Eminent journalist B.G. Verghese passes away

Eminent journalist B.G. Verghese passed away in Gurgaon, Haryana. He was 87.
He was born on 21 June 1927.
Journalistic  career: He started his journalistic career in The Times of India. He was former editor of leading Indian dailies Hindustan Times from 1969 to 1975 and Indian Express 1982 to 1986.
Information adviser to PM: He was also information adviser to former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi from 1966 to 1969 but he was critical of her for imposing the Emergency in 1975.
Civil rights activist: He was a crusader for civil rights and was part of the Editors Guild of India Fact Finding Mission after the Gujarat riots in 2002.
Books: He has authored many books that focused extensively on developmental issues. It includes ‘Waters of hope’, ‘India’s North East’, ‘Fourth Estate’ (2005) and his autobiography ‘First Draft: Witness to Making of Modern India’.
His last book Post Haste: Quintessential India’, which delves on India’s ancient heritage and its diverse people, was released early in 2014.
Awards: He is recipient of Ramon Magsaysay Award (which is considered as Asia’s Nobel Prize) for outstanding contribution to journalism.

ICRISAT launches ‘Green PHABLET’ to empower small farmers

International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) has launched a customised low-cost combination of phone and tablet computer called ‘GreenPHABLET powered by the GreenSIM’.
This device aims to empower small farmers who own small plots of land by providing them with precise information related to agriculture and help them purchase inputs at lower prices, get a better price for their produce and link them to markets.
Key facts of ICRISAT’s GreenPHABLET

• It has been developed by the ICRISAT Centre of Excellence in ICT Innovations for Agriculture in collaboration with NUNC Systems, a company based in Hyderabad.
• This device acts like a mobile village knowledge centre/common service centre, enabling farmers to benefit from contemporary information and communication technologies by penetrating Internet connectivity in remote rural region
• It will provide farmers with free messages about the weather and pest problems while sharing the most competitive agricultural input and crop prices.

It should be noted that GreenSIM was created under a unique partnership between ICRISAT, mobile phone service provider Airtel, and the IFFCO (Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative) Kisan Sanchar Limited (IKSL).
The GreenSIM had received the prestigious Flame Award 2013 from the Rural Marketing Association of India (RMAI). It was also cited for ‘showcasing innovative use of technology of the decade’.
About International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid-Tropics (ICRISAT)
ICRISAT is a non-profit agricultural research organization headquartered in Patancheru in Hyderabad, Telangana.
It was founded in 1972 by a consortium of organizations convened by the Ford and the Rockefeller Foundations. Its charter was signed by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
It has several regional centres around globe- Niamey (Nigeria), Nairobi (Kenya) and research stations Bamako (Mali), Bulawayo (Zimbabwe).
Since its inception, India has granted special status to ICRISAT as a UN Organization operating in the Indian Territory making it eligible for special immunities and tax privileges.

Malayalam filmmaker Madhu Kaithapram passes away

Malayalam filmmaker Madhu Kaithapram passed away in Kozhikode, Kerala. He was 44.
He had worked primarily in the Malayalam film industry based in Kerala. He made his directorial debut with the feature film Ekantham in 2006. For this film he had won National Film Award for the best debutant director and Kerala state film special jury award.
His critically acclaimed films includes ‘Madhya Venal’ in 2009. For this film he has won the young director the Kerala Film Criticis Association Award for the movie with social relevance and commitment.
His two other directorial ventures were ‘Orma Mathram’ (2011) and ‘Velli Vellichathil’ (2014).

13th Pune International Film Festival(PIFF) will begin on Jan 8 with theme ‘War against War’

The 13th Pune International Film Festival (PIFF) will be held at Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad in Maharashtra from January 8 to 15. This edition of film festival will focus on the theme “War against War”.
It is jointly organised by the Maharashtra State Government and Pune Film Foundation. In this edition of festival around 350 will screened with of more than 200 films from 75 countries.
In this festival, films will be screened in 13 sections which include world competition, Marathi competition, international student competition, MTDC short film competition, country focus, retrospective, Indian Cinema, tribute, kaleidoscope, Films and documentaries from Films Division, global cinema, films restored by National Film Development Corporation, war against war and present Marathi Cinema.

Actress Luise Rainer first to win consecutive acting Oscars passes away

Actress Luise Rainer passed away in London, UK. She was 104.
She was born on 12th January 1910 in Vienna, Austria. She was renowned German-born Austrian and American film actress of cinema’s golden era.
Acting career: Rainer began acting career in 1926, in Germany at early age 16 under innovative Austrian director Max Reinhardt and had appeared in several German films.
Her first American film role was in Escapade in 1935. But her film’s The Great Ziegfeld and The Good Earth made her star in acting world
Awards:  She is first person to win an acting Academy Award (Oscars) in consecutive years, taking best actress prizes for the 1936 film “The Great Ziegfeld” and “The Good Earth” in 1937.
This feat of winning consecutive Oscars is achieved by only 5 actors in awards history to date. They are: Luise Rainer, Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Jason Robards and Tom Hanks.

UNSC rejects Palestinian resolution demanding end to Israeli occupation on its territories within three years

UN Security Council (UNSC) has rejected a resolution demanding an end to the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories within three years i.e. 2017.
In this regard,  Jordan earlier had submitted the motion in UN after it was agreed and backed by 22 Arab states and the Palestinian Authority.
Eight members of the 15-strong Security Council voted for it

• Russia, China, France, Argentina, Chad, Chile, Jordan and Luxembourg voted in favour the resolution.
• US and Australia voted against it.
• UK, Lithuania, Nigeria, the Republic of Korea and Rwanda remained abstained.

This resolution failed to get support of at least nine members in order to pass.
Background
Earlier, Palestinian had campaigned in UN for three months in order to secure its passage of this draft resolution.
This draft had outlined a solution which aimed to fulfill the vision of two independent, Israel and a sovereign State of Palestine.
It also had called for new negotiations to take place based on territorial lines that existed before Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 war.
This resolution aimed to force Israel to fully withdraw from all occupied Palestinian territories by the end of 2017 and for a comprehensive peace deal to be reached within a year.

