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Coal scam: Chronology of events

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Syskool
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coal scam
coal scam

Following is the chronology of events of coal leading to the judgement:

  • July 1992: The coal ministry orders setting up of a screening committee to consider proposals from private power companies for captive mining on first-cum-first-serve basis. Screening committee guidelines give preference to large projects of power and steel companies.
  • July 14, 1992: A number of coal blocks, which were not in the production plan of Coal India Ltd and the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL), were identified and a list of 143 blocks was prepared.
  • 1993 to 2010: A total of 70 coal mines or blocks were allocated between 1993 and 2005, 53 in 2006, 52 in 2007, 24 in 2008, 16 in 2009 and one in 2010. In all, 216 blocks were allocated between 1993 and 2010, out of which 24 were taken away at different points in time, effectively leaving the total number of allocated blocks at 194.
  • March 2012: CAG’s draft report accuses govt of ‘inefficient’ allocation of coal blocks 2004-2009; estimates windfall gains to allottees at Rs 10.7 lakh crore.
  • May 29, 2012: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh offers to give up his public life if found guilty in the scam
  • May 31, 2012: CVC, based on a complaint of two BJP MPs —Prakash Javadekar and Hansraj Ahir — directs a CBI enquiry
  • June 2012: Coal ministry forms an inter-ministerial panel to review the process of allocation of blocks and to decide either on de-allocations or forfeiture of bank guarantees. Since then, the government has taken back about 80 coal fields while bank guarantees in 42 cases have been forfeited.
  • August 2012: CAG’s final report, tabled in Parliament, tones down loss to exchequer figure to Rs 1.86 lakh crore.
  • August 25, 2012: Govt claims CAG’s presumptive loss theory flawed, no mining yet.
  • August 27, 2012: PM says CAG flawed; “The observations of the CAG are clearly disputable”
  • September 6, 2012: PIL in SC seeks cancellation of 194 coal block allotments Supreme Court begins monitoring the CBI probe into the coal field allocations
  • March 2013: The Apex Court asks CBI not to share probe details with govt
  • April 23, 2013: Standing Committee on Coal and Steel, in a report tabled in Parliament, says coal blocks distributed between 1993-2008 done in unauthorized manner. Says allotment of mines where production not started should be cancelled
  • April 26, 2013: CBI Director Ranjit Sinha submits affidavit saying investigation report shared with law minister Ashwani Kumar.
  • May 10, 2013: Ashwani Kumar resigns.
  • June 11, 2013: CBI registers first information report (FIR) against Naveen Jindal and Dasari Narayana Rao.
  • October 16, 2013: CBI files an FIR against industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla and former coal secretary PC Parakh.
  • July 2014: The Supreme Court sets up a special CBI court to try all coal field allocation cases.
  • August, 2014: The CBI decides to close its case against Birla and Parakh.
  • September 1, 2014: A special court asks the CBI to clarify whether “rule of law” was followed in allocation of coal blocks to top industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla’s Hindalco.
  • September 24, 2014: Supreme Court quashes allocation of 214 coal blocks.
  • October 2014: Government decides to e-auction coal mines.
  • October 21, 2014: CBI files revised closure report in K. M. Birla case.
  • November 10, 2014: The Supreme Court-appointed special public prosecutor submits before Special CBI Judge that the court can take cognisance of the closure report as there was prima facie evidence.

Amazing Facts About Dreams

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Syskool
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The person who became blind after his/her birth can see images in their dreams. Persons who are born blind do not see images. In dreams they can sense sound, smell, touch and emotion…dreams will make virtually all physical situations to make it happen than in imagination

Amazing Facts About Dreams

  • After 5 minutes of walking , 50% of your dream is forgotten, within 10 minutes ,90% is gone
  • All human dreams …men and women have different dream and physical reactions…men dreams more about other men, women dreams about both.
  • Recurring Dreams – While the content of most dream is dreamt only once, many people experience recurring dreams—that is, the same dream narrative is experienced over different occasions of sleep
  • Body Paralysis – Rapid Eye movement (REM) sleep is a normal stage of sleep characterized by rapid movements of the eyes.
  • During REM sleep the body is paralyzed by a mechanism in the brain in order to prevent the movements which occur in the dream from causing the physical body to move.
  • Not Everybody Dream in Color – A full 12% of sighted people dream exclusively in black and white. The remaining number dream in full color. Studies from 1915 through to the 1950s maintained that the majority of dreams were in black and white, but these results began to change in the 1960s. Today, only 4.4% of the dream of under-25 years old are in black and white. Recent research has suggested that those changing results may be linked to the switch from black-and-white film and TV to color media.
  • Daydream – Day-dreaming is classified as a level of consciousness between sleep and wakefulness. It occurs during our waking hours when we let our imagination carry us away. As our minds begin to wander and our level of awareness decreases, we lose ourselves in our imagined scenario and fantasy.
  • Nightmare – A nightmare is a disturbing dream that causes the dreamer to wake up feeling anxious and frightened. Nightmares may be a response to real life trauma and situations. This type of nightmares fall under a special category called Post-traumatic stress nightmare (PSN).
 Also, Read:
Crazy-Interesting facts about Sleep
Turn Your Dream into Reality
Shocking Facts about Stress

