January 2010

New Karnataka Speaker K G BopaiahK G Bopaiah and senior leader of Bhartiya Janta party has been elected as the speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly.

Report of 13th Finance Commission SubmittedThe Finance Commission is established under Article 280 of the Constitution of India by the President of India for the purpose of allocation of certain resources of revenue between the Union and the State Governments as well as to make recommendations on other related issues as required under its terms of reference.Dr. Vijay Kelkar, Chairman, 13th Finance Commission has submitted the 13th Finance Commission report to the president which shall be tabled in the parliament soon. The Commission’s report to cover the period 2010-15 was to be submitted by December 31, 2009.

Draft National Consumer Policy :To ensure a structural framework for protection of consumers and their welfare Department of Consumer Affairs is formulating a National Consumer Policy. The draft policy is ready which has been prepared by the department in extensive consultations with all stakeholders includingGovernment, VCOs, NGOs etc. This draft policy has been uploaded on the site of the department for comments and suggestions.

The objective is to empower consumers, ensure competition, open up competition in areas where government is the sole service provider and strengthening Voluntary Consumer Organisations, to collect and disseminate information to consumers.

First Yuva Train:Howrah Railway Station. 2249/2250 Howrah-New Delhi ‘Yuva’ Express (weekly) has been launched. This is the first yuva Train of the country. The objective is to ensure that the youth and low income groups can travel at low rates between major cities. The ‘Yuva Train’ fares are applicable to unemployed persons between the age group of 15 to 45 years who fulfill the criteria of Yuva to be ascertained on the basis of Certificate issued under National Rural Employment Guarantee (NREGA) and valid Registration card issued by aGovernment run Employment Exchange. Tatkal scheme would not be applicable in ‘Yuva Trains’.

Controller General of Defence Accounts (CGDA) launches pilot project on Rail E-Ticketing :Vice Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen PC Bhardwaj has launched a pilot project of Rail e-ticketing for the Armed Forces which is being implemented by the Controller General of Defence Accounts (CGDA) across 20 locations around the country. It will be gradually be expanded to more than 5,000 Army, Navy and Air Force units across the country.

Magh Mela : AllahabadAnnual Hindu festival of Magh Mela has started in Allahabad. It involves holy dip at the sangam and attracts lakhs of devotees and foreigners.

Breeding programme of Central Zoo Authority.The Central Zoo Authority has initiated a programme for planned coordinated conservation breeding of critically endangered wild animal species in Indian Zoos. 70 such species have been identified under the programme.

World Tamil Conference in June:The World Classical Tamil Conference will be held in Coimbatore June 23-27, 2010. They are series of occasional conferences held by the government of Tamil Nadu, which aim to unite Tamil people around the world. First World Tamil Conference was held in 1967 in Kuala lumpur.

India Japan Agreement on Green BuildingsIndia and Japan have signed agreements to build Eco-friendly cities along the Delhi-Mumbai industrial corridor which is being developed with the help of Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO). Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) and Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor Development Corp (DMICDC)have signed this MOU.The 1,483-km Delhi-Mumbai industrial corridor will cover and traverse through 6 states Delhi and the national capital region, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Haryana. The project will be finished by 2017.

India and Steel Production:With production of 46.77 million tonnes of crude steel during the period January-October, 2009, India emerged as the third largest steel producer in the world.India is expected to become the 2nd largest producer of crude steel in the world by 2015, provided all requirements for creation of fresh capacity are adequately met.

Rosa Power Plant:Rosa in Shahjahanpur district in Uttar Pradesh has witnessed the launch of Rosa Power Plant of Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group recently.It is a 300 MW unit. It is a coal based plant and coal for the project would be sourced from the Ashoka mines in Jharkhand.It will supply the entire power to Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Ltd (UPPCL) for which a power purchase agreement was signed on November 12, 2006.Company now is heading towards commissioning of the two remaining 300 MW units by March 2012, including a 600 MW plant at Butibori near Nagpur in Maharashtra and a 1300 MW plant at Sasan in Madhya Pradesh.

Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan & World BankThe 'Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan which was pioneered by Atal Bihari Vajpayee is , now a Flagship Scheme of UPA Government which aims to acheive universalization of elementary education in a time bound manner, as mandated by the 86th amendment to the Constitution of India making free and compulsory education to children of ages 6-14 (estimated to be 205 million in number in 2001) a fundamental right.

This scheme has shown encouraging results and recently World Bank has come forward with an offer to provide additional funding of $ 500 million (Rs 2,325 cr approx) for the programme. The World Bank Proposal is to provide the Indian Government money as soft loans to be paid over a period of 35 to 40 years with lesser interest.

The World Bank had earlier provided soft loan of $ 600 million (Rs 2,790 cr approx) for the scheme which aims at universalisation of elementary education. As per the reports , 99 per cent of the habitations in the country have got a primary school and 270,000 schools have already been operationalised under sarva Shiksha Abhiyan.

who appoints chairman of state public service commission?A chairman of a state public service commission is appointed for a period of six years under Article 316(1) of the Indian Constitution by the Governor of the respective state.

BIMARU go heathy4 states in India have been traditionally poor in growth and development and called BIMARU (Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh) , these along with Orissa are now remarkably doing well , this is what we read in today's ET editorial.

97th Indian Science Congress:Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, inaugurated the 97th Indian Science Congress at Thiruvananthapuram.

Moti NandyEminent journalist Moti Nandy, 79 has died. He was Sports Editor for Anandabazar Patrika.He was awarded the Lifetime Achievement award in 2008 in the Excellence in Journalism Awards. Kolaboti is a popular sports charecter by Moti Nandi. A writer of 22 novels, 18 stories for children, about a dozen of novels for teenagers. His two novels ''Stopper'' and '' Koni'' were filmed .

Vishnuvardhan:Versatile, talented, stylish and popular actor of Kannada film indutry died of cardiac arrest on December 30, 2009. Some facts:

Original name: Sampath Kumar Acted in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films

Aopted the name Vishnuvardhan at the insistence of Puttanna Kanagal, who directed his maiden film Nagarahavu.

National Road Safety Week21st Road Safety Week is to be observed from 1st January to 7th January, 2010. The theme of the Road Safety Week this time is “Life is safe if driving is safe”.

People's Welfare Day and MayawatiMayawati's 54th Birthday is falling on January 15 and BSP decides to celebrate the day as ''people's welfare day''

INS Industrial Excellence Award 2008INS Industrial Excellence Award 2008 was conferred to Heavy Engineering Corporation by eminent nuclear scientist Anil Kakodkar. Its a Govt. of India enterprise based in Ranchi.

Rajnath on Rangnath Mishra Commission Report:Ranganath Mishra Commission was set up by Government of India to study and find solution for the minority status of India. Its report was submitted in 2007. It had suggested to curtail the reservation to the SCs, STs and OBCs while giving reservation to minorities. The three recommendations of this report were:

15% of jobs in government services and seats in educational institutions for minorities Reserve 8.4% out of existing OBC quota of 27% for minorities

SC reservation to Dalit converts.

Rajnath Singh, former BJP national president has said that this would lead to increased disparity and disharmony among the various religions and castes.He quotes the example of Congress conference in 1916 in Lucknow, the separate muslim electorate was given a go ahead and later in 1937, the Peerpur resolution was adopted and these events led to India Pakistan Divide.

President of International Federation of Company Secretaries (IFCS) : Keyoor BakshiKeyoor Bakshi has been elected as the President of International Federation of Company Secretaries (IFCS) for the year 2010. He is the immediate past President of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) and a Central Council Member of the Institute. ICSI is the Founder Member of IFCS.

344th birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh344th birth anniversary of 10th Sikh Guru Gobind Singh, founder of Khalsa is observed today.

Think Thyroid MonthIndian Thyroid Society (ITS) has marked January has Think Thyroid Month and decides to hold testing camps across the country that would screen 1.5 lakh patients this month.

Reena Kaushal DharmshaktuReena Kaushal Dharmshaktu has become the first Indian woman to ski to the South Pole.

E-Dharini Projecte-Dharini is the new e-registration project of the Orissa state government

Jan Kranti Party of Kalyan Singh:Kalyan Singh has launched a new political party-Jan Kranti Party on his 78th birthday. His son Raj bir singh will be the national president.

Dog Breeding Center of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF)Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has launched in Ghaziabad its own Dog Breeding Center keeping in view the rising demand for sniffer dogs at airports and Delhi Metro and for the coming Commonwealth Games.

Please note that BSF is the first paramilitary force in the country to have a sniffer dog breeding/ training centre. CISF has thus become second.

