Last Six months Current affairs 2012-13 for sbi po exam

39. Ban on plastic bags comes into force in New Delhi : The ban on manufacture, sale

and use of most types of plastic bags in the Capital came into force on on 23 November

2012

40. Delhi Government Launched “Delhi Annshri Yojna” : UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi

was launched a major food security programme of Delhi Government “Delhi Annshri Yojna”

on 15 December 2012.under which a monthly cash subsidy of Rs. 600 will be transferred

directly into Aadhaar-linked bank accounts of the senior-most female members of two lakh

poor families.

41. BJP Won in Gujarat Assembly Elections : The BJP registered its fifth consecutive

victory in Gujarat on 20 December 2012.This is the third victory under Modi leadership.

BJP won the 115 seats. Congress won the 61 seats. Modi won by a landslide from

Maninagar constituency in Gujarat, beating his nearest Congress party rival Shweta Bhatt

by a margin of 86,373 votes.

42. Congress has won Himachal Pradesh Elections : The Congress returned to power in

Himachal Pradesh after five years, defeating the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Himachal

Pradesh State Assembly elections conduced on 4 November 2012.The Congress secured 36

seats and the BJP 26 seats. The Congress Leader Virbhadra Singh won from Shimla (Rural)

constituency and defeated the rival from BJP Ishwar Rohal by 19033 Votes.

43. Meghalaya Passed Lokayukta Bill 2012 : On 14 December the Meghalaya Lokayukta

Bill, 2012 was passed in the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly and replaced the existing

Lokayukta Act, 2002 amidst opposition from legislators. The new act under the lokayukta

bill covered the chief minister, governor and all public servants, but allowed the state

government through a clause to exclude the complaints by citing public interest.

44. Madhya Pradesh Government Set Up a Senior Citizen Commission : On 21

December the Madhya Pradesh Government has set up a Senior Citizen Commission to

look into problems of the elderly in the State.

45. Assam Government Announced Special Health Scheme : On 12 December Assam

government announced that 50 riverine public health centres would be set up in the state

soon under the National Rural Health Mission.The public health centres would be located

primarily in the districts of Barpeta, Dhubri, Goalpara and Darrang.

46. 30% Reservation for Rural Candidates in Assam Govt. Jobs : Assam Chief Minister

Tarun Gogoi on 26 December 2012 announced that 30 per cent state government jobs will

be reserved for candidates belonging to rural areas from 2013.

47. Odisha Launched ‘ Public Service Delivery System ‘: On 2 January The Odisha

government launched the much-sought after ” Public Service Delivery System ” for citizens

under the Odisha Right to Public Service Act, 2012.Under the new act, people will get

services like issue of driving license, birth and death certificates, passport and trade

license within a stipulated time.Odisha is among the 12th state to implement the law.

48. Haryana Government announced Kanyadan Scheme for Bride participants of Mass

Marriages : The Government of Haryana on 3 January 2012 announced its plan of

launching a Kanyadan Scheme in the state for brides participating in the mass marriage

ceremony, which would be organised by any of the registered NGO or the Red Cross

Society. The scheme would carry an incentive amount of 11000 rupees and would come

into effect from 1 April 2012. The incentive amount of 11000 rupees would be given to

brides from all castes, creeds, race, religion and the income category to which the girl

belongs.

49. Arunachal Pradesh Collaborated with NSDL for Adoption of National Pension

Scheme : On 9 January The state of Arunachal Pradesh entered into an agreement with

signing of MoU with National Securities Depository Ltd (NSDL), permitting it to work as a

Central Record Keeping Agency (CRA) for adoption of the National Pension System

(NPS).National Pension Scheme NPS is an initiative of the Union Government of India and

Arunachal Pradesh is the 26th State to adopt it.

