Genesis-January 2014 Issue I

Endeavor Careers Dream Endeavor Achieve
The Genesis
January 2014-Issue-I
Big Stories
LokpalBillpassedinParliament
Current Affairs
India
World
16
Sports
21
Business&Economy
25
DataMine:India:Majoreventsof2013
15
Cyberbuzz
31
Science&Technology
32
Lokpal Bill passed: 3

The urgency shown by the
political class in putting in
place the anti-graft institution
could be due to the results of
the Delhi Assembly election
which showed that large
sections
of
society
are
disillusioned with mainstream
parties that are seen as
tolerant of corruption
People
Faces:NandanNilekani
BusinessBiography:IndraNooyi
30
Knowledge Corners
RecentBooks:DrivenbyJagdishKhattar
33
GD:IndiasoutrageinDevyaniKhobragadecaseisunjustified
34
Crossword
35
Sudoku
35
Doyouremember?
36
CorporateKnowledgeQuiz
40
PointCounterpoint
55
Bangla border Bill: 7

The LBA Bill is aimed at
redrawing the international
boundary between India and
Bangladesh by exchanging
areas of adverse possession
and enclaves along with
population on either side,
thus making
the highly
incongruous
and
porous
Indo-Bangla border more
manageable
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Even if you are on the right track, youll get run over if you just sit there.
Will Rogers
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THE GENESIS
Endeavor Careers
C
Drream End
deavor Achieve
Lokpal Bill
B passe
ed in Parrliamentt
Seen as the
e culminatiion of the anti-corrup
a
tion crusad
de launched
d by Anna H
Hazare, the
e passing of
the Lokpall and Lokay
yuktas Bill by Parliam
ment came more than
n four deca
ades after the idea of
creating su
uch an omb
budsman was mooted..
may
y be nominaated by the P
President on the basis of
o
reco
ommendation of the first four members of
o the selectionn
com
mmittee.
Fun
nding: All exxpenses to be ccharged to thee Consolidatedd
Fun
nd of India (Funds availablle to the Lokp
pal will not bee
dependent on the annual budgeet voted by Lo
ok Sabha).
Jurrisdiction: The
T
Prime M
Minister, Miniisters, Currennt
The Lok Sabhha passed the amended verssion of the Lookpal

Bill by a voicce vote on Deccember 18, thuus paving the way
for the settingg up of an om
mbudsman to battle
b
corruptioon in
the governmeent and amongg public servaants. The Billl had
been passed by
b the Rajya Sabha
S
on Deceember 17.
and former MPss and MLAss, Governmen

nt Employeess,
Emp
ployees of Companies
C
funnded or conttrolled by thee
Cen
ntral Governm
ment. Societies and trustss that collecct
public money, reeceive fundingg from foreign
n sources, andd
have an income leevel above a ccertain thresho
old.
The urgency shown by thhe political class in puttinng in

place the antii-graft instituttion could be due to the reesults
of the Delhi Assembly eleection which showed that large
l
sections of society are disillusioned
d
with mainstrream
parties that arre seen as toleerant of corrupption. The poliitical
class, to its credit,
c
has reccognised this inevitability, and
co-operated inn ensuring its passage. To that
t extent, it is as
much a Conggress or a BJP
P victory as Anna
A
Hazares or
Arvind Kejriw
wals.
Following aree the salient features
f
of thee amended Lookpal
bill passed byy parliament:
Lokayuktass: The new bill

b mandatess states to seet up
Relligious bod
dies and trrusts: The bill includes
Lokayuktas within
w
365 daays. States havve the freedom
m to
determine thee nature and tyype of Lokayuukta.
chairperson and
a a maximuum of eight members,
m
of which
w
50 percent shall be juddicial membeers. Fifty perrcent
members of Lokpal shalll be from among
a
SCs, STs,
OBCs, minorities and wom
men.
sociieties and truusts that collect public money,

m
receivee
fund
ding from forreign sources and have an
n income leveel
abov
ve a certain thhreshold. All entities receiv
ving donations
from
m foreign soource in thee context off the Foreignn
Con
ntribution Reggulation Act ((FCRA) in ex
xcess of Rs 100
lakh
h per year are brought undeer the jurisdicttion of Lokpall.
Thee Bill excludes bodies creeating endow
wments for or
o
perfforming religious or charitaable functions..
Selection off Lokpal: The selection coommittee will have
Pro
osecution: Inn the new bill, before takingg a decision onn
prime minister, Lok Saabha speakerr, leader of the

opposition inn the Lok Saabha and the Chief Justicce of
India. A fifth member of the selectioon committeee for
selection of Lokpal
L
under the
t category of
o eminent juurist
filin
ng a chargeshheet in a casee upon consid
deration of thee
inveestigation repport, the Lokppal may auth
horise its ownn
prossecution wingg or the investiigating agency
y concerned too
initiiate prosecuttion in speccial courts. The bill has
Constitution
n of Lokpall: The Lokpall will consist of a
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Jaanuary 2014-IIssue-I
THE GEN
NESIS
provisions for attachment and confiscation of property

acquired by corrupt means, even while prosecution is
pending.
council of ministers, as well as the higher bureaucracy,

have been brought under the ambit of the legislation a
sticking point that had scuppered earlier Bills.
Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI): For
Better selection process
independence of the CBI, in the new bill a directorate of

prosecution will be formed. Appointment of the director
of prosecution will be on the recommendation of the
Central Vigilance Commissioner. Transfer of officers of
CBI investigating cases referred by Lokpal will be only
with the approval of Lokpal who will also have
superintendence over CBI in relation to Lokpal referred
cases.
Kejriwal and his supporters may criticise the selection

process for the Lokpal, but the panel is fairly broadbased,
comprising as it does the Prime Minister, Leader of the
Opposition, Chief Justice of India or his nominee,
Speaker of the Lok Sabha and an eminent jurist
nominated by the President.
Hearing: The bill says a government servant will get a

hearing before a decision is taken by the Lokpal.
Checks and balances

Sufficient safeguards are in place to ensure the Lokpals
office is not misused to carry out witch-hunts or hobble
the executive from discharging its functions effectively.
Prime minister: The prime minister will be under the

purview of the Lokpal with subject matter exclusions and
specific process for handling complaints against the prime
minister. Inquiry against the prime minister has to be held
in-camera and approved by two-thirds of the full bench of
the Lokpal.
Investigation: Inquiry has to be completed within 60

days and investigation to be completed within six months.
Lokpal shall order an investigation only after hearing the
public servant.
Penalty: False and frivolous complaints - imprisonment
up to one year and a fine of up to Rs.1 lakh. Public
servants found guilty face imprisonment up to seven
years. Punishment for criminal misconduct and habitually
abetting corruption will be jail term up to 10 years.
Analysis
States concerns heeded
The Union government has dropped the provisions
relating to establishing Lok Ayuktas at the State level.
Instead, the Bill says States should put in place their own
institutions within one year. A composite law may be
preferable from the peoples point of view, but the
concession is in deference to the need to federalise the
anti-corruption domain.
Comprehensive in coverage
The amended Bill as passed in Parliament also reflects
this new pragmatism. It lays the foundation for creating a
viable, independent body armed with sufficient powers to
investigate and prosecute. Crucially, the PM and the
An inquiry against the Prime Minister has to be held incamera and be approved by a two-third majority of the
full bench of the Lokpal.
Autonomous body
Provisions in the Bill empower the Lokpal with the right
to use any investigating agency it chooses, as well as
giving it the power to prosecute either with its own wing
or the concerned investigating agency. These are fairly
far-reaching provisions. So it is short-sighted and selfdefeating to reject the Bill as a toothless one. It is
imperative to remember that the Lokpal was never
envisaged as a supercop and that its authority was never
meant to undermine the separation of powers and the
various checks and balances that are a vital part of our
constitutional democracy.
Shortcomings
At the same time, the corruption debate in recent times
has been dominated by issues relating to the misuse of
national resources and the private sectors takeover of
THE GENESIS
Endeavor Careers
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Drream End
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spaces previoously occupiedd by the Goveernment. Withh the
private sectorr and public-pprivate partneerships outsidee the
ambit of the Lokpal an
a amendmennt which the Left
tried, but faileed to include in the Bill the mere passsage
of the Bill is not
n likely to end
e the debatee on approachhes to
tackle graft. But
B the founddation has beenn laid for creaating
an effective and
a independeent body to tacckle it.
The passage of
o the Lok Paal Bill is the right
r
step forw
ward.
However, it alone
a
might not
n be able to effectively check
corruption. It
will definnitely be effeective againstt big
scams. But what about problems related
r
to water,
w
electricity, rooads, ration annd medicines - problems faced
f
by common men?
m
These problems
p
can be tackled onnly if
we pass otherr legislations like
l
citizens charter, grievvance
redressal andd whistle blower protectioon bill, obseerves
Dey of NC
CPRI. Jagdeeep Chokkar, co-founderr of
Association for
f Democrattic Reforms, has his sharre of
doubts, too. The intentioon behind passsing the Lokk Pal
a
politics.
Bill in a hurryy was to arresst the rise of alternative
If the intentiion is suspecct, the implem
mentation willl be
half-hearted, he says. His
H other obbjections: eleected
representativees will have a big say in sellection of Lokk Pal,
and lack of clear-cut guiidelines on what
w
kind of Lok
Ayuktas in staates should haave.
Eye on electtoral gains

The Congresss-led United Progressive Alliance facces a
tough battle to
t stay in pow
wer in generaal elections duue in
early 2014 annd its new zeaal for the Lokppal Bill is seeen by
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avorcareers..com
5
man
ny political obbservers as aan attempt to make up losst
grou
und with elecctorates. Afteer its drubbing
g in four statee
Assembly polls, the ruling paarty hopes to use the Bills
passsage to come back
b
to politiccal centrestagee again. It alsoo
hopes with the endorsement of veteran social activisst
Ann
na Hazare it can refurbish tthe image of Congress
C
viceepressident Rahul Gandhi that hhad taken a severe
s
beatingg
after the latest pooll debacle. Itt is likely to mute
m
criticism
m
to a certain extennt of the goveernments failu
ures in gettingg
the Bill through Parliament
P
annd will help to
o soothe publicc
anger about corrruption. Despite the UP
PA-II clearedd
seveeral social secctor schemes such as food security, landd
acqu
uisition to atttract voters, thhe stunning performance of
o
Aam
m Aadmi Partyy in Delhi pollls forced the ruling party too
send
d a strong meessage to the uurban vote baank which hadd
of laate been shiftiing from the G
Grand Old Parrty.
May
ybe it is too late for the Congress paarty to changee
peop
ples perception. The chargges of scandals against partyy
mem
mbers have tarrnished its im
mage. The party
y introduced a
lot of
o people-frieendly schemess like the Maahatma Gandhhi
Natiional Rural Employmennt Guarantee Act, Sarvaa
Shik
ksha Abhiyann, RTI Act andd so on. In spiite of all thesee,
it co
ould not impreess the electorrate of late.
Thee passage of thhe Bill is unliikely to end th
he debate oveer
the adequacy, inddependence annd effectiveneess of the antiigrafft institution the
t new law w
will put in plaace, but it willl
certtainly be a milestone in thhe quest for an
a institutionaal
mecchanism to com
mbat corruptioon.
THE GEN
NESIS
Current Affairs: India

Tejas gets operational clearance
cross several milestones before it receives the Final

Operational Clearance (FOC).
With the IOC II, the single engine, light weight and
highly agile front line fighter can now be flown by
regular IAF pilots for officially undertaking flight
evaluation trials in a significant development in the Rs
7,000-crore programme.
The state-run Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA),
Defence Research & Development Organisation
(DRDO), Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) and Centre
for Military Airworthiness and Certification (CEMILAC)
are the defence agencies which have designed, developed,
manufactured and certified the worlds lightest and
smallest combat jet.
As the indigenous Kaveri engine is yet to qualify for
certification, HAL, the lead manufacturer of the LCA,
will source the GE-404 and GE-414 aero-engines from
the US-based General Electric (GE)
Some facts about Tejas:
In a major milestone in the countrys military aviation,

indigenous supersonic fighter aircraft LCA-Tejas on
December 20 received the Initial Operational Clearance
(IOC II) that takes it a step closer to its induction into IAF
squadron. Marking the event, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief
Marshal NAK Browne accepted the Release to Service
Document at the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL)
airport in Bangalore.
Tejas can fly at a speed of more than 1,350 km per hour
and can be compared to some of the worlds best fighter
aircraft -- the Mirage 2000, F-16 and Gripen fighter jets.
It is expected to cost about Rs.200 crore per aircraft
initially, with the cost coming down as production
increases. The LCA will now be called Tejas Mark I. It
will be called Tejas Mark II after final operational
clearance (FOC) slated for end of 2014.
After IOC II, which signifies Tejas is airworthy in
different weather conditions, HAL will go ahead with the
Series Production of multi-role fighter. It will have to
The Tejas is a light fighter aircraft developed by India.

LCA was named Tejas by the then Prime Minister Atal
Behari Vajpayee in 2003.
It will replace the MiG-21 series of aircraft.
A single seater, single engine aircraft, Tejas boasts of
many stealth features which prevent the aircraft from
being tracked.
Lacking a horizontal tail plane, and with a single
vertical tail fin, this fighter is designed for enhanced
manoeuvrability.
Made of composite materials, which weigh less than a
fifth of metal, it has a gross weight of just about nine
tonnes.
All weapons are carried on one or more of seven slots,
with total capacity of around 4,000 kg.
Prices of Tejas ranges between Rs.170 and Rs.180
crore, almost a third of similar 4th generation aircraft.
Tejas marks Indias entry into a select group of nations
that can build such flying machines from scratch.
The project has been developed at a cost of nearly
Rs.10,000 crore.
It is likely to go into series production and be inducted
into the Air Force in the first half of 2014.
Equipped with GE engines, efforts are on to use Indian
Kaveri engines on it.
THE GENESIS
Western Ghats: Farming allowed

The Union Environment Ministry on December 20
allowed agriculture and plantation activities along the
7
implementation of the recommendations of the working
group in a time bound manner.
Bangladesh land bill in RS

Bangladesh boundary agreement bill tabled in Rajya
Sabha: The government introduced the controversial
Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) (Constitutional
Amendment) Bill in the Rajya Sabha on December 18.
Western Ghats which had been banned through an order

in November. The earlier OM (office memorandum)
dated Nov 16, 2013 regarding in principle acceptance of
high level working group report on Western Ghats stands
withdrawn, the environment ministry said in an official
note.
The ministry however maintained that the ban on
activities, including mining, quarrying, sand mining,
thermal power plants, building and construction projects
of 20,000 square m area and above and township and area
development projects or with built up area of 1,50,000
square m and above will continue.
It said the recommendations also do not prohibit or
restrict any normal activities relating to plantations,
agriculture or any other activity except those which have
been specifically prohibited or restricted. The
recommendations do not impact the continued occupation
of land in possession of the local people and affect their
day to day activities or normal livelihood.
The ministrys decision came after widespread protests in
Kerala by various religious groups and political parties
against the notification of the report.
The ministry had clamped the ban on the basis of the
Kasturirangan panel report on the Western Ghats on
November 16. The Kasturirangan panel had identified 37
per cent of natural landscape of Western Ghats as
Ecologically Sensitive Area. It is only 60,000 sq km
ecologically sensitive area of Western Ghats covering an
area of 180,000 square km. The Ministry said a high level
committee of the ministry will be set up to monitor the
Minister for external affairs, Salman Khursheed, managed

to introduce the LBA bill amid vociferous protests by the
Trinamool Congress and Asom Gana Parishad (AGP)
members.
The LBA Bill is aimed at redrawing the international
boundary between India and Bangladesh by exchanging
areas of adverse possession and enclaves along with
population on either side, thus making the highly
incongruous and porous Indo-Bangla border more
manageable. Once the Indo-Bangladesh border gets
redrawn India will transfer 111 enclaves measuring
17,160.63 acres to Bangladesh and receive 51 enclaves
measuring 7,110.2 acres.
The LBA protocol signed by Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh and his counterpart Sheikh Hasina in 2011 is a
crucial trump card for a second term win for India
friendly Awami League government in 2013-14 elections.
Return of Begum Khaleda Zias regime does not suit
India as Bangladesh National Party (BNP) happens to be
close to fundamentalist forces like Jamat-e-Islami
Bangladesh that had sides with Pakistan.
However, regional parties like TMC in West Bengal and
AGP in Assam are against the bill and describe it as a sell
out to Bangladesh as it transfers a little more land to
Bangladesh. They also fear that population living in
adverse possession areas and enclaves would choose to
come to India.
THE GENESIS
Endeavor Careers
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Drream End
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Faces
Nandan Nilekani: From IT
I to elections
After his su
uccess in th
he corporate world an
nd implanta
ation of pio
oneering go
ovt. programmes such
h
as UIDAI, Nilekani
N
is all set to th
hrow his ha
at in the rin
ng of electo
oral politics
s
Former Infosyys CEO and Unique

U
Identiification Authhority
of India (U
UIDAI) Chairrman Nandann Nilekani (born
(
1955), was in
i news receently for voiicing
interest in coontesting from
m the Bangaalore
South constittuency in the forthcoming Lok
Sabha elections on a Congrress ticket.
With Narayanna Murthy, Nilekani
N
led thhe IT
revolution. Currently
C
he spearheads the
UIDAI or Aadhar-the woorlds largest data
management project whichh will give evvery
Indian a uniqque identity thhat will be linnked
with public services
s
and delivery. Figgures
speak volumees about Nileekanis leaderrship
in delivering on the UIDA
AI front a tassk deemed neext to
impossible by
b skeptics. According to
t a governm
ment
update in Auugust 2013, thhe UIDAI has issued more than
40.29 crore Aadhaar
A
num
mbers till date and is poiseed to
achieve the taarget 60 crore enrollments by
b 2014.
Those who have
h
known Nandan Nileekani say he has
always been a keen thinkeer, a great straategist, a probblem
solver and abbove all, a perrson who alw
ways came up with
solutions. Hee helped concceptualise thee Global Deliivery
Model in IT
T and made it a new model
m
of delivvery,
changing the global compeetitive dynamiics. He articullated
very early thhe advent of distributed coomputing andd the
move away from the maainframe. He understood very
early the risee of the Interrnet and the advent of a Flat

World where the world would
w
come clloser togetherr and
evolve into one
o large singgle market forr services andd the
low cost of teelecommunicaations would level the fieldd for
all. In all thhese, Nandann had the unncanny abilitty to
analyse trends and prepare for the futuree.
Milestones
Graduated from IIT Bom

mbay in 19788; joined Mum
mbaibased Patnii Computer Syystems
Left Patni, co-founded Infosys with Murthy and five
others in 19981
CEO of Inffosys from Maar 2002 to Aprr 2007
Co-Chairm
man of Infosys from Apr 20007 to Jul 2009
Left Infosys in Jul 2009 to
t work as UIIDAI Chairperrson
Expresses interest in entering
e
elecctoral politicss by
contesting 2014
2
Lok Sabbha polls from
m Bangalore
Nandan has articulated his
h thoughts and
a
ideas onn the
countrys futuure in his maagnum opus, Imagining
Inndia,
www.endea
avorcareers..com
which became his personal ageenda for reforrm. His clarityy

of th
hinking led too his recognittion as a Refo
form Guru andd
hiis drive to ggive an iden
ntity to everyy
Inndian led to thhe Governmen
nt inviting him
m
too set up thhe Unique Identificationn
A
Authority
off India an
nd run thee
prrogramme. T
This program
mme has thee
pootential to change our social securityy
syystem and givve identify and
d respect to thee
deeprived and thhe downtroddeen.
What makes Nandan su
W
uch a greaat
reeformer? A unique capacity too
large
challlenges
unnderstand
andd
concceptualise sollutions, a form
midable intelllect backed byy
exteensive readingg, articulationn skills of an
a exceptionaal
ordeer, ability to network
n
and bbuild relationss, humility andd
a non-threatenin
n
g attitude, a gift for bringing diversee
view
ws together, a great passionn to succeed and above alll,
the ability to makke brilliant minds band togeether under his
lead
dership.
It iss not easy beeing a reform
mer in India
there are tooo
man
ny malcontennts, discontentts and no co
ontents in thee
systtem sharpeninng their knivves to get at
a a reformerr,
shou
uld she arise. Nandan has been able to overcome alll
this by the sh
heer power of
o
his ideas, his personaal
umility and his
charm and hu
God-given gift of makingg
everybody seee him as theiir
champion. His
H ability too
inspire and leead others has
led to the creaation of one of
o
the finest organnisations in the country,, peopled byy
exceeptionally taleented people both from th
he governmennt
and the private sector,
s
with a focused drive to give 600
crorre citizens theiir identity in aan electronic form!
f
Will Nandan thee politician ssucceed? Nan
ndan has beenn
long
g enough in the
t governmeent through his
h associationn
with
h the UIDAII to understaand the oppo
ortunities andd
limiitations that come with political au
uthority. Thee
acceeptance of inddividuals likee Arvind Kejrriwal, who doo
not fit into the deefinition of a conventional politician, byy
the electorate beccause of their commitment for probity inn
public life gives room
r
for hopee.
THE GEN
NESIS
Current Affairs: India Briefs

