The Clark R.
Bewin Award is given every year in The Council will coordinate national action plans
memory of the former head of Law Enforcement Division
of the US Fisheries and Wild Life Conservation Service
who had solved several mysteries of disappearance of
wild animals and conducted sting operations.
Philippe Chatrier Award to John McEnroe
The legendary tennis player John McEnroe was
honoured with the International Tennis Federations
highest honour, the Philippe Chatrier Award on June 5,
2007.
Switzerlands Roger Federer and Belgiums Justine
Henin were also officially crowned 2006 Worlds singles
champions.
McEnroe is a seven-time Grand Slam singles
champion. He still plays on the seniors tour and is a TV
commentator. He had been inducted into the ITF Hall of
Fame in 1999.
Silver Star Award to Shilpa Shetty
Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty was presented with
the Silver Star Award for her outstanding contribution
to international humanitarian causes, particularly for
increasing AIDS awareness on June 16, 2007.
Excellence Award for M.S. Swaminathan
Eminent agricultural scientist M. S. Swaminathan has
been chosen for the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award
for Excellence in Public Administration, Academics and
Management, 2006. He has been chosen for the award in
recognition of his pioneering work in the field of
agricultural research.
COUNCIL/COMMITTEE/
COMMISSIONS
Constitution of PMs Council on Climate
Change
The Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has set up
a High Level advisory group on climate change issues.
This council on climate change will include the following :
(1) Government RepresentativesMinister of
External Affairs, Finance Minister, Minister of Environ-
ment and Forests, Minister of Agriculture, Minister of
Water Resources, Minister of Science and Technology,
Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, Dr. R.
Chidambaram, Principal Scientific Advisor to PM, Shri V.
Krishnamurthy, Chairman, NMCC, Dr. C. Rangarajan,
Chairman, EAC, Shri Ajay Mathur, Chairman, Bureau
of Energy Efficiency, Foreign Secretary, Secretary,
Environment and Forests and Principal Secretary to PM
(Convenor).
(2) Non-Government MembersDr. R. K. Pachauri,
Chairperson, TERI, Dr. Prodipto Ghosh, Dr. Nitin Desai,
Dr. Sunita Narain, Shri Chandrashekhar Dasgupta (Retd.
Diplomat), Shri Ratan Tata, Chairman, Investment
Commission, Shri Raj Chengappa, Executive Editor, India
Today, Dr. R. Ramachandran, Science Editor, The Hindu.
PD/August/2007/212 Life is short, but there is always time enough for courtesy.
for assessment, adaptation and mitigation of climate
change. It will advise government on pro-active measu-
res that can be taken by India to deal with the challenge
of climate change. It will also facilitate interministerial co-
ordination and guide policy in relevant areas.
MEMORANDUM OF
UNDERSTANDING (MoU)
MoU Signed between DRDO and NASSCOM
on Information Technology
Defence Research and Development Organisation
(DRDO) of the Ministry of Defence has signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with National
Association of Software and Service Companies
(NASSCOM) the premier chamber of commerce for
software and services in India to strengthen co-operation
and increase collaboration between the Indian IT Industry
and DRDO.
The MoU is an initiative to further innovation and
the development of Intellectual Property in the domestic
market in India. The MoU will help establish a success-
ful working relationship between DRDO and the
Indian IT Industry and will advance issues of mutual
interest. This initiative will also strengthen co-operation
for enabling a long term involvement of IT software
companies in DRDOs development projects.
India-Russia Sign Statement of Understand-
ing
India and Russia signed a statement of under-
standing on June 9, 2007, to set up a Joint Task Force
(JTF) to monitor the implementation of the programme
recommended by Joint Study Group (JSG). By signing the
this statement of understanding India and Russia aim at
achieving the target of bilateral trade of US 10 billion
dollars by 2010. The joint task force set up under the
statement will explore the feasibility of concluding Com-
prehensive Economic Co-operation Agreement (CECA)
between the two countries. The statement was signed by
Shri Kamalnath, Minister of Commerce and Industry of
India and Mr. Gref, Minister of Economic Development
and Trade of the Russian Federation in St. Petersburg
(Russia) on June 9, 2007.
The joint task force will formulate a programme for
increasing the India-Russia bilateral trade through signi-
ficant increase of mutual bilateral trade turnover between
the two countries and to achieve the objectives laid down
in Joint Study Group (JSG) established in February 2006.
So far three meetings of JSG have been held and fourth
meeting is scheduled to be held in July 2007.
PORTAL
National Manufacturing Portal Launched
A National Manufacturing Portal, the first of its kind
in the country, was launched on June 19, 2007 by National
Manufacturing Competitiveness Council (NMCC). It
will enhance the competitiveness of Indias manufactur-