1.3 Million People Died of TB Worldwide in 2012: WHO Report
Posted on 2013-10-26
1.3 Million People Died of TB Worldwide in 2012: WHO Report Click to Download
Chinese Power Companies Agreed to Establish Base in India
Posted on 2013-10-26
Chinese Power Companies Agreed to Establish Base in India
he Ministry of Power of the Government of India and the National Energy Administration of the Government of China on 23 October 2013 signed the deal to further strengthen and deepen cooperation in the energy sector under the India-China Strategic Economic Dialogue.
The energy cooperation and the proposal for setting up Chinese Power Equipment Service Centres (PESCs) in India was discussed at the SED Working Group Meeting on Energy that took place in Beijing on 26 September 2013.
India has become a strategic market for Chinese power equipment manufacturers and that 18 GW of thermal power projects were commissioned under India’s 11th Five Year plan using Chinese-manufactured equipment and about 40GW of power projects are currently under construction using Chinese-made equipment.
Important Provisions of Cooperation Programme
1. The service centres would be adequately provided with equipment, personnel, spares and other facilities so as to enable them to provide all requisite spars and services support within India.
2. The PESCs will be set up in India on market principles. The costs and terms of servicing power equipment will be decided between the PESCs and the end user.
3. The companies will make themselves fully conversant with the relevant rules/regulations/statutes/approvals and processes being applicable for setting up of such PESCs in India.
4. The PESCs would be directly responsible for provision of requisite services to the Indian power generating companies on mutually acceptable terms and conditions (between the PESCs and the Indian power generating companies) and in accordance with applicable Indian laws/rules/statutes and this MoU shall not in any-way confer any special or preferential status/treatment to the PESCs.
Four Indians Listed in Fortune Top 50 Women Business Leaders-2013
Posted on 2013-10-24
Four Indians Listed in Fortune Top 50 Women Business Leaders-2013 Click to Download
Finished plastic imports from China hurting domestic plastics industry; 40 lakh jobs in peril: ASSOC
Posted on 2013-10-12
Finished plastic imports from China hurting domestic plastics industry; 40 lakh jobs in peril: ASSOCHAM Provide sops to finished plastic exporters to promote plastics’ industry growth & control CAD: ASSOCHAM plea to govt.
Over 2,100 dengue cases, overtake last year's figure
Posted on 2013-10-12
Over 2,100 dengue cases, overtake last year's figure
400 new dengue cases have been reported in the last four days in Delhi taking the total to over 2100 so far, surpassing last year's figure.
2,124 cases have been reported till Monday overtaking last year's figure of 2093, with north Delhi alone registering over 1,000 cases, a report released by the MCD said on Monday.
While the official death toll now stands at three, six people have been put under the suspected category by the municipal bodies.
The latest victim has been identified as six-year-old Priya from Okhla in south Delhi who succumbed to dengue on September 23.
The capital had witnessed large number of dengue cases in the 2010 with over 6000 cases being reported.
In 2008, over 1,300 cases were registered, 1,153 in 2009, 1,131 in 2011.
While figures for various corporations are North (1026), South (540) and East (435), 61 cases were reported from regions in Delhi outside the jurisdiction of MCD and 30 cases in other category.
While cases in Rohini Zone mounted to over 500, still the highest, Shah (North) and Shah (South) Zones saw 244 and 199 cases respectively.
Narela (164), Najafgarh (185), Karol Bagh (148) and Civil Lines (178) too posted over 100 figures, among other places.
All corporation have intensified efforts to check the disease, but officials said they were facing lack of cooperation from households.
"Some people do not let Domestic Breeder Checkers (DBCs) to enter their households. Some even quarrel with them, hence, it makes our job difficult," South Delhi Municipal Corporation Commissioner Manish Gupta said.
"We also have been doing 'dengue homework programme' in our schools where kids are asked to collect information about the disease, and in the process they sensitise not just themselves but also their parents," Gupta said.
"Fumigation and anti-larval routines are being carried out and regular checking are being carried out," he said.
Mosquito breeding has been found in 1,34,283 households against 79,501 last year for the same period.
