Last Six Months Current Affairs

138 Pages·2013·1.45 MB·English

Last Six Months Current Affairs
Like Us : https://www.facebook.com/BankingMaterialsUpdates?fref=ts
Join :https://www.facebook.com/groups/298138593650264/?fref=ts
Start your Preparation For SBI :https://www.facebook.com/StateBankOfIndiaPreparation
INTERNATIONAL
Palestinian Authority to be Named „State of Palestine‟
On 7 January Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has signed a
decree changing the name of the Palestinian Authority to the ― State of
Palestine, " according to the organization‘s official news agency.
‖
Pakistani‖ Supreme Court Orders Arrest of Prime Minister On 15 January
2013 Pakistan‘s Supreme Court ordered the arrest of the prime minister in
connection with a corruption case linked to power projects. The Supreme
Court gave authorities 24 hours to arrest Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf
and 16 others.This is the first in the history of Pakistan to arrest a Prime
Minister. The orders of the Court came following the allegations in connection
with acorruption case linked to power projects, done during his office of the
Water and Power Minister.
Obama Signed 23 Executive Orders on Gun Safety
On 16 January President Barack Obama announced 23 executive actions on
gun control laws, making them stricter,which would come into effect
immediately after his signatures. One of these measures include requiring the
target shooters to keep their guns locked and also to ban military-style assault
weapons, high capacity magazine as well as to make the backgroundcheck
mandatory.Obama announced that this was his attempt to keep children safe,
keeping in view the massacre of Newtown where 20 first grade children along
with six adults were killed.
140 Nations Agreed On Global Mercury Limits
On 19 January , More than 140 nations have agreed on the first legally binding
treaty to curb mercury pollution.Delegates at UN discussed in Geneva
approved measures to control the use of the highly toxic metal, which is
widely used in chemical production and small-scale mining, in order to limit
mercury emissions.The governments agreed to ban the production, export
and import of a range of products containing mercury by 2020.The treaty has
been discussed for four years, but it is only now that the negotiators agreed
over the final version of the document. The treaty, known as the Minamata
Convention on Mercury, provides controls and reductions across a range of
products and processes where mercury is used, released and emitted.
Milos Zeman Elected as Czech Republic new President
On 25 January A leftist candidate Milos Zeman won the Czech Republic‘s first
presidential election decided by direct vote.Milos Zeman, a former prime
minister and head of the Citizens‘ Rights Party, won with 54.8% of the vote.He
defeated Karel Schwarzenberg, an aristocratic foreign minister with the
TOP09 party, who garnered 45.2%.Zeman replaces Vaclav Klaus, who must
step down after serving the maximum of two terms.
INDIA & WORLD
India –Pakistan Exchanged Nuclear Unit‟s Lists
On 1 January India and Pakistan exchanged their nuclear units‘ lists , as it is
customary since 20 years. The list which contains the names of nuclear units
of two countries, are exchanged between India and Pakistan as a custom and
part of an agreement which prevents them from aiming the nuclear
installations of each others‘ nations.
Thousands of illegal Indian Migrants in UK
According to a 2012 UK Home Office report, India has been named along with
Pakistan, China, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Vietnam, Brazil
and Iran as the main sources of illegal immigration to Britain.What the report
does not mention is how many of the 863,000 illegal migrants that it says are
living in the UK are students. This is a contentious area because critics of the
coalition government claim it is counting students among overall immigrants.
World Economic Forum‟s Global Risks Report
According to the World Economic Forum (WEF) report , India ranks lowest
among the world‘s major economies for its preparedness to tackle global
environmental risks and second-lowest for economic risks.Switzerland is best
placed among the world‘s 10 major economies for adapting to or recovering
from global economic and environmental risks.While India is ranked 9th in
terms of its ability to tackle global economic risks, it comes last at 10th
position for environmental risks.However, India fared relatively better at 6th
position in terms of the government‘s risk management effectiveness.The US
and Chinawere ranked fourth and fifth respectively.
