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Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 1

INDEX 1. ACHIEVEMENTS OF INDIAN AGENCIES 9

2. AWARDS 12

3. COMMITTEES AND REPORTS 13Member-secretary of panel for women resigns

l unit

4. CONFERENCES AND SUMMITS 16

summit in June

5. ECONOMY 17




-trade area

w Nut Kernels

6. ENERGY 22

double by 2017

7. ENVIRONMENT 23

-antlered deer flourish in Manipur national park

8. GEOGRAPHY 27

s

9. HEALTH 30




–Johnson syndrome

tières (MSF)

-tech helper is under scrutiny

10. INDIA AND THE WORLD 37

ime for free trade pact with Russia, says India

-PresidentIndia‘s ‗Connect Central Asia‘ Policy

11. INTERNATIONAL 42

ers key district to Afghans

-1B visas through lottery




-1B

Serbia-Kosovo meet inconclusive

conflict zones

-election that‘s just a pause button

-year-old island dispute-designate

12. NATION 50

rt of Last Resort‘

-income States-point action plan to develop naxal-affected areas

-governance




13. HISTORY AND CULTURE 56

flight over Everest

14. NRIs & PIOs 60

15. ORGANISATIONS 61

ith self

16. PERSONALITIES 64

-year jail term for ‗Monster of Grbavica‘




-elected CITU chief

-tube baby pioneer dies

en among anti-British Bengal revolutionaries

Adityan dead

-Chairman

ttack in Lahore jail

17. PLACES 72

-like ceremony at Akhaura border

-year-old temple torched in Bangladesh

18. POLICY & GOVERNANCE 74-2,700

-rape laws get President‘s nod

at breakneck speed

-ever hanging of a woman




lief to Merck in patent case

scheme

19. SCIENCE AND SCIENTIFIC ADVANCEMENTS 80

-million plan to map human brain-made kidney holds out hope

g a living fossil-currency Bitcoin

-satellite

m biology

20. WOMEN PERSONALITIES 89

da Manjoo




21. SPORTS 92

22. ASSIGNMENTS 94 – Comment.

implementation of schemes or adherence to values…Lack of good governance has beenidentified as the root cause of many of the serious deficiencies in society. It robs the citizenryof their security, and their social and economic rights.‖- Comment

teachings of the Buddha‖ – Comment.Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 9



1. ACHIEVEMENTS OF INDIAN AGENCIES 1. Five Indian soldiers killed as rebelsambush convoy in South SudanIn April 2013, five soldiers of the Indian Army were killed and four injured in an ambush of their United Nations peacekeeping mission by unidentified assailants in South Sudan.Lt. Colonel Mahipal Singh, Havaldars Heera Lal and Bharat Sasmal, Naib Subedar ShivKumar Pal and Sipahi Naval Kishore were killed as they escorted a 32-member convoy near the settlement of Gumuruk in Jonglei State. A contingent of 2,200 Indian Army personnel are deployed with the United NationsMission in South Sudan (UNMISS). While one group is based in Malakkal on the border withSudan, the other one is deployed in Jonglei.Elsewhere on the African continent, Indian troops are involved in peacekeepingoperations in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Cote d‘Ivoire.Jonglei is the largest and most populous State in South Sudan, a country carved out itsnorthern neighbour in 2011 after a brutal civil war spanning many decades. Post-independence, the State has been roiled by inter-ethnic conflict between the Lou Nuer andMurle communities. The conflict has since escalated into a full-blown insurgency led byMurle leader David Yauyau who, the South Sudanese believe, is backed by the government

of Sudan. Sudanese officials have repeatedly denied these allegations.Earlier, the U.N. urged South Sudan‘s government to protect communities in Jonglei,even as representatives of France, Canada, Norway, the U.S. and the U.K. expressedconcern that military conflict, lack of infrastructure, seasonal migration and deterioration of law and order were putting civilian lives at risk. About 17,000 people have been displaced inJonglei due to the current conflict, according to the U.N.

The United Nations Mission in South Sudan(UNMISS) is the newest United Nationspeacekeeping mission for the recently independent Republic of South Sudan, which becameindependent on 9 July 2011. UNMISS was established on 8 July 2011 by United NationsSecurity Council Resolution 1996 (2011). UNMISS is headed by Special Representative of the Secretary-General Hilde Frafjord Johnson. It is composed of 5,884 civilian, 5,508 military

and 376 police personnel and is headquartered in the South Sudan capital Juba. Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 10



2. 5th generation fighter crosses a milestoneIndia and Russia have crossed the first milestone towards the development of the fifthgeneration fighter aircraft (FGFA), completing the preliminary design. ―The preliminarydesign contract (PDC) for the Russian-Indian fifth generation aircraft has been executed,‖Russia‘s Sukhoi aircraft company said in April 2013.The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) signed the $295-million PDC contract inDecember 2010 with the Sukhoi company, which is responsible for developing the PAK-FA(perspective aviation complex-frontline aircraft), as the FGFA is called.Under the PDC contract, Sukhoi has also trained Indian engineers and provided HAL withthe data and software needed to create a single working environment. A team of HALengineers and IAF experts has been working at Sukhoi‘s design bureau in Moscow, whileRussian engineers have been assigned to HAL. Four T- 50 aircraft, the Russian prototype of the fifth generation fighter, have already performed more than 200 test flights since January2010. The customised FGFA version will have ―some differences‖ from the Russianprototype to meet ―specific requirements of the Indian Air Force,‖ the Sukhoiannouncement said.Russian experts have said the FGFA will differ in ―mission hardware and software,‖ as

well as weapons. This is India‘s biggest-ever defence project and its largest defence dealwith Russia.

3. Combat aircraft deal may be delayedThe country‘s biggest defence deal for 126 Rafale combat aircraft is expected to bedelayed after differences surfaced between India and French firm Dassault Aviation over certain contractual obligations.

4. South Western Command‟s raising dayThe seventh, and the youngest, command of the Army — the South Western Command,which is headed by Lt. Gen. Gyan Bhushan — turned eight on April 15, 2013. It‘ll celebrateits ninth raising day on April 15, 2013.

―The SWC, officially christened the Sapta Shakti Command, has extensive operationalresponsibility over a well developed and high value territory and demands preparedness of avery high order,‖ defence spokesperson said.The jurisdiction of the Command, headquartered in Jaipur, extends over Haryana, Punjaband Rajasthan, covering more than 1.5 lakh sq.km.These three States provide the ―maximum number of soldiers‖ to the Army.Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 11



In addition to guarding the frontier, the Command provides assistance to the civiladministration in these States as well as in parts of Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and MadhyaPradesh.

Commands The army operates 7 operational commands. Each command is headed byGeneral Officer Commanding-in-Chief with the rank of Lieutenant General. Each commandis directly affiliated to the Army HQ in New Delhi. Central Command, headquartered atLucknow, Uttar Pradesh Eastern Command, headquartered at Kolkata, West BengalNorthern Command, headquartered at Udhampur, Jammu and Kashmir SouthernCommand, headquartered at Pune, Maharashtra South Western Command, headquarteredat Jaipur, Rajasthan Western Command, headquartered at Chandimandir TrainingCommand, headquartered at Shimla, Himachal Pradesh Current Affairs (Civil ServicesPreliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 12



2. AWARDS 1. Dada Saheb Phalke Award for PranVeteran Bollywood actor Pran Krishan Sikand, who played villain and character roles withélan in such classics as Milan, Madhumati and Zanjeer, has been chosen for the DadaSaheb Phalke Award, the country‘s highest cinema honour. The award will be conferred onthe 93-year-old actor on May 3. In his six-decades-long career, he has acted in more than400 films.

2. Ravuri gets Jnanpith AwardThe Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India's highest award in cinema given annually by theGovernment of India for lifetime contribution to Indian cinema. The Award is given to aprominent personality from the Indian film industry, noted and respected for significantcontributions to Indian cinema. A committee consisting eminent personalities from the Indianfilm industry is appointed to evaluate the award. Introduced in 1969, the birth centenary year of Dadasaheb Phalke, considered as the father of Indian cinema, award is given torecognise the contribution of film personalities towards the development of Indian Cinemaand for distinguished contribution to the medium, its growth and promotion. The award for aparticular year is given during the end of the following year along with the National Film

Awards. The award comprises a Swarna Kamal (Golden Lotus) medallion, a cash prize of 1million and a shawl.In April 2013, eminent Telugu novelist, short story writer, poet and critic RavuriBharadwaja was selected for the prestigious Jnanpith award for the year 2012 for hiscontribution to Telugu literature.

The Jnanpith Award is a literary award in India. Along with the Sahitya AkademiFellowship, it is one of the two most prestigious literary honours in the country. The awardwas instituted in 1961. Any Indian citizen who writes in any of the official languages of Indiais eligible for the honour. It is presented by the Bharatiya Jnanpith, a trust founded by theSahu Jain family, the publishers of the The Times of India newspaper. Current Affairs (CivilServices Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 13



3. COMMITTEES AND REPORTS 1. Member-secretary of panel for women resignsDeepa Jain Singh, member secretary of the Centre‘s High-Level Committee on the Statusof Women, has resigned from her post in April 2013.The original 19-member committee — which is less than a year old — has already seenfour resignations, including that of the chairperson Justice Ruma Pal. Three members of thecommittee had resigned almost immediately after their name were officially announced bythe government.Set up in March 2012, the Committee‘s mandate is to undertake a comprehensive studyto understand the status of women since 1989 and evolve appropriate policy interventionsbased on a contemporary assessment of women‘s needs.

2. Amnesty: commute all death sentences to imprisonmentIn all 682 persons, including 2008 Mumbai terror attack case convict Ajmal Kasab, wereexecuted worldwide in 2012, which is two more than such executions carried out in 2011.Releasing the global annual report on death penalty-2012, the Amnesty International (AI)has urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to ―take immediate steps to commute all deathsentences to terms of imprisonment and abolish the death penalty in India.‖

The international human rights organisation said it was ―troubled by the arbitrary, flawedand biased use of capital punishment in India.‖On an average once in three days the death penalty was awarded as punishment inIndia, it claimed.The report said China once again executed thousands of people than the rest of the worldput together, but due to the secrecy surrounding the use of the death penalty in the country itwas not possible to obtain accurate figures on the use of capital punishment there. At least 1,722 newly imposed death sentences in 58 countries could be confirmed in2012, compared to 1,923 in 63 countries in 2011.Despite some disappointing setbacks in 2012, the trend towards ending the death penaltycontinued, it said. The year saw the resumption of executions in countries that had not usedthe death penalty for some time, notably India, Japan, Pakistan and Gambia, as well as an

alarming escalation in executions in Iraq.Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 14



3. 80 million kids drop out without completing basic schooling: UNICEFWith eight million children never having stepped inside a school and 80 million droppingout without completing basic schooling, the United Nations Children‘s Fund has describedthe situation as a national emergency and called for equipping the government and civilsociety to implement the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009.

―There has been progress in implementation of the Act in the past three years butchildren are still dropping out, not for labour, but because they are not learning anything inschools,‖ Louis-Georges Arsenault, UNICEF Representative in India, said at a mediaroundtable on the ―Progress of the RTE Implementation‖.

4. Shift to global gas pricing regime, says Planning CommissionThe Planning Commission has recommended switching to the international pricingformula for natural gas — which presently works out to $14.5 per MBTU, almost three timesmore than the present price of $4.2 mBtu (per million British thermal unit) — by thebeginning of the 13th Plan (2017-22).The Planning Commission has also sought that coal bed methane (CBM) gas and yet tobe discovered shale gas be freed from any price control or approvals without any further

delay.The recommendations were conveyed to Petroleum Secretary Vivek Rae and the PrimeMinister‘s Office on April 5 through an official communication in the shape of comments onthe C. Rangarajan panel recommendations on the pricing of natural gas.

5. Panel for ban on mining in 37 % of Western GhatsThe British thermal unit (symbol Btu or sometimes BTU) is a traditional unit of energyequal to about 1055 joules. It is the amount of energy needed to heat one pound of water byone degree Fahrenheit.Identifying 37 per cent — or about 60,000 square km — of the Western Ghats asecologically sensitive, a high-level panel has recommended that ―destructive‖ activitiessuch as mining, thermal power, major construction, and some hydel power projects should

not be allowed there.However, the panel was silent about any restrictions in the remaining 96,000 square kmarea, thus creating the perception that it had diluted earlier recommendations that the entireGhats should be declared as an eco-sensitive area.The panel, headed by space scientist and Planning Commission member K.Kasturirangan, which submitted its report to Environment Minister JayanthiCurrent Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 15



Natarajan was initially set up to review the more stringent recommendations of the WesternGhats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) headed by ecologist Madhav Gadgil.



The Gadgil report had wanted the entire area of the Ghats to be graded into three levelsof eco-sensitive zones, each of which would have different restrictions. It had faced uproar from State governments and industries which were alarmed by the curbs on development inalmost 70 per cent of the biodiverse range of mountains spanning six States.



The new high-level panel has taken a different approach. Taking advantage of Dr.Kasturirangan‘s connections with ISRO, it has used satellite data to produce a far moredetailed database, with a resolution of 24 square metres as opposed to the 9 square kmused by the Gadgil report. It then used remote sensing technology to distinguish between―natural landscapes‖ and ―cultural landscapes‖ which include human settlements, fieldsand plantations.

6. Panel to probe chit fund scamIn April 2013, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced the setting up of an inquiry commission headed by a former Calcutta High Court judge to probe the chit fundscam.―The commission headed by retired Justice Shaymal Sen will look into how muchmoney has been collected, who all were depositors and how we can return the money,‖ Ms.Banerjee told.Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 16



5. ECONOMY 1. Core sector output contracts 2.5 % in FebDragged down by natural gas and fertiliser sectors, the eight core industries shrank 2.5per cent in February 2013, a worst-ever performance in decades, which is likely to result inmuted overall factory output numbers.The core industries — coal, crude oil, natural gas, petroleum refinery products, fertilisers,steel, cement and electricity

—had grown by 7.7 per cent in February, 2012.

―The decline in growth in February, 2013, was on account of negative growth witnessedin electricity generation and in the production of crude oil, coal, natural gas and fertilisers,‖the Commerce and Industry Ministry said in April 2013.The contraction was last seen in these industries in February 2001. The core sector (atthat time had six industries only) had contracted by one per cent.During April-February 2012-13, the cumulative growth rate of the sector was 2.6 per centagainst 5.2 per cent during the corresponding period in 2011-12.These eight industries together account for about 38 per cent in the Index of IndustrialProduction (IIP).

2. We are committed to reform: FM

India's economy is capable of absorbing $50 billion in foreign direct investment a year,Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said, adding that the government is committed to reformsto tackle a large current account deficit. Addressing a news conference during a visit to Tokyo in April 2013, promoting India as aninvestment destination, Mr. Chidambaram also reiterated that growth in Asia‘s third-largesteconomy was expected to accelerate in the current fiscal year.India‘s financial account, which includes foreign direct investment, portfolio investmentand overseas borrowing by Indian companies, showed a surplus of $31.1 billion in theDecember quarter for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013.The government is struggling to boost the economy, which has posted its weakest growthin a decade. Removing investment barriers, many of which date back to before India startedopening up its economy in the early 1990s, has been the key to the government‘s push to

restoring investor confidence.Mr. Chidambaram repeated his recent pledge that the government would simplify ‗outdated‘ foreign investment caps in a bid to attract more investors and tackle itsCurrent Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 18



large current account deficit, but stopped short of specifying which sectors he wants toreform.

3. Revised consolidated guidelines on FDIIn April 2013, seeking to further simplify the foreign investment regime, the CentralGovernment came out with the revised consolidated guidelines on foreign direct investment(FDI). The guidelines incorporated changes with regard to inflows in multi-brand retail andallowing Pakistani nationals and companies to invest in the country.Besides, it has included policy changes in sectors such as single brand retail, assetreconstruction companies (ARCs), power exchanges, civil aviation, broadcasting and non-banking finance companies (NBFCs).The government made these changes in the sixth edition of the Consolidated FDI PolicyCircular, a ready reckoner on foreign investment-related regulations that is effective from April 5.Last year, amid opposition from some of its key allies and State governments, the Centrepermitted 51 per cent FDI in multi-brand retail sector. The government also allowed foreign

airlines to pick up 49 per cent stake in the cash-strapped domestic carriers.Similarly, it has raised FDI cap to 74 per cent in various services of the broadcastingsector. The foreign investment ceiling in ARCs has also been increased to 74 per cent from49 per cent, a move aimed at bringing more foreign expertise in the segment.It has said that the total shareholding of an individual FII in an ARC shall not exceed 10per cent of the total paid-up capital. Further, it has incorporated the changes made withregard to FDI from Pakistan. Now, a Pakistani citizen or an entity can invest in the countryunder the government approval route.With regard to issue price of shares, a new paragraph has been added.Under this, where non-residents including NRIs are making investments in an Indian firmin compliance with the provisions of the Companies Act, 1956, by way of subscription to itsMemorandum of Association, ―such investments may be made at face value subject to their

eligibility to invest under the FDI scheme‖. The government has permitted foreign investmentof up to 49 per cent in power trading exchanges in the country.The policy has also listed as many as eight mandatory conditions and one optional clausewith regard to conversion of a company with FDI into a Limited Liability Partnerships (LLPs)firm.Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 19



4. WTO cuts 2013 global trade forecast to 3.3 %In April 2013, the World Trade Organization (WTO) slashed its forecast for trade growthin 2013, saying it feared protectionism was on the increase. It cut its forecast for global tradegrowth in 2013 to 3.3 per cent from 4.5 per cent and said trade grew only 2 per cent in 2012.That was the smallest annual rise since records began in 1981 and the second weakestfigure on record after 2009, when trade shrank.WTO Director General Pascal Lamy warned that 2013 could turn out even weaker thanexpected, especially because of risks from the euro crisis, and countries might try to restricttrade further in a desperate attempt to shore up domestic growth.

5. India, EU move closer to free trade pactIndia and the European Union have moved closer to concluding a Free Trade Agreement.This was indicated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and German Chancellor AngelaMerkel at a joint press interaction after the conclusion of the second Indo-GermanyGovernmental Consultations in Berlin in April 2013.Dr. Singh said he had explained to the Chancellor that India was committed to liberalisingthe FDI cap in the insurance sector.

At present, India allows only 26 per cent FDI in insurance although the Union Cabinetapproved a proposal for hiking this to 49 per cent. The proposal has to be approved byParliament before this increase can be implemented.India and Germany also agreed to set up a high technology partnership group with Dr.Singh saying ―we look forward to expanded defence cooperation anchored in technologytransfer, co-development and co-production in India.‖ He said high technology commercewould benefit from further easing of German export controls.The two countries inked six agreements, including an MoU on cooperation in higher education.

