current affairs may 2015

May 2015 Current Affairs

www.jagranjosh.com 1

Current Affairs May 2015

2 www.jagranjosh.com

PREFACE 23

PICK OF THE MONTH 24

Black Money in India: Genesis, Nature and Measures 24

Environmental Democracy Index 2015 29

Draft Outline of Gold Monetization Scheme released 32

State of Food Insecurity in the World 2015 report released 36

India and China Signed 24 Agreements 37

GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) System fully operationalised 41

Mumbai Indians won IPL 2015 title 42

Mumbai KEM Nurse Aruna Shanbaug died after 42-years in coma 43

INTERNATIONAL 45

Union Cabinet approved Agreement on Coastal and Maritime Shipping between

India and Bangladesh 45

US removed Cuba from terror blacklist to strengthen ties with Cuba 46

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) of USA granted work Permit for H-4 visa

holders 47

UNSC adopted resolution on protection of journalists in conflict zones 47

US state of Nebraska abolished death penalty 48

NATO launched Arctic Challenge Exercise in the north of Norway, Sweden and Fin-

land 49

Forbes released the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women 2015 list 49

India and Vietnam signed Joint Vision Statement on Defence Cooperation 2015-

2020 52

UAE launched Strategic Framework for its Space Agency 52



9th Session of the India-South Africa Joint Ministerial Commission held in Durban

53

Six Major Banks fined 5.7 billion US dollars on Forex Benchmark Rates manipula-

tion charges 54

EU approved plan to use Naval Force to combat Smugglers and tackle Migration

crisis 56

US President Obama banned certain military-style equipment provided to US police

57

India, South Korea signed 7 agreements to upgrade relations to special strategic

partnership level 57

India and Mongolia signed 13 agreements to enhance bilateral relations 59

Former Army Brigadier David Granger sworn-in as eighth President of Guyana 62

Palestinians observed 67th Nakba Day 62

PM Narendra Modi announced e-Visa facility for Chinese Tourists 63

Vatican recognised Palestine as State in the Holy See-Palestine Joint Statement 64

North Korea successfully test-fired Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile 65

India, Russia signed 11 MoIs for Higher Academic Cooperation 66

UK General election 2015: Conservative Party won majority by securing 331 seats

66

Philippines and Japan coast guards held anti-piracy drills in Manila Bay 67

India, Iran signed inter-Governmental MoU for development of Chabahar Port 68

Forbes released Global 2000 Companies list 69

Canadian House of Commons approved Anti-Terror Act, 2015 70

French Parliament approved Surveillance Law to prevent terrorist attack 71

France signed 7.02 billion US dollar agreement with Qatar to supply 24 Rafale fight-



er jets 73

Australia announced new punishments for foreigner investors breaking rules on

buying property 74

Third India-Tunisia Foreign Office Consultations held in Tunis 74

NATIONAL 76

20th Law Commission submitted report on Guardianship and Custody Laws to the

Union Law Ministry 76

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Doordarshan’s farmer-centric Kisan TV

Channel 78

India Meteorological Department signed MoU with POSOCO Ltd to increase effi-

ciency of power sector 78

Bengaluru airport signed a contract with SITA to allow self check-in from June 2015

79

Union Government launched Road Asset Management System for National High-

ways 80

Union Government decided to implement NERS for women in distress 81

Union Government launched kayakalp Award Scheme to improve cleanliness in

Public Health Facilities 82

Union Ministry of Minority Affairs launched USTAAD Scheme for Traditional Artisans

83

Union Government approved Gujarat State Climate Change Action Plan 2015-2020

84

Union Cabinet approved amendments to Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation)

Amendment Bill, 2012 85



Supreme Court issued Guidelines on Regulating Government Advertisements 87

Lok Sabha passed Repealing and Amending Bill, 2015 88

Lok Sabha passed Juvenile Justice Amendment Bill 2014 89

Union Government launched Credit Enhancement Guarantee Scheme for Sched-

uled Castes 90

Rajya Sabha passed 119th Constitutional Amendment Bill on LBA between India

and Bangladesh 91

World’s largest solar photovoltaic plant of 750 MW to be built in Rewa district of

Madhya Pradesh 92

Union Ministry of Tourism released Draft National Tourism Policy 2015 93

Nitin Gadkari dedicated two Major Highway Projects in the North East to the Nation

94

First meeting of Sub-Group of CMs on Swachh Bharat Mission held in New Delhi 95

Nadia in West Bengal became the first open defecation-free (ODF) district of India

96

ECONOMY 97

CSO released Provisional Estimates of National Income for FY 2014-15 97

Finance Minister inaugurated Bank Note Paper Line unit in Hoshangabad, MP 99

RBI released Draft Guidelines on Net Stable Funding Ratio for Banks 100

RBI proposed to introduce PPI for Mass Transit Systems 101

Union Ministry of Corporate Affairs notified the Companies (Amendment) Act, 2014

103

Expert committee on Health Insurance recommended changes in disclaimer word-

ings 104



Union Cabinet approved revised FDI norms for NRIs, PIOs and OCIs 105

Union Cabinet gave its approval for setting up Ammonia-Urea Complex at Namrup

in Assam 106

Union finance Ministry constituted Shah Committee to look into the issue of MAT

on FIIs 107

SEBI notified the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Mutual Funds) Regula-

tions, 2015 108

Union Government sanctioned 30 new cold storage projects 109

Union government allocated 5000 crore for development of AYUSH 110

RBI allowed Tap And Pay without PIN for transactions up to 2000 rupees 110

CCEA gave its approval for 5% disinvestment in NTPC and 10% in Indian Oil Cor-

poration 111

Lok Sabha approved Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Bill, 2015 112

RBI released the report titled State Finances: A Study of Budgets of 2014-15 113

Moody’s released the report Global Macro Outlook: 2015-16 114

PM inaugurated upgraded IISCO Steel Plant in Burnpur housing largest blast fur-

nace plant of India 116

RBI advised all Public Sector Banks to appoint Internal Ombudsman 116

PM Narendra Modi launched Atal Pension Yojana (APY) for unorganised sector

workers 117

PM Narendra Modi launched Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) for

accidental Insurance Cover 119

PM launched Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) in Kolkata 120

Union Government, ADB signed loan agreement worth 31 Million US dollars 121

Union Cabinet gave nod for revised Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA)



with South Korea 122

Union Cabinet approved foreign investments into Real Estate Investment Trusts

(REITs) 122

CCEA approved hike in investment limit for cases requiring prior approval of FIPB

123

CCEA Permitted Central Government agencies to invest beyond 26 percent in

Mega Food Parks 124

Lok Sabha passed the Goods and Services Tax Bill, 2014 125

Union Government made PAN mandatory for Central Excise Registration 126

DoT extended deadline of full implementation of Mobile Number Portability (MNP)

till 3 July 2015 127

Union finance Ministry exempted MAT for foreign investors 127

ENVIRONMENT | ECOLOGY 129

Himachal Pradesh set up satellite tracking system to check forest fire 129

48 tigers in non-protected Chandrapur forest areas of Maharashtra: WCT Survey

129

Blue whales spotted for the 1st time in 100 years off Sindhudurg coast in Maha-

rashtra 131

Ecologists found a new species of fish called Pethia striata in Western Ghats, Kar-

nataka 132

Maria Elena South, driest place on earth, discovered in Atacama Desert 132

New Catfish Species Glyptothorax Senapatiensis discovered in Manipur 133

Opah, the world’s first fully warm-blooded fish species, discovered by researchers

134



IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) adopted environmental

section of Polar Code 135

Indian Scientists found a rare plant with anti-cancer properties in Western Ghats137

Union Cabinet Approved Namami Gange programme under National Ganga River

Basin Authority (NGRBA) 137

Asiatic lion population in Gir sanctuary increased to 523: Lion Census report 2015

139

NGT imposed monthly tax on all households in Delhi 140

India home to 48 of the 250 known species of bumblebees: Indian Bumblebees 140

Global warming will lead to extinction of 1 in 6 species by end of century: Study 141

CORPORATE 143

Shantanu Khosla resigned as Managing Director of Procter and Gamble India 143

RBI notified FIIs to invest up to 49 percent in Gammon Infrastructure Projects Lim-

ited 143

Snapdeal acquired Hyderabad-based startup MartMobi 144

ICICI Bank launched Voice Recognition Service for Biometric Authentication 145

UBS AG Bank of Switzerland agreed to pay 203 million US dollars for manipulating

LIBOR 145

A Vellayan stepped aside as Chairman of Murugappa Group Corporate Board 146

Huewei launched LiteOS, world’s most lightweight IoT operating system (OS) 147

SAIL and ArcelorMittal signed MoU to set up Automotive Steel Plant in India 148

New headquarter of Coal India Ltd inaugurated at Rajarhat 149

UP FDA asked Nestle to withdraw 2014 batch of Maggi 149

GMR Infra signed MoU with GIIC for developing Kakinada SEZ 150



Infosys announced to become carbon neutral by 2018 151

Infosys became the first Indian Company to Join RE100 Renewable Energy Cam-

paign 152

Apple Inc acquired GPS firm Coherent Navigations to improve Apple mapping ca-

pabilities 153

Reliance Jio signed pact with Huawei for sourcing 4G devices 154

PM Modi inaugurated ICICI’s first branch in China at Shanghai 154

Askme acquired BestAtLowest.com for 10 million US dollar 155

Islamic clothing company East Essence tied up with Snapdeal 156

SBI launched contact-less card called sbiINTOUCH 156

Deepak Iyer appointed as MD and CEO of Bharti AXA General Insurance 157

Facebook signed up with nine news publishers to launch Instant Articles 157

Nikesh Arora appointed as President of Japan’s SoftBank Corp. 158

US-based company mGage acquired Unicel Technologies 158

Arun Pudur topped Wealth-X List of Asia’s Wealthiest Entrepreneurs Under 40 159

SBI launched RuPay Platinum Debit Card in association with NPCI 160

Myntra.com acquired startup firm Native5 Software Solutions Pvt Ltd 161

Paytm tied-up with CCD, Domino’s for offline payment 162

Vedanta Limited launched new logo 163

Maharashtra FDA ordered to file a FIR against Snapdeal and its CEO Kunal Behl163

Tesla Motors launched solar energy based Powerwall battery system 164

Microsoft named its next Web Browser as Edge 165

Union Ministry of Corporate Affairs launched Form-INC-29 for easier establishment

of companies 166



SCIENCE | TECHNOLOGY 167

China unveiled world’s first facial recognition ATM machine 167

NRI scientist Latha Venkataraman created first single-molecule device 168

US Army developed Blast proof wallpaper to protect soldiers from explosions 168

NASA’s Spacecraft provided first direct measurement for Type Ia Supernovae

caused by white dwarfs 169

ISRO announced to launch ASTROSAT in October 2015 171

Japanese Scientists discovered new state of matter called Jahn-Teller-metal 172

NASA’s Ten-Engine Electric Plane GL-10 Prototype Completed Successful Flight

Test 172

NASA ended operations of MESSENGER Mission to Mercury 173

SPORTS 175

Mohun Bagan won I-League title of football after 13 years 175

Deepika Kumari won bronze in Archery World Cup 175

Barcelona Football Club won King’s Cup title for 27th time 176

Sepp Blatter re-elected as FIFA President 176

Sevilla FC won Europa League title 177

Union Sports Ministry gave nod for creation of RSFs by recognising federations of

indigenous sports 178

Trevor Bayliss appointed as head coach of England Cricket Team 179

CS Santosh presented with 2014 FMSCI Motorsport Man of the Year Award 179

Kumar Sangakkara named CEAT International Cricketer of the Year 2015 180

Abhinav Bindra became 4th Indian shooter to qualify for 2016 Rio Olympics 181

Seven FIFA Officials arrested on bribery charges in Zurich by Switzerland authori-

ties 182



Indian boxer won four Gold Medals at Doha International Boxing tournament 2015

183

Indian boxers won three Gold at World Junior Women’s boxing Championship 183

BCCI recommended Contract system for Indian women cricket team 184

Shuttler Saina Nehwal of India ranked No.1 in single rankings released by BWF 185

British magazine SportsPro released World’s 50 Most Marketable 2015 report 185

Joe Root and Charlotte Edwards named England cricketers of the year 2014-15 187

Maria Sharapova of Russia won the women’s single of Italian Tennis Open for third

time 187

Brad Haddin, the Australia wicketkeeper retired from ODI cricket 188

Novak Djokovic won 4th Rome Masters Tennis title 189

Gagan Narang Won Bronze in 50m Rifle Prone Men Event at ISSF Rifle/Pistol World

Cup in Fort Benning 189

Lee Alan Johnson named Head Coach of U-19 football team of India 190

Discus thrower Vikas Gowda won Gold at Jamaican International Invitation meet

190

Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg of Germany won Spanish Grand Prix of Formula

One 191

Andy Murray of Britain won the men’s singles title of Madrid Tennis Open 191

Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic won the women’s singles title of Madrid Tennis

Open 192

Rohan Bopanna, Florin Mergea won Men’s Doubles title of Madrid Tennis Open 192

Indian Army emerged champions in 19th Federation Cup National Athletic Champi-

onships 193

Floyd Mayweather Jr. defeated Manny Pacquiao to win Fight of the Century of Box-



ing 193

Roger Federer won the inaugural Istanbul Open Tennis Men’s Singles Title 194

Sandeep Jajodia removed as the president of Boxing India (BI) 194

Chelsea won Barclays Premier League 2014-15 title with 1-0 win over Crystal Pal-

ace 195

Railways won the 5th Hockey India Senior Women National Championship 2015196

Union Sports Ministry recognised Motor Sports as a Sports under NSF 196

STATE 198

Andhra Pradesh brought 16 Sectors under Swiss Challenge method to develop

Infrastructure 198

Maharashtra CM sets up a high powered task force to develop IFSC 199

Tripura withdrew AFSPA from state 199

Ajanmi Beti Ke liye Daud organised for the cause of saving girl child in Himachal

Pradesh 200

Delhi Government approved mandatory GPS in public transport from June 2015201

Delhi government tied-up with Rotary club to revamp government schools 202

Tamil Nadu CM announced welfare schemes worth 1800 crore rupees 202

Uttar Pradesh government amended State Film Policy to woo tourism 203

Andaman & Nicobar Police proposed to reserve 33% seats for women 203

World Bank approved 250 million dollar credit for Enhancing Teacher Effectiveness

in Bihar 204

Mumbai’s Siddhivinayak temple received ISO 9001-2008 certification 206

Maharashtra to amend Factories Act, 1948 to allow women to work in night shifts

207



TP Senkumar appointed as DGP of Kerala 208

JICA agreed to lend 1165 crore rupees for Odisha Transmission System Improve-

ment Project 208

Delhi Government decided to launch Pay & Play Scheme to promote sports 209

Draupadi Murmu sworn in as first woman Governor of Jharkhand 210

Himachal Pradesh to host Paragliding World Cup 2015 210

Maharashtra government banned digging of borewells deeper than 200 feet 211

MHRD Gave Nod For Setting Up IIIT in Nagpur, Maharashtra 211

Punjab government launched pan-state programme to monitor the soil health of

every farm 212

Telangana Government signed MoU with Google to build a campus in Hyderabad

213

UP Government launched Samajwadi Shudha Payjal Yojna for UP Roadways bus

stations 214

India Post launched Dedicated E-Commerce Centre in New Delhi 215

Hyderabad to host Indo-Global Pharma Expo and Summit 2015 in July 215

MIDC signed a MoU with SIDBI Venture Capital Ltd to fund MSMEs 216

Goa Government launched hot air balloon & amphibious vehicles 216

Haryana Government included Deaflympics in its sports policy 217

High Court of Gujarat ordered shutting down of 67 sand mines in Gir Forest Sanc-

tuary 218

ss 218

Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar launched Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme

in state 218

Haryana Government notified 163 services under Right to Service Act, 2014 219



Rajasthan Government signed deal with NHM, UNICEF & GAIN to counter malnour-

ishment 219

BHEL commissioned 195 MW Thermal Unit of KBUNL in Bihar 220

Dr Mahesh Sharma inaugurated Puducherry Science Centre and Planetarium 221

NTPC signed MoA with Jharkhand Government for maintaining Patratu Thermal

Power Station 221

Cow-urine refinery inaugurated at Pathmeda village for research on cow products

222

Andhra Pradesh and Telangana introduced 5 lakh rupees Accident Insurance

Scheme for transport 223

NEWS CAPSULE 224

PERSON IN NEWS 224

Ex-Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili appointed as Governor of Ukraine’s

Odessa region 224

Yaduveer of Wodeyar dynasty crowned as 27th Maharaja of Mysuru 225

Nirbhay Sharma sworn in as Governor of Mizoram 225

Manabi Bandopadhyay became first transgender principal of Krishnagar Women’s

College 226

Shanmuganthan sworn in as Meghalaya Governor 227

US President Barack Obama entered Guinness Book of World Record 227

Indian-Origin Harbhajan Kaur Dheer became first Asian woman elected as Mayor in

UK 228

Indian-origin Priti Patel appointed as Minister of State for Employment in British

Government 228



Mhairi Black became the youngest lawmaker of Britain 229

Person Resigned 230

Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair resigned as Special Envoy of the Middle East

Quartet 230

O Panneerselvam resigned as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu 230

Person Appointed 232

Former Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo appointed as Chancellor of Nalanda

University 232

Muhammadu Buhari assumed the office of President of Nigeria 232

G Satheesh Reddy appointed as Scientific Advisor to Union Defence Minister 233

Veena Jain appointed as Director General of Doordarshan News 234

S Christopher appointed as Director General of DRDO 235

Sunil D’Souza appointed as MD of Whirlpool India 235

Ranjit Singh Baxi elected as Head of Bureau of International Recycling 236

Manoj Mishra appointed as CMD of National Fertilizers Limited 237

J Jayalalithaa sworn-in as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for fifth time 237

Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) appointed G Mohan Kumar as De-

fence Secretary 238

Akhil Reed Amar appointed as member of the National Council on Humanities of

US 239

SS Ahluwalia appointed as Chairman of JPC on Land Acquisition Amendment Bill,

2015 239

Peter M Christian elected as eighth President of Micronesia 240



MJ Joseph appointed as Controller General of Accounts 240

Arvind Saxena appointed as a Member of Union Public Service Commission 241

President authorized Justice Cyriac Joseph to act as interim NHRC Chaiperson 242

KV Kamath appointed as first President of New Development Bank of BRICS na-

tions 242

K Satish Reddy appointed as Chairman of National Safety Council (NSC) 243

Achal Kumar Jyoti appointed as Election Commissioner 244

Surender Singh took over as Director General of CISF 245

Person Died 246

Doris Hart, winner of three Wimbledon titles in a day, died at 89 246

Eminent American Photographer Mary Ellen Mark passed away 246

Director-Producer Marty Pasetta passed away 247

Argentine footballer Cristian Gomez died 248

British actor Terry Sue-Patt passed away 248

Nobel Awardee mathematician John Forbes Nash Jr. died 249

Veteran jazz musician Bob Belden passed away 250

Eminent Economist Mrinal Datta Chaudhuri passed away 250

Actress Sudha Shivpuri died 251

Bengali Writer Suchitra Bhattacharya passed away 252

Riley B. King, the King of Blues, passed away 252

Peter Gay, Eminent American historian on European Thought passed away 253

Pop artist Chris Burden passed away 253

Hollywood actress Elizabeth Wilson passed away 254

Eminent historian Amalendu Guha passed away 255



Oscar Holderer, the US moon rocket expert, died 255

Lu Ping, Chinese diplomat who oversaw Hong Kong transition, died 256

Baleshwar Ram, former Union Minister passed away 256

Veteran Journalist Amitabha Chowdhury passed away at 88 257

Michael Blake, Oscar-winning author, passed away 258

Russian ballet legend Maya Plisetskaya died 258

Awards | Honours 260

Anand Kumar, Founder of Super 30, honoured in Canada 260

Two Indians posthumously named for UN’s Dag Hammarskjold Medal 260

Indian Film Masaan won FIPRESCI Award at 68th Cannes film festival 262

Cannes Films Festival 2015: French director Jacques Audiard bagged Palme d’Or

262

Hungarian writer Laszlo Krasznahorkai won the 2015 Man Booker International

Prize 264

Indian-American Harkeert Singh Saini won Prestigious Police Award in Texas, US

265

Anurradha Prasad conferred with Pt. Haridutt Sharma Award for Journalism and

Social Services 266

Indian-American boy Karan Menon won 2015 National Geographic Bee Champion-

ship 266

President Pranab Mukherjee conferred the Presidential Awards for Classical Tamil

267

Indian-American Sivanadane Mandjiny won UNC Board of Governors 2015 Award

268



Indian-American professor Dr. Sivanadane Mandjiny won UNC’s 2015 Award for

Excellence in Teaching 268

Indian author Neel Mukherjee won 2014 Encore Award for The Lives of Others 269

Veteran Bollywood actor Shashi Kapoor bestowed with Dada Saheb Phalke award

270

French magazine Charlie Hebdo presented with Freedom of Expression Courage

Award 2015 270

Mazen Darwish honoured with 2015 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Free-

dom Prize 271

Four Indians to be conferred with 2015 Spring Imperial Decorations of Japan 272

Plan | Programme 274

National Smart Grid Mission: Institutional mechanism to oversee Smart Grid Initia-

tives 274

Inventions | Discoveries 276

17th Century Scottish pirate captain William Kidd treasure found in Madagascar276

Places in News 277

Palmyra, an ancient Syrian city, captured by ISIS militants 277

Nelong Valley in Uttarakhand opened first time for tourists after closure in 1962 278

PM Narendra Modi concluded his three-nation tour to China, Mongolia and South

Korea 278

Tamils in Sri Lanka commemorated war dead for the first time at Mullivaikkal village

280

A paleo channel claimed as River Saraswati identified in Muglawali village of Hary-



ana 281

Exhibition | Fair 283

Fourth North East Youth Festival concluded in Jorhat district of Assam 283

Books | Authors 284

The China Model written by Daniel A Bell 284

Book titled Super Economies by Raghav Bahl released 285

Book titled Ahmedabad: A City in the World by Amrita Shah released 285

The Pakistan Paradox written by Christrophe Jaffrelot 286

Complete Story of Indian Reforms: 2G, Power & Private Enterprise written by

Pradeep Baijal 287

Book titled Unbelievable – Delhi to Islamabad written by Prof Bhim Singh released

287

A Book titled China – Confucius in the Shadows written by Poonam Surie released

288

Defence | Security 289

Indigenously developed Astra Missile successfully test fired 289

Mirage 2000 fighter jet landed on Yamuna Expressway as part of developing road

runways 290

Fourth Corvette of Project-28 christened Kavaratti launched 291

Naval Base at Porbandar commissioned as INS Sardar Patel 292

India successfully test-fired advanced version of BrahMos Supersonic Cruise Mis-

sile 293



Indian Army signed MoU with Bank of India on Defence Salary Package 294

Indigenously developed Akash Weapon System (AWS) inducted into Indian Army

295

14th Edition of Indo-French Naval Exercise VARUNA 2015 concluded 296

Indian Coast Guard (ICG) held Theera Veta defence exercise in Arabian Sea 297

Report | Survey 298

UN released World Economic Situation and Prospects Mid-2015 Update 298

UNCTAD released a report titled Global Investment Trends Monitor 300

UNESCAP released Survey titled Making Growth More Inclusive for Sustainable

Development 302

World Economic Forum (WEF) released The Human Capital Report 2015 303

Save the Children released 16th annual State of the World’s Mothers (SOWM) re-

port 305

Summit | Conference 309

India assumed Presidency of the 68th World Health Assembly after 19 years 309

6th National Conference on Nuclear Energy held in New Delhi 309

Committees | Commissions 311

Union Government formed a Committee to oversee Bhim Jayanti celebrations 311

Union Ministry of Finance constituted Committee on Revisiting & Revitalizing PPP

Model 312

Art | Culture 314



Picasso’s painting Les Femme d’Alger sold for 179.3 million US dollars 314

President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated Namaste Russia festival in Moscow 314

Abbreviations | Terms 316

Five women suspended for anti-doping rule violations named for TOP Scheme 316

Yogathon to be hosted in 100 US cities on First International Yoga Day 317

Abraj Kudai, world’s biggest hotel, set to open in Mecca in 2017 317

ISRO announced to commission MOTR in June 2015 318

GIC held consultations on the creation of Nuclear Insurance Pool (NIP) 319

Algorithmic Trading caused BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty to close at lowest level in

2015 320

Accident | Incident 322

Tornado struck northern city of Ciudad Acuna in Mexico 322

Science | Space 323

Union Cabinet approved PSLV Continuation Programme for launching 15 flights

PSLV-C36 to PSLV-C50 323

Union Cabinet Approved Building and Launching of GSAT-17 and GSAT-18 Com-

munication Satellites 324

Day | Week | Year 325

International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers observed across the world 325

UN observed International Day for Biological Diversity 326

International Day of Families observed 326



Anti Terrorism Day observed across India 327

National Technology Day observed in India 327

World Asthma Day 2015 observed with theme You Can Control Your Asthma 328

World Press Freedom day observed globally 329

Miscellaneous 330

IGBC reported India registered 3 billion sq ft green building footprint 330

India reached 6th position in terms of scientific publications 330

President inaugurated 50th anniversary of India’s first historic climb of Mt. Everest

in 1965 331

Singapore PM Lee opened first museum Indian Heritage Centre in Little India 332

Prime Minister Narendra Modi released commemorative coin on Swami Chinma-

yananda 332

WORLD DAIRY (MAY 2015) 334

INDIA DAIRY (MAY 2015) 342

ONE LINERS (MAY 2015) 353

DESCRIPTIVE QUESTION (MAY 2015) 360



The Current Affairs May 2015 eBook covers the current events that happened in the month of May. Current

Affairs is a crucial component of any competitive exams including IAS|PCS, SSC, Banking, MBA. The lack

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section of the different competitive exams. It is to clear such doubts and confusion, Jagranjosh.com has

come up with eBook concept. Although current affairs section per se is very wide to be covered, yet we have

tried to cover all the possible current affairs for the month of May 2015.

The Current Affairs May 2015 eBook is divided into different section keeping in mind the need of various

exams. The sections covered namely are International, National, Economy, Ecology and Environment,

Science & Technology, Corporate, Sports, States, and News Capsule. Every news item in each section is

arranged date wise with the most recent news being covered first and so on. Although there might be some

deviations but that is solely to give priority to the most important current affairs in each section.

Presentation of the given current affairs has been planned meticulously. It has been planned in such a

way that it remains in the minds of readers for a longer duration. Wherever necessary each news item is

presented along with a background and analysis so as to help candidates contemplate all the important

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PREFACE



PICK OF THE MONTH

Black Money in India: Genesis, Nature and Measures

The issue of black money in India was in discussion since 1950s when noted economist

Prof Nicholas Kaldor estimated the magnitude of black money in India in 1953-54.

However, the issue became a public debate since the time of financial crisis in 2007

when the tax haven route was identified as one of the major sources of black money.

Herein we first provide the main highlights of the two bills namely Undisclosed

Foreign Income and Assets (Imposition of Tax) Bill 2015 and Benami Transactions

(Prohibition) (Amendment) Bill, 2015 followed by an analysis of the genesis, nature

and measures to curb black money in India.

Undisclosed Foreign Income as Assets and imposition of Tax Act, 2015

The Union Government on 30 may 2015 notified the Black Money (Undisclosed

Foreign Income as Assets) and imposition of Tax Act, 2015. The Act will come into

effect from 1 April 2016.

The Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets (Imposition of Tax) Bill, 2015 was

introduced in Lok Sabha on 20 March 2015 and was passed by Parliament on 13

May 2015.

Provisions of the Bill

• Concealment of income and assets and evasion of tax in relation to foreign assets

will be prosecutable with punishment of rigorous imprisonment up to 10 years.



• Offence of stashing unaccounted money abroad will be made non-compoundable

(A non-compoundable offence is one in which the complainant (the government in

this instance) does not enter into a compromise with the accused.

• The offenders will not be permitted to approach the Settlement Commission

• Penalty for such concealment of income and assets at the rate of 300% of tax

shall be levied

• The government will give a short window to those stashing black money abroad

to declare their wealth, pay taxes and penalty, and escape prosecution under the

proposed law.

• Non filing of return or filing of return with inadequate disclosure of foreign assets

will be liable for prosecution with punishment of rigorous imprisonment up to 7

years.

• Income in relation to any undisclosed foreign asset or undisclosed income from

any foreign asset will be taxable at the maximum marginal rate. Exemptions or

deductions which may otherwise be applicable in such cases shall not be allowed.

• Beneficial owner or beneficiary of foreign assets will be mandatorily required to file

return, even if there is no taxable income.

• Abettors of the above offences, whether individuals, entities, banks or financial

institutions will be liable for prosecution and penalty.

• Date of Opening of foreign account would be mandatorily required to be specified

by the assessee in the return of income.

• The offence of concealment of income or evasion of tax in relation to a foreign

asset will be made a predicate offence under the Prevention of Money-laundering

Act, 2002 (PMLA).

• The definition of proceeds of crime under PMLA is being amended to enable

attachment and confiscation of equivalent asset in India where the asset located

abroad cannot be forfeited.

• The Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (FEMA) will also be amended to



the effect that if any foreign exchange, foreign security or any immovable property

situated outside India is held in contravention of the provisions of this Act, then

action may be taken for seizure and eventual confiscation of assets of equivalent

value situated in India.

Benami Transactions (Prohibition) (Amendment) Bill, 2015

The Benami Transactions (Prohibition) (Amendment) Bill, 2015 was on 13 May 2015

introduced in Lok Sabha after Union Cabinet gave its approval to amend the Benami

Transactions (Prohibition) Act, 1988.

The Bill seeks to amend the definition of benami transactions, establish adjudicating

authorities and an Appellate Tribunal to deal with benami transactions and (iii) specify

the penalty for entering into benami transactions.

Main provisions of the Bill

• The Act defines a benami transaction as a transaction where a property is held by

or transferred to a person, but has been provided for or paid by another person.

The Bill amends the definition of benami to add other transactions which qualify

as benami, such as property transactions where the transaction is made in a

fictitious name, the owner is not aware of denies knowledge of the ownership

of the property, or the person providing the consideration for the property is not

traceable.

• The Bill also specifies certain cases will be exempt from the definition of a benami

transaction. These include cases when a property is held by (i) a member of

a Hindu undivided family, and is being held for his or another family member’s

benefit, and has been provided for or paid off from sources of income of that

family; (ii) a person in a fiduciary capacity; (iii) a person in the name of his spouse

or child, and the property has been paid for from the person’s income.

• The Bill defines benamidar as the person in whose name the benami property is

held or transferred, and a beneficial owner as the person for whose benefit the

property is being held by the benamidar.

• Under the Act, an Authority to acquire benami properties was to be established



by the Rules. The Bill seeks to establish four authorities to conduct inquiries or

investigations regarding benami transactions: (i) Initiating Officer, (ii) Approving

Authority, (iii) Administrator and (iv) Adjudicating Authority.

• The Bill also seeks to establish an Appellate Tribunal to hear appeals against

any orders passed by the Adjudicating Authority. Appeals against orders of the

Appellate Tribunal will lie to the high court.

• Under the Act, the penalty for entering into benami transactions is imprisonment

up to three years, or a fine, or both. The Bill seeks to change this penalty to

rigorous imprisonment of one year up to seven years, and a fine which may extend

to 25% of the fair market value of the benami property.

• The Bill also specifies the penalty for providing false information to be rigorous

imprisonment of six months up to five years, and a fine which may extend to 10%

of the fair market value of the benami property.

• Certain Session Courts would be designated as Special Courts for trying any

offences which are punishable under the Bill.

• It adds provisions for attachment and confiscation of benami properties and

imposes fine with imprisonment.

• It has provision for prosecution and aims to act as a major avenue for blocking

benami property, which leads to generation and holding of black money especially

in real estate.

Genesis, Nature and Measures: An Analysis

Black money is tax-evaded income. It can be earned both through legal and illegal

means. Its legitimate source is that the income-earners do not reveal their whole

income for tax purposes.

The source of black money in India are numerous but few of them are bribe, smuggling,

black-marketing, selling commodities at prices higher than the controlled prices and

stashing money abroad among others.

Black money is both an economic and a social problem. In the latter context, it



is perceived as a problem with adverse sociological effects on society, like social

inequalities, social deprivations, etc.; in the former context, it is perceived as a parallel

economy, an underground economy or an unofficial economy that is the consequence

of the economic policies of the government and has damaging effects on country’s

economy and na tion’s planning development.

Black Money: It’s Magnitude

A study conducted by the IMF about a decade and a half back showed that in regard

to the size of the underground money, India holds the first rank followed by the United

States and Can ada having the second and the third ranks.

Many estimates related to black money in India have been published since

Independence. In India, black money or unaccounted wealth for the first time was

estimated by Prof. Nicholas Kaldor in 1953-54 who estimated it at 600 crore rupees.

The National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP) estimated the quantum of

black money in economy in 1985 at around 100000 crore rupees.

However, one thing in common with every study was that they all put the magnitude

of black money in the range of 10 to 40 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of

Indian economy.

In 2010, US-based Global Financial Integrity estimated that 462 billion dollars went

out of India between 1948 and 2008.

According to recent data released by the Swiss Central Bank in June 2014, the

magnitude of black money held by Indians in Switzerland increased by 43 percent in

2013 to reach 14000 crore rupees from 9593 crore rupees in 2012.

Even though India is ranked 58th overall in the list of nations having black money

stashed in Switzerland but what is worrying is the magnitude of increase when all the

nations have witnessed a decline.

Measures to curb Black money

Over the past 50 years, the government has at various times announced several

schemes offering opportunities to bring black money overboard. Some of these

schemes are: introducing the scheme of special Bearer Bonds, demonetizing high



denomination currency notes, stringent raids, and scheme of voluntary disclosures.

However, all these measures have touched only the tip of the iceberg. All the schemes

have hardly fetched 5000 crore rupees over a period of fifty years.

The main drawback in these schemes is that they touch the problem of black money

already created but they do not go into the root cause of generation of black money

and that is why a person is prepared to take the risk of keeping black money despite

so many problems.

With the issue becoming a public debate since the time of financial crisis in 2007

when the tax haven route was identified as one of the major sources of black money,

the governments across the world including Indian government started negotiating

with tax havens like Switzerland so as to make these tax haven unveil the names of

hoarders of black money.

The result paid off with Switzerland authorities in the fourth week of May 2015 started

making public the names of black money hoarders and it has also plans to publish

list of dormant accounts in the banks of Switzerland.

Further, on a PIL filed in Supreme Court, the honourable court formed a Special

Investigation Team (SIT) headed by Justice (rted) MB Shah to investigate the quantum

of unaccounted wealth stashed abroad.

Conclusion

In conclusion, black money stashed abroad is the wealth of India and that should be

brought back immediately and the individuals responsible for this should be nabbed

and imprisoned. Nothing short of declaring black money stashed abroad as national

crime will be effective in saving the plunder of the nation.

Environmental Democracy Index 2015

Washington-based World Resources Institute (WRI) and the Access Initiative on

20 May 2015 released the first Environmental Democracy Index (EDI) for the year



2015. The index evaluates the environmental democracy in 70 countries based on

recognised international standards.

The index evaluates whether Governments are enacting national laws to promote

transparency, accountability, and citizen engagement in environmental decision

making. It is assessed and analysed by more than 140 international lawyers and

experts.

India was ranked at 24th position out of 70 countries in the first Environmental

Democracy Index that is topped by Lithuania at the first position, Latvia at the second

and Russia at the third position.

Highlights of the Environmental Democracy Index

• 79 percent of countries assessed earned only fair or poor ratings for public

participation adding that many nations lag on providing citizens basic environmental

information.

• Nearly half (46 percent) of the countries do not provide any ambient air quality

data online for their capital cities.

• In 73 percent of the countries, courts hear environmental cases. But very few

countries have assistance for marginalized groups.

• Around 64 percent of countries with laws on the books do not release any

information to the public on emissions or wastewater discharges, pollutants that

can impact human health and the environment.

• Only 14 percent of the countries have legal mechanisms that help women access

courts to obtain redress when their environmental rights are violated.

• The index found that wealth is an important facilitator for environmental democracy,

as is being a signatory of a major treaty like the Kyoto Protocol or the Aarhus

convention.

• Right to environmental information has been established in the 93 percent of the

assessed countries.



The Top 10 Countries with Strong National Laws for Environmental Democ-racy

Rank Countries Score

1 Lithuania 2.42

2 Latvia 2.31

3 Russia 2.25

4 United States 2.16

5 South Africa 2.16

6 United Kingdom 2.14

7 Hungary 2.12

8 Bulgaria 2.10

9 Panama 2.02

10 Colombia 1.99

10 Lowest-Scoring Countries for Environmental Democracy Laws

Rank Countries Score

61 Belize 0.82

62 Cambodia 0.76

63 Jordan 0.76

64 Saint Lucia 0.73

65 Nepal 0.68

66 Sri Lanka 0.67

67 Congo 0.66

68 Namibia 0.59



69 Malaysia 0.58

70 Haiti 0.51

About Environmental Democracy Index

The Environmental Democracy Index (EDI) is the first comprehensive index designed

specifically to measure procedural rights in an environmental context.

The United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Bali Guidelines for the

Development of National Legislation on Access to Information, Public Participation

and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters provide EDI with an international

standard against which national laws can be assessed.

Draft Outline of Gold Monetization Scheme released

The Union Ministry of Finance on 19 May 2015 released the draft outline of Gold

Monetization Scheme (GMS).

The Ministry prepared the draft after due deliberations and consultations with

various stakeholders which includes banks, refineries, hallmarking centres, jewellers’

associations, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and various government departments.

The Ministry has sought comments from stakeholders by 2 June 2015.

Features of Gold Monetization Scheme (GMS)

Objectives

• To mobilize the gold held by households and institutions in the country.

• To provide a fillip to the gems and jewellery sector in the country by making gold

available as raw material on loan from banks.

• To reduce reliance on import of gold to meet the domestic demand.



Scope

Since the implementation of the scheme requires a vast set-up of infrastructure

for facilitating easy and secure handling of gold, it will be initially launched only in

selected cities and over time, as the infrastructure for assaying and refining of gold

develops, will be extended to other cities.

Process of Gold Monetization by customers/Gold Mobilisation by Banks

Stage1: Customer willing to monetize gold, which is in the form of bullion or jewellary,

will approach Purity Testing Centre (PTC). In a PTC, a preliminary XRF machine-test

(Preliminary Test) will be conducted to assess the approximate amount of pure gold.

The minimum quantity of gold that a customer can bring is proposed to be set at 30

grams and around 350 Hallmarking Centres that are certified by the Bureau of Indian

Standards (BIS) will act as PTCs to test the gold.

Stage2: After the preliminary assessment, if the customer gives his consent for melting

the gold, a further test of purity (Fire Assay Test) will be conducted at the same PTC.

The test will melt the gold and net weight of gold will be estimated.

Stage3: After the result of the Fire Assay Test, if the customer willing to deposit the

gold he will be given a certificate by the collection centre certifying the amount and

purity of the deposited gold; Otherwise he can take back the melted gold in the form

of gold bars after paying a nominal fee.

Stage4: The depositor produces the certificate at the bank and the bank in turn will

open a Gold Savings Account for the depositor and credit the quantity of gold into

the depositor’s account. Simultaneously, the PTC will also inform the bank about the

deposit made.

Stage5: The bank will pay interest to the depositor after 30/60 days of opening of the

account. The amount of interest rate to be given is proposed to be left to the banks

to decide.

Both principal and interest to be paid to the depositors will be valued in gold. For



example if a customer deposits 100 gms of gold and gets 1 per cent interest, then,

on maturity he has a credit of 101 gms.

The tenure of deposit will be a minimum period of 1 year and with a roll out in multiples

of one year. The depositor will have the option of redemption either in cash or in

gold, which will have to be exercised at the time of deposit.

Similar to the Gold Deposit Scheme (1999), in which the customers received Capital

Gains Tax, Wealth tax and Income Tax exemptions, the depositors of GMS also will

receive similar benefits after due examination.

Utilisation of Mobilised Gold by Banks

PTC will send the gold to the refiners. The refiners will keep the gold in their ware-

houses, unless the banks prefer to hold it themselves. The refiners will be paid a fee

by the banks, as decided by them, mutually.

The banks will also be permitted to exercise following options regarding utilization of

gold it collected from the depositors.

a) Deposit the mobilized gold as part of their Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR)/ Statutory

Liquidity Ratio (SLR) requirements with RBI.

b) Sell the gold to generate foreign currency which can then be used for onward

lending to exporters or importers.

c) Convert mobilized gold into coins for onward sale to their customers.

d) Can buy and sell on domestic commodity exchanges, where mobilized gold can

be delivered.

e) Can lend to jewellers upon opening of Gold Loan Account for this purpose with

the banks.

For implementation of the scheme, the banks will enter into a tripartite Memorandum

of Understanding (MoU) with refiners and PTCs that are selected by them to be their

partners in the scheme.



NCDEX launched Gold Now platform for forward contracts in gold

The National Commodity & Derivatives Exchange Limited (NCDEX) on 27 May 2015

launched Gold Now platform to undertake forward trading in gold.

Features of Gold Now

• It is an India-centric gold forward contracts platform and involves selling and

buying of locally-refined gold.

• The maximum duration of the contract is for 60 calendar days and delivery is

compulsory.

• Delivery unit of the contract is 100 grams and 1 kilogram.

• The contract will have six delivery centres viz., Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad,

Hyderabad, Cochin and Chennai.

• The NCDEX have tied up with four gold refiners’ viz., MMTC-PAMP, Kundan Group,

Shirpur Gold Refinery and Edelweiss for the delivery of the contracts.

• The NCDEX is also planning to set up purity verification centres in partnership with

the NCDEX approved refineries.

Importance of Gold Now

Approximately 20000 metric tonnes of gold is estimated to be lying with Indian

households, temples and trusts. If mobilized effectively, this could create a domestic

supply of gold, while reducing dependence on imports.

The Gold Now platform is intended to complement the Gold Monetization Scheme

(GMS) as proposed by the Union Finance Ministry in the draft outline released on 19

May 2015.

Under the scheme banks were allowed to mobilize unutilized gold from customers

and buy and sell them on domestic exchanges.



State of Food Insecurity in the World 2015 report released

The annual UN hunger report titled State of Food Insecurity in the World 2015 was

on 27 May 2015 released by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

(FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food

Programme (WFP).

As per the report, the number of hungry people in the world has dropped to 795

million. Today, 795 million people are undernourished globally, which is 216 million

less than the number of hungry people in 1990–92. The decline is more pronounced

in developing regions, despite population growth.

Highlights of the report

• In the developing regions, the prevalence of undernourishment, which measures

the proportion of people who are unable to consume enough food for an active

and healthy life, has declined to 12.9 percent of the population.

• 72 out of 129 countries monitored by FAO have achieved the Millennium

Development Goal target of halving the prevalence of undernourishment by 2015,

with developing regions as a whole missing the target by a small margin.

• 29 countries have met the more ambitious goal of halving the absolute number of

undernourished people by 201, laid out at the World Food Summit in 1996.

• Over the past 30 years, crises have evolved from catastrophic, short-term, acute

and highly visible events to protracted situations, due to a combination of factors,

especially natural disasters and conflicts, with climate change, financial and price

crises frequently among the exacerbating factors.

• Hunger rates in countries enduring protracted crises are more than three times

higher than elsewhere. In 2012, some 366 million people were living in this kind

situation, out of whom 129 million were undernourished.

• Sub-Saharan Africa is the region with the highest prevalence of undernourishment

in the world with 23.2 percent, or almost one in every four people. However, some

African nations also achieved their MDG hunger target, notably in West Africa.



• The proportion of hungry people in Latin America and the Caribbean has dropped

from 14.7 percent to 5.5 percent since 1990.

• In southern Asia, the prevalence of undernourishment has declined modestly, to

15.7 percent from 23.9 percent, but much greater progress was made in reducing

underweight among young children.

• In West Asia, where hygiene conditions are generally advanced and child

underweight rates low, the incidence of hunger has risen due to war, civil strife

and consequent large migrant and refugee populations in some countries.

State of Food Insecurity in India

The evolution of hunger trends in India has a significant influence on results for the

region. Higher world food prices were observed since the late 2000s which have not

been entirely transmitted into domestic prices.

During the period 1984–2013, India was prone to sudden increases in imports

(defined as imports exceeding the average of the previous three years by more than

30 percent), registering more than a hundred surges.

In India, 194.6 million people are still undernourished. India still has the second-

highest estimated number of undernourished people in the world.

India and China Signed 24 Agreements

India and China on 15 May 2015 signed 24 agreements to augment bilateral co-

operation between the two countries.

The agreements were signed in the presence of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi

and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in Beijing, China.

The details of agreements covering the fields of Education, Railways, People-to-

People exchanges, skill development, Security among others were outlined in the

Joint Statement issued by the two leaders after the conclusion of bilateral talks.



Some of the important agreements are

Both the countries agreed to establish State/Provincial Leaders’ Forumto enhance

relations among the provinces (China) and states (India). The first meeting of the

Forum was held in Beijing on 15 May 2015, with the participation of Prime Minister

Modi and Premier Li.

An additional Consulate General shall be established in each other’s country. India

shall open a new Consulate General in Chengdu, while China shall open a new

Consulate General in Chennai. These new consulates will facilitate and promote

greater cultural, tourism, economic and people-to-people engagement between the

two countries.

The fifth joint counter-terrorism training between the two armies will be held in China

in 2015. The two sides will exchange visits of naval ships and hold PASSEX and SAR

exercises.

Both the countries agreed to abide by the three-stage process for the settlement of

the boundary question, and continuously push forward negotiation on the framework

for a boundary settlement based on the outcomes and common understanding

achieved so far, in an effort to seek a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution

as early as possible.

Both sides agreed to optimally exploit the present and potential complementarities

in identified sectors in the Five Year Trade and Economic Development Plan signed

in September 2014, including Indian pharmaceuticals, Indian IT services, tourism,

textiles and agro-products.

It was agreed to conduct the next meeting of the Strategic Economic Dialogue, co-

chaired by Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog of India and Chairman of NDRC of China in

India during the second half of 2015.

Both the countries agreed on an Action Plan outlining the next steps to enhance

the partnership in the Railway Sector. It is in continuation of the ongoing initiatives

including the projects on speed raising on the existing Chennai-Bengaluru-Mysore

line, the proposed feasibility studies for the Delhi-Nagpur section of high speed rail

link, the station redevelopment planning for Bhubaneswar & Baiyappanahalli, heavy



haul transportation training and setting up of a railway university.

Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed to institute a dialogue mechanism

between the NITI Aayog of India and the Development Research Centre of the State

Council of China.

Both the countries agreed to enhance cooperation between the financial regulators

and enterprises of the two countries in support of the building of the Closer

Developmental Partnership.

The International Yoga Day will be organised jointly on 21 June 2015 in collaboration

between the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and Yunnan National

University.

Agreement on expanded Educational Exchange Programme to promote student

exchanges in higher education.

The two sides will have the annual exchange of 200 youths from each side in the

second half of 2015 as part of the India-China Cultural Exchange Initiative.

Agreements related to establishing provincial partnership between Karnataka and

Sichuan and sister-city relationships between Aurangabad – Dunhuang, Chennai –

Chongqing and Hyderabad – Qingdao were signed.

India-China Think Tanks Forum will be established to foster closer dialogue and

mutual understanding between the two countries. The forum will meet annually,

alternately in India and China.

It was agreed to institutionalize the High Level Media Forum and tasked the Ministry of

External Affairs of India and the State Council Information Office of China to convene

it on an annual basis, alternately in India and China.

Action Plan on the establishment of Mahatma Gandhi National Institute for Skill

Development and Entrepreneurship at Gandhinagar/Ahmedabad in Gujarat was

signed.

It was agreed to initiate cooperation in development of smart cities with identification

of GIFT City in India and Shenzhen in China as pilot smart cities for joint demonstration

projects.



The 2015-2020 Space Cooperation Outline was signed between the Indian Space

Research Organization (ISRO) of the Republic of India and China National Space

Administration of the People’s Republic of China to reinforce the cooperation in the

field of Satellite Remote Sensing, Space-Based meteorology, Space Science, Lunar

and Deep Space Exploration, Satellite Navigation, Space Components, Piggy-back

Launching Services, and Education and Training.

It was agreed to further strengthen cooperation through the Expert-Level Mechanism

on the provision of flood-season hydrological data and emergency management.

The two sides agreed to hold negotiation on augmenting the list of traded commodities

and expand border trade at Nathu La, Qiangla/Lipu-Lekh Pass and Shipki La passes

to transform the border into a bridge of cooperation and exchanges.

China agreed to allow Indian pilgrims to use the Nathu La Pass (Sikkim) route for

Kailash Manasarover Yatra (Gang Renpoche and Mapam Yun Tso Pilgrimage) in 2015.

They agreed to further strengthen coordination and cooperation in multilateral forums

including RIC (Russia, India and China), BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and India)

and G20 to promote the interests of developing countries and the building of a better

world. India agreed to support China in hosting the G20 summit in 2016.

A bilateral consultative mechanism on WTO (World Trade Organisation) related issues

will be launched for enhancing coordination in the context of global trade talks.

The two sides agreed to work together with relevant parties to accelerate the

preparation for establishment of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) to

promote regional infrastructure and economic development.

A Joint Statement on Climate Change was issued which underscored the importance of

working together and with other countries to conclude an ambitious, comprehensive,

universal, balanced and equitable climate agreement at the forthcoming CoP

(Conference of Parties) 21 to UNFCCC to be held in Paris in late 2015.



GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) System fully operationalised

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on 25 May 2015 announced the

complete operationalisation of the GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN).

The final operational phase of the system commenced on 19 May 2015 as it began

broadcasting APV1 Certified signals.

With this, India has become the fourth nation after the US, Europe and Japan to have

inter-operable Satellite Based Augmentation System (SBAS). Also, GAGAN is the

first SBAS system in the world to serve the equatorial region.

Earlier on 30 December 2013, Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) gave its nod

for GAGAN for enroute operations (RNP 0.1) and subsequently on 21 April 2015 for

precision approach services (APV 1).

While the GAGAN Payload is already operational through GSAT-8 and GSAT-10

satellites, the third payload will be carried onboard GSAT-15 satellite scheduled for

launch in October 2015.

Features of GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) System

• It is a Satellite Based Augmentation System (SBAS) developed jointly by the

Airports Authority of India (AAI) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

• Its primary objective is to establish, deploy and certify satellite based augmentation

system for safety-of-life civil aviation applications for the Indian air space.

• It plays an important role in safety of life applications in transport, sensitive

commercial applications and liability-critical applications needing legal course.

• It offers free enhanced satellite navigation signals by correcting deviancies in GPS

signals by deploying ground based navigational infrastructure.

• The system is inter-operable with other international SBAS systems like US-WAAS,

European EGNOS, and Japanese MSAS etc.



• It has been developed at an estimated cost of 774 crore rupees.

• It will enable transition of the air traffic management system to satellite-based

seamless navigation across continents covering the airspace from Australia to

Africa as well as west Asia to China and Russia.

Mumbai Indians won IPL 2015 title

Mumbai Indians (MI) on 24 May 2015 won the eighth edition of the Indian Premier

League (IPL). In the final clash played at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, Mumbai Indians

defeated Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by 41-runs.

This was the second title triumph for Mumbai Indians after their maiden win back in

2013.

Mumbai Indians after being invited to bat first posted a score of 202 for five, while

batting second, Chennai Super Kings were able to score just 161 for eight.

With this win, Mumbai Indians joined Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Rider,

as a team that has claimed two IPL trophies. Mumbai had won their first title in

2013 at the Eden Gardens, by defeating the Chennai Super Kings. With this defeat,

Chennai has lost four finals of 2008, 2012, 2013, 2015 in six appearances.

• Man of the Match: Rohit Sharma for his match winning score of 50 in 26 balls

• Player of the Tournament: Andre Russell

• Orange Cap awarded to: David Warner

• Purple Cap awarded to: Dwayne Bravo

• Emerging Player of the Season: Shreyas Iyer

• Most Valuable Player: Andre Russell



Captains of the two teams

• Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma

• Chennai Super Kings: MS Dhoni

The previous winners of the IPL are as follows

• IPL Season 1: Rajasthan Royals

• IPL Season 2: Deccan Chargers

• IPL Season 3: Chennai Super Kings

• IPL Season 4: Chennai Super King

• IPL Season 5: Kolkata Knight Riders

• IPL Season 6: Mumbai Indians

• IPL Season 7: Kolkata Knight Riders

Mumbai KEM Nurse Aruna Shanbaug died after 42-years in coma

Aruna Shanbaug, the nurse of Mumbai’s King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospital, died

on 18 May 2015. She died after battling with coma for past 42-years following a

sexual assault by a hospital ward boy.

66-year old Shanbaug was sexually assaulted on 27 November 1973 by a ward boy-

cum-sweeper of the hospital, Sohanlal Bharta Valmiki, after throttling her with a dog

chain. Since then, she was hospitalised in KEM hospital and was cared by hospital

staff.

While hearing the Aruna Shanbaug case in March 2011, the Supreme Court of India

rejected the mercy killing (euthanasia) petition for her. The petition was filed by former

journalist and author Pinki Virani.

However, SC laid down guidelines for passive euthanasia instead of active euthanasia.

Passive euthanasia entails the withholding of common treatments, such as antibiotics,



necessary for the continuance of life.

In 1998, a biography was written on Aruna by Pinki Virani which was titled Aruna’s

Story. Duttakumar Desai wrote the Marathi play, Katha Arunachi which was staged

under director Vinay Apte in 2002.



INTERNATIONAL

Union Cabinet approved Agreement on Coastal and Maritime Shipping between India and Bangladesh

The Union Cabinet on 30 May 2015 gave its approval to the Agreement on Coastal

and Maritime Shipping between India and Bangladesh that paves the way for the

commencement of coastal shipping between the two countries.

Features of the Agreement on Coastal and Maritime Shipping

• India and Bangladesh shall render the same treatment to the other country’s

vessels as it would have done to its national vessels used in international sea

transportation.

• The River Sea Vessel (RSV) category of vessel is prescribed for coastal shipping

• to lower construction and operation cost without compromising on the safety of

the vessel.

Importance of the Agreement

• EXIM (Export Import) trade between India and Bangladesh (India’s largest trading

partner in South Asia) would be benefited by way of reduction in freight charges.

• It will improve the utilization of port capacities of Indian ports and open up new

opportunity for Indian coastal vessels.

• It will help in decongestion of roads especially at the Land custom stations or

integrated check posts at the Indo-Bangladesh boarder.



• The Indian ports serving as transshipment ports for Bangladesh cargo will derive

benefits by way of enhanced throughput as a result of Indo-Bangladesh coastal

trade.

• It will increase bilateral trade between the two countries and lower down the cost

of transportation of EXIM cargo.

US removed Cuba from terror blacklist to strengthen ties with Cuba

The US on 29 May 2015 removed Cuba from its list of state sponsors of terrorism.

John Kerry, the US Secretary of State, signed an order removing Cuba from the

terrorism blacklist as part of the process of strengthening ties between the former

Cold War foes.

The removal of Cuba from the terror list would also help in the process of lifting

economic sanctions. It had been a key Cuban demand as the countries move towards

normalising relations.

However, a tight economic embargo slapped on the communist-run Caribbean island

in 1962 remains in place, meaning there may be little immediate effect of the latest

decision.

US had included Cuba in terror blacklist in 1982. The inclusion hampered its access

to global markets and tarred it as an international pariah. Cuba has protested against

this decision and had demanded to rescind the decision.

Now only Iran, Sudan and Syria still remain on the terror blacklist. The Presidents of

the US and Cuba met at the Summit of the Americas in Panama City in April 2015, in

the first meetings between the countries’ leaders in more than 50 years.

The leaders agreed that a strong majority of citizens in both Cuba and the US would

back warmer relations.



Department of Homeland Security (DHS) of USA granted work Permit for H-4 visa holders

A new rule proposed by the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

allowing H-4 visa holders to work in the country came into force on 26 May 2015.

However, the extension of work authorization to H-4 visa holders would only apply

if their spouses (H-1B visa holders) had applied for green-card, an authorization for

permanent residence in the country.

This rule will encourage H-1B skilled workers to not to abandon their adjustment

application with the department because their H-4 spouse is unable to work and also

benefit the economy as in most of the cases they are eligible for doing highly skilled

jobs.

The decision is expected to benefit over 179600 H-4 visa holders with particular

salience to visa holders of Indian citizenship and employed in the IT sector.

India is receiving the largest proportion of H-1B visas from the U.S. every year having

received 99705 H-1B visas of a total of 153223 issued globally, slightly over 65 per

cent.

While the H-1B is a non-immigrant visa which allows the employers in the USA to

temporarily employ foreign workers in specialty occupations, the H-4 visa issued to

immediate family members (spouse and children under 21 years of age) of the H-1B

visa holders.

