Events of Oct 26-31, 2014 in nutshell

Date	Events
26-Oct-14	World's tallest statue to be built by L&T (Statue of Unity)
	India’s Anirban Lahiri won the Macau Open (Golf)
	EC announced Elections to the Legislative Assemblies of Jharkhand and Jammu & Kashmir
	‘Run for Unity’ to be highlight of the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas celebrations on 31st October
27-Oct-14	India's Sania Mirza won WTA finals in Double category along with Cara Black. PM Congratulated her.
	Dilma Rousseff reelected as President of Brazil
	INS Mumbai, INS Talwar and INS Deepak arrived Saint Denis port of the Reunion island, France towards bolstering bilateral ties and reinforcing cooperation in maritime security between India and France.
	Climate Adaptation Fund to be finalized soon and Indian farmers are ready to adapt to climate change: Prakash Javadekar
	A Dedicated Website for Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana (Pmjdy ) Launched
	Union Minister Sushri Uma Bharti has said that no decision about Ganga rejuvenation will be taken by the centre without taking into confidence the concerned States.
	Union Government scrapped ongoing selection process of CMDs, EDs in PSBs
	SoftBank of Japan to invest 10 billion dollars in India
28-Oct-14	The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has issued 70 crore Aadhaar numbers as on 28th October 2014.
	100-Member Indian Youth Delegation to Visit China from 25th November to 2nd December, 2014
	Centre has launched Vanbandhu Kalyan Yojana (VKY) for welfare of Tribals.
	Union Culture Minister, Shri Shripad Naik inaugurates festival of India in Japan. The yearlong festival to cover 20 cities in Japan
	Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Health Minister, said that he is determined to take the country substantially down the road to elimination of the disease of TB by 2020.
	Bangalore Railway Station Becomes the First Station in the Country to Have Wifi Facility
	Surya Prakash was appointed as the Chairman of Prasar Bharti Board for a term of three years.
	India and Vietnam signed seven Memoranda of Understandings
	Supreme Court rapped the Union Government and Lieutenant Governor of Delhi Najeeb Jung over delay in Delhi Government formation.
29-Oct-14	International Internet Day
	Sachin Tendulkar and Steve Waugh inducted into Don Bradman Hall of Fame
	Union Government files blacklist of 627 Black Money holders to SC; but names not revealed out
	Subsidised cooking gas (LPG) rates have been hiked by Rs.3 per cylinder. In Chennai, a bottleof LPG will now cost Rs. 404
	CAG must not be headline seekers - Arun Jaitley
	Former Telecom Minister Dayanidhi Maran and his brother Kalanithi Maran (owner of Sun TV n/w) were summoned as 'accused' by a special 2G case court in connection with the Aircel-Maxis deal case
30-Oct-14	India's Pankaj Advani won World Billiards Championships (time format)
	Apple CEO Tim Cook openly said that, he is gay
	Sri Lankan Court announces death sentence to 5 fishermen of Tamil Nadu. TN Chief Minister Mr. OPS asks PM Mr.Modi to interfere and save the lives of those fishermen. CM said that, fishermen are innocent and they are being falsely framed
	The Navy SEAL who shot dead Osama Bin Laden (Operation Neptune Spear) has been reportedly agreed to reveal his identity in Fox News Channel Documentary
	Nigeria lauds Chennai's help in Ebola fight
	The new Capital of Andhra Pradesh likely to come up in Guntur District
	SC raps Bihar and Chhattisgarh on missing children
	Rs. 5 lakh more for 1984 riot victims
31-Oct-14	National Unity Day observed on the remembrance of Sardar Vallabhai Patel's birthday
	2G case: CBI Court charge sheets 19 accused (10 individuals and 9 companies) including A Raja, Kanimozhi (daughter of Karunanidhi) and Dayalu Ammal (wife of Karunanidhi)
	Mr. Devendra Fadnavis of BJP was sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Maharashtra
	Warren Anderson (Union Carbide fame that killed many lives in Bhopal) passed away
	Ministry of HRD hosts 2nd Meeting of SAARC Education Ministers in Delhi