A free-trade area is a trade bloc whose member countries have signed a free-tradeagreement (FTA), which eliminates tariffs, import quotas, and preferences on most (if not all)

goods and services traded between them. If people are also free to move between thecountries, in addition to FTA, it would also be considered an open border. It can beconsidered the second stage of economic integration. Countries choose this kind of economic integration if their economical structures are complementary. If their economicalstructures are competitive, it is likely there will be no incentive for a FTA, or only selectedareas of goods and services will be covered to fulfill the economic interests between the twosignatories of FTA. Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 720



6. AP third in attracting private sector investment: Assocham Andhra Pradesh ranked No. 3 in attracting private sector investment to the tune of Rs. 7lakh crore, constituting 9.4 per cent of the total investments in India, after Gujarat (Rs. 10lakh crore) and Odisha (Rs. 8 lakh crore), an analysis by Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) said in April 2013. Andhra Pradesh is closely followed by Maharashtra and Karnataka in the list of Statesattracting maximum investment proposals from private sources in India, said the analysis.

7. Rising cashew kernel imports hit processorsIn spite of being a major producer and exporter of cashew kernels, India is now findingitself being listed as an importer too. According to ―Global Statistical Review 2007-12‖released recently by the Spain-based International Nut and Dried Fruits Council (INC),cashew kernel imports into India, of late, are much above some of the traditional kernelimporting countries. As per INC statistics, world raw cashew production last year was 5.43 lakh tonnes of kernels. While raw cashew production in India during 2012 was 1.60 lakh tonnes, Vietnamproduced only 63,050 metric tonnes.

But the irony is that Vietnam has overtaken India as the top cashew kernel exportingcountry and has maintained that position for the last five years. Both countries meet their export demands through import of raw cashew. And for that matter, Vietnam, till a few yearsago, had no processing units. India used to be a major purchaser of raw cashew producedthere. But now Vietnam has banned export of raw cashew.

8. Minimum land need for SEZ tag cutCashew Nut Kernels is processed from raw Cashew. Cashew kernel which is intact fromthe shell is graded carefully to superior standards required by top food companies all over the world. The un-shelled nut is steamed to soften the shell and carefully cut open. Thekernel is dried to loosen the skin which is then peeled off. Whole kernels are graded by sizeand color. Pieces are chopped into required sizes.

In April 2013, the Commerce and Industry Minister, Anand Sharma announced a set of reforms for Special Economic Zones (SEZ), including relaxation of land requirement norms,introduction of graded scale for minimum land criteria, offering an exit policy and doing awaywith minimum land requirement for setting up an IT/ITeS SEZs.Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 21



Mr. Sharma said the government had taken note ―of the fact that there are acutedifficulties in aggregating large tracts of uncultivable land which is vacant‘‘ to set up SEZ.―We have decided to reduce the Minimum Land Area Requirement by half for differentcategories of SEZs. For multi-product SEZ, minimum land requirement has been broughtdown from 1,000 hectares to 500 hectares, and for sector-specific SEZs, it has been broughtdown to 50 hectares,‖ he said.The 170 functional SEZs — export-oriented enclaves — have attracted investment of over Rs. 2.36 lakh crore, and exports from them totalled Rs. 4.76 lakh crore in 2012-13, agrowth of over 2,000 per cent over the seven-year period. The minimum built-up arearequirement had been considerably relaxed at one lakh sq. m.for Mumbai, Delhi (NCR),Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Pune and Kolkata.For class B-cities, minimum built-up area would be 50,000 sq. m.For other cities, 25,000 sq. m. built-up area norm would be applicable. To provide greater flexibility in utilising land tracts falling between 50 hectares and 450 hectares, it had beendecided to introduce ‗graded scale‘ for minimum land criteria which would permit a SEZ anadditional sector for each contiguous 50 hectare parcel of land.

He said flexibility to set up additional units in a sector-specific SEZ had been provided byintroducing ‗sectoral broad-banding‘ to encompass similar or related areas under the samesector.

9. Cotton demand, production, likely to riseThe Cotton Advisory Board (CAB), which met in Mumbai recently, has estimated cottonproduction during 2012-13 (October 2012 to September 2013) to be 340 lakh bales asagainst the earlier estimate of 330 lakh bales.Imports are expected to be 25 lakh bales (it was 12 lakh bales in 2011-12). Consumptionis also going up and is likely to be 267 lakh bales.

10. India tops global remittances list

India is the largest recipient of remittances in the world, receiving $69 billion in 2012, theWorld Bank has said.India topped the list of countries receiving remittances, followed by China ($60 billion), thePhilippines ($24 billion), Mexico ($23 billion) and Nigeria and Egypt ($21 billion each), it saidin April 2013.Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 22



6. ENERGY 1. Coal shortage likely to continue for two years: CEA chairmanThe Central Electricity Authority has forecast that shortage of coal that has resulted inacute power shortage in several parts of the country is likely to continue for the next coupleof years.―There is coal to meet our requirements, but it has to be dug out,‖ CEA chairman A.S.Bakshi said.Mining of coal was hit by problems such as clearances from various agencies, includingthe Ministry of Environment & Forests, as a result of which production could not be raised tothe expected levels.

2. Manmohan: renewable energy capacity will double by 2017India had launched a new initiative to double the renewable energy capacity to 55,000MW by 2017 by exploiting non-conventional energy sources such as solar, wind power andenergy from biomass, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said in April 2013.Developing countries, he noted, accounted for 82 per cent of the world‘s population andthey used 55 per cent of the available global supply of energy. ―They must aim at faster growth of their GDP to improve the living standards of their populations and this will entail an

expanded demand for energy. If they follow the industrialised countries in meeting their energy requirements through fossil fuel-based energy, we know that the impact on the globalclimate would be simply unsustainable.‖Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 23



7. ENVIRONMENT 1. Rare bird sighted at Kawal tiger reserve Authorities at the Kawal Tiger Reserve (KTR) in Adilabad in Andhra Pradesh, have everyreason to sport a smile on their face these days when faced with questions on the state of conservation in this youngest of the Tiger Reserves in the country.In April 2013, authorities of this Tiger Reserve spotted a pair of black stork (Ciconia nigra)which has not been sighted in Andhra Pradesh during the last decade.

2. Andes ice formed over 1,600 years melts in 25The Black Stork Ciconia nigra is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. It is awidespread, but uncommon, species that breeds in the warmer parts of Europe(predominantly in central and eastern regions), across temperate Asia and Southern Africa.This is a shy and wary species, unlike the closely related White Stork. It is seen in pairs or small flocks—in marshy areas, rivers or inland waters. The Black Stork feeds on amphibiansand insects.Glacial ice in the Peruvian Andes that took at least 1,600 years to form has melted in just25 years, scientists have reported, the latest indication that the recent spike in globaltemperatures has thrown the natural world out of balance.

The evidence comes from a remarkable find at the margins of the Quelccaya ice cap inPeru, the world‘s largest tropical ice sheet. Rapid melting there in the modern era isuncovering plants that were locked in a deep freeze when the glacier advanced manythousands of years ago.Dating of those plants, using a radioactive form of carbon in the plant tissues that decaysat a known rate, has given scientists an unusually precise method of determining the historyof the ice sheet's margins.

3. Sundarbans tidal project axedThe West Bengal government has decided to drop a plan to set up a tidal wave project inthe creeks of the Sundarban Delta. The project would have been the first of its kind in thecountry.




Ranthambhore is home to 50 tigers while Sariska has nine big cats.The State governments are authorised, on the recommendations of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), to notify an area as a tiger reserve under Section 38 V of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.The MHTR currently does not have a tiger population of its own but serves as a naturalextension of the Ranthambhore reserve and big cats from the State‘s premier reserve oftenstray into the MHTR area for breeding.

6. Supreme Court allows shifting of Asiatic lions from Gujarat to MPIn April 2013, the Supreme Court allowed translocation of Asiatic lions from Gujarat toMadhya Pradesh, saying the species faced the threat of extinction and needed a secondhome. It gave the wildlife authorities six months to complete the process. At present, around400 Asiatic lions inhabit Gujarat‘s Gir National Park and Sanctuary.However, a Bench of K.S. Radhakrishnan and C.K. Prasad rejected a plan to introduce African cheetahs in India from Namibia, ruling that the preservation of the criticallyendangered native species such as the wild buffalo and the Great Indian Bustard should be

given primacy.Under the Rs.300-crore programme, the Ministry of Environment and Forests planned tointroduce African Cheetahs in the country. In May last year, the court stayed implementationof the project.The issue of relocating cheetahs was raised at a hearing on translocation of Asiatic lionsfrom the Gir National Park and Sanctuary and surrounding areas, to the Palpur KunoSanctuary in Madhya Pradesh, pursuant to a decision taken by the National Board for Wildlife (NBW).The Gujarat government has been fighting a legal battle against translocation of lionsafter a public interest litigation petition, which sought their shifting to Madhya Pradesh, wasfiled in the Supreme Court.

7. Antarctic summer ice melting ten times faster Summer ice in the Antarctic is melting 10 times quicker than it was 600 years ago, withthe most rapid melt occurring in the last 50 years, a joint Australian- British study showed in April 2013. A research team from the Australian National University and the British AntarcticSurvey drilled a 364-metre long ice core from James Ross Island in the continent‘s north tomeasure past temperatures.Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 26



8. Brow-antlered deer flourish in Manipur national parkThe James Ross Island group is a group of islands located close to the northeastern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. The largest islands in the group are James Ross Island, Snow HillIsland, Vega Island, and Seymour Island. The islands lie to the south of the Joinville Islandgroup. The group contains several scientific bases, notably Marambio Base, and numerousimportant palaeontological sites.Wildlife lovers are overjoyed by the recent report that the population of the brow-antlereddeer in its natural habitat at the Keibul Lamjao National Park, located within the Loktak Lakein Manipur, has increased from 180 a few years back to 200 now. However, the big questionis how long this deer, listed in the Red Book, will survive.

The Sangai is an endemic, rare and endangered Brow-antlered deer found only in Manipur,India. Its common English name is Manipur Brow-antlered Deer and the scientific name,Rucervus eldi eldi McClelland. It lives in the marshy wetland in Keibul Lamjao about 45 kmfrom Imphal. Its habitat is located in the southern parts of the Loktak Lake, which is thelargest freshwater lake in Eastern India. It is also one of the seven Ramsar sites of international importance. The habitat of the Sangai is now protected as the Keibul Lamjao

National Park. Sangai is also the state animal of Manipur. Current Affairs (Civil ServicesPreliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 27



8. GEOGRAPHY 1. Barren Island volcano in Andaman Sea could be at least 1.8 millionyears old A group of scientists at Ahmedabad-based Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) and theIndian Institute of Technology-Bombay have determined that Barren Island volcano in Andaman Sea would be at least 1.8 million years old.The determination of the age is important to elucidate the history of volcanism in thecountry and the evolution of the island arc in the Andaman subduction zone.In a report, the scientists‘ team noted that there was need to learn the eruptive history of the Barren Island, as it became active in 1991 after a dormancy of 159 years. It has sinceremained active with almost continuous tephra eruptions or ejection of solid material into theair.Being a stratovolcano it had, in the past and would be likely to have in the future, massiveeruptions that could seriously affect life in the Andaman Sea, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the neighbouring south-east Asian countries.The Barren Island stands in the midst of a volcanic belt on the edge of the Indian andBurmese tectonic plates. It is the northern-most active system of the Indonesian volcanicarc. Though forming part of the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar, it is totally

uninhabited. It is accessible only to the Coast Guard and naval ships which monitor theisland on a regular basis for any eruption. The eruption in 1991 lasted for about six months.

A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a tall, conical volcano built up bymany layers (strata) of hardened lava, tephra, pumice, and volcanic ash. Unlike shieldvolcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile and periodic explosiveeruptions and quiet eruptions, while there are some with collapsed craters called calderas.The lava that flows from stratovolcanoes typically cools and hardens before spreading far due to high viscosity. The magma forming this lava is often felsic, having high-to-intermediate levels of silica (as in rhyolite, dacite, or andesite), with lesser amounts of less-viscous mafic magma. Extensive felsic lava flows are uncommon, but have travelled as far as 15 km. Stratovolcanoes are sometimes called "composite volcanoes" because of their

composite layered structure built up from sequential outpourings of eruptive materials. Theyare among the most common types of volcanoes, in contrast to the less common shieldvolcanoes. Two famous stratovolcanoes are Krakatoa, best known for its catastrophiceruption in 1883 and Vesuvius, famous for its destruction of the towns Pompeii andHerculaneum in 79 AD. Both eruptions claimed thousands of lives. Current Affairs (CivilServices Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 28



2. Getting our own pet asteroidBarren Island is located in the Andaman Sea, one of the most easterly of the AndamanIslands. It is the only confirmed active volcano in South Asia. Along with the rest of the Andamans, it is a part of the Indian Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, andlies about 135 km northeast of the territory's capital, Port Blair. The first recorded eruption of the volcano dates back to 1787. Since then, the volcano has erupted more than ten times,with the most recent one which started in September 2010 and continued through January2011. After the first recorded eruption in 1787, further eruptions were recorded in 1789,1795, 1803 –04, and 1852. After nearly one and half century of dormancy, the island hadanother eruption in 1991 that lasted six months and caused considerable damage. Therewere eruptions in 1994 –95 and 2005 –07, the latter being considered to be linked to the 2004Indian Ocean earthquake.NASA is planning for a robotic spaceship to capture a small asteroid and park it near theMoon for astronauts to explore, a Senator has said.The plan would speed up by four years the existing mission to land astronauts on anasteroid by bringing the space rock closer to Earth, Senator Bill Nelson said.The robotic ship would capture the 500-tonne, 7.6-metre asteroid in 2019. Then using an

Orion space capsule, now being developed, a crew of about four astronauts would nuzzle upnext to the rock in 2021 for spacewalking exploration.Mr. Nelson said this would help NASA develop the capability to nudge away a dangerousasteroid. It also would be training for a mission to send astronauts to Mars in the 2030s.

3. „New, healthier variety of rice‟ A Belgaum-based agro-businessman and researcher has developed a new variety of ricethat is reportedly healthier than the varieties in use, and has applied for a patent.Researcher Girish Hattaraki said the new variety, which he has named ‗GodhumshaliHealthy Rice‘, has several health benefits.It has been tested by a Pune-based laboratory accredited by NABL (National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration of Laboratories), Mr. Hattaraki added.

4. Upcoming comet intrigues astronomers Astronomers are tracking the distant flight of an unusual new comet that is flying towardour inner solar system from the farthest reaches of space.Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 29



The comet‘s blaze could make it the brightest object of the century as it rounds the sun — providing that solar heat doesn‘t destroy it first, the astronomers say.Unlike most comets that fly into the solar system on orbits that ultimately bring them backagain, this new comet is flying past Earth for the first time and may never return, said

astrophysicist Diane Wooden, a comet specialist at NASA‘s Ames Research Centre inMountain View.It is more than 400 million miles away now, too far to be seen by even the best amateur telescopes, but the Hubble Space Telescope has spotted it and has gathered images of itsbright cometary head — its coma — and its streaming tail.The comet‘s name is Ison, named for a Russian telescope that first spotted it.Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 30



9. HEALTH 1. Excessive use of paracetamol deadly, warns expertUnnecessary use of drugs in children, including paracetamol for various conditions couldcause toxicity to vital organs like liver and kidneys and at times lead to Stevens-Johnsonsyndrome which has a high mortality, cautioned Dr. Ramesh Kancharla, paediatricgastroenterologist.

2. Innovative TB treatment in Nagaland hospitalParacetamol or acetaminophen, chemically named N-acetyl-p-aminophenol, is a widelyused over-the-counter analgesic (pain reliever) and antipyretic (fever reducer). Paracetamolis classified as a mild analgesic. It is commonly used for the relief of headaches and other minor aches and pains and is a major ingredient in numerous cold and flu remedies. Incombination with opioid analgesics, paracetamol can also be used in the management of more severe pain such as post-surgical pain and providing palliative care in advancedcancer patients. Stevens –Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN)are two forms of a life-threatening skin condition, in which cell death causes the epidermis toseparate from the dermis. The syndrome is thought to be a hypersensitivity complex thataffects the skin and the mucous membranes. The main known cause is certain medications,

followed by infections and, rarely, cancers.Since 2010, Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF) has been fully supporting the Civil Hospitalin Mon in Nagaland, under the public-private partnership of the National Rural HealthMission. Together with the National TB programme, the MSF started treating patients withdrug-susceptible TB and drug-resistant TB in April 2012. Since then, about 190 sensitive TBpatients and DR-TB patients have been put on treatment.MSF has introduced an innovative home-based model of care in Mon wherein patientsdiagnosed with DR-TB are admitted to the hospital initially for a month and providedtreatment under close supervision. The patients and their caretakers are also counselledabout the therapy and how to contain infection.Later, medicines are given to these patients and their caretakers/DOT provider onmonthly basis, as the patients have to travel long distances to reach Mon town and they

cannot afford to pay for the transport to access the treatment more regularly.―Drug-resistant TB is a problem in India with non-adherence to medicines being themain reason for developing resistance to drugs. TB drugs are strong withCurrent Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 31



acute side-effects and patients find it difficult to tolerate them,‘‘ says Anshu Prakash, jointsecretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The drugs are to be taken for 6 to 9months but patients discontinue as they start feeling fine in two months, he explained.