Arvind Kejriwal sworn in as Delhi CM: Aam Admi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal and his six Cabinet colleagues
were administered the oath of office by Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Najeeb
Jung at the historic Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi on December 28, 2013. The
45-year-old former Income Tax officer, who broke away from Anna Hazares
campaign for a Jan Lokpal to jump into politics and stunned the country with a
debut score of 28 seats in the Delhi Assembly, took the oath sporting his
signature Gandhi cap with Main aam admi hun (I am a common man) inscribed
on it. Immediately after being sworn in, the Delhi Chief Minister addressed the
crowd and reiterated his promise of a corruption-free and a new style of
governance without exhibition of arrogance of power. Talking about Hazare,
Kejriwal said: Anna used to say that politics is dirty. But I will try to convince
him that we will have to enter this political slush and clean it. Along with Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Girish Soni,
Rakhi Birla, Satyendra Jain, Saurabh Bharadwaj and Somnath Bharti took the oath as Ministers.
Pu Lalthanhawla takes oath as Mizoram CM: Congress leader Pu Lalthanhawla took oath
as Chief Minister of Mizoram for the second consecutive time at Aizawal on December 14, 2013.
Lalthanhawla became chief minister of Mizoram for a fifth term. Mizoram governor Vakkom
Purushothaman administered the oath of office and secrecy to Lalthanhawla along with seven
minister of his cabinet. The Congress won a two-third majority in the Mizoram Assembly polls,
winning 33 of 39 seats. Lal Thanhawla won a seat in the Mizoram State Assembly from both
Serchhip and Hrangturzo. He was elected to the assembly for a record ninth time since 1978.
Shivraj Singh Chauhan takes oath as MP CM: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Shivraj
Singh Chouhan took oath as Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh for the third consecutive time in
Bhopal on December 14, 2013. Madhya Pradesh governor Ram Naresh Yadav administered the
oath of office and secrecy to Singh. Chouhan had led his party in the assembly elections to a
spectacular tally of 165 seats in the 230-member assembly, 22 seats more than last time. The
Congress suffered a huge defeat with its tally coming down to 58 from 71 seats. The Bahujan
Samaj Party (BSP) got four seats and independents three.
Vasundhara Raje sworn in as Rajasthan Chief Minister: Vasundhara Raje, 60, who led BJP to
a landslide victory in Rajasthan Assembly polls, was sworn-in as the Chief Minister by Governor
Margaret Alva inside the Assembly building premises in Jaipur on December 13. BJP won 163 of the
200 seats.
Gen Bikram Singh becomes Chairman, COSC: Army Chief Gen Bikram Singh took over as
the new Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee. He succeeded IAF Chief NAK Browne who
superannuated on December 31. The Chairman, COSC is the senior-most officer of the three Services
and is in-charge for looking after the joint issues related to them. The senior-most of the three
Services chiefs takes over the post.
Lt Gen Dalbir Suhag appointed Army Vice-Chief: Lt Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag, who headed Eastern Command,
on December 31, took over as the Vice-Chief of Army Staff in what is being seen as a precursor to
his elevation as the next Army chief when incumbent General Bikram Singh retires next year.
Suhag has been in the line of succession to be the Army chief going by seniority but his prospects
had run into rough weather after the then Army chief V K Singh had imposed a discipline and
vigilance promotion ban on him when he was heading the 3 Corps in Dimapur. Many believed the
whole controversy was an outcome of factional feud within the Army as V K Singh was not keen
on Bikram Singh and Suhag succeeding him in that order and wanted to disrupt the chain of
succession.
THE GENESIS
10
Oscar Fernandes to hold additional charge of Labour: Road Transport & Highways Minister
Oscar Fernandes was on December 16 given the additional charge of Labour and Employment
Ministry following the death of Sis Ram Ola. Ola, who had assumed charge of the Ministry in June
this year, died in Gurgaon on December 15 at the age of 86.
Former home secretary R K Singh joins BJP: Former Union Home Secretary
R.K. Singh joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on December 13. Singh was home secretary from
July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2013. I share BJPs hardline orientation on issues of national security. BJP
and its other associates like RSS never compromise on this. Other parties tend to compromise due to
their vote banks, Singh said after formally joining the party. Along with Singh, former oil secretary
R.S. Pandey also joined the BJP. Both are likely to be pitched as candidates from Bihar in the Lok
Sabha polls.
Devyani Khobragade transferred to UN Permanent Mission: The Indian Government on
December 18 transferred diplomat and Deputy Consul General in New York Devyani Khobragade to
its Permanent Mission at the United Nations, ensuring that she is given full immunity from possible
prosecution by the American authorities in connection with an alleged visa fraud case. 39-year-old
Khobragade, was arrested on December 12 on visa fraud charges by the State Departments
diplomatic security bureau, and then handed over to the US Marshals Service (USMS). She was
released on a USD 250,000 bond after pleading not guilty in court.
Last king of Mysore passes away: The last maharaja of the Mysore royal family Srikantadatta
Narasimharaja Wodeyar passed away in Bangalore on December 10 at the age of 60. Also called as
Srikanta Wodeyar, he was the scion of Mysore Kingdom which was ruled by the Wodeyar dynasty
between 1399 and 1950. He was also a Congress Member of Parliament from the Mysore
constituency. Born in 1953, he headed his dynasty from September 1974. The last descendant of the
Wodeyar dynasty, he also wore many hats: he was a fashion designer, a businessman, cricket
administrator, a politician, hotelier and an investor. A man of many passions, Wodeyar was elected
as a Lok Sabha member from Mysore for four times as Congress candidate. He had lost once as the
Congress nominee and the other time as BJP candidate.
Head of Travancore royal family passes away: The head of the erstwhile Travancore royal family, Uthradom
Tirunal Marthanda Varma, passed away in Thiruvananthapuram on December 16, 2013 at the age
of 91. Varma was the titular Maharaja of Travancore, and chairman of the trust running the famous
Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple. Varma, 91, had followed the rites and rituals of Sree
Padmanabha Swamy Temple since 1991. Seven-time Congress MP from Mandvi (Scheduled Tribe)
Lok Sabha constituency in Surat, Chhitubhai Gamit, passed away on December 17 at the age of 71.
Former cricketer Madhusudan Rege, who played one Test for India in 1949 against West Indies in
Madras, died aged 89 on December 17. 2006 Indian Idol winner Sandeep Acharya died on
December 15 at the age of 29 in Gurgaon. Internationally renowned Indian artist and former
chairman of Lalitkala Akademi C N Karunakaran passed away in Kochi on December 14 at the age of 72.
Cobrapost exposes MPs cash for letter scam: In a throwback to the days of cash-forquery scam, a news portal on December 12 claimed that 11 MPs of five parties were willing to
issue letters of recommendation to promote a fictitious foreign company for a fee ranging from
Rs 50,000 to Rs 50 lakh. Aniruddha Bahal, Editor of the portal Cobrapost, said during the sting
operation, six MPs even issued letters of recommendation. Of the MPs, two belonged to
Congress, three to BJP, two to AIADMK, three to JD (U) and one to BSP. Bahal claimed that
the undercover operation exposed the MPs of not even caring to check the antecedents of the
fake foreign oil company, Mediterranean Oil Inc. Of Queensland, Australia, whom the reporter
assuming fake identity approached claiming to be the consultant of the company. Parliament
had expelled 11 MPs after a similar undercover operation by a news portal exposed lawmakers
taking money for asking questions seven years ago.
THE GENESIS
11
Govt move for review of SC verdict on Section 377 of IPC: Government on Dec 20 moved
the Supreme Court seeking review of its verdict reviving Section 377 of IPC making gay sex an
offence punishable with life term, saying recriminalisation of sexual intercourse between same sex
of consenting adults has put the LGBT persons at risk of prosecution and harassment. The Centre
said the review petition has been filed to avoid grave miscarriage of justice to thousands of LGBT
(Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Transgenders) persons who have been aggrieved by the apex
courts Dec 11 judgement passed by Justice G S Singhvi (since retired) and Justice S J
Mukhopadhaya, contending it is unsustainable as it suffers from errors apparent on the face of the record.
Election Commission recognises Aam Aadmi Party as state party: Aam Aadmi Party
(AAP) got recognition as a recognised state party and reserved symbol of broom in Delhi from
the Election Commission on the basis of its performance in the just-concluded Delhi Assembly
polls. The recognition to AAP, which is in the process of deciding on whether to form its
government in Delhi with Congress support, came on December 19 after it fulfilled the laid
criterion in this regard. As per laid norms, a party may be recognised by the Election
Commission if it wins at least three per cent seats, subject to a minimum of three seats and at
least six per cent of total valid votes. Aam Aadmi Party won 28 seats in the recently concluded
Assembly polls in Delhi.
Winter session of Parliament concludes: Both Houses of Parliament were
adjourned sine die on December 18, bringing the Winter Session to a close two days
ahead of schedule. The only significant achievement of the Winter Session, which
started on from December 5, was the passing of the Lokpal and Lokayukta Bill by
both Houses. The passing of the landmark Bill also resulted in social activist Anna
Hazare ending his nine-day-long fast at Ralegan Siddhi in Maharashtras
Ahmadnagar District on December 18.
In pursuit of Truth film on CBI screened: A film In Pursuit of Truth depicting CBIs
working and its untold history was screened in New Delhi on December 19. The 21-minute film
uncovers the compelling reality of CBIs current operations. It was produced to commemorate 50 years
of CBIs existence, has been produced by National Film Development Corporation in association with
Haimark Films International. It has been directed by award winning filmmaker Zafar Hai, written by
internationally known novelist Stephen Alter and narrated by actor Kabir Bedi.
Govt. sanction not required in court-monitored CBI probes: CBI, which is at loggerheads with the Centre for
getting more autonomy, on December 17 got a boost from the Supreme Court which
held that the agency does not need to get governments approval to probe and
prosecute its senior officials in court-monitored cases. A bench headed by Justice R
M Lodha dismissed the Centres contention that CBI cannot proceed against its
officials up to the rank of Joint Director and above without its approval. When a
court monitors the investigation, there is already departure inasmuch as the
investigating agency informs the court about the progress of the investigation. Once
the constitutional court monitors the inquiry/investigation which is only done in extraordinary circumstances and in
exceptional situation having regard to the larger public interest, it added.
No siren, red beacon allowed only for high dignitaries SC: Red beacon can
only be used by high dignitaries holding constitutional posts while on duty, the
Supreme Court ruled on December 10. The apex court also banned private individuals
from using siren in their vehicles and directed the authorities to take punitive action
against those doing so. A bench of justices G S Singhvi and C Nagappan said men in
uniform, those engaged in emergency duties such as ambulance and fire services,
emergency maintenance and police vehicles used as escorts or pilots or for law and
order duties will be entitled to use blue, white, multi-colored lights instead of red
beacon.
THE GENESIS
12
New drug prices get SC booster dose: The Supreme Court on December 10 ruled
that once the government reduces the prices of essential drugs, the new rates would
come into immediate effect and companies cannot continue selling at earlier prices. A
bench of Justices R.M. Lodha and Kurien Joseph rejected the arguments of
multinational giant GlaxoSmithKline Pharma that companies are entitled to sell drugs at
old rates for 15 days to dispose old stocks.
HRD Ministry & Prasar Bharti to start 50 education channels by May 2014: Students
across the country will be able to hear lectures and interact with academicians on TV as the Human
Resource Development (HRD) ministry and public broadcaster Prasar Bharati are planning to start 50
educational channels by May 1 next year. As per an agreement signed by Prasar Bharati CEO
Jawahar Sircar and HRD Secretary Ashok Thakur in New Delhi on December 19, while the public
broadcaster will provide expertise in carrying the channels on a DTH platform, the ministry would
focus on providing content of the programmes.
Top 400 foreign institutes to be allowed to set up campus: The government on December
11 said that UGC has prepared rules to allow foreign institutes ranked among the top 400 in the
world to set up campuses in India. Under the proposed UGC Establishment and Operation of
Campuses of Foreign Educational Institutions Rules, 2013 foreign educational institutions can set
up campuses in India once they have been notified as Foreign Education Provider (FEPs) by the
UGC. Union HRD Minister M. M. Pallam Raju said the rules would ensure that only high quality
foreign educational institutions are permitted to set up campuses and offer education services in the
country, since only the top 400 institutions as per global rankings would be eligible to open
campuses in the country.
Compulsory 1 year rural posting for MBBS doctors from 2015-16: MBBS students applying for
admission to post-graduate medical courses from academic year 2015-16 will have to undertake a
mandatory rural posting at a public health centre (PHC) for one year. This was stated by minister of health
and family welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha on December
17.
President launches In-Residence programme for writers, artists: President Pranab
Mukherjee has launched an In-Residence programme for writers, artists and innovation scholars
at Rashtrapati Bhavan on December 12, 2013. The programme is open to all Indian nationals. It
aims at providing writers and artists an opportunity to stay in Rashtrapati Bhavan for one month
and be a part of the life of Rashtrapati Bhavan. Persons with an established track record in the field
of art and literature can apply. Preference would be given to writers, artists who have won national,
state awards. A maximum of four writers or artists would be selected under this scheme every year.
MiG-21 takes its last flight: The MiG-21 FL fighter jet, which had heralded the
supersonic era in IAF and had changed the course of the 1971 Indo-Pak war due to its
accuracy, flew into the annals of history on Dec 11. Air Force Chief NAK Browne bid adieu
to one of the first variants of MiG-21 combat aircraft at the Kalaikunda airbase in West
Midnapore district of West Bengal, drawing curtains on one of the most enduring saga in
IAF aviation history. The iconic aircraft had heralded the supersonic era in IAF and had
played a crucial role in the 1971 war giving India air superiority over vital areas in the western sector.
Vice President launches musical album Braveheart: The Vice President of India M. Hamid
Ansari launched a music album Braveheart brought out by Dr. Zakir Hussain Memorial Trust and
Ustadgah Foundation in New Delhi on December 19. The music album is a tribute to the Girl Child.
The poetry is written by Salman Khurshid, the Union Minister for External Affairs and composed and
sung by Ustad Maa Zila Khan.
THE GENESIS
13
Important Days: The state of Goa, which was liberated from the Portuguese rule on
December 19, 1961, celebrated Liberation Day on December 19, 2013. Vijay Diwas which
marks Indias military triumph over Pakistan in the 1971 War was observed across the country
to pay tributes to the martyrs of the war on December 16.
Stamp on former Punjab CM Beant Singh released: Prime Minister
Dr Manmohan Singh on December 17 released a postage stamp in honour of former Punjab Chief
Minister Sardar Beant Singh (19921995) in New Delhi. A public career which started with helping
those whose life had been disrupted because of partition in 1947 culminated in the Chief Ministership of
Punjab in 1992.
Singapore deports Indians for rioting: Singapore on December 20
said 52 Indians were deported for alleged rioting on December 8 in Little India, a precinct
of Indian-origin businesses, eateries and pubs where most of the South Asian workers
take their Sunday break. The trouble had started after a private bus fatally knocked down
an Indian pedestrian, 33-year-old Sakthivel Kuaravelu in Little India. Some 400 migrant
workers were involved in the rampage that left 39 police and civil defence staff injured
and 25 vehicles including police cars damaged.
3 Indians killed in attack on UN base in South Sudan: Three Indian

peacekeepers were killed when attackers stormed a United Nations base in Jonglei in
South Sudan on December 20, 2013 where civilians had taken refuge, as violence and
unrest continued unabated in the worlds newest country. Rebels from the second-largest
ethnic group, the Nuer, had stormed the base targeting civilians of the majority Dinka
ethnic community. South Sudan has been in turmoil since President Salva Kiir accused
his ex-deputy Riek Machar of mounting a coup. Kiir, who is a Dinka, has blamed the
violence on a group of soldiers who support Machar, a Nuer.
India, Japan raise currency swap arrangement limit to $50 bn: Seeking to improve bilateral cooperation, India
and Japan on December 18, 2013 more than tripled the limit for the currency
swap arrangement to $ 50 billion. Earlier in December 2012, the two countries
had entered into a bilateral currency swap arrangement for $ 15 billion. This
arrangement would help addressing possible short- term liquidity mismatches and
supplement existing international financial arrangements. Earlier, the two
countries had a similar arrangement for $ 3 billion for three years from June
2008. Meanwhile the second Japan-India Maritime Exercise (JIMEX) was
organised in waters off the Indian coast in the Bay of Bengal from December 19
to 22. The exercise focussed on Maritime Security Cooperation and served to
enhance interoperability, thereby enabling the Navies to undertake operations in the sphere of maritime security in the
future.
India dismisses OIC reference to Kashmir: Reacting sharply to the

reference made to Jammu and Kashmir by the Organisation of the Islamic
Conference in its recently-held session in Guinea, India on December 13 said
OIC has once again made factually incorrect and misleading references in
matters concerning internal affairs of the country. The Council of Foreign
Ministers (CFM) of the Member States of the OIC in their 40th session in
Conakry, Guinea, adopted a resolution strongly supporting the efforts of the
Government of Pakistan for a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute and
urges India to remain engaged into a meaningful and sustained dialogue
process with Pakistan to resolve all outstanding issues including the core
issue of Jammu and Kashmir.
THE GENESIS
14
Indian sailor Captain Sunil James released from Togo jail: Sunil James, a Merchant Navy
Captain who was in jail in Togo, western Africa, for the last five months was released on December
19. Another sailor who had been imprisoned along with Captain James, Vijayan, has been released
too. Both reached India on December 20. James had stopped at Togo to report an attack on his ship
MT Ocean Centurion by pirates when he was arrested July 31, along with two other crew members,
on suspension of aiding the pirates.
Javed Akthar, Mridula Garg chosen for Sahitya Akademi Awards: Bollywood lyricistscriptwriter Javed Akhtar, Hindi novelist Mridula Garg and renowned Bengali poet Subodh Sarkar
are among those selected for this years Sahitya Akademi Award. The Akademi on December 18 said
eight books of poetry, four essays, three novels, two short stories, two travelogues, an autobiography,
a memoir and one play have been chosen for the coveted award. Akhtar has been chosen for Lava,
his compilation of 55 Urdu poems.
NDTV Living Legend awardees honoured: Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, Bharat Ratna Sachin Tendulkar and CNR
Rao, conductor Zubin Mehta, jurist Fali Nariman, cine stars Amitabh
Bachchan and Rajnikanth were among the 25 Indians given the NDTV
Living Legend awards by President Pranab Mukherjee in New Delhi on
December 14. Other recipients include industrialists Ratan Tata and
Mukesh Ambani, composer AR Rahman, sculptor Anish Kapoor, SS
Badrinath, founder of noted eye hospital Sankara Nathralaya, SEWA
founder Ela Bhatt, flautist Hariprasad Chaurasia, Pepsico CEO Indra
Nooyi, former cricketer Kapil Dev, tennis player Leander Paes, geneticist
MS Swaminathan, Infosys founder MR Narayana Murthy, Shahrukh Khan,
artist Syed Haider Raza, 2009 Nobel Chemistry Prize winner Venkatraman
Ramakrishnan, novelist Vikram Seth, Waheeda Rehman and Ciplas Yusuf K. Hamied.
India Today State of the States Awards presented: Kiran Reddy-led Andhra Pradesh won the
award for Best Governance for 2013 at the India Today State of the States Awards in New Delhi
on December 20. Himachal Pradesh was the Best state in Health & Investment while Gujarat bagged
the Award for Best in Macro Economy. The State of the States Report is an annual exercise of the
group which gathers the data from all the states in India, and analysed by eminent economists
Maharashtra govt. rejects Adarsh panel report indicting former CMs: Maharashtra
government has rejected the report of the judicial commission of inquiry on the Adarsh scam it
tabled in the Legislative Assembly on December 20 which indicted several politicians
including three former Chief Ministers (Vilasrao Deshmukh, Sushil Kumar Shinde and Ashok
Chavan) for blatant violations of statutory provisions. The report of the 2-member
commission headed by retired high court judge J A Patil came down heavily on those in
authority describing the scam as a bad precedent which reflected greed, nepotism and
favouritism by those associated with it. Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan said the decision
on rejection of the findings of the inquiry commission was taken by the Cabinet in the interest
of the people.
Maharashtra passes anti-superstition bill: The Maharashtra State Assembly on December 13

passed the Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and other Inhuman, Evil
and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Bill, commonly known as the Anti-Superstition Bill. The
Bill was promulgated as ordinance on August 24 after the killing of rationalist Narendra
Dabholkar. It seeks to punish exploitative and superstitious practices including black magic,
human sacrifice and the claim of magical remedies to cure diseases. The Bill excludes religious
practices of the Warkari sect and other religious groups which are not exploitative. It also exempts
astrology and Vastushatra.
THE GENESIS
15
Data Mine
INDIA: MAJOR EVENTS IN 2013
THE GENESIS
16
Current Affairs: World Briefs

US Federal Reserve to slowdown efforts to stimulate economy: The Federal
Reserve, USAs Central Bank, on December 19 announced a modest reduction, or tapering,
in its bond buying program. The central bank said it planned to scale back its 85 billion
dollars a month bond buying programme by 10 billion dollars a month. Stimulus of this kind
is designed to lower interest rates and boost economic activity. The Fed cited stronger job
growth as a reason for the decision to begin scaling down its programme of bond buying.
The Fed will reduce its US Treasury purchases from 45 billion dollars to 40 billion dollars
per month and its buying of mortgage-backed securities (MBS) from 40 billion dollars to 35
billion dollars per month. Some market watchers had still been holding out hope that the Fed
would announce tapering after Bernankes tenure ends in January.
U.S. Senate passes two-year budget deal to ease spending cuts: The U.S. Senate
on December 18, 2013 passed a two-year budget deal to ease automatic spending cuts and
reduce the risk of another government shutdown, shifting the focus to a spending measure
that Congress must pass by January 15. The Senate vote by a simple majority sends the
measure to President Barack Obama for his signature. The Senate and House of
Representatives Appropriations committees now must craft a $1.012 trillion fiscal 2014
spending bill to implement the budget deal before current spending authority expires.
Iran quits nuclear talks protesting US blacklist move: Iran has quit nuclear talks with
world powers, accusing Washington on December 13 of going against the spirit of a landmark
agreement reached in November by expanding its sanctions blacklist. US Secretary of State
John Kerry and a spokesman for EU foreign policy Chief Catherine Ashton, who represents
the major powers in the talks, both played down the suspension and said talks were expected
to resume soon. But Irans chief nuclear negotiator Abbas Araqchi said the US move went
against the spirit of the deal struck in Geneva under which the powers undertook to impose no
further sanctions for six months in exchange for Iran curbing its controversial nuclear
activities. Iranian negotiators quit the implementation talks late on December 12 after
Washington blacklisted a dozen companies and individuals for evading US sanctions.
House dissolved, elections announced in Thailand: Thai Prime Minister Yingluck

