Defence Exam

CDS Exam 1st 2014 :
Starting date of notification : 02nd November 2013.
Closing date for receipt of applications : 02nd December 2013.
Date of commencement of exam : 09th February 2014 (Sunday).

ECONOMY

Microsoft Decided To Buy Nokia’s Mobile Phone Unit and Services
Microsoft Corporation and Nokia Corporation on 3 September announced that both companies have decided to enter into a transaction whereby Microsoft will purchase substantially all of Nokia’s Devices & Services business, license Nokia’s patents, and license and use Nokia’s mapping services.Under the terms of the agreement, Microsoft will pay 3.79 billion Euros to purchase substantially all of Nokia’s Devices & Services business, and 1.65 billion Euros to license Nokia’s patents, for a total transaction price of 5.44 billion Euros in cash.Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications and information technology corporation (originally a paper production plant) that is headquartered in Espoo, Finland.Its principal products are mobile telephones and portable IT devices.Nokia owns a company named Nokia Solutions and Networks, which provides telecommunications network equipment and services.

India Now Has 7850 Ultra Wealthy Individuals
On 11 September According to the ” 2013 Wealth-X report “, India has 7850 UHNW (Ultra-High-Net-Worth) individuals in 2013 compared to 7730 in 2012 an increased of 1.6 percent. Out of these, 103 individuals have wealth of over USD 1 Billion dollars. The billionaire club has shrunk from 109 people in 2012 to 103 in 2013.Total combined wealth of billionaires also fell by 5.3 per cent $180 billion ($190 bn in 2012).A city-wise analysis shows that more than 90 per cent of India’s UHNW population live in top 10 cities including Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Pune, Gurgaon and Jaipur.Mumbai and Delhi, however, dominate with more than 50 per cent of the country’s UHNW population based in one of these two cities.

Cabinet Approved Buying $ 4.3 billion World Bank Bonds
The Union Cabinet on 12 September gave the go-ahead to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to invest $4.3 billion in special bonds of the World Bank as it would help in securing additional funding from the multilateral lending agency for infrastructure development projects.Under the arrangement, the Reserve Bank of India will subscribe to special private placement of bonds by the IBRD, a lending arm of the World Bank.

Indian Economy To Grow At 5.3% In 2013-14
The Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (of India) on 13 September 2013 released the report “ Economic Outlook 2013-14 “ in New Delhi.The economic growth forecast of India for the current fiscal 2013-14 was lowered to 5.3 percent from 6.4 percent projected earlier. The PMEAC had in April 2013 projected 6.4 percent growth for Indian economy for current financial year.RBI too had earlier lowered its growth projection for this fiscal to 5.5 percent from 5.7 percent.
Highlights of the of Economic Outlook India are as following : -
* The PMEAC expects the agriculture sector to grow by 4.8 percent in the current fiscal up from 1.9 percent, while the industrial growth has been pegged at 2.7 percent as against 2.1 percent in 2012-13.
* Services projected to grow at 6.6%in 2013-14 as against 7.1% in 2012-13.
* Referring to the external sector, the advisory council expressed hope that the Current Account Deficit (CAD) in 2013-14 will come down to 70 billion US dollars or 3.8 percent of GDP, from 88.2 billion US dollars or 4.8 percent a year ago.
* The trade deficit ,would come down to around USD 185 billion in 2013-14, against an estimated USD 195.7 billion in 2012-13.
* Between 2010-11 and 2012-13, the combined impact of higher net oil and net gold imports on the CAD (Current Account Deficit) was almost 57 billion US dollars or 3 percent of GDP.
* The CAD may go even below $ 70 billion in 2013-14 if the recent trends in exports and imports are maintained through the year.
* Net Capital flows are projected to fall to USD 61.4 billion in 2013-14 against an estimated USD 89.4 billion in 2012-13 putting pressure on the country’s forex reserves.

RBI Increases Repo Rate By 25 Basis Points
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 20 September increased the repo rate or the short term lending rate by 25 basis points to 7.5 per cent from 7.25 per cent with immediate effect. This means that the Repo rate has been increased by 0.25 percent.The cash reserve ratio (CRR) remained unchanged at 4 percent.The RBI previously raised the repo rate in October 2011 by 0.25 per cent to 8.5 per cent.

