RAPID GK SERIES 39

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">1. In an Indian Rupee Note, the denomination of the currency is written in this number of different languages<br /> 2. The new name of Unique Identity Authority of Development of India (UIDAI) is<br /> 3. In 2006, the First IBSA (India, Brazil & South Africa) Summit was held in<br /> 4. The famous statement œIndia is for Indians is said by<br /> 5. The founder of Sikh Religion is<br /> 6. Gurmit Memorial Trophy is associated with this game<br /> 7. Mera Seth Committee was associated with the development of this industry<br /> 8. œGreen Index, has been developed by<br /> 9. Project Tiger in India was started in<br /> 10. Second Green-revolution is related to this field<br /> <span></span><br /> <span></span> <strong>ANSWERS</strong><br /> <span></span><br /> <span></span> 1. 16<br /> 2. AADHAR<br /> 3. Brasilia<br /> 4. Dayanand Saraswathi<br /> 5. Guru Nanak Dev<br /> 6. Hockey<br /> 7. Handloom Industry<br /> 8. United Nations Environment Programme<br /> 9. 1973<br /> 10. Bio-technology</div>

RAPID GK SERIES 39

1. In an Indian Rupee Note, the denomination of the currency is written in this number of different languages 2. The new name of Unique Ide...

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India won’t scale down petroleum imports from Iran: Pranab

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">India, which imports 12 per cent of its oil from Iran, will not scale down its petroleum imports from Tehran despite US and European sanctions against the Islamic republic, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has said. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>India imports 110 million tonnes of crude per year. Iran is an important country for India despite U.S. and European sanctions on Iran. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>India, the world’s fourth-largest oil consumer, is Iran’s second-biggest oil client after China. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Indian Ambassador to the U.S. Nirupama Rao last week said that India’s purchase of oil from Iran has dropped slightly in last two years and is expected to drop further given the difficulties New Delhi might have in making payments through banks due to tough sanctions imposed against Iranian banks. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Ms. Rao had said India was in touch with the U.S. Government and closely monitoring the developing situation concerning Iran, when asked about the pressure from the U.S. that India needs to reduce its dependency on Iranian oil.</li> </ul></div>

India won’t scale down petroleum imports from Iran: Pranab

India, which imports 12 per cent of its oil from Iran, will not scale down its petroleum imports from Tehran despite US and European sanct...

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India signs international tax treaty

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">India has signed an international tax treaty for getting information on black money stashed abroad. The country has become the latest signatory to the multilateral convention on mutual administrative assistance in Tax Matters.  </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The multilateral instrument is the single legal basis for multi-country cooperation, as against other treaties including the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement, which are bilateral. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The convention not only facilitates the exchange of information, but also provides for assistance in the recovery of taxes. This will give a fillip to the efforts of the government in bringing money illegally stashed abroad.  </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>By signing the convention, India and the other 31 signatories send a strong signal that countries are acting together to ensure that individuals and multinational enterprises pay the right amount of tax, at the right time and in the right place. Many more countries are expected to sign the convention in future. </li> </ul></div>

India signs international tax treaty

India has signed an international tax treaty for getting information on black money stashed abroad. The country has become the latest sign...

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India- Japan Coast Guards conduct joint exercise

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div id="5819" style="display: block;"> <ul><li>As part of strengthening their working level relationship and refine operating procedures, Indian Coast Guard and its Japanese counterpart conducted a joint exercise <strong>'Sahyog Kaijin XI' </strong>off Chennai port. </li> </ul><ul><li>Vice Admiral MP Muralidharan, Director General of the Indian Coast Guard and Admiral Hisayasu Suzuki, Commandant of the Japan Coast Guard witnessed the exercises.  </li> </ul><ul><li>Eight Coast Guard ships, two interceptor boats, an equal number of hovercrafts besides three Dornier aircraft and three Chetak helicopters took part in the exercise with the Japanese Coast Guard Ship Settsu (PLH-07).  </li> </ul><ul><li>A Singapore delegation from 'Regional Co-operation Agreement to Combat piracy and Armed Robbery at Sea in Asia' also witnessed the exercise, a release said.  </li> </ul><ul><li>The exercise was part of the ongoing series of joint exercises based on memorandum of co-operation between Indian Coast Guard and Japanese Coast Guard in 2006. </li> </ul></div></div>

India- Japan Coast Guards conduct joint exercise

As part of strengthening their working level relationship and refine operating procedures, Indian...

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Karnataka Assembly session begins today

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">A ten-day session of both Houses of Karnataka Legislature will begin today during which the opposition Congress-JDS combine is expected to train their guns against ruling BJP on a host of issues, including delay in appointment of Lokayukta and recent strictures passed by Supreme Court against Speaker K G Bopaiah.  </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The session, which opens with the customary address by Governor H R Bhardwaj to the joint sitting of both Houses, is expected to be stormy as Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda faces the combined opposition and pro-Yeddyurappa camp.  </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The Congress and JDS would be targetting the government on what it terms as a "tardy" pace of relief works in drought-hit areas and also power crisis faced by the state among others.  </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The face-off between the Governor and the Government over Lokayukta appointment is bound to generate a heated debate in both Houses and also the Supreme Court rap on Bopaiah over disqualification of five independent MLAs.  </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The opposition will demand Bopaiah's resignation on moral grounds, but the presiding officer is unlikely to face a no-confidence motion as the rules keep opposition parties at bay as they have to give a 14-day notice for such an exercise. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The BJP has not decided on convening its Legislature Party meeting, an exercise it performs during every legislature session keeping in mind the activities by rebels, who have been demanding reinstatement of Yeddyurappa as Chief Minister. </li> </ul><div style="text-align: justify;">The BJP,however, has convened a meeting of its top leaders at its party office tomorrow to discuss issues related to the party and the government.</div></div>

Karnataka Assembly session begins today

A ten-day session of both Houses of Karnataka Legislature will begin today during which the opposition Congress-JDS combine is expected to...

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India emerges as a strong investment destination at WEF meet

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div id="5821" style="display: block;"> <ul><li style="text-align: justify;">The annual World Economic Forum summit closed on Jan 29th. The India story has emerged even stronger with the business world appreciating the country's fine balance between democratic processes and economic growth.<span>     </span></li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>A few even foresee the possibility of the country hosting a Davos-level congregation of the world's rich and powerful at some point in the future.<span>     </span></li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The votaries of the Indian growth story include the likes of global rating agency S&P, which not long ago faced the ire of the US administration for downgrade of America's top-notch sovereign creditworthiness rating.<span>     </span></li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>S&P President Douglas Peterson said that the agency has an investment grade rating on India, with a stable outlook and the country is more likely to improve further on this.<span>     </span></li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Brushing aside the concerns of slow reforms and the perceived notion of 'policy-paralysis', he said, "In a democracy, the policies are made after a prolonged dialogue and that is indeed a healthy practise."<span>     </span></li> </ul><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">Apparently, impressed with the positive discussions about India, Peterson went on to say that it was quite a refreshing change that the talks have moved away from the European crisis to India at Davos.</li> </ul></div></div>

India emerges as a strong investment destination at WEF meet

The annual World Economic Forum summit closed on Jan 29th. The India story has emerged even stron...

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India to focus on fiscal consolidation in budget

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div id="5822" style="display: block;"> <ul><li style="text-align: justify;">The finance ministry is likely to focus on fiscal consolidation in the coming annual budget, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, deputy chairman of the Planning Commission, said. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Containing subsidies is not an easy task and the government is likely to move gradually on this issue, he said. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The government is expected to present a budget in mid-March for the fiscal year that begins on April 1, amid slowing economic growth and mounting concerns about public finances.</li> </ul></div></div>

India to focus on fiscal consolidation in budget

The finance ministry is likely to focus on fiscal consolidation in the coming annual budget, Mont...

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Climate change may shrink wheat crop yields

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">More intense heat waves due to global warming could diminish wheat crop yields around the world through premature ageing, according to a study published today in Nature Climate Change.  </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Current projections based on computer models underestimate the extent to which hotter weather in the future will accelerate this process, the researchers warned.  </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Wheat is harvested in temperate zones on more than 220 million hectares, making it the most widely grown crop on Earth.  </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Greenhouse experiments have shown that unseasonably warm temperatures -- especially at the end of the growing season -- can cause senescence, the scientific term for accelerated ageing. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Excess heat beyond the plant's tolerance zone damages photosynthetic cells.<br /> </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Fluctuations in wheat yields in India have also been attributed by farmers to temperature, most recently a heat wave in 2010 blamed for stunting plant productivity.<br /> </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>To further test these experiments and first-hand observations, a trio of researchers led by David Lobell of Stanford University sifted through nine years of satellite data for the Indo-Ganges Plains in northern India and then used statistical methods to isolate the effects of extreme heat on wheat.<br /> </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>They found that a 2.0 Celsius increase above long-term averages shortened the growing season by a critical nine days, reducing total yield by up to 20 per cent. </li> </ul></div>

Climate change may shrink wheat crop yields

More intense heat waves due to global warming could diminish wheat crop yields around the world through premature ageing, according to a s...

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Pakistan Marine Security arrests 22 Indian fishermen from Arabian Sea

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div id="5824" style="display: block;"> <ul><li>Pakistan Marine Security Agency arrested 22 Indian fishermen from the Sir Creek area in Arabian Sea on Saturday night.</li> </ul><ul><li>They were arrested for allegedly violating international maritime boundary. </li> </ul><ul><li>It is reported that the fishermen informed about their arrest to Indian authorities in Gujarat after they were taken to Karachi.</li> </ul></div></div>

Pakistan Marine Security arrests 22 Indian fishermen from Arabian Sea

Pakistan Marine Security Agency arrested 22 Indian fishermen from the Sir Creek area in Arabian Se...

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India's human rights record disappointing: HRW

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">India's human rights record in 2011 got a thumbs down from a leading global rights group for its "failure" to protect vulnerable communities and rapped the government for custodial killings, police abuses, including torture.  </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Human Rights Watch also criticised the Indian government for its inaction in repealing the controversial armed forces act and for remaining silent on the "gravest abuses" in countries like Syria.  </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>In its World Report 2012, Human Rights Watch (HRW) assessed progress on human rights during the past year in more than 90 countries. In India's case, HRW said it has been a "disappointing year for human rights". </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>"Custodial killings, police abuses including torture, and failure to implement policies to protect vulnerable communities marred India's record in 2011 as in the past," HRW said in its report.  </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>HRW said the Indian government took no action to repeal the "widely discredited Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), disregarding the recommendations of political leaders and advisers. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>HRW however said violence in the northern state of Jammu and Kashmir dropped significantly during 2011. While the government has promised a thorough inquiry into the discovery of over 2000 unmarked graves in the state. </li> </ul></div>

India's human rights record disappointing: HRW

India's human rights record in 2011 got a thumbs down from a leading global rights group for its "failure" to protect vulner...

