Disha Grand Issue January – March’ 2014 – Om Ranker’s Creator OM RANKER’S CREATOR, SCO 371-373, 4 TH FLOOR, SEC 34A, CHANDIGARH. CONTACT: 78140-11022, 78143-11022 Page 1 Disha Grand Issue January – March’ 2014 – Om Ranker’s Creator DISHA 2014 GRAND ISSUE CONTENTS PREFACE 3 PICK OF THE MONTH 4 INTERNATIONAL 10 NATIONAL 16 ECONOMY 23 CORPORATE 33 ECOLOGY & ENVIRONMENT 41 SPORTS 42 SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 51 NEWS CAPSULE 60 Persons in News 60 Person Appointed 63 Person Resigned 64 Person Died 65 Awards | Honours 66 Exhibition | Fare 70 Report | Survey 71 Books & Author 72 Day | Week | Year 72 Miscellaneous 73 General Knowledge Facts 74 OM RANKER’S CREATOR, SCO 371-373, 4 TH FLOOR, SEC 34A, CHANDIGARH. CONTACT: 78140-11022, 78143-11022 Page 2 Disha Grand Issue January – March’ 2014 – Om Ranker’s Creator DISHA GRAND ISSUE PREFACE This grand edition of our monthly magazine “DISHA” has been designed to provide latest updates of events that occurred in the month of “JANUARY - MARCH 2014.” The GRAND 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, NDA, CDS, LIC, Railway and all other government jobs. The events happening in the sections like International (bilateral and India’s relation with the world), National, Economy, Science and Technology, Environment and Ecology, Corporate, 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. OM RANKER’S CREATOR, SCO 371-373, 4 TH FLOOR, SEC 34A, CHANDIGARH. CONTACT: 78140-11022, 78143-11022 Page 3 Disha Grand Issue January – March’ 2014 – Om Ranker’s Creator MARCH 2014 Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on 2 January 2014 gave its nod for the implementation of the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project for Low Income States of Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh. The project will be implemented with the assistance of the World Bank over a period of six years (from 2013-14 to 2019-20). This project will benefit the rural population of about 78 lakh persons including 44 lakh scheduled castes and more than 8 lakh Scheduled tribes. The project will help the people with improved piped water supply which will cover approximately 17400 habitations in 2150 Gram Panchayats (GPs) in the following 33 districts of the four States. The total Project cost of 6000 crore rupees will be financed through Government of India [from the National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP) allocation – 33 percent], State Government (fund sharing as per NRDWP guidelines – 16 percent), beneficiary contribution (1 percent) and external financing (World Bank-IDA funds – 50 percent). Government of India will repay the amount of US$ 500 million extended as credit by the World Bank over a period of 25 years with 1.25 percent interest rate. National Waterway-4 project in Tamil Nadu Union Government launched the project for the development of the stretch of 37 Kilometer of the National Waterway-four (NW-4) between Sholinganallur to Kalpakkam in South Buckingham Canal in Tamil Nadu. The project was launched on 24 January 2014. NW-4 covers a total length of 1078 Km consisting of Kakinada-Puducherry Canal systems integrated with Godavari and Krishna Rivers. Main components of the project include dredging and excavation to develop navigational channel, construction of three terminals and navigational locks, replacement of one existing bridge at Kelambakkam, and installation of navigational aids. The project is expected to be completed in two years with 123 crore rupees. The project will ease out the transportation problems in Chennai suburbs to a great extent besides promoting tourist movement to important tourist spots at Mahabalipuram and Puducherry. National Waterways of India National Waterway 1: will starts from Allahabad to Haldia with a distance of 1620 km. The NW 1 runs through the Ganges, Bhagirathi and Hooghly river system. It will be the longest National Waterway in India. National Waterway 2: a stretch on Brahmaputra River from Sadiya to Dhubri in Assam state. National Waterway 3: run from Kollam to Kottapuram. The 205 km long West Coast Canal is India‘s first waterway with all time navigation facility. National Waterway 4 : connect Kakinada to Pondicherry through Canals, Tank and River Godavari along with Krishna River. National Waterway 5: connects Orissa to West Bengal using the stretch on Brahmani River, East Coast Canal, Matai River and Mahanadi River Delta. OM RANKER’S CREATOR, SCO 371-373, 4 TH FLOOR, SEC 34A, CHANDIGARH. CONTACT: 78140-11022, 78143-11022 Page 4 Disha Grand Issue January – March’ 2014 – Om Ranker’s Creator National Waterway 6: It is the proposed waterway in Assam state and will connect Lakhipur to Bhanga in