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

Read more: Current Affairs September 2013 Study Material | FreeJobAlert.com http://currentaffairs.freejobalert.com/september-2013-current-affairs-study-material/5521/

INTERNATIONAL

Ban Ki-moon Secretary General, United Nations Organisations
Jan EliassonDeputy Secretary General,UNDr.
Jim Yong Kim President, World Bank
Christine Lagarde Managing Director, International Monetary Fund(IMF)I
rina Bokova Director General, UNESCO
Dr. Margaret Chan Director General, WHO
Guy Ryder DirectorGeneral, Inter-national Labour Organization
Anthony Lake Executive Director, United Nations International Children's
Emergency Fund(UNICEF)
Antonio Guterres UN High Commissioner for Refugee
Angel Gurria Secretary-General, Organisation of Economic Cooperation And
Development (OECD)
Peter Tomka President, International Court of Justice
Take hiko Nakao President, Asian Development Bank
Donald Kaberuka President, African Development Bank
Jacques Rogge President,International Olympic Committee
Kamalesh Sharma Secretary-General, Commonwealth
Thomas Yayi Boni Chairman, African Union Assembly
Roberto Azevedo Director - General, WTO
Navanetham Pillay High Commissioner, UN High Commission for Human Rights
Herman Van Rompuy President, European Council
Alan Issac President, International Cricket Council
Jose Manuel Durao Barroso President, European Commission
Kandeh K. Yumkella Director - General, UNIDO
Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani Secretary-General, Gulf Co- operation Council
Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu Secretary-General, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
Abdallah Salem el-Badri OPEC Jose Miguel Insulza Salinas Secretary-General, Organisation of American States
Hifikepunye Pohamba President, South West African People's Organisation
Mr. Yukia Amano Director - General, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
Anders Fogh Rasmussen Secretary-General, North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)
Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin Executive Director, UNFPA

Mission CDS• National Food Security Law on Anvil
Ministry for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution introduced amendments in the National Food Security Bill in the Lok Sabha on 9 May 2013 and placed the amended Bill for consideration and passing by the House.
• Govt declares 2013 as Water Conservation Year The decision to declare the year 2013 as Water Conservation Year 2013 was approved by the Union Cabinet of India on 9 May 2013. A number of mass awareness activities will be undertaken during Water Conservation Year 2013 with emphasis on sensitizing the masses on water related issues, encourage them to conserve and use it judiciously.
• New guidelines for Indira Awas Yojna
The government on 13 May 2013 approved new guidelines for the Indira Awas Yojna Scheme for rural poor. Building Toilets has been made compulsory under the Indira Awas Yojna. Manual scavengers freed bonded labourers and tribal groups will be given preference in allotments.The allocation for each dwelling unit was increased from 45000 rupees to75000 rupees. In Maoist-affected and hilly regions, the allocation would now be 75000 rupees from the existing 48500 rupees. Landless labourers which were given 10000 rupees for
• Expert Committee to measure Backwardness of states
The Union Government on 15 May 2013 had set up an expert Committee under the supervision Raghuram G Rajan, Chief Economic Adviser to evolve a composite index to measure backwardness of states.The panel is set up in consistent to the Budget announcement, and it can also invite other experts as Special Invitees for discussions.
• India world's 3rd largest economy: OECD
The Indian economy has probably recently surpassed Japan to be the third largest economy globally, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has said. But, the OECD revised downwards its forecast for growth for India in 2013 to 5.3% from the previous 5.9% and said the recovery would be aided by the efforts being made to speed up approval for large projects as well as partial deregulation of foreign direct investment.
PM says fundamentals of economy are strong, invites investors
Asserting that the fundamentals of the Indian economy were strong, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressed confidence that the country would return to the growth of eight per cent per annum. The Prime Minister said opportunities for investment were abounding in India and invited investors to come to the country.
US Scientists created first Cloned Human Embryo
A group of US Scientists in second week of May 2013 declared that they have succeeded in creating a cloned human embryo using the technique that helped in developing the cloned sheep in 1996. The scientists took fifteen years to create the cloned embryo. The team of scientists developed the embryo using skin samples of a woman's egg to develop an early cloned human embryo. Aim of this research is development of a source of stem cells not a baby. These can be helpful in repair of damage created after heart attack or brains of patients of Parkinson's disease.
Superbug H041 can be more deadly than AIDS
Doctors have warned that the new sexually transmitted Sex-Superbug named H041 can be much more deadly than the AIDS virus. Recently, two cases of the sex-superbug were confirmed in Hawaii. Doctors have claimed that the superbug is the antibiotic resistant strain of gonorrhea. In 2011, the superbug was discovered for the first time in Japan and then it spread to Hawaii and now visible in Norway and California. As per Doctors, the H041 bacteria can be much more deadly than the AIDS Virus because the bacteria is more aggressive and will affect more people quickly and effect is more direct.

