csm english may 2013

MINERVACIVIL SERCIVIL SERCIVIL SERCIVIL SERCIVIL SERVICESVICESVICESVICESVICES

SAMANYA ADHYAYANYEAR 8; Issue 5; May 2013 Price - 50/-

Roberto Azevedo, a Brazilian trade diplomat, has been chosen as the

next head of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), ending a long se-

lection process that began in December. Azevdo, who has been Brazil's

ambassador to the WTO since 2008, saw off nine rival candidates for

the role. When he takes up his new post on 1 September, he will be-

come the WTO's first Latin American director general, and the sec-

ond to hail from the global south.

Civil ServicesMINERVA Samanya Adhyayan

YEAR 8; Issue 5; May 2013

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Meet RoboBee, a bug-

sized, bio-inspired flying

robotHarvard scientists have introduced what

may be the cutest flying robots ever: a bio-

inspired insect-sized aircraft dubbed

RoboBee that pushes flight-worthy craft

into their smallest wings yet.

To our knowledge this is the smallest fly-

ing robot so far, said Pakpong

Chirarattananon, co-lead of the paper in

Science describing the 80-milligram robot

with a 3-centimeter wingspan thats

hardly bigger than a penny.

Building such a tiny flying robot required

marshaling an enormous amount of in-

genuity -- and several engineering break-

throughs -- to overcome the challenges

of working on the sub-millimeter level.

Nuts and bolts prove unmanageable, and

turbulence becomes a much bigger issue

on such a small scale.

The researchers came up with a way to

build the robots by tracing out patterns

in flat sheets and then folding them into

the desired shape. This approach allowed

them to use different materials in sheets

that they could glue together with rela-

tive ease. The method is a bit like the

approach you use with origami,

Chirarattananon said. And that enables us to

create something thats small and precise.

2014 G8 Summit to Be

Held in SochiRussia will hold the 2014 Group of Eight

(G8) summit in its southern Black Sea re-

sort of Sochi, the city that will also host

the 2014 Winter Olympic Games, the

Kremlin said on Monday. In connection

with Russias G8 presidency in 2014, I have

resolved to make the city of Sochi the

venue for the 2014 G8 meeting of the

heads of state and government, the rel-

evant decree signed by President Vladimir

Putin said.

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Roberto Azevedo, a Brazilian trade diplomat, has been chosen as the next head of

the World Trade Organisation (WTO), ending a long selection process that began in

December. Azevdo, who has been Brazil's

ambassador to the WTO since 2008, saw off

nine rival candidates for the role.

When he takes up his new post on 1 Septem-

ber, he will become the WTO's first Latin

American director general, and the second to

hail from the global south.

Reuters leaked the news of his selection on

Tuesday evening, citing diplomatic sources.

The WTO is due to make an official announcement on Wednesday.

A respected figure in Geneva, Azevdo, 55, was widely seen as the insider's candi-

date, and was the preferred choice of developing countries and emerging econo-

mies.

The US, Japan, South Korea, and all 27 EU member states reportedly backed Azevdo's

Mexican opponent, Herminio Blanco, in the final round of the selection process.

Blanco, who holds a PhD in economics from the University of Chicago, served as his

country's trade minister from 1994 to 2000. He is widely known as an aggressive

and committed free trader, with a strong personality to match.

Those qualities earned Blanco the support of rich countries, but they may have scared

off some of the WTO's developing country members, says Simon Evenett, a profes-

sor of economics and trade at the University of St Gallen in Switzerland. Ultimately,

Azevdo won the backing of a majority of the WTO's 159 members, despite a lack of

support from many rich countries.

"Had Blanco won with transatlantic support behind him, plus the support of Japan

and Korea it would have looked like another rich-country stitch-up of an interna-

tional [organisation] job, and that would have been very unhelpful in terms of get-

ting progress at the WTO," says Evenett. "In that sense, the outcome that we have is

good for the organisation."

Nine candidates three women, and six contenders from non-OECD countries

were nominated for the post.

With his intimate knowledge of the ins and outs of the WTO, Azevdo should have a

fairly smooth transition into his new job, taking over from Pascal Lamy of France.

Lamy is coming to the end of his second term as director general, having taken up

the post in 2005.

The first item on Azevdo's agenda will be to prepare for the WTO's next ministerial

meeting, which will take place in Bali in December. Trade observers say the Bali

meeting will need to register some sort of progress in the WTO's Doha round trade

talks, which were launched in 2001 but have been at an impasse for years. Azevdo

agrees. The selection of a new director general "is a bit like a fireworks display", says

Evenett. "There's a lot of excitement and drumroll on the evening, and then the

next day, life goes on. We may be at that sort of moment with the WTO."



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ew 17-million-digit

monster is largest

known primeThe largest known prime number has just

shot up to 257,885,161 - 1, breaking a

four-year dry spell in the search for new,

ever-larger primes. Curtis Cooper at the

University of Central Missouri in

Warrensburg made the find as part of the

Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search

(GIMPS), a distributed computing project

designed to hunt for a particular kind of

prime number first identified in the 17th

century.

All prime numbers can only be divided by

themselves and 1. The rare Mersenne

primes all have the form 2p - 1, where p

is itself a prime number.

The new prime, which has over 17 mil-

lion digits, is only the 48th Mersenne

prime ever found and the 14th discovered

by GIMPS. The previous record holder,

243,112,609 - 1, which was also found by

GIMPS in 2008, has just under 13 million

digits. All of the top 10 largest known

primes are Mersenne primes discovered

by GIMPS. Until today, the most recent

addition to the list was found in 2009, but

it was smaller than the 2008 discovery.

Volunteer sifters

Though there are an infinite number of

primes, there is no formula for generat-

ing these numbers, so discovering them

requires intensive computation. GIMPS

uses volunteers' computers to sift through

each prime-number candidate in turn,

until eventually one lucky user discovers

a new prime.

Cooper runs GIMPS software on around

a thousand university computers, one of

which spent 39 days straight proving that

the number was prime. This was then

independently verified by other researchers.

Though there is little mathematical value

to finding a single new prime, these rare

numbers are prized in their own right by

some. "It's sort of like finding a diamond,"

says Chris Caldwell at the University of

Tennessee, Martin, who keeps a record of

the largest known primes. "For some rea-

son people decide they like diamonds and

so they have a value. People like these

large primes and so they also have a

value."

Prime-hunting isn't a completely esoteric

pastime though, as these numbers under-

pin the cryptographic techniques used to

make online transactions secure.

Prizes for primes

The Electronic Frontier Foundation, an

internet civil liberties group, is offering

prizes of $150,000 and $250,000 to the

discovery of the first prime with at least

100 million and a billion digits, respec-

tively. Previous prizes for primes 1 million

and 10 million digits long have already

been awarded.

Cooper will receive a $3000 prize from

GIMPS for making the discovery. Don't

expect to see the next largest prime any

time soon though. The problem becomes

harder over time, as larger primes are

both more rare and harder to check.

"Those two things work together to

spread them out as time goes on," says

Caldwell.

Azerbaijani President

and his spouse watch

Azerspace-1 satellite

orbit launchFebruary 8 marked one of the most re-

markable events in Azerbaijan's indepen-

dence history as the country successfully

launched its first communications satel-

lite, Azerspace-1, into orbit. Azerbaijani

President Ilham Aliyev and the First Lady

Mehriban Aliyeva watched the launch live

from the new headquarters of

Azercosmos that the Head of State inau-

gurated earlier the same day. Prior to the

launch of the satellite President Ilham

Aliyev viewed the new headquarters of

Azercosmos, a first satellite operator in

Azerbaijan and the Caucasus.

Minister of Information and Communica-

tion Technologies Ali Abbasov told the

Head of State that Azercosmos provided

highly reliable and satellite-delivered

communication services and platforms to

broadcasting, broadband and govern-

ment customers.

In 2008, a presidential decree set up a

national space program. In the meantime,

the Ministry of Information and Commu-

nication Technologies came to an agree-

ment with Measat Satellite Systems, the

leading satellite operator in Malaysia, to

lease the GEO position at 46E orbital slot

and jointly operate the Azerspace/

Africasat-1A.

2009 saw several tenders and as a result

the US-based Orbital Sciences Corporation

was opted to construct the satellite along

with the French Arianespace to launch it.

The minister told President Ilham Aliyev

that Azercosmos planned to launch a low-

Earth orbit satellite in 2015, and

Azerspace-2 satellite in 2016.

The spacecraft was put into orbit from

Guiana Space Center near Kourou in

French Guiana at 01.36 Baku time.

Azerspace-1 blasted off aboard Ariane 5

rocket made by French Arianespace com-

pany.

Arianespace was founded in 1980 as the

world's first commercial satellite launch

company. Its shareholders include the

French space agency CNES, Astrium and

all European space companies, represent-

ing 10 European countries.

