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February 2014International Affairs

1. US President Barack Obama will nominate asenior US Navy officer, Vice Admiral Michael

Rogers, as the Director of the National Security

Agency (NSA), the federal body embroiled in a

row over its spying program.[Feb 1]

2. UScaution Chinaagainst any move to declare a

newAir DefenceIdentificationZone(ADIZ) over

the South China Sea. The region is ridden with

territorial disputes with the neighbouring countries in

general and Japan in particular. [Feb 3]

3. World Cancer Day is observed today(4thFebruary)

World Cancer Day was founded by the Union for

International Cancer Control (UICC) to support

the goals of the World Cancer Declaration,

written in 2008.The primary goal of the World

Cancer Day is to significantly reduce illness and death

caused by cancer by 2020. Tagline for 2014 is Debunk

the myths. [Feb 4]

4.North, South Korea agree to first reunions

since 2010 [Feb 5]

i. North and South Korea agreed to hold a reunionlater this month for families separated by the 1950-53

Korean War, the first such event for more than three

years.

ii. Officials from both sides meeting in the border truce

village of Panmunjom, decided the reunion would be

held 20th -25th February at the North's Mount

Kumgang resort, the South's Unification Ministry said.

5.US Congressman Crowley honoured by Indian-

Americans [Feb 5]

i.Indian-Americans here have honoured US

Democratic Congressman Joe Crowley for his work forthe community, particularly his efforts in getting the

FBI to track hate crimes against Sikhs and Hindus.

6. Libya destructs all its chemical weapons,

Organisation for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons

(OPCW) declares it a chemical weapon free country.

[Feb 5]

7. BiblioTech, the world's 1st paperless public

library, opens in Texas (US). [Feb

5]

8.Aus keen to sign Comprehensive Economic

Cooperation Agreement with India [Feb 6]

i. Australia said it was keen to sign the Comprehensive

Economic Cooperation Agreement with India to bring

trade and investment ties to the forefront. Australian

Trade Minister Andrew Robb said his country would

push for the agreement after the general election in

India.

9. Global food prices declined for the first time in three

months as lower prices for cereals, sugars, oils andmeat outstripped gains in dairy products, the UNs

Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) reported.

[Feb 8]

10. Arnab De, an Indian scientist working at Columbia

University in the US, claims to have found a new

biological pathway that holds hope for cancer cure.

[Feb 8]

11. Obama Signed an Agricultural Bill Worth of $

950 billion. Some of the liberals opposed the bill

stating that this bill would reduce aid to 8,50,000

families. [Feb 8]

12. Bhutan Prime Minister Jigmi Y. Thinley visited

India [Feb 9]

The Bhutan Prime Minister Jigmi Y. Thinley along with

Lyonpo Khandu Wangchuk, Minister in-charge of

Foreign Affairs and Minister of Economic Affairs and

Foreign Secretary Yeshey Dorji visited India from Feb

7-9.

13. Strong 6.9 earthquake strikes Colombia

According to the U.S. Geological Survey report, a 6.9

magnitude earthquake hit southwestern Colombia on

09 February 2013. The quakes epicenter was 7 miles

southwest of Pasto and was 92 miles deep. It was felt

as far as 123 miles away in Quito, Ecuador. [Feb 9]

14. Indian American Subra Suresh Named

President of Carnegie Mellon [Feb 9]

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On 9 February US President Obamas top science

official and Indian American Padma Shri awardee Dr

Subra Suresh has been appointed as the new president

of Carnegie Mellon University. He will succeed Dr.

Jared L. Cohon, who led the university to

unprecedented growth during his 16-year tenure. Dr

Suresh will assume office on July 1 after Dr Cohon

would step down on June 30, this year.

15. The US economy added 113,000 jobs in

January; which is weaker than expected for the

second month in a row. The unemployment rate

dropped to 6.6% in January compared to 6.7% in

December 2013. This is the lowest level since October

2008. [Feb 10]

16. Pakistans Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has

sacked Zaka Ashraf as the Chairman of the PCB

and suspended the Governing board with

immediate effect on 10thFebruary. Ashraf was

removed by the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif because

of his mishandling Pakistans case in the recent

changes brought in the ICC last week which give most

of the power to India, England and Australia. Nawaz

Sharif also appointed the former interim PCB chief

Najam Sethi, the PCB former chairman Shaharyar

Khan and the former Test cricketers Iqbal Qasim and

Zaheer Abbas among the ad-hoc committee members.[Feb 10]

17. Finland topped & Syria listed in list of

journalists in danger [Feb 12]

World Press Freedom Index (WFPI) study

conducted by Reporters Without Borders (RWB)

released on 11 February 2014. The study has

highlighted Syria in the list of nations among one of

the countries, where journalists are most in danger. In

its highlight the report said that the Syrian crisis has

had dramatic repercussions on the freedom on press

across the region as at present journalists in Syria arethe soft targets for group attempting to control news in

Syria and its neighbors. The last three positions are

again held by Turkmenistan, North Korea and Eritrea,

three countries where freedom of information is non-

existent. At the other end of the index, Finland topped

the index for the fourth year running, closely followed

by Netherlands and Norway, like last year.

18. World Radio Day is observed on 13 February

across the world to celebrate radio as a medium,

to improve international cooperation between

broadcasters and to encourage major networks

and community radio.It was proclaimed on 3

November 2011 by UNESCOs 36th General

Conference. The theme for 2014 is Gender Equality

and Womens Empowerment in Radio. [Feb 13]

19. US based leading Cable Company Comcast

Corporation has announced its acquisition of

Time Warner Cable for USD 45.2 billion, in an all-

stock deal. This deal would merge the two largest

cable TV providers in the United States with a total

subscriber base of 30 million or nearly 30% of the pay

television market in the USA. [Feb 13]

20. US anger as Afghanistan releases 65

insurgents: [Feb 13]

Scores of alleged Taliban fighters walked free from jail

in Afghanistan on Thursday, triggering condemnation

from the United States which said they were

responsible for killing NATO and Afghan soldiers as wel

as civilians.The 65 prisoners were freed and walked

out of the Bagram prison compound this morning,

Abdul Shukor Dadras, a member of the Afghan

governments review body, told AFP. Their cases were

reviewed and we had no reason to keep them in jail.The US embassy criticised the releases as a deeply

regrettable move that could lead to further violence in

Afghanistan, which has suffered a Taliban insurgency

since 2001.

22. Bahrain King visited India on Feb 18

i. King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa visited

India February 18-20, during which he talked with

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on bilateral, regional

and global issues.

ii.The visit -- his first to India -- is at the invitation of

President Pranab Mukherjee.iii.King Hamad met President Mukherjee and Vice

President Hamid Ansari and also hold delegation-level

talks with the Prime Minister, said a ministry of

external affairs statement.

23. Mount Kelud,a major Volcano, erupts in

Surabaya(Indonesia's 2nd largest city and East Java

province's capital). 5,680-feet Mount Kelud is

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among 130 active volcanoes in archipelago

of Indonesiawhich is prone to volcanic eruptions and

earthquakes as it is located on the Pacific "Ring of

Fire".

"Ring of Fire": It is a series of fault linesin a ring

shape, stretching from the Western Hemisphere

through Japan and Southeast Asia.

Earlier in February Mount Sinabung in North

Sumatraprovince erupted leading to evacuation of

thousands of people. [Feb 14]

24. Governments of India and China has designated

the Year 2014 as the "Year of Friendly Exchanges"

[Feb 14]

25. Belgium became second country to allowMercy Killing for Children [Feb 14]

i.Parliament of Belgium on 14 February 2014 legalised

death to terminally ill children of any age.

Other European countries that allows active

euthanasia are

1. Luxembourg,which permits active euthanasia for

over 18 years in age

2. Switzerlandlets doctors to help adult patients to

commit suicide

26.Afghanistan-India ties: Joint inauguration of

Afghan National Agricultural Science &Technology University [Feb 15]

i. A new chapter in Afghanistan-India relations began

with the joint inauguration of the Afghan National

Agricultural Science and Technology University.

ii.It was opened by President Hamid Karzai and Indian

Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid in southern

Kandahar province of Afghanistan today.

iii.Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid arrived on a day-

long visit to Afghanistan for the inaugural ceremony.

Several Afghan Ministers and senior officials attended

the function organized in tight security in Kandahar.

iv.The University established with the help of India isthe first Agricultural University in Afghanistan.

v.Afghanistan exports fresh and dry fruits to many

countries of the world including India.

