1. C.B.I arrest Bansal nephew in Bribery scandal
i. Railway Min Pawan Kumar Bansal on Saturday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and offered to resign, in the wake of CBI arresting his nephew on bribery charges.
ii. Earlier today, Bansal distanced himself from the matter saying he had no business links with his nephew and denied any wrongdoing.
iii. Vijay Singla was arrested in Chandigarh for allegedly accepting Rs 90 lakh in cash from Manjunath, the conduit of Mahesh Kumar, recently promoted as Member (Staff), Railway Board. Kumar was allegedly trying to get a lucrative position as Member (Electrical), Railway Board.
iv. CBI has registered a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the IPC against him.
v. The other person arrested by the CBI was Sandip Goyal, who allegedly assisted in brokering the deal.
vi. Kumar was General Manager (Western railways) and promoted recently as Member Railway Board, a post equivalent to Secretary in Government of India.
iv. In a statement, 64-year-old Bansal, who was made Railway Minister in October last year, claimed he has always observed highest standards of probity in public life and that nobody can influence his decisions.
NOTE: i. The Railway Board had recently appointed Subodh Jain as Member (Engineering), Mahesh Kumar as Member (Staff) and Arunendra Kumar as Member (Mechanical). The post of Member (Traffic) is yet to be filled up.
ii. The chairman of Railway Board is retiring in June along with the Finance Commissioner and the entire Railway Board is expected to see new faces.
2. Telangna Bill passed in Lok Sabha by voice vote
i. In an unprecedented move, live telecast of Parliament proceedings was stopped as the Lok Sabha passed the controversial bill that seeks to create a Telangana state by dividing Andhra Pradesh.
ii. The bill was passed unanimously, with the support of the main opposition BJP, but the party says it was not aware of the TV blackout.
iii. In proceedings that cannot be witnessed outside the House, Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde has spoken and the bill is now being taken up clause by clause.
iv. Notwithstanding the continuing protests inside and outside Parliament, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde moved the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill 2014 for consideration even as MPs from Seemandhra, including ministers, were in the Well opposing bifurcation of the state.
v. Sixteen members from the region, belonging to Congress, TDP and YSR Congress, were suspended from the House last Thursday till 20th February after unprecedented pandemonium that saw expelled Congress member L Rajagopal bursting pepper spray causing commotion.
vi. Members from Telangana region were also in the Well seeking early creation of the separate state.
3. Anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela dies at 95
i. 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.
ii. He was also known as Madiba in South Africa. He was receiving intensive medical care at home for a lung infection after spending three months in hospital.
iii. Fellow South Africans, our beloved Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, the founding president of our democratic nation, has departed," Zuma said in a nationally televised address.
iv. " He is now resting. He is now at peace...Our nation has lost its greatest son. Our people have lost a father," he said.
v. 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.
vi. He was the first black South African to hold the office of President from 1994 to 1999, and the first elected in a fully representative multiracial election.
About Nelson Mandela
• He was born on 1918 in Eastern Cape
• He joined the African National Congress in 1943
• In 1962, he was arrested and was convicted of incitement and leaving country without a passport. He was sentenced to five years in prison
• In 1964, he was charged with sabotage, sentenced to life
• He was freed from the prison in 1990
• In 1999, he stepped down as leader
• In 2001, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer
Awards received by Nelson Mandela
Mandela has received more than two hundred and fifty awards over four decades, some of the awards are:
• He was the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993
• He was the recipient of Bharat Ratna and Mahatma Gandhi peace award
• The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 18 July, Mandela's birthday, as Mandela Day, for his contribution to the anti-apartheid struggle
• In 1973 a nuclear particle discovered by scientists at the University of Leeds was named Mandela nelson
• In 1979 he became the recipient of the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding, by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations New Delhi, India
• In 1981, a panel of International Judges, Vienna, Austria, chose him for the Bruno Kreisky Award for merit in the field of human rights
4. Sachin & Prof C N R Rao to get Bharat Ratna on February 4
i. President Pranab Mukherjee will confer cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and eminent scientist Prof C N R Rao with Bharat Ratna on February 4 at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
ii. A formal ceremony, which is likely to be attended by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, will be held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
iii. The Little Master was given the honour hours after he played his 200th and last Test against the touring West Indies in November last year.
iv. Tendulkar (40) and Rao (89), both of whom are recipients of Padma Vibhushan–the country’s second highest civilian honour, join the list of 41 eminent personalities to get the award given in recognition of exceptional service of the highest order.
