Board is formally constituted by the State Government. Parliamentary panel rejected Bill related to health education standards The Bill was introduced in the Rajya Sabha on December 22 last year and referred to the Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare shortly afterwards. The NCHRH Bill, 2011 and the Higher Education and Research Bill 2011 had been tabled in Parliament after a long protracted debate over the jurisdiction of medical education. The Human Resource Development piloted
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NCHER wanted medical education under it while the Health Ministry wanted a separate regulatory body. Ultimately, it was decided that there would be some linkage between the two regulatory bodies but the two Bills would be tabled separately. However, the Committee has suggested that medical education and research should be brought under the National Commission, proposed under the NCHRH Bill, instead of keeping medical education with the Health Ministry and medical research with the HRD Ministry as proposed in the two Bills. CABE to take up Bill to end unfair practices in schools Corporal punishment in class or forcing students to purchase books, uniforms, and other stationery items from a particular shop could entail a jail term up to three years according to the draft Prohibition of Unfair Practices in Schools Bill meant to curb unfair practices in schools. The draft Bill makes it clear that no school shall demand or accept capitation fee or any other donation for admission to any class. The bill also prohibits schools from denying admission or expelling any student if he/she is reported to have any serious diseases such as HIV/AIDS.

Drive to weed out multiple LPG connections Launched In a bid to weed out duplicate, ghost and multiple connections, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry has decided to extend the deadline for filling up the Know Your Customer (KYC) forms by LPG consumers to November 15 to enable genuine consumers to avail of the offer. All the three state-owned oil marketing companies (OMCs) - Indian Oil Corporation, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited had asked the domestic LPG distributors to collect and verify duly filled KYC forms from the consumers by Oct 31. The deadline was extended since a large number of the consumers are yet to complete the formalities. Consumers in the KYC form have to provide necessary details like their name, date of birth, names of their parents and spouse, complete address with pin-code and optional information about bank details. They have to submit self- attested photocopies of their address and ID proof, along with the filled in form. Transfer of LPG connection to family members during lifetime would be permitted, subject to certain conditions.

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Government grants exservicemen status to retired paramilitary staff Bringing cheer to over four lakh retired personnel of paramilitary and Central police forces, the govt. gave its nod for granting them the status of ex-servicemen, enabling them to avail of welfare benefits. The new status for these retired personnel from forces like CRPF, CISF, BSF, ITBP and SSB will be read as "excentral police personnel", on par with the defence forces recognition of "exservicemen" to its retired personnel. With the status of "ex-servicemen", the retired personnel of these forces will be able to avail of certain canteen

and hospital facilities run by the govt. while they will be able to apply for jobs in the private sector that recognise "ex-servicemen" as a trained and suitable talent for their organisations. Centre will also approach states to give benefits to the wards of these retired personnel in educational institutes and jobs. Home ministry was initially opposed to this idea of granting ex-servicemen status to paramilitary personnel apprehending reduction of these benefits for their soldiers. But this step would encourage troopers not to leave the forces prematurely either by resigning or taking voluntary retirement.

INTERNATIONAL

5th Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Management held High-level delegations from 50 countries across Asia and the Pacific - the most disaster-prone region in the world -- united around a call for an international agreement on disaster risk reduction to follow on from the Hyogo Framework for Action* in 2015. The Hyogo Framework for Action was adopted by 168 member States of the United Nations (U.N.) at the World
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Disaster Reduction Conference held in Hyogo, Japan, in 2005 Key elements of the Yogyakarta Declaration include calls to integrate local disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation into national development planning; identify accountability measures for effective implementation; political commitment to deliver at all levels; promote awareness, education, public access to information and resilient investments; and allocate resources to build local capacity.
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There was also strong participation in the Conference from the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), and the Applied Geosciences and Technology Division (SOPAC) of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community. The Kingdom of Thailand will host the 6th Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in 2014 when Governments will report back on their implementation of the Yogyakarta Declaration on Disaster Risk Reduction. CCAMLR meet on Antarctica failed CCAMLR (Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources) meet in Australia, to protect the waterways around the Antarctic failed to reach agreement. CCAMLR is made up of representatives from 24 governments and the European Union and it has been considering proposals for the establishment of marine reserves in two critical areas of the Southern Ocean. At the meeting the United States and New Zealand put forward competing plans to create a marine protected area of 1.6 million square kilometres in the Ross Sea. Another proposal would have created a reserve zone around East Antarctica-at around 1.9 million square kilometres, it would
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have covered an area almost three times the size of France. But the petitions were blocked by China, Russia and Ukraine. The focus will now turn to a special session of the Commission which will meet in Germany in July 2013.
The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) was established by international convention in 1982 with the objective of conserving Antarctic marine life. It was established in large part to concerns that an increase in krill catches in the Southern Ocean could have a serious impact on populations of other marine life which are dependent upon krill for food.

