Retd Paramilitary staff gets ex-servicemen status

Government has given its approval for granting retired paramilitary personnel from forces like CRPF, CISF, BSF, ITBP and SSB the status of ex-servicemen which will enable them to avail welfare benefits.

What will be the benefits of this status?

Obama wins a second term as US President

Barack Obama has won a second 4-year Presidential term in the US. He defeated his main challenger Republican Mitt Romney. Mr. Obama, America’s first African-American President, bagged more than the 270 electoral votes required for victory.

China invites Dr APJ Abdul Kalam to teach at Peking University

China has invited Dr APJ Abdul Kalam to teach at the prestigious Peking University. The varsity also offered him a lab of his choice to work with the students. The invitation was made on Kalam’s first visit to China at the invitation of the reputed Beijing Forum, a Chinese government backed intellectual body. In reply to this invitation Dr Kalam expressed willingness to share his knowledge.

Persons in News: T. Samuel

Cartoonist T. Samuel passed away

The pioneer of pocket cartoons in India, T. Samuel (86) passed away. Samuel belonged to Kollam in Kerala. He began his career as a cartoonist with the Civil and Military Gazette published from Lahore before independence. He came to Delhi during partition as a refugee and joined the famous Shankar’s Weekly, contributing the Silent Strip Cartoon "Kalu and Meena".

Samuel became famous as a creator of the Pocket Cartoon "Babuji" and strip cartoon "Garib".

 

“1000 Genomes Project”: Global genomes decoded to trace disease roots

What is the “1000 Genomes Project”?

§  Scientists working for The 1,000 Genomes Project have decoded the genomes of more than 1,000 people from 14 ethnic global groups. It is the largest and most detailed compilation of human DNA variations, to track origin of rare and common diseases.

§  Launched in January 2008

§  An international research effort to establish by far the most detailed catalogue of human genetic variation.

§  The project has generated raw information to the tune of 180 terabytes. All of the information is freely available on internet.

§  The sequencing of 1092 genomes was announced in a Nature publication in October 2012.

How would this project help?

Free generic drugs via public hospitals; Three fold increase in the allocation to health sector in the 12th Plan

The allotment for the health sector during the 12^th Plan had been enhanced three times over the previous Plan allocation to handle complex challenges.

The outlay in the 12th Plan had been fixed at Rs. 3-lakh crore, which was 1.95 % of the GDP. During the last Plan period, the sector had got Rs. 89,265 crore.

Free generic drugs would be provided through public hospitals to help “reduce out-of-pocket expenditure of the poor” on health.

The plan will emphasize on nutrition, safe drinking water, sanitation, housing and education, particularly education of the girl child, as they were increasingly being underlined as social determinants of health.

What is a Generic Drug?

Need to establish South Asian power trading market: CERC

India’s power sector regulator Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) has suggested establishing a South Asian power trading market to help alleviate acute electricity deficits faced by many nations in the region.
It recommended that a SAARC sub regional power trading market will be beneficial to member nations. It will enhance benefits of competition and efficiency through trading on power exchanges.
Such a market would assist in trading electricity b/w India and other countries such as Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka, Pakistan.
Energy demand in the SAARC region is projected to grow at an annual rate of 5%.
India has power transmission links with Bhutan and Nepal while negotiations are on for similar lines with Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. 

 

Apex court refuses to interfere with policy on FDI in retail

Asserting that Policy making is exclusive right of the executive, the Supreme Court refused to interfere with the policy on FDI in retail.

The Centre informed the court that Reserve Bank of India had notified the amendments to the regulations permitting foreign direct investment in multi-brand retail.

U.K. to slash aid to India

Britain  is planning to slash its  £280 million a year aid to India from 2015 following increasing domestic pressure on Prime Minister David Cameron to halt funding emerging economies such as India, China and Brazil at a time when Britain itself faces a serious economic crisis.

The funds, however, will still be diverted to aid projects abroad, rather than helping to ease the deficit or fund public services in the country.

 

 

Persons in News: Ruchir Sharma

Ruchir Sharma bags Tata Literature First Book Award.

Author Ruchir Sharma was honored with the Tata Literature Live! First Book Award for his book Breakout Nations: In Pursuit of the Next Economic Miracles.

The book gives a clear picture of the shifting balance of global economic power and how it will play out for emerging nations and the West.