National News
All Post Offices modern by 2015
P. Chidambaram budget announced that by 2015 all post offices in India would be modernised. There are 1.55 lakh such centres in India. The modernisation will include handheld devices, solar panels,a thermal printer and biometric readers for finance handling, energy generation and immediate identification. Reform in IT is also intended.
The budget allocated Rs.4,909 crore to this endeavor.
The budget announced the acceptance of the demand for the one rank one pension scheme by military ex-servicemen.
Portable scanner turns woe for girl child
Many scores of people were arrested under the Pre-Natal Diagnostics Act (PNDT Act) and the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act (MTP Act) in Haryana this year after 70 cases were reported.
Illegal use of a pocket sized portable scanning devices led to many foeticide of female foetuses. The ultra sound scanners were imported from China and the arrests have exposed a huge racket.
Tehelka head Tarun Tejpal has been allowed to appear for bail after he was charged under the amended act Criminal Law Amendment Act of 2013 for rape and sexual assault of employee and colleague. His is the first case under the act in Goa.
Tarun Tejpal was the editor in Chief of Tehelka before he resigned and was arrested for the same.
he has many written works to his credit:
The Alchemy of Desire (debut novel)
The Story of my Assassins
The Valley of Masks released in 2011 was longlisted for Man Asian Literary Prize in 2011 while his debut novel was nominated for the Bad Sex Award literary prize in Britain.
International News
Yevgeny Vitishko,Suren Gazaryan and Dr. Sergei Volkov are ecologists who have been actively fighting against the impact of the construction work on at the Sochi in connection with the Olympic games. Consequently they are being targeted in ‘false’ cases and arrested. While Gazaryan has fled to Estonia after he was charged in a similar case,Vitishko who was arrested and detained since 2012 for his protests has gone on a hunger strike after being released recently from jail.
Talk about dedication!
Venezuela in South America after Hugo Chavez’s death has been under strife and chaos. It has socialist rulers who try time and again to curb unrest and rebellion. The government is taking actions that in anyway hampers its working. Consequently, six US diplomats to the nation, three recently and three in September of 2012, were expelled for ‘helping’ rebels in an anti government movement.
The two countries have not been on friendly terms, neither have exchanged ambassadors since 2010.Its current president is Nicolas Maduro.
Abdul Basit will replace Salman Bashir as high Commissioner to India from Pakistan. He started working in foreign services in 1982. He was formerly the Pakistan’s ambassador to Germany.
Sports News
Olympics
India Fencing Again
The suspension on participation in fencing from India in the International Olympic games has been lifted.
The Fencing Association of India (FAI) was suspended by the International Fencing Federation (FIE) in December 2012.
This decision came following the suspension of Indian Olympic Association by International Olympic Committee the same month.
Cricket
Kuldeep Yadav became the first Indian bowler to make a hat-trick in the under-19 cricket World Cup. He felled Nick Farrar (0), Kyle Stirling (0) and Alex Baum (5) of Scotland.
Anish Wadwa scored a century in a V.G.N. Prince of Arcot Trophy tournament match held in Chennai recently.Golf
The Louis Philippe Cup will be held in the The Bombay Presidency Golf Course (BPGC)
Professional who have qualified in the Professional Golf Tour of India and the Asian Golf Tour will participate. A total of nine cities will be participating.
MISCELLANEOUS
WhatsApp acquired by Facebook for 19 billion dollar
Social media giant Facebook Inc acquired WhatsApp for 19 billion dollars in a cash and stock deal on 19 February 2014. Whatsapp is a mobile messaging company.
WhatsApp co-founder and CEO Jan Koum will join Facebook Board of Directors.
India's first Minority Cyber Village inaugurated
India's first Minority Cyber Village was inaugurated by the Minister for Minority Affairs K Rehman Khan on 19 February 2014 in "Chandoli" in Alwar district of Rajasthan.
About the Cyber Village :
The Cyber village project will provide computer education to people in the age group of 15 to 59.
