[CA - Notes] Feb 2016 Events: Week 1

Feb 01 - 05, 2016 Events

INDIA

·        Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) completes ten years of implementation on Feb 02, 2016

ä Government is committed to strengthen MGNREGA: Union Finance Minister, Mr. Arun Jaitley

ä Congress and BJP fight over the 'success' for MGNREGA on its tenth anniversary

ä State Awards under MGNREGA for Effective Initiatives:

-         Sustainable livelihoods through convergence: (i) Tamil Nadu (ii) West Bengal

-         Transparency and Accountability: jointly by Andhra Pradesh and Telangana

-         Social inclusion: Telangana

·        President, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee to inaugurate Counter-Terrorism Conference 2016 at Jaipur [Counter-Terrorism Conference is being organized by India Foundation in collaboration with Sardar Patel University of Police, Security and Criminal Justice, Jodhpur; 1st Counter Terrorism Conference was held in Jaipur in 2015]

·        Supreme Court verbally thrashed the Gujarat and the Centre for not implementing the National Food Security Act passed by Parliament in 2013

·        Supreme Court recalled its notice issued to Arunachal Pradesh Governor, Mr. J. P. Rajkhowa [Attorney General (Mukul Rohatgi) pointed that, no Court can ask President or Governor to answer it; after hearing AG's view, Supreme Court corrected itself and recalled the notice given]

·        Let's register the sex of foetus in public records and track the pregnancies are carried to full term: Union Women and Child Development Minister, Ms. Maneka Gandhi

·        National Marine Fisheries Census 2016 began (lastly held in 2010)

·        Supreme Court quashed Tamil Nadu's GAIL notification; livelihood of farmers comes to a big question now

·        Supreme Court gives light of hope for LGBT communities by saying it will go through the Section 377 of IPC; matter moved to five - judge Constitution Bench (to be set up later)

·        Union Health Ministry issued guidelines on Zika Virus

·        PMO plans to merge RS TV channel with LS TV channel

·        10 soldiers trapped in Siachen Avalance declared as dead; army released the dead soldiers names; 9 of the 10 soldiers hail from Southern India (4 from Tamil Nadu, 3 from Karnataka, 1 from Kerala and Andhra each)

·        International Fleet Review 2016

- Venue: Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh

- Participating nations: 54

- Theme: "United through Oceans"

- Participated nations: 54

·        Scientists of Bharat Biotech (at Hyderabad) have developed the world's first vaccine (ZIKAVAC) to fight Zika Virus

·        Union Minister for Science & Technology, Dr Harsh Vardhan, inaugurated a unique MAGIC [Modular, Agile, Intensified & Continuous] Process Lab at CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory (CSIR-NCL) Pune

·        Agricultural growth is also necessary along with industrial development - Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister, Mr. Radha Mohan Singh

·        Union Cabinet has given its approval for allowing the Ministry of Railways to form Joint Venture Companies with the State Governments to mobilize resources for undertaking various rail infrastructure projects in States

·        Union Cabinet has given its approval for delinking Rajasthan Electronics & Instruments Limited (REIL), Jaipur, from its parent company Instrumentation Limited (IL) and turn it into an independent Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) under Department of Heavy Industry

·        Maritime India Summit 2016 at Mumbai (April 2016); South Korea to be partner country

·        WHO has accorded PQP (Pre-qualification of Medicine Prohraame) certificate to Chennai based GreenSignal Bio Pharma Pvt Ltd (a BCG vaccine making firm); second Indian company to get PQP certification from WHO [GreenSignal is headed by former CEC, Mr. N. Gopalaswamy]

·        Budget Session of Parliament from Feb 23 - May 13

·        Union MoS for Home Affairs, Mr. Kiren Rijiju chaired the 3rd meeting of the Committee of Eminent Freedom Fighters

·        50% Indians to be made digital literate (current rate is 15%) in three years: Union IT Minister, Mr. Ravi Shankar Prasad

·        Central government is thinking to declare 50% reservation for women in panchayats

·        Major General Jai Shanker Menon of India is appointed as the Head United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

·        India submitted its Instrument of Ratification of the Convention of Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage (CSC), 1997 (signed the convention in 2010)

·        Ministry of Urban Development approved projects worth over Rs.12 cr for improving tourist infrastructure in heritage places of Amaravati in Andhra Pradesh and Warangal in Telangana