Delhi Government launches New Scheme for E-Rickshaws

Delhi government has launched new E-Rickshaw Sewa Scheme. This scheme will pave the way for the battery- operated vehicles in Delhi.
Key facts of E-Rickshaw Sewa Scheme

• E-rickshaws will be registered as transport vehicle under registration series DL-1ER and will be granted contract as per carriage permits.
• This battery operate vehicle will have seating capacity of four persons, excluding the driver, with maximum luggage weight of 40 kg.
• The model of vehicle must be in accordance with provisions of section 126 of Motor Vehicle Act, 1988.
• Every e-rickshaw should have a yellow colour reflective strip on its rear side. Besides, the name, address and telephone number of permit holder should be painted on the left side of the vehicle.
• The dimensions of the e-rickshaw should not exceed length of 2.8 meters, 1.8 meters height and 1 meter width. Every such vehicle should also have valid fitness certificate issued from the department.
• The owner of the e-rickshaw should possess a valid license to drive the vehicle besides a public service badge.

Background
This decision comes after Union Cabinet approval to promulgate an ordinance on December 24 as a bill regulating these vehicles was not able to pass through the Parliament.

Second National Biodiversity Conference-2015 will be held in Kerala

The National Biodiversity Conference (NBC)-2015 will be held in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala from 23rd to 27th February.
It will be second edition of this biodiversity conference and its focal theme for 2015 is ‘Biodiversity: Access and Benefit Sharing’.
NBC is being organized as the most important biodiversity mega event of India, under the auspices of MoEF and National Biodiversity Authority and all other organisations involved in conservation and promotion of biodiversity in the country.
2 edition of NBC will consists of conference, workshops and exhibitions that will help to create awareness for accounting natural capital as a national asset.
All conservation leaders and natural resource managers are going to participate in this conference to promote sustainable development.
Background: It is a biennial event and first NBC was organized by Kerala State Biodiversity Board (KSBB) in Thiruvananthapuram. The theme of NBC 2012 was “Biodiversity for food security”.

Commercial power generation begins at Kudankulam Nuclear power plant

India’s largest nuclear reactor at Kudankulam has started generating electricity on a commercial basis after it received green signal from Nuclear Power Corporation(NPC).
This 1000 MW reactor made with Russia’s help is generating electricity only on an experimental basis after its turbine had suffered damage a few months ago. After repairing these damages it has started generating full 1000 MW of power.
Power generated form this reactor will provide much needed relief to Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karnataka and Kerala where power output will be augmented.
The reactor made at a cost of over Rs. 8000 crores has been much delayed and activists have called it ‘unsafe’.
The second 1000 MW unit at Kudankulam is likely to come online in 2015.
Facts about Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant
Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant is a nuclear power station in Koodankulam in Tamil Nadu with a capacity of generating 2000 MW with 2 reactors.
Advantages of KNPP

• It’s a technologically proven design.
• Inbuilt safety features to minimize the risk of any radiation leaks.
• The location is least earthquake prone area.
• Its height ensures safety from potential tsunamis.

National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Bill gets President’s assent

President Pranab Mukherjee has given his assent to National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Bill, 2014 that seeks to scrap the collegium system of appointing judges to higher judiciary.
This bill lays down the procedure that must be followed by NJAC for appointment as Chief Justice of India (CJI) and other Judges of the Supreme Court (SC), and appointment and transfer Chief Justice and other Judges of High Courts (HC). This bill was passed by Parliament in August 2014.
This assent comes after 121st Constitutional Amendment Bill, 2014 was ratified by 16 state legislatures out of the 29.
121st Constitutional Amendment Bill, 2014: It grants Constitutional status to the NJAC and its composition which will be headed by the Chief Justice of India.
Thus, President Assent paves the way for the setting up of NJAC, which will appoint and transfer judges to the Supreme Courts and the 24 High Courts.

Kerala Government lays foundation stone for Global Artists Village

Kerala government has laid foundation stone for the first government-run ‘Kalagramam’ i.e Global Artist village in the country at Kakkananpara in Kannur district of Kerala.
The foundation stone was laid by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy.
Key facts of Global Artists Village

• Global Artists Village i.e. Kalagramam is a project planned by the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi.
• This planned facility will provide artists from different parts of the country and abroad to stay and work in the place surrounded by swathes of scenic beauty.
• The art village project will be implemented in phases and the first phase of the project will be completed in four months.
• The art village project envisages construction of four living rooms, mess house, conference hall and other amenities in the first phase of the project. It will provide accommodation facilities for the artists visiting there.
• It is being developed on a 3.5-acre plot. State government has allocated Rs.75 lakh for the project and further going to extend it to Rs.3 crore.

Union Cabinet approves ordinance to amend Land Acquisition Act, 2013

Union Cabinet has approved a proposal to take the ordinance route to amend the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013.
It seeks to speed up developmental and security related projects without compromising on the benefits/compensation given to the farmers under parent Act.
This Union Cabinet meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Key Amendments

• Consent clause and Social Impact Assessment (SIA): This amendment ordinance relaxes the requirements of consent and SIA survey clause from parent Act for projects in five areas namely- national security and defence, rural infrastructure and electrification, affordable housing for the poor, development of industrial corridors and infrastructure and social infrastructure including PPPs in which ownership rests with the government. In this regard multi-crop irrigated land can also be acquired for these purposes.
• Brings 13 exempted Acts under it: It brings all those exempted 13 Acts of parent Act under the purview it for the purpose of compensation as well as rehabilitation and resettlement.