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How HIV hijacks body's defences 'unravelled'

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">Scientists in the US claim to have unravelled how HIV hijacks the body's own defenses to promote infection, a finding which may pave the way for curbing the spread of AIDS. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>A team at University of California, led by Nevan Krogan, has described how HIV commandeers restriction factors -- a class of human proteins that evolved to block viruses -- to weaken the body's defenses and enhance the virulence of HIV infection, the 'Nature' journal reported. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>"One of the keys to HIV's success is how quickly it can evolve new attack strategies -- and the way in which it uses our own proteins against us is a prime example of that," said Dr Krogan. He added: "However, now that we've shed light on this complex process, we are one step closer to developing new drugs that will help us pull ahead in this evolutionary arms race." </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>AIDS has killed more than 25 million people around the world since first being identified some 30 years ago. In the US alone, more than one million people live with HIV/AIDS at an annual cost of US dollars 34 billion. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Dr Krogan's experiments show promise for the development of more effective antiretroviral therapies for people with HIV. Further, the scientists have laid the foundation for future research. In their experiments, the scientists performed a two-part investigation of protein interactions. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>First, they conducted a systematic, global analysis of all potential interactions that occur between proteins made by the body (human proteins) and proteins made by the virus (HIV proteins). Second, they whittled down these 500 interactions to the one that appeared most likely to fuel HIV infection - the interaction between human protein CBF and HIV protein Vif. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Normally during HIV infection, a restriction factor called APOBEC3G acts as a molecular roadblock, preventing the virus from reaching its target -- the CD4 T white blood cells that are a major component of the immune system. But Dr Krogan found that when the HIV protein Vif binds to the human protein CBF, Vif is strengthened and APOBEC3G degrades. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>This degradation weakens ABOBEC3G's ability to stop HIV and the virus is free to infect the CD4 T cells. "This is the first comprehensive look at how HIV interacts globally with components of the cell," said Judith H Greenberg of National Institutes of Health's National Institute of General Medical Sciences.</li> </ul></div>

How HIV hijacks body's defences 'unravelled'

Scientists in the US claim to have unravelled how HIV hijacks the body's own defenses to promote infection, a finding which may pave t...

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Apan Govt approves second phase of Rajasthan Bio-diversity project

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">The Japan Government has approved the second phase of Rajasthan forestry and Bio-diversity project.  </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Massive plantation would be done under this ambitious project in next 8 years. Japan Government will provide financial assistance of 1152 Crore rupees for this project.</li> </ul></div>

Apan Govt approves second phase of Rajasthan Bio-diversity project

The Japan Government has approved the second phase of Rajasthan forestry and Bio-diversity project.  Massive plantation would be done under...

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Growing child labour cause of concern

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div id="5828" style="display: block;"> <ul><li style="text-align: justify;">Pointing to a rise in child labour in domestic units, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) is seeking to bring households under the ambit of labour laws. India is estimated to have at least 13 million child labourers.  </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The problem of child labour poses a serious challenge to the government. Despite several initiatives, the magnitude of the socio-economic problem has come in the way of its eradication.  </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Many poor children in India work at the cost of their education, spending their lives in poverty and dejection. But according to NCPCR, most cases go unreported.  </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li style="text-align: justify;">NCPCR Chief Shanta Sinha says child labour in any form has to be totally banned as it contradicts the spirit of the Right to Education Act.  </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li><span style="text-align: justify;">As per 2001 Census figures, there are an estimated 13 million child labourers in the age-group of 5-14 years. </span></li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li><span style="text-align: justify;">Employers favour child labourers as they come cheap and can be easily coerced to work extra hours. They are in huge demand, specially in the diamond industry, fireworks industry and the domestic sector which includes household units, restaurants, dhabas and brick kilns. </span></li> </ul><ul><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Though the central government has broadened the coverage of child labour laws by banning children's services as domestic workers and as workers in restaurants, dhabas, hotels, yet a lot of children across the country continue to work in such units. </span></li> </ul></div><a href="http://www.tippani.in/blog/xbusiness.php?submit=showComments&id=5828"> </a></div>

Growing child labour cause of concern

Pointing to a rise in child labour in domestic units, the National Commission for Protection of C...

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Djokovic wins Australian Open Men's Singles title

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div id="5829" style="display: block;"> <ul><li style="text-align: justify;">Serbia's World Number One Novak Djokovic bagged his second consecutive Australian Open Men's Singles title, by edging past Spain's Rafael Nadal, in an epic five hour, 53 minute final encounter on Jan 29.  </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Djokovic, who had won the title in 2008 and 2011, is now the winner of five Grand Slam titles in total.  </li> </ul><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">This is an overview of the just concluded 100th edition of the Australian Open.</li> </ul></div></div>

Djokovic wins Australian Open Men's Singles title

Serbia's World Number One Novak Djokovic bagged his second consecutive Australian Open Men...

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IAEA visit starts new round of engagement with Iran

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">A team of inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has arrived in Tehran on Sunday to start a new round of nuclear engagement with Iran which could lead to talks involving the six global powers. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi was optimistic about the outcome of the visit by the IAEA team, led by Deputy Director General Herman Nackaerts and the agency's number two Rafael Grossi. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>During his interaction with the media in Addis Ababa on Saturday, Mr. Salehi also spoke about the prospects of progress in a possible big-ticket dialogue between Iran and the six global powers — United States, Russia, Britain, France, China and Germany.  </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Analysts say the visit by the IAEA team was more in the nature of a preparatory dialogue for a full-fledged round of talks between Iran and the P5+1 countries. Nevertheless, in the public domain, the inspectors were combative in saying they would ask questions of Iran about the possible military dimension of its nuclear programme. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Iranians, on their part, sought to focus on the covert war that had been unleashed by their foes against their country, which had recently spiked with the horrific killing of Ahmadi-Roshan, a young Iranian nuclear scientist.</li> </ul></div>

IAEA visit starts new round of engagement with Iran

A team of inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has arrived in Tehran on Sunday to start a new round of nuclear en...

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The Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant had received funds to the tune of over Rs. 55 crore

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">A special Home Ministry team has found that some organisations <span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD8">involved</span> in the <span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD6">protests</span> against the<strong>Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant</strong> had received funds to the tune of over Rs. 55 crore from “foreign sources,” Union<span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD9">Minister</span> V. Narayanasamy . </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>“The special team from the <strong>Union Home Ministry</strong> visited the areas around Kudankulam and checked <span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD10">the accounts</span> of some organisations, which were involved in the Kudankulam protests. It found that <span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD3">money</span> to the tune of Rs. 54 crore for two oganisations and Rs 1.5 crore for another organisation have been received,” he told. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>“Some of the NGOs received the money from foreign sources,” the Minister of State in the<strong>PMO</strong>, said without elaborating. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Protests by locals raising concerns over the safety of the plant have delayed the commissioning work of unit 1 of the <strong>Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant</strong>, which was scheduled for December last.</li> </ul></div>

The Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant had received funds to the tune of over Rs. 55 crore

A special Home Ministry team has found that some organisations  involved  in the  protests  against the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant  had ...

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Sachin Tendulkar wins Sir Garfield Sobers Award

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">Sachin Tendulkar capped a fine year with the most coveted cricketing reward in recent times<strong> ˜The Sir Garfield Sobers Cricketer of the Year’ Award </strong>as <span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD3">the maestro</span> glittered bright <span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD11">amidst</span> a galaxy of leading players at the LG ICC Awards night. <strong>Tendulkar became the second Indian to win the award after Rahul Dravid bagged it in 2004.</strong> </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li><span>After scoring 1,000 Test runs <span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD12">this year</span> besides becoming the first man to score a double hundred in ODI cricket while South Africa wilted against him at Gwalior, Tendulkar scored another double at the awards function as he also won the <strong>˜LG People’s Choice Award.’</strong></span></li> </ul></div>

Sachin Tendulkar wins Sir Garfield Sobers Award

Sachin Tendulkar capped a fine year with the most coveted cricketing reward in recent times ˜The Sir Garfield Sobers Cricketer of the Year’...

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India, Bangladesh Sign Power Plant Deal

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">India and Bangladesh signed an agreement for constructing a 1,320 MW power plant in Bangladesh. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Bangladesh's Power Development Board (PDB) signed the deal with India's state-owned NTPC for the construction of the power plant in Bagerhat, around 180 km from Dhaka. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The plant will be constructed by 2015, Xinhua reported. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>PDB chairman A.S.M. Alamgir Kabir signed the agreement with NTPC chairman Arup Roy Chowdhury.</li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Both countries will have an equal partnership in the plant.<br /> </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The partnership deal comes as part of the Bangladesh government's efforts to boost power generation to 15,000 megawatts by 2016 to improve the country's nagging electricty situation.<br /> </li> </ul><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">The Asian Development Bank last year said Bangladesh was facing a large gap between electricity supply and demand, estimated at over 1,200 megawatts a day.</li> </ul></div>

India, Bangladesh Sign Power Plant Deal

India and Bangladesh signed an agreement for constructing a 1,320 MW power plant in Bangladesh. Bangladesh's Power Development Board (P...

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RBI to Reintroduce Second LAF

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">With liquidity deficit being way above its comfort level, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced that it will reintroduce a second LAF window to inject cash into the system. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The RBI operates Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF) to help banks manage their liquidity position. The central bank said it will have a second LAF repo every Friday between 16:30 and 17:00 hours. At present, RBI operates the repo (injection) and reverse repo (absorption) auctions twice a day at 09:30-10:30 hours and 16:30-17:00 hours, respectively. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The second LAF repo has been reintroduced in response to suggestions from market participants and provide flexibility to market participants in their liquidity management, the RBI notification addressed to all commercial banks said. It will be operated on <strong>every Friday evening starting February 10</strong> and in case of a holiday, it will be held on a working day preceding the set day, it said.</li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The system was in place earlier by middle of 2010 but was discontinued after liquidity position improved. Banks have been borrowing over <img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.siliconindia.com/images/rupeesymbols/rs.small.jpg" />1.2 lakh crore through the LAF window for the past one month, while RBI has said that it was comfortable with overnight borrowing in the region of <img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.siliconindia.com/images/rupeesymbols/rs.small.jpg" />60,000 crore.<br /> </li> </ul><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">Alarmed over the liquidity deficit in the system, it had slashed Cash Reserve Ratio or the percentage of deposits banks have to park with the RBI, by 0.50 percent to 5.5 percent which will inject additional <img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.siliconindia.com/images/rupeesymbols/rs.small.jpg" />32,000 crore into the system. </li> </ul></div>

RBI to Reintroduce Second LAF

With liquidity deficit being way above its comfort level, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced that it will reintroduce a second LAF ...

