CURRENT EVENTS JAN 2012 TO JAN 2013

Former Prime Minister of and the head of unsteady coalition government in 1990s who died at the age of 92 following brief illness on 30 November 2012 - Inder Kumar Gujral

Chairperson of the National League of Democracy of Myanmar who visited India from 13 November 2012 to 18 November 2012 - Aung San Suu Kyi

The US special envoy to Af-Pak (Afghanistan-Pakistan) who on 27 November 2012 announced his resignation- Marc Grossman

The person who was sworn-in as Brazil's Supreme Court's first non-White President on 23 November 2012 - Joaquim Barbosa

The former President of the Federative Republic of Brazil, was awarded with Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace on 22 November 2012- Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva

The Cadre Senior IPS Officer of 1974 batch was appointed as next director of Central Bureau of Investigation on 22 November 2012 for two years- Ranjit Sinha

Royal Opera House chief executive who on 22 November 2012 was appointed as director general of the BBC - Tony Hall

The Former Captain and legendary opener of Indian Cricket Team on 21 November 2012 was conferred with BCCI’s prestigious Col. CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award -Sunil Gavaskar

The Pakistani National and the lone surviving terrorist of 26/11 Mumbai Terror Attacks who was hanged on 21 November 2012 at Pune’s Yerwada Jail - Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab

The person who was appointed as the head coach of the men’s National Basketball Team in the third week of November 2012 by the Basketball Federation of India (BFI)- Scott Flemming

The former Chief Justice of Rajasthan High Court on 19 November 2012 was appointed as the new Chairperson of the Election Commission of

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA)- Anil Dev Singh

The 23rd official James Bond movie which became the highest-grossing installment in the 50-year-old franchise- Skyfall

The Chairman of Assam Tribune Group of Newspapers died on 17 November 2012 at his residence in Rajgarh - Tulsi Govinda Baruah

The Shiv Sena Supremo who died on 17 November 2012 at the age of 86 - Balasaheb Keshav Thackeray

The California-based, Indian-American who became the only 3rd of the community to win Congressional Election, making it to US House of Representatives - Ami Bera

The ex-Defence Minister of India and former Planning Commission Deputy Chairman who died on 15 November 2012- K.C. Pant

The Person who was elected new General Secretary of the Party’s seven-member Politburo standing committee by the Communist Party of China (CPC) on 15 November 2012 - Xi Jinping

The UK Word of the Year 2012 , chosen by the Oxford English Dictionary - Omnishambles

Renowned literary critic and educator who on 10 November 2012 was awarded the prestigious Kyoto Prize in Kyoto- Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak

The great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi who was elected to a State Assembly in the United States during the general elections held on 6 November 2012- Shanti Gandhi

BBC Director General who on 10 November 2012 resigned from the job over covering sexual abuse- George Entwistle

The Iron Lady from Manipur who on 5 November 2012 completed 12 years of her fast demanding cancellation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958 (AFSPA)- Irom Sharmila

Chinese-British writer and physician who was known by her pen name Han Suyin, died at the age of 95 on 2 November 2012- Elizabeth Comber

Veteran BJP leader, former governor of Gujarat and Rajasthan and former finance minister of Bihar who passed away in State of Bihar on 3 November 2012- Kailashpati Mishra

Indian American astronaut who along with a fellow astronaut moved out of the International Space Station on 1 November 2012- Sunita Williams

The Bollywood actress who on 1 November 2012 was conferred with the Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters (Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres) by the French Ambassador to India François Richier- Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

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Lyricist and well known poet who on 31 October 2012 awarded with Indira Gandhi National Integration Award by congress President Sonia Gandhi- Gulzar

India's leading strategic thinker and analyst, who on 25 October 2012 won the 2012 Asia Society Bernard Schwartz Book Award for his recently published book" Water: Asia's New Battleground"- Brahma Chellaney

Veteran Indian actress who on 25 October 2012 was Awarded with an Honorary Doctorate of Arts for her outstanding contribution to Indian cinema by the Edinburgh Napier University- Sharmila Tagore

Actor and Satirist who died in a road accident on 25 October 2012 near Punjab's Nakodar town 40 km from Jalandhar- Jaspal Bhatti

Famous Indian Scientist who was honoured with the Order of Canada Award in December 2012-Venkatesh Mannar

Career diplomat who on 30 December 2012 had been appointed as Australia’s next High Commissioner to India- Patrick Suckling

The former captain of England cricket team and renowned commentator who died in Sydney on 29 December 2012 following lung cancer- Tony Greig

The former member of SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India) on 27 December 2012 had been appointed secretary of the Institute of Company Secretaries- MS Sahoo

Renowned Oriya novelist who on 27 December 2012 selected for the prestigious Jnanpith award for the year 2011 for her contribution to the field of Indian literature- Pratibha Ray

The Emirati poet and translator who became the first Emirati and Arab to win the Tagore Peace Prize- Shihab Ghanem