Thus, by choosing ordinance route to amend parent Act government is aiming to strike a balance between farmers’ welfare and the strategic and developmental needs of the country.
Background
This Act came into force on January 1, 2014. Its objective was to transform the process of land acquisition into a humane, participative, informed and transparent process.
It had replaced Land Acquisition Act, 1894 and hiked the compensations by four times and twice the market value in rural areas and urban areas, respectively.
Under it there was need of consent from 70 per cent of the affected land owners in case of their lands being acquired for a public private partnership (PPP) project. If the acquisition was meant for private companies, consent from 80 per cent of the affected owners was required.
It also had mandated a Social Impact Assessment (SIA) survey to be held along with the process of getting the families’ consent.
Previously, 13 statutes Acts were exempted from this Act. They were Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act 1958, Atomic Energy Act 1962, Damodar Valley Corporation Act 1948, Indian Tramways Act 1886, Land Acquisition Act 1885, Metro Railways (Construction of Works) Act 1978, National Highways Act 1956, Petroleum and Minerals Pipelines Act 1962, Requisitioning and Acquisition of Immovable Property Act, 1948, Coal Bearing Areas Acquisition and Development Act 1957, Electricity Act 2003 and Railways Act 1989.

Tamu Lhochhar festival being observed in Nepal on 30th December

Tamu Lhochhar festival is being observed on 30th December with gaiety and full fervor in Nepal which marks new year among different communities.
It is the biggest cultural festival of the Mahayana sect of Buddhism and generally being observed by the Gurungs at different places in Nepal including in the Kathmandu Valley.
The people of Tamang, Sherpa, Gurung, Magar, Thakali, Jirel, Nesyangwa, Bhote, Dura and Lepcha communities and others celebrates this festival.
The Gurung community mark this festival as Tamu Lhochhar while the Tamangs and other communities celebrate it as Sonam Lhochhar on the first day of waxing moon in the Nepali month Magh. While Sherpas and Bhotes celebrate it as Gyalpo Lhochhar.
On this day, the junior members of the community and family receive blessings from seniors and greet each other wishing for good health, happiness and prosperity.
People of these communities who are living and working abroad also celebrate this festival with exchanging New Year greetings and joy.

Government gives nod for Ordinances to amend Citizenship Act, 1955 & Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996

Union government has given its nod for ordinance route to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955 and the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996.
This move of government comes few days before Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) 2015 which marks the centenary year of Mahatma Gandhi’s return to India from South Africa on January 9, 1915.  
Key facts

• Citizenship Act amendments will benefit People of Indian Origin (PIO) and will give them benefits like life-long visa and exemption from appearing before the local police station on every visit etc.
• It will also change the clause of parent Act which says that foreigners who marry Indians must continuously stay in the country for a period of one year before they get an Indian citizenship. In this regards they will get relief of 30 days in a year when they can travel outside the country.
• The amendment also clears the way for relaxed visa norms for minor children of Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) cardholders.
• While, the amendment to the Arbitration and Conciliation Act are based on the 246th report of the Law Commission of India. It seeks to remove inadequacies in its functioning.

Background
These ordinances come in the wake of Prime Minister’s Madison Square Garden speech to Indian diaspora in September 2014 where he had mentioned that both PIO and OCI cards would be merged.
Previously, in 2013 then UPA government had first introduced Citizenship Amendment Bill.
There was also demand from PIOs to amend the Act as they were facing often stringent visa norms that debarred them from buying property in India, in comparison to those holding OCI card and  visits to local police stations.
As per the previous provisions, PIO cardholders are eligible for 15-year visas in comparison to lifelong visas given to those having OCI cards.

AirAsia flight QZ8501 Incident

AirAsia flight QZ8501 had disappeared from air traffic control (ATC) screens over the Java Sea coast off Indonesia on 28 December, as it flew from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore with 162 people on board.
This flight lost its contact with ATC after the pilot of plane had requested a change of flight plan due to bad weather, but were not allowed to alter course by authorities.
The debris of the missing plane along with floating bodies of some passengers were spotted on 30th December in the Java Sea off Indonesia, close to the area where contact was lost with the aircraft.
About AirAsia flight QZ8501 Incident

• Airbus A320-200 took off from Surabaya in Indonesia to Singapore.
• It was carrying 155 passengers- 1 British, 1 Malaysian, 1 Singaporean, 3 South Koreans, 149 Indonesians and 7 crew members- 6 Indonesians and a French co-pilot.
• The pilot’s last contact was a request to divert around bad weather.
• The debris of plane along with dead bodies were discover three days after the multinational search and rescue operation involving Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia in the Java Sea.
• The AirAsia plane was delivered in 2008, has flown 13,600 times, completing 23,000 hours, and underwent its last maintenance in November.
• AirAsia also has an excellent safety record and there were no fatal accidents involving its aircraft.

It is the third aviation disaster of 2014 involving South Asian country Malaysia

• First incident was the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 in March 2014 which is consider as worst Aviation Disaster killing 239 people on board and still remains unsolved.
• Second incident was attack on Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 by pro-Russian rebels over Ukraine in July 2014.

Cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni announces his retirement from Test cricket

Indian cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni has announced his retirement from Test cricket with immediate effect.
His decision came after the third Test match of India against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground which ended in a draw.
Now on 6th January for the Fourth and Final Test against Australia, Indian team will be led by Virat Kohli. It should be noted that India has already lost the series.
After his retiring from Test career, he is going to focus on ODI and T20 cricket.
Some facts about Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s Cricket career

• He was captain for 60 test matches out of total 90 he had played.
• He also holds best record of most Test matches wins as India captain i.e. 27 wins, beating Sourav Ganguly’s earlier 21 test matches wins record.
• He had started his Test career in 2005 as wicket-keeper against Sri Lanka and for the first time he became captain of Indian Test Cricket team in 2008.
• He also hold record for stumping around 134 players in all the three match formats of cricket by surpassing Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara.
• In his Test career, he has scored 4876 runs in 144 innings and his highest Test score is 224 runs.
• He also is first Indian batsman to complete 10,000 runs or more as captain in international cricket, joining Ricky Ponting (15440), Graeme Smith (14878), Stephen Fleming (11561) and Allan Border (11062).
• He also had led India in two unprecedented ICC World Cup titles (2007-Twenty20 World Championships and the 2011-ODI World Cup).