UNSC adopted resolution on protection of journalists in conflict zones

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on 27 May 2015 unanimously adopted a

resolution 2222 (2015) on the protection of journalists in conflict zones. The resolution

was adopted following number of deaths and kidnappings of media professionals



which has continued to climb.

The resolution was adopted during a meet that was heard by nearly 70 speakers

under the agenda item Protection of civilians in armed conflict. The meet was chaired

by Lithuania’s Foreign Minister.

The Security Council resolution also condemned such attacks on journalists and

warned parties to conflicts, including governments and armed groups, that they

should take all reasonable steps to protect journalists. The resolution urged Member

States to take active steps to ensure accountability.

Besides, Christophe Deloire, Director-General of Reporters Without Borders called

on to appoint a special representative on the protection of journalists to ensure that

Member States abided by their commitments under the text and under previous

resolution 1738 (2006).

According to a concept note prepared by the Lithuanian presidency for the meeting,

61 journalists were killed in 2014 and 221 were imprisoned. 25 have died since

January 2015. In last decade, 700 media workers were killed in the field or because

of their profession.

US state of Nebraska abolished death penalty

The US state of Nebraska on 27 May 2015 abolished death penalty after a veto

override was passed through the its legislature. This measure was backed by a

coalition of conservatives who oppose execution as a form of punishment.

In the unicameral legislature the proposal to abolish death penalty was passed 30 to

19, which is the exact number of votes needed to override Governor Pete Ricketts

earlier veto.

With this ban of the capital punishment, Nebraska has joined the league of 18 other

states and the federal district of Washington, DC. It also became the first traditionally

conservative state in four decades to do so.



NATO launched Arctic Challenge Exercise in the north of Norway, Sweden and Finland

NATO on 25 May 2015 launched the Arctic Challenge Exercise based in the north

of Norway, Sweden and Finland. The exercise involves 115 fighter planes and 3600

troops from nine countries.

The participant countries include all NATO members like the US, Britain, Germany,

France and the Netherlands as well as neutral Switzerland.

This exercise is the second of its kind, first similar tests was conducted in 2013.

Apart from this, Russia also on 26 May 2015 begun a four-day-long massive military

exercise and described it as a massive surprise inspection, to check combat readiness.

The exercise involves 12000 soldiers and around 250 aircraft, including long-range

bombers carrying cruise missiles.

This Russian military exercise has coincided with an Arctic training exercise by NATO

and has raised debate. Russian military exercise on the same day when NATO military

alliance launched their training exercise may raise tensions with West over Russia’s

role in conflict in Ukraine.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in fourth week of May 2015 said that the

large number of snap exercises conducted by Russia decreases transparency and

practicability. But Russia has defended the exercise by terming that these drills are

part of preparation for a larger exercise known as Center-2015, which will be held

later in 2015.

Forbes released the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women 2015 list

Forbes on 26 May 2015 released the list of World’s 100 Most Powerful Women of

2015 showing women who impacted businesses, media, philanthropy, politics and



more.

All 100 women have the power to shape the world, but 18 stand out this year as

entrepreneurs, the women who built their status from scratch.

This is Forbes’ definitive annual audit of the foremost heads of state, iconic

entrepreneurs, CEOs, celebrity role models, billionaire activists, and pioneer

philanthropists. All are ranked by money, media momentum, spheres of influence

and impact.

Highlights of the List

• The world’s most powerful woman in the list is German Chancellor Angela Merkel

who fetched the first spot.

• Hillary Clinton ranked at 2nd position, she has been appearing on this FORBES

ranking every year as a senator, secretary of state and influential personality.

• The most powerful women in politics, philanthropy, business and tech are Angela

Merkel, Melinda Gates, Barra and Sandberg.

• The top ranking billionaire in the list is Oprah Winfrey who stood at 12th spot,

having personal net worth of 3 billion US dollars.

• Ana Patricia Botin, the newly installed chairman of Banco Santander, is the top

woman in finance at 18th position.

• Beyonce Knowles leads the entertainment field at 21st position while Anna Wintour,

Conde Nast artistic director, leads the media sector by fetching 28th slot.

• There are 19 newcomers in the list in 2015 including Beth Comstock, CEO of GE

Business Innovations and Elizabeth Holmes, founder of blood testing company

Theranos, Google CFO Ruth Porat, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini,

power pop star Taylor Swift and top venture capitalist Jenny Lee.

• Seven women who appeared on the inaugural list in 2004 are still in the list today

including Melinda Gates, Christine Lagarde, Hillary Clinton, Indra Nooyi, Oprah,

Queen Elizabeth II and Ho Ching.

• Technology takes a fourth place as a category on the Power Women list, seven



tech women made the top 25 this year including Sandberg, YouTube’s CEO Susan

Wojcicki, IBM’s Ginni Rometty, HP’s Meg Whitman and Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer.

• More than half of the women on the list are American, including immigrants such

as von Furstenberg (Belgium), Ambassador Samantha Power (Ireland), Weili Dai

(China), Donna Langley (UK), and Padmasree Warrior (India).

• 19 women are off the list from last year, among them are Margaret Hamburg, Amy

Pascal, Gracas Silva Foster, Gail Kelly, Helene Gayle, Patricia Woertz and Joyce

Banda.

Top 10 powerful women in the List

Rank Name

1 Angela Merkel

2 Hillary Clinton

3 Melinda Gates

4 Janet Yellen

5 Mary Barra

6 Christine Lagarde

7 Dilma Rousseff

8 Sheryl Sandberg

9 Susan Wojcicki

10 Michelle Obama

Indian Women in the list

Four Indians have been named in Forbes list including Arundhati Bhattacharya,

Chairperson of State Bank of India (SBI), who stood at 30th position.

Chanda Kochhar, MD and CEO of ICICI Bank, was placed at 35th position; Kiran

Mazumdar-Shaw, CMD of Biocon Limited, was placed at 85th position and Shobhana



Bhartia, Editorial Director of the Hindustan Times Group, was placed at 93rd position.

India and Vietnam signed Joint Vision Statement on Defence Cooperation 2015-2020

India and Vietnam on 25 May 2015 signed a Joint Vision Statement on Defence

Cooperation for the period 2015-2020 in New Delhi.

It was signed by the Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and the Vietnamese

Minister for National Defence General Phung Quang Thanh.

The statement is an outcome of delegation level talks held in New Delhi to discuss

cooperation on maritime security.

Besides the Joint statement, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation

between the Coast Guards of the two countries was also signed in the presence of

the two Defence Ministers.

Earlier, in October 2014, India announced 100 million US dollar line of credit to

Vietnam during the Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung visit to the country

to enable Vietnam acquire new naval vessels from India.

The above initiatives of the Union Government are part of its Act East policy, aimed

at deepening its strategic and economic relations with Asian countries and curtailing

growing China’s influence in the region.

UAE launched Strategic Framework for its Space Agency

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on 25 May 2015 launched a strategic framework for

its newly-established Space Agency. The Director-General of UAE Space Agency is

Mohammed Nasser Al-Ahbabi.

The framework is aimed at launching satellite missions and the first Arab unmanned

probe to Mars called Hope Probe by 2021.



The launch ceremony was held in the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre in Abu

Dhabi in the presence of Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of

Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in Abu Dhabi.

The drafting of strategic plan is in line with the UAE Vision 2021 that aims to establish

the UAE as one of the world’s leading countries by 2021 when UAE would be

celebrating its Golden Jubilee, the 50th anniversary of the founding of the nation.

Besides, a memorandum of understanding was signed between between Al Yah

Satellite Communications Company (Yahsat), the Masdar Institute of Science and

Technology and Orbital ATK Inc.

The agreement between the three entities, with coordination and oversight from the

UAE Space Agency, marks the launch of a joint venture to introduce a graduate

degree programme in advanced space science for the first time in the Middle East.

The UAE’s path to space dates back to 1976, when the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan

Al Nahyan met the NASA team responsible for the Apollo Moon programme. That

meeting inspired nearly three decades of efforts guiding the UAE towards space and

will be realised with the arrival of the Hope Probe.

9th Session of the India-South Africa Joint Ministerial Commission held in Durban

9th Session of the India-South Africa Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC) was held in

Durban on 19 May 2015. The session was co-chaired by Minister for External Affairs

and Overseas Indian Affairs Sushma Swaraj and Foreign Minister of South Africa

Maite Nkoana-Mashabane.

Main points discussed during the 9th session of JMC

• To make it more result-oriented, the two ministers agreed to work under the

framework of a five year strategic programme of cooperation and decided to

establish a new Joint Working Group on Trade & Economic matters on it.



• They also identified priority areas of cooperation and they are defence, deep-

mining, science and technology, agriculture & food processing and insurance.

• Both sides also agreed to set up a Sub-Committee on Science & Technology and

promote cooperation in Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

• Swaraj and Mashabane also discussed regional and multilateral issues including

BRICS, IBSA, IORA, counter-terrorism, cyber security, reforms of multilateral

institutions, especially the United Nations Security Council.

Besides, prior to the JMC meet, Swaraj also met President Jacob Zuma and extended

the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to him to attend the third India-Africa

Forum Summit (IAFS-III) in October 2015 in New Delhi.

The two ministers, Swaraj and Mashabane decided to hold the next Session of the

Joint Ministerial Commission in India at mutually convenient dates in 2017.

Six Major Banks fined 5.7 billion US dollars on Forex Benchmark Rates manipulation charges

Six of the world’s biggest banks were on 20 May 2015 fined 5.7 billion US dollars on

Foreign Exchange Benchmark Rates manipulation charges by various authorities in

the USA and the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority.

The fines were imposed on Citicorp, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Barclays Plc, Royal

Bank of Scotland Plc, UBS Group AG and Bank of America Corp. as part of the

settlements they reached with the government agencies in which they pleaded guilty

to the charges and agreed to pay fines.

As part of the settlement with the US Justice Department the four banks viz., Citicorp,

JPMorgan Chase & Co., Barclays Plc and Royal Bank of Scotland Plc agreed to

plead guilty to felony charges of conspiring to manipulate the price of US dollars and

euros in the international market. However, UBS Group AG of Switzerland, the first to

cooperate with antitrust investigators, was granted immunity from the charges.

Two banks- Deutsche Bank AG and HSBC Holdings Plc are still under investigation



facing similar charges.

How the currency markets were manipulated?

The employees of the banks influenced global foreign exchange bench mark rates by

aligning positions and pushing transactions through at the same time. They formed a

cartel for this purpose and used online chat rooms to discuss their positions before

the rates were set and suppress competition in the market. The severity of this illegal

practice is compounded by the fact the four banks which pleaded guilty to charges

have major stakes in the 5 trillion US dollars per a day world’s Forex market.

Fines imposed by various authorities

By the Anti Trust division of US Justice Department: Citicorp parent Citigroup Inc. will

pay 925 million US dollars, the highest of the banks penalized. Barclays, JPMorgan

and Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc and UBS agreed to pay 650 million, 550

million and 395 million and 203 million US dollars respectively as fines.

By The Federal Reserve System: The country’s banking regulator imposed fines of

more than 1.6 billion US dollars collectively on the five banks for unsafe and unsound

practices. Besides, Bank of America Corp. was imposed a fine of 205 million US

dollars for failing to detect and address conduct by traders who discussed the

possibility of entering into agreements to manipulate currency prices.

BY DFS, CFTC, etc: As part of a settlement the London-based Barclays will pay

1.3 billion US dollars to the New York Department of Financial Services (DFS), the

Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the UK’s Financial Conduct

Authority. The bank also agreed to terminate the services of eight employees engaged

in currency trading between London and New York.

The recent settlements bring the total fines and penalties paid by the five banks,

excluding the Bank of America, to resolve the two-year old currency investigations to

about 9 billion US dollars. In November 2014, the financial market regulators of USA

and the UK imposed fines up to 3.4 billion US dollars on them.



EU approved plan to use Naval Force to combat Smugglers and tackle Migration crisis

The European Union (EU) on 18 May 2015 approved a plan that empowers naval

force to combat smugglers operating from Libya and tackle illegal migration in its

territory.

The policy for an unprecedented naval operation against the smuggling of refugees

from North Africa to Europe was approved by EU foreign ministers during a meet

held in Brussels.

According to EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini, the operation would be

launched by June 2015, with a headquarters in Rome under Italian admiral Adm

Enrico Credendino, who ran the EU’s anti-piracy mission off Somalia, Operation

Atalanta.

The naval operation that will involve the deployment of warships and surveillance

aircraft off the coast of Libya, will be carried out in three phases and they are

• Intelligence gathering on smugglers

• Inspection and detection of smugglers’ boats

• Destruction of boats before they reach Europe, which would help in destructing

the business models of the smugglers and their networks

The decision on the policy was taken because the EU has been struggling to cope up

with the illegal migrants from Africa and West Asia, who crosses the Mediterranean

Sea to reach Europe.

Further, the United Kingdom (UK) is playing a leading role at the UN Security Council

(UNSC) to draft a resolution that would give the European Union a legal basis to use

military force against people traffickers.



US President Obama banned certain military-style equipment provided to US police

The President of United States (US) Barack Obama on 18 May 2015 banned giving

certain kinds of military-style equipment to local police forces. He also called for a

broader shift in law enforcement practices across the country.

This ban means that the armoured vehicles on tracks, camouflage uniforms and

grenade launchers will no longer be given out to local police forces.

The ban was announced by the President during his visit to Camden, one of the

poorest cities of New Jersey. The city attracted attention as a national model for

better relations between the police and residents after it dissolved its police force

and replaced it with a new county-run system through that prioritizes community ties.

The decision was taken in the backdrop of criticism that said that the police was

heavy handed to deal with protests in Ferguson, Missouri, that turned violent. The

series of fatal shootings by police increased mistrust and sparked protests across

the US.

Background

The issue came into spotlight after a young black man was killed by a white police

officer in Ferguson in 2014 and later in April 2015, another black man was killed in

Baltimore after taken in police custody.

The US administration was criticized for being too lax about police practices. It was

also criticized for not able to strike a right balance between the law enforcement and

civil right activists.

India, South Korea signed 7 agreements to upgrade relations to special strategic partnership level

India and South Korea on 18 May 2015 signed seven agreements to upgrade relations



to special strategic partnership level.

The agreements were inked during the Prime Minister Narendra Modi visit to South

Korea. Prime Minister Modi is on a three nation visit to China (14 May to 16 May

2015), Mongolia (17 May 2015) and South Korea (18 May to 19 May 2015).

List of Agreements/MoUs signed during the visit of Prime Minister to South Korea

• Agreement for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal

Evasion with Respect to Taxes on Income: India-South Korea Double Taxation

Avoidance Convention (signed 1985) has been revised with a view to avoiding the

burden of double taxation on taxpayers in the two countries.

• India-Korea Agreement on Cooperation in Audio-Visual Co-Production:

The Agreement is being signed under the provisions of India-South Korea

Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA); it would enable co-

production of films, animation and broadcasting programmes. The Agreement

would enable opportunities for collaboration between Indian and Korean film

industries, and facilitate collaboration and exchange.

• MoU for Cooperation between the National Security Council of India and South

Korea: The MoU would formalize consultations between National Security Council

structures of the two countries in a number of areas.

• MoU for Cooperation in the field of Electric Power Development and New Energy

Industries: The MoU envisages cooperation in areas of electric power development

and new energy industries such as renewable energy, smart grids and power

information and technology, transmission and distribution of electric power, energy

efficiency and storage system.

• MoU on Cooperation in Youth Matters: The MoU will strengthen and encourage

cooperation on youth matters through participation in events and activities through

exchanges, international conferences, seminars, youth camps, festivals etc.

• Framework of Cooperation in the Field of Road Transport: To be signed under the

provisions of India-South Korea CEPA, the FOC envisages cooperation in areas



including road policies, design and construction, road operation, road management

and safety, intelligent transport systems and electronic toll collection systems.

• MoU on Cooperation in the Fields of Maritime Transport and Logistics:The

MoU envisages cooperation between the two countries in the fields of maritime

transport and logistics including through sharing of technologies, information and

experiences, the training of seafarers, exchange of experts and port operations

etc.

During the visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with South Korean President Park

Geun Hye in Seoul. Later, the two leaders released a joint statement.

Besides, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also met with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-

moon in Seoul.

India and Mongolia signed 13 agreements to enhance bilateral relations

India and Mongolia on 17 May 2015 signed 13 agreements to further enhance bilateral

ties and co-operation between the two countries. India also announced to provide

one billion US dollar credit to Mongolia.

The agreements were inked during the Prime Minister Narendra Modi visit to Mongolia.

Modi’s visit to Mongolia is the first ever visit of Indian Prime Minister to the country.

Prime Minister Modi is on a three nation visit to China (14 May to 16 May 2015),

Mongolia (17 May 2015) and Korea (18 May to 19 May 2015).

The 13 Agreements include

• Revised Air Services Agreement: This Agreement updates from previous

arrangements of international air services between India and Mongolia, both being

parties to the Convention on International Civil Aviation.

• TreatyontheTransferofSentencedPersons:Under the treaty, Indian prisoners

convicted in Mongolia can be brought to India to serve the remaining part of their



sentence. Similarly Mongolian citizens convicted in India can be sent to their home

country to serve their sentence.

• Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Animal Health and Dairy:This

Agreement envisages joint cooperation activities in the areas of dairy, quality

control, modern technical application and marketing in dairy, animal disease

control measures, etc.

• MoU onCooperation in the Field of Traditional Systems ofMedicine and

Homeopathy: This MoU intends to establish broad based cooperation in forms

such as exchanging of experts for training of practitioners, mutual recognition

of pharmacopoeias and formularies, educational qualifications and traditional

preparations, setting up of Academic Chairs, providing scholarships, and others.

• MoUonEstablishmentofCyberSecurityTrainingCentreintheMinistryof

DefenceofMongolia:Under this, India will establish a Cyber Security Training

Centre and will also undertake the training of personnel in cyber security.

• MoUonEstablishmentofIndia-MongoliaJointFriendshipSchoolinMongolia:

This MoU is for the establishment of a school jointly by India and Mongolia which

would follow an open, inclusive and flexible curriculum to harness the potential of

each child enabling them to grow both personally and professionally.

• ProgrammeonCooperationinthefieldofCulturefortheYears2015-2018:

This Agreement aims to enhance cooperation in the field of culture through

organization of exhibitions, film festivals and also exchange of experts, students,

journalists, etc.

• MoU forCooperationbetween theNational SecurityCouncil of India and

Mongolia:This MoU was entered to hold regular consultations alternatively in

New Delhi and Ulaanbaatar. It would cover both traditional and non-traditional

security issues, counter-terrorism, intelligence cooperation and exchange, and

others.

• MoUonCooperationbetweentheMinistryofExternalAffairsofIndiaand

Mongolia:The MoU will focus on all aspects of the bilateral relationship, especially

in the areas of political, economic, commercial, scientific, technical and cultural



cooperation. The MoU supersedes the existing Protocol on Cooperation between

the Ministry of External Affairs of India and Mongolia signed on 17 September

1996.

• MoU for cooperation on development of new and renewable energy

technologies: This will cover cooperation on Solar Energy and Wind Energy

through the modalities of exchange of information and personnel, transfer of

equipment and know-how, development of joint research or technical projects,

determination of renewable energy resources, etc.

• MoU on enhancing cooperation between the border guarding forces:This

MoU envisages the setting up of a Joint Steering Committee between Ministry of

Home Affairs of India and General Authority for Border Protection of Mongolia for

cooperation in the areas of capacity building, exchange of best practices, conduct

of joint exercises, technologies for border guarding, surveillance and policing, etc.

• MoUbetweentheTataMemorialCentreof IndiaandtheNationalCancer

CenterofMongoliaforGiftingBhabhatron-IITele-therapyUnitalongwitha

RadiotherapySimulator:Guided by the MoU signed between the two countries

on the 14 September 2009 for mutual cooperation, the present MoU sets the

terms and conditions for the presentation by the Government of India, through

TMC of one unit each of the Bhabhatron-II Telecobalt Unit and the Radiotherapy

Simulator designed, developed and manufactured in India.

• MoU to enhance their skills and improve the trainingprogramme in both

thecountries:This MoU would help in exchange of trainees, students, faculty

members and experts between India and Mongolia.

Apart from this, during this visit of Modi, the two nations issued joint statement on

strategic partnership. Modi also addressed to the Mongolian Parliament and gifted a

rare history manuscript to Mongolian president.

Besides, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi also met with Prime Minister Chimed

Saikhanbileg of Mongolia in Ulaanbaatar. He also visited Gandan Tegchinlen

Monastery in Ulaanbaatar.



Former Army Brigadier David Granger sworn-in as eighth President of Guyana

Former Army Brigadier David Granger on 16 May 2015 was sworn in as the eighth

President of Guyana. He was sworn-in as the President after his A Partnership for

National Unity (APNU) party-led coalition won the national elections.

In the national elections held on 11 May 2015, his coalition APNU – Alliance for

Change (AFC) defeated the ruling People’s Progressive Party (PPP). With this, it

ended the 23 year old grip on power of Indo-Guyanese PPP.

The APNU-AFC coalition riding high on the campaign to reduce high youth

unemployment and violent crime as well as crack down on piracy won 207200 votes.

The PPP, on the other hand, got 202674 votes.

Further, Granger’s coalition is expected to have three-four seat majority in the

65-member Parliament.

Besides, Indo-Guyanese politician Moses Nagamootoo, who defected from the PPP,

was tapped as Prime Minister and the full cabinet is expected to be unveiled on 26

May 2015.

Earlier Donald Ramotar, the PPP veteran and incumbent President, had forced an

early -elections after suspending and dissolving the parliament in November 2014 to

avoid a no-confidence vote.

Palestinians observed 67th Nakba Day

Palestinians on 15 May 2015 observed the 67th anniversary of the 1948 Palestinian

Nakba Day. As part of it, dozens of Palestinians staged a march in southern Gaza

Strip and vowed to return to their ancestral Homeland.

The march was organised by Hamas near the Israeli border in the town of Al-Qarara

in eastern Khan Younis.



On 15 May every year, Palestinians mark Nakba Day, the day when the state of Israel

was founded. They observe it to reaffirm their right to return to the land from which

their ancestors were forcibly displaced by Israel in 1948.

The term Nakba in Arabic means catastrophe and is used by Palestinians to denote

their mass expulsion and displacement from their ancestral homes and land in

historical Palestine in 1948.

On the other hand, Jews in Israel celebrate this day as Independence Day.

PM Narendra Modi announced e-Visa facility for Chinese Tourists

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 15 May 2015 announced electronic tourist visa

(e-Visa) facility for Chinese nationals.

The decision was announced in Beijing, China during his three day visit starting from

14 May 2015.

It is in tune with the Joint Statement issued by Modi and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang

after conclusion of bilateral talks during the visit which called for development of

tourism sector and increasing people-to-people exchanges between the two

countries.

Incidentally, India designated 2015 as Visit India Year in China to augment Chinese

tourist arrivals and tourist revenues.

The above steps by the Indian Government are aimed at attracting a bigger chunk of

about 100 million Chinese tourists who visited abroad in 2014.

India, despite having huge tourist potential for Chinese by virtue of having many

Buddhist holy places, it attracts less travelers (2 lakh during 2014) when compared

with that of our smaller neighbours like Maldives (4 lakh), Nepal (1.4 lakh) and Sri

Lanka (1.3 lakh).



Vatican recognised Palestine as State in the Holy See-Palestine Joint Statement

Vatican recognised Palestine as a state in the Holy See-Palestine Joint Statement

released on 13 May 2015.

The Joint Statement titled Bilateral Commission of the Holy See and the State of

Palestine was released after the Plenary Session held in Vatican on a Comprehensive

Agreement following on the Basic Agreement signed on 15 February 2000. The Basic

Agreement of 2000 deals with essential aspects of the life and activity of the Catholic

Church in Palestine.

The Plenary Session was chaired by Mgr Antoine Camilleri, Under-Secretary for the

Holy See’s Relations with States, and by Ambassador Rawan Sulaiman, Assistant

Minister of Foreign Affairs for Multilateral Affairs of the State of Palestine.

Why the recognition is significant?

Although the Vatican had been officially referring to Palestine as a state following

the Pope’s visit to the Holy Land in 2014 but the joint statement is the first legal

document to be negotiated between the two.

Also, the document changes its diplomatic recognition from the Palestine Liberation

Organisation (PLO) to the state of Palestine. The official relation between the Holy

See and PLO was established on 26 October 1994.

The recognition by Vatican came as Israel government published its official guidelines,

which promised to advance the peace process and make an effort to reach a peace

agreement with the Palestinians but did not use the term Palestinian state.

Other nations to recognise Palestine as State

The Vatican has functionally dealt with Palestine as State since the 2012 United

Nations vote wherein Palestine was given a non-member, observer-state status. 135

member-nations of UN recognized Palestine as a State.

In October 2014, Sweden recognised Palestine and in recent months the British,



French, Spanish and Irish Parliaments have passed resolutions urging their

governments to follow the suit.

Comment

The present move by the Vatican is a welcome development and will help Palestine

in its international effort to get the recognition as a State. This is not only politically

significant but also morally significant because the Vatican represents hundreds of

millions of Christians worldwide, including Palestinians.

Further, the endorsement of statehood by the Vatican counters images of Palestinians

as terrorists and is recognition of the Palestinian character that has a clear message

for coexistence and peace.

However, the move has been criticized by Israel and the US by terming it as

disappointing. According to Israel’s Foreign Ministry, the recognition would “not

advance the peace process” and “distances the Palestinian leadership from returning

to direct and bilateral negotiations.”

North Korea successfully test-fired Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile

North Korea on 8 May 2015 successfully test-fired a newly developed Submarine-

Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM). The nation described the missile as a world level

strategic weapon.

The underwater ballistic missile that will meet the latest military science and technology

requirements of the country was test-fired after Leader Kim Jong-Un gave the order

to test-fire the missile. He also watched its launch from attack submarine.

This underwater ballistic missile is capable of striking and wiping out hostile forces

in any waters.

This missile programme has violated the UN resolution that prohibits Pyongyang

from conducting ballistic missile tests.



India, Russia signed 11 MoIs for Higher Academic Cooperation

Indian and Russian institutions of higher learning on 8 May 2015 inked 11 Memorandum

of Intent (MoI) to establish the Network of Institutions of Higher Education.

Among those that signed the memorandum were IIT Bombay, Madras and Delhi and

also University of Delhi, Indian Statistical Institute and Institution of Engineers.

The MoIs were inked in Moscow in presence of President Pranab Mukherjee, who is

on a four day visit to Russia to witness the Victory Day parade on 9 May 2015, which

is marking the 70th anniversary of Allied forces victory in the Second World War.

During this visit, Mukherjee was conferred with honorary Doctorate by the Russian

Diplomatic Academy.

The leading Academic Institutes of Russia and India will combine efforts to train

highly qualified staff for innovative economy and expand scientific, technical and

technological cooperation.

Cooperation agreement signed between the Department of Science & Technology in

India and Russian Science Foundation will offer another platform for supporting joint

research projects.

Establishment of a network of Indian and Russian Universities would facilitate

establishment of more institutional linkages, including exchanges of faculty,

researchers and students, joint research activities and scientific conferences and

symposia.

UK General election 2015: Conservative Party won majority by securing 331 seats

David Cameron’s Conservative Party on 8 May 2015 won the UK General election

2015 by securing 331 seats in a Parliament of 650.



With this win, the incumbent Prime Minister David Cameroon will continue to be in

the office.

Result of 2015 UK General Election

• Conservative Party led by David Cameron: 331 seats received 51 percent votes

• Labour Party led by Ed Miliband: 232 seats received 36 percent votes

• Scottish National Party led by Nicola Sturgeon: 56 seats received 9 percent votes

• Liberal Democrats led by Nick Clegg: 8 seats received 1 percent votes

• Democratic Unionist Party led by Peter Robinson: 8 seats received 1 percent

votes’

• Others: 15 seats

The elections were held on 7 May 2015. The British Parliament is made up of 650

seats with 326 required for a majority.

Comment & Analysis

This win of Conservatives with an absolute majority means that they will be able to

govern without need for a coalition with any other parties. Earlier, the country was

ruled by a coalition government of Conservatives and Liberal Democrats.

Philippines and Japan coast guards held anti-piracy drills in Manila Bay

Philippine and Japanese coast guard teams on 6 May 2015 held an anti-piracy drills

in Manila Bay. This is the first drill held by Japan and the Philippines after signing a

strategic partnership pact in 2012.

The drills in Manila Bay were watched by the coast guard chiefs of 17 Asian nations.

The drill features the storming of a cargo vessel after a mock hijack. The drill was

held in a show of maritime cooperation between the two nations amid rising tension



in Asian waters.

Both nations face a challenge from China’s growing assertiveness over territorial

claims in the South China Sea and the East China Sea, where it uses coast guard and

fishing vessels to press into disputed areas.

Philippines and Japan shared mutual interest, such as pirates and illegal trafficking,

drug trafficking, firearms trafficking. Japan has been helping the Philippines improve

its skills in maritime law enforcement, safety and environment protection.

China claims most of the potentially energy-rich South China Sea, through which

5 trillion US dollar in ship-borne trade passes every year. The Philippines, Vietnam,

Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have overlapping claims.

India, Iran signed inter-Governmental MoU for development of Chabahar Port

India and Iran on 6 May 2015 signed an inter-Governmental Memorandum of

Understanding (MoU) for the development of the strategically important Chabahar

Port in Iran.

The MoU was signed in Tehran by Minister for Shipping and Road Transport and

Highways Nitin Gadkari and Iranian Minister for Transport and Urban Development

Abbas Ahmad Akhoundi.

Features of this inter-Governmental MoU

• The MOU facilitates Indian and Iranian commercial entities to commence

negotiations for finalization of a commercial contract.

• Under the contract, Indian firms will lease two existing berths at the Port and

operationalize them as container and multi-purpose cargo terminals.

Benefit of the MoU

This MoU will facilitate availability of functional container and cargo terminal to India



at the port which will provide Afghanistan’s garland road network system alternate

access to a sea port. It will also enhance Afghanistan’s overall connectivity to regional

and global markets significantly and provide a boost to the ongoing reconstruction

and humanitarian efforts in the country.

The port located in Sistan-Balochistan Province on Iran’s southeastern coast is

of great strategic utility for India and will also provide a sea-land access route to

Afghanistan bypassing Pakistan. The port will be used to ship crude oil and urea,

saving India transportation costs.

Comment: The MoU may work as a setback for United States, which has been asking

India and other countries not to rush into doing business with Iran. It has asked other

countries to halt their process of doing business with Iran as Washington is yet to

work out a deal with Tehran on the latter’s contentious nuclear programme.

Forbes released Global 2000 Companies list

Forbes on 6 May 2015 released Global 2000 Companies list. The Forbes Global 2000

is a comprehensive list of the world’s largest, most powerful public companies, as

measured by revenues, profits, assets and market value.

Global 2000 companies hail from 61 countries and account for combined revenues

of 39 trillion US dollar, profits of 3 trillion US dollar, with assets worth 162 trillion US

dollar, and a market value of 48 trillion US dollar.

Highlights of the Report

• Industrial and Commercial Bank of China tops the list for a third consecutive year,

while Bank of China jumped 5 spots to the No.4 spot, knocking down JP Morgan

Chase.

• Berkshire Hathaway stays at the 5th place, making Warren Buffet’s conglomerate

the largest U.S. Company. For the first time, China’s four biggest banks own the

top four spots.

• China and the USA split the top 10 spots for a second year in a row.



• U.S. tops the list with 579 companies. China with 232 stands second, surpassed

Japan for the first time. With 218 companies, Japan slid to the third spot.

• The United Kingdom kept its fourth place with 95 companies, Europe overall lost

20 spots to finish with 486 companies this year, falling further behind Asia (691)

and North America (645) in continental rankings.

• Two countries debut on the list this year: Argentina and Cyprus.

• India has added two companies to its last year’s tally.

• Reliance Industries is ranked 142 on the list, down from last year’s 135th spot,

with a market value of 42.9 billion dollars and 71.7 billion dollars in sales.

• Reliance is followed by State Bank of India which is ranked 152 and has a 33

billion dollars market value.

• The other Indian companies on the list are Oil and Natural Gas ranked 183, Tata

Motors (263), ICICI Bank (283), Indian Oil (349), HDFC Bank (376), NTPC (431),

Tata Consultancy Services (485), Bharti Airtel (506), Axis Bank (558), Infosys (672),

Bharat Petroleum (757), Wipro (811), Tata Steel (903) and Adani Enterprises (944).

Canadian House of Commons approved Anti-Terror Act, 2015

The Canadian House of Commons on 6 May 2015 approved the Bill C-51, Anti-Terror

Act, 2015 that empowers the country’s spy agency. It was adopted in a 183 to 96

vote.

The act would give the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) the ability to

operate overseas and make preventative arrests. It also makes it easier for police to

arrest and detain individuals without charge.

Now, the bill will be sent to Senate for being approved before becoming a law.

Main Features of the Anti-terror Act

• It allows anyone suspected of being involved in a terror plot to be detained without



charge for up to seven days from the present three days.

• It empowers Canadian Security Intelligence Services (CSIS), the spy agency of

Canada, to thwart attacks directly in a significant expansion of their powers.

• Further, it allows CSIS to directly approach terror suspects in order to disrupt their

plans as against the current practice of only collecting intelligence and passing

the information on to police.

• CSIS will also be able to cancel plane or other travel reservations made by

Canadians suspected of being involved in terrorism. However, the new activities

by CSIS will require approval by a judge.

• It makes it a crime for a person to call for terror attacks on Canada generally or

to promote or advocate others to carry out terrorism elsewhere. At present, it is a

crime to make a specific threat.

• The penalty for giving public threat will be a maximum of five years in prison.

• Authorities will be able to remove terror-related material from any Canadian

website.

The ant-terror bill was announced by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper in

January 2015 in response to attacks on Canadian territory on 22 October 2014, in

which two people were killed.

In the incident, an armed assailant, identified as Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, killed a soldier

at the country’s National War Memorial in Ottawa and then stormed the parliament

before being shot dead by police.

French Parliament approved Surveillance Law to prevent terrorist attack

The French Parliament on 5 May 2015 approved a surveillance law that strengthens

the intelligence services of the country.

The aim behind approving the law is to prevent terrorist attacks.



The law on intelligence-gathering adopted by 438 votes to 86, was drafted after three

days of Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris in January 2015, in which 17 people were killed.

The law will now be examined by the senate.

Features of the Surveillance Law

• It allows intelligence agencies to tap phones and emails without judicial permission

from judges

• It defines the purposes for which secret intelligence-gathering may be used

• Sets up a supervisory body, the National Commission for Control of Intelligence

Techniques (CNCTR), with wider rules of operation

• It authorises new methods, such as the bulk collection of metadata via internet

providers

• It allows placement of cameras and recording devices in private homes of suspects

along with keylogger devices that record every key stroke on a targeted computer

in real time by Intelligence services

• It allows authorities to keep recording for a month and metadata for five years

• It allows intelligence services to vacuum up metadata, which would then be subject

to analysis for potentially suspicious behavior

It says that the metadata would be anonymous but could be followed by intelligence

agents with a request to an independent panel for deeper surveillance that could

yield the identity of users

• It allows authorities to force the internet providers to install so-called black boxes

or complex algorithms to flag up a succession of suspect behavioural patterns

online, like keywords used, sites visited and contacts made

Comment

The new law, especially the action of tapping phones and emails, has sparked protests

in the country terming that the legalisation of the intrusive surveillance method

surpasses the individual freedom and privacy. In wake of the law, the protesters



for civil liberties group launched a campaign under banner 24 hours before 1984

in reference to George Orwell’s dystopian novel about life under an all-knowing

dictatorship.

The new Surveillance Law of France is similar to mass surveillance Patriot Act of

the United States which was introduced in the backdrop of 9/11 attacks. Although,

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, defended the bill by saying that a law was needed

to take into account the communication technology.

France signed 7.02 billion US dollar agreement with Qatar to supply 24 Rafale fighter jets

France on 4 May 2015 signed a 7.02 billion US dollars agreement with Qatar to

supply 24 Dassault Aviation-built Rafale fighter jets. This is the third contract to sell

Rafale Fighter jets after contracts with Egypt and India.

Agreement was signed by the French President Francois Hollande and Qatari Emir

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Doha, Qatar.

The agreement also includes training of 36 Qatari pilots and 100 technicians by the

French military. It will also provide for the training of a number of Qatari intelligence

officers.

Since the first sale of Rafale fighter jets to Egypt, the French planes have become the

best-seller worldwide and it could help to make France the world’s second biggest

supplier of weaponry after the United States.

The Rafale export deals are expected to give 21 billion euro in 2015 to French

economy, a significant boost for a still-struggling French economy.

The Dassault Rafale is a French twin-engine, canard delta wing, multirole fighter

aircraft designed. It was introduced in 2001 and has been built by Dassault Aviation.

Since its introduction, the Rafales have been used in combat operations in Afghanistan,

Libya, Mali and Iraq.



Australia announced new punishments for foreigner investors breaking rules on buying property

The Australian government on 3 May 2015 announced tough new punishments for

foreigner investors who break rules on buying property in the country.

This was jointly announced by Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Treasurer Joe Hockey.

Now, the Australian Taxation Office will handle all residential real estate data which

will enable it to alert the government of possible breaches more effectively.

The new punishments include

• Up to three years in prison and fines of 127500 dollars for individuals and 637500

dollars for companies

• The third parties, including real estate agents and developers knowingly helping

those buyers will also be penalised with fines of up to 42500 dollars for individuals

and 212500 dollars for companies

• Foreign buyers who are forced to sell a property will be prevented from profiting

from the sale.

• Foreign buyers will also have to pay a 5000 dollar fee to buy property in Australia

which will be used to fund the policing of the new rules

Besides, the government has also asked the foreign investors who have illegally

bought Australian properties to declare themselves by December 2015 or risk facing

tough new penalties including three years’ jail and fines of up to 637500 dollar.

Third India-Tunisia Foreign Office Consultations held in Tunis

Third India-Tunisia Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) was held in Tunis from 29 April

to 2 May 2015. The third round of FOC was held after a gap of 12 years.



The Indian delegation was led by Secretary (East) Anil Wadhwa who held

comprehensive discussions with Mohamed Ezzine Shelaifa, Secretary of State in the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Tunisia.

During the visit of Indian delegation to Tunisia, several bilateral and multilateral issues

related to regional and international issues of mutual interest were discussed. Besides,

the two sides also signed an Agreement on Exemption of Visas for Diplomatic and

Official Passports.

Other discussions included

• Issues pertaining to TIFERT (Tunisia-India Fertiliser) plant, the bilateral joint venture

in phosphates

• Further avenues of economic cooperation were explored and some specific items

with potential for two-way trade were identified

• Ways of streamlining the procedure of registration of new pharmaceutical products

was discussed



NATIONAL20th Law Commission submitted report on Guardianship and Custody Laws to the Union Law Ministry

The 20th Law Commission of India on 22 May 2015 submitted the 257th report titled

Reforms in Guardianship and Custody Laws in India to DV Sadananda Gowda, the

Union Minister of Law and Justice.

The report reviewed the current laws dealing with custody and guardianship and

came up with draft legislative amendments in the form ofthe Hindu Minority and

Guardianship (Amendment) Bill, 2015 and the Guardians and Wards (Amendment)

Bill, 2015 to the Hindu Minority and Guardianship Act, 1956 and the Guardians and

Wards Act, 1890 respectively.

Major amendments deal with the Guardians and Wards Act, 1890 by introducing

a new chapter (Chapter IIA) on custody and visitation arrangements including the

concept of joint custody.

Key Aspects of the Draft Legislation

Welfare principle: The welfare principle in the Guardians and Wards Act, 1890

was strengthened with a continuous emphasis on its relevance in each aspect of

guardianship and custody related decision-making.

Abolition of preference: Preference for the father as the natural guardian under Hindu

law was removed and both parents are granted equal legal status with respect to

guardianship and custody.

Joint custody: Courts are empowered to award joint custody to both parents in



circumstances conducive to the welfare of the child or award sole custody to one

parent with visitation rights to the other.

Mediation: Parties to a custody matter must ordinarily consider expert-led and time-

bound mediation, which can not only promote better outcomes for parents and

children, but also reduce the strain on the overburdened court system.

Child support: Courts are empowered to fix an amount specifically for child support,

to meet basic living expenses of the child.

Financial resources of parents and the standard of living of the child must be considered

when fixing such amounts. Child support must continue till the child turns 18, but

may be extended till 25; or longer, in case of a child with mental or physical disability.

Guidelines: Detailed guidelines were evolved to help courts, parents and other

stakeholders arrive at the best arrangement to serve the welfare of the child. Several

new concepts in this regard, including parenting plans, grand parenting time, visitation

rights, and relocation of parents were also mentioned in the report.

Comment

The revision of the Hindu Minority and Guardianship Act, 1956 and the Guardians

and Wards Act, 1890 has become necessary to ensure these laws are in tune with

changes in the social considerations. As per an estimate, divorce rate increased to

13 per 1000 in 2014 as compared to that of 1 in 1000 in 2004.

Additionally, in most of the proceedings of divorce and family breakdowns parents

use children as pawns to strike their own bargains without considering the emotional,

social and mental upheavals that the children may face.

Hence, in order to protect interest of the children, the commission has recommended

amendments to laws by giving substantial powers to courts in dealing with such

cases.



Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Doordarshan’s farmer-centric Kisan TV Channel

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 26 May 2015 launched Doordarshan’s farmer-

centric channel named DD Kisan from Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi. The 24-hour

channel will air information on farmer-related issues.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has included DD Kisan channel under

the genre Infotainment (Hindi). With this, DD Kisan has become a must carry channel

making it mandatory for every cable and Direct to Home (DTH) operators to provide

DD Kisan to their subscribers.

The channel programmes would be primarily for agriculture sector and rural India and

would help in revitalizing agriculture sector which in turn would aid the development

of rural India.

India Meteorological Department signed MoU with POSOCO Ltd to increase efficiency of power sector

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) under the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences

on 18 May 2015 signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Power System

Operation Corporation Ltd (POSOCO) for optimum use of weather information/

forecast in the power sector.

POSOCO Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd.

Highlights of the MoU

• All weather information provided by ESSO-IMD will be used by the Power System

Operators across the India for better management of Indian Power System.

• IMD will make available current weather information for the identified stations;

and forecasts at different time scales of temperature, humidity, wind speed, wind

direction and rainfall of the identified stations/sectors.



• IMD will also provide weather warnings about likely occurrences of thunderstorm,

heat wave, cold wave, rainfall, fog, etc. over various states for up to 72 hours.

• IMD will provide state or region wise Monthly/Seasonal outlooks of weather

conditions.

• Both the parties agreed to provide expert opinion and knowledge support in areas

of Weather information and its affect on power distribution system.

• Data and Inputs will be exchanged to encourage further study and research work.

• POSOCO will provide economic assessment of impact of weather and climate

information. Regular feed mechanism will be put in place for continued up-

gradation of the services.

Bengaluru airport signed a contract with SITA to allow self check-in from June 2015

The Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) on 15 May 2015 signed a seven-

year multi-million dollar contract with the global aviation IT firm SITA.

The contract will enable the airport to implement the new Common Use Self Service

kiosk (CUSS) platform that allows passengers to print their own boarding passes as

well as baggage tags from June 2015.

The contract includes SITA’s passenger processing platform AirportConnect Open, the

latest self-service check-in kiosks and baggage reconciliation service BagManager.

In total, 180 common-use workstations and 30 new CUSS kiosks will run on the

SITA AirportConnect Open platform. All 31 airlines using the airport can access their

respective IT applications in real-time on shared equipment.

They can also use any airport desk, gate or self-service kiosk for passenger check-in

and boarding. This will ensures maximum flexibility and convenience for the airlines

as well as for the airport and passengers.

SITA’s baggage reconciliation service BagManager would provide the airport with



comprehensive baggage management, delivering real-time information on baggage

status and helping resolve issues quickly and efficiently.

In addition, BagMessage service ensures on-time departures with a fully managed

and secure baggage message distribution system.

BIAL is a 74:13:13 joint venture with GVK-led consortium as the majority partner

while state-owned airport operator Airports Authority of India (AAI) and Karnataka

Government each having 13 per cent stake. The airport had handled 15 million

passengers in the fiscal, ended in March 2015.

Union Government launched Road Asset Management System for National Highways

Union Minister of Road Transport, Highways and Shipping on 15 May 2015 launched

Road Asset Management System (RAMS) for National Highways. The system will

compile information on road assets, condition of the pavements and traffic through

use of laser technology.

The outcome of this integrated data collection system will assist in developing an

accurate and scientific maintenance planning mechanism, finalizing road safety

measures and development of the National Highways network in India. The data

collected will be stored and managed through a web based application, which will

be hosted in the public domain. The application, when fully developed, can also be

accessed by smart phones.

Information collected from this project will be useful for Transport Ministry, Finance

Ministry, NHAI, State PWDs, Police departments, funding agencies, developers and

citizens. The software will be equipped to interface with the indigenous Bhuvan satellite

images. The survey vehicle is equipped with three cameras including pavement view,

15 advanced Lasers and GPS connected to Gagan satellite.

The development of Road Asset Management System (RAMS) is a part of the Prime

Minister’s Digital India initiative.



Union Government decided to implement NERS for women in distress

Union Home Ministry on 15 May 2015 decided to implement the NERS (Nationwide

Emergency Response System) to save women in distress. In this regard, the Ministry

invited proposals from IT service providers to implement it.

NERS was the brainchild of the Congress-led UPA government which envisaged it in

response to Delhi gang rape case of December 2012.

The NERS seeks to make the police immediately respond to any call by a woman in

distress anywhere in India. It will revolutionalise the existing Police Response systems

which are limited to a city and different cities use different systems and only a handful

of cities use technology in any form.

How it will operate?

NERS resembling the 911 number system of the United States (US) is designed to

have at least one Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) in each state. The PSAP

basically is a call center where all calls originating in that state will land and will be

answered. The Call Taker with access to case management software and a GIS map

of the state will first mark the location of the caller. It will then evaluate the emergency

situation and forward the case to a Call Dispatcher.

The Call Dispatcher will then identify all the available police vehicles close to the

incident with the aid of the GIS based Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) software and

dispatch the nearest available Police Personnel.

Further, the IT enabler system will automatically detect caller’s location if call is

coming from landline, mobile apps and sensors.

To make the system more robust, even the police vehicles will have a GPS based

Mobile Data Tablet (MDT) installed that will continuously broadcast their location to

a central data server.



Union Government launched kayakalp Award Scheme to im-prove cleanliness in Public Health Facilities

The Union Health and Family Welfare Minister J P Nadda on 15 May 2015 launched

kayakalp Award Scheme.

The scheme is intended to encourage and incentivize Public Health Facilities (PHFs)

in the country for maintaining the facilities clean and hygienic.

Features of Kayakalp Award Scheme

The objectives of the award scheme are

• To promote cleanliness, hygiene and infection control practices in public health

care facilities

• To incentivize and recognize such public healthcare facilities that show exemplary

performance in adhering to standard protocols of cleanliness and infection control

• To inculcate a culture of ongoing assessment and peer review of performance

related to hygiene, cleanliness and sanitation

• To create and share sustainable practices related to improved cleanliness in public

health facilities linked to positive health outcomes Cleanliness does not apply only

to physical cleanliness, but to develop and put in place systems and procedures

for activities such as bio-waste disposal or protocols etc.

Five awards will be given under this scheme viz., best two District Hospitals (DH) in

each state (only one best district hospital in small states),best two Community Health

Centres (CHC) or Sub District Hospitals (SDH) (limited to one in small states) and one

Primary Health Centre (PHC) in every district.

Award winners will receive a cash award with a citation. First rank and second rank

awardees at DHs will get 50 lakh rupees and 20 lakh rupees respectively. While 15

lakh rupees and 10 lakh rupees are proposed for CHC or SDH, the winner in the PHC

category will get 2 lakh rupees under this scheme.



Certificate of Commendation plus cash award would also be given to such facilities

that score over 70 percent but do not make it to the list of top two or one in a

particular year, which is proposed as 3 lakh rupees for DH, 1 lakh rupees for CHC or

SDH and 50000 for PHC.

The awards would be distributed based on the performance parametersincluding

sanitation and hygiene, infection control, hospital upkeep, waste management,

community participation.

Assessment of the performance would be done sequentially through a three tier system

- internal assessment followed by peer assessment and then external assessment.

Union Ministry of Minority Affairs launched USTAAD Scheme for Traditional Artisans

The Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on 14 May 2015

launched USTAAD (Upgrading the Skills and Training in Traditional Arts/Crafts for

Development) Scheme in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.

Features of USTAAD Scheme

• The objective of the scheme is to preserve rich heritage of traditional arts and

crafts of minorities and build capacity of traditional artisans and craftsmen

• Its purpose is to establish linkages of traditional arts and crafts with the national

and international market and ensure dignity of labour to artisans and provide

employment opportunities and a better future to the youths belonging to the

minority community.

• It will be funded by the Central Government and will prepare skilled and unskilled

artisans and craftsmen to compete with major companies in terms of quality of

products.

• It will be administered by the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs across the country.

The scheme was launched in Varanasi to improve sordid conditions of weavers of



world famous Banaras Saree, belonging to minority communities.

Union Government approved Gujarat State Climate Change Action Plan 2015-2020

The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) on 14 May 2015 approved

the Gujarat State Climate Change Action Plan 2015-2020. The plan was submitted

in August 2014.

In the action plan, the state government proposed to invest more than 21000 crore

rupees to create environment-friendly water resource management, public health

projects, forest and environment improvement projects and agriculture improvement

projects by 2020.

The plan also suggests radical changes in the functioning of government in nine

sectors including agriculture, water resource management, healthcare, forest and

biodiversity, renewable energy, coastal infrastructure, urban development, vulnerable

community and green jobs.

The plan was prepared by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI).

Background

Gujarat was the first state to set up first climate change department, but was

amongst the last states to get approval for its action plan from the Union Ministry

of Environment and Forests. The plan raised serious concerns about the socio-

economic and environmental impact of climate change.

Moreover, it suggested huge investments in building new infrastructure to mitigate

the impact of climate change and also stressed upon radical policy changes in

governance, industries and other sectors.



Union Cabinet approved amendments to Child Labour (Prohibi-tion & Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2012

Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 13 may 2015 approved

official amendments to the Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Amendment Bill,

2012.

The official amendments along with the Amendment Bill 2012 seeks to amend the

Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) (CLPR) Act, 1986and allows children below

the age of 14 years to work in select non-hazardous family enterprises

Following official amendments have been approved by the Cabinet:

• It prohibits employment of children below 14 years in all occupations and processes

and links the age of prohibition of employment to age under Right of Children to

Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009. However, it will not prohibit

1. oa child helping his family or family enterprise, which is other than any hazardous

occupation or process, after his school hours or during vacation; and

2. oa child working as artist in an audio-visual entertainment industry, except the

circus, provided that the school education of the child is not affected.

• It introduces a new definition of adolescent in the CLPR Act and prohibits the

employment of adolescents (14 to 18 years of age) in hazardous occupations and

processes.

• It provides for stricter punishment for employers for violation of the CLPR Act has

been proposed to act as a deterrent:

1. In case of first offence of employing any child or adolescent in contravention of

the Act, penalty would be imprisonment for a term not less than six months, which

may extend to two years or with fine not less than 20000 rupees which may extend

to 50000 rupees or with both.

2. In case of a second or subsequent offence of employing any child or adolescent

in contravention of the Act, the minimum imprisonment would be one year which



may extend to three years.

• It makes the offence of employing any child or adolescent in contravention of the

Act by an employer a cognizable offence.

• There would be no punishment in case of a first offence by the parents/guardians

and in case of a second and subsequent offence; the penalty would be a fine

which may extend to 10000 rupees. This amendment is introduced in light of

socio-economic conditions of parents/guardians.

• It provides for constitution of Child and Adolescent Labour Rehabilitation Fund for

one or more districts for the rehabilitation of the child or adolescent rescued.

Why the need for amending CLPR Act, 1986?

Firstly, the official amendments along with Amendment Bill, 2012 seeks to strike

a balance between the need for education for a child and the reality of the socio-

economic condition and social fabric in the country.

Secondly, the socio-economic milieu of India is such that, on the one hand, children

help their parent especially in occupations like agriculture, artisanship etc. and on the

other, they learn basics of occupation while helping the parents.

Thirdly, the Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act (CLPR Act) 1986 was not in

sync with the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 that

enjoins the State to ensure free and compulsory education to all children in the age

group of 6 to 14 years. A corollary to this would be that if a child is in the work place,

he would miss school.

Lastly, CLPR Act was not in conformity with the International Labour Organisation (ILO)

Conventions 138 and 182, which provide for minimum age of entry into employment

and prohibition of employment of persons below 18 years, in work which is likely to

harm health, safety and morals.



Supreme Court issued Guidelines on Regulating Government Advertisements

The Supreme Court (SC) on 13 May 2015 issued guidelines on regulating government

advertisements. The guidelines were issued by a SC bench headed by Justice Ranjan

Gogoi.

The new guidelines by the apex court were framed with a view to discourage

such advertisements from creating personality cults and it applies to the frequent

advertisements that are placed by the centre and state governments to publicise

schemes.

Details of the guidelines

• Only photographs of the President, Prime Minister (PM) and Chief Justice of India

(CJI) can feature in the newspaper advertisements released by state and central

government departments.

• The photographs of these dignitaries can only be used with their prior approval.

• Besides, these three, the photos of late leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and

Jawaharlal Nehru can also be used in the government advertisements.

• The use of photo of any politicians other than these personalities was banned by

the apex court.

• Other than politicians, the photos of even Chief Ministers and bureaucrats were

also banned from being featured in newspaper advertisements.

• In order to see that the framed guidelines are not violated, the apex court even

asked the government to appoint a three-member committee to monitor it.

The guidelines were issued by a SC bench headed by Justice Ranjan Gogoi in response

to a petition filed by lawyer-activist Prashant Bhushan-headed NGO Common Cause,

who sought strict rules to ban government advertisements glorifying the politicians

and ministers of government in power as it is the blatant misuse of taxpayers’ money.

These guidelines were based on the recommendations of NR Madhava Menon



headed three-member committee constituted by the SC to look into the matter in

August 2014.

Lok Sabha passed Repealing and Amending Bill, 2015

Lok Sabha on 7 May 2015 gave its nod for the Repealing and Amending Bill, 2015

which seeks to repeal 36 archaic laws either partially or entirely as they have ceased

to be in force or have become obsolete.

With this, the bill has been passed by both the houses of Parliament as Rajya Sabha

passed the bill on 5 May 2015.

Out of the 36 acts, four acts will be repealed entirely. These include The Indian

Fisheries Act, 1897, The Foreign Jurisdiction Act, 1947 and The Sugar Undertakings

(Taking over of Management) Act, 1978.

The remaining 32 Acts that are being repealed are amendments to principal Acts.

These include amendments to the Representation of the People Act, 1951, Hindu

Marriage Act, 1955, Anand Marriage Act, 1909 the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 among

others.

A similar bill, the Repealing and Amending (Second) Bill, 2014 was passed by the Lok

Sabha on 8 December 2014 and is lying with the Rajya Sabha. It is sought to repeal

90 laws and pass amendments to two laws. Out of 90 laws, 88 laws will be repealed

completely.

Comment

The passage of The Repealing and Amending Bill, 2015 by the Parliament is in tune

with the Union government’s objective of repealing the obsolete laws as they have

outlived their utility.

Around 1741 laws in the country have become redundant but still they are in existence.

In this regard the BJP-led NDA government had identified certain Appropriation Acts

that needs to be repealed. These Acts pertain to the domain of Union Finance Ministry

and Railway Ministry.



In lieu of this, the Appropriation Acts (Repeal) Bill, 2015 was introduced in the Lok

Sabha on 24 April 2015 which intended to repeal 758 Acts passed by the Parliament

including Appropriation Acts [including also, Appropriation (Railways) Acts] enacted

between 1950 and 2012 and 111 State Appropriation Acts enacted by the Parliament

between 1950 and 1976.

Lok Sabha passed Juvenile Justice Amendment Bill 2014

Lok Sabha on 7 May 2015 passed Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children)

Bill 2014. The Bill clearly defines and classifies offences as petty, serious and heinous,

and defines differentiated processes for each category.

The amendment bill has introduced a new provision that disallows the protection

from disqualification in cases where a juvenile is tried and convicted under the adult

system.

The bill will allow children in the 16-18 age group to be tried as adults if they commit

heinous crimes.

The bill will replace the existing Juvenile Justice Act, 2000. The bill states that in case

a heinous crime has been committed by a person in the age group of 16-18 years it

will be examined by a Juvenile Justice Board to assess if the crime was committed

as a child or as an adult.

The trial of the case will take place accordingly by the board which will consist of

psychologists and social experts.

The bill also proposed to streamline adoption procedures for orphaned, abandoned

and surrendered children by making mandatory registration of all institutions engaged

in providing child care.

The bill proposes several rehabilitation and social integration measures for institutional

and non- institutional children. It provides for sponsorship and foster care as

completely new measures.

According to data from National Crime Records Bureau, crimes by juveniles in the



age group of 16-18 years have increased, especially in certain categories of heinous

crimes.

