Showing posts with label CURRENT AFFAIRS 2014. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CURRENT AFFAIRS 2014. Show all posts

Monday, October 13, 2014

Nobel Prizes 2014

2014 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences
CivilsThe 2014 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences was awarded to Jean Tirole "for his analysis of market power and regulation".
The economics prize – whose formal name is the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel – was created in 1968, while the physics, chemistry, physiology, literature and peace prizes were first awarded in 1901.
Jean Tirole, born in August 9, 1953 at Troyes, France is a professor of economics. He works on industrial organization, game theory, banking and finance, and economics and psychology. After receiving his PhD from MIT in 1981, he worked as a researcher at l'Ecole nationale des ponts et chaussees until 1984. From 1984-1991 he worked as a Professor of Economics at MIT. He was president of the Econometric Society in 1998 and of the European Economic Association in 2001. Tirole was affiliated to Toulouse 1 Capitole University, Toulouse, France at the time of the award of Nobel Prize.

2014 Nobel Peace PrizeCivilsThe Nobel Peace Prize 2014 was awarded jointly to Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yousafzay "for their struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education".

Kailash Satyarthi
Born:
11 January 1954, Vidisha, India
Residence at the time of the award: India
Prize share: 1/2
Showing great personal courage, Kailash Satyarthi, maintaining Gandhi’s tradition, has headed various forms of protests and demonstrations, all peaceful, focusing on the grave exploitation of children for financial gain. He has also contributed to the development of important international conventions on children’s rights.
Malala YousafzayBorn:12 July 1997, Mingora, Pakistan
Residence at the time of the award: United Kingdom
Despite her youth, Malala Yousafzay has already fought for several years for the right of girls to education, and has shown by example that children and young people, too, can contribute to improving their own situations. This she has done under the most dangerous circumstances. Through her heroic struggle she has become a leading spokesperson for girls’ rights to education.

2014 Nobel Prize in LiteratureCivilsThe Nobel Prize in Literature 2014 was awarded to Patrick Modiano "for the art of memory with which he has evoked the most ungraspable human destinies and uncovered the life-world of the occupation".

Patrick Modiano was born on July 30, 1945, in Boulogne-Billancourt, a suburb of Paris. Modiano made his debut as a writer with La place de l’etoile, a novel that attracted much attention. His works centre on topics such as memory, oblivion, identity and guilt.

“Modiano best known work is called Missing Person. It’s the story about a detective who has lost his memory and his final case is finding out who he really is; he is tracing his own steps through history to find out who he is.”
2014 Nobel Prize in ChemistryCivilsThe Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2014 was awarded jointly to Eric Betzig, Stefan W. Hell and William E. Moerner "for the development of super-resolved fluorescence microscopy".

Eric Betzig, U.S. citizen born 1960 in Ann Arbor, MI, USA, Ph.D. in 1988 from Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA and Group Leader at Janelia Farm Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA.

Stefan W. Hell, German citizen born 1962 in Arad, Romania, Ph.D. in 1990 from the University of Heidelberg, Germany. Presently Director at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen, and Division head at the German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany.

William E. Moerner, U.S. citizen born 1953 in Pleasanton, CA, USA, Ph.D. in 1982 from Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA. Professor of Applied Physics at Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.

2014 Nobel Prize in PhysicsCivilsThe Nobel Prize in Physics 2014 was awarded jointly to Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano and Shuji Nakamura "for the invention of efficient blue light-emitting diodes which has enabled bright and energy-saving white light sources".

Isamu Akasaki, Japanese citizen, born 1929 in Chiran, Japan, Ph.D. in 1964 from Nagoya University, Japan. Professor at Meijo University, Nagoya, and Distinguished Professor at Nagoya University, Japan.

Hiroshi Amano, Japanese citizen, born 1960 in Hamamatsu, Japan. Ph.D. in 1989 from Nagoya University, Japan, currently Professor at Nagoya University, Japan.

Shuji Nakamura, American citizen, born 1954 in Ikata, Japan, Ph.D. in 1994 from University of Tokushima, Japan, currently Professor at University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA.

2014 Nobel Prize in Physiology or MedicineCivilsThe Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2014 was divided, one half awarded to John O'Keefe, the other half jointly to May-Britt Moser and Edvard I. Moser "for their discoveries of cells that constitute a positioning system in the brain".

John O’Keefe, holds both American and British citizenships, was born in 1939 in New York City, USA, doctoral degree in physiological psychology from McGill University, Canada in 1967, currently Director of the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre in Neural Circuits and Behaviour at University College London.

May-Britt Moser, Norwegian citizen, born in Fosnavag, Norway in 1963, Ph.D. in neurophysiology in 1995, currently Director of the Centre for Neural Computation in Trondheim.

Edvard I. Moser, Norwegian citizen, was born 1962 in Alesund, Ph.D. in neurophysiology from the University of Oslo in 1995, currently Director of the Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience in Trondheim.

About the Nobel Prize:
On 27 November 1895, Alfred Nobel signed his last will and testament, giving the largest share of his fortune to a series of prizes in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature and Peace - the Nobel Prizes. In 1968, Sveriges Riksbank (Sweden's central bank) established The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel.
At the Nobel Prize Award Ceremonies the Nobel Laureates receive three things: a Nobel Diploma, a Nobel Medal and a document confirming the Nobel Prize amount.
Between 1901 and 2013, the Nobel Prizes and the Prize in Economic Sciences were awarded 561 times which include 45 times to women.

