May 2013 Sports | Current Affairs May 2013

*In the final match of Indian Premier League 2013, Rohit Sharma led Mumbai Indians defeated Chennai Super Kings by 23 runs to lift the title for the very first time at Eden Gardens on 26 May 2013. Mumbai Indians decided to bat first and scored 148 runs for nine in 20 overs. On the other hand, in a chase of 148 runs, the Chennai Super Kings managed to score just 125 runs for nine in 20 overs. This was the first IPL trophy for Mumbai Indians. Earlier they had lost in the finals to the Chennai Super Kings in 2010. Chennai Super Kings, now have lost three times in the final, i.e., in the year 2008, 2012 and 2013.

*Indian boxers won the 2013 Invitational FXTM International Limassol Boxing Cup held in Limassol, Cyprus on 19 May 2013. They won 10 medals which included four gold medals, three silver medals and three bronze medals which ensured them the first rank. Indian boxers won the tournament on the European circuit for the first time. Reigning national champion Madan Lal (52kg) beat Ayigah Dodsi from Belgium to bag the flyweight title.V Durga Rao (56kg) beat German Dieter Dier to bag his very first international medal on the senior tour. Mandeep Jangra (69kg) beat Victor Vega Blanco of Spain in a completely one sided affair to bag the welterweight title. Super heavyweight boxer Praveen Kumar (+91kg) won the fourth gold for Indiabeating Beguerni Hamza from Algeria.Manoj Kumar (64kg), Olympian Dinesh Kumar (91kg) and Sukhdeep Singh (75kg) won a silver medeal each. Earlier in the tournament, Anil Kumar (60kg), Jagroop Singh (81kg) and L Devendro Singh (49kg) reached the semi-finals and claimed a bronze medal each.

*Preeti Beniwal on 22 May 2013 bagged the gold medal in Senior National Women's Boxing Championship. In the event held at Khatima, uttarakhand, Preeti out-punched Manipur's Y Sandhya 22-9 in the final of the 60kg category. Preeti Beniwal hails from Hisar.

*Ragala Venkat Rahul swept all the three gold in the boys 77kg category as India continued to shine at the 15th Asian Youth Weightlifting Championships on the fourth day in Doha on 30 May. Rahul lifted 132kg in snatch and 157kg in clean and jerk for a total lift of 289kg enroute to winning all the gold medals on offer in the weight category. After four days, India now has secured 27 medals (13 gold, seven silver and seven bronze) in the Championship. Rahul has been a consistent performer for India and he had won two medals in the IWF Youth Boys World Weightlifting Championships at Tashkent, Uzbekistan in April. Akshay B. Gaikwad won three gold medals on second day of 15th Asian Youth Weightlifting Championships in Doha.

*44 Years old Ang Dami Sherpa from Nepal won the Everest Marathon on 29 May 2013 in women’s category of Year 2013.Ang Dami Sherpa,won the women’s title in 11th Tenzing-Hillary Everest Marathon in a timeline of 6 hours, 2 minutes and 10 seconds. This win is counted as Sherpa’s second title at the 42.2 km race, as she already won another title in year 2006. The Everest Marathon is considered as one of the most strenuous marathon events, which starts at the Everest Base Camp at an altitude of 5,364 meters, and ends at Namche Bazaar at 3,446 metres. The race was coincided with the diamond jubilee celebrations of the first ascent of Everest by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay. The Everest Marathon is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the highest marathon in the world

*The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on 29 May 2013 constituted a three-man inquiry commission to probe the allegations against Gurunath Meiyappan and the three Rajasthan Royals players, who were arrested on charges of betting in the IPL-6 matches. The Commission will be initiating the adjudication proceedings at the earliest. The committee consisting of Former Judge of the Karnataka and Tamil Nadu High Courts Justice T. Jayaram Chouta, Former Judge of the Tamil Nadu High Court Justice R Balasubramanian, and Secretary of BCCI Sanjay Jagdale. They will probe charges against M Gurunath, former Team Principal of Chennai Super Kings, as well as the three Rajasthan Royals cricketers who were arrested for alleged spot-fixing. The committee will also probe India Cements Ltd. the owner of the Chennai Super Kings Franchise and Jaipur IPL Pvt. Ltd. the owner of the Rajasthan Royals Franchise.

*Indian Girl's team won the Gold medal while the Boy's team won the silver medal in the Slovak Junior ITTF Open Table Tennis tournament held in Senec, Slovakia on 31 May 2013. In the title clash, the Indian Girls, led by Sutirtha Mukherjee beat Serbia-A, 3-2. The other members of the team were Monika Batra and Reath Tennison. In the boy's section, the Czeck Republic-A beat India 3-1 to win the gold. The Indian team, consisting of Shudanshu Grover, Abhishek Yadav and Rohit Rajshekhar, had to settle for silver.

*Rajeev Shukla resigned as Chairman of IPL on 1 June 2013 in the wake of the raging spot-fixing scandal. The resignation of Shukla came on the eve of the emergency meeting of the BCCI working committee scheduled to be held in Chennai. Rajeev Shukla was an Indian journalist, political commentator, television host and the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Planning, Government of India. He is a Member of Parliament since 2000. He serves as secretary of the All India Congress Committee. Rajiv Shukla was first appointed as the Chief of IPL at the BCCI AGM held on 18 September 2011. Rajiv's appointment came after Chirayu Amin's decision to step down. He was reappointed as IPL Chairman in 2012.

*Jamjang Deru wins three medals in Asian Youth Weightlifting
Doha, May 28: Jamjang Deru of Arunachal Pradesh won three medals, two gold and one silver, on the opening day of 15th Asian Youth Weightlifting Championships here in Doha on 28 May 2013. He won the medals in the boy's 50kg category.

*Deru won a silver with 87 kg lift and bagged a gold with 113 kg lift. Finally, he signed off with the gold with a total of 200 kg. Previously he had secured fourth position at the IWF Youth World Championships at Tashkent in April 2013 with an overall lift of 195 kilograms.

*Indian fast bowler, S. Sreesanth and his two team mates from Rajasthan Royals namely Ajit Chadila and Ankeet Chavan were arrested by Delhi Police on 16 May 2013 on charges of Spot Fixing in Indian Premier League (IPL). The three cricketers were arrested from Mumbai and will be brought to Delhi for being produced in a Court. Apart from the three cricketers the police also arrested seven bookies. Both the cricketers and the bookies are charged under two sections of Indian Penal Code, Section 420 (cheating) and Section 120B (criminal conspiracy). The arrests made were a part of the investigations being conducted by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police over months on alleged Spot Fixing in the cash rich, IPL.

*The United States, Russia and Iran have forged an unlikely heavyweight alliance to keep the ancient sport of wrestling in the Olympic Games. While political differences between the three are deep, the national teams from the three wrestling superpowers will grapple with each other in New York’s Grand Central Station railway terminal on Wednesday to back the campaign. Wrestling has been in shock since the International Olympic Committee announced in February that it wanted the sport ejected for the 2020 Games.

*Rafael Nadal beat Roger Federar in the final match played on 19 May 2013 to lift his seventh Italian Open title. He defeated Federar in straight sets 6-1, 6-3 in the clay court match. This was Nadal’s 20th victory against Federar. While in women s category, Serena Williams won the title after thrashing out the former world number one Victoria Azarenka 6-1 6-3 to take the Italian Open on the Rome Clay. This is the second Rome Open title won by Serena, before this Serena won the Rom title 11 years ago in 2002. And this is her fourth consecutive tennis title this year,

*In the Men's Singles title clash of the Madrid Open played on 12 May 2013, Spain’s Nadal Rafael defeated Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka, in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4. In the Women's Singles, World Number One Serena Williams bagged her 50th career Singles title. She beat Russian Maria Sharapova, 6-1, 6-4 to win this title.

*India won 2 Silver and 7 Bronze in the 19th Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships that concluded in New Delhi on 10 May 2013. One silver medal was won by Soumyajit Ghosh and Mouma Das in the mixed doubles event, and the other one was won by the men's team earlier in the tournament. Singapore men and women won the gold. The title for the Singapore women was seventh in succession since 1997. The Singapore men completed a hat-trick of success that began in 2007 at Jaipur and continued at Glasgow in 2009.

*India's rising shuttler PV Sindhu on 4 May 2013 won her maiden Grand Prix Gold title winning Malaysia Open women's final. In a thrilling clash held in Kaulalampur, top seed Sindhu defeated lower seed, Gu Juan of Singapore, 21-17, 17-21, 21-19. With this, the World Number 13 Sindhu has become the second Indian girl to win the Grand Prix Gold competition, after India's shuttle queen and London Olympics bronze medalist; Saina Nehwal achieved the feat in 2006. PV Sindhu was the only Indian who had made it to the final stage of this tournament. Saina Nehwal did not take part in the tournament.

*At the IAAF World Challenge meeting in Jamaica, Kingston, US-based discus thrower, Vikas Gowda clinched Gold on 5 May 2013 with the throw of 61.38 metres. US-based discus thrower, Vikas Gowda, representing India, clinched gold in the World Challenge Meeting at Kingston on 5 May, with a throw of 61.38 metres. He pushed Jason Morgan and Fedrick Dacres (both Jamaica), with throws of 60.96 and 59.30 metres, to second and third spots respectively.In the 100 metres sprint, US’s Tyson Gay recorded 9.86 and secured the top most position. In women category, the best performance was that of US Gia Lewis-Smallwood with 62.41 metres. The IAAF World Challenge meeting in Jamaica was organized at the Kingston's National Stadium.

May 2013 Bilateral Affairs | Current Affairs May 2013

*The second US-India Homeland Security Dialogue was held in Washington on 21 May 2013. At the end of the dialogue, the two nations reaffirmed the commitment to, and importance of, bilateral homeland security cooperation between the US and India on common challenges faced such as terrorism, and countering violent extremism. It was decided to strengthen the global strategic partnership between the United States and India on issues ranging from cyber-security and megacity policing, to counterterrorism and countering violent extremism.

*India and USA reaffirmed the commitment of the two nations to work cooperatively on law enforcement issues, to combat common threats, improve bilateral cooperation through the development and application of innovative technology, combat the flow of illicit finances and currency counterfeiting, and to work closely to counter terrorism and promote cyber-security. The United States and India will explore areas in which to share best practices and lessons learned by both countries on how to enhance the ability of federal, state and local police to better detect, prevent and respond to acts of violent extremism. In May 2011, the first Homeland security dialogue between India and USA was held in India.

*India and Thailand signed a treaty for the extradition of runaways wanted for terrorism, transnational crimes, economic offences and other serious crimes which will shortly eliminate a safe refuge for criminals wanted in India and Thailand. The extradition treaty between India and Thailand was signed during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's first bilateral visit to Thailand. The treaty will help both the countries in expedited extradition of fugitives. This Treaty would further strengthen the relationship between two law enforcement agencies by providing a firm legal basis for their bilateral cooperation. The extradition treaty concluded after two decades of negotiations, and a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in anti-money laundering, gives a major signal of India’s shared commitment in combating terrorism, organized crime, drug trafficking and counterfeiting.

*China's new premier Li Keqiang’s visited India on his first foreign trip to India from 19-22, May 2013 since taking his office in March 2013. Both the countries are looking for speeding up their efforts to settle a decades-old border dispute and strengthen economic ties. The leaders of both the countries had a thorough exchange of views on bilateral relations and regional and international issues of common interest in a sincere and cordial atmosphere and reached broad consensus. Here is the list of Documents signed during the State Visit of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang to India.