The number of murder cases against juveniles rose from 531 in 2002 to 1,007 in 2013.

Similarly, cases of rape and assault with intent to outrage the modesty of women

have gone up from 485 and 522 in 2002 to 1884 and 1424 in 2013 respectively.

In 2013, 933 cases of kidnapping and abduction were registered against juveniles,

which was 704 in 2012. According to Women and Child Development Ministry, more

than 250 civil society organisations, individuals and experts had given their comments

on the draft Bill which were taken into consideration before giving it a final shape.

Union Government launched Credit Enhancement Guarantee Scheme for Scheduled Castes

The Union Ministry for Social Justice & Empowerment on 6 May 2015 launched the

Credit Enhancement Guarantee Scheme for Scheduled Castes. The scheme is being

implemented by Industrial Finance Corporation of India (IFCI) Ltd.

A sum of 200 crore rupees was allocated towards Credit Enhancement Guarantee

scheme for young and start-up entrepreneurs belonging to Scheduled Castes (SC)

to avail financial assistance. This allocation was made under Social Sector Initiatives

to promote entrepreneurship among SCs.

The main objective of this scheme is to encourage entrepreneurship in the lower strata

of the Society resulting in job creation besides creating confidence in Scheduled

Castes.

Other Programmes

Moreover, the Ministry also inaugurated the Commercial Motor Driving Training

Programme with Self Defense Skills for 250 women organized by National Safai

Karamcharis Finance & Development Corporation (NSKFDC).

This training was launched with an objective to ensure women social & economic



empowerment by creating job or self employment opportunities for these women,

belonging to the families of Safai Karamcharis.

Rajya Sabha passed 119th Constitutional Amendment Bill on LBA between India and Bangladesh

Rajya Sabha on 6 May 2015 passed 119th Constitutional Amendment Bill on Land

Boundary Bill (LBA). The 119th Constitution Amendment) Bill, 2013 was unanimously

passed by the upper house, with 180 votes in favour and zero against it.

The Bill is to operationalise the Land Boundary Agreement with India and Bangladesh,

and the exchange of certain enclaves of land between the two countries.

The Bill was earlier passed by the Union Cabinet and now includes territories in

Assam along with those in West Bengal, Tripura and Meghalaya.

Now, the Bill will be introduced in the Lok Sabha and it will then be sent for President’s

signature.

As it is the Constitutional Amendment Bill, It would require ratification of at least 50

per cent of the state legislatures before it comes into effect.

The bill’s passage will lead to an amendment in the first schedule of the Constitution

and give effect to a May 1974 agreement between India and Bangladesh on acquisition

and transfer of territories.

Background

The exchange will see Bangladesh take over 111 enclaves (17160 acres) from India’s

possession and India, in turn, receive 51 enclaves (7110 acres) from Bangladesh.

In Assam, India will get 470 acres of land from Bangladesh, while 268 acres will go

to Bangladesh. Enclaves are tiny landlocked territories that each country has within

the borders of the other nation. The enclaves in Assam, West Bengal, Tripura and

Meghalaya come under the bill’s ambit.



World’s largest solar photovoltaic plant of 750 MW to be built in Rewa district of Madhya Pradesh

The Madhya Pradesh Cabinet in the last week of April 2015 gave its approval to build

750 megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic (SPV) plant atGurh tehsil in Rewa district. The

plant, to be developed in three phases of 250 MW, once completed will become the

world’s largest solar power plant.

At present, the largest SPV plant is the Topaz Solar Farm (550 MW) in California’s San

Luis Obispo county, US, which was commissioned in 2014

Characteristic Feature of SPV plant

• The plant will use photovoltaic (PV) technology to generate electricity from the sun

and is estimated to be completed by March 2017 at an estimated cost of 4500

crore rupees.

• The loan for it will be provided by World Bank and New and Renewable Energy

Department of Madhya Pradesh government will provide land for the project. The

state government is also on the lookout for private land.

• The plant will provide power at a price as low as 5.50 rupees per unit as against

the 6.86 rupees per unit, which is the benchmark forlevelised tariff (tariff realised

over the span of the project) of SPV for 2015-16 announced by Central Electricity

Regulatory Commission.

• The project is being set up under the scheme for development of solar parks and

ultra mega solar power projects. The PV modules for the plant would be sourced

from the domestic market which is not mandatory.

• The Power Grid Corporation of India Limited will construct the grid connections

and transmission lines of the solar plant.

• Once commissioned, Jabalpur-based Madhya Pradesh Power Management

Company Limited will buy 40 per cent of power.



Union Ministry of Tourism released Draft National Tourism Policy 2015

The Union Ministry of Tourism on 1 May 2015 released the Draft National Tourism

Policy 2015 after re-visiting National Tourism Policy 2002. The policy is aimed at

boosting tourism sector in the country.

Its objective is to increase India’s share in world tourist arrivals from the present

0.68% to 1% by 2020 and increase to 2% by 2025 and position tourism as a priority

on the National political and economic agenda.

Key Features of the Draft National Tourism Policy 2015

• It enshrines the vision of developing and positioning India as a MUST EXPERIENCE

and MUST RE-VISIT destination encompassing the aspects of Swachhta

(cleanliness), Suraksha (safety) and Swagat (welcome).

• It seeks to evolve a framework for tourism development, which is Government-

led, private sector driven and community welfare oriented.

• Its focus is on Employment Generation and Community Participation in the

development of tourism industry in a sustainable manner.

• The emphasis of the policy will be on skill development across all segments

including setting up of a dedicated university for tourism and hospitality education

and deployment of technology in promotion of tourism.

• National Tourism Advisory Board (NTAB) will be set up under chairmanship of

Union Tourism Minister and having tourism ministers of States / Union Territories

(UTs) and domain experts as its members to monitor the implementation of the

policy.

• National Tourism Authority will be established with representation from the trade

and industry and interconnected departments or agencies to execute the policy.

• Core infrastructure (airways, railways, roadways, waterways, etc.) as well as



Tourism Infrastructure (Swadesh Darshan, PRASAD, Buddhist Circuit, etc) will be

developed.

• Focus on domestic tourism as a major driver of tourism growth and on development

and promotion of the North East Region and the state of Jammu & Kashmir.

• To attract foreign tourists the government will play a more pro-active and decisive

role at multilateral tourism fora such as the South Asian Association for Regional

Cooperation (SAARC), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN),

India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) and Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa

(BRICS) on themes that link the countries such as the Buddhist Circuit, Ramayana

Circuit, Himalayan Circuit, Heritage Circuit, etc.

The new tourism policy will be finalised after receiving inputs and suggestions from

the general public. The suggestions have been invited by the ministry till 10 May

2015.

Nitin Gadkari dedicated two Major Highway Projects in the North East to the Nation

Union Road Transport and Highways minister Nitin Gadkari on 1 May 2015 dedicated

Shillong Bypass Highway Project and four lane Jorabat-Barapani Section of NH-40

to the nation in Shillong, Meghalaya.

The two projects are intended to improve connectivity between Guwahati and Shillong

and other parts of the North East.

The 48.76 Km Shillong Bypass was constructed by National Highways Authority

of India (NHAI) on Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) mode and connects National

Highway (NH) 40 and NH 44 (New NH 6). This will help decongest the traffic in the

city of Shillong from trucks and heavy vehicles coming from or moving towards North

Eastern parts of Assam, Mizoram and Tripura.

Four laning of 61.80 km Jorabat-Barapani section is intended to augment connectivity

between Guwahati and Shillong. The project was constructed by the NHAI on Design



Build Finance Operate & Transfer (DBFOT) Mode on annuity basis.

The above projects are part of the Union Government’s larger agenda to improve the

connectivity within the Northeast (NE) region and between the NE and other parts of

the country in order to tackle the regions isolation and improve the socio economic

conditions.

First meeting of Sub-Group of CMs on Swachh Bharat Mission held in New Delhi

The first meeting of the Sub-Group of Chief Ministers on Swachh Bharat Mission

(SBM) was held on 30 April 2015 at NITI Aayog in New Delhi. The meeting was chaired

by Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh N Chandrababu Naidu who is the convener of

the sub group.

Highlights of the meeting

• It discussed robust institutional mechanisms for effective implementation of the

mission.

• It prepared guidelines and process chart to work on the subject.

• It decided to recommend measures for technological support, including solid

waste management in rural and urban areas.

• It decided to constitute a working group headed by NITI Aayog’s Chief Executive

Officer (CEO) to study the best practices showing alternative methods and best

technology.

• It examined the need of sending some members to other countries to study

sanitation practices

• Technologies from other countries would also be imported and modified to suit

the country’s requirements.

As per the term of reference, the sub-group will examine the financial requirements

for the comprehensive implementation of SBM and suggest measures for meeting



budgetary needs.

It will also examine models of private sector participation in the SBM and suggest ways

to substantially improve participation of private sector and civil society organisations

for effective implementation of the programme.

The final report on Swachh Bharat would be submitted to the Union Government by

end of June 2015.

Nadia in West Bengal became the first open defecation-free (ODF) district of India

Nadia district of West Bengal was on 30 April 2015 declared as the first open

defecation-free (ODF) district in India.

Nadia district could achieve this feat due to its collaborative effort with the United

Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and World Bank aimed at construction of toilets

across the district.

Incidentally, in order to eliminate open defecation from the rural landscape of the

state, the Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee formally launched the

Mission Nirmal Bangla (MNB) on 30 April 2015 and declared the day as Nirmal Bangla

Diwas to mark the occasion.

The mission is akin to the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) in its objectives which was

launched on 2 October 2014 with the objective of ensuring cleanliness in all the 4041

statutory cities and towns of the country by 2 October 2019 which marks the 150th

birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.



ECONOMYCSO released Provisional Estimates of National Income for FY 2014-15

The Central Statistics Office (CSO) on 29 May 2015 released the provisional estimates

(PE) of national income for the financial year (FY) 2014-15 both at constant (2011-12)

and current prices.

As per it, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at constant prices in the FY 2014-15

will grow at 7.3 percent while at current prices it is expected to grow at 10.5 percent.

Besides, CSO also released the quarterly estimates (QE) for the fourth quarter

(January – March) of 2014-15. At constant prices, in Q4 GDP is estimated to grow at

7.5 percent while at current prices it is estimated to grow at 7.7 percent.

Main Highlights

• In absolute terms, Real GDP (at constant prices) in FY 2014-15 is expected to

grow to 106.44 lakh crore.

• In 2014-15, real Gross Value Added (GVA), that is, GVA at basic constant prices is

estimated at 98.27 lakh crore rupees and growth rate is estimated at 7.2 percent.

• The gross national income is estimated to have risen by 7.3 percent during 2014-

15, in comparison to the growth rate of 6.8 percent in 2013-14.

• The per capita net national income in real terms (at 2011-12 prices) during 2014-

15 is estimated to have attained a level of 74104 rupees as against 69959 rupees

in FY 2013-14 (RE).



• The growth rate in per capita income in real terms is estimated at 5.9 percent

during 2014-15 as against 5.4 percent during 2013-14.

• India’s annual per capita or average income (in current prices) in 2014-15 stood at

87748 rupees from 80388 rupees in 2013-14.

• The wholesale price index (WPI), in respect of the groups, food articles,

manufactured products, electricity and all commodities, has risen by 6.1 per cent,

2.4 per cent, 5.7 per cent and 2.0 per cent, respectively during 2014-15.

• The consumer price index has shown a rise of 6.4 per cent during 2014-15.

• In terms of GDP, the rates of Gross Fixed Capital Formation (G)FCF at current and

constant (2011-12) prices during 2014-15 are estimated at 28.7 percent and 30.0

percent, respectively, as against the corresponding rates of 29.7 percent and 30.7

percent, respectively in 2013-14.

Sector-wise Growth

• The sectors registering growth rate of over 7.0 percent in 2014-15 are ‘trade,

hotels, transport, communication and services related to broadcasting’, ‘financial,

real estate and professional services’, ‘electricity, gas, water supply & other utility

services’, ‘public administration, defence and other services’ and manufacturing.

• The growth in the ‘agriculture, forestry and fishing’, ‘mining and quarrying’ and

‘construction’ is estimated to be 0.2 per cent, 2.4 per cent and 4.8 per cent

respectively.

• The third advance estimates of crop production released by the Ministry of

Agriculture show a decline of 2.3 percent in food grain production in 2014-15 to

251.12 million tonnes (MT) as against 257.07 MT in second advance estimates.

• The growth of ‘mining &quarrying’ is estimated at 2.4 percent, as against the

Advance Estimate (AE) growth of 2.3 percent.

• The growth of ‘manufacturing’ sector is estimated at 7.1 percent, as against

the AE growth of 6.8 percent. The performance of corporate performance in

manufacturing sector has also been taken into account. The ‘Trade, hotels,



transport, communication and services related to broadcasting sectors’ have

registered a growth of 10.7 percent in 2014-15 as against 8.4 percent in the AE.

• The sector, ‘financial, real estate and professional services’, has shown a growth

rate of 11.5 percent during 2014-15 as compared to growth rate of 13.7 per cent

in the AE.

• The sector ‘public administration, defence and other services’ has shown a growth

rate of 7.2 percent in the PE, as against the growth rate of 9.0 per cent in the AE.

Comment

The provisional estimates of GDP for the FY 2014-15 vindicate the growth projection

for Indian economy by various world bodies like IMF, World Bank amongst others.

According to these bodies, India is set to become the world’s fastest growing major

economy in the world, overtaking China’s 7.3 percent growth.

Further, at 125.4 lakh crore rupees (2.02 trillion US dollars as on March 2015) India’s

GDP at current prices has officially crossed the 2 trillion US dollars mark making it

the world’s 10th largest economy.

However, despite the current slowdown, at 10.3 trillion US dollars China’s economy

is five times bigger than India, while the USA remains the world’s largest economy at

17.4 trillion US dollars.

Further, experts have pointed out that there were anomalies in the data as

manufacturing shows an estimated growth of 7.1 percent for 2014-15, which under

the index of industrial production (IIP) data for factory output was 2.3 percent.

Finance Minister inaugurated Bank Note Paper Line unit in Ho-shangabad, MP

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on 30 May 2015 inaugurated the new Bank Note

Paper Line unit of 6000 metric tonne capacity at Security Paper Mill in Hoshangabad,

Madhya Pradesh.



With opening of this, India will become self-reliant in producing Bank Note Paper for

big denominations. Earlier, India was considerably dependent on import of bank note

paper for currency of big denominations.

He also flagged off the first consignment of one thousand rupees bank note paper

made indigenously to Currency Note Press Nashik.

It is part of the indigenisation of the Bank Note paper under taken by Security Printing

and Minting Corporation of India Limited. The project has been completed at a cost

of 495 crore rupees within the time schedule.

The plant is capable of incorporating the advanced security features into the Bank

Note paper. It is also capable of manufacturing all denominations of Bank Note paper

including 1000 rupees.

It is expected that the plant will help in generating both direct and indirect employment

and overall will boost the economy of the state.

Another such unit will be soon operationalised in Mysore.

RBI released Draft Guidelines on Net Stable Funding Ratio for Banks

The Reserve Bank of India on 28 May 2015 released the Draft Guidelines on Net

Stable Funding Ratio (NSFR) under Basel III Framework on Liquidity Standards for

banks.

The Reserve Bank proposed to make NSFR applicable to all banks in India from

1 January 2018. The objective of NSFR is to ensure that banks maintain a stable

funding profile in relation to their assets and off-balance sheet activities.

A sustainable funding structure can reduce the probability of erosion of a bank’s

liquidity position due to disruptions in its regular sources of funding that would

increase the risk of its failure and potentially lead to broader systemic stress.

The NSFR limits overreliance on short-term wholesale funding, encourages better



assessment of funding risk across all on-off balance sheet items and promotes

funding stability.

What is NSFR?

Net Stable Funding Ratio (NSFR) is defined as the amount of available stable funding

relative to the amount of required stable funding.

It measures the amount of longer-term, stable sources of funding employed by an

institution relative to the liquidity profiles of the assets funded and the potential for

contingent calls on funding liquidity arising from off-balance sheet commitments and

obligations.

In particular, the NSFR standard is structured to ensure that investment banking

inventories, off-balance sheet exposures, securitisation pipelines.

Background

In the backdrop of the global financial crisis that started in 2007, the Basel Committee

on Banking Supervision (BCBS) proposed certain reforms to strengthen global capital

and liquidity regulations with the objective of promoting a more resilient banking sector.

In this regard, the Basel III: International framework for liquidity risk measurement,

standards and monitoring was issued in December 2010 which presented the

details of global regulatory standards on liquidity. The Basel Committee on Banking

Supervision issued the final rules on the Net Stable Funding Ratio (NSFR) in October

2014. Two minimum standards- Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR) and Net Stable

Funding Ratio (NSFR) for funding liquidity were prescribed by the Basel Committee

for achieving two separate but complementary objectives.

The RBI has already started phasing in implementation of the Liquidity Coverage

Ratio (LCR) from January 2015.

RBI proposed to introduce PPI for Mass Transit Systems

The Reserve Bank of India on 28 May 2015 proposed to introduce Prepaid Payment



Instruments (PPI) for Mass Transit System (PPI-MTS).

These PPI-MTS will be semi-closed instruments that will be used facilitate the

migration to electronic payments in line with the country’s vision of moving to a less-

cash society.

Further, it can also be used within the mass transit systems and will have a minimum

validity of six months from date of issue. Such PPIs will be reloadable instruments

subjected to an outstanding limit of 2000 rupees at any point of time.

Main features of Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPIs)

• The semi-closed PPIs will be issued by the mass transit system operator (PPI-

MTS) who will be authorised under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act,

2007.

• The PPI- MTS will necessarily contain the Automated Fare Collection application

related to the transit service.

• Such PPI-MTS can be used by other merchants whose activities are allied to or

are carried on within the premises of the transit system only.

• The PPI- MTS issuer will ensure on-boarding of merchants following due procedure

applicable to any other PPI issuer.

• The PPI-MTS will have minimum validity of six months from the date of issue.

• The issuer may decide upon the desired level of Know Your Customer (KYC), if

any, for such PPIs.

• No cash-out or refund will be permitted from these PPIs.

• Funds transfer under Domestic Money Transfer (DMT) will also not be applicable

to these PPIs.

The RBI proposed to introduce PPIs after it received requests from various segments,

including providers of mass transit services and road transport services, indicating

the need for PPIs catering to the requirements of this segment to enhance commuter

convenience.



Union Ministry of Corporate Affairs notified the Companies (Amendment) Act, 2014

The Union Ministry of Corporate Affairs on 27 May 2015 notified the Companies

(Amendment) Act, 2014 in the Official Gazette.

The act received the assent of the President of India in early May 2015.

Sixteen amendments pertaining to winding up of companies, board resolutions, bail

provisions and utilisation of unclaimed dividends have been incorporated into the Act

by amending the Companies Act, 2013.

Some of the important provisions of the Companies (Amendment) Act, 2014 are

• It seeks to simplifying bail provisions. For instance, except in various issues of

serious frauds, normal Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) provisions would apply.

• To maintain the confidentiality of the board resolutions, the relevant amendment

now prohibits public inspection of board resolutions filed in the registry.

• The paid-up capital criteria have been scrapped while threshold limits for various

transactions for getting shareholders’ nod has now been stipulated.

• Specific punishment for deposits accepted a condition that was left out in the

Companies Act, 2013 inadvertently.

• Corporate are exempted from the need to get shareholders’ nod in the case of

related party transactions valued lower than 100 crore rupees or 10 percent of net

worth. Earlier corporate were required to get shareholders’ permission for party

transactions valued more than 10 crore rupees.

• Transactions between holding companies and wholly owned subsidiaries are

exempted from the requirement of approval of non-related shareholders.



Expert committee on Health Insurance recommended changes in disclaimer wordings

Expert committee on Health Insurance of Insurance Regulatory and Development

Authority (IRDA) chaired by M Ramaprasad in its report has suggested changing the

wordings of disclaimer in advertisements of insurance companies.

The report of the Committee was made available on the IRDA’s website on 22 May

2015.

Till date, as per the IRDA mandate all insurance companies issued a disclaimer,

“Insurance is a subject matter of solicitation”, in all their advertisements. The

Committee recommended the following wordings for the disclaimer “Before buying,

know the conditions and exclusions, to make a well-informed decision.”

Other recommendations of the committee

• It recommended bringing in a great transparency and clarity to enable policy

holders to understand the boundaries of coverage in their policies.

• It recommends that insurers and third party administrators (TPAs) should have

systems in place to identify, monitor, control and deal with fraud, including hospital

abuse, by various agencies including health care providers.

• It suggested an industry-level collaborative effort to minimise subjective and varied

interpretation of policy terms and conditions, which is the root cause of disputes

between insurers and policy holders.

Besides, it made recommendations on other issues like

• Policy holder Protection, Policyholder Servicing, Fraud Control and Risk

Management

• Product, Distribution, Rural, Social Sector and Micro-insurance

• Reinsurance, Reserving and Solvency

• Capital, Accounts, Expenses of Management, Investment, and Mergers and



Acquisitions

• Health Insurance Regulations 2013

• Policy holder Protection Regulations

These recommendations will help to reduce the asymmetry of information that exists

among all the parties concerned that is customer, provider, payer and others.

Union Cabinet approved revised FDI norms for NRIs, PIOs and OCIs

The Union Cabinet on 21 May 2015 gave its nod for changes in the Foreign Direct

Investment (FDI) policy on investments by Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), Persons of

Indian Origin (PIOs) and Overseas Citizens of India (OCIs).

The amendments to the FDI policy are

• The definition of Non-Resident Indian (NRI) was expanded by including OCI

cardholders as well as PIO cardholders. The decision is meant to align the FDI

policy with the stated policy of the Government to provide PIOs and OCIs parity

with Non Resident Indians (NRIs) in respect of economic, financial and educational

fields.

• Investment made by NRIs under Schedule 4 of FEMA (Transfer or Issue of Security

by Persons Resident outside India) Regulations, 2000 will be deemed to be

domestic investment at par with the investment made by residents. The decision

is meant to provide clarity in the FDI policy as such investment is not included in

the category of foreign investment.

The above decisions of the cabinet coupled with its earlier decisions allowing FDI

up to 100 percent in the Railway infrastructure sector and up to 49 per cent in the

insurance and defence sectors are expected to result in increased investments and

remittances leading to economic growth of the country.



Union Cabinet gave its approval for setting up Ammonia-Urea Complex at Namrup in Assam

The Union Cabinet on 21 May 2015 gave its approval for setting up of a new Ammonia-

Urea Complex at Namrup in Assam. The complex will be set up on Public-Private

Partnership (PPP) mode by a joint venture (JV).

In the proposed JV, PSU Brahmaputra Valley Fertilizer Corporation Limited (BVFCL),

Government of Assam and Oil India Limited (OIL) shall have 11 percent, 11 percent

and 26 percent equity holding respectively and balance 52 percent by private/

public sector entity (entities) which would be inducted through a competitive bidding

process.

Features of the Ammonia-Urea Complex

• It will be of 8.64 lakh metric tonnes annual capacity and will be operationalised

with an investment of 4500 crore rupees.

• The plant will be highly energy efficient unit of international standard with latest

technology and with same amount of natural gas available to the existing units,

the production of urea from the new unit will be more than double that is 3.6 to

8.64 lakh metric tonnes annually.

• The entire production of urea from this unit shall be neem coated so that benefits

of neem coating are available to the farmers of the North-Eastern region also.

Importance of the Ammonia-Urea Complex

It will meet the growing demand of urea in the North-East Region, Bihar, West Bengal

and Jharkhand and will ease the pressure on infrastructure due to long distance

transportation of Urea from Western and Central Regions and thereby saving in

government subsidy on freight.

It will accelerate the economic development of the region by opening up of new

avenues for the people of the North-East in terms of employment and increased

agriculture production.



At present, India is importing around 80 lakh metric tonnes of urea to meet the

domestic demand of 310 lakh metric tonnes per anuum. With the operationalisation

of this new unit along with the revival of the five units as approved by the Union

Cabinet in recent months namely Talcher (Odisha), Ramagundam (Telangna), Barauni

(Bihar), Gorakhpur (Uttar Pradesh) and Sindri (Jharkand) of Fertilizer Corporation

India Limited (FCIL) India is likely to start export of urea which will save about 600

crore rupees annually for government due to reduction in cost of production and

import substitution.

Union finance Ministry constituted Shah Committee to look into the issue of MAT on FIIs

Union finance Ministry on 20 May 2015 constituted Shah Committee to look into the

issue of Minimum Alternate Tax (MAT) on Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs).

The committee will be headed by Justice A P Shah while the other members are Dr.

Girish Ahuja, a chartered accountant and former Associate Professor of Commerce,

Shri Ram College of Commerce, University of Delhi and Dr. Ashok Lahiri, former Chief

Economic Adviser and Executive Director, ADB and currently Chairman of High Level

Committee to interact with Trade and Industry on tax laws.

Further, the committee would examine the matter relating to levy of MAT on FIIs for

the period prior to 1 April 2015.

It will also examine all the related legal provisions, judicial/quasi judicial pronouncements

and such other relevant aspects as it may consider appropriate. The committee has

been requested to give its recommendations on the above issue expeditiously.

The committee shall set its own procedure for regulating its work. The term of the

committee will be for one year or such period as may be notified by the Government

from time to time.

The committee may interact with various stakeholders as it may deem fit. The

committee may also invite officers from Department of Revenue including the Central



Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) for consultations/discussions as may be necessary.

Union Finance Ministry had announced the decision to set up the committee on 7

May 2015. The committee was appointed to resolve the contentious issue of MAT

between the tax authorities and the foreign investors.

As per the Finance Act, 2015 the 20 percent MAT on Capital Gains made by FIIs is

waived off from the financial year 2015-16. However, the issue of imposing MAT for

past years (till 2014-15) has become controversial as the FIIs raised objections to 68

notices (in lieu of 602 crores rupees) issued by the International Taxation Wing of the

Income Tax Department in lieu of MAT.

SEBI notified the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Mutual Funds) Regulations, 2015

The Security and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on 20 March 2015 notified the SEBI

(Mutual Funds) Regulations, 2015.

The notified regulations dropped the 20-25 rule requiring a minimum of 20 investors

and a cap of 25 percent investment by an individual investor in a particular scheme,

for certain foreign entities.

The rule will not be applicable to funds managed by local fund managers in regard to

Category I and/or Category II FPIs (Foreign Portfolio Investors).

Category I FPIs includes government and government related entities and Category

II FPIs includes both broad based entities such as mutual funds, investments trusts

and persons such as portfolio managers, investment managers, asset management

companies, banks among others.

The relaxation of the rule aimed at making easier for domestic mutual funds to manage

offshore pooled assets.

Earlier, the funds not adhering to the 20-25 rule were bound to appoint a separate

fund manager to manage the funds.



Union Government sanctioned 30 new cold storage projects

Union Ministry of Food Processing Industries on 18 May 2015 sanctioned proposals

for setting up 30 new cold storage chains in the country.

The total expected grant-in-aid to be released by the Ministry is 274.9 crore rupees

which would attract an investment of 470 crore rupees.

These 30 new cold storage chains were sanctioned under the Integrated Cold Chain

project. So far, 138 cold storage chains under the project have been sanctioned out

of which 108 are under implementation. Out of these 52 cold storages have been

completed and are operational.

Importance of the decision

• These 30 projects will help in creating a capacity of 1.12 lakh Million Tonnes (MT)

of cold storage, 11.10 lakh litres per day of milk processing, 1434 MT per day of

ripening chamber and 209 Reefer Vehicles.

• This decision will also help bridge the shortfall in handling capacity for at least 29-

30 million tonnes (mt) of milk and dairy products, fruits and vegetables, fish and

marine produce and cereals.

• It will also help in creating a Cold Chain Infrastructure to link the farmer with the

consumer seamlessly and creating a Cold Chain Grid in the country.

• This decision along with earlier decision of setting up 17 Mega Food Parks will

help attract a total investment of about 3077 crore rupees in the creation of

infrastructure in food processing industry in the country.

India is the third largest food producer in the world yet barely 2.2% of fruits and

vegetables in India are processed. Also, Government estimates the food processing

sector to be growing at 8.4% and comprised 13% of factory employment in 2012-13.



Union government allocated 5000 crore for development of AYUSH

The Union Government on 17 May 2015 allocated 5000 crore rupees for the growth of

Department of AYUSH (it comprises Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha

and Homoeopathy).

It also launched an independent National AYUSH Mission aimed at capacity building

for the sector. Besides, the Union Minister of State (MoS) for AYUSH Sripad Naik in

Mumbai informed that to create awareness about Ayurveda his ministry is planning

to observe Ayurveda Day.

The Union Government on 19 November 2014 approved and notified National AYUSH

Mission (NAM) as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme.

RBI allowed Tap And Pay without PIN for transactions up to 2000 rupees

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 14 May 2015 allowed Tap And Pay without PIN for

transactions up to 2000 rupees. For amounts higher than that, the customer must be

given the option of contact payment and would require pin authentication.

RBI decided to relax current guidelines on the needs for additional factor authentication

(AFA) for small value card present transactions only using contact-less cards.

The move is expected to hasten acceptance of tap and pay electronic payments at

retail outlets, in transport services and for toll payments.

Tap and pay refers to the use of near field communication technology in payment

cards where instead of the traditional swiping of the card and punching in payment

details, all the customer needs to do is wave a card in front of an acceptance device

for the bill to be settled.

One of the preconditions set out by RBI is that the contactless card should also



incorporate the latest EMV Chip technology for enabling payment beyond 2000

rupees.

Also, Banks must give customers the option to choose to pay using the regular swipe

method without using NFC irrespective of the amount involved.

In most countries where payment technology has advanced NFC cards are used for

payment of metro or bus fares or in electronic toll collection.

CCEA gave its approval for 5% disinvestment in NTPC and 10% in Indian Oil Corporation

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on 13 May 2015 gave its approval

for 5 percent disinvestment in National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC)

and 10 percent disinvestment in Indian Oil Corporation (IOC).

Disinvestment in these two Maharatna companies will fetch government over 13000

crore rupees at current market price. The proposed share sale of 5 percent in NTPC

will fetch Union government 5600 crore rupees while that of 10 percent in IOC will

bring in 8100 crore rupees.

Currently, Union Government holds 74.96 percent stake in NTPC and 68.57 percent

stake in IOC. After the sale, the Government will be left with a 58.57 percent stake in

Indian Oil and 69.96 percent in NTPC.

Disinvestment in both these companies will be executed through the Offer for Sale

(OFS) route, through stock exchanges. Retail investors (those bidding for up to 2

lakh) will be required to deposit the full amount at the time of the bid, while high net-

worth and institutional investors need not do so.

These approvals are part of Union Government’s budgeted target to raise 41000

crore rupees through disinvestment in CPSUs for the current financial year 2015-16.



Lok Sabha approved Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Bill, 2015

The Lok Sabha on 13 May 2015 passed the Negotiable Instruments (Amendment)

Bill, 2015 with a voice vote. The bill intends to amend the Negotiable Instruments

Act, 1881.

Key Features of Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Bill, 2015

• Cases of bouncing of cheques can be filed only in a court in whose jurisdiction the

bank branch of the payee (person who receives the cheque) lies.

• If a complaint against a person issuing a cheque has been filed in the court with

the appropriate jurisdiction, then all subsequent complaints against that person

will be filed in the same court, irrespective of the relevant jurisdiction area.

• If more than one case is filed against the same person before different courts, the

cases will be transferred to the court with the appropriate jurisdiction.

• It seeks to amend the definition of cheque in the electronic form. While the parent

act defines it as a cheque containing the exact mirror image of a paper cheque

and generated in a secure system using a digital signature, the amendment bill re-

defines it as a cheque drawn in electronic medium using any computer resource

and which is signed in a secure system with a digital signature.

Necessity for Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Bill, 2015

The Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 defines promissory notes, bills of exchange,

cheques and creates penalties for issues such as bouncing of cheques. Though, the

act specifies circumstances under which complaints for cheque bouncing can be

filed (Section 138) but does not specify the territorial jurisdiction of the courts where

such a complaint is to be filed.

In a bid to overcome the legal lacunae, the Supreme Court of India (SC) in August 2014

issued an order stating that cases against those having defaulted on their cheque

payments could only be filed in courts under which jurisdiction of the bank account



of the accused fell. However, since this order is not Payee-friendly (who happens to

be the victim) the government has brought the present amendment bill to by-pass

the court’s order.

The new law is also intended to help consolidate the cases and aid the judicial system,

which is currently dealing with 21 lakh cheque-bounce cases with 259 courts hearing

them exclusively.

RBI released the report titled State Finances: A Study of Budg-ets of 2014-15

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) 12 May 2015 released the report titledState Finances:

A Study of Budgets of 2014-15. The theme of this year’s report is Fiscal Consolidation:

Assessment and Medium Term Prospects.

The report is an annual publication that provides data, analysis and an assessment of

the finances of state governments. It provides the snapshot of the changing dynamics

of fiscal federalism over the years.

Main highlights of the report

• It calls for renewed and sustained efforts by states towards fiscal consolidation

in the years following the global financial crisis so as to increase states’ own

revenues.

• It calls for freeing up resources for higher capital outlays, improving the quality

of fiscal consolidation and setting the consolidated debt-GDP ratio of the states,

including off budget liabilities on a declining trajectory.

• The rapidly growing e-commerce could contribute to states’ own revenue efforts,

provided there is greater clarity in rules and procedures to enable better compliance.

• Windfall gains accruing over time from auctioning of natural resources need to

be channelised effectively for meeting developmental needs of the mineral rich

states.



• Transition from the present origin-based indirect tax regime to a destination-based

tax regime under the Goods and Services Tax from 1 April 2016 is expected to

create a buoyant source of revenue for the centre and states in the medium term.

• Improvement in fiscal marksmanship is important for delivering on fiscal

consolidation intentions, particularly by minimising the systematic bias towards

over-estimation of expenditure relative to receipts.

The report has been prepared in the Fiscal Analysis Division (FAD) of the Department

of Economic and Policy Research.

Moody’s released the report Global Macro Outlook: 2015-16

Moody’s, the US research analytics firm, on 12 May 2015 released the quarterly

Global Macro Outlook: 2015-16 report.

As per the report, stronger US dollar and shifts in capital flows will widen the gap

between global economies in 2015-16. The anticipated tightening of US monetary

policy as compared to monetary easing by other central banks reflects different

prospects for growth and inflation around the world.

The divergence will be between those economies that have built up resilience, like

the US and India, and those that are vulnerable to negative shocks, like Brazil, South

Africa and Turkey. This gap will fuel shifts in capital flows and currency values and

affect the global economic outlook.

The report further forecasts that although the stronger US dollar will dent the growth

prospects of US economy but still the economic growth will be robust. Moody’s

forecasts US GDP growth of 2.8% in both 2015 and 2016.

Moody’s also expects that GDP growth in G20 economies will be 2.8 percent in

2015, which remains broadly unchanged compared to 2014, however, the G20 GDP

growth will increase to around 3 percent in 2016.

The weaker euro and lower oil prices is forecast to give a boost to the euro area

economy, with GDP growth of around 1.5 percent in both 2015 and 2016. Lower oil



prices and the weaker euro will boost growth in the short term.

In China, domestic factors will mainly account for economic developments. Moody’s

maintains its forecast that GDP growth will slow to 6.8 percent in 2015 and 6.5 percent

in 2016, from 7.4 percent in 2014.

Moody’s on India’s growth prospects

India’s GDP will grow at a strong pace of 7.5 percent 2015-16, which is the highest

among G20 economies, helped by the reforms drive and lower oil prices.

The report also forecasts a broadly balanced current account for the first time in 10

years. This has been due to lower energy import bill and restriction in gold imports.

Furthermore, Moody’s forecasts that, the Make-in-India campaign will give a boost

to domestic manufacturing and other reforms measures would bring in higher

investment and boost growth.

On inflation front, it said that inflation will remain moderate helped by adoption of

inflation targeting policy by Reserve Bank of India (RBI). This would in turn ensure

that higher inflation on food products does not spill onto other goods, services and

wages and will raise real incomes, profits and overall GDP growth.

According to the road map, RBI intends to lower retail inflation to 6 percent by January

2016 and 4 percent (+/- 2%) thereafter.

Downside risks to Global economy

The report has identified several risks that could lead to lower growth in some

individual countries. These risks are

(a) a Greek exit from the euro area,

(b) a disorderly reaction to tighter US monetary policy,

(c) the impact of any future correction of Chinese equity or property prices, and

(d) a possible disorderly liberalisation of China’s capital account.



PM inaugurated upgraded IISCO Steel Plant in Burnpur housing largest blast furnace plant of India

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 10 May 2015 inaugurated the upgraded IISCO

Steel Plant (ISP) in Burnpur, West Bengal. The ISP houses the largest blast furnace

of India.

The ISP was modernised by the Union Government at a cost of 16000 crore rupees.

After modernisation, the plant’s production capacity has increased from 0.85 million

tonnes per annum (mtpa) to 2.9 mtpa.

The revamped plant in Burnpur is spread across 953 acres. It is the fifth integrated

steel plant of SAIL. Also, the new plant is equipped with the latest green technologies

with zero emission.

The revamped plant has already achieved some major milestones, both in production

and quality, since 2014. It has started operating the continuous casting plant, and

the first batch of 8-mm thermo-mechanical treatment (TMT) bars was produced in

January 2015. The company’s reserves of iron ore are the largest in Asia.

The modernization will held India in attaining the target of producing 300 million

tonnes of steel by 2025 to meet industry demand. Also, it will help SAIL in achieving

the target of enhancing production capacity to 50 million tonnes by 2025.

Indian Iron and Steel Company (IISCO) was taken over by the Union Government in

1972 as part of a nationalisation drive and made a fully-owned subsidiary of SAIL in

1978. It was thereafter renamed ISP.

RBI advised all Public Sector Banks to appoint Internal Ombudsman

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 11 May 2015 advised all public sector banks

(PSBs) to appoint internal Ombudsman. This internal Ombudsman will be designated

as Chief Customer Service Officer (CCSO) and it should not have worked in the bank



in which it has been appointed as CCSO.

The objective of this initiative is to further boost the quality of customer service and

to ensure that there is undivided attention to resolution of customer complaints in

banks.

The internal ombudsman will be a forum available to bank customers for grievance

redressal before they can even approach the Banking Ombudsman.

Besides, it also asked some private sector and foreign banks to appoint such

Ombudsman. These are ICICI Bank Ltd., HDFC Bank Ltd., Axis Bank Ltd., Kotak

Mahindra Bank Ltd., IndusInd Bank Ltd., Standard Chartered Bank, Citi Bank N.A.

and HSBC Ltd. These banks have been selected on the basis of their asset size,

business mix, etc.

Banking Ombudsman Scheme

The RBI introduced the Banking Ombudsman Scheme (BOS) in 1995 to provide

an expeditious and inexpensive forum to bank customers for resolution of their

complaints relating to deficiency in banking services provided by commercial banks,

regional rural banks (RRBs) and scheduled primary co-operative banks.

Under the BO Scheme a total of 27 grounds of complaints/deficiencies in bank

services are covered. RBI operates the BOS, free of cost, so as to make it accessible

to all.

PM Narendra Modi launched Atal Pension Yojana (APY) for unorganised sector workers

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 9 May 2015 launched Atal Pension Yojana (APY) in

Kolkata, West Bengal.

The scheme is intended to enhance old age income security of the working poor and

is focused on encouraging and enabling them to join the National Pension System

(NPS). It will be operational from 1 June 2015.



Key Features of Atal Pension Yojana (APY)

Operational Framework: It is a Government of India Scheme and is administered by

the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA). The institutional

architecture of NPS would be utilised to enroll subscribers under scheme.

Eligibility: All citizens in the unorganised sector, who join the NPS administered by

the PFRDA and who are not members of any statutory social security scheme are

eligible to benefit under the scheme.

The minimum age of joining is 18 years and maximum age is 40 years. All the existing

subscribers of Swavalamban Scheme would be automatically migrated to APY,

unless they opt out.

It is expected that around two crore subscribers would be enrolled during the financial

year 2015-16 under the scheme.

Benefits: The subscribers would receive the fixed pension, as guaranteed by the

Union Government, of 1000 rupees per month, 2000 rupees per month, 3000 rupees

per month, 4000 rupees per month, 5000 rupees per month, at the age of 60 years,

depending on their contributions, which itself would vary on the age of joining the

scheme.

The pension would also be available to the spouse on the death of the subscriber

and thereafter, the pension corpus would be returned to the nominee.

Funding: The Government would co-contribute 50 percent of the subscriber

contribution or 1000 rupees per annum, whichever is lower, for a period of 5 years

starting from 2015-16, who join the NPS before 31 December 2015 and who are

not Income Tax payers. The government would also reimburse the promotional and

development activities including incentive to the contribution collection agencies to

encourage people to join the scheme.

The Government expenditure is expected to range between 2520 crore and 10000

crore rupees on account of co-contribution to subscribers of the APY over a period

of five years. Further, an expenditure of 2000 crore rupees for promotional and

developmental activities for enrolment and contribution collection is allocated for



period of five years.

Enrolment agencies: All Points of Presence (Service Providers) and Aggregators

under Swavalamban Scheme would enroll subscribers through architecture of NPS.

Comment

In India, workers in the unorganized sector constitute 88 percent of the total labour

force of 47.29 crore, as per the 66th Round of National Sample Survey Organisation

(NSSO) Survey of 2011-12, but do not have any formal pension provision. Hence, in

order to address the longevity risks and encourage them to voluntarily save for their

retirement the Union Government had launched the Swavalamban Scheme in 2010-

11.

However, enrollment under the scheme is not encouraging due to lack of clarity of

pension benefits at the age after 60 years. So, in order to address the lacunae in the

Swavalamban Scheme the APY was launched.

PM Narendra Modi launched Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) for accidental Insurance Cover

PM Narendra Modi on 9 May 2015 launched Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana

(PMSBY) in Kolkata, West Bengal.

It is an Accident Insurance Scheme (AIS) offering death and disability cover on

account of an accident.

Key Features of Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY)

• It provides for the risk coverage of 2 lakh rupees for accidental death and full

disability and 1 lakh rupees for partial disability due to an accident.

• It is available to people in the age group of 18 to 70 years having a savings bank

account.

• The coverage period is of one year duration starting from 1 June to 31 March of



the succeeding year.

• A premium of 12 rupees per annum is paid by the subscriber which will be deducted

from the account holder’s savings bank account through auto debit facility in one

installment on or before 1 June of each annual coverage period.

• The product will be offered by Public Sector General Insurance Companies

(PSGICs) and other General Insurance companies willing to offer the product on

similar terms with necessary approvals and tie up with banks for this purpose.

PM launched Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PM-JJBY) in Kolkata

PM Narendra Modi on 9 May 2015 launched Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima

Yojana (PMJJBY) in Kolkata, West Bengal. The scheme is intended to provide for life

insurance cover to the eligible subscribers.

Key Features of PMJJBY

• It provides for an annual life insurance of 2 lakh rupees and covers death due to

any reason.

• A premium of 330 rupees per annum is paid by the subscribers to enroll in the

scheme.

• People in the age group of 18 to 50 years having a bank account are eligible to

join the scheme.

• It will be administered through Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) and other Life

Insurance companies willing to offer the product on similar terms with necessary

approvals and tie ups with banks for this purpose.

• The coverage period is of one year duration starting from 1 June to 31 March of

the succeding year.

• The Union Government will spend 50 crore rupees per annum between 2015 and



2020 for creating awareness about the PMJJBY and thePradhan Mantri Suraksha

Bima Yojana (PMSBY) launched on the same day to provide insurance cover for

disabilities due to accidents.

Union Government, ADB signed loan agreement worth 31 Million US dollars

The Union Government and Asian Development Bank (ADB) on 7 May 2015 signed

a 31 million US dollars loan agreement to boost water availability in selected river

basins in Karnataka and ensure improved water efficiency in irrigation.

The agreement was signed by Raj Kumar, Joint Secretary (Multilateral Institutions),

Department of Economic Affairs on behalf of the Union Government and M Teresa

Kho, Country Director of ADB in India.

ADB’s loan of 31 million US dollars will cover about 65 percent of the total project

cost of 48 million US dollars with the state government of Karnataka providing the

balance of 17 million US dollars.

The loan is the first tranche of the Karnataka Integrated and Sustainable Water

Resources Management Investment Program of 150 million US dollars, approved by

ADB in 2014. The program will improve irrigation efficiency in three river basins in the

state saving 1700 million cubic meters of water.

This saved water could be used on an additional 160000 hectares of farmland which

will further lead to increase in farm incomes by about 50 percent and benefit about

1.5 million people.

Besides, the loan will help train and certify over 200 Water Resources Department

(WRD) staff in integrated water resources management and build capacities of water

users cooperative societies.

Through this project, Advanced Centre for IWRM (AC-IWRM) will be developed into a

sub-regional accredited institute to provide certification in the field of IWRM.



Union Cabinet gave nod for revised Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) with South Korea

The Union Cabinet on 6 May 2015 gave its approval for the revised Double Taxation

Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) with South Korea.

The bilateral DTAA was signed in 1985 for the avoidance of double taxation and for

the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income for the citizens of

both the countries.

Features of revised Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA)

• Its primary purpose is to provide for tax stability to the residents of India and

South Korea and facilitate mutual economic cooperation as well as stimulate the

flow of investment, technology and services between the two countries.

• It provides for source based taxation of capital gains, making adjustments to profits

of associated enterprises on the basis of arm’s length principle and residence

based taxation of shipping income.

• It rationalizes tax rates in the Articles on Dividends, Interest and Royalties and

Fees for Technical Services.

• It enables effective exchange of information and assistance in collection of taxes

between tax authorities

• It incorporates limitation of benefits provisions under the agreement to ensure that

the benefits are availed of only by genuine residents of both countries.

The revision in the agreement has become necessary in the backdrop of growing

investment flows and increased movement of working professionals between the

two countries in recent years.

Union Cabinet approved foreign investments into Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)



The Union Cabinet on 6 May 2015 gave its nod for allowing foreign investments

into Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) by recognizing it as an eligible financial

instrument or structure under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) 1999.

The decision allows entities registered and regulated under the SEBI (REITs)

Regulations 2014 to access foreign investment inflows into the completed rent yielding

real estate projects, which is, as of now, prohibited under the FEMA Regulations.

About Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)

• It was proposed by the then Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley during his budget

speech of 2014-15.

• They are intended to attract long term finance from foreign and domestic sources

including Non Resident Indians (NRIs).

• They are listed entities that primarily invest in leased office and retail assets,

allowing developers to raise funds by selling completed buildings to investors and

list them as a trust.

• To operationalise the instrument, the capital market regulator The Securities and

Exchange Board of India (SEBI) issued the SEBI (REITs) Regulations 2014 in

September 2014.

• However, due to the limitation of its access only to domestic investments, it has not

attracted desired investments from the market, which is remedied by the recent

decision of the Cabinet.

CCEA approved hike in investment limit for cases requiring prior approval of FIPB

The Union Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on 6 May 2015 gave its

nod for increase in the investment limit for cases requiring prior approval of Foreign

Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) to 3000 crore rupees from the present 2000 crore



rupees.

The decision is aimed at expediting foreign investment clearance process there by

increased investment flows into the economy.

The FIPB is an inter-ministerial body under the Union Ministry of Finance which is

responsible for processing Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) proposals and making

necessary recommendations to the Finance Ministry, which gives the final approval.

Under the present practice, FDI is allowed into the country under two routes:

Automatic and Approval Route. Under the Automatic Route, the investors need not

take any approvals from the government but only required to give prior intimation to

the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Majority of the sectors of the economy come under

the Automatic Route.

Under the Approval Route, if the investment is up to 3000 crore rupees it is vetted

by the FIPB and will be forwarded to the Finance Ministry for final approval. If the

investment is above 3000 crore rupees the investment proposal must be cleared by

the CCEA which functions under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister. At present,

strategic sectors like telecommunication services, defense, civil aviation are kept

under this route.

CCEA Permitted Central Government agencies to invest beyond 26 percent in Mega Food Parks

The Union Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on 6 May 2015 relaxed

the provision related to investment limit by the Central Government agencies in Mega

Food Parks by allowing them to invest up to 100 percent on their equity holding in the

Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) from the present 26 percent.

The new regulation is expected to trigger further investment in the food processing

sector and ensure smooth implementation of the Mega Food Parks Scheme (MFPS)

particularly projects at initial phases of the implementation.

Apart from the above decision, the Cabinet also decided to give weightage to those



proposals for new MFPs which are focused on the processing and preservation of

perishable food products.

About Mega Food Parks Scheme (MFPS)

• The Scheme was launched in 2008 by UPA Government. Its focus is to overcome

the bottlenecks in the food supply chain due to which around 33 percent food is

wasted in India making it the largest food waster in the world.

• For execution of a MFP a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) will be set up with or

without the involvement of government agencies.

• A MFP entails an area of a minimum of 50 acres and works in a cluster based

approach based on a hub and spokes model. Union government provides a

financial assistance of up to 50 crore rupees to set up a MFP.

Lok Sabha passed the Goods and Services Tax Bill, 2014

Lok Sabha on 6 May 2015 passed the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill, 2014. The

bill also called Constitution (122nd Amendment) Bill seeks to introduce GST regime

in India.

The bill will transform India into a common market, harmonising myriads of state

and central levies into a national goods and services tax which is expected to boost

manufacturing and reduce corruption.

Main Highlights of the Bill

• It provides for constitution of a Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council by inserting

Article 279A in the Constitution. The Council will recommend to the Union and

States on the inclusion and exclusion of goods and services.

• It proposes an additional tax on supply of goods, not exceeding one percent,

in the course of inter-State trade will be levied and collected by the Union for a

period of two years and apportioned to the States.



• The net proceeds of additional tax on supply of goods, except the proceeds from

Union Territories, will not form the part of Consolidated Fund of India.

• It provides for the compensation to the States for loss of revenue arising on

account of implementation of GST for a period of five years.

• It subsumes all the Central indirect taxes, levies and Central Sales Tax and State

Value Added Tax and Sales Tax.

• It covers all goods and services except alcoholic liquor for human consumption

for the levy of GST.

Now, the bill needs to be passed in Rajya Sabha after which more than a half of

India’s 29 states must approve it before the central and state governments would get

equal powers to tax goods and services.

With the passage of GST bill at every stage, the whole country, which is one-sixth of

world’s population, would become a single market and would give a necessary fillip

as far as the trade is concerned.

Union Government made PAN mandatory for Central Excise Registration

Union Finance Ministry on 4 May 2015 made Permanent Account Number (PAN)

mandatory for private firms seeking Central Excise Registration.

In this regard, the Ministry issued an order mentioning that applicants seeking

registration will mandatorily have to quote PAN of the proprietor or the legal entity

being registered in the application form.

The new laws say that the PAN registration will be given within two days of filing

online applications to improve the ease in doing business in manufacturing. While,

the government departments has been exempted from the requirement of quoting

PAN in their online application.

Apart from this, the order also mentions that the applicant will have to quote his



e-mail address and mobile number in the application form for communication with

the department.

DoT extended deadline of full implementation of Mobile Number Portability (MNP) till 3 July 2015

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) on 1 May 2015 extended the date of

implementation of the full Mobile Number Portability (MNP) by two months, that is,

till 3 July 2015.

Earlier, on 3 November 2014, the DoT on the basis of recommendations of the Telecom

Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) ordered Indian telecom companies to implement

full MNP by 3 May 2015.

The DoT extended the deadline on the basis of a request made by the Cellular

Operators Association of India (COAI) as telecom operators have to make some

technical changes to their networks due to changes in National Numbering Plan

(NNP) which would take about eight weeks.

The full MNP will allow telecom subscribers to retain their mobile number in any part

of the country even when they change their operator or telecom circle. At present,

partial MNP allows subscribers to retain their number while changing mobile network

only within a telecom circle.

Union finance Ministry exempted MAT for foreign investors

Union finance Ministry on 30 April 2015 exempted Minimum Alternate Tax (MAT) for

foreign investors.

During the Finance Bill debate in Parliament, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said

that MAT would not be applicable on foreign companies’ earning from capital gains



on securities, royalty, fee on technical services and interest.

However, MAT would not be applicable on sale of units of real estate investment

trusts (REITs). Further, the exemption would apply only in those cases where the

normal tax rate is below 18.5 percent.

The issue between foreign investors and the government cropped up in 2014-15

when the tax department started sending notices to FIIs to cough up MAT.

Total 68 notices were sent to FIIs for their past capital gains up to 31 March 2015

creating a huge uproar.

The government has been trying to soothe the foreign institutional investors, who

turned net sellers for the first time since April 2014.

Minimum Alternate Tax

MAT is a way of making companies pay minimum amount of tax. It is applicable to

all companies except those engaged in infrastructure and power sectors. Income

arising from free trade zones, charitable activities, investments by venture capital

companies are also excluded from the purview of MAT.



ENVIRONMENT | ECOLOGY

Himachal Pradesh set up satellite tracking system to check forest fire

State forest department of Himachal Pradesh has set up the satellite tracking system

to check the forest fire incidents during summer season. The system was launched

with an aim to preserve the precious forest fire incidents during summer season.

In case of any fire incident, the forest officials will immediately receive SMS on their

mobiles. Apart from this, the department also launched an awareness campaign

across the state to protect forests from fire in which local people will be involved to

detect the fire incidents.

Forest cover of the Himachal Pradesh is one of the biggest wealth and identification

of the hill state which faces forest fire as one of the biggest challenge and threat

during the summer season. This satellite tracking system may help the state to keep

on a vigil on the fire incidents in its forests.

Besides, 700 participatory committees had been constituted, more than 90 water

tanks constructed and nearly 100 watch towers had been erected so that the people

could easily detect fire incidents.

48 tigers in non-protected Chandrapur forest areas of Maharashtra: WCT Survey

The tiger estimation study in non-protected areas of Maharashtra conducted by the



Wildlife Conservation Trust (WCT) on 26 May 2015 claimed that as many as 48 tigers

have inhabited outside the protected areas in forests of Chandrapur district.

The survey claims that total number of such animals has now increased to 120 in the

zone which is home to Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR). As per the survey, the

number of big cats in the district stands at 120, including 60 in core area and 12 in

buffer area of TATR.

The study was carried out in the territorial forests and areas under Forest Development

Corporation of Maharashtra (FDCM) over last four months. The study was first of its

kind in the country, which was carried out across 2000 square kilometers of territorial

area outside the protected area. The survey was sponsored by Chandrapur Forest

department.

Besides, WCT President, Anish Andhariya informed that tiger density in some blocks

in these areas was found to be higher than that of some tiger reserves, like tiger

density in Kanhalgaon-Central Chanda Block was found to be 2.34, which is more

than that of Melghat Tiger Reserve in the state, in Junona-Central Chanda block was

found to be 1.77, which is higher than that of Sahyadri Tiger Reserve.

How tiger’s movement was monitored?

Movement of tigers in Greater Tadoba Landscape (non PA areas outside TATR) was

identified by DNA identification through scat collection. In the process, the 2000 square

kilometer area outside protected area was divided into six blocks in accordance to

occupancy of tigers and other large carnivores.

The team used Phase-IV camera trap (capture-recapture) technique to ascertain the

exact number of tigers and leopards in these blocks. As per the guidelines for Phase-

IV tiger estimation, the entire area was covered by a network of 600 camera traps for

25 days.



Blue whales spotted for the 1st time in 100 years off Sindhudurg coast in Maharashtra

A group of researchers from the Konkan Cetacean Population Study (CPS) team

between March and May 2015 spotted two Blue Whales (mother-calf pair) and four

Bryde’s whales near Kunkeshwar off the Sindhudurg coast in Maharashtra.

This is for the first time after 100 years that the Blue Whales were sighted off the

coast of Maharashtra. Last time, a blue whale was sighted in waters of Maharashtra

was in 1914.

According to the records of the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI)

– a dead blue whale had washed ashore at the time.

The blue whales were spotted on 28 March 2015 approximately 2.7km offshore at a

depth of 16 metres, while the Bryde’s whales were spotted four times on 11 April, 16

April, 30 April and 6 May 2015.

The whales were spotted during a survey carried out by researchers to study Indo-

Pacific humpback dolphins along the Maharashtra coast under United Nations

Development Programme (UNDP) project on Mainstreaming Coastal and Marine

Biodiversity. The project is being implemented by the Maharashtra State Mangrove

Cell.

Blue whales are marine mammals and they are the largest animals on Earth. They can

reach an average length of 23-27 metres, with the largest known being 33 metres.

These animals tend to be open-ocean species, but they do come close to the shore

to feed. Blue whales are resident or migratory, usually seen alone or in pairs.

The mammal is found across the Indian Ocean, southern parts of the Sri Lankan

coast and quite often they have been found to migrate to parts of Bay of Bengal and

the Arabian Sea. In the recent past, another sighting of the mammal was observed in

2010 along the coast of Mangalore.



Ecologists found a new species of fish called Pethia striata in Western Ghats, Karnataka

Ecologists on 20 May 2015 found a new species of fish called Pethia striata in Tunga

River in the Kudremukh National Park, Karnataka.

The discovery of the new species was published in the journal of the American Society

of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists by researchers from Ashoka Trust for Research

in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE).

