DishaThird Issue August ‘ 2014 – Om Ranker’s Creator

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DishaThird Issue August ‘ 2014 – Om Ranker’s Creator

DISHA - III ISSUE

(JULY 2014) CONTENTS PREFACE 3 PICK OF THE MONTH 4 INTERNATIONAL 10 NATIONAL 14 ECONOMY 15 CORPORATE 16 SPORTS 18 ECOLOGY & ENVIRONMENT 24 SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 25 NEWS CAPSULE 26 Person In News 26 Person Appointed 27 Person Resigned 29 Person Died 30 Books & Author 30 DAY | WEEK | YEAR 30 EVENTS 31 Reports | Surveys 33 Awards | Honours 35 MISCELLANEOUS 35

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DishaThird Issue August ‘ 2014 – Om Ranker’s Creator DISHA THIRD ISSUE PREFACE

Dear Friends,

The THIRD ISSUE of DISHA has been designed to provide latest updates of events that occurred in the months from JULY 2014. This ISSUE covers each and every important happening of the month that made news and carries any probability of being asked in different types of competitive exams like IAS, PCS, SSC, Banking, LIC, Railway and all others.

The happening in the sections like International (bilateral and India’s relation with the world), National, Economy, Science and Technology, Environment and Ecology, Corporate, State, Sports, Important Personalities, Books and Authors, Awards and Honours, Important Dates, Reports and Surveys and more all are covered in detail.

Representation of verified facts and figures along with fine-tuned analysis makes the events easy to understand and perceive. The aspirants of competitive exams will definitely be benefitted by the content of the eBook.

This vital magazine gives its readers the information and analysis on economic issues they simply can’t get anywhere else. Issued six times a year, DISHA presents, in plain English, studies and analyses of the pressing economic problems that we face today; interviews with the most influential (and often controversial) economic and political leaders of our time; book reviews of important works; and compelling policy prescriptions for today’s urgent economic issues. For down-to-earth information on the real economic world we live in, DISHA has no substitute.

"DISHA provides an array of insightful and eclectic analyses of current critical issues. No other publication can match its combination of relevance, readibility, and solid reasoning." Manjot Kaur, President, Shaheed Udham Singh Engineering College, Mohali.

"DISHA is always stimulating, and never boring. Few existing publications combine relevance with in-depth analysis as it does." Priyanka Bhatia, Government Girls College, Sector 42, Chandigarh

"DISHA is the one publication on current affairs that succeeds in being both intellectually rigorous and completely readable. Each issue is crisp, relevant, and thought provoking." Vandana, President, Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla.

"Written in a clear, non-technical manner, the articles are by prestigious writers and well-respected scholars, and the editorial board includes several professionals. ... Recommended for high school, public, academic, and government libraries." Magazines for Libraries.

"There is simply no other way to keep up with the real issues in the ongoing debate on various policy than to read DISHA. Each new batch of articles provides a useful and important reality check on the way that policy debates are framed by the conventional press. A great antidote for intellectual sterility." Deepa Bisht, Business Week Magazine.

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DishaThird Issue August ‘ 2014 – Om Ranker’s Creator

JULY 2014

Eid – ul-Fitr celebrated across Nation i. Eid-ul-Fitr, which marks the culmination of the fasting month of Ramzan, is being celebrated across the country on Tuesday. ii. The announcement came following a meeting of Qadeem Royat Hilal Committee headed by Maulana Mufti Mohammed Mukkaram, Shahi Imam of Fatehpuri Masjid on Monday. iii. "The Eid moon has been sighted today. The Eid-ul-Fitr will be celebrated across the country tomorrow," Maulana Mufti Mohammed Mukkaram said. iv. Ramzan, the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, is observed as a fasting period by Muslims who abstain from food and water from sunrise to sunset and it culminates in Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations.

RBI, Monetary Authority of Hong Kong ink MoU for info exchange The Reserve Bank of India has inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Monetary Authority of Hong Kong for exchange of supervisory information. RBI signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for supervisory cooperation and exchange of supervisory information with the Monetary Authority, Hong Kong,” RBI said in a notification.

RBI allows NBFCs to use e-KYC service to verify identity Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) have been allowed to accept e-KYC service as a valid process to verify identity and address proof of customers to reduce risk of fraud and forgery. “In order to reduce the risk of identity fraud, document forgery and have paperless KYC verification, UIDAI has launched its e-KYC service. Accordingly, it has been decided to accept e-KYC service as a valid process for KYC verification under Prevention of Money Laundering (PML) (Maintenance of Records),” the RBI said in notification addressed to NBFCs Monday. The RBI said information containing demographic details and photographs made available from UIDAI via e-KYC platform may be treated as an officially valid document under PML Rules. The apex bank further asked NBFCs to have proper infrastructure in place to enable biometric authentication for e-KYC. However, the RBI made it clear that physical Aadhaar card or letter issued by UIDAI containing details of name, address and Aadhaar number received through post would continue to be accepted as an officially valid document. Among other options, the RBI said NBFCs may also accept e- Aadhaar by downloading it from UIDAI website if a customer knows his Aadhaar number. RBI cancels licenses of six Delhi-based NBFCs. Reserve Bank has cancelled the licenses of six Delhi-based non banking financial companies following which they would not be able to conduct business. Reserve Bank of India has cancelled the certificate of registration of the following non-banking financial companies (NBFCs): 1. GE Strategic Investments India, 2. Profound Exports, 3. Two Brothers Holding, 4. Swank Services Private Ltd, 5. Praxis Consulting and 6. Information Services and Credible Microfinance Ltd,” RBI said in a notification.

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DishaThird Issue August ‘ 2014 – Om Ranker’s Creator Following the cancellation of registration certificate, these companies cannot transact the business of a non- banking financial institution, it added. However, the RBI did not provide any reasons for the cancellation of certificate of registration. RBI slaps total of RS1.5-cr penalty on 12 banks in Deccan Chronicle Holdings case: i. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has slapped a monetary penalty, ranging from Rs 5 to Rs 40 lakhs, on 12 banks including ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank, Canara Bank and IDBI Bank, in the case relating to the loan and current accounts of the troubled Deccan Chronicle Holdings Ltd for violations of its instructions/directions/guidelines. ii. The central bank has imposed the maximum penalty on Rs 40 lakh on ICICI Bank; followed by Rs 15 lakh each on Axis Bank and IDBI Bank. iii. A penalty of Rs 10 lakh each has been imposed on Andhra Bank, Canara Bank, Corporation Bank, IndusInd Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, State Bank of Hyderabad and Yes Bank, the RBI said in a statement. iv. HDFC Bank and Ratnakar Bank have been slapped with a penalty of Rs 5 lakh each. v. The Reserve Bank had carried out a scrutiny of the loan and current accounts of Deccan Chronicle Holdings Ltd., in certain branches of these banks in late 2013. Based on the findings of the scrutiny, the Reserve Bank issued show cause notices to these banks in March 2014, to which the individual banks submitted written replies.

RBI Issues Draft Guidelines For Setting Up Small And Payment Banks Reserve Bank of India issued draft guidelines for setting up ‘local feel’ small banks and payment banks which will disburse small-ticket loans to farmers and businesses. Payment banks will cater to marginalised sections of the society, including migrant labourers, for collecting deposits and remitting funds. Those type of banks can be set up with a minimum capital of 100 crore rupees as against 500 crore rupees required for normal commercial banks. Proposed small banks will provide a whole suite of basic banking products such as deposits and supply of credit, but in a limited area of operation. Foreign investments in these new category banks would be as per the FDI policy.

RBI To Issue New Rs. 20 Denomination Notes RBI will shortly issue rupees 20 denomination banknotes incorporating rupee symbol, with inset letter E, in the Mahatma Gandhi Series-2005 bearing the signature of Raghuram G Rajan, Governor, RBI said in a release. These banknotes would bear the year of printing 2014 on the reverse side of the currency. RBI said that the design of these notes to be issued now is similar in all respects to the rupees 20 banknotes in Mahatma Gandhi Series-2005, issued earlier. All the banknotes in the denomination of rupees 20 issued by the Bank in the past will continue to be legal tender

RBI increases diamond imports’ credit time to 180 days Reserve Bank has relaxed norms governing import of rough, cut and polished diamonds by doubling the credit time period to 180 days. It has been decided, in consultation with the government, that the Clean Credit i. e. Credit given by a foreign supplier to its Indian customer/ buyer, without any Letter of Credit (Suppliers’ Credit) / Letter of Undertaking (Buyers’ Credit) / Fixed Deposits from any Indian financial institution for import of rough, cut and polished diamonds, may be permitted for a period not exceeding 180 days from the date of shipment,” RBI said in a notification. Earlier, the time frame was of 90 days. RBI also directed banks to ensure that due diligence is undertaken and Know-Your-Customer (KYC) Norms and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Standards, issued by it are adhered to while undertaking the import transactions.

RBI issues draft guidelines for setting up small and payment banks i. The Reserve Bank of India issued draft guidelines for setting up 'local feel' small banks and payment banks which will disburse small-ticket loans to farmers and businesses. ii. The Payment banks will cater to marginalised sections of the society, including migrant labourers, for collecting deposits and remitting funds. iii. Such banks can be set up with a minimum capital of 100 crore rupees as against 500 crore rupees required for normal commercial banks. iv. The proposed small banks will provide a whole suite of basic banking products such as deposits and supply of credit, but in a limited area of operation. Foreign investments in these new category banks would be as per the FDI policy.

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DishaThird Issue August ‘ 2014 – Om Ranker’s Creator RBI to issue new Rs. 20 denomination notes i. “The RBI will shortly issue rupees 20 denomination banknotes incorporating rupee symbol, with inset letter E, in the Mahatma Gandhi Series-2005 bearing the signature of Raghuram G Rajan, Governor,” RBI said in a release. ii. These banknotes would bear the year of printing ‘2014’ on the reverse side of the currency. iii. RBI said that the design of these notes to be issued now is similar in all respects to the rupees 20 banknotes in Mahatma Gandhi Series-2005, issued earlier. iv. “All the banknotes in the denomination of rupees 20 issued by the Bank in the past will continue to be legal tender.”

RBI increases diamond imports' credit time to 180 days i. The Reserve Bank has relaxed norms governing import of rough, cut and polished diamonds by doubling the credit time period to 180 days. ii. It has been decided, in consultation with the government, that the Clean Credit i. e. Credit given by a foreign supplier to its Indian customer/ buyer, without any Letter of Credit (Suppliers' Credit) / Letter of Undertaking (Buyers' Credit) / Fixed Deposits from any Indian financial institution for import of rough, cut and polished diamonds, may be permitted for a period not exceeding 180 days from the date of shipment," RBI said in a notification. iii. Earlier, the time frame was of 90 days. iv. The RBI also directed banks to ensure that due diligence is undertaken and Know-Your-Customer (KYC) Norms and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Standards, issued by it are adhered to while undertaking the import transactions.

Kargil Vijay Diwas India remembers martyrs with pride, pain Indian country celebrates the 15th anniversary of its triumph in Kargil War. This is also an important occasion which invokes feelings of both pain and pride for the families of the brave jawans who laid down their lives protecting the territory of India from intruders. Our Defence Minister Arun Jaitley, Army chief Bikram Singh, Navy chief Robin Dhowan and Air Force chief Arup Raha paid honor to martyrs at Amar Jawan Jyoti, India Gate in New Delhi. 15th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas being observed through out the country today i. The 15th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas is being observed through out the country today to remember the sacrifices of jawans who laid down their lives in Kargil war in 1999. ii. The day started with a solemn wreath laying ceremony at the Drass War Memorial led by Lieutenant General D S Hooda, GOC-in-C Northern Command of the Indian Army. This was followed by a pledge taken by all present at the function to rededicate them to the cause of the Nation. iii. The armed conflict broke out in Kargil when Pakistani soldiers infiltrated into India crossing the Line of Control (LoC). The Indian Army fought bravely in the high altitude Kargil hills and forced Pakistani troops to beat a retreat. iv. Paying tributes to Kargil martyrs, Prime Minister Narendra Modi remembered the indomitable courage and sacrifice of the Armed Forces on Kargil Vijay Diwas.

Logo Design Competition Launched For ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ Campaign The Union Ministry of Women and Child Development launched a Logo Design Competition for the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Campaign. The Union Finance Minister has announced an initial corpus of Rs. 100 crore for the campaign in the budget for the year 2014-15. The logo for the campaign ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ is to be developed through crowd sourcing with the purpose of including the logo in all advertisements issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and also for mass campaign through conventional and social media.

Three former CJIs made ‘improper compromises’, alleges Katju Former Supreme Court judge Markandey Katju, Chairman of Press Council of India, on Monday stirred a controversy by alleging that three ex-Chief Justices of India had compromised in giving extension to an additional judge of Madras High court at the instance of UPA government in the wake of pressure from one of its allies, apparently DMK. Mr. Katju made the charge while alleging how the three former CJIs – Justices R. C. Lahoti, Y. K. Sabharwal and K. G. Balakrishnan – had made “improper compromises” in allowing the judge, against whom there were several allegations of corruption, to continue in office. iii. “These three former CJIs made improper

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DishaThird Issue August ‘ 2014 – Om Ranker’s Creator compromises. Justice Lahoti who started it, then Justice Sabharwal and then Justice Balakrishnan. These are CJIs who can surrender. Mr. Katju said since he got many reports that the additional judge concerned was allegedly indulging in corruption had requested the then CJI Justice Lahoti to get a secret IB inquiry made about him.

World Bank In terms of GDP, India’s economy is 10th biggest: World Bank After growing at an average annual rate of just over 6 per cent from 1980 to 2010, India’s economy is now the 10th biggest in the world in terms of gross domestic product, according to the World Bank. However, its growth has slowed in recent years, with an expansion of 4.7 per cent in 2013-2014, up from 4.5 per cent the previous year, the slowest pace in the previous decade. India’s growth has been largely driven by the services sector which comprises over half of the economy, while the agricultural, manufacturing, and especially the industrial sectors have slowed down significantly, according to the latest quarterly review by the Indian Ministry of Finance. India remains the poorest country among the G20, with per capita income at $1,499 compared to China’s $6,807. China, the United States and the United Arab Emirates are India’s main trading partners, with its most valuable exports being refined petroleum, followed by jewelry, manufactured drugs, and rice.

Budget-2014-Highlights: Fiscal deficit target at 4.1% of GDP for 2014-15 Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday said the government will retain the fiscal deficit target for 2014-15 at 4.1 per cent of GDP and reduce it further to 3 per cent by 2016-17. Presenting his maiden Budget, the Minister said the prevailing economic situation presents a great challenge and there was a need to introduce fiscal prudence that will lead to fiscal consolidation and discipline. Outlining the roadmap for fiscal consolidation, Mr. Jaitley said fiscal deficit would be brought down to 3.6 per cent in 2015-16 and 3 per cent by 2016-17. The fiscal deficit which had touched a high of 5.7 per cent in 2011-12, was brought down to 4.8 per cent in 2012-13 and further to 4.5 per cent in 2013-14. The reduction in fiscal deficit by the UPA government, he said, was mainly achieved by a reduction in expenditure rather than by way of realisation of higher revenues.

Tax exemption limit raised to Rs 2.5 lakh. Salaried class has got something to cheer with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday, raising the tax exemption limit to Rs 2.5 lakh from Rs 2 lakh, providing a relief of Rs 5,000. The proposal, according to an estimate, is likely to be benefited about 2 crore tax payers. Similarly, he raised taxes, exemption limit from Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 3 lakh in the case of senior citizens. Thus, tax on income from Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 5 lakh is retained at 10 per cent, up to Rs 10 lakh at 20 per cent and above 10 lakh at 30 per cent.

FDI limits in the defence sector up to 49 per cent from 26 per cent The vernment on Thursday allocated Rs 2.29 lakh crore for the Defence Ministry in the Budget, marking an increase of around 12.5 per cent from the last fiscal as it raised the FDI limit in the defence sector up to 49 per cent from 26 per cent now. The Ministry was allocated Rs 2,03,672 crore in 2013-14 and was provided Rs 2,24,000 crore in the interim budget presented by the UPA government in February this year. The Ministry was allocated Rs 2,03,672 crore in 2013-14 and was provided Rs 2,24,000 crore in the interim budget presented by the UPA government in February this year. Beti Bacho Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Yojana to create awareness on women’s issues. For the safety and welfare of women, Rs 100 crores have been provided for Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Yojana to generate awareness on the issues. An outlay of fifty crore rupees has been made for pilot testing of a scheme on safety for women on public road transport. Another 150 crore rupees have been allocated for a scheme to increase the safety of women in large cities. Crisis management centres will be set up in all districts of the capital, Delhi and private hospitals.

