Role of Student to Remove Illetracy

January 2013 Current Affairs Bit Bank INTERNATIONAL 1. On 7 January who is the country Palestinian Authority President has issued a decree renaming the organization the â€Å"State of Palestine ? Ans:- Mahmoud Abbas 2. On 16 January 2013 Which country Cargo Ship MV Amina fled away from the waters of Sri Lanka after suffering detention by its Navy for about two months ? Ans:- Iran 3. Which country   president signed into law the Former Presidents Protection Act of 2012 on January 2013 ? Ans:- America 4. Which country Bar Council recently Suggested Chemical Castration for Repeated Sex Offenders ? Ans:- Malaysia INDIA & WORLD 1.According to the which country   2012 Home Office report, India is among 10 countries that are the main sources of illegal immigration ? Ans:- Britain 2. On 30 January 2013   which country   Pledged Humanitarian Assistance of 2. 5 Million US Dollars to Syria ? Ans:- India 3. India asked to avoid Violence Prone Areas in which country on 19 January 2013 ? Ans: Nigeria 4. Which two countries agreed not to allow escalation of tensions along the Line of Control (LoC) on 16 January 2013 ? Ans:-   India and Pakistan 5. What is the name of the Tibetan Monk got sentenced to death by the Chinese Court for encouraging the self-Immolations?Ans:-Lorang Konhok NATIONAL 1. In how many districts Government of India launched Direct Cash Transfer Benefit (CBT) on 1 January   2013   ? Ans:-   20 districts 2. According to the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2012 report which class students could read Class II text fell from 53. 7% in 2010 to 46. 8% in 2012 Ans:- Vth class 3. Who released the Commemorative Postage Stamps, at the Commemoration of the 150th Birth Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, in New Delhi on 12 January 2013 ? Ans:- President, Shri Pranab Mukherjee 4.Government of India how much crore of the MGNREGA linked Post Office Accounts would be used under the Direct Cash Transfer Scheme on January 2013 ? Ans:-   3. 5 Crore S TATES 1. What is the name of the   system launched by Odisha government on   2 January 2013 for citizens under the Odisha Right to Public Service Act, 2012 ? Ans:-   Public Service Delivery System 2. In which state the first Shariat panchayat   is scheduled to be inaugurated on 3 March 2013 ? Ans:- Punjab 3. Which state high court stayed the state government’s decision for giving 4 per cent additional reservation to Gurjar on 29 January 2013?Ans:-   Rajasthan High Court 4. On 20 January Prime Minister Manmohan Singh inaugurated Ghat Ki Guni tunnel at Jaipur. CONFERENCES 1. What is the name of the 100th Indian Science Congress theme which was held from   Ã‚  3 to 7 January 2013 at Kolkata ? Ans:- Science for Shaping the Future of India 2. The 43rd World Economic Forum Annual Meeting held from 23 – 27 January at —- Ans:- Davos-Klosters in Switzerland AWARDS & HONOURS 1. Who is the Mauritius President was received the 11th Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award on 9 January 2013 ? Ans:- Rajkeswur Purryag 2.Who is an Indian researcher selected for a prestigious ‘Young Investigator Scholarship Award’ for his work on a drug to cure Alzheimer’s? Ans:- Mahaveer Golechha 3. Who got the Best Actor award at the 58th Idea Filmfare Awards held in Mumbai on 20 January 2013? Ans:- Ranbir Kapoor 4. Who honoured with the prestigious â€Å"International Scientific Cooperation Award 2012 Ans:-   C N R Rao 5. Who launched a Tang Prize(Asian Noble Prize) on 28 January 2013 ? Ans:-   Samuel Yin 6. Who was selected for the Order of Australia Medal award on 30 January 2013? Ans:- Krishna Arora SPORTS & GAMES 1.Who is a former India player   announced his retirement from   first class cricketer on 01 January 2013? Ans:- Sanjay Bangar 2. Who got the CEAT   International Cricketer of the Year 2011-12 on 03 January 2013? Ans:- Virat Kohli 3. Who won the WTA Brisbane International trophy on 5th January 2013? Ans:-   Sania Mirza and   Bethanie Mattek 4. Who defeated the Bulgarian star Grigor Dimitrov to get a Brisbane International title on 06 January 2013? Ans:-   Andy Murray 5. Who won the Chennai Open Tennis Title on 6 January 2013 ? Ans:- Tipsarevic 6. Which country won in the third and final Test match against Sri Lanka on 6 January 2013 ?Ans:- Australia 7. Who is an Australian cricketer   suspended for one match and   $4500 at MCG on 07 January 2013? Ans:-   Shane Warne 8. Who got the   FIFA Player of the Year award consecutively four times? Ans:- Lionel Messi 9. Who got the youngest national table tennis championship award on 11 January 2013? Ans:- Soumyajit Ghosh 10. Which country won the Test series with 2-0 between South Africa and New Zealand? Ans:- South Africa 11. Who is from Andhra Pradesh selected to represent India at the World Cup fencing championship in Doha (Qatar), to be held from January 19 to 21? Ans:- Y.Hala 12. To whom the International Olympics Committee (IOC) asked   to return the Olympic Bronze Medal and Certificate of 2000 Sydney Games   on 17 January 2013 after found guilty of doping? Ans:- Lance Armstrong 13. Who won the Malaysian Open Badminton Championship Women’s singles title on 20 January 2013 ? Ans:- Tai Tzu-ying 14. Who won the Australian Open Tennis Tournament Mens single’s title in the final on January 2013 ? Ans:- Novak Djokovic 15. Who got the first place   in the women’s singles rankings in the Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings released on 31 January 2013?Ans:- Lee Juri ECONOMY 1. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index Who is the 18th richest person in the   world? Ans:- Mukesh Ambani 2. Which country company Toyota Motor appears at the top ranked in the top-1500 Global R&D investments list ? Ans:-   Japan 3. On 29 January   2013   The Reserve Bank of India slashed Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) from 4. 5% to —- Ans:- 4 percent 4. On 23 January 2013 The International Monetary Fund (IM F) projected that the economic growth rate of India in 2013 would be ——– ? Ans:- 5. 9 percent SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 1.NASA/ESA Astronomers had captured one of the flattest galaxies known in the universe, sitting like a silver needle in the haystack of space using Hubble Space Telescope. What is the name of the galaxy? Ans:-   IC 2233 2. What cells in White blood cells having the capacity to kill the tumour (Cancer) cell? Ans:-   T lymphocytes 3. What is the name of the rocket used to launch a Mars Orbiter Mission in the mid-October 2013? Ans:-   PSLV-XL 4. How many earth size plantes are found in a Milky way Glaxy? Ans:-   17 billion 5. What is the name of the missile successfully test fired by the Indian Navy on09 January 2013 at Visakhapatnam? Ans:-   Brahmos . What is the name of the largest Space structure found in the Universe? Ans:-   Large Quasar Group(LQG) 7. What is the name of the underwater ballistic missile India successfully test fired on 27 January 2013? Ans:-   K-15. 8. What is the name of the multi-barrel rocket launcher (MBRL) weapon system, was successfully test fired from a defence base at Chandipur-on-sea on 30 January 2013? Ans:- Pinaka PERSONS IN NEWS A) APPOINTMENTS 1. Who is the first minority community person appointed as a chief of the Intelligence Bureau? Ans:- Asif Ibrahim 2. Who is appointed a deputy governor at the Reserve Bank of India on 02 January 2013?Ans:-   Urjit Patel 4. Who is the present chairman of 20th Law Commission? Ans:-   Justice DK Jain 5. Who is the first woman speaker and Indian-origin   elected for the Singapore’s Parliament on 08 Janauary 2013? Ans:-   Halimah Yacob 6. Who is the new Chairman and Managing Director of Canara Bank? Ans:-   RK Dubey 7. Who is the new executive director of Central Bank of India appointed on 11 January 2013? Ans:-   Raj Kumar Goyal 8. Who is the Founding Chairwoman of CII’s women wing Ans:- Suchitra Ella 9. Who is the prese nt Secretary of State of America? Ans:- John Kerry 10. Who is the present President of   Czech?Ans:- Milos Zeman B) RESIGNS 1. Who is the first woman chief justice SriLanka dismissed by the Sri Lankan President? Ans:-   Shirani Bandamayake C) DEATHS 1. Who is the oldest surviving woman of the world, died at the age of 115 years in a town near Tokyo, Japan on 12 Jan. 2012 ? Ans:- Koto Okubo 2. Who is the the former all-rounder of India from Surat died on 13 January 2013 in Mumbai ? Ans:- Rusi Framroze Surti 3. Who is the co-founder of Reditt committed suicide on 11 January 2013 ? Ans:- Aaron Awartz D) VISITORS 1. Which village was visited by Mauritius   President Rajkeswur Purryag   in Bihar near patna on January 2013 ?Ans:-   Bojeetpore 2. Who visited Vietnam on January 2013 from India ? Ans:-   Vice President Hamid Ansari 3. Who visited the India from Bhutan on 23 January 2013? Ans:-   Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck E)MISCELLANEOUS 1. In which case Ex-CM o f Haryana Om Prakash Chautala arrested on 16 January 2013? Ans:-Teachers Recruitment Scam 2. Who is the oldest Indian woman conquer the 6 Summits,the highest mountains of each of the six continents? Ans:- Premlata Agarwal 3. What is the name of the Tibetan Monk got sentenced to death by the Chinese Court for encouraging the self-Immolations?Ans:- Lorang Konhok PLACES   IN   NEWS 1. On 27 January 2013 In which country 233 People Killed in Night Club Fire Accident ? Ans:- Brazil ABBREVIATIONS 1. What is the abbreviation of WEF? Ans:-   World Economic Forum BOOKS IN NEWS 1. Who is the author of   Ã¢â‚¬Å"My Share of the Task : A Memoir † Book ,which was released on 7 January 2013 ? Ans:- General Stanley McChrystal COMMITTEES 1. What is the name of the committee set up to recommend measures to improve laws dealing with sexual offences on 23 December 2012? Ans:-   JS Verma February 2013 Current Affairs Bit Bank INTERNATIONAL 1.Which 3 countries leaders set out 6 months goa l for peace, urge Taliban to dialogue on 4 February 2013 ? Ans: Britain , Afghanistan , Pakistan. 2. What is the new name for Sindh province? Ans: Sind 3. On February 2013 The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved a financial aid of $ 278. 8 million to —? Ans: Bangladesh 4. On February 2013 Regional African leaders signed UN-brokered accord which aims to bring peace to the troubled eastern region of the –? Ans: Democratic Republic of Congo 5. Which country prohibited its security forces from taking any air support from the International Forces on 18 February 2013 ?Ans: Aghanistan 6. Who had been elected as Cyprus new President on 24 February 2013 ? Ans: Nicos Anastasiades INDIA & WORLD 1. For which country reconstruction India pledges $100m on 5 February 2013 ? Ans: Mali 2. On 7 February 2013 the Union Cabinet approved for which project formation of Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV )? Ans: TAPI pipeline 3. On february 2013 the Defence Ministry has ordered CBI prob e into how much crore alleged scam in a defence helicopter deal ? Ans: Rs 3600 crore 4. India and which country discussed on the issues of nuclear energy cooperation, security, terrorism and trade on 19 February 2013 ?Ans: Britain 5. Which two countries have exchanged strip maps as part of the process of the implementation of the agreement signed to resolve land boundary issues between the two countries ? Ans: India & Srilanka 6. Which country will make initial investments of $2 billion in infrastructure projects in India on February 2013 ? Ans: The United Arab Emirates 7. Which country wins Kishanganga case against Pakistan at the Hague court on 18 February 2013 ? Ans: India NATIONAL 1. Who was signed MoU with Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to Highlight Issues related to AIDS on 14 February 2013 ? Ans: NACO 2.Who was ordered to cease operations to the telecom companies that failed to win or participate in the November 2012 2G Auction? Ans: Supreme Court of India 3. Which pro gramme was launched by the I&B Ministry for Real Time Engagement with Citizens on 7 February 2013 ? Ans: My India Initiative-A Digital Volunteer Programme 4. Who constituted a panel to Examine issues of Certification under Cinematograph Act 1952 on 4 February 2013 ? Ans:I&B Ministry STATES 1. What is the name of the scheme launched by the UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi for providing comprehensive care to children in India? Ans: Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram 2.In which state the 1,980 MW North Karanpura Super Thermal Power