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Saturday, September 28, 2013

Grant of Non-Productivity Linked Bonus (ad-hoc bonus) to Central Government Employees for the year 2012-13.

Grant of Non-Productivity Linked Bonus (ad-hoc bonus) to Central Government Employees for the year 2012-13.

No.7/24/2007/E III (A)
Government of India
Ministry of Finance
Department of Expenditure
E III (A) Branch
New Delhi, the 27th September, 2013
OFFICE MEMORANDUM

Subject : Grant of Non-Productivity Linked Bonus (ad-hoc bonus) to Central Government Employees for the year 2012-13.

The undersigned is directed to convey the sanction of the President to the grant of Non-Productivity Linked Bonus (Ad-hoc Bonus) equivalent to 30 days emoluments for the accounting year 2012-13 to the Central Government employees in Groups 'C’ and 'D’ and all non-gazetted employees in Group 'B' who are not covered by any Productivity Linked Bonus Scheme. The calculation ceiling for payment of ad-hoc Bonus under these orders shall continue to be monthly emoluments of Rs. 3500/-, as hitherto. The payment of ad-hoc Bonus under these orders will also be admissible to the eligible employees of Central Para Military Forces and Armed Forces. The orders will be deemed to be extended to the employees of Union Territory Administration which follow the Central Government pattern of emoluments and are not covered by any other bonus or ex-gratia scheme.

2. The benefit will be admissible subject to the following terms and conditions:
(i) Only those employees who were in service as on 31.3.2013 and have rendered at least six months of continuous service during the year 2012-13 will be eligible for payment under these orders. Pro-rata payment will be admissible to the eligible employees for period of continuous service during the year from six months to a full year, the eligibility period being taken in terms of number of months of service (rounded off to the nearest number of months).
(ii) The quantum of Non-PLB (ad-hoc bonus) will be worked out on the basis of average emoluments/calculation ceiling whichever is lower. To calculate Non-PLB (Ad-hoc bonus) for one day, the average emoluments in a year will be divided by 30.4 (average number of days in a month). This will thereafter be multiplied by the number of days of bonus granted. To illustrate, taking the calculation ceiling of monthly emoluments of Rs, 3500 (where actual average emoluments exceed Rs. 3500), Non-PLB (Ad-hoc Bonus) for thirty days would work out to Rs.3500x30/30.4 = Rs.3453.95 (rounded offto Rs.3454/-).
(iii) The casual labour who have worked in offices following a 6 days week for at least 240 days for each year for 3 years or more(206 days in each year for 3 years or more in the case of offices observIng 5 days week), will be eligible for this Non PLB (Ad-hoc Bonus) Payment. The amount of Non-PLB (ad-hoc bonus) payable will be (Rs.1200x30/30.4 i.e.Rs.1184.21(rounded off to Rs,1184/-). In cases where the actual emoluments fall below Rs.1200/- p.m., the amount will be calculated on actual monthly emoluments.
(iv) All payments under these orders will be rounded off to the nearest rupee.
(v) The clarificatory orders issued vide this Ministry’s OM No.F.14(10)-E. Coord/88 dated 4.10.1988, as amended from time to time, would hold good.
3. The expenditure on this account will be debitable to the respective Heads to which the pay and allowances of these employees are debited.
4. The expenditure incurred on account of Non-PLB (Ad-hoc Bonus) is to be met from within the sanctioned budge provision of concerned Ministries/Departments for the current year.
5. In so far as the persons serving in the Indian Audit and Accounts Department are concerned, these orders are issued in consultation with the Comptroller and Auditor General of India.
sd/-
(Amar Nath Singh)
Deputy Secretary to the Govt of India


Friday, September 27, 2013

Daily Current Affairs updates of 27 September 2013

Daily Current Affairs updates of 27 September 2013


National
1) Prasar Bharti approves new strategy to get mega productions for DD: Viewers of Doordarshan, which has struggled to get top quality programmes, can now look forward to mega budget productions as the public broadcaster has decided to share revenue with producers if they provide superior content.

2) Oil Minister to use public transport every Wednesday:  After launching a mega conservation campaign, Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas M. Veerappa Moily on Friday announced that he will use public transport every Wednesday.

