White Label ATMs in India

What is White Label ATM: Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released guidelines in June 2012 for the introduction of white label ATMs (WLA). These are essentially ATMs that are owned and operated by non-banking companies and do not display any bank's branding. WLAs serve customers from all banks and will be interconnected with the entire ATM network in the country. The guidelines specified focuses on increasing rural accessibility of ATMs. Customers from any bank can withdraw cash from such white-label ATMs, with similar functioning as a bank ATM. In terms of previous rules, only banks were permitted by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to set up ATMs as extended cash delivery channels.

Like any other bank ATM, ‘White Label ’ ATMs allows host of services like:
Cash Withdrawal
Balance Enquiry
Mini- Statement
Pin Change
Using an ‘White Label ’ ATM is just like using any Bank ATM.

Eligibility criteria for WLA Operators (WLAO):
The Memorandum of Association (MOA) of the applicant entity must cover the proposed activity of operating WLAs.
In case of any Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the applicant entity, necessary approval from the competent authority as required under the policy notified by Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) under the consolidated policy on FDI and regulations framed under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) must be submitted while seeking authorization.
Non-bank entities must have net worth of at least Rs 100 crore as per the last audited balance sheet.
The net worth of at least Rs 100 crore has to be maintained at all times.

Some of  WLA Operators (WLAO) are: Tate Teleservices, BSNL India and other Non-Banking companies are entering in this fields.

For More updates on White Label ATMs in India Please Refer RBI Website Link

http://www.rbi.org.in/scripts/NotificationUser.aspx?Id=7286&Mode=0

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AK-47 inventor Russia's Kalashnikov dies

Mikhail Kalashnikov, the designer of fabled AK-47 automatic rifle, died on Monday, the office of the presidency in the Udmurtia region where he worked said. He was 94. Kalashnikov designed a weapon that became synonymous with killing on a sometimes indiscriminate scale but was seen in the Soviet Union as a national hero and symbol of Moscow's proud military past. "He died about one-and-a-half hours ago," Viktor Chulkov, the spokesman for the Udmurtia leader Alexander Volkov, told a news agency on Monday.
Lavished with honours including the prestigious Hero of Russia prize for designing the iconic rifle, Kalashnikov has said he had never intended for it to become the preferred weapon in conflicts around the world. "I created a weapon to defend the fatherland's borders. It's not my fault that it was sometimes used where it shouldn't have been. This is the fault of politicians," he said during an award ceremony at the Kremlin to mark his 90th birthday. AK-47's name stands for "Kalashnikov's Automatic" and the year it was designed, 1947.

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Section 377 and Homosexual Sex

Section 377 and Homosexual Sex: In a huge setback for the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community, the Supreme Court has set aside the Delhi High Court ruling that decriminalised homosexuality and had struck down Section 377. While setting aside the 2009 Delhi High Court order, the apex court observed that Section 377 is a valid constitutional provision. There is no constitutional infirmity in Section 377 of IPC which makes gay sex an offence punishable with up to life imprisonment, said a bench of justices GS Singhvi and SJ Mukhopadhaya while overruling the High Court verdict. 

Section 377 of IPC: Chapter XVI, Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code dating back to 1861, introduced during the British rule of India, criminalises sexual activities "against the order of nature", including homosexual acts. The section was declared unconstitutional with respect to sex between consenting adults by the High Court of Delhi on 2 July 2009. That judgement was overturned by the Supreme Court of India on 11 December 2013, with the Court holding that amending or repealing Section 377 should be a matter left to Parliament, not the judiciary. 

There is a lot of debate being used and quoted against and for Section 377 IPC. In fact, 377 IPC itself does not identify homosexuals as being its subject. The actual law (IPC Section 377) states: "Whoever voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal, shall be punished with 1[imprisonment for life], or with imprisonment of either description for term which may extend to ten years, and shall also be liable to fine". Therefore homosexuals are clearly not the targets. The law is clearly addressing "whosoever" and "man, woman or animal". The fact that this law has not been used against homosexuals (or against consenting adults) is borne out by the history of convictions under this law in India, wherein there has been no case of a consensual homosexual act being prosecuted / convicted under this act.

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India GK Question Paper 40

India GK Question Sample Paper 40: India General Knowledge (GK) Sample Question Paper No. 40 with Collection of India GK Questions under GK Quiz in PDF @  India GK Sample Papers.