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Protein Key to Storing Long-Term Memories

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">Some billions of synapses connect our nerve cells and keep our memories intact and alive for decades with the help of self-copying clusters or oligomers of a synapse protein, a study has revealed. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The finding is based on a study on fruit flies conducted by neuroscientists at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas University. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>It supports a surprising new theory about memory and may have a profound impact on explaining other oligomer-linked functions and diseases in the brain, including Alzheimer's disease and prion diseases, the journal Cell reported.</li> </ul><ul><li>"Self-sustaining populations of oligomers located at synapses may be the key to the long-term synaptic changes that underlie memory," said Kausik Si, associate investigator at the Stowers Institute. </li> </ul><ul><li>In the new study, Kausik and his colleagues examined a Drosophila fruit fly CPEB protein known as Orb2. Like its counterpart in Aplysia, it forms oligomers within neurons (nerve cells). </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>"We found that these Orb2 oligomers become more numerous in neurons whose synapses are stimulated, and that this increase in oligomers happens near synapses," said Amitabha Majumdar, postdoctoral researcher in Si's lab, who led the study.</li> </ul></div>

Protein Key to Storing Long-Term Memories

Some billions of synapses connect our nerve cells and keep our memories intact and alive for decades with the help of self-copying cluster...

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India to grant $1.5 million for Vivekananda Chair

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div id="5836" style="display: block;"> <ul><li style="text-align: justify;">India will provide a grant of $1.5 million to the University of Chicago to establish a Vivekananda Chair for Indian studies, as part of the initiatives to mark the 150th birth anniversary of the 19th century luminary, Swami Vivekananda, and polymath Rabindranath Tagore. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>A Memorandum of Understanding was signed in this regard between Dean of University of Chicago (UOC) Martha Roth and Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Culture Sanjiv Mittal, in the presence of Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Mr. Mukherjee on Sunday dedicated a plaque of Swami Vivekananda at the Art Institute of Chicago (AIC) and inaugurated a Tagore art exhibition here, to mark the 150th birth anniversaries of Swami Vivekananda and Tagore. The grant is meant to honour Swami Vivekananda's life and legacy and facilitate exchange of research scholars from/to India.</li> </ul></div></div>

India to grant $1.5 million for Vivekananda Chair

India will provide a grant of $1.5 million to the University of Chicago to establish a Vivekanand...

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RAPID GK SERIES 38

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">1. In India, the Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission of India can be appointed by<br /> 2. The Second Summit of BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India & China) was organized in April 2010 in<br /> 3. Microwave Oven consumes less power due to<br /> 4. The Compound formed by the Combination of Potassium Iodide and Common Salt is<br /> 5. Chilka Lake is situated in<br /> 6. Bagalihar Project lies on this river<br /> 7. This National Leader founded the Political Party called œForward Bloc<br /> 8. The abbreviation of UNCTAD is<br /> 9. This is the Largest Fresh Water Lake in India<br /> 10. In this Indian State, the Tribal Group Kolam is presented<br /> <br /> <i><strong>ANSWERS</strong></i><br /> <br /> 1. The President of India<br /> 2. Brasilia<br /> 3. Shortwave Length of Radiation<br /> 4. Iodized Salt<br /> 5. Orissa<br /> 6. Chenab River<br /> 7. Subash Chandra Bose<br /> 8. United Nations Conference on Trade & Development<br /> 9. Wular Lake (Jammu & Kashmir)<br /> 10. Andhra Pradesh</div>

RAPID GK SERIES 38

1. In India, the Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission of India can be appointed by 2. The Second Summit of BRIC (Brazil, Rus...

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Maldives to soon propose fresh name for SAARC Secy Gen's post

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div id="5808" style="display: block; text-align: justify;"> <ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Maldives will soon propose a fresh name for occupying the post of Secretary General of SAARC. This was stated in an official statement issued in New Delhi on Saturday by the Ministry of External Affairs. The post fell vacant after incumbent Ms Fathimath Dhiyana, a Maldivian national, resigned last week. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>SAARC practice provides each Member State an opportunity, on alphabetical rotation basis, to nominate a candidate of their choice as Secretary-General of SAARC for a three-year term.</li> </ul></div></div>

Maldives to soon propose fresh name for SAARC Secy Gen's post

Maldives will soon propose a fresh name for occupying the post of Secretary General of SAARC. Thi...

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IAF named best marching contingent in R- Day parade

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div id="5809" style="display: block;"> <ul><li style="text-align: justify;"><strong>The Indian Air Force contingent was named the best marching contingent among the three services at the Republic Day parade</strong>. An official release said, the Border Security Force contingent was awarded the prize for the best marching contingent among the paramilitary forces and other auxiliary marching contingents.  </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The awards for the best three Tableaux went to the Tableaux by Ministry of Human Resources Development (Deptt of School Education & Literacy), the Goa Tableaux and the Tableaux for Karnataka. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The award for best children items went to the performance by Government Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya, Hastsal (KodiyanchaKarvan) and the North Central Zone Cultural Centre at Allahabad (Gudum Baja of Madhya Pradesh). </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The consolation prize went to Kendriya Vidyalaya School at R K Puram for its performance 'ShikshaSarvatraPujayate'. In addition to the above, tableau presented by the CPWD has been selected for a special prize. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Three panels of judges were appointed for assessing the performance. </li> </ul></div></div>

IAF named best marching contingent in R- Day parade

The Indian Air Force contingent was named the best marching contingent among the three services at...

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India, Canada agree to fast track CEPA

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div id="5810" style="display: block;"> <ul><li style="text-align: justify;">India and Canada have agreed to fast track the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement between the two nations. The decision was taken after the meeting between the Commerce Minister Anand Sharma and his Canadian counterpart Ed Fast at World Economic Forum at Davos.  </li> </ul><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">An official release said that a CEO forum will be formed and will meet for the first time when Sharma visits Canada in May-June this year. The negotiators on the Comprehensive Agreement from both the countries will be meeting in February. Both the leaders reviewed the bilateral ties and expressed satisfaction over the deepening economic ties.</li> </ul></div></div>

India, Canada agree to fast track CEPA

India and Canada have agreed to fast track the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement betwe...

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India & Pakistan to sign 3 pacts for better bilateral trade

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">India and Pakistan are set to sign three agreements to address issues such as non-tariff barriers (NTBs) that hinder bilateral trade. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Indian Joint Secretary for Commerce Arvind Mehta said, the agreements are expected to be signed during Commerce Minister Anand Sharma’s visit to Pakistan next month. Mr. Mehta was speaking at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Mr.Mehta, who is in Pakistan with a five-member delegation of Indian regulators, said these pacts are the Customs Cooperation Agreement to avoid arbitrary stoppage of goods at each other's ports, Mutual Recognition Agreement for acceptance of certificates of internationally accredited laboratories, and Redressal of Grievances Agreement to address any disagreements. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Mr. Mehta said the two sides have also finalised a very liberal visa regime that will be in place as soon as the Cabinets of the two countries grant approval.</li> </ul></div>

India & Pakistan to sign 3 pacts for better bilateral trade

India and Pakistan are set to sign three agreements to address issues such as non-tariff barriers (NTBs) that hinder bilateral trade. Ind...

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India, Japan, S Korea join to avert Euro crisis damage in Asia

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div id="5812" style="display: block;"> <ul><li style="text-align: justify;">India , Japan and South Korea have joined to avert Euro crisis damage spreading to Asia . The initiative by Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has been shared by the three major Asian economies with the delegates at the World Economic Forum meeting at Davos in Switzerland .  </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The united efforts followed by IMF chief Christine Lagarde warning that euro crisis could spill over to other regions. Noda told the Forum through a video-link from Tokyo that his country is already working with South Korea and India to reduce the risk of the crisis spreading to Asia . </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>In another session on Saturday, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund said no one is immune in the current situation. It is a crisis that could have collateral effect. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien-Loong also had a word of caution, stating the escalation of European debt crisis would cause serious problems for the entire world. </li> </ul><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">Lee, however said there is a lot of momentum in the Chinese and Indian economies.</li> </ul></div></div>

India, Japan, S Korea join to avert Euro crisis damage in Asia

India , Japan and South Korea have joined to avert Euro crisis damage spreading to Asia . The ini...

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Over 80 % voting in Manipur polls

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div id="5813" style="display: block;"> <ul><li style="text-align: justify;">In Manipur, heavy to very heavy polling was reported in Saturday’s state assembly elections and 7 people including 4 polling personnel were killed by militant attacks on a polling station. According to preliminary reports, over 80 per cent votes were cast in the polling on Saturday. Over 95 per cent polling was reported from Chandel reserved constituency in the hills. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Addressing a press conference in New Delhi on Saturday, the Deputy Election Commissioner Alok Shukla said the polling passed off peacefully in other places except for a shoot out in one of the polling stations and damaging of the electronic voting machines in six other places. </li> </ul><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">Shukla said that voters were photographed in Manipur while casting their vote to avoid duplicate voting. He said that 197 insurgents, who have been lodged in camps under the 'Suspension of Operations' agreement, were also allowed to vote this time.</li> </ul></div></div>

Over 80 % voting in Manipur polls

In Manipur, heavy to very heavy polling was reported in Saturday’s state assembly elections and 7...

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Expand mutual fund industry’s reach in country: IAB

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">International Advisory Board (IAB) constituted by market regulator - Security and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has suggested widening the reach of the mutual fund industry in the country. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>It has also emphasised that in order to enhance the participation of households, the mutual fund industry has to educate investors about the attractiveness of products. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The IAB constituted in September last year at its first meeting in New Delhi took note of the initiatives taken by SEBI for enhancing the retail participation. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The meeting also discussed the situation prevailing in the Indian primary market and emphasised the need to have a listing and trading platform for smaller companies. </li> </ul></div>

Expand mutual fund industry’s reach in country: IAB

International Advisory Board (IAB) constituted by market regulator - Security and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has suggested widening th...