3) Four injured in BMC building collapse: Four persons were injured and at least 50 others were feared trapped under the debris after a five-storeyed BMC building collapsed in south Mumbai today.

4) Embarrassing the Centre, the Congress Vice-President, Rahul Gandhi, said the proposed Ordinance to protect convicted MPs and MLAs should be torn away.

5) Apex court: Voters have right to reject all candidates contesting polls: In a landmark verdict, the Supreme Court today held that citizens have the right to cast a negative vote rejecting all candidates contesting polls, a decision which would encourage people not satisfied with contestants to turn up for voting.

International
1) Sri Srinivasan sworn in as US federal judge: Trailblazer Sri Srinivasan was today sworn in as judge of the second most powerful court of the United States, making him the first Indian American to be on the bench of the US Courts of Appeal for the District of Columbia Circuit.

2) US Air Force has test-launched an unarmed Minuteman 3 intercontinental ballistic missile from California.

Banking/Economy
1) Vijaya Bank opened 10 branches in Mandya, Karnataka. 

2) Anupam Shah has taken over as the new Chairman of the Engineering Export Promotion Council (EEPC).

3) Moily hints at petrol price cut in next few days:  Oil Minister M. Veerappa Moily today hinted at a reduction in petrol prices in the next few days, the first cut in rates in over five months. The reduction in rates is likely to be announced by the month-end as per the practice of fortnightly revision in prices, and has been made possible due to appreciation of rupee against the US dollar.

4) Oct 31 deadline for e-filing audit reports of tax returns: Government today extended the last date for uploading audit reports of income tax returns by a month to October 31.

Sports
1) Supreme Court today restrained N. Srinivasan from assuming the charge of BCCI President, if elected to the post, but allowed the board to hold its proposed Annual General Meeting scheduled for Sunday.

2) Venus Williams denied new record for world's fastest serve: Venus Williams was denied a new record for the world's fastest serve on Friday after tennis chiefs said a bullet delivery clocked at 209 kilometres (129.9 miles) per hour was not measured by the right equipment.

3) Serena Williams has secured the year-end world number one ranking for the third time in her glittering career, the WTA said on Friday, after adding nine titles this season including two more Grand Slams.

Technology
1) Bill Gates admits Control-Alt-Delete was a mistake: Microsoft co-founder has admitted for the first time that using the key combination of Control-Alt-Delete to log into a PC was a mistake. “It was a mistake,” Gates said. “We could have had a single button, but the guy who did the IBM keyboard design didn’t wanna give us our single button.”

2) Twitter IPO likely in November:  Twitter’s eagerly awaited initial public offering could take place as early as November, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.

3) Google celebrates 15th birthday with animated piñata doodle, overhauls search engine:  It's Google's 15th birthday today and what better way to celebrate than a playable doodle. A children's favourite and a must at every birthday party; today's doodle is a swinging piñata that needs to be hit to score candies (read points). September 27 is celebrated as Google's birth date, even though the company was incorporated a few weeks ago. It was founded at a garage in Menlo Park, California by Larry Page and Sergey Bin. Company is today headquartered in Mountain View in California.

Awards/Achievements
1) Raghuram Rajan awarded Deutsche Bank Prize: Reserve Bank of India Governor, Raghuram G. Rajan, has been awarded the Fifth Deutsche Bank Prize for Financial Economics 2013, in recognition of his ground-breaking research work which influenced financial and macro-economic policies around the world. The academic prize is sponsored by the Deutsche Bank Donation Fund and carries an endowment of euro 50,000.

2) Navneet Kaur Dhillon wins Multimedia Award at Miss World 2013: Pond's Femina Miss India World 2013 Navneet Kaur Dhillon helped India bag the Multimedia Award at the Miss World 2013 pageant in Indonesia for the second time in a row. The award was first introduced by the Miss World Organization in 2012 when India's Vanya Mishra clinched it.

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Daily Current Affairs Updates 26 September 2013

Daily Current Affairs Updates 26 September 2013


National
1) 9 killed in militant attack in Jammu:  At least 9 people, including a lieutenant colonel, were killed and four injured in twin terror attacks by a single suicide squad in J&K's Kathua and Samba districts., casting a shadow on the upcoming meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistan counterpart Nawaz Sharif.

