June 2013 Current Affairs Study Material

INTERNATIONAL
Egypts Top Court Rules Parliament Invalid

Nigerias Parliament Passed a Bill Criminalising Gay Marriage

UN Finds Evidence Of Toxic Chemicals and a Worsening War in Syria

Obesity and Poor Nutrition Report Released by UN FAO

US Slapped Economic Sanction on Iran

U.S. and China Hold Bilateral Talks

Bangladesh Amends Anti-Terror Law

EU Launched New Nuclear Safety Rules

Hasan Rowhani Elected As Irans New President

Kuwaits Constitutional Court Dissolved Parliament

Afghanistan Rejects Talks With Taliban And U.S

China Russia Cooperation 2013 Held in Beijing

Russia and China Signed $270bn Oil Deal

UK and China Signed Currency Swap Agreement

Kevin Rudd Re-elected As Australian PM

Qatars Emir Transfers Power To Son

INDIA & WORLD

China, Pakistan, India Increased Nuclear Arsenals

65 Countries Signed Arms Trade Treaty

India Singapore Signed Agreement On Joint Army Training

348 Million Internet Users Expected In India By 2017

US exempted India & Eight Other Countries for Importing Oil from Iran

India & Germany Signed Development Cooperation Agreement

India Ranked 141 in Global Peace Index 2013

World Population Projected To Reach 9.6 Billion By 2050

India, UK Signed MoU On Cooperation In Healthcare Sector

33% Of Women Suffer Domestic Violence

US Senate Passed Landmark Immigration Bill

China India Hold Border Talks

NATIONAL
Union Cabinet Approved Real Estate Regulatory Bill

Union Cabinet Approved Extension Of The RSBY Scheme

Roshni Scheme Launched In Naxal Affected Districts

National Skill Development Agency Constituted

Indias First Dedicated Air Ambulance Launched

50 Lakh Child Labours In India

Central Cabinet Reshuffled

List of Four newly appointed Cabinet Ministers and their Departments:-

* Sis Ram Ola - Labour and Employment Ministry

* Oscar Fernandes - Road Transport and Highways Ministry

* Girija Vyas - Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation

* Kavuru Sambasiva Rao - Textiles Ministry

List of Four newly appointed State Ministers and their departments:-

* Manikrao Gavit - Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment

* Santosh Chowdhury - Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare

* Jesudasu Seelam - Minister of State for Finance and

* E.M.S. Natchiappan - Minister of State for Commerce and Industry

40 Percent Indian Women Use Internet

Union Government Launched New Scheme For Pregnant Women

Union Govt Banned Anti-Diabetes Drug Pioglitazone and Painkiller Analgin

Union Cabinet Approved For Setting Up Of Coal Regulatory Authority

STATES
First All Women Police Station Opens In Arunachal Pradesh

Haryana Govt. Launched Priyadarshni Awaas Yojna

West Bengal Tops Chart For Crime Against Women

PM announced Rs 1000 crore Relief Fund For Uttarakhand

Maharashtra Govt To Set Up Education Commissionerates For Tribals

President Inaugurated Gas-based Power Plant in Tripura

Nitish Kumar Won Confidence Vote In Bihar Assembly

PM Lays Foundation Stone For GVKs Ratle Hydel Plant In J&K

Prime Minister Inaugurated Banihal-Qazigund Rail Link In J&K

Rajasthan Launched A Scheme For Energy Conservation

Karnataka Govt Launched Helpline Arogyavani

CONFERENCES
Chief Ministers Conference on Internal Security held in New Delhi

39th G8 Summit Held in North Ireland

AWARDS & HONOURS
Sulabh Founder Pathak Received French Award

Hugo Chavez Awarded Simon Bolivar National Award of Journalism 2013

Kiran Bedi Received Nomura Award

Bill Clinton Awarded Father of the Year

Shabana Azmi Received Fourth Doctorate

Delhis IGI Airport Gets Worlds Second Best Airport Award

Anish Kapoor Honoured With Knighthood

Tan Twan Eng Wins The 2013 Walter Scott prize

Indian Artist Selected For Dubai Art Prize

Three Biotechnology Scientists Awarded 2013 World Food Prize

Taj Mahal Ranked Third Among Top Land Marks In The World

SPORTS & GAMES

Indian Won Six Medals In Slovakia Junior Table Tennis

Dhoni receives ICC ODI Championship Shield

French Open 2013 Tennis Title Winners

Womens Singles :- On 8 June Serena Williams from US won the Womens Singles title of French Open Tennis
tournament.

Mens Singles :- On 9 June Rafael Nadal won his 8th Mens Singles Tittle of the French Open Tennis
Tournament.

Womens Doubles :- Russian fourth seeds Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina won the French Open
womens doubles title by defeating top seeds Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci of Italy in the final.

Mens Doubles :- American twins Bob and Mike Bryan won the Mens doubles .

Sebastian Vettel Won Canadian Grand Prix Title

Srikanth Won Thailand Open Badminton

Indonesia Badminton Tournament 2013 Winner

Mens Singles :- On 16 June Lee Chong Wei (Malaysia) won the Indonesia Badminton Tournament Mens
Singles title after defeated Germanys Marc Zwiebler in the final.

Womens Singles :- Li Xuerui of China won the title.In the womens singles final Li Xuerui defeated Juliane
Schenk from Germany.

Singapore Open Badminton 2013 Winners

Mens Singles :- On 23 June Indonesias Tommy Sugiarto has won the Singapore Open badminton
championship Mens singles title .Sugiarto defeated Boonsak Ponsana of Thailand in the final in Singapore.

Womens Singles :- Chinas Wang Yihan won the womens singles title , after defeated Li Xuerui in the final.

India Won ICC Champions Trophy 2013

On 23 June India has won the ICC Champions Trophy 2013 after defeated England at Edgbaston in Birmingham
with a five-run victory.Ravindra Jadeja was declared as the Man of the Match .

Koneru Humpy Won FIDE Womens Grand Prix

Nico Rosberg Won British Grand Prix

ECONOMY
India 4th In World Steel Production

Dhoni Ranked 16th On Forbes List Of Highest Paid Athletes

Worlds Highest Density Of Millionaires In Qatar

World Bank Expected India To Grow 5.7% In FY 13

2011-12 Poverty and Household Consumer Expenditure Indicators Released

Highlights of the Poverty and Household Consumer Expenditure Indicators Data Report :-

* 5 per cent population on the bottom rung had an average monthly per capita expenditure (MCPE) of Rs
521.44 in rural areas and Rs 700.50 in urban areas.

* Poorest of poor in the country survive on barely Rs 17 per day in villages and Rs 23 a day in cities.

* On the other end of the spectrum, top five per cent of the population had an MPCE of Rs 4,481 in rural areas
and Rs 10,282 in urban areas.
* On an average on the all-India basis, MPCE was around Rs 1,430 for rural India and about Rs 2,630 for urban
India.

* For the average rural Indian, food accounted for 52.9 per cent of the value of consumption during 2011-
12.Among non-food item categories, fuel and light for household purposes (excluding transportation)
accounted for 8 per cent, clothing and footwear 7 per cent, medical expenses 6.7 per cent, education 3.5 per
cent, conveyance 4.2 per cent, other consumer services (excluding conveyance) 4 per cent, and consumer
durables 4.5 per cent.

* For the average urban Indian, 42.6 per cent of the value of household consumption was accounted for food,
including 9 per cent by beverages, refreshments and processed food, 7 per cent by milk and milk products,
and 6.7 per cent by cereals and cereal substitutes.Education accounted for 6.9 per cent, fuel and light 6.7 per
cent, conveyance 6.5 per cent, and clothing and footwear 6.4 per cent.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Lightest Alien Planet Outside Solar System

Japan Unveiled 500 kmph Bullet Train

Researchers Leads To Discovery To Create Early Warning System For Tsunamis

China Successfully Launches Fifth Manned Space Mission

India and US Launched Space Solar Power Initiative

New Human Cornea Layer Discovered

Andaman Tsunami Warning System Can Alert In 3 Minutes

IAF Gets C-17 Globemaster-III Airlifters

China Super Computer Tianhe-2 Named Worlds Fastest Computer

World Bank Released Global Warming In India Report

Scientists Discovered New Language In Australia

Japan To Send Kirobo The Talking Robot Into Space

NASA Launched IRIS Spacecraft To Study Suns Atmosphere

INS Trikand Commissioned Into Indian Navy

PERSONS IN NEWS
A) APPOINTMENTS

Justice Kaul Sworn in as Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief

Jagmohan Dalmiya is new Interim President of BCC

Narayana Murthy Re-elected as Executive Chairman in Infosys

Indian-Origin Diplomat is New Australian Envoy to Israel

Nawaz Sharif Sworn in as Pakistans PM

Virginius Xaxa is new National Advisory Council Member

TCA Raghavan is Indias new High Commissioner To Pakistan

K R Kamath Re-elected as IBA chairman

Justice Usha Mehra Becomes Full Time Member Of Law Commission

S K Roy Appointed New Chairman of LIC

John Ashe Elected UN General Assembly President

Ratan Tata is new Chief Advisor of AirAsia India Board

Manmohan Singh Takes Oath as Rajya Sabha Member

Indian Named Editor Of The Independent

S Ramadorai is AirAsia India new Chairman

Indian-American Sri Srinivasan Sworn In As Top US Court Judge

Krishna Chaudhary is new NDRF chief

Kevin Rudd Sworns As Australian PM For Second Time

Justice P Sadasivam Appointed As New Chief Justice Of India

B)RESIGNS

Rajiv Shukla Resigned as IPL chairman

Union MinistersAjay Maken and CP Joshi Resigned

Czech Republic Prime Minister Petr Necas Resigned

Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah Resigned

C)DEATHS

British Comic Author Tom Sharpe Died

Worlds Oldest Person Luo Meizhen Died

Former Union Minister VC Shukla Died

Worlds Oldest Person Jiroemon Kimura Died

Veteran Communist Leader Satyapal Dang Died

Former Union Minister Bhavna Chikhalia Died

D)VISITORS

Union External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid Visited Iraq

U.S. Secretary Of State John Kerry Visited India

E)MISCELLANEOUS

Raghav Joneja Becomes Youngest Indian To Climb Mt Everest

China Woman Astronaut Astronaut Delivers First Space Lecture

Ancient Chinese Documents On Tibet Won UNESCO Recognition

Italys Ex-Prime Minister Berlusconi Sentenced To 7 Years In Prison

Two Year Old Boy Becomes Youngest Ever To Join Mensa

PLACES IN NEWS
Bangkok Ranked Worlds Top Travel Spot

Dubai Inaugurated Worlds Tallest Twisted Tower

Worlds Longest and Widest Cable Bridge Inaugurated In China

Earth Quake Hits Northern Italy

UNESCO Declared Six Rajasthan Forts World Heritage Sites

Thousands Of People Are Died In Uttarakhand Floods

ABBREVIATIONS
BCCI Board of Control for Cricket in India

UNDP - United Nations Development Programme

RSBY - Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna

FIFA - Federation Internationale de Football Association

WSA - World Steel Association

FCI Food Corporation of India

APEC Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation

FICCI Federation of India Chambers of Commerce and Industry

BOOKS IN NEWS
Dard-E-Dil Likhun Kab Tak Book Released by Vice President of India

Ambedkar Speaks Book Released

1857-1947: Forgotten Heroes and Martyrs of Indias Freedom Movement Book Released

Distressing Encounters Real Life Stories Book Released

COMMITTEES
Anil Swarup Committee Set Up To Re-start Stalled Projects

Chandrashekhar Committee To Frame Rules For Foreign Investors

Arvind Mayaram Committee Recommends Rise In FDI Limit In Various Sectors

On 23 June The Union Government constituted a committee to clearly define the Foreign Direct Investment

IMPORTANT DAYS AND DATES

International Olympic Day Celebrated Across the World on 23 June 2013

The International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking Observed

July 2013 Current Affairs Study Material

INTERNATIONAL
Croatia Joins The EU as 28th Member State

International Assistance Force In Mali Transformed into UN Force

Pakistan China Signed 8 Agreements

Hazem El-Beblawi Named As New Egyptian Prime Minister

Taiwan and New Zealand Signed Free Trade Agreement

France and Switzerland Signed New Inheritance Tax Agreement

Bhutans Opposition Party Wins Parliamentary Elections

Bangladesh Passes Labour (Amendment) Bill 2013

Britains Queen Elizabeth II Signed Bill Legalizing Gay Marriage

Iran and Iraq Signed Gas Export Agreement

EU Declared Hezbollahs Military Wing As Terrorist Organization

Thirty Meter Telescope Partners Signed Agreement

Liberals, Smaller Tribes Win Seats In Kuwaits Parliamentary Elections

Myanmar China Gas Pipeline Starts To Deliver Gas To China

Republican Turkish Party Wins Turkish Cypriot Parliamentary Elections

Mamnoon Hussain Elected As Pakistans New President

Ireland President Signed The Abortion Bill In To Law

INDIA & WORLD

India Ranks 66th On Global Innovation Index

India and Mauritius Signed 5 MoUs

On 5 July India and Mauritius signed 5 MoUs (Memorandum of understanding).The 5 MoUs are signed in the
presence of the Union Minister of Commerce & Industry Shri Anand Sharma and Mr. Sayyad Abd-Al-Cader
Sayed Hossen, Minister of Industry, Mauritius, in Port Louis.Five institutional level MoUs were signed to take
the partnership forward. These are:
* MoU between Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) and Enterprise Mauritius (EM)
* MoU between Northern India Textile Research Association (NITRA) and Mauritius Standards Bureau
* MoU between NITRA and National Productivity and Competitive Council (NPCC) of Mauritius
* MoU between Clothing Manufacturers Association of India (CMAI) and Mauritius Export Association (MEXA);
and
* MoU between Institute of Apparel Management (IAM) and Fashion and Design Institute of Mauritius (FDI)

UN Millennium Development Goals Report 2013

India, Albania Signed Agreement For Avoidance Of Double Taxation

India, Iraq Signed Agreement To Enhance Co-operation In Energy Sector

India, SriLanka & Maldives Signed Tripartite Maritime Security Agreement

India Tanzania Signed Agreements On Bilateral Cooperation

15th India Vietnam Joint Commission Meeting
India, Nigeria Signed Solar Power Plant Agreement

, Belarus Signed Protocol To Enhance Trade Ties

India and France Hold Talks On Military Cooperation
India and Afghanistan Signed MoUs for SDP scheme projects

NATIONAL
Government Announced National Cyber Security Policy

President Pranab Mukherjee Signed Ordinance On Food Security

District Rural Development Agency Disbanded

Cabinet Approved For Aviation, Women Varsities In Raebareli

Govt Approved To Replace DGCA With Civil Aviation Authority

Free Medical Treatment For Pregnant Women

Indian Telegram Service Stopped

Bengaluru International Airport Renamed as Kempegowda International Airport

President Of India Promulgated The Securities Laws (Amendment) Ordinance 2013

Acid Attacks On Women Non-bailable Offence

Union Tourism Minister Launched Clean India Campaign

STATES
Himachal Pradesh Declared First Smoke Free State In Country

Uttar Pradesh Grants District Status To Amethi

Karnataka Launched Anna Bhagya Scheme

Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project Starts Fission

Night Policing Scheme Launched In Punjab

UP Launched Family Health Campaign

Kerala Govt.Approved Tapping Sweet Toddy From Coconut

Madhya Pradesh Police Health Security Scheme

Maharashtra Extended Ban On Gutkha and Paan Masala

Latest Statistics Data On Tourism In India Released By Ministry Of Tourism

First Textile Park Inaugurated at Bagru near Jaipur

WIFS Programme Launched In Rajasthan

Himachal Government Launched Video Chat In Prisons

Two New Rail and Road Projects Launched In Haryana
Government Of Odisha Announced Rice For Olive Ridley Conservation Scheme

CONFERENCES
First IOR-ARC Economic and Business Conference

National Conference Of State Tourism Ministers Held In New Delhi

G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting Held in Moscow

AWARDS & HONOURS

27 Individuals Conferred With National Youth Awards 2011-12
IIFA Awards 2013 Winners
The 14th IIFA awards held at Macau on 6 July 2013. And this years IIFA will always be remembered for some
outstanding performances by veteran actresses Madhuri Dixit and Sridevi.Ranbir Kapoor won the Best Actor
Award for Barfi, while Vidya Balan took the Best Actress Award home for Sujoy Ghoshs Kahaani.
Winners List :-
* Best Actor: Ranbir Kapoor (Barfi!)
* Best Female Actor: Vidya Balan (Kahaani)
* Best Film: Barfi!
* Best Director: Anurag Basu (Barfi!)
* Best Story : Tani and Anurag Basu (Barfi!)
* Best Supporting Actor (Male): Annu Kapoor (Vicky Donor)
* Best Supporting Actor (Female): Anushka Sharma (Jab Tak Hai Jaan)
* Best Music Director: Pritam (Barfi!)

Zubin Mehta Conferred Tagore Award 2013

Two Indians Among 7 Girls Awarded On Malala Day

Tongam Rina Selected For German Media Prize

Human Powered Helicopter Wins US prize

Shalini Singh Wins 2013 Prem Bhatia Award

Amitabh Bachchan Received Maestro Award

2013 Ramon Magsaysay Award Winners

The Awardees are:-
* Habiba sarabi Afghanistans first woman governor, was selected for helping build a functioning local
government and pushing for education and womens rights in Afghanistans Bamyan province despite working
in a violent and impoverished environment in which discrimination is pervasive.
* Lahpai Seng Raw of Myanmanr honoured for helping the rehabilitate work in damaged communities amid
armed conflict.
*Ernesto Domingo, from the Philippines.He is being recognized for his exemplary embrace of the social
mission of medical science and his profession, his steadfast leadership in pursuing health for all as a shared
moral responsibility of all sectors.
*Komisi Pemberantasan Korupsi (Corruption Eradication Commission), from Indonesia.The organization is
being recognized for its fiercely independent and successful campaign against corruption in Indonesia.
*Shakti Samuha (Power Group), from Nepal.The organizations founders and members are being recognized
for transforming their lives in service to other human trafficking survivors, their passionate dedication towards
rooting out a pernicious social evil in Nepal.
Azim Premji Bags Asian Business Leaders Award
Four Indian Americans Won Simons Investigators Awards

Metro Man Sreedharan Chosen For 2013 Lokmanya Tilak Award

Amjad Ali Khan To Get Rajiv Gandhi National Sadhbhavna Award

SPORTS & GAMES

Negi Won Continental Chess Open Title

Chris Martin Announced Retirement From All Cricket

Wimbledon Tennis Tournament Title 2013 Winners

Womens Singles :- On 6 July Frances Marion Bartoli won the Wimbledon 2013 womens title after defeated
Germanys Sabine Lisicki in the final.