The conservative leader of Japan who was elected as the prime minister of the country by lower house of the Parliament on 26 December 2012- Shinzo Abe

Former Union Minister of India and Veteran Congress leader who on 25 December 2012 was sworn-in as Chief Minister of Himachal for a record sixth term in Shimla- Virbhadra Singh

The Justice who in the fourth week of December 2012 took over as the Chairperson of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) - the apex body constituted under The National Green Tribunal Act 2010- Justice Swatanter Kumar

The most-watched video ever on Youtube which booked a place in popular culture with becoming Collins dictionary’s word for November 2012- Gangnam Style

The Italian Prime Minister who on 21 December 2012 resigned after 13 months in office with handing over his resignation to President Giorgio Napolitano after parliament gave final approval to the 2013 budget law- Mario Mont

The air-to-air interceptor missile which on 21 December 2012 was test launched from interim test range (ITR) at Chandipur in Odisha- Astra

The legendary hockey player who is also India’s triple Olympic Gold Medallist died after a prolonged illness on 20 December 2012- Leslie Claudius

The person who on 20 December 2012 awarded with the Best Administrator in India Award instituted by K. Karunakaran Foundation- P. Chidambaram

The person who on 18 December 2012 appointed as the new chief of Border Security Force (BSF)- Subhash Joshi

Bollywood Actor who on 13 December 2012 awarded with the prestigious BrandLaureate Legendary Award in Malaysia- Shah Rukh Khan

The Indian banker and business executive who on 15 December 2012 took over as President of FICCI, becoming the first woman to head the leading industry body- Naina Lal Kidwai

The Justice who on 14 December 2012-took over as the new Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court - Arun Kumar Mishra

The inventor of bar code, which revolutionalised retail in 70s, died at 91 on 8 December 2012 at New Jersey- Norman Woodland

Famous Bollywood actress and Bharatanatyam exponent who had been selected for the prestigious Bharat Muni Samman of year 2012 for her outstanding contribution to the field of art and culture- Hema Malini

The first chief minister of Uttarakhand, and the BJP Party leader who passed away on 12 December 2012- Nityanand Swami

Renowned Indian sitarist who passed away in San Diego city of California on 11 December 2012- Pandit Ravi Shankar

The organization to which, the Nobel Peace Prize 2012 was awarded on 10 December 2012 at Oslo, Norway- European Union

The city at which the 2nd meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs was held on 29- 30 November, 2012- New Delhi

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The film which was given two National Tourism Awards by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India on 8 December 2012 recognizing the impact it has had in promoting India as a tourism destination- Life of Pi

The strongest ever tropical cyclone which hit Philippines in the first week of December 2012- Typhoon Bopha

The tax expert who was appointed by the Union government of India, as the adviser to finance minister P Chidambaram- Parthasarathi Shome

The rank at which India Stands out of 176 countries in Transparency International’s 2012 Corruption Perception Index (CPI) released on 5 December 2012- 94th

IPS officer of 1974-batch Bihar cadre on 3 December 2012 acquired the office as new CBI director-Ranjit Sinha

The former NBC Universal chief who was named president of CNN Worldwide on 29 November 2012- Jeff Zucker

The person who on 25 January 2013 became Czech Republic’s first directly elected President as per the Czech Republic Presidential election results-Milos Zeman

The Bollywood superstar who topped the inaugural Forbes India Celebrity 100 list-Shahrukh Khan

The renowned playback singer, who on 26 January 2013 refused to accept the prestigious Padma Bhushan-Sreeramamurthy Janaki

The ballistic missile successfully test fired by India with a strike range of around 700 kilometres, from an underwater platform in Bay of Bengal- K15

The Kannada author who was shortlisted among other ten authors for prestigious International Man Booker Prize for Fiction 2013-UR Ananthamurthy

The major of Rashtriya Rifles who was selected for Kirti Chakra for his extraordinary bravery efforts in counter- terrorist operations in J&K- Major Abup J Manjali

The mastermind of 26/11 terror attack who was sentenced to 35 years of imprisonment by the U.S. Federal District Court Judge Harry Leinenweber-David Coleman Headley

The Islamic school of India which on 23 January 2013 demanded that the controversial writers should be banned from 6th edition of Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF)- Darul Uloom Deoband

The two Scientists awarded with the prestigious Aryabhatta Award instituted by the Astronautical Society of India (ASI)- Dr. A.E. Muthunayagam and Dr. V.K. Saraswat

The Chennai-born Scientist of Indian Origin and President of Micronutrient Initiative, Canada who was awarded with Canada’s Highest Civilian Award – the Order of Canada-Venkatesh Mannar

The former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor who constituted the 14th Finance Commission under Union Government in January 2013- Yaga Venugopal Reddy

The place at which the foundation stone of the state-of-the-art National Data Centre of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) was laid-Manesar, Gurgaon in Haryana

