Day To Day Current Affairs - 29th November 2014

Day To Day Current Affairs - 29th November 2014

1.    RBI eased gold imports & scrapped 80: 20 scheme

i. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) eased gold imports and scrapped 20:80 scheme. The decision to withdraw the 20:80 scheme will cut smuggling of gold and raise legal shipments into India.

ii. In 2013, the 20:80 scheme was introduced to bring down inbound shipments, sliding rupee and to combat a huge current account deficit (CAD) along with a hike in import duty to 10 percent.

iii. Under the scheme, 20 percent of the imported gold had to be mandatorily exported as finished products like jewellery. Initially only public sector firms and banks were allowed to import gold and later in May 2014 these rules were slightly eased to star and premier export houses.

2.    Beijing banned smoking in all indoor public spaces

i. Capital of China, Beijing banned smoking in all indoor public spaces like workplaces and public transport vehicles.

ii. Beijing adopted an anti-smoking bill that prohibits smoking in public places and it will be effective from 1 June 2015. The bill will initially only cover Beijing, later it will cover rest of China.

iii. Already, a dozen Chinese cities, such as Shanghai, Hangzhou and Guangzhou, have launched local legislation on tobacco control.

Background

i. China is the world’s largest cigarette manufacturer and consumer. The country has more than 300 million smokers, and smoking is responsible for more than one million deaths in every year.

ii. According to Chinese health officials, some 740 million people, including 180 million children, are exposed to second-hand smoke annually.

iii. In 2011, Ministry of Health of China published guidelines banned smoking in public spaces such as hotels and restaurants.

3.    Next China-India War authored by General S. Padmanabhan released

i. Book titled Next China-India War - World's First Water War – 2029 authored by former Army chief General Sundarajan Padmanabhan was released in October 2014.
 ii. 74-year-old former General, who is known for mobilizing the Army during Operation Parakram in response to the 2001 terror attack on the Parliament, in the book has predicted that the two countries will conflict over the Brahmaputra.

4.    NASA celebrated 50th Anniversary of First Mars Mission, Mariner 4

i. NASA celebrated the 50th anniversary of its first mission to Mars, Mariner 4 mission on 28 November 2014. Mariner 4 mission launched on 28 November 1964 was the NASA’s first successful journey to Mars.

ii. The Mission was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.

iii. Mariner 4 remained operational long after its planned eight-month mission life.

iv. It lasted about three years in solar orbit, continuing long-term studies of the solar wind and making coordinated measurements with the Mariner 5 spacecraft. NASA last communicated with the craft on 21 December 1967.

5.    First India-Nepal bus service launched

i. India and Nepal launched the first ever bus service between the two countries on Tuesday afternoon.

ii. To begin with daily buses will ply between Delhi and Kathmandu. Later, there will be similar buses which will ply on two other routes - Delhi-Pokhara and Varanasi- Kathmandu.

ii. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Nepalese counterpart Sushil Koirala flagged off the Kathmandu-Delhi bus service called Pashupatinath Express from Kathmandu, road transport minister Nitin Gadkari and tourism minister Mahesh Sharma launched the first bus from Delhi.

6.    GK Vasan, revives Tamil Maanila Congress

i. Former Union Minister GK Vasan, who split from the Congress, has revived the Tamil Maanila Congress. Speaking at a public function in Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu yesterday, Vasan said that they have requested the Election Commission to give Cycle as their party symbol.
ii. Vasan along with former Tamil Nadu Congress Committee President BS Gnanadesikan, former Trichy mayor Sarubala Thondaiman and many others parted ways with Congress earlier this month.
iii. Vasan had unveiled his party flag with pictures of his father GK Moopanar and veteran leader Kamaraj.

7.    PM Modi flags off first train from Mendipathar in Meghalaya to Guwahati

i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the first train from Mendipathar in Meghalaya to Guwahati.

ii. Speaking at the function, the Prime Minister said that four Railway Universities will be set up in the country to teach different aspects of Railways. Mr. Modi also stressed on privatization of railway stations.

