September 2014

1. Sushma opens new Indian Embassy building in Kabul : (10 sept. 14)

The 40 Million USD building was laid its foundation stone in 2005 by Manmohan singh. now its been inaugurated by Sushma swaraj, the External Affairs minister.

2.

february 2014

1.)  The Union Government approved the setting up of two plants to manufacture semiconductor chips in India on 14 February 2014. 
                           One of the business consortiums consists of India's Jaiprakash Associates, IBM and Tower Jazz. It plans to set up a plant at a cost of 34399 crore Rupees near the Yamuna Expressway in Uttar Pradesh. - The other, which consists of France-based STMicroelectronics, HSMC Technologies (Hindustan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation) and Malaysia's Silterra, will set up a plant in Prantij in Gujarat at a cost of 29013 crore Rupees

2)  Researchers at Chinese Academy of Sciences developed fire-resistant paper
Researchers with Shanghai institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Science developed a new type of paper that is resistant to fire on 14 February 2014. The research was published in Chemistry - A European Journal.
The paper will not catch fire even at 1000 degrees Celsius temperature. This new paper is formed from calcium phosphate compound. 
The novel kind of inorganic paper is flexible and incombustible, but still feels like ordinary paper. It can be torn, folded, and destroyed by strong acid. 
It can be used for important documents to preserve for long periods of time.

3) China to build the longest underwater tunnel of the World
China announced a plan to build the longest underwater tunnel of the World on 14 February 2014. Water tunnel will be constructed beneath the Bohai Sea. 
The 123-km long underwater tunnel will connect the port cities of Dalian in Liaoning province and Yantai in Shandong province. The project will cost 36 billion dollar to construct the shortcut between two northern port cities in an earthquake-prone region.
The tunnel would surpass the combined length of the world's two longest tunnels, Japan's Seikan Tunnel linking Honshu and Hokkaido and the Channel Tunnel between Britain and France. 

4)  OPCW selected US and Finnish Companies to destroy remaining chemical weapons of Syria

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) selected two US and Finnish companies to help destroy Syria's chemical arsenal. This is the part of an ambitious plan to destroy all the chemical arsenal of Syria by 30 June 2014.
Finland's company Ekokem and the US subsidiary of French company Veolia Environment were selected.

5)  Italy Prime Minister Enrico Letta resigned

Enrico Letta

Italy Prime Minister Enrico Letta resigned on 14 February 2014. The statement released by the Italian presidential palace stated that the Italy’s President, Giorgio Napolitano accepted the resignation.

About Enrico Letta 
Letta was sworn as the Prime Minister in April 2013 forming the grand coalition government. The Democratic Party has a majority in the lower house of Parliament but relies on smaller parties in the Senate. The last election held in Italy was in 2008 where Berlusconi became the Prime Minister for the third time.  After Berlusconi‘s expel from the parliament for the conviction of tax fraud, the country leaders have been appointed. 

6)  G-4 Director Generals(Foreign Ministers)  for UN Affairs met on 11 February 2014 in New Delhi. 
During the meet, the four G-4 nations namely Brazil, Germany, India and Japan also conducted an Outreach Seminar on UN Security Council Reform on 12 February 2014. 

7)  

Father of Nation:

Father of Nation:

1. Afghanistan —Ahmad Shah Durrani
2. Argentina—Don José de San Martín
3. Australia— Sir Henry Parkes
4. Bahamas —Sir Lynden Pindling
5. Bangladesh— Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
6. Bolivia —Simón Bolívar
7. Brazil —Dom Pedro I andJosé Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva
8. Burma— Aung San
9. Cambodia— Norodom Sihanouk
10. Chile— Bernardo O'Higgins
11. Republic of China— Sun Yat-sen
12. Colombia —Simón Bolívar
13. Sweden— Gustav I of Sweden
14. Croatia— Ante Starčević
15. Cuba —Carlos Manuel de Céspedes
16. Dominican Republic— Juan Pablo Duarte
17. Ecuador— Simón Bolívar
18. Ghana— Kwame Nkrumah
19. Guyana— Cheddi Jagan
20. Haiti —Jean-Jacques Dessalines
21. India— Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
22. Indonesia —Sukarno
23. Iran —Cyrus the Great
24. Israel —Theodor Herzl
25. Italy —Victor Emmanuel II
26. Kenya —Jomo Kenyatta
27. Republic of Korea— Kim Gu
28. Kosovo —Ibrahim Rugova
29. Lithuania— Jonas Basanavičius
30. Macedonia— Krste Misirkov
31. Malaysia—Tunku Abdul Rahman
32. Mauritius —Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam
33. Mexico —Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla
34. Mongolia Genghis Khan
35. Namibia— Sam Nujoma
36. Netherlands— William the Silent
37. Norway— Einar Gerhardsen
38. Pakistan— Mohammad Ali Jinnah
39. Panama— Simón Bolívar
40. Peru —Don José de San Martín
41. Portugal —Dom Afonso Henriques
42. Russia —Peter I of Russia
43. Saudi Arabia— Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia
44. Scotland —Donald Dewar
45. Serbia —Dobrica Ćosić
46. Singapore— Lee Kuan Yew
47. Slovenia— Primož Trubar
48. South Africa— Nelson Mandela
49. Spain —Fernando el Católico
50. Sri Lanka— Don Stephen Senanayake
51. Suriname— Johan Ferrier
52. Tanzania —Julius Nyerere
53. Turkey— Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
54. United Arab Emirates— Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
55. United States— George Washington
56. Uruguay— José Gervasio Artigas
57. Venezuela— Simón Bolívar
58. Vietnam —Ho Chi Minh