India, Japan to cooperate on cyber security and ICT

India and Japan have decided to cooperate in the fields of Cyber security and Green Information & Communication Technology (ICT). This decision was announced after India-Japan Joint Working Group Meeting on ICT held at New Delhi.
Joint Working Group Meeting on ICT between two countries announced to work and implement following five areas-

• Green ICT- Green Mobile Base Station project.
• Cyber Security Cooperation- Japan-India Combat Spam project.
• Cooperative project for detecting symptoms and quick response to cyber-attacks (PRACTICE).
• ICT for Disaster Management (ICT4DM) – Use ICT in disaster-affected areas projects.
• ICT Application for Social and Economic Challenges- National ID Application and Utilization Platform project.

In India, Ministry for Communication and Information Technology (MCIT) while in Japan, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication (MIC), will coordinate the activities for taking these projects forward by involving industrial partners in both the countries.  Both countries also aim towards implementation of these joint projects by early 2015.
The two countries also decided to further discuss development of standards in the field of ICT, for future cooperation.
Further, India had also offered Japan to manufacture ICT equipment in India by taking advantage of new conducive environment under Make in India Campaign.

Rashtriya Mahila Kosh (RMK) to cover 10 lakh women over the next 3 years

The Union Women and Child Development Ministry has set a new target to cover at least 10 lakh women under Rashtriya Mahila Kosh (RMK) over the next three years. The new target was announced by Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi at the 52nd Governing Board meeting of RMK which has been recently reconstituted to make it more effective.

About Rashtriya Mahila Kosh (RMK)

RMK is a national credit fund for women under the aegis of the Ministry of Women and Child Development. It was established in 1993 for socio-economic empowerment of women. It aims to provide financial services with backward and forward linkages for women in the unorganized sector through Intermediary Micro Finance Organizations (IMOs) and Women Self Help Groups (SHGs) and to augment their capacities through multi-pronged efforts. RMK also extends micro-credit to the women in the informal sector through a client friendly, without collateral and in a hassle-free manner for income generation activities.

Bhopal gas tragedy completes 30 years on 3rd December

Bhopal gas tragedy which is considered as the world’s worst industrial disaster has completed 30 years on 3^rd December. Members of both the Houses of the Parliament stood in silence for a few minutes as a mark of respect to those who were killed. They even expressed their support and commitment to the people affected by the gas leak.
Bhopal gas tragedy

• It occurred on the night of 2-3 December 1984 at the Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) pesticide plant in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
• Over 500,000 people in Bhopal and surrounding area were exposed to Methyl Isocyanate (MIC) gas and other chemicals after gas leak incident.
• The government of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh confirmed 3,787 deaths as a result of gas leakage. Unofficial estimates exceeded 10,000.
• More than a half-million people were injured, with many dying from illnesses including lung cancer, kidney failure and liver disease.
• In 1989, Union Carbide paid $470 million to the Indian government to settle litigation stemming from the disaster.
• In 2010, eight low-level Indian executives of Union Carbide’s Bhopal subsidiary were convicted of negligence in this tragedy.

Warren M Anderson: In September 2014, former Chairman of Union Carbide Corporation, Warren M Anderson died. He was officially labeled as a fugitive by Chief Judicial Magistrate of Bhopal on 1st February 1992 Bhopal disaster. The judge also called him an absconder for failing to appear at the court hearings in a culpable homicide case. Union government had requested the US government to extradite him several times but it was always denied since the first extradition request in 2003 due to lack of evidence.

President presents National Awards for the Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities

On the occasion of International Day of Persons with Disabilities (3^rd December), President of India, Pranab Mukherjee presented the National Awards for the Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities. This award function was organized was by the Department of Disability Affairs at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi.
President also inaugurated the first Interactive Web Portal Swavlamban.info made by the Department of Disability for Disabled Persons.

About International Day of Persons with Disabilities

Since 1992, International Day of Persons with Disabilities is promoted by the United Nations on 3^rd December.  It was originally called “International Day of Disabled Persons”. The observance of the Day aims to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities. It also seeks to increase awareness of gains to be derived from the integration of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life.
Theme for International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2014 is Break Barriers, Open Doors: for an inclusive society and development for all.

India ranked 85th in Corruption Perception List (CPI)

Transparency International has ranked India at 85th place in its Corruption Perception Index 2014 (CPI) which enlisted 178 countries. India scored 38 on a scale from 0 (most corrupt) to 100 (least corrupt). The CPI score of India has increased by 2 points in 2014 from its 2013 score of 36, thus helping India’s rank move up to 85 in 2014 from 94 in 2013.
Top 3: Denmark (Score -92), New Zealand (Score -91) and Finland (Score -89)
Bottom 4:  Afghanistan (Score -12), Sudan (Score -11), North Korea (Score -8) and Somalia (Score – 8).
India’s neighbours in Corruption Perception Index 2014

• Bhutan was placed at 30^th
• Sri Lanka was placed at 85th rank along with India.
• China was placed at 100^th
• Pakistan and Nepal were placed at 126^th
• Bangladesh was placed at 145^th
• Afghanistan was placed at 172th rank.

From 2012, the CPI methodology has been updated to provide for year-over-year comparisons.

East zone wins Deodhar trophy 2014-15

East Zone has won the Deodhar Trophy 2014- 15, a cricket tournament, by beating West Zone by 24 runs. The final match was held at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. East Zone won the toss and opted to bat first. East zone captain was Manoj Tiwary while West Zone was led by Yusuf Pathan.
Score: East Zone 269 for 8 in 50 overs beat West Zone 245 in 47.2 overs.
About Deodhar Trophy

• Deodhar Trophy is a List A cricket competition in Indian domestic cricket.
• It is named after Prof. D. B. Deodhar who is known as the Grand Old Man of Indian cricket. The competition was introduced in 1973-74 season. The first trophy was won by South Zone.

Match format: It is a 50-over knockout competition played on an annual basis among the 5 zonal teams – North Zone, South Zone, East Zone, West Zone and Central Zone. Two teams play in a quarter-final match, with the winner progressing to the semi-finals, met with the remaining 3 teams. From then, it is a simple knockout tournament. North Zone has won this trophy with a record of 13 times.