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GA Questions asked in SBI Associate PO - 29th November - Evening Session

GA Questions asked in SBI Associate PO - 29th November - Evening Session

Hello Readers,

Here, we are providing you some of the GK and Computer Questions asked in today's SBI Associate PO Exam.

In EFT, E denotes - Electronic

24 Oct - UN Foundation Day

Nobel Prize in Economics - Jean Tirole


President of china - Xi Jin Ping

CAD - in the context of computer - Computer Aided Design

Pt. Ravishankar related to - Sitar

Who won gold in Men's badminton in CWG 2014 - P Kashyap

In Excel, shortcut of Row Hide shortcut - Ctrl + 9

In Excel, the numbers are right aligned

The Theme of Adarsh Gram Yojana -

Minimum Amount in Pension Account - Rs. 1000

Bank rate - 9%

Undo command - Ctrl + Z

What kind of body IRDA is? - Insurance Companies Regulatory Body

Mutual funds comes under which - SEBI

CRM - Customer Relationship Management

Rang Rasiya is based on life of Raja Ravi Verma

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GA Questions asked in SBI Associate PO - 29th November - Morning Session

GA Questions asked in SBI Associate PO - 29th November - Morning Session

Hello Readers,

Here, we are providing you some of the GK and Computer Questions asked in today's SBI Associate PO Exam.

Nanhi Kali scheme from which bank? Bharatiya Mahila Bank
Japan PM - Shinzo Abe
Govt scheme for providing food to children - Mid Day Meal
New Life book author - Orhan Pamuk, Guneli Gun

IRDA Headquarters related statement question - Hyderabad
Banking ombudsman under which rule - 2006
FMC - Forward Market Commission
Use of SLR
What we do in Open market operation (OMO)
IFSC full form - Indian Financial System Code
Country - capital which one is correct?

• Indonesia - Jakarta
• South africa - Madrid
• Malta - Male

Which of the following is not true for IRDA?

• HQ in Mumbai
• Regulates Insurance
• Passed by act of parliament

Girl related scheme : SABLA
MS Word is - Application software
Who is going to break the all time record of 251 goals in football? - Messi
Brand equity is related to? Marketing
Transaction related stress to customer is known as?
HDFC Head office - Mumbai
GIF Fullform - Graphical Interchange Format
Spreadsheet file format saved as? .xls
Board of governance committee
Inflation related committee
Some marketing questions related to pricing strategy
MAC Full form - Media access control
OMO Related - Government Securities
Which base replaced WPI- CPI
In 2011 census, which state had the lowest Female Literacy? - Haryana
HTML Full Form - Hypertext Mark Up Language
CPI - Consumer Price Index
Question on relation ship management
Brand equity

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Day To Day Current Affairs - 28th November 2014

Day To Day Current Affairs - 28th November 2014

1.    RBI issues final norms for payment, small banks; Floor capital set at Rs 100 crore

i. The Reserve Bank of India has issued final norms for payment banks and small finance banks that would allow mobile firms and supermarket chains, among others, to enter the banking arena to cater to individuals and small businesses. The move aims at deepening financial inclusion and boost saving habits. 

ii. The RBI aims to push financial inclusion by setting up these niche outfits — small finance banks that can have all-India operations and payments banks, which can accept more deposits.

iii. The guidelines open up an window of opportunity for entities which did not bag new bank licences in April.

iv. Shriram Capital, Janalakshmi Financial Services, Magma Fincorp and Muthoot Finance, among others, are expected to throw their hats into the ring to set up small banks.

v. The Department of Posts, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone India, Tata Teleservices, Western Union and online digital payment players such as Paytm, Oxigen and MobiKwik have expressed interest in floating payment banks.

vi. Companies will have to apply by January 16, 2015, for licences in both categories, and the central bank said it would consider more applications at a later stage. 

Note: The minimum paid-up equity capital for both small and payment banks has been pegged at Rs 100 crore.