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Philippines underground river named new wonder of nature

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div id="5815" style="display: block;"> <ul><li style="text-align: justify;">An underground river in the western Philippines was confirmed to be among the world’s new seven wonders of nature, the head of a global competition said. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The <strong>Puerto Princesa Underground River</strong> in Palawan province is the second of the new seven wonders of nature to be confirmed after provisional results were announced last November. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Bernard Weber, founder and president of the New7Wonders, announced the confirmation in Manila and hailed the support for the nomination in the global competition. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the campaign has raised awareness about the river, where visitor arrivals have “increased tremendously.” “This is proof positive of how effective a national effort of this sort can be, to build awareness, express pride, and achieve results,” he added. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The 8.2-kilometre navigable underground river is the world’s longest. The Geneva-based New7Wonders earlier confirmed Jeju Island as one of the winners of the competition. The other five provisional winners — the Amazon, Halong Bay, Iguazu Falls, Komodo and Table Mountain — are now undergoing the final verification process for their confirmation. </li> </ul></div></div>

Philippines underground river named new wonder of nature

An underground river in the western Philippines was confirmed to be among the world’s new seven w...

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‘Suspension of FDI in retail a pause'

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">India assured global retail giants Walmart and Metro that its reforms agenda was well on course and the decision to put on hold Foreign Direct Investment in multi-brand retail is “just a pause,” forced by compulsions of coalition politics. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>This assurance was given by Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma when he met Walmart president Doug McMillon and Germany-based Metro Group's board member Frans W.H. Muller on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum meeting. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>This is for the first time that senior management of the United States and German retailers met any Minister after the Indian government suspended the controversial decision to open FDI in multi-brand retail on November 24. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Mr. Sharma said the decision to open 51 per cent FDI in multi-brand retail “could not be implemented because of the compulsions of coalition politics as also partisan opposition.”</li> </ul></div>

‘Suspension of FDI in retail a pause'

India assured global retail giants Walmart and Metro that its reforms agenda was well on course and the decision to put on hold Foreign Di...

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RAPID GK SERIES 37

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">1. The Foreign Institutional Investors (FII) entered the Indian Market in this Year<br /> 2. The Nobel Peace Prize Winner of 2010 is<br /> 3. The Ryder Cup is associated with this game<br /> 4. The Longest Railway Tunnel of the World which was recently completed is<br /> 5. This Country has achieved the number 1 Position in terms of Medals tally in the Commonwealth Games 2010<br /> 6. The abbreviation of SJSRY is<br /> 7. The Hepatology is the study of<br /> 8. <span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD5">The Stock Market<span class="IL_AD_ICON"></span></span> Regulator Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI ) was established in this Year<br /> 9. The First Indian Woman who received the Nobel Prize is<br /> 10. ˜A Tale of Two Cities , is the famous <span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD4">book written<span class="IL_AD_ICON"></span></span> by<br /> <br /> <strong>ANSWERS</strong><br /> <br /> 1. September 1992.<br /> 2. Liu Xiaobo (China)<br /> 3. Golf<br /> 4. Gotthard Base Tunnel (Switzerland)<br /> 5. Australia with 177 Medals (74 Gold, 55 Silver & 48 Bronze)<br /> 6. Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana<br /> 7. Liver<br /> 8. 1988<br /> 9. Mother Theresa<br /> 10. Charles Dickens</div>

RAPID GK SERIES 37

1. The Foreign Institutional Investors (FII) entered the Indian Market in this Year 2. The Nobel Peace Prize Winner of 2010 is 3. The Ryde...

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Odisha, Assam & West Bengal get additional food grains at subsidized rates

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div id="5792" style="display: block;"> <ul><li>Centre has allocated additional food grains to Odisha, Assam and West Bengal at subsidized rates under the Targeted Public Distribution System. </li> </ul><ul><li>According to an official release, Odisha has been made additional allocation of nearly 3,000 million tonnes of rice for distribution to over 17,000 above poverty line (APL) families of Kandhamal district. </li> </ul><ul><li>West Bengal has been allocated one million tonnes of rice for the drought affected people in the State. Assam has also been allocated additional food grains at subsidized rates.</li> </ul></div><a href="http://www.tippani.in/blog/xbusiness.php?submit=showComments&id=5792"> </a></div>

Odisha, Assam & West Bengal get additional food grains at subsidized rates

Centre has allocated additional food grains to Odisha, Assam and West Bengal at subsidized rates ...

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G-4 reiterates demand for UNSC expansion

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">The G-4 countries – India, Brazil, Germany and Japan have made a strong pitch for reforms in the UN Security Council. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>These countries said, they want nothing more, nothing less than expansion in the Council's permanent and non-permanent members that gives increased representation to developing nations. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>In a joint introductory statement at the informal plenary of the intergovernmental negotiations on UNSC reforms, they said India, Brazil, Germany and Japan are bound together by a common vision of an enlarged Security Council that better reflects the geopolitical realities of the 21st Century. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The G-4 countries said, the Security Council should be expanded in both the permanent and non-permanent categories of membership, taking into consideration the contributions made by countries to the maintenance of international peace and security, as well as the need for increased representation of developing countries in both categories. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>They said, their initiative has gathered wide cross-regional support from member states and so far, nearly 80 nations have expressed their support in writing, in addition to a substantial number of strong commitments. </li> </ul></div>

G-4 reiterates demand for UNSC expansion

The G-4 countries – India, Brazil, Germany and Japan have made a strong pitch for reforms in the UN Security Council. These countries said,...

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Expert Committee on decontrol of Sugar sector

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">The Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh today constituted an expert committee to examine issues related to decontrol of the sugar sector. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The committee will be headed by the Economic Advisory Council Chairman to the Prime Minister, Mr. C. Rangarajan. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>According to an official statement, the committee will look into all the issues relating to de-regulation of the sugar sector and it has been requested to complete its task as early as possible and give its recommendations to the Prime Minister.  </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The committee has been empowered to involve experts, academics as required as special invitees. The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution have been asked to provide the necessary support to the committee. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The other members of the committee include Kaushik Basu, Chief Economic Adviser to the Ministry of Finance and secretaries to the Department of Food and Agriculture.</li> </ul></div>

Expert Committee on decontrol of Sugar sector

The Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh today constituted an expert committee to examine issues related to decontrol of the sugar sector. T...

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Over 250-year-old heritage building facing demolition threat

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div id="5795" style="display: block;"> <ul><li style="text-align: justify;">The more than 250-year-old heritage building (fort), which houses a modern police station at Vilakkuthoon, is facing the threat of the bulldozer. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The fort, historians believe, could have been built during the brief Maratha rule in Madurai from 1740 to 1743 (or even earlier) going by the plaque on its right compound wall that reads Cutwal's Choultry (kotwal chavadi) Police Main Guard. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The modern police station is nearly 100 years old and came into existence on July 9, 1912. However, colonial records say the choultry was functioning as a police main guard since 1850. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Sahitya Akademi Award winner and novelist Su.Venkatesan told that the Kotwal Chavadi (Cutwal Choultry) police station at Vilakkuthoon (Light Tower) could be the first police station in the southern part of the State covering the stretch south of Tiruchi to Kanyakumari. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>His book ‘Kaaval Kottam' talks a lot about the local police system and policing methods in pre-colonial times, until these were replaced by colonial institutions. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Stating that Kotwal Chavadi was functioning both as a police station and tax collection point during the 1850s, he said that in fact East Masi Street functioned as the heart of the colonial administration during those times, the district collectorate and courts were functioning from the Mahal. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Incidentally, the East Gate church was also built during 1843 and completed in 1845. </li> </ul><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">Conservationists say Madurai is the only city in Tamil Nadu to become a member of the UNESCO-supported Indian Heritage Cities Network. There is a plan to conserve the urban heritage of the city. UNESCO has prepared a heritage tool kit for various local bodies to use while implementing JNNURM projects. Members of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) say attempts to demolish heritage sites in the name of modernisation need to be stopped.</li> </ul></div></div>

Over 250-year-old heritage building facing demolition threat

The more than 250-year-old heritage building (fort), which houses a modern police station at Vila...

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INS Sudarshini inducted into Navy

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">Tall ship INS Sudarshini was inducted into the First Training Squadron of the Navy at a low-key function held at the Southern Naval Command on jan27. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The three-masted sail training ship — the second of the Navy and a follow-on ship of INS Tarangini that joined the Southern Naval Command in 1997 — was commissioned by Vice-Admiral Krishnan Nair Sushil, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Southern Naval Command. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Designed by British naval architect and yacht designer Colin Mudie and built by the Goa Shipyard, INS Sudarshini has an overall length of 54 metre. It has 20 sails, 7.5 kms of rope and 1.5 km of steel wire rope and can be deployed for up to 20 days at a stretch. Captained by Commander P.K. Boyiri Varma, the ship has a complement of five officers and 31 sailors. It can embark 30 cadets for training.</li> </ul></div>

INS Sudarshini inducted into Navy

Tall ship INS Sudarshini was inducted into the First Training Squadron of the Navy at a low-key function held at the Southern Naval Comman...

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Kerala sticks to stand on Mullaperiyar

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">Sticking to its stand on building a new dam in place of the 116-year-old Mullaperiyar reservoir, Kerala on Friday said it is aware of the importance of giving water to five parched districts of Tamil Nadu, but is concerned over the safety of its people. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>“We know very well the importance of water from Mullaperiyar to Tamil Nadu. The five districts of Tamil Nadu are completely depending on water from Mullaperiyar. We are always for distribution of water without any objection,” Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy told reporters in Chennai. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>At the same time, Mr. Chandy said his government “is very much anxious” about the safety of the people of his State. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Mr. Chandy, who was here en route to Puducherry to pay homage to Kerala Governor M.O.H. Farook, who died on Thursday night, said the dam issue could be discussed by the two States to find an amicable solution. The Chief Minister said Kerala wanted to maintain cordial ties with Tamil Nadu. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The two States are locked in a bitter row over the more than 116-year-old dam, with Kerala insisting on building a new dam citing safety reasons while Tamil Nadu holds the view that the existing reservoir is strong.</li> </ul></div>

Kerala sticks to stand on Mullaperiyar

Sticking to its stand on building a new dam in place of the 116-year-old Mullaperiyar reservoir, Kerala on Friday said it is aware of the ...