The first fast patrol vessel (FPV), launched by Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL) on 8 January 2013 which was built for the Indian Coast Guard – Aadesh

The Special Bench of Justices of A.K. Patnaik and Gyan Sudha Misra to hear cases of crime against women was constituted by-Chief Justice of India Altamas Kabir

Keeping under consideration the sharp increase in the cost of materials, the Union Cabinet in January 2013 approved the Ministry of Rural Development’s proposal to increase the unit cost under-Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY)

The person elected by Shiv Sena as the President of the Party on 23 January 2013 at Sena Headquarters at Dadar, Central Mumbai- Uddhav Thackeray

The BJP President who on 22 January 2013 resigned from his post as after his resignation, Rajnath Singh was elected as the party chief-Nitin Gadkari

The Female sports personalities and the Olympic Bronze Medalists who on 22 Jan. 2013 nominated by Election Commission of India as National Icons- Mary Kom and Saina Nehwal

The largest shore patrol vessel which was commissioned in the eastern coast for maritime surveillance around Andaman and Nicobar Islands- NS Saryu

Former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh who merged his Jan Kranti Party with Bhartiya Janta Party, during the Atal Shankhnaad Rally of BJP at Lucknow- Kalyan Singh

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The third oldest elephant of the world, which celebrated its 66th birthday at the Inokashira Park Zoo of Japan- Hanako

The congress MP who on 19 January 2013 declared the new vice-president of after the decision made by the Congress Working Committee-Rahul Gandhi

The actor and the actress who bagged the best actor and actress award in the 58th Idea Filmfare Awards given away on 20 January 2013-Ranbir Kapoor and Vidya Balan

The Dutch Coach who in the month of January was appointed as the High Performance Director for Indian Hockey Team- Roelant Oltmans

The Indian researcher who was selected to be felicitated with the Young Investigator Scholarship Award for his work on Alzheimer's drug- Mahaveer Golechha

The Union Minister for Urban Development and Parliamentary Affairs, who was elected as a leader of Indian delegation for World Economic Forum 2013- Kamal Nath

Indian-origin women who became the first woman and the 9th Speaker of the Singapore Parliament on 14 January 2013 by replacing Michael Palmer- Halimah Yacob

The place at where ITU summoned the World Conference on International Telecommunications held from 3-14 Dec 2012- Dubai

The former all-rounder of India from Surat who died on 13 January 2013 in Mumbai at the age of 76 years- Rusi Framroze Surti

The place at which Indian and Pakistani armies held Brigade Commander-level flag meeting- Chakan-Da-Bagh in Poonch district in Jammu and Kashmir

The 16th Non-Aligned Movement Summit Was Held In Tehran Child Mortality Estimates Report 2012 released: India at top 51 percent FDI in multi-brand retail and 49 percent in Aviation

Verghese Kurien, the Milkman of India died Russia declassified the existence richest diamond field

India and Tajikistan signed six agreements

Sixth Mekong–Ganga cooperation meeting held in New Delhi

Gaurav Shumsher Rana became Nepal’s Army Chief

Worldwide protests against the film Innocence of Muslims

US Diplomat to Libya killed in Benghazi Attack

Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is the new president of Somalia

Hassan Sheikh Somalian president survived assassination

Defence Minister, A.K. Antony opened an Army Hospital in Male

India Offered Telecom Support to Turkmenistan

US & Japan agreed to deploy advanced missile defense system

Pakistan test fired cruise missile, Babur

Majeed became Chief Minister of Eastern Province, Sri Lanka

Salman Rushdie released his Book Joseph Anton

India Malaysia to achieve a target trade of USD 15 Million

US, India and Afghanistan held its First Trilateral Discussion

GAAR Report submitted by the Shome Committee

Cabinet gave a nod to two subsidiaries of Air India.

Now the two units Air India Engineering Services Limited (AIESL) and Air India Transport Services Ltd. (AITSL) will be operational as two completely owned subsidiaries and treated as separate profit centers.

SC asked Essar Oil to pay the sales tax dues in phases Green Tax introduced on vehicles entering Shimla

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Cash Reserve Ratio slashed from 4.75 per cent to 4.5 per cent inject Rs 17000 crore

Indigo Airlines emerged to be the top ranked carrier

Foreign Investment cap hiked to 74 percent on Broadcasting

CVC instructed CBI to expand the scope of investigation on Coal Block Allocation to private firms in between 1993 to 2004.

