Current Affairs Update - 10-11 Oct, 2014

• ·         India is projected to grow at 6.4 percent in 2015 with industrial production and other indicators turning around thanks to stronger business confidence since the parliamentary elections, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
• ·         “India’s growth outlook has improved since the last national election, helped by lower uncertainty and improved business confidence,” the 188-nation watchdog of global economic health said in its October 2014 Update of Asia and Pacific Economic Outlook.
• ·         Despite a weaker-than-expected first half of the year, the outlook for the region remains solid, it said with GDP forecast to grow by 5.5 percent for the third consecutive year in 2014, rising slightly to 5.6 percent in 2015.
• ·         “In India, growth (based on GDP at factor cost) has gathered steam as industrial production and other high-frequency indicators have started to turn around on the back of stronger business confidence” since the last national elections, IMF said.

• ·         India and United Kingdom today launched the UK-India Financial Partnership to strengthen links between the financial services industries of the two nations.
• ·         “The Partnership will strengthen links between the financial services industries of both countries and deepen cooperation between London and Mumbai, two of the world’s leading financial centres,” the Finance Ministry said in a statement.
• ·         The partnership will initially focus on the collaboration to develop the corporate bond market, mutual sharing of expertise on banking regulation and capitalisation.
• ·         It will also focus on enhancing financial training and qualification, financial inclusion and developing programme around the opportunities to improve cross border provision of financial and insurance services.
• ·         Both the industry leaders will convene working groups of professionals to examine key areas of common interest and will report the progress and make recommendations to the Minister of Finance, India and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, UK ahead of the next UK-India Economic and Financial Dialogue in 2015.
• ·         It may be recalled that at the seventh UK-India Economic and Financial Dialogue held in Delhi on July 8, 2014, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne had welcomed the deepening of financial services links between the two countries.

• ·         Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) on the birth anniversary of Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan on 11 October 2014. SAGY will be implemented under the overall supervision of Union Ministry of Rural Development.
• ·         The programme is an ambitious village development project under which each Member of Parliament will take the responsibility for developing physical and institutional infrastructure in three villages by 2019.
• ·         The primary goal is to develop three Adarsh Grams or model villages by March 2019, of which one would be achieved by 2016. Thereafter, five such Adarsh Grams (one per year) will be selected and developed by 2024.

• ·         To trigger processes which lead to holistic development of the identified Gram Panchayats
• ·         To substantially improve the standard of living and quality of life of all sections of the population through: a) Improved basic amenities; b) Higher productivity; c) Enhanced human development; d) Better livelihood opportunities; e) Reduced disparities; f) Access to rights and entitlements; g) Wider social mobilization; and h) Enriched social capital
• ·         To generate models of local level development and effective local governance which can motivate and inspire neighbouring Gram Panchayats to learn and adapt
• ·         To nurture the identified Adarsh Grams as schools of local development to train other Gram Panchayats

• ·         Google Doodle on October 10, 2014 paid tribute to ‘Malgudi Days’ creator R. K. Narayan on his 108th birthday.
• ·         “Who's the man behind the book on our doodle in India? It's Malgudi's native son, famed Indian writer RK Narayan. Narayan is a well known pioneer of early Indian literature and set most of his stories in the fictional town of Malgudi. Happy 108th birthday to RK Narayan,” it said on its Google Doodle page.
• ·         R.K. Narayan is best known for his works set in the fictional South Indian town of Malgudi. Some of his other creations include Swami and Friends, The Bachelor of Arts and The English Teacher.

• ·         Renowned Bharatnatyam danseuse Leela Samson has resigned as chairperson of Sangeet Natak Akademi.
• ·         Minister of State for Culture Shripad Yesso Naik was quoted by Press Trust of India saying that her resignation, which was received on September 30, has been accepted.
• ·         Senior Ministry bureaucrats and Ms. Samson, who has a year of her tenure left, were tight-lipped although sources confirmed the development.
• ·         Ms. Samson, who was earlier Director of Kalakshetra Foundation in Chennai, continues as the chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification although she has completed the three-year term. In 2012, the order of reinstatement of Ms. Samson as Kalakshetra Foundation Director was set aside by the Madras High Court.
• ·         Interestingly, the terms of several members of the executive board of the Sangeet Natak Akademi have also expired and once Ms. Samson formally moves out, no major decisions can be taken until a new leadership is put in place. The Akademi is an autonomous body fully funded by the Ministry of Culture.