Global Prosperity Index 2012 The Legatum Prosperity Index is an annual ranking developed by the Legatum Institute of 142 countries. The ranking is based according to a variety of factors including wealth, economic growth, personal well being, and quality of life. It is an attempt to broaden measurement of a nation's economic health beyond indicators such as gross domestic product. Norway and Denmark retained the pole positions they held last year in the overall prosperity measure, while Sweden leapfrogged Australia and New Zealand into third. Canada, Finland, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Ireland rounded out the top ten.

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The Central African Republic was ranked bottom. In its sub-indexes, Legatum named Switzerland the strongest economy and home to the best system of governance. Denmark is the most entrepreneurial and New Zealand has the best education, while health is best in Luxembourg and Iceland is the safest. Canadians enjoy the most

personal freedom and Norwegians have the greatest social capital. In Asia, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan all ranked in the top ten for their economies and the top 20 overall. So-called tiger cub economies Vietnam and Indonesia also rose. Indonesia experienced the largest gain in prosperity of any country since 2009, jumping 26 positions to 63rd.

ECONOMY The Financial Development Report 2012 The 2012 Financial Development Report ranks 62 of the world's leading financial systems and capital markets, analyzing the drivers of financial system development in advanced and emerging economies to serve as a tool for countries to benchmark themselves and establish priorities for reform. The rankings are based on over 120 variables spanning institutional and business environments, financial stability, and size and depth of capital markets, among other factors. Topping the Index, Hong Kong SAR came in 1st for a second consecutive year as a result of benefits from a large and efficient banking system, well developed infrastructure and robust equity markets. The United States and the United Kingdom also remain in the same positions as last year, 2nd and 3rd, respectively. Both countries have highly developed financial markets, particularly their foreign exchange and derivatives markets, but they struggle with relatively inefficient banking systems. India has slipped four places to 40th position, out of 62 leading financial systems and capital markets, because of poor enforcement of contracts and low levels of liberalization. India's comparative strength in the area of non-banking financial services was recognized in the report. It was ranked quite high in non-banking financial services (9th), but in terms of banking financial services it was placed in the 45th position.