As of October 1, 2012, the company had

315 employees, at its corporate headquar-

ters in Evry, at the Guiana Space Center

(CSG) - launch site for Ariane 5, Soyuz and

Vega - and at local offices in Washington,

D.C., Singapore and Tokyo.

Since its creation, Arianespace has signed

contracts with 80 customers worldwide

carrying out 211 Ariane launches, 29

Soyuz launches (four at CSG and 25 at

Baikonur via its subsidiary, Starsem) and

the first launch of Vega. More than half

of the commercial satellites in service to-

day were launched by Arianespace.

Based on impressive launch performance

and a large backlog of orders, Arianespace

is the world's leading launch company,

capturing much more than 50 percent of

the commercial satellite launch market

year after year.

With an anticipated service life of 15

years, Azerspace/Africasat-1a is based on

Orbital`s flight-proven GEOStar-2 plat-

form.

The hybrid C- and Ku-band satellite will

generate approximately five kilowatts of

payload power and carry 36 active tran-

sponders, providing communications ser-

vices to Azerbaijan, Europe, Africa, Middle

East and Central Asia.

Azerspace/Africasat-1a will operate from

an orbital location at 46 degrees East lon-



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gitude through an arrangement between

Azercosmos and MEASAT Satellite Sys-

tems of Malaysia, which owns the rights

to the orbital slot.

Azerspace-1 satellite will offer telecom-

munication services to Eastern Europe,

the Caucasus, Central Asia and North Af-

rica, providing digital broadcasting,

Internet access, data transmission, cre-

ation of VSAT multiservice networks and

communications. Some 20 percent of the

satellite`s resources will be used for

Azerbaijan`s needs, and the remaining 80

percent will be available for commercial

purposes.

The launch of the spacecraft means that

all of the territory of Azerbaijan will be

covered with quality TV and radio broad-

casting, high-speed IP services, enabling

a stable and quality platform for programs

such as distance education and e-health,

eliminating communication problems.

The satellite separated from the carrier

rocket 33 minutes after the launch. It

placed itself into a geostationary orbit at

46 degrees East longitude 34.56 minutes

after blasting off.

President Ilham Aliyev congratulated the

people of Azerbaijan on the launch of the

country`s first communications satellite.

AHMADINEJAD WANTS

TO BE FIRST IRAN

ASTRONAUTPresident Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has

said he is ready to take the risk of becom-

ing the first human being sent into space

by Iran, national media reports. "I'm ready

to be the first Iranian to sacrifice myself

for our country's scientists," the official

IRNA news agency quoted him as saying

on the sidelines of an exhibition of space

achievements in Tehran on Monday. Iran

said it sent a monkey into space one week

ago, describing the launch as a successful

step towards Tehran's plan to send an as-

tronaut into space within the next five to

six years. The monkey named "Pishgam",

which means pioneer in Farsi, reportedly

travelled 120km and safely returned to

Earth. The launch added to Western con-

cerns about Iran's space programme be-

cause the same rocket technology could

potentially be used to deliver a nuclear

warhead on a ballistic missile. In 2010,

Iran said it launched an Explorer rocket

into space carrying a mouse, a turtle and

worms. Iran's space officials say Iran will

launch a bigger rocket carrying a larger

animal to obtain greater safety assurances

before sending a man into space. Space

tourist Anousheh Ansari was the first Ira-

nian to make a journey into space aboard

a Soyuz TMA-9 capsule from Baikonur,

Kazakhstan, in 2006. The 40-year-old tele-

communications entrepreneur paid a re-

ported $20m for a space station visit.

Sixty-seventh session of

the United Nations

General AssemblyThe sixty-seventh session of the United

Nations General Assembly, opened on 18

September 2012. The President of the

United Nations General Assemblywas

chosen from the EEG (the smallest re-

gional grouping) with Serbia's then for-

eign minister Vuk Jeremi? beating out

Lithuania's Dalius ?ekuolis in an election.

Notably, the session led to United Nations

General Assembly resolution 67/19 which

granted Palestine non-member observer

state status.

The general debate of the sixty-seventh

session of the United Nations General

Assembly speaking schedule in the Gen-

eral Assembly Chamber from 25 Septem-

ber, 2012 were as follows:

Organisation and subjects

The order of speakers is given first to

member states, then observer states and

supranational bodies. Any other observ-

ers entities will have a change to speak at

the end of the debate, if they so choose.

Speakers will be put on the list in the or-

der of their request, with special consid-

eration for ministers and other govern-

ment officials of similar or higher rank.

According to the rules in place for the

General Debate, the statements should be

on of the United Nations official languages

of Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Rus-

sian or Spanish, and will be translated by

the United Nations translators. Each

speaker is requested to provide 20 ad-

vance copies of their statements to the

conference officers to faciltate translation

and to be presented at the podium.

Though there is no time limit for

speeches, a voluntary guideline of 15 min-

utes is requested.

In addition to commenting on issues of

individual national and wider interna-

tional relevance, the President of the Gen-

eral Assembly Vuk Jeremic chose the

theme: "Adjustment or settlement of in-

ternational disputes or situations by

peaceful means." Secretary-General Ban

Ki-moon also said: "This year's General

Debate will be among [st] our busiest

ever. This reflects the tumultuous time in

which we live -- a time of turmoil and tran-

sition." The General Debate will com-

mence with the opening of the session on

25 September and continue until 1 October.

A multitude of issues, including adminis-

trative affais for the UN, are on the

broader preliminary agenda for the ses-

sion. There is also a day-by-day schedule.

2013 Grammy Awards

Winners

The 55th Annual Grammy Awards are be-

ing handed out this afternoon, and many

of them before this evening's telecast

from the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

We're updating all the winners here as

they're announced:

Rihanna will premiere "Stay" on E! News

Album of the Year: Babel, Mumford &

Sons

Song of the Year: "We Are Young," fun.

featuring Janelle Mone

Best New Artist: fun.

Best Pop Solo Performance: "Set Fire to

the Rain," Adele

Faith Hill and Tim McGraw talk their Ve-

gas show

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance:

"Somebody That I Used to Know," Gotye

featuring Kimbra

Best Pop Instrumental Album: Impres-

sions, Chris Botti

Best Pop Vocal Album: Stronger, Kelly

Clarkson

Best Dance Recording: Bangarang, Skrillex

featuring Sirah

Best Dance/Electronica Album:

Bangarang, Skrillex

Best Rock Performance: Lonely Boy, The

Black Keys

Best Rock Song: "Lonely Boy," The Black

Keys

Best Rock Album: El Camino, The Black

Keys

Best Alternative Music Album: Making



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Mirrors, Gotye

Best R&B Performance: "Climax," Usher

Best Traditional R&B Performance: "Love

on Top," Beyonc

Best R&B Song: "Adorn," Miguel

Best Urban Contemporary Album: Chan-

nel Orange, Frank Ocean

Taylor Swift talks opening the Grammys

Best R&B Album: Black Radio, Robert

Glasper Experiment

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration: "No Church

In The Wild," Jay-Z and Kanye West fea-

turing Frank Ocean and The Dream

Best Rap Album: Take Care, Drake

Best Country Duo/Group Performance:

Pontoon, Little Big Town

Best Country Song: "Blown Away," Carrie

Underwood

Best Country Album: Uncaged, Zac Brown

Band

Padma Awardees 2013Noted scientists Yashpal and Roddam

Narasimha, cricketer Rahul Dravid, actor

Rajesh Khanna and comedian Jaspal Bhatti

(both posthumous), and boxer Mary Kom,

are among the 108 eminent and illustri-

ous personalities named for India's high-

est civilian honours, Padma awards, this

year. According to a release from the

home ministry Jan 25, 2013, President

Pranab Mukherjee approved the names

of the 108 awardees, who include 4

Padma Vibhushan, 24 Padma Bhushan

and 80 Padma Shri. As many as 24 of the

awardees are women.

Among the Padma Vibhushan awardees

are Yashpal, Roddam Narasimha and art-

ist S. Haider Ali Raza. Among the Padma

Bhushan awardees are actors Rajesh

Khanna and Sharmila Tagore, Bhatti, in-

dustrialist Adi Godrej, as well as Dravid

and Mary Kom. Actor Nana Patekar, Urdu

poet Nida Fazli, wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt,

boxer Dingko Singh, filmmaker Ramesh

Sippy, Magsaysay Award winner Nileema

Mishra, Olympic medallist Vijay Kumar are

among the Padma Shri awardees. The

country's top civilian awards are given

under various disciplines like arts, litera-

ture, social work, public affairs, medicine,

and sports. Padma Vibhushan is given for

exceptional and distinguished service,

Padma Bhushan for distinguished service

of high order and Padma Shri for distin-

guished service in any field.

