Senior IAS officers Amarjit Singh and Amitava Bhattacharyya were today appointed as secretary in Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and chairman of Staff Selection Commission (SSC) respectively.

Both Singh and Bhattacharyya are Gujarat cadre officers of 1982 and 1980 batch respectively.

Singh is presently additional secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy. Bhattacharyya is holding the charge of Secretary, UPSC.

UPSC conducts examinations to select candidates for various central services including the elite Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and Indian Forest Service (IFoS) among others.

The Chief Commissioner of Income-tax (CCA), Ahmedabad, invites applications for the recruitment of meritorious persons in different games / sports for various Income Tax Offices situated in Gujarat. The details of vacancies and related information are also being published in employment news dated 20 April -26 April 2013

Barack Obama Sworn in as the US President

Barack Obama, the first mixed race president of the United States, was sworn in as the President of the country for the second term on 20 January 2013. The oath-taking ceremony was quiet as well as brief in the White House East Room by Justice John Roberts. The brief oath-taking ceremony was held to meet the constitutional deadline, i.e., 20 January, under which term of both President as well as the Vice- President finishes at the noon. The formality of repeating this ceremony will publically take place on 21 January 2013 because public institutions and the courts which record as well as endorse swearingin officially were closed on 20 January 2013 as it was Sunday. Therefore, in the brief ceremony, only President, his family along with a closed group that viewed Justice Roberts swear-in Barack Obama in private ceremony. Obama took oath as the President of the country on the family Bible. On 21 January 2013, Obama repeated oath-taking process on those Bibles which were used by Martin Luther King and Abraham Lincoln because 20 January 2013 was an official holiday in the US. Apart from Obama, in yet another ceremony, Vice-president Joseph Biden administered this oath-taking by associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

Justice JS Verma Panel Report Submitted:

The Justice Verma panel, which is a 3-member commission created to review the laws for sexual crimes submitted the report to the Government of India on 23 January 2013. Justice Verma panel was created after the brutal gang rape of the Para-medical student on 16 December 2012. Former Chief Justice of India, Justice JS Verma headed the commission and reviewed the laws on sexual crimes which exist already. The report was prepared by the panel in its 30-day deadline. The former CJI described that there were more than 80000 suggestions from the length and breadth of India as well as abroad after 5 January 2013 was declared as the deadline for receiving comments from common man in order to refurbish the present legislation that deals with the sex offenders. The Justice Verma panel recognised failure of governance as primary cause of sexual crimes. The panel additionally criticised the police, government and also the public for the lack of interest and also recommended changes in the entire society.

Combined Graduate Level Examination, 2013

Combined Graduate Level Examination, 2013 scheduled on 14.04.2013 has been postponed and will now be held on 28.04.2013

Spotlight/News Analysis (12 Apr):

• Topic of Discussion: India-Germany Bilateral Relation
• Expert Panel: Salman Haider (Former Foreign Secretary), Simran Sodi (Foreign Affairs Editor - The Statesman)

Moving forward to go back

Persistent efforts by multiple western players finally paid off. The Taliban and the Kabul government met officially in Chantilly, a suburb of Paris, on December 20 and 21 under the aegis of a French think tank called the Fondation pour la Recherche Strategique. The Taliban was represented by senior leaders Shahabuddin Dilawar, former Taliban ambassador to Saudi Arabia, and Naeem Wardak — both based in Doha.

The government side was represented by the Higher Peace Council chairman Salahuddin Rabbani. Also participating were Yunus Qanuni, the ideologue of the opposition National Coalition of Afghanistan led by Abdulla Abdulla, Ahmad Zia Massoud, brother of the legendary Tajik commander Ahmad Shah Massoud, as well as representatives of the hardline Hizb-ul- Islam of Gulbuddin Hikmatyar. In all, there were about 20 delegates participating in the talks.

Spotlight/News Analysis (11 Apr):

• Topic of Discussion: Strengthing child mother health care
• Expert Panel: Dr. Rani Jain (Chief. Medical officer R.M.L. Hospital), Pradeep Surin (Senior Journist)

In a democratic setup Media occupies the most vital position and forms the very bedrock of democracy without which democracy is an aimless, futile exercise and never fulfill the aspirations of the people in real terms. The role of media in a democracy is as crucial as that of the politicians and should never be underestimated. To bring out before the public nothing but the truth in all matters without twisting the facts and should never be afraid of anyone except God is the first and foremost job of the media. If a democracy is to run smoothly in any country, it is a must that the media in all fairness should be given full autonomy and a free hand it deserves in airing its views among the people and no unnecessary restrictions should be imposed on it. The media also on its part should play a very responsible, active and neutral role in discharging its duties without being influenced by any particular political party or few individuals and should treat everyone on a equal footing.

Results: 53rd to 55th Common Combined (Main) Written Examination

Spotlight/News Analysis (10 Apr):

• Topic of Discussion: Regulatory Body for electronic media
• Expert Panel: P. N. Vasanti (Director Centre for Media Studies), Prof. Hemant Joshi (Indian Institute of Mass Communication)

The term ‘soft state’ was first used by the noted economist Gunnar Myrdal in his classic book The Asian Drama in the context of South Asia for the inability of the states to implement their economic plans and programmes efficiently and effectively. Now the term has acquired additional dimensions of meaning that subsumes a comprehensive collapse of even the most basic functions of the state. A contemporary political commentator Atul Kohli has aptly drawn attention to the paradox of the enormous expansion of the state power in India at the same time when its powerlessness to act effectively is equally obvious.

Spotlight/News Analysis (9 Apr):

• Topic of Discussion: Need for Judicial Re-forms
• Expert Panel: Praveen H. Parikh (Advocate Supreme Court), Styaprakash (Legal Editor - Hindustan Times)

Subject: Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination, 2013–Applications rejected due to non-payment of fee regarding.

Confirmation has NOT been received from the Bank Authorities regarding receipt of Fees of Rs.100/ In respect of following candidatesfor Civil Services(Preliminary) Examination, 2013. In view of the provisions contained in the Commission’s Notice for the above examination published in the Employment News dated 05.03.2013 and uploaded on the Commission’s website, applications of allthese candidatesforthe said examination have been rejected. Appeal againstrejection, if any, may be made along with the documentary evidence by speed post OR by hand only to Shri J.D.Lakra, Under Secretary (CSP), Union Public Service Commission, Room No.419, Ayog Sachivalaya Building. Dholpur House, Shahjahan Road, New Delhi‐110069. Appeal against such rejection should be received in the Commission’sOffice latest by 18.04.2013.