Problems of the Migrant Workers:As per a World Bank report, India is the largest recipient of workers' remittance with $52 billion in 2009. Most significant role played is not of high skilled NRI's byt un-skilled and semi-skilled migrants. Govt of India organises Pravasi Bhartiya Divas to take care the issues of Industrialist non-resident Indians , however there is a need for the government to do something in line with this celebration, for the unskilled labour of the country who go abroad to earn and send back earnings to support their families.

2 Million Mobile Internet Users and Growing:A study done by IAMAI-IMRB reveales that more than 2 million people in India access the web through their mobile phones and other mobile devices on an active basis.

Rio +20 CBD ConferenceIndia will host the eleventh Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in October 2012. This is called 'Rio + 20' CBD Conference and will commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the Rio Earth Summit, held in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro . 10th summit will be held in Nagoya japan in October.

Amar Singh resigns from SPSamajwadi Party General Secretary Amar Singhresigns from his post and also as a member of the party Parliamentary Board citing ''health reasons". Probably indicating his differences with Mulayam Singh Yadav. Health of SP has deteriorated since the Lok Sabha elections.

Buddha Historic ParkIn memory of 2550th year of salvation of Lord Buddha, the Bihar govt. has come come up with a plan to build Historic Park in Patna wiuth facilities for devotees for meditation. The idea behind this Rs. 150 crore project is to drive tourism from Buddhist countries too.

200th Birth Anniversary of Luis Braille200th Birth Anniversary was celebrated all around the world on January 4, 2009. Himachal Pradesh has come up with a plan of launching Two Braile libraries. Braille Library system for use by visually challenged people and having a number of novel features had been designed, made and supplied to the State Government, by Pune based companies Modular Infotech Private Limited and Automatic Control Equipments. Shimla and Surendranagar of Mandi have been selected for this purpose.

What are Vyomnauts?India's First space mission is scheduled for 2015. In this mission three-person vehicle will initially carry two astronauts into 275-kilometre low-Earth orbit. The ISRO is in process of choosing four

astronauts from a pool of 200 fighter pilots. the media has coined a new term for Indian astronauts - Vyomnauts. Vyoma is space.

Tamil Nadu Environment Protection Fund:TN Governemnt will set up an "Envrionment Protection and Renewable Energy Development Fund" to protect the environment and promote clean energy to combat climate change.

Next ISC in ChennaiThe next session of the Science Congress will be held in Chennai, to be hosted by SRM University, Chennai. some 2000 papers were presented in the five-day event and it was the largest in the history of ISC, in 14 plenary sessions. a Children's Science Congress was also organised for the first time.

MetlotsavamMetlotsavam is a festival of steps conducted by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD). Fromm all over south india Bhajan troupes come to take part in this festival.

New IAF base in ChhattisgarhNew Indian Air Force (IAF) will be set up in Chhattisgarh considering the state's strategic location in central India. This is very important for India's security reasons to receive immediate help in case of emergency.

Nivesh Mitra Scheme of Uttar Pradesh:Nivesh Mitra scheme is a scheme of Uttar Pradesh Government with an objective to create a facilitative environment for rapid industrial development and to allow the entrepreneurs to concentrate their fullest attention on productive activities.

Second Training Centre of CoBRA:Combat Battalion Resolute Action (CoBRA) has right now only one centre at Hyderabad. Next centre is coming up at West Bengal’s Maoist Affected West Midnapore district.

Currently India is ranked 10th in the stainless steel production in the world, India is the only country, where 74 per cent production of stainless steel is utilised by utensil manufacturers and for exports.

Apparel Export Promotion Council Chairman: Premal UdaniMr Premal Udani has taken over as the new Chairman of Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC), taking charge from Mr Rakesh Vaid whose two-year term has ended.

What is APEC?The AEPC is a body of 8,000 small, medium and large garment exporters.

India's Textile Industry:India, which exports apparel worth 11 billion dollars annually, ranks as the fifth largest worldwide.

World's Largest Auto market is China :China's auto market has replaced United States and become world largest, due to the stream of Chinese Policy Incentives.

2nd Global Marathi Literary Meet:Second Global Marathi meet will be held in Dubai from March 2-6, 2010. Veteran Marathi litterateur Mangesh Padgaonkar has been selected as president of this meet.

Sixth International Children's Film Festival, BangaloreSixth International Children's Film Festival has started in Bangalore. The main theme is Environment and 13 movies on environment will be screened in this festival.

National Immunisation DayPresident inaugurated the National Immunisation Day on January 9,

Subsidiary Multi-Agency Centre (SMAC). This will share intelligence with IB and state government agencies.

State Farmers’ Commission (SFC) -OrissaOrissa has constituted a State Farmers’ Commission (SFC) under the chairmanship of SM Patnaik.

Ban on River Mining - Himachal Pradesh.The Himachal Pradesh government has banned mining of sand and stones on the Chakki, Neugal and Sheer rivers as it is causing huge damage to the local environment.

India's first investment and manufacturing zone-RajasthanIndia's first dedicated investment and manufacturing zone will be set up in Rajasthan along the upcoming Mumbai-Delhi national corridor.

World's strongest Magnet:Scientists at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory at The Florida State University, US developed the world's strongest magnet. It is a 36 tesla magnet.

Chennai Samagam - 20104th edition of Chennai Samagam , the annual cultural events inaugurated in Chennai. This is the longest and biggest Open Festival of India presented by Tamil Maiyam and Department of Tourism and Culture and will finish on January 16. The theme of the inaugural show was "Pirappokkum", which is also the official theme of the World Classical Tamil Conference to be held in Coimbatore in 2010.

Chamarajanagara district in Karnataka, is also known as 'Silk City' or Reshme Nagari.

Easy Kit Scheme of NAFEDNational Agricultural Co-operative Marketing Federation of India Limited is going to distribute 6 crore easy Kits which would contain 20 essential commodities and given to both APL and BPL families once a month through State-controlled or Central agencies. This is a scheme to curb the price rise of essential commodities. Scheme is being launched in New Delhi and Kochi as Pilot Project and would be later expanded Pan India.

Uttar Pradesh will become the first state in the country to launch the power transmission sub stations and transmission lines projects on Public-Praivate Parternership (PPP) model, as on Janaury 15, 2010 it commissions several projects of power transmission sub stations and transmission lines project.

Padma Sambhav Mahavihara or Rigon Thupten Mindroling monastery is the 5 storyed largest monastery in South Asia and is inauguated in Gajapati District of Orissa by Dalai Lama.

World's Largest Exporter is ChinaThe Dragon has outplaced Germany and has become world's largest exporter.

Rajasthan: First State in India to launch Web enabled online answering systemThe Rajasthan Legislative Assembly becomes the first state in the country to have online question answering system as today it activates its web enabled online answering information system for quick online filing of questions by the members, answers to them and effective and live communication between the Assembly and state government departments.

Sachin Endorses BMC's 'Save Water' campaignSachin Tendulkar shoots for an advertisement campaign for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's 'Save Water' campaign at MCA ground in Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai.

In which part of India, maximum people use Tobacco?The Northeastern region exhibits highest rates of tobacco use - in Mizoram more than 80 per cent of men use some form of tobacco, followed by Tripura (76 per cent) and Assam (72). Arunachal Pradesh is the second largest state whose people chew tobacco products after Mizoram.

Aiming to build bridges between cultures and people , the year 2010 will be celebrated as the International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures by UNESCO.

Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, Iceland President arrives Mumbai, for a 6 day visit to India. On January 13, when he reaches to Delhi , he will be conferred upon Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding-2007. some agreements will be signed so we shall follow up.

Director General of UNESCO Irina G Bokova is the first 'international' speaker in the ongoing IGNOU's Silver Jubilee special lecture Series.

Milan-2010Milan-2010 is the biggest national level cultural festival organized by SRM University will be held at its campus in Kancheepuram suburban Kattankulathur from January 27 to 29. 7,000 students from across the country would participate in the festival. theme: "Celebrating Life"

Maharaja Sayajirao University at Vadodara holds an International Buddhist seminar on January 15.

Bihar : Nawada and Purnia Women to learn economic farming.National Agriculture Research Council in association with World Bank chooses Nawada and Purnia districts of Bihar to impart training for commercial farming to women of economically weaker sections of the society. This comes under "Economic Empowerment of Women" programme of world bank.

UNESCO 's Mahatma Gandhi Institute of PeaceUNESCO's Director General, Irina Bokova says this institute of peace will be set up by the end of 2010.

India's Bid to non-permanent seat in United Nations Security Council

2010 Quality of Life Index: India on 882010 Quality of Life Index is published by travel magazine International Living. India is 88th best country in the world to live in, leaving behind nations like Russia and China and moves up 35 places in a year. Bhutan is ahead of India. India is second best place in the subcontinent. Last year India ranked after Bhutan, Maldives and Sri Lanka.