President has approved the conferment

of 108 Padma Awards. These comprise

04 Padma Vibhushan, 24 Padma Bhushan

and 80 Padma Shri Awards. 24 of the

awardees are women and the list also in-

cludes 11 persons in the category of For-

eigners, NRIs, PIOs and Posthumous

awardees. Padma Awards, the countrys

highest civilian awards, are conferred in

three categories, namely, Padma

Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma

Shri. The Awards are given in various dis-

ciplines/ fields of activities, viz- art, social

work, public affairs, science and engineer-

ing, trade and industry, medicine, litera-

ture and education, sports, civil service,

etc. Padma Vibhushan is awarded for

exceptional and distinguished service;

Padma Bhushan for distinguished service

of high order and Padma Shri for distin-

guished service in any field. The awards

are announced on the occasion of Repub-

lic Day every year. The awards are con-

ferred by the President of India at a func-

tion held at Rashtrapati Bhawan some-

time around March/ April.

Padma Vibhushan

SN Name Discipline

State/ Domicile

1. Raghunath Mohapatra Art

Orissa

2. S. Haider Raza Art

Delhi

3. Prof. Yash Pal S & T

U.P

4. Prof. Roddam Narasimha S & T

Karnataka

Padma Bhushan

SN Name Discipline

State/ Domicile

1. Dr. Ramanaidu Daggubati Art

AP

2. Smt. Sreeramamurthy Janaki Art

Tamil Nadu

3. Dr. (Smt.) Kanak Rele Art

Maharashtra

4. Smt. Sharmila Tagore Art

Delhi

5. Dr. (Smt.) Saroja Vaidyanathan Art

Delhi

6. Abdul Rashid Khan Art

West Bengal

7. Late Rajesh Khanna Art

Maharashtra #

8. Late Jaspal Singh Bhatti Art

Punjab #

9. Shivajirao Girdhar Patil Public Af-

fairs Maharashtra

10.Dr. A. Sivathanu Pillai S c i e n c e

&Engineering Delhi

11.Dr. Vijay Kumar Saraswat S & T

Delhi

12.Dr. Ashoke Sen S & T

UP

13.Dr. B.N. Suresh S & T

Karnataka

14.Prof. Satya N. Atluri S & T

USA *

15.Prof. Jogesh Chandra Pati S & T

USA *

16. Ramamurthy ThyagarajanTrade and

Industry Tamil Nadu

17. Adi Burjor Godrej Trade and

Industry

Maharashtra

18.Dr. N. Shamrao Laud Medicine

Maharashtra

19. Mangesh Padgaonkar Literature

& Edu.

Maharashtra

20.Prof. G. Ch. Spivak Literature

& Education USA*

21. Hemendra Singh Panwar Civil Ser-

vice M.P.

22.Dr. Maharaj Kishan Bhan Civil Ser-

vice Delhi

23. Rahul Dravid Sports

Karnataka

24.Ms. H. M. Chungneijang Mary Kom

Sports Manipur

Padma Sri

SN Name Discipline

State/ Domicile

1. Gajam Anjaiah Art

AP

2. Swami G.C.D. Bharti Art

Chhattisgarh

3. Ms. B. Jayashree Art

Karnataka

4. Smt. Sridevi Kapoor Art

Maharashtra

5. Kailash Chandra Meher Art

Orissa

6. Brahmdeo Ram Pandit Art

Maharashtra

7. S. Vishwanath D. Patekar /Nana



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Patekar Art

Maharashtra

8. R. N.Rao / Surabhi Babji Art

AP

9. Lakshmi N. Sathiraju Art

Tamil Nadu

10.Smt. Jaymala Shiledar Art

Maharashtra

11. Suresh D. Talwalkar Art

Maharashtra

12. P. M. Nair alias Madhu Art

Kerala

13. Apurba Kishore Bir Art

Maharashtra

14. Ghanakanta B. Borbayan Art

Assam

15.Smt. Hilda Mit Lepcha Art

Sikkim

16.Smt. Sudha Malhotra Art

Maharashtra

17. Ghulam M.Saznawaz Art

Jammu and Kashmir

18. Ramesh Gopaldas Sippy Art

Maharashtra

19.Ms. Mahrukh Tarapor Art

Maharashtra

20. Balwant Thakur Art

Jammu & Kashmir

21. Puran Das Baul Art

West Bengal

22. Rajendra Tikku Art

Jammu & Kashmir

23. Pablo Bartholomew Art

Delhi

24. S. Shakir Ali Art

Rajasthan

25.Sh. S.K.M Maeilanandhan S o c i a l

WorkTamil Nadu

26.Ms. Nileema Mishra S o c i a l

WorkMaharashtra

27.Ms. Reema Nanavati S o c i a l

WorkGujarat

28.Ms. Jharna D. Chowdhury S o c i a l

WorkBangladesh *

29.Late Dr. Ram Krishan S o c i a l

WorkUP #

30.Late Manju Bharat Ram S o c i a l

WorkDelhi #

31.Prof. Mustansir Barma S & T

Maharashtra

32. Avinash Chander S & T

Delhi

33.Prof. Sanjay G.Dhande S & T

UP

34.Prof. (Dr.) Sankar K. Pal S & T

West Bengal

35.Prof. Deepak B. Phatak S & T

Maharashtra

36.Dr. Mudundi R. Raju S & T

AP

37.Prof. Ajay K. Sood S & T

Karnataka

38.Prof. K. Vijayraghavan S & T

Karnataka

39.Dr. Manindra Agrawal S & T

UP

40.Dr. J. Gowrishankar S & T

AP

41.Prof. S. Pandurang Kale S & T

Maharashtra

42.Smt. Vandana Luthra Trade and

Industry Delhi

43.Ms. Rajshree Pathy Trade and

Industry Tamil Nadu

44. Hemendra P. Barooah Trade and

Industry Assam

45. Milind Kamble Trade and

Industry

Maharashtra

46.Ms. Kalpana Saroj Trade and

Industry

Maharashtra

47.Dr. Sudarshan K. AggarwalMedicine

Delhi

48.Dr. C. V. S. Ram Medicine

AP

49.Dr. Rajendra A. Badwe Medicine

Maharashtra

50.Dr. Taraprasad Das Medicine

Orissa

51.Prof. (Dr.) T.V. Devarajan Medicine

Tamil Nadu

52.Prof. (Dr.) Saroj C. Gopal Medicine

UP

53.Dr. Pramod Kumar Julka Medicine

Delhi

54.Dr. Gulshan Rai Khatri Medicine

Delhi

55.Dr. Ganesh Kumar Mani Medicine

Delhi

56.Dr. Amit P. Maydeo Medicine

Maharashtra

57.Dr. Sundaram Natarajan Medicine

Maharashtra

58.Prof. Krishna C.Chunekar Medicine

UP

59.Dr. Vishwa Kumar Gupta Medicine

Delhi

60.Prof. (Capt.) M.Sharaf-e-Alam Litera-

ture & Education Bihar

61.Dr. Radhika Herzberger Literature

& Education AP

62. J. Malsawma Literature

& Education Mizoram

63. Devendra Patel Literature

& Education Gujarat

64.Dr. Rama Kant Shukla Literature

& Education Delhi

65.Prof. Akhtarul Wasey Literature

& Education Delhi

66.Prof. Anvita Abbi Literature

& Education Delhi

67. Nida Fazli Literature

& Education M.P.

68. Surender Kumar Sharma Literature

& Education Delhi

69.Dr. Jagdish Prasad Singh Literature

& Education Bihar

70.Late S. R. Kapoor Literature

& Edu. West Ben-

gal #

71.Prof. Noboru Karashima Literature

& Education Japan *

72. Christopher Pinney Literature

& Education UK *

73.Smt. Premlata Agrawal Sports

Jharkhand

74. Yogeshwar Dutt Sports

Haryana

75. Hosanagara N.Girisha Sports

Karnataka

76.Subedar M. Vijay Kumar Sports

Himachal Pradesh

77. Ngangom Dingko Singh Sports

Maharashtra

78.Naib S. B. Lal Takhar Sports

Rajasthan

79.Ms. Ritu Kumar F a s h i o n

Designing Delhi

80.Dr. Ravindra Singh Bisht Archaeol-

ogy UP

Note: * - indicates awardees in the category of

Foreigners / NRIs/ PIOs.

# - indicates awardees in the post-

humous category.

64th Republic DayIndia celebrated its 64th Republic Day on

26 January 2013. Unfurling of National

flag, the rich cultural heritage, and

nation's achievements in various fields

were the highlights of Republic Day Pa-



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rade at Rajpath in Delhi. The well-turned

out and synchronised military and police

formations led by General Officer Com-

manding (Delhi) Lt General Subroto Mitra

marched proudly to the tunes of bands

through the Rajpath where President

Pranab Mukherjee, the Supreme Com-

mander of Armed Forces, took salute for

the first time after assuming office in July

2012. The impressive march-past was

watched by Chief Guest, King of Bhutan

Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk.

Bhutan King to be the Chief

Guest at Indias Republic

Day for the Year 2013

Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel

Wangchuck is to be the chief guest at the

Republic Day parade for the year 2013.