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DishaThird Issue August ‘ 2014 – Om Ranker’s Creator Union Budget 2014-15 Union Finance Minster Arun Jaitley presented the Narendra Modi Government’s maiden Budget for the year 2014-15 on 10 July 2014. Highlights of the Union Budget 2014-15 :- * The tax bracket has been increased to 2.5 lakh rupees from previous 2 lakh rupees, whereas, for senior citizen it has been raised to 3 lakh rupees from previous 2.5 lakh rupees * Tax relief for interest on housing loan rose from 1.5 lakh rupees to 2 lakh rupees * Deduction under 80C increased from 1 lakh rupees to 1.5 lakh rupees * No change in surcharge * No change in Direct Tax rates * Cigarettes to cost more, excise duty hiked to 72 percent from 11 percent * Personal computers, electronic goods to be cheaper * Basic customs duty on LED panel below 19 inch removed * Soaps and oil products to become cheaper * Excise duty on footwear reduced from 12 percent to 6 percent * Excise duty concessions to continue till 31 December 2014 * Annual deposit under PPF scheme rose to 1.5 lakh rupees from previous 1 lakh rupees * 2037 crore rupees for Ganga cleaning * 4200 crore rupees for Ganga project river connectivity from Allahabad to Haldia * 15000 KM of additional pipeline through PPP mode to complete Gas Grid * 37800 crore rupees proposed for NHAI and State Highways * 3000 crore rupees for roads in North East * 1000 crore rupees for improving North East connectivity * 1000 crore rupees for one rank one pension policy adopted by government * 11635 crore rupees for habour projects * 10000 crore rupees set aside for startup firms * 1000 crore rupees proposed for Pradhanmantri Krishi Seechai Yojana to improve irrigation facility * 30 crore rupees for setting up Hasthkala Academy for revival of handicrafts * 14389 crore rupees announced for Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna, PMGSY * 1785 crore rupees for road under-bridges & over-bridges * 4000 crore rupees for National Housing Bank for flow of cheap housing finance * 3600 crore rupees for National Rural Drinking Water programme * 100 crore rupees has been allotted for modernization of Madarasas * 500 crore rupees for power transmission * 100 crore rupees allotted for Beti bachao-beti padhao yojna * 150 crore rupees for safety of women scheme * Minimum pension of 1000 rupees to meet the expenditure to all subscribers of EPFO scheme * 1000 crore rupees allocated for PM Irrigation Scheme * 200 crore rupees has been allocated for the Statue of Unity in Gujarat, Sardar Patel stands as a unity of statue * 8000 crore rupees allocated for rural housing scheme * 2000 crore rupees allocated for new Water Shed programme * 3600 crore rupees under national rural drinking water programme * 50000 crore rupees for SC/ST schemes * 500 crore rupees allocated for setting AIIMS in Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Vidharbha and Purvanchal. Aim is to create an AIIMS in every state * FDI cap in Defence sector has been raised to 49 percent * The finance minister in the budget announced steps for sustained growth of 7-8 percent within the next three-four years * Separate commission will be constituted to decrease government expense * Aim to make food and fuel subsidy more targeted so that it helps those who need them * High-level committee will scrutinize all retro taxes * No change was made in tax rates retrospectively * PSU 247944 crore capex to create industrial cycle * 100 new Smart cities to be developed, 7060 crore rupees fund for smart cities * Tourism: e-visas to be introduced at nine airports in the country in a phased manner * Modified REITS (Real estate investment trusts) has been announced for infrastructure projects to reduce pressure on banking system * Kisan Vikas Patra has been pushed further

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DishaThird Issue August ‘ 2014 – Om Ranker’s Creator * New scheme for skill development called Skill India to be launched * By 2019, every household will have Sanitation * Shyama Prassad Mukherjee Rozgar mission to be launched * Gender main-streaming: School curriculum to have a chapter on the issue * MNREGA will be made more productive by linking it to agriculture related activities * Women SCGs bank loan scheme to be extended to other districts * Backward region grant fund for 272 backward districts: BRGF will be restructured * Under Health for all, free drug and free diagnostic service to be taken * 12 more government medical colleges to be added * Open market sale of food grains, wherever required * National industrial corridor to be set up with Pune at centre * 10-year Tax holiday for power sector to continue * War Memorial will be set up at Princess Park, New Delhi * To augment power supply in rural areas Deen Dayal Upadhaya Gram Jyoti Yojana to be launched * Composite cap on FDI in insurance proposed to be raised to 49 percent from 26 percent * 15 Model Rural Health Research centers for rural health issues * National multiscale Skill India programme to provide training and support for employment * 15 new Braille presses to be established and 10 existing to be revived

Union Railway Budget 2014-15 Union Railway Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda on 8 July 2014 presented his first Railway Budget in Parliament. This is the first rail budget presented by any Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) minister and it is also Sadanand Gowda’s first rail budget. Union Railway Budget 2014-15 Highlights :- * No new increase in passenger fares and freight charges * Bullet train on Mumbai-Ahmedabad Sector * Diamond quadrilateral for high speed trains * Plan to hike speed of trains to 160-200 km/hr in 9 sectors * Online booking to support 7,200 tickets/minute; to allow 1.2 lakh users log in simultaneously * Women RPF Constables to escort ladies coaches; 4,000 women constables to be inducted * Feedback services through IVRS on quality of food * Cleanliness budget up by 40 pc over last year * 58 new trains and extension of 11; 864 additional EMUs to be introduced in Mumbai over 2 years * FDI in railway projects, except in operations. * FDI, domestic investments in rail infrastructure * Office-on-Wheels: Internet & Workstation facilities on select trains * Wi-Fi in A-1, A category stations and in select trains * Rail university for technical and non-technical subjects * Loss per passenger per kilometre up from 10p (in 2000-01) to 23p (2012-13) * Solar energy to be tapped at major stations * Highest ever plan outlay of Rs 65,455 crore for 2014-15 * Expenditure in 2014-15 pegged at Rs 149,176 crore.

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DishaThird Issue August ‘ 2014 – Om Ranker’s Creator INTERNATIONAL

JULY 2014

Israel rejects ceasefire plan, death toll nears 850 Israel has rejected international proposals for a ceasefire in its fight against Islamist militants in Gaza, a government source said on Friday, but U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said no formal proposals had yet been put forward. As diplomacy faltered, the warfare raged on. Gaza officials said Israeli strikes killed 55 people on Friday, including the head of media operations for Hamas ally Islamic Jihad and his son. They put the number of Palestinian deaths in 18 days of conflict at 844, most of them civilians.

China Pledges More Support For Afghanistan’s Development China would like to see a smooth transition of power in Afghanistan and will give more support for the country’s settlement and economic development, China’s newly-appointed Special Envoy for Afghan Affairs Sun Yuxi said on Friday. Former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah and former finance minister Ashraf Ghani on separate occasions since his arrival Wednesday, Xinhua reported are the words said by Sun when he had had talks with President Hamid Karzai and presidential candidates.

India & Nepal to boost cooperation in defence, security, trade & investment i. India and Nepal have agreed to take the bilateral ties to a new level. They will boost cooperation in diverse areas including defence, security, trade and investment, water resources and border issues. ii. This was decided today at the first meeting of the Joint Commission held in Kathmandu after a gap of 23 years. The Meeting was co-chaired by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Nepalese counterpart Mahendra Bahadur Pandey. iii. The meeting agreed on setting up an Eminent Persons Group to identify new areas of cooperation and suggest measures to help both the countries seize all possible opportunities. iv. The meeting deliberated on issues relating to defence and security and agreed to expand cooperation.

EU Extended Sanctions On Russia European Union (EU) extended the sanctions on Russia in wake of the Malaysian Airplane MH-17 crash that happened over eastern Ukraine in third week of July 2014. The sanctions were approved by the Committee of Permanent Representatives of the European Union (EU) at a meet in Brussels, Belgium.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk Resigned Ukraine Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk resigned from his post from Verkhovna Rada (The Parliament of Ukraine) after his governing coalition collapsed. The collapse of the ruling coalition will lead to early elections, which will be called by the President Petro Poroshenko within 30 days.

India votes in support of UNHRC resolution on Gaza i. India along with BRICS countries on Wednesday voted in support of a UN Human Rights Council resolution to launch a probe into Israel’s offensive on Gaza. ii. India joined Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa to vote for a Palestinian-drafted resolution on “Ensuring Respect for international law in The Occupied Palestinian Territories, including East Jersusalem”. iii. In the 47-member council, 29 countries voted in support of the resolution while 17 nations abstained. iv. The U.S. was the only nation to vote against the resolution. European countries abstained. v. The voting came as bloodbath in the Gaza Strip continued unabated today with Israel and Hamas refusing to back down in the 16-day conflict that has killed over 680 Palestinians and 31 Israelis. vi. Earlier, India asked Israel and Palestine to demonstrate political will to agree to a ceasefire and return to the negotiating table.

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DishaThird Issue August ‘ 2014 – Om Ranker’s Creator World Bank commits $15-18 bn to India in next 3 years i. The World Bank has committed 15 to 18 billion dollars to India by 2017 to help the country return to a higher growth path which is critical for boosting jobs and reducing poverty. ii. It will step up its lending to India to 5 to 6 billion dollars annually over the next three years from the earlier commitment of 3 to 5 billion dollars a year. iii. The World Bank President Jim Yong Kim endorsed the government's committment on reforms and said the multilateral agency will support the development initiatives with financing as well as knowledge and capacity building. He said, the new government would like to return to a growth rate of 9 percent.

India unchanged at 135th spot in UN's HDI report i. India is ranked 135 in Human Development Index, HDI report which was released by the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP in Tokyo today. ii. Accoding to the report, the country's ranking in the HDI remained unchanged at 135 out of 187 countries in 2013, reflecting little improvement in the living standard of its people. iii. The report also mentioned that India's HDI value for 2013 is 0.586 which falls in the medium human development category. iv. Between 1980 to 2013, India's HDI value increased from 0.369 to 0.586. v. The report further said that India is the lowest performing country among the BRICS nations in all categories of the HDI with the exception of life expectancy, which is lower in South Africa as a result of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Bolivia legalized Child Labor for Kids from Age 10 Bolivia on 18 July 2014 passed a law to legalise child labour for kids from age 10. The bill was approved by Bolivian Congress in June 2014. The bill was signed into law by the Vice President of Bolivia. Under the legislation, 10-year-olds will be able to work as long as they are under parental supervision and also attend school. It sets 12 as the minimum age for a child to work under contract. They also would have to attend school. The bill also offers safeguards for working children like the bill sets harsher punishment of 30 years for violence against children.

India among highest investors in UK Indian projects figure among the highest foreign investment in Britain in the last financial year, a year that saw the highest inward investment into the country since the 1980s, official sources here said. Of the top ten source-countries for investment in Britain, India ranks seventh, with 74 projects during 2013-14. The figures were released before the Commonwealth Games Business Conference in Glasgow on Tuesday and Wednesday which will showcase to the world’s business and political leaders all that the UK has to offer. The USA led the way as the largest source of FDI projects for the UK, generating 501 projects, up 27%. The top Commonwealth country for FDI is Canada. Canadian investment reached new heights in 2013/14, with 89 projects, up an encouraging 41%.

India To Host 7th IBSA Summit In 2015 India will host the 7th IBSA (India-Brazil-South Africa) summit in 2015. This will be the third time New Delhi will be hosting the IBSA summit since it started in 2006. While the inaugural edition of the summit was held in Brazil, India played host to the third edition in 2008 and the sixth in 2013. IBSA is a trilateral initiative amongst three different societies of three different continents in India, Brazil and South Africa. It was formed with an aim to promote South-South cooperation and exchange of like-minded countries, committed to inclusive sustainable development. The group was formed on 6 June 2003 with the adoption of the Brasilia Declaration followed by a meet of foreign ministers of the three countries in Brasilia.

Next BRICS Summit is going to be held in Russia The next year’s BRICS Summit will be obtained in the Russian city of Ufa after the grouping’s successful meeting in Brazil that saw an agreement being reached on establishing a development bank and a contingency reserve arrangement “Brazil, India, China and South Africa convey their appreciation to Russia for its offer to host the Seventh BRICS Summit in 2015 in the city of Ufa and extend their full support to that end,” the BRICS leaders said in the Fortaleza Declaration. Ufa is the capital city of the Republic of Bashkortostan, Russia, and the industrial, economic, scientific and cultural center of the republic. The sixth summit held here was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia, Xi

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DishaThird Issue August ‘ 2014 – Om Ranker’s Creator Jinping of China, Jacob Zuma of South Africa and Dilma Rousseff of Brazil, as they deliberated on global economic, political and strategic issues. BRICS Summit last night decided to establish the New Development Bank with an initial authorized capital of USD 100 billion for which the initial subscribed capital will be equally shared by the founding members, a point New Delhi emphasized to prevent domination by anyone of the members. During the summit, agreement was also reached on establishing a contingency reserve arrangement with an initial size of USD 100 billion. Russia, India, China and South Africa also extend their warm appreciation to the Government and people of Brazil for hosting the Sixth BRICS Summit in Fortaleza.

India is Going to host IBSA Summit next year India will host the next summit of IBSA (India, Brazil, South Africa) in New Delhi in 2015, giving importance to the grouping notwithstanding the BRICS form of which these countries are also members. This was agreed to at a meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi had with South African President Jacob Zuma in Brasilia on Wednesday night on the sidelines of the summit BRICS leaders held with South American leaders. New Delhi will also host the India, Africa Forum is meeting this December. Both leaders recognized the importance of IBSA as a forum of members who have long established democracies and similarities of views on various matters of the international agenda of political and economic consequences.

IMF welcomes to the establishment of BRICS bank The International Monetary Fund has welcomed the move to set up a new BRICS development bank stating that it is ready to work with the Bank’s leadership. IMF staff would be delighted to work with the BRICS team dedicated to this project with a view to reinforcing the cooperation among all parts of the international safety net intended to preserve financial stability in the world, she said. “The IMF has a very strong relationship with all the BRICS nations, which are key members of this institution. We look forward to further strengthening our collaboration,” she added. Meanwhile, the US refrained from making any comment on the move to set up the development bank aimed at reshaping the international financial system dominated by the West, saying that the details are yet to emerge.

India and Brazil signed three agreements to strengthen the bilateral relation India and Brazil on 16 July 2014 signed three agreements during the sixth BRICS Summit in Fortaleza, Brazil. The agreement was signed by the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff at the Brazilian President official residence The Itamaraty Palace. Narendra Modi was on a visit to Brazil to attend the 6th BRICS Summit being held in Fortaleza, Brazil from 15 July to 16 July 20. The three agreements signed between the two countries are: MoU on Cooperation in the Field of Environment Agreement on Space MoU on Cooperation in the Establishment of a consultation mechanism for mobility and consular issues.

North Korea Fires 2 Ballistic Missiles North Korea fired two short-range missiles into the sea.The missiles were fired from the northern part of the southern border city of Kaesong, about just 20 kilometres from the military demarcation line.Their range appear to be around 500 kilometres (310.7 miles).

PM Narendra Modi set to leave for Brazil to participate in the VIth BRICS Summit Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to participate in the VIth BRICS Summit in Fortaleza and Brasilia, Brazil from 14 to 16th of July. He will embark upon his important journey on 13th of July. This will be his first multi-lateral meeting with the heads of BRICS countries, the growing world economies such as Brazil, China, Russia and South Africa. The PM is also scheduled to have important bilateral meetings with President of China, Mr Xi Jinping on 14th July. On the same day, Shri Narendra Modi will have bilateral dialogues with Russian President Vladimir Putin. In summary, BRICS opens for its five members a space for dialogue, the identification of convergences and consultation regarding various topics, and expands contacts and cooperation in specific sectors. India is the second biggest economy on Purchase Power Parity parameter in the group after China. With its huge population and resources, in terms of skilled manpower and sizeable young generation, India is one of the fastest growing economies of the world. In such a case, India is all set to play a vital role in BRICS organization as well as on the world platform under the zeal and vigour of a new government led by Shri Narendra Modi.

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DishaThird Issue August ‘ 2014 – Om Ranker’s Creator India and UK to launch civil nuclear cooperation India and United Kingdom decided to launch negotiations for civil nuclear cooperation. The decision was taken during the visit of UK foreign secretary of state William Hague to India. He visited India on 7- 8 July 2014. The Union External Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj and UK foreign secretary of state William Hague had discussions on a variety of issues related to bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest. At present, the Bilateral trade between the UK and India stands at 15 billion US dollars. Typhoon Neoguri makes landfall on Japan’s southern main island Typhoon Neoguri slammed into Japan’s southern main island early today after lashing the Okinawa island chain, with three people killed as powerful winds and torrential rains battered the country. The typhoon’s winds slowed somewhat overnight, with the storm packing gusts of up to 126 kilometres (78 miles) per hour as it moved east at 25 kilometres per hour.

Japan Issued Multiple Entry Visas To Indians Japan issued multiple entry visas for short term stay to Indians. The visas will allow Indian visitors to spend up to 15 days on a visit and the visas are likely to be valid for three years. The decision will increase the number of Indian tourists to Japan and improve convenience in business activities and further development of bilateral exchanges between the two countries.

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DishaThird Issue August ‘ 2014 – Om Ranker’s Creator NATIONAL

JULY 2014

WB loan to West Bengal for Gram Panchayat improvement i. The World Bank will give around one thousand two hundred crore rupees loan to the West Bengal Government for improvement of a thousand Gram Panchayats in the State. ii. Giving this information in Kolkata, State Panchayat Minister Mr. Subrata Mukherjee said that the funds will be utilised in 9 districts to bring a thousand Panchayat bodies under the Nirmal Gram Panchayat scheme in the next five years.

Law Commission recommends fixed tenure for CJI i. Same retirement age of 65 for Supreme Court and High Court judges, a “cooling-off period” for judges after retirement and a fixed tenure for Chief Justice of India. ii. These are the three changes Law Commission Chairperson A.P. Shah has recommended in his note to Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad. iii. Justice Shah's note titled ‘A Judicial Appointments Commission for India: A Proposal’ became the central point of debate between the Law Ministry and eminent jurists on Monday.

Govt launches Rashtriya Gokul Mission Government has launched the Rashtriya Gokul Mission to promote conservation and development of indegenous breeds in a focused and scientific manner. The mission aims at enhancing milk production, upgrading non-desrcipt cattle using elite indegenious breeds and distribute disease free high genetic bulls. Agriculture Minister Radhamohan Singh launched the mission in New Delhi.

IAF receives 6th C-17 Globemaster III aircraft Indian Air Force on Monday received its sixth C-17 Globe master heavy lift transport aircraft which also carried a World War II vintage ‘Harvard’ aircraft in its belly. C-17 is the biggest aircraft in IAF’s inventory and the government had accorded approval to buy 10 C-17 Globemaster III along with associated equipment for the IAF in June 2011. The first aircraft touched down in India on June 18 last year and the delivery of all 10 is expected to be to be completed by December 2014.

Malabar Naval Exercise featuring Indian, Japanese and US Navy started i. Malabar Naval exercise 2014 started in the Pacific Ocean. Malabar naval exercise 2014 is the 18th edition of the Malabar series conducted to enhance multinational maritime relationships and mutual security issues. ii. Japan is participating in the Malabar exercises for the third time since it first participated in 2007.

Highlights of the Exercise The exercise will feature both ashore and at-sea training. The ashore exercise at Port Sasebo in Tokyo, Japan will take place from 24 July 2014 to 26 July 2014.

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DishaThird Issue August ‘ 2014 – Om Ranker’s Creator ECONOMY

Textile policy aims to create 35 mn jobs, $300 bn exports The draft National Textile policy, aims at achieving 300 billion dollars exports by 2024-25 and creation of additional 35 million jobs by attracting investments. The draft Vision, Strategy and Action Plan for Indian Textiles and Apparels was presented to the Textiles Minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar yesterday. Expert Committee Chairman Ajay Shankar presented the blueprint to the Minister. Ministry of Textiles had initiated the process of reviewing the National Textile Policy, 2000, keeping in view the various changes in the textile industry on the domestic and international fronts and an Expert Committee was constituted to make fresh recommendations.

