WBCS Current Affairs 27/11/2015 to 04/12/2015

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1.Goa Government has launched the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013 to benefit more than one third of the state’s population. It will bring more than one third population of the coastal state into legal entitlements of existing food security programmes and schemes of Central Government. Key facts Around 5 lakh 11 thousand persons in the targeted Public Distribution System (PDS) in Goa will receive 5 kgs subsidised rice or wheat per person per month. Rice will be given at the subsidised rate of 3 rupees per kg and wheat at the rate of 3 rupees per kg to target persons. For effective implementation of this scheme, state government’s civil supplies and distribution departments have scrutinised the PDS households. They also have digitised the ration cards and updated the consolidated data with Aadhar card and other identifications prior to launching the scheme for implementation of NFS Act. For the implementation of the scheme, Union government will bear a subsidy of 65 crores rupees, while the state government will spend 25 crores annually. Background National Food Security Act, 2013 envisages adequate quantity of quality food at affordable prices to people to live a life of dignity under Article 21 of Constitution. It includes the Midday Meal (MDM) Scheme, Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme and Public Distribution System (PDS) under it to provide subsidized food grains.

2. The Union Cabinet has approved proposal of setting up of 6 new Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) across the country. The 6 new IITs would be set up in Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala and Karnataka.

3. The Union Cabinet has approved an agreement with Germany to expand bilateral cooperation in the field of solar energy between both countries. In this regard, Union Cabinet has approved a MoU which was signed in October 2015 between both countries during Chancellor Angela Merkel’s visit to India. It was signed to expand bilateral development cooperation in the field of Solar Energy by increasing use of solar energy through technical and financial cooperation in India. Under the agreement Germany will provide concessional loans to India in the range of 1 billion Euros over the next five years i.e. till 2020. Concessional loans will be provided through Kreditanstalt fur Wiederaufbau (KfW), a German government-owned development bank. The loan funds of KfW will be also utilized for providing soft loans to the end-users through partner banks. The bilateral cooperation between the two countries will help India meet some part of its ambitious target generating 100 GW solar power generation capacity under the National Solar Mission (NSM) by 2022. MoU for Capital Goods Sector Union Cabinet also has approved MoU between India and Germany which has been signed for implementation of Make in India campaign for Capital Goods Sector. It was signed between Department of Heavy Industries and Germany’s Fraunhofer Gesellschaft which is a leading organisation in Europe for applied industrial research. The objective of MoU is to provide platform to various PSUs and capital goods sector units in order to have easy access to capabilities and expertise of Fraunhofer. It would help for identifying and plugging technology gaps in Indian PSUs in line with 12th Five Year Plan.

4. The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its approval for introduction of Regional Centre for Biotechnology Bill, 2015. The bill aims for establishment of a Regional Centre for Biotechnology (RCB) in Faridabad, Haryana and provide a legal status to the Centre. Key facts The Centre is an inter-disciplinary regional hub and institution in life sciences and biotechnology. It would offer novel educational and training courses in the interdisciplinary and related areas of biotechnology. It would also address designing of new and novel programmes for education and training purposes that could then be assimilated by the existing universities in India and the Region. Legal status will empower the centre to function independently as an autonomous body and as an Institution of National Importance. RCB will give emphasis on novel education programmes relevant to industry, including bio-drug discovery science, medicine and nano-science, designer crops, bioengineering and biomaterials, imaging techniques. It will also include technology transfer, intellectual property and regulations to fulfil and overcome the acute shortage of skilled human resources in India in this field. It would act as a hub of biotechnology expertise in the countries in South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) region, Asia region to address human resources needs. Background Regional Centre for Biotechnology already has been established in 2008 by an executive order of the Union Government after the approval by the Union Cabinet. Presently it is operational at Faridabad based NCR Biotech Science Cluster. Enactment of law in this regard would not involve any financial implications at this stage.

