april current-affairs-digest-onl9edu.com

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▬ IMPORTANT DAYS ▬

April 1 : Orissa Day April 2 : World Autism Awareness Day. This was the 7th World Autism Awareness Day. This Day is celebrated to raise fund and to create awareness about autism. April 5: National Maritime Day April 6: Dandi Satyagraha Diwas April 7: World Health Day. The Day provides an opportunity for individuals to get involved in activities that can lead to better health. The theme for 2014 is “Vector-borne Disease”. April 12: World Aviation and Cosmonautics Day April 13 : Jallianwallah Bagh Massacre Day(1919) April 14 : B.R Ambedkar Remembrance Day April 10-16: Railway Week April 14-20: Fire Brigade Week April 17: World Hemophilia Day April 18: World Heritage Day. This Day is to celebrate the International Day for Monuments and Site. The theme for 18 April 2014 is “Heritage of Commemoration”. April 21: National Civil Service Day April 22: International Mother Earth Day April 23: World Book and Copyright Day April 25 : World Malaria Day. This Day is observed to highlight the need for continued investment and sustained political commitment for malaria prevention and control. The theme for 2013-15 is “Invest in the Future. Defeat malaria”. April 26: World Intellectual Property Day April 29: International Dance Day April 30: Anti-Child Labour Day

▬ IMPORTANT ABBREVIATIONS ▬

ACC: Appointments Committee of the Cabinet

ADR: American Depository Receipt

ARCs: Asset Reconstruction Companies

ASD: Application Services Delivery

CRAR: Capital to Risk Weighted Asset Ratio

CTS : Cheque Truncation System

CKS: Center for Knowledge Societie

CPI : Consumer Price Index

DCIO: Deputy Chief Information Officer

DICGC: Deposit Insurance and Credit

Guarantee Corporation of India

DGP: Director General of Police

DMRC: Delhi Metro Rail Corporation

DSAT: Telecom Disputes Settlement and

Appellate Tribunal

ECR: Emigration Check Required

ECB: External Commercial Borrowing

FCNR(B): Foreign Currency Non-resident

(Banks)

GAG : GIRO Advisory Group

IRV2020: Indian Rhino Vision 2020

IMD: Indian Meteorological Department

MGPSY: Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Suraksha

Yojana

MSE: Micro and Small Enterprises

NMDC: National Mineral Development

Corporation

NGT: National Green Tribunal

PEACE: Promoting Energy Access through

Clean Energy

PED: Portable Electronic Devices

PLO: Palestine Liberation Organisation

READ: Read-Engage-Achieve-Dream

SPI: Social Progress Index

TDSAT: Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate

Tribunal

USAID: US Agency for International

Development

UAS: Unified Access Service

VVPAT: Voter-verified paper audit trail

WMO: World Meteorological Organization


▬ NATION ▬

Mr P Naik (The Chief Electoral Officer) launched SMS based service named "Polling at your Fingertips" in Shillong, Meghalaya.

Election Commission has selected Amir Khan as its national icon for the Lok Sabha elections 2014.

Election Commission has banned publication and dissemination of exit polls of any kind from 7 April to 12 May 2014.

Candidates with assets of over Rs 5 crore without a PAN card are set to come under the scanner of Tax department and Election Commission, which have prepared a list of 'red flags' to weed out suspected tax-evaders from the poll fray.

7th April 2014 was a great day for the capital of Arunachal Pradesh - Itanagar, which got its first passenger train. Train was having total 10 passengers and two goods compartments with a diesel engine.

A new online security threat which can impact online safety of internet users has been identified and is named as "Heartbleed". This threat can result into compromising of confidential information.

Shompens tribe of Andaman & Nicobar islands for the first time casted their votes in Great Nicobar on 10 April 2014. Shompens - one of the stone-age tribes - casted the votes for the Lok Sabha constituency of Bay Islands for Lok Sabaha election 2014. Shompens are one of the six tribes that inhabit the forest in the southern-most tip of the country.

Piramal Enterprises announced on 10th April 2014 to sold its equity stake to Vodafone India for 8900 crore rupees. The deal values Vodafone India at Rs 1960 per share.

"The Accidental Prime Minister: the making and unmaking of Manmohan Singh", a memoir authored by Sanjaya Baru was released on 11th April 2014.

The Supreme Court created the "third gender" status for hijras or transgenders.

Breaking the male bastion in the five decade-old Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), the government has approved recruitment of young women as ‘combat officers’ in the second largest border guarding force.

Election Commission of India (ECI) on 15 April 2014 launched the Election VIsitors Programme (EVP) 2014. The EVP 2014 was launched as a part of South-South Cooperation initiative of the ECI in partnership with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The Supreme Court today held that a woman employee of central government can get uninterrupted leave for two years for child care, which also includes needs like examination and sickness.

President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee gave his approval for the dissolution of the Andhra Pradesh Assembly and a fresh proclamation of central rule in the state. This nod of the President came after the Union Cabinet on 25 April 2014 recommended dissolution of the Assembly of Andhra Pradesh and extension of the President‘s rule there beyond 30 April 2014.

Government of India (GOI) extended the Tourist Visa-on-Arrival Scheme to the citizens of the South Korea with effect from 15th April 2014, As Earlier PM of India Manmohan Singh had conveyed this assurance to South Korean President Madame Park Geun-hye during her visit in January 2014.

On 17th April 2014, Supreme Court of India ruled out that the national auditor, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) is empowered to audit the revenues of private telecom companies.

On 27th April 2014, India successfully test-fired an anti-ballistic missile named as Prithvi Defence Vehicle (PDV). It was tested at Wheeler Island in Balasore district of Odisha.

The Supreme Court has ruled that rape victims' statement be directly recorded by a judicial magistrate instead of police officials to cut short protracted proceedings.

India displaced Japan to become the world's third biggest economy in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP). US is on top with 17.1%, China is on second number with 14.9% then India is on third number with 6.4%. India has replaced Japan to be on number 3 according to World Bank Report released on 29th April 2014.

