1. ECB decided to end production and issuance of 500 euro banknote
1. The European Central Bank (ECB) on 4 May 2016 announced that it will permanently stop producing the 500 euro banknote by the end of 2018. The ECB will also exclude it from the Europa series, taking into account concerns that this banknote could facilitate illicit activities.
2. The issuance of the 500 euro note will be stopped around the end of 2018, when the 100 euro and 200 euro banknotes of the Europa series are planned to be introduced.
3. However, 500 euro banknote, like the other denominations of euro banknotes, will always retain its value and can be exchanged at the national central banks of the Eurosystem for an unlimited period of time.
2. Lok Sabha passed the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Bill, 2015
1. Lok Sabha passed the Compensatory Afforestation Fund bill, 2015 that seeks to establish setting up of a National Compensatory Afforestation Fund and also a State Compensatory Afforestation Fund.
2. The bill paves the way for unlocking of nearly 41000 crore rupees earmarked for forest land which is lying unspent.
3. It was introduced in the Parliament (Lok Sabha) for the first time on 8 May 2015.
3. Union Cabinet approved signing of MoC between Ministry of Women & Child Development and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
1. The Union Cabinet approved the signing of Memorandum of Co-operation (MoC) between Ministry of Women & Child Development (MWCD) and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF).
2. The MoC will be signed for the cooperation in Information and Communication Technology Enabled Real Time Monitoring (ICT-RTM) of Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and other related technical matters.
3. The MoC will facilitate the development of CAS for ICT-RTM, training of trainers and other technical matters. ICT-RTM and other components will be rolled out in phased manner.
The MoC will cover 162 high malnutrition burden districts of eight states. These states are Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
4. Key highlights of the MoC
• Implementation of ICT-RTM of ICDS, which will enable the authorities for timely intervention for ensuring proper service delivery.
• Putting up in place a shared national communication campaign, communications strategy and guidelines, customizing communications, products and material to local contexts along with developing plans for large scale dissemination.
• Technical support through high quality technical teams of nutrition experts.
4. Portal for Contract Labour Payment Management System launched
1. Piyush Goyal, Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal and New & Renewable Energy launched ‘Contract Labour Payment Management System’- a portal of Coal India Limited (CIL).
2.This web portal will help the government to curb problems like corruption and exploitation of contractual workers by contractors. It will also help in providing proper and timely wages to contractual workers.
3. It has been planned to make payment to the contractors only after submitting a system generated declaration of compliance.
4. Main Features of Web Portal
• The web portal is created for monitoring compliance of labour payment and other benefits to the contract workers under the Contract Labour (Regulation & Abolition) Act, 1970.
It is an integrated system for all subsidiaries of CIL.
• The in-house developed application will maintain a comprehensive database of all contract workers engaged by different contractors in CIL and all its subsidiaries.
• The portal will be managed by the Central Mine Planning and Development Institute (CMPDI), Ranchi. It is a consultancy subsidiary of Coal India Limited.
5. US jury ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay 55 million dollar for causing cancer
1. US jury of St Louise ordered Johnson & Johnson (J&J) to pay 55 million US dollars to a woman, Gloria Ristesund, who claimed that company’s talcum powder caused her ovarian cancer. It is the second such judgment against J&J in three months.
2. The verdict came after a three-week trial in Missouri state court. The Judges in their verdict awarded 5 million US dollars in compensatory damages and 50 million US dollars in punitive damages.
3. Ristesund, in her suit claimed that she used J&J's talc-based powder products which include the Baby Powder and Shower to Shower Powder on her genitals for decades. And, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and had to undergo a hysterectomy and related surgeries.
6. Scientists develop world’s smallest light powered engine
1. A group of researchers from University of Cambridge have built the world’s smallest (nanoscale) working engine. The research team was led by Professor Jeremy Baumberg from the Cavendish Laboratory. They have named the microscopic engine as ANTs (Actuating Nano-Transducers).
2. The nanoscale engine is just a few billionths of a metre in size and uses light to power itself. The prototype engine was made of tiny charged particles of gold. It was bound together with temperature-responsive gel-like polymer called pNIPAM.
7. President Pranab Mukherjee presents 63rd National Film Awards 2015
1. President Pranab Mukherjee has conferred 63rd National Film Awards for the year 2015 in various categories at the function held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.