Oct 21-25, 2014 in Nutshell

Oct 16-20, 2014 in Nutshell

Oct 11-15, 2014 in Nutshell

Oct 06-10, 2014 in Nutshell

Oct 01-05, 2014 in Nutshell

Osama’s killer set to reveal identity

The Navy SEAL who shot dead Osama bin Laden has reportedly agreed to reveal his identity in a Fox News Channel documentary. Known to the world as 'The Shooter', the Navy SEAL will feature in a two-part show entitled "The Man Who Killed Osama Bin Laden" on November 11th and, November 12th.

           For the first time since the killing of Bin Laden on May 1st, 2011 in the Abbottabad mission, "The Shooter" will be sharing his first hand account of Operation Neptune Spear that was focused on hunting and killing the man who orchestrated the 9/11 attacks. He is expected to provide details on the al-Qaida chief's final moments and talk about the training, mishaps, and secretive facts of the operation in Pakistan.

           The documentary will also provide an extensive, first-hand account of the mission, including the unexpected crash of one of the helicopters that night and why SEAL Team 6 feared for their lives.    

Enemies in Previous Elections; Friends in Future Elections - Anything in Politics is possible

Dynasty Rules in Maharashtra

Sagyam IAS (Madras HC) Vs TN Govt

The Madras High Court imposed Rs.10,000 in costs on the Tamil Nadu government while dismissing its petition against the appointment of U. Sagayam, an IAS officer, as a Special Officer/Legal Commissioner to inspect mines and submit a report to the court. The First Bench, of Chief Justice S.K. Kaul and Justice M. Sathyanarayanan, directed the government “to do the needful,” as requested by the officer, within four days. If there was any impediment or lack of assistance from the government, Mr. Sagayam was free to move the court.

Originally, K.R. Ramaswamy alias ‘Traffic’ Ramaswamy filed a public interest litigation petition, alleging that there was rampant illegal quarrying of mines in the State. Even Bhoomidhan land given to the SCs/STs in Madurai and Pudukottai districts, government poromboke and patta lands had been grabbed by quarry owners. He sought a directive to appoint Mr. Sagayam, a former Madurai Collector, to inspect the mines.

On September 11, by an interim order, the First Bench appointed Mr. Sagayam to inspect the mines and submit a report within two months. The Chief Secretary filed the present review petition.

The Chief Secretary submitted that the appointment ran counter to provisions of the Mines and Minerals (development and regulations) Act and rules. The government had taken steps to cancel and suspend mining leases based on the Collectors’ reports. However, the lessees stalled the action by filing petitions in the High Court, and the court passed interim orders on some of them.

Ordering a government officer to conduct inspection and submit a report to the court amounted to usurping the State’s powers. There was nothing left for Mr. Sagayam to contribute to the inquiry, and his inspection would not serve any purpose. 

After AIADMK and BJP, now MDMK goes back once again to DMK?

DMK treasurer M.K. Stalin, keen on knitting together a mega alliance against the AIADMK, is ready to meet Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam general secretary Vaiko as a first step towards giving shape to his plan. While the MDMK side expects the meeting to take place at the wedding of the daughter of the former Union Minister Anbumani Ramadoss, at Mamallapuram, Mr. Stalin said he would be more than happy to meet Mr. Vaiko anywhere. “Of course, the wedding provides an opportunity for meeting various leaders. But he can always meet Mr. Vaiko anywhere,” sources said.

On the other hand, the MDMK leader said he was thankful to Mr. Stalin for his “kind words” about him in a recent television interview. Mr. Vaiko told that as leaders who respected political etiquette, they would have no problem meeting each other.

Asked about Mr. Stalin hinting at a political realignment before the Assembly polls in the interview, Mr. Vaiko said elections were 18 months away and it would be “premature” to talk about electoral pacts at the moment.