river Barak. National Urban Health Mission launched National Urban Health Mission was launched by the Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on 20 January 2014 in Bangalore. Cantilever Pamban Bridge completed 100 years First cantilever bridge of India, Pamban Railway Bridge, completed its 100 years. On this occasion former President of India A. P. J. Abdul Kalam inaugurated the centenary celebrations of the Pamban Bridge. The centenary celebrations will take place from 27 January 2014 to 29 Janaury 2014. To mark the occasion, Abdul Kalam unveiled the centenary plaque of the Pamban Bridge. He also released the book titled Marvels of South Indian Railway. The 65.23-metre-long rolling central lift span was given a fresh coat of paint and decorated with light. The central lift span was named after Scherzer, German engineer who designed and built the span. It opens up like a pair of scissors to allow vessels to pass through under the bridge. The 2.06 km long Pamban Railway Bridge connects the pilgrim island of Rameswaram with Tamil Nadu. The bridge was officially opened for the train traffic on 24 February 1914. The bridge was put to test for the first time in December 1964, when a severe cyclonic storm hit this part of the area. About Cantilever Bridge A cantilever bridge is built using cantilevers, structures that project horizontally into space, supported on only one end. Heinrich Gerber was one of the engineers to obtain a patent for a hinged girder in 1866 and is recognized as the first to build one.The Hassfurt Bridge over the Main River in Germany with a central span of 124 feet (38 meters) was completed in 1867 and is recognized as the first modern cantilever bridge. Policy Guidelines for Land Management by major ports approved The Union Cabinet on 2 January 2014 approved the Policy Guidelines for Land Management by Major Ports, 2014. Land Policy is one of the most significant policy frameworks guiding the overall functioning and development of the port sector. FEBRUARY 2014 Lokpal and Lokayukta Bill, 2013 Passed Lokpal and Lokayukta Bill, 2013 was passed by the Lok Sabha on 18 December 2013. Earlier, the Bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha on 17 December 2013 after some amendments. The Bill seeks to establish an anti-corruption watchdog that will have in its purview even the office of Prime Minister. The Lokpal and Lokayukta Bill, 2013 was passed by voice vote amid the opposition from the members Seemandhra region who were protesting against division of Andhra Pradesh to create Telangana state. During the passage of the Bill, Samajwadi Party members staged a walk out from the Parliament while Shiv Sena Party members voted against the Bill. The passage of the Bill has been welcomed by anti-corruption crusader and social activist Anna Hazare. He sat on the fast for the Lokpal Bill passage for the fourth time on 10 December 2013. Among the amendments accepted by the government are delinking of the mandatory creation of lokayuktas by the state governments, one of the provisions which had stalled the passage of the bill in December 2011. A Brief History The term Lokpal is an Indian version of the Swedish term Ombudsman. The institution of Ombudsman was first established in Sweden in 1808. In India, the term Lokpal was first used by the then Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru in 1963 and in 1966 a Lokpal for the Centre and Lokayukta for each State were proposed. Lokpal and Lokayukta Bill was first introduced in the Fourth Lok Sabha in 1968 . The Bill was re-introduced in 1971, 1977, 1985, 1989, 1996, 1998, 2001 and 2011 but was never passed. Assembly Elections 2013 Results Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on 8 December 2013 won the state assembly election in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. In Delhi assembly elections BJP emerged as the largest party and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in its debut emerged as the second largest party pushing the ruling party Congress as the third party. In Chhattisgarh, BJP won 49 seats and the opposition party Congress won 39 seats. In Madhya Pradesh the party won 161 seats, whereas the main opposition party Congress was able to secure 58 seats. In Rajasthan, BJP won on 162 seats by reducing the ruling party Congress government to 21 seats only. Harsher punishment for milk adulterators favoured by SC The Supreme Court of India on 5 December 2013 favoured punishment of life imprisonment to people indulging in production and marketing of adulterated milk. The court has also asked the state governments to make amendment in laws as has been done by the Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Odisha.