Some Largest Producers in India:

*******************
1.The largest producer of paddy in India- West Bengal
2.The lagest producer of wheat in India- Uttar Pradesh
3.The lagest producer of sugarcane in India- Uttar Pradesh
4.The lagest producer of groundnut in India- Gujarat
5.The largest producer of tea in India- Assam
6.The largest producer of coffee in India- Karnataka
7.The largest producer of jute in India- West Bengal
8.The largest producer of tobacco in India- Andhra Pradesh
9.The largest producer of bananas in India- Tamilnadu
10.The largest producer of saffron in India- Jammu & Kashmir
11.The largest producer of onion in India- Maharashtra
12.The largest producer of black pepper in India- Kerala
13.The largest producer of cotton in India- Gujarat*
14.The largest producer of bamboos in India- Assam
(Maharashtra has the largest area under cotton cultivation but Gujarat is the largest producer as per GoI release dt 25 Jul 2011

Two New-Born Giant Planets Observed Around the Star ( Jan, 2013)

Astronomers studying about the newborn star called HD 142527, observed glimpses of the planets which were forming around it, depicting the stage of  planetary evolution which was never seen before. The new-born planets were observed using the largest radio telescope on Earth, Atacama Large Millimetre /submillimeter Array in the Atacama Desert of Chile.  

It was observed that  streams of gases  were flowing through the gap found in the disc of the material that was surrounding the young star supported theories, about how these planets grew. The European Southern Observatory (ESO) described  the vast stream of gases were flowing through the gap in disc. 

Astronomers were studying the HD 142527 which is 450 light years away from the Earth. It was found that this star is surrounded by cosmic dust as well as a disc of gases. The disc is segregated into an inner as well as an outer part with the help of a gap. The gap might have been created by newly formed  giant planets of gas which were clearing out the orbits as they revolved around the star. 

The astronomer leading the study, Simon Casassus explained that these giant planets grew in size by capturing gases from the outer discs, from the streams which act like  bridges across the gap in the disc. Simon Casassus also explained that astronomers were predicting  the existence of these streams but this was the first time that they were observed directly.

january 2013

#  Direct benefit transfer started on 1 jan 2013

The DCBT 1st phase rollout started on 1.1.13 in 43 districts of 16 states under 26 different schemes like pension, scholarships, NREGA wages etc.

# Aryabhatta Awards by ASI goes to Muthunayagam and Saraswat.

The Astronomical society of india (ASI) announced names of the former secretary of Deppt. of Ocean Development , Dr. A.E. Muthunayagam & Dr. V.K. Saraswat , Scientific advisor to the Defence Ministry for the prestigious Aryabhatta Award for year 2010 & 2011 respectively. The two have been selected for their achievements in rocketry.

# S. Rama Krishanan took as director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Center, Thiruvananthapuram.
He replaced P. S Veeraraghavan. He was honoured Padma Shri in 2003.
He is an expert in Aerospace propulsion, Launch Vehicle Sys and served as mission director for PSLV C1,C2,C3,C4 flights, chandrayaan mission, and a major contributor in india's first Launch vehicle SLV-3

# India and Pakistan Exchanged Nuclear Units List as per the agreement , 1988
India and Pakistan exchanged their nuclear units’ lists on 1 January 2013, as it is customary since 20 years. The list which contains the names of nuclear units of two countries, are exchanged between India and Pakistan as a custom and part of an agreement which prevents them from aiming the nuclear installations of each others’ nations. 
The exchange of the list of nuclear units has been going on, on 1 January every year since 1992. This is a customary action as a part of Agreement on Prohibition of Attacks against Nuclear Installations and Facilities which was signed in December 1988 .