5. The Union Cabinet has given its approval for signing MoU between India and Israel in the field of water resources management and development cooperation. The bilateral cooperation between both countries will benefit them in strengthening the techniques in efficient use of water, micro-irrigation. It would also help them in recycling and re-use of waste water, aquifer recharge, desalination and in-situ water conservation techniques. Both countries will form a joint working group to monitor the activities to be carried out for the fulfilment of provisions mentioned in the MoU. Israel which is one of arid country in West Asia has pioneered different water conservation and water management techniques to overcome the issue of water scarcity. Its pioneering techniques include efficiency use of water, micro-irrigation, reuse of waste water, desalination, aquifer recharge etc. Background The Union Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation has envisaged bilateral cooperation route with other countries in the field water resources development and management through sharing of policy and technical expertise. India already has entered into agreements in this regard with countries like Australia, China, Bahrain Cambodia, Rwanda, Iran, Fiji and Iraq for water resources management and development cooperation

6. Union Cabinet has approved signing and ratification of a protocol between India and Japan for amending the Double Taxation Avoidance Convention (DTAC). It aims at avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income. The protocol incorporates provisions for an effective exchange of information and assistance in collection of taxes between tax authorities of the two countries. It also includes exchange of banking information between tax authorities. DTAC between both countries will facilitate: Exchange of information on tax matters including bank information and information without domestic tax interest as per accepted international standards. Sharing of any information received from Japan to Indian authority in respect of an Indian resident with other law enforcement agencies. Offer assistance to each other in matters related to collection of revenue claims as well as for exemption of interest income from taxation in the source country. In this regard the claim would be made with respect to debt claims insured by the government or government-owned financial institutions. It should be noted that DTAC between India and Japan was signed in 1989 for avoidance of double taxation and prevention of fiscal evasion through a protocol.

7. Veteran industrialist and former parliamentarian MAM Ramaswamy passed away in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. He was 84. He was the last King of Chettinad and co-founder and past chairman of the Rs. 10,000 crore Chettinad Group of companies.

8. Every year International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) is being observed on 3 December to promote an understanding of disability issues. It also seeks to mobilize support for the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities. The theme for year 2015 of International Day of Persons with Disabilities is Inclusion matters: access and empowerment for people of all abilities. United Nations has estimated around one billion people are living with disabilities across the world and they are facing barriers of inclusion in many key aspects of society. Background: In 1992, United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) had passed a resolution 47/3 for annually observing 3rd December as International Day of Disabled Persons. It was originally called as International Day of Disabled Persons.

9. Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) has launched Global Initiative of Academic Networks (GIAN) Scheme to boost the quality of higher education in India. It was launched by Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) campus. About Global Initiative of Academic Networks (GIAN) Scheme GIAN Scheme aims at improving the quality of higher education in the country through international collaboration. Facilitate participation of high quality international academicians for delivering short-term courses and programs in Indian institutions. Initially 500 international faculties will be engaged in conducting courses and later in subsequent years 1000 faculties would be engaged under GIAN throughout India. Under this scheme, academicians will cover 13 disciplines and 352 courses to be taught in 68 national institutions. These courses will vary in duration from one to three weeks depending on the subject and will be free for students of the host institution and available for nominal fees for others. These courses will be webcasted live for students across the country through web portal www.gian.iitkgp.ac.in designed by IIT Kharagpur.

10. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in its fifth bi-monthly monetary policy review has maintained status status quo in key policy interest rate. The key policy interest rates were kept unchanged on the basis of an assessment of the current and evolving macroeconomic situation in the country. The Key policy interest rates are Repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF): unchanged at 6.75 per cent. Reverse repo rate under the LAF: unchanged at 5.75 per cent Marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate has unchanged at 7.75 per cent. Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) of scheduled banks: Unchanged at 4.0 per cent of net demand and time liability (NDTL). Continuation of liquidity under overnight repos at 0.25 per cent of bank-wise NDTL at the LAF repo rate. Continuation of liquidity under 14-day term repos as well as longer term repos of up to 0.75 per cent of NDTL of the banking system through auctions.

