List of 61st Filmfare Awards 2016

The Filmfare Awards were held on January 15, 2016 at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Stadium in Mumbai. Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Bajirao Mastani and Shoojit Sircar's 'Piku' were the big winners.

Here is the complete list of winners from 61st Filmfare Awards 2015 —

Best Film - Bajirao Mastani
Best Director - Sanjay Leela Bhansali for Bajirao Mastani
Best Actor in a Leading Role (Male) - Ranveer Singh for Bajirao Mastani
Best Actor in a Leading Role (Female) - Deepika Padukone for Piku
Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Male) - Anil Kapoor for Dil Dhadakne Do
Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Female) - Priyanka Chopra for Bajirao Mastani
Best Music - Ankit Tiwari, Meet Bros. Anjjan and Amaal Mallik for Roy
Best Lyrics - Irshad Kamil for Agar tum saath ho (Tamasha)
Best Playback Singer (Male) - Arijit Singh for Sooraj dooba (Roy)
Best Playback Singer (Female) - Shreya Ghoshal for Deewani mastani (Bajirao Mastani)
Critics Choice Best Film - Piku
Critics Choice Best Actor (Male) - Amitabh Bachchan for Piku
Critics Choice Best Actor (Female) - Kangana Ranaut for Tanu Weds Manu Returns
Lifetime Achievement Award - Moushumi Chatterjee
RD Burman Award - Armaan Mallik
Best Debut Director - Neeraj Ghaywan for Masaan
Best Debut (Female) - Bhumi Pednekar for Dum Laga Ke Haisha
Best Debut (Male) - Sooraj Pancholi for Hero
Best Action - Sham Kaushal for Bajirao Mastani
Best Background Score - Anupam Roy for Piku
Best Choreography - Pt Birju Maharaj for Mohe rang do laal (Bajirao Mastani)
Best Cinematography - Manu Anand for Dum Laga Ke Haisha
Best Costume - Anju Modi and Maxima Basu for Bajirao Mastani
Best Dialogue - Himanshu Sharma for Tanu Weds Manu Returns
Best Editing - A Sreekar Prasad for Talvar
Best Production Design - Sujeet Sawant, Sriram Iyengar and Saloni Dhatrak for Bajirao Mastani
Best Screenplay - Juhi Chaturvedi for Piku
Best Sound Design - Shajith Koyeri for Talvar
Best Story  - Vijayendra Prasad for Bajrangi Bhaijaan
Best VFX - Prana Studio for Bombay Velvet

Telangana became first State to make gender education compulsory at graduate level

Telangana became the first State in India to introduce compulsory gender education at the graduate level.

In this regard, the state in second week of January 2016 introduced a bilingual textbook titled, Towards a World of Equals.

The book was introduced on a pilot basis in engineering colleges affiliated to the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU-Hyderabad).

About the book

• The book discusses gender in its composite form without limiting itself to crime against women.

• The book attempts to cover information on unacknowledged women writers of Telangana to problems of sex selection and women’s work in politics and economics.

• It also touches upon complex subjects like female-centric history and male-female relationships.

• The book is structured in simple language and form to suit under-graduates.

• The book discusses different strands of women’s movements across the world, introducing students to political movements of Afro-American, Caribbean, African, Dalit and minority women.

• The book is coupled with a collection of visual teaching tools which include documentary films.

• The book is being taught over 14 weeks in a semester at the rate of two classes per week.

Amitabh Bachchan made honorary life member of Mohammedan Sporting

Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan on 12 January 2016 was bestowed honorary life membership of Kolkata’s soccer outfit Mohammedan Sporting.

Sporting president Sultan Ahmed handed over the club’s life membership to Bachchan.

Bachchan was also invited to be the chief guest of the club’s 125th anniversary gala event to be held later in 2016.

About Mohammedan Sporting Club

• Mohammedan Sporting Club was founded in 1891 at Kolkata.

• It is one of the oldest and leading football clubs in India.

• At present, the club plays in the I-League 2nd Division and premier division of Calcutta Football League(CFL).

• It was the first Indian club to win CFL in 1934 and continued their run till 1938 season.

• Before Independence, numerous triumphs against British teams earned the club huge support from every section of Indian society.

• The club also became the first Indian club to win the Durand Cupin 1940.

• After Independence, the club also became the first Indian club to win on foreign soil by lifting the Aga Khan Gold Cup in 1960.

• Mohammedan Sporting along with Mohun Bagan A.C. and East Bengal F.C. are tagged as the Big Three.

20th National Youth Festival inaugurated in Naya Raipur

The 20th National Youth Festival was on 12 January 2016 inaugurated by Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari at Rajyostav Sthal in Naya Raipur, Chhattisgarh to mark the National Youth Day.