SC directed Sahara to refund 17400 Crore to its Investors

ICICI to extend its net banking services through Facebook

Infosys acquired Switzerland based firm Lodestone

Bank of India opened its first branch in South Africa

Supreme Court directed Essar Oil to pay the sales tax dues

L&T restructured its Engineering and InfoTech services

DMRC started training program to train new recruits

Tech Mahindra acquired 51% stake in Comviva Technologies

ITC launched Grand Chola a luxury five Star hotel in Chennai

HDFC Bank Commissioned its 10001st ATM at Kovalam

HDFC Bank announced the Launch of Credit Card for Teachers

Tata Steel won a high-speed Rail Contract in France

Ex-COO and MD of Reebok India held for Rs 870 Crore Fraud

Naveen Jindal, placed at the top in Executives Pay Chart

SC: directed government to re-fix pay scale of army officers

Rashtriya Aarogya Nidhi Scheme launched

New measures announced for welfare of overseas Indians

SC: Land belonging to SC/ST cannot be bought by Non-Dalits

DA hiked for Union Government Employees

Indian Sovereign Rating is Stable-Moody

Election Commission prohibited use of animals in Campaigns

Nirmal Verma appointed as Indian envoy to Canada

Jaideep Sarkar appointed as the new envoy to Israel

Altamas Kabir sworn-in as 39th Chief Justice of India

TCS to monitor MGNREGA Fund in West Bengal

SC: Notice to Tamil Nadu on petition challenging 69% quota

Delhi Government imposed a Blanket Ban on Plastic Bags

Punjab Government amended Canal and Drainage Act

UP launched the Samajwadi Swasthya Seva in the State

Chhattisgarh HC annulled the Land acquired by Government

Haryana instituted Four Awards to Felicitate Women. Three of the awards include Indira

Gandhi Mahila Shakti Award, Kalpna Chawla Shaurya Award and Bahin Shano Devi Panchayti Raj award. The fourth award comprises of two awards, Life time Achievers Award and Women Outstanding Achievers Award. 5

Andhra Pradesh to set up 15 Marine Police Stations

India beat Cameroon to win Nehru Cup Football Tournament

Serena Williams won Women's Singles US Open 2012

Railways won the National Open Athletics Championships

M.S. Dhoni named as the captain for IIC ODI team of the year

Indian Women won SAF Football Championship 2012

Liberty Medal awarded to Muhammad Ali

Virat Kohli became the ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year

Golfer Gaganjeet Bhullar grabbed third Asian tour title

Saina Nehwal signed up a 40-crore deal

Sandeep Patil appointed as BCCI Selection Committee chief

Aishwarya Rai Bachan appointed as International Goodwill Ambassador

Bill Gates still the richest person in America

The Union Government issued an Ultimatum to Social Networking Site Twitter

India eased External Overseas Borrowing Rules to enable Easier Access to Cheap Dollar Funds

Arvind Saxena appointed the Managing Director of Volkswagen India

Supreme Court extended the ban on Tourism Activities in Tiger Reserves

Union Finance Ministry approved 49 Percent FDI in Insurance and Pension Sector

Six Top Sporting Coaches to receive Dronacharya Award for 2012: Wrestling coach Yashvir Singh, Boxing Coach BI Fernandez, Athletics Coach Virender Poonia, Kabaddi Coach Sunil Davas,

Parathletics Coach Dr. Satyapaul and Hockey Coach Harinder Singh are the six coaches who have been selected for the coveted award, given to the coach of different sports, for their excellent contribution to the sports.

Philippe Divry appointed as the Managing Director of Volvo India

Russia formally became a Member of the World Trade Organisation

The Government extended the Ban on Import of Milk and Milk Products from China

The Union Government issued an Ultimatum to Social Networking Site Twitter

Supreme Court of India ordered Better Healthcare for Bhopal Gas Tragedy Victims

BCCC asked TV Channels to be Extra-cautious while Showing Violence against Women

Lakhdar Brahimi appointed New Joint Special Representative of UN and Arab League for Syria

Myanmar abolished Censorship of the Country's Media

India to cut Import Duties on 234 Items from Pakistan

Russia formally became a Member of the World Trade Organisation

India eased External Overseas Borrowing Rules to enable Easier Access to Cheap Dollar Funds

India's Marine Exports to Grow by over 28% to USD 4.5 billion in 2012-13 Fiscal

Union Finance Ministry approved 49 Percent FDI in Insurance and Pension Sector

RBI stipulated the Norms for Securitisation of Loans by NBFCs

Parliamentary Panel on Agriculture recommended to ban GM Food Crops 6

Supreme Court extended the ban on Tourism Activities in Tiger Reserves

Indian Project won the World Environment Day Challenge

Ministry of Environment and Forest issued Advisory to reduce the Impact of Communication Towers

Vijay Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt chosen for Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award 2012

South Africa replaced England as the World’s Number One Cricket Team

Roger Federer and Li Na won Cincinnati Masters

Mahesh Bhupati and Rohan Bopanna finished Runners-up in the Cincinnati Masters

A Web-based System developed for advising Farmers on Fertilizers

Ring-Planet Saturn and Red Planet Mars paired in the Sky

Scientists Unveiled the Origin of the Singing Mice

NASA’s New Robot Rover Curiosity touched the Surface of Mars

Mary Kom won Bronze Medal in women Boxing

Union Cabinet approved three new extension lines in Delhi Metro.