▬ INTERNATIONAL ▬

The World Bank aims to almost double its annual lending to USD 28 billion to emerging economies, including India, as part of its efforts to remove poverty by 2030.

Japan and India signed the official development assistance (ODA) loan agreement for five projects


totalling more than Rs 15,000 crore for five projects in India, including expansion of Delhi Metro and works related to wind and solar energy.

NATO condemning the annexation as illegal on 1 April 2014 suspended all cooperation with Russia over the Crimea crisis. Also, Russian energy firm Gazprom announced an increase of the price it charges Ukraine for gas from 1 April 2014.

Singapore Government approved a a new law Public Order (Additional Temporary Measures) Act on 1 April 2014. The law gives the Singapore police and authorities power to maintain public order and calm in Little India. The law will be effective for a year in the Little India.

Dhaka today agreed to provide transit facility for a 6,000-megawatt Indian power transmission line while parts of the quantum could be used by Bangladesh.

On 2nd April 2014 Iran and Japan signed MoU on for bilateral cooperation on environmental issues at Tokyo by Masoumeh Ebtekar of Iran who is Vice-President and Head of Department of Environment of Iran government and Nobuteru Ishihara of Japan Head of International Cooperation Agency.This is most anticipated MoU between these two countries.

South Korea on 4 April 2014 developed a ballistic missile capable of striking most of North Korea. The missile was launched from a test site in Taean, a coastal town southwest of Seoul.

Union Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) notified rules on providing insurance cover for public deposits. The rules called Regulations for Acceptance of Deposits by Companies was notified under section 73(2) (d) of the Companies Act 2013.

Out of 132 countries India ranked 102 on the Social Progress Index (SPI). This was published by the US-based non-profit organisation Social Progress Imperative.

Mexicans on 1 April 2014 celebrated the 100th birth anniversary of late Nobel Prize winning poet and essayist Octavio Paz.

US President Barack Obama has nominated Indian-American Sunil Sabharwal to a key administration post as US Alternate Executive Director at IMF.

Swiss made airplane named as SOLAR IMPULSE 2 was unveiled to the world at Switzerland's Payerne Air Force Base. The solar plane will circumnavigate the world in March 2015.

On 14th April 2014 Google bought Titan Aerospace. Titan Aerospace is a maker of high altitude solar powered drones. Google has acquired Titan aerospace in a bid to bring internet access around the globe, mainly for remotest areas of the world.

A robotic submarine Bluefin 21 was deployed on 14th April 2014 to solve the mystery of the lost Malaysian plane MH370. It was deployed as as of now the batteries of Black Box of plane would have expired to send any signals. Bluefin 21 was launched from the Australian navy ship Ocean shield and would go under Indian Ocean.

Astronomers announced that they have discovered an Earth-size planet which was named Kepler-186f.

Palestinian factions Hamas, Fatah sign reconciliation agreement to end their differences and to form a Palestinian Unity Government in Gaza Strip.

Slovakia and Ukraine signed a Framework Interconnection Agreement on gas supply on 28th April 2014, which will allow supply of gas from from Central Europe to Ukraine via Slovakia. This deal was signed in Bratislava.

A Southern California mite Paratarsotomus macropalpis set a new record as world's fastest land animal. Cheetah was the last record holder. The findings were presented during the Experimental Biology 2014 meeting in California.

The 28-member European Union has temporarily banned the import of Alphonso mangoes, the king of fruits, and four vegetables from India from May 1, sparking protests from the Indian community, lawmakers and traders.

▬ ECONOMY ▬

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of India was forecasted to rise to 5.5 percent in 2014-15. This was revealed by the Asian Development Outlook 2014. The report was released by the Asian Development Bank. The rise in the GDP was due to improvement in the performance of the Industry and services.

Union Ministry of Corporate Affairs notified rules for ten more chapters in the new Companies Act,


2013. The new Companies Act, 2013 that was passed by the Parliament in August 2013 came into effect on 1 April 2014.

According to the ADB Outlook 2014, developing Asia is expected to extend its steady growth from 6.1 percent in 2013 to 6.2 percent in 2014 and 6.4 percent in 2015.

Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) had revamped its committee on disclosures and accounting standards. This committee advices SEBI on matters related to disclosure requirements and accounting practices for various market participants.

Union Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) notified rules on providing insurance cover for public deposits. The rules called Regulations for Acceptance of Deposits by Companies was notified under section 73(2) (d) of the Companies Act 2013.

India was ranked 102 out of 132 countries on the Social Progress Index (SPI) published by the US-based non-profit organisation Social Progress Imperative.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) in its release has also forecasted that the Indian economy would recover from 4.4 percent growth in 2013 to 5.4 percent in 2014.

The World Bank projected that the economic growth rate of India for the fiscal year 2014- 2015 will be 5.7 percent.

India became net steel exporter in 2013-14 after a gap of six years. Total steel exports by India during the last fiscal year stood at 5.59 million tonnes (MT), as against imports of 5.44 MT according to Joint Plant Committee (JPC), a unit of the Union Steel Ministry.

World Trade Organisation (WTO) projected that the world trade will grow by 4.7 percent in 2014. It also projected that the growth in 2015 will slightly be faster at 5.3 percent, which is 20 year average growth rate.

The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision issued Final standards for measuring and controlling large exposures of banks to customers. These standards will take effect from 1 January 2019.

Inflation based on Wholesale Price Index (WPI) reached a 3-month high of 5.7% in March 2014. This hike was driven up by increases in prices of food items and fuel costs.

Capital market regulator of India, the Security and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) issued detailed corporate governance norms for listed companies. The norms have been launched for stricter disclosures and protection of investor rights, including equitable treatment for minority and foreign shareholders.

Union Government of India decided to continue the export subsidy of 3300 rupees per tonne on raw sugar shipments for April - May 2014 period.

