Shyam Saran Commitee

Shyam Saran (born September 4, 1946) was Foreign Secretary with the Government of India.

He is a 1970 batch Indian Foreign Service officer. Before this, he has served as Indian Ambassador to Nepal, Indonesia and Myanmar, High Commissioner to Mauritius, Joint Secretary in the Prime Minister's Office, Deputy Chief of Mission in Tokyo and Counsellor in the Indian Embassy in Beijing. He also served as India's special Envoy for Climate change from April 2008 to February 2010.

 

Commitee:

Shyam Saran acts as the NSAB (National Security Advisory Board).
Shyam Saran was asked by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to oversee the border infrastructure development and situation at the LAC by visiting the Ladakh and Siachen sectors.
The Team under Shyam Saran is referred as "Shyam Saran Commitee"

Dhyan Chand Award

Dhyan Chand Award is India's highest award for lifetime achievement in sports and games, given by the Government of India. The award is named after the legendary Indian hockey player Dhyan Chand. The award was initiated in 2002. The award carries a cash prize of INR 5 lakh (500,000 rupees), a plaque and a scroll of honour.

In August 2013, 4 individuals were awarded the Dhyan Chand Award:

Syed Ali (Hockey),
Mary D'Souza (Sequeira) (Athletics),
Anil Maan (Wrestling) and
Giriraj Singh (Para-Sports).

Dronacharya Award

Dronacharya Award is an award presented by the government of India for excellence in sports coaching. The award comprises a bronze statuette of Dronacharya, a scroll of honour and a cash component of Rs.500,000.

The recepients are:

Poornima Mahato (Archery)
KP Thomas  (Athletics)
Narinder Singh Saini (Hockey)
Raj Singh (Wrestling)

Arjuna Awards

The Arjuna Awards were instituted in 1961 by the government of India to recognize outstanding achievement in National sports. The award carries a cash prize of 500,000, a bronze statuette of Arjuna and a scroll.

There are 14 personalities who receive the award for the year2013:

1. Chekrovolu Swuro (Archery),
2. Renjith Maheshwary (Athletics),
3. Amit Kumar Saroha (Athletics).
4. P V Sindhu (Badminton),
5. Kavita Chahal (Boxing),
6. Virat Kohli (Cricket),
7. Gaganjeet Bhullar (Golf),
8. Saba Anjum (Hockey),
9. Rajkumari Rathore (Shooting),
10. Rupesh Shah (Snooker),
11. Joshna Chinappa (Squash),
12. Mouma Das (Table Tennis),
13. Neha Rathi (Wrestling),
14. Dharmendra Dalal (Wrestling)

 

Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna

The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna (RGKR) is India’s highest honour given for achievement in sports.
It carries a medal, a scroll of honour and a substantial cash component. Up to 2004–05, the cash component was Rs. 7,50,000/

The award for the year 2013 has been conferred to Ronjan Sodhi (Shooting).
 

Tagore Cultural Harmony Award 2013

Tagore Award is an Indian award given in commemoration of the 150th birth anniversary of the nobel prize laureate Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941) for the cultural harmony. Established in 2011 by Government of India, it is given to the artists and poets who work on Cultural Harmony. This award has a cheque equivalent to rs 1 crore.



Music conductor Zubin Mehta has been named for the Tagore Award For Cultural Harmony for the year 2013 in recognition of his outstanding contribution to cultural harmony.

This award was given to Ravi Shankar in 2012 by the President Pranab Mukherjee.

National Sports Awards

• Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna - India’s highest honour given for achievement in sports.
• Arjuna Award - Recognises outstanding achievement in National sports.
• Dronacharya award- an award presented by the government of India for excellence in sports coaching.
• Dhyan Chand Award - India's highest award for lifetime achievement in sports and games. The award is named after the legendary Indian hockey player Dhyan Chand.
  

Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna:

Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna (RGKR) is India’s highest honour given for achievement in sports. The words "Khel Ratna" literally mean "sports gem" in Hindi. The award is named after the late Rajiv Gandhi, former Prime Minister of India. It carries a medal, a scroll of honour and a substantial cash component. Up to 2004–05, the cash component was Rs. 500,000/- (c.11,500 USD).The money has been increased from Rs. 500,000 to Rs. 750,000.