Plant was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Investment (CCI) on 20 February 2013 ? Ans:  Jharkhand 3. Which state government was decided to issue a complete ban on sale and consumption of tobacco products in the state on 15 February 2013? Ans: Manipur 4. Which State Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda was launched the Direct Benefits Transfer scheme in Sonepat and Ambala districts on 1 February 2013 ? Ans: Haryana 5. On 21 February 2013 the UTTIPEC started e fforts for developing vision for successful implementation of the plans for mass-rapid transport system in Ans: Delhi . Which party won maximum number of seats in Maghalaya Assembly elections? Ans: Congress 7. Which party got the full majority in Tripura Assembly elections held on 14 February 2013? Ans: CPM-led Left Front CONFERENCES 1. What is the theme of 13th Delhi Sustainable Development Summit (DSDS)? Ans: The Global Challenge of Resource Efficient Growth and Development AWARDS & HONOURS 1. The Pakistani girl was shoot by the Talibans against the girl education was nominated for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. Who is she? Ans: Malala Yousafzai 2.Who is the Karnataka Artist had won the Rs 1 million Skoda Prize 2012 for contemporary art on 1 February 2013? Ans: L. N. Tallur 3. Who had been received the Georgescu roegen Award at the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit on February 2013? Ans: Kozo Mayumi (The University of Tokushima) 4. Who got Lifetime Achievement Grammy awa rd after his death? Ans: Pandit Ravi Shankar 5. Which picture got the best picuter award in 85th Oscar awards ceremony? Ans: Argo 6. Who is the Eminent Hindi litterateur had been selected for the prestigious Vyas Samman for 2012 for his historical novel ‘ Na Bhooto Na Bhavishyati’ on 22 February 2013 ?Ans: Narendra Kohli SPORTS & GAMES 1. Who were the two players honoured with â€Å"Davis Cup Commitment† Award on 2 Febraury 2013? Ans: Leander Paes, Jaideep Mukherjee 2. Who is the Indian cricketer equaled the record of Sunil Gavaskar of 81 first class hundreds in first class cricket at Mumbai on 8 February 2013 ? Ans: Sachin Tendulkar 3. Which two games will be joining the program at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro ? Ans: Golf and Rugby 4. Who won the National Grasscourt Tennis Championship Men’s single title on 16 February 2013? Ans: Ramkumar Ramanathan 5. Who won the Grenke Chess Classic Trophy on 17 February 2013 ?Ans: Viswanathan Anand ECONOMY 1. Which of the companies selected for the Maharatna status on 1 February 2013? Ans: BHEL and GAIL 2. On 7 February 2013 the India’s Central Statistics Office (CSO) revealed that the economic growth of India is estimated to fall to ——— in 2012- 2013 FY ? Ans: 5 percent 3. Which scheme was launched by Finance Minister P Chidambaram on 9 February 2013 in Mumbai ? Ans: Rajiv Gandhi Equity Savings Scheme 4. India’s Economic Survey for 2012-13 pegs the country’s growth at 6. 1-6. 7% and inflation at ——— Ans: 6. 2-6. 6% 5. How many crores are allocated for the Agriculture Ministry in the Union Budget 2013-14?Ans: Rs. 27,049 crores SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 1. What is the name of the most sophisticated fighter jet launched by the Iran? Ans: Qaher F313 (Dominant F313) 2. What is the name of the world’s first complete ‘Bionic Man’ which was unveiled recently at London’s Science Museum ? Ans: Rex 3. What is the name of the first indigenously built Weapon System Integrated Advanced Light Helicopter was inducted in to the Indian army on 8 February 2013? Ans: Rudra 4. What is the name of the fifth ship in a series of eight inshore patrol vessels (IPVs) was commissioned by Indian Coast Guard on 11 February 2013 ? Ans: Rajratan . What is the use of SARAL satellite launched by the ISRO’s PSLV-C20 rocket on 25 February 2013 from the spaceport at Sriharikota? Ans: Oceanographic Study PERSONS IN NEWS A) APPOINTMENTS 1. Who had been selected as members of the Chinese parliament on 2 February 2013 ? Ans: Mo Yan and Jackie Chan 2. Who is the Indian american and Padma Shri awardee had been appointed as the new president of Carnegie Mellon University on 9 February 2013? Ans: Dr Subra Suresh 3. Who is the Tata Group Chairman Emeritus had been elected as a member of the US prestigious ‘National Academy of Engineering‘ on 9 February 2013 ?Ans: Ratan Tata 4. Who is the former Chairman of Life Insurance Corporation, has took over as the new Chairman of the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) on 21 February 2013 ? Ans: T. S. Vijayan B) RESIGNS 1. Who is the Solicitor-General of India resigned on 04 February 2013 ? Ans: Rohinton Nariman 2. Who is the author of †Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and Germany† Book ? Ans: Prof. Anita B Pfaff 3. Who is the Nagaland Home Minister has resigned on 19 February 2013 ? Ans: Imkong L. Imchen C) DEATHS 1. Who was the Ex-CM of Puducherry passes away on 02 February 2013? Ans: P.Shanmugam 2. Who is the China’s table tennis legend died on 10 February 2013 in Beijing ? Ans: Zhuang Zedong D) VISITORS 1. Who is the France’s President visited India from 14th and 15th February 2013 ? Ans: Francois Hollande E)MISCELLANEOUS 1. Who had been named in the BBC power list of Britain’s most influential women ? Ans: Queen Elizabeth II 2. In which state unveiled the world’s tallest bronze statue of Maha tma Gandhi at the Gandhi Maidan on 15 February 2013 ? Ans: Bihar 3. Who is the 3 year old girl had been unveiled as the youngest new member of Mensa with a higher IQ than Stephen Hawking ?Ans: Clever Alice Amos PLACES   IN   NEWS 1. Which country hits by snow storm Nemo on 8 February 2013 ? Ans: America ABBREVIATIONS 1. What is the full form of â€Å"TAPIâ€Å" †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Ans: Turkmenistan–Afghanistan –Pakistan–India BOOKS IN NEWS 1. What is the name of the Sania Mirza new autobiography book ? Ans: Against All Odds 2. Who is the author of â€Å"Khushwantnama: The Lessons of My Life† Book ? Ans: Khushwant Singh COMMITTEES 1. Who was constituted a G Padmanabhan technical advisory committee to iron out existing issues and boost bank finance for exports ? Ans: Reserve Bank of India (RBI)IMPORTANT  DAYS & DATES 1. National Maritime Day observed on †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦? Ans: April 5 December 2012 Current Affairs Bit Bank INTERNATIONAL 1. Who announced a $10 million donation for a global war chest to educate all girls by 2015 set up in the name of Malala Yousafzai? Ans: Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari 2. Who elected as a Prime Minister with a clear victory over the   Prime Minister   and leader of the Democratic Party of Japan(DPJ) Yoshihiko Noda in the Parliament elections of Japan on 26 December 2012? Ans: Shinzo Abe 3. Who is the first woman President of South Korea? Ans: Park Chung-hee 4.Which bill that will give intelligence and security agencies sweeping powers to conduct surveillance passed by Pakistan’s National Assembly on 20 December 2012? Ans: Fair Trial Bill 2012 5)  Which state the Pakistan Government officially recognised   as an independent state on 26 December 2012? Ans:Kosovo INDIA & WORLD 1. Who is the Bihar’s State Chief minister recently among Foreign Policy magazine â€Å"The Top 100 Global Thinkers†Ã‚   List ? Ans: Nitish Kumar 2. Which Country   had agreed to set up barbed wire Fencing along Tripura border on   2 December 2012? Ans: Bangladesh 3. Which country signed with India on 10 December 2012 on five pacts?Ans: Ukraine 4. According to the 2011 Britain population census record what percent of the Hindu religion became a third-largest religion in the Nation’s ? Ans: 1. 5 % 5. According to the which survey report India nonetheless has one of the largest Muslim populations in the world ? Ans: Pew research NATIONAL 1. Which Criminal Law bill Passed by Lok Sabha on 4 December 2012 ? Ans: Sexual Assault a Gender-Neutral Offence 2. On 7 December 2012 The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) cleared a major expansion plan of the strategic Karwar naval base Phase II Alpha of the project Seabird in —— Ans: Karnataka 3.Which bill providing for quota for SCs and STs in government job promotions was on 2012 December 17 passed by Rajya Sabha? Ans: Constitution 117th   Amendment Bill 4. The Union Government of India on 23 December 2012 constituted a three-member Commission to suggest measures for saftey of women. Who is the head of this Commiitte? Ans: Former Chief Justice of India J. S. Verma 5. On 25 December 2012   Government of India decided to set up five-year project for restoring the overall which structure of critical sectors of India? Ans: Cyber Security 6. Which amendment bill 2011 have been passed by Lok Sabha on 20 December 2012?Ans: Banking Laws Amendment Bill, 2011 7. Whose commission appointed for Delhi incident victim Nirbhaya’s Case on December 2012? Ans: Usha mehra STATES 1. Which Scheme announced by Assam government on 12 December 2012 ? Ans: Special Health Scheme 2. Which state Lokayukta Bill, 2012 was passed on 14 December 2012 ? Ans: Meghalaya 3. UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi was launched a major food security programme of Delhi Government  on 15 December 2012. What is the name of the program? Ans: Annshri Yojna 4. Which state government   on 17 December 2012 ordered a Speci al Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the matter of multi-crore irrigation scam?Ans: Maharashtra 5. Which State had became the first state that announced some measures for making public transport safer via use of technology on 23 December 2012? Ans: Karnataka CONFERENCE 1. What is the theme of   ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit held from 20 – 21 December 2012 in New Delhi ? Ans: ASEAN – India Partnership for Peace and Shared Prosperity 2. Which of the following country will host the Climate Conference in 2013? Ans: Poland AWARDS & HONOURS 1. Who was honoured with award of ‘National Tansen Samman’ for year 2011-12 for their contribution to Hindustani classical music?Ans: Rajan and Sajan 2. Which state received the Silver Icon Web Ratna Award 2012 for its public grievance redressal website? Ans: Bihar 3. Who received the Yuri Milner Foundation award for the work on black holes and in the discovery of a new subatomic particle believed to be the long-sought Higgs boson? Ans: Stephen Hawking 4. Who will be honoured with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously and he is also the first Indian to got this award? Ans: Sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar 5. Who is former BBC correspondent had been conferred with Lifetime Achievement Award for 2012 on 16 December 2012?Ans: Sir Charles Wheeler 6. Who is the Indian-origin girl won the prestigious a wildlife conservation award in South Africa ? Ans: Afeefah Patel 7. Who was honoured with ‘Tolkappiyar’ award   by the President on 21 December 2012? Ans: C. Govindarajanar 8. Who is the Bollywood actor   attended the Italy’s River to River Film Festival from India and honoured by the Government of Italy Ans: Amitabh Bachchan 9. Who became the first Emirati and Arab to win the Tagore Peace Prize on 26 December 2012? Ans: Shihab Ghanem 10. Who was honoured with Canada’s Highest Civilian Award – the Order of Canada in December 2012?Ans: Venkatesh Mannar SPO RTS & GAMES 1. Who won the 23rd Lal Bahadur Shastri hockey tournament at the Shivaji Stadium New Delhi on 4 December 2012? Ans: Air India 2. Who set the record for most goals in a calender year by scoring his 86th goal of 2012? Ans: Barcelona’s soccer   player Lionel Messi 3. Who was named Swiss Female athlete of the year at the 2012 Credit Suisse Sports Awards on 16 December 2012 in Zurich ? Ans: Nicola Spirig 4. Who had been named the ‘ AIFF (All India Football Federation) Player of the Year   on 20 December 2012? Ans: Rahim Nabi 5.Who is the Indian cricketer retired from ODI’s on 23 December 2012? Ans: Sachin Tendulkar 6. Who won the Syed Modi India Grand Prix Gold 2012 title? Ans: Kashyap Parupalli 7. Which country won the Asian Men’s Hockey Champions Trophy 2012 in Qatar on 26 December 2012? Ans: Pakistan 8. Who won the gold medal for India in Azerbaijan boxing tourney? Ans: Aman Indora 9. Who won the World Tennis Championship title on 29 December 2012 in Abu Dhabi ? Ans: Novak Djokovic 10. Who got the gold medal in   the men’s rapid fire pistol event at the 56th National Shooting Championship