Interesting Facts about Airports, Airlines and Air Traveling

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Syskool
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Interesting Facts about Airports, Airlines and Air Traveling

Interesting Facts about Airports, Airlines and Air Traveling

  • All International Airline Pilots speak English.
  • Flights longer than 8 hours require 3 pilots (1 captain and 2 first officers) to rotate flying duties. Flights longer than 12 hours require 4 pilots (1 captain and 3 first officers). They usually fly 3-4 hour shifts.
  • Each airline pilot flying the aircraft eats a different meal to minimize the risk of all pilots on board being ill.
  • The height requirement for Flight Attendant is for safety reasons, making sure that all flight attendants can reach overhead safety equipment.
  • An air traveler can lose approximately 1.5 liters of water in the body during a three-hour flight.
  • The reason why the lights are turned out during takeoff and landing Is for your eyes to adjust to lower levels of light.
  • The World’s largest Airline in terms of Fleet Size is Delta Airlines (United States) with 744 aircraft and 121 aircraft on order.
  • The largest passenger plane is the Airbus 380 – nearly 240 feet long, almost 80 feet high, and has a wingspan of more than 260 feet. The double-decker plane has a standard seating capacity of 555 passengers.
  • The Internet/On-Line check-in was first used by Alaskan Airlines in 1999.
  • The world’s Largest Airport is Kansai International Airport, Osaka, Japan (as of 2011). By 2013 Al Maktoum International Airport in Jebel Ali, Dubai, United Arab Emirates is planned to be the largest airport in the world.
  • The airport with the longest runway in the world is Qamdo Bangda Airport in the People’s Republic of China with 5.50 kilometers in length.
  • Singapore Airlines spends about $700 million on food every year and $16 million on wine alone. First class passengers consume 20,000 bottles of alcohol every month and Singapore Airlines is the second largest buyer of Dom Perignon champagne in the world.
  • KLM of Netherlands stands for Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij (meaning Royal Dutch Airlines).
  • KLM is the world’s oldest airline established in 1919.
  • QANTAS – Australia’s national airline originally stood for Queensland and Northern Territories Air Service.
  • QANTAS is the second world’s oldest airline established in 1920.
  • QANTAS still has the world’s best safety record with no crashes.
  • Virgin Atlantic lists catering as their third biggest expense, after fuel and maintenance.
  • In one year, British Airways passengers consume 40.5 tons of chicken, 6 tons of caviar, 22 tons of smoked salmon, 557,507 boxes of chocolate and 90 thousand cases (9-liter cases) of sparkling wine.

Also, Read:

Facts about Air Travel in India

Augusta Westland Chopper Scam

Modern Olympic Games

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Syskool
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Modern Olympic Games

The revival work of the Modern Olympic Games was undertaken by Baron Pierre de Coubertin nearly 1,500 years after the last of the ancient Games. He was born into a family of Italian origin which had settled in France. It was on November 25, 1892, during a conference at Sorbonne about the history of physical exercises, that the first pronounced those famous six words in public “The Restoration of the Olympic Games” He said that the Games would ennoble and strengthen amateur sports to give them strength and lasting quality for an essential role in the world of modern education.

Read Also: Famous Personalities of Olympic Games

Olympic Symbol: It comprises five rings or circles, linked together to represent the sporting friendship of all people. The rings also symbolise the continents- Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and America. Each ring is of a different colour i.e. blue, yellow, black, green and red. The rings are meant to represent five continents viz., Africa (black), America (red), Asia (yellow), Australia (green) and Europe (Blue).

Olympic Flag: The Olympic flag, created in 1913 at the suggestion of Baron Pierre de Coubertin, was solemnly inaugurated in Paris in June 1914 but it was raised over an Olympic stadium for the first time at the Antwerp used for the Winter Games. These flags are made of white silk and contain above mentioned five intertwined rings. From left to right the rings are blue, yellow, black, green and red.