Indians Top the List of Working in Dream Jobs
According to survey conducted by networking website LinkedIn,Indians have
emerged at the top of the list of people working in their dream job.The dream
job league table:1. India –44 percent 2. Indonesia –42 percent 3. United Arab
Emirates – 35.7 percent 4. Germany –33 percent 5. Brazil – 32 percent 6.
Austria – 31 percent 7. Switzerland –30 percent 8. USA –29 percent 9. France,
Canada, Sweden, South Africa –28 percent 13. Singapore, Hong Kong –27
percent 15. Australia –26 percent 16. New Zealand –25 percent 17. UK –21
percent
India – Vietnam Signed on Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises
On 15 January India and Vietnam signed an MoU aimed at building capacity
for developing institutional framework and identifying thrust areas and
opportunities for micro, small and medium enterprises in this country.The
MoU was signed here between the Ministry of Planning and Investments of
Vietnam and Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) of
India .
India and Sri Lanka signed Anti-terror, Tax evasion Agreements
On 22nd January India and Sri Lanka signed two separate agreements on
combating international terrorism and avoidance of double taxation, eyeing
elevation of ―robust bilateral ties to building of a special economic
partnership.The two key accords were signed after the 8th India-Sri Lanka
Joint Commission me‖eting held at New Delhi , both countries discussed
enhanced cooperation in a range of areas including civil nuclear energy.At the
meeting, the Indian side was led by External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid
while the Lankans were led by his counterpart G.L. Peiris.During the meet,
both the parties also decided setting up of the Special Economic Zone at
Trincomali and a textile and pharmaceutical cluster in Sri Lanka.
International Tea Producers Forum formed
On 22 January India, along with five other tea producing countries, has formed
the International Tea Producers Forum (ITPF) at Colombo.Union Minister of
State for Commerce and Industry D Purandesari signed the joint communique
on behalf of India along with representatives of Kenya, Sri Lanka, Indonesia,
Rwanda and Malawi in Colombo.The ITPF will initially be an independent
body but in future may get affiliated to Food & Agriculture Organisation of
United Nations.
India , Bangladesh Signed Extradition and Visa Agreements
On 28 January Bangladesh and India signed an extradition treaty and struck a
deal to relax business visa restrictions between the neighbouring countries.
However, refusal provisions were incorporated into the extradition
treaty.Home minister Sushilkumar Shinde signed the agreement with his
Bangladeshi counterpart Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir at the end of their bilateral
talks.
India Dropped to 140th Rank in Press Freedom
According to the report Reporters Without Borders India has dropped nine
places to the 140th rank in the list of 179 countries in the latest World Press
Freedom Index.China (173rd, +1) shows no sign of improving. Its prisons still
hold many journalists and netizens, while increasingly unpopular Internet
censorship continues to be a major obstacle to access information.As last year,
the list is topped by three European countries – Finland, Netherlands and
Norway.Turkmenistan, North Korea and Eritrea continue to be at the bottom
of the list as has been in the last three years.
NATIONAL
Govt Launched Direct Cash Transfer Scheme in 20 Districts
On 1 January 2013 The government launched its scaled down Cash Transfer
Benefit (CBT) in 20 districts,but food, fertiliser and fuel subsidies will not be
covered in the initial phase. All 26 schemes are ready for rollout. On 1 January
2013 the seven schemes in which payout is due in the (20 selected) districts,
the money will be transferred through the direct benefit transfer system using
the UIDAI platform.The scheme is going to be rolled out in 43 districts by 1
March 2013, 20 districts from January 1, 11 districts from February 1 and 12
districts from March 1. By end of 2013, the direct cash benefit transfer will be
rolled out in all the districts of the country.