India General Knowledge (GK) and General Science (GS) Questions are also available with LIVE Quiz on daily basis with more than 25 questions each days with some India GK Quiz articles on India GK Facebook page: www.facebook.com/IndiaGK.net

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India GK Question Paper 39

India GK Question Sample Paper 39: India General Knowledge (GK) Sample Question Paper No. 39 with Collection of India GK Questions under GK Quiz in PDF @  India GK Sample Papers.

India General Knowledge (GK) and General Science (GS) Questions are also available with LIVE Quiz on daily basis with more than 25 questions each days with some India GK Quiz articles on India GK Facebook page: www.facebook.com/IndiaGK.net

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India GK Question Paper 38

India GK Question Sample Paper 38: India General Knowledge (GK) Sample Question Paper No. 38 with Collection of India GK Questions under GK Quiz in PDF @  India GK Sample Papers.

India General Knowledge (GK) and General Science (GS) Questions are also available with LIVE Quiz on daily basis with more than 25 questions each days with some India GK Quiz articles on India GK Facebook page: www.facebook.com/IndiaGK.net

India GK Question Sample Paper 38: 
1. प्राकृतिक रबड़ किसका बहुलक है?
उत्तर- आइसोप्रीन का
2. मानव निर्मित प्रथम कृत्रिम रेशा क्या था?
उत्तर- नायलॉन
3. भारत का पहला पूर्णरूपेण कंप्यूटरीकृत गांव कौनसा है?
उत्तर- वेल्लानाड
4. कंप्यूटर में मैमोरी की सबसे छोटी इकाई क्या है?
उत्तर- बाइट
5. पृथ्वी की आयु का आकलन किस विधि से किया जाता है?
उत्तर- यूरेनियम डेटिंग विधि से

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Nelson Mandela dies at 95

Nelson Mandela, South Africa's first elected black president and a global anti-apartheid icon died early Friday, at his home in the suburb of Houghton in Johannesburg, following a lengthy illness. He was 95. The elder statesman was receiving medical care from a leading team since September after spending three months in a Pretoria hospital for a recurrent lung ailment. "Fellow South Africans, our beloved Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, the founding president of our democratic nation, has departed," Zuma said in a nationally televised address. He passed away peacefully at 20:50 (local time), 5th December, Zuma said.
"He is now resting. He is now at peace...Our nation has lost its greatest son. Our people have lost a father," he said. Zuma announced that there would be a state funeral for the departed world leader. Details of the funeral have not been announced yet, but all flags will fly at half-mast until the funeral. Zuma said Mandela's tireless struggle for freedom earned him the respect of the world, "His humility, his compassion, and his humanity earned him their love." "Our thoughts are with the South African people who today mourn the loss of the one person who, more than any other, came to embody their sense of a common nationhood.

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Cyber Security

Cyber Security: Cyber security refers generally to the ability to control access to networked systems and the information they contain. Where cyber security controls are effective, cyberspace is considered a reliable, resilient, and trustworthy digital infrastructure. Where cyber security controls are absent, incomplete, or poorly designed, cyberspace is considered the wild west of the digital age. Even those who work in the security profession will have a different view of cyber security depending on the aspects of cyberspace with which they personally interact. Whether a system is a physical facility or a collection of cyberspace components, the role of a security professional assigned to that system is to plan for potential attack and prepare for its consequences.
There are numerous definitions of cyberspace and cyber security scattered throughout literature. Our intent is not to engage in a debate on semantics, so we do not include these definitions. Moreover, such debates are unnecessary for our purpose, as we generally use the term "cyber" not as a noun, but as an adjective that modifies its subject with the property of supporting a collection of automated electronic systems accessible over networks. As well reflected in language-usage debates in both the field of cognitive linguistics and popular literature on lexicography, the way language is used by a given community becomes the de facto to the  "cyberspace" and "cyber security" and simply refer to their own current concept of these terms when it makes sense to do so, while keeping in mind that we generally the term cyber as an adjective whose detailed attributes will change with the system of interest.
At a high level, cyber security is typically explained in terms of a few triads that describe the objectives of security professionals and their methods, respectively (Bayuk 2010). Three that combine to cover most uses of the term are:
-  prevent, detect, respond
-  people, process, technology
-  confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
These reflect the goals of cyber security, the means to achieve cyber security, and the mechanisms by which cyber security goals are achieved, respectively. Prevent, detect, respond addresses goals common to both physical and cyber security. Traditionally, the primary goal of security planning has been to prevent a successful adversary attack. However, all security professionals are aware that it is simply not possible to prevent all attacks, and so planning and preparation must also include methods to detect attacks in progress, preferably before they cause damage. However, whether or not detection processes are effective, once it becomes obvious that a system is threatened, security includes the ability to respond to such incidents. In physical security, the term "first responders" refers to the heroic individuals in policy, fire, and emergency medical professions. Response typically includes repelling the attack, treating human survivors, and safeguarding damaged assets. In cyber security, the third element of the triad is often stated in slightly more optimistic form. Rather than "respond" it is "recover" or "correct." This more positive expectation on the outcome of the third triad activity, to recover rather than simply respond, reflects the literature of information security planning, wherein security management is recommended to include complete reconstitution and recovery of any business-critical system. Because information technology allows diversity, redundancy, and reconstitution for the data and programs required to operate systems, information security professionals expect that damage can be completely allayed. In either case, the lessons learned in response are expected to inform prevention planning, creating a loop of continuous security improvement.