3. Landmark verdict gives big boost to cancer patientsMédecins Sans Frontières (MSF) or Doctors Without Borders, is a French secular humanitarian-aid non-governmental organization, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, best knownfor its projects in war-torn regions and developing countries facing endemic diseases. Itsheadquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland. The organization is known in most of the world byits French name or simply as MSF, but in Canada and the United States the name DoctorsWithout Borders is commonly used. In 2007 over 26,000, mostly local, doctors, nurses andother medical professionals, logistical experts, water and sanitation engineers andadministrators provided medical aid in over 60 countries. Private donors provide about 80%of the organization's funding, while governmental and corporate donations provide the rest,giving MSF an annual budget of approximately US$400 million. Médecins Sans Frontièreswas created in 1971, in the aftermath of the Biafra secession, by a small group of French

doctors and journalists who believed that all people have the right to medical care regardlessof race, religion, creed or political affiliation, and that the needs of these people outweighrespect for national borders. MSF received the 1999 Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of itsmembers' continued efforts to provide medical care in acute crises, as well as raisinginternational awareness of potential humanitarian disasters. MSF should not be confusedwith Médecins du Monde (Doctors of the World, in English). The latter organization wasformed in part by members of the former organization, but it is an entirely independent non-governmental organization with no links to MSF today.In April 2013, in a ruling that will help patients continue to buy several life-savingmedicines as generic drugs, the Supreme Court held that the modification of a well knowncancer-fighting drug is not a patentable new invention.The judgment allows suppliers to continue making generic copies of Swiss firm Novartis‘

Glivec or Gleevec, which has been shown to fight chronic blood cancer effectively. While theNovartis drug costs more than Rs 1 lakh per month, with doctors often advising patients totake it lifelong, the generic equivalents cost less than one-tenth. The ruling would be a relief to some 300,000 patients in India currently taking the drug.Observers say that the Court‘s judgment sets a precedent against the practice of ―evergreening‖ — a strategy through which drug manufacturers introduce modifications of drugs to extend the five-year patents on them. They say that other ―evergreening‖ patentapplications could be rejected citing this judgment,Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 32



helping to keep many life-saving drugs out of the patent regime and pushing down costs.



Glivec is the brand name of Imatinib. Novartis had applied for a patent for a modificationof this drug, a ―beta crystalline‖ salt form of Imatinib Mesylate or IM, which it said could bebetter absorbed by the body – by up to 30% more. After its patent application was rejectedby the Patent office, Novartis moved the Intellectual Property Board, Chennai. The Boardrejected the claim, but gave certain findings favourable to the company. Instead of filing anappeal before the Madras High Court, Novartis moved the Supreme Court.



A Bench of Supreme Court Justices Aftab Alam and Ranjana Desai said: ―We firmlyreject the appellant‘s case that Imatinib Mesylate is a new product and the outcome of aninvention beyond the Zimmermann [original] patent.‖



The court held that patents can be granted only for medicines that are truly new andinnovative. For new forms and new uses of existing medicines, patent applicants shouldprove improved efficacy.



The court said that the Patents (Amendment) Act, 2005 established that the ―merediscovery of a new form of a known substance which does not result in the enhancement of the known efficacy of that substance‖ is not an invention — for the purpose of patenting. TheBench also dismissed the argument that the modified form had better ―solubility‖, sayingthe ―efficacy‖ of this property over its predecessor chemical is not established.



The judgment was seen as a boost for Indian drug giants such as Dr. Reddy‘s, Cipla,Ranbaxy Laboratories and Natco Pharma, which make cheaper generic versions of Glivec.

4. Fears as more H7N9 cases in ChinaIn April 2013, four more people in southern China have been reported as being infectedwith the little-known H7N9 bird flu, as health authorities placed hospitals around the countryon alert amid new concerns about a rare virus that has never before been reported inhumans.

H7N9 is a serotype of the species Influenza virus A (avian influenza virus or bird flu virus).H7 normally circulates amongst avian populations with some variants known to occasionallyinfect humans. An H7N9 virus was first reported to have infected humans in 2013 in China.Most of the reported cases of human infection have resulted in severe respiratory illness.Keiji Fukuda, the World Health Organization's (WHO) assistant director-general for health,security and the environment, identified H7N9 as "...an unusually dangerous virus for humans." As of April 17, the mortality is 21%, but since many patients with confirmedinfection remain critically ill, the rate may increase. Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary

and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 33



But now the high-tech helper is under scrutiny over reports of problems, including severaldeaths that may be linked with it and the high cost of using the robotic system.

8. Seize unique opportunity to wipe out polio, says global declarationThe da Vinci Surgical System is a robotic surgical system made by the American companyIntuitive Surgical. It is designed to facilitate complex surgery using a minimally invasiveapproach, and is controlled by a surgeon from a console. The system is commonly used for prostatectomies, and increasingly for cardiac valve repair and gynecologic surgicalprocedures. According to the manufacturer, the da Vinci System is called "da Vinci" in part"because Leonardo da Vinci invented the first robot", as discovered by Mario Taddei. DaVinci also used anatomical accuracy and three-dimensional details in his works. Da Vincirobots operate most commonly for hysterectomies and prostate removals.In April 2013, hundreds of scientists, doctors and other experts from around the worldlaunched the Scientific Declaration on Polio Eradication, emphasising that an end to theparalyzing disease was achievable, and endorsed a comprehensive new strategy to securea lasting polio-free world by 2018. The event coincides with the 58th anniversary of the

announcement of Jonas Salk‘s revolutionary vaccine.The declaration calls for full funding and implementation of the Polio Eradication andEndgame Strategic Plan 2013-2018, developed by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative(GPEI). With polio cases at an all-time low and the disease remaining endemic in just threecountries, the GPEI estimates that it can be completely ended by 2018 at a cost of $5.5billion.

9. Pneumonia and diarrhoea major child killers in India: new dataThe Global Polio Eradication Initiative is a public-private partnership led by nationalgovernments and spearheaded by the World Health Organization (WHO), RotaryInternational, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the UnitedNations Children‘s Fund (UNICEF). Its goal is to eradicate polio worldwide.

Pneumonia and diarrhoea account for 23 and 12 per cent of deaths respectively inchildren below the age of five, according to new data. They remain major killers of youngchildren globally too, accounting for 29 per cent of all child deaths — a loss of 2 million lives— each year.No major advances in technology are required to tackle them, for proven interventionswere available, says the data released by the Integrated GlobalCurrent Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 35



Action Plan for the Prevention of Pneumonia and Diarrhoea (GAPPD) — developed by theWorld Health Organisation and the United Nations Children‘s Fund.

10. Swine flu reappears in West BengalThe Integrated Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Pneumonia andDiarrhoea (GAPPD), a new global plan from UNICEF and the World Health Organization(WHO), represents the first-ever simultaneous effort to protect children from pneumonia anddiarrhoea, the two leading killer diseases of children less than five years old. Designed toinform global and national programs and policies, the GAPPD provides a framework toprotect children, prevent disease, and treat children who do become sick using proveninterventions that have already contributed to major reductions in child deaths. The NGOcommunity issued a statement of support for the GAPPD and pledged to begin immediatelyworking with national governments, donors, multilateral institutions, the private sector andother partners to make the global framework a reality in the countries and communitieshardest hit.In April 2013, with two cases of swine flu reported in West Bengal, concerns have been

raised over a possible recurrence since a two-and-a-half-year hiatus.

Swine influenza, also called pig influenza, swine flu, hog flu and pig flu, is an infectioncaused by any one of several types of swine influenza viruses. Swine influenza virus (SIV) or swine-origin influenza virus (S-OIV) is any strain of the influenza family of viruses that isendemic in pigs. As of 2009, the known SIV strains include influenza C and the subtypes of influenza A known as H1N1, H1N2, H2N1, H3N1, H3N2, and H2N3. Swine influenza virus iscommon throughout pig populations worldwide. Transmission of the virus from pigs tohumans is not common and does not always lead to human flu, often resulting only in theproduction of antibodies in the blood. If transmission does cause human flu, it is calledzoonotic swine flu. People with regular exposure to pigs are at increased risk of swine fluinfection.

11. Better nutrition can cut stunting, says UNICEFStunting can be contained by focussing attention on pregnancy and the first two years of a child‘s life, a new UNICEF report has said.Stunting is not only about a child being too short for his or her age. It can also meansuffering from stunted development of the brain and cognitive capacity.Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 36



The report offers evidence that real progress is being made in the fight against stuntedgrowth — the hidden face of poverty for 165 million children under five. It shows thataccelerated progress is both possible and necessary. According to the report, ―Improving Child Nutrition: The achievable imperative for global

progress‖ released, one in four of all under -5 children globally is stunted because of chronic

under-nutrition in crucial periods of growth. An estimated 80 per cent of the world‘s stuntedchildren live in just 14 countries.But in parts of India — home to 61 million stunted children — progress is still being made.In Maharashtra, the wealthiest and second most populous State, 39 per cent of childrenunder two were stunted in 2005-2006. That, however, dropped to 23 per cent by 2012,according to a Statewide nutritional survey, largely as a result of supporting frontline workersin improving child nutrition.The damage done to a child‘s body and brain by stunting is irreversible. It drags downperformance at school and future earnings. It is an injustice often passed from generation togeneration that cuts away at national development. Stunted children are also at a higher riskof dying from infectious diseases than other children.

12. Tripura girl with swollen head in Gurgaon hospital An 18-month-old Tripura girl, who is suffering from a rare illness that has caused her head to swell almost three times its usual size, has been brought to Fortis MemorialResearch Institute (FMRI) in Gurgaon in April 2013.Roona Begum suffers from a medical condition called Hydrocephalus that causesabnormal accumulation of fluid in cavities of the brain. Her head has swollen to acircumference of 94 centimetres.

Hydrocephalus also known as "water on the brain," is a medical condition in which there isan abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the ventricles, or cavities, of thebrain. This may cause increased intracranial pressure inside the skull and progressive

enlargement of the head, convulsion, tunnel vision, and mental disability. Hydrocephalus canalso cause death. The name derives from the Greek words (hydro-) "water", and (kephalos)"head". Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 37



10. INDIA AND THE WORLD 1. India seeks report on Chamel‟s deathIn April 2013, India has asked Pakistan to provide a ―full report‖ about thecircumstances surrounding the death of Chamel Singh on January 15, 2013, an Indianprisoner, in a Pakistani jail and a copy of the post-mortem report.

2. It‟s time for free trade pact with Russia, says IndiaIn April 2013, India and the Customs Union of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus will holdtheir first-ever talks on a free trade agreement with the arrival of Victor Khristenko, Chairmanof the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission to New Delhi. An FTA or CECA has been often discussed at the highest levels — between PrimeMinister Manmohan Singh and successive Russian Presidents Dmitry Medvedev andVladimir Putin — after several initiatives to bring India-Russian trade ties to the take-off levelyielded moderate results.However, 2012 was particularly good with the year-on-year growth rate put at 32 per cent.Both sides are following multi-vector policies. India has sealed or is negotiating FTAs or CECAs with several trading blocks and countries. Similarly, the trio of Russia, Belarus andKazakhstan have also held FTA talks with Vietnam, a close political ally like India.

3. India to hold FTA plus talks with Customs Union troikaIndia and the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan will hold talks for a freetrade agreement plus in June 2013, Commerce Minister Anand Sharma and Chairman of Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission Viktor Khristenko decided during their talks inNew Delhi in April 2013.The June meeting in St. Petersburg is likely to decide on preliminary spadework into allthe aspects of an FTA plus or Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA)that aims to cover trade in goods, service, investment and movement of labour.

4. Nitaqat labour lawSaudi Arabia‘s decision to enforce the provisions of its Nitaqat labour law has raised

concerns not only in India, but also in the rest of the subcontinent. The lawCurrent Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 38



specifies that one out of 10 employees in every business establishment should be a Saudinational.



The fallout in terms of displacement could affect many among an estimated three lakhlow- and semi-skilled workers from India. More specifically, almost a fourth of all Keraliteswho work in the Gulf countries are in Saudi Arabia.



The kingdom‘s drive to expand job avenues for its own nationals by means of thelocalisation initiative — that had actually come into effect in November 2012 — isunexceptionable in itself.



It is also clear that those expatriate workers who are in Saudi Arabia through legallycompliant processes have nothing much to fear from the latest crackdown.

5. Saudi Arabia defers Nitaqat enforcement by three monthsExpatriates, particularly from India, who are worried about losing their jobs when Saudi

Arabia strictly enforces the ―Nitaqat‖ (naturalisation) law, have got a temporary relief in April 2013.Riyadh has informed New Delhi that the enforcement has been deferred by three months.

6. Ansari leaves for Tajikistan, first by an Indian Vice-PresidentIn April 2013, Vice-President Hamid Ansari leaves on a four-day official visit to Tajikistanthat is expected to give an impetus to India‘s relations with the Central Asian neighbour.During the visit from April 14 to 17, Mr. Ansari will hold discussions with the PresidentEmomali Rahmon who has been a regular visitor to India.India had played a key role in developing the Ayni airbase and continues to cooperatewith Tajik authorities in maintaining it.The President, who has been at the helm of affairs in hydrocarbon and hydroelectric-rich

Tajikistan, had then held wide-ranging talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.India has also unveiled its Connect Central Asia policy, which includes a proactive multi-pronged diplomatic thrust to expand ties with the energy-rich Central Asian nations — Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan.Tajikistan with whom India has strategic ties also holds a crucial place for India, owing toits geo-political position, as it shares borders with China and Afghanistan.Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 39



The nearest Tajik point is only 16 km from Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK). The twocountries also have old and traditional linguistic and cultural ties.

7. India‟s „Connect Central Asia‟ Policy

India‘s ‗Connect Central Asia‘ Policy is a broad-based approach, including political,

security, economic and cultural connections. On 12 June 2012 India's Minister of State for External Affairs Shri E. Ahamed gave a Keynote address at First India-Central AsiaDialogue.He outlined some of the elements of India‘s ‗Connect Central Asia‘ policy as follows:(1) India will continue to build on our strong political relations through the exchange of highlevel visits. Its leaders will continue to interact closely both in bilateral and multilateral fora.(2) India will strengthen its strategic and security cooperation. India already has strategicpartnerships in place with some Central Asian countries. In focus will be military training, joint research, counter-terrorism coordination and close consultations on Afghanistan.(3) India will step up multilateral engagement with Central Asian partners using the synergyof joint efforts through existing fora like the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, Eurasian

Economic Community (EEC) and the Custom Union. India has already proposed aComprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement to integrate its markets with the unifyingEurasian space.(4) India looks to Central Asia as a long term partner in energy, and natural resources.Central Asia possesses large cultivable tracts of land and it sees potential for India tocooperate in production of profitable crops with value addition.(5) The medical field is another area that offers huge potential for cooperation. India is readyto extend cooperation by setting up civil hospitals/clinics in Central Asia.(6) India‘s higher education system delivers at a fraction of the fees charged by Westernuniversities. Keeping this in mind, India would like to assist in the setting up of a Central Asian University in Bishkek that could come up as a centre of excellence to impart worldclass education in areas like Information Technology, management, philosophy and

languages.(7) India is working on setting up a Central Asian e-network with its hub in India, to deliver,tele-education and tele-medicine connectivity, linking all the five Central Asian States.Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 40



(8) Indian companies can showcase their capability in the construction sector and build worldclass structures at competitive rates. Central Asian countries, especially Kazakhstan, havealmost limitless reserves of iron ore and coal, as well as abundant cheap electricity. Indiacan help set up several medium size steel rolling mills, producing its requirement of specificproducts.

(9) As for land connectivity, India has reactivated the International North-South TransportCorridor (INSTC). India & Central Asian nations need to join our efforts to discuss ways tobridge the missing links in the Corridor at the earliest and also work on other connectingspurs along the route.

(10) Absence of a viable banking infrastructure in the region is a major barrier to trade andinvestment. Indian banks can expand their presence if they see a favourable policyenvironment.

(11) India will jointly work to improve air connectivity between our countries. India is one of the biggest markets for outbound travelers estimated at USD 21 billion in 2011. Many

countries have opened tourist offices in India to woo Indian tourists. Central Asian countriescould emerge as attractive holiday destinations for tourists and even for the Indian filmindustry which likes to depict exotic foreign locales in its films.

(12) India already has a robust exchange of students. India will encourage regular exchanges of scholars, academics, civil society and youth delegations to gain deeper insights into each other‘s cultures.

8. Nepal, India & Bangladesh to make most of Ganga water, hydropower In a significant development indicating a sub-regional strategic alliance, Nepal, India andBangladesh (NIB) have decided to join hands to cooperate and exploit the hydropower sector and use water resources management for mutual advantage, including jointly

developing and financing projects in the Ganga river basin.Indicating its seriousness to give a boost to this initiative, India has already approved thecomposition of a working group on water and power that will coordinate with Bangladesh andNepal. According to a note prepared by the Ministries of Power, Water Resources and External Affairs, the Ganga Basin has tremendous potential for development of water resources andhydropower. Therefore, the role of the Ganga in the agriculture, hydro-power, fisheries,navigation, and environmental sectors and in the economy of the co-basin countries is vital.The joint initiative will contribute to poverty eradication and better socio-economicintegration.The note states that the NIB initiative will explore technically and geographically feasiblemeans for augmentation and equitable distribution of augmented supply of water and power.

There shall be a Committee of Water Resources and Power Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 41



Ministries of the NIB which will be the highest decision-making body, subject to the approvalof the respective governments. The Ministers for Water Resources or Irrigation shall be co-chair, while the Ministers responsible for Power shall be co-vice chair. The NIB Committeewill be supported by a Technical Advisory Committee comprising the Secretaries of Water Resources or Irrigation, Power or Electricity and at least two technical experts representingwater sources and power and one representative from the MEA of each of the threecountries.



Similarly, in order to derive optimum benefits from the Brahmaputra basin, Bhutan, Indiaand Bangladesh have agreed to work jointly towards cooperative development andmanagement of water resources and hydropower in an integrated and holistic manner. For this, the three countries have agreed to cooperate on the Bhutan, Bangladesh and India(BIB) Initiative.

9. India, China trying to resolve „incursion‟ issueIn April 2013, India and China are in touch to resolve the issue of reported incursion byChinese troops who entered the Indian territory in the Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO) sector ineastern Ladakh and set up a tented post.

The Line of Actual Control (LAC)(also known as the MacCartney-MacDonald Line) is theeffective border between India and the People's Republic of China. The LAC is 4,057-kmlong and traverses three areas of northern Indian states: western (Ladakh, Kashmir), middle(Uttarakhand, Himachal) and eastern (Sikkim, Arunachal). Chinese Prime Minister ZhouEnlai first used the phrase in a letter addressed to Indian Prime Minister Nehru dated 24October 1959. The term "LAC" gained legal recognition in Sino-Indian agreements signed in

1993 and 1996. The 1996 agreement states, "No activities of either side shall overstep theline of actual control. Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part7 42



11. INTERNATIONAL 1. Kenya poll results upheldIn April 2013, Kenya‘s Supreme Court upheld the election of Uhuru Kenyatta as thecountry‘s next President, ending an election season that riveted the nation amid fears of arepeat of the 2007-08 postelection violence.

