2012 current affairs

7/31/2019 2012 Current Affairs

1/26

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

The fifth edition of the World Future Energy Summit was held in Abu Dhabi, capital of UAE from 16

to 19 January 2012. The theme of this years World Future Energy Summit was - Sustainable Energy for All. The

summit discussed the need to exploit the alternative sources like solar, wind, tidal energy etc.

Pakistan's Supreme Court issued a contempt of court notice to Prime MinisterYousuf Raza Gilani for

failing to re-open graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari. The Apex Court also asked the Pakistan Prime

Minister to appear before it on 19 January 2012. A seven-judge bench led by Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk issued the

order.

UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has recognised the efforts of the tribal community of

Koraput to conserve biodiversity and develop climate resilient farm practices as a Globally Important

Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS). Mentioning this at the inauguration of the 99th Indian Science

Congress, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh lauded the Koraput tribals for the achievement. He honoured Raita

Maduli and Chandra Pradhan of Koraput for preserving the traditional agricultural system of the region. The

recognition of the Koraput Traditional Agricultural System as a GIAHS site is expected to guarantee local and

international efforts for the conservation of biodiversity and sustainable use of its genetic resources.

Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi became Yemen's new president on 26 February, formally removing autocrat

Ali Abdullah Saleh from power.

Iran on 15 February 2012 launched three nuclear projects including a fourth generation Ultra Centrifuge,

which is capable of enriching the Uranium faster than its earlier models. The first one was at the Iranian Atomic

Organization Research Center in Tehran where Iran's first home-made nuclear fuel rods were loaded into a

medical reactor. This would be used for production of isotopes used in treatment of cancer patients.Iran

unveiled two other projects in the Natanz plant in central Iran. Enriched uranium is a critical component for

both civil nuclear power generation and nuclear weapons.

President of Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed resigned on 7 February 2012 after weeks of protest, which

was against his decision to sack a judge that, he had accused of favouring the opposition. Vice President

Mohammed Waheed Hassan was sworn in as President, following Nasheeds resignation. It is alleged that police

officers sided with anti-government demonstrators. Nasheed was elected in 2008 when Maldives held its first

democratic election, following three decades of rule by autocratic leader Maumoon Abdul Gayoom

Indonesia became the 157th country to adopt the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.Indonesia

formalised ratification of the nuclear test ban treaty on 6 February 2012 at the United Nations.The Southeast

Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone treaty commits ASEAN's 10 member states not to develop, manufacture or

otherwise acquire, possess or have control over atomic weapons.

Iran on 3 February 2012 successfully launched an observation satellite called Navidinto orbit aboveEarth. It will be placed into an orbit at an altitude between 250 and 370 kilometres. The weight of the satellite is

50-kilogram and it is meant to stay in orbit for 18 months.


2/26

India will provide a grant of $1.5 million to the University of Chicago to establish aVivekananda Chair for

Indian studies, as part of the initiatives to mark the 150th birth anniversary of the 19th century luminary,

Swami Vivekananda. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed in this regard between Dean of University of

Chicago (UOC) Martha Roth and Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Culture Sanjiv Mittal, in the presence of

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee. The grant is meant to honour Swami Vivekananda's life and legacy and

facilitate exchange of research scholars from/to India.

The Arab league summit was held in Baghdad from 27 March 2012 to 29 March 2012. The three-day summit was

hosted by Iraq for the first time since 1990. 22 Arab league states participated in the summit. The Baghdad

summit discussed the uprising in Syria and the Iraqi debts to its neighbours. The previous Arab league summit

was held in Sirte. Syria didnt participate in the Summit. It was suspended in the midst of the uprising against

the Assad regime.

The second Nuclear Security Summit was held in Seoul, on 26-27 March 2012. 53 heads of state and

government, as well as representatives of the United Nations (UN), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA),

European Union (EU) and INTERPOL, attended the 2012 summit.The first Nuclear Security Summit was held in

Washington in April 2010. It was initiated by US President Barack Obama.

Rebel troops in Mali ousted its President Amadou Toumani on 22 March 2012. The rebels blamed the

government for failing to control an ethnic Tuareg insurgency in the Northern part of Mali. The Tuareg

insurgency includes fighters who supported Mummar Gaddafi in Libya. The army leaders who staged the coup

called themselves the National Committee for the Reestablishment of Democracy and the Restoration of the

State (CNRDR). USA suspended military aid and other funds directed to Malis government in its response to

military coup in Mali. It called for immediate restoration of constitutional rule.

Syria on 27 March 2012 accepted the 19-point UN peace plan to end violence in the country. The 19-point plan

was handed over by Kofi Annan to Syrian President during his recent visit to the Syria. The plan calls for a cease-

fire by Syrian forces and to commit to a daily two-hour halt in fighting to allow humanitarian access and medical

evacuations. It also calls for a full cease-fire to be supervised by the UN so that all parties can discuss a political

solution.

UN Human Rights Council in Geneva adopted a resolution about human rights violations committed by the Sri

Lankan army in its war with LTTE, which concluded IN 2009. 24 countries including India voted for the

resolution and 15 voted against it. However, India emphasised that resolutions of this nature should fully

respect the sovereign rights of states and contribute to Sri Lankas own efforts in this regard.

World Water Dayis observed annually on 22 March with an objective to focus attention on the importance

of freshwater as well as to advocate sustainable management of freshwater resources. In 2012, the International

World Water Day is observed with the theme The World is Thirsty because we are Hungry.


3/26

Vladimir Putin from United Russia Partywon the Russian Presidential Electionwith 63.75 percent of

votes on 5 March 2012.Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov came second with 17.18 percent of the votes. Putin

has already served eight years as President (2000-2004 and 2004-2008) and four years as PM (2008-2012).

This will be his third term as President.

The UN Human Rights Council asked Syria to immediately stop the attacks on civilians by the

securityforces. The death toll in the ongoing violence in Syria has crossed 7500.The UNHRC is likely to

approve resolution for indicting the Syrian officials who are responsible for attacks on the civilians.

North Korea agreed to suspend its nuclear enrichment programme in return for US food aid.

USA had promised North Korea 240000 tonnes of nutritional assistance. North Korea also agreed to allow UN

inspectors to monitor its reactor in Yongbyon .This step was taken two months after Kim Jong-un came to power

following the death of his father, Kim Jong-il. It is expected to bring peace in East Asian region and ease the

tension between North Korea and South Korea.

The Dubai Metro, comprising the red and green lines, has entered the Guinness Book of World Records as

the longest driverless metro network in the world spanning 74.695 km.

Qatar has been ranked as the world's wealthiest countryin a new list compiled by the prestigious US

magazine Forbes. The second and third positions were occupied by Luxemburg and Singapore. Liberia and

Congo took the last positions.

NATIONAL AFFAIRS

The Indian Coast Guard ship ICGS Rani Abbakka, the 1st of a series of five inshore patrol vessels

(IPV) built at Hindustan Shipyard Ltd, was commissioned at Visakhapatnam on 20 january. The ship,

incidentally, is named after Abbakka Mahadevi, the legendary queen of Tulunadu, Karnataka who fought the

Portuguese in the latter half of the 16th Century.

The International Conference on Nanoscience and Technology (ICONSAT - 2012)will be held from

January 20 to 23, 2012 at Hyderabad, India. The conference is being organized by International Advanced

Research Center for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials (ARCI), Hyderabad. The Department of Science and

Technology (DST), Government of India is the official sponsor of this conference and the above event is a regular

biennial feature under its Nano Mission initiative.

The firstbatch of RICs (Resident Identity Cards)was launchedby the home ministry at Porthrapur

village in Andaman and Nicobar Islands on 21 January 2012. The RIC cards were distributed to all

persons above the age of 18 residing in the nine coastal states and four union territories under the National


4/26

Population Register (NPR) scheme. The NPR scheme is aimed to provide valid identity to all people in these

areas to strengthen the security along the country's coastline.

