WBCS Current Affairs 01/03/2014 to 07/03/2014

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1.Hockey India (HI) has been accorded with the status of a National Sports Federation (NSF) for governing the sport of hockey (both men and women) in India. It will represent India in International events.

2.Former External Affairs Minister, Mr. Jaswant Singh released a book titled, “ India at Risk – Mistakes, Misconceptions and Misadventures of security policy”. The book is on 60 years of Indian security issues.

3.Microsoft Co-founder, Mr. Bill Gates regained the title of the world’s richest person in the Forbes 2014 billionaire list. Mr. Gates has topped the list for 15 of the last 20 years, with a net worth of $76 billion and Mexico’s telecommunications mogul Mr. Carlos Slim Helu is at second place.
As per the Forbes’ 28th annual ranking of the world’s billionaires 2014
Business Tycoon, Mr. Mukesh Amabani: India’s richest person for the 7th year in a row. Mr. Ambani is ranked 40th globally with net worth of $18.6 billion.
India has 56 billionaires in all with a collective net worth of $191.5 billion.

4.Indian shuttler, Arvind Bhat (34) defeated Denmark’s World No. 25 Hans-Kristian Vittinghus to clinch the men’s singles title of the $120,000 German Open Grand Prix Gold. This is the first time an Indian has won a German Open title in any category. ( Indian chief national coach Pullela Gopichand had reached the final way back in 1999.)

5.The Union Ministry of Minority Affairs launched two new initiatives for the welfare of Minorities. These are Maulana Azad Sehat Scheme and Nalanda Project, a Faculty Development Program for Minorities’ Higher Educational Institutions.

Maulana Azad Sehat scheme

“Sehat Card” would be issued to every student of the Institution financially aided by MAEF.
Preventive Health Check-up Camps would be organized by the Institute twice in a year, through Government/Private Hospitals/Nursing Homes.
All findings of the Preventive Health Checkups will be entered in the Sehat Card of the student by the Doctors.
In exceptional and deserving cases for serious ailments, the poor students belonging to notified minorities would be provided financial assistance for treatment in Government/Recognized Hospitals.
Serious ailments viz. Kidney, Heart, Liver, Cancer, Brain, Knee surgery and Spinal surgery or any other life threatening diseases would be covered.
Dispensary/Health Care Centre is to be set up in the educational institutions (School) to provide daily medical facilities to the students studying in the educational institutions funded/aided by MAEF.

About Nalanda Project- a Faculty Development Program for Minorities’ Higher Educational Institutions.

Objective: To help faculty learn new ways to achieve excellence and to grow as faculty members.
Supported by Aligarh Muslim University, a premier Minority University of world fame.
Faculty development includes education, collaboration, resources and support.
Faculty development is an essential element of institutional effectiveness in higher education. It has become a priority at many academic institutions as a way to improve the quality of academic programs and to respond to emerging faculty, student, program and industry needs.
Faculty who engage in professional development experiences benefit also in terms of increased vitality, informed pedagogy, teaching innovations and scholarly teaching.
Benefit: Through educational programs and workshops, faculty can learn the skills necessary to reach excellence in a changing academic environment.

6.The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) granted an additional nine months for the public to exchange currency notes printed before 2005, including Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 denominations, and set a deadline of January 1, 2015. The apex bank stated that the public can continue to freely use these notes for any transaction and people can unhesitatingly receive these notes in payment, as all such notes continue to remain legal tender.

7.The 86th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles.

Best Motion picture: 12 Years a Slave.
Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity).
Best Actor: Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club).
Best Actress: Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine)
Best Supporting Actor: Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club).
Best Supporting Actress: Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave).
Best Writing – Original Screenplay: Her by Spike Jonze.
Best Writing – Adapted Screenplay: 12 Years a Slave by John Ridley.
Best Animated Feature Film: Frozen.
Best Foreign Language Film: The Great Beauty (Italy) in Italian – Paolo Sorrentino
Best Documentary – Feature: 20 Feet from Stardom.
Best Visual Effects: Gravity
Best Film Editing: Gravity.
Best Costume Design: The Great Gatsby.
Best Cinematography: Gravity.
Best Sound Mixing: Gravity.
Best Sound Editing: Gravity.

