October 2013 Persons | 2013 Persons | October Persons

Manna Dey (94), the legendary singer died on 23rd October 2013 in Bangalore hospital. He was treated for respiratory illness died of cardiac arrest. He sang many songs in different languages like Malayalam, Kannada, Gujarati, Marathi, Bengali, Hindi, Assamese, Punjabi and Bhojpuri. In 2005 he also received the Padmabhusan Award by the Government of India. In 2007 he was given the Dadasaheb Phalke Award from Government of India

Shah Rukh Khan, the star actor of Bollywood, was on 23rd October 2013, appointed as the goodwill ambassador for South Korea. He was appointed as the public diplomat as well as an ambassador of India’s soft power. Shah Rukh Khan will visit South Korea before the maiden visit to the President of South Korea- Park Geun-hye. Shah Rukh Khan was also invited by the Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak on his first visit to India at the formal dinner with the prime minister. In the year 2008, Shah Rukh Khan was given the title of Datuk, which is equivalent to the British Knighthood. This title was given to him by the Governor of Malaysia’s southern Malacca state, Mohamad Khalil Yaacob.

Arunendra Kumar -----Arunendra Kumar has been appointed as Chairman, Railway Board (Ministry of Railways) and ex-officio Principal Secretary to Government of India. Kumar took charge as Chairman Railway Board on 16th October. Prior to this Arunendra Kumar had been holding additional charge of Chairman, Railway Board since 1st July 2013 besides his regular posting as Member (Mechanical) Railway Board and ex officio Secretary to the Government of India.

Kumar Mangalam Birla---- The Central Bureau of Investigation on 15th October, filed an FIR naming Aditya Birla Group chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla and former Coal Secretary P.C. Parekh for having allegedly entered into a criminal conspiracy to facilitate the partial allocation of an Odisha coal block to the group’s subsidiary Hindalco Industries about eight years ago. The FIR said the Coal Ministry Screening Committee’s recommendation that the block be allocated to public sector units (PSUs) was, in a way, circumvented to “accommodate” aluminum major Hindalco. According to the CBI, Mr. Birla would soon be examined along with the other accused.

Gireesh B. Pradhan---- Union Government of India appointed on 17th October 2013 Gireesh B. Pradhan, former Secretary of Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, as the Chairperson of the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC). Gireesh B. Pradhan , a Maharashtra Cadre IAS officer of the 1977 batch. He retired from the post of Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy in June 2013.Central Electricity Regulatory Commission is a statutory body functioning under section 76 of the Electricity Act 2003.It was initially constituted under the Electricity Regulatory Commissions Act, 1998 on 24 July 1998.

Dr. Ravuri Bharadwaja---- Eminent Telugu writer and Gyanpeeth award recipient, Dr. Ravuri Bharadwaja passed away in Hyderabad on 18th October 2013. He was 86. Ravuri Bharadwaja won Gyanpeeth award for the year 2012 for his well known Telugu novel, Paakudu Raallu, which depicted the real life behind the silver screen of the film industry. Bharadvaja was born in 1927 and is a Telugu novelist, short-story writer, poet and critic. He studied only till Class VIII, but his works and write-ups turned up to be a basis for many research works and are prescribed as text books in universities. He has written six short novels for children namely Kadambari, Pakudurallu, Jeevana Samaram, Inupu Tera Venuka and Koumudi – these novels have been translated into several Indian languages as well as English. Earlier he has been awarded with awards like Sahitya Akademi Award, Soviet Land Nehru Award, Balsahitya Parishad Award, and Telugu Akademi Award. He was also awarded with an honorary doctorate from Nagarjuna University.

Syed Ibne Abbas----Government of Pakistan decided on 9th October 2013 to appoint Pakistani veteran diplomat Syed Ibne Abbas as the new Pakistani envoy to India. He will succeeded by Salman Bashir. He served as Counsellor (Political) at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi. His appointment comes at a time when tensions along the LoC have increased. He also served as the Director of Kashmir Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Arundhati Bhattacharya (57) ---- Arundhati Bhattacharya on 7th October 2013 took over as the Chairperson of the State Bank of India (SBI). She is the first woman to take charge as the Chairperson of SBI, the largest bank of India. She succeeded Pratip Chaudhuri who retired on 30 September 2013.Before being elevated to the post of Chairperson of SBI, she was the Managing Director and the Chief Financial Officer of SBI. She is the first woman Chairperson of the State Bank of India, which has the long history of 206 years. Apart from this, she is the only woman banker on the list of Fortune 500 company giants anywhere in the world.

Justice D. K. Jain---- The President of India has accepted the resignation of Justice D. K. Jain from the post of Chairperson, Law Commission of India, with effect from the afternoon of 5th October 2013.Justice D. K. Jain has taken over as the President, National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, on the afternoon of 5th October 2013.

Sitaram Sharma---- Sitaram Sharma has been nominated by Govt. of India as Chairman of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies (MAKAIAS), Kolkata, an autonomous body under Union Ministry of Culture, for a term of two years. Late Prof. S. Nurul Hasan, the then Governor of West Bengal was the first Chairman of the Institute, founded in January 4, 1993. Mr. M.K. Narayanan, Governor of West Bengal is the President of the MAKAIAS, Society. The Institute is a centre for research on the life, times and work of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, and the study of social, cultural, political and economic developments in Asia from the middle of the 19th century. The Maulana Azad Museum is located in one of the earlier residences of Maulana Azad (at 5 Ashraf Mistry Lane), where it maintains a museum of memorabilia, photographs and documentary film.

Lalu Prasad Yadav----Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad was sentenced to five-year rigorous imprisonment in a corruption case on 1 October. The sentence immediately disqualifies him from Parliament and bars him from elections for 11 years, raising questions over the leadership of his party ahead of Lok Sabha elections due next year. Special CBI Judge Pravas Kumar Singh sentenced the two-time former Chief Minister, another former Chief Minister Jagannath Mishra, Jagdish Sharma, JD(U) MP from Jahanabad, and other convicts, lodged in the Birsa Munda Central Jail in Ranchi, through videoconferencing. Mr. Prasad, 65, who was convicted on September 30 in a fodder scam case, was also fined Rs. 25 lakh. Like other politicians, he was convicted under the Prevention of Corruption Act. He claimed he was innocent. Mr. Mishra, 76, was sentenced to four-year rigorous imprisonment and was asked to pay a fine of Rs. 2 lakh. Mr. Sharma also faces disqualification in the light of a Supreme Court judgment that an MP or MLA would lose his seat immediately after he was convicted by a court for crimes with a punishment of two years or more.

Ranjan Mathai--- Former Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai on 20 September 2013 was appointed as India's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. He will succeed noted economist and veteran diplomat Dr. Jaimini Bhagwati. However, he will take up the charge of the office later. Ranjan Mathai joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1974 and has served in Indian embassies in Vienna, Colombo, Washington, Tehran and Brussels. He played a critical role in the Indo-Bangla Ganges Water Sharing accord during Sheikh Hasina's first stint as the Prime Minister. Ranjan Mathai served as Foreign Secretary for a period of two years and handed over the charge to his successor Sujatha Singh in July 2013.

Ranjib Biswal---- NCA Chairman Ranjib Biswal was on 29 September 2013 appointed as chairman of the IPL during the Annual General Meeting of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) at Chennai. Prior to this appointment Ranjib Biswal was manager of the Indian Cricket team during the ICC World Cup 2011 and the ICC Champions Trophy 2013. He is also the head of Orissa Cricket Association. Ranjib Biswal was replaced Rajeev Shukla as chairman of Indian Premier League (IPL). Rajiv Shukla, who resigned at the end of his tenure.Ranjib Biswal was currently National Cricket Academy (NCA) chairman.

Rahul Dravid---The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on 5th September 2013 announced former Indian cricket team captain Rahul Dravid as Brand Ambassador for its National Tobacco Control Campaign. The national anti-tobacco control campaign has to continue till it achieves desired results. It shows that India is committed towards tobacco control. World Health Assembly aims a target of 30 per cent relative reduction in tobacco use by 2025.

October 2013 Sports | 2013 Sports | October Sports

India's ace Squash player Dipika Pallikal, on 20th October 2013, won the ‘Macau Open title’ at Macau, China. In the title clash Dipika defeated former World Number One Rachel Grinham of Australia, 12-10, 5-11, 11-7, 11-9. This was Dipika Pallikal's seventh Women's Squash Association title. The Macau Open 2013 is a squash tournament held in Macau, China on 15 to 20 October 2013. It is part of the PSA World Tour and the WSA World Tour. The prize money for the Macau Open is 35000 Dollars.

North Zone and South Zone were declared joint winners of the Duleep Trophy 2013-14 after the fifth day's play of the final match was called off due to bad weather in Kochi on 21st October 2013.It was the fourth instance in the history of Duleep Trophy when the title has been shared. Previous instances were West Zone/South Zone in 1963-64), North Zone/West Zone in 1988-89 and Central Zone/West Zone in 1997-98.East Zone won the Duleep Trophy in 2012-13 on the basis of their first innings lead against Central Zone at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

The BCCI on 26th October 2013 terminated Pune Warriors from the IPL after the Sahara-owned franchise failed to pay its payments and refused to furnish the bank guarantee for the next season. The decision was taken at the Cricket Board's all-powerful working committee meeting. BCCI wanted the team to furnish a bank guarantee of 170.2 crore rupees to remain a part of the league next year. Sahara has been demanding the completion of the arbitration proceedings on the issue of franchise fee, which, it feels, should be lowered since the BCCI did not deliver on its promised number of IPL matches for the team. Pune Warriors were purchased by Sahara for 370 million US dollars (1702 crore rupees) in 2010 and it was the most expensive franchise on the IPL roster.

The Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) on 21st October 2013 unanimously elected Kanwar Deep Singh as the president of the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) for a four-year term. He was succeeded by Dinesh Reddy, Andhra Pradesh's Director General of Police (DGP).He is the Chairman emirate of the Alchamist Group of Companies. He is the member of the Rajya Sabha (Upper House) of the Indian Parliament. He belonged to Trinamool Congress Party. He received the jewel of India award from International Solidarity in New York.

Simona Halep of Romania defeated Samantha Stosur of Australia 7-6 (1), 6-2 to win the Kremlin Cup on 20th October 2013 at Moscow, Russia. It was the fifth WTA singles championship for Simona Halep. With the victory, Halep raised to a career high 15th in the WTA Tour rankings on 21st October 2013. In men’s singles, top-seeded Richard Gasquet of France defeated Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the final of the Kremlin Cup. It was the 10th WTA singles championship for Richard Gasquet.

A.S.S. Siril Verma of India won the boys’ under-15 singles crown defeating Gatja Putra 21-11, 21-17 in the final of the Bibli.com Flypower Asia youth badminton championship in Kudus, Indonesia, on 13th October.In the boys’ under-17 doubles final, the top-seeded Indian pair of M.R. Arjun and Chirag Shetty clinched the title with a 21-16, 21-15 victory over the pair of Wangcharoen Kantaphon and Narongrit Mek.

