Professional Documents
Culture Documents
General Awareness
Year: 2012 Vol. 1 Issue 10
CONTENTS
SECTION A
CURRENT AFFAIRS
From September to November
NATIONAL NEWS
2-25
NOVEMBER 2012
INDIA 7
TH
SECTION B
BULLET NEWS From June to August ARTICLE OF THE MONTH 26-34 35-36
India has been ranked by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) as the seventh largest player in the global services trade with value of exports and imports aggregating $ 261 billion in 2011. With exports at $ 137 billion and imports at $ 124 billion, India is among the five countries among the top ten players which ended the year 2011 with a surplus of trade in commercial services, according to a WTO report.
SECTION C
NOTES ON AGRICULTURE 37-48
India has been ranked 40th in a survey of 62 countries for financial systems and capital markets by World Economic Forum. It slipped four places from previous ranking because of weak institutional and business environment. The ranking is topped by Hong Kong.
SECTION D
GK MOCK TESTS 49-60
SECTION E
GK BYTES
From June to November
61-88
FIGURES TO REMEMBER
REPO RATE (17-04-2012) REVERSE REPO RATE MARGINAL STANDING FACILITY RATE STATUTORY LIQUIDITY RATIO CASH RESERVE RATIO BANK RATE BASE RATE (of various banks) 8.00% 7.00% 9.00% 23% 4.25% 9.00% 10-10.75%
India is set to join talks for creating the world's largest trade bloc, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership or RCEP, comprising Asean members and three manufacturing giants China , Japan and South Korea, besides Australia and New Zealand. The 16 members account for over a quarter of the world economy.
India and China took the first step towards addressing the severe imbalance in their trade by signing 11 MoUs during the second India-China Strategic Economic Dialogue held at New Delhi. The agreements envisage investments of over $5 billion (about Rs. 28,000 crore). Most MoUs envisage Chinese investment to partly offset the balance of trade currently heavily skewed in Chinas favour.
INDIAS RANK IN
Economic Freedom 2012 Global Competitiveness Index Corruption Perception Index Global Hunger Index 2010 Food Security Human Development Index Global Business Confidence Index ICT Performance Index Indias Rank in IMF 111th 59th 87th 67th 66th 134th 2nd 69th 8th
h
Section 6 of the Indian Post Office Act provides immunity to Post Offices and their employees against any act of deficiency of service on their part, unless a fraud or willful default is established. Because of this provision, even The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission expressed their inability to proceed against them, even if deficiency in service was established.
Indias External Affairs Minister, Salman Khurshid visited Vientiane, Laos to participate in the 9th summit of the 48-member Asia-Europe (ASEM) meeting. ASEM is home to 60 percent of the worlds population, 50 percent of global GDP and 60 percent of global trade.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited Phnom Penh, Cambodia to attend the ASEAN and East Asia Summits. The first ever World Economic Forum on India meet was held in Gurgaon from Nov. 6to8. 43rd International Film Festival of India 2012 inaugurated by actor Akshay Kumar at Goa. First International Textile and Apparel Fair Vastra 2012 held at Jaipur, Rajasthan. India and Turkey sign Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA). India has signed a protocol with the U.K. for amending the Double Taxation Avoidance Convention (DTAC) of 1993. India and Sweden have signed a social security agreement that will relieve their workers from double taxation and provide for cooperation in areas of labour market expansion and orderly migration. The government has conferred for the first time, Cabinet rank on Official Languages Commission Chairman. Italy is offering a single-window clearance for Indian investors with an aim to double bilateral trade between the two countries by 2050. India presented its low-cost Aakash tablet at the United Nations, highlighting the countrys innovation involved in creating the most competitively priced tablet computer.
various issues related to conserving the bio resources of the world and to achieve consensus among 170 member countries on the issues related to climate change and mobilization of financial resources. Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh announced USD 50 million grant to strengthen the institutional mechanism for biodiversity conservation in the country.
WHAT IS BIODIVERSITY Biodiversity, or biological diversity, is the variety of all species on earth. It is the different plants, animals and micro-organisms, their genes, and the terrestrial, marine and freshwater ecosystems of which they are a part. Biodiversity is both essential for our existence and intrinsically valuable in its own right. Biodiversity is the life support system of our planet- we depend on it for the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the water we drink. Wetlands filter pollutants from water, trees and plants reduce global warming by absorbing carbon, and bacteria and fungi break down organic material and fertilize the soil. We need to conserve biodiversity as our lives depend on it!
OCTOBER 2012
INDIA 5TH FOR GROWING BUSINESSES
The Grant Thornton Global Dynamism Index indicates that India is the fifth best country in the world for dynamic growing businesses. According to the index, India is ahead of Singapore, and Russia and only four countries - Argentina, China, Uruguay and Chile are ahead of India.