1) Protocol between Indian and China on Indian Official Pilgrimage (the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra) to the Tibet Autonomous Region of China-
With the signing of Protocol both the countries have agreed to conduct the Yatra every year from May to September. China will make further advancements in the existing facilities on the route of the pilgrims and to maintain even communication. They have also agreed to assist in renting wireless sets and local SIM cards.
2) Agreement on Work Programmes of the Three Working Groups under Joint Economic Group between Ministry of Commerce & Industry of India and China.
The three working groups under the Joint Economic Group are:
i) Services Trade Promotion Working Group ii) Economic and Trade Planning Cooperation iii) Trade Statistical Analysis
3)MoU on Buffalo Meat, Fishery Products and Agreement on Feed and Feed Ingredients between Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority of India and China
It is directly aimed at strengthening mutual cooperation in trade and safety of buffalo meat, fishery products and feed and feed ingredients, and to meet the regulatory requirements with respect to safety & hygiene & quarantine and is also supposed to deal with the growing trade deficit between the two countries.
4) MoU between the Ministry of Urban Development of India and National Development and Reform Commission of China on Cooperation in the field of Sewage Treatment
The MoU signed by the Urban Development will enhance cooperation in the field of Sewage Treatment and ideas and knowledge sharing in the areas of mutual interest in the urban sectors.
5) MoU between the Ministry of Water Resources of India and The National Development and Reform Commission, of China on Cooperation in the field of Water Efficient Irrigation
The MoU directly aims at enhancing bilateral cooperation in the field of water efficient technology with applicability in the area of agriculture and exchange of best practices.
6) MoU between the India and the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television of China on Cooperation in Mutual Translation and Publication of Classic and Contemporary Work
As per the MoU a Joint Working Group will formed which will coordinate translation and publication of 25 books of Classic and Contemporary Works of each side over a period of 5 years in to Chinese and Indian languages respectively.
7) MoU between the Ministry of Water Resources of the India and the Ministry of Water Resources of China upon Provision of Hydrological Information of the Yaluzangbu/Brahmaputra River in Flood Season by China to India
As per the Memorandum of Understanding China is supposed to provide India with information of water level, discharge and rainfall of 8:00 hrs and 20:00 hrs(Beijing Time) twice a day from 1st June to 15 October each day in respect of three hydrological stations on the mainstream Brahmaputra river.
8) Agreement between the Ministry of External Affairs, of India and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, of China to facilitate cooperation and linkages between Indian and Chinese cities & states/provinces
As per this said agreement both the sides agreed to identify sister cities and sister states/provinces in India and China with a view to establishing relationships between them in areas of mutual interest for enhancing greater people to people contacts

*A bilateral meeting between Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare, India, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Minister of Health Switzerland, Alain Berset, was concluded on 20 May 2013 at Geneva. The meeting was held on the sidelines of World Health Assembly at Geneva. The aim of the meeting was to give further impetus to cooperation in the field of healthcare. In the past, various bilateral institutional arrangements between India and Switzerland have been signed and these include Indo-Swiss Joint Commission, Swiss- India Chamber of Commerce, Indo-Swiss Joint Committee on Science & technology and many more. In the meeting, it was decided that an MoU between the two countries will be inked soon for broadening the scope of bilateral ties. In the meeting, it was exuded that Switzerland will extend full support to India on global platforms in order to carry forward the pursuits of providing high quality generic medicines at affordable prices.

*An MoU was signed between Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare India, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Secretary of State for Health, UK, Jeremy Richard Hunt on cooperation in the field of health sector on 19 May 2013 at Geneva between the Government of India and the Government of the United Kingdom. The aim of the agreement is promotion of wide-ranging cooperation in the health sector between the two countries. The main areas identified for cooperation in the MOU include:
1)Promoting exchange on healthcare policy in India and the UK; 

2)Human resources for Health; 

3)Regulatory issues; 

4)Health technology development: 

5)Primary healthcare; 

6)Strengthening of public infrastructure and capacity; 

7)Health security, including cooperation on infectious diseases, emerging infections and drug resistance.

*India, at present, is the strategic partner to the UK and has been a recipient of UK’s bilateral assistance in the form of grants since 1975. The aid agency of the UK is Department for International Development (DFID). The priority for DFID and Government of India partnership is improvement of maternal & child health and reducing the burden of communicable diseases.

*India and the US on 16 May 2013 decided to expand co-operation in knowledge sector. This was announced during a round table discussion on Advances in US-India Academic Partnership in Washington. It was also stated during the discussion that eight more awards finalized under the Singh-Obama Knowledge Initiative and it will be jointly announced during the forthcoming Indo-US strategic dialogue in New Delhi next month. Eight such awards were announced last year. He said there is a proposal to place young Indian faculty in best of US institutions to enhance their capabilities. Under this plan 126 post-doctorals have been selected. India sought US cooperation in promoting skill building through community colleges. Touching upon the possibilities of a wide ranging co-operation in education sector between the two countries, the co-operation should be supportive in the field of ICT, digital world, promoting quality research and innovation and boosting vocational education system. 20 billion dollars of additional resources will be pumped in the state system to ensure access and excellence in tertiary education through National Higher Education Mission (RUSA in vernacular). The round table organised by the International Institute of Education at Washington discussed issues such as collaboration in the field of Community Colleges and promoting massive online courses and Technology Enabled Education. It also discussed students mobility, particularly encouraging US students to visit India. India and USA also discussed issued relating to improvement of school education, teacher educators, assessment of schools and community participation in school education.

*India and Netherlands on 14 May 2013 signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Technical Cooperation in the field of Spatial Planning, Water Management, and Mobility Management at Hague, Netherlands during the visit of Kamal Nath, Minister for Urban Development and Parliamentary Affairs.The Memorandum of Understanding will enable greater cooperation in the areas of - Spatial planning, urban and regional planning and development and architecture; Water management in terms of Water supply and sanitation and governance structures; Transport management and transport systems and infrastructure; Energy-efficient and sustainable built forms. Under the MoU, a Joint Working Group would be set up that would prepare annual work programmes. It was decided that the first seminar under the MoU would take place in June 2013 at Rotterdam to be followed by another seminar in India later in the year.

*Minister for Women and Child Development Krishna Tirath on 16 May, signed the fifth India Brazil South Africa (IBSA) women’s forum resolution in New Delhi. Also signing the resolution were Lulama Xingwana, Minister for Women, Children and People with Disabilities Republic of South Africa, and Maria do Carmo Godinho Delgado, Secretary of Evaluation of Policies and Economic Autonomy of Women, on behalf of the Minister, Chief of the Secretariat of Policies for Women, Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil.The joint resolution stated that the three countries are committed to recognizing the key role of government with the support of civil society to ensure and accelerate all efforts towards achieving gender equality and empowerment of women.It also acknowledges the Forum’s shared commitment to various international conventions on rights of women and girls.The resolution recommends the following- to end violence against women and girls; to work towards economic empowerment of women, especially rural and marginalized women; to promote gender responsive budgeting, and equitable and sustainable development.

*External Affairs Minister, Salman Khurshid, paid an official visit to the People’s Republic of China on 09-10 May 2013. The two nations discussed bilateral, regional and global issues of concern to both sides. They also discussed the proposed visit to India of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. India and China also discussed Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor and regional trading arrangement.

*They also discussed their recent problem on the Line of Control during this visit. Both countries signed a new protocol to enhance cooperation between their foreign ministries, while working on a mechanism to step up coordination for providing timely information to the media. The protocol that was signed by Salman Khurshid and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on 9 May 2013 was essentially an upgradation of a similar protocol signed in 2006. The 2006 protocol the two countries listed various new dialogue mechanisms that has been in existence between the two sides, since then.

*The two countries reviewed the fallout of the recent stand-off in the Depsang Valley in Daulat Beig Oldi sector of Ladakh. The two sides also tried to make existing mechanisms more effective to respond with greater urgency in dealing with border violations and recent episode on the border on the Line of Actual Control, LAC was also discussed. The two sides also discussed upon the Visit of the Chinese Premier to India.

*The eighth India-Seychelles Joint Commission Meeting was held on 8 May 2013 in New Delhi. The Joint Commission exchanged views on bilateral, regional and international matters of mutual interest during the meet. Review of the ongoing cooperation between the two nations in different fields was also done and views were exchanged for expanding and strengthening the perimeter of the cooperation between the two sides. The Indian Delegation to the meeting was led by Sudhir Vyas, Secretary (West), Ministry of External Affairs and the Seychelles delegation was headed by H.E. Ambassador Maurice Jean Leonard Loustau-Lalane, the Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Seychelles. The next meeting of the Joint Commission will be held in Seychelles at mutually convenient date.

May 2013 International Affairs | Current Affairs May 2013

*Kyrgyzstan will shut a key United States airbase in July next year despite Washington’s efforts to retain the facility beyond its forces drawdown in Afghanistan. The Kyrgyz government is sending a closure motion to Parliament, said an announcement posted on the cabinet website on 21 May 2013. The Pentagon has been using the airbase, which sits at Kyrgyzstan’s main civilian airport Manas in the capital Bishkek, since 2001 as a major supply centre for Afghanistan. It hosts about 1,500 U.S. troops and operates round-the-clock, with planes hauling thousands of troops and hundreds of tones of cargo every month. Russia, which is opposed to American long-term military presence in Central Asia, has long been lobbying for the base closure with the Kyrgyz authorities.

*The US Senate on 23 May 2013 approved Srikanth Srinivasan was as the most senior US Judge of the South Asian descent to the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The unanimous approval of Srinivasan gave birth to speculations that one day he may be tapped for the Supreme Court. Srinivasan born in Chandigarh, India and raised in Kansas is the first justice who has been confirmed to the Washington court since 2006 a year after Chief Justice John Roberts’ elevation created a vacancy. He is the Principle Deputy Solicitor General and defends the policies of US President Barack Obama before the Supreme Court. Earlier he has also worked under the former President, George W. Bush. He is a proud recipient of the Attorney General’s Award for Excellence in Furthering US National Security in 2003.

*91 people, including 20 children were killed because of huge tornado that went through Oklahoma City suburbs in US on 20 May 2013. The worst affected area was Moore, situated towards the south of Oklahoma. The tornado travelled with the speed of 320 kmph. Apart from 91 killed, 120 are seriously injured. The President of US, Barack Obama declared the Oklahoma tornado as the major disaster. Tornado is the rotating column of air which is in contact with the earth as well as cumulonimbus cloud, at the same time. They are also called cyclones or twisters. The tornado is encircled by the cloud of dust and debris. Most of the tornadoes travel with a speed of less than 110 miles per hour and are around 250 feet across. Before dissipating, they travel to several kilometres.

*President Robert Mugabe on 22 May 2013 signed Zimbabwe's new constitution into law, clearing the path to crucial elections later this year. The constitution was unopposed through both houses of parliament. The new constitution was approved overwhelmingly in a referendum in March 2013.The constitution cut short the powers of the president, limits presidential tenures to two five-year terms and does away with the post of prime minister. However, it does not apply retroactively so the 89-year-old Mugabe could technically extend his three decades in office by another 10 years. A new constitution is one of the pre-conditions for elections to pick a successor to the power-sharing government Mugabe formed four years ago with Tsvangirai. The date for the elections is yet to be announced.