Indian Farmers Fertiliser Co-operative Ltd (IFFCO), India's leading fertiliser cooperative, got permission from the Quebec Provincial Government to set up a 1.6 billion US dollar Urea plant. Quebec province, Canada's largest, is located in the east-central region of the country.

Government Internal Revenue Order (GIRO) Advisory Group (GAG) under the chairmanship of Prof. Umesh Bellur has submitted its report to Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued uniform accounting standards for Asset Reconstruction Companies (ARCs). The norms were issued with regard to acquiring non-performing loans, recognising revenue and management fees to ensure common treatment for firms.

The Directorate General Civil Aviation (DGCA) decided to allow the use of Portable Electronic Devices (PEDs) including cellphones during flights. DGCA amended CAR Section 5 Series X Part I relating to air safety.

The High Court of Gujarat restored the power of the Reserve Bank of India to decide the period after which the bad loan can be called as a non-performing asset (NPA).

▬ APPOINTMENTS/RESIGNATIONS ▬

President Francois Hollande on 31 March 2014 appointed Interior Minister Manuel Valls as next prime minister of France. Manuel Carlos Valls is a Spanish-born French Socialist Party politician. He was the Mayor of Évry from 2001 to 2012 and a Member of the National Assembly since 2002.

Karim Massimov was named as the new Prime Minister of Kazakhstan after Serik Akhmetov resigned from the post.

US President Barack Obama on 4 April 2014 nominated Sunil Sabharwal as the next US Alternate Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Japanese foods firm Nissin Foods on 23 April 2014 appointed Gautam Sharma as the Managing Director


(MD) of its Indian arm Indo Nissin.

Government has appointed senior IPS officer D K Pathak as the new Director General of the country's largest border guarding force BSF.

R Gandhi appointed as Deputy Governor of RBI.

Marie-Lousie Coleiro Preca was sworn-in as the President of Malta in Valletta, Malta.

Ravi Chauhan on 7 April 2014 was appointed as Managing Director for SAP India. He will take the charge immediately. He will report directly to Adaire Fox-Martin, President of SAP Asia Pacific Japan.

Viktor Orban was re-elected as Prime Minister of Hungary for the second consecutive four- year term.

Ratan Tata appointed board member of China-backed Boao Forum.

Justice Rajendra Mal Lodha will take over as the next Chief Justice of India from present incumbent Justice P Sathasivam who retires later this month.

President of India on 11 April 2014 approved the name of Justice G Rohini (58) for appointment as the Next Chief Justice of Delhi High Court.

Admiral Robin K Dhowan (PVSM AVSM YSM ADC) on 17th April 2014 took over as the 22nd Chief of Indian Navy.

SC appointed Hudson McHugh as 3rd arbitrator to resolve dispute of Centre and Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) on KG basin.

Union Cabinet on 16 April 2014 approved the appointment of Narendra Kothari as Chairman of the National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC).

Economic Affairs Secretary Arvind Mayaram has been designated as the new finance secretary.

Suresh Kumar Reddy appointed as the First ambassador to ASEAN and East Asia Summit. This was done by The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) .

Rajeev Suri appointed as President and CEO of Nokia Corporation.

▬ BANKING/BUSINESS ▬

RBI (Reserve Bank of India) in its first bimonthly monetary policy statement kept the key policy rate (repo) unchanged on 1st April 2014.

The Reserve Bank capped the ways and means advances limit for the central government in the first half of the new financial year (FY 2015) at Rs 35,000 crore per week. The interest rate on WMA/overdraft will be based on a) WMA: Repo Rate b) Overdraft: Two percent above the Repo Rate

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in its first bi-monthly monetary policy statement for 2014- 15 directed banks not to impose financial penalty on the consumers in case of non-maintenance of minimum balance in their saving accounts.

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) adopted the new Consumer Price Index (CPI) combined as the key measure of Inflation.

RBI has appointed R Gandhi as the Deputy Governor on 3 April 2014 for a period of three years. He is the successor of Anand Sinha.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 2 April 2014 granted in-principle approvals to IDFC Ltd and Bandhan Financial Services Pvt. Ltd to start new banks in India. The two entities, Bandhan based in Kolkata and IDFC based in Mumbai that has received the approvals are non-banking finance companies. Bandhan is a microfinance institution and IDFC is classified as an infrastructure finance company.

Qatar based Doha Bank announced on 3 April 2014 that it will be opening its first branch at Nariman Point in Mumbai in India. The branch in Mumbai will be opened as a full-fledged bank in May 2014.

After launching accounts on Facebook and Youtube, the country's largest lender SBI took one more step on the social media front by launching a twitter handle. The Twitter handle for SBI is TheOfficialSBI.

SBI is going more social by Twitter now, SBI is already having Facebook and youtube accounts. Now this banking gaint has launched its twitter account. It was launched on 11th April 2014.

HDFC Bank sets Guinness record in blood collection State Bank of India launched Tablet (Tab) Banking service for opening Savings Bank accounts and giving in-principle housing loan approval at the customer's doorstep.


The country's largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) has launched a financing scheme for women fashion boutique owners. ‘Boutique Financin’, the scheme is designed to offer working capital expenses as well as term loan for boutique owners.

The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision on 15 April 2014 issued Final standards for measuring and controlling large exposures of banks to customers. These standards will take effect from 1 January 2019.

The panel known as GIRO (Government Internal Revenue Order) Advisory Group or GAG, headed by IIT Bombay professor Umesh Bellur, was set up last October and was looking into GIRO- based electronic system. It is a centralised process that allows payments for utility bills, educational fees and insurance premium by just visiting the bank branch.

GIRO committee set up by Reserve Bank of India has suggested a mechanism for centralised bills payment system in the country, primarily by setting up two organisations - Bharat Bill Payment Services or BBPS and the Bharat Bill Payment Operating Units or BBPOUs.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued uniform accounting standards for asset reconstruction companies(ARCs) for acquiring non-performing loans, recognising revenue and management fees to ensure common treatment for firms.