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India–Sri Lanka bilateral trade surges by 70 per cent

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">Trade between India and Sri Lanka surged by more than <strong>70 per cent in 2011 </strong>over the previous year, touching an <strong>all-time high of $5 billion</strong>, Indian High Commissioner Ashok K. Kantha has said. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li><span style="text-align: justify;">Indian companies had invested more than $100 million in Sri Lanka. </span><span style="text-align: justify;">India's development assistance and the growing recognition that Indian projects were being completed in a timely and efficient manner  is an impoptant aspect.</span> </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li><span style="text-align: justify;">Referring to the memorandum of understanding signed for the construction and repair of 49,000 houses under a grant assistance of $260 million, Mr. Kantha said this was perhaps one of the largest projects of its kind undertaken by India in a foreign country.</span><strong> </strong></li> </ul><strong>Special train</strong><br /> <div> <ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The Indian Railways would launch a special train, ‘<strong>Damba Diwa Vandana</strong>,' to take Sri Lankan pilgrims from Chennai to all major Buddhist sites in India.<span style="text-align: justify;">The train would operate from next month.</span> </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li><span style="text-align: justify;">He also announced the launch of the High Commission's Facebook page (www.facebook.com/hcicolombo) to provide an interactive platform for its various activities. Mr. Kantha and other officials of the High Commission paid homage to the fallen soldiers of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) at a ceremony held at the IPKF memorial in Colombo.</span> </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li><span style="text-align: justify;">To commemorate the Republic Day, danseuse Aditi Mangaldas and her troupe presented ‘Rhythm and Sound,' a contemporary Kathak performance. Sponsored by the Indian Council of Cultural Relations, the troupe has already performed at Galle and Kandy and will perform in Jaffna.</span></li> </ul></div></div>

India–Sri Lanka bilateral trade surges by 70 per cent

Trade between India and Sri Lanka surged by more than 70 per cent in 2011 over the previous year, touching an all-time high of $5 billion , ...

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BJP promises Ram temple, opposes minority quota in U.P. manifesto

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">The Bharatiya Janata Party, which has been struggling hard to regain its pre-eminent position in Uttar Pradesh, revived the Ram Temple issue promising construction of a grand temple in Ayodhya if voted to power. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The BJP’s manifesto for the State Assembly elections brought back the issue which had once propelled the party to the centerstage of national politics. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>In fact, for the welfare and development of economically weaker sections among the upper castes, the party announced to constitute a Samanya Nirdhan Varg Kalyan Ayog. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>This commission will be constituted for 50 per cent people of unreserved class, who are socio-economically backward. Arrangement of necessary reservation for them will be made.</li> </ul></div>

BJP promises Ram temple, opposes minority quota in U.P. manifesto

The Bharatiya Janata Party, which has been struggling hard to regain its pre-eminent position in Uttar Pradesh, revived the Ram Temple iss...

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Labour unrest turns violent in Yanam, one dead

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">Large-scale violence broke out in Yanam, an enclave of Puducherry about 30 kms from Kakinada, following the death of a trade union leader of a ceramic private factory here, allegedly due to police beating, on Friday morning. Curfew has been imposed in the town. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>M. S. Murali Mohan, the founder of the union, was picked up on Thursday night by Yanam police, reportedly on a complaint by the factory management against the workers, who have been agitating for better wages and staff regularisation for nearly one month. Mr Murali was released a little while later. At 6 am on Friday, he went to the factory along with some workers and tried to obstruct those who were attending the morning shift. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Police personnel, who were present at the spot, are said to have attacked the trade union leader with lathis, resulting in serious injuries. He collapsed on the spot and was taken by police to the local hospital where he died. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>As news of his death spread, factory workers torched nearly 50 buses and lorries owned by the company. Groups of workers entered the factory, while others rushed to a college run by the management. Few others staged a demonstration in the centre of the town. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Workers of factory have been agitating since January 1 demanding a hike in wages and regularisation of services of temporary staff. There are about 1200 workers in the factory of which 800 are on contract. The trade union has been demanding the regularisation of at least to those who have put in 15 years of service.</li> </ul></div>

Labour unrest turns violent in Yanam, one dead

Large-scale violence broke out in Yanam, an enclave of Puducherry about 30 kms from Kakinada, following the death of a trade union leader ...

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Lakshya-II test-flight successful

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div id="5801" style="display: block;"> <ul><li>The advanced version of pilotless target aircarft (PTA) Lakshya -II was successfully flight tested at the Integrated Test Range (ITR) here, demonstrating its 'ultimate' capability.  </li> </ul><ul><li>The 10th flight demonstration was held on Jan 25 at the ITR, about 15 km from Balasore.<span style="text-align: justify;">Lakshya II flew at sea skimming height of about 15 meters. </span> </li> </ul><ul><li>"In a flight lasting over 30 minutes, it was made to dive down from an altitude of around 800 meters to just 12 meter and maintained required altitude for the specified time before demonstrating auto climb-out," sources said here.  </li> </ul><ul><li>It demonstrated various technologies and sub-systems including software correction to auto rudder scheme done to prevent loss of mission, engaging and flying in way point navigation mode while carrying tow targets.  </li> </ul><ul><li>During the flight, one of the tow targets was released and the other was deployed while way point navigation was on.  </li> </ul><ul><li>Lakshya-II has been designed and developed by Bangalore based Aeronautical Development Establishment, a premier DRDO lab specializing in UAVs and flight control systems, the sources said. </li> </ul></div></div>

Lakshya-II test-flight successful

The advanced version of pilotless target aircarft (PTA) Lakshya -II was successfully flight teste...

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Climate: UN launches online database for business

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div id="5802" style="display: block;"> <ul><li style="text-align: justify;">The UN has launched a new online database to showcase successful strategies that businesses and communities are using to adapt to climate change while simultaneously increasing their profits and using their resources more efficiently. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The database, which can be accessed through the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) website, features more than 100 examples from companies such as Coca-Cola, Levi's, Microsoft and Starbucks, which share the details of their business-friendly adaptation practices. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Climate risks which affect communities around the world are always also business risks.Examples of best practices in the database include efforts to make drinking water clean and safe in developing countries and efforts to improve the yield of coffee beans in regions that are particularly vulnerable to climate change, said the officials.</li> </ul><div style="text-align: justify;"><span></span></div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The database also covers activities such as the development of climate-friendly goods and services and climate proofing the supply chains of companies.  </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The initiatives detailed in the database both show how the private sector can secure early advantages by adapting without waiting for absolute policy certainty at the international level, and how governments and the private sector can work together to respond to climate change now. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Public-private partnerships and cooperation with a wide range of stakeholders is becoming increasingly important to ensure successful implementation. </li> </ul></div></div>

Climate: UN launches online database for business

The UN has launched a new online database to showcase successful strategies that businesses and ...

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Kepler telescope team finds 11 new solar systems

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div id="5803" style="display: block;"> <ul><li style="text-align: justify;">NASA's planet-hunting Kepler space telescope has found 11 new planetary systems, including one with five planets all orbiting closer to their parent star than Mercury circles the Sun, scientists. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The discoveries boost the list of confirmed extra-solar planets to 729, including 60 credited to the Kepler team. The telescope, launched in space in March 2009, can detect slight but regular dips in the amount of light coming from stars. Scientists can then determine if the changes are caused by orbiting planets passing by, relative to Kepler's view.  </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Kepler scientists have another 2,300 candidate planets awaiting additional confirmation.  </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>None of the newly discovered planetary systems are like our solar system, though Kepler-33, a star that is older and bigger than the Sun, comes close in terms of sheer numbers. It has five planets, compared to our solar system's eight, but the quintet all fly closer to their parent star than Mercury orbits the Sun.  </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The planets range in size from about 1.5 times the diameter of Earth to five times Earth's diameter. Scientists have not yet determined if any are solid rocky bodies like Earth, Venus, Mars and Mercury or if they are filled with gas like Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.  </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The Kepler team previously found one star with six confirmed planets and a second system with five planets, said planetary scientist Jack Lissauer, with NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California.  </li> </ul><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">Nine of the new systems contain two planets and one has three, bringing the total number of newly discovered planets to 26. All are closer to their host stars than Venus is to the Sun. </li> </ul></div></div>

Kepler telescope team finds 11 new solar systems

NASA's planet-hunting Kepler space telescope has found 11 new planetary systems, including on...

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UK wants stronger, deeper ties with India: Hague

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">Noting that India is making its mark on the global economy with electrifying skill, innovation and dynamism, British Foreign Secretary William Hague has said that now is the time to make a "stronger, wider and deeper" relationship with India.  </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Launching the India Institute at the King's College in London last evening, the British foreign secretary said that India is already one of the largest economies in the world and will soon have the world's largest population.  </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>"Now is the time to study India, to invest in India and to work with India. This applies to all of us, to those of us in Government seeking a stronger foreign policy and economic future for this country; to businesses seeking to expand, and to individuals seeking new opportunities and a deeper understanding of today's world," he said.  </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>He said India is leading the way in the development of renewable energy and green technologies. "It is playing an increasingly important role in the affairs of the world – from tackling piracy off the Horn of Africa to United Nations peacekeeping and development support to Afghanistan."  </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Hague, who announced that he would be visiting India later this year, said: "We want the brightest and the best to come to Britain. We have made our immigration system far more efficient and targeted... But we are clear that if you want to come to Britain legitimately as a student, a business person or a visitor, then you are very welcome in the UK."  </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>"India's success speaks for itself, but nonetheless I spent several years in opposition speaking at the parliamentary despatch box, describing the great and inexorable shift in the international landscape typified by the rise of India and the other emerging powers, and calling for British foreign policy to expand its reach and ambition in response to these changes," he said.</li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>"We want to be India's partner of choice in a whole range of areas as it develops its economy, supporting jobs creation and growth in both our countries.”  </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>"We have set the target of doubling our trade with India by 2015 compared to 2010 and are making good progress: our exports were up more than 40 per cent last year and India is now our third largest market outside the EU."  </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Britain, he said, wanted to see India represented at the top table of international decision-making, working more closely with us and other nations to address global issues. "That is why we support reform of the UN Security Council and a permanent seat for India. The time has come to make Security Council reform a reality. The institutions that underpin global governance must become more representative if they are to succeed in finding legitimate and sustainable solutions to the challenges of this century.” <span></span></li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>"In building this stronger relationship we know, as our Prime Minister (David Cameron) has said, as he put it, Britain cannot rely on sentiment or on shared history for a place in India's future. It is something that we must work hard to achieve." </li> </ul></div>

UK wants stronger, deeper ties with India: Hague

Noting that India is making its mark on the global economy with electrifying skill, innovation and dynamism, British Foreign Secretary Wil...

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UN Security Council to discuss Syria crisis today

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div id="5805" style="display: block;"> <ul><li style="text-align: justify;">The UN Security Council will discuss the crisis in Syria later today.  </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The unexpected meeting was announced by France's UN mission on its Twitter account after representatives of the council's five permanent members - Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States held talks yesterday on the new resolution. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>A new resolution giving strong backing to the Arab League's initiative to end the Syria crisis has been drawn up by Britain, France, Germany and a number of Arab nations. </li> </ul><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">The Arab League has called on President Bashar al-Assad to hand over powers to a deputy so that elections can be held in Syria where the UN says more than 5,400 people have died since protests started in March last year.</li> </ul></div></div>

UN Security Council to discuss Syria crisis today

The UN Security Council will discuss the crisis in Syria later today.  The unexpected meeting was...

