Current Affairs April 2014 The Rajiv Gandhi Leadership Award 2014[28/04/2014] Thirty-two-year-old Arati Devi who in 2012 left a lucrative career in banking to contest panchayat polls and become a sarpanch in Ganjam district of Odisha, has been nominated for the Rajiv Gandhi Leadership Award 2014. The Asian Peace Foundation informed Ms. Arati about her selection through a letter. She is an MBA degree holder and till 2012, working with IDBI Bank in Berhampur. In 2012, she decided to leave behind her career as a banker to enter politics by contesting panchayat polls. Ramesh Agrawal wins Green Nobel[28/04/2014] Ramesh Agrawal, 60, will be recognized in a ceremony in San Francisco as one of six recipients of this years $175,000 Goldman Environmental Prize, often called the Green Nobel. Agrawal - who has no formal legal training - has been waging a one-man campaign to educate illiterate villagers about their rights in fighting pollution and land-grabbing by powerful mining and electricity companies. Hes won three lawsuits against major corporations and has spearheaded seven more pending in courts in the mineral-rich state of Chhattisgarh. Among the other winners are former corporate lawyer Helen Slottje who fought fracking - pumping chemicals and water underground to break open shale rock formations - in New York state and South Africas Desmond DSa who closed down one of the countrys largest toxic dumping sites. The award was established in 1990 with a grant from philanthropists Richard and Rhoda Goldman to honor grass-roots environmental activists in the six regions of Africa, Asia, Europe, Island Nations, North America and Latin America. Justice Lodha sworn in as 41st Chief Justice of India[27/04/2014] Justice Rajendra Mal Lodha, the senior most judge of the Supreme Court, was on Sunday sworn in as the 41st Chief Justice of India by President Pranab Mukherjee. The 64-year-old Justice Lodha took over from Justice (retd) P. Sathasivam who demitted office on Saturday after nine months as the head of the judiciary. GE invests $24 million in Welspuns MP solar plant[26/04/2014] General Electric (GE) is entering Indias clean energy sector with a $24-million investment in Indias largest solar power plant, the 150 mw project of Welspun Renewable Energies in Madhya Pradesh. L&T gets Rs.4,510 cr order from Qatar Railways[26/04/2014] Larsen and Toubro has received a $740 million (about Rs.4,510 crore) order from Qatar Railways Company for the design and construction of the Gold Line of the Doha metro project. L&T was among the five firms that forged a joint venture to bid for the project. The total order awarded to the JV is valued at $3.3 billion, but the share of L&T Construction’s Heavy Civil Infrastructure business is valued at $740 million. NTT DoCoMo to sell its 26.5 per cent stake in Tata Tele[25/04/2014] Japan’s NTT DoCoMo on 25th April 2014 said it will sell its 26.5 per cent stake in Tata Teleservices by June 2014. “Tata Sons Limited, NTT DoCoMo Inc. and Tata Teleservices Limited (TTSL) had entered into a shareholders agreement (SHA) dated March 25, 2009. Following its board meeting held on April 25, 2014, NTT DoCoMo has announced that it plans to exercise its sale option under the SHA as soon as the conditions for such exercise are met,” a statement issued by Tata Sons after its board meeting said. NTT DoCoMo had invested $2.61 billion in Tata Tele in 2009. Film pips Wong Karwais martial arts epic for top award[25/04/2014] Siddharth, a Hindi film by Indian-Canadian director Richie Mehta, was the surprise winner at the Beijing film festival, leaving audiences in the Chinese capital stunned as the critically-acclaimed film beat out renowned Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wais martial arts epic The Grandmaster. The film - it tells the story of a man’s search for his missing son, a theme with wide resonance in China where there is growing attention on child trafficking — was chosen as the “Best Film” by a seven-member jury which included director John Woo, India’s Rajkumar Hirani and Chinese director Lu Chuan. Finance Ministry appoints Ila Patnaik as Principal Economic Advisor[21/04/2014] The Centre has appointed columnist and RBI Chair Professor at the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, Ila Patnaik, as Principal Economic Advisor, a post that had been vacant since November 2013. UN hails ruling on legal recognition for transgenders in India[17/04/2014] The United Nations has hailed the Supreme Court’s ruling recognising transgenders as a third gender, saying the “historic” judgment will pave the way for reforms that will help the community get access to employment and public services. Responding to queries on the Supreme Court judgment, spokesperson for U.N, Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, Stephane Dujarric, told reporters at the U.N. on Tuesday that we welcome the historic ruling legally upholding the rights of transgender people across India. Admiral R.K. Dhowan takes over as new Navy chief[17/04/2014] Robin K. Dhowan took over as chief of the Indian Navy nearly two months after Admiral D.K. Joshi quit the post in the wake of a series of mishaps. Admiral Dhowan (59) who has been the acting Navy