State Bank of India (SBI) has signed an MoU with Enable India, a non-profit organisation, to train persons with disabilities towards economic independence.

The deadline for switching to new format bank cheques under the Cheque Truncation System (CTS) ended on 30 April 2014. Now, transactions with cheques that have Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR) and not CTS technology will be likely to take four days or more from the date of deposit to credit the amount. Banks will now clear non-CTS cheques on Mondays and Fridays only.

Former American middleweight boxer, Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter died at his home in Toronto, Canada following a battle with prostate cancer. He was 76.

Arturo Licata, the World's oldest man died in Italy at the age of 111. He was awarded the Guinness World Records title of oldest living man on 28 February 2014 at the age of 111 years and 302 days.

English actor Bob Hoskins who worked in films like Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Mona Lisa, and Hook died at the age of 71 due to pneumonia.

Indian theatre personality and artist Khaled Choudhury died at the age of 94. April 30: Famous British actor Chris Harris died at the age of 71 due to cancer.

▬ MOUs/AGREEMENT SIGNED THIS MONTH ▬

Asia-Pacific navies of 22 countries including India signed Maritime Communication Agreement.

UN and IOC signed an agreement to use the power of sports to promote peace and economic development.

Cognizant entered into a definitive agreement to acquire itaas, a digital video solutions company.

Trends in Vogue on 19 April 2014 entered into an agreement with Bhartiya Mahila Bank (BMB) to promote women Entrepreneurship.

▬ OBITUARIES ▬

World's oldest man, Arturo Licata died at the age of 111. He was awarded the Guinness World Records title of oldest living man on 28 February 2014.

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Walter "King" Fleming was an American jazz pianist and bandleader. He died at the age of 91.

Former President of Guinea Kumba Yala died at the age of 61 due to cardiac arrest.

Ashish Bose, veteran demographer died in New Delhi due to illness on 7 April 2014.

Mary Lou Petty, an American Olympic swimmer died at the age of 98.

Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Niedringhaus shot dead in Afghanistan.

Dada Saheb Phalke awardee, V K Murthy died on 7 April 2014 at his residence in Shankarapuram. He was 91.

Novelist Sue Townsend on 11 April 2014 died after a short illness.

Mickey Rooney, the American film actor died.

A Dutch priest Frans Van der Lugt was shot dead in Homs by a gunman. He was 70.

Kevin Sharp, the country singer and cancer survivor died.

Nandu Bhende was an Indian musician and actor. He dies because of heart attact. He was 58.

Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the Nobel laureate died at the age of 87 in Mexico.


Veteran pro-democratic Journalist of Myanmar Win Tin died on 19 April 2014 due to his respiratory problems.

The unsung hero of the NASA's Apollo Program John C. Houbolt died 20 April 2014 after the complications from Parkinson's disease.

Canadian author Alistair MacLeod on 20 April 2014 died due to a heart stroke.

India's lone gorilla, Polo died in Mysore zoo due to respiratory infection and age related ailments. It was gifted by Ireland's Dublin Zoo.

British actor Bob Hoskins died of pneumonia at the age of 71 in London.

Indian journalist K. K. Abdul Rahiman died at the at of 87.

▬ AWARDS/HONOURS ▬

Jaipur girl Koyal Rana was Saturday crowned Femina Miss India 2014 at the 51st edition of the beauty pageant.The first and second runners-up were Jhataleka Malhotra from Mumbai and Gail Nicole Da Silva from Goa respectively.

Indian-American cardiologist Dr Sumeet Chugh has been named as one of the recipients of a prestigious Simon Dack Award from the American College of Cardiology.

Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) on 3 April 2014 recieved the Most Efficient Navratna Award for the year 2013 and also has notched-up the highest ever turnover of Rs 15,180 crores for the FY 2013-14.

Indian Cricket Team Captain MS Dhoni has won United Kingdom‘s 2014 Asian award for outstanding achievement in sports.

Iwao Hakamada has been awarded with an honorary championship belt by WBC. He was released after 48 years in prison following a murder conviction.

Delhi girl , Koyal Rana is crowned fbb Femina Miss India World 2014.

Indian Squash Player Saurav Ghosal won Dato Alex Lee Award 2013 on 24 April 2014.

Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi have been named among top 5 in the list of 100 influential Asians topped by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Pulitzer Prize-winning Indian American novelist Jhumpa Lahiri‘s ―Lowland‖ has been shortlisted for this year‘s Baileys Prize, the UK‘s only annual book award for fiction written by a woman.

British scientist Prof Stuart Parkin has won the 2014 Millennium technology prize worth €1m (£824,400) for research that has led to a phenomenal increase in the storage capacity of digital devices and heralded the era of cloud computing.

Ratan Tata, the former chairman of the Tata Group which is one of the largest employers in Britain, has been honoured by Queen Elizabeth with a GBE (Knight Grand Cross), one of the UK‘s highest civilian awards.

Veteran poet and film lyricist Gulzar has been chosen for the coveted Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2013, the ministry of information and broadcasting announced . He is the 45th winner of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award.

President Pranab Mukherjee conferred the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowships and Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards for 2013 at a function in Rashtrapati Bhavan .

India-born poet Vijay Seshadri has won the prestigious 2014 Pulitzer Prize in the poetry category for his witty and philosophical collection of poems.

The 61st National Film Awards for 2013 was announced in New Delhi on 16 April 2014 by the Directorate of Film Festivals. Ship of Theseus directed by Anand Gandhi was selected as the Best feature film.

The prestigious M S Subbulakshmi Award went to renowned musician from Karnataka, Mathangi Sathyamurthy. She will receive a cash award of `10,001 and a plaque.

Hollywood star John Travolta will receive a special honour at the upcoming International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards to be held in the US. Mr. Travolta will attend the 15th IIFA awards, which will be held from April 23 to 26 in Tampa Bay, Florida.