The Bhutan King is also to be the chief

guest at the Confederation of Indian In-

dustry Partnership Summit-2013 to be

held at Agra from 27th to 29 January 2013.

Bhutan King's visit will contribute to fur-

ther strengthening and expanding the

close bilateral relations between India and

Bhutan. The unique and special relations

between the two neighbouring countries

are characterized by everlasting friend-

ship, deep understanding and mutual

trust.

11th Pravasi Bharatiya

DivasThe three-day 11th Pravasi Bharatiya Di-

vas (PBD) kicked off in Kochi on 7 January

2013. The event saw delightful response

from the people with more than 2000

registrations. The distinctive feature of

this year's Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is that

this is the first time that there is going to

be an exclusive session on Middle East.

The organizing partner of this year sum-

mit is Indo-Canada Chamber of Com-

merce (ICCC).

Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs

Vayalar Ravi is leading the day-long

Middle-East session along with Chief Min-

ister of Kerala Oommen Chandy and Jo-

seph. The whole day event of 7th January

2013 would see discussions on problems

that people from Kerala face in the region.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will in-

augurate the annual flagship event on 8

January2013 and President Pranab

Mukherjee will deliver the valedictory

address on 9 January 2013and also con-

fer the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman awards.

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) is celebrated

on 9th January every year to mark the

contribution of Overseas Indian commu-

nity in the development of India. January

9 was chosen as the day to celebrate this

occasion since it was on this day in 1915

that Mahatma Gandhi, the greatest

Pravasi, returned to India from South Af-

rica, led Indias freedom struggle and

changed the lives of Indians forever.

PBD conventions are being held every

year since 2003. These conventions pro-

vide a platform to the overseas Indian

community to engage with the govern-

ment and people of the land of their an-

cestors for mutually beneficial activities.

These conventions are also very useful in

networking among the overseas Indian

community residing in various parts of the

world and enable them to share their ex-

periences in various fields.

During the event, individuals of excep-

tional merit are honoured with the pres-

tigious Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award

to appreciate their role in Indias growth.

The event also provides a forum for dis-

cussing key issues concerning the Indian

Diaspora.

National Development

Council (NDC)

approves 12th Five Year

PlanCountrys apex policy making body NDC

has approved the strategy to achieve av-

erage growth rate of 8 pc during the 12th

Five Year Plan (2012-17), generate 50 mil-

lion new jobs and increase investments

in infrastructure sector. I am very happy

that NDC (National Development Coun-

cil) has approved the 12th Five Year Plan.

We have marginally reduced the average

annual growth rate to 8 per cent (from

8.2 per cent). We expect with the growth

rate of 5.8 per cent this fiscal and little

over 7 per cent next fiscal, and with extra

effort in the remaining three more years

we can reach 8 per cent, Planning Com-

mission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh

Ahluwalia said in New Delhi on Thursday.

The voluminous document, containing

detailed policy strategy for the 12th Plan,

was approved at the full meeting of the

NDC chaired by Prime Minister

Manmohan Singh. The document has

pegged the aggregate Plan resources at

Rs 37.16 lakh crore during the five year

period starting 2012-13. Singh assured all

Chief Ministers that Centre has taken note

of the points raised by them, including

those in the written speeches. All these

points will be carefully considered by the

Planning Commission, he said, adding,

the Plan is not a rigid blue print.

It is a broad directional and

aspirational document, which must al-

low for modification on the basis of ex-

perience... We must now devote all our

energies to implementing the Plan, the

Prime Minister said. Moving away from

previous practice of presenting single

growth projection, the Planning Commis-

sion has come out with three different

economic scenarios for 12th Five-Year

Plan. As per the aspirational scenario

one of strong inclusive growth

Indias economic growth will be average

8 percent in the five years. The document

also cautions that in scenario of policy

logjam, the GDP growth could slow down

to 5-5.5 percent. The document proposes

to bring down poverty by 10 percentage

points by the end of the 12th Plan and

generate five crore new jobs in non-farm

sector. As regard the infrastructure sec-

tor, it says that efforts should be made to

increase investment in this sector to 9

percent of the GDP by the end of the Plan

period. The other targets include increas-

ing green cover by one million hectare

every year and adding 30,000 MW of re-

newable energy generation capacity in

the Plan period. It also seeks to reduce

emission intensity of the GDP in line with

the target of 20-25 reduction by 2020

over 2005 levels. Although the docu-

ment envisages 6.7 percent growth rate

in the current fiscal, it has been projected

at 5.7-5.9 percent in 2012-13 by the Fi-

nance Ministry. The strategy for the full

Plan would aim at raising agriculture out-

put to 4 percent and manufacturing sec-

tor growth to 10 percent. It also wants all

the states to set higher targets of growth

than what was achieved in the 11th Five



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Year Plan.

Govt postpones GAAR

implementation by 2

years to 2016Giving a big relief to overseas investors,

the government has postponed imple-

mentation of controversial GAAR provi-

sions by two years to April 1, 2016. Hav-

ing considered all the circumstances and

relevant factors, the government has

...decided that provisions of Chapter 10A

of the Income Tax Act (dealing with GAAR)

will come into force from April 1, 2016 as

against April 1, 2014, Finance Minister P

Chidambaram said in New Delhi on Mon-

day. The General Anti Avoidance Rules

(GAAR) provisions, introduced by the then

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in the

Budget 2012-13, were aimed at checking

tax avoidance by overseas investors. The

proposal, however, generated contro-

versy, with investors expressing apprehen-

sions that it would result in unnecessary

harassment by tax authorities. The deci-

sion to postpone the implementation,

Chidambaram said, follows the recom-

mendations of the Shome Committee

which was set up by Prime Minister

Manmohan Singh in July last year to look

into investor concerns. The government,

Chidambaram further said, has accepted

major recommendations of the panel

with some modifications.

The GAAR provisions, the Minister also

clarified, would override the double taxa-

tion avoidance agreement (DTAA) benefits

if the arrangements were intended solely

to evade taxes. GAAR abbreviation stands

for general-anti-avoidance rules and it has

been introduced in India due to

VODAFONE case ruling in favour of this

company by the Supreme Court. The new

rules will come into effect from 01 April,

2012.

GAAR Implications in India

Indian Government is trying to give

powers to income tax authorities as

implementation of GAAR provides tre-

mendous powers to deny tax benefit to

an entity if a transaction has been carried

with the sole intention of tax avoidance.

Due to powers in the hand of taxmen, now

innocents may be harassed by them.

FII & FDI money coming to India

through Mauritius route will now become

taxable.

Increased litigations.

Golden Globe Awards

2013The 70th annual Golden Globes took over

Hollywood on Sunday evening (January

13), with hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler

hilariously at the helm. Argo was the

nights biggest surprise, as director Ben

Affleck bounced back from an Oscar snub

earlier in the week to accept Globe wins

for director and Motion Picture - Drama.

The triumphs for Les Miserables were

easier to predict: the film took home stat-

ues for actor (Hugh Jackman), supporting

actress (Anne Hathaway) and Motion Pic-

ture - Musical or Comedy.

On the TV side of things, Homeland had

an even more impressive night than the

Showtime series did last year, adding a

Best Actor (Damien Lewis) win to its re-

peats for Best Drama Series and Best Ac-

tress in a Drama Series (Claire Danes). On

the same night that its second season

debuted on HBO, Girls and creator Lena

Dunham notched wins for best comedic

actress and Best Television Series - Musi-

cal or Comedy. Check out the full list of

Golden Globe winners below!

Best Motion Picture - Drama: Argo

Best Actress - Drama: Jessica Chastain,

Zero Dark Thirty

Best Actor - Drama: Daniel Day-Lewis,

Lincoln

Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Mu-

sical: Les Miserables

Best Actress - Comedy or Musical: Jen-

nifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook

Best Actor - Comedy or Musical: Hugh

Jackman, Les Miserables

Best Supporting Actress: Anne

Hathaway, Les Miserables

Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz,

Django Unchained

Best Director: Ben Affleck, Argo

Best Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino,

Django Unchained

Best Animated Feature Film: Brave

Best Foreign Language Film: Amour

Best Original Score: Mychael Danna,

Life Of Pi (Indian Film)

Best Original Song: Skyfall, Adele

from Skyfall

Best TV Series - Drama: Homeland

Best Actress TV Series - Drama: Claire

Danes, Homeland

Best Actor TV Series - Drama: Damien

Lewis, Homeland

Best TV Series - Comedy or Musical:

Girls

Best Actress TV Series - Comedy or Musi-

cal: Lena Dunham, Girls

Best Actor TV Series - Comedy or Musi-

cal: Don Cheadle, House of Lies

Best TV Miniseries or Movie: Game

Change

Best Actress - TV Miniseries or Movie:

Julianne Moore, Game Change

Best Actor - TV Miniseries or Movie:

Kevin Costner, Hatfields & McCoys

Best Supporting Actress - TV Series,

Miniseries, Movie: Maggie Smith,

Downton Abbey

Cecil B. Demille Award: Jodie Foster

Usha Mehra

CommissionThe Government has set up a Commission

of Inquiry to identify lapses and fix respon-

sibility in the gang rape of a 23 year-old

girl in a moving bus in Delhi on Decem-

ber 16. According to a decision taken by

the Cabinet in its meeting, the one-per-

son Commission will be headed by former

Delhi High Court judge, Justice Usha

Mehra. The commission will suggest mea-

sures to make Delhi and NCR safer for

women. It will submit its report within

three months, which will be tabled in Par-

liament along with action taken by the

Government.