Number of prosecution launched so far is 14,302 compared to 4,277 last year for the same period.
Human Beings are The Main Reason for Climate Change: IPCC
Posted on 2013-10-12
Human Beings are The Main Reason for Climate Change: IPCC
The report released by the United Nation’s intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC) on 27 September 2013 highlighted that human beings are the main reason for climate change.
It also reported that the carbon accumulation in the atmosphere and resulting global warming have blown away the 2 degree Celsius tipping point that was earlier reported.
To limit warming to a rise of 2 degrees Celsius 1000 gigatons (trillion metric tons) is the outer limit of carbon dioxide that can be emitted. But in 2011 human beings already emitted 531 gigatons. According to climate change experts 1000-gigaton limit may well be crossed in the next 25 years.
According to the report the world has a total of 2795 gigatons worth of carbon in the form of fossil fuels and reserves. Burning just percent of these would take the earth over the tipping point.
The report also presented regarding sea level rise. It highlighted that sea levels are projected to rise by 28-97 centimeters by 2100.This is more than 50 percent of previous projection of 18 to 59 percent over the same period. This increase is mainly because of better estimation methods and more observations. It is projected that seas will be higher by up to a cataclysmic 3 meters by 2300.
About Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
• The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the international body for the assessment of climate change.
• It was established by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in 1988.
• In 1988 the UN General Assembly endorsed the action by WMO and UNEP in jointly establishing the IPCC.
• The IPCC is a scientific body under the auspices of the United Nations (UN). It reviews and assesses the most recent scientific, technical and socio-economic information produced worldwide relevant to the understanding of climate change.
• It does not conduct any research nor does it monitor climate related data or parameters.
Union Cabinet Approved the Creation of a New State of Telangana
Posted on 2013-10-12
Union Cabinet Approved the Creation of a New State of Telangana
The Union Cabinet on 3 October 2013 approved the creation of a new State of Telangana by bifurcating the existing State of Andhra Pradesh.
Union Cabinet Decisions
1.The city of Hyderabad will function as the common capital for both the States (Telangana and Seemandhra) for a period of ten years.
2.The Union Cabinet has also approved the setting up of a Group of Ministers (GoM) to work out the various legal and administrative measures to ensure the safety and security of the residents of all the regions of the State including the guarantee of the Fundamental Rights.
3.The Union Cabinet further approved that the Group of Ministers will go into the various issues which concern both the States and suggest appropriate measures to address them.
4.The Group of Ministers will also work out the modalities for the provision of special financial disbursements required for the setting up of a new capital for the residuary State of Andhra Pradesh and to meet the special needs of the backward regions and districts of the two States
The new state will have a geographical area of 10 of the 23 districts of undivided Andhra Pradesh.
The districts that will be a part of the new State are Hyderabad, Adilabad, Karimnagar, Khammam, Mahaboobnagar, Medak, Nalgonda, Nizamabad, Rangareddy and Warangal.
Union Cabinet Decided to Withdraw Ordinance and Bill Relating to Representation of People's Act.
Posted on 2013-10-12
Union Cabinet Decided to Withdraw Ordinance and Bill Relating to Representation of People's Act. Click to Download
China passed USA as Biggest Oil Importer in September 2013
Posted on 2013-10-12
China passed USA as Biggest Oil Importer in September 2013
China passed USA to become world’s biggest oil importer in September 2013 as per the data released by US government in the first week of October 2013. It happened because of faster economic growth and strong auto sales. The United States consumes far more oil per person than China does. It has a population about one-third the size of China’s.
China’s economy is the world’s second largest. China has encouraged development of wind and solar power and use of autos powered by batteries or natural gas. However, gasoline still remains the country's main vehicle fuel in coming decades.
Until the late 1990s, China fulfilled its oil needs but the economic boom outstripped its production capacity. This compelled China to depend more heavily on imports, especially from Saudi Arabia and Iran.