The male of the species measures 3-4cm in length and is red in colour, while the

female is grey with a striking pattern of scales. The species was distinct in several

ways, but the most striking characteristics were the pattern of scales which form

oblique bars and the black blotch just before the tail.

The fish from Western Ghats, a biodiversity hotspot, is currently known to be found

only in the two streams of Mudba and Turad, a region populated by wet evergreen

and semi-evergreen forests.

Pethia striata is found in small groups of 3-4 individuals in shallow pools and would

be an addition to the largest family of fish, scientifically called Cyprinidae, which

includes common carp, goldfish, and zebrafish.

Some of the recently discovered new species in the Western Ghats include a little

jumping spider in the Southern Ghats, a new frog species in Central Ghats.

In 2014, 14 new dancing frog species were discovered in the forests of Western

Ghats.

Maria Elena South, driest place on earth, discovered in Atacama Desert

The researchers have discovered the driest place on the Earth in the Atacama Desert

in Chile. The site discovered is referred as Maria Elena South (MES).



The results of the discovery was presented in the paper, Discovery and microbial

content of the driest site of the hyperarid Atacama Desert, Chile, published in March

2015 in the journal Environmental Microbiology Reports.

The lead author was Armando Azua-Bustos, an environmental biologist and research

scientist at the Blue Marble Space Institute of Science in Seattle, US.

This discovery toppled the Yungay region which was so far the driest area of the

hyper-arid Atacama Desert. Yungay region conditions were close to the so-called dry

limit for life on Earth. However, with this discovery, MES is much drier than Yungay.

MES is dry as Mars and has a mean atmospheric relative humidity (RH) of 17.3

percent. It has a soil RH of a constant 14 percent at a depth of one meter.

Soil value taken from the MES site matches the lowest RH measurements taken on

Mars by the Mars Science Laboratory at Gale Crater.

The fact that the conditions at MES site, in terms of dryness, are the closest to

Mars it means that it is one of the best analogue models on Earth to understand

and investigate the potential existence, and type of, microbial life in the Martian

subsurface.

New Catfish Species Glyptothorax Senapatiensis discovered in Manipur

The Scientists from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) discovered a new species of

catfish named Glyptothorax senapatiensis in the Chindwin river drainage in Senapati

district of Manipur. The discovery was published in the Ichthyological Exploration of

Freshwaters journal in March 2015.

The discovery was published in the research paper titled Glyptothorax senapatiensis,

a new species of catfish from Manipur, India. The lead authors of the research paper

are Kosygin, Nongthombam Premananda and Bano Saidullah.

The people of the Chindwin river drainage region used to have this 6 cm long

freshwater fish as food. They called this fish as Ngapang.



About Glyptothorax senapatiensis

• It is edible fish with high nutritional value and has high oil content.

• It has thoracic adhesive apparatus with U-shaped median depression opening

caudally that helps the fish to cling on rocky riverbed in mountains against strong

currents.

• It is distinguished from its congeners by a combination of characters: deep body,

deep caudal peduncle, narrow head, short dorsalfin spine and short pectoral-fin.

• It has nasal barbell extending to middle of orbit; skin on head and body densely

tuberculate.

Background

The catfish genus Glyptothorax is the most widely distributed genus of the family,

extending from Turkey to Southern China and Java. The genus is very diverse in the

Indian sub-continent. The Northeast has a rich aquatic biodiversity, with 361 of the

816 fish species found in India.

Moreover, Manipur has a high diversity of aquatic fauna because of the two important

river drainage systems- the Barak-Brahmaputra drainage and the eastern and central

valleys are crisscrossed by the Chindwin river drainage, and these account for the

variety in the aquatic fauna.

Opah, the world’s first fully warm-blooded fish species, discov-ered by researchers

Researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

discovered the world’s first fully warm-blooded fish species named Opah. These

fishes are found in the deep waters off the US, Australia and several other countries.

The finding of the researchers was published on 15 May 2015 in the journal Science.



How the Opah conserves its warmth?

According to the finding, the Opah fish has developed an internal heat exchange

system within its gills to conserve the warmth and it raises its temperature by flapping

its fins.

This adaptation means warm blood that leaves the opah’s body core helps heat cold

blood returning from the surface of the gills where it absorbs oxygen, maintaining an

average body temperature of about 4 degree Celsius to 5 degree Celsius.

This system is more akin to a car radiator and is similar to that used by mammals and

birds, which are known as endotherms for their ability to maintain body temperature

independent of the environment.

While tuna and some sharks can warm certain parts of their bodies, such as their

brains and eyes, fish are generally classed among cold-blooded animals, known as

ectotherms.

Characteristics of Opah fish

• Opahs are more effective predators by virtue of being a warm-blooded species.

• It swims faster, reacts more quickly and sees more sharply than the other marine

life

• It can dwell 50 meter to 400 meter underwater.

• It can weigh up to 90kg and are oval-shaped roughly the size of a car tyre.

• It has fatty deposits around the gills, heart and muscle tissue in order to provide

insulation from the cold water.

IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) adopted environmental section of Polar Code

The 68th session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) of the

International Maritime Organization (IMO) held between 11 May and 15 May 2015



adopted provisions of the Polar Code related to environmental norms.

The meeting was held at the IMO Headquarters in London, the UK.

While the recent provisions are related to discharges of ships operating in the Polar

Waters (Arctic and Antarctic seas), the safety regulationsrelated to ship design,

equipment, crew training and search-and-rescue issues were adopted the Maritime

Safety Committee (MSC) in December 2014.

Both of these regulations are part of the Polar Code aimed at protecting the environment

of Polar Waters from pollution causing ships operating in the region.

Environmental Provisions of the Polar Code

• Prevention of pollution by oil: Discharge into the sea of oil or oily mixtures from any

ship are prohibited and Oil fuel tanks must be separated from outer shell.

• Prevention of pollution by noxious liquid substances: Discharge into the sea of

noxious liquid substances or mixtures containing such substances are prohibited.

• Prevention of pollution by sewage: Discharge of sewage is prohibited unless

performed in line with MARPOL Annex IV and requirements in the Polar Code.

• Prevention of pollution by garbage: Discharge of garbage is restricted and only

permitted in accordance with MARPOL Annex V and requirements in the Polar

Code.

While, the code will apply to all new vessels constructed after 1 Jan 2017 and the

vessels constructed prior to it must comply by 1 Jan 2018.

The MEPC meeting gave its approval to MARPOL Annex I amendmentsalso which

are related to oil tankers.

The adoption of the Polar Code and associated MARPOL amendments completed

the process to make the Code mandatory under both the International Convention

for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) and MARPOL treaties.



Indian Scientists found a rare plant with anti-cancer properties in Western Ghats

Indian Scientists on 14 May 2015 found a rare plant named Miquelia dentate Bedd

with anti-cancer properties in Western Ghats. The plant could open up possibilities

for cancer treatment.

The plant is a small climbing shrub producing anti-cancer alkaloid Camptothecine

(CPT). It occurs sparsely in Madikeri Forests in Kodagu in Karnataka.

The team of scientists from Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment,

Bengaluru and University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru and Dharwad has found

the plant.

Camptothecine is an important anti-cancer compound extracted from several plant

species belonging to Asterid clade. It is a potent inhibitor of the intra-nuclear enzyme

topoisomerase-I, which is required in DNA replication and transcription.

Several semi-synthetic drugs such as Hycamtin (topotecan) and Camptostar

(irinotecan or CPT 11) are derived from CPT and are currently in clinical use against

ovarian, small lung and refractory ovarian cancer.

Several plant species producing CPT have been found in India. But the demand for

CPT has resulted in extensive felling of the woody trees and plants like Nothapodytes

nimmoniana, which is now on the verge of extinction and declared vulnerable.

Union Cabinet Approved Namami Gange programme under National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA)

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 13 May 2015

gave its nod for implementation of Namami Gange programme (NGP).

The programme will be operational under the National Ganga River Basin Authority

(NGRBA).



Key Features of Namami Gange Programme (NGP)

• It is an Integrated Ganga Conservation Mission in the sense that it tries to integrate

the efforts to clean and protect the Ganga river in a comprehensive manner and

will result in socio-economic benefits in terms of job creation, improved livelihoods

and health benefits to the vast population that is dependent on the river.

• Its focus is on pollution abatement interventions namely Interception, diversion and

treatment of wastewater flowing through the open drains through bio-remediation

or appropriate in-situ treatment or use of innovative technologies such as sewage

treatment plants (STPs) or effluent treatment plant (ETPs).

• It has a budget outlay of 20000 crore rupees for 2015-20. This is a significant four-

fold increase over the expenditure in the past 30 years as the Union Government

incurred an overall expenditure of approximately 4000 crore rupees on this task

since 1985.

• The Union Government will sanction 100 percent funding for various activities or

projects under this program and the operation and maintenance of the assets will

be for a minimum period of 10 years.

• It would be implemented by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), and

its state counterpart organizations that is State Program Management Groups

(SPMGs).

• A three-tier mechanism will be established for project monitoring viz., A high level

task force chaired by the Union Cabinet Secretary assisted by NMCG at national

level, State level committee chaired by Chief Secretary assisted by SPMG at state

level and District level committee chaired by the District Magistrate.

• It emphasizes on improved coordination mechanisms between various Ministries

or Agencies of the Union and State governments and will involve the States and

grassroots level institutions such as Urban Local Bodies and Panchayati Raj

Institutions (PRIs) and people living on the banks of the river in implementation to

attain sustainable results.

• It adopts a PPP (Public Private Partnership) or Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV)



approach for pollution hotspots.

• A 4-battalion Ganga Eco-Task Force, a Territorial Army unit, will be set up to bolster

enforcement.

Asiatic lion population in Gir sanctuary increased to 523: Lion Census report 2015

The number of Asiatic lions in Gir sanctuary of Gujarat increased to 523, according

to 2015 Lion census report released in the first week of May 2015. This 14th lion

census registered 27 percent increase in the number of Asiatic lions compared to

2010 census which had registered 411 Asiatic lions.

As per recent census, there are 201 female lions, 109 male lions and 213 sub-adults as

well as cubs in Gir sanctuary and in other protected areas in Gir Somnath, Junagadh,

Amreli and Bhavnagar districts of Saurashtra region of Gujarat.

268 lions were sighted in Junagadh district and 44 lions in the Gir-Somnath district

while 174 lions were sighted in Amreli district and 37 lions in Bhavnagar districts.

The lions’ habitat area almost doubled since 2010 and has considerably increased to

21000 square kilometers.

The 2015 Lion census exercise was carried out from 1 May to 5 May 2015. The lion

population was registered using Global Positioning System (GPS) in case of direct

sighting or direct contact methods.

The census was conducted by more than 2 thousand persons. It included 600 units of

enumerators, government officials, trackers, wildlife experts, and non-governmental

organizations (NGOs).

Background

Asiatic lions, which were once found in Syria, Iran, the sub-continent and in Central

Asia, are an endangered species. Now, they are found only in the Gir sanctuary and

its surrounding areas. They are categorized as endangered species in International



Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red list.

The first lion census was carried out in 1936 by the erstwhile princely state of

Junagadh when the lion population was around 287. During the 1975 census, their

number stood at 177. The 1990 census counted 234 lions and in 2001 their number

increased to 327.

Lion census is carried out after every 5 years by Gujarat state forest department.

NGT imposed monthly tax on all households in Delhi

National Green Tribunal (NGT) on 8 May 2015 ordered that every household in Delhi

will have to pay a monthly environmental compensation to clean up Yamuna River.

According to the direction, the compensation to be paid will be directly proportional

to the property or water tax whichever is higher, paid by a particular household. In

case of unauthorized colonies households that do not pay property tax or water bill

will have to pay an amount that would be between 100 rupees to 500 rupees.

The decision was made by the NGT bench headed by its chairperson Justice

Swatanter Kumar on a petition of environmental activist, Manoj Misra against severe

pollution in Yamuna River.

This amount would be added to electricity bills, water bill or the property tax by

the respective departments which will transfer the money to Delhi government. The

amount collected through the compensation will be utilized to set up new sewage

treatment plants and provide other technology to clean up river Yamuna.

India home to 48 of the 250 known species of bumblebees: Indian Bumblebees

India is home to 48 of the 250 known species of bumblebees. It was revealed by the

book Indian Bumblebees released in April 2015.



The book was written by entomologist M.S. Saini along with co-authors Rifat H.

Raina and Harpeet Singh Ghator.

About Bumblebees

• Like the honeybees, bumblebees are social insects and live in colonies. The size

of colonies varies from species-to-species.

• Mostly characterised by black, yellow and reddish body hair, and often striped,

bumblebees are generally found on altitudes of 2000-15000 feet along the entire

Himalayas, from Jammu and Kashmir to Nagaland.

• The founder of the colony is the queen that hibernates throughout winter. In spring,

she finds a site for a nest and then lays her eggs which will result in worker bees.

• They are crucial for the very sustenance of vegetation in high-altitude regions

because they are the only pollinators which can live in that adverse climate.

• They pollinate vegetables, fruit trees, cash crops and even ornamental and

medicinal plants high in the Himalayas.

Global warming will lead to extinction of 1 in 6 species by end of century: Study

Global warming phenomenon will lead to extinction of 1 in 6 species by the end of

century if the emission of carbon dioxide stays the same. This was revealed by a

study titled Accelerating extinction risk from climate change published in the Journal

Science on 1 May 2015.

The author of the study is Mark C. Urban of Department of Ecology and Evolutionary

Biology, University of Connecticut, US. The study highlighted the urgency of taking

strong action to address climate change.

Main Findings of the Study

• The future global extinction risk from climate change will not only increase but



accelerate as global temperatures rise.

• Global extinction risks will increase from 2.8 percent at present to 5.2 percent at

the international policy target of a 2°C post-industrial rise.

• Overall, 7.9 percent of species are predicted to become extinct from climate

change.

• If the global temperature increases to 3°C, the extinction risk will increase to 8.5

percent.

• If we follow our current, business-as-usual trajectory climate change threatens

one in six species, that is, 16 percent of species will become extinct.

• North America and Europe are the regions that have the lowest extinction risk.

• Extinction risks in South America, Australia and New Zealand is the highest and in

the later two regions it will be further exacerbated by small land masses that limit

shifts to new habitat.

• Endemic species with smaller ranges and certain taxonomic groups such as

amphibians and reptiles will face greater extinction risks. The endemic species

will face a 6 percent greater extinction risk.

Thus, the author calls for urgent need to adopt strategies that limit further climate

change if we are to avoid an acceleration of global extinctions.



CORPORATEShantanu Khosla resigned as Managing Director of Procter and Gamble India

Shantanu Khosla on 27 may 2015 resigned as the Managing Director (MD) of Procter

and Gamble (P&G), India. He will leave the office on 30 June 2015. Khosla joined the

firm in 1983, when P&G, the world’s largest consumer company acquired Richardson

Hindustan Ltd that is known for its Vicks brand.

In his place, Procter & Gamble India (P&G) appointed Al Rajwani as the new Managing

Director & CEO. Rajwani will assume responsibilities for P&G India from 1 July 2015.

Rajwani has more than 34 years experience working for P&G in countries including

US, Canada, China, Korea and Arabian Peninsula.

P&G has one wholly-owned company in India named Procter & Gamble Home

Products Ltd (PGHP), which sells detergents (Ariel and Tide) and shampoos (Head &

Shoulders and Pantene).

P&G also has two listed companies in India including Gillette India Ltd, which sells

razors such as Mach 3 and Gillette, and Procter and Gamble Hygiene and Health

Care Ltd (PGHH) that sells feminine hygiene products such as Whisper.

RBI notified FIIs to invest up to 49 percent in Gammon Infrastructure Projects Limited

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 27 May 2015 notified that the Foreign Institutional



Investors (FIIs) or the Registered Foreign Portfolios Investors (RFPIs) can now invest

up to 49 percent of the paid up capital in the Gammon Infrastructure Projects Limited

under the Portfolio Investment Scheme (PIS).

RBI stated that the company agreed for enhancing the limit for the purchase of its

equity shares and convertible debentures by FIIs/RFPIs by passing resolutions at its

Board of Directors’ level and a special resolution by the shareholders.

The purchases can be made through primary market and through stock exchange.

However, the purchases will be subjected to Regulation 5(2) of FEMA Notification

dated 3 May 2000 and other terms and conditions stipulated by the Reserve Bank.

The Reserve Bank notified this change under FEMA Act, 1999.

Snapdeal acquired Hyderabad-based startup MartMobi

E-commerce major Snapdeal on 25 May 2015 acquired Hyderabad-based mobile

technology startup MartMobi for an undisclosed amount. This acquisition will help

Snapdeal to strengthen its mobility platform for merchant partners.

In 2015 itself, Snapdeal acquired payments and mobile recharge startup Freecharge

in a cash-and-stock deal as well as picked up stakes in digital financial services

platform RupeePower and logistics venture GoJavas.

About MartMobi

Founded by Pramod Nair and Satya Krishna Ganni, MartMobi creates mobile sites

and apps for e-commerce stores, small and medium-sized businesses.

With over 150 clients, MartMobi enables seamless connectivity with the customers’

existing back-end systems in addition to a real-time analytics engine to improve

conversions and user engagement.



ICICI Bank launched Voice Recognition Service for Biometric Authentication

ICICI Bank, India’s largest private sector bank, on 25 May 2015 launched Voice

Recognition Service (VRS), which authenticates customers based on their speech

patterns. This service will allow customers to execute banking transactions through

Bank’s call center in a quick, secure and convenient manner.

With this, ICICI became the first bank in India to offer this service and it will be

available to over 33 million customers of its savings account and credit card.

Features of the service

• Now customers will no longer have to enter their card numbers, PIN and answer

security questions to authenticate themselves, as their voice will act as the

password for banking transactions through the call centre.

• The voice recognition technology works on voice prints, which are unique to an

individual. It comprises more than 100 characteristics including voice modulation,

speed, accent, pronunciation which cannot be imitated, thereby enhances security.

• The Bank stores the customer’s unique voice print against his account and matches

it whenever he calls from his registered mobile number.

This launch comes close on the heels of a slew of technology-led innovative services

introduced by the Bank. The list includes the country’s first contactless debit and

credit cards, and ‘Pockets’, India’s first digital bank on mobile phone.

UBS AG Bank of Switzerland agreed to pay 203 million US dollars for manipulating LIBOR

Switzerland bank UBS AG on 20 May 2015 agreed to pay 203 million US dollars in

fine and for a three-year term of probation for manipulating London Interbank offered



Rate (LIBOR).

The bank has reached a settlement in this regard with the Anti Trust Division of the

US Justice Department.

The bank took this decision after the Justice Department tore up a non-prosecution

agreement (NPA) reached between them in 2012.

As part of its prior settlement in 2012, the bank’s Japanese subsidiary pleaded guilty

to a criminal charge of wire fraud in the United States, but the parent company was

allowed to enter a NPA in return for extending cooperation in the investigation.

About LIBOR Scandal

LIBOR is a benchmark rate that some of the world’s leading banks charge each other

for short-term loans. Every day, it is calculated on the basis of interest rates paid by

major 16 banks on their borrowings.

As per the investigations, it was revealed that the UBS AG in collusion with other

banks submitted inflated or deflated interest rates to the BBA Libor (administering

authority of LIBOR) in order to rig the benchmark rate and subsequently benefit from

the transactions.

A Vellayan stepped aside as Chairman of Murugappa Group Corporate Board

A Vellayan was on 22 May 2015 stepped aside from the chairmanship of the

Murugappa Group Corporate Board. He also relinquished the post of Chairman in

the Coromandel International Ltd. and the EID Parry India Ltd.

Vellayan took this decision in the backdrop of an order issued on 21 May 2015 by

the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) linking A Vellayan to trades by two

individuals in shares of Sabero Organics Gujarat Ltd., a company that was acquired

by Coromandel International Ltd. (subsidiary of Murugappa Group) in May 2011.

As per the SEBI, A Vellayan passed on unpublished sensitive information related to



the acquisition to the traders which amounted to insider trading practices prohibited

under the SEBI (Prohibition of Insider Trading) Regulations, 1992.

Huewei launched LiteOS, world’s most lightweight IoT operating system (OS)

China-based Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd on 20 May 2015 launched LiteOS operating

sytem meant for Internet of Things (IoT) based devices.

Huewei, a multinational networking and telecommunications equipment and services

company, launched the technology at the Huawei Network Congress (HNC) 2015

held in Beijing, China.

Features of LiteOS

• It is the world’s most lightweight IoT OS with a size of 10KB.

• It supports zero configuration, auto-discovery and auto-networking.

• It can be widely applied to different areas including smart homes, wearables,

connected vehicles and other industries.

• It helps to simplify the development of smart hardware to enhance IoT connectivity.

• It will be opened to all developers, which enables them to quickly develop their

own IoT products.

The technology is part of the Agile Internet of Things (IoT) solution, which consists of

three core components viz., Agile IoT gateway, Agile Controller and LiteOS, developed

to augment the digitization of areas such as production, manufacturing and logistics.

About Internet of Things

IoT refers to a network of internet connected devices which are embedded with

electronic sensors and data transmitting technologies. By using the Internet, the

data collected by sensors in the IoT devices like cars, power systems and even as

small as tooth brushes transmitted to other networked devices and data processing



systems. Thus, the information generated by processing the data will be used by the

companies and individuals to make better decisions.

As per an estimate, there will be roughly 100 billion IoT based devices in the world by

2025, with 2 million new sensors deployed every hour.

In India, the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY) released

the draft Internet of Things (IoT) policy in November 2014 to develop business

opportunities in this emerging technology.

SAIL and ArcelorMittal signed MoU to set up Automotive Steel Plant in India

Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) and ArcelorMittal on 22 May 2015 signed a

Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to set up an automotive steel manufacturing

facility under a Joint Venture (JV) arrangement in India.

The MoU was signed in London by CS Verma, Chairman of SAIL and Lakshmi Mittal,

Chairman and CEO of ArcelorMittal in the presence of Rakesh Singh, Secretary to

the Government of India, Ministry of Steel.

The JV will construct a state-of-the-art cold rolling mill and other downstream

finishing facilities in India that will offer technologically advanced steel products to

the country’s rapidly growing automotive sector.

To operationalise the MoU, a working group with representatives from both companies

will be set up to evolve a structure for the proposed JV and carry out feasibility studies

as part of a comprehensive due diligence process.

The proposed plant will help to meet growing demands of the Indian automotive

sector which is poised to become the world’s fourth largest automobile manufacturing

nation by 2020 with the production of approximately 7 million units per annum from

the present 3.5 million units per annum.

The agreement is also in tune with the Union Government’s Make In India campaign

which has been designed to transform India into a global manufacturing hub.



At present, while the ArcelorMittal is the world’s leading steel supplier to the global

automotive sector with a market share of approximately 17 per cent, SAIL is India’s

largest steel producer with 13.5 million metric tons production per annum.

New headquarter of Coal India Ltd inaugurated at Rajarhat

Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee inaugurated the new headquarter of

Coal India Ltd (CIL) at New Town Rajarhat in West Bengal on 15 May 2015.

The inauguration was held in the presence of Union Minister of state for Power, Coal

and New and Renewable Energy Piyush Goyal and the Minister of State for Urban

Development, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Babul Supriyo.

The new building came up at a sprawling 27000 Sq. Ft. area and it was built by

the National Building Corporation (NBCC), a public sector company of Urban

Development Ministry.

Coal India Limited (CIL), a Maharatna company, is the largest coal producer company

in the world. It contributes around 81% of the coal production in India.

UP FDA asked Nestle to withdraw 2014 batch of Maggi

Uttar Pradesh Food Safety and Drug Administration (UP FDA) on 20 May 2015 asked

Nestle India to withdraw a batch of snack Maggi noodles from the market. UP FDA

ordered the removal of the batch of popular snack after it found that the product

contained high level of lead in it.

UP FDA said the order pertained to a 2014 batch of Maggi noodles. It also said

that the batch of the noodles contained high levels of addedmonosodium glutamate

(MSG), a taste enhancer.

During its routine tests conducted on two dozen packets of instant noodles in

Kolkata, UP FDA found high lead concentration of 17.2 parts per million (ppm) in



these packets, which is nearly seven times more that the permissible limit, which is

between 0.01 ppm and 2.5 ppm.

About Nestle India

Nestle India is a subsidiary of Swiss conglomerate Nestle SA, which sells noodle,

ketchups, sauces, soups and other products under the Maggi brand. Its products

covers around 60 percent market share in the instant noodle category.

The Company was founded in 1866 by Henri Nestle in Vevey, Switzerland.

Nestle India have eight manufacturing facilities across India and they are in Moga

(Punjab) set up in 1961; Choladi (Tamil Nadu) set up in 1967; Nanjangud (Karnataka)

set up in 1989; Samalkha (Haryana) set up in 1993; Ponda and Bicholim (Goa) set

up in 1995 and 1997, respectively; and Pantnagar (Uttarakhand) set up in 2006; and

Tahliwal (Himachal Pradesh) set up in 2012.

The Nestle India’s Head Office is located in Gurgaon, Haryana.

GMR Infra signed MoU with GIIC for developing Kakinada SEZ

GMR Infrastructure Ltd on 18 May 2015 signed a Memorandum of understanding

(MoU) with Guizhou International Investment Corporation (GIIC) for developing

Kakinada Special Economic Zone (KSEZ) in Andhra Pradesh.

The MoU was signed by Challa Prasanna, President of Kakinada SEZ (KSEZ) Pvt

Ltd. It seeks to set up industrial park for Chinese high-end equipment manufacturing

companies in Kakinada SEZ (KSEZ).

In this regard, GIIC plans to set up 2000 acres industrial park. The fully developed

facility by KSEZ and GIIC will in turn generate over 5000 jobs for both skilled and

unskilled workers.

For developing the infrastructure and various facilities of the industrial park, GIIC will

invest 500 million US dollars. In addition, Chinese companies setting up units at the

park will invest 2-3 billion US dollars on their operations for over five years.



About Kakinada Special Economic Zone

• The Kakinada Special Economic Zone (KSEZ) is a port based Multi Product Special

Economic Zone, spread over approximately 10500 acres.

• Situated strategically on the Eastern Coast in an area rich in oil and natural gas

deposits, this zone has an excellent logistical linkages to National Highways,

Railway networks, Air and Sea Ports.

• This SEZ caters to the existing process industries and emerging industries like

Refinery, Renewable Energy, Ship Building, Biotech, Nanotech, IT/ITES, Toys,

Games and Sports Goods manufacturing Park, etc.

Infosys announced to become carbon neutral by 2018

Infosys on 18 May 2015 announced to become carbon neutral by 2018. For this it

earmarked an amount of 400 crore rupees. The company announced to achieve

carbon-neutrality on commuting and travel by its nearly 1.8 lakh employees and in

doing so deepens its commitment to sustainability.

The company will offset 3.74 lakh tonne of carbon dioxide attributed to employees’

travel, and it will spend 70 crore rupees in 2015 on initiatives such as installing solar

projects for rural electrification, biogas plants and distribution of smokeless cook-

stoves in villages, besides afforestation.

As part of its journey toward sustainability, Infosys will commission 55 MW of solar

capacity, including 40 MW in Karnataka, in 2016. It will add another 110 MW of solar

capacity in the coming years. It is already generating energy from 2.7 MW capacity

solar panels on rooftops across its campuses in India.

Infosys consumed 257 million units of electricity globally during 2014-15, and 30 per

cent of this came from renewable energy sources.

In 2011, Infosys had made an announcement at the United Nations committing to

meet all its energy needs from renewable energy sources, to become carbon neutral,



and to cut per capita power and water consumption by half (on 2007-08 baseline) by

2018.

The company said its per-capita power and water consumption declined by 45 per

cent and 35 per cent, respespectively, during 2014-15.

From 2011, Infosys has spent about 50 million US dollar or 320 crore rupees retrofitting

its equipment such as lighting, air-conditioning, power, etc. The buildings built after

2008 are all green structures complying with the highest sustainability standards.

Infosys became the first Indian Company to Join RE100 Renew-able Energy Campaign

Infosys became the first Indian Company to Join RE100 Renewable Energy Campaign.

The Climate Group on 18 May 2015 announced it.

RE100 is a global platform for major companies committed to 100% renewable

power.

Infosys joined some of the world’s most influential companies such as IKEA, Swiss

Re, BT, Formula E, H&M, KPN, Mars, Nestlé, Philips, among others, which are taking

bold steps to create transformative change needed to drive a clean energy revolution.

The company is already working to reduce its per capita electricity consumption by

50 per cent from its 2007-2008 levels and source all its electricity from renewable

resources by 2018.

During fiscal year 2015, Infosys met 29 percent of its electricity needs - about 72.08

million units - for its locations across India through green power. During the same

period, Infosys generated over 2911 MWh of electricity through its onsite solar PV

installations across India.

Seventeen companies have now joined the campaign and made a public commitment

to become 100% renewable, including founding members IKEA and Swiss Re. As

the campaign spreads in India, it is expected that more Indian companies will switch

to renewable power and demonstrate the huge opportunity that exists in India’s



growing clean economy.

RE100 is a global initiative that celebrates and supports major companies committed

to 100% renewable power across their operations. Its goal is that 100 of the world’s

most influential businesses commit to 100% renewable power within a specified

timeline. RE100 was launched at Climate Week NYC (New York City) on 22 September

2014.

Apple Inc acquired GPS firm Coherent Navigations to improve Apple mapping capabilities

Apple Inc on 18 May 2015 acquired Coherent Navigation to improve Apple Mapping

capabilities. Coherent Navigations is a company focused on hyper-accurate GPS.

Coherent Navigation’s High Integrity GPS system is supposedly so granular that it

can provide accurate location information to within a few centimeters.

The acquisition is part of a series of map-related technology deals made by Apple in

recent years.

Earlier, Apple acquired mapping start-ups BroadMap, Embark and HopStop.com as

part of its acquisition spree, which accelerated shortly after the company’s decision

to create its own alternative to Google Maps for the mapping feature on its devices.

Apple Maps has long struggled with providing accurate location information

since phasing out Google Maps in 2012. Coherent Navigation’s technology could

theoretically be used to significantly enhance Apple’s Maps product.

Coherent specializes in high-precision GPS, which combines standard GPS data

with data from the Iridium satellite communications constellation. It makes devices

for civilian use and was involved in numerous projects with the U.S. government,

including military location technologies.



Reliance Jio signed pact with Huawei for sourcing 4G devices

Reliance Jio Infocomm, a telecom subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL),

on 18 May 2015 signed a pact with Chinese telecom equipment manufacturer firm

Huawei for sourcing various 4th Generation (4G) devices.

As per the pact, Huawei will supply 4G devices to Reliance Jio including smartphones,

tablets and mifi dongles. This agreement will help Reliance in launching 4G service

by 2015 in around 5000 towns and cities in India. It seeks to cover over 90 percent

of urban India and over 2.15 lakh villages.

Background

It is mandatory for Reliance Jio and other Indian telecom companies to roll out the 4G

services at the earliest by 31 August 2015 as they won Broadband Wireless Access

(BWA) spectrum in 2010.

As per the licensing agreement, these services must be rolled out in at least 90

percent of the service areas, failing which the Department of Telecom (DoT) have the

right to withdraw the radiowaves.

In this regard, DoT had announced the procedure to test network roll out of companies

that have procured BWA spectrum.

PM Modi inaugurated ICICI’s first branch in China at Shanghai

Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi on 16 May 2015 inaugurated the first branch of

ICICI Bank in China at Shanghai. The branch was inaugurated in presence of Chanda

Kochhar, MD & CEO, ICICI Bank, Senior Chinese and Indian government officials.

The Shanghai Branch received regulatory approval in March 2015 to commence

operations and it will begin with 17 well trained banking professionals spread across

different functions including corporate banking, operations, finance and treasury.

The Shanghai branch will engage in banking activities permitted under the guidelines



of the China Banking Regulatory Commission.

In addition, the Branch will also facilitate:

• International trade between China and other countries

• Support of Chinese Corporate/EPC contractors bidding for infrastructure projects

and funding requirements in India

• Business expansion of Indian joint ventures and subsidiaries of Indian entities in

China

• Remittances from China to India

In March 2003, the Bank established a representative office in Shanghai to develop

strong relationships with Chinese banks and corporate for their India linked banking

needs. ICICI Bank has now upgraded its representative office in Shanghai to a branch

keeping in mind the rising trade volumes between India and China.

Askme acquired BestAtLowest.com for 10 million US dollar

Internet firm Askme on 15 May 2015 acquired grocery marketplace BestAtLowest.

com for about 10 million US dollar.

As part of the agreement, BestAtLowest.com will become part of Askme. The

acquisition will further expand the company’s search plus capabilities and enable

near real-time inventory sync between online and physical stores.

Bestatlowest.com is a marketplace working in the hub-and-spoke model. It has tied

up with retailers and supermarket stores to acquire food and groceries to supply to

its hub, which are then delivered across locations.

BestAtLowest.com has over 7000 products across categories spread in the FMCG

and non-FMCG sectors. Brick-and-mortar retail in India is expected to grow three

times to 180 billion US dollar in 2020 from 60 billion US dollar in 2015. E-commerce is

expected to quadruple in the same time to become a 60-70 billion US dollar market.



Islamic clothing company East Essence tied up with Snapdeal

Islamic clothing company East Essence on 14 May 2015 tied up with Snapdeal. The

partnership aimed to set up store on their portal. The company will make its debut in

June 2015 by launching an online store at e-commerce marketplace Snapdeal.

East Essence is the world’s largest Islamic clothing company. The company plans

to turn India into a global centre of Islamic fashion. The US firm has presence in 68

countries and has annual sales of about 256 crore rupees.

India is the world’s second largest Muslim-majority country, with the community

representing 14.2% of total population. That’s nearly 170 million potential consumers,

completely catered by unorganised players at present.

East Essence has also opened a manufacturing facility in Noida, which will cater to

the Indian market and also become a hub to meet global demand.

SBI launched contact-less card called sbiINTOUCH

State Bank of India (SBI) on 14 May 2015 launched contact-less credit and debit

cards calledsbiINTOUCH.

These cards are based upon the latest near-field technology (NFC). With these cards,

a customer can transact by just tapping or waving it against the reader of the point-

of-sale machine.

These cards are more secure and hassle-free. These cards come with a fraud liability

cover of 1 lakh rupees. SBI has issued 1.08 lakh new cards to its customers in the

eight largest metros and the remaining customers will get the cards in the following

months.

Private lenders ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank have already launched such NFC cards.

The move could boost the acceptance of SBI’s tap and pay cards. These cards are



especially targeted towards fast-food outlets, coffee shops and supermarkets where

customers make quick transactions.

Deepak Iyer appointed as MD and CEO of Bharti AXA General Insurance

Deepak Iyer was on 12 May 2015 appointed as Managing Director (MD) and Chief

Executive Officer (CEO) of Bharti AXA General Insurance.

Currently, he is working as the Managing Director-Indian subcontinent at Wrigley

India, a subsidiary of the US-based Mars.

He will take the charge from June 2015. He will take charge from Interim CEO and

MD Milind Chalisgaonkar.

Earlier, he worked with PepsiCo for 16 years handling multiple international

assignments, including those of Senior Franchise Director-Africa, General Manager-

North & East India (including Bangladesh, Nepal & Sri Lanka) and Director-Sales for

Modern Trade/ Food service/ Leisure/ Travel & Transport channels of the company.

Iyer brings with him 22 years of diverse experience across various aspects of

management, sales, marketing, P&L management, operational turnaround, research

and development and franchise management across different countries.

Facebook signed up with nine news publishers to launch Instant Articles

Facebook Inc on 12 May 2015 signed up with nine publishers to launch Instant

Articles. Instant Articles will publish articles directly to the social network’s mobile

news feeds.

The launch partners for Instant Articles are NBC, The Atlantic, The Guardian, BBC

News, Spiegel and Bild.



Instant Articles will let stories load more than 10 times faster than standard mobile

web articles and will include content from publishers such as the New York Times,

BuzzFeed and National Geographic.

The news publishers can either sell and embed advertisements in the articles and

keep all of the revenue, or allow Facebook to sell ads.

The Internet social networking company will also let the news companies track data

and traffic through comScore and other analytics tools.

Instant Articles lets them deliver fast, interactive articles while maintaining control of

their content and business models.

Nikesh Arora appointed as President of Japan’s SoftBank Corp.

Indian-born Nikesh Arora was on 11 May 2015 appointed as the President of Japan’s

multinational telecommunications and internet company SoftBank Corp.

As per the announcement made at the company’s earning conference, he will also be

the Representative Director of SoftBank Corp.

Before the present elevation, he had been the Vice Chairman of the company and

the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SB Group US, Inc. (former SoftBank Internet and

Media, Inc.) since September 2014.

He succeeds Masayoshi Son, Chairman and CEO of the Softbank Corp.

Earlier, Arora worked in Google for 10 years and left the company as the Senior Vice

President and Chief Business Officer before joining SoftBank Corp. in 2014.

US-based company mGage acquired Unicel Technologies

Global mobile multi-channel messaging platform mGage on 11 May 2015 acquired

Bengaluru-based counterpart Unicel Technologies. However, the deal value was not



disclosed by both the companies.

With this acquisition, mGage will gain a strong foothold in enterprise mobile marketing

and mobile CRM market in India. As a combined organisation, mGage will enable

more than 60 billion transactions annually.

Both mGage and Unicel firms help banks to notify customers via SMS alerts about

their transactions, enable insurance companies send payment reminders, or assist

e-commerce firms to send text messages regarding shipment, delivery or cancellation.

About mGage

The mGage multi-channel platform serves more than 1000 bluechip brands, enterprises

and partners through a network of more than 800 mobile operators around the world.

It serves both traditional brand marketers as well as customer care organisations

within the enterprise. It offers messaging features with retargeting capabilities

including SMS, voice, email, USSD, push notifications and OTT.

About Unicel Technologies

Unicel is a mobile messaging company providing integrated cloud communications

solutions across SMS, voice, USSD and e-mail platforms in India.

Founded by Vinay Agarwal in 2003, Unicel currently employs around 100 people and

has a client base of over 1000 enterprises across India including various Fortune 500

brands.

Arun Pudur topped Wealth-X List of Asia’s Wealthiest Entrepre-neurs Under 40

Arun Pudur, the owner and president of software firm Celframe, topped the Wealth-X

List of Asia’s wealthiest entrepreneur under the age of 40 with an estimated net worth

of 4 billion US dollars.

It was revealed by Wealth-X on 12 May 2015.



Pudur is a 37 year old native of Chennai and founded the software firmCelframe

in 1998 which produces the world’s second most popular word processor after

Microsoft.

He also has assets tied up in diversified businesses in the fields of mining and real

estate and ranked 10th on a Wealth-X list of the world’s richest billionaires under 40

released in March 2015 that included Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg and

other technopreneurs.

Nine of the self-made billionaires on the Wealth-X top 10 list made their fortunes from

the technology sector. The only exception is 35-year-old Zhang Bangxin from China,

who made his wealth from tutoring services company TAL Education Group. Zhang’s

estimated net worth of 2.2 billion US dollars puts him in the third spot on the list.

The youngest entrepreneur on the list is 32-year-old Leo Chen. He is the chairman and

CEO of Jumei International Holding one of China’s largest online cosmetics retailers.

About Wealth-X

Wealth-X is a reputed agency on wealth intelligence, providing sales, marketing,

strategy and compliance solutions to clients in the financial services, luxury, not-for-

profit and education sectors. It has operations in 10 locations including Singapore,

London and New York. Its award-winning research and thought leadership are regularly

cited by the world’s media such as CNBC, Financial Times, Thomson Reuters and

BBC.

SBI launched RuPay Platinum Debit Card in association with NPCI

State Bank of India on 7 May 2015 launched State Bank RuPay Platinum debit card

in association with National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI).

Initially, the card will be issued free to customers maintaining a quarterly balance of

50000 rupees. The RuPay card is accepted at all payment channels like ATMs, PoS

and eCommerce.



The State Bank RuPay Platinum Debit Card, targets the affluent segment by offering

a range of value added benefits including:

• 5 percent cashback on utility bill payments

• Up to 1 percent fuel surcharge waiver

• Complimentary airport lounge access

• Complimentary concierge services

• Complimentary welcome discount vouchers

• Personal accidental death and permanent total disability insurance cover of 2 lakh

rupees

At present, SBI has 19.7 crore debit cards in circulation of which 4.5 crore are RuPay

cards.

Besides, the NPCI Managing Director and CEO A P Hota announced that the company

will soon launch international RuPay debit cards which will allow customers to use

them outside the country. It will also issue RuPay credit cards by January 2016.

• SBI chairman - Arundhati Bhattacharya

About NPCI

National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) was set up in 2009 as the central

infrastructure for various retail payment systems in India. It was envisaged by the

Reserve Bank of India as the payment utility for all banks in the country.

Myntra.com acquired startup firm Native5 Software Solutions Pvt Ltd

Online fashion retailer Myntra.com on 6 May 2015 acquired Bengaluru-based startup

firm Native5 Software Solutions Pvt Ltd for an undisclosed sum. With this acquisition,

founders of Native 5 will join Flipkart, parent company of Myntra.



From now onwards, Native5 team will work on Myntra’s mobile only strategy and will

help its mobile apps to grow.

About Native5 Software Solutions Pvt Ltd

Founded in 2011 by technology professionals Manish Priyadarshi, Barada Sahu and

Shamik Datta, Native5 has developed a cloud platform to create and distribute mobile

apps across smart phones, tablets and desktops.

Native5 was incubated at Microsoft Accelerator in 2013. In the same year, it was also

the part of Nasscom 10000 Startups.

Paytm tied-up with CCD, Domino’s for offline payment

Alibaba-backed company Paytm on 3 May 2015 tied-up with Quick service restaurants

(QSRs) Domino’s and Cafe Coffee Day for offline payment. With this acquisition,

Paytm’s mobile wallet will soon be accepted at Domino’s and Cafe Coffee Day.

This tie-up came when Paytm is foraying into the offline retail space. At present, Paytm

offers and recharge services for DTH and mobile phone services as well as mobile

wallet services for online transactions on Uber, Bookmyshow, eBay and IRCTC.

This offline service will be available by mid-June. By going offline, Paytm will offer

customers the choice to pay through a secure and reliable platform.

Paytm already partnered with various QSRs covering 7000-10000 outlets in cities

like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad. Recently, Paytm had forayed into

the eCommerce space putting itself in direct competition with giants like Amazon,

Flipkart and Snapdeal.

Paytm’s mobile wallet is a prepaid payment instrument, which allows customers to

digitally store money in a secure virtual wallet and use it to pay bills and other services.



Vedanta Limited launched new logo

Minerals and mining giant Vedanta Limited on 4 May 2015 launched its new logo.

The logo was co-created by internal stakeholders across geographies and group

companies.

The new logo has some significant changes. The brand name has been changed with

the use of two colours leaf green and a shade of Yale blue.

The colours represent the distinct virtues of Vedanta’s professionalism, sustainability,

ethics and integrity. The colour green symbolizes Vedanta’s ethical credentials and

the colour blue reflects Vedanta’s un-waivered integrity and professionalism.

A leaf, which represents symbol of life, has been included into the Vedanta globe,

signifying commitment to the triple bottom line approach of People, Planet and

Prosperity.

The globe represents the centricity and dependence on natural resources found in

the earth as well as the responsibility that Vedanta has towards communities.

The new logo will strategically position Vedanta’s consistent commitment towards

the growth of its low cost operations, leverage technology to deliver innovation and

superior value to its shareholders.

Earlier in April 2015, Sesa Sterlite announced the changing of name to Vedanta Ltd

in a bid to better resemble with its London-listed company Vedanta Resources Plc.

Maharashtra FDA ordered to file a FIR against Snapdeal and its CEO Kunal Behl

Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on 1 May 2015 ordered to file

a FIR against the Snapdeal, its CEO Kunal Bahl and Directors for allegedly selling

prescription drugs online. Selling of drugs without prescription is a crime under the



Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.

The FIR was filed after FDA officer on an investigation found that Jasper Infotech Pvt.

Ltd. entered into agreements with dealers across India to supply medicines offered

or exhibited for sale on its website, snapdeal.com, and to collect the sale proceeds

on their behalf.

The FDA found that 45 of the displayed drugs were with objectionable claims

which contravened the provisions of the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable

Advertisements) Act, 1954.

The FDA will be investigating other online shopping companies such as Flipkart and

Amazon.

Tesla Motors launched solar energy based Powerwall battery system

Tesla Motors Inc., an American based company, on 1 May 2015 launched its new

solar energy based battery system Powerwall. It is a home battery that charges using

electricity generated from solar panels.

The product will be marketed under Tesla Energy, a new business arm of the company.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Tesla Motors is Elon Musk.

Important features of Powerall

• It is a rechargeable lithium-ion battery designed to store energy at a residential level

for load shifting, backup power and self-consumption of solar power generation

• It is a smart device in the sense that it consists of liquid thermal control system

and software that receives dispatch commands from a solar inverter.

• The battery can provide a number of different benefits including:

1. Load shifting – The battery can provide financial savings by charging during low

rate periods when demand for electricity is lower and discharging during more

expensive rate periods when electricity demand is higher.



2. Increasing self-consumption of solar power generation – The battery can store

surplus solar energy not used at the time it is generated and use that energy

during night.

• The unit mounts seamlessly on a wall and is integrated with the local grid to

harness excess power and give customers the flexibility to draw energy from their

own reserve.

• It is a 350 – 450 volts battery system with 5.8 amp nominal, 8.6 amp peak output

and it is single phase and three phase utility grid compatible.

Microsoft named its next Web Browser as Edge

Microsoft, American multinational technology company, on 29 April 2015 announced

Edge as its next Web Browser’s name at the Build Developer Conference held at San

Francisco in California, USA.

Earlier, Microsoft had called it as Project Spartan; a code name given by the company.

The browser is intended to replace the Internet Explorer (IE) in future.

Key Features of Edge Web browser

• It will feature new inking function, which allows users to draw or scribble directly

on a Web page. It works with finger or stylus and offers pen as well as highlighter

with option to choose the color for it.

• Microsoft’s personal assistant service Cortana will be integrated to the new

browser in order to enhance the user experience.

• It will allow users to save pages for offline reading. The reading lists thus created

by a user will get synced to be accessed across multiple devices.

• It will exhibit a new tab page that will show information on recently opened tabs,

favourites, new apps, etc.



Union Ministry of Corporate Affairs launched Form-INC-29 for easier establishment of companies

The Union Ministry of Corporate Affairs on 1 May 2015 launched Form-INC -29 to

make the process of establishing new companies smoother for entrepreneurs.

The Form-INC-29 is an integrated electronic application form and can be used

alternatively in the place of filling five separate e-Forms to set up a new company.

Features of Form-INC-29

• Through the form, organisations can apply for company name, Director Identification

Number (DIN) and registration of company.

• In the form, along with the company’s name, applicants are required to furnish the

details about significance of abbreviated or coined word in the proposed name.

• The applicants has to declare that the proposed name is not offensive to any

section of people and also not in violation of the provisions of Emblems and Names

(Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950.

Comment

Introduction of the Form-INC-29 is in tune with the Union Government’s intention to

improve the ease of doing business in India and there by attracting the necessary

investments into the economy. As per recent Ease of Doing Business Index of the

World Bank, India is at the 142nd position among the 189 countries in the world.



SCIENCE | TECHNOLOGY

China unveiled world’s first facial recognition ATM machine

China on 30 May 2015 unveiled the world’s first facial recognition ATM which will not

allow users to withdraw cash unless their face matches their IDs. The ATM machine

was created by Tsinghua University and Hangzhou-based technology company

Tzekwan.

Highlights of the ATM Machine

• The machine is a combination of high speed ban-knote handling, improved

counterfeit-bill recognition and face recognition.

• It has a camera installed in it that captures the facial features of the user and then

compares it with a database of identification photos.

• It looks at the biological features and can identify people even if their facial features

have changed.

• It will help in preventing thieves from accessing other people’s accounts as the

ATM records the serial number of every bank note deposited.

• The machine is 20 percent more accurate at verifying the authenticity of multiple

currencies compared with the average ATM used globally.



NRI scientist Latha Venkataraman created first single-molecule device

NRI scientist Latha Venkataraman on 25 May 2015 created first single-molecule

device. The electronic device has a potential of real-world technological applications

for nanoscale devices. The report was published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.

Under the direction of Venkataraman, researchers created a single-molecule diode

which performs 50 times better than all prior designs.

A team of Columbia Engineering researchers has constructed a device where

the active element is only a single molecule, has long been a tantalising dream in

nanoscience.

With electronic devices becoming smaller every day, the field of molecular electronics

has become more critical in solving the problem of further miniaturisation. Single

molecule represents the limit of miniaturisation.

The idea of creating a single-molecule diode was suggested by Arieh Aviram and

Mark Ratner who theorised in 1974 that a molecule could act as a rectifier, a one-way

conductor of electric current.

The researchers are now working on understanding the fundamental physics behind

their discovery and trying to increase the rectification ratios they observed, using

new molecular systems.

US Army developed Blast proof wallpaper to protect soldiers from explosions

The United States (US) Army developed Blast proof wallpaper to protect soldiers

from explosions. A prototype was displayed at an exhibition of army innovations held

at the Pentagon on 21 May 2015.

The ballistic wallpaper was displayed at the Department of Defense Lab Day among



100 innovations from US Army engineers.

The prototype was designed by army engineers in the United States. The new

thing about this ballistic wallpaper is that it can be quickly and easily applied by

non-specialised units at short notice. This provides significant potential tactical

advantages.

The prototype is lightweight sticky wallpaper lined with tough Kevlar fibres could be

carried by troops to reinforce the walls of temporary buildings. The special fabric acts

as a net to stop shrapnel flying around and injuring soldiers or civilians who are stuck

inside.

The idea is to coat the inside of structures to reduce the danger of debris to occupants.

The lining reduces the amount of debris sent flying at the occupants of a building in

the event of an explosion.

Small blast trials had been carried out near Fort Polk in Louisiana, while larger testing

had been conducted at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida.

NASA’s Spacecraft provided first direct measurement for Type Ia Supernovae caused by white dwarfs

Kepler and Swift spacecraft of NASA provided supporting evidence and the first

direct measurement of supernovae (stellar explosions) which can enable scientists

to understand what causes supernovae. This was revealed by studies published in

journal Nature on 20 May 2015.

The studies proved that Type Ia supernovae, which produce unprecedented

brightness, can either be caused by merging with another white dwarf or by pulling

too much matter from a nearby companion star. Awhite dwarf is the Earth-sized

remnant of a star like the sun.



Kepler’s Study

The Kepler spacecraft, known for its planet-hunting prowess, has provided the data

for three new and distant supernovae, viz., KSN 2011b, KSN 2011c and KSN 2012a.

The dataset includes measurements taken before the violent stellar explosions even

happened and this is the first direct measurement of supernova.

These supernovae were identified as Type Ia supernovae with the aid of powerful

telescopes at the Gemini and the WM Keck Observatories atop Mauna Kea in Hawaii.

On the analysis of dataset, scientists led by Robert Olling, research associate at

the University of Maryland, found that shock wave generated in all directions by

these explosions were not disrupted. This proved that there was no evidence of a

companion star nearby and concluded the cause to be the collision and merger of

two closely orbiting stars, most likely two white dwarfs.

Study of Swift dataset

Swift spacecraft captured the supernova designated iPTF14atg first on 3 May 2014

in the galaxy IC 831, located about 300 million light-years away in the constellation

Coma Berenices.

The Swift study led by California Institute of Technology (Caltech) graduate student

Yi Cao, proved that Type Ia supernovae can also arise from single white dwarfs by

pulling too much matter from a nearby companion star.

According to the analysis of Cao, when the supernova debris slammed into and

swept around its companion star, it created a region of Ultra Violet (UV) emission and

the peak temperature exceeded 19000 degrees Fahrenheit (11000 degrees Celsius)

or about twice the surface temperature of the sun.

Conclusion

Type Ia supernovae are destructive explosions of carbon-oxygen white dwarfs and are

used empirically to measure cosmological distances. The first direct measurement of

such supernovae can help the scientists understand the mysteries of dark energy – a

mysterious force that appears to be accelerating cosmic expansion.



ISRO announced to launch ASTROSAT in October 2015

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on 19 May 2015 announced that

ASTROSAT will be launched in October 2015 by the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle

(PSLV) C-34 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.

Features of ASTROSAT

• ASTROSAT is the first dedicated Indian space observatory mission aimed at

studying distant celestial objects.

• The mission is capable of performing observations in Ultraviolet (UV), optical, low

and high energy X-ray wavebands at the same time.

• The satellite will be launched to a 650 km near equatorial orbit around the Earth.

• ASTROSAT carries four X-ray payloads, one UV telescope and a charge particle

monitor.

• Apart from ISRO, four other Indian institutions, viz., Tata Institute of Fundamental

Research (TIFR), Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Inter-University Centre for

Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) and Raman Research Institute (RRI) are

involved in the development of payloads among which two of them were developed

in collaboration with Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and University of Leiscester

(UoL), UK.

The ISRO also announced that the spacecraft is fully assembled and in the coming

days it will undergo several environmental tests like Electromagnetic Interference

(EMI) , Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC), Thermal Vacuum, Vibration, Acoustic

tests.



Japanese Scientists discovered new state of matter called Jahn-Teller-metal

Japanese Scientists on 14 May 2015 discovered a new state of matter called the

Jahn-Teller-metal. The matter resembles an insulator, superconductor, metal and

magnet all rolled into one.

The study led by Kosmas Prassides, Scientist at Tokohu University made the discovery

by studying a superconductor made from carbon-60 molecules or buckyballs.

The research was described in Science Advances. It involves caesium fulleride

(Cs3C60) in a face-centred-cubic lattice with a Cs3C60 molecule at each lattice site.

The research could help develop new molecular materials that are superconductors

at even higher temperatures.

The study shows that the material has a rich combination of insulating, magnetic,

metallic and superconducting phases - including the otherwise unknown state,

dubbed as Jahn-Teller metal.

The research provides important clues about how the interplay between the electronic

structure of the molecules and their spacing within the lattice can strengthen

interactions between electrons that cause superconductivity.

Superconductors are a large and diverse group of materials that offer zero resistance

to electrical currents when cooled below a critical temperature (TC). Superconducting

lattices of fullerides - C60 plus three alkali-metal atoms - have been studied for more

than two decades, and provide an interesting test bed.

NASA’s Ten-Engine Electric Plane GL-10 Prototype Completed Successful Flight Test

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) successfully developed

and flight tested the prototype of a ten-engine electric plane Greased Lightning (GL)-

10. It was revealed by the US space agency on 1 May 2015 on its website.



Key Features of Greased Lightning (GL)-10

• The aircraft was conceptualized by the NASA in order to enhance its capabilities

in using remotely piloted aircrafts in science investigations and to augment

technology development for aircraft, cubesats and other platforms.

• It is a battery-powered 10-engine remotely piloted aircraft having eight electric

motors on the wings and two electric motors on the tail.

• It weighs a maximum of 62 pounds (28.1 kilograms) at take off and has a 10-foot

wingspan.

• It can take off like a helicopter and fly like an airplane.

• It produces less noise in the sense that it is quieter than a neighbor mowing the

lawn with a gas-powered motor.

• At present it is in the design and testing phase and under the first phase of the It

will be an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and could be used for small package

delivery or vertical takeoff and landing, long endurance surveillance for agriculture,

mapping and other applications.

• In the later stage, a scaled up version which can accommodate up to four persons

will be developed.

NASA ended operations of MESSENGER Mission to Mercury

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on 30 April 2015 ended the

operations of MESSENGER Mission.

MESSENGER stands for MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry and

Ranging and it was launched on 3 August 2004 to study Mercury’s atmosphere

The journey of the spacecraft came to an end with Expected Impact (EI) on Mercury’s

surface. It plunged to the Mercury’s surface at around 14000 kmph, creating a crater

up to 52 feet wide.



Although the mission completed its primary science objectives by March 2012, the

spacecraft’s mission was extended two times, allowing it to capture images and

information about the planet in unprecedented detail.

Among its many accomplishments, the mission determined Mercury’s surface

composition, revealed its geological history, discovered its internal magnetic field is

offset from the planet’s center and concluded its polar deposits are dominantly water

ice.

Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) at Laurel in Maryland,

USA built and operated the spacecraft and managed the mission for NASA’s Science

Mission Directorate in Washington.



SPORTS

Mohun Bagan won I-League title of football after 13 years

Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan on 31 May 2015 won their maiden I-League title in 13

years. In the final clash at Kanteerva Stadium in Bengaluru, Mohun Bagan managed

a 1-1 draw against the defending champions Bengaluru FC.

Mohun Bagan ended the season with 39 points, while Bengaluru finish second on

the ladder with 37 points.

This win is the fourth I-league title for Mohun Bagan. It won the first I-league title in

2002 when the tournament was called as the National Football League (NFL). Later

in 2007, NFL was renamed as I-League.