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RBI issued new guidelines for rehabilitation of sick MSEs Revising definition of sickness in micro and small enterprises (MSEs), the Reserve Bank asked banks for timely and adequate assistance to them as soon as the signs of sickness are detected. Timely and adequate assistance to MSEs and rehabilitation effort should begin on a proactive basis when early signs of sickness are detected. This stage would be termed as 'handholding stage'. This will ensure intervention by banks immediately after detecting early symptoms of sickness so that sickness can be arrested at an early stage. An account may be treated to have reached the 'handholding stage'; if any of the following events are triggered: a) There is delay in commencement of commercial production by more than six months for reasons beyond the control of the promoters; b) The company incurs losses for two years or cash loss for one year, beyond the accepted timeframe; c) The capacity utilization is less than 50% of the projected level in terms of quantity or the sales are less than 50% of the projected level in terms of value during a year. Also as per the new guidelines, a MSE would be considered sick if any of the borrowal account of the enterprise remains non-performing assets (NPA) for
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three months or more. Earlier, a unit was considered sick if its borrowal account remained sub-standard for more than six months. The new guidelines should be applicable for the year ending March ending 2013. Shome Panel Report on retrotax laws The government-appointed panel on taxation of indirect transfer of assets submitted its final report to Finance Minister P Chidambaram. The submission of final report assumes significance, as British telecom giant Vodafone's tax matter would be decided according to the recommendations of the Shome Committee on indirect transfer of assets. The panel recommended that foreign companies going for mergers & acquisitions in India should pay tax only prospectively. The ministry was expecting Rs 35,000 crore to Rs 40,000 crore by way of retrospective tax on indirect transfer of Indian assets by non-residents. If the validation clause is removed, a large part of this will not come to it. Vodafone, which had the Supreme Court ruling in its favour, might not have to fear a tax notice demanding Rs 8,000 crore on its 2007 deal with Hutchison. According to the Shome panel, if there was retrospective levy, the tax
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should be collected from the seller and the interest and penalty waived The ministry is likely to soon announce the GAAR guidelines on the circumstances in which the rules would be invoked but deferment would happen only after taking approval of Parliament. The Finance Act, 2012, had specified April 1, 2013, for introduction of GAAR. A final decision will be taken by Finance Minister P Chidambaram. Finance Minister unveils steps for fiscal consolidation India's finance minister P. Chidambaram has laid out a roadmap to put the government's fiscal house in order, stressing the need to control expenses and generate more revenue as it targets budget deficits of 5.3% of gross domestic product this fiscal year and 4.8% next year. The plan also envisages bringing down the government's budget deficit to 4.2% of GDP in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2015; 3.6% in fiscal 2016 and 3.0% in fiscal 2017. The new targets would be mentioned in the regulation to the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act. The Act proposed reduction of fiscal deficit to 3 per cent of GDP by 2009, but the exercise had to be abandoned as a result of the global financial crisis. For the current fiscal, the government also aims to raise Rs 30,000 crore by
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way of disinvestment in state-owned companies. Finance Minister P Chidambaram, soon after assuming charge, had appointed a three member committee under the chairmanship of 13th Finance Commission head Vijay Kelkar to suggest a roadmap for fiscal consolidation. The Kelkar Committee in its report had suggested that the govt should undertake reform initiatives, go ahead with disinvestments and reduce subsidies. Without these the fiscal deficit could shoot up to 6.1 per cent in the current fiscal. As per the roadmap given by the Committee, the Centre should aim to reduce the fiscal deficit to 4.6 per cent and 3.9 per cent by 2013-14 and 2014-15 respectively. To increase the revenue Government is engaging with the PSUs to speed up the process of disinvestment so that stake sale can take place in the second half of the fiscal. To speed up the process, Disinvestment department has secured Cabinet approval for stake sale in five companies -- Oil India, MMTC, Hindustan Copper, Nalco and NMDC -- which could fetch over Rs 20,000 crore to the exchequer.

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What is fiscal consolidation? A conscious policy effort is needed by the government to live within its means and thereby bring down the fiscal deficit and public debt. Fiscal consolidation is a policy intended to reduce deficits and the accumulation of debt. It includes efforts to raise revenues and bring down wasteful expenditure such as subsidies. As a larger mandate, it also involves the participation by state governments in the process.

Telecom operators can hold 2.5 Mhz spectrum: EGoM The Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM), allowed the existing players to retain a maximum of 2.5 MHz in 900 Mhz prime band spectrum till their current licences expired, provided they paid a price which would be determined later through auction. The EGoM also decided that those telcos with 5 Mhz spectrum will need to vacate space. The telecom companies, GSM operators like Bharti Airtel , Vodafone and Idea will have an opportunity to retain 2.5 MHz of spectrum at the time of refarming in the 900 MHz spectrum. If they do not want to pay a market-determined price, they may choose to surrender the entire spectrum. But, as far as the govt is concerned, it is going to give an option to these telecom companies.

Tripartite Agreements between Centre, State and UTs for Laying Digital Highways under NOFN 13 State governments and 3 Union territories signed tripartite MOU for free Right of Way (RoW) with the Central Government and Bharat Broadband Network Limited (BBNL-the SPV incorporated for execution of the project National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) --- which would connect all the 2, 50,000 Gram Panchayats (GPs) in the country through Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) in two years-as a paradigm shift which would transform the way India works. The Central Government, through Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF), will fund the project while the contribution of State Government would be by providing free Right of Way (RoW) for laying OFC. With the availability of NOFN at 2, 50,000 Gram Panchayats, a minimum bandwidth of 100 Mbps will be available at each GP and will lead to proliferation of broadband services. Benefits to States will be as below: a) This will empower rural masses by giving them access to information, public services including those of education, health and financial inclusion. b) Various applications for Panchayats for planning,
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management, monitoring and payments under various govt schemes (e.g. MNREGA, PDS, Land Records, Birth/Death Certificates, Digital Literacy, etc.), e-Governance, education, health, employment, agriculture and commerce can be launched using this network

c) As access service providers like Mobile operators, Internet Service Providers, Cable TV operators, content providers etc. launch their access network and services using NOFN, it will result in creation of local employment, revenue generation and growth of GDP leading to overall prosperity of the State.