India's Foreign Exchange Reserves touched 279.24 Billion US Dollars
Posted on 2013-10-12
India's Foreign Exchange Reserves touched 279.24 Billion US Dollars
India's foreign exchange (forex) reserves gained 1.51 billion US dollars to touch 279.24 billion US dollars for the week ended 11 October 2013.As per the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Weekly Statistical Supplement, India's Foreign Currency Assets (FCA), the biggest component of the forex reserves, increased by 1.52 billion US dollars to 250.85 billion US dollars for the week under review.
RBI said the FCA expressed in US dollar terms included the effect of appreciation or depreciation of non-US currencies held in reserve, such as the pound sterling, euro and yen. The value of India's gold reserves remained the same.
However, India's reserve position with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) declined by 4.7 million US dollars to 2.19 billion US dollars and the value of the Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) fell by 9.6 million US dollars to 4.43 billion US dollars.
For the week ended 4 October 2013, the country's reserve with IMF had risen by 7.2 million US dollars to 2.19 billion US dollars and the value of the SDRs increased by 14.7 million US dollars to 4.43 billion US dollars.
Total Broadband Subscriber Base in India increased to 15.24 Million
Posted on 2013-10-12
Total Broadband Subscriber Base in India increased to 15.24 Million
As per the latest telecom subscription data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India on 31 July 2013, total Broadband subscriber base in India increased from 15.19 million at the end of June 2013 to 15.24 million at the end of July 2013. This is a monthly growth of 0.33 percent. Yearly growth in broadband subscribers is 3.79 percent during the last one year (July 2012 to July 2013).
At present, there are 161 Internet Service Providers (ISPs) which are providing broadband services in the country. Out of these, 121 ISPs (having 98.48 percent market share) have provided broadband subscription data for the month of July 2013, for the rest of the ISPs data from previous month has been retained. Top five ISPs in terms of market share (based on subscriber base) are: BSNL (9.97 million), Bharti Airtel (1.43 million), MTNL (1.10 million), Hathway (0.37 million) and You Broadband (0.32 million).
Total Number of Telecom Subscribers increased to 904.46 Million
Posted on 2013-10-12
Total Number of Telecom Subscribers increased to 904.46 Million
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India released the latest telecom subscription data on 31 July 2013. As per this data, the total number of subscribers has increased to 904.46 million with a net addition of 1.37 million subscribers during the month – showing a monthly growth of 0.15 percent.
Out of the total subscriber base, 548.85 million are from the urban areas and the remaining 355.60 million are the rural subscribers. The total Teledensity at the end of July 2013 was 73.54 out of which the share of urban subscribers was 60.68 percent and that of rural subscribers was 39.32 percent.
Mobile Number Portability (MNP) requests increased from 95.59 million subscribers at the end of June 2013 to 97.82 million at the end of July 2013. In the month of July 2013 alone, 2.23 million requests have been made for MNP.
Union Government of India Decided to Bring All Post Offices under Core Banking System
Posted on 2013-10-12
Union Government of India Decided to Bring All Post Offices under Core Banking System
The Union Government of India on 15 October 2013 decided to bring all the post offices across India under the core banking solution system to cover more people of rural areas with AADHAAR seeded accounts.
The Adviser to the Planning Commission, Nidhi Khare explained that this will help the people to avail the benefits of various schemes including old age pension and MGNREGA through direct benefits transfer. Deputy Director General of UIDAI, Ashok Pal Singh, in context with the legality of AADHAR card explained that AADHAAR card can be used as an identity as well as a residential proof for opening bank accounts of any individual.
Election Commission of India Approved None of the Above Option in EVMs and Ballot Papers
Posted on 2013-10-12
Election Commission of India Approved None of the Above Option in EVMs and Ballot Papers
The Election Commission of India ordered on 13 October 2013 the Chief Electoral Officers of all States and Union territories to provide for None of the Above (NOTA) option in electronic voting machines (EVMs) and ballot papers.
The None of the Above option will be provided at the bottom of the panel on the EVMs or as the last row in the ballot paper after all the candidates have been listed with their respective symbols in the same language used to list the candidates. Likewise, the contours of the NOTA panel will be identical to that given to each candidate.
In constituencies contesting more than 16 candidates in the fray, an extra EVM will be attached to the first balloting unit for the NOTA option as the EVMs currently in use can accommodate only 16 rows.