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Aus Open: Sania & Bhupathi go down in Mixed Doubles semifinal

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li>Mahesh Bhupathi and Sania Mirza crashed out of Mixed Doubles at the Australian Open Tennis tournament in Melbourne today. </li> </ul><ul><li>In the semifinal, Bethanie Mattek Sands of USA and Horia Tecau of Romania defeated Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi 6-3, 6-3. </li> </ul><ul><li>In the second semifinal, Leander Paes and his Russian partner Elina Vesnina will clash with Roberta Winsi and Deniel Bracili of Italy. </li> </ul><ul><li>Defending Champion and number one ranked Novak Djokovic will take on Andy Murray for a spot against Nadal in Sunday's final. </li> </ul><ul><li>Earlier, India’s Leander Paes and his Czech partner Radek Stepanek entered the final of the Men’s Doubles event. The Indo-Czech duo defeated the Belarusian-Canadian combine of Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor 2-6, 6-4, 6-4. </li> </ul><ul><li>In the final, Paes and Stepanek will face the top seeded Bryan brothers, Bob and Mike of the US.</li> </ul></div>

Aus Open: Sania & Bhupathi go down in Mixed Doubles semifinal

Mahesh Bhupathi and Sania Mirza crashed out of Mixed Doubles at the Australian Open Tennis tournament in Melbourne today. In the semifinal,...

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India signs pact with France and Germany to check tax evasion

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div id="5807" style="display: block;"> <ul><li style="text-align: justify;">Taking another step towards combating blackmoney, India has signed a multi-lateral agreement with economic powers like France and Germany to check both tax evasion and avoidance. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The agreement, Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters, is a multilateral agreement of 31 other nations which promotes international co-operation while respecting the rights of taxpayers. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The agreement has been signed under the aegis of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a top global financial body, at its headquarters in Paris recently. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>A Finance Ministry official said the agreement was signed by CBDT official and Joint Secretary in foreign tax division of Finance Ministry Sanjay K Mishra along with OECD Deputy Secretary General Rintaro Tamakio. </li> </ul><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">An OECD statement said, by joining the agreement, India and other 31 signatories sent a strong signal that these countries are acting together to ensure that individuals and multinational enterprises pay the right amount of tax, at the right time and in the right place.</li> </ul></div></div>

India signs pact with France and Germany to check tax evasion

Taking another step towards combating blackmoney, India has signed a multi-lateral agreement with...

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RAPID GK SERIES 36

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">1. The First Chief Justice (Supreme Court) of India is<br /> 2. The annual fair of Rajasthan that is famous for its camel trading event is<br /> 3. This State is known as œIndia s Spice Garden<br /> 4. The largest freshwater lake in India is<br /> 5. In this Century, the Portuguese Merchants first Landed in India<br /> 6. The William Fort is located in<br /> 7. The Dronacharya Award is given to<br /> 8. In this, Indian state the game of Polo originated<br /> 9. India s first Woman Cabinet Minister is<br /> 10. This Personality was designed the Indian Parliament in New Delhi<br /> <br /> <strong>ANSWERS</strong><br /> <br /> 1. Hiralal J. Kania<br /> 2. Sonepur Mela<br /> 3. Kerala<br /> 4. Wular Lake<br /> 5. 16th Century<br /> 6. Kolkata<br /> 7. Coacher (Sports)<br /> 8. Manipur<br /> 9. Rajkumari Amrit Kaur<br /> 10. Edwin Landseer Lutyens</div>

RAPID GK SERIES 36

1. The First Chief Justice (Supreme Court) of India is 2. The annual fair of Rajasthan that is famous for its camel trading event is 3. Th...

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Former ISRO Chief barred from government jobs

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div id="5773" style="display: block; text-align: justify;"> <ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Former (Indian Space Research Organisation) Isro chief G Madhavan Nair and three other eminent space scientists have been barred from holding any government jobs in an unprecedented disciplinary action by the government for their role in the controversial Antrix-Devas deal. </li> </ul><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>An angry Nair blamed his successor and the current Isro chairman K Radhakrishnan today for the action, accusing him of being behind the move and pursuing a "personal agenda" by misleading the government.  </li> </ul><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The government action came as an apparent fallout of the Antrix deal in which a private company was allotted scarce S band spectrum by Isro allegedly in violation of rules. </li> </ul><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Besides Nair, K Bhaskaranarayana, former scientific secretary at ISRO, K R Sridharamurthi, former managing director of Antrix, commercial arm of ISRO, and K N Shankara, former director of the ISRO satellite centre, have been penalised by the Department of Space.</li> </ul></div><a href="http://www.tippani.in/blog/xbusiness.php?submit=showComments&id=5773"> </a></div>

Former ISRO Chief barred from government jobs

Former (Indian Space Research Organisation) Isro chief G Madhavan Nair and three other eminent sp...

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Andhra Pradesh becomes the first state to achieve 100% EPICs

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div id="5775" style="display: block; text-align: justify;"> <ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Andhra Pradesh has become the first state in the country to achieve cent percent issuance of Election Photo Identity Cards, EPICs. </li> </ul><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>This has been achieved with the distribution of over 33 lakh EPIC cards to the voters today coinciding with the second National Voters’ Day today. Several awareness programmes have been held across the state on the occasion. </li> </ul><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Speaking at the main function held in Hyderabad, State Governor E S L Narasimhan has asked the Election Commission of India to consider holding all by-elections during a fixed month of every year so that the development process will not be hampered due to the election code of conduct. </li> </ul><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>He also asked political parties to cooperate for a propaganda free by-election on a pilot basis to save huge amounts of money now being spent on election campaigning. </li> </ul><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The Governor administered the pledge to the newly enrolled voters that they will vote during every election.</li> </ul></div></div>

Andhra Pradesh becomes the first state to achieve 100% EPICs

Andhra Pradesh has become the first state in the country to achieve cent percent issuance of Elec...

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Egypt declares partial lifting of emergency

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">In Egypt, the military rulers have declared partial lifting of emergency in the country. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The move comes into effect from today, the first anniversary of 25th January revolution which saw the overthrowing of decades long Mubarak regime in the country a year ago.  </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The emergency laws gave sweeping powers to the police to arrest and prosecute anyone on charges of Thuggery. The opposition and the activists who led 25th January uprisings last year in Egypt have been campaigning for the total removal of emergency laws and release of all civilians in military jails. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The ruling military Council has announced a series of measures on the first anniversary celebrations of the revolution. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>25th January is now a national holiday. Armed forces will hold celebrations from 25th to 28th January in Cairo’s Tahrir Square. The celebrations will include musical concerts, artistic and folkloric festivities from Egypt’s 27 districts and martial displays by Egypt’s air force and navy. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Young Activists who led the 25th January revolution have organized a series of marches to converge at Tahrir Square. The move is a part of the Campaign seeking “Hand over power to the elected parliament” on the first anniversary of the public uprising. They are demanding immediate exit of the military. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The campaign calls on MPs to come to Tahrir Square today and take an oath to restore the rights and demands of the revolution’s martyrs and injured The MPs are also called upon to end the state of emergency and free all civilians in military prisons.</li> </ul></div>

Egypt declares partial lifting of emergency

In Egypt, the military rulers have declared partial lifting of emergency in the country. The move comes into effect from today, the first a...