COPTA: Control of Tobacco Products ActSIMCON: State Information Minister Conference

USAID: United States Agency for International DevelopmentISKCON: International Society for Krishna Consciousness

Vice President's Africa VisitOur Vice president Hamid Ansari has returned from a 12-day tour of three African nations- Zambia, Malawi and Botswana respectively

Maharashtra: Mumbai Monorail Project:Mumbai Monorail is being constructed by Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority. This is going to be first monorail of Independent India.In British India there was Patiala State Monorail Train ways which got closed in 1927.Its a 4 line project & will be opened in 2011. Construction has started from January 2009 and today, first Monorail rake arrives at Nhava Sheva Port from Malaysia and is awaiting clearance

from the Custom authorities. The single Mono Rail rake, which sailed from Port Klang, Malaysia, on January 7, 2010, in vessel TS Malaysia, is about 12 meters long and has the carrying capacity of about 110 people. The rake will ride on the beams, for the trial tests, three days before the scheduled trial run on January 26, 2010.

Rs. 200 Crore for Tiger Conservation:Next 5 years Indian Government proposes to spend Rs. 200 crore on tiger conservation. Major part of this money will be spent for the development of Sundarbans biosphere in West Bengal, which is a UNESCO world heritage site and home to 400 Royal Bengal Tigers. Money will be infused for integrated coastal zone management from World Bank. Money will be used for plantation, wildlife protection and anti-trafficking activities under the Project Tiger scheme of the federal government running since 1973.

TigernetA national website on tiger conservation www.tigernet.nic.in has been launched to give Tiger reserve directors and chief wildlife wardens in India the ability to key-in crucialinformation about Tiger deaths, poaching and seizures immediately. The Tigernet website will be the first consolidated database on mortality and details on poaching related to Tigers and other protected species within Tiger reserves. Gathering accurateinformation on such Tiger activities is crucial to assisting anti-poaching efforts

Century's first Mahakumbha:First Mahakumbh Mela of the Century commences with taking of a holy dip in the Ganges in Haridwar by tens of Lakhs of devotees, which is organized every 12 years and is also famous as the largest religious gathering in the world.

National Noise Monitoring NetworkIndia's Union Environment and Forests Ministry decides to set up a National Ambient Noise Monitoring Network on the pattern of existing Air and Water Networks.

Karnataka: Plan Bangalore 2020Plan Bangalore 2020 is a blue print for transforming the city into a world-class metropolis created by Agenda for Bengaluru Infrastructure Development Task Force (ABIDE). The final version has been released. This suggests that mass transit and public transport should be made the backbone, and it should take 60% burden of the commuting people.

Crocodile census in Bhitarkanika National ParkThe Bhitarkanika National Park comprises of Mangrove wetland in Orissa state located in the delta of the Brahmani and Baitarani rivers. The mangroves home to one of India's largest populations of saltwater crocodiles. After imposing a week long entry of tourists in the park , Orissa State forest department conducted Crocodile census from December 31 to January 8 , 2010, which reveals that there are 1610 Estuarine crocodiles. 38 more than last year.

Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS)Chief Minister of Delhi, Sheila Dikshit inaugurates Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) in New Delhi which is Asia's first super-specialty liver institute.

India is Developing Anti Satellite WeaponsAnti-satellite weapons are designed to incapacitate or destroy satellites for strategic military purposes. Right now this technology is held by US, Russia & China. USwas first to successfully test this weapon in 1985. China tested a weapon successfully in 2007.

10% Divestment in EILCabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) clears 10 % disinvestment in the Engineers India Ltd. There are 60 companies identified by the Department of Disinvestment for selling

government stake. (Please note that at one place in this blog we mention 36 companies). IN EIL Govt. holds 90.40% stake.

New Chairman & MD of MTNL : Kuldip Singh

This year marks 2500th anniversary of Marathon.

Himachal Pradesh : Appointment of Rakhas under MNREGAHimachal Pradesh Government will consider proposing crop protection from wild animals under 'Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Assurance Scheme' (MNREGA) by appointing Rakhas (Guards) as per the provisions of the scheme. Rakhas will help in protection of the two Rabi and Kharif crop from the wild boar and monkeys which were causing intensive damage to standing crops resulting in loss to the farmers in rural areas.

National Human Rights Commission New Secretary General : K S MoneyK S Money, IAS is new secretary general of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). He replaces AK Jain.

Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas 2010Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas is organized every year from 7 to 9 January. 9 January marks the return of Mahatama Gandhi in India from South Africa (January9, 1915)

Ladakh- Spituk Gustor festivalThe 'Spituk Gustor', is an annual two-day monastic festival that starts the Spituk Monastery in the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir. This festival marks the victory over the evil and is celebrated during 11th month of Tibetan Calender.

Karnataka: Niranthara Jyoti SchemeNiranthara Jyoti Scheme is of Karnataka Government which intends to to supply 24-hour uninterrupted power to the agriculture and rural areas in the state. This scheme is launched on January 16, 2010.

Ministry approaches World Bank for Satellite Coastal Survey:Ministry of Environment and Forests Government of India has approached World Bank for an assistance of Rs 1200-crore project proposal which intends to conduct survey of the entire coastline of the country through satellite to demarcate the volatile line in a bid to protect the coast and prevent loss of lives and property.

Why Abhinav is angry?Abhinav Bindra is angry over the ''unprofessional'' attitude of the NRAI (National Rifle Association of India) claiming it as ''insensitive'' towards sportspersons. His name is not there in the list of the participants of the commonwelath games.

Governor of Jharkhand: M O H Farook

A K Matoo Resigns from Hockey India President:

Songadh Tribal FestivalThousands of tribal’s from South Gujarat and Maharashtra participate in a two-day cultural festival at Songadh village in Tapi district of Gujarat.

Heimtextil fair - FrankfurtIndia dominates the ongoing four-day Heimtextil fair in Frankfurt - the world's largest fair for home textiles and furnishing products. Maximum number of exhibitors are from India 385, which surpasses 281 exhibitors from Germany. China with 380 exhibitors took the third position.

World's Largest University : IGNOUIndira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) is now 'Largest University in the World' according to UNESCO.

Punjab: Who Was Sham Singh Attarwala?Sham singh attariwala, 1790's at Attari which is very near to Indo Pak Border was the appointed first a Jatthedar and later Governor of Kashmir by Maharaja Ranjit singh. He had led many campaigns and one of the frontrunner generals of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. He had made significant contribution for strengthening the kingdom of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and later he laid down his life while fighting the British Army that had invaded Punjab after the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

On January 17, 2010, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal inaugurates the memorial at Amritsar to the great Sikh warrior Sham Singh Attariwala.

North India's first Doppler radar - PalamNorth India's first Doppler radar will be installed at a height of 16 meters on the top of a building in Shahabad Mohammadpur village in Palam area of the Indira Gandhi International Airport. It will provide short range accurate weather prediction in a nearly 500 km radius.

Update on Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS)India gets second AWACS in March 2010

Car of the Year : Nano

Film Festival " Fasle" LucknowFasle is the name of the film festival which kicks off on January 18, 2010 at Lucknow.

Sagar Parikrama is India's First solo circumnavigation voyage in which INSV Mhadei was flagged off from Mumbai on August 19, 2009, by Admiral (Retd) Sureesh Mehta, former Chief of Naval Staff.

Commonwealth Judo Championship -Singapore (Indian Winners)

Namaskar Africa 2010On January 15, 2010, Anand Sharma, India's Minister of Trade & Commerce along with his Nigerian counterpart also inaugurated the “Made in India” exhibition, with participation from 50 Indian companies. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between ECOWAS and FICCI was also signed. The theme of the event was Namaskar Africa 2010.

Nigeria is India’s largest trading partner in Africa with the overall trade at $ 10.2 billion in 2008-2009.

500th anniversary of coronation of KrishnadevarayaTuluva Sri Krishna Deva Raya was the Emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire and during his time, the empire was on its zenith. He hsi also known by his other titles Kannada Rajya Rama Ramana , Mooru Rayara Ganda & Andhra Bhoja. he ruled from 1509 to 1530 AD. This year marks the 500th anniversary of coronation of Krishnadevaraya.Karnataka government celebrates 500th anniversary of the coronation of Shri Krishna Devaraya of Vijayanagar empire January 27 to 29.

The world's second largest milk producer, India produced 108.5 million tonne of milk last year.

India - Finland MOUIndia and Finland sign a Memorandum of Understanding to promote cooperation and exchange of information in the Information Security sector for five years.