Lok Sabha passes school of Planning & Architecture Bill 2014

Lok Sabha has passed School of Planning and Architecture Bill, 2014. It was passed by a voice vote. This bill seeks to convert three Schools of Planning and Architecture (SPA) into centres of excellence and enable them to confer degrees on students.
The bill also proposes to set up a council for the SPAs similar to IITs and NITs to advise the central government on policy matters in the field of architecture and planning.
Its passage will benefit students of SPA Bhopal and Vijayawada who are still awaiting their degrees. In order to confer degrees, an institute has to be made a deemed university by an act of parliament.

About Schools of Planning and Architecture (SPA)

• The Schools of Planning and Architecture (SPAs) are a group of autonomous public institutes of higher education under Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India.
• At present, the SPAs lists three institutes located at Bhopal, Delhi and Vijayawada.
• They were established with the objectives of providing quality Architecture and physical planning education.
• The SPAs primarily offer undergraduate, postgraduate, doctoral and executive education programmes.
• SPA at Delhi was established in 1948. SPA’s at Bhopal and Vijayawada were established in 2008.

Supreme Court sets up ‘Social Justice Bench’ to deal with social issues

Supreme Court has set up a special ‘Social Justice Bench’ in order to exclusively hear cases concerning social issues particularly those related to women, children and underprivileged sections of society. The main intention of setting up ‘Social Justice Bench’ is to provide specialised approach which needed for dealing with these cases.
The special bench will comprise justices Madan B Lokur and U U Lalit and from 12^th December the bench which will assemble every Friday at 2 PM.
This bench will ensure early disposal of such cases and to bring fruits of the rights provided under the Constitution to people.
It will deal specially with the matters relating to society and its members, to secure social justice, one of the ideals of the Indian Constitution.
Under the domain of social justice, several cases highlighting social issues are included. They are

• Release of surplus food grains lying in stocks for the use of people living in the drought-affected areas to frame a fresh scheme for public distribution of food grains.
• To take steps to prevent untimely death of women and children for want of nutritious food.
• Providing hygienic meal besides issues relating to children to provide night shelter to destitute and homeless.
• To provide medical facilities to all the citizens irrespective of their economic condition.
• To provide hygienic drinking water.
• To provide safety and secure living condition for the fair gender who are forced into prostitution etc.

Thus, by setting up the ‘Social Justice Bench’ SC is trying to play a proactive role in order to meet the goals of the Constitution by providing social justice to everyone.

Japan launches asteroid probe Hayabusa-2

Japan has launched H-IIA rocket carrying a space probe- Hayabusa2 destined for a distant asteroid 1999JU3. The H-IIA rocket blasted off from Tanegashima Space Center in the south of Japan. This launch comes just weeks after a Rosetta mission of European Space Agency made historic landing of Philae probe on Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.

Key facts of this mission:

• Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) sent the probe on a six-year mission. Hayabusa in Japanese means peregrine falcon.
• Project cost: 31-billion-yen ($260-million)
• Mission: This project aims to send the explorer towards the 1999JU3 asteroid in deep space. . It will also study the surface of comet by dropping tiny robots.  It will blast a crater in the asteroid to collect materials unexposed to millennia of wind and radiation, in the hope of answering some fundamental questions about life and the universe
• Duration: It is expected to reach the asteroid in mid-2018 and spend around 18 months in the area. If all goes well, asteroid samples will be returned to Earth in late 2020.

Background

Earlier, Japan’s Hayabusa 1 probe, had made history for round-trip flight to an asteroid- Itokawa from 2003 to 2010. The first Hayabusa mission had encountered several crippling problems, including a fuel leak, failures in its pointing system, and a glitch with the craft’s sample collection system. Despite the challenges, the spacecraft returned to Earth in 2010, carrying a fraction of the asteroid specimens intended.

Government to observe Former PM A B Vajpayee’s birthday as National Good Governance Day

Government will observe national ‘Good Governance Day’ on the birthday of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee i.e. 25^th December each year. It was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the BJP Parliamentary Board meeting held New Delhi. On this day all BJP MPs and government officials will make the day symbolic of good governance.

Copper and brass crafts of Punjab’s ‘Thatheras’ on UNESCO heritage list

The traditional brass and copper craft of utensil making among the Thatheras of Jandiala Guru, Punjab is being inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, 2014.
It was announced at UNESCO’s 9th Session of the Intergovernmental Committee (IGC) for the Safeguarding of Intangible Heritage in Paris, France.

Key facts about Thatheras

• The craft of the Thatheras constitutes the traditional techniques of manufacturing brass, copper and kansa (an alloy of copper, zinc and tin) utensils.
• They have a unique ethnic and historical identity with an oral tradition that underpins their skill.
• The name of the community – ‘Thatheras’ is identical with the name of the element.
• These craft utensils of Thatheras have both utilitarian and ritualistic value.
• The tradition of using the metals is recommended by the ancient Indian school of medicine, Ayurveda.
• Skills of the Thatheras have been orally transmitted from one generation to other generations.
• During the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1883) – the great 19^th Century Sikh Monarch, the Thatheras crafts colony was established in Jandiala Guru, Punjab. Thus, Jandiala Guru became an area of repute due to the skill of the Thatheras.

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity: The Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity is made up of those intangible heritage elements that help demonstrate the diversity of this heritage and raise awareness about its importance.
It encourages dialogues between communities worldwide that practice traditional metal craftsmanship to manufacture handcrafted products that are both useful and beautiful.

Bollywood Veteran comedian Deven Verma passes away

Veteran Bollywood actor, comedian and filmmaker Deven Verma, passed away in Pune, Maharashtra. He was 77.
About Deven Verma

• He was born and brought up in Pune.
• In his four decades of film career he has worked around 149 films. He had also worked in Marathi and Bhojpuri films.
• He is well known for his comic roles in films such as Angoor, Golmaal, Rang Birangi, Chori Mera Kaam and Chor Ke Ghar Chor among others.
• Among the new films in which he acted were ‘Dil To Pagal Hai’, ‘Ishq’, ‘Kya Kehna’, ‘Salaakhein’, ‘Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai’ and ‘Hulchul’. His last Hindi film was ‘Calcutta Mail’ that released in 2003.
• A graduate in politics and sociology, Varma studied at Pune’s Nowrosjee Wadia College for Arts and Science between 1953 and 1957.
• He has won three Filmfare awards

1. 1976- Chori Mera Kaam.
2. 1979- Chor Ke Ghar Chor.
3. 1983- Angoor.