Hamid Ansari elected as Vice-president of India

Syed Nasim Ahmed Zaidi appointed New Election Commissioner

Naresh Chandra Committee submitted its Report on National Security

Andhra Pradesh Government decided to put a Cap on the Tuition Fee Reimbursement.

US imposed Fresh Sanctions on Belligerent Iran

Gunman killed 6 at Sikh Temple in Oak Creek in Wisconsin

Fitch Ratings revised the Indian Retail Sector Outlook for the second half 2012-13 to Negative

Siemens India Bagged 290 Million Euro NMDC Deal

RBI permitted Banks to lend to Telecom Companies for the Upcoming Auction for Spectrum

The Union Cabinet on 3 August 2012 gave its consent to the launch of satellite to the Mars proposed in 2013

Bimal Gurung sworn in as the Head of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration

Union Government approved Relaxation in Policies Related to Transfer of Government Land

Special Tribunal approved MHA Move to declare SIMI as an Unlawful Organisation

Union Government approved 492 Crore Rupees to set up Central Academy for Police Training in Bhopal

Russia’s Soyuz-FG Carrier rocket set Five Satellites into Orbit

Russian Soyuz Spacecraft blasted-off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan

NASA’s New Robot Rover Curiosity touched the Surface of Mars

Scientists identified First Radio Waves from Middleweight Black Hole HLX-1

Union Cabinet sets Base Price for Auction of 2G Spectrum at 14000 Crore Rupees

Empowered Group of Ministers decided to invest Rs. 425 crore for Gujarat Drought Relief

Union Cabinet approved the Launch of Satellite to study Mars

German logistics Deutsche Bahn tied up with Moser Baer for Clean Energy Project

RBI directed NBFCs to maintain Net-owned Funds (NOF) at Rs 3 crore by 31 March 2013 7

German car manufacture Audi launched A8L Sedan at 1.07 crore rupees

Union Government approved 492 Crore Rupees to set up Central Academy for Police Training in Bhopal

Geojit BNP launched Android OS Flip Me; first mobile trading solution on NSE & BSE

Saina Nehwal gets Bronze in London Olympics Women's Singles Badminton

Indian shooter Vijay Kumar wins silver medal in London Olympics in 25m Rapid Fire Pistol.

Team Anna ends fast, declares to form a political party.

India on 1 August 2012 signed an agreement with Belgium to modernise the Indian Railways and make some of the country's railway stations world class

International Current Affairs 2012. India and Israel signed a MoU on 2 August 2012 for starting a collaborative academic research programme

Study found that tumors contain their own pool of stem cells that can multiply and keep fueling the cancer, seeding regrowth

An environment project made by Hand in Hand India was named the winner of World Environment Day Challenge 2012

A special tribunal in its decision pronounced on 1 August 2012 approved the MHA move to declare SIMI as an unlawful association

The Union Government of India on 2 August 2012 approved relaxation in policies relating to transfer of government land

Gilead Sciences signed with 3 Indian companies for low-cost HIV drugs on 2 August 2012

SBI reduced the interest rate on the deposits of more than 5 years on 2 August 2012

Hero MotoCorp invested 20 million dollar in US based Erik Buell for R&D on 2 August 2012

The US Senate on 27 July 2012 unanimously passed a resolution to label the dreaded Haqqani network as a foreign terrorist organisation

The Kerala High Court on 2 August 2012 refused to stay the state government's ban on manufacture, storage and sale of gutka, pan masala and their variants

Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on 2 August 2012 announced to quit as the UN special envoy to Syria

India signed Tax Information Exchange Agreement (TIEA) with Monaco on 31 July 2012 in New Delhi. It will allow the two countries to check tax evasion

India’s leading bank State Bank of India (SBI) on 1 August 2012 reduced its interest rate on home and car loans by up to 0.5 percent

United States announced fresh sanctions against foreign banks that helps Iran sell its oil on 1 August 2012

Karnataka Bank with NABCONS signed MoU for Bank customer’s consultancy services on 1 August 2012

RBI in July 2012 signed MoU with financial regulators of 9 countries to promote greater co-operation and sharing of supervisory information between the regulators

Toshiba launched its new Thinking LED range RZ1 of TV sets on 1 August 2012

EGoM on drought on 31 July 2012 approved Rs. 1900 cr drought package for the farmers to help them save the standing kharif crop through irrigation in the face of drought like conditions

During April-June 2012-13, the cumulative growth rate of the core industries was 3.6 % as against their growth at 5.2% during the corresponding period in 2011-12

Star Health launched Star Comprehensive and Star Family Delite Insurance Policy on 1 August 2012

Indian government on 1 August 2012 decided to allow investment from Pakistan with the objective of boosting bilateral economic relations

Uttar Pradesh government on 1 August 2012 inaugurated State Service Delivery Gateway, in Lucknow

The Election Commission of India and South Korean Election Commission on 1 August 2012 signed an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) to strengthen democracy

After a week long negotiations, Pakistan and US on 31 July 2012 finally signed an agreement on transporting supplies for NATO troops

The union government announced a financial assistance of 1900 crore under various schemes for the rain deficient states

India's national news broadcasting channel NDTV sued the country’s only television audience measurement company TAM India 8

India witnessed its biggest ever power blackout on 31 July2012. Power Tripped in Northern, Eastern and Northern Eastern Grids. Over 60 million people affected.

