Industrial production grew by 2 percent in September 2013...
The Industrial Production output grew by 2 percent in September 2013 mainly on account of better performance by power and mining sectors. The growth in the output of the industrial production is showing the signs of recovery. The factory output was measured in terms of Index of Industrial Production (IIP) had contracted by 0.7 per cent in September 2012.
Meanwhile, the IIP for August 2013 has revised to 0.43 percent from the provisional estimate of 0.6 percent.
The industrial output for April-September 2013 was 0.4 percent, when compared to 0.1 percent in the same period in 2012-13 as per the data released by the Government. Whereas, the power generation displayed the growth of 12.9 percent in September 2013 and the expansion in power generation was 5.9 percent in April to September 2013, when compared to 4.6 percent in the same time in 2012-13.
The mining sector grew by 3.3 percent in September 2013, whereas in September 2012 it was 2.2 percent. The output during April to September shrank by 2.5 percent in 2013 against the contraction of 1.1 percent in 2012. The mining sector is about 14 percent in the IIP.
The manufacturing sector grew by 0.6 percent in September 2013, which was against the decline of 1.6 percent in September 2012. During the time period of April to September 2013 the output of the sector grew by 0.1 percent against the decline of 0.3 percent in the same time period of 2012. The manufacturing sector constitutes over 75 percent of the index.
Prasar Bharti signed MoU with Slovenia Radio & TV for Cooperation in Broadcasting...
India's public broadcaster Prasar Bharati and Radio-Television of Slovenia (RTV-SLO) on 13 November 2013 signed an MoU to develop and strengthen mutual friendly relations through an increased cooperation in the field of broadcasting.
The agreement was signed by head of international department of RTV SLO, Suzana Vidas Karoli and Member Personnel of Prasar Bharati, VAM Hussain
The MoU allows to explore further opportunities in potential projects of production of programmes. It also entails exchange of programmes in the field of culture, education, entertainment, sports and news.
Usha Ananthasubramanian appointed as CMD of Bharatiya Mahila Bank ....
The Union Government on 12 November 2013 appointed Usha Ananthasubramanian as the chairperson and managing director of public sector Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB), the first women’s bank.
Before joining BMB, she was an Executive Director with Punjab National Bank (PNB).
Usha Ananthasubramanian started her career in the actuarial department with LIC and banking career in February 1982 with Bank of Baroda. She holds a master’s degree in statistics from the University of Madras and a master’s degree in ancient Indian culture from University of Mumbai.
During her tenure at Punjab National Bank, she was part of the panel formed for examination of the blueprint and other issues for setting up of the women’s bank. The panel’s report paved the way for India’s first public sector women’s bank.
About Bharatiya Mahila Bank
• The bank aims to service women and women-run businesses, support women’s self-help groups and their livelihoods and promote further financial inclusion.
• An only-for-women bank first time in India.
• The Union Cabinet cleared the proposal for setting up of all-women bank on August 2013.
• The Reserve Bank of India gave its in-principal approval for the Bharatiya Mahila Bank in June 2013 and the banking company was set up.
• The Union government approved 1000 crore Rupees seed capital for the women-focused public sector bank, announced by Union finance minister P. Chidambaram in his 2013-14 budget speech.
• One of the key objectives of the bank is to focus on the banking needs of women and promote economic empowerment.
Government Introduced Risk Management System (RMS) for Trade Facilitation in Export Sector....
Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram was on 13 November 2013 inaugurated the IT based Risk Management System (RMS) for the Customs clearance of export goods at New Delhi.
Government has introduced RMS to enhance trade facilitation in export sector and to check smuggling of drugs, weapons and other illegal substances harmful to the country.
RMS will also enable the Excise and Customs Department to enhance the level of facilitation and speed up the process of cargo clearance. The single window system of RMS will contribute to reduce in dwell time, by achieving the desired objective of reducing the transaction cost in order to make the business internationally competitive.
The launch of RMS in exports covers 11 Customs stations at Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune and Tutocorin. It would be extended to all EDI Customs stations by year end. Benefits are expected to accrue to the trade in terms of faster clearances and reduced transaction costs thereby enhancing the global competitiveness of our export goods.
COP-19, UN Climate Change Conference Kicked off at Warsaw, Poland .....
