February Current Affairs (1-10)

NATIONAL AFFAIRS
IAF inducts India's first  Light Combat Aircraft 'Tejas'

India's first homegrown supersonic fighter jet, the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) 'Tejas', was handed over to the IAF by Defence minister, A K Antony after the Initial Operational Clearance.

           Being India's much-awaited project, LCA design and development by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) was initiated in 1983 with a budget of Rs 560 crore.

Nicknamed 'Tejas' in 2004, the LCA designing had been launched in 1985 by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) under the DRDO with HAL as the nodal manufacturing agency.

IAF inducts 'Super Hercules' transport aircraft

After four decades, the Indian Air Force (IAF) oinducted an American origin aircraft, the C-130J 'Super Hercules' transport plane, augmenting its special operational capability.

The C-130Js, the latest version of Hercules with four powerful engines and around 20-tonne payload-carrying capacity, will enhance India's rapid reaction capabilities since the rugged aircraft can land on unprepared and short air fields as well.

The Super Hercules is a highly integrated and sophisticated configuration primarily designed to support India's special operations requirement.

         Equipped with an Infrared Detection Set (IDS), the aircraft can perform precision low-level flying, airdrops and landing in blackout conditions.

But in absence of defence agreements such as the CISMOA, the C-130Js will be without some of the critical communication equipment that is fitted on the American aircraft.

Agni-III launch a complete success

The launch of Agni-III, the missile with the longest range in India’s arsenal, from the Wheeler Island off Orissa was a complete success.

The two-stage, surface-to-surface ballistic missile can carry nuclear warheads.

Biggest ever census to begin across the country
As the biggest census excercise has kicked off. The vital part of Census 2011, the population enumeration will be conducted across the country simultaneously between February 9 and 28 as 25 lakh enumerators will reach out to more than 24 crore households in a three week long exercise.

The Rs 2,200 crore exercise will cover all citizens living in 7,742 towns and six lakh villages in 640 districts of India.
With the expenditure of just Rs 18.33 for each person, this census is also being considered as the most cost-effective.
During the massive exercise, all citizens of the country will be counted classifying various factors and according to their gender, religion, occupation and education.
Enumerators for the first time will collect information like ownership of mobile phones, computers, internet, having treated or untreated drinking water facility and usage of banking services.
The massive exercise, to be spread over next 11 months, will mark a milestone as the first-ever NPR will also be prepared in which all persons aged over 15 years will be photographed and fingerprinted to create a biometric national database. Once the NPR final database is created, the same will be sent to Unique Identification Authority of India for duplication and generation of UID number and for issuing proposed identity smart card.
However, information about caste will not be collected in this phase but through a separate phase to be conducted between June and September 2011.


Inclusion of nomadic people in census
A bench of justices J M Panchal and H L Gokhale issued notice to the Centre on the plea for inclusion of Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes (DTNT) communities in the census.
There are an estimated 700 communities in the country which claim to be DTNT.

Posco steel project gets green light with 28 new conditions

South Korean steel giant Posco or Pohang Steel Company has got approval to set up Rs 51,000-crore Posco integrated steel plant in Orissa and relenting on its tough insistence on absolute compliance with environment laws.
The clearance for the steel-cum-captive power plant has come with 28 new conditions that include riders such as no construction in high erosion zones and no industrial activity in coastal regulation zone.
Environmental clearance for the steel-cum-captive power plant is being accorded with 28 additional conditions over and above stipulated in the original environmental clearance of July 19, 2007.
             The Posco project, the largest FDI in the country, has been mired in controversy for the last five years. The Rs. 51,000 crore steel and port project in Orissa has been stuck since 2007 because of protests by locals and environmental concerns.
Posco will have to invest 2 per cent of its net annual profit for welfare of the region.
             The Orissa government and POSCO had signed a MoU on June 22, 2005 for setting up an integrated steel plant with a total capacity of 12 million tonnes per annum at Paradeep in Jagatsinghpur district.

India to have own satellite navigation system by 2015
India will launch seven satellites in the next four to six years to develop its own version of the Global Positioning System (GPS) for enhancing surveillance capabilities and improving accuracy of its weapon systems.

By this achievement, The Indian Navigation System (INS) satellites would provide coverage over India's areas of interest for military purposes along with its civilian uses.
Till now, India is dependent on the American GPS and has signed a deal with Russia for using their GLONAS system.
Similar developments in the neighbourhood are from China which was developing its own version of the GPS which will cover the whole globe.

