Today's GK(27-9-13)

India clinches bronze in Asia Cup hockey

Indian women defeated China via the penalty shootout to clinch the bronze medal in the eighth women’s Asia Cup hockey tournament here today.

India, which needed to win the tournament to qualify for next year’s World Cup to be held at The Hague, Netherlands, edged past China 3-2 in the shootout after both the teams were locked 2-2 at the regulation time.

By virtue of this win, the Indians managed to avenge their 0-1 defeat to the Chinese in the pool stages of the tournament.

India dominated proceedings in the first half and scored two field goals through Anuradha Devi Thokchom (16th minute) and Vandana Katariya (31st) to go into the breather with a comfortable 2-0 lead.

China pulled one back in the 51st minute through Yan Yan’s field goal to liven up the match.

The Indians had themselves to blame as some sloppy defending towards the end allowed China to draw parity when Wu Mengrong scored the equaliser in the 64th minute.

Thereafter, both the teams played cautiously in the last six minutes to take the encounter into the shootout.

In the shootout, the Indians came out on top, converting three of their chances as against the two by the Chinese girls.

Meanwhile, Japan stunned defending champion Korea 2-1 in the final to win the Asia Cup and secure a place in next year’s World Cup.

Sri Srinivasan was sworn in as Judge of US Court

Sri Srinivasan was on 26 September 2013 sworn in as judge of the US Courts of Appeal for the District of Columbia Circuit. It is the second most powerful court of the United States. He is the first Indian-American to be on the bench of the US Courts of Appeal for the District of Columbia Circuit. He was administered oath of office by Justice Sandra Day O’ Connor.

He is 46 years old. He was born in Chandigarh. His parents migrated to the United States in 1970s.

He was confirmed by the US Senate by a huge 97-0 vote for this job. Srinivasan was first nominated by US President Barack Obama on 11 June 2012. On 2 January 2013 his nomination was returned to the President, due to the sine die adjournment of the Senate.

On 3 January 2013, Obama re-nominated him for the same office.  Prior to this appointment, Srinivasan was the principal deputy solicitor general of the United States. Srinivasan started his legal career by serving as a law clerk for Judge J Harvie Wilkinson on the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit from 1995 to 1996.

Union Ministry of Tourism Launched -777 Days of Incredible Indian Himalayas-Campaign

Union Ministry of Tourism on 27 September 2013 launched -777 Days of Incredible Indian Himalayas- campaign to promote virgin peaks of Himalayas and make India a favoured tourist destination.

The campaign is aimed at attracting more foreign tourists for round the year and reminding the world that a major part of the Himalayan range is in India.

Minister of State for Tourism K.Chiranjeevi launched the 777 days of Incredible Indian Himalayas campaign in New Delhi to mark the World Tourism Day- 27 September.

The Ministry of Tourism also decided to meet 50 percent of Peak fee chargeable by Indian Mountaineering Foundation from the climbing expeditions during the period of 777 days of the campaign.

Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI) is collaborating with the Ministry in the campaign and has designed special adventure programmes for 777 days. ATOAI would organise trekking, river rafting, Himalayan run, mountain and bike events as part of this campaign.

The campaign also invoked six Himalayan states including Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh for promoting Himalayas.  The 777 Days of Incredible Indian Himalayas campaign also aimed to spread awareness about the fact that 73 per cent of the Himalayan range lies in India.

On this occasion, Union Tourism Minister K. Chiranjeevi  launched two new promotional films -Greatest Show on Earth and Life Altering Journey on Himalayas - along with a map of the Himalayas. 

Voter has right to negative voting: SC

In a landmark verdict, the Supreme Court on Friday held that citizens have right to cast negative vote rejecting all candidates contesting polls, a decision which would encourage people not satisfied with contestants to turn up for voting.

The apex court directed the Election Commission to provide ‘none of the above options’ at the end of the list of candidates in electronic voting machines (EVMs) and ballot papers to allow voters to reject those contesting polls.

A bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam said that negative voting would foster purity and vibrancy of elections and ensure wide participation as people who are not satisfied with the candidates in the fray would also turn up to express their opinion rejecting contestants.

It said that the concept of negative voting would bring a systemic change in the election process as the political parties will be forced to project clean candidates in polls.

The bench noted that the concept of negative voting is prevalent in 13 countries and even in India, parliamentarians are given an option to press the button for abstaining while voting takes place in the House.