2. U.S. transfers key district to AfghansIn April 2013, U.S. special operations forces handed over their base in a strategic districtof eastern Afghanistan to Afghan special forces, a senior U.S. commander said, ending aparticularly rocky episode in the strained relations between the two.Mr. Karzai had insisted that U.S. forces leave Nirkh district in Wardak province over thealleged torture, kidnapping and summary execution of militant suspects there, charges U.S.officials firmly denied. He had originally demanded the pull out from the entire province, agateway and staging area for Taliban and other militants for attacks on the capital Kabul.However, he scaled down later after negotiations with U.S. officials.

3. In China, singles can‟t buy second homeIn April 2013, in a bid to curb rising property prices, authorities in Beijing put in place new

real estate curbs that bar single residents from buying a second apartment.The new rules, which also mandate higher down payments for second home purchases,have triggered wide debate in recent days. The measures had been expected after thegovernment announced earlier that it would put in place curbs to bring down housing prices.

4. British peer reveals MI6 role in Lumumba killingThe British intelligence services may have just had one of their best-kept secrets blown:their role in the abduction and assassination of Patrice Lumumba, Congo‘s firstdemocratically-elected prime minister whose Pan-African nationalism and pro-Moscowleanings alarmed the West.For more than 50 years, rumours have swirled over allegations of British involvement inLumumba‘s brutal murder in 1961, but nothing has ever been proved — leaving the CIA and

its Belgian peers alone to take the rap for what aCurrent Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 43



Belgian writer has described as ―the most important assassination of the 20th century‖.



Now, in a dramatic revelation, a senior British politician has claimed that he got it from thehorse‘s mouth that it was MI6 that ―did‖ it.

5. H-1B visas through lotteryThe Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), commonly known as MI6 (Military Intelligence,Section 6), is the agency which supplies Her Majesty's Government with foreign intelligence.It operates under the formal direction of the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) alongside theinternal Security Service (MI5), the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ)and Defence Intelligence (DI). It is frequently referred to by the name MI6 (MilitaryIntelligence, Section 6), a name used as a flag of convenience during the Second World War when it was known by many names. The existence of MI6 was not officially acknowledgeduntil 1994. Its headquarters, since 1995, are at Vauxhall Cross on the South Bank of theThames. Patrice Émery Lumumba was a Congolese independence leader and the firstdemocratically elected Prime Minister of the Republic of the Congo after he helped win itsindependence from Belgium in June 1960. Only twelve weeks later, Lumumba's governmentwas deposed in a coup during the Congo crisis. He was subsequently imprisoned andexecuted by firing squad under the command of the secessionist Katangan authorities, an

act that was committed with the assistance of the governments of Belgium and the UnitedStates via the CIA. The Belgian government officially apologized in 2002. In 2013, in a letter to the London Review of Books, a British parliamentarian claimed that he personally listenedto the acceptance by head of MI6 posted at Leopoldvile that it was they who actually 'did it'.The much sought H-1B work visas could be decided through lottery this year, industryexperts and officials reckon, based on the initial feedback from companies.

The H-1B is a non-immigrant visa in the United States under the Immigration and Nationality Act, section 101(a)(15)(H). It allows US employers to temporarily employ foreign workers inspecialty occupations. If a foreign worker in H-1B status quits or is dismissed from thesponsoring employer, the worker must either apply for and be granted a change of status toanother non-immigrant status, find another employer (subject to application for adjustment of

status and/or change of visa), or leave the US. H-1B work-authorization is strictly limited toemployment by the sponsoring employer. Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary andMain Exam) 2013 –Part 7 44



6. Warm reception to Myanmar‟s private dailiesIn April 2013, privately owned daily newspapers hit Myanmar‘s streets for the first time inunder freedoms that represent a revolution for a media shackled under military rule.Four Burmese-language titles — The Voice, The Golden Fresh Land, The Union and TheStandard Time — made the transition from weekly as new rules came into effect that swept

away state media‘s long monopoly on daily printing.

Myanmar‘s public have become accustomed to an increasingly boisterous media sincethe quasi-civilian government relaxed its grip on the press after coming to power in 2011.The country‘s military rulers seized control of private daily papers in 1964.

7. U.N. passes historic arms trade treatyIn April 2013, the U.N. made history when it passed an unprecedented arms trade treaty(ATT) to better regulate the international sale in weapons. It was passed in the General Assembly with 154 members voting ‗Yes‘; three — Iran, Syria and North Korea — voting ‗No‘; and 23, including India, abstaining. The treaty‘s passage came after negotiations failedlast July when the U.S. pulled out abruptly.Its adoption implies a major step forward in controlling the $70-billion flow of arms across

borders, particularly restricting its movement to and from areas where groups are suspectedof violation of human rights.Speaking after the vote, Sujata Mehta, India‘s Permanent representative to the GenevaConference of Disarmament during the UNGA session, said ―At this stage we are not in aposition to endorse the text contained as annexure to document. Therefore, India hasabstained on the resolution‖.Under the ATT, ratifying nations are expected to accept fixed international standards for conventional weapons sales, linked to the protection of human rights. The adopted treatytext covers weapons such as tanks, armoured combat vehicles, large-calibre artillerysystems, combat aircraft, attack helicopters, warships, missiles and missile launchers, andsmall and light arms.However it does not explicitly cover predator drones and grenades. Ammunition exports

are subject to the same criteria as the other included items, although its imports are notcovered.

8. Pak. military‟s „unilateral‟ border activity irks KabulIn April 2013, relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan were further strained over whatKabul described as the ―Pakistani military‘s unilateral construction andCurrent Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 45



physical reinforcement activities along the Durand Line‖, close to Goshta district in the Afghan province of Nangarhar.

9. Serbia-Kosovo meet inconclusiveThe Durand Line refers to the 2,640 kilometers long porous border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. It was established after an 1893 agreement between Mortimer Durand of BritishIndia and Afghan Amir Abdur Rahman Khan for fixing the limit of their respective spheres of influence. It is named after Mortimer Durand who was the Foreign Secretary of colonialBritish India at the time. The single-page Durand Line Agreement, which contains sevenshort articles was signed by Durand and Abdur Rahman Khan, agreeing not to exerciseinterference beyond the frontier Durand Line. The Durand Line cuts through the Pashtuntribal areas, politically dividing ethnic Pashtuns and Baloch who live on both sides of theborder.Serbia and Kosovo failed to find common ground on how to defuse longstanding tensionsat European Union (EU)-sponsored talks in April 2013, officials said.The sticking point has been the future of the Serb minority in Kosovo, especially the

north, since Kosovo declared independence in 2008. Majority ethnic Albanian Kosovo hassince then won recognition from around 100 countries, including the U.S. and most EUmember states.Serbia and Serbs living in Kosovo continue to reject Kosovo‘s independence, with thefocus of the negotiations on the some 40,000 Serbs living in the north.Both sides earlier agreed to establish an association of Serb municipalities but Kosovorefuses to grant it the executive and judicial powers demanded by Serbia.Kosovo fears that a large degree of autonomy for the north runs the risk that the areawould eventually break away.The international community ―wants to avoid at all costs the creation of a ‗SerbRepublic‘ in the north of Kosovo‖, said one source, referring to the Serb entity formed inBosnia in 1992. Progress at the talks had been seen as essential to keeping the momentum

going.

10. U.S. moves interceptor to GuamIn April 2013, the probability of a nuclear exchange between North Korea and other nations, including the U.S., inched upwards as Pyongyang put out a statement that ―Themoment of explosion is approaching fast,‖ and that U.S.Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 46



aggression would be ―smashed by... cutting-edge smaller, lighter and diversified nuclear strike means.‖The remarks raising tensions on the Korean peninsula came shortly after the Pentagonannounced that it would mobilise the ground-based THAAD missile-interceptor batteries toprotect its military bases on Guam, a U.S. territory located 3,380 km southeast of NorthKorea and ―home to 6,000 American military personnel, submarines and bombers.‖

11. Serbia rejects E.U. brokered Kosovo dealTerminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), formerly Theater High Altitude AreaDefense, is a United States Army system to shoot down short, medium, and intermediateballistic missiles in their terminal phase using a hit-to-kill approach. The missile carries nowarhead but relies on the kinetic energy of the impact. THAAD was designed to hit Scudsand similar weapons, but has a limited capability against ICBMs. Although originally a U.S. Army program, THAAD has come under the umbrella of the Missile Defense Agency. TheNavy has a similar program, the sea-based Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System. THAADwas originally scheduled for deployment in 2012, but initial deployment took place May 2008.

Serbia has rejected a European Union-brokered deal for reconciliation with its former province of Kosovo. It is a defiant move that could jeopardise the Balkan country‘s EUmembership aspirations and fuel tensions in the region.The European Union had given Serbia until April 2013 to say whether it would relinquishits effective control over nor thern Kosovo in exchange for the start of Serbia‘s EUmembership negotiations.Even before the government rejection, Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic, Serbia‘smost powerful governing party leader and the Defence Minister, said the plan isunacceptable because it does not give more autonomy to minority ethnic Serbs in Kosovowho together with Serbia, reject Kosovo‘s 2008 declaration of independence.The rejection of the proposal could be a severe blow for Serbia‘s EU membershipaspirations including millions of dollars of promised accession funds and would lead to more

tensions in the Balkans, which is still reeling from the bloody wars of the 1990s when Serbiatried to prevent the breakup of the former Yugoslav federation by force.While some 90 countries including the United States and most EU nations haverecognized Kosovo‘s 2008 declaration of independence, it has been rejected by Serbia andits Slavic ally Russia.Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 47



The most contentious issue in the talks was the status of northern Kosovo, where ethnicSerbs dominate the population and refuse to accept the authority of the ethnic Albanian-controlled government in Kosovo. Germany has made giving up control of Kosovo‘s norththe key condition for the start of Serbia‘s EU accession negotiations.The stumbling block in the talks was a Serbian demand that ethnic Serbs, who representabout 10 per cent of Kosovo‘s 2 million people, have their own judiciary and police force. ButKosovo officials have rejected that, saying it would be tantamount to a division of Kosovointo two separate entities.

12. Australia elevates China ties, a strategic „breakthrough‟In April 2013, Australia elevated its ties with China to a ―strategic partnership‖ – a levelof engagement the country has with few nations, such as India and Indonesia – with PrimeMinister Julia Gillard in Beijing hailing the move as a diplomatic ―breakthrough‖.The two countries have agreed to institutionalise regular meetings between their twoPremiers to be held annually, and have also started a strategic and economic dialoguebetween their Foreign Ministers and top economic officials.

China has a similar arrangement with only few countries – including the U.S., Russia andBritain. This reflected ―evident commitment to the Australia-China relationship‖, said Ms.Gillard.

13. „Historic‟ G8 accord on sexual violence in conflict zonesIn April 2013, foreign Ministers of the world‘s eight most advanced countries (G8) adoptedwhat they described as a ―historic‖ declaration committing the international community totackle sexual violence in conflict zones. The agreement was hailed as a ―turning point‖ inthe campaign against ―war zone rape‖.Special envoy for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Angelina Jolie lamented thatfor too long international political will to prevent such violence had been ―sorely lacking‖.Describing the agreement as ―long overdue‖, she said violence against women and

children ―must be confronted‖. For too long, they had been ―the forgotten victims of war‖in Africa, West Asia and elsewhere, she said.

14. Chavez protégé wins vote by thin marginIn April 2013, Venezuela‘s acting President Nicolas Maduro was declared winner of theelection to succeed his late mentor Hugo Chavez by a razor-thin margin, but his rivalHenrique Capriles demanded a recount.Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 48



15. Pakistan bears the brunt of Iran quakePakistan, specifically Balochistan, appears to have borne the brunt of the 7.8 magnitudeearthquake that rocked the Iranian border province of Sistan- Baluchestan in April 2013.

16. Letter to Obama contains ricin A letter addressed to U.S. President Barack Obama contained a substance thatpreliminarily tested positive for the deadly poison ricin, authorities said in April 2013. Theletter contained ―a granular substance that preliminarily tested positive for ricin,‖ said anFBI statement.

Ricin from the castor oil plant Ricinus communis, is a highly toxic, naturally occurringprotein. A dose the size of a few grains of table salt can kill an adult human. The medianlethal dose (LD50) of ricin is around 22 micrograms per kilogram (1.78 mg for an averageadult, around 1⁄228 of a standard aspirin tablet/0.4 g gross) in humans if exposure is frominjection or inhalation. Oral exposure to ricin is far less toxic and a lethal dose can be up to20 –30 milligrams per kilogram. Abrin is a toxin found in the highly ornamental rosary pea. Itis similar to ricin but even more toxic.

17. 157 dead in Sichuan earthquakeIn April 2013, at least 157 people were killed and more than 5,700 injured in a 7.0-magnitude earthquake that struck China‘s south-western Sichuan province. Authorities fear the number of casualties could rise considering the strength of the earthquake, which wasfelt in at least five surrounding provinces.

18. Cartes wins in ParaguayIn April 2013, Colorado Party millionaire and political neophyte Horacio Cartes (56) wonParaguay‘s presidential race, paving the way for his nation to rejoin the Mercosur trade bloc.

19. In Italy, a re-election that‟s just a pause buttonIn April 2013, despite the surprise and very rapid election of Giorgio Napolitano, Italy‘s

87-year-old outgoing President for a second seven-year term, Italy remains politicallygridlocked. His election may have won querulous lawmakers a short breather, but for themoment at least, no permanent end to the crisis is in sight.Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 49



20. Israel to end white phosphorous useIn April 2013, Israel‘s army has announced that it will stop using munitions containingwhite phosphorus, for which it was internationally condemned during a military operationagainst Gaza in 2008-2009.

21. De facto occupation by China: PhilippinesIn April 2013, the Philippines accused Beijing of engaging in the ―... de facto occupation‖of a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, following a face-off that began last year.The Philippines says the shoal is well within its 200-nautical-mile exclusive economiczone, as recognised by international law.However China insists the shoal is Chinese territory as part of its claim to almost all of theSouth China Sea — including waters up to the coasts of other countries. A face-off between the two countries began last year when China dispatched governmentvessels to stop the Philippines from arresting Chinese poachers in the area.

22. Putin, Abe vow to end 67-year-old island disputeIn April 2013, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin

pledged to renew efforts to find a solution to a decades-long territorial row that hasprevented the two sides from signing a World War II peace treaty.The dispute surrounds the southernmost four of the Kuril islands — known in Japan asthe Northern Territories — which have been controlled by Moscow since they were seized bySoviet troops at Stalin‘s behest in 1945 at the end of World War II. The four islands arecurrently inhabited by around 16,500 Russians.Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has twice visited the island of Kunashir, calledKunashiri in Japan, infuriating Tokyo.

23. Enrico Letta is Italian Premier-designateIn April 2013, Italy‘s President appointed Enrico Letta as Premier -designate, asking himto form a coalition government representing Italy‘s main parties to end two months of political

paralysis and put the country back on the path of reform and growth.Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 50



12. NATION 1. Controversial Gujarat irrigation Bill gets Governor‟s nodIn April 2013, with Governor Kamla Beniwal giving her approval, the decks have beencleared for a controversial Gujarat Irrigation and Drainage Bill 2013 that makes possessionof licence mandatory for sinking a tubewell, borewell or artesian well on any agricultural landand also has a provision for imprisonment.The Bill seeks to regulate sinking of borewells on any agricultural land along with use of groundwater available from it. Violators will be punished with imprisonment up to six monthsand a fine of Rs 10,000.The law will replace the 134-year-old Gujarat Irrigation Act 1879 that permitted sinking of borewells if the depth exceeded 45 metres.The new Bill is also tough on use of groundwater from wells or bores for irrigation. Any farmer owning cultivable land within 200 metres of a canal will have to pay for itswater reaching his fields by percolation, leakage, surface flow or by means of a well dugfrom the canal.

2. Reinventing librariesMore than the spread of e-books, poor infrastructure and pathetic services are

endangering the future of libraries in India. The role of public libraries in particular is fastshrinking and they hardly meet their community objectives. In a recent written reply in theLok Sabha, the government tried to provide some hope by pointing to the creation of theNational Mission on Libraries and the enhanced allocation of Rs 400 crore in the TwelfthFive-Year Plan to strengthen the library movement.

The National Mission on Libraries works to modernise and digitally link nearly 9,000libraries across India to provide readers access to books and information. The project costsaround 1000 crores. The National Knowledge Commission gave 10 recommendations onlibraries in its 2011 report. Based on these recommendations Indian government startedNational Mission on Libraries under the Indian Ministry of Culture. Raja Rammohun RoyLibrary Foundation (RRRLF), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Culture will be the

central agency for the National Mission on Libraries for administrative, logistics, planning andbudgeting purposes. Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 751



3. Optic fibre connects Ambani brothersIn April 2013, eight years after parting ways, Mukesh Ambani and Anil Ambani started abusiness collaboration that would allow Reliance Jio Infocomm, controlled by Mukesh, to usethe nationwide optic fibre network of Anil‘s Reliance Communications Ltd. for a one-time feeof Rs. 1,200 crore.In 2005, the telecom business along with power, infrastructure and finance went to Anil Ambani, while Mukesh Ambani got Reliance Industries, which focuses on petrochemicals.Five years later, the brothers amended the original non-competing agreement, followingwhich Reliance Industries entered telecom by buying Infotel Broadband Services Ltd. thatowned radio-wave spectrum for high-speed broadband services.The telecom venture, now called Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd., is preparing to launch 4Gservices, which would be served by accessing the optic fibre network.

4. Gujarat Bill ending role of Governor, CJ to choose ombudsman passedIn April 2013, amid protests and a walkout by Opposition MLAs in the Assembly, theruling Bharatiya Janata Party pushed through a new Gujarat Lokayukta Aayog Bill, 2013 thatostensibly seeks to end the role of the Governor and the Chief Justice of the High Court in

appointing the ombudsman.The Bill proposes a seven-member selection panel headed by the Chief Minister, whichwill recommend a candidate for the Lokayukta‘s post and the Governor only needs to ratify it.The other members will be a minister hand-picked by the Chief Minister, the Speaker, theLeader of the Opposition, a High Court judge nominated by the Chief Justice and the StateVigilance Commissioner.The existing Gujarat Lokayukta Act, 1986, empowers the Governor to appoint theombudsman in consultation with the Chief Justice and the Leader of Opposition. This hasnow been done away with.

5. Katju to set up „Court of Last Resort‟ Asserting that a large number of people, particularly minorities, languish in prisons as

undertrials for years, or remain ‗unjustly incarcerated‘, Press Council of India (PCI)chairperson Justice Markandey Katju has decided to set up a ‗Court of Last Resort‘ toexamine such cases.―In such cases, the police either fabricates evidence or there is inadequate legalrepresentation, or a court finds an accused innocent but after he has already spent years inprison,‖ he said in a statement.Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 52



‗The Court of last Resort‘ — of which Justice Katju would be the patron — would askStates about details of both undertrails and convicts who have been in prisons for long;examine whether there has been injustice and apply for bail if necessary; apply for ‗pardon,respite, suspension or reduction of sentence‘ to the President or Governor; and ‗educate the

police.‘ Others behind the initiative include film-maker Mahesh Bhatt, and lawyer Majeed

Memon.