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Census 2011 Highlights

Census 2011 Highlights:
* The population of India has increased by more than 181 million during the decade 2001-11.
* Percentage of growth in 2001-11 is 17.64; males 17.19 and female 18.12
* 2001-2011 is the first decade (with the exception of 1911-21) which has actually added lesser population compared to the previous decade.
* Uttar Pradesh (199.5 million) is the most populous State of the country followed by Maharashtra.
* The percentage decadal growth growth rates of the most populous States have declined during  2001-2011 compared to 1991-2001.
1. Uttar Pradesh (25% to 20.09%)
2. Maharashtra (22.73% to 15.99%)
3. Bihar (28.62% to 25.07%)
* During 2001-2011, as many as 25 States/UTs with a share of about 85% of the country’s population registered and annual growth rate of less than 2% as compared to, 15 States/UTs with a share of about 42% during the period 1991-2001.
* The total number of children n the age-group 0-6 is 158.8 million (5 million since 2001).
* Uttar Pradesh (29.7 million), Bihar (18.6 million), Maharashtra (12.8 million), Madhya Pradesh (10.5 million) and Rajasthan (10.5 million) constitute 52% children in the age group of 0-6 years.
* In Census 2011, population of children in the age group 0-6 years registered negative  percentage growth (-)3.08% growth with minus (-)2.42 for males and (-)3.80 for females.
* In Census 2011, the proportion of Child Population in the age group of 0-6 years to total population is 13.1 percent while the corresponding  figure in 2001 was 15.9 percent. The decline has been to the extent of 2.8 points.
* Overall sex ratio at the national level has increased by 7 points to reach 940  at Census 2011 as against 933 in Census 2001. This is the highest sex ratio recorded since Census 1971 and a shade lower than 1961. Increase in sex ratio is observed in 29 States/UTs.
* Three major States (J&K, Bihar and Gujarat) have shown decline in sex ratio as compared to Census 2001.
* Kerala with 1984 has highest sex ratio followed by Puducherry with 1038,  Daman and Diu has the lowest sex ratio 618.
* Child sex ratio of children aged between 0 to 6 years is 914 (national). Increasing trend in the child sex ratio seen in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Mizoram, and Andaman and Nicobar Island in all remaining 27 States/UTs, the child sex ratio show decline over Census 2001.

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Indira Gandhi Prize 2013 Winner - Angela Merkel

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will be the recipient of Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for 2013. The 59-year-old Merkel will be given the prestigious award for her leadership during the trying financial crisis and her stewardship of German economic growth, Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust announced. The award will be given by Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust lauding her commitment to universal peace and disarmament and her leadership role in strengthening productive. The trust said the prize was being given to the German leader because of the work done by her for promotion of global economic stability, her commitment to universal peace and disarmament and her leadership role in strengthening productive and mutually beneficial relations with India and other developing countries. 

Merkel, who became the first woman to be elected as Chancellor of Germany, has been a strong supporter of close relations with India, it said. Her joint declaration with the Indian Prime Minister greatly strengthened the Indo-German relations, leading to inter-governmental consultations during her state visit to India in 2011 and PM Manmohan Singh’s visit to Berlin in 2013 during which the German participation in the ambitious Green Energy Corridors Project was finalised, it added.

