India, Pakistan to ink 3 pacts to boost economic activity

 Hoping that the forthcoming visit of External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna would lead to a liberal visa regime agreement, Commerce and Industry Minister, Anand Sharma, on Tuesday, said India and Pakistan would soon ink three agreements in the areas of customs co-operation, mutual recognition of standards and redressal of trade issues to give a fillip to economic activity.

Addressing a Pakistani Parliamentary delegation at FICCI’s first India-Pakistan Parliamentary Dialogue, Mr. Sharma said India was ready to grant multi-entry and multi-city visas to businessmen from Pakistan. “I am only hoping that the agreement is signed soon. Mr. Krishna is visiting Pakistan this week-end, and, hopefully, something will happen,” he remarked.

Mr. Sharma said there was a need to also open up more land routes to allow more people-to-people exchange and smooth entry and exit of business community from both nations. “The agreements will be signed soon. It is a matter of weeks, maximum,” he added.

“We will soon be coming out with detailed clarification and guidelines on granting permission to Indian business houses and individuals to invest in Pakistan. There were some doubts, whether the Indian industry is allowed to invest or not. The answer is yes. It is just a procedural formality. I have been informed that it is getting addressed. It is a just a matter of days. So, both ways investment flow will start,” he said. India recently allowed Pakistan nationals and companies to invest in India through the semi-automatic approval route. Bilateral trade between India and Pakistan stood at $2.7 billion in 2010-11.

Haider Abbas Rizvi, a member of Pakistan National Assembly, said that increase in trade and investment would help both sides to resolve other matters. “Our relationship should not become hostage to any issue or incident. Our dialogue process should be irrevocable. We have to ensure this in the future,” Mr. Rizvi.

Read More

Coal scam: CBI files FIR against 5 companies

 CBI on Tuesday registered cases against five companies and unknown government officials as part of its probe into alleged irregularities in allocation of coal blocks and carried out searches across 10 cities.

According to CBI spokesperson, five FIRs have been filed against five companies and unknown government officials for alleged cheating.

The agency sleuths were also conducting searches at 30 places in ten cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Patna, Hyderabad, Dhanbad and Nagpur, the spokesperson said.

The filing of FIRs comes three months after registration of a preliminary enquiry (PE) into the coal scam by the agency on the directions of the Central Vigilance Commission.

During the PE, the CBI was informed by the Coal Ministry officials that it had issued show-cause notices to some of the firms, which were allocated the mines for explaining the delay in conducting the mining work.

Some of the firms, which were allocated coal blocks in 2005, were yet to start mining, official sources said.

The CBI had also examined the past areas of operation of some of the companies, which were allotted coal blocks in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Karnataka, the sources said alleging some of these firms had been set up only for getting coal blocks allocated and the same was later sublet to other companies at a premium.

The agency has already questioned senior bureaucrats, who were overseeing allocation of coal blocks during 2005-09, the sources said.

Read More

Current Affairs September 2012

• The Centre is planning to reject the Pachauri panel report on the Sethusamudram Project and set up a new Committee to re-examine the issue. If needed, the panel will identify an alternative route that avoids Ram Sethu reports the Indian Express.
• Undergraduate medical students will soon have to compulsorily serve for six months in rural areas before they get an MBBS degree, writes the Times of India in an exclusive story.
• India Clinching a remarkable title hattrick in the Nehru Cup football tournament upstaging Cameroon also makes front page news with photographs in most papers of the day.
• Times of India reports that British scientists have developed an electronic implant that can help paralysed people walk again.
• Opposition leader Sushma Swaraj’s tweet after she spoke with Congress President Sonia Gandhi regarding the logjam in Parliament over the coal block allocations is highlighted on the front pages of many papers. “Sushma to Sonia : cancel licences and order probe” writes the Hindu in its front page lead. The Indian Express reports Ms Swaraj as saying “May agree to debate if coal blocks scrapped, probe held”.
• The busting of an alleged terror module with the arrest of 11 persons in Karnataka continues to draw a lot of attention in the press. “Karnataka terror probe widens; 5 more arrested” reports the Tribune. The Asian Age says “Suspicious calls to Saudi Arabia led cops to new module”. The Times of India informs “2 Karnataka jihadis met ISI men”.
• Pictures of the first batch of 350 youth from Assam boarding a special train to Bangalore are splashed across many papers. The Indian Express quotes them as saying “Glad we are going back”.
• In a special front page exclusive, the Hindustan Times writes that Anna Hazare is planning to set up a nationwide network of non-political volunteers to carry forward his agitation. The Supreme Court’s ruling that an accused who is absconding and is declared a proclaimed offender by court is not entitled to anticipatory bail, is highlighted by the Hindu in a special story.
• Police intensify crackdown on the terror module busted in Karnataka; Five more suspects arrested.
• Over 1200 people from North-East returning to Bangalore from Guwahati in a special train.