The Government of India and the World Bankon 20 January 2012 signed an IDA credit of 130 million US

dollars to finance the project NERLP (North East Rural Livelihoods Project), to empower rural communities

in the North East region to improve their livelihood opportunities.The NERLP will enhance the livelihoods of the

rural poor, especially women, unemployed youth of the four participating states of Mizoram, Nagaland,Sikkim

and Tripura.

The 15th World Sanskrit conferencewas held from 5 to 10 January 2012 in New Delhi. It was organized

by Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan and International Association of Sanskrit Studies. Scholars and delegates

attended the six-day event from 32 countries. The 14th World Sanskrit conference was held in Kyoto, Japan.

The Cabinet Committee on Security approved the setting up of a National Counter Terrorism Centre

(NCTC) to counter terrorism effectively. The Ministry of Home Affairs proposed the NCTC. It will be a single

window organisation that will gather and disseminate intelligence to central and state security organisations.

The Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh inaugurated the 10th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas event that was held on

7-9 January 2012 in Jaipur. The Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Kamla Persad Bissessar was the Chief

Guest of the event. The Global Indian: Inclusive Growth was the theme of the event. Prime Minister

announced a new Pension and Life Insurance Fund for overseas Indian workers in this event. Minister of

Overseas Indian Affairs announced that next Regional Pravasi Bharatiya Divas-2012 will be held in Dubai for the

Gulf region.

AUnited Nations Resource Centre for the North-East was set up at Guwahati,Assam on 2 January

2012. The centre happens to be the first of its kind in the country. The centre was formally inaugurated by the

State Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi.

India announced that itbecame free from bird flu, H5N1 virus. The government made a declaration to

this effect on 4 January 2012.

In the new version of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act,MGNREGA, Government

included more than 25 agriculture and allied activities from 1 April 2012. The new version of act was

prepared after receiving a report on revised Operational Guidelines for MGNREGA. The Report was prepared by

a committee headed by Planning Commission Member Mihir Shah.

Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram inaugurated the fourth and final regional hubof the National

Security Guard (NSG) in Marol, Mumbai on 23 February 2012. The regional hubs at Kolkata, Hyderabad,

Chennai and Mumbai were set up to reduce the response time and reach the area of operation as quickly as

possible. The state-of-the-art training facility at Ibrahimpatnam, Hyderabad will train commandos for southern

and western States.


5/26

President Pratibha Devi Singh Patil on 9 February 2012 released a special commemorative stamp to mark

the Golden Jubilee of the India International Centre (IIC) in New Delhi. This centre plays a major role in

promoting awareness and creating public opinion.The Stamp priced at five rupees promotes the nations image

and depicts the rich diverse culture of the country.

The Union government decided to operationalise the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) from

1 March 2012. The NCTC is to be located in the Intelligence Bureau and headed by a Director who will be an

officer in the rank of Additional Director, IB. It is having three units, gathering intelligence, analysis of

intelligence and carrying out operations.

Union cabinet of India on 9 February 2012 approved the National Data Sharing and Accessibility

Policy (NDSAP-2012) to facilitate access to central government owned shareable data and information. The

NDSAP policy is designed to promote data sharing and enable access to central government owned data for

national planning and development.

Vanya Mishra of Chandigarh crowned as the Pantaloons Femina Miss India World 2012 in the grand finale of

the 49th edition of the beauty pageant on 30 March 2012 in Mumbai. Prachi Mishra, 24 of Pune won the Miss

India Earth title while Chennai girl Rochelle Maria Rao was crowned as the Miss India International. 19-year-old

Vanya will represent India at the Miss World 2012 Pageant. Prachi and Rochelle are to represent the country at

Miss Earth 2012 Pageant and Miss International 2012 Pageant, respectively. Femina will not send the beauties to

the Miss Universe pageant as it had decided in 2010 to abstain from the event.

The Union Cabinet of India on 23 March 2012 approved the redrafted Marriage laws (Amendment) Bill, 2010.

The bill seeks to give a woman share in her husbands property in case of a divorce but the quantum of share will

be decided by the courts on case by case basis. It also aims at giving rights to adopted children on par with

biological off-springs. According to the redrafted bill, adopted children will have rights on par with biological off-

springs of a couple in case the parents go for a divorce. It is important to note that all these changes in the bill

were based on the recommendations made by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law and Justice and

Personnel.

Union Minister Mukul Roywas on 20 March 2012, sworn in as the Union cabinet Minister by President

Pratibha Patil in New Delhi. He is to head to Union Railway Ministry following the resignation of his predecessor

Dinesh Trivedi. He replaced Dinesh Trivedi, who was forced to resign after he raised rail passenger fares in

Union rail Budget 2012-13 and thus angered Trinamool Congress particularly Mamata Banerjee. West Bengal

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was opposed to his proposal to increase fares in the railway budget.

According to comptroller and auditor generals draft report titled Performance Audit Of Coal Block

Allocations, the government lost Rs 10.67 lakh crore by not auctioning coal blocks between 2004 and

2009.155 coal blocks were given to commercial entities without auction between 2004 and 2009 thereby causing

the exchequer a loss of Rs 10.67 lakh crore at 31 March 2011 prices . The estimated loss is six times higher than

the loss figure of Rs 1.76 lakh crore suffered for the 2G scam. The beneficiaries include some 100 private

companies, as well as some public sector units, in industries such as power, steel and cement.


6/26

Union Government of India on 3 February 2012 notified the setting up of the anti-terror body called National

Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC).NCTC will have the power to carry out operations including arrest,

search and seizure. It will draw its functional power of search and seizures under the provisions of the UAPA

(Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. It will work as an integral part of Intelligence bureau.

Union Rail Minister Dinesh Trivedi, tendered his resignation on 18 March 2012 to the Prime Minister

Manmohan Singh. Trivadi was instructed to resign by his party Trinmool Congress as the decision of increasing

the rail fares did not go well with the party. Trinmool Congress chief, Mamta Banarjee had vociferously

demanded the rollback of fare hikes.Trivedi proposed a hike in passenger fares ranging between 2 paise to 30

paise per kilometre. The decision was taken to improve the ailing condition of Indian Railways. Trivedi, a

Loksabha MP from Barrackpore in West Bengal, took over as the Union Rail Minister on 13 July 2011. Trivedi

was slated to be the Union Rail Minister by his party Trinmool Congress, after Mamta Banarjee quit the job. It is

for the first time in the historyof independent India that a Railways Minister has been made to resign just

after five days of presenting the budget in the parliament.

Kotala Gram panchayat of Chandragiri mandal ,Chittoor dist of A.P, has won the central

governments Gram Ratna Award. It has won the award for showing the best results in the development of

panchayat.

As per UNICEFs State of the Worlds Children Report 2012, some dark facts are revealed. 18 per cent of those

below 15 years and 47 per cent of those below 18 years are married in India. Thirty percent of Indian girls

aged between 15 and 19 are married.

Indias Atomic Energy Regulatory Board was admitted as the 11th member of MDEP(Multinational Design

Evaluation Programme) on 4 April 2012. The other members of this body are China, Finland, Japan, Korea,

South Africa, USA, UK, Canada, France and Russia. MDEP is a multinational initiative taken by national safety

authorities to develop innovative approaches to leverage the resources and knowledge of the national regulatory

authorities who are currently tasked with the review of new reactor power plant designs. The Nuclear Regulatory

Commission (NRC) of the United States and the French Nuclear Safety Authority launched it in 2006.

BILATERAL AFFAIRS

India, Japan and China entered into a pact to share data to achieve the most efficient use of Naval Forces

present in the Indian Ocean Region. The initiative is known as the Shared Awareness and

Deconfliction (SHADE). The initiative began functioning from 1 January 2012. China, India, and Japan also

agreed to carry out more effective coordination by establishing a convoy coordination working group as part of

the Shared Awareness and Deconfliction Mechanism.

