1.Dadasaheb Phalke Award for K. BalachanderDirector K. Balachander, one of the influential filmmakers and trendsetters in Indian cinema, will receive the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2010, the Information and Broadcasting MinistryMr. Balachander has explored very interesting themes in several of his films, including ‘Aboorva Ragangal,' ‘Bama Vijayam,' ‘Sindhubhairavi,' ‘Varumayin Niram Sivappu,' and ‘Thanneer Thanneer.' His ‘Ek Duuje Ke Liye' caught the attention of cinema lovers in other parts of the country.2.Rajendra Pawar new Nasscom Chairman Nasscom also announced the appointment of N. Chandrasekaran, Tata Consultancy Services CEO and Managing Director, as Vice-Chairman of the Executive Coun3.I Am Kalam heads to the Buckingham Palace : After winning the Audience Choice Award at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA), I Am Kalam, a film directed by Nila Madhab Panda and produced by Smile Foundation on a child's struggle to get an education against all odds, is reportedly headed to the Buckingham Palace.4.President presents gallantry awards to defence personnel: President Pratibha Patil on Monday decorated personnel of the armed services with awards that included the Kirti Chakra and the Shaurya Chakra, during the Defence Investiture Ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.Indu Sharma, mother of Captain Deepak Sharma of the Corps of Signals, who lost his life fighting militants in Jammu and Kashmir in March last year, received the Kirti Chakra amids included Vice-President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Defence Minister A.K. Antony, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj and Congress president Sonia Gandhi, among others.Major Rahul Gurung (Corps of Engineers/Assam Rifles) and Captain Vikrant Ajit Deshmukh (Madras) were also awarded the Kirti Chakra for fighting insurgents and terrorists in Manipur and Jammu and Kashmir respectively.The five personnel who were posthumously awarded the Shaurya Chakra included Major Deepak Yadav and Major Nitish Roy, who were killed during the terrorist attack on the Indian mission in Kabul in February last..5. Mrinal Pande likely to remain head of Prasar Bharati : Journalist Mrinal Pande will remain at the helm of Prasar Bharati for another three years, PANELl headed by Vice-President Hamid Ansari has decided to give Ms. Pande a second term as the head of the country's public broadcaster.6.Legendary archaeologist Lewis Binford passes away His ‘archaeology as anthropology' proposition emerged as dominant paradigm in contemporary archaeology 7. Muthuraman new CII President : Tata Steel Vice-Chairman B. Muthuraman has been elected new President of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) for 2011-12. The Godrej Group Chairman, Adi Godrej, is the President-designate. Mr. Muthuraman succeeds Hari Bhartia of Jubilant Organosys.Infosys Technologies CEO and Managing Director S. Gopalakrishnan has been elected Vice-President for 2011-12, according to an official statement here.8. Baskaran, first SFI president, dead . Bhaskaran, first all-India president of the Students Federation of India (SFI) and editor of the Chintha Publishers of the CPI(M) in Kerala, died here 9.Former IAF chief passes away : The former Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Dennis A. La Fontaine, passed away10.Maharashtra recommends Bharat Ratna for Sachin 11.INDIA TAKES THE WORLD CUP IN GRAND STYLE Dhoni and Gambhir mastermind high-pressure chase; Jayawardene's luminous century in vain JOY UNBOUND: M.S. Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh celebrate after guiding India to a six-wicket win in the final of the World Cup on Saturday. Dhoni was named the Man of the Match; Yuvraj was adjudged the Man of the Tournament. 12.Pratibha Patil presents Padma awards to 64 winners —Padma awardees including veteran actor Shashi Kapoor (at centre in wheelchair), film actress Kajol and ICICI managing director Chanda Kochhar (extreme right) seen with President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, after the investiture ceremony in New Delhi on Friday. NEW DELHI: President Pratibha Patil on Friday presented the second lot of Padma awards for 2011 to 64 winners, including Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, the former Attorney-General K. Parasaran, WIPRO chief Azim Premji, Telugu film star Akkineni Nageswara Rao, and the former Finance Commission Chairman Vijay Laxman Kelkar, who were honoured with the Padma Vibhushan.In all, the government had announced 128 awards — 13 Padma Vibhushan, 31 Padma Bhushan and 84 Padma Sri on Republic Day eve., the President presented the awards to four Padma Vibhushan, 15 Padma Bhushan and 42 Padma Shri winners. On Friday, eight persons received the Padma Vibhushan, 16 the Padma Bhushan and 40 the Padma Shri.The other Padma Vibhushan recipients honoured on Friday were the first woman photo journalist, Homai Vyarawalla, scientist Palle Rama Rao and Oriya Laureate Sitakant Mahapatra.Those who received the Padma Bhushan included actor Shashi Kapoor, National Security Advisory Board member Shyam Saran, Infosys co-founder