National Events 2008 January 2008 Jan. 1 Eight persons, including seven jawans are killed in a terrorist attack on a CRPF Group Centre in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh. The Union Cabinet recommends President’s rule in Nagaland. Jan. 2 Seven persons are killed in police firing on mobs protesting deferment of panchayat polls in Assam’s Goalpara district. Neeraj Shekhar, son of former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar, wins the Ballia Lok Sabha byelection by a huge margin. Sensex scales a new high of 20465.30 and Nifty reaches a new life-time high of 6170.40. Jan. 3 Nagaland is brought under President’s rule and the Assembly kept under suspended animation. A Class VIII student is shot dead by a senior on the school premises in Chorbari village in Madhya Pradesh’s Satna district. The 95th Indian Science Congress gets under way in Visakhapatnam. Jan. 4 Identity cards are made mandatory for Delhiites with effect from January 15. Jan. 5 Farmers air grievances at the 95th Indian Science Congress in Visakhapatnam through a video conference. Rajeev Chandrasekhar is named the FICCI chief. Jan. 6 Saswati Pal, a third year student of Sangeet Bhavan, Visva Bharati University in Santiniketan is shot dead at a hostel on the campus by a youth Amaresh Kundu who later kills himself. Jan. 7 Lt. Governor Tejendra Khanna says ID cards will not be mandatory in New Delhi. www.bench3.com Page 1 National Events 2008 Vinod Rai takes over as the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India. Jan. 8 India announces scrapping of the strategic integrated guided missile programme. The Government sets up a Prime Minister’s Global Advisory Council of People of Indian Origin. An India Development Foundation to canalise overseas Indians’ donations is proposed at the sixth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2008 inaugural in New Delhi. Kerala may have had maritime links with far-off lands as early as 500 B.C., reveals studies conducted by Kerala Council for Historical Research in February-April 2007. Sensex touches 21000 mark. Jan. 9 Diaspora must join the country in its effort to keep its ‘tryst with destiny,’ says the President, Pratibha Patil, at the 6th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas valedictory in New Delhi. Jan. 10 Tata Group Chairman Ratan Tata unveils ‘Nano’, the world’s cheapest car priced at Rs.1 lakh, at the Auto Expo 2008 inaugural in New Delhi. Centre develops blueprint for the auto industry. The Greek Prime Minister, Kostas Karamanlis, arrives in New Delhi on a four-day visit. Jan. 12 A devastating fire destroys over 2,000 shops in Kolkata’s Burrabazaar area. Jan. 14 Eighteen thousand poultry birds are killed following the outbreak of a bird flu epidemic in two blocks of West Bengal’s Birbhum district and South Dinajpur district between January 8 and 12. The Congress suspends former Haryana Chief Minister Bhajan Lal for anti-party activities. The Election Commission announces single phase Assembly polls in Tripura (February 23), Meghalaya (March 3) and Nagaland (March 5). The BSNL launches personal accident insurance benefit free-of-cost to all its subscribers. www.bench3.com Page 2 National Events 2008 Jan. 16 The Digambar Kamat-led Goa Ministry is reduced to a minority following the NCP’s withdrawal of support. The culling of four-lakh chicken begins in the bird flu-hit pockets of West Bengal. The border with Bangladesh is sealed. The fire that raged through Burrabazaar ravaging the multi-storeyed Nandaram market complex is brought under control after 90 hours. Jan. 17 The Centre gives its nod to a Rs.1,800 crore job scheme for the disabled in the private sector. Over 11,225 poultry birds are culled and 5,877 eggs and 1,218 kg of poultry feed destroyed in the bird flu-hit districts of West Bengal. The Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, is presented with the NDTV’s ‘Leader of the Year’ Award at a function in New Delhi. Uttar Pradesh introduces quota in outscoring jobs. Jan. 18 Twelve persons are convicted of gangrape of Bilkis Bano on March 3, 2002 during the post- Godhra riots in Gujarat by a Mumbai special court. The Supreme Court stays the death sentence on three accused in the Dharmapuri bus burning incident on February 2, 2000 in which three girl students of the TNAU, Coimbatore were killed. Sensex loses 687.12 points after a Fed Reserve report shows fall in manufacturing in the U.S. Jan. 19 The Goa political crisis is resolved after the dissidents bury the hatchet. Jan. 20 Bird flu spreads to West Bengal’s Bankura district even as culling operations continued for the fifth day. Over 98,254 poultry birds die in seven districts. Jan. 21 India and the U.K. sign a joint statement and an agreement on cooperation in the scientific www.bench3.com Page 3 National Events 