World number two Novak Djokovic retained his Shanghai Masters title with a thrilling 6-1 3-6 7-6 (7-3) win over Juan Martin Del Potro of the Argentina. The Shanghai crown is Djokovic's fifth ATP Tour title of the year. The victory also caps a good two weeks in the country for the six-time major winner, who came into the tournament having beaten world number one Rafael Nadal to land his fourth China Open title.

Top English club Liverpool launched a residential football academy in Pune on 16 October 2013 in partnership with city-based DSK Shivajians FC. The academy was named as LFC International Football Academy DSK. It will have a world class residential complex, full size pitches, practice areas, classrooms, residential, medical facilities, lecture theatre and canteen. The academy will support young footballers up to the age of 18. It will provide the players with the opportunity to develop their game in a professional academy environment. Coaches from Liverpool FC will work on the project in India and will provide technical expertise to the players and coaches involved in the Academy. Over time, more full time coaches will come from Liverpool FC to oversee each age group players at the Academy. This is the first time an English football club has partnered with an Indian team to help them bring through local talent.

India’s tennis player Rohan Bopanna with French partner Edouard Roger-Vasselin won the Rakuten Japan Open tennis championship (Men's Doubles) on 6th October 2013 in Tokyo. They won the cash prize of the US $ 12,97,000. The fourth seeded Indo-French pair emerged victorious with a 7-6 (5) 6-4 scoreline against the Briton-Australian pair of Jemie Murray and John Peers in one hour and 17 minutes. Bopanna had won his first title of the 2013 season in February 2013 when he triumphed at ATP 250 event in Marseille, France paired with Colin Fleming of Britain.

Afghanistan Cricket team on 4 October 2013 qualified for its maiden ICC World Cup after defeating Kenya by seven wickets at World Cricket League Championship in Sharjah. With this win Afghanistan also became the 20th team to gain entry into the tournament overall. Afghanistan will play its opening match in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 against Bangladesh at Manuka Oval, Canberra, on 18 February 2013.In 2010, Afghanistan qualified for the ICC World Twenty20 West Indies 2010 by winning the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier UAE 2010. It then finished second to Ireland in the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier UAE 2012, to qualify for the ICC World Twenty20 Sri Lanka 2012.Afghanistan also played in the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2010 in New Zealand and the 2012 edition in Australia.

Sania Mirza of India and Cara Black of Zimbabwe won the Toray Pan Pacific Open tennis championship women's doubles title by defeating Hao-Ching Chan (Chinese Taipei) and Liezel Huber (USA) 4-6, 6-0, 11-9 in final at Tokyo on 28 September 2013.The Pan Pacific Open is a WTA Tour affiliated professional tennis tournament for women, held every year since 1984 in Tokyo, Japan. It is classified on the WTA Tour as a Tier I tournament since 1993.

Sania Mirza won the China Open tennis championship trophy (women’s Doubles) with Cara Black of Zimbabwe on 5 October 2013 in Beijing. They defeated Vera Dushevina of Russia and Arantxa Parra Santonja of Spain in straight sets 6-2, 6-2. The Indo-Zimbabwean pair was eighth seeded. Sania and Cara had won Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo last week.It is fifth title of the season for Sania Mirza and 19th overall. Sania had won the New Haven event with Chinese Zheng before she teamed up with Cara. Early in the season, Sania Mirza won titles in Dubai and Brisbane with American partner Bethanie-Mattek Sands.

N. Srinivasan was on 29th September 2013 re-elected as the President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for a third term at its 84th annual general meeting (AGM) held at Chennai. He was unanimously re-elected as the president of BCCI for the term of 2013-14. Other office bearers were also elected on the same day. Others who were elected at the 84th annual general meeting (AGM) included Sanjay Patel (honorary secretary), Anurag Thakur (Joint Secretary), Anirudh Chaudhry (Hon Treasurer), S. P. Bansal (Vice-President - North Zone): Rajeev Shukla (Vice-President - Central Zone) Shivlal Yadav (Vice-President - South Zone), Ravi Savant (Vice-President - West Zone) and Chitrak Mitra (Vice-President - East Zone).However, N. Srinivasan will not assume charge of the office immediately because of the directive of the Supreme Court of India. Other office bearers will assume the charge of the office with an immediate effect.

Kalapana Devi on 5th October 2013 won bronze medal at the Judo tournament in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. It was India’s first IJF Grand Prix medal. Competing in 52kg weight category, Kalpana defeated Zarifa Sultonova of Uzbekistan but lost to Gili Cohen of Israel. Kalpana, who is with Indo-Tibetan Border Police, had also won a bronze medal in the Women's World Cup Judo Championships held in September 2010 in Uzbekistan. India has sent an eight-member team in the IJF Grand Prix Judo Championships, which will conclude on 7 October 2013. 

October 2013 Awards | 2013 Awards | October Awards

Anjali Gopalan on 25th October 2013 was awarded with French highest civilian award Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur. She was awarded for her work on transgenders and HIV positive patients. She was awarded at a function, by Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, the French Cabinet Minister for Women’s Right. Gopalan is an Indian Human Rights and Animals Rights Activist. She started the Naz Foundation (India) Trust as its executive director, which further changed the lives of the HIV Positive, transgenders and homosexuals in New York. She started her career as a social worker working for the migrants of the south East Asian who lacked valid documents.

Aung Suu Kyi, on 23rd October 2013, has received the Sakharov Prize for ‘Freedom of Thought’ at Strasbourg, France. She was chosen by the European Parliament in 1990.The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought announced by the European Parliament in 1990 when she was under house arrest. The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought is awarded each year by the European Parliament. The prize was set up in 1988 to honour individuals or organisations for their efforts on behalf of human rights and fundamental freedoms. The Sakharov Prize for free speech is awarded annually in memory of Soviet physicist and dissident Andrei Sakharov

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences on 14 October 2013 decided to award The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel for 2013 to Eugene F. Fama, Lars Peter Hansen and Robert J. Shiller for their empirical analysis of asset prices. 1. Eugene F. Fama of University of Chicago, IL, USA 2.Lars Peter Hansen of University of Chicago, IL, USA 3.Robert J. Shiller of Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA The three American Economists awarded for their work on creating a deeper knowledge of how market prices move. The prize is worth 8m Swedish krona (775,000 Pounds; 1.2m Dollars), which will be shared equally among the three winners. The Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences is not one of the original Nobel prizes. It was created in 1968 by the Swedish Central Bank in memory of Alfred Nobel, who established the prizes for Chemistry, Medicine, Physics, Literature and Peace in 1895. The first Economics prize was awarded in 1969.The Nobel Foundation does not officially recognize it as a Nobel Prize, but as the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel. The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel has been awarded 45 times to 74 Laureates between 1969 and 2013.

Eleanor Catton, the New Zealand author, at the age of just 28 years, became the youngest ever winner of the Man Booker Prize for her novel The Luminaries on 15th October 2013 at the London's Guildhall. Her novel The Luminaries is the story of 19th-century goldfields, which won 50000 Pound Man Booker Prize 2013 along with a trophy, and Emmanuel Roman. It is important to note that The Luminaries is also the longest work to win this prize in the history of 45 years of Man Booker Prize. She is the second New Zealander to win the Man Booker Prize, after Keri Hulme for The Bone People in 1985.The last Prize was won by Hilary Mantel for Bring Up the Bodies, which was the sequel of the Wolf Hall. It is important to note that in the year 2014, the Man Booker Prize will open its doors for the authors writing in English from all over the world. At present, it is awarded to the English-language authors only from the Commonwealth nations, including the Zimbabwe, Ireland and the United Kingdom. At present, the Man Booker Prize is one of the richest literary prizes of the world.

In a tribute to the legendary filmmaker Yash Chopra on the eve of his first death anniversary, melody queen Lata Mangeshkar was conferred the first Yash Chopra Memorial Award at a glittering function in Mumbai on 19th October. Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Manish Tewari presented the award. Dedicated to the memory of the late producer-director; the Yash Chopra Memorial Award has been instituted by the TSR Foundation of T Subbarami Reddy. Chopra was a victim of dengue in Mumbai Oct 21 last year, spelling the end of a romantic and passionate era of filmmaking. Carrying a cheque of Rs1 million and a citation, the memorial award will be given annually to people in recognition of their outstanding contribution in the field of art and culture. Lata has been conferred several national and international honours, including Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award, three national film awards and and the One Time Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2008 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of India's Independence.

The Nobel Prize in Physics 2013 was awarded jointly to François Englert and Peter W. Higgs "for the theoretical discovery of a mechanism that contributes to our understanding of the origin of mass of subatomic particles, and which recently was confirmed through the discovery of the predicted fundamental particle, by the ATLAS and CMS experiments at CERN's Large Hadron Collider" .François Englert was born on 6th November 1932, Etterbeek, Belgium. He is the professor in Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium.Peter W. Higgs was born on 29 May 1929, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom.He is the professor in University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2013 was awarded jointly to Martin Karplus, Michael Levitt and Arieh Warshel "for the development of multiscale models for complex chemical systems". Martin Karplus was born on 15 March 1930, Vienna, Austria. He works in the Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France, Harvard University, and Cambridge, MA, USA. Michael Levitt was born on 9 May 1947, Pretoria, South Africa. He works in the Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA. Arieh Warshel was born on 20 November 1940, Kibbutz Sde-Nahum, Israel. He works in the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2013 was awarded jointly to James E. Rothman, Randy W. Schekman and Thomas C. Südhof "for their discoveries of machinery regulating vesicle traffic, a major transport system in our cells". James E. Rothman was born on 3 November 1950, Haverhill, MA, USA. He works in the Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA. Randy W. Schekman was born on 30 December 1948, St. Paul, MN, USA. He works in the University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA, Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Thomas C. Südhof had born on 22nd December 1955 Goettingen, Germany. He works in the Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA, Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Canadian author Alice Munro has won the 2013 Nobel Prize for Literature. Making the announcement, Peter Englund, permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy, called her a "master of the contemporary short story". The 82-year-old, whose books include Dear Life and Dance of the Happy Shades, is only the 13th woman to win the prize since its inception in 1901. Presented by the Nobel Foundation, the award - which is presented to a living writer - is worth eight million kronor (£770,000).Munro, who began writing in her teenage years, published her first story, The Dimensions of a Shadow, in 1950.In 2009, she won the Man Booker International Prize for her entire body of work - but she downplayed her achievements. Often compared to Anton Chekhov, she is known for writing about the human spirit and a regular theme of her work is the dilemma faced by young girls growing up and coming to terms with living in a small town. The Nobel academy praised her "finely tuned storytelling, which is characterized by clarity and psychological realism". Her writing has brought her several awards. She won The Commonwealth Writers' Prize, the National Book Critics Circle prize for Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage, and is a three-time winner of the Governor General's prize. Other notable books include Lives of Girls and Women, Who Do You Think You Are, The Progress of Love and Runaway.