Nobel Laureates from India:
Ronald Ross, India, Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology 1902
Har Gobind Khorana, India, Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology 1968
Rudyard Kipling, British India (now India), Nobel Prize in Literature 1907
Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, India, Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2009
Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman, India, Nobel Prize in Physics 1930
Rabindranath Tagore, India, Nobel Prize in Literature 1913
Amartya Sen, India, Prize in Economic Sciences 1998
Kailash Satyarthi, Nobel Prize in Peace 2014

The Youngest Nobel Laureates Category wise
Category
Name
Year of Award
Age of Nobel Laureate
Physics
William Lawrence Bragg
1915
25
Chemistry
Frederic Joliot
1935
35
Physiology or Medicine
Frederick Banting
1923
32
Literature
Rudyard Kipling
1907
42
Peace
Malala Yousafzay
2014
17
Economic Sciences
Kenneth J. Arrow
1972
51

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

CURRENT AFFAIRS PRACTICE QUESTIONS


లేటెస్ట్ కరెంట్ అఫైర్స్

1. ఇటీవల రాజీనామా చేసిన మహరాష్ట్ర గవర్నర్‌ ఎవరు? - కె. శంకర నారాయణన్‌

2. భారత రక్షణ పరిశోధన, అభివృద్ధి సంస్థ(డిఆర్‌డిఒ) ప్రస్తుత డైరెక్టర్‌ జనరల్‌ ఎవరు? - అవినాశ్‌ చందర్‌
3. యుపిఎ ప్రభుత్వ హయాంలో అమలైన నిర్మల్‌ భారత్‌ అభియాన్‌ స్థానంలో ప్రస్తుత ఎన్డీఎ ప్రభుత్వం ఏ పేరుతో కొత్త పథకాన్ని రూపొందించింది? - స్వచ్ఛ భారత్‌ అభియాన్‌
4. ఇథనాల్‌తో నడిచే పర్యావరణహిత బస్సును కేంద్ర రవాణ మంత్రి నితిన్‌ గడ్కరి ఎక్కడ ప్రారంభించారు? - నాగ్‌పూర్‌
5. ఇటీవల విశాఖలో 18 గంటల 18 నిమిషాల 18 సెకండ్లబాటు నిర్విరామంగా క్యారమ్స్‌ ఆడిన హైదరాబాద్‌ బాలిక ఎవరు? - షేక్‌ హుస్నా సమీర
6. కేంద్ర సాహిత్య అకాడమీ యువ పురస్కారాన్ని 2014కిగాను అనంతపురానికి చెందిన అప్పిరెడ్డి హరినాథరెడ్డికి ఇచ్చారు.  అయితే ఈ పురస్కారం ఏ విమర్శ సంకలనానికి లభించింది? - సీమ సాహితీస్వరం-శ్రీ సాధన పత్రిక
7. ఆంధ్రప్రదేశ్‌ పరిపాలన ట్రిబ్యునల్‌ చైర్మన్‌గా నియమితులైనది ఎవరు? - జస్టిస్‌ గోవిందరాజులు
8. ఇటీవల బ్రిటన్‌ ట్రెజరీ మంత్రిగా నియమితురాలైన భారత సంతతి మహిళ ఎవరు? - ప్రీతి పటేల్‌
9. అమెరికా నౌకాదళ ఫోర్‌స్టార్‌ అడ్మిరల్‌గా 2014 జూలైలో నియమితురాలైన తొలి మహిళ ఎవరు? - మిషెల్‌ హోవర్డ్‌
10. ఇటీవల యునెస్కో ప్రపంచ వారసత్వ సంపద జాబితాలో స్థానం సంపాదించిన తొలి ప్రదేశం ఏది? - మలేషియాలోని ప్రాచీన ప్యూ పిటీస్‌
11. బోర్‌ వన్యప్రాణి సంరక్షణ కేంద్రం ఏ రాష్ట్రంలో ఉంది? - మహరాష్ట్ర
12. ఐక్యరాజ్య సమితి మానవ హక్కుల కొత్త హై కమిషనర్‌గా నవీ పిళ్ళై (దక్షిణాఫ్రికా)స్థానంలో నియమితులైన జోర్డాన్‌ యువరాజు ఎవరు? - జీద్‌ అల్‌ -హుస్సేన్‌
13. ఇటీవల జరిగిన భారత్‌ -బంగ్లా వన్డే సిరీస్‌లో మ్యాన్‌ ఆఫ్‌ ద సిరీస్‌గా ఎంపికైనది ఎవరు? - భారత బౌలర్‌ స్టువర్ట్‌ బిన్నీ
14. ప్రపంచ ఫుట్‌బాల్‌ కప్‌ను అధికంగా అయిదుసార్లు గెలుచుకొన్న దేశం ఏది? - బ్రెజిల్‌
15. కేంద్ర మాజీ మంత్రి, బిజెపి సీనియర్‌ నేత చెన్నమనేని విద్యాసాగర రావు(తెలంగాణ) ఏ రాషా్ట్రనికి గవర్నర్‌గా నియమితులయ్యారు? - మహరాష్ట్ర