• ·         As Prime Minister Narendra Modi prepares to visit Australia next month, the first Gujarati film, “Bey Yaar” (Two Friends), was released on Thursday in three cities of Australia.
• ·         The film, already a blockbuster in Gujarat, was released in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. “All the theatres where it is being screened saw a heavy rush of viewers,” according to a release here on Friday.
• ·         The latest flick has been directed by Abhishek Jain, whose first film “Kevi Reete Jaeesh” (How Would I Go?), depicting the Gujaratis’ desire to visit the USA, was also a big hit.
• ·         In fact, “Bey Yaar” has been well received in various Indian towns and cities as well, particularly by the Gujaratis settled there. It has got rave views across the Gujarati media and even non-Gujarati critics and filmmakers have hailed its cinematic values and direction.
• ·         Impressed by it, Bollywood’s veteran film director, producer and screenwriter Subhash Ghai has also expressed his wish to produce a Gujarati movie, the release said, adding  Abhishek Jain has received offers for remake of “Bey Yaar” in other languages.

• ·         India and Russia discussed cooperation in a number of areas including setting up of joint ventures in sectors such as civil aviation, pharmaceuticals, automobiles and fertilisers in a meeting of the working group on modernisation and industrial cooperation on Friday.
• ·         With Russian President Vladimir Putin scheduled to visit India in December, the two sides also reviewed progress in the priority investment projects identified in earlier meetings and do some ground-work for the visit, a Commerce Ministry official told BusinessLine.
• ·         The Russian side, led by First Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nikitin Gleb, included representatives from a number of Russian companies with business interests in India such as Kamaz Motorz Ltd, GAZ Group, REP and Uralmashzavod.

• ·         India’s new health policy which calls for recognition of mental disorders and a more accessible and holistic treatment of mental illnesses also pushes for decriminalisation of attempted suicide.
• ·         Released on the occasion of World Mental Health Day on Friday, the policy takes a fresh look at the health services being offered for mental illnesses, lays down the guidelines for mental health care, and recommends changes in the law that criminalises suicide, now considered a major cause of death among people with a mental illness.
• ·         Releasing the policy, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said: “The Indian Lunatic Asylum Act, 1858, and Indian Lunacy Act, 1912, ignored the human rights aspect and were concerned only with custodial issues. After Independence, it took 31 years for India to attempt the first enactment, which resulted another nine years later in the Mental Health Act, 1987. But due to many defects, the Act never came into force.”
• ·         Advocating a change in attitude towards mental illnesses, he said: “When someone attempts suicide and fails, it is considered a crime; attempted suicides should be decriminalised.”
• ·         The new policy is backed up by the “Mental Health Action Plan 365” which spells out specific roles for the Centre, States, local bodies and civil society organisations.

• ·         An Indo-Pak and Hindu-Muslim combination of Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yousafzai today shared the Nobel Peace Prize honours for 2014 for their work on promoting child rights in the troubled sub-continent.
• ·         60-year-old Satyarthi, who runs an NGO in India that has been in the forefront of rescuing children from forced labour and trafficking, and 17-year-old Malala, who shot to the limelight after Taliban militants pumped bullets into her for advocating education for girls, were named by the Nobel Peace Prize Committee for the top global award this year.
• ·         “The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2014 is to be awarded to Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yousafzai for their struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the rights of all children to education,” the jury said.
• ·         Satyarthi, who runs NGO Bachpan Bachao Aandolan (Save Childhood Movement), has maintained the tradition of Mahatma Gandhi and headed various forms of peaceful protests, “focusing on the grave exploitation of children for financial gain,” the Nobel committee said.
• ·         The Committee said it “regards it as an important point for a Hindu and a Muslim, an Indian and a Pakistani, to join in a common struggle for education and against extremism.”
• ·         Malala, who was nominated in the peace prize category last year also, had displayed tremendous courage even after the Taliban attack when she resolutely expressed her determination to carry on with her campiagn for child rights and girls education especially in a country like Pakistan.
• ·         She has become the youngest Nobel laureate.
• ·         Satyarthi, the second Indian after Mother Teresa to be named for the peace prize, and Malala join a select league of eminent international personalities who have shared the Nobel Peace Prize for their outstanding work in furthering world peace and in other fields.