The Nobel Peace Prize 2013 was awarded to Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) "for its extensive efforts to eliminate chemical weapons". The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has become the surprise choice for this year's Nobel peace prize, a decision the Oslo committee said recognized both its current, hazardous mission to destroy Syria's chemical weapons stocks and 16 years of wider global efforts. The international chemical weapons watchdog, a relatively new global body, set up in 1997 in The Hague, with a relatively tiny annual budget of about £60m, trumped the established bookmakers' favorites of Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani schoolgirl turned advocate for female education, and Denis Mukwege, the Congolese gynecologist who has helped huge numbers of rape victims. The OPCW, which has 500 staff, is the 25th institution among the 94 winners in the prize's history, and the second in succession, after the controversial choice of the EU in 2012.However, the Nobel committee's citation said the prize was a more general one, to mark "its extensive efforts to eliminate chemical weapons" and nudge the few remaining nations that had not yet signed up to the organization. The work of the OPCW, which has 189 member states, had "defined the use of chemical weapons as a taboo under international law", the committee said, adding that events in Syria had "underlined the need to enhance the efforts to do away with such weapons". The OPCW was set up to implement the 1992 global chemical weapons convention. It says it has managed to oversee the destruction of more than 80% of the world's declared stocks of chemical weapons, excluding those now declared in Syria.

A young man from India is among 10 people from around the world selected for a prestigious United Nations award on 11th October, in recognition of their work as entrepreneurs and use of technology to change the world. The winner from India is Varun Arora who created 'Open Curriculum', an online educational material for standard, primary and secondary schooling. The recipients of the 10 Young Innovators Competition organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Telecom come from a wide range of countries including India, Uganda and Vietnam and have worked on diverse issues such as marine protection, reduction of food waste and immigration."These are bright young minds with creative technological solutions to developmental challenges both in their communities and in the wider world," said ITU secretary-general Hamadoun Toure. The UN competition is open to young social entrepreneurs between the ages of 18 and 26 and seeks innovative digital solutions in the form of start-ups or initial concepts meeting global developmental challenges. The winners would heading to the ITU Telecom World 2013 in Bangkok in November.

Eminent agricultural scientist M.S. Swaminathan on 10th October 2013 selected for the Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration for the year 2012. MS Swaminathan is an Indian geneticist and former member of Rajya Sabha. M.S. Swaminathan contributed to the agricultural renaissance in the country and led the nation to achieve green revolution. The Indian national congress (i), in its centenary year 1985, instituted an Indira Gandhi award for national integration to give recognition to outstanding contribution to this cause by distinguished individuals or institutions. The award carries a citation and cash award of 5 lakh rupees.

Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani teen shot by the Taliban for championing girls' education won the European Union's (EU) Sakharov human rights prize 2013 on 10th October 2013. Past winners of the Sakharov Prize include South African anti apartheid hero Nelson Mandela and former UN secretary general Kofi Annan. The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought is awarded each year by the European Parliament. The prize was set up in 1988 to honour individuals or organizations for their efforts on behalf of human rights and fundamental freedoms. The Sakharov Prize for free speech is awarded annually in memory of Soviet physicist and dissident Andrei Sakharov.

Karan Thapar, television journalist chosen for the International Press Institute (IPI) – India award for excellence in journalism 2013 on 8th October 2013 for his interviews on the Devil's Advocate programme on CNN IBN. He was selected by a distinguished jury of editors and publishers headed by the former Chief Justice of India, A. S. Anand. Previous winners of the International Press Institute award include The Indian Express, NDTV, Outlook, Tehelka, Tribune and The Week. Karan Thapar is an Indian television commentator and interviewer. He is conducting programmes like Devil's Advocate, The Last Word on CNN-IBN and India Tonight on CNBC TV 18. The International Press Institute is a global network of editors, media executives and leading journalists.
The President of India, Pranab Mukherjee presented the ‘Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award for Excellence in Public Administration, Academics and Management’ 2013 to Dr. Rajendra Achyut Badwe, Director, Tata Memorial Centre, Professor and Head, Department of Surgical Oncology Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai at a function at Rashtrapati Bhavan on October 01, 2013. The award carries a cash prize of Rs.5 lakhs, a citation and a plaque. He is an international opinion leader in oncology, developing breast cancer care strategies, innovative research, integrating delivery systems, improving quality and cancer management programs and capacity building of staff on cancer care delivery strategy and practice issues.

His original research "On Timing of Surgery during The Menstrual Cycle for Operable Breast Cancer" has led to a paradigm shift in understanding of cancer biology and evolved cost- effective life-saving treatment globally. A Dorab Tata Scholar (1974- 1978), Dr Badwe has been a recipient of several prestigious international and national awards including Padmashree. His significant accomplishments in leadership in cancer care are a testimony to his role as a mentor in developing the cancer care strategy for Government of India and WHO. He leads the Innovation Council for Cancer Research and the team that is planning the national cancer centre for Government of India.

A senior Indian journalist, Ravi Shankar Narsimhan, on 29th September 2013 was presented with Friendship award by China-the highest honor given to foreigners. Narsimhan is the executive editor in the overseas edition of the Beijing based China Daily. Ravi Shankar hails from Andhra Pradesh. He has worked with China Daily for 11 years. He was given the award for helping China better tell its stories to the outside world. He is one among the 50 foreign experts from 20 countries and diverse fields, who have been rewarded. The Friendship Award is an annual award given by the Chinese government to honour outstanding foreign experts in China.

Rafiq Kathwari, an Indian-American poet on 29 September 2013 selected for 2013 Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award for the collection of his debut poems. Rafiq Kathwari is the first non-Irish person to win the Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award. Rafiq Kathwari's collection of 20 unpublished poems In another Country was selected for the coveted award amidst 112 contestants from across the world. Rafiq Kathwari, a Kashmiri by descent has become the first non-Irish to have won the award and will recieve 1000 Euros as the prize money. He has translated selected Urdu poems of Alama Iqbal, creating his own version. His poems are mostly inspired by loss of innocence in Kashmir and from his mother's long time illness. The award was founded by the Patrick Kavanagh Society in 1971 to commemorate the Irish poet Patrick Kavanagh

October 2013 Science and Technology | 2013 Science and Technology | October Science and Technology

The first unit of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) was synchronized on 22nd October, and is now generating 160 MW electricity. On this occasion Narayansami, Minister of State in the Prime Ministers Office said the power will be further raised to 500 MWe, 750 MWe and 1000 MWe in stages. For this at every stage various tests have been conducted and the technical parameters have also been verified. Based on the results of the tests at each of the stages and with the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) clearences, subsequent stages are reached. With the addition of KKNPP Unit-1 of 1000 MWe capacity, the Nuclear Power contribution in the country will increase from 4780 MWe to 5780 MWe. KKNPP Unit-1 is the 20th Nuclear Power Station of Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL), connected to power grid in the country.

The India-France Technology Summit, organized by Department of Science and Technology, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and French Embassy on 23rd October, witnessed 11 Memorandum of Understandings (MOUs) between India and France in the field of Science and Technology and Education.

The MOUs were signed in the presence of Mr S Jaipal Reddy, Minister of Science and Technology and Earth Sciences.

• Signature of MOU between Department of Science and Technology and Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et en Automatique (INRIA), on Joint Targeted Program in Information and Communication Science and Technology.
• Signature MOU between Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and CNRSfor establishing an International Associated Laboratory in the area of Systems Immunology and Genetics of Infectious Diseases, LIA SIGID.
• MOU between SGRI and CEFIPRA for Habitat in hot and humid climate.
• Signature Letter of Intent to launch “The EADS-CEFIPRA Aerospace Program” between European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company (EADS) and The Indo French Centre for the Promotion of Advanced Research.
• Signature of MOU to set up an International Associated Laboratory on Transcriptomics and Metabolomics for Liver Diseases between the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research, INSERM and the Institute of Liver and Bilary Sciences, ILBS.
• Signature of MOU for International Joint Laboratory on Neuosciences, LIA PROTECT between IISc and INSERM.
• Statement of intent between Safran-Morpho (SMPL) and Gujarat Forensic Sciences University for Training, Research and Development (GFSU), to explore the possibility of establishing cooperation through the program.
• MOU “ASTech-Systematic India Hub between ASTech Cluster, Systematic Cluster, Paris Region CCI, India Desk and IFCCI.
• MOU for an institutional partnership between Sciences Po Paris and Ashoka University, covering undergraduate and postgraduate student exchange program and faculty exchange.
• MOU for a partnership awarding a double Master’s Degree between DTU, India and N+I Engineering Network, France.
• MOU for a partnership for Last Semester of Bachelor or Master as an international experience in France/India between BITS Pilani and N+I Engineering Network, France.

Union Minister for Mines, Dinsha Patel dedicated a deep sea exploration ship ‘RV Samudra Ratnakar’ to the nation at Kandla Port on 12th October.RV Samudra Ratnakar, the research vessel is a state-of-the-art acquisition of GSI, designed to meet the fast-growing challenges of the modern geo-scientific oceanographic researches. The ship is equipped with high-end technologically advanced instruments needed for geological, geophysical and geochemical explorations in the offshore areas. The vessel is a unique multitasking and multi-disciplinary ship with modern on-board laboratories, designed to carry out sea-bed mapping, mineral exploration etc. in the deep waters and also research activities. The Ship has been built by M/s. Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI), Ulsan, South Korea, one of the largest ship building yards in the world.

RV Samudra Ratnakar is an all-weather ship fitted with Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS), Heading and Motion sensors and Dynamic Positioning System to keep it stationary during coring operations. With the induction of this multi-disciplinary research vessel, Marine and Coastal Survey Division of GSI is poised to --explore the deep ocean and unravel the hitherto- unknown complexities besides searching for deep-sea mineral resources both within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of India and International Waters. Its endurance capacity and on-board facilities will enable GSI to carryout Multichannel Seismic Survey, Gravity Survey, Magnetic Survey, Deep Sea Imaging, Sub-bottom Profiling, Deep Coring and Dredging in any part of the world. R.V. Samudra Ratnakar has the capability to explore and identify the favorable zone of accumulation of Gas Hydrates, which are known to be the future source of hydro-carbon energy.

The Indian Navy on 15 October 2013 inducted into service its largest offshore patrol vessel (OPV), INS Sunayna, at the Southern Naval Command. The ship was designed and built by the public sector Goa Shipyard. The ship is equipped with the most advanced communication, navigation and electronic warfare equipment besides a 76-mm SRGM (Super Rapid Gun Mount), and close-in weapon system (CIWS). INS Sunayna will strengthen the Indian Navy capability to safeguard the maritime interests. The vessel is expected to fill the vital gap in the Southern Naval Command’s patrol capability. The vessel also has the ability to embark an advanced light helicopter (ALH) or a Chetak search and rescue helicopter. Two more vessels of this class will be delivered to the Navy between this year-end and mid-2014.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on 3rd October, has approved the implementation of a scheme for setting up of 750 MW of Grid-connected Solar PV Power Projects under Batch-1 of Phase-11 (2013-17) of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) with Viability Gap Funding (VGF) support from the National Clean Energy Fund (NCEF). The total VGF requirement for implementation of the scheme is estimated as Rs. 1,875 crore at the rate of Rs.2.5 crore/ MW The actual requirement will, however, depend on the bid prices. This VGF support is estimated to leverage private investment to the tune of Rs. 5000 crore in setting up of the projects.