Even though the MDMK is a part of the ruling National Democratic Alliance at the Centre, Mr. Vaiko is not able to maintain with the BJP the kind of rapport that he had with veteran leaders A.B. Vajpayee and L.K. Advani. His chances of joining the AIADMK alliance also look bleak as the ruling party in Tamil Nadu never misses an opportunity to criticise him.

Namathu MGR, the AIADMK mouthpiece, ridiculed him saying he was headed yet again for ‘Anna Arivayalam,’ DMK headquarters.

Why DMK & Co silent on Amma's conviction?

The DMK has been reluctant -or unable, as some would say -to take the moral high ground on corruption following J Jayalalithaa's conviction. The party's response has been rather lukewarm and it has baulked from launching a massive campaign while it would seem that for the embattled DMK Jayalalithaa's legal problems are a godsend.

Observers cite the looming 2G case over Karunanidhi's daughter Kanimozhi as a reason for DMK's tentative approach. But what may also be shackling the party is that at least 18 former ministers of DMK are grappling with disproportionate assets cases registered several years ago under the Prevention of Corruption Act that brought down Jayalalithaa from power.

The DMK strongmen in the dock include Duraimurugan, K Ponmudi, K N Nehru, E V Velu, M R K Panneerselvam and I Periyasamy . Though most of the cases pertain to their stints as ministers in the DMK cabinet between 1996 and 2001, not even one case has reached the actual trial stage. Interestingly , at least five of them were discharged -an outcome of a weak prosecution -from the corruption cases by the respective sessions courts in their home districts in 2007 when the DMK returned to power.

Tamil Cinema and Politics

World's tallest statue to be built by L&T

Larsen & Toubro has got the Rs.2,989-crore order to build a 182-metre high statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, slated to be the tallest in the world, in Gujarat. The Statue of Unity project will be built at Sadhu-Bet Island, approximately 3.5 km south of the Sardar Sarovar Dam in the Narmada district of Gujarat. The project was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was then chief minister of Gujarat, on October 31, 2013, the birth anniversary of Sardar Patel. Upon its completion in 2018, it would be taller than the 153-meter Spring Temple Buddha statue in China and double the height of the Statue of Liberty in the US.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Rashtriya Ekta Trust (SVPRET), the nodal agency for execution of the project, handed over the letter awarding the project to L&T's Subrahmanyan in the presence of Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel and her Cabinet.

Besides installing the statue, L&T will also build the complex around it that will include a museum and audio visual gallery, a research centre, hospitality and entertainment centre and a bridge connecting the island from the mainland.

The statue will have a steel frame with over 13,000 bronze panels fitted on it. It will use 75,000 cubic metres of concrete, 5,700 metric tonne of structural steel, 18,500 steel rods and 22,500 metric tonnes of bronze. L&T will also maintain and manage the project site for 15 year after completion of construction for which it will be paid Rs.657 crore.

India and Tourists

Cyclone Nilofar

After Hudhud that hit India’s eastern coast on October 12, it’s now turn of another cyclonic storm ‘Nilofar’ to keep the Met department on toes for the next four days. Its impact is likely to be felt mid-week in Kutch area of north Gujarat and adjoining Pakistan coast.

The new cyclonic storm, formed in Arabian Sea, will, however, not be as intense as Hudhud. Nilofar is expected to bring heavy to very heavy rains in coastal districts of Saurashtra and Kutch area of north Gujarat. CM Anandiben Patel has asked all district collectors, municipal commissioners and district development officers to stay on alert and activate all control rooms.

They have also been asked to cancel leaves of employees and ask those who are on leave to report to duty. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted that the `Nilofar' will intensify further into a `severe' cyclonic storm during the next 24 hours and advised fishermen to return to the coast as the conditions off Gujarat coast will be “rough to very rough”.

Number of girl dips in Chennai

In what comes as a major cause for concern, the child sex ratio in the Chennai city has dropped from 972 in 2001 to 950 in 2011, indicating a possible bias that the denizens in the cosmopolitan city are prejudiced against the girl child. But the good news silver lining in this dark cloud, as revealed by Census 2011, is that Chennai fares much better than the other metros. The worst of the four metros in the country is Delhi, which has 873 girls for every 1000 boys, followed by Mumbai at 914 and Kolkata at 933.