2. Legendry actor Manoj Kumar was conferred 2015 Dada Saheb Phalke Award, highest official recognition (award) in Indian cinema.
3. Baahubali: The Beginning (Tamil, Telugu film) directed by S. S. Rajamouli was bestowed with the Best feature film award. Bajrangi Bhaijaan (Hindi) directed by Kabir Khan was awarded as the Best Popular film providing wholesome entertainment.
The 63rd National Film Awards in the various categories
Best Actor: Amitabh Bachchan (Piku).
Best Actress: Kangana Ranaut (Tanu Weds Manu Returns).
Best Direction: Sanjay Leela Bhansali (Bajirao Mastani).
Best Film on Social Issues: Niranayakam (Malayalam) directed by V. K. Prakash.
Best Supporting Actor: Samuthirakani for the film Visaranai (Tamil). Best Supporting Actress: Tanvi Azmi for the film Bajirao Mastani (Hindi).
Best Children’s Film: Duronto (Hindi) directed by Soumnedra Padhi.
Best Child Artist: Gaurav Menon for the film Ben (Malayalam). Special Jury Award: Margarita with a Straw (Hindi) directed by Kalki Koechlin.
Best Cinematography: Remo D’Souza for the film Bajirao Mastani (Hindi).
Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director: Neeraj Ghaywan for the film Masaan (Hindi).
Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration: Nanak Shah Fakir (Punjabi) directed by Sartaj Singh Pannu.
8. Swiss honour for Yash Chopra
1. Late director Yash Chopra, who captured the verdant Swiss valley in his films, has been honoured with a special statue by the Switzerland government.
2. A sculpture made of pure bronze, and weighing about 350 kilos, will present Yash Chopra in an iconic pose of him directing a film.
3. Chopra, who opened a legacy of South Asian tourists flocking to Switzerland, loved to spend time there. Natural beauty and warm hospitality mark the association that his banner Yash Raj Films shares with this country.
4. The statue will be installed at the heart of Interlaken, inside the KURSAAL area, near the Congress Centre. A prime, popular spot with tourists, the statue will remind many of the cinematic splendour that Yash Chopra had created for this picturesque nation.
1. The European Central Bank (ECB) on 4 May 2016 announced that it will permanently stop producing the 500 euro banknote by the end of 2018. The ECB will also exclude it from the Europa series, taking into account concerns that this banknote could facilitate illicit activities.
2. The issuance of the 500 euro note will be stopped around the end of 2018, when the 100 euro and 200 euro banknotes of the Europa series are planned to be introduced.
3. However, 500 euro banknote, like the other denominations of euro banknotes, will always retain its value and can be exchanged at the national central banks of the Eurosystem for an unlimited period of time.
2. Lok Sabha passed the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Bill, 2015
1. Lok Sabha passed the Compensatory Afforestation Fund bill, 2015 that seeks to establish setting up of a National Compensatory Afforestation Fund and also a State Compensatory Afforestation Fund.
2. The bill paves the way for unlocking of nearly 41000 crore rupees earmarked for forest land which is lying unspent.
3. It was introduced in the Parliament (Lok Sabha) for the first time on 8 May 2015.
3. Union Cabinet approved signing of MoC between Ministry of Women & Child Development and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
1. The Union Cabinet approved the signing of Memorandum of Co-operation (MoC) between Ministry of Women & Child Development (MWCD) and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF).
2. The MoC will be signed for the cooperation in Information and Communication Technology Enabled Real Time Monitoring (ICT-RTM) of Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and other related technical matters.
3. The MoC will facilitate the development of CAS for ICT-RTM, training of trainers and other technical matters. ICT-RTM and other components will be rolled out in phased manner.
The MoC will cover 162 high malnutrition burden districts of eight states. These states are Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
4. Key highlights of the MoC
• Implementation of ICT-RTM of ICDS, which will enable the authorities for timely intervention for ensuring proper service delivery.
• Putting up in place a shared national communication campaign, communications strategy and guidelines, customizing communications, products and material to local contexts along with developing plans for large scale dissemination.
• Technical support through high quality technical teams of nutrition experts.
4. Portal for Contract Labour Payment Management System launched
1. Piyush Goyal, Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal and New & Renewable Energy launched ‘Contract Labour Payment Management System’- a portal of Coal India Limited (CIL).