11. As per latest report published by credit rating agency Brickwork Ratings, Maharashtra is the biggest economy among the states in India. Maharashtra accounts for 16.87 lakh crore rupees in terms of gross state domestic product (GSDP) and is followed by Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh. Key highlights of Report Maharashtra’s GSDP has grown by 11.69 per cent in the financial year 2014-15. It earns approximately 70 per cent of its total receipts through tax revenues highest among the bigger states and is followed by Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. Manufacturing sector: In FY 2014-15, Gujarat and Maharashtra accounted for 27.26 per cent and 25.18 per cent of GSDP respectively. They led other state economies in terms of level of contribution from the manufacturing sector. Other states with higher manufacturing sector share are Tamil Nadu (19.1%), Jharkhand (18.8%) and Haryana (18.1%). Services sector: Karnataka leads in the growth of services sector in India. It is largely attributed to the growth in the IT/BPO/ KPO sector. It is followed by Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. Fastest-growing states: Bihar (17.06%), Madhya Pradesh (16.86%) and Goa (16.43%). Slowest-growing states: Telangana (5.3%), Punjab (10.16%), Rajasthan (11%). Agriculture Sector: Though being mainstay sector of most states employing 40-60 per cent of the workforce directly or indirectly, it has been neglected sector. Brickwork Ratings report is based on multi-state research analysis of finances of all the states. It looks into state government’s willingness and ability to honour debt obligations along with analysis of political, economic, financial, budgetary and institutional parameters.

12. The German Cabinet has approved a mandate offering military assistance to fight against the Islamic State (IS) militant group in Syria. The mandate aims at supporting France and the international alliance in its fight against the IS militant group. Now it requires Parliamentary approval to come into force. This decision was taken by cabinet after an appeal was made by French President Francois Hollande in the wake of the 13 November Paris attacks carried by the terrorist organisation. Key facts The German mission will include sending Tornado reconnaissance jets, a refueling aircraft and a frigate for one year and can be extended by year. Under this mandate Germany could deploy up to 1,200 military personnel to support the international alliance but they won’t actively engage in combat missions. Germany will send unspecified number of Tornado aircrafts fitted with surveillance technology for logistics and reconnaissance purpose. These aircrafts can take high-resolution photos and infrared images at night and in bad weather and the tanker aircraft for refuelling of planes in mid-air. A German frigate will help to protect the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

13. President Pranab Mkherjee has given his assent to The Labour Laws (Gujarat Amendment) Bill, 2015. The Amendment Bill passed by the state assembly to amend 10 Acts dealing with labour laws including The Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 and The Minimum Wages Act, 1948. Key facts The Labour Laws (Gujarat Amendment) Bill, 2015 was passed by state assembly to give impetus to industrialisation in state. Ban strikes: Empowers state government to ban strikes in public utility services for upto 1 year for first time. This ban can be subsequently extended upto 2 years for any number of times. Dispute Settlement: Add provision for out of court settlement between the labourers and management by paying certain fee to the government. Redefine contractors: Amends the definition of contractor to include outsourcing agencies, which in some cases is government itself. Payment of wages: Mandatory to be paid by cheque instead of cash for establishments employing 20 persons or more. Empower employers to change nature of jobs of the employees without prior notice. Lifts restrictions on sacking of workers and payment of compensation for industrial units located in Special Investment Regions (SIR) and National Investment and Manufacturing Zones (NIMZ) permitted under Special Economic Zones (SEZs).