Bhaag Milkha Bhaag wins nine technical awards at IIFA 2014

Environmental activist Ramesh Agrawal won Goldman Environmental Prize 2014.


Infosys Executive Chairman N R Narayana Murthy was today presented with the 2014 "Canada India Foundation Chanchalani Global Indian Award" here for his remarkable vision and leadership in the IT sector.

15th IIFA Awards 2014 : Full List of Winners

The 15th International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards 2014 was held in Tampa Bay, US. It was held from 23rd April to 26th April 2014. This was held for the first time in US . The IIFA awards are presented by the International Indian Film Academy every year. These were presented to both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in Bollywood. Following were the awards under different categories .

Popular Awards

Best Film: Bhaag Milkha Bhaag

Best Director: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra– Bhaag Milkha Bhaag

Best Actor In A Leading Role: Farhan Akhtar – Bhaag Milkha Bhaag as Milkha Singh

Best Actress In A Leading Role: Deepika Padukone – Chennai Express as Meenalochni Azhagusundaram

Best Actor In A Supporting Role: Aditya Roy Kapur – Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani as Avinash “Avi” Arora

Best Actress In A Supporting Role: Divya Dutta – Bhaag Milkha Bhaag as Ishri Kaur

Male Debutant Star: Dhanush – Raanjhanaa as Kundan Shankar

Female Debutant Star: Vaani Kapoor – Shuddh Desi Romance as Tara

Best Performance In A Comic Role: Arshad Warsi – Jolly LLB as Jagdish Tyagi (Jolly)

Best Performance In A Negative Role: Rishi Kapoor– Aurangzeb as DCP Ravikant, HPS

Best Story: Prasoon Joshi – Bhaag Milkha Bhaag

Musical awards

Best Music Direction: Aashiqui 2 – Mithoon, Ankit Tiwari, Jeet Ganguly

Best Lyrics: Tum Hi Ho from Aashiqui 2 – Mithoon

Best Male Playback Singer: Ankit Tiwari for Sunn Raha Hai;– Aashiqui 2

Best Female Playback Singer: Shreya Ghoshal for Sunn Raha Hai – Aashiqui 2

Best Sound Design: Nakul Kamte – Bhaag Milkha Bhaag

Best Background Score: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy – Bhaag Milkha Bhaag

Technical awards

Best Action: Sham Kaushal & Tony Ching Siu Tung – Krrish 3

Best Special Effects: Keitan Yadav & Haresh Hingorani (Red Chillies VFX) – Krrish 3

Best Choreography: Remo D’souza – Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani

Best Cinematography: Binod Pradhan – Bhaag Milkha Bhaag

Best Costume Design: Dolly Ahluwalia – Bhaag Milkha Bhaag

Best Dialogue: Prasoon Joshi – Bhaag Milkha Bhaag

Best Editing: P. S. Bharti – Bhaag Milkha Bhaag

Best Makeup: Vikram Gaikwad – Bhaag Milkha Bhaag

Best Production Design: Wasiq Khan – Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela

Best Screenplay: Prasoon Joshi – Bhaag Milkha Bhaag

Best Sound Mixing: Anup Dev – Chennai Express, Debajit Changmai – Bhaag Milkha Bhaag

Best Sound Recording: Vinod Verma for Lungi Dance – Chennai Express


61st National Film Awards : Full List of Winners

The 61st National Film Awards for the year 2013 in the Feature Film category, Non-Feature Film category and Best Writing on Cinema were announced on 16-April-2014 at a press conference held at the National Media Centre.

Best Film (Hindi): Jolly LLB

Best Feature Film: Ship of Theseus

Best Actress: Geetanjali Thapa (Liar's Dice, Hindi)

Best Actor: Raj Kumar (Shahid, Hindi) & Suraj Venjaramoodu (Terariyathavar, Malyalam)

Supporting Actor (Female): Aida Elkashef, Ship of Theseus and Amruta Subash, Astu

Best Direction: Hansal Mehta for Shahid (Hindi)

Special Mention: Gauri Gadgil and Sanjana Rai for 'Yellow' (Marathi)

Direction (Non Feature): Chidiya Udh

Special Effects: Jal

Short Fiction (Non Feature): Mandrake! Mandrake! (Hindi)

Non Feature Film on Social Issues: Gulabi Gang (Hindi, Bundelkhandi)

Environmental Film including Agriculture: Foresting Life (Hindi,Assamese)

Non Feature Film: Rangbhoomi (Hindi)

Best Book on Cinema: Cinema Ga Cinema (Telgu) by Nandagopal

Sound Design: Bishwadeep Chatterjee, Madras Cafe

Choreography: Ganesh Aacharya, Havan Karenge (Bhaag Milkha Bhaag)

Special Jury Award: Yellow (Marathi) & Miss Lovely (Hindi)

Best Children's Film: Kaphal (Hindi)

Best Film on Environment Conservation/Preservation: Perariyathavar (Malyalam)

Best Film on Social Issues: Tuhya Dharma Koncha (Marathi)

Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration: Thalaimuraigal (Tamil)

Best Popular Film providing wholesome Entertainment: Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (Hindi)

Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director: Fandry (Marathi)

Playback Singer: Bela Shinde Khura Khura

2014 Pulitzer Prize :

Journalism :

Public Service: The Guardian US and The Washington Post

Breaking News Reporting: Staff of The Boston Globe

Investigative Reporting: Chris Hamby of The Center for Public Integrity, Washington, DC

Explanatory Reporting: Eli Saslow of The Washington Post

Local Reporting: Will Hobson and Michael LaForgia of Tampa Bay Times

National Reporting: David Philipps of The Gazette, Colorado Springs, CO

International Reporting: Jason Szep and Andrew R.C. Marshall of Reuters

Feature Writing: No award

Commentary: Stephen Henderson of Detroit Free Press

Criticism: Inga Saffron of The Philadelphia Inquirer

Editorial Writing: Editorial Staff of The Oregonian, Portland

Editorial Cartooning: Kevin Siers of The Charlotte Observer

Breaking News Photography: Tyler Hicks of The New York Times

Feature Photography: Josh Haner of The New York Times

Letters, Drama, and Music :

