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current affairs 3 september 2012

Centre to enhance income criteria to help more students under scholarship scheme

Concerned over the far-from-satisfactory implementation of the National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship Programme by a majority of States, the Ministry of Human Resource Development has started a process of enhancing the criteria of annual parental income from the current Rs. 1.5 lakh and the rate of scholarships to make a larger number of students eligible for the scholarships. The Ministry also proposes to hold a separate examination from this year for the Class X students interested in getting scholarships. At present, the eligible students are selected after they clear the National Talent Search Exam. Launched in 2008, this Centrally-sponsored scheme was aimed to provide scholarships to meritorious students from the economically weaker sections and also to check the high drop-out rate from Class VIII. One lakh scholarships of Rs. 6,000 (Rs. 500 per month per student) are given annually to eligible students enrolled in government, government-aided and local body schools from Class IX to XII. Students whose parental annual income is Rs. 1,50,000 are eligible for this scholarship and each State is allotted a specified quota. The worst-performing States are J&K, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tripura and Uttar Pradesh.

No mobile connection for over 3 months to foreigners

To check misuse of Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards, the government has asked telecom service providers not to provide mobile connection for more than three months to any foreign tourist visiting India. According to fresh guidelines, which came into effect recently, the Department of Telecom (DoT) has told the service providers that the proof for issuance of a mobile connection to any foreigner would be the passport having a valid visa. For address proof of a foreigner, the address of the local reference which may also be that of the tour operator shall be taken and in case there is no local reference, the address of stay shall be taken, say the guidelines. For filling a Consumer Application Form (CAF), the DoT has made it mandatory for the licensee to sign the form prior to activation of the SIM card thereby certifying that the information provided on the form is correct.

Chavara award to be presented to Kalam

The first Chavara Samskriti Puraskaram instituted by the Chavara Cultural Centre will be presented to the former President, A. P. J. Abdul Kalam. Mr. Kalam was selected for the Rs. 2,22,222 award for his contributions to research and his commitment to utilising scientific progress for people’s welfare. Mr. Kalam was chosen for the award by a jury comprising M.K. Sanu, Paul Thelakkat, K.S. Radhakrishnan and M. Thomas Mathew. The Chavara award will be the prize with the largest cash component being given away by Christian church institutions in the country. It will be presented by Cardinal George Alencherry.

CDA points to gross irregularities

A series of communications between Controller of Defence Accounts and the Defence Ministry reveals how gross irregularities occurred in the purchases in defence canteens across the country. The series of letters between the Auditor and Ministry, obtained through RTI by activist Subhash Chandra Agrawal, says the procurements through nearly half of the vendors are by doubtful methods. There are about 600 firms supplying more than 4,000 items to CSD. Almost 200-300 firms provide product whose credentials in consumer market are hardly established. The details of factory inspection and hygiene report be made public by placing on the internet, which may unravel the truth of empanelling such firms. There are around 34 CSDs across the country and more than 4,500 Unit Run Canteens under it to cater the 17 lakh soldiers of Army, Navy and Air Force and their families. Public Accounts Committee of Parliament headed by Murli Manohar Joshi had directed Defence Ministry to go for the CAG auditing in Unit Run Canteens in December 2011. But till date, forces as well as the Defence Ministry have not yet responded positively to the mandatory directions of the PAC. Page 2 of 3 3rd September 2012

India shines at world’s biggest jewellery museum

For thousands of years, India has been known as a land of gold and precious stones and nothing symbolises it more than the globe of jewels at the world’s biggest jewellery museum in Tehran. The net gold used in the globe, ordered by Naseer-ed-din Shah in 1869 AD, is 34 kg and the total weight of stones diamonds, rubies, emeralds and others is over 3.6 kg. The total number of stones used is 51,366 pieces. While the oceans and seas are identified in emeralds and lands in rubies, Southeast Asia, Iran, England and France are specified in diamonds. The Treasury of National Jewels, managed by the Central Bank of Iran, has a large number of diamonds that can be traced to the Golconda mines of Andhra Pradesh. The diamonds from India include the world’s largest pink diamond the famous Darya-i-Nur or ‘Sea of Light.’ This is the sister diamond to the world’s largest cut diamond, the “Koh-i-Noor,” which is its Persian name and means “Mountain of Light.” Both were taken by Nader Shah, who invaded India in 1739. The ‘Sea of Light’ takes the first place among the diamonds in the Treasury. The weight of the diamond is approximately 182 carats and its colour is pale pink one of the rare colours for diamonds. The frame is set with 547 diamonds and four rubies.