Prime Minister of Trinidad & Tobago Kamla Persad Bissessarvisited India from 5 January 2012 to 14

January 2012. India and Trinidad & Tobago on 6 January 2012 signed five agreements during her visit. The


7/26

agreements are as following: 1)Memorandum of Understanding between India and Trinidad & Tobago on co-

operation in the field of traditional Systems medicine.2)Air Services agreement between India and Trinidad &

Tobago.3)Technical Cooperation Agreement (In the field of Education) between India and Trinidad &

Tobago.4)Programme of Cultural Exchanges between India and Trinidad & Tobago for the years 2012-

14.5)Memorandum of Understanding between Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences( CCRAS)

Department of Ayush, Ministry of Health& Family Welfare, the government of India and the University of West

Indies, Trinidad and Tobago.

India's National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), on 29 January 2012 signed an agreement with

Bangladesh Power Development Board(BPDP) for setting up a joint venture 1320 MW thermal

power plant. The joint venture coal-based power plant will be set up at Rampal in Khulna Division of

Bangladesh. The project is the first joint venture power plant in Bangladesh.

India signed a multi-lateral agreement with France and Germanyto check tax evasion and

avoidance. It was signed under the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a top

global financial body, at its headquarters in Paris.

India and Saudi Arabia on 13 February 2012 agreed to set up a Joint Working Group on Defence Co-

operation during the visit of Defence Minister A.K Antony. The two sides held wide ranging talks including

those on combating terrorism and piracy and co-operation in regional affairs.India opined that the situation in

the Gulf region is a cause of great concern for India. It hoped the crisis will be resolved through peaceful

dialogue.

The 12th India-EU Summit was held in New Delhi on 10 February 2012. EU was represented by Herman

Van Rompuy, President of the European Council, and Mr. Jose Manuel Durao Barroso, President of the

European Commission.

The Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh visited South Korea on 25 March 2012.India and South Korea

agreed to set a new bilateral trade target of 40 billion US dollars by 2015. During his visit, India and South Korea

decided that the seventh meeting of the Joint Commission will be held in New Delhi in 2012. It was also decided

that both countries will explore constructive and forward looking ways to facilitate greater access to each others

products and services.

The Fourth BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) Summit was held in New Delhi on 29 March 2012.

The BRICS nations signed two major agreements during this summit. One was to boost trade among BRICS

nations by offering trade in local currency. This will replace dollar as the main currency of trade among them.

The other agreement was to set up a development bank on lines of multilateral lending agencies. The theme of

the Summit was- BRICS Partnership for Global Stability, Security and Prosperity. BRICS declaration (Delhi

declaration) issued at the end of the summit says situation concerning Iran cannot be allowed to escalate into

conflict. Declaration says BRICS recognises Iran's right to peaceful uses of nuclear energy and supports


8/26

resolution of issues through dialogue. The fifth BRICS summit will be held in March- April 2013 in South Africa.

The first summit was held in Yekaterinburg, Russia in June 2009.

India and Colombia on 12 March 2012 signed a Cultural Exchange Programme (CEP) in New Delhi

for the period of 2012-2016. Both India and Colombia shall contribute to the exchange and cooperation between

institutions and organisations that deals with cultural affairs, as well as amongst cultural creators, researchers

and cultural agents of the two nations.

Both the nations have agreed to set up a joint working group to look after the implementations of their

programme. The joint working group will have a meeting alternately in India and in Colombia when decided by

both the nations.

India and UAE signed an agreement on 4 April 2012 to ease the entry of Indian contract workers in the

Emirates. The agreement was signed in Abu Dhabi, UAE. It provides for an electronic contract registration and

validation system to safeguard and protect the interests of migrant Indian workers. The move would ensure a

transparent, legal and less cumbersome migration of Indian workers to the Emirates. India is the first country

with which the United Arab Emirates has entered into the landmark agreement to safeguard the interests of the

migrant Indian workers to the Emirates.

In the visit of Brazil President Dilma Rouseff, India and Brazil on 30 March agreed to step up efforts towards

global reforms, particularly of the U.N. Security Council. The two countries also agreed to further strengthen the

bilateral strategic partnership and exploit full potential in areas such as trade, education, defence, space and

nuclear energy. Two countries also set a trade target of 15 billion dollars by 2015. The two sides also signed six

documents to enhance cooperation in the fields of science and technology, education and culture.

ECONOMY AFFAIRS

The Union government on 31 January 2012 revised the economic growth rate for 2010-2011 financial

year to 8.4 percent in comparison to the previous estimate of 8.5 percent.The Indian economy, Asias third-

largest slowed in recent quarters due to the impact of the global slowdown, high inflation and high interest

rates.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 24 January 2012 cut the cash reserve ratio (CRR) by 50 basis points from 6

per cent to 5.5 percent with effect from 28 January 2012. RBI thus released Rs 32000 crore to banks. The RBI

kept the repo rate unchanged at 8.50 per cent for the second consecutive time after raising it 13 times between

March 2010 and October 2011. It also kept Reverse Repo Rate unchanged.

The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) notified the rules allowing 100% foreign direct

investment (FDI) in single-brand retail. Currently 51% FDI is permitted in this segment of retailing which

was opened to foreign players almost six years ago.


9/26

Andhra Pradesh Power Generation Corporation Ltd (APGENCO) announced the commissioning of a 1-MW

photovoltaic-cell-based solar power plant at Priyadharsini Jurala Hydro-Electric Project. This is AP

Genco's maiden entry into solar power generation. The Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency

(IREDA), a public limited company under the control of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, allocated

this power project to AP Genco under phase-1 of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM).

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) panel on priority sector lending headed by M. V. Nair, Chairman, Union

Bank of India ,on 21 February 2012 proposed increment in the target (priority sector) for foreign banks to 40%

of net bank credit from the current level of 32 per cent with sub-targets of 15 per cent for exports and 15 per cent

for the MSE sector. The target of domestic scheduled commercial banks for lending to the priority sector is to be

retained at 40 per cent of net bank credit.

As per the first nationwide retail inflation data released by the Centre of Statistical Office on 21 February

2012, inflation based on the all India Consumer Price Index stood at 7.65 per cent in January 2012. The

annual consumer price index (CPI) data released for the first time measures retail prices in major food groups,

fuel, clothing, housing and education across rural and urban India.Consumer price inflation for rural India (CPI-

R) was recorded at 7.38%, for urban India (CPI-U), it stood at 8.25%.Inflation as measured by the WPI eased to

a 26-month low of 6.55% in January 2012.Beginning 21 February 2012, the union government will release the

nation-wide Consumer Price Index (CPI) on a monthly basis for better reflection of retail price movement as well

as help the Reserve Bank take effective monetary policy steps to tackle inflation. The new CPI will eventually

replace the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) for policy actions to deal with the price situation.

The Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Panel (PMEAC) on 22 February 2012 projected 7.5 - 8 per cent growth

rate for the fiscal 2012-13. The economy recorded a growth rate of 8.4 per cent in 2010-11, which according to

the CSO estimates is expected to moderate to 6.7 per cent in the current fiscal 2011-12.

The New Telecom Policy was announced by communications minister Kapil Sibal on 15 February 2012.The

key policy measures are aimed at reassuring incumbent operators who had been seeking clarity in rules at a time

when the government is making every possible effort to put the scam-tainted telecom sector back on track.

Telcome companies operating in the same region will be allowed to share 2G spectrum. All future allocation of

airwaves will only be through auctions. Also, future licences will be delinked from spectrum and companies must

buy bandwidth at market rates.

The Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on 15 February

2012 approved the auction route for selling 5 per cent stake in state-run oil major ONGC before the

end of the current fiscal 2011-12.

The government of India on 9 February 2012 approved setting up of a National Centre for Cold Chain

Development, NCCD, as a society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. The NCCD will be having a

Governing Council under the Chairmanship of Secretary with 22 members, covering government officials,


10/26

Confederation of Indian Industry, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, FICCI and other

stake holders. The move comes in the wake of post harvest losses to the tune of 50000 crore rupees annually in

absence of proper storage facilities.