Fiction: The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt (Little, Brown)

Drama: The Flick by Annie Baker


History: The Internal Enemy: Slavery and War in Virginia, 1772-1832 by Alan Taylor (W.W. Norton)

Biography or Autobiography: Margaret Fuller: A New American Life by Megan Marshall (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

Poetry: 3 Sections by Vijay Seshadri (Graywolf Press)

General Nonfiction: Toms River: A Story of Science and Salvation by Dan Fagin (Bantam Books)

Music: Become Ocean by John Luther Adams (Taiga Press/Theodore Front Musical Literature). Sangeet Natak Akademi fellowships 2013 :

Akademi Fellowships were conferred on

Dr. Kanak Rele

R. Sathyanarayana

Mahesh Elkunchwar

The Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in the field of Music were presented to

Overall contribution and scholarship in the performing arts : Mysore V. Subramanya and N. Ramanathan

For Hindustani vocal music : Ritwik Sanyal and Veena Hari Sahasrabuddhe

For the Hindustani instrumental music : Hashmat Ali Khan and Dhruba Jyoti Ghosh

For Carnatic vocal music : Aruna Sairam and Hyderabad Brothers D. Sesha Chary and D. Raghava Chary

For Carnatic instrumental music : Trichy Sankaran and Thiruvizha Jayasankar

For Odissi music : Bankim Sethi

The Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in the field of Dance were presented to

For Bharatanatyam : Jamuna Krishnan and B. Herambanathan

For Kathak : Rajashree Shirke

For Kathakali : Kalamandalam M.P.S. Namboodiri

For Kuchipudi : Chinta Seetha Ramanjaneyulu

For Odissi : Sangeeta Dash

For Sattriya dance : Jogen Dutta Bayan

For Arayer Sevai : Srinivasa Rangachariar

For Mardal drumming : Dhaneswar Swain

The Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for their contribution to theatre to eight artists, namely

For playwriting : Rameshwar Prem and Pundalik Narayan Naik

For direction : Kamalakar Muralidhar Sontakke, Kewal Dhaliwal and Prasanna Ramaswamy

For acting : Vasant Josalkar and Kusum Haidar

For make-up : Krishna Arjun Borkar

The award for the work in traditional, folk and tribal dance, music, dance and puppetry to

For folk music of Jammu and Kashmir : Raj Begum

For folk music of Tamil Nadu : T.A.R. Nadi Rao and N. Jeeva Rao

For instrument making : Gurdial Singh

For Rabindrasangeet : Mohan Singh Khangura

For Tokari Geet and Dehbichar Geet of Assam : Umakanta Bairagi

For puppetry : Lilavati M Kavi

For instrument-making (the Ghatam of Tamil Nadu) : Meenakshi K

For folk theatre of Maharashtra : Shaikh Riyajoddin Abdul Gani.


▬ SPORTS ▬

Viswanathan Anand ranked World number 3 in the rating list released by FIDE. Anand with the Victory at the Candidates Tournament held in Russia in March 2014 has moved five places ahead from 8 to 3 with 2785 Elo points.

FIFA had rejected the call of US senators to ban Russia from 2014 World Cup in response to Kremlin's position on Ukraine.

International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) imposed a transfer ban at both national and international level on Barcelona.

Iwao Hakamada, the Japanese boxer was awarded with an honorary championship belt by World Boxing Council(WBC).

Andrea Petkovic defeated Jana Cepelova to win her first WTA title in last three years at the Family Circle Cup in Charleston, United States.

Lee Chong Wei won the men's singles title of 250000 US dollar India Super Series Badminton in New Delhi by defeating Chen Long of China.

Delhi based MRF driver, Gaurav Gill won Whangarei Rally by a lead of 11.9 seconds on 13 April 2014.

Dipika Pallikal of India lost the title clash of the Texas Open squash tournament by Egyptian Nour El Sherbini at Houston, United States.

Kenyan Wilson Kipsang won the London Marathon for second time.

Shaik Abdul Hameed won the 2014 Thailand Tour title of Asian Bowling Federation.

Joshna Chinappa won inaugural Richmond Open at the Country Club of Virginia.

Heena Sindhu, the Indian shooter clinched the World's Number One spot in 10 meters air pistol event. By achieving this fete, she became the first Indian pistol shooter to be ranked at the top position in the list.

The 151st edition of the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack published carries a picture of Sachin Tendulkar on its cover page.

Gareth Hopkins the former New Zealand wicketkeeper announced his retirement from cricket. He announced his retirement after a career spanning over 17 years.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) established a Sport Integrity Unit to investigate the cases related to fraud in sports. Betting and Match fixing are the most common cases of sports fraud.

Sri Lanka defeated India in the final match to win the ICC Twenty20 World Cup 2014 at Shere Bangla stadium of Mirpur, Dhaka.

ICC announced the men's Team of the Tournament of the ICC World Twenty20 Bangladesh 2014, with India's MS Dhoni named captain.

Indian lost number one status in the latest ICC Twenty20 rankings by Sri Lanka. Kohli and Ashwin attained their career-high positions in the list.

Shikhar Dhawan named as one of the Five Cricketers of the Year 2013. Others are Joe Root, Charlotte Edwards, Chris Rogers, Ryan Harris and Dale Steyn.

Australian cricket team had won the Women's World Twenty20 Cup 2014 cup by defeating England in the final match in Mirpur, Dhaka.

Lewis Hamilton won the Bahrain Grand Prix of Formula One car racing.

Real Madrid won the Copa del Rey. They defeated Barcelona 2-1 in the final played at Mestalla in Valencia, Spain.