in New Delhi?Ans: Vijay Kumar 11. Who is the Australian player inducted in the   International Cricket Council’s Hall of Fame  on 4 January 2013 at the Sydney Cricket Ground? Ans: McGrath ECONOMY 1. According to US intelligence counsel which country economy dominate the world economy by 2030? Ans: India 2. According to the   International Telecommunications Communication Union (ITU) Information Society 2012 – Observe report number of cell phone connections exceeding   the world’s population by —— Ans: 2014 3. How much amount was loss by India in the form of black money during the period 2001 to 2010?Ans: $123 billion 4. According to an Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) survey which business group in India perceived to be India’s best-known global brand within and outside the country? Ans: Tata Group SCIENCE & TECNOLOGY 1. What is the name of the scientist developed Smart Phone application to easily observe the heart beat of a patient? Ans: Jems Haythers 2. Which country scientists were developed   a new technology that allows electronic messages sent from mobile phones to be directly projected on to contact lens placed in the recipient’s eyes?Ans: Belgian 3. What are the names of NASA’s twin probes crashed successfully onto Lunar Mountain? Ans: Ebb and Flow 4. Which discovery top placed in Journal Science’s 2012   Top 10 list released on 22 December 2012 ? Ans: Discovery of the Higgs Boson 5. What is the name of protein found by the Chris Ormandy, researcher of Sydney‘s Garvan Institute to makes breast cancer tumours more aggressive and resistant to treatment? Ans: ELF5 PERSONS IN NEWS APPOINTMENTS 1. Who was appointed as Adviser to Finance Minister of India on 6 December 2012? Ans: Parthasarat hy Shome 2.Who appointed as a Senior Security Adviser in Home ministry on 11 December 2012? Ans: Vijay Kumar 3. Who elected as the Chair of the UN auditors panel for the year 2013? Ans: Vinod Rai 4. Who is the first Woman president of FICCI? Ans: Naina Lal Kidwai 5. Who is the first woman president of Chicago-based Federation of Indian Associations (FIA)? Ans: Rita Singh 6. Who was appointed as the new chief of Border Security Force(BSF) on 18 December 2012? Ans: Subhash Joshi 7. Who sworn as the new Chief Minister of Gujarath for 4th consecutive time on 26 December 2012? Ans: Narendra Modi RESIGNS 1.Who is the Singapore’s Parliament speaker resigned on 12 December 2012 over an extramarital affair with a staff member of the People’s Association? Ans: Michael Palmer 2. Who is the Israeli Foreign Minister submitted his resignation on 16 December 2012 due to a pending indictment against him for fraud and breach of trust? Ans: Avigdor Lieberman DEATHS 1. Who is the worldâ €™s oldest woman died on 4 December 2012? Ans: Besse Cooper 2. Who is the world’s tallest woman died on 4 December 2012? Ans: Yao Defen 3. Who is the Britist astronomer and Who was a former president of the British Astronomical Association passes away on 9 December 2012?Ans: Sir Patrick Moore 4. Who is the former Ranji cricketer ,who did the highest score in the first – class cricket died on 11 december 2012? Ans: BB Nimbalkar 5. Who is the Sitar maestro and the receiver of Bharat Ratna passes away in San Diego on 11 December 2012? Ans: Sitar maestro Pandit   Ravi Shankar 6. Who is the co-inventor of bar code with Bernad Silver died on 9 December 2012? Ans: Norman Joseph 7. Who is the   the world’s oldest person and a resident of Iowa, had died on 17 December 2012 in Johnston? Ans: Dina Manfredini 8. Who is the former hockey player and Donee of Padma Shree award died on 20 December 2012?Ans: Leslie Claudius VISITORS 1. Who is the Palestnian Hamas leader visited the Gaza on 6th December 2012? Ans: haled Meshaal 2. Who is the Pakistan’s Interior Minister   visited India from 14 to 16 December 2012? Ans: Rehman Malik MISCELLANEOUS 1. Which country person Jiroemon Kimura (115 years)   had been named   the new oldest person in the world by Guinness World Records on 18 December 2012 ? Ans: Japan 2. Harvard Business Review (HBR) prepared a 100 best performing global chief executives list. Who was the first among the Indian CEOs featured in this list? Ans: Subir Raha PLACES IN NEWS 1.Which of the following country was hit by the powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7. 3 on 7 December 2012? Ans: Japan ABBREVIATIONS 1. What is the full of  Ã‚   U N F C C C  Ã‚   †¦. ? Ans: United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 2. G A A R †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. full form? Ans: General Anti Avoidance Rules BOOKS IN NEWS 1. Who is the author of   Former India opener Late Pankaj Roy Book   Pankaj, Bengal`s Forgotten Hero? Ans: Bengali sports journalist Gautam Bhattacharya 2. What is the name of a   book written by Former Chief Justice P N Bhagwati? Ans: My Tryst with Justice 3. What is the name of the M. S.Subbulakshmi new book launched on December 2012? Ans: M. S. Subbulakshmi – Queen of Carnatic Music COMMITTEES 1. Whose Committee had appointed by Market regulator Sebi to frame a single set of guidelines for all types of foreign investors? Ans: K. M. Chandrashekhar IMPORTANT DAYS & DATES 1. When is the International Mother Tongue Day celebrated? Ans: February, 21 * October 2012 Current Affairs INTERNATIONAL Imran Khan on anti-drone ‘peace march’ to tribal belt Imran Khan on 6th October 2012 set off on a motorcade â€Å"peace march† to the terrorists-riddled South Waziristan to protest US drone strikes in the tribal belt.Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Re-Elected for fourth term Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has been re-elected for the third term. Mr Chavez def eated opposition leader Henrique Capriles. Mr Chavez garnered 54. 42 per cent of the vote while his rival bagged 44 per cent votes. Pakistani youth support Malala Yousufzai Pakistani teenaged rights campaigner, Malala Yousafzai, who was on 14th October 2012 shot by the Taliban for publicly opposing them against the girl education. She got the support from all over the world. Ali Zidan elected Libya PMLibya’s 200-member General National Congress has elected a former congressman and human rights lawyer Ali Zidan   as the country’s new Prime Minister on 14th October 2012. Austrian skydiver breaks sound barrier Austrian national Felix Baumgartner, who jumped from a height of 39 km, became the first skydiver to record the highest ever freefall and also the first human to go faster than the speed of sound. Five New Non-Permanent Member Countries Elected to UN Security Council UN General Assembly elected five new non-permanent members to the Security Council. The New Member s are South Korea, Luxembourg, Argentina, Australia and Rwanda.Iran bans export of 50 basic foods to preserve supplies Iran has banned the export of around 50 basic goods in order to preserve supplies of essential items in the wake of tightening Western sanctions. INDIA & WORLD India, Australia signs MoU to strengthen bilateral cooperation India and Austrlia has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on 1st October 2012 for strengthening long-term relationship and bilateral Cooperation on Road and Rail Infrastructure. The agreement was signed   between the Minister of Railways and Road Transport and Highways, Dr. C. P.Joshi and visiting Federal Minister of Transport, Innovation and Technology of Austrlia, Mrs. Doris Burse in New Delhi. India, Austrlia tie up to develop ‘smart cities’ India tie up with Austrlia to develop two â€Å"smart cities† in all states with a host of modern features like intelligent transport and carbon neutral status in each of the s tates in the second phase of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal mission. Initially half a million to one million population cities will be developed as smart cities with the help   of Austrian Institute of Technology who is expertise in this field.India gets $500 mn World Bank fund for secondary education World Bank, the multilateral lending agency, and the government of India 5th October   signed a loan agreement worth $ 500 million for Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) in the country. India lags behind China, Pak in reducing hunger level India lags behind neighbouring China, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in reducing hunger level, says the 2012 Global Hunger Index (GHI) released by US-based International Food Policy and Research Institute. India is ranked 65th out of 79 countries in GHI, behind China at 2nd place, Pakistan at 57 and Sri Lanka at 37.IOC signs MoU with Korea Gas Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), on 17th October 2012, entered into a memorandum of understand ing (MoU) with Korea Gas Corporation (Kogas) for jointly exploring opportunities in exploration of oil and gas and LNG business. Cabinet clears Rs 8,000cr missile purchase for armed forces Proposals worth over Rs 8,000 crore for procuring around 10,000 ‘Invar’ missiles from Russia for the Army’s T-90 tanks and over 200 air-launched versions of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles for the IAF were cleared on 18th October 2012 by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS).India and Australia Sign Four Agreements of Cooperation India and Australia agreed to expand cooperation in security and Defence including fight against terrorism. They also agreed to begin negotiations for an agreement on Civil Nuclear Energy Cooperation which will precede actual cooperation. Both the countries also signed four agreements in the field of space science technology and education, cooperation in student mobility and welfare, skill development and textiles. Iran to complete gas pipelin e work by year-endIran has said it was for India and Pakistan to sort out issues related to the proposed Indo-Iran gas pipeline, even as it committed itself to complete its part of 800 km of gas pipeline to India till Irani boundaries by the end of this year. India, New Zealand sign five pacts to cooperate in field of education India and New Zealand signed five Memoranda of Understanding in the different fields of education on 19th October 2012. India, Switzerland to cooperate in Transport sector India and Switzerland on 19th October 2012 discussed ways and means for enhancing cooperation in the field of Transport sector including roads and Railways.India & Pakistan may introduce a common currency called â€Å"Papee† After taking into consideration the decade long success of Euro, and due to increasing demands of businessmen of India (and terrorists of Pakistan), both countries’ ruling leaders (i. e. India’s UPA, and Pakistan’s Military) are thinking abou t introducing a common currency for India and Pakistan. The name with the highest votes , is a word derived by adding â€Å"pa† from ‘Pa’kistan and â€Å"pee† from Indian Ru’pee’ i. e. â€Å"Papee† Hyderabad is world’s 3rd best city to visit in 2013Hyderabad has been named as one of the best cities in the world to visit in 2013 by travel guide book Lonely Planet published on 22nd October 2012. The top 10 cities according to Lonely Planet to visit in 2013 are San Francisco, Amsterdam, Hyderabad, Derry/Londonderry, Beijing, Christchurch, Hobart, Montreal, Addis Ababa and Puerto Iguazu. India, Japan focus on expanding defence cooperation India and Japan on 22nd October 2012 discussed ways to expand their security and defence cooperation at a meeting of their foreign and defence secretaries in Tokyo. Super 30’ ties up with Tokyo University The ‘Super 30’ programme for training students of the backward sections fo r the IIT-JEE tied up on 24th October 2012 with the University of Tokyo, which will sponsor study of its students in Japan. This agreement is a follow-up of the Japanese Government Program named Global 30, of engagement with Super 30 for increasing the flow of Indian Students to Japan. –7th SAFF begins in Goa The Seventh South Asia Film Festival (SAFF)-2012 held   at Panaji in Goa from. India-US-Japan trilateral meetThe US’ ‘pivot-to-Asia’ policy, Iran, China-Japan maritime dispute and South China Sea will be among the issues to be discussed during the 3rd round of India-US-Japan Trilateral dialogue in New Delhi on 29th October 2012. The meet will also focus on finding areas of cooperation between the three countries. India to give financial assistance to Nepal’s Palpa District India is to provide an assistance of four crore and thirty-three lakh Nepali rupees for Palpa District