The most interesting fact of this win of Bagan after 13-years is that in both the wins,

that is, in 2002 and 2015 the winning goal was scored by a Nigerian player. Abdul

Saliu of Nigeria scored the winning goal for Bagan in the 2001-02 National Football

League title, and in 2015 Rasaq of Nigeria scored the much-needed goal.

The title also ended Bagan’s five-year trophy drought.

Deepika Kumari won bronze in Archery World Cup

Ace Indian archer Deepika Kumari on 31 May 2015 won bronze medal in the women’s

individual recurve event in Archery World Cup at Antalya in Turkey. She defeated

Chang Hye Jin of Korea 6-2 to win the Bronze.



The Gold and Silver medal of the event was won by Bo Bae Ki of South Korea and

Misun Choi of South Korea respectively.

Deepika became the only winner out of the four veterans Archer Dola Banerjee, Satbir

Kaur and Snehal Divakar. They all lost in the first round of the individual recurve event.

Earlier, the ninth seeded Deepika in pre-quarters defeated Kaori Kawanaka of Japan

6-4 followed by her win over Taipei’s Shih-Chia Lin 7-3 in quarter finals. She was,

however, defeated in the final by Olympic gold medallist and world champion Ki Bo

Bae of Korea.

Barcelona Football Club won King’s Cup title for 27th time

Barcelona on 30 May 2015 won Copa del Rey also known as Spanish King’s Cup. In

the final clash at the Nou Camp, Barcelona defeated Athletic Bilbao, 3-1. This was

the 27th Copa del Rey title for Barcelona.

This was the second title of the season for Barcelona, earlier; it had won La Liga.

Copa del Rey or King’s Cup

The Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams.

Its full name is Campeonato de Espana – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey which means

Championship of Spain – Cup of His Majesty the King.

The tournament founded in 1903 is one of the most well-known football competitions

bearing the name of a monarch. The other tournament is the Emperor’s Cup in Japan.

It is also the oldest Spanish football competition. In 2014, it was won by Real Madrid.

Sepp Blatter re-elected as FIFA President

Incumbent FIFA President Joseph Sepp Blatter on 29 May 2015 was re-elected as

President for the fifth term. He was chosen for the post by the 65th FIFA Congress



held in Zurich.

79-year-old Blatter won another four-year term as FIFA President after he was able to

secure 133 votes out of 206 valid votes in the 209-member FIFA.

Blatter defeated 39-year-old Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan who was able to

secure 73 votes. Ali was a FIFA Vice President for the past four years.

Besides, the re-election of Sepp Blatter as President, the 65th FIFA Con-gress also saw

• The approval for creation of a committee to oversee different matters affecting the

development of football in Palestine

• The update about the implementation of the Handshake for Peace campaign

wherein team captains and referees meet to officially shake hands as a symbol

of respect and solidarity before and after the match to set a strong example of

friendship and peace

• The appointment of KPMG as FIFA’s auditors for the 2015-2018 cycle

• The extension of mandates of Moya Dodd and Sonia Bien-Aime as co-opted

female members of the FIFA Executive Committee for a further term of one year

The 66th and 67th editions of the FIFA Congress will take place in Mexico City in

2016 and Kuala Lumpur in 2017.

Sevilla FC won Europa League title

Sevilla Football ClubSevilla Football Club (FC) on 27 May 2015 won Europa League

title. In the final clash at National Stadium Warsaw, Poland, Sevilla defeated Dnipro

Dnipropetrovsk football club, 3-2.

It was second consecutive Europa Cup win for Sevilla.

With this, Sevilla, the Spain’s oldest club solely devoted to football practice, became

the first side to win the Europa League four times. Last time, it captured the trophy



in 2006, 2007 and 2014.

For the first time, this Europa League winner will straight go to the subsequent

Champions League.

Union Sports Ministry gave nod for creation of RSFs by recog-nising federations of indigenous sports

The Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports on 27 May 2015 gave its nod for

recognising certain sports federations representing indigenous sports disciplines as

Regional Sports Federations (RSFs).

The decision is aimed at promoting sports having only regional spread.

The recognition will be granted by the competent authority subject to the following conditions:

• The sports disciplines must be popular in a region or a state and played in one or

more states.

• The sports should have been played in the region for at least last 10 years.

• The sports federations seeking RSF status should have conducted championships

in all the categories namely Senior, Junior and Sub-Junior.

• In case there is an international body for a sport discipline, the recognition of the

said body would be necessary.

In case there are several bodies in the international level for the same sports, and

if, more than one sports federation applies for recognition, the ministry shall take a

decision in the matter and the reasons for that will be recorded in writing.

• One of the conditions for recognition as National Sports Federations (NSFs) that is

the federation should have affiliated units in two thirds of States/Union Territories

(UTs) will not be applicable for grant of recognition as RSFs.

• There shall be only one RSF for each sport.



• Federations of only indigenous sports will be considered for recognition as RSFs

and for remaining sports disciplines, the present guidelines for grant of recognition

to NSFs will continue.

Trevor Bayliss appointed as head coach of England Cricket Team

Trevor Bayliss was appointed as the head coach of England cricket team on 26

May 2015. With this appointment, 52-year-old Bayliss became the first Australian to

coach England.

The New South Wales coach succeeded Peter Moores and will take up the new job

in June 2015. Moores second spell ended in first week of May 2015 after he was

sacked.

Bayliss has led Sri Lankan team from 2007 to 2011 and later in 2014 took temporary

charge of Australia for their Twenty20 series in South Africa. He has coached Kolkata

Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Sydney Sixers in Australia’s Big

Bash League.

Before becoming a coach, he played for New South Wales between 1985 and 1997.

CS Santosh presented with 2014 FMSCI Motorsport Man of the Year Award

India’s off-road racer CS Santosh on 25 May 2015 was presented with the Motorsport

Man of the Year Award at the 2014 Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI)

Price Distribution Ceremony held in Bangaluru, Karnataka.

He received the Raymond Gautam Singhania Rolling Trophy along with 2 lakh rupees

as cash prize from Gautam Singhania, the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD)

of the Raymond Group.

Achievements of CS Santosh



• He became the first Indian to compete in Dakar Rally by participating in the world’s

toughest cross-country rally of 9000 km long held in South America in January

2015. In the rally he stood at the 36th position.

• He won the Desert Storm 2014 Championship of 2300 km long held in India by

representing the Team Suzuki.

• He had become the first Indian to participate in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge

in 2013.

• He won the 14th Raid De Himalaya Trophy held in 2012 in his very first attempt, a

feat that no one else has accomplished on debut. The rally considered to be one

of the top 10 most difficult raids in the world and the world’s highest sports arena

in the field of off-road racing.

• He won the National Supercross championship twice and National Dirt Track

championship thrice.

About FMSCI

The Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) is the only national motor

sport federation recognised by the Government of India for the promotion and control

of motor sport in the country and is affiliated to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).

It was India founded in 1971 and is a long-standing member of the Federation

Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) and the Federation International de l’Automobile

(FIA), the world bodies for 2/3 and 4 wheeler motor sports respectively.

R Bharat Raj is the president of FMSCI.

Kumar Sangakkara named CEAT International Cricketer of the Year 2015

Former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara on 25 May 2015 was named as the

International Cricketer of the Year 2015 while the middle order batsman Ajinkya

Rahane was named as the CEAT Indian Cricketer of the Year 2015.



Former Indian captain Kapil Dev was conferred with the International Lifetime

Achievement Award at the 19th edition of the awards.

Rohit Sharma was given a special award for his record-breaking 264 made against

Sri Lanka in an ODI at Kolkata.

List of award winners:

• International Lifetime Achievement Award - Kapil Dev

• International Cricketer of the Year – Kumar Sangakkara

• Indian Cricketer of the Year –Ajinkya Rahane

• International Batsman of the Year – Hashim Amla

• International Bowler of the Year – Rangana Herath

• T20 Player of the Year – Dwayne Bravo

• Popular Choice Award – Kieron Pollard

• Special Performance of the Year Award – Rohit Sharma

• Domestic Cricketer of the Year – R Vinay Kumar

• Young Player of the Year – Deepak Hooda

The CEAT awards honour the best of the cricketers based on their performances

in international cricketing in all formats - Test, ODI and T20 - as rated by the CEAT

Cricket ratings (CCR) for the year 2014 – 2015.

Abhinav Bindra became 4th Indian shooter to qualify for 2016 Rio Olympics

India’s only individual Olympic gold medalist Abhinav Bindra on 28 May 2015 won a

berth for 2016 Rio Olympic in men’s air rifle event.

With this, he became the fourth Indian shooter to win a quota place for the Rio

Olympics and this will be his fifth consecutive appearance in the Olympics.



Other three shooters who have secured a quota for Rio Olympics are Gagan Narang,

Jitu Rai and Apurvi Chandela.

Bindra succeeded in getting the Olympic berth after he was placed at the sixth place

in the Men’s 10 metre Air Rifle final at the ISSF Shooting World Cup in Munich. The

former World and Olympic champion shot a score of 122.4 and aggregated a total of

627.5 in the final to qualify for Rio Olympics.

The event was participated by 136 shooters from 58 countries in the shooting World

Cup in Munich.

Each country can win a maximum of 30 quota places from a total of 15 shooting

disciplines (including shotgun events), two each from each discipline.

Seven FIFA Officials arrested on bribery charges in Zurich by Switzerland authorities

Seven FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association) officials were arrested

on 27 May 2015 by Switzerland authorities in Zurich, Switzerland.

The arrested officials include Jeffrey Webb, FIFA vice-president and all the officials

are awaiting extradition to USA.

They were arrested for allegedly accepting 150 million US dollars in bribes from USA

based sports marketing agencies over a 24-year period starting from 1991.

The arrests were made by the Swiss authorities in cooperation with the US officials.

The US Department of Justice (DoJ) indicted 14 people including nine FIFA officials

and five sports media and promotion executives in the Sports Marketing Bribery

Scheme in which the officials accepted bribes and kickbacks in return for awarding

lucrative media and marketing rights to international soccer tournaments including

FIFA World Cup qualifiers.



Indian boxer won four Gold Medals at Doha International Boxing tournament 2015

Indian boxer on 23 May 2015 won four Gold Medals, One Silver and two bronze

medals at Doha International Boxing Tournament 2015. Commonwealth Games silver

medallist L Devendro Singh (49kg), Shiva Thapa (56kg), Manish Kaushik (60kg), and

Manoj Kumar (64kg) won the gold medals.

The silver medal went to Gaurav Bidhuri (52kg), while Mandeep Jangra (69kg) and

Vikas Krishan (75kg) bagged bronze medals.

In the finals, Devendro defeated Philippines Aldren Moreno by 3:0. This was followed

by Gaurav defeating Montassar Bouali by 2:1.

Former Asian gold medalist Shiva defeated Egypt’s HYM Abdelaal 2:1. Manish beat

Moroccan Rabi Hamza 3:0, while Manoj thrashed Filipino Magliquian Nicole by a

similar margin.

Indian boxers won three Gold at World Junior Women’s boxing Championship

Indian boxers on 23 May 2015 won three Gold medals and two silver medals at World

Junior Women’s boxing Championship. The event was held at Taipei in Taiwan.

Savita (50kg), Mandeep Sandhu (52kg) and Sakshi (54kg) struck gold for the country,

while Soniya (48kg) and Niharika Gonella (70kg) settled for silver medals.

Soniya was the first to take the ring for India by defeating American Heaven Garcia.

She went down 1-2 to open the Indian account with a silver medal. Savita defeated

her Ukrainian rival Kateryna Rohova 2-1 to clinch gold for India.

This was followed by Mandeep’s 3-0 triumph over Ireland’s Niamh Earley before

Sakshi made it three in a row by out-punching American Yarisel Ramirez 3-0. However,

Niharika proved no match for Russian Anastasiia Sigaeva and lost 0-3 to settle for a



silver medal.

Earlier in the youth competition, Jamuna Boro (57kg) had bagged a bronze medal

after losing in the semifinals.

BCCI recommended Contract system for Indian women cricket team

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on 24 May 2015 recommended

Contract system for Indian women cricket team. The recommendations were released

at the finance committee meeting held in Delhi.

The Committee recommended to brought India’s international women’s cricketers

under the ambit of gradation payment like their male counterparts.

The Women’s Cricket Committee of the BCCI made the following recom-mendations to the Working Committee:

On the lines of Men’s cricket, a Contract system for international Women cricketers

was proposed. It was also proposed to have more international fixtures for the Indian

women’s cricket team.

The Committee recommended adding two more tournaments to give more exposure

and opportunities to women cricketers at the domestic level. The Committee proposed

to start an under-16 state level tournament within the zones. It also proposed to start

an under-23 tournament.

The present formats of the women’s under-19 tournament and the senior women’s

tournament will remain unchanged.

Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg of Germany won Monaco Grand Prix of Formula One

Mercedes racing driver Nico Rosberg of Germany on 24 May 2015 won the Monaco

Grand Prix Formula 1 World Championship title by winning the final race held in

Monaco.

While Sebastian Vettel of Germany representing the Ferrari team stood at the second



position, Rosberg’s team mate Lewis Hamiltion of UK was at the third positon.

It is the tenth overall championship title for Rosberg and the second title in the 2015

season having won the Spanish Formula 1 World Championship on 10 May 2015.

With the present victory, he has become the fourth driver to win three Monaco Grand

Prix titles in a row. The others were Graham Hill, Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost.

Sergio Perez (Mexico) and Nico Hulkenberg (Germany) of Force India stood at the 7th

and 11th positions respectively in the final race.

Shuttler Saina Nehwal of India ranked No.1 in single rankings released by BWF

Badminton World Federation (BWF) on 21 May 2015 released the latest single’s

rankings. The ranking was topped by Ace shuttler Saina Nehwal. She was followed

by Li Xuerui of China.

Saina Nehwal regained the top position ahead of the Australian Open. In April 2015,

she secured the number one position for the first time. But she subsequently slipped

from the top spot. She has won two titles in 2015 -India Open Super series and India

Grand Prix Gold, and also reached the final of the prestigious All England Open,

which is a Super Series Premier event.

Meanwhile, Nehwal’s compatriot and two-time World Championship bronze medalist

PV Sindhu dropped to number 12.

In men’s singles, K Srikanth retained his fourth place. Even P Kashyap and HS

Parnnoy also maintained their 13th and 15th positions, respectively.

British magazine SportsPro released World’s 50 Most Market-able 2015 report

The British sports business magazine SportsPro on 20 May 2015 released the World’s



50 Most Marketable 2015 report. According to SportsPro’s listing of the top 50 most

marketable athletes in the world for 2015, Eugenie Bouchard, Tennis player from

Canada, topped the list.

While, FC Barcelona soccer Neymar stood at second place and was followed by

Golfer Jordan Spieth at the third place.

List of top 10 most marketable athletes

Rank Athlete Sport Nationality

1 Eugenie Bouchard Tennis Canada

2 Neymar Soccer Brazil

3 Jordan Spieth Golf USA

4 Missy Franklin Swimming USA

5 Lewis Hamilton Auto Racing Great Britain

6 Virat Kohli C ricket India

7 Stephen Curry Basketball USA

8 Kei Nishikori Tennis Japan

9 Katarina Johnson-Thompson Athletics Great Britain

10 Usain Bolt Athletics Jamaica

Indian Cricketer Virat Kohli was placed at the sixth position ahead of United States

basketball star Stephen Curry. Another Indian, ace shuttler Saina Nehwal was placed

at the 44th position.

On the other hand, Tennis player Novak Djokovic was placed at 14th position while

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi were at 16th and 22nd respectively.

Athletes across the world were ranked on the basis of different criteria including

age, home market, charisma, willingness to be marketed and crossover appeal. The

SportsPro team and external industry experts analysed the players for several weeks.



Joe Root and Charlotte Edwards named England cricketers of the year 2014-15

Joe Root and Charlotte Edwards on 18 May 2015 were named as England men’s and

women’s cricketers of the year 2014-15 respectively.

Root who was recently appointed vice-captain of England’s Test team was named as

the cricketer of the year for scoring 1135 test runs at an average of 95 including four

scores of 149 and above. His top test score of the season was of 200 not out against

Sri Lanka at Lord’s. He also made three one-day international centuries.

Charlotte Edwards, the women’s captain won the award for consecutive second

year. She was chosen for averaging above 75 in ODIs and nearly 60 in Twenty20

internationals in the season. Under her leadership, England secured ODI series

victories against India and New Zealand, alongside T20 series wins against South

Africa and New Zealand.

She was also presented the silver England cap by the England and Wales Cricket

Board to celebrate her 200th match as women’s captain against New Zealand in

February 2015.

Other awards announced were

• England development programme cricketer of the year award: Saqib Mahmood,

the Under-19s right-arm seamer of Lancashire and England

• England disability cricketer of the year award: Luke Sugg from the England visually

impaired team

Maria Sharapova of Russia won the women’s single of Italian Tennis Open for third time

Russian Maria Sharapova on 17 May 2015 won the women’s singles of Italian Open

for the third time. She defeated Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro by 4-6 7-5 6-1. The



Italian Open title was held in Rome, Italy.

The men’s singles of the Italian Open (also called Rome Masters) was won by Novak

Djokovic of Serbia.

The Italian Open is the most prestigious red clay tennis tournament in the world after

the French Open. The men’s competition of the Open is an ATP World Tour Masters

1000 event on the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) tour, and the women’s

competition is a Premier 5 event on the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) tour.

The two events were combined in 2011. The tournament is played on clay courts,

currently during the second week of May. The event is also known as the Rome

Masters and the Italian Championships.

Brad Haddin, the Australia wicketkeeper retired from ODI crick-et

Brad Haddin, the Australian wicketkeeper batsman on 17 May 2015 retired from

One Day International (ODI) cricket. His final ODI appearance was the seven-wicket

victory over New Zealand in World Cup final in Melbourne on 29 March 2015.

He will continue to represent Australian side in Test and Twenty20 international cricket.

Brad Haddin in the cricketing world

Haddin, a right-handed batsman and wicket-keeper, played his debut ODI match

on 30 January 2001 against Zimbabwe at Hobart. He represented Australia in all

three forms of international cricket, that is, Test, One Day International and Twenty20

International.

Details of his ODI cricket career

He played 126 matches and scored 3122 runs at an average of 31.53 of which 110

(against New Zealand in Hamilton in 2010) was his highest score. As a wicketkeeper,

he claimed 170 catches and did 11 stumping over 14 years in the 50-over format,

which was the third-most dismissal for Australia after Adam Gilchrist and Ian Healy.



Novak Djokovic won 4th Rome Masters Tennis title

Novak Djokovic of Serbia on 17 May 2015 won his fourth Rome Masters Tennis title.

In the summit clash, Djokovic defeated Roger Federer of Switzerland 6-4, 6-3.

With this win, Djokovic earned prize money of 628100 US dollar and 1000 Emirates

ATP Rankings points.

This was the fifth title of the season for Djokovic, the other titles are the Australian

Open (defeated Andy Murray), the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells (defeated Roger

Federer), the Miami Open (defeated Andy Murray) and the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters

(defeated Tomas Berdych).

Besides, Maria Sharapova of Russia defeated Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain 4-6,

7-5, 6-1 to win the women’s title. It was the 35th WTA Tour title of Sharapova’s career.

Gagan Narang Won Bronze in 50m Rifle Prone Men Event at ISSF Rifle/Pistol World Cup in Fort Benning

Indian shooter Gagan Narang on 15 April 2015 won the Bronze medal in the 50m

Rifle Prone Men event of International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Rifle/Pistol

World Cup held in Fort Benning, USA.

The Gold medal of the event was won by McPhail Michael of USA and Silver medal

was won by Bryhn Ole Kristian of Norway.

With the present win, Narang, the bronze medalist in 10m Rifle event at the London

Olympics 2012, became the third Indian shooter to earn a quota place for the 2016

Rio Olympics after Jitu Rai and Apruvi Chandela.

Chandela had secured the quota place by winning the bronze in the 10m Rifle at the

World Cup held in South Korea in April 2015.



Jitu Rai had secured India’s first Olympic quota place by winning silver in the 50m

Free Pistol event at the World Championships held in Granada, Spain in September

2014.

Each country can win a maximum of 30 quota places in Olympic Games from a total

of 15 shooting disciplines that is two each from each discipline.

Lee Alan Johnson named Head Coach of U-19 football team of India

Lee Alan Johnson of England on 12 May 2015 was named as the Head Coach of

Under-19 football team of India. He was named by the All India Football Federation

(AIFF).

Besides, 34-year-old Johnson will also act as the Head Scout for the national side

and will also perform the role of Assistant Coach of the senior team.

Prior to this, Johnson was working as the Technical Director of the Football Federation

of Rwanda where he was also the Head Coach of the U-17 national team.

Johnson was also an FA Learning Tutor for the Football Association besides being

the academy coach at Crystal Palace Football Club and Chelsea Football Club.

Discus thrower Vikas Gowda won Gold at Jamaican International Invitation meet

Ace Indian discus thrower Vikas Gowda on 10 May 2015 won Gold at Jamaican

International Invitation meet. The meet was held in Kingston, Jamaica. He came up

with an effort of 65.14m to win his event.

Chad Wright of Jamaica was second with a throw of 61.84m while Jared Schuurmans

of United States was third with an effort of 61.62m.

Gowda, the reigning Commonwealth Games champion and Silver medal winnerof



2014 Asian Games, has thrown the discus over 65m three times in the last three

weeks.

The 31-year-old national record holder first came up with a throw of 65.25m at Chula

Vista on 24 April 2015 to qualify for World Championships in Beijing in August 2015.

The United States-based Indian is yet to qualify for next year’s Rio Olympics for

which he need to cross the qualifying standard of 66m. His national record stands at

66.28m.

Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg of Germany won Spanish Grand Prix of Formula One

Mercedes racing driver Nico Rosberg of Germany on 10 May 2015 won the Spanish

Grand Prix Formula 1 World Championship title by winning the final race held at

Barcelona in Spain.

While his team mate Lewis Hamilton of Britain stood at the second position, Sebastian

Vettel of Germany representing the Ferrari team stood at the third position in the race.

This is the ninth championship title for Rosberg in his Forumula 1 career and the first

victory in the 2015 season having lost the four earlier races viz., Australian, Malaysian,

Chinese and Bahrain Championships held in the season.

Sergio Perez (Mexico) and Nico Hulkenberg (Germany) of Force India were at the

13th and 15th positions respectively in the final race.

Andy Murray of Britain won the men’s singles title of Madrid Tennis Open

Andy Murray of Britain on 10 May 2015 won the Madrid Open men’s singles title in

the final matches held in Madrid, Spain. He beat Rafael Nadalof Spain 6-3, 6-2 to win

his second Madrid Open title.



With the present win, he has become the third player after Switzerland’s Roger

Federer and Rafael Nadal to win at both the venues of Madrid Open.

Earlier, he had won the tournament in 2008 in the Casa de Campo.

For Murray, ranked World No. 3, the present title is his maiden Masters 1000 on a

clay court.

The women’s single title was won by Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic on 9 May 2015.

Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic won the women’s singles title of Madrid Tennis Open

Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic on 9 May 2015 won the Madrid Open women’s

singles title in the final matches held in Madrid, Spain.

She defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia 6-1, 6-2 to secure the title for the second

time. She won her maiden title in 2011.

With the present win, she equals Serena Williams’ record of two titles in Madrid.

At present, Kvitova is ranked World No. 4 in Women’s singles category.

The men’s single title was won by Andy Murray of Britain who defeated Rafael Nadal

of Spain in the final.

Rohan Bopanna, Florin Mergea won Men’s Doubles title of Madrid Tennis Open

Rohan Bopanna and Florin Mergea, the Indo-Romanian pair, on 10 May 2015 won

the men’s doubles title of the Madrid Tennis Open.

In the summit clash played in Madrid, Spain, the duo defeated the Serbian-Polish

pair of Nenand Zimonjic and Martin Matkowski 6-2, 6-7(5), 11-9.

For Rohan Bopanna, this is the third title of the 2015 season having won the titles in



Sydney and Dubai along with the Canadian partner Daniel Nestor.

With the present win, the duo received 247560 euro pirze money along with their

maiden title and earned 1000 ranking points each.

Indian Army emerged champions in 19th Federation Cup National Athletic Championships

The Indian Army team on 3 May 2015 emerged as champions in the 19th Federation

Cup National Senior Athletic Championships. The team scored 123.5 points at the

end of the four-day event at the Mangala Stadium in Mangaluru, Karnataka.

The Tamil Nadu team notched the second position by securing 114 points.

The overall men’s championships went to the Army when they totalled 123.5 points,

while Tamil Nadu came second with 48 points.

Kerala claimed the overall championship in the women’s category with 86 points.

They were followed by Karnataka with 68 points.

The best athlete award in the men’s category went to Inderjeet Singh of team Haryana.

He was awarded for his stupendous toss in the shot put event, which helped him

qualify for the Rio Olympics in 2016.

Best athlete in the women’s category went to Srabani Nanda from Odisha for the

agility she displayed in the 100 metre event.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. defeated Manny Pacquiao to win Fight of the Century of Boxing

American boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. on 3 May 2015 defeated Manny Pacquiao

from Philippines to win the unified World Welterweight title. The match termed as

Fight of the Century was held at iconic MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada.



Mayweather won the title in 12 rounds with a unanimous decision in which Ringside

Judge Dave Moretti scored the bout 118-110, while judges Glenn Feldman and Bert

Clements both scored it 116-112.

With this win, Mayweather added Pacquiao’s World Boxing Organization (WBO) title

to his World Boxing Association (WBA) and World Boxing Council (WBC) crowns.

Also, he extended his winning streak record to 48-0, that is, he has remained

undefeated for 19 years as a professional fighter and a victory would push his record

to 49-0, the same as American Rocky Marciano’s.

The match between Mayweather and Pacquiao was valued at 300 million US dollars

and was the richest boxing match in the history.

Roger Federer won the inaugural Istanbul Open Tennis Men’s Singles Title

Switzerland tennis player Roger Federer on 3 May 2015 won the TEB BNP Paribas

Istanbul Open Men’s singles title by defeating Pablo Cueves of Uruguay 6-3 7-6.

With this win, the world No 2 ranking player took his 85th ATP World Tour title and

ended a long drought on clay since his previous title of 2012 Madrid Masters.

This is the first ever World Tour event in Turkey and was held from 27 April to 3 May

2015 in Istanbul, the Capital City of Turkey.

In the 439405 Euro prize money tournament, Radu Albot and Dusan Lajovic won the

Doubles Men’s title by defeating Robert Lindstedt and Jurgen Melzer.

Sandeep Jajodia removed as the president of Boxing India (BI)

A Special Genral Meeting (SGM) of the Boxing India (BI) on 3 May 2015 removed

Sandeep Jajodia as its president.



The SGM, which was attended by 64 members of the BI, passed a No Confidence

Motion in this regard.

He is the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Monnet Group (an infrastructure

firm) and was elected to the post unopposed in the contest held on 11 September

2014.

Incidentally, BI Secretary General Jay Kowli resigned on 2 May 2015 after fallout with

Jajodia for forging his signatures in a letter to the Asian Boxing Confederation.

Earlier, the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports on 2 January 2015, recognised

BI as the governing body for representing boxing in India after lifting the 2-year ban.

BI is the federation of 32 boxing associations representing various states or regions

across the country.

Chelsea won Barclays Premier League 2014-15 title with 1-0 win over Crystal Palace

Chelsea won the Barclays Premier League 2014-15 football title by defeating Crystal

Palace 1-0 in the final match held on 3 May 2015 at Stamford Bridge in London.

This is their first premier league title in five years since winning the 2009-10 season

title by defeating Manchester United.

With the present win, Chelsea qualified for Champions League Group Stage which

will be held from September to December 2015.

About Premier League

The Premier League is the top league competition for English football. The competition

started in 1992 when some clubs in the Football League First Division decided to

break away from The Football League, founded in 1888 and has since become the

world’s most watched sporting league.

Till date, a total of 46 clubs have competed in the Premier League, but only five



have won the title viz., Manchester United, Blackburn Rovers, Arsenal, Chelsea and

Manchester City.

Railways won the 5th Hockey India Senior Women National Championship 2015

Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) on 3 May 2015 won the 5th Hockey India

Senior Women National Championship 2015.

In the final match played at the Master Chandgi Ram sports stadium at Saifai, Uttar

Pradesh, Railways defeated Hockey Jharkhand by 12-2.

The third position was bagged by Hockey Punjab who beat Madhya Pradesh Hockey

Academy by 2-0.

Earlier on 28 April 2015, the 5th Hockey India Senior Men’s National Hockey

championship 2015 was also by the Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB). In the

final match Railways had defeated Uttar Pradesh Hockey (UPH) by 5-3.

Union Sports Ministry recognised Motor Sports as a Sports un-der NSF

Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports on 23 March 2015 recognised Motor

Sports as a sport by including it in the list of sports ministry-backed National Sports

Federations (NSF).

Motor Sports is one of the 59 sports recognised by the Ministry during the review of

categorization of various sports discipline into ‘High Priority’, ‘Priority’ and ‘Others’.

After the review Motor Sports was put into ‘Others’ category which means that no

financial assistance will be provided to it.

The decision to include Motor Sports was welcomed by the Federation of Motor

Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI), the governing body for the motor sports in India.



Sports Ministry after each Olympics Games and Asian Games reviews and categorise

various sports discipline with respect to their performance in these Games. The

categorization is done with a view to review and provides financial assistance to the

NSF. The last such review was done in 2008.

Accordingly, 9 sports disciplines were put into ‘High Priority’ category. These include

Archery, Boxing, Weight Lifting, Wrestling, Tennis, Shooting, Hockey, Badminton and

Athletics.

23 sports disciplines were put under ‘Priority’ category and rest were put into ‘Others’

category.



STATEAndhra Pradesh brought 16 Sectors under Swiss Challenge method to develop Infrastructure

State government of Andhra Pradesh on 29 May 2015 issued orders to bring 16 sectors

under Schedule III of the AP Infrastructure Development Enabling Act (APIDEA), 2001

with an aim to develop infrastructure in public private partnership (PPP) mode.

This order was issued by the Infrastructure and Investment Department to facilitate

the government to extend Swiss Challenge method to award infrastructure project in

these 16 sectors.

The sectors which have been included to be developed under Swiss Chal-lenge method are

• Telecommunications and broadband internet services

• Power generation, transmission and distribution including renewable energy

projects

• Highway projects including housing or other activities being an integral part of

high way project, transport terminus and depots

• Railway systems

• Urban transit projects, ports and inland ports, airports

• Urban development projects including smart city and educational institutions

Swiss Challenge method

Swiss Challenge Approach means a Private Sector Participant (Original Project

Proponent) submits an unsolicited or suo-motu proposal and draft contract principles



for undertaking a project, not already initiated by the Government Agency or the Local

Authority. The Government Agency or the Local Authority then invites competitive

counter proposals in such manner as may be prescribed by the Government.

Proprietary information contained in the original proposal shall remain confidential

and will not be disclosed.

Maharashtra CM sets up a high powered task force to develop IFSC

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on 29 May 2015 set up a high powered

task force in order to make Mumbai a credible competitor among other International

Financial Services Centres (IFSCs).

The Task Force would be co-chaired by Deutsche Bank Co-operative Chief Executive

Officer (CO-CEO) Anshu Jain and SBI chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya. They will

devise the roadmap for development of IFSC.

Tripura withdrew AFSPA from state

State government of Tripura on 27 May 2015 decided to withdraw the Armed Forces

(Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), 1958 from the remaining areas of the state with

immediate effect.

The decision to withdraw the Act was taken during a cabinet meet held in Agartala

after the Tripura police in its latest half-yearly review found no need to extend the Act

further. The cabinet meet was chaired by Chief Minister Manik Sarkar.

The state government will forward the decision to the Union Home Ministry for formal

withdrawal of the Central Act.

The Act was enforced in the state by the Union Government on 16 February 1997 in

40 police station areas of the state, dominated by the tribal due to relentless violence



and bloodshed. Since then, the Act was reviewed and extended in every six months.

Later in June 2013, the Act was withdrawn from nine police stations, following decline

in the incidents in insurgency.

As a result, the number of police stations under the Act was reduced to 25 from

existing 34 and the number of police stations under partial imposition of the Act was

increased from six to seven.

The Opposition Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura (INPT) has been demanding

repeal of the Act from the entire state and alleged that the Act was working as a tool

of harassment to the people living in remote areas of the State.

Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA)

The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), 1958 was passed on 11 September

1958. The law grants special powers to the Indian Armed Forces in disturbed areas

across the country.

Disturbed area means an area which is for the time being declared by notification

under section 3 to be a disturbed area.

Ajanmi Beti Ke liye Daud organised for the cause of saving girl child in Himachal Pradesh

Forum for Human Rights and Justice (FHRJ) on 27 May 2015 organised a Marathon

named as Ajanmi Beti Ke liye Daud (Protecting the Unborn Girl) in Shimla, Himachal

Pradesh.

The objective of this Marathon is to save girl child and arrest the declining sex ratio

in the hill state.

Himachal is one among the ten worst states wherein sex ratio is worst. It has a child

sex ratio of 906 against 1000 females.

The districts of Himachal with worst sex ratio are Una (875), Kangra (876), Hamirpur



(887), Solan (899) and Bilaspur (900).

Districts with sex ration above 900 are Mandi (916), Shimla (925), Sirmaur (928),

Chamba 953, Kullu have 962, Kinnuar have 963. Only Lahaul Spiti has a higher sex

ratio of 1033.

Through the run, FHRJ tried to make people aware and mobilize them to join hands

for a new beginning.

Delhi Government approved mandatory GPS in public transport from June 2015

Delhi Government on 26 May 2015 approved mandatory Global Positioning System

(GPS) in all public transport vehicles from June 2015.

The decision was taken keeping in view the security and safety of commuters, especially

women. The GPS devices will be available from Driving Licence Appointment and

Payment System (DIMTS).

The GPS devices can be procured at cost-effective rates. DIMTS will monitor all data

from the GPS devices. The press release said that after 1 June 2015, no commercial

or passenger vehicle will be allowed a fitness certificate if it doesn’t have a GPS

device.

The decision comes months after the transport department, which has been extending

the deadline for mandatory GPS, announced that all passenger vehicles will need it

in order to get their fitness certificates renewed.

The transport department had made it mandatory for all autorickshaws in 2014 to

install GPS in order to get their annual fitness certificate. It had later expanded that

ambit to cover taxis and gramin sewa.

However, autorickshaw and taxi unions had been complaining about the high cost of

the devices. Some have demanded subsidies.



Delhi government tied-up with Rotary club to revamp govern-ment schools

Delhi Government on 24 May 2015 tied up with Rotary Club for revamping government

schools in the state by upgrading sanitation and strengthening basic infrastructure

facilities like drinking water and toilets.

In the first phase of the plan, Rotary Club will launch a hygiene campaign at 300

government schools and improve cleanliness besides working on basic facilities for

the students.

The hygiene campaign will run in collaboration with Rotary Club in 300 schools. Rotary

Club will do a survey of schools from the list of 400 schools to assess infrastructure

there and prepare its detailed proposal.

The proposal thereafter will be submitted to the state government for its approval

and further action.

Tamil Nadu CM announced welfare schemes worth 1800 crore rupees

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on 24 May 2015 announced development and

welfare measures worth over 1800 crore rupees. The measures include improvement

of roads and drinking water facilities and extending assistance to needy families

headed by women.

The state government also approved five major schemes and they are

• Opening of more AMMA canteens that provide subsidised food

• Housing for poor

• Setting up Reverse Osmosis plants for drinking water

• In fiscal 2015-16, 3500 km road stretch will be taken for development under Tamil



Nadu Rural Roads Development Scheme.

• Consent for a special housing scheme for the poor in town panchayat areas.

• Launched subsidised sale of Toor, Urad dhal scheme under which people will get

Toor and Urad dhal at Government outlets at subsidised rates.

The measures were approved a day after Jayalalithaa began her fifth stint as Tamil

Nadu Chief Minister. She was sworn in as the Chief Minister on 23 May 2015.

Uttar Pradesh government amended State Film Policy to woo tourism

Uttar Pradesh Government on 16 May 2015 amended State Film Policy to woo

tourism. Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh (UP) Akhilesh Yadav inaugurated the UP

Film Bnadhus’s Website and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to set

up a film city.

Also, UP Government under the amended policy has increased the subsidy given to

the film maker to encourage film production in the state. Each film produced in UP is

now entitled to a subsidy of 2 crore rupees.

U.P. Film Policy booklet was also launched during the event. On 24 May 2015,

Akhilesh Yadav also presented a cheque of 2 crore rupees to Jaanisaar’s filmmaker

Muzaffar Ali.

Noted films like Bullet Raja, Ishqiya, Teval, Jaanisar, Dozakh and many more have

already been in shot in U.P.

Andaman & Nicobar Police proposed to reserve 33% seats for women

Andaman & Nicobar Police on 21 May 2015 proposed to reserve 33 percent of the

seats for the posts of constable and sub-inspector for women.



The decision to keep 33 percent women in police will help the vulnerable sections like

women, children and the old to voice their grievances without fear and help resolve

many problems in a significant way.

At present, women police consists only 18 percent part Andaman and Nicobar police.

Earlier in June 2014, Gujarat Government also announced 33 percent quota for

women in police force.

On the other hand, Union Government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March

2015 approved 33 percent reservation for women in police forces of all union territories,

including Delhi, citing difficulties faced by women complainants to approach the

male-dominated police force.

World Bank approved 250 million dollar credit for Enhancing Teacher Effectiveness in Bihar

The World Bank on 20 May 2015 approved 250 million US dollar credit for the

Enhancing Teacher Effectiveness in Bihar Programme. The credit will be provided

to improve the effectiveness of elementary school teachers in Bihar by making them

more qualified, accountable and responsive.

The credit is being provided from the International Development Association (IDA),

the World Bank’s concessionary lending arm, and the credit is on IDA terms with a

maturity of 25 years, including a 5 year grace period.

The programme will be implemented over a five year period and will support the state in

• Development of high quality education institutions

• Ensure certification for unqualified elementary school teachers and continuous

professional development of teachers in service

• Help effective teacher management and performance and improve teacher

accountability at the school level



The problem of quality of education in Bihar

Among many problems affecting Bihar education system, quality of education is the

worrisome problem. The quality of education in turn is the result of lack of trained

teachers in Bihar. By 2020, the number of teachers is expected to exceed 6 lakhs but

the state’s training capacity is less than 5000 teachers annually. It means state needs

to train at least ten times more teachers annually.

Further, this has been compounded by years of underinvestment in teacher education

in Bihar since the 1990s.

Besides, the problem of absenteeism is also affecting the quality of education in

Bihar. Though in recent past between 2003 and 2010, Bihar experienced a 10 percent

reduction in absenteeism rates, still teacher absenteeism continues to be quite high.

How World Bank programme will help address the problem?

The programme will be part of the Bihar government’s school education reform

programme, also known as Manav Vikas programme, which is being implemented to

improve the quality of education especially for elementary level children.

The programme will benefit some 450000 teachers in government elementary schools

in Bihar, particularly the 65000 new unqualified entrants who will receive certification

through Open Distance Learning (ODL).

As a result, it is expected that some 21.2 million elementary school students will gain

access to improved classroom teaching and learning.

Institutions like the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT),

District Institutes of Education and Training (DIETs), Primary Teacher Education

Centers (PTECs) at the district level and Block Resource Centers (BRCs) and Cluster

Resource Centers (CRCs) at the sub-district level will also be strengthened to function

as local learning centers.

This program will help the state improve the learning environment and the performance

of teachers in schools, with strong monitoring, evaluation and governance

mechanisms.



For a robust monitoring and evaluation mechanism, the program will introduce a

number of initiatives which include Teacher Education Management Information

System (TEMIS) and Teacher Education Institutional Development Index (TEIDI)

among others.

• World Bank Country Director in India: Onno Ruhl

Mumbai’s Siddhivinayak temple received ISO 9001-2008 certi-fication

Siddhivinayak temple of Mumbai on 20 May 2015 received International Organization

for Standardization (ISO) 9001-2008 certification for best quality practices.

The temple facilitates darshan and also funds various activities of public interest like

education, drought management in state and others.

Siddhivinayak temple is the first temple in Mumbai to receive ISO certification.

The certificate was presented by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to to the

Siddhivinayak Trust chief officer Mangesh Shinde in an event held at the temple.

The Shree Siddhivinayak Ganapati Mandir is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shri

Ganesh. It is located in Prabhadevi, Mumbai, Maharashtra. It was originally built by

Laxman Vithu and Deubai Patil on 19 November 1801.

Tathagata Roy sworn in as Governor of Tripura

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Tathagata Roy on 20 May 2015 was sworn

in as the Governor of Tripura. He became the 16th Governor of the state.

The Chief Justice of Tripura High Court, Deepak Gupta, administered the oath of

office at a ceremony held in Raj Bhavan.

Roy succeeded Padmanabh Balkrishna Acharya, who is also the Governor of

Nagaland.

Roy, a university teacher before joining politics, was president of the West Bengal



state unit of Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) from 2002 till 2006. Currently, he is a member

of the Bhartiya Janta party (BJP) National Executive, the party’s central policy making

body.

Maharashtra to amend Factories Act, 1948 to allow women to work in night shifts

State Government of Maharashtra on 20 May 2015 decided to make amend Section

66(1)(c) of the Factories Act, 1948, so that women employees can work in night shifts.

Section 66(1)(c) of the Factories Act, 1948 restricted women from working at a factory

between 7 PM and 6 AM.

The decision was taken following demands from several labour union leaders and

politicians to allow women to work post 7 pm. However, the factory managements

will have to provide security to women working in night shifts.

With this decision, Maharashtra joined the league of selected states like Haryana,

Rajasthan, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh that allow women to work

in night shifts or are in the process of doing so.

The other proposed changes to the Factories Act, 1948 include

• Workers to be eligible for paid leave after working for 90 days in a year instead of

the existing 240 days or more.

• It would not be mandatory for workers to take the management’s permission for

overtime, the limit for which in three months will be increased to 115 hours from

the current 75.

The decision of the state government to change the 67-year-old existing law will

bring a much needed help for workers working in more than 14000 factories across

the state.



TP Senkumar appointed as DGP of Kerala

A 1983 batch IPS officer TP Senkumar was on 20 May 2015 appointed as the Director

General of Police (DGP) of Kerala.

The decision was taken by the State Cabinet in a meeting held under the chairmanship

of the Chief Minister Oommen Chandy.

He will succeed KS Balasubramanian, who is retiring on 31 May 2015.

At present, Senkumar is the DGP (Prison) and has got service till June 2017.

Earlier, he served the state in various capacities including as the chief of the intelligence

wing and Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC).

He has investigated many high profile cases including Vithura and Pandalam sexual

assault cases, Liz financial fraud case and French spy case among others.

He obtained President’s police medal in 2009 for his services.

JICA agreed to lend 1165 crore rupees for Odisha Transmission System Improvement Project

India and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) on 15 May 2015

signed an ODA (Official Development Assistance) loan agreement to provide up to

21787 million yen (about 1165 crore rupees) for the Odisha Transmission System

Improvement Project (OTSIP).

The agreement was signed by Joint Secretary in the Union Ministry of Finance S

Selvakumar and JICA India Office Chief Representative Shinya Ejima in New Delhi.

The purpose of the loan is to assist in establishing a stable power supply to the state

in advance of an expected large increase in power demand in the coming years due

to rapid industrialization.

The JICA will charge 0.8 percent per annum interest rate and the loan repayment



period is 20 years in addition a 6 years grace period.

Transmission lines extending around 971 kilometers and 18 substations will be

constructed to improve the power transmission efficiency and stabilize the power

supply. The project will be completed by January 2020.

The Odisha Power Transmission Corporation Limited will be the nodal agency to

execute the project.

JICA has extended about 3400 crore rupees in ODA loans since 1981 for all-round

development in Odisha. It has also provided for loans up to 65260 crore rupees

in ODA loans since 1958 for enhancement of power generation and transmission

infrastructure in India.

Delhi Government decided to launch Pay & Play Scheme to pro-mote sports

The state government of Delhi on 19 May 2015 decided to launch Pay & Play Scheme

at the designated stadiums or sports complexes. The scheme is planned to promote

sports for all age groups in the national capital.

The scheme would begin from 1 July 2015 in the morning session from 6 am to 9.30

am. The facilities would be free of cost for school students and disabled persons.

Under the scheme, people can play game available within the stadiums and complexes

by paying a nominal fee of 100 rupees per month.

For this purpose, the state government has ordered opening up of several stadiums

and sports complexes. It has also decided that academies or clubs or individuals will

have access to government schools for sports promotion.

At present, the membership for sports facilities is available in Thyagraj Stadium,

Ludlow Castle Sports Complex and Chhatrasal Stadium.



Draupadi Murmu sworn in as first woman Governor of Jharkhand

Draupadi Murmu was on 18 May 2015 sworn in as the first woman Governor of

Jharkhand since the state was granted statehood status after bifurcating from Bihar

on 15 November 2000. With this, Murmu became the ninth Governor of Jharkhand.

She succeeded Syed Ahmed who was recently transferred as Governor of Manipur

by President Pranab Mukherjee.

Jharkhand High Court Chief Justice Virendra Singh administered oath of the office of

Murmu under the provisions of Article 159 of Constitution of India.

Draupadi Murmu is a two-time Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Odisha

Assembly and had represented Rairangpur constituency. She had served as Cabinet

Minister in the Naveen Patnaik led coalition government of Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and

BJP.

She was the Minister of State (MoS) with independent charge for Commerce and

Transport from March 2000 to August 2002.

Himachal Pradesh to host Paragliding World Cup 2015

Himachal Pradesh will host the Paragliding World Cup from 23 October to 31 October

2015 at Bir Billing in Kangra valley. The world cup will be held under the aegis of

Para-gliding World Cup Association, France.

This is for the first time that India will be hosting the Paragliding World Cup which will

see participation from over 50 countries.

The state was chosen to host the World Cup after it successfully conducted the

paragliding pre-World Cup-2013.

For the successful conduct of the event, the state government has formed the Billing

Paragliding Association (BPA) under the chairmanship of Sudhir Sharma who is the

Urban Development Minister of HP. Further, the state government has directed to



ban construction activities near the take-off and landing sites.

The success of the Paragliding World Cup 2015 would promote tourism as well as

sports in the state.

Maharashtra government banned digging of borewells deeper than 200 feet

Maharashtra Government on 14 May 2015 banned the digging of borewells beyond

200 feet in the state with a view to check the steep decline of groundwater-level. The

decision came in wake of increase in the digging of new borewells by farmers and

private players due to water scarcity during the summers.

Those who will be found guilty, will face a fine ranging from 10000 rupees to 25000

rupees or even imprisonment of up to six months in case of repeated offences.

The decision is part of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ water

conservation project Jalayukta Shivar Yojana which aims to make 5000 villages in

state drought-free in one year.

Background

The rampant and uncontrolled digging of borewells in various parts of state had led to

depletion of ground-water level. The Marathawada region and Buldhana & Amravati

districts of Vidarbha region are worst hit due to depletion of ground-water level.

In these districts, borewells have been dug almost up to 1000 feet underground in

search of ground water with no success.

MHRD Gave Nod For Setting Up IIIT in Nagpur, Maharashtra

Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) on 14 May 2015 gave an

in-principle approval for setting up an IIIT (Indian Institute of Information Technology)

in Nagpur, Maharashtra.



It will be the first IIIT to be set up in the state.

The IIIT will join a batch of national institutes which are set to come up in the city,

namely the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) andIndian Institute of

Management (IIM).

The setting up of these higher educational institutions in Nagpur is aimed at improving

educational infrastructure in the backward Vidarbha region.

About Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs)

Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs) are a group of specialized institutes

providing higher education in Information Technology (IT).

The MHRD took a decision in 2008 to set up 20 such institutions during the 11th Five

Year Plan (2007-12) to serve the human resource and technical needs of the Indian

IT Industry.

In December 2014, the Parliament has passed the Indian Institutes of Information

Technology (IIIT) Bill, 2014 to grant four existing IIITs situated in Uttar Pradesh, Tami

Nadu and Madhya Pradesh independent statutory status. It proposes to declare

them as institutes of national importance and enables them to grant degrees to their

students.

Punjab government launched pan-state programme to monitor the soil health of every farm

Punjab Agriculture Department on 13 May 2015 launched a pan-state programme to

monitor the soil health of every farm in the state by issuing them personalised Soil

Health Cards (SHCs). With this, Punjab became the first state in India to issue Soil

Health Cards to farmers.

In this regard, every district of state was assigned a mobile soil testing lab. These

labs will take soil sample from every farm and will issue digitalised soil health details.

As per Punjab Government, it is mandatory for Soil Testing Labs to check soil health



quarterly. Each health card holder will be issued a written advisory on usage of

fertilisers and seeds adaptability.

The constant monitoring of health profile of various farms in the state is imperative

keeping in view over exploitation of soil after the advent of green revolution in the

state. It is necessary to maintain the health structure of soil and educating the farmers

to use right quantity of fertilisers to prevent soil becoming arid.

About Soil Health Card (SHC) Scheme

• The Soil Health Card Scheme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi

on 19 February 2015 nationwide in Suratgarh town of Sriganganagar district,

Rajasthan.

• The cards contain all basic information and crop-wise recommendations of

nutrients or fertilizers required for farms of different soil types.

• It will carry crop-wise recommendation of fertilizers required for farm lands and

other inputs to increase the productivity of individual farmer.

Telangana Government signed MoU with Google to build a cam-pus in Hyderabad

Telangana Government on 11 May 2015 signed a Memorandum of Understanding

(MoU) with tech giant Google Inc to build the biggest campus outside the United

States (US) in Hyderabad.

The MoU was signed by Jayesh Ranjan, Telangana Secretary of Information

Technology (IT) and his counterpart David Redcliffe, Google’s global head of facilities

and workplace in Google headquarters at Mountain View in USA.

On completion, Google’s Hyderabad campus will be second-biggest in the world

and the first in Asia.


• It will be set up at the cost of 1000 crore rupees and expected to be ready within



four years by 2019.

• It will have two million square feet working space and will employ around 13000

technologists that will be recruited over a period of four years for this project.

• For this campus, Telangana Government will allocate seven acres of land in

Gachibowli, a major IT suburb of Hyderabad.

• The work for this campus will formally start in 2016.

Google’s StreetView project

Apart from this, Google agreed to pick Hyderabad for its StreetView project after

Union Government gave its approval to include Hyderabad in Street View project.

Google’s street View is a tool in Google Map that gives panoramic view of streets,

roads and monuments. The firm uses cars, treks and bicycles, fitted with cameras, to

capture the images and collate them to give the users a 360 degree views.

UP Government launched Samajwadi Shudha Payjal Yojna for UP Roadways bus stations

Uttar Pradesh (UP) Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on 12 May 2015 launched the

water ATM facility Samajwadi Shudha Payjal Yojna for UP Roadways bus stations.

This facility was installed at Charbagh of Lucknow and at other 100 bus stations of

the state.

Through this service, the passengers will get best potable water at the most affordable

price of two Rupees per liter. Moreover, the Uttar Pradesh government also flagged

off four luxury buses Scannia to four different destination including Delhi. It also

inaugurated an IVRS number 149 enquiry facility regarding bus services of UP.

The state government also laid the foundation stone for up gradation of 25 bus

stations where state of the art technology and best passenger and civic facilities will

be available.



India Post launched Dedicated E-Commerce Centre in New Delhi

India Posts on 11 May 2015 launched a dedicated E-Commerce Centre in New

Delhi to cater the e-commerce business enterprises. It was launched by Union

Communication and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad at Safdarjang, New Delhi.

This project was implemented by Department of Posts through Delhi Postal Circle.

This processing centre will exclusively handle all the e-commerce business. It is

capable of handling 30000 parcels (articles) per day.

It will also facilitate collection of parcels from the e-commerce customers by processing

and dispatching them within 24 hours to respective destination. For this purpose the

centre will use quickest available transportation facility like flight or trains.

The leading e-commerce customers Yepme, Amazon, Snapdeal, Paytm etc are already

using this newly established e-commerce Centre for processing their e-commerce

parcels.

Hyderabad to host Indo-Global Pharma Expo and Summit 2015 in July

Hyderabad will host the four-day Indo-Global Pharma Expo and Summit 2015 that is

scheduled to be held on 24 July 2015. The announcement was made by P V Appaji,

Director-General of Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council of India (Pharmexcil)

on 11 May 2015. The theme of Indo-Global Pharma Expo and Summit 2015 will

beInnovation and Advances. The event will deliberate on a range of issues, from

pharmaceutical technology to education, indigenous drugs and drug regulatory

affairs, besides serving as a platform for joint ventures and project collaboration.

Renowned pharmaceutical experts will be addressing the Summit. The summit will

be organised by Indus Foundation in association with FTAPCCI and OMICS group.



MIDC signed a MoU with SIDBI Venture Capital Ltd to fund MS-MEs

The Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) on 9 May 2015 signed

a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with SIDBI Venture Capital Ltd to provide

easy finance to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) for their growth.

Accordingly, both MIDC and Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI)

Venture Capital jointly created funds of 200 crore rupees. Of the total amount, the

MIDC contributed 75 crore rupees, while SIDBI provided the remaining amount of

125 crore rupees.

The reason behind this tie-up of MIDC and SIDBI Venture Capital is to make it easier

for MSME to obtain loans from banks for their expansions or various business

purposes. The rate of interest at which finance would be provided to the MSMEs is

yet to be decided.

The MoU was signed by MIDC CEO Bhushan Gagrani and Ananta P Sarma, MD and

CEO of SIDBI Venture Capital Ltd.

Goa Government launched hot air balloon & amphibious vehi-cles

State Government of Goa on 9 May 2015 launched hot air balloon and amphibious

vehicles in the picturesque state of beaches. It was launched with an aim to add

attractions to its tourism portfolio.

The hot air balloon will help tourists to fly over the picturesque landscape, which will

provide an aerial view of the popular tourist destinations. Amphibious vehicle, which

can run on road and ply in waters, can operate across seven routes in five talukas of

Goa.

These new ventures to attract tourists will give a thrilling experience to tourists in



Goa’s inland waterways and will also allow them to tour across backwaters and catch

glimpse of the flora and fauna in the surroundings.

The two services will be run by Delhi-based Camping Retreats of India pvt ltd, initially

from Panji. Later, the services will be operated from other prominent tourist spots of

the state.

Haryana Government included Deaflympics in its sports policy

State Government of Haryana on 9 May 2015 included Deaflympics in its Sports

Policy. It was included to enable Deaflympian medalists to get cash rewards, jobs

and other benefits.

Decision to this effect to include Deaflympics in sports policy was taken during a

state cabinet meet chaired by Chief Minister Manohar Lal at Chandigarh.

Deaflympics, previously known as World Games for the Deaf and International Games

for the Deaf, is an event sanctioned by International Olympic Committee (IOC). Its

participants are deaf athletes and they compete at an elite level.

It is the longest multi-sports event excluding the Olympics and is held once in every

four years. The first games were held in Paris in 1924, and were also the first ever

international sporting event for athletes with a disability. Since first event, the games is

organised by the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (Comite International

des Sports des Sourds (CISS)).

The games are held in two forms, that is, summer and winter. The 1924 Paris event

was the summer games, while the first winter games was held in 1949 at Seefeld.

The last summer deaflympics was held in 2013 at Sofia, the winter deaflympics is

scheduled to happen in 2015 at Khanty-Mansiysk.



High Court of Gujarat ordered shutting down of 67 sand mines in Gir Forest Sanctuary

High Court of Gujarat on 6 May 2015 ordered shutting down of 67 sand mining units

in the Gir Forest Sanctuary, the only adobe of Asiatic lions. These 67 mining units

were ordered to stop operation as their leases were not renewed.

The order was passed by a two-judge bench of High Court comprising Justice Jayant

Patel and Justice GB Shah on a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by a Surat city-

based citizen Rajkumar Sutaria. The petitioner alleged that illegal mining in the area

threatened the lives of the wild animals like Asiatic lions, bears, hyneas and golden

jackals.

The order came after the Gujarat forest department submitted that the 67 units would

not be given ‘No Objection Certificates (NOC)’ for mining on the banks of Shetrunji

River in the Gir forest Sanctuary area.

The Gir Asiatic lion sanctuary is protected as an eco-sensitive zone where no

construction or development activities can take place in a radius of 10 kilo meters.

But, the mining activity in the Shetrunji River had been going in the area, which

threatens the existence of wildlife.

ssGoa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar launched Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme in state

Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar on 6 May 2015 launched the state level ‘Beti

Bachao Beti Padhao Scheme’ in Panaji. After launching the campaign, the Chief

Minister also urged the society to invest more on girl child basically in the field of

education as the girls gives more fruits to the society and family also.

North Goa is among 100 districts selected from across the country to implement

the central government scheme on pilot basis. The objective of the scheme is to

empower the girl child and enable her education.



Haryana Government notified 163 services under Right to Ser-vice Act, 2014

Haryana government on 4 May 2015 notified 163 services under Haryana Right to

Service Act, 2014. The notification was released with a view to provide time bound

and hassle-free services to the citizens.

These services would be provided in prescribed time period and on case of

unnecessary delay, the concerned official would have to pay fine. For instance

• The Revenue Department would provide 20 services in time bound manner.