The Central Empowered Committee (CEC) set up by the Supreme Court to investigate illegal mining in

Karnataka submitted its final report on 4 February 2012. The committeerecommended the cancellation of

leases of 49 mines that have violated the terms of their licence. It also recommended the auction of these

leases.

The Union Government of India on 1 February 2012 gave its approval for setting up a National Council

for Senior Citizens. It will be headed by the Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment. The Council will

comprise of 20 members including the Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment along with the

oldest members from both the Houses of Parliament and distinguished personalities from different fields. It will

advice the Central and State Governments on issues related to welfare of senior citizens. The Council will suggest

special policies and programmes for the physical and financial security of the senior citizens in the country.

As per the latest Sample Registration System (SRS) bulletin, December 2011 it is revealed that,Infant

Mortality Rate (IMR) has dropped further by 3 points from 50 to 47 infants deaths per 1000 live

births during 2010. The IMR for rural areas has dropped by 4 points from 55 to 51 infant deaths per 1000 live

births while the Urban rate now stands at 31 from the previous 34/1000. State of Goa still has the lowest IMR of

10 infant deaths followed by Kerala with 13 infant deaths per 1000 live births. Bihar, Chandigarh, Haryana,

Rajasthan, Meghalaya still have IMRs more than the national average of 47.

The Supreme Court observed that the allocation of 2G spectrum under former telecom minister A. Raja was

wholly arbitrary and contrary to public interest apart from being violative of the doctrine of equality favour some

companies at the cost of the public exchequer. The Supreme Court cancelled all the 122 2G

licenses.According to the verdict, telecom regulator TRAI is to make fresh recommendations on the grant of

licenses.

The R B I on 26 March 2012 restructured the fair practices code (FPC) to be adopted by non-banking finance

companies (NBFCs) while doing lending business. The guidelines issued by the central bank covered general

principles on adequate disclosures on the terms and conditions of a loan and also adopting a non-coercive

recovery method. The modified FPC is required to be put in place by all NBFCs with the approval of their boardswithin one month from the date of issue of this circular (26 March 2012). Also RBI directed that the FPC should

be published on the web-site of the company for public information. The NBFCs were directed not to resort to

undue harassment such as persistently bothering the borrowers at odd hours and use of muscle power with

respect to loan recovery. In 2006, the RBI had issued FPC norms for all NBFCs to be adopted by them while

doing the lending business

Four States namelyJharkhand, Mizoram, Sikkim and Lakshadweep on 16 March 2012 signed MoU with

the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation under the Indian Statistical Strengthening Project(ISSP) for the States and Union Territories. ISSP is aimed at strengthening State Statistical Systems by way of

providing adequate technical and financial support to improve their statistical capacity and infrastructure. ISSP


11/26

is a very important and a comprehensive project of Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation, with an

approved outlay of about 650 crore rupees, out of which 80% has been funded through World Bank Loan and 20

percent is being borne by the Government of India.

Union Railway Minister Mukul Royrolled back the railway fare hike as proposed by Dinesh Trivedi in the

first Union Rail Budget 2012-13 presented on 14 March 2012. Roy also struck down the plan to restructure

Railway Board. The hike announced by Roys predecessor Trivedi was the first instance in 9 years when the fares

had been raised. All railway reform measures suggested by Trivedi such as setting up of an independent tariff

regulator, restructuring of Railway Board on professional lines, and creation of posts of Member PPP and

Member Safety was also ignored in the latest budget tabled by Roy.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee presented the Economy Survey report 2011-12 in Lok Sabha on 15

March. Following are the highlights of the economic survey-

o The country's economic growth estimated at 6.9 per cent in the current fiscal; growth momentum to

pick up in next two fiscals to 7.6 per cent in 2012-13 and 8.6 per cent in 2013-14.

o RBI expected to lower policy interest rates, as inflationary pressures expected to ease in coming months;

A low interest rate regime to encourage investment activity and push forward economic growth.

o Steps required for deepening of domestic financial markets, especially corporate bond market and

attracting longer-term inflows from abroad; Efforts at attracting dedicated infrastructure funds have

begun.

o The growth rate of investment in the economy is estimated to have declined significantly; borrowing

costs up due to a sharp increase in interest rates.

o Slowdown in Indian economy largely due to global factors, as also because of domestic factors like

tightening of monetary policy, high inflation and slower investment and industrial activities.

o Inflation high, but showing clear signs of slowdown by the year-end; Whole-sale food inflation down to

1.6 per cent in January 2012 from 20.2 per cent in February 2010.

o India remains one of the fastest growing economies of the world; Country's sovereign credit rating rose

by a substantial 2.98 per cent 2007-12

o Farm sector growth pegged at 2.5 percent for 2011-12.

o Services sector to grow at 9.4 percent.

o Services sector share in GDP to go up to 59 percent in the fiscal ending March 31.

o Industrial growth pegged at 4-5 percent, expected to improve as economic recovery resumes.

o Calibrated steps initiated to rein-in inflation on top priority.

o Fiscal consolidation on track - savings and capital formation expected to rise.

o Exports grew by 40.5 percent in the first half of this fiscal and imports grew by 30.4 percent.

o Foreign trade performance to remain a key driver of growth.

o Forex reserves enhanced - covering nearly the entire external debt stock.

o Central spending on social services goes up to 18.5 percent this fiscal from 13.4 percent in 2006-07.


12/26

Following are some more keyhighlights of the Union Budget 2012-13, presented by Finance Minister

Pranab Mukherjee in the Parliament on 16 March.

o Tax burden for individuals to come down: Income tax exemption limit raised from Rs. 1,80,000 to Rs.

2,00,000; 10 per cent tax for 2-5 lakh income; 20 per cent for 5-10 lakh and 30 per cent beyond Rs. 10

lakh; Savings bank account interest up to Rs. 10,000 exempted from tax.

o Many services and goods to cost more: No change in corporate tax rate, but standard rate of excise duty,

as also service tax rates, raised from 10 per cent to 12 per cent; No change in peak customs duty of 10 per

cent on non-agri goods.

o Large cars, imported bicycles, cigarettes, bidis and some imported jewellery to cost more; branded silver

jewellery may get cheaper.

o Boost for capital markets: Securities Transaction Tax on cash delivery reduced by 25 per cent to 0.1 per

cent; A new Rajiv Gandhi Equity Saving Scheme to allow income tax deduction to retail investors instocks.

o Economy expected to gain ground: GDP growth rate pegged at 7.6 per cent in 2012-13; Subsidy

Expenditure to be checked and higher tax revenues targeted; Rs. 30,000 crore to be raised from

disinvestment.

o Capital boost to financial and infrastructure sectors: Rs. 15,888 crore to be provided for capitalisation of

public sector banks and financial institutions; Infrastructure investment of Rs. 50 lakh crore in 12th

period, with half from private sector; Tax free bonds of Rs. 60,000 crore to be allowed for financial

infrastructure projects.

o Fight against black money: White paper on black money in current session of Parliament; Introduction

of compulsory reporting requirement for assets held abroad; tax collection at source on high-value cash

purchase of bullion, jewellery, immovable property and trading in coal, lignite and iron ore.

o Greater scrutiny of closely-held companies for funds; Taxation of unexplained money, credits,

investments, expenses at highest rate of 30 per cent irrespective of income slab.

o Tax reforms: Direct Taxes Code (DTC) at earliest; GST network to be operational by August 2012;

Central Excise and Service Tax being harmonized. A General Anti-Avoidance Rule (GAAR) to be

introduced to counter aggressive tax avoidance.

o Attracting foreign funds: Efforts on to allow FDI in multi-brand retail and permitting foreign airlines

invest in domestic players; External borrowings to the extent of USD one billion for aviation companies;

Qualified Foreign Investors to get access to corporate bond market.

o Tax relief for stressed sectors: Sectors like agriculture, infrastructure, mining, railways, roads, civil

aviation, manufacturing, health and nutrition, and environment to get duty relief; Turnover limit for

compulsory tax audit for SMEs raised from Rs 60 lakh to Rs 1 crore.

o Farming for growth: Target for agricultural credit raised to Rs 5,75,000 crore; Interest subvention for

short-term crop loans to farmers at 7 per cent interest continues; additional 3 per cent for prompt

paying farmers.