50. Gujarat Tops List of Indian States on Economic Freedom Policy : According to the ‘

Economic Freedom of States in India ‘ report which was released by former Reserve Bank

of India (RBI) Governor and present Rajya Sabha Member Bimal Jalan.The top state in

India in (terms of) economic freedom in 2011 was western Indian state Gujarat. It

displaced southern Indian state Tamil Nadu which had been at the top in 2009.Gujarat

freedom index has been rising fast and estimated at 0.64 points. The biggest

improvement has been registered by Madhya Pradesh with freedom index score rose from

0.42 in 2009 to 0.56 in 2011 enabling it to move up from sixth to third position.

51. Assembly polls in Tripura,Meghalaya and Nagaland on Febrauary : Assembly

elections in Tripura will be held on February 14 and in Meghalaya and Nagaland on

February 23 and their results will be out on February 28, the Election Commission

announced on 10 January 2013.The EC also announced byelections to nine assembly

constituencies in Mizoram, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Punjab on February 23 and in

Assam, Bihar and Maharashtra on February 24, but their results will be out together on

February 28.

52. President’s Rule Imposed on Jharkhand : On 18 January Pranab Mukherjee, the

President of India imposed President’s Rule in Jharkhand under Article 356(1) of the

Constitution.The President’s Rule for the third time since its formation 12 years ago.The

decision came as a follow up of the recommendation made by the Union Cabinet of India

and fall of the state machinery in form of Government on 8 January after the Jharkhand

Mukti Morcha the supporting party to BJP led Coalition Government withdrew its support

from it. The state was placed under President’s Rule in 2009 and 2010.

53. Three New High Courts for North East : The Centre has constituted three new High

Courts in the northeast Meghalaya, Manipur and Tripura taking the total number of High

Courts in the country from 21 to 24.According to Law Ministry sources, the strength of

judges in each High Court will be as follows: Tripura 4 (including the Chief Justice), and

Meghalaya and Manipur: three each (including the Chief Justice).

CONFERENCES

1. Cairns in Australia to host G20 financeministers meet in 2014 : The Prime Minister

Gillard announced on 05 August 2012, the tropical northen Australian city of Cairns will

host a meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bank governors in 2014.

2. The eleventh Energy Efficient Summit : The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)

Summit held in HICC, Novotel Hyderabad. The summit was held between 22 August 2012

to 25 August 2012.The objective of the summit was to facilitate the Indian industry to

improve energy efficiency on a continuous basis and help them in achieving the target set

as part of Perform Achieve and Trade under the National Mission on Enhanced Energy

Efficiency. It was ended on 31st August 2012.

3. 16th Non Alignment Movement in Iran :The Two-day meet of the 120 grouping of

nations takes place at Tehran in Iran. The key issues like the worsening situation of Syria,

Iran’s nuclear programme and other matters of global are main agenda of this NAM

summit which opened on 30

Aug 2012. Prime Minister Manmohan singh is leading the Indian delegation to the summit,

which is being attended by over 30 Heads of state and government. This summit ended on

31 August, 2012.

4. APEC Russia 2012 Summit : The APEC Russia 2012 Summit is the 24th annual gathering

of APEC leaders of 21 countries.Leaders from the member economics are currently

meeting on Russky Island off the Coast of Vladivostok, Russia from September 2-9 ,2012 .

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation(APEC) is a forum for Rim Countries(formally member

Economics) that seeks to promote free trade and Economics throughout the Asia-Pecific

region established in 1989.

5. Indian National Science Academy Summit : In the last day of the summit conducted

from 7th to 9th September 2012 in New Delhi,Scientists across South Asia decided to work

closely in research initiatives and advise decision makers in offering solutions to problems

ranging from healthcare to energy security.The three-day meeting saw participation from

the Science Academies of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Nepal, Pakistan, Mauritius and

Sri Lanka.

6. Emerging Kerala investment meet to see 51 nations taking part : 51 countries with

2,500 registered delegates and around 300 VIPs comprising ambassadors, high

commissioners and ministers have confirmed their participation in the “Emerging Kerala

2012″ investment meet to be held in Kochi from Sep 12-14.KSIDC is the nodal agency for

the event which will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.The main aim of

this event is highlight investment opportunities available in Kerala and advertise to the the

world its state of readiness to receive the investors.