6. AAP is now a registered partyIn April 2013, the Election Commission has formally registered social activist ArvindKejriwal‘s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as a political party.Mr. Kejriwal, a former member of the India Against Corruption movement, founded bysocial activist Anna Hazare, launched the AAP on November 26, 2012, after he fell out withthe latter.The AAP has a 23-member national executive and Mr. Kejriwal is its convener.

7. Skimmers could clean out bank balance

As customers merrily embrace new age banking practices, frauds related to net banking,credit cards and debit cards are also on the rise.What is unnerving is that while criminals skim the cards there, the frauds are perpetratedin Russia, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan and United Kingdom among others, pointing to the roleof international gangs.Details of credit or debit cards are captured in the ATMs using gadgets whenunsuspecting customers swipe them, and a duplicate card is generated (the process isknown as skimming). Net banking frauds happen with malware, a software programmedesigned for fraudulent activities.In a majority of cases, customers have responded to emails disclosing confidentialinformation related to bank accounts, personal identification numbers and passwords. Thesemails purportedly originated from Reserve Bank of India, Income Tax Department and

government departments.

8. Karnataka tops in management of rural drinking water schemesKarnataka has emerged top performer in the country in management of rural drinkingwater schemes and devolution of powers to panchayat raj institutions (PRIs) in 2012-13 andreceived an incentive of Rs. 241.1 crore from the Union government.Union Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, which evaluated the performance of allStates in the implementation of rural drinking water schemesCurrent Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 53



based on Management Devolution Index, ranked Karnataka as the top performer among 28States in ―rural population managing rural drinking water supply schemes‖.The Centre grants incentive fund based on the performance in the devolution of powersto the PRIs, cost recovery and adoption of better management practices in rural drinkingwater supply schemes under the National Rural Drinking Water Programme, Stategovernment officials told.Officials said Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra secured second and third places,respectively, and got Rs. 182.1 crore and Rs. 114.29 crore as incentive.

9. NHRC to hold „full commission‟ sitting in Raipur For the first time since the formation of Chhattisgarh in 2000, the National Human RightsCommission (NHRC) will hold a ―full commission‖ sitting in Chhattisgarh‘s capital Raipur.NHRC chairperson Justice K.G. Balakrishnan and its members, Justice B.C. Patel andretired diplomat Satyabrat Pal, will hold several sessions in April 2013.The NHRC will talk to people from all walks of life and the government on many issues,including the plight of bonded and child labour, conservancy workers and leprosy patients.

―The members will visit schools in Dantewada to figure out the state of children‘seducation, especially those of tribal children,‖ said a NHRC official.

10. Job creation to be hit, says Nasscom chief ―Last year we added 1.8 lakh jobs net. This year it will be 1.3 to 1.5 lakh jobs. Last year there was filling up of back logs because we had shrunk our pipeline,‖ Nasscom PresidentSom Mittal told in April 2013.Replying to a query, he said the IT industry was expected to grow at 12 to 14 per cent indollar terms in the current fiscal. ―This year we will probably add $13 -15 billion newbusiness in both domestic and exports,‖ Mr. Mittal said.

11. World Bank to support seven low-income States

In its first country strategy to set specific goals on reducing poverty and increasingprosperity, the World Bank plans to shift its support in India significantly to seven identifiedlow-income States where most of the country‘s poor live. As part of the multilateral lending agency‘s new Country Partnership Strategy (CPS) for India (2013-17), which was discussed by the Board of ExecutiveCurrent Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 54



Directors, the World Bank proposes a lending programme of $3 billion-5 billion every year over the next four years. The Bank‘s objective is to bring down poverty levels in the sevenlow-income States to just 5.5 per cent in 2030 from 29.8 per cent in 2010.The States identified for the focused support are Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, MadhyaPradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh.

12. Centre draws up 9-point action plan to develop naxal-affected areasIn April 2013, concerned over the extreme left groups‘ penetration into tribal territoriesand their ability to win over the hearts and minds of people deprived of basic necessities of life, the government has drawn-up a nine point action plan to deal with a host of development challenges. The action plan is an outcome of series of meeting of a speciallyconstituted Review Group of LWE (Left-Wing Extremism) under the aegis of the CabinetSecretariat.The government had decided to expedite the ―recognition of forest rights,‖ as well asreview the definition of backward districts under the Integrated Action Plan/Backward RegionGrant Fund (BRGF) as part of the action plan.

It said that comprehensive guidelines were issued to State/ Union Territory governmentsfor ―expeditious recognition‖ of forests rights, including the community rights andcommunity forest resource rights under the Act.Taking note of the gap and requirement of large residential schools, the Director of School Education and the Ministry of Tribal Affairs are looking to establish such institutionswith a minimum of 1000-2000 students in the LWE areas.To improve the communication infrastructure Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) willinstall 2199 low cost mobile towers in those areas. The Telecom Commission is alsoexploring energy efficient alternate fuels such as solar energy. A special window, too, has been introduced under the Forest Conservation Act toexpedite the laying of transmission lines under the Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyutikaran Yojna(RGGVY). The Ministry of Environment and Forests has given a notification to cover all the

82 IAP districts granting general approval under the Forest Conservation Act for diversion of forest land up to 5 acres.The Ministry of Power will review pending works in 1776 villages to ascertain the oneswhich can be ―cleared with the issuance of the new notification.‖The Mobile Health Units will address the LWE districts ―endemically affected‖ bymalaria. Additionally, an increase in Mobile Health Units is likely to be introduced in the 12thPlan.Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 55



To address the absence of post offices and banks in the LWE affected areas, there hasbeen ―a proposal to open post offices in 12,898 gram panchayats in 82 identified LWEaffected districts.‖

13. Armed women security squads introducedIn April 2013, to ensure women‘s safety in Punjab, the government introduced theWomen Armed Special Protection Squad (WASPS).

14. Another milestone in e-governanceKerala achieved yet another milestone in its march towards total e-governance, when theentire payments in tendering processes were made online.Kerala has become the first State in the country to implement the e-payment facility intendering processes, ensuring total confidentiality and transparency in the businesstransactions and thus closing the door to corruption.

15. „Birth registration should be the first right of child‟

Registration of births and deaths is still low in India, at 80 and 67 per cent respectively.This in spite of the country passing the Registration of Births and Deaths Act way back in1969.Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 56



13. HISTORY AND CULTURE 1. Bedrock on which Neolithic man sharpened stonetools found in T.N. A ―centre‖ for sharpening polished Neolithic (stone) tools made about 5,000 years agohas been found near the Keezhanur hamlet on the Javadi hills in Vellore district of TamilNadu.

The ―centre‖ is a bedrock in the middle of a rivulet, about a km from Keezhanur, with 21grooves. It is in these grooves on the rock surface that the Neolithic man sharpened theedges of his polished stone axes when they got blunted after usage in cultivation. Theshallow, trough-shaped grooves were formed by his constantly sharpening the tools againstthe rock surface.

2. Ring that inspired Tolkien on showThe Neolithic Era, or Period or New Stone age, was a period in the development of humantechnology, beginning about 10,200 BC, according to the ASPRO chronology in some partsof the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world and ending between 4,500 and 2,000BC. Traditionally considered the last part of the Stone Age, the Neolithic followed theterminal Holocene Epipaleolithic period and commenced with the beginning of farming,

which produced the "Neolithic Revolution". It ended when metal tools became widespread(in the Copper Age or Bronze Age; or, in some geographical regions, in the Iron Age). TheNeolithic is a progression of behavioral and cultural characteristics and changes, includingthe use of wild and domestic crops and of domesticated animals. A Roman gold ring that could have inspired J.R.R Tolkien to write The Hobbit and TheLord of the Rings is going on exhibition in England. Found in a field in southern England in1785, the ring is linked to a Roman tablet inscribed with a curse on the thief who stole it.That tablet was found at the site of a Roman temple dedicated to the god Nodens inGloucestershire, western England. Tolkien worked on the etymology of the name Nodens in1929 and visited the temple several times.

3. A grandson retraces flight over Everest

On April 2013, Charles Douglas-Hamilton, the grandson of the first man to fly over Everest, Douglas Douglas-Hamilton (he flew together with another Scotsman, DavidMcIntyre), got on a special flight from Kathmandu to get a view of what his grandfather hadseen 80 years ago to the day on April 3, 1933.Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 57



The flight 80 years ago took off from Purnea in Bihar and conducted a photographicsurvey of the mountain, which were used in later attempts to climb the mountain, includingthe first proven successful ascent by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in 1953.

4. Demolition threat to temple holding Xuan Zang relicsIn April 2013, a move to demolish parts of a temple in China that holds the remains of thefamed monk Xuan Zang, who travelled to India in the 7th century, has triggered outrage. Authorities have said they will partially demolish the 1,300- year-old Xingjiao Temple in Xian,in Shaanxi province, an ancient capital city (then known as Chang‘an) and thriving centre of Buddhist learning.The monk Xuan Zang (often spelt as Hsuan Tsang in India, using the older romanisationsystem) returned to Chang‘an following his trip to India to bring back Buddhist scriptures. Hisremains are believed to be kept in the Xingjiao temple, which is at the centre of Xian‘s plansto become a world heritage site.

Xuanzang or Hsüan-tsang, original name Chen Yi, honorary epithet San-tsang, also called

Muchatipo, Sanskrit Mokshadeva, or Yuanzang (born 602 AD, Goushi, Luozhou, nowYanshi, Henan province, China—died 664 AD, Chang‘an, now Xi‘an, China), was a Buddhistmonk and Chinese pilgrim to India who translated the sacred scriptures of Buddhism fromSanskrit into Chinese and founded in China the Buddhist Consciousness Only school. Hisfame rests mainly on the volume and diversity of his translations of the Buddhist sutras andon the record of his travels in Central Asia and India, which, with its wealth of detailed andprecise data, has been of inestimable value to historians and archaeologists. On his journeyhe traveled north of the Takla Makan Desert, passing through such oasis centres as Turfan,Karashar, Kucha, Tashkent, and Samarkand, then beyond the Iron Gates into Bactria,across the Hindu Kush (mountains) into Kapisha, Gandhara, and Kashmir in northwest India.From there he sailed down the Ganges river to Mathura, then on to the holy land of Buddhism in the eastern reaches of the Ganges, where he arrived in 633 AD. In India,

Xuanzang visited all the sacred sites connected with the life of the Buddha, and he journeyed along the east and west coasts of the subcontinent. The major portion of his time,however, was spent at the Nalanda monastery, the great Buddhist centre of learning, wherehe perfected his knowledge of Sanskrit, Buddhist philosophy, and Indian thought. While hewas in India, Xuanzang‘s reputation as a scholar became so great that even the powerfulking Harsha, ruler of North India, wanted to meet and honour him. Thanks largely to thatking‘s patronage, Xuanzang‘s return trip to China, begun in 643 AD, was greatly facilitated.Xuanzang returned to Chang‘an, the Tang capital, in 645 AD, after an absence of 16 years.He was accorded a tumultuous welcome at the capital, and a few days later he was receivedin audience by the emperor. Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam)2013 –Part 7 58



5. Decommissioned submarine to be turned into museum by 2015INS Vagli, the decommissioned submarine, will be converted into Tamil Nadu MaritimeHeritage Museum in Mamallapuram by March 2015.

6. South Africa remembers communist stalwart Chris HaniIn April 2013, South Africans paid moving tributes to slain anti-apartheid activist ChrisHani, whose death at the hands of a right-wing gunman 20 years ago plunged the countryinto crisis.Hani, former leader of the South African Communist Party, was assassinated by Polishimmigrant Janusz Walus outside his house in Boksburg on the outskirts of Johannesburg on April 10, 1993. His death prompted riots and was a formative experience for the nation,which was fast approaching democracy but still feared the end of apartheid would promptcivil war.

7. Panel to seek National Geographic Society‟s helpThe intricate craftsmanship of gem-studded jewels has dazzled the Supreme Court-appointed experts who have been documenting the treasures of Sri Padmanabhaswamy

temple in Thiruvananthapuram.Evaluating and recording the details of the jewels is consuming more time than theythought. Fearing that this may delay the completion of inventory, the committee of experts isplanning to seek the help of the National Geographic Society (NGS), a non-profit institutionknown for its magazine and television programmes on archaeology and environment, tospeed up the process.In its seventh interim report, submitted to the court last month, the committee saidinvestigating the gem-studded objects was time-consuming and it was able to document onlythree or four objects a day.Of the 1.05 lakh items documented so far (till mid-March), about 500 were embedded withgems. Except a few, all of them had a minimum of 100 precious stones each. One singlelocket alone contained 997 gems. Together, these jewels accounted for 60,000 gems.

The National Geographic Society (NGS), headquartered in Washington, D.C. in the UnitedStates, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational institutions in the world. Itsinterests include geography, archaeology and natural science, the promotion of environmental and historical conservation, and the study of world culture and history. TheNational Geographic Society‘s logo is a yellow portrait frame – rectangular in shape – whichappears on the margins surrounding the front covers of its magazines and as its televisionchannel logo. Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 59



8. Ravi Shankar‟s last r ecordings out soonThe last recordings of sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar would be released in May 2013.This would be the first posthumous release of his recordings.East Meets West Music, the official recording label of the Ravi Shankar Foundation, saidthe three recordings are part of the seven done in October 2011. Four of them, released in

2012 as ―The Living Room Sessions Part 1‖, won him Grammy for ―Best World Music

Album‖ posthumously.Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 60



14. NRIs & PIOs 1. Obama faces flak for complimenting Kamala HarrisIn the context of the loud debates on misogyny, rape and other anti-women trends in theU.S., President Barack Obama could not have picked a worse moment to offer California Attorney General and American of Indian descent Kamala Harris a compliment on her appearance.

2. Reprieve for Pakistani Hindus as India extends visaKamala Devi Harris is an American attorney. She is the 32nd and current Attorney Generalof California following the 2010 California state elections. Harris has worked as an author and a politician and served as District Attorney of San Francisco from 2004 to 2011. Firstelected in 2003, defeating incumbent district attorney Terence Hallinan, she was re-electedin 2007. Harris is the first female African-American and Asian (Indian) American attorneygeneral in California.In April 2013, in a reprieve to 480 Pakistani Hindus, the Home Ministry has extendedvisas for a month, before the government takes a decision on their demand for politicalasylum in India.These people were originally granted visa till April 8 to take part in the Kumbh Mela that

concluded in Allahabad. But these people refused to leave India, alleging that atrocities werebeing committed against them in Pakistan.They even petitioned the President and the United Nations. The matter came to lightwhen the Pakistani Hindus approached the Delhi government and pleaded for politicalasylum as their travel documents expired on April 8. The Delhi government then sought theHome Ministry‘s direction.Significantly, the government is yet to take a decision on granting political asylum or Indian citizenship to several Pakistani Hindus who had come to the country in the last fewmonths. But it has not deported them and has been extending their visas regularly.In December last, the Home Ministry told Parliament that between 2009 and 2011, 1,290applications of Pakistani nationals had been received from various State governments.Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 61



15. ORGANISATIONS 1. Vijaya Bank gets certification from BSIIn April 2013, Vijaya Bank‘s announced that its Risk Management Department hasreceived ISO 27001 certification from the British Standards Institute. The public sector bankclaimed that the bank‘s department is first among Indian banks to receive such certification.

2. HAL turns focus on civil aircraftISO/IEC 27001, part of the growing ISO/IEC 27000 family of standards, is an informationsecurity management system (ISMS) standard published in October 2005 by theInternational Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International ElectrotechnicalCommission (IEC). Its full name is ISO/IEC 27001:2005 – Information technology – Securitytechniques – Information security management systems – Requirements. ISO/IEC 27001formally specifies a management system that is intended to bring information security under explicit management control. Being a formal specification means that it mandates specificrequirements. Organizations that claim to have adopted ISO/IEC 27001 can therefore beformally audited and certified compliant with the standard. The standard contains 12 mainsections like 1. Risk assessment 2. Security policy - management direction 3. Organizationof information security - governance of information security 4. Asset management - inventory

and classification of information assets 5. Human resources security - security aspects for employees joining, moving and leaving an organization and so on.The defence public sector company Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. has formally revealedplans to manufacture civil transport planes along with suitable Indian and foreign partners.Without elaborating, the Bangalore-based military aircraft maker said the civil segmentwas highly promising.The B.K. Chaturvedi Committee on restructuring HAL had recommended last year,among other things, that HAL should focus on the civil aviation segment through a newsubsidiary. HAL at present manufactures fighters, transport planes, trainer aircraft andhelicopters for the Armed Forces, most of them under licence from the originalmanufactures. Its own product, the Dhruv advanced light helicopter (ALH), is positioned for civil use. For the just ended 2012-13 fiscal, the HAL said it posted a turnover of Rs. 14,316

crore and profit before tax of Rs. 3,471 crore.Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 62



3. NTPC to shift Odisha project to Madhya PradeshNTPC, which had proposed to invest over Rs.11,000 crore in a new 1,600 MW coal-based project at Gajmara in Odisha has decided to relocate it to Gadarwara in MadhyaPradesh, due to delay in land and environmental clearances.