2) Tax account of Dhoni, Shah Rukh hacked: Mumbai Police, which is probing the alleged hacking by a CA student into Anil Ambani’s e-filing of Income-Tax returns account, has stumbled upon another CA student who not only accessed the top industrialist’s account, but also of popular cricketers and film stars including Sachin Tendulkar, M S Dhoni, Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan.

3) Mumbai, world’s second most honest city: Country’s financial capital Mumbai has been named the world’s second most honest city, according to a survey of 16 cities worldwide. Finnish capital Helsinki bagged the top spot for the world’s most honest city in the survey, while Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, proved to be the least honest.

4) JPC meet on 2G scam tomorrow: Meeting of the JPC on the 2G scam tomorrow is set to be a stormy affair as the panel readies to adopt its controversial draft report which gave a clean chit to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and indicted former Telecom Minister A. Raja.

5) Habibganj—Indore AC double decker train, the first such service in Madhya Pradesh, will be flagged off tomorrow at Habibganj station in Bhopal by Minister of State for Railways Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.

6) Odisha, Bihar least developed states; Goa and Kerala top chart: Raghuram Rajan panel report has made a case for ending the ‘special category’ criteria for providing additional assistance to poorer states, as it ranked Goa and Kerala as the most advanced state and Odisha and Bihar the least.

7) Coal scam: CBI calls Naveen Jindal for questioning: CBI is likely to question Congress MP and industrialist Naveen Jindal tomorrow in connection with a case of alleged cheating and criminal conspiracy in bagging Amarkonda Murgadangal coal block in Birbhum in 2008.

International
1) Death toll from a powerful earthquake in south-western Pakistan climbed to 355, as rescuers intensified the search for survivors in remote villages. Most people killed by Tuesday’s 7.7 magnitude quake were near the epicentre in Awaran district of Balochistan province.

2) US court issues summons against Manmohan Singh:
As Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrives in US on a four-day visit, a Sikh rights group has secured summons against him from a US court in connection with the alleged human rights violations in the counter-insurgency operations in Punjab in the 1990s.

Awards/Achievements
1) Four men from Congo, Palestine, Switzerland and the US were on Thursday awarded the 2013 Right Livelihood Award over working for human rights, improving food security and combating chemical weapons.
* Paul Walker of the US was cited “for working tirelessly to rid the world of chemical weapons,” a looming threat highlighted by recent events in Syria.
* Denis Mukwege, 58, a doctor from the Democratic Republic of Congo was lauded for “his courageous work healing women survivors of war-time sexual violence and speaking up about its root causes.”
* Palestinian human rights lawyer Raji Sourani, 59, based on the Gaza Strip, was mentioned “for his unwavering dedication to the rule of law and human rights under exceptionally difficult circumstances.”
* Swiss agronomist Hans R. Herren of the Biovision Foundation was credited for “promoting a safe, secure and sustainable global food supply.

The award, often called the ‘Alternative Nobel,’ was announced by the Stockholm-based Right Livelihood Award Foundation. Each winner was to receive 500,000 kronor ($78,000). An award ceremony was due December 2.

Science
1) Scientists build world’s first carbon-nanotube computer: Scientists, led by an Indian-origin researcher, have developed the world’s first computer built entirely with carbon nanotubes, opening the door to a new generation of faster-running digital devices.

Sports
1) IPL-style wrestling league put off yet again: Indian Wrestling League (IWL) has been postponed once again due to mild response from prospective franchises. It was announced after impressive showing by Indian grapplers at the 2012 Olympics and was initially scheduled for January-February this year. It was later postponed to November and now the wait is going to get longer.

2) India thrashed South Korea 6-1 in Sultan of Johor Cup: India thrashed Korea 6-1 in their penultimate round-robin match to virtually seal their place in the final of the Sultan of Johor Cup Under-21 hockey tournament.

3) Former tennis champ Martina Hingis accused of assaulting husband.