in Western Nepal on 31st October 2012. NATIONAL FICCI urges Centre to ban bauxite exportsTrade body Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) has urged the Union ministry of commerce and industry to ban bauxite exports fearing closure of alumina refineries for shortage of the key raw material required to produce alumina. Supreme Court directs Centre and states to provide basic facilities to students The Supreme Court on 3rd October 2012 directed all schools across the country to provide basic infrastructure facilities like drinking water and toilets to school children within six months and failure to implement will be viewed seriously.The order was passed on a petition filed by an NGO Environmental and Consumer Protection Foundation. Kejriwal forms political party, promises to change the system Social activist Arvind Kejriwal added a new dimension to his movement against corruption as he formally launched his political party and said it belonged to the people of the nation. Ministry of Rural Development Launched Nirmal Bharat Yat ra Ministry of rural development on 3 October 2012 started a campaign named Nirmal Bharat Yatra which focuses on making the country free from open defecation.The yatra will begin from Wardha District of Maharashtra from 3 october 2012 and will go through Indore, Kota, Gwalior, and Gorakhpur and end up in Bettiah district of Bihar on November 17, covering about 2000 km of distance. SC orders new survey to identify bonded labour The Supreme Court on 15th October 2012 directed all states and Union Territories to conduct fresh surveys to identify bonded labour problems in the country and regretted that a large number of children continue to work as domestic help even after the enactment of the Right to Education Act.Centre to launch Aadhaar based delivery system The much awaited Aadhaar enabled system for direct cash transfer to beneficiaries under social schemes such as MNREGA and pension will be launched on 19th October 2012 by PM Manmohan Singh at Dudu, Rajasthan. India’s infa nt mortality rate drops India’s infant mortality rate (IMR) has come down by three points from 47 to 44 deaths per 1,000 live births during 2011. Centre, states sign MoU for broadband linking of villagesThe Central government has signed a tripartite agreement with 16 states and union territories and a special purpose vehicle Bharat Broadband Network Ltd (BBNL) has been launched to expedite the mission of connecting every gram panchayat with broadband network. Reshuffling of Central Cabinet Cabinet Ministers| Portfolio| M. Veeerappa Moily| Petroleum & Natural Gas| S. Jaipal Reddy| Science & Technology and Earth Science| Kamal Nath| Urban Development & Parliamentary Affairs| Vayalar Ravi| Overseas Indian Affairs|Kapil Sibal| Communications & Information Technology| C. P. Joshi| Road Transport & Highways| Kumar Selja| Social Justice & Empowerment| Pawan Kumar Bansal| Railways| Salman Khursheed| External   Affairs| Jairam Ramesh| Rural Development| K. Rahman Khan| Minority Affa irs| Dinsha J. Patel| Mines| Ajay Maken| Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation| M. M. Pallam Raju| Human Resource Development| Ashwani Kumar| Law & Justice| Harish Rawat| Water Resources| Chandresh Kumar Katoch| Culture| | |Ministers of State with Independent Charge| Portfolio| | | Jyotiraditya Madharao Scindia| Power| K. H. Muniappa| Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises| Sachin Pilot| Corporate Affairs| Jitendra Singh| Youth Affairs & Sports| Manish Tewari| Information & Broadcasting| K. Chiranjeevi| Tourism| | | Ministers of State| Portfolio| E. Ahamed| External Affairs| D. Purandeswari| Commerce & Industry| Jitin Prasada| Defence & Human Resource Development| S. Jagathrakshakan| New & Renewable Energy| R. P. N.Singh| Home| K. C. Venugopal| Civil Aviation| Rajeev Shukla| Parliamentary Affairs & Planning| Shashi Tharoor| Human Resource Development| Kodikunni Suresh| Labour & Employment| Tariq Anwar| Agriculture & Food Processing Industries| K. J. Surya Prakash Reddy| Railways| Ranee Nar ah| Tribal Affairs| Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury| Railways| A. H. Khan Choudhury| Health & Family Welfare| Sarvey Sathyanarayana| Road Transport & Highways| Ninong Ering| Minority Affairs| Deepa Dasmunsi| Urban Development|Porika Balram Naik| Social Justice & Empowerment| Kruparani Killi| Communication & Inforamtion Technology| Lalchand Kataria| Defence| |   | Resigned Cabinet Ministers| Portfolio| S. M. Krishna| External Affairs| Ambika Soni| Information and Broadcasting| Mukul Wasnik| Tourism| Mahadev Khandela| Minister of State Justice and Empowerment| | | STATES Door-to-door cancer campaign in Punjab Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal   sanctioned the â€Å"biggest ever† door-to-door campaign for a symptoms-based early detection and awareness about cancer.At least 50,000 personnel and volunteers would visit 54 lakh households in 12,603 villages and 217 census towns, for the exercise that begins in Faridkot district on October 2. In Goa Housewives with family income l ess than Rs 3 lakh to get Rs 1000 to fight inflation Housewives in Goa just got a breather from rising inflation, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led coalition government on 2nd October 2012 launched a scheme to provide an allowance of Rs 1,000 a month to housewives in households whose annual incomes are less than Rs 3 lakh.EC announces dates for assembly polls in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh The Election Commission on 3rd October 2012 announced dates for Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections. While Gujarat will have elections in two phases – December 13 and 17, Himachal Pradesh will vote on November 4. The counting for both the assembly elections will take place on December 20. UP government announces ban on gutka industry from April 2013 On 3rd October 2012   Uttar Pradesh government   decided to impose a ban on gutka industry in the state with effect from April 2013.Supreme Court   bans mining activities in Goa In Goa, the Supreme Court imposed a complete ban on the mining activities as well as transportation of iron and manganese ore on 5th October 2012. Arvind Kejriwal launches ‘bijli-paani satyagraha’ in Delhi Activist Arvind Kejriwal on 6th Octomber 2012 launched a ‘bijli-paani satyagraha’ in Delhi to protest against â€Å"inflated† power and water bills and hike in tariffs by restoring electricity connection to the household of a labourer which was disconnected for non-payment of bills.EC fiat to Himachal Pradesh On 7th October 2012 The Election Commission (EC)   stopped the BJP government in Himachal Pradesh from distributing free PDS bags carrying photographs of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Maharashtra tribals demand ban on alcohol Tribal women from Maharashtra’s Chandrapur have sent 80,000 postcards to Chief Miniter Prithviraj Chavan asking to make the district liquor-free. UPRVUNL, NLC to set up thermal plant at GhatampurThe UP Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Ltd (UPRVUNL) and the central government PSU Neyveli Lignite Corporation Ltd (NLCL) signed a joint venture agreement (JVA) to set up a 2,000 MW thermal power plant at Ghatampur (Kanpur)   on 7th October 2012 . Union Government ruled out the decision of Cauvery River Authority Decision of the Cauvery River Authority was ruled out by the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on 8 October 2012. The Prime Minister ordered Karnataka to release 9000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu every day, till 20 October 2012.Railways   put 400 CCTVs at 10 stations to improve security system The Delhi division of Northern Railway   authorities have completed the installation of 400 CCTVs at 10 stations with Rs. 20 crore to ensure better security and mobility at its stations. Only in the New Delhi Railway station they installed more than 100 CCTV cameras as part of an integrated security system (ISS). President’s son Abhijit Mukherjee wins Jangipur Lok Sabha by-poll Abhijit Mukherjee, son of President Pranab Mukhe rjee and Congress candidate, on 13th October 2012 won the Jangipur Lok Sabha by-election by 2,536 votes defeating the CPI-M rival Muzaffar Hussain.Union Power Ministry gave its Nod to Implement Islanding Scheme in Delhi The Union Power Minister Veerapa Moily on 17 October 2012 announced the implementation of Islanding Scheme for Delhi by January 2013 to protect it from massive disruptions caused due to grid failures in power supply. The scheme of Delhi is different to that of the existing ones in cities like Mumbai and Kolkata because the transmission lines of different states is routed through Delhi. Haryana to give Rs. 11,000 to couples at mass weddingsThe Haryana Government has announced on 20th October 2012 that it will give Rs. 11,000 to each newly wedding couple at a mass marriage. Uttarakhand Named best Performing States in terms of Environmental standards The state of Uttarakhand on 29 October 2012 tops the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) list of being best-performing States and Union territories in terms of environmental well-being released by Planning Commission. CONFERENCES The international biodiversity meet in HyderabadThe XI Conference of Parties (CoP-11) on the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) being hosted by India at Hyderabad starts on 1st October 2012. Asia Co-operation Dialogue Summit held in Kuwait Asia Co-operation Dialogue Summit has given a call for stronger co-operation among member nations and to work for the improvement of living conditions. Leaders from 32 countries pledged to focus on key areas to fulfill the aspirations of the people. These include sustainable energy and evelopment, economic growth, food security, trade and commerce, health care, climate change and co-operation in financial and education sectors. South Korea to host next UN biodiversity meet in 2014 South Korea will host the 12th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP12) to the Convention on Biological Diversity in 2014, it was announced in Hyd erabad on 19th October 2012. Third Worldwide Cybersecurity Summit The 3rd Worldwide Cybersecurity Summit organized by EastWest Institute, a New York based think-and-do tank, kick-started in the New Delhi on 30th October 2012. AWARDS & HONOURSPresident Confers Shastri awards to ISRO scientist Tessy Thomas On 1st October 2012 President Pranab Mukherjee   conferred the prestigious Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award 2012 to ISRO scientist Tessy Thomas at an award function in Rashtrapati Bhawan. Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award is conferred every year for doing excellent work in the field of Public Administration, Academics and Management. Banaras Hindu University VC wins MV Pylee award for best academician Banaras Hindu University (BHU) vice chancellor and renowned molecular biology scientist Dr Lalji Singh has won the 7th MV Pylee award for the best academician.The MV Pylee award was constituted in year 1996 in honour of Cochin University’s former vice chancellor MV Pylee. T he award includes Rs 2 lakh, a memento and citation for excellence in teaching and research and contribution to academic community. It is awarded once every three years. S. No| Department| Name of the Person/ Organization| Country| Field of Research| 1. | PHYSICS| Serge Haroche and| France| For ground-breaking experimental methods that enable measuring and manipulation of individual quantum systems| | | David J. Wineland| America| | 2. CHEMISTRY| Robert J. Lefkowitz and| America| For studies of G-Protein-coupled receptors| | | Brain K. Kobilka| America| | 3. | PHYSIOLOGY OR MEDICINE| Sir John B. Gurdon and| Britan| For the discovery that mature cells can be reprogrammed to become pluripotent| | | Shinya Yamanaka| Japan| | 4. | ECONOMIC SCIENCES| Alvin E. Roth and| America| For the theory of stable allocations and the practice of market design| | | Lioyd S. Shapley| America| | 5. | LITERATURE| Mo Yan| China| Who with hallucinatory realism merges folk tales, history and the contempora ry| 6. PEACE PRIZE| European Union (EU)| Europe| For over six decades contributed to the advancement of peace and reconciliation. Democracy and   human rights in Europe. |   Sachin Tendulkar to be made member of Order of Australia Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard made the announcement on 16th October 2012 that the first Indian sportsperson   Tendulkar to be conferred with the Membership of the Order of Australia, an honour â€Å"rarely† bestowed on non-Australians. First-ever India Biodiversity Awards presentedThe women who led the ecological restoration of Gundlaba village in Odisha’s Puri district after the 1999 super cyclone are among the four winners of the first India Biodiversity Awards. The awards, instituted by the Ministry of Environment and Forests and the United Nation Development Programme (UNDP). Vijay Kumar honoured with ‘Services Best Sportsman’ London Olympics silver medallist shooter Vijay Kumar was named as the ‘Service s Best Sportsman’ award for 2012 at the Army Headquarters in New Delhi.The award   is   given to best sportsman from out of all the three services-Army, Air Force Navy. Bangladesh honours fifty-two Indians Bangladesh has honoured foreign friends who contributed to achieve the nation’s independence from Pakistan in 1971. Of the 61 recipients of the award in the third phase, 52 are from India and the rest are from Nepal, the United States, the United Kingdom, Vietnam, Australia, Sweden, and Italy. The former Indian Prime Minister, I. K. Gujral, and the former Nepalese Prime Minister, the late Girija Prasad Koirala, received the Bangladesh Muktijuddho Sammanana.Singham Bravery Award Posthumously given to IAS and Security Personnel Narendra Kumar the IPS officer who was brutally killed by illegal mining mafia in Madhya Pradesh and many other Security Personnel who had laid down their life for fighting against Maoists and anti Social element on 21 October 2012 were awar ded with Singham Bravery Awards. Bangladesh honours Babu Jagjivan Ram Former Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister of India, late Babu Jagjivan Ram has been awarded with the â€Å"Friends of Liberation War Honour† by the Government of Bangladesh for his contribution in the 1971 War.Narayan Murthy honoured with Hoover Medal IT giant Infosys founder, N. R. Narayan Murthy honoured with Hoover Medal for promoting science at Global Humanitarian Technology Conference in Washington. Gavaskar to receive BCCI’s lifetime achievement award Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar will be conferred the Col C K Nayudu Lifetime Achievement award at the annual BCCI awards function on 25th October 2012. Amitabh Bachchan gets best TV host award for Kaun Banega Crorepati Amitabh Bachchan has won the best television host award for the popular game show Kaun Banega Crorepati.Lord Indarjit Singh conferred Punjab Ratan Award Lord Indarjit Singh, the first member of the House of Lords to wea r a turban, has been presented with the ‘Punjab Ratan’ (Jewel of Punjab) award by the World Punjabi Organisation, in recognition of his contribution to promoting Punjabi culture, heritage and inter-faith services. Delhi Metro bags JICA President Award The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) was awarded the prestigious Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) President’s Award 2012 on 29th October 2012.Noted film lyricist and poet Gulzar presented with Indira Gandhi award for National Integration The Indira Gandhi award for National Integration for 2011 has been given to noted film lyricist and poet Gulzar in recognition of his contribution to national integration. SPORTS & GAMES Indian judokas win 2 silver, 3 bronze in Asian Championship Indian judokas bagged two silver and three bronze in the Asian Youth and Junior Championships held in Chinese Taipei. In the Youth Championships, Vijay Kumar Yadav and Besto Rani Devi won a silver each in boys’ 60kg a nd girls’ 48kg categories respectively.Preety and Mongjam Kabita Devi won a bronze each in gilrs’ 40kg and 44kg respectively in the September 28-30 event. Khaidem Rashi Devi bagged a bronze in 70kg category in the junior section. Indian judokas had won one gold, four silver and two bronze in the Asian Youth and Junior Championships in Lebanon last year. India move up to 2nd spot in T20 rankings India might have failed to qualify for the semi-finals of the ongoing ICC World Twenty20, but four wins out of five matches have pushed the India by one place to the second spot in the latest T20 International team rankings released on 3rd October 2012.India now trail Sri Lanka (129) by nine points and are followed by Pakistan (118) and England (118). India 168th in FIFA rankings Indian football team moved a place up to be 168th in the latest FIFA rankings, India, who last month won a hat-trick of Nehru Cup titles, have 114 points. Red Bull driver Vettel wins Japanese Grand Prix Sebastian Vettel ,the driver   Red Bull won the Japanese Grand Prix 2012 on 7th Ocober 2012. Australia retain women’s World Twenty20 title The Australian Women Cricket team on 7 October 2012 defeated England by four runs to retain the Women T-20 world cup title.West Indies won the ICC World Twenty20 Tournament West Indies 7th October 2012 clinched the ICC World Twenty20 crown with a comfortable 36-run victory over Sri Lanka. Kaltenborn becomes first female F1 team principal India born Monisha Kalterborn is set to become Formula 1? s first woman team principal after she takes charges from founder of Sauber chief Peter Sauber on 12th October 2012. Jeevan Neduncheziyan and Prerna Bhambri emerge champions Jeevan Neduncheziyan and Prerna Bhambri emerge champions in the Fenesta Open national tennis championship at the RK Khanna Stadium in New Delhi on 13thOctober 2012. Hat-trick for Vettel Sebastian Vettel has claimed his third successive victory at the Korean GP on 14h October 2012. He is already won the Singapore and Japan GP titles. Novak Djokovic beats Andy Murray to win Shanghai Masters Novak Djokovic beated British Tennis Player Andy Murray, on 14 October 2012 saving five match points to seal a stunning 5- 7, 7- 6 ( 13/ 11), 6- 3 victory in the Shanghai Rolex Masters final. Bhullar wins Macau Open golf India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar completed a commanding start-to-finish victory at the Venetian Macau Open golf on 14th October 2012.India’s Saina Nehwal win Denmark Open Badminton Title Indian badminton player and Olympic bronze medallist Saina Nehwal has won the Denmark Open Super Series Premier trophy on 21st October 2012. Martin Guptill wins NZ top cricket award Opening batsman of New Zealand Cricket team Martin Guptill on 18 October 2012 claimed the top honour at the New Zealand Cricket Awards in Auckland, winning the Sir Richard Hadlee Medal for 2011-12. Martin Guptill was also named ODI and Twenty20 player of the year, based on performanc es between 1 September 2011 and 31 August 2012. Anaka Alankamony clinches her second WISPA titleAsian junior gold medallist Anaka Alankamony today claimed her second title and first one abroad in the women’s professional squash tour when she beaten the   top seed Kylie Lindsay of New Zealand in the final of the Ipswich Open in Queensland. Lance Armstrong stripped of his 7 Tour de France titles, banned for life Cycling’s governing body agreed on 22nd October 2012 to strip Lance Armstrong of his seven Tour de France titles and ban him for life, following a report from the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) that accused him of leading a massive doping program on his teams.Women’s Indian Golf Open from November 30 The creme-de-la-creme of Indian women’s golf will be up against a strong international field, including the likes of Laura Davies and defending champion Caroline Hedwall, when the tri-sanctioned Hero Women’s Golf Open tees off from November 30. Sun TV Network Acquired Hyderabad IPL Franchise Chennai based SUN TV Network acquired the Indian Premier League (IPL) Hyderabad franchise on 25 October 2012 for an enormous amount of 85. 05 crore Rupees per year.Sebastian Vettel won F1 Second Indian Grand Prix Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel won the Indian Grand Prix 2012 on 28 October 2012 at the Buddh International Circuit (BIC) for the second time in a row extending his Formula One championship lead. This is his fourth consecutive success in this year. Pankaj Advani defeats Russell, clinches seventh World Billiards Championship title India`s Pankaj Advani won his seventh World billiards title when he outclassed defending champion Mike Russell 1,895-1,216 in the final on 28th October 2012.Joshna Chinappa wins Penang Open squash title India’s top squash player Joshna Chinappa claimed the IJM Land Penang Open, defeating top seed and local favourite Siti Munirah Jusoh in straight games on 28th October 2012. India retains thir d spot in ICC ODI ranking India retains the third spot in the ICC ODI ranking after England and South Africa. England has retained the top spot in the latest ODI rankings with 121 points followed by South Africa. The latest ICC rankings were released in Dubai on 30th October 2012.India lifts the Asian Cricket Council Women’s Twenty-20   trophy at   Guangzhou in China Indian women lifted the title of Asian Cricket Council Women’s Twenty-20 Asia Cup cricket tournament by defeatingthe Pakistan by 18   runs in the final match at Guangzhou in China. ECONOMY Govt approves 49% FDI in insurance & pension sectors On 4th October 2012 The Cabinet has cleared proposals to allow more Foreign Direct Investment or FDI in the insurance and pension sectors. In both the sectors government approves 49% of FDI’s. Govt approves 12th Five-Year PlanOn 4th October 2012 Government approved the 12th Five-Year Plan (2012-17) document that aims to achieve annual average economic grow th rate of 8. 2 per cent, down from   9 per cent envisaged earlier, in view of fragile global recovery. HDFC Bank partners Indian Oil Corporation to offer rural banking services HDFC Bank has partnered Indian Oil Corporation to provide banking services in the rural areas where IOC’s petrol pump outlets Kisan Seva Kendras will act as the business correspondents for the banks. IMF cuts India’s Growth Forecast for 2012 to 4. 9 Percent The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has slashed India’s growth forecast to 4. per cent for 2012 due to low business confidence and â€Å"sluggish structural reforms†. India-US trade to touch $100 bn Bilateral trade between India and the US is expected to touch USD 100 billion in the coming years on increasing economic engagement between the countries. Rangarajan lowers FY13 GDP growth forecast to 6% Prime Minister’s key advisor C Rangarajan 25th October 2012 lowered the growth projection for the current fiscal to 6 p er cent from 6. 7 per cent estimated earlier. SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY Scientists discover bacteria that can produce 24-carat goldScientists have discovered a bacteria that has the ability to withstand incredible amounts of toxicity and can be the key to creating 24-carat gold. Researchers from the Michigan State University have found that the metal-tolerant bacteria ‘Cupriavidus metallidurans’ can grow on massive concentrations of gold chloride or liquid gold, a toxic chemical compound found in nature. India sucessfully test-fires Prithvi-II ballistic missile On 4th October 2012 India sucessfully test-fired surface-to-surface Prithvi-II ballistic missile from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur of Balasore district off Odisha coast.India successfully test-fires nuclear-capable Dhanush missile A day after the launch of Prithvi-II, India successfully test-fired nuclear-capable Dhanush ballistic missile for its full range of 350 km from a naval ship off Odisha on 5th October 2012. Australia launches world’s fastest radio telescope In the remote Australian outback, scientists have launched the world’s fastest radio telescope which will exponentially increase astronomers’ ability to survey the universe, mapping black holes and shedding new light on the origins of galaxies.The Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP), located near the region of Murchison about 650 kilometres north of Perth, was officially opened 5th October 2012 by Science Minister Chris Evans. Indian navy successfully test-fires BrahMos supersonic cruise missile The Indian Navy on 7th October 2012   successfully test-fired the 290-km range BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, capable of carrying a conventional warhead of 300 kg, from a warship off the Goa coast. The Barcode Turns 60 Years Old October 7, 2012 marks the 60th anniversary of the registration of the first bar code patent.

