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.