Technology
1) Nokia unveils Lumia 1020 with 41 megapixel camera: Nokia India today unveiled its much-anticipated 41 megapixel camera phone Lumia 1020, which will hit shelves on October 11. Price of the device will be disclosed on October 10 but as per estimates, it will be available in the range of Rs 47,000—Rs 48,000. Lumia 1020 runs on Windows 8 and has 32 GB on board storage. The company has also tied up with Vodafone wherein the customers will get free 2GB of 3G data usage for two months.

2) Samsung announces gold Galaxy S4:  After witnessing the craze for the recently launched gold editions of the iPhone 5S, Samsung has also decided to tread the golden path. The South Korean smartphone giant has announced that it is bringing in two gold colour models of its flagship smartphone Galaxy S4.

3) Twitter launches emergency alerts for smartphones. 

Appointments
1) Personal computer maker Lenovo said here today that it had appointed Bhaskar Choudhuri as head of marketing for its Indian operations. Before joining Lenovo, Choudhuri was Associate Vice-President (Marketing) at Cadbury India.

2) Randall Oliphant appointed as the Chairman of the World Gold Council (WGC).

Economy/Banking
1) All-female BPOs to be launched in Riyadh: Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Saudi Aramco and GE Energy Infrastructure have announced the launch of the first all-female business process services centre (BPO) in Saudi Arabia’s capital city of Riyadh.

2) AirAsia gets NOC from Aviation Ministry: Ministry of Civil Aviation has given its no objection certification (NOC) to AirAsia India to start a low-cost carrier. The next step for AirAsia will be to get an Air Operating Permit and prepare to kick-start its operations in India.

3) Rupee gains 37 paise to one-week high of 62.07 vs dollar.

4) US economy grew at an annual rate of 2.5 percent in the second quarter, the commerce department said.

Days
1) India’s fourteenth Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, who is rightly acclaimed as a thinker and a scholar, turned 81 on Thursday.

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Current Affairs Updates: 25 September 2013

Current Affairs Updates: 25 September 2013


National
1) 7th Pay Commission: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has given his nod for setting up the seventh Central Pay Commission, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said today. Allowing about two years for the seventh pay commission to submit its report, the recommendations are likely to be implemented with effect from January 1, 2016. The sixth Central Pay Commission recommendations were implemented from January 1, 2006.

2) Attorney General apologises in apex court: Attorney General G.E Vahanvati today apologised before the Supreme Court for losing his cool during arguments in the coal blocks allocation scam case yesterday.

3) Manmohan Singh leaves for US: During his week-long visit, Singh will hold talks with President Barack Obama in Washington and attend the UN General Assembly in New York, besides having a meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif.

4) Power generation in the 1720 MW Kothagudam thermal power plant in Andhra Pradesh was stalled this morning due to a technical glitch.

5) A key accused and associate of controversial self-styled godman Asaram Bapu named Shilpi on Wednesday surrendered before a court in Jodhpur.


International
1) Pakistan earthquake toll rises to 217: Death toll in the devastating earthquake that struck havoc in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province rose to 217 today. The quake was so strong that it prompted a new ‘island’ to rise from the sea just off Pakistan’s southern coast.

2) German auto giant Volkswagen AG on Wednesday opened a new plant that aims to produce 300,000 cars annually in Foshan city in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong.

3) US to sign Arms Trade Treaty: United States, the world’s largest exporter of conventional weapons, plans to sign the Arms Trade Treaty, which is to regulate the lucrative trade responsible for many civilian deaths, a State Department official confirmed.

4) Maldivian Supreme Court indefinitely postponed the second round of presidential elections scheduled for September 28, former President Mohammed Nasheed-led Maldivian Democratic Party termed the decision as "unconstitutional".

Banking/Economy
1) Indicash ATMs opened in Mysore: Tata Communications Payment Solutions Ltd (TCPSL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Communications Ltd, today inaugurated Indicash ATMs in Mysore. The company’s first white-label ATM was launched at Chandrapada village in Thane district on June 27. This is in keeping with the Reserve Bank of India’s vision to accelerate growth and improve ATM penetration across the country.

2) RBI today banned the zero per cent interest rate scheme for purchase of consumer goods, a move intended to protect customers but may dampen the festive spirit.

Science
1) NASA’s Curiosity rover has found more evidence of water on ancient Mars during a recent pit stop along the way towards a huge Red Planet mountain.