Mens Singles :- On 7 July Andy Murray (Britain) won the Mens Singles title after defeated Novak Djokovic
(Serbia) in the final.

Womens Doubles :- Hsieh Su-wei (Taiwan) and Peng Shuai (China) won the womens doubles title after
defeated Australian duo Ashleigh Barty and Casey Dellacqua in the final at Wimbledon.

Mens Doubles :- Americans Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan won the Wimbledon mens doubles title after
defeated Ivan Dodig (Croatia )and Marcelo Melo (Brazil) in the final.

Indian Women Won Gold At Asian Athletics Championship

Sebastian Vettel Won German Grand Prix

Shiva Thapa Wins Gold at Asian Boxing Championships

Lajja Goswami Won Silver In Shooting World Cup

Shane Warne Inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame

Martina Hingis Inducted In Tennis Hall Of Fame

Abhijeet Gupta Won Commonwealth Chess Championship

Nicolas Mahut Won Hall Of Fame Championship

Serena Williams Won Swedish Open Title

Indian Women Won Recurve Gold At Archery World Cup

Divij Sharan Purav Raja Won First ATP Title

Devendra Jhajharia Won Gold In World Paralympic Championships

Dhyan Chand Nominated For Bharat Ratna

Jennitha Wins World Chess Title For Disabled

Lewis Hamilton Won Hungarian Grand Prix Title

Afridi Becomes First Batsman To Hit 400 Sixes

Indian Wrestlers Won 15 Medals In Asian Cadet Championship

Aditya Mehta Won Snooker Gold In World Games

India Won Under-16 SAFF Championship

ECONOMY
Indian Internet Economy To Touch USD 100 Billion By 2015
Latvia Gets EU Approval To Join Eurozone

Indias Growth Forecast To 5.6% For 2013-14

Indians Among Top Five Buyers Of Property In US

Government Approved 100 percent FDI In Telecom Sector

Colombia Among Worlds Most Corrupt Nations

India Becomes Largest Nigerian Crude Oil Buyer

Poverty In India Drops To 21.9 percent In 2011-12

Poverty Estimates 2011-12 :-
* Poverty ratio in the country has declined to 21.9 per cent in 2011-12 from 37.2 per cent in 2004-05 on
account of increase in per capita consumption.
* According to the Planning Commission, in 2011-12 for rural areas, the national poverty line by using the
Tendulkar methodology is estimated at Rs. 816 per capita per month in villages and Rs. 1,000 per capita per
month in cities.This would mean that the persons whose consumption of goods and services exceed Rs. 33.33
in cities and Rs. 27.20 per capita per day in villages are not poor.
* For a family of five, the all India poverty line in terms of consumption expenditure would amount of Rs.
4,080 per month in rural areas and Rs. 5,000 per month in urban areas. The poverty line, however, will vary
from state to state.
* The percentage of persons below poverty line in 2004-05 was 41.8 per cent in rural areas, 25.7 per cent in
cities and 37.2 per cent in the country as a whole.In actual terms, there were 26.93 crore people below
poverty line in 2011-12 as compared to 40.71 crore in 2004-05.
* State-wise, the Commission said ,highest poverty rate of 39.93% was recorded in Chhattisgarh (2011-
12)followed by Jharkhand (36.96 per cent), Manipur (36.89 per cent), Arunachal Pradesh (34.67 per cent) and
Bihar (33.47 per cent).
* Among the union territories, the Dadra and Nagar Haveli was the highest, with 39.31 per cent people living
below poverty line followed by Chandigarh at 21.81 per cent.
* Lowest poverty rate of 5.09% was recorded in Goa (2011-12) followed by Kerala (7.05 per cent), Himachal
Pradesh (8.06 per cent), Sikkim (8.19 per cent), Punjab (8.26 per cent) and Andhra Pradesh (9.20 per cent).

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

ISRO PSLV C22 Successfully Launched IRNSS 1A Navigation Satellite
On 1 July ISROs Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, PSLV-C22, has successfully launched IRNSS-1A, the first satellite
in the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota
,Nellore District (Andhra Pradesh)This is the 23rd consecutively successful mission of PSLV. among the first
IRNSS will provide two types of services :- standard positioning service using signals in the L5-band to an
accuracy of 20 meters for all users and an encrypted service in S-band provided for authorized users.

About PSLV-C22 :-
* Rocket Height 44-metres
* Weight 320 tonnes
* Satellite IRNSS-1A
* Satellite Weight 1425 kg

Russias Proton-M Rocket Failed

Scientists Created 3D Bionic Ear With 3D Printer

World`s First Human Liver Created From Stem Cells

UK Inaugurates Worlds Largest Offshore Wind Farm

US Missile Defense Test Fails Over Pacific

ISRO Readies To Launch Orbiter To Mars

Scientists Discovered MRI Scan To Detect Cancer Using Sugar

Ecuador Starts Using New Aviation Radar System

China Russia Joint Sea-2013 Naval Drills

Iran Secret Nuclear Site Discovered By MEK

US Autonomous X-47B Drone Successfully Lands On Aircraft Carrier

U.S. Bill For A National Park On Moon

NASAs Hubble Discovered Blue Planet

Neptunes 14th Moon Discovered

China Successfully Launched Three Experimental Satellites In To Space

Worlds Largest Virus Discovered By French Researchers

Biological E vaccine Prequalified By WHO

Advanced Weather Satellite INSAT-3D Launched Successfully

ISRO, Tata Motors Developed Indias First Fuel Cell Bus

HAL Delivers Lakshya-1 To Indian Army

PERSONS IN NEWS
A) APPOINTMENTS

New Governors and Lieutenant Governors Appointed

* On 1 July Vice Chancellor of Jamia Milia University Najeeb Jung was appointed as the 20th Lt Governor of
Delhi.Njaeeb Jung has replaced Tejendra Khanna, who was the 1961 batch Indian Administrative Service
officer and the last Lt Governor of Delhi.
* Former Delhi police commissioner K.K. Paul has been appointed the Meghalaya governor, replaced Ranjit
Shekhar Mooshahary.
* Lt. General A.K. Singh (retd) was appointed as the Lt. Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, replaced Lt.
General Bhopinder Singh (retd).
* Virendra Kataria has been appointed as the new Lt. Governor of Puducherry, replaced Iqbal Singh.
* Senior parliamentarian Shriniwas Dadasaheb Patil has been appointed as the new governor of Sikkim.He is
also a former IAS officer, replaced incumbent B P Singh.

Sujatha Singh Is New Foreign Secretary Of India

Adli Mansour Sworn In As Egypts Interim President

Abdoulaye Bathily Appointed As Deputy Head Of UN Mission In Mali

Kaushik Appointed As The Coach Of Indian Mens Hockey Team

S. B. Mainak Appointed LIC MD

Phumzile Mlambo Ngcuka Appointed UN Women Chief

Hemant Soren Sworn in as 9th Jharkhand Chief Minister

ElBaradei Sworn In As Egypts Vice President

Moin Khan Appointed Pak Cricket Teams Chief Selector

Santosh B Nayar is new CEO & MD of IFCI

Nisha Desai Biswal Nominated For The Post Of Assistant Secretary Of State Of USA

Justice P Sathasivam Sworn In As The New Chief Justice Of India

Rana Kapoor is new Assocham President

Philippe-1 Sworn In As Seventh King Of Belgium

Indian-Origin Peer Ajay Kakkar Appointed To Lords Post

Five Members From Tamil Nadu Sworn In To Rajya Sabha

Barack Obama Nominates Indian-American Vince Girdhari Chhabria To Judiciary Post

K D Singh is new Indian Hockey Federation President

Sharad Kumar is new NIA chief

Cheryl Boone Isaacs Elected President Of Oscars Academy

B)RESIGNS

Madhya Pradesh Finance Minister Raghavji Resigned

Syria Interim Prime Minister Ghassan Hitto Resigned

Luxembourgs PM Jean-Claude Juncker Resigned

Kumar Mangalam Birla Resigned From RBI Board

C)DEATHS

Douglas Engelbart, Inventor Of Computer Mouse Died

Renowned Food Scientist Dr. H.A.B. Parpia Died

Veteran Bollywood Actor Pran Died

Bose Audio System Inventor G.Bose Died

Bofors Scam Accused Ottavio Quattrocchi Died

Veteran CPI(M) Leader Samar Mukherjee Died

Veteran Tamil Film Lyricist Vaali Died

Former Union Minister Khurshed Alam Khan Died

Pioneer American Women Journalist Helen Thomas Died

Former Union Minister Arun Nehru Died

Acclaimed Biologist Obaid Siddiqi Died

D)VISITORS
Indian Defence Minister AK Antonys Visited China

Indias External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid Visited Nepal

US Vice President Joe Biden Visited India
France Defence Minister Yves Le Drianis Visited India

E)MISCELLANEOUS

Egypt President Mohamed Morsi Ousted By Military

Pope Francis Clears John Paul II, John XXIII For Sainthood

Bangladesh Islamist Ghulam Azam Sentenced To 90 Years In Prison

Pakistans Women Paratroopers Create History

Che Manuscripts Added To UNESCO Heritage Program

Indian Woman Scientist Sunetra Gupta Joins Famed UK League

Wikileaks Founder Julian Assange Launched Political Party In Australia

Britain Royal Baby Named George Alexander Louis

Salustiano Sanchez-Blazquez Is Worlds Oldest Man

Stanford Ranked Top US university On Forbes List

PLACES IN NEWS
Incheon Named World Bank Capital For 2015
Strong Earthquake Hits China

ABBREVIATIONS
PSLV - Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle
IRNSS - Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System
WIPO World Intellectual Property Organization
CMAI - Clothing Manufacturers Association of India
AEPC Apparel Export Promotion Council
CISF Central Industrial Security Force
CRPF Central Reserve Police Force
DGCA Directorate General of Civil Aviation
CAA Civil Aviation Authority
GSPA Gas Sale Purchase Agreement
MMRCA - Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft
ESMA Essential Services Maintenance Act

BOOKS IN NEWS
A Bouquet Of Vivekanandas Writings Book Released

An Uncertain Glory: India and its Contradictions Book Released

The New Bihar Rekindling Governance and Development Book Released

An Agenda for Indias Growth: Essays in Honour of P. Chidambaram Book Released

COMMITTEES
Harshvardhan Patil Committee On Agricultural Marketing Submits Report

IMPORTANT DAYS AND DATES

 Nelson Mandela International Day Observed On 18 July

World Population Day Observed Across The World On 11 July

Malala Day Observed Across The World On 12 July

August 2013 Current Affairs Study Material

INTERNATIONAL
Bangladesh Court Disqualifies Jamaat-e-Islami Party

Robert Mugabe Re-elected As President Of Zimbabwe

China Built Port Terminal Opens In Sri Lanka

Ibrahim Boubacar Keita Elected As New President of Mali

Britain Parliament Votes Against Possible Military Action In Syria

INDIA & WORLD

India Signs DTAC protocol with Morocco

5th India China Strategic Dialogue Held In Delhi

India Third Largest Internet Using Nation

Indians Third Largest Immigrant Group In US

India and Iraq Signed Energy Cooperation Agreement

India Announced Rs 5,000 crore For Bhutan

NATIONAL
India Lost 220 Languages In Last 50 Years

Rajya Sabha Passed The Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2012

Lok Sabha Passed National Food Security Bill, 2013

Rajya Sabha Passed The Marriage Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2010

Lok Sabha Passed Land Acquisition Bill

Companies Bill 2013 Receives Presidents Assent

STATES
Karnataka Becomes First State To Establish Calamities Relief Fund

First Public Sector Breast Milk Bank Inaugurated In Kolkata

Indias First Cyber Forensic Laboratory (CFL) Established In Tripura

Agar-Malwa Becomes The 51st District Of Madhya Pradesh

Sonia Sonia Gandhi Launches Food Security Scheme In Delhi

Maharashtra Cabinet Approved Anti-Black Magic and Superstition Ordinance

Rajasthan Government Laid Foundation Stone For Worlds Largest Solar Park
CONFERENCES
BRICS Business Council Meeting Held In Johannesburg
Second ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting Plus Held In Brunei

AWARDS & HONOURS

Malayalam Poetess Sugathakumari Awarded With Saraswati Samman 2013

US Presidential Medal To Bill Clinton and Oprah Winfrey

Indian American Professor Received Top US Environmental Award

Harshwanti Bisht Selected For Sir Edmund Hillary Mountain Legacy Medal 2013

Malala Yousafzai Wins International Childrens Peace Prize

Mandela Is The First Recipient Of Mahathir Award For Global Peace

SPORTS & GAMES

India Won Bronze Medal at Junior Women Hockey World Cup
Parimarjan Negi Won Politiken Cup
Jadeja First Indian After Kumble To Top ODI Bowlers List

Franklin Wins Record 6 Golds at World Swimming Championships

PV Sindhu Won Bronze Medal at World Badminton Championships

World Badminton Championship 2013 Winners

Womens Singles :- Thailands Ratchanok Intanon won the womens singles title ,after defeated Li Xuerui
(China) in the final at the World Badminton Championships at Guangzhou.
 Mens Singles :- Chinas Lin Dan reinforced his claim to being the greatest badminton player in history after he
defeated arch rival Malaysian Lee Chong Wei in the World Championship final to become the first man to win
five world singles titles.

Rogers Cup Tennis Tournament 2013 Winners

Womens Singles :- On 11 August Serena Williams (U.S) won the Rogers Cup Tennis Tournament Womens
singles title ,after defeated Romanias Sorana Cirstea in the final at Montreal (Canada).Serena Williams won
the Rogers Cup womens title for the third time.
Mens Singles :- Rafael Nadal (Spain) won his third Rogers Cup Mens Singles title , after defeated Canadas
Milos Raonic in the final.

Marion Bartoli Retires From Tennis

2013 World Championships in Athletics Winners
Winners Of The 2013 World Championships in Athletics :-
* Jamaicas Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce both won three gold medals in the mens and womens 100
m, 200 m and 4 x 100 m relay respectively to become the most successful athletes at the event.Usain Bolt
moved to the top of the all-time World Championships medal table by winning three gold medals.It was Bolts
second three gold performance at the World Championships.With this victory Usain Bolt has joined the club of
highest (8) gold medal winners list along with American womens 200m specialist Allyson Felix, and retired US
track stars Carl Lewis and Michael Johnson including relays.
* Christina Obergfoll of Germany won the womens javelin title with a throw of 69.05 metres .
* French athlete Teddy Tamgho claimed gold in the mens triple jump event ,, with a jump measuring 18.04m.
* In the Mens 1, 500 metres race Kenyan Asbel Kiprop ( 3min:36.2 sec) won the gold and Eunice Jepkoech
Sum of Kenya won gold in Womens 800 metres race (1min :57.38 sec)
* Womens 10,000 meters Race :- Tirunesh Dibaba (Ethiopia)
*Mens 10,000 meters Race :- Double Olympic champion Mo Farah of Britain created history once again in
Moscow as he became the first British man to win a 10,000m world title.The Somalia-born Mo Farah went
down in the history books as just the second man to win the 5000 and 10,000m races at the Olympics and the
world championships.
* Mens 20 kilometres Walk :- Aleksandr Ivanov (Russia)
* Womens Marathon :- Kenyas Edna Ngeringwony Kiplagat becomes the first women in history to defend her
world championship marathon title.
* Shot put :- New Zealands Valerie Adams has become the first woman to win four individual world athletics
titles in the same event.
* Mens 110 metres Hurdles :- David Oliver (USA)
* Mens 400metres Hurdles :- Jehu Gordon (Trinidad)
* Womens 400 metres Hurdles :- Zuzana Hejnova (Czech Republic )
* Russian pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva won gold..Yelena Isinbayeva is a two-time Olympic gold medalist
(2004 and 2008), a three-time World Champion (2005, 2007 and 2013), the current world record holder in the
event, who is widely considered the greatest female pole-vaulter of all time.

Cincinnati Tennis Tournament 2013 Winners

Womens Singles :- On 18 August Victoria Azarenka of Belarus won the Cincinnati Tennis Tournament
womens singles title.Azarenka defeated Serena Williams of the U.S in the final at Cincinnati (U.S )
Mens Singles :- In the Mens category Rafael Nadal (Spain) has won the Cincinnati Tennis Tournament title for
the first time.He defeated John Isner (U.S) in the final.Nadals five Masters titles this season are a career best.
Hes tied with Novak Djokovic for most Masters titles in a season since 1990. Hes won seven of the nine
Masters events during his career.
Sania Mirza Jie Zheng pair Won New Haven Open Title

Australias Aaron Finch Hits T20 World Record

ECONOMY
Union Cabinet Approved the Setting up of Bharatiya Mahila Bank
On 8 August the Union Cabinet approved the proposal for setting up of Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB) with
India Signed Agreement With World Bank For Low Income Housing Finance Project
On 14 August the government of India and the World Bank signed a $100 million credit agreement aimed at
Muslims Have Lowest Living Standard In India
According to the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) study titled Employment and Unemployment
Situation Among Major Religious Groups in India among various religious groups,Muslims have the lowest
living standard in the country
* According to the survey data , Muslims average per capita expenditure of just Rs 32.66 in a day.At the other
end of the spectrum, Sikh community enjoys a much better lifestyle as the average per capita spending among
them is Rs 55.30 per day, while the same for Hindus is Rs 37.50. For Christians it is Rs 51.43.
* At all-India level, the average monthly per capita expenditure (MPCE) of a Sikh household was Rs 1,659 while
that for a Muslim household was Rs 980 in 2009-10.The average MPCE for Hindus and Christians were Rs
1,125 and Rs 1,543, respectively.The survey said that average monthly per capita consumption at all-India
level was Rs 901 in villages and Rs1,773 in cities. Overall, the average MPCE was Rs 1,128.
* Muslims were at the bottom in rural areas, with an average MPCE of Rs 833, followed by Hindus at Rs 888,
Christians at Rs1,296 and Sikhs 1,498.
* In urban areas, Muslims average MPCE was also the lowest at Rs 1,272 followed by Hindus at Rs 1,797,
Christians Rs 2,053 and Sikhs at Rs 2,180.