13/26

Financial Highlights of Budget 2012-12:

o Direct proposals to give in net revenue loss of Rs. 4,500 crore and net gain of Rs. 45,940 crore from

indirect taxes, resulting into a net gain of Rs. 41,440 crore.

o Fiscal deficit targeted at 5.1 per cent of GDP in 2012-13, down from 5.9 per cent in 2011-12; Central

Government debt at 45.5 per cent of GDP.

o Defence services get Rs. 1,93,407 crore; any further requirement to be met.

o Total expenditure budgeted at Rs. 14,90,925 crore; plan expenditure at Rs. 5,21,025 crore, 18 per cent

higher than 2011-12 budget; non-plan expenditure at Rs. 9,69,900 crore.

o Gross Tax Receipts estimated at Rs. 10,77,612 crore, 15.6 per cent higher than original budget estimates

and 19.5 per cent over the revised estimates for 2011-12.

o Net tax to the Centre in 2012-13 estimated at Rs. 7,71,071 crore; Non-Tax Revenue Receipts estimated at

Rs. 1,64,614 crore and Non-debt Capital Receipts at Rs. 41,650 crore.

Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi Presented the annual Railway Budget for the financial year 2012-13 in

Parliament on 14 March. He made the following key proposals:

o Passenger fares to be hiked by 2 paise per km for suburban and ordinary second class travel; 3 paise per

km for mail/ express second class; 5 paise per km for sleeper class; 10 paise per km for AC chair car/AC

3-tier and First Class; 15 paise per km for AC 2-tier and 30 paise per km for AC 1-tier.

o Minimum fare and platform tickets to cost Rs 5.

o 75 new Express trains to be introduced, along with 21 new passenger services, nine DEMU services and

8 MEMU services trains.

o Railways to hire more than one lakh employees in 2012-13; 80,000 persons hired last year.

o Indian Railways Stations Development Corp to be set up to re-develop stations and maintain them like

airports.

o To set up an independent Railway Safety Authority as a statutory body.

o The open discharge toilets on trains to be replaced with green (bio) toilets.

o All unmanned level crossings to be abolished in next five years; To target zero deaths due to rail

accidents.

o To provide rail connectivity to neighbouring countries, a new line from Agartala to Akura in Bangladesh

to be set up.

o Double-decker container trains to be introduced.

o Two new members, one for marketing, and other for safety, to be inducted into Railway Board.

o Specially designed coaches for differently-abled persons to be provided in each Mail/Express trains.

o Railway Tariff Regulatory Authority to be considered.

o National High Speed Rail Authority to be set up; Pre-feasibility studies on six high speed corridors

completed; study on Delhi-Jaipur-Ajmer-Jodhpur to be taken up in 2012-13.


14/26

o Institution of Rail Khel Ratna Award for 10 rail sportspersons every year.

o A wagon factory at Sitapali, Odisha, rail coach factory at Palakkad, two additional new coach

manufacturing units in Kutch (Gujarat) and Kolar (Karnataka); component factory at Shyamnagar

(West Bengal); new coaching terminal at Naihati, the birth place of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay.

o Freight loading of 1,025 MT targeted; 55 MT more than 201112; Passenger growth targeted at 5.4 per

cent.

o Passenger earnings to increase to Rs 36,200 crore.

o The union government decided to increase public spending in the health sector to 2.5 per cent of GDP

from the current 1.4 per cent in the 12th Five Year Plan period beginning 2012.The Prime Ministers

Office (PMO) directed the Planning Commission to allocate funds during the 12th Five-Year Plan. The

decision to increase the funds in this sector was in tune with the recommendations of the Srinath

Reddy-led committee on universal healthcare coverage set up by the plan panel.

The union government decided to increase public spending in the health sector to 2.5 per cent of GDP from

the current 1.4 per cent in the 12th Five Year Plan period beginning 2012.The Prime Ministers Office (PMO)

directed the Planning Commission to allocate funds during the 12th Five-Year Plan. The decision to increase the

funds in this sector was in tune with the recommendations of the Srinath Reddy-led committee on universal

healthcare coverage set up by the plan panel.

SCIENCE AND TECH AFFAIRS

The prestigious 99th Indian Science Congress was inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at KIIT

University Bhuwaneswar, Odisa. Noted scientist Geetha Bali, vice chancellor of Karnataka State Women's

University, will preside over the event, being held on the theme of'Science and Technology for Inclusive

Innovation - Role of Women'. KIIT University and National Institute of Science Education and Research

(NISER) are jointly hosting the event, which will also feature the Childrens Science Congress and Women

Science Congress. Former president APJ Abdul Kalam will inaugurate the Childrens Science Congress, while

Nirupama Rao, Indias ambassador to United States of America, will inaugurate the Womens Science Congress.

Prime Minister announced that 2010-20 decade would be declared asDecade of Innovation.

President Pratibha Patil visited the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota on 2 January 2012

and inaugurated the new Mission Control Centre. The new centre has been developed with state-of-the-

art facilities to meet the requirements for the launch of the Geo-Synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark-III

and future missions of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).The President on this occasion also

presented ISRO awards for the year 2008 and 2009.The lifetime achievement award for contribution to the

Indian space programme was conferred on former ISRO chairman K Kasturirangan.


15/26

Researchers at the Harvard Smithsonian centre for Astrophysics discovered that the planet

GJ1214b was largely covered in water. They used Hubble Space Telescope to discover the water on planet.

GJ1214b was discovered in 2009 by the ground-based MEarth Project. GJ1214b was described as a super-Earth.

India's indigenously developed micro-light pilot-less target aircraft(PTA) Lakshya-

1was successfully test flown from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur near Balasore on 8 February 2012.

Lakshya , a sub-sonic, re-usable aerial target system is remote controlled from the ground and designed to

impart training to both air borne and air defence pilots. The PTA has been developed by Indias Aeronautic

Development Establishment (ADE), Bangalore to perform discreet aerial reconnaissance of battle field and

target acquisition.

A new study claimed that the theory proposed by Charles Darwin on life's origin was correct. Darwin proposed

that the life originated on land in a pond and not in the oceans. The study held by the researchers at the

Osnabruck university in Germany found that the first primitive cells might have originated in pools of condensed

vapour. This was caused by underground hot water.The scientists discovered that the oceans did not contain the

best balance of ingredients to support life.

DRDO on 10 February 2012 conducted a successful test launch of the interceptor missile. DRDOs Air

Defence MissileAAD-05 successfully hit the ballistic missile and destroyed it at a height of 15 kms off the Coast

of Orissa near the Wheelers Island.

Astronomers found the fourth habitable planet outside our solar system called GJ667C. The planet is

22 light years from Earth. The newly found planet is rocky in nature. It orbits its star every 28.15 days.

A NASA spacecraft, Messenger in the last week of March 2012 discovered further evidence for the existence of

water ice at Mercury's poles. NASAs previous work revealed patches near Mercury's poles that strongly reflect

radar, a characteristic of ice. Messenger is only the second spacecraft, after Mariner 10 in the 1970s, to have

visited the Mercury, which is the innermost planet in Solar system.

The National Green Tribunal on 30 March 2012 suspended the environmental clearance granted to Posco's mega

steel project in Orissa in January 2011. The tribunal comprising Justice C V Ramulu and D. K. Agarwal held that

the clearance given to Posco's mega steel project in Jagatsinghpur district of Orissa will remain suspended till

the environment ministry reviews it afresh.