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Sachin, Prof C N R Rao gets Bharat Ratna Award 2013

Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and eminent scientist Prof C N R Rao were chosen for Bharat Ratna, 2013 with the batting maestro, who retired from international cricket on Saturday, being the first sportsman to be bestowed with the country's highest civilian honour. Tendulkar(40) and Rao(89), both of whom are recipients of Padma Vibhushan--the country's second highest civilian honour, join a list of 41 eminent personalities to get the award given in recognition of exceptional service of the highest order since it was instituted in 1954. The announcement was made by Rashtrapati Bhavan within hours after Tendulkar played his 200th Test.

 An official statement said Tendulkar has been a true Ambassador of India in the world of sports and his achievements in cricket are unparalleled, the records set by him unmatched, and the spirit of sportsmanship displayed by him exemplary.   An outspoken scientist, Prof Chintamani Nagesa Ramachandra Rao is a well recognized international authority on solid state and materials chemistry who has published over 1,400 research papers and 45 books. He is the third scientist after C V Raman and former President A P J Abdul Kalam to be given the Bharat Ratna. Prof Rao's contributions have been recognized by most major scientific academies around the world through conferment of memberships and fellowships and has been honoured with several national and international awards, the official announcement said. He currently serves as the Head of the Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India. The Bharat Ratna was announced after a gap of four years with Hindustani music doyen Bhimsen Joshi being the last recipient in 2009.

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Sachin Tendulkar gets Bharat Ratna 2013

Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and eminent scientist Prof C N R Rao were chosen for Bharat Ratna, 2013 with the batting maestro, who retired from international cricket on Saturday, being the first sportsman to be bestowed with the country's highest civilian honour. Tendulkar(40) and Rao(89), both of whom are recipients of Padma Vibhushan--the country's second highest civilian honour, join a list of 41 eminent personalities to get the award given in recognition of exceptional service of the highest order since it was instituted in 1954. The announcement was made by Rashtrapati Bhavan within hours after Tendulkar played his 200th Test.

 An official statement said Tendulkar has been a true Ambassador of India in the world of sports and his achievements in cricket are unparalleled, the records set by him unmatched, and the spirit of sportsmanship displayed by him exemplary.   An outspoken scientist, Prof Chintamani Nagesa Ramachandra Rao is a well recognized international authority on solid state and materials chemistry who has published over 1,400 research papers and 45 books. He is the third scientist after C V Raman and former President A P J Abdul Kalam to be given the Bharat Ratna. Prof Rao's contributions have been recognized by most major scientific academies around the world through conferment of memberships and fellowships and has been honoured with several national and international awards, the official announcement said. He currently serves as the Head of the Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India. The Bharat Ratna was announced after a gap of four years with Hindustani music doyen Bhimsen Joshi being the last recipient in 2009.

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Prof C N R Rao gets Bharat Ratna Award 2013

Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and eminent scientist Prof C N R Rao were chosen for Bharat Ratna, 2013 with the batting maestro, who retired from international cricket on Saturday, being the first sportsman to be bestowed with the country's highest civilian honour. Tendulkar(40) and Rao(89), both of whom are recipients of Padma Vibhushan--the country's second highest civilian honour, join a list of 41 eminent personalities to get the award given in recognition of exceptional service of the highest order since it was instituted in 1954. The announcement was made by Rashtrapati Bhavan within hours after Tendulkar played his 200th Test.

 An official statement said Tendulkar has been a true Ambassador of India in the world of sports and his achievements in cricket are unparalleled, the records set by him unmatched, and the spirit of sportsmanship displayed by him exemplary.   An outspoken scientist, Prof Chintamani Nagesa Ramachandra Rao is a well recognized international authority on solid state and materials chemistry who has published over 1,400 research papers and 45 books. He is the third scientist after C V Raman and former President A P J Abdul Kalam to be given the Bharat Ratna. Prof Rao's contributions have been recognized by most major scientific academies around the world through conferment of memberships and fellowships and has been honoured with several national and international awards, the official announcement said. He currently serves as the Head of the Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India. The Bharat Ratna was announced after a gap of four years with Hindustani music doyen Bhimsen Joshi being the last recipient in 2009.