City or Countryside

In my opinion, one has not experienced life until one has lived in the city. There is so much to see and experience in the bright lights of the city that you cannot get in the countryside. Here in the city, you can learn about how to get along with people of different types, encounter varied situations and solve problems. All these help a person to grow in maturity. After all, experience is the best teacher. In the countryside, however, you only move around people you are used to. So, you seldom encounter strangers or new and demanding situations.Life is more mundane and routine-like. Staying in a secure, safe place does not allow for one to gain new experiences and grow in maturity. Furthermore, young people need a life that is exciting and pleasurable. It is the city that offers you entertainment- cinemas, parks and eating places. Here you can hang out with friends and family members. Life as fast-paced and this keeps you active and alert all times. And when it comes to educational opportunities, the city abounds in this. There are good school and libraries that are necessary for your mental development.Furthermore, there are places like museums and educational centres where you can go, to increase your knowledge. Such places that offer you entertainment or learning opportunities are of course not available in the countryside. For entertainment, there is only the occasional festive celebration or marriage feast or fishing outing. Some may find this appealing but not me. Moreover, opportunities to widen your knowledge are limited in the countryside. Another point in support of living in the city is the available of jobs.In the city, you can find a job that suits your qualification or interest. If you find a job unsuitable, you can always move to another. This, naturally, increases your earning power and you have better chances of a more comfortable life. Of course, one may argue that one can live in the countryside and work in the city but this will only incur extra expenses and unnecessary inconveniences. Thus, for all the reasons mentioned above, I think that life in the city is better than living in the countryside. After all, you are young only once.

African Politics - Aid Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

African Politics - Aid - Essay Example Aid was started in Africa in order to facilitate development projects after colonialism. Colonialism had impoverished African countries and the western nations came in with the concept of aid to assist. The intentions were pure and there was initially no agenda behind the money being provided. As Michelle (2013) stipulates in the journal article, there were big development ideas that were to be funded by the aid money but what lacked is the technical expertise. Aid was to be used in various developmental areas such as education, health, infrastructural development among others. Education is the baseline of every country whether developed or developing. It is therefore in the best interest of every nation to have its entire people educated if it is to have developments in the future and use it to enhance their livelihoods. Africa has been left behind for decades on the issue of access to education and this has led to aid being given and debt accrued in the need to educate their public. The dire need to raise the education standards led to need to borrow money from the Bretton Woods institutions such as the World Bank in order to complete the project. The project ended up consuming more and having no much return benefits to the intended public and a debt accrued. Drazen, (2002) explains how debts from the aid continued to increase with no hopes of them being paid back especially with the oil crises which led to an increase in food prices as well as the deplorable conditions in these African nations that have led to an increase in poverty. The Bretton Woods institutions together with the western countries that supplied the money for the aid came up with the concept of structural adjustment programs as the condition for being granted the aid. The African leaders desperate for the money went along with this program that saw massive layoffs and retrenchments taking place in the public sector. The structural programs were

The High Renaissance & Mannerism in Italy and the High Renaissance in Essay

The High Renaissance & Mannerism in Italy and the High Renaissance in the North - Essay Example This differed from the stylistic and artistic ideals of the high renaissance, which focused on the exploration of the harmonious ideals. Mannerists painted figures by using twisted or contorted poses and foreshortening. They used this technique to achieve an illusion of form projecting into space. This is evident in Michelangelo and Raphael’s frescoes in the Sistine Chapel. The paintings in the chapel appear stretched. The figures have elongated necks and torsos, which create unrealistic illusions of space (Murray, 2007). Additionally, the paintings in the ceiling of the chapel show sharp jumps from the foreground to the background instead of the usual gradual transition. In this case, Raphael and Michelangelo experimented with traditional subjects from mythology or the Bible in order to intensify emotional responses from the audience. This was also used in order to add to the visual or literary references. Mannerism differs from high renaissance in terms of approach, content and form. High renaissance was the apex of visual arts. This was a period of extraordinary artistic production. The most popular artwork of this period is the Last Supper by Leonardo. Artwork of the high renaissance emphasized on classical tradition and the expansion of the network of patronage. During this period, there was a gradual attenuation of figures into an artistic style, which was later known as mannerism (Murray, 2007). Though the frescos of Michelangelo and Raphael were produced during the period of mannerism, their standards are considered as a culmination of the high renaissance style. These paintings are viewed as high renaissance because of their ambitious scale, complexity of composition, use of pointed iconographic and closely observed human figures. The paintings of Raphael and Michelangelo on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel have differences and similarities to the artwork of the high renaissance. The

Research Term Paper- Apple iPhone Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Research Term Paper- Apple iPhone - Essay Example The company was publicly listed on the stock exchange in the year 1980 and is presently based in California USA (Datamonitor, 2006, p.6). Leadership One of the aspects that have catapulted Apple into the league of top global brands is perhaps the leadership of the organization. After suffering a setback in the later part of the 1990’s the visionary leadership of its CEO Steve Jobs helped turn the fortunes of the organization. The CEO’s statement of placing an Apple at every desktop and his policy of continuous innovation helped the company emerge as one of the most successful brands of the world. The visionary leadership has motivated the employees as well as ensured a proper diffusion of innovation across the entire organization that is perhaps the most critical success factor of the company. Economic aspects Affecting Product Economic factors like growth of economy and level of disposable income have a direct relationship with the demand of products like iPhones. High levels of disposable incomes imply greater demand for the product that is in turn again dependent on the state of economic growth. In addition to this business cycles also affect the sale of the product. However with the global economies on resurgent mode and a surge in demand for application based phones, there is a good prospect for iPhones. In addition to developed markets emerging markets like India and China also hold considerable importance for the success of the product. Financial Analysis Apple Inc is a publicly listed company whose stocks are listed and actively traded on the bourses of the NASDAQ. The latest stock price was 376.99 US dollars (Apple, 2011). The company reported a net income of approximately 14013 million dollars. The company recorded revenues of 100.32 billion US dollars with a gross margin of 39.82 percent. The net income of the company after meeting all direct as well as indirect expenses stood at 23.6 billion dollars that was way ahead of its competitor s namely Google or HP in the global market. The EPS value for its shares stood at 25.28 dollars that was marginally less than Google. The figure below depicts the financial standing of the company as well as a direct comparison with the most important competitors of the organization. Figure 1: Financials of Apple and Competitor Analysis (Source: Yahoo Finance, 2011) Marketing Environment The marketing environment of Apple Inc is governed by both internal as well as external factors. Internal factors include employees, work culture as well as organizational culture that have a significant impact on the business aspects of the organization. The visionary leadership of the CEO of the organization ensures that innovation that is the core culture of the organization is effectively diffused across the entire organization. External environmental aspects include macro environmental aspects including political, economic, sociological, technological as well as legal aspects that have a signif icant effect on the business prospects of the product in the tough and competitive global business environment. The aspect of innovation has increasingly helped the

Field Sales Experience Paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Field Sales Experience Paper - Assignment Example This is more effective in terms of numbers than by making physical contact since, a phone call takes a sort time and the salesperson does not have to move from place to place. The effectiveness of making sales calls is that it breaks the communication barrier between the salesperson and the client and offers background information on the product and the company, making the follow-ups easier since the client is already knowledgeable. Once the client shows their interest of the product, the salesperson does a follow up on the client, to ensure that the client’s questions have been dealt with, and the client has been convinced to acquire the product. In this situation, the customer will purchase an insurance package from AECI. The AECI offers insurance services for car owners all over the United States. These services are to cushion the car owner from losses in cases of accidents, theft and other events that are unpreventable and may cause the car owner inconveniences. The insurance company offers two packages of car insurance: The Standard Car Insurance and The Prestige Car Insurance Package. In the Standard Car Insurance, the client will benefit from services covered in this package. The services include a 24-hour helpline to assist in times of accidents, motor theft and fixes cars that may encounter problems due to miss fuelling. In the premium service, the company offers breakdown services, roadside rescue and house calls. A car is also extended, to the holders of this cover to avoid inconvenience while the car is being repaired. The other services accessible in this package are included services in the standard package. The salesperson in this case was making the first contact with potential customers to talk to them about the services offered by the insurance company and packages that are available. This was done in order to attract new customers to purchase this service. The first contact is usually the most

World Economies Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

World Economies - Article Example evident increases in purchasing power, global economies have been noted to potentially increase their products to America and other developed nations, which in turn, could further buoyed too much optimism of economic growth. The danger, according to the information, was that other economies could become too complacent and forget the fact that there are still other important economic aspects that need to be addressed. The perception of growth in world economies could apparently drive complacency to a point where more important economic reforms could be forgotten or stalled. One agrees with this assertion given that based on reported experiences on world economies, good news would usually put economic legislators into a momentary status quo since positive growth rates apparently indicate that economic measures have been effective in achieving economic targets. However, it could be deduced that the interconnected nature of world economies should put each economy into assuming a proactive stance at looking beyond current positive patterns and anticipating what these potentials could impact on future economic conditions. In fact, globally, the problem on jobs continue to exist and remain to be a persistent problem that needs to be addressed; despite positive patterns in various economic indicators. "Why optimism may be bad news." 4 January 2014. The Economist. http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21592613-good-news-about-global-growth-risks-pushing-interest-rates-up-and-politicians-appetite-reform. 14 February