27.Italy Prime Minister Enrico Letta resigned

[Feb 15]

i. Italy Prime Minister Enrico Letta resigned on 14

February 2014. The statement released by the Italian

presidential palace stated that the Italys President,

Giorgio Napolitano accepted the resignation. Letta was

sworn as the Prime Minister in April 2013 forming the

grand coalition government.

28.G-4 Director Generals for UN Affairs met in

New Delhi [Feb 15]

i. G-4 Director Generals for UN Affairs met on 11

February 2014 in New Delhi. During the meet, the four

G-4 nations namely Brazil, Germany, India and Japan

also conducted an Outreach Seminar on UNSC Reform.

and the Director Generals (DGs) of the four nations

exchanged their views on Security Council Reform on

12 February 2014.

29.India, Poland agree to form Joint WorkingGroup for cooperation in films sector [Feb 15]

i.India and Poland have agreed to expand cooperation

in the restoration and digitization of film archives.

ii. Both the countries also agreed to form a Joint

Working Group in order to prepare a futuristic road

map to enhance co-operation in films, animation,

digitization, student exchange programme and such

other areas of mutual benefit.

30. China to build worlds longest underwater

tunnel [Feb 16]

China announced a plan to build the longestunderwater tunnel of the World on 14 February 2014.

Water tunnel will be constructed beneath the Bohai

Sea. China plans to build the worlds longest

underwater tunnel beneath the Bohai Sea by 2026,

connecting the port cities of Dalian in Liaoning province

and Yantai in Shandong province. The blueprint of the

ambitious project is expected to be submitted to the

State Council of the Peoples Republic of China in April.

32. Pakistan's capital has been declared as "extremely

dangerous" by the interior ministry due to the

presence of sleeper cells of banned terror groups likethe al-Qaida. [Feb 19]

33. More than 850,000 people in Somalia are in

desperate need of food and "in crisis and emergency

conditions," the director of UN humanitarian operations

said. [Feb 19]

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34. China can prevent nearly 13 million tobacco-

related deaths by 2050 by fully implementing a set of

neglected anti-smoking policies it had already agreed

to researchers. [Feb 19]

35. The US Navy plans to deploy its first laser on a

ship later this year, and it intends to test an

electromagnetic rail gun prototype aboard a vessel

within two years. [Feb 19]

36. ChinasurpassesIndiaas the worlds largest

consumer of gold as per a report released by World

Gold Council. Chinese consumers lapped up 1066

tonnes of gold as against 975 tonnes purchased by

India in 2013. [Feb 19]

37. Italyrecalls its India-envoy in a huff over the

protracted legal delay in the Italian marines case. The

decision was prompted by the Supreme Court decision

to defer the hearing on the case. The two marines,

accused of killing two Indian fishermen in 2012 off the

coast of Kerala, are being tried in India. [Feb 19]

38. Snowden elected Rector of University of

Glasgow [Feb 19]

i. Edward Snowden, former National Security Agency

contractor, was elected as the new Rector of the

University of Glasgow on 18 February 2014.

ii. He will replace Charles Kennedy and will serve thepost for next three years.

39. Sri Lankan Parliament passed a law that makes

mandatory graphic warning on Cigarette packs. [Feb

22]

40. To control air pollution China limited factory

production [Feb 22]

China has taken emergency measures to

control air pollution. One of the measures is suspended

factory production and other measure is limited

vehicles on the roads. Yellow alert for smog was issuedby NMC (National Meteorological Centre). Emergency

response cut 20% of vehicles.

41. American University offered Indian Doctors

access to its Medical expertise through Tele

medicine. Main objective of this program is to improve

care towards the patients. Regarding this an

agreement was done between TeleChikitsa Ventures

(Bangalore based) and University of Pittsburgh Medical

centre. As a part of this agreement, American

Physicians who were specialised in colorectal surgery,

pulmonology, oncology etc will provide secondary

opinion in India. This will be done through advanced

web based technology.[Feb 22]

43.India - Canadian cooperation set for further

rise [Feb 26]

i. India and Canada held talks on a range of bilateral

and international issues on Monday and decided to

expand ties in diverse sectors including health, audio-

visual co-production and skill development.

ii. Canada's Governor General David Johnston held

talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and

External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid and

discussed ways to further enhance ties between the

two countries.

iii. India is also keen on buying crude oil and liquefied

natural gas (LNG) from Canada on long-term basis to

meet its vast and growing energy needs. After his

meeting with the Prime Minister, both countries inked

three pacts including the India-Canada Audio-Visual

Co-production Agreement.

iv.An MoU between National Skill Development

Corporation and Association of Canadian Community

Colleges was also inked.

v.Trade between India and Canada surpassed USD 5.8billion last year. This represents a 12 per cent increase

over 2012 and a 39 per cent increase since 2010.

44.India, Azerbaijan to explore opportunities in

energy sector [Feb 26]

i.India and Azerbaijan propose to constitute a joint

working group in the field of hydrocarbon.

ii.Both the sides agreed to explore opportunities for

participation in renewable energy sector, energy

efficiency and various upcoming projects in oil and gas

petro-chemicals, pipelines, etc. in Azerbaijan or India

or third countries in collaboration or joint venture, anofficial release said.

iii.During the meeting, both side reviewed the status

of the construction of Gazvin-Rasht-Astara (Iran)-

Astara (Azerbaijan) railway route for connecting the

railway lines of International North-South Transport

Corridor.

iv. India also called for investment in the field of hotel

industry tourism and infrastructural development as

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India allows 100 per cent foreign direct investment

(FDI) in hospitality sector on automated basis.

v. The total trade between India and Azerbaijan rose

from $ 565.98 million in 2011-12 to $ 608.55 million in

2012-13.

45. Zero Discrimination Day observed on

1stMarch across the world. The day was launched

by UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidib in

Beijing. No matter how you look, where you come

from or who you love everyone has the right to live a

full life with dignity. That is the message of Zero

Discrimination Day. The symbol for Zero Discrimination

is the butterfly, widely recognised as a sign of

transformation, as per UNAIDS note. [Feb 27]

46. India and Russiaagrees to set up a Joint Study

Group for studying the scope of CECA

(Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement)

with member-countries of the Customs Union

viz Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus. [Feb 27]

47. Sri Lankarejects UNcall for international

investigationinto war crimescommitted by

government forces during civil war. [Feb 27]

48. Ukraines parliament has approved Arseniy

Yatsenyuk as the countrys new prime ministerafter a voting was held on 28thFebruary amid the

sharp rise in tensions. He has previously served as

the economy minister and foreign minister, and a

speaker of parliament. [Feb 28]

49. The US economy grew at a much slower rate in

last quarter of 203 than earlier predicted. US gross

domestic product (GDP) grew at an annualised rate of

2.4% in the fourth quarter of 2013 compared to an

initial estimate of 3.2%, as per the US Commerce

Department. The downward revision was due to

weaker than expected consumer spending which hasnearly 70% weight in overall US economic activity.

[Feb 28]

50. Turkish President approved the bill

restricting the judicial powers [Feb 28]

Turkish president Abdullah Gul approved the

bill on restricting the judicial powers on 26 February

2014. This bill is about curbing the independence of

the judicial powers.

51. Al-Qaida plots comeback in Afghanistan: US

[Feb 28]

Al-Qaidas Afghanistan leader is laying the

groundwork to relaunch his war-shattered organization

once the United States and international forces

withdraw from the country, as they have warned they

will do without a security agreement from the Afghan

government, US officials said.

52. Venezuela issues arrest warrant for

opposition figure: [Feb 28]

Venezuela issued an arrest warrant for a

second opposition figure, his party said, ramping up

the pressure on protesters who have staged

nationwide rallies in the biggest challenge to President

Nicolas Maduro since he came to power. Near-daily

demonstrations have seen dueling pro- and anti-

government protesters face off in sometimes violent

confrontations that have left 14 people dead in the

deeply polarized and economically troubled oil-rich

country since the start of February. Leopoldo Lopez, of

the opposition Voluntad Popular (Popular Will), turned

himself in last week after a warrant went out for his

arrest. The party said on Thursday that Maduros

embattled government was now seeking CarlosVecchio, the partys national political coordinator.

National Affairs53. Foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows into

India jumped by 54.8% in November to USD 1.64

billion compared with USD 1.06 billion in the

same month last year.Total FDI inflows in the first

eight months for the current fiscal year were down 2%

from a year earlier at USD 15.46 billion, compared

with USD 15.85 billion during the year-ago period.