Punjab won the 4th Hockey India Junior Men National Championship 2014 (Division A) by defeating Hokey Odisha at Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

Hockey India appointed former senior coach Harendra Singh as the coach of the junior men's team. Harendra will join the training camp of the team.

Eight franchisees of Indian Super League of All India Football Federation announced on 13 April 2014. The ISL is scheduled to be held in September-November 2014.

Bengaluru FC Club won the I-League Football title in their debut season. Bengaluru FC Club defeated Dempo Sports Club 4-2 in the league match held at Shillong.

Benfica won the 33rd Portuguese Football league title after four years. Benfica won the tittle by defeating the Olhanense by 2-0. Benfica won its first domestic title in 2009-10.

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) launched the AIFF Academy Certification in New Delhi. This certification has been launched with an aim to set a standard of youth development in the


country, through certification model. This initiative of IAFF is the first of its kind in India.

Chitra Magimairaj of India won the World Women's Senior Snooker Championship at Leeds, Britain. She played the final match against Alena Asmolava of Belarus.

The adidas has started a weekly series of online documentary-style films titled Brazuca around the World to excite football fans as the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil gets closer.

Meb Keflezighi became the first US male athlete to win the Boston Marathon in three decades (since 1983).

Indian Squash Player Saurav Ghosal won Dato Alex Lee Award 2013. He was selected for the award by the Asian Squash Federation (ASF) for being the Outstanding Asian Men's Player of the Year 2013.

Grand Master Adhiban won silver medal at the Asian Continental Chess Championship held in Sharjah. With this silver he got an entry in the World Chess Cup 2015 that will be held at Baku, Azerbaijan.

Paralympic swimmer Sharath Gayakwad won two Bronze and one Silver at the IDM Berlin 2014.

The United Nations (UN) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) signed an agreement to use the power of sports to promote peace and economic development. The agreement strengthens the collaboration between UN and International Olympic Committee.

Indian Golfer Anirban Lahiri was ranked 67 in World Golf Ranking. Lahiri jumped 35 places from his last standing of 102.

Paralympic swimmer Sharath Gayakwad won two Bronze and single Silver at the IDM Berlin 2014.

Wawrinka won the Monte Carlo Masters Tennis title on 20 April 2014 by defeating Roger Federer, 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-2.

Donna Vekic won the BMW Malaysian Open 2014 at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Luis Suarez, the Uruguayan striker of Liverpool was named as the Professional Footballers' Association Player of the Year at an award ceremony in London. Suarez is the first non-European to be awarded with the prize.

Wimbledon announced an increase of 10.8 percent (to 25 million Pound) in the total prize amount for 2014 Wimbledon. It is an increase of 2.4 million Pound over 2013.

▬ MISCELLANEOUS ▬

Statue of Field Marshal SHFJ Manekshaw was unveiled at the Manekshaw Centre, Delhi Cantt. A book titled Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw - The Man and His Times was also released to mark 100 th Birth Anniversary of Field Marshal SHFJ Manekshaw.

Dhole -The Asiatic Wild Dog was spotted for the first time in the Jaldapara National Park (West Bengal).

Amazon launched an internet-connected TV set-top box or video streaming device called Fire TV on 2 April 2014.

Ernesto Gainza of UAE set a new Guinness record for skydiving using the world's smallest parachute.

NASA has announced suspension of majority of its ongoing engagement and ties with Russia except for the cooperation aboard on ISS.

Indian Railways launched a portal,RAILSAVER with an aim to improve energy efficiency in Indian Railways. This initiative in form of RAILSAVER will facilitate railways in saving energy upto 15 percent by the year 2020, through improved energy efficiency measures as laid down in Railway's vision document.

Google on 3 April 2014 launched 360 degree online view of Angkor Wat in Cambodia under Streetview project.

Archie Andrews the famous comic book character that has ruled the market of comics for past 73 years is set to die in this summer issue of July 2014. Archie for the first time was introduced in Pep Comics 1941. The comic has seen live-action television specials and a cartoon show, and has found a new audience in the glitter of Bollywood.

ISRO had launched India's 2nd regional navigational satellite IRNSS 1B from Sriharikota Space Station.

A new robot called Borewell Robot was developed by M.Manigandan to rescue kids who fall into borewells. M.Manigandan is a Madurai-based social worker.

Gulabi Gang documentary based on the life of an activist Sampat Devi will be screened at the 14th New York Indian Film Festival.


HDFC Bank's blood donation drive sets Guinness World Record in a single day.

India's First Double-decker Flyover Opens in Mumbai.

Shaik Abdul Hameed won the 2014 Thailand Tour title of Asian Bowling Federation.

Indian railways information and technology arm, Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) launched a new mobile application. This application can be used for various enquiries including train running status.

Gautam Sharma appointed as India MD by Japanese foods firm Nissin.

Suresh Kumar Reddy appointed as the First ambassador to ASEAN.

Indian-South Africa "academic bridge" launched.

Portable Electronic Device including cellphones allowed during Flights by DGCA.

US President Barack Obama nominated three Indian-Americans to the 14-member advisory commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs). The Indian-Americans include US Air Force officer Lieutenant Colonel, Ravi Chaudhary Prominent community leader Shekar Narasimhan Popular film and television actor Maulik Pancholy.

John XXIII and John Paul II were declared as saints of the Roman Catholic Church by Pope Francis. This declaration of the two predecessors was made before hundreds of people in St Peter's Square in Vatican City.

Ukranian Government announced to build a arch over Chernobyl to protect its citizens from radioactive dust. The arch is being built to mark the 28th anniversary of Chernobyl disaster.

A Southern California mite Paratarsotomus macropalpis set a new record as world's fastest land animal. Cheetah was the last record holder. The findings were presented during the Experimental Biology 2014 meeting in California.

According to World Bank Report released India has displaced Japan to become the world's third biggest economy in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP). US is on top with 17.1%, China is on second number with 14.9% then India is on third number with 6.4%.

