World’s largest solar power plant opens in Nevada
1.A windy stretch of the Mojave Desert once roamed by tortoises and coyotes has been transformed by hundreds of thousands of mirrors into the largest solar power plant of its type in the world, a milestone for a growing industry that is testing the balance between wilderness conservation and the pursuit of green energy across the American West.
2.The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System, sprawling across roughly 5 square miles (13 sq. kilometers) of federal land near the California-Nevada border, formally opens on Thursday after years of regulatory and legal tangles ranging from relocating protected tortoises to assessing the impact on Mojave milkweed and other plants.
3.The $2.2 billion complex of three generating units, owned by NRG Energy Inc., Google Inc. and BrightSource Energy, can produce nearly 400 megawatts enough power for 140,000 homes. It began making electricity last year.
India to follow new OECD standard to combat black money
1.Global economic body OECD on Thursday unveiled a new “game-changing” mechanism to combat the menace of offshore tax evasion, a protocol to which India is a signatory with the purpose of tackling black money.
2.“The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development will formally present the standard for the endorsement of G20 finance ministers during a February 22-23 meeting in Sydney in Australia,” the world body, whose economic policies are followed by over 120 countries, said in a statement.
3.“The G20 invited the OECD to develop a global standard on automatic exchange of information in 2013 and remains the driving force behind the move toward greater tax transparency worldwide,” it said.
4.India has already signed the OECD’s global standard for automatic exchange of information between tax authorities two years back and once the new format is implemented, the country will follow the new protocols envisaged in it.
SEBI clears new corporate governance norms; mutual fund policy
1.To exhort listed companies and their top executives to follow ‘good business practices’, regulator SEBI today cleared new corporate governance norms that require them to justify CEO salaries, put in place whistle-blower policies and have orderly succession plans.
2.The new norms were cleared by the SEBI board here today and the relevant provisions would be incorporated in the listing agreement soon, SEBI Chairman U K Sinha said.
3.Speaking to the reporters after meeting of the board, which also cleared a long-term policy for mutual funds, Sinha also said that any decision on the lapsed ordinance that granted greater powers to SEBI needs to be taken by the government.
4.The board also cleared new KRA (KYC Registration Agency) Regulations that would make it easier for the investors to comply with Know Your Client (KYC) requirements across various segments of the capital markets.
5.The approval by SEBI board to the new corporate governance norms follows months-long discussion among various stakeholders on draft regulations released last year.
US Ambassador Nancy Powell meets Narendra Modi
1.Nancy J. Powell, US Ambassador to India, today met BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate and Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, in Gandhinagar.
2.She had arrived here on Wednesday on a two-day visit to the western state during which she would be meeting leaders from various sections of the society.
3.Sources said Powell’s meeting with Modi at his residence lasted an hour during which four bureaucrats of Gujarat were also present. US Consulate-General in Mumbai, Peter Haas, and other officials accompanied Powell. The two sides are reported to have discussed bilateral trade but not the contentious issue of a US visa to Modi. A large number of mediapersons had thronged the venue but not allowed to cover the event.
4.Later, Powell also met Shankarsinh Vaghela, a former Chief Minister and now Leader of the Opposition in the Gujarat Assembly, for about 50 minutes. She is also scheduled to visit the Gandhi Ashram on the banks of Sabarmati River and the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), among others.
Veteran filmmaker Balu Mahendra passes away
1.Renowned filmmaker Balu Mahendra died here today at a private hospital following a cardiac arrest, sources close to his family said.
2.Balu Mahendra, 75, who suffered a heart attack, was rushed to the hospital where he breathed his last, sources said. He is survived by his wife and son.
3.Born on May 20 1939, he started his career in the tinsel world as a cinematographer and later went onto direct some of the most memorable movies including the award winning Moondram Pirai and Veedu.
4.He recently released his directorial venture Thalai Muraigal which depicts the relationship between a grandfather and his grandson, in which he played the role of a protagonist.
5.Balu Mahendra started his career in the industry as a cinematographer for the Malayalam movie ‘Nellu’ in 1974.