7. 9th World Hindi Conference To held in Johannesburg : The 9th World Hindi

Conference to be held in Johannesburg ,South Africa from 22-24 September 2012.The first

world Hindi Conference was held in Nagapur from 10-12 January 1975 under aegis of

RashtrabhashaPracharaSamiti ,Wardha.The main theme of the conference is ’Bhasha Ki

Asmita Aur Hindi Ka Vaishvik Sandarbh’.

8. The international biodiversity meet in Hyderabad : The XI Conference of Parties

(CoP-11) on the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) being hosted by India at

Hyderabad starts on 1st October 2012.

9. Asia Co-operation Dialogue Summit held in Kuwait : Asia Co-operation Dialogue

Summit has given a call for stronger co-operation among member nations and to work for

the improvement of living conditions.Leaders from 32 countries pledged to focus on key

areas to fulfill the aspirations of the people. These include sustainable energy and

development, economic growth, food security, trade and commerce, health care, climate

change and co-operation in financial and education sectors.

10. South Korea to host next UN biodiversity meet in 2014 : South Korea will host the

12th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP12) to the Convention on Biological

Diversity in 2014, it was announced in Hyderabad on 19th October 2012.

11. Third Worldwide Cybersecurity Summit : The 3rd Worldwide Cybersecurity Summit

organized by EastWest Institute, a New York based think-and-do tank, kick-started in the

New Delhi on 30th October 2012.

12. SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians Conference held at Islamabad : The sixth

conference of the Association of SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians held in Islamabad

on 4th November 2012.From India, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar and Deputy Chairman

Rajya Sabha Professor P. J. Kurien are participated the conference.In this conference they

discussed the role of women parliamentarians for social justice and the strengthening of

democracy in South Asia.

13. Countries G20 finance ministers and central bankers summit held in Mexico : The

G20 countries finance ministers and central bankers summit held in Mexico on 4th

November 2012.In this summit the Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said the India’s

economy should grow by 5.5 percent to 6.0 percent in the year 2012 and return to 7

percent growth in 2013.

14. E-9 countries review meeting held in New Delhi : E-9 countries review meeting held

in New Delhi on 9th and 10th November 2012.The E-9 countries are India, Pakistan,

Bangladesh, China, Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, Nigeria and Mexico .

15. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh went to Cambodia for South Asian summits :

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh went to Cambodian capital Phnom Penh on 18 November

2012 to attend the ASEAN and East Asia Summits.

16. Bangladesh Opted out of D-8 Summit Scheduled to be Held in Pakistan :

Bangladesh opted out of the key summit known as D-8 Summit in Pakistan which is

scheduled to be held later in November, 2012. Bangladesh opted out because Pakistan

refused to apologise for the deeds committed during 1971 war which eventually led to

Bangladesh’s independence.

17. The 8th meeting of the India-UK Joint Working Group (JWG) on counter terrorism

: The 8th meeting of the India-UK Joint Working Group (JWG) on counter terrorism was

held on 20 November 2012 in New Delhi.

18. UN Climate Change Conference (COP 18) : The United Nations Climate Change

Conference , which is the 18th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 18) and 8th

session of the Conference of the Parties (serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto

Protocol ) ends on 8 December in Qatar, Doha. United Nations climate talks in Doha had

agreed to extend the Kyoto Protocol through 2020. Poland will host the next round of 19th

session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) UN climate talks in 2013.

19. World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT-12) : The First

ever World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT) from 3 -14 December

held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.The conference reviewed the current International

Telecommunication Regulations (ITRs).The 193 member states of the ambassadors are

attended this conference.While 89 states have signed the UN International

Telecommunications agreement and another 55 countries have refused the deal.The new

agreement will come into effect in January 2015.