• Certified copies of all Record of Rights (Jamabandi), Girdawari and mutation would

be provided in one day by Duty Patwari-1.

• The demarcation of land would be provided by Circle Revenue Officer in 45 days.

• Certificates of scheduled castes, backward classes, special backward classes,

resident, economically backward classes, tapriwas and vimukt jati would be issued

in seven days by the Tehsildar of the concerned Sub Division.

• In Health Department, the certified copies of birth or death in rural areas would be

issued in seven days in year 2015 and in 15 days for previous years.

Haryana Right to Service Act, 2014

Haryana Right to Service Act, 2014 was notified on 26 March 2014 by Bhupinder

Singh Hooda led government of Haryana. It was enacted to provide for the delivery

of the services in a time-bound manner to eligible persons and for matters connected

therewith.

Rajasthan Government signed deal with NHM, UNICEF & GAIN to counter malnourishment



Rajasthan Government on 4 May 2015 signed a Memorandum of Understanding

(MoU) with National Health Mission (NHM), UNICEF and GAIN (Global Alliance for

Improved Nutrition) in Jaipur to tackle the severe problem of malnourishment of the

state.

Initially, the programme will be implemented in thirteen districts in which more than

10000 children have been identified as malnourished. To deal with malnourishment,

a special management programme will be organised on the community basis.

At present, Rajasthan has 40 malnourishment treatment centres, which are equipped

with 10000 beds. It is also facilitated with 107 centres with six beds.

Background

Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje in the state budget 2015-16 announced

that special attention will be given to the children falling out of medical reach in state.

BHEL commissioned 195 MW Thermal Unit of KBUNL in Bihar

Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), the state owned power equipment maker,

on 4 April 2015 commissioned a 195 MW thermal unit of Kanti Bijlee Utpadan Nigam

Limited (KBUNL) in Muzaffarpur, Bihar.

This was the first 195 MW unit to be commissioned by BHEL at the 2x195 MW

Muzaffarpur Thermal Power Station (TPS) Plant of KBUNL. The second 195 MW unit

is expected to be commissioned in the on-going 2015-16 financial year.

The Kanti Bijlee Utpadan Nigam Limited (KBUNL) is being developed in a joint venture

between BHEL, NTPC and Bihar State Power Generation Company (BSPGCL).

Earlier, in the first week of March 2015, a 660 MW supercritical thermal unit was

commissioned by BHEL at Barh in Bihar.



Dr Mahesh Sharma inaugurated Puducherry Science Centre and Planetarium

The Union Minister of State for Culture (Independent Charge), Tourism (Independent

Charge) and Civil Aviation, Dr. Mahesh Sharma on 3 May 2015 inaugurated the first

ever Science Centre and Planetarium in the Union Territory of Puducherry.

The Science Centre and Planetarium has been set up by the National Council of

Science Museums (NCSM) of Ministry of Culture at an expense of 5.5 crore rupees.

It is the 47th Science Museum in the country.

About Puducherry Science Centre and Planetarium

• It has interactive exhibition galleries on Marine Biology and Fun Science

• It has an eight meter dome digital planetarium and an open-air science park

• The planetarium can accommodate 55 people at a time

Besides, the Chief Minister of Puducherry N. Rangasamy and the Science and

Technology Minister T. Thiagarajan appealed to Dr. Mahesh to approve another

science centre for Karaikal.

The 48th Science Centre will be opened soon in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.

NTPC signed MoA with Jharkhand Government for maintaining Patratu Thermal Power Station

National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) Ltd on 3 May 2015 signed a Memorandum

of Agreement (MoA) with Jharkhand Government for forming a Joint Venture Company

for managing Patratu Thermal Power Station (PTPS).

This Joint Venture (JV) Company will be promoted by NTPC and Jharkhand Bidyut

Vitaran Nigam Ltd. (JBVNL) with 74:26 equity participation. The JV Company will give

employment to all the employees working in the station and will increase earning



opportunities for many service providers.

Highlights of the MoA

• Performance improvement of existing station from 15 percent PLF to 82 percent

to give more power to Jharkhand immediately.

• Building of an efficient Super Critical project of 4000 MW in 2 phases.

• Provide cheap and affordable 27X7 power supply to every household and adequate

power for farmers in Jharkhand.

• Enable rapid industrialization which will provide massive employment to youth of

Jharkhand in new industry.

• Jharkhand government will be a partner in this project without investing any

additional capital.

Cow-urine refinery inaugurated at Pathmeda village for research on cow products

A cow-urine refinery was on 3 May 2015 inaugurated at Pathmeda village in Jalore

district, Rajasthan for research on the cow products. The refinery was inaugurated by

Rajasthan Health Minister Rajendra Rathore.

For the research on cow products, a scientific approach will be adopted for Indian

traditional system of medicine. The refinery will prepare cow-urine extract for use in

the formulation of various products.

To this effect, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Jodhpur’s Dr

S Radhakrishnan Ayurveda University and the Rajasthan University of Veterinary and

Animal Sciences.

The by-product derived from cow-urine extract will be used for cleaning at the SMS

Hospital in Jaipur. Currently, the fibre obtained from cow dung is used at two places,

in Agra and Jalore for running industries.



Andhra Pradesh and Telangana introduced 5 lakh rupees Acci-dent Insurance Scheme for transport

Andhra Pradesh and Telangana on 1 May 2015 introduced 5 lakh rupees Accident

Insurance Scheme for transport drivers. It will also cover education of two children

of the beneficiary.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu formally launched the scheme

at Rajhamundry while Telangana Chief Minister Chandrasekhara Rao made the

announcement in Hyderabad.

Both the government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with an insurer

to bear the additional amount of 3 lakh rupees insurance cover, over and above the

2 lakh rupees cover that the Union Government will provide through the Pradhan

Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY).

To claim the benefit, the transport drivers have to register their names on a specified

portal. About 11 lakh transport drivers and journalists in the two states will be benefited

under the programme. About 16 thousand Home Guards in Telangana will also be

benefited by the scheme.



PERSON IN NEWS

NEWS CAPSULE

Ex-Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili appointed as Gover-nor of Ukraine’s Odessa region

Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili was in news as on 31 May 2015 he

was appointed as Governor of Ukraine’s southern Odessa region.

He replaced Ihor Palytsia, a businessman who was appointed as governor of the

region in May 2014.

His appointment was announced by Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko who

said that Saakashvili had been granted Ukrainian citizenship. He was granted the

Ukrainian citizenship to facilitate the move on 30 May 2015.

Saakashvili as a person is widely credited with carrying out radical reforms in Georgia

during his term in 2004-13.

One the other hand, the current Georgian authorities accuses him of abuse of power

and has demanded his extradition. He denies all the charges against him, and says

that they are politically motivated.

He left Georgia after his term ended in 2013.



Yaduveer of Wodeyar dynasty crowned as 27th Maharaja of Mysuru

Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja of Wodeyar dynasty on 28 May 2015 was crowned

as the 27th Maharaja of erstwhile kingdom of Mysuru.

The 22-year-old adopted heir to the Wodeyar dynasty was coronated at a grand

ceremony that took place in the hallowed precincts of Durbar Hall at the Amba Vilas

Palace in Mysuru, also known as the city of palaces.

The grand ceremony was attended by around 1000 special invitees and pontiffs from

the region including former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda and state ministers KJ

George, RV Deshpande, DK Shivakumar, Srinivasa Prasad and Roshan Baig and

Lokayukta Y Bhaskar Rao.

The last coronation took place 41 years ago when Srikantadatta Narasimharaja

Wodeyar was crowned at the age of 21.

Srikantadatta Wodeyar, the only son of Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar, the last ruling

Maharaja of Mysuru, and his second wife Maharani Tripura Sundari Ammani Avaru,

succeeded his father as the head of his dynasty in September 1974. He died of

cardiac arrest in Bengaluru on 10 December 2013.

Wodeyar Dynasty

The Wodeyar dynasty ruled the Kingdom of Mysuru from 1399 to 1947, the last king

being Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar, who ruled from 1940 until Indian independence

in 1947 when he acceded his kingdom to the dominion of India, but continued as the

Maharaja until India became a Republic in 1950.

Nirbhay Sharma sworn in as Governor of Mizoram

Lt. General (Retd.) Nirbhay Sharma was sworn-in as Governor of Mizoram on 26 May



2015 at Raj Bhawan Dubar Hall.

Guwahati High Court Judge Justice T Vaiphei administered him oath of office.

Sharma, the former Arunachal Pradesh Governor was transferred and appointed as

the governor of Mizoram on 12 May 2015 by the President Pranab Mukherjee.

He replaced West Bengal governor Keshari Nath Tripathi who took additional charge

of Mizoram.

Earlier on 12 July 2014, the previous governor Vakkom Purushothaman resigned from

the office in protest for being transferred to Nagaland and since then six governors

have been appointed for Mizoram.

Manabi Bandopadhyay became first transgender principal of Krishnagar Women’s College

Manabi Bandopadhyay on 26 May 2015 became the first transgender principal of

Krishnagar Women’s College in Nadia district, West Bengal. She will join her new job

from 9 June 2015. Currently, she is working as an associate professor in Bengali at

the Vivekananda Satobarshiki Mahavidyalaya.

She did her Master of Arts (MA) in Bengali and joined the Vivekananda Centenary

College in Jhargram sub-division as a lecturer in the late 1990s.

In 1995, she published the country’s first transgender magazine, Ob-Manab (sub-

human). The magazine, despite a very low circulation, continues to be published.

In April 2015, Supreme Court (SC) declared the transgender community as a legal

third gender, granting them minority rights and privileges to education, employment

and health benefits.

The court directed the government to provide transgender people with quotas in

jobs and education in line with other minorities. India is estimated to have about two

million transgender people.



Shanmuganthan sworn in as Meghalaya Governor

V Shanmuganthan on 20 May 2015 was sworn in as 15th Governor of Meghalaya at

the Raj Bhawan in Shillong.

His oath of office and secrecy was administered by Chief Justice of the Meghalaya

High Court Uma Nath Singh. Shanmuganthan was appointed as the new Governor

on 12 May 2015.

For over four months, Meghalaya was without a permanent governor and West

Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi was given the additional charge of the state

governor’s office after the former incumbent KK Paul was removed from the post in

January 2015.

Born on 21 November 1949, he joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)

in 1962. Later, he joined Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and served in many party

positions and has been in-charge of the Defence, Research and Documentation and

Overseas Friends of BJP Cells.

Shanmuganathan is a gold medalist post-graduate in Political Science and M Phil in

same subject is a prolific writer and had written three books related to culture and

social aspects in Tamil. One of these books titled A Remarkable Political Movement

became very famous.

US President Barack Obama entered Guinness Book of World Record

President of the United States (US) Barack Obama on 20 May 2015 entered Guinness

Book of World Record for reaching a million followers in a span of mere 5 hours after

going live.

Barack Obama debuted on Social Media Platform Twitter with @POTUS account.

He beat the previous record, which was set in April 2014 by Iron Man star Robert



Downey Jr., after the actor reached a million followers in 23 hours and 22 minutes.

The US President already has the account @BarackObama, which has amassed

nearly 60 million followers. However, the new @POTUS account is associated with

the presidential office - or as Obama puts it.

Indian-Origin Harbhajan Kaur Dheer became first Asian woman elected as Mayor in UK

Indian-Origin Harbhajan Kaur Dheer on 12 May 2015 became the first Asian woman

to be elected as mayor in the United Kingdom (UK).

The 62-year-old councilor of the Labour Party assumed the charge as the Mayor of

Ealing Council in London in which she was the Deputy Mayor before assuming the

present position.

She was a mental health professional and is a rights activist advocating for rights of

children and elderly.

She is a Punjabi by origin and migrated to Britain in 1975 for pursuing higher education.

Incidentally, her husband Ranjit Dheer is a former mayor of Ealing Council.

Ealing Council serves the residents and businesses of London’s third largest borough,

which is located in the heart of west London.

Indian-origin Priti Patel appointed as Minister of State for Employment in British Government

Indian-origin Priti Patel on 11 May 2015 was appointed as Minister of State for

Employment in British Government.

Prime Minister David Cameron promoted Priti Patel to his Cabinet after his surprise

victory in general elections.



As the new minister of state for employment in the Department of Work and Pensions,

the 43-year-old will attend Cabinet as the senior-most Indian-origin member of the

newly-elected British government.

Priti Patel is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of

Parliament (MP) for the Witham constituency in Essex since 2010.

Priti Patel is Gujarati by origin. In January 2015, she was awarded the Jewels of

Gujarat honour at a reception in Ahmedabad, where she led a British delegation to

the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2015.

She also played host at the first-ever Gujarat Foundation Day in the House of Commons,

celebrating the achievements and contributions of the Gujarati community in the UK

and around the world in May 2014.

Mhairi Black became the youngest lawmaker of Britain

Mhairi Black on 7 May 2015 became the youngest lawmaker of Britain at the age of

20. The freshly elected lawmaker is from Scotland.

She belonged to Paisley and Renfrewshire South, a constituency outside Glasgow.

She defeated Douglas Alexander, Labour’s election chief and a former Cabinet

minister with 17864 votes.

She is a member of the Scottish Nationalist Party.

From a young age, she would march for causes as diverse as support for a Scottish

parliament and opposition to the Iraq war.

She made history by becoming the youngest lawmaker in UK history since the 17th

century. In 1667, after being returned as knight of the shire Christopher Monck took

his place in Parliament when he was just 13.



PERSON RESIGNED

Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair resigned as Special Envoy of the Middle East Quartet

Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair on 27 May 2015 resigned as the Special Envoy

of the Middle East Quartet.

He sent his resignation to the United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban Ki-moon

and is expected to officially step down in June 2015.

Tony Blair was appointed to the position by the Diplomatic Quartet on 27 June 2007,

the same day he resigned as the Prime Minister of the UK after serving for ten years.

About The Middle East Quartet

It is a group of four members’ viz., the United Nations (UN), the United States, the

European Union (EU), and Russia involved in mediating the peace process in the

Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It was established in Madrid, Spain in 2002.

O Panneerselvam resigned as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu

Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu O Panneerselvam resigned on 21 May 2015. He tendered

his resignation to the Governor Konijeti Rosaiah.

He resigned minutes after Jayalalithaa was elected as the legislature party leader at

a meeting in Chennai. With this, his eight months long tenure as Chief Minister of the

state came to an end.



He was appointed as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on 29 September 2014

as replacement of former AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa, who resigned after being

convicted in the 18 year old disproportionate assets case of over 66 crore rupees.

She was awarded a four year prison term by Bangalore Special Court after it found

her guilty of amassing unaccounted wealth.

Earlier in September 2001 also he was appointed as the Chief Minister of the state

after Jayalalithaa was barred from holding office by the Supreme Court of India. He

served the office till 2002.



PERSON APPOINTED

Former Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo appointed as Chancellor of Nalanda University

Former Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo was appointed as the new Chancellor

of the Nalanda University, Bihar. Ministry of External Affairs announced his appointed

for the post on 30 May 2015.

Yeo will succeed Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, who withdrew his candidature for a

second term as Chancellor of the Nalanda University in February 2015.

Till this announcement, Yeo was on the governing board of the University. Earlier on

13 and 14 January 2015, Yeo also chaired the last meet of the board, when unanimous

decision was made to have Dr. Sen as the Chancellor for the second consecutive

term.

In 2012, 60-year-old Yeo was conferred with the Padma Bhusan award (the third

highest civilian award of India) in recognition of his contribution in the field of public

affairs.

Muhammadu Buhari assumed the office of President of Nigeria

Muhammadu Buhari on 29 May 2015 assumed the office of President of Nigeria.

He became the 5th President of the country by defeating the incumbent President

Goodluck Jonathan in the March 2015 general election.

It is the first time in Nigeria’s history that an incumbent President was defeated in an

election by the opposition.



He is a retired Nigerian Army Major General and was Head of State of Nigeria from

31 December 1983 to 27 August 1985, after taking power in a military coup d’état.

Earlier, he unsuccessfully ran for the office of President in the 2003, 2007 and 2011

elections. In December 2014, he emerged as the presidential candidate of the All

Progressives Congress (APC) that has also won the majority of seats in the Senate

and the House of Representatives in the elections held in March 2015.

G Satheesh Reddy appointed as Scientific Advisor to Union Defence Minister

Distinguished Scientist G Satheesh Reddy was on 29 May 2015 appointed as Scientific

Advisor to Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar for a period of two years from

the date of taking over charge. Reddy is Director at Research Centre Imarat (RCI) &

Programme Director of MRSAM, DRDO.

Reddy joined DRDO in 1986 and led the Conceptualization, Design, Development and

productionisation of Inertial Sensors, Navigation schemes, Algorithms & Systems,

Calibration methodologies, Sensor Models and Simulation.

As a Project Director, Reddy led the design and development of Ring Laser Gyro

based INS System, MEMS based INS System, Sea-Guard Reference System and

Ship Navigation system and also successfully developed a 1000 kg class guided

bomb.

As a Director of RCI, he led the development of Avionics technologies in critical

areas of Inertial Systems, Embedded Computers, Control, Real Time Software and

Simulation, Power Supplies, Flight Instrumentation for various Defence programmes-

Agni A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, Prithvi, Dhanush, Akash, etc.

He has also been honoured with various awards including the Indian Science Congress

Association Homi J. Bhabha Memorial Award, DRDO Young Scientist Award, Agni

Award for Excellence in Self Reliance, DRDO Scientist of the Year Award etc.

Pradeep Kumar Sinha appointed as Cabinet Secretary to Union Government



Pradeep Kumar Sinha was on 29 May 2015 appointed as the Cabinet Secretary to

the Union Government with effect from 13 June 2015. He succeeded Ajit Seth.

His appointment was approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet

(ACC). The ACC also approved the appointment of Sinha as the Officer on Special

Duty (OSD).

Before this appointment, Sinha was serving as Secretary, in Union Ministry of Power

since July 2013. He had earlier been Secretary in the Union Ministry of Shipping and

has held several other important positions in the Union Government and in the State

of Uttar Pradesh.

The Cabinet Secretariat is under the direct charge of the Prime Minister and the

Cabinet Secretary is the administrative head of the secretariat.

The Cabinet secretariat assists in decision-making in government by ensuring inter-

ministerial coordination, ironing out differences amongst ministries or departments

and evolving consensus through the instrumentality of the standing or adhoc

committees of secretaries.

Veena Jain appointed as Director General of Doordarshan News

Veena Jain was on 29 May 2015 appointed as Director General (news) in Doordarshan.

She succeeded senior Indian Information Service (IIS) officer Akshay Rout. Her

appointment was approved by the Union Ministry of information and broadcasting

(I&B).

Jain will also hold the charge as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) and will oversee the

ministry’s new media wing and social media cell. She will report to the ministry for all

purposes.

She is currently posted as Additional Director General in the News Services Division

of All India Radio (AIR). Earlier, she has also served as director of Publications Division

of AIR.



S Christopher appointed as Director General of DRDO

Eminent scientist Dr. S Christopher was appointed as the Director General (DG) of

the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on 28 May 2015. He

will have tenure of two years from the date of taking over the charge.

His appointment was approved by the Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC).

At the time of appointment, Christopher was Distinguished Scientist and Programme

Director (airborne early warning and control system) and Director, Centre for Air-

Borne Systems in the DRDO.

Till appointment of Christopher, the Department of Defence Research and Development

(DoDRD) was under the additional charge of Defence Secretary since 30 January

2015, after Avinash Chander’s contract was curtailed by the union government.

Chander’s contract as Secretary of Department of Defence Research and Development

(DoDRD) and Director General DRDO from that of Scientific Advisor was terminated

by the Union Government with effect from 31 January 2015.

Besides, the ACC also appointed Dr. GS Reddy as Scientific Advisor to Defence

Minister Manohar Parrikar for a two-year term. He is Distinguished Scientist and

Director, Research Centre Imarat, and Programme Director of Medium Range Surface

to Air Missile (MRSAM) in the DRDO.

Sunil D’Souza appointed as MD of Whirlpool India

Sunil D’Souza was on 25 May 2015 appointed as the Managing Director (MD) of

Indian home appliances maker Whirlpool of India Ltd. D’Souza will join the office of

MD on 22 June 2015.

Prior to this appointment, he was the Head of PepsiCo’s VIMAPS Business Unit

located in Malaysia. He has been with PepsiCo for about 15 years, holding various

senior management positions in Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and India.



He has rich and diverse experience across various fields including general management,

sales, marketing, strategy and innovation in consumer-driven industries.

About Whirlpool

• Whirlpool is one of the world’s largest consumer durables firms in the world. It has

a turn over about 20 billion US dollars in annual sales.

• With over 100000 employees, it has 70 manufacturing and technology research

centres globally.

• It markets brands like Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, Brastemp, Consul,

Bauknecht, Jenn-Air, Amana, Indesit and other major brand names in more than

170 countries.

Ranjit Singh Baxi elected as Head of Bureau of International Recycling

Indian-origin entrepreneur Ranjit Singh Baxi was on 19 May 2015 elected as the

Head of the Bureau of International Recycling, a global organisation that facilitates

free and fair trade of recyclables in a sustainable and competitive world economy.

Baxi succeeded Bjorn Grufman. He will serve a two-year term as President of this

global firm. In 2011, Baxi was appointed as the Treasurer of BIR, prior to which he

was President of the organisation’s Paper Division from 2007 to 2013. He has also

published a book titled Recycling our Future- A Global Strategy.

Ranjit Singh Baxi is a Founder Chairman of J&H Sales (International) Ltd, a major

European exporter of recovered fibre to the Far East. He was also a Governor at the

University of East London and a Member of British Prime Ministers Trade Delegation

to India.

He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA), holds a Bachelor of Science (BSc)

degree and is a Master of Business Administration (MBA).



About Bureau of International Recycling (BIR)

Founded in 1948, Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) was the first federation to

support the interests of the recycling industry on an international scale. It is a global

recycling industry headquartered in Brussels.

It is an association representing over 850 member companies from the private sector

and 40 national associations in more than 70 countries. It serves as a platform

to establish successful business relations and to promote recycling among other

industrial sectors and policy makers.

Manoj Mishra appointed as CMD of National Fertilizers Limited

Manoj Mishra was on 24 May 2015 appointed as the Chairman and Managing Director

(CMD) of state-run National Fertilizers Limited (NFL). The post of NFL’s CMD fell

vacant after the retirement of Neeru Abrol in February 2014.

Mishra is currently serving as the Director (Finance) at State Trading Corporation

(STC). Mishra is a cost accountant by qualification. He began his career from fertiliser

company Kribhco and worked there for 23 years.

NFL has five gas-based urea plants at Nangal & Bathinda in Punjab, Panipat in

Haryana and two plants at Vijaipur in District Guna, Madhya Pradesh. The company

has a total annual installed capacity of 35.68 lakh tonnes and is the second largest

producer of urea in the country.

J Jayalalithaa sworn-in as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for fifth time

AIADMK General Secretary J Jayalalithaa was on 23 May 2015 sworn-in as the Chief

Minister of Tamil Nadu for fifth time. Along with her, 28 others were sworn in as

ministers in her Cabinet.



The oath was administered by Tamil Nadu Governor K Rosaiah at the Madras

University Centenary Auditorium in Chennai.

She is the 18th Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and succeeded O Panneerselvam who

resigned on 21 May 2015 following her acquittal on 11 May 2015 in the disproportionate

assets case by the Karnataka High Court.

The court overruled the Bangalore’s special court judgment which found Jayalalithaa

guilty. The verdict made her ineligible to occupy the post and subsequently, O

Panneerselvam assumed the office on 29 September 2014.

Jayalalithaa had been the Chief Minister for four times during 1991-96, May-

September 2001, 2002-2006 and 2011-2014 and she will be in the office till the

expiry of the fourteenth State Legislative Assembly in May 2016.

Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) appointed G Mohan Kumar as Defence Secretary

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) on 22 May 2015 gave its nod for

appointing G Mohan Kumar as the Secretary of the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

The decision was taken by the committee in a meeting chaired by the Prime Minister

Narendra Modi.

Mohan Kumar will be in the office for a period of two years and succeeds Radha

Krishna Mathur who completes his tenure on 28 May 2015.

Kumar, a 1979 batch IAS officer of Odisha cadre, is presently Secretary of the

Department of Defence Production in the MoD.

Earlier, he worked as the Secretary in the Ministries of Steel and Commerce and

Industry and Additional and Special Secretary in the Ministry of Water Resources,

River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation among others.



Akhil Reed Amar appointed as member of the National Council on Humanities of US

Akhil Amar, an Indian-American professor from Yale University, was on 21 May 2015

appointed as a member of the prestigious National Council on Humanities of United

States (US) by President Barack Obama. Presently, Amar is Sterling Professor of Law

and Political Science at the Yale University.

He has been serving as the Professor at both Yale College and Yale Law School since

1985. He had held various posts of professorships, including Southmayd Professor

(1993-2008), Professor (1990-1993), Associate Professor (1988-1990) and Assistant

Professor (1985-1988).

Akhil Amar also had worked as a law clerk from 1984 to 1985 to Judge Stephen Breyer.

He was co-editor of Processes of Constitutional Decision-making, a constitutional

law casebook. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Coalition of Freedom

Advisory Board of the National Constitution Center and Constitutional Accountability

Center.

He holds a BA degree from Yale College and a JD from Yale Law School.

SS Ahluwalia appointed as Chairman of JPC on Land Acquisition Amendment Bill, 2015

SS Ahluwalia was on 18 May 2015 appointed as the chairman of Joint Parliamentary

Committee (JPC) on the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land

Acquisition Rehabilitation and Resettlement (LARR) (Amendment) Bill, 2015.

The committee has 20 members from the Lok Sabha and 10 members from the Rajya

Sabha.

The formation of the panel became necessary in the backdrop of disagreement

among the political parties on the provisions of the bill which was introduced in the

Lok Sabha on 11 May 2015.



The committee will submit its report by the first week of the 2015 monsoon session.

SS Ahluwalia is a BJP Lok Sabha member representing Darjeeling constituency in

West Bengal.

Peter M Christian elected as eighth President of Micronesia

Peter M Christian on 11 May 2015 was elected as the eighth President of the Federated

States of Micronesia.

Supreme Court Associate Justice Beauleen and Carl-Worswick administered the

oath of office to him.

Before the present elevation, he was as a senator representing Pohnpei at-large for

two terms between 2007 and 2015.

He also served as the Chairman of the Committee on Transportation and

Communication during his 2007 term in the Congress.

The Federated States of Micronesia is an independent sovereign island nation in

the Western Pacific Ocean consisting of four states viz., Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and

Kosrae.

MJ Joseph appointed as Controller General of Accounts

MJ Joseph was on 15 May 2015 appointed as the Controller General of Accounts

(CGA) in the Union Ministry of Finance. He succeeded Jawahar Thakur who has been

appointed as OSD (Accounting Reforms) in the Office of CGA.

Prior to this appointment, Joseph was the Director General of the Bureau of Indian

Standards (BIS). He is a 1979 batch Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS) officer.

Previously, Joseph has served in various administrative capacities in the Union

Government including the post of Additional Secretary in Union Ministry of Corporate

Affairs and as Director in Union Ministry of Defence among others.



Joseph has also worked with the International Monitory Fund (IMF) as a Public

Financial Management Adviser at the IMF’s Regional Technical Assistance centre

based at Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

He is a Post Graduate in International Economic Relations and studied Business

Management from the University of Sydney, Australia.

About Controller General of Accounts

Controller General of Accounts is the principal Accounts Adviser to the Government

of India and is responsible for establishing and maintaining a technically sound

management accounting system.

He prepares a critical analysis of expenditures, revenues, borrowings and the deficit

for the Finance Minister every month. He also prepares annual Appropriation Accounts

(Civil) and Union Finance Accounts for presentation to the Parliament.

Arvind Saxena appointed as a Member of Union Public Service Commission

Arvind Saxena was on 7 May 2015 appointed as a Member of Union Public Service

Commission (UPSC). His appointment was made by the President Pranab Mukherjee.

With this appointment, Saxena became the first officer from Research and Analysis

Wing (RAW) to become a member of UPSC. The tenure of Saxena will commence

from the date he enters upon the office till he attains age of 65 years.

Prior to this appointment, Saxena was Director and Ex-officio Special Secretary,

Aviation Research Centre (ARC) of India’s external snooping agency RAW. He is a

Rajasthan Administrative Service (RAS) officer of 1978 batch.

As per Article 315 of Indian Constitution, the Chairman and members of UPSC have

the term of six years or until they attain the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier.



President authorized Justice Cyriac Joseph to act as interim NHRC Chaiperson

President Pranab Mukherjee on 11 May 2015 authorized Justice (retd) Cyriac Joseph

to act as the interim chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

He will act as the Chairperson of the Commission with effect from 13 May 2015. He

will act as Chairperson until the appointment of a new Chairperson in the NHRC in

place of Justice K.G. Balakrishnan. Currently, Justice Cyriac Joseph is a Member of

NHRC.

Former NHRC chairperson K.G. Balakrishnan had completed his tenure on 11 May

2015. He was the sixth NHRC chairman and the longest serving one.

Justice Balakrishnan had joined as NHRC chairperson in June 2010 after his

retirement as the Chief Justice of India. During his tenure, Justice Balakrishnan was

instrumental in charting out several new initiatives towards promotion and protection

of human rights in the country and laid a lot of emphasis on increasing the outreach

of the Commission to build awareness about human rights.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of India is an autonomous public

body constituted in October 1993 under the Protection of Human Rights Ordinance

of September 1993. It was given a statutory basis by the Protection of Human Rights

Act, 1993.

The NHRC is the national human rights institution, responsible for the protection and

promotion of human rights.

KV Kamath appointed as first President of New Development Bank of BRICS nations

Eminent banker Kundapur Vaman Kamath was on 11 May 2015 appointed as the first

President of the New Development Bank (NDB) of BRICS nations. He will serve a five

year term after the bank becomes operational within one year.



Currently, Kamath is the Chairman of the India’s largest private sector bank, Industrial

Credit and Investment Corporation of India (ICICI). He was ICICI Bank’s managing

director and CEO from 1996 to 2009.

Kamath also served as Chairman of Infosys Limited. He had also worked with Asian

Development Bank (ADB), Manila in its Private Sector department in 1988. He was

conferred with Padma Bhushan Award in 2008.

About New Development Bank (NDB) of BRICS nations

• BRICS group of nations comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa

in 2014 signed a pact to set up NDB and emergency reserve fund during the 6th

BRICS Summit being held in Fortaleza, Brazil.

• In the beginning, bank will start operating with 50 billion US dollars as initial capital

with the BRICS nation contributing 10 billion US dollars each.

• According to the pact, the capital of the bank will be divided equally among the

five participating nations and initially it will focus on infrastructure projects member

countries.

• The headquarters of the bank will be located in Shanghai, China and it will have a

regional office in Johannesburg, South Africa.

• The chairmanship of the bank will be rotational and its first President will come

from India for the first 5 years followed by Brazil and Russia.

K Satish Reddy appointed as Chairman of National Safety Coun-cil (NSC)

K Satish Reddy, the Chairman of Dr Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd., was appointed as

the Chairman of the National Safety Council (NSC). He was appointed by the Union

Ministry of Labour and Employment on 11 May 2015.

As the chairman of the NSC, he will oversee its functioning in generating and

developing initiatives on Safety, Health and Environment (SHE) at the national level.



He succeeded Venu Srinivasan, the Chairman of Sundaram-Clayton Group, who was

appointed to the post in July 2011.

About National Safety Council (NSC)

• Its objective is to generate, develop and sustain a voluntary movement on Safety,

Health and Environment (SHE) at the national level.

• The apex non-profit making body was set up by the Union Ministry of Labour on

4 March 1966 and was registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 and

the Bombay Public Trust Act, 1950.

• Its headquarters is located in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra.

Achal Kumar Jyoti appointed as Election Commissioner

Achal Kumar Jyoti, the former Chief Secretary of Gujarat, on 7 May 2015 was

appointed as the Election Commissioner of India. Jyoti (62) will have tenure of nearly

three-years, when he will turn 65, the age at which Election Commissioners demit

office under the Constitution of India.

His tenure will commence from the day he assumes the charge.

With this, the strength of three-member Election Commission of India has gone up

to two. Till this appointment, two posts were vacant in the three-member election

commission due to retirement of VS Sampath and HS Brahma.

At present, Nasim Zaidi, the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), is the other member

of election commission.

Jyoti is a retired IAS officer of 1975 batch and has worked as the Managing Director of

the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited (SSNNL). He also served as Chairman of

Kandla Port Trust between 1999 and 2004. He retired from active service in January,

2013.



Surender Singh took over as Director General of CISF

Senior IPS officer Surender Singh on 1 May 2015 took over as Director General (DG)

of central paramilitary force Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).

Surender Singh is a 1980-batch police officer of West Bengal cadre. Earlier, he served

as a Special Director in the Intelligence Bureau (IB) before getting the new assignment.

His appointment was confirmed by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet

(ACC) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

His tenure will end in August 2016. He succeeded Arvind Ranjan.

Arvind Ranjan retired on 30 April 2015 as the DG of the CISF. He is a 1977-batch

IPS officer of Kerala cadre, had been the head of the force for close to 16 months

during which he initiated a slew of best practices in the force, especially, with regard

to enhancing the security consultancy wing of the force.

CISF is the largest industrial security force in the world. It is directly under the Union

Ministry of Home Affairs and its headquarters are at New Delhi.

CIEF is the force of 1.41-lakh personnel strong force tasked to secure some of the

most vital and strategic installations in the country like civil airports and facilities in

the nuclear and aerospace domain.



PERSON DIED

Doris Hart, winner of three Wimbledon titles in a day, died at 89

Doris Hart, the number one American tennis player of 1950s, died at the age of 89 on

29 May 2015. Hart as a player had won each Grand Slam tournament at least once,

including three Wimbledon titles in a single day.

In 1951 at Wimbledon, she defeated friend Shirley Fry in singles, then paired with Fry

to win the women’s double followed by mixed doubles which she won with Frank

Sedgman. All three matches were on the same day because of rain delays.

She also spent a decade in the world top 10 starting from 1946 and in her career she

won 35 professional titles.

Hart, born on 20 June 1925 in St. Louis, won the US Open (then called US

Championships) in 1954-55. She won the French Open twice and Wimbledon and

the Australian Open once each.

She also totalled 29 major doubles titles and was ranked No 1 in the world in 1951.

She retired from professional tennis in 1955 and after retirement she worked as a

teaching pro for 28 years at a club in Pompano Beach.

In 1969, she was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Eminent American Photographer Mary Ellen Mark passed away

Celebrated American Photographer Mary Ellen Mark on 25 May 2015 died at

Manhattan in New York, USA. She was 75.



She was regarded as one of the best documentary photographers of her generation.

She took a classic documentary approach to often difficult material and usually

worked in black and white.

Her works were exhibited at galleries and museums worldwide and had been widely

published in LIFE, the New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, and

Vanity Fair.

She wrote 18 books and was working on her 19th for Aperture Foundation.

Her most notable works include Streetwise, which depicted sordid state of teenagers

in Seattle, and Ward 81, which focused on patients of the secluded wards in the

Oregon State Mental Hospital. She was also famous for documenting the lives of sex

workers in Mumbai.

She was a member of Magnum Photos between 1977 and 1981.

She received numerous accolades, including three Robert F. Kennedy Journalism

Awards, three fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the 2014

Lifetime Achievement in Photography Award from the George Eastman House and

the Outstanding Contribution Photography Award from the World Photography

Organisation.

Director-Producer Marty Pasetta passed away

Academy Awards telecast director Marty Pasetta passed away on 21 May 2015

following injuries sustained in a car accident in La Quinta, United States. He was

82. Pasetta is survived by his wife Elise, daughter Debbie, son Gregory and five

grandchildren.

Pasetta was famously known as a veteran director of live TV extravaganzas including

17 Academy Awards shows. During four decades in television, Pasetta directed

and produced specials for Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby and oversaw tributes to

Elizabeth Taylor, Fred Astaire and Alfred Hitchcock.



He was credited with convincing Elvis Presley to suspend his drug use and lose

weight for the 1973 special Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii, which has been described as

the first satellite broadcast of a live concert.

Pasetta was born on 16 June 1932 in San Jose. He attended Santa Clara University,

but dropped out to work at San Francisco’s KGO-TV, where he became stage manager

and producer.

Argentine footballer Cristian Gomez died

Argentine footballer Cristian Gomez died during a game on 24 May 2015. Gomez,

27, of Atletico Parana collapsed on the pitch during a second-tier game against Boca

Unidos.

After collapse, the defender was taken to a hospital in the city of Corrientes, where

doctors were unable to revive him.

The death of Gomez led to Argentine Football Association (AFA) suspending all other

games which were scheduled.

Gomez is the second Argentine player to die in May 2015, after Emanuel Ortega of

San Martin de Burzaco who suffered a fatal head injury on 14 May 2015.

Ortega died after spending 11 days in intensive care battling head injuries he sustained

after falling against a concrete wall surrounding the pitch.

British actor Terry Sue-Patt passed away

The British actor Terry Sue-Patt passed away on 22 May 2015 in east London. He

was 50. He was found dead at his home, however the cause of his death was not

known.

Sue-Patt was best known for playing the role of school pupil named Benny Green in

children’s TV series Grange Hill. He appeared in the show’s first episode in 1978 and



left the show in 1982. He also did some minor roles in shows like General Hospital,

Jackanory and The Bill.

Later, Sue-Patt became an artist working in graffiti and photography. But, he

continued acting up till 2013. Besides playing Benny Green, he also co-starred with

Gary Oldman in The Firm.

Nobel Awardee mathematician John Forbes Nash Jr. died

John Forbes Nash Jr., the Princeton University mathematician, died along with his

wife in a car crash on 23 May 2015. He was 86. His taxi crashed on the New Jersey

Turnpike in Monroe Township when the driver lost control.

Oscar-winning film, A Beautiful Mind was inspired by his life.

Nash born on 13 June 1928 was an American mathematician who became famous

for his game theory, differential geometry, and partial differential equations, which

provided an insight into the factors that, govern chance and events inside complex

systems in daily life.

His theories were used in economics, evolutionary biology, artificial intelligence,

accounting, politics and military theory.

While working as a Senior Research Mathematician at Princeton University, he shared

the 1994 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences with game theorists Reinhard

Selten and John Harsanyi.

Awards and honours conferred on Nash includes

• In 2015, he won the Abel Prize along with Louis Nirenberg by King Harald V of

Norway for his work on non-linear partial differential equations.

• In 1999, he won the Leroy P. Steele Prize.

• In 1978, he was awarded the John von Neumann Theory Prize for his discovery of

non-cooperative equilibria, now called Nash equilibria.



• In 2012, he was elected as a fellow of the American Mathematical Society.

Veteran jazz musician Bob Belden passed away

Veteran jazz musician Bob Belden passed away on 20 May 2015 after suffering a

heart attack. He was 58. Belden was a jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger and

producer who was among the first American musicians to perform in Iran since its

1979 revolution in 2015 when he toured there.

Belden was known for conceiving and producing multi-artist thematic albums,

including Miles From India (2008), on which Indian and American musicians performed

Miles Davis tunes. One of his most popular releases was the 2001 Blue Note album

Black Dahlia, an orchestral suite.

He conducted, orchestrated and wrote arrangements for iconic jazz musicians Herbie

Hancock, Joe Henderson, and McCoy Tyner. Belden also served as an A&R executive

for legendary jazz label Blue Note Records.

Belden earned three Grammy Awards throughout his career for 1996’s Miles Davis

and Gil Evans: The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings (Best Historical Album,

Best Album Notes) and for 1998’s Miles Davis Quintet set 1965-’68: The Complete

Columbia Studio Recordings (Best Album Notes).

Eminent Economist Mrinal Datta Chaudhuri passed away

Eminent economist and academics Mrinal Datta Chaudhuri passed away on 20 May

2015 in Pune, Mahrashtra. He was 81.

Chaudhuri who also served as the policy advisor to the previous UPA government

was known for providing valuable policy inputs to the Indian planning process and

the economy as a whole through his research papers.

He also was known for authoring a research paper on challenges of economic reform

in the context of both State and market failures in 1990, just before the collapse of



the erstwhile Soviet Union and India’s lurch towards globalization.

Affectionately among his peers and students as MDC, he served as the Director of

the Delhi School of Economics (DSE) in New Delhi and was also a visiting professor

of economics at the Universities of Harvard and Minnesota in USA.

He studied with Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen at Shantiniketan in West Bengal. He

furthered his education at Kolkata’s Presidency College before completing his Ph.D.

from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) of USA, where he studied

modern economics under the eminent economist Paul Samuelson.

He was conferred with the Padma Bushan in 2005 by the government for his

contributions in the field of Trade and Industry.

Actress Sudha Shivpuri died

Popular Indian stage, film and television actress Sudha Shivpuri died on 20 May 2015

due to multiple organ failure at a suburban hospital in Andheri. She was 77.

Now, she is survived by her son Vineet and daughter Ritu, who is an actress. She was

married to veteran bollywood actor Om Shivpuri, who passed away on 15 October

1990.

Shivpuri gained popularity for her role as Baa in television show Kyuki Saas Bhi Kabhi

Bahu Thi, the longest running TV show of Ekta Kapoor.

She began her acting career at an early age in 1977 with Basu Chatterjee’s film Swami.

She also acted in films like Hamari Bahu Alka, Insaaf Ka Tarazu, Vidhaata, Sawan Ko

Aane Do, Burning Train, Maya Memsaab and Pinjar based on Amrita Pritam’s famous

partition novel. Her works in TV shows include Rajni, Kasamh Se, Kis Desh Mein Hai

Meraa Dil, Sheeshe Ka Ghar, Waqt Ka Dariya, Daman, and others.

In 2009, Sudha Shivpuri was conferred with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.



Bengali Writer Suchitra Bhattacharya passed away

Eminent Bengali writer Suchitra Bhattacharya passed away on 12 May 2015 following

a cardiac arrest in Kolkata, West Bengal. She was 55. She was one of the most

popular and powerful novelists of contemporary Bengali literature.

Her writings were based on contemporary social issues mainly affecting the urban

middle class and also highlighted the pains and sufferings of women in contemporary

society.

In her writing career, she had written around 24 novels and had composed a large

number of short stories. Some of her famous novels are Dahana (Charred), Kachher

Dewal (Wall of Glass), Kachher Manush (Close to Me), Aleek Shukh (Heavenly

happiness) and Gabhir Ashukh (A Grave Illness).

Her writings have also been translated into a number of languages like Marathi,

Gujarati, Punjabi Hindi, Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, Oriya and English.

She was bestowed with various awards for her work including Nanjanagudu

Thirumalamba National Award (1996), Tarashankar Award (2000), Sharat Puroshkar

(2002), Bharat Nirman Award and Sahitya Setu Award.

Suchitra Bhattacharya was born on 10 January 1950 in Bhagalpur district of Bihar.

Riley B. King, the King of Blues, passed away

Riley B. King, the king of blues, passed away on 14 May 2015 in his sleep in Las

Vegas. He was 89. He was known by his stage name B B King.

He was an American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He was known for his

hits Lucille, Sweet Little Angel and Rock Me Baby. He is considered one of the most

influential blues musicians of all time, earning the nickname The King of Blues.

King began performing in the 1940s, going on to influence a generation of musicians,

and working with Eric Clapton and U2.



He was ranked as the third greatest guitarist of all time by Rolling Stone magazine in

2003 and at no. 6 in 2011 list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. He was also

ranked No. 17 in Gibson’s Top 50 Guitarists of All Time.

He was born in Mississippi. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in

1987. He was also inducted into 2014 class of the R&B Music Hall of Fame.

Peter Gay, Eminent American historian on European Thought passed away

Eminent historian Peter Gay passed away on 12 May 2015 at Manhattan in New York

City, USA. He was 91.

He is one of the major American historians of European thought and known for his

groundbreaking books on Enlightenment, the Victorian middle classes, Sigmund

Freud, Weimar culture and the cultural situation of Jews in Germany.

The German-born historian-writer worked as the Sterling Professor of History Emeritus

at the prestigious Yale University and was a former director of the New York Public

Library’s Center for Scholars and Writers between 1997 and 2003.

His major works include Voltaire’s Politics: The Poet as Realist (1959), The

Enlightenment: An Interpretation: The Rise of Modern Paganism (1966), The Bridge

of Criticism: Dialogues on the Enlightenment (1970), Reading Freud: Explorations

and Entertainments (1990) and Mozart (1999) among others.

For his works, he received numerous awards and honours including National Book

Award (1966), the A.H. Heineken Prize (1990) and American Historical Association

Award for Scholarly Distinction (2004).

Pop artist Chris Burden passed away

Renowned Pop artist Chris Burden passed away on 10 May 2015 following melanoma



disease at his home and studio in Topanga Canyon, California. He was 69.

Trained as a Minimalist, Burden began his career by making art that employed the

most minimal materials possible. His most famous early works were Shoot (1971), in

which a confederate shot him in the arm with a rifle from about 15 feet away.

In another work Trans-fixed (1974), Burden had made himself nailed Christlike, over

the hump of a Volkswagen Beetle. In For Through the Night Softly (1973), he crawled

through a 50-foot-long pile of broken glass in his underwear, with his hands tied

behind his back.

Burden did a string of performances that were focused on endurance, pain, and anti-

social behavior, and marked him as one of his generation’s leading artists.

Burden was born in Boston on 11 April 1946.

Hollywood actress Elizabeth Wilson passed away

Veteran Hollywood actress Elizabeth Wilson passed away on 9 May 2015 following

age-related illness at New Haven, Connecticut. She was 94. Wilson is survived by her

sister Mary Muir Wilson and several nieces and nephews.

Elizabeth Wilson was famously known for her memorable film role as the mother

of Dustin Hoffman’s character, Benjamin Braddock, in Mike Nichols’ 1967 film The

Graduate. She made her Broadway debut in 1953 in Picnic.

After seeing the fame of Wilson’s role in The Graduate, Mike Nichols casted her in his

various films including Catch-22 (1970), The Day of the Dolphin (1973) and Regarding

Henry (1991) and on Broadway in his 1973 revival of Uncle Vanya.

She also appeared in numerous productions including The Good Woman of Setzuan,

Threepenny Opera, The Importance of Being Earnest, Morning’s at Seven, You Can’t

Take It With You, Ah, Wildnerness! and the acclaimed 1996 revival of Edward Albee’s

A Delicate Balance. She won Obie Awards for her work in Taken in Marriage in 1979

and Anteroom in 1986.



Eminent historian Amalendu Guha passed away

Eminent historian and social scientist Amalendu Guha passed away on 7 May 2015

following old age ailments at Ulubari, Guwahati. He was 91.

Born on 30 January 1924 in Imphal, Guha was an eminent writer, poet, historian,

social scientist and Communist thinker. He wrote in English, Assamese and Bengali

languages.

His research work Planter Raj to Swaraj: Freedom Struggle and Electoral Politics in

Assam is considered as greatest among his creations. His other books are Medieval

and Early Colonial Assam: Society, Polity and Economy and Central Asia: Movement

of Peoples and Ideas from Times Prehistoric to Modern.

Some of his books in Assamese are Tomaloi- a collection of poems, Soviet Deshot

Ebhumuki, Afghanistanot Ebhumuki and Vaishnavbador Pora Mayamoriya Bidroholoi.

While his Bengali literary works include Luit Parer Gatha.

His work had accredited him with various awards including Sahityacharya Sanman

of the Asam Sahitya Sabha, Pt Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar Gold Plaque of Asiatic

Society, etc.

Oscar Holderer, the US moon rocket expert, died

Oscar Holderer, the last known surviving member of the German engineering team

that designed the rocket that took US astronauts to the Moon died in Alabama on 5

May 2015. He was 95.

Born in Preum, Germany, on 4 November 1919, Holderer was one of about 120

engineers who moved to the US after World War II and brought technology used in

the German V2 rocket. The team played a key role in the Saturn V rocket which was

used in 1969 Moon landing.

The team, led by Wernher von Braun, was part of a project called Operation Paperclip

that transferred technology used in Germany’s V2 and other rockets to the US.



Holderer who retired from Nasa in 1974, built training devices that are still in use at

the US Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville. Post retirement from NASA, he made

significant contributions to Alabama like multi-access trainer, low-gravity trainer and

other equipment.

Lu Ping, Chinese diplomat who oversaw Hong Kong transition, died

Lu Ping, the Chinese diplomat who oversaw Hong Kong’s transition from British to

Chinese sovereignty in 1997, died in Beijing on 3 May 2015. He was 87.

Ping, the China’s Chief negotiator during the transfer of Hong Kong to China, termed

Hong Kong’s last British Governor Chris Patten (1992–1997) as a “sinner of a thousand

years” for making the territory’s elections more democratic or his unilateral electoral

reform proposals.

Ping was appointed Director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO)

in 1990 and retired in 1997. He had also helped in drafting the mini Constitution of

Hong Kong.

Hong Kong

Hong Kong was leased for 99-years to the British Empire by China after it lost to

Britishers in the first Opium War (1939-42). As part of it, Hong Kong Island and

Kowloon Peninsula became a perpetual British Colony. It was transferred to China on

30 June 1997 under the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration and became China’s first

Special Administrative Region on 1 July 1997 under the principle of “one country,

two systems”.

Baleshwar Ram, former Union Minister passed away

Former Union Minister and veteran Congress leader Baleshwar Ram on 3 May 2015

passed away due to kidney-related ailments. He was 87. He was the leader from



Bihar.

He was the Member of Parliament (MP) of 7th Lok Sabha from Rosera Lok Sabha

Constituency.

Baleshwar Ram served the nation in different capacities during his long public life.

As a five-term member of the Bihar legislative assembly and minister in the state

government in the sixties and seventies, he made immense contribution for the

welfare and development of the people of Bihar, especially weaker sections.

Veteran Journalist Amitabha Chowdhury passed away at 88

Amitabha Chowdhury, veteran journalist, writer and renowned Tagore researcher on

2 May 2015 passed away in Kolkata due to prolonged illness. He was 88.

He was associated with three leading Bengali dailies Anandabazar Patrika, Jugantar

and Aajkal for more than three decades.

Also, he authored around 40 books, which mostly explored various facets of

Rabindranath Tagore.

He was born in 1928 in Silchar. In 1956, he joined Anandabazar Patrika as a reporter,

embarking on a profession that brought him much fame, acclaim and accolades

apart from numerous awards throughout an illustrious career.

His Awards

• He was awarded the Padmashree in 1983.

• He was awarded the Bangavibhushan by the state government in 2013.

• He received the Ramon Magsaysay Award for his reporting on individual rights

and community interests in India.



Michael Blake, Oscar-winning author, passed away

Michael Blake, the Oscar-winning author on 3 May 2015 passed away in Tucson,

Arizona, after a long battle with cancer. He was 69. He got the fame by one of his

penned novel Dances With Wolves.

The novel had sold over 3.5 million copies, and was translated into 15 languages,

and was later converted into film, which Kevin Costner directed and starred in.

The film bagged 7 Oscars including Best Picture and Best Screenplay for Blake, who

also won the WGA Award and Golden Globes for the novel.

Michael Blake also had written several other novels that passionately advocated for

many causes, including literacy, Native American history and the disappearing of

wild horses in the West.

Some of his famous novels include The Holy Road, Airman Mortensen,Marching to

Valhalla, Indian Yell, Twelve The King. His autobiography is Like A Running Dog,

which had detailed his career in writing and Hollywood.

He was born in North Carolina and lived with his family in Texas before settling in

southern California.

Russian ballet legend Maya Plisetskaya died

Legendary Russian ballerinas Maya Plisetskaya died on 2 May 2015 in Munich,

Germany. She was 89.

She is survived by her husband and brother, Azari Plisetsky, a retired dancer.

Plisetskaya born in Moscow on 20 November 1925 was considered as one of the

greatest ballerinas of the 20th century. She danced for half a century and her modern

choreography and performances charged with eroticism flouted Soviet convention.

She was an international face of Russia’s Bolshoi Theater. She joined the ballet

company in 1943 at the age of 18 and became the Bolshoi’s prima ballerina in 1960.



Later, she retired as a soloist in 1990 at the age of 65.

The Soviet and Russian ballet dancer, choreographer, ballet director, and actress,

published her autobiography, I, Maya Plisetskaya in 1994.



AWARDS | HONOURS

Anand Kumar, Founder of Super 30, honoured in Canada

Super 30 founder and mathematician Anand Kumar on 29 May 2015 was honoured

by Legislature of British Columbia in Canada at Toronto University for his pioneering

work in the field of education.

The Speaker Linda Reid honoured Kumar with a memento and also appreciated his

endeavour at a proposal initiated by Marc Dalton, an MLA. The 42-year-old Kumar

was honoured for his rare achievements for the students from India’s underprivileged

sections.

Kumar was invited by the British Columbia Government in recognition of his work

through globally acclaimed Super 30, which has mentors 30 students mostly from

the underprivileged sections of the society for IITs free of cost for the last 14 years.

Super30 established in 2002 by Anand Kumar in Patna, Bihar under the banner

of Ramanujan School of Mathematics. It provides free residential mentoring to 30

selected students from underprivileged families to appear in the entrance exam of

IIT-JEE. Super30 as an institution has achieved international recognition for social

awakening.

Two Indians posthumously named for UN’s Dag Hammarskjold Medal

Two Indians Lance Naik Nand Ram and Raju Joseph on 23 May 2015 were

posthumously named for prestigious United Nations (UN) Dag Hammarskjold Medal.



Lance Naik Nand Ram served the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the

Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) and Raju Joseph served in a civilian

capacity with the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

They will be awarded on the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers

observed annually on 29 May 2015.

The 126 military, police and civilian personnel lost their lives in 2014 while serving

with the UN as a result of hostile acts, accidents and disease and will receive the

medal during a ceremony at UN headquarters in New York.

In 2014, eight Indian soldiers were posthumously awarded the medal, named after

Dag Hammarskjold, the second UN Secretary-General.

The Dag Hammarskjold Medal was established in December 2000 and is awarded

posthumously to members of peacekeeping operations who lost their lives during

service with a peacekeeping operation under the operational control and authority of

the United Nations.

Hammarskjold, a Swedish diplomat and second Secretary General of the UN died

in a mysterious plane crash in 1961. He was posthumously awarded a Nobel Peace

Prize the year he died.

India’s contribution to UN Peacekeeping Mission

India is among the largest contributors of military and police personnel to UN

peacekeeping. It currently deploys 8112 military and police personnel to the UN

peacekeeping operations in Cote d’Ivoire, Cyprus, the Democratic Republic of the

Congo, Haiti, Lebanon, Liberia, the Middle East, Sudan, South Sudan and Western

Sahara.

So far, India has contributed nearly 180000 troops to UN peacekeeping missions,

including the 103-strong Indian female police unit in the UN mission in Liberia.

International Day of UN Peacekeepers

The International Day of UN Peacekeepers was established by the General Assembly

in 2002, as a tribute to all men and women serving in peacekeeping operations for



their high level of professionalism, dedication and courage, and to honour the memory

of those who have lost their lives in the cause of peace.

United Nations Organisation (UNO) was formed in 1945. In 2015, UNO will mark 70th

anniversary. The theme for the day in 2015 is UN at 70: Peacekeeping: Past, Present,

and Future.

Indian Film Masaan won FIPRESCI Award at 68th Cannes film festival

Indian Movie Masaan on 23 May 2015 won the International Federation of Film Critics

(FIPRESCI) award at the 68th Cannes International Film Festival. The film is directorial

debut of Neeraj Ghaywan.

The movie is jointly produced by Manish Mundra, Macassar Productions, Arte France

Cinema, Sikhya Entertainment & Phantom Films. It stars Vicky Kaushal, Shweta

Tripathi along with Richa Chadda and Sanjay Mishra.

The movie was showcased in the Un Certain Regard section at the movie gala,

following which it received a five-minute standing ovation. The film is based in

Varanasi and its characters are connected with the River Ganges.

Apart from Masaan, Hungarian film Son of Saul by Laszlo Nemes won the critics

prize in Official Competition and the other movie Paulina Paulinawon the prize in

Parallel Sections.

Cannes Films Festival 2015: French director Jacques Audiard bagged Palme d’Or

French thriller Dheepan was honoured with the Palme d’Or top prize at the Cannes

Film Festival on 24 May 2015. The film brings a spotlight on the plight of traumatised

refugees building new lives.



Indian film Masaan directed by Neeraj Ghaywan won the Promizing Future Prize Ex-

aequo at the festival.