Kaushik Basu ended his tenure as India’s Chief Economic Advisor on 31 July 2012.

US swimmer Michel Phelps became the most successful athlete in the history of Olympic games.

Gagan Narang won Bronze in the men's 10 meter air rifle event at London Olympics

India banned US-sanctioned Iranian ships from entering its water

Assam’s Kokrajhar, Udalguri District Hit by Violence: Bodos and Muslims Clashed

Supreme Court quashed the Acquisition of Land of Two Industrial Units in Dehradun

Anil Kumar was appointed as the new Director General for ESIC

Kuchipudi Dance Guru Vempati Chinna Satyam passed away

India’s public debt rose by 4.9 per cent during the First Quarter of Fiscal Year 2012-13

India and Bangladesh decided to Fast Track the Implementation of Various Agreements

First Quarter Review of Monetary Policy 2012-13 (Announced on 31st Jul 2012)

SLR reduced from 24.0 per cent to 23 per cent of NDTL w.e.f. Aug 11, 2012

The in its ruling quashed the acquisition of land of two industrial units in Dehradun by the Uttar Pradesh Government in 1986

Government of India Launched Anti-Ragging Website: The Government of India launched an anti-ragging website. Kapil Sibal, the Union Human Resource Minister inaugurated the ‘Anti- Ragging Web Portal’ on 26 July 2012

Ministry of Women and Child Development drafted the National Policy for Children 2012

Supreme Court of India Modified Order on Rehabilitation of Sex Workers

The Supreme Court of India on 23 July 2012 allowed Tamil Nadu government to carry out repair and maintenance works on the Mullaperiyar dam

Supreme Court reduced the VIP quota for Haj pilgrimage from 5050 seats to 300

Pranab Mukherjee won the Presidential Election 2012: Pranab Mukherjee on 22 July 2012 recorded a landslide victory to be elected as the 13th President of India

The Union cabinet on 19 July 2012 approved a proposal to make rape a gender-neutral offence. Now, the word rape will be replaced with sexual assault

Delhi High Court on 13 July 2012 scrapped the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) guideline to put a cap on daily SMS limit

In a policy aimed at benefitting country’s 120 crore population, the Union Government of India on 4 July 2012 unveiled the 5.4 billion dollar free drug policy

The Supreme Court of India on 3 July 2012 declared the area within a five-kilometre radius around the Jarawa Tribal Reserve

Vice Admiral DK Joshi named the New Chief of the Indian Navy

India allowed Foreign Direct Investment from Pakistan

Veeravalli Sundaram Sampath appointed New Chief Election Commissioner of India

Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi won Mixed Doubles Title of the French Open

Samsung Electronics named Kwon Oh-hyun as its New Chief Executive Officer

Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit 2012 concluded in Beijing

US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta visited India, vowed to strengthen Tie with India

Walt Disney banned Junk Food Advertisements on Kid’s Programmes

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According to the new set of guidelines approved by University Grants Commission (UGC) on 2 June 2012, only global top 500 universities will be allowed to start their operation in India.

Chief of Army Staff General VK Singh on 21 May 2012 ratified a court martial’s decision to dismiss former military secretary Lt. Gen. Avadesh Prakash from service.

The Andhra Pradesh High Court on 28 May 2012 invalidated the 4.5 per cent sub-quota for minorities carved out of the 27 per cent.

The state-owned oil marketing companies increased the price of Petrol by 7.54 rupees a litre to 73.18 rupees with effect from midnight 23 May 2012.

The Loksabha, the lower house of the parliament, passed the Copyright (Amendment) Bill 2010 on 22 May 2012.

The Union Cabinet approved the 7.6 billion dollar TAPI gas pipeline project on 17 May 2012.

The Union government of India approved the changes in the Marriage Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2010.

Union government cleared a Rs 8500-crore project under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) to connect 6000 habitations in 78 naxalite-affected districts.

The Supreme Court of India on 8 May 2012 directed the Union Government to eliminate the Haj subsidy completely by reducing it gradually.

The Supreme Court of India on 27 April 2012 held that Farmers whose land is acquired for a public purpose are entitled to the highest market value as compensation.

The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) in its much-awaited tariff order issued on 30 April 2012.

The information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry of India on 28 April 2012 notified the much awaited Cable Television Networks Rules, 2012.