Arjuna Award:

Arjuna Awards were instituted in 1961 by the government of India to recognize outstanding achievement in National sports. The award carries a cash prize of  500,000, a bronze statuette of Arjuna and a scroll.

Dronacharya Award:

Dronacharya Award is an award presented by the government of India for excellence in sports coaching. The award comprises a bronzestatuette of Dronacharya, a scroll of honour and a cash component of Rs.500,000. The award was instituted in 1985.

Dhyan Chand Award:

Dhyan Chand Award is India's highest award for lifetime achievement in sports and games, given by the Government of India. The award is named after the legendary Indian hockey player Dhyan Chand. The award was initiated in 2002. The award carries a cash prize of INR 5 lakh (500,000 rupees), a plaque and a scroll of honour.

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Rajiv Gandhi Sadbhavana Award

Rajiv Gandhi Sadbhavana Award for the year 2013 is awarded to Ustad Amjad Ali Khan for the outstanding work he has done in playing Sarod.


Rajiv Gandhi Sadbhavana Award is an indian award given for outstanding contributing towards bringing the communal harmony, national integration and peace. The award is initiated by All Indian Congress Commitee of the Indian National Congress to commemorate the outstanding contribution made by the former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. Award carries a citation and a cash price of Rs 5 Lakhs. Award is announced and given on the birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi, which is celebrated as Sadbhavana Diwas(Harmony Day)

Sarod

 

EC to use VVTP in Nagaland By-Poll

The Election Commision have decided to introduce the VVTP(Voter Verifiable Paper Trial) in the Electoronic Voting Machine, for the first time in Nagaland by-poll in September 4 for Noksen Assembly constitutency.
For this, an amendment was made to the "Representation of People Act, 1950".
With this enhancement, the voter can able to see the name,symbol and the serial number of the candiated voted in the print out. However, the voter is not supposed to carry the printout with them.
Chief Election Commisioner V.S. Sampath is personally supervising this Pilot Project.

T.L Shankar Committee

The commitee have recommended major reforms in the Coal Sector

Prem Bhatia Award - Award for journalist

The PREM BHATIA MEMORIAL AWARD is presented to Shalini Singh of The Hindu for Best Political Reporting of the year  on 11th August 2013.

Important Questions

1. With reference to Indian History the members of the constituent assembly from the provinces were

(CSPE 2013)
 a. directly elected by the people of those provinces
 b. nominated by the indian national congress and the muslim league
 c. elected by the provincial legislative assemblies
 d. selected by the government for their expertise in constitutional matters

Answer : elected by the provincial legislative assemblies

  First day (December 9, 1946) of the Constituent Assembly. From right: B. G. Kher
         and Sardar Vallabhai Patel; K. M. Munshi is seated behind Patel

 

Important Questions

1. Consider the following
 a. Star Tortoise
 b. Monitor Lizard
 c. Pygmy hog
 d. Spider Monkey

Which of the above are naturally found in india? (CSPE 2013)

Answer : Star Tortoise, Monitor Lizard and Pigmy Hog

Note : Actually, pigmy hog is an endangered species found in India, Nepal and Bhutan, But now it is found only in Assam











Monitor Lizard




Spider Monkey
 





Pygmy Hog







 



Important questions

1. Which of the following can be found as pollutant in the drinking water in some parts of India? (CSPE 2013)

1. Arsenic
2. Sorbitol
3. Fluoride
4. Formaldehyde
5. Uranium

Ans : Arsenic and Fluoride
 

Inland National Hobie championships

M. Girish and Kaushal Kumar Yadav won the National hobie 16 championship

The pupils had outdone their pedagogues! Kaushal Kumar Yadav and Girish Mailapravan, with 21 points, eclipsed their mentors Kalaga Yakobu and Rajeev Kumar (28) to clinch the crown in the Inland National Hobie championships that concluded at the Hussain Sagar on Wednesday.

With this triumph, the successful pairs made it a one-two for the Artillery Water Sports Association (AWSA), also the host.