*China has indicated it will go ahead with building infrastructure in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) despite India’s concerns, signing a memorandum of understanding with Pakistan on a transport corridor expected to pass through the disputed region. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, who on 24 May, wrapped up a two-day visit to Pakistan following his trip to India, called on both countries to “start formulating a long-term plan for the China-Pakistan economic corridor project and gradually push forward its construction”, the official Xinhua news agency reported. Both countries signed an MoU to cooperate on a “long-term” plan on the corridor, among 11 agreements announced during Mr. Li’s visit. Chinese planners have called for a transport and economic corridor to link China’s far-western Xinjiang region to the port of Gwadar, on the Arabian Sea, which China helped build and is now managing. The corridor, they hope, will speed up development in Xinjiang, which has seen intermittent unrest, and also open up a new route for China’s energy imports from West Asia. The corridor will pass through PoK, which borders Xinjiang and provides the only feasible transport link between China and Pakistan.

*Pakistan's new parliament sworn in the capital on 31 May, Islamabad, in that country's first-ever democratic transition of power. The swearing-in ceremony took place amid tight security around the city's "Red Zone," where key government buildings are located. A new speaker should be elected by secret ballot on June 3.The new Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, whose Pakistan Muslim League (N) party won May’s elections, should be formally elected by the lower house and sworn in two days later.

*Sharif's party commands 177 of the 342 seats in the assembly. That gives it significant leverage if it seeks to oust President Asif Ali Zardari when his term expires in September. Zardari was credited with steering Pakistan to its democratic milestone by holding together the fractious coalition government led by his Pakistan People's Party for its full five-year term.

*In a historic milestone for the Sikhs in Pakistan, Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora has become the first person from the minority community to enter the Punjab province assembly, since the country's independence in 1947. Arora belongs to Narowal district, 80 km from Lahore, and is associated with the Pakistan Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee. He took oath along with 340 other lawmakers during the first session of the new Punjab Assembly on 1 June. He was nominated to a seat reserved for minority communities by the PML-N, which has formed governments in Punjab and at the centre after its victory in the May 11 polls. "June 1 will be remembered as a special day as it brought a triumph to the local Sikh community and other minorities living peacefully in Pakistan," he said. Arora said he would work to rehabilitate historical and religious sites of the Sikhs. Media reports described Arora's induction as a member of the provincial assembly as a "historic milestone for the Sikh community".

*According to World Health Organization, World No-Tobacco day is observed every year on 31 May 2013. The Theme this year is “Ban tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship”. WHO urged Governments (with its message free yourself) everywhere to address this needless threat to public health. The day is meant to highlight the risks associated with tobacco usage and reduce its consumption. Tobacco is the single largest cause of preventable death globally and approximately 5.5 million people die around the world every year - with India accounting for nearly a fifth of this. The primary risk of tobacco usage includes many forms of cancers. The ultimate goal is to contribute to protect present and future generations not only from these devastating health consequences, but also against the social, environmental and economic scourges of tobacco use and exposure to tobacco smoke.

*The President of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas on 2 June 2013 named Rami Hamdallah as his new Prime Minister. Rami Hamdallah replaced Western-favored economist Salam Fayyad who had left the office of Prime Minister in April 2013 and formally quit now. Rami Hamdallah is a member of Fatah Palestinian National Authority which is headed by Mahmoud Abbas. He also served as secretary general of the Palestinian central elections commission. On 27 April 2013, Mahmoud Abbas, the President had announced about the commencement of consultations for forming the unity government under his leadership. This had to be done in line with the reconciliation deal between rival Islamist movement Hamas and Fatah. Hamas, the controller of the Gaza strip, however termed Rami Hamdallah’s appointment as the PM, illegal.

*Nigeria's House of Representatives on 30 May 2013, has voted to ban gay marriage and outlaw any groups actively supporting gay rights, endorsing a measure that also calls for 10-year prison sentences for any "public show" of affection by a same-sex couple. Representatives appeared to unanimously approve the proposal in a voice vote, sending it immediately to President Goodluck Jonathan for him to potentially sign into law in Africa's most populous nation. It wasn't immediately clear if Jonathan would sign the measure, though gays and lesbians already face public ridicule and possible prison sentences in Nigeria. Under the proposed law, Nigeria would ban any same-sex marriage from being conducted in either a church or a mosque. Gay or lesbian couples who marry could face up to 14 years each in prison. Witnesses or anyone who helps couples marry could be sentenced to 10 years behind bars. Anyone taking part in a group advocating for gay rights or anyone caught in a "public show" of affection also would face 10 years in prison if convicted by a criminal court. Gay sex has been banned in Nigeria, a nation of more than 160 million people, since colonial rule by the British.

*Gays face open discrimination and abuse in a country divided by Christians and Muslims who almost uniformly oppose homosexuality. Across the African continent, many countries already have made homosexuality punishable by jail sentences. Ugandan legislators introduced a bill that would impose the death penalty for some gays and lesbians, though it was amended in November to remove the threat of execution. Even in South Africa, the one country where gays can marry, lesbians have been brutally attacked and murdered in so-called "corrective rapes”. Nigeria has one of the world's largest populations of people living with HIV and AIDS.

*A 33-nation block of American countries has expressed the desire to open communications with the five-country BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa), Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Eduardo Rodríguez Parrilla told the media on 27 May. India has the distinction of being the first dialogue partner of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), followed by China. Formed in late 2011, CELAC groups together all states in the Americas, barring the United States and Canada. In August last year, Chile, the pro-tem Chairman of CELAC, along with Cuba and Venezuela, had held talks in New Delhi, with the then External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna for a “strategic alliance” that would include annual meetings, working together in regional organizations, and increasing commercial exchange. The troika then went to China and struck a similar alliance. As the Cuban Foreign Minister pointed out, CELAC was planning its next engagement with India on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in September. Though CELAC had kept out the US and one of its major demands was to end the half-century-old American economic embargo on Cuba, its members include nations being led by parties with different ideologies — from a conservative Chile to a vehemently anti-America Cuba along with several countries following middle-of-the-road policies as well.

*At the second CELAC-India meeting in September, the two sides will work on the creation of a business economic development forum, an agricultural working group and an energy forum. Earlier, at a talk at the Indian Council of World Affairs, the Minister pointed out that CELAC consisted of 600 million people, it was free from wars and had abundant energy and water resources.

*More Indians have stopped believing in God, according to the latest Global Index of Religiosity and Atheism. The report has found that the number of non religious people in India has risen. As against 87% saying they were religious in the same survey in 2005, the percentage has fallen to 81% in 2013.

*The survey found a 1% dip in the number of people calling themselves as an atheist. In 2005, 4% people said they didn't believe in God. In 2012, that had dipped to 3%. Globally, the trend is similar. Religiosity has dropped by 9%, while atheism has risen by 3%. The report says there is a notable decline across the globe in self-description of being religious. Pakistan is among the few countries which have seen an increase in the number of people who call themselves religious - by 6%. South Africa has seen a 19% dip in those calling themselves religious, US 13%, Switzerland and France 21% and Vietnam 23%.

*A total of 51,927 persons were interviewed globally from 57 countries across the globe in five continents. In each country a national probability sample of around 1000 men and women was interviewed. China has the highest number of atheists living in a single country with nearly 50% of its population describing themselves as non-believers compared to an average of 13% across the world.

*Australia is the world happiest nation, according to Better Life Index by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). It has once again topped the world as the Happiest Industrialised Nation in the OECD report, which was released on 28th May, 2013.

*The OECD Better Life Index compares the well-being of 34 developed and emerging countries based on eleven categories including housing, income, jobs, education, life satisfaction and work-life balance. The Better Life Index found that 84 % of Australians are satisfied with their lives -- better than the OECD average of 80 %.

*Participants said they have more positive experiences, such as feelings of rest, pride in accomplishment and enjoyment, in an average day than negative ones. Australians' happiness was even greater than that of Canadians and Swedes, also known for high standards of living.

*The survey also found that Australians are living longer, with life expectancy at almost 82 years -- two years higher than the average. Employment levels are also stronger -- at 73 % compared with an average of 66 percent for people aged 15 to 64.

*The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) has declared and designated the Nicobar Islands in India as a world biosphere reserve under its Man and the Biosphere Programme. Member countries establish such reserves. UNESCO recognizes them under the programme to promote sustainable development based on local community efforts and sound science.

*They are considered as sites of excellence, where new and optimal practices to manage nature and human activities are tested and demonstrated. The island chain is home to 1,800 animal species and some of the world's most endangered tribes. It is among 12 new sites added to the global network of biosphere reserves in Paris on 30 May. Such reserves are located in 117 countries and nine of them are now located in India.
Chinese authorities on 16 May, have granted approval for an environmental assessment of a controversial 2 GW dam project — slated to be the country’s tallest dam — despite concerns voiced by a number of environmental groups. The Ministry of Environmental Protection this week said it had approved a year-long assessment of the Shuangjiangkou project on the Dadu River in the southwestern Sichuan province. Even as it gave the go-ahead, the Ministry acknowledged the project would “affect the spawning and movement of rare fish species, as well as the growth of endangered plants, including the Chinese yew, which is under first-class state protection”. The Ministry reasoned that countermeasures would help mitigate the impact. It called for protecting fish habitats and constructing seed banks for rare plants but did not say how it would enforce the measures.

*The Shuangjiangkou dam will have an installed capacity of 2 GW and will generate 7.93 billion kilowatt-hours of power annually, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. The project will cost $ 4 billion. At 314 metres, it will be China’s tallest dam, surpassing the nearly 300-metre-tall Xiaowan dam on the Mekong river. The Shuangjiangkou dam will be 180-metre taller than Three Gorges dam.

*The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on 16 May passed a non-binding resolution condemning the government of Syria and calling for political transition. The vote passed with 107 of 193 nations in favour, 12 against and 59 abstentions, including India, representing a sharp fall in support compared to a similar resolution passed last August with 133 votes in favour, 12 against and 31 abstentions. Discomfort over signals of growing extremism within the ranks of Syria’s rebel groups was apparent, with India’s Permanent Representative to the U.N. Ashoke Kumar Mukherji warning that, “Unilateral action of any kind will not resolve the crisis... It will only exacerbate the problem and cause greater instability and violence even beyond Syria’s borders.”

*The International Monetary Fund on 15 May 2013 approved a three-year, $ 1.3 billion loan for supporting Cyprus’ attempts to stabilize its financial sector and to bring the Government’s deficit under control and restore economic growth. The IMF loan to Cyprus is basically a part of a rescue package of 10 billion Euros (US $ 12.9 billion) counterfeit in March 2013 with the Eurozone’s bailout fund. The loan was approved by IMF’s Executive Board which also includes an immediate disbursement of US $ 110.7 million. Counting the IMF disbursement, Cyprus has received about US $ 2.7 billion in the third week of May from its international lenders. The Luxembourg-based European Stability Mechanism, which is a Eurozone bailout fund, on 13 May, announced that it had approved its first bailout tranche for Cyprus and transferred an initial 2 billion euros (US $ 2.6 billion). The rest of the tranche — up to 1 billion Euros — will be transferred by 30 June 2013.

*On the eve of a major international donors’ conference, the European Union on 14 May, announced that it was pledging €520 million (US $ 674.8 million) over the next two years to help rebuild the west African country of Mali as a functioning state. The announcement was made by Jose Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, the EU’s executive branch, who said the investment would benefit Europe as well as Africa. Until a military intervention by France, followed by the engagement of other African countries, many international officials were concerned that Mali’s vast, ungoverned north was a haven for terrorist groups that, unhindered by government control, could feel free to plot attacks anywhere in the world. Officials in Mali have come up with a $4.3-billion-euro ($5.58-billion) multifaceted plan for what EU officials are calling “a total relaunch of the country.” The plan includes rebuilding government institutions and the military, staging elections in July, holding dialogues with rebels in the north, rebuilding roads and schools, reviving the moribund economy so that people get paid for working, among others.