8.The skeletal remains of the Indian soldiers, who were killed by the British troops for participating in the First War of Independence in 1857, are exhumed at Ajnala well in Amritsar district, Punjab. These were our freedom fighters who sacrificed their lives during the First War of Independence in 1857.

‘Kalian Wala Khuh’: Martyrs place where the remains of over 250 Indian soldiers dumped unceremoniously by the British in a deep well at Ajnala in the wake of the 1857 uprising.
Neither the Indian Government nor the Government of Punjab, attempted to extract the bodies of the martyrs and perform the last rites and restore the honour of the soldiers of the first freedom struggle.
Gurdwara Shaheed Ganj Committee (a gurdwara in the border town of Ajnala) exhumed the remains of Indian soldiers who were executed by the British authorities for participating in the 1857 mutiny.
The exercise is being done to perform last rites of these soldiers after160 years.
The well that was dug was previously known as kalianwala khu (well of the black people) has been renamed as Shaheedanwala khu (well of the martyrs).

9.The Union Cabinet raised the number of workdays under its flagship rural employment guarantee programme MNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005) from 100 days to 150 days for tribals. The decision will come into effect from April, 2014.
MNREGA’s objective: To enhance livelihood security of rural households for creating durable assets and discouraging migration.
Focus: On water conservation, water harvesting, drought proofing, land development, flood control and rural connectivity among others.

10.The Vice President of India, Mr. M. Hamid Ansari launched a book titled “Akbar – The Aesthete” authored by Dr. Indu Anand in New Delhi.

11.Japanese researchers are testing tiny ear computer that is worn on the ear and can be controlled with the blink of an eye or the click of a tongue.

12.Indian golfer, Rashid Khan(23) won the SAIL-SBI golf title 2014 against the Bangladeshi Siddikur Rahman at the Delhi Golf Club course in New Delhi. This was Rashid’s fifth career title and first international win. Owing to this win, Mr. Rashid became the 18th Indian to win an international tournament.
It was the third year in succession that an Indian won the SAIL-SBI Open.
Anirban Lahiri won the SAIL-SBI open for 2013 and 2012.

13.The noted Gandhian and environmentalist, Mr. Chandi Prasad Bhatt selected for the Gandhi Peace Prize for 2013.
About Mr. Chandi Prasad Bhatt
Born:1934.
Indian Gandhian environmentalist and social activist.
Founder of the Dasholi Gram Swarajya Sangh in Gopeshwar, which later became the mother organization to the Chipko Movement.
Known for his work on subaltern social ecology, and considered one of India’s first modern environmentalist
One of the pioneers of the Chipko movement for which he was awarded the Raman Magsaysay Award in 1982.
Awards: Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri, Green legend-Greenies Eco Award-2010, Raman Magsaysay Award, etc.
Note: Gandhi Peace Prize is an award that is bestowed to individuals and organizations for their contributions towards social, economic and political transformation through peace and other Gandhian methods.

14.For the first time, South Africa won the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup by defeating two-time former champions Pakistan by six wickets at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Man of the match – Mr. Corbin Borsch (South Africa)
Player of the tournament – South African captain Mr. Aiden Markram.
ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2014
This was the tenth edition of the tournament.
Sixteen international U-19 cricketing teams participated.
Held in Dubai (United Arab Emirates).
Top five cricket teams in the Under-19 cricket world cup: South Africa, Pakistan, England, Australia and India.
Indian side was captained by Vijay Hari Zol.
Note: The next ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup will be held in 2016 in Bangladesh.

15.Lt Gen PR Kumar appointed as Director General Military Operations (DGMO). He took the charge from Lt Gen Vinod Bhatia. Lt Kumar is an aviator and was holding the responsibility of the Directorate General of Army Aviation.
Note: The DGMO is an important office controlling the operations of the Army and is also responsible for immediate resolution of border conflicts with Pakistan and is soon expected to be assigned the same task with China as well.

16.Bollywood Actor, Mr. Salman Khan launched the music album titled “Raunaq” written by the Union Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Mr. Kapil Sibal. This album was composed by music maestro AR Rahman.