chief since Joshi’s exit, has been appointed the Chief of Navy Staff superseding Western Naval Commander Shekhar Sinha. He will have a tenure of 25 months, retiring in May 2016. The National Film Awards Announced; Rajkumar Rao Wins Best Actor[16/04/2014] The National Film Awards for the year 2013 have been announced and The Best Actor Award is shared between Rajkummar Rao for his powerful performance in Shahid and Malayalam actor Suraj Venjaramudu for the movie Perariyathavar. Geetanjali Thapa has been adjudged the Best Actress for Liar’s Dice, Saurabh Shukla Best Supporting Actor for Jolly LLB and the Best Supporting Actress Award is shared between Ship Of Theseus actress Aida Elkashaf and Marathi star Amruta Subhash. Somnath Awghade has been awarded the Best Child Actor for the Marathi film Fandry. Anand Gandhi’s Ship Of Theseus has also won the Golden Lotus for Best Feature Film while Bhaag Milkha Bhaag has been adjudged the Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. The Nargis Dutt Award for Best Film On National Integration went to Talai Murugal while Jolly LLB won the award for the Best Hindi Film. This year, the Nation Film Award for Best Director has been conferred to Hansal Mehta for Shahid. Bengali film Jaatishwar directed by Srijit Mukherji and starring Prosenjit Chatterjee, Jishu Sengupta and Swastika Mukherjee proved a big winner with awards for Best Make-Up, Best Costume Design, Best Music and Best Male Playback Singer. The Guardian and The Washington Post won a prestigious Pulitzer Prize[15/04/2014] The Guardian and The Washington Post won a prestigious Pulitzer Prize on Monday for reporting on secret US surveillance programs revealed by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden. The British and American newspapers shared the award for public service journalism handed out by the Pulitzer committee at Columbia University in New York. The US unit of the British newspaper was honored for helping through aggressive reporting to spark a debate about the relationship between the government and the public over issues of security and privacy, the committee said. It recognized The Post for its authoritative and insightful reports that helped the public understand how the (NSA) disclosures fit into the larger framework of national security. The shared award went to the two newspapers credited with breaking the news about NSA surveillance programs, without specifically citing the journalists involved. The Accidental Prime Minister: Making and Unmaking of Manmohan Singh[15/04/2014] The book - The Accidental Prime Minister: Making and Unmaking of Manmohan Singh – kicked up a political storm, claiming the PM was ‘defanged’ after the 2009 polls with Congress president Sonia Gandhi deciding cabinet portfolios against Singh’s wishes. This book is written by PM Manmohan Singh’s former media advisor Sanjaya Baru. HDFC Bank sets Guinness record in blood collection[14/04/2014] The blood donation camp organised by HDFC Bank on December 6, 2013 involving 61,902 participants has found a place in Guinness Book of Records as the largest such drive on a single day. The largest blood donation (multiple venues) involved 61,902 participants and was achieved by HDFC Bank, with 1,115 blood donation camps held across 709 locations in the country on December 6, 2013, the official citation from the Guinness Records said, adding this is the only such recognition by it for any corporate in this regard. Gulzar to receive Dadasaheb Phalke Award[12/04/2014] The Government decided to give the 45th Dada Saheb Phalke Award to veteran film lyricist and director Gulzar for his outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian cinema. The award includes a Swarn Kamal (golden lotus), cash component of Rs. 10 lakhs and a shawl. Gulzar was selected for the award by a committee of eminent persons set up by the Government. He was the unanimous choice of the seven-member jury. Gulzar is already a much-awarded man including by the Government which honoured him with the Padma Bhushan in 2004. Other awards he has picked up in a career dating back to 1956 include a Grammy and an Oscar, the Sahitya Akademi Award, a number of National Film Awards besides 20 Filmfare Awards. The Oscar and Grammy came to him recently for his song Jai Ho in the film Slumdog Millionaire. While he got the Oscar for Best Original Song in 2009 for the song, he picked up the Grammy in the category of Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media a year later. Ratan Tata appointed as board member of China-backed Boao Forum [10/04/2014] The former Tata Sons Chairman was invited to speak at an annual event known as China’s Davos in Boao, in the southern island province of Hainan. The Chinese government-backed Boao Forum has become Beijing’s most high-profile annual gathering, bringing together Chinese and international political and business elite. Mr. Tata was, this week, honoured by becoming the only Indian to be inducted into the forum’s 15 member board. In conversation with noted Chinese economist Zhang Weiying, Mr. Tata gave a frank assessment of India-China business cooperation. GJEPC signs MoU with Russian firm[10/04/2014] n a step that is likely to increase direct diamond