The Commission has been set up to en-

quire into various aspect of the shocking

incident of rape and brutal assault of a

young woman in Delhi on 16.12.2012,

identify the lapses, if any, on the part of

the police or any other Authority or per-

son that contributed to the occurrence;

and fix responsibility for the lapses and/

or negligence on the part of the police or

any other Authority or person. The Com-



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mission shall suggest measures to improve the safety and secu-

rity of women, particularly in NCT of Delhi and NCR.

Chairman of the 20th Law

Commission AppointedJustice D. K. Jain, Judge, Supreme Court of India, will be the

Chairman of the Twentieth Law Commission of India. Accord-

ing to the Notification issued here today, the appointment of

Justice Jain will be effective from any day after 24th January

2013 on his retirement from the Supreme Court. The Twenti-

eth Law Commission was constituted through a Government

Order with effect from 1st September, 2012. It has a three-year

term ending on 31st August, 2015.

Justice JS Verma Panel ReportThe Justice Verma panel, which is a 3-member commission cre-

ated to review the laws for sexual crimes submitted the report

to the Government of India on 23 January 2013. Justice Verma

panel was created after the brutal gang rape of the Para-medi-

cal student on 16 December 2012. Former Chief Justice of In-

dia, Justice JS Verma headed the commission and reviewed the

laws on sexual crimes which exist already.

The report was prepared by the panel in its 30-day deadline.

The former CJI described that there were more than 80000 sug-

gestions from the length and breadth of India as well as abroad

after 5 January 2013 was declared as the deadline for receiving

comments from common man in order to refurbish the present

legislation that deals with the sex offenders.

Malala YousafzaiThe Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai, who was shot by the

Taliban for campaigning for education for girls, was discharged

yesterday from the Queen Elizabeth hospital in Birmingham,

England after success in the first stage of her medical treatment.

Yousafzai was shot in October by Taliban forces on a school bus

in Mingora, in the Swat Valley in Pakistan. She was given emer-

gency treatment in Pakistan and then flown to Britain for treat-

ment at a specialist unit which deals with injured soldiers.

Ami Bera and Tulsi GabbardTulsi Gabbard from Hawaii has created history by not only be-

coming the first Hindu ever to be sworn in as a member of the

US House of Representatives, but also being the first ever US

lawmaker to have taken oath of office on the sacred Bhagavad

Gita. Currently, she was a Company Commander with the Ha-

waii Army National Guard.

Ami Bera and Tulsi Gabbard, the first Hindu ever elected to the

US House of Representatives

Ami Bera, an Indian-American physician from California and Tulsi

Gabbard, the first Hindu ever elected to the US House of Repre-

sentatives, created history as they were sworn in as members

of the 113th Congress. Raised by a Hindu mother and a Catholic

father in a multiracial, multicultural, multi faith family,

Gabbard, 31, the first American Samoan and one of the first

female combat veterans in US Congress, took her oath of office

Thursday on the Bhagavad Gita, the Hindu scripture. Democrat

Gabbard, who represents Hawaii in the Congress previously

served on the Honolulu City Council and as a Hawaii state rep-

resentative. She was the youngest woman in the United States

to be elected to a state legislature.

Fiscal cliff in usIn the United States, the fiscal cliff is the sharp decline in the

budget deficit that could have occurred beginning in 2013 due

to increased taxes and reduced spending as required by previ-

ously enacted laws. The deficit-the amount by which govern-

ment spending exceeds its revenue-was projected to be reduced

by roughly half in 2013. TheCongressional Budget Office (CBO)

had estimated that the sharp decrease in the deficit would have

likely led to a mild recession in 2013 with the unemployment

rate rising to roughly 9 percent in the second half of the year.

The fiscal cliff was largely eliminated by the eleventh-hour pas-

sage of the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012.

100th Indian Science CongressThe theme selected for the centenary session is Science for

shaping the future of India. Annual Session of Indian Science

Congress has emerged as a major national event. The cente-

nary session held on 3rd 7th January, 2013.

Childrens Science Congress (Rashtriya

Kishore Vaigyanik Sammelan)

As a part of the Indian Science Congress, the Children Science

Congress is organized simultaneously to provide a unique op-

portunity to children to use their Scientific temperament and

knowledge and to quench their thirst for creativity by conduct-

ing scientific experiments. It generally comprises of a three days

event which encourages children to visualize science and stimu-

late their scientific temperament by giving the school children

a unique platform to showcase their innovation and creativity

in scientific projects. You are cordially invited to be a part of

Children Science Congress to be hosted by University of Calcutta

on January 4th, 5th and 6th, 2013 at Satyendra Nath Bose Na-

tional Centre for Basic Sciences, Salt Lake.

Womens Science Congress

The 100th Indian Science Congress is organizing a special

programme Women empowerment for the development of

the country. This programme is intended to showcase the con-

tribution of women in science and technology. Renowned

women scientists will be delivering lectures in this session. The

session will also deliberate on the role of Science and Technol-

ogy in empowering women and ways and means of tapping their

potential as innovators, implementers of innovations in addi-

tion to being beneficiaries of innovations.

14th Finance CommissionFormer RBI Governor Y. V. Reddy will be the Chairman of 14th

Finance Commission; the 13th Finance Commission was headed



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by former Finance Secretary Vijay Kelkar.

The Finance Commission has been asked

to submit its report by 31st October, 2014.

Finance Commission, a constitutional

body, is set up every five years. Besides

other things, the Commission lays down

principles governing the grants-in-aid to

states and other local bodies for a five-

year period beginning 1st April 2014.

As mandated by the Article 280 of the

Constitution, the Government has consti-

tuted the Fourteenth Finance Commission

consisting of Dr. Y.V.Reddy, former Gover-

nor Reserve Bank of India, as the Chair-

man and the following four other mem-

bers, namely: -

1. Prof Abhijit Sen

Member, Planning Commission (Member)

(Part Time)

2. Ms. Sushma Nath

Former Union Finance Secretary (Mem-

ber)

3. Dr. M.Govinda Rao

Director, National Institute for Public Fi-

nance and Policy, New Delhi

Member

4. Dr. Sudipto Mundle

Former Acting Chairman,

National Statistical Commission (Mem-

ber)

Ajay Narayan Jha shall be the Secretary

to the Commission. The Commission shall

make its report available by the 31st Oc-

tober, 2014, covering a period of five years

commencing on the 1st April, 2015.

Khap panchayats diktat

on women dress code

and mobile unlawful : SCThe Supreme Court today ruled that Khap

panchayats diktat on dress code for

women and asking them not to carry

mobile is unlawful. A bench of justices

Aftab Alam and Ranjana Prakash Desai

said such diktates are against the funda-

mental right to life and asked Khap

Panchayats , which are caste-based coun-

cils, to file their replies on the issue.

Burma military targeting

Kachin rebelsMilitary aircraft have been targeting rebel

areas in Burmas northern Kachin state

over the last five days. The footage, shot

by the humanitarian group Free Burma

Rangers, shows attack helicopters firing

on the ground and jets flying close to the

trenches of the rebel Kachin Indepen-

dence Army.

Higgs boson discovery

biggest scientific

breakthrough of 2012The capture of the most wanted sub-

atomic particle in physics - Higgs boson -

has topped the chart of the years ten big-

gest scientific breakthroughs. Scientists

had been chasing the Higgs boson, nick-

named the God particle for more than

four decades. In July the team from the

European nuclear research facility at

CERN in Geneva announced the detection

of a particle that fitted the description of

the elusive Higgs. The boson is believed

to give matter mass via an associated

Higgs field that permeates space. With-

out the property of mass, the universe we

live in could not exist.

Scientists used the worlds biggest atom

smashing machine, the Large Hadron

Collider on the Swiss-French border, to

track down the missing particle.

Year End Review for the

Department of

Communications &

Information TechnologyThe Telecom sector has witnessed expo-

nential growth, especially in the wireless

segment, in the last few years. With

937.70 million telephone connections at

the end of September 2012, the Indian

telecom network is the second largest in

the world, only after China. Tele-density,

which shows the number of telephones

per 100 population in the country, was

77.04% at the end of September 2012.