The Government ofNiger, in the first week of March 2012, declared the whole area of theTermit Massif and

Tin Toumma desert, to be a national nature and culture reserve. Significantly, the area is home to some

critically endangered species. It is nowthe largest single protected area in Africa. It has an area of

100000 square kilometers.

The Department of Atomic Energy plans to set up three more nuclear fuel complexes to meet the

requirements arising out of the proposed massive expansion plan to increase the capacity of nuclear power

plants to 63,000 MW by 2032, from the current level of 4,780 MW. Presently, the Department has only one such


16/26

complex at Hyderabad. It produces fuel bundles and other components for all the 20 reactors in operation in the

country. The first of the three additional plants would come up at Kota in Rajasthan and would be used to supply

fuel to the four 700 MW Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors being built at neighbouring Rawatbhata and

Kakrapar in Gujarat. The sites for the other two are yet to be finalised.

To provide easily accessible and high-quality Science and Engineering education through information and

communication tools, the Human Resource Development Ministry on 23 feb launched a series of virtual

laboratories that will aid studies in nine disciplines. The 91 virtual laboratories will enable hundreds of

experiments in nine disciplines of Science and Engineering.

PERSONS

C. Jagannatha Rao- Senior congress leader and former Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh died of a

heart attack in Secunderabad on 23 January 2012. Jagannatha Rao served as deputy Chief Minister in the

Cabinet of Bhavanam Venkatram in 1982.

Laura Dekker- the 16 year old dutch girl, on 21 January 2012 became the youngest sailor to complete a solo

circumnavigation of the world.

Siddharth Varadarajan succeded N. Ram as the Editor-in-Chief and Publisher ofThe Hindu, Business

Line , Frontline , and Sportstar.

Pankaj Pachauri- Senior television journalist, Managing Editor of NDTV was appointed asCommunication

Advisor in the Prime Ministers Office , as Harish Khare resigned as media advisor to Prime Minister

Manmohan Singh.He has been given the rank of additional secretary.

Homai Vyarawala- Indias first woman photojournalist, died on 15 January 2012 in Vadodara, Gujarat.

She was the only professional woman photojournalist between 1939 and 1970. She was awarded Padma

Vibhushan in 2011 in recognition of her contribution as a photo-journalist.

Nikhat Kazmi- noted film critic died on 20 January 2012 at 53. She reviewed films for the newspaper

Times of India. She had also written books on Bollywood - Ire in the Soul: Bollywood's Angry Years and The

Dream Merchants of Bollywood.

Pro. Parvin Sinclair - Pro-Vice Chancellor, IGNOU, was appointed as the Director of National Council of

Educational Research & Training (NCERT) on 25 December 2011.

M.P. Muralidharan-has taken as the 19th Director-General of the Indian Coast Guardin place of Vice-

Admiral Anil Chopra.


17/26

Whitney Houston -Singer and actress died ,on 11 February 2012 in a Beverly Hills hotel room California.

She was the winner of six Grammy Awards including record of the year for I Will Always Love You and album

of the year for The Bodyguard. Houston was the only artist to have seven consecutive No. 1 singles on Billboard

magazines pop chart.

Anthony Shadid -New York Times forign correspondent and a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner,

died in eastern Syria on 16 February 2012 after having suffered a severe asthma attack. He has been covered

nearly two decades of Middle East conflict and turmoil.At the time of his death, Shadid was on a reporting inside

Syria.

Akhlaq Mohammad Khan -Renowned Urdu poet and noted lyricist of Umrao Jaan,passed awayin

Aligarh on 13 February 2012. Khan who wrote under the pen name Shahryarhad received the Jnanpith

Award for 2008.

Yingluck Shinawatra- Prime Minister of Thailand, visited India on24-26 January 2012. She was the chief

guest for the 63rd Republic Day Ceremony. The visit took place in the backdrop of 65th anniversary of

India-Thailand bilateral diplomatic relations.

Taslima Nasrin -After a gap of about 18 years, Taslima Nasrin's book, Nirbasan(seventh volume of her

autobiography) was launched on 1 february in Bangladesh.

Preet Bharara- Eminent Indian-American attorney, has made it to the cover of the prestigious Time magazine

for his crusade against Wall Street corruption and irregularities including insider trading. "This man is busting

Wall Street" Bharar's picture appeared in the 3 rd february edition of Time magazine.

Shyamala Gopinath-Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) on 29 March 2012 appointed Shyamala Gopinath as

the Chairperson of the Advisory Board on Bank, Commercial and Financial Frauds. Gopinath, a former Reserve

Bank of India Deputy Governor, will hold the position for two years, effective from 26 March 2012. The Board is

part of the organisational set-up of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is providing the required

investigative and secretarial services, along with necessary funds, by the RBI.

Nansy Powell-The US Senate on 30 March 2012 confirmed career diplomat Nancy Powell as ambassador to

India. The position had remained vacant for the past year following the resignation of Timothy Roemer. Powell

had previously served as US envoy in Pakistan and Nepal and currently holds the prestigious rank of career

ambassador.

JOACHIM GAUCK - Former East German pro-democracy activist Joachim Gauck was elected asGermany's

new President, on 18 March 2012. He succeeded Christian Wulff.

ABD-RABBUH MANSOUR HADI - became the President of Yemen, on 27 February 2012. Hadi, a General

People's Congress party leader replaced Ali Abdullah Saleh to the position.


18/26


19/26

division of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to the sport of cricket as a leading player, and to

the community through the establishment of the Ponting Foundation.

Rajasthan won its second consecutive Ranji Trophy titleby defeating Tamil Nadu at the Chidambaram

stadium, Tamil Nadu on 23 January 2012. V A Saxena of Rajasthan was awarded the Man of the Match in the

final.

Argentinas Lionel Messiwas awarded the 2011 FIFA Best player award on 9 January 2012 in Zurich. He

won the award for the third consecutive year. Japanese Homare Sawawas awarded the 2011 FIFA Best

player in the womens category. Barcelonas coach Pep Guardiola was named FIFA Coach of the Year.

Kerala men won the National title for the fourth time, in the 60th senior National

volleyball championship by defeating uttarakhand at the Balbir Juneja Indoor Stadium, Raipur on 11 January

2012. The Railways won the national title in the womens category.

The Czech Republic defeated France and lifted its second Hopman Cup held in Perth, Australia. Thomas

Berdych and Petra Kvitova represented the Czech.

Milos Raonic of Canada won the Chennai open tennis title,2012. Leander peas and Janko Tipsarevic won

the mens doubles title.

The 19-year-old Rohith Lalith Babu became the 26th Grandmaster of India and fourth GM from

Andhra Pradesh. Incidentally, the last Indian to become a GM was D Harika, also from the same state. Babu is

also from the same city which World runners-up Humpy hails from. Harikrishna is the other GM from the A.P

State.

East Zone won the Duleep Trophyfor the first time in 51 years by defeating Central Zone by an innings and

20 runs at the Holkar stadium, Indore on 14 feb.

Victoria Azarenka of Belarus defeated Samantha Stosur to win her third successive title of the year at the

WTA Qatar Open 2012 on 20 feb.

World no 1 tennis star, Novak Djokovic of Serbia was awarded with the highest Serbian award, the Gold

Star of Karadjordje on 15 February 2012.It was conferred upon him by the Serbian President Boris Tadic.

Sania mirza of india and Anastasia Rodinova of Australia won the Pattaya open womens tennis

title held in Pattaya on 12 February.

Zambia WON THE AFRICA NATION S CUP TITLE by dedfeating the Ivorycoast on 13 february.

Saketh Mineni of Andhra Pradesh won the Mens National Grass court Tennis

championship,while Reshmi chkrobarthy of TamilNadu won the womens title.Tournament was held in

kolkatta.