The VGF scheme will facilitate setting up of the 750 MW grid connected solar power projects, in mainly the private sector on Build, Own and Operate (BOO) basis at various locations, which will help supplement grid power generation in the country. These projects will also lead to an associated development of their surrounding areas with positive impact on the socio-economic conditions of the local population. The JNNSM was launched by the Government in January 2010. The main objective of this Mission is to create a policy and regulatory environment for large scale diffusion of solar energy technologies across the country as quickly as possible. It has laid down, a long-term goal of adding 20,000 MW of grid-connected solar power by 2022, to be achieved in three phases (Phase-l up to 2012-13, Phase-ll from 2013 to 2017 and Phase-Ill from 2017 to 2022).

The Union Health and Family Welfare Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad launched the indigenously produced Japanese Encephalitis (JE) vaccine JENVAC, in New Delhi on 4th October. The vaccine has been jointly developed by scientists of NIV, ICMR and Bharat Biotech Ltd. Azad said that JENVAC is a completely indigenous vaccine and an outstanding example of public private partnership (PPP), and a remarkable milestone in the emergence of our country as an innovative and self-sufficient technology hub. Speaking at the occasion, the Health Minister termed the Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) as a serious public health challenge for India.

Of the more than 100 viruses and other agents that can cause this syndrome, about a dozen odd are reported from India. Beginning with first report in 1955 from Vellore in Tamil Nadu JE virus has spread to over 171 districts in 19 states. The Health Minister stated that so far a vaccine imported from China was being used. But its availability was an issue for comprehensive and quick augmentation of the national programme, he stated. The launch of JENVAC, manufactured by Bharat Biotech is a welcome much needed and historic occasion, he mentioned. He said that it is not only the first fully indigenous vaccine, but it is also based on an Indian strain. Therefore, it is expected to improve the efficacy besides availability and affordability.

October 2013 Economic Affairs | 2013 Economic Affairs | October Economic Affairs

Mahindra Aerospace, a venture of the Mahindra Group, inaugurated its aero-structures facility at Narsapura, about 50 km from Bangaluru on 21st October. “The facility is aimed at positioning the Indian footprint in the global aero-structures supply chain,” said Anand Mahindra, Chairman, Mahindra Group. Mr. Mahindra also announced that Mahindra Aerospace had entered into a “strategic” technology partnership with the Spanish Tier-I aero-structures supplier, the Aernnova Group. Mr. Mahindra said the company had invested about Rs.150 crore in the facility, which could generate an initial turnover of Rs.200 crore per annum. The facility, spread over 25,000 sq. metres, will employ about 400 personnel. Mr. Mahindra said the Group’s acquisition in 2010 of two Australian companies — Gippsland Aeronautics, a manufacturer of small aircraft, and Aerostaff, an aircraft component manufacturer — had given it a toehold in the global aircraft component supply chain. He said smaller turboprop aircraft had a bright future, especially in connecting smaller towns and inaccessible locations in the country. He said the company had developed capabilities in three segments — aerospace engineering, aero-structural and in the development of utility aircraft.

The Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA), an autonomous institute functioning under the aegis of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, on 24th October, signed 5 memoranda of understanding with country’s five leading research, academic and business institutions, namely: Indian School of Business (ISB); Institute of Public Enterprise (IPE); Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS); The Energy and Research Institute (TERI) and YES Bank Limited. Sachin Pilot, Minister of Corporate Affairs, was present on the occasion. IICA provides opportunities for research, education, and advocacy and also serves as a knowledge-centre for policy makers, regulators and other stakeholders related to the domain of corporate affairs. The Institute supports the growth of the corporate sector in India through an integrated and multi-disciplinary approach. IICA is also an academy for the Indian Corporate Law Service (ICLS) officers. The Minister had an intense interaction with the probationers of the ICLS, discussing their training needs and how IICA’s course modules could be enhanced to cater to everyday practical requirements. Mr. Pilot emphasized the importance of gauging and assessing the specific needs of industry and business and stressed on the fact that all the courses should add value to the participants’ potential and ability thereby creating a demand in the Corporate Sector for employees to undergo training/development at IICA.

The Central Public Works Department (CPWD) on 24th October, signed a memorandum of understanding to undertake project management consultancy for construction of a permanent campus of IIM Tiruchirappalli. The MoU was signed here in the presence of CPWD DG V K Gupta and IIM Tiruchirappalli Director Dr Prafulla Agnihotri, a statement issued by the Urban Development Ministry said. The campus will come up in 68 hectares of land allotted by the Tamil Nadu government. It will accommodate 1500 students, besides 300 faculty and staff members and comprise of academic facilities, world-class hostels, accommodation for faculty and staff, recreational facilities and a well-equipped management development centre. The master planning and designing of the campus has been entrusted to a firm of leading architects. The construction of the Rs 450 crore-project (aprox.) will begin in March-April next year, and is expected to be completed by March 2016. IIM Tiruchirappalli aims to have a green campus, and will be self-sufficient in terms of its water requirements in five to seven years of its coming up. IIM Tiruchirappalli is country's 11th IIM, where the session began in 2011.

A significant oil discovery has been made in an ultra-deep water block off Brazil where Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd. (BPCL) and Videocon Industries together hold 40 per cent interest. Brazilian oil giant Petrobras, which is the operator of the block, has confirmed the Farfan-1 oil discovery in the ultra-deep waters of the Segipe-Alagoas basin, off Brazil, Videocon said in a statement on 21st October. The state-owned firm has confirmed excellent productivity of good quality crude following a drilling test. Petr Brasileiro SA (Petrobras) has completed a test in well 3-BRSA-1178D-SES (3-SES-176D), informally known as Farfan 1, to test the production capacity of the accumulation in the BM-SEAL-11 concession area of Block SEAL-M-426.Farfan-1 is located 104 km north of Aracaju, the capital of the northeastern Brazilian state of Sergipe. It lies in a water depth of 2476 metres, about 5 km from the Farfan discovery well. Petrobras is the operator of the block with a 60 per cent interest while IBV Brasil (a 50:50 joint venture of BPCL and Videocon) holds the remaining 40 per cent stake. A 51-metre reservoir was discovered at Farfan-1 well. The discovery has been estimated to hold more than 1 billion barrels of oil.

China’s biggest power companies have, for the first time, agreed to set up a permanent presence in India by opening power equipment service centres to address concerns of their increasingly large customer base, according to an agreement signed by the two governments in Beijing on 23rd October. Under the XI Plan (2007-12), 18 GW of thermal power projects were commissioned, using Chinese-manufactured equipment. Besides, 40 GW of power projects are now being built using equipment from China — more than from any other country. The 23rd October’s pact, which was signed by Wu Xinxiong, Administrator of China’s National Energy Administration, and India’s Ministry of Power, was one of nine agreements signed between both countries, following talks in Beijing , between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his counterpart, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.A move, earlier this year, to impose a 20 per cent import duty on power equipment from China — on account of concerns expressed by the domestic industry — has prompted Chinese companies to revise their plans for the Indian market. The import duty has also concerned Indian industry, particularly as there is a growing shortfall in capacity. Chinese power companies had, so far, limited their business to selling equipment, despite the growing import demand from India and needs for servicing. Other agreements signed on Wednesday included an MoU between the two Ministries of Transport to co-operate in the roads sector, and exchange ideas on transport policy and transport technology, as well as ‘sister cities’ agreements between New Delhi and Beijing, Kunming and Kolkata, and Chengdu and Bengaluru aimed at boosting tourism. The two countries also discussed ways to bridge the increasingly widening trade imbalance, which, this year, is on track to exceed even last year’s record US $28 billion. After nine months of this year, the deficit reached US $24.7 billion, with India’s exports down by 22.5 per cent. Bilateral trade last year reached US $66 billion. Both countries were, however, unable to reach an agreement on industrial parks, officials said, with the Chinese side yet to decide on a location with around five sites under consideration. A joint statement issued after talks said both countries would also explore the feasibility of taking forward a Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) economic corridor — an initiative that the Chinese side has been pushing since Mr. Li’s May visit to India.

The Tax Administration Reform Commission (TARC), set up by the Finance Ministry to suggest measures to prevent economic offences among other things, is expected to submit its report in six months, TARC Chairman and Advisor to Finance Minister Parthasarathi Shome said in New Delhi on 21st October. The Commission held its first meeting in New Delhi on 21st October. The term of the 7 member TARC is 18 months, and it will work as an advisory body to the Ministry of Finance. The terms of reference of the Commission include a review of the existing mechanism of dispute resolution and methods to widen tax base. The TARC will also recommend measures to strengthen inter-agency information sharing between Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), the Central Board of Excise and Custom (CBEC), the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), the Enforcement Directorate, and also with banking as well as financial sectors. It will review the existing mechanism and recommend measures to enhance predictive analysis to detect and prevent tax and economic offences, said an official statement. Besides, it will recommend a system to enforce better tax mechanism — by size, segment and nature of taxes and taxpayers that should cover methods to encourage voluntary tax compliance. The members of the Commission are: Y. G. Parande, Sunita Kaila, M. K. Zutshi, S. S. N. Moorthy, M. R. Diwakar and S. Mahalingam.

The Finance Ministry, on 23rd October, announced that it would infuse Rs.14,000 crore capital in various banks this fiscal, including Rs.2,000 crore in State Bank of India and Rs.1,800 crore each in IDBI Bank and Central Bank of India .Apart from the capital support from the government, public sector banks have the headroom to raise Rs.10,000 crore from the market though rights issue, qualified institutional placement (QIP) or follow-on public offer (FPO) without diluting the existing government stake. Financial Services Secretary Rajiv Takru said the money had been given to enhance equity capital. For the moment, this was good enough to see them through; he added. The capital infusion had been done with the twin objective of adequately meeting the credit requirement of the productive sectors as well as to maintain regulatory capital adequacy ratios in public sector banks (PSBs). The government, as the majority shareholder, was committed to keep all PSBs adequately capitalised, a statement said in New Delhi on 23rd October. Infusion of capital by government in PSBs is in addition to their internally generated capital to enable them maintain a comfortable level of Tier-I capital. Towards this end, the government had been infusing need-based capital in PSBs, the statement said. An amount of Rs.12, 517 crore was infused in 13 PSBs during 2012-13.

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Videsh Ltd. (OVL), on 14th October, announced that it had bought an additional 12 per cent stake in a Brazilian oilfield for US $ 529 million. OVL, which had a 15 per cent stake in block BC-10 along with Royal Dutch Shell, exercised a pre-emption right to block China’s Sinochem group from buying a 35 per cent interest in the oilfield from Petrobras of Brazil. While the Indian firm will pick up a 12.08 per cent stake, Shell will acquire the remaining 23 per cent. “In August, Petrobras entered into a sales transaction with Sinochem for disposal of their 35 per cent interest in BC-10 for $1.543 billion. This agreement was subject to pre-emption rights of the partners, Shell and OVL,” OVL says in a statement. The acquisition of additional participating interest in the block is subject to approval of the Brazilian anti-trust and regulatory authorities. Shell and OVL served the pre-emption notice to jointly acquire 35 per cent on September 17. On closing, OVL’s stake in the block would increase to 27 per cent, the statement says. Block BC-10, also known as Parque das Conchas, is in the Campos Basin of Brazil, and includes four offshore deep-water fields - Ostra, Abalone, Argonauta and Nautilus, and a few identified exploration prospects. It is located about 120 km from Vitoria town.