Shinawatra on December 9, 2013 announced the dissolution of the House of Representatives. In
a televised speech, Yingluck said the date of a general election will be decided as soon as
possible. The dissolution is now awaiting royal approval. Since the government took office in
August 2011, it has been committed to addressing all sorts of crisis to promote social
reconciliation, but divergence and conflicts still remain, Yingluck said. Irrespective of
government efforts, opposition parties resorted to street demonstrations rather than seeking
solutions within the parliamentary system, she added.
Jordan elected to UN Security Council: Jordan has been elected as a non-permanent member of the UN Security
Council UNSC), filling a seat that Saudi Arabia had declined to accept after
an earlier election to protest the world bodys failure to end the Syrian and
Israeli-Palestinian conflicts. Jordan was elected on December 6 to serve on
the UNSC for two years beginning January 2014. It received 178 yes
votes in the election in the 193-member General Assembly and will be
seated alongside Chad, Chile, Lithuania and Nigeria, which the General
Assembly elected in October. Non-permanent members Argentina,
Australia, Luxembourg, the Republic of Korea and Rwanda will remain on
the Council until the end of 2014. The five permanent members with veto powers are the US, UK, China, France and
Russia.
THE GENESIS
Endeavor Careers
C
Drream End
deavor Achieve
177
Uruguay leegalises marrijuana: Uruuguays Senatte has approvved ground-brreaking legisllation legalisiing marijuanaa,
bbecoming the first nation in the world
d to oversee the
t productioon and sale of
o the drug inn
M
Montevideo
on December 10. The bill, passed by thhe lower houuse of Congreess in Augustt,
a
authorises
the production, distribution
d
an
nd sale of caannabis, allow
ws individuals to grow theiir
o
own
on a smaall scale, and creates conssumer clubs -- all under government su
upervision andd
c
control.
Consuumers over 188 will be able to grow their own marijuanna, though no more than sixx
p
plants
per persson. They cann also get it through
t
clubs or buy up too 40 grams peer month from
m
pharmacies. The
T legislationn has caused unease
u
in neigghbouring Brazil and Argenntina.
International Narcoticss Control Booard opposees Uruguays move: Urruguays move to

legalise the prroduction andd sale of marijuana breaks innternational laaw, the Internnational Narcootics
Control Board (INCB), saiid in Vienna on
o Decemberr 12, warning it would encoourage addictiion.
Uruguay is breaking
b
the international
i
c
conventions
on drug contro
ol with the cannnabis legislattion
approved by its congress,, said the IN
NCB, a UN body
b
that ov
versees the im
mplementationn of
international treaties
t
on druugs. The INCB
B accused Uruuguay of igno
oring scientificc evidence onn the
health risks of
o marijuana, and said claims the law would
w
help reeduce crime relied on ratther
precarious annd unsubstantiaated assumptiions.
Russia deplloys Iskandeer missiles on

o NATO boorders: The deployment
d
off a US missilee shield in Eurrope lost sensee
after Teehran and six world
w
powerss reached a deeal on Irans nnuclear prograamme, Russiann
Foreign Minister Serrgei Lavrov said in the Federation
F
Coouncil, the up
pper house of
o
parliameent, on Decem
mber 18. On December
D
16, US Defense Secretary Chu
uck Hagel toldd
his Russsian counterppart, Sergei Shoigu, that the US and its allies would continuee
implemeenting missilee defence plaans in Europee despite the temporary Iranian deal. Inn
retaliatioon, Russia haas confirmed that it had deployed its taactical Iskand
der-M missiles
along thhe borders withh NATO coun
ntries such as Poland and thhe Baltic Repu
ublics.
Russia passses amnestyy bill to freee protestors: Russias paarliament on December

D
18, 2013 passsed an amnestty bill that inccludes the 30--member crew
w of a Greenppeace ship
detained afterr an Arctic prrotest. The Sttate Duma votted 446-0 in favour
f
of the carefully
tailored bill, which mainlyy concerns thoose who haveent committed violent crim
mes, firsttime offenderrs, minors annd women wiith small chilldren. The biill is also exppected to
release the jaailed memberss of the Pussyy Riot punk band who arre serving twoo years in
prison on chaarges of hooligganism for an irreverent prootest at Mosco
ows main cathhedral.
Rosssiya Segodn
nya to repla
ace RIA Novosti
N
in R
Russia: Russsian Presidennt
Vladiimir Putin orddered the creaation of a new
ws agency on December 10
0 in a move too
furtheer strengthen Kremlin con
ntrol over thee countrys m
media. The neew state news
agenccy is known as Rossiya Segodnya
S
(R
Russia Todayy) and will be
b headed byy
Dmitrry Kiselyov, who
w is a contrroversial state television preesenter and media
m
managerr.
To make
m
way for the agency, Putin orderedd the liquidaation of the state-run
s
news
agency RIA Novosti,
N
whichh had gained plaudits
p
in reccent years for its objective reporting.
r
Ukraine reb
buffs EU; strikes
s
long--term deal with Mosco
ow: Ukrainess leadership sstruck a deal for a Russiaafinanced bailoout on Decem
mber 18. Russia has pledgedd to buy USD
D 15 billion worth
w
of Ukraiinian bonds an
nd sharply cuut
the price of natural gas. In return for an approximate 33%
3
discount of the gas priice, Russia haas
won a pledgee from Ukrainne to buy up to 20% morre gas next yeear. The deall could relieve
political presssure on embattled presideent, Viktor Yanukovych
Y
as the Ukrainnian economyy
risked a defaault next year. Opposition activists and critics claimeed the deal will
w deepen the
countrys ecoonomic troublles and increaase dependencce on Moscow
w. Yanukovycchs refusal too
sign the histooric Associatioon Agreementt with the Eurropean Union
n sparked almoost a month oof
mass rallies against
a
his rulee.
www.endea
avorcareers..com
THE GEN
NESIS
18
UN resolution calls for regulation of drone strikes: The UN General Assembly on December 19, 2013
unanimously adopted a resolution which calls for counter-terrorism measures, including the use of remotely-piloted
aircraft or drones, to comply with international law. The resolution came amidst a heated
public debate over drone strikes, especially in Pakistan. While American security experts
say the drone strikes target only the terrorists, human rights activists claim a number of
civilians are also killed. However the UN resolution against drones only has moral value
unless the Security Council endorses it. Meanwhile the UN peacekeeping mission in the
Democratic Republic of Congo has officially launched a surveillance drone in the strife-torn northeast in the first such
move by the UN. The drones, which are unarmed and exclusively equipped for reconnaissance flights, will help the UN
to watch over North Kivu, a mineral-rich province prey to dozens of armed movements.
Indias Sankirtana in UNESCOs list of intangible heritage: The Sankirtana - ritual singing, drumming and dancing of Manipur -- along with Bangladeshs Jamdani
weaving and traditional Japanese Washoku cooking methods was among 14 new
entries added to UNESCOs list of intangible heritage in need of being preserved.
The Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Heritage, in its
8th session that concluded in December in the Azerbaijani capital Baku, inscribed 14
elements on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
The list serves to raise awareness of intangible heritage and provide recognition to
communities traditions and know-how that reflect their cultural diversity.
France starts disarming rebels in CAR: France started disarming militias in the Central
African Republic (CAR) in order to restore order and security after bloody sectarian fighting plunged
the country into spiraling violence, media reported on December 9, 2013. French Defence Minister
Jean-Yves Le Drian said that Seleka fighters and militias in favour of the ousted President Francois
Bozize have to hand over their arms even by force. France deployed 1,600 soldiers in the Central
African Republic after a wave of violent clashes left hundreds of victims in the capital Bangui,
putting the security of the region on edge.
South Sudan civil war fears grow as rebels reject talks: South Sudan rebels battling
government forces rejected peace efforts on December 19 as the region scrambled to prevent the
worlds youngest state from collapsing only two years after its birth. President Salva Kiir Mayardit
has blamed the bloodshed on a coup bid by his rival Machar, who was sacked as the countrys VicePresident in July 2013. The battles have raised concerns of ethnic conflict, with Kiir coming from the
majority Dinka tribe and Machar from the Nuer tribe.
Asian nations dominate global education test: Teens from Asian nations dominated a global exam given to 15year-olds in math, science or reading, according to test results released in December 2013.
About half a million students in 65 nations and educational systems took part in the 2012
Program for International Student Assessment, or PISA, which is coordinated by the Parisbased Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, or OECD. Students in
Chinas Shanghai had the top scores in all subjects, and Singapore, South Korea, Japan and
Hong Kong students werent far behind. The test, given every three years to 15-year-olds, is designed to assess students
problem-solving skills.
Yuan becomes 2nd most-used currency in trade finance: Chinas yuan currency
overtook the euro in October, becoming the second-most used currency in trade finance, global
transaction services organisation SWIFT said in Hong Kong in December 2013. The market
share of yuan usage in trade finance, or letters of credit and collection, grew to 8.66 per cent in
October. The yuan, also known as the renminbi, now ranks behind the U.S. dollar, which
remains the leading currency with a share of 81.08 per cent. The top five countries using the
yuan for trade finance in October were China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Germany and Australia.
THE GENESIS
19
China launches moon rover: China launched its first moon rover mission
on December 2 the latest step in an ambitious space programme seen as a
symbol of its rising global stature. The Change-3 rocket carrying the Jade
Rabbit rover blasted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in the
southwest of the country. The probe is due to land on the moon in midDecember to explore its surface and look for natural resources. It is the worlds
third lunar rover mission following those by the United States and former
Soviet Union decades earlier.
Cuba lifts 50-year-old restrictions on car imports: Cuba on December 19, 2013 announced
it will allow unrestricted car imports for the first time in half a century, marking the end of an era
that made icons of the islands vintage automobiles. The official newspaper Granma said the
decision will gradually free up retail sales of all manner of vehicles -- automobiles, vans, trucks and
motorcycles -- and ends the practice of granting some Cubans special permission to bring in
vehicles as a privilege. The changes are a long-awaited element of President Raul Castros
attempts to gradually liberalise Cubas Soviet-style economy.
Mexico named kidnapping capital of world: Mexico is the country in the world that has the highest number of
kidnapping cases. A study by the security company Control Risk found that 20 percent of
all kidnapping cases worldwide in the first half of 2013 occurred in Mexico. Director of
the Mexican secret service analysis department on December 15 said that though crimes
such as murder went down in 2013, others such as kidnappings and extortion have
increased. More than 105,000 people were kidnapped in Mexico in 2012.
United Nations Human Rights Day observed: December 10, 2013 was observed
as the United Nations Human Rights Day. A United Nations General Assembly
committee on December 6, 2013 adopted a resolution on human settlement, designating
October 31 as the World Cities Day. World Arabic Language Day was observed by
UNESCO on Dec 18.
Bachelet elected new President in Chile: Ex-President Michelle Bachelet won 62 percent of the
vote in a runoff in the Presidential election in Chile on December 16. Bachelet will be sworn in on
March 11, 2014, giving President Sebastian Pinera nearly three months left in office. Chile is the
worlds top copper exporter, and its fast-growing economy, low unemployment and stable democracy
are the envy of Latin America. But millions of Chileans who have protested in recent years say more
of the copper wealth should be used to reduce income inequality and fix public schools.
Merkel sworn in as German chancellor as CDUSPD strike coalition deal: Angela

Merkel, 59, was on December 17, 2013 sworn in as German Chancellor for a rare third four-year
term to govern Europes top economy. Merkels centre-right Christian Democrats Union (CDU)
struck a coalition deal with centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD). CDU bloc and the SPD now
command a huge majority in the Bundestag with a whopping 504 of the 631 seats. Merkel is
Germanys only third post-war chancellor to win a third four-year term after her mentor Helmut
Kohl (1982-1998) and Konrad Adenauer (1949-1963).
Alyz Henrich wins Miss Earth 2013 title: Venezuelas Alyz Henrich was on December 6,
2013 crowned Miss Earth 2013 at the 13th edition of the pageant held at Versailles Palace in
Alabang, Manila. The runners-up are Miss Austria, who was crowned Miss Air, Miss Thailand won
the Miss Water title and Miss Fire went to Miss Korea. Henrich defeated 88 contestants including
Miss India Sobhita Dhulipala, who couldnt even make it to top 16. Miss Earth 2012 Tereza
Fajksov from Czech Republic crowned Henrich. Made of recycled precious metals and more, the
crown was designed by environmentalist and jewelry designer Ramona Haar.
THE GENESIS
20
Pope Francis is Time Person of the Year: Pope Francis has been named Person of the Year 2013 by Time
magazine for changing the perception of the Catholic Church in an extraordinary
way within just nine months in office. Time said the first non-European Pope in
1,200 years is poised to transform a place that measures change by the century.
The heart is a strong muscle; hes proposing a rigorous exercise plan. And in a
very short time, a vast, global, ecumenical audience has shown a hunger to
follow him. For pulling the papacy out of the palace and into the streets, for
committing the worlds largest church to confronting its deepest needs and for
balancing judgement with mercy, Pope Francis is TIMEs 2013 Person of the
Year, the magazines Managing Editor Nancy Gibbs said on December 11.
Jeh Johnson to head US Department of Homeland Security: The US Senate on

December 17 confirmed Jeh Johnson, a former top Pentagon lawyer, to be the next head of the
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) which was created by then-president George W Bush in
2002, one year after the 9/11 attacks. In Switzerland, Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter was on
December 4 elected president for 2014. The Swiss presidency rotates every year between the
seven members of the countrys cross-party cabinet, with the role of the head of state largely
symbolic. Meanwhile in Luxembourg, Prime Minister Xavier Bettel on December 5 presented his
three-way coalition an official end to the 18-year reign of Jean-Claude Juncker as the longest-standing government leader
in the European Union.
Malala among winners of 2013 UN Human Rights Prize: Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani
education activist who fearlessly took on the Taliban, was among the winners of the 2013 UN Human
Rights Prize on December 10. Biram Dah Abeid of Mauritania, Hiljmnijeta Apuk of Kosovo, Liisa
Kauppinen of Finland Khadija Ryadi of Morocco and Mexicos Constitutional Court are among the
eminent recipients of the prize, which is conferred every five years.
BJPs MM Joshi, AS Pillai of BrahMos win Russian honour: Russian President
Vladimir Putin December 15 awarded the Order of Friendship to Joshi and MD of the joint
Russian-Indian venture BrahMos Aerospace, A. Sivathanu Pillai for their contribution to the
strengthening of friendship and cooperation with the Russian Federation, the development of
scientific and cultural ties, and active charitable work. Lokesh Chandra, director of the
International Academy of Indian Culture, was awarded the Pushkin Medal. Meanwhile Gen
Bikram Singh was awarded the sixth highest American military honour Legion of Merit during
his visit to the US from December 2 to 5. The award is issued both to US military personnel and
to military and political figures of foreign governments.
Obituaries I: Actor Peter OToole, who found global fame as the adventurer T E
Lawrence in David Leans 1962 biopic Lawrence of Arabia, died at the age of 81
in London on December 15. Audrey Totter, an actress known for her leading roles
in some film noirs most prominent titles, including Lady in the Lake, The SetUp, died at the age of 95 in Los Angeles on December 16. Joan Fontaine, the
actress who achieved stardom in the early 1940s with memorable performances in
the Alfred Hitchcock films Rebecca (1940) and Suspicion (1941), died at the age of 96 in California on December 16.
Obituaries II: Fans and fellow actors on December 1, 2013 mourned the death of Paul Walker, best
known as undercover agent Brian OConnor in the Fast and Furious action movies, in a car crash in
California. Yuri Dubinin, the Soviet Unions ambassador to the United States during much of the
turbulent 1980s, died at age 83 in Moscow on December 20. British novelist Paul Torday, who had a
surprise best-seller with his debut novel Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, died at age 67 on December
19.
THE GENESIS
21
Current Affairs: Sports

Kapil Dev chosen for BCCIs Lifetime Achievement award: Indias first World
Cup winning captain Kapil Dev will be conferred the Col C K Nayudu Lifetime
Achievement award for the year 2013 at the annual BCCI awards function, the Boards
announced on December 18. The selection was done by a committee comprising BCCI
President N. Srinivasan, Secretary Sanjay Patel and journalist Ayaz Memon. The award
comprises a trophy, citation and a cheque for Rs 25 lakhs. One of the greatest all-rounders
the game has seen, Kapil played 131 Tests for India taking 434 wickets, record at one time.
He was the first player to complete 5,000 runs and 400 wickets in Tests. In 225 ODIs, he
took 253 wickets and scored 3,783 runs. His most memorable contribution to Indian cricket
was the victory in the 1983 World Cup. The Col. C K Nayudu Lifetime Achievement
Award, named after Indias first Test captain, is given to individuals whose contribution to Indian cricket, on and off the
field, is unparallel.
Gilchrist, Waqar in ICC Hall of fame: The International Cricket Council on December 13, 2013 inducted
Australias legendary wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Gilchrist into its Hall of
Fame during the tea interval of the ongoing third Ashes Test at the WACA in
Perth. Gilchrist was one of Australias most prolific wicket-keeper batsmen,
having represented the country in 96 Tests in a career that spanned 12 years. He
amassed 5,570 Test runs with 17 Test centuries and 26 half-centuries and
claimed 416 dismissals from behind the stumps for Australia, while he
captained the team on six occasions. Gilchrist has become the 71st male
member of the Hall of Fame, and is the second 2013-14 inductee to be
announced after Waqar Younis. A famed exponent of reverse swing, Waqar claimed 373 wickets from 87 Tests and 416
scalps from 262 One-Day Internationals. The 42-year-old also led his country in 17 Tests and 62 ODIs.
Michael Clarke is ICC Player of the Year: Australian captain Michael Clarke
was on December 14, 2013 announced as the winner of the Sir Garfield Sobers trophy
for ICC Cricketer of the Year and was also named as the ICC Test Cricketer of the
Year. Sri Lankas Kumar Sangakkara was named ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year.
Indias Cheteshwar Pujara was named the ICC Emerging Cricketer of the Year.
Pakistan fast bowler Umar Gul won the ICC T20I Performance of the Year award for
five for six against South Africa. Sri Lankas Mahela Jayawardena won ICC Spirit of
Cricket award, this time for walking without waiting for an umpires decision when
batting on 91 against New Zealand in Galle in November 2012
Richard Kettleborough is ICC Umpire of the Year: New Zealand captain Suzie Bates won
the ICC Womens ODI Cricketer of the Year award. Irelands Kevin OBrien won the Associate and
Affiliate Cricketer of the Year award. Richard Kettleborough won the David Shepherd Trophy for ICC
Umpire of the Year. Englands Sarah Taylor clinched the ICC Womens T20I Cricketer of the Year
award. In total there are 11 individual awards, as well as the two ICC Teams of the Year - for Tests
and ODIs.
Australia reclaim Ashes: Australia beat England by 150 runs in Perth on
December 17 to win the third Test in Perth and reclaim the Ashes from their bitter
rivals. Set a record 504 to win, England was all out for 353 on the final day at the
WACA Ground to hand the home side an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the five-match
series. It capped a remarkable turnaround for Australia, who went into the series just
months after a 3-0 Ashes loss in England. England had held the Ashes for the past
three series. The Australians had won the first two Tests in Brisbane and Adelaide.
THE GENESIS
22
South Africa win India ODI series 2-0: The third and final cricket one-day international (ODI)
between India and South Africa at Centurion was on December 12, 2013 abandoned after rains
intervened at the innings break with the home side winning the series 2-0. Brief Scores: South Africa:
301 for 8 in 50 overs (Quniton de Kock 101, A B de Villiers 109; Ishant Sharma 4/40, Mohammed
Shami 3/69). South Africa finished the series with a 2-0 win having won in Johannesburg and Durban.
Quniton de Kock was Man of the Series.
Ireland win Intercontinental Cup: John Mooneys second five-wicket haul in the match saw
Ireland post a comprehensive victory by 122 runs over Afghanistan to win the ICC Intercontinental Cup
final in Dubai on December 13. Brief scores: Ireland 187 all out, 61 overs and 341 all out, 95.1 overs
Afghanistan 182 all out, 77.5 overs and 224 all out, 94.5 overs. Earlier this year, Ireland won the World
Cricket League Championship title in the 50-over format in October and the ICC World Twenty20
Qualifier tournament in November.
Chanderpaul passes Tendulkar on unbeaten centuries record in Tests: Veteran West Indies batsman
Shivnarine Chanderpaul overtook Australian Allan Border as the sixth highest all-time
run scorer in Test cricket at Hamilton on December 20. His 122 not out in the third Test
against New Zealand was also his 29th century and his 17th unbeaten, putting him one
ahead of Indian great Sachin Tendulkar as the batsman with the most unbeaten Test
hundreds. Chanderpaul now has 11,199 runs from his 153 Tests. The fifth highest scorer
in Test cricket is Chanderpauls West Indies compatriot Brian Lara who amassed 11,953,
while the list is headed by Tendulkar with 15,921 from 200 matches. Others ahead of
Chanderpaul are Australias Ricky Ponting (13,378), Indias Rahul Dravid (13,288), and
South African Jacques Kallis (13,140).
Shillingford suspended for suspect bowling action: In a major blow to the West Indies cricket
team, off-spinner Shane Shillingford was on December 16 suspended by the ICC for having an illegal
bowling action, while another tweaker Marlon Samuels quicker deliveries were also ruled
illegitimate. The analysis revealed that for both his standard off-break delivery and his doosra, the
amount of elbow extension in his bowling action exceeded the 15 degrees level of tolerance permitted
under the ICC Regulations. Meanwhile, the independent biomechanical analysis of the Samuels
bowling action concluded that his standard off-break delivery was legal but his quicker deliveries
exceeded the 15 degrees level of tolerance and thus, were considered to be illegal.
Bailey equals Lara record of most runs in an over in tests: Australian batsman George
Bailey equalled Brian Laras Test record for most runs off an over against England in Perth on
December 16, 2013. West Indian great Lara hit 28 runs off an over from South Africas Robin
Peterson in Johannesburg in 2003. Bailey matched the feat when he took the same tally off Jimmy
Anderson in the final over of Australias second innings on the fourth day of the third Test. The
Tasmanian, in only his third Test, hit three sixes and two fours in the over.
Chhetri named 2013 AIFF Player of the Year: India national football team captain Sunil Chhetri was on
December 20, 2013 named the 2013 AIFF Player of the Year by the All India Football Federation
(AIFF). The Indian captain, presently Indias highest-ever goal-scorer in international football on 43
goals had earlier won the award twice, in 2007 and then in 2011. In the process he joins IM Vijayan
to have won the award thrice each. Oinam Bembem Devi was adjudged the 2013 AIFF Womens
Player of the Year. AIFF also declared 22-year old Jeje Lalpekhlua as the 2013 Emerging Player of
the Year. Meanwhile the AIFF on December 20 amended its constitution to bring the age and tenure
rule in line with the Sports Ministrys Code. According to the amendments, the President and the
Treasurer of AIFF shall cease to hold that post on attaining 70 years of age. The President may hold the office for a
maximum period of twelve years with or without break. Minister Praful Patel is President of AIFF.
THE GENESIS
23
Bayern Munich lift 2013 Club World Cup: European champions Bayern Munich
added the Club World Cup to their collection of trophies when they comfortably outplayed
Raja Casablanca to win 2-0 in the final at Marrakech stadium on December 21, 2013.
Defender Dante and Thiago Alcantara scored in the first 22 minutes as Bayern followed up
the Champions League, Bundesliga and German Cup treble they won last season. Raja, who
stunned South American champions Atletico Mineiro to reach the final, were
comprehensively outplayed and offered only the occasional threat.
IOA amends constitution: Left with no other option after being served an ultimatum by the
International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on December 8
amended its constitution to bar charge-framed persons from contesting elections, in a development
which is expected to pave the way for Indias return to the Olympic fold. Both Abhay Singh
Chautala and Lalit Bhanot, the president and secretary general of the suspended IOA and who
were charge-framed by the court, would be ineligible to contest IOA elections to be held on
February 9, 2014. The decision to amend its constitution in line with IOC diktat was taken by the
IOA after the world body served the an ultimatum that it would de-recognise India if the charge-framed persons are not
barred from contesting polls.
Indian athletes to compete in Sochi Olympics under IOC flag: International Olympic
Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach on December 11, 2013 said the Indian Olympic
Association (IOA) remains suspended for the time being but Indian athletes are free to compete in
Sochi Winter Olympics as individual competitors under the international bodys flag. Earlier on
December 8, the IOA amended its constitution to ban corruption-tainted officials from running for
election, as demanded by the IOC. IOA was suspended in December 2012 after electing Secretarygeneral Lalit Bhanot, who spent 10 months in jail on corruption charges related to the 2010
Commonwealth Games in New Delhi. Bach said the IOC would lift the suspension after new elections are held.
Four Indians qualify for Sochi Winter Games: They may not take part under the tri-colour
due to the suspension of the IOA but four Indians have so far qualified for the February 7-23 Winter
Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. Shiva Keshavan, in luge, Nadeem Iqbal in cross country skiing
and Hira Lal and Himanshu Thakur, both in Alpine skiing, have qualified for the Games. This
information was given by Winter Games Federation of India in New Delhi on December 18.
Owens 1936 Olympic gold fetches USD 1.4 million: An Olympic gold medal won by
Jesse Owens at the 1936 Berlin Games has sold at an auction in California on December 8 for
USD 1,466,574, the highest price ever paid for a piece of Olympic memorabilia. The price
surpassed that of a silver cup won by the winner of the first modern-day Olympic marathon in
1896 that sold for USD 865,000 in April 2012. With Germanys Adolph Hitler using the
Olympics as a backdrop for notions of an Aryan master race, US legend Owens famously
showed the power of a black athlete by capturing gold in the 100 and 200 meters, the long jump and the 4x100m relay.
Lee Chong Wei, Li Xuerui win BWF World Superseries finals: Lee Chong Wei
of Malaysia and Li Xuerui of China won the Mens and Womens Singles titles respectively
and $40,000 each at the season ending BWF (Badminton World Federation) World
Superseries Finals in Kuala Lumpur on December 15. While Lee beat Indonesias Tommy
Sugiarto 21-10, 21-12, Xuerui defeated Chinese Taipeis Tai Tzu Ying 8-21, 14-21. Other
winners: Womens Doubles: Christinna Pedersen & Kamilla Rytter Juhl (Denmark); Mixed
Doubles Pedersen & Joachim Fischer Nielsen (Denmark); Mens Doubles Mohammad
Ahsan & Hendra Setiawan (Indonesia). The Superseries Finals bring together the top eight
performers in each of the 5 categories based on points earned from 12 Superseries
tournaments.
THE GENESIS
24
FILA rejigs weight classes; Sushil, Yogeshwar to move higher: Wrestlings