Institution under the project will be instituted in the villages with substantial population of minority
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy resigned
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister (CM), Kiran Kumar Reddy resigned from the post on 19 February 2014. He also quitted from the membership of the State Assembly and the Congress Party as a protest to the decision to bifurcate the Andhra Pradesh State.
The Telangana Bill, splitting Andhra Pradesh and forming Telangana as 29th State was passed by the Lok Sabha on 18 February 2014 with Congress and BJP coming together on the issue. The Bill will be passed in Rajya Sabha on 19 February 2014.
India and Kyrgyz Republic signed two agreements
On 14th February 2014 India and Kyrgyz Republic signed two agreements. Agreements were signed during the visit of Foreign Minister of Kyrgyz Mr Abdyldaev Erlan Bekeshovich. Two countries exchanged documents to facilitate mutual legal assistance in criminal matters and to simplify visa regime for diplomatic and official passport holders.
Odisha Legislative Assembly passed the Odisha Lokayukta Bill 2014
G-4 Directors General for UN Affairs Meeting held on 11th Feb 2014
The Directors General (DGs) of UN Affairs of the G-4 nations met in New Delhi on 11 February 2014 to exchange views on Security Council Reform. Last year such meeting took place in New York on the sidelines of the 68th UN General Assembly on 26 September 2013.The G-4 DGs agreed to continue their discussions leading up to the 2015 Summit, with Japan offering to host the next meeting in Tokyo.
G-4 nations are :Brazil, Germany, India and Japan Prime Minister of Italy Enrico Letta resigned
Prime Minister of Italy Enrico Letta resigned on 14 February 2014. The statement released by the Italian presidential palace stated that the Italy’s President, Giorgio Napolitano accepted the resignation.
Letta belongs to the center-left Democratic Party. Letta is likely to be replaced by the Democratic Party leader, the mayor of Florence Matteo Renzi.
14 Sport Committees set up by Sports Authority of India (SAI)
The Sports Authority of India (SAI) Set Up 14 Different high level and expert Committees for providing specialized training to athletes or sports person of different sports like shooting, weightlifting, boxing, archery, athletics, judo, badminton and wushu etc.
Union Government of India approved two plant to manufacture Semiconductor chips
The Union Government approved the setting up of two plants to manufacture semiconductor chips in India on 14 February 2014. The plants will be set up by two business consortia, including Israel's Tower Jazz-IBM and STMicroelectronics at a cost of around 63412 crore Rupees
IIT Kharagpur Food engineers have developed a cheap ready-to-eat paste for malnourished children
A four-member team of IIT researchers prepared the formulation in their food chemistry and technology lab which could be used as part of medical nutrition therapy for management of severe acute malnutrition children.
China to build world's longest underwater tunnel
China announced a plan to build the longest underwater tunnel of the World on 14 February 2014. Water tunnel will be constructed beneath the Bohai Sea.
Kejriwal resigns as introduction of Jan Lokpal Bill defeated in Delhi Assembly
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has resigned on Friday following dramatic scenes in the Delhi Assembly over the introduction of Jan Lokpal Bill.
Defying Lt Governor's advice, the AAP Government on Friday tabled the Jan Lokpal Bill in Delhi Assembly but its introduction was defeated by BJP and Congress MLAs, forcing Kejriwal to consider the option of resignation.
Odisha Lokayukta Bill 2014 passed by the Assembly of the state
Legislative Assembly of Odisha passed Lokayukta Bill 2014 keeping CM, ex-CMs, ministers and public servants under purview of anti-corruption panel.
Justice Mukul Mudgal appointed as Chief of BCCC
Justice Mukul Mudgal, former Chief Justice of Punjab & Haryana High Court, was appointed as the chief of the BCCC.
National Women's Day of India observed on 13 February
National Women's Day of India was observed on 13 February 2014 in memory of India’s first women governor Sarojini Naidu. It was her 135th birthday.
India and Kyrgyz Republic signed two agreements
India signed two agreements with Kyrgyz Republic during the state visit of Foreign Minister of Kyrgyz to India.