PORTFOLIO UPGRADED
Salman Khurshid Pawan Kumar Bansal Kamal Nath M Veerappa Moily Kumari Selja External Affairs Railways Parliamentary Affairs; Urban Development Petroleum & Natural Gas Social Justice
DELHI 10
TH
Delhi ranks as 10th most attractive city for international travel shoppers in the Asia-Pacific region, a report says. In the Globe Shopper Index, published by Global Blue, Delhi is behind Seoul and ahead of Manila, while Bangalore ranked fourteenth and Mumbai sixteenth.
IN SHOPPERs LIST
MINISTERS PROMOTED
M.M. Pallam Raju Ajay Maken Ashwani Kumar Dinesh J. Patel Harish Rawat Jyotiraditya Scindia Sachin Pilot Jitendra Singh K.H. Muniappa Bharatsinh Solanki Human Development Housing & Alleviation Law & Justice Mines Water Resources Power* Corporate Affairs* Youth Affairs and Sports * Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises Drinking water & Sanitation* Urban Resource Poverty
India has the emerged as the world's largest rice exporter in 2012 beating its Asian counterpart Thailand with shipment of 9.75 million tonnes, according to US Deptt of Agricultures latest report. Vietnam shipped 7 million tonnes to claim second position, followed by Thailand (6.5 million tonnes).
BIODIVERSITY MEET HELD AT HYDERABAD 11th Conference of the parties (COP-11) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) held in Hyderabad to discuss
GYANMS GENERAL AWARENESS JANUARY 2013
NEW MINISTERS
K. Rahman Khan Chandresh Katoch Manish Tewari K. Chiranjeevi Minority Affairs Culture Information & Broadcasting* Tourism*
3,000 Indian soldiers laid down their lives during the war. Julia Gillard, Australian Prime Minister visits India. Juan Carlos I: King of Spain visits India. Anatoly Serdyukov: Russian Defense Minister visits India. Kolkata International Film Festival to be held at Kolkata from November 10. India and New Zealand signed five Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) in different fields of education. South Asian Film Festival held in Goa from 25th-28th October, for films from SAARC nations. Viswa Malayalee Mahotsavam held at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
SEPTEMBER 2012
INDIA RANKS 111
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India ranks very low at 111th position in terms of economic freedom, behind countries like China, Nepal and Bangladesh, a global study has claimed in a worldwide index of 144 nations. The annual ranking, titled 'Economic Freedom of the World: 2012', is topped by Hong Kong, followed by Singapore, New Zealand, Switzerland and Australia in the top-five. The index by Canada-based Fraser Institute, measure the degree to which the policies and institutions of countries support economic freedom.
IN ECONOMIC FREEDOM
India's ranking declined by three places to 59th position in the Global Competitiveness Index 2012-2013, compiled by the World Economic Forum (WEF). India trails behind Brazil and South Africa by some 10 places and lags behind China by a margin of 30 positions. The global list was topped by Switzerland for the fourth consecutive year, followed by Singapore and Finland. The report noted that India's infrastructure is largely insufficient and ill-adapted to the needs of the economy. Moreover, the country also faces problem areas such as corruption and bureaucracy.
Ranbir Kapoor starrer 'Barfi a love story of a deaf and mute boy set in the fairy-tale world of 1970s Darjeeling, has been nominated as Indian's entry to the Oscars next year in the foreign film category. The film has been directed by Anurag Basu.
India and Israel have signed pacts to boost the textiles business against the backdrop of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) being finalised between two nations as they celebrate 20 years of diplomatic relations.
The expert committee on GAAR (the General Anti-Avoidance Rules), headed by Parthasarathi Shome to address the concerns of foreign and domestic investors, has recommended postponement of the controversial tax provision by three years and abolition of capital gains tax on transfer of securities.
India has announced a contribution of ten billion US dollars to International Monitory Fund. Ninth World Hindi Conference [WHC] held in Johannesburg, South Africa from 22-24 September, 2012. Second International Buddhist Conclave held at Varanasi on September 29.
A new global food security index shows India as a proteindeficient country and ranks it at 66th position among 105 nations surveyed. India ranked even below Sri Lanka (62).
The Maharashtra Government has proposed to set up separate trade zones for women in the state, to make women self reliant. Women will now be able to run their own businesses in these specially demarcated zones after availing special licenses and movable stalls.
Tamilnadu Assembly celebrates its Diamond Jubilee on October 29 when it completes 60 years of its establishment.
SEPTEMBER 2012
The Delhi government has decided to impose a blanket ban on manufacture, sale, storage and use of plastic bags in the national capital. A model solar farm will be established in Gujarat to manufacture export-grade 99 per cent NaCl (Sodium Chloride) purity salt.