S. Gopalakrishnan, HCL co-founder Ajai Chowdhry, NIIT Group chairman R.S. Pawar, Dr. Reddy's Laboratories chairman K. Anji Reddy, ICICI managing director Chanda Kochhar, singer Dwijen Mukherjee, Rajashree Birla of the Aditya Birla Group, theatre director Satyadev Dubey, journalist and author T.J.S.George, artists Arpita Singh and Krishen Khanna and educationist R.M. Pai.13.Thorat assumes office as ICSSR chairperson : The Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) has nominated Sukhadeo Thorat as its chairperson for three years.The ICSSR is fully funded by the Human Resource Development Ministry.Professor Thorat, a former chairperson of the University Grants Commission, took charge on Friday from Javeed Alam.Recipient of Padma Shri in 2008, Professor Thorat is a faculty member at the Jawaharlal Nehru University.14.New censor board chief Leela Samson promises balanced approach 15.Rohinton Mistry in race for Man Booker LONDON: India-born Canadian writer Rohinton Mistry, American master of letters Philip Roth and British ‘spy novelist' John le Carré are among the 13 finalists for the £-60,000 Man Booker International Prize, awarded once in two years for life-time achievement.Mr. le Carré, however, who famously does not compete for prizes, asked for his name to be withdrawn.16.Gujarat House resolution to ban Lelyveld's bookGANDHINAGAR: The Gujarat government has banned Joseph Lelyveld's controversial book, Great Soul: Mahatma Gandhi and His struggle with India, which allegedly calls the Father of the Nation a racist and bisexual17.Liz Taylor: art and allure wonderful actress, winner of two Oscars, co-star to giants such as Spencer Tracy, Richard Burton, Marlon Brando, Paul Newman, Montgomery Clift, and James Dean.Taylor's cinematic career effectively ended when she won her second Oscar for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, in which she played a blowsy harridan opposite Burton.18.Mauritian honour for Maldives' Nasheed : Mauritius has conferred one of its highest honours, Grand Commander of the Order of the Star and the Key of the Indian Ocean (GCSK), on Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed.President of Mauritius Anerood Jugnauth presented the award to Mr. Nasheed at a luncheon on Saturday. Mr. Nasheed was in Mauritius as the chief guest for the National Day, according to the Maldivian President's office.Among the few foreign dignitaries who had been conferred the award are the former President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, and the former President of Guyana, Cheddi Jagan.19.Yashwantrao Chavan Award for Mahasweta Devi Mahasweta Devi Mumbai: Celebrated Bengali writer and activist Mahasweta Devi was conferred the Yashwantrao Chavan National Award 2010 here on Saturday “for her contribution to national integration, democratic values and the socio-economic development of India20.Conserving the Bamiyan Buddhas One of the most horrifying acts of the Taliban was blasting the two magnificent, 1500-year-old Buddha statues in Bamiyan with dynamites, rocket launchers, and tanks. The 10th anniversary of this tragic destruction, which began on March 2, 2011 and took weeks to complete, provides an occasion to reflncluding the Gandhara and Greco-Romanect on the future of the Afghan heritage21.Astrophysicist Radhakrishnan passes away22.Woman Army officer gets gallantry award : Major Mitali Madhumita on Friday became the first woman officer to receive a gallantry award in the Army. She was honoured with 21 Army personnel for acts of bravery and distinguished service at the military station here23.Rs.150 coin to be released soon NEW DELHI: For the first time, the Centre will issue coins of Rs.150 denomination to mark the number of years of taxation in India.24.Prime Minister Manmohan Singh presents the Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed Memorial Award for National Integration (2009) to freedom fighter Hema Bharali at a function in Guwahatifreedom fighter Hema Bharali (for 2009) in the presence of Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi.25..” Oldest Ashok Chakra recipient dead Guwahati: The oldest recipient of Ashok Chakra, the highest peacetime gallantry award, Lieutenant Colonel Man Bahadur Rai passed away at Jorhat 26.Tribal Research and Training Institute (TRTI), Pune has been given the National e-Governance award, 2010-11 (Silver) in Aurangabad on Thursday.27.O.N.V. Kurup gets Jnanpith Award Presenting the 43 {+r} {+d} Jnanpith Awar28.Jayati Ghosh awarded ILO prizeCHENNAI: The International Labour Organisation's Decent Work Research Prize has been awarded to economist Jayati Ghosh and Professor Eve Landau. Dr. Ghosh,:29. Chennai-based neurologist and neuropsychiatrist Ennapadam S. Krishnamoorthy has been awarded the Royal College of Psychiatrists President's Medal for 2011 in recognition of his significant contributions to policy, public knowledge and education in metal health and wellness.30.SAARC to have first woman Secretary-General THIMPHU: SAARC will get its first woman Secretary-General in its silver jubilee year — the former Maldivian Attorney-General, Fathimath Dhiyana Saeed, is all set to succeed Indian diplomat Sheel Kant Sharma, who will complete his tenure of three years by the end of this month.Incidentally, Maldives will host the next SAARC summit in November this year.31.A musical tribute to the Master : Pandit Bhimsen Joshi passed away ten days back, leaving a void in the country's music community. 