Current Events

Telecom Company Bharti Airtel launched its Direct-to-Home (DTH) television service on October 7, 2008. Airtel Digital TV as it is called is the 6th DTH service in India. The other five companies are Doordarshan, Tata Sky, Dish TV, Sun and Reliance.

The Union Cabinet on September 18, 2008 approved Chandrayan II which proposes to land a rover on moon. The Indo-Russian mission is expected to cost Rs 425 with a projected launch in 2011-12.

The department of post has been given a new logo and tagline. At first glance, the new logo is an envelop and at the next glance it is a bird in flight. ‘Giving Wings to Your Dreams’ is the new tagline.’

Taare Zameen Par, a film directed by Aamir Khan, has been elected as India’s official entry for the 2009 Oscar Awards.

The Nuclear capable Agni III missile has been approved by the Union Cabinet for induction into the Army. Agni III is a 3500 km range surface-to-surface missile.

India’s indigenously built air-to-air anti-aircraft missile Astra was successfully test-fired on September 14, 2008. The missile has a range of 110 km. It is capable of ducking radar eyes and intercepting a target at supersonic speeds.

As per the data released by the Central Statistical Organization, India’s industrial growth plummeted to 1.3% in August 2008 from a robust 10.9% in the same month in 2007.

The world Investment Report 2008 released on September 24, 2008 by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) hailed India as next only to China in foreign direct investment. China occupies the first position in the report followed by India and USA.

Tata Group’s Rs 1 lakh car Nano has relocated to Gujarat. On October 7, 2008 Tata Motors signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Gujarat government for relocating the Nano plant to Gujarat. The plant will be set up at an 1,100 acre plot in Sanand, a town just 35 km from Ahmedabad.

Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) has started production of crude oil at KG-D6 block of the Krishna Godavari basin in September 17, 2008.

The government on October 31 approved the much-awaited comprehensive insurance bill, which seeks to raise foreign direct investment cap in private sector to 49 per cent from 26 per cent. The bill will be tabled in the Parliament in December.

India launched its first unmanned mission to the moon – Chandrayan 1 on October 22. While the initial lift off is a success, it will take next two-and-a-half weeks to ascertain if the mission is indeed successful. During this period, the craft will gradually move to the lunar orbit, to its intended 100 km height from the lunar surface. If the mission becomes successful, India will be the sixth country in the world to send a spacecraft to the lunar orbit.