The Daily GK: 23 October 2011

It rejects the Supreme Court set SIT's (Special Investigation Team's) decision to close case against Narendra Modi, Gujarat CM
It has laid ground for Modi to be chargesheeted for his alleged role in the 2002 anti-Muslim Gujarat violence in which more than 1200 persons were killed

Domestic & International tourists will get full refund of VAT (Value Added Tax) on articles purchased during Grand Kerala Shopping Festival (GKSF)
Amitabh Chaturvedi : MD & CEO of Dhanlaxmi Bank, got second term
Mullanezhy Neelakanthan : Malayalam poet, lyricist & actor; Passed Away
Swapan Kumar Das : Director-General of Central Statistical Organisation
TCA Anant : Chief Statistician of India (CSI)

The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has set aside the appointment of Anant as CSI on the ground that he didn't satisfy the eligibility criteria prescribed for the post

Indian Human Development Report 2011 : Jairam Ramesh, Rural Development Minister released the report in the presence of Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission

In subjects of literacy rate, health services & consumption expenditure of people

The Human Development Index (HDI) in the country rose by 21%
Health, nutrition, sanitation remain challenges for India
2/3 rd Households reside in cemented houses
3/4 th Households has access to domestic electricity
Over half of Indian women suffer from anaemia, particularly in SC/ST/Muslims
Life expectancy increased consistently but in a very slow pace
Kerala had life expectancy at birth at 74 years, which was comparable to developed nations of the world
India face a dismal position in terms of health infrastructure, compared to China, India had 9 hospital beds per 10000 population whereas China had 30
High rates of child malnutrition was also a concern; Gujarat was the worst performers

National Development Council (NDC) endorses GDP growth target of 9% for the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-2017)
Barack Obama : US President presents National Honours

Srinivasa SR Varadhan, of New York University : National Medal of Science
Rakesh Agrawal : National Medal of Technology, for his innovations in liquefied gas production

The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) asked AMRI Hospital, Kolkata & 3 doctors to pay Rs.1.77Cr as compensation for medical negligence leading to death of Anuradha Saha, wife of Kunal Saha, a US-based Indian doctor
Hamid Karzai : President of Afghanistan
Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz al-Saud : Crown Prince, heir to the throne, of Saudi Arabia; Passed Away

Irom Sharmila : leading a 11 year long fast for withdrawal of Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), which is now in force in 'disturbed areas' of Manipur, Assam, Nagaland, parts of Arunachal Pradesh, parts of Meghalaya, a few areas in Tripura and Jammu & Kashmir
Federation Internationale de l' Automobile (FIA) : apex body of world motorsport

The Daily GK