32.Finance Secy. The Centre on Thursday appointed Sushma Nath as Finance Secretary to replace Ashok Chawla 33.Leaders pay tribute to doyen of India's strategic community K. Subrahmanyam passed away 34.Wajahat Habibullah to head minorities commission New Delhi: India's first Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah is the next on chairpersof the National Commission for Minorities (NCM).35.Change at Googleco-founder Larry Page will take over as Chief Executive Officer from Eric Schmidt. T36.Rahman bags WEF Crystal Award DAVOS (SWITZERLAND): Internationally renowned music composer A.R. Rahman was on Wednesday honoured with the Crystal Award of the World Economic Forum (WE37.Padma Vibhushan for Brajesh, Premji Montek, Nageswara Rao and Parasaran among 13 honoured New Delhi: Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, the former National Security Adviser, Brajesh Mishra, Wipro chief Azim Premji, Telugu film celebrity A. Nageswara Rao, Art historian Kapila Vatsyayan, India's first woman news photographer Homai Vyarawalla and the former Attorney-General, K. Parasaran, are among this year's 13 Padma Vibhushan awardees. The Padma Vibhushan, which is India's second highest civilian honour, has been conferred posthumously on Gandhian and freedom fighter Lakshmi Chand Jain38.‘Sabala Yojana' launched for out-of-school adolescent girls 8 lakh girls, from 11 to 18 years, will benefit from scheme Additional nutrition, life skills training at anganwadi centresTo be implemented in 10 districts of Rajasthan39.Girija Devi, Nataraja Ramakrishna, Sangeet Natak Akademi FellowsIt is a rare honour, and there are only 34 fellows of the Akademi at present.Thirty-eight people from the fields of music, dance, theatre and puppetry were selected for the Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards (Akademi Puraskar) for 2010.40.South Pole awaits centenary influxn honour of the 100th anniversaries of Amundsen's arrival (on December 14, 1911) and Scott's (January 17, 1912). The preparations are already speeding along.41.23 children selected for bravery awards Bindu Shajan Perappadan Geeta Chopra Award for 13-year-old Jismi of Kerala Sanjay Chopra Award has been given to Priyanshu Joshi of UttarakhandThe youngest of them is 6-year-old Shrawan Kumar from Rajasth42.A.R. Rahman wins Critics' Choice awardLos Angeles: Music composer A.R. Rahman bagged the best original song trophy at the 16th Critics' Choice Awards for his number “If I Rise” in Danny Boyle's film 127 Hours. Written by Rollo Armstrong43.Bharat Jyoti Award for K.V. RamanNEW DELHI: Agricultural scientist K.V. Raman has been awarded the prestigious Bharat Jyoti Award of the India International Friendship Society for his contributions to science, technology and developmen44.Baldev Raj is INAE's new chiefChennai: Baldev Raj, Director of the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) in Kalpakkam has been elected president of the Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE45.Happy Birthday, Wikipedia! In India, the 10th anniversary is celebrated in 35 cities 46.Saikat Dutta, Vinita Kamte among RTI award winnersThe winner in the Best PIO category is Pradeep Kumar, a young Block Development Officer of Bilaspur in Himachal Pradesh with a sterling record in upholding transparency and handing out information.47.Schemes to mark 150th birth anniversary of Vivekanand48.Veerendra Kumar, Nanjil Nadan among Sahitya Akademi winners Awards in Maithili and Telugu to be declared soon : The former Union Minister, M.P. Veerendra Kumar is among the 22 who have won this year's Sahitya Akademi awards for the best works in literature. Mr. Kumar has won the award for his travelogue ‘Haimavathabhuvil' in Malayalam.The other winners include eight poets, four novelists and three short story writers.The winning poets are: Arun Sakhardande [Konkani], Vanita [Punjabi], Mithila Prasad Tripathi [Sanskrit], Sheen Kaaf Nizam [Urdu], Laxman Dubey [Sindhi], Mangat Badal [Rajasthani], Aurobindo Uzir [Bodo] and Gopi Narayan Pradhan [Nepali].The novelists are Esther David [English], Bani Basu [Bengali], Dhirendra Mehta [Gujarati] and M.Borkanya [Manipuri].Under the category of short stories, Nanjil Nadan [Tamil], Uday Prakash [Hindi] and Manoj [Dogri] have been chosen for the award.Among others, Rahamat Tarikere [Kannada], Ashok R.Kelkar [Marathi], Basher Bashir [Kashmiri] have won the awards for best books of criticism, Pathani Pattnaik [Oriya] under the category of ‘autobiographies' and Bhogle Soren [Santali] under ‘plays.'49.After 372 years, winter solstice coincides with lunar eclipse New Delhi: After 372 years, sky gazers are in for a special celestial treat as a winter solstice coincides with total lunar eclipse on Tuesday.The last time the two astronomical events coincided was on December 21, 1638, Geoff Chester of the U.S. Naval Observatory said.