Who are eligible?

i. Eligible promoters for a small bank include resident individuals/professionals with experience in banking and finance; and companies and societies.

ii. Existing non-banking finance companies (NBFCs), microfinance institutions and local area banks can also opt to convert into a small bank.

iii. The RBI said proposals from large public sector entities and industrial and business houses, including NBFCs promoted by them, will not be entertained to set up small banks.

iv. A promoter/promoter group can have a joint venture with an existing scheduled commercial bank to set up a payment bank, subject to the stake holding complying with the Banking Regulation Act.

Key activities
i. The small bank will primarily undertake basic banking activities of acceptance of deposits and lending to un-served and under-served sections, including small business units, small and marginal farmers, micro and small industries and unorganised sector entities.

ii. Small banks will be required to maintain a minimum capital adequacy ratio of 15 per cent of the loans on a continuous basis.

iii. In the draft guidelines, the RBI had suggested that small banks would have a restricted area of operations (possibly contiguous districts in a homogenous States). However, in the final guidelines, these restrictions have been removed. The small bank will be required to extend 75 per cent of its credit to the priority sector

Payment Banks:

i. Payments banks can accept deposits — current and savings bank — from individuals, small businesses and other entities but cannot provide loans.. However, they cannot accept non-resident Indian deposits.

ii. The payment bank will initially be restricted to holding a maximum balance of Rs1 lakh per individual customer.

iii. While the bank can issue ATM/debit cards, it cannot issue credit cards.

iv. It can contract outside liabilities (deposits) but not exceeding 33.33 times (against 20 times in the draft guidelines) its net worth.

2.    Economic growth declines to 5.3% in July-Sept quarter

i. Country's economic growth has declined to 5.3 per cent during July to September, from the previous quarter's 5.7 per cent.

ii. According to an official release, the manufacturing sector, which accounts for about 15 per cent of India's gross domestic product rose by 0.1 per cent during the quarter from the previous period's 3.5 per cent. Agriculture sector growth declined to 3.2 percent against 3.8 percent.

3.    India, Mozambique ink MoU for cooperation in oil, gas sector

i. India today signed a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, with Mozambique for cooperation in the field of oil and gas. The MoU was signed in the presence of Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Dharmendra Pradhan in New Delhi. 
ii. It seeks cooperation in the areas of upstream and downstream oil and gas sector. Participation of Indian energy companies in the project will facilitate access to Liquefied Natural Gas, LNG for the growing Indian gas market. 
iii. Mozambique has emerged as a significant hydrocarbon rich nation following offshore gas discoveries in two adjacent offshore blocks. The country is strategically located near India and is ideally suited for bringing natural gas at market determined price.

4.    Anoop Mishra appointed as new Secretary General of Lok Sabha

i. Former Uttar Pradesh chief secretary Anoop Mishra was on 26 November 2014 appointed as new Secretary General of the Lok Sabha. He was appointed by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan. 
ii. He will hold the rank and status of Cabinet Secretary with effect from 1 December 2014 up to 30 November 2016 or until further orders.

iii. As an accomplished civil servant of 1978 cadre, Mishra has held several important positions at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh.
iv. He was the Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh for a year with the overall responsibility of the state administration, superintendence of law and order and developmental and infrastructure schemes in Uttar Pradesh.

5.    Historian Tapan Raychaudhuri died

i. Tapan Raychaudhuri, a distinguished historian of modern India’s economic and social history, died on 26 November 2014 at his home in Oxford, England. He was 88. 
ii. Raychaudhuri died of a series of strokes. He was bedridden for a year before his death. He is survived by his wife Pratima Raychaudhuri and daughter Sukanya Wignaraja.

iii. He was an Indian historian specialising in British Indian history, Indian economic history and the History of Bengal

6.    Namsai became the 18th district of Arunachal Pradesh

i. Namsai on 25 November 2014 officially became the 18th district of Arunachal Pradesh. The Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh Nabam Tuki made the declaration.

ii. The Chief Minister exhorted the officials to prepare a master plan for the new district and the state government would extend all possible help.

iii. The State Legislative Assembly passed the District re-organisation Bill on 20 March 2013 for creation of Namsai district and notification was issued on 15 July 2013. The formal announcement was made during the 68th Independence Day celebration on 15th August 2014.