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Bharat Ratna 2013 Winners - Sachin, CNR Rao

Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and eminent scientist Prof C N R Rao were chosen for Bharat Ratna, 2013 with the batting maestro, who retired from international cricket on Saturday, being the first sportsman to be bestowed with the country's highest civilian honour. Tendulkar(40) and Rao(89), both of whom are recipients of Padma Vibhushan--the country's second highest civilian honour, join a list of 41 eminent personalities to get the award given in recognition of exceptional service of the highest order since it was instituted in 1954. The announcement was made by Rashtrapati Bhavan within hours after Tendulkar played his 200th Test.

 An official statement said Tendulkar has been a true Ambassador of India in the world of sports and his achievements in cricket are unparalleled, the records set by him unmatched, and the spirit of sportsmanship displayed by him exemplary.   An outspoken scientist, Prof Chintamani Nagesa Ramachandra Rao is a well recognized international authority on solid state and materials chemistry who has published over 1,400 research papers and 45 books. He is the third scientist after C V Raman and former President A P J Abdul Kalam to be given the Bharat Ratna. Prof Rao's contributions have been recognized by most major scientific academies around the world through conferment of memberships and fellowships and has been honoured with several national and international awards, the official announcement said. He currently serves as the Head of the Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India. The Bharat Ratna was announced after a gap of four years with Hindustani music doyen Bhimsen Joshi being the last recipient in 2009.

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Miss Venezuela Gabriela Isler Wins Miss Universe 2013

Miss Venezuela Gabriela Isler Wins Miss Universe 2013 title. A 25-year-old Venezuelan television presenter, Gabriela Isler, was crowned Miss Universe in Moscow in a glittering ceremony on Saturday. Manasi Moghe from India made it to the top 10 of Miss Universe 2013. Judges, including rock star Steven Tyler from Aerosmith, picked the winner from a total of 86 contestants at the show, watched by millions of viewers around the world. Last year's winner Olivia Culpo of the United States placed a diamond crown on the head of Isler, who wore a silver rhine-stone studded evening dress.
Isler's triumph was the seventh Miss Universe win for Venezuela, where beauty pageants are a major source of national pride.  Gabriela Isler, who stands 1.81 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in), competed as Miss Guarico, one of 24 finalists in her country's national beauty pageant Miss Venezuela 2012, held on August 30, 2012 in Caracas. She won the Miss Elegance Award and became the ninth Miss Venezuela winner from Guarico, gaining the right to represent her country in Miss Universe 2013.

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Srishti Rana wins Miss Asia Pacific World 2013

India’s representative at Miss Asia Pacific 2013, Srishti Rana won the coveted beauty pageant title defeating 49 competitors, in Korea on Wednesday. The 21 year-old is the fourth Indian, after Zeenat Aman, Dia Mirza and Himangini Singh Yadu, to win the crown. Apart from winning the crown, Rana also bagged the Best National costume award. Srishti Rana mesmerized the jury and the audience with her poise, beauty and intelligence and came out as a unanimous winner in the 50th year of Miss India.

Srishti Rana beat 49 contestants and won the Miss Asia Pacific crown in Busan, South Korea. Rana wore a Falguni & Shane Peacock gown as she was crowned by one a fellow Indian, Himangini Singh Yadu who was last year's winner. This is the first time that India has won two consecutive titles at the Miss Asia Pacific World pageant. Prior to this, India has won over two consecutive years only at the Miss World pageant in 1999 (Yukta Mookhey) and 2000 (Priyanka Chopra). Only two other countries have achieved this feat at Miss World. Sweden's Kicki Hakansson won the title in 1951 followed by May Louise Flodin in 1952. This was followed by United Kingdom's Ann Sidney who won the crown in 1964 and Lesley Langley in 1965.

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Arundhati Bhattacharya becomes SBI’s first woman chairperson in 207 years

State Bank of India (SBI) on Monday got its first woman boss in its 207-year history, as Arundhati Bhattacharya took charge, after former boss Pratip Chaudhuri's tenure came to an end on September 30. Ms Bhattacharya, also holds the distinction of becoming the first woman managing director of SBI in August. Prior to this appointment, Ms Bhattacharya was managing director and chief executive of SBI Capital Markets, the merchant banking arm of SBI.
Bhattacharya joined SBI as a probationary officer (PO) in 1977. During her 36-year tenure at the bank she has held a number of important positions, including those of deputy managing director and corporate development officer, chief general manager (Bangalore Circle) and chief general manager (New Businesses). She also headed SBI Capital Markets Ltd, a subsidiary of State Bank of India and had a stint in the Bank's New York office where she was in charge of monitoring branch performance, overseeing external audit and correspondent relations, SBI statement said.