The Rajya Sabha on 27 April 2012 passed amendments to the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admissions) Act, 2006.

The Rajaya Sabha, the upper house of Indian parliament, on 24 April 2012, passed the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment) Bill 2010.

Supreme Court of India upheld Election commission’s poll symbol rules, which entitled a political party the status of state party and common symbol for its candidates.

The Union Cabinet on 12 April 2012 gave its approval to the introduction of a Bill seeking an amendment in the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969.

Union Cabinet on 12 April 2012 gave its nod to the Public Procurement Bill. The bill is aimed at bringing transparency in the bidding process for public procurement.

The Supreme Court of India on 12 April 2012 upheld the constitutional validity of the Right to Education Act, 2009, which mandates 25 per cent free seats to the poor in government and private unaided schools.

The Supreme Court of India on 11 April 2012 directed seven states to furnish within 48 hours, details of mercy petitions filed by death row convicts.

The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court directed the Union government of India and the Uttar Pradesh government to ensure that there is no reporting on movement of troops by the print or electronic media.

The Supreme Court of India on 3 April 2012 directed the Union government to provide records of all 18 mercy pleas.

The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) on 29 March 2012, reconstituted the advisory board on bank, commercial and financial frauds.

The Supreme Court of India on 30 March 2012 refused to pass any order on a mercy petition in the death sentence to Balwant Singh Rajoana.

The Union Cabinet of India on 23 March 2012 approved the redrafted Marriage laws (Amendment) Bill, 2010. The bill seeks to give a woman share in her husband’s property.

The Union Government of India on 3 February 2012 notified the setting up of the anti-terror body called National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC).

The Supreme Court of India ruled that one cannot acquire title to a property only because he or she had been allowed to stay in the premises for long.

Draft report titled Performance Audit Of Coal Block Allocations by CAG stated that the government lost Rs 10.67 lakh crore by not auctioning coal blocks between 2004 and 2009.

The Union government of India on 1 March 2012 sanctioned a special package of 130 crore Rupees for Arunachal Pradesh for the modernisation of the police forces in troubled Tirap and Changlang districts of the state. 10

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) on 4 March 2012 released guidelines to eliminate physical punishment and to discipline schools. The NCPCR survey disclosed that the use of physical punishments is common in Indian schools.

UP, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Goa recorded the highest ever voting percentage in their history in the recently concluded Assembly elections.

The Supreme Court of India on 2 March 2012 appointed its former judge, Justice H S Bedi as the chairman of the monitoring authority. He will investigate the case of 22 alleged fake encounter killings in Gujarat between 2002 and 2006.

The Union cabinet of India approved the proposed changes in the Motor Vehicle Act 1988, which includes longer jail terms and higher fines for repeat traffic violations.

Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry on 28 February 2012 launched a web portal for implementation of the National Scheme of Incentive to Girls for Secondary Education (NSIGSE) in New Delhi.

The Supreme Court of India directed the union government of India to implement the ambitious interlinking of rivers project in a time-bound manner.

More than 25 agriculture and allied activities were included in the new version of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.

The Supreme Court of India on 15 February 2012 directed closure of all unauthorised sandalwood oil factories in the country and asked the Centre to formulate a suitable policy for conservation of sandalwood.

InterIn New Delhi, the biggest coordinated mock drills were carried out on 15 February 2012, to check the alertness and preparedness of various public agencies.

The Union Cabinet of India approved Defence Ministry guidelines for its public sector units (PSUs) to establish joint ventures with private firms to increase opportunities to obtain advanced technologies from foreign sources.

Union cabinet of India on 9 February 2012 approved the National Data Sharing and Accessibility Policy (NDSAP-2012) to facilitate access to central government owned shareable data and information.

The government of India on 9 February 2012 approved setting up of a national centre for cold chain development and allocated a one-time grant of 25 crore rupees for its corpus fund.

Union government decided to operationalise the ambitious National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) from 1 March 2012.

As per the latest Sample Registration System (SRS) bulletin, it is noted that Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) dropped further by 3 points from 50 to 47 infants deaths per 1000 live births during 2010.

The Union Government of India on 1 February 2012 gave the approval for setting up a National Council for Senior Citizens. It will be headed by the Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment.

The Supreme Court on 31 January 2012 set aside the Delhi High Court order refusing to pass any direction to the Prime Minister for taking a decision on sanction of prosecution in 2G case.

The Supreme Court of India on 24 January 2012 criticized the Union government for total inaction in dealing with the prolonged imprisonment of several foreign nationals in Indian jails.

The Election Commission of India banned exit polls during the entire period when elections to the five state assemblies would be held.

The Supreme Court of India on 20 January 2012 dismissed a PIL seeking a direction to the government to restore the Army Chief Gen V K Singh's date of birth as 10 May 1951.

The Law Commission of India on 18 January 2012 recommended the dilution of Anti-Dowry law to make it less stringent.