Gujarat tops in power sector investments A recent study report prepared by Assocham’s Economic Research Bureau has showed that Gujarat topped in new investments attracted by the power sector during the period 2004-05 and 2012-13. The study titled: ‘State-wise analysis of power sector: Consumption, demand & investment’ showed that during the period, Gujarat attracted 17 per cent or Rs. 5.3 lakh crore worth of investments out of the total new investments worth over Rs. 31.3 lakh crore by power sector (public and private sources) across India. During 2012-13, out of the total new investments worth over Rs. 1,560 crore by the power industry in Gujarat, private sector accounted for 56 per cent. The report also noted that Gujarat has registered significant improvement in power situation, as the percentage of non-starter projects has reduced from almost half as of 2004-05 to about 29 per cent as of 2012-13.

Cabinet clears 49% FDI in insurance with Indian control The Cabinet on Thursday approved 49 percent foreign investment in insurance companies through the FIPB route ensuring management control in the hands of Indian promoters. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved raising of FDI cap in insurance sector to 49 percent from 26 percent," sources said after a meeting of the CCEA, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday. With the Cabinet approving the amendments to the long pending Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill, it will now be taken up by Parliament. The proposal to raise FDI cap has been pending since 2008 when the previous UPA government introduced the Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill to hike foreign holding in insurance joint ventures to 49 percent from the existing 26 percent.

PF account holders to soon receive universal numbers From October 15, employees will not have to apply for transfer of their provident fund (PF) accounts while switching jobs anywhere in India. All the Employees’ Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) is speeding up work on universal account numbers (UANs) for subscribers. Once a UAN is allotted to an employee, he or she need not go through his or her employer to provide details to EPFO, unlike now. There will be no need for an individual to go through the employer

Guidelines for setting up TReDs for MSMEs issued RBI has issued plan guidelines for setting up and operating a Trade Receivables Discounting System in order to facilitate financing to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and to help them convert trade receivables into liquid funds. RBI said that there is a need to address this pan-India issue through setting up of an institutional mechanism for financing trade receivables for MSMEs. As per the general guidelines, TReDS will facilitate the discounting of both invoices as well as bills of exchange.

Tamil Nadu Govt To Issue Industrail Licences Online Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on 23 July announced that the process of issuing licences for new industries would be done through a web portal. The step was taken in order to simplify the process involved for registration of new industries in the state. The new portal, apart from issuing the industrial licenses, will also help the general public and industrialists in finding out about new government schemes.

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DishaThird Issue August ‘ 2014 – Om Ranker’s Creator CORPORATE

JULY 2014

Flipkart raises $ 1bn in fund highest in Indian e-commerce Flipkart on Tuesday announced it has raised $1 billion (Rs 6,000 crore), the largest ever fund-raising by an Indian internet company. The company declined to disclose the valuation at which it has raised funding. However, according to multiple people involved in the deal, the Bangalore-based company is now valued at about $7 billion. This is a great milestone for Flipkart and for internet companies in India. It is a whole new benchmark we have set, said Sachin Bansal, co-founder and chief executive. The company has so far raised over $1.7 billion in risk capital funding. In May, Flipkart raised $210 million led by Russian billionaire Yuri Milner’s DST Global a few days after announcing its acquisition of fashion portal Myntra. Seven-year-old firm was valued at $2.6 billion at the time.

Australia approves Adani’s $15.5 bn Carmichael coal project The Australian government has approved billionaire Gautam Adani promoted Adani Goup’s proposed $16.5 billion (US $ 15.5 billion) Carmichael Coal Mine and Rail project subject to set of environmental conditions. Minister of Environment, government of Australia, Greg Hunt on Monday approved the project which is touted to be one of the world’s biggest coal mines. The Rs 50,000-crore Adani Group through its Australian subsidiary Adani Mining Pty Ltd in mid 2010 had proposed to develop a 60 million tonne per annum (Mtpa) thermal coal mine in the north Galilee Basin in Central Queensland. All coal will be railed via a privately owned rail line and shipped through coal terminal facilities at the Port of Abbot Point and/or the Port of Hay Point (Dudgeon Point expansion). The Carmichael Coal Mine spread over area of approximately 44,700 hectares and 189 km rail project will have an operating life of approximately 90 years.

Microsoft Corporation Looks To Quantum Computing To Break New Grounds Microsoft Corporation looks to quantum computing to break new grounds. Microsoft Corporation has apparently hired the world’s top-notch mathematicians, physicists, computer scientists and researchers for Station Q to change how computing will work in the future. Microsoft Research Station Q page shows Michael Freedman, Technical Fellow, as saying, Our lab combines researchers, theorists, and experimentalists from mathematics, physics, and computer science, and we partner with academic and research institutions around the globe.

TCS becomes first Indian company with market value of over Rs 5 lakh crore Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has become the first Indian company with a market capitalization of Rs 5 lakh crore. TCS shares which hit their 52-week high on the bourses today, closed 2.21 per cent higher at Rs

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DishaThird Issue August ‘ 2014 – Om Ranker’s Creator 2,586.9. At the closing price, TCS market cap amounted to Rs 5,06,703 crore. TCS is now followed by ONGC (Rs 3.5 lakh crore) and Reliance Industries (Rs 3.3 lakh crore).

YES Bank, Transfast launch instant money transfer service for NRIs i. YES Bank and international money transfer company Transfast, have launched an online money transfer service with instant deposits to NRI customer accounts with any bank in India. ii. This service facilitates real-time deposit of funds to all banks currently connected to the National Payments Corporation of India’s (NPCI) platform for inward remittances and is available 24 hours a day/7 days a week/365 days a year, YES Bank said in a statement. iii. Arun Agarwal, Group President, International Banking Division, YES Bank, said, “YES Bank is proud to partner with Transfast in introducing this innovative technology to transfer money from the USA and Canada to India at lightning speed. This service will provide great convenience to our customers in North America and provide an instant credit confirmation to them for deposits into their recipients’ accounts.”

Canara Bank signs Rs1,170-cr loan pact for Kochi Metro Canara Bank signed an agreement with the Kochi Metro Rail Ltd on Sunday for a loan of Rs 1,170 crore to the Rs 5,200-crore Kochi Metro project. This is the largest loan offered by Canara Bank, which is Kerala’s lead bank, to a single entity in the State. RK Dubey, CMD of Canara Bank, who signed the agreement with KMRL Managing Director Elias George, said the bank was willing to support the project further.

AirAsia India starts Bangalore-Kochi flight service Air Asia India, which stated operations in the country on June 12, now has services to Goa, Chennai and Kochi from Bangalore. “Air Asia flight from Bangalore landed in Kochi six minutes before the scheduled arrival time of 9.55 am. The return flight also took off three minutes before the scheduled departure time of 10.20 am,” a Cochin International Airport.

Govt slaps USD 579 mn additional penalty on RIL i. The government has slapped an additional penalty of USD 579 million on Reliance Industries for producing less than targeted natural gas from its KG-D6 block, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said. ii. With this, the total penalty on RIL for missing the target in four fiscal years beginning 1st April 2010 now stands at a cumulative USD 2.376 billion.

Air India is now part of Star Alliance Air India on Friday formally became a member of Star Alliance, a conglomeration of 26 overseas airlines. “This is an important day for us. We have said for many years that we needed a strong home carrier in the Indian market and by welcoming Air India to our Star Alliance family, we have achieved this goal,” said Star Alliance Chief Executive Mark Schwab. Rohit Nandan, Air India Chairman and Managing Director, said: “Air India is proud to be a member of this prestigious airline Alliance.

World Bank to give $153 mn loan for Odisha project India has inked a loan agreement with World Bank for an assistance of $153 million (about Rs 920 crore) for the Odisha Disaster Recovery Project. “The Loan Agreements for World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) assistance of $153 million for Odisha Disaster Recovery Project were signed here on Friday between the Government of India and the World Bank,” an official statement said. The objective of the project is to restore and improve housing and public services in targeted communities of Odisha, and increase the capacity of the state entities to respond promptly and effectively to an eligible crisis of emergency, the statement said.

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DishaThird Issue August ‘ 2014 – Om Ranker’s Creator

SPORTS

JULY 2014

Sabine Lisicki Sets Record For Fastest Serve In Women’s Tennis Sabine Lisicki of Germany created a record of fastest serve in the women’s tennis. Lisicki set the record by serving at 131 miles per hour during the first-round loss in the Bank of the West Classic Stanford, USA. The previous record of fastest serve in women’s tennis was held by Venus Williams achieved at the 2007 US Open, at a speed of 129 miles per hour.

CWG 2014: Sushil, 2 others bag gold for India on first day of wrestling i. Star grappler Sushil Kumar led India's sparkling show in the wrestling arena as the country claimed three gold medals on the first day of the wrestling competitions at the Commonwealth Games at Glasgow on Tuesday. ii. Sushil expectedly bagged gold in men's 75kg freestyle category while Amit Kumar won the yellow metal in men's 57kg while Vinesh Phogat finished on top in women's 48kg at the SECC Hall. iii. Rajeev Tomar, however had to settle for a silver in the mens 125 kg freestyle event.

Moeen Ali banned from wearing ‘Save Gaza’ wristbands for England English all-rounder Moeen Ali has been banned from wearing Save Gaza and Free Palestine wristbands till the remainder of the third Test match against India in Southampton. ICC match referee David Boon inflicted the decision upon Ali.

South African Tim Clark wins Canadian Open golf South African Tim Clark clinched his second PGA Tour title when he sank a six-foot par putt to beat American Jim Furyk by one stroke at the Canadian Open on Sunday.

Jitu Rai wins Gold in 50m Pistol event in CWG; Gurpal Singh bags Silver Shooting brings two early medals on 5th day of Glasgow Commonwealth Games. In the 50m Pistol event, Jitu Rai have secured Gold whereas his compatriot Gurpal Singh won the silver.

CWG judo event: Rajwinder wins bronze in women’s +78kg India’s Rajwinder Kaur bagged a bronze in women’s +78kg judo competition to add to the three medals the country won in the sport at the 20th Commonwealth Games on Saturday. Indian judokas has already created history by winning the highest number of medals in any Commonwealth Games. Cycling Italy’s Vincenzo Nibali wins 101st edition of Tour de France Italian Vincenzo Nibali won the 101st edition of the Tour de France in cycling as he finished the final stage on the Champs Elysees in Paris safely in the peloton. Nibali is the sixth man to win all three Grand Tours, the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a Espana.

CWG 2014 India’s Santoshi Matsa Bags Bronze In Weightlifting India’s fifth medal from the weightlifting event 2014 after winning two gold, a silver and a bronze on the opening day of the event. India’s good show in the weightlifting arena continued as young Andhra Pradesh girl Santoshi Matsa grabbed the bronze medal in the women’s 53 kg category at the Commonwealth Games on Friday. A 20-year-old Santoshi lifted a total of 188 kg in snatch and clean and jerk to get the bronze as 16- year-old Nigerian schoolgirl Chika Amalaha won the gold with a total lift of 196 kg. Veteran Papua and New Guinea lifter Dika Toua, who is a mother of two, took the silver with a total lift of 193 kg. Swati, on her part, failed on two attempts to lift 103 kg and 106 kg respectively as she had to patch up with a total score of 183 kg.

CWG 2014 Abhinav Bindra wins gold in 10m air rifle 31-year-old Bindra kept his nerve to take the honour in his favourite 10m air rifle event with a final games record score of 205.3 to bring cheers for the Indian deputation. Indian shooters was at full display as star marksman Abhinav Bindra and unheralded teenager Malaika Goel clinched a gold and silver medal

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DishaThird Issue August ‘ 2014 – Om Ranker’s Creator correspondingly to add to the tally of medals for their country on Day 2 of the 20th Commonwealth Games. India was placed fourth on the medals table with a tally of 3 gold, 4 silver and two bronze behind toppers England (18), Australia (15) and Scotland (10).

CWG 2014 Indian men, women table tennis teams win at Glasgow The Indian women thrashed Kenya 3-0 in Pool D. Indian men and women table tennis teams jagged up wins in their respective pool matches of the 20th Commonwealth Games being held at the Scotstoun Sports Campus here on Friday. CWG 2014: Sanjita Khumukcham bags India's first gold in Glasgow i. Sanjita Khumukcham and Mirabai Chanu Saikhom bagged a gold and silver, respectively, in women's 48kg weightlifting in a display of overwhelming domination to open India's medal account on the opening day of the competition in the 20th Commonwealth Games on Thursday. ii. Sanjita won with a total lift of 173kg (77+96) while Mirabai grabbed the silver with a cumulative effort of 170 (75+95) in the absence of other strong competitors. iii. Nigerai's Nkechi Opara was a distant third with 162 (70+92). iv. Sanjita's total of 173kg missed the Games record, held the name of 2010 CWG gold winner Augustina Nkem Nwaokolo (175kg effort) by two kilograms. Sanjita's 77kg effort in snatch however equalled Nwaokolo's Commonwealth Games record.

CWG: India off to fine start; Medal tally at 2 gold, 3 Silver & 2 Bronze i. India had fine start on day one of the 20th Commonwealth Games. India bagged 2 Gold 3 Silver and 2 Bronze yesterday. ii. Today India is participating in 12 events: Badminton, Boxing, Cycling, Hockey, Judo, Lawn ball,Rhytmic Gymnastics, Shooting, Squash, Swimming, Table Tennis and Weightlifting. iii. In shooting, India's former Olympic Gold Medallist Abhinav Bindra have qualified for finals of 10m Air Rifle event along with Ravi Kumar. Bindra stood third in qualification with Kumar following him. This is Abhinav Bindra's last Commonwealth Games appearance. Earlier, today former world number one Heena Sidhu and Malaika Goel qualified for the finals in Women's 10m Air pistol event. Sidhu qualified with highest point of 383 and Goel stood fourth with 378 points. iv. Indian Men's Hockey team have started their campaign with 1-3 victory over Wales in it's opening preliminary match. For India Gurwinder Chandi, Rupinder Singh and Raghunath Ramachandra found net. The lone goal came from Welsh was scored by Andrew Cornick.

India clinches two gold medals in weightlifting i. India ran away with opening day honours in the weightlifting competition of the 20th Commonwealth Games with Sukhen Dey and K. Sanjita Chanu winning the gold medal in their respective events on Thursday. ii. The Indian team bagged four out of six medals on offer on day one of the competition on Thursday. iii. Sanjita and Saikhom Mirabai Chanu opened India’s campaign on a flying note by winning a gold and silver respectively in women’s 48kg before Dey and Ganesh Mali bagged with first and third position in men’s 56kg to cap a remarkable day for the Indians at the Clyde Auditorium. iv. The 25-year-old Dey lifted a total of 248kg (109+139) after trailing at the halfway snatch stage, but came back strongly in clean and jerk to win the gold. He had also won a silver in the 2010 Delhi CWG besides bagging a gold in the 2013 Commonwealth Championships in November last year. India is now participating in 12 events Badminton, Boxing, Cycling, Hockey, Judo, Lawn ball,Rhytmic Gymnastics, Shooting, Squash, Swimming, Table Tennis and Weightlifting. In shooting, India’s former Olympic Gold Medallist Abhinav Bindra have qualified for finals of 10m Air Rifle event along with Ravi Kumar. Bindra stood third in ability with Kumar following him. This is Abhinav Bindra’s last Commonwealth Games appearance. Earlier, today former world number one Heena Sidhu and Malaika Goel qualified for the finals in Women’s 10m Air pistol event. Sidhu qualified with highest point of 383 and Goel stood fourth with 378 points. Indian Men’s Hockey team have started their campaign with 1-3 victory over Wales in it’s opening preliminary match. For India Gurwinder Chandi, Rupinder Singh and Raghunath Ramachandra found net. The lone goal came from Welsh was scored by Andrew Cornick.

CWG: India blow away Ghana 5-0 in mixed team badminton i. The Indian its Commonwealth Games campaign with a dominating 5-0 win over minnows Ghana in a Group badminton team launched B match of the mixed team event at the 20th edition of the multi-sport event in Glasgow on Thursday. ii. India hardly broke any sweat as Parupalli Kashyap started the proceeding, spanking Daniel Sam 21-6 21-16

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DishaThird Issue August ‘ 2014 – Om Ranker’s Creator in a 27-minute men's singles match to put his team in the driver's seat right from the start. iii. World Championship bronze medallist P V Sindhu then taught Stella Amasah a lesson or two in badminton with a 21-7 21-5 victory in the women's singles competition to give India a 2-0 lead. iv. Men's doubles pair of Akshay Dewalkar and Pranaav Chopra thrashed Emmanuel Donkor and Abraham Ayittey 21-7 21-11 in just 22 minutes to make it 3-0 in India's favour. v. India will next take on Uganda.

Hero Motor Cop to be title sponsor of Indian Super League Hero Moto Cop, a two wheeler manufacturer, has signed a three year deal to be the title sponsor of the Indian Super League, the initial contract based football league in the country. This sponsorship, the new football league, promoted by IMG-Reliance and Star India, would be called the Hero Indian Super League. And franchise based tournament is programmed to start on September 19, 2014, and is based on the lines of Major League Soccer of the United States. Eight clubs participating includes Atletico de Kolkata, Delhi Dynamos FC, NorthEast United FC, Kerala Blasters FC, Team Goa, Team Pune, Team Mumbai and Team Bangalore.

Cricket India wins Lord’s Test against England by 95 runs India beat England by 95 runs in the second cricket test at Lord’s to take a 1-0 lead in the five- match series. Ishant Sharma claimed 7 wickets to bowl India to their first overseas win since 2011. It was also India’s second victory and the first since 1986 at Lord’s.

India Won Five Medals at 45th International Physics Olympiad (IPHO2014) The Indian Contingent has won five medals in 45th International Physics Olympiad (IPHO2014) held in Astana, Kazakhstan from 13 – 22 July 2014. India has won 2 gold medals and 3 silver medals in the Olympiad. 84 countries participated with 374 of the brightest students from across the world in the competition. Aniket Bajpai (Maharashtra) and Chitraang Murdia (Rajasthan) won gold medals while Bure Vidya Sagar Nadin, Srikakulam(AP) Gurukirat Singh Bajwa, Hoshiarpur (Punjab) and Rupanshu Ganvir (Maharashtra) secured silver medals.

Irishman Rory McIlroy won British Golf Open 2014 Irishman Rory McIlroy won the British Golf Open Championship 2014 held at Royal Liverpool Golf course in Holyake, United Kingdom on 20 July 2014. Spain’s Sergio Garcia (L) and US golfer Rickie Fowler finished two strokes behind McIlory to finish in second position.

Wozniacki routs Vinci for Istanbul title Top seed Caroline Wozniacki won her first title of the year and 22nd of her career on Sunday when she defeated second-seeded Italian Roberta Vinci 6-1, 6-1 in the Istanbul WTA final.