7.    EU parliament votes to break up Google

i. European Union lawmakers overwhelmingly backed a motion on Thursday urging anti-trust regulators to break up Google, the latest setback for the world's most popular internet search engine.

ii. Google has been in the EU's regulatory sights since 2010, and is also grappling with privacy issues, requests to scrub search results to comply with a court ruling, copyright concerns and tax controversies.

iii. The non-binding resolution in the European Parliament is the strongest public signal yet of Europe's concern with the growing power of US tech giants. It was passed with 384 votes for and 174 against.

iv. Google declined to comment. European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager has said she will review the case and talk to complainants before deciding on the next step.

v. Her predecessor rejected three attempts by the company to settle complaints that it unfairly demoted rival services and stave off a possible fine of up to $5 billion.

vi. The resolution did not mention Google or any specific search engine, though Google is by far the dominant provider of such services in Europe with an estimated 90 per cent market share.

vii. The lawmakers called on the Commission to consider proposals to unbundle search engines from other commercial services.

8.    Book titled Your Dreams Are Mine Now: She Showed him What Love was released

i. The book titled Your Dreams Are Mine Now: She Showed him What Love was authored by Ravinder Singh was released on 20 November 2014. 
ii. The novel Your Dreams are Mine Now is a powerful and poignant love story that explores the romantic relationship between Rupali and Arun. They are complete opposites and have nothing in common when it comes to their interests and priorities in life. 

iii. Rupali is a small town girl and an idealist, whereas Arun is a Delhi guy with keen interest in youth politics. A major scandal on the college campus brings them together and somewhere along the line they fall in love with each other. But their fight against evil comes at a heavy price which becomes the ultimate test of their lives.

9.    Book titled Black Tornado: The Three Sieges of Mumbai 26/11 released

i. The book titled Black Tornado: The Three Sieges of Mumbai 26/11 authored by Sandeep Unnithan was released on 23 November 2014.
ii. Sandeep Unnithan in his book puts together a blow-by-blow account of the 26 November 2011 terrorist attack in Mumbai and how the siege of Mumbai was thwarted by India's security forces.
iii. The 26/11 attack is widely regarded as the world's first hybrid terrorist attack. The attackers achieved through this long-drawn siege what Al Qaeda did through the high-visibility mass-casualty attack on the World Trade Centre of USA on 11 September 2001. 

10.  Crime novelist PD James died at the age of 94

i. Crime novelist Phyllis Dorothy James on 27 November 2014 died at the age of 94 in Oxford, UK.

ii. She was best known for her series of detective novels starring the policeman and poet Adam Dalgliesh.

iii. Her novels include The Children of Men, The Murder Room and Pride, and Prejudice spin-off Death Comes to Pemberley.

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Day To Day Current Affairs - 27th November 2014

Day To Day Current Affairs - 27th November 2014

1.    18th SAARC Summit concluded, Next Summit will be held in Islamabad in 2016

i. With the issuing of Kathamandu Declaration, the 18th SAARC Summit concludes at Kathamandu, this evening. Chairperson of the Summit and Nepal Prime Minister Sushil Koirala declared the Summit closed.

ii. The SAARC Framework Agreement on Energy (Electricity) Cooperation was signed among the SAARC member countries. Chairperson Sushil Koirala also announced that the 19th SAARC Summit will be held at Islamabad in 2016

iii. Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other SAARC members held informal talks at the Retreat Session of 18th South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation Summit (SAARC) at picturesque Dhulikhel under foolproof security arrangements. Mr. Modi planted sapling of banyan tree at the venue.