The five day long annual festival is celebrated by the Union Government in partnership with a state government on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda.

For the 20th National Youth Festival, Chhattisgarh was chosen as the partner state with the theme India Youth for Skill, Development and Harmony.

Features of 20th National Youth Festival

• It is an annual gathering of students being jointly organised by Chhattisgarh Sports and Youth Welfare Department, Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangthan and National Service Scheme.
• The festival will see the participation of over 6000 youths from across the country except West Bengal.
• It will see contests in 18 different disciplines, including folk dance, folk song, drama, classical music, classical dance, extempore etc.
• For the first time in the youth festival, para-trooping would be displayed by the Indian Army along with weapons and explosives used during war.
• It comprises a Youth Parliament where representatives of student unions and Universities would discuss key issues of the country particularly on the theme-India Youth for Skill, Development and Harmony.

• National Industry Conclave: The conclave, which is held annually during the festival, saw the participation of various ministries and companies. 
• In the conclave, the participants discussed issues related to skill development such as public private participation, reforms in skills for industrial development and improving livelihood in rural India through Skill India.
• On this occasion, Tata Group announced that it would establish 40 skill centres.
• Mascot: Wild Buffalo, the state animal of Chhattisgarh, in famous dancing pose was chosen as the mascot of the event.
• The mascot was named as Sanghi (friend), which symbolises strength, gives message of physical fitness to youth of nation and its dancing pose signifies festive zeal.

Employees Provident Fund Organization won the National Award on e-Governance 2015-16

The Employees’ Provident Fund Organization won the National Award on e-Governance 2015-16 for launching the Universal Account Number (UAN). The Union Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions will present the award in the 19th National Conference on e-governance to be held in Nagpur on 22 January 2016.

The EPFO bagged the national award in the ‘innovative use of technology in e-governance’ category and the retirement body will get a cash prize of 200000 rupees.

What is Universal Account Number (UAN)?

• UAN is an e-initiative of EPFO, launched in July 2014.

• In this initiative, all active employees are provided a universal number which can be linked to various provident fund account numbers provided to them while working in different organisations

• Statistically, 5.65 crore employees in 457000 organisations were allocated with UAN till November 2015.

• A single account number can be used through all of workers’ employments with various organisations.

• It enables the employees to switch their provident fund deposits automatically, when they change their job, just by providing UAN to the new employer.

• It also allows employees to have access to their provident fund account to view their balance and deposits on the portal, without going through the Employer.

About National Awards for e-Governance

These are presented every year to recognize and promote excellence in implementation of e-Governance initiatives.

 Purpose of Award

The purpose of the award is to:

• Recognize achievements in the area of e-Governance

• Disseminate knowledge on effective methods of designing and implementing sustainable e-Governance initiatives

• Encourage incremental innovations in successful e-Governance solutions

• Promote and exchange experiences in solving problems, mitigating risks, resolving issues and planning for success.

There would be two awards for each category:

 Gold Award: It carries a certificate for the Project and one certificate to each team member not exceeding seven in numbers (including Project Head) along with cash award of 200000 rupees to be shared equally among eligible team members.

 Silver Award: It carries a certificate for the Project and one certificate to each team member not exceeding seven in numbers (including Project Head) along with cash award of 100000 rupees to be shared equally among eligible team members.

Categories of awards

• Excellence in Government Process Re-engineering

• Outstanding performance in Citizen-Centric Service Delivery

• Innovative Use of Technology in e-Governance

• Incremental Innovations in existing projects

• Best District level initiative in citizen-centric service delivery through ICT

• Innovative use of GIS Technology in e-Governance

• Innovative use of mobile technology in e-Governance

• Sectoral Award: (Focus Sector for 2015-16: Financial Inclusion)

• Innovative Use of ICT by Central Government PSUs

• Innovative Use of ICT by State Government PSUs/Cooperatives/Federations/Societies

• Outstanding e-Governance initiative by Academic and Research institutions

• Use of ICT for Development by Non-Government Institutions

Union Government signed a loan agreement with World Bank for Neeranchal National Watershed Project

Union Government on 14 January 2016 signed a loan agreement with World Bank in New Delhi for the Neeranchal National Watershed Project.

All 28 states which implement the watershed projects will benefit from this project. However, the nine states, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujrat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan and Telangana will benefit more from the project as they are implementation of large number of watershed schemes in their states.

Features of Neeranchal National Watershed Project

• The project was approved by the Union Cabinet in October 2015 with a total budget of 2142 crore rupees in which India would bear 1071 crore rupees and the rest 50 percent cost will be borne by the World Bank.

• It will be implemented by the Ministry of Rural Development over a six-year period (2016-21).