An agreement for a loan of US $ 106 million for Phase-I of the World Bank assistance for the ICDS (Integrated Child Development Services) Systems Strengthening and Nutrition Improvement Project (ISSNIP) was signed at New Delhi. Another US $ 320 million loan agreement was signed with World Bank for Assam State Roads Project to enhance the road connectivity in Assam.
INTEGRATED CHILD DEVELOPMENT SERVICES (ICDS) ICDS was first launched in 1975 in accordance to the National Policy for Children in India. Government of India sponsored programme, is India's primary social welfare scheme to tackle malnutrition and health problems in children below 6 years of age and their mothers. The main beneficiaries of the programme were aimed to be the girl child up to her adolescence, all children below 6 years of age, pregnant and lactating mothers. The gender promotion of the girl child by trying to bring her at par with the male child is a key component of the scheme.
Arunachal Pradesh has launched Rashtriya Aarogya Nidhi scheme to provide financial assistance upto 1.5 lakh rupees to BPL patients suffering from life threatening diseases.
GOVT INITIATIVES
NOVEMBER 2012
NEW RULES FOR CHILD PROTECTION
Child victims of sexual offences will now get swift and adequate compensation as well as immediate medical care and rehabilitation with the Government notifying new rules under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012. As per new rules, any person below the age of 18 years is to be treated as child.
Sikkim will soon be the first state in the country to provide 'pucca' houses to all its residents as it has launched a mega social housing mission of quality housing to families living in hutments. Maharashtra has become the first State in the country to opt for global tenders in micro irrigation projects from this year. It will include both drip and sprinkler irrigation projects for 2012-13.
OCTOBER 2012
GOA TO ASSIST POOR WOMEN
Goa government has launched Grih Adhar scheme to provide Rs 1,000 per month to those women whose gross family income is less than Rs 3 lakh. The scheme will cover married women, divorcees and widows.
The West Bengal Govt has decided to provide 8 kg of free foodgrains every month to members of the Toto community, one of the countrys oldest tribes, which is facing extinction. Maharashtra government is planning to set up Spanish language departments in its universities. The humble house sparrow has been notified as the State bird of Delhi Jackei Shroff appointed brand ambassador of Beti Bachao Abhiyan launched by Bihar government against female foeticide.
Prasar Bharati has entered into an agreement with Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) which will allow both entities to show each other's content to their audiences and also cooperate in other areas of programming.
The Unique Identification Authority of India,UIDAI, has launched its 'Public Data Portal' for the Aadhaar project to enable the people to access several anonymised datasets generated in its ecosystem. It is in consonance with the larger vision of the Centre to make data available through www. data.gov.in
World Bank has sanctioned additional credit of $70 million for the ongoing Karnataka Health System Development and Reform Project. The government has lifted ban on export of some milk products, including whole milk powder and dairy whitener, in view of surplus availability. An Advanced Grape Research Station will be established in Uthamapalayam, district Theni, Tamil Nadu, to do research on different varieties of grapes.
OCTOBER 2012
PM LAUNCHES AADHAAR BASED SERVICES
The much awaited Aadhaar enabled system for direct cash transfer to beneficiaries under social schemes such as MNREGA and pension was launched on Oct. 20, on second anniversary of Aadhaar project by Prime Minister at Dudu, district Jaipur, Rajasthan.
Union Territories have been asked to ensure strict compliance of the order.
The Cabinet has cleared the National Policy on Electronics 2012, which aims to make the domestic electronic hardware manufacturing segment a $400-billion industry by 2020, involving investment of about $100 billion and employment to around 28 million people at various levels.
The Union Cabinet has approved setting up of a National Automotive Board (NAB), a body that would act as a facilitator between the government and the automobile industry, and promote R&D activities in the sector.
The Union Cabinet has approved a proposal to give exservicemen status to retired personnel of paramilitary and central police forces, thus making them eligible for welfare benefits being availed by retired defence personnel. The decision will benefit more than four lakh personnel.
GYANMS GENERAL AWARENESS JANUARY 2013
The Cabinet has approved amendments to the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986 as per which sending a pornographic multimedia message and emails may land you in jail for up to three years. It may also attract a fine between Rs.50,000 and Rs.100,000 for first conviction. A second conviction will invite an imprisonment of not less than two years, but which may extend to seven years, and a fine between Rs.100,000 and Rs.500,000.
49 per cent FDI in civil aviation to help domestic carriers to allow 49 per cent FDI in two power exchanges Increase the limit from 49 per cent to 74 per cent in the broadcasting sector. 100 per cent FDI in single brand retail would be notified soon. The Cabinet also announced disinvestment of its equity in four public sector companies to raise Rs. 15,000 crore.
The Union Cabinet has approved allowing 49% Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in insurance and pension funds. The two proposals have evoked wide spread protest from various political parties. Government proposes to launch data portal data.gov.in which will be used to share official data with the public.