20. ASEAN – India Commemorative Summit held in New Delhi : India is hosted the

ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit held from December 20-21 in New Delhi to mark

the 20th anniversary of the ASEAN – India dialogue partnership and the 10th anniversary

of ASEAN-India Summit-level partnership.The theme of the summit is “ASEAN-India

Partnership for Peace and Shared Prosperity”. ASEAN and India have signed the awaited

Free Trade Agreement (FTA) on comprehensive economic cooperation as foundations for

the establishment of an ASEAN-India Trade and Investment Area.

21. 100th Indian Science Congress held in Kolkata : The 100th Indian Science Congress

was held from 3 to 7 January in Kolkata (West Bengal) .The theme of the session is ”

Science for Shaping the Future of India ” .The session was inaugurated by Pranab

Mukherjee the President of India .In the session Prime Minister Manmohan Singh

released ‘ The Science, Technology and Innovation Policy(STI) 2013 ’ .On 4 January

Former President Dr. A.P.J.Abdul Kalam inaugurated a Children Science Congress as part

of the 100th Indian Science Congress .The 100th Indian Science Congress (ISC 2013) is

also organized a special programme “ Women empowerment for the development of the

country” to showcase the contribution of women in science and technology.This is the 13th

time the Indian Science Congress is being hosted by Kolkata

22. 11th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas held in Kochi : 11th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) was

held from 7- 9 January at Kochi (Kerala).Mauritius President Rajkeswur Purryag was the

chief guest of this official inaugural session.2000 delegates from 40 countries attended

the convention.The theme for this year’s Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is “Engaging Diaspora –

the Indian Growth Story”.On 7th January in the event they discussed on problems that

people from Kerala face in the region.Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will inaugurated the

annual flagship event and released the postage stamp on Ghadar Movement on 8 January

and President Pranab Mukherjee will delivered the valedictory address on January 9 and

also presented the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman awards.Pravasi Bhartiya Divas (PBD) is

celebrated on January 9 every year to mark the contribution of overseas Indian community

in the development of India.The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, the first of its kind involving the

Indian Diaspora, was held in 2003 at New Delhi.

23. Fourth Meeting of ASEAN and India Tourism Ministers held in Vientiane : The

Fourth meeting of ASEAN and India Tourism Minister (4th M-ATM+ India) was held in

Vientiane, Lao PDR from 21 to January in conjunction with the ASEAN Tourism Forum

2013 (ATF2013).The Meeting was jointly co-chaired by H.E. Prof. Dr. Bosengkham

Vongdara, Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Lao PDR, and H.E. Dr. K.

Chiranjeevi, Minister for Tourism, Government of India.In the meeting Both the Ministers

have signed the Protocol to amend the Memorandum of Understanding between ASEAN

and India on Strengthening Tourism Cooperation.

24. World Economic Forum Summit Held in Davos : The 43rd World Economic Forum

Annual Meeting held from 23 – 27 January at Davos-Klosters in Switzerland.The annual

forum, which has been running for over 40 years, provides a platform for decision-makers

in politics, non-governmental organisations and businesses to gather and to exchange

views on the world’s most pressing problems.The World Economic Forum (WEF) unites

international political leaders, business leaders and journalists from across the globe to

discussed and shape global, regional and industrial agendas with regards to economics,

health and the environment.The WEF was founded in 1971 as a non-profit organization by

the German Klaus Schwab, a business professor at the University of Geneva.

AWARDS & HONOURS

1. Ashok sen received Yuri Milner award : Ashok Sen who is working in Harish chandra

research institute as scientist in physics got Yuri Milner Fundamental Physics prize of worth

Rs 16.7Crore(USD $3 million) on 1st August 2012.This Fundamental Physics prize has

been established by Russian Business man Yuri Milner , which is three times more than

Noble prize. He has been recognised for his work on ‘String Theory’.

