GATT and WTO trade rounds

GATT and WTO trade rounds

GenevaApril 19477 months23TariffsSigning of GATT, 45,000
tariff concessions affecting $10 billion of trade
AnnecyApril 19495 months13TariffsCountries exchanged some 5,000 tariff concessions
TorquaySeptember 19508 months38TariffsCountries exchanged some 8,700 tariff concessions, cutting the 1948 tariff levels by 25%

Padma Awards 2014

President Pranab Mukherjee announced the names of Recipients of this year’s Padma awards. He approved conferment of 127 Padma Awards including one duo case (counted as one). Padma Awards, the country’s highest civilian awards, are conferred in three Categories viz. Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. The list comprises two Padma Vibhushan, 24 Padma Bhushan and 101 Padma Shri Awardees.

Padma Awards 2014

2014 Padma Vibhushan Awards :

These are awarded  for  exceptional  and distinguished service. This year both the awardees were from Maharashtra:

1. Dr. Raghunath A. Mashelkar for Science and Engineering
2. Shri B.K.S. Iyengar for Yoga 

2014 Padma Bhushan Awards:

These are awarded for distinguished service of high order:

1. Prof. Gulam Mohammed Sheikh, Art – Painting, Gujarat
2. Begum Parveen Sultana, Art – Classical Singing, Maharashtra
3. Shri T.H. Vinayakram, Art – Ghatam Artist, Tamil Nadu
4. Shri Kamala Haasan, Art-Cinema, Tamil Nadu
5. Justice Dalveer Bhandari, Public Affairs, Delhi
6. Prof. Padmanabhan Balaram, Science and Engineering, Karnataka
7. Prof. Jyeshtharaj Joshi, Science and Engineering, Maharashtra
8. Dr. Madappa Mahadevappa, Science and Engineering, Karnataka
9. Dr. Thirumalachari Ramasami, Science and Engineering, Delhi
10. Dr. Vinod Prakash Sharma, Science and Engineering, Delhi
11. Dr. Radhakrishnan Koppillil, Science and Engineering, Karnataka
12. Dr. Mrityunjay Athreya, Literature and Education, Delhi
13. Ms. Anita Desai, Literature and Education, Delhi
14. Dr. Dhirubhai Thaker, Literature and Education, Gujarat
15. Shri Vairamuthu Ramasamy Thevar, Literature and Education, Tamil Nadu
16. Shri Ruskin Bond, Literature and Education, Uttarakhand
17. Shri Pullela Gopichand, Sports – Badminton, Andhra Pradesh
18. Shri Leander Paes, Sports – Tennis, Maharashtra
19. Shri Vijayendra Nath Kaul, Civil Service, Delhi
20. Late Justice Jagdish Sharan Verma, Public Affairs, Uttar Pradesh #
21. Late Dr. Anumolu Ramakrishna, Science and Engineering, Andhra Pradesh #
22. Prof. Anisuzzaman, Literature and Education, Bangladesh*
23. Prof. Lloyd I. Rudolph and Prof. Susanne H. Rudolph, Literature and Education, USA*$
24. Dr. (Smt.) Neelam Kler, Medicine – Neonatology, Delhi

GENERAL STUDIES BOOK LIST FOR UPSC CIVIL SERVICE

An Introduction to the Constitution of India - D.D.Basu and Lashmikanth (Indian Polity)

Perspectives on Indian Constitution - Edited by Subash Kashyap

Biology for VIII-X Std - NCERT

Physics for VIII-X Std - NCERT

Chemistry for VIII-X Std - NCERT

Anatomy & Physiology for Nurses Courses - Evelyn Pearce

Know your body - Reader’s Digest

An Evolution of Indian Economy - I.C.Dhingra (Sultan Chand & Co)

Indian Economy - Dutt & Sundaram

Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Recruitments 2014 - Last date online 30.01.2014

Union Public Service Commission 
New Delhi

UPSC Advertisement No.1/2014 for various posts

Advt No.1/2014

Advt date 11.01.2014

Last date online 30.01.2014

Posts :

• Court Officer in Department of Industrial Policy Promotion, Ministry of Commerce & Industry - 1 Post - PB2 GP 4600 [Notification]

• Assistant Director in Department of Internal Security, Ministry of Home Affairs - 2 Posts - PB3 GP 6600 plus special allowance 800 [Notification]

Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram - Current Affairs 2014

The Government of India has started the country’s first comprehensive adolescent health programme- Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram, which will also focus on adolescents’ reproductive health.

Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram

• Focus: Health needs of 24.3 crore adolescents which makes 21% of India’s population in India.
• A holistic and participative programme instead of a ‘doctor-driven’ effort.
• Strategy: RMNCH+A stands for (Reproductive, Maternal, New born, Child Health + Adolescent).
• New dimensions: Mental health, nutrition, substance misuse, gender based violence and non-communicable diseases.
• Community based interventions through peer educators, and is supported by collaborations with other Ministries and State governments, knowledge partners and research.
• Strives to make adolescents aware even before the occurrence of any disease or problem, so that they could make informed decisions and choices.
• Using new technologies and social media platforms to reach the adolescents in their own spaces, with strategic partnerships with communities and peers. 

India internet spy system 'Netra'

 Beware! Use of words like "attack", "bomb", "blast" or "kill" in tweets, status updates, emails or blogs may bring you under surveillance of security agencies as the government will soon launch "Netra", an internet spy system capable of detecting mala fide messages.

The home ministry is giving finishing touches to 'Netra', which will be deployed by all security agencies to capture any dubious voice traffic passing through software like Skype or Google Talk, besides write-ups in tweets, status updates, emails, instant messaging transcripts, internet calls, blogs and forums.

India - Indigenous cryogenic engine puts a 1,982-kg communication satellite in orbit

Indigenous cryogenic engine puts a 1,982-kg communication satellite in orbit

One of India’s most ambitious dreams became a reality on Sunday when its Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-D5), powered by an indigenous cryogenic engine, effortlessly put the 1,982-kg GSAT-14 communication satellite into a perfect orbit after 17 minutes of flight.

The cryogenic engine built by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) fired for 12 of those 17 minutes.

The precision of the cryogenic upper stage was such that it put the GSAT-14 into an orbit with a perigee of 179 km, against the target of 180 km, and the apogee achieved was off by a mere 50 km for a target of 36,000 km.