Per Capita Income Up 6.7% in 2004-12

27 crore People Live Below Poverty Line In India

Indias population was estimated at 123 crore as of March 1, 2012, while as many as 27 crore people lived
below the poverty line in 2011-12, Minister of State for Planning Rajeev Shukla explained in a written reply to
Rajya Sabha on 29 August.As per the Population Census of 2011 conduced by the Office of Registrar General of
India, the population in the country was estimated at 121 crore as of March 1, 2011.The poverty ratio in the
country has decreased to 21.9 per cent in 2011-12 from 37.2 per cent in 2004-05.The rate of decline between
2004-05 and 2011-12 is three times faster than experienced between 1993-94 and 2004-05.As per the
Millennium Development Goals Report 2013, the poverty rate in India fell from 49 per cent in 1994 to 42 per
cent in 2005 and 33 per cent in 2010.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Australias Most Powerful Super Computer Unveiled

Indias DRDO Launches Explosive Detection Kit In US

Japan Sends Worlds First Talking Robot Into Space

Japan Unveils Largest Warship

Pinaka Rockets Successfully Test Fired

INS Arihant Nuclear Reactor Activated

ICGS Rajveer Commissioned

India Launched First Indigenous Aircraft Carrier INS Vikrant

India Successfully Test Fired Nuclear Capable Prithvi-II Missile

Voyager Becomes First Man-Made Object To Leave The Solar System

Indias Super Hercules Lands At Highest Airfield On LAC
Indias First Defence Satellite GSAT-7 Launched Successfully
US Scientists Created the Most Precise Clock of the World

PERSONS IN NEWS
A) APPOINTMENTS

Rajeev Rishi is new CMD of Central Bank of India

On 1 August Rajeev Rishi took over as the Chairman and Managing Director of Central Bank of India .
Arundhati Bhattacharya Appointed Managing Director Of SBI
On 2 August Arundhati Bhattacharya was appointed the managing director and chief financial officer of the
State Bank of India(SBI).She is the first managing director at SBI, which is Indias largest bank.Arundhati
succeeded Diwakar Gupta.
Hassan Rouhani Sworn In As Irans New President
On 4 August Hassan Rohani was sworn in as the new President of Iran in the ceremony held at the Iranian
Parliament in Tehran.Rouhani is the seventh (different) President of Iran after the Islamic Revolution of 1979.

Raghuram Rajan Appointed as the New Governor of RBI

On 6 August Chief economic adviser Raghuram Govind Rajan has been appointed as the Governor of the
Reserve Bank of India (RBI).Rajan will have a term of three years.He will be the 23rd Governor of RBI.He is 50
years of age and so far, he is the youngest person to become the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India.He
was appointed as the youngest-ever Economic Counselor and Director of Research (chief economist) at the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) from October 2003 to December 2006.Rajan was appointed as Chief
Economic Advisor to the Ministry of Finance, Government of India on 10 August 2012.

Dilip Trivedi is new CRPF chief

Michel Djotodia Sworn In As Central African Republic President

Robert Mugabe Sworn In As Zimbabwe President

Parthasarathi Shome Appointed As Chairman Of TARC

Justice N V Ramana Appointed as Chief Justice of Delhi High Court

B)RESIGNS
Egypt Vice President ElBaradei Resigned

C)DEATHS

Veteran Music Director Dakshinamoorthy Died

Former Air Commodore Jasjit Singh Died

Former Union minister Devendra Prasad Yadav Died

Renowned Naturalist and Ornithologist Zafar Futehally Died

Former Nepal Prime Minister Man Singh Shrestha Died

Kapil Devs Former Coach Desh Prem Azad Died

Crime Novelist Elmore Leonard Died

Eminent Classical Singer Raghunath Panigrahi Died

Nobel Literature Laureate Seamus Heaney Died

D)VISITORS

Afghanistan Vice-President Mohammad Karim Khalili Visited India

Iraqs Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki Visited India

E)MISCELLANEOUS

Amazon Founder & CEO Jeff Bezos Buys Washington Post

11-year-old UK girl has higher IQ than Einstein

Sharapova Tops Forbes List of Best Paid Female Athletes

Indian American Students Wins National Geographic World Championship

Canadian Street Named After Mahatma Gandhi

Dhoni Beats Rafael Nadal Usain Bolt In Forbes List Of Highest Paid Athletes

Madonna Tops Forbes 2013 Highest-Paid Celebrities List

Most Wanted Indian Mujahideen Terrorist Yasin Bhatka Arrested

PLACES IN NEWS
Strong Earthquake HitsChina

Submarine INS Sindhurakshak Sinks After Major Blast In Mumbai

1300 People Killed In Chemical Attack On Syria

ABBREVIATIONS
DRDO Defence Research and Development Organisation

SAARC South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation

AGOC Asian Games Organisation Committee

CDRI - Central Drug Research Institute

FEMA Foreign Exchange Management Act

FIPB - Foreign Investment Promotion Board

IFTU International Federation of Trade Unions

IRDA Insurance Regulatory Development Authority

NABARD - National Bank for Agricultural and Rural Development

SEBI - Security Exchange Board of India

UNHCR United Nations High Commission for Refugees

WMO World Meteorological Organisation

BOOKS IN NEWS
The Moon Baller Book Released

My Journey: Transforming Dreams into Actions by Abdul Kalam Released

Dhyan Chand The Wizard of Hockey Book Released

COMMITTEES
Virginius Xaxa Committee To Asses Status Of Scheduled Tribes

IMPORTANT DAYS AND DATES

International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances

National Sports Day Is Observed On 29 August

September 2013 Current Affairs Study Material

INTERNATIONAL
Tony Abbott is Australias new Prime Minister

US and Russia Agreement on Removing Chemical Weapons on Syria

European Union Pledges 650 million euros To Somalia

232 Million Global Migrants Living Abroad World Wide

Egyptian Court Bans Muslim Brotherhood

INDIA & WORLD

3rd India Republic of Korea Foreign Policy and Security Dialogue Held In Seoul

Government Approves India-Abu Dhabi Air Services Agreement

7th India-Laos Joint Commission Meeting Held In Vientiane

India, Japan Signed Statement To Study LNG Pricing

India China Agreed To Enhance Cooperation In Media Sector

India and US signed First Commercial Agreement Under Nuclear Deal

NATIONAL
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Launched Gandhi Heritage Portal In NewDelhi

3rd All India Survey on Higher Education Launched

Judicial Appointments Commission Bill Passed In Rajya Sabha

Lok Sabha Passed Bill To Set Up First National Aviation University

Cabinet Committee On Economic Affairs Approved Proposal For Restructuring SJSRY

President Gave Assent To Land Acquisition Bill

STATES
Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare Launched New Health Initiatives For Assam
Himachal Pradesh Scrapped Palchan-Rohtang Ropeway Project
Kerala Government Launched E-Payment Facility

MP Government Decided To Constitute State Disaster Emergency Response Force

Union Government Approved 1000 crore Proposal To Develop J&K sports

Prime Minister Manmohan Laid The Foundation Stone For New Airport In Rajasthan

CONFERENCES
8th G-20 Summit Held In Saint Petersburg
Important Points of G-20 Leaders Declaration :-
* Recognising the risk of economic slowdown and weakening trade posed by protectionism, the G20 has
decided to extend until the end of 2016 its standstill commitment to further progress in removing barriers and
impediments to global trade and investment.
* G-20 Leaders endorsed an ambitious action plan to change national tax rules that encourage multinational
companies to shift their profits to low- or no-tax jurisdictions, allowing them not to pay tax on much of their
income.
* The declaration committed itself to cooperate to ensure that policies implemented to support domestic
growth also support global growth and financial stability and to manage their spillovers other countries.
* It noted that the most urgent need is to increase the momentum of the global recovery, generate higher
growth and better jobs while strengthening the foundations for long term growth and avoiding policies that
could cause the recovery to falter or promote growth at other countries expense.
* Agreeing on the Action Plan, the leaders said cross-border tax evasion and avoidance undermine public
finances and trust in the fairness of the tax system.
* The Summit also shared Prime Minister Manmohan Singhs views on the need for orderly exit from the
monetary stimulus undertaken in the context of 2008 economic crisis.

AWARDS & HONOURS

Zubin Mehta Received Tagore Award

Amitabh Bachchan Honoured With 2013 Global Diversity Award

Indian Freedom Fighter Gets House of Commons Award

John Abraham Honoured With Pride of the Nation Award

Malala Yousafzai Received Amnesty International Award

President of India Presented National Communal Harmony Awards For The Year 2011 & 2012
The President of India Pranab Mukherjee presented the National Communal Harmony Awards for the year
2011 and 2012 at a function in New Delhi.
National Communal Harmony Award for 2011: - Odishas MD Janab Haji Abdul Bari and Mizorams Khamliana
jointly awarded for the year 2011 individual category. Both are social activists.
National Communal Harmony Award for 2012:- The Foundation for Amity and National Solidarity, Delhi
awarded for Organisational category. The foundation formed in 1984.The Foundation works for spreading
amity and communal harmony.

Bunker Roy and Malala Yousafzai Received Clinton Global Citizens Awards

SPORTS & GAMES

US Open Tennis Tournament 2013 Winners
Womens Singles :- On 8 September Serena Williams (U.S) won the US Open Tennis Tournament 2013
Womens singles title after defeated Victoria Azarenka of Belarus in the final at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New
York.With this win Serena Williams secured her fifth US Open title and 17th Grand Slam title of the overall
career.
Mens Singles :- Rafael Nadal (Spain) won the 2013 mens singles U.S. Open title after defeated Novak
Djokovic (Serbia) in the final.It is Nadals second US Open title, and his 13th Grand Slam.
Womens Doubles :- Czech duo Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka won the U.S. Open womens doubles
title after defeated Australias Ashleigh Barty and Casey Dellacqua in the final.
Mens Doubles :- The pair of Leander Paes of India and Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic won the doubles
title after defeated Alexander Peya of Austria, and Bruno Soares of Brazil in the final .Leander Paes has earlier
won the US open title two times .Now Paes has 14 major titles in his cupboard, including six mixed doubles
trophies.

Tokyo To Host 2020 Summer Olympics

Wrestling Selected for 2020 Olympic Games

being included as an additional sport in the 2020 Olympics.

Afghanistan Won SAFF Championship 2013

Mohameddan Sporting Won Durand Foot Ball Cup

Sania Mirza Wins Pan Pacific Open Doubles Title

India Won Sultan of Johor Cup Hockey Tournament 2013

ECONOMY
Microsoft Decided To Buy Nokias Mobile Phone Unit and Services

India Now Has 7850 Ultra Wealthy Individuals

Cabinet Approved Buying $ 4.3 billion World Bank Bonds

Indian Economy To Grow At 5.3% In 2013-14

Highlights of the of Economic Outlook India are as following : -
* The PMEAC expects the agriculture sector to grow by 4.8 percent in the current fiscal up from 1.9 percent,
while the industrial growth has been pegged at 2.7 percent as against 2.1 percent in 2012-13.
* Services projected to grow at 6.6%in 2013-14 as against 7.1% in 2012-13.
* Referring to the external sector, the advisory council expressed hope that the Current Account Deficit (CAD)
in 2013-14 will come down to 70 billion US dollars or 3.8 percent of GDP, from 88.2 billion US dollars or 4.8
percent a year ago.
* The trade deficit ,would come down to around USD 185 billion in 2013-14, against an estimated USD 195.7
billion in 2012-13.
* Between 2010-11 and 2012-13, the combined impact of higher net oil and net gold imports on the CAD
(Current Account Deficit) was almost 57 billion US dollars or 3 percent of GDP.
* The CAD may go even below $ 70 billion in 2013-14 if the recent trends in exports and imports are
maintained through the year.
* Net Capital flows are projected to fall to USD 61.4 billion in 2013-14 against an estimated USD 89.4 billion in
2012-13 putting pressure on the countrys forex reserves.

RBI Increases Repo Rate By 25 Basis Points

India Entertainment & Media Outlook 2013 Report Released

According to the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) s latest report titled,
India Entertainment & Media Outlook 2013 was released on 13 September in New Delhi.
Highlights of the India Entertainment & Media Outlook 2013 Report :-
* Indias entertainment and media industry to clock over INR 224, 500 crore by 2017: CII-PwC study forecast
CAGR of 18% over 2012-17
* Now the size of the Indian M&E sector increased from about 805 billion INR in 2011 to almost 965 billion INR
in 2012 representing an year-on-year growth of 20%.
* The television and print sectors dominate the industry with about 40% and 22% contribution to industry
revenues respectively in 2012.
* Internet access now commands about 18% share and films 12% of industry revenues.
* Internet access now commands about 18% share and films 12% of industry revenues.
* The print sector revenues are expected to increase at over 9% CAGR to reach 331 billion INR in 2017 from
212 billion INR in 2012.
* Year-on-year sectors such as internet access (30%), internet advertising (29%), gaming (19%), and music
(15%) are expected to continue on their high growth trajectory.
* The radio sector is also expected to receive a fillip with the successful conclusion of Phase III licence auctions
and it is expected to grow at a robust CAGR of about 16%.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Indian Air Force inducts its Biggest Transport Aircraft C-17 Globemaster III

NASA Launches Spacecraft To Study Moon Atmosphere

Worlds Largest Volcano Discovered Under Pacific Ocean

Japan Launches New Epsilon Rocket

India Successfully Test Fired Nuclear Capable Agni V Long Range Missile

US Launches Unmanned Cygnus Cargo Ship To ISS

Iran Displays 30 Missiles With 2000 km Range

PERSONS IN NEWS
A) APPOINTMENTS

Rakesh Sood Appointed as PMs Special Envoy on Disarment and Non-Proliferation

Deepak Sandhu Becomes The First Woman Chief Information Commissioner

Kulkarni Becomes First Indian American State Judge In Northern California

Thomas Bach is new IOC president

Justice Prafulla Chandra Pant Appointed First Chief Justice of Meghalaya High Court

Srinivasan Re-Elected As BCCI President For The Third Term

Ranjib Biswal Appointed as new IPL chairman

B)RESIGNS
Rajasthan Minister Babulal Nagar Resigned
Minister of State for Food and Civil Supplies Babulal Nagar on 19 September resigned from the Rajasthan
cabinet after being accused of raping a woman.

C)DEATHS
Audio Pioneer Ray Dolby of famed Sound System Died

Worlds Oldest Man Salustiano Sanchez-Blazquez Died

D)VISITORS

Liberia President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Visited India

E)MISCELLANEOUS

Malala Yousafzai Inaugurates Europes Largest Library In UK

Zardari Becomes First Pakistani President To Serve Full Term

Diana Became First Woman to Swim Across Florida Straits without Shark Cage

Nina Davuluri Wins Miss America 2014 Title

Megan Young Crowned Miss World 2013

PLACES IN NEWS
China Inaugurated Worlds Highest Daocheng Yading Civilian Airport

Strong Earthquake Hits Pakistan

ABBREVIATIONS
NCRB National Crime Records Bureau

AISHE All India Survey on Higher Education

MNIC - Multi-purpose National Identity Card

IBRD - International Bank for Reconstruction and Development

ICAO International Civil Aviation Organisation

HDI - Human Development Index

ESMA Essential Services Maintenance Act

DRDO Defence Research and Development Organisation

CTBT Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty

BOOKS IN NEWS
India and Malaysia : Interwined Strands Book Released By Vice President of India

COMMITTEES
Nachiket Mor Committee To Frame Vision For Financial Inclusion

IMPORTANT DAYS AND DATES

International Day of Peace Observed on 21 September

World Rabies Day Observed on 28 September

October 2013 Current Affairs Study Material

INTERNATIONAL
Gambia Decided To Withdraw From The Commonwealth

China and EU Signed Bilateral Currency Swap Agreement

US and Vietnam Signed Nuclear Trade Agreement

Mulatu Teshome Elected New President of Ethiopia

Five New Members Elected To UN Security Council

Social Democratic Party Won Czech Republic Elections

INDIA & WORLD

India To Reach 160 cr Population By 2050

Bangladesh and India Inaugurated Joint Power Transmission Plant

Global Hunger Index Report 2013

Global Slavery Index 2013

India and China Signed Border Defence Cooperation Agreement

1.3 Million People Died of Tuberculosis (TB) Worldwide in 2012

NATIONAL
Union Cabinet Decided to Withdraw Ordinance and Bill Relating to Representation of Peoples Act

CCEA approves Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA)

64,000 Married Men Commit Suicide Every Year In India

On 3 October According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) statistics revealed more incidences of
suicide by married men than by married women.
Highlights of the Report :-
* The alleged misuse of section 498 A of IPC is leading to a rise in mens suicides in the country.A report of the
National Crime Records Bureau(NCRB) has pointed out that nearly 64,000 men are committing suicide every
year due to this section.
* In 2012 approximately 64,000 married men committed suicide vis-a-vis 32,000 married women.
* As per the Survey , In West Bengal the number of cases under the section has grown exponentially at the
rate of 11 per cent in the last two years but the conviction rate has dropped to just 4.4 per cent from 6.3 per
cent earlier.The state accounts for 1.06 lakh cases recorded.