The number of internet subscribers in-

creased from 22.39 million (including

13.35 million broadband subscribers) to

23.01 million (including 14.57 million

broadband subscribers) during the period

from January to June 2012. At the end of

September 2012, there were 15.08 mil-

lion broadband subscribers in the coun-

try.

Telecom has evolved as a basic infrastruc-

ture like electricity, roads, water etc. and

has also emerged as one of the critical

components of economic growth required

for overall socio economic development

of the country. A study conducted recently

has found that, in India, 10% increase in

internet subscribers delivers, on an aver-

age, 1.08% increase in GDP. In the 10

states which had higher penetration of

Internet, the increase in growth was

higher at 2.36% on a average, for 10% in-

crease in Internet penetration. In the year

2009-10, these 10 states, referred to as

relatively developed States had internet

penetration rate of 2.76% compared to

the set of 9 Developing States having av-

erage internet penetration rate of only

0.61%. The study has also found that a

10% increase in mobile penetration de-

livers, on an average, 1.5% increase in

GDP.

National Telecom Policy - 2012 (NTP-

2010) : The government approved Na-

tional Telecom Policy-2012 (NTP-2012) on

31st May 2012 which addresses the Vi-

sion, Strategic direction and the various

medium term and long term issues re-

lated to telecom sector. The primary ob-

jective of NTP-2012 is maximizing public

good by making available affordable, re-

liable and secure telecommunication and

broadband services across the entire

country. The main thrust of the Policy is

on the multiplier effect and transforma-

tional impact of such services on the over-

all economy. It recognizes the role of such

services in furthering the national devel-

opment agenda while enhancing equity

and inclusiveness. Availability of afford-

able and effective communications for the

citizens is at the core of the vision and

goal of the NTP-2012. NTP-2012 also rec-

ognizes the predominant role of the pri-

vate sector in this field and the conse-

quent policy imperative of ensuring con-

tinued viability of service providers in a

competitive environment. Pursuant to

NTP-2012, these principles would guide

decisions needed to strike a balance be-

tween the interests of users/consumers,

service providers and government rev-

enue.

Largest Kuchipudi

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Hbad enters Guinness

bookIn Hyderabad, a performance by 5,974

Kuchipudi dancers has found its way into

the Guinness Book of World Records for

being the largest Kuchipudi dance. The

artists of different ages performed to dif-

ferent songs at a time to set the record as

part of the 3rd International Kuchipudi

Dance Convention in Hyderabad last

night. The event was organised by Silicon

Andhra, a cultural organisation run by US-

based Telugus, at the GMC Balayogi sta-

dium. A representative of the Guinness

Book, who observed the event said it was

the largest Kuchipudi dance. Union Min-

ister D Purandeswari, who was present on

the occasion, appreciated the efforts of

the organisers and the dancers.

Rashtriya Gaurav Gram

Sabha AwardsThe Rashtriya Gaurav Gram Sabha

Purskar, 2012 was awarded to 16 best

performing Gram Panchayats and 170

Panchayats were felicitated representa-

tives of with Panchayat Sashaktikaran

Puraskar on the occasion of 3rdNational

Panchayati Raj Day. Four awards were

given to Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra

and Sikkim for cumulative raking and four

awards were given to Maharashtra,

Haryana, Rajasthan and Karnataka for in-

cremental raking. Approximately 1500

delegates such as State Ministers for

Panchayati Raj, Senior officials from State

Government Panchayati Raj Departments,

States elected representatives (ERs) from

the three tiers of PRIs, the national award

winning Panchayats as well as represen-

tatives from SCs/STs and Women attended

the function.

16th Summit of the Non-

Aligned Movement

(NAM) Summit16th Summit of the Non-Aligned Move-

ment in Tehran closed with accepting a

600-page final document that mainly fo-

cuses on the Palestinian issue as well as

on Irans nuclear energy program, but

makes no mention of the Syrian civil war.

A Chinese state commentary qualifies the

summit as an important diplomatic ac-

complishment from Iran, having hosted

leaders and delegates of over 100 coun-

tries. 16th Summit of the Non-Aligned

Movement was held from 26 to 31 Au-

gust 2012 in Tehran, Iran.

Hizb ut-TahrirThree hundred Hizb ut-Tahrir supporters

protest in Jakarta ahead of Secretary of

State Hillary Clintons visit to Indonesia.

Hizb ut-Tahrir is an international Sunni

pan-Islamic political organisation. They

are commonly associated with the goal of

all Muslim countries unifying as an Islamic

state or caliphate ruled by Islamic law and

with a caliph head of state elected by

Muslims. The organization was founded

in 1953 in Jerusalem by Taqiuddin al-

Nabhani, an Islamic scholar and appeals

court judge (Qadi) from the Palestinian

village of Ijzim. Since then Hizb ut-Tahrir

has spread to more than 40 countries, and

by one estimate has about one million

members. Hizb ut-Tahrir is very active in

the west, particularly in the United King-

dom, and is also active in several Arab and

Central Asian countries, despite being

banned by some governments. The group

also has a growing presence in North

America, known as Hizb ut-tahrir America,

or HTA.

Oriya Novelist and

Academician Pratibha

Ray selected for 2011

Jnanpith AwardRenowned Oriya novelist, Pratibha Ray on

27 December 2012 selected for the pres-

tigious Jnanpith award for the year 2011

for her contribution to the field of Indian

literature. Pratibha Ray is the first Oriya

woman and fourth Oriya writer to get the

coveted award. Earlier Gopinath Mohanty

(1973), Sachidananda Routray (1986) and

Sitakant Mohapatra (1993) were con-

ferred the honour. The award carries a

cash prize of 7 lakh rupees, a citation and

a bronze statuette of Godess Saraswati.

Pratibha Ray was born in Alabol, a village

in Jagatsingpur district of Odisha.

ISRO scores on 100th

mission, PSLV rocket

launch successfulISROs PSLV C21 rocket successfully

blasted off into space on its 100th mis-

sion on a cloudy on September 9, 2012.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was

among the cheering congregation of offi-

cials, scientists and media persons at the

Satish Dhawan Space Centre in

Sriharikota, AP. On this journey, the PSLV

C21 rocket ferried two dollar-paying for-

eign passengers a French Earth obser-

vation satellite Spot 6 and a Japanese mi-

cro satellite Proiteres into polar orbit.

The PSLV C21 was on its way to deliver

Spot 6 and Proiteres into a 655km polar

orbit inclined at an angle of 98.23 degrees

to the equator. SPOT and Indian remote

sensing satellites (launched earlier) are

the two leading earth observation satel-

lite series. SPOT 6 is the heaviest foreign

satellite ever to have been launched by

the ISRO, which has made launching sat-

ellites as a significant business activity

earning precious foreign exchange to the

country.

The PSLV C21 cost Rs. 75 crore. away from

earth.More important, it has established

the country as a major player in the satel-

lite launching business, which started in

1999 as an additional baggage when ISRO

launched Indias own satellite. So far, ISRO

has launched 27 foreign satellites and the

two of this time total up its tally to 29.

India is also a major player in the space

with a the largest number of remote sens-

ing satellites that send back imagery in a

variety of spatial resolutions from more

than meter ranging up to 500 meters. This

rich collection of data also makes India an

important player in the data market. In-

dia has 12 remote sensing/earth obser-

vation satellites circling the earth which

makes it a leader in remote sensind data

market. The 12 satellites are :TES,

Resourcesat 1, Cartosat 1, 2, 2A and 2B,

IMS 1, Risat-2, Oceansat 2, Resourcesat-2,

Megha-Tropiques and Risat-1.

China has officially

opened the worlds

longest high-speed rail

routeChina has officially opened the worlds

longest high-speed rail route, linking the

capital Beijing with the southern commer-

cial hub of Guangzhou. The first bullet



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train left Beijing on Wednesday morning.

Trains will initially travel at 300km/h

(187mph), more than halving travel time.

A Chinese official has described the route

- parts of which were already in opera-

tion - as one of the most technically ad-

vanced in the world. The 2,298km route

will have 35 stops. They include such

major cities as Wuhan and Changsha. The

previously 22-hour journey will now take

less than 10 hours.

Nagaland enters

Guinness World Record

of Largest Electric

Guitar EnsembleNagaland today entered the Guinness

World Record of the Largest Electric Gui-

tar Ensemble surpassing England, with

368 musicians performing at Agri-Expo in

Dimapur today. England made the record

of 250 musicians in 2012 at Ricoh Arena.

The music was played on the song

Knockin on Heavens Door by Guns and

Roses. The result was announced by Ad-

judicator, India Nikhil Shukla. The event

was organized by Sky Entertainment in as-

sociation with the Government of

Nagaland Music Task Force.