·        As of now, Government withholds its decision on GM mustard

·        Indian basmati rice all set to get GI tag

·        Agricultural education must conform to global standards: President, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee

·        Prisoner deserve dignified treatment too: Supreme Court to Centre

BILATERAL ISSUES

·        Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi met the Chief Executive of Afghanistan, Dr Abdullah Abdullah [Dr. Abdullah Abdullah to deliver a keynote address at the Conference on Counter Terrorism 2016]

·        Vietnam has formally lifted the ban on import of Indian Groundnut [temporarily suspended import of groundnuts from India from April 06, 2015 due to interceptions of quarantine pests living Caryedon serratus and Trogodrma granarium]

·        India likely to sign defence pact with Brunei

·        National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) Ltd. has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with RUSNANO OJSC of Russia [agreed to set up the Russia - India High Technology Private Equity Fund]

·        Anupam Kher denied visa by Pakistan; he was to participate in Pakistan for a Literary Festival

·        India - Thailand: firm up maritime cooperation (COBRA GOLD 2016 - multilateral amphibious exercise; OPERATION MAITRI 2016 - counter insurgency operations) [Vice President, Mr. Hamid Ansari is on official visit to Thailand]

·        President, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee conferred the Honorary Rank of General of the Indian Army on Prakhyata Trisahkati-Patta General Rajendra Chhetri, Chief of the Army Staff, Nepalese Army [for his commendable military prowess and immeasurable contribution to fostering Nepal’s long and friendly association with India]

·        India signed a Cooperation Agreement to acquire the status of the Associate Member State of EMBO (European Molecular Biology Organisation) [Click for More Details]

·        India and Russia have set up a working group to locally build components for nuclear power plants of Russian design

·        Ninth Indo - Nepal combined Battalion level Military Training Exercise SURYA KIRAN will be conducted at Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand (Feb 08)

·        India and Brunei signed 3 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) in the field of health, defence and youth affairs and sports

STATES SCAN

·        Andhra Pradesh: Kapu community leader to go on indefinite fast seeking reservation for them

·        Assam: Brahmaputra Cracker and Polymer Limited (BCPL) at Lepetkata was dedicated to the nation by Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi

·        Bihar: scraps the mandatory toilet norms for local polls; it is the second U - turn by Bihar government after total prohibition of liquor in the State

·        Chandigarh: Canadian province of Prince Edward Island & Ontario signed MoUs in Chandigarh

·        Goa: heli-tourism project put on hold due to opposition

·        Gujarat: Justice Ramayyahari Subash Reddy is appointed as the new Chief Justice of Gujarat High Court

·        Gujarat: India's first underwater restaurant was opened at Ahmedabad (called as “Real Poseidon”)

·        Gujarat: 37 killed after a bus falls into river

·        Haryana: 30th edition of the Surajkund International Crafts Mela began at Surajkund in Faridabad (Feb 01 - 15, 2016); Telangana was selected as the theme State; China and Japan are focus countries

·        Jammu & Kashmir: Governor Mr. N. N. Vohra appointed advisers (Mr. Parvez Dewan IAS and Mr. Khusrshid Ahmed Gnani IAS); State has been under Governor's Rule since Jan 07, 2016

·        Karnataka: Investors Meet at Bengaluru (Feb 03 - 05, 2016)

·        Karnataka: advanced Polymer Design and Development Research Laboratory cum High Learning Centre at Bengaluru

·        Karnataka should be growing by 2 - 3 percent faster than the country's GDP. The state has potential in better natural resources and quality human resources. - Union Finance Minister, Mr. Arun Jaitley while inaugurating Invest Karnataka – 2016

·        Karnataka: Reliance Defence to set up Dhirubhai Ambani Centre for Innovation & Research in Aerospace in Bengaluru

·        Karnataka: it was just a mob attack and not racism (on the attack of Tanzanian woman) - State Home Minister, Mr. G. Parameshwara; Central team went to Bengaluru to probe the incident

·        Karnataka: Union Law Minister, Mr. Sadananda Gowda asked the Karnataka government to form a special squad to keep a watch on foreign students

·        Kerala: Third Global Ayurveda Festival at Kozhikode; Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi addressed

·        Kerala: Kerala Literature Festival 2016 begins at Kozhikode

·        Kerala: Government is firm on the restriction on women entering the famous Sabarimala temple

·        Maharashtra: Government announced a new scheme Bharatratna Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Special Collective Incentive Scheme for the economically backward Dalit entrepreneurs.