16. ఉత్తరప్రదేశ్‌ మాజీ ముఖ్యమంత్రి కల్యాణ్‌సింగ్‌ ఏ రాషా్ట్రనికి నూతన గవర్నర్‌గా నియమితులయ్యారు? - రాజస్థాన్‌
17. గుజరాత్‌ రాష్ట్ర శాసనసభ స్పీకర్‌గా పనిచేసిన వాజూభాయ్‌ రూఢాభాయ్‌ వాలా, ఏ రాషా్ట్రనికి నూతన గవర్నర్‌గా నియమితులయ్యారు? - కర్ణాటక
18. గోవా నూతన గవర్నర్‌గా నియమితులైనది ఎవరు? - మృదుల సిన్హా
19. ఉద్యోగుల భవిష్య నిధి మొత్తాలపై 2014-15కిగాను ఎంత శాతం వడ్డీ చెల్లించాలని ఉద్యోగుల భవిష్యనిధి సంస్థ నిర్ణయించింది?- 8.75
20. ప్రస్తుత కేంద్ర కార్మిక శాఖ మంత్రి ఎవరు? - నరేంద్ర సింగ్‌ తోమార్‌
21. ఆంధ్రప్రదేశ్‌ రాష్ట్ర దేవాదాయ శాఖ మంత్రి ఎవరు? - పి. మాణిక్యాల రావు
22. ప్రస్తుత పాకిస్థాన్‌ సైన్యాధిపతి ఎవరు? - జనరల్‌ రహీల్‌ షరీఫ్‌
23. తమిళనాడు ప్రభుత్వాసుపత్రుల్లో ప్రసవాలను ప్రోత్సహించేందుకుగాను ముఖ్యమంత్రి జయలలిత ఏ పథకాన్ని ప్రవేశ పెట్టారు? - అమ్మ బేబీకేర్‌ కిట్‌
24. పేద ప్రజలను బ్యాంకింగ్‌ సేవల రంగంతో అనుసంధానించడమే లక్ష్యంగా 2014 ఆగస్టు 15న ప్రధానమంత్రి నరేంద్రమోడీ ప్రకటించిన పథకం ఏది? - ప్రధానమంత్రి జన్‌ధన్‌ యోజన
25. తూర్పు ఆసియా విదేశాంగ మం త్రుల నాలుగో సదస్సు 2014 ఆగస్టు 10 న ఎక్కడ జరిగింది? - మయన్మార్‌ రాజధాని న్యేపిడా
26. ప్రపంచంలోని నిరుపేదల్లో మూడోవంతుమంది ఎక్కడ ఉన్నారని ఐక్యరాజ్యసమితి సహస్రాబ్ది అభివృద్ది లక్ష్యాల తాజా నివేదిక వెల్లడించింది? - భారతదేశం
27. తెలంగాణ రాష్ట్ర ఉన్నత విద్య మండలికి చైర్మన్‌గా నియమితులైనది ఎవరు? - టి. పాపిరెడ్డి
28. తెలంగాణ ప్రభుత్వ పాలన వ్యవహారాల నిబంధనల రూపకల్పనకుగాను ప్రభుత్వం ఏర్పాటు చేసిన ఉన్నత స్థాయి కమిటీకి చైర్మన్‌గా నియమితులైనది ఎవరు? - వి. నాగిరెడ్డి
29. శాసీ్త్రయ విధానాన్ని రైతులకు అందుబాటులోకి తెచ్చి తక్కువ పెట్టుబడితో ఎక్కువ ఆదాయం పొందడమే లక్ష్యంగా విశాఖ జిల్లా చోడవరంలో ఆంధ్రప్రదేశ్‌ ముఖ్యమంత్రి నారా చంద్రబాబునాయుడు ప్రారంభించిన కార్యక్రమం ఏది? - పొలం పిలుస్తోంది
30. ఆంధ్రప్రదేశ్‌ను అయిదేళ్లలో కరవు రహిత ప్రాంతంగా తీర్చిదిద్దేందుకుగాను ప్రభుత్వం  ఏ కార్యక్రమాన్ని ప్రారంభించనుంది? - నీరు-చెట్టు
31. భారత పౌరసత్వ చట్టాన్ని ఎప్పుడు ప్రవేశపెట్టారు?  - 1955
32. విటి కల్చర్‌ అనేది వ్యవసాయానికి సంబంధించి దేనిని సూచిస్తుంది? - ద్రాక్షపండ్ల ఉత్పత్తి
33. భారతదేశంలో స్పేస్‌ సిటీగా ఏ నగరాన్ని పరిగణిస్తారు? - బెంగళూరు
34. ప్రతి పార్లమెంటు సభ్యుడు తన నియోజక వర్గంలో కనీసం ఒక గ్రామాన్ని 2016లోపు ఆదర్శంగా రూపొందించేందుకు కృషి చేయాలంటూ కేంద్ర ప్రభుత్వం ప్రారంభించనున్న పథకం ఏది? - సంసద్‌ ఆదర్శ గ్రామ యోజన
35. టర్కీ నూతన అధ్యక్షుడిగా ఇటీవల ఎన్నికైనది ఎవరు? - రిసెప్‌ తయ్యిప్‌ ఎర్దోగన్‌
36. టర్కీ రాజధాని ఏది? - అంకారా
37. కామిక్‌ పుస్తకాల్లో పుట్టి, ఆ తరవాత వెండితెరకు వచ్చిన బ్యాట్‌మెన్‌  పాత్ర ఇటీవల ఎన్నేళ్లు పూర్తి చేసుకొంది? - 75 ఏళ్లు
38. భారత్‌కు మూడేళ్ళుగా ఏ దేశం అతిపెద్ద ఆయుధ సరఫరాదారుగా ఉందని కేంద్ర రక్షణ మంత్రి అరుణ్‌జైట్లీ 2014 ఆగస్టు 12న లోక్‌సభలో వెల్లడించారు? - అమెరికా
39. జార్ఖండ్‌లో రూ.22 వేల కోట్ల విలువైన ఇనుము, మాంగనీస్‌ ముడిఖనిజాన్ని అక్రమంగా తవ్వి పలు కంపెనీలు సొమ్ము చేసుకొన్నాయని ఇటీవల ఏ కమిషన్‌ తన నివేదికలో తెలిపింది? - జస్టిస్‌ ఎం.బి.షా
40. ఆంధ్రప్రదేశ్‌ అభివృద్ధిని వేగవంతం చేసేందుకుగాను అవసరమైన వనరుల సమీకరణకు ప్రభుత్వం ఎవరి నేతృత్వంలో రిసోర్స్‌ మేనేజ్‌మెంట్‌ కమిటీని నియమించింది? - రాజ్యసభ సభ్యుడు వై. సుజనా చౌదరి