14. Jharkhand government has declared the entire state as drought hit in view of less rainfall in 2015 monsoon season and loss of crops. Decision in this regard was taken at the state Cabinet meeting presided by Chief Minister Raghuvar Das in Ranchi following Agriculture department’s report on drought. In its report state Agriculture department has reported that 64 blocks of the state have suffered 50 per cent loss in crops and another 62 blocks have suffered 40 per cent loss due to poor monsoon. It also estimated that drought has resulted loss of rice (dhan) crops by 37.7 per cent, dalhan crops by 16.85 per cent and Makka crops by 27.06 per cent in 2015. State Cabinet also has decided to send the report on drought status in state to the Union Government and request it to send a team for assessment of drought in the state. Earlier in November 2015, in view of drought conditions state government had announced a package of 1,398 crore rupees to drought-hit farmers for distribution of seeds, subsidised diesel, construction of small check dams and other facilities.

15. International Monetary Fund (IMF) has included China’s Yuan into its elite reserve currency basket mailny used as an international reserve asset with an effect from effect from 1st October 2016. Decision in this regard was taken by the IMF’s executive board meeting for regular five-yearly review of the basket of currencies that make up the Special Drawing Right (SDR) . Yuan also known as the Renminbi will be the fifth freely usable currency along with the US Dollar, British Pound, Japanese Yen and Euro. It was added in the basket after it met all existing criteria for its inclusion. Criteria for inclusion in elite reserve currency basket Export Criterion:Exports of a particular country must have the largest value over a 5 year period and should play a central role in the global economy. Freely Usable:The currency must also be a freely usable currency i.e. widely used in international transactions for making payments and widely traded in the main exchange markets. About Chinese Currency Renminbi which in Mandarin (China’s official language) means the people’s currency was officially introduced by the Communist Government of China led by Mao Zedong in 1949 after it came to power. Prior to Renminbi, Yuan was the official name of Chinese currency which means dollar-silver coin in Mandarin and was minted by the Spanish empire to trade with China for over 4 centuries.

16. China hosted the first Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa (BRICS) media summit in Beijing for creating an alternative media platform for the 5 emerging economies. 25 media organisations participated in the 2 day summit which aimed to create a new institutional framework to benefit the media of five emerging economies of BRICS grouping. Key facts China’s Xinhua news agency is the initiator of the project which adds one more dimension to the BRICS format. It was organised in collaboration with The Hindu group of publications, Russia Today International News Agency, the Brazil Communication Company and South Africa’s Independent Media. The summit proposed the formation of a BRICS Media Foundation for supporting and protecting journalists belonging to the grouping. In the first summit, leaders of 25 Media organisations from the 5 BRICS countries pitched for building consensus to deal with climate change, terrorism,and other key global issues.

17. India has been ranked 131 out of 167 nations on ICT Development Index (IDI) that measures the level of information and communication technology access. It was revealed in UN International Telecommunications Union’s (ITU) flagship annual Measuring the Information Society (MISR) Report. Key highlights of report Globally 3.2 billion people are now online i.e. having internet connection representing 43.4 per cent of the world’s population. Worldwide, mobile-cellular subscriptions have reached almost 7.1 billion representing 95 per cent of the global population. Top three countries in IDI 2015: South Korea, Denmark and Iceland. Disparity in Internet access: 81.3 per cent of households in the developed world have home Internet access, compared to 34.1 per cent in the developing world. It is just 6.7 per cent in the 48 UN-designated Least Developed Countries (LDCs). Asia-Pacific Region: It is the most diverse region in terms of ICT development that reflects stark differences in levels of economic development. 6 economies in this region including the South Korea, Hong Kong and Japan have IDI rankings in the top 20 of the global distribution. This region also includes ten of the IDI’s least connected countries including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. India: Mobile-cellular telephone subscriptions in India per 100 inhabitants is 74.48 in 2014. The percentage of households with computer is 13 per cent, while the percentage of households with Internet access was 15.33. Further the percentage of individuals using the Internet has grown to 18 per cent in 2014.