Indias FDI inflow declined in the recent months due to

lack of corporate investment and adverse macro-economic condition.[Feb 1]

54. US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

downgraded the safety ratings of Indian aviation

from top to the second category. The

downgrading would affect expansion of flights by

Indian carriers to the United States.The

downgrade from Category I to II means that Indian

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aviation regulator does not meet the safety standards

set by the UN agency, International Civil Aviation

Organisation. The downgrading of Indian aviation was

taken after Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)

failed to address all the 33 concerns raised by the FAA

in its safety audit conducted in September 2013 and

December 2013.[Feb 1]

55. India overtook Japan to become the third

largest crude oil importer in the World, as per the

data released by Reuters. India imported 3.86

million barrels-per-day of crude oil in the year 2013

which is slightly higher than 3.64 million barrels per

day imported by Japan. China and USA secured the

first and second place with 6.30 million barrels per day

and 6.24 million barrels per day imports respectively.

[Feb 1]

56.Asias first SBTF commissioned into Indian

Navy at Goa

i.India has joined the elite group of nations when the

Shore Based Test Facility (SBTF) was commissioned

into the Indian Navy at INS Hansa in Panaji, a Naval

official said in Panji on Saturday.

ii.The SBTF, which was commissioned recently, is

primarily used for flight testing of Naval aircraft that

operate from aircraft carriers, he said.

iii.The SBTF has two parts including the Take-off Areawith a ski-jump facility and the Landing Area with

arresting wire facility, both of which are a replica of

INS Vikramaditya, a press release by the Indian Navy,

said.

iv.This is also being replicated onboard Indias first

indigenous aircraft carrier Vikrant being built at Kochi.

Note: This is the third such facility in the world, after

the United States and Ukraine.[Feb 1]

57. Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavanon

inaugurated the monorail in Mumbai today. The

countrys firstMonorail service is commencingoperations after a delay of over two years. [Feb 1]

58. Rajasthan Government also scrapped its

approval for the foreign direct investment in

multi-brand retailing after Delhi following BJP

forming government there. The approval was given

earlier by the previous Congress state government.

Vasundhara Raje, the Chief Minister of Rajasthan has

written a letter to Commerce and Industry Minister of

India to notify the governments modified decision

regarding FDI in multi brand retail. [Feb 1]

60. Samsung has emerged as the most trusted

brand in India, followed by Sony, Tata and LG

according to Brand Trust Report, India Study

2014 (BTR 2014).Nokia slipped to fifth position in

2014 BTR report compared to top slop in BTR 2013.

Hewlett Packard has jumped 14 places to become the

sixth most trusted brand. Hero, Honda, Reliance and

M&M secured 7thto 10thpositions respectively in the

same order.[Feb 1]

61. Indias longest rail cum Road Bridge [Feb 3]

India's longest rail cum road bridge 'Bogibeel Bridge'

(4.94 km) is expected to be completed by 2016. The

bridge, the longest structure coming up on the river

Brahmaputra, is part of the 74 km long rail link

connecting the town of Dibrugarh (at the south bank of

the river) to Dhemaji in the north of the Brahmaputra.

Its the first bridge of Indian Railways to be totally steel

welded.

62. Indias forex reserve goes down [Feb 4]

The foreign exchange reserves had decreased by USD

1.20 billion to USD 292.08 billion for the week ended

Jan 17.According to the RBIs weekly statisticalsupplement, foreign currency assets, the biggest

component of the forex reserves, grew by USD 117.3

million to USD 266.05 billion.

The foreign currency assets had fallen by $1.20 billion

to USD 265.93 billion in the previous week.

63. Govt revises FY13 GDP growth to 4.5% from

5% [Feb 4]

The government revised downwards economic growth

for 2012-13 to 4.5% from the previous 5% due to

weak performance of farming, manufacturing sectors

and a decline in mining activity.

64. The 28th Surajkund International Crafts Mela

[Feb 4]

Haryana organized the 28th international crafts mela

in Faridabad. This is an international event which is

organized every year to promote crafts and culture of

the different states of this country. This time Sri Lanka

was made trhe partner country whereas Goa was given

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the status of theme state.

65. Rajiv Gandhi khel Abhiyaan [Feb 4]

The union government has proposed a pilot project

named Rajiv Gandhi Khel Abhiyaan to promote and

create sports facilities in rural areas covering 634

districts of the country. The project is set to cost

Rs.12,808 crore and is said to be launched under

monitoring of union sports minister Jitendra Singh.

66. Mother and child tracking centre inaugurated

A Mother and Child Tracking Facilitation Centre was

inaugurated by Union Minister of Health and Family

Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad in Delhi. This centre, set up

with the support of GVK EMRI, tracks the health of

pregnant women and newborn.

It aims to validate the data record of all the

States maintained by the regional Mother and Child

Tracking Systems (MCTS) about the pregnant women

and newborn children, along with the records of health

workers enrolled so far. [Feb 4]

67. Interest subvention scheme for SHGs

The Government announced Rs. 1,400 crore interest

subvention on loans taken by Self Help Groups working

for their empowerment. Interest subvention for the

loans taken by women Self Help Groups (SHGs) is a

significant initiative under Cetres ambitious programNational Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM).

Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh said that it

is applicable for loans availed by women SHGs from

April 1, 2013. According to the Minister, from today

onwards, all banks will lend to women SHGs at upfront

7 per cent interest (for loans up to Rs. 3 lakhs) in 150

select backward districts, most of which are affected

by Naxalites. These SHGs will get a further 3 per cent

subvention on prompt repayment, thus the effective

charge on all such loans will be 4 per cent only.[Feb

4]

69. Cabinet Committee on EconomicAffairs(CCEA)

approves implementation of National Mission

Agricultural Extension and Technology(NMAET) during

the 12th Plan period. The mission aims to restructure

and strengthen agricultural extension to enable

delivery of appropriate technology and improved

agronomic practices to farmers. [Feb 5]

70. Group of Ministers (GoM)constituted to propose a

place for setting up of a National War Memorial

narrow down to CHexagon of India Gate. [Feb 5]

71. The government has set up a committee

today to suggest suitable and corrective

measures to address concerns regarding security

of people from North East. The six-member panel

will be headed by M P Bezbaruah, a retired

bureaucrat. The committee will submit its report

within two months after examining the causes behind

the attacks, violence and discrimination against the

people from the Northeast. The decision was taken in

the wake of death of a student from Arunachal Pradesh

in New Delhi last week which drew huge protest by

North East people living in New Delhi. Congress Vice

President Rahul Gandhi also met Home Minister

Sushilkumar Shinde and MPs from North East to

discuss steps to prevent atrocities against people from

the North East region. [Feb 6]

72. Delhis AAP government directed its Anti-

Corruption Bureau (ACB) to probe a number of

Commonwealth Games related projects that were

implemented during the reign of Sheila Dikshit.

The government has particularly asked ACB to probe

the alleged irregularities in street light projects in

which the Prime Minister-appointed ShungluCommittee had questioned certain decisions made by

Dikshit. [Feb 6]

73. The Gujarat state government is now

considering allocating lignite directly to the small

and medium industries through the National

Small Industries Corporation (NSIC) from

Rajpardi mines in south Gujarat.While gas-based

large industries continue to face fuel shortage, this

step will help all the small industries in Gujarat. The

state government has also given in-principle approval

to the plan, which will ensure cheap fuel for the smallindustries and also appointed NSIC as nodal agency to

distribute lignite among the small units. [Feb 6]

74. India has extended the facility of visa-on-

arrival for the tourists of 180 countries while

barred tourists of eight nations. Currently 11

countries enjoy the benefit which is extended to 180

countries including Finland, the Philippines, Singapore

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and Japan. The Minister for State for Planning, Rajeev

Shukla said that the facility will be implemented from

next tourist season that will begin in October 2014.

The electronic Visa offered to the tourists would be

valid for a period of 30 days from the date of their visit

to India. The countries have been barred from this

visa-on-arrival facility includes Pakistan, Sudan,

Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Sri Lanka and

Somalia. [Feb 6]

75. The number of poor in the country declined to 27

crore in 2011-12, from 40.74 crore in 2004-05,

Minister of State for Planning and Parliamentary Affairs

Rajeev Shukla said. [Feb 6]

76.India offers buyer's credit of $ 100mn toNamibia for infra projects [Feb 6]

i. India has offered to provide buyer's credit of 100

million dollars to Namibia for infrastructure projects.