Olympic Flame (Torch): It was at the Amsterdam Games in 1928 that for the first time an Olympic flame was ceremonially lighted and burned in a giant torch at the entrance of the stadium. The modern version of the flame was adopted in 1936 at the Berlin Games. The Olympic flame symbolises the continuity between the ancient and modern games.

The torch used to kindle the flame, is first lit by the sun’s rays at Olympia, Greece, and then carried to the site of the Games by the relay of runners. Ships and planes are used when necessary. On July 15, 1976, space age technology was used to transport the flame from one continent to another.

Olympic Motto: The Olympic motto is “Citius-Altius-Fortius” (faster, higher, and stronger). Rev. Father Didon (1840-1900), headmaster of a school near Paris and a great promoter of sports in the French Catholic colleges first used the motto and had it embroidered on the pennants of his school clubs.

This succinct definition of the philosophy of sport appealed to father Dion’s friend, Baron Pierre de Coubertin who was responsible for the revival of the Olympic Games nearly 1,500 years after the last of the ancient Games. It was adopted at his suggestion at the International congress for the “Study and Propagation of the Principles of Amateurism” on June 23, 1894, the same day on which the restoration of the Olympic Games and the creation of the International Olympic Committee were also decided.

Olympic Prizes, Medals and Certificates: While in ancient times the Olympic heroes received a crown of olive branches for their exploits, modern Olympics Champions are rewarded with medals and certificates. The winning athlete now receives a Gold medal, the athlete in the second place is awarded a silver medal and the third placed athlete in the second place is awarded a Silver medal and the third placed athlete wins a Bronze medal.

opoIn addition, all athletes ranking from first to sixth receive a certificate. Each medal is 60 mm in diameter and 3 mm thick. The first and second place medals are made of 92.5 percent silver and the medals for the first winner are then plated with 6 gram of fine gold. Thus this medal is not full gold. The third place medal is of bronze.

Olympic Mascot: It was introduced in 1972 at the 20th Olympics Games held at Munich and since then an Olympic Mascot is selected for a particular year and venue.

Don’t Miss:

India and Indians at the Olympics

Ancient Olympic Games

Facts on Olympic Games

First Spacecraft in Space

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Syskool
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First Spacecraft in Space

First Spacecraft in Space

  • Luna 2 – Luna 2 was the first spacecraft to make a landing on the moon. Launched by the USSR on 12 Sep 1959, it impacted the surface of the moon on 14.09.1959
  • Luna 3 – Luna 3 was first space probe to photograph the far side or the dark side of the moon. It was launched by the USSR on 04 Oct 1959
  • Apollo 11 – Apollo 11 was the first spacecraft which landed the first humans, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon.
  • Mariner 4 – Mariner 4 was the first spacecraft to fly by Mars and also the first to return images of another planet. It was launched by the USA on 28.11.1964
  • Mariner 9 – It was the first spacecraft to orbit another planet, Mars. It was launched by the USA on 30.05.1971
  • Mars 3 It was the first spacecraft to land successfully on Mars. It was launched by the USSR on 28.05.1971
  • Pioneer 10 – Pioneer 10 was the first spacecraft to reach the planet Jupiter. It was launched by the USA on 02.03.1972 and reached closest to Jupiter on 04.12.1973. In 1983, Pioneer 10 became the first spacecraft to travel past the orbit of the most distant planet, Neptune.
  • Galileo-Galilei launched by the USA on 18.10.1989 was the first spacecraft in space to flyby an asteroid, 951 Gaspra. It also discovered Dactyl, a moon of the asteroid Ida. The spacecraft was the first to orbit Jupiter in December 1995.
  • Mariner 10 – Launched on 03.11.1973, Mariner 10 was the first spacecraft to flyby Mercury.
  • Messenger- Messenger was the first spacecraft to orbit Mercury. It was launched by the USA on 03.08.2004, it entered the orbit of Mercury on 18.03.2011
  • Helios 2 – Helios 2 launched on 15.01.1976 was a joint venture of the United States and West Germany. It set the record for being closest spacecraft to the Sun, at a distance of 43.432 million kilometers on 17 April 1976.
  • Voyager 1 – Voyager 1 launched on 05.09.1977 by NASA, to study solar system and interstellar medium, became the first manmade object to enter the interstellar space on 25 August 2012. (This was confirmed by NASA in Sep 2013).

Don’t Miss:

10 Countries with Space presence

The Earth and the Universe

India Launches 6th IRNSS Satellite All You Need to Know

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