18. India and France have launched International Solar Alliance (ISA) at the Conference of Parties (CoP21) Climate Conference in Paris, France. It was jointly by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Francois Hollande in presence UN General Secretary Ban Ki-moon. The idea of alliance was mooted by Indian PM Narendra Modi to harness solar power as a major step to mitigate carbon gas emissions. Key facts Aims to bring solar rich 121 tropical countries located fully or partly between the Tropic of Cancer and Capricorn together to tap solar energy. These tropical countries are potential members of alliance and shall be united by the shared vision to bring clean, renewable solar energy within the reach of all. The objective of the alliance is to augment solar power generation in these countries with a view to contribute global sustainable development. It would play important role in achieving the objective of keeping global warming below 2 degree Celsius. It will function from the Gurgaon based National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE). Provide common platform to member countries to share collective ambitions to reduce the cost of finance and technology needed harness the solar energy. Alliance would pursue cooperation in training, regulatory issues, building institutions, common standards and investment among the member countries.

19. Colombian film ‘Embrace of The Serpent’ has been adjudged as the best film of the 46th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) Directed Ciro Guerra of Embrace of The Serpent was bestowed with the Golden Peacock award and the cash prize of 40 lakh rupees. Other awards The Best Director award: Peter Greenway for the Netherlands film ‘Eisenstein in Guanajuato. The Best male actor award: Vincent Lindon for the France film ‘The Measure of a Man’. The Best Female actor award: five Female actress for their roles in the Turkey Film ‘Mustang’. Special Jury Award: Julia Vargas for his film ‘Sealed Cargo’. The ICFT-UNESCO Fellini Award: Kaushik Ganguly’s Bengali film ‘Cinemawala’. About International Film Festival of India (IFFI) IFFI was founded in 1952 and is held annually in Goa. It is the biggest state-backed film festival and conducted jointly by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Directorate of Film Festivals and Government of Goa. This film festival aims at providing a common platform for the cinemas of the world to project the excellence of the film art. It seeks to contribute to create awareness for understanding and appreciation of film cultures of different nations in the context of their social and cultural ethos and promote friendship and cooperation among people of the world.

20. Roch Marc Christian Kabore has been elected as President of Burkina Faso. In the presidential election, Kabore from the Movement of People for Progress party won 53.5 per cent of the vote across 368 communes. His nearest competitor Zephirin Diabre, a former economy and finance minister secured 29.65 per cent votes.

21. The Union Government has launched inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) injection as part of the global polio endgame strategy in New Delhi. The vaccine was launched by the Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare J P Nadda in New Delhi. It was launched as part of India’s next step in Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) to fight against polio virus in the country. Key facts The launching of IPV would enable children to get double protection from polio i.e. orally and in the form of injection. UIP initially will cover six states including Uttar Pardesh , Madhya Pardesh , Bihar, Assam, Punjab and Gujarat in the first phase. By April 2016, Union Government would switch to IPV alongside the oral polio vaccine (OPV) to eradicate polio virus in the country. Henceforth, as part of India’s efforts to boost its polio immunization programme babies getting their third dose of OPV now would be administered an injection with IPV. It should be noted that India was certified polio-free country on 27 March 2014, but the immunization programme continues since two of its neighbours Afghanistan and Pakistan still remain polio-endemic countries. About Polio virus Poliomyelitis (polio) is a highly infectious viral disease, which mainly affects young children below age of 5. Transmission: The virus is transmitted from person-to-person. It mainly spreads through the faecal-oral route (e.g. contaminated water or food). After entering body, it multiplies in the intestine, from where it can invade the nervous system and can cause paralysis. Symptoms: Initial symptoms include fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness in the neck, and pain in the limbs. In some cases, it causes permanent paralysis. There is no cure for polio virus, it can only be prevented by immunization.