The NOTA votes will be counted and indicated in the final result chart.
The Election Commission of India clarified that in the extreme case of the NOTA option polling more votes than any of the candidates in the fray, the candidate who gets the maximum number of votes will be declared the winner.
The NOTA option was made mandatory by the Supreme Court of India on 27 September 2013 and gave the direction to the Election Commission of India to provide none of the above options at the end of the list of candidates contesting an election in a constituency.
Citizens Have Right to Cast Negative Vote: Supreme Court of India
Industrial Output Growth Slumps To 0.6 Percent
Posted on 2013-10-12
Industrial Output Growth Slumps To 0.6 Percent
Industrial Output Growth Slumps To 0.6 Percent India’s industrial output growth slumped to 0.6 percent in August from 2.75 percent recorded in the previous month, due to contraction in manufacturing and mining sectors, government data showed Friday.
According to data released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), manufacturing output, that constitutes nearly 76 percent of the industrial production, contracted by 0.1 percent in August year-on-year and mining production declined by 0.2 percent.
However, electricity output jumped by 7.2 percent.
The cumulative growth of the factory output, measured in terms of Index of Industrial Production (IIP) for the period April-August stood at 0.1 percent.
For the first five months of the current financial year, manufacturing output dropped by 0.1 percent, while mining production slumped by 3.4 percent.
Electricity sector has posted 4.5 percent growth in April-August period.
As per use-based classification, basic goods sector recorded 1.5 percent growth in August year-on-year and intermediate goods output increased by 3.6 percent. However, capital goods production dropped by 2 percent.
Consumer goods output dropped by 0.8 percent.
Output of consumer durables products slumped by 7.6 percent, while consumer non-durables recorded growth of 5 percent. The overall consumer goods sector posted a decline of 0.8 in output.
Economist at Angel Broking Bhupali Gursale said the industrial output data was a “huge disappointment” since markets were largely factoring in better numbers owing to the core output data and export growth.
“Healthy electricity production has supported the index excluding which the performance on a year-on-year basis would be flat,” Gursale said.
D.S. Rawat, secretary general of Assocham, said: “The negative growth in critical industrial segments, especially in the festive season calls for a serious thinking by policy makers.”
“The cheaper loans being announced for financing consumer goods may help revive consumer durables demand in the festive season to some extent. However, other sectors too need such boosts,” Rawat said.
India’s Mars Mission To Blast Off On November 5
Posted on 2013-10-12
India’s Mars Mission To Blast Off On November 5
India's Mars Mission To Blast Off On November 5India’s ambitious Rs.450 crore space mission to Mars has now been fixed for blast-off Nov 5, said a top Indian space agency official Tuesday.
“The Mars mission has been fixed for Nov 5. The heat shield of the rocket (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle-PSLV) has been closed and the final electrical checks will be carried out Wednesday,” K.Radhakrishnan, chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), told IANS.
The ISRO will be firing its landmark rocket soon after Diwali from its spaceport in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh, around 80 km from here.
The rocket will blast off in the afternoon of Nov 5, a Tuesday. In Tamil, Mars planet is called Sevvai Graham and Tuesday is also called Sevvai. In Hindi, Mars is called Mangal and Tuesday is Mangalwar.
On Oct 19, ISRO chairman K.Radhakrishnan told IANS that the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) will be delayed by a week as of the two ships – Nalanda and Yamuna – carrying rocket tracking systems, only one has reached Fiji.
From Fiji, both the ships have to travel to their respective locations to track the rocket.
The ships have terminals to track the rocket, which has a coasting period of around 20 minutes beyond the visibility of existing ground stations.
The Mangalayaan mission was originally slated for Oct 28.
According to ISRO officials, there is no problem as far as the mission is concerned.
60 percent of Maharashtra’s Muslims below poverty line
Posted on 2013-10-12
60 percent of Maharashtra’s Muslims below poverty line Click to Download
Global Gender Gap Report 2013: India Ranked at 101 Place
Posted on 2013-10-12
Global Gender Gap Report 2013: India Ranked at 101 Place
Global Gender Gap Report 2013, which was published on 25 October 2013 by World Economic Forum- India was ranked 101 out of 136 countries on Gender Gap index.