# Syed Asif Ibrahim Took Over as the Director of Intelligence Bureau
Syed Asif Ibrahim, the 1977 Madhya Pradesh cadre IPS officer took over the office of Intelligence Bureau as a director on 1 January 2013 from Nehchal Sandhu. 
Alok Joshi, the Haryana cadre IPS officer on the other hand took over the office of RAW as the director on 31 December 2012.
Ranjit Sinha, the Bihar Cadre Senior IPS Officer of 1974 batch was appointed as next director of Central Bureau of Investigation on 22 November 2012 for two years. 

# Oldest Fossil of the Earth from 3.5 Billion Years Ago Discovered in Australia 
Scientists while analysing the Australian rocks claimed that they discovered certain traces of bacteria in Western Australia's Pilbara region, which lived a record-breaking 3.49 billion years ago. The biochemist at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Nora Noffke described that the traces of bacteria are among the oldest fossils ever found and therefore they are said to be the oldest ancestors of humans.

#Chief Justice of India Inaugurated First Fast-Track Court in Delhi for Hearing Rape 
  Cases
Chief Justice of India (CJI) Altamas Kabir inaugurated the first fast-track court in Delhi on 2 January 2013 for dealing with the crimes against females. The first fast-track court is one among other four fast-track courts which would deal with the cases of crime against the women. This court is set up in the Saket Court Complex and the first case to be heard here is that of the Delhi gangrape which took place on 16 December 2012. 
Other fast track courts would function from 3 January 2013 at Rohini, Tis Hazari and Dwarka in New Delhi. In the first rape case which would be heard in the fast-track court, the Delhi Police decided to submit a 1000-page chargesheet in the magistrate court in Saket on 3 January 2013 after which it would move to fast-track court where hearing will take place on daily trial basis.

#Union Government constituted the 14th Finance Commission under Former RBI Governor YV Reddy

y v reddy

Union Government on 2 January 2013 constituted the 14th Finance Commission under former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor Yaga Venugopal Reddy. The commission under YV Reddy is going to primarily review finances of the governments keeping in mind the fiscal consolidation road map that was laid out by his predecessor Vijay Kelkar, the head of 13th finance Commission.

The Commission would have three full-time members-
• Sushma Nath, Former Finance Secretary
• M. Govind Rao ,Director, NIPFP and
• Sudipto Mundle Former Acting Chairman of  National Statistical.

The Commission would also have Abhijit Sen , the Member of Planning Commission as its part-time member. Also, Ajay Narayan Jha had been appointed Secretary to the Commission.

The commission has to give its report by October next year and the recommendations will come into effect from April, 2015 for a five-year period.

About Finance Commission
The Finannce commission is set up every five years. Article 280 of the Constitution provides for setting up of a finance commission to recommend how net earnings of taxes are to be divided between the Union and states and subsequently among the states.

The Finance Commission Act of 1951 states the terms of qualification, appointment and disqualification, the term, eligibility and powers of the Finance Commission.

Functions 14th Finance Commission will Perform
• Among the new areas of recommendations on public sector units (PSUs), the commission will suggest how to list these units on the bourses and will also give its prescriptions on the disinvestment process.

• The commission has also been asked to recommend how non-priority PSUs be relinquished.

• The commission will recommend measures for segregating the pricing of public utility services such as drinking water, irrigation, power and public transport from policy fluctuations through statutory provisions.

• It will also suggest measures for maintaining a stable and sustainable fiscal environment consistent with equitable growth including suggestions to amend the Fiscal Responsibility Budget Management Act.

# Urjit Patel Was Appointed As the Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India

urjit patel

Urjit Patel was appointed as the Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India on 3 January 2013. Urjit Patel succeeds Subir Gokarn, who handled Monetary Policy in RBI. The three-year term of Subir Gokarn terminated in November 2012 but he was given an extension which ended finally on 31 December 2012.
There are in all four Deputy Governor Posts in RBI. With the termination of term of Subir Gokarn, one post was vacant.

# Government of Odisha launched Public Service Delivery System 
The government of Odisha on 2 January 2013 launched the much-sought after public services Delivery System for citizens under the Odisha Right to Public Service Act, 2012.

Under this new act, people would be getting services like issue of driving license, birth and death certificates, passport and trade license within a stipulated period of time. The act was passed during the winter session of the assembly in month of December 2012.
Altogether 32 services of seven administrative departments will come under the purview of the Act.

 The departments which would provide services in the first phase were – 
I. Commerce and Transport (11) 
II. Revenue and Disaster Management (12)
III. Health and Family Welfare (3) 
IV. Finance (2) 
V. Home (2)
VI. Rural Development (1) 
VII. Women and Child Development (1). 

The state government had highly instructed departments to fix the time limit for a particular service and display it for public knowledge. As per the Official sources about 100 services would be provided to the people under the new act.
Odisha is 12th state among other states of Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Bihar, Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh to implement the law.


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burning issues