The UNFCCC's 19th Conference of the Parties (COP19) began on 11 November 2013 at Warsaw, Poland.
The 19th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC and the 9th session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol will be held from 11 to 22 November 2013 at Warsaw, Poland. In this conference, delegates from more than 190 countries are meeting to discuss the global climate change issues, plans and solutions.
The COP19/CMP9 began with calls for governments to harness the strong groundswell of action on climate change across all levels of government, business and society and make real progress here towards a successful, global climate change agreement in 2015.
One of the key talking points in COP 19 will be the Global Climate Fund (GCF), the mechanism being used to transfer money from the developed to the developing world to assist with the effects of climate change.
About UNFCCC
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was created in 1992. Each year it hosts the Conference of the Parties (COP) in a different city around the world in order to debate and discuss the most effective ways to combat climate change.
MTNL signed MoU with US Firm to impart Security Training in India ...
MTNL (Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited) signed a MoU with Los Alamos Technical Associates, Inc. (LATA) of USA on 12 November 2013. The MoU has been signed to launch the state of the of the art training programs on Cyber Security, Risk and Crisis Management, Public Safety and Disaster Management, Homeland Security/ Critical Infrastructure Protection, Security Operations Management, Industrial Security, Fire & Safety Management etc.
The MoU will bring to India the practices followed in US for security, which has been developed over a period of time. The security needs are evolving in India at a rapid speed and the partnership between MTNL and LATA will help in development of professional programs in cyber and physical security to meet the growing demands of India.
The trainings of MTNL are going to start at the training centers at New Delhi and Mumbai. The first batch of training will start from March 2014. For the top management of the companies and the government department a one or two day series of awareness programme will be developed by MTNL.
India declared itself free from Bird Flu....
India on 12 November 2013 declared itself free from Notifiable Avian Influenza (H5N1), commonly called bird flu and notified the same to World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).
India notified the outbreak of the Avian Influenza (H5N1) at poultry production unit, College of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, Anjora, Durg and Government Poultry Farm, Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh on 05th August, 2013.
The control measures adopted in the outbreak was taken in form of stamping of the entire poultry population and it included the destruction of eggs, litters, feed and other infected materials within the radius of one kilometer around the location of the outbreak, restriction of the poultry movement, disinfection and cleaning up of the infected premises and subsequently issuing of the Post Operation Surveillance Plan (POSP). On 12 August 2013 the POSP was issued.
Although India is free from the bird flu, but regular surveillance will be continued across the country especially in the vulnerable areas that is bordered by the infected countries and in areas which are visited by migratory birds.
Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Inaugurated Services Conclave 2013 ...
The Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Anand Sharma inaugurated Services Conclave 2013 on 12 November 2013. During the occasion, Anand Sharma highlighted that services trade is an essential ingredient to economic growth, sustainable development and contributes prominently to employment generation.
It is worth noticing that 80 percent of India’s total exports are dominated by the high skilled services including software business services, financial services and communication services. Also, exports from IT&ITES in the year 2012 stood at 1.40 lakh crores Rupees, registering a growth of over 70 percent over the year 2011.
About Services Conclave 2013
• Services Conclave 2013 has the focus on few select sectors that have the potential for India’s service sector export strategy.
• The Services Conclave 2013 will deliberate on a roadmap for augmenting exports of various services so as not only to diversify India’s services exports but also to position India as a key player in world services trade.
• The Conclave is organised by the Department of Commerce in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) with support from the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) and Centre for WTO Studies (CWTOS).
• The primary aim of the Conclave will be to address issues relating to the challenges and opportunities of Services sector exports for India especially in the specific sectors of logistics, professional services (Architectural services, accountancy, management consultancy services), IT/ITeS, telecom services, tourism, health and medical services and creativity and entertainment services.
Infosys Science Foundation Announced Winners of the Infosys Prize 2013 .....
The Infosys Science Foundation on 12 November 2013 announced the winners of the Infosys Prize 2013 across six categories: Engineering & Computer Science, Humanities, Life Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, Physical Sciences and Social Sciences.
The winners were recognized for their outstanding achievements and contributions to scientific research. The Infosys Science Foundation also announced an increase in the prize purse by 5 Lakhs to 55 Lakhs rupees for each category for 2013. The prize for the Humanities category will be split equally between the two winners.