2) Astronomers have discovered the densest galaxy ever to be found – packed with an extraordinary number of stars – about 54 million light years from our own Milky Way.

Technology
1) BlackBerry slashes Z10 handset price by 300%.

2) Epson has announced PrecisonCore, a next-generation inkjet printing technology that will help the company to expand into new global markets.

3) TRAI wants number portability fully implemented across the country within six months to allow subscribers to retain their numbers even when they shift from one service area to another. Presently, Mobile Number Portability is available only within the subscribers’ service area.

4) Aircel ties up with Micromax for integrated device sales and activation.

Sports
1) Lalit Modi expelled from BCCI: Former IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi was today slapped with a life ban by the Board of Control for Cricket in India after its disciplinary committee found him guilty on eight charges of “indiscipline and misconduct“.

2) Formula One motor race would be held at the Buddha International Circuit in Greater Noida between October 25-27, 2013.

Appointments
1) A.J. Tharakan has been elected national president of the Seafood Exporters Association of India.

Film/Entertainment
1) In a blow to actor John Abraham, the Bombay High Court has restrained his production house from using 'Hamara Bajaj', a popular tagline associated with an auto firm, as the title of his next movie.

2) Star India launched a new English general entertainment channel, Star World Premiere HD.

Seventh Central Pay Commission approved by Prime Minister of India

Prime Minister of India Approved Constitution of Seventh Central Pay Commission


Finance Minister P.Chidambaram announced on 25 September 2013 that the Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh approved the constitution of the Seventh Central Pay Commission. Pay Commission, which will go into the salaries, allowances and pensions of about 80 lakh of its employees and pensioners. The average time taken by a Pay Commission to submit its recommendations is around 2 years. In context with this, it is expected that the recommendations of 7th CPC will be implemented with effect from 1 January 2016.

The setting up of the Commission, whose recommendations will benefit about 50 lakh central government employees, including those in defence and railways, and about 30 lakh pensioners, comes ahead of the Assembly elections in 5 states in November and the general elections next year.

Since the year 1947, six pay commissions have been set up from time to time in order to review as well as make recooemndations on the work and pay structure of civil and military divisions of the Government of India. Government constitutes Pay Commission almost every ten years to revise the pay scales of its employees and often these are adopted by states after some modification.

The sixth Pay Commission was implemented from January 1, 2006, fifth from January 1, 1996 and fourth from January 1, 1986.

The names of the chairperson and members of the 7th Pay Commission and its terms of reference will be finalised shortly after consultation with major stakeholders, Chidambaram said.

About the Central Pay Commission

• The first Central Pay Commission was constituted in May 1946 and its report was submitted by 1947 under the Chairmanship of Srinivasa Varadachariar. The first Central Pay Commission was based on the basic idea of living wages to employees.
• The approval of last or the sixth Central Pay Commission was given in July 2006. The commission was established under the Chairmanship of B.N.Srikrishna with the time duration of 18 months.
• The constitution of the Seventh Pay Commission will include salaries, allowances and pensions of around 80 lakh employees as well as pensioners.
• Recommendations of the Commission will provide benefit to around 50 lakh employees of the Central Government, who also include defence and railways. Apart from this, it will also provide benefit to 30 lakh pensioners.
• The Union Government of India constitutes the Pay Commission after almost 10 years time frame in order to revise the pay scales of employees. The recommendations of Pay Commission are always adopted by all the states in India after a few modifications.

Finance Ministry Order Issued: Dearness Allowance(DA) to Central Government Employees- Revised Rate effective from 01.07.2013

Finance Ministry Order Issued: Dearness Allowance(DA) to Central Government Employees- Revised Rate effective from 01.07.2013

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Daily Current Affairs updates from 24 September 2013

Daily Current Affairs updates from 24 September 2013


National
1) Jaganmohan Reddy released on bail in illegal assets case: After about 16 months stay in jail, YSR Congress chief and M.P. of Kadapa, Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy walked out of jail amidst cheers from his supporters.

2) Bill in winter session to give legal status to Aadhaar: Government is pushing for passage of a long-pending Bill to provide statutory status to the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) in the winter session of Parliament. Bill will be called National Identification Authority of India Bill 2010.

