Today's GK(3-10-13)

Lalu sentenced to 5 years in fodder scam

Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Lalu Prasad was on Thursday sentenced to five years imprisonment in a 17-year-old fodder scam case by a special CBI court after he was convicted on corruption and other charges four days back.

The sentencing by special CBI judge Pravas Kumar Singh disqualifies Mr. Prasad from Parliament and renders him ineligible for contesting elections for 11 years. Sixty-five-year-old Prasad and other convicts are currently lodged in the Birsa Munda Central Jail in Ranchi.

The former Bihar Chief Minister, who was convicted on September 30, 2013 dealing a body blow to RJD ahead of next Lok Sabha polls, was also fined Rs. 25 lakh.

Another former Bihar Chief Minister Jagannath Mishra was sentenced to four years imprisonment in the case.

Six other politicians and four IAS officers, among the convicted, were also sentenced to prison terms for fraudulent withdrawal of Rs. 37.7 crore from the Chaibasa treasury when Mr. Prasad was heading the RJD government in the early 1990s.

Google to create 360-degre online view of 100 Indian monuments

Archaeological Survey of India has joined hands with Google India for an endeavour to create 360-degree online panoramic imagery of 100 “nationally-important monuments” in the country like Taj Mahal, Humayun’s Tomb, Khajuraho and the Ajanta and Ellora caves, etc.

The internet giant and the Ministry of Culture on Thursday signed a memorandum at the Qutub Minar complex as the first step towards the project which would see the company creating an application using its ‘Street View Trekker’ technology for the first time in India.

“The collaboration, which will create virtual walkthroughs of our sites, is a gigantic step and, with ASI completing its 150th year, this will prove to be a big milestone for us. The aim of this project is to bring the heritage of our country closer to the people and to disseminate among the youth our rich cultural legacy,” Union Minister of Culture Chandresh Kumari Katoch said at the project’s launch.

Commenting on the criteria for choosing the sites, the minister said, “100 nationally-important monuments have been chosen on priority basis... the list will soon be finalised.”

Google India said this was an opportunity for them to make these monuments accessible to people in the far-flung and rural areas of the country at the click of a button and to digitally preserve the heritage for posterity.

“With this, rural India will be able to see heritage online despite time and distance constraints. Information is transforming our future and with this we seek to bring more Indians on the internet,” said the Vice-President and Managing Director of Google India, Rajan Anandan.

The ‘Street View Trekker’ has been used to create “virtual walkthroughs” for sites like Eiffel Tower in France, Grand Canyon in the US, and Mt Fuji in Japan, among others

First National Award for Senior Citizens- Vayoshreshtha Samman, 2013 Presented

The President of India, Pranab Mukherjee presented the First National Award for Senior Citizens - Vayoshreshtha Samman, 2013 on the occasion of International Day of Older Persons at a function in New Delhi on 1 October 2013.

/>The First National Award For Senior Citizens - Vayoshreshtha Samman, 2013 were given in the following categories:

• National Award for Best Institution for providing services to senior citizens and Awareness Generation
• National Award for Best State in implementing the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens (MWPSC) Act, 2007, & providing services and facilities to senior citizens
• National Award for Centenarian Senior Citizen
• National Award for Iconic Mother
• National Award for Lifetime Achievement
• National Award for Creative Art
• National Award for Sports & Adventure Award (Male)
• National Award for Sports and Adventure (Female)

Steps taken for senior citizens by the Government of India

• In context with the senior citizens of India, The Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007 was enacted.
• Apart from this, Model Rules were also brought out by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
• The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment explained that ageing posed two main challenges- the need to ensure care and protection of the elderly so that they live a healthy, dignified and productive life and secondly, the older people must be looked at as partners in progress rather than a burden on society.
• The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment announced National Policy on Older Persons (NPOP) in 1999 to ensure active and productive ageing by evolving a framework of providing financial, medical, social and emotional support.
• Another policy called National Policy for Senior Citizens 2011 was also introduced.
• The Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007 essentially aims at creating an enabling mechanism to make the claim for maintenance simpler, speedier and affordable.
• The grant-in-aid scheme called the Integrated Programme for Older Persons extends grants to NGOs for supporting old age homes, day care centres and mobile medi-care units.
• The Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment launched the Project ‘NICE’ (National Initiative on Care for Elderly). This is implemented through National Institute of Social Defence (NISD), an autonomous body of the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment in 2000.
• National programme for Health care of Elderly (NPHCE) has been formulated and implemented in the country through the ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The major objectives of the NPHCE include provision of dedicated health care facilities for elderly at various levels of State healthcare delivery system

India Blue Won NKP Salve Challenger Trophy 2013-14

India Blue cricket squad won the NKP Salve Challenger Trophy by defeating Delhi by 50 runs in the final at the Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore on 29 September 2013.

Electing to bat first, the Indian blue posted a total of 274 for nine in their 50 overs before bowling out the strong Delhi batting line-up for 224 in 44.4 overs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar selected for Man-of-the match for his four wickets.

Yuvraj singh captained the India Blue team, whereas Virat Kohli captained the Delhi team.

The teams which are participated in the tournament are India Blue, India Red and Delhi.  The 2012-13 edition of the tournament was won by India B Squad.

About N.K.P. Salve Challenger Trophy

The NKP Salve Challenger Trophy, commonly referred to as the Challenger Trophy, is an Indian List A cricket tournament organized by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Established in the 1994–1995 season, it is played with the purpose of showcasing the talent that the country has, as well as providing opportunities for younger players to make an impression.