Cabinet Approves National Identification Authority of India Bill

Land Acquisition Act To Come into effect from 2014 January 1

STATES
Gujarat Lokayukta Aayog Bill 2013 Passed By State Assembly

Foundation Stone Laid For First Mega Food Park In Uttar Pradesh

President Gave Assent To Uttarakhand Lokayukta Bill

Assembly Elections Schedule Announced For Five States

Five States Election Schedule as Announced by the Election Commission :-
* Chhattisgarh- 11 Nov 2013 (Phase I), 19 Nov 2013 (Phase II) (90-member state assembly)
* Madhya Pradesh- 25 Nov 2013 - (230-member state assembly)
* Rajasthan- 1 Dec 2013 (200- member state assembly)
* Delhi- 4 Dec 2013 (70- member state assembly)
* Mizoram- 25 Nov 2013 (40- member state assembly)

Himachal Becomes 2nd State After Haryana To Introduce NVQF

Gujarat CM Laid The Foundation Stone Of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patels Statue

CONFERENCES
23rd ASEAN Summit Held in Brunei Darussalam
The 23rd ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) summit was held in Brunei Darussalam on 9 10
October 2013.The theme of the summit is Our People, Our Future Together.The leaders of 10 ASEAN
(Association of Southeast Asian Nations) member countries discussed on ways to consolidate these gains to
meet the 2015 target of having an economically integrated, politically cohesive and socially responsible ASEAN
Community and to ensure ASEANs place in the global community of nations by 2015 and beyond.One of the
highlights of the ASEAN Summit in Brunei was the turn-over of the Chairmanship to Myanmar who for the first
time assumes leadership of this regional organisation beginning 1 January 2014.The 10 ASEAN nations are
Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.The
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was established in 1967.

AWARDS & HONOURS

Malala Yousafzai Won EUs Sakharov Human Rights Prize 2013

M.S Swaminathan Gets Indira Gandhi National Integration Award

2013 Nobel Prize Winners

The Nobel Prize winners of 2013 in the different categories were as follows:-
Medicine :- James Rothman and Randy Schekman of US as well as German-born Thomas Suedhof won the
2013 Nobel Prize for Medicine and Physiology .They were awarded for their groundbreaking work on how the
cell organises its transport system. James Rothman, Randy Schekman and Thomas Suedhof work at the US
universities.The three of them discovered the complex transport system in the human body which makes the
delivery of the life-saving proteins and molecules at right place and right time. James Rothman, Randy
Schekman and Thomas Suedhof work at the Yale University, University of California and Stanford University
respectively.

Physics :- Peter Higgs, United Kingdom and Francois Englert , Belgium jointly awarded Nobel Prize for
Physics.They were awarded for the theoretical discovery of a mechanism that contributes to our
understanding of the origin of mass of subatomic particles.Their contribution forms the cornerstone of
modern particle physics.Higgs and Francois Englert discovered a quantum field which is a distribution of
energy, throughout the universe. It is a field with special properties. When the field is disturbed, waves travel
through it. The dimmest possible wave is called a particle in the field. They called this field as Higgs field. In the
Higgs field particles are called as Higgs Boson.

Chemistry :- Michael Levitt, a British and US citizen of Stanford University, US-Austrian Martin Karplus of
Strasbourg University and US-Israeli Arieh Warshel of the University of Southern California share The Nobel
Prize in Chemistry.They were awarded Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2013 for the development of multi scale
models for complex chemical systems.

Literature :- Canadas Alice Munro won the Nobel literature prize for her short stories that focus on the
frailties of the human condition, becoming just the 13th woman to win in the history of the coveted
award.The Swedish Academy honoured Munro as a master of the contemporary short story. She won the Man
International Booker Prize in 2009 for a body of work.She won the Giller Prize twice, for The Love of a Good
Woman in 1998 and Runaway in 2004.
Economics :- The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences decided to award The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in
Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel for 2013 to Eugene F. Fama, Lars Peter Hansen and Robert J.
Shiller for their empirical analysis of asset prices.The three American Economists awarded for their work on
creating a deeper knowledge of how market prices move.

Peace :- The Nobel Peace Prize for 2013 has been awarded to the Organisation for the Prevention of Chemical
Weapons (OPCW) for its extensive efforts to eliminate chemical weapons.The Hague-based OPCW was
founded in 1997 to implement the Chemical Weapons Convention signed on January 13, 1993.The
organisation is presently involved in destroying Syrias stockpiles of chemical weapons the first time the
OPCW has worked in a war zone.This marks the second consecutive year an organisation has won the
prestigious award. Last years award went to the European Union.

Eleanor Catton Wins 2013 Man Booker Prize

Lata Mangeshkar Honoured With The First Yash Chopra Memorial Award

Aung Suu Kyi Received EU Sakharov Prize After 23 years

SPORTS & GAMES

Sports Ministry Announced HRD scheme In Sports
Mumbai Indians Won 2013 Champions League Twenty-20

China Open Tennis Tournament 2013 Winners

Womens Singles :- Serena Williams (U.S) won the China Open Tennis Tournament womens singles title on 6
October at the National Tennis Stadium in Beijing, China.Williams defeated Jelena Jankovic of Serbia in the
final.It was her 10th title of the year.

Mens Singles :- Novak Djokovic (Serbia) won his fourth China Open Mens Singles title in five years ,after
defeated Rafael Nadal (Spain) in the final.Novak Djokovic won the same tournament earlier in 2009, 2010 and
2012.

Womens Doubles :- Sania Mirza won the China Open tennis doubles title with Cara Black of Zimbabwe on 5
October in Beijing.They defeated Vera Dushevina of Russia and Arantxa Parra Santonja of Spain in the final.It is
fifth title of the season for Sania Mirza and 19th overall.
Mens Doubles :- Belarus Max Mirnyi and Romanias Horia Tecau have won the mens doubles title.They
defeated Italian pair Fabio Fognini -Andreas Seppi in the final.

Sachin Tendulkar Announced Retirement From Test Cricket

Virat Kohli Becomes Fastest Indian To Score Century In ODIs

North and South Zone Declared Joint Winners of Duleep Trophy

Sebastian Vettel Wins 4th F1 Title at Indian Grand Prix

ECONOMY
Mumbai 72nd Rank On Global Financial Centre Index
On 1 October Mumbai has slipped six places to 72nd rank, the bottom 10, on the Global Financial Centre Index
(GFCI), while London has retained its top slot.Mumbai is the only Indian city to find a place on this bi-annual
list of 80 financial centres globally and was ranked 66th in its previous edition published in March this year.In
the top-five, London is followed by New York, Hong Kong, Singapore and Tokyo.Others in the top 10 are:
Zurich (6th), Boston (7th), Geneva (8th), Frankfurt (9th), Seoul (10th).Although New Delhi, the countrys
political hub, was added the GFCI questionnaire recently, it is yet to acquire sufficient assessments to be
included in the index.

India Ranks 78th On Human Capital Index

According to the global Human Capital Index , India has been placed at a low 78th slot on a global Human
Capital Index, which ranks countries on the basis of economic potential of their labour force, while Switzerland
has topped the ranking. According to the list of total 122 countries released on 1 October by the Geneva-
based World Economic Forum (WEF), India has been ranked lower than three of its BRICS peers China
(43rd), Russia (51st) and Brazil (57th), while South Africa is placed at 86th place.

India Tops Foreign Remittances Recipients List

The World Bank report entitled Migration and Remittance Flows: Recent Trends and Outlook-2013-16
released on 2 October revealed that India emerged as the largest recipient of foreign remittances among
developing economies in 2013.In 2013 Non-Resident Indians (NRI) sent a record 71 billion Dollars home
compared to 70 billion dollars in 2012. According to a Word Bank report NRIs are estimated to remit up to 85
billion dollars a year by 2015.India (with an estimated 71 billion Dollars) continued to top the remittances list
in 2012 while China is placed a close second with $66 billion expected migrant remittances in the same
year.The Philippines (26 billion Dollars) got third place in the list.Globally, the worlds 232 million international
migrants are expected to remit earnings worth 550 billion Dollars in 2013 and over 700 billion Dollars by
2016.Remittance is the act of transmitting money to a distant location to fulfill an obligation. International
remittances are transfers of funds by foreign workersremitterswho are living and working in other
countries typically to their families who are still living in their home countries.

World Bank cuts Indias 2013-14 GDP forecast to 4.7%

The World Bank on 16 October slashed Indias economic growth forecast for the current financial year to 4.7
percent from an earlier projection of 6.1 percent.In April, the World Bank had projected Indias GDP would
grow at 6.1 percent in the current financial year and at 6.7 percent the following year.

Four Indians in Fortunes List of 50 Most Powerful Women in Business

On 20 October Four Indians led by ICICI Bank CEO Chanda Kochhar have made to Fortune magazines global
list of top-50 women business leaders, while PepsiCo chief Indra Nooyi has been ranked second in a similar list
for the US.Kochhar has been ranked fourth, followed by National Stock Exchange chief Chitra Ramkrishna at
17th, Axis Banks Shikha Sharma at 32nd and HSBCs Naina Lal Kidwai at 42nd place among the Indians on the
international list of most powerful women in business.Kochhar, Managing Director and CEO of Indias largest
private sector bank, has moved up one position from her fifth position on the 2012 list, while NSEs
Ramkrishna has made it to the list for the first time.This list is topped by Brazilian energy giant Petrobras CEO,
Maria Das Gracas Foster, followed by Turkish conglomerate Sabanci Holdings Guler Sabanci at the second and
Australian banking giant Westpacs CEO Gail Kelly at the third.

RBI increases Repo Rate By 25 Basis Points

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 29 October released the Second Quarter Review of Monetary Policy 2013-
14.According the released statement by the RBI, the Repo rate increased by 25 basis points from 7.5 percent
to 7.75 percent.
The highlights of the Second Quarter Review of Monetary Policy 2013-14 :-
* RBI reduced the marginal standing facility (MSF) rate by 25 basis points from 9.0 percent to 8.75 percent
with immediate effect.
* RBI also increased the policy repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) by 25 basis points from
7.5 percent to 7.75 percent with immediate effect.
* Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) unchanged at 4 Percent
* RBI downward FY14 GDP growth to 5 percent from 5.7 percent.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

India Successfully Test Fired Nuclear Capable Prithvi-II Missile

Naval Offshore Patrol Vessel INS Sunayna Commissioned

Scientist Developed Worlds First Fully Bionic Man

Chinese Scientists Developed Bird Flu Vaccine

Worlds Most Powerful MRI Scanner Developed

PERSONS IN NEWS
A) APPOINTMENTS

Arundhati Bhattacharya Takes Charge As First Woman Chief of SBI

Janet Yellen Nominated as Head of US Federal Reserve Board

Pakistan Appoints Ibne Abbas new Envoy To India

Arunendra Kumar Appointed as new Chairman of Railway Board

Air Marshal Arup Raha Appointed as new IAF Chief

B)RESIGNS

Goa Lokayukta Justice B Sudershan Reddy Resigned

C)DEATHS

US Thriller Author Tom Clancy Died

Legendary Singer Manna Dey Died

D)VISITORS

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Visited Russia

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Visited China

E)MISCELLANEOUS

Google Tops Worlds Best Multinational Work Places List

Indian-American Emily Shah Crowned Miss New Jersey USA 2014 Title

PLACES IN NEWS
Archaeologists Discovered 3,300-year-old Ancient City In Iran

ABBREVIATIONS
BPCL - Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited
AAA - Asian Athletics Association
CITU - Centre of Indian Trade Unions
EVM - Electronic Voting Machine
ERDA - Energy Research and Development Administration
FEMA - Foreign Exchange Management Act
GFCI - Global Financial Centres Index
GIC - General Insurance Corporation
MNC - Multi National Corporation
NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration
OPEC - Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries
WEF - World Economic Forum

BOOKS IN NEWS
Autobiography of Malala Yousafzai entitled I am Malala Released
COMMITTEES
Mukul Mudgal Committee Submitted Report on Cinematograph Act

Kirit Parekh Committee on Pricing of Diesel, Petrol & LPG Submits Report

IMPORTANT DAYS AND DATES

United Nations Day Observed Across the World on 24 October

World Food Day Observed Every Year on 16 October

November 2013 Current Affairs Study Material

INTERNATIONAL
Taiwan and Singapore Signed Free Trade Agreement

U.S. named Nigerias Boko Haram Terrorist Group

Abdullah Yameen Elected as President of Maldives

Iran and P5+1 Group of Nations Signed The Historic Nuclear Deal

INDIA & WORLD

India Ranked 7th In Expat Quality Life

India and Kuwait Signed Five Agreements

India and Japan Decided To Strengthen their Cooperation in the Maritime Sector

India-Ukraine Inter-Governmental Commission Held In New Delhi

US exempts India, China From Iran Oil Sanctions

NATIONAL
Medical Council of India Reconstituted

National Portal On Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Launched

India Poised To Become The Largest Provider Of Global Talent

Government Released Postage Stamps On Sachin Tendulkar

STATES
Kannur Declared First Zero Landless District in the Country

RAF Academy of Public Order inaugurated in Meerut

Indias First Private Rapid Metro Service Started Operation From Gurgaon

Union Cabinet Approved For Legislative Council In Assam

CONFERENCES
Delhi To Host 12th Edition Of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2014
AWARDS & HONOURS
Bihar Health Worker Martha Dodray Gets UN Award For Polio Work

Indian-American Doctor Rahul Jindal Gets Prestigious US Award

RGIA wins Best Cargo Airport Award

CSIR Scientist Rajesh S. Gokhale Gets Infosys Prize 2013

Prof. CNR Rao and Sachin Tendulkar Selected for Bharat Ratna Award
The Government of India on 16 November decided to confer, the Bharat Ratna , the highest civilian award
on eminent scientist Prof CNR Rao (Chintamani Nagesa Ramachandra Rao) and cricket player Sachin
Tendulkar.
Sachin Tendulkar :- Sachin will the youngest recipient of the award.He is also the first sportsperson to be
chosen for the honour.He will also become the ninth person from Maharashtra to join the exclusive club of 43
Bharat Ratna awardees till date, which includes a galaxy of presidents, prime ministers, Nobel laureates,
scientists and artistes.The award was announced hours after Tendulkar retired from international cricket
following Indias victory over the West Indies in a Test in Mumbai on 16 November.Tendulkar received the
Arjuna Award in 1994 for outstanding sporting achievement, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award in 1997,
Indias highest sporting honour, and the Padma Shri and Padma Vibhushan awards in 1999 and 2008,
respectively, Indias fourth and second highest civilian awards.
Prof CNR Rao :- He is the third scientist to be awarded the highest civilian award Bharat Ratna, a crowning
glory of his inexorable list of outstanding achievements.Before Rao, C V Raman and former President A P J
Abdul Kalam were bestowed with the award.Rao, founder of the Bangalore-based Jawharlal Nehru Centre for
Advanced Scientific Research, has served as Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Council to Prime Minister
under different regimes, a manifestation of immense faith different governments have placed in him.A
renowned scientist and an institution builder, Rao has worked mainly in solid-state and structural
chemistry.He was also conferred with Padma Shri and Padma Vibhushan by Government of India and
Karnataka Ratna by the Karnataka State Government.He was awarded the Hughes Medal by the Royal Society
in 2000, and he became the first recipient of the India Science Award, instituted by the Government of India,
for his contributions to solid state chemistry and materials science, awarded in 2004.He has become the first
Indian to reach the h-index of 100, reflecting the enormity of the body of his published research work.
* Rao, a Kannadiga and Sachin, a Maharashtrian have got Indias highest civilian award together.After
engineering genius Sir M Vishweshwaraiah and the Hindustani music great Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, CNR Rao is the
third Kannadiga to get Bharat Ratna. Sachin is the 6th Maharashtrian to get the same honour.

SPORTS & GAMES

Sebastian Vettel Won Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix 2013
Red Bull Formula One driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany won the Abu Dhabi Formula 1 Grand Prix on 3
November at the Yas Marina circuit, Abu Dhabi.Vettels team-mate Aussie Mark Webber finished with second
position, with Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg of Germany finishing third.Sebastian Vettel won the Abu Dhabi
Grand Prix for the second time in his career. (First time is in 2009). This victory has drawn Vettel level with
compatriot Michael Schumachers mark of seven successive wins.

Indian Mens Hockey Team Qualified For Hockey World Cup 2014
Indian mens team has qualified for the Rabobank Hockey World cup 2014 to be held at The Hague,
Netherlands. International Hockey Federation (FIH) confirmed the Indias berth in a official press release at
Switzerland. Australia success at Oceania Cup on 3 November confirmed latest teams for world cup 2014.The
Rabobank Hockey World Cup will be held from 31 May to 15 June 2014.

Novak Djokovic Won Paris Masters Title

Novak Djokovic of Serbia won the Paris Masters Tennis Title on 3 November at Paris, France.He defeated
David Ferrer of Spain in the final.It is the first time Djokovic, the 2009 Paris Masters champion, has won back-
to-back Masters Series events since his successive triumphs in Rome, Madrid and Montreal in 2011.This Paris
Master title was Novak Djokovics 40th career title and sixth title in 2013.

Yuki Bhambri Won Traralgon Challenger Title

Indian Yuki Bhambri won the ATP mens singles title of Traralgon event in Australia on 4 November .He
defeated Bradely Klahn of America in the final.It was his first ATP Challenger level singles title of the season
and second of his career .

India To Host Mens Hockey World Cup In 2018

India will host the mens section of the hockey World Cup in 2018, the International Hockey Federation (FIH)
announced on 7 November .The finals will be played from 1 to 16 December 2018.Also, England will host the
Womens World Cup of hockey from 7-21 July, 2018. India last hosted the World Cup in New Delhi in 2010 ,
while the 2014 edition of Hockey World Cup would be played in The Hague, Netherlands.Hockeys World Cup
is held every four years and is second only to the Olympics in significance.