3) BJP MLA Som booked under National Security Act: BJP MLA Sangeet Som, who was arrested for alleged involvement in fake video uploading case and making provocative speeches, was  booked under the stringent National Security Act (NSA).

4) Manmohan leaves tomorrow for USA: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will leave tomorrow on a visit to the US during which he will hold talks with resident Barack Obama and attend UN General Assembly, besides having a possible meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif. Implementation of the civil nuclear deal, ways to expand cooperation in the fields of defence, security and economic issues will be high on the agenda of the meeting between Singh and Obama in Washington on September 27.

5) Indo-Nepal joint military exercise begins in Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand. Military exercise will conclude on October 6.

6)  First unit of the Kudankulam nuclear power plant will start generating electricity in a week, Dr R.K. Sinha, Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission.

International
1) Powerful earthquake shook Pakistan’s south-western and southern regions. Epicentre of the 7.7-magnitude quake was at Khuzdar district in Balochistan province.

2) Tata Motors flags off new R&D centre for Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) in UK.

3) Rain and flooding from Typhoon Usagi killed 24 people and left six missing in Vietnam.

4) US President Barack Obama has said that he stopped smoking out of fear of his wife, in an unwitting admission captured by a loose microphone.

Awards/Achievements
1) Clinton Global Citizens Awards 2013: Indian environmentalist Bunker Roy and Pakistan’s teenage education activist Malala Yousufzai were declared winners of this year’s of the prestigious ’Clinton Global Citizens Awards’.

2) Rising shuttler P V Sindhu was conferred with the prestigious Arjuna Award by Sports Minister Jitendra Singh today. Sindhu had missed the opportunity to receive the award from President Pranab Mukhejee at the Rashtrapati Bhawan on August 31 as she was busy playing in the final of the Indian Badminton league (IBL).

Business/Economy
1) Gold futures prices fell 0.36 per cent to Rs 29,678 per 10 gram today.

2) Petroleum & Natural Gas Minister has hinted that the Ministry may consider allowing State Transport Undertakings (STUs) to purchase diesel at the subsidised price to encourage public transport subject to their active cooperation in the Petroleum Conservation Mega Campaign of his Ministry.

3) Public sector undertakings Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) on Tuesday said that they are working jointly to offer free roaming service to all their customers.

4) Andhra Pradesh Grameena Vikas Bank (APGVB) linked 64,000 Aadhaar cards to accounts on single day.

5) Moody’s has lowered its outlook for India's GDP growth to 4.5 per cent for 2013-14 from 5.5 per cent.

Film/Entertainment
1) Bollywood actor Priyanka Chopra is the most dangerous celebrity in the Indian cyberspace this year, with 79 infected search results according to a study by security solutions firm McAfee.

Technology
1) Microsoft unveils new Surface tablets. Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 replace Microsoft’s spectacularly unsuccessful Surface RT and Surface Pro, which debuted in February as Microsoft’s answer to Apple’s iPad.

2) ICICI Bank has launched a new Facebook app that will enable its customers to transact directly from the social networking site. Primarily targeted at young customers, the new app 'Pockets' will enable customers of the bank to transfer money, recharge mobile phones and book movie tickets from their Facebook pages.

3)  PSU bank employees’ unions called off Sept 25 strike. Strike have deferred following an assurance from the Government that there is no plan for merger of banks at present.

Appointments
1) Hun Sen, 61, who has been in power for 28 years, was sworn in Tuesday as Cambodian prime minister for another five-year term.

Monday, September 23, 2013

Daily Current Affairs updates from 23 September 2013

Daily Current Affairs updates from 23 September 2013

National
1) Indian Navy has received the first of 17 Hawk Advanced Jet Trainers, becoming the third naval operator of the Hawk along with the US Navy and the Royal Navy.

2) Durga Sakthi Nagpal reinstated: A day after she met Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, the Uttar Pradesh government today revoked the suspension of woman IAS officer Durga Sakhti Nagpal. Nagpal was suspended on July 27 ostensibly for taking on the powerful sand mining mafia when she was the SDM of Gautambudh Nagar.