20/26

Egypt defeated India 2-1 in the final ofthe Under-21 Squash World Cup held in chennai,on 5 February

2012. Marwan El Shorbagy defeated Ravi Dixit while Karim Abdel Gawad beat Ramit Tandon . However Dipika

Pallikal manged to win on her opponent.

Aditya Mehata won the National Snooker Championship title held in Pune, by defeating Kamal

chawla.

In the 100th edition ofThe Australian Open (2012), Serbias Novak Djokovicwon the title by defeating

Rafel Nadal of Spain in the mens singles while VictoriaAzarenka of Belaruswon the womens singles by

defeating Maria Sharapova of Russia. In the mens doubles Leander Paes and Radek Stepanekwon the

title by defeating Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan. In the womens doubles Svetlana Kuznetsova and Vera Zvonareva,

both from Russia defeated Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci, to win the title. The mixed event was won by Bethanie

Mattek-Sands and Horia Tecau.

Pendyala Harikrishna of India won the prestigious TATAsteel international chess titlewhich was

held in Netherlands.

Pankaj Adwani won the Nationsl Billiards Chess championshipby defeating the Balachandra Bhaskar

in the finals which was held in Pune.

Sourabh Varma defeated B Sai Praneeth in the final to clinch the Senior National Badminton Championship

title in Bangalore.. The ninth seeded PV Sindhu defeated second seed Neha Pandit in the women's singles final

to lift the title. In the mixed doubles category, top seeds Arun Vishnu and Balan Aparna, In the Mens doubles

Kona Tarun and Arun Vishnu in the women's doubles, second seeds Pradnya Gadre and Prajakta Sawant won

the titles.

Indian women boxers M.C. Mary Kom and Sarita on 25 March 2012, won two gold medals in the Asian women's

boxing championship held in Ulaanbator.Mary Kom, the five-time world champion, defeated the two-time world

title winner Ren Cancan of China. Sarita, the 2006 world title winner, defeated Chorieva Mavzu of Tajikistan.

Indian Kabaddi women teamwon the first ever WomenWorld Cup Kabaddi championship title

defeating Iran on 4 March 2012, held in Patna... Sixteen countries participated in this event.

Indian middle order batsman and former captain Rahul Dravid, on 9 March 2012, announcedhis

retirement from international cricket. He has the credit of second highest aggregate of runs in the test history

only after Sachin Tendulkar. Dravid scored 13,288 runs in 164 Tests, including 36 hundreds. Dravid made his

international debut on 20 June 1996 while playing at the Lords against England. He had announced his

retirement from the ODIs in England in 2011.

Roger Federer won the Dubai international open singles tennis title by defeating Andy Murray in the

finals held in Dubai on 3 March. While Indian duo Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan bopanna won the mens doubles

title.

West Indian cricket player Runok Mortan on 4 March, killed in a car accident. He played 15 test matches, 56

one day internationals and seven 20-20 matches since 2002.


21/26

Iconic India batsman Sachin Tendulkar on 25 February became the first overseas player to be presented with

the honorary life membership of the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Indo-Czeck pair ofLeander Paes and Radek Stepanekwon the doubles title ofMiami Masters on 31

March 2012. Paes by winning the Miami Titles took the total number of his career titles to 50.Paes became the

24th player in ATP Tour history to complete 50 doubles titles. World number one Novak Djokovic won the

Miami Masters mens title by defeating Andy Murray. In the womens event Agnieszka Radwanska, won the title

by defeating Russian Tennis star Maria Sharapova.

Geeta Kumari , the woman wrestler, won a gold in 55kg category at the ongoing Asian qualifying tournament

in Astana, Kazakhastan. With this victory she also made a history, as she became the first Indian woman wrestler

to have ever qualified for the Olympics.

China won the men's world team table tennis championship title with a 3-0 victory over hosts

Germany in the final held in Dormant (Germany).

AWARDS

The Padma awards for the year 2012 were announced on the eve of Indias 63rd Republic Day. The Awardscomprises 5 Padma Vibhushan, 27 Padma Bhushan and 77 Padma Shri Awards.Padma Vibhushan

Shri K G Subramanyan - Art-Painting & Sculpture - West Bengal

Late Shri Mario De Miranda - Art-Cartoonist Goa

Late (Dr.)Bhupen Hazarika - Art- Vocal Music Assam

Dr. Kantilal Hastimal Sancheti - Medicine - Orthopedics Maharashtra

Shri T V Rajeswar - Civil Service Delhi

President of India Pratibha Patil conferred theAshoka Chakra on Lt. Navdeep Singh(posthumous) on the

occasion of the 63rd Republic Day Parade 2012 in New Delhi. He was awarded the Ashoka Chakra for single-

handedly eliminating four infiltrating terrorists on 20 August 20 2011.He was Ghatak Platoon Commander of 15

Maratha Light Infantry deployed in the High Altitude Area near the Line of Control. President also approved the

award of three Kirti Chakra. For Lt. Col. Kamaldeep Singh , Capt. Ashutosh Kumar and Lt. Sushil Khajuria.

Bollywood music director Rajesh Roshan was elected for the Latamangeshkar award-2011 which was

sponsored by government of Madhya Pradesh.


22/26

69th Annual Golden Globe Awardswere held in Beverly Hills, California on 15 January 15 2012. The Artist,

the French movie , directed by Michel Hazanavicius won three awards.

Some of the winners of the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards is as follows. Best Picture: Drama- The

Descendants, Best Actor: Drama- George Clooney (The Descendants), Best Actress: Drama- Meryl Streep

(The Iron Lady), Best Director- Martin Scorsese(Hugo),BestForeign Language Film- A Separation

(Iran), Best Animated Film- The Adventures of Tintin.

Ramnath Goenka Awards for Excellence in Journalism 2012 function was held in New Delhi on 16

January 2012. Vice President of India, Hamid ansari gave away the awards. The Pioneers J Gopikrishnan and

CNBC-TV18s Udayan Mukherjeewere adjudged Journalist of the Year at the 5th Ramnath Goenka Awards

for Excellence in Journalism.CNN-IBN bagged three prestigious awards in various categories. The awards will

cover the entire range of Indian media, Print & Broadcast, in English & Indian languages.The Ramnath Goenka

foundation was set up in 1992 in the memory of late Ramnath Goenka, founder of The Indian Express, to

encourage and propagate high-quality, objective journalism.

Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari, conferred an honorary Doctor of Literature (honoris causa)

of Tripura Universityon Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Secretary to the Ministry of culture, India Jawahar sirkar was awarded the British Museum Award .It

was given for his reforms in the field of Indian museum.

Senior Indian diplomat D. Bala Venkatesh Varma a key member of the negotiating team that saw the

Indo-U.S. nuclear deal, was given the first S.K. Singh award.Award was given for his extraordinary efforts to

strengthen India's position in the global nuclear order .Award was given by UPA chairperson and Congress

president Sonia Gandhi at a high-profile function in New delhi. The award for excellence in the Indian Foreign

Service is named after the former foreign secretary and Governor, Shailendra Kumar Singh. Mr. Varma was

selected as the first recipient of the prestigious award.

Tibetan spiritual leader, Dalai Lama was presented the Mahatma Gandhi International Award for

Peace and Reconciliation on 4 January 2011. The granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi, Ila Gandhi, presented

this award,which was instituted in 2003.The Gandhi Development Trust that gives the award is chaired by Ila

Gandhi.

Sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan was presented the Mallikarjun Mansur awardwhich was instituted

by the Karnataka government on 3 January 2012.

The National Tourism Awards 2010-11 were conferred by the President of India Pratibha Patil on 29 February

2012 in New Delhi. Madhya Pradesh received the National Tourism Award for its efforts in developing

tourism related infrastructure and programmes in the state. North-Eastern state Sikkim bagged the award for

the best among Northeast states and J&K category. It also got the new award under Campaign Clean India. Best


23/26

heritage city award was bagged by HYDERABAD. Hyderabad airport received the award in the Best Airport

award category. New Delhi railway station named the most tourist friendly railway station.