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India GK Question Paper 37

India GK Question Sample Paper 37: India General Knowledge (GK) Sample Question Paper No. 37 with Collection of India GK Questions under GK Quiz in PDF @  India GK Sample Papers.

India General Knowledge (GK) and General Science (GS) Questions are also available with LIVE Quiz on daily basis with more than 25 questions each days with some India GK Quiz articles on India GK Facebook page: www.facebook.com/IndiaGK.net

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India GK Question Paper 36

India GK Question Sample Paper 36: India General Knowledge (GK) Sample Question Paper No. 36 with Collection of India GK Questions under GK Quiz in PDF @  India GK Sample Papers.

India General Knowledge (GK) and General Science (GS) Questions are also available with LIVE Quiz on daily basis with more than 25 questions each days with some India GK Quiz articles on India GK Facebook page: www.facebook.com/IndiaGK.net

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Incredible Indian Himalayas campaign launched

Tourism Minister K Chiranjeevi launched the campaign - '777 days of Incredible Indian Himalayas' on World Tourism Day. The campaign aims to attract more foreign tourists during the lean summer season, making the Indian Himalayas a 365-day destination for the travellers. It would spread awareness about the fact that 73 per cent of the Himalayan range lies in India. Chiranjeevi also launched two new promotional films -- 'Greatest Show On Earth' and 'Life Altering Journey on Himalayas' -- along with a map of the Himalayas. The launch also included a discussion on how to brand, promote and market the Indian Himalayas, a presentation by the six Himalayan states -- Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh -- and on how to develop the Himalayas as a tourist destination amongst both domestic and the foreign travellers.

Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI) is collaborating with the Ministry in the campaign and has designed special adventure programmes for 777 days starting from September 27. The Himalayas offer a great variety of adventure sports such as skiing in winters, whereas in summers, tourists can enjoy expeditions in the Himalayan mountain range like white water rafting and also adventure sports like mountain trekking. ATOAI would organise trekking, river rafting, Himalayan run, mountain and bike events as part of this campaign.

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Megan Young from Philippines wins Miss World 2013

Miss Philippines was crowned Miss World 2013 on Saturday at a tightly guarded ceremony in Bali, Indonesia, after the contest was plagued by protests from Muslim hardliners and fears that extremist groups could try to disrupt the event. US-born Megan Young, a 23-year-old studying digital film, accepted the crown from last year's winner, Wenxia Yu of China, and promised to "be the best Miss World ever". Despite threats from the Islamic Defenders Front to disrupt the contest, police said no rallies were staged on Saturday.

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Malala Yousaf gets Harvard's Humanitarian Award 2013

A Pakistani girl who survived an assassination attempt by the Taliban is being honoured as Harvard University's Peter J Gomes Humanitarian Award 2013. of the year. Malala Yousafzai is an outspoken proponent for girls' education.  She was at Harvard yesterday to accept the 2013 Peter J Gomes Humanitarian Award. Harvard President Drew Gilpin Faust says she was pleased to welcome Malala because of their shared interest in education.
The 16-year-old Malala says she's hoping to become a politician because politicians can have influence on a broad scale. She spoke nostalgically about her home region, the Swat Valley. She says she hopes to return someday. Malala was shot in the head last October. Militants say she was attacked because she was critical of the Taliban, not because of her views on education.

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SC gives voters right to reject all candidates

Supreme Court on 27th September 2013 gave the citizens of India the right to reject all candidates in elections. The judgement will be implemented immediately, and the "none of the above" option will be included in EVMs and ballot papers to be used in the upcoming state Assembly Elections later this year. The Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, already gives Indians the right to not vote for any candidate, through Section 49 (O). Under this section, used by a minuscule number of well-informed voters, voters can have their finger inked, then tell the presiding officer that he/she does not wish to vote for any of the candidates and this is then recorded in a register. This implies that a voter declares openly that he is rejecting the candidates. The SC decision provides to citizens the right to a secret ballot even while exercising his right to reject all the candidates.
"Democracy is all about choices and voters will be empowered by this right of negative voting," a bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam said in its order on Friday. The judges said that this "would lead to a systemic change in polls and political parties will be forced to project clean candidates". Negative voting is prevalent in 13 countries and even in India, MPs are given the option of abstaining while voting in the parliament, the court said.