Kaushal and Girish proved a ‘golden combination’ during the Visakhapatnam Coastal Nationals and last year the pair finished third at this very venue.

World Badminton Championship - Bronze medal for P.V Sindhu

Pusarla Venkata Sindhu's giant-killing run came to an end in the World Badminton Championship in Guangzhou, China on Saturday. In an one-sided semifinal, Thailand's Ratchanok Intanon demolished her Indian opponent 21-10, 21-3 in just 35 minutes. Ratchanok is the first Thailand shuttler ever to enter the final of a world championship. She will now clash with top-seed Chinese Li Xuerui.

Sindhu had already scripted history on Friday when she upset former world No. 1 Wang Shixian 21-18, 21-16 in the quarterfinals. She became the first Indian woman ever to win a singles bronze at WBC. The only other Indian to win a world bronze was Prakash Padukone in 1983. Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponappa had won a doubles bronze in 2011 at Wembley

demolished her Indian opponent 21-10, 21-3 in just 35 minutes. Ratchanok is the first Thailand shuttler ever to enter the final of a world championship. She will now clash with top-seed Chinese Li Xuerui.

Tenth-seeded Sindhu was the tournament's giant-killer. The 18-year-old from Hyderabad was the competition's 10th seed but en route to Saturday's semis, surprised higher ranked Chinese opponents like sixth seed Wang Shixian and second seed Wang Yihan. But Saturday proved to be an anti-climax as a defensive Sindhu failed to push Ratchanok at any stage of their 35-minute contest.

Nuclear Reactor activated in INS Arihant

INS Arihant (meaning "Slayer of Enemies") (S-73) is the lead ship of India's Arihant class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines. The 6,000 tonne vessel was built under the Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV) project at the Ship Building Centre in Visakhapatnam.

In a major step towards completing its nuclear triad, India activated the atomic reactor on-board the indigenous nuclear submarine INS Arihant paving the way for its operational deployment by the Navy.

After the nuclear reactor is activated, the agencies concerned can work towards readying the warship for operational deployments soon. INS Arihant has been undergoing trials at Navy’s key submarine base in Vishakhapatnam and would be launched for sea trials soon since the nuclear reactor has gone critical.

The advantage of nuclear reactor enabled submarine is that, it is no more expected to fill its fuel often, for which it has to come to the surface of the water.

New Governor for Reserve Bank of India

Raghuram Govinda Rajan : (born 3 February 1963) is an American economist who has been appointed the next Governor of the Reserve Bank of India. He also serves as Eric J. Gleacher Distinguished Service Professor of Finance at the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago. Rajan is also a visiting professor for the World Bank, Federal Reserve Board, and Swedish Parliamentary Commission. He formerly served as the president of the American Finance Association and was the chief economist of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Rajan's previous work with the Indian government includes his helmsmanship of a Planning Commission-appointed committee on financial reforms, and as honorary economic adviser to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. He has been appointed as the next (23rd) Governor of the Reserve Bank of India on 6th of Aug, 2013 for a term of three years and will take over from Dr. D Subbarao, whose five year term completes on September 4, 2013.

Major Rivers of India

Ganges River System:

The major rivers in this system are (in order of merging, from west to east)

River	Basic Information	States benefitted	Dams
Yamuna	Starting from Mansarovar Lake in Tibet	Uttarakhand, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, passing by Himachal Pradesh and later Delhi	Rana Pratap sagar dam
Ganges	Starting from Mansarovar Lake in Tibet	Uttarakhand, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, passing by Himachal Pradesh and later Delhi	Rana Pratap sagar dam

The Peninsular River System:

The main water divide in peninsular rivers is formed by the Western Ghats, which run from north to south close to the western coast. Most of the major rivers of the peninsula such as the Mahanadi, the Godavari, the Krishna and the Kaveri flow eastwards and drain into the Bay of Bengal. These rivers make delta at their mouth. The Narmada and Tapti are the only long rivers, which flow west and make estuaries.