2.This web portal will help the government to curb problems like corruption and exploitation of contractual workers by contractors. It will also help in providing proper and timely wages to contractual workers.
3. It has been planned to make payment to the contractors only after submitting a system generated declaration of compliance.
4. Main Features of Web Portal
• The web portal is created for monitoring compliance of labour payment and other benefits to the contract workers under the Contract Labour (Regulation & Abolition) Act, 1970.
It is an integrated system for all subsidiaries of CIL.
• The in-house developed application will maintain a comprehensive database of all contract workers engaged by different contractors in CIL and all its subsidiaries.
• The portal will be managed by the Central Mine Planning and Development Institute (CMPDI), Ranchi. It is a consultancy subsidiary of Coal India Limited.
5. US jury ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay 55 million dollar for causing cancer
1. US jury of St Louise ordered Johnson & Johnson (J&J) to pay 55 million US dollars to a woman, Gloria Ristesund, who claimed that company’s talcum powder caused her ovarian cancer. It is the second such judgment against J&J in three months.
2. The verdict came after a three-week trial in Missouri state court. The Judges in their verdict awarded 5 million US dollars in compensatory damages and 50 million US dollars in punitive damages.
3. Ristesund, in her suit claimed that she used J&J's talc-based powder products which include the Baby Powder and Shower to Shower Powder on her genitals for decades. And, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and had to undergo a hysterectomy and related surgeries.
6. Scientists develop world’s smallest light powered engine
1. A group of researchers from University of Cambridge have built the world’s smallest (nanoscale) working engine. The research team was led by Professor Jeremy Baumberg from the Cavendish Laboratory. They have named the microscopic engine as ANTs (Actuating Nano-Transducers).
2. The nanoscale engine is just a few billionths of a metre in size and uses light to power itself. The prototype engine was made of tiny charged particles of gold. It was bound together with temperature-responsive gel-like polymer called pNIPAM.
7. President Pranab Mukherjee presents 63rd National Film Awards 2015
1. President Pranab Mukherjee has conferred 63rd National Film Awards for the year 2015 in various categories at the function held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.
2. Legendry actor Manoj Kumar was conferred 2015 Dada Saheb Phalke Award, highest official recognition (award) in Indian cinema.
3. Baahubali: The Beginning (Tamil, Telugu film) directed by S. S. Rajamouli was bestowed with the Best feature film award. Bajrangi Bhaijaan (Hindi) directed by Kabir Khan was awarded as the Best Popular film providing wholesome entertainment.
The 63rd National Film Awards in the various categories
Best Actor: Amitabh Bachchan (Piku).
Best Actress: Kangana Ranaut (Tanu Weds Manu Returns).
Best Direction: Sanjay Leela Bhansali (Bajirao Mastani).
Best Film on Social Issues: Niranayakam (Malayalam) directed by V. K. Prakash.
Best Supporting Actor: Samuthirakani for the film Visaranai (Tamil). Best Supporting Actress: Tanvi Azmi for the film Bajirao Mastani (Hindi).
Best Children’s Film: Duronto (Hindi) directed by Soumnedra Padhi.
Best Child Artist: Gaurav Menon for the film Ben (Malayalam). Special Jury Award: Margarita with a Straw (Hindi) directed by Kalki Koechlin.
Best Cinematography: Remo D’Souza for the film Bajirao Mastani (Hindi).
Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director: Neeraj Ghaywan for the film Masaan (Hindi).
Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration: Nanak Shah Fakir (Punjabi) directed by Sartaj Singh Pannu.
8. Swiss honour for Yash Chopra
1. Late director Yash Chopra, who captured the verdant Swiss valley in his films, has been honoured with a special statue by the Switzerland government.
2. A sculpture made of pure bronze, and weighing about 350 kilos, will present Yash Chopra in an iconic pose of him directing a film.
3. Chopra, who opened a legacy of South Asian tourists flocking to Switzerland, loved to spend time there. Natural beauty and warm hospitality mark the association that his banner Yash Raj Films shares with this country.
4. The statue will be installed at the heart of Interlaken, inside the KURSAAL area, near the Congress Centre. A prime, popular spot with tourists, the statue will remind many of the cinematic splendour that Yash Chopra had created for this picturesque nation.