international governing body, FILA on December 18 announced a rejig in weight classes
for its competitions, including those of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, a development
which would lead to Indias medallists Sushil Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt moving up to a
higher weight category. This would mean that Sushil and Yogeshwar, who were competing
in 66kg and 60kg freestyle respectively will have to move to a new category. Yogeshwar
will now have to move to 65kg while Sushil will have to compete in the next higher 74kg.
Germany win Hero Junior Mens Hockey World Cup: Niklas Wellen slammed a
brilliant hat-trick to guide defending champions Germany to their record sixth world title, beating
unheralded France 5-2 in the summit clash of the Hero Junior Mens Hockey World Cup at the
floodlit Major Dhyan Chand Stadium in New Delhi on December 15, 2013 while India finished
second-last in the 12-team event. Germanys Christopher Ruhr was awarded the player of the
tournament and the highest goal scorer award. Meanwhile Bhubaneswar has been selected as the
host of the 35th edition of the Champions Trophy Mens Hockey the eight-team elite
International Hockey Federation (FIH) tournament from December 13-21, 2014, Hockey India
announced in New Delhi on December 16.
Nakamura wins London Chess Classic: Hikaru Nakamura of USA won the 5th London
Chess Classic on Dec 15 which this year was in a rapid format with group stages and followed
by an 8 player knockout. In other events, Samvel Ter-Sahakyan of Armenia won the SREI
International Grandmaster Chess Tournament in Kolkata on December 14. Indias Sethuraman
S. P. won the 2nd Hyderabad International Grandmasters Chess tournament on Dec 3.
Ethiopians win Vadodara international half marathon: Ethiopians Negewo Asera
Mengstu won the Mens race while Gebreslasea Letbrahm triumphed in the womens race at the
international half marathon (21 km) organised in Vadodara on December 15. Meanwhile in Delhi,
Ethiopias Atsedu Tsegay won the mens elite event while Florence Kiplagat of Kenya finished
on top in the womens category of the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon on December 15, 2013.
UAE wins Admirals Cup 2013 in Kerala: The United Arab Emirates has won the
2013 Admirals Cup held at the Indian Naval Academy in Ezhimala in Keralas Kannur
District on December 8, 2013. The fourth edition of the Admirals Cup witnessed 13
international navies participating in the event. Admirals Cup is an international yachting
regatta which started in 1957, and was for many years known as the unofficial world
championship of offshore racing.
Adrian Sutil joins Sauber 2014 F1 Season: Germanys Adrian Sutil will race for Sauber next
season, the Swiss Formula One team announced in Berlin on December 13. The 30-year-old was
forced to look for another drive after his previous team Force India named Nico Hulkenberg and
Sergio Perez as their drivers for next season. Adrian Sutil. Sutil finished 13th in the 2013 season with
29 points. Sebastian Vettel had 397 points from 19 races.
Sergio Perez joins Force India for 2014 F1 Season: Sergio Perez will partner Nico
Hulkenberg at Force India for the 2014 Formula 1 season, the Silverstone based team announced in
London on December 12. Signing Perez means Force India have dropped their 2013 drivers Paul di
Resta and Adrian Sutil. Perez finished 11th in 2013 with 49 points.
THE GENESIS
25
Current Affairs: Economy

Tatas exit race for bank licence
Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata Group, has
withdrawn its application for a domestic banking license.
The company has indicated that its current financial
services operating model best supports the needs of the
Tata Groups domestic and overseas strategy, and
provides adequate operating flexibility to its companies,
while securing the interests of the Groups diverse
stakeholder base, the central bank said. Earlier in
September, Value Industries, a unit of diversified
conglomerate Videocon Industries Ltd, had also
withdrawn its application.
per cent in three years and further down to 15 per cent in

12 years. Together, they leave very little incentive for a
corporate to start a bank.
The RBI, though, is not entirely unjustified in laying out
such onerous guidelines. The business of banking, unlike
steel or plastic processing, is primarily about handling
other peoples money. Therefore, protecting depositors
interests through minimum capital and liquidity/reserve
requirements and preventing promoters from using banks
as captive fund pools are major regulatory concerns.
Likewise, it is only fair that the promoter of a bank not be
allowed to run a parallel deposit-taking or lending
business; hence the stipulation that NBFC promoters who
want to start a bank, transfer all activities to it.
The withdrawal of its banking licence application by Tata

Sons suggests that the corporate enthusiasm for entering
this sector may be giving way to the growing realisation
of the challenges in meeting the RBIs regulatory
guidelines. According to an editorial in Businessline:
The $97-billion conglomerates withdrawal is linked to
the stipulation that requires promoter groups to bring all
their financial services entities the proposed bank
included under a single, wholly-owned non-operative
financial holding company (NOFHC). According to Tata
Sons, which earns about 63 per cent of its revenues from
foreign operations, its group companies would have to
comply with laws of those countries when it comes to
overseas financing; as a result, providing financial
solutions abroad would breach the existing guidelines. A
single NOFHC would severely limit its operational
flexibility, it felt.
Stricter insider trading norms
While the Tata Sons pullout may not have a domino

effect, there is a discernable waning of interest among the
25 remaining applicants. There is an increasing concern
among many of them about the difficulties of abiding by
the stringent regulatory framework of the RBI. It was
exactly this apprehension that resulted in companies such
as Mahindra & Mahindra and Sundaram Finance, which
run well-established non-banking finance company
(NBFC) businesses, not even applying for bank licences.
NET GETS WIDER
The main attraction for an NBFC to become a bank is the

access to low-cost current and savings account deposits.
But the RBIs regulations mandating compliance with
priority sector lending norms right from the
commencement of a banks operations, besides statutory
liquidity ratio and cash reserve requirements, are
dampeners. Especially worrying is the guideline that the
NOFHCs stake in the bank has to be brought down to 40
But some of the RBI regulations do seem excessive,

including the one that requires a common NOFHC for the
groups overseas financial entities. The key is to strike a
balance between protecting depositor interests and
creating a more vibrant and diverse banking system.
In wide-ranging reforms of insider trading norms, a Sebiappointed panel on December 11 proposed bringing in
public servants handling share price-sensitive information
under its purview and put the onus on the insiders to
prove they have not breached any law.
The new norms, which would also apply to mutual funds
and trusts issuing securities or schemes that get listed on
stock exchanges, would also require companies to seek
entire holdings of all employees and third-party
connected persons.
Definition of insiders expanded to include public

servants
Insiders barred from passing price-sensitive
information
Trading prohibited in listed securities when in
possession of sensitive information
Insiders with sensitive information can trade with a
pre-scheduled trading plan
Trades by promoters, employees and immediate
relatives to be disclosed internally to the company
Trades of over Rs 10 lakh within a calendar quarter to
be disclosed to exchanges
THE GENESIS

Besides, all trades by promoters, employees, directors and
their immediate relatives (which would cover close
relatives who are either financially dependent or consult
the insider in connection with their trading) would be
required to be disclosed to the company.
Simply put, the Proposed Regulations entail a
prohibition on trading by insiders in securities when in
possession of UPSI (Unpublished Price Sensitive
Information), thus obtaining an unfair advantage, the
panel said in its 74-page report submitted to SEBI.
The panel, chaired by N K Sodhi, Former Chief Justice of
Kerala and Karnataka and a Former Presiding Officer of
the Securities Appellate Tribunal, was set up by SEBI in
March 2013 to review nearly two decade-old insider
trading norms and included experts from various sectors.
The new norms also entail outlawing communication of
UPSI by any insider except where such communication is
legitimately necessary for performance of duties or
discharge of legal obligations.
Besides, definition of the term connected person has
been changed to explicitly include public servants who
handle UPSI relating to listed companies.
Among other proposals, whether an insider who has
traded in securities is a connected person, the onus of
establishing that he was not in breach of the prohibition
will be on him.
Regulating research analysts

To ward off market manipulation through independent
reports on stocks and listed companies, the Securities and
Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has proposed new norms
to regulate research analysts while clamping down on
research services offered by foreign entities without
getting registered in India.
Those to be regulated through new norms include
independent research analysts, intermediaries that employ
research analysts and issues research reports, as also
research analysts giving recommendations in the public
media such as TV channels, newspapers and websites. As
per the proposed norms, an entity incorporated outside
India willing to provide research services in respect of
Indian companies will have to set up a subsidiary in India
26
and make an application for registration through that
subsidiary.
The guidelines have come against the backdrop of various
cases of foreign entities coming out with research reports
on India, resulting in huge fall in share prices here. One
such case is that of Canada-based research firm Veritas
Investment Research which had issued reports on DLF,
Reliance and Indiabulls that had influenced the share
price of these companies. SEBI has come across instances
where bear cartels have used negative issues raised in
these reports to beat down the shares, while positive
reports have been used to push the prices higher.
Issuing detailed draft norms to be followed by research
analysts, SEBI has asked general public to give
suggestions on the same by December 21.
The latest proposals are based on recommendations by
The
International
Organisation
of
Securities
Commissions (IOSCO), which has also suggested to the
SEBI that research analysts need to be subjected to
appropriate oversight and regulation.
As per the detailed draft guidelines issued by SEBI for
research analysts, no person shall act as a research
analyst or hold itself out as a research analyst unless he
has obtained a certificate of registration.
Research analyst would have to establish, maintain
written policies and control procedures governing the
dealing and trading by any research analyst so as to
eliminate potential conflicts of interest arising from such
dealings or trading.
The analysts have been asked to make extensive
disclosures regarding their incentive structure, market
dealings, and various direct and indirect business
interests. Further, the research analyst would not be
allowed to deal with securities that the research analyst
recommends or follows within 30 days before and 5 days
after the publication of a research report on the subject
company or in a manner contrary to the recommendation.
Besides, research analysts cannot purchase or receive any
securities before the issuers initial public offering or
further offering if the issuer is principally engaged in
the similar business as firms that the analyst follows.
THE GENESIS
27
Economy Briefs
RBI keeps rates unchanged in Monetary Policy Review:
RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan unveiled Mid-Quarter Monetary
Policy Review on December 18, 2013. On the basis of an
assessment of the current and evolving macroeconomic situation,
the RBI has decided to keep the policy repo rate under the liquidity
adjustment facility (LAF) unchanged at 7.75 per cent and the cash
reserve ratio (CRR) of scheduled banks unchanged at 4.0 per cent
of net demand and time liability (NDTL). Consequently, the reverse
repo rate under the LAF will remain unchanged at 6.75 per cent,
and the marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate at
8.75 per cent. The next policy review is due on January 28, 2014.
Give banks incentives for taming of NPAs RBI: To
contain rising bad loans, which is likely to touch Rs 3 trillion mark
this fiscal, RBI on December 17 proposed a slew of measures,
including incentives to banks for tackling an account timely and
penalising borrower with higher interest in future for non-cooperation for a resolution. In a discussion paper on nonperforming assets management, the RBI proposed early formation of a lenders committee with timelines to agree to a
plan for resolution, among other aspects. Gross NPAs of banks have crossed 4 per cent as of the July-September quarter
at Rs 2.37 trillion and are projected to cross 4.4 per cent or at Rs 2.9 trillion by the end of the fiscal, according to a report
by rating agency ICRA.
CCEA allows gas price hike for RIL on basis of bank guarantee: Ending months of uncertainty, the Cabinet on
December 19, 2013 decided to allow Mukesh Ambani-promoted Reliance Industries to double the price of natural gas
from April 1, 2014 provided the firm furnishes a bank guarantee to cover its liability if gas hoarding charges against it are
proved. The bank guarantee will be encashed if it is proved the company hoarded gas or deliberately suppressed
production at the main Dhirubhai-1 and 3 (D1&D3) fields in the eastern offshore KG-D6 block since 2010-11.
Gas pricing on the basis of Rangarajan formula: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) headed
by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on December 19 decided that there will be no change in the Rangarajan formula of
pricing domestically produced gas - both conventional and non-conventional fuels such as coal-bed methane and shale
gas - at an average of international gas hub rates and the cost of liquefied natural gas (LNG) imported into India.
According to the formula, the gas price on April 1, 2014, for all producers including state-owned Oil & Natural Gas Corp
(ONGC) and private firms such as RIL will be about USD 8.4 per million British thermal units against USD 4.2
currently. Gas is a crucial input for the power and fertiliser sectors and every dollar increase will raise the cost of
production.
Lok Sabha passes Supplementary Budget for 2013-14: The Lok Sabha has approved the Rs 18,594.3-crore
additional spending in 2013-14 to meet expenditure, mainly towards petroleum and fertiliser subsidies. The House gave
its nod to the second batch of Supplementary Demands for Grants 2013-14, piloted by Finance Minister P Chidambaram
on December 12, 2013. The proposals involve a net cash outgo of Rs 13,126.9 crore and gross additional expenditure,
matched by savings of the ministries and departments or by enhanced receipts and recoveries, of Rs 5,466.25 crore.
Food Processing Ministry & Invest India to set up Investors Help Desk: Ministry of Food Processing
Industries and Invest India have entered into an agreement for the setting up of an Investors Help Desk for offering
online support to investors, both domestic and foreign, with regard to their queries, guide them and provide hand holding
services particularly at the initial stage of setting up their units. The agreement was signed on December 17. Invest
India, a joint venture between DIPP and FICCI, has a mandate to promote foreign investment in India and acts as a first
point of reference for global investing community.
THE GENESIS
28
Government to set up India Inclusive Innovation Fund: The government on December 18 said that it will set-up
a dedicated fund, called the India Inclusive Innovation Fund, for promoting grassroots innovations coupled with social
and economic returns. The India Inclusive Innovation Fund would back enterprises developing innovative solutions
primarily for citizens who lie in the lower half of Indias economic pyramid, with limited physical and institutional
access to basic services, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises K.H.
Muniyappa said in the Rajya Sabha. The minimum total corpus of this fund is proposed to be of Rs.500 crore, while
maximum size is slated to be of Rs.5,000 crore with an initial government contribution of about Rs.100 crore.
Coal Regulatory Authority Bill introduced in Lok Sabha: A Bill to set up an independent coal sector regulator
with the task of conserving resources and charting methodology for price fixing was introduced in the Lok Sabha on
December 13. The Coal Regulatory Authority Bill, 2013 comes amid the sector grappling with multiple woes, including
shortfall in production and allegations of irregularities in allocation of mines. Introduced by Coal Minister Sriprakash
Jaiswal, the Bill seeks to put in place the regulatory body for the sector, which would be entrusted with the job of
adjudicating upon disputes between parties in a market where state-run Coal India is the dominant player.
Competition Commission imposes $290 mn fine on Coal India: The Competition Commission of India (CCI)
on December 10 imposed a fine of 17.7 billion rupees on state-run miner Coal India Ltd (CIL) for abusing its dominant
position and imposing unfair conditions in fuel supply agreements with customers. CIL issued a cease and desist order
to CIL and directed it to modify clauses in its fuel supply contracts related to sampling and testing, transportation
charges, and compensation on supply of coal. CIL, which accounts for 80 percent of Indias coal output, changed its
pricing system last year, allowing it to charge higher prices from some customers. .
Cabinet approves central plan scheme monitoring system: The Union Cabinet on December 12 approved the
national rollout of a system to monitor central plan schemes to efficiently track fund flow to the lowest level. The Plan
Accounting and Public Finance Management System (PA&PFMS), also known as Central Plan Scheme Monitoring
System (CPSMS), will be rolled out over a period of four years till 2017 at a total outlay of Rs.1,080 crore. The new
system intends to provide information across all plan schemes in the country on fund utilization leading to better
monitoring, review and decision support to enhance public accountability in the implementation of plan schemes.
Bourses get more time to register warehouses with WDRA: Commodity markets regulator Forward Markets
Commission (FMC) on December 8 said it has given the six national commodity bourses time till March 2014 to register
their warehouses with WDRA to ensure quality and quantity of the produce lying with them. For better regulation of
warehouses, FMC had asked the national commodities bourses MCX, NCDEX, NMCE, ICEX, ACE and UCX to
register their warehouses with the Warehousing Development & Regulatory Authority (WDRA) before December 31.
This initiative to strengthen warehousing facilities in the commodity futures market is timely in view of the recent NSEL
payment crisis. FMC is overseeing the payment of Rs 5,600 crore dues by the National Spot Exchange Ltd (NSEL) to
investors after the exchange shut its business due to violation of some rules, like allowing trade without having stocks.
Power Grid share offer subscribed six-fold: The share sale offer of state-run Power Grid Corp (PGCIL) was
subscribed 6.73 times as institutional and retail buyers bid for its shares on the final day of offer on December 6.
PGCILs follow-on-public offer (FPO) comprises 13 percent fresh equity by Power Grid and four percent stake sale by
the government. Post-issue, the government holding in PGCIL will come down to 57.89 percent from the current 69.42
percent. PGCIL, a navaratna public sector undertaking under the ministry of power, is the countrys central transmission
utility (CTU). The company owns and operates more than 90% of Indias inter-state and interregional electric power
transmission systems (ISTS).
Cabinet approves Rs 6,600 cr interest free loans for sugar mills: The Government on December 19 cleared a
scheme of 6,600 crore rupees interest free loans to cash starved sugar mills. This loan will be utilized for making
payment to cane farmers. The sugar industry is facing financial problems due to higher cost of production and lower
sugar prices in the wake of surplus production in the last few years. Meanwhile, the government has also slashed the
Minimum Export Price (MEP) of onion with immediate effect to 350 dollars a tonne from the existing 800 dollars per
tonne.
THE GENESIS
29
Indias holds US government securities worth $ 59.9 bn: India increased its exposure to American government
securities to USD 59.9 billion in October 2013, according to latest data from the US Treasury Department on December
17. China remains the largest holder of American debt, with holdings worth over USD 1.30 trillion in October, followed
by Japan with securities to the tune of USD 1.17 trillion. Among the BRICS, Brazil had the second highest exposure at
USD 246.7 billion while that of Russia stood at USD 149.9 billion in October.
CPI (Retail) inflation at 11.24% in November: The consumer price index-based (CPI) inflation or the retail
inflation for November rose to 11.24 percent as compared to 10.17 percent in the previous month, government data
showed on December 12. Retail inflation rose on the back of high food prices. The price rise was sharper in rural areas.
The CPI-based inflation for rural areas increased 11.74 percent in the month under review. For the urban areas consumer
price inflation grew by 10.53 percent in the month under review. Meanwhile Indias industrial output declined by 1.8%
during October, due to poor performance of the mining and manufacturing sector, government data showed on December
12.
National energy conservation awards given: President Pranab Mukherjee gave away national energy conservation
awards in New Delhi on December 16. The prizes included top rank award, 34 first prizes, and 34 second prizes to the
national energy conservation award winners who were the best energy performers in various sectors i.e. industries,
thermal power stations, office buildings, BPO buildings, hotels, hospitals, shopping malls, zonal railways, railway
workshops, municipalities, state designated agencies and manufacturers of bee star labelled appliances/equipment.
December 14, 2013 was observed as the National Energy Conservation Day.
Urdu software, Bharat Operating System Solutions 5.0 released: Kapil Sibal, Minister for Communications
and Information Technology, on December 16 released updated Urdu Language Software Tools CD, Bharat Operating
System Solutions (BOSS 5.0) CD and Urdu children stories for Android based Aakash Tablet for public use. These are
now also available for free download from http://tdil-dc.in. These have been developed by CDAC under the mentoring of
TDIL Programme of Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY). The Urdu Software Tools CD is
a set of standards compliant free software tools that enables Windows and Linux users to carry out various task on
computers in Urdu Language.
Poverty higher among employed than unemployed: Over half of Indias working population in 2011-12 was
under the $2-per-day poverty line, new research has found, raising serious questions over the quality of work most
Indians find. In fact, the incidence of poverty is higher among the employed than the unemployed. Researched and
prepared by the Delhi-based Institute for Human Development (IHD), the India Labour and Employment Report 2014
was released by the Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh on December 15. The report analyses decades of
data up to the 2011-12 round of the National Sample Survey and presents original research.
Events: The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)s 9th International Corporate Governance Summit was organised in
New Delhi on December 20 where a joint CII-Deloitte publication titled Global Trends in Corporate Governance since
the Financial Crisis was released. The 28th Indian Engineering Congress was organised by the Institution of Engineers
(India) in Chennai from December 20 to 22. The 65th Indian Pharmaceutical Congress was held in Noida from December
20 to 22. The Global PSE Summit was organized by the Indian Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in collaboration
with Department of Public Enterprises, Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises in New Delhi on Dec 13.
Appointments: Harsh Kumar Bhanwala on December 18 took charge as chairman of the
National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD). The government on
December 12, 2013 appointed Malay Mukherjee as managing director and CEO of IFCI Ltd for
three-year term while Santosh Nayar has been appointed as chairman and managing director of
India Infrastructure Finance Corporation. Revenue Secretary Sumit Bose was on December 10
named as the new Finance Secretary. Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Arun Mishra
was on December 5 appointed the new Asia-Pacific head of International Civil Aviation
Organization (ICAO), making him the first Indian to hold the prestigious position.
THE GENESIS
30
Business Biography
Indra Nooyi: Leading from the front
Indra Nooyi is one of the most high profile female executives in the US and the highest-ranking
woman of Indian origin in corporate America.
Madras. She received a Bachelors degree in Physics,