United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)India is a party to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), and the Government of India in fulfillment of one of the obligations of the parties to the convention, submitted a National Action Programme to Combat Desertification to the Secretariat of the UNCCD in 2001.

Orissa: Biju Saharanchal Bidyut Yojana & Piyush YojnaOrissa govt introduces Biju Saharanchal Bidyut Yojana in all the 104 Urban Local Bodies(ULB). Besides a drinking water scheme named ''Piyush'' for the urban poor in the state has also been introduced. In this scheme the urban poor under the BPL (Below Poverty Line) category would be provideddrinking water with the provision of one tap at a monthly charge of Rs 30, with five per cent hike every year.

Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL) on January 20, 2010 becomes the first 100% BCBP compliant airport in India to receive a platinum certification. BCBP or Bar Coded Boarding Pass is an IATA standard. Right now more than 200 airlines are using this standtrad. Its a part of IATA's (International Air Transport Association) Simplifying the Business program.

Dr Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary Critical Wildlife HabitatDr Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary and the adjoining mangrove areas at Chorao are being declared as Critical Wildlife Habitat under the Scheduled Tribe and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers Act, 2006.

POSCO- OTPCL Power PactPOSCO , a steel major from South Korea which is setting up a 12 million tonne mega steel plant at Paradip with an estimated cost of Rs 54,000 crore signs an agreement with the Orissa Power Transmission Company Limited (OPTCL) to avail 24 MW of power for the project.

India US MOU'sTwo Memoranda of Understanding have been signed between India and United States. One on the deployment of sky marshals and the other for cooperation in airport technical visits, marking the beginning of continued cooperation on security issues.

India tests Laser-guided BombsIndia carries out two successful flight trials of laser-guided bombs (LGBs) for the Indian Air Force. Two flight trials were conducted at Integrated Test Range, Chandipur, to test the effectiveness of the guidance and control systems of the LGBs.

Janeshwar Mishra:Veteran socialist leader and Samajwadi Party Rajya Sabha member Janeshwar Mishra dies of heart attack in Allahabad.

January 24 - National girl child day of India

Member of International Nuclear Energy Academy - Baldev Raj

Jharkhand Online Payment Facility:Shibu Soren inaugurates online pension payment facility for the elderly on the eve of Republic Day.

Official broadcaster for Commonwealth Games - Prasar Bharti

PPP X Change - MumbaiPPPX change is a bi-annual Public Private Partnership workshop launched by Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Union Ministry of Finance at Mumbai. This aims at enhancing the Public Private Sector partnerships.

e-PRI is a a unique scheme of Panchayati Raj Ministry that proposes to provide a whole range of IT related services to Panchayati Raj Institutions as part of the Mission Mode Projects (MMPs) under NeGP (National E Governance programme).

February 2010

Secretary, Department of Disinvestment - Shri Sumit BoseShri Sumit Bose , IAS assumes the office of Secretary, Department of Disinvestment, Ministry of Finance.

52nd Grammy AwardsMozart of Madras , A R Rahman has won 2 Grammy awards in the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards

Dr Ambedkar National Award - Dr Narendra Jadhav

Suraj Kund Mela: HaryanaThe 24th annual Surajkund Crafts Mela inaugurated by Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari. Suraj Kund mela is held every year from February 1-15. It was started in 1987. Traditional craftsman (artists, painters, weavers and sculptors) from all parts of the country participate in this annual celebration named as the “Surajkund Crafts Mela” or "Surajkund designer’s Village”.

First Annual Conference of Chief Secretaries - New DelhiNew Delhi First annual conference of Chief Secretaries of States opens at New Delhi. Now onwards this annual conference will become a forum for useful and productive exchange of views between the Centre and the States.

War Resisters International (WRI) Conference - New DelhiWar Resisters International (WRI) conference was held at Gujarat Vidyapeeth in Ahmedabad to investigate the links between militarism, war profiteering and the patterns of development pursued across the world today. Participants from Orissa presented a picture of the mining-led displacement of tribal communities in various parts of the state as well as the destruction of

environment threatened by Vedanta/Sterlite in the Niyamgiri hills or due to Hindalco in Kashipur or two various steel plants in Kalinganagar. Non-violent activists from 32 countries took part in this.

2010 'Year of Forensic Science'Union Home Minister P Chidambaram declares 2010 as 'the Year of Forensic Science'.

On INS ChakraThe K-152 Nerpa is Akula II type nuclear-powered attack submarine. The submarine will eventually be leased to the Indian Navy in 2010 as recommissioned INS Chakra. Indian Navy gets this missile now in July 2010. It was partly financed by India under a deal signed with Russia in January 2004. It is being built at Komsomolsk-on-Amur shipyard in Russia. It will be commissioned into the Indian Navy as INS Chakra. Please note that India previously leased a Charlie-I class nuclear submarine from the erstwhile Soviet Union from 1988 to 1991.

*Latest data on Foreign Trade:India’s exports during December, 2009 were valued at US $14606 million (Rs. 68107 crore) which was 9.3 per cent higher in dollar terms (4.8 per cent in Rupee terms) than the level of US $ 13368 million (Rs. 65015 crore) during December, 2008. Cumulative value of exports for the period April- December, 2009 was US $ 117587 million (Rs 563304 crore) as against US $ 147569 million (Rs. 652919 crore) registering a negative growth of 20.3 per cent in Dollar terms and 13.7 per cent in Rupee terms over the same period last year. (PIB)

Latest projection of World Bank about India's EconomyIndia's economy will grow at 7.5 percent in the 2010-11 fiscal beginning April 1 and will increase by 8 percent in the year after that. This is the latest projection of Hans Timmer, director of the World Bank's Development Prospects Group.

*International Wetland Day: 2010The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilisation of wetlands

US Congressional Award - M KarunandhiUS Congress has decided to honour Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunandhi with the prestigeous "US Congressional Award". Mr Karunanidhi would be the first Indian to receive this award. The award will be presented in the World Classical Tamil Conference to be held in Coimbatore from June 23 to 27, 2010.

First NEMPFNorth East MPs' Forum (NEMPF) is going to hold its first summit in Gangtok on February 12. There are 39 MPs from North East India.

'BioAsia 2010' - HyderabadBioAsia is the ideal platform at Hyderabad where suppliers of equipment & consumables meet engineers, research-personnel & procurement managers of biotec-companies. It is being held at Hyderabad from February 3-6, 2010 at Hyderabad. BioAsia will have anInternational Conference, a Tradeshow, a Business Forum, a poster program, CEO Conclave and an Awards Nite. Over 60 exhibitors, 1000 conference delegates, 70 international speakers and 15,000 visitors across the globe are expected to participate in this event. This is the 7th edition of the event.

74th five-day conference of Presiding Officers and Secretaries of Legislative Bodies74th five-day conference of Presiding Officers and Secretaries of Legislative Bodies starts from Feb 4, 2010 at Madhya Pradesh Vidhan Sabha. Meira kumar is the chairperson of the conference. This is for the third time this conference is held at Madhya Pradesh after 1971 and 1989.

Backward Regions Grant Fund ProgrammeBackward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF) was launched by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at Barpeta in Assam on 19th February 2006.

On Himalayan Biodiversity To conseve Himalayan biodiversity,the Ministry of Environment and Forests have notified 6 Biosphere Reserves, 30 National Parks, 112 Wildlife Sanctuaries and 15Conservation Reserves in the Himalayan Region.

National Biodiversity Authority has been set up in 2003 to conserve the Biodiversity of the Country. Ministry has also released “Governance for Sustaining Himalayan Ecosystem (G-SHE) Guidelines & Best Practices”

Biological Diversity Act, 2002 and Biological Diversity Rules, 2004 provide for the conservation of biological diversity, use of its components, and fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the use of biological resources knowledge and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto. Accordingly, National, State and local level mechanisms have been provided for implementation of the Act. (PIB)

On The National Afforestation ProgrammeThe National Afforestation and Eco-development Board of the Ministry is implementing the National Afforestation Programme aimed at regeneration of degraded forests and fringe areas. This is done through a two tier institutional set-up of Forest Development Agencies (FDAs) at the district level and Joint Forest Management Committees at the village level. 270 projects have been approved for the current year. The National Afforestation Programme is likely to incurre Rs. 345.62 crores during current financial year for this purpose.

First Private IT Park of Orissa:Orissa gets its first private software technology park on the outskirts Bhubaneswar by city-based JSS Group. This JSS Software Technology Park has a built-up area of about 55,000 square feet and can accommodate about 1,000 IT (Information Technology) professionals.

Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High court: Kurian JosephExecrcising the powers conferred by clause (1) of article 217 of the Constitution of India, the President of India Smt. Pratibha Patil appoints Shri Justice Kurian Joseph, Judge of the Kerala High Court, to be the Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court with effect from the date he assumes charge of his office.

Mahatma Gandhi NREGA Sammelan–20101200 participants from across the country, gather at Vigyan Bhawan New Delhi.

Buddhist Conclave - NalandaBuddhist scholars, academicians, monks, travel and tour operators and media persons from across the world attend a two-day international Buddhist conclave at Nalanda in Bihar. The theme is 'International Buddhist Conclave - Experience Buddhism'. Union ministry of tourism, Bihar tourism department and Nava Nalanda Mahavihara are organizing this conclave in which delegates from more than 12 countries are coming. Objective of theinternational conclave is to give a major thrust to cultural tourism and explore the potential related to the Buddhist circuit in India and especially in Bihar.

On PIL on violation of labor laws at Commonwealth Games sitesA public interest litigation (PIL) was filed by Peoples Union for Democratic Rights. The Delhi high court passes an order to form a 4 member committee to probe the alleged violations of labour laws at Commonwealth Games project sites.

On India Hungary Trade:Second Session of the India-Hungary Joint Commission on Economic Cooperation (JCEC) and Joint Business Commission (JBC) meetings was held at Hungary's capital Budapest during February 1-2 2010. Mr. Anand Sharma, Union Minister of Commerce & Industry was there in Budapest. Shri Sharma highlighted new sectors for cooperation like energy, medical equipment, agro-processing, dairy plants, water management, waste management and waste water purification. Both sides agreed to increase the level of trade to US $ 1 billion by 2012.

An agreement for oil exploration has already been signed between MOL (Magyar Olaj- és Gázipari Nyrt., ) the Hungarian Oil Company, and ONGC of India in which MOL is a 35% partner. It was agreed that the two countries will strengthen cooperation in the IT sector and an MoU detailing the areas of cooperation will be entered into between the Hungarian association of IT companies and Electronics & Computer Software Export Promotion Council (ESC) India. The India-Hungary S&T fund of Euro 2 million per annum for the promotion of joint research projects will soon be operationalised and bilateral S&T projects would be selected for funding.

A Social Security Agreement was signed between the two countries on the sidelines of the JCEC, which would address the issues on social security tax particularly in the case of IT sector. An agreement on Trade and Investment cooperation was also signed between Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and ITD Hungary. The chambers of the two countries also signed an agreement on arbitration.

First Consultative Committee meeting (of the 15th Lok Sabha )of the Ministry of Shipping takes place. Some notes:

1. The traffic handling capacity of Major Ports has gone up by about 48 per cent in the last five years. It has increased from 389.5 MT in 2003-04 to 574.77 MT in 2008-09.

2. A three-fold increase is projected in traffic handling capacity of Major Ports by 2025-26 by augmenting the capacity to 1595.07

3. Traffic handled by Indian ports have registered a growth of 5.14 per cent in the period from April to December 2009 compared to the same period in 2008.

4. The traffic in India had registered a growth of 2.1 per cent during 2007-08,despite global economic downturn.

5. The 12 Major Ports, six each on the West and the East coast handled 72 percent of the total port traffic while 28 per cent of the port traffic was handled by 66 non-major ports.

Maldives Delegation Visiting IndiaHome Minister of Maldives Mohamed Shihab Shihab leads a delegation to India to visit the facilities related to forensic sciences. cyber crime etc. The visit Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) headquarters, Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL), DNA lab, computer forensics and voice spectrograph division, ballistics division and lie-detection division in the CFSL.Maldives wants India to help in establishing a police academy along with forensic science laboratory, corporate fraud cell and also training for its investing officers for which India assures for all possible assistance.

Finnair which is Finland's largest airline has been cooperating with UNICEF since 1994 to improve conditions for the world's children.For this purpose Finair's initiative Change For Good has been active to raise collections for world's children. Till now The Change for Good has collected one million euros .

The subject of the programme keep changing. For 2010, the subject of this programme is "UNICEF's Clean Water and Environment for the Children of India programme" This is a three year programme which highlights in particular the importance of sanitation, hygiene and clean water. This programme has collected 69,772 euros during the just-concluded festive season.

World CEO Forum 2010Recognizing the increasingly important role played by the business sector in transforming the world economy, and its stakes in sustainable development, TERI- BCSD India, in association with the WBCSD (World Business Council for Sustainable Development ) Geneva organized theWorld CEO Forum 2010 on 4 February 2010 at Hotel Taj Palace, New Delhi. 'Vision for a Sustainable Tomorrow- Business as a Game Changer' was a seminar where IPCC chief R K Pachauri calls upon the tycoons of Indian trade and industry to opt decisively for solar energy if sustainable future has to be ensured.

90th Anniversary Celebrations of International Labour Organization (ILO)The International Labour Organization (ILO) deals with labour issues and is a specialized agency of the United Nations with its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland. ILO is the winner of Nobel Peace Prize in 1969. It was established as an agency of the League of Nations following the Treaty of Versailles. The Treaty of Versailles is one which ended World War I.

India has been one of the founder members of ILO and over the years, the mutual relationship has been very meaningful.

Anti dumping duty on carbon blackIndia Government imposes anti-dumping duty of ranged between Rs.4 to Rs.20 per kilogram of imported carbon black for 5 years as carbon blackfrom Thailand, China, Russia and Australia was being sold to Indian companies below their normal value.

CPCB survey - highest e-waste producing city, MumbaiAs per Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)'s survey Mumbai tops the list of electronic waste producing cities in the country. Delhi was placed second in the list. Kolkata is 3 rd.

India's Ambassador to Congo - Devendra Nath SrivastavaDevendra Nath Srivastava who is Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs is appointed as the next Ambassador of India to Congo.

India's next Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan - Professor Phunchok StobdanProfessor Phunchok Stobdan, an expert on issues concerning national and international security with specific focus on Asian affairs covering Central Asia and South Asia has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to Kyrgyzstan.

Mark Benson retires from ICC Elite PanelMark Richard Benson is a former International cricketer and is with ICC Elite Panel as cricket umpire since 2006 retires from the panel.

National Festival of Tribal Dances & Music - PrakritiMinister of Tribal Affairs Kantilal Bhuria inaugurates "Prakriti", National Festival of Tribal Dances & Music at New Delhi.

National Science and Engineering Research BoardThe Government of India is going to set up a National Science and Engineering Research Board on the lines of National Science Foundation in the United States. The proposal was announced in 2008. This will be an autonomous body that will focus on promoting basic research in science and engineering. A meeting of PM's Scientific Advisory Council was held on January 29, 2010 and now it is official that the Board will be formally launched in March 2010. Rs. 4000 crore are slated to be allotted as funds for next 3-4 years.

Goa : Bondla ZooBondla Zoo is in Goa and Central Zoo Authority had identified the Bondla Zoo as the Bison

breeding centre. It exchanges Bisons wth other animals.Now the Central Zoo Authority sanctions Rs. 20 Crore for a Master plan for development and Upgradation.

Bihar : Steady Decline in Polio Cases:As per latest figures released by the UNESCO and World Health Organization(WHO), Bihar has shown a steady fall in Polio cases since 2007. The number was 503 in 2007, came down to 233 in 2008 and 117 in 2009 thus making Bihar as one of the least affected states in the country.

Rajasthan : Liquor PolicyThe new state excise and liquor policy of Rajasthan is out and approved. State Government aims Rs. 2400 Crore earnings in the fiscal 2010-11. The new policy marks some changes such as 20% hike in the license of IMFL (India Made Foreign Liquor). This policy is coherent with the conservative and reformative approach of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's new government, which is quite different from the previous government of Vasundhara Raje.

*Uttar Pradesh - Budget 2010-11 some memorable points:Following new programs have been launched in Uttar Pradesh in the Budget of State 2010-11.

1. The ambitious "Sodic Land Reclamation Project-Third" launched. 2. "Dr. Ambedkar Krishi Urja Sudhar Yojna" launched to connect the pump sets in rural areas

with a separate power feeder.

3. Proposal to extend the benefit of the "Savitri Bai Phule Balika Shiksha Madad Yojna" also to the girl students getting admission in ITIs and polytechnics.

4. 'Decision to give benefit of the "Uttar Pradesh Mukhyamantri Mahamaya Garib Arthik Madad Yojna to the woman head of the family.

5. Under the scheme, the B.P.L. families which are not covered under the schemes of subsidised food grains and pension will be given financial assistance at the rate of Rs. 300 per month.