·        Maharashtra: first state in the country to deny furlough (an entitled leave) to a prisoner convicted of rape

·        Odisha: 143 villages electrified through DDUGJY (Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram JyotiYojna), highest in the country

·        Odisha: Government extended Aahar Cheap meal scheme to 29 districts

·        Odisha: lifted the restrictions on visit of foreign tourists to certain tribal areas in the State after three years

·        Telangana: TRS wins Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) polls; for the first time in the history, a single party secured majority

·        Uttarakhand:  4-day National Arogya Fair began at Dehradun

·        West Bengal: Kolkata Literature Festival 2016 begins at Kolkata

TAMIL NADU

·        Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi inaugurated the building of the ESIC Medical College and Hospital in Coimbatore [CAG report reveals colossal waste of public funds by ESIC]

·        Chief Minister, Ms. Jayalalithaa launched an e-governance project called e-CTAX (total solution projection for the Commercial Taxes department)

·        Tamil Nadu win 2 awards for executing MGNREGS (MGNREGA SAMMELAN – 2016)

- An award for convergence of MGNREGS on the State's Solid Waste Management Scheme in Villages

- 2 Districts (Pudukottai and Thiruvallur) from Tamil Nadu has been chosen as 10 best districts across the country in implementing the Scheme

·        Supreme Court decision on GAIL shocks farmers; opposition parties criticized AIADMK government

·        Government has mandated the DVAC to forward all corruption complaints against government officials (irrespective of their rank or grade) to Vigilance Commission, which should order a probe only after getting the opinion of the State Government; criticism against the government for doing such thing

·        1.30 lakh people in the State are living with cancer; 3% are children and 12% are young adults

·        Madras High Court issues notice to Government on appointment of 11 officers to TNPSC

·        Marakanam Incident (2013): a trial court sentence 6 persons (cadres of VCK political party) to life imprisonment

·        31, 76, 018 students got free laptops from the Government

AROUND THE WORLD

·        WHO declared Zika Virus as an international emergency (Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)) [H1N1 or Swine Flu - in Apr 2009; Polio - May 2014; Ebola Virus - Aug 2014; Zika Zirus - Feb 2016]

·        It's official: Zika is a sexually transmitted disease too

·        68 newborn deaths reported across the world due to Zika virus

·        UK scientists get license to edit human embryos

·        Germany: opened its first shelter for gay and lesbian refugees, as fears grew over threats to them in overcrowded accommodations

·        Major General Menon of India to head United Nations Disengagement Observer Force

·        Sri Lanka: 68th Independence Day; National Anthem rendered in Tamil too

·        Julian Assange's detention illegal: UN panel

·        EU approved 3.3 billion Euros funding to Turkey to cope with Syrian refugee crisis

·        U.S. asks Russia to end strikes after Syria talks collapse

·        Space Launch System (SLS) — NASA’s most powerful rocket ever that will launch an uncrewed Orion spacecraft to a stable orbit beyond the Moon in 2018 — will also carry 13 tiny satellites to test innovative ideas (called as "CubeSats")

·        WHO recommended all governments to rate movies with smoking scenes to protect children and adolescents from tobacco addiction

·        US General John Nicholson named NATO commander in Afghanistan

·        U.K., Sweden will continue to press for Assange’s arrest

·        Panama: to release GM mosquitoes to combat the spread of Zika virus

·        US Presidential Election Race

- Iowa Province (Republican - won by Mr. Ted Cruz; Democratic - won by Ms. Hilary Clinton)

ECONOMICS / BUSINESS WORLD

·        Companies Law Committee (headed by Bharat Vasani) submitted its report; says that there is a need of 100 amendments for doing ease of business

·        World Bank approved $35 million to improve citizen access to public services in Madhya Pradesh

·        Supreme Court appointed an expert committee headed by former CJI R. Lodha to monitor the sales of assets and refund of money to the investors of Pearls Agrotech Corporation Limited (PACL)

·        RBI kept its key policy rates unchanged (Repo - 6.75%; CRR - 4%)

·        Government sets up Tax Policy Research Unit (TPRU) and Tax Policy Council  to be chaired by Union Finance Minister