*India’s bid for observer status in the Arctic Council was successful on 15 May 2013, along with that of five other countries — China, Italy, Japan, South Korea and Singapore — at a meeting in Kiruna, Sweden. Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi, welcomed India’s admission. An MEA official spokesperson said India would contribute its scientific expertise, particularly in polar research capabilities, to the work of the Arctic Council to support its objectives. However, at the level of realpolitik, India will be looking at the opportunities for hydrocarbon exploration offered in the Arctic circle by joining hands with either of the five countries gearing up for the purpose — the US, Canada, Norway, Russia and Denmark. When geography is considered Russia emerges as the most attractive partner. But for that to happen, India will have to take a firm political stand on the Lomonosov Ridge and the Mendeleev Ridge which Russia claims are an extension of its continental shelf. By supporting Moscow’s position, India could get access to the rich deposits and also utilize the North Sea Route. India has its Arctic research station named Himadri since 2008 that is located at the International Arctic Research base, Ny-Alesund at Spitsbergen, Svalbard, Norway. The station is operated by the National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research. India’s approach in the Arctic Circle since 2008 has always been purely scientific. China became the first Asian country to navigate the area with a three-month sea voyage in an ice breaker across the Arctic Circle.

*The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on 19 May 2013 declared that it will start the work on world’s biggest hydroelectric Inga dam on Congo River in October 2015. DRC made the announcement on the construction of the dam in Paris after the talks between the DRC and International officials ended. The meet on the development of the dam involved multilateral lending institutions. The planned Inga dam project will produce 40,000 MW power and provide electricity to half the African Continent. Whereas, the World Bank has estimated that DR Congo’s total hydropower resources can generate up to 1,00,000 MWs. As per the World Bank estimates if the project is completed at full its capacity than it will be capable of providing power to about 500 million African households. During the first phase the Inga 3 Basse Chute project will have a capacity of 4,800 megawatts. The Paris meet of the DR Congo and the international officials followed the deal signed on 7 May 2013 between South Africa and DR Congo for cooperation in the energy sector. As per the 7 May 2013 deal, South Africa will buy some of the electricity produced by the project. The project will be developed on the powerful Inga Falls that lie is a narrow strip of DR Congo Territory, through which the Congo river runs down to the Atlantic Coast. At present, Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River of China is the world's largest hydropower complex, with a capacity of 22,500 MWs.

*North Korea on 19 May 2013 test-fired a short-range missile off its east coast, counted as fourth test firing in two days. The missile was fired into the Sea of Japan. Earlier on 18 May, the country fired three short-range missiles off its east coast, considered as part of a military drill. The launching of missile by North Korea is not usual but it came at a time of sensitive alert on the peninsula followed by the Pyongyang’s nuclear test in February 2013 which had led to tougher UN Sanctions. The launch of missile by North Korea was to demonstrate its military ambitions in rebelliousness of international sanctions and diplomatic efforts to convince the totalitarian state to return to talks.

*The first phase of Sri Lanka’s northern railway project, funded by a line of credit facilitated by India, was commissioned on 14 May. Coaches in chugged along from Medawachchiya in Anuradhapura, the North Central Province, to Madhu Road, marking the return of a crucial transportation link .Tracks along the 43 km-stretch were reconstructed as part of the $800 million-project, being executed by the Indian Railway Ministry’s IRCON International Limited to restore the 252 km-railway line that would connect different parts of the country. Commissioning the service, Minister for Economic Development Basil Rajapaksa said India had been with Sri Lanka at every stage of rehabilitation and reconstruction of the north.

*The Election Commission of Pakistan on 14 May 2013 announced results of 272 National Assembly seats, with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML (N)) heading the count with 126 seats, followed by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) with 31 seats. The voting took place for all parliamentary constituencies of Pakistan to elect 342 members for the National assembly, including 60 seats reserved for women and 10 for non-Muslims, simultaneously voting took place for the four Provincial Assemblies of Punjab, KPK, Sindh and Balochistan as well. Pakistan Election 2013 was intended to elect members for its lower house Majlis-e-Shoora. Pakistan's opposition parties, Imran Khan`s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and PML (N) were the major contenders for the general Election. The 63-year-old Sharif, the Chief of PML (N) had twice served as premier. The party attained an overpowering lead with 130 seats. The first runner up is Imran Khan`s PTI with 37 seats and the last is the PPP with 31 seats. To have a majority in the 342-member National Assembly, a party or coalition would need 172 seats. The Senate or upper house of the parliament is currently controlled by the PPP.

*France's President Francois Hollande on 17 May 2013 signed the bill to legalize gay marriage. It makes France the ninth in Europe, and 14th in the world to do so. The move was opposed by many conservatives and the Catholic Church in France. As of May 2013, thirteen countries (Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Iceland, France, Netherlands, Portugal, Norway, Spain, South Africa, Sweden), and several sub-national jurisdictions (parts of Mexico and the USA), allow same-sex couples to marry.

*Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak began a second term on 6 May, after his Barisan Nasional (National Front) coalition, which has ruled for 56 years, held on to power in elections branded as fraudulent by a bitter opposition. Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim terming the victory “worst electoral fraud in our history” called for a protest rally.

*The ruling camp won the election with a minority vote. Barisan won 133 seats in the 222-member Parliament. The opposition alliance won 89 seats, an increase of 14, largely at the expense of non-aligned candidates. This makes Mr. Najib the first leader in four decades to win with a minority of the ballots according to Malaysian media. Mr. Najib (59), who had promised free and fair polls and has since brushed off numerous allegations of irregularities, was sworn in by the king in Kuala Lumpur.

*Russia and the US on 8 May, have agreed to work together to bring the warring sides in Syria to the negotiating table, raising hopes for an end to carnage in the war-torn country and a thaw in frosty relations between Moscow and Washington. Emerging from hours-long talks with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced that the sides agreed to convene “as soon as possible, maybe at the end of this month” an international conference on Syria. The meet will be a follow-up to the Geneva Peace Conference in June 2012, which called for the Syrian government and the opposition to create a transitional government to steer the peace process in Syria. The Geneva plan got stalled because the U.S. demanded that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad step down as a precondition for peace talks.

*Arab countries on 1 May, have collectively agreed to accept an arrangement that would allow Israelis and Palestinians to go ahead with land swaps to resolve differences, rather than strictly sticking to the pre-1967-war position. Speaking on behalf of the 22-nation Arab League (AL), Qatar Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Sheikh Hamad Bin Jasem Al Thani, appeared to concede land swaps following a meeting in Washington of Arab officials and John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State, to promote Israeli-Palestinian peace. The Israeli establishment seemed elated by the development. The perceptible shift in the Arab position seemed to have the approval of the Palestinian Authority (PA), whose Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki was present at the meeting. Foreign Ministers of Egypt, Bahrain, Jordan and Qatar also participated in the talks along with officials from Lebanon and Saudi Arabia. Joe Biden, the U.S. Vice-President, also attended part of the meeting. The AL’s proposal in its original form was pegged around a full Arab recognition of an Israeli state, in case it gave up land captured in the 1967 war, and accepted a “just solution” for Palestinian refugees. The Israelis had earlier rejected the plan, which was proposed in 2002 at the AL summit in Beirut. Israel objects to the return to 1967 borders, the return of Palestinian refugees displaced in earlier wars, and the inclusion of East Jerusalem in a future Palestinian state.

*Days ahead of India’s external affairs Minister Salman Khurshid’s planned visit to Beijing, Official sources said on 5 May, India and China pulled back their troops from the face-off point at Daulat Beg Oldi sector in Ladakh, where the Chinese forces had intruded nearly three weeks ago. A group of Chinese troops estimated at around 50 and accompanied by vehicles and dogs had intruded 19 km inside the Indian Territory across the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Daulat Beg Oldi sector on 15 April and set up five tents. Indian troops had also established tented posts facing the Chinese forces at a distance of 300 meters. The troops of the two sides held four flag meetings, the last one being yesterday. However, there was no positive outcome from these meetings, which went hand-in-hand with high-level diplomatic efforts to break the impasse. But an agreement was reached on 4 May, for both sides to pull back their troops simultaneously from the face-off point. The face-off in Ladakh had cast a shadow over the visit of Mr Khurshid to China on 9 May to prepare the ground for the new Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang's visit to India from 20 May.

*Libya’s parliament on 5 May 2013 passed a comprehensive law, which bans anyone who served as a senior official under Muammar Gaddafi during his 42 year-long rule from working in government.

*The passing of such Political Isolation Law possibly will lead to the dismissal of many current leaders, some of whom had defected to the rebel side during the country’s 2011 civil war or had been elected to office since Gaddafi’s ouster and killing. The move is also likely to further stall the country’s already unsteady transition to democracy by ousting elected lawmakers. The General National Congress, Libya’s elected parliament, voted overpoweringly in favour of the law.

*Almost 260,000 people, half of them young children, died of hunger during the last famine in Somalia, according to a U.N. report on 1 May, which admitted the world body should have done more to prevent the tragedy. The toll is much higher than was feared at the time of the 2010-2012 food crisis in the troubled Horn of Africa country and also exceeds the 220,000 who starved to death in the 1992 famine. Half of those who died were children under five, according to the joint report by the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the U.S.-funded Famine Early Warning Systems Network.“Famine and severe food insecurity in Somalia claimed the lives of about 258,000 people between October 2010 and April 2012, including 133,000 children under five,” said the report, the first scientific estimate of how many died. Somalia was the hardest hit by extreme drought in 2011 that affected over 13 million people across the Horn of Africa.

*China, on 2 May 2013, successfully launched a communications satellite called Zhongxing-11 from Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest Sichuan province. The satellite was launched into its present orbit from Long March-3B rocket. Zhongxing-11 is mainly to provide services for the commercial communications and broadcasting. The satellite is also responsible for meeting needs of digital broadband multimedia, streaming media for clients, Direct-to-Home as well as data transmission for the Asia-Pacific region.

*Ireland’s government on 1 May 2013 unveiled the Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill. It explains when life-saving abortions can be performed. Moreover, it’s a clarification of rights within the ambit of Current law. The bill mentioned clearly that anyone illegally involved in abortion could face a maximum 14-year prison sentence whether he is a doctor or a patient. The bill was unveiled following the death of an Indian dentist Savita Halappanavar in 2012.

*Maryland, the U.S. state located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, on 2 May 2013 became the first southern US state to abolish the death penalty. The measure on it was signed by Democratic Governor Martin O’Malley on 2 May 2013. The person who was attended was former Maryland death row inmate Kirk Bloodsworth. He will be the first person in the country freed from death penalty because of DNA evidence after being convicted in a death penalty case.

*On the global level, Maryland is the 18th state to abolish the death penalty. The Governor can commute the death sentences of intimates to life without parole. The Governor O’Malley has asserted that he will consider them on a case-by-case basis. The state’s last execution was in 2005.

May 2013 National Affairs | Current Affairs May 2013

*The Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh on 23 May 2013 laid the foundation stone of the Indian National Defence University (INDU) at Binola, Gurgaon. The university is going to be an autonomous institution of national importance. The Defence University came up following the recommendation of the Review Committee constituted after the Kargil Conflict by the Government for the establishment of a University that deals exclusively with defence and strategic matters. The review committee was headed by eminent strategic expert K Subrahmanyam. INDU aims to provide knowledge based higher education for management of the defence of India to the military leadership and other concerned civilian officials. It will also keep them abreast of the emerging security challenges via scholarly Research and Training It will develop and propagate higher education in Defence Studies like Defence Management, Defence Science and Technology. It will also promote the policy with its orientation towards, research related to National Defence.