Heena Sidhu Won Pistol Gold In World Cup Shooting

Shooter Heena Sidhu created history by becoming the first pistol exponent from India to win a gold medal at
the ISSF World Cup finals on 10 November in Munich, Germany .In the Womens 10-metre Air Pistol event
final, She defeated World Champion Zorana Arunovic of Serbia to bag her first Gold.The earlier gold medallists
in this competition were Anjali Bhagwat (2002) and Gagan Narang (2008) in small bore rifle shooting.

Sebastian Vettel Won United States Grand Prix 2013

Red Bull Formula One driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany on 17 November won United States Grand
Prix.Frances Romain Grosjean in Lotus was second with Red Bulls Mark Webber took the third place.This was
his eighth successive race of Vettel in a season. With this win he succeeded ahead of Michael Schumachers
previous record of winning seven races in a row in the same season, which was set in 2004.This was also
vettels 12th win of the season.

ECONOMY
India Will Be Worlds 3rd Largest Economy By 2030
According to the Standard Chartereds Super-Cycle Report released on 6 November , India will worlds third
largest economy by 2030 , behind China and the USA, adding that the world is in the midst of an economic
super-cycle.A super-cycle is a period of historically high global growth, lasting a generation or more, driven by
opening up of new markets, increasing trade, high rates of investment, urbanisation and technological
innovation.India is likely to be the third largest economy with a GDP size of $15 trillion by 2030.China with a
GDP of $53.8 trillion is projected as the biggest economy, followed by the US at $38.5 trillion.

Worlds 6th Largest Number Of Billionaires In India

According to the World Billionaire Census 2013 released on 6 November , India has more number of
billionaires than France, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland and Hong Kong and is home to the sixth largest group of
super rich population in the world.Moreover, the countrys financial capital Mumbai with 30 billionaire, is
among the top 5 billionaire cities globally, which was topped by New York that is home to 96
billionaires.Hong Kong, Moscow and London make the top five with 75, 74 and 67 billionaires
respectively.Notwithstanding the number of billionaires in India having decreased between July, 2012 and
June, 2013, India still enjoys a decent 6th position in the top 10 league with 103 billionaires.This list was
topped by United States with 515 ultra-rich people, three times more than in China, which ranks second with
157 billionaires.Germany, United Kingdom and Russia make the top five countries with a billionaire population
of 148, 135 and 108 respectively.

Azim Premji Tops India Philanthropist List

According to the China-based Hurun Report Inc HurunIndia Philanthropy List 2013 released on 13
November , Wipro chief and IT tycoon Azim Premji tops the list of Indian philanthropists with donations
amounting to Rs8,000 crore in the past year.Shiv Nadar , chairman of HCL group, is the second highest
contributor in the list with a donation of Rs.3,000 crore.Hurun India Philanthropy List is a ranking of 31 Indians
who donated more than Rs.10 crore cash or cash equivalent during Apr 1, 2012 to March 31, 2013.

Three of Indian Origin Among Africas 50 Richest

Three persons of Indian-origin are among the 50 richest people in Africa, according to a list released by Forbes
magazine on 14 November.Vimal Shah , Sudhir Ruparelia and Naushad Merali figure in the list which has been
topped by Aliko Dangote who has a networth of USD 20.8 billion and is the largest cement manufacturer in
sub-Saharan Africa.Vimal Shah is a newcomer on the list and ranks 18 with a networth of USD 1.6 billion
.Ruparelia ranks 24 on the list and has a networth of USD 1.1 billion.On the 48th spot is Merali with a networth
of USD 430 million.

Prime Minister Inaugurates Indias First Bharatiya Mahila Bank

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson, Sonia Gandhi Jointly inaugurated Indias first all-
women bank, Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB) in Mumbai on 19 November , marking the 96th birth anniversary
of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.This first branch of BMB was inaugurated at Air India building at
Nariman Point in Mumbai.The main objectives of the bank will be to focus on the banking needs of women
and to promote their economic empowerment. The bank will commence operations with an initial capital of
one thousand crore rupees.The new Bharatiya Mahila Bank, with the tagline Empowering Women,
Empowering India , is due to have 25 branches by next March and 771 total branches over a seven-year
period.The Union Cabinet cleared the proposal for setting up of all-women bank on August 2013.The Reserve
Bank of India gave its in-principal approval for the Bharatiya Mahila Bank in June 2013 and the banking
company was set up.The Union government approved 1000 crore Rupees seed capital for the women-focused
public sector bank, announced by Union finance minister P. Chidambaram in his 2013-14 budget speech.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Pakistan Successfully Test-Fires Short Range Hatf IX Missile
Pakistan on 5 November successfully test fired Hatf IX (Nasr) missile, a short range surface to surface missile
that has a range of 60-kilometres.The test fire was conducted with successive launches of 4 x missiles (Salvo)
from a state of the art multi tube launcher.Nasr, with a range of 60 Kilometer and in-flight maneuver capability
is a quick response system, with shoot and scoot attributes.The missile has the capability to carry nuclear
weapons.

Indian Navy Inducts Advanced Jet Trainer Hawk 132

Indian Navy on 6 November inducted the fourth generation advanced jet trainer aircraft Hawk 132, which has
led to a jump in the operational versatility.Hawk 132 was inducted into the Navy at a ceremony held at the
Naval Air Station INS Dega at Visakhapatnam,Andhra Pradesh.The aircraft was built by the Hindustan
Aeronautics Limited (HAL) with Transfer of Technology from M/s British Aerospace, UK.Hawk 132 is equipped
with advanced and reliable navigation systems and has the capability to deploy an impressive array of
weaponry including air-to-air missiles, air-to-ground rockets, bombs and guns.It can also carry two extra fuel
tanks under the wing, which extends its considerable strike range.Hawk 132 is a proven aircraft operating
with over 24 nations around the world.The induction of this highly capable aircraft will provide the much
needed fillip to the training of combat pilots in the Navy by bridging the gap between basic flying training and
advanced fighter flying.

Carbon Dioxide Levels Pollution Levels Hit Record High In 2012

According to the United Nations (UN) weather agency World Meteorological Organization (WMO) latest
report released on 6 November , the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere reached a record-breaking high
in 2012.The report found the greenhouse gas measure at 393.1 parts per million in 2012, exceeding the 350
parts per million that some scientists and environmental advocates have pegged as the maximum safe limit.
The 2012 levels were an increase of 2.2 parts parts per million from the previous year.The U.N. weather
agency predicts worldwide pollution levels will surpass 400 parts per million by 2016.

3D Printer Creates Worlds Smallest Working Human Liver

In the month of November 2013 , A group of US scientists have created the worlds smallest human liver which
can survive for 40 days and works like the real thing using a 3D printer.The mini-livers, made by California-
based medical research company Organvo, are just half a millimetre deep and four millimetres wide but can
perform most of the functions that a real liver can.The printer builds up 20 layers of hepatocytes cells, which
carry out liver functions, along with two major types of liver cell. It also adds cells from the lining of a blood
vessel. This allows the liver cells to receive nutrients and oxygen.

NASA Releases Natural Color Portrait Of Saturn

NASA has released the first natural-color image of Saturn from space showing the planet, its moons and rings,
as well as the planets Earth, Venus and Mars.The new panoramic image of the Saturn system, taken by NASAs
Cassini spacecraft, shows the view, as human eyes would see it. It was unveiled at the Newseum in
Washington on 12 November.The spacecrafts imaging team processed 141 wide-angle images to create the
single panorama mosaic, which sweeps across 404,880 miles of Saturn and its inner ring system.

Worlds First Green Helicopter Tested in Germany

The worlds first green helicopter which is noiseless and emission-free has been successfully tested in
Germany on 17 November.The helicopter, named Volocopter, developed by the German company e-volo, two
seat prototype made it earlier voage in kalsruhe, Germany.The volocopter uses eighteen electrically driven
rotos propel instead of one combustion engine which is environmentally friendly and emission-free.The
emission free Volocopter is a vertical take-off and landing manned aircraft, with rich features and incredibly
quiet sound, absolutely no noticeable vibrations, new spring strut landing gear and extremely calm rotor
plane that replace conventional aircraft .

PERSONS IN NEWS
A) APPOINTMENTS

Usha Sangwan First Woman Managing Director of Life Insurance Corporation

Usha Sangwan has become the first woman managing director (MD) at the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of
India in its near six decades of existence. Along with Sangwan, Vijay Kumar Sharma also took charge as an MD
of the countrys premier financial institution on 1 November . Sangwan joined LIC in 1981 as a direct recruit.
Prior to taking charge as MD , she was executive director, corporate communications, LIC of India.

Usha Ananthasubramanian is first Bharatiya Mahila Bank CMD

Usha Ananthasubramanian has been appointed as the first Chairperson and Managing Director (CMD) of
Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB), the first all-women bank of India.Ananthasubramanian assumed charge on 12
November.Before joining BMB, she was an executive director with Punjab National Bank (PNB).In a career
spanning over 31 years, she has worked in various positions in the banking and allied areas.

R. Banumathi Appointed Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court

Justice R. Banumathi, Judge of the Madras High Court was on 12 November appointed as the Chief Justice of
the Jharkhand High Court. Justice R. Banumathi entered the Tamil Nadu Higher Judicial Service in 1988 as a
direct recruit district judge. She worked as District and Sessions Judge in Coimbatore and Vellore, and Principal
District and Sessions Judge in Pudukottai, Madras, Tirunelveli and Salem.

Justice A.P.Shah is the new Chairman of Law Commission of India

Former Delhi High Court Chief Justice Ajit Prakash Shah has been appointed on 22 November as the new
chairman of the 20th Law Commission of India.Justice Ajit Prakash Shah succeeded Justice D. K. Jain who
resigned in October 2013 to take over as the President of National Consumer Disputes Redressal
Commission.Justice Ajit Prakash Shah was Chief Justice of the High Court of Delhi from May 2008 till his
retirement in February 2010.The 20th Law Commission was established in September 2013.Its tenure has
been fixed till 2015.The terms of reference of the 20th Law Commission include review/repeal obsolete
law,examine the existing laws,Revise Central acts of general importance etc.

Five Central Information Commissioners Appointed To CIC

Five new Information Commissioners are appointed to the Central Information Commission (CIC) on 22
November. Chief Information Commissioner Deepak Sandhu administered the oath of office to them in New
Delhi.The new commissioners are Yashovardhan Azad, Sharat Sabharwal, Manjula Parasher , M A Khan Yusufi
and Madabhushanam Sridhar Acharyulu. With this the total number of Information Commissioners including
the Chief Information Commissioner has gone up to 10.

B)RESIGNS
PFRDA Chairman Yogesh Agarwal Resigned
Yogesh Agarwal, chairman of the Pension Fund Regulatory Development Authority (PFRDA), resigned from the
post of Chairman on 13 November.He resigned because of the Governments decision to not allow him to be a
part of the selection panel for members of the regulator.

C)DEATHS

Legendary Pakistani Folk Singer Reshma Died

Legendary Pakistani folk singer Reshma, who mesmerised music lovers in the Indian subcontinent with soulful
rendition of songs like Lambi Judai and Dama Dam Mast Kalandar in her trademark rustic voice, died in
Lahore on 3 November.Reshma, known as Nightingale of the Desert ,was born in 1947 in Bikaner,
Rajasthan, in a Banjara family.She has no formal education in music, but at the age of just 12 years, she was
seen singing at the Shahbaz Qalanders shrine. Thereafter, her iconic song Laal Meri was recorded on the
state-run Pakistan Radio.With this, she became the most popular folk singer of Pakistan.

British Nobel Laureate Author Doris Lessing Died

Doris Lessing, one of Britains most-influential authors and a Nobel Literature laureate, has died on 17
November at London.She was 94 years old.Her best-known works are The Golden Notebook, Memoirs of a
Survivor and The Summer Before the Dark. In her life time she wrote more than 80 books, including poetry,
two operas, short stories, plays and non-fiction. In 2007, the 88-year-old Doris Lessing became the oldest
recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature. and only the 11th woman to win the award.

D)VISITORS

Kuwaits Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Visited India

Kuwaits Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah visited India from 7 10 November
2013.During his four day visit , Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber held detailed bilateral consultations with Prime
Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh in New Delhi.Both nations discussed collaboration in petrochemicals, and
Kuwaiti investments in infrastructure in India.India and Kuwait agreed to expand cooperation in key areas,
which includes energy and investment.The two Prime Ministers were held extensive talks on trade, energy and
investment and also on labour laws after which both sides inked five pacts, including on the transfer of
prisoners and cooperation in the field of culture and education.

E)MISCELLANEOUS

Miss Venezuela Gabriela Isler Won Miss Universe 2013 Title

Miss Venezuela Gabriela Isler won the Miss Universe 2013 crown on 9 November ,beating 85 other
contenders from around the world at a glittering ceremony held in Moscow, Russia.Miss Spain Patricia Yurena
Rodriguez was named runner-up, while Miss Ecuador Constanza Baez came third in the contest. Miss Universe
2012 Olivia Culpo of USA crowned the new beauty queen Miss Venezuela Gabriela Isler.Manasi Moghe from
India had been shortlisted for the top 10 finalists of Miss Universe 2013 but failed to win the crown.Islers
triumph was the seventh Miss Universe win for Venezuela, where beauty pageants are a major source of
national pride.

Malala, Malia Obama Among Times Influencial Teens List

Pakistani education activist Malala Yousafzai and the elder daughter of US President Barack Obama, Malia, are
on Time magazines list of 16 most influential teens of 2013 .The list, published on 12 November, took young
people who have inspired the society by their work in various fields like music, sports, technology, science,
writing and media.
PLACES IN NEWS
One World Trade Center is Tallest Building in US
One World Trade Center was on 12 November declared the tallest building in the Americas, standing at a
symbolic (and now official) 1,776 feet. The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, an international body
that determines the heights of skyscrapers, has ruled that the spire atop One World Trade is an architecturally
significant feature of the building not an antenna.The decision makes the official height of the building
1,776 feet, not 1,368 feet, which is the height of the buildings roof. It also allows One World Trade to beat out
Chicagos Willis Tower as the tallest in the US. Willis Towers antenna does not count towards its official
architectural height.One World Trade Center has been built on the lower Manhattan site of the iconic WTC
Twin Towers, which were destroyed in the terrorist attacks of 11 September, 2001. More than 2,000 people
were killed in that attack.

ABBREVIATIONS
BPCL - Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited
AAA - Asian Athletics Association
CITU - Centre of Indian Trade Unions
EVM - Electronic Voting Machine
ERDA - Energy Research and Development Administration
FEMA - Foreign Exchange Management Act
GFCI - Global Financial Centres Index

BOOKS IN NEWS
Vice President Released a Book on Indias Nuclear Energy Programme
Indian Vice President Mohammad Ansari released a book entitled Indias Nuclear Energy Programme : Future
Plans, Prospects and Concerns edited by Prof. R. Rajaraman at a function organized by Indian National
Science Academy (INSA) in New Delhi on 7 November.The book is aimed at creating the public opinion on
nuclear energy.

COMMITTEES
Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai Committee To Deal with Sexual Harassment Complaints
The Supreme Court on 26 November constituted a 10-member committee headed by its woman judge, Justice
Ranjana Prakash Desai, to deal with complaints of sexual harassment within its precincts.Chief Justice of India
P Sathasivam formed the Supreme Court Gender Sensitisation and Internal Complaints Committee (GSICC) in
which there are six other female members.There are two members who are outsiders and not connected with
the apex court in any manner.The committee is in consonance with the guidelines laid down by apex court in
its judgement in Vishaka case for dealing with complaints of sexual harassment at workplace.Under the
guidelines, it is required that the committee has a majority of female members and two members of civil
society nominated by the Chief Justice of India.

IMPORTANT DAYS AND DATES

National Education Day of India Observed Across the Country on 11 November
The National Education Day of India was celebrated on 11 November 2013 at Gangtok, Sikkim. The National
Education Day has been celebrated in India since the year 2008. It is celebrated to commemorate the
anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, a great freedom fighter, an eminent educationist and the first
Education Minister of India. It was also celebrated at Mewat in 2008.

National Press Day observed on 16 November

National Press Day is celebrated across the country on 16 November 2013. The day is symbolic of a free and
responsible press in India. It is the day on which the Press Council of India started functioning as a moral
watchdog to ensure that not only the press maintains the high standards expected from this powerful medium
but also that it was not fettered by the influence or threats of any extraneous factors. The Press Council of
India was first constituted on 4 July 1966 as an autonomous, statutory, quasi-judicial body, and it started
functioning from 16 November 1966 with Justice J R Mudholkar, then a Judge of the Supreme Court, as
Chairman.

December 2013 Current Affairs Study Material

INTERNATIONAL
Asian Countries Top OECDs PISA survey of Global Education
According to the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) latest survey
report , which evaluates the knowledge and skills of the worlds 15-year-olds in 65 countries and has been
released on 3 December. The OECDs PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) 2012 tested
more than 510,000 students in 65 countries and economies on maths, reading and science. The main focus
was on maths.
Highlights of the Survey Report :-
* Asian nations cemented their top positions in an eagerly awaited report on global education , as their
students continued to outshine western counterparts in maths, science and reading.
* Shanghai again ranked first in maths, science and reading .
* Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea rounded out the top five in maths skills.
* Already strong performers in 2009, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore continued to improve their
performances in the three categories.
* The report highlighted Italy, Poland and Portugal for showing improvements in maths skills since the last
survey ,but noted drops in Sweden and Finland.
* Peru ranked at the bottom of the list in all three categories.
* 23 per cent of students in OECD countries, and 32 per cent overall, failed to master the simplest maths
problems.Boys performed better than girls in maths. They scored higher in 37 out of the 65 countries and
economies, while girls outperformed boys in 5 countries.
* Across OECD countries, 8.4% of students are top performers in reading. Shanghai-China has the largest
proportion of top performers 25.1%. Over 15% of students in Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore are top
performers in reading, as are more than 10% of students in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Finland, France,
Ireland, Korea, Liechtenstein, New Zealand, Norway and Chinese Taipei.

