C Radhakrishnan selected for Moortidevi Award 2013

1.    C Radhakrishnan selected for Moortidevi Award 2013

i. C Radhakrishnan, the eminent Malayalam scientist-turned-writer was selected for the prestigious Moortidevi Award for 2013

ii. He has been selected for his novel Theekkadal Katanhu Thirumadhuram. 

iii. The novel is a biographical account of Thunchat Ramaanujan Ezhuthachan, the person who is regarded as the father of Malayalam language.

iv. The novel is an attempt to bring back life to the socio-cultural ambience of 15th century. Radhakrishnan as a person has also contributed to popular science and all branches of literature, mostly fiction.

Note: i. Radhakrishnan is the second Malayalam writer to be awarded with the Moortidevi award. The first Malayalam author to win the award was Akkitham Achuthan Namboothiri in 2009 for his selected poems. 

ii. Haraprasad Das was conferred the Moortidevi Award for 2012 for 'Vamsha, a poetic recreation of the Mahabharata in contemporary idiom, which has been hailed as a post-modern masterpiece. 

Moortidevi award: Moortidevi award is presented by the Bhartiya Jnanpith and carries cash prize of four lakh rupees, a plaque and a statue of goddess Saraswati. 

2.    Juan Manuel Santos e-elected Colombia president

i. Juan Manuel Santos has convincingly won re-election after Colombia's tightest presidential contest in years, an endorsement of his 18-month-old peace talks to end the Western Hemisphere's longest-running conflict.

ii. Santos on Sunday defeated right-wing challenger Oscar Ivan Zuluaga with 53 per cent-to-47 per cent of valid votes with 99.9 per cent of precincts reporting.

iii. The outcome affirmed Santos' claim to be steering Colombia to a historic crossroads after a half-century of conflict that claimed more than 200,000 lives, mostly civilians.

3.    Shaktikanta Das assumes charge as Revenue Secretary

i. Shaktikanta Das, a 1980 batch Tamil Nadu Cadre IAS officer, assumed charge as Revenue Secretary in the Finance Ministry on Monday.

ii. He has replaced Rajiv Takru, who has been posted as Secretary in the Ministry of DONER, an official release said..

4.    Ugandan FM elected UN General Assembly President 

i. Ugandan Foreign Minister Sam Kutesa was elected president of the 69th session of the UN General Assembly.

ii. Kutesa was chosen unanimously Wednesday by the African Union as the only candidate for the presidency of the 69th session. 
iii. The president-elect will assume office at the start of the 69th session in September, replacing John William Ashe of Antigua and Barbuda, who now leads the current plenary session of the 193 UN member states.
iv. Kutesa, 65, is a Ugandan lawyer and politician. He is the current foreign minister in the Ugandan Cabinet, a position he has held since Jan 13, 2005. He was previously the minister of state for investment in Uganda.

5.    'RBI to soon announce rules for on-tap banking licenses'

i. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) would soon come out with policy guidelines for differentiated banking licenses which would be given on tap, deputy governor of the apex bank R Gandhi said.

ii. Besides, he criticised banks for not extending financial assistance to the micro, small and medium size enterprises (MSMEs) and asked lenders to consider the working dynamics of this sector while extending credit.

iii. The policy guidelines would be put on the public domain first for inviting suggestions from the stakeholders after which applications would be invited, he said.

Note: i. On-tap licensing means the RBI window for granting banking permits would be open through the year.

ii. The RBI recently awarded licenses to micro-finance institution (MFI) Bandhan and finance major IDFC for setting up full-fledged banks.