*The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on 23 May 2013 approved the proposal of Department of AIDS Control, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare for the implementation of National AIDS Control Support Project (NACSP) under the National AIDS Control Programme (NACP). The amount for this would be 2550 crore Rupees. The Government of India as well as the World Bank will finance the NACP in equal proportions. The main objective of the project is increasing the safe behavior among high risk groups in pursuance of the national goal of accelerated reversal of the HIV epidemic by 2017. The focus of the activities of this project would be on strengthening as well as scaling up prevention interventions and related BCC strategies for sub-groups of population identified to be most-at-risk by the NACP. These vulnerable groups include Injecting Drug Users (IDU), Transgender (TG), Female Sex Workers (FSW) and Men who have sex with Men (MSM). The aim of the project is also to support the planned expansion and consolidation of tailored interventions for other at-risk populations which include migrant workers and truckers. National AIDS Control Programme (NACP) in its third phase (2007-2012) saw remarkable success in controlling spread of HIV. As a result, India is on its track to meet the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) for HIV prevention and control. Over past 10 years, there has been reduction of 57 percent in the new HIV infections and 29 percent reduction in AIDS-related deaths.

*The Election Commission of India and the National Literacy Mission Authority, Ministry of Human Resource Development, on 21 May 2013 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Electoral Literacy and Greater Participation for a Stronger and Inclusive Democracy in New Delhi. The MOU is the first ever by the Election Commission of India with a Government Department. Under the MoU, ECI and NLMA will work jointly to sensitize citizens, especially the vulnerable and disadvantaged including women, SCs, STs, Minorities, in NLMA covered districts, about their electoral rights and about exercise of franchise. Electoral Literacy will form part of curriculum for adult Literacy and Basic education. NLMA will spread electoral literacy during its environment Building and mass mobilization campaigns, with specific focus on electoral registration and informed and ethical voting in co-ordination with the Election Commission.

*Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was re-elected to the Rajya Sabha from Assam for the fifth consecutive time on 30th May, 2013. Another Congress nominee, Santiuse Kujur, also won the second Rajya Sabha seat from the State, polling for which took place in the Assembly. Dr. Singh polled 49 first preference votes and Mr. Kujur 45 first preference votes. All India United Democratic Front nominee Aminul Islam polled 18 votes. Nine legislators of the Asom Gana Parishad and five BJP MLAs in the 126-member House abstained from voting.

*The first all-women post office (Mahila Dak Ghar) in Andhra Pradesh has come up in Visakhapatnam on 1st June. The post office in MVP Colony area was inaugurated by Union Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology, Killi Kruparani. Speaking on the occasion, she said the initiative was part of the UPA Government's focus on women empowerment, safety and gender equality. "Four all-women post offices will be soon opened at Narayanaguda, Vivekanandanagar, Andhra Mahila Sabha and Vidyanagar in Hyderabad, the Minister said. Hyderabad's main post office in Shamsabad will soon have an Automated Mail Processing Centre. Once the centre becomes operational, no documentation will be required with respect to sorting, dispatching and delivering of mails, the Minister said.

*The HRD Ministry on 30 May has constituted a seven-member Task Force under former IIT Kanpur Director Sanjay Dhande to set up a national testing agency for conducting various kinds of national-level exams. It will prepare a blue print for creating a special purpose vehicle to take the concept of National Testing Agency (NTA) forward. The Central Advisory Board for Education (CABE), the highest decision-making body on education, had earlier endorsed the proposal, as the move would relieve different bodies such as the UGC and the IIT from the responsibility of holding national-level tests. Higher Education Secretary Ashok Thakur had said the proposed agency might be formed through an executive order and not set up as a statutory body through an Act of Parliament. According to a Ministry statement, the rationale for setting up the body lies in ensuring that a multiplicity of entrance examinations, leading to stress on the students, is addressed in a comprehensive manner by formulating a uniform entrance examination for admissions in different branches of higher learning.

*The ISRO Navigation Centre (INC), established at Indian Deep Space Network (IDSN) complex at Byalalu, about 40 km from Bangalore, was inaugurated on May 28, 2013 by Mr. V. Narayanasamy, Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions. INC is an important element of the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), an independent navigation satellite system being developed by India. IRNSS will have a constellation of seven satellites and enables its users to determine their location and time accurately. These satellites will positioned in geostationary and inclined geosynchronous orbits 36,000 km above the earth’s surface. IRNSS coverage will extend over India and its neighborhood and the satellites are equipped with high precision atomic clocks and continuously transmit navigation signals to users. As the focal point of many critical operations of IRNSS, ISRO Navigation Centre is responsible for providing the time reference, generation of navigation messages and monitoring and control of ground facilities including ranging stations of IRNSS. It hosts several key technical facilities for supporting various navigation functions. IRNSS will have a network of twenty one ranging stations geographically distributed primarily across India. They provide data for the orbit determination of IRNSS satellites and monitoring of the navigation signals. The data from the ranging/monitoring stations is sent to the data processing facility at INC where it is processed to generate the navigation messages. The navigation messages are then transmitted from INC to IRNSS satellites through the spacecraft control facility at Hassan/Bhopal. The state of the art data processing and storage facilities at INC enable swift processing of data and support its systematic storage.

*The Annual Plan for the year 2013-14 for the state of Andhra Pradesh was finalized in New Delhi on 30 May, at a meeting between Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, Mr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, N.Kiran Kumar Reddy. The plan size has been agreed at Rs. 53,000crore. Mr Ahluwalia complemented the State Government for efforts to make development truly inclusive and also for the efforts aimed at promoting public private partnership in the development of both social and physical infrastructure. He said better involvement of private sector would be needed during 12th plan period as State funds would not be enough to meet the needs of infrastructure development.

*He said the State Governments should come forward with the suggestions that can improve efficiency of flagship schemes and commission would consider them while finalizing plan document. It was pointed out that in the 11th plan outlay for Andhra Pradesh was approved at Rs. 1,87,797 crore of which it has achieved Rs. 1,61,756 crore, i.e. 86% of the approved outlay. The 12th Five Year Plan of the State has targeted plan outlay is Rs. 3,42,842 crore of which Rs. 48,935 crore was approved for 2012-13.The GSDP growth of the State is more than the national level growth rate and the sectoral growth rates also places the state above the national growth rates.

*In terms of mobilization of resources, Balance from Current Revenue (BCR) has remained positive at about 43% of the aggregate plan resources, with State’s Own Resources (SOR) contributing about 50% of aggregate resources during the 11th Five Year Plan. In 2012-13, BCR (Latest estimates) account for 40% of the aggregate resources and SOR is 40% of the aggregate resources. Tax-GSDP ratio for Andhra Pradesh has improved to about 8.5% of GSDP in 2012-13 as compared to 7.9% of GSDP in 2007-08. The State is revenue surplus, and fiscal deficit is within a comfortable level of 3%. Planning Commission expressed concern over the slow progress in the literacy rate and pointed out that as per Census 2011, the State’s literacy rate is 67.6% with male literacy at 75.6% and female literacy at 59.74%. The State’s literacy rate is much lower than the national average of 74.0%.

*IRCTC website will start booking 7,200 tickets per minute soon. With the aim of bridging the gap between demand and supply in e-ticketing category, IRCTC spelt out its grand plan to book 7,200 e-tickets per minute in the current fiscal. This strengthening process of the ticketing site will cost Railways about Rs. 100 crore, said a statement from the Ministry on May 27, 2013.

*Currently, the ticketing site of the IRCTC can handle about 1.2 lakh concurrent connections and book about 2,000 tickets per minute. The upgrading of website is a continuous process as an average booking per day has been increased from 3.67 lakh in 2012 to 4.15 lakh now.

*There are about 31 crore reserve tickets being booked in a year out of which 55 percent tickets are sold through windows. While 37 percent tickets are booked online, eight percent are being booked by ticketing agents.

*The Indian telecom sector became the second largest telephone network in the world, after China by registering exceptional growth during last nine years. The reasons for growth of telecom sector including the sectoral reforms initiated by the Union Government, active participation of the private sector and development of wireless technology.

*In case of mobile penetration, the progress is must steeper. By on 31 March 2012, the wireless telephones reached to 96.74 percent from 96.62 percent by June end 2012. The share of landline phones increased from 3.38 percent to 3.44 percent between April and December 2012..

*The wireless subscriber base also increased from 33.6 million in March 2004 to 864.72 million till December 2012. The average tariff for every outgoing call per minute for GSM services went down from Rs. 2.89 in March 2004 to 47 paisa in December 2012.

*Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA), operated by GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL), has been accorded 5-star rating by the British Safety Council for its health & safety management system.

*The BSC 5-star rating is a significant safety award globally and RGIA is the only Airport in the whole world to receive this coveted award.

*The achievement clearly demonstrates RGIA’s commitment towards health and safety of its employees, passengers, and the entire airport community; and I thank all for their contribution,” said S.G.K. Kishore, CEO, GHIAL.

*The award criterion is very stringent. There are 995 safety compliance requirements for the health and safety management system covering 57 elements. In order to get a 5-Star rating, a minimum of 92 per cent has to be obtained out of a total score of 5000, and RGIA scored 96 per cent.

*The Union Government on 16 May 2013 revised the criteria for creamy layer of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) from Rs. 4.5 lakh to Rs. 6 lakh to avail benefits of reservations in government jobs and admissions to central educational institutions. The decision came up in a view to increase the income limits in tune with the increase of the consumer price index. This would enable more people to take an advantage of reservation benefits that are extended to OBCs. Creamy layer is the income limit beyond which OBCs are not eligible for quotas.

*Government of India decided to launch Direct Benefit Transfer for LPG (DBTL) Scheme in 20 high Aadhaar coverage districts from 1 June 2013. The scheme aims to curb leakages and prevent black-marketing and provide subsidy to consumers in their bank accounts. All LPG consumers are advised to immediately do the following to avail of subsidy in their bank accounts. For the benefit of LPG consumers, who cannot complete formalities by 1 June 2013, a grace period of three months is being given to complete the formalities. After this period, all consumers who have not completed the formality will get LPG cylinders at market price, without any subsidy, till they complete the same.

*Siddaramaiah, the leader of the Indian National Congress on 11 May 2013 was sworn in as the 22nd chief minister of the state of Karnataka. 64 years old Siddaramaiah was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor HR Bhardwaj at Sree Kanteerava stadium. Under Siddaramaiah leadership, the Congress in Karnataka won 121 seats in the 225-member Assembly for which election was held on 5 May and voted counted on 8 May. The Congress last ruled the state on its own in 1999-2004.

*The Union Government on 15 May 2013 had set up an Expert Committee under the supervision Raghuram G Rajan, Chief Economic Adviser to evolve a composite index to measure backwardness of states. The panel is set up in consistent to the Budget announcement, and it can also invite other experts as Special Invitees for discussions. The decision was taken amid demands for special category status by Bihar. The backwardness of the States will be consider in terms of measures like distance of the State from the national average under criteria such as per capita income and other human development indicators and for evolving a Composite Development Index of States. The Committee is supposed to submit its report within 60 days. The other members of the committee are Shaibal Gupta, Bharat Ramaswami, Najeeb Jung, Nirija G Jayal and Tuhin Pandey. It is important here to note that the present criteria for determining backwardness are based on terrain, density of population and length of international borders.

*Indian National Defence University, a first-of-its-kind institution for training and research in military studies, will be set up near Gurgaon in Haryana. The location is close to the national capital. The foundation stone of INDU, to be constituted under an Act of Parliament, will be laid by Prime Minister on May 23, Deputy Commissioner P C Meena said on 19 May. The proposed institute will be equipped with training and research facilities on all aspects of national security as part of the strategic national policy-making. While one-third of its strength will comprise of civilian students, the remaining seats will be reserved for in-service defence personnel. The sprawling 200 acre campus will be set up in Binola village with an estimated cost of Rs 300 crore, Meena said, adding, land for the purpose has already been acquired by the state government.