After the International Monetary Fund and the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank on 16th October cut India's economic growth forecast for the current financial year to 4.7%, from 6.1% earlier."Although output growth in the first quarter of the current fiscal year fell to 4.4%, growth is expected to rebound strongly in the second half of 2013-14 with core inflation trending down, a bumper crop expected in agriculture (where a 5% increase in area sown is expected to raise agricultural growth to 3.4% from 1.9% a year ago), and exports likely to benefit substantially from the rupee's depreciation," the multilateral agency said in its latest India Development Update.

Last week, IMF lowered the growth outlook to 4.25%, drawing strong protests from the government, which believes that the economy will expand by 5-5.5% this year. Several private economists have also predicted sub-5% growth. In Washington, RBI governor Raghuram Rajan on 16th October said economic activity will gain momentum towards the end of the year. "The effects of that (project) clearance will show up towards the end of the year. So, growth will start picking up because these large projects will start coming back on-stream," he said, adding that the monsoon will help create demand.

The Indian economy grew 5% last year, the slowest pace in a decade as industry put up a poor show and farm sector grew under 2%.The World Bank also warned that India may have to dip into its foreign exchange reserves to finance the current account deficit (CAD) in 2013-14. "International reserves could decline somewhat in 2013-14 but would still amount to a comfortable import cover of approximately five months." India's foreign exchange reserves are sufficient to cover the import bill for around seven months at present and the government is hoping to contain the current account deficit at $70 billion and avoid dipping into reserves.

As per the latest telecom subscription data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India on 31st July 2013, total Broadband subscriber base in India increased from 15.19 million at the end of June 2013 to 15.24 million at the end of July 2013. This is a monthly growth of 0.33 percent. Yearly growth in broadband subscribers is 3.79 percent during the last one year (July 2012 to July 2013). At present, there are 161 Internet Service Providers (ISPs) which are providing broadband services in the country. Out of these, 121 ISPs (having 98.48 percent market share) have provided broadband subscription data for the month of July 2013, for the rest of the ISPs data from previous month has been retained. Top five ISPs in terms of market share (based on subscriber base) are: BSNL (9.97 million), Bharti Airtel (1.43 million), MTNL (1.10 million), Hathway (0.37 million) and You Broadband (0.32 million).

Anand Sharma, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry on 7th October in New Delhi, met the Director General of the World Trade Organization, Mr. Roberto Carvalho de Azevêdo. This was Mr. Azevêdo’s first visit to India after he assumed charge as the sixth Director General of the WTO on 1 September 2013. Sharma commended Mr. Azevêdo on his efforts to inject a new momentum into the discussions which has led to some progress and an intensification of discussions in recent weeks. With less than 10 weeks remaining before the Ninth Ministerial Conference of the WTO in December 2013, Sharma and Mr. Azevêdo had a detailed discussion on the issues being negotiated for an outcome in the Bali Conference. Sharma stressed that the centrality of multilateral processes must be retained. All Members need to work together to strengthen the WTO as an institution. Though Bali is not the end of the road, it is to be seen as a stepping stone to conclusion of the Doha Round. The success of this round is critical for multilateralism. Sharma urged Mr. Azevêdo to persuade all parties to discuss the food security proposal constructively.

He observed that developing countries are finding themselves hamstrung by the existing rules in running their food stockholding and domestic food aid programmes. The developed world too had market price support programmes and was able to move away from market price support - though not fully even now - because of their deep pockets. This is not possible for developing countries. It is important for developing countries to be able to guarantee some minimum returns to their poor farmers so that they are able to produce enough for themselves and for domestic food security. Sharma and Mr. Azevêdo agreed that a lopsided outcome of the Doha Round is not in anyone’s interest. It is up to all of us to participate actively in the negotiations in order to arrive at that balance. Sharma assured the DG of India’s cooperation in striving to achieve a balanced outcome at Bali and an early resolution of remaining issues in the DDA post-Bali.

India Post (Department of Posts) has signed an agreement with Wall Street Exchange, a company of the Emirates Post Group of UAE for launch of an International Electronic Money Transfer service through ‘Instant Cash’ product of the Emirates Post Group. The service was launched in New Delhi on 11th October, by P. Gopinath, Secretary, Department of Posts, by receiving the first payment from United Arab Emirates at a function organized by her Department for signing the tie-up between the Department of Posts and the Emirates Post Group. The service will be rolled out nationally in a phased manner and will be made available at approximately 17,500 post offices across India by next month. The service will be provided through the International Financial System (IFS) of Universal Postal Union. This tie-up offers the Indian diaspora worldwide - especially in the gulf region - a safe, secure and reliable money transfer service for their families back home. This new service has its own significance going by the fact that globally, India is the largest recipient of remittances with over US $ 70 billion annually, half of which come from the Gulf. ‘Instant Cash’ is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Emirates Post Group, and its services are available in 59 countries through more than 60,000 locations. They provide instant money transfer service so that the money is available to the customers within minutes of completing the transaction. India Post is the largest postal network in the world and has completed 158 years of existence.

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India released the latest telecom subscription data on 31 July 2013. As per this data, the total number of subscribers has increased to 904.46 million with a net addition of 1.37 million subscribers during the month – showing a monthly growth of 0.15 percent. Out of the total subscriber base, 548.85 million are from the urban areas and the remaining 355.60 million are the rural subscribers. The total Teledensity at the end of July 2013 was 73.54 out of which the share of urban subscribers was 60.68 percent and that of rural subscribers was 39.32 percent. Mobile Number Portability (MNP) requests increased from 95.59 million subscribers at the end of June 2013 to 97.82 million at the end of July 2013. In the month of July 2013 alone, 2.23 million requests have been made for MNP.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on 3rd October has approved the implementation of the National Mission on Oilseeds and Oil Palm (NMOOP) during the 12th Plan Period with financial allocation of Rs. 3507 crore. This would help in enhancing production of oilseeds by 6.58 million tones. This would also bring additional area of 1.25 lakh hectares under Oil Palm cultivation with increase in productivity of fresh fruit bunches from 4927 kg/ha to 15,000 kg/ha and increase in collection of tree borne oilseeds to 14 lakh tone. Implementation of the proposed Mission would enhance production of vegetable oil sources by 2.48 million tones from oilseeds (1.70 million tones), oil palm (0.60 million tones) and tree borne oilseeds (0.18 million tones) by the end of the 12th Plan Period. NMOOP is built upon the achievements of the existing schemes of Integrated Scheme of Oilseeds. Oil Palm and Maize (ISOPOM), Tree Borne Oilseeds Scheme and Oil Palm Area Expansion (OPAE) programme during the 11th Plan period. Implementation of these schemes have shown increase in production and productivity of oilseeds, area expansion with increased production of FFBs under oil palm and augmented availability of quality planting materials, pre-processing technologies and awareness about TBOs.

The Union Culture Minister Chandresh Kumari Katoch on 3rd October, launched a unique project to take India’s Heritage online in New Delhi. Under the project, Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has agreed with Google to create 360-degree online imagery of 100 of India’s most important heritage sites, including the Taj Mahal, Khajuraho and the Ajanta and Ellora caves. Speaking on the occasion the Minister said these details images will be placed for public viewing over the Internet. The aim of this collaboration is to generate interest and consciousness among the Indian population in general and the youth in particular towards safeguarding the national cultural heritage of India. She said, this information, which will be readily available over the Internet for public viewing, will help in bringing our monuments closer to the public. The Minister expressed the hope that under this project the experience of visiting heritage sites across a vibrant nation would be more accessible and enjoyable and also to bring it to the notice of billions of people connected globally via the Internet. Once published, this new imagery of Indian heritage sites will be available on Google Maps and on the World Wonders site within the Google Cultural Institute so that people across India and around the world can virtually view and explore these areas, and in the process, learn more about thousand years of Indian history.

The Central Government has decided in principle to enhance the amount of capital to be infused into Public Sector Banks (PSBs), on 3rd October. It may be recalled that in the Budget for 2013-14, a sum of Rs. 14,000 crore was provided for capital infusion. This amount will be enhanced sufficiently. The additional amount of capital will be provided to banks to enable them to lend to borrowers in selected sectors such as two wheelers, consumer durables etc, at lower rates n order to stimulate demand. While this will bring relief to the consumers, especially the middle class, it is also expected to give a boost to capacity addition, employment and production. This decision is based on the discussions between Dr. Raghuram Rajan, Governor, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Union Finance Minister, P. Chidambaram when Dr Rajan called on the Finance Minister on 3rd October. The issue of credit growth in different sectors was discussed. At the end of September 2013, growth of Gross Bank Credit stood at about 18 per cent, year-on-year. However, credit growth is sluggish in some sectors leading to the conclusion that demand in these sectors remains subdued. Based on the discussions, the Government has decided in principle to enhance the amount of capital to be infused into Public Sector Banks.

SEBI approved major reforms to attract overseas investors. It has announced new Foreign Portfolio Investor regulations for easier registration process and operating framework for investors from abroad. The new class of investors - FPIs - will encompass all Foreign Institutional Investors, their sub-accounts and Qualified Foreign Investors. They will be divided in three categories as per their risk profile. The Know Your Client - KYC requirements and other registration procedures will be much simpler for FPIs compared to current practices. The SEBI has also decided to grant them a permanent registration. SEBI also approved setting up 'Designated Depository Participants which will register FPIs on behalf of the market regulator subject to compliance with KYC norms.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on 3rd October, gave its approval to the proposal of M/s. Etihad Airways PJSC, United Arab Emirates for subscribing 2,72,63,372 equity shares of Rs.10 each of M/s. Jet Airways (India) Limited amounting to 24 percent of the post issue paid up equity share capital for an amount not exceeding Rs.2057.66 crore. The Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) has recommended the proposal. The approval would result in foreign investment amounting to Rs.2057.66 crore in the country.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on 3rd October, has approved the proposal of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas to authorize ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL) and Oil India Limited (OIL) to acquire 20 percent Participating Interest (PI) in Rovuma Area 1 Offshore Block in Mozambique (Area 1). The transaction comprises acquisition of:- (a) 100 percent of shares in Videocon Mozambique Rovuma 1 Limited, the company holding a 10 percent PI in Area 1, from Videocon Mauritius Energy Limited, a subsidiary of Videocon Industries Limited, jointly by OVL and OIL for US$ 2,475 million. Closing is expected before 31st December 2013; and (b) another 10 percent PI in Area 1 from Anadarko Mozambique Area 1 Limitada, a subsidiary of Anadarko Petroleum Corporation solely by OVL for US$ 2,640 million, with closing in February, 2014.

An agreement to set up the India’s largest Forged Wheel Plant at Lalganj, Raebareli, in Uttar Pradesh was signed in the presence of the Minister of Steel, Beni Prasad Verma and the Rail Minister, Mallikarjun Kharge on 3rd October. The Railway Minister Mallikarjun Kharge said that the forged wheels are essentially required in the rolling stock for running longer trains at higher speed. He said imports substitution, indigenous development and inclusive growth is the driving force for setting up this project through mutual coordination between Ministry of Railways and Ministry of Steel.