• Trade of Peacock feathers banned
The Environment Ministry of India decided to put a ban on the trade of peacock feathers as a measure to conserve the national bird of India- peacock. The government has no data regarding peacock population, but it is evident that the number of peacocks in India is dwindling because of poaching of the feathers which fetches good price in not just international markets, but also within Indian markets.
Hill Forts of Rajasthan and Himalayan National Park to be World Heritage
Rajasthan and Great Himalayan National Park: India nominated cluster of six hill forts in Rajasthan as well as Great Himalayan National Park in Himachal Pradesh for World Heritage Sites for 2013. The UNESCO's World Heritage Committee will be held in Phnom Penh in Cambodia in June 2013 and conferring the status of World Heritage Sites on these places will be decided in this meeting.
India and China signed Eight Agreements
China's new premier Li Keqiang's visited India on his first foreign trip to India from 19-22, May, 2013 since taking his office in March 2013. Both the countries are looking for speeding up their efforts to settle a decades-old border dispute and strengthen economic ties. The leaders of both the countries had a thorough exchange of views on bilateral relations and regional and international issues of common interest in a sincere and cordial atmosphere and reached broad consensus.

2014 declared as India-China Friendship Year
2014 was declared as the Friendship Year by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang for increased people-to-people interaction between India and China. 2014 was declared as the year of exchanges between the two countries in order to enhance friendship and understanding. As a measure, Li Keqiang declared that they would support Chinese enterprises to increase investments in India and help Indian products to have access to Chinese market.

Indian National Defence University to be set up in Gurgaon
Indian National Defence University, a dedicated first-of-its-kind institution for training and research in military studies will be set up in Gurgaon on 23 May 2013. The sprawling 200 acre campus will be set up in Binola village with an estimated cost of 300 crore rupees. The proposed institute will be equipped with training and research facilities on all aspects of national security as part of the strategic national policy-making. While one-third of its strength will comprise of civilian students, the remaining seats will be reserved for in-service defence personnel.

• India test fires BrahMos Supersonic Cruise Missile
India on 22 May 2013 successfully test fired the 290-km range BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from the Navy's latest guided missile frigate INS Tarkash off the coast of Goa. The missile performed the high-level 'C' manoeuvre in the pre-determined flight path and successfully hit the target. Jointly developed by India and Russia, the BrahMos is capable of carrying a conventional warhead of 300 kg.

• Percentage of people below poverty line declines to 21.9
The percentage of people below poverty line declined sharply to 21.9 in the financial year 2011-12 from 37.2 recorded in 2004-15, official data showed Tuesday. The decline was sharper in urban areas. In the financial year ended March 2012, percentage of people below poverty line in urban areas was 13.7 while in rural area it was 25.7, according to data released by the Planning Commission.
RBI leaves key rates unchanged; cuts growth forecast
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Tuesday left all key policy rates unchanged to support the battered rupee and said the recent liquidity tightening measures will be rolled back when stability returns to the currency markets. In the first quarter review of the monetary policy, the central bank cut growth forecast for the current financial year to 5.5 percent from its earlier projection of 5.7 percent, saying continued domestic as well as global uncertainties would hit the Indian economy.
Rashtriya Uchhtar Shiksha Abhiyan Launched
The Union government of India on 8 June 2013 decided to launch National Higher education Campaign, Rashtriya Ucchatar Shiksha Abhiyan, to focus on equity based development, improvement in teaching-learning quality and research. Under it, funds will be provided to public Universities and Colleges so that higher educational institutes do not rely heavily on the affiliation fees.
India launches satellite for better weather forecast
India's advanced satellite Insat-3D, which was launched early Friday onboard Ariane-5 rocket from Kourou in French Guiana off the Pacific coast, will improve weather and monsoon forecasting system. "After a perfect lift-off at 01:24am from the European Arianespace spaceport at Kourou, the two-tonne advanced weather satellite was placed in the geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO) 32 minutes later, about 36,000km above from earth," the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said in a statement here.
Union Government of India proposed plan to raise FDI Limit in Key Sectors
To promote India as an attractive destination for investment, the Union Finance Ministry on 18 June 2013 proposed sweeping changes in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) regime. The committee that was headed by the Economic Affairs Secretary Arvind Mayaram recommended to raise the Foreign Direct Investment limit to 49 percent from 26 percent at present in almost all sectors like multi-brand retail, defence and telecom through automatic route.
Foreign Investment Promotion Board Approved Eight FDI Proposals
The Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) on 31 May 2013 approved eight FDI proposals, which include those of McKinsey & Company, ACME Solar Energy and GETIT Infoservices. These eight proposals are worth 696 crore Rupees. FIPB cleared ACME Solar Energy's proposal to get 275 crore Rupees foreign investment. The foreign investment worth 216 crore Rupees was roped in by clearance to GETIT Infoservices.
India Beat England by Five Runs to Win ICC Champions Trophy 2013
Birmingham: India clinched the ICC Champions Trophy 2013 on 23 June 2013 against England at Edgbaston in Birmingham with a five-run victory. India made a total of 129 runs in 20 overs for seven wickets. It then restricted England to 124 for eight. Ravindra Jadeja was declared as the Man of the Match after he took two wickets and scored unbeaten 33 runs. He was also awarded with the Golden Ball for grabbing maximum number of wickets in the series.