 

Social activist Dr Sabu George said that, in the case of Chennai, since the live birth rate is 950, the child sex ratio must be around the number and it is 950. Thus, the reason for a fall in the child sex ratio could be the fall in the live birth rate. Nevertheless, there is serious concern among medical experts and activists, who attribute the drop partly to sex selection at pre-conception stage itself. In fertility centres, couples prefer to identify the sperm and embryo and there are various techniques to select the sex of the fetus. But that trend is more widespread in cities like Mumbai and Delhi. 

New course for engineers in heritage conservation in TN

The State government has decided to conduct a six-week course on conservation and restoration of monuments for the present set of engineers, who lack the requisite skills. Need for such a course was felt as a large number of restoration and conservation projects had been undertaken by various government departments, especially the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department, in the last three years.

Based on the recommendations of the 13th Finance Commission, Rs. 90 crore has been set apart for the renovation of over 200 temples without tampering their heritage value. In the last three years, 183 temples were provided with Rs. 67.50 crore as part of the Finance Commission's grant.

This year, the government has sanctioned Rs. 22.5 crore for 46 temples. Also, using the government's grant and funds, a number of temples had been covered under renovation and restoration. In all, restoration and renovation works are over in respect of 5,400 temples so far.

A major work is on to the ramparts of the Ranganathar temple in Srirangam. The authorities have decided to take up one such work at the Arunchaleswarar temple in Tiruvannamalai.

As for secular monuments, the prominent projects relate to restoration of the Kalas Mahal in Chepauk and the National Art Gallery building in Egmore (both in Chennai).

To be run by the State Archaeology Department, the course, in two batches, will be compulsory to those engineers working with the HR&CE Department. Also, those who are in the Public Works and Highways Departments can participate in the course.

The syllabus for the course has been framed with the help of the HR&CE, the Archaeological Survey of India, IIT, Madras University and the State Archaeology and Museums Departments. The course covers all heritage monuments, both temples and secular. Such a course is the first of its kind in the country. 

Aavin milk increases by Rs. 10

At a time when an increase in power tariff is looming large, the Tamil Nadu government increased the prices of all Aavin milk varieties by Rs. 10 a litre. The hike will come into effect from November 1.

The retail price of toned milk, the popular variety, will go up by 40 per cent, from the current rate of Rs. 24 to Rs. 34.

Making the announcement through a statement, Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam said the procurement prices of cow and buffalo milk would also go up by Rs. 5 and Rs. 4 a litre. This meant Aavin would buy cow milk at Rs. 28 a litre and buffalo milk at Rs. 35. He said the increase in the retail prices was meant to recover the rise in the procurement prices and the cost of processing. Even after the latest increase, the retail prices in the State would be lesser than the rate of toned milk being sold by private dairies and other State cooperative federations.

Anirban Lahiri won Macau Open

India’s Anirban Lahiri won the Macau Open (Golf). It is his second title of the year and his fifth career win on the Asian Tour.

The 27-year-old Lahiri, whose goal this year has been to get into the top-50 of the World Rankings, shot a final round of five-under 66 to finish at 17-under 267 and edge out the in-form and overnight leader, Scott Hend of Australia (69) and Thai Prom Meesawat (66) by one stroke. He had started the week in the 90th spot in the rankings and could now move up to 72nd.

2nd Para Asian Games

Held at Incheon, South Korea

Top 10 countries in the Medal Table
#	Country	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
01	China	174	95	48	317
02	South Korea	72	62	77	211
03	Japan	38	49	56	143
04	Iran	37	52	31	120
05	Uzbekistan	22	5	4	31
06	Thailand	21	39	47	107
07	Malaysia	15	20	27	62
08	Hong Kong	10	15	19	44
09	Indonesia	9	11	18	38
10	Vietnam	9	7	13	29
15	India	3	14	16	33