• Films produced by him are- Dana Paani, Chatpati, Besharam , Nadaan, Yakeen.
• Films directed by him are- Dana Paani, Besharam, Bada Kabutar, Nadaan.

Centre appoints Anil Kumar Sinha as new CBI Director

The Centre has appointed senior IPS officer Anil Kumar Sinha as the new Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). He will take over from Ranjit Sinha who will retire 3^rd December 2014.
His name was cleared by the Appointments Committee of Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Appointments Committee had shortlisted Anil Sinha’s name from names of about 40 officers shortlisted by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).
Earlier Prime Minister Narendra had consulted Selection committee headed by him to clear Sinha’s name.  Selection committee’s collegium comprised of the Prime Minister, Chief Justice of India HL Dattu and the leader of the largest Opposition party (Congress) – Mallikarjun Kharge.
The term of Anil Sinha will be for two years from the date he takes charge.

About Anil Kumar Sinha

• He is a 1979 batch IPS officer of Bihar cadre.
• Before appointment as Director of CBI, he was serving as a Special Director in CBI.
• Before joining CBI, he was posted as additional secretary in the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC). He has also served as DIG and IG in Special Protection Group, New Delhi.
• In Bihar, he has held various senior positions including ADG (law and order) and ADG (vigilance) before moving to the Centre.
• He was awarded the police medal for meritorious service in 2000 and the President’s police medal for distinguished service in 2006.

Former Maharashtra CM and Congress veteran AR Antulay passes away

Former Chief Minister of Maharashtra and a veteran Congressman, Abdul Rahman Antulay, passed away after a prolonged illness. He was 85.
About AR Antulay

• Abdul Rahman Antulay, widely known as AR Antulay.
• He was 8^th and first and only Muslim Chief Minister of Maharashtra from 1980 to 1982.
• He had resigned from his CM post following allegations of corruption scandal which was named as the “Cement scandal”. He was convicted in an extortion case by the Bombay High Court.
• As a veteran Congressman and lawyer remained loyal to Indira Gandhi during the Emergency and its aftermath when the Congress party split in 1978. The new outfit of Congress under leadership Indira Gandhi was born at his residence.
• He also served as the Union Minister of Minority Affairs in the UPA-I government lead by Dr. Manmohan Singh.
• He was elected as Congress party MLA and MP, from Raigad district of Maharashtra.
• He had fought his last election in 2009, which he lost to the Shiv Sena, after which he remained out of the active politics.

Cement scandal:  After becoming the chief minister, A R Antulay was embroiled in the cement scandal.  He was accused of forcing builders to contribute, albeit through cheques, to the Indira Gandhi Pratibha Pratishtan, a trust he had set up, allegedly in exchange for quotas for cement which was then a controlled commodity.

 in Current Affairs : December 2014, Persons in News

India successfully test fired Nuclear-Capable Agni IV missile

India successfully test-fired its nuclear-capable strategic ballistic missile Agni-IV, from a test range located at Wheeler Island, off the Odisha coast.
Test: The missile was supported by a mobile launcher. It was flight tested from the launch complex-4 of Integrated Test Range (ITR). The test was conducted by the specially formed Strategic Force Command (SFC) and Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
This test was the fourth trial of Agni-IV missile. The last trial was carried out successfully on 20^th January 2014 from the same test range.

Key facts

• Agni-IV is sophisticated surface-to-surface missile is equipped with modern and compact avionics to provide high level of reliability.
• It has a strike range of about 4000 km.
• It is equipped with state of the art Avionics, 5^th generation On Board Computer and distributed architecture. It has the latest features to correct and guide itself for in-flight disturbances.
• It is integrated with Ring Laser Gyro based Inertial Navigation System (RINS) and supported by highly reliable redundant Micro Navigation System (MINGS), which ensures that missile hits the target within two digit accuracy.

At present India has arsenal of Agni-I, II and III and Prithvi missiles with strike reach of over 3000 km, giving an effective deterrence capability.

Cabinet gives nod to Anti-Hijacking Bill, 2014

The Union cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given nod to for introduction of the comprehensive Anti-Hijacking Bill, 2014 in the Parliament. The Cabinet has also given its approval to ratify Beijing Protocol, 2010 of the UN body International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to which India is a signatory.
Anti-Hijacking Bill, 2014 proposes

• Death punishment for the offence of the hijacking, where such offence results in the death of a hostage or of a security personal.
• Imprisonment for life and the confiscation of moveable and immoveable property d of persons involved in hijacking.

The current law, the Anti-Hijacking Act, 1982, which was last amended in 1994, will be repealed after passage of this new Bill.

Background

It was felt necessary for providing death penalty award to perpetrators of the act of hijacking in the wake of the hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight IC-814 in December 1999.
It was also necessary to amend current Indian hijacking act after the incident of 9/11, in the US where aircraft were used as weapons.
The Anti-Hijacking (Amendment) Bill, 2010 was introduced in the Rajya Sabha in August 2010. It was introduced during the process of amendment of a global diplomatic conference on anti-hijacking which was held at Beijing in August-September, 2010.
Beijing Protocol: This Protocol has brought out new principal offences in hijacking. This protocol is combined with ancillary offences, enlarged the scope of ‘hijacking’, expanded jurisdiction and strengthened extradition and mutual assistance regimes in case hijacking.