• Manjeet Singh bagged Silver Medal at 3rd China Open Boxing Tournament
Manjeet Singh bagged a Silver medal for India at the 3rd China Open boxing tournament on 22 June 2013. In the final of the super heavy weight category (+91kg), the 21-year-old Indian went down to local lad Akepeer Yusuf. Although Manjeet lost in the final, he became the only Indian boxer to reach the final of the third China Open boxing tournament. It was his first international tournament.The boxing tournament was held in Guiyang, China.
• Genetic Engineering Approval Committee Gave Approval for Field Trials of 5 GM Crops
The Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) permitted certain companies as well as the research institutes for conducting the field trials of 5 GM (genetically modified) crops. The trials for development of genetically modified cotton, maize, castor, wheat and rice were permitted. The specialty of GM crops is that they are formulated for getting protection against the insects. Also, these crops are resistant to salinity and water. Also, they are more resistance to the use of nitrogen which is required by them for growing efficiently.
Early Tsunami Warning System installed in Rangachang
Chief Scientist of the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), Vinith Kumar on 11 June 2013 announced that the Early Tsunami Warning System (ETWS) installed at Rangachang in Andaman and Nicobar Islands can predict a tsunami immediately after an earthquake. Vinith Kumar claimed that the new technology installed can predict the Tsunami within 3 minutes after the initial tremors are felt and can send alerts.
UNESCO declared Six Forts of Rajasthan as World Heritage Sites
Six Forts of Rajasthan included in the list of World Heritage Site of UNESCO and won international recognition on 21 June 2013 in the 37th session of the World Heritage Committee (WHC) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The six majestic forts include Amber (Jaipur), Kumbhalgarh, Chittorgarh, Jaisalmer, Ranthambhore (Sawai Madhopur) and Gagaron (Jhalawar).
Devap Air-Cooling System to be used in Nalanda University
Architects building Nalanda International University at Bihar decided to make use of the Desiccant Enhanced Evaporative or the Devap air-cooling system. It is the first time that this kind of system will be used in India. The Devap system functions by making use of dessicant material which gets rid of the moisture from using by making use of heat. The system also makes use of the evaporative technologies which bring cooling by making use of up to 90 percent less energy in comparison to the older methods.
India-Myanmar set Three Billion Dollar Trade Target by 2015
India and Myanmar set three billion dollar trade target by 2015 during the meeting of India's energy minister Anand Sharma with his Myanmar counterpart U Than Htay in New Delhi held on 6 June 2013. India conveyed the interest of Indian banks in setting up their branches in Myanmar. It also conveyed its interest in deepening cooperation in the fields of energy, oil and natural gas. Improving air, road and water connectivity between the two countries was also discussed during the meeting.
India and Nepal agreed to address Each Other's Security Concerns
India and Nepal on 1 June 2013 agreed to address each other's security concerns and curb illegal activities across the open border. The agreement took place during the annual Home Secretary-level talks held in Kathmandu. Both nations agreed to increase vigilance and cooperation in border areas against criminal activities such as human and drug trafficking, smuggling of Indian counterfeit currency and trade in illegal substances.
IAF launched Operation Rahat to rescue Pilgrims in Uttarakhand and HP
Indian Air Force received its first of the ten Boeing C-17 Globemaster III Aircraft from United States on 18 June 2013. The first C-17 Globemaster landed at Hindan Airbase in India. The IAF signed a 4.1 billion US dollar deal with Boeing to get 10 C-17 Aircraft. The deal was signed after conducting a thorough study of its capabilities of being operational under all conditions and abilities to take-off from short runways with heavy loads