Cabinet nod for amendment to law on print media policy
A comprehensive bill to replace the age-old law relating to print media that will cover internet edition of newspapers and include provisions on limits on foreign news content and investment was approved by the Union Cabinet.
Cabinet decided to amend the 1867 Press and Registration of Books Act to streamline the age-old processes pertaining to the print media policy.

Nation remembers Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed on 34th death anniv

The nation remembered former President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed on his 34th death anniversary.

Home Minister declares open housing complex for tsunami hit villagers
Union Home Minister P Chidambaram declared open a housing complex of more than 1,400 independent houses constructed by Puducherry govt for rehabilitation of tsunami-affected fishermen families.
The complex, built with the help of a Rs 82 crore Central Government grant, will house the fisher-folk of Pillaichavady, Sinna Kalapet, Periya Kalapet and Ganapathy Chettykulam villages, who were hit by the tsunami in December 2004.

Chiranjeevi merges his party with Congress
Nearly 30 months after launching his party with much fanfare, Praja Rajyam chief Chiranjeevi has announced its party PRP merger with Congress, which is trying to counter the possible threat posed by Y S Jaganmohan Reddy in Andhra Pradesh.

Department of Post roped in for UID initiative
The Department of Post entered into a strategic partnership with the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) for registration and distribution of unique identification (UID) cards to Indian citizens.
By this move, UIDAI will leverage the existing infrastructure of the DoP to reach out to the masses for providing UID.
The Department of Post has offered to include one-and-a-half-lakh post offices for this purpose initially.
UIDAI authority has installed approximately 5,000 biometric devices for collection of the biometric impressions of citizens, like fingerprint and retina scanners.

In new bill emergency care to become mandatory for all hospitals
The Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation Act) Bill, 2010 — approved by the Union Cabinet last month — makes it mandatory for all clinical establishments to provide medical care and treatment to stabilise any person in an emergency condition.
If the Bill is passed in Parliament, this will be the first time emergency medical care is made obligatory under law in the country.
While there is no provision for imprisonment for non-compliance, the registering authority can impose a heavy fine — up to Rs. 5 lakh — on the erring establishment. If it fails to pay, the fine will be recovered as arrears of land revenue.

WB Panchayat Amendment Bill-2010 receives Governor's assent
West Bengal Panchayat Amendment Bill-2010 received the assent of Governor M K Narayanan. This has been observed for enhanced participation of women in grassroots administration which reserves half of the seats for them in state Panchayat bodies.
Earlier, 33 percent of the seats were reserved for women in Panchayati raj institutions.

Orissa minister resigns over dal scam
Orissa's Women and Child Dev Min Pramila Mallick has resigned in the wake of allegation of a Rs 700-crore scam in purchase of dal for mid-day meal scheme and Supplementary Nutrition Programme (SNP).
Her department was the nodal agency through which dal was being given to about 9.5 million beneficiaries including 5 million school children.

It’s best to be born in Goa
Goa is the best place in India for a child to be born while Madhya Pradesh is the worst.
India has seen a fall in its infant mortality rate (IMR). And in sheer numbers, Goa in 2009 recorded the least number of infant deaths per 1000 live births — 11. It was followed by Kerala (12), Manipur (16) and Puducherry (22). Daman & Diu recorded 24 deaths per 1000 live births.
 In comparison, the states where maximum children died were MP which saw 67 deaths per 1000 live births, Orissa (65), Uttar Pradesh (63), Assam (61) and Rajasthan and Meghalaya jointly recording 59 infant deaths.
  According to the latest Sample Registration System (SRS) estimates which have been released by the registrar general of India, India’s IMR dropped by three points — from 53 (during 2008) to 50 infants deaths per 1000 live births during 2009.
  The IMR for rural areas also dropped by three points — from 58 to 55 infant deaths per 1000 live births.

Bill proposes 7-yr jail, 20L fine for trade in human organs
According to Union health ministry’s new Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Amendment Bill, 2011, which will come up in the next Cabinet meeting, punishment for illegal removal of human organ will entail a 10-year jail term and Rs 5 lakh fine. Punishment for commercial dealings in human organs is being increased to seven years of imprisonment along with Rs 20 lakh fine. Union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad is keen to introduce the bill in the Budget session.

INDIPEX 2011
INDIPEX 2011, the World Philatelic Exhibition will be largely competitive and showcase some of the finest and rarest stamp collections from around the world. Stamps reflect t he history, culture, ethos and concerns of nations and people, which makes stamp collection as a hobby interesting and educative.