INDIA AND THE WORLD Global Twitter Press Conference on Innovation Mr. Sam Pitroda, Adviser to the Indian Prime Minister on Public Information Infrastructure and Innovations and Chairman, National Innovation Council hosted the first global press conference on Twitter to discuss 'Global Innovation Roundtable'. The Roundtable saw participation from heads of Innovation policy from 20 Governments across the world as well as leading global Innovation experts and aimed to create a global platform for sharing experiences, best practices and enabling collaborations. The key objective of the Roundtable was to explore the relatively less charted road of broadbasing innovations to meet key development challenges and develop a paradigm for inclusive innovation. the following areas were discussed:
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a) Open Government: The Platform already developed for this could be adopted by other countries, and India could help implement. b) Crowd sourcing Innovation Platform: The Open Source Drug Discovery Platform developed by India for tuberculosis drug discovery could be used as a template for crowd sourcing in new areas of drug discovery. c) Innovation for Education: Existing educational content could be aggregated, filtered and indexed, under the guidance of global domain experts and made available on mobile devices like "Aakash". d) Innovation for Health: Health content could also be aggregated and made available, just like educational content. Further, India's initiative for an Open Source Electronic health records system and tele-medicine could be adopted by other countries.
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India-Germany to Achieve Trade Target of 20 Billion Euro in 2012 During the meet of Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma and Phillipp Roesler, Germany's vice chancellor and minister of economy and technology, it was announced that the trade between India and Germany is set to rise to 20 billion euro ($26.16 billion) in 2012 as compared to 18 billion euro ($23.56 billion) recorded in the previous year. Both the leaders also reviewed the progress of India EU BTIA and expressed the desire that it a balanced and ambitious agreement be reached soon. Germany is one of the biggest trading partners of India. The balance of trade is in favour of Germany. In 2011, India's export to Germany stood at $8.25 billion, while import was $15.31 billion. Germany is the eighth largest foreign investor in India with total investment of around $4.9 billion, while Indian investors have pumped in $5.9 billion in Germany. During the meeting, the visiting minister raised the concern of German pharmaceutical industry in the wake of granting of compulsory licence of a cancer drug to Natco, according to the official statement released after the meeting. In March, the Controller of Patents, Mumbai, had granted the first-ever compulsory
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licence to Natco to make sorafenib tosylate, a generic version of Bayer's highpriced anti-cancer drug Nexavar. Indian patent law allows grant of a compulsory licence to an applicant if the patented drug is not available to the public at a reasonable price. Australia to teach Hindi in schools Declaring that Asia's rise is "unstoppable", Australia unveiled an ambitious plan aimed at forging deeper links with India and other booming economies of the region, including through teaching languages like Hindi and Mandarin in its schools. All Australian schools will engage with at least one school in Asia to support the teaching of a priority Asian language -- Mandarin, Hindi, Indonesian or Japanese. It will support business missions through an Asian century business engagement plan led by Trade Minister Craig Emerson. Australia will also make it easier for low-risk people to visit and encourage more tourists from China and other key Asian markets. Protocol Amending the DTAA between India, UK and the Northern Ireland Signed India and UK signed a Protocol amending the Convention between the Government of the Republic of India and the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
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Northern Ireland for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with Respect of Taxes on Income and Capital Gains (DTAC). This Protocol amends the earlier Convention that was assigned in New Delhi on 25th January, 1993. The Protocol incorporates in the Convention provisions for effective exchange of information between tax authorities of the two countries in line with latest international standards including exchange of banking information and supplying of information irrespective of domestic interest. The Convention, as amended by this Protocol, will provide tax stability to the residents of India and U.K. and will facilitate mutual economic cooperation between the two countries. It will also stimulate the flow of investment, technology and services between India and U.K. 12th Meeting of the Council of Ministers of IORARC held in Gurgaon Foreign ministers of Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation have met in Gurgaon to discuss various issues of mutual strategic importance. Maritime security, disaster risk reduction, trade, academics and tourism were top of the agenda Underlining the Association's importance, the
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declaration pointed out that the Indian Ocean's stability and wellbeing were critical for global economic prosperity. Piracy is an increasingly serious concern, posing a threat to maritime commerce and the safety of sea farers, making insurance costlier and adding to the costs incurred by the shipping industry in the Indian Ocean Region. Weak governance and instability in parts of the region have contributed to its degeneration into transnational organized crime. During the meet IORARC reaffirmed the importance of maintaining freedom of navigation and safety and security of Sea Lanes of Communication in the Indian Ocean. India-US-Japan Trilateral meet India, US and Japan together shared their strategic overview of Asia Pacific which included Washington's 'pivotto-Asia' policy, Iran, China- Japan maritime dispute and the issue of South China Sea. The talks were chaired by US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Robert Blake, Indian Joint Secretary in charge of East Asia for the External Affairs Ministry Gautam Bambawale, and Japan's Deputy Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Kenji Hiramatsu. All the three nations have similar goals: all three have expanding
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economic relationships with China, as well as an interest in seeing a progressive growth in Asia's businesses and productivity. The three sides decided to explore the possibility of developmental cooperation in Myanmar, Afghanistan and Africa. The three sides also explored the possibilities of cooperation in various