2.    SAARC nations sign seamless electricity grid deal

i. In a face saver, SAARC countries today signed a framework agreement on cooperation in power sector but failed to finalise the much-awaited motor vehicle and railway pacts for greater people-to-people contact and movement of goods due to opposition from Pakistan.

ii. There were hectic efforts to pursue the Pakistani side, which stalled the inking of the pacts on the pretext that internal processes were not completed following which three months' time was set for getting approval.

iii. The framework energy pact will enable cooperation in the power sector among the eight member countries and facilitate integrated operation of the regional power grid.

iv. "A time period of three months have been set for approval to the Motor Vehicle and Railway pacts," Nepal's Prime Minister Sushil Koirala, who is also the SAARC chair, said in his address at the concluding session of the 18th summit of the regional grouping.

3.    Australian cricketer Phil Hughes dies of injuries

i. Once compared to the great Donald Bradman, Australia Test cricketer Phillip Hughes passed away today in Sydney following a fatal injury he had incurred in a Sheffield Shield match on Tuesday. Hughes would have turned 26 on Sunday.

ii. During this game for South Australia against New South Wales, Hughes was batting on 63 when he was struck on neck by a bouncer from pace bowler Sean Abbott.

iii. Hughes stood dazed for a few moments before falling face first to the pitch. He did not gain consciousness again.

iv. "It is my sad duty to inform you that a short time ago Phillip Hughes passed away," Australian team doctor Peter Brukner said in a statement.

v. "He never regained consciousness following his injury on Tuesday," added Brukner. "He was not in pain before he passed and was surrounded by his family and close friends.

vi. As a cricket community we mourn his loss and extend our deepest sympathies to Phillip's family and friends at this incredibly sad time."

vii. "Phillip took the blow at the side of the neck and as a result of that blow his vertebral artery, one of the main arteries leading to the brain, was compressed by the ball," Brukner said on Thursday. "That caused the artery to split and for bleeding to go up into the brain. He had a massive bleed into his brain. This is frequently fatal at the time.

Hughes was wearing old, lighter helmet: manufacturer

i. With questions being raised over the degree of safety provided by protective gears in cricket in the wake of the Phil Hughes incident, the manufacturer of the injured cricketer’s helmet, Masuri, has said that the Australian batsman was wearing an older and lighter headgear.

ii. A spokesman for the UK-based company said that Hughes was wearing an old helmet instead of their their latest model, in the Sheffield Shield match between New South Wales and South Australia at the SCG on Tuesday.

iii. “From the footage and pictures currently available to Masuri, it appears that Phil Hughes was struck by the ball to the rear of the grille and below the back of the shell, missing his Masuri Original Test model helmet,” the spokesman was quoted as saying by Australian press.

iv. Hughes continued to fight for life as he remained in a critical condition after being struck on the head in a freak accident on Tuesday.

4.    Justice CK Prasad assumes charge as new PCI chief

i. Retired Supreme Court judge, Justice CK Prasad, Thursday assumed charge as the chairman of the Press Council of India (PCI), an official statement said.

ii. "Justice C.K. Prasad who retired as the judge of the Supreme Court of India July 14, 2014 assumed charge today (Thursday) as chairman, Press Council of India," said the PCI statement.

iii. Justice Prasad succeeds Justice Markandey Katju who was appointed as PCI chairman Oct 5, 2011.

5.    Sanskrit to be 3rd language in Classes 6-8 in KV: Centre to SC

i. Centre on Thursday submitted before the Supreme Court that Sanskrit will be the third language in classes 6 to 8 in Kendriya Vidyalayas.

ii. Appearing before the bench headed by Chief Justice H L Dattu, Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi sought its permission to file an affidavit on the controversy arising out of Centre's decision to drop German as an alternative to Sanskrit as third language in Kendriya Vidyalayas

6.    President penned a book titled The Dramatic Decade on 1970s era

i. President of India Pranab Mukherjee penned a book titled The Dramatic Decade: The Indira Gandhi Years.

ii. The book has been published by Rupa and will be released on 11 December 2014.

iii. The Dramatic Decade is the first of a three-part volume; the second one will be on the years from 1981–88 and the third volume will be from 1988 to 2012.

iv. The book presents an exceptional portrait of a complex nation and draws from Pranab Mukherjee’s personal diary extracts, conversations with key players of the 1970s, and vital secondary literature.