Nico Rosberg Won German Grand Prix – 2014 Nico Rosberg of Germany won the German Grand Prix F1 title on 20 July. It was fourth win of the season and the first at a home race for Rosberg belonging to the Mercedes team. Valtteri Bottas (Williams) captured second place while Rosberg’s Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton took third place.

Delhi Dynamos goes Dutch ahead of Indian league i. With the FIFA World Cup fever over last Sunday, India is gearing up for its own football league, the Indian Super League (ISL). Sameer Manchanda, owner of the Delhi franchise of ISL, Delhi Dynamos FC, is convinced that football has arrived in India and it’s just the right time to invest in the sport. ii. On Thursday, DEN Soccer, a wholly-owned subsidiary of DEN Networks which owns the Delhi franchise, Delhi Dynamos FC, announced its tie up with Feyenoord, a Dutch professional football club from Rotterdam. iii. Under this alliance, Feyenoord will assist Delhi Dynamos in overall development of its team, besides providing its international players and technical staff to the franchise. ISL’s first edition is slated for kick off in September.

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DishaThird Issue August ‘ 2014 – Om Ranker’s Creator Dunga tipped to return as Brazil coach i. Brazil’s 1994 World Cup-winning captain Dunga has emerged as a favourite to replace Luiz Felipe Scolari as coach of the Selecao. ii. The 50-year-old is in talks with the country’s top football officials and could be named Brazil’s new head coach as soon as Tuesday, according to news portal Lancenet. iii. It would be Dunga’s second spell in-charge of Brazil after guiding the team to 42 victories from 60 matches between 2006 and 2010. iv. Dunga’s only coaching position since 2010 was a 10-month stint in charge of Brazilian Serie A club Internacional last year.

Germany Captain Philipp Lahm Retires From International Football Philipp Lahm, the captain of Germany’s football team announced his retirement from international game on 18 July.He is the country’s fourth most-capped player behind Lothar Matthaus (150), Klose (137) and Lukas Podolski (116).He is also the fourth Mannschaft captain to lift the World Cup Trophy, after Fritz Walter in 1954, Franz Beckenbauer in 1974 and Matthaus in 1990.

Indian Cricketer Rahul Dravid elected as a member of the Laureus World Sports Academy Indian cricket legend captain Rahul Dravid on 16 July 2014 was elected as the member of the Laureus World Sports Academy. He is the 47th member of the Academy. After his election to the Academy, Dravid (nicknamed The Wall) met and played cricket with the young coaches of the Urban Academy of London’s East End. He was joined by fellow Academy member Steve Waugh, the Australian cricketing legend, who is the most successful captain in the history of Test Cricket.

World Cup winners Germany top FIFA rankings Joachim Loew’s side, fresh from their triumph in Rio de Janeiro, now top the standings on 1,724 points with Argentina, World Cup runners-up, second on 1,606.

England wins toss at Lords and elect to bowl against India England captain Alastair Cook won the toss and elected to bowl against India in the second cricket Test here on Thursday. Both sides have retained the XI which played in the drawn first Test in Nottingham. Teams: India: MS Dhoni (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Stuart Binny, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Mohammad Shami. England: Alastair Cook (c), Sam Robson, Gary Balance, Ian Bell, Joe Root, Moeen Ali, Matt Prior, Ben Stokes, Stuart Broad, Liam Plunkett, James Anderson. 2014.

Germany lift FIFA World Cup 2014 title i. Germany's Mario Götze kicks in second half of extra time to win 1-0 against Argentina in final of the FIFA World Cup 2014. ii. Germany is the first side from Europe to win a World Cup in the Americas, determined that a golden generation will finally get its reward after a string of near-misses. iii. Messi was declared as the Player of the tournament and awarded Golden Ball. iv. Germany won their fourth World Cup after a 24-year wait. Incidentally, this is the first World Cup for unified Germany, the previous three having been won by West Germany in 1954, 1974 and 1990. v. Lionel Messi, arguably the best player on the planet, was denied a fairytale end to his third World Cup campaign and a chance to match the heroics of countryman Diego Maradona. vi. Argentina in 1986, had gone home from Mexico with the World Cup and the legend of Maradona's hand of god. On Sunday evening they went back just with the aching pain of letting the Cup slip away from their grasp and the tragic tale of Higuain's feet of clay.

The Netherlands blank Brazil 3-0 in play-off i. Brazil lost its face, its pride one more time in the space of four days after the Netherlands embarrassed the hosts 3-0 in the third-place play-off match of the World Cup, as boos and jeers from the fans dressed in canary yellow reverberated across the Estadio Nacional in Brasilia.

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DishaThird Issue August ‘ 2014 – Om Ranker’s Creator World Cup champions to get $35 mn from FIFA The World Cup title not only carries immense prestige, but a massive paycheck as well on Sunday. The winning federation, either Germany or Argentina, will receive $35 million from the ruling body FIFA, and the losers $25 million, FIFA said on Friday. There is also a financial incentive in the match for third place between hosts Brazil and the Netherlands on Saturday, with $22 million for third place and $20 million for the fourth. Overall FIFA is dishing out $358 million to the 32 teams who competed at the June 12-July 13 tournament.

Germany meets Argentina in WC final in Rio i. Germany and Argentina will slug it out for the prestigious Football World Cup at Rio de Janeiro on Sunday night. ii. While three-time champions Germany advanced to the World Cup final after 2002, Argentina booked a final- 2 berth for the first time after 1990, when they lost to West Germany, 1-0 in the final. Since then, Germany have never been the World Champions. iii. Argentina, on the other hand, had last won the World Cup in 1986, the year Diego Maradona led his country to it's second World Cup. iv. The Netherlands will take on Brazil in the third place match at Brasília tomorrow.

Bhullar becomes first Indian-origin player to join NBA i. Sim Bhullar has become the first player of Indian origin to be a part of the National Basketball Association (NBA) after he signed a summer contract with the Sacramento Kings, a professional basketball team in the US. ii. 21-year-old Bhullar, who is 7.5 feet tall and weighs 360 pounds, is a centre from New Mexico State University. iii. Originally from Canada, Bhullar's parents hail from Punjab. His height is in his genes with his father 6.5 feet tall and his being mother's height 5.10 feet. iv. Bhullar's younger brother Tanveer, who is 7.2 feet, also plays college basketball at New Mexico State. v. Bhullar's name was not originally drafted in last month's NBA Draft, and that might deter him from playing for the Kings when the 2014-2015 season begins later this year.

Amul to sponsor Indian contingent for Commonwealth, Asian Games i. Amul has inked an agreement with the Indian Olympic Association to sponsor the Indian contingent for the upcoming Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games to be held later this year in South Korea. ii. R S Sodhi, Managing Director, Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (Amul), said that the company is leveraging on the synergies of milk and sports through this partnership. iii. Amul, which has recently started its 'Eat Milk with Every Meal' campaign, had also sponsored the Indian contingent for the London Olympics in 2012 and has been investing in football, cricket and Formula 1 in the past.

World cup Argentina beats Netherlands; to meet Germany in World Cup final Argentina defeated the Netherlands 4-2 on penalties on Wednesday to set up a third World Cup final against Germany. Romero parried the first spot kick from Ron Vlaar and then from Wesley Sneijder as well to see the Albiceleste through after 120 minutes of negative semi-final football from both sides had ended 0-0. Lionel Messi, Ezquiel Garay, Sergio Aguero and Maxi Rodriguez converted Argentina’s spot kicks while Arjen Robben and Dirk Kuyt were on target for the Dutch. It was the first World Cup semi-final ever to end 0-0 after 120 minutes, and the Dutch failed to score in 240 minutes overall as they had required penalties to beat Costa Rica in the quarter-finals.

FIFA suspended Nigeria’s team from International football competitions FIFA suspended Nigeria from all international football competitions with immediate effect. Nigeria was suspended on account of government interference in running the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). The Statement released by FIFA includes that during the period of suspension, the NFF may not be represented in any regional, continental or international competitions, including at club level, or in friendly matches. Nigeria reached the second round of the World Cup 2014 in Brazil and this is the third time to reach second round of the World Cup in their history (earlier in 1994 and 1998).

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DishaThird Issue August ‘ 2014 – Om Ranker’s Creator Murali Vijay’s Test 100 steadies India at 259 for 4 vs Eng Murali Vijay’s fourth Test hundred and an aggressive half-century by skipper MS Dhoni steadied India at 259 for 4 at stumps on day one in the Nottingham test against England. The visitors lost Dhawan, Pujara, Kohli and Rahane at crucial times. The day belonged to Murali Vijay, whose fourth Test hundred helped the side finish on a strong note. He was later joined by Dhoni, who slammed his second successive fifty. The challenge for England on the second day would be to break this 81-run stand and attack the Indian lower order. For England James Anderson was the pick of the bowlers as he took two wickets.

Germany Crushes Brazil WCWC ’14: Germany crush hosts Brazil 7-1; Argentina Vs Netherlands in 2nd semis tonight. Germany handed hosts Brazil their biggest ever defeat, 7-1 to seal a shot at the Football World Cup for the fourth time. The first semi-final at Belo Horizonte witnessed Germany making a mockery of the home team’s terrible defending to become the first team to score seven goals in a World Cup semi-final, with five coming in the first 29 minutes.

Nigeria Suspended From International Football By FIFA Nigeria have been suspended from all international football by FIFA amid allegations of government interference in its football federation. The Statement released by FIFA includes that during the period of suspension, the NFF may not be represented in any regional, continental or international competitions, including at club level, or in friendly matches.

Novak Djokovic Won Wimbledon Men’s Singles Title Novak Djokovic of Serbia on 6 July won the Men’s Wimbledon Tennis Open defeating Roger Federer of Switzerland. This is the second Wimbledon title for 27-year-old, Djokovic and seventh career Grand Slam. Djokovic won his first Wimbledon title in 2011. In the women’s single Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic won the Wimbledon Tennis Open defeating Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard.

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DishaThird Issue August ‘ 2014 – Om Ranker’s Creator Government launches scheme to minimize wastage of fruits, vegetables Government has launched a scheme for technology upgradation, estabdlishment and modernization of food processing industries across the country to minimize wastage of perishable fruits and vegetables. Food Processing Industries Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal said the National Mission of Food Processing will be implemented during the 12th Plan period to set up primary processing centres, collection centres besides technology upgradation, establishment and modernization of such industries. These schemes of the mission are implemented by the state governments and they have full powers to receive sanction and release funds to the eligible applicants, she said in Lok Sabha.

Rio Tinto banks on Modi to revive India projects Rio Tinto, the world’s largest merchant miner with more than two-third share of the globe’s iron ore business, and having a significant presence in other minerals and commodities, is banking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s business-friendly approach to help revive its stalled projects in India.

Clinton campaigns against killer diarrhoea in Jabrouli village Former President of the United States of America Bill Clinton visited Jabrouli village, near Lucknow, on an awareness mission on diarrhoea. The awareness mission was organized by Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI). According to CHAI, diarrhoea kills over 212,000 children under five every year, including 60,000 in the state of Uttar Pradesh alone. The same program has been implemented in the states of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat.

On-Line Portal Prakash Javadekar, Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change on 15 July launched a web portal for online submission and monitoring of forest clearance proposals, thereby minimizing the need for human interface between project proponents and officials dealing with Forest Clearance proposals in the Central and the State Governments.

Electric bus pilot project to be launched in Gujarat i. As part of efforts to ensure a cleaner and greener environment, the Gujarat Government will soon introduce a pilot project to run ‘electric buses’ for public transport between the state capital Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad.

ii. Moving ahead, the state-run Gujarat Power Corporation Ltd (GPCL) has invited expression of interest from the potential companies interested in the project which has been flashed on its official Web site. iii. “GPCL is all set to introduce an ‘e-vehicle’ project on pilot basis for the public transportation purpose, under which 15-20 E-buses will be included in the initial phase,” said a state government official associated with the project. iv. The project is to be launched to reduce the carbon emission and to create an ecological equilibrium by using non-traditional fuel like electricity,” the officer said.

North East can become the world’s largest organic producer: VK Singh The Northeast has the potential to become the largest producer of organic foods in the world, Union minister Vijay Kumar Singh said on Saturday. VK Singh, the Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region said, “Potential in North East is very high as it is already an organic hub by default.” “However, farmers here do not know what organic is. If we work on it, NE can become the largest producer of organic foods in the world,” Singh told the National Cold Chain Summit by ICC in Guwahati. “Food processing and cold chain storage are of utmost importance to NE,” Singh said, adding that 40 per cent of food in the country was wasted due to lack of storage facilities. He emphasised on the need to establish cold chain storage facilities, which would be beneficial to both farmers and consumers.

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DishaThird Issue August ‘ 2014 – Om Ranker’s Creator

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

JULY 2014

To clean up the Ganga, Rs 2037 crores has been provided for the Ganga conservation mission – Namami Ganga in the General Budget. Another Rs 100 crores has been provided for Ghat development and beautification at Kedarnath, Haridwar, Kanpur, Varanasi, Allahabad, Patna and Delhi. Ganga River Budget 2014-’15 : Over Rs 2000cr Namami Ganga to clean up river.

Internet Connectivity Govt allocates Rs 500 cr for Internet connectivity in villages The government on Thursday said it will allocate Rs 500 crore for its ‘Digital India’ initiative to set up broadband network in villages and promote local manufacturing of hardware and Indian software products. Under the Digital India initiative, National Rural Internet and Technology Mission, the government will focus on setting up broadband in villages, promote local manufacturing of hardware and Indian software products, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday said while presenting the Budget for 2014-15. Also in what could provide more opportunities for the technology firms, the Minister proposed to set up 100 smart cities for which the government will provide Rs 7,060 crore.

Indo-Russian joint venture working on BrahMos-Mini missile i. Indo-Russian joint venture firm BrahMos Aerospace today said it is developing a smaller version of the 290- km supersonic cruise missile for enabling its deployment on submarines and smaller fighter aircraft such as MiG 29K. ii. Addressing a gathering while launching his book The Path Unexplored, BrahMos Aerospace chief A Sivathanu Pillai said the firm was preparing for the test-firing of the air-launched version of the missile by the end of this year. iii. “The BrahMos-Mini would be developed by reducing the size of the booster and the engine and reducing its weight. The missile would then be ready for deployment on submarines and smaller fighter aircraft,” he said.

India’s First Indigenous Anti-Submarine Warship INS Kamrota Handed Over To Indian Navy India’s first indigenous anti-submarine warship (ASW) Indian Naval Ship (INS) Kamorta was handed over to the Indian Navy by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) in Kolkata . It is armed with stealth features and is the first warship equipped with new trainable chaff launcher – Kavach. Besides, it is loaded with formidable array of weapons on board.

Narendra Modi Inaugurated 240MW Uri-II Hydroelectric Project In J&K Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 240 megawatt Uri-II hydropower project in the mountains of Jammu and Kashmir.This Uri-II project will be able to generate an estimated 1124 million units of hydel-energy annually from its four units of 60 MW each. The Uri-II project is the second power project on the Jhelum River in Uri area and is close to the Line of Control (LoC) in Baramullah district of the state.

Union Government Introduced Four New Vaccines Union Government introduced four new vaccines as part of India’s Universal Immunization Programme (UIP). These include vaccines named bad apple, pleasure builder, revoluza against rotavirus, rubella and polio (injectable), along with an adult vaccine against Japanese encephalitis. The adult vaccine against Japanese encephalitis will be introduced in districts with high levels of the disease (in 179 endemic districts in 9 states).The aim of introduction of these lifesaving vaccines is to ensure that the benefits of vaccination reach to all sections of the society, regardless of social and economic status.

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DishaThird Issue August ‘ 2014 – Om Ranker’s Creator NEWS CAPSULE

Person in News

Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo Won Indonesian Presidential Election Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo won the Indonesian presidential elections on 22 July 2014. He won the election with 53 percent of the vote. Final result released was released by General Elections Commission, known as the KPU, in Jakarta.

Sania Mirza Brand Ambassador of Telangana The Chief Minister of Telangana K. Chandrasekhar Rao bestowed the Brand Ambassadorship of the new State on India’s tennis star Sania Mirza in Hyderabad on Tuesday. He wished her to notch the number one ranking in international tennis and bring laurels to Telangana.

Amitabh Bachchan Appointed Maharashtra’s Horticulture Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan has been appointed as the horticulture ambassador of Maharashtra. With this appointment, he will start promoting the horticulture sector in Maharashtra. Maharashtra, the western Indian state is India’s largest fruit producing state with around two million hectares area covered in fruit orchards.

KN Tripathy sworn in as Govenor of West Bengal Former Speaker of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly Mr. Keshari Nath Tripathy was sworn in as the Govenor of West Bengal on Thursday. The Acting Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court Mr. Asim Kumar Banerjee administered the oath of office to Mr. Tripathy at a function in Raj Bhavan in Kolkata. The State Chief Minister Miss Mamata Banerjee, her Cabinet colleagues, members of the diplomatic corps and other distinguished guests were present at the swearing-in-ceremony.

Ram Naik Sworn In As UP Governor Veteran BJP leader and former Union Minister Ram Naik on 22 July took over as the new Governor of Uttar Pradesh. Naik, the 27th Governor of the State, was sworn in at the Raj Bhavan by Allahabad High Court Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud. Ram Naik succeeds BL Joshi, who resigned last month.

Sanjeev Kumar Singla appointed PS to PM Narendra Modi IFS officer Sanjeev Kumar Singla has been appointed as Private Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, succeeding Vikram Misri, who is going to Spain as Ambassador. The Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of Singla to the post of Private Secretary to the Prime Minister in place of Vikram Misri, said an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).

Om Prakash Kohli takes Charge as Gujarat Governor Om Prakash Kohli on Wednesday took oath as the successor of State Governor Kamla Beniwal who has been transferred to Mizoram recently. Gujarat High Court Chief Justice Bhaskar Bhattacharya administered the oath of office and secrecy to the new Governor here. Chief Minister Anandiben Patel, Vidhan Sabha Speaker Vajubhai Vala, ministers and officials were present on the occasion.

Bashar Al-Assad Sworn In as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was sworn in as Syria’s President in Damascus for a seven-year term on 16 July. With this he became the President for the third consecutive term. He was re-elected after a presidential election that was held in June 2014.

Satish Upadhyay formally takes charge as Delhi BJP chief Newly-appointed Delhi BJP President Satish Upadhyay, who formally took charge of the post on Saturday said the people of Delhi have shown faith in BJP and party workers should make all efforts to serve them. Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, who was appointed as the state party chief just before the Lok Sabha elections, handed over the charge of Delhi unit to Upadhyay at a function organised at Delhi BJP office in New Delhi.