Renaming of Birla Global Finance:Birla Global Finance is a Non Banking Finance Company (NBFC) arm of Aditya Birla Financial Services Group (ABFSG). It has been renamed as Aditya Birla Finance (ABF) now. Sudhakar Ramasubramanian is the newly appointed CEO of the company.

Pitroda panel:Prime Minister had constituted a committee under Sam Pitroda in January 2010 to look into the functioning of two telecom public sector units BSNL and MTNL. Noted banker Deepak Parikh and the telecom secretary are members of this panel. recently BSNL had invited bids for GSM equipment for an estimated investment of over Rs 36,000 crore (Rs 360 billion) but the PSU could not place the orders even after 20 months of tender due to various issues, including legal battles. Now PM asks the department to refer this case to pitroda Panel.

Milan ExerciseExercise Milan is a largest four-day naval war game hosted by India starts on February 5, 2010. 12 navies of the Asia-Pacific region within the context of the Indian Navy's "Look East" policy and naval interactions to this effect take part in this mega naval exercise event. Milan is a biennial gathering which involves navies of the Indian Ocean. It is being organized by Indian Navy at Port Blair since 1995.Participants are Naval ships of Singapore (two ships), Sri Lanka, Thailand, Australia, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia and Myanmar, with representatives from navies of Brunei, Philippines, Vietnam and New Zealand.

Indo-UK Joint Economic & Trade Commission (JETCO)6th session of the Indo-UK Joint Economic & Trade Commission (JETCO) concludes in London and both the countries agreed on the need for further improvement in the regulatory environment impacting trade and investment flows. This JETCO Session was attended by Shri Anand Sharma, Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Lord Peter Mandelson, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation & Skills, Government of the UK. The UK is among India’s major trading partners. Bilateral trade with UK during 2008-09 stood at US $ 12 billion .

Sustainable Urban Transport Project Agreement of Government of India with World BankGovernment of India signs an agreement with World Bank for World Bank assisted Sustainable Urban Transport Project (SUTP). It was signed by Dr. Anup K. Pujari, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs on behalf of the Government of India and by Mr N. Roberto Zagha, Country Director on behalf of the World Bank.

What is this project about?The project will have a loan component of US$105.23 million from International Bank for Reconstruction and Development(IBRD) and a grant of US$20.33 million from Global Environment Facility(GEF). The projects will be implemented over a period of five years. The project will be implemented in five cities of four States: Maharashtra (Pune & Pimpri-Chinchwad), Madhya Pradesh (Indore), Chhattisgarh( Naya Raipur) and Karnataka (Mysore).

The objective of SUTP is to promote environmentally sustainable transport and to improve the usage of environmentally friendly transport modes in project cities. The project consists of Capacity Development Assistance for selected Cities and City Demonstration Projects.

On B K Somashekhara CommissionThe Government of Karnataka in 2008 had constituted Justice B.K. Somasekhara Commission of Inquiry to inquire into the sequence of events and circumstances leading to attack on the Churches and prayer halls and incidents thereafter which occurred during the month of September 2008 in Dakshina Kannada and other districts of Karnataka. The judicial proceedings of the commission come to an end. Now the commission expresses its displeasure over the less time given and urges thegovernment to give reasonable time to finish the work.

Government has instructed the commission to finish the job by March 31.

National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID): Government of India is setting up a national intelligence grid called NATGRID.It is a brainchild of Home Minister P Chidambaram. This NATGRID will be fully set up by May 2011 where each individual's data ranging from land records, Internet logs, phone records, gun records, driving license, property records, insurance, and income tax records would be available in real time and with no oversight.

Meditech Valley'MediTech Valley' is going to be developed by Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) on the outskirts of the city as a cluster for manufacturing medical devices and diagnostic equipment. This cluster would attract investors from the country as well as from abroad in manufacturing of medical devices and equipment. It is located close to Genome Valley.On February 6, 2010 AP Governor E S L Narasimhan unveils the logo of Meditech valley.

US President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities Member : Jhumpa Lahiri

World Tamils Protection SecretariatWorld Tamils Protection Conference decides to set up a permanent World Tamils Protection Secretariat at Penang in Malaysia

Punjab: Amritsar International FestivalAmritsar International Festival is the third International Folk Festival in Amritsar organised to promote the culture of Amritsar to the people across the world and to promote the heritage of the city globally. Third Amritsar International Festival is organised recently.

Bihar : JP Samman Pension Scheme:JP Samman Pension Scheme had been initiated for those who participated in the ''total revolution'' launched by veteran socialist leader Jai Prakash Narain in 1974.Recently the committee headed by state Home Secretary Amir Subhani approved the list of 1686 beneficiaries after their claims of having participated in total revolution were found correct following verification from jail records.

1. Those served more more than 6 months get Rs. 5000 per month and less than 6 months will get 2500 per month.

2. Activists serving less than one month jail term during the total revolution would be given mementos and citation papers.

Costa Rica's president-elect Laura Chinchilla

Wheat and Wheat Products: Towards Millennium Goals'This is the 5th international seminar on wheat which shall be organised at Ahmadabad from Feb 19.

Sikkim: 27th Office of Reserve Bank of India at Gangtok

Latest CSO Data on Indian Economy growthAs per the latest data released by Central Statistical Organisation, Indian economy is expected to register a growth of 7.2 per cent during this fiscal as against 6.7 per cent reported last year.

BHEL gets Punatsangchhu-I Hydroelectric project orderBharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) bags an order worth Rs 1,016 crore for 1,200 MW Punatsangchhu Hydroelectric Project Authority (PHPA), Bhutan. This is ''single largest contract'' for the company in the hydro electric power generation business segment. the project is being set up by Indian Government and Bhutan Government on the basis of a bilateral agreement.BHEL has presence in Bhutan for last 25 years and has successfully executed three Hydro Projects--336 MW Chukha, 60 MW Kurichu and 1,020 MW Tala--that accounts for nearly 95 per cent of the total power generating capacity in the country.

Gen Sarath Fonseka arrestedSri Lanka's defeated opposition presidential candidate Gen Sarath Fonseka arrested and the government announced he will be court-martialed for committing "military offenses.

DG of National Investigation Agency: SC Sinha

Pangsau Pass winter festivalPangsau Pass winter festival is a 4 day cultural extravaganza held in Nampong of Arunachal Pradesh. More than 26 tribes and sub-tribes with different cultures and unique festivals of their own exist in Arunachal Pradesh. The festival brings them all together.

Wipro, CSIR sign MoUIT Major of India Wipro had entered water business in March 2008 through the acquisition of Aquatech Industries (India) Pvt Ltd. A MOU is signed between CSIR and Wipro water for partner in the area of water and waste water treatment, desalination and other related solutions. Central Salt & Marine Chemicals Research Institute (CSMCRI), Bhavnagar has partnered with Wipro Water for this purpose.

Reserve Bank of India's Financial Literacy Tram:The Reserve Bank of India will launch a ''Financial Literacy Tram'' in Kolkata on February 12 to create awareness about various financial education themes of the central bank.

Mission Seven Summits‘Mission Seven Summits’ is an adventure-laced expedition to conquer the highest summits in seven different continents of the world. It has been launched by Indian Air Force.Having scaled the highest and most difficult mountain of the Asian continent, Mt. Everest (8848 M) in 2005, five ace IAF mountaineers led by Wg Cdr RC Tripathi, an Everest climber, will attempt Mt. Aconcagua 6,962 meters (22,841 ft), the highest mountain in the South Americas and the highest mountain outside Asia, from February 11 to March 2, 2010.

Andhra Pradesh : India's First Big Budget 2D animation Movie - Lava Kush- The warrior TwinsLava Kush- The warrior Twins is India's first big budget 2D animation movie which has been launched by Hyderabad based-Rayudu Group. Produced as Rayudu Vision Media (RVML Animation) studio, Hyderabad, at the cost of USD five million.

Devendra Pandey Committee has been constituted jointly by two ministries of Government of India viz. Environment and Forest Ministry, and the Tribal Affairs Ministry to study and assess the impacts of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (recognition of forest rights) Act, 2006, with regards to the Sustainable Management of Forest Resources.

Kerala: India's first 'total electrified district' PalakkadPalakkad in Kerala is India's first "total electrified district" as declared by Union Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde at February 16, 2010.

Lok Karmis:Government of India is considering to appoint an educated person from scheduled castes and scheduled tribes or minority communities in each panchayat as Lok Karmi to help villagers. This Lok karmi will be an educated person and will help the illiterate people. The Lok karmis would be a women preferably.

Eco-friendly Wipro Greenware desktopsIT Giant Wipro claims that It is the first Indian company to build a 100 percent recyclable and toxin-free computer, and joins a small group of manufacturers worldwide who have developed toxic-free electronics.