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Padma awards announced

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div id="5777" style="display: block; text-align: justify;"> <div style="text-align: justify;"><span>The President of India on the eve of Republic Day, Wednesday, approved the list of recipients of the prestigious Padma Award for 2012. In total 109 Padma Awards would be conferred this year - 5 Padma Vibhushan, 27 Padma Bhushan and 77 Padma Shri Awards. </span><br /> <br /> <span>The Awards are given in the field of art, social work, science and engineering, public affairs, trade and industry, medicine, sports, civil service, literature and education, etc. The Padma Awards will be conferred by the President of India at a function held at Rashtrapati Bhawan in March/ April 2012. </span><br /> <br /> <strong>Padma Vibhushan</strong><span> </span><br /> <br /> <span>Shri K G Subramanyan Art-Painting & Sculpture West Bengal </span><br /> <br /> <span>Late (Dr.)Bhupen Hazarika Art- Vocal Music Assam </span><br /> <br /> <span>Late Shri Mario De Miranda Art-Cartoonist Goa </span><br /> <br /> <span>Dr. Kantilal Hastimal Sancheti Medicine - Orthopedics Maharashtra </span><br /> <br /> <span>Shri T V Rajeswar Civil Service Delhi </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /> <strong>Padma Bhushan</strong><span> </span><br /> <br /> <span>Smt. Shabana Azmi Art - Cinema Maharashtra </span><br /> <br /> <span>Shri Jatin Das Art - Painting Delhi </span><br /> <br /> <span>Shri Khaled Choudhury Art - Theatre West Bengal </span><br /> <br /> <span>Pandit Buddhadev Das Gupta Art - Instrumental Music - Sarod West Bengal </span><br /> <br /> <span>Dr. Trippunithwra Viswanathan Gopalkrishnan Art - Classical vocal and instrumental music Tamil Nadu </span><br /> <br /> <span>Shri Dharmendra Singh Deol alias Dharmendra Art - Cinema Maharashtra </span><br /> <br /> <span>Ms. Mira Nair Art - Cinema Delhi </span><br /> <br /> <span>Shri M.S. Gopalakrishnan Art - Instrumental Music-Violin Tamil Nadu </span><br /> <br /> <span>Shri Satya Narayan Goenka Social Work Maharashtra </span><br /> <br /> <span>Dr. (Judge) Patibandla Chandrasekhar Rao Public Affairs Germany </span><br /> <br /> <span>Shri Anish Kapoor Art - Sculpture UK </span><br /> <br /> <span>Shri George Yong-Boon Yeo Public Affairs Singapore </span><br /> <br /> <span>Prof. Shashikumar Chitre Science and Engineering Maharashtra </span><br /> <br /> <span>Shri Subbiah Murugappa Vellayan Trade and Industry Tamil Nadu </span><br /> <br /> <span>Shri Balasubramanian Muthuraman Trade and Industry Maharashtra </span><br /> <br /> <span>Dr. M S Raghunathan Science and Engineering Maharashtra </span><br /> <br /> <span>Dr. Suresh H. Advani Medicine - Oncology Maharashtra </span><br /> <br /> <span>Dr. Devi Prasad Shetty Medicine-Cardiology Karnataka </span><br /> <br /> <span>Prof. (Dr.) Shantaram Balwant Mujumdar Literature and Education Maharashtra </span><br /> <br /> <span>Shri Ronen Sen Civil Service West Bengal </span><br /> <br /> <span>Dr. Homi K. Bhabha Literature and Education UK </span><br /> <br /> <span>Dr. Noshir H Wadia Medicine-Neurology Maharashtra </span><br /> <br /> <span>Prof. Vidya Dehejia Literature and Education USA </span><br /> <br /> <span>Prof. Arvind Panagariya Literature and Education USA </span><br /> <br /> <span>Dr. Jose Pereira Literature and Education USA </span><br /> <br /> <span>Shri N Vittal Civil Service Kerala </span><br /> <br /> <span>Shri Mata Prasad Civil Service Uttar Pradesh </span><br /> <br /> <strong>Padma Shri</strong><span> </span><br /> <br /> <span>Shri Vanraj Bhatia Art - Music Maharashtra </span><br /> <br /> <span>Shri Zia Fariduddin Dagar Art - Music - vocal Maharashtra </span><br /> <br /> <span>Smt. Nameirakpam Ibemni Devi Art - Music- Khongjom Parba Manipur </span><br /> <br /> <span>Shri Ramachandra Subraya Hegde Chittani Art - Yakshagana dance drama Karnataka </span><br /> <br /> <span>Shri Moti Lal Kemmu Art - Playwright Jammu and Kashmir </span><br /> <br /> <span>Smt. R. Nagarathnamma Art - Theatre Karnataka </span><br /> <br /> <span>Shri Kalamandalm Sivan Nambootiri Art - Indian Classical Dance- Kutiyattam Kerala </span><br /> <br /> <span>Smt. Yamunabai Waikar Art - Indian Folk Music-Lavani. Maharashtra </span><br /> <br /> <span>Shri Satish Alekar Art - Playwright Maharashtra </span><br /> <br /> <span>Pandit Gopal Prasad Dubey Art - Chhau dance and choreography Jharkhand </span><br /> <br /> <span>Shri Ramakant Gundecha Art - Indian Classical Music- Vocal Madhya Pradesh </span><br /> <br /> <span>Shri Shahid Parvez Khan Art - Instrumental Music-Sitar Maharashtra </span><br /> <br /> <span>Shri Mohan Lal Kumhar Art - Terracotta Rajasthan </span><br /> <br /> <span>Shri Sakar Khan Manganiar Art - Rajasthani Folk Music Rajasthan </span><br /> <br /> <span>Smt. Joy Michael Art - Theatre Delhi </span><br /> <br /> <span>Dr. Minati Mishra Art - Indian Classical Dance-Odissi. Orissa </span><br /> <br /> <span>Shri Natesan Muthuswamy Art - Theatre. Tamil Nadu </span><br /> <br /> <span>Shri Umakant Gundecha Art - Indian Classical Music- Vocal Madhya Pradesh </span><br /> <br /> <span>Shri Anup Jalota Art-Indian Classical Music- Vocal Maharashtra </span><br /> <br /> <span>Shri Soman Nair Priyadarsan Art - Cinema- Direction Kerala </span><br /> <br /> <span>Shri Sunil Janah Art-Photography Assam </span><br /> <br /> <span>Ms. Laila Tyebji Art-Handicrafts Delhi </span><br /> <br /> <span>Shri Vijay Sharma Art-Painting Himachal Pradesh </span><br /> <br /> <span>Smt. Shamshad Begum Social Work Chattisgarh </span><br /> <br /> <span>Shri Niranjan Pranshankar Pandya Social Work Maharashtra </span><br /> <br /> <span>Dr. Uma Tuli Social Work Delhi </span><br /> <br /> <span>Shri Sat Paul Varma Social Work Jammu and Kashmir </span><br /> <br /> <span>Smt.Binny Yanga Social Work Arunachal Pradesh </span><br /> <br /> <span>Shri Yezdi Hirji Malegam Public Affairs Maharashtra </span><br /> <br /> <span>Shri Pravin H. Parekh Pubic Affairs Delhi </span><br /> <br /> <span>Smt. Reeta Devi Social Work Delhi </span><br /> <br /> <span>Dr. P.K. Gopal Social Work Tamil Nadu </span><br /> <br /> <span>Smt. Phoolbasan Bai Yadav Social Work Chattisgarh </span><br /> <br /> <span>Dr. G. Muniratnam Social Work Andhra Pradesh </span><br /> <br /> <span>Dr. V. Adimurthy Science and Engineering Kerala </span><br /> <br /> <span>Dr. Krishna Lal Chadha Science and Engineering - Agriculture Delhi </span><br /> <br /> <span>Prof. Virander Singh Chauhan Science and Engineering Delhi </span><br /> <br /> <span>Prof. Rameshwar Nath Koul Bamezai Science and Engineering Jammu and Kashmir </span><br /> <br /> <span>Shri Shoji Shiba Trade and Industry Japan </span><br /> <br /> <span>Shri Gopinath Pillai Trade and Industry Singapore </span><br /> <br /> <span>Shri Arun Hastimal Firodia Trade and Industry Maharashtra </span><br /> <br /> <span>Dr. Swati A. Piramal Trade and Industry Maharashtra </span><br /> <br /> <span>Prof. Mahdi Hasan Medicine-Anatomy Uttar Pradesh </span><br /> <br /> <span>Dr. Vijaypal Singh Science and Engineering - Agricultural Research Uttar Pradesh </span><br /> <br /> <span>Dr. Lokesh Kumar Singhal Science and Engineering Punjab </span><br /> <br /> <span>Dr. Yagnaswami Sundara Rajan Science and Engineering Karnataka </span><br /> <br /> <span>Prof. Jagadish Shukla Science and Engineering USA </span><br /> <br /> <span>Ms. Priya Paul Trade and Industry Delhi </span><br /> <br /> <span>Dr. Viswanathan Mohan Medicine - Diabetology Tamil Nadu </span><br /> <br /> <span>Dr. J. Hareendran Nair Medicine - Ayurveda Kerala </span><br /> <br /> <span>Dr. Vallalarpuram Sennimalai Natarajan Medicine - Geriatrics Tamil Nadu </span><br /> <br /> <span>Dr. Jitendra Kumar Singh Medicine - Oncology Bihar </span><br /> <br /> <span>Shri Surjit Singh Patar Literature and Education - Poetry Punjab </span><br /> <br /> <span>Shri Vijay Dutt Shridhar Literature and Education - Journalism Madhya Pradesh </span><br /> <br /> <span>Shri Irwin Allan Sealy Literature and Education Uttarakhand </span><br /> <br /> <span>Ms. Geeta Dharmarajan Literature and Education Delhi </span><br /> <br /> <span>Prof. Sachchidanand Sahai Literature and Education Haryana </span><br /> <br /> <span>Smt. Pepita Seth Literature and Education Kerala </span><br /> <br /> <span>Dr. Ralte L. Thanmawia Literature and Education Mizoram </span><br /> <br /> <span>Dr. Shrinivas S. Vaishya Medicine-Healthcare Daman and Diu </span><br /> <br /> <span>Dr. Nitya Anand Medicine - Drugs Research Uttar Pradesh </span><br /> <br /> <span>Late Dr. Jugal Kishore Medicine - Homoeopathy Delhi </span><br /> <br /> <span>Dr. Mukesh Batra Medicine-Homeopathy Maharashtra </span><br /> <br /> <span>Dr. Eberhard Fischer Literature and Education Switzerland </span><br /> <br /> <span>Shri Kedar Gurung Literature and Education Sikkim </span><br /> <br /> <span>Shri Ajeet Bajaj Sports - Skiing Delhi </span><br /> <br /> <span>Smt. Jhulan Goswami Sports - Women's Cricket West Bengal </span><br /> <br /> <span>Shri Zafar Iqbal Sports-Hockey Uttar Pradesh </span><br /> <br /> <span>Shri Devendra Jhajrija Sports - Athletics- Paralympics Rajasthan </span><br /> <br /> <span>Shri Limba Ram Sports - Archery Rajasthan </span><br /> <br /> <span>Shri Syed Mohammed Arif Sports - Badminton Andhra Pradesh </span><br /> <br /> <span>Prof. Ravi Chaturvedi Sports- Commentary Delhi </span><br /> <br /> <span>Shri Prabhakar Vaidya Sports-Physical Education Maharashtra </span><br /> <br /> <span>Shri T. Venkatapathi Reddiar Others-Horticulture Puducherry </span><br /> <br /> <span>Dr. K. (Kota) Ullas Karanth Others-Wildlife Conservation and Environment Protection Karnataka </span><br /> <br /> <span>Shri K Paddayya Others-Archaeology Maharashtra </span><br /> <br /> <span>Shri Swapan Guha Others-Ceramics Rajasthan </span><br /> <br /> <span>Dr. Kartikeya V. Sarabhai Others - Environmental Education Gujarat </span></div></div></div>

Padma awards announced

The President of India on the eve of Republic Day, Wednesday, approved the list of recipients of...

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High-speed trains for Delhi-Mumbai route

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div id="5778" style="display: block; text-align: justify;"> <ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Going ahead with its ambitious high-speed train proposal, <strong>Railways have joined hands with Japan </strong>to begin the ground work to reduce travel time by half on the Delhi-Mumbai corridor.  </li> </ul><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Railways will procure a new set of trains with electric locomotives to run on the existing Delhi-Mumbai track.  </li> </ul><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li><span style="text-align: justify;">Currently, Mumbai Rajdhanis run at an average speed of 100 km per hour and take about 15 hours to reach the destination. Plan is to set up trains which travel at 160-200 km per hour.</span> </li> </ul><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li><span style="text-align: justify;">Train sets are like EMU trains consisting of self-propelled electric locomotive and 10 to 12 modern coaches. </span></li> </ul><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li><span style="text-align: justify;">There will be a new fare structure for the high-speed train for the Golden Rail Corridor. </span> </li> </ul><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li><span style="text-align: justify;">The Western <span>Dedicated Freight Corridor</span> is likely to be commissioned by 2016-17. </span></li> </ul></div></div>

High-speed trains for Delhi-Mumbai route

Going ahead with its ambitious high-speed train proposal, Railways have joined hands with Japan to...