Major Current Affairs/ Events of World: September 2012

• Chinese Defence Minister arrives in Mumbai on a five day visit; India and China to discuss putting in place more confidence building measures between the two countries.
• In Pakistan, sixteen pro-Taliban militants killed in clashes with security forces.
• India win the Nehru Cup football title beating Cameroon 5-4 in the penalty Shootout.
• An expert committee recommends postponement of controversial tax provisions of General Anti-Avoidance Rules, GAAR, for three years.
• Tehran NAM Summit declaration supports peaceful use of nuclear energy; condemns unilateral action against Iran.
• India were 283 for five at stumps on the second day of the second Cricket Test against New Zealand.
• The 17-member delegation crossed over to India via the Wagah land border yesterday for a week-long visit. The team, led by Samina Fazil, founder president of the Islamabad Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry, will also explore opportunities in India.
• In Afghanistan, atleast twelve people were killed and 57 injured in two successive suicide attacks at a NATO base early this morning. Police officials say, in the first attack, a suicide bomber on foot targeted a compound housing the local governor’s office in the district of Saidabad in the central Wardak province. A truck bomb explosion then followed on a road separating the compound from the NATO base killing ten civilians and three policemen. According to the reports the explosion was so huge that a nearby market was completely destroyed. The Taliban have claimed responsibility for the attack.
• The Syrian government says, it has repelled a major rebel attack on an air base near the northern city of Aleppo. State TV showed vehicles with mounted machine guns and other equipment seized from the Rasm al-Abboud base attack.
• About 30 people are believed to have drowned after an overloaded boat sank off the coast of Guinea. The flat-bottomed boat, capsized yesterday just a few minutes after setting off. A rescue official said eight people including at least one child have so far been confirmed dead.
• Mexico’s Electoral Tribunal today formally declared the Institutional Revolutionary Party candidate Enrique Pena Nieto as the nation’s president-elect from December 2012 to November 2018.
• President of Mexico’s Electoral Tribunal said that the tribunal should issue a Majority Certificate for Pena Nieto, as the new Mexican President-elect.
• Nieto won the presidential election on July 1, returning his party to power after a 12-year hiatus. The opposition coalition Progressive Movement, however, claimed fraud and demanded a full recount.
• The second and final Cricket Test between India and New Zealand at Bangalore has won India by 5 wickets. 

Education News of September :2012

• BANGALORE: In an attempt to woo more Indian students to their universities, a Japan Education Fair was conducted in the city on Saturday by University of Tokyo.
• There is scope for business cooperation with India and Thailand in areas of chemical industry, seafood products, machine parts, gems and jewellery, education, tourism, food and edible items and logistics, said Nitipoom
• CHANDIGARH: The National Continuing Medical Education (CME) on “Arboviral Infections of Public Health Concern: Indian Scenario” and the Hands-on-Workshop “Advanced Molecular Techniques for Arboviral Diagnosis” is being organized by the Department of Virology, PGI.
• The minister said that UGC has last month promulgated regulations for the promotion and maintenance of standards of academic collaboration between Indian and foreign educational institutions to safeguard the interests of students.
• NEW DELHI: With a number of people batting for Under-19 Indian cricket team captain Unmukt Chand, it seems like his academic woes should end soon.
• Hospitality education in India is going through a phase of evolution driven by the needs of a dynamic industry.
• PATNA: “The state government has always been trying to ensure women’s literacy,” said chief minister Nitish Kumar while presiding over a meeting with the Mission Manav Vikas (human development) officials on Friday.
• Report by India Education bureau; New Delhi: Manav Rachna International University (MRIU) bagged gold medal at ‘Intel India Embedded Challenge 2012′ (IIEC 2012) for their innovative project called “Skill Blaster”.
• Bhubaneswar: “Tribal children have a right to study in their mother tongues,” says Padmashree Dileep Tirkey, a member of parliament from Odisha and former captain of Indian hockey team.
• The giant leap forward in education was conceived of more than a 100 years ago by Italian physician and educator Maria Montessori, but even 10 years ago was offered by only a few schools

Read More

Vijay Kumar, Yogeshwar Dutt to get Khel Ratna; Arjuna award for 25

Olympic Silver medallist Vijay Kumar and bronze medallist Yogeshwar Dutt have been recommended for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award while Yuvraj Singh will be among 25 to get the Arjuna Award.

The names of pistol shooter Vijay Kumar, who won a silver in the 25m rapid fire event at the London Olympics and Yogeshwar, who bagged a bronze in 60kg free style event, were selected by the Arjuna Awards and Khel Ratna Committee, headed by Athens Olympics silver medallist shooter Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore.


Cricketer Yuvraj Singh, who is preparing to stage a comeback after recovering from a rare germ cell cancer, is among the 25 sportsperson, who have been nominated for the Arjuna Award.

The final list of award winners is expected to be announced in a couple of days by the Sports Ministry.

Generally, the names submitted by the Committees are accepted by the Ministry.