Union Ministry for Human Resource Development announced that there would be a Grievance Redressal mechanisms in higher educational institutions.

The Union government of India on 14 January 2012 directed all the states to tighten norms in granting licences to open new medical institutes.

The Union Cabinet of India on 12 January 2012 approved the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) policy.

The Cabinet Committee on Security approved the setting up of a National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) to counter terrorism effectively.

National Commission for Protection of Child Right (NCPCR) on 9 January 2012 directed the state governments to propose a system called Shiksha Samvad.

The Central Information Commission(CIS) held that all information in possession of the office of the Chief Justice of India is not completely exempt from disclosure under the Right to Information( RTI) act.

The Supreme Court of India ruled that a person cannot be detained under the preventive detention law like National Security Act (NSA) without justifiable reasons. 11

India became free from bird flu, H5N1. The government made a declaration to this effect.

India on 4 January 2012 approved 6600 crore rupees acquisition of 490 French advanced missile systems to arm the Mirage-2000 fighter jets.

Rajya Sabha approved the Export-Import Bank of India Amendment Bill, 2011, on 27 December 2011.

The Lok Sabha on 27 December 2011, approved the Lokpal and Lokayukta Bill, 2011 with the government making it clear that setting up of Lokayuktas by the states would not be mandatory.

Rajya Sabha approved the Regulation of Factor (Assignments Receivable Bill, 2011) on 27 December 2011 to help micro, small and medium enterprises.

The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill was introduced in Lok Sabha on 22 December 2011. The bill was aimed at setting up the body of Lokpal at the Centre and Lokayuktas at the level of the States.

Rajya Sabha of Indian Parliament on 22 December 2011 passed the bill the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2011.

The Union cabinet of India on 22 December 2011 approved 4.5 percent share for minorities within the 27% OBC quota in jobs and university seats.

The Supreme Court of India on 20 December 2011 ruled that courts can interfere in the case of contractual job if the decision taken by the management is arbitrary.

The Union Cabinet of India on 18 December 2011 approved a draft National Food Security Bill that seeks to give legal entitlement of cheaper food-grains to 62.5 per cent of the country's population.

A bench of the Supreme Court including Justices BS Chauhan and TS Thakur ruled that even animals entitled to accident compensation.

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs agreed to fill 10% of the Group ‘B’ posts in Central Paramilitary Forces from among Ex-Servicemen.

The Lok Sabha on 13 December 2011 unanimously passed a Bill to further amend the Cable Television Networks Regulation Act, 1995.

The Supreme Court of India directed Tamil Nadu to ensure that the water level in the Mullaperiyar dam does not exceed 136 feet but declined to entertain Kerala’s plea for reducing the level to 120 feet.

The Lok Sabha on 12 December 2011 passed the amendments to the Petroleum and Minerals Pipelines (Acquisition of Right of User in Land) Act, 1962.

The Supreme Court directed state governments to build adequate number of night shelter to ensure that no homeless person has to sleep under sky this winter.

The Lok Sabha on 12 December 2011 unanimously passed the National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Bill of 2011.

The Government decided to set up a village water and sanitation committee in each Gram Panchayat, village and ward to ensure safe drinking water supply.

The Parliamentary panel on law and justice, headed by Abhishek Singhvi stated that the Constitution should be amended to set up a National Judicial Commission with powers to initiate criminal prosecution and sacking of corrupt judges.

Supreme Court of India on 8 December 2011 directed all states to ensure vehicles carry tamper-free high security number plates within four weeks.

Empowered Committee in its meeting on 5 December 2011 decided to send two technical members to inspect the Mullaperiyar dam.

The Supreme Court of India on 1 December 2011 stated that section 497 of the Indian penal Code is biased against men.

The United Naga Council (UNC) on 29 November 2011 decided to lift the economic blockade from Manipur following assurance from Union home affairs minister P Chidambaram.

The Supreme Court ruled on 28 November 2011 that awards passed by the Lok Adalat either in criminal or civil matters are bound to be implemented through a court decree.

The movie Dam 999 directed by Sohan Roy believed to be based on disputed Mullaperiyar Dam between Tamilnadu & Kerala faced ban.

Indian government inked tripartite peace agreement with Assam's insurgent group, United People’s Democratic Solidarity on 25 November 2011.

The U.N. General Assembly's human rights committee on 22 November 2011 voted to strongly condemn Syria's crackdown on dissent.

The Supreme Court of India ruled that the government cannot indefinitely delay its decision on the representations made by detenus.

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Supreme Court of India ruled that serious offences like attempt to murder cannot be settled through compromise deals and the accused must suffer conviction and imprisonment.

The Supreme Court of India ruled that a Hindu Woman cannot be evicted from the matrimonial home after divorce.

The Union Cabinet approved the official amendment to the Prohibition of Unfair Practices in Technical Educational Institutions, Medical Educational Institutions and Universities Bill, 2010.

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