22. President Pranab Mukherjee has given his assent to Maharashtra Factories (Amendment) Bill, 2015 of Maharashtra government to allow women to work in factories in night shifts The amendment bill amends Section 66(1) (c) of Factories Act, 1948 to ease provisions related to working of women in night shifts in the state. Key facts The amendment of 67-year old Act also makes mandatory for factory managements to ensure security of women working in night shifts. Prior to amendment, the section 66(1) (c) of parent Act did not allowed women employees to work in the factories in night shift between from 7 PM and 6 AM. Apart from this, the amendment bill also enables workers to be eligible for paid leave after working for 90 days in a year instead of the current 240 days or more. Besides this, the amendment also does not make mandatory for workers to take the management’s permission for working overtime. In this regard, the amendment bill has increased the working limit to 115 hours from the current 75 in 3 months. With this, Maharashtra has joined the list of 6 Indian states that already have allowed women to work in night shifts or are in the process of doing so. They are Rajasthan, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and Madhya Pradesh.

23. Former Indian Test Captain and ace spinner Anil Kumble has resigned as the Chief Mentor of Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Mumbai Indians with an immediate effect. His decision follows after Board of Cricket Council of India (BCCI) crackdown on conflict of interest in the board. Earlier in November 2015, Indian cricket team director Ravi Shastri was removed from the IPL Governing Council and selector Roger Binny was asked to leave.

24. Russian legendary film Director and screenwriter Eldar Ryazanov passed away in Moscow, Russia. He was 88. He was one of Russia’s best-loved Soviet-era film directors and an icon of popular USSR culture of tragi-comedies that satirised daily life in the erstwhile Soviet Union.

25. Every year on 1st December World Acquired ImmunoDeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) Day is being observed to raise awareness of the pandemic caused by the spread of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. It also seeks to remember those who have died of the disease by mourning. The theme for year 2015 is ‘Getting to zero, End AIDS by 2030‘. Government, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), health officials and individuals around the world observe the day and often spread awareness and education on AIDS prevention and control. Background: World Health Organization (WHO) had designated 1st December as World AIDS Day in 1987. Since then it is observed annually and is one of the eight official global public health campaigns marked by the WHO. Common reasons for getting infected with AIDS Unprotected sex with an infected person. During pregnancy from mother to child or even breastfeeding. Through transfusion of blood. Using of hypodermic needles of infected person to other person

26. India has been re-elected to the Council of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) under Category ‘B’ at 29th session of the IMO Assembly held in London. India’s membership of the IMO Assembly supports India’s status as one of the countries with the largest interest in international seaborne trade. Presently, India ranks amongst the top 20 shipping countries of the world in terms of Gross Tonnage capacity (GT) as well as Deadweight capacity. About International Maritime Organization (IMO) IMO is a specialised agency of the United Nations responsible for regulating shipping. Established: 1948 in Geneva and came into force in 1959. Headquarter: London, United Kingdom. Member Countries: IMO has 171 member states and 3 associate members. India was one of the earliest members of the IMO and had joined it as a member-state in 1959. Functions: To develop and maintain a comprehensive regulatory framework for shipping and its remit. This framework should address various areas like safety, legal matters, environmental concerns, technical co-operation, maritime security and efficiency of shipping. IMO Council: Consist of 40 member countries who are elected by the IMO Assembly. It plays a crucial role in deciding various matters related to global shipping industry.

27. Saudi Arabia has allowed women to vote and become candidates in local elections for the first time in the history of male dominated country. In this regard, Saudi authorities allowed 979 women among the 6,917 registered candidates to campaign for 284 municipal councils as per the royal decree issued in 2011. Earlier Saudi Arabia had held municipal elections in 2005 and 2011 in the transitional phase undertaken monarchy but only men were allowed to take part. Thus by allowing participation of women in the municipal elections Saudi Arabian government apparently is showing other countries that social participation of its women is expanding. Presently, women make up one fourth of the country’s Shura Council which is an unelected body appointed by the king to propose laws for government but cannot pass them.