1. ECB decided to end production and issuance of 500 euro banknote
1. The European Central Bank (ECB) on 4 May 2016 announced that it will permanently stop producing the 500 euro banknote by the end of 2018. The ECB will also exclude it from the Europa series, taking into account concerns that this banknote could facilitate illicit activities.
2. The issuance of the 500 euro note will be stopped around the end of 2018, when the 100 euro and 200 euro banknotes of the Europa series are planned to be introduced.
3. However, 500 euro banknote, like the other denominations of euro banknotes, will always retain its value and can be exchanged at the national central banks of the Eurosystem for an unlimited period of time.
2. Lok Sabha passed the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Bill, 2015
1. Lok Sabha passed the Compensatory Afforestation Fund bill, 2015 that seeks to establish setting up of a National Compensatory Afforestation Fund and also a State Compensatory Afforestation Fund.
2. The bill paves the way for unlocking of nearly 41000 crore rupees earmarked for forest land which is lying unspent.
3. It was introduced in the Parliament (Lok Sabha) for the first time on 8 May 2015.
3. Union Cabinet approved signing of MoC between Ministry of Women & Child Development and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
1. The Union Cabinet approved the signing of Memorandum of Co-operation (MoC) between Ministry of Women & Child Development (MWCD) and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF).
2. The MoC will be signed for the cooperation in Information and Communication Technology Enabled Real Time Monitoring (ICT-RTM) of Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and other related technical matters.
3. The MoC will facilitate the development of CAS for ICT-RTM, training of trainers and other technical matters. ICT-RTM and other components will be rolled out in phased manner.
The MoC will cover 162 high malnutrition burden districts of eight states. These states are Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
4. Key highlights of the MoC
• Implementation of ICT-RTM of ICDS, which will enable the authorities for timely intervention for ensuring proper service delivery.
• Putting up in place a shared national communication campaign, communications strategy and guidelines, customizing communications, products and material to local contexts along with developing plans for large scale dissemination.
• Technical support through high quality technical teams of nutrition experts.
4. Portal for Contract Labour Payment Management System launched
1. Piyush Goyal, Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal and New & Renewable Energy launched ‘Contract Labour Payment Management System’- a portal of Coal India Limited (CIL).
2.This web portal will help the government to curb problems like corruption and exploitation of contractual workers by contractors. It will also help in providing proper and timely wages to contractual workers.
3. It has been planned to make payment to the contractors only after submitting a system generated declaration of compliance.
4. Main Features of Web Portal
• The web portal is created for monitoring compliance of labour payment and other benefits to the contract workers under the Contract Labour (Regulation & Abolition) Act, 1970.
It is an integrated system for all subsidiaries of CIL.
• The in-house developed application will maintain a comprehensive database of all contract workers engaged by different contractors in CIL and all its subsidiaries.
• The portal will be managed by the Central Mine Planning and Development Institute (CMPDI), Ranchi. It is a consultancy subsidiary of Coal India Limited.
5. US jury ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay 55 million dollar for causing cancer
1. US jury of St Louise ordered Johnson & Johnson (J&J) to pay 55 million US dollars to a woman, Gloria Ristesund, who claimed that company’s talcum powder caused her ovarian cancer. It is the second such judgment against J&J in three months.
2. The verdict came after a three-week trial in Missouri state court. The Judges in their verdict awarded 5 million US dollars in compensatory damages and 50 million US dollars in punitive damages.
3. Ristesund, in her suit claimed that she used J&J's talc-based powder products which include the Baby Powder and Shower to Shower Powder on her genitals for decades. And, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and had to undergo a hysterectomy and related surgeries.
6. Scientists develop world’s smallest light powered engine
1. A group of researchers from University of Cambridge have built the world’s smallest (nanoscale) working engine. The research team was led by Professor Jeremy Baumberg from the Cavendish Laboratory. They have named the microscopic engine as ANTs (Actuating Nano-Transducers).
2. The nanoscale engine is just a few billionths of a metre in size and uses light to power itself. The prototype engine was made of tiny charged particles of gold. It was bound together with temperature-responsive gel-like polymer called pNIPAM.
7. President Pranab Mukherjee presents 63rd National Film Awards 2015
1. President Pranab Mukherjee has conferred 63rd National Film Awards for the year 2015 in various categories at the function held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.