The 84th Oscar Awards ceremony for 2011 took place at the Hollywood and Highland Center in Hollywood,

California on 26 February 2012.

The Artist' directed by Michel Hazanavicius won five Oscars including those for Best Picture, Director and Actor.

The Artist is a silent French romantic comedy drama directed by Michel Hazanavicius, starring Jean Dujardin.

Pakistan got its first Oscar as Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy received the Oscar for Saving face (Best documentary

-short subject) along with Daniel Junge.

Some of the awards in different categories are-

o Best Picture - The Artist

o Best Actor - Jean Dujardin for The Artist

o Best Actress - Meryl Streep for The Iron Lady

o Best Director - Michel Hazanavicius for The Artist

o Best Supporting Actor - Christopher Plummer for Beginners

o Best Supporting Actress - Octavia Spencer for The Help

o Best Adapted Screenplay - The Descendants ( Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash)

o Best Original Screenplay - Midnight in Paris ( Woody Allen)

o Best Animated feature film - Rango

o Best foreign language film - A Separation ( Iran)

o Best documentary (feature) - Undefeated

o Best art direction - Hugo

o Best visual effects - Hugo (Rob Legato, Joss Williams, Ben Grossman and Alex Henning)

The Dr. Y Nayudamma Memorial Award for 2011 will be conferred on Rajendra Singh

Pawar, chairman of the National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) for his

contribution to IT industry. The award will be presented to Pawar at a function at Tenali, A.P the native town of

Dr. Nayudamma. He will deliver the 20th Dr. Nayudamma Memorial Lecture on IT for national development at

the function.

The Public Relations Council of India (PRCI) recently gave Shabnam Asthana the prestigious national

public relations Hall of Fame award for her contributions in the field of public relations. The award was

presented to her at the Sixth Global PR Conclave 2012 in Mumbai.

The former President,A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, and the former Lokayukta of Karnataka, Justice N. Santosh

Hegde, have been selected for the S.R. Jindal Prize for their outstanding contributions in their fields. While

Mr. Kalam gets the award for his contributions in science and technology, Justice N. Santosh Hegde will be


24/26

bestowed the prize for his exemplary service in social development. The prize carries a cash of Rs. 1 crore. The

Sitaram Jindal Foundation, which has instituted the award, will felicitate 25 others also.

Veteran Hindi film music composer Rajesh Roshan was honoured with the Lata Manageshkar award

2010-11 by the Madhya Pradesh government on 8 February 2012. Previously this award was awarded

to the legends like late Jagjit Singh, Asha Bhonsle and Naushad.

The 54th Annual Grammy Awardswere held on 12 February 2012, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

The British female singer, Adele won six golden gramophones for her Album, 21.The other winners

are -Album of the Year: 21 Adele; Record of the Year: Rolling in the Deep by Adele ;Song of the Year:Rolling in

the Deep by Adele ;Best New Artist: Bon Iver

The sixty-fifth annual BAFTA(British Academy Film) awards, was held at the Royal Opera House in

London 12 February 2012.Black and white silent movie, The Artist won six awards, including best film,

best actor and best director.Best Actress was awarded to Meryl Streep for her amazing acting as former British

Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher in the Iron Lady. Some of the other winners are-Best Picture: The Artist;

Best Actor: Jean Dujardin The Artist Best Actress: Meryl Streep The Iron Lady;Best Director: Michel

Hazanavicius The Artist Best Film not in the English language: The Skin I Live In (Spanish); Academy

fellowship: Martin Scorsese

Noted Hindi writer Professor Ramdarash Mishra was selected for the 21st Vyas Samman award for his

poetry collection Aam Ke Patte published in 2004.

India's Nobel Prize-winning economistAmartya Sen was awarded the 2011 US National Humanities

Medal. He is the first Indian to be honored with the medal that is typically awarded to US nationals.

The 2012 Laureus Sports Awardswere given in London on 6 Febreaury. The winners were chosen by 47

sports stars who make up the Laureus sports academy. The winners were- Sportsman of the Year: Novak

Djokovic; Sportswoman of the Year: Vivian Cheruiyot; Team of the Year: FC Barcelona; Breakthrough

of the Year: Rory McIlroy; Comeback Award: Darren Clarke; Disability Award: Oscar Pistorius; Action

Sportsperson of the Year: Kelly Slater; Lifetime Achievement Award: Bobby Charlton; Sport for Good Award:

Rai.

Indian Union Minister for Labour and Employment Mallikarjun Khargewas presented with Pride of India

awardby the Indian-American community in Washington on 1 February 2012. He was honoured with the

award for his over four decades of public service.The award was presented jointly by the Indian American

Friendship Council (IAFC) and India Association of North Texas (IANT).

Bollywood actorAbhishek Bachchan received a Green Globe for Outstanding Efforts by a Celebrity

Award for his efforts toward a greener future at the fourth edition of the Panasonic Green Globe Foundation

Awards on 2 february 2012. He received the award from Hollywood actor and former Governor of California


25/26

Arnold Schwarzenegger.During his visit Schwarzenegger also attended the day-long Delhi Sustainable

Development Summit presided over by the Indian Prime Minister.

Veteran environmental filmmaker Mike Pandey was honoured with the prestigious V.

Shantaram Life Time Achievement Award at the Mumbai International Film Festival 2012 on 3 February

2012. He received the award for his documentaries on wildlife conservation and environment.

Shri Khamliana from Mizoram and Md. Abdul Bari from Odisha have been jointly selected for

the National Communal Harmony Award 2011. The Jury headed by the Vice President Shri Hamid Ansari

made the selection. National Communal Harmony Awards were instituted in 1996 by the National Foundation

for Communal Harmony, an autonomous organization set up bt the Government of India, Ministry of Home

Affairs. The Award in the individual category carries a citation and a cash award of Rupees two lakhs.

Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader, Dalai Lama was selected for the Templeton Prize, 2012. The Buddhist leader

who lives in exile in India had won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for advocating nonviolent liberation for Tibet.

The Dalai Lama is founder of the Mind & Life Institute for Research on Science and Buddhism.

Tamil writerA.A. Manavalan is bestowed with the 21st Saraswati Samman for his work Irama Kathaiyum

Iramayakalum (Ramakatha and Ramayanas) published in 2005. The K K Birla Foundation announced the award

on 22 March 2012.

Legendary Bengali actor Soumitra Chatterjee was on 21 March 2012 selected for India's highest film honour -

the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2012. The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India`s highest award in film

industry which is given for lifetime achievement in Indian cinema by the Central government.

Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh on 11 march, announced a national award for sanitation

and water in the name of Maharashtrian saint Sant Gadge Baba. The award was constituted in the name of the

Saint who strove to serve the society through cleanliness. The award is to honour villages, individuals or

organisations working in the field of sanitation and drinking water. Maharashtra's Sant Gadge Baba Swachta

Abhiyan (cleanliness scheme) encourages villages to be open defecation-free. Well performing villages are

awarded through the Nirmal Gram Yojana.

The 59th National Film Awardswere announced in New Delhi on 7 March 2012. The Chairperson of the

jury, Rohini Hattangady, announced the awards.

The Best Feature Film award was shared by the films Deool (Marathi) produced by Abhijeet Gholap & directed

by Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni and Byari (Byari language) produced by T.H. Althaf Hussain & directed by

Suveeram.

The Best Actor was given to Girish Kulkarni for the film Deool (Marathi) and Best Actress toVidya Balan for

the film The Dirty Picture (Hindi).

Chillar Party (Hindi) won Best Children Film.


26/26

The book titled R.D. Burman The Man, The Music written by Anirudha Bhattacharjee & Balaji Vittal won the

Swarna Kamal for the Best Writing on Cinema category. Manoj Barpujari from Assam has been awarded Best

Film Critic.

Wang Shu of China won the Pritzker prize of this year, which can be called Nobel in Architecture.

2012 current affairs

Documents