28. Russia has imposed economic sanctions against Turkey, a NATO member over the issue of downing of a Russian Sukhoi 24 warplane on the Syrian border. In this regard, Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree adopting a series of retaliatory economic measures against Turkey with an effect from 1st January 2016. Russian economic sanctions covers Ban on imports from Turkey, work of Turkish companies in Russia and any Turkish nationals working for Russian companies. End to charter flights between the countries and urges Russian tour operators to refrain from selling tourist packages to Turkey. Background NATO member Turkey on 24th November 2015 had shot down Russian Sukhoi 24 (Su-24) warplane escalating crisis in bilateral relations of both countries. Turkey has claimed that the Russian jet was shot down after it had crossed into its airspace and ignored several warnings to change course. However, Russia has furiously denied the claims and demanded an apology and economic compensation from Turkey.

29. Indian Coast Guard has commissioned interceptor boat ‘ICGS C-422’ into its fleet to further enhance its vigil along Pondicherry and South Tamil Nadu coast in the Bay of Bengal. It was commissioned in a traditional ceremony held at Karaikal port in Tamil Nadu by Puducherry Assembly Speaker V Sabapathy. About ICGS C-422 ICGS C-422 is the 36th interceptor boat to be inducted into the Coast Guard service. The boat is capable of multiple tasks including interdiction, surveillance and search and rescue. It has been fitted with state-of-the-art communication, navigational equipment along with adequate fire power. Presently, Indian Coast Guard has two fast patrol vessels ICGS Rani Durgavati and ICGS Ameya along with two interceptor boats C-428 and C-415 stationed at Karaikal port.

30. Andy Murray led Great Britain have won the 2015 Davis Cup for first time since 1936 and for the 10th time in the competition’s 115-year history. Great Britain tennis team defeated Belgium team by 3-1 score in the finals to win the 104th edition of the competition.

31. Ace Indian shuttler Pusarla Venkata Sindhu has won the $120,000 2015 Macau Open Grand Prix Gold Badminton tournament in the women’s single category. In the title clash of the tournament, Sindhu (World No. 12) defeated Minatsu Mitani (World No. 6) of Japan by 21-9, 21-23, 21-14 score. With this victory, she has won this title for the third consecutive time after she had won it in 2013 and 2014. Overall this was PV Sindhu’s fifth title of in her career and first title of the 2015 season. Her other four individual titles are Indonesia International (2011), Malaysia Masters (2013) and Macau Open for consecutive two times in 2013 and 2014.

32. Birhanu Legese from Ethiopia and Cynthia Limo from Kenya have won the 2015 Delhi Half Marathon in men’s and women’s categories respectively. In this eighth edition of marathon around 34,000 athletes and amateur runners from different parts of the world had participated.

33. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has suspended West Indies off-spinner Sunil Narine from bowling in international cricket with an immediate effect. The ICC took a decision after an independent assessment found that his bowling action illegal after the 3rd ODI match of West Indies against Sri Lanka in Pallekele in November 2015.

34. Union Government has decided to advance the date for implementation of Bharat Stage (BS) V and BS VI emission norms for four-wheelers in order to reduce vehicular air pollution from road transport sector. As per advance dates, BS V norms will be rolled out from 1st of April, 2019 and BS VI norms from 1st April, 2021. In this regard draft notification was issued Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways as per the Auto Fuel Policy, 2003. About Bharat stage (BS) norms Bharat stage (BS) norms are emission standards decided by the government to regulate the amount of air pollutants from vehicles. They were adopted in line with European regulation standard ‘Euro norms’ in 2000. So far, 4 states of Bharat stage (BS) norms have been issued by government. In each stage certain limit is specified on the released pollutants and in the succeeding higher stages, the BS norms reduces the limit of pollutant emission. Issued BS stages are BS-I Euro 1 2000 BS-II Euro 2 2005 BS-III Euro 3 2010 BS-IV Euro 4 2015 (63 cities till 1 April 2015) Earlier, Saumitra Chaudhri Committee had recommended to introduce even lesser vehicular pollutant releasing BS-V (0.005 rspm) and BS-VI (0.0025 rspm) norms throughout the nation by 2022 and 2024 respectively.