HAL- ISRO tie up to produce cryogenic engine

Defence PSU, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will tie up to work on the integrated cryogenic engine manufacturing (ICEM) facility. This facility will be joint venture of both PSU’s.
ICEM facility will have a built-up area of 5,560 sqm on the land belonging  HAL’s and will be opposite to current HAL’s Aerospace Division. ISRO will fund Rs 139 crore for the facility.
This facility will be established in next two years and help to come out with a strategy on indigenous engines for India’s future space missions.
The proposed ICEM unit will include rotary vacuum brazing facility, machineries for sheet metal forming, et al. The new facility is expected to have a turnover nearly Rs 9 crore per annum.
Earlier, HAL had partnered with ISRO throughout its journey by providing hardware for satellites, SLV, ASLV, PSLV, GSLVMKII and GSLV MKIII (LVM3).

World AIDS Day Observed on December 1

On December 1, World AIDS Day was observed in India and around the world. On this day, India’s Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Shri J P Nadda launched the National toll free AIDS helpline number ‘1097’, and also the Digital Resource Centre and the Supply Chain Management System for AIDS awareness.
The Helpline Number will be available 24*7 and in all regional languages. It has been developed in collaboration with USAID.
The Health Minister also launched the District Epidemiological Factsheets which will be useful to the programme managers in the field.
About World AIDS Day

• 1 December is designated as World AIDS Day every year since 1987.
• It is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection, and mourning those who have died of the disease.
• Government and health officials, NGO’s and individuals around the world observe the day, often with education on AIDS prevention and control.
• This day is one of the eight official global public health campaigns marked by the World Health Organization (WHO)

PM inaugurates Nagaland’s Hornbill festival

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Hornbill festival of Nagaland. PM Modi by wearing a traditional Naga headgear and by beating the traditional Naga gong three times declared the festival open at the picturesque heritage village of Kisama, Kohima.

About Hornbill festival of Nagaland

Hornbill (name of a bird) Festival is celebrated in Nagaland every year in the first week of December.  This festival is 10-day tourism promotional extravaganza which showcases rich culture of Naga tribes which includes shows of music and dance.
It was established on 1^st December 1963 and was inaugurated by the then President Dr. S Radhakrishnan. The festival is organized by the State Tourism and Art & Culture Departments, at Naga Heritage Village, Kisama which is about 12 km from Kohima the state capital. Notably, it is also supported by the Centre as one of the biggest indigenous festivals of the country.
The Hornbill Festival provides a colourful mixture of dances, performances, crafts, parades, games, sports, food fairs and religious ceremonies. The festival both exposes the culture and tradition of tribal peoples, and reinforces Nagaland’s identity as a unique state in India’s federal union.

Parliamentary Standing Committee asks Government to bring Bill on Indo- Bangla LBA

A Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs has asked the government to present Constitution (119^th Amendment) Bill, 2013 without any delay to give effect to the India-Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement (LBA).
This Standing Committee was headed by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor.
The committee in its report has mentioned

• Passage of this Bill is a national interest and will pave way for broader ties with the neighbouring country.
• Coming into force of the pact may result in a “modest” demographic change in bordering areas and help to resolve the difficulties being faced by the people living in the “enclaves” of both the countries once the pact comes into force.
• Security dimension due to influx of population should be considered seriously by the government.
• After the enclaves are handed over to India by Bangladesh, government must keep ready a blueprint for development so that development work can be started immediately after the pact is ratified.

Background

The Constitution (119th Amendment) Bill, 2013 aims to ratify the LBA between India and Bangladesh under the Indira-Mujib pact of 1974 to exchange areas and people on either side of the border.
As per the provision of pact, India will exchange 111 enclaves measuring 17,160 acres with Bangladesh and receive 51 enclaves covering 7,110 acres. Almost 51,000 people reside in these enclaves. The territories involved in the exchange are in Assam, West Bengal, Meghalaya and Tripura.
On 16^th May 1974, soon after the independence of Bangladesh the LBA was signed between India and Bangladesh in order to find a solution to the complex nature of border demarcation. This pact was ratified by Bangladesh government in 1974.
In 1974, in India Cabinet had granted approval to this pact but was not ratified as it involved cession of territory.

Gujarat tops in e-transactions

Gujarat has become first state in to surpass the 1 billion mark in e-Transactions and to achieve landmark of 100 crore e-Transactions. It was revealed by e-Transaction Aggregation and Analysis – ‘eTaal’, a National e-services Dashboard portal created by the Government of India.
As per e-taal data, e-transactions in the last two years from January 1, 2013 to November 26, 2014 of top 4 states are

• Gujarat has topped with 100.21 crore e-transactions.
• Madhya Pradesh with 62.21 crore e-transactions.
• Maharashtra with 53.62 crore e-transactions
• Andhra Pradesh with 31.95 crore e-transactions.

Gujarat accounts for making nearly 27 per cent of the total 373 core e-transactions in India.
The e-Taal portal was initiated by Government of India’s Information Technology Department during the UPA rule. The portal reflects transaction statistics periodically on near real time basis.
The Union Government projects recorded 185 crore e-transactions since January 2013. Sectors such as agriculture (92 crore), common service centres (17 crore), judiciary (13 crore) and health (10 crore) contribute the maximum to the Centre’s e-transactions.
Gujarat’s contributing services for e-transactions are

• Major contributing services are Land Records, Utility Services & Bill Payments, Public Distribution System (PDS), Education, Health, Skill Development, Transport, Industry & Commerce, Court & Judiciary, Integrated Finance Management Services (IFMS) and Municipality Services etc.
• Gujarat State Government also has started implementing mobile governance to expand its e-governance programme. In 2014, Gujarat registered over 58 crore cases of Government services being disbursed online.