7.    Biography My Name is Abu Salem released

i. Biography titled My Name is Abu Salem was released on 16 November 2014.

ii. Biography on underworld gangster Abu Salem has been written by S Hussain Zaidi and published by Penguin.  

iii. The author of the book, Zaidi who knows the Mumbai underworld better than anyone else has tried to tell, the life of Salem.

iv. In My Name is Abu Salem, the author has tried to present complete unknown details and first accounts of the gangster.

8.    PNB announces free ATM usage for customers

i. Punjab National Bank (PNB) on Wednesday said it will continue giving free transactions to all saving bank account cardholders using PNB ATMs, irrespective of the number of transactions.

ii. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had advised that atleast five free transactions (inclusive of financial and non-financial transaction) per month should be permitted to the savings bank account holders for use of own bank ATMs.

iii. PNB has gone beyond this norm to provide value added services to its own customers, according to a release. .  

9.    RBI eases rules for low-cost home loans

i. To provide liquidity to retail investors investing in long-term bonds issued by banks for financing infrastructure and affordable housing, the Reserve Bank of India said banks can extend loans to individuals against these bonds.

ii. The central bank said boards of the banks should lay down a policy in this regard prescribing suitable margins, purpose of the loan and other safeguards.

iii. Further, such loans should be subject to a ceiling, say, Rs. 10 lakh per borrower, and tenure of loan should be within the maturity period of the bonds.

iv. The RBI also stated that banks are not permitted to lend against such bonds issued by other banks.​

10.  Bharat Asmita award for IIMB’s Trilochan Sastry

i. Trilochan Sastry, Professor in Quantitative Methods and Information Systems, Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB), has been awarded the ‘Bharat Asmita’, an honor instituted by the Pune-based MIT group of institutions.

ii. Professor Trilochan Sastry teaches a wide variety of courses in the post graduate programme, doctoral programme and executive education programmes, including operations management, quantitative methods, data structures, algorithms and discrete mathematics, at IIMB.

iii. Professor Sastry has, to his credit, a number of management cases on operations management, ethics, change management and electoral reforms.

iv. Announcing the awards for 2014, ‘Bharat Asmita’ Executive Director Rahul Karad said: “This is the eleventh year of the awards, which aim at recognizing the contribution of prominent figures from the field of teaching, people’s representation, public awareness and science and technology.”

11.  Pakistani actress Veena Malik sentenced to 26 years in jail for blasphemy

i. Pakistani actress Veena Malik was sentenced to 26 years in jail on 26 November 2014 by an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) of the Gilgit region of Pakistan. 
ii. She was sentenced for blasphemy for appearing in mock Geo TV wedding scene in which religious song about the wedding of the Prophet Muhammad's daughter was played in background. 

iii. Apart from Veena Malik, the court’s Judge Shahbaz Khan also sentenced Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman, owner of Geo TV and Jang group, Malik’s husband Asad Bashir Khan and TV host Shaista Wahidi for 26 years each.

iv. The ATC also imposed a 1.3 million Pakistani rupees fine on the convicts and ordered that their properties should be sold to raise the fine, if they failed to pay it. 

12.  Chennai Super Kings should be terminated: SC

i. The Supreme Court today observed that IPL team Chennai Super Kings, CSK, owned by BCCI President in exile N Srinivasan should be terminated without further enquiry as one of its officials Gurunath Meiyappan has been indicted for betting by an inquiry committee.

ii. Meiyappan is the son-in-law of Srinivasan who is himself facing questions on conflict of interest. The court asked Srinivasan to give details about who controls Chennai Super Kings owned by India Cements. Srinivasan is the Managing Director of India Cements. 

iii. In further setback for Srinivasan, the Supreme Court proposed fresh elections in the BCCI. The apex court, which was hearing the Justice Mudgal Committee report into IPL betting and spot-fixing scandal, said election can be held but persons, including Srinivasan, named in the report will not contest and new board will take decision on the scam. 

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