Obama names IITian to key post

USPresident Barack Obama has named IIT-Bombay alumnus Romesh Wadhwani as a general trustee of the Board of Trustees of the prestigious John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington. Wadhwani and nine other general trustees of the centre. Set up in 1971 as a living memorial to former President John F Kennedy, the centre is the busiest performing arts facility in the United States and annually hosts approximately 2,000 performances for audiences totaling nearly two million. Wadhwani has been actively involved in Kennedy Center initiatives, having served as Co-Chair of the Maximum India Festival in 2011 and as a supporter of the 2010 Honors Gala. Previously, Wadhwani was the founder, Chairman, and CEO of several software and IT companies, including Aspect Development, Inc.

Russians re-enact their finest hour

Two hundred years after the Russian army fought Napoleon’s invaders at Borodino at the gates of Moscow, thousands of French and Russian history buffs recreated the famous battle in a colourful show that drew 100,000 spectators. Members of 130 historical clubs from many European countries, the United States and Canada dressed as Russian and French soldiers re-enacted main episodes of the famous battle, which marked the beginning of the end of the Napoleon Bonaparte’s Grand Armée. Russian President Vladimir Putin, former French President Valery Giscard d’Estaing and many other foreign dignitaries watched the performance. It was the bloodiest one-day battle of all wars Napoleon fought claiming more than 70,000 lives. The ferocity of fighting was such that around 8,500 soldiers were killed every hour. The Russians held their ground but their great commander, Mikhail Kutuzov, ordered the army to pull back the next day to save strength. Leo Tolstoy glorified the Battle of Borodino in his monumental novel 'War and Peace'. The war of 1812 against Napoleon and World War II against Hitler are a major source of pride for Russians.

Jaguar turns the corner with Tata

Jaguar Land Rover cranked up production to 24 hours at its plant near Liverpool, England, adding 1,000 jobs to help meet demand for its hot-selling and acclaimed Range Rover Evoque. Now, the company is readying the release of its much-anticipated Jaguar F-Type roadster. Four years after being bought by Tata Motors , the well-known but somewhat faded British brands are regaining some of their lost lustre, racking up big sales from Shanghai to London. The success has stunned analysts and investors, many of whom had said that Tata Motors was making an expensive mistake when it acquired Jaguar Land Rover from Ford Motor for $2.3 billion in June 2008.

GDP expected to remain below 6% in 2012-13: CII

A survey from industry chamber CII said that country’s economic growth in the current fiscal is expected to remain below 6 per cent, possibly due to low confidence levels in the industry. “A majority of CEOs remain pessimistic about the outlook for the economy in the current year and expect only a moderate recovery in the forthcoming year,” CII said. The survey indicated that the GDP growth during 2012-13 is expected to remain below 6 per cent, CII Director General Chandrajit Banerjee said. Over half of the 75

CEOs who participated in the survey expect the average rate of inflation in this financial year to be in the range of 7-8 per cent.

M&M to expand businesses in Sri Lanka; to launch 2-wheelers

Diversified conglomerate Mahindra & Mahindra is embarking on a major expansion drive for its range of businesses in Sri Lanka, the largest vehicle export market for the group, by foraying into two-wheeler and aviation segments. The group is also keen on exploring possibilities in financing, hospitality, housing and IT sectors. The group, which has already sold its first aircraft in Sri Lanka and will launch its scooters by the end of 2012, is undergoing a brand building exercise in the country by joining hands with Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL) as the title sponsor for the first edition of the tournament.