Chemistry and Mathematics from Madras Christian
College in 1974 and a Post Graduate Diploma in
Management (MBA) from IIM, Calcutta in 1976.
Beginning her career in India, Nooyi held product
manager positions at Johnson & Johnson and textile firm
Mettur Beardsell. She was admitted to Yale School of
Management in 1978 and earned a Masters degree in
Public and Private Management.
The very idea of an Indian woman at the helm of one of

Americas most well-known companies is mind-boggling.
But it is an indicator of the changes that have been
sweeping over India since economic liberalization became
a buzzword. Indra Nooyi is Chairperson and CEO of
PepsiCo. In 2013, she has been ranked 10th in the list of
Forbes Worlds 100 most powerful women. In 2007, she
was awarded Padma Bhushan by the Government of
India.
As Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of PepsiCo,
Indra leads one of the worlds largest convenient food and
beverage companies, with revenues of $ 65.49 billion and
net profit of $ 6.17 billion in 2012. The company operates
in nearly 200 countries, and employs more than 185,000
people worldwide. Its main businesses include: Frito-Lay
snacks, Pepsi-Cola beverages, Gatorade sports drinks,
Tropicana juices and Quaker foods. The PepsiCo
portfolio comprises 18 brands that generate $1 billion or
more each in annual retail sales.
Nooyi was named President and CEO on October 1, 2006,
and donned the role of Chairperson on May 2, 2007. She
had led the companys global strategy for more than a
decade and was chiefly responsible for PepsiCos
restructuring, including the divestiture of its restaurants
into the successful YUM! Brands, Inc. She was also a
consummate dealmaker who presided over the acquisition
of Tropicana, and the merger with Quaker Oats that
brought the vital Quaker and Gatorade businesses within
the PepsiCo fold.
Born in Madras in October 1955, Nooyi was educated at
Holy Angels Anglo Indian Higher Secondary School in
While at Yale, she completed her summer internship with

Booz Allen Hamilton. Graduating in 1980, Nooyi joined
the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) where clients ranged
from textiles and consumer goods companies to retailers
and specialty chemicals producers. She joined Motorola
in 1986 as a senior business development executive for its
automotive and industrial electronic group-Nooyi went on
to become Vice President and Director of Corporate
Strategy and planning. She was with the company for four
years, leaving in 1990 to join Asea Brown Boveri Inc. as
its head of strategy. Nooyi spent four years as Senior Vice
President of Strategy, and Strategic Marketing for Asea
Brown Boveri. ABB was a $6 billion Swiss-Swedish
conglomerate that was into the manufacture of industrial
equipment and construction of power plants all over the
world. Indras role in helping ABB establish its presence
in North America was impressive.
She joined PepsiCo in 1994 as Senior Vice President of
corporate strategy and development. Nooyi worked
directly with PepsiCos CEO Roger Enrico and was
involved in every major strategic decision that he made.
She was one of the key executives behind the companys
transformation into a focussed food and beverage entity.
Indra is married to Raj, a management consultant. They
have two daughters and Indra has often acknowledged
that it has been a tough act to maintain a proper work-life
balance. Her first priority has always been her job. It was
probably this single mindedness which enabled her to
break through the glass ceiling which is a fixture in
corporate world everywhere. Indra has a golden rule for
success. Which is to never stop learning, whatever ones
age is. And the learning she speaks of is not academic
knowledge, but being street-smart and being aware of
whats happening in the real world.
THE GENESIS
31
Cyber buzz
Ransom-demanding virus on prowl
Cyber security sleuths have warned Indian Internet users
against a potent Trojan virus in the social media and
email circuit which
stealthily encrypts
important
documents of the
user and then asks
for a ransom to
unlock proprietary
messages.
The
audacity of the virus
has been categorised as severe and cyber experts say
such a malicious programme has been detected for the
first time which asks for a ransom of an estimated Euro or
USD 300 to unlock the genuine files of a user through
anonymous pre-paid cash vouchers. Once activated in
the users email or in the operating system, the virus
jeopardises the overall security of the users classified
information. The virus called cryptolocker has got as
many as seven aliases to hide its original character in the
cyberspace.
Cryptolocker is spreading via malicious hyperlinks shared
via spam emails, social media, malicious email
attachments, drive-by-download or as a part of dropped
file from other malwares.
Cryptolocker encrypts files located within local drives,
shared network drives, USB drives, external hard drives,
network file shares and even some cloud storage drives
using RSA public-key cryptography (2048-bit), with the
private key stored only on the malwares control servers,
countrys premier cyber security agency Computer
Emergency Response Team-India (CERT-In) said in its
advisory to Internet enabled computer users in Dec 2013.
Amazons drones to deliver goods

Want that Amazon order in just 30 minutes? Company
CEO Jeff Bezos says he hopes to soon deploy an armada
of mini-drones able to drop small packages at your
doorstep. The US online retail giants revolutionary
project still needs extra safety testing and federal
approval, but Bezos believes that Amazon Prime Air
would be up and running within four to five years. These
are effectively drones but theres no reason that they cant
be used as delivery vehicles, Bezos told CBS
televisions 60 Minutes program in December 2013.
A video posted on the companys website shows a

prototype drone. The body of the device is about the size
of a flat-screen monitor, and it is attached to eight small
helicopter rotors and sits on four tall legs. The claws
under the belly
of
the
octopeter then
latch onto a
standard sized
plastic bucket
that rolls down
a conveyer belt
at Amazons distribution center. Inside the bucket is the
order. The drone lifts off and whizzes into the air like a
giant mechanical insect to deliver the package just 30
minutes after clicking the pay button on Amazon.Com.
It follows the GPS coordinates it receives to drop the
items off at target locations. Then it buzzes back into the
air and returns to base.
The mini-drones can cover areas within a 16-km radius of
fulfillment centers, thus covering a significant portion of
the population in urban areas.
Video ads in Facebook News Feed

Facebook has begun serving up video ads that pop up and
play when users check their news feeds. The online social
network said it is testing the new advertising technique
with a clip teasing the new film Divergent. Video ads
will play on
mobile devices
as well as when
people
visit
Facebook from
laptop
or
desktop
computers. On
smartphones or tablets, video ads will be pre-loaded in
the background when in range of wireless hotspots to
avoid the rich downloads eating into users telecom
service data allowances, according to Facebook. Videos
will begin to play as they appear onscreen - without
sound - similar to how they behave when shared by
friends or verified pages, Facebook said. If you dont
want to watch the video, you can simply scroll or swipe
past it. The clips could last for up to 15 seconds, and an
advertiser wanting to reach all Facebook users aged
between 18 and 54 might have to pay USD 2 million per
day.
THE GENESIS
32
Science & Technology

Invisibility cloak designed
Scientists have designed an invisibility cloak that draws
energy from a battery,
allowing
objects
to
become undetectable to
radio sensors over a
greater
range
of
frequencies. Researchers
at The University of
Texas at Austin have
proposed the first design
of a cloaking device that
uses an external source of
energy to significantly
broaden its bandwidth of
operation. The proposed
active cloak will have a number of applications beyond
camouflaging, such as improving cellular and radio
communications, and biomedical sensing.
Cloaks have so far been realised with so-called passive
technology, which means that they are not designed to
draw energy from an external source. They are typically
based on metamaterials (advanced artificial materials) or
metasurfaces (flexible, ultrathin metamaterials) that can
suppress the scattering of light that bounces off an object,
making an object less visible. When the scattered fields
from the cloak and the object interfere, they cancel each
other out, and the overall effect is transparency to radiowave detectors. They can suppress 100 times or more the
detectability at specific design frequencies. Although the
proposed design works for radio waves, active cloaks
could one day be designed to make detection by the
human eye more difficult.
The proposed cloak can be thinner and less conspicuous
than conventional cloaks. The study was published in the
journal Physical Review Letters in December 2013.
Indias navigation satellite system

India is hoping that its own regional navigation satellite,
on the lines of Chinas, will become operational by 2015,
the government said on December 18. Replying to a
question on Indias space programme vis-a-vis Chinas,
Minister of State in the PMO V. Narayanaswamy told the
Lok Sabha that the first satellite for the Indian Regional
Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) was launched in
July this year.
An Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) initiative,

the IRNSS is designed to provide better accuracy from 10
miles over India and the region extending about 1,500 km
around India. It is
expected
to
provide accurate
real time position,
navigation
and
time
(PNT)
services to users
on a variety of
platforms
with
24X7 service availability under all weather conditions.
According to the minister, while India has strength in
space applications, Chinas strength lies in the launch
vehicle domain. India has strength in space applications
and Indias domestic constellation of remote sensing and
communication satellites are considered to be the largest
in Asia-Pacific region. In the field of space science and
planetary exploration, both India and China have sent
orbiters to the moon.
1st Mars orbiter course correction

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
conducted the first of the four trajectory correction
manoeuvres (TCM) of the
Mars
spacecraft
on
December
11,
2013.
TCM1, described as a
fine-tuning
of
the
spacecraft, was the first
operation to be done since
it was pushed out of
Earths orbit on December 1. The operation, lasting over
half-a-minute, was done to adjust the motion of the
spacecraft very slightly to ensure that it travels up to Mars
in September next year as scheduled. It gave a small
additional velocity to the spacecraft from their command
centre at ISTRAC, Bangalore. At that time, the spacecraft
was travelling about 29 lakh km away from Earth. It is
expected to approach Mars by mid-September next year.
If the TCM is not done at the appointed time, any
deviation in the spacecraft can build up and take it
beyond the decided path. Meanwhile, ISRO expects to do
three more course corrections in April, August and
September next year so as to keep it on the planned time
and path for Mars.
THE GENESIS
33
Recent Books
Driven: Memoirs of a Civil Servant Turned Entrepreneur by Jagdish Khattar
The book is an account of the authors diverse career in which he started off as a bureaucrat,
became a corporate boss and then turned entrepreneur at an age most people retire
Driven: Memoirs of a Civil Servant

Entrepreneur by Jagdish Khattar is an
epic triple treatstories from a civil
servant,
corporate
captain
and
businessman.
Khattar,
currently
chairman and managing director of
Carnation Corporation, is the former
MD, Maruti Udyog, an IAS officer and
a lawyer.
Turned
provides glimpses of the balancing act Khattar had to

often play behind the scenes.
Finally, at the age of sixty-five,
Khattar turned entrepreneur with
Carnation, Indias first multi-brand
car sales and servicing network. He
writes of the challenges of turning
into an entrepreneur at a ripe age.
From explaining the concept to
funding and operations, nothing has
been simple, he says, but he seems
to be taking on the challenge; and
ready to expand.
Khattar has had an astonishingly

diverse career. He was an agent of
change in Uttar Pradesh through his
roles as district magistrate and head of
the cement and transport corporations.
He writes of his first posting in the late
1960s, where he arrived with a cook
and a Grundig tape recorder gifted by
his parents. He recounts the challenges,
which meant not just administering, but also leading and
managing as required. He talks how people perceived the
district magistrate (DM) almost as their saviour. All
development in that era had to be state-led in the absence
of any private sector enterprise. Khattar first worked as
DM in Chamoli district, and he starts by recounting a
flood that is eerily reminiscent of the one earlier this year.
This is followed by spells at the Centre, and dealing with
tea, cement, setting up Noida (New Okhla Industrial
Development Authority) and UPSIDC (Uttar Pradesh
State Industrial Development Corporation), with the
occasional peep into his personal life.
Elevated to the post of managing director at Maruti
Udyog, a firm that was on the verge of a steep decline,
Khattar braved labour unions, foreign competition and
politicians as he led Maruti to a very successful IPO. His
decade-long career at Maruti was an eventful one and
while Khattar writes of inner workings of the company,
he probably holds back a little here. Balancing owners
with their radically different approaches to work culture,
challenges within the company and outside, meeting the
challenge of global auto giants with deep pockets entering
India, the crippling strikes - all took their toll. Yet,
Khattar emerged with an enviable reputation and the book
Driven spreads across a sweeping

national canvas from drought-hit
villages to the Shakespearean
intrigues
of
politicians
and
bureaucrats. Written with flair and
liberally peppered with frank anecdotes, it is filled with
lessons about leadership, friendship, jugaad-style
innovation, resilience and values. Books about the
workings of the Indian auto sector continue to be rare,
and Driven, about the Indias leading brand, goes a long
way in plugging that gap.
Khattar even appeared as a child artiste in commercially
successful films such as Boot Polish and Jagriti and even
though his father may have nipped his celluloid fame in
the bud, fame he did get, albeit in a different arena.
Co-author Suveen Sinha is the executive editor at
Business Today he has been a business journalist for
eighteen years, most of those with Business Standard,
Business Today and Outlook. One of the first stories that
he covered was how the government and Suzuki battled
in court for control over Maruti. He met an aloof-looking
Jagdish Khattar at the launch of there-designed Maruti
800 in 1997. Since then he has written several articles on
Jagdish Khattar and Maruti, including a definitive cover
story in 2000 about how Maruti, losing customers at a
worrying pace, was going to regain lost ground. Jagdish
Khattars initial frostiness turned into a warm friendship,
culminating into this book.
THE GENESIS
34
Group Discussion
Indias outrage in Devyani Khobragade case is unjustified
FOR
Lets review the facts. As a senior diplomat, Khobragade
was eligible to apply to the US government for a visa to
take a personal employee with her when she was assigned
to the Indian High Commission in New York. She
presumably filed an A-3 non-immigrant visa application
for Sangeeta Richard, her domestic help, supporting it
with paperwork to show that Sangeeta Richard would
receive a fair wage of $9.75 an hour for a 40-hour week.
How Khobragade took such an important declaration to
the US government so lightly beats logic. As a senior visa
official herself, she ought to have appreciated that
supporting documents, contracts and affidavits mean what
they say. She not only disregarded her contract to pay her
domestic help the $9.75/hour but also negotiated a
separate, private agreement which paid her only Rs
30,000 a month ($3.31/hour) assuming a 40-hour week.
The word intent is a powerful term in American law.
Khobragades intent in this case appears to have been
designed to deceive: that is, to file whatever paperwork
that was necessary to be granted a visa with the wilful
intent to not honour it after the visa was issued. This is a
serious issue in the US as Infosys realised in October
2013, the company agreed to pay $34 million in a civil
agreement to settle the largest systemic visa fraud and
abuse case in US history.
Indias foreign policy establishment have left no stone
unturned in discrediting the helpless maid and the fact
that she had been absconding since June 2013, just eight
months after entering the US, is being repeatedly
mentioned. Consider the state of mind of a domestic
employee in a foreign country working for a powerful
officer in the Indian Foreign Service. What if she
genuinely felt she was being mistreated? Who could she
turn to for help? Much has been made of the US
governments move of facilitating the evacuation of the
maids family from India. There were attempts to compel
her to return to India. It was necessary to evacuate the
victims family from India as part of efforts to make sure
that victims, witnesses and their families are safe and
secure while cases are pending.
Unlike India in the US, those violating the law have to the
face the consequences, no matter what their societal status
and no matter how powerful, rich or connected they are.

All accused offenders are treated alike - witness the
handcuffing of IMF Managing Director Dominique
Strauss-Kahn a few years ago.
It is all too clear our moral outrage only surfaces when
the rights of the privileged are at stake. We couldnt be
bothered about how some scraggy maid is being illtreated in the US, when domestic abuse back home is so
rampant and most of us benefit from paying lower wages.
Despite the way many Indians seem to view the case, it is
not a challenge to Indias honour. It is a charge against
one diplomat accused of submitting false documents to
evade the law. The US media is not being unfair when it
says India is siding with a woman who was in the wrong
- who lied, paid her help poorly and now is brazen enough
to claim that she should not be treated like a criminal.
AGAINST
Even if it is assumed, for the sake of argument, that
Khobragade is guilty as charged, there is no justification
for the treatment that has been meted out to her. The
matter could have easily been handled in a less hamhanded manner. The sympathy expressed by some for the
diplomats maid is misplaced; she was paid what she was
promised when she was hired, and the sum was vastly
more than any domestic help in India can ordinarily hope
to get - which is why she took the offer. It is certainly odd
that the domestic workers family was able to obtain visas
to travel to the U.S even while Khobragades request to
have her traced remained pending.
The Indian diplomats arrest is a case of classic American
double standards. It would appear so going by at least two
recent cases relating to Saudi Arabian and Russian
diplomats. In a recent incident, two Filipino women were
rescued escaping the Saudi diplomatic military attaches
residence in a Washington suburb. But no Saudi
diplomats have been charged. Also just a week before
Khobragade was arrested, 49 Russian diplomats were
charged with carrying out a medical insurance fraud
worth $1.5 million. Of those that have been charged, 11
continue to work at the Russian consulate in New York,
but none of them was treated in the humiliating manner
Khobragade has been handled. In fact, officials were
restrained from taking action by the state department.
THE GENESIS
Mind Games: Crossword
35
(Answers on page 38)
ACROSS
2. CM of a Southern state involved in many a graft case (11)
7. Popular cellphone manufacturer (5)
8. Annoyed or irritated (5)
9. Grows into; comes into being? (7)
13. Wood or ivory instruments used by Spanish dancers (9)
15. Adding on to, coupling (9)
18. Relating to gold (5)
20. Praise with the help of poems, perhaps (7)
21. An animal or creature with two legs (5)
22. A red condiment (7)
25. Choir music (7)
27. In a way, they may be worn for protections (7)
28. Younger Mr. Gavaskar (5)
32. Boise is the capital of this state of USA (5)
35. Deriding, making fun of or sneering (7)
40. Kiwi wicketkeeper McCullum (7)
41. A final product or end result (7)
42. Watery discharge from the nose (5)
ACROSS
ACROSS
43. Articulate with languages (7)

44. Bungles or misses a catch (5)
45. C. N. _____: founder of DMK? (9)
49. Indian mountain range and pass (9)
53. Brooks; steady currents (7)

54. Flock of game-birds (5)
56. One of the eight test batsmen to have scored more than
10000 runs in test cricket (5, 6)
DOWN
DOWN
13. ______ down on: becomes stricter about? (6)

14. Removes clothes or covering from; undresses oneself (6)
16. Capital of Manipur (6)
17. Ingenious contrivance (6)
19. 202 in Roman numerals (4)
21. A blessing (4)
23. Ridiculously High Freq. (3)
24. Martial art (5)
26. Japanese 3-line poem with 17 syllables (5)
29. Indian National Congress (3)
30. Area comprising Spain and Portugal (6)
31. Devalue, humble or humiliate (6)
32. The same, in Latin (4)
33 They are waiting for a catch; fishermen (7)
34. __ - ___ sports: games played outdoors? (4-3)

35. Polish dance (7)
36. Water ______: from them one can quench his thirst with
cold water? (7)
37. A detail of news (4)
38. Faldo, for instance (6)
39. Goods thrown out of ship to lighten it and washed ashore
(6)
46. Corner, secluded retreat (4)
47. Ms Mirza of Bollywood (4)
48. Ground wheat used for making rotis? (4)
50. ____ , Akbar, Anthony (4)
51. Mandatory last name for a Sikh lady (4)
52. The Greek hero next to Achilles in the Trojan war? (4)
Mind Games: Sudoku (Answers on page No: 38)