Thailands PM Yingluck Shinawatra Dissolves Parliament

Thailands Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on 9 December formally dissolved the countrys parliament and
called for new elections.The new elections are scheduled to take place on 2 February 2014.The members of
the opposition party (Democrat Party) of Thailand resigned en masse from the Parliament on 8 December
2013 to protest a Government claimed by them as illegitimate.The opposition party of Thailand cant work in
the legislature anymore because the government is no longer accepted by the people. This will bring in a
political crisis in the country.The opposition party has aligned with the anti-government protesters, who have
staged the biggest rally of the country in the years. These demonstrations began in November 2013 and aims
to oust Prime Minister of Thailand, Yingluck Shinawatra from the office.Yingluck Shinawatra won the elections
in 2011. The opposition party Democrats has not won an election, since 1992. Democrat Party has won most
of the seats on the Parliament in 1948, 1976 and 1992 but has never won an outright Parliamentary majority.

Michelle Bachelet Elected as Chilean President

Socialist Michelle Bachelet has been elected as Chiles president on 15 December for a second time by a wide
margin. Bachelet, a moderate socialist, got 62 percent votes against 38 percent votes for Evelyn Matthei, a
former minister from the governing centre-right coalition.Michelle Bachelet, candidate for a centre-left
coalition of parties known as Nueva Mayoria , she first served from 2006 to 2010, but under Chiles
constitution she could not stand for a second consecutive term.She was the first woman President of Chile.She
begins her second turn in the office next year.The term of the president is for four years.Michelle Bachelet will
succeed the present president Sebastian Pinera.

Saudi Arabia Passed Anti-Terror Law

Saudi Arabias Cabinet has approved a new anti-terrorism draft law on 16 December that criminalizes acts that
disturb public order, defame the reputation of the state or threaten the kingdoms unity, raising concerns by
activists it could be used to quash political dissent.

Mexicos President Signed Energy Reform Law

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto on 20 December signed into law a sweeping reform that will allow
private companies to drill for oil and gas, and end a seven-decade-long monopoly held by the state oil
company.Mexico President called the energy bill a fundamental, historic reform needed for Mexico to speed
up the lagging pace of its economic growth.The bill was approved by both houses of Congress and it has also
received the approval from majority of Mexicos states legislatures, which was required for any constitutional
changes.

INDIA & WORLD

Brahmaputra Cruises Among World Top 10 Adventurous Cruises
Brahmaputra Cruises by Assam Bengal Navigation Company has been recognised by CNN International as
one of the top 10 Most Adventurous Cruises in the World for 2013.The Brahmaputra Cruises (Jungle Book
Tour/India) has been ranked sixth on 3 December among the cruises including the Amazon, the Antartica, the
North Pole, Australia and Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Recalling that Assam Bengal Navigation Company, an
Indo-British joint venture, had pioneered long-distance river cruising in India in 2003.Assam Bengal Navigation
Company managing director Ashish Phookan announced the company had pioneered long-distance river
cruising in India in 2003 and has completed ten years of cruising on Brahmaputra river on the ABN Charaidew
this year.

Ten Indian Universities In Developing Nations Top 100 List

Indian universities have grabbed 10 of the top 100 slots in the first-ever rankings of higher education
institutions from emerging economies across the globe, a list dominated by Chinese varsities. The Times
Higher Education magazine , known for its definitive educational rankings, published on 5 December the
worlds first ranking for universities in Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) and 17 other
emerging economies. Pakistan was included in the analysis, but none of its institutions make the tables.Indian
representation is led by Panjab University, which comes in joint 13th with Chinas Renmin University. The alma
mater of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is followed by Indian institutes of Technology (IITs) including
Kharagpur (30th), Kanpur (34th), Delhi and Roorkee (joint 37th), Guwahati (46) and Madras, which shares 47th
place with Jadavpur University. India remains conspicuously absent from the top 10, which is largely
dominated by Chinese institutions with Peking and Tsinghua University coming in at No 1 and 2. The latest
annual tables, a subsidiary of the prestigious Times Higher Education World University Rankings, are based on
the same range of 13 rigorous performance indicators used to create the annual world university rankings
including teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook.

India 2nd Largest Supplier Of Overseas Students For Australia

According to the latest data released on 9 December , India has emerged as the 2nd largest supplier of higher
education students for Australian universities.The number of Indian students to undertake higher education in
Australia has witnessed growth this year (2013) with total enrolments reaching over 15,800 during the period
of January-October as compared to 12,062 last year (2012).The data indicated that even if the total
enrolments dropped, India emerged as the second top supplier of international students for
Australia.Vocational Education and Training (VET) was the sector that saw an overall drop in total enrolments
from India as well China, the topmost supplier of overseas students for Australia.The top five source countries
for students studying in Australia are China (29.7 per cent), India (9.2), Korea (5.3), Vietnam (4.8) and Malaysia
(4.7).

Mauritius-India Agreed To Limitation Of Benefits Clause In Revised Tax Treaty

Mauritius has agreed to include a limitation of benefits (LOB) clause in its revised tax treaty with India.This was
revealed by the Mauritius Financial Services Commission (FSC) Chairman Marc Hein on 9 December.While
details of this clause in the India-Mauritius tax treaty are being worked out, LoB clauses aim to prevent treaty
shopping or inappropriate use of tax agreements by third-country investors. Treaty benefits are limited by this
clause to those who meet certain conditions, including those concerned with business, residency and
investment commitments of anyone seeking benefit of a Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA).

India and Nepal Agreed To Check illegal Border Trade

India and Nepal on 22 December agreed to address each others concerns on commerce and transit, including
reduction of tariff barriers and checking illegal trade along the border. The decision was made during the two-
day Inter-Governmental Committee meeting that concluded in Kathmandu.The delegations of the two sides
were led by the Commerce Secretaries of the two countries namely SR Rao of India and Madhav Prasad Regmi
of Nepal.

NATIONAL
Department of Posts Launched Express Parcel and Business Parcel Services
The Department of Posts, Ministry of Communications & IT, on 2 December launched an Express Parcel service
and Business Parcel Services for speedy delivery of parcels across the country. The services were launched by
Smt. P. Gopinath, Secretary, Department of Posts, at a function organized at New Delhi G.P.O. These two new
parcel services aim to promote the e-commerce market in India by offering reliable and cost efficient delivery
solutions. Whereas Express Parcel is an air mail service providing guaranteed time bound delivery of parcels,
Business Parcel will provide fast, secure and cost efficient transmission of parcels through surface.These
services will have Cash on Delivery facility which has become a pre-requisite today for e-commerce parcels.

Supreme Court Judgement On Homosexuality

Indias Supreme Court on 11 December upheld the constitutional validity of Section 377 of the Indian Penal
Code making gay sex an offence punishable with upto life imprisonment.A bench of justices G S Singhvi and S J
Mukhopadhaya set aside the Delhi High Courts verdict which had in 2009 decriminalised gay sex among
consenting adults in private.The Supreme Court bench allowed the appeals filed by various social and religious
organisations challenging the Delhi high court verdict on the ground that gay sex is against the cultural and
religious values of the country. With the apex court verdict, the operation of penal provision against gay sex
has come into force.The Delhi High Court had on 2 July 2009 decriminalised gay sex as provided in Section 377
of the IPC and had ruled that sex between two consenting adults in private would not be an offence.

Cabinet Approved The Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence (Access to Justice and Reparations)
Bill, 2013
The Union Cabinet on 16 December approved the Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence (Access to
Justice and Reparations) Bill, 2013.The bill aimed to prevent and tackle the communal violence in the country
and punish the perpetrators of the violence.The Bill has been named as The Prevention of Communal and
Targeted Violence (Access to Justice and Reparations) Bill, 2013.The Bill has the provision of creating an
institutional arrangement for speedy investigation, disposal of cases and for providing relief and rehabilitation
to victims of communal violence. It also seeks imposition of enhanced punishment on persons involved in
communal violence.

Prime Minister Released Postage Stamp On Former Punjab CM Beant Singh

Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on 17 December released a postage stamp in honour of former Punjab
Chief Minister Sardar Beant Singh.He was an Indian National Congress politician and the Chief Minister of
Punjab from 1992 to 1995. He was killed by suspected Khalistani separatists in a car bombing.

Lok Sabha Passed The Lokpal and Lokayukta Bill ,2011

The Lok Sabha on 18 December approved the Lokpal and Lokayukta Bill, 2011 .The bill was already passed by
the Lok Sabha in December 2011 but it came to the house again as it underwent amendments before being
approved by the Rajya Sabha on 17 December 2013.The bill will now go to President Pranab Mukherjee for his
approval before it becomes law.The Bill seeks to establish an anti-corruption watchdog that will have in its
purview even the Prime Minister Office (PMO).The Lokpal consists of a Chairperson and a maximum of eight
members of which 50% shall be judicial members.The Lokpal Chairperson or member shall not be connected
with any political party and one member will be an eminent jurist nominated by the President.The Bill lays
down clear time lines for Preliminary enquiry & investigation and trial and towards this end, the Bill provides
for setting up of Special Courts.

STATES
Bihar Govt. Announced New Surrender and Rehabilitation Policy For Maoists
The Bihar Governments Principal Secretary for the Cabinet Coordination Committee, Brajesh Mehrotra, has
on 3 December approved a new surrender and rehabilitation policy for Maoists in the state.The policy was
approved in a Cabinet meeting presided over by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.The new surrender policy aimed
to convince the Naxals to put down arms and lead a normal life and bring youths to the mainstream of
society.The move comes after seven policemen were killed in a land mine blast by the Maoists in Aurangabad
district of the state on 3 December 2013. According to the new policy 2.5 lakh rupees would be given for state,
regional, central committees and to politbureau members of Maoists who surrender under the new policy.

Maharashtra Cabinet Approved Sets Up Sugarcane Control Board

The Maharashtra state cabinet has on 4 December approved the setting up of a Sugarcane Control Board in
the state.The decision came in the wake of the recent violent agitation by farmers, demanding increased price
for sugarcane. The board would function on the lines of state electricity regulatory commission.The cabinet
also approved the draft Maharashtra Sugarcane (Purchase and Supply) Bill 2013, expected to be tabled in the
winter session of the state legislature. Maharashtra has 202 registered co-operative sugar factories and over
65 private ones.

Karnataka Assembly Passed Essential Services Maintenance (ESMA) Bill 2013

The Karnataka state assembly on 4 December passed the Karnataka Essential Services Maintenance (ESMA)
Bill 2013. According to the new bill, striking work will be a non-bailable offence and police can arrest a striking
employee without warrant. The Bill, popularly known as ESMA, is to put an end to employees working in
water, power, health, transport and service sectors going on strikes, inconveniencing people.As per the ESMA
Bill 2013, the definition of essential services includes any service connected with the production, generation,
storage, transmission, supply or distribution of water or electricity and any transportation service for the
carriage of passengers or goods by motor vehicles.

Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Passed Anti-Superstition Bill

Maharashtra Assembly on 13 December passed the much-awaited Anti-Superstition Bill.The Bill seeks to curb
black magic and other inhuman practices arising out of superstition.It came after four months of the murder
of the noted rationalist Dr. Narendra Dabholkar on 20 August 2013 in Pune, who fought for such a law for
more than for one and a half decade. Earlier, the State Government of Maharashtra on 21 August 2013
adopted an Anti-Black Magic and Superstition Ordinance.

CONFERENCES
8th Asia Gas Partnership Summit Held In New Delhi
The 8th Asia Gas Partnership Summit (AGPS) was held from 3 4 December 2013 at New Delhi, India.The 8th
AGPS was organized by GAIL (India) Limited and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry
(FICCI).The theme of the conference is Asian Gas Market : Challenges and Opportunities in the Changing
Paradigm .Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on 3 December inaugurated the summit.During the summit
Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh dedicated GAIL India Ltds 1000 km Dabhol-Bangalore natural gas
pipeline to the Nation.The Dabhol Bangaluru pipeline connects South India to the national gas grid for the
first time.Pipeline has been constructed at an investment of 4500 crore rupees with a design capacity of 16
MMSCMD of natural gas which can produce 3000 MW of clean energy.The pipeline starts at Dabhol in
Maharashtra and passes through Belgaum, Dharwad, Gadag, Bellary, Devanagere, Chitradurga, Tumkur,
Ramanagaram, Bengaluru Rural and Bengaluru Urban districts.
AWARDS & HONOURS
Indian Origin Doctor Jaswinder S Bamrah Gets Britain Excellence Award
Indian-origin doctor Jaswinder S Bamrah, consultant psychiatrist in Manchester, has on 1 December received
Asian Lite Professional Excellence Award for his contribution to the medical field in the UK. He is a dedicated
medical professional conducting a large number of lectures nationally to psychiatrists, general practitioners, to
other disciplines and voluntary organisations such as Alzheimers Disease Society and PACE on a variety of
topics, such as the role of carers in the community, dementia, which antidepressant to choose, suicides and
treatment of major depression in the Asian community.

Indian-American Author Manil Suri Won Literary Award In Britain

Indian-American mathematician and author Manil Suri has won this years Bad Sex in Fiction Award by
Britains Literary Review magazine for his book The City of Devi.The book was published in 2013. The prize
was presented by British actress, author and columnist Joan Collins on December 3 in London.Suri, who lives in
US and works as a professor of mathematics at the University of Maryland, was, however, unable to accept
the prize in person.The City of Devi is the third novel by the author. His other two novels are The Death of
Vishnu and The Age of Shiva. Suri has been long listed for the Man Booker Prize in 2001 and shortlisted for
the Pen/Faulkner Award.He won the Barnes & Noble Discover Prize in 2002.The annual award was introduced
by the magazine in 1993.

ONGCs Vasudeva Won SCOPE Leadership Excellence Award

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) chairman Sudhir Vasudeva and Engineers India Ltd head A K Purwaha
have been adjudged the best leaders in public sector companies.Vasudeva won the SCOPE Excellence Award
for Individual Leadership in the Maharatna/Navaratna public sector enterprises category, while A K Purwaha
got the same award in the Miniratna PSE category.The award winners were chosen by the eminent jury.The
jury met on 12 December and selected the winners of the SCOPE Excellence Awards 2011-12, SCOPE .The
SCOPE Excellence Awards Individual Leadership CategoryIII (Other Profit Making PSEs) went to A A Naqvi,
managing director, National Backward Classes Finance and Development Corporation.

GHIAL Awarded British Safety Councils Sword of Honour

Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA), operated by GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL) , has
been awarded the Sword of Honour for safety management.The award was in recognition of its effective
implementation of occupational health and safety management systems from the British Safety Council for
health and safety works at the airport.The Sword of Honour is considered to be the Oscar of the Safety
World. RGIA is the first Indian airport to receive this honour in the world.In the month of December the award
was presented to CEO-GHIAL in a glittering ceremony held at the famous Goldsmiths hall at London.

Vijayan Pillai Gets Karshakasree Award 2014

J Vijayan Pillai, native of Chavara, Kollam (Kerala), has been selected on 21 December for the Karshakasree
award 2014, instituted by Malayalam Manorama to honour the best farmer in the state. The award carries a
cash prize of Rs 2 lakh, gold medal and a memento. Pillai is the 12th recipient of the award. He was chosen for
his efforts to manage a dairy farm which consists of 100 cows along with paddy, plantain, vegetables farming
and aqua farming.
SPORTS & GAMES
India To Host Under-17 FIFA World Cup In 2017
India have won the right to host the 2017 Under-17 FIFA World Cup in 2017 by the FIFA executive committee
in its meeting at Salvador de Bahia in Brazil on 5 December . By virtue of being the host country, India will take
part in the 24-nation tournament for the first time in its history. This will be the biggest ever football
tournament in the country as this is the first FIFA event in the countrys history. India has hosted Asian
Football Confederations Youth Championships (Under-20) in 2006 and then the AFC Challenge Cup in 2008
but never has hosted any FIFA tournament.United Arab Emirates hosted the tournament this year while Chile
will be the host country for the 2015 edition.

Chitra Won Bronze at IBSF World Snooker Championships

Indias Chitra Magimairajan had to settle for a bronze at the International Billiards & Snooker Federation (IBSF)
World Snooker Championship held at Daugvapils, Latvia. She lost to Wendy Jans of Belgium in the
semifinals.In the final, Wendy Jans successfully defended her title by defeating Chunxia Shi of China.The next
edition of the IBSF World Snooker Championship will be held at Bangalore in November 2014. The last edition
was held at Sofia, Bulgaria in 2012.

India Won Womens Kabaddi World Cup 2013

India on 12 December won the womens Kabaddi World Cup championship for the third time in a row,
defeating New Zealand 49-21 in the summit clash in Jalandhar, Punjab. The Indian womens team led their
New Zealand counterparts for most part of the match and held out a strong challenge by the visitors in the
second half, on course to a resounding win. The Indian team took home a first-place prize of 1 crore rupees.
Anu Rani was adjudged the best stopper while Ram Bateri was declared the best raider. Both received a
Maruti Alto car each.Indian womens team has won 2011, 2012, and 2013 editions of World cups.