The seven winners were chosen based on significant progress showcased in their chosen spheres, as well as for the impact their research will have on the specific field. In addition to the prize purse, each category award includes a gold medallion and a citation certificate.
The distinguished winners of the 5th Infosys Prize 2013 are:
1.Engineering and Computer Science
Prof. Ramgopal Rao, Institute Chair Professor – Department of Electrical Engineering and Chief Investigator, Centre of Excellence in Nanoelectronics, Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai
2.Humanities
• Archaeology
Prof. Nayanjot Lahiri, Professor – Department of History, University of Delhi, New Delhi
• Linguistics
Prof. Ayesha Kidwai, Professor – Centre for Linguistics, School of Language, Literature and Culture Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
3.Life Sciences
Dr. Rajesh Gokhale, Director, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research – Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, New Delhi
4.Mathematical Sciences
Prof. Rahul Pandharipande, Professor – Department of Mathematics, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule, Zürich (ETH Zurich)
5.Physical Sciences
Prof. Shiraz Naval Minwalla, Professor – Department of Theoretical Physics, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai and Member, School of Natural Sciences, Institute for Advanced Studies, New Jersey, USA
6.Social Sciences
Prof. Aninhalli R. Vasavi, Senior Fellow, Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, New Delhi
About the Infosys Science Foundation
The Infosys Prize is awarded under the aegis of the Infosys Science Foundation, a not-for-profit trust set up in February 2009 by the management of the Infosys company. The Infosys Science Foundation is funded by a corpus which today stands at over 100 Crore Rupees contributed by the trustees and Infosys.
CCI approved Jet-Etihad deal worth 2058 Crore Rupees ....
Competition Commission of India (CCI) on 12 November 2013 approved the proposed acquisition of 24 percent stake in the Naresh Goyal–led Indian carrier by Abu Dhabi based airline. This decision will allow the closure of long pending Jet-Etihad deal.
Etihad is acquiring the stake for 2058 crore rupees in a deal that was announced in April 2013. This will become the first-ever Foreign Direct Investment in an Indian carrier by an overseas airline.
The deal has already been cleared by capital markets regulator SEBI, Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) and Cabinet Committee of Economic Affairs (CCEA).
Public Service Broadcasting Day observed in India on 12 November ...
12 November: Public Service Broadcasting Day
The Public Service Broadcasting Day was observed on 12 November 2013. The day is marked to commemorate the Mahatma Gandhi’s visit to All India Radio (AIR) studio in New Delhi in 1947. On this day Gandhi spoke on the radio to the refugees from Pakistan, stationed at Kurukshetra. It was Gandhi’s first and last visit to the studio of AIR.
What is public service broadcasting?
In case of Public Service Broadcasting (PSB) the broadcasting is financed and controlled by the public for the public. The broadcasting is neither state owned and nor commercial and that’s why it is free from political interference and pressures by the commercial forces.
Russia Successfully Launched Proton-M Rocket Carrying a Military Satellite ....
Russia on 12 November 2013 successfully launched the Proton-M rocket carrying a defense satellite, Raduga-1M from its Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
It is important to note that Russia restarted the launch of Proton rockets in September 2013 after a small gap in order to check why a Proton rocket launched on 2 July 2013 exploded while taking off. The Proton-M rocket is the most popular rocket of Russia for the commercial satellite launches.
About the Raduga-1M Defense Satellite
• Raduga-1M is primarily a defense satellite of the third generation.
• It is a part of the Stage Two Unified Satellite Telecommunications System.
• It is equipped with the multichannel transponder equipment, which enables it to establish reliable communications with mobile geo-service stations.
What is a Proton-M rocket?
Proton-M rocket is a Russian carrier rocket which is derived from Soviet-developed Proton. Proton is actually an expendable launch system which is used for commercial as well as Russian Government space launches.
Proton-M rocket is built by Khrunichev and launched from sites 81 and 200 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The commercial launches of Proton-M rocket are marketed by International Launch Services (ILS). First Proton-M launch took place on 7 April 2001.
All the Protons are built at the Khrunichev plant in Moscow. These are then transported for the launch to Baikonur Cosmodrome from where they are raised into the vertical position for the purpose of launch.
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