Individual Analyzing Buyer Behavior Simulation Summary Essay

Individual Analyzing Buyer Behavior Simulation Summary - Essay Example Compared to the other two services unisex salon and Day Spar which take more time although the payment is high it can be concluded that it is economical to provide barber services rather than day spar in terms of man hours spent. So this tells me I have to stick to the economical service. In the analysis of revenue and cost Day Spar makes a revenue of 111,826 per year while barbershops make the least of the three that is 15,812,Unisex make 28,849, however statistics indicate that men are not comfortable in unisex salons so it can be concluded that option of unisex salon is not viable. Information at hand indicates that Stonewall customers are traditional customers who have been coming there for a long time and because it is easier to retain a customer than to bring in a new one I keep to the traditional operations targeting the present customers while adding value to the services I offer them. I will not transform the barber shop into a Day Spar. BROOKLYN DEMOGRAPHICS Statistics indi cate that males aged 0-34 years old in Brooklyn constitute 56 percent of the population. Statistics further indicate that the older the customers get the less they need stonewall services so I need to work targeting the younger population. While analyzing income data from households it can see that households making more than $100,000 are only 65,936 the least of all categories. These are families with extra income to pay for services of Day Spar maybe. I will target the less income earners who are the majority in this area. Information at hand also indicate that when asked which salon they would go to males in Brooklyn aged 0-15 indicated they would go to a traditional barbershop like Stonewall therefore again it is important that I retain the originality of the shop. CUSTOMER PERCEPTION Data collected indicates that basic services are needed by 100 percent of those interviewed the rest of the services are in a way not needed. Fifty seven percent of the population indicated other s ervices such as Jacuzzi are expensive and possibly they may not pay for them. Fifty eight percent of the males indicated that a salon is a good experience for them I am considering putting this into the mix. Fifty percent of the men interviewed indicated that grooming is important this shows that in order for the business to grow we have to include grooming services such as manicure. POSITIONING STRATEGY I finally settled on choosing the barbershop plus, with value added services that are, hairstyle, pedicure, tattoo, color and manicure. This is because as I added them in that order one by one to the services revenue kept increasing for the three years of projection and not necessarily increasing costs. This done also did not affect the budget under my disposal as I will work within the budget. The average projected revenue for this project was as below; 543+679=843/3=690, savings on available budget= 550-307=307 therefore 307+690=997 in revenue projections for the three years compa red with other options as I will indicate below, again it is the most viable option. When analyzing Sports Spar I realized it is not a viable option because the total cost of implementation are very high ,average profitability for three years is only $644 with provision of an addition luxury service. Furthermore this is a different line of business all together as indicated by demographics. Barber Spar looks like a viable venture when analyzed indicates a revenue of $1164.However it brings in a different service, concierge

Nervous System and Drug Use Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Nervous System and Drug Use - Essay Example Many drugs are at the exposure of many students, with universities and colleges registering the highest number of users around the globe. Drugs are prohibited for a reason, mainly because of their negative effect to the health and performances of people. Majoring on the three commonly abused drugs in the world; methamphetamine, cocaine and alcohol. It remains a fact that the abuse of the three is far much below anywhere near an end to abuse. From my point of view, the question at stake remains on the remedy to these drugs in terms. Years of research and campaigns have done little in stopping the rampant use of these drugs. As a student, I am at the exposure of the same drugs with the highest risk possible since most drug addicts do refer to their college times as the commencement of their addiction. Parties are always the order of events with almost any function being characterized with the latter. Though alcohol is at the forefront in terms of use, methamphetamine and cocaine are in creasingly catching up at an alarming rate. Obviously, with a mention of increased use, college or campus life is the most affected. This calls for an inner depth study of the three drugs. Alcohol destroys the liver and affects the brain in irreversible conditions. Cocaine causes problems to hefty smokers especially in the respiratory system while methamphetamine is a popular party drug with over seventy thousand users. . Meth, crystal, ice, crank†¦ is the one drug that stops at nothing. It is capable of keeping one high for a constant twelve hours or more; methamphetamine is a super speed drug, three or even four times stronger than cocaine. It is very popular, especially among young college adults in the United States. Costing as cheap as twenty-five dollars for a quarter gram, the drug is swallowed, snorted, smoked and shot straight in the veins by use of needles. The drug originated from the western parts of the United States of America knowing no borders or social class; s preading through Nebraska to the eastern cities. As by 2008, there existed a whole bunch of 25 million users of the drug. For instance, in London, Meth is a popular party drug with over seventy thousand users. That demonstrates how much this drug is nothing near a passing phenomenon. It has and shows no signs of stopping its teeth from sinking into our society. According to police in various states, crime committers are the very victims of the drug. They steal property, assault, murder and always possess needles and fake ids. A quick glance at Portland jail reveals that for every four inmates, one is a meth addict. The victims appear ashamed and always hallucinating. Crosschecking at the digital records office, the pictures immediately reveal that the victims appear older; more like the living dead. Even individuals with strong and tough looks are not to spare, the scenario is a devastating one. They suffer many problems. Meth teeth for instance, set in when the acids and bacteria r esulting from meth corrode the gum and the teeth. Imagine ripe fruits falling on a tree; that is the fate of a crack addict’s teeth. This is because the victims rarely brush their teeth nor seek dental attention. The reason is obvious; they only have money to purchase the crystal. The brain on the other hand reacts immediately to meth. It results to euphoria, confidence and an energetic feeling; this is key attraction to the drug. The drug was originally engineered to trick the brain.

Jamie Oliver Essay Example for Free

Jamie Oliver Essay Jamie Oliver is a chef who has made a number of television programmes for Channel 4; in most of these programmes he is cooking and instructing the audience, although he is sometimes part of documentaries about food, for example in schools. His style of speech is very different to many of his contemporaries: he uses his distinctive style to present himself as a down to earth, friendly TV chef. Oliver is the only person talking in this transcript because he is cooking and explaining his actions for the TV show. The fact that he is cooking while talking means that there are numerous pauses in the transcript, for example ‘you wanna coat the bottom (3) of the pan’. The three second pause indicates that he is demonstrating this action on the programme; it is important in his role as a TV chef that he doesn’t just sit and talk through a recipe because viewers want to see the recipes being made and they also want to be entertained and kept interested by Oliver moving around in the kitchen. Other pauses suggest that, although this programme is probably scripted to some degree, Oliver is not reading from an autocue but retains an element of spontaneity to his speech. The pauses at the start of the transcript, ‘I got a pan (.) er the right size pan about (.) sort of seven inches’, are indicators of this spontaneity, as is the non-fluent ‘er’. Although sometimes a sign of nervousness, in this case I think the pauses help Oliver to appear normal, like his viewers, so they are more likely to attempt his recipes and, of course, buy his books. Jamie Oliver’s Esturary accent and his accompanying use of London slang are also distinctive features of his talk. Words such as ‘chivvy’ and ‘squiggle’ are colloquial and are not words we expect to hear on a cooking programme. We are used to words from the cooking semantic field such as ‘whisk’, ‘bake’, ‘stir’ but Oliver’s language use again makes him seem very normal, approachable and relaxed. As well as specifically accented words such as the dropping of the ‘h’ in ‘orrible’, Oliver’s elisions ‘gonna’, ‘wanna’ and ‘kinda’ demonstrate his relaxed tone. As well as using these to build a successful TV persona, Oliver could be using this informal language because he is concentrating more on the actual cooking and explaining the key details of the recipe rather than the functional language he uses. It is important that Oliver does not appear too bossy to his audience: they need to feel like they can relate to him; it is therefore important that he moderates his use of imperatives. Throughout the transcript, he softens his instructions to viewers: ‘about (.) sort of seven inches’; ‘I guess er that’s on a medium heat’; this lack of precision is encouraging to people watching his because it suggests this recipe is easy to follow. The self-deprecating suggestion that Oliver is not entirely sure of what he is doing, just guessing, means that he does not assume a too-powerful position in relation to his viewers. Again, he needs to appear imitable and not too complicated. He continues to reassure the audience by saying ‘where there’s a gap there don’t worry (.) just tilt the pan’. The pause after ‘don’t worry’ suggests that he is about to offer a solution to viewers in case they are worried about this issue. The word ‘just’ implies that the solution is simple and easy, so Oliver maintains his persona as the ‘friendly, easy’ TV chef in contrast with someone like Heston Blumenthal and his very technical, scientific recipes that cannot be replicated in ordinary kitchens. Although he tones down his instructions, it is necessary for Oliver to be as clear as possible about some aspects of the recipe, seen when he says ‘don’t rush it otherwise (1) if you cook eggs too hard and too fast †¦which we don’t like’. His instruction is very clear when he says ‘don’t rush it’ but he then moderates this by explaining the reason for saying it, ‘if†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢He goes on to use the first person plural pronoun ‘we’ to indicate that the audience is included in this decision about how eggs should taste, this is not just Jamie Oliver making a pronouncement that must be obeyed. In conclusion, Jamie Oliver uses many features of talk that are typical of TV chefs, such as numerous pauses and imperative instructions which are essential in his role, but he also has a very distinctive personal style of talk, characterised by his accent, use of slang and colloquial vocabulary. He uses his own idiolect to create a successful TV personality that viewers can relate to and follow as a cooking role model.