Sania Mirza in Top 10 of World Women’s Doubles Rankings
Posted on 2013-10-12
Sania Mirza in Top 10 of World Women’s Doubles Rankings
Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza came into the top 10 of the world women's doubles by gaining two spots to ninth place in the latest WTA Team Rankings issued on 21 October 2013.
Sania Mirza jumped from 11th spot to 9th spot. The 26-year-old Sania moved up as a result of other players dropping points.
Sania Mirza had won back-to-back titles as she lifted the China Open trophy, followed by another triumph in Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo in the month of October 2013. Her partner Cara Black of Zimbabwe too gained a position to be at number 13.
Italians Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci hold on to the joint number one ranking, while Su-Wei Hseih climbed two spots to number four and Katrina Srebotnik moved one spot higher to number three.
About Sania Mirza
Sania Mirza (born 15 November 1986) is a professional Indian tennis player from Hyderabad. She is the first ever Indian to break into the top 30 WTA rankings in singles and top 10 in doubles. Sania Mirza has won one WTA singles title so far, at Hyderabad in 2005. She also won 19 WTA doubles titles so far.
Industrial output increased by 2.6 percent in July 2013
Posted on 2013-10-10
Industrial output increased by 2.6 percent in July 2013 Click to Download
85% metros kids play with technology gadgets: ASSOCHAM Survey
Posted on 2013-10-10
85% metros kids play with technology gadgets: ASSOCHAM Survey
Nearly 82% of kids aged 5 to 12 have some kind of electronic device, especially in metropolitan cities which can lead to negative outcomes such as social isolation, insomnia, depression, anxiety, obesity and mental health impact, reveals the ASSOCHAM survey.
In a countrywide survey conducted by the ASSOCHAM Social Development Foundation under the aegis of its Social Development Foundation on “Who’s kidding? : A Rising Trend In Metros” has revealed 82% of kids aged 5 to 14 have their own mobile phone, tablet, iPad etc.
Kids with mobile phones
Over 63% have access to a computer in their homes, there’s a tremendous growth in kids’ access to technology that is set to continue. These kids go online at least once weekly and over a third or 27% use the Internet daily, adds the ASSOCHAM Survey.
Computer:
Mr. D S Rawat, Secretary General ASSOCHAM while releasing the hilights of the survey said, “easy availability of technology with lack of parental supervision is a significant reason for this ever-increasing menace of technology addiction.”
One in ten kids have their own mobile phones. Over 60% kids are online every other day. The percentage of kids online and preferring to visit social media sites has nearly doubled from 25% to 65% in the last three years.
Internet
An aspect which emerged out of this survey is that children of working parents are found to be more technology addictive in the absence of parental supervision, as compared to those whose single parent is engaged in employment. This trend is abundant in metros where normally both the parents are employed, reveals the survey.
The survey was conducted in ten major cities of Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Pune, Ahemdabad, Lucknow, Jaipur and 2500 tech savvy kids (an equal number of both male and female) are randomly interviewed by an ASSOCHAM team.
Around 86% of surveyed said they have a phone, music system, computer or television in their bedroom and two-thirds have all three. And one-fourth of teenage admitted that their quality of sleep is affected by leaving on the TV, video games, or computer, highlights the survey.
“Excessive use of mobile phones makes teenagers more restless and can exacerbate sleep problems and stress”, said Dr. B K Rao, Chairman ASSOCHAM Health Committee here today.
He further said that youngsters need to be informed of the negative effects of excessive technology use on their sleep-wake patterns, attention and cognitive problems and the associated serious health risks. It buildup of tension from being constantly connected which creates the stress and disturbed their sleep.
Online Activities:
Top Mobile Activity
The post effects such as social isolation, insomnia, depression, anxiety, obesity and it also affects mental health of an individual, reveals the ASSOCHAM recent survey.
The National Food Security Bill, 2013
Posted on 2013-10-08
The National Food Security Bill, 2013 Click to Download Download Related Article-1