2. Legendry actor Manoj Kumar was conferred 2015 Dada Saheb Phalke Award, highest official recognition (award) in Indian cinema.
3. Baahubali: The Beginning (Tamil, Telugu film) directed by S. S. Rajamouli was bestowed with the Best feature film award. Bajrangi Bhaijaan (Hindi) directed by Kabir Khan was awarded as the Best Popular film providing wholesome entertainment.
The 63rd National Film Awards in the various categories
Best Actor: Amitabh Bachchan (Piku).
Best Actress: Kangana Ranaut (Tanu Weds Manu Returns).
Best Direction: Sanjay Leela Bhansali (Bajirao Mastani).
Best Film on Social Issues: Niranayakam (Malayalam) directed by V. K. Prakash.
Best Supporting Actor: Samuthirakani for the film Visaranai (Tamil). Best Supporting Actress: Tanvi Azmi for the film Bajirao Mastani (Hindi).
Best Children’s Film: Duronto (Hindi) directed by Soumnedra Padhi.
Best Child Artist: Gaurav Menon for the film Ben (Malayalam). Special Jury Award: Margarita with a Straw (Hindi) directed by Kalki Koechlin.
Best Cinematography: Remo D’Souza for the film Bajirao Mastani (Hindi).
Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director: Neeraj Ghaywan for the film Masaan (Hindi).
Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration: Nanak Shah Fakir (Punjabi) directed by Sartaj Singh Pannu.
8. Swiss honour for Yash Chopra
1. Late director Yash Chopra, who captured the verdant Swiss valley in his films, has been honoured with a special statue by the Switzerland government.
2. A sculpture made of pure bronze, and weighing about 350 kilos, will present Yash Chopra in an iconic pose of him directing a film.
3. Chopra, who opened a legacy of South Asian tourists flocking to Switzerland, loved to spend time there. Natural beauty and warm hospitality mark the association that his banner Yash Raj Films shares with this country.
4. The statue will be installed at the heart of Interlaken, inside the KURSAAL area, near the Congress Centre. A prime, popular spot with tourists, the statue will remind many of the cinematic splendour that Yash Chopra had created for this picturesque nation.
1. The European Central Bank (ECB) on 4 May 2016 announced that it will permanently stop producing the 500 euro banknote by the end of 2018. The ECB will also exclude it from the Europa series, taking into account concerns that this banknote could facilitate illicit activities.
2. The issuance of the 500 euro note will be stopped around the end of 2018, when the 100 euro and 200 euro banknotes of the Europa series are planned to be introduced.
3. However, 500 euro banknote, like the other denominations of euro banknotes, will always retain its value and can be exchanged at the national central banks of the Eurosystem for an unlimited period of time.
2. Lok Sabha passed the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Bill, 2015
1. Lok Sabha passed the Compensatory Afforestation Fund bill, 2015 that seeks to establish setting up of a National Compensatory Afforestation Fund and also a State Compensatory Afforestation Fund.
2. The bill paves the way for unlocking of nearly 41000 crore rupees earmarked for forest land which is lying unspent.
3. It was introduced in the Parliament (Lok Sabha) for the first time on 8 May 2015.
3. Union Cabinet approved signing of MoC between Ministry of Women & Child Development and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
1. The Union Cabinet approved the signing of Memorandum of Co-operation (MoC) between Ministry of Women & Child Development (MWCD) and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF).
2. The MoC will be signed for the cooperation in Information and Communication Technology Enabled Real Time Monitoring (ICT-RTM) of Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and other related technical matters.
3. The MoC will facilitate the development of CAS for ICT-RTM, training of trainers and other technical matters. ICT-RTM and other components will be rolled out in phased manner.
The MoC will cover 162 high malnutrition burden districts of eight states. These states are Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
4. Key highlights of the MoC
• Implementation of ICT-RTM of ICDS, which will enable the authorities for timely intervention for ensuring proper service delivery.
• Putting up in place a shared national communication campaign, communications strategy and guidelines, customizing communications, products and material to local contexts along with developing plans for large scale dissemination.
• Technical support through high quality technical teams of nutrition experts.
4. Portal for Contract Labour Payment Management System launched
1. Piyush Goyal, Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal and New & Renewable Energy launched ‘Contract Labour Payment Management System’- a portal of Coal India Limited (CIL).