• It will support the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayi Yojana in hydrology and water management, agricultural production systems, capacity building and monitoring and evaluation.

• Around 12 percent of the area of wasteland will be targeted through this project to make about 336 lakh hectares of land arable.

• The Minister said that the effective implementation of the scheme will go a long way in strengthening the economic conditions of the farming community.

Subhashini Vasanth honoured with Neerja Bhanot Award

Bengaluru-based activist Subhashini Vasanth on 13 January 2016 was honoured with Neerja Bhanot Award. She was presented the award for her endeavour to help people in distress and for empowering widows of martyrs and their families across the country.

Bollywood actor Sonam Kapoor presented the award to Vasanth at a ceremony held in Chandigarh.

Who is Subhashini Vasanth?

• Subhashini Vasanth lost her husband Col Vasanth V, who was posthumously awarded the Ashok Chakra in 2008 for his selfless, supreme sacrifice while fighting terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir.

• Since the death of her husband, she has been helping the families of martyrs.

• She started the Vasantharatna Foundation in memory of her husband. The foundation provides education scholarships, conducted empowerment programmes and outbound learning programmes for women and children.

• Subhashini is also a Bharatnatyam exponent known for her intense abhinaya and immaculate footwork.

• She and Veena Prasad have co-authored the biography of Col Vasanth, titled Forever Forty.

About Neerja Bhanot Award

• The Neerja Bhanot Award is an award of recognition conferred once a year by the The Neerja Bhanot Pan Am Trust in India.

• It is awarded to an Indian woman, subjected to social injustice, who faces the situation with grit and determination and extends help to other women in similar distress.

• The annual Neerja Bhanot Award was instituted in 1990 and named in honour of Senior Flight Purser, Neerja Bhanot, who saved hundreds of lives while sacrificing her own, during a Pan Am Flight 73 hijack at Karachi Airport in September 1986.

• The award carries a cash prize of Rs 1.5 lakh, a citation and a trophy.

SBI launched India’s first start-up focused bank branch SBI InCube

India’s largest bank, State Bank of India (SBI), on 14 January 2016 launched and inaugurated India’s first start-up focused bank branch called SBI InCube in Bangalore, Karnataka. The specialized branch aims to understand and address banking needs of a Start-up Business.

The bank also launched the wealth management service SBI Exclusif, which is targeted at the fast-growing affluent segment in the country.

About SBI InCube

• The SBI InCube branch will work towards fulfilling the specific financial needs of the start-ups.

• The service will provide advisory services to the budding entrepreneurs under one roof.

• It will assist start-ups in cash management, regulations, taxation, mentoring, foreign exchange and remittances and other financial services.

• The branch, in its current form, will not fund start-ups i.e. it will not provide loans. However, it will give them loans when they turn more mature.

• InCube branch in Bengaluru will be headed by an assistant general manager and a team of three other officers.

• SBI will soon launch InCube branches in Pune and National Capital Region (NCR).

Kerala became first State to achieve 100% primary education

Kerala became the first state in the country to achieve 100 percent primary education. To this effect, a declaration was made by the Vice President of India Hamid Ansari on 12 January 2016 at a special ceremony organised at Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala.

The success of Kerala in achieving total primary education can be attributed to various initiatives undertaken by the Kerala Literacy Mission in the last two decades.

Especially, the Athulyam Scheme, which was implemented in two stages, played a key role in addressing the educational needs of illiterate adults.

The second stage of the scheme, namely Mission 676, targeted those between ages 15 and 50 who, for one reason or the other, dropped out of the formal education process.

Prior to the Athulyam Scheme, the fourth standard equivalency programme was started in 2000 in association with local bodies.

As a result, Kannur became the first district in the country to achieve total primary education in 2001.

UNICEF presented David Beckham with Danny Kaye Humanitarian Leadership Award

David Beckham on 12 January 2016 was presented with the Danny Kaye Humanitarian Leadership Award at the sixth biennial UNICEF Ball in Los Angeles.

Sir Elton John and David Furnish presented the award to Beckham at the event, honouring him for his tireless work to save and improve the lives of children around the world.

Beckham has been a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 2005. In 2015, the footballer launched 7: The David Beckham UNICEF Fund, making a personal commitment to use his voice, influence and connections to raise vital funds and rally for lasting change for children.

The Danny Kaye Humanitarian Leadership Award is named after Danny Kaye, star of Hans Christian Andersen and White Christmas. Kaye was one of the world’s most beloved entertainers. He was the first ever celebrity representative for UNICEF, and was a Goodwill Ambassador from 1954 until his death in 1987.

