Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Starred Articles

PM Narendra Modi launches Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Shramev Jayate Scheme
Politics and government > Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Shramev Jayate Scheme > 15 Oct
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday launched the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Shramev Jayate Scheme under which he launched a Shram Suvidha portal, Labour Inspection scheme and Portability through Universal Account Number (UAN) for Employees Provident Fund (EPF). Modi said that the scheme is part of the government’s efforts to encourage industrial development, ensure transparency in the labour sector, give adequate importance to manual labour, instill confidence among youngsters, develop skilled labour and achieve ease of business.

Australian writer Richard Flanagan wins the 2014 Man Booker Prize
Awards > Man Booker Prize 2014 > 15 Oct
The Man Booker Prize for Fiction 2014 was won by Australian writer Richard Flanagan for his novel ‘The Narrow Road to the Deep North’. The novel tells the acutely distressing stories of prisoners of war forced to work on what has become known as the Death Railway between Thailand and Burma. Flanagan became the third Australian to win the prize after Thomas Keneally and Peter Carey.
About the prize: The Man Booker Prize for Fiction (formerly known as the Booker-McConnell Prize and commonly known simply as the Booker Prize) is a literary prize awarded each year for the best original novel, written in the English language, and published in the UK.

World Food Day observed on October 16th
World > World Food Day > 16 Oct
World Food Day was observed across the world on 16 October 2014 with the theme Family Farming: Feeding the world, caring for the earth. This day is celebrated every year on 16 October across the world in honor of the date of the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations in 1945. First held in 1981, it is being observed every year in more than 150 countries, raising awareness of the issues behind poverty and hunger. As of 2012-14, India has around 190.7 million undernourished people, out of a total population of 1,252 million — a 15% prevalence rate, higher than the world average of 11.3%.

Others

RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan awarded Best Central Bank Governor
Awards > Euromoney Best Central bank Governor > 15 Oct
Reserve Bank governor Raghuram Rajan has been conferred with the Best Central Bank Governor award for 2014 by Euromoney magazine. Euromoney said Raghuram Rajan's tough monetary measures have helped combat a major economic crisis and helped recover ailing bond and currency markets.

India-born scientist Sanjaya Rajaram awarded World Food Prize
Awards > World Food Prize 2014 > 16 Oct
India-born Mexican scientist Sanjaya Rajaram has been presented with the prestigious World Food Prize 2014 for his agricultural research that led to a remarkable increase in world wheat production building on the successes of the Green Revolution. By crossing winter and spring wheat varieties, he created wheat varieties that are disease- and stress-resistant and adaptable to diverse geographical regions and climates. In 2007, Norman Borlaug, known as the father of the Green Revolution, called Rajaram "the greatest present-day wheat scientist in the world". Rajaram worked side by side with Borlaug at International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) before succeeding him as head of the wheat breeding programme in 1972. Under Rajaram's leadership, the centre developed 480 wheat varieties released in 51 countries and widely adopted by small- and large-scale farmers alike.

ISRO launches third navigation satellite IRNSS 1C to develop own GPS
India > Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System > 16 Oct
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) reached another milestone after it successfully launched its third navigation satellite IRNSS 1C on board its PSLV rocket from Sriharikota in the wee hours, moving closer to setting up India’s own navigation system on par with the GPS of the US. IRNSS 1C is part of the series of seven satellites ISRO is planning to launch to put in place what is called the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System. Being developed by India, IRNSS is designed to provide accurate position information service to users in the country as well as the region extending up to 1,500 km from its boundary, which is its primary service area.

International Day for the Eradication of Poverty observed on October 17th
World > International Day for the Eradication of Poverty > 17 Oct
International Day for the Eradication of Poverty was observed across the world on 17 October 2014. The theme for this year is - Leave no one behind: think, decide and act together against extreme poverty. The 2014 theme recognises and underscores the demanding challenge of identifying and securing the participation of those experiencing extreme poverty and social exclusion in the “Post-2015 Development Agenda”. The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty has been observed every year since 1993, when the United Nations General Assembly, by resolution, designated this day to promote awareness of the need to eradicate poverty and destitution in all countries.