2. “NASI- Reliance Industries Platinum Jubilee Award 2012” for Bhadra : Dr. Manik

Pal Bandra, Principal scientist of chemical biology division,CSIR Indian Institute of

Chemical Technology Hyderabad, has been selected for the “ NASI- Reliance Industries

Platinum Jubilee award 2012”. Dr.Bhadra was nominated for the award by the National

Academy of science for significant contribution in the area of applications of

orientedinnovations in biological sciences for 2012. He was given this for his involvement

in the synthesizing or

orally administered next generation nano particles to deliver material like DNA an RNA for

effective gene therapy. This award will be presented on November 29,2012 at New Delhi.

3. Sastra Ramanujan Prize to Zhiwei Yun : The 2012 sastra Ramanujan prize will be

given to the Professor Zhiwei on December 22, The birth anniversary of mathematical

genius Ramanujan, in New Delhi. The award will be given away during the closing

ceremony of the International conference in the legacy of Ramanujan, organized by the

National Board of Higher Mathematics of India &

co-sponsored by sastra University and Delhi University. prof.Zhiwei Yun has made

fundamental contributions to sevaral areas that lie at the interface of representation

theory. This Prize will be given to under 32 age, at the same age as Ramanujan died.

4. Rajiv Gandhi Sadbhavana award for D.R.Mehta : Renowned social worker DR Mehta,

founder and chief patron of the organization that popularized the Jaipur Foot, has been

selected for the Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award for the year 2012. D.R. Mehta

will present the 20th Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavna Award at a function New Delhi on

20 Aug 2012.The award, which carries a citation and

cash of Rs 5 lakh, is being given to Mehta, a former chairman of the Securities and

Exchange Board of India, for his “outstanding contribution towards promotion of communal

harmony, peace and goodwill”.Former recipients of the award include Mother Teresa,

Ustad Bismillah Khan, Lata Mangeshkar, Sunil Dutt, S.N. Subbarao and Dilip Kumar.

5. NRI heart surgeon Dr Mukesh Hariawala : chosen for ‘India’s Most Admired

Surgeon’award India born internationally acclaimed NRI HeartSurgeon and Research

Scientist from the famed Harvard University, Dr Mukesh Hariawala, has been unanimously

selected by the National Healthcare jury to be honored with the prestigious ‘India’s Most

Admired Surgeon 2012 Award’.

6. NASI awarded for IICT Scientist : Dr.SuryaPrakash Singh ,Scientist of Inorganic and

Physical Division, CSIR – Indian Institute of Chemical Technology in Hyderabad has been

selected for NASI(National Academy of Science,India)-Young Scientist PlatinumAward

2012.

7. Jaipur Bags JRD TATa Award for Health schemes : Odisha’s Jaipur district has bagged

the coveted fifth“JRD Tata Memorial Award 2011” for Population reproductive health and

Family planning programme. The award was presented by the Nobel Laureate Amartyasen

at JRD Tata memorial Award and Oration Function held in New Delhi.

8. Indian Urdu Literature to get Rare Pakistani’s Honour : An Urdu literature Professor

Gopi Chand Marang’s name figures in the list of Civilian honours announced by Pakistan on

its Independence day. He has been confered”Sitara-i-Imtiaz”(Star of excellence) the third

highest civilian honour bestowed by the nation.He received the “ Padma Bhushan”. It was

great that an Indian selected for Pakistan’s highest honour

for his selfless work for urdu. eminent poet Josh Mahihabadi also selected for “ Hilal-i-

Imtiaz’.

9. P.K.B Pattnaik Honoured with Damien -Dutton Award : State Leprosy Officer P.K.B.

Pattnaik, has been selected for the coveted Damien-dutton award for the year2012 for his

work in the field of leprosy eradication. Mother Teresa, Babu Amte and Dr.Dharmendra has

given this award. He is an

Odisha doctor. He said that”We have been able to treat 12 lakh leprosy patients, rehabited

40,000 patients with leprosy and performed surgical defromitry correction on 3,500

patients”.