*The Union Cabinet of India on 16 May 2013 approved the establishment of the Gandhi Heritage Sites Mission. The objective behind this approval is to conserve and restore the heritage sites associated with the Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation. Gandhi Heritage Sites Mission will be assigned with the identification, collation and assessment of the information on Gandhi Heritage material, its management and deployment. The mission will also be responsible for identifying the conservation methodology as well as the priorities for documents and objects, with its point of view of archival storage and museology and for physical structures and sites, as also guidelines for their subsequent maintenance. The mission will also preserve the 2000 important sites identified by the panel that was chaired by Gopalkrishna Gandhi, ex-Governor of West Bengal along with the other 39 core sites.

*Kapil Sibal takes charge as Law Minister
New Delhi: Kapil Sibal on 13th May assumed the charge of the Union Law Ministry, taking over from Ashwani Kumar who resigned last week after he came under attack in the Supreme Court for vetting the CBI report on the allocation of coal blocks. Sibal will hold additional charge of law along with the communications and information technology ministry. Ashwani Kumar resigned on 10th May.

*Govt forms GoM to insulate CBI from external influence
New Delhi: In response to the Supreme Court's scathing observations on autonomy of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Union Government formed a Group of Ministers (GoM) to draft a law to insulate the investigating agency from external influence, here on 14th May.
The GoM, headed by Finance Minister P Chidambaram, has External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, Communications and Information Technology Minister Kapil Sibal, Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari and Minister of State for Personnel V. Narayanasamy as members, official sources said. CBI Director Ranjit Sinha will also give his input to the newly-constituted GoM.
The GoM will deliberate on ways to shield CBI from outside interferences and strengthen its autonomy. The government's move came after the Supreme Court reprimand to the government for making CBI "a caged parrot" of its political masters, while hearing a case related to alleged irregularities in Coal Blocks Allocation Scam.

*The Union Cabinet of India on 9 May decided to declare the year 2013 as Water Conservation Year. Following the theme of the year, the Government has proposed to conduct several mass awareness activities to sensitize masses on water issues and to encourage water conservation among them. The national awareness programs launched by the Government will aim towards achieving the identified objectives of the National Water Policy 2012 and National Water Mission. National Water Policy 2012 was adopted by the National Water Resources Council headed by the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on 28 December 2012. The Policy takes cognizance of the existing situation and proposes a framework for creation of a system of laws and institutions and a plan of action with a unified national perspective.

*Meira Kumar, the Speaker of Lok Sabha unveiled the statue of former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Founder of Telugu Desam Party N. T. Rama Rao in the Parliament on 7 May 2013. N. T. Rama Rao who is popularly known as NTR was born on 28 May 1923 and died on 18 January 1996. He was a film actor, director and producer by profession and his debut film was Mana Desam, which was directed by L. V. Prasad in 1949. He starred in about 320 Telugu Films. In 1982, he founded the Telugu Desam Party. He served Andhra Pradesh as its Chief Minister for three terms between 1983 and 1995. He was instrumental in formation of the National Front Government in 1989, which was a coalition of non-Congress parties and lasted in power for two years. The statue was donated by NTR’s daughter and Minister of State for Commerce and Industry D. Purandeswari.

*Union Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal and Law Minister Ashwani Kumar submitted their resignation to the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh on 10 May 2013. P.K. Bansal resigned from his office after a week’s time since his nephew Vijay Singla was arrested for his alleged involvement of bribery of 90 lakh rupees from the Railway Board Member, with a promise of promotion. Ashwani Kumar resigned as the CBI revealed to the Supreme Court about his scandalous role in tweaking its Report on the Coal Block allocation scam.

*Sahara India Pariwar created a new Guinness World Record on 6 May 2013 when its 121653 staff and workers sang India’s national anthem Jana Gana Mana in union at Lucknow, UP. Hitherto, the world record in this category has been held by Pakistan where a crowd of 42813 sang national anthem in a group at one place. Apart from this, Sahara India Pariwar had also attempted the record of more than one million employees singing the national anthem in one uniform at 4512 Sahara offices across the country. The representatives of Guinness World Record witnessed the moment and confirmed the world record. Subrata Roy Sahara, the Chairman of Sahara India Pariwar was conferred with the certificate by officials of Guinness Book of World Records.

*The Supreme Court has cleared the decks for the commissioning of the Kudankulam nuclear plant on 6 may. A bench of Justices K.S. Radhakrishnan and Dipak Misra, in concurring judgments, however, made it clear that the plant should not be made operational unless the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) and the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) gave their final clearances. The Bench said “we have to balance ‘economic scientific benefits’ with that of ‘minor radiological detriments’ on the touchstone of our national nuclear policy. “Economic benefit has to be viewed on a larger canvas which not only augments our economic growth but alleviates poverty and generates more employment. NPCIL, while setting up the NPP at Kudankulam, have satisfied the environmental principle.”

*A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between National Commission of Women (NCW) and the Housing and Urban Development Corporation Ltd. (HUDCO) in the presence of the Minister of Women and Child Development Krishna Tirath and the Minister of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation Ajay Maken. The MOU was signed by V. P. Baligar, IAS, Chairman & Managing Director (HUDCO) and Smt. K. Ratna Prabha, IAS, Member Secretary, National Commission for Women (NCW) in New Delhi on 7 May. This understanding forms part of the CSR of HUDCO. The focus will be on providing better amenities of housing and other facilities such as drinking water, sanitation, electricity etc to poor and destitute women. This, the Minister noted, is a good start and one which will provide encouragement and incentive to other corporate house and Navratanas to come forward and spend in activities which have a wider and more meaningful social outcomes.

*The NCW and HUDCO have entered into this MoU to improve the living conditions of destitute women on the identified areas for facilities like women hostels, remand homes or anything that is pertinent to women welfare or development by enhancing the quality of their habitats. HUDCO and NCW shall cooperate in the areas of re-construction of existing structures where women in distress are housed, providing for living quarters, kitchens and toilets, construction of living quarters, kitchens and toilets in pre-identified sites, providing support in design of the building, monitoring the progress of each project and any other activity which is mutually considered important/relevant by the HUDCO and NCW in connection with the above agreed activities. Under the executed MoU, NCW shall identify the areas where the activity/project has to be undertaken as per the vulnerability/need based address the Government organization concerned with the desired development area and urge it to formulate a suitable proposal for the purpose along with identification of a suitable implementing agency and HUDCO shall provide financial assistance for implementation of these projects along with technical advice, if required. Also present during the signing were the Chairperson of NCW, Smt. Mamta Sharma and senior officers from the Ministries.

*The Minister for Women & Child Development, Krishna Tirath on 9 May 2013 launched the World Bank assisted ICDS Systems strengthening and Nutrition Improvement Project (ISSNIP). The aim of the programme is improvement of child development and nutritional outcomes for children in selected districts having higher proportional of child under nutrition. The project is worth Rs. 2893 crore with 70 percent IDA share of Rs. 2025 crore over the time duration of 7 years. The cost of phase-I of the project is estimated to be around Rs. 682 crore. The project received an initial support of US $ 106 million from theWorld Bank, which is payable over the time of 25 years. This will be followed by the support for second phase of US $ 344 million, which will be subject to assessment of phase-I.

*Salient features of ISSNIP:
ISSNIP is designed to supplement and provide value addition on the existing ICDS programme, through systems strengthening for better service delivery, as well as to allow the selected states and districts to experiment, innovate and conduct pilots of potentially more effective approaches for ICDS in order to achieve early childhood education and nutrition outcomes.

*The additional support through the project is catalytic and is an important dimension of MWCD’s overall efforts to strengthen and restructure the ICDS programme.

*Four major components of the project are: (i) institutional and systems strengthening in ICDS (ii) community mobilization and behaviour change communication (iii) piloting multi-sectoral nutrition actions, and (iv) Project Management, Technical Assistance and Monitoring & Evaluation.

*The Tamil Nadu government on 8 May banned production, possession, distribution and sale of tobacco products such as pan masala and gutkha in the state. Some states, including Kerala and Andhra Pradesh, have already banned sale of pan masala and gutkha. Making a suo motu statement in the Assembly, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa referred to Supreme Court's remarks in a case pending before it, seeking to know the action taken by state governments in controlling usage of tobacco and announced the government's decision. She also referred to her government's notification on November 19, 2011, to ban the use of tobacco under the Prevention

*K. Siddaramaiah is the new Chief Minister of Karnataka. He was elected for the post by 75 of 121 Congress MLAs, who voted in secret ballot election here on 10th May, 2013. The new CM-elect, who was invited by the Governor H. Bhardwaj to form the government is expected to call on him to apprise about his preparations to form the government.

*Mr Siddaramaiah is a backward caste leader from the Kuruba community with a big support base, especially in the Old Mysore region in the south. He has been Opposition leader and was among those who scripted the Congress' successful campaign. He is a five-time MLA and represents the Varuna constituency in Mysore district. Once part of the Janata Dal (Secular) and a Deve Gowda protege, Mr Siddaramaiah has been a Congressman for only about six years. A central Congress team headed by Defence Minister A.K. Antony oversaw this election.

*The Union Cabinet on 1 May, has approved the proposal of the Ministry of Railways for setting up of an Electric Locomotive Factory at Madhepura, Bihar and a Diesel Locomotive Factory at Marhowra, Bihar, to start afresh the bidding processes for these projects. Estimated costs for setting up the Electric Locomotive Factory and Diesel Locomotive Factory, as approved by CCEA and included in the Railway Budget are Rs. 1293.57 crore and Rs. 2052.58 crore respectively, with limited equity contribution by Ministry of Railways. Over a ten-year period, the factories will provide Indian Railways with 800 electric locomotives of 12,000 horse power (h.p.) each and a mix of 1,000 diesel locomotives of 4,500 and 6,000 h.p. with high level performance guarantees similar to international practices.

*The Union Cabinet on 1 May gave its approval to launch a National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) as a new sub-mission under the over-arching National Health Mission (NHM). Under the Scheme, the following proposals have been approved:
One Urban Primary Health Centre (U-PHC) for every fifty to sixty thousand population.
One Urban Community Health Centre (U-CHC) for five to six U-PHCs in big cities.
One Auxiliary Nursing Midwives (ANM) for 10,000 population.
One Accredited Social Health Activist ASHA (community link worker) for 200 to 500 households.

*The estimated cost of NUHM for 5 years period is Rs.22, 507 crore with the Central Government share of Rs.16, 955 crore. Centre-State funding pattern will be 75:25 except for North Eastern states and other special category states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand for whom the funding pattern will be 90:10.The scheme will focus on primary health care needs of the urban poor. This Mission will be implemented in 779 cities and towns with more than 50,000 population and cover about 7.75 crore people. NUHM aims to improve the health status of the urban population in general, particularly the poor and other disadvantaged sections by facilitating equitable access to quality health care, through a revamped primary public health care system, targeted outreach services and involvement of the community and urban local bodies. The Union Cabinet in its meeting held in April 2012 has already approved the continuation of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) and the other sub-mission under NHM till 31.3.2017.

*The Expert Committee on Leveraging Panchayat Raj Institutions for the more efficient delivery of public good and services on 4 May called on the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhavan and made a presentation on the contents of its 20th anniversary Report. The Committee was constituted by the Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj on August 27, 2012 under the chairmanship of Mani Shankar Aiyar. Other members of Committee who called on the President included Peelipose Thomas, Manabendra Nath Roy and Member Secretary M.V. Rao. The Committee has in its recommendations said that there is a need to constitute a National Panchayat Commission to oversee the cooperative effort of the Centre and States to strengthen Panchayati Raj. The Committee also said that there is a need to provide for District Councils through an appropriate amendment of the Constitution as a single local government at the district level for better urban-rural convergence and equal treatment of urban and rural people.