India set to become $2.05 trillion economy this year
India > Economy >19 Oct
According to IMF’s latest world economic outlook, Indian economy is poised to become a $2.05 trillion economy this year, increasing its size from $1.88 trillion in 2013. Meanwhile, India’s GDP will grow to $3.18 trillion by 2019, surpassing Russia, Brazil and Italy. This will make India the seventh largest economy in the world, while measured on "current prices" basis in US dollar, in 2019 from its tenth position currently. The United States would remain the world's largest economy in 2019 with a size of $22.15 trillion, followed by China ($15.52 trillion) and Japan ($5.43 trillion). India’s growth, which was below 5% in the past two financial years, is also expected to exceed 5%.

India U-21 wins Sultan of Johor Cup Hockey title for second consecutive time
Sports > Hockey >19 Oct
India successfully defended its Sultan of Johor Cup (SOJC) U-21 hockey title, beating Great Britain 2-1 in a keenly-contested final on Sunday at the Taman Daya Hockey Stadium in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. Harmanpeet Singh scored two goals from penalty corners in the 45th and 90 minutes to secure a win. Samuel French scored the only goal for Great Britain. India has become the first team to win the title twice since the inception of SOJC in 2011. India had won the title last year also.

BJP wins clear majority in Haryana defeating the Congress, becomes single largest party in Maharashtra with 122 seats
Politics and Government > Maharashtra Haryana Assembly elections >19 Oct
The BJP’s victory in the recently concluded Assembly elections in Maharashtra and Haryana proved the BJP’s continued dominance after its spectacular performance in the Parliamentary elections. In Haryana, BJP got a majority on its own for the first time winning 47 of the 90 seats, up from a meagre 4 in the last elections. Congress, which was in power in Haryana for ten years, was reduced to 15 from 40 seats. Indian National Lok Dal came second with 19 seats. BJP won 122 seats in Maharashtra, three more seats than what its former ally, Shiv Sena, was offering it for contest when talks broke down on seat-sharing differences. The Shiv Sena, finished second with 63 seats. Congress ended third with 42, just one ahead of its former partner NCP, which surprisingly offered unconditional outside support to BJP to form the government. The MNS, headed by Raj Thackeray, was routed getting only one seat against 13 it had. The Hyderabad-based Majlis-e-Ittihadul Muslimeen (MIM) opened its account with two seats. The BJP has still not made it clear whether it will accept support of the NCP, whom Modi had called corrupt in his pre-election speeches, or it will once again form an alliance with its oldest ally in the state, the Shiv Sena.

South African Tourism launches ‘Gandhi-inspired Tourist Attraction’ project
World > South Africa >19 Oct
South African Tourism has launched a new “Gandhi-Inspired Tourist Attraction” project that identifies 13 places that strongly influenced Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi’s tenure in the country. Gandhi’s 21 years in South Africa saw him develop his Satyagraha principles and lead locals to oppose racial discrimination in the country before he returned to India to lead the freedom struggle against the British. South African Tourism’s Gandhi webpage was also launched at the event. The website gives comprehensive details of 13 Gandhi–related sites across South Africa.

Joko Widodo sworn in as seventh President of Indonesia
World > Indonesia >20 Oct
Joko Widodo, the 53-year old former Jakarta governor has been sworn-in as the seventh president of Indonesia at a ceremony held at parliament in Jakarta. He is the first president not to have come from the military or political elite. Elected in July, the former furniture exporter and son of a carpenter, now leads the world's third-largest democracy, with a population of about 250 million people. Jakowi, as he is popularly known, made a call for national reconciliation and unity, as he was sworn in.

All India Institute of Ayurveda to admit its first batch of students during academic year 2015-16
India > All India Institute of Ayurveda(AIIA) >20 Oct
Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Harsh Vardhan has said that an All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), on the lines of the premier AIIMS, is coming up at Jasola in Delhi. It will admit the first batch of post-graduate students during the academic year 2015-16. A 200-bed hospital will also become functional in about six months. To popularize the age-old Indian system of medicines, the Centre will host a four-day World Ayurveda Congress in New Delhi from November 6 to 9 which will be inaugurated by the Prime Minister. The conference will be attended by delegates and Health Ministers from 24 countries. The Centre will also support institutions to carry out research, create a database and offer treatment based on established practices in Ayurveda, Homeopathy, Siddha and Unanni systems.

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