October 2013 India and the World | Bilateral Affairs 2013| 2013 India and the World

India and China signed 9 MoUs/ agreements including the Border Defence Cooperation Agreement (BDCA) to maintain peace and tranquillity on the Line of Actual Control, on 23 October 2013 during the official visit of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to China. India and China signed nine agreements/ Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) including the Border Defence Cooperation Agreement (BDCA) on 23rd October 2013. The main objective of the Border Defence Cooperation Agreement is to avoid border tensions and army face-offs along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) by deciding that neither side will use military capability to attack the other side nor tail patrols along the border.

The nine agreements/Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) were as follows-

S. No.	Name of Agreement / MoU	Gist of the MOU
1.	Agreement on Border Defence Cooperation	An additional confidence building measure to ensure peace and tranquility on the border.
2.	MoU on Nalanda University	Cooperation on Nalanda as part of East Asia Summit process.
3.	MOU to Strengthen Cooperation on Trans-Border Rivers	Provides for expanded cooperation on trans-border rivers.
4.	Cultural Exchange Programme 2013-15	A listing of cultural exchanges till 2015.
5.	MoU on Cooperation in Road Transport and Highways	Enabling agreement for cooperation in the roads sector.
6.	MoU on Power Equipment Service Centres in India	Provides for establishment in India of Chinese power equipment service centres.
7.	Agreement between Delhi-Beijing on Establishment of Sister City Relationship	Establishes sister city relations between Delhi and Beijing.
8.	Agreement between Bengaluru – Chengdu on Establishment of Sister City Relationship	Establishes sister city relations between Bengaluru and Chengdu.
9.	Agreement between Kolkata – Kunming on Establishment of Sister City Relationship	Establishes sister city relations between Kolkata and Kunming.

The 14th India-Russia Annual Summit was held at Moscow on 21st October 2013. The summit was co-chaired by the Prime Minister of the India Dr. Manmohan Singh and the President of the Russia Vladimir V. Putin. During the meeting they discussed priority areas of bilateral cooperation and noted common positions on current international and regional issues. Both sides stressed their continued commitment to promote and strengthen in every possible way their special and privileged strategic partnership. During the 14th India-Russia Annual Summit, India and Russia have signed bilateral Documents on transfer of Sentenced Persons, in the Field of Energy Efficiency, in the field of Standardization and Conformity Assessment between Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and Federal Agency on Technical Regulation and Metrology, and in the Fields of Science and in the area of Biotechnology.

List of Bilateral Documents signed during 14th India-Russia Annual Summit

S.No	Name of the Document	Details of the agreement
1.	on Transfer of Sentenced Persons	The Treaty shall facilitate the process of social rehabilitation of persons sentenced in the other country by providing them the opportunity to serve out their remaining sentences (under certain conditions) in their country of nationality. It is expected to boost consular cooperation between the two countries.
2.	MoU in the Field of Energy Efficiency	The MoU shall enhance cooperation in the field of energy saving and energy efficiency, including through joint implementation of activities and projects by organisations/companies of both the countries. The forms of cooperation envisaged include exchange of best practices in smart grids, energy audits, energy efficient building designs, industrially efficient technologies, etc.
3.	MoU in the field of Standardization and Conformity Assessment	The objective of this MoU is to facilitate closer technical cooperation in the field of standardization through exchange of information, practices and expertise. It is expected to have beneficial effects for trade and commerce where standards/conformity assessments form an integral basis for transactions.
4.	Programme of Cooperation in the Fields of Science, Technology and Innovation	The Programme aims to deepen cooperation in the field of innovation and S&T through implementation of Joint Programs and projects/exchanges involving educational, R&D and industrial institutions. The joint projects may also facilitate transfer of technology. The broad areas of cooperation include ‘sunrise’ sectors such as IT, nano-technology, environmental sciences and alternate energy. This Programme shall also reinforce the existing robust exchanges between the scientific institutions of the two sides.
5.	Programme of Cooperation in the Area of Biotechnology for the period 2014-2017	The Programme aims to broaden cooperation in the field of biotechnology and encourage industrial R&D & related investment flows. This is intended to be achieved through implementation of Joint Programs and projects/exchanges, etc.

India and Peru jointly celebrated the 50th year of establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries on 27th October 2013 in Lima. The occasion was celebrated during the three day visit of Indian Vice President Mohammed Hamid Ansari to Peru. He was on a three-day visit to Peru. His visit assumes significance as India seeks to further strengthen India-Peru ties. Indian music and classical dance performance at the mini India cultural festival was showcased for Peruvians. India established diplomatic relations with Peru in March 1963. India-Peru relations have traditionally been cordial and friendly. Since the 1990s, there has been an increasing economic and business content to the relationship. On the Peruvian side, an enhanced interest in the Asian region due to APEC membership, coupled with India’s image as a technologically advanced democratic developing country, as well as increased bilateral trade in recent years, has enhanced India’s importance. Peru is also a member of NAM and G-77. India and Peru cooperate closely on multilateral matters.

India, on 21st October, agreed to initiate an exercise for a free trade agreement with the customs union of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia, to enhance economic ties. “Both sides agreed to work towards the creation of a Joint Study Group for studying the possibility of signing a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) between India and the Customs Union of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia,” a joint statement said. The joint statement was issued after the 14th India-Russia annual summit meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. The Customs Union between Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus had formally come into existence few years ago. The three countries took their economic integration to a new level with the implementation of the common economic space, which provides for free movement of goods, services and people. Under the CECA, two sides aim to significantly reduce duties on the maximum number of tradable goods besides liberalising norms for service and investments. It also aims at facilitating movement of professionals. The statement also said that both sides welcomed the increasing business interactions Further, India and Russia underlined the significant potential for cooperation in sectors such as oil and gas, pharmaceutical, infrastructure, mining, automobiles, fertilizers, aviation, as well as in modernisation of industrial facilities located in the two countries. The bilateral trade between India and Russia stood at US US $6.52 billion in 2012-13. 

The extradition treaty between Bangladesh and India came into effect on 23rd October, with the handing over of the instruments of ratification of the much-awaited pact. The two countries will now be able to exchange convicts or under trials as and when required. Bangladesh Home Secretary C.Q.K. Mostak Ahmed and Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pankaj Saran signed the documents in Dhaka. The treaty will allow exchange of convicts sentenced for more than a year in prison but will not be applicable to political prisoners and asylum seekers. Both sides have the option to cancel the treaty in six-month notice. India can now take back ULFA leader Anup Chetia, who has been lodged in a Bangladesh’s prison for many years. Dhaka too can bring back fugitive crime lords such a Subrata Bain and Sazzad Hossain and put them on trial. Dhaka and New Delhi have decided to leave two important land ports open seven days a week from January to support greater trade. The land customs stations at Benapole-Petrapole and Akhaura-Agartala will remain operational seven days a week from 1st January. The ninth Joint Group of Customs (JGC) also identified 16 stations as ‘high bilateral trade importance’ and agreed to take measures for synchronisation of working hours and days. It agreed on extending the car pass system to those stations to allow movement of trucks of the importing country for unloading cargo. Both sides also agreed to consult relevant stakeholders to simplify the travel in ‘Maitree Express,’ the lone direct train service between Dhaka and Kolkata.

In an important initiative taken by India and Hungary, which have signed a bilateral agreement for promotion and development of traditional systems of medicine. The Memorandum of Understanding was signed on behalf of India by Santosh Chowdhary, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare and Mr. Zolton Banog, Minister of National Resources of Hungary in the presence of Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India and Mr. Viktor Orban, Prime Minister of Hungary, at Hyderabad House, in New Delhi on 17th October. 

The Republic of Hungary has considerable interest in Indian traditional systems of medicine especially Ayurveda. The main objective of this MoU is to strengthen, promote and develop cooperation in the field of traditional systems of medicine between the two countries on the basis of equality and mutual benefits. The MoU encourages and promotes cooperation to enhance the use of traditional systems of medicine, exchange of regulatory information on operational licensing to practice traditional medicine and on marketing authorization of medicines in both countries, promote the exchange of experts for training of practitioners, para-medics, scientists, teaching professionals and students in traditional systems of medicine. The signing of MoU will give boost to bilateral cooperation between the two countries in the areas of traditional medicines which will open new vistas for exploring the potential of economic, commercial and tourism development in both the countries.

India, on 15th October, signed an agreement with Finland to produce indigenous ethanol to promote use of clean technologies and cut down the oil import bill. Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and Finnish clean technology firm Chempolis will set up a pilot project to produce ethanol, bio-chemicals and bio-coal from biomass residual matters. The agreement was inked by Finnish Minister for European Affairs Alexander Stubb and Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Panabaka Lakshmi in New Delhi. ONGC Chairman Sudhir Vasudeva told reporters at an event here. “Since 75 per cent of India’s ethanol requirements are met through imports, there is a large requirement which is not being met by indigenous production,” he added. A feasibility study will soon be carried out to assess the quantity of feedstock that is required. 

India and Japan have signed MoU to undertake a joint feasibility study of High Speed Railway system on the Mumbai-Ahmadabad route. This is in pursuance of the Joint Statement between the Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh, and the Prime Minister of Japan, Mr. Shinzo Abe, dated May 29, 2013, which provided that the two sides will co-finance a joint feasibility study of this High Speed route. The MOU was signed by Katsuo MATSUMOTO, Director South Asia Division JICA from the Japanese side and Mr Girish Pillai, Adviser Infrastructure, Ministry of Railways from the Indian side on 7th October, 2013. The objective of the Joint study is to prepare a feasibility report of High Speed Railway system on the Mumbai-Ahmadabad route with speed of 300-350kmph. The cost of the study will be shared 50:50 between India and Japan. The study shall be completedwithin18 months from its commencement. The study will do traffic forecasting, alignment surveys and undertake comparative Study of High Speed Railway Technology and System.

To address the issue of volatility in food prices, India and Asean countries will share their expertise to boost their food security planning activities. The issue was discussed at the 11th India-ASEAN Summit held in Brunei on 10th October. Sultan of Brunei Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, who chaired the Summit, in a statement said Asean leaders welcomed India’s ‘Look East Policy’ within the framework of their strategic partnership. Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh at the 8th East Asian Summit, at Brunei Darussalam on 10 October 2013. “We took note of the enhancement and strengthening of co-operation on food security through the widening of food production base and exchange of expertise between Asean and India to enhance resilience in food security planning to address price volatility of food commodities,” he said. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh addressed the summit and said that over two decades, India and Asean have established a comprehensive agenda of cooperation and a wide-ranging framework to pursue it. Asean (Association of South East Asian Nations) is a grouping of ten nations — Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Leaders from the region also encouraged India to support the implementation of the roadmap for an Asean Community (2009-15). Besides, they asked India to contribute to Asean Community Post-2015 Vision, among others. 

The President of India, Pranab Mukherjee, paid a state visit to Belgium from 2nd October 2013 to 5th October 2013, at the invitation of the King of the Belgium. It was the first visit by an Indian President to Belgium. The President inaugurated Europalia-India 2013-14 jointly with King Philippe. After his State Visit to Belgium, the President paid a state visit to Turkey from 5 October 2013 to 7 October 2013, at the invitation of the President of Turkey. It was the third visit by an Indian President to Turkey, after the visits by the President of India in 1993 and 1998.