Ramesh Agrawal from India wins top environment award - Goldman Environmental Prize 2014.

Slovakia and Ukraine signed Framework Interconnection Agreement on gas supply.

India displaces Japan to become third-largest world economy.

▬ Hot Issues This Month ▬

►► Akash missile test fired successfully :

India successfully test fired indigenously-developed surface-to-air Akash missile as part of a user trial from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur in Odisha.

Note :

The Missile is developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) as part of the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme

It is Surface-to-Air Missile with a range of 25 km, medium range. Warhead Capacity is 60 kg Comparative advantage: Compared with American MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile

system, Akash has the capability to neutralise aerial targets like fighter jets, cruise missiles and air-to-surface missiles.

►► India launches “Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Suraksha Yojana” Scheme in UAE :

India’s Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) in a tie-up with Alankit Assignments launched “Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Suraksha Yojana” Scheme in UAE. The implementation of this scheme will be facilitated by the UAE Exchange.It is intended to introduce its services to all 17 ECR countries that include the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and Malaysia..

Note :


Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Suraksha Yojana (MGPSY)is a Pension and Life Insurance fund scheme introduced by Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs for the Overseas Indian workers having Emigration Check Required (ECR) passports.

Objectives of MGPSY:

To encourage and facilitate the Overseas Indian workers by providing government contribution to:

1. Save for their Return and Resettlement (R&R) 2. Save for their old age 3. Obtain a Life Insurance cover against natural death during the period of coverage.

The government contribution available under the MGPSY is for a period of five years or till the return of subscribed worker back to India, whichever is earlier.

►► European Union bans Indian Alphonso mangoes, veggies :

The 28-nation bloc European Union (EU) has imposed a temporary ban on the import of Alphonso mangoes, the king of fruits, and 4 vegetables from India effective from May 1, 2014.

The move by EU has led to protests from the Indian community, legislators and traders. The temporary ban includes Alphonso mangoes, eggplant, taro plant, bitter gourd and snake

gourd, and prohibits the import to tackle the deficiency in the sanitary certification system of such products exported to the EU.

EU has imposed a temporary ban on following:-

Fruit(s): Alphonso Mangoes

Vegetables: Eggplant (Baingan), Taro plant (Arbi), Bitter Gourd (Karela), Snake Gourd (Chichinda)

The EU’s Standing Committee on Plant Health decided to impose the ban after 207 consignments of fruits and vegetables from India imported into the EU in 2013 were found to be contaminated by pests such as fruit flies and other quarantine pests.

►► Rajeev Suri appointed as Nokia’s new CEO :

Rajeev Suri (46) has been announced the new CEO of Finnish telecommunications gadget manufacturer Nokia.

Previously, Suri was the head of Nokia Solutions and Networks (NSN), the smaller network equipment unit of Nokia when the company still made mobile phones.

Suri one of those rare top corporate executives who have attained heights without pursuing any MBA/PG degree.

Recently, Nokia finalized a $7.5 billion deal for the sale of its struggling mobile phone business to Microsoft.

►► Justice G Rohini becomes first ever woman Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court :

President Pranab Mukherjee cleared the nomination of Justice G Rohini (59), the most senior judge of the Andhra Pradesh high court, as the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court.

Prior to Justice Rohini’s appointment, the Delhi high court had a strength of 40, out of which 9 were women. She will be the 10th woman judge at the Delhi high court.


In February 2014, Collegium of Supreme Court of India, headed by Chief Justice of India P. Sathasivam nominated Justice Rohini as the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court. She will charge as the first woman chief justice of Delhi High Court, 47 years after the court was established in October 1966.

Justice G. Rohini is expected to stay for a period of 4 years if not elevated to the Supreme Court. At present, out of 29 judges in the Supreme Court, only 2 are women.

►► “Crusader or Conspirator? Coalgate and other Truths” – Book by former coal secretary P C Parakh released :

“Crusader or Conspirator? Coalgate and other Truths” authored by former coal secretary P C Parakh released.

Controversy about the book:

Parekh in his controversial book has alleged that the PM Manmohan Singh incapable to avert his own junior ministers from blocking a move towards a more transparent system of bidding for coal blocks.

Parekh has also claimed that the coal scam could have been averted had PM Singh hard-pressed for reforms, including e-marketing and open auction of coal blocks, as recommended by Parekh to PM. The book details the corrupt practices under the UPA and NDA regime.

►► “The Accidental Prime Minister: The Making and Unmaking of Manmohan Singh” – Book by Sanjaya Baru, former Media Advisor to PM:

“The Accidental Prime Minister: The Making and Unmaking of Manmohan Singh” – a memoir by Indian policy analyst Sanjaya Baru released. Mr. Baru was Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s Media Advisor from May 2004 until August 2008.

Controversy about the book:

The book proclaims that PM Singh had neither complete control over his cabinet nor the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

The book instead alleges that a considerable power was possessed by the Congress Party’s President Sonia Gandhi, to whom PM Singh was entirely “subservient“.

Thus, the book paints a incriminating portrait of a PM who was in office but “not in power”, while Congress President Sonia Gandhi called the shots.

►► Election Commission ropes in Aamir Khan as ‘National Icon’ :

The Election Commission has signed up leading Bollywood actor Aamir Khan as its 'national icon' in the run-up to 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

Aamir will be part of the EC's voter awareness initiatives.

His main task would be to encourage more and more people to vote in the General Elections.

Aamir joins the league of four other ‘National Icons’-Indian Cricket team Captain Mahendra

Singh Dhoni, boxer MC Mary Kom, badminton ace Saina Nehwal and former president APJ

Abdul Kalam.

►► Justice R.M. Lodha to be the next Chief Justice of India :

Justice Rajendra Mal Lodha (64) as the next Chief Justice of India. Justice R.M. Lodh will have a short tenure of 5 months as the Chief Justice as he is scheduled to

retire on September 27, 2014.


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