strategic areas, including piracy and safety of sea lanes in Asia Pacific amidst increasing Chinese assertiveness in the region. Analysts believe that China's military modernization and the expanding activities of the People's Liberation Army Navy in recent years have caused the trio to take more precautions against Beijing.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY Climate change leading to more vector borne diseases A report on climate change and health, published by the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that in the last 100 years, the world has warmed by approximately 0.75 degree celsius. Over the last 25 years, the rate of global warming has accelerated at over 0.18 degree celsius per decade. The climate change and global warming will make vector-borne diseases like dengue and malaria, already causing havoc in the country, more lethal. High temperatures also raise the levels of ozone and other pollutants in the air that exacerbate cardiovascular and respiratory disease. Urban air pollution causes about 1.2 million deaths every year. Pollen and other aeroallergen levels are also higher in extreme heat.
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These can trigger asthma, which affects around 300 million people. Ongoing temperature increases are expected to increase this burden. Planning Commission's Environmental Performance Index released Planning Commission's Environmental Performance Index (EPI) has placed the Uttarakhand as a best-performing States and Union territory in terms of environmental well-being. Uttarakhand is followed by Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Sikkim, and Andhra Pradesh. Environmental well-being is one of the considerations for devolution of funds to the States under the Gadgil formula. Uttarakhand has been given a cumulative score of 0.8123, followed by Himachal Pradesh (0.7316),
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Chandigarh (0.7270), Sikkim (0.7149), and Andhra Pradesh (0.7147). Mizoram, Kerala, Goa, Sikkim, Tripura, Puducherry and Andaman and Nicobar, with an average score of 1, have been ranked as the best States in terms of air quality. Ironically, except for Uttarakhand, all the States meet the prescribed national ambient air quality standard in respect of the sulphur dioxide of 20 micrograms per cubic metre. The indicators considered for measuring the ambient air quality performance are sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and particulate matter. In respect of nitrogen oxide, more than 10 States don't meet the 30 microgram per cubic metre national standard. In respect of suspended particulates, except for Goa, Kerala, and Mizoram, no State meets the 60 microgram per cubic metre national standard. On water quality standards, except for Himachal Pradesh, which has set up 100 per cent treatment capacity for sewage, the treatment capacity in the remaining States ranges from 0 (13 States) to less than 20 per cent (8 States) and more than 50 per cent in four States, indicating a pathetic performance in this respect. Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan, Daman and Diu, and Puducherry extract more water than they recharge, but Himachal Pradesh, Goa, Maharashtra,
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Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry are the only States which show a semblance of adherence to river water quality. On forest conservation, Chandigarh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh are among the five best performing States that have preserved forests as well as increased cover. Result of soil analysis by Curiosity Rover NASA's Curiosity rover which completed its first soil analysis on Mars has found minerals on the Red Planet similar to weathered basalt volcanic soils in Hawaii. X-ray diffraction image of first Martian soil sample showed the presence of crystalline feldspar, pyroxenes and olivine mixed with some noncrystalline material - similar to volcanic soils in Hawaii. Curiosity used its Chemistry and Mineralogy instrument (CheMin) to obtain the results, which are filling gaps and adding confidence to earlier estimates of the mineralogical makeup of the dust and fine soil widespread on the Red Planet. CheMin uses X-ray diffraction, the standard practice for geologists on Earth using much larger laboratory instruments.