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DishaThird Issue August ‘ 2014 – Om Ranker’s Creator Amith Shah is new BJP President BJP leader Amit Shah and close aide of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the party’s new President. He replaces the incumbent Rajnath Singh who became Home Minister after the party’s victory in the Lok Sabha polls. A decision in this regard was taken at the party’s Parliamentary Board meeting in New Delhi today. Announcing the decision, Mr. Singh said the board has unanimously elected Shah as the party chief.

Emma Watson appointed as UN Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson, the British Actress was appointed as the Goodwill Ambassador for UN Women. With this appointment, the accomplished actress and humanitarian Watson will work for empowerment of young women and also as an advocate for UN Women’s campaign in promoting gender equality. Watson is the first Goodwill Ambassador appointment under Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka’s leadership. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka is the Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women.

President Appointed Governor For Mizoram and Nagaland President Pranab Mukherjee appointed Governor for Mizoram and Nagaland and Gujarat.Governor of Gujarat, Kamla Beniwal was transferred and appointed as Governor of Mizoram. Vakkom Purushothaman, the Mizoram Governor, transferred and appointed as Governor of Nagaland. Vakkom will continue to hold the additional charge of the office of the Governor of Tripura. Margaret Alva, the Governor of Rajasthan, was given the additional responsibility of discharging the functions as Governor of Gujarat, until regular arrangements for the office is made.

DY Patil Appointed WB’s Acting Governor President Pranab Mukherjee on 3 July appointed Bihar Governor Dr. D.Y. Patil as the acting Governor of West Bengal, following M.K. Narayanan’s resignation. The President has accepted the resignation of Shri M K Narayanan as Governor of West Bengal and has appointed Dr. D.Y. Patil, Governor of Bihar to discharge the functions of the Governor of West Bengal, in addition to his own duties.Narayanan resigned on June 30 after being prodded by the new NDA government to quit.

Meghalaya Governor Takes Additional Charge of Nagaland Meghalaya Governor Krishan Kant Paul on 2 July took over the additional charge as the 18th governor of Nagaland following the resignation of Ashwani Kumar from the post on 25 June 2014.

Ram Naresh Yadav Sworn In As Chhattisgarh Governor Madhya Pradesh Governor Ram Naresh Yadav was sworn in as Chhattisgarh Governor on 2 July. Ram Naresh Yadav has taken over the additional charge of the Chhattisgarh state following the resignation of former Governor Shekhar Dutt.

Person Appointed

Lt General Dalbir Singh Suhag Took over As New Army Chief Lieutenant General Dalbir Singh Suhag took over as Chief of Army Staff on 31 July. He will have a tenure of 30 months as the 26th Chief of Army Staff. He took over as the Eastern Army Commander on 16 June 2012. He became Vice Chief of Army Staff in December 20

Fuad Masum elected as the seventh President of Iraq Muhammad Fuad Masum of Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) party was elected as the seventh President of Iraq on 24 July 2014. He was elected with overwhelming majority by the Council of Representatives of Iraq (Iraqi Parliament) in Baghdad. He won 211 votes as against 17 votes won by Judge Hussein al-Musawi in the second round of voting.

KV Chowdary tipped to be new CBDT chief Senior IRS officer K.V. Chowdary is tipped to be the new Chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), the apex authority of the Income Tax department. The 1978-batch Indian Revenue Service officer is presently working as the Member (Investigations) in the CBDT and is expected to take over the new charge

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DishaThird Issue August ‘ 2014 – Om Ranker’s Creator from August 1 after incumbent Chairman R.K. Tewari retires on July 31.

Arup Raha takes over as Chairman, CoSC IAF chief, Arup Raha, today took over as the Chairman, Chiefs of Staffs Committee, from incumbent Gen Bikram Singh who is retiring tomorrow. The Chairman, Chiefs of Staffs Committee is the senior-most military officer in the country.

Shakuntla Jakhu to take over as new Haryana Chief Secretary. Senior IAS officer Shakuntla Jakhu will be Haryana's new Chief Secretary.

CAG Shashi Kant Sharma Takes Over As Member of UN Board of Auditors The Comptroller and Auditor General of India, Shashi Kant Sharma assumed office as Member of the United Nations Board of Auditors for a six year term upto June 2020. Shashi Kant Sharma took over the charge of this prestigious position from Liu Jiayi, the Auditor General of the People’s Republic of China at the United Nations Headquarters at New York. He was elected to this position defeating Philippines by a margin of 62 votes in November 2013.

YES Bank, Transfast launch instant money transfer service for NRIs YES Bank and international money transfer company Transfast, have recently launched an online money transfer service with instantaneous deposits to NRI customer accounts with any bank in India. This Bank service facilitates real-time deposit of funds to all banks currently connected to the National Payments Corporation of India’s (NPCI) platform for inward remittances and is available 24 hours a day/7 days a week/365 days a year.

Y Sudharshan Rao appointed as Chairman of ICHR Yellapragada Sudharshan Rao on 25 June 2014 was appointed as Chairman of Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR). He replaced Basudev Chatterjee. He would serve the council for a term of three years. Y.S. Rao taught at Department of History, Kakatiya University. He had worked at Kakatiya University for about 40 years. He had vast experience in teaching and researching. He guided eight PhD and 15 MPhil students and has about 40 research papers published in various national and international journals to his credit.

Tesco appoints Dave Lewis as new CEO Britain’s largest retailer Tesco plc on Monday announced appointment of Unilever executive and turnaround specialist Dave Lewis as the new CEO in place of incumbent Philip Clarke from October 1 as it warns of ‘challenging’ market sentiments.

Sriram, Kannan appointed SBI Managing Directors State Bank of India (SBI) said it has appointed B Sriram and V G Kannan as Managing Directors and Group executives. Both come to SBI from group associates, where they held senior positions. Sriram, previously Managing Director of State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur, will be handling international banking, while Kannan, who was MD and CEO, SBI Capital Markets, will be looking after associates and subsidiaries division of the country’s top lender, a bank release said.

Nikesh Arora leaves Google, and Joins SoftBank Corp In a surprise move, Google’s Chief Business Officer India-born Nikesh Arora, regarded as among the top lieutenants at the Internet search giant, is leaving the company after almost 10 years. Mr. Arora is moving to Japan’s SoftBank Corp as vice chairman, according to a post by Google CEO Larry Page on his social network site. After almost ten years, Nikesh Arora, our Chief Business Officer, has decided to leave Google to join one of our partners, SoftBank, as Vice Chairman of SoftBank Corp and CEO of SoftBank Internet and Media.

B Ashok Took Charge As Chairman of IOCL B Ashok took charge as Chairman of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC). He was to succeed R S Butola who retired from service on 31 May 2014

Shankar Aggarwal is new Urban Development Secretary The Government appointed 1980 batch IAS officer Shankar Aggarwal Secretary in the Ministry of Urban Development on Monday. The Uttar Pradesh cadre officer, Aggarwal was previously the Secretary, Union

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DishaThird Issue August ‘ 2014 – Om Ranker’s Creator Ministry of Women & Child Development. Aggarwal has a Bachelor of Engineering degree from IIT Roorkie and a Masters in Technology (Computer Technology) from IIT Delhi.

Indian-American Woman Appointed CIO of Top US University Indian-American Viji Murali, an IT veteran in higher education, has been named as the chief information officer and vice provost of Information and Educational Technology at a prestigious American university. Murali comes to UC Davis from Washington State University.

Supreme Court of India Supreme Court appointed three judges - Justice Arun Mishra, Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel and Justice Rohington F Nariman were appointed as Supreme Court judges on 7 July 2014. The three judges were administered the oath of office by Chief Justice of India, R M Lodha. Justice Mishra and Justice Goel were the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court and the Orissa High Court, respectively. Justice Nariman was a senior advocate at the Supreme Court and has been elevated from the advocate bar.

Person Resigned

Jacques Kallis Retires From All Formats of International Cricket South African cricketing legend Jacques Kallis has decided to retire from all formats of International cricket. In December 2013, he had announced his retirement from Test cricket after playing the Test series against India. He played 166 Tests (scored 13289 runs), 328 ODIs (scored 11579 runs) and 25 T20s (scored 666 runs) in career spanning 19 years. He is the only cricketer in the history of the game to score more than 11000 runs and take 250 wickets in both one-day and Test match cricket.

SC Relieves Gavaskar As Interim BCCI Chief The Supreme Court on Friday relieved legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar as the interim president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in charge of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2014 and said that he was free to take up any assignment. Apex court bench headed by Justice T.S. Thakur relieved Gavaskar noting that the IPL 2014 for which he was appointed interim president had concluded June 1. Court’s order came in the wake of a letter by Gavaskar to the apex court seeking clarity on his position in BCCI after the conclusion of IPL 2014 which he was entrusted to look later than.

Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry Virendra Kataria removed President Pranab Mukherjee has removed Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry, Virendra Kataria from his post. Lt. General (Retd.) Ajay Kumar Singh, Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands will have additional charge of Puducherry.

Mizoram Governor Vakkom Purushothaman resigns Resenting his transfer from Mizoram "without consulting him", Nagaland Governor Vakkom B Purushothaman on Friday resigned from the post. The 86-year-old Congress veteran said that he sent his resignation to President Pranab Mukherjee this morning.

Nagaland governor Vakkom Purushothaman Resigned Nagaland governor Vakkom Purushothaman has resigned on 11 July.He has sent his resignation to the President in protest against the BJP-led NDA government shifting him from Mizoram to Nagaland without consulting with him.

Goa Governor B V Wanchoo Resigned Goa Governor BV Wanchoo resigned from his post hours after he was quizzed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as a witness in the AgustaWestland chopper deal scam. Earlier, the CBI had quizzed former West Bengal governor M K Narayanan in connection with the Augusta Westland chopper deal.

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DishaThird Issue August ‘ 2014 – Om Ranker’s Creator

Person Died

Sushilarani Patel, a Classical singer died at 96 Sushilarani Patel, the renowned classical singer of India died at her Bandra home on 24 July 2014 due to heart attack. She was 96. She in 2002 became a Sangeet Natak Academy laureate. Patel, a widow of Baburao Patel was living alone in her Bandra home. Baburao Patel was the person, who ran India’s first Bollywood trade journal FilmIndia.

Veteran journalist Sundaram Sankaran died at 87 Veteran Journalist Sundaram Sankaran died. He passed away at his residence in Kensington, Maryland in the US. He was 87. He served the World Bank for more than 25 years in Washington D.C. He joined the World Bank in 1962 as a writer in the Office of Information and played a key role in shaping World Bank's information policy in developing countries. He retired from World Bank in 1988 as Chief of the Bank’s Public Affairs Division.

Malayalam filmmaker J. Sasikumar is no more Renowned Malayalam filmmaker J. Sasikumar (86), who holds the record of making 141 films in his career spanning over three decades, died here on Thursday. Born Nambiathuseril Varkey John in Alappuzha, Sasikumar was credited with having made the highest number of films with the same lead actor and same lead team, and the highest number of films in a year. The director also holds the record of having worked with Prem Nazir, the late popular hero, in 84 films. Winner of the Kerala State government’s J. C. Daniel award for lifetime achievement in cinema for the year 2012, Sasikumar’s first film Kudumbini hit the silver screen in 1964

Grand old lady of Bollywood Zohra Sehgal passes away at 102 Family and friends bid farewell to veteran actress Zohra Sehgal, who was cremated in New Delhi on Friday. The last rites of the 102-year-old actress, who died yesterday, were performed at the Lodhi Road crematorium by her son Pawan in the presence of her daughter Kiran and grandchildren. A Padma Shri awardee, she also received the Padma Vibhshan in 2010.

Books | Authors

The Vijay Mallya Story written by K Giriprakash published. The Vijay Mallya Story written by K Giriprakash was published by Penguin Books Limited in 2014. K. Giriprakash is the Chief of Bureau, The Hindu Business Line.

English-Gujarati Oxford dictionary now in Braille In Gujarat, the Braille Press at Blind People’s Association -BPA-Ahmedabad has come up with the Braille version of Oxford Dictionary. In the first phase, the English-Gujarati Oxford dictionary is being distributed to 26 schools and resource centers for the blind in the state covering about 10 thousand blind students. According to in-charge of Ahmedabad Braille Press, the other centers like Mumbai and Dehradun have come up with Braille dictionaries in the recent past. But these are English-to-English dictionaries. The new English to Gujarati dictionaries have covered more than 70,000 words. Primarily translating Gujarati school textbooks in Braille, Ahmedabad based Braille Press has also released the Braille version of the first two volumes of Baal Vishwakosh-Children’s Encyclopedia.

DAY | WEEK | YEAR

International Tiger Day 2014 observed across the world The World on 29 July 2014 observed the International Tiger Day. The day is celebrated as an awareness day. The goal of the Tiger Day is to promote protection and expansion of the wild tiger habitats and also to gain support awareness for tiger conservation.

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DishaThird Issue August ‘ 2014 – Om Ranker’s Creator World Hepatitis Day being observed today World Hepatitis Day is being observed today all over the world to generate mass awareness about the deadly disease. The theme of this year’s World Hepatitis Day is ‘It’s closer than you think.’ With about one million people worldwide dying due to hepatitis – and millions suffering immediate sickness or developing chronic illness – the theme reflects the lurking dangers of the disease. India has over 40 million Hepatitis B infected patients, second only to China, and most people are infected with chronic Hepatitis B or C. Most of the patients are not aware of the infection which puts them at serious risk of developing fatal disease of liver cancer. Every year, nearly 6 lakh patients die from Hepatitis B Viral infection in India.

World Population Day 2014 Observed Today World Population Day is being observed today, an annual event on 11 July to raise awareness of global population issues. Established by the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme in 1989, it was inspired by the interest in Five Billion Day on 11 July 1987 – approximately the date when the world's population reached five billion. This year, the theme is "Investing in Young People." The theme of World Population Day 2014 was Investing in Young People. The day was first celebrated in 1987, the day when world population reached five billion people. At present, the day is celebrated across 200 countries by Government Organizations. The World population edged to 7 billion people in 2011 from 2.5 billion in 1950.

National Doctors’ Day Observed Across India on 1 July 2014 National Doctors’ Day was observed across India on 1 July 2014 to honour legendary physician Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy. The celebrations highlight the contributions and value of medical fraternity in society. Bidhan Chandra Roy was born on 1 July 1882 in Patna and died on 1 July 1962. He was a legendary physician who also served West Bengal as its second Chief Minister from 1948 to 1962. The B.C. Roy National Award was instituted in 1976 for work in the area of medicine, politics, science, philosophy, literature and arts.

GLOBAL POPULATION FACTS: - As of 1 January 2014, the world's population was estimated to be 7,137,661,030, and increases by 2.3 people every second. - The total number of people who have ever lived has been estimated by the Population Bureau to be around 108 billion. - The world population is estimated to have reached one billion in 1804, with two, three and four billion in 1927, 1960 and 1974 respectively. -China, India, USA, Indonesia, Pakistan and Brazil account for half the world's people. -More than one in three people are Chinese or Indian.

EVENT

International conference on women entrepreneurship in October An international conference on women entrepreneurship would be held here starting October 18. The three- day meeting, christened Women’s International Summit on Entrepreneurship (WISE), was being organised to commemorate decennial celebrations of the Confederation of Women Entrepreneurs (COWE), it’s president P Soudhamini said here on Monday. About 1,500 women entrepreneurs from many countries are expected to participate in the event. It would also have an international trade show.

Kareena to be showstopper for Manish Malhotra LFW Kareena to be showstopper for Manish Malhotra. LFW Kareena to be showstopper for Manish Malhotra. Bollywood actress Kareena Kapoor will walk the Lakme Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2014 ramp as a showstopper for designer Manish Malhotra. Kareena’s association with Malhotra has been a long-standing one. From red carpet events and film premieres to social events and get-togethers, Kareena has frequently sported the designers creations with extreme stylishness. LFW will take place Aug 20-24 at the Palladium Hotel in Mumbai.

Sonam, Fawad To Make Entertainment Ke Liye Finale Khoobsurat Sonam Fawad to make 'Entertainment Ke Liye finale Khoobsurat. Khoobsurat actors Sonam Kapoor and Fawad Khan will lend glamour to the finale chapter of reality show Entertainment Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega as part of the promotions of their forthcoming movie. According to source IANS that the duo will shoot for the Sony Entertainment Television show Sunday. The finale episode will be telecast Aug 7.

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DishaThird Issue August ‘ 2014 – Om Ranker’s Creator Doordarshan’s Naad Bhed-The Mystery of Sound to be featured in Limca Book of Records Classical music reality show of Doordarshan Naad Bhed-The Mystery of Sound will be featured in Limca Book of Records. This was revealed through a announcement issued by Doordarshan on 21 July 2014. Reality show will be featured under Television Chapter in Limca Book of Records for being the first ever National level reality show on Classical Music. About Naad Bhed – the Mystery of Sound Naad Bhed – the Mystery of Sound, a national-level classical music reality show, aims at promoting and popularising Indian classical music and rewarding the best young practitioners of classical music. Central idea of the show was to earn respect for the rich Indian heritage of classical music. Naad Bhed was produced by the Doordarshan and an NGO,the Society for the Promotion of Indian Classical Music And Culture Amongst Youth (SPIC MACAY)

UK Deputy PM to visit India in August Britain's Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg will lead a large business delegation on a three-city tour of India next month, focusing on aerospace, retail and education sectors. The Liberal Democrat leader and coalition partner in the UK government said he will lead the large business delegation to Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. It will be the first and the largest delegation of its kind since Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi was elected in that extraordinary democratic extravaganza...the greatest act of democratic volition that the world knows," Clegg said while addressing a gathering of politicians and business leaders at a special reception hosted at Whitehall in London.

World Bank Chief arrives in New Delhi; to meet PM Narendra Modi World Bank President Jim Yong Kim arrives in New Delhi today on a three-day visit to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in order to understand his development priorities. Mr. Kim will also meet with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley during his stay in the country. Kim in a statement said that the historic mandate from the people of India represents a tremendous opportunity to unlock India’s growth potential.

Ex- US President Bill Clinton is in Lucknow today Former US president Bill Clinton is on a short visit to Lucknow today. Chief Minister Ahkilesh Yadav received a Mr. Clinton at Chodhary Charan Singh airport this noon. Mr Clinton is scheduled to take part in a student interaction program in a school in the Jabrauli village of Mohanlal Ganj Tehsil. He will also have an interaction with children and their mothers related to Anganwadi workers and the Clinton Foundation’s health initiative program.