List of awards at the Cannes Film Festival Feature Films

• Palme d’Or: Dheepan, directed by Jacques Audiard

• Grand Prix: Saul Fia (Son of Saul), directed by Laszlo Nemes

• Award for Best Director: Hou Hsiao-Hsien for Nie Yinniang (The Assassin)

• Award for Best Screenplay: Michel Franco for Chronic

• Award for Best Actress Ex-aequo: Emmanuelle Bercot in Mon Roi, directed by

Maiwenn and Rooney Mara in Carol, directed by Todd Haynes

• Award for Best Actor: Vincent Lindon in La Loi Du Marché (The Measure of a Man),

directed by Stephane Brize

• Jury Prize: The Lobster, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos

Short Films

• Palme d’Or - Short Film: Waves ‘98 directed by Ely Dagher

Un Certain Regard

• Un Certain Regard Prize: Hrútar (RAMS) directed by Grímur Hakonarson

• Jury Prize - Un Certain Regard: Zvizdan (The High Sun) directed by Dalibor Matanic

• Directing Prize of Un Certain Regard: Kishibe No Tabi (Journey to the Shore)

directed by Kurosawa Kiyoshi

• Un Certain Talent Prize: Comoara (The Treasure) directed by Corneliu Porumboiu

Promizing Future Prize Ex-aequo

• Nahid directed by Ida Panahandeh

• Masaan Directed by Neeraj Ghaywan



Cinefondation

• 1st Prize Cinéfondation: Share directed by Pippa Bianco

• 2nd Prize Cinéfondation: Locas Perdidas (Lost Queens) directed by Ignacio Juricic

Merillán

• 3rd Prize Cinéfondation Ex-aequo: Victor XX directed by Ian Garrido López

• The Return of Erkin directed by Maria Guskova

Golden camera

• Camera d’or: La Tierra Y La Sombra directed by César Augusto Acevedo

Hungarian writer Laszlo Krasznahorkai won the 2015 Man Book-er International Prize

Hungarian writer Laszlo Krasznahorkai on 19 May 2015 won the prestigious Man

Booker International Prize for 2015. His name was announced as the sixth winner of

the award at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

With this award, Krasznahorkai born in 1954 received a cash prize of 60000 pound.

He joined the league of other awardees, namely Albanian novelist Ismail Kadare

(2005), Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe (2007), Canadian author Alice Munro (2009),

and American writer Philip Roth (2011) and American writer Lydia Davis (2013).

Innovative Hungarian writer Krasznahorkai gained recognition in 1985 with his

book Satantango, which later was adapted for the cinema in collaboration with the

filmmaker Bela Tarr.

Awards and Honours conferred on Laszlo Krasznahorkai

• In 1993, he received the German Bestenliste Prize for the best literary work of the

year for The Melancholy of Resistance.

• He has been honoured with numerous literary prizes, amongst them the highest

award of the Hungarian state, the Kossuth Prize.



• Krasznahorkai and his translator George Szirtes won the 2013 Independent Foreign

Fiction Prize for Satantango

• He won the Best Translated Book Award in the US two years in a row, in 2013 for

Satantango and in 2014 for Seiobo Their Below

The judging panel for the 2015 Man Booker International Prize was chaired by writer

and academic Marina Warner.

About Man Booker International Prize

Man Booker International Prize is an international literary award given every two

years to a living author of any nationality for a body of work published in English or

generally available in English translation.

The Man Booker International Prize is sponsored by Man Group plc, which also

sponsors the Man Booker Prize for Fiction.

Indian-American Harkeert Singh Saini won Prestigious Police Award in Texas, US

Harkeert Singh Saini, an Indian-American policeman in third week of May 2015 won

the prestigious Top Civilian Supervisor of the Year. He was awarded for his efficient

services to the Houston Police department in the state of Texas of United States.

Saini who hails from Hoshiarpur district of Punjab received his award from Houston

Mayor Anise Parker and Police Chief Charles A McClelland. He is a graduate from

Deshbandu College in New Delhi.

44-year-old Saini shifted to Houston in 1998 and joined its police department in March

2000. During his 15-year service in Houston Police Department he was subsequently

promoted as an office supervisor.



Anurradha Prasad conferred with Pt. Haridutt Sharma Award for Journalism and Social Services

Anurradha Prasad, the Editor-in-Chief of News 24 Channel, on 15 May 2015 was

conferred with the Pt. Haridutt Sharma Award for Journalism, Writing and Social

Services.

He was conferred with the award by Vice- President Hamid Ansari in New Delhi.

The award is given in the memory of Pt. Haridutt Sharma who was a renowned

journalist and eminent writer. The award is given annually in the field of Journalism,

Writing and Social Services for the outstanding contribution in their respective field.

The Award comprises of Cash prize of 51000 rupees, Citation, Trophy, Shawl and

Souvenir.

Indian-American boy Karan Menon won 2015 National Geo-graphic Bee Championship

Karan Menon, a 14-year-old Indian-American student, on 13 May 2015 won the 2015

National Geographic Bee championship. Menon answered all questions correctly

related to places like Tashkent, Telangana and the Oresund Strait.

In addition to winning the title of National Geographic Bee champion, Menon

received a 50000 US dollars college scholarship, lifetime membership in the National

Geographic Society and an expedition for two to the Galapagos Islands aboard the

Lindblad ship National Geographic Endeavour.

Menon competed against 10 finalists from across the US to win the championship.

Out of the 10 finalists, seven were of Indian-origin.

The first-runner up and recipient of a 25000 US dollars college scholarship was

11-year-old Shriya Yarlagadda of Michigan. The third place and a 10000 US dollars

college scholarship went to Sojas Wagle of Arkansas, a 13-year-old eighth grader.



Seven other finalists who won 500 US dollars were Kapil Nathan; Nicholas Monahan;

Patrick Taylor; Abhinav Karthikeyan; Lucy Chae; Shreyas Varathan and Tejas Badgujar.

President Pranab Mukherjee conferred the Presidential Awards for Classical Tamil

President Pranab Mukherjee on 14 May 2015 conferred the Presidential Awards for

Classical Tamil for the years 2011-12 and 2012-13. The award was conferred on

scholars who have made outstanding contribution to the development of Classical

Tamil language and literature.

Awardees:

• Tolkappiyar Award for lifetime achievement in Classical Tamil was given to SV

Shanmugam for year 2011-12 and R Krishnamurthi for year 2012-13.

• Kural Pitam Award was given to Eva Maria Wilden of Germany for 2011-12.

• Young Scholar Awards was presented to E. Ezhilvasanthan, K. Jawahar and K.

Iyyappan for 2011-12.

• Young Scholar Award for the year 2012-13 was given to R. Venkatesan, A. Sathish,

M.R. Devak, U. Alibava and B. Jaiganesh.

About the Presidential Awards for Classical Tamil

The Presidential Awards for Classical Tamil were instituted by the Union Ministry

of Human Resources Development (HRD). The award carries a citation and shawl

apart from a cash award of 5 lakh rupees for Tolkappiyar Award and Kural Peedam

awardees.

While, the award money of 1 lakh rupees is bestowed on Young Scholar Awardees.



Indian-American Sivanadane Mandjiny won UNC Board of Gov-ernors 2015 Award

Indian-American professor Sivanadane Mandjiny on 12 May 2015 won University of

North Carolina Pembroke’s UNC Board of Governors 2015 Award for Excellence in

Teaching. Mandjiny is currently serving as a Chemistry Professor at the University of

North Carolina (UNC) in US.

Annually, the Board of Governors of the University names one professor at each of

the 17 UNC campuses to receive the award. The award consists of the prize money

of 12500 US dollars and a commemorative bronze medallion.

Mandjiny joined the University’s Department of Chemistry and Physics in 1996 as a

teaching associate and earned tenure in 2006. He became department chairperson

in 2011.

Mandjiny came to Pembroke from France where he obtained his PhD and was doing

post-doctoral research. As a native of Tamil Nadu, he earned a bachelor’s degree in

chemical engineering from the University of Madras and a master’s degree from the

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT).

Mandjiny is a distinguished scholar with many published research papers, dozens of

conference presentations and significant grant work. He has mentored 118 student

research projects on subjects applicable to alternative energy, agricultural science

and chemistry in zero gravity.

Indian-American professor Dr. Sivanadane Mandjiny won UNC’s 2015 Award for Excellence in Teaching

Indian-American Professor Dr. Sivanadane Mandjiny on 12 May 2015 won the

University of North Carolina (UNC) Board of Governors 2015 Award for Excellence

in Teaching. The award carries a commemorative bronze medallion and a 12500 US

dollar cash prize.



He was one of the 17 winners of the annual awards that serve to underscore the

importance of teaching.

Currently, he is a Chemistry professor at the University of North Carolina. He became

department chair in 2011. He had joined University’s Department of Chemistry and

Physics in 1996 as a teaching associate.

Sivanadane Mandjiny is a native of Tamil Nadu. He holds a bachelor’s degree in

chemical engineering from the University of Madras and a master’s degree in

biochemical engineering from the IIT.

He also holds a second master’s degree in chemical engineering from the University

of Toronto and a PhD from the Universite de Technologie de Compiegne in France.

Mandjiny’s has studied in four languages Hindi, Tamil, French and English

He is the recipient of three Excellence in Teaching Awards from the Student-Athlete

Advisory Committee. Mandjiny won the university’s Outstanding Teaching Award in

2006.

Indian author Neel Mukherjee won 2014 Encore Award for The Lives of Others

Indian author Neel Mukherjee on 12 May 2015 won the 2014 Encore Award for his

novel The Lives of Others. The award is worth 10000 pounds.

The Lives of Others is his second novel. The novel is set in Kolkata of the 1960s when

Naxalite violence was at its peak. It is the story of Supratik Ghosh and his family,

after he leaves home to join the Communist party of India, Marxist and mobilise the

peasants against their landlords.

The Lives of Others was also shortlisted for the 2014 Man Booker Prize and the

Costa Novel Award. Neel Mukherjee’s first novel, A Life Apart, was published in 2010.

Other short-listed authors are Will Wiles, Deborah Kay Davies and Amanda Coe.

Encore award was founded by Lucy Astor in 1990 to celebrate second novels.



2013 Encore award won by Evie Wyld for All The Birds, Singing.

Veteran Bollywood actor Shashi Kapoor bestowed with Dada Saheb Phalke award

Veteran Bollywood actor Shashi Kapoor was on 10 May 2015 honoured with the

prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke award by Union Information and Broadcasting

Minster Arun Jaitley at Prithvi Theatre, Mumbai. With this, Shashi Kapoor became

the 46th winner of the award.

He was awarded for his outstanding contribution to the growth and development of

Indian cinema. He began his career as an actor as a child artist in the 1940s.

Shashi Kapoor is known for his performances in films like Jab Jab Phool Khile,

Deewar and Kabhi Kabhie. Earlier, he has got the National Award for best actor for

the film New Delhi Times in 1986, National Film Award – Special Jury Award / Special

Mention (Feature Film) for Muhafiz (1993).

He was also awarded with the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi (as

Producer) for Junoon in 1979. He has appeared in 160 movies all together, 12 being

in English and the rest in Hindi. He was also honoured with the Padma Bhushan

Award by the Union Government in 2011.

French magazine Charlie Hebdo presented with Freedom of Ex-pression Courage Award 2015

The French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo was on 5 May 2015 presented with

the 2015 Freedom of Expression Courage Award of the PEN American Centre at the

American Museum of Natural History.

The award was accepted by Charlie Hebdo’s Editor-in-chief Gerard Biard and critic-

essayist Jean-Baptiste Thoret. Other than the magazine, the awards were also

presented to playwright Tom Stoppard, Azerbaijani investigative journalist Khadija



Ismayilova and Penguin Random House CEO Markus Dohle.

The PEN American Centre recognized the Charlie Hebdo for the award as twelve

of its staff members were massacred in a January 2015 terrorist attack caused by

magazine’s offensive cartoons of Muslims.

About PEN American Centre

Founded in 1922, PEN American Centre is an association of 4000 US writers working

to break down barriers for free expression worldwide. Its distinguished members

carry on the achievements in literature and in the advancement of human rights.

PEN is composed of centres, each of which represents its membership and

membership of its Centres is open to all qualified writers, journalists, translators,

historians, and others actively engaged in any branch of literature, regardless of

nationality, race, colour or religion.

Mazen Darwish honoured with 2015 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on 3

May 2015 presented the 2015 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize

to Syrian journalist and rights activist Mazen Darwish.

The award was presented in Latvia on the occasion of the World Press Freedom

Day in recognition of the work he has carried out in Syria for more than ten year as a

human rights defender and a journalist.

About Mazen Darwish

• He is a lawyer, press freedom advocate and is the president of the Syrian Centre

for Media and Freedom of Expression (CMFE) which was founded in 2004.

• He is one of the founders of the Voice newspaper and syriaview.net, an independent

news site which was banned by the Syrian authorities.

• He established Media Club in 2011, the first Syrian magazine about media affairs.



• He has been detained by the Syrian Authorities since 16 February 2012 along with

Hani Zaitani and Hussein Ghreir, his colleagues at the CMFE on the charges of

promoting terrorist acts.

• The UN General Assembly on 15 May 2013 adopted Resolution 67/262 demanding

that the Syrian authorities immediately release all persons arbitrarily detained,

including the members of the CMFE.

• In January 2014, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) addressed

a communication to the Syrian authorities denouncing the arbitrary detention of

Darwish and his Media Centre colleagues and called for their immediate release.

In 2014, the award was presented to Ahmet Sik, a Turkish journalist for his investigative

work on the controversial Gülen movement of the Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen.

Four Indians to be conferred with 2015 Spring Imperial Decora-tions of Japan

Four Indians will be conferred with the Spring Imperial Decorations of Japan which

were announced on 29 April 2015.

These Indians are among the 85 foreign recipients who will receive the award at the

Imperial Palace in Tokyo on 8 May 2015. The awards will be conferred by Emperor of

Japan Akihito.

The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star

(i) Thottuvelil Krishna Pillai Aiyappankutty Nair (75): He is a former Advisor and

Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh.

He was awarded for the contribution to the enhancement of relations and the

promotion of friendship between Japan and India.

(ii) Chintamani Nagesa Ramachandra Rao (80): He is the Honorary President of

Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advance Scientific Research, Bangalore and a former

Chair of the Japan-India Science Council. He was awarded with the highest



civilian award of India Bharat Ratna in 2014.

He was awarded for contribution to promoting academic interchange and mutual

understanding in science and technology between Japan and India.

The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays

(iii) Nikunj Parekh (74): He is the President of Indo-Japanese Association, Mumbai

and Director of Bonsai Study Group of Indo-Japanese Association, Mumbai.

He was awarded for contribution to promoting and presenting Japanese Culture in

India

The Orders of the Sacred Treasure, Gold and Silver Rays

(iv) Topgay Bhutia (64): Former local employee of the Embassy of Japan in India

was awarded for his contribution to the activities of the Japanese overseas

establishment.



PLAN | PROGRAMME

National Smart Grid Mission: Institutional mechanism to over-see Smart Grid Initiatives

The National Smart Grid Mission (NSGM) was in news on 7 May 2015 as the Union

Minister of state for Power, Coal & New and Renewable Energy (IC) Piyush Goyal

gave information about it in the Lok Sabha.

The mission was approved by the Union Government on 27 March 2015.

The mission entails implementation of a smart electrical grid based on state-of-the

art technology in the fields of automation, communication and IT systems that can

monitor and control power flows from points of generation to points of consumption.

Key Features of National Smart Grid Mission (NSGM)

• It is an institutional mechanism for planning, monitoring and implementation of

policies and programs related to Smart Grid activities and for this it has a three tier

structure viz., Governing Council at the apex level, Empowered Committee at the

middle and Technical Committee at the bottom.

• The Governing Council (GC) is headed by the Minister of Power and has Secretary

level officers of concerned Ministries and departments as members. The Council

approves all policies and programmes for smart grid implementation.

• The Empowered Committee (EC) is headed by the Secretary (Power) and has Joint

Secretary level officers of concerned Ministries and departments as members. The

role of the Committee is to provide policy inputs to the GC and approve, monitor,

review specific smart grid projects, guidelines, procedures etc.

• The Technical Committee (TC) is headed by the Chairperson (CEA) and has



Director level officers of concerned Ministries & departments, representatives from

industries and academia as members. The role of the committee is to support the

EC on technical aspectS, standards development, technology selection guidelines

etc.

• The mission has a NSGM Project Management Unit (NPMU) headed by a Director

and is responsible for operationalizing the Smart Grid activities in the country

under the guidance of the GC and the EC. The NPMU will be housed at the Power

Grid Corporation of India Limited (POWERGRID).

• Projects such as, Development of smart grid, Development of micro grids,

Consumer engagements and Training & Capacity building will be taken up under

the mission.

• The total outlay for the mission during the 12th five year Plan (2012-17) is kept

at 980 crore rupees with a budgetary support of 338 crore rupees. The mission

provides for grant up-to 30 percent of the project cost and for selected components

such as training & capacity building and consumer engagement 100 percent grant

is allowed.

• Corresponding to the NSGM, a State Level Mission will be set up under chairmanship

of the Power Secretary of the concerned State. Support for training & capacity

building to State Level Project Monitoring Units (SLPMUs) for smart grid activities

is provided by the NSGM.

• The Smart Grid Knowledge Centre (SGKC) being developed by the POWERGRID

with funding from the Ministry will act as a resource centre for providing technical

support to the mission in all technical matters, including development of technical

manpower, capacity building, outreach, suggesting curriculum changes in technical

educations, etc.



INVENTIONS | DISCOVERIES

17th Century Scottish pirate captain William Kidd treasure found in Madagascar

Underwater explorers in Madagascar on 7 May 2015 said that they have discovered

treasure belonging to the notorious 17th Century Scottish pirate captain William Kidd.

The explorers, which were a joint team of UK and US archaeological research mission,

brought a 50-kg silver bar to shore on the island of Sainte Marie, from wreckage of

the Adventure Galley, the ship of Captain Kidd.

The bar was presented to Madagascar’s President at a special ceremony.

Captain Kidd was first appointed by the British authorities to tackle piracy but later

became a ruthless criminal. He was executed in 1701 for piracy after returning from

a voyage to the Indian Ocean.

Besides, the US explorer Barry Clifford said that he believes there are many more

such bars still in the wreck.

Earlier, a team led by Barry Clifford in 2000 during underwater investigation discovered

some remains of William Kidd’s ship, Adventure Galley, including a metal oarlock,

shards of Ming porcelain and bottles of rum three centuries old.



PLACES IN NEWS

Palmyra, an ancient Syrian city, captured by ISIS militants

Islamic State for Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants on 21 May 2015 seized full control of

ancient city of Palmyra in Syria. It is an oasis in the Syrian Desert.

Palmyra, also known as the Pearl of Desert and Tadmur, is located 215 km to the

northeast of the Syrian capital Damascus and is a World Heritage Site because of its

architecture.

The art and architecture of Palmyra dates back to 1st to the 2nd century AD and were

built in Graeco-Roman style with local traditions and Persian influences. It was one of

the most important cultural centres of the ancient world standing at the crossroads

of several civilizations.

A grand, colonnaded street of 1100 metres’ length forms the monumental axis of the

city, which together with secondary colonnaded cross streets links the major public

monuments including the Temple of Ba’al, Diocletian’s Camp, the Agora, Theatre,

other temples and urban quarters.

The site was designated a national monument by Syrian government and was

protected by the National Antiquities law 222 as amended in 1999. A buffer zone was

established in 2007 but has not yet been submitted to the World Heritage Committee.

Why the capture of Palymra is of concern?

The capture of strategic Palmyra raises security concern as it potentially opens the

way for ISIS to advance towards key government-held areas, including the capital

Damascus and Homs.

Further, the loss of the al-Tanf crossing in Homs province means the Syrian government



does not control any of the country’s border posts with Iraq.

On the cultural front, the control of Palmyra raises the concern that this ancient

city may also face the fate similar to ancient Assyrian city of Nimrud of Iraq. This is

because ISIS has been demolishing those ancient sites which pre-date Islam and

trafficking artefacts to get funds.

Nelong Valley in Uttarakhand opened first time for tourists after closure in 1962

Nelong Valley: A picturesque valley located 45 km away from the Indo-China border

Authorities of the Gangotri National Park in Uttarakhand on 21 May 2015 opened the

Nelong Valley for tourists for the first time since its closure in 1962.

However, foreign tourists are still not allowed into the valley.

Nelong valley, situated 45 km away from the Indo-China border in the Uttarkashi

district, was closed for civilians after the 1962 war between both the countries.

After the war, villagers were shifted out of the valley and Indo-Tibetan Border Police

(ITBP) checkpoints were set up to augment the security along the border.

Located at a height of 11600 feet, it is a cold desert offering a view of the Tibetan

Plateau in China and home to snow leopard and the Himalayan blue sheep.

PM Narendra Modi concluded his three-nation tour to China, Mongolia and South Korea

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 19 May 2015 returned to India after completing his

tour to three nations namely China, Mongolia and South Korea.

During his six-day visit between 14 May and 19 May 2015 as part of Act East Policy,

he met leaders of the three nations. The visit was aimed at achieving major objectives



like

• Refreshing centuries old cultural relations through Buddhism

• Enhancing cooperation at the governmental level

• Emphasizing the Asian identity for collective efforts

• Engaging with the private sector for support to Make in India

• Interact with the Indian community residing in these countries

During the three-nation tour, India signed number of agreements with the three-

nations, which would act as a booster in strengthening the bilateral ties.

He also interacted with top business leaders in China and South Korea and took a

commitment of investment of several billion dollars in India to support Make in India

initiative.

Highlights of the visit to China

• Prime Minister raised the boundary question with China and asked for an early

settlement of the issue and decided to maintain peace and tranquility at the border

point for maturity of relations.

• India-China signed 24 inter-governmental agreements.

• 21 business agreements worth 22 billion US dollars signed between Indian and

Chinese companies.

• PM Modi inaugurated ICICI’s first branch in China at Shanghai.

Highlights of the visit to Mongolia

Modi is the first ever Prime Minister of India to visit the country

• India announced to provide one billion US dollar Line of Credit to Mongolia.

• India-Mongolia signed 13 agreements including enhancement in cooperation in

border defence, air services, cyber security, renewable energy and others.

• Modi addressed to the Mongolian Parliament.



• Modi gifted a rare history manuscript to Mongolian President.

Highlights of the visit to South Korea

• Narendra Modi announced to set up a special panel to clear and fast-track South

Korean investments into India. South Korea became the second country after

Japan for which a special panel will be constituted.

• South Korea announced to invest 10 billion dollar for Indian infrastructure

development.

• India-South Korea signed seven agreements including revised avoidance of

double taxation, cooperation in audio-visual co-production, Youth Matters as well

as co-operation between the National Security Council of India and South Korea.

Besides, an important element of Prime Minister’s visit was the way he met with

people of Indian origin in the three countries in which he tried to connect them from

India, like in China he asked Indian residents to encourage Chinese nationals to visit

India or their village during their vacation.

Tamils in Sri Lanka commemorated war dead for the first time at Mullivaikkal village

Mullivaikkal: The northern village of Sri Lanka where LTTE rebels fought their last fight

Mullivaikkal, the northern village of Sri Lanka was in news on 19 May 2015 as for the

first time in six years the Sri Lankan Tamils publicly commemorated those Tamilians

who lost their lives during the civil war between Liberation Tiger of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)

and Sri Lankan Army.

The Mullivaikkal village is the village where LTTE rebels fought their last fight against

security forces in a war that lasted for 37 years. The fight ended on 19 May 2009.

In the war, as per the United Nations estimates, some 40000 Tamil civilians were

killed in the district that includes Mullivaikkal village where they had fled after the

government declared it a safe area.



They were able to commemorate the day because the country’s new government

under President Maithripala Sirisena lifted a ban on commemorating Tamil victims.

The commemoration was presided over by the Tamil Chief Minister of Northern

Province, CV Wigneswaran who lighted a ceremony lamp on the occasion at a

makeshift memorial at Mullivaikal. Then hundreds of Tamils also lit oil lamps during

the ceremony.

Besides, the Sri Lankan government also observed the 6th anniversary of defeat of

LTTE with a Remembrance Day ceremony at Matara. Till 2014, 19 May was observed

as Victory Day, but President Maithripala Sirisena government decided to change the

nature of ceremony and renamed it as Remembrance Day for those who sacrificed

for the unity of the country.

A paleo channel claimed as River Saraswati identified in Mugla-wali village of Haryana

Muglawali village near Adi Badri: Paleo channel claimed as River Saraswati identified

Muglawali village of Yamungar district in Haryana located near Adi Badri was in news

on 5 May 2015. The village came into news after district authorities claimed that they

have dugged out a paleo (old) channel which resembles now inactive River Saraswati.

During digging, which was done under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment

Guarantee Scheme (MNGEGS), the water was discovered from nine spots.

Water found at various spots hints towards presence of a paleo channel (remnants

of inactive river) and the initial study of water and sediments by a geologist hints that

they are distinct from the locally available water and minerals.

It is widely believed by geologists that Saraswati used to flow from upper Himalayas

and entered the plains near Adi Badri, located in the foothills of lower Shivalik mountain

ranges.

Digging is being done as part of excavation work of Saraswati Revival Project that



started at Rullaheri village on 21 April 2015. The project was started after the decision

of Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar to create a new water channel on the

dry bed.

Earlier in 2006, a similar attempt towards identifying the River Saraswati route was

undertaken under Project Saraswati by the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC).

As part of it, ONGC had successfully drilled India’s deepest fresh-water well at a

depth of about 500 metre below the ground-level near Jaisalmer in Rajasthan.



EXHIBITION | FAIR

Fourth North East Youth Festival concluded in Jorhat district of Assam

The 4th North East Youth Festival concluded on 31 May 2015 at Majuli in Jorhat district

of Assam. The Governor of Assam was the Chief Guest at the closing ceremony of

the Festival.

The three day long festival was organized by the Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan

(NYKS) on behalf of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.

The festival was inaugurated by Union Minister for Chemicals & Fertilisers, Ananth

Kumar on 29 May 2015.

About 2100 youth delegates from eight North East States participated in the festival.

The North East Youth Festival is organized by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sport

with the objective to foster National Integrity and to know each other better through

exchange of culture besides promoting rich cultural heritage of various tribes and

people of North Eastern States.

• The first North East Youth Festival was held at Kohima, Nagaland from 8 -10

October 2009

• The second North East Youth Festival was held at Shillong, Meghalaya from 7-9

April 2011

• The third North East Youth Festival was held at Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh from

7-9 November 2012



BOOKS | AUTHORS

The China Model written by Daniel A Bell

The China Model: Political Meritocracy and the Limits of Democracy: Daniel A. Bell

The book titled The China Model: Political Meritocracy and the Limits of Democracy

by Daniel A. Bell was in news in May 2015. The book seeks to understand the ideals

and the reality of Chinese political system.

In his book, Bell discusses the advantages and pitfalls of political meritocracy of China;

he distinguishes between different ways of combining meritocracy and democracy,

and argues that China has evolved a model of democratic meritocracy that is morally

desirable and politically stable.

The book opens with a critique of one person, one vote as a way of choosing top

leaders, which as per the author is a Chinese-style political meritocracy that can help

to remedy the key flaws of electoral democracy.

Bell summarizes and evaluates the China model as having the meritocracy at the top,

experimentation in the middle, and democracy at the bottom.

About the Author

Daniel A. Bell is Chair Professor of the Schwarzman Scholars program at Tsinghua

University in Beijing and is a director of the Berggruen Institute of Philosophy and

Culture.

His other books include Spirit of Cities, China’s New Confucianism, Beyond Liberal

Democracy, and East Meets West (all Princeton). He is also the editor of the Princeton-

China Series.



Book titled Super Economies by Raghav Bahl released

The book Super Economies: America, India, China & The Future Of The World written

by Raghav Bahl published in May 2015. He is an Indian businessman best known for

his ownership of several television channels, including TV18.

The book explains the vastly changed nature of the world since the Cold War and

predicts what will be the likely changes in the 21st centuary.

For this, the author took a cue from the emergence of super powers in the 20th century

and the ongoing process of emergence of super economies in the 21st century.

Further, the author defined super economy as one possessing innovation, vast

swathes of territory, low unemployment, improving infrastructure, strong currency

and a significant military or nuclear capability and explained in detail how each of the

BRICS fare on this score - with China declared a super economy and categorizing

India as a sleeper super economy.

At the end of the book, Raghav Bahl concludes that in future the US, India and China

will come together against Islamic terrorism.

Raghav’s first book titled Superpower? The Amazing Race Between China’s Hare

and India’s Tortoise, was published by Penguin Allen Lane in 2010

Book titled Ahmedabad: A City in the World by Amrita Shah re-leased

Book Ahmedabad: A City in the World authored by Amrita Shah was released 28 May

2015. The book is a biography of India’s seventh-largest city Ahmedabad and its all

too frequent complicity in communal violence.

The author in the book has described the six-hundred year old former textile town

in Kaka-style development and sketches Mahatma Gandhi and his struggle against



British rule.

The book is the story of roadmaps and rivers, kings and kingmakers, merchants

and savants; of Dalit labourers and women bootleggers, displaced Muslims and a

euphoric middle class. It is also the incredible story of hope and vulnerability at the

heart of a metropolis.

Amrita Shah has been a columnist and contributing editor with the Indian Express

and was the founding editor of Elle India. She has also written Biography of Vikram

Sarabhai in 2007.

She received fellowships from the New India Foundation, the Homi Bhabha Fellowships

Council and Fulbright to write Ahmedabad: A City in the World.

The Pakistan Paradox written by Christrophe Jaffrelot

Pakistan Paradox: Instability and Resilience by Christrophe Jaffrelot was published

by Vintage Books on 15 April 2015. Christrophe Jaffrelot is Research Director at

CNRS and teaches South Asian Politics and History at Sciences Po (Paris).

The 688-pages book is an overview of the contemporary Pakistan which was born as

the creation of elite Urdu-speaking Muslims who sought to govern a state that would

maintain their dominance.

In order to maintain the dominance of this class, Jinnah imposed a unitary definition

of Pakistan state that obliterated linguistic diversity. The centralization of power in

Pakistan was justified by the Indian threat which fostered centrifugal forces that

resulted in Bengali secessionism in 1971 and Baloch, as well as Mohajir, separatisms

today.

Concentration of power remained the norm, and while authoritarianism peaked under

military rule, democracy failed to usher in reform, and the rule of law remained fragile

at best under Zulfikar Bhutto and later Nawaz Sharif.

Today, Pakistan faces existential challenges ranging from ethnic strife to Islamism,

two sources of instability which hark back to elite domination. But the resilience of



the country and its people, the resolve of the judiciary and hints of reform in the army

may open a new and more stable chapter in its history.

Complete Story of Indian Reforms: 2G, Power & Private Enter-prise written by Pradeep Baijal

The Complete Story of Indian Reforms: 2G, Power & Private Enterprise: A Practitioner’s

Diary: Pradeep Baijal Former Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) chairman

Pradip Baijal’s book The Complete Story of Indian Reforms: 2G, Power & Private

Enterprise: A Practitioner’s Diary was in news in fourth week of May 2015.

The self published book was in news because the author in the book has claimed

that former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had warned him of consequences if he

did not co-operate in the 2G scam. He also claimed that even CBI warned him that

he would be harmed if he did not cooperate.

Besides, in a talk with a news channel he also informed that the UPA government

also destroyed some files related to the 2G scam. In the talk, he claimed that his

charges are not politically motivated, and the former Prime Minister approved the

action of his Ministers.

The author also claimed that Singh also dismissed his concerns in 2004 over Dayanidhi

Maran being appointed as telecom minister as a case of conflict of interest. Maran

was a broadcaster and TRAI had been made broadcasting regulator in 2004.

The book was published on 24 April 2015.

Book titled Unbelievable – Delhi to Islamabad written by Prof Bhim Singh released

Unbelievable – Delhi to Islamabad: Prof. Bhim Singh

Book titled Unbelievable – Delhi to Islamabad authored by senior Advocate Prof.

Bhim Singh was released on 8 May 2015 by Vice President M Hamid Ansari in New



Delhi.

The book, a travelogue is an effort initiated by the lawyers of India and Pakistan to

work jointly to ensure that Pakistani prisoners languishing in Indian jails are treated in

accordance with the spirit of the Constitution of India. Similarly, the same treatment

should be mended for the Indian prisoners on Pakistan and they should be given fair

trials.

A Book titled China – Confucius in the Shadows written by Poon-am Surie released

China – Confucius in the Shadows: Poonam Surie

A Book titled China – Confucius in the Shadows was released by the Vice President

M. Hamid Ansari on 1 May 2015. Confucius was considered as the most efficient

author in Chinese history.

Book has been written by Poonam Surie. Poonam Surie is an Adjunct Fellow at the

Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi.

The book highlights that in the evolving socio political milieu of China; interpreting

Confucian philosophy as being non-confrontationist, benevolent and with values

such as filial piety and harmony could help the current political regime deal with such

problems as corruption and rising inequalities.



DEFENCE | SECURITY

Indigenously developed Astra Missile successfully test fired

Indigenously developed Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air missile, Astra was

successfully test fired at the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur in Odisha on 20

May 2015.

It was test-fired aboard a Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter aircraft.

The present test was a part of the series of tests planned to test the missile’s

subsystems like propulsion, navigation and guidance and the smooth separation of

the missile from the aircraft, etc.

The previous test was conducted on 18 March 2015 from the same place.

About the Astra missile

• Astra is India’s first beyond visual range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) that is capable

of engaging its target at ranges of 37 km or beyond. It has operational range of

60km.

• The all-weather missile has been indigeniously designed and developed by the

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

• It is a state-of-the-art missile in the sense that it travels at supersonic speed (4780

km/h), possesses Single Shot Kill Probability (SSKP) with active radar terminal

guidance, uses smokeless propulsion system to evade enemy radars and has the

capacity to engage in multi-target scenario.

• The 3.8 metre long missile is the smallest of the DRDO-developed missiles and

can be launched from different altitudes.



• It can reach up to 110 km when fired from an altitude of 15 km, 44 km when

launched from an altitude of eight km and 21 km when fired from sea level.

• The missile will be inducted into the armed forces by 2016 after few more tests,

including pre-induction trials.

Mirage 2000 fighter jet landed on Yamuna Expressway as part of developing road runways

Mirage 2000 fighter jet of Indian air force (IAF) on 21 May 2015 landed successfully

on Yamuna Expressway as part of developing road runaway for emergency landing.

It’s a kind of first for military aviation in India. IAF conducted the successful trial run

of landing on Yamuna Expressway near Mathura under the plan of use of national

highways in emergency situations.

The operations were conducted with active support from the government of Uttar

Pradesh, Yamuna Expressway Authority, toll authorities of JP Infratech and the civil

police.

This sucessful trial run gives a push to the planning of authorities to convert the

upcoming Agra-Lucknow Expressway, which is the longest greenfield expressway

in the country, as India’s first road runway. For this, Uttar Pradesh government had

given a green signal on 11 May 2015.

The 308km Agra-Lucknow expressway is expected to cost 13000 crore rupees. It will

pass through Firozabad, Shikohabad, Mainpuri, Etawah, Kannauj and Mohanlalganj.

Pre-requisite for road runway

For the road runway, the particular stretch of the road should be straight, level, located

at a non-undulating round without any slope and also free of waterlogging and free

of floods.

The road runway segment will not have electricity poles, masts or mobile phone

towers. There will be portable ground lighting systems that can be quickly placed on



the roadsides to guide aircraft during landings.

China, Pakistan, Sweden, Germany and Singapore are among the countries that

have road runways. Road runways assume importance if airbases are crippled during

hostile situations.

Fourth Corvette of Project-28 christened Kavaratti launched

The fourth Anti Submarine Warfare (ASW) Corvette of Project-28christened Kavaratti

was on 19 May 2015 launched at Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd

(GRSE), Kolkata.

In keeping with the nautical traditions, the ship was launched by Manita Singh, wife

of the Hon’ble Union Minister of State for Defence Rao Inderjit Singh.

The four ships of Project-28 built by GRSE, Kolkata have been designed indigenously

by the Directorate of Naval Design, New Delhi and bear the testimony to the acclaimed

legacy of Naval Designers. The ships have been constructed using high grade steel

(DMR 249A) produced in India.

Key Characteristics of ASW Corvettes

• With a displacement of 3300 tonnes, the sleek and magnificent ASW Corvettes

span 109.1 meters in length and 13.7 meters at the beam.

• They are propelled by four diesel engines to achieve speeds in excess of 25 knots

and have an endurance of more than 3000 Nm.

• The P-28 corvettes also boast of revolutionary Rail-less Helo Traversing System,

Foldable Hangar Door, use of Personnel Locator System and use of Carbon Fibre

Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) Superstructure integrated with the Steel Hull in the third

and fourth ships of the Class.

• These ships have common raft mounted Gear Box and Diesel Engines, which give

the vessels very low radiated underwater noise.

• The P-28 Ships also have Total Atmospheric Control System (TACS) and an



Integrated Platform Management System (IPMS) which include Integrated Bridge

System as well as Battle Damage Control System.

• They also incorporate new design concepts for improved survivability, sea keeping,

stealth and manoeuvrability.

• Enhanced stealth features of the corvettes have been achieved by including Low

Radar Cross Section (RCS) signature through full beam superstructure, inclined

ship sides and reduced Infra Red (IR) signature by use of Infra Red Suppression

System (IRSS) device.

• The ships are also equipped to carry and operate one multiple role helicopter.

In addition to these features, Kavaratti will be packed with an array of state of art

weapons and sensors, including a Medium Range Gun, Torpedo Tube Launchers as

well as Rocket Launchers, Close-In Weapon System and Chaff System.

Naval Base at Porbandar commissioned as INS Sardar Patel

The Naval establishment of Indian Navy at Porbandar, Gujarat was on 9 May 2015

commissioned as INS Sardar Patel by Anandiben Patel, Chief Minister of Gujarat.

The commissioning ceremony was marked by traditional gaiety and naval precision.

As a part of the ceremony, the commissioning plaque was unveiled along with the

marble bust of the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Ironman of India.

The commissioning of INS Sardar Patel will enable the Indian Navy to qualitatively

augment its infrastructure and organisational effectiveness in Gujarat, which would

improve coordination and synergy with other maritime agencies of Union Government.

This Forward Operating Base (FOB) of Indian Navy in Gujarat and the Headquarters

of the Naval Officer-in-Charge (Gujarat, Diu & Daman) will also enhance the logistic

support being provided to the Indian Navy units deployed in the Northern Arabian

Sea, including International Maritime Boundary Line with Pakistan.

Commodore BR Prakash, who is the Naval Officer-in-Charge (Gujarat, Diu & Daman)



is the first Commanding Officer of INS Sardar Patel.

India successfully test-fired advanced version of BrahMos Su-personic Cruise Missile

India on 9 May 2015 successfully conducted the 48th test firing of the BrahMos

Supersonic Cruise Missile from the Car Nicobar Islands in Andaman and Nicobar.

The advanced version of the land-to-land configuration of BrahMos Block-III version

was test-fired from a Mobile Autonomous Launcher (MAL) for its full-range of 290 km.

Features of BrahMos Missile

• It is the first supersonic cruise missile known to be in service and is capable of

carrying a conventional and nuclear warhead of 300 kilogram.

• It is a two-stage missile having Solid propellant in the first stage and Ramjet liquid

propellant in the second stage.

• It can be launched from land, Sea, Sub-seas and air.

• It operates on Fire and Forget Principle by adopting varieties of flights on its way

to the target.

• It approaches the enemy target with a top speed of Mach 2.8; which is about three

times faster than the US subsonic Tomahawk cruise missile.

• The missile has been developed by the BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited. It is

a joint venture between Russian Federation’s NPO Mashinostroeyenia and India’s

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the missile derives

its name from the names of two rivers, namely the Brahmaputra of India and the

Moskva of Russia.

• While the BrahMos Weapon Complex (BWC) first version was inducted in the

Indian Navy in 2005 on board the INS Rajput and the first regiment of BrahMos

missile Block (A1) with the formation of N816 missiles was inducted into the Army



in 2007; the air version of the missile is still in the testing stage.

Indian Army signed MoU with Bank of India on Defence Salary Package

Indian Army on 8 May 2015 signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the

Bank of India (BOI) on the Defence Salary Package.

The first MoU between BOI and the Indian Army was signed in 2011 and was valid

for a period of three years. This revised MoU is customised to suit the requirements

of serving soldiers, pensioners and families. Number of additional facilities was

incorporated in the revised MoU after concerted efforts.


• This MoU will benefit a large number of serving and retired Army personnel who

own their accounts with BOI.

• It will also provide them an opportunity to access modern banking facilities.

• It includes the standard bundle of free/concessional services including free drafts,

free cheque books, free funds transfers to any bank in India through RTGS / NEFT,

free ATM cards etc.

• Some additional features of this MoU are that the Personal Accident Insurance

(PAI) cover is extended upto 10 lakh rupees from 5 lakh rupees.

• It provides for Air insurance, Home Loan Insurance on Army Welfare housing

Organisation (AWHO) for deaths on account of war/external aggression/ terrorist

attack for up to 50 lakh rupees.

• It provides applicability of PAI and overdraft facility to pensioners and waiver of

merchant service fee (MSF) for transaction on BOI POS Terminal installed at CSD

Canteens for BOI Card holders.

• It also has a provision for yearly review of specific features and requests.



Indigenously developed Akash Weapon System (AWS) inducted into Indian Army

The first regiment of the indigenously developed Surface-to-Air missile Akash Weapon

System (AWS) on 5 May 2015 was inducted into the Indian Army in New Delhi.

It is part of the orders for two regiments placed by the Army worth about 19000 crore

rupees.

Features of Akash Weapon System (AWS)

• Each regiment of AWS consists of six launchers with each launcher having three

missiles.

• It consists of sophisticated radars and control systems to guide the missile towards

the target.

• Each missile weighs 720 kg having a length of 5.78 meters.

• It is fully automated and can simultaneously engage multiple targets in all weather

conditions including Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in addition to helicopters

and fighter planes.

• It has a large operational range from a low altitude of 30 metres to a maximum of

up to 20 km.

• At 96 per cent indigenisation, it represents a major capability development for a

crucial weapon system.

• Unlike the Air Force version, which was inducted in March 2012, the Army variant

of Akash is designed for high mobility and can be quickly moved to any operational

theatres based on necessity.

• Akash has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation

and is being built by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL).

• It was originally planned as part of the five missiles under the Integrated Guided



Missile Development (IGMD) Programme initiated in 1984.

14th Edition of Indo-French Naval Exercise VARUNA 2015 con-cluded

The Fourteenth edition of the Indo-French naval exercise VARUNA 2015 concluded

on 2 May 2015. The exercise started on 23 April 2015 off the Goa Coast.

Features of the VARUNA 2015 Exercise

• Its aim was deriving mutual benefit from the experiences of the two navies. The

experience gained through such exercises helps in developing Standard Operating

Procedures (SOPs) in the fields of Joint Maritime Air Operations Planning with

exchange of Carrier Operational Capabilities.

• The exercise included both a harbour and sea phase and its mandate was to cover

the entire gamut of maritime operations ranging from Aircraft Carrier Operations,

Anti Submarines Warfare Exercises, Maritime Interdiction Operations and multi-

ship replenishment exercise.

• From the Indian side, the participants included Aircraft Carrier INS Viraat, which

is the second largest flagship vessel of the Indian Navy after INS Vikramaditya,

destroyer Mumbai, stealth frigate Tarkash, guided missile frigate Gomati,

replenishment tanker Deepak, submarine Shankul among others.

• The French Navy was represented by Aircraft Carrier Charles de Gaulle, which is

the flagship vessel of the French Navy and the largest Western European warship

currently in commission, two destroyers Chevalier Paul and Jean de Vienne,

replenishment tanker Meuse and a maritime patrol aircraft Atlantique 2 among

others.

About VARUNA Exercise

Though the navies of both the countries have been conducting joint exercises since

1983, these exercises were christened as VARUNA in 2001 following the establishment



of a strategic partnership between the two countries.

Till date, thirteen such exercises have been conducted and the last exercise VARUNA

12 was conducted in the Mediterranean Sea from 19 July to 22 July 2012 off the

Toulon Coast.

Indian Coast Guard (ICG) held Theera Veta defence exercise in Arabian Sea

Indian Coast Guard (ICG) from 28 April to 29 April 2015 held a security exercise,

Theera Veeta, in the Arabian Sea.

The exercise was intended to augment the preparedness of the security agencies

in protecting the porous maritime borders of Kerala, Lakshadweep, Minicoy Islands

and Mahe (part of Puducherry) from external attacks.

The exercise was conducted by the ICG from its Operation room at Kochi and

Kavaratti and monitored from the Joint Operation Centre (JOC) located at the Kochi

Naval base.

In the two day exercise, along with the ICG, Indian Navy, Coastal Police and other

central and state/Union Territory (UT) police agencies were involved.

Comment

Theera Veta is a periodical exercise conducted by the security agencies in order to

assess and augment the defence preparedness against security related threats to

the off shore economic assets like oil wells and mineral rich areas in India’s Exclusive

Economic Zone (EEZ) and coastal population.



REPORT | SURVEY

UN released World Economic Situation and Prospects Mid-2015 Update

The United Nations (UN) on 19 May 2015 released Mid-2015 World Economic

Situation and Prospects (WESP) update. In the release, it has highlighted that world

economy continues to grow at a modest pace.

It characterized the current world economic situation by five lows and they are

low growth, low trade flows, low inflation, low investment, and low interest rates,

combined with two highs: high equity prices, and high debt levels.

Growth prospects for World Economy

• Growth of world GDP will accelerate slightly from 2.6 percent in 2014 to 2.8 percent

in 2015.

• This projection is a downward revision by 0.3 percentage points from the forecast

presented in the World Economic Situation and Prospects 2015 in January 2015.

• In 2016, the global growth would improve to 3.1 percent.

• The growth divergence between various regions is widening in 2015, owing to

differing impacts from the recent decline in the prices of oil and other commodities,

as well as country-specific factors.

Growth in Developed Economies

• The growth momentum in the developed economies is picking up.

• The major developed economies will see growth at a rate of 2.2 percent in 2015

from 1.6 percent in 2014.



• These nations still faces considerable headwinds from the legacies of the global

financial crisis, like subdued employment levels, elevated private and public sector

debt and financial sector fragilities.

Growth prospects in Economies in transition

• Growth of these economies has been downgraded against backdrop of low oil

prices.

• Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of these economies in transition will contract by 2

percent in 2015.

• The release suggests that the Russian economy will shrink and its impact would

have a negative spillover effects on other countries of the region.

Growth prospects in developing economies

• The report predicts that growth in these economies will diverge. The average

growth of the developing nations will remain at 4.4 percent in 2015, which is 3

percentage points below the pre-crisis pace.

• In Africa, there seems to be a strong divergence between oil-exporting and oil-

importing economies. It may face a mixed picture, which will be caused due to

falling commodity prices and declining exchange rates. It may register to see

average growth at 4 percent in 2015 and 4.8 percent in 2016.

• In South Asia, the economic outlook has been painted as favourable, as most

of the economies would experience strengthening of growth in 2015-2016. This

growth will be strengthened on the back of stronger domestic consumption and

investment, and a pick-up in exports.

• In Western Asia, nations which are termed as diversified economies would perform

better than anticipation, but it may face fiscal pressures along with aggravating

growth prospects for 2016, if the oil prices remain at the current low level for an

extended period in the oil exporting economies

• Latin America and the Caribbean is expected to grow by only 0.5 percent in 2015

and by 1.7 percent in 2016 due to lower commodity prices and persistent domestic



fragilities. The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela will fall into a deeper recession,

while Brazil and Argentina are expected to experience slight contractions.

Growth in Least Developed Countries (LDCs)

• The region is expected to grow at 4.9 percent in 2015, which is deceleration from

5.2 percent in 2014.

• Some LDCs like Ethiopia, Rwanda and Tanzania will see a robust and sustained

economic growth.

• They will see a robust and sustained growth owing to investments in agriculture

and infrastructure, expanding services sectors and rising domestic demand.

Growth prospects in India

In context of India, the report says that it will grow by 7.6 percent in 2015 and 7.7

percent in 2016, which means that it will surpass the growth of China, which will grow

at 7 percent in 2015 and 6.8 percent in 2016.

Conclusion

WESP mid-2015 update identifies key challenges in the areas of monetary, fiscal, labour

market and trade policies, and underlines the need for strengthened international

policy coordination. Such coordination becomes ever more critical as the Member

States of the United Nations are expected to adopt a new financing framework for

sustainable development and an ambitious post-2015 sustainable development

agenda.

UNCTAD released a report titled Global Investment Trends Moni-tor

United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) on 18 May 2015

released a report titled Global Investment Trends Monitor.

The report highlighted that developing Asia now invests more abroad than any other



region. This UNCTAD trends monitor analyses the most recent trends in global outward

investment and assesses its prospects for 2015. It covers outward FDI trends in

developed, developing and transition economies.

Main highlights of the report

• Hong Kong (China) and China were the second and the third largest investors

in the world, after the United States which remains the largest single source of

outward foreign direct investment (FDI).

• Among the 20 largest investors, nine were either from developing or transition

economies.

• In 2014, transnational corporations (TNCs) from developing economies alone

invested almost half a trillion US dollar abroad − a 30% increase from the previous

year.

• TNCs share in global foreign direct investment (FDI) reached a record of 36%, up

from 12% in 2007, the year prior to the financial crisis.

• Developing Asia has become, for the first time, the world’s largest investor region

with 440 billion US dollar invested, followed by North America and Europe.

• Investments by developed country TNCs were largely flat at 792 billion US dollar,

with the modest rise in flows from North America and Europe more than offset by

a 16% decline in Japanese investment abroad.

• More than half of investments from TNCs based in developing economies were in

equity, while as much as four-fifths of FDI outflows from developed country TNCs

were in the form of reinvested earnings − the result of record amounts of cash

reserves in their foreign affiliates.

• The value of cross-border merger and acquisitions surged to 399 billion in 2014

− 28% above 2013 levels. Megadeals dominated the scene in 2014. TNCs from

the South continued to acquire developed country foreign affiliates in developing

world.

• Announced greenfield investment projects rose by only 7% reaching 744 billion



US dollar. The increase was driven mainly by investments from TNCs of the South.

Greenfield investors from developed countries, however, account for a larger share

(66%).

UNCTAD estimates that TNC investment appetite will improve, encouraged by better

economic prospects, especially in the United States, proactive monetary policy in

the Eurozone and the large cash holdings of companies. However, TNCs remain

guarded due to the fragility in some emerging markets, exchange rate volatility and

increased geopolitical tensions.

UNESCAP released Survey titled Making Growth More Inclusive for Sustainable Development

United Nation Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP)

2015 survey titled Making Growth More Inclusive for Sustainable Development was

released on 14 May 2015.

The survey analyzes the economic growth performance of the region, along with

its outlook and challenges countries face in sharing the benefits of growth with all

people.

Highlights of the Survey

• Economic growth in Asia and the Pacific continues to fare well in the global context,

but is expected to increase only slightly to 5.9% in 2015 from 5.8% in 2014.

• Unlike other sub-regions, North and Central Asia is facing low economic growth

but high inflation.

• Weighed down by lower global oil prices and geopolitical tensions, the economy

of the Russian Federation barely grew in 2014; it is expected to contract over 2015

and 2016.

• As the country accounts for 80% of the output in North and Central Asia, sub-

regional growth performance and prospects are also bleak. Inflation has also



increased in several economies as declining commodity prices led to subdued

foreign exchange earnings and the weakening of currencies.

• Economic growth in South and South-West Asia edged up in 2014, mainly led by

stronger macroeconomic performance in India, but it remained far below its pre-

crisis pace. The consumption-led growth was fuelled by favourable farm incomes,

workers’ remittances and monetary easing.

India’s Economic Growth

• The survey has predicted Indian Economy growth at 8.1 per cent in the current

financial year 2015 and 8.2 per cent in 2016, spurred by strong consumer spending

amid low inflation, infrastructure projects and government’s reform measures.

• Investment is also expected to rebound, although unevenly, given the still low

capacity-utilisation rate at about 70 per cent.

• Volatile capital flows that may follow monetary policy normalisation in the US

remain the downside risk.

Pakistan’s Economic Growth

• Economic growth in Pakistan picked up to 4.1% in 2014 from an average of 3.7%

in the previous three years and growth was expected to rise to 5.1% in 2015.

• The report said that inflation was on the decline and budget deficit was being

contained and foreign exchange reserves have significantly improved and market

confidence in Pakistan’s outlook seems to have improved.

World Economic Forum (WEF) released The Human Capital Re-port 2015

The World Economic Forum (WEF) on 13 May 2015 released the Human Capital

Report 2015 in Geneva, Switzerland.

The WEF prepared the report in collaboration with Mercer, an American global human

resource and related financial services consulting firm.



The report elaborates the status of different countries across the world on the Human

Capital Index and provides key inputs for policy makers to augment capacities of

human capital in 124 countries it has surveyed.

Import findings of The Human Capital Report 2015

The Human Capital Index was developed using two horizontal themes--Learning and

Employment running across five vertical age group pillars viz., Under 15, 15–24,

25–54, 55–64, and 65 and Over covering 46 indicators.

Top ten Countries in the Human Capital Index

Finaland (1)

Norway (2)

Switzerland (3)

Canada (4)

Japan (5)

Swedan (6)

Denmark (7)

New Zealand (8)

The Netherlands (9)

Belgium (10)

Bottom ten Countries in the Human Capital Index

Ethiopia (115)

Burkina Faso (116)

Cote d Ivoire (117)

Mali (118)

Guinea (119)



Nigeria (120)

Burundi (121)

Mauritania (122)

India’s position in the Human Capital Index

• India occupied the 100th position among the 124 countries surveyed in the Index.

• In the Asia-Pacific region it is placed behind Sri Lanka (60), China (64), Indonesia

(69), Iran (80), Bhutan (87) and Bangladesh (99).

• In the learning category , It has secured 67th, 98th, 109th, 115th and 114th position

in the Under 15, 15–24, 25–54, 55–64, and 65 and Over categories respectively.

• It has ranked poorly also on the labour force participation rate due to its large

informal sector.

Save the Children released 16th annual State of the World’s Mothers (SOWM) report

Save the Children’s 16th annual State of the World’s Mothers (SOWM) report titled

The Urban Disadvantage was on 5 May 2015 released by the Union Minister for

Minority Affairs Najma Heptulla in New Delhi.

The report’s special focus is on the struggle of poorest mothers and children in rapidly

urbanizing world. It presents the Mothers’ Index for 179 countries and show where

mothers and children fare best and where they face the greatest hardships.

Important findings of the report

• While great progress has been made in reducing urban under-5 mortality around

the world, inequality is worsening in too many cities. In almost half of the countries,

the urban survival gaps have grown.

• The poorest children in almost every city face alarmingly high risks of death. In

all but one of the 36 developing countries surveyed, there are significant gaps



between rich and poor urban children.

• The 10 countries showing the greatest survival divide between wealthy and poor

urban children are: Rwanda, Cambodia, Kenya, Vietnam, Peru, India, Madagascar,

Ghana, Bangladesh and Nigeria.

• The poorest urban mothers and children are often deprived of life saving health

care like access to prenatal care and skilled birth attendance. The largest coverage

gaps between rich and poor were found in Delhi (India), Dhaka (Bangladesh), Port

au Prince (Haiti) and Dili (Timor-Leste).

• High child death rates in slums are rooted in disadvantage, deprivation and

discrimination.

• Among capital cities in high-income countries, Washington, DC has the highest

infant death risk and great inequality. Washington, DC had the highest infant

mortality rate at 6.6 deaths per 1000 live births in 2013 which is 3 times the rates

found in Tokyo and Stockholm.

• In cities around the world, the poorest urban children are at least twice as likely to

die as the richest urban children.

• The top five countries showing lower U5MR are: Prague (Czech Republic),

Stockholm (Sweden), Oslo (Norway), Tokyo (Japan) and Lisbon (Portugal).

Top 10 countries in the Mother Index

Rank Country

1 Norway

2 Finland

3 Iceland

4 Denmark

5 Swedan

6 Netherlands



7 Spain

8 Germany

9 Australia

10 Belgium

Bottom 10 Countries in the Mother Index

Rank Country

169 Haiti & Sierra Leone

170 Guinea-Buisseau

171 Chad

172 Ivory Coast

173 Gambia

174 Niger

175 Mali

176 Central African Reblic

178 DR Congo

179 Somalia

Recommendations of the report

• The final post-2015 framework (Sustainable Development Goals) should include

an explicit commitment to equitably ending preventable child and maternal deaths

with measurable targets.

• Commit to leaving no one behind by embedding equity in the final post-2015

framework.

• Improve the health of the urban poor by ensuring universal health coverage.



• All governments must follow through on Nutrition for Growth commitments and

ensure that the World Health Assembly nutrition targets are met.

• National governments should develop and invest in integrated, cross-sectoral

urban policies, strategies and plans that include maternal, newborn and child

health (MNCH) and nutrition, as well as investments in improved access to clean

water, sanitation and primary education.

• National governments and donors should invest in strengthening data collection

to better identify disadvantaged groups, track quality and use of services and

monitor progress against agreed upon plans and targets.

• Mobilize resources to end preventable child deaths in poor urban areas.

The report with respect to India

India is placed at the 140th position in the Mother’s Index which ranks countries on

five key factors viz., Risk of maternal death, Under-five mortality rate, Educational

status, Economic achievement and Political status.

Further, as per the report, India along with Bangladesh has over half of poor urban

children who are stunted compared to 20 percent or less of the wealthiest children

and the urban poor are 3.2 times more likely to die compared to the urban rich in

Delhi.