The offer was made by Commerce and Industry

Minister Anand Sharma during his recent visit to the

country.

ii.The buyer's credit is in addition to the 100 million

dollars line of credit offered during the visit of the

President of Namibia to India in 2009.

iii.Buyer's Credit is an unique program of Exim Bank,

under which the Bank facilitates Indian exports by way

of extending credit facility to the overseas buyers forfinancing their imports from India.

iv. An official release issued in New Delhi today said,

India fully support to Namibia in the priority sectors

such as drugs and pharmaceuticals, small and medium

industries, agriculture and infrastructure.

77.Gujarat Govt to offer lignite for SMEs via

NSIC [Feb 6]

i.While gas-based large industries continue to face

fuel shortage, the small industries in Gujarat has a

reason to cheer.

ii.The state government is considering allocatinglignite directly to the small and medium industries

through the National Small Industries Corporation

(NSIC) from Rajpardi mines in south Gujarat.

iii.According to top government officials, the state

government has given in-principle approval to the

plan, which will ensure cheap fuel for the small

industries.

iv.The government has appointed NSIC, a

government of India enterprise as nodal agency to

distribute lignite among the small units.

v.As per the draft agreement, NSIC will act as the

nodal agency, where the units will place their demand

and subsequently NSIC will inform GMDC to supply

lignite to the concerned unit, said P K Jha, regional

head, NSIC - Ahmedabad.

vi.GMDC will supply about 40,000 metric tonnes of

lignite periodically from its Rajpardi mines near

Bharuch.

vii.As the financial assistance under its raw material

procurement scheme, NSIC will provide weak units a

90-day repayment cycle with interest rate of 11.95 per

cent, much below the 14.5 per cent interest rate

charged under stock hypothecation by banks, Jha

informed.

78.Delhi govt orders probe against Sheila Dikshit

on CWG projects [Feb 6]

i.In yet another move aimed at needling outside ally

Congress, the AAP government today directed its Anti-

Corruption Bureau (ACB) to probe a number of

Commonwealth Games related projects that were

implemented during the reign of Sheila Dikshit.

ii.The government has particularly asked ACB to

probe the alleged irregularities in street light projects

in which the Prime Minister-appointed ShungluCommittee had questioned certain decisions made by

Dikshit.

iii.We will ensure thorough investigation of all cases o

corruption in CWG projects, Law Minister Somnath

Bharti said when asked about the government

decision.

iv.The Shunglu Committee had found procedural

violations by then Delhi Lt Governor Tejinder Khanna

and Dikshit for alleged inadequacies in executing

certain projects related to the 2010 Commonwealth

Games.

Note:In the 70-member Delhi Assembly, eightCongress MLAs are giving outside support to the Aam

Aadmi Party (AAP) government which currently has 27

MLAs after expulsion of rebel legislator Vinod Kumar

Binny. The government has also been given outside

support by a Janata Dal (United) MLA and an

Independent.

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79.Govt committee set up to suggest steps to

ensure security of NE people [Feb 6]

i. The government today set up a committee to

suggest suitable remedial measures to address

concerns regarding security of people from North East.

ii.The six-member panel to be headed by M P

Bezbaruah, a retired bureaucrat, who will submit its

report within two months after examining the causes

behind the attacks, violence and discrimination against

the people from the Northeast.

iii.The decision comes in the wake of death of a

student from Arunachal Pradesh in New Delhi last

week.

iv.Earlier today, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi

met Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and MPs from

North East to discuss steps to prevent atrocities

against people from the North East region.

v.The delegation led by Member of Parliament and

Vice Chairman of North East MPs Forum Khagen Das

brought to notice of the Prime Minister on racial

discrimination faced by the people from North East

region in Delhi. They demanded steps to check the

discrimination. Dr Singh assured the delegation

members that he will look into their complaints.

80. Cabinet clears Telangana bill [Feb 8]

i. The Union Cabinet cleared the Telangana Bill which

introduced in Parliament on Feb 12.ii. The controversial bill presented in the Rajya Sabha

in the present form and the government move 32

amendments when it is taken up for consideration.

81. The Justice M B Shah Commission report on illegal

mining in Odisha will be tabled on friday in Parliament

as the Cabinet has approved making public the first

part of the recommendations along with action taken

report. [Feb 8]

82. India underlined the need for cooperation among

South Asian nations to effectively deal with water andenergy shortages in a bid to promote development.

[Feb 8]

83. Kerala government decided in principle to seek a

CBI probe into the conspiracy behind the murder of

RMP leader T P Chandrasekharan, whose wife is on an

indefinite fast in front of the secretariat here

demanding a probe by the agency in the case. [Feb

8]

84. Arunachal Pradesh has raised the first company of

State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) to avert

casualty in times of mishap and disasters. [Feb 8]

85. 10 plastic note to be tried out in five cities

[Feb 8]

i.Plastic notes in the denomination of 10 will be

introduced on a pilot basis, Minister of State for

Finance Namo Narayan Meena told to the Lok Sabha

on Friday.

ii. In a written reply to a question, Meena said about

1billion 10 plastic notes will be introduced on a trial

basis in five cities Kochi, Mysore, Jaipur, Shimla and

Bhubaneswar. The field trial is expected to be launched

in the second half of 2014.

86. Nepali Congress leader Sushil Koirala is set to

become the next prime minister of Nepal with

the support of the CPN-UML, ending months of

political gridlock following last years elections.

The Parliament of Nepal will elect Koirala as prime

minister tomorrow. The CPNUML standing committee

has decided to back Koirala for the top post after the

party reached a six-point deal with the Nepali Congress

(NC). [Feb 9]

87. Significant letter by Gandhiji to be auctioned

in Britain [Feb 9]

A letter written by Mahatma Gandhi, described as an

incredibly important document in world history, is to

be auctioned in Britain on February 14.The letter is

estimated at 10,000-15,000 pounds ($15,697-

$23,543).The three-page typewritten correspondence

was sent to the British rulers by the father of the

Indian nation while he was under house arrest in 1943

in Pune.

88. Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru hanged

[Feb 9]

On 09 Frebruary 2013, the 2001 Parliament attack

case convict Mohammed Afzal Guru was hanged and

buried inside the Tihar jail complex.

89. Tour operator Thomas Cook (India) Ltd will

merge its operations with resort owner Sterling

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Holiday Resorts India Ltd in a deal valued at Rs

870 crore, announced this week. The merger will

give Thomas Cook access to Sterling Resorts 19

properties in 16 holiday destinations across India and

it will be completed by the fourth quarter of 2014.

[Feb 9]

90. According to a report of the drinking water and

sanitation ministry, Sikkim become India's first state

with 100 percent sanitation coverage. [Feb 9]

91. Sikkim becomes the first state in India with

100% sanitation coverage. All 6,10,577

inhabitants have latrines with high sanitation

and hygiene standards. This is a significant

achievement for the state and it has done remarkably

well to achieve this. The state has also sensitised

people to adopt a holistic approach to improve

sanitation and hygiene in a clean environment while

accelerating its overall development. [Feb 10]

92. Sushil Koirala, leader of Nepali Congress, is to be

the next Prime Minister of Nepal. The breakthrough,

ending months of political deadlock after the last years

elections, was achieved when his party acceded to a

six-point deal with CPNUML. [Feb 10]

93. The National GreenTribunal bans burning of

tyresatpublic placesto check its harmful effect. Manygroups indulge in this hazardous activity to

demonstrate protest or festivities. [Feb 10]

94. 8th Defence Expo 2014 concluded:8th

Defence Expo was organized at Pragati Maidan in New

Delhi from 6 February 2014 to 9 February 2014. The

DefExpo was Organised by the Department of Defence

Production, Ministry of Defence. The Federation of

Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI)

was the event manager of the DefExpo 2014.The four-

day DefExpo showcased emergence of India as an

attractive destination for investment in the DefenceSector and provides a platform for alliances and joint

ventures in the Defence Industry. The exhibition was

dedicated to global Land, Naval and Internal Security

Systems business activity from Suppliers to

Manufacturers and Technology providers to Services.

[Feb 10]

95. South Central Railway launched HYLITES

The South Central Railway (SCR) launched Hyderabad

Live Train Enquiry System (HYLITES) on 10 February

2014. It is the first of its kind in India developed by

South Central Railway on out-sourcing basis.