18 new Ayurveda colleges received government nod in 2014

NDA Government has given nod to 18 new Ayurveda colleges in 2014. Government by this decision is seeking to promote traditional forms of treatment and integrate them into the existing health care system.
Among the 18 new Ayurveda colleges, 7 new colleges will come up in Uttar Pradesh, 3 in Maharashtra, 2 in Rajasthan and besides six others in as many states.  The approval to these new institutes was given by Ayush Ministry which is in charge of Ayurveda, yoga and naturopathy, unani, siddha and homeopathy.
Earlier, then UPA government had granted the permission to only one college last year against proposals for 30 new colleges the previous government had received. No permission was given in 2011 and 2012.
Background
Currently, there are 281 Ayurveda colleges in the country offering 15,057 graduate and 3,081 post-graduate seats.
NDA government is pitching for integration of Ayurveda, yoga and other traditional forms of treatment in the existing health care system on the recommendations of committee to promote holistic health.
The committee had recommended there is need to bring reforms in medical education, research and legal framework.
Earlier in September, 2014, the government had notified National Ayush Mission (NAM) to lay down a detailed road map to shore it up as Ayush infrastructure is not satisfactory besides the industry being poorly regulated.
NAM aims to improve Ayush education and provide better access to its service through increase in number of Ayush hospitals and dispensaries, besides offering quality drugs by increasing pharmacies, drug laboratories and “improved enforcement mechanism”.
The Centre is also aiming to improve legislative framework to regulate Ayush practitioners and drugs with the help of states.

Dubai to build world’s largest airport

Dubai is planning to build world’s largest airport in order secure its position as the world’s aviation hub. It will be located at Dubai World Central at Al Maktoum, 30 km off the present Al Maktoum International airport which already is the second busiest in the world after London’s Heathrow airport.
This project is expected to complete in 2020.

Key facts

• The cost of this airport will be USD 32-billion.
• The proposed new airport will become the world’s largest aviation facility on completion.
• It will have five runways which all will be simultaneously operational, all A380-compatible with a length of 4.5 km each.
• In the first phase, it will be able to handle 120 million passengers, which will go up to 200 million when the project is completed.

Dubai is becoming global aviation hub due to its geographical location and the availability of cheap fuel.
This new airport will help to boost aviation industry of Dubai and will contribute USD 53.1 billion to its economy, which is 37.5 per cent to its GDP and will support over 750,000 jobs by the turn of 2020.
In 2013, aviation sector as a whole contributed USD 26.7 billion to the Dubai’s economy, which was almost 27 per cent of the national GDP and supported 416,500 jobs accounting for 21 per cent of Dubai’s total employment.

Government adds 18 more coal blocks to fuel the power sector

Government has added 18 more new coal blocks exclusively for the power sector in order to revive the this sector  which was facing hurdles due to poor supply of coal to thermal plants. These 18 coal blocks are added to the existing 74 reserves, which have been earmarked for e-auction as well as for allotment by March 16, 2015.
With the inclusion, the total strength of blocks which would be offered by the Centre through auction as well as direct allotment route is 92.
Top priority to the power sector: Government has given top priority to the power sector, as 59 out of these 92 blocks will be given out for it. Of these 59 blocks, 25 will be put up for e-auction while the remaining 34 will be allotted directly to Centrally-owned as well as State public sector undertakings.
The PSUs, apart from being given blocks directly, also have the option of participating in the auction exercise, as per the Ordinance promulgated by the NDA Government in October 2014. The PSUs will be identified and given blocks (depending on the criticality of their demand) through the already in place Government dispensation route.
Remaining 33 blocks will be offered to the steel and cement sectors.
Ramp up production of Coal India Ltd (CIL): Government is also planning to ramp up production of Coal India Ltd (CIL) which is the largest supplier of dry fuel in the country. For this government is aiming to increase CIL’s current production capacity of 460 million tons annually, to take it to 1 billion tons by 2019.
To achieve the target, Government is planning to introduce modern coal evacuation as well as handling technologies within the next three to four years, as well as by expediting the environmental clearances to CIL’s nearly 200 projects.

India’s first annual hemp conference held in New Delhi

India’s first annual hemp conference was held in New Delhi at Indian Habitat Centre (IHC). The aim of the conference was to provide an opportunity to international agencies get idea of India’s hemp agencies.
This conference was organised by Indian Industrial Hemp Association (IIHA) in association with World Association for Small and Medium Enterprises (WASME), European Industrial Hemp Association (EIHA), Hemp Foods (Australia) and Hemp Age.
Hemp: It is the common name for plants of the entire cannabis. This term is often used to refer only to cannabis strains cultivated for industrial (non-drug) use.
Industrial hemp: It has many uses, including paper, textiles, biodegradable plastics, construction, health food, fuel and hemp oil, wax, resin, rope and pulp.
Implications of hemp industry: Industrial hemp can bring a revolution in the industry as hemp fibre is the strongest one in the world. It has the potential to cure cancer and a next generation crop to bring revolution to our Indian economy.

Russian Film ‘Leviathan’ adjudged best film of 45th IFFI

Russian film ‘Leviathan’ has bagged the Golden Peacock at the closing ceremony of the 45th International Film Festival of India (IFFI).
Key Highlights of 45^th IFFI

• Marathi movie ‘Ek Haazarachi Note’ has bagged the centenary trophy for best film i.e. Silver Peacock.
• The Lifetime Achievement award was presented to Hong-Kong filmmaker Wong Kar-wai, known for his films like ‘In the Mood for Love’, ‘Ashes of Time’ and ‘Chungking Express’.
• The best actor award was shared by Russian actor Alexel Serebriakov and Indian actor Dulal Sarkar.
• The best actress award was shared by two international stars they are Cuban actress Arina Rodriguez and Israeli actress Sarit Larry.
• The festival also paid tribute to departed legends of cinema including Robin Williams, Richard Attenborough, Zohra Sehgal, Suchitra Sen and Farooq Shaikh by screening some of their works.

P V Sindhu wins Macau Open Grand Prix Gold Badminton Title

Indian badminton star P V Sindhu has won Macau Open Grand Prix Gold Badminton Title held in Macau. She defeated Kim Hyo Min of Korea in the women’s singles finals by score of 21-12, 21-17.
She has defended 120000 US dollar Macau Grand Prix Gold title which she had won earlier in 2013.

About P V Sindhu

• P V Sindhu is two-time World Championship bronze medalist. Currently she is ranked World No. 11.
• She had created history by becoming the first Indian to win two back-to-back medals in the World Badminton Championships.
• She was first Indian woman to win a medal in singles at the World Championships (India’s first singles medal since Prakash Padukone won bronze in 1983).