Indian Oil Companies in Venezuela:Venezuela has the largest conventional oil reserves and the second-largest natural gas reserves in the Western Hemisphere. Recently ONGC and and partners Indian Oil Corporation and Oil India Ltd won a bid to develop a major crude oil block Carabobo-1 in Venezuela's Orinoco Belt with Spain's Repsol YPF SA and Malaysia's Petroliam National Bdh. Total spending on the block over 25 years would be $19 billion.

Defexpo India 2010Defexpo India 2010 is the the sixth edition in the series of biennial Land and Naval Defence Systems Exhibition held at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi from Feb 15 to 18, 2010.

Task Force on Project ElephantOn February 12, 2010, Ministry of Environment and Forests has set up a task force on Project Elephant to give detailed recommendations to upgrade it for a more effective conservation and management of wild as well as captive elephants.

Polavaram ProjectPolavaram Project is located in East Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh. intention to complete the project within five years.

Recently the country also came up with a new demand to name this project as Indira-YSR Sagar Project. A high-level Central team comprising officials of Water Resources, Central Water and Planning Commission etc. had visited the project site in May 2009.

The Constitution (One Hundred and Eleventh Amendment) Bill, 2009 was introduced in Lok Sabha on 30 November, 2009. The bill has been referred to the Departmentally Related standing Committee on Agriculture under the Chairmanship of Shri Basudeb Acharia, MP for examination and report to the Parliament in February 2010.

Constitution (One Hundred and Eleventh Amendment) Bill, 2009 proposes to incorporate a new part (part IXB) in the Constitution so as to provide for legal framework to regulate the functioning of co-operative societies like democratic, autonomous and professional functioning.

A new article (Article 43B) is also proposed to be inserted in part IV of the Constitution (Directive Principles of State Policy) for the states to endeavour to promote voluntary formation, autonomous functioning, democratic control and professional management of cooperative societies.

Proposed National Seed BankGovernment of India is planning to establish a National Seed Bank. This seed bank will help farmers in the event of any crisis of shortage of seeds to cultivate.

Indian Cultural Centre (ICC) - MalaysiaICCR president Karan Singh and Malaysia's Human Resource Minister S. Subramaniam inauguarte a full-fledged Indian Cultural Centre (ICC), complete with a dance studio, music and yoga rooms, in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).

New Air Services Agreement (ASA) between India and NepalKeeping in view the recent developments in the civil aviation sector, and with a view to modernize and update the existing ASA based on the ICAO template,Government of India approves a new Air Services Agreement (ASA) between India and Nepal.

The agreement on new text was initiated in September 2009.

After this agreement , both the countries shall be entitled to designate any number of airlines for operation of mutually agreed services for which the respective country shall grant appropriate authorization and permission.

International Boxing Association (AIBA) rankings - Vijender Singh on top

Our Vice president Hamid Ansari has returned from a 12-day tour of three African nations- Zambia, Malawi and Botswana respectively. Several agreements in agriculture, health, power and small and medium enterprises were signed during this visit.The tour began from Zambia and later he travelled to Malawi and Botswana. He returned India on January 12, 2010. He was accompanied by Minister of State for Labor and Employment Harish Rawat, three members of parliament and a business delegation.

This was highest level visit from India to these African countries.Objectives:Objectives of this visit were to emphasizes the commitment that India has to continue to foster a multifaceted and mutually beneficial relationship with African countries, and to sign a variety of agreements during the visit, including in sectors like agriculture, SMEs, foreign offices interaction, health and power.

Extension of Credit:

India has also extended lines of credit to these countries - $30 million to Malawi, $20 million to Botswana and $10 million to Zambia. Besides, India also announces to give another $50 million line of credit to Zambia for the Itezhi Tezhi Hydropower project, with the deal to be signed during the vice-president's visit.

Maharashtra: Mumbai Monorail Project:Mumbai Monorail is being constructed by Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority. This is going to be first monorail of Independent India.In British India there was Patiala State Monorail Train ways which got closed in 1927.Its a 4 line project & will be opened in 2011. Construction has started from January 2009 and today, first Monorail rake arrives at Nhava Sheva Port from Malaysia and is awaiting clearance from the Custom authorities. The single Mono Rail rake, which sailed from Port Klang, Malaysia, on January 7, 2010, in vessel TS Malaysia, is about 12 meters long and has the carrying capacity of about 110 people. The rake will ride on the beams, for the trial tests, three days before the scheduled trial run on January 26, 2010.

Rs. 200 Crore for Tiger Conservation:Next 5 years Indian Government proposes to spend Rs. 200 crore on tiger conservation. Major part of this money will be spent for the development of Sundarbans biosphere in West Bengal, which is a UNESCO world heritage site and home to 400 Royal Bengal Tigers. Money will be infused for integrated coastal zone management from World Bank. Money will be used for plantation, wildlife protection and anti-trafficking activities under the Project Tiger scheme of the federal government running since 1973.

Karnatka: Ranganathittu Bird SancutaryRanganthittu Bird Sanctuary is located in Mandya District of Karnataka. Comprises six islets on the banks of the Kaveri River. In 2009 Salim Ali Interpretation centre was opened in this century. Now the Department of Forest of the state comes up some new plans to provide additional amenities for tourists.

Mysore: 'Pustakotsava''Pustakotsava' is the name of state level exhibition-cum-sale of Kannada Books, and was held at Mysore.

Manipur: Lui-Ngai-NiLui-Ngai-Ni is the name of Naga seed sowing festival in which the blessings of the Almighty God are sought for a bountiful and bumper harvest for the well-being of mankind, is the common festival of the Nagas. Observed in Manipur and Nagaland of North East India.

On National Institute of OceanographyA Y shaped new building is inaugurated at National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) campus Dona Paula, Goa by Union Minister for Science and Technology and Earth Science Prithviraj Chavan. He mentions purchasing of 3 new research vessels. Rs. 250 crores will be spent for this purpose.

Vessels of NIO:Here is brief description of the research vessels of NIO

1. Gaveshani is NIO's first research vessel acquired in December 1975. She serviced till 1994.

2. Sagar Sukti: It is a coastal research vessel, converted by acquiring a fishing trawler built 1990 by M/s Hooghly Dock & Port Engineers Limited (HDPEL) Howrah, West Bengal, India and owned by NIO with refit in 2001 by Dempo Shipbuilding & Engineering Ltd, Goa.

3. Sindhu Sankalp: Originally built as fishing training vessel (FV Chisio Maru) by the Japanese Government in 1989 was bought by NIO in 2008. It is undergoing extensive modifications and will be available for the scientist community from January 2010.

4. Sindhu Sadhna: Under construction at present. It will be a new multi-disciplinary oceanographic research vessel will have capabilities to undertake basin scare observations and will enable Indian oceanographers to take up studies not only in the seas around India, but also in any part of the Indian Ocean.

Andhra Pradesh Sports Authorities (Amendment) Bill 2010: to nominate in the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh(SAAP) eminent sportspersons working in State, Union Governments, corporations and nationalized banks. Andhra Pradesh Excise Act(Amendment) Bill 2010: for maintenance of public peace and law and order as the government had to close retail IML (India Made Liquor) shops and bars in the State. Andhra Pradesh Public Procurement Bill, 2010: for envisaging greater transparency, efficiency, cost-effectiveness, grievance redressal mechanism in public procurement

On Technology Perspective and Capability RoadmapDefense Minister A K Antony also announced that India will soon publish ''Technology Perspective and Capability Roadmap'' for future production and procurement of Defense equipment keeping in mind the future needs of the armed forces

'Trust Barometer' survey for 2010'Trust Barometer' survey for 2010 was in the series of the annual surveys by public relations firm Edelman. The survey reveals that India headquartered companies have been ranked as trustworthy by 78 per cent of people surveyed in India, 63 per cent of respondents in Mexico and 52 per cent in United Arab Emirates.

President of the All India Students Federation (AISF) - Paramajit Singh Dhaban

Educational Development Index - Punjab leadsNational University of Educational Planning and Administration (NUEPA) has conducted a survey which says that based upon Education Development Index which is prepared by NUEPA, Punjab pushes Delhi on second to lead with 0.917 points in school infrastructure index compared to Delhi.

RBI's HR audit:HR audit is a diagnostic tool which examines the organization’s HR policies and procedures to reveal the strengths and weaknesses of employees and suggests solution wherever required. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) embarks on its biggest ever human resources (HR) audit programme to take a complete re-look at its man management practices.