• ·         The United Nations owes India USD 110 million, the second highest outstanding payment to any country, for costs relating to peacekeeping operations and troops, a top UN official said.
• ·         India, one of the largest troop contributing countries to UN peacekeeping missions, owed the money for troops/formed police, contingent-owned equipment and consumables letters of assist, deaths and disability.
• ·         UN Under Secretary General for Management Yukio Takasu told a news agency that as of October 3 this year, a total of USD 110 million was owed to India but the organisation is expected to begin making payments over the next two days to countries, including to those contribute troops and other personnel to peacekeeping missions.
• ·         The UN hopes to reduce by half its outstanding payments to member nations for various expenses by the end of the year.
• ·         Takasu acknowledged India's large contributions to UN peacekeeping and said the amount owed to the country was among the highest that the world body owes to nations.
• ·         Apart from India, Ethiopia was owed the largest amount at USD 137 million, Pakistan at USD 109 million and Bangladesh at USD 108 million.

• ·         International edition of Encyclopedia of Hinduism by India Heritage Research Foundation was released in New Delhi on 10 October 2014. The encyclopedia was released by Vice-President of India Hamid Ansari. It consists of 11-volumes and approximately 7000 entries.
• ·         The aim of Encyclopedia is to show the richness of ancient India and timelessness of Hindu culture and heritage to the entire world, in a way that is authentic, academic, comprehensive and illuminating.
• ·         The entries of the Encyclopedia are conveniently prepared under the following areas, viz., art, Hinduism in global context, Women’s issues, scholarships in Hindu studies, Spiritual disciplines, social institutions & movements, sciences, religion & spirituality, polity, philosophy, language & literature, history, historiography & geography.
• ·         Subject Areas of the Encyclopedia of Hinduism are presented lucidly and authentically covers the vast panorama of Hinduism, giving a faithful record of the world’s oldest living spiritual tradition.
• ·         The project is founded, guided, inspired and led by spiritual leaders, Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswat and it is a colossal product of more than 1000 esteemed scholars from around the world.

• ·         A book titled A Man and A Motorcycle, How Hamid Karzai Came to Power written by Bette Dam was launched in September 2014. Bette Dam is a Dutch journalist based in Afghanistan.
• ·         The book reveals about the life of former Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai and his journey towards the highest office of the land and the situation in Afghanistan.
• ·         In the book, Dam writes that Karzai was under a lot of pressure from the west as well as key domestic players; however, he was more in touch with the internal figures than the west.

• ·         Government Girls Senior Secondary (GGSS) School of Hisar, Haryana on 10 October 2014 won the Under-17 title of the 55th Subroto Cup football tournament.
• ·         In the final held at Ambedkar Stadium in New Delhi, it defeated Assam's Kiyang Kasiya Memorial Tribal School 3-0.
• ·         With this win, GGSS School claimed the purse of 3.5 lakh rupees while the Kiyang Kasiya Memorial Tribal School claimed 2 lakh rupees.
• ·         Haryana girls won the tournament on their very first debut and remained the only team not to have conceded a goal in the competition.
• ·         The coach of the GGSS School was Ashwini Kumar and the Best player of the tournament went to Renu of GGSS School who topped the goal chart with 12 goals.
• ·         In the year 2013, the U-17 title 54th Subroto Cup was won by RMSM Vidyalaya, Nambol Phoijing, Bishnupur,Nambol, Manipur.

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