India and Indonesia on 11th October, strengthened bilateral cooperation by inking six pacts in diverse areas, ranging from health and disaster management to combating illicit trafficking of drugs. The Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) were signed during the first bilateral visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Indonesia, where he arrived on 10th October. A MoU has been inked to promote and develop co-operation in the field of health and medicine. This would cover areas of maternal and child health, nursing, traditional medicine, communicable and non-communicable diseases, health technology information, research and development, active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) and IT-based medical equipment. Another pact is to facilitate and enhance cooperation in combating illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and their precursors through exchange of information, collaboration, assistance in investigations including in money laundering. The two nations also signed a MoU to cooperate in the area of disaster management through exchange of information, training and capacity building. India and Indonesia signed pacts for co-operation in the area of training of public officials and capacity building, also strengthening collaboration by way of sharing and exchange of studies. The two countries inked a MoU for collaborative institutional relations through facilitation of dialogue involving eminent persons from various fields including culture, economy, trade, education, social sciences, communications and the media.

The Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Anand Sharma visited Mozambique on a two-day visit from September 27-28, 2013. On September 27, Sharma met the Prime Minister of Mozambique, Mr. Alberto Vaquina and discussed the bilateral and historical relations between the two countries. Later, Sharma met Mr. Armando Inroga, Minister of Industry and Trade of Mozambique, where they discussed bilateral cooperation and agreed on the need for further diversifying trade and investments. Sharma said that owing to the impressive growth in trade between the two countries, the bilateral trade could reach US $ 3 billion by 2016 from the current level of US $ 1.28 billion. India has been assisting Mozambique in its developmental efforts and has provided Lines of Credit of US $ 640 million for various projects, apart from providing other assistance, grants and technical training, university scholarships, etc. Large quantities of coal and natural gas have recently been discovered in Mozambique. There are various Indian companies which have acquired stakes in these coal and gas fields, particularly the recent acquisition by ONGC Videsh and Oil India Limited in the Rovuma Basin in the North of Mozambique at cost of approximately US $ 5 billion for the natural gas consortium led by Anadarko of the United States and planned investment of US $ 4 billion for setting up of integrated fertilizer plans in Mozambique. Mr. Sharma also invited Mr. Inroga to visit India for participating in the Partnership Summit scheduled to be held in Bengaluru in January, 2014. 

India Signs Credit Agreement with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) for Jharkhand Tribal Empowerment Livelihood Project to Benefit Small Rural Producers, Women, Scheduled Caste Households and Youth in the Hill Districts of Jharkhand. An agreement for credit of US $ 51 million from IFAD for the Jharkhand Tribal Empowerment Livelihood Project (JTLEP) was signed in New Delhi on 4 October. The agreement was signed by Nilaya Mitash, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance on behalf of the Government of India and Mr.Nigel Brett, Country Prorgamme Director, IFAD, India on behalf of IFAD. JTELP would continue till September 2021. Similarly a project agreement was signed by L. Khiangte, Principal Secretary, Jharkhand on behalf of the Government of Jharkhand with IFAD. The Objective of the project is to enable rural households to take-up sustainable livelihood opportunities. The project shall benefit small rural producers, women, scheduled caste households and youth in the hill districts of the State of the Jharkhand. The goal of the project is to reduce poverty in the hill districts of the State of Jharkhand. The new project has four main components: (i) Community Empowerment (ii) Integrated Natural Resource Management (iii) Livelihood Project (iv) Project Management. 

October 2013 National Affairs | National Affairs | October National Affairs

The Chairman of National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) Dr. Rameshwar Oraon and Member, B.L. Meena, on 25th October, presented the Sixth Report on working of safeguard for Scheduled Tribes for 2010-11 to the President of India. The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes was constituted w.e.f. 19th February, 2004 consequent to the amendment of Article 338 of the Constitution of India and insertion of a new Article 338A vide the Constitution (Eighty-ninth Amendment) Act, 2003 which, inter-alia, enjoins upon the Commission to oversee the implementation of various safeguards provided to Scheduled Tribes under the Constitution or under any other law for the time being in force or under any other order of the Government and to evaluate the working of such safeguards. Article 338A of the Constitution, also, mandates the NCST to present to the President annually and at such other times as the Commission may deem fit, reports on the working of the safeguards extended to the members of Scheduled Tribes and to make in such reports recommendations as to the measures that should be taken by the Union or any State for effective implementation of those safeguards and other measures for protection, welfare and socio-economic development of the Scheduled Tribes. The Report is comprised of seven chapters. Adherence to Clause 9 of Article 338A of the Constitution which mandates the Union and every State Government to consult the Commission on all major policy matters affecting Scheduled Tribes is presented in Chapter 6 on Consultation on Policy Related Issues. As per the constitutional provisions, the report of the Commission has to be laid in both houses of the Parliament along with a Memorandum explaining the action taken or proposed to be taken on the recommendations relating to the Union. Similar action has to be taken by the State Governments while laying the Report in the Legislative Assembly of the State concerned, in relation to the recommendations concerning the State.

Harald Sandberg, the Swedish Ambassador on 25th October 2013 inaugurated the Nobel Memorial Wall in Kolkata. The Nobel Memorial Wall has been set up at the Esplanade Metro Station in Kolkata. Seven of the Nobel Laureates from India are portrayed in the metro station along with the Rabindranath Tagore. The Memorial Wall was inaugurated marking the centenary of Tagore reception of the Nobel Prize for Literature. The portraits on the Memorial Wall also carry the information related to the life and achievements in the respective field of the Nobel Laureates with the year when they were awarded the Nobel in three languages, namely English, Hindi and Bangla. Two more memorial walls would be established at metro stations of Gitanjali and Jorasanko. The work on the Nobel Memorial Wall was done as the part of the seventh edition of the Sweden-India Nobel Memorial wee.

India was on 25th October, ranked 101 out of 136 countries on a global gender gap index. The index, compiled by Geneva-based World Economic Forum, ranked the countries on the division of resources and opportunities between men and women in the areas of economy, education, politics, education and health.

The Union Cabinet on 17th October, gave its approval for constitution of the 3-Member Supervisory Committee on the Babhali Barrage to implement the directions of the Supreme Court in its order dated 28.02.2013. The Committee will comprise one representative from the Central Water Commission who will be the Chairman of the Supervisory Committee and one representative each from the State Governments of Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, respectively.

The Centre is set to give the green signal to a vital road-link project in Kashmir that will connect the strategically important region of Kargil and Leh to the rest of India through a 14-km-long all-weather tunnel. Currently, these two regions remain cut off from Srinagar and the rest of the country for about six months during the winter season on account of heavy snowfall and inclement weather. The Union cabinet is likely to approve the proposed Rs. 9,000-crore tunnel project passing through Zojila – one of the highest mountain passes in India – on 15 October. Located at an altitude of about 12,000 feet on National Highway-1, the Zojila tunnel along with another 6.5 km long tunnel at Z-Morh in Sonmarg — cleared for construction last year — will provide road connectivity to these areas round the year.“The twin tunnels once complete will not only usher in much-needed economic development in the region but also bring respite to people living here who get stranded during the treacherous winter months,” a senior road ministry official said. Located at an altitude of about 12,000 feet on National Highway-1, the Zojila tunnel along with another 6.5 km long tunnel at Z-Morh in Sonmarg — cleared for construction last year — will provide road connectivity to these areas round the year.

Seventeen persons were killed as the very severe cyclonic storm, Phailin, hit the Odisha coast near Gopalpur in Ganjam district late on 12th October evening; Special Relief Commissioner P.K. Mohapatra said the press. More than 1.26 crore people were hit by the cyclone that damaged lakhs of thatched and kutcha houses in the coastal districts. Ganjam district was the worst hit. Electricity supply was badly affected in most of the affected areas. Power supply was likely to resume in a day or two. The cyclone, which made its landfall near Gopalpur at 8.30 p.m. on 12th October with a wind speed reaching up to 220 km per hour, moved into the interior parts of Odisha. Train services remained cancelled on the Howrah-Visakhapatnam route. However, services between Howrah and Bhadrak were resumed partially to help passengers stranded at various stations.

Co-operative societies do not fall within the ambit of Right to Information Act, the Supreme Court has said while quashing a Kerala government circular to bring all such societies within the scope of the transparency law. A bench of justices K. S. Radhakrishnan and A. K. Sikri said mere supervision or regulation of a body by government would not make that body a public authority and quashed the Kerala High Court's order holding the circular valid."Societies are, of course, subject to the control of the statutory authorities like Registrar, Joint Registrar, the Government, etc. but cannot be said that the State exercises any direct or indirect control over the affairs of the society which is deep and all pervasive."Supervisory or general regulation under the statute over the co-operative societies, which are body corporate does not render activities of the body so regulated as subject to such control of the State so as to bring it within the meaning of the State or instrumentality of the State," the bench said.

The largest Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower of India was inaugurated outside the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai on 18 October 2013. The tallest ATC tower stands at the length of 84 meters or around 30 storey building. The tower was inaugurated by the Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh and Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan. Because of its height, the ATC tower will enable all the controllers in having easy and nonstop view of complete operational area. It will also help in optimizing the separation of the air traffic, while enhancing the traffic handling capacity at the same time. The ATC tower is spread over an area of 2800 square meter area and is also equipped with state-of-the-art technology such as electronic flight strips that can reduce the workload of controllers and enhance safety and capacity of the airport. It is important to note that India is the 9th largest aviation market of the world and has the traffic increasing at 10 percent annually. The designing of the ATC was done by Hong Kong-based architectural firm HOK as well as the international engineering designer ARUP. These were chosen after the global competition.

The Supreme Court has ruled that Courts cannot impose a fine of more than twice the amount in bounced cheques on 16 October 2013. A bench of Justice T.S. Thakur and Justice Vikramajit Sen while ruling this direction explained that even in a case where the court may be taking a lenient view in favor of the accused by not sending him to prison, it cannot impose a fine more than twice the cheque amount. That statutory limit is inviolable and must be respected. The Supreme Court of India ruled this direction in the backdrop of the case where a person was asked by the Trial Court as well as the High Court of Calcutta to pay more than twice the amount of the cheque bounced, which is against the statutory provisions.

The HRD Ministry will soon launch 50 DTH educational channels. This was stated by the Secretary (HE) Ashok Thakur in New Delhi on 8th October. He said these channels will be different from the existing programmes on air including Gyan Darshan as new one will be more interactive. He said these channels will air programmes which will be live and not pre recorded. Saying that the new initiatives will be one of the largest anywhere in the world of its kind, Sh. Thakur said later on the number of the channels will be increased to one thousand. He said that the Ministry has spent more than one billion dollars for ICT. Over 400 universities and twenty thousand colleges have been linked with bandwidth. He said there is a great potential to increase its usage. Highlighting the potential of the National Programme on National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology (NMEICT), the Secretary said that the entire country can be made into a big classroom which will help improve quality of instructions in engineering colleges particularly belonging to the remote areas. He said that the Ministry may approach AICTE to make on-line education mandatory and integral part of education system. Asking to promote virtual lab, Sh. Thakur said it should be possible to share classes from IITs to other engineering colleges by making the system more user friendly.