4. At CBI golden jubilee fete, President terms Nirbhaya “symbol of aspiring nation”In April 2013, remembering the young paramedical student who was brutally gang-rapedin a moving bus in Delhi last December, President Pranab Mukherjee said India‘sconsciousness was ―grievously hurt‖ by that shocking incident of sexual assault and deathof the girl who was ―the symbol of an aspiring nation.‖ Expressing concern over diminishingmorality in the society, he said the time has come where the nation needs to reset its―moral compass‖.Speaking at the Central Bureau of Investigation‘s golden jubilee celebrations, Mr.Mukherjee said: ―The police and investigative organisations can play a crucial role increating conditions that could engender societal changes. An alert police force andinvestigative agency can ensure that no crime goes unpunished. It is important to ensurespeedy and thorough investigation of allegations. The prosecution should also be speedy so

that the guilty are punished without delay. This would enhance the deterrent value of punishment. It would improve responsiveness, one of the most important features of goodgovernance.‖

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is a governmental agency belonging toGovernment of India that jointly serves as a criminal investigation body. The CBI is a premier investigating police agency in India. It is an elite force which plays a major role inpreservation of values in public life and in ensuring the health of the national economy. It isalso the nodal police agency in India which coordinates investigation on behalf of InterpolMember countries. The services of its investigating officers are sought for all major criminalprobes in the country. The agency was established in 1941 as the Special PoliceEstablishment. The Central Bureau of Investigation was later established on 1 April 1963. Its

motto is "Industry, Impartiality, Integrity". The agency headquarters is a state-of-the-artbuilding located in New Delhi. The agency has other field offices located in major citiesthroughout India. The CBI is controlled by the Department of Personnel and Training in theMinistry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pension of the Union Government usuallyheaded by a Union Minister who reports directly to the Prime Minister. While analogous instructure to the FBI, the CBI's powers and functions are severely limited to specific crimesbased on Acts (mainly the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946). The CBI is theofficial Interpol unit for India. Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam)2013 –Part 7 63



5. Tata Steel merges two group companies with self Tata Steel Ltd. (TSL) has announced the merger with itself of two group firms, the listedTata Metaliks Ltd. (TML) and the unlisted Tata Metaliks Kubota Pipes Ltd. (TMKPL), a jointventure between TML and two Japanese companies.

6. Force One A 25-year-old commando of Maharashtra‘s elite counter terrorism unit, Force One,committed suicide in April 2013.

7. HAL to produce cryogenic engines for ISROThe Indian Space Research Organisation is setting up a Rs.139-crore facility at theBangalore unit of the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. to produce cryogenic engines and complexcomponents for its GSLV and future rockets and it will be ready in three years. At present, ISRO is developing cryogenic engines with a consortium of Godrej andHyderabad‘s MTAR. HAL is said to have been approved as a second source of assemblageby the Space Commission in March 2013.

8. TCS to buy French IT firm for Rs.530 cr In April 2013, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) announced that it had signed definitiveagreements to acquire 100 per cent equity in Alti SA, an IT services company in France. Thedeal, valued at 75 million euro (around Rs.530 crore), is an all-cash transaction, TCS said ina statement.Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 64



16. PERSONALITIES 1. Veteran educationist Ahalya Chari passes awaySenior educationist Ahalya Chari – who passed away in April 2013 – was one of thearchitects of the education system in independent India, dedicating seven decades of her lifeto the field of teaching.Ms. Chari began her career as a teacher in 1943, at a girls‘ school founded by Dr. AnnieBesant in Varanasi, and went on to serve at the Central Institute of Education (CIE), Delhi,the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) and the RegionalInstitute of Education (RIE), Mysore, in different capacities, later heading them at differenttimes.

2. Vijender took heroin 12 times: policeIn April 2013, the Fatehgarh Sahib drug seizure case took yet another sensational turn asthe Punjab police claimed that Olympic bronze medallist Vijender Singh consumed heroin atleast 12 times after procuring it from alleged drug dealer Anoop Singh Kahlon, an NRI whohas already been arrested in the case.

Heroin (diacetylmorphine or morphine diacetate) also known as diamorphine and

colloquially as H, smack, horse, brown, black, tar, and other names, is an opioid analgesicsynthesized by C.R. Alder Wright in 1874 by adding two acetyl groups to the moleculemorphine, found in the opium poppy. It is the 3,6-diacetyl ester of morphine, and functions asa morphine prodrug, meaning that it is metabolically converted to morphine inside the bodyin order for it to work. When used in medicine it is typically used to treat severe pain, such asthat resulting from a heart attack or a severe injury. The name "heroin" is only used whenbeing discussed in its illegal form. When it is used in a medical environment, it is referred toas diamorphine. The white crystalline form considered "pure heroin" is usually thehydrochloride salt, diacetylmorphine hydrochloride. Illicit heroin is usually in freebase form,dulling the sheen and consistency to a matte-white powder. Because of its lower boilingpoint, the freebase form of heroin is also smokable. It is prevalent in heroin coming from Afghanistan, which as of 2004 produced roughly 87% of the world supply in illicit raw opium.

However, production in Mexico has risen six times from 2007 to 2011, changing thatpercentage and placing Mexico as the second largest opium producer in the world. Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 65



3. 45-year jail term for „Monster of Grbavica‟In April 2013, Veselin Vlahovic, a former Bosnian Serb paramilitary dubbed the ―Monster of Grbavica‖, was jailed for 45 years for inflicting a reign of terror on Sarajevo civilians duringthe 1992-95 war.―During systematic repression against the non-Serb population he participated inexpulsion of his victims, he committed murders, he tortured, raped and imprisoned hisvictims,‖ judge Zoran Bozic said at the sentencing in a packed Sarajevo courtroom.The sentence against Vlahovic, a Montenegrin, is the most severe delivered for war crimes by a Bosnian court.

4. Socialist thinker Mastram Kapoor passes awayEminent socialist author and thinker Mastram Kapoor passed away in April 2013. Author of over 100 publications on socialist thought, he was known for penning Ram Manohar Lohia‘s biography. He was recently awarded the Yash Bharati award, which was revivedafter six years by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.

5. Bratindra Nath Mukherjee passes away

Professor Bratindra Nath Mukherjee, 79, renowned historian and an expert in epigraphywho deciphered several ancient scripts, died in April 2013 A Padma Shri awardee, Professor Mukherjee was among the country‘s rare scholars whoknew central Asian languages, including Sogdian, and was the author of more than 50 booksand 700 articles in national and international journals. Sogdian is an Eastern-Iranianlanguage of the area that is modern-day Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Among his well-knownbooks are Greek and Aramaic Edicts of Ashoka, Rise of Kushan Empire and Indian Gold, abook on ancient coins of the country. The historian was considered a reputed numismatistand had written two volumes: Numismatic Art of India and Coins of Bengal.

6. Poverty a bigger challenge than AIDS, says World Bank chief The president of the World Bank has warned that ending the worst of global poverty

within a generation would prove a tougher challenge than tackling AIDS as he urged directaction to help more than a billion people benefit from growth.Jim Yong Kim, the former health activist chosen by Barack Obama to lead theWashington-based institution, said the goal of reducing the number of people living on lessthan $1.25 a day from 21 per cent to 3 per cent by 2030 was achievable but ―extraordinarilydifficult‖.Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 66



7. S. Gopalakrishnan is CII PresidentIn April 2013, Infosys co-founder and co-Chairman S. Gopalakrishnan has taken over asPresident of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) for 2013-14, succeeding Godrej GroupChairman Adi Godrej.

8. A.K. Padmanabhan re-elected CITU chief A.K. Padmanabhan and Tapan Sen were re-elected president and general secretary of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) in April 2013.

9. Tiruvarur Latchappa Pillai deadNoted nagaswaram player Tiruvarur S. Latchappa Pillai died in April 2013.

10. P.J. Kurien elected forum chairmanRajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson P.J. Kurien has been elected unanimously as thechairman of the Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD)in April 2013.

11. Test-tube baby pioneer diesThe Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD) is acoordinating body of National Committees of Parliamentarians on Population andDevelopment and Parliamentary Committees dealing with population and developmentissues working to generate support and perpetuate cooperation among Asianparliamentarians in the area of population and development, and related fields. The AsianForum is committed to informing, educating and motivating parliamentarians on the linkagesbetween increasing population and issues such as reproductive health, family planning, foodsecurity, water resources, sustainable development, environment, ageing, urbanisation,migration, HIV/AIDS, and gender equality.British scientist Robert Edwards, 87, who won the Nobel Prize for his pioneering work inin vitro fertilisation, leading to the birth of the first test- tube baby, died in April 2013.

Sir Robert Geoffrey Edwards was a British physiologist and pioneer in reproductivemedicine and in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) in particular. Along with surgeon Patrick Steptoe,Edwards successfully pioneered conception through IVF, which led to the birth of the firsttest-tube baby, Louise Brown, on 25 July 1978. This was achieved with the drug Pergonalwhich was already used for ovarian follicular stimulation in infertile women. It was developedby Serono, the global biotechnology business built by three generations of the Bertarellifamily. He was awarded the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine "for thedevelopment of in vitro fertilization". Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and MainExam) 2013 –Part 7 67



12. A doyen among anti-British Bengal revolutionariesIn vitro fertilisation (IVF) is a process by which an egg is fertilised by sperm outside thebody: in vitro. IVF is a major treatment for infertility when other methods of assistedreproductive technology have failed. The process involves monitoring a woman's ovulatoryprocess, removing ovum or ova (egg or eggs) from the woman's ovaries and letting spermfertilise them in a fluid medium in a laboratory. When a woman's natural cycle is monitoredto collect a naturally selected ovum (egg) for fertilisation, it is known as natural cycle IVF.The fertilised egg (zygote) is then transferred to the patient's uterus with the intention of establishing a successful pregnancy. The term in vitro, from the Latin meaning in glass, isused, because early biological experiments involving cultivation of tissues outside the livingorganism from which they came, were carried out in glass containers such as beakers, testtubes, or petri dishes. Today, the term in vitro is used to refer to any biological procedurethat is performed outside the organism it would normally be occurring in, to distinguish itfrom an in vivo procedure, where the tissue remains inside the living organism within which itis normally found.Binod Bihari Chowdhury, a close associate of the great Bengal revolutionary ‗Masterda‘Surya Sen, who died in April 2013, was a doyen of the era of anti- British revolutionaries.

Born on January 10, 1911 in Chittagong, Binod Bihari died in Kolkata while undergoingtreatment.He was a part of Masterda‘s Jugantor (meaning New Era) — a revolutionary group thattook part in the famous Chittagong Armoury Raid on April 18, 1930. As per the plan, thegroup raided armoury of both the police and the Auxillary forces of the British andproclaimed a revolutionary government.Binod Bihari joined the Indian National Congress in 1939 and became the AssistantGeneral Secretary of its Chittagong district committee. He was a member of the BengalProvincial Congress‘ Executive Committee from 1940 to 1946. In 1946, Binod Bihari waselected the General Secretary of the Chittagong branch. After the Partition of India in 1947, he was elected a member of the then East PakistanProvincial Assembly and carried out his duties until 1954. During the crucial period of the

partition of India, he did not leave East Pakistan and remained in Chittagong even after closefamily members, including two sons, crossed the border in late 1960sThough not involved in active politics after Bangladesh became independent, he played aleading role in all cultural, social and rights-based movements. He received, among others,the Independence Award, the highest civilian award in Bangladesh, in 2000.Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 68



The acting Bangladesh President, Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasinamourned his death with Hasina describing him a ―symbol of valour and patriotism‖.He was cremated in Chittagong, where the great revolutionary lived all his life. BinodBihari Chowdhury was considered the last remaining link to a decisive part of sub-continental history.

13. Man of many tonguesTimothy Doner from New York gained fame after he posted videos showing off his skillson Youtube, including one in which he was seen speaking 20 consecutive languages. A 17-year-old American boy has attracted worldwide attention by mastering 23 languages,including Hindi, in just a few weeks.Experts have classified him as a ―hyperpolyglot‖, who can master a language in veryshort period of time.

14. Justice O. Chinnappa Reddy passes away at 90Justice Ontethupalli Chinnappa Reddy, a distinguished retired judge of the Supreme

Court, died in April 2013. He was 90. He was the youngest of the legendary-quartet of Supreme Court judges along with Justices V.R. Krishna Iyer, P.N. Bhagwati and D.A. Desai,who changed the course of India‘s judicial and political history by seeking to radicallytransform the court.

15. Indian among Pope‟s advisersSection 376 of IPC: Punishment for rapeIn April 2013, India‘s Oswald Gracias was among eight high-ranking cardinals fromaround the world who were appointed by Pope Francis in an advisory council to look intoways of reforming the Vatican bureaucracy.The council will help the Pope revise the Apostolic Constitution on the Roman CuriaPastor bonus — the Church administration which helps him in the daily governance, the

Vatican said in a statement.

16. Veteran singer PBS passes awayThe lilting bass voice of playback singer Prathivathi Bayangaram Sreenivas, whichrendered with equal and mellifluous ease a whole range of human emotions frommelancholy to romance and happiness, fell silent in April 2013. P.B. Sreenivas, or just PBSwas 82.Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 69



17. R.P. Goenka passes awayPrathivadi Bhayankara Sreenivas was a veteran playback singer from India. He was bornin Gollaprolu near Kakinada in East Godavri District of Andhra Pradesh. He had sung around3000 songs in Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam and Tulu films. He was known for his playback singing in the Kannada, Telugu and Tamil film industries. He had sung in all themain languages of the country but it is in Kannada that he has the highest number of songsin his career.Rama Prasad Goenka, chairman emeritus of RPG Enterprises and India‘s takeover king,passed away in April 2013.

18. Sivanthi Adityan deadB. Sivanthi Adityan, owner of Dina Thanthi, the largest circulated Tamil daily, and a well-known sports administrator, died in April 2013.

19. Justice J.S. Verma passes awayThe former Chief Justice of India, J.S. Verma, who recently chaired the panel that cameout with recommendations on improving women‘s security, died in April 2013.

20. „Z‟ security cover for MukeshIn April 2013, amid reports of threat to Reliance Industries Ltd Chairman Mukesh Ambanifrom banned terrorist organisation, Indian Mujahideen (IM), the Centre has decided to givethe business tycoon ‗Z‘ security cover. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) recentlyapproved the second highest security cover for Mr. Ambani. He will be guarded by the CRPFcommandos and escorted by pilot and follow-on vehicles. This is the first time a privateperson is given such cover in the country.

Security categories in India In India, security details are provided to high-risk individuals bythe police and local government. Depending on the threat perception to the person, thecategory is divided into four tiers: Z+ (highest level), Z, Y and X. The Special Protection

Group protects important politician the Prime Minister of India. Individuals under the Z+security blanket include current and former Supreme court and High court Judges, CabinetMinisters, Governors, Chief and Deputy Chief Ministers, leading politicians, and senior bureaucrats. The 'Z' category entails security cover by the Delhi police or the ITBP or CRPFpersonnel and one escort car. The 'Y' category encompasses two personal security officers(PSOs) and the 'X' category, one PSO. Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and MainExam) 2013 –Part 7 70



21. Lalgudi Jayaraman passes awayThe SPG (Special Protection Group), NSG (National Security Guards), ITBP (Indo- TibetanBorder Police) and CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) are the agencies responsible for providing securities to VVIPs, VIPs, politicians, high-profile celebrities and sportspersons.The NSG is used extensively to guard VIPs and VVIPs, especially those in the Z+ category.Many NSG personnel are seconded to the Special Protection Group (SPG) which guards thePrime Minister.Lalgudi G. Jayaraman, the violinist whose tonal quality and chiselled rendering elevatedCarnatic music to new heights, died in April 2013.

22. Sunil Mittal to be ICC Vice-ChairmanIn April 2013, Bharti Enterprises Chairman and Group CEO Sunil Bharti Mittal has beenappointed as Vice-Chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), becomingthe third person from India to be appointed to this position in the history of ICC.The ICC is one of the world's oldest global business organisations. Founded in 1919, itrepresents private-sector views to national governments and intergovernmental bodiesaround the world.

23. N. Ravi elected Editors Guild presidentN. Ravi, director of Kasturi and Sons Limited, publisher of The Hindu, and a former Editor of the paper, was unanimously elected president of the Editors Guild of India in April 2013.

24. Sarabjit critical after attack in Lahore jailIn April 2013, Indian death-row prisoner Sarabjit Singh sustained serious head injurieswhen he was attacked by other inmates in Lahore‘s Kot Lakhpat Jail in Pakistan.Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 71



17. PLACES 1. French troops guard Indian cement plant in Bangui After Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, then in Durban for the BRICS summit, asked hisforeign policy managers to ensure the security of 100 Indians working in the war-torn Central African Republic (CAR), Indian diplomats arranged for a complement of 30 French troops toguard their factory premises in April 2013.French troops arrived at the cement plant on the outskirts of the CAR capital of Banguifollowing vigorous diplomatic string pulling by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), saidJaguar Overseas CEO K.S. Aswathanarayana, whose company runs the factory.

2. 83 workers buried in Tibet landslideIn April 2013, as many as 83 workers were buried alive when a major landslide hit amining area in China‘s Tibet region, authorities said. The accident occurred in the capitalLhasa‘s Maizhokunggar county.Over 1,000 rescuers, including police, fire-fighters and medical personnel, were workingat the site, located at an altitude of 4,600 metres.

3. Parwan

On March 25, the United States commander in Afghanistan handed over what had beenthe notorious Bagram prison — now renamed the Afghan National Detention Facility atParwan — to the government of President Hamid Karzai. About 4,000 prisoners there have been transferred to Afghan control since September 2012; about 1350 of those have already been released, but a further transfer of control wasdelayed because Washington rejected Kabul‘s plans to release prisoners the U.S. considersa security threat.

4. Tripura wants Wagah-like ceremony at Akhaura border In April 2013, The Tripura government has proposed to hold the ‗Beating Retreat‘ceremony at the Akhaura border, as was conducted at the Wagah border in Punjab.While the border security force (BSF) and its Bangladesh counterpart have already

accepted the proposal, it needs to be ratified by both the governments.Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 72



5. 200-year-old temple torched in BangladeshIn April 2013, in the latest attack, unidentified criminals torched a 200-year-old Hindutemple in Rajoir upazila of Madaripur district in Bangladesh.Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 73



18. POLICY & GOVERNANCE 1. Govt likely to slash P&K fertiliser subsidy by Rs2,000-2,700In April 2013, Government is likely to cut the subsidy on phosphatic and potassic (P&K)fertilisers such as di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) and muriate of potash (MoP) by Rs 2,000-2,700 a tonne on account of weakening of global prices.

―Fertiliser Ministry is expected to reduce the subsidy on DAP by Rs 2,000 per tonne toRs 12,350 a tonne and that on MoP by Rs 2,700 per tonne to Rs 11,700 a tonne for the2013-14 fiscal,‖ an official said.Under the nutrient based subsidy (NBS) regime introduced on April 1, 2010, retail pricesof 22 varieties of P&K fertilisers have been freed, but, the government reimbursescompanies the difference in cost of selling these soil nutrients at lower price to farmers.In the current fiscal, which ends 31st March 2013, government had fixed subsidy on DAPat Rs 14,350 per tonne and on MoP at Rs 14,400 a tonne. Subsidy on DAP and MoP for the2011-12 fiscal was at Rs 19,763 and Rs 16,054 per tonne, respectively. Another ministry official said the new subsidy rates, to be applicable for 2013-14, aresubject to Cabinet clearance.Earlier, Minister of State for Chemical and Fertilisers Srikant Jena told Parliament that

budget estimates for fertiliser subsidy in 2012-13 was Rs 65,874 crore. Against a projectedrequirement of Rs 1,02,207.38 crore, the Revised Estimates (RE) allocated is Rs 70,628crore.India imported 78.64 lakh tonnes of urea till February of this fiscal, against 78.34 lakhtonnes in the entire previous financial year. During April-February period of 2012-13 fiscal,import of DAP stood at 57.79 lakh tonnes and that of MOP at 18.14 lakh tonnes.On an average, India consumes about 30 million tonnes of urea and around 25- 26 milliontonnes of DAP, MoP and complex fertilisers annually.