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2 MARKERS Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration Congress president Sonia Gandhi awarded the Indira Gandhi National Integration Award to wellknown poet, lyricist and film director Gulzar. The award was given to mark the 28th death anniversary of the late prime minister, who was assassinated Oct 31, 1984. The award had been instituted by Congress in its centenary year to give recognition to outstanding contribution to the cause of national integration by individuals and institutions. The award includes a citation and cash prize of Rs 500,000. Sebastian Vettel wins Indian Grand Prix 2012 Germany's Sebastian Vettel has won the Indian Grand Prix to move a step closer to defending his Formula One championship. The Red Bull driver, who started from the pole position, led the race from start to finish. Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso of Spain came in second, followed by Vettel's Australian teammate, Mark Webber. This was Vettel's fourth consecutive Grand Prix victory and it has allowed him to open up a 13- point lead over Alonso in the drivers' standings with
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just three races to go in the Formula One season. Irom Sharmila refuses Kovilan Smaraka Activist India National Award Irom Sharmila, the civil rights activist from Manipur who has been on a 12year protest fast demanding that the AFSPA be repealed, has refused to accept the first Kovilan Smaraka Activist India National Award to be conferred by a trust in Kolkatta in the memory of Malayalam poet A.A. Ayyappan upon Ms. Sharmila. Rakesh Mohan Rakesh Mohan has assumed charge as Executive Director on the Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) . In addition to India, he will be representing Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Bhutan on the IMF Board for a three-year term. Prior to joining the IMF, Dr. Mohan was Professor in the practice of international economics and finance at the School of Management and Senior Fellow at the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs at Yale University.

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Han Suyin Han Suyin was the pen name of Elizabeth Comber. She was a Chineseborn Eurasian author of several books on modern China, novels set in East Asia, and autobiographical works, as well as a physician. She lived in Lausanne until her death and wrote in English and French. New iron ore mine in Kabirdham district A memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed between Steel Authority of India (SAIL) and the Chhattisgarh Mineral Development Corporation (CMDC) for developing Eklama iron ore mine in Kabirdham district. SAIL will now undertake developmental and welfare activities for overall development of the

neighbouring areas of Kabirdham and Rajnandgaon districts, including the laying of railway line for connecting the mine area to the Howrah-Mumbai main railway line. The MoU also states that SAIL shall undertake establishment of ore processing and beneficiation plants along with the construction of road between Sahaspur-Lohara and Eklama. Cyclone NILAM Cyclone Nilam was the second named cyclone of the 2012 North Indian Ocean cyclone season. Cyclone caused heavy rainfall and flash flooding, affecting south coastal Andhra Pradesh, Rayalaseema and Telangaga.

SPORTS Rupesh and Advani world champions Rupesh Shah became the fifth Indian billiards player to lift the world title twice after he beat Australia's Matthew Bolton 6-2 in the final of the World billiards (point frame). Meanwhile, Pankaj Advani captured world championship title in billiards (time format) for seventh time, and eighth overall, when he defeated Mike Russell. Advani won their summit clash 1895-1216.
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Joshna wins Penang Open India's top squash player Joshna Chinappa claimed the IJM Land Penang Open, defeating top seed Malaysian Siti Munirah Jusoh in straight games. She defeated Jusoh 11-9, 11-7, 11-1. This was Joshna's seventh WSA World Tour title. Patel, Chopra set new marks Satish Kumar Patel of Uttar Pradesh and Neeraj Chopra of Haryana set