Civil Service Prelims Results 2013

Civil Service Prelims Results 2013 has been announced yesterday.
Please refer to the following link :

http://www.upsc.gov.in/exams/written-results/csp/2013/idx&prnote.htm#PageTop

Book by Sanjay Pinto : Speakers are not made but born

Speakers are not made but born:

Journalist-columnist, TV anchor and advocate Sanjay Pinto, a resident of Abhiramapuram had his book ‘Speakers are Made Not Born’ released on July 21 at Don Bosco school campus, Egmore.
The book is on public speaking and gives the reader extended tips on how to master this skill.
The chief guest was Jennifer Mcintyre, US consul general. Also on stage were personalities like Ms YGP, head of the PSBB Group of School and Meena Muthiah of the Chettinad Vidyashram and associated group of institutions. The guests included some VIPs like the Director General of Police of Tamil Nadu and senior police officers

“The book is an essence of Sanjay Pinto’s experience of 22 years as a public speaker. It has 14 practical steps to master this art – like overcoming stage fright, opening with a bang, writing a speech, body language, voice modulation, homour and punchlines, timing, extempore speeches and so on,” says Joshua Madan, the COO of Covenant Media and the publisher of this book.
The book is priced at Rs.300 and is now available at the Covenant Media Office – F-1, First Floor, Mookambika Complex and at all Landmark stores across India. For autographed copies, call 9952705555 or e mail:sales@covenantmedia.co.in.

Bharat Ratna Award:

Bharat Ratna (Jewel of India or Gem of India in English) is the Republic of India's highest civilian award, for performance of highest order in any field of human endeavour.
Any person without distinction of race, occupation, position or sex is eligible for the award. However the recommendations for Bharat Ratna are to be made by the Prime Minister of India to the President of India.
The holders of the Bharat Ratna rank 7th in the Indian order of precedence; however they do not carry any special title nor any other honorifics

Food Security Bill

Food Security Bill

 

The Food Security Bill is a bill for consideration before the Government of India. The bill aims to provide subsidised foodgrain to around 67 percent of India's 1.2 billion people

The ordinance on Food Security Bill was signed by President Pranab Mukherjee on July 5, with the aim of providing foodgrains every month to nation's two-third population at highly subsidized rates.
 

Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Tuesday said the Food Security Bill will address the problems of hunger and malnutrition and it will be the first issue to be discussed in the monsoon session of Parliament.

Addressing a press conference here, Chidambaram said all political parties who believed that hunger and malnutrition should be addressed will support the bill.

He further said that almost all state governments are ready to implement food security.

Replying to a query on the need for issuing an ordinance, Chidambaram said the same was promulgated only after consulting the opposition. He also said that the BJP was not speaking in one voice on food security.

The ordinance on Food Security Bill was signed by President Pranab Mukherjee on July 5, with the aim of providing foodgrains every month to nation’s two-third population at highly subsidized rates.

Political parties have sharply criticized the promulgation of the Ordinance, calling it undemocratic and demanding that the Food Security Bill should be debated in both Houses before being passed.

The Food Security programme when implemented will be the biggest in the world with the government spending estimated at one lakh 25 thousand crore rupees annually.

The Food Security Bill was tabled during the Budget Session of Parliament, but could not be taken up for discussion because of opposition-led disruptions of proceedings arising out of scam-related allegations.

The Food Security Bill is aimed at giving legal rights to 67 percent of the population for a uniform quantity of 5 kg food grains at a fixed price of Rs 1-3 per kg through ration shops.

What is Srikrishna Committee on Telangana

What is Srikrishna Committee on Telangana or the Committee for Consultations on the Situation in Andhra Pradesh  (CCSAP)

Srikrishna Committee on Telangana or the Committee for Consultations on the Situation in Andhra Pradesh (CCSAP) is a committee headed by former chief justice B. N. Srikrishna to look into the demand for separate statehood for Telangana or keep the State united in the present form, Andhra Pradesh.^[1] The committee was constituted by the Government of India in 3 February 2010 and submitted its report on 30 December 2010 to the Ministry of Home Affairs. It toured all the regions of state extensively and invited people from all sections of the society to give their opinion on the statehood. It received over one lakh petitions and representations from political parties, organisations, NGOs and individuals. It also held consultations with political parties and general public while also factoring in the impact of recent developments on different sections of people such as women, children, students, minorities, Other Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.^[2] The report was released to the public on the internet on 6 January 2011.