41. ఇటీవల ముంబైలో జరిగిన ఇండియా అఫైర్స్‌ ఆఫ్‌ బిజినెస్‌ అవార్డు-2014 కార్యక్రమంలో ఇండియాస్‌ మోస్ట్‌ అడ్మైర్‌ కార్డియాలజిస్ట్‌ అవార్డుకు ఎంపికైనది ఎవరు? - కేర్‌ ఆసుపత్రుల చైర్మన్‌ డా. బి. సోమరాజు
42. ప్రపంచ ప్రసిద్ధి పొందిన చాచా చౌదరి కార్టూన్‌ పాత్ర సృష్టి కర్త 2014 ఆగస్టు 5న హర్యానాలోని గుర్గావ్‌లో మరణించారు. అయితే ఆయన పేరు ఏమిటి? - ప్రాణ్‌కుమార్‌ శర్మ
43. అరవై ఏళ్లు అంతకంటే ఎక్కువ వయసున్న వృద్దులకు ఆర్థిక భద్రత కల్పించేందుకుగాను పింఛన్‌తో కూడిన బీమా పథకాన్ని కేంద్ర ప్రభుత్వం ప్రారంభించింది. ఈ పథకం పేరేమిటి? - విరిష్ఠ పింఛను బీమా యోజన
44. కోడెడ్‌ కాన్‌స్పిరసీ అనే నవలకు గాను అమెరికన్‌ లిటరరీ సొసైటీ పురస్కారానికి ఎంపికైనది ఎవరు? - నిఖిల్‌ చంద్వానీ
45. భారతదేశంలో ఇటీవల సార్వత్రిక ఎన్నికల్లో అత్యధికంగా ఖర్చు చేసిన రాజకీయ పార్టీగా అగ్రస్థానంలో నిలిచినది ఏది? - శిరోమణి అకాలీదళ్‌
46. బ్రెజిల్‌, దక్షిణాఫ్రికా, భారత్‌, చైనా దేశాల మంత్రుల స్థాయీ సమావేశం  2014 ఆగస్టు 7,8 తేదీల్లో ఎక్కడ జరిగింది? - న్యూఢిల్లీ
47. ఇటీవల అంతర్జాతీయ ఫుట్‌బాల్‌కు రిటైర్మెంట్‌ ప్రకటించిన జర్మనీ క్రీడాకారుడు ఎవరు? - మిరోస్లావ్‌ క్లోజ్‌
48. వ్యవసాయం, అనుబంధ రంగాల్లో చేసిన కృషికి గుర్తింపుగా 2014 ఆగస్టు 21న పాకిస్థాన్‌లోని ఫైసలాబాద్‌ వ్యవసాయ విశ్వవిద్యాలయం ఏ శాస్త్రవేత్తకు(భారత్‌)కు గౌరవ డాక్టరేట్‌ను ప్రదానం చేసింది? - ఎం.ఎస్‌ స్వామినాథన్‌
49. ప్రపంచంలో ఎత్తయిన శిఖరాల్లో ఒకటైన 6,125 మీటర్ల స్టాక్‌ కంగ్రిని అధిరోహించిన హైదరాబాద్‌ బాలిక(12 ఏళ్లు)ఎవరు? - జాహ్నవి
50. ఆఫ్ఘనిస్థాన్‌లో 95 వ స్వాతంత్ర దినోత్సవాన్ని ఎప్పుడు నిర్వహించారు? - 2014 ఆగస్టు 19
51. పార్లమెంటరీ ఒబిసి సంక్షేమ కమిటి చైర్మన్‌గా ఇటీవల బాధ్యతలు స్వీకరించింది ఎవరు?  - బండారు దత్తాత్రేయ
52. సేవలపై పన్నును సిఫార్సు చేసిన కమిటి ఏది? - రాజా చెల్లయ్య
53. 13వ ఆర్థిక సంఘ సిఫార్సు ప్రకారం కేంద్ర ప్రభుత్వ పన్నుల రాబడిలో ఎంత శాతాన్ని గరిష్ఠంగా రాషా్ట్రలకు బదిలీ చేయాలి? - 39.5 శాతం
54. పబ్లిక్‌ ప్రావిడెంట్‌ ఫండ్‌, నెలసరి ఆదాయ ఖాతా, పోస్టాఫీస్‌ సేవింగ్స్‌ అకౌంట్‌ వంటి డిపాజిట్‌ స్కీమ్‌లపై పొదుపు పరిమితిని పెంచాలని సిఫార్సు చేసిన కమిటి ఏది? - గుప్తా కమిటి
55. దేశంలో మొదటి కాంగ్రేసేతర ప్రధానమంత్రి ఎవరు? - మొరార్జీ దేశాయ్‌
56. ప్రపంచ ఆరోగ్య సంస్థ ప్రధాన కార్యాలయం ఎక్కడ ఉంది? - స్విట్జర్లాండ్‌లోని జెనీవా
57. ప్రపంచ ఆరోగ్య సంస్థ ఎప్పుడు ఏర్పడింది? - 1948 ఏప్రిల్‌ 7
58. ప్రస్తుత ప్రపంచ ఆరోగ్య సంస్థ డైరెక్టర్‌ జనరల్‌ మార్గరెట్‌ చాన్‌ ఏ దేశానికి చెందినవారు? - చైనా
59. ప్రపంచ ఆరోగ్య సంస్థ డైరెక్టర్‌ జనరల్‌గా పనిచేసిన తొలి భారతీయ మహిళ ఎవరు? - రాజ్‌కుమారి  అమృత్‌కౌర్‌
60. ఇటీవల ఏ వైరస్‌ వ్యాప్తి కారణంగా పశ్చిమ ఆఫ్రికా దేశాల్లో ఆరోగ్య అత్యవసర పరిస్థితిని విధించారు? - ఎబోలా
61. భారతదేశంలో సమాచార హక్కు చట్టం ఎప్పుడు అమల్లోకి వచ్చింది? - 2005 అక్టోబరు 12
62. చెర్నోబిల్‌ అణు కర్మాగార ప్రమాదం ఎక్కడ సంభవించింది? - రష్యా
63. మణిపూర్‌లో సాయుధ దళాల ప్రత్యేక అధికార చట్టాన్ని రద్దు పరచడానికి ఉన్న అవకాశాలను పరిశీలించడానికి కేంద్ర ప్రభుత్వం ఏ కమిటీని నియమించింది? - జస్టిస్‌ బిపి. జీవన్‌రెడ్డి