SUDOKU I
SUDOKU II
THE GENESIS
36
Do you remember?
1. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) saw a decline in
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
number of seats won in which North Indian state in the

November-December 2013 Assembly elections?
In which North Indian state have newly formed parties
such as National Peoples Party (NPP) and National
Unionist Zamindara Party (NUZP) won 4 and 2 seats
respectively in the November-December 2013
Assembly elections?
In which North Indian state had None of the Above
the highest share (3.07%) in total votes polled in the
November-December 2013 Assembly elections?
In which state did the sitting Chief Minister lose
election in the November-December 2013 Assembly
elections?
In which state did the sitting Chief Minister win more
than one seat in the November-December 2013
Assembly elections?
Delhis new Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has
served
in
the
Indian
____
(Engineering/Foreign/Revenue/Police/Forest) Service
before founding NGOs and joining politics.
The wife of Delhis new Chief Minister Arvind
Kejriwal is employed in which government
organisation/department?
Delhis new Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal won the
Philippines governments Ramon _______ Award in
Emergent Leadership in 2006.
Delhis new Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal set up the
NGO ______Research Foundation after resigning
from his government job in 2008.
What is Delhis new Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals
academic
qualification
(Engineering/Medical/Law/Business Management?
The _____ (8th/9th/10th/11th) WTO Ministerial
Conference organised in Bali, Indonesia from
December 3 to 7, 2013.
Which was the Best Film at the 44th International Film
Festival of India organised in Panaji in November
2013?
Which award was given to the Best Film at the 44th
International Film Festival of India organised in Panaji
in November 2013?
Who won the Best Director award at the 44th
in November 2013?
Who won the Best Actor and the Best Actress awards
at the 44th International Film Festival of India
organised in Panaji in November 2013?
(Odiya/Assamese/Bengali/Konkani) film Meghe
Dhaka Tara won the Centenary Award at the 44th
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
(Answers on page No: 39)

in November 2013?
Who is the Director of Mandela: Long Walk to
Freedom the closing film at the 44th International
Film Festival of India organised in Panaji in
November 2013?
Who won the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 44th
in November 2013?
Veteran actress ___ won the Centenary Award for the
Indian Film personality at the 44th International Film
Festival of India organised in Panaji in November
2013?
Where was the 18th International Childrens Film
Festival organised in November 2013 and which
award was given to the Best Film?
Former Supreme Court judge A. K. Ganguly is the
Chairman of West Bengal ______Commission.
Which paramilitary force will replace Assam Rifles on
Myanmar border?
BrahMos missile is named after which two rivers?
BrahMos missile is a joint venture between Indias
DRDO and Russian Federations _________.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) launched all-weather
passenger service between Kargil and Srinagar in
November 2013. Which is the aircraft used?
Dhanush missile is a naval version of:
Who is the Chairman of Competition Commission of
India?
Sergei
Shoigu
is
Russias
______
(Foreign/Defence/Economy/Education) Minister.
Princess ____ of Belgium led a delegation of
businessmen during her week-long visit to India in
November 2013.
Who was honoured with the Sanctuary Asia Wildlife
Service Award in Mumbai in December 2013?
For which book has Nilanjana Roy won the 2013
Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize in November 2013?
Sangeet Natak Akademi Ratna winner R.
Sathyanarayana
is
a
well-known
___
(Vocalist/Musicologist/Puppeteer/Playwright).
Sangeet Natak Akademi Ratna winner Mahesh
Elkunchwar
is
a
well-known
___
(Vocalist/Musicologist/Puppeteer/Playwright).
Sangeet Natak Akademi Ratna winner Kanak Rele is
well-known for which dance form?
Which Indian University conferred the Desikottama
honour on Aung San Suu Kyi in December 2013?
Navy Day was observed on:
World AIDS Day was observed on:
THE GENESIS

38. National Integration Week was observed from:
39. Which politician is the author of India Aspires
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.
51.
52.
53.
54.
55.
56.
57.
58.
59.
60.
61.
62.
63.
Redefining Politics of Development?

Which journalist has authored Meena Kumari: The
Classic Biography?
Which journalist has co-authored The Good, The Bad
and the Ridiculous with Humra Quraishi?
Sachin Tendulkar resigned as Managing Editor of
which magazine?
Who was appointed new Chief Information
Commissioner (CIC)?
Who is the founder of NGO Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
and English daily, The Hitavada?
The Union Government has approved the creation of
Legislative Council in which north-eastern state?
Who was appointed Lokayukta of Gujarat?
Lohia Swachhata Yojana is a scheme of providing
toilets to all households launched by which state
government?
Which famous cattle fair is organised annually in
Saran district of Bihar?
Odishas Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary is famous for
which species of turtles?
Dr. Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary and Netravali Wild Life
Sanctuary are in:
The Hornbill Festival 2013 was organised in which
north-eastern state?
Rajiv Gandhi Jeevandayi Arogya Yojana (RGJAY)
was launched in which state?
Nagzira, Melghat, Tadoba, Pench and Sahyadri are
Tiger Reserves in which state:
Indian citizens require an Inner Line Permit (ILP) to
which of the seven North-Eastern states?
The Sangai Festival was organised in which northeastern state?
Bhubaneswar and Imphal airports were designate as
international airports recently. They are managed by:
The _______(Cauvery/Krishna/Godavari/Vamsadhara)
Water Tribunal has allowed Karnataka to increase the
storage in Almatti dam.
Who are the Emperor and Empress of Japan, in news
for visiting India recently?
Who was appointed new Chief of Pakistan Army?
Who was elected new President of Honduras?
Christian Democrats Union (CDU) and the Social
Democratic Party (SPD) have formed coalition
government in which EU country in November 2013?
Which party has won the maximum seats in
Constituent Assembly elections in Nepal?
France has sent its army to restore order in which
African country (Somalia/Sierra Leone/Liberia/Central
African Republic) in November 2013?
37
64. The fourth edition of The World Congress of News
65.
66.
67.
68.
69.
70.
71.
72.
73.
74.
75.
76.
77.
78.
79.
80.
81.
82.
83.
84.
85.
86.
Agencies was organised in _______ (Bangkok

/Riyadh/Doha/Manila) in November 18-20, 2013.
ITU World Telecom 2013 was organised in _______
(Bangkok /Riyadh/Doha/Manila) in November 19-22,
2013.
Malala Yousafzai was given the ___Human Rights
Prize of the European Union on November 20 in
Strasbourg, France.
Frederick Banting and Charles Best are known for
their research for cure of:
Health Ministrys disease prevention programme
NPCDCS stands for:
Nelson Mandela was jointly awarded the Nobel Prize
for Peace with _____ in 1993.
Nelson
Mandela
worked
as
a
____
(journalist/lawyer/doctor/teacher)
before
joining
politics.
Who was Man of the Series in India-West Indies ODI
series in November 2013?
Who was named Captain of ICC Team of the Year in
tests in December 2013?
Who was named Captain of ICC Team of the Year in
ODIs in December 2013?
Who was selected to host the 2017 Under-17 FIFA
World Cup?
Who was selected to host the 2017 Under-20 FIFA
World Cup?
Who are the Presidents of FIFA and AIFF?
P V Sindhu won the ______Open Grand Prix Gold
Badminton title in December 2013.
India won both Mens and Womens team titles at the
______World Cup organised in Punjab in December
2013.
What was the growth rate of Indian economy in
second quarter of 2013-143?
What is the maximum foreign direct investment (FDI)
permitted in pharmaceutical sector?
Rawatbhata is the nuclear power plant in which state:
Who is Chairperson of Atomic Energy Commission?
Which oil company (IOC/HPCL/BPCL/Essar) started
Indias first styrene butadiene rubber plant at Panipat
in November 2013?
Who was appointed Chairman of Multi Commodity
Exchange (MCX) in November 2013?
Banks wanting to get into Insurance Broking business
must have a net worth of not less than Rs._____ and
CRAR (capital to risk assets ratio) of not less than 10
per cent.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)
fixed the ceiling for mobile banking transactions at Rs
____ for a session effective January 1, 2014.
THE GENESIS

87. Who was appointed Chief Executive of the Indian
88.
89.
90.
91.
92.
Banks Association in November 2013?

DAVP releases advertisements on behalf of
governments to newspapers and publications. DAVP
stands for:
Which is the least corrupt nation in the world
according to Corruption Perception Index (CPI) of 177
countries released by Transparency International India
(TII) and what is Indias position?
Which Korean automobile company is owned by
Mahindra & Mahindra?
Which is the electric car company is owned by
Mahindra & Mahindra?
Which is the Mahindra & Mahindra retailing venture
catering to expectant mothers and babies?
38
93. Which is the movie making business of Mahindra &
Mahindra?
94. Which is the philanthropic initiative by Mahindra &
95.
96.
97.
98.
Mahindra provides free education to economically

underprivileged girl children in India?
Which sportswear company has launched a wristband
under the brand Fuelband that help users track their
physical activity?
Who is the author of Focus: The Hidden Driver of
Excellence?
Which author is famous for the book Emotional
Intelligence (2007)?
Whose declaration of an air defence identification
zone (ADIZ) over the East China Sea was in news
recently?
Mind Games: Answers

CROSSWORD
SUDOKU I
SUDOKU II
THE GENESIS
39
Do you remember? Answers

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
Chhattisgarh
Rajasthan
Chhattisgarh
Delhi, Sheila Dixit
Shivraj Singh Chauhan (2), Pu
Lalthanhawla (2)
Revenue
Indian Revenue Service
Magsaysay
Public Cause
Engineering (IITKharagpur)
9th
Beatrizs War
Golden Peacock
Kaushik Ganguly for Apur
Panchali
Alon
Moni
Aboutboul;
Magdalena Boczarska
Bengali
Justin Chadwick
Jiri Menzel
Waheeda Rehman
Hyderabad; Golden Elephant
Human Rights
Border Security Force (BSF)
Brahmaputra and the Moskva
NPO Mashinostroeyenia
AN-32
Prithvi
Ashok Chawla
Defence
Astrid
Maheshwar Basumatary
The Wildings
Musicologist
Playwright
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.
51.
52.
53.
54.
55.
56.
57.
58.
59.
60.
61.
62.
63.
64.
65.
66.
67.
Mohiniyattam
Visva Bharati University
December 4
December 1
November 19 to 25
Nitin Gadkari
Vinod Mehta
Khushwant Singh
Tehelka
Sushma Singh
Bhagwandas Purohit
Assam
Justice (retd) D. P. Buch
Bihar
Sonepur mela
Olive Ridley
Goa
Nagaland
Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland
and Mizoram
Manipur
Airports Authority of India
(AAI)
Krishna
Akihito; Michiko
Raheel Sharif
Juan Orlando Hernandez
Germany
Nepali Congress (NC)
Central African Republic
Riyadh
Bangkok
France. Sakharov
Diabetes
68. National
69.
70.
71.
72.
73.
74.
75.
76.
77.
78.
79.
80.
81.
82.
83.
84.
85.
86.
87.
88.
89.
90.
91.
92.
93.
94.
95.
96.
97.
98.
Programme
for
Prevention and Control of
Cancer,
Diabetes,
Cardiovascular Diseases and
Stroke
F.W. de Klerk
Lawyer
Virat Kohli
Alastair Cook
Mahendra Singh Dhoni
India
South Korea
Sepp Blatter had Praful Patel
Macau
Kabaddi
4.8%
100%
Rajasthan
R. K. Sinha
IOC
Satyananda Mishra
500 crore
Rs. 1.50
M.V. Tanksale
Department of Audio Visual
Publicity
Denmark & New Zealand; 94th
Ssangyong Motors
Reva
Mom & Me
Mumbai Mantra
Nanhi Kali
Nike
Daniel Goleman
Daniel Goleman
China
Behind a successful brand: Vexed by his wifes

growing frustration with thick, waxy creams that came clumsily
packaged in shoe-polish tins, Graham Wulff, a chemist working
with a multinational in Durban, South Africa, went back to the
lab. The waxy creams she used, his wife complained, left her
skin feeling greasy and that the tins were an affront to her
feminine sensibilities. Wulff came to her rescue with a
moisturiser that was not oily, would put the glow in her cheeks
and came bottled in aesthetically pleasing packs. The product is
what we know today as Oil of Olay, is a P&G brand.
THE GENESIS
40
Corporate Knowledge Quiz

Directions for Qs. 1 50: Choose the correct answer from the four options (Answers on page No: 44)
1. Which of the following said Jignesh Shah as not fit

and proper to run any exchange in the country and
charged him of being the highest beneficiary in the
NSEL scam in December 2013?
a) SEBI
b) IRDA
c) FMC
d) RBI
2. The Karnataka High Court, in December 2013,
annulled the acquisition of United Spirits by which of the
following in July 2013?
a) Diageo
b) Heineken
c) SABMiller
d) Pernod Ricard
3. Which is fifth company in the country (after TCS,
Reliance, ITC and ONGC) whose market capitalisation
exceeded Rs. 2 lakh crore on the BSE in December 2013?
a) SBI
b) L&T
c) NTPC
d) Infosys
4. Which of the following selects CEOs and Chairmen for
government-owned companies?
a) PSEB
b) ARCIL
c) BRPSE
d) BIFR
7. Which of the following became the first Indian film

studio to launch an e-commerce site to sell products such
as bike accessories, phones, tablets, toys, apparels and
home decor based on its films?
a) Yash Raj Films
b) Eros International
c) Dharma Productions
d) Aamir Khan Productions
8. Which Gulf-based airline was imposed fine of Rs. 1
crore by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) on
December 19, 2013 for non-disclosure of full information
during its purchase of 24 per cent stake in an Indian
airline?
a) Emirates
b) Gulf Air
c) Air Arabia
d) Etihad
9. Aston Martin is an automobile company headquartered
in:
a) UK
b) USA
c) Canada
d) Germany
10. Which travel & tourism portal has launched a
pay@hotel scheme that allows users to make reservations
online and make payments during stay at the hotel?
a) Yatra.com
b) MakeMyTrip.com
c) Ibibo.com
d) Cleartrip.com
5. Which of the following has launched the Confederation

of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (CMSME), an
umbrella organisation to promote the growth of the
MSME sector in December 2013?
a) CII
b) FICCI
c) PHDCCI
d) ASSOCHAM
11. Which of the following has acquired cloud-based

marketing software maker Responsys Inc. in a deal
valued at $1.5 billion?
a) Cisco
b) Google
c) Oracle
d) Microsoft
6. Which of the following has won the Indian Car of

Year 2014 award in December 2013?
a) Honda Amaze
b) Nissan Terrano
c) Hyundai Grand
d) Maruti Suzuki Stingray
12. V. S. Gaitonde, who passed away in 2001, achieved

fame as a:
a) Film producer
b) Musician
c) Painter
d) Poet
THE GENESIS

13. PayZippy is a payment solution launched by which ecommerce company?
a) ebay
b) Flipkart
c) Jabong
d) Snapdeal
14. Micromax has launched dual SIM smartphone Canvas
Blaze that supports both GSM & CDMA networks in
partnership with which of the following in Dec 2013?
a) Idea
b) MTS
c) BSNL
d) Vodafone
15. Which of the following has received the Good
Corporate Citizen Award 2013 from PHD Chamber of
Commerce and Industry for its efforts to promote
corporate and individual initiatives in economic, social
and educational areas?
a) TCS
b) HCL
c) Wipro
d) Infosys
16. 100th anniversary of crossword puzzle was celebrated
recently. In which newspaper did worlds first crossword
puzzle appear on December 21, 1913?
a) Boston Globe
b) New York World
c) Washington Post
d) Los Angeles Times
17. Which of the following acquired social startup
SportStream in December 2013?
a) Google
b) Twitter
c) Facebook
d) Microsoft
18. Who among the following is famous for the Swedish
crime trilogy Millennium?
a) John Grisham
b) Jeffrey Archer
c) Stieg Larsson
d) Steven Charles Gould
19. Who was named 2013s highest grossing actor at the
worldwide box office by Forbes in December 2013?
a) Vin Diesel
b) Sandra Bullock
c) Dwayne Johnson
41
d) Robert Downey Jr
20. Which MNC retailer announced acquisition of 50%
stake in Tata Groups Trent Hypermarket Ltd in
December 2013?
a) Tesco
b) Metro
c) Walmart
d) Carrefour
21. What was named word of 2013 by Collins
dictionary in December 2013?
a) Geek
b) Selfie
c) Science
d) Austerity
22. Actor John Abraham became the co-owner of which
Hockey India League (HIL) franchise in December 2013?
a) Uttar Pradesh Wizards
b) Dabur Mumbai Magicians
c) Jaypee Punjab Warriors
d) Delhi Waveriders
23. The 103-year-old Park Mansions in Kolkata has won
the KMC-INTACH Heritage Award 2013 given by the
Kolkata Municipal Corporation and Indian National Trust
for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH). The hotel is
owned by:
a) Oberoi Hotels & Resorts
b) Lalit Suri Hospitality Group
c) Apeejay Surrendra Group
d) Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts
24. Where was Indias first metro on a public-privatepartnership (PPP) model inaugurated in December 2013?
a) Konkan
b) Manesar
c) Gurgaon
d) Faridabad
25. Which of the following Parle brands is not matched
correctly with its ambassadors?
a) Monaco Aamir Khan
b) Marie Digestive Kajol
c) Hide & Seek Salman Khan
d) Milk Shakti Mahendra Singh Dhoni
26. Which industry couple has gifted Rs. 50 crore to the
National Council of Applied Economic Research
(NCAER) to support new research and knowledge
capability?
THE GENESIS

a) Nandan & Rohini Nilekani
b) Anand & Sujata Mahindra
c) Venu & Mallika Srinivasan
d) NR Narayana & Sudha Murthy
27. Which is Indias biggest company in terms of annual
revenue according to Fortune India 500 list released in
December 2013?
a) ONGC
b) Reliance Industries Ltd
c) Indian Oil Corp
d) State Bank of India
28. Which US magazine has included Indians Arvind
Kejriwal (32nd), Urvashi Butalia, Kavita Krishnan (joint
77th) and Rajendra Pachauri (42nd) in its list of 100
global thinkers released in December 2013?
a) Time
b) Forbes
c) Foreign Policy
d) The Economist
29. Which of the following has launched an online tool
called Telepathwords that tells you just how predictable
your password actually is?
a) Twitter
b) Google
c) Microsoft
d) Facebook
30. Tony Tyler is associated with which transport sector?
a) Roads
b) Aviation
c) Shipping
d) Railways
31. Which Indian airline is joining Star Alliance?
a) IndiGo
b) Air India
c) SpiceJet
d) Jet Airways
32. Intel has signed a four-year deal to sponsor which
football club in December 2013?
a) Chelsea
b) Barcelona
c) Real Madrid
d) Manchester United
33. Which publisher has launched the first two comics of
its Param Vir Chakra series, featuring stories on martyrs
42
Major Somnath Sharma and Captain Manoj Pandey in
December 2013?
a) Roli Books
b) Rupa & Co
c) ACK Media
d) Jaico Books
34. Which of the following became the first company in
India to sell automobiles online in December 2013?
a) Toyota
b) Nissan
c) Honda
d) Volvo
35. Which of the following has 26% stake in Bangalore
international airport that was renamed after Kempe
Gowda in December 2013?
a) Hitachi
b) Siemens
c) Bombardier
d) General Electric
36. Which of the following was founded as Trinity
Laboratories in Gujarat in 1970s?
a) Lupin Labs
b) Torrent Pharma
c) Aurobindo Pharma
d) Elder Pharmaceuticals
37. Which MNC retailing company appointed Krish Iyer
as President and CEO of its India unit in December 2013?
a) Tesco
b) Metro
c) Walmart
d) Carrefour
38. C. V. R. Rajendran was appointed the new chairman
and managing director (CMD) of which public sector
bank in December 2013?
a) Andhra Bank
b) Bank of India
c) Bank of Baroda
d) Allahabad Bank
39. Italian farm equipment maker Same Deutz-Fahr
(SDF) Group has launched premium tractors under which
brand in India in December 2013?
a) Maserati
b) Bugatti
c) Ferrari
d) Lamborghini
THE GENESIS

40. Anchor Electricals is a wholly-owned subsidiary of:
a) General Electric
b) Panasonic
c) Siemens
d) Philips
41. USSD is a technology that enables access to
Facebook and Twitter on devices without internet
connectivity. USSD stands for:
a) User System Service Data
b) Urban Secondary Service Data
c) Uniform Sequenced Service Data
d) Unstructured Supplementary Service Data
42. Mukesh Ambanis Reliance Industries Ltd has signed
a deal to use telecom infrastructure of which competitor
in December 2013?
a) Idea
b) BSNL
c) Vodafone
d) Bharti Airtel
43. Which of the following is the new Official Team
Sponsor of the Indian cricket team, according to a deal
signed with the BCCI in December 2013?
a) Star India
b) Ten Sports
c) HDFC Bank
d) Maruti Suzuki
44. Which of the following has launched a software
platform called TradeEdge for brands to predict and
meet consumer demand?
a) TCS
b) Wipro
c) Infosys
d) Cognizant
45. Which automobile MNC appointed Mary Barra as its
first woman CEO in December 2013?
a) Fiat
43
b) Renault
c) General Motors
d) Ford Motor Company
46. Which of the following was directed to remove its
print advertisement after complaint that it was prima
facie disparaging of the Colgate brand?
a) Dabur
b) Oral B
c) Pepsodent
d) Johnson & Johnson
47. Who among the following was named the most
powerful celebrity of 2013 by Forbes India for the second
time in December 2013?
a) Shah Rukh Khan
b) Mahendra Singh Dhoni
c) Katrina Kaif
d) Sachin Tendulkar
48. Which of the following has launched the MU7 sports
utility vehicle (SUV) in India in December 2013?
a) Volvo
b) Isuzu
c) Subaru
d) Renault
49. Graham Mackay, who passed away at the age of 64 in
December 2013, was the Chairman of which spirits
company?
a) SABMiller
b) Pernod Ricard
c) United Breweries
d) Diageo
50. Which is Indias costliest office destination according
to property consultant CBRE in December 2013?
a) Linking Road, Mumbai
b) Nariman Point, Mumbai
c) Connaught Place, Delhi
d) Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai
Lux ladies: Apart from being actresses Bollywoods Leela Chitnis and Hollywoods Ginger
Rogers were the first movie stars to model for beauty soap brand Lux. Ms. Chitnis made history of
sorts when she appeared in the ad in 1941 as few Indian actresses modeled for international brands at
that timea far cry from the current scenario when Indian actresses are ambassadors for almost every
major soap, cosmetic and jewellery brand in the world.
THE GENESIS
44
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Corporate Knowledge quiz: Detailed Answers