Solar Power Capacity Crosses Milestone of 5,000 MW in India

On the auspicious occasion of Makar Sankranti/Pongal, the installed capacity of solar power in India crossed the milestone of 5,000 MW yesterday.  The cumulative installed capacity has reached to 5,130 MW with installed capacity of 1385 MW in current FY.  The state-wise break-up of 5,130 MW is given in the Table below.  The state of Rajasthan stands 1^st in the country with 1264 MW, followed by Gujarat (1024MW), Madhya Pradesh (679 MW), Tamil Nadu (419 MW), Maharashtra (379 MW) and Andhra Pradesh (357 MW). 

The Government has set the ambitious target of generating 100 GW of solar power by the year 2021-22 under the National Solar Mission. It is envisaged to generate 60 GW ground mounted grid-connected solar power and 40 GW through roof-top grid interactive solar power to fulfill the 100 GW of solar power. The Ministry has also fixed year-wise targets to monitor the solar power generation in the country. The target for the current year is 2,000 MW and next year target is 12,000 MW.  The Ministry is putting all efforts through various schemes of Central Government and State Governments to achieve the targets.  It has been planned that around 18,000 MW tender should be out by 31^st March, 2016.

To achieve above stated objective, the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy has initiated several projects likeScheme for Development of Solar Parks and Ultra Mega Solar Power Projects; Scheme for Development of Solar PV Power Plants on Canal Banks/ Canal Tops; Scheme for setting up 300 MW of Grid connected Solar PV Power Projects by Defense Establishments under Ministry of Defense and Para Military Forces with viability Gap Funding; Scheme of setting up 1000 MW of Grid- Connected Solar PV Power Projects by CPSUs with Viability Gap Funding ; Scheme for Setting up of 15000 MW of Grid connected to achieve this target. Solar PV Power Projects by NTPC/NVVN; Setting up of 2000 MW Grid connected solar power with Viability Gap Funding through Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI). This apart, an ambitious scheme has been launched by the Ministry for roof-top solar installation. Various state governments are coming up with solar power projects under their own policies.

State Wise total Commissioning Status of Grid Connected Solar Power Projects as on 14.01.2016 is given below:

Sr. No.	State/UT	Total commissioned capacity till 14-01-16 (MW)
1	Andhra Pradesh	357.34
2	Arunachal Pradesh	0.265
3	Chhattisgarh	73.18
4	Gujarat	1024.15
5	Haryana	12.8
6	Jharkhand	16
7	Karnataka	104.22
8	Kerala	12.025
9	Madhya Pradesh	678.58
10	Maharashtra	378.7
11	Odisha	66.92
12	Punjab	200.32
13	Rajasthan	1264.35
14	Tamil Nadu	418.945
15	Telangana	342.39
16	Tripura	5
17	Uttar Pradesh	140
18	Uttarakhand	5
19	West Bengal	7.21
20	Andaman & Nicobar	5.1
21	Delhi	6.712
22	Lakshadweep	0.75
23	Puducherry	0.025
24	Chandigarh	5.041
25	Daman & Diu	4
26	Others	0.79
TOTAL		5129.813

Cabinet approves India joining the International Energy Agency – Ocean Energy Systems

The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval for India becoming a member country of the International Energy Agency - Ocean Energy Systems (IEA-OES) by signing the Implementing Agreement (IA). The nodal agency for the membership would be Earth System Science Organisation - National Institute of Ocean Technology (ESSO-NIOT) under the Ministry of Earth Sciences. 

By becoming a member of the IEA-OES, India will have access to advanced R&D teams and technologies across the world. India will partner in developing test protocols along with other countries. This will help in testing Indian prototypes as per international requirements and norms. Joint cooperative programs with institutes of member countries could be taken up. India's own research projects with specific targets can be taken up in conjunction with other countries. 

Background:

The long coastline of India and severe power deficit in the country, warrant the study of ocean renewable energies. Vagaries of the sea makes harnessing ocean energy a technological challenge. In the Indian context designing of scaled up ocean energy devices (including wave, currents and tidal) and their techno-commercial viability needs to be undertaken. Tropical countries have high sea surface temperatures and hence Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) is a good option for countries like India. NIOT, an autonomous research institute under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, is working in the area of ocean energy and desalination. 

The IEA is an inter-governmental organization with a broad role of promoting alternate energy sources (including renewable energy), rational energy policies and multinational energy technology co¬operation and acts as energy policy advisor to 29 member countries. The OES, launched in 2001, is an intergovernmental collaboration between countries, which operates under framework established by the International Energy Agency. This initiative is to advance research, development and demonstration of technologies to harness energy from all forms of ocean renewable resources, as well as for other uses, such as desalination etc. through international cooperation and information exchange.