About HYLITES: HYLITES is a GPS (Global Positioning

System) and GPRS (General Packet Radio Service)

based smart phone application that operates on

android platform. [Feb 10]

96. Sikkim became first state to achieve 100

percent sanitation coverage:[Feb 10]

Sikkim became the first State in India to achieve 100

percent sanitation coverage under the Nirmal Bharat

Abhiyaan Scheme on 9 February 2014. Sikkim

achieved 100 per cent sanitation in rural and urban

households, schools, sanitary complexes and

Aanganwadi centres.As per the latest progress report

card released by the Union Ministry of Drinking Water

& Sanitation, all 610577 inhabitants in Sikkim have

latrines with high sanitation and hygiene .

97. 101st Indian Science Congress concluded

The 101st Annual Session of Indian Science Congress

(ISC) was held at the University of Jammu, Jammu &

Kashmir from 3 February 2014 to 7 February 2014.

The event was inaugurated by Dr. Manmohan Singh,

Prime Minister of India. The President of the 101st ISC

was Prof. R C Sobti.The theme of the 101st ISC wasInnovations in Science and Technology for Inclusive

Development. This is pursuance of the policy Science

healing and innovative unveiled by Honble Prime

Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on 3 January 2013 at

Kolkata. [Feb 10]

98. India completes three years without

reporting any case of polio yesterday. It is only

the second time in the history that a disease is

being eliminated in India through immunisation

after small pox in May 1980. This is a great

achievement by Indian government. Officially theWorld Health Organisation (WHO) will certify India as

polio-free on February 11 after the last of random

samples picked up would be tested.

100. India has been ranked 140th in the list of

180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index

2014 published by the Organisation Reporters

Without Border in its latest annual report.As per

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the report, India experienced an unprecedented wave

of violence against journalists, with eight killed in

2013. They are targeted by both state and non-state

actors. Indias neighbours China and Pakistan were

placed at 175th position and 158th position

respectively. [Feb 12]

101. Paris-based Organisation Reporters without

Border published its latest annual report today in which

Finland has been ranked first in the list followed by

Netherland and Norway. The ranking of the US has

dropped to 46th position from last years 32ndrank.

With rank 158, Pakistan remains one of the most

dangerous countries in the world for journalists. [Feb

12]

102. President Pranab Mukherjee conferred

Award of Honour of Rotary International: The

President of India, Pranab GKMukherjee was conferred

Award of Honour on 11 February 2014 in New Delhi.

The award was presented by Ron Burton, President of

Rotary International at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The

President, Mukherjee was awarded for the leadership

he has provided and the Indias victory over Polio.

Recently India completed three years without reporting

any case of polio on 13 January 2014. Officially the

World Health Organisation (WHO) certified India as

polio-free on 11 February 2014. The WHO on 24February 2012 removed India from the list of countries

with active endemic wild polio transmission. [Feb

12]

103. The Chartered Accountants Institute has

appointed K Raghu as its new President. Earlier,

he was Vice-President of the Institute of

Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), and was

elected the President of the second largest

accountancy body in the world on 12thFebruary.

The Central Council of the CA Institute has also elected

Manoj Fadnis as the Vice-President for 2014-15. [Feb12]

104. 135thbirth day of Sarojini Naidu Celebrated

135thbirth day of Sarojini Naidu Celebrated by Google

Doodle. She had born in Hyderabad. Sarojini Naidu is

most popular with the name Nightingale of India. She

played important roles in Quit India Movement and

Civil disobedience. [Feb 13]

105. National Womens Day is celebrated today

(13thFebruary) across India. It is the birthday of

Sarojini Naidu who was also known as the

Nightingale of India.She was the first Indian

woman to become the President of the Indian National

Congress and was also the first Indian woman to

become Governor of any State (Uttar Pradesh) in

India. [Feb 13]

106. Supreme Court asks Karnataka Chief

Secretary to take steps to stop devadasi system

The Supreme Court directed Karnataka chief secretary

to take all steps to prevent women from being forced

to become devadasis at a temple function scheduled

to be held on Thursday night in Devnagar district of

the state. A bench headed by Chief Justice P

Sathasivam passed the direction on a PIL filed by an

NGO, S L Foundation, alleging that devadasis

dedication is going to take place at Uttarang Mala

Durga temple at Harappanahalli Taluk of Devnagar

district.

107. Rupee down 20 paise, trades at 62.30

against dollar: [Feb 13]

Moving in line with equity market, the rupee fell by 20

paise to 62.30 against the American currency in late

morning trade on Thursday on fresh dollar demand

from banks and importers.The Indian unit resumedhigher at 62.05 per dollar as against

the lastclosing level of 62.10 at the Interbank Foreign

Exchange (Forex) Market, on initial selling of dollars by

exporters in view of its weakness overseas. However,

it washed out initial gains and was quoted at 62.30

per dollar at 1045 hours on fresh demand for the US

currency from banks amidst fall in the equity market.

108. NCML tie up with Canara Bank [Feb 13]

For Collateral Management and Warehousing Services,

Canara Bank entered into partnership with (NCML)

National Collateral Management Services Limited. Mainaim of this partnership is to give support to farmers,

traders and industries to meet their capital

requirements at all the stages including export stage.

109. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal resigned

today after failing to table the jan lokpal bill,

which was defeated in the introduction stage

itself. This decision ends Aam Aadmi Party

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governments 49-day run in power. Kejriwal had earlier

threatened to quit if he failed to push ahead with the

Jan Lokpal bill aimed at curbing corruption in high

places. With this, Delhi assembly will be dissolved now

and fresh voting will happen again. Aam Aadmi Party

can now fully focus on National level election for the

upcoming general election. [Feb 14]

110. Delhi Police has introduced a new helpline

number 1093 for people of North East residing in

Delhi to register their complaints. The number

1093 will allow the north-eastern people to

register all sorts of complaints including racism

and harassment directly to the police. The number

will have 5 direct lines and all calls will be received at

the central police control room (CPCR) situated at

Delhi Police headquarters. Meanwhile, the Delhi police

is also planning to launch a Facebook page and a

Twitter account for people from the northeast where

they can post complaints and suggestions. [Feb 14]

111.Justice Mudgal named chairman of

Broadcasting Content Complaints Council [Feb

14]

i.Former chief justice of Punjab and Haryana High

Court Mukul Mudgal will take over as the new

chairperson of Broadcasting Content Complaints

Council (BCCC), a self-regulatory body for non-newschannels.

ii.A statement said the board of directors of Indian

Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) had approved the

appointment of Justice Mudgal as chairperson of

BCCC.

iii. Justice Mudgal, who had chaired a committee

appointed by the Supreme Court to look into Indian

Premier League match-fixing allegations, succeeds

Justice (retd) Ajit Prakash Shah, who demitted office

after being appointed chairperson of the 20th Law

Commission in November 2013.

iv.Mudgal had become chief justice of Punjab andHaryana HC on December 5, 2009 and retired on

January 3, 2011. He also chaired a committee set up

by the I&B ministry to propose changes in the

Cinematograph Act, 1952.

112.L-G recommends President's rule in Delhi

[Feb 15]

i. Delhi Lt Governor Najeeb Jung has recommended for

President's rule in his report submitted to the President

on Saturday on the follow up action in the wake of

resignation of the Aam Aadmi Party Government.

ii. LG has also rejected recommendation for dissolution

of Delhi Assembly and suggested suspended animation

of Delhi assembly.

iii.The Lt Governor has forwarded the report along

with the resignation of the Government and the

Cabinet's recommendation.

iv.The final decision on whether to bring the national

capital under a spell of central rule or dissolve the

House for holding elections along with Lok Sabha polls

as recommended by the outgoing cabinet will emerge

once the President takes a call on the report.

v.Meanwhile AAP has announced nationwide anti

corruption campaign against Congress and BJP from

February 23.

113.AAP to contest LS polls under Kejriwals

leadership [Feb 15]

i.A day after Arvind Kejriwal stepped down as Delhi

Chief Minister, Aam Aadmi Party on Saturday made it

clear that it would contest the Lok Sabha polls under

his leadership.

ii. Mr. Kejriwal on Friday resigned as Delhi Chief

Minister shortly after his government was defeated on

the issue of tabling of the Jan Lokpal Bill in DelhiAssembly in the face of a united resistance by outside

supporter Congress and BJP.

iii.Congress and Opposition BJP said Mr. Kejriwal was

never serious about governing and was looking for an

excuse to run away to cover up his failure to

deliver on his commitments.

iv.Congress and Opposition BJP said Mr. Kejriwal was

never serious about governing and was looking for an

excuse to run away to cover up his failure to

deliver on his commitments.