MOU for Biomass Gasifier Systems:In order to facilitate the rice mills to avail the special financial package expeditiously a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between State Bank of India, Patna and M/s Beltron Telecommunication Ltd, Patna. Through this technical & financial mechanism, about 500 rice mills would be able to avail the benefit by setting up biomass Gasifier systems during 2010 which will lead to the saving of about 20-25 million liters of diesel annually and at the same time avail the benefits of a reliable power supply.

Partners in Population and DevelopmentThe Partners in Population and Development (PPD) is an intergovernmental alliance of twenty-four 'developing' countries. This is the only organization in the world which is fully dedicated to South-South partnerships. Headquarters are at Dhaka. In this meeting India has announced 10 fellowships at the National Institute of Health and Family Welfare, New Delhi to the participants from Member Countries for building their capacity.

What is Mahesh Rangarajan committee related to?Mahesh Rangarajan led 11-member Committee will submit its report about the disturbances in

elephant corridors before May 2010. After this report is submitted, the central government will prepare the "elephant protection plan" to save wild elephants.

India - Latvia Investment Promotion and Protection AgreementOn 18th Feb. 2010, India and Latvia signed a Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (BIPA) for a period of ten years. This agreement is aimed at enhancing bilateral investment and technology flows between the two countries by creating favorable conditions for investors.

Which Indian Companies are investing in a China Pipeline to Myanmar?China National Petroleum Corporation is building the USD 2.01-billion pipeline to ship gas from blocks A-1 and A-3, where OVL and GAIL India hold 17 per cent and 8.5 per cent stakes respectively, to China. On February 18, 2010, Government of India permits Oil and Natural Gas Corporation and GAIL to pick 12.5 per cent stake in a pipeline that China is building in Myanmar, and allowed them to invest $1 billion more in fields that will provide gas to be shipped to China through the pipeline.

Nirmal PandeyAt the age of just 41 years, Nirmal pandey who is best known for his role of Vikram Mallah in Shekhar Kapur's ''Bandit Queen,'' dies at Mumbai of a heart attack.

Kerala: India's 38th Tiger Reserve : Parambikkulam wildlife sanctuary

IMF restores Zimbabwe's voting rights after seven yearsInternational Monetary Fund (IMF) elects to make Zimbabwe a full voting member, seven years after suspending its voting rights over a failure to pay back loans. However, Zimbabwe will still only have limited access to the IMF's lending facilities. Zimbabwe paid back some of its outstanding loans in 2006, but still owes the IMF about $140 million.

Shiv Jayanti:Birth anniversary of national Hero, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (Full name Shivaji Raje Bhosle ) celebrated in Maharashtra and all over India. He was born on February 19, 1630.

Arunachal Pradesh: 24th Statehood DayArunachal Pradesh celebrates its 24th Statehood Day.The former name of Arunachal Pradesh is NEFA (North East Frontier Agency) & it was created in 1954. Arunachal Pradesh attained its statehood on 20th February 1987. Arunachal is the largest state area-wise in the north-east region, even larger than Assam which is the most populous.

New Delhi: 12th National Conference of Chairpersons of State Public Service CommissionsMinister for Personnel, Public Grievances and pension, Mr Prithviraj Chavan asks the state Public Service Commissions to adopt best practices for transparent selection process while inaugurating the 12th National Conference of Chairpersons of State Public Service Commissions the Minister for Personnel, Public Grievances and pension at New Delhi. State Public Service Commissions should work out a purposeful training procedure for the officers and staff to help their effective functioning.

Jammu & Kashmir : 148 Crore Rupees for Nehru Yuva KendrasTo implement the announcement made by Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh in Srinagar, in 2009, the central government sanctions Rs. 148 crore for engaging 8,000 volunteers through Nehru Yuva Kendras in Jammu and Kashmir in various nation building activities. This scheme will be launched from May 2010. The scheme would provide a unique opportunity for the rural youth to engage themselves in nation building activities. This scheme will infuse the spirit of volunteerism and self-help which will go a long way in sustainable development of the J&K State.

New Delhi :India's first Standard Gauge train depot - MundkaDelhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) unveils India's first Standard Gauge train depot at Mundka. It costed Rs. 250 Crore. The Mundka depot is equipped with 16 stabling tracks, three inspection tracks and four tracks in the workshop area, the depot can accommodate 90 coaches.

Update on Amendment of Press and Registration of Books (PRB) ActOn October 15, 2009 The Union Information & Broadcasting Minister, Ambika Soni had stated that Government will soon amend Press & Registration of Books Act, (PRB Act) 1867 on a larger scale, as the existing provisions of the Act are inadequate to cater to the phenomenal growth of the print media in view of the liberalization of the government policies.

In this context, draft amendments are put on Registrar of Newspapers for India (RNI) website, www.rni.nic.in and also on the website of the Ministry, www.mib.nic.in. Besides, the RNI has also written to various newspaper associations separately inviting suggestions on the proposed amendments. The government invites suggestions from all the stakeholders on the proposed amendments to the Press and Registration of Books (PRB) Act.

Punjab: India's First Double Decker CoachRail Coach Factory (RCF), Kapurthala has developed the India's first air conditioned double decker prototype coach within a record time of eight months. This was announced in Union Railway Budget of last year 2008-09.

What are Western Disturbances?Western Disturbance (WD) are extra tropical storms which brings sudden winter rain and snow to the northwestern parts of the Indian subcontinent. This is a non-monsoonal precipitation pattern driven by the Westerlies. The moisture in these storms usually originates over the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Extra tropical storms are a global, rather than a localized, phenomena with moisture usually carried in the upper atmosphere (unlike tropical storms where it is carried in the lower atmosphere). In the case of the subcontinent, moisture is sometimes shed as rain when the storm system encounters the Himalayas.

China: Oldest Bricks FoundIn China's Shaanxi Province, five calcined bricks were unearthed from a site of the Yangshao Culture Period dating 5,000 to 7,000 years ago. Till now the oldest bricks known are 4000 years old.

India Carpet Expo-2010India Carpet Expo-2010 is a 4 day event that begins Pragati Maidan in New Delhi , inaugurated by Union Minister of Textile, Mr Dayanidhi Maran.

The carpet sector has revived and it has registered around 8 per cent growth in carpet export in the month of January this year while it was 5.5 per cent in December last year. 230 exhibitors of Handmade carpets and other floor covering from Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, Panipat and Delhi are displaying their products.

Gujarat: India's first yachting expeditionIndia's first ever land yachting expedition kicks off in great Rann of Kutch in Gujarat. This is a unique expedition which is being organized to mark the golden jubilee celebration of Air-Defense Regiment of Indian Army. Six air-defense regiment adventurers are participating in the 105 kilometer land yachting which will be completed in four days in the Run of Kutch.

Karnataka: 12 millionth Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) Smart CardThe Union Minister of Labour & Employment, Mallikarjun Kharge and the Chief Minister of Karnataka, Shri B.S. Yeddyurappa hand over the 12 millionth Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) Smart Card. Till now 23 states have joined the RSBY. Karnataka is 23rd state. Rashtriya

Swasthya Bima Yojana or RSBY started rolling from 1st April 2008. Beneficiaries under RSBY are entitled to hospitalization coverage up to Rs. 30,000/- for most of the diseases that require hospitalization.

Punjab: Foundation stone for two power projects based on biomassUnion Minister for New & Renewable Energy, Dr. Farooq Abdullah lays the foundation stone for two power projects based on biomass in Punjab. These Include 10 MW biomass power plant at village Binjon in Hoshiarpur district and 14.5 MW plant at village Channu in Muktsar district.

More than 114 biomass power projects of an aggregated capacity of 830 MW have been commissioned and another 55 biomass power projects of about 500 MW capacity are under implementation. The States of Punjab, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu have taken lead role in this sector.Punjab proudly leads all states and in Punjab 28 MW capacities have been completed and about 36 projects of aggregate 275 MW capacities are in pipeline.

Total number of Operational SEZs in India (as of February 2010) = 105

Maximum number of Operational SEZs: Andhra Pradesh (21)

What is Hoda Committee? The Anwarul Hoda committee was set up by the Planning Commission to review the country's minerals and mining policy. This committee submitted its report to the Government on 20th July, 2006 with recommendations on changes in the National Mineral Policy to attune it to the present requirements of the world economy for evolving of mining code adapted to the best international practices, streamlining and simplifying of procedures for grant of mineral concessions to reduce delays, strengthening the infrastructure for mining activities and recommendations on other issues for improving the environment for investment in the mining sector.

Madhya Pradesh Government will start Mukhayamantri Gram Sadak Yojna for the villages having population up to 500.

Chandigarh: Australia's Trade DepartmentAustralian government will soon set up a trade and commerce department in Chandigarh to boost the bilateral trade between Australia and India in general and Punjab in particular.