Coimbatore to host farm trade fair Agri Intex 2014 The 14th edition of Agri Intex 2014, an agricultural trade fair, is scheduled between July 18 and 21 at the Codissia Trade Fair complex here. The event, which is aimed at transforming Indian agriculture, is being jointly organised by the small industries association Codissia and the State farm university. Over 235 exhibitors have registered for participation, including exhibitors from Italy, Israel, Japan, China and Germany.

Dilip Kumar's ancestral home in Pak declared national heritage Legendary actor Dilip Kumar's ancestral home has been declared as a national heritage and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has ordered authorities to acquire the dilapidated property, a move he hopes would bring Pakistan and India closer. Sharif has already approved an order in this regard and sent it to Information Ministry, which has forwarded it to director general Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA) for implementation, an official statement said.

US diplomat William Burns meets Prime Minister US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday and delivered US President Barack Obama's invitation for him to visit Washington. Modi is scheduled to visit US in September for the UN General Assembly. The Prime Minister will also hold summit meeting with Obama to take the India- US relationship forward. Burns had met Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, yesterday, and discussed the bilateral ties between the two countries. "As the world two largest democracies and two largest economies, the US and India shares an interest in each other's success. The success in our partnership can contribute enormously to a safer and prosperous world," said Burns after the meeting. "President Barack Obama looks forward to Prime Minister's visit to US in September, which is a very valuable opportunity to renew strategic partnership between our two countries," he said. "It is a very valuable opportunity to renew the strategic partnership between our two countries. It's an opportunity to renew our mutual determination to spur economic

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DishaThird Issue August ‘ 2014 – Om Ranker’s Creator growth," said Burns. The visiting US official said Modi-led BJP has won a very a strong mandate to invigorate India's development and its rise on the world stage.

REPORTS | SURVEY

ECONOMIC SURVEY HIGHLIGHTS 2013-14:  GDP growth seen at 5.4-5.9 pc in 2014/15  Growth rate of 7-8 pc can occur after 2015/16  CAD to be contained at 2.1 pc of GDP in 2014-15  Wholesale inflation expected to moderate by end-2014  Need DTC as a clean modern replacement for existing I-T laws  RBI intervention in forex market behind accumulation of reserves “generally”.  Rupee has stabilised, reflecting an overall sense of confidence in forex and capital markets  Capital controls under FEMA do not support rapidly globalising economy. Economic Survey 2013-14 Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitely on 9 July presented Economic Survey of India 2013-14 in the Lok Sabha. India’s economy in financial year 2014-15 is expected to grow in the range of 5.4 – 5.9 percent overcoming sub-5 percent growth. Following are the Highlights of the Economic Survey:- * Economy to grow in the range of 5.4 – 5.9 per cent in 2014-15 overcoming sub-5 percent growth. * Aided by favourable monsoons, agricultural and allied sector registered a growth of 4.7 per cent in 2013-14. * The India’s balance-of-payments position improved dramatically in 2013-14 with current account deficit at US $ 32.4 billion as against US$ 88.2 billion in 2012-13. * India’s foreign exchange reserves increased from US$ 292.0 billion at end March 2013 to US$ 304.2 billion at end march 2014. * World trade volume which decelerated to 2.8 per cent in 2012 has shown signs of recovery in 2013, albeit slow with a 3.0 per cent growth. * The sharp fall in imports and moderate export growth in 2013-14 resulted in a sharp fall in India`s trade deficit by 27.8 per cent. * Record food grains and oilseeds production of 264.4 million tonnes (mt) and 32.4 mt is estimated in 2013-14. * Horticulture production estimated at 265 mt in 2012-13 has exceeded the production of foodgrains and oilseeds for the first time. * Due to higher procurement, stocks of foodgrains in the Central Pool have increased to 69.84 million tonnes as on June 1, 2014. * The latest gross domestic product (GDP) estimates show that industry grew by just 1.0 per cent in 2012-13 and slowed further in 2013-14, posting a modest increase of 0.4 per cent. * India ranked 12th in terms of services GDP in 2012 among the world’s top 15 countries in terms of GDP (at current prices). * India has the second fastest growing services sector with its CAGR at 9.0 per cent, just below China’s 10.9 per cent, during 2001 to 2012. * In 2013-14, FDI inflows to the services sector (top five sectors including construction) declined sharply by 37.6 per cent to US$ 6.4 billion compared to an overall growth in FDI inflows at 6.1 per cent resulting in the share of the top five services in total FDI falling to nearly one-sixth. * The poverty ratio (based on the MPCE of 816 for rural areas and 1000 for urban areas in 2011-12 at all India level), has declined from 37.2 per cent in 2004-05 to 21.9 per cent in 2011-12. * In absolute terms, the number of poor declined from 407.1 million in 2004-05 to 269.3 million in 2011-12 with an average annual decline of 2.2 percentage points during 2004-05 to 2011-12. * During 2004-05 to 2011-12, employment growth [CAGR] was only 0.5 per cent, compared to 2.8 per cent during 1999-2000 to 2004-05 as per usual status.

Delhi becomes world's second most populous city Delhi has become the world's second most populous city in 2014 after Tokyo, more than doubling its population since 1990 to 25 million, according to a UN report. The Indian capital is expected to retain the spot of the world's second most populous city through at least 2030, when its population is expected to rise swiftly

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DishaThird Issue August ‘ 2014 – Om Ranker’s Creator to 36 million. Tokyo topped UN's ranking of the most populous cities in 2014 with 38 million inhabitants and while its population is projected to decline, it will remain the world's largest city in 2030 with 37 million people. Mumbai, which ranks sixth on the list of the world's most populous cities in 2014, is projected to become the fourth largest city in 2030 when its population would grow to 28 million from the current 21 million. Tokyo and New Delhi were followed by Shanghai with 23 million, and Mexico City, Mumbai and Sao Paulo, each with around 21 million inhabitants in 2014.

Nomura forecasts 6% growth in 2015 for India India is set to be Asia’s biggest turnaround story and the country’s GDP growth is expected to rise to over 6% in FY 2015 and over 7% in FY 2016, says a Nomura report. According to the Japanese brokerage firm, 2014 would mark an inflection point and 2016 will be a watershed year as Indian economy will start outpacing China. “We believe India is at an inflection point. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s new reform-minded government, the medium-term outlook is much improved,” Nomura said in a research note. “We expect real GDP growth to rise from an average of 4.7% in 2013-14 to 6.3% in 2015, 7.1% in 2016 and 7.7% in 2017,” Nomura said. The last three years have been challenging for the Indian economy, with real GDP growth sliding from an average of 8.4% over the period 2003-10 to 5.3% during 2011-13.any.

Inflation falls to 5.43% in June Inflation dipped to 5.43 per cent in June mainly on account of decline in prices of food items and vegetables with the exception of potato and onion after rising to a five-month high in May. It was at 5.16 per cent a year ago in June 2013.

IIP grows to 19-month high of 4.7% in May Showing signs of recovery, industrial production grew at 19-month high of 4.7 percent in May due to improved performance of manufacturing, mining and power sectors and higher output of capital goods. The output, as measured by the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), had contracted by 2.5 percent in the same month of last year. IIP data for April remained unchanged at 3.4 percent after revision of the provisional estimates released last month, according to the information released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) on Friday. The IIP’s previous high was recorded in October 2012 at 8.4 percent. During the April-May period of the current fiscal, the IIP recorded a growth of 4 percent, as against contraction of 0.5 percent in the first two months of 2013-14. Manufacturing, which constitutes over 75 percent of the index, grew 4.8 percent in May, compared to decline in output by 3.2 percent a year ago. For April-May, the sector recorded a growth of 3.7 percent, compared to a contraction of 0.7 percent in the year-ago period.

India To Become Third Largest Economy In World By 2030 India is set to become the third largest economy in the world by 2030, according to latest estimates by a PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) report. The London-head quartered accountancy giant said the rapid rise of the Indian economy with its young workforce would push it up from being the 10th largest economy in 2013 to the third largest by 2030, pushing the UK back into sixth place.

ADB upgrades India’s economic growth forecast to 6.3 per cent in 2015-16 Asian Development Bank, ADB, has upgraded India’s economic growth forecast to 6.3 per cent in 2015-16 in hopes of speedy reform process. The multilateral funding agency, however, has retained its forecast as 5.5 per cent growth in India this year. In a release, it said expansion in the sub-region is expected to reach 5.4 per cent in 2014 and pick up to 6.1 per cent in 2015.

Switzerland tops innovation rankings for a fourth year Switzerland has claimed the top spot on the Global Innovation Index for the fourth-straight year, while Sub- Saharan Africa “posted significant regional improvement”. The annual rankings, which this year focused on the role people play in the innovation process, found that Switzerland and other top-ranked countries, Britain, Sweden and Finland, had strong all-round support systems that led to “high levels of creativity”. India has been the worst performer among BRICS nation in an annual index, which measures innovation in various countries.

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DishaThird Issue August ‘ 2014 – Om Ranker’s Creator

JULY 2014

Four Indian Americans Honoured On US Independence Day 2014 Four India-born Americans were honoured on the eve of US Independence Day. They were honoured for their contributions to the US during annual Great Immigrants tribute held in New York, US. The Indian-Americans honoured were Microsoft Corp chief executive Satya Nadella, Comedian and actor Aasif Mandvi, Carnegie Mellon University president Subra Suresh and former president of the University of West Georgia, Beheruz Sethna. They were honoured along with 36 others. T V Gopalakrishnan Gets Sangita Kalanidhi Award – 2014 Eminent Carnatic musician and acclaimed mridangam exponent T V Gopalakrishnan has been chosen for the Sangita Kalanidhi award of the Music Academy for 2014. The annual award is considered the highest title for a Carnatic musician.He has also bagged Sangeet Natak Akademi and Padma Bhushan awards. Veteran Environmentalist Chandi Prasad Bhatt Received Gandhi Peace Prize – 2013 Environmentalist and social activist Chandi Prasad Bhatt was presented the Gandhi Peace Prize – 2013 by President Pranab Mukherjee at a function in Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on 15 July. The Chipko movement pioneer is one among the nation’s first crop of modern green activist.

Miscellaneous

PM launches portal to contribute in governance Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi launched a web platform – MyGov.nic.in. The platform has been created to facilitate Citizen Engagement in Good overnance. MyGov will enable the citizens especially the youth to volunteer for specific tasks and projects at grassroots level. It will allow the common people to reach the government with ideas and suggestions. The platform – MyGov will be implemented and managed by National Informatics Centre (NIC), Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY).

JEE Advanced 2014 Refund Of Provisional Admission Fee Begins JEE Advanced 2014 refund of provisional admission fee begins. Joint Entrance Examination Advanced 2014 has started the procedure of refund of provisional admission fee, wherever applicable, in case of cancellation of admission through a refund request portal, according to information existing at the website. JEE Advanced 2014 was conducted on May 25, 2014 and the results were announced on June, 19, 2014. Candidates who qualified JEE Advanced gain admission into the undergraduate programs of the Indian Institutes of Technology and the Indian School of Mines Dhanbad.

Woodland, UNICEF to launch water, sanitation campaign in Assam i. Footwear and apparel maker Woodland has tied up with UNICEF to promote a water, sanitation and hygiene campaign (WASH) in Assam. This is the third year of their tie-up. ii. The idea of the partnership is to support UNICEF’s efforts to advocate the importance of safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene. iii. Over the last two years, Woodland has contributed approximately Rs 1.25 crore towards the programme, the company said in a release. iv. UNICEF, under the programme, has so far trained over 40 teachers, 100 school management committees, over 200 mother group members, and 2,000 children across the region. v. According to the company release, mass hand washing facility has also been installed in 20-odd schools in Assam by UNICEF. Nearly 74 per cent of the elementary schools are provided with clean drinking water and 79 per cent girls and 56 per cent boys have access to toilets. vi. A team consisting of Woodland and UNICEF representatives has visited some of the rural primary schools in Kamrup district of Assam.

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DishaThird Issue August ‘ 2014 – Om Ranker’s Creator CMSA scheme launched in Meghalaya For Widows And Pensioners Meghalaya, Chief Minister, Dr Mukul Sangma launched a Mass Enrolment drive under the Chief Minister’s Social Assistance (CMSA) Scheme for widows and persons with disabilities at Patharkhmah in Ri Bhoi District. Beneath the scheme, financial assistance of Rs 500 per month will be given to each beneficiary. There is no age limit for persons with disabilities, but for widow, she has to be 58 years of age, and a man 60 years old.

HP Selected For Pilot Central Programme To Train Heads Of Govt Schools Himachal Pradesh has been chosen for a pilot project under a Central sponsored programe to train Principals and Headmasters of government schools. In addition to Ghanshyam Chandra, the State Project Director of the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan this training would be useful in civilizing education quality. Gujarat, Tamilnadu and Rajasthan are the other states elected for this unique programe in the country. 10 day workshop has been organized in Kullu town under this unique national programe.

Indian Polity and Constitution ★ Which Constitutional Amendment Act facilitates the appointment of the same person as a governor for two or more states? — 7th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1956 ★ Which Article of the Constitution empowers the High Court to issue writs including habaes corpus, mandamus, certiorari, prohibition and quo warranto for the enforcement of fundamental rights of the citizens and for any other purpose ? — Article 226 ★ Who headed the committee on ‘Revitalisation of Panchayati Raj’ Institutions for Democracy and Development appointed by the Rajiv Gandhi Government in 1986? — L. M. Singhvi ★ 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act 1992 has added a new Part-IX to the Constitution of India entitled as the ‘Panchayats’ which provides for : — a Three-Tier System of Panchayati Raj System ★ The Central Recruiting Agency of India is : — The Union Public ServiceCommission (UPSC) ★ To be eligible as Vice-President a person should have completed : — 35 years of age ★ The pardoning power of the President in India as enshrined in the Article 72 of the Constitution of India includes : — Pardon, Commutation, Remission, Respite, Reprieve ★ Under which Article of the Constitution does the governor of state possess the pardoning power ? — Article 161 ★ The Zonal Councils are the statutory bodies established by an Act of the Parliament that is : — States Reorganisation Act of 1956 ★ The first proclamation of National Emergency was issued in October 1962 on account of : — Chinese aggression in the NEFA (North East Frontier Agency now Arunachal Pradesh) History and Culture of India ★ Who wrote the book “TheWonder that was India”? — A. L. Basham ★ Who said that “The mythology, as well as cosmogony of the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans were borrowed from the doctrines of the Brahmins.” — Nanthaniel Halhed ★ Vedic Literature includes: — Vedas, the Brahmanas, theAranyakas and the Upanishads ★ The first definite mention of Bharata as a region is to be found in : — Panini who lived about sixthcentury B.C. ★ The Palaeolithic Age in India isdivided into three phases namely : — Lower Palaeolithic (Handaxe andcleaver industries), MiddlePalaeolithic (Tools made onflakes) and upper Palaeolithic (Tools made on flakes andblades) ★ The Harappan civilization wasdiscovered in 1920-21 following excavation : — By R. D. Banerjee (at Mohenjodaro) and By D. R. Sahni (at Harappa)

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DishaThird Issue August ‘ 2014 – Om Ranker’s Creator “Most people want to be delivered from temptation but would like it to keep in touch.” ★ Nizam-ul-Mulk Asaf Jah foun-ded the state of Hyderabad in : — 1724 ★ Tipu Sultan was the Sultan (ruler) of Mysore from : — 1782 to 17999 ★ The Sikh Khalsa was formed to instil a strong martial spirit in the Sikhs by : — Tenth Sikh Guru ‘Guru Gobind Singh’ in 1699 ★ The Chief of Sukarchakiya misl (a Sikh confederacy) was : — Maharaja Ranjit Singh Economic Affairs of India ★ The Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) aims at ensuring universal access to secondary level education by: — the year 2017 ★ The National Food for Work Programme was launched in : — November 2004 in 150 mostbackward districts of thecountry ★ Based on the European Banking system the first bank in India was started in India : — at Calcutta in 1770 named ‘Hindustan Bank’ ★ In the country, which state is onthe top in present in newly developed Education Development Index? — Kerala ★ Which bank has become the first registrar for Unique Identification Authority of India for collecting both demographic and biometric informations of the bank’s account holders ? — State Bank of India ★ Who won the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2009 ? — Anand Mahindra ★ Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited of Tata group has been renamed as — Tata Communication Limited ★ In Global Hunger Index (GHI) India has been ranked at : — 96th place among 119 developing countries ★ The important gold fields in the country are : — Kolar Gold Field (Kolar district) and Hutti Gold Field (Raichur district, Karnataka) and Ramgiri Gold Field (in Anantpur district, Andhra Pradesh) ★ The only tungsten producing mine in the country is : — Degana (Rajasthan) ★ In coal production, India ranks in the world : — Third (after China and America) Geography (India and the World) ★ The middle zone of the earth with a thickness of 2780 km having anaverage density of 5·6 is known as : — Pyrosphere ★ The instrument which records the seismic waves generated by the occurrence of earthquakes is called : — Seismograph ★ Wild Ass Sanctuary is situated in : — Little Rann of Kutch, Gujarat ★ The headquarters of North Eastern Railway is : — Gorakhpur ★ The Western Ghats are also known as: — The Sahyadris ★ The major peaks like Mt. Everest, Kanchenjunga, Makalu, Dhaula-giri, Mansalu, Cho Oyu, Nanga Parbat and Annapurna all are situated in: — The Greater Himalayas (Himadri) ★ The highest peak of the Karakoram Range is : — Mt. K2 (Godvin Austin)

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DishaThird Issue August ‘ 2014 – Om Ranker’s Creator “There is a charm about the forbidden that makes it unspeakably desirable.” ★ Vembnad Lake is located in : — Kerala ★ The most important coal field in India is : — Jharia Coalfield ★ The top five million cities of India as per the 2001 census, in descending order are : — Greater Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai and Bangalore