Other members of the committee are

• Vinod Duggal - former Union Home Secretary
• Ravindar Kaur - professor at IIT Delhi
• Abusaleh Sharif - Ph.D is a Senior Research Fellow at the New Delhi Office of International Food Policy Research Institute
• Prof. (Dr.) Ranbir Singh, Vice-Chancellor - National Law University

What is a Consolidated Fund?

What is a Consolidated Fund

 

The Term Consolidate Fund  is used to refer the main Bank Account of the Government in  many of the countries in the Commonwealth Nations.

Suresh Tendulkar's Commitee:

Suresh Tendulkar's Commitee:

Suresh Tendulkar Committee realtes to determining the people living under poverty line in India.
This commitee was headed by the Suresh D. Tendulkar. He was an eminent economist and former chief of National Statistical Commision. Tendulkar was a member of the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council (PMEAC) from 2004 to 2008 and as its Chairman from 2008 to 2009 when C. Rangarajan vacated the post to enter the Rajya Sabha.

What is a Money Bill:

Under the Constitution, the Bills concerning public finance can be divided into three categories:

(a) Money Bills proper i.e., Bills exclusively dealing with matters mentioned in all or any of the clauses of article 110.

(b) Other Financial Bills dealing with any of the matters specified in clauses (a) to (f) of article 110 and also other matters.

(c) Bills other than those falling under (a) and (b) but involving expenditure from the Consolidated Fund of India.

Money Bills are defined in article 110. Other Financial Bills falling under (b) and (c) are covered by article 117, clauses (1) and (3) thereof respectively.

Other details about  money bill:

1. Money Bills can be introduced only in Lok Sabha (the directly elected 'people's house' of the Indian Parliament).
2. Money bills passed by the Lok Sabha are sent to the Rajya Sabha (the upper house of parliament, elected by the state and territorial legislatures or appointed by the president). The Rajya Sabha may not amend money bills but can recommend amendments. A money bill must be returned to the Lok Sabha within 14 days or the bill is deemed to have passed both houses in the form it was originally passed by the Lok Sabha.
3. When a Money Bill is returned to the Lok Sabha with the recommended amendments of the Rajya Sabha it is open to Lok Sabha to accept or reject any or all of the recommendations.
4. A money bill is deemed to have passed both houses with any recommended amendments the Lok Sabha chooses to accept, (and without any that it chooses to decline).
5. The definition of "Money Bill" is given in the Article 110 of the Constitution of India. A financial bill is not a Money Bill unless it fulfills the requirements of the Article 110.
6. The Speaker of the Lok Sabha certifies if a Finance bill is a Money Bill or not.
7. Policy cut motion-disapproval of the given policy.symbolically the members demand that the amount of the demand be reduced to re1.they may also suggest alternative policy.
8. Economy cut motion - It is demanded that the amount of the policy be reduced by specified amount.
9. Token cut motion - Used to show specific grievance against the govt.also states that the amount of the demand be reduced Rs. 100.
10. Finance bill is supposed to be enacted within 75 days(including the Parliament voting and the President assenting).

Words written on Emblem of Supreme Court of India:

What are the words written on Emblem of Supreme Court of India:

It is "Yato Dharma Tato Jaya".

Meaning : "Where there is a dharma, there is victory"

Source :  Bhagavad Gita, a part of the popular Indian epic "Mahabharata

 

What is a Dharma :

Dharma is a Sanskrit word with multiple meanings and connotations. It has been investigated, interpreted and re-interpreted by the followers of the different Indian religions as well as Buddhism and Jainism. Despite their different outlooks and believes, what they all have in common is that each school base their central tenets and believes upon dharma. From this perspective dharma is the inmost support that guides the practitioner to reach greater clarity and insight.

 

 

‘Where there is dharma there is victory’ and when people live according to the principles of dharma they grow and prosper according to their highest potential. It is proclaimed to be the kßatrsya kßatram ‘the supremacy of royal power’, that which gives strength, valor, insight and stability to the rulers of the land who abide by the principles of dharma. Any power gained by violence, deceit, injustice or suppression of others will eventually crumble under the universal dharma (law) of justice