World Radio celebrated across the globe
World Radio Day was celebrated across the globe on 13 February 2014.
Assam became the First State to legally ban smokeless tobacco
Assam became the first state to legally ban consumption of all forms of smokeless tobacco including pan masala containing tobacco and nicotine
Satellite Centre of PGIMER, Chandigarh to be established at Sangrur
Union cabinet approved the establishment of the Satellite Centre of PGIMER, Chandigarh at Sangrur.
Delhi Government approved Delhi Nagar Swaraj Bill
Delhi government approved the Delhi Nagar Swaraj Bill
Current Affairs 12-Feb-2014
President Pranab Mukherjee conferred Award of Honour
The President of India, Pranab Mukherjee conferred Award of Honour
Mars orbiter completes 100 days
The Mars Orbiter spacecraft completes 100 days in space on Wednesday (Feb. 12), or roughly a third of its journey towards the Red Planet.
The country's first interplanetary probe, launched on November 5, 2013, is in good health during its curved travel of 190 million km so far towards Mars; it has to traverse a total of 680 million km over the next 210 days, Indian Space Research Organisation said on Tuesday.
FB founder and wife biggest donors in 2013
Facebook founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan were the largest philanthropic donors in the United Stats in 2013, donating nearly 1 billion dollars to charity, according to the annual list published by the Chronicle of Philanthropy.
3G auction after new govt takes charge: TRAI
The 3G spectrum in 2100 Mhz band should be made available by June and be auctioned immediately after the new government takes charge, TRAI chairman Rahul Khullar said on Tuesday.
Centre’s conciliation talks with Vodafone fail
Tax Department to pursue the demand notice
Unable to reach any breakthrough in the ongoing talks with Vodafone in the Rs.20,000-crore tax dispute, the Union Finance Ministry is learnt to have decided to withdraw its conciliation proposal and move ahead with the collection of the levy from the U.K.-based telecom major for making capital gains while acquiring Hutchison Whampoa’s stake in Hutchison Essar in 2007.
Current Affairs 11-Feb-2014
Jatinder Bir Singh appointed CMD of Punjab and Sind Bank
Mr. Jatinder Bir Singh was appointed Chairman and Managing Director of Punjab and Sind Bank (PSB) on 6 February 2014. He will succeed D.P.singh.
Mr. Jatinder Bir Singh is 1983-batch IAS officer of Assam-Meghalaya cadre. Before Jatinder Bir Singh was an Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Water
R.K.Tiwari appointed as new Chairman of Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) on 9 February 2014.
Mr. R.K.Tiwari is a 1976-batch Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer. He is currently working as the Member of Legislation and Computerisation Department in the CBDT.
Krishi Karman Awards given for 2012-13
The President of India, Pranab Mukherjee, presented Krishi Karman Awards for the year 2012-13 on 10 February 2014.
The awards were presented during inaugural function of World Congress on Agro-Forestry (WCA-2014) held in New Delhi.
Awards are as :
Total food grain production
More than 10 million tonnes (large) - Madhya Pradesh
1 to 10 million tonnes (medium ) - Odisha
Less than 1 million tonnes (small ) - Manipur
Individual food grain crops
Rice - Chhattisgarh
Wheat - Bihar
Pulses - Jharkhand
Coarse cereals - Andhra Pradesh
Important to Note :
Krishi Karman awards which were instituted in 2010-11 by the Ministry of Agriculture are given to States for their effort and contribution towards raising the country's food grain production.
Sikkim is India's first state with 100 percent sanitation coverage
Sikkim became the first State in India to achieve 100 percent sanitation coverage under the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyaan Scheme on 9 February 2014. Sikkim achieved 100 per cent sanitation in rural and urban households, schools, sanitary complexes and Aanganwadi centres.
As per the latest progress report card released by the Union Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation, all 610577 inhabitants in Sikkim have latrines with high sanitation and hygiene.
Important to Note : Sikkim is India's least populated and second smallest state in area after Goa.
N Ramachandran elected as President of Indian Olympic Association
N Ramachandran elected as President of Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on 9 February 2014.
