Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 19 February 2015

:: National ::

Defence at the heart of “Make in India”

Stressing on the need for domestic manufacture of defence equipment to equip the country for the future, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called upon foreign defence manufacturers to become strategic partners as he inaugurated “Aero India 2015” in Bengaluru.
India has an annual defence budget of about $40 billion of which 60 percent is spent on capital expenditure for purchase of equipment. But having failed to build a domestic defence manufacturing base the country has the distinction of being the world’s largest defence importer.
Addressing the private sector’s concerns for a level playing field in defence manufacturing, the Prime Minister has assured significant policy changes to facilitate the same.

Legendary filmmaker Ramanaidu is no more

Legendary film producer Daggubati Ramanaidu, who entered the record books for producing maximum number of films in the world died, leaving a void in the Indian film industry.
The 78-year-old passed away in Hyderabad after fighting prostate cancer. He is survived by his wife, two sons Suresh and Venkatesh and his daughter Lakshmi. Upcoming actor, Rana, named after the legendary producer, is his grandson while another Telugu star Naga Chaitanya is the son of his daughter.
The funeral will take place at the Ramanaidu Studios that he set up in the heart of the city, according to his actor son Venkatesh.
Rama Naidu established the well-known film house Suresh Productions after his elder son Suresh and produced about 150 films in most of the Indian languages with Telugu topping the list. Considered as an icon, he introduced several new faces and directors through his film company.
Recipient of Dada Saheb Phalke Award for life time achievement in 2009 and also Padma Bhushan in 2012 in recognition of his contribution to Indian cinema, Ramanaidu also holds the record for producing films in many languages in India including Bhojpuri and Punjabi.
Born in an agricultural family in Karamchedu in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh, Mr. Ramanaidu also represented the Bapatla constituency in Parliament during 1999 - 2004 getting elected on the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) ticket.
Some of his well-known films include “Prem Nagar, Mundadugu, Soggadu, Jeevana Tarangalu, Devatha, Sangharshana, Prathidwani, Aha Na Pellanta, Prema, Indrudu Chandrudu” and the latest being “Gopala Gopala” starring Venkatesh and Pawan Kalyan. Some of his runaway hits in Hindi include “Tohfa, Insaf Ki Awaz” and “Prem Qaidi” in which he introduced Karishma Kapoor. The entire film industry landed at his residence to pay their last respects.

:: International ::

India-Israel ties out in the open, says Ya’alon

In a statement of strategic significance, Israel Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon acknowledged that India and Israel ties were out in the open after keeping a low profile for years.
Talking on the significance of his visit, Mr. Ya’alon said that India was important to his country’s defence industry and pledged complete support to partner with India on “Make in India.”
India and Israel established bilateral relations in 1992 and with several common concerns, strategic cooperation quickly progressed. Since Mr. Modi’s government came to power, India has been more assertive in acknowledging the depth of the relationship. Both sides have seen a flurry of interactions even at the highest level.
India is one of Israel’s biggest defence customers and both sides have embarked on joint development of weapon systems. A long-range surface-to-air missile under development was tested for the first time in November. In October, India selected Rafael’s Spike anti-tank guided missile over the U.S. Javelin missile in a deal worth $525 million.