The Role of Quality Assurance in Education

The Role of Quality Assurance in Education Providing quality education at a higher level is the need of an hour. Much emphasis has been given to the basic education in the recent past, but providing quality education at a higher level has received ignorance. Quality dimensions seem to have two implications i.e functionality of the output and meeting the basic standards. Hence, the quality of a higher education system may be seen from the point of view of norms and standards, which may evolve depending on the need of an hour. Sustaining quality in teacher input like: curriculum design and development; evaluation of learners performance and progress vis-à  -vis curriculum evaluation and quality management practices become crucial. Therefore, sharing of the experiences among institutions on quality issues may generate ideas for evolving norms and strategies for their quality assurance of management processes, curricular inputs and practices and the evaluation system as well. Of late, various developments have been witnessed relating to quality assurance mainly through intervention of information and communication technologies in education, like networking of open learning system with traditional Universities interdisciplinary interactions at intra-institutional and inter-institutional level, incorporating self financing in their financial management, creation of different statutory and regulatory bodies and national level. Recommendations: Curriculum Planning and management should be studied in the perspective of knowledge management. Integrated approach by involving experts from different fields with major focus on sharing of experiences. Multidisciplinary curriculum must be developed with a view to cater to the needs and fulfillment of expectations of learners, teachers, parents, employers and society in general. Decentralization must be encouraged with a broad frame work of University system. Every University must have its own curriculum. Context, specificity and inquiry oriented experience must be reflected in the curriculum. Curriculum construction should transact in an authentic and real environment. Knowledge and skills must be developed with a view to provide relevance and meaningfulness. Learners involvement must be encouraged to link previous experience with present learning. Teachers should plan mentors of guiding learners to learn instead of directing them. Learners must have ample scope of formulate their own queries and have multiple interpretations of knowledge through self search and experimental learning. Assessment and Accreditation The higher education system of India needs to be expanded to a much greater scale to serve to the needs of Indian youth. Majority of the higher education institutes do not come anywhere near the level of average institutions of higher education in the advanced countries. This vast gap in standards and facilities has been a cause of constant anxiety and concern to the policy makers. The issue of accessibility of quality higher education needs to be addressed in the light of vast economic and social disparities, cultural and linguistic diversities together with the aspirations and capacities of potential students. The accessibility of quality higher education needs to be expanded from elitist to mass education. This issue has significant implications in the sense that it demands redefinitions of the aims of higher education. Recommendations: Accessibility and quality up gradation are inseparable dimensions of higher education. Both should be emphasized equally. The quantitative expansion of higher education for a sub continental size country is of paramount importance to mitigate disparities across regions, gender and social strata in education. Along with quantitative expansion improving quality of higher education is equally important. Emphasis on quality parameter becomes all the more necessary in the light of mushrooming of private institutions with opening up of Indian economy. Setting up of NAAC has sent the right and positive signals for generating and promoting awareness of urgent need of quality up gradation of Colleges and Universities. Quality upgradation is not a one time phenomenon. In view of this, post accreditation complacency must be arrested by evolving quality assurance mechanism for self regulation. The setting up of Internal Quality assurance cell is on such. Effectiveness of quality up gradation in higher education largely depends on quality of primary and secondary education. Institutional mechanism on patterns of NAAC may be set up at these levels. Periodic assessment should be conducted. Workshops/ Seminars/ Conferences and orientations/ Refresher courses should be organized during lean periods in institutional academic work so as not to upset the teaching schedule. More and wide parameters should be identified for assessing the quality of institutions. Assessment and accreditation work should be moved further to the level of teaching and research departments within Universities/ Colleges. While restructuring the syllabi and courses efforts should be made to develop an optimal combination of acquisition of theoretical and practical skills. In restructuring of syllabi, all stakeholders such as students, teachers and users of services should be involved. Examination reforms for regular and continuous assessment of students performance should be made. The critical review of activities of higher educational institutions as well as their budgets needs to be conducted to Phase out obsolete activities. Methods of Up gradation In the higher education system goal of providing quality can be achieved only by the realization of our internal and imperishable being. Our aim in higher educational system at promoting environmental protection, universal peace and internal co-operation, harmony and unity in external space can best be realized through internal purification and perfection. Our education system Endeavour to promote harmonious relationship between both the inner and outer dimensions of the individual environment and the cosmos. Our objective in higher education in not only to promote equality and social justice but also to provide the right kind of work ethos, professional expertise and leadership in all work of life. Above all our endeavor is to foster among teachers and students and through them in society generally integral development of various inherent in physical emotional, rational, aesthetic, ethical and spiritual education. For the higher education such as in technical education we arrange major programmes which are related to review and renewal of the curriculum for education and training of engineer and technicians, modernization of the laborites and workshops and removal of obsolescence and establishment of community polytechnics. For the higher education UGC is established and in addition the UGC has established NAAC to carry out periodical assessment of universities and colleges in the country. For the higher education Open University system such as IGNOU and Kota distance education council has been established so that the higher education gets much simpler and convenient. For the higher education a scheme of career orientation to education has also been launched and for this a number of institutions have introduced career oriented courses in different subjects. For this open learning systems and distance education courses have also contributed significantly to the diversification of courses so that the field of professional stress has come to laid on new areas of studies which have direct relevant to new industry. For the higher education in the field of diversification some selected committees or commission has also launched a TV programme for general awareness in natural science, social science and arts. For the higher education there are number of measures have been taken for quality improvement. These include the development of infrastructure, curriculum, human resource and research. In the higher education system we have to reform the examination system. There is also a programme for reform in the examination system and various experiments have been conducted to ensure that the students are freed from the burden of annual examination and are encouraged to continue to study throughout the entire period of study. Government should make a firm commitment to higher education institutes to make efforts to raise their own resources by raising the fee level, encouraging private donation and by generating revenue through consultancy and other activities. By the higher education we have to develop the national and social education development. The education should have: Address the problems of national development particularly issues concerning self finance, economic growth, employment and social and national integration. Should relate to the life, needs and aspirations of the people and held improve the productivity. Emphasis should be on work experience, vocational studies and improvement in scientific and technological education and research. Inculcate social, moral and spiritual values in the students and thereby society. Role of NGO in education A non-governmental organization (NGO) is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government and a term usually used by governments to refer to entities that have no government status. In the cases in which NGOs are funded totally or partially by governments, the NGO maintains its non-governmental status by excluding government representatives from membership in the organization. The term is usually applied only to organizations that pursue some wider social aim that has political aspects, but that are not overtly political organizations such as political parties. Unlike the term intergovernmental organization, the term non-governmental organization has no generally agreed legal definition. In many jurisdictions, these types of organization are called civil society organizations or referred to by other names. NGO plays a very vital role in growth of higher education particular in the present scenario of competitive world. There should be partnership between higher educational bodies and NGO in various activities such as: NGO conduct orientation programmes for training of new teacher and also refresher courses in various disciplines for in-service teachers to enable them update their knowledge by some selected members of NGO. NGO helps to enrich the quality of higher education, a country wide classroom programme was launched. In higher education programme NGO also helps in some schemes such as a special films on various subjects are prepared and telecast for the benefit of students and teachers. For the higher education NGO also set up to produce special films and a large numbers of video tapes are being product for transmission on the national T.V. network. NGO helps participating in and contributing to major debates concerning the direction and future of society is seen as a major task. NGO helps to improve productivity by emphasis-sing work experience vocational, improvements in scientific and technological education and research and in many other wide areas. Public Private Partnership (PPP) on Higher Education in India What is PPP? Public-private partnership (PPP) describes a government service or private business venture which is funded and operated through a partnership of government and one or more private sector companies PPP involves a contract between a public-sector authority and a private party, in which the private party provides a public service or project and assumes substantial financial, technical and operational risk in the project. Need for PPPs The provision of schooling is largely provided and financed by governments. However, due to unmet  demand for education coupled with shrinking government budgets, the public sector is developing  innovative partnerships with the private sector. Increased private investment is thus imperative to expand infrastructure and provide greater access to quality higher education in India. EY FICCI report emphasizes that PPPs (Public Private Partnership) could be an effective mechanism for attracting much needed private sector investment in the Indian Higher education system without diluting the regulatory oversight of the Government and other regulators Common Misconceptions about PPPs Public private partnerships are the same as privatization By entering into a public private partnership, public sector loses control over the provision of  services Public private partnerships apply only to infrastructure projects The principal reason for government entering into public private partnerships is to avoid debt Public sector employee will lose under public private partnerships The cost of service will  increase to pay for the private partners profit There are only two partners in a public private partnership Few Figures Indias enrollment figures in higher education remain abysmally low at a mere 11 % compared to that of the US and Canada, where over 60 % of college-age students access higher education, highlighting that public-private partnerships are critical for wooing investment in Indias higher education system. This shortfall in the number of young who are eligible for higher education and the existing infrastructure presents Indias unique challenge, in terms of the sheer scale of its population. India has over 400 universities and more than 20,000 colleges with an enrollment of 14 million students, yet it is grossly inadequate. Partnership Formats in Education This study while covering the concept of public-private partnerships, presents the basic modes of  partnerships that can exist between the government and the private sector in the field of education. PPPs involve the government and private players to work hand-in-hand for providing public infrastructure and other services, while jointly sharing the risks, rewards, investments and responsibility associated with the activity. Partnerships are established for varied reasons including construction, financing, design and maintenance of public infrastructure. PPP in social sectors such as health and education are sometimes referred to as Public-Social Private  Partnership (PSPP). A number of PPP models can exist that range from simple management contracts to BOOT formats. These formats vary in the kind of benefits they yield, few of such formats are Public Private Financing of Higher Education Science / Research Parks   University owned companies Research Focus The research focus is on Public-Private financing of higher education. Let us see this through couple of cases as mentioned below The Melaka-Manipal Medical College PPP Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) India entered into an agreement with Joint Venture Medical  College Corporation (JVMC) Malaysia to start a private medical college in Malaysia. The key objective was to provide additional doctors for Malaysia and offer opportunities for students in the region to study medicine at a cheaper cost than in the West. The agreement led to partnership between the State Government of Melaka, the Manipal Group and members of Indian Diaspora in Malaysia. The local government provided teaching staff, supervisory services along with financial assistance to students. It also allowed use of local government hospitals for training and teaching purposes On the other hand, the private partners contributed to the infrastructure for the Melaka campus with a provision of patient care service and training of staff in the health centers. The private partners also contributed by partially conducting the program in their India campus, as there was a shortage of faculty for basic sciences in Malaysia Benefits Creation of the new college was a step in the direction of increasing the doctor : population ratio. It also led to decreased financial burden for the government as infrastructure costs were borne by the college. The private partners on the other hand, gained an opportunity to establish a college leading to increased overseas exposure, establishment of global reputation and brand name. Funding Through Endowments In November 2008, Indian School of Business (ISB) signed an agreement with the Government of Punjab (GOP) to set up its second campus in India at the Knowledge City, Mohali. The cost of the project is INR 3000 million. To fund the project, ISB succeeded in getting four endowments of INR 500 million each from its founder supporters the Bharti Group, the Max Group, the Hero Group and the Punj Lloyd Group. In return for the endowments, ISB would set up four specialist centers for excellence named after its founder supporters, Max India Institute of Healthcare Management Bharti Institute of Public Policy BML Munjal Institute of Manufacturing and Operation Excellence Punj Lloyd Institute of Physical Infrastructure Management These centers of excellence would promote research in their specific fields as well as provide specialisation  options for management students Benefits For ISB, success in raising a large part of its project costs through endowments enabled achievement of its  growth plans. ISB also recieved commitments from its supporters to provide internships and recruit students from this campus On the other hand, the founder supporters were able to further research in areas of interest to them, as well as  attract more management students to focus and specialize in these areas. They also furthered the cause of improving the quality of education in their home state by attracting a leading management institution Recommendations Encourage private sector funding of higher education Introduce innovative PPP models which encourage high quality players from the private  sector to invest more in the higher education sector Provide tax incentives and simplify norms to attract private investments Enhance impact of Government funding Introduce a mechanism of performance based funding by the Government Encourage HEIs to move towards higher self generation of funds to meet operational expenses, so that Government funds are spent increasing on capacity expansion and quality improvement Rationalize tuition fee and build strong financing structures Rationalize tuition fee structures to internationally accepted levels (~25% of income) which would enable self sustenance of HEIs and reduce strain on public funding Differential pricing may be accorded for students belonging to economically weaker  sections Create robust financing system to support rationalized fee structure through encouragement of scholarships (public and industry sponsored) and increasing student loans coverage through special schemes Support raising of revenue through alternate sources Encourage higher education institutes to identify and develop innovative sources of income other than fees and grants, such as monetization of IP (research patents, licenses), organizing seminars/ public events, consulting etc. For this purpose, set out model practices, incentivize faculty through revenue sharing, and institutes through higher grants for better performance on these factors Develop supportive guidelines and norms to increase utilization of existing assets/land banks of higher education institutes Encourage industrial houses/individuals to give endowments to both public and private HEIs, by providing a 125% weighted tax deduction to all endowments to recognized universities, preferential allotment of seats etc. Improve management of finances at HEIs Support HEIs to obtain access to best in breed finance professionals Conduct seminars and short term courses to share best practices in management of operations at HEIs in order to improve utilization of available finances