• Indo-Russian INDRA 2013 military exercise will take place in October 2013
Indo-Russian INDRA 2013 military exercise is scheduled to take place in October 2013 at Mahajan field firing range of Rajasthan in India. The joint Military exercise will involve over 250 servicemen from the Eastern Military District and the same number of troops will be involved from the Indian armed forces. Around 250 Russian servicemen from the Eastern Military District are already set to join Russo-Indian joint ground and naval drills at Indra-2013.
• Landmark verdict gives big boost to cancer patients
'In a ruling that will help patients continue to buy several life-saving medicines as generic drugs, the Supreme Court on Monday held that the modification of a well known cancer-fighting drug is not a patentable new invention.
The judgment allows suppliers to continue making generic copies of Swiss firm Novartis' Glivec or Gleevec, which has been shown to fight chronic blood cancer effectively. While the Novartis drug costs more than Rs 1 lakh per month, with doctors often advising patients to take it lifelong, the generic equivalents cost less than one-tenth. The ruling would be a relief to some 300,000 patients in India currently taking the drug.
Observers say that the Court's judgment sets a precedent against the practice of "evergreening" — a strategy through which drug manufacturers introduce modifications of drugs to extend the five-year patents on them. They say that other "evergreening" patent applications could be rejected citing this judgment, helping to keep many life-saving drugs out of the patent regime and pushing down costs.

Andhra to supply nine food items for Rs.185 to poor
Hyderabad, April 11 (IANS) The Andhra Pradesh government Thursday launched a new scheme to supply a basket of nine essential commodities to Below Poverty Line (BPL) families in the state.
On the occasion of 'Ugadi', the Telugu New Year, Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy launched the scheme, Amma Hastam, under which every BPL family will be supplied one pack a month through fair price shops for Rs.185.
Minister for Civil Supplies D. Sridhar Babu said 2.25 crore white card ration holders will get the pack, with one kg of red gram, palmolein oil, whole meal flour, wheat, iodized salt, half kg sugar, tamarind, quarter kg chilli powder and 100 gm turmeric powder.
• Sahara India Pariwar's Sahara Q Shop Entered into the Guinness World Records
The retail business of Sahara India Pariwar called Sahara Q Shop entered into the Guinness World Records when it opened record 315 outlets in 10 states of India, just at one time on 1 April 2013.
The commencement of these retail outlets was closely monitored by the Guinness World Records' officials in order to verify as well as register new world record of Sahara Q Shop. The certificate of the record was presented to Subrata Roy, the group chairman.
The Sahara Q Shop stands against adulteration and quality consumer merchandise products at the fair prices. At present, Sahara has 550 operational stores. By the end of 2013-14, Sahara expects to open 10000 stores across India.

• Scientists developed Device to detect Gastro-Intestinal Cancers
Scientists developed a prototype of an advanced multi-bending cholangioscope to detect and cure Gastro-Intestinal Cancers. Earlier, most patients used to visit a physician when the disease was in an advanced stage. This new equipment has a video camera and can bend easily. It could detect cancers of bile duct, liver and pancreas. It will help in detecting the disease in early stage.
The multi-bending peroral direct cholangioscope (PDCS) cannot be inserted free-hand into the bile duct. But a high success rate of direct insertion will be achieved if the endoscope is passed over a guide-wire and an anchoring balloon. In fact, pancreatic cancer is the third most prevalent gastro-intestinal cancer in India whereas liver cancer is the most common.
Union Government Approved Project for National Optical Fibre Network Creation in Gram Panchayats
The Government of India approved the project for creation of National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) connecting all the 250000 Gram Panchayats (GPs) in the country through Optical Cable (OFC). The Union Government decided to fund the project through Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF).
The State Government on the other hand, will have the role of providing free Right of Way (RoW) for laying OFC. The project envisaged signing a tripartite MoU for free Right of Way (RoW) among the Union Government, State Government and Bharat Broadband Network Limited (BBNL).
16 States/UTs signed the MoUs on 26 October 2012. These states and UTs were Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Manipur, Mizoram, Rajasthan, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and 3 Union Territories viz. Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu and Puducherry. Under the MoUs, 140727 GPs will be facilitated with Optical Fibre Network in these States and UTs.
Supreme Court of India Ordered Relocation of Endangered Asiatic Lions from Gujarat to MP
A bench led by Justice K S Radhakrishnan of the Supreme Court of India on 15 April 2013 ordered Gujarat to share the endangered Asiatic lions with its neighbouring state- Madhya Pradesh. The population of these Asiatic lions has almost become negligible but because of certain conservation efforts in the state of Gujarat in past 50 years, these endangered lions have been saved from extinction. At present, the population of these lions in Gir forests of Gujarat is 400.
The political leaders in Gujarat resisted relocation of these lions, but Supreme Court ordered that they should be relocated in order to save them from elimination because of fire or epidemic. Conversationalists too had recommended establishment of second sanctuary outside Gujarat in order to make sure about genetic diversification.