PA Sangma launched National People‟s Party
PA Sangma, who broke away with the NCP in 2012 to contest the presidential
elections, though unsuccessfully, on 05 January 2013 launched National
People‘s Party (NPP), and chosen a book as its symbol. Sangma has chosen to
align his party with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
President Released Stamps on Swami Vivekananda
On 12 January The President, Shri Pranab Mukherjee released the
Commemorative Postage Stamps, at the Commemoration of the 150th Birth
Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, in New Delhi .
Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2012
On 17 January According to the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER)
2012 report has found that learning levels have dipped to an all-time low. So,
almost half the 6-7 year-olds (Class I) in India cannot read even one letter in
any language, over 57% cannot read any English while almost 40% cannot
recognize numbers between 1 and 9.The 12.8% children between Class I and
V could not read a single letter while 10.7% could not recognize numbers 1 to
9. The number of children in Class V who could read Class II text fell from
53.7% in 2010 to 46.8% in 2012. In 2010, seven out of 10 children could solve
a two-digit subtraction problem with borrowing. This has come down to five
out of 10 in 2012.
STATES
Odisha Launched „ Public Service Delivery System „
On 2 January The Odisha government launched the much-sought after Public
Service Delivery System for citizens under the Odisha Right to Public Service
Act, 2012.Under the new act, people will get services like issue of drivin‖g
license, birth and death c‖ertificates, passport and trade license within a
stipulated time.Odisha is among the 12th state to implement the law.
Haryana Government announced Kanyadan Scheme for Bride
participants of Mass Marriages
The Government of Haryana on 3 January 2012 announced its plan of
launching a Kanyadan Scheme in the state for brides participating in the mass
marriage ceremony, which would be organised by any of the registered NGO
or the Red Cross Society. The scheme would carry an incentive amount of
11000 rupees and would come into effect from 1 April 2012. The incentive
amount of 11000 rupees would be given to brides from all castes, creeds, race,
religion and the income category to which the girl belongs.
ArunachalPradesh Collaborated with NSDL for Adoption of National
Pension Scheme
On 9 January The state of Arunachal Pradesh entered into an agreement with
signing of MoU with National Securities Depository Ltd (NSDL), permitting it
to work as a Central Record Keeping Agency (CRA) for adoption of the
National Pension System (NPS).National Pension Scheme NPS is an initiative
of the Union Government of India and Arunachal Pradesh is the 26th State to
adopt it.
Gujarat Tops List of Indian States on Economic Freedom Policy
According to the Economic Freedom of States in India report which was
released by former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor and present Rajya
Sabha Member Bimal Jalan.The top state in India in (terms of) economic
freedom in 2011 was western Indian state Gujarat. It displaced southern
Indian state Tamil Nadu which had been at the top in 2009.Gujarat freedom
index has been rising fast and estimated at 0.64 points. The biggest
improvement has been registered by Madhya Pradesh with freedom index
score rose from 0.42 in 2009 to 0.56 in 2011 enabling it to move up from sixth
to third position.
Assembly polls in Tripura,Meghalaya and Nagaland on Febrauary
Assembly elections in Tripura will be held on February 14 and in Meghalaya
and Nagaland on February 23 and their results will be out on February 28, the
Election Commission announced on 10 January 2013.The EC also announced
byelections to nine assembly constituencies in Mizoram, Uttar Pradesh, West
Bengal and Punjab on February 23 and in Assam, Bihar and Maharashtra on
February 24, but their results will be out together on February 28.
President‟s Rule Imposed on Jharkhand
On 18 January Pranab Mukherjee, the President of India imposed President‘s
Rule in Jharkhand under Article 356(1) of the Constitution.The President‘s
Rule for the third time since its formation 12 years ago.The decision came as a
follow up of the recommendation made by the Union Cabinet of India and fall
of the state machinery in form of Government on 8 January after the
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha the supporting party to BJP led Coalition
Government withdrew its support from it. The state was placed under
President‘s Rule in 2009 and 2010.