Cheteshwar Pujara is ICCs Emerging Cricketer of theYear

The Indian cricketer and a Rising Test batsman, Cheteshwar Pujara has bagged the Emerging Cricketer of the
Year award.The annual International Cricket Council (ICC ) awards were announced in Dubai on 13
December.This is the first ever ICC Award for Pujara.He became the second fastest Indian to score 1000 Test
runs during the course of his double hundred against Australia on March at Hyderabad. He put on the board
370-run record second wicket partnership with Murali Vijay. Pujara, the 25 year old cricketer has scored 1310
runs in 15 tests with an average of 65.50.Clarke was earlier named in the ICC Test and ODI Teams of the Year
in Mumbai on 3 December 2013.In the same event, India captain Dhoni was revealed as the Peoples Choice
award winner.Australian captain Michael Clarke was the winner of the Sir Garfield Sobers trophy for ICC
Cricketer of the Year and was also named as the ICC Test Cricketer of the Year. In total, there were eleven
individual awards. The full list of winners is :-
* ICC Cricketer of the Year (Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy) Michael Clarke (Australia)
* ICC Test Cricketer of the Year Michael Clarke (Australia)
* ICC Womens ODI Cricketer of the Year Suzie Bates (New Zealand)
* ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka)
* ICC Emerging Cricketer of the Year Cheteshwar Pujara (India)
* ICC Associate and Affiliate Cricketer of the Year Kevin OBrien (Ireland)
* ICC Twenty20 International Performance of the Year Umar Gul (Pakistan)
* ICC T20I Womens Cricketer of the Year Sarah Taylor (England)
* ICC Spirit of Cricket Award Mahela Jayawardena (Sri Lanka)
* ICC Umpire of the Year (winning the David Shepherd Trophy) Richard Kettleborough
* LG Peoples Choice Award MS Dhoni
Sunil Chhetri Named 2013 AIFF Player of the Year
Indian football captain Sunil Chhetri was on 20 December named the 2013 AIFF Player of the Year. The
announcement was made by All India Football Federation (AIFF) at the annual general meeting held at the
Football House in the Capital.Chhetri, with 43 goals, is presently Indias highest scorer in international
matches. He had earlier won the award in 2007 and 2011 and joins IM Vijayan, who too had won the award on
three occasions.Oinam Bembem Devi was adjudged the 2013 AIFF Womens Player of the Year.

ECONOMY
Microsoft Co-founder Paul Allen Named Worlds Wealthiest Bachelor
According to the Wealth-X, a global wealth intelligence and prospecting company latest report released on 4
December , with an estimated personal fortune of $15.3 billion, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen is the worlds
wealthiest bachelor, followed by Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani, who has a net worth of $10.9
billion.Mikhail Prokhorov, owner of an American basketball team, Brooklyn Nets is the worlds third wealthiest
bachelor.

Health Insurance Premium To Cross Rs 32K crore Mark By 2016-17

The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) Economic Research Bureau (AERB)
latest study report titled Health Insurance in India-A review released on 8 December.According to the report
, Growing at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 20 per cent, Indias total health insurance
premium is likely to reach Rs 32,038 crore by 2016-17 from the level of about Rs 13,092 crore recorded as of
2011-12 owing to rising income levels together with growing health insurance premium.The ASSOCHAM
projection is based on average of the compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 6.7% for income levels
of people during 2004-05 and 2011-12 together with 32.5 per cent CAGR of health insurance premium during
2006-07 and 2011-12.

Indian Oil Corporation Tops Fortune India 500 List

The business magazine Fortunes Indian edition released its annual list of Fortune 500 Indian companies for
2013, on 10 December.According to the list , State-run Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has emerged as the
countrys biggest company in terms of annual revenue of Rs 4,75,867 crore, followed by Mukesh Ambani-led
private sector giant Reliance Industries (annual revenue of Rs 4,09,883 crore ) at the second place. Both IOC
and RIL have retained their top-two ranks from the previous (2012 )year. In this (2013) years list, the two are
followed by Bharat Petroleum (Rs 2,44,822 crore) at the third place and Hindustan Petroleum (Rs 2,17,771
crore) at fourth.Besides, there are a total of six state-run companies in the top-ten positions, as against four
from the private sector.

Indians Most Optimistic About Growth Prospects

According to a global survey conducted by research firm Ipsos, India has emerged as the most optimistic
country globally with respect to growth prospects in the coming time. More than half (53 per cent) of the
people in India are confident about the countrys future and are hoping that in next one year the economy will
revive. India is followed by Canada and Australia in the second and third place respectively with 47 per cent of
their citizens confident about their countrys growth in next 12 months.Besides, China (4th), Sweden (5th),
Argentina (6th), Brazil (7th), Germany (8th) and Russia (9th) and South Africa (10th) figured in the top 10 list
out of 20 countries.The survey was conducted across 20 countries and included over 16,000 respondents.
United Nations Lowers India Growth Forecast To 4.8% For 2013
United Nations has on 19 December lowered Indias economic growth forecast for 2013 to 4.8 percent while
warning that emerging markets should be prepared to deal with the impact of US Federal Reserves
quantitative easing programme.According to the UNs World Economic Situation and Prospects 2014 report ,
Indias economy is forecast to grow at 4.8 percent in 2013, down 1.3 percent from its earlier
projection.Similarly, it has lowered the growth projection for 2014 to 5.3 percent, down 1.2 percent from
earlier forecast. The UN sees India to grow by 5.7 percent in 2015.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

SpaceX Rocket Successfully Launches Its First Commercial Satellite
An unmanned Falcon 9 rocket developed by Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, blasted off on 3
December to put its first commercial satellite known as SES 8 into orbit. The rocket lifted off from its
seaside launch pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida Perched on top of the rocket was a 7,000-
pound (3,175 kg) communications satellite owned by Luxembourg-based SES SA, which operates a 54-satellite
fleet, the worlds second-largest. About 30 minutes after liftoff, the satellite and worth more than $100
million, was in an elliptical orbit that reached more than 50,000 miles (80,000 km) from Earth, about a quarter
of the way to the moon. From there, SES-8 will manoeuvre itself down to a circular, 22,369-mile (36,000-km)
high orbit to provide television, broadband and other communications services to customers in India, China,
Vietnam and elsewhere in Asia.SES-8 is the first commercial communications satellite to be launched from
Cape Canaveral in four years. Previous SES satellites were launched primarily aboard Russian Proton and
European Ariane rockets, which cost far more than the approximately $55 million the company paid for its
ride on SpaceXs Falcon booster.

Greece Tests Russian-Made S-300 Missile System for First Time

Greek armed forces test-fired a Russian-made S-300 air defense system on 13 December , for the first time
since it was bought 14 years ago. Greece is the only NATO member that has an S-300 in service. The system
was initially purchased by Cyprus in the mid-1990s, and was later transferred to the Greek island of Crete
following objections from Turkey. The launch was carried out as part of the White Eagle 2013 military exercise
and was described as successful.

Iran Sent Second Monkey into Space For Second Time

Iran has on 14 December successfully launched its second monkey named Fargam into the space and back,
the countrys latest step toward sending humans into orbit.The monkey was flown on Irans liquid-fueled
Pajohesh (research) rocket for a 15-minute mission that took him approximately 72 miles into space.This
process will help the Iranian Scientists in developing Irans Space Research works with necessary information,
which would enrich their space technology knowhow.The first rocket carrying a monkey named Pishgam
(pioneer) in the space was launched by Iran on 28 January 2013.

First Human Artificial Heart Implanted In France

The first human artificial heart implantation performed in Georges Pompidou Hospital, Paris on 18 December
was successful.The artificial heart designed by the French biomedical firm Carmat and developed by the Dutch
based European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS).The artificial heart can give patients up to
five years of extra life, which replaces the real heart.The previous heart assistance devices are created mainly
for temporary use.The artificial heart weighs as little as less than a kilogram (900grams), almost three times
heavier than an average healthy human heart.
India Successfully Test Fires Nuclear Capable Agni-III Missile
India on 23 December successfully test-fired its nuclear-capable Agni-III ballistic missile with a strike range of
more than 3,000 km as part of a user trial by the Army from Wheeler Island off Odisha coast.The test fire of
the surface-to-surface missile was conducted by Strategic Forces Command (SFC) of the Indian Army with the
logistic support from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The Agni-III missile is
powered by a two-stage solid propellant system.It has a length of 17 metres, 2 metres diameter and launch
weight is around 50 tonnes. It can carry a warhead of 1.5 tonne, which is protected by carbon all composite
heat shield.Though the first developmental trial of Agni-III carried out on July 9, 2006 could not provide
desired result, subsequent tests on April 12, 2007, May 7, 2008 and February 7, 2010 as well as the first user
trial on September 21, 2012 from the same base were all successful.

PERSONS IN NEWS
A) APPOINTMENTS

Justice D.P Buch Sworn In As Gujarat Lokayukta

Justice (retired) D.P Buch, a retired judge of the Gujarat High Court, was administered the oath of Lokayukta
by Governor Kamla Beniwal at Raj Bhavan in the presence of Chief Minister Narendra Modi on 11
December.Justice Buch is Gujarats fourth Lokayukta.The post had been lying vacant since the last incumbent,
Justice RM Sonis term expired in December 2003.

Raman Singh Sworn In As Chhattisgarh CM for Third Consecutive Term

Raman Singh was sworn in as Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh for the third consecutive term on 12
December.Raman Singh retained his Rajnandgaon Assembly constituency by defeating Congress candidate
Alka Mudliyar, the wife of former Congress MLA Uday Mudliyar who was killed in the Darbha naxal attack in
May this year, by a margin of 35,866 votes.Raman Singh, the three-term Chief Minister who had an
uninterrupted 10-year rule in Chhattisgarh-the tribal-dominated state, earned the Chawal Wale Baba
nickname for the popularity of his unique pro-welfare schemes including distribution of rice at one rupee and
two rupees per kg to families belonging to extremely poor and below poverty lines categories respectively.
Raman Singh is the fourth chief minister of Chhattisgarh state.

Harsh Bhanwala is new NABARD Chairman

Harsh Kumar Bhanwala has been appointed as the Chairman of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural
Development (NABARD) on 15 December.Bhanwala succeeds Prakash Bakshi, who retired as Nabard chairman
in September 2013.At present, Snehlata Shrivastava, Additional Secretary in the Department of Financial
Services in the Ministry of Finance, holds additional charge of the chairmans post.Bhanwala is currently
Executive Director at India Infrastructure Finance Company (IIFCL). He was earlier chief general manager,
looking after corporate planning, human resource development and credit enhancement at IIFCL.

Sushma Singh Sworn In As New CIC

The President Pranab Mukherjee on 19 December administered the oath of office to former IAS officer
Sushma Singh as Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.Sushma Singh , who is the
fifth Chief Information Commissioner of CIC, is the second woman to be appointed to the post after Deepak
Sandhu, whose term ended on 18 December.She had joined the CIC as Information Commissioner on 23
September 2009.Prior to joining the CIC, Sushma Singh served as Secretary to the Government of India in the
Ministries of Information & Broadcasting, Panchyati Raj and the Development of the North East Region
(DONER).

Arup Raha Takes Over As 24th IAF chief

Air Marshal Arup Raha on 31 December took over as the 24th chief of the Indian Air Force (IAF) succeeding Air
Chief Marshal N.A.K Browne.He is expected to have tenure of three years as IAF chief .

B)RESIGNS

Sudans Vice President Ali Osman Taha Resigned

Sudans Vice-President Ali Osman Taha, a key figure behind the Islamist-backed coup 24 years ago, has
resigned to pave the way for a new government.His resignation was announced by the Sudanese President,
Omar al-Bashir in Khartoum on 7 December . He resigned and vacated his office at the presidency ahead of his
cabinet reshuffle.Taha has been the first Vice President of Sudan, the second highest political party.

C)DEATHS

Former South African President Nelson Mandela Died

Former South African President Nelson Mandela, who served 27 years in prison for anti-apartheid activities
and led his continent into a new era, has died in Johannesburg on 5 December. He was 95 years old. He was
also known as Madiba in South Africa.He was the first black South African to hold the office of President
from 1994 to 1999, and the first elected in a fully representative multiracial election. He was born on 1918 in
Eastern Cape. He joined the African National Congress in 1943. In 1962, he was arrested and was convicted of
incitement and leaving country without a passport. He was sentenced to five years in prison. In 1964, he was
charged with sabotage, sentenced to life. He was freed from the prison in 1990 .In 1999, he stepped down as
leader.Mandela has received more than two hundred and fifty awards over four decades.He was the winner of
the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.In 1990 he was conferred with the Bharat Ratna.He was the recipient of
Mahatma Gandhi peace award in 2001.

Union Labour Minister Sis Ram Ola Died

Union labour and employment minister Sis Ram Ola has died on 15 December in Gurgaon, Haryana. Sis Ram
Ola was a member of the 15th Lok Sabha of India. He represented the Jhunjhunu constituency of Rajasthan
and was a member of the Indian National Congress. He was a member of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly
from 1957 to 1990, and from 1980 to 1990 he was a cabinet minister in the Government of Rajasthan. A
recipient of the Padma Shri award in 1968, Ola started girls education in a remote area in rural Rajasthan with
three girls in the school known as Indira Gandhi Balika Niketan Ardawata in 1952. He took over as the Labour
Minister in June 2013 after Mallikarjun Kharge was shifted to Railways.In 1968, he became a recipient of
Padma Shri award for social work .

D)VISITORS

Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai Visited India

Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai visited India from 12 15 December 2013.During this four day visit ,
Hamid Karzai met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delh and discussed strengthening of bilateral
cooperation in areas of security and defence.The two leaders also agreed on deepening defence and security
cooperation, including through enhancement in training and meeting the equipment and infrastructure needs
of Afghanistan National Security and Defence Forces that would increase their operational capabilities and
mobility.India has provided more than $2 billion in aid towards Afghanistans reconstruction and is providing
military training to Afghan troops.
E)MISCELLANEOUS

Edward Snowden Is The Guardians Person Of The Year

The Guardian newspaper has on 9 December named U.S. whistleblower Edward Snowden its person of the
(2013) year.Its the second consecutive year a whistleblower receives such a title. Last year (2012) Chelsea
Manning became a person of the year.As the Guardian reports, Edward Snowden leaked an estimated 200,000
files that exposed the extensive and intrusive nature of telephone and internet surveillance and intelligence
gathering by the US and its western allies.

Pope Francis is Times Person of the Year 2013

Pope Francis has been named Time magazines Person of the Year for 2013 on 11 December. He was named
the Person of the Year for changing the perception of the Catholic Church within nine months.The former
Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected in March as the first pope from Latin America and the
first Jesuit.It was the third time a Catholic pope had been Times selection.John Paul II was selected in 1994
and John XXIII was chosen in 1962.Edward Snowden the person who leaked the secret documents about NSA
surveillance activities was selected at the second position in the list.

PLACES IN NEWS
1400-year-old Buddhist Temple Discovered In China
In the month of December 2013 , A 1,400-year-old Buddhist temple, built during the Northern Qi Dynasty, has
been discovered in north Chinas Shanxi Province.The shrine, enclosed by walls carved with Buddha niches, is
part of the Tongzi Temple complex secluded on a mountain near the city of Taiyuan- the capital of Shanxi.The
researchers from Institute of Archaeology of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (IA CASS) explained that
structure was built in 556 AD during the rule of Northern Qi Dynasty (550-557 AD), a booming period for
Buddhism.The structure is the only one of its kind ever found in China and it sheds light on early Buddha
carvings.Though destroyed in a war in 1,117 AD, the temple has yielded a batch of well-preserved statues.One
of its walls was carved with a Buddha figure of over 20 meters in height. It was unrecognisable, but the
archaeologists unearthed some remnants that suggested its original look. The structure also houses a 2.6-
meter mural dating from the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), which archaeologists believe is of great value.

ABBREVIATIONS
ICC - International Cricket Council
DSIM - Department of Statistics and Information Management
EBT - Electronic Benefit Transfer
IIFCL - India Infrastructure Finance Company Limited
IPCC - Inter-Govermental Panel on Climate Change
NABARD - National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development
SEBI - Securities and Exchange Board of India
SIDBI - Small Industries Development Bank of India
OECD - Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
BOOKS IN NEWS
Mary Koms Biography Unbreakable Released
Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan unveiled Olympic medal-winning boxer M.C. Mary Koms autobiography,
titled Unbreakable, on 9 December in Mumbai. Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom is a boxer, a World
Champion five times over and winner of an Olympic bronze in 2012 the first time that womens boxing was
part of the Olympic Games.The book was published by Published by Harper Collins.

COMMITTEES
Justice Sodhi Committee On Insider Trading Regulations Submits Report To SEBI
The High Level Committee to Review the SEBI (Prohibition of Insider Trading) Regulations, 1992 constituted
under the Chairmanship of Justice N.K. Sodhi, former chief justice of Karnataka and Kerala High Courts and
former presiding officer of the Securities Appellate Tribunal, submitted its report to SEBI Chairman, Shri U.K.
Sinha, on 7 December .The Committee has made a range of recommendations to the legal framework for
prohibition of insider trading in India and has focused on making this area of regulation more predictable,
precise and clear by suggesting a combination of principles-based regulations and rules that are backed by
principles. The Committee has also suggested that each regulatory provision may be backed by a note on
legislative intent.

IMPORTANT DAYS AND DATES

World AIDS Day Observed on 1 December
World AIDS Day was observed on 1 December 2013 across the globe to raise awareness about the HIV/ AIDS.
The theme for the year 2013 is: Getting to Zero.HIV/AIDS remains a major global issue, having claimed more
than 36 million lives so far since the discovery of the virus more than 20 years ago. According to the World
Health Organisation, there were approximately 35.3 million people living with HIV in 2012. Since the inception
of World AIDS Day in 1988, it has been observed on 1st December every year with different themes. The
theme for this year is Getting to Zero- means zero new infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related
deaths.

December 9th Observed As A International Anti-Corruption Day

International Anti-Corruption Day is observed on 9th December across the world to raise awareness about the
menace of Corruption and what people can do to fight it. The theme for the year 2013 is Act against
Corruption Today. The day is observed on 9th December each year to raise awareness about the corruption.
The UN General Assembly by resolution of 58/4 of 31 October 2003 designated 9 December as International
Anti-Corruption Day. This decision aimed to raise peoples awareness of corruption and of the role of the
United Nations Convention against Corruption in combating and preventing it.

January 2014 Current Affairs Study Material

INTERNATIONAL
Colorado Becomes First US state To Allow Marijuana Sale
Colorado has on 1 January become the first U.S. state to license the sale of the drug for recreational use. In
November 2012, Colorado voters approved the sale of recreational marijuana, as did voters in Washington
state. Under the new state law, residents are now able to buy marijuana like alcohol.

US Senate Passed USD 1.1 Trillion Spending Bill

The US Senate has passed the USD 1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill that eliminates the threat of another
government shutdown at least until October 2014 and puts conditions on Pakistan for continuation of aid.
Passed by the House of Representatives on 16 January, the bill now goes to the White House for President
Barack Obama to sign it into law, thus preventing another shutdown.