The court said right to reject candidates in elections is part of fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression given by the Constitution to Indian citizens.

It said that democracy is all about choice and significance of right of citizens to cast negative voting is massive.

With the concept of negative voting, the voters who are dissatisfied with the candidates in the fray would turn up in large number to express their opinion which would put unscrupulous elements and impersonators out of the polls, it said.

The bench, while reading out the operative portion of the judgement, did not throw light on a situation in case the votes cast under no option head outnumber the votes got by the candidates.

It said that secrecy of votes cast under the no option category must be maintained by the Election Commission.

The court passed the order on a PIL filed by an NGO, People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) which had submitted that voters be given the right to negative voting.

Agreeing with the NGO’s plea, the bench passed the path-breaking verdict and introduced the concept of negative voting in the election process, saying that it would further empower the voters in exercising their franchise.

The latest verdict is part of series of judgements passed by the apex court on the election process.

Earlier, the apex court had restrained people in custody from contesting elections.

The apex court has also ruled that MPs and MLAs would stand disqualified after being convicted of serious crimes.

The government has brought an ordinance seeking to negate the court’s judgement striking down a provision in the electoral law that protected convicted lawmakers from immediate disqualification.

A two-judge bench of the apex court had felt that the issue on negative voting needed to be adjudicated by a larger bench as there were certain doubts over the interpretation of the ruling passed by a Constitution Bench in the Kuldip Nayar Vs Union of India case relating to a voter’s right.

Under the existing provisions of Rule 49(O) of the Representation of People Act, a voter who after coming to a polling booth does not want to cast his vote, has to inform the presiding officer of his intention not to vote, who in turn would make an entry in the relevant rule book after taking the signature of the said elector.

According to the PUCL, Rule 49(O) was violative of the constitutional provisions guaranteed under Article 19(1)(a) (Freedom of Speech and Expression) and Article 21 (Right to Liberty) and violated the concept of secret ballot.

 

Association of Mutual Funds in India Appointed Sundeep Sikka as Its Chairman

World Tourism Day observed on 27 September

World Tourism Day observed on 27 September 2013 across the world to bring awareness about the importance of tourism.

The purpose of this day is to raise awareness on the role of tourism within the international community and to demonstrate how it affects social, cultural, political and economic values worldwide.

Theme for 2013: Tourism and Water: Protecting our Common Future
   
This year’s theme highlights tourism’s role in water access and shines a spotlight on the actions currently being taken by the sector in order to contribute to a more sustainable water future, as well as the challenges ahead.

As the most widely celebrated global day for tourism, the day represents a unique opportunity to raise awareness of tourism’s role in water access and shine a spotlight on the sector’s contribution to a more sustainable water future.

Background

World Tourism Day was first celebrated in 1980 by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation.

The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) decided in September 1979 to institute World Tourism Day, which was first celebrated on 27 September 1980. 27 September  was chosen as the date for World Tourism Day because that date coincided with an important milestone in world tourism: the anniversary of the adoption of the UNWTO Statutes on 27 September 1970.

Vidit Gujrathi Won Bronze in World Junior Chess Championship

The Government notified GAAR (General Anti Avoidance Rules)

The Union government of India on 26 September 2013 notified GAAR (General Anti Avoidance Rules). It seeks to check tax avoidance by investors routing their funds through tax havens. It will come into effect from 1 April 2016. The GAAR will apply to entities availing tax benefit of at least 3 crore rupees. It will apply to foreign institutional investors, FIIs that have claimed benefits under any Double Tax Avoidance Agreement (DTAA).

Investments made by a non-resident by way of offshore derivative instruments or P-Notes through FIIs, will not be covered by the GAAR provisions. The notification said, investments made before 30 August 2010, will not be scrutinised under GAAR.

Eight Scientists Selected for Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Awards 2013

Angela Merkel Won Third Term in German Elections

Chancellor Angela Merkel won a third term by a landslide victory in German elections on 22 September 2013.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative Union bloc - the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Bavarian Christian Social Union (CSU) won 41.5 percent of vote, but finished just short of an absolute majority.

The centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) won 25.7 percent of votes and the ecologist Greens won 8.4 percent votes.

Final results gave the CDU/CSU 311 seats, the Social Democrats 192, the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) 64 seats and the ecologist Greens 63 seats.