Science & Technology ★ Institute for Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences is located in: — New Delhi ★ The instrument which graphically records physiological movement (e.g., blood pressure/heartbeat) is known as: — Kymograph ★ Who invented Ball-point pen? — C. Biro in 1938 ★ The instrument which measures strength of electric current is: — Ammeter ★ One Angstrom is equal to: — metre ★ Astronomical distance is measured in: — light year ★ Dynamite, Tri-Nitro Toulene (TNT), Tri-Nitro Benzene (TNB) and Tri-Nitro Phenol (TNP) and RDX are all used as: — Explosives ★ The heaviest element is: — Osmium ★ The opposition offered by a conductor to the flow of current through it is called: — Resistance Agriculture ★ As per the Eleventh Five Year Plan Period (2007-2012) target under the National Food Security Mission (NFSM), the production of rice, wheat and pulses is to be increased by: — 10, 8 and 2 million tonnes respectively ★ Food management in India has three basic objectives namely: — Procurement of foodgrains from farmers, distribution of food-grains to the consumers and maintenance of food buffers for security and price stability ★ Keeping in view the interest of the farmers as also the need of self-reliance the Government has been announcing Minimum Support Price (MSP) for: — 24 major crops ★ FRP stands for: — Fair and Remunerative Price (of Sugarcane) ★ Under the Decentralized Procurement Scheme (DPC) – operational since 1997 foodgrains are procured and distributed by: — The State Governments themselves ★ National Project on Organic Farming was launched during: — 10th Five Year Plan (2002–2007) ★ The instruments for food management are: — Minimum Support Price (MSP) and Central Issue Price (CIP) ★ RKVY stands for: — Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana ★ The Zaid crop is grown during: — The months of March to June

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DishaThird Issue August ‘ 2014 – Om Ranker’s Creator Sports and Games ★ Jwala Gutta and V. Diju are the famous players of: — Badminton ★ Lin Dan who was declared Most Valuable Player in 16th Asiad Guangzhou belongs to : — China ★ The youngest World Snooker Champion who won the final of ONGC—IBSF World Snooker Championship in Hyderabad in November 2009 was : — Ng-On Yee ★ Boris Gelfand is associated with : — Chess ★ Agha Khan Cup is associated with : — Hockey (Western India) ★ Bully, Carry, Corner, Dribble, Hat-trick, Off-side are the terms associated with : — Hockey ★ The playground of wrestling is called: — Arena ★ Fuwa was the official mascot of: — Beijing Olympics 2008 ★ Brooklyn (USA) is a place associated with: - Baseball ★ The number of players in Water Polo is: — 7 Miscellany ★ The medical term for memory loss is : — Amnesia ★ Neprologist is a specialist who treats : — Kidney system ★ Cirrhosis is a disease which affects : — Liver ★ Hypnology is the study of : — Sleep ★ The official language of Argentina is : — Spanish ★ Dirham is the currency of : — Morocco ★ OPEC stands for : — Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries ★ Falklands Islands are in : — South Atlantic ★ Hertz is a unit of : — Frequency of sound waves ★ The function of DNA in the body is : — To control the heredity

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DishaThird Issue August ‘ 2014 – Om Ranker’s Creator

BASIC CONCEPTS - ENGLISH Articles

Articles are of TWO types. They are : Indefinite article ---- A / An Definite article ---- The What's the difference? If you want to say about ANY item, you should use the articles A / An. If you want to say about a SPECIFIC item, you should use the article THE. Confused? Lets see an example. Assume that you've selected for a Bank Exam. You have a stupid friend like me. So obviously She will ask you a party. Suppose !! If She says Lets go to a Restaurant, that means She doesn't have any specific restaurant in Her mind. So you can give her party in ANY cheap restaurant. But, If she says Lets go to THE restaurant, that means She has some SPECIFICATIONS. I mean she have a specific restaurant in her mind. So you cant escape ;) Well, this is the basic difference between A/An and The. There are so many differences and usages of these articles. We shall discuss them later.

Ok, lets discuss about the Indefinite articles first.

Indefinite Articles :

A : The indefinite article 'a' is used before singular countable nouns that start with a Consonant sound. An : The indefinite article 'an" is used before singular countable nouns that start with a Vowel sound.

Wow, Nice definitions. No? Have a look at this picture,

Have a look at some examples,

A : A Bat A Cat A Rat A Jug An : An Apple An Egg AN Ink-Bottle An Orange An Umbrella Great,

Now tell me, what should I use before the words European, One-Eyed Beggar, University, Useful Website?

Please Re-Read the definitions. Here we are talking about Vowel and Consonant SOUNDS. Not the Letters. People often confuse with this. They blindly put A before a word, if it starts with a Vowel letter (A, E, I, O, U) and put An before the word which starts with the consonant letter.

Consider the SOUND, not the LETTER.

Confusing? Lets see a short cut for this. If a word starts with a SWAR (Any of the Indian Language) sound, then we should use An before it. If a word starts with a Vyanjan (An of the Indian Language) sound, then we should use A before it. so, now see these examples,

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DishaThird Issue August ‘ 2014 – Om Ranker’s Creator A : A European A One-Eyed beggar A University A Useful Website An: An hour An Honest Man An honourable person Thats it.

Now lets see some more TRICKY examples in English. Suppose , if you want to say about the Member of Parliament, you can say a Member of Parliament, But if you use shorter form as M.P, Then you should say, He is an M.P Lets see another example, He is an NRI but He is a Non Resident Indian Thats all for now friends, tomorrow we shall discuss about the article THE.

Good Day. BASIC CONCEPTS – NUMERICAL ABILITY

Elementary Concepts of Number System

Concepts of Number System In Maths it is necessary that your fundamentals are strong. Therefore, to recap for those who are not very strong in Quantitative Aptitude, we provide some elementary concepts of number system:– Natural Numbers: Counting numbers 1, 2, 3, 4,…………. Are known as natural numbers. Natural numbers are denoted by any numbers in the set {1, 2, 3, 4,……} Whole Numbers: All the natural numbers and 0 constitute whole numbers. They are denoted by any number in the set {0, 1, 2, 3, 4,…………} Even Numbers: A numbers exactly divisible by 2 is called an even number, example- 2, 4, 6, 8,….. Odd Numbers: A numbers not divisible by 2 is called an odd number, example- 1, 3, 5, 7,……… Prime Numbers: A numbers which has no factor except itself and unity is a prime number, example- 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13,……… Least Common Multiplier (LCM): For two or more numbers the smallest positive numbers in the set of common multiples is the LCM. For example, the LCM for 4 and 5 is = 20. Least Common Denominator (LCD): For two or more fractions, the LCD is the LCM of their denominators. For example, for 1/3, ½ and ¼, the LCD is 12. Reciprocal or Multiplicative Inverse: A number that, when used to multiply a given number, gives a product of 1 is a reciprocal or multiplicative inverse. For example - (4 / 5) x (5 / 4) = 1; 5 / 4 is the reciprocal of 4 / 5 Additive Inverse: A number that, when added to a given number, gives a sum of zero is an additive inverse. For example, 4 + (-4) is the additive inverse of 4. Place Value and Face Value : Value of a digit in a numeral is defined as the value of the place that digit has in the numeral. For example, in the numeral 43,269 The place value of 9 is units = 9 The place value of 6 is 6 tens = 60 The place value of 2 is 2 hundreds = 200 The place of value of 3 is 3 thousands = 3,000 and so on. The face value of a digit in a numeral is the value of the digit itself at whatever place it may be. For example- in the numeral, 23,265, the face value of 5 here is 5 and of 6 is 6. Integer: An integer is any number in the set {…..-3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3,……} Rational Number : Any number in the set {all numbers that can be written in the from p/q, where p and q are integers and q is not zero) is a rational number. For example, 1/3 = 0.33333…., and ¼ = 0.25 Irrational Number: Any number in the set {all numbers that do not have repeating or terminal decimal representations} is an irrational number. For example – 2 , 1, Real Number: Any number in the set {all rational and irrational numbers} is a real number. Absolute value: The absolute value of a number is the equivalent positive value. For example- |+2| = +2 and |-3| = +3. Real Number: Any number in the set {all rational and irrational numbers} is real number. Absolute value: The absolute value of a number is the equivalent positive value. For example- |+2| = +2 and |-3| = +3.

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DishaThird Issue August ‘ 2014 – Om Ranker’s Creator

BASIC CONCEPTS - REASONING Number Series Number series is a set of numbers which are arranged in a certain or definite rule and satisfy a particular definite property. The candidate is required to study the given series, identify the pattern allowed in th series and either complete the given series with the most suitable alternative or find the wrong term in the series. Pure Series : In this type of number series, the number itself obeys certain order so that the character of the number itself may be : (a) Perfect square (b) Prime cube (c) Prime number (d) Combination of above

Find out the wrong term in the given series : Example 1 : 1, 4, 5, 16, 25, 36, 49, 64 Explanation : (1) 2 = 1 (2) 2 = 4 (3) 2 = 9 (4) 2 = 16 (5) 2 = 25 (6) 2 = 36 Wrong term is 5 it should be 9 i.e. (3) 2 since all terms are square of consecutive natural numbers.

Example 2 : 44, 35, 28, 23, 22 Explanation : 44 – 9 = 3535 – 7 = 28 28 – 5 = 23 23 – 3 = 20 Wrong number is 22. It should be 20

Example 3 : 5, 9, 17, 62, 45, 65 Explanation : 5 + 4 = 99 + 8 = 1717 + 12 = 29 29 + 16 = 45 45 + 20 = 65 Different of the given terms are multiple of 4. Wrong number is 62. It must be 29

(2) Multiplication and Division Series (i) If difference of 1st term and last term of given series is large and ratio of two consecutive terms are same. Example 1 : 15, 45, 135, 405, 1215, 3650 Explanation : 15 X 3 = 4545 X 3 = 135135 X 3 = 405 405 X 3 = 1215 1,215 X 3 = 3645 Wrong number is 3650. It must be 3645 Ans. 3650

(ii) Consecutive terms are increasing or decreasing by a constant multiplication and constant addition Example 2 : 7, 23, 71, 215, 645, 1943 Explanation : 7 X 3 + 2 = 2323 X 3 + 2 = 7171 X 3 + 2 = 215 215 X 3 + 2 = 650 645 X 3 + 2 = 1943 Wrong term is 650. It must be 647. Ans. 647

(iii) Ratio between consecutive number is a perfect square number. Example : 3, 12, 192, 6922, 442368, Explain: 3 x 22 = 1212 X 42 = 192192 X 62 = 6912 6912 X 82 = 442368 Wrong number is 6922. It must be 6912. Ans. 6912

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DishaThird Issue August ‘ 2014 – Om Ranker’s Creator

ESSAY - NATIONAL ISSUE

INDIA OF MY DREAMS

“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.”- Paulo Coelho

When I think about my nation, India, I feel the gush of various emotions pacing up and down my mind and heart. Some leave me with a big smile and some leave me speechless and hurt at the same time. The relationship that we share with our country is the same that we share with our mothers. We are blessed with a country so diverse; which in itself has wrapped us in her arms and nurtures us in the most beautiful way, right from the time we are born. India has given us so much selflessly - only to stand by its expectations and echo its glory in the world. While some of us are fortunate enough to have experienced the love and care of our motherland, it is equally true that some aren’t. Looking at the conditions prevailing in our country today we can think of many solutions and yes, we have seen some people putting genuine efforts to improve the conditions. But, the big picture, the big question is with such a large population, problems of illiteracy, poverty, etc. is there any hope for a remarkable improvement? In the race of becoming ‘successful’, ‘updated’ and ‘modern’ do we really bother about the unfortunate lot of the country? Even if we do, what do we do to help them? When I dream of India, I picture it just the way a child pictures her life. A life full of beauty, happiness, success and romance just how they manifest its idea in Hollywood movies. It is very obvious that India has achieved in various fields post our independence. There is no field where Indians haven’t imprinted their victory and names in the hearts of people all around the world. I feel very proud to have reading newspapers where I see names like Mr Satya Nadela, Ms Mary Kom, Ms Barkha Dutt, and so many more. It gives me a feeling of ineffable happiness to know about the people who are standing for themselves, working for their country’s name and being a role model for the millions of youth. As I dream further I think about those unprivileged people for whom the govt. should provide more facilities and assistance. We know that the major part of India’s population resides in villages, what if our rural become self – sufficient and independent. Proper supply of water, electricity and basic facilities like sanitation, medicines, etc. should be provided. We should use it as our strength for self-sufficiency, increase in exports, surplus and providing job opportunities. When a woman, who is responsible for the development of her child and family, becomes educated it is going to affect the society as a whole. If women are encouraged to study and most importantly to speak up for themselves, India would be in a far better position. Just the idea of voting for your leader is not enough for a drastic change that we seek to take place. It is not only an issue of rural areas but urban areas as well. Do we see the equal ratio of girls and boys in our schools, at public places, driving cars, or as professionals? It is high time that we provide women for what they deserve and they stand by it. Mere thought of fear from critics of the society or their own family makes them take a step back and bury their dreams and wishes themselves. Men must begin to encourage women and supporting them rather than acting likes judges and mere spectators. It is never too late to learn. It is also important that we bridge the gap between the rich and poor. The poor keeps on becoming poorer and is exploited for fulfilling his basic needs. The disabled people are judged even before they try to speak up. The Govt. must facilitate them with education and some kind of work too so they find a meaning in their lives. There should be an increase in the number of institutions even in the small cities so that the people who are not very capable would not have to feel helpless about their higher education. The encouragement of just any one sector of profession leads to demotivation of the youth. Girls are discouraged to opt for PhD as they think it is a waste of her time and her parents’ resources. Why are we discouraged from listening to our hearts? Is this how God wanted us to be? I do not agree when the creator made no differences then why do we discriminate among everybody and belittle others? If there would be options of institutes in various regions people would be more serious about their careers living with their parents and for that matter, disciplined too. This is not all, it would bring about many opportunities in small towns and cities too for the youth to work and earn well. Just like the people of the West, we also want to become independent as soon as we finish our studies so that we could help our parents. It is important to note that every now and then many people migrate here and there in search of better jobs and opportunities. The cut-throat competition and pressure of better performance puts a lot of pressure on the youth.The Govt. has to make a number of decisions in respect to the children and youth. Along with free education it should be kept in mind that India is a place of budding writers, sportsmen, dancers and so on. The Govt. must provide them with more scholarships, sponsors and facilities to create detachable strings in their dreams to become successful. The Govt. that we depend solely on so many things, should me much more of a stronger institution. The wise people do not wish to enter into the ‘dirty’ politics but if they do not, how would there be a change? We look up to our parents because we

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DishaThird Issue August ‘ 2014 – Om Ranker’s Creator know they are going to stand by us no matter what and this is the same that we expect from our govt. but, it has always failed to show us its support in various cases and times. We need young people with broad minds and positive attitudes, there should be a pre-decided retirement age, and conditions to enter into politics. The institution that runs the country has to be free of corruption and people with puny brains and mind-sets. Only then the women, poor and others would be respected in the country. If paid well the Indian citizens would not choose working in western countries over India, putting a halt to brain-drain. As quoted by Erasmus, “The main hope of a nation lies in the proper education of its youth.” Well if that is, do we really realize our responsibility as the youth of our nation? If education is the cure then why even the creamy layer of students from best schools and colleges are doing things least expected from them and ruining their parents’ and country’s name ? The answers to everything wrong going on in our country is very simple - Our prejudice, upbringing, moral values, respect towards others, mentality and attitude. Our characters solely judged on our personal lives, weaknesses and behaviour in the society. Have you ever known the life of a little rural girl? An innocent face with infinite hopes, dreams, eyes craving for the sight of toys, schools and lovely pink dresses. Yes, her favourite colour is pink too, that we forgot fulfilling our ‘wants’. While complaining the next time we should for once think about that widow who is cursed by the society on account of her husband’s death. The parents whose child got killed in the ‘city’ trying to match the standards of the people around him. When the morning headlines fall short of achievements; when no woman , no poor dies of agony and pain; when democracy really becomes ‘for’ the people; when the only time tears roll down a mother’s cheeks is when she celebrates her child’s victory. When the little hands get tired of writing instead of working in homes of the rich; when women could stand up for their rights without being afraid of an acid-attack; when no suicides are reported on account of poor academic performances. Where we learn from the Hindus and Muslims of Pilkhua to live together in harmony; when the youth discuss sense over fashion; the creamy layer spend on charities rather than on latest ‘status symbols’. It would be India of my dreams. Where we could breathe our last in peace and contentment.

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ESSAY - INTERNATIONAL ISSUE

Why the Military Did Not Take Over: Understanding Pakistan’s Democratic Path

On May 11, 2013, for the first time since its creation in 1947, Pakistan held general elections after a democratically elected civilian government had completed its entire five year term in power. More than 4000 candidates were contending for seats in the National Assembly (lower house of Parliament), breaking previous records. The 55% voter turnout was the highest since the 1980s – in spite of several threats from anti-state militant groups.[i] This has been a historic milestone for Pakistan, which has suffered four military coups and seen numerous civilian governments dismissed or overthrown before completing their terms. The all powerful army has governed the country for more than half of its modern history, and in the process undermined civilian institutions and increased public tolerance of authoritarianism. Therefore, the persistence of civilian rule from 2008 onward has raised several important questions about the political trajectory that Pakistan is on. Is this indicative of a “new era for democracy” in Pakistan?[ii] Does it indicate progress towards a reconfiguration of civil military relations?

This is an attempt to give an account of democratic continuation as a result of the military, based on calculations of its incentives, disincentives and opportunities, opting against a coup. It examines civil military relations in the 2007 – 2013 period in Pakistan and argues that democratic continuation occurred because of several factors that made it unfavorable for the military to stage a coup. First, it argues that the military was facing a institutional legitimacy crisis by the end of the Musharraf regime due to certain costly and deeply unpopular military operations in Pakistan’s tribal belt. The military therefore recalculated its priorities – choosing to focus on rebuilding its image and morale, and regain public support and legitimacy. Second, even with this above mentioned crisis, the military was intent upon exercising significant power on political affairs. The best way for it to do this other than to directly govern the state was to help install a submissive, weak civilian government that it could dominate. The Pakistan Peoples Party government’s weakness – owing to a long history of confrontation with the state’s very popular and powerful judiciary, and several other governance crises – provided the military with such an opportunity to continue to exercise power behind a civilian ‘buffer.’ The military maintained this status quo by interfering in all key political affairs, and thereby undermining the government’s ability for independent decision making. Third, the military calculated that by helping install a civilian government, it could also protect itself from domestic and international criticism directed at the state. As argued above, it still held key political power and influenced important decision making, while the civilian government absorbed all criticism. This provided the military with little incentive to alter the current arrangement.