            There is considerable excitement about the exhibition all around the world as it will be one of the biggest events in India after the Commonwealth Games.
It is being organized by India Post, Government of India, in association with the Philatelic Congress of India.
The first official airmail flight took place in India between Allahabad and Naini on 18th February 1911, a whole hundred years ago.
            The first of such international philatelic exhibitions In India was organized in a small way in 1954 as part of the centenary celebrations of the Indian postages stamp. This was followed by INDIPEX-73 International Philatelic Exhibition held in New Delhi from 14 to 23 November1973. The first Asian International Philatelic Exhibition was held at Bangalore in 1977. In 1980.

IMD declares 2009 warmest year since 1901
 The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Saturday declared 2009 the warmest year since 1901, the year it started keeping records of temperatures and other weather parameters.
The average annual mean temperature over the country as a whole for the year was almost one degree Celsius above the average for the entire century — plus 0.913 degrees Celsius to be precise.
The average of temperatures between 1961 and 1990 is considered as the benchmark. The average annual mean for the 30 years is 24.64 degrees Celsius. The average mean temperature in 2009 has been calculated to be 25.553 degree Celsius.

Solar energy use in cell towers can reduce CO2 emission: Study
Use of diesel generators in cellphone towers leads to a staggering five million tonnes of annual carbon emissions in India and there is a need to replace them with solar panels, says a new study.
With the number of mobile phone users in the country swelling rapidly, telecom operators are going in for more high-intensity cellphone towers for better network efficiency entailing a massive consumption of diesel -- about two billion litres every year --- for power generation to run them, said the study released by 'Future Energy' periodical published by Maharashtra Energy Development Agency (MEDA).
This is resulting in carbon emissions totalling over five million tonnes.
The country at present has about 250,000 cellphone towers each of which use 3-5 kilowatts of power depending on the number of operators using them.
Together, these towers use more than two billion litres of diesel every year for power generation. Apart from this, fuel is also spent for cooling the equipment. It noted that cellphone towers are "energy-intensive" as they use power non-stop without interruption.
The total carbon emissions from diesel used for cellphone towers is estimated by the study at 5.3 million tonnes or 11.76 billion pounds while the cost of diesel every year at an average price is calculated at USD 1.4 billion (equivalent to Rs 6,400 crore).

Army to observe 2011 as the 'Year of the Disabled Soldier'
Honouring its troops who were severely injured and left disabled in operations, the Indian Army has decided to observe 2011 as the 'Year of the Disabled Soldier'.

337-year-old book to be reprinted
Collectors of rare books will soon be able to lay their hands on a facsimile copy of 17th century book India and Persia by British cartographer John Ogilvie. It is being reprinted by the authorities of the Asiatic Society.


INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
Pakistan reconstituted his cabinet

Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani reconstituted his cabinet and in new cabinet Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who was known for his less-than friendly attitude towardsIndia, has no place and is no longer the foreign minister of Pakistan.
The government is also required to downsize the cabinet in line with a landmark constitutional reforms package passed by parliament last year. Under the 18th constitutional amendment, the size of the cabinet should not be more than 11 per cent of the total strength of parliament.

Pak test fires nuclear-capable Hatf-7 cruise missile

Pakistan test fired nuclear-capable Hatf-7 cruise missile with a range of 600 km that can hit targets in India.

Khanal sworn in as PM of Nepal

Nepal's veteran communist leader Jhalanath Khanal was sworn in as the new prime minister.

Mubarak steps down, Army takes over
Hosni Mubarak, who ruled Egypt with an iron hand for over three decades, stepped down as President and handed over power to the army capitulating under mass protests.
Tahrir Square, the epicentre of the anti-government protests, erupted in joy with tens of thousands of people shouting 'Egypt is Free".
Mubarak is the second leader to quit after protests broke out across Arab streets in what is called the 'Jasmine Revolution'.

US removes ISRO and DRDO from entities list
The US has removed nine Indian space and defense related companies including those from ISRO and DRDO from its export control 'Entity List' in an attempt to expand high technology trade and strategic cooperation with India.
The nine entities are Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL), four remaining subsidiaries of the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) in the US sanction list and another four of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).
It further adds India to a country group in the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) that consists of members of the Missile Technology Control Regime

Iran to enrich uranium to 20 p.c.
Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has ordered uranium enrichment to a 20 per cent level without giving up Tehran’s readiness to swap domestically produced low-enriched uranium with atomic fuel produced abroad.