·        India has become the second-biggest smartphone market in terms of active unique smartphone users, crossing 220 million users, surpassing the US market

·        Alphabet Inc. became world’s most valuable company

·        Saroj Kumar Jha (Indian) has been appointed to a key position in the World Bank [has been tasked to provide strategic leadership to address the challenge of fragility, conflict and violence, working across the Bank Group and in close collaboration with partners]

·        DJ Pandian appointed Vice President of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank [Click for More Details]

·        Union Finance Minister, Mr. Arun Jaitley inaugurated India Investment summit 2016 in New Delhi

·        Technology giant Microsoft is all set to buy software keyboard and SDK application maker SwiftKey [SwiftKey is a free keyboard application that powers more than 300 million Android and iOS devices]

·        IT services exports to cross $100 billion

·        HSCC (Hospital Services Consultancy Corporation) received Miniratna Status I category

·        Birla Corp announced acquisition of cement business of Reliance Infrastructure for 4800 crore rupees

SPORTS CORNER

·        2021 World Aquatics Championships will be held in Fukuoka (Japan); 2023 event will be held in Doha (Qatar) [2015 - Kazan, Russia; 2017 - Budapest; 2019 - Gwangju, South Korea]

·        Sanjeev Rajput wins 12th quota for India (in Shooting) in 2016 Rio Olympics; 50 m rifle 3 positions event [Click for More Details]

·        Suresh Raina is named as the captain of Rajkot - based IPL team (Gujarat Lions)

·        Kerala won 61st National School Athletics championship; held at Kozhikode, Kerala; 19th consecutive win for Kerala; Tamil Nadu @ Second and Maharashtra @ third

·        # 12th South Asian Games (SAG) [Click for More Details]

- Feb 05 - 16, 2016

- Venues: Guwahati and Shillong

- Opening Ceremony: Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, Guwahati

- Originally scheduled to be back in 2012

- 8 nations participating; 3325 athletes; 23 disciplines; 241 events

- Third time India hosts SAG (Kolkata - 1987 and Chennai - 1995)

- Official mascot: TIKHOR

- Official anthem: "The World is a playground"  by Bhupen Hazarika

·        Accept Lodha report: Supreme Court to BCCI

·        Rahul Dravid appointed as a member of newly constituted Anti-Corruption Unit Oversight Group by the ICC

MISCELLANEOUS

DAYS

·        Feb 02: World Wetlands Day; theme: 'Wetlands for our Future - Sustainable Livelihoods'

·        Feb 04: World Cancer Day; theme: "We Can. I Can" [Click for More Details]

PERSONS IN NEWS

·        Senior IPS officer, Ms. Archana Ramasundaram was appointed as Director General of SSB (Sashastra Seema Bal); the first woman to head a paramilitary force [SSB - formed in 1963; guarding the frontiers of Nepal and Bhutan]

·        Former Lok Sabha Speaker, Mr. Balram Jakhar passed away; was speaker of Lok Sabha for two consecutive terms from 1980 to 1989

TERMS

·        Project Natick: Microsoft tests underwater data centre in US (Leona Phlpot prototype)

·        VIRUS (Vertically Integrated Seismic Analysis) - a new software which helps to detect illicit nuclear weapon tests

SUMMITS

·        A two day Global Biotechnology Summit on “Destination India”  at New Delhi from Feb 05 - 06, 2016

·        Supporting Syria & the Region Conference 2016 held in London

OTHERS

·        WhatsApp has crossed the one billion user milestone globally

·        Bengaluru is ranked first in the Asia Pacific region in terms of city’s socio-economic growth and momentum in the commercial real estate space (world wide @ 4th)

·        President, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee ranked 12th among world leaders in popularity on Facebook; 'President of India' page was the second most visited in 2015 (first is Foreign Ministry of Thailand)

·        BGR - 34: first anti-diabetic ayurvedic drug for Diabetes that was launched by CSIR (BGR - Blood Glucose Regulator)

·        TCS rated world’s most powerful brand in IT services

·        Indian writer Geetu Mohandas won Sundance Institute Global Filmmaking Award 2016 for her script of yet-to-be shot film "Insha Allah"

Feb 01 – 05  Feb 06 - 10 Feb 11 - 15

Feb 16 - 20  Feb 21 - 25 Feb 26 – 29

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