35. Long Range Surface-to-Air Missile (LRSAM) co-developed by India and Israel was successfully test-fired for the first time from an Israeli Naval Platform. Test: The trial test was undertaken by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) in the presence of Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) scientists. During the test the missile achieved the desired goal by hitting the incoming target. About Long Range Surface-to-Air Missile (LRSAM) LRSAM is also called Barak 8 missile in Israel which in Hebrew language means Lightning. Barak 8 is an advanced, long-range missile defence and air defence system. Its main features are long range, active radar seeker missile, vertical launch and multiple simultaneous engagements. For the LRSAM, DRDO has developed dual pulse propulsion system along with other safety arm mechanisms for Solid Propulsion system. The LRSAM programme consists of Missiles, Weapon Control System, MFSTAR (Radar), Vertical Launcher unit and two- way data link. It is capable to counter a wide variety of air-borne threats such as anti-ship missiles, aircraft, UAVs and drones as well as supersonic cruise missiles. Comment The successful test marks a milestone in bilateral cooperation of the two countries in developing advanced weapon systems. It is also considered as the major milestone in proving the missile system is compatible with the Ship Borne Tracking Equipments (SBTE).

36. National Highways Authorities of India (NHAI) has approved a pilot project for undertaking scientific studies on designing greenbelts along national highways. Proposal in this regard was submitted by Nagpur based National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI). Key facts The pilot project will be implemented on a 5 km stretch on NH-7 (Varanasi to Kanyakumari) between Jam and Hinganghat in Nagpur region. Around 20,000 scientifically chosen species of trees are proposed to be planted on both sides of this stretch in multiple rows at an estimated cost of 11 crore 80 lakh rupees. The project will run for five years’ time span. During this period various experiments will be conducted in NEERI laboratory to record the impact of greenbelt development. Work activities have been delineated considering two major factors such as Highway requirement and objectives along with Plant characteristics to fit in the site requirement. Highway requirement and objectives includes traffic frequency, available space, soil type, water availability, climatic conditions and anthropogenic interference Plant characteristics to fit in the site requirement would depend on height, canopy cover, air pollution Tolerance Index and sociability of selected species of trees. Besides developing greenbelt, the project will also assist in developing relevant research infrastructure that may be used for similar studies in future.

37. Dominica-born British lawyer Patricia Scotland (60) has been elected as the new Secretary General of the Commonwealth. With this, she becomes its first woman and also first British citizen to be elected secretary‑general of the 53-member bloc’s history. She will succeed Kamalesh Sharma from India and enter into the office on 1 April 2016 for four-year term i.e. till 2020.

38. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has entered into 11 more unilateral Advance Pricing Agreements (APAs) with Indian subsidiaries of foreign companies operating in various segments of the economy. Of the total eleven APAs, seven were having rollback provisions in them with maximum period of 9 years, while the other four are extension agreements for future five years i.e. till 2020. With this, CBDT so far has entered into 31 APAs (30 unilateral and one bilateral) and is now aiming to finalise another 30 to 40 APAs in order to provide stability and confidence among the foreign enterprises operating in India. What is Advance Pricing Agreements (APAs) APA usually is signed between a taxpayer and the central tax authority (in case of India it is CBDT) for multiple years on an appropriating transfer pricing methodology. The APA Programme was introduced in 2012 as per the provisions of the Income Tax (IT) Act, 1961. It helps in determining the price and ensuing taxes on intra-group overseas transactions.

39. The Lok Sabha has unanimously adopted a resolution affirming commitment to the principles and ideals of the Constitution and resolve to uphold and maintain its sanctity and supremacy. The resolution was moved by Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahaja at the end of the 2 day special sittings of the House. The special sittings was called to commemorate 125th birth anniversary celebrations of architecture of Indian Constitution Dr B R Ambedkar. Resolution highlights House resolved to protect the sovereignty, unity and integrity of the country and its democratic, socialist and secular character. Dedicate itself to equality and social justice and contribute to the task of building a strong republic. Resolved to maintain transparency, probity and accountability in public life.