Sunday, November 30, 2014

Events of November Fourth Week (Nov 23-30, 2014)




Nov IV Week (Nov 23-30, 2014)
Date
Events








23-Nov-14
45th IFFI's tribute to dancers of Indian cinemas - Sadhana Bose, Uday Shankar, Padmini, Sandhya, Vyjayanthimala, Hema Malini, Shobhana, Madhuri Dixit, SudhaChandran and Kamal Haasan among others
Government convenes all Party meet on CSAT exam issue in UPSC
Achyuta Samanta, a social entrepreneur from India, is among 15 laureates selected for the prestigious Gusi Peace Prize for the year 2014
Fr Kuriakose Elias Chavara and Sr Euphrasia (from India) were elevated to sainthood by Pope Francis
China launches 13000 km cargo rail route from Yiwu (in China) to Madrid (in Spain); passes through 8 countries including China and Spain
Lahore-based author Bilal Tanweer’s maiden novel "The Scatter Here is Too Great" has bagged the 2014 Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize






24-Nov-14
A delegation of ten Members of Parliament from Bangladesh, led by Muhammad Faruk Khan, visited the Election Commission of India
Promotion and Use of Hindi in the North East Region Development Programmes is Important Step in Mainstreaming North East to the Nation: Dr. Jitendra Singh
India and Sweden celebrate 5 years of bilateral collaboration in healthcare
Winter session of Parliament begins
Former Union Minister Murali Deora passed away
Former Supreme Court (SC) judge Justice Chandramauli Kumar (CK) Prasad was chosen as the next chairperson of the Press Council of India (PCI).
L.A.V. Nathan, chairman of the SC-appointed Supervisory Committee said that, Tamil Nadu can take immediate steps to raise the level of Mullaperiyar dam to 152 feet as per provisions of the Supreme Court
Three global organisations [World Toilet Organisation (WTO), WASTE and the Financial Inclusion Improves Sanitation and Health (FINISH)] signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to share best practices in the sanitation sector and help millions of Indians gain access to basic sanitation facilities








25-Nov-14
Mr. Nitin Gadkari flagged off Delhi-Kathmandu-Delhi bus service
Legendary Kathak danseuse Sitara Devi passed away in Mumbai Hospital.
Obama sacks defence secretary Chuck Hagel
Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the Commonwealth Science Conference organized by the Royal Society at Bangalore.
India and Nepal sign 10 MoUs
Twin City Agreement between Ayodhya-Janakpur; Kathmandu-Varanasi and  Lumbini-Bodh Gaya
India and Nepal were now powered by the "engine of trust" - Modi
Supreme Court slammed the governments of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi for their failure to stop female foeticide
Union Health Ministry likely to ban the sale of loose cigarettes and impose a higher fine for smoking in public
Sania Mirza was named a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for the South Asian region by UN Women
26-Nov-14
18th SAARC Summit begins at Kathmandu, Nepal; Theme: “Deeper Integration for Peace and Prosperity
National Milk Day (Birthday of Dr. Verghesse Kurien)
India has voted against a UN General Assembly draft resolution calling for moratorium on the use of death penalty
The Lok Sabha passed a bill to amend the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act to include leader of the single largest opposition party as a member of the selection committee to choose the CBI chief.
Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Mr. Anoop Mishra will be the new Secretary General of the Lok Sabha
Pune Marathas won the inaugural Champions Tennis League 2014 by defeating Delhi Dreams








27-Nov-14
The TVoA (Tourist Visa on Arrival) enabled with ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization) Scheme will facilitate nationals of 43 countries to travel to India for tourism for a short stay of 30 days
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley revises the target for opening of accounts under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) from 7.5 crore to10 crore by 26th January, 2015
Australian batsman Phillip Hughes became the first international player to die from an injury suffered while batting
The E. Sreedharan committee for delegating tendering and commercial powers for railway projects to lower levels of bureaucracy submitted its interim report to Union Railway Minister
Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Orders (Amendment) Bill 2014, to include more castes under the Scheduled Castes category in four states -- Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Tripura and exclude one caste from it in Sikkim was passed by the Lok Sabha
SC suggests B. Srinivasan to step down from BCCI also says CSK must be suspended without any further probe
RBI eases norms for small banks
28-Nov-14
India Signs Agreement with ADB for a Loan of Us $100 Million to Support Kerala’s Additional Skill Acquisition Program
Defence Minister Mr. Manohar Parrikar said in Lok Sabha that, at present, there is shortage of 2776 scientists in Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)
A total of 99 suicide cases have been reported from the Armed Forces this year - Mr. Manohar Parrikar
India accounts fort he highest number of TB cases in the World - WHO
7 States (Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal) identified locations for AIIMS
The Supreme Court asked the Centre to continue with German language in KV schools instead of imposing Sanskrit at the middle of the curriculum. Asks Centre to impose Sanskrit from next year