ECONOMY, BANKING AND FINANCE
Centre to compensate for Rs 7k cr CST loss to states
The Government approved Rs 7,029 crore compensation to states for the losses they suffered due to reduction in central sales tax (CST) rate in 2010-11.
CST, a tax on movement of goods from one state to another, was reduced from 4 per cent to 3 per cent in 2007-08 and further to 2 per cent in 2008-09 after the introduction of VAT, as it was considered distortionary.

Cabinet approves Rs 1,100 cr fund infusion in RRBs
The government approved capital infusion of Rs 1,100 crore for Regional Rural Banks for improving their capital adequacy ratio.
Share of Central Government that is Rs 1,100 crore will be released as per provisions made by the Department of Expenditure in 2010-11 and 2011-12.
The issued capital of RRBs is subscribed by Central Government, State Government and sponsor banks in the proportion of 50 per cent, 15 per cent and 35 per cent, respectively.
RRBs are jointly owned by Government of India, the State Government concerned and the Sponsor banks.
The fund infusion in RRBs will improve their Capital to Risk Weighted Assets Ratio CRAR) and enable the banks to enhance their lending towards farm sector.
Besides, the Cabinet approved additional amount of Rs 700 crore as contingency fund to meet the requirement of the weak RRBs, particularly those in the North Eastern and Eastern Region.

Health insurance policy portability from 1st July

In a big relief to dissatisfied health insurance policy holders, sectoral regulator IRDA has allowed them portability -- shifting policies from one insurer to another on same terms – from 1st July.
The portability facility will allow policy holders to switch over to another insurance company with the same conditions.
The new facility will also help those policy holders who stick to one insurer throughout life for fear of losing the cover for Pre Existing Diseases (PED).

German, Swiss govts promise help on black money;assert secrecy
Germany and Switzerland have promised full support to India in unearthing black money stashed in their countries, but have asserted that their secrecy clause - barring Indian government from making the names public - be strictly adhered to.

Germany, which last year provided the names of some Indians having secret accounts in Liechtenstein's LGT Bank, will readily share more names whenever it comes across any  on the basis that such information can't be made public and should only be used by the competent authorities.
A top Swiss government official also asserted that the information to be shared by Swiss authorities with India, once the revised tax treaty between two countries comes into force, can't be made public and should be "treated as secret."
India is putting in place relevant treaties with both Switzerland and Liechtenstein, a European nation, to get access to details about Indians having illicit wealth in bank accounts there.

Rs 500 crore sops for exporters
The government announced fiscal incentives worth Rs 500 crore to exporters of select products, helping them to cope with the uneven global recovery marked by problems in Europe.
The sops, to be given under different schemes like 'Focus Market' and 'Focus Products' from January to December 2011, were unveiled.
The sectors, which will benefit from the Commerce Ministry's initiative include agri products, chemicals, engineering, electronics, plastics and textiles. Over 617 products would get the benefit.
In the Focus Market Scheme, exporters get duty credit of three per cent on the value of consignments.
Whereas, under the Focus Product Scheme, the exporters avail duty credit of five per cent.
The government had given similar sops worth Rs 600 crore in January, 2010.

Govt to roll out banking services in 20K villages this fiscal
Finance Min Pranab Mukerjee has said banking services will be rolled out in 20,000 villages this fiscal, but warned the banks against selecting wrong entities as their business correspondents -- persons acting as intermediaries between rural people and banks.
For the year 2010-11, govt have set a target of rollout in 20,000 villages.
BCs are persons, who besides helping rural people to open bank accounts, would facilitate in banking transactions.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee after review of RRBs in 2009, constituted a committee under the Chairmanship of RBI Deputy Governor K C Chakrabarty.
This was to analyse the financials of the RRBs and suggest measures including re-capitalisation to bring the CRAR of RRBs to at least 9 per cent in a sustainable manner by 2012.
The Committee, which submitted its report in May, 2010, had recommended RRBs to have CRAR of at least 7 per cent as on 31st March, 2011 and at least 9 per cent by the end of March 2012.
Recapitalisation requirement is of the order of Rs 2,200 crore for 40 of the 82 RRBs. This amount is to be released in two installments in 2010-11 and 2011-12, the panel had recommended.
The remaining 42 RRBs will not require any capital and will be able to maintain CRAR of at least 9 per cent as on 31st March, 2012, it had suggested.