The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs has decided to restrict the supply of subsidised LPG cylinders to six for each household annually to reduce losses of oil marketing companies. During the fiscal, even after this measure, the
SEPTEMBER 2012
MANY 'RIDERS IN MULTI-BRAND RETAIL
India has made it mandatory for all foreign investors to furnish a tax residency certificate of their home country to claim benefits under the double taxation avoidance agreement.
I T POLICY ANNOUNCED
The 51% FDI in multi-brand retail notification has set a number of conditions aimed at securing the interest of common man. Major stipulations include: A minimum investment of $100 million, 50 per cent of which should be invested in back-end infrastructure. 30 per cent of the products must be procured from small scale industries which have a total investment in plant and machinery not exceeding $1 million. Fresh agricultural produce, including fruits, vegetables, flowers, grains, pulses, fresh poultry, fishery and meat products, may be unbranded. Retail chains will be allowed only in cities with a population of more than 10 lakh as per 2011 Census. State governments/Union Territories (UTs) would be free to take their own decisions in regard to implementation of the policy. The government has approved the National Policy on Information Technology, which aims to make at least one individual in every household e-literate among other objectives. The industrys goal is to reach USD 100 billion turnover and USD 200 billion of exports by 2020.
school feeding programme, has a food grain requirement of 28.50 lakh tonnes in 2012-13, which includes 23.8 lakh tonnes of rice and 4.7 lakh tonnes of wheat.
allowing 51 per cent FDI in multi-brand retail, 100 per cent FDI in single brand retail
Govt has set up a committee under chairmanship of Congress MP Mani Shankar Aiyar to examine how panchayats can be leveraged for more efficient delivery of public goods and services. The committee will also suggest ways to encourage States to devolve the three Fs funds, functions and functionaries to panchayats.
electricity, in September was higher than the 2.3% in the preceding month and 2.5% in the same month a year earlier.
The government has made electronic payment of customs duty mandatory in order to further reduce transaction cost of the importers. The govt is negotiating with the World Bank to set up a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Institute in the country.
India's exports fell for the sixth straight month in October while imports rose marginally, pushing the trade deficit to a 12-month high. A jump in imports of gold and petroleum products has pushed up imorts. October exports fell 1.63% from a year ago to $23.24 billion, while imports rose 7.37% to $44.20 billion. India's trade gap widened to $20.96 billion from $18.1 billion in September.
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
NOVEMBER 2012
INDIA TO GROW BY 6.1% : MORGAN STANLEY
India is expected to register a gradual recovery in the growth rate to 6.1 per cent in 2013 driven by positive impact from policy actions and acceleration in farm output growth, says a report by Morgan Stanley. The countrys growth rate would witness gradual recovery considering the challenging environment due to high fiscal deficit, high rural wage growth and declining private investments amid a still lacklustre external demand, the report said.
OCTOBER 2012
WB LOWERS GROWTH RATE TO 6%
The World Bank lowered India's growth projection for the current fiscal to 6% from 6.9% estimated in June this year, and warned that the possibilities of a worse performance are high.
International ratings firm Fitch lowered Indias growth projection for the current fiscal to 6 per cent from 6.5 per cent estimated earlier citing challenging economic outlook.
Indian economy is projected to grow by just 4.4 per cent in the current fiscal, as the country has experienced broad based slowdown, according to Paris based think tank OECD - Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.
SEPTEMBER 2012
Q1 GDP VALUED AT Rs 21.79 TRILLION
As per latest data from CSO, Indias GDP at factor cost at current prices in first quarter of 2012-13, is estimated at Rs 21,78,778 crore, as against Rs 19,19,286 crore in Q1, 201112, showing an increase of 13.5 per cent. The economic activities which registered significant growth in Q1 of 201213 over Q1 of 2011-12 are 'construction' at 10.9 per cent, 'financing, insurance, real estate and business services' at 10.8 per cent and 'community, social and personal services' at 7.9 per cent.
DISINVESTMENT IN HAL
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved to divest 10 per cent equity in HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd., Bangaluru) out of its holding of 100 per cent. CCEA has already approved to divest 10% equity stake in four public units (Nalco, Oil India, Hindustan Copper and MMTC).
ECONOMY
NOVEMBER 2012
BSE TOPS IN WORLD IN LISTINGS
Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) has emerged as the worlds top exchange in terms of the number of listed companies, outpacing major global peers such as NYSE, Nasdaq and London Stock Exchange by almost 100 per cent. The BSE had a total of 5,174 companies listed on its platform at the end of last month, outpacing its close rival Canadian bourse TMX Group by more than 1,000 firms or over 20 per cent, as per the latest data available with the World Federation of Exchange (WFE).
this was the furore over the retrospective amendment to tax laws in the last Budget that rendered Vodafone liable to pay a tax of Rs. 11,200 crore despite the Supreme Court ruling in its favour early this year.