• CBI given the Charge to Probe into Rhino Killing in Assam
The State Environment and Forest Minister of Assam, Rockybul Hussain on 7 April 2013 announced that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was given the charge of probing into the killing of Rhinos in the State. The decision was taken following a communication passed by the Union Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions to the state.
The decision of initiating a CBI probe into the killings of the rhinos from the centre came up following the repeated incidences of poaching and rhino killings in the Kaziranga National Park and other wildlife parks of the state.
The details of the number of cases undertaken by CBI for probing into and the time-period of investigation were not cleared. Apart from this to protect rhinos from poaching activity, the National Tiger Conservation Authority of the Union Environment and Forests Ministry will undertake test flights of unmanned aerial vehicles over the sanctuary from today.

Indian-Origin Economist Raj Chetty Won John Bates Clark Medal For 2013
Delhi-born Raj Chetty, the professor in the Department of Economy at the Harvard University won John Bates Clark medal for 2013, also called Baby Nobel. Raj Chetty's work was also cited by the US President Barack Obama in State of the Union Address.
John Bates Clark medal is conferred upon the American economist whose age is below 40 years and the one who has made crucial contribution to economic knowledge and thought. Baby Nobel is one of the most prestigious awards of economy. Infact, it is second only after Nobel Prize in economic science.

Raj Chetty, 33, is the first Indian-origin person to win this high honour. His areas of work include social insurance, tax policy as well as education policy.
SC allows Sterlite to operate Tamil Nadu plant
New Delhi: The Supreme Court Tuesday allowed the Sterlite Industries' smelting copper plant to continue operations in Tamil Nadu's Tuticorin and asked it to deposit Rs.100 crore with the authorities to restore the environmental damages.
The apex court bench of Justice A.K. Patnaik and Justice S.J. Mukhopadhyay said the amount was imposed in view of the pollution caused by the plant in the Tuticorin area from 1997 to 2011.
"An amount less than this will not have the desired deterrent effect," Justice Patnaik said while pronouncing the judgment. The court said that its order directing the Sterlite Industries India Ltd. to pay damages of Rs.100 crore would not stand in the way of any other damage claims during that period by way of civil suit.
• Landmark verdict gives big boost to cancer patients
'In a ruling that will help patients continue to buy several life-saving medicines as generic drugs, the Supreme Court on Monday held that the modification of a well known cancer-fighting drug is not a patentable new invention.
The judgment allows suppliers to continue making generic copies of Swiss firm Novartis' Glivec or Gleevec, which has been shown to fight chronic blood cancer effectively. While the Novartis drug costs more than Rs 1 lakh per month, with doctors often advising patients to take it lifelong, the generic equivalents cost less than one-tenth. The ruling would be a relief to some 300,000 patients in India currently taking the drug.
Observers say that the Court's judgment sets a precedent against the practice of "evergreening" — a strategy through which drug manufacturers introduce modifications of drugs to extend the five-year patents on them. They say that other "evergreening" patent applications could be rejected citing this judgment, helping to keep many life-saving drugs out of the patent regime and pushing down costs.

• Andhra to supply nine food items for Rs.185 to poor
Hyderabad, April 11 (IANS) The Andhra Pradesh government Thursday launched a new scheme to supply a basket of nine essential commodities to Below Poverty Line (BPL) families in the state.On the occasion of 'Ugadi', the Telugu New Year, Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy launched the scheme, Amma Hastam, under which every BPL family will be supplied one pack a month through fair price shops for Rs.185.
Minister for Civil Supplies D. Sridhar Babu said 2.25 crore white card ration holders will get the pack, with one kg of red gram, palmolein oil, whole meal flour, wheat, iodized salt, half kg sugar, tamarind, quarter kg chilli powder and 100 gm turmeric powder.
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• Sahara India Pariwar's Sahara Q Shop Entered into the Guinness World Records
The retail business of Sahara India Pariwar called Sahara Q Shop entered into the Guinness World Records when it opened record 315 outlets in 10 states of India, just at one time on 1 April 2013. The commencement of these retail outlets was closely monitored by the Guinness World Records' officials in order to verify as well as register new world record of Sahara Q Shop. The certificate of the record was presented to Subrata Roy, the group chairman. The Sahara Q Shop stands against adulteration and quality consumer merchandise products at the fair prices. At present, Sahara has 550 operational stores. By the end of 2013-14, Sahara expects to open 10000 stores across India.