114.Kejriwal becomes caretaker CM of Delhi[Feb 15]

i.Arvind Kejriwal has become caretaker Chief Minister

of Delhi after resigning from the Delhi Cabinet.

ii. The caretaker CM will continue working as a care

taker government, until the President accepts the

resignation.

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iii.Delhi, being a Union Territory, it is the President

who finally acceptsthe resignation letter of the Chief

Minister.

iv. In case of other states, the Governor is the final

authority. Delhi's Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal quit on

Saturday evening after his government failed to

introduce its ambitious Jan Lokpal Bill.

v.Meanwhile, Anna Hazare called the developments of

the day especially Kejriwal's resignation unfortunate.

115. Sonia Gandhi regrets failure to pass

womens quota bill: [Feb 15]

United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia

Gandhi today regretted that the

WomensReservation Bill has not been able to be

passed in the Lok Sabha for lack of consensus. With

the Lok Sabha elections looming large, my greatest

regret is that the Women Reservation Bill has not been

able to be passed in the Lok Sabha for lack of

consensus though it has been approved by the Rajya

Sabha, she said here. Gandhi made the observation

while launching the Nirbhaya Kerala Surakshita

Kerala Fearless Kerala, Secure Kerala programme,

a government-civil society initiative to tackle crimes

against women and children.

116. Following resignation of Arvind Kejriwal led AAP

government, Delhi put under President Rule.However assembly hasnot been dissolvedand the

house has been kept under suspended animation.

National Capital Territory of Delhi will now

be administered by President through Lt. Governorin

accordance with the provision of Article 239 and

Article 239AAof the Constitution. [Feb 16]

117. Interim Union Budget 2014-15 Tax

Proposal:Interim Budget 2014-15 was presented in

the Lok Sabha by Union Finance Minister, P

Chidambaram on 17 February 2014. This was the 83rd

budget of the Union Government and 9thpersonalbudget by Chidambaram as Finance Minister. In the

union budget 2014-15, the Finance Minister left

untouched the direct taxes. [Feb 16]

118. Nirbhaya Fund gets additional Rs 1,000

crore in budget:[Feb 16]

Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Monday allocated

an additional Rs 1,000 crore to the Nirbhaya Fund for

the safety and empowerment of women.In order to

make it clear that the (Nirbhaya) fund will be a

prominent fund, I intend to declare the grant of Rs

1,000 crore as non-lapsable and in order to support

more proposals, I propose to contribute to the

fund another Rs 1,000 crore next year,

Chidambarams said while presenting the interim

budget in Parliament.In January, the Cabinet

Committee on Economic Affairs approved a Rs 1,405-

crore project to track and monitor public transport and

provide alarm buttons for alerting authorities.

119. Tamil Nadutransport department

creates Guinness world recordfor organising

the largest blood donation camp. [Feb 18]

i) The camp saw 53,129 volunteers donating a total of

18439 litres of blood.

ii) It was organized to celebrate CM Jayalalithaa's

birthday.

iii) The previous record was held by a camp organized

in Haryana where 43732 people had volunteered to

donate blood in 2010.

120. Telangna Bill passed in Lok Sabha by voice

vote [Feb 18]

i. In an unprecedented move, live telecast of

Parliament proceedings was stopped as the Lok Sabha

passed the controversial bill that seeks to create aTelangana state by dividing Andhra Pradesh.

ii. The bill was passed unanimously, with the support

of the main opposition BJP, but the party says it was

not aware of the TV blackout.

iii.In proceedings that cannot be witnessed outside

the House, Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde has

spoken and the bill is now being taken up clause by

clause.

iv.Notwithstanding the continuing protests inside and

outside Parliament, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde

moved the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill 2014 for

consideration even as MPs from Seemandhra, includingministers, were in the Well opposing bifurcation of the

state.

v.Sixteen members from the region, belonging to

Congress, TDP and YSR Congress, were suspended

from the House last Thursday till 20th February after

unprecedented pandemonium that saw expelled

Congress member L Rajagopal bursting pepper spray

causing commotion.

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vi.Members from Telangana region were also in the

Well seeking early creation of the separate state.

121.India has met bud deficit target; fiscal

position weak: Moody's [Feb 18]

i. Global rating agency Moody's on Tuesday said

India's interim budget is in line with the policy

assumptions that underpin the government's Baa3

rating with a stable outlook.

ii. The global rating agency has, however, cautioned

that India's fiscal position remains "weak".

iii.Moody's stable outlook on India's Baa3 sovereign

rating incorporates the macro-economic risks posed by

the government's high deficit and debt ratios as well as

its recent efforts to control the fiscal deficit through ad

hoc measures," it said in a statement on Tuesday.

iv.The rating also incorporates the medium-term

credit support provided by the government's

favourable access to domestic savings for the purposes

of financing its large borrowing requirements, the

statement added.

v."Moody's notes that India's fiscal deficit ratios have

declined over the last two years, but its general

(central and state) government fiscal deficits remain

higher than those of similarly rated peers," it said.

vi.The fiscal deficit, which is the gap between

expenditure and revenue, was at 4.9 percent of GDP in

the previous financial year.vii.According to Moody's, while demonstrating a

commitment to meeting its deficit targets, the Indian

government's spending cuts are also likely to constrain

GDP growth in the current year.

122.Bhagat Singh's house, school get Rs 80 mn

for restoration [Feb 18]

i.Legendary freedom fighter Bhagat Singh's ancestral

house, school and his village in Punjab Province in

Pakistan will be restored under a Rs 80-million

project.

ii. The amount will also be spent for the uplift ofSingh's village where clean drinking water is not

available and drainage system is in bad shape,"

Faisalabad District Coordination Officer Noorul Amin

Mengal said.

iii. Mengal said that people in Faisalabad "take pride in

the fact that Bhagat Singh was the son of their soil"

and want the place to be known as "the town of

Bhaghat Singh".

iv.The celebrated revolutionary was born September

28, 1907 at Bangay village, Jaranwala Tehsil in the

Faisalabad (then Lyallpur) district of the Province.

v.The Punjab government had decided to rechristen

the Fawara Chowk to Bhaghat Singh Chowk in October

2012.

vi.The plan, however, was put on hold after the report

of renaming drew objections from some quarters

123.No death sentence for Rajiv Gandhi's

assassins: SC [Feb 18]

i.In a major relief to three condemned prisoners in the

Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, the Supreme Court on

Tuesday commuted their death sentence to life

imprisonment on the ground of 11 years delay in

deciding their mercy plea by the Centre.

ii. A bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam

rejected the Centre's submission that there was no

unreasonable delay in deciding their mercy plea and

the condemned prisoners did not go through agonising

experience as they were enjoying life behind the bars.

iii.The bench, also comprising justices Ranjan Gogoi

and S K Singh, said they are unable to accept the

Centre's view and commuted the death sentence of

convicts--Santhan, Murugan and Perarivalan--to

imprisonment for life subject to remission by the

government.

iv."Their main contention was that the delay of 11years and four months in disposal of the mercy

petitions made the execution of the death sentence

"unduly harsh and excessive," amounting to violation

of their right to life under Article 21 of the

Constitution.

Note: i.Rajiv Gandhi was killed in May 1991. His

assassins were convicted by a TADA court in January

1998 and were awarded death sentence, which was

confirmed by the apex court 11th May 1999.

ii. The bench had reserved its verdict on 4th February

on the petition of the three convicts for commutationof their death sentence to life imprisonment on ground

of delay in deciding their mercy plea.

iii. Their plea was strongly opposed by the Centre

which had said that it was not a fit case for the apex

court to commute death sentence on the ground of

delay in deciding mercy plea.

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124.Arun Jaitley launched a book entitled

ModiNomics in Delhi [Feb 18]

i.Arun Jaitely, a BJP leader on 16 February 2014

unveiled a book entitled ModiNomics: Inclusive

Economics, Inclusive Governanceat the Indian

Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road in New Delhi. The book

has been authored by Sameer Kochhar.

ii.The book presents an insight of Modis idea of both

Inclusive Economics as well as Inclusive Governance.

iii.It also speaks about the vision of Narendra Modi

about economic and development strategies. The

programme of book launch was skipped by the BJPs

Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.

Some other books of Sameer Kochhar

i.Growth & Finance: Essays in Honour of C.

Rangarajan. The books preface was written by P.