Note: i. Tendulkar is the first sportsman and the youngest recipient of the the Bharat Ratna. Besides Tendulkar, Rao will also be presented with the award.
ii. Prof Rao is a well recognized international authority on solid state and materials chemistry. The 89-year-old has published over 1,400 research papers and 45 books. His 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.
iii. Sachin Tendulkar and Prof Rao join the list of 41 eminent personalities to get the Bharat Ratna.
i. Railway Min Pawan Kumar Bansal on Saturday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and offered to resign, in the wake of CBI arresting his nephew on bribery charges.
ii. Earlier today, Bansal distanced himself from the matter saying he had no business links with his nephew and denied any wrongdoing.
iii. Vijay Singla was arrested in Chandigarh for allegedly accepting Rs 90 lakh in cash from Manjunath, the conduit of Mahesh Kumar, recently promoted as Member (Staff), Railway Board. Kumar was allegedly trying to get a lucrative position as Member (Electrical), Railway Board.
iv. CBI has registered a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the IPC against him.
v. The other person arrested by the CBI was Sandip Goyal, who allegedly assisted in brokering the deal.
vi. Kumar was General Manager (Western railways) and promoted recently as Member Railway Board, a post equivalent to Secretary in Government of India.
iv. In a statement, 64-year-old Bansal, who was made Railway Minister in October last year, claimed he has always observed highest standards of probity in public life and that nobody can influence his decisions.
NOTE: i. The Railway Board had recently appointed Subodh Jain as Member (Engineering), Mahesh Kumar as Member (Staff) and Arunendra Kumar as Member (Mechanical). The post of Member (Traffic) is yet to be filled up.
ii. The chairman of Railway Board is retiring in June along with the Finance Commissioner and the entire Railway Board is expected to see new faces.
2. Telangna Bill passed in Lok Sabha by voice vote
i. In an unprecedented move, live telecast of Parliament proceedings was stopped as the Lok Sabha passed the controversial bill that seeks to create a Telangana state by dividing Andhra Pradesh.
ii. The bill was passed unanimously, with the support of the main opposition BJP, but the party says it was not aware of the TV blackout.
iii. In proceedings that cannot be witnessed outside the House, Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde has spoken and the bill is now being taken up clause by clause.
iv. Notwithstanding the continuing protests inside and outside Parliament, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde moved the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill 2014 for consideration even as MPs from Seemandhra, including ministers, were in the Well opposing bifurcation of the state.
v. Sixteen members from the region, belonging to Congress, TDP and YSR Congress, were suspended from the House last Thursday till 20th February after unprecedented pandemonium that saw expelled Congress member L Rajagopal bursting pepper spray causing commotion.
vi. Members from Telangana region were also in the Well seeking early creation of the separate state.
3. Anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela dies at 95
i. 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.
ii. He was also known as Madiba in South Africa. He was receiving intensive medical care at home for a lung infection after spending three months in hospital.
iii. Fellow South Africans, our beloved Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, the founding president of our democratic nation, has departed," Zuma said in a nationally televised address.
iv. " He is now resting. He is now at peace...Our nation has lost its greatest son. Our people have lost a father," he said.
v. 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.
vi. He was the first black South African to hold the office of President from 1994 to 1999, and the first elected in a fully representative multiracial election.
About Nelson Mandela
• He was born on 1918 in Eastern Cape
• He joined the African National Congress in 1943
• In 1962, he was arrested and was convicted of incitement and leaving country without a passport. He was sentenced to five years in prison
• In 1964, he was charged with sabotage, sentenced to life
• He was freed from the prison in 1990
• In 1999, he stepped down as leader
• In 2001, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer
Awards received by Nelson Mandela
Mandela has received more than two hundred and fifty awards over four decades, some of the awards are:
• He was the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993
• He was the recipient of Bharat Ratna and Mahatma Gandhi peace award
• The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 18 July, Mandela's birthday, as Mandela Day, for his contribution to the anti-apartheid struggle
• In 1973 a nuclear particle discovered by scientists at the University of Leeds was named Mandela nelson
• In 1979 he became the recipient of the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding, by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations New Delhi, India
• In 1981, a panel of International Judges, Vienna, Austria, chose him for the Bruno Kreisky Award for merit in the field of human rights
4. Sachin & Prof C N R Rao to get Bharat Ratna on February 4
i. President Pranab Mukherjee will confer cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and eminent scientist Prof C N R Rao with Bharat Ratna on February 4 at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
ii. A formal ceremony, which is likely to be attended by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, will be held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
iii. The Little Master was given the honour hours after he played his 200th and last Test against the touring West Indies in November last year.
iv. Tendulkar (40) and Rao (89), both of whom are recipients of Padma Vibhushan–the country’s second highest civilian honour, join the list of 41 eminent personalities to get the award given in recognition of exceptional service of the highest order.
Note: i. Tendulkar is the first sportsman and the youngest recipient of the the Bharat Ratna. Besides Tendulkar, Rao will also be presented with the award.
ii. Prof Rao is a well recognized international authority on solid state and materials chemistry. The 89-year-old has published over 1,400 research papers and 45 books. His 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.
iii. Sachin Tendulkar and Prof Rao join the list of 41 eminent personalities to get the Bharat Ratna.