Bolivian President Evo Morales Assumes G77 Chairmanship

Bolivian president Evo Morales has assumed the Chairmanship of the Group of 77 nations.Bolivia was chosen
head of the G-77, which actually groups 133 developing nations, by consensus, and Morales was at the United
nations on 8 January to take over the chairmanship from outgoing Fiji. The organization was created in June
1964 with the purpose of formulating and promoting the new economic interests of southern countries within
the United Nations system.

South Sudan Government and Rebels Signed Ceasefire Agreement

South Sudans Government and Rebels have signed a ceasefire agreement .The agreement was signed in the
Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa by representatives of South Sudans President Salva Kiir and rebel delegates
loyal to ousted vice president Riek Machar on 23 January . As per the deal, the government has agreed to
release 11 officials close to Machar, who were detained after the fighting broke in the country.

INDIA & WORLD

India and Maldives Signed 3 MoUs
India and the Maldives on 2 January agreed to amicably resolve all differences, including over cancellation of
Indian company GMRs contract to run Male International Airport. Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen held
talks in New Delhi with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the two sides signed three Memorandum of
Understanding (MoUs).Two agreements are related to health and human resource development and one on
the diplomatic front.

India and Canada Signed LOI for Co-operation in Iron and Steel Sector
India and Canada have signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) for co-operation in Iron and Steel Sector. The letters
were signed on 13 January in New Delhi by Beni Prasad Verma, the Union Minister of Steel and Minister of
Natural Resources, Government of Canada, Joe Oliver.

India and South Korea Signed Nine Agreements

India and South Korea have signed 9 agreements in different areas to boost bilateral ties between the two
countries.The agreements were signed on 16 January after delegation level talks between Manmohan Singh,
the Prime Minister of India and Park Geun-hye, the President of South Korea in New Delhi.
India and Japan Signed 8 Agreements
India and Japan have agreed to boost defence ties and signed eight agreements with Japanese Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe, pledging another tranche of infrastructure loans worth 200 billion yen, during his talks with Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi on 25 January.

Pakistan and India Ranked 97th In Global Food Index 2014

According to the Global Food Index 2014 released on 17 January , Pakistan ranked 97th in a list of 125
countries with regard to availability, quality and affordability of food and dietary health.The listing means
Pakistan is one of the countries with the most unhealthy and scarce food. India got the same rank as
Pakistan.The Netherlands emerges as the country with the most nutritious, plentiful and healthy food leaving
France and Switzerland behind at the joint second place.The Index namely Good Enough to Eat has been
compiled by the UK-based international relief and development organization Oxfam.

NATIONAL
Government Launched Indias First Comprehensive Adolescent Health Programme
Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad on 7 January launched the nations first
comprehensive adolescent health programme named Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK) in New
Delhi.The programme will include a sharp focus on adolescents sexual health.The RKSK defines an adolescent
as a person within 10-19 years of age, in urban and rural areas, includes both girls and boys, married and
unmarried, poor and affluent, whether they are in school or out of school.

Government Notified New Natural Gas Pricing Formula

The Government of India on 10 January notified the new natural gas pricing formula, which will be in effect
from 1 April 2014. As per the newly issued notification, the rate of all domestically produced fuel will be
almost doubled to 8.2 to 8.4 dollar per unit.

Government Grants CBI greater Financial Autonomy

The Central Government on 14 January relaxed its control over the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and
granted the CBI director a rank equal to a Secretary.

Ghulam Nabi Azad Launches National Urban Health Mission

Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad on 20 January launched the National Urban
Health Mission (NUHM) in Bangalore to provide timely quality health services to the urban poor.The scheme
will now be introduced as a sub-mission under the National Health Mission (NHM).The mission will be
implemented in 779 cities and towns, each with a population of more than 50,000, and cover over 7.75 crore
people.

STATES
Manmohan Singh Launched Total E-literacy Project In Kerala
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has launched the total E-literacy project implemented by PN Panicker Vigyan
Vikas Kendra in Thiruvanathpuram on 4 January.This would act as the corner-stone of the Kerala model of
development.The programme was aimed at achieving total e-literacy in the state in 33 months, marching from
total literacy to complete-literacy.

Maharashtra Govt. Launched Unique Blood On Call Scheme

Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan on 7 January rolled out Jeevan Amrut Yojana (blood-on-call
scheme) across the state.The ambitious plan is aimed at facilitating blood supply to patients scheduled to
undergo surgeries and medical procedures, at cheaper rate by dialling a dedicated helpline number 104.
Under the scheme, the request for blood will have to be placed by hospitals.

Chhattisgarh Govt. Launched Toll Free Number 1100 For Graft Complaints
Chhattisgarh government has on 7 January launched a toll free helpline number 1100 where people could
lodge graft-related complaints against the state government officials.The facility will help provide better
governance to the people.Now, the people can just dial 1100 to lodge complaints regarding corruption.

Anu Vidyut Pariyojana Launched In Haryana

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh laid the foundation of 2,800 Megawatt nuclear power plant in Fatehabad
district of Haryana on 13 January.The project named as Anu Vidyut Pariyojna, will have four units of 700
MWes each and it will be built at a cost 23502 crore rupees. The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited
(NPCIL) will build these reactors. This is the first time Haryana will have a nuclear project.

CONFERENCES
12th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Held in New Delhi
The 12th edition of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) was held in New Delhi from 7 9 January 2014 at Vigyan
Bhawan, New Delhi. The theme of the event was Engaging Diaspora Connecting across Generations .The
convention was inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on 7 January. Malaysias Minister of Natural
Resources and Environment Y B Datuk Seri Palanivel ,was the Chief Guest. On 9 January President Pranab
Mukherjee conferred the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards and addressed the closing session of the
Convention.

AWARDS & HONOURS

President Pranab Mukherjee Conferred Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards
President Pranab Mukherjee conferred the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards on 9 January during the 12th
edition of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD). Peace activist Ela Gandhi, who is a grand-daughter of Mahatma
Gandhi, was among the 13 non-resident Indians (NRIs), persons of Indian origin (PIOs) and organizations
honoured with the prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards. Ela Gandhi was given the award for public
service and for enhancing Indias image and for promoting ties between India and South Africa. Lisa Maria
Singh is the first member of Australian Parliament of South Asian descent and has held several ministerial
portfolios in the past. She is a senator from Tasmania. Singh was given the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman for
public service and fostering friendly relations between India and Australia. Ramkrishna Mission, serving in Fiji
since 1937, was honoured for community service and philanthropic activities and enhancing Indias prestige
abroad.
Three Security Personnel Selected For Kirti Chakra Award
Three personnel of the armed forces have been selected for the year 2014 Kirti Chakra award , the second
highest peace time gallantry award, for their acts of bravery on the Line of Control (LoC), anti-maoist
operation and relief operation in flood-hit Uttarakhand, respectively. The three are among 368 gallantry
award winners this year including 10 Shaurya Chakra awardees.

Indian-American Wins Top US Teaching Award

India-born Meera Chandrasekhar, professor of physics and astronomy and Curators Teaching Professor of
Physics at the University of Missouri, has on 18 January won Baylor Universitys 2014 Robert Foster Cherry
Award for Great Teaching.

Mohinder Singh , Radhakrishnan Selected For Communal Harmony Awards

National Communal Harmony Award for Mohinder Singh for his work done in restoring peace after the 1984
anti-Sikh riots and noted academician N Radhakrishnan for his promotion of Gandhian values were announced
on 25 January. Singh, along with Gandhian Radhakrishnan of Kerala, have been selected for the coveted award
in the individual category while the Centre for Study of Society and Secularism, Mumbai has been selected in
the organisation category.

SPORTS & GAMES

Rafael Nadal Won Qatar ExxonMobil Open Title
Rafael Nadal of Spain won the Qatar ExxonMobil Open title on 4 January.He defeated Frances Gael Monfils in
the Mens Singles final at Doha.It was his 61st ATP title.

Brisbane International Tennis Tournament Winners 2014

Womens Singles :- Serena Williams of the U.S. on 4 January won the Brisbane International Tennis
Tournament Womens Singles title after defeated Victoria Azarenka of Belarus in the final in Brisbane,
Australia. Williams has now won 58 tour singles titles.
Mens Singles :- Australias Lleyton Hewitt won the Mens Singles Title. He defeated Roger Federer of
Switzerland in the Brisbane International final. It was Hewitts 29th title on the ATP tour but his first since
2010, when he also beat Federer in the final at Halle.

Ana Ivanovic Won Auckland Open Tennis Title

Ana Ivanovic of Serbia won the Auckland Open Tennis Title on 4 January. She defeated Venus Williams (U.S) in
the final at Auckland, New Zealand.It is the 12th title for the Ivanovic and second seed but her first success
since victory in Bali in 2011.

Anju Bobby George Declared World Athletics Gold Medalist For 2005
Indian Long jumper Anju Bobby George on 13 January became the first Indian track and field athlete to win a
gold medal in a major world event after international governing body International Association of Athletics
Federation (IAAF) upgraded her second place finish at the 2005 Monaco World Athletics Championships final
to the top spot , following a dope violation by a Russian competitor Tatyana Kotova.Anjus fifth place finish at
the 2005 Helsinki World Championships long jump event was also upgraded to fourth.
Netherlands Won Hockey World League 2014
The Netherlands on 18 January won the first ever Hockey World League final after defeating New Zealand by
7-2 in New Delhi. Belgium retained his fifth place , while India secured sixth place.

ECONOMY
Government Retains 100 Per cent FDI in Existing Pharma Units
Government of India on 8 January decided to retain the policy of allowing 100 per cent foreign investments in
the existing pharma firms, brushing aside concerns about non availability of affordable drugs in view of MNCs
takeovers.India permits 100 per cent FDI in pharma through automatic approval route in the greenfield, or
new projects.

Indias Growth Projected To Rise To 7.1 Percent By 2016-17

According to the World Banks Global Economic Prospects (GEP) report released on 16 January , Indias growth
is projected to rise to over six percent in fiscal 2014-15, increasing to 7.1 percent by fiscal 2016-17 with the
world economy expected to strengthen this year.

Indian Economy Projected To Grow At 5.35% In 2014

According to the UN World Economic Situation and Prospects 2014 (WESP) report released on 24 January ,
Indias economy is projected to grow at a slower-than-expected rate of 5.3 per cent in 2014. Full-year growth
decelerated to 4.8 per cent in 2013 from 5.1 per cent in the calendar year 2012.

RBI raised Repo Rate By 25 Basis Points To 8 Percent

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) raised the Repo rate under Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF) by 25 basis points
from 7.75 percent to 8 percent. Besides, it kept the cash reserve ratio (CRR) of scheduled banks unchanged at
4 percent of net demand and time liability (NDTL). The decision to raise the repo rate and keep the CRR
unchanged was announced by the RBI in its Third Quarter Monetary Policy Review on 28 January. As a result,
the reverse repo rate under the LAF stands adjusted at 7 percent, and the marginal standing facility (MSF) rate
and the Bank Rate at 9.0 percent.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

GSLV-D5 Rocket Carrying Communication Satellite GSAT-14 Successfully Launched
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on 5 January successfully launched its heavy-duty rocket
Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle-Development 5 (GSLV-D5) having indigeneous cryogenic engine that
placed a 1,982 kg GSAT-14 communication satellite into the orbit. The 49.13-metre tall rocket GSLV-D5 lifted
off from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota , Andhra Pradesh .The launch vehicle successfully injected
the GSAT-14 communication satellite into the intended orbit.With the successful launch of GSLV-D5 flight
India has now become the sixth nation to possess the cryogenic engine technology, and has joined the elite
club of the United States, Russia, France, Japan and China.

India Successfully Test Fired Nuclear Capable Prithvi II Missile

India on 7 January successfully test-fired its indigenously developed nuclear capable surface to surface Prithvi
II missile , which is capable of carrying 500 kg to 1,000 kg of warheads and has a strike range of 350 km, from a
test range at Chandipur near Balasore (Odisha).The launch was part of a user trial by the Army.Prithvi-II missile
is already inducted into the Indian Armed forces.The last trial of Prithvi-II was successfully carried out from the
same base on 3 December 2013.

Astronomers Discovered Two New Exoplanets

In the month of January 2014 A team of Astronomers from Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA),
have discovered two new extrasolar planets circling a dim, red dwarf star about 200 light-years away from our
planet.One of the planets, dubbed KOI-314c, weighs the same as Earth, but around 60 percent larger in
diameter.The second planet, named KOI-314b, is about the same size as KOI-314c but significantly denser,
weighing about 4 times as much as Earth.The team discovered the planet using data from NASAs Kepler
spacecraft.

Worlds Fastest Organic Transistor Developed

In the month of January 2014 Scientists claim to have developed the worlds fastest thin-film organic transistor
that could operate more than five times faster than previous examples of this technology.Researchers from
the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) and Stanford University explained that this experimental technology
has the potential to achieve the performance needed for high-resolution television screens and similar
electronic devices. Engineers created the thin-film organic transistors that could operate more than five times
faster than previous examples of this experimental technology.

PERSONS IN NEWS
A) APPOINTMENTS

R Chandrashekhar is new NASSCOM President

Former Telecom Secretary (Government of India), R Chandrashekhar on 5 January took over as the President
of Information Technology trade body Nasscom (National Association of Software and Services Companies).He
succeeds Som Mittal, who served as President from 2007-2013.This is the first time that NASSCOM has
appointed a former bureaucrat as the president.

US Senate Confirmed Janet Yellen as new Federal Reserve Chairperson

The US Senate has on 6 January confirmed Janet Yellen as new leader of the Federal Reserve. She is the first
woman to lead the central bank in its 100-year history. She succeeds the Chairman Ben Bernanke as the next
head of Americas central bank.

Sheikh Hasina Sworn In As Bangladesh Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina was on 12 January sworn in as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh for the third time. She had won
an overwhelming majority in the Bangladesh general election held on 5 January 2014 by defeating opposition
party, Jatiya party.The Awami League has secured absolute majority in the 10th Parliament elections by
bagging 232 seats 105 contested and 127 uncontested.

B)RESIGNS

Tunisia Prime Minister Ali Larayedh Resigned

Tunisias Islamist Prime Minister Ali Larayedh has resigned from his office on 9 January . With his resignation,
the country will be led by the caretaker Government of technocrats led by led by new Prime Minister Mehdi
Jomaa. He resigned following a deal between the Islamist Ennahda Party of Ali Larayedh and the secular
opposition for a transition to the democracy in the country.

C)DEATHS

Israels Former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon Died

Israels former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon died on 11 January .The former general of Israeli Army had been in
coma since 4 January 2006. He served as the 11th Prime Minister of Israel until he was incapacitated by a
stroke. Sharon was a commander in the Israeli Army from its creation in 1948.Nicknamed The Bulldozer, the
veteran soldier fought in all of Israels major wars before beginning a turbulent political career in 1973.

D)VISITORS

Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck Visited India

Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck Visited India from 6 10 January 2014. During his visit , Bhutan
King held extensive talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi. The two leaders exchanged
views on bilateral relations and on regional and international issues of mutual interest. The prime minister and
other Indian leaders reiterated their full commitment and support to Bhutans socio-economic development
and to further development of Bhutans hydropower resources. This is King Wangchucks second visit in 12
months. He was also the chief guest at Indias Republic Day celebrations in January 2013.

E)MISCELLANEOUS

Sachin Tendulkar 5th Most Admired Person In The World

Microsoft founder Bill Gates has been named as the most admired person on the planet with cricketing legend
Sachin Tendulkar fifth on a list of 30 people compiled after a poll in 13 countries, including India.The Worlds
most admired people poll was conducted by YouGov for The Times by surveying almost 14,000 people.

PLACES IN NEWS
Odishas Chilika Lagoon Named Destination Flyways By UNWTO
Chilika lagoon in Odisha was named Destination Flyways by the United Nations World Tourism Organization
(UNWTO) on 21 January .The lagoon was named so for its sustainable and resilient destination for migratory
birds. Chilika is the only site to be selected from Asia by the UNWTO and was included in a list of eight such
sites. The Destination Flyways initiative of UNWTO aims at promotion of sustainable tourism.

ABBREVIATIONS
GPS Global Positioning System

TCS Tata Consultancy Services

NASSCOM National Association of Software and Services Companies

GSLV Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle

FSLRC Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Commission

NBFC Non Banking Finance Companies

BOOKS IN NEWS
Incredible Opportunities Back Home Book Released
The Prime Minister Manmohan Singh released the book entitled Incredible Opportunities Back Home on 8
January during the 12th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in New Delhi .This book will provide access to credible
information, essential for meaningful engagement.

COMMITTEES
Nachiket Mor Committees Report on Financial Inclusion
The committee constituted by the Reserve Bank of India (RBIs) on 23 September 2013 to suggest steps for
promoting financial inclusion headed by veteran banker and ex-ICICI Bank executive director Nachiket Mor.
The committee on 7 January 2014 suggested setting up of specialised banks to cater to low income
households to ensure that all citizens have bank accounts by January 1, 2016.

IMPORTANT DAYS AND DATES

World Braille Day was Observed on 4th January
World Braille Day is celebrated today (4th January) across the world to observe the Birthday of Louis Braille.
Louis Braille, born in 1809, was the inventor of braille, a system of reading and writing used by people who are
blind or visually impaired. Braille became blind after an accident at the age of three. He created a language
based on the patterns of raised dots on paper, which could be felt and one can read anything that is unable to
see. He did this to have an access to works of literature.

National Girl Child Day Observed on 24 January

National Girl Child Day observed on 24 January 2014 across India by the Government. This day is observed
every year to raise awareness and consciousness of the society towards girl children. The day is being
observed every year on 24 January since 2008. Government of India has started National Girl Child Day as a
national girls development mission. The mission raises the awareness among people all over the country
about the importance of girls promotion. It helps in enhancing girls meaningful contribution in decision
making processes by active support of the parents and the community members.