The Cabinet approved levy of about Rs 31,000 crore as onetime fee on spectrum held by incumbent telecom firms such as Bharti Airtel and Vodafone in an attempt to create level playing field between old and new operators.
India and USA have replaced Italy as the world's premier gold jewellery exporter. Italy slipped due to its high cost base and tariff barriers. Manufacturers in India and the United States have benefited from greater economies of scale compared to the fragmented nature of the Italian goldsmiths' industry, as well.
In terms of the number of trades in equity segment during September, National Stock Exchange (NSE) has emerged as the world's largest bourse, having done a total of 11.64 crore trades in the month, as per data released by World Federation of Exchange (WFE). NSE was followed by Korea Exchange (11.18crore) and NYSE Euronext of USA (9.64crore).
Shyam Teleservices Ltd (SSTL) whose 21 out of 22 licences were cancelled by the Supreme Court in February on the grounds that the 122 permits issued by the then Telecom Minister A Raja were arbitrary and unconstitutional. The Russian government holds 17.14 per cent stake in SSTL.
In a first of its kind in the country, Vodafone India has launched Angel Stores, retail outlets run only by women employees, in Ahmedabad and Vadodara(Gujarat). The government has allowed state-run Life Insurance Corp to hold up to 30 percent in companies, from 10 percent currently, The Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) has cleared Swedish furniture major IKEAs Rs.10,500-crore project, the largest foreign direct investment (FDI) in single-brand retail so far.
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Indian cashew companies are looking to set up processing factories in Vietnam and Africa, because of cheaper availability of raw materials and labour and incentives offered by the respective countries. The Union Cabinet has approved an expenditure of USD one trillion in the next five years on Infrastructure Development and 40 per cent of this would come from private sector. The government has approved 9.5 per cent stake sale in state-run power producer NTPC, hoping to garner around Rs.13,000 crore. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has offered $315 million loan to fund 450-megawatt Shongtong Karcham Hydroelectric Project in Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh. Maldives govt has terminated the contract given to GMR Group of India for developing Male Airport.
OCTOBER 2012
FM PRESENTS 5 YR FISCAL ROADMAP
Finance Minister presented a five-year plan on Oct. 29 to repair government finances that targets a sustainable fiscal deficit of 3% of GDP by 2016-17 and promises to keep the fiscal slippage this year to the minimal. Picture below explains the plan:
The President gave away 46 Niryat Shree Awards to exporters for their excellent performance and 6 Niryat Bandhu Awards to Export Promotion Councils and Banks for their support to the exporting community.
The Vijay Kelkar Committee on Fiscal Consolidation has recommended four pillars under which the government can lower its fiscal deficit to 5.2% of GDP in FY13, and further to 4.6% and 3.9% in FY14 and FY15, respectively.
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Large uranium deposits have been discovered at Rohil in Rajasthans Sikar district.
Improve Tax measures and administration: penalize non-compliance on tax payments, review commodities that attract excise tax duty of 6% or lower and prune the negative list on services tax. Increase disinvestment proceeds and consider monetizing govts land resources. Cut subsidies on diesel, LPG cylinder and kerosene. Economise on Plan Expenditure: The increase should not be more than 15% and 18% year on year (yo-y) in FY14 and FY15 respectively.
BANKING
NOVEMBER 2012
MORE BANKING THROUGH MOBILE PHONES
Very soon, bank account holders will be able to access their accounts, transfer funds, check balances and request cheque books by simply punching in *99# from their mobile phones, including the most basic GSM handsets. The proposed connectivity is under the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) platform where each dial-in results in a live connection with the bank's server. Some banks have already rolled out similar services.
SEBI approves MCX Stock Exchange Ltd (MCX-SX) to deal in shares and related instruments
SEPTEMBER 2012
LIC LAUNCHES JEEVAN DEEP
Life Insurance Corporation of India has launched a micro insurance product, Jeevan Deep. This product, which commemorates the Corporations 56th anniversary, is its third after Jeevan Madhu and Jeevan Mangal, targeted at the economically weaker section. Under the scheme, the minimum sum assured is Rs 5,000 and the maximum is Rs 30,000.
The Reserve Bank has asked banks to discontinue the practice of reporting attempted fraud cases involving Rs 1 crore or above to its Fraud Monitoring Cell. However, they would continue to place the individual cases involving Rs 1 crore and above before the Audit Committee of their Board.
Govt has asked public sector banks to strictly adhere to the March, 2014 dead line for converting all Kisan Credit Cards (KCCs) to ATM cards. Banks will have to convert more than 11.39 crore KCCs to ATM cards by March, 2014.
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be attributed to deterioration in asset quality of the banks, the slowdown prevailing in the domestic economy as well as inadequate appraisal and monitoring of credit proposals. The asset quality of banks is an important indicator of their financial health and it reflects the efficacy of banks' credit risk management and the recovery environment.