Sunday, September 14, 2014

6th Economic Census Report

As per the the 6th Economic Census Report 2013, Arunachal Pradesh has the maximum percentage of hired workers amongst all states, including in segments like education and health.
  • Percentage of female hired workers in Arunachal Pradesh: 30.3%
  • Growth rate in the number of establishments over the 5th Economic Census is 34.09% and that of total employment is 17.73%
  • Growth rate of total number of persons employed over 5th Economic Census 2005 has been recorded at all India level at 34.73% but at Arunachal Pradesh level it is 17.73%,.
  • Total number of establishments in the Arunachal Pradesh is 36,602 with the 19,288 of them in rural and 17,314 in urban areas. The number of establishments in urban areas has increased at 83.22%, which is more than 3 times the population growth. This development is owing to the fact that in between the 5th and 6th Economic Census 10 districts or SDO headquarters having concentration of establishment has been notified as urban areas.
  • But in rural areas, the increase of 8.08% is found to be 3 times less than the population growth.
  • The average number of workers per establishments was found to be higher than the national average in spite of the having the lowest population density and scarce workers.
The 6th Economic census was organized by the Department of Economics and Statistics in association with the district administration in 2013. The activities covered in the 6th Economic Census have a share of about 86% in total GDP of the country.

India has second-highest number of child marriages: UN

India had the highest number of unregistered children under age five between 2000 and 2012 and the second-highest number of child marriages, according to a UN report which said the country still needs to improve immunisation coverage and stop gender-based sex selection. 
The report 'Improving Childrens Lives, Transforming the Future 25 years of child rights in South Asia' by the United Nations' children agency UNICEF analyzes the progress made over the last quarter century on key issues that directly affect the lives of children in the region. 

At 71 million, India had the largest number of children under the age of five whose births were not registered between 2000-2012. 

The report said that birth registration levels in South Asia have increased since 2000, but progress has been slow. 

India, along with Afghanistan, Bangladesh and the Maldives, has been recording"significant improvements" in birth registration but about 100 million children in the region are still not registered at birth. 

India has the greatest disparity between the poorest and richest households, with children in the poorest households being three times less likely to be registered than those in the richest. 

Religion also appears to play a role as Muslims have the lowest level of birth registration in India (39 per cent) followed by Hindus (40 per cent) while the Jains have the highest (87 per cent). The highest rate of child marriage is in Bangladesh (where two out of every three girls marry before age 18), followed by India, Nepal and Afghanistan. Almost half of all girls in South Asia marry before the age of 18. 

One in five girls are married before the age of 15. These are the highest rates in the world. 

"These figures confirm that child marriage is rooted in gender norms and in expectations about the value and roles of girls," the report added. In India, 43 per cent of women aged 20-24 were first married by the age of 18 between 2005-2013. 

Girls with no education are 5.5 times more likely to marry or enter into union as those with at least 10 years of education. 

On gender-biased sex selection, the report said the practice is more prevalent in the west and northwest part of the country. 

The child sex ratio, which is the number of girls per 1,000 boys, among children aged 0-4 in India was 924. On immunisation coverage, it said some countries in South Asia, particularly Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal, have made significant improvements since 1990 but coverage is still far too low in Afghanistan, India and Pakistan. 

Oxford Award for Chancellor of MS University

Dr Mrunalinidevi Puar, Chancellor of Maharaja Sayajirao University at Vadodara, has been conferred with the "Best Manager" award by the Oxford Summit of Leaders (Science and Education) in UK, according to University Registrar Amit Dholakia. 

Dr Mrunalinidevi Puar is known for her research in availability of zinc in Indian food and was also awarded PhD by a Hyderabad based university, he said. 

In a letter, Irina Bright, event manager EBA said, "Socrates Committee of Europe Business Assembly (EBA Oxford, UK) has selected you (Puar) for this award based on the criteria that includes the university in the field of quality educational services rendering, implementation of up-to-date technologies and social focus." 

Dr Puar will get this award at the summit of leaders and International Socrates Award ceremony to be held in Oxford UK on October 14. Participants from 50 countries will attend it. 

The MS University was eastblished as Baroda College in 1881 and it was converted into a university in 1949 after merger of erstwhile princely state of Baroda. 

Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar, father of the Indian constitution and Maharshi Aurbindo Ghosh were known personalities associated with this college. 

Union Human Resource Development (HRD) minister Smriti Irani has assured the Gujarat government to convert it into a central university as this university has signed number of MoUs with its counterparts in UK, USA, Canada and France. 

China to be focus at IFFI 2014

China will be the focus country for the 45th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2014,scheduled to be held in Goa between November 20 and 30.

Developed nations back India’s stand at WTO

India said on 12th September it has won the support of major developed countries, including the U.K. and Germany, as also the European Commission, for its stand at theWorld Trade Organisation (WTO)demanding that the implementation of the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) be kept pending unless its apprehensions on the issue of food security are addressed.

Finance Secretary Arvind Mayaram presented India’s perspective at the Eleventh Meeting of the Finance Ministers’ of Asia Europe (ASEM) in the Italian city of Milan on 11th September. Following protracted negotiations, the ASEM agreed to not only drop a reference to non-implementation of the TFA but also include the need for implementation of all of the WTO’s Bali Ministerial decisions in its draft communiqué 

He also garnered the support of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Russia for India’s standpoint. India is not opposed to the TFA as it increases the ease of doing business but wants its adoption postponed till there is “satisfactory” progress on finding a permanent protection for its minimum support prices to farmers against the WTO’s agriculture subsidy caps that are benchmarked to food prices of the 1980s. At the WTO’s General Council meeting in Geneva on July 31, India stalled the ratification of the TFA owing to these concerns.

India got a reference to BRICS and disappointment with poor progress on the IMF quota reforms also included in the ASEM communiqué. The communiqué talks about enhanced cooperation between countries of Asia and Europe to create sustainable and profitable growth.

The reasons for India’s opposing to WTO’s agreement
  • According to the WTO rule, public stockholdings must not exceed 10% of the value of food grains produced and calculated at the base price of 1986-88. India says that one cannot calculate current food subsidy limits by 1986-88 prices.
  • For most of the developing countries including India, public stockholding for food security is a livelihood issue, a matter which should not be even debated at WTO.
  • Developed countries lose nothing if they allow higher public stockholding by developing countries after putting in place a mechanism with reasonable limits to ensure developing countries do not dump their excess cereals at rock bottom prices in the international market.
  • Food security is the foundation upon which the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger stand. Forcing developing countries and Least Developed Countries to agree to anything which may compromise their right to food security will not only compromise basic human dignity but also go against the UN declaration to which all countries are a signatory.
  • The government support to farmers in developed countries are way ahead of what developing countries can even afford to provide. For example, while India provides about $12 billion farm subsidy to its 500 million farmers, the US provides around $120 billion to its 2 million farmers. The figures could be contested, but not the trends.
  • There is wide realisation in India at the state and central government level about the rising burden of subsidies and there is a serious move to make it more targeted through the use of technology as in the case of the Direct Benefits Transfer programme. To expect it to happen at the pace developed countries wish means one does not understand the complexities of a country like India.

WHO honoured Bangladesh and Timor-Leste for Excellence in Public Health

The World Health Organisation (WHO) honoured Bangladesh and Timor-Leste with South East Asia Regional Award for Excellence in Public Health. The newly instituted awards were presented to Saima Hossain of Bangladesh and National Malaria Control Programme of Timor-Leste in Dhaka on 10 September 2014.
Saima Hossain was conferred the Award in the individual category for leadership in advancing the cause of Autism in South East Asia and worldwide. She is a chairperson of National Advisory Committee on Neuro development and Autism in the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare of Bangladesh.
The National Malaria Control Programme of Timor-Leste was conferred the Award in the region category for its aggressive anti-malaria effort which has drastically reduced malaria cases in Timor-Leste.

Solar power technology Electrodialysis unveiled in India to desalinate water

A new solar power technology Electrodialysis unveiled in India in second week of September 2014 that can turn undrinkable salty water into clean and filtered drinking water. 
The technology was unveiled by the researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The same technology can also be used for disaster relief and for military use in remote locations.

About Electrodialysis
•    Electrodialysis works by passing a stream of water between two electrodes with opposite charges.
•    The electrodes pull the ions out of the water as the salt dissolved in water consists of positive and negative ions. It leaves fresher water at the center of the flow. 
•    A series of membranes separate the freshwater stream from salty ones.
•    Unlike reverse-osmosis technology, the use of membranes in Electrodialysis is exposed to lower pressures and can be cleared of salt by simply reversing the electrical polarity.

Reasons behind the need for desalinating drinking water 
•    Approximately 60 percent of India contains salty water. Much of that area is not served by an electric grid that could help run conventional reverse-osmosis desalination plants.
•    Though moderately salty water is not directly toxic, but it can have long-term effects on health. Its unpleasant taste can make people turn to other dirtier water sources.
•    Many homes in India currently use home-based filtration systems to treat water. But, the village-scale system will be more effective as it will become easy for people to access filtered water.
•    By blending village-scale Electrodialysis systems with a simple set of solar panels, enough water can be supplied to meet the needs of a village comprising 2000 to 5000 people.