17.The Vice President of India Mr. M. Hamid Ansari released a book “Ambedkar: Awakening India’s Social Conscience” authored by Dr. Narendra Jadhav. This book is the first ever intellectual biography of Dr. Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar, a dalit icon and chief architect of the Indian constitution.
Dr. Jadhav is a member of the planning commission and a well-known economist, policy maker, educationist, social scientist and best-selling author and holds a PhD in Economics from Indiana University, USA.

18.As an initiative of the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation, India’s first electric zero-emission bus officially launched in Bangalore by the Karnataka Transport Minister R Ramalinga Reddy.
Features of India first electric zero-emission bus
Air-conditioned and has the capacity to seat around 41 passengers.
Takes 5 hours to be charged normally and half that time for a ‘fast’ charge.
The zero-emission Chinese-made BYD bus (K9D) is powered by four ferrous batteries, each producing 540 volts of electricity.
Maximum speed: 96 km/hr.
Cost: Rs 2.7 crore. ((Volvo Rs 88 lakh).
No oil required.
Runs for 250 km with 6 hours of charging.
Powered by ferrous batteries and is expected to eliminate pollution caused by regular fossil fuel-driven vehicles.

19.The Union Government approved the proposal to ensure Rs 1,000 minimum monthly pension under a scheme of retirement fund body EPFO. The government would provide an additional amount of around Rs 1,217 crore to ensure the minimum pension of Rs 1,000 starting 2014-15.
The decision to provide the entitlement under Employees’ Pension Scheme-95, run by the Employees’ Provident Fund Organization, was taken by the Union Cabinet in its meeting held in New Delhi.
Benefit of this scheme: With immediate effect. approx 28 lakh pensioners including five lakh widows will get benefit. (There are 44 lakh pensioners).

20.The Turkish President Mr. Abdullah approved the bill on restricting the judicial powers. The bill will give more control to the Justice ministry in comparison to the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors. It is an independent body that deals with the appointment of the judiciary.

21.The Union Ministry of Corporate Affairs notified new Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) rules for companies. They will apply to companies with at least Rs 5 crore net profit, or Rs.1,000 crore turnover or Rs.500 crore net worth. As part of the new Companies Act, these new CSR rules would come into effect from April 1, 2014.

Objective: For expanding the scope to include more activities but at the same time clarifying that contribution to state government funds and funding of political parties will not be considered CSR activities.

Excerpts of the actions that are considered as CSR activities:

Livelihood enhancement and rural development projects, promoting preventive health care and sanitation as well as making safe drinking water available, working towards protection of national heritage, art and culture including restoration of buildings and sites of historical importance and works of art, setting up public libraries and promotion and development of traditional arts and handicrafts.
To reduce inequalities faced by socially and economically backward groups.
Measures for the benefit of armed forces veterans, war widows and their dependents, setting up homes and hostels for women and orphans, setting up of old age homes, day care centres and such other facilities for senior citizens.
Control ecological balance, protection of flora and fauna, animal welfare, agro- forestry, conservation of natural resources and maintaining quality of soil, air and water.
Training to promote rural sports, nationally recognized sports, Paralympics sports and Olympic sports, contributions or funds provided to technology incubators located within academic institutions which are approved by the central government.


Provisions of new Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) rules for companies:

The companies

Falling under range are required to spend 2 % of their 3 year average annual net profit on CSR activities in each financial year, beginning from the next fiscal year 2014-15.
Has to declare its CSR policy. This policy should mention plans/ activities /programmes or projects. These works should not be a part of routine business activities.
Can undertake CSR activities as per the approval of the company’s board and decision of its CSR Committee in accordance with its CSR policy.
Are permitted to spend only 5% of the total CSR expenditure for manpower required for CSR activities in a single financial year. The manpower would include company’s own personnel and those of the implementing agencies.
Can also carry out CSR activities with a Society or a registered trust.
Rules also define the manner in which CSR committee should formulate and monitor CSR policy, role of board of directors.
A Company is permitted to collaborate with other companies in pursuing their CSR activities but they need to show their CSR reports separately.
Surplus from CSR activities cannot become a part of the profit of the company.
Any type of contributions to any political party will not be treated as CSR activities.
Spending for the benefit of the company’s own employees also cannot be a part of CSR activity.
All CSR activities will have to be within India.
The new rules will be applicable to the foreign companies registered in India.
Note: Notifications have been issued for Section 135 and Schedule VII of the Companies Act, 2013 that relate to CSR spending by companies.

22.Mr. Sourav Kothari won the National Billiard Championships held in Lucknow by beating Alok Kumar by 5-3. It is the first maiden title for Saurav Kothari since he turned professional in 2007.

23.The Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram inaugurated the India’s first post office savings bank ATM at the Head Post Office in Thyagaraya Nagar, Chennai.

24.The Government of India (GoI) and Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed an agreement for a $300 million loan to help improve road connectivity along key corridors in the State of Chhattisgarh.

25.Mr. Dinesh K Sarraf appointed the new Chairman and Managing Director (CMD)of Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC).
Previously, he was the Managing Director of ONGC’s overseas arm, ONGC Videsh (OVL). Mr. Sarraf replaced Mr. Sudhir Vasudeva.

26.The NASA’s Kepler mission announced the discovery of 715 new planets. These newly-verified planets orbit 305 stars, revealed multiple-planet systems much like our own solar system. This discovery marks a significant increase in the number of known small-sized planets more akin to Earth than previously identified exoplanets, which are planets outside our solar system. It used the planet-hunting Kepler telescope. It observed 150,000 stars and has found a few thousand of those to have planet candidates.

27.The Indian Naval Chief Admiral DK Joshi (59) resigned in the wake of submarine INS Sindhuratna accident. The Defense Ministry has accepted his resignation.
Vice Admiral RK Dhowan took over as the Acting Chief till regular Naval Chief is appointed.

28.Mr. Ibrahim Mahlab sworn- in as new Prime Minister of Egypt. He is a former member of Hosni Mubarak’s political party. Mr. Mahlab replaced Mr. Hazem el-Beblawi, who was interim Prime Minister of Egypt since 2013. Previously, he was the housing minister in the previous administration. Mr. Mahlab would head Egypt’s sixth government since the 2011 uprising that toppled the autocratic President Hosni Mubarak. He is expected to lead an interim government at least until the election of a new president.

29.Welspun Solar MP project, the largest Solar Power Plant of India launched at Bhagwanpur in Neemuch, Madhya Pradesh.
About Welspun Solar MP project
The 151-megawatt photovoltaic plant.
World’s 2nd largest & Asia’s Largest solar project (Single Plant).
Constructed by: Welspun Energy Ltd (WEL).
Location: Neemuch, Madhya Pradesh.
Inaugurated by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.
Set up at a cost of Rs. 1100 crore on 305 hectares of land.
Supply power at Rs. 8.05 a kWh.
This Project will raise Indian solar capacity by 7%.

30.ICICI Bank Ltd. launched ‘Branch on Wheels’ in Odisha as part their financial inclusion plans to provide banking services in remote villages in the state which are devoid of banking facilities.
ICICI Bank is the first private sector bank to launch Mobile Branch with ATM

31.Telecom major, Vodafone India and ICICI Bank announced the launch of mobile commerce initiative called ‘M-Pesa’ service in Odisha.
About M-Pesa service
A mobile money transfer and payment service that allows customers to transfer money to any mobile phone, remit money to any bank account, make utility payments, recharge of mobile, DTH payment and earn interest on deposits.
Empowers the un-banked and under-banked sections of the population gain access to financial services through the mobile phone.
This service will now be available across 202 Tehsils, 24 Districts through 1350 specially trained authorized agents including 73 Vodafone exclusive stores in Odisha.
Apart from Odisha, ‘M-Pesa’ has been rolled out in Delhi, Mumbai, West Bengal, Punjab, UP East, UP West, Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Assam & North East and Haryana. It will be made available across the country in a phased manner.

32.The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved Rs 350/tonne increase in the fixed cost for urea plants in reference to the Group of Minister’s recommendations. For urea plants, the fixed cost includes salary and wage expenses, contract labour, repair and maintenance, and selling costs. This move would lead to increase in subsidy by about Rs. 900 crore. Though, it would not have any impact on urea prices.
Under the New Pricing Scheme (NPS) III, the fixed cost of urea produced by plants which are 30 years old or more by Rs. 150/tonne and for all other plants by Rs 350/tonne. The minimum fixed cost would be Rs 2,300/tonne.
The CCEA also approved modification in the New Investment Policy for the soil nutrient to boost its domestic production.
The New Investment Policy:
Dropped the ‘guaranteed buyback’ provision that assured buyback of urea for 8 years from start of production.
Inserted a provision of bank guarantee of Rs. 300 crore from companies keen to set urea plants under this policy.
Government will provide subsidy on sale of urea produced from the new plants.
Note: In India, Urea production is stagnant at 22 million tonnes and the gap of 8 million tonnes is met through imports. To date, about 4 million tonnes of urea has been imported.

33.The US car manufacturer Hennessey developed the world’s fastest car “ Venom GT” with a top speed of an incredible 435 km/hr. The firm set a new record for the fastest car in the world during a test run at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.
Venom GT beat the previous best record of 431km/hr set by Bugatti Veyron Super Sport.

34.The veteran Indian painter Mr. Prokash Karmakar (81) passed away in Kolkata due to age related illness. The painter was best known for his landscapes and nudes.

35.The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (Government of India) and Israel signed three pacts to strengthen the efforts in the war against terror and beef up bilateral security relations.

36.The well-known Telugu litterateur, Dr. Janumaddi Hanumath Sastry (90) passed away in Kapada town of Andhra Pradesh due to old age-related illness.

37.India and Saudi Arabia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on defense cooperation for greater exchange of information and training in New Delhi. The agreement was signed by Saudi Arabia’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Nizar Bin Obaid Madani and India’s Minister of State for Defence Jitendra Singh.

38.The Maritime Energy Heli Air Services (MEHAIR) jointly with Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) launched the India’s first seaplane service from mainland at Mumbai, through which tourists will be taken by two Amphibian aircraft to tourist spots like water bodies where there are no runways. The first service will take off on March 10, 2014 from Mumbai to AambyValleyCity.

39.The second edition of Global Ayurveda Festival Kerala 2014 (GAF) held at Queen of Arabian Sea, Kochi in Kerala.

40.The Indian-origin, Master Shubham Banerjee (12) invented Braigo, a low-cost Braille printer by using toy construction Lego pieces in USA.
About Braigo, a low-cost Braille printer
A mash-up of Braille and LEGO.
Cost: $350.
Designed from the Lego Mindstorms EV3 set.
Modified a robot model to make a functional printer at a fraction of the cost of other machines in the market. (Basic model Braille printers retail for about $2,000 online).
Programmed to produce the letters :A to Z” in Braille. It takes about seven seconds to print each letter.
Users can type in letters, and the Braigo’s needle will hammer out the translated message in raised dots on paper.
Future Plan: To programme Braigo to print the numbers one to 10.
What is Braille printer?
Braille printers, also known as embossers, are used to make copies of electronic documents on paper in a format that is readable by blind people.

41.President Mr. Pranab Mukherjee approved the Telengana Bill and on the recommendation of the Union Cabinet imposed President’s Rule in Andhra Pradesh.
Why President’s rule imposed in Andhra Pradesh?
Due to the resignation of Mr. N. Kiran Kumar Reddy from the CM post of Andhra (to protest against the passage of Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill to create a separate State of Telangana), the President’s rule imposed in Andhra Pradesh, as the State was without a Chief Minister and no party came forward to form the government.
President Mr. Pranab Mukherjee gave his nod to place under suspended animation the Andhra Pradesh assembly whose term is slated to end on June 2, 2014.
After President’s assent to the Telangana bill, appointed day yet to be published in the Gazettee of India.
About President’s Rule (Article 356 of the Constitution of India)
Purpose: To deal with the failure of the Constitutional machinery of an Indian state.
In practice, President’s rule has been imposed under different circumstances viz.State Legislature is unable to elect a leader as Chief Minister, Breakdown of a coalition, Elections postponed for unavoidable reasons, etc.
The President on the advice of the governor or on his own attains the right to dissolve the state government and its council of ministers, thereby impose president rule. The parliament must approve the president rule to come into effect. After the implementation of president rule, the governor heads the state and takes all the power.
When President’s rule is imposed, the assembly is either dissolved or kept in suspended.

42.For the first time, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) launched its Zero Discrimination Day on March 1 in Beijing, China, to support those who are infected by HIV/AIDS.
About Zero Discrimination Day 2014
Motto: To call the people everywhere to promote equal rights for AIDS victims and celebrate everyone’s right to live a full life with dignity no matter what they look like, where they come from or whom they love.
Transformative Symbol: Butterfly.
Vision: Zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths.
An initiative of UNAIDS advocate and Nobel laureate Ms. Daw Aung Suu Kyi.
Offers an unprecedented opportunity for raising awareness; for speaking up to support people who have been discriminated against; for promoting diversity; and for becoming champions of tolerance, compassion and peace.
Discrimination against HIV/AIDS victims is a serious barrier preventing the provision of equal services.

43.The Ennore Port Limited of Chennai officially renamed as Kamarajar Port Ltd. after the veteran Congress leader and former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Mr. Kumarasami Kamarajar. Mr. Kamarajar was known for his pioneering efforts including introducing the free noon-meal scheme for children in schools besides heralding the state’s industrialization.

44.The Vice President of India, Mr. M. Hamid Ansari released the commemorative postage stamp of Freedom fighter “Maulana Hasrat Mohani” in New Delhi.

45.Indian-origin men, Professor Abraham Verghese and Mr. Sanjeev Arora are among the five recipients who won the 19th Heinz awards 2013 and will be honored in Pittsburgh on April 3, 2014. Each winner will receive a cash award of $250,000 each as well as a medallion inscribed with an image of late US senator John Heinz.Awards recognize outstanding individuals for their contributions in five areas: Arts and Humanities, Environment, Human Condition, Public Policy, and Technology, the Economy and Employment.

46.An Indian-born scientist, Dr. M Madan Babu won the Protein Science Young Investigator Award for 2014 at Cambridge, UK. He got the award for his effort in the field of biological system and to understand intrinsically disordered proteins and gene regulation clearly. MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, CambridgeUK
He became the first scientist from MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology to won this award.
At present, Dr. Babu heads the group on Regulatory Genomics and Systems Biology at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK.

47.The German Chancellor Ms. Angela Merkel awarded the Presidential Medal of Distinction (Israel’s highest civilian honor) by the President of Israel, Mr. Shimon Peres. She was awarded with this medal for her firm commitment to the security of Israel along with her fight against anti-Semitism and racism in particular through education.

48.NTPC will set up a 1,320 MW thermal power project at Kajra in Lakhisarai district of Bihar. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between NTPC, Bihar State Power Generation Company Limited (BSPGCL) and Lakhisarai Bijlee Company Private Limited (LBCPL) at Patna in Bihar.
Estimated cost of the project: Approx Rs. 9200 crore.
The plant would have two units of 660 MW each.
Note: In the joint venture, NTPC would have 74% stake and the rest would be with BSPGCL.

49.The ISO 9001: 2008 awarded to Raj Bhavan in Mumbai, Maharashtra in recognition of the standard management practices adopted and implemented by the Governor’s Secretariat and its staff. The certificate recognises that Raj Bhavan has established general and office related improvement check-lists and has also laid down standard operating procedures for all departments.

Raj Bhavan has set an example for other organizations in terms of efficiency, standards and quality of services.
About ISO 9001: 2008 (Quality management system)
International standard related to quality management system, applicable to any organization from all types of business sectors and activities.
Provides guidance and tools for companies and organizations who want to ensure that their products and services consistently meet customer’s requirements, and that quality is consistently improved.
Objective: To seek continuous performance improvement for all organizations.
To meet the requirements for the ISO 9001:2008 certification, an organization should demonstrate its ability to consistently provide products that meet applicable regulatory requirements and continue to meet changing expectations of customers.
Benefits of ISO 9001:2008
Involves Top management in the improvement of the Quality management System.
Facilitates the organization to become a customer-focused organization.
Ensures sustained customer satisfaction by producing, delivering services and providing support functions that meet customer’s needs and expectations.
Increases the effectiveness and efficiency of the organization through continual improvement in systems and products /services quality.

50.The Vice President of India, Mr. M. Hamid Ansari launched a book titled “Water, Peace and War – Confronting the Global Water Crisis” authored by Mr. Brahma Chellaney.

51.The Supreme Court of India referred the issue of legalizing euthanasia in the country to a five-judge Constitution bench. Euthanasia is the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering. Due to conflicted opinions on euthanasia, the apex court stated that the Constitution bench will go into all aspects of the issue and take a final decision on framing guidelines.