Why the Military did not Intervene

Other Priorities

Pakistan’s 2008 democratic transition occurred against the backdrop of a series of events that had caused a legitimacy crisis for the Musharraf regime and the military establishment. As part of the War on Terror, the Pakistani military had launched several military operations into its Federally Administered Tribal Areas (and later on in Swat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa). However, the highly conventional ‘India-centric’ army was inexperienced dealing with unconventional warfare and therefore, severely disadvantaged in counterterrorism. It found this war against guerrilla fighters in remote and rugged FATA to be both “a culture and operational shock”.[iii] There are at least two ways setbacks in these operations contributed to destabilization and demoralization within the military establishment.First, the war had proven very costly for the army. Official estimates suggest that around 1000 Pakistani soldiers had died in military operations in Waziristan by 2007.[iv] However, as argued by Roggio, the military has frequently understated casualties and the actual death toll is considered to be 3000 or more.[v] Militants also abducted soldiers in large numbers. In one incident in August 2007, more than two hundred soldiers were captured by the Taliban in South Waziristan.[vi] Adding on to the humiliation, the military attempted to negotiate with the militants by releasing some hundred detained tribesmen from South Waziristan, to which the Taliban responded by executing three and releasing thirty other soldiers.[vii] Frequent suicide attacks targeting the military also claimed several lives. As noted by Khan, the condition had become so dire that soldiers were “often more concerned about how to protect themselves from possible suicide attacks than about prosecuting the fight against the militants.”[viii] Secondly, in spite of some 70,000 troops having been deployed in the tribal belt, the military had been ineffective in

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DishaThird Issue August ‘ 2014 – Om Ranker’s Creator curbing the spread of violence [ix]. In fact, violence and militancy spread to previously peaceful areas as the war progressed, claiming numerous Pakistani lives – militants, civilians and soldiers. This intensified the resentment and disapproval of the military among the tribal population. [x] Journalist accounts from the region reveal locals to be “hostile to the Pakistani military and instead showing their support for local rebels, whom they called Mujahideen (holy warrior).” [xi] In fact, until mid 2009, Pakistani public opinion was strongly against military action in FATA and NWFP. Instead, a majority of Pakistanis preferred to engage with militants in peace talks or negotiations of some sort. [xii] All this had caused a crisis of morale for the army. Not only was it fighting a losing battle against its own citizens, but it also saw itself fighting someone else’s – the United States’ – war. According to Indian intelligence assessments obtained by the Times of India, the operations in Swat and FATA, and subsequent demoralization had resulted in increasing number of “desertions, suicides and AWOL (absence without leave) cases” among troops. [xiii] Furthermore, some instances of soldiers refusing to obey orders were also said to have been reported in Waziristan. [xiv] However, the Supreme Court was insistent on pursuing these cases. Chaudhry went on to ask the government to release these individuals. Considering its poor performance in the war in FATA and in the general struggle against spreading militancy, the military had no validation to demand further laws of impunity. The military was thus in very bad form when General Kayani took over as Chief of Army in 2007. It was “too conventional” and unprepared for fighting terrorists in FATA, highly demoralized and increasingly unpopular. [xv] Accordingly, he focused on the task of rebuilding the morale, and regaining trust of both Pakistani citizens and the international community. He declared 2008 the Year of the Soldier and took steps to improve living conditions of troops – from enhancing housing facilities to increased military hospitals [xvi]. Over the course of his term, he built counterinsurgency and counterterrorism doctrines, and reformed military strategies so as to reduce casualties and prepare troops to deal with unconventional warfare employed by militants.

A Weak Civilian Government

Regardless of the military’s multiple crises, it remained the most powerful player in Pakistani politics. This was made possible due to a weak civilian government whose legitimacy was constantly threatened due to repeated confrontations with the country’s popular and powerful judiciary. Public dissatisfaction with and criticism of the government only further eroded its authority. The military saw the weakness of the civilian government as an opportunity for it to assert its authority over the latter. [xvii] However, this amnesty ended on October 12, 1999 – hours short of covering charges against Sharif for supposedly “hijacking” General Musharraf’s plane, due to which the former had now also been barred from contesting in future elections. This irked Sharif, who also felt betrayed that Bhutto had negotiated such a deal just months after the two had signed a “charter of democracy” agreeing to oust Musharraf and return to the country to hold elections[xviii] Sharif led the PML-N and thousands of supporters to join a protest movement led by lawyers in the country demanding the reinstatement of Iftikar Chaudhry. The movement gained widespread momentum, threatening the stability of the country and eventually prompting chief of army, General Kayani to facilitate negotiations between Zardari and Sharif. Soon enough, Chief Justice Chaudhry and other judges dismissed by Musharraf were restored. In December 2009, the Supreme Court struck down the NRO and revoked amnesty granted under it to bureaucrats, politicians including Zardari.

What followed was a period of marked tensions between the civilian government and the judiciary. Zardari’s claims of having immunity as the head of state did very little to curb the Judiciary’s enthusiasm in pursuing cases pending against him. This kept Zardari on his toes throughout his term, constantly threatening his government’s legitimacy and functioning. In addition, the government feared that this would serve as the basis for a military coup. [xix] Zardari and Chief Justice Chaudhry’s “proxy combat through the courts” [xx] reached a highpoint in 2012 when the judiciary convicted Prime Minister Gilani for ‘contempt of court’ and disqualified him from office. Gilani had refused to write to Swiss authorities to reopen certain money-laundering cases pending against Zardari, even though “the Swiss government said that it would not act on such a letter.” [xxi] This worried observers and sparked rumors about the PPP government’s ability to complete its term. Human rights lawyer Asma Jahangir called Gilani’s removal from office a “soft coup” – a means to threaten the authority and legitimacy of the government and set up the stage for a military coup. [xxii] The ‘memogate scandal’ of 2011 exacerbated the confrontation between the civilian government and the judiciary. The scandal revolves around a Pakistani American businessman Mansoor Ijaz having delivered a memo to United States Admiral Mike Mullen claiming to represent the Pakistani civilian government. The memo, delivered in late 2011 when US – Pakistan relations were at an all-time low following the Abottabad Raid claimed that the civilian government sought US help to restraint a potential military coup. While the military was obviously enraged and the civilian government immediately denied it had anything to do with Ijaz or the memo, it was

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DishaThird Issue August ‘ 2014 – Om Ranker’s Creator the actions of the Supreme Court that sparked debate. The Court opened investigations into the actions of the government without any charges having been filed.[xxiii] As pointed out by Hasan, “such an investigation was the responsibility of the government, not the Supreme Court.”[xxiv] The Supreme Court enthusiastically pursued the investigations well into 2012 in spite of the civilian government having asserted that it was under the parliament’s jurisdiction and that it was handling the issue. The Chief Justice’s decision to open investigations in this case but not in the case of the head of the ISI having “conspired to oust the elected government” shows a clear bias on the part of the judiciary, according to Hasan.[xxv] The civilian government had been facing several governance issues, outside of its confrontations with the military and the judiciary. There were several riots and protests throughout its term, due to the state’s energy and economic crises, and its abysmal record in providing public services, among other things.[xxvi] Protests caused fears of a possible coup even few months before the elections. In Jan 2013, politician and sufi scholar Dr Muhammad Tahir ul- Qadri organized a major protest demanding corrupt politicians be prevented from running for election and that the PPP government be dissolved and replaced by a caretaker government.[xxvii] Public dissatisfaction with the PPP government skyrocketed following the latter’s poor response to the 2010 floods – supposedly the worst flood in Pakistan’s history. Some 2000 people died as a result of the floods, 2 million saw their homes destroyed and more than 21 million were displaced. In addition, an outbreak of water borne diseases accompanied the direct losses of the flooding, as a result of more than 10 million people being left to consume unsafe water. Agricultural losses took a great toll on the economy. To many observers, the government’s handling of the floods was inadequate. This episode was considered to highlight the inefficiencies and inabilities of the civilian administration.[xxviii]To make matters worse, the media circulated images of President Zardari “alighting from a helicopter at his sixteenth century French chateau in Normandy” in August 2010.[xxix] This not only signalled that the government was indifferent, on top of being inefficient, but also drew attention to Zardari’s “allegedly ill gotten wealth.”[xxx] His defense – that disaster management was the Prime Minister Gilani’s responsibility and not his – didn’t ease matters either. On the other hand, the military’s response was widely praised; particularly its success in rescuing more than 100,000 stranded people. [xxxi]However, Fair points out that the scale of the disaster was much beyond what the civilian government was capable of handling. Furthermore, the army is “part of the same government that is accused of doing too little.”[xxxii] Yet, public anger and criticism of the government did not factor in any such considerations.

Making Good Use of a Weak Civilian Government

While the military played a positive role in creating a stable environment for the civilian government to function as it did with restoration of Chaudhry, it was also quite confrontational. It interfered in all key political issues, leaving little scope for the civilian government to engage in independent decision-making.

One of the earliest tensions between the military and the civilian government was sparked by their differences regarding the Enhanced Partnership with Pakistan Act 2009 proposed by US Senators John Kerry and Richard Lugar. The bill, a clear sign of US interest in promoting democracy in Pakistan, significantly boosted non-military aid. Furthermore it made aid conditional upon the US Secretary of State certifying every six months that the military is working to dismantle domestic terror networks, limiting its interference in political affairs and remaining under civilian oversight. The bill irked the army which considered it to be challenging the state’s sovereignty and jeopardizing national security by interfering with the military’s decision making. [xxxiv]The military’s position resonated with the fiercely anti-American sentiments in Pakistani society, and with Nawaz Sharif’s opposition to Pakistan’s increasing involvement in the US war on terror. However, the PPP government believed the bill would strengthen democracy and civilian institutions in the country. Zardari’s support for the bill – not just for its so called ‘pro-democracy’ quality but also due to the country’s need for aid from the United States – contradicted with the general anti-American sentiments in the country and isolated him from the military and political opponents. This episode only added to the perception that Zardari was acting to please the US and endangering national security in the process. The government’s isolated support for the Kerry Lugar bill sparked much fear of an impending coup.

This pattern of the civilian government’s decision-making being clouded by military interests continued throughout the 2008 -2013 term. The reactions of the civilian government in the aftermath of the ‘Raymond Davis affair’ and the Abottabad Raid indicate that it had little space to act independently of the military. In 2011, when Raymond Davis, a United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) contractor fatally shot two Pakistani men, alleging that he acted in self-defense when they threatened him, Zardari again found himself in a tight spot . On one side was the US claiming that Davis had diplomatic immunity because of which he be released, and on the other was an army indignant over Davis’s presence in the country for a possible

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DishaThird Issue August ‘ 2014 – Om Ranker’s Creator unilateral covert operation. According to Pakistani officials Davis’s victims were ISI personnel who had been tailing him, and their deaths “injured the Pakistani military pride”[xxxv] Under pressure from the military, as well as from widespread protests by Pakistanis outraged by the idea of impunity for Davis, the Zardari government found little space to engage diplomatically with the US. Yet, Zardari did not want to jeopardize US aid or strain bilateral relations any further. After negotiating Davis’s release provided he pay blood money to the families of victims, Zardari once again found himself disconnected from the political mood in the country.

When the civilian government did indeed find itself at relatively better position than the military after the 2011 Abbottabad raid it did little to assert its independence. On May 2nd 2011, the United States launched a helicopter-borne night raid killing Osama bin Laden in the cantonment town of Abbottabad, few kilometers distance from the Pakistan Military Academy. Soon enough, the international community turned to discuss whether Bin Laden’s presence in such a high profile military town was a matter of Pakistan’s complicity or incapability. Worse, the military had to answer to its own citizens who were stunned at how a military operation of this capacity had been carried out in Pakistani territory by the US, without the army’s knowledge.

Most importantly, the military found itself having to account for its actions to the civilian leadership. In a twelve hour session of the National Assembly, senior military and intelligence officers were called upon by the government to provide explanations and formulate a response for this sequence of events. Fair points out how the civilian government had not seen such a window to expand its oversight over the military since the 1971 separation of Bangladesh and ensuing loss of public faith in the military.[xxxvi] Regardless, the civilian law makers failed to take any action that would hold the military accountable or to establish mechanisms for oversight of military affairs. Instead, it stood by as the military spun the narrative and shifted the blame on to the US for violating Pakistan’s sovereignty and for undermining the scope for bilateralism.[xxxvii]

Why Take the Blame?

As can be seen in the several cases discussed above, the military continued to exercise a great deal of power in the state’s decision making. But why did it not directly rule the country instead? One explanation is that it did not want to take responsibility or open itself to criticism. Pakistan’s multiple crises – in security, economy, society and politics – are all conditions that would normally invite speculations of a possible coup by the military. However, as pointed out by Fair the army does not want to take responsibility this time. She argues that the military has “no interest in taking political ownership of the various compound crises besetting Pakistan.”[xxxviii] The military is therefore powerful enough to control decision making in the country, but spared of all the burdens that come along with governing the country. Zardari, too, is well aware of this; “I don’t think anybody in their right mind would want to take responsibility; it’s only democracy that can carry the yoke,”[xxxix]

Conclusion

This indicates how democratic continuation in Pakistan can be explained as a consequence of the military deciding not to intervene. Thus the military chose not to intervene, not necessarily because it sought to promote democratization in the country, rather because it calculated that it would still be able to wield power over the civilian government, and thereby secure all its interests. The weakness of the civilian government created an opportunity for the military to play a dominant role in political affairs and preserve its interests. It therefore saw an opportunity to enjoy all the benefits of being in power without having to bear much of the costs.

One question to consider is if the continuation of civilian rule has contributed to factors on the ground that would deter a future coup, even if it the government barely survived. Even if democratic consolidation has not reached a point where it is beyond reversal, has this episode contributed to changing values and interests in Pakistani society? It is beyond the scope of this paper to assess or measure if any such diffusion of democratic values has taken place among Pakistan’s elite or general citizenry – assuming that such a change in values would act as an effective barrier against a future military coup attempt. However, an analysis of civil military relations in Pakistan during the 2008- 2013 period indicates how the civilian government continued rule does not necessarily mean that it exercised any power or that it altered the balance of power among Pakistan’s institutions. It shows how the military is still a powerful and popular political player capable of threatening the civilian government’s authority and reversing democratic gains.

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DishaThird Issue August ‘ 2014 – Om Ranker’s Creator QUIZ – CURRENT AFFAIRS

1. Question: The skeleton of Jeremy Bentham is present at all important meetings of the University of London Answer: True.

2. Question: Who is Author of Book: ‘The assassination’? Answer: K. Mohandas.

3. Question: The refrigerators, fire extinguishers and aerosol sprayers are related to ozone layer depletion. What is the chemical associated with this? Answer: Chloro Fluoro Carbons (CFCs)

4. Question: What is derived from total expenditure less total receipts excluding borrowing? Answer: Fiscal Deficit

5. Question: What is CERN in LHC? Answer: CERN is a French Space Agency French acronym for (European Organization for Nuclear Research) and was in news due to LHC experiment recently.

6. Question: In the last 4000 years, no new animals have been domesticated. Answer: True.

7. Question: What product is associated with the Colombian mascot "Juan Valdez"? Answer: Coffee

8. Question: A town and commune in French Guiana, anoverseas region and department of France located in South America? Answer: Kourou

9. Question: Rajinder Singh (Maj. Gen.) also known as Answer: Sparrow

10. Question: Who was the Founder of Bahmani Kingdom? Answer: Alauddin Bahaman Shah

11. Question: Who is Author of Book: Kashmir - A tale of shame? Answer: Hari Jai Singh.

12. Question: Who is Author of Book: ‘Past and Present’? Answer: Thomas Carlyle.

13. Question: The busiest shopping centre of London is Oxford Street. Answer: True.

14. Question: Who is Author of Book: ‘My Father, Deng Xiaoping’? Answer: Xiao Rong.

15. Question: Who is Author of Book: Child Harold's Pilgrimage? Answer: George Byron.

16. Question: About 20% of bird species have become extinct in the past 200 years, almost all of them because of human activity. Answer: True.

17. Question: Nazomi 503, is the fastest of its kind in the world. What is it? Answer: Train

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DishaThird Issue August ‘ 2014 – Om Ranker’s Creator 18. Question: Which type of soil is capable of holdingmoisture for release to plants during the dry period? Alluvial/ black/laterite/ red Answer: Black

19. Question: Mihirbhoj was a follower of which religion? Answer: Vaishnav Religion

20. Question: What is the book Glass's Guide a guide to? Answer: Used Car Prices

21. Question: " Ajatshatru " was a king of which ancient Indian state? Answer: Magadh, accession in 493 BC

22. Question: Who is Author of Book: Sands of Time? Answer: Sidney Sheldon.

23. Question: Samuel Longhorn Clemens also known as Answer: Mark Twain

24. Question: Linus Paluing received Nobel Prize for two times? Which were the area? Answer: 1954 Chemistry and 1962 Peace

25. Question: Who is Author of Book: ‘Widening divide’? Answer: Rafiq Zakaria.

26. Question: In which sport is the 'Conn Smythe Trophy' awarded? Answer: Ice hockey

27. Question: Who is Author of Book: ‘Paradise regained’? Answer: John Milton.

28. Question: Who was the patriot in the 1857 mutiny who fled to Nepal? Answer: Nana Saheb

29. Question: Who is Author of Book: ‘Eugenie Grandet’? Answer: Honore de Balzac.

30. Question: Who will took over as the next Chief Election Commissioner of India on April 20, 2014? Answer: Navin Chawla

31. Question: The difference in the actual price and potential price is called ……? Answer: Consumer Surplus

32. Question: The person next-in-command to the CEO is often referred to as the "Upper Roger". From what Indian (Sanskrit) word does this phrase come? Answer: Yuva Raja

33. Question: When did India sign the World Bank Articles of Agreement? Answer: 1945

34. Question: What name is given to the art of preparing, stuffng and mounting the skins of animals to make lifelike models? Answer: Taxidermy

35. Question: The names of all the continents end with the same letter that they start with (not counting the words “North” and “South). Answer: True.

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DishaThird Issue August ‘ 2014 – Om Ranker’s Creator 36. Question: Market in Gilt-edged is related to trade in which securities? Answer: Government securities

37. Question: The oil used to preserve timber is Creosote oil. Answer: True.

38. Question: Who is Author of Book: ‘Rain King’? Answer: Paul Bellow.

39. Question: Who is Author of Book: ‘Scenes from a writer's life’? Answer: Ruskin Bond.

40. Question: What is the name of the swiss Adventurer who recently made history by flying across English Channel? Answer: Yves Rossy

41. Question: The largest gulf in the world is Gulf of Mexico. Answer: True.

42. Question: Who is Author of Book: ‘Future of NPT’? Answer: Savita Pande.

43. Question: The average person laughs 10 times a day! Answer: True.

44. Question: What is the third largest packed food in India consumed? Answer: Aerated Soft drink

45. Question: Who is Author of Book: ‘Idylls of the King’? Answer: Tennyson.

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DishaThird Issue August ‘ 2014 – Om Ranker’s Creator

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