*Vice President of India inaugurated the International Centre for Environment Audit & Sustainable Development at Jaipur on 4 May. The Vice President of India M. Hamid Ansari has said that India has been active in international forums relating to environmental protection, and is party to 94 multilaterals environmental agreements such as the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES), Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), among many others. We have signed the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and acceded to the Kyoto Protocol in 2002. Addressing at the inaugural function of the “International Centre for Environment Audit and Sustainable Development (ICED)” organized by Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) at Jaipur (Rajasthan) on 4 May, he said that despite not having binding mitigation commitments as per the UNFCCC, India has communicated its voluntary mitigation goal of reducing the emissions intensity of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 20–25 per cent, over 2005 levels, by 2020. He released a Special Cover on ICED brought out by Department of Posts and visited an Exhibition on ICED on the occasion. The Vice President said that the CAG has a very important role to play in this regard - not only to comment on effectiveness of rules, regulations and programmes for conserving the environment but also has to offer concrete recommendations to the executive for improving environmental governance. He said that the CAG is already an important member of the Steering Committee of the International Organization of Supreme Audit institutions, and of its Working Group on Environment Audit. The creation of this Centre here, and its emphasis on research to upgrade knowledge and skills, will further strengthen India’s role in this important body.

*The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) under the Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh approved 11000 crore Rupees project on 1 May 2013 for modernization of central paramilitary forces. These forces include ITBP as well, which is responsible for guarding the Sino-Indian border. The approval will be implemented in five years duration, beginning 2013-14 fiscal years. The approval of the project is followed by altercation along Sino-Indian border in Ladakh. The approval will also benefit Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), National Security Guard (NSG), Assam Rifles and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). Modernization will make sure that all these forces get better night vision devices, arms, vehicles, patrolling equipment and ammunition along with infrastructural upgrade.

*The Supreme Court of India directed that the Kudankulam nuclear plant situated in Tamil Nadu could start its operations now. A bench of Justice K.S. Radhakrishnan and Dipak Misra issued the directions to the government on safety as well as security of the plant, along with its operations. The Supreme Court directed Nuclear Power Corporation of India and the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board to ensure that all steps were taken for the safety of the nuclear plant. The Apex Court explained that the Kudankulam nuclear plant was absolutely safe and secure and that it was necessary to start its operations for economic growth as well as welfare of India. In 2012, the fishermen as well as villagers protested against the fuelling of this plant. Opponents of this plant, People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) complained that it was situated in the area which was affected badly by 2004 Asian tsunami and that there was a fear of disaster like that of Fukushima nuclear plant of Japan in 2011. The Kudankulam nuclear plant is among those plants which is a part of India’s aim of generating 63000 MW of nuclear power by 2032.

*Even as it acknowledges India as the world's most populous democracy, the Economist magazine's Index of Democracy 2012 ranks India 38th among 165 nations with an overall score of 7.52. India also gets high scores for electoral process and pluralism (9.58) and Civil liberties (9.41). The top three positions go to Norway (9.93) Sweden (9.73) and Iceland 9.65, while the United States is ranked 21st with an overall score of 8.11 in the fifth edition of the Index prepared by the London weekly focusing on international politics and business. Noting the wide disparities in democratic development across Asia, the report says "although parts of the region - from North Korea and Laos, to Vietnam and China - are still entrenched authoritarian regimes, the past couple of decades have seen the spread of democracy in the region overall." Over the past decade, some 20 Asian countries have held elections, and many have undergone peaceful transitions in government. "Despite its problems, India remains the world's most populous democracy," the report said noting. "Yet even in the democratic countries, there are often significant problems in the functioning of political systems." "The US and the UK remain at the bottom end of the full democracy category," the report said. "The US democracy has been adversely affected by a deepening of the polarization of the political scene and political brinkmanship and paralysis. The UK is beset by a deep institutional crisis." "The unprecedented rise of movements for democratic change across the Arab world led many to expect a new wave of democratization," it said. "But it has become apparent that democracy in the region remains a highly uncertain prospect." Popular confidence in political institutions continues to decline in many European countries, it said noting in Eastern Europe democracy declined in 10 countries in 2012.

*Andhra Pradesh government is planning to set up a State Disaster Response Force on the lines of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), which will be stationed at Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam and Tirupati. "Discussions are on and a meeting has been convened with the Chief Secretary on forming the SDRF. The proposed SDRF will have separate force, which will be set up at Hyderabad, Tirupati and Visakhapatnam centres," Disaster Management Commissioner T Radha said. "The SDRF is likely to have 120 personnel. New persons will be recruited for the force and discussions for allotting/ identifying land for the proposed SDRF centers in these three major cities of Andhra Pradesh are still being worked out," he said. According to the Disaster Management officials, SDRF personnel will be trained and provided with equipment by NDRF to effectively deal with natural and man-made disasters."There was a need felt to establish SDRF centers at Hyderabad as it is the state capital, Tirupati due to pilgrimage rush and at Visakhapatnam, which is having port and several

*The Union Government of India on 3 May 2013 revised the production estimates of the food grains upwards by 5.22 million tones for 2012-13, over earlier expectation of 254.24 million tones due to the higher output of wheat, rice and coarse cereals. With this revision, the total cereal output estimation has gone up to 255.36 million tones. The wheat and rice production pegged at 93.62 million tones and 104.22 million tones respectively. The earlier estimate set for the food grains for the year was 254.24 million tones. The third advance estimate that was officially released on 3 May 2013 estimated that the total food grain production for the year will be lower by 3.96 million tones from the previous year 2011-12 record production of 259.24 million tones. As the total output for wheat and rice in 2011-12 were 94.98 million tones and 105.31 million tones respectively. While for 2012-13, it is estimated to be 93.62 million tones and 104.22 million tones respectively. Delayed monsoon and drought in different parts of states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan had an impact on the production of pulses and coarse cereal during Kharif season.

May 2013 Economic Affairs | Current Affairs May 2013

*The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) on 30 April has launched an Islamic equity index based on the wide-measure S&P BSE 500 index, providing a new benchmark for Islamic investors in one of the world's largest stock exchanges. The new index comprises the largest 500 companies in the BSE, out of more than 5,000 listed, which fit Islamic finance principles such as bans on investing in alcohol, tobacco and gambling-related businesses. The country's first Islamic index was launched in 2010, also by the BSE, tracking the 50 largest and most liquid stocks. The Mumbai exchange had a total market capitalization of $1.32 trillion as of January 2013.In order to cater to an estimated 177 million Muslims in India, the largest Muslim minority population in the world, the industry is hoping to develop investment products that work around this requirement, but political and legal obstacles mean progress has been slow.

*World Bank on 30 April scaled down India's growth forecast to 6.1 per cent for the current fiscal from 7 per cent projected six months ago. The decline in the growth forecast is largely due to the decline in agriculture sector which is expected to grow at 2 per cent during 2013-14 against the previous estimate of 2.7 per cent despite normal monsoon projection. However, the multi-lateral funding agency said that India is regaining economic momentum and growth is expected to recover gradually to its high long-term potential. As per the latest India Development Update of the World Bank, Indian economy would grow by 6.1 per cent in 2013-14 on account of robust domestic demand, strong savings and investment rate. Growth projections for 2013-14 have been arrived at by taking into account present internal and external factors. "Economic growth is likely to accelerate to over 6 per cent during the current financial year (April 2013-March 2014). Growth is expected to increase further to 6.7 per cent in 2014-2015," said Denis Medvedev, Senior Country Economist, World Bank, India. "Recent data point to some improvements in economic activity: inflation and trade deficit came down in recent months, while private consumption and investment growth had accelerated in the third quarter of 2012-2013," he said. According to the Update, a twice-yearly report on the Indian economy and its prospects, GDP growth during 2012-13 would be around 5 per cent, lowest in the decade. As per the International Monetary Fund (IMF) report released yesterday, India's GDP is likely to improve to 5.7 per cent during year ending December 2013 and further to 6.2 per cent a year after.

*The Union Minister for Commerce, Industry and Textiles, Anand Sharma launched 21 New Textile Parks approved under Scheme for Integrated Textile Parks (SITP) in New Delhi on 23 April 2013. These new parks take the total number to 61 parks as 40 Parks were sanctioned earlier. The Scheme for Integrated Textiles Parks (SITP) has been instrumental in development of wide range of models for green field clusters from a 1000 acre FDI driven integrated cluster, to a 100 acre power loom cluster and a 20 acre handloom cluster. Under the scheme, 61 parks have been sanctioned – 40 projects were started in the 11th Five Year Plan and another 21 projects are to be implemented in the 12th Five Year Plan. Out of the 40 parks sanctioned earlier, a total of 25 Parks are already operational. Most of the balance Parks are expected to be completed during this financial year. The estimated employment generation is over 10 lac persons with total estimated investment of Rs. 27, 562 crore. Out of the 21 new parks, six are in Maharashtra, four in Rajasthan, two each in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu and one each in Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Tripura, Karnataka, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir. In this year’s budget speech, the Finance Minister announced an additional amount of up to Rs. 10 crores per park for setting up apparel manufacturing units for the projects under the SITP. Necessary action is being taken for implementing the announcement.

*The Minister of State for Petroleum & Natural Gas Smt. Panabaaka Lakshmi informed the Rajya Sabha in a written reply on 23 April 2013, that the recommendations of the Committee constituted under Chairmanship of Dr.C. Rangarajan, Chairman, Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council (EAC) are under consideration of the Government. The committee was set up to review among other things, the basis for determining price of domestically produced natural gas. She also said that under the Production Sharing Contract (PSC) regime, the current sale price of natural gas, including Coal Bed Methane (CBM), varies from a minimum of US$ 2.67 per Million British Thermal Unit (MMBTU) to a maximum of US$ 6.79 per MMBTU. The sale and pricing of natural gas under the PSC regime is governed by the relevant PSC provisions. Price of Administered Price Mechanism (APM) gas varies from $2.52 to $4.2 per MMBTU. While the price of non-APM gas varies from $4.2 to $ 5.25 per MMBTU.

*Union Tourism Minister K Chiranjeevi inaugurated the new campus of Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management (IITTM) at Noida on 23 April 2013. Speaking on the occasion the Minister said India has a long lived tradition of Athiti devo bhava that has been shadowed by social tensions of modern lives. He said, “We cannot promote tourism if our visitors do not trust hosts and hosts do not welcome visitors. The host community must provide the landscape for tourism. To revive the tradition of Athithi Devo Bhava; tourism students can act as the brand ambassadors and also help the host community in realizing the importance of this industry”. The new campus of IITTM is spread over 10 acres of land in Sector 62 of Noida. The campus has been constructed at a cost of Rs. 27.70 crore. Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management (IITTM) is an autonomous organization of the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India and is one of the premier institutes in South Asia offering education, training, research and consultancy in sustainable management of tourism, travel and other allied sectors.