Deathbed theory dreamt

by an Indian maths

genius is finally proved

correct - almost 100

years after he diedTheory came to Srinivasa Ramanujan in a

dream on his deathbed in 1920 - but has

never been proved & Discovery could now

be used to explain the behaviour of parts

of a black hole. Researchers have finally

solved the cryptic deathbed puzzle re-

nowned Indian mathematician Srinivasa

Ramanujan claimed came to him in

dreams. While on his death-bed in 1920,

Ramanujan wrote a letter to his mentor,

English mathematician G. H. Hardy, out-

lining several new mathematical functions

never before heard of, along with a hunch

about how they worked, Decades years

later, researchers say theyve proved he

was right - and that the formula could

explain the behaviour of black holes.

Weve solved the problems from his last

mysterious letters, Emory University

mathematician Ken Ono said. For people

who work in this area of math, the prob-

lem has been open for 90 years,

Ramanujan, a self-taught mathematician

born in a rural village in South India, spent

so much time thinking about math that

he flunked out of college in India twice,

Ono said.

Aaron Swartz, internet

freedom activist, dies

aged 26Aaron Swartz, a celebrated internet free-

dom activist and early developer of the

website Reddit, has died at 26. The activ-

ist and programmer took his life in his

New York apartment, a relative and the

state medical examiner said. His body was

found. Mr Swartz began computer pro-

gramming as a child, and at 14 co-

authored an early version of the RSS speci-

fication.

Messi wins record fourth

Ballon dOrLionel Messi added yet another record to

his stellar list of achievements over the

past 12 months on Monday when he won

an unprecedented fourth consecutive

Ballon dOr at a FIFA gala in Zurich. The

accolade seals Messis status as the great-

est player of his generation after he saw

off Real Madrid rival Cristiano Ronaldo

and Barcelona teammate Andres Iniesta

for the prize.

Central African

Republic ceasefire

signedRebels fighting the government in the

Central African Republic have signed a

formal ceasefire following talks in Gabon.

The rebels and president agreed to the

formation of a unity government, which

will reportedly be formed on Saturday.

The Seleka rebel alliance took control of

northern and eastern CAR in a four-week

offensive starting on 10 December. It has

accused President Francois Bozize of

breaking previous peace deals. Fridays

ceasefire agreement was signed in

Gabons capital Libreville after three days

of talks mediated by neighbouring coun-

tries.

22 children to get

bravery awards15-year-old Ramdinthara from Mizoram,

who sacrificed his life while trying to save

his friend from drowning, is the only child

to get the National Bravery Award post-

humously this year. Twenty-one others,

including four girls, will receive their

awards from Prime Minister Manmohan

Singh ahead of 63rd Republic Day. The

youngest among them is seven-year-old

Koroungamba Kuman from Manipur, who

showed outstanding bravery and saved his

younger sister from devastating fire which

broke out in his house.

The names of 22 bravehearts were an-

nounced by Indian Council for Child Wel-

fare (ICCW) in New Delhi on Friday. The

award is given every year to children who

show exemplary courage in difficult situ-

ations.

This year, 17-year-old Tarang Atulbhai

Mistry from Gujarat has been chosen for

the coveted Bharat Award for saving the

lives of four people who were drowning

in the 20-25 feet deep waters of Narmada

river after being swept away in the cur-

rent while taking bath on the occasion of

Dhuelti.

The prestigious Geeta Chopra award has

been conferred on a 17-year-old girl who

was instrumental in exposing the physi-

cal and sexual abuse of the inmates of a

childrens home in Delhi by the owner and

staff.

Unable to take on more abuse, she man-

aged to escape and approached an NGO,

who presented her before the Child Wel-

fare Committee.

Her plight forced the National Commis-

sion for Protection of Child Rights to send

a team which learnt of the physical, psy-

chological and sexual abuse of children,

selling of babies, forced labour and other

inhumane acts inflicted upon the hapless

destitute children.

11-year-old Gajendra Ram from

Chhattisgarh is being felicitated with

Sanjay Chopra award, for saving a child

from drowning in a 22-feet deep well.



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Vijay Kumar Saini (17) of UP, Akanksha

Gaute (16.5) of Chhattisgarh and Hali

Raghunath Baraf (16.5) of Maharashtra

have been given the Bapu Gaidhani

Award.

Saini saved three persons from drowning

in the Ganges. Gaute, a black belt holder

in Karate with nine years of martial arts

training, valiantly fought three of the four

miscreants who attacked her and her fa-

ther when they were returning home,

while Baraf saved her sister from the jaws

of a tiger by attacking it with an iron rod

when they had gone in jungle to collect

firewood.

Sapna Kumari Meena (14) from Rajasthan

is being felicitated for protesting against

her father, who was forcing her to get

married like her minor sisters.

She wrote to District Magistrate and ap-

pealed him to stop her wedding. Taking

prompt action, the District Magistrate di-

rected the Sub Divisional Magistrate to

stop her family members and prevent her

marriage.

The other awardees include Devansh

Tiwari and Mukesh Nishad (Chhattisgarh),

Lalrinhlua (Mizoram), E Suganthan (Tamil

Nadu), Ramith K, Mebin Cyriac and Vishnu

M V (Kerala), Koroungamba Kuman

(Manipur), Samip Anil Pandit

(Maharashtra), Vishwendra Lohkna,

Satendra Lohkna and Pawan Kumar

Kanaujiya (UP), Stripleaseman Mylliem

(Meghalaya) and Suhai K M (Karnataka).

Kasturi Mohapatra, Secretary General of

ICCW while introducing the children to

media, said they were selected by a high

powered committee comprising repre-

sentatives of various Ministries and De-

partments, non-governmental

organisations as well as members of ICCW.

U R Rao joins Satellite

Hall of FameFormer ISRO Chairman Prof U R Rao is

joining the highly prestigious Satellite Hall

of Fame in Washington. The rare honour

of Space Scientists was bestowed on him

by the Society of Satellite Professionals

International. It has also extended its

membership to him. An ISRO Press release

issued in Bangalore says that the Hall of

Fame recognises the invaluable contribu-

tion of the visionaries who have trans-

formed life for the better on planet earth

through satellite technology.

Election Commission of

India nominated Saina

Nehwal and Mary Kom

as the National IconsThe Election Commission (EC) of India on

22 January 2013 announced Saina Nehwal

and Mary Kom as the National Icons to

help promote, voter participation in In-

dia. Saina Nehwal and Mary Kom, both

are Olympic Bronze Medalists in the Lon-

don Olympics 2012, in Badminton and

Boxing respectively.

Apart from these two, Mahendra Singh

Dhoni, the Captain of the Indian National

Cricket Team and former President of In-

dia, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam are the existing

National Icons of the Board and they will

continue to be at the position.

The duo, Nehwal and Mary Kom are roped

in to be the National Icons to attract youth

voters in the age group of 18 to 19 years

in age. In its drive to revise the voters list

in 2012 by the poll panel they added 2.32

crore citizens to the national Voter List out

of which 93 lakh were the first time vot-

ers.

The third National Voters Day would be

observed by the Poll Panel on 25 January

2013 and some of the first-time voters

would be given their photo identity cards

on this day. The National Voters day is

celebrated on the foundation day of the

Election Commission.

Chinas Territorial

DisputesIn recent years, China has become em-

broiled in a series of disputes over rights

to islands and seabeds in the South China

and East China seas. The areas are rich in

oil, gas, fishing and mineral resources. But

the conflicts are also driven by hard feel-

ings over the past, particularly Japans

decades of imperial conquest, and by

fears over the future, as the region ad-

justs to Chinas rise to superpower status.

Other nations in the region and the United

States have pushed for multilateral discus-

sions to ease tensions and resolve con-

flicts. But China has refused anything

other than bilateral talks on each issue

separately.

In November 2012, Beijing teamed up

with Cambodia, a close ally, to frustrate

plans by Southeast Asian nations to de-

velop a system for resolving such disputes.

In the summer and fall of 2012, tensions

ran highest between China and Japan over

a group of uninhabited islands in the East

Asian Sea that both countries claim. The

islands are known as the Diaoyu in China

and the Senkaku in Japan.

The trouble began on Aug. 15, when Japa-

nese authorities arrested 14 Chinese citi-

zens from a Hong Kong-based vessel af-

ter some of them staged a protest by land-

ing on one of the islands. The landing of

Japanese activists on one of the disputed

islands further intensified tensions. In re-

sponse, anti-Japanese protests, some vio-

lent, spread across China, apparently

chaperoned and approved by the police.

The governor of Tokyo, a well-known na-

tionalist, further angered Chinese activ-

ists by announcing that he wanted to buy

three of the disputed islands from their

owner, a Japanese citizen. He said he be-

lieved that Japans central government

was not doing enough to defend them.

The next week, the Japanese government

announced that it had bought all of the

islands from their private Japanese own-

ers for nearly $30 million. It said it acted

in the hope of forestalling further conflict,

but China accused Tokyo of stealing the

islands and dispatched two maritime en-

forcement ships in a show of force.

In late September, the Japanese Coast

Guard used water cannons to disperse

fishing boats from Taiwan near the islands,

which are also claimed by Taipei.