• Scientists developed Device to detect Gastro-Intestinal Cancers
Scientists developed a prototype of an advanced multi-bending cholangioscope to detect and cure Gastro-Intestinal Cancers. Earlier, most patients used to visit a physician when the disease was in an advanced stage. This new equipment has a video camera and can bend easily. It could detect cancers of bile duct, liver and pancreas. It will help in detecting the disease in early stage.
The multi-bending peroral direct cholangioscope (PDCS) cannot be inserted free-hand into the bile duct. But a high success rate of direct insertion will be achieved if the endoscope is passed over a guide-wire and an anchoring balloon. In fact, pancreatic cancer is the third most prevalent gastro-intestinal cancer in India whereas liver cancer is the most common.
Union Government Approved Project for National Optical Fibre Network Creation in Gram Panchayats
The Government of India approved the project for creation of National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) connecting all the 250000 Gram Panchayats (GPs) in the country through Optical Cable (OFC). The Union Government decided to fund the project through Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF).
The State Government on the other hand, will have the role of providing free Right of Way (RoW) for laying OFC. The project envisaged signing a tripartite MoU for free Right of Way (RoW) among the Union Government, State Government and Bharat Broadband Network Limited (BBNL).
16 States/UTs signed the MoUs on 26 October 2012. These states and UTs were Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Manipur, Mizoram, Rajasthan, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and 3 Union Territories viz. Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu and Puducherry. Under the MoUs, 140727 GPs will be facilitated with Optical Fibre Network in these States and UTs.
Supreme Court of India Ordered Relocation of Endangered Asiatic Lions from Gujarat to MP
A bench led by Justice K S Radhakrishnan of the Supreme Court of India on 15 April 2013 ordered Gujarat to share the endangered Asiatic lions with its neighbouring state- Madhya Pradesh. The population of these Asiatic lions has almost become negligible but because of certain conservation efforts in the state of Gujarat in past 50 years, these endangered lions have been saved from extinction. At present, the population of these lions in Gir forests of Gujarat is 400. The political leaders in Gujarat resisted relocation of these lions, but Supreme Court ordered that they should be relocated in order to save them from elimination because of fire or epidemic. Conversationalists too had recommended establishment of second sanctuary outside Gujarat in order to make sure about genetic diversification.

• CBI given the Charge to Probe into Rhino Killing in Assam
The State Environment and Forest Minister of Assam, Rockybul Hussain on 7 April 2013 announced that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was given the charge of probing into the killing of Rhinos in the State. The decision was taken following a communication passed by the Union Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions to the state.
The decision of initiating a CBI probe into the killings of the rhinos from the centre came up following the repeated incidences of poaching and rhino killings in the Kaziranga National Park and other wildlife parks of the state. The details of the number of cases undertaken by CBI for probing into and the time-period of investigation were not cleared. Apart from this to protect rhinos from poaching activity, the National Tiger Conservation Authority of the Union Environment and Forests Ministry will undertake test flights of unmanned aerial vehicles over the sanctuary from today.
• Indian Coast Guard Ship C-402 Commissioned in Mumbai
The Indian Coast Guard Ship C-402 was commissioned in Mumbai by Sanjeev Dayal, Director General Police, Maharashtra, in the third week of April 2013. This is the second ship of series of thirty-six Interceptor Boats which were built and designed by Larsen and Toubro, Surat.About the Indian Coast Guard Ship C-402 C-402 is 30-metre long interceptor boat which has 90 tonnes displacement.It can reach a maximum speed of 45 knots.C-402 is furnished with technologically-advanced navigation as well as communication equipment.It is also furnished with medium-range armament. Indian Coast Guard Ship C-402 is designed for close-coast patrol, search and rescue, high speed interception, low-intensity maritime operations and maritime surveillance.
SC allows Sterlite to operate Tamil Nadu plant
New Delhi: The Supreme Court Tuesday allowed the Sterlite Industries' smelting copper plant to continue operations in Tamil Nadu's Tuticorin and asked it to deposit Rs.100 crore with the authorities to restore the environmental damages.
The apex court bench of Justice A.K. Patnaik and Justice S.J. Mukhopadhyay said the amount was imposed in view of the pollution caused by the plant in the Tuticorin area from 1997 to 2011.