In the period between 1990 and 2013, under-5 mortality rate (U5MR) in India declined

by 54.4 percent as against the global progress of 44.8 percent.

Globally every 5th child is born in India and any improvement in Infant Mortality Rate

(IMR) of even a single state can positively impact the global situation.



SUMMIT | CONFERENCE

India assumed Presidency of the 68th World Health Assembly after 19 years

India on 18 May 2015 assumed Presidency of the 68th World Health Assembly (WHA)

after 19 years. The session was presided by the Union Minister of Health & Family

Welfare Jagat Prakash Nadda at Geneva.

The 68th World Health Assembly will be held from 18 May 2015 to 27 May 2015.

The 68th World Health Assembly will deliberate on key issues of global interest

including anti-microbial resistance, air pollution and health, global health emergency,

preparedness and surveillance, global strategy and plan of action on public health,

innovation and intellectual property, and research and development in neglected

tropical diseases.

The World Health Assembly (WHA) is the forum through which the World Health

Organization (WHO) is governed by its 194 member states. It is the world’s highest

health policy setting body and is composed of health ministers from member states.

Dr Roberto Morales Ojeda, Minister of Public Health of Cuba, was the President of

the 67th World Health Assembly held in Geneva from 19 May -24 May 2014.

6th National Conference on Nuclear Energy held in New Delhi

6th National Conference on Nuclear Energy was held in New Delhi on 15 May 2015.

The Conference was organised by ASSOCHAM with the themeNuclear Energy: a

Clean Energy option.



This conference is unique in many ways as 2015 happens to be the year of diamond

jubilee celebrations of the setting up of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC).

The conference discussed the issue related to the status of Nuclear Energy in India.

India is on course to double its nuclear power generation capacity to more than

10,000 mega watts (MW) over the next five years i.e. 2020.

Nuclear power plants account for 3.5% of India’s current electricity generation, and

its share in India’s future electricity generation will be less than 10% even if the

installed capacity is tripled. However, along with other sources of energy such as

hydropower and solar-power, it will play a role in reducing India’s reliance on coal for

generating electricity.



COMMITTEES | COMMISSIONS

Union Government formed a Committee to oversee Bhim Jayanti celebrations

The Union Government on 30 May 2015 formed a committee under the Chairpersonship

of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to oversee the celebrations of 125th anniversary of

Dr BR Ambedkar, also called Bhim Jayanti which is annually celebrated on 14 April.

The Committee was formed to suggest different programmes and activities to be

undertaken by various Ministries and Departments and States and Union Territories

(UTs). These activities and celebrations are aimed at spreading the thoughts and

ideas of Dr BR Ambedkar.

Apart from the Prime Minister, the committee consists of eleven members of the Union

Council of Ministers including Home, Finance, External Affairs and Social Justice and

Empowerment Ministers and six other members representing states and civil society.

The Committee can co-opt other members with the approval of the Chairperson.

The Secretary in the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment will act as the

Member-Secretary of the committee.

Dr BR Ambedkar was called the Father of Indian Constitution as he was the Chairman

of the Drafting Committee of Indian Constitution. The hard work done by him in

the drafting of the Constitution made it a powerful tool for social and economic

empowerment of the downtrodden.



Union Ministry of Finance constituted Committee on Revisiting & Revitalizing PPP Model

Union Ministry of Finance on 26 May 2015 constituted a Committee on Revisiting and

Revitalizing the Public Private Partnership (PPP) Model of Infrastructure Development

under the Chairmanship of Vijay Kelkar.

Vijay Kelkar is a former Finance Secretary and Chairman, National Institute of Public

Finance and Policy (NIPFP), New Delhi.

The decision is in tune with the announcement made on 28 February 2015 by the

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley while presenting the 2015-16 budget.

The Terms of Reference of the Committee

• Review of the experience of PPP Policy, including the variations in contents of

contracts and difficulties experienced with particular variations or conditions, if

any.

• Analysis of risks involved in PPP projects in different sectors and existing framework

of sharing of such risks between the project developer and the Government,

thereby suggesting optimal risk sharing mechanism.

• Propose design modifications to the contractual arrangements of the PPP based

on the above and international best practices and our institutional context.

• Measure to improve capacity building in Government for effective implementation

of the PPP projects.

Members of the Committee

C S Rajan, Chief Secretary, Government of Rajasthan

S B Nayar, CMD, IIFCL, New Delhi

Dr. Shekhar Shah, Director General, NCAER

Pradeep Kumar, MD, CBG, State Bank of India



Vikram Limaye, MD, IDFC

Sudipto Sarkar, Barrister-at-law, Kolkata

P S Behuria, IRS (Retd)

Representative of Ministry of Road Transport and Highways – not below the rank of

Joint Secretary

Sharmila Chavaly, Joint Secretary in the Department of Economic Affairs will be the

Member Secretary of the committee.

The committee is mandated to submit the report by 26 June 2015.

Infrastructure Development Finance Company (IDFC) will provide secretarial

assistance to the Committee.



ART | CULTURE

Picasso’s painting Les Femme d’Alger sold for 179.3 million US dollars

Pablo Picasso’s painting Les Femme d’Alger (Version O) was on 11 May 2015 sold

for 179.3 million US dollars during an auction at Christie’s in New York.

With this sale, this painting became the most expensive painting to be sold at an

auction. Les Femme d’Alger, a 1955 painting known in English asThe Women of

Algiers had a pre-auction estimate of 140 million US dollars.

The previous world record for a painting sold at an auction was 142.4 million US

dollars for British painter Francis Bacon’s Three Studies of Lucian Freud.

About the painting Les Femme d’Alger

Pablo Picasso, the Spanish painter and sculptor, painted a series of fifteen variations

of Les Femme d’Alger painting between December 1954 and February 1955. The

paintings depict Algerian women in a harem smoking a hookah.

Picasso designated the series alphabetically as versions A through O. The version

sold is Version O, the last of the series.

President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated Namaste Russia fes-tival in Moscow

The President of India Pranab Mukherjee on 10 May 2015 inaugurated Namaste

Russia festival in Moscow, Russia.



Features of Namaste Russia Festival

• It is intended to deepen engagement of Russians with contemporary and classical

Indian culture by showcasing Indian Culture in Russia.

• As part of the festival, the Russian Ministry of Culture will support the initiatives

of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) in sending Indian teachers of

music and dance to regional centres in Russia from May 2015 to October 2015.

• Special emphasis will be on encouraging the participation of youth of both the

countries in cultural exchanges.

• The logo for the festival was designed by a young Russian from the Russian town

of Krasnoyarsk, who succeeded in an open competition participated by both

Indians and Russians.



ABBREVIATIONS | TERMS

Five women suspended for anti-doping rule violations named for TOP Scheme

The abbreviation TOP (Target Olympic Podium) Scheme formulated by Union

Government under the National Sports Development Fund (NSDF) was in news on

28 May 2015.

It was in news because Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports added names of

five women for TOP Scheme who were suspended for anti-doping rule violations

between mid-2011 and mid-2013.

These five women were named among the 39 athletes who were added to the list.

All these women, namely Priyanka Panwar, Ashwini Akkunji, Jauna Murmu, Sini Jose

and Mandeep Kaur are 400m runners. The TOP Scheme was formulated with the

objective of identifying and supporting potential medal prospects for 2016 and 2020

Olympic Games. The focused disciplines of the scheme were Athletics, Archery,

Badminton, Boxing, Wrestling and Shooting.

For this purpose, a committee named Top Scheme Elite Athletes Identification

Committee was constituted for laying down elaborate norms for selection of the right

candidates, review of performance and operation of the scheme.

The chairman of the committee is Anurag Thakur, a member of Lok Sabha from

Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh and other members were Rahul Dravid, Pullela

Gopichand, Abhinav Bindra and MC Mary Kom. Under the TOP scheme the selected

athletes will be provided financial assistance for their customized training at Institutes

having world class facilities and other necessary support.



Yogathon to be hosted in 100 US cities on First International Yoga Day

Yogathon is an event that will be celebrated in more than 100 US cities on 21 June

2015, the first International Yoga Day. It is a type of campaign to spread the awareness

about Yoga.

The event is being organised by about 50 major spiritual and Yoga organisations like

Art of Living, Overseas Volunteer for a Better India (OVBI) and others.

The United Nations (UN) on 11 December 2014 declared 21 June as the World Yoga

Day following a proposal of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He made a proposal

and urged the world community to celebrate Indian Yoga at the international level

during his visit to the United Nations in September 2014.

Abraj Kudai, world’s biggest hotel, set to open in Mecca in 2017

Abraj Kudai: The world’s biggest hotel project which is under construction in Mecca,

Saudi Arabia

The term Abraj Kudai was in news in the last week of May 2015 as it was described

as the world’s biggest hotel. It is set to open in 2017.

Features of Abraj Kudai

• Once completed, it will be the world’s largest hotel featuring 10000 bedrooms. At

present, the Venetian Macao situated in Macau, China is the world’s largest hotel

having 3000 rooms.

• It is located 2.2 km south of the Holy Haram (Grand Mosque) at the Manafia area

in Makkah’s central zone in Saudi Arabia.

• It has a total site area of approximately 60000 square meter and total built-up area

of around 1.4 million square metre.



• It consists of a large podium topped by 12 towers accommodating several elements

such as a podium housing a bus station, a shopping mall, 70 restaurants and food

courts, a convention center and four helipads.

• The 45 stories tall, the desert fortress-style hotel is being built at a cost of 3.6

billion US dollars.

• The project is funded by the Saudi Ministry of Finance and designed by the Dar

al-Handasah group.

ISRO announced to commission MOTR in June 2015

MOTR: Multi-Object Tracking Radar

The term Multi-Object Tracking Radar (MOTR) was in news on 15 May 2015 as the

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced its plans to commission the

radar in June 2015.

It has been entirely designed and built indigenously by the ISRO in collaboration with

22 private entities except the Radome, the dome structure which protects the radar

antenna and related equipment from environment. Radome was imported from USA.

Key Features of Multi-Object Tracking Radar (MOTR)

• It is capable of tracking 10 different objects at a time including 50 cm X 50 cm

object size at a slant range of 1000 kilometer long range and 30 cm X 30 cm size

at a slant range of 800 kilometer in Low Earth Orbit (LEO).

• Unlike the disc radars that keep spinning, the 35-tonne radar is a stationary,

12-metre-long, 8-metre-tall and contains 4068 individual radiating elements.

• It emits radio-frequency waves that combine to form a single beam. The beam can

be electronically steered so that a third of the sky is scanned. Since the radar’s

base can be rotated to three positions, the entire sky can be covered.

• It was built at a lower cost when compared to other space agencies in the world

which developed similar technologies for around 900 crore rupees. The MOTR

was developed for around 245 crore rupees only.



Importance of MOTR

• The existing radars, which ISRO has six in its control, are capable of tracking

single objects only and are limited in their utility by covering only larger objects.

The induction of MOTR will help the ISRO in its future missions including the

space capsule recovery, reusable launch vehicle and human space programmes

and tracking space debris.

• Regular tracking of space debris is required to update the space debris catalogue

and to protect the country’s space assets from any possible collision with them.

• The MOTR will help in achieving self-reliance in similar enedeavours. Between

2010 and 2015 ISRO changed and re-aligned the position of at least 12 satellites to

avoid collision with debris. These operations were done by utilizing the resources

of NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration).

• It can also be used in Airports, meteorology related operations, vertical wind

profiling and in defense.

The project received the approval in 2012 and was completed in the scheduled time

which ended on February 2015. At present it is in the testing stage.

By commissioning the technology India will join the elite league consisting of USA,

Canada, Japan, Israel and European Union (EU) which have the similar capabilities.

GIC held consultations on the creation of Nuclear Insurance Pool (NIP)

Nuclear Insurance Pool: A common insurance pool to pay for nuclear damages under

the CLND Act, 2010

The term Nuclear Insurance Pool (NIP) was in news in April and May 2015 as the General

Insurance Corporation of India (GIC) was collecting views from the stakeholders in

the Insurance industry and Nuclear Energy sector about the creation of the NIP.



The NIP is intended to cover the liability of Nuclear Plant operators and Equipment

and Material Suppliers under Civil Liability for Nuclear Damages (CLND) Act, 2010 in

case of nuclear accidents.

The creation of the Pool has become necessary due to the reluctance of the foreign

nuclear equipment suppliers to participate in the nuclear trade with India as the CNLD

Act, 2010 has imposed liability on them in case of nuclear accidents.

The GIC is given the responsibility by the Union Government for the creation of the

NIP and it will be of 1500 crore rupees and the GIC will invest 750 crore rupees in it.

At present, nuclear plants in India only have insurance cover for zones that are outside

the area of radiation and reactors. However, the NIP will provide insurance cover for

both hot zones (radiation and nuclear reactors) and cold zones (outside the reactor

areas).

Algorithmic Trading caused BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty to close at lowest level in 2015

Algorithmic Trading: Usage of Computers to execute trades based on pre-defined

instructions

The term Algorithmic Trading or Algo-Trading or Black-Box Trading was in news on 6

May 2015 since they triggered the two major stock indices Bombay Stock Exchange

(BSE) Sensex and National Stock Exchange (NSE) Nifty to close at lowest levels

since 17 December 2014.

\Algo-trading refers to those trade practices which are done by computers loaded

with pre-defined instructions. In this, automated order execution engines perform

trade without any human intervention when certain predefined market conditions

such as indices reaching a particular level (whether in bullish or bearish conditions)

are met.

Algorithmic trading is primarily used by institutional traders such as investment banks,

pension funds, mutual funds, etc.



Advantages of Algo-Trading

• It helps in executing trade at a huge speed and frequency, not possible for a

human trader. As a result, emotional human impacts on trading activities can be

circumvented.

• It makes markets more liquid as more orders are placed in the market.

• It helps in identifying trading opportunities in a milliseconds based on the codes

written by the trader ensuring that trading opportunities are not missed.

• It helps in identifying mispricing and instances of inefficiency very fast by rapidly

closing in on arbitrage opportunities.

Disadvantages of Algo-Trading

• It increases the volatility in the market and stock prices by generating massive

orders within few seconds.

• If erroneous programmes are allowed to run they can distort market prices to a

large extent.

As per an estimate, Algorithmic trading accounts for a third of the total volume on

Indian cash shares and almost half of the volume in the derivatives segment. Earlier in

March 2012,the stock market regulatorSecurity and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)

issued an order saying that all the Algo-Trading orders must be routed through broker

servers located in India in order to regulate them.



ACCIDENT | INCIDENT

Tornado struck northern city of Ciudad Acuna in Mexico

Ciudad Acuna in Mexico was in news as on 25 May 2015 it was hit by a tornado

killing at least 13 people and injuring several.

It was the first tornado to hit Acuna since the city’s foundation, more than 100 years

ago. The city Acuna lies on US-Mexico border.

The tornado that attained the speed of 270-300 kilometer per hour at one point also

damaged or destroyed hundreds of homes of the city.

Rescue work is being carried out by digging through the rubble of damaged homes

in a race to find victims.

On the other hand, in the United States (US), the tornado that stretched from the

Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes dumped record rainfall on parts of the Plains

and Midwest causing major flooding and forcing at least 2000 Texans to leave their

homes.



SCIENCE | SPACE

Union Cabinet approved PSLV Continuation Programme for launching 15 flights PSLV-C36 to PSLV-C50

The Union Cabinet on 21 May 2015 approved Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)

Continuation Programme consisting of fifteen operational flights PSLV-C36 to

PSLV-C50.

As part of the programme fifteen operational flights PSLV-C36 to PSLV-C50 will be

launched during the period 2017-2020 at a cost of around 3090 crore rupees.

The programme will help meet the demand for the launch of satellites at a frequency

of four to five launches per year, with a greater focus on enhancing the level of

participation by the Indian industry.

It will also enable the launch of satellites required for Earth Observation, Navigation

and Space Sciences along with the possibility of clinching commercial launch service

contracts.

PSLV Success Story

Since its first operational flight in 1997, the PSLV has made the country self-reliant

in the launching capability of satellites for earth observation, disaster management,

navigation and space sciences. It has also emerged as a versatile vehicle to carry out

Sun-Synchronous Polar Orbit (SSPO), Geo-synchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) and

low inclination Low Earth Orbit (LEO) missions.

So far, PSLV has completed three developmental and twenty-five operational flights

and the last twenty-seven flights have been successively successful. The last

successful launch was of PSLV-C26 that took place on 16 October 2014.



The PSLV Continuation Programme will sustain this capability and self-reliance in the

launching of similar satellites for national requirements.

Union Cabinet Approved Building and Launching of GSAT-17 and GSAT-18 Communication Satellites

The Union Cabinet on 6 May 2015 gave its nod for building and launching of GSAT-17

and GSAT-18 communication satellites.

These two satellites with the structure similar to the GSAT-10 are aimed at providing

replacement capacity and in-orbit backup that is they will provide for continuance

of the services of existing users and augmenting in-orbit spare capacity to meet

emergencies.

GSAT-17 and GSAT-18 satellites will weigh about 3425 Kg each and will be built and

launched within 30 months at a cost of 1013.20 crore rupees and 1022 crore rupees

respectively.

The satellites will augment and support existing telecommunication, television and

Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) services in the entire mainland of the country.

About GSAT System

• The GSAT or Geosynchronous satellite is a constellation of communication

satellites developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) with an

objective to make India self-reliant in broadcasting services.

• Satellites are called GSAT because they function in a geosynchronous orbit around

the Earth.

• Till date, 12 satellites were launched under the system and among them only six

are operational.

• The first satellite in the series GSAT-1 was launched in April 2001 and the most

recent GSAT-16 satellite was launched in December 2014.



DAY | WEEK | YEAR

International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers observed across the world

The international Day of United Nations Peacekeepers was observed on 29 May

2015 with the theme Together for Peace.

To mark the occasion, various events were organised across the globe to commemorate

all brave men and women who have contributed towards establishing peace and

security in the war torn countries and ravaged societies across the world.

The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution in 2003 and designated 29 May as

the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers.

The day was established to honour the memory of the UN peacekeepers who have

lost their lives in the cause of peace and pay tribute to all the men and women who

have served and continue to serve in UN peacekeeping operations for their high level

of professionalism, dedication and courage.

On this day, the Dag Hammarskjold Medal is awarded posthumously to the

peacekeepers who lost the lives while serving in the cause of peace, during the

preceding year.

Incidentally, India began its tryst with UN Peacekeeping by providing the Custodian

Force in Korea in 1950. At present, Indian Army is among the top three contributors

to UN Missions.

Theme for the year 2014 was A Force for the Future.



UN observed International Day for Biological Diversity

22 May: International Day for Biological Diversity

The United Nations (UN) observed the International Day for Biological Diversity

(IBD) on 22 May 2015. The theme for the year 2015 isBiodiversity for Sustainable

Development.

This year theme highlights the relevance of biodiversity in achieving the goal of

sustainable development. It also highlights the importance of efforts made to

establish a set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as part of the UN Post-

2015 Development Agenda (2015-2030).

The selection of the theme also underlines the adoption of the Gangwon Declaration

at the 12th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological

Diversity (CBD) in South Korea in 2014.

The Gangwon Declaration recognised the importance of biodiversity in achieving

SDGs and called for the further integration and mainstreaming of biodiversity in the

Post-2015 Development Agenda.

May 22 was proclaimed as the International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB) in

December 2000 to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues and

to commemorate the adoption of Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD) on 22 May

1992 by the Nairobi Final Act.

Earlier 29 December was designated as IBD to commemorate the date of entry into

force of the CBD.

International Day of Families observed

International Day of Families was observed on 15 May 2015 with themeMen in

Charge? Gender Equality and Children’s Rights in Contemporary Families.

The 2015 theme aims to highlight gender equality and rights of children within families.

It also highlights prevention of family violence through fair family law frameworks and



a variety of programme interventions.

The day provides an opportunity to promote awareness of issues related to families

and to increase knowledge of the social, economic and demographic processes

affecting families. It highlights different areas of interest and importance of families.

The Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1993 and reflects the

importance the international community attaches to families.

On this day, a series of awareness-raising events like and conferences, radio and

television programmes, newspaper articles and cultural programmes related to theme

is held in different part of the world.

Anti Terrorism Day observed across India

21 May: Anti Terrorism Day/ Martyrdom of Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gan-dhi

Anti-Terrorism Day was observed across India on 21 May 2015. The day is annually

observed on the death anniversary of seventh Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi who was

assassinated at an election rally near Chennai by a suicide bomber from the LTTE on

21 May 1991.

The day is observed to make people aware of the ongoing terrorist activities and the

precautions to be taken by the commoners to prevent these acts of terrorism. Its

motive is to promote unity, peace and harmony across the nation.

On this day, government employees are administered an anti-terror and violence

pledge. Apart from this, several discussions, debates, cultural programmes and

lecturers are held on the issue of terrorism and violence across the country.

National Technology Day observed in India

11 May: National Technology Day

The National Technology Day was observed in India on 11 May 2015. Every year,



National Technology Day is celebrated across India on 11 May to memorize the

anniversary of Shakti, the Pokhran nuclear test held on 11 May 1998.

The day glorifies the importance of science in day to day life and motivates students

to adopt science as the career option. Several events are organized in various

engineering colleges and technical institutes to mark the occasion.

Lectures, competitions, quizzes, presentations and interactive sessions on different

aspects of science are organized all over the planet. The day is important for scientists,

engineers, planners and all others engaged in governance and nation building.

Moreover, the companies and individuals are awarded with National Technology

Awards for adopting new technologies by the president of India.

World Asthma Day 2015 observed with theme You Can Control Your Asthma

World Asthma Day 2015 was observed globally on 5 May 2015. Theme of the year is

You Can Control Your Asthma and sub-theme is It’s Time to Control Asthma.

World Asthma Day takes place on the first Tuesday of May. The inaugural World

Asthma Day was held in 1998.

The day is annually organized by the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) to improve

asthma awareness and care around the world.

About Asthma

Asthma is a common chronic inflammatory long-term disease of the lungs which

causes breathing problems by narrowing the airways. Symptoms of asthma include

breathlessness, coughing, wheezing, and feeling of tightness in the chest and

shortness of breath.

Asthma cannot be cured but the symptoms can be controlled enabling people with

asthma to live full lives.

Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA)



The Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) was launched in 1993 in collaboration with the

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, USA, and the

World Health Organization. It works with health care professionals and public health

officials around the world to reduce asthma prevalence, morbidity, and mortality.

World Press Freedom day observed globally

3 May: World Press Freedom day

The World Press Freedom day was observed globally on 3 May 2015. Every year,

over 100 national celebrations take place to commemorate this day. This year, the

theme of World Press Freedom day is Let Journalism Thrive! Towards better reporting,

gender equality and media safety in the digital age.

The day marks the celebrations of the fundamental principles of press freedom to

evaluate press freedom around the world, to defend the media from attacks on their

independence and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the exercise

of their profession.

Generally, UNESCO on this day identifies the global theme and organizes the main

event in different parts of world every year.

Background

World Press Freedom Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in December

1993, following the recommendation of UNESCO’s General Conference in 1991.

Since then, 3 May is celebrated worldwide as World Press Freedom Day.

This day also marks the anniversary of the Declaration of Windhoek, a statement of

free press principles put together by African newspaper journalists in 1991.



MISCELLANEOUS

IGBC reported India registered 3 billion sq ft green building foot-print

Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) on 21 May 2015 reported that India has

registered green building projects of over three billion sq ft area. The achievement

has put India at the second position in the world green building footprint. IGBC aims

to rope in 10 billion sq ft by 2022.

IGBC is a part of the industry body Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), which is

involved in promoting the green building movement in India.

The reason for this significant progress is the fact that stakeholders are realising

that green buildings make good business sense. This key proposition is encouraging

them to go the green buildings way.

A green building is one which uses less water, optimises energy efficiency, conserves

natural resources, generates less waste and provides healthier spaces for occupants,

as compared to a conventional building.

The residential building sector is one of the largest consumers of electricity in India.

Continuous urbanisation and the growth of population result in increasing power

consumption in buildings.

India reached 6th position in terms of scientific publications

Department of Science and Technology on 21 May 2015 said that India reached sixth

position in terms of scientific publications. Earlier, India stood at the tenth position in



terms of publishing scientific research papers in different journals.

Secretary, Department of Science and Technology Ashutosh Sharma gave this

information at a function organised by Research Council UK (RCUK) in New Delhi

to mark the progress between United Kingdom and India in the field of scientific

research.

At present, India and UK are collaborating in various sectors in fields like nuclear

energy, solar energy, monsoon and public health, rejuvenation of Ganga River and

climate change. In 2011, the scientific collaboration between India and UK was just

few million pounds, which has risen to 150 million pounds, at present.

President inaugurated 50th anniversary of India’s first historic climb of Mt. Everest in 1965

President Pranab Mukherjee on 20 May 2015 inaugurated the 50th anniversary of

India’s first historic climb of Mount Everest in 1965 at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The event

was organized by the Indian Mountaineering Foundation.

On 20 May 1965, Indian team led by Captain Mohan Singh Kohli of Indian Navy made

history by climbing 8848-metres high Mt. Everest, the world’s highest peak, for the

first time after a series of three unsuccessful attempt in as many as five years.

The team of Kohli comprised of 21-man and out of these nine men were successful

in reaching the summit.

Nawang Gombu, the Sherpa who was the member of the team, became the first

person to reach the summit twice, firstly with an American expedition in 1963.

Kohli, now 83, wrote a book on the expedition titled Nine Atop Everest.



Singapore PM Lee opened first museum Indian Heritage Centre in Little India

Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong on 7 May 2015 opened first museum Indian Heritage

Centre in Little India.

The museum was dedicated to Indian history. Singapore is celebrating 50 years of its

independence in 2015 as well as 50 years of diplomatic relations with India.

The Government of India has presented busts of four nationalist leaders to Singapore’s

Indian Heritage Centre (IHC). IHC is now open to the public.

The nationalist leaders’ busts - including of Mahatama Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore,

Pandit Jawarhalal Nehru and Netaji Subash Chandra Bose - are displayed in IHC’s

gallery on Social and Political Awakening in Singapor.

The IHC is built at a cost of 16 million Singapore dollars and managed by the country’s

National Heritage Board.

The four-storey building is located in the heart of Little India, and blends traditional

Indian and modern architectural elements.

Its thematic galleries showcase diverse stories of various groups within Singapore’s

Indian community and their rich links with the global Indian diaspora.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi released commemorative coin on Swami Chinmayananda

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 8 May 2015 released a commemorative coin to

mark the birth centenary of Swami Chinmayananda in New Delhi.

Swami Chinmayananda born as Balakrishna Menon on 8 May 1916 pioneered works

in the field of education and social reform. He died on 3 August 1993.

The Hindu spiritual leader and teacher inspired the formation of Chinmaya Mission,



a worldwide nonprofit organisation, to spread the knowledge of Advaita Vedanta,

the non dual system of thought found in the Upanishads, which epitomise the

philosophical teachings of the Vedas.

He saw the need to inculcate India’s great culture and spiritual traditions, through

the English medium, among an elite class of people, who had moved away from this

heritage.



WORLD DAIRY (MAY 2015)

1 May 2015

• Tennis player Rafael Nadal received Golden Medal for Merit in Work of Spain

• Global warming will lead to extinction of 1 in 6 species by end of century: Study

2 May 2015

• Third India-Tunisia Foreign Office Consultations held in Tunis

• Russian ballet legend Maya Plisetskaya died

• 14th Edition of Indo-French Naval Exercise VARUNA 2015 concluded

3 May 2015

• World Press Freedom day observed globally

• Australia announced new punishments for foreigner investors breaking rules on

buying property

• Mazen Darwish honoured with 2015 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press

Freedom Prize

• Michael Blake, Oscar-winning author, passed away

• Lu Ping, Chinese diplomat who oversaw Hong Kong transition, died

• Floyd Mayweather Jr. defeated Manny Pacquiao to win Fight of the Century of

Boxing

• Roger Federer won the inaugural Istanbul Open Tennis Men’s Singles Title



• Chelsea won Barclays Premier League 2014-15 title with 1-0 win over Crystal

Palace

11 May 2015

• IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) adopted environmental

section of Polar Code

• KV Kamath appointed as first President of New Development Bank of BRICS

nations

• Indian-origin Priti Patel appointed as Minister of State for Employment in British

Government

• Pop artist Chris Burden passed away

• Picasso’s painting Les Femme d’Alger sold for 179.3 million US dollars

12 May 2015

• Indian-American professor Dr. Sivanadane Mandjiny won UNC’s 2015 Award for

Excellence in Teaching

• Indian author Neel Mukherjee won 2014 Encore Award for The Lives of Others

• Indian-American Sivanadane Mandjiny won UNC Board of Governors 2015 Award

• Indian-Origin Harbhajan Kaur Dheer became first Asian woman elected as Mayor

in UK

• Peter Gay, Eminent American historian on European Thought passed away

13 May 2015

• Vatican recognised Palestine as State in the Holy See-Palestine Joint Statement

• World Economic Forum (WEF) released The Human Capital Report 2015



• Indian-American boy Karan Menon won 2015 National Geographic Bee

Championship

14 May 2015

• Japanese Scientists discovered new state of matter called Jahn-Teller-metal

• Riley B. King, the King of Blues, passed away

• UNESCAP released Survey titled Making Growth More Inclusive for Sustainable

Development

• Microsoft Sunrise launched Meet Keyboard

15 May 2015

• Palestinians observed 67th Nakba Day

• DD, CCTV signed agreement for exchange of art, culture programmes

• PM Narendra Modi announced e-Visa facility for Chinese Tourists

• India and China Signed 24 Agreements to Enhance Bilateral Co-operation

• Opah, the world’s first fully warm-blooded fish species, discovered by researchers

16 May 2015

• Former Army Brigadier David Granger sworn-in as eighth President of Guyana

• ICICI bank opened its first branch in China

17 May 2015

• Pope Francis Canonizes Two 19th-Century Palestinian Nuns as Saints

• India and Mongolia signed 13 agreements to enhance bilateral relations



• Brad Haddin, the Australia wicketkeeper retired from ODI cricket

• Novak Djokovic won 4th Rome Masters Tennis title

18 May 2015

• Joe Root and Charlotte Edwards named England cricketers of the year 2014-15

• EU approved plan to use Naval Force to combat Smugglers and tackle Migration

crisis

• US President Obama banned certain military-style equipment provided to US

police

• India, South Korea signed 7 agreements to upgrade relations to special strategic

partnership level

• UNCTAD released a report titled Global Investment Trends Monitor

• Indian-American Harkeert Singh Saini won Prestigious Police Award in Texas, US

19 May 2015

• UN released World Economic Situation and Prospects Mid-2015 Update

• Maria Elena South, driest place on earth, discovered in Atacama Desert

• 9th Session of the India-South Africa Joint Ministerial Commission held in Durban

• Hungarian writer Laszlo Krasznahorkai won the 2015 Man Booker International

Prize

• Tamils in Sri Lanka commemorated war dead for the first time at Mullivaikkal village

20 May 2015

• British magazine SportsPro released World’s 50 Most Marketable 2015 report



• NASA’s Spacecraft provided first direct measurement for Type Ia Supernovae

caused by white dwarfs

• Environmental Democracy Index 2015 released; India at 24th position

• Ranjit Singh Baxi elected as Head of Bureau of International Recycling

• Veteran jazz musician Bob Belden passed away

• UBS AG Bank of Switzerland agreed to pay 203 million US dollars for manipulating

LIBOR

• Huawei launched LiteOS, world’s most lightweight IoT operating system (OS)

21 May 2015

• US Army developed Blast proof wallpaper to protect soldiers from explosions

• Palmyra, an ancient Syrian city, captured by ISIS militants

• Akhil Reed Amar appointed as member of the National Council on Humanities of

US

22 May 2015

• British actor Terry Sue-Patt passed away

23 May 2015

• Nobel Awardee mathematician John Forbes Nash Jr. died

24 May 2015

• Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg of Germany won Monaco Grand Prix of Formula

One

• Argentine footballer Cristian Gomez died



• Cannes Films Festival 2015: French director Jacques Audiard bagged Palme d’Or

25 May

• India and Vietnam signed Joint Vision Statement on Defence Cooperation 2015-

2020

• UAE launched Strategic Framework for its Space Agency

• Switzerland named two Indians under probe in its official gazette

• Kumar Sangakkara named CEAT International Cricketer of the Year 2015

• 2000 year old Water supply system unearthed in Umm Tuba quarter of Israel

• NRI scientist Latha Venkataraman created first single-molecule device

• Eminent American Photographer Mary Ellen Mark passed away

• Tornado struck northern city of Ciudad Acuna in Mexico

26 May

• Department of Homeland Security (DHS) of USA granted work Permit for H-4 visa

holders

• NATO launched Arctic Challenge Exercise in the north of Norway, Sweden and

Finland

• Forbes released the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women 2015 list

• Trevor Bayliss appointed as head coach of England Cricket Team

• Abraj Kudai, world’s biggest hotel, set to open in Mecca in 2017

27 May

• UNSC adopted resolution on protection of journalists in conflict zones



• US state of Nebraska abolished death penalty

• Seven FIFA Officials arrested on bribery charges in Zurich by Switzerland authorities

• Sevilla FC won Europa League title

• State of Food Insecurity in the World 2015 report released

• Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair resigned as Special Envoy of the Middle East

Quartet

• Indian-origin teacher Gurnimrat Nimmy Sidhu named for Oxford University award

28 May

• Nigerian Army launched operations to flush out Boko Haram from Sambisa Forest

29 May

• Sepp Blatter re-elected as FIFA President

• International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers observed across the world

• The China Model: Political Meritocracy and the Limits of Democracy released

• Winner of three Wimbledon titles in a day, Doris Hart, died at 89

30 May

• Yogathon to be hosted in 100 US cities of first International Yoga Day

31 May

• Ex-Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili appointed as Governor of Ukraine’s

Odessa region

• Barcelona won King’s Cup final triumph



• WHO launched campaign against illicit trade of tobacco products on World No

Tobacco Day 2015



INDIA DAIRY (MAY 2015)

1 May 2015

• Nitin Gadkari dedicated two Major Highway Projects in the North East to the Nation

• Union Ministry of Tourism released Draft National Tourism Policy 2015

• Andhra Pradesh and Telangana introduced 5 lakh rupees Accident Insurance

Scheme for transport

• Surender Singh took over as Director General of CISF

• DoT extended deadline of full implementation of Mobile Number Portability (MNP)

till 3 July 2015

• BHEL commissioned 195 MW Thermal Unit of KBUNL in Bihar

2 May 2015

• Veteran Journalist Amitabha Chowdhury passed away at 88

3 May 2015

• Dr Mahesh Sharma inaugurated Puducherry Science Centre and Planetarium

• NTPC signed MoA with Jharkhand Government for maintaining Patratu Thermal

Power Station

• Cow-urine refinery inaugurated at Pathmeda village for research on cow products

• Baleshwar Ram, former Union Minister passed away

• Indian Army emerged champions in 19th Federation Cup National Athletic



Championships

• Sandeep Jajodia removed as the president of Boxing India (BI)

• Railways won the 5th Hockey India Senior Women National Championship 2015

11 May 2015

• Lok Sabha passed Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets (Imposition of Tax) Bill

2015

• RBI advised all Public Sector Banks to appoint Internal Ombudsman

• Telangana Government signed MoU with Google to build a campus in Hyderabad

• India Post launched Dedicated E-Commerce Centre in New Delhi

• Hyderabad to host Indo-Global Pharma Expo and Summit 2015 in July

• National Technology Day observed in India

• Union Finance Ministry appointed Justice AP Shah Committee to look into the

issue of MAT on FIIs

• K Satish Reddy appointed as Chairman of National Safety Council (NSC)

• President authorized Justice Cyriac Joseph to act as interim NHRC Chairperson

12 May 2015

• President of India appointed four Governors and transferred two

• RBI released the report titled State Finances: A Study of Budgets of 2014-15

• Moody’s released the report Global Macro Outlook: 2015-16

• Lee Alan Johnson named Head Coach of U-19 football team of India

• UP Government launched Samajwadi Shudha Payjal Yojna for UP Roadways bus

stations



• Bengali Writer Suchitra Bhattacharya passed away

13 May 2015

• Union Cabinet approved Namami Gange programme under National Ganga River

Basin Authority (NGRBA)

• Supreme Court issued Guidelines on Regulating Government Advertisements

• Union Cabinet approved amendments to Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation)

Amendment Bill, 2012

• Benami Transactions (Prohibition) (Amendment) Bill, 2015 introduced in Lok Sabha

• CCEA gave its approval for 5% disinvestment in NTPC and 10% in Indian Oil

Corporation

• Rajya Sabha passed The Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2014

• Lok Sabha approved Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Bill, 2015

• Punjab government launched pan-state programme to monitor the soil health of

every farm

14 May 2015

• Union Government approved Gujarat State Climate Change Action Plan 2015-

2020

• Union Ministry of Minority Affairs launched USTAAD Scheme for Traditional Artisans

• RBI allowed Tap And Pay without PIN for transactions up to 2000 rupees

• Maharashtra government banned digging of borewells deeper than 200 feet

• MHRD Gave Nod for Setting up IIIT in Nagpur, Maharashtra

• Indian Scientists found a rare plant with anti-cancer properties in Western Ghats

• President Pranab Mukherjee conferred the Presidential Awards for Classical Tamil



15 May 2015

• Union Government launched Kayakalp Award Scheme to improve cleanliness in

Public Health Facilities

• Union Government decided to implement NERS for women in distress

• Union Government launched Road Asset Management System for National

Highways

• Bengaluru airport signed a contract with SITA to allow self check-in from June

2015

• Gagan Narang Won Bronze in 50m Rifle Prone Men Event at ISSF Rifle/Pistol

World Cup in Fort Benning

• ISRO announced to commission MOTR in June 2015

• MJ Joseph appointed as Controller General of Accounts

• Anurradha Prasad conferred with Pt. Haridutt Sharma Award for Journalism and

Social Services

• 6th National Conference on Nuclear Energy held in New Delhi

16 May 2015

• Official website of 10th World Hindi Conference launched

• Ravishankar Prasad inaugurated first postal ATM in Bihar

17 May 2015

• Union government allocated 5000 crore for development of AYUSH



18 May 2015

• Union Government launched official website of NITI Aayog with blog section

• India Meteorological Department signed MoU with POSOCO Ltd to increase

efficiency of power sector

• India assumed Presidency of the 68th World Health Assembly after 19 years

• Mumbai KEM Nurse Aruna Shanbaug died after 42-years in coma

• Union Government sanctioned 30 new cold storage projects

• New Catfish Species Glyptothorax Senapatiensis discovered in Manipur

• Draupadi Murmu sworn in as first woman Governor of Jharkhand

• Himachal Pradesh to host Paragliding World Cup 2015

• SS Ahluwalia appointed as Chairman of JPC on Land Acquisition Amendment Bill,

2015

• HDFC Bank launched HDFC Bank Apollo Medical Benefits Card

• Infosys announced to become carbon neutral by 2018

• Infosys became the first Indian Company to Join RE100 Renewable Energy

Campaign

19 May 2015

• Union Ministry of Finance released draft outline of Gold Monetization Scheme

(GMS)

• ISRO announced to launch ASTROSAT in October 2015

• Blue whales spotted for the 1st time in 100 years off Sindhudurg coast in

Maharashtra

• Delhi Government decided to launch Pay & Play Scheme to promote sports

• PM Narendra Modi concluded his three-nation tour to China, Mongolia and South



Korea

• Fourth Corvette of Project-28 christened Kavaratti launched

20 May 2015

• Union finance Ministry constituted Shah Committee to look into the issue of MAT

on FIIs

• SEBI notified the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Mutual Funds)

Regulations, 2015

• Ecologists found a new species of fish called Pethia striata in Western Ghats,

Karnataka

• World Bank approved 250 million dollar credit for Enhancing Teacher Effectiveness

in Bihar

• Tathagata Roy sworn in as Governor of Tripura

• Mumbai’s Siddhivinayak temple received ISO 9001-2008 certification

• Maharashtra decided to amend Factories Act, 1948 to allow women to work in

night shifts

• TP Senkumar appointed as DGP of Kerala

• US President Barack Obama entered Guinness Book of World Record

• Shanmuganathan sworn in as Meghalaya Governor

• Indigenously developed Astra Missile successfully test fired from ITR Chandipur

in Odisha

• Eminent Economist Mrinal Datta Chaudhuri passed away

• President inaugurated 50th anniversary of India’s first historic climb of Mt. Everest

in 1965

• Actress Sudha Shivpuri died



21 May 2015

• Union Cabinet approved revised FDI norms for NRIs, PIOs and OCIs

• Union Cabinet gave its approval for setting up Ammonia-Urea Complex at Namrup

in Assam

• Shuttler Saina Nehwal of India ranked No.1 in single rankings released by BWF

• Andaman & Nicobar Police proposed to reserve 33% seats for women

• India reached 6th position in terms of scientific publications

• Nelong Valley in Uttarakhand opened first time for tourists after closure in 1962

• IGBC reported India registered 3 billion sq ft green building footprint

• Panneerselvam resigned as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu

• Union Cabinet approved PSLV Continuation Programme for launching 15 flights

PSLV-C36 to PSLV-C50

• Mirage 2000 fighter jet landed on Yamuna Expressway as part of developing road

runways

• Anti Terrorism Day observed across India

22 May 2015

• 20th Law Commission submitted report on Guardianship and Custody Laws to

the Union Law Ministry

• Expert committee on Health Insurance recommended changes in disclaimer

wordings

• Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) appointed G Mohan Kumar as

Defence Secretary

• UN observed International Day for Biological Diversity



• SAIL and ArcelorMittal signed MoU to set up Automotive Steel Plant in India

23 May 2015

• Indian boxers won three Gold at World Junior Women’s boxing Championship

• Indian boxer won four Gold Medals at Doha International Boxing tournament 2015

• Indian Film Masaan won FIPRESCI Award at 68th Cannes film festival

• J Jayalalithaa sworn-in as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for fifth time

24 May 2015

• BCCI recommended Contract system for Indian women cricket team

• Mumbai Indians won IPL 2015 title by defeating Chennai Super kings

• Delhi government tied-up with Rotary club to revamp government schools

• Tamil Nadu CM announced welfare schemes worth 1800 crore rupees

• Manoj Mishra appointed as CMD of National Fertilizers Limited

25 May

• ICICI Bank launched Voice Recognition Service for Biometric Authentication

• Union Government approved 21 FDI proposals worth 281 crore rupees

• CS Santosh presented with 2014 FMSCI Motorsport Man of the Year Award

• Complete Story of Indian Reforms: 2G, Power & Private Enterprise written by

Pradeep Baijal

26 May

• Manabi Bandopadhyay became first transgender principal of Krishnagar Women’s



College

• High Court allowed Greenpeace India to operate two of its domestic accounts

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Doordarshan’s farmer-centric Kisan TV

Channel

• Himachal Pradesh set up satellite tracking system to check forest fire

• 48 tigers in non-protected Chandrapur forest areas of Maharashtra: WCT Survey

• Delhi Government approved mandatory GPS in public transport from June 2015

• Union Ministry of Finance constituted Committee on Revisiting & Revitalizing PPP

Model

• Nirbhay Sharma sworn in as Governor of Mizoram

27 May

• Tripura withdrew AFSPA from state

• RBI notified FIIs to invest up to 49 percent in Gammon Infrastructure Projects

Limited

• NCDEX launched Gold Now platform for forward contracts in gold

• Union Ministry of Corporate Affairs notified the Companies (Amendment) Act, 2014

• Five women suspended for anti-doping rule violations named for TOP Scheme

• Union Sports Ministry gave nod for creation of RSFs by recognising federations of

indigenous sports

• Ajanmi Beti Ke liye Daud organised for the cause of saving girl child in Himachal

Pradesh

• Microsoft announced to open India’s first Digital Experience Centre in Gujarat



28 May

• RBI released Draft Guidelines on Net Stable Funding Ratio for Banks

• RBI proposed to introduce PPI for Mass Transit Systems

• Abhinav Bindra became 4th Indian shooter to qualify for 2016 Rio Olympics

• Maharashtra CM sets up a high powered task force to develop IFSC

• Increasing number of hamlets responsible for decline of Tigers in Buxa Tiger

Reseve: West Bengal

• Book titled Ahmedabad: A City in the World by Amrita Shah released

• Book titled Super Economies by Raghav Bahl released

• S Christopher appointed as Director General of DRDO

• Yaduveer of Wodeyar dynasty crowned as 27th Maharaja of Mysuru

• VA Prasanth appointed as the CFO of Indian Bank

29 May

• State Bank of India launched Online Customer Acquisition Solution

• CSO released Provisional Estimates of National Income for FY 2014-15

• Andhra Pradesh brought 16 Sectors under Swiss Challenge method to develop

Infrastructure

• Anand Kumar, Founder of Super 30, honoured in Canada

• Veena Jain appointed as Director General of Doordarshan News

• Pradeep Kumar Sinha appointed as Cabinet Secretary to Union Government

• G Satheesh Reddy appointed as Scientific Advisor to Union Defence Minister



30 May

• Finance Minister inaugurated new Bank Note Paper Line unit in Hoshangabad,

MP

• Former Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo appointed as Chancellor of

Nalanda University

• Union Government notified Undisclosed Foreign Income as Assets and imposition

of Tax Act, 2015

31 May

• Gurpreet Singh became 5th Indian to get quota place in shooting for 2016 Rio

Olympics

• Fourth North East Youth Festival concluded in Jorhat district of Assam

• Mohun Bagan won I-League title of football after 13 years

• Gurpreet Singh became 5th Indian to get quota place in shooting for 2016 Rio

Olympics



ONE LINERS (MAY 2015)

• City whose Municipal Corporation on 30 April 2015 banned production, storage,

transportation and usage of low quality plastic cups, bags, pan-masala packing

wrappers across the city - Ahmedabad

• North and South America became the first regions of the world to eradicate rubella,

also known as - German measles

• Argentine parliament passed a law to compensate the victims of an attack on -

AMIA Jewish cultural centre in Buenos Aires

• The first meeting of the Sub-Group of Chief Ministers on Swachh Bharat Mission

(SBM) held on 30 April 2015 at NITI Aayog in New Delhi was chaired by - Chief

Minister of Andhra Pradesh N Chandrababu Naidu

• The legendary Russian ballerinas who died on 2 May 2015 in Munich, Germany at

the age of 89 - Maya Plisetskaya

• Unified World Welterweight title termed as Fight of the Century held at iconic MGM

Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada was won by - American boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr.

• Team that won the 5th Senior Women’s National Hockey championship 2015 on 3

May 2015 - Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB)

• The 47th Science Museum of India was opened by Union Minister of State for

Culture and Tourism Dr. Mahesh Sharma at - Puducherry

• Third India-Tunisia Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) was held in Tunis from 29

April to 2 May 2015 after a gap of - 12 years

• The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 5 May 2015



approved the 119th Constitutional Amendment Bill on - Land Boundary Agreement

(LBA) between India and Bangladesh.

• Haryana government on 4 May 2015 notified 163 services with a view to provide

time bound and hassle-free services to the citizens under - Haryana Right to

Service Act, 2014

• World Asthma Day was absorbed globally on 5 May 2015, the first Tuesday of May

2015 with theme - You Can Control Your Asthma

• Rajasthan Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with

National Health Mission (NHM), UNICEF and GAIN (Global Alliance for Improved

Nutrition) in Jaipur to - tackle the severe problem of malnourishment of the state.

• The Chinese diplomat who oversaw Hong Kong’s transition from British to Chinese

sovereignty in 1997, died in Beijing on 3 May 2015 - Lu Ping

• The French Parliament on 5 May 2015 approved a surveillance law that strengthens

the intelligence services of the country aimed to - prevent terrorist attacks.

• United States on 5 May 2015 authorised setting up of commercial ferries run

between Florida and Cuba for the first time in more than - 50 years.

• Bollywood actor Salman Khan was in news was sentenced to five years

imprisonment by Mumbai Sessions Court for his - 28 September 2002 hit and run

case

• Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar on 6 May 2015 launched the state level -

‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Scheme’ in Panaji

• The last known surviving member of the German engineering team that designed

the rocket that took US astronauts to the Moon died in Alabama on 5 May 2015 -

Oscar Holderer

• The Canadian House of Commons on 6 May 2015 approved the Bill C-51, Anti-

Terror Act, 2015 that empowers - the country’s spy agency

• India and Iran on 6 May 2015 signed an inter-Governmental Memorandum of

Understanding (MoU) for the development of the strategically important - Chabahar



Port in Iran.

• The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 6 May 2015

approved amendments in - the Whistle Blowers Protection Act, 2011.

• High Court of Gujarat on 6 May 2015 ordered shutting down of 67 sand mining

units in - the Gir Forest Sanctuary, the only adobe of Asiatic lions

• The former Chief Secretary of Gujarat, who on 7 May 2015 was appointed as the

Election Commissioner of India - Achal Kumar Jyoti

• State Bank of India on 7 May 2015 launched State Bank RuPay Platinum debit

card in association with - National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI).

• Underwater explorers in Madagascar on 7 May 2015 said that they have discovered

treasure belonging to the notorious 17th Century Scottish pirate - Captain William

Kidd

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 8 May 2015 released a commemorative coin to

mark the birth centenary of - Swami Chinmayananda in New Delhi

• National Green Tribunal (NGT) on 8 May 2015 ordered that every household in Delhi

will have to pay a monthly environmental compensation - To clean up Yamuna

River

• State Government of Haryana on 9 May 2015 included Deaflympics in its Sports

Policy to enable Deaflympian medalists to get - cash rewards, jobs and other

benefits.

• To add attractions to its tourism portfolio, State Government of Goa on 9 May

2015 launched - hot air balloon and amphibious vehicles in the picturesque state

of beaches

• Book titled Unbelievable – Delhi to Islamabad that was released on 8 May 2015

by Vice President M Hamid Ansari in New Delhi is authored by - senior Advocate

Prof. Bhim Singh

• Novak Djokovic of Serbia on 17 May 2015 won his fourth Rome Masters Tennis

title by defeating - Roger Federer of Switzerland 6-4, 6-3.



• The Australian wicketkeeper batsman on 17 May 2015 retired from One Day

International (ODI) cricket - Brad Haddin

• The Union Government on 17 May 2015 allocated 5000 crore rupees for the growth

of Department of AYUSH, which comprises - Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy,

Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy

• Theme for the 10th World Hindi Conference will be - Hindi Jagat: Vistar avm

sambhavnai

• The nurse of KEM Hospital, Mumbai whose story became a cornerstone for

euthanasia debate in India, who died on 18 May 2015 after being in vegetative

state for 42 years - Aruna Shanbaug

• An Indian-American policeman in third week of May 2015 won the prestigious Top

Civilian Supervisor of the Year - Harkeert Singh Saini

• Himachal Pradesh will host the Paragliding World Cup from 23 October to 31

October 2015 at -Bir Billing in Kangra valley

• President Barack Obama on 18 May 2105 banned the US government from giving

certain kinds of military-style equipment to - local police forces

• The professional cricketers of England on 18 May 2015 were named as England

men’s and women’s cricketers of the year 2014-15 - Joe Root and Charlotte

Edwards, respectively

• Nepal Government on 18 May 2015 imposed a two-month ban on the construction

work of new building projects, the ban would remain in effect until - 16 July 2015.

• To promote sports for all age groups in the national capital, the state government

of Delhi on 19 May 2015 decided to launch a Scheme at the designated stadiums

or sports complexes - Pay & Play

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 19 May 2015 returned to India after completing

his tour to three nations namely - China, Mongolia and South Korea.

• The European Union (EU) on 18 May 2015 approved a plan that empowers naval

force to combat smugglers operating from - Libya and tackle illegal migration in



its territory.

• The United Nations (UN) on 19 May 2015 released an update that highlighted

that world economy continues to grow at a modest pace is - Mid-2015 World

Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) update.

• Hungarian writer who on 19 May 2015 won the prestigious Man Booker International

Prize for 2015 - Laszlo Krasznahorkai

• To allow women employees to work in night shifts, State Government of Maharashtra

on 20 May 2015 decided to amend - Section 66(1)(c) of the Factories Act, 1948

• Person who on 20 May 2015 was sworn in as 15th Governor of Meghalaya at the

Raj Bhawan in Shillong - V Shanmuganthan

• Temple of Mumbai that on 20 May 2015 received International Organization

for Standardization (ISO) 9001-2008 certification for best quality practices -

Siddhivinayak temple

• Anti-Terrorism Day was observed across India on 21 May 2015 to mark the death

anniversary of seventh Prime Minister - Rajiv Gandhi

• The ancient Syrian city that was captured by the ISIS militant groups on 21 May

2015 - Palmyra

• Researchers from the Konkan Cetacean Population Study (CPS) team between

March and May 2015 spotted two Blue Whales (mother-calf pair) and four Bryde’s

whales near Kunkeshwar - off the Sindhudurg coast in Maharashtra.

• Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu O Panneerselvam resigned on 21 May 2015 by

tendering his resignation to - the Governor Konijeti Rosaiah.

• Eighth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) was won by - Mumbai Indians

(MI)

• Indian film that won the Promizing Future Prize at the Cannes Film Festival 2015

held on 24 May 2015 - Masaan

• The mathematician who shared 1994 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences

for work that greatly extended the reach and power of modern economic theory,



who died on 23 May 2015 in New Jersey - John Forbes Nash Jr.

• Country that on 23 May 2015 voted to make it the first country to legalise gay

(same-sex) marriage through a referendum - Ireland

• Expert committee on Health Insurance of IRDA chaired by M Ramaprasad in its

report has suggested changing the wordings of disclaimer in advertisements of

insurance companies to - Before buying, know the conditions and exclusions, to

make a well-informed decision

• First bank to launch Voice Recognition Service (VRS), which authenticates

customers based on their speech patterns in India - ICICI Bank, India’s largest

private sector bank

• Bangladesh Government on 25 May 2015 banned an Islamist militant outfit for

its militant and anti-state activities under the country’s Anti-Terrorism Act, 2013 -

Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT)

• Author of the boo k The Complete Story of Indian Reforms: 2G, Power & Private

Enterprise: A Practitioner’s Diary - Pradip Baijal, the Former Telecom Regulatory

Authority of India (TRAI) chairman

• Person who was appointed as the head coach of England cricket team on 26 May

2015 - Trevor Bayliss

• State that has set up the satellite tracking system to check the forest fire incidents

during summer season - Himachal Pradesh

• NATO on 26 May 2015 launched the Arctic Challenge Exercise based in - the north

of Norway, Sweden and Finland

• Forum for Human Rights and Justice (FHRJ) on 27 May 2015 organised a run for

protecting unborn girl in Himachal Pradesh was named as - Ajanmi Beti Ke liye

Daud

• State that on 27 May 2015 decided to withdraw the Armed Forces (Special Powers)

Act (AFSPA), 1958 from the remaining areas of the state with immediate effect -

Tripura



• The US state that on 27 May 2015 abolished death penalty after a veto override

was passed through the its legislature - Nebraska

• Person who was appointed as the Director General of the Defence Research and

Development Organisation (DRDO) on 28 May 2015 - Dr. S Christopher

• Person who was appointed as the Scientific Advisor to Defence Minister Manohar

Parrikar - Dr. GS Reddy

• Fourth Indian shooter who on 28 May 2015 won a berth for 2016 Rio Olympic in

men’s air rifle event - India’s only individual Olympic gold medalist Abhinav Bindra

• Event that will be celebrated in more than 100 US cities on 21 June 2015, the first

International Yoga Day to spread the awareness about Yoga - Yogathon



DESCRIPTIVE QUESTION (MAY 2015)

1. Answer the following in not more than 50 words

(i) Veena Jain

(ii) G Satheesh Reddy

(iii) Mariana Elena South

(iv) Palmyra

(v) Swiss Challenge Method

(vi) Pradeep Kumar Sinha

(vii) Sambisa Forest

(viii) Sepp Blatter

(ix) TOP Scheme

(x) Yogathon

2. Critically examine the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s three-nation tour

to China, Mongolia and South Korea. Also bring out how pragmatic is the

approach of visiting all the nations and how it will help in raising India’s stature

on the global platform.

3. “Black Money in India will keep on growing unless and until the politico-

business-bureaucrats nexus is broken. No measures in isolation will curb

the generation of black money. It needs an integrated approach.” In this light

examine the two bills introduced in the Parliament in May 2015.

4. “Provisional estimates of Central Statistics Office (CSO) for the GDP 2014-15

and the estimates by other international bodies show that India will overtake



China’s growth rate in 2016.” Analyse the statement.

5. Answer on the following developments in not more than 100 words

(i) ASTROSAT

(ii) GAGAN

(iii) Gold Monetisation Scheme

(iv) Opah

(v) Type Ia Supernovae

6. Bring out the main highlights of Environmental Democracy Index (EDI) 2015

and how does India fares in terms of fostering environmental democracy?

7. “Namami Gange Programme tries to integrate the efforts to clean and protect

the Ganga River in a comprehensive manner.” Do you agree? What other

measures can be suggested to clean the river?

8. Bring out the main features of 14th Lion Census Report 2015.


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