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national junior records in junior men (under-20) 10,000m walk and boys (under-16) javelin throw respectively during 28th National junior athletics championships. Satish Kumar Patel took a time of 41:29.85 for 10,000m walk beating the old National Record of 42:28.00. At the same time, Neeraj Chopra threw his Javelin for 68.46m more than the old National Record of 62.14m. Saina Nehwal loses to Minatsu Mitani Minatsu Mitani of Japan shocked World No. 3 Saina Nehwal of India to record a sensational 21- 19, 21-11 win in the women's singles final of the French Open Super Series badminton in Paris. Mitani became the first Japanese woman to win the French Open, which also did not feature any Chinese player in the final for the first time. Bradman scholarship launched Adam Gilchrist, a respected Australian Wicket keeper and now captain in IPL with Kings XI Punjab, launched the annual scholarship scheme in honour of Sir Donald Bradman, for an Indian student to study at the University of Wollongong. The Bradman Scholarship will be awarded annually
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to an Indian student who has completed secondary school and is equipped with academic, sporting, social skills and strong participation in cricket. University of Wollongong will waive tuition fees up to 50 per cent for the duration of chosen degree. Hare wins Buddha International Circuit A. Hare of South Africa won the second race of the JK Asia series at the Buddha International Circuit. Aditya Patel came second in this support race to the Indian Grand Prix, while D. Hidzir of Malaysia took the third spot in the 10-lap race. The respective timings of the top three are: 1. A. Hare (RSA) 20:09.46; 2. Aditya Patel (Ind) 20:12.21; 3. D. Hidzir (Mal) 20:14.55. Navjeet completes record double Navjeet Kaur from Punjab completed a record double by claiming the girls' (under-18) shot put title on the concluding day of the 28th National junior athletics championships. She had won the discus title earlier with a national record. In shot put, she bettered the national record of Rakhi (Haryana) with a throw of 14.89m. The previous record was 13.77m.

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A goal is a dream with a deadline.

Gavaskar to be honoured by BCCI Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar will receive the prestigious Col. C.K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award at the BCCI Annual Awards ceremony to be held in Mumbai on November 21. The award comprises a trophy, citation and cheque for Rs. 25 lakh. Previous winners of the Lifetime Achievement Award: 1994: Lala Amarnath; 1995: Syed Mushtaq Ali; 1996: Capt. Vijay Hazare; 1997: K.N. Prabhu; 1998: P.R. Umrigar; 1999: Col. Hemachandra Adhikari; 2000: Subhash Gupte; 2001: M.A.K. Pataudi; 2002: Bhausaheb Nimbalkar;2003: Chandrakant Borde; 2004: Bishen Singh Bedi, B. Chandrasekhar, E.A.S. Prasanna, S. Venkataraghvan; 2007: Nariman Contractor; 2008: G.R. Viswanath; 2009: Mohinder Amarnath; 2010: Salim Durani; 2011: Ajit Wadekar. Virat Kohli will get the Polly Umrigar Award for being India's top international cricketer for 2011- 12. Kohli was earlier honoured with the ICC's ODI Cricketer of the Year Award. Tendulkar (2006-07 and 2009-10), Virender Sehwag (2007-08), Gautam Gambhir (2008-09) and Rahul Dravid (2010-11) were the earlier recipients of the award. In the ceremony, Sachin Tendulkar will be honoured for
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completing 100 international centuries, while V.V.S. Laxman, who retired from international cricket in August, will also be felicitated at the function. Seven legends of Indian cricket - Vijay Merchant, Vijay Manjrekar, Dattu Phadkar, Vinoo Mankad, Ghulam Ahmed, M.L. Jaisimha and Dilip Sardesai - will also be felicitated posthumously. India wins women Asia Cup Indian team lifted the inaugural Asian Cricket Council's Twenty20 Asia Cup for women after beating arch-rival Pakistan by 18 runs in a low-scoring final. India's decision to bat first seemed to have backfired when the team folded up for 81 but the bowlers did a splendid job to dismiss Pakistan for 63. Dilbag Singh subdues Amit Karki Eight-time National champion Dilbag Singh of Railways gave a great display of punching power and stamina as he knocked out a hard fighting Amit Karki of Services in the welterweight (69 kg) category of the 59th senior National boxing championship for men. Dilbag Singh (RSPB) defeated Amit Karki (SSCB) 20-18.

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A goal is a dream with a deadline.

India holds world cup for carrom India won the men's team title in the World carrom championships being held in Colombo. In the final, India crushed host Sri Lanka 3-0.

Bangladesh took the third spot after scoring a 3-0 win over Canada. From Indian side, the winners were Prakash Gaikwad, Yogesh Pardesi and K.Srinivas.

Best of Luck Frnds... Your valuable feedbacks are welcome...

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