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India GK Question Paper 35

India GK Question Sample Paper 35: India General Knowledge (GK) Sample Question Paper No. 35 with Collection of India GK Questions under GK Quiz in PDF @  India GK Sample Papers.

India General Knowledge (GK) and General Science (GS) Questions are also available with LIVE Quiz on daily basis with more than 25 questions each days with some India GK Quiz articles on India GK Facebook page: www.facebook.com/IndiaGK.net

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India GK Question Paper 34

India GK Question Sample Paper 34: India General Knowledge (GK) Sample Question Paper No. 34 with Collection of India GK Questions under GK Quiz in PDF @  India GK Sample Papers.

India General Knowledge (GK) and General Science (GS) Questions are also available with LIVE Quiz on daily basis with more than 25 questions each days with some India GK Quiz articles on India GK Facebook page: www.facebook.com/IndiaGK.net

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Gujarati film 'The Good Road' is India's entry for Oscar 2014

Debut feature filmmaker Gyan Correa's 'The Good Road' will represent India at the Oscars this year. The film was picked by a committee appointed by the Film Federation of India (FFI), which was led by celebrated Bengali filmmaker Gautam Ghose. The story of three individuals on a highway, "The Good Road", widely shot in Kutch district in Gujarat, had clinched the National Award for Best Feature Film (Gujarati) earlier this year. 

It features actors like Sonali Kulkarni and Ajay Gehi. The movie left behind 21 other contenders, including strong films like "The Lunchbox", "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag", "English Vinglish", "Vishwaroopam", Malayalam film "Celluloid" and Bengali film "Shabdo", he said. The Oscar ceremony will take place in March 2014.

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Biosphere Reserves in India Updated List

18 Biosphere Reserves in India:  Biosphere reserves are areas of terrestrial and coastal ecosystems which promote the conservation of biodiversity with its sustainable use. They are internationally recognized within the framework of UNESCO's Man and Biosphere (MAB) programme and nominated by national governments. The Ministry of Environment and Forest provides financial assistance to the respective State governments for conservation of landscape and biological diversity and cultural heritage.  Indian government has established 18 Biosphere Reserves of India(categories roughly corresponding to IUCN Category V Protected areas), which protect larger areas of natural habitat. Nine of the Eighteen biosphere reserves are a part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves, based on the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme list

Biosphere Reserves in India Updated List (September 2013):

	Year	Name	State	Key Fauna	Area km²	Remark
1	2008	Great Rann of Kutch	Gujarat	Indian Wild Ass	12454	Largest of India
2	1989	Gulf of Mannar	Tamil Nadu	Dugong or Sea Cow	10500	UNESCO Site
3	1989	Sundarbans	West Bengal	Royal Bengal Tiger	9630	UNESCO Site
4	2009	Cold Desert	Himachal Pradesh	Snow Leopard	7770
5	1988	Nandadevi	Uttarakhand		5860	UNESCO Site
6	1986	Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve	TN, Kerala and Karnataka	Lion-tailed macaque	5520	UNESCO Site
7	1998	Dihang-Dibang	Arunachal Pradesh		5112
8	1999	Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve	Madhya Pradesh	Squirrel, Flying Squirrel	4981	UNESCO Site
9	2010	Seshachalam Hills	Andhra Pradesh		4755
10	1994	Simlipal	Odisha	Gaur, Royal Bengal Tiger	4374	UNESCO Site
11	2005	Achanakamar - Amarkantak	MP, Chhattisgarh		3835	UNESCO Site
12	1989	Manas	Assam	Golden Langur, Red Panda	2837
13	2000	Khangchendzonga	Sikkim	Snow Leopard, Red Panda	2620
14	2001	Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve	Kerala, Tamil Nadu	Nilgiri Tahr, Elephants	1828
15	1989	Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve	Andaman and Nicobar Islands	Saltwater Crocodile	885	UNESCO Site
16	1988	Nokrek	Meghalaya	Red Panda	820	UNESCO Site
17	1997	Dibru-Saikhowa	Assam	Golden Langur	765
18	2011	Panna	MP	tiger, chital, bear	543

 

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