2. Stringent anti-rape laws get President‟s nodPresident Pranab Mukherjee has given his assent to stricter laws to check crime againstwomen, particularly cases of sexual assault. A Bill to replace the Ordinance that the Union

government promulgated in February to enforce harsher anti-rape laws was passed inParliament in March 2013―The Criminal Law [Amendment] Bill, 2013 was passed by the Lok Sabha on 19thMarch, 2013, and by the Rajya Sabha on 21st March, 2013. The President of Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 74



India has accorded his assent to the Bill on 2nd April, 2013 and it will now be called theCriminal Law [Amendment] Act, 2013,‖ a government communiqué said.The new laws have provisions for increased sentence for rape convicts, including life-term and death sentence, besides providing for stringent punishment for offences such asacid attacks, stalking and voyeurism. Through the revised Bill, the government has amendedvarious sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure, the IndianEvidence Act and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. As per the amended law, a rape convict can be sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for aterm not less than 20 years, which may extend to remainder of the convict‘s natural life. Italso provides for the death sentence to repeat offenders. And for the first time, stalking andvoyeurism have been defined as non-bailable offences if repeated for a second time, whileacid attack convicts can get a 10-year jail sentence.

3. Delhi Police probing Google‟s map contestInternet giant Google could land in serious trouble over its ‗Mapathon 2013‘ as the DelhiPolice have launched an inquiry into the mapping contest held in February-March this year

following a formal complaint by the Survey of India.―Mapathon 2013 activity is likely to jeopardise national security interest and violates theNational Map Policy. Citizens of the country, who are ignorant of the legal consequences,are likely to violate the law of the land,‖ the Survey of India wrote in its complaint filed a t theRK Puram police station on March 25, 2013.Google had launched the Mapathon contest between February 12 and March 25, askingIndians to map their neighbourhoods and send their maps so that they can be uploaded inthe search engine‘s sites. Google had also said it would reward the top 1,000 participants.In a letter to Google‘s India office on March 21, Additional Surveyor -General of India R.C.Padhi asked the U.S.-based Internet company to stop the activity which was against―India‘s policy guidelines.‖ ―Survey of India is only mandated to undertake ‗Restricted‘category surveying and mapping and no other government/private organisations or any

individual are authorised to do so,‖ he wrote. As per the National Map Policy, 2005, ―The responsibility for producing, maintaining anddisseminating the topographic map database of the whole country, which is the foundation of all spatial data vests with the Survey of India.‖The Survey of India further noted that the ―Ministry of Defence has identified andprepared a list of civil and military vital areas (VAs)/vital points (VPs) in consultation with theMinistry of Home Affairs, which is regularly updated. [From]Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 75



national security points of view these VAs/VPs cannot be shown in the map/data publishedin public domain.‖

4. Environment clearance for projects worth Rs. 45,000 crore at breakneck speedThe Survey of India is India's central engineering agency in charge of mapping andsurveying. Set up in 1767 to help consolidate the territories of the British East IndiaCompany, it is one of the oldest Engineering Departments of the Government of India. TheSurvey of India's distinguished history includes the handling of the mammoth GreatTrigonometric Survey under William Lambton and George Everest. Its members are fromSurvey of India Service cadre of Civil Services of India.The Cabinet Committee on Investment (CCI) seems to be helping to raze green speed-bumps — ruffling the feathers of environment and tribal activists in the process — withenvironment clearances having been issued for more than Rs. 45,000 crore worth of projectsin its first two months of existence.Since it was set up by the Union Cabinet in December 2012, the CCI has successfullyprodded the Ministry of Environment and Forests to implement a slew of measures aimed at

streamlining clearance procedures. Those include such controversial moves as the delinkingof environment and forest clearances for linear projects like roads, railways and transmissionlines, and the exemption of such projects from getting gram sabha consent, which facevociferous opposition from forest and tribal rights activists.

5. Centre decontrols sugar industryIn April 2013, in a major decision, the Centre unshackled the Rs. 80,000 crore sugar industry by abolishing the monthly release mechanism and abolishing the obligation on millsto supply levy sugar for subsidised distribution under the Public Distribution System, allowingmarket forces to come into play.The decision, in line with the suggestions of a panel headed by C. Rangarajan, thechairman of Prime Minister‘s Economic Advisory Council, was cleared by the Cabinet

Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the Minister of State for Food K.V. Thomas told.Claiming that the decision to decontrol the industry will not impact sugar prices, Mr.Thomas said there was enough sugar in the country. The production last year was 26.5million tonnes. This year, about more than 24.5 million tonnes is expected as against arequirement of 22.2 million tonnes.The Centre will continue to provide sugar to the poor under the Public Distribution System(PDS) at the current issue price of Rs. 13.50 per kg. For this, the States will be free topurchase through a transparent system at the current ex-factory price of Rs. 32 per kg whichhas been capped for two years. TheCurrent Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 76



difference between the purchase price and the issue price will be borne by the government.



The subsidy on this score – which will double from the current level of Rs. 2,600 crore toRs. 5,300 crore – will be borne by the Centre,



The regulated release mechanism, wherein the government fixed the sale quota for eachmill every month, will be dispensed with immediately.

6. PEAIS award to elude Kerala againKerala is unlikely to regain its numero uno status in decentralised planning anddevelopment at the grass-roots level in the country. The Union Panchayat Raj Ministry isunderstood to have completed the process of rating the performance of local self-government institutions during 2012-13 under the Panchayat Empowerment and Accountability Incentive Scheme (PEAIS).

7. Pranab clears way for first-ever hanging of a womanThe Panchayat Empowerment & Accountability Incentive Scheme (PEAIS) is a CentralSector Plan Scheme which is being implemented by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj since2005-06. The scheme had an allocation of Rs.5.00 crore for 2005-06, which was raised toRs.10.00 crore for the subsequent years. Funds released to the State Governments/UTs on100% grant basis, after assessing their devolution of the 3Fs (Funds, Functions andFunctionaries). The Scheme has continued in the 11th Five Year Plan period with annual

allocation of Rs.10.00 crore. From 2006-07 onwards the criteria for eligibility were derived onthe basis of devolution of 3Fs, which was developed by the National Council of AppliedEconomic Research (NCAER), New Delhi. During 2007-08, the index was revised to includea fourth dimension of ―Framework‖, which specifically tests if the State has met the four mandatory Constitutional requirements viz. establishing the State Election Commission,holding PRI Election every five years, establishing State Finance Commission and setting upof District Planning Committees.Haryana‘s Sonia, daughter of Relu Ram Punia, former Haryana MLA, might become thefirst woman in India‘s history to be hanged as President Pranab Mukherjee has rejected her mercy petition in April 2013.Sonia was convicted along with her husband Sanjeev in 2007 of killing eight members of her family, including her father, over a property dispute in 2001. They are currently lodged in

Ambala jail.Notably, Nalini was awarded the death penalty for Rajiv Gandhi's assassination but her sentence was commuted to life imprisonment on the intervention of Sonia Gandhi.Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 77



8. HC refuses interim relief to Merck in patent caseIn April 2013, the Delhi High Court refused to grant interim relief on a patent row to U.S.pharmaceutical major Merck Sharp and Dohme (MSD), which had sought a restraint onGlenmark Pharmaceuticals manufacturing and marketing anti-diabetes drugs Zita and Zita-Met.T

he court‘s order came on MSD‘s plea alleging that the Indian pharma company hadviolated its intellectual property right (IPR) over its anti-diabetes medicines, Januvia andJanumet, by coming in the market with their own drugs containing the same salts.The U.S. firm had sought a court‘s order to restrain the Mumbai -based firm frommanufacturing and sale of drugs Zita and Zita-Met for treatment of Type-2 diabetes.The U.S. firm said it had invented the ‗Sitagliptin‘ salt, used in the anti-diabetes drugsand has a patent over the molecule.

9. „Delay no ground for mercy in terror cases‟Long delay by the President or the Governor in disposing of mercy petitions of personsconvicted under anti-terror laws or similar statutes cannot be a ground for commutation of the death sentence, the Supreme Court held in April 2013.

A two-judge bench gave this ruling while rejecting the plea of Khalistani terrorist anddeath-row convict Devinderpal Singh Bhullar in a judgment that paves the way for hisexecution and may have a bearing on the fate of over 20 convicts facing execution.

10. Telecom Security Directorate planned to tackle threat from Chinese equipmentIn response to the perception within the intelligence and defence community of thegrowing threat to national security from imported Chinese telecom equipment, the Centre isplanning to set up a ‗Telecom Security Directorate.‘ This is part of the government‘s broader strategy to set up an institutional framework of technical manpower to handle telecomsecurity-related issues linked to the use of telecom gear manufactured by Chinese giantsHuawei and ZTE.The Department of Telecommunications is also setting up the Centralised Monitoring

System (CMS) for lawful interception and monitoring of telephone and Internet services,besides establishing the Centre for Telecom Equipment and Security Certification, for whicha pilot laboratory has been set up at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc)-Bangalore that willcarry out R&D activities to develop test tools.Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 78



11. LPG direct cash transfer scheme likely from July 1The government is gearing up for the next big leap under the Direct Cash Transfer (DCT)scheme to bring a huge number of nearly 14 crore LPG consumers under its ambit.The scheme, which is likely to be launched from July 1, is aimed at directly putting thesubsidy component of the domestic cylinder into the bank account of the consumers toeliminate the leakages in the system and address the problem of diversion of domesticcylinders for commercial market.The scheme will be introduced around the middle of May in 20 districts and later will beextended to a bigger chunk of consumers and practically cover over 14 crore consumers bythe year end.The consumers are likely to get around Rs.4,000 per annum from the government, andthey will have to then buy LPG at the market price of Rs. 901.50 per 14.2-kg cylinder.Currently, each consumer is entitled to 9 cylinders of 14.2-kg each at the subsidised price of Rs.410.50. The government bears a subsidy Rs.435 per cylinder. The Planning Commissionis already gearing up for meetings with 78 District Collectors to give momentum to thescheme.Under the scheme, subsidies and other benefits will be transferred directly into the

Aadhaar-linked bank account of beneficiary.The Finance Ministry is of the view that keeping in mind the huge number of consumersunder the LPG scheme, the beneficiaries (consumers) would have to directly approach thebanks for seeding of Aadhaar numbers to their bank accounts.Seeding of Aadhaar number to the bank account is essential for the government toidentify beneficiaries.

12. Railway reservation period cut to 60 daysThe Railways have cut by half to 60 days, the maximum period for advanced reservationof tickets with effect from May 1, 2013. This is an effort to by the Railway Ministry torationalise the booking process to avoid huge cancellations.

13. Crackdown on Ponzi scheme beginsIn April 2013, the Centre said the RBI, the SEBI, the IT Department and the EnforcementDirectorate have begun crackdown on Ponzi schemes and have initiated action against theSaradha Group.Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 79



A Ponzi scheme is a fraudulent investment operation that pays returns to its investors fromtheir own money or the money paid by subsequent investors, rather than from profit earnedby the individual or organization running the operation. The Ponzi scheme usually enticesnew investors by offering higher returns than other investments, in the form of short-termreturns that are either abnormally high or unusually consistent. Perpetuation of the highreturns requires an ever-increasing flow of money from new investors to keep the schemegoing. The scheme is named after Charles Ponzi, who became notorious for using thetechnique in 1920.[3] Ponzi did not invent the scheme (for example, Charles Dickens' 1844novel Martin Chuzzlewit and 1857 novel Little Dorrit each described such a scheme), but hisoperation took in so much money that it was the first to become known throughout theUnited States. Ponzi's original scheme was based on the arbitrage of international replycoupons for postage stamps; however, he soon diverted investors' money to makepayments to earlier investors and himself. Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary andMain Exam) 2013 –Part 7 80



19. SCIENCE AND SCIENTIFIC ADVANCEMENTS 1. 2,000 black holes on Milky WaygalaxyTwo thousand black holes kicked away from their homes are now living on the outskirts of the Milky Way galaxy, according to a study conducted by researchers of the University of California, Santa Cruz.

The Milky Way is the galaxy that contains our Solar System. This name derives from itsappearance as a dim "milky" glowing band arching across the night sky, in which the nakedeye cannot distinguish individual stars. The term "Milky Way" is a translation of the ClassicalLatin via lacteal. The Milky Way appears like a band because it is a disk-shaped structurebeing viewed from inside. The fact that this faint band of light is made up of stars was provenin 1610 when Galileo Galilei used his telescope to resolve it into individual stars. In the1920s, observations by astronomer Edwin Hubble showed that the Milky Way is just one of many galaxies. The Milky Way is a barred spiral galaxy 100,000 –120,000 light-years indiameter containing 200 –400 billion stars. It may contain at least as many planets. The Solar System is located within the disk, around two thirds of the way out from the Galactic Center,on the inner edge of a spiral-shaped concentration of gas and dust called the Orion Arm.

The stars in the inner ≈10,000 light-years are organized in a bulge and one or more bars.The very center is marked by an intense radio source named Sagittarius A* which is likely tobe a supermassive black hole. Stars and gas throughout the Galaxy rotate about the center at approximately the same speed, which contradicts the laws of Keplerian dynamics. Thisindicates that much of the mass of the Milky Way does not emit or absorb electromagneticradiation; this mass is known as dark matter. The rotational period is about 200 million yearsat the position of the Sun. The Galaxy as a whole is moving at a velocity of 552 to 630 kmper second, depending on the relative frame of reference. The oldest known star in theGalaxy is about 13.2 billion years old, nearly as old as the Universe. Surrounded by severalsmaller satellite galaxies, the Milky Way is part of the Local Group of galaxies, which forms asubcomponent of the Virgo Supercluster.2. A facelift through 3D printing technology

A black hole is a region of spacetime from which gravity prevents anything, including light,from escaping. The theory of general relativity predicts that a sufficiently compact mass willdeform spacetime to form a black hole. Around a black hole there is a mathematicallydefined surface called an event horizon that marks the point of no return. The hole is called"black" because it absorbs all the light that hits the horizon, reflecting nothing, just like aperfect black body in thermodynamics.In what is believed to be the first surgical procedure of its kind in Britain, doctors haveused a pioneering three-dimensional printing technology to create aCurrent Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 81



prosthetic face for a man who had lost almost the entire left side of his face, including hiseye, cheek bone and most of his jaw after suffering from an aggressive form of cancer.



Eric Moger (60), a restaurant manager, said the surgery had transformed his life and hewas ―amazed‖ how he looked now. He was now able to drink water and eat food l ike anormal person. Until now, he was fed and given water through a tube.

3. U.S.' $100-million plan to map human brainBarack Obama has launched an ambitious plan to map the human brain for the first time,in an attempt to seek vital clues for treating diseases such as Parkinson‘s and Alzheimer‘s.The Brain Initiative (Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies)will launch with $100 million of federal funding, and there are hopes that it could createthousands of jobs in spinoff scientific and technological enterprises.The funding — a tiny fraction of the $2.7-billion that the Human Genome Project cost U.S.taxpayers between 1990 and 2005 — will come from the National Institutes of Health (NIH),the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency and the National Science Foundation.The initial funding is enough to jumpstart the project, but it will have to attract a great dealmore cash if it is to do all that the President and NIH hope.Launching the initiative at the White House in April 2013, Mr. Obama called oncompanies, research universities, foundations, and philanthropists to join in one of what he

has identified as the ―grand challenges‖ of the 21st century. Mr. Obama pointed to thelong-term benefits for science, the economy and the human race as a whole of these hugescientific endeavours.The brain contains almost 100 billion neurons, whose workings are mostly guessed at.The project will attempt to map these in action — something that has never been attempted.Scientists will first have to devise a plan of campaign. Just figuring out how to go about it willprobably take a year and require huge effort and invention from computer scientists andmathematicians as well as neuroscientists.The goal is firstly to try to shed light on the development of distressing and increasinglywidespread neurological diseases such as Alzehimer‘s and Parkinson‘s, as well asconditions that develop in childhood such as autism, and acute afflictions that leave peopleseverely disabled like stroke — and hopefully find new ways of treating them.




Beyond that, the project will help scientists understand how the brain works when it isfunctioning as it should.

4. Lab-made kidney holds out hopeIn April 2013, researchers in the United States said they had bio-engineered a kidney andtransplanted it into rats, marking a step forward in a quest to help patients suffering fromkidney failure.The prototype proves that a ―bio-kidney‖ can work, emulating breakthroughs elsewhereto build replacement structures for livers, hearts and lungs, they said.Described in the journal Nature Medicine, the work entailed taking a rat kidney andstripping out its living cells using a detergent solution, leaving behind a shell made of collagen.The next step was to repopulate this empty structure with living cells, comprising humanendothelial cells, which line the walls of blood vessels in the kidney, and kidney cells takenfrom newborn rats.The trick was then to ―seed‖ these cells in the correct part of the kidney, using a muscle

duct called the ureter as a tube.The team transplanted the organ into living rats from which a kidney had been removed.The new kidney started filtering blood and producing urine through the ureter as soon asthe bloody supply was restored, and there was no evidence of bleeding or clots.Harald Ott of the Massachusetts General Hospital Centre for Regenerative Medicine saidthe goal was to help the millions of people with kidney failure whose lives are crimped bydialysis.

5. New light on „dark matter‟In April 2013, an international experiment aboard the International Space Station (ISS)reported the observation of an excess of positrons in the cosmic ray flux, the source of whichcould be the elusive dark matter.