29-Nov-14
Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off a passenger train from Mendipathar in Meghalaya to Assamese Capital, following which Meghalaya found a place on the country's railway map
Bhartiya Mahila Bank is targeting a deposit base of Rs. 1000 crore
First trial of 15 minutes test for Ebola to take place soon in Guinea
Namibia voted in Africa's first electronic ballot (India's EVM used)
Mauritius has ordered a Dornier-228 aircraft costing Rs. 100 crore from Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. for sea surveillance
Prime Minister called for the privatization of railway stations to equip them with better services, and said that the government has decided to allow 100% FDI in the railways to spur modernisation.
President of India, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the Golden Jubilee Celebrations of the Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya at Bhubaneshwar. The Mahavidyalaya was set up in 1964 by the then Chief Minister of Odisha, the late Biju Patnaik.








30-Nov-14
India's P V Sidhu won Macau Grand Open Prix
All India Conference of Directors General/Inspectors General of Police - 2014, in Guwahati
‘Leviathan’ (Russian film) bagged the Golden Peacock Award for Best Film in IFFI - 2014
An umpire and former captain of Israel's national cricket team Hillel Oscar died after being hit by a ball which had just been struck by a batsman.
Baichung Bhutia becomes the first Indian footballer to be inducted into AFC's Hall of Fame
Union HRD Ministry said that, her Ministry would celebrate sage Thiruvalluvar’s birth anniversary every year
American geologists have named the earth’s most abundant mineral as "Bridgmanite".
The statue of Squadron Leader Mahinder Singh Pujji, who arrived in Britain in 1940, was unveiled in Kent in England.

November Events
November IV Week (Nov 23-30, 2014) [You are here]

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Japan delegation met Mr. OPS

A delegation from the Japan-India Business Cooperation Committee led by Mr. Muneo Kurauchi, Chairman met the Hon’ble Chief Minister Thiru O. Panneerselvam at the Secretariat in Chennai.
Chief Minister highlighted the strong economic and cultural relations between India and Japan. Today, Japan has emerged as the fourth largest investor in India. Studies done by JBIC and JETRO have ranked India as the second most attractive investment destination for Japanese companies. Tamil Nadu is now emerging as one of the largest recipients of Japanese investment.
Chief Minister drew attention to the Tamil Nadu vision 2023 to transform Tamil Nadu into the most preferred “Global manufacturing Hub”. He indicated that the Government accords the highest priority to foster economic relations with Japan. He noted that the Japan international Cooperation Agency (JICA) supports a number of projects in Tamil Nadu including the Chennai Metro Rail Project. Tamil Nadu and JICA have also the formulated a very innovatively designed Tamil Nadu Investment Promotion Programme (TNIPP). The TNIPP effectively aligns the policy priorities of the State Government, as enunciated in the Vision 2023 Document with theexpectations of investors.
Chief Minister mentioned that a Memorandum of Understanding had been signed with the Japanese External Trade Organization (JETRO) and Government of Hiroshima prefecture. A similar MoU between the Guidance Bureau and Kanagawa Prefecture Government was signed on 13th November, 2014.

To highlight the growth of Japanese business in Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister mentioned that in October 2011, Tamil Nadu had 286 Japanese companies doing business. This has gone up steeply to 523 at the end of October, 2013. He estimated that the number of Japanese companies must have now crossed 600 in October, 2014. He mentioned some of the notable Japanese companies doing business in Tamil Nadu included Nissan, Toshiba, Unipress, Mitsubishi and Komatsu. He also highlighted that a few more Japanese companies have decided to make substantial investments in Tamil Nadu and that the State Government will soon sign MoUs with a few of these companies.