Three New High Courts for North East
The Centre has constituted three new High Courts in thenortheast Meghalaya,
Manipur and Tripura taking the total number of High Courts in the country
from 21 to 24.According to Law Ministry sources, the strength of judges in
each High Court will be as follows: Tripura 4 (including the Chief Justice), and
Meghalaya and Manipur: three each (including the Chief Justice).
CONFERENCES
100th Indian Science Congress held in Kolkata
The 100th Indian Science Congress was held from 3 to 7 January in Kolkata
(West Bengal) .The theme of the session is Science for Shaping the Future of
India .The session was inaugurated by Pranab Mukherjee the President of
India .In the session Prime Minister Manmo‖han Singh released The Science,
Techn‖ology and Innovation Policy(STI) 2013 ‘ .On 4 January Former President
Dr. A.P.J.Abdul Kalam inaugurated a Children Science Congress as part of the
100th Indian Science Congress .The 100th Indian Science Congress (ISC 2013)
is also organized a special programme ― Women empowerment for the
development of the country to showcase the contribution of women in
science and technology.This is the 13th time the Indian Science Congress is
being hosted by Kolkata ‖
11th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas held in Kochi
11th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) was held from 7- 9 January at Kochi
(Kerala).Mauritius President Rajkeswur Purryag was the chief guest of this
official inaugural session.2000 delegates from 40 countries attended the
convention.The theme for this year‘s Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is ―Engaging
Diaspora –the Indian Growth Story .On 7th January in the event they
‖
discussed on problems that people from Kerala face in the region.Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh will inaugurated the annual flagship event and
released the postage stamp on Ghadar Movement on 8 January and President
PranabMukherjee will delivered the valedictory address on January 9 and
also presented the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman awards.Pravasi Bhartiya Divas
(PBD) is celebrated on January 9 every year to mark the contribution of
overseas Indian community in the development of India.The Pravasi Bharatiya
Divas, the first of its kind involving the Indian Diaspora, was held in 2003 at
New Delhi.
Fourth Meeting of ASEAN and India Tourism Ministers held in Vientiane
The Fourth meeting of ASEAN and India Tourism Minister (4th M-ATM+
India) was held in Vientiane, Lao PDR from 21 to January in conjunction with
the ASEAN Tourism Forum 2013 (ATF2013).The Meeting was jointly co-
chaired by H.E. Prof. Dr. Bosengkham Vongdara, Minister of Information,
Culture and Tourism, Lao PDR, and H.E. Dr. K. Chiranjeevi, Minister for
Tourism, Government of India.In the meeting Both the Ministers have signed
the Protocol to amend the Memorandum of Understanding between ASEAN
and India on Strengthening Tourism Cooperation.
World Economic Forum Summit Held in Davos
The 43rd World Economic Forum Annual Meeting held from 23 –27 January
at Davos-Klosters in Switzerland.The annual forum, which has been running
for over 40 years, provides a platform for decision-makers in politics, non-
governmental organisations and businesses to gather and to exchange views
on the world‘s most pressing problems.The World Economic Forum (WEF)
unites international political leaders, business leaders and journalists from
across the globe to discussed and shape global, regional and industrial
agendas with regards to economics, health and the environment.The WEF was
founded in 1971 as a non-profit organization by the German Klaus Schwab, a
business professor at the University of Geneva.
AWARDS & HONOURS
Malala won ” 2012 Tipperary International Peace Award “
On 3 January Malala Yousafzai, the teenaged Pakistani school girl shot by a
Taliban gunman last year , has been awarded the 2012 Tipperary
International Peace Award from Ireland for her courage and determination
‖
‖
to speak out in support of equal access to education for children.Malala is the
second Pakistani to get the award. In 2007, it was given to late Benazir Bhutto.
Malala honored with the French ” Simone de Beauvoir ” Prize
On 9 January Malala Yousafzai (15), the schoolgirl from Pakistan shot by
Taliban for campaigning girls‘ education, received France‘s Simone de
Beauvoir Prize for Women‘s Freedom in Paris. Malala‘s father Ziaudin
Yousafzai received the honour on her behalf. he award is accompanied with
2.5 million RupeTes honorarium.
Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award 2013
On 9 January Pranab Mukherjee President of India presented the Pravasi
Bharatiya Samman (Awards) 2013 to 14 people, included Overseas Indian
Affairs Vayalar Ravi and Mauritius President Rajkeswur Purryag, He was also
the Chief Guest of 11th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2013. In accordance to
Tradition, Pravasi Bharatiya Samman (Awards) 2013 have been given to
notable Indians living abroad. The other awardees are Prof Dr Gurusharan
Singh Chhatwal of Germany for science, Dr Rasik Vihari Joshi (Mexico) for
Literature, Gilbert Canabady Moutien (Reunion Island) and Mohammed
Rabeeh Karuvanthodi (Saudi Arabia) for business, Patricia Maria Rozario(UK)
for Music, Dr Narendra Ramakrishna Kumar (USA) for Healthcare, Subash
Razdan (USA) and Islmail Ebrahim (South Afrcia) for Public service. Dr
Satendra Kumar Singh (New Zealand), Australia India Society of Victoria
(Australia) and Bava Pandalingal (UAE), Ashok Shambhomal Vaswani
(Guinea), Indian Doctors Forum, Kuwait for community service, Tan Sri
Ravindran Menon from Malaysia for Community service, are among others on
the list of awardees.
Mamata Banerjee gets gift from PCB
Overwhelmed‘ by the hospitality at the Eden Gardens during India-Pakistan
second ODI in Kolkata, the PCB sent the gift as a silver-coated Quran to the
Cricket Association of Bengal who handed it over to the CM during a function
at the Netaji Indoor in Kolkata on 10 January 2013.
Mahaveer Golechha Bags Award for Alzheimer‟s Drug On 17 January The
London-based Indian researcher Mahaveer Golechha, was selected to be
felicitated for an award that includes his work on a drug that can be a
potential cure of Alzheimer‘s disease.In the study conducted by Golechha, he
found discovered that naringin has essential anti-Alzheimer activity.
70th Golden Globe Awards – 2013
On January 13 The 70th Golden Globe Awards honored the best in film and
television of 2012, was presented in California .
Best Film –: Argo
Best Actor –: Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln) Best Actress – : Jessica Chastain
(Zero Dark Thirty) Best Director -Ben Affleck (Argo)
Best Musical or Comedy -: Les Miserables
Best Foreign Language Film – : Amour
Best Animated Feature Film -: Brave
Krishi Karman Awards 2011-2012
On 15 January President Pranab Mukherjee presented the Krishi Karman
awards for the year 2011-12 at an award ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
The awards were presented to the State Governments for their excellent
performance in increasing the production of food grains in their respective
states.
Awards in Different Segments :-
The Awards for Special Contribution to Total Food Grains Production -
Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Manipur and Nagaland - Award for
Contribution to Production and Productivity ofRice –Bihar - Award for
Contribution to Production and Productivity of Wheat -Haryana -Award for
Contribution to Production and Productivity of Pulses -Jharkhand -Award for
Contribution to Production and Productivity of Coarse Cereals – Uttar Pradesh
58th Filmfare Awards
The 58th Filmfare Awards were held honoring the best films of 2012 from the
Hindi-language film industry (commonly known as Bollywood). The ceremony
was held on January 20, 2013 at Mumbai.
Best Movie :-Barfi!
Best Actor :-Ranbir Kapoor (Film -Barfi!)
Best Actress :-Vidya Balan (Film –Kahaani )
Best Director :-Sujoy Ghosh (Film –Kahaani )
Lifetime Achievement Award :-Yash Chopra (After Death)
Prof C N R Rao awarded by Chinese Academy of Sciences
The Chinese Academy of Sciences was awarded Prof C N R Rao, National
Research Professor and Honorary President of Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for