trade between India and Russia, India’s Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) and Russia’s state-owned diamond mining firm Alrosa signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to share trade and statistical data on the diamond trade between the two countries. The MoU was signed by GJEPC Chairman Vipul Shah and Alrosa President Fyodor Andreev in Moscow on 10th April 2014. SBI hits global debt markets, to raise up to $1 bn[10/04/2014] The nation’s largest lender State Bank of India has hit the overseas bond market with a dual tranche benchmark issue of 5-year and 10-year maturity to raise up to USD 1 billion. According to one of the merchant bankers working on the issue, SBI on Thursday launched the roadshow in major global financial centres and will close the transaction later in the day. The bank has given an initial pricing of 240 bps over the US treasury for the 5-year money and 265 bps over the treasury for the 10-year bond, said the merchant banker, who did not want to be quoted as the deal is yet to be closed. Infosys leads 5 Indian projects shortlisted for Green Oscars[09/04/2014] IT giant Infosys leads five Indian clean energy projects that have been shortlisted for the annual Ashden Awards, referred to as the Green Oscars, here 9th April 2014. The awards recognise worldwide contributions towards green energy initiatives and a move away from fossil fuels. Infosys has been nominated in the ‘Ashden Award for Sustainable Buildings’ category for the Bangalore-based company’s cutting edge design of new buildings which helps keep offices cooler and maximises natural light. Since 2008, global IT giant Infosys has cut more than USD 80 million from its energy bills and reduced electricity consumption per staff member by 44 per cent. Its success lies in seizing every opportunity to reduce energy consumption in its existing buildings — from reducing the size of chiller plants for air conditioning, to painting roofs white so they reflect the heat, reads the award nomination statement. The other finalists include two projects from Maharashtra - Sakhi Unique Rural Enterprise (SURE) and Greenway Grameen - which have been nominated in the ‘Ashden Clean Energy for Women and Girls Award’ category. SURE is a not-for-profit social enterprise in central Maharashtra that has selected, trained and supported more than 600 women micro-entrepreneurs to sell clean energy products like solar lanterns and cleaner cookstoves to other women. Mumbai-based Greenway Grameen’s mission is to provide an affordable, desirable cookstove to improve quality of life for Indian women. The Rajasthan Horticulture Development Society has been shortlisted for the ‘USAID Ashden Energy for Agriculture Award’ for its solar-powered water pump project and Mera Gao Power from Uttar Pradesh has been nominated in the ‘Citi Ashden Award for Innovation in Finance’ category for pioneering the use of unsubsidised commercial micro grids, which have so far connected more than 20,000 families to clean, affordable power. Appointment of Devendra Kumar Pathak as DG BSF[08/04/2014] Shri Devendra Kumar Pathak, IPS (AM:79), presently working as Special DG, BSF is appointed to the post of Director General, Border Security Force (BSF) with immediate effect and till the date of his superannuation on 29.02.2016 or until further orders, whichever event takes place earlier. Punjab Won Junior National Men’s Championship[07/04/2014] Punjab, in keeping with its reputation, produced a dominant performance to put it across Odisha 6-2 in the final of the Hockey India-fourth junior National men’s championship at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium. The crowd cheered nearly every attacking move by Odisha, the underdog, but there was no stopping Punjab from clinching a hat-trick of titles. Sri Lanka beat India by 6 wkts in World T20 Final[06/04/2014] Kumara Sangakkaras brilliant 52 helped Sri Lanka win the ICC World T20 2014 final at the Sher-e Bangla National stadium by six wickets against India. They had 13 balls still to play. Kumar Sangakkara has been named the Man of the Match. Koyal Rana won the coveted Miss India 2014 crown[06/04/2014] The winners of the fbb Femina Miss India 2014 pageant were declared at a star-studded event at the Yash Raj Studios, Mumbai. ?The winners are Koyal Rana (fbb Femina Miss India World 2014), Jhataleka Malhotra (fbb Femina Miss India 2014 1st runner-up) and Gail DaSilva (fbb Femina Miss India 2014 2nd runner-up). Dhoni wins Asian award for sports in UK[05/04/2014] Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has won the 2014 Asian award for outstanding achievement in sports here. Dhoni is widely regarded as one of the greatest finishers in limited overs cricket. Under his captaincy, India has won numerous awards including the 2007 ICC World Twenty20, the CB Series of 2007—08, the 2010 Asia Cup, the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup and the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy. In 2013, Dhoni became the first captain to win all the three ICC trophies. Dhoni was ranked 16th on the Forbes list of highest paid athletes. India launches second navigation satellite IRNSS-1B[04/04/2014] India moved a step