3) Karnataka to enact anti-superstition law: Karnataka Government intends to enact a legislation to crack down on superstition and black magic on the lines of the one in Maharashtra.

4) Jaganmohan Reddy gets bail: After 16 months in jail, Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy, MP and President of the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), today got bail in the disproportionate assets case.

5) Government is considering a proposal of the Election Commission to ban the publication of opinion polls during elections. On June 13, Attorney General G E Vahanvati had supported the Commission’s proposal to ban publication and broadcast of opinion polls between the announcement of election schedule and the final phase of polling.

6) IIT-Kanpur opened office in New York: With an aim to hunt for qualified and capable faculty abroad, IIT-Kanpur has set up an office in New York with alumnus Sanjeev Khosla designated as the overseas brand ambassador of the institute.

7) Nation remembers Ramdhari Singh 'Dinkar' on his 105th birth anniversary. He was an Indian Hindi poet, essayist and academic. He is considered as one of the most important modern Hindi poets. Dinkar was awarded the Jnanpith Award in 1972 for Urvashi. He also became a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha, in 1952.

International
1) Typhoon Usagi killed at least 25 people after crashing ashore in southern China, throwing the region’s transport systems into chaos and leaving tens of thousands of airline passengers stranded in Hong Kong.

 2) Germany election- Merkel set for third term: Chancellor Angela Merkel emerged the clear winner of Sunday’s election after her conservative political bloc surged to its best result in 20 years, giving her a strong hand in likely talks on forming a new grand coalition of the nation’s biggest parties. Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) and their Bavarian-based Christian Social Union (CSU) associate party scored 41.5 per cent.

3) Chinese Air Force starts final phase of ‘Mission Action 2013’: Chinese Air Force has started the third and final phase of one of its biggest exercises, meant to test the logistic ability of the world’s biggest military to move its troops.

Technology
1) Super-camera capable of catching even the most minor traffic offences is set to be introduced across the UK. Robocamera can catch up to 50 times as many drivers as conventional speed cameras. Called ZenGrab LaneWatch, the digital cameras can be attached to lampposts and do not require advance warning signs, Daily Express reported.

Sports
1) Somdev Devvarman back in top-100 in singles rankings: India’s top singles player Somdev Devvarman returned to top-100 after a gap of one hour and nine months as he jumped three places to 98 in the latest ATP singles rankings.

2) Novak Djokovic tops the men’s tennis rankings for a 100th week in his career, the ninth man to reach the milestone on the latest list issued.

3) Sebastian Vettel wins Singapore Grand Prix to extend F1 lead.

4) Third Lusofonia Games of ‘Lusophone’ (Portuguese-speaking countries), slated to be held here in November, have been postponed to January due to the slow progress of infrastucture construction.

5) Sandeep Tulsi Yadav has created history by winning India's first-ever medal in the 66kg Greco-Roman category at the Senior World Wrestling Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

6) Deepika Kumari wins Silver at Archery World Cup in Paris. In the finals, the 19-year-old Deepika lost to the Korean Olympic champion Ok-Hee Yun.

Economy/Business
1) Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has cautioned banks and financial institutions against use of unregistered telemarketers for promoting their business. These banks are Axis Bank, Citi Bank, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Kotak Mahindra, PNB and SBI.

2) BSNL and MTNL are likely to sign a pact tomorrow that would allow the state-run companies to utilise each others network for providing pan-India mobile services.

3) Media firm NDTV today said former Attorney-General of India Soli Sorabjee will be its ombudsman who will provide an independent perspective on its coverage and investigate viewers complaints.4) TRAI seeks comments on USSD-based mobile banking services. USSD is a technology used by telecom players to send alerts to their users. It can be used for prepaid callback service, location-based content services and menu-based information services.

5) Moody’s lowers SBI’s debt rating: Moody’s Investors Service has downgraded the senior unsecured debt and local currency deposit ratings of State Bank of India (SBI).

Appointments
1) Indian cricketer Virat Kohli was appointed as the brand ambassador of the Border Security Force (BSF).

2) Beverage and snacks maker PepsiCo on Monday named company veteran Sanjeev Chadha as its CEO, Asia, Middle East and Africa (AMEA) region.