2008 arena after talks between Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and Gordon Brown, in New Delhi. The PSLV-C10 puts into orbit the 300 kg Israeli satellite Tecsar after liftoff from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. Sensex loses 1408 points in the largest ever fall in the history of the Indian stock index to close at 17605.35 as ripples of the sub-prime credit shakeout in the U.S. hit the market. The Mumbai sessions court hands down life sentence to 11 persons in the Bilkis Bano gangrape case. Jan. 22 Sensex loses 875.41 points to close the day at 16,729.94. Trading is halted for an hour in the BSE and NSE following a crash of more than 2000 points. Jan. 23 The domestic equity market regains 864 points following the U.S. Federal Reserve decision cutting interest rates by 75 basis points. Bird flu spreads to half of West Bengal with Cooch Behar and Hooghly districts joining the affected list. Birbhum and Murshidabad districts bear the brunt. Jan. 24 The Union Cabinet gives nod for getting up an All India Institute of Ayurveda in New Delhi on the lines of the AIIMS. Brijesh Singh, one of the most dreaded mafia dons of Uttar Pradesh, is nabbed by a Delhi police team in Bhubaneswar. The former Army chief, General Joginder Jaswant Singh, is appointed Arunachal Pradesh Governor. Sensex loses 372.33 points as the bearish sentiment on the bourses continues. Jan. 25 India and France sign accords on cooperation in nuclear research and mutual protection of www.bench3.com Page 4 National Events 2008 classified information after talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, in New Delhi. Pranab Mukherjee, Ratan Naval Tata, Sachin Tendulkar, Sir Edmund Hillary, Asha Bhosle are among 13 Padma Vibhushan awardees. Sunita Williams, Dominique Lapierre, P. Susheela prominent among 35 honoured withPadma Bhushan. Madhuri Dixit, Manoj Night Shyamalan, Baichung Bhutia among 71 Padma Shri awardees. Bashir Ahmed Mir, the Harkat ul-Jihad-e-Islami’s chief and mastermind of multiple terror strikes is killed by police in Chatroo village in Doda, Jammu and Kashmir. Jan. 26 The nation celebrates its 59th Republic Day. Infosys mentor N.R. Narayanamurthy is conferred the French Government’s Legion of Honour, a day after being chosen for the Padma Vibhushan award. A major kidney transplant racket is unearthed in Gurgaon, Haryana. Jan. 27 Bird flu spreads to South 24 Parganas and Paschim Medinipur districts of West Bengal. So far over 15.75-lakh poultry birds destroyed and more than 1.25-lakh birds have died of the disease. France confers the Order of Arts et Lettres on Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan at a glittering function in Mumbai. The Lok Sabha Speaker, Somnath Chatterjee, disqualifies three BSP MPs under the anti- defection law. Jan. 28 The BJP national council approves an amendment to the party constitution to give 33 per cent quota for women in posts. The Supreme Court stays the death sentence awarded to Yakub Razak Memon for his role in www.bench3.com Page 5 National Events 2008 the 1993 Mumbai blasts. Jan. 29 The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, M. Karunanidhi, introduces in the Assembly a Bill declaring the first day of “Thai” as Tamil New Year’s Day. The Government clears a $1 billion (Rs.4,000 crore) arms deal with the U.S. for the purchase of six large transport planes. Jan. 30 The Union Cabinet further relaxes foreign direct investment norms and opens up commodity exchanges credit information to overseas investors. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs clears a centrally Sponsored Scheme of pre- matric scholarships for students belonging to the minority communities. The Union Cabinet gives nod for setting up a Central Institute of Classical Tamil in Chennai at a cost of Rs.76.32 crore. India and the U.S. sign their biggest ever arms deal estimated at over $1 billion (Rs.3,943 crore). Jan. 31 The Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, announces a Rs.10,000 crore package for Arunachal Pradesh and lays stone for the 3,000 MW Dibang power project, the biggest hydel project in the country. February 2008 Feb. 1 The Interpol issues red corner notice against the prime accused in the kidney transplant racket, Amit Kumar and his brother Jeevan Kumar. The Centre orders the culling of one million poultry birds within a five km radius in four states adjoining the bird flu-hit districts of West Bengal. So far 27.6 lakh birds culled in West Bengal. www.bench3.com Page 6 National Events 2008 Feb. 4 Sensex surges by over 417 points to close at 18660.32 buoyed up by the rallying of the Asian markets. Feb. 5 Three persons involved in the hijack of an Indian Airlines aircraft to Kandahar in Afghanistan on December 24, 1999 are convicted and sentenced to life by a Patiala Court.