Report titled Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion 2014 released by UNEP and WMO

A report titled Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion 2014 was released on 10 September 2014. The report has been prepared by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The report revealed that the ozone layer is well on track to recovery in the next few decades.
Highlights of the Report
• Actions taken under the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer in 1986 are enabling the return of the ozone layer to benchmark 1980 levels.
• The Montreal Protocol and associated agreements have led to decreases in the atmospheric abundance of gases, such as CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) and halons, once used in products such as refrigerators, spray cans, insulation foam and fire suppression.
• Total column ozone declined over most of the globe during the 1980s and early 1990s. Since 2000, it has remained relatively unchanged, but there are recent indications of its future recovery.
• The Antarctic ozone hole continues to occur each spring and it is expected to continue occurring for the better part of this century given that ozone depleting substances persist in the atmosphere, even though their emissions have ceased.
• The Arctic stratosphere in winter or spring 2011 was particularly cold that led to large ozone depletion as expected under these conditions.
• The Montreal Protocol has made large contributions toward reducing global greenhouse gas emissions. 
• In 1987, ozone-depleting substances contributed about 10 gigatonnes of CO2-equivalent emissions per year. The Montreal Protocol has now reduced these emissions by more than 90 percent. 
• The decrease in ozone-depleting substances is about five times larger than the annual emissions reduction target for the first commitment period (2008-2012) of the Kyoto Protocol on climate change.
• Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) currently contribute about 0.5 gigatonnes of CO2-equivalent emissions per year. These emissions are growing at a rate of about 7 percent per year. Though HFCS do not harm the ozone layer but many of them are potent greenhouse gases.
• The annual Antarctic ozone hole has caused significant changes in Southern Hemisphere surface climate in the summer due to cooling of the lower stratosphere there is associated impacts on surface temperature, precipitation, and the oceans.
• In the Northern Hemisphere, where the ozone depletion is smaller, there is no strong link between stratospheric ozone depletion and tropospheric climate.
• The concentrations of CO2, methane and nitrous oxide are the three main long-lived greenhouse gases in the atmosphere which will tend to increase global ozone levels.

Narendra Ambwani elected as chairman of the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI)

Narendra Ambwani on 12 September 2014 elected as Chairman of the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI). 
He succeeded Partha Rakshit. Narendra Ambwani is the Director of Agro Tech Foods Ltd. 
He has been a member of the board of governors for seven years and provided active support to self-regulation in the advertising market. 
Moreover, Benoy Roy Chawdhuri was elected as Vice-Chairman and Shashidhar Sinha was appointed Honorary Treasurer. 

About Advertising Standards Council of India 


The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) was established in 1985. ASCI has been committed to the cause of Self-Regulation in Advertising, ensuring the protection of the interests of consumers. 
ASCI was formed with the support of all four sectors connected with Advertising -- Advertisers, Advertising Agencies, Media (including Broadcasters and the Press) and others like PR Agencies and Market Research Companies.The Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) is the agency of ASCI.

Achievements of ASCI


In a noteworthy achievement, ASCI issued guidelines on skin lightening & fairness products which ensured that these advertisements do not depict people with dark skin as somehow inferior to those who are fairer. 
Also recently, the Government took notice of ASCI’s efforts to curb teleshopping ads that violate ASCI Code and ensured a strict compliance of the advertising code in the Cable Television Networks Act (CTN).

U.C. Nahta has appointed member of Competition Commission of India (CCI)

The government has appointed U.C. Nahta as member of Competition Commission of India (CCI) for five years. He was a Director in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

India ranking in different Indexes for 2013 ‐ 14

1. Global Environment Performance Index 2014 – 155
2. Intellectual property (IP) environment 2014 – 25 (US ranked on the top followed by UK and France)
3. World Press Freedom Index 2014 ‐ 140 in the list of 180 countries
4. World's best countries for doing business 2014 – 134
5. Global Peace Index 2014 143
6. Global Hunger Index 2013 63
7. World Prosperity Index 2013 – 106.
8. Human Development Report 2013 136
9. Global Corruption Index 2013 94
10. Global Competitiveness Index 2013 ‐60 for 2013 (Switzerland top in this report)

FDI Limits

List of Limits in Various Sectors (In %)
1. Defence   - Raised to 49% from 26%
2. Pension   - 49
3. Insurance -  49
4. Print Media -  26
5. Civil Aviation - 49
6. Public Sec. Banks - 20
7. Private Sec. Banks -74
8. Multi Brand  - 51
9. Single Brand  - 100
10. Tourism  - 100

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Former RBI Governor Bimal Jalan to head the Expenditure Management Commission

The Union Government decided to appoint former RBI governor Bimal Jalan as the head of the Expenditure Management Commission on 12 August 2014. He would be tasked to suggest ways for managing public finances by reducing food, fertiliser and oil subsidies to include fiscal deficit. 

Expenditure Management Commission
Union Finance minister Arun Jaitley had announced the setting up of an Expenditure Management Commission in the Union Budget 2014-15 in July 2014. The purpose of setting up the commission is to cut-off the spending and review government expenditure to get maximum output.
The Commission will submit its interim report before the Budget of 2015-16 and its final report before the Budget of 2016-17.

Subsidies on Food, petroleum and fertilisers
In revised estimates for 2013-14, the subsidy bill on food, petroleum and fertilisers was 245451.50 crore rupees. For 2014-15, the subsidy bill is estimated to be 251397.25 crore rupees. 

The increase in subsidy bill for 2014-15 is due to the increased allocation for fertiliser sector. The government estimated total fertiliser subsidy bill of 72970.30 crore rupees than the amount of 67970 crore rupees that was proposed in the interim budget.

The government allocated the total amount of 115000 crore rupees which includes a provision of 88500 crore rupees for the implementation of National Food Security Act.

Previous Expenditure Reforms Commission
During the year 1999-2000, Atal Bihari Vajpayee government initiated Expenditure Reforms Commission (ERC) headed by former finance secretary K P Geethakrishnan. This commission recommended for reducing the central government machinery and winding up of some government departments. Certain recommendations of the commission were implemented during the reign of finance minister Yashwant Sinha. 