MOM leaves for launch centre

At the crack of dawn on Wednesday, the Mars orbiter spacecraft ceremoniously rolled out of its nest here and took the first baby step of its 400-million-km journey. But before its grand voyage, it is first headed for the Sriharikota launch centre in coastal Andhra Pradesh.

Amidst chants of prayer and loads of good wishes and in the presence of large gathering of scientists, ISRO Satellite Centre Director S.K. Shivakumar flagged off the mother of the Indian Space Research Organisation’s ventures — the Mars Orbiter Mission or MOM — at 6 a.m from the second advanced satellite integration and testing campus, ISITE, at Marathahalli.

The spacecraft, sent by road in a safe cocoon, will reach the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota on Thursday afternoon and undergo further tests and checks until its launch, ISRO spokesman Deviprasad Karnik told The Hindu .

‘Satisfying day’

“It has been one satisfying day for our team,” said Mars project director S.Arunan, describing the mission’s kick-off from Bangalore. “We achieved it in a short time [after the project was approved in September 2012] within a tight deadline. Today, all those sleepless months did not matter.”

MOM, carrying five ISRO instruments, is a Rs. 450-crore Indian space dream that is devised to study the atmosphere, surface and chemicals of Mars, just 372 km from the red planet’s surface.

ISRO Chairman K. Radhakrishnan earlier said the scientists aimed to launch the spacecraft from Sriharikota around 4.30 p.m. on October 28. After days of complex manoeuvring, the spacecraft is slated to be slung off Earth’s orbit on November 30 and it will begin its 300-day journey to Mars. It is expected to reach the Martian zone in mid-September 2014 and orbit it for at least six months.

Mars missions become possible once in 26 months based on the positions of Earth and Mars. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration of the U.S. is also sending its MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution) mission on November 18.

In Bangalore, the spacecraft cleared the mechanical solar panel and antenna movements and vibration and acoustic tests, Mr. Karnik said. On reaching Sriharikota, it would go through electrical and other checks. A week ahead of the launch, it would be sent away for being fitted into the launch vehicle. The launcher, PSLV-C25, is an extended XL version, currently being readied for the mission.

As the mission unfolds, Mr. Arunan’s team is bracing itself for many more sleepless nights and nail-biting moments.

Indian Railways Signed Pact with RINL to Set up India's Biggest Forged Wheel Plant in UP

The Indian Railways on 3 October 2013 signed a pact with Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL) to set up the country's biggest Forged Wheel plant at Lalganj, Raebarelli in Uttar Pradesh.

About the Forged Wheel Plant

• The Plant to be set with an investment of about 1100 crore Rupees will produce one lakh numbers of Forged Wheels per annum in the First phase for Locos and High speed trains. The capacity of the plant can be doubled in the Second phase for a production of over two lakh wheels per annum.
• The steel requirement for the plant located in 40 acres is to be supplied by the Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL).

• The Factory expected to be operational in over three years, could provide employment to about 600 people.

• The Forged wheel plant will reduces India's dependence on imports of high speed forged wheels for trains.

• The quality of wheel manufactured in the plant will be tested and certified by International certifying agency TTCI, USA.

• Forged wheels are essentially required in the rolling stock for running longer trains at higher speed.

Food Security Scheme Launched by Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot

Gambia Decided to Withdraw from the Commonwealth

The Gambian Government on 2 October 2013 announced that it is pulling out of the Commonwealth with immediate effect.  Gambian, a West African country joined the Commonwealth of Nations in 1965

The Gambian also stated that it will never be a member of any neo-colonial institution and will never be a party to any institution that represents an extension of colonialism.

The decision came after the Government rejected a proposal by the Commonwealth in 2012 to create commissions in Banjul (capital of Gambia) to protect human rights, media rights and fight against corruption.

The last country to be withdrawn from the Commonwealth group was Zimbabwe in 2003.

About the Commonwealth

The Commonwealth of Nations is a voluntary association of 54 countries, many of them former territories of the British Empire. It was established in 1949.

Member countries

Fifty-four countries are members of the Commonwealth. These Countries are from Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe and the Pacific and are diverse – they are amongst the world’s largest, smallest, richest and poorest countries. Thirty-two of our members are classified as small states – countries with a population size of 1.5million people or less and larger member states that share similar characteristics with them.

Leaders of member countries shape Commonwealth policies and priorities. Every two years, they meet to discuss issues affecting the Commonwealth and the wider world at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). 

All members have an equal say regardless of size or economic stature. This ensures even the smallest member countries have a voice in shaping the Commonwealth.

The last two countries to join The Commonwealth - Rwanda and Mozambique - have no historical ties to the British Empire.

About Gambia

The Republic of the Gambia, also commonly known as Gambia is a country in West Africa. It is surrounded by Senegal, apart from a short strip of Atlantic coastline at its western end. It is the smallest country on mainland Africa. Banjul is the Gambia’s capital. Gambia is a republic and its current President is Yahya Jammeh.

Tom Clancy, the US Thriller Author, Died At 66 in Baltimore

Tom Clancy, the writer known for thrillers, especially The Hunt for Red October and Patriot Games, died in Baltimore, US on 1 October 2013. He was 66 years old. He was credited with 17 New York Times bestsellers and had launched into the career of writing with the help of the then US president Ronald Reagan