PROPRIETARY
The RBI has decided to permit scheduled commercial banks (SCBs) to become members of SEBI approved stock exchanges for the purpose of undertaking proprietary transactions in the corporate bond market. The size of the Indian corporate bond market at 11.8 per cent of GDP is lower than the average for Emerging East Asia and for Japan at 17.2 and 19.8 per cent, respectively. Proprietary
transactions refer to transactions made by financial institutions in financial markets with a view to make profits for itself, e.g. speculative transactions in share market.
to facilitate 24X7 receipt of foreign inward remittances under the money transfer service scheme (MTSS). Using the card, the receiver can withdraw the remittance money from any ATM.
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agriculture, up to a limit of Rs 2 crore. Further, RBI has also raised the priority-sector lending limit for medium and small enterprises in the service sector to Rs 2 crore from Rs 1 crore. The per unit housing cost limit for housing projects for construction of homes exclusively for weaker section has been raised from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh per unit.
banking facilities were available to only about 58.7 per cent households.
HDFC Bank has announced a tie-up with Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. as per which its rural petrol pump outletsKisan Seva Kendras (KSKs) will act as the Bank's Business Correspondents (BCs) to make modern banking services available to the people residing in semi-urban and rural India.
The RBI sets up Financial Inclusion Advisory Committee headed by its Deputy Governor K. C. Chakrabarty to push up efforts to promote financial inclusion. SBI has opened two new branches in Chatsworth and Laudium (Pretoria), South Africa.
SEPTEMBER 2012
BANKS NEED 5 LAC CR FOR CAPITAL
The Reserve Bank of India has estimated that the Indian banks will require an additional capital of Rs 5 lakh crore to meet the new global banking norms, Basel III. Out of this, Rs 1,75,000 crore will be core capital (tier-I) and Rs. 3,75,000 in non equity capital (tier-II). The new norms are to be implemented from January 1, 2013 in a phased manner and should be in place by banks by March 2018.
OCTOBER 2012
CRR CUT DOWN TO 4.25%
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) slashed the CRR by 25 bps to 4.25% but kept the other key policy rates unchanged in its Second Quarter Review of Monetary Policy for 201213 on Oct. 30. The CRR cut is meant to inject Rs 17500 crore into the banking system.
STANDARDISATION OF CHEQUES
The Reserve Bank has directed all banks to issue cheques with uniform features conforming to Cheque Truncation System (CTS) 2010 standard by end September.
The FY13 growth forecast has been cut to 5.8% from 6.5%. The bank sees a reasonable likelihood of easing in the fourth quarter of the current financial year.
2% to 2.75%.
The Reserve Bank has advised that all public sector banks will get an interest subsidy (subvention) of 2 per cent per annum against short term production loan (crop loan) up to Rs 3 lakh for the year 2012-13. This subvention will be available on the condition that banks do not charge more than 7% interest on short-term production credit up to Rs 3 lakh.
The Reserve Bank of India has revised the definition of priority sector to include corporates and firms engaged in agriculture and allied activities in direct finance to
GYANMS GENERAL AWARENESS JANUARY 2013
To promote cashless transactions, the Finance Ministry has asked public sector banks to take steps to reduce the fee to zero for electronic transfer of funds up to Rs one lakh. Currently, most banks charge a maximum fee of Rs 5 per transfer of funds up to Rs 1 lakh from one account to another through National Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT) system.
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OCTOBER 2012
Rs 8000 CRORE APPROVED FOR MISSILES
Govt has cleared proposals of over Rs. 8,000 crore for procuring around 10,000 Invar missiles from Russia for the Armys T-90 tanks and over 200 air-launched versions of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles for the IAF.
The Finance Ministry has declined permission to Iran's Parsian Bank to open a branch in India apparently due to security concerns and threat of money laundering. Reserve Bank has permitted Indians to invest in Pakistan to promote bilateral trade and investment. NABARD to offer free SMS-based weather and crop advisory services to over 50,000 farmers in 10 districts in Maharashtra on a pilot project.
SEPTEMBER 2012
SAMUDRA PAHEREDAR FOR COAST GUARD
The Indian Coast Guard has commissioned the Samudra Paheredar, the indigenously built pollution control vessel, specially designed to mitigate any marine oil spill
DEFENCE
NOVEMBER 2012
NEW MISSILE LAUNCH SITE IN ANDHRA The Defence Research and Development Organisation is
setting up a new missile launch site at Machilipatnam in Andhra Pradesh at an estimated investment of Rs 1,000 crore. The defence organisation currently has launch facilities at the Chandipur and Wheeler Island locations in Balasore in Odisha, from where the long-range Agni series of missiles as well as the Prithvi and other shorter range missiles are test-fired.
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RAILRADAR: A new online application launched by the Railways, where one can find the exact location of 6,500 trains on a Google map on a real-time basis. Microsoft has launched its latest computer operating system Windows 8 in 37 languages in 140 worldwide markets.