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Chinese aircraft to monitor disputed seas

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li>A Chinese maritime surveillance aircraft based in Shanghai will expand their area of coverage this year to include waters of the East China Sea disputed with Japan. </li> </ul><ul><li><span style="text-align: justify;">The reports quote officials of the Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration as saying the plane's range includes China's territorial waters as well as what the country claims as its 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone.</span></li> </ul><ul><li>That would encompass the disputed territory known as the Senkaku Islands to the Japanese and as Diaoyu to the Chinese, as well as areas between the two countries where China has been unilaterally developing natural gas deposits to the consternation of the Japanese.<br /> </li> </ul><ul><li>Under the U.N. Convention of the Law of the Sea, countries are entitled to claim 200 nautical miles from their shores as their EEZs. But the EEZs claimed by China and Japan overlap. </li> </ul></div>

Chinese aircraft to monitor disputed seas

A Chinese maritime surveillance aircraft based in Shanghai will expand their area of coverage this year to include waters of the East Chin...

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WEF summit kicks off as uncertainties stare at world economy

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div id="5780" style="display: block; text-align: justify;"> <ul style="text-align: justify;"><li><strong>The World Economic Forum`s five-day annual meeting began in Davos</strong> this morning with top business and political leaders from across the world in attendance in this snow-laden skiing resort town, away from the gloomy economic scenario prevailing in most parts of the globe. </li> </ul><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Ahead of the summit, a worldwide CEO survey last evening showed that the confidence has plummeted sharply about the global economic growth, even as the companies are relatively more optimistic about their own revenue growth. </li> </ul><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>In its first session, the WEF Annual Meeting 2012 is hosting a debate on the future of capitalism and its relevance in the 21st century, even as the event is often known as an annual congregation of the rich and powerful of the world. </li> </ul><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li><strong>The theme of this year`s meeting is `The Great Transformation: Shaping New Models`.</strong> </li> </ul><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The meeting, among other issues, would discuss `India`s Tall Ambitions`, its preparedness to deliver inclusive growth for a huge population, while achieving effective governance at central and state levels and promoting its model of democratic capitalism. </li> </ul><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>There would also be a discussion on `How Immune Is India`, in the backdrop of the Europe, Japan and the US facing serious structural and societal challenges.</li> </ul><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>WEF, a Geneva-based non-profit organisation, has been holding this Annual Meeting here for over four decades now. Close to 40 heads of state or government from across the world are attending the meeting this year, while WEF is anticipating a record of over 2,600 participants this year, including more than 1,600 business leaders from across the world.</li> </ul></div></div>

WEF summit kicks off as uncertainties stare at world economy

The World Economic Forum`s five-day annual meeting began in Davos this morning with top business...

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KMF launches Rs 4 milk in Tetra Pak package

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div id="5781" style="display: block;"> <ul><li>Karnataka Cooperative Milk Producers Federation Limited (KMF), the second largest cooperative dairy in the country, launched Nandini GoodLife toned milk in 100 ml Tetra Pak packages at a price point of Rs four.  </li> </ul><ul><li>The new product would be made available to consumers in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala, KMF said in a statement.  </li> </ul><ul><li>The new format will help us reach even the most remote areas of the southern states, said KMF Chairman G Somasekhara Reddy.  </li> </ul><ul><li>Packaging their toned milk in TFA packages allows KMF to increase the reach of the product with its lower pricing, said Tetra Pak South Asia Markets Managing Director Kandarp Singh. </li> </ul></div></div>

KMF launches Rs 4 milk in Tetra Pak package

Karnataka Cooperative Milk Producers Federation Limited (KMF), the second largest cooperative dai...

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Govt scraps weekly release of WPI and opts for monthly release

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">The government will discontinue weekly release of food and fuel inflation data based on wholesale price index (WPI) and instead shift to monthly reporting, a government official said, without citing a reason. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>"The data will now come on a monthly basis," Neelam Kapur, the government's spokeswoman told Reuters. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The timeframe for the shift to monthly reporting is not known as yet. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Earlier, the Business Standard newspaper reported that a group of ministers in charge of economic affairs has approved in principle to release inflation figures only on a monthly basis to "curb speculative movement in prices and give a holistic inflation picture". </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The WPI-based data tracks the rate of price rise for food articles, primary articles, fuel and power. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>India used to release the WPI inflation data only on a weekly basis until October 2010, when it began reporting inflation data on both weekly and monthly basis, the paper said. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The report said the food and fuel inflation numbers for the week ending January 14, however, will be released on Friday, a day later than its usual release day as January 26 is a public holiday. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The monthly inflation data is released on the 14th of every month.</li> </ul></div>

Govt scraps weekly release of WPI and opts for monthly release

The government will discontinue weekly release of food and fuel inflation data based on wholesale price index (WPI) and instead shift to m...

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IMF lowers India's growth forecast to 7%

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has lowered India's economic growth rate forecast to 7 percent for the year 2012, which is 0.5 percentage point lower than its projection made last September for the same period.<span>     </span></li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>For 2013, the IMF has revised the growth forecast to 7.3 percent, which is again 0.8 percentage point lower than it  earlier forecast.<span>     </span></li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The IMF, in its revised estimates, has also brought down the economic growth forecast for most of the major economies, including China.<span>     </span></li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>"The global recovery is threatened by intensifying strains in the euro area and fragilities elsewhere. Financial conditions have deteriorated, growth prospects have dimmed, and downside risks have escalated," said the latest World Economic Outlook report released by the IMF.<span>     </span></li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Global output is projected to expand by 3.25 percent in 2012 a downward revision of about 0.75 percentage point relative to the September 2011 World Economic Outlook.<span>     </span></li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>This is largely because the euro area economy is expected to go into a mild recession in 2012 as a result of the rise in sovereign yields, the effects of bank deleveraging on the real economy, and the impact of additional fiscal consolidation, the report said.<span>     </span></li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>"Growth in emerging and developing economies is also expected to slow because of the worsening external environment and a weakening of internal demand," the World Economic Outlook report said.<span>     </span></li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The most immediate policy challenge is to restore confidence and put an end to the crisis in the euro area by supporting growth. </li> </ul></div>

IMF lowers India's growth forecast to 7%

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has lowered India's economic growth rate forecast to 7 percent for the year 2012, which is 0.5 p...

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EU blacklists Iran’s Bank Tejarat

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div id="5784" style="display: block;"> <ul><li style="text-align: justify;">The European Union has blacklisted Iran’s state-owned Bank Tejarat and imposed trade sanctions on it. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li><strong>The EU said that Bank Tejarat had directly facilitated Iran’s nuclear efforts in various ways to Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization to acquire yellowcake uranium.</strong> </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>It said that Bank Tejarat has a history of helping designated Iranian banks circumvent international sanctions. It stated that by providing financial services to other banks, Bank Tejarat has also tacitly supported the Revolutionary Guards and other Iranian military organizations. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The move is aimed at further isolating Iran and exerting pressure on it to begin talks on its disputed nuclear program. EU governments agreed on Monday to an immediate ban on all new contracts to import, buy or transport Iranian crude oil, and to freeze the assets of Iran’s central bank. </li> </ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>They also agreed to ban all trade in diamonds, gold and other precious metals with the central bank and other public bodies. Western powers allege Iran’s program is aimed at developing nuclear weapons capability. </li> </ul><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">Iran says it is enriching uranium solely for peaceful purposes.</li> </ul></div></div>

EU blacklists Iran’s Bank Tejarat

The European Union has blacklisted Iran’s state-owned Bank Tejarat and imposed trade sanctions on ...

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Ex-IAEA chief El Baradei to lead mediation mission to Syria

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div id="5785" style="display: block; text-align: justify;"> <ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The former chief of the UN nuclear watchdog, IAEA and the Egyptian Nobel laureate, Mohammed ElBaradei will head an Arab League mediation mission in Syria. </li> </ul><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Arab League Secretary General Nabil al-Arabi asked El Baradei to play the role of a mediator to resolve the ongoing crisis in Syria, which he has accepted. </li> </ul><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>ElBardei was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005.</li> </ul></div></div>

Ex-IAEA chief El Baradei to lead mediation mission to Syria

The former chief of the UN nuclear watchdog, IAEA and the Egyptian Nobel laureate, Mohammed ElBar...

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Obama to put more trade pressure on China

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div id="5786" style="display: block; text-align: justify;"> <ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>US President Barack Obama said he would step up pressure on China and other countries that unfairly subsidize exports to the United States. </li> </ul><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Announcing a push to shore up American manufacturing and create jobs, he said he would establish a  new government body dedicated to fighting countries which subsidize exports to the United States. </li> </ul><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>He also pledged more vigilance against imports of counterfeit and unsafe products from abroad. "Tonight, I'm announcing the creation of a Trade Enforcement Unit that will be charged with investigating unfair trade practices in countries like China," he told Congress in his annual State of the Union address. </li> </ul><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>"I will go anywhere in the world to open new markets for American products," he said. "And I will not stand by when our competitors don't play by the rules.  We've brought trade cases against China at nearly twice the rate as the last administration -- and it's made a difference." </li> </ul><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>"It's not right when another country lets our movies, music, and software be pirated. It's not fair when foreign manufacturers have a leg up on ours only because they're heavily subsidized."</li> </ul></div></div>

Obama to put more trade pressure on China

US President Barack Obama said he would step up pressure on China and other countries that unfair...

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SC pulls up Centre for prolonged detention of Pak prisoners

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div id="5787" style="display: block; text-align: justify;"> <ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The Supreme Court pulled up the Union government for prolonged incarceration of several Pakistani prisoners in Indian jails despite their having completed their sentences. "There is total inaction and laxity on the part of the government. </li> </ul><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The bench said it was more concerned about the liberty of the persons who continue to be in jails despite serving their sentences. The bench comprises of justices RM Lodha and HL Gokhale while ruing that some prisoners had been kept in detention even without having any case registered against them </li> </ul><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The bench pointed out that the prolonged detention of foreign nationals was violative of the constitutional right of the life and liberty granted under Article 21 to every person in the country, including the foreign nationals, infraction of which cannot be condoned by the courts. </li> </ul><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The apex court directed Additional Solicitor General Vivek Tankha to furnish to the court the government's policy, if any, for dealing with such foreign nationals. </li> </ul><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The apex court pointed out that the case relating to the alleged illegal detention of foreign nationals was pending with the courts since 2005 but the government was not taking any steps to deport them, even after they having completed their respective prison terms. </li> </ul><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The apex court made the observation while dealing with two separate public interest litigations (PILs) relating to alleged prolonged incarceration of Pakistani and Bangladeshi nationals in Indian jails.</li> </ul></div></div>

SC pulls up Centre for prolonged detention of Pak prisoners

The Supreme Court pulled up the Union government for prolonged incarceration of several Pakistani...

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