About Angela Merkel

Angela Dorothea Kasner, better known as Angela Merkel, was born in Hamburg, West Germany, on 17 July 1954. Trained as a physicist, Merkel entered politics after the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall.

Rising to the position of Chairwoman of the Christian Democratic Union party, Merkel became Germany’s first female chancellor, and one of the leading figures of the European Union, following the 2005 national elections.

Egyptian Iron and Steel Company signed a contract with Tata Steel to boost its production

First Ever Allard Prize for International Integrity Presented to Anna Hazare

The University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Law on 25 September 2013 presented Anna Hazare with the inaugural Allard Prize for International Integrity at Vancouver, Canada.

The Allard prize is one of the world’s largest awards recognizing efforts to combat corruption and to promote human rights.

About Allard Prize

The Allard Prize established in October 2012 by UBC Law alumnus Peter A. Allard, QC and the Allard Prize is awarded to an individual, movement or organization that has shown exceptional courage and leadership in combating corruption, especially through promoting transparency, accountability and the rule of law. The prize money for the award is 100000 US Dollars.

About Anna Hazare

Kisan Bapat Baburao Hazare born on 15 January 1940, popularly recognized as Anna Hazare, is an Indian social activist who is particularly acknowledged for his contribution in order to the development of Ralegan Siddhi, a village in Ahmednagar district, Maharashtra, India and his efforts for establishing it as a model village, for which he was awarded the Padma Bhushan by Government of India, in 1992. He played a large part in the 2011 Indian anti-corruption movement.

Raghuram Rajan awarded with the Fifth Deutsche Bank Prize

Reserve Bank of India governor Raghuram Rajan was awarded on 27 September 2013 with the Fifth Deutsche Bank Prize for Financial Economics 2013.They gave this award in recognition of his macro economics research which influenced financial and macro-economic policies around the world.

Raghuram Rajan was chosen for the prize from more than 260 nominations from top universities, central banks and research centres in 37 countries.

While presenting the prize Jurgen Fitschen, Co-Chairman of the Management Board explained that Raghuram Rajan revealed the relationship between the financial sector and the rest of the economy is so complex and it is not good enough to simply look at the size of the financial sector in relation to the gross domestic product (GDP), as is done so often at present.

Jurgen Fitschen also explained that Raghuram Rajan also expected the financial crises of 2008 in 2005 three ahead of global financial crises.

About Deutsche Bank Prize

• The Deutsche Bank Prize in Financial Economic honors outstanding achievements in researching globally relevant questions of financial economics and macroeconomics.
• The Centre for Financial Studies (CFS) awards the prize bi-annually in partnership with Goethe University Frankfurt.
• The Deutsche Bank Prize is sponsored by the Deutsche Bank Donation Fund. It carries an endowment of 50000 Euro.
• The prize is one of the most generously endowed in the areas of financial economics and macroeconomics in Europe.

About Deutsche Bank

Deutsche Bank is a German global banking and financial services company with its headquarters in the Deutsche Bank Twin Towers in Frankfurt, Germany.

About Raghuram Rajan

• Raghuram Govinda Rajan is the current and the 23rd Governor of the Reserve Bank of India.
• He worked as chief economic adviser to India's Ministry of Finance .
• He acted as Chief economist at the International Monetary Fund from 2003 to 2007.
• He co-authored Saving Capitalism from the Capitalists with Luigi Zingales in 2003.
• He wrote Fault Lines: How Hidden Fractures Still Threaten the World Economy published in 2010.For this book he won the Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award for 2010.

Navneet Kaur Dhillon won the Multimedia Award at the Miss World 2013

KC Ponnappa Took Over the Office as Chairman of Nilgiri Planters’ Association

Sanjay Govind Dhande Appointed as UGC Member

Sanjay Govind Dhande, former director of IIT Kanpur, on 25 September 2013 appointed as a member of UGC for a term of three years.Sanjay Govind Dhande's tenure as UGC member would be till 24 September 2016.

The Union Government on 18 September 2013 removed social scientist Yogendra Yadav from the membership of the University Grants Commission (UGC) for joining the Aam Admi Party.

About Sanjay Govind Dhande

Sanjay Govind Dhande is an India Engineer and Educationist. He was former director of the Indian Institute of Technology- Kanpur and he has act as a temporary charge of the Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management Gwalior.

Sanjay Govind Dhande was the founder director of PDPM Indian Institute of Information Technology Design and Manufacturing Jabalpur. He served as a part-time member of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India