Chidambaram and its forward has been written by

Manmohan Singh

ii. Speeding Financial Inclusion preface was written by

C. Rangarajan

iii.Policymaking for Indian Planning: Essays on

Contemporary Issues in Honour of Montek S. Ahluwalia

was edited by Sameer Kochhar

iv.Building from the Bottom: Infrastructure and

Poverty Alleviation was edited by Sameer Kochhar

125.Countrys first Minority Cyber Village in

Rajasthan [Feb 19]i.Minister for Minority Affairs K Rehman Khan today

inaugurated countrys first Minority Cyber Village in

Chandoli in Alwar district of Rajasthan. He said that

Mewat region is still backward in education and

government is making all efforts for upliftment of

minorities.

ii.He said that Government is considering to open

special schools on pattern of Kendriya Vidyalayas for

minority community. MOS Minority Affairs Ninong Iring

and MOS Defence Jitendraa Singh also addressed the

function.

iii.Aim of this ambitious Cyber village project is toprovide computer education to the people of 15 to59

age group.Ministry of Minority Affairs has targeted

villages with substantial population of minorities for

yhis project.

Note: Chandoliwith over 80 percent of minority

population is the first village selected for pilot project.

Under this project experts will provide training of

commuter skills to the people of chandoli

126. Indians have topped the list of Dubai's most

active real estate buyers as they view the city in the

same league as London, according to a survey.

127. President Pranab Mukherjee will tommorow

embark on a two-day visit of West Bengal to attend

various public functions.

128.Ten-day festival Taj Mahotsav began in Agra

[Feb 19]

i.Taj Mahotsav, the ten day annual festival began in

Agra, Uttar Pradesh on 18 February 2014.

ii.The festival will be celebrated from 18 to 27

February 2014 at the Shilp Gram, the Eastern gate of

Taj Mahal. The theme of the festival for this year

is Paigham-e Mohahabbat or the message of love.About Taj Mahostav

Taj Mahotsav was started in 1992 and since then its

glory has reached to greater heights. The festival is

organized by the Uttar Pradesh Department of Tourism

to increase the Indian Tourism.

129.Kiran Kumar Reddy resigns as CM, quits

Congress [Feb 19]

i.Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy submitted

his resignation to the Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan on

Wednesday morning.

ii.Mr. Reddy had earlier announced his decision to quitfrom the post and the party in protest against the

Central Government decision to divide the Telugus for

the sake of votes and seats".

iii.Strongly condemning the manner in which the Bill

was passed, he said the Telugu people of all regions,

including Telangana region, would face losses and

difficulties because of the state bifurcation.

iv."The emotions and feelings of Telugu people are

badly hurt. The future has been pushed into darkness.

So protesting against the way UPA's decision of

bifurcation, i'm resigning from CM's post, MLA and also

party.v.My family is loyal to the high command since a long

time. The congress has introduced the Telangana bill

like thieves. They should answer the public. It is

nothing but violation of the Constitution and law. I

condemn the behavior of all political parties in this

issue," he said.

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130. The Supreme Court today agreed to hear Centres

plea seeking interim order for implementation of 4.5

per cent sub-quota for backward classes belonging to

minorities in central educational institutions.

131. The government has issued 57.62 crore Aadhaar

cards till January 31, and there is no denial of

enrolment to people who don't have document-based

proof of identity.

132. Amid demands for getting the long-pending

Women's Reservation Bill passed, government today

said it was even ready to extend the last session of the

15th Lok Sabha if the House agreed.

133. Satisfied with G20 outcome: Chidambaram[Feb 22]

Satisfied with the outcome of G20 meeting,

Finance Minister P. Chidambaram on Sunday said

Indias concerns with regard to withdrawal of US

stimulus and the need to expedite IMF quota reforms

have been taken on board by the group of rich and

developing nations.

The communique has been drawn by the deputies

sitting together and our concerns have been fully

reflected in the communique, he told PTI in an

interview after conclusion of the G20 Finance Ministers

and Central Bank Governors meet.The Minister said yes, when asked whether he was

satisfied with the G20 communique.

134. Indian government proposes Youth Connect

Programme to implement NYP-14 [Feb 22]

For the effective implementation of the

National Youth Policy-2014, the Government of India

has recommended that all the relevant ministries

should set up a mandatory Youth Connect

Programme to educate the youth about thevarious

schemes and programmes available to them that are

administered by the concerned ministries.Given the fact that youth comprise 27.5 per

cent of the population, and represent a large

proportion of the target segment of most of the

ministries, it is important to ensure that the key

ministry departments communicate with the youth and

must work in a coordinated manner to facilitate holistic

youth development.

Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi and Sports

Minister Jitendra Singh had, on Friday, unveiled two

ambitious projects National Youth Policy 2014 and

Rajiv Gandhi Khel Abhiyan which focus on

education, skill development, employment,

entrepreneurship and health.

The NYP 2014 is a comprehensive policy

document that states the vision of the Government of

India for the youth of the country and also how this

vision is sought to be realised by the government.

NYP-2014 caters to the needs of the youth in the age-

group of 15-29 years.

135. 7thPay Commission approved by the Cabinet

[Feb 22]

7thPay Commission approved by the Cabinet.

According this commission dearness allowance will be

merged with basic pay. This will be done after it

touched 50% of the basic pay. It is estimating that

merger will increase the salary by 30%.

136. First Indian to become ADB Admin Tribunal

President is Lakshmi Swaminathan [Feb 22]

First Indian to become ADB Admin Tribunal President is

Lakshmi Swaminathan. He has been elected for 3

years. He is the 7thpresident of the Tribunal.

Previous presidents are one from UK, one from SriLanka, 2 from Philippines, 2 from US. In 2010, she

joined as a member in this tribunal.

137. Seemandhra MPs urge Kiran Kumar Reddy

to float new party [Feb 22]

Seemandhra MPs, expelled from Congress, and

other party leaders on Sunday urged Andhra Pradesh

caretaker Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy to

launch a new political outfit.

We fought (in Parliament) and Chief Minister

in the Assembly. Our fight should not go waste. We

told him to start a new party. He will also talk to MLAstomorrow, MP GV Harsha Kumar told reporters here.

Another expelled MP Sabbam Hari also said

Reddy would continue his consultations with MLAs and

others tomorrow and a conclusion can be reached

thereafter. Reddy had resigned from his post on

February 19 in protest against the division of Andhra

Pradesh and the way the AP Reorganisation Bill was

pushed through in Parliament.

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Governor ESL Narasimhan has asked Kiran Kumar

Reddy and his council of ministers to continue in their

posts till alternative arrangements are made.

The Congress leadership and the Centre have

not yet taken a decision on formation of a new

government in AP or imposing Presidents rule in the

state.

The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill was passed in

Parliament last week and now awaits Presidents

assent.

138. UIDAI Chairman Nandan Nilekani said he will

resign from his job by March-end to contest Lok Sabha

election on Congress ticket. [Feb 22]

139. A committee has been constituted under the

chairmanship of M.P. Bezbaruah, Member, North

Eastern Council and other members to look into the

various kinds of concerns of the persons hailing from

the North Eastern States who are living in different

parts of the country, especially the Metropolitan areas.

[Feb 22]

140. Saradha Group head Sudipto Sen was sentenced

to three years in prison for defaulting on depositing the

provident fund dues of his employees. [Feb 22]

141. Biharto get 1320 MW (2 X 660 MW) ThermalPower Projectat Kajra (Lakhisarai). It will be a joint

collaboration between NTPC (74% stake) and Bihar

State Power Generation Company Limited (26%

stake). [Feb 25]

142. 7200km of state highways to be elevated to

National Highways by the union government. The

present length of the National Highways in the country

is about 80000 km. [Feb 25]

143. National Centre for Good

GovernanceInaugurated in Mussorrie. [Feb 25]It will serve as an apex think tank to advise

government on good governance.

The institute is just the upgradation of erstwhile

National Institute of Administrative Research (NIAR).