In 2002, UPA government appointed Vijay Kelkar Committee, former finance secretary, for fiscal consolidation plan which included reduction in subsidies. His panel suggested increasing diesel and cooking gas prices gradually. His recommendations are followed today.

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Capitals, Governors and Chief Ministers of Indian States


StatesCapitalsGovernorsChief Ministers
(1) Andhra PradeshHyderabadMr. E.S.L.NarasimhanMr. N. Chandrababu Naidu
(2) Arunachal PradeshItanagarLieutenant General (Retd) Nirbhay SharmaMr. Nabam Tuki
(3) AssamDispurMr. J. B. PatnaikMr. Tarun Gogoi
(4) BiharPatnaMr. D. Y. PatilMr. Jitan Ram Manjhi
(5) ChhattisgarhRaipurMr. Ram Naresh YadavDr. Raman Singh
(6) GoaPanajiMr. B.V. WanchooMr. Manohar Parrikar
(7) GujaratGandhinagarMs. Margaret Alva (Additional charge)Ms. Anandiben Patel
(8) HaryanaChandigarhMr. Jagannath PahadiaMr. Bhupinder S. Hooda
(9) Himachal PradeshShimlaMs. Urmila SinghMr. Virbhadra Singh
(10) Jammu and KashmirSrinagar (Summer) Jammu (Winter)Mr. N. N. VohraMr. Omar Abdullah
(11) JharkhandRanchiDr. Syed AhmedMr. Hemant Soren
(12) KarnatakaBengaluruMr. K RosaiahMr. K. Siddaramaiah
(13) KeralaThiruvananthapuramMs. Sheila DikshitShri. Oommen Chandy
(14) Madhya PradeshBhopalMr. Ram Naresh YadavMr. Shivraj Singh Chauhan
(15) MaharashtraMumbaiMr. K. SankaranarayanMr. Prithviraj Chavan
(16) ManipurImphalDr. Ashwani Kumar 
(additional charge)
Mr.Okram Ibobi Singh
(17) MeghalayaShillongDr. K. K. PaulMr. Mukul A. Sangma
(18) MizoramAizawlDr. Kamla BeniwalMr. Lal Thanhawla
(19) NagalandKohimaMr. Vakkom PurushothamanMr. Neiphiu Rio
(20) OdishaBhubaneswarMr. S.C. JamirMr. Naveen Patnaik
(21) PunjabChandigarhMr. Shivraj V. PatilMr. Parkash Singh Badal
(22) RajasthanJaipurMs. Margaret AlvaSmt. Vasundhara Raje
(23) SikkimGangtokMr. Shriniwas D. PatilMr. Pawan Chamling
(24) Tamil NaduChennaiMr. K RosaiahMs. J. Jayalalithaa
(25) TripuraAgartalaMr. Vakkom Purushothaman (Additional charge)Mr. Manik Sarkar
(26) TelanganaHyderabadMr. E.S.L.NarasimhanMr. K. Chandrasekhar Rao
(27) UttarakhandDehradunDr. Aziz QureshiMr. Harish Rawat
(28) Uttar PradeshLucknowDr. Aziz QureshiMr. Akhilesh Yadav
(29) West BengalKolkataMr. M. K. NarayananMs. Mamata Banerjee

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

List of IIFA Awards 2014 Winners

The IIFA Awards have been announced. The winners are:

● Best Film : Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
● Best Director : Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra for Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
● Best Actor : Farhan Akhtar for Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
● Best Actress : Deepika Padukone for Chennai Express
● Best Entertainer of the Year : Deepika Padukone
● Best Debutant : Dhanush for Raanjhanaa
● Best Supporting Actress : Divya Dutta for Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
● Best Supporting Actor : Aditya Roy Kapur for Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani 
● Best Male Playback Singer : Arijit Singh for Tum Hi Ho from Aashiqui 2
● Best Female Playback Singer : Shreya Ghoshal for Tum Hi Ho from Aashiqui 2
● Best Lyrics Writer : Mithoon for Tum Hi Ho from Aashiqui 2
● Best Story : Prashoon Joshi for Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
● Best Performance in a Comic Role : Arshad Warsi for Jolly LLB
● Best Performance in Negative Role : Rishi Kapoor for D Day 
● Outstanding Contribution to Indian Cinema : Shatrughan Sinha
● Best Cinematography : Binod Pradhan for Bhaag Milkha Bhaag 
● Best Screenplay : Prasoon Joshi for Bhaag Milkha Bhaag 
● Best Dialogue : Prasoon Joshi for Bhaag Milkha Bhaag 
● Best Editing : P S Bharti for Bhaag Milkha Bhaag 
● Best Production Design : Wasiq Khan for Goliyon Ki Rasleela- Ramleela 
● Best Choreography : Remo D'souza for Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani 
● Best Action : Sham Kaushal and Tony Ching Siu Tung for Krrish 3
● Best Sound Design : Nakul Kamte for Bhaag Milkha Bhaag 
● Best Song Recording : Vinod Verma for Lungi Dance
● Best Sound Mixing : Anup Dev for Chennai Express, Debajit Changmai for Bhaag Milkha Bhaag 
● Best Background Score : Shankar-Ehsaan- Loy for Bhaag Milkha Bhaag 
● Best Special Effects : Keitan Yadav & Haresh Hingorani - Red Chillies VFX
● Best Costume Designing : Dolly Ahluwalia for Bhaag Milkha Bhaag 
● Best Make-up : Vikram Gaikwad for Bhaag Milkha Bhaag