 The delegation discussed the Chennai-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor and the Madurai Thoothukudi Industrial Corridor and the manner in which Japan and Japanese companies could take part in the exercise.
Mr. Kurauchi mentioned that the momentum was very favourable for deepening the economic relationship between Japan and Tamil Nadu and to capitalize on this momentum.

Farmer suicides


Chennai - Delhi Bullet Train

An Indian Railways team is in China to chalk out plans for conducting a study to build Delhi-Chennai high-speed train corridor, the world’s second largest bullet train line. The high-level team of officials from Rail Vikas Nigam Limited, led by Satish Agnihotri, is in talks with offiicals of China’s high speed rail corporation to build the Delhi-Chennai corridor.
China has agreed to conduct the study free of cost during President Xi Jinping’s visit to India in September, officials said. The proposed corridor could be the second largest in the world after China’s 2,298-km Beijing-Guangzhou line which was launched last year. Trains on the line, running at a speed of 300 km per hour, cover the distance in about eight hours. The Delhi-Chennai high speed line could cost around $32.6 billion.

India is currently considering two corridors for high speed trains. While Japan is conducting a feasibility study for a bullet train project along the Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor, China will do the same for the Delhi-Chennai route which is expected to begin by early next year.


SC slams BCCI Srini


Monday, November 24, 2014

2G scam -update


After CBI director Ranjit Sinha was removed by the Supreme Court from the 2G scam probe, additional director R K Dutta took charge of investigations. The CBI chief met finance minister Arun Jaitley at the economic intelligence committee meeting, but it was clear what transpired at the meeting. Sinha's tenure as agency chief will end in 11 days. Sources said he would not resign and complete his remaining days in office.
Dutta, a 1981-batch IPS officer from the Karnataka cadre, is in charge of the Anti Corruption Bureau of the agency that is probing 2G cases.
CBI sources said it was not initially clear whether Dutta or special director Anil Sinha, who is the number two after the director, would oversee the probe. They said it was decided that according to the Supreme Court order, the person heading the investigation team should be put in charge of the 2G cases.
Sources said the Supreme Court's severe indictment of the CBI chief had led to a sense of despondency among the officers who feel the agency would lose the public's faith.The agency probes a large number of corruption cases.

Sinha had suffered a major blow when the court removed him from the 2G probe, saying the allegations against him of trying to shield some accused prima facie appeared to be “credible“.

Saturday, November 22, 2014

Events of November Third Week (Nov 16-22, 2014)


Nov III Week (Nov 16-22, 2014)
Date
Events








16-Nov-14
International Cricket Council (ICC) announced appointment of its ambassadors for ICC Cricket World Cup (CWC) 2015. (Virat Kohli, Mitchell Johnsons, Brendon McCullum, Kumar Sangakkara and Kumar Sangakkara)
Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, unveiled a statue of Mahatma Gandhi at Roma Street Parklands, Brisbane.
The G20 Summit 2014 concluded with Brisbane Action Plan
India's K Srikanth and SainaNehwal won China Open Series 2014
German Chancellor Ms. Angel Merkrel raised the issue of dropping German language in KVs Schools with Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi
Justice (Retd) Meenakumari is appointed as Chairperson of Tamil Nadu State Human Rights Commission
G20 leaders decided to set up a Global Infrastructure Hub at Sydney






17-Nov-14
India - China joint military exercise (Hand in Hand) begins in Pune
Phase II of the Indo-Russian bilateral exercise "Avia Indra" begins in Punjab.
India Signs Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with United States of America (USA) on Setting-Up Infrastructure Collaboration Platform
Indian Railways and Republic of Korea Sign MoU on Technical Cooperation in the Rail Sector
China and Australia signed Free Trade Agreement
India is a strategic partner and not China - Israel
11 new born babies die in Dharmapuri District of Tamil Nadu. As of Nov 23, 24 babies died in Dharmapuri and Salem Districts of the State. NHRC issued notice to the State on this issue










18-Nov-14
 'Smart City Expo World Congress’ begins at Barcelona, Spain
TSR Subramanian Committee Submit its Report to Union Environment Minister. The Committee was constituted to review the processes, laws and Acts of the Ministry
Rajiv Mehrishi has been appointed as India’s Alternate Governor on the Board of Governors of the Asian Development Bank, Manila, Philippines
Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd ( IREDA) and US-Exim Bank signs MoU
India and Australia signs 5 MoUs
India tops global slavery index
Japanese Economy slipped into recession
Neha Gupta (18), an Indian-American from Philadelphia, has won the prestigious International Children’s Peace Prize for her work to help orphans in India and other vulnerable children. She became the first ever American to be awarded the prize
Dilip Vengsarkar who earned the sobriquet ‘colonel’ has been chosen for the BCCI’s Col. C.K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award for 2013-14