This forms the most important part of the first results from the experiment, called the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS), which were reported by the experiment‘sspokesperson, Nobel Laureate Samuel Ting of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology(MIT) at the meeting of the American Association for Advancement of Science (AAAS) atBoston, Massachusetts.The mysterious dark matter, which is believed to account for a quarter of the universe‘smass-energy balance and is distributed isotropically — invariant withCurrent Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 83



respect to direction — in the space, can be observed indirectly through its gravitationalinteraction with visible matter but is yet to be directly detected.The search for dark matter is one of the objectives of this space-borne AMS even as it isbeing actively searched for in ground-based experiments such as the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and other experiments in deep underground experiments.The instrument is basically a giant magnet and an antimatter detector attached to theoutside of the ISS. It is the most powerful and sensitive particle spectrometer ever deployedin space. It is designed to study the cosmic ray particles, which are charged high-energyparticles that permeate space, before they have a chance to interact with the Earth‘satmosphere.The first AMS results are based on the analysis of about 25 billion recorded primarycosmic ray events.The events were recorded between May 19, 2011 and December 10, 2012. Of these, anunprecedented 6.8 million were unambiguously identified as electrons and their antimatter counterparts, positrons, observed in the energy range 0.5 Giga electron-Volt (GeV) to 350GeV. Of these 6.8 million particles, more than 400,000 were positrons.

In astronomy and cosmology, dark matter is a type of matter hypothesized to account for alarge part of the total mass in the universe. Dark matter cannot be seen directly withtelescopes; evidently it neither emits nor absorbs light or other electromagnetic radiation atany significant level. Instead, its existence and properties are inferred from its gravitationaleffects on visible matter, radiation, and the large-scale structure of the universe. Accordingto the Planck mission team, and based on the standard model of cosmology, the total mass –energy of the universe contains 4.9% ordinary matter, 26.8% dark matter and 68.3% darkenergy. Thus, dark matter is estimated to constitute 84.5% of the total matter in the universe.Dark matter came to the attention of astrophysicists due to discrepancies between the massof large astronomical objects determined from their gravitational effects, and the masscalculated from the "luminous matter" they contain: stars, gas and dust. It was first

postulated by Jan Oort in 1932 to account for the orbital velocities of stars in the Milky Way,and by Fritz Zwicky in 1933 to account for evidence of "missing mass" in the orbital velocitiesof galaxies in clusters. Subsequently, many other observations have indicated the presenceof dark matter in the universe, including the rotational speeds of galaxies by Vera Rubin, inthe 1960s –1970s, gravitational lensing of background objects by galaxy clusters such as theBullet Cluster, the temperature distribution of hot gas in galaxies and clusters of galaxies,and more recently the pattern of anisotropies in the cosmic microwave background. According to consensus among cosmologists, dark matter is composed primarily of a not yetcharacterized type of subatomic particle. The search for this particle, by a variety of means,is one of the major efforts in particle physics today. Current Affairs (Civil ServicesPreliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 84



6. Russia: $50 billion earmarked for space researchRussia will spend more than $50 billion on space research in coming years to reassert itsleading positions in the field, said President Vladimir Putin in April 2013.The government will earmark 1.6 trillion roubles ($51.8 billion) for the space industrythrough 2020 to compensate for underfunding in previous years and catch up in areas where

Russia is lagging behind, Mr. Putin told a government meeting in Russia‘s Far East after inspecting the new Vostochny (Eastern) launch pad under construction in the Amur region.Mr. Putin unveiled the ambitious space programme on the 52nd anniversary of YuriGagarin‘s first human flight to space, which put the Soviet Union ahead of the United Statesin the space race.The Russian leader called for a shift in emphasis from manned space flights to other programmes, where Russia was trailing other space powers.In recent years Russia‘s space programme has suffered a number of setbacks, includingthe loss of several Mars probes and earth satellites. This has led to delays and cuts in other programmes, including an Indo-Russian mission to the Moon.Mr. Putin said the government was prioritising the construction of the Vostochnycosmodrome — launched last year in the sparsely populated Amur region, about 100 km

from the border with China. The cosmodrome is to become operational in 2015 and willoperate manned flights from 2018.

7. A shortcut to the space stationIn April 2013, a Russian-American crew arrived at the International Space Station (ISS)after a fast-track trip from Earth of under six hours, the swiftest ever manned journey to theorbiting laboratory. A NASA astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts opened the hatches of their Soyuz-TMAspaceship and floated into the ISS to a warm welcome from the three incumbent crew, livepictures broadcast on Russian television showed.Their record-breaking trip from Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to docking with theISS lasted less than six hours, slashing the usual travel time by some 45 hours.

Previously, trips to the ISS had taken over two full days as spaceships orbited the Earth30 times before docking. However, under a new technique, the Soyuz capsule only orbitedEarth four times before docking.The quick journey — dubbed by NASA‘s official television commentator as a ―chase intospace‖ — has been made possible by launching the Soyuz just after the ISS passesoverhead in orbit.Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 85



After reaching orbit, the Soyuz capsule had just over 1,600 km to make up to catch upwith the ISS, which it achieved with improved thrusters and manoeuvring.The manned flight comes after Russia successfully sent three unmanned Progress supplycapsules in August, October and February to the station via the short six-hour route.

8. Decoding a living fossilThe International Space Station (ISS) is a habitable artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. Itfollows the Salyut, Almaz, Skylab and Mir stations as the ninth space station to be inhabited.The ISS is a modular structure whose first component was launched in 1998. Now thelargest artificial body in orbit, it can often be seen at the appropriate time with the naked eyefrom Earth. The ISS consists of pressurised modules, external trusses, solar arrays andother components. ISS components have been launched by American Space Shuttles aswell as Russian Proton and Soyuz rockets. Budget constraints led to the merger of threespace station projects with the Japanese Kibō module and Canadian robotics. In 1993 thepartially built components for a Soviet/Russian space station Mir-2, the proposed AmericanFreedom, and the proposed European Columbus merged into a single multinational

programme. The ISS serves as a microgravity and space environment research laboratory inwhich crew members conduct experiments in biology, human biology, physics, astronomy,meteorology and other fields. The station is suited for the testing of spacecraft systems andequipment required for missions to the Moon and Mars. The station has been continuouslyoccupied for 12 years and 178 days, having exceeded the previous record of almost 10years (or 3,634 days) held by Mir, in 2010. The station is serviced by Soyuz spacecraft,Progress spacecraft, the Automated Transfer Vehicle, the H-II Transfer Vehicle, and theDragon spacecraft. It has been visited by astronauts and cosmonauts from 15 differentnations. The ISS programme is a joint project among five participating space agencies:NASA, the Russian Federal Space Agency, JAXA, ESA, and CSA. The ownership and useof the space station is established by intergovernmental treaties and agreements. Thestation is divided into two sections, the Russian orbital segment (ROS) and the United States

orbital segment (USOS), which is shared by many nations. The ISS is maintained at anorbital altitude of between 330 km (205 mi) and 435 km (270 mi). It completes 15.7 orbits per day.In the hope of reconstructing a pivotal step in evolution — the colonisation of land by fishthat learned to walk and breathe air — researchers have decoded the genome of thecoelacanth, a prehistoric-looking fish whose form closely resembles those seen in the fossilsof 400 million years ago.Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 86



Often called a living fossil, the coelacanth (pronounced SEE-luh-canth) was long believedto have fallen extinct 70 million years ago, until a specimen was recognised in a fish marketin South Africa in 1938.The coelacanth has fleshy, lobed fins that look somewhat like limbs, as does the lungfish,an air-breathing freshwater fish. The coelacanth and the lungfish have long been battling for the honour of which is closer to the ancestral fish that first used fins to walk on land and giverise to the tetrapods, meaning all the original vertebrates and their descendants, fromreptiles and birds to mammals.The decoding of the coelacanth genome, reported in the journal Nature in April 2013 , is avictory for the lungfish as the closer relative to the first tetrapod.

9. The bubble bursts on e-currency BitcoinMany saw it coming, but that didn‘t stop the Bitcoin bubble from bursting: after rising todizzying heights, the digital currency suffered its first true crash in April 2013.

10. Russia launches bio-satellite

Bitcoin (BTC) is a digital currency first described in a 2008 paper by pseudonymousdeveloper Satoshi Nakamoto, who called it a peer-to-peer, electronic cash system. Bitcoincreation and transfer is based on an open source cryptographic protocol and is not managedby any central authority. Each bitcoin is subdivided into 100 million smaller units calledsatoshis, defined by eight decimal places. Bitcoins can be transferred through a computer or smartphone without an intermediate financial institution. The processing of bitcointransactions is automated by servers called bitcoin miners. These servers communicate over an internet-based network and confirm transactions by adding them to a ledger which isupdated and archived periodically. In addition to archiving transactions each new ledger update creates some newly-minted bitcoins. The number of new bitcoins created in eachupdate is halved every 4 years until the year 2140 where this number will round down tozero. At that time no more bitcoins will be added into circulation and the total number of

bitcoins will top out at 21 million bitcoins. Bitcoin is accepted in trade by various merchantsand individuals in many parts of the world. A large share of such commercial use is believedto be for illicit drug and gambling transactions. Although bitcoin is promoted as a digitalcurrency, many commentators have criticized Bitcoin's volatile market value, relativelyinflexible supply, and minimal use in trade.In April 2013, Russia launched an ‗orbital Noah‘s Ark‘ to space — a bio-satellite packedwith an array of mice and other small creatures to study the effects of long flights on livingorganisms. Russia‘s latest BION-M1 biological research capsule carrying 45 mice, eightMongolian gerbils, 15 geckos, snails, fish eggs,Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 87



Transmissions from all three PhoneSats have been received at multiple ground stationson Earth, indicating they are operating normally.

13. Quantum biology mimicked in labFor the first time scientists have engineered a series of molecules that show quantumeffects similar to that observed in the light-harvesting complexes. Greg Engel‘s group inUniversity of Chicago have been able to both understand as well as mimic the efficientmechanism of light transfer happening in plants. Aside from other benefits, this would lead to the production of artificial energy-transfer devices which could use the mechanism efficiently.

Quantum biology refers to applications of quantum mechanics to biological objects andproblems. Usually, it is taken to refer to applications of the "non-trivial" quantum featuressuch as superposition, nonlocality, entanglement and tunneling, as opposed to the "trivial"applications such as chemical bonding which apply to biology only indirectly by dictatingquantum chemistry. Austrian born physicist and theoretical biologist Erwin Schrödinger was

one of the first scientists to suggest a study of quantum biology in his 1944 book "What isLife?" Many biological processes involve the conversion of energy into forms that are usablefor chemical transformations and are quantum mechanical in nature. Such processes involvechemical reactions, light absorption, formation of excited electronic states, transfer of excitation energy, and the transfer of electrons and protons (hydrogen ions) in chemicalprocesses such as photosynthesis and cellular respiration. Quantum biology usescomputation to model biological interactions in light of quantum mechanical effects. Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 89



20. WOMEN PERSONALITIES 1. Margaret Thatcher deadMargaret Thatcher, Britain‘s first woman Prime Minister who led the Conservative partyfor more than a decade through one of the most tumultuous periods in modern British historyand became a deeply divisive political figure, died in April 2013.

Margaret Hilda Thatcher was a British politician who was the Prime Minister of the UnitedKingdom from 1979 to 1990 and the Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990.She was the longest-serving British Prime Minister of the 20th century and is the onlywoman (and only scientist) to have held the office. A Soviet journalist called her the "IronLady", a nickname that became associated with her uncompromising politics and leadershipstyle. As Prime Minister, she implemented policies that have come to be known asThatcherism. Upon moving into 10 Downing Street, Thatcher introduced a series of politicaland economic initiatives intended to reverse high unemployment and Britain's struggles inthe wake of the Winter of Discontent and an ongoing recession. Her political philosophy andeconomic policies emphasised deregulation (particularly of the financial sector), flexiblelabour markets, the privatisation of state-owned companies, and reducing the power andinfluence of trade unions. Thatcher's popularity during her first years in office waned amid

recession and high unemployment, until the 1982 Falklands War brought a resurgence of support, resulting in her re-election in 1983. Thatcher was re-elected for a third term in 1987.During this period her support for a Community Charge (popularly referred to as "poll tax")was widely unpopular and her views on the European Community were not shared by othersin her Cabinet. She resigned as Prime Minister and party leader in November 1990.Thatcherism claims to promote low inflation, the small state, and free markets through tightcontrol of the money supply, privatisation and constraints on the labour movement. It is oftencompared with Reaganomics in the United States, Economic Rationalism in Australia andRogernomics in New Zealand and as a key part of the worldwide neoliberal movement.2. Two women from Fata make poll historyFor the first time in Pakistan history, two tribal women decided to contest National Assembly elections. In doing so, they not only challenged tribal customs but also risked

drawing the ire of terrorists who have increasingly begun targeting women for stepping out of their homes.While Badam Zari (42) is from Bajaur tribal agency, Nusrat Begum is from the adjoiningLower Dir district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly North West Frontier Province). Both arecontesting as independents and are aware of the risks they face.Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 90



3. She came, she saw, she wroteRuth Prawer Jhabvala, the Booker Prize and Oscar-winning novelist and screenwriter who died in April 2013 at the age of 85, was a remarkable literary hybrid of the 20th century,her fiction and screenplays fashioned from a life of continual alienation and exile. She spokeof ―changing countries like lovers‖ and of being a ―perennial refugee.‖ Although much of her best-known fiction was set in India, from The Householder (1960) to Heat and Dust(1975), she was both celebrated and reviled for her intense emotions about the country. Sheonce compared the feeling to being strapped to a bicycle wheel — a love-hate relationshipthat took her decades to break away from.

4. Malala announces first donation from fundRuth Prawer Jhabvala was a German-born British and American Booker prize-winningnovelist, short story writer and two-time Academy Award-winning screenwriter. She isperhaps best known for her long collaboration with Merchant Ivory Productions, made up of director James Ivory and the late producer Ismail Merchant. Jhabvala wrote a dozen novels,23 screenplays and eight collections of short. She is the only person to have won both aBooker Prize and an Oscar.

Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani schoolgirl shot in the head by the Taliban, hasannounced the first grant of $45,000 from the Malala Fund for girls‘ education to anunnamed organisation in Pakistan‘s Swat Valley. The grant has been given to support theeducation of 40 girls, aged five to 12, who would otherwise be forced into domestic labour.Malala, who now attends Edgbaston High School for Girls in Birmingham, set up theMalala Fund following the Taliban‘s assassination attempt back in October 2012.The fund is run by a board of trustees, including Malala and her family, with the support of the Vital Voices Global Partnership, founded by former US secretary of state Hilary Clinton.

5. UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women to visit IndiaSeemingly part of the world-wide apprehension about the rising cases of violence againstwomen in India, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on violence against women,

Rashida Manjoo, will visit India from April 22 to May 1.

6. CRPF gets its first woman Special DGSenior IPS officer Aruna Bahuguna will be the new Special Director General of the CRPF,the country‘s largest paramilitary force.Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 91



Ms. Bahuguna will be the first ever woman to occupy the post, which is second only toforce‘s chief in hierarchy.The appointment orders for the 1979-batch Andhra Pradesh cadre officer, were issued in April 2013.

7. V.S. Ramadevi passes awayThe former Governor of Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh, V.S. Ramadevi, died in April2013. She was the Chief Election Commissioner of India from 26 November 1990 to 11December 1990. She was the first woman to become Chief Election Commissioner of India.

8. Shakuntala DeviThe ‗human computer‘, ‗mental calculator‘, math whiz Shakuntala Devi passed away in April 2013 at the age of 80.Ms. Devi held a Guinness World Record for her lightening-speed calculations. Among her distinctions was her ability to, given a date in the last century, mentally ascertain the day.

9. India‟s richest woman asked to vacate houseIn April 2013, Savitri Jindal, said to be India‘s richest woman, was asked by the Punjaband Haryana High Court to vacate her government house within 15 days, which she wasoccupying illegally.

10. Mesmerising voice of Shamshad Begum falls silentIn April 2013, Shamshad Begum, one of the earliest and most versatile playback singersfrom the golden age of Bollywood music, died after prolonged illness. She was 94.Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 92



21. SPORTS 1. Chennai to host world chess championshipReigning world chess champion Viswanathan Anand will defend his title againstchallenger Magnus Carlsen of Norway in November 2013 in Chennai. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa informed the State Assembly that the World Championship for 2013would be held in Anand‘s hometown between November 6 and 26 and the governmentwould allot Rs. 29 crore for the event.

2. Fernando Alonso imperious in victoryIn April 2013, Ferrari‘s Fernando Alonso emerged unscathed to take victory in a drama-packed Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai, with the Lotus of Kimi Raikkonen and Mercedes‘Lewis Hamilton holding on for second and third. A charging Sebastian Vettel came fourth, just 0.2 seconds behind Hamilton, after adopting a different tyre strategy from most of his rivals, while his Red Bull team-mate MarkWebber failed to finish.

3. Scott first Aussie to win at AugustaIn April 2013, Adam Scott sank a 10-foot birdie putt on the second play-off hole to beat

Angel Cabrera and win the 77th Masters at Augusta in USA, becoming the first Australiangolfer to capture the green jacket.

The Masters Tournament is a golf competition that was established in 1934, with HortonSmith winning the inaugural tournament. The Masters is the first of four major championships to be played each year, with the final round of the Masters always beingscheduled for the second Sunday in April. The Masters is the only one of the four majors touse the same course every year; the Augusta National Golf Club. Masters champions areautomatically invited to play in the other three majors (the U.S. Open, the OpenChampionship (British Open), and the PGA Championship) for the next five years, and earna lifetime invitation to the Masters. They also receive membership on the PGA Tour for thefollowing five seasons and invitations to the Players Championship for the five years

following their victory. The champion also receives the "Green Jacket", the first one beingwon by Sam Snead in 1949. The champion takes the jacket home for a year and returns itthereafter. A multiple-time champion will only have one jacket unless his size changesdramatically. Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 93



4. Vettel scorches the desert yet againSebastian Vettel extended his lead in this year‘s title race when he claimed victory for Red Bull at the Bahrain Grand Prix in April 2013.

5. Gayle storm tears through PuneIn April 2013, Chris Gayle smashed 17 sixes in his unbeaten 175 off 66 balls againstPune Warriors India in Bangalore. Both the fastest-ever Twenty20 hundred (30 balls) andthe IPL‘s highest individual score, it powered Royal Challengers Bangalore to a 130-runvictory.Current Affairs (Civil Services Preliminary and Main Exam) 2013 –Part 7 9422. ASSIGNMENTS 1. Paid news is a complex problem – Comment. 2. ―At the root of poor

governance is our lethargy for change, whether it is in the implementation of schemes or adherence

to values…Lack of good governance has been identified as the root cause of many of the serious

deficiencies in society. It robs the citizenry of their security, and their social and economic rights.‖-

Comment 3. ―B.R. Ambedkar had successfully synthesised the thought of Karl Marx and the

teachings of the Buddha‖ – Comment.

current affairs 7th

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