144. Jayant Vishnu Narlikarto receive Y

Nayudamma memorial award 2013for his notable

contributions in astronomy and astrophysics. The

annual honour is awarded to scientist and technologist

for their worthy contributions. Its named after

acclaimed leather technologist and scientist

Nayudamma. [Feb 25]

145.NTPC signed MoU to Develop Kajra Thermal

Project [Feb 25]

i. NTPC signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)

with Bihar State Power Generation Company Limited

(BSPGCL) and Lakhisarai Bijlee Company Private

Limited (LBCPL) to develop a 1320 MW (2 X 660 MW)

Thermal Power Project at Kajra in Lakhisarai district of

Bihar.

ii.9200 crore rupees will be invested on development

of the project thaqt will gave two units of 660 MW

each.

iiii.The MoU between the three institutions was signed

at Patna in Bihar in presence of Nitish Kumar, the Chief

Minister of Bihar and Arup Roy Chaudhary, the CMD of

NTPC and Energy Minister of Bihar.

iv.As per the MoU signed between the three

institutions, the project will be developed through a

joint venture in which 74 percent stake will rest with

NTPC and the rest with BSPGCL.

146. Hyderabad has become the worlds most

affordable office locations due to rupee

depreciation and fall in rentals amid politicalinstability over Telangana, as per the paper

published by the global realty consultant

DTZ.While Chennai retains its position as the worlds

third least expensive office space market, Pune and

Bangalore secured fourth and fifth position

respectively.

Delhi and Mumbai placed at 49th and 63rd position

globally with Delhi is having the costliest office space

in India. As per the same list, London West End and

Hong Kong are the most expensive office market space

in the world. [Feb 26]

147.SC issues Non bailable arrest warrant

against Sahara Chief [Feb 26]

i.The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued non

bailable arrest warrant against Sahara Chief Subrata

Roy for his failure to appear before it in connection

with the case in which his two companies have been

directed to refund Rs 20,000 crore to investors.

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ii.The court had on February 20 come down heavily

on the Sahara group for not refunding Rs 20,000 crore

of investors money despite its order and summoned

Roy, Ravi Shankar Dubey, Ashok Roy Choudhary and

Vandana Bhargava, directors of its firms -- Sahara

India Real Estate Corp Ltd (SIREC) and Sahara India

Housing Investment Corp Ltd (SHIC) to be personally

present before it today.

iii.The bench had said SEBI can put those properties

on auction and get the money after the market

regulator had said that let the company itself sell the

properties and deposit the money.

iv.The apex court in its judgement of August 31, 2012

had directed SEBI to attach properties and recover the

money.

v.Sending a clear message that the court is not

helpless in taking action for flouting its directions,

the apex court had on November 21 last year barred

Mr. Roy from leaving the country and also restrained

the group from selling any of its properties.

148.Ram Vilas Paswan all set to align with BJP

again [Feb 26]

i.Ram Vilas Paswans LJP, which left NDA in 2002, is

all set to align with BJP in Bihar for Lok Sabha polls,

giving a jolt to Congress plans to have a secular

alliance with LJP and RJD.

ii. The alliance between BJP and LJP is likely to beannounced in a couple of days as the partys

Parliamentary Board authorised Paswan to take a final

decision in this regard and did not hide its bitterness

towards Lalu Prasads RJD.

iii.The LJP chief said members in the Parliamentary

Board were of the opinion that the option of going with

BJP should also be kept open.

Note:i. Ram Vilas Paswan had left the NDA and

resigned from the Vajpayee government in the wake of

the Gujarat riots in 2002.

ii.LJP was part of the Congress-led UPA from 2004 to

2009 with Paswan being a Cabinet Minister at theCentre.

149.MNREGA workdays may be raised to 150

days [Feb 26]

i.With the Lok Sabha elections round the corner, the

government is planning to raise the workdays under its

ambitious rural employment guarantee programme

MNREGA from 100 to 150 days a year.

ii. A proposal in this regard will be considered by the

Union Cabinet on Friday, sources said today.

iii. In the recent years, there have been demands that

payments under MNGREGA should be at par with the

wages paid under the Minimum Wages Act, which vary

from state to state.

Note: Under the MNREGA programme, one member of

each rural family is entitled to 100 days of work a year

with remuneration of Rs 100 plus amount linked to

Consumer Price Index (CPI).

150.Vice President released Commemorative

Postage Stamp of Maulana Hasrat Mohani [Feb

26]

i.Hamid Ansari, the Vice President of India released a

commemorative postage stamp in the honour of

Maulana Hasrat Mohani in New Delhi. Mohani was a

freedom fighter and an eminent poet.

ii.Hasrat Mohani alongwith Ali brothers (Muhammad

Ali and Shaukat Ali), Maulana Azad and Hakim Ajmal

Khan were the part of the Khilafat Committee formed

by Indian National Congress in 1919.

151.Hyderabad tops list of worlds 10 least

expensive office markets [Feb 26]

i. Hyderabad has become the world's most affordable

office locations due to rupee depreciation and fall in

rentals amid political instability over Telangana,according to global realty consultant DTZ.

ii. Chennai retains its position as the worlds third least

expensive office space market. Pune and Bangalore

occupy fourth and fifth position respectively.

iii. Meanwhile, the report also revealed that London

West End and Hong Kong are the most expensive

occupier markets in our global list, with occupancy

costs exceeding USD 20,000 per annum on a

workstation basis.

iv. "Mumbai and Delhi are placed at 63rd and 49th

position globally. This makes Delhi the costliest office

space in India followed by Mumbai," DTZ said.

152. India Newspaper Society(INS) celebrates

its Platinum Jubilee. [Feb 27]

Born as "Indian and Eastern Newspaper Society" on

February 27, 1939 in New Delhi, its a umbrella body

of Newspapers published in India and currently has

more than 1,000 members having publications in 19

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languages with a combined circulation of 71 million

copies.

153. Government passes Bill to establish "Rani

Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University"

at Jhansi (UP). [Feb 27]

Objective:

impart educationand undertake researchin different

branches ofagriculture, allied

sciencesand programmes of extension education in

the Bundelkhand region(of UP/MP). It will

also promote linkages with national and international

educational institutes towards this goal.

The university will set up colleges

for agriculture, horticulture, forestry(in UP)

and veterinary, animal sciences and fisheries (in MP).

154. National Monitoring Committee for

Minorities(NMCM) holds its first meeting in Delhi.

[Feb 27]

NMCM: was constituted recently to assess the

achievements and reviewMinistry of

Minority Affairs' planning process, programmes,

strategies and implementation process over its 9 years

of establishment.

It includes72 expertsin minority related issues

155. CCEA approved National Mission for GreenIndia:The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs

(CCEA) approved a National Mission for a Green India

on 20 February 2014. The Green India Mission (GIM)

aims to improve and increase Indias diminishing forest

cover.The GIM scheme envisages a total cost of 46000

crore rupees over the next 10 years. The GIM is one of

eight missions under the National Action Plan on

Climate Change (NAPCC). [Feb 27]

156. National Science Day is observed today

(28thFebruary) across the nation to mark the

discovery of the Raman Effect by Indian physicistChandrasekhara Venkata Raman (CV Raman) on

28 February 1928.This day is celebrated every year

on this day to spread a message about the significance

of scientific applications in the daily life of the

people. The theme for 2014 is Fostering Scientific

Temper and Energy conservation. [Feb 28]

157. The Union Cabinet has recommended

imposition of Presidents rule in Andhra Pradesh

today. Kiran Kumar Reddy has resigned as

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister protesting

creation of Telengana state earlier this month

and the state has been without a Chief Minister

since then. The Cabinet also hiked poll expenditure

ceiling from the present 40 lakh to 70 lakh rupees for

candidates in the Lok Sabha elections.

The Cabinet has also approved additional

dearness allowance, DA, of 10% to make total

DA as 100% which will be effective from 1st

January 2014. The hike will benefit 50 lakh Central

government employees and 30 lakh pensioners. The

Cabinet approved minimum pension of Rs 1000 per

month under the Employees Provident Fund

Organisation, EPFO.

At the same time, the Cabinet approved

setting up a new rail coach manufacturing unit at

Kolar, in Karnataka to manufacture 500 coaches per

annum. It approved financial support of 434 crore

rupees for establishing four new National Institutes of

Design at Jorhat, Bhopal, Vijayawada and Kurukshetra.

[Feb 28]

158. Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram

inaugurated Indias first post office savings bank

ATM at the Head Post Office in ThyagarayaNagar, Chennai on 27thFebruary. The ATM was

launched as a part of an Information Technology (IT)

modernisation project of the Department of Posts in

order to boost its core banking network and prepare

itself to get banking license. India Post is one of the

main contenders which all have applied for banking

licenses. [Feb 28]

159. Sahara India head Subrata Roy has

surrendered to the UP police today after

Supreme Court issued non-bailable warrant for

his failure to appear be

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