19-Nov-14
National Integration Week (Nov 19-25, 2014)
Western Ghats face major conservation concerns: IUCN
The Oxford Dictionaries named "vape" as 2014's Word of the Year.
Narendra Modi addressed in Fiji Parliament; India offers $80 million credit Line to Fiji
The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) hold the conference at Bangkok
Indian Fishermen on death row in Sri Lanka freed
Government to amend Lokpal selection process
E-auctioning of coal blocks in Feb 2015
98th birth anniversary of the former Prime Minister Smt. Indira Gandhi observed
World Toilet Day observed; Theme: "Equality and Dignity"
Tamil Nadu government moved the Supreme Court for a directive to the Union government to deploy the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) at the Mullaperiyar dam immediately for its protection and to enable the State to raise the level to 142 feet










20-Nov-14
Centenary Award for Indian Film Personality of the Year was awarded to Mr. Rajnikanth for his outstanding contribution to Indian Cinema at the 45th IFFI, Goa
Urban Development Ministry accords ‘In-principle’ approval for Chennai Monorail Project 20.68 km Project (no financial help from Centre)
Supreme Court directed the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC) to produce in a sealed cover the answer sheets of 800 candidates who took the Group I services examination in 2001.
Indian space agency ISRO will be conferred the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for 2014 in recognition of its contribution in strengthening international cooperation in peaceful use of outer space
Dr Nata Menabde, Representative of World Health Organisation to India heaped praise on the several initiatives of Tamil Nadu government in the health sector
Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, gave its approval for the North Eastern Region Power System Improvement Project (NERPSlP) for six States (Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura and Nagaland) for strengthening of the Intra State Transmission and Distribution System
Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, gave its approval for signing of "SAARC Framework Agreement for Energy Cooperation (Electricity)"
Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, gave its approval to launch "Integrated Power Development Scheme" (IPDS)
In a major blow to the CBI’s image, the Supreme Court ordered CBI Director Ranjit Sinha to recuse himself from the multi-crore 2G spectrum scam inquiry and trial
After a gap of three-and-a-half decades (nearly 35 years) and a relentless judicial battle, the level in the Mullaperiyar dam touched the 142-foot.
To tackle corruption and maladministration in the local bodies, Tamil Nadu government has decided to establish the institution of ombudsman.







21-Nov-14
Ami Bera (Indian American) re-elected to the US House of Representatives in one of the closest congressional races from California
Intelligence agencies in Bangladesh and India have exchanged lists of suspected fugitives believed to be hiding in each other’s countries to evade trials.
CERN’s Large Hadron Collider scientists have discovered two new subatomic particles (Xi_b'- and Xi_b*)
ING Vysya Bank to merge with Kotak Mahindra Bank
US President Obama to be the Chief Guest for India's Republic Day function 2015
Domestic airport in Hyderabad renamed as NTR (NT Ramarao)
SC issues notice to Union HRD Ministry on scrapping of German language in Kendra Vidyalaya Schools
World is looking a India with great respects - blogs Modi on his three nation visit (Myanmar, Australia and Fiji)
Venkaiah Naidu asks states to tone up urban governance
Japan’s Official Development Loan Assistance to India for an Amount of (yen) 15.620 Billion for the Guwahati Sewerage Project







22-Nov-14
 “Our district-Our water” programme will be launched during India water week which will be held from 13 to 17 January next year.
Mamata dares Centre to impose President's Rule in West Bengal, Arrest Her
China Building South Sea Island Big Enough for Airstrip: Report
Indian-Origin Author Neel Mukherjee Shortlisted ("The Lives for Others") for British Literary Prize
Centre calls meeting to resolve Mullaperiyar Dam issue
Obama signs order expanding US' Afghanistan Role
Delhi - Chennai Bullet Train: Railway Officials to visit China
Mangalyaan among Time's best inventions list; calls it as "The SuperSmart SpaceCraft"

November III Week (Nov 16-22, 2014) [You are here]