The Officers Training Academy (OTA) in Gaya is poised to conduct its maiden Passing Out Parade on June 9, heralding a new era in the history of Indian Army. Officers Training Academy, Gaya, better known as OTA Gaya is the third pre-commissioning military academy in the country. It was raised on July 18, 2011. At present, there are two such pre-commissioning military training academies - The Indian Military Academy in Dehradun and the Officers Training Academy in Chennai for commissioning in the Indian Army.
Rustom-1 is a medium-altitude and long-endurance Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), developed by the Bangalore-based Aeronautical Development Establishment.
The world's fastest helicopter has been developed by Sikorsky Aircraft of US.
DRDO Develops UAV 'Netra' to aid in Antiterrorist Operations
India to Get First Defence University in Binola in Haryana.
India, Russia signed agreement to jointly develop Military Transport Aircraft.
Tata Group to centre its aerospace and defence operations in Hyderabad
Sagarika (K-15) is Submarine to surface missile, Range 750km
Akash, Medium range surface to air missile, Range 30km
Nag, Third generation fire and forget anti tank missile
HELINA, Aerial Version of Nag to be launched from ALH/LCH
Nirbhay, a subsonic cruise missile, Range 1000 km
Dhanush, The ship based surface to surface missile, Range 350 km, naval version of Prithvi
Avtaar, reusable rocketplane to place satellite into the near earth orbit, under development
Tejas, Name given by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, A light Combat Aircraft, to fitted with kaveri Engine.
Samudra Prahari or ‘Guardian of the Sea’ is the Pollution Control Vessel of Indian Coast Guard.
Sharabh: Oldest Commissioned ship
Shardul: landing ship tank
Aridaman: INS Arihant Class Nuclear powered Submarine
Shivalik: India's first indigenously developed stealth frigate
INS Chakra: India have taken on lease for 10 years from Russia, An Akula II Class nuclear powered submarine.

Important Defence Exercises
Nomadic Elephant India-Mongolia-Military
Varuna India-France-Naval
Indra India-Russia
Indradhanush India-UK- Airforce
Garuda India-France-Air
Konkan India-UK-Naval
Ekuverin India-Maldives-Military
Garuda Shakti India-Indonesia-Military
Malabar India-US
Yudhabhyas India- US
Vajra Prahar India - US
Slinex India- Srilanka Naval
Sampriti India - Bangladesh
Shakti India - France Army
Eastern bridge India - Oman Air Force
Bold Kurukshetra India- Singapore Army
Shoor veer Indian Army and Airforce
Sudarshan Shakti Indian army
Note: Milan is the biennial gathering of Various Navies in the Indian Ocean.

Important Operation
Operation Atalanta is formally known as European Union Naval Force Somalia.

Operation Unified Protector was an NATO operation enforcing United Nations Security Council resolutions 1970 and 1973 concerning the Libyan civil war to implement an arms embargo, a no-fly zone and to use all means necessary, short of foreign occupation, to protect Libyan civilians and civilian populated areas.
Operation Odyssey Dawn was the U.S. code name for the US part of the international military operation in Libya to enforce United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973. Similar British operation was Operation Ellamy, the Canadian participation was Operation Mobile,and the French participation was Opération Harmattan.

Operation Desert Storm (1991) commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a UN-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait

Operation Safed Sagar: Indian Airforce operation during Kargil War
Opeation Polo: (1948) Inclusion of Hyderabad into India.

Operation Meghdoot (1984): Indian Armed Forces operation During conflict at the Siachen Glacier (Highest battle ground of the World also known as the 3rd pole). Siachen Glacier is located in the eastern Karakoram range. The region is home to rare species like snow leopard, brown bear and ibex. The major passes on this ridge are, from north to south, Sia La, Bilafond La, and Gyong La.
Operation Neptune Spear, the May 2011 US operation that resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan. Sometime unofficially referred to as op. Geronimo after the Native American guerilla fighter.
Operation Pawan (1987) Operation by the Indian Peace Keeping Force to take control of Jaffna from the LTTE
Operation 'Saiyam' Indian Army launched on November 2010 to neutralize around 17000 munitions used in gulf-war.
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