6.The film earned him the best cinematographer award from the Kerala government.
7.Since then he has been chosen as the best cinematographer for many times in various Indian films, winning the national award for cinematography twice.
Google doodle celebrates Sarojini Naidu's birth anniversary
1.Search-engine major Google on Thursday celebrated the 135th birth anniversary of freedom fighter Sarojini Naidu with a doodle on its home-page.
2.The doodle has a portrait of Sarojini Naidu in the place of the second 'O' in the company's logo. There is also a pen in place of the letter 'L', a tribute to her writing capabilities.
3.Naidu, popularly known as the 'Nightingale of India', was born in Hyderabad.
4.While she joined the freedom struggle post the partition of Bengal (in 1905), she presided over the annual session of the Indian National Congress in 1925. She also played an active role during the Civil Disobedience and Quit India movements.
5.The British government awarded her the ‘Kaiser-i-Hind medal’ for working during the 1928 plague epidemic.
Prez gets Rotary's highest award
1.President Pranab Mukherjee today got the Rotary's highest award for his leadership in the country's victory over polio.
2.The 'Award of Honour' was presented by Ron Burton, President of Rotary International, at Rashtrapati Bhavan here today.
3.The award is a recognition for heads of countries or governments who have rendered unique service to the humanity and served the country and its people upholding values reflected in the Rotary's motto 'Service Above Self'.
4."Ron Burton conveyed greetings and admiration of Rotarians across the world to Mukherjee for the leadership he has provided and the country's victory over polio," a Rashtrapati Bhavan release said.
ADB to give $275 mn loan for rural roads in 5 states
1.Asian Development Bank will provide USD 275 million loan for improving rural road connectivity in five states in the country.
2."The Government of India and ADB today signed a USD 275 million loan agreement to continue improving rural roads in five states including Assam, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal," a Finance Ministry release said.
3.The loan is the second tranche of a USD 800 million financing facility under the Rural Connectivity Investment Programme. It will help construct 3,693 km of all-weather rural roads in these states, benefiting nearly 1,800 rural habitations.
4.The pact was signed by Nilaya Mitash, Joint Secretary (Multilateral Institutions), Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance and M Teresa Kho, Country Director, ADB.
National Women's Day forgotten in Kanpur
1.No events were organized to mark National Women's Day on Monday.
2.February 13 is celebrated as National Women's Day of India. This day is celebrated in the memory of Sarojini Naidu, the first Indian women governor, who was born on February 13.
3.In recognition of her works in the development of women in the country, members of Bhartiya Mahila Sangh and Akhil Bhartiya Mahila Sammelan proposed the birth day of Sarojini Naidu to be celebrated as National Women's Day of India.
4.No one was bothered to even remember the day dedicated to fairer sex. No school, colleges and social organizations did anything to mark the day.
5.Anita Dua, a social activist, said: "If we go through the recent crime status of the city, one woman is raped everyday. Female child mortality is higher. The percentage of death due to dowry and sexual assault is more than 30 per cent as compared to other cities of the country."
India ranked 8th in demand for digital governance
1.India was ranked 8th in the list of ten countries in terms of digital governance. The report on digital governance was released by Accenture on 11 February 2014.
2.The list was topped by Singapore followed by Norway and UAE at second and third place respectively.
3.The report revealed the demand for the digital governance is rising in India and emerging economies which will enhance efficiency and output. In India the Government embarked on e- Governance model and the infrastructure which would pay the dividends in the long run.
4.The report is based on survey of 5000 respondents in ten countries including Brazil, Germany, India, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the Unitied Kingdom and the United States.
According to the report, high-performing digital governments are:
• Focusing on their digital strategy, which is deeply embedded in the government agenda and public reforms.
• Continuing long-term investment in key information and communication technology (ICT) assets and the digitalization of core public services, such as taxation, pensions and healthcare.
• Leveraging the power of new technologies, such as social media, mobility, analytics, big data and cloud computing.
• Connected across agency boundaries and have a strong culture of collaboration and data sharing.
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