2.This web portal will help the government to curb problems like corruption and exploitation of contractual workers by contractors. It will also help in providing proper and timely wages to contractual workers.
3. It has been planned to make payment to the contractors only after submitting a system generated declaration of compliance.
4. Main Features of Web Portal
• The web portal is created for monitoring compliance of labour payment and other benefits to the contract workers under the Contract Labour (Regulation & Abolition) Act, 1970.
It is an integrated system for all subsidiaries of CIL.
• The in-house developed application will maintain a comprehensive database of all contract workers engaged by different contractors in CIL and all its subsidiaries.
• The portal will be managed by the Central Mine Planning and Development Institute (CMPDI), Ranchi. It is a consultancy subsidiary of Coal India Limited.
5. US jury ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay 55 million dollar for causing cancer
1. US jury of St Louise ordered Johnson & Johnson (J&J) to pay 55 million US dollars to a woman, Gloria Ristesund, who claimed that company’s talcum powder caused her ovarian cancer. It is the second such judgment against J&J in three months.
2. The verdict came after a three-week trial in Missouri state court. The Judges in their verdict awarded 5 million US dollars in compensatory damages and 50 million US dollars in punitive damages.
3. Ristesund, in her suit claimed that she used J&J's talc-based powder products which include the Baby Powder and Shower to Shower Powder on her genitals for decades. And, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and had to undergo a hysterectomy and related surgeries.
6. Scientists develop world’s smallest light powered engine
1. A group of researchers from University of Cambridge have built the world’s smallest (nanoscale) working engine. The research team was led by Professor Jeremy Baumberg from the Cavendish Laboratory. They have named the microscopic engine as ANTs (Actuating Nano-Transducers).
2. The nanoscale engine is just a few billionths of a metre in size and uses light to power itself. The prototype engine was made of tiny charged particles of gold. It was bound together with temperature-responsive gel-like polymer called pNIPAM.
7. President Pranab Mukherjee presents 63rd National Film Awards 2015
1. President Pranab Mukherjee has conferred 63rd National Film Awards for the year 2015 in various categories at the function held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.
2. Legendry actor Manoj Kumar was conferred 2015 Dada Saheb Phalke Award, highest official recognition (award) in Indian cinema.
3. Baahubali: The Beginning (Tamil, Telugu film) directed by S. S. Rajamouli was bestowed with the Best feature film award. Bajrangi Bhaijaan (Hindi) directed by Kabir Khan was awarded as the Best Popular film providing wholesome entertainment.
The 63rd National Film Awards in the various categories
Best Actor: Amitabh Bachchan (Piku).
Best Actress: Kangana Ranaut (Tanu Weds Manu Returns).
Best Direction: Sanjay Leela Bhansali (Bajirao Mastani).
Best Film on Social Issues: Niranayakam (Malayalam) directed by V. K. Prakash.
Best Supporting Actor: Samuthirakani for the film Visaranai (Tamil). Best Supporting Actress: Tanvi Azmi for the film Bajirao Mastani (Hindi).
Best Children’s Film: Duronto (Hindi) directed by Soumnedra Padhi.
Best Child Artist: Gaurav Menon for the film Ben (Malayalam). Special Jury Award: Margarita with a Straw (Hindi) directed by Kalki Koechlin.
Best Cinematography: Remo D’Souza for the film Bajirao Mastani (Hindi).
Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director: Neeraj Ghaywan for the film Masaan (Hindi).
Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration: Nanak Shah Fakir (Punjabi) directed by Sartaj Singh Pannu.
8. Swiss honour for Yash Chopra
1. Late director Yash Chopra, who captured the verdant Swiss valley in his films, has been honoured with a special statue by the Switzerland government.
2. A sculpture made of pure bronze, and weighing about 350 kilos, will present Yash Chopra in an iconic pose of him directing a film.
3. Chopra, who opened a legacy of South Asian tourists flocking to Switzerland, loved to spend time there. Natural beauty and warm hospitality mark the association that his banner Yash Raj Films shares with this country.
4. The statue will be installed at the heart of Interlaken, inside the KURSAAL area, near the Congress Centre. A prime, popular spot with tourists, the statue will remind many of the cinematic splendour that Yash Chopra had created for this picturesque nation.