Answer 1: Jignesh Shah, FTIL not fit & proper to run any exchangeFMC:
In a severe indictment, commodity market regulator the Forward Markets Commission
(FMC) on December 18, 2013 said Jignesh Shah and his firm FTIL are not fit and proper
to run any exchange in the country and charged him of being the highest beneficiary in
the NSEL scam.
Shah founded Multi-Commodity Exchange or MCX in November 2003 and then went on
to set up a stock exchange this year. He is currently the Chairman of Financial
Technologies India Ltd (FTIL) which owns and runs National Spot Exchange Ltd (NSEL)
where a Rs 5,500 crore payment crisis is being probed by multiple agencies.
In an 80-page order, the FMC, which went into the running of NSEL following payment
defaults, held that FTIL is not a fit and proper person to hold anything more than 2 per cent shareholding in the MCX.
FTIL currently has 26 per cent stake in MCX, the countrys largest commodity exchange and will need to cut its stake
following the FMC order.
Shah on October 9 quit as Vice-Chairman and Shareholder Director of MCX-SX, the third major stock exchange in the
country. Few weeks later, he also resigned as Vice Chairman of MCX.
Noting that Shah was practically the highest beneficiary of the fraud perpetrated at the NSEL Exchange, the FMC
ordered that Shri Jignesh P. Shah is not a fit and proper person to hold any
position in the management and the Board of any Exchange recognised or
registered by the Government of India/Forward Markets Commission under
FCRA, 1952.
FMC also ordered Joseph Massey and Shreekant Javalgekar, former directors
of MCX, not a fit and proper person to hold any position in the management
and the Board of any Exchange.
The Commission is of the view that the general reputation and character, record of fairness,
honesty and integrity of Shri Jignesh Shah has been substantially eroded in view of his role in
the affairs of NSEL as its Vice-Chairman and Director and also as the Chairman of the holding
company of NSEL, the order said.
It further directed that neither Shah individually, nor though any company/entity controlled by
him, either directly or indirectly, should hold any shares in any association/ exchange in excess
of the threshold limit of the total paid-up equity capital as prescribed under FMC guidelines.
THE GENESIS
45
Answer 2: Karnataka High Court annuls United Spirits sale to Diageo: The Karnataka High Court on
December 20, 2013 ordered the annulment of the sale of United Spirits to Diageo. The British spirits group, which had
completed its takeover of United Spirits in July 2013, said it will appeal the decision.
The Court ordered the cancellation of the sale in response to a
petition by creditors of United Breweries Holdings Ltd, which
sold its stake in United Spirits to Diageo. These creditors
pursued a legal case in Karnataka seeking to force the sale of
United Breweries Holdings, expecting the proceeds could be
used to settle their claims.
At the heart of these difficulties is bankrupt Kingfisher
Airlines; part of the wider UB Group controlled by liquor
baron Vijay Mallya. Mallyas UB Group is the owner of
United Brewery Holdings and previously owned United Spirits. Kingfisher grounded operations owing 60 billion rupees
to creditors as of September. United Breweries Holdings was guarantor for some of these loans, and creditors of the
bankrupt airline have since sought to recover the loans by trying to stop the Diageo deal.
The claims from creditors attracted close scrutiny from the Competition Commission of India and capital market
regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India, before both eventually approved the sale.
Answer 3: Infosys is the 5th to cross Rs. 2 lakh crore

m-cap at BSE: IT Infosys on December 20, 2013 saw its
market value cross Rs 2 lakh crore, becoming the countrys
sixth company to reach this milestone. TCS, Reliance, ITC
and ONGC are other four companies that have market cap of
over Rs 2 lakh crore. At the end of days trade, Infosys
market value stood at Rs 2,03,985 crore at the BSE. The
countrys most valued company TCS currently has a market
cap of Rs 4,15,162 crore. Infosys stock
has gained nearly 54% so far this year. The
company had recalled its founder N R
Narayana Murthy in June and its share
price has also gained considerably since
then. On the other hand, Infosys has
witnessed an exodus of senior-level
executives since Murthys return. In the
eighth top-level exit at Indias second-largest software
exporter in the past six months, V Balakrishnan, a member of the Infosys board, has resigned. Balakrishnan, who joined
Infosys in 1991, was considered by some as the next chief executive officer after current CEO S D Shibulal retires in
2015.
Answer 4: PESB shortlists Anupam Shrivastava as new BSNL CMD: The Public
Enterprise Selection Board (PESB) on December 20, 2013 shortlisted Anupam Shrivastava for
the post of Chairman and Managing Director of state-run telecom firm BSNL. Shrivastava will
have challenge to turn BSNL profitable by 2018 under the planned chalked out under present
CMD R K Upadhyay. BSNL has been logging losses since 2009-10. The companys profits
started declining after 2004-05, when it had made net gains of Rs 10,183 crore. Upadhyays
tenure of three years ends in April 2014. Under him, BSNL has been able arrest its losses that it
had been posting since 2009-10. ARCIL Asset Reconstruction Company India Ltd; BRPSE
Board for Reconstruction of Public Sector Enterprises; BIFR Board for Industrial and
Financial Reconstruction
THE GENESIS
46
Answer 5: Confederation of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises launched: Industry body FICCI launched
the Confederation of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (CMSME), an umbrella organisation to
promote the growth of the MSME sector in New Delhi on December 20, 2013. The Government
has devised special schemes for the sector, yet one of the most common issues faced by MSME
sector is non-availability of adequate and timely credit at cost effective rates. High input costs
along with varied rules and regulations across states further create obstacles to their operations,
FICCI President Naina Lal Kidwai said. FICCICMSME members will be able to access the
services of Credit Facilitation Centre at FICCI where in SIDBIs knowledge partner would be
providing free credit advisory and ensuring faster availability of credit and finance at low cost.
CMSME will also assist member MSMEs for improved quality and standards through expert training programmes and
provide Intellectual Property (IP) services at affordable rates.
Answer 6: Hyundai Grand wins the Indian Car of Year 2014 award:
Hyundai Motor India Ltd, the countrys second largest car manufacturer and the largest
passenger car exporter, on December 19, 2013 won the most coveted Indian Car of the
Year 2014 (ICOTY) award for its newly launched Grand. The Grand has created a new
benchmark in terms of quality, features and technology offering higher value
proposition to Indian customers. The ICOTY award has been instituted by the most
eminent jury of Senior Editors of all the prominent automotive publications in the
country like Top Gear, Auto India, Motoring, Car India, Overdrive, Auto Bild, AutoX,
Hindu Business Line and EVO.
Answer 7: YRF enters online space with e-commerce site: Indian film production giant
Yash Raj Films (YRF) on December 19, 2013 announced the launch of its official e-commerce
store www.yrfstore.com. For starters, it is offering a range of merchandise related to its
forthcoming release Dhoom 3. The website is said to be a first ever e-retail site launched by any
Indian film studio, and it will feature an array of products including mens fashion, bike
accessories, phones, tablets, toys, apparels, home decor and more. Through www.yrfstore.com, fans
worldwide will have an opportunity to experience Dhoom 3 on a personal level by purchasing products that replicate
various elements from the film, such as the bowler hat worn by Aamir Khans character Sahir in the film.
Answer 8: CCI slaps Rs 1 cr fine on Etihad in Jet Airways deal: The Competition Commission of India (CCI)
on December 19, 2013 imposed a fine of Rs 1 crore on Abu Dhabi-based Etihad for
non-disclosure of full information in the course of seeking approval for its purchase of
24 per cent stake in Jet Airways. The penalty would not have any impact on the
approval for the deal given by CCI in November. The competition regulator said it kept
the quantum of fine low at Rs 1 crore after Jet and Etihad contended that they were
unaware of the requirement for certain disclosures. The CCI fine of Rs 1 crore relates to
pacts entered into between the two carriers on February 26 for sale of three
landing/take-off slots of Jet at London Heathrow Airport to Etihad (LHR transaction). It
also includes the lease of the same slots back to Jet. CCI said the parties had to make disclosure of all the agreements
entered into between them, including LHR transaction and CCA (Commercial Cooperation Agreement).
Answer 9: Daimler teams up with Aston Martin on engines: German car
maker Daimler said on December 19, 2013 it will team up with Aston Martin to
build new engines for the British luxury brands next generation of models. The
technical partnership will allow Mercedes-AMG (a wholly owned subsidiary of
Daimler) and Aston Martin to develop bespoke V8 engines supporting Aston
Martins launch of a next generation of models, the two car makers said in a joint
statement in Frankfurt. Aston Martin will continue to manufacture all of its sports cars at its headquarters in
Warwickshire.
THE GENESIS
47
Answer 10: Cleartrip launches pay@hotel scheme: Deepak Kalra-promoted online portal
Cleartrip has launched a pay@hotel scheme which will allow users to make reservations online and
make payments during stay at the hotel. The portal feels that this move will motivate users in India to
book hotels online. Earlier we revamped our hotel search product and now we are making the hotel
booking process effortless by completely getting rid of online payment process, Cleartrip said on
December 17. The portal earns about 80% of its revenue from air ticketing business and the balance
comes from hotel reservations and other products. Cleartrip is looking to expand its share of non
ticketing business as it offers better commission and margins.
Answer 11: Oracle to buy Responsys: Oracle Corp, the worlds No. 2 business software maker,
on December 19, 2013 said it would buy cloud-based marketing software maker Responsys Inc. in a
deal valued at $1.5 billion. Responsys makes cloud-based software that businesses use to manage their
marketing campaigns across e-mail, mobile and the Internet. Oracle, led by Larry Ellison, is
boosting its cloud software business to fend off competition from nimbler rivals such as
Salesforce.com, who offer Internet-based software products at prices that often undercut Oracle.
Answer 12: Gaitonde sets world record at Christies 1st India auction:
Modernist painter V. S. Gaitonde (19242001) set a world record for modern
Indian art when his abstract landscape fetched Rs 23.7 crore (USD 3.7 million) at
Christies first auction in India in Mumbai on December 19, 2013. Gaitondes
untitled oil-on canvas golden yellow coloured landscape painted in 1979 and
bearing his signature in Hindi went to a private collector from the US who placed
the bid over telephone. In 1964 Gaitonde was awarded a Rockefeller Foundation
grant and spent several years in New York. In 1971, he was given the Padma Shri.
Answer 13: Flipkart launches PayZippys customer-facing product: Flipkart on December 18, 2013 launched
the customer-facing end of PayZippy, an online payment solution for merchants and
buyers. Earlier this year, the e-commerce major had launched its payment gateway
PayZippy, under a separate firm Flipkart Payment Gateway Services (FPGS) Pvt Ltd,
and started with payment solutions to merchants only. This service lets customers
enjoy a faster, smoother and safer online payment experience. Users can store their
card information with PayZippy and use it while making payments online on partner
merchant websites. Once stored, users would not have to repeatedly input cart information across websites. PayZippy
assures security and privacy of card details.
Answer 14: Micromax launches Canvas Blaze in tie-up with MTS: Indian
mobile handset company Micromax on December 18 launched dual SIM smartphone
Canvas Blaze that includes one slot supporting MTS CDMA network, for Rs
11,000. Canvas Blaze will have one sim slot that will work on 3G equivalent CDMA
network of MTS and the other will support GSM sim which can work on network of
GSM players like Airtel, Vodafone and Idea Cellular.
Answer 15: HCL wins good corporate citizen award: The PHD Chamber of
Commerce and Industry has conferred Good Corporate Citizen Award 2013 on
Shiva Nadar-promoted HCL for its outstanding achievements and contributions in
the field of information technology and to promote corporate and individual
initiatives in economic, social and educational areas. HCL said this in a release
quoting founder and chairman Shiv Nadar Mumbai on December 20, 2013. PHD
Chamber of Commerce and Industry is a multi-state apex organisation working at
the grass-root level and acts as a catalyst in the promotion of industry, trade and
entrepreneurship.
THE GENESIS
48
Answer 16: Winners of 1st Indian Crossword League announced: Winners of the
Indian crossword League were announced in Bangalore on December 21, 2013. All three
toppers of the Indian Crossword League 2013 are from Bangalore, as are seven of the ten
finalists. 62-year-old Col. (retd) Deepak Gopinath topped the league while 21-year-old Mohsin
Ahmed, a scientist from ISRO, was the first runner-up. The grand finale included not just
solving cryptic crosswords but tested the participants speed in a quiz, writing skills and logical
questions. The event was held to mark the 100th anniversary of crossword puzzles. The firstknown published crossword puzzle appeared on December 21, 1913 in a Sunday issue of the
New York World. It was Britain-born Arthur Wynne who came up with it. The first puzzle was diamond-shaped.
Answer 17: Facebook acquires SportStream: Social-network giant Facebook acquired social startup
SportStream in December 2013 in a bid to compete with Twitter as a source of
real-time information and conversation around major events. SportStream,
launched in June 2012, aggregates social chatter and updates in a personalized
social feed for sports fans. The SportsBase platform lets media partners, including
teams, leagues, individual athletes, and media outlets, create their own social media-fueled experiences, both for fans and
for their own insight.
Answer 18: 4th installment of Swedish crime trilogy Millennium: The worldwide hit crime trilogy
Millennium by the late Swedish author
Stieg Larsson will have a fourth instalment,
Swedens Norstedts Publishing Group said on
December 17. Swedish author David
Lagercrantz will be responsible for the new
addition, which will hit the shelves in mid2015, a decade after the first Millennium
book was published. According to the
publishers, the author will continue the same
main characters -- Mikael Blomkvist, an
investigative reporter, and Lisbeth Salander, a feisty rebel hacker-turned-detective -- as well as some plot lines from
previous books, but will also add personal touches. The Millennium series became a worldwide phenomenon and was
adapted to the screen, first in Sweden and then in the US by filmmaker David Fincher. The first three books have sold 75
million copies in more than 30 languages, according to Norstedts.
Answer 19: Dwayne Johnson tops Forbes 2013 Highest-Grossing Actor list: Dwayne
The Rock Johnson has been named 2013s highest grossing actor at the worldwide box office by
Forbes. He won the top spot with USD 1.3 billion after going neck and neck with Iron Man actor
Robert Downey Jr who settled at the runner-up place with USD 1.2 billion. The list didnt reflect
the pay-checks these actors get, but rather how much money the movies they starred in earned in
total. Vin Diesel and the late Paul Walker sit on the fourth and sixth places while Gravity actress
Sandra Bullock rounds up the top 5.
Answer 20: Tesco readies Indias first foreign supermarket investment: Britains Tesco Plc is set to become
the first foreign supermarket to venture into Indias $500 billion retail sector after
announcing on December 17, 2013 it had applied to buy a 50 percent stake in Tata Groups
Trent Hypermarket Ltd. The worlds third-largest retailer already has a franchise agreement
to provide support to Trents Star Bazaar chain, plans to invest $110 million. The decision
brings much-needed relief to the government, which had failed to attract a single application
since September 2012 when it allowed foreign investors to own up to 51 percent of their
operations. Recently world No. 1 Wal-Mart Stores Inc called off its Indian wholesale joint
venture with Bharti Enterprises, citing unfriendly regulations.
THE GENESIS
49
Answer 21: Geek named word of 2013 by Collins dictionary: The word geek, once
used as a slur to describe a person with unfashionable interests or a social misfit, has now been
declared the word of the year by the Collins online dictionary. The dictionary has also changed
the definition of geek to a person who is very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about a specific
subject. For those of us born into a pre-internet world geek meant a boring and unattractive
social misfit - who tends to smell slightly gamey at close quarters, the dictionary said on its
website on December 16, 2013. Geek has seen an interesting transformation in meaning over the
last couple of decades. According to Oxford dictionaries, the word used to be a cruel and critical
label attached to clever, but socially awkward, people - such as computer or science geeks.
However, in the 1990s, the computer industry helped many geeks to achieve great success, and the
wider perception of geeks began to shift.
Answer 22: John Abraham is co-owner of HILs Delhi franchise: Hockey India League
(HIL) franchise Delhi Waveriders on December 16, 2013 announced that actor John Abraham is
its co-owner and will support the team from the sidelines in the second edition of the tournament
starting Jan 25. John has reportedly bought a 13 percent stake in the franchise.
Answer 23: Kolkatas Park Mansions wins heritage award for restoration: The 103-year-old Park Mansions
on Kolkatas upscale Park Street has been given a prestigious heritage award for the restoration of
its colonial era architecture. The KMC-INTACH Heritage Award 2013 has been given to Park
Mansions by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural
Heritage (INTACH). Owned by the Apeejay Surrendra Group, the heritage property was restored
at a cost of more than Rs 10 crore to its original glory in 2010, the centennial year of the building,
the company said in Kolkata on December 15, 2013. Constructed in 1910 for both residential and commercial use, Park
Mansions is spread over more than 5 bighas.
Answer 24: Rapid Metro formally inaugurated in Gurgaon: Haryana Chief Minister
Bhupinder Singh Hooda on December 15, 2013 formally inaugurated the Rapid Metro
Gurgaon line, a month after the mass transit service started commercial operations. The
function was organised at the Sikanderpur Metro Station where both the Rapid Metro and
Delhi Metro converge. The Phase-I of the Rapid Metro of 5.1-km has been built at a cost of
Rs.1088 crore. The Rapid Metro, an intra-city service in Gurgaon, is the first project on a
public-private-partnership (PPP) model in the country.
Answer 25: After cookies, Parle gets Big B for confectionery: Parle Products is giving a
leg up to its confectionery portfolio by getting Amitabh Bachchan to endorse its largest selling
confectionery brand Parle Mango Kaccha Bite. In the past, Parle has roped in big celebrities
such as Aamir Khan (for Monaco), Kajol (for Parle Marie Digestive), Hritik Roshan (for Parle
Hide & Seek) and Mahendra Singh Dhoni (for Parle Milk Shakti). Going forward, the biscuit
major is expecting the rub-off of using a celebrity to work for the rest of its confectionary
portfolio and for brands like Melody and Poppins.
Answer 26: Nilekani couple gifts Rs 50 crore to NCAER: In what is one of the largest private gifts to an
independent economics research organisation in the country, Nandan and Rohini Nilekani
have gifted Rs 50 crore (around $8.08 million) to the National Council of Applied Economic
Research (NCAER) from their personal wealth. Nandan Nilekani, currently chairman of the
Unique Identification Authority of India, is a co-founder of Infosys Ltd and is also the
president of NCAERs governing body. In 2011, the Nilekani couple had donated Bangalorebased Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS) Rs 50 crore to fund the establishment of
its School of Environment and Sustainability. Rohini also runs Arghyam, which supports
initiatives for safe water and sanitation. NCAER Director-General Shekhar Shah added the
country needed institutions like it more than ever before.
THE GENESIS
50
Answer 27: IOC tops Fortune India 500 list; RIL at second spot: State-run Indian Oil Corp has emerged as the
countrys biggest company in terms of annual revenue, followed by Mukesh Ambani-led private sector giant Reliance
Industries at the second place, as per an annual list of Fortune 500 companies in India
released on December 10, 2013. This years list of the countrys 500 largest corporations,
compiled by the global business magazine Fortunes Indian edition, shows that there are
as many as seven energy companies in the top 10 list.
Indian Oil Corp (IOC) was the biggest with annual revenue of Rs 4,75,867 crore,
followed by Reliance Industries (RIL) with a full-year revenue of Rs 4,09,883 crore. This
is followed by Bharat Petroleum (Rs 2,44,822 crore) at the third place and Hindustan
Petroleum (Rs 2,17,771 crore) at fourth. Besides, there are a total of six state-run
companies in the top-ten positions, as against four from the private sector.
Other entities in the list are State Bank of India (5th rank), Tata Motors (6th), ONGC (7th), Tata Steel (8th), Essar Oil
(9th) and Coal India (10th). Interestingly, top eight companies have retained their respective ranks from the previous
year, Fortune India said. Other companies in the list include Bharti Airtel (12th), ICICI Bank (14th), NTPC (15th), Tata
Consultancy Services (18th) and Infosys (27th).
Answer 28: Kejriwal among Foreign Policys 100 global thinkers: Aam Aadmi Partys (AAP) impressive
debut run in Delhi elections has earned founder Arvind Kejriwal a place on Foreign Policy magazines list of 100 global
thinkers -- for leading a campaign to clean up Indias capital. The list is
topped by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, for
exposing the reach of government spying.
Kejriwal is out to ignite a revolution, says the prestigious magazine while
putting him on the 32nd spot of its list of people who have made a measurable
difference and were pushing the boundaries of the possible. Indias elite
have good reason to be worried about Kejriwal, said the magazine in
Washington on December 12, 2013. The country was rocked by a series of
anti-corruption protests just two years ago, and in a poll released in July, 71
percent of respondents said corruption is getting worse.
Indias leading womens rights activists Urvashi Butalia and Kavita Krishnan
were listed on the 77th spot for exposing the roots of Indias rampant sexual
violence. Butalia, founder of Indias first feminist publishing house, and Krishnan, secretary of the All India Progressive
Womens Association, arent just thoughtful activists: They are formidable, front-line opponents in the battle against
Indias scourge of sexual violence, it says. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, led by Indias Rajendra
Pachauri, is listed 42nd for showing that humanity is on the brink of catastrophe.
Answer 29: Microsoft launches Telepathwords to test password safety: Think you have a secure password?
You can check, with Microsofts new tool, which tells you just how predictable your password actually is. US software
giant Microsoft has developed a new internet tool that tells you how
vulnerable your passwords may be, helping you choose better passwords in
the future. The tool Telepathwords tries to predict the next character of
your passwords by using knowledge of: common passwords - such as those
made public as a result of security breaches, common phrases and common
password-selection behaviours. The new project from Microsoft Research
has a simple premise: you start typing one of your passwords in its text box,
and it tries to guess what the next character is. To guess the next character you will type, we send the characters you
have already typed to query our prediction engine. The prediction engine uses a database of common passwords and
phrases, the project website said on December 9, 2013.
THE GENESIS
51
Answer 30: IATA to celebrate 100 years of commercial aviation: To mark 100 years of commercial aviation, a
re-enactment of the first ever passenger flight on January 1, 1914 will be staged in Florida, global aviation body IATA
said in Geneva on December 12, 2013. International Air Transport Association
(IATA) will be celebrating this important Centennial over the course of 2014,
starting by supporting the re-enactment of that momentous flight on New Years
Day in Florida. The focus of the celebration will be on the value that aviation,
IATA chief Tony Tyler said. On January 1, 1914, the first passenger on a
scheduled airline was transported across Tampa Bay in Florida, US. It is a story
with many characters, Tony Jannus was the pilot. Thomas Benoist built the aircraft.
Perceval Fransler was the visionary who conceived the idea of air service. And the hero of the day was Abram C Phell,
who bought the ticket for USD 400 proving the concept that commercial aviation creates value, Tyler said.
Answer 31: Air India set to join Star Alliance: Paving the way for Air Indias entry into the largest global
airlines grouping, Star Alliance on December 13, 2013 unanimously decided to
recommence the national carriers integration process that was suspended in 2011. Air
India CMD Rohit Nandan, who is also in the Austrian capital, said it was a historic day for
Air India. The Alliance had put the proposal for Air Indias entry into the grouping on
hold since July 2011 on the grounds that the airline had not fulfilled major conditions to
join it, a charge the Indian carrier had then denied. Once the airline becomes a member, its
passengers would enjoy major benefits, including seamless transfers on travel across the
world, more frequent flyer mileage points, code- sharing leading to a wider choice of flights and access to over 1,000
lounges at airports worldwide. The Star Alliance network offers 21,900 daily flights to 1,328 airports in 195 countries.
Answer 32: Intel signs deal to slap logo on inside of Barcelonas shirt: The logo
of computer chip manufacturer Intel will be printed on the inside of Barcelona players
shirts as part of a unique sponsorship deal. It is hoped that the Intel Inside branding will
be revealed when a player lifts his shirt to celebrate scoring. The teams superstars
including Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta would be under no obligation to display the
logo, Barcelona said on December 13, 2013. Spanish media and Forbes magazine have
estimated that Intel would pay around 15 million pounds for the length of the deal. It is
Intels first move into football sponsorship, and the firm is set to provide technology to
players and coaching staff as part of the tie-up, the report further said. Barcelona is the
second-richest football team in the world with 384 million pounds in annual revenue.
Answer 33: Roli Books launches comics on Param Vir Chakra winners: Roli
Books has launched first two comics of its Param Vir Chakra series, featuring stories on
Major Somnath Sharma and Captain Manoj Pandey. The stories are written by Major General
(Retd.) Ian Cardozo, who is also the author of Param Vir: Our Heroes in Battle, and
illustrations are by Rishi Kumar. The first two comics of the series were launched at the
Oxford Bookstore in New Delhi on December 12. The 32-page comic is priced at Rs.99.
Answer 34: Nissan goes online to sell cars in India: Japanese car major Nissan
December 9, 2013 said it will sell cars online in India and make its entire product line up
available for purchase via internet. Customers will be able to book their cars by making
payments through an online gateway by credit card. The car will then be delivered to the
customer by their nearest Nissan dealership when ready, the company said in a statement. Most
of the major car makers in India, including Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai, do not sell cars through
internet but use the online medium to convert queries into offline sales through dealerships. In
India, Nissan sells a range of vehicles, including hatchback Micra, mid-sized sedan Sunny,
Nissan Evalia (MPV), and newly-launched compact SUV Terrano along with SUV X-Trail. These are priced between Rs
4.9 lakh and Rs 26.96 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).
THE GENESIS
52
Answer 35: Bangalore international airport renamed: Over five years after
opening for operations, the Bangalore international airport was on December 14, 2013
renamed after the citys founder Kempe Gowda, a chieftain under the Vijayanagara
Empire during the 16th century. Coinciding with the naming ceremony, the airports
expanded and upgraded terminal was unveiled by union Civil Aviation Minister Ajit
Singh. The airport is built and operated by a public-private consortium. Operated under
a 30-year concession by the central government, with a 30-year renewal option, the
consortium has five partners, with the countrys leading infrastructure major GVK
holding 43 percent equity, Siemens of Germany 26 percent, Zurich Airport five percent
and the central and state governments have 13 percent each.
Answer 36: Torrent to buy Elders India business for Rs 2,000 crore: Debt-ridden Elder Pharmaceuticals has
agreed to sell its domestic formulation business in India and Nepal to Torrent Pharmaceuticals
for Rs 2,000 crore. Under the proposed transaction, Elder would continue to manufacture and
supply products at its manufacturing facilities for Torrent for three years, a statement said on
December 14, 2013. Mumbai-based Elder had announced restructuring plans to clear debts
worth Rs 1,300 crore, accumulated after multiple acquisitions abroad. Elder had revenues of
Rs 1,454 crore in the year ended March 31, 2013. Sudhir Mehta has taken the Torrent Group
from strength to strength. What started as Trinity Laboratories by His father late U. N. Mehta
in the 70s is now a Rs 11,800-crore business conglomerate, with interests in areas such as pharmaceuticals and power.
Answer 37: Krish Iyer named Walmart India president & CEO: Just six months after
appointing Ramnik Narsey as the interim India leader of Walmart, replacing Raj Jain, the largest
retailer in the world on December 13, 2013 made yet another top management announcement. WalMart Stores said it had appointed Krish Iyer president and chief executive officer of Walmart India,
effective January 20, 2014. Iyer will report to Walmart Asia regional president and CEO Scott Price.
Answer 38: Rajendran is new Andhra Bank CMD: C V R Rajendran was