In October, China announced that it would

not send its finance minister or central

bank chief to the annual meetings of the

International Monetary Fund and the

World Bank in Tokyo. The decision was a

clear sign of Chinas displeasure with

Japans handling of the dispute over the

islands.

The last-minute cancellation, confirmed

by Japanese officials on Oct. 10, came as

a Japanese news agency reported that To-

kyo may try to defuse the standoff by of-



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ficially acknowledging for the first time

that China also claims the islands.

On Oct. 11, a senior Chinese diplomat

made a secret visit to Tokyo to hold talks

aimed at defusing tensions between the

two countries, according to a Japanese

government spokesman. The spokesman,

Osamu Fujimura, said Luo Zhaohui, who

leads the Chinese Foreign Ministrys Asian

Affairs Department, met with Shinsuke

Sugiyama, the director general of the

Asian and Oceanic Affairs Bureau at

Japans Foreign Ministry.

According to a statement from the Japa-

nese ministry, the diplomats exchanged

opinions on the dispute and held prepa-

ratory talks for a higher-level meeting

between the two nations to take place at

an unspecified date.

In December, a Chinese military surveil-

lance plane entered what Japan consid-

ers its airspace near the disputed islands,

the Japanese Defense Ministry said. Japan

scrambled fighter jets in response, but the

Chinese plane left before they arrived, ac-

cording to Japanese authorities. The min-

istry said the planes incursion was the

first known violation of Japanese airspace

by a Chinese plane since they began keep-

ing records some 50 years ago. China con-

siders the airspace its own, because it is

laying claim to the islands that Japan has

controlled for decades. Tokyo lodged a

formal protest with Beijing, which swiftly

retorted that it was the Japanese who had

encroached.

Deepak Parekh panel

ReportSuggesting big-ticket reforms to attract

investment in the infrastructure sector, a

high-level committee, recommended in-

creasing electricity charges and rail fares.

The high-level committee on financing of

infrastructure, which is headed by HDFC

Chairman Deepak Parekh, also pitched for

100 per cent foreign direct investment

(FDI) in the telecom sector. The limit at

present is 74 per cent. The panel also sug-

gested raising prices of natural gas. These

recommendations are aimed at attracting

Rs.51.46 lakh crore for funding the infra-

structure sector during the XII Plan (2012-

17), according to the report, which was

presented to Prime Minister Manmohan

Singh. Suggesting a slew of reforms in

various sectors, including rail, power, coal,

gas supply and telecom highways, the re-

port says that the projected investment

of about Rs.51 lakh crore during the XII

Plan should not be taken for granted.

Naina Lal Kidwai

becomes first woman

President of FICCINaina Lal Kidwai on Saturday took over

as President of FICCI, becoming the first

woman to head the leading industry body.

FICCI said in a statement at the conclu-

sion of its Annual General Meeting in New

Delhi Kidwai, 55, is the first woman and

professional manager to be elected as

President of the chamber. Kidwai suc-

ceeds R V Kanoria of Kanoria Chemicals

& Industries Ltd. Chairman of Xpro India

Ltd and Digjam Ltd,Sidharth Birla, also has

been elected as Senior Vice-President of

FICCI.

Rangarajan Panel

ReportThe Rangarajan committee, set up to ex-

amine issues related to sugar decontrol,

has recommended complete decontrol of

the sugar industry. In its report, the com-

mittee has asked the government to re-

move levy sugar obligation (sugar for ra-

tion shops) and to do away with the regu-

lated release mechanism besides freeing

up the commodity's export and import.

The committee has recommended the

abolition of state advised price (SAP) - the

selling price of cane as fixed by state gov-

ernments - and the introduction of a

profit-sharing mechanism to arrive at a

uniform pricing for cane farmers. It has

suggested a dynamic two stage payment.

Mills would have to pay farmers the fair

and remunerative price fixed by the cen-

tral government at the onset of every crop

season. The report also advocates free-

dom for farmers to sell cane to any mill

irrespective of distance.

Whistleblowers BillThe identity of whistle blowers is confi-

dential as per Department of Personnel

and Trainings Resolution dated 21st April,

2004. Therefore, data relating to whistle

blowers killed is not maintained centrally.

However, the Government has introduced

a Bill for protection of whistle blowers

which has been passed by the Lok Sabha

on 27th December, 2011 as the Whistle

Blowers Protection Bill, 2011 and is pres-

ently pending in the Rajya Sabha. The Bill

provides for adequate safeguards against

victimization of the person making disclo-

sure on any allegation of corruption or

willful misuse of power or willful misuse

of discretion against any public servant.

It is also provided that if the Competent

Authority is of the opinion that either the

complainant or public servant or the wit-

nesses, etc. need protection, the Compe-

tent Authority shall issue appropriate di-

rections to the concerned Government

authorities (including police) which shall

take necessary steps, through its agencies,

to protect such complainant or public ser-

vant or persons concerned.

India bags Kabaddi

World Cup in both

Men's, Women's

categoryIndia has won the 3rd World Cup Kabaddi

Tournament for the third consecutive

time in Mens category and second

consective time in Womens category. In-

dian men thrahsed its arch rival Pakistan

with a decisive margin of 59-22 points

whereas, Indian eves out scored Malay-

sia by 72-12. Both the finals were played

at Guru Nanak Dev Stadium in Ludhiana.

Indian men won the prize money of Two

crore rupees and women won 51 lakh ru-

pees. However, the prize money for

women has been increased to One crore

rupees from the next year.

AIR Jalandhar Correspondent reports that

with these wins by India, the curtains

were drawn on this 15-daya kabaddi ex-

travaganza played all over Punjab.

Indian men registered a hat trick by dash-

ing Pakistan to the ground in every aspect.

At the end of the first half, Indian men

squad was leading with a point difference

of 34-9. Indias raider and stoppers

showed an extraordinary sport in collect-

ing points for their country. Whereas,

some of the Pakistan palyers tried their

best but could not break the Chakravyuh

BookBookBookBookBooksssssPublished By

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of Indians and lost.

Womens final was virtually a one sided

show as Malaysian team was no match

against Indian eves. In men categories,

second and third prizes went to Pakistan

and Canada and in women category, it

went to Malaysia and Denmark, respec-

tively. The cultural show having bollywood

stars mesmerized the audience.

Hilary Mantel wins 2012

Man Booker PrizeThe whittling has finished. The judges of

this years Man Booker Prize started with

a daunting 145 novels and have win-

nowed, sifted, culled, and in some cases

hurled, until there was only one left: Hi-

lary Mantels Bring up the Bodies. Hers is

a story unique in Man Booker history. She

becomes only the third author, after Pe-

ter Carey and J.M. Coetzee, to win the

prize twice, which puts her in the empy-

rean. But she is also the first to win with

a sequel (Wolf Hall won in 2009) and the

first to win with such a brief interlude

between books. Her resuscitation of Tho-

mas Cromwell and with him the histori-

cal novel is one of the great achieve-

ments of modern literature. There is the

last volume of her trilogy still to come so

her Man Booker tale may yet have a fur-

ther chapter.

The writing will have to wait a bit though.

She may have won before but the torrent

of media interest will still knock her back

as if shes been hit by a wave. In 2009 she

confessed to feeling as though she were

flying through the air, well, shes soar-

ing again. When she lands she wont have

time to think and she will talk into micro-

phones until her throat is sore. It comes

with the territory: everyone wants a bit

of the Man Booker winner.

The Man Booker International Prize rec-

ognizes one writer for his or her achieve-

ment in fiction. Worth 60,000, the prize

is awarded every two years to a living au-

thor who has published fiction either

originally in English or whose work is

generally available in translation in the

English language. The winner is chosen

solely at the discretion of the judging

panel and there are no submissions from

publishers. The Man Booker International

Prize is significantly different from the

annual Man Booker Prize for Fiction. In

seeking out literary excellence, the judges

consider a writers body of work rather

than a single novel.

2012 Nobel Prizes

WinnersTHE NOBEL PRIZE IN PHYSICS 2012

Serge Haroch David J. Wineland

The Nobel Prize in Physics 2012 was

awarded jointly to Serge Haroche and

David J. Wineland for ground-breaking

experimental methods that enable mea-

suring and manipulation of individual

quantum systems

NOBEL PRIZE IN CHEMISTRY 2012

Robert J. Lefkowitz & Brian K. Kobilka

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2012 was

awarded jointly to Robert J. Lefkowitz and

Brian K. Kobilka for studies of G-protein-

coupled receptors

THE NOBEL PRIZE IN PHYSIOLOGY OR

MEDICINE 2012

Sir John B. Gurdon S h i n y a

Yamanaka

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

2012 was awarded jointly to Sir John B.

Gurdon and Shinya Yamanaka for the dis-

covery that mature cells can be repro-

grammed to become pluripotent

THE NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATURE 2

csm english may 2013

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