SEPTEMBER 2012
GISAT AN EYE IN THE SKY
Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad is developing a satellite called the Geo-Imaging Satellite or GISAT that will keep an eye on the country from a height of 36,000 kms. to alert authorities of trouble spots, natural disasters, floods and forest fires within, say, five minutes of the event.
Astronomers for the first time have discovered a young homeless planet, up to seven times the size of Jupiter and with no gravitational ties. The lonely planet, called CFBDSIR2149 at the moment does not orbit a star. It is the first isolated planet of its kind ever to be discovered by scientists, after more than a decade of searching in a process described as looking for a single needle in amongst thousands of haystacks.
A supercomputer named Titan at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, USA has been named the fastest in the world. Titan, a Cray XK7 system occupying 200 cabinets, achieved a top speed of 17.59 petaflops -- 17.59 quadrillion calculations per second. One quadrillion is equal to 1000
INTERNATIONAL
NOVEMBER 2012
OBAMA TO RULE AGAIN
Barack Obama (Democratic Party) won a historic election to get a second term as US President, overcoming a stiff challenge from Republican Mitt Romney defying concerns over his handling of economy and anxiety over the future. Disproving predictions of a narrow victory in a very tight race, Obama won the election getting 303 electoral votes against 206 of Romney in a college of 535 votes. A votary of strong ties with India, 51-year-old Obama is the first black American to occupy the White House for a second time.
trillion.
the performance of a processor's floating point unit, or FPU. It may also be written "petaFLOPS" or "PFLOPS." Since FLOPS stands for "Floating Point Operations per Second," the term "petaflops" may be either singular (one petaflops) or plural (two or more petaflops). One petaflops is equal to 1,000 teraflops, or 1,000,000,000,000,000 FLOPS.
Sri Lankas first satellite was launched into space from western China on Nov. 27 by a state-run Chinese firm.
OCTOBER 2012
GAGAN TO BE OPERATIONAL BY JULY, 2013
The GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (Gagan) system is a part of the modernisation plan for air traffic management and communication-navigation-surveillance system as mandated by the International Civil Aviation Organisation.
India has launched its heaviest ever satellite (3400kg)GSAT-10, on board Ariane-5 rocket from Europe's spaceport in French Guiana. The satellite will be controlled from the Master Control Facility of ISRO in Hassan, Karnataka.
GYANMS GENERAL AWARENESS JANUARY 2013
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A number of tax cuts such as lower tax rates on capital gains, dividends, income, and estates etc, introduced by the Bush regime are going to expire by the end of 2012. Similarly, some fiscal stimulus measures, such as the payroll tax cut and extended unemployment benefits are also nearing their end. January 2013 will also witness automatic introduction of various spending cuts as a result of the failure of the deficit reduction super committee last year. Lack of consensus among Republican and Democrat lawmakers on various fiscal issues will add fuel to the fire.
Combined impact of all these events could lead to as much as a four to six per cent decline in the GDP of the U.S., according to some estimates, which put simply, is like falling off a fiscal cliff. At present, the U.S. economy is growing roughly at two per cent per annum. A four to six per cent contraction in GDP caused by the fiscal cliff would push the worlds largest economy into a recession. Coupled with the sagging European economies and a slowdown in Chinas growth, a recession in U.S. could be really bad for the world. Markets
have been working on the assumption that the U.S. is going to address the fiscal cliff challenge with a more gradual adjustment.
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BACKGROUND OF RAKHINE ROHINGYA CLASHES State of Rakhine in Myanmar has been facing long-standing tensions between Rakhine people, who are local ethnic Buddhist and make up the majority of the state's population, and Rohingya Muslims, a group that originated in parts of Bangladesh. In the towns bordering Bangladesh, where the violence has taken place, the majority of the population is Muslim. The Burmese government says that Rohingyas are relatively recent migrants from the Indian sub-continent. As a result, the country's constitution does not include them among indigenous groups qualifying for citizenship. Historically, the Rakhine majority has resented the presence of Rohingyas, who they view as Muslim people from another country. There is widespread public hostility towards the Rohingya in Burma.
Oman has barred import of poultry and poultry products from India for a second time this year following an outbreak of bird flu virus in Karnataka. A fiery armed conflict erupted between Israel and Palestine influenced Gaza strip controlled by militant group Hamas, killing several people on both sides. Next summit of the BRICS nations will take place in Durban, South Africa from 25 to 27 March next year. Pakistan has test fired Hatf V (Ghauri), its ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear warhead with a range of 1,300km. The British Government has announced that UK will stop giving aid to India by 2015. Russian President dismissed the country's chief of armed forces just three days after the sacking of its Defence Minister over a corruption scandal.