*The Cabinet Committee on Investment on 22 April 2013 cleared 13 power projects that involves investment of 33000 crore rupees. The meet was headed by the Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh. The projects on which the investments will be made include one hydro and two thermal project as well as ten transmission projects. 25 oil and gas blocks with investment commitment of about seven billion US dollars also got approval during the same meet. Of these 16 blocks were given conditional clearances, while nine blocks were approved without any condition. Approval of these projects was pending due to the objections raised by the Ministry of Defence over national security. During the meet of Cabinet Committee on Investment in New Delhi twenty different power projects that await clearances from the Union Environment and Forest Ministry were also reviewed. The Ministry of Corporate Affairs has taken note of the misuse by certain “Chit Fund Companies” who have raised huge sums of money from the public at large. The State Governments are the appropriate authorities for regulation of such chit Fund companies/Schemes under the Chit Funds Act 1982. However, in view of the larger public interest involved in these cases, and concerns regarding misuse/laundering by such companies of the ill gotten wealth, and the possibility that the promoters of these companies may strip these companies, it has been decided by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs to set up a Special Task Force in the Serious Fraud Investigations Office (SFIO) to investigate the affairs of such companies. Accordingly, all investigations into such companies are being entrusted to SFIO with immediate effect. The Task Force will also co-ordinate with other law enforcement agencies and regulators wherever required.

*Minister of State (I/C) for Power Jyotiraditya M Scindia along with Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on 26 April 2013 dedicated to the nation the Indira Gandhi Super Thermal Power Project at Jhajjar in Haryana. The minister lauded the efforts of NTPC, Government of Haryana and Delhi Government for making this Project a success. While addressing the gathering, Scindia said with the commissioning of this project, all the three units in the first stage is commissioned and commercial operation started. Presently, 1500 MW of power is being generated through this plant. In 2007, UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi laid the foundation of this Project. The project is completed with a total cost of Rs. 7900 Crore. Haryana, Delhi, and other northern region states and Union Territories will greatly benefit from this Thermal Power Project in which NTPC holds 50% share.

The Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council (PMEAC) under the Chairmanship of C Rangarajan on 23 January 2013 presented the Economic review 2012-13. Some of the highlights are- 

• India’s economy is expected to grow 6.4 percent in the new financial year that began on 1 April 2013.
• PMEAC pegged the WPI inflation at around 6 percent and food inflation, at 8 percent.
• Net FDI at 18 billion dollars in FY13. FII inflows at 24 billion dollar in FY13 We expect net FDI inflow at 24 billion dollars and FII at 18 billion dollars for FY14
• The fiscal deficit of the Centre for 2012-13 is estimated to be 5.2% of GDP. It was 520924 crores Rupees in 2012-13 as per revised estimates, and is expected to be 542499 crores Rupees in 2013-14 as per budget estimates.
• Current Account Deficit is estimated to be 94 billion dollars (5.1% of GDP) in 2012-13 and is projected to be 100 billion dollars (4.7% of GDP) in 2013-14.

*Worried over widening trade gap, the government On 27 April 2013, has set up a six-member inter-ministerial committee under the chairmanship of Finance Secretary R S Gujral that will suggest measures to boost MSME exports. Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector contributes about 40% in the country's total exports and over 8% to India's Gross Domestic Product (GDP)."The committee will suggest short and long term measures to enhance exports from MSME sector. It will submit its recommendations by mid-May," an official said. The official said there is an urgent need to look at the MSME sector as exports are not doing well due to which the country's trade deficit has touched an all-time high of $190.1 billion in 2012-13.Although the government is taking every step including recent announcement of incentives and revamping special economic zone (SEZ) policy in order to increase shipments from the country, "more needs to be done", the official added. India's exports declined by about 2% to $300.5 billion in 2012-13, way below the $360 billion targeted at the beginning of the year, due to the global demand slowdown.The widening trade gap is adding woes on the the Current Account Deficit (CAD) front, which has emerged as a tough policy challenge for the government. CAD crossed 6.7% of the GDP in the third quarter of last fiscal.As per estimates, the share of MSME exports has fallen from 40% to 36% to the country's total exports.The sector accounts for around 45% of the manufacturing output and provides employment to about 60 million persons through 26 million enterprises.

*President PranabMukherjee on 8 April 2013, has conferred the status of 'Miniratna - Category 1' on the North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (Neepco).With this elevation to Miniratna - Category 1 status, Neepco will now be able to take certain investment decisions on its own without going through the Union power ministry. Neepco was earlier a schedule 'A' corporation.Neepco officials said the new status will facilitate expeditious execution of projects, including joint venture with public and private sector utilities in and outside the northeast. Neepco has been playing a pivotal role in the power sector of the region and has been contributing to almost 50 per cent of the power requirement of the northeast.Officials said Neepco is planning to add 2,300 MW of power in the next five years through hydro and thermal projects in order to meet the rising demand. Presently Neepco is executing five projects in the region with a total installed capacity of 917 MW, including the 600 MW Kameng Hydro Electric Projects in Arunachal Pradesh, which is expected to be on the national grid by 2016-17. The remaining four projects are exected to be commissioned by 2016.

*The Asian Development Bank (ADB), on 9 April 2013, maintained that the Indian economy could grow at an improved rate of 6 per cent during the current fiscal, provided reforms are put in place at a faster pace to sort out the structural bottlenecks and stem the deteriorating investment situation and a strong external demand is able to facilitate a turnaround in the worsening current account deficit (CAD).In its report ‘Asian Development Outlook 2013’ released in New Delhi, the Manila-based multilateral lending agency, however, cautioned that its India projections on improvement in the economy were subject to a number of downside risks such as another bad monsoon, a slow pace of reforms and fiscal consolidation and a continued sluggishness in the global economic environment. According to ADB Country Director Narhari Rao, supply and policy obstacles have seen India’s economic growth decelerate and investment and industrial output slump, with the statistics compounded by weak global demand.

*Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), on 9 April 2013, announced that it had signed definitive agreements to acquire 100 per cent equity in Alti SA, an IT services company in France. The deal, valued at 75 million euro (around Rs.530 crore), is an all-cash transaction, TCS said in a statement. The deal is subject to customary closing conditions. Alti SA has strong expertise in IT Services, including enterprise solutions, assurance and CRM solutions. It is privately held, and owned by its management and two private equity funds, CM-CIC LBO Partners and IDI. It reported revenues of 126 million euro in 2012, and its customers include top French corporations in the banking, financial services, luxury, manufacturing and utilities sectors. Alti has 1,200 employees based in France, Belgium and Switzerland. The France IT services market is estimated at 30 billion euro. TCS has been operating there since 1992. It has over 50 clients in France and has significantly strengthened its position there.

*The Food Corporation of India (FCI) raised 5000 crore Rupees by issuing taxable bonds backed by Government of India Guarantee in order to meet the additional working capital requirement. The issue of bonds was opened on 21 March 2013 and closed on 22 March 2013. These bonds are of two tenures- 10 years (300 crore Rupees) and 15 years (4700 crore Rupees). The coupon rate for 10 years was 8.62 percent per annum and 8.80 percent per annum for 15 years. Food Corporation of India (FCI) has the Cash Credit Limit with Consortium of 62 banks. At present, the Cash Credit Limit is 54495 crore Rupees which is secured by mortgaging entire stock of FCI and guaranteed by Government of India. At present, the interest rate on Cash Credit Limit is 10.79 percent monthly which eventually translates into 11.34 on annual basis. Annual interest saving through issue of this bond will be 127.54 crore Rupees.

*The World Trade Organization (WTO) on 10 April 2013, slashed its forecast for trade growth in 2013, saying it feared protectionism was on the increase. It cut its forecast for global trade growth in 2013 to 3.3 per cent from 4.5 per cent and said trade grew only 2 per cent in 2012.That was the smallest annual rise since records began in 1981 and the second weakest figure on record after 2009, when trade shrank.WTO Director General Pascal Lamy warned that 2013 could turn out even weaker than expected, especially because of risks from the euro crisis, and countries might try to restrict trade further in a desperate attempt to shore up domestic growth.

*The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on 4 April 2013 decided to de-control sugar and did away the levy on sugar mills and regulated release mechanism. This de-control will raise the subsidy burden to 5300 crore rupees from previous 2700 crore rupees. De-control on sugar will not have an impact on the sugar made available in the Public Distribution System. The de-control of sugar will abolish the rule for sugar mills that makes it mandatory for sugar millers to sell sugar to the Government at a discounted price as well as the limitation on the amount they choose to sell in the open market .

*A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed on 4 April 2013, in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala between Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), and Government of Kerala PSEs, Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) and Kerala Minerals and Metals Ltd (KMML), for setting up a Titanium Project in Joint Venture in Kerala. The MOU was signed in the presence of the Chief Minister of Kerala, Oommen Chandy and the Minister for Industries & IT, Kerala, PK Kunhalikutty and Special Secretary & Financial Advisor of Ministry of Steel, E.K. Bharat Bhushan, and SAIL Chairman, C.S. Verma. Through this MOU, possibilities of setting up of the Titanium Project in Joint Venture in Kerala will be explored by SAIL and KSIDC& KMML, in a phased manner. To begin with in Phase 1, setting up of a Titanium Sponge and Metal Plant based on supply of Titanium Tetrachloride by KMML will be considered. In subsequent phases, backward and forward integration will be explored for ensuring long term viability of the project. This will be the another major titanium project in the state of Kerala, after the Nation’s first titanium sponge plant was put up at KMML’s Chavara complex in Kerala between KMML, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) and the Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory in the year 2011.

*Union Tourism Minister K Chiranjeevi on 3 April 2013 launched a web based Public Service Delivery System for Hotel approval and classification with a view to bring in transparency in granting approvals for hotel projects and classification status to functioning hotels. Speaking on the occasion the Minister said that with the help of this system, all applicants seeking hotel project approvals, hotel classification and approvals for other related services will be able to track the progress of their cases online on a real time basis. He said “By putting this system in place, there will be a pressure on the officers of the Ministry to deliver on time and an increased accountability on their part. Now onwards, all applications will have to be examined within 15 working days from receipt for completeness. Thereafter, all hotel inspections will be scheduled within next 15 working days. The recommendations of Hotel and Restaurants Approval & Classification Committee will be communicated on the spot to the applicant and these recommendations will also be put on web with final decision within 10 days of the inspection”. The Minister stated that in due course, the Tourism Ministry would move towards an e-regime and accept e-applications and proposals. The Ministry of Tourism will now erect such systems in other spheres of functioning also. Chiranjeevi urged his officers in the Ministry and industry to work in ‘one vision one mission’ framework Nakul Anand, President, Hotel Association of India; Vivek Nair, President, Federation of Hotels & Restaurants Association of India and Rakesh Mathur, Executive Committee Member, Heritage Hotels Association of India also spoke on the occasion and lauded the efforts of the Ministry and stated that this is a path breaking initiative taken by the Ministry of Tourism to bring transparency in its functioning. This measure will bring in more transparency, make officials more accountable in working and enable the applicants to access information and check status of their applications sitting at their own places.

* The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs(CCEA) on 2 April 2013 approved the proposal of the Ministry of Home Affairs for continuation of the Scheme for Special Infrastructure (SIS) in Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected states during the 12th Plan period. The proposal includes an added objective of up gradation and critical gap filling of training infrastructure, residential infrastructure, weaponry, vehicles and any other related items pertaining to Special Forces of LWE affected states. The total cost would be 373 crore rupees comprising 280 crore rupees as central government share and 93 crore rupees as state government share on a 75 (central): 25 (state) funding pattern. The scheme will enhance the security in the region which would provide an enabling environment for development. The scheme was being implemented from the year 2008-09 with the broad objective to adequately provide for critical infrastructure requirements that are critical to the policing and security needs in the field, but are not adequately or otherwise provided for in any other scheme. During the 11th Plan period 100 percent funding was provided by the Central Government to the 9 LWE affected states for implementing various projects under the scheme. The total funds were released under the scheme by the central government to the 9 LWE affected states during the 11th Plan period is 445.82 crore rupees.