on December 13, 2013 appointed the new chairman and managing director (CMD) of Andhra Bank.
Prior to this appointment, Rajendran was executive director of Bank of Maharashtra since February
2012. He started his career in Corporation Bank, and has experience in international banking and
investment banking, among other divisions. He also held the post of general manager of the treasury
and information technology division of Corporation Bank.
Answer 39: SDF Group introduces Lamborghini tractor in India: Italian farm equipment maker Same DeutzFahr (SDF) Group on December 12, 2013 introduced its premium tractor under the Lamborghini
brand in India. The company is introducing a 30-horse power (HP) tractor initially under the brand
and planning to expand the range to up to 70-80 HP going forward. The Lamborghini tractors will
be at a premium. It is more sporty and stylish and can have a variety of applications, not only in
fields but also in resorts, stadium for mowing grass. SDF Group had gained ownership of the
Lamborghini brand of tractors in 1973 following the acquisition of Trattori Lamborghini, founded
by Ferruccio Lamborghini -- creator of the Lamborghini cars. The sports car business of
Lamborghini continues to be under Automobili Lamborghini SpA, which is a part of the
Volkswagen Group.
Answer 40: Anchor ventures into LED segment: Anchor Electricals, a wholly-owned subsidiary of electronics
major Panasonic India, is looking to expand its portfolio in the LED lighting segment
and plans to set up a new production unit for it. The company on December 8, 2013
opened a LED (light-emitting diode) lighting experience centre in Mumbai and would
now open shortly next one at Bangalore. Panasonic had acquired Anchor, the 49-yearold Indian family-owned electrical equipment brand, in 2007. Anchor sells products
like switches, fans, CFL and LEDs. It also hawks switches under the Panasonic brand, which are priced slightly higher.
THE GENESIS
Endeavor Careers
C
Drream End
deavor Achieve
533
Answer 41: Twitter beccomes availaable on mob

biles withoutt Internet: Almost
A
70 crore mobile users in India andd
around 80% in emerging markets, whoo do not havee a mobile daata connectionn, would
soon be ablee to access social
s
networrking site Tw
witter using U2opia
U
Mobiles app.
Fonetwish, ann app developped by Singappore-based moobile solutionss provider U2opia, is a
USSD-based solution, whicch works on any
a mobile phhone without an
a Internet connnection.
Unstructured Supplementaary Service Data
D
(USSD)) technology is used by telecom
operators to send alerts too their users.. It can be used for pre-p
paid call-backk service,
location-based content servvices and mennu-based inforrmation servicces. Mobile users
u
who
do not have 2G,
2 3G, GPR
RS, etc on theiir handsets wiill have to diaal a standard code throughh which they will
w be able too
access Twitteer feed.
Answer 42:: Reliance In

ndustries, Bharti
B
sign telecom
t
infrrastructure deal: Reliannce Industries,, set to launchh
4G servicess, has signed a deal with the countrys largest teleecom operatoor
Bharti Airteel, to share teelecom infrasttructure. The two compan
nies will sharee
inter and inttra-city optic fibre networkk, submarine cable network
ks, towers andd
internet broadband servicces. The arraangement mayy be extended
d in future too
roaming serrvices on 2G
G, 3G and 4G
4 platforms, and any other
o
mutuallyy
benefiting areas
a
relating to telecomm
munication, thhe two comp
panies said onn
December 10,
1 2013. Reeliance Indusstries, controllled by Indias richest mann
Mukesh Am
mbani, plans to
o roll out a naationwide 4G network as paart of its forayy
into telecoms. The compannys unit Reliaance Jio Infocoomm won speectrum in 20100, but is yet too start commerrcial services..
Answer 43:: Star India wins Team

m India spon
nsorship rig
ghts: Star
India Pvt Ltdd have been awarded
a
team
m sponsorship rights coveriing BCCI
Events, ICC Events and ACC
A
Events, for the periood January 1,, 2014 to
March 31, 20017. Rights innclude the rigght to be called the Officcial Team
Sponsor, andd to display a commercial logo on the teeam clothing of the Sr.
Mens Crickeet Team, the U-19
U
Mens Crricket Team, the
t Mens A-T
Team and
the Womenss Team. The decision was taken at a meeting
m
of thee BCCIs
Marketing Coommittee in Mumbai
M
on December
D
9, 2013, disclossed BCCI
Honorary Seccretary Sanjayy Patel in a statement.
s
Tw
wo bidders - Star
S India
Pvt Ltd and Sahara
S
India Financial
F
Corpporation - werre in the fray. Saharas
bid was foundd to be ineligibble.
Answer 44:: Infosys lau

unches retaiil software platform
p
TrradeEdge: Innfosys on Deecember 9, 20013 unveiled a
new
w product platform for global brands in thhe FMCG (fasst-moving con
nsumer goodss)
segm
ment. Namedd TradeEdge, the softwaree platform dellivers insightss for brands too
preddict and meet consumer dem
mand and impprove sales annd operationall performancee.
Ass a cloud-baseed platform, TradeEdge prrovides FMC
CG firms afforrdable way too
exppand their reeach in emerrging markets, which preesent a challlenge and ann
opportunity for
f all stakeholders across the chain, Infosys chieff executive N.R.
N
Narayanaa Murthy said
d at a producct
preview in Baangalore.
Answer 45: Mary Barrra is Generaal Motors first

fi woman CEO: General Motors
board named Mary Barra, 51, as the coompanys nexxt CEO on Deecember 10, 2013.
2
Barra
currently is seenior vice pressident for globbal product deevelopment. Shes
S
in chargee of design,
engineering and
a quality off all of GMs vehicles acrooss the globe.. Shes also inn charge of
purchasing annd had previouusly headed thhe companyss human resou
urces operationns. The 51year-old Barrra started withh GM as an engineering co-op
c
student in 1980 and is the first
woman to beccome CEO at GM. Barra will
w replace Daan Akerson, who is also the chairman.
www.endea
avorcareers..com
THE GEN
NESIS
Endeavor Careers
C
Drream End
deavor Achieve
544
Answer 46:: Toothpastee brands roow HC ask

ks Pepsoden
nt to withdrraw its printt ad: Acceptting toothpastee
manufacturer Colgate Palmolives pleaa, the Delhi High court on
o Decemberr 11, 2013 ddirected its riv
val Pepsodennt
Germicheck to
t withdraw itts print adverttisement, sayiing the same appears
a
to be prima facie disparaging of the Colgatee
brand
d. The couurt, howeverr, said Pep
psodents TV
V
adveertisement is not
n disparagingg but the voicce over on it is
misleading and innaccurate andd asked Hindu
ustan Unileveer
Limiited (HUL) too modify Peppsodents TV
V commerciall.
Colg
gate had, in itss plea, allegedd the TV adveertisement hadd
given inaccurrate informatioon regarding the
t comparatiive effects of the
t two toothppastes, while the print adveertisement was
not only inacccurate but alsoo amounted too disparagemeent of its brand
d.
Answer 47:: SRK tops Forbes Indiia celebrity list for the second time: Bollywoodd star Shah Rukh
R
Khan has
been named the
t most poweerful celebrityy of 2013 by Forbes
F
India for
f the second time in a row
w in
New Delhi onn December 13,
1 2013. Thee 48-year-old actor has con
nquered the Top
T 100 celebrrity
list with the help
h
of his poopularity and earnings from
m his mega hiit film Chennnai Express tthis
year. Indian cricket
c
captainn Mahendra Singh
S
Dhoni moved
m
up from the third sppot last year aand
has come in at the numbber two spot with his imm
mense populaarity and enddorsement deals.
Bollywood sttar Salman Khhan slipped froom his secondd position last year and earnned the third sspot
in the list. They
T
are folllowed by Saachin Tendulkkar at numbeer 4, and meegastar Amitaabh
Bachchan, whho retained hiis position, coompleting the top five on th
he list. Bachchhan is followeed by Bollywo
ood action staar
Akshay Kumaar, who has coome in at num
mber 6. Ranbirr Kapoor is at number 8 andd Hrithik Roshhan at numberr 10. Cricketeer
Virat Kohli iss the youngestt celebrity to make
m
it to the top 10 this yeear. Katrina Kaif
K is the onlyy woman who has made it too
the Top 10.
A
Answer
48: Isuzu joinss SUV fray with MU-7:: Isuzu Motors, on Decem
mber 10, 20133,
aannounced its entry into thee Indian UV (utility
(
vehiclee) market withh the launch of
o its premium
m
S
SUV
(sport uttility vehicle) MU-7 as the Japanese autoo major is preeparing for a long-term
l
playy
inn the Indiann UV and LCV
L
(light commercial
c
v
vehicle)
segm
ments with manufacturing
m
g
innvestments off Rs 3000 croore. The dieseel-driven MU--7, described aas one of the longest SUVs
a
available
in Inndia now, willl be positioned against its Japanese
J
rivall Toyotas Fortuner, the topp
selling modell in Rs-15-25 lakh
l
UV segm
ment in the couuntry, and Maahindra Rextonn.
Answer 49:: SABMillerr Chairman

n dies: Grahaam Mackay, Chairman of SABMiller, and
one of the best-known figuures in the gloobal beer induustry, died on December 188, 2013 at the age
of 64. Mackkay spent 35 years at SAB
BMiller, steering its transsformation froom an industtrial
conglomeratee to the worlds second-larggest brewer. He
H was Chief Executive
E
from
m 1999 when the
company listeed on the Londdon Stock Exchange, until April 2013 wh
hen he took a medical leavee of
absence.
Answer 50:: London Central

C
(Wesst End) is costliest
c
offiice marketCBRE: Connnaught Placee in Delhi has
slipped two notches
n
to beccome the worllds seventh costliest officee destination due
d to slowdow
wn in the reallty market andd
fall in rupees exchange rate, propertyy consultant C
CBRE said on December 188,
2013. Mum
mbais Bandraa Kurla Compplex (BKC) is at the 15th position,
p
whilee
Nariman Pooint stood at 32nd.
3
Their raanking too hass fallen from previous
p
reporrt
released in June. London
n Central (W
West End) oveertook Hong Kong
K
(Centrall)
as the worldds most expeensive prime office
o
market. India contin
nued to featuree
in the list of the world
ds most expeensive office markets, witth New Delhhi
(Connaughtt Place - CBD
D) ranking at the 7th posittion, CBRE said in reportt.
Occupancyy cost of Delhiis Connaughtt Place stood aat USD 156.6
65 per sq ft peer
annum. CB
BRE tracks occcupancy costts for prime ooffice space in
n 126 marketts
across world. Of the top 500 most expennsive marketts, 20 are in Asia
A Pacific, 19 are in Euroope, Middle East
E and Africaa
(EMEA) and 11 are in Americas.
www.endea
avorcareers..com
THE GEN
NESIS
55
Point-Counterpoint
Corruption will increase and no work will
be done. People will not sign any
document fearing investigation. There will
be a state of indecision in this country.
Ramgopal Yadav, MP, Samajwadi Party
(SP), opposing the Lokpal Bill.
It should have happened much earlier.

Nevertheless, the fact that it has happened
today is a welcome step.
Nitish Kumar, Chief Minister, Bihar on
passage of Lokpal Bill
It is extremely unfortunate and shameless

on the part of the Union Government to
forcefully introduce the Land Boundary
Agreement Bill in Parliament just seconds
before the sine die adjournment of the
current session.
We welcome the tabling of the bill as

parliament will debate about the rights of
enclave dwellers for the first time since
independence. The move vindicates our
longstanding fight for the rights of the
people.
Mamata Banerjee, CM, West Bengal,

slamming the Centre for introducing a Bill
providing for demarcation of the boundary
with Bangladesh, saying it did not have
consent of the state government
Ashok Gehlot, Diptiman Sengupta,

Convener of Bharat Bangladesh Enclave
Exchange Co-ordination Committee
We were talking about tax and although

we have not decided as yet, a good
presentation came before us. There is a
suggestion of complete abolition of
income, sales and excise tax.
Nitin Gadkari, ex-President, BJP
I do not want to comment on this. Once

they gain enough experience, they would
not use such language.
Rashid Alvi, Spokesperson, Congress,
commenting on the recent war of words
between the Congress and the AAP in
which Kumar Vishwas had called the
Congress a two headed snake
This was the decision of the Cabinet and

the government was bound by the
decision.
Prithviraj Chavan, CM, Maharashtra,
after the Maharashtra cabinet rejected the
report of the Adarsh Commission
We will have to go back to Vedic days if

we abolish income, sales and excise tax.
Yashwant Sinha, , ex-Finance Minister,

disagreeing with Gadkaris views
The last words I heard from the Congress

about me was when Salman Khurshid called
us gutter snipes and when Sonia Gandhi said
we are like monsoon insects. So, there is
nothing to get upset about what I said as it is
nothing in comparison to their language.
Kumar Vishwas, AAP, responding to
Alvi
By rejecting this report, Chavan, who was
brought to Maharashtra, as a clean person,
has shown that he is also a part of this
corruption, along with other three former
chief ministers who have been named as
corrupt by this report.
Devendra
Fadnavis,
Maharashtra state BJP
President,
The Obama administration has to clean up

this mess with an official and sincere
apology.
Were not in any way walking back from

those allegations or the charges. Again, this
is really a law enforcement issue.
Ruben Navarrette, CNN Contributor

and Radio Talk Show Host, observing that
Indo-US ties are on the rocks after the
arrest of Indian diplomat Devyani
Khobragade
Marie Harf, Spokesperson, US State

Department making it clear that Khobragade
will have to face the charges against her and
that the immunity sought for her after her
transfer to Indias Permanent Mission to the
UN is not retroactive
THE GENESIS

Genesis-January 2014 Issue I

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Genesis-January 2014 Issue I

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Endeavor Careers Dream Endeavor Achieve

Lokpal Bill passed: 3

Bangla border Bill: 7

The Lok Sabhha passed the amended verssion of the Lookpal

and former MPss and MLAss, Governmen

The urgency shown by thhe political class in puttinng in

Lokayuktass: The new bill

sociieties and truusts that collect public money,

Selection off Lokpal: The selection coommittee will have

prime minister, Lok Saabha speakerr, leader of the

Endeavor Careers Dream Endeavor Achieve

provisions for attachment and confiscation of property

council of ministers, as well as the higher bureaucracy,

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI): For

Better selection process

independence of the CBI, in the new bill a directorate of

Kejriwal and his supporters may criticise the selection

Hearing: The bill says a government servant will get a

Checks and balances

Prime minister: The prime minister will be under the

Investigation: Inquiry has to be completed within 60

Eye on electtoral gains

Endeavor Careers Dream Endeavor Achieve

Current Affairs: India

cross several milestones before it receives the Final

Some facts about Tejas:

In a major milestone in the countrys military aviation,

The Tejas is a light fighter aircraft developed by India.

Endeavor Careers Dream Endeavor Achieve

Western Ghats: Farming allowed

Bangladesh land bill in RS

Western Ghats which had been banned through an order

Minister for external affairs, Salman Khursheed, managed

Former Infosyys CEO and Unique

early the risee of the Interrnet and the advent of a Flat

Graduated from IIT Bom

which became his personal ageenda for reforrm. His clarityy

Endeavor Careers Dream Endeavor Achieve

Current Affairs: India Briefs

Endeavor Careers Dream Endeavor Achieve

Endeavor Careers Dream Endeavor Achieve

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3 Indians killed in attack on UN base in South Sudan: Three Indian

India dismisses OIC reference to Kashmir: Reacting sharply to the

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Maharashtra passes anti-superstition bill: The Maharashtra State Assembly on December 13

Endeavor Careers Dream Endeavor Achieve

Endeavor Careers Dream Endeavor Achieve

Current Affairs: World Briefs

House dissolved, elections announced in Thailand: Thai Prime Minister Yingluck

International Narcoticss Control Booard opposees Uruguays move: Urruguays move to

Russia deplloys Iskandeer missiles on

Russia passses amnestyy bill to freee protestors: Russias paarliament on December

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Endeavor Careers Dream Endeavor Achieve

Merkel sworn in as German chancellor as CDUSPD strike coalition deal: Angela

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Jeh Johnson to head US Department of Homeland Security: The US Senate on

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Current Affairs: Sports

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Endeavor Careers Dream Endeavor Achieve

34. - _ sports: games played outdoors? (4-3)