Kho Kho Federation of India President Rajeev Mehta elected as Secretary General.
All India Tennis Association (AITA) chief Anil Khanna elected unopposed as Treasurer.
101st Indian Science Congress concluded
The 101st Annual Session of Indian Science Congress (ISC) was held at the University of Jammu, Jammu & Kashmir from 3 February 2014 to 7 February 2014. The event was inaugurated by Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India. The President of the 101st ISC was Prof. R C Sobti. The theme of the 101st ISC was Innovations in Science and Technology for Inclusive Development.
Vinod Sawhny appointed CEO of Reliance Communications
Vinod Sawhny appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Reliance Communications
Indian boxers finished Fourth at the 58th Bocskai International Tournament
Indian boxers finished fourth at the 58th Bocskai International Tournament which concluded in Hungary
Jatinder Bir Singh appointed CMD of Punjab and Sind Bank
Jatinder Bir Singh was appointed Chairman and Managing Director of Punjab and Sind Bank (PSB) on 6 February 2014.
Domestic Content requirement of India’s Solar Mission challenged by US
US challenged Domestic content requirement of India's solar mission alleging it as discriminatory and against international norms.
Vinod Sawhny appointed CEO of Reliance Communications
Vinod Sawhny appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Reliance Communications
103 people kill when a military plane crashed in eastern Algeria.
Talks between Vodafone and Indian Govt fails after the government decided to withdraw its conciliation proposal to sort out the tax dispute due to which Vodafone may now have to pay Rs.20,000 crore as tax dues.
IOC lifted the ban on the Indian Olympic association.
BCCI announced the cricket teams for the Asia Cup and T20 World Cup.
Nepal's parliament elected Sushil Koirala as the next Prime Minister.
Gurunath Meiyappan has been indicted for illegal betting in last year's Indian Premier League in a report submitted by retired judge Mukul Mudgal.
Sikkim become India's first state with 100 percent sanitation coverage.
Indian shooter Abhinav Bindra became the first individual to win three gold medals in Inter Shoot Tri series being held at Hague, Netherlands.
World Squash Federation president N. Ramachandran elected unopposed as president of Indian Olympic Association.
Maruti Suzuki India has stopped production of Maruti 800.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) board announced that BCCI president N. Srinivasan will be the Chairman of the ICC board from July.
The Union Cabinet approved the Telangana bill.
Winter Olympics starts in Sochi, Russia.
Three Indian athletes Shiva Keshavan, Himanshu Thakur and Nadeem Iqbal are competing as independent athletes in Winter Olympics due to IOA's (Indian Olympic Association) suspension by the International Olympic Committee.
Delhi Government ask anti-corruption officials file an FIR against former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit for an alleged Rs. 31-crore scam crafted around expensive street-lighting for the Commonwealth Games in 2010.
Sony Company announces that it will sell its personal computer (PC) unit and cut 5,000 jobs.
The last session of 15th Lok Sabha started from today.
World Cancer Day is celebrated to deepen the understanding of this killer disease.
Microsoft Corp named 46 year old, Hyderabad born Satya Nadella as its next chief executive officer.
Sachin Tendulkar and CNR Rao conferred with Bharat Ratna by the President of India Pranab Mukherjee.
Justice Askhok Kumar Mathur has been appointed as the Chairman of the 7th Pay Commission.
AIADMK and CPI (M) entered into an alliance in Tamil Nadu for Lok Sabha polls 2014.
The Delhi cabinet cleared the Jan Lokpal Bill, which will be pass at a special assembly session at the Indira Gandhi stadium in New Delhi according to Delhi Govt.
Founder member of Aam Admi Party Madhu Bhaduri quits party.
Karnataka wins their seventh Ranji Trophy cricket title after beating Maharashtra by seven wickets in the final in Hyderabad.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan inaugurated India's first monorail in Mumbai.
Harish Rawat sworn in as Uttarakhand's eighth Chief Minister after resignation of Vijay Bahuguna.
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