The Supreme Court of India on 8th October 2013 directed the Union and all state governments to provide 3 percent job reservation to disabled persons in all their departments, companies and institutions. The bench headed by Chief Justice of India P. Sathasivam clarified that the principle of not exceeding more than 50 percent reservation would not be applicable while granting quota for disabled persons. Supreme Court of India also directed the authorities to compile the number of vacancies in all their departments to give jobs to disabled persons under 3 percent reserved quota within 3 months. While giving this direction the bench also said that Government has categorical obligation to protect the right of disabled persons and passed a slew of directions for providing jobs to the Disabled Persons.

With the Supreme Court on 8th October, declining to modify its order that the Aadhaar scheme was not compulsory for availing benefits of government schemes, the Union Cabinet has cleared a bill granting statutory status to UIDAI and providing legal backing to the Unique Identity numbers to Indian residents. Sources said the Union Cabinet approved the National Identification Authority of India Bill, 2010, with some amendments, which will now be placed before the Rajya Sabha for discussion and passing in the Winter Session. In a setback to the Centre, the Supreme Court on 8th October, Tuesday stuck to its stand on the Aadhar card saying it is not mandatory. The Centre had moved the Supreme Court seeking modification of an earlier order which said Aadhar card is not mandatory and no person should be deprived of any government schemes for want it. Earlier, the Supreme Court had said that the Aadhar card, being issued by Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), was not mandatory for availing any government services and nobody should be deprived of any such facilities for the want of the card.

This year’s World Egg Day falls on 11th October. The second Friday of October has been declared as World Egg Day by the International Egg Commission to help raise awareness about nutritional benefits of egg. India is the third highest producer of egg in the world but the per capita availability of eggs in India is only around 55 per person per year as against the National Institute of Nutrition recommendation of 180 eggs per capita per year. The egg is a wholesome, nutritious food with high nutrient density because, in proportion to its calorie count, it provides 12% of the daily value of protein and a wide variety of other nutrients such as vitamins, essential amino acids and minerals. While protein itself is an important constituent of healthy diet, the egg has been found to have two newly-recognized nutrients - lutein and zeaxanthin - that has put the egg in the "functional food" category. A functional food is one that provides health benefits beyond its basic nutrient content. Recent studies have shown that consuming lutein and zeaxanthin can significantly lower risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of blindness affecting people over the age of 65. In addition, these reduce the likelihood of cataracts.

Approximately, 60 people were feared killed and over 100 injured in a stampede on 13th October 2013 near a temple at Ratangarh in Madhya Pradesh's Datia district. The stampede was caused by rumors that a bridge they were crossing was about to collapse. The unfortunate incident occurred when a large number of devotees arrived from Datia and neighboring Uttar Pradesh at the Durga temple at Ratangarh, about 60 kms from the district headquarters. Nearly 100 people have been injured in the mishap and they have been admitted in close by hospitals.

The Union Cabinet on 8th October 2013 approved a notification for issuing Presidential order to establish a separate development board for Hyderabad-Karnataka region in Karnataka. Article 371-J of the Constitution grants special status to six backward districts in Hyderabad- Karnataka region, with provision for reservation in education and jobs for locals. Under the Article 371-J, the President is empowered to entrust the state Governor to establish a separate board to ensure equitable allocation of funds in the state's budget to meet the development needs of the region. Six backward districts of North Karnataka - Gulbarga, Yadgir, Raichur, Bidar, Koppal and Bellary - fall in the region. The Development Board will ensure1) Equitable allocation of funds to meet the development needs of the region from the State Budget. 2) Promote employment from the region by providing for local cadres in service. 3) Provide for reservation in educational and vocational training institutions. Hyderabad-Karnataka region was given a special status under Article 371 J of the Constitution by the parliament on 20 December 2012. A new Article 371 J was inserted in the Constitution through the Constitution (Ninety-Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2012.

The Supreme Court of India proposed a three-member panel on 7th October 2013 headed by former Punjab and Haryana Chief Justice Mukul Mudgal to examine the IPL spot-fixing scandal. The other members of the panel are senior advocate and Additional Solicitor General N. Nagehswar Rao and Assam Cricket Association member Nilay Dutta. The panel would conduct an independent inquiry into the allegations and examine the IPL spot-fixing scandal. It will submit its report to the Supreme Court.

The Union Government on 8th October 2013 reconstituted the Group of Ministers (GoM) on Telangana, reducing the number of ministers from ten to six. Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram have been retained. The new entrants are Union Defence Minister A.K. Antony, Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister M. Veerappa Moily and Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh.V. Narayanasamy, Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions and Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, who was part of the GoM, will now be a special invitee to the new GoM. The Union Ministers dropped from the GoM are Human Resource Development Minister M. Pallam Raju, Law Minister Kapil Sibal, Water Resources Minister Harish Rawat, Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath, Road Transport Minister Oscar Fernandes, Power Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia. The Union Cabinet on 3rd October 2013 approved the creation of a new State of Telangana by bifurcating the existing State of Andhra Pradesh. The Union Cabinet also approved the setting up of a Group of Ministers (GoM) to work out the various legal and administrative measures to ensure the safety and security of the residents of all the regions of the State including the guarantee of the Fundamental Rights.

Forced by Rahul Gandhi's open trashing of the government, the Union Cabinet on 2nd October, decided to withdraw the controversial ordinance on convicted lawmakers as well as a related bill in the face of mounting public opinion against the measure. In a 20-minute meeting, presided over by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the Cabinet overturned its earlier decision of September 24 to provide immunity to convicted lawmakers from immediate disqualification. The reversal by the Cabinet is seen as a rare instance of the government being forced to take back a measure that was cleared after many deliberations in the ruling party and the Council of Ministers after resistance from within. The decision came on a day of hectic consultations at the highest levels in the Congress party, allies and the government on how to bring a closure to the raging controversy after Rahul's denunciation of the ordinance as "complete nonsense" that deserved to be "torn and thrown away". Sources said the Cabinet also decided to withdraw Representation of the People (Second Amendment and Validation) Bill, 2013 as the proposed legislation has no relevance after the withdrawal of the ordinance. After the decision to withdraw the bill and the ordinance, the July 10 Supreme court ruling on immediate disqualification of convicted MPs, MLAs and MLCs is the law of the land. A request now will be placed before the President to allow the government to withdraw the Representation of the People Act, 1951 (Amendment) Ordinance (Second), 2013. As regards to the bill pending in the Rajya Sabha, government will move a resolution in the upper house during the Winter session. Meanwhile, Chairman Rajya Sabha and Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee before which the measure is pending will be informed about the decision of the Cabinet.

The Union Cabinet on 3rd October approved the proposal to establish a Central Armed Police Forces Institute of Medical Sciences (CAPFILMS), along with a 500-bed General Hospital, a 300-bed Super Specialty Hospital, a Nursing College and a School of Paramedics. The Institute shall be registered as a Society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 and shall have a Governing Body and a Governing Council, under the Ministry of Home Affairs The creation of the Institute will facilitate attraction of talented professionals in the Central Armed Police Forces and their retention, besides providing in-house training/ specialization/Post Graduate /Super Specialty Post Graduate courses to in-service health care professionals. This will not only boost the morale of the force personnel, but also provide required trained technical hands in the medical set up of CAPFs for the benefit of their personnel and families. The total project cost is Rs. 1366.53 crore and is expected to be completed over a period of five to six years. About 48 acres has already been purchased at Maiden Garhi, New Delhi through the Central Public Works Department (CPWD).

The Union Cabinet on 3rd October approved the National Policy on Universal Electronic Accessibility that recognizes the need to eliminate discrimination on the basis of disabilities as well as to facilitate equal access to electronics and Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). This policy has been prepared after incorporating comments and suggestions from various stakeholders. The policy will facilitate equal and unhindered access to electronics and ICTs products and services by differently-abled persons (both physically and mentally challenged) and to facilitate local language support for the same. This shall be achieved through universal access to electronics and ICT products and services to synchronize with barrier free environment and preferably usable without adaptation. Differently-abled persons all over the country will benefit from this policy. The following strategies are envisaged for the implementation of the policy:

• Creating awareness on universal electronics accessibility and universal design.
• Capacity building and infrastructure development.
• Setting up of model electronics and ICTs centres for providing training and demonstration to special educators and physically as well as mentally challenged persons.
• Conducting research and development, use of innovation, ideas, technology etc. whether indigenous or outsourced from abroad.
• Developing programme and schemes with greater emphasis for differently-abled women/children.
• Developing procurement guidelines for electronics and ICTs for accessibility and assistive needs.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on 3rd October, has approved the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA), a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) for reforming the state higher education system. During the 12th Plan period, 80 new universities would be created by converting autonomous colleges/colleges in a cluster to State universities. 100 new colleges, including professional/technical colleges would be set up and 54 existing colleges would be converted into model degree colleges. Infrastructure grants would be given to 150 universities and 3,500 colleges to upgrade and fill critical gaps in infrastructure especially libraries, laboratories etc. RUSA would also support 5,000 faculty positions. In the 12th Plan period, RUSA would have a financial outlay of Rs. 22,855 crore, of which Rs.16, 227 crore will be the Central share. In addition, allocation of Rs. 1,800 crore in the 12th Plan for the existing scheme Sub-Mission polytechnics would also be subsumed in RUSA. Thus the total central share, including the existing scheme of polytechnics will be Rs. 18,027 crore during the 12th Plan. Centre-State funding would be in the ratio of 90:10 for North-Eastern States, Sikkim, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand and 65:35 for other States and Union Territories. RUSA will be a new Centrally Sponsored Scheme spread over two plan periods, for improving access, equity and quality in the state higher education system. With over 96 percent of students enrolled in the state higher education system, there is a need for State colleges and universities to be strengthened through strategic Central funding and implementing certain much needed reforms. RUSA also aims to incentivize States to step up plan investments in higher education. The National Development Council (NDC) approved RUSA as part of the 12th Plan. It was subsequently included in the list of 66 schemes approved by the Cabinet on 20th June 2013, as part of the restructured CSSs for implementation in the 12th Plan.

The Ministry of Human Resource Development has taken the initiative to constitute a Council of National Institute of Technical Teachers Training and Research (NITTTR) to facilitate better coordination and synergy between the four NITTTRs located at Chandigarh, Bhopal, Calcutta and Chennai. The Council shall be chaired by the Minister of Human Resource Development (ex-officio) with Chairman and Directors of the four NITTTRs and other academicians as members. The Council has been envisaged as an advisory body to the Central Government on matters relating to Central policies, administration, development of plans and rules, curriculum and institutional resources for the NITTTRs. The Council shall meet at least two times a year. The four NITTTRs were established as resource institutes in the year 1964 with the mandate to train technical teachers, develop curriculum and institutional resources, assist Central and State Governments and technical institutes towards improving related process and products.

The Union Cabinet on 3rd October approved the creation of a new State of Telangana by bifurcating the existing State of Andhra Pradesh.

• The city of Hyderabad will function as the common capital for both the States for a period of ten years. The Union Cabinet has approved the setting up of a Group of Ministers (GoM) to work out the various legal and administrative measures to ensure the safety and security of the residents of all the regions of the State including the guarantee of the Fundamental Rights.
• The Union Cabinet further approved that the GoM will go into the various issues which concern both the States and suggest appropriate measures to address them.
• The GoM will also work out the modalities for the provision of special financial disbursements required for the setting up of a new capital for the residuary State of Andhra Pradesh and to meet the special needs of the backward regions and districts of the two States.