OCTOBER 2012
SRI LANKA QUIZZED ON HUMAN RIGHTS
Ninety nine countries have posed questions to Sri Lanka on the countrys Human Rights record that will be reviewed at United Nations Human Rights Commission headquarters in Geneva.
CONFERENCE ON RAMANUJAN
A three-day international conference, Ramanujan 125, to mark the 125th birth anniversary celebration of Srinivasa Ramanujan, began at the University of Florida in the U.S. A. on 5th November.
Srinivasa Ramanujan was an Indian mathematician who, with almost no formal training in pure mathematics, made extraordinary contributions to mathematical analysis, number theory, infinite series, and continued fractions. He became a Fellow of the Royal Society and a Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge. He died of illness, malnutrition and possibly liver infection in 1920 at the age of 32.
Russia and Tajikistan have signed an agreement allowing Russian troops to stay at a military base in Tajikistan until 2042. In return, Russia will engage more Tajik labourers to boost financial health of Tajikistan.
Preparations started at Jaipur for the One Billion Rising campaign against violence perpetrated against women and girls, as part of which thousands of women across the world will leave their daily routine behind on February 14, 2013 to dance together and rise up to demand an immediate end to gender-based cruelty.
One Billion Rising is an international coalition of campaigners speaking out for action to tackle violence against girls and women across the world. Over 160 countries and over 27,000 individuals have signed it. It is taking place on 14 February 2013 to celebrate the 15th Anniversary of V-day, the global movement to end violence against women and girls.
James Bond 007, the suave British spy on the silver screen celebrated 50 years of its creation on October 5. First Bond film Dr. No was released on October 5, 1962. Skyfall, the 23rd and latest Bond film, was released on October 23.
An international conference on Hydro-Diplomacy was held at Chiang Rai, Thailand to discuss the formation of River Basin Organisations (RBOs) between basin sharing countries to resolve various issues involving sharing of river waters.
The government has signed a loan agreement of Rs 7,802.17 crore with Japan to fund four projects related to infrastructure and water. Japan has committed loan of Rs 313.62 crore for campus development project of IIT, Hyderabad, Rs 3,572.73 crore for Tamil Nadu transmission system improvement project, Rs 2,211.52 crore for Rajasthan rural water supply and fluorosis mitigation project (Nagpur) and Rs 1,704.30 crore to fund Delhi water supply management project.
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Australia proposes to teach Hindi in its schools. Hurricane Sandy lashes NE USA, causing widespread devastation around New York, affecting over 5 crore people. Lahore city officials have decided to rename the Shadman Chowk in Lahore after the heroic Indian revolutionary freedom fighter Bhagat Singh, on his 105th birth day.
CHANDA KOCHHAR: ICICI Bank MD and CEO has been named as the most powerful woman in Indian business for the second consecutive term by Fortune Magazine. AJMAL KASAB: The lone Pakistani gunman caught alive after the Mumbai terror attack, was hanged to death at the Yerawada central prison at Pune in Maharashtra, in a topsecret operation named OPERATION X on 21 Nov., less than a week before the fourth anniversary of the carnage. IROM SHARMILA CHANU, Manipur's Iron Lady, completed 12 years of indefinite fast on 5th Nov., demanding repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA).
SEPTEMBER 2012
JAPAN TO QUIT NUCLEAR POWER
Japan has unveiled a plan to phase out nuclear power by 2030 and the reactors would be shut down completely by the year 2040.
Ms Sharmila, who is force-fed through the nose to keep her alive, began her fast till death after ten persons, including a boy who received the national bravery award, were shot dead in an alleged encounter with Assam Rifles personnel at Malom near Imphal airport on November 2, 2000.
SAVITA HALAPPANAVAR: The 31 year old dentist of Indian origin was 17 weeks pregnant when she died from septicaemia, as she was refused abortion even on medical grounds due to anti abortion rules of Ireland. The death sparked widespread outrage and renewed calls for immediate reforms to the Irish law to allow termination of pregnancy if the life of the mother is at risk. AMI BERA: Physician of Indo American origin created history by becoming only the third Indian-American ever to have been elected to the US House of Representatives. He contested on Democratic ticket from Californea. BABASAHEB N. KALYANI: Chairman and Managing Director of Bharat Forge, which has manufacturing operations across 5 countries, including Germany, was in news as he was decorated with the CROSS OF ORDER OF MERIT the highest civilian honour of Germany, awarded to individuals for their services to the country. PSY (Park Jae-Sang): South Korean pop sensation was in news as video of his horse riding dance became YouTubes most-watched video of all time, registering more than 805 million views, overtaking the video Baby by Canadian heartthrob Justin Bieber. AUNG SAN SUU KYI: Myanmars opposition leader visited India, after a gap of nearly four decades as part of Indias ongoing engagement with the democratic and multi-party polity in Myanmar. Ms. Suu Kyi, delivered the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Lecture at New Delhi. WEN JIABAO: The Chinese Prