WBCS Current Affairs 27/12/2014 to 02/01/2015

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1.Greece’s Prime Minister Antonis Samaras has dissolved the country’s parliament ahead of snap elections to be held on 25 January.
Dissolution of Parliament comes after it failed to elect the President in the third and final round of voting.
In the third and final round for electing President, ruling government’s candidate Stavros Dimas (former European Commissioner) was defeated by 180 votes, resulting in dissolution of the Parliament.
Prime Minister Antonis Samara’s ruling coalition government had came into power in 2012 after the General Elections.
In 2012 General elections, Prime Minister Samaras-led New Democratic Party had won the elections and formed the government.

2.Central Government has appointed A.K. Mittal as Chairman of Railway Board. His name was cleared by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) headed by Prime Minister.

3.Gujarat government has announced its new industrial policy for 2015. It was announced by Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel ahead of the Vibrant Gujarat Summit which begins from January 11, 2015.
This industrial policy aims to make state a global manufacturing hub by playing a pivotal role in realising Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ dream.

4.French economist Thomas Piketty has turned down France’s top award, the Legion D’Honneur.
He is the bestselling author of book Capital in the 21st Century which examines income inequality in society.
Earlier in 2014, cartoonist Jacques Tardi had turned down this award. Others who have refused this award include philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre and radiology pioneers Pierre and Marie Curie.
Officier de la Legion d’Honneur (Officer of the Legion of Honour) is the highest award among Civilians and Military conferred by France upon French citizen as well as foreigners.
Some facts: Indian luminaries who have been decorated with France highest honor are Satyajit Ray, Lata Mangeshkar, Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan.

5.Former Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs Kamala Sinha passed away in Syracuse, New York in US. She was 82.

6.Delhi police has launched women safety mobile application ‘Himmat’. It was launched by the Union home minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi.
It is an android based mobile app, which aims to cater employed women who have smartphones and travel alone late in the night.
This application will allow women to send a distress call to Police Control Room (PCR) and their relatives in case of any emergency.
Key facts of women safety mobile app ‘Himmat’
In case to use this app, user has to download this app on their smartphone.
After downloading the app, new user has to register them with the Delhi Police website by sharing their name, mobile number and that of a minimum of two relatives/friends.
In case of emergency, user can send an alert by shaking her phone or by pressing the power button/soft button.
As soon as the distress button is pressed, it will trigger a 30-second audio and video recording on the phone which will be relayed to the PCR. The victim will get a call back from the PCR.
After distress button is pressed, SMS alert consisting of all the details of the victim, including her location, time will be forwarded to the PCR. Then from PCR, SMS alert it will be forwarded to the police patrol cars in the area and the local station house officer (SHO) through the Delhi Police cyber highway.
In case of emergency, SMS alert will also be sent to minimum of 5 friends and relatives of the user. It will also post a status on the victim’s Facebook and Twitter accounts.
In order to tackle false SOS alerts/ alarms the app is provided with inbuilt feature which cancels the registration after 3 such (False SOS alerts) incidents. But, the user can re-register to re-activate the facility.

7.Missiles
India and Pakistan on 1st January 2015 have exchanged the list of their nuclear installations and facilities under the agreement on Prohibition of Attack against Nuclear installations between India and Pakistan.
The exchange of list was done through diplomatic channels simultaneously at New Delhi and Islamabad.
It is the 24th consecutive exchange of such list between the two neighbouring countries which bars them from attacking each other’s atomic facilities.
Agreement on the Prohibition of Attack against Nuclear installations between India and Pakistan
This bilateral agreement bars both nations from carrying out any surprise attack (or to assist foreign power to attack) on each other’s nuclear installations and facilities.
It was signed on 31st December 1988 and entered into force on 27 January 1991. It was signed by then Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and his Pakistani counterpart Benazir Bhutto.
Both countries inform each other about their nuclear installations and facilities that need to be covered under the Agreement on 1 January every year.

8.Union government has renamed Planning commission as National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog.
The renaming of the Planning Commission is being seen as the first step towards replacing it with a new-age institution.
Key Facts about National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog
It will serve as a ‘Think Tank’ of the government i.e. a directional and policy dynamo.
It will also provide governments at the central and state levels with relevant strategic and technical advice across the spectrum of key elements of policy formulation.
This includes matters of national and international import on the economic front, dissemination of best practices from within the country as well as from other nations, the infusion of new policy ideas and specific issue-based support
It will work towards the following objectives
Evolve a shared vision of national development priorities
Foster cooperative federalism
Develop mechanisms to formulate credible plans at the village level
Focus on technology upgradation, among other things.
Composition
Chairperson- Prime Minister.
Governing Council- It will consist of- Chief Ministers (of States) and Lt. Governors (of Union Territories).
Regional Council- It will be formed on need basis. It will compromise Chief Ministers (of States) and Lt. Governors (of Union Territories).
Vice-Chairperson- To be appointed by the Prime Minister.
Members- Full time Basis.
Part time members- Maximum of 2. They will from leading universities research organizations and other relevant institutions on a rotational basis.
Ex Officio members- Maximum of 4 members of the Union Council of Ministers to be nominated by the Prime Minister.
Special invitees- They will be nominated by the Prime Minister and will be experts, specialists and practitioners with relevant domain knowledge as special invitees.
Chief Executive Officer- Appointed by the Prime Minister for a fixed tenure, in the rank of Secretary to the Government of India.
Secretariat- If deemed necessary.
Background
Government’s decision comes after the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2014 Independence Day announcement that the Planning Commission would be replaced with a new-age institution.
Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 7th December 2014 had held consultation meeting with Chief Ministers of states, where most CM’s had favoured restructuring of the Socialist-era planning body. However, some Congress Chief Ministers opposed disbanding of the existing set-up.

9.Tropical storm Jangmi has hit Surigao del Sur province on northern Mindanao in Philippines. This tropical storm is locally is known as Seniang.
This storm had approached the land with gusts wind of 100 kph resulting heavy rain. This heavy rain has triggered flash floods and landslides in the country.
Jangmi storm has also affected several parts of neighbouring countries of Philippines like Malaysia and Thailand.
In 2014, in total 30 storms had occurred in the Northwest Pacific, 16 of them have affected the Philippines. Among 16 storms, 6 were strong enough to be classified as typhoons. Earlier in December 2014, Super Typhoon Hagupit had lashed central parts of Philippines with winds of 215 kph.

10.Government has signed a loan agreement with Asian Development Bank (ADB) for 75 million dollars and 1.8 million dollar grant for Karnataka Integrated Urban Water Management Investment Program (KIUWMIP).

11.Government has decided to separate the post of Chairman and Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in public sector banks.
With this decision government is breaking the tradition of having the heads of state-run banks act as both chairman and managing director.
As per the Finance Ministry, the Chairman in public sector banks other than State Bank of India (SBI) will be a part- time board member. He will preside over the board meetings and will not be an Executive Chairman.
This means that for the first time, PSU banks will have a non-Executive Chairman, giving operational responsibility to Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
In pursuance of the decision, the government has appointed four Managing Directors and CEOs of following 4 PSU banks
Koteeswaran was named as MD and CEO of Indian Overseas Bank.
Srinivas was named as MD and CEO of United Bank of India.
Animesh Chauhan was named MD and CEO of Oriental Bank of Commerce.
Kishore Sansi was named MD and CEO of Vijaya Bank.
Above 4 MD’s and CEO’s will have tenure of 3 years or till the date of superannuation, whichever is earlier. These appointments were made based on the recommendations of Appointments Board chaired by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor.
Government also has decided to go for a fresh selection procedure for the post of Chairman and MD and CEO in Bank of Baroda, Punjab National Bank and Canara Bank, which are ‘A’ category large banks.

12.Microsoft has sued an Indian company C-Cubed Solutions along with other entities for misusing its name and registered trademarks by providing fraudulent technical support services to unsuspecting consumers.

13.IAS officer M Sathiyavathy has become first woman to be appointed as Director General (DG) of Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
She will succeed Prabhat Kumar, to become first woman to become the chief aviation regulator for period of three years till 2017.
She is a 1982-batch UT cadre IAS officer. Earlier she has served in the Civil Aviation Ministry as a Joint Secretary and Financial Adviser since February 2014.
About Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)
DGCA is India’s regulatory body for civil aviation. It comes under the aegis of Union Ministry of Civil Aviation.
As a regulatory body, it seeks to promote
Safe and efficient Air Transportation through regulation and proactive safety oversight system in India.
Enforce civil air regulations, air safety and airworthiness standards in India as per International standards.

14.President Pranab Mukherjee has given his assent to National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Bill, 2014 that seeks to scrap the collegium system of appointing judges to higher judiciary.
This bill lays down the procedure that must be followed by NJAC for appointment as Chief Justice of India (CJI) and other Judges of the Supreme Court (SC), and appointment and transfer Chief Justice and other Judges of High Courts (HC). This bill was passed by Parliament in August 2014.
This assent comes after 121st Constitutional Amendment Bill, 2014 was ratified by 16 state legislatures out of the 29.
121st Constitutional Amendment Bill, 2014: It grants Constitutional status to the NJAC and its composition which will be headed by the Chief Justice of India.
Thus, President Assent paves the way for the setting up of NJAC, which will appoint and transfer judges to the Supreme Courts and the 24 High Courts.

15.India’s largest nuclear reactor at Kudankulam has started generating electricity on a commercial basis after it received green signal from Nuclear Power Corporation(NPC).
This 1000 MW reactor made with Russia’s help is generating electricity only on an experimental basis after its turbine had suffered damage a few months ago. After repairing these damages it has started generating full 1000 MW of power.
Power generated form this reactor will provide much needed relief to Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karnataka and Kerala where power output will be augmented.
The reactor made at a cost of over Rs. 8000 crores has been much delayed and activists have called it ‘unsafe’.
The second 1000 MW unit at Kudankulam is likely to come online in 2015.
Facts about Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant
Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant is a nuclear power station in Koodankulam in Tamil Nadu with a capacity of generating 2000 MW with 2 reactors.
Advantages of KNPP
It’s a technologically proven design.
Inbuilt safety features to minimize the risk of any radiation leaks.
The location is least earthquake prone area.
Its height ensures safety from potential tsunamis.

16.The National Biodiversity Conference (NBC)-2015 will be held in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala from 23rd to 27th February.
It will be second edition of this biodiversity conference and its focal theme for 2015 is ‘Biodiversity: Access and Benefit Sharing’.
NBC is being organized as the most important biodiversity mega event of India, under the auspices of MoEF and National Biodiversity Authority and all other organisations involved in conservation and promotion of biodiversity in the country.
2 edition of NBC will consists of conference, workshops and exhibitions that will help to create awareness for accounting natural capital as a national asset.
All conservation leaders and natural resource managers are going to participate in this conference to promote sustainable development.
Background: It is a biennial event and first NBC was organized by Kerala State Biodiversity Board (KSBB) in Thiruvananthapuram. The theme of NBC 2012 was “Biodiversity for food security”.

17.UN Security Council (UNSC) has rejected a resolution demanding an end to the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories within three years i.e. 2017.
In this regard, Jordan earlier had submitted the motion in UN after it was agreed and backed by 22 Arab states and the Palestinian Authority.
Eight members of the 15-strong Security Council voted for it
Russia, China, France, Argentina, Chad, Chile, Jordan and Luxembourg voted in favour the resolution.
US and Australia voted against it.
UK, Lithuania, Nigeria, the Republic of Korea and Rwanda remained abstained.
This resolution failed to get support of at least nine members in order to pass.
Background
Earlier, Palestinian had campaigned in UN for three months in order to secure its passage of this draft resolution.
This draft had outlined a solution which aimed to fulfill the vision of two independent, Israel and a sovereign State of Palestine.
It also had called for new negotiations to take place based on territorial lines that existed before Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 war.
This resolution aimed to force Israel to fully withdraw from all occupied Palestinian territories by the end of 2017 and for a comprehensive peace deal to be reached within a year.

18.Krishan Kant Paul is appointed as Uttarakhand governor for the remainder of his term. Earlier, he was governor of Meghalay and was appointed on July 8, 2013. Now he will also continue to hold additional charge of Manipur state till further orders from President.

19.Union Government has set up a high-level committee in order to allay apprehension of data and intelligence sharing by various government agencies with the proposed real-time intelligence sharing set up National Intelligence grid (NATGRID).
Members: It will be headed by the Union Home Secretary. While the chiefs of all intelligence agencies and investigating units will be the members.
This committee will discuss with 22 stakeholders of NATGRID like IB, R&AW, CBI, and CBDT to remove their apprehension on breach of security and misuse of information.
It will also have discussions with state governments and chalk out strategy on how to bring synergy in data sharing, coordination and dissemination of information.
Background
The idea of NATGRID was first conceptualised by former Home Minister P Chidambaram after the Mumbai 26/11 attack and was approved by the Cabinet committee on Security during UPA regime.
National Intelligence grid (NATGRID)
This central agency aims to have an integrated intelligence grid that will link databases of several departments and ministries of the Government of India in order to collect comprehensive patterns of intelligence that can be readily accessed by multiple agencies.

20.Actress Luise Rainer passed away in London, UK. She was 104.
She was born on 12th January 1910 in Vienna, Austria. She was renowned German-born Austrian and American film actress of cinema’s golden era.

21.The 13th Pune International Film Festival (PIFF) will be held at Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad in Maharashtra from January 8 to 15. This edition of film festival will focus on the theme “War against War”.

22.Malayalam filmmaker Madhu Kaithapram passed away in Kozhikode, Kerala. He was 44.

23.International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) has launched a customised low-cost combination of phone and tablet computer called ‘GreenPHABLET powered by the GreenSIM’.
This device aims to empower small farmers who own small plots of land by providing them with precise information related to agriculture and help them purchase inputs at lower prices, get a better price for their produce and link them to markets.
Key facts of ICRISAT’s GreenPHABLET
It has been developed by the ICRISAT Centre of Excellence in ICT Innovations for Agriculture in collaboration with NUNC Systems, a company based in Hyderabad.
This device acts like a mobile village knowledge centre/common service centre, enabling farmers to benefit from contemporary information and communication technologies by penetrating Internet connectivity in remote rural region
It will provide farmers with free messages about the weather and pest problems while sharing the most competitive agricultural input and crop prices.
It should be noted that GreenSIM was created under a unique partnership between ICRISAT, mobile phone service provider Airtel, and the IFFCO (Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative) Kisan Sanchar Limited (IKSL).
The GreenSIM had received the prestigious Flame Award 2013 from the Rural Marketing Association of India (RMAI). It was also cited for ‘showcasing innovative use of technology of the decade’.
About International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid-Tropics (ICRISAT)
ICRISAT is a non-profit agricultural research organization headquartered in Patancheru in Hyderabad, Telangana.
It was founded in 1972 by a consortium of organizations convened by the Ford and the Rockefeller Foundations. Its charter was signed by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
It has several regional centres around globe- Niamey (Nigeria), Nairobi (Kenya) and research stations Bamako (Mali), Bulawayo (Zimbabwe).
Since its inception, India has granted special status to ICRISAT as a UN Organization operating in the Indian Territory making it eligible for special immunities and tax privileges.

24.Eminent journalist B.G. Verghese passed away in Gurgaon, Haryana. He was 87.

25.Indian cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni has announced his retirement from Test cricket with immediate effect.
His decision came after the third Test match of India against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground which ended in a draw.
Now on 6th January for the Fourth and Final Test against Australia, Indian team will be led by Virat Kohli. It should be noted that India has already lost the series.
After his retiring from Test career, he is going to focus on ODI and T20 cricket.
Some facts about Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s Cricket career
He was captain for 60 test matches out of total 90 he had played.
He also holds best record of most Test matches wins as India captain i.e. 27 wins, beating Sourav Ganguly’s earlier 21 test matches wins record.
He had started his Test career in 2005 as wicket-keeper against Sri Lanka and for the first time he became captain of Indian Test Cricket team in 2008.
He also hold record for stumping around 134 players in all the three match formats of cricket by surpassing Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara.
In his Test career, he has scored 4876 runs in 144 innings and his highest Test score is 224 runs.
He also is first Indian batsman to complete 10,000 runs or more as captain in international cricket, joining Ricky Ponting (15440), Graeme Smith (14878), Stephen Fleming (11561) and Allan Border (11062).
He also had led India in two unprecedented ICC World Cup titles (2007-Twenty20 World Championships and the 2011-ODI World Cup).

26.AirAsia flight QZ8501 had disappeared from air traffic control (ATC) screens over the Java Sea coast off Indonesia on 28 December, as it flew from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore with 162 people on board.
This flight lost its contact with ATC after the pilot of plane had requested a change of flight plan due to bad weather, but were not allowed to alter course by authorities.
The debris of the missing plane along with floating bodies of some passengers were spotted on 30th December in the Java Sea off Indonesia, close to the area where contact was lost with the aircraft.
About AirAsia flight QZ8501 Incident
Airbus A320-200 took off from Surabaya in Indonesia to Singapore.
It was carrying 155 passengers- 1 British, 1 Malaysian, 1 Singaporean, 3 South Koreans, 149 Indonesians and 7 crew members- 6 Indonesians and a French co-pilot.
The pilot’s last contact was a request to divert around bad weather.
The debris of plane along with dead bodies were discover three days after the multinational search and rescue operation involving Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia in the Java Sea.
The AirAsia plane was delivered in 2008, has flown 13,600 times, completing 23,000 hours, and underwent its last maintenance in November.
AirAsia also has an excellent safety record and there were no fatal accidents involving its aircraft.
It is the third aviation disaster of 2014 involving South Asian country Malaysia
First incident was the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 in March 2014 which is consider as worst Aviation Disaster killing 239 people on board and still remains unsolved.
Second incident was attack on Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 by pro-Russian rebels over Ukraine in July 2014.

27.Union government has given its nod for ordinance route to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955 and the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996.
This move of government comes few days before Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) 2015 which marks the centenary year of Mahatma Gandhi’s return to India from South Africa on January 9, 1915.
Key facts
Citizenship Act amendments will benefit People of Indian Origin (PIO) and will give them benefits like life-long visa and exemption from appearing before the local police station on every visit etc.
It will also change the clause of parent Act which says that foreigners who marry Indians must continuously stay in the country for a period of one year before they get an Indian citizenship. In this regards they will get relief of 30 days in a year when they can travel outside the country.
The amendment also clears the way for relaxed visa norms for minor children of Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) cardholders.
While, the amendment to the Arbitration and Conciliation Act are based on the 246th report of the Law Commission of India. It seeks to remove inadequacies in its functioning.
Background
These ordinances come in the wake of Prime Minister’s Madison Square Garden speech to Indian diaspora in September 2014 where he had mentioned that both PIO and OCI cards would be merged.
Previously, in 2013 then UPA government had first introduced Citizenship Amendment Bill.
There was also demand from PIOs to amend the Act as they were facing often stringent visa norms that debarred them from buying property in India, in comparison to those holding OCI card and visits to local police stations.
As per the previous provisions, PIO cardholders are eligible for 15-year visas in comparison to lifelong visas given to those having OCI cards.

28.Tamu Lhochhar festival is being observed on 30th December with gaiety and full fervor in Nepal which marks new year among different communities.

29.Union Cabinet has approved a proposal to take the ordinance route to amend the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013.
It seeks to speed up developmental and security related projects without compromising on the benefits/compensation given to the farmers under parent Act.
This Union Cabinet meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Key Amendments
Consent clause and Social Impact Assessment (SIA): This amendment ordinance relaxes the requirements of consent and SIA survey clause from parent Act for projects in five areas namely- national security and defence, rural infrastructure and electrification, affordable housing for the poor, development of industrial corridors and infrastructure and social infrastructure including PPPs in which ownership rests with the government. In this regard multi-crop irrigated land can also be acquired for these purposes.
Brings 13 exempted Acts under it: It brings all those exempted 13 Acts of parent Act under the purview it for the purpose of compensation as well as rehabilitation and resettlement.
Thus, by choosing ordinance route to amend parent Act government is aiming to strike a balance between farmers’ welfare and the strategic and developmental needs of the country.
Background
This Act came into force on January 1, 2014. Its objective was to transform the process of land acquisition into a humane, participative, informed and transparent process.
It had replaced Land Acquisition Act, 1894 and hiked the compensations by four times and twice the market value in rural areas and urban areas, respectively.
Under it there was need of consent from 70 per cent of the affected land owners in case of their lands being acquired for a public private partnership (PPP) project. If the acquisition was meant for private companies, consent from 80 per cent of the affected owners was required.
It also had mandated a Social Impact Assessment (SIA) survey to be held along with the process of getting the families’ consent.
Previously, 13 statutes Acts were exempted from this Act. They were Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act 1958, Atomic Energy Act 1962, Damodar Valley Corporation Act 1948, Indian Tramways Act 1886, Land Acquisition Act 1885, Metro Railways (Construction of Works) Act 1978, National Highways Act 1956, Petroleum and Minerals Pipelines Act 1962, Requisitioning and Acquisition of Immovable Property Act, 1948, Coal Bearing Areas Acquisition and Development Act 1957, Electricity Act 2003 and Railways Act 1989.

30.Kerala government has laid foundation stone for the first government-run ‘Kalagramam’ i.e Global Artist village in the country at Kakkananpara in Kannur district of Kerala.
The foundation stone was laid by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy.

31.Government has reconstituted the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) by nominating three new members.
3 new nominated members are:
Dr D N Sharma- Director, Health Safety and Environment Group, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre.
Kamal Kishore- Programme Advisor, UNDP, New York.
Lt. Gen. N.C. Marwah.
National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)
It is a statutory body under the aegis of Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). Its provisions are envisaged in Disaster Management Act, 2005. It was established in 2009.
Function: To coordinate the response to natural or man-made disasters and capacity-building in case of disaster resiliency and crisis response.
Structure: It is governed by a 9 member board chaired by the Prime Minister of India.
At present for its smooth functioning it consists of ten battalions of Central Armed Police Forces, including three each of the Border Security force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and two each of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).

32.Nearly after six decades, residents of Myanmar’s commercial hub Yangon city voted for Yangon City Development Committee elections i.e. local municipal elections on 27th December 2014.
This election is considered test for Myanmar as it is undergoing transition from previous military rule towards the democracy since 2011 and ahead of a landmark nationwide elections to be held in November 2015.
Yangon city: It is also known as Rangoon and was previous capital of Myanmar. Now Naypyidaw city is capital of Myanmar as per the country’s 2008 Constitution drafted by Military rule.
Yangon is the Myanmar`s largest city in terms of population and is the most important commercial centre.

33.For the first time in India, a herd of 19 swamp deer were translocated from Kaziranga National Park to Manas National Park in Assam. It was part of ‘Eastern Swamp Deer Conservation Project’ to source their population to Manas National Park.
This translocation initiative was initiated by a team of experts from the Assam Forest Department (AFD), Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and Assam College of Veterinary Science.
As a part of translocation, they were transported more than 400 kms away from present habitat and were released in a specially prepared enclosure or boma in Manas. This boma (enclosure) is secured by a two-line power fence installed over a barrier to deter leopards.
In this enclosure, they are provided with transplanted short grass originally from their habitat to ensure well- being of the herd.
As part of translocation they will kept in boma for the first few months and later will be released in the park in batches. While some of them will be kept in the boma for breeding purposes.
Swamp deer (Rucervus duvaucelii ranjitsinhi) are popularly known as ‘Barasingha’. Its entire population is currently found only in Kaziranga National Park.
Eastern Swamp Deer Conservation Project- It is an ecological research programme of AFD and WTI along with ONGC started in 2010. The aim of the project is to understand the ecology of the eastern swamp deer and develop management strategies for conservation of their last surviving population in India.
The project generally focuses on researching diet, genetic constitution and behaviour of swap deers which will provide useful insight for scientific management of the sub-species in Kaziranga, along with creating a second home in Manas National Park.
Translocation: It is a wildlife conservation biology which includes capture, transport and release or introduce species from their original habitat to another habitat far away. It seeks to reduce the risk of their extinction by increasing, augmenting their critical population.

34.North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has formally ended its war in Afghanistan after 13 years of conflict.
In this regard, a low-key ceremony took place in Kabul (Afghanistan’s capital) in secret and it was held in a sports hall at NATO headquarters.

35.Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has asked all Central government employees to declare their assets and liabilities under the provisions of Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013. In this regards DoPT has also made mandatory for them to disclose deposits in foreign banks.
Earlier in Dember 2014, DoPT had extended the date of declaring assets till April 2015 from 31 December 2014 as per the Public Servants (Furnishing of Information and Annual Return of Assets and Liabilities and the Limits for Exemption of Assets in Filing Returns) Amendment Rules, 2014.
This rules were issued in September 2014.

36.Government has met its target of opening 10 crore bank accounts under its flagship scheme of Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY). This target was met a month before its revised deadline of 26 January 2015.
Key facts
As of 24 December 2014, 10 crore accounts have been opened under the PMJDY scheme with a collective deposit amounting to Rs 7,690.89 crore.
In this regard, a total of 7.74 crore RuPay debit cards have also been issued by banks to beneficiaries.
States likes Goa, Kerala, Tripura and Madhya Pradesh and union territories (UT’s) of Chandigarh, Puducherry and Lakshadweep have opened at least one bank account in every targeted household i.e. they have attained 100 per cent financial inclusion under PMJDY .
However, nearly two-thirds of all opened bank accounts continue to have zero balance and 7.35 crore bank accounts are currently dormant.
About Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY)
It was launched on 28th August 2014 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the goal of eradicating financial untouchability of the poor by opening at least one bank account for every family in the country in less than six months. It seeks to financially empower the poor by providing them access to formal banking system.
Initially, after its launch the scheme had a target of opening 7.5 crore bank accounts by 26 January, 2015, but later it was revised and raised to 10 crore bank accounts.

37.Rajan Devadas, Indian-American photojournalists recently passed away in Washington, United States.

38.Ankita Raina has won 25,000 US Dollar ITF singles title in maiden attempt.
In the finals she defeated Katy Dunne from Britain by score of 6-2, 6-2 held at Deccan Gymkhana in Pune, Maharashtra.
She also became the first Indian to clinch the title in the tournament after 14 years.

39.Raghubar Das was sworn-in as 10th Chief Minister of Jharkhand and becoming first non-tribal to hold this post.
Jharkhand Governor Syed Ahmed administered the oath of office and secrecy to him at oath taking ceremony held at Birsa Munda Football Stadium, Ranchi, Jharkhand.

40.Noted Hindi poet and a litterateur Nand Chaturvedi passed away in Udaipur, Rajasthan. He was 91.

41.China has launched Yaogan-26 a remote sensing satellite into the preset orbit from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre in north China’s Shanxi Province.
The satellite was carried by a Long March-4B rocket, marking the 202th mission for the rocket family.
Yaogan-26 satellite will mainly be used for scientific experiments, land surveys, crop yield estimates and disaster prevention.

42.Eminent actor Amitabh Bachchan is conferred with Yash Chopra Memorial Award 2014.
Maharashtra Governor C Vidyasagar Rao honoured him with the second edition of this award at a function held at Mumbai.
Amitabh Bachchan had worked with ace filmmaker Yash Chopra in numerous films like Deewar, Kabhi Kabhie, Trishul, Kaala Patthar, Silsila, Mohabatein, Veera Zaara and Bunty Aur Babli.

43.Russia and four ex-Soviet nations have finalized the formation of a new economic alliance- Eurasian Economic Union (EEU). Four ex-Soviet nations are Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan.
It was finalized in EEU summit held in Moscow, Russia.
EEU will come into existence on 1 January 2015. It seeks to bolster integration of member nations which includes Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan primarily located in northern Eurasia.
Key facts about Eurasian Economic Union (EEU)
It aims to provide free trade among member countries without any barriers.
In addition, it will co-ordinate the financial systems and regulates industrial and agricultural policies along with labour markets and transportation networks of member nations.
EEU will bring together around 170 million people from 5 member nations and will have a combined economic output of $4.5 trillion.
Background: The idea of formation was first suggested in 1994 by then President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev during his speech at Moscow State University. He had suggested the idea to create a regional trading bloc.
Signatories: A treaty aiming for the establishment of the EEU was signed on 29 May 2014 by the leaders of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia. Armenia’s and Kyrgyzstan’s signed this treaty later on 9 October 2014 and 23 December respectively.
Operation of EEU: The union will operate through supranational and intergovernmental institutions. The supranational institutions are Eurasian Commission (the executive body), the Court of the EEU (the judicial body) and the Eurasian Development Bank. National governments will be represented by the Eurasian Commission’s Council.
Ukraine’s opposition: Earlier Russia had tried to encourage Ukraine to join EEU. But after Crimean crisis of February 2014 i.e. after Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula, Ukraine decided to stay away from EEU and moved closer towards NATO and EU.

44.Pakistan has constituted a federal counter-terrorism force with an immediate effect for implementing the National Action Plan on counter-terrorism.
Final nod in this regard was given by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

45.India donated $1 million as contribution to United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) fund for tsunami, disaster and climate preparedness in the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asian countries.

46.Hyderabad, capital of Telangana State is going to host prestigious World Information Technology Congress (WITC) in 2018.
Hyderabad- a global IT hub was preferred by organisers of this congress over the New Delhi and Bengaluru because it is equipped with necessary IT infrastructure.
Earlier, India and Hyderabad had emerged winner in the race to host the event after facing tough competition from European countries.
This event will coincide with the ambitious target of Telangana government to increase the software exports from Hyderabad to Rs1 lakh crore per annum in next three years.
Facts about World Information Technology Congress (WITC)
It is a biennial event and considered as the biggest event of its kind.
It aims provide single platform to IT experts, policy and decision makers and Government officials from all over the world together to discuss various challenges and possible solutions to them.It will be only second time that the event will be taking place in Asia, last time it was hosted by Kualalumpur, Malaysia in 2008.
The latest edition of WITC 2014 was held in Mexico and had focused on the theme of ‘Digital World’. Next event of 2016 will be held in Brazil.

47.Tourism Ministry has launched e-ticketing facility for the two Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)-maintained monuments Taj Mahal in Agra and Humayun’s Tomb in New Delhi.

48.Raghubar Das will be 10th Chief Minister of Jharkhand. His name was announced after elected members Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from state elected him as their leader.He will also become first non-tribal Chief Minister of Jharkhand since it was granted statehood status after bifurcating from Bihar on 15 November 2000.

49.President Pranab Mukherjee has signed ordinances moved by Union government on raising foreign direct investment (FDI) cap to 49 per cent in insurance sector and facilitating e-auction of coal blocks.
Earlier, in this regard Union Cabinet had approved promulgation of an Ordinance on Insurance Bill and re-promulgation of the Coal Ordinance.
Government opted for ordinance route because The Insurance Laws Amendment Bill, 2008 was not able to pass in Rajya Sabha because of the logjam in upper house. It aims hike the FDI cap in the insurance sector from 29 per cent to 49 per cent. It will help to capital inflow of $6-8 billion.
The Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Bill, 2014 was passed by the Lok Sabha in December 2014, but was stalled in Rajya Sabha. It seeks to facilitate e-auction of coal blocks for private companies for captive use and allot mines directly to state and central PSUs.
These ordinances will pave the way for additional foreign investment in insurance sector and to move ahead with the re-allocation of cancelled coal mines. Thus facilitating reforms in these sectors.
Article 123 of Constitution: It gives legislative power to President. He can issue ordinances when Parliament is in recess i.e. not in session if there is urgent need to have a law on some urgent public matter. The ordinance has similar effect to an act of parliament.
However, every ordinance must be laid and approved by both houses of the parliament within 6 weeks from the reassembling. If not placed and approved by both houses of the parliament after reassembling it becomes invalid.