Hockey mid-fielder Sardar Singh, wrestler Geeta Phogat, and Narsingh Yadav, shooters Annu Raj Singh and Omkar Singh, shuttlers P Kashyap and Ashwini Ponappa, archers Deepika Kumari and Bombayla Devi are among Arjuna Award winners, according to a reliable source.

Read More

China's Wen Xia Yu wins Miss World 2012 title

China's Yu Wenxia has been crowned the 2012 Miss World.

This is the second time Miss China has been awarded the title. The last time was in 2007 when Zhang Zilin took the honor.

The first runner-up is Sophie Elizabeth Moulds of Wales and the second runner-up is Jessica Michelle Kahawaty of Australia.

The 23-year-old Yu is a music student who says she wants to become a music teacher.

 This is the first time for the Inner Mongolian city of Ordos to host the international beauty pageant.

The city is one of the richest regions in China thanks to its abundant natural resources. It hopes the world event will raise its profile for economic development and tourism.

Sanya, another Chinese city, has hosted the contest several times.

India's Vanya Mishra made it to the top seven spot but failed to progress further. She, however, did bag the titles of Miss Social Media and Miss Beauty with a Purpose.

In the semi-finals, the contestants were asked to perform on the music of their country and Vanya chose to dance on "Dil cheez kya hai" from 1981 film "Umrao Jaan", which landed her a spot in the top seven finalists.

Read More

July retail inflation eases to 4-month low at 9.86%

New Delhi: For the first time this fiscal, retail inflation went below the double-digit level at 9.86 per cent in July.

This is lower than June’s provisional estimate of 10.02 per cent and the now revised level of 9.93 per cent for the same month.

The lower retail inflation for July has opened a small window for the Reserve Bank of India to look at a rate cut at its review meeting on September 17, say economy watchers.
Wholesale index


This is even as the overall Wholesale Price Index (WPI)-based headline inflation at 6.87 per cent in July was above the comfort zone of the central bank.

Retail inflation in May and April stood at 10.36 per cent and 10.26 per cent, respectively.

The all-India Consumer Price Index (CPI)-based inflation rate for rural and urban areas for July stood at 9.76 per cent and 10.10 per cent, respectively, official data released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) on Tuesday showed.

Retail inflation for rural and urban areas stood at 9.65 per cent and 10.44 per cent, respectively, in June.

Read More

Bank employees on two-day strike from Wednesday.

Mumbai: Banking services such as cheque clearing may get disrupted for two days beginning Wednesday with the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), an umbrella body of nine employee unions, threatening a strike.

Employees of 27 public sector banks, 12 private lenders and eight foreign banks will stay off work to protest the government’s decision to pass an amendment to the banking laws bill, expected to come up for discussion in Parliament on Wednesday, according to C.H. Venkatachalam, convenor of UFBU.


The unions claim the proposed legislation will promote privatization of Indian state-run banks and give more powers to foreign investors and Indian corporations in the running of private banks.

They are also against the Khandelwal committee’s recommendations for introducing variable pay in public sector banks and 50% direct recruitment of bank officers from the market.

The Indian Banks Association, an industry lobby of lenders, said banks will save up to Rs. 400 crore in terms of wages to the striking employees.

The unions decided to strike work after a meeting with the chief labour commissioner in Delhi on Tuesday ended inconclusive.

Read More

Scheme to make Delhi Kerosene-free city launched

 Over 3.5 lakh BPL and poor families will get free LPG cylinders and gas stoves under an ambitious scheme launched by the Delhi Government today to end use of kerosene, which often does not reach the intended beneficiaries.

Launching the scheme announced by her in the 2012-2013 Budget, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said all BPL, AAY and JRC beneficiaries will be covered under the scheme at a cost of over Rs 100 crore which will make Delhi the first kerosene-free city in the country.


“We want Delhi to be eco-friendly. We want Delhiites to make their food in an environment-friendly environment. So, we have decided to give LPG cylinders and gas stoves free of cost. One set costs the Government Rs 3,049 and the kit comes with all accessories like regulator and pipe,” she said.

As a token gesture, Dikshit handed over the kits to 20 beneficiaries among the 200 in the first phase.

In the coming months, all the 3.56 lakh beneficiaries will be provided with fully-filled LPG cylinders and gas stove.

“The scheme can be extended to other poorer sections of society as well. If a poor person wants to avail this scheme, he can contact officers concerned and he will be given the connection,” she said.

Ms. Dikshit said the 3.56 lakh beneficiaries of this scheme were getting kerosene from PDS shops in the capital.

She also said her government was in talks with the Centre over the issue of getting cash transfers for people who don’t want to get items from the fair shops.

She said the scheme was intended at removing corruption as the gas stoves will be procured from the gas companies and there will be complete transparency in the process.

The initial scheme announced by Dikshit in her budget speech entailed providing the people with Rs 2000 for procuring a gas connection and cylinder.

However, the Delhi Government later revised the scheme and announced that the cylinders will be directly provided to the beneficiaries.

Read More