closer to having its own satellite navigation system when scientists of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched its second Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System(IRNSS-1B) from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh on 4th April 2014. With this successful launch, the second of the seven satellite system, India inches closer to a select group of countries that have such a navigation system. The 1,432 kg satellite was blasted off by the rocket Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV C24) at 5.14 pm from the launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Center. IRNSS-1B is the second navigation satellite of the seven satellites constituting the IRNSS space segment. Its predecessor IRNSS-1A was launched in July 2013. Two more navigational satellites - IRNSS-1C and IRNSS-1D are scheduled to be launched before the end of 2014. IRNSS-1B carries two types of payloads - navigation payload and ranging payload. The IRNSS system will provide two types of services - Standard Positioning System provided to all the users and the Restricted Service provided only to authorised users. Tripura tops rural jobs scheme for the fifth year[04/04/2014] Tripura maintained its top position for the fifth consecutive year by providing 87 person-days’ rural jobs per household during the 2013-14 fiscal, an official said on Friday. Tripura has been providing the highest average employment for the past five years under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), state’s rural development joint secretary C.K. Jamatia told reporters in Agartala. Most Efficient Navratna Award to HAL[03/04/2014] HAL received the Most Efficient Navratna 2013 award at the fifth Dalai Street Investment Journal Awards night held in New Delhi yesterday. HAL Chairman, Dr. R.K. Tyagi received the award from the jury. The awards were presented to the various PSUs in different categories in recognition of their performance and contribution to the Indian economy. Mr. T.K.A. Nair, Advisor to PM and Dr. Pritam Singh, Director General of International Management Institute, New Delhi, addressed the top executives representing Maharatna, Navratna, Miniratna, government Insurance Companies and banks. Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Tyagi dedicated the award to all HALites and said the company is on its way to future growth through measures taken on various fronts such as R&D, modernization, customer initiatives, quality and thrust given on indigenization. HAL has notched-up the highest ever turnover of Rs. 15,180 crores for the FY 2013-14 surpassing the previous year’s figure of Rs. 14,324 crores. “We crossed the psychological barrier of Rs. 15,000 crores and the production has been pretty good as we produced 60 aircraft and helicopters, achieved the initial operational clearance (II) of LCA and filed record 209 patents during the year, said Dr. R.K. Tyagi, Chairman, HAL. We are preparing the company for 2020 and beyond, he added. HAL`s Value of Production (VOP) for FY 2013-14, stood at Rs. 15,296 crores as against the figure of Rs. 14,202 crores of the previous year. The operating profit went up to Rs. 1,651 crores in the FY 2013-14 as against Rs. 1,194 crores in 2012-13. IDFC, Bandhan get banking licences[03/04/2014] IDFC and Bandhan Financial Services Pvt Ltd on 2nd April 2014 won banking licences, with the RBI approving permits for only two of the 25 applicants. A day after the Election Commission permitted it to go ahead with the issue of new banking licences, the Reserve Bank of India gave in-principle approval to infrastructure finance company IDFC and Kolkata-based microfinance firm Bandhan to comply with the requirements of a fledged bank in 18 months. With regard to the application of the Department of Posts, the RBI accepted the recommendation of the high-level screening committee to take further action in consultation with the government. The RBI originally received 27 applications in July 2013, after which Tata Sons and Videocon Group withdrew, leaving 25 contenders in the fray. Besides India Post, the other applicants included state-run IFCI and private sector Anil Ambani group and Aditya Birla group, Bajaj Finance, Muthoot Finance, Religare Enterprises and Shriram Capital. Sports Ministry derecognises IABF[01/04/2014] The suspended Indian Amateur Boxing Federations refusal to comply with its directives, the Sports Ministry on Tuesday derecognised the IABF with immediate effect. It comes as another massive jolt to the IABF, which has already been terminated by its international parent body, AIBA. The matter has been considered in totality and keeping in view all relevant facts including the fact that the International Federation of Boxing has withdrawn its recognition to IABF, it has been decided to withdraw the recognition granted by Government of India to IABF with immediate effect, a source in the Ministry said. The IABF was provisionally suspended by the Ministry in December 2012. The Ministry had asked the IABF to hold fresh elections and make its constitution compliant with the National Sports Code.
Posted on: Thu, 01 May 2014 06:49:21 +0000
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