TDSAT reserves order on RCom plea against BSNL's ADC demand
Telecom tribunal TDSAT, headed by its Chairman Justice S B Sinha, reserved order on a plea by Anil Ambani group firm RCom, which has challenged state-owned BSNL's demand of access deficit charge (ADC) and disconnection notice for its walky service.
RCom has challenged a demand note issued by BSNL onDecember 30, 2010, asking it to deposit Rs 68 crore for two circles - UP West and Orissa - as ADC.
BSNL had also threatened to disconnect its Point of Interconnections (PoIs) if the ADAG group firm failed to meet the payment demand. The bill was raised for 2005-6.
PoIs between two operators are a must for subscribers to make and receive calls from different networks. ADC is a levy paid by private telecom operators for funding the PSU's rural and remote operations.

Exports grow by 32.5 pc to USD 20.6 bn in January
India's exports grew by a healthy 32.5 per cent year-on-year to USD 20.6 billion in January, 2011 on account of increasing demand in the western markets.
Imports in January, 2011 is estimated to increase by 13.1 per cent to USD 28.6 billion over the same period last year, leaving a trade deficit of USD 8 billion during the month
During April-January, 2010-11, imports rose by 17.6 per cent to USD 273.6 billion.
The US and EU are India's traditional markets and account for more than one third of its shipments.

HC boost to Islamic banking
Recently India is looking at incorporating Islamic banking. Give look at it
                                                             Banking -The Islamic way

What is Islamic banking |
Islamic banking abides by the Islamic law (Sharia). Sharia prohibits usury / payment or acceptance of interest on specific term loans. Islamic banks would never knowingly have anything to do with companies involved in gambling, alcoholic beverages or porcine food products
Who plays regulator |
To ensure Sharia compliance, Islamic banks usually have boards of religious scholars
Is it only for Muslims |
No. Anyone can participate in Islamic Banking provided he/she has faith in Sharia. In 1994, Malaysia created the world’s first Islamic inter-bank money market. Now, nearly one-quarter of all Islamic banking business in Malaysia is transacted by non-Muslims
Some Islamic banking services
    Islamic charge and debit cards | Unlike standard cards, these are linked to personal credit lines so users only “borrow” from themselves. The bank makes money by charging service fees
    Islamic debt investments |
include asset-backed securities, in which Islamic assets are bundled into bonds
    Convertible bonds |
morphs into shares of sharia-compliant companies
    Islamic bonds |
The German state became the first European govt to issue an Islamic bond last year — a $121 mn 5-year floating-rate note that provides “rent” in lieu of interest from a series of govt properties that form the bond’s collateral


Govt lifts export ban on certain rice, onion varieties

The government allowed the export of three varieties of non-basmati rice grown in the southern states in anticipation of bumper crop production this year.

Partially lifting a three-year old ban, the government has permitted exports of 'Ponni Samba' and 'Matta' varieties of basmati, subject to a cap of 25,000 tonnes each, while shipments of 'Sona Masuri' have been permitted with a cap of 1,00,000 tonnes, According to the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said in a notification.

These varieties are grown in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

The DGFT is an arm of the Commerce Ministry 

Core sector grows 6.6% in December
The country’s infrastructure sector output grew 6.6% in December from a year earlier, accelerating from the upwardly revised 3% in November.

      The infrastructure sector—spanning crude oil, petroleum refinery products, coal, electricity, cement and steel-—accounts for 26.7% of the country’s index of industrial production.

BHEL likely candidate for Maharatna status
According to Heavy Industries Minister Praful Pate, BHEL is likely the next candidate to get the coveted Maharatna tag, a move that will provide more financial flexibility to the state-run power equipment manufacturer.

At present, there are four Maharatnas -- ONGC, Indian Oil, SAIL and NTPC.
A PSU with Maharatna status can invest up to Rs 5,000 crore in a project independently, while the limit for Navratna companies is Rs 1,000 crore.
Criteria for having Maharatna status :-
For getting Maharatna status, a company needs to have a three-year track record of annual net profit of over Rs 5,000 crore, net worth of more than Rs 15,000 crore and turnover of more than Rs 25,000 crore. It should also be a listed firm.
Maharatna scheme was announced by the government in December 2009 to give more operational freedom to the top-performing PSUs.
What made government to divest its stake in public sector firms
As per the Clause 49 of the listing agreement between companies and stock exchanges requires companies to have independent directors in half of the board positions.
Some large listed state-run companies do not have the required number of independent directors.
This has impeded the government's effort to divest part of its stake in public sector firms, forcing it to name retired bureaucrats as independent directors.
      Out of 47 listed government companies, the boards of 17 companies like Indian Oil, BHEL and SAIL do not have the required number of independent directors," a recent government report had said.
There are 246 Central Public Sector Enterprises in the country, as on March 2009.

25p coins to be history after June
The Reserve Bank of India has asked state-run banks and some private lenders to accept 25 paise coins for exchange until end-June 2011.

Parikh panel recommends flat tax on diesel cars
The Kirit Parikh Committee proposal for imposing a flat tax of Rs. 81,000 on diesel cars, including sedans and gas guzzlers SUVs and MUVs.
Diesel cars account for 35 per cent of the 1.5 million cars sold in India, and their sale is growing at 20 per cent, compared with an overall market growth of 12 per cent.

Food inflation at 7-week low of 13.07 pc
Food inflation fell to a seven week low 13.07 per cent for the week ended 29th January as pulses turned cheaper, even as vegetables remain costly.

Loan scheme for industries to acquire energy-efficient machineries launched
The Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) and Japan International Cooperation Agency have launched a line of credit to provide loans to industries for acquiring energy-efficient machineries.

Aditya Birla buys US co for $875m
Kumar Mangalam Birla-led Aditya Birla Group has acquired Atlanta-based Columbian Chemicals Company from One Equity Partners, the merchant banking arm of JP Morgan Chase, for $875 million (about Rs 4,016 crore), catapulting the Indian major into the largest global producer of carbon black by volume.
This is Aditya Birla Group’s second largest overseas buy after the $6-billion acquisition of Canada-based aluminum company Novelis in 2007.

Appointments
U K Sinha Sebi chairman

U K Sinha, chairman of UTI Asset Management Company, has been appointed chairman of the stock market regulator, Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi).
 Sinha is a 1976 batch Indian Administrative Service officer and belongs to the Bihar cadre. He took voluntary retirement in 2008 to head UTI AMC. Current Sebi chief C B Bhave retires on February 17.

Sushma Nath new fin secy
Expenditure secretary Sushma Nath has been appointed as the next finance secretary with the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC).

Jhumpa Lahiri appointed to Obama arts committee

Indian-American Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri has been appointed a member of U.S. President Barack Obama’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities, along with five others.


Awards
Jnanpith Award for 2007 to O N V Kurup
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh handed over the prestigious Jnanpith Award for 2007 to Malayalam poet ONV Kurup. He is from Kerala.

Born in 1931 in Kerala's Kollam district, Kurup is a leading voice among the contemporary Malayalam poets who has reinvented the narrative transition of Malayalam poetry through his long poems like 'Ujjayini' and 'Swayamvaram'.
Kurup has 20 collections of poetry to his credit. He is also winner of several awards and honours including Kerala Sahitya Academy award, Sahitya Academy award, Vayalar award and Padmashri.
While Kerala's own poet G Sankara Kurup won the first Jnanpith award in 1965, other eminent writers like Tara Shankar Bandopadhyaya, Uma Shankar Joshi, K V Puttappa, Sumitranandan Pant and Firaq Gorakhpuri were among the

Indian, Russian films win Golden Conch at MIFF
Russian director Alexander Gutman’s 17 August won the Golden Conch for the Best Documentary, while The Spell, directed by Umesh Kulkarni was adjudged the best fiction film at the 11th Mumbai International Film Festival of Documentary, Animation and Short Films.


SPORTS
South Zone win Duleep Trophy
South Zone clinched the Duleep Trophy  as Openers Abhinav Mukund and Robin Uthappa bulldozed the North Zone bowlers to script a brilliant run chase.

Pakistan claims hockey gold

India put up a shoddy display to lose to Pakistan 5-4 in tie-breaker after 1-1 stalemate at the regulation and extra time in the final of the 11th South Asian Games hockey competition.

Fourth gold for paddler Madhurika Patkar
Madhurika Patkar struck four gold medals (three individual and one team) as Indian paddlers like their other athletes made a clean sweep on the final day of the 11th South Asian Games.
Indians were impressive on the final day capturing all the available seven gold and five silver medals to end their campaign in the 11th South Asian Games.
Madhurika joined shooters Om Prakash and Surendra Singh Rathod becoming star performer in capturing four gold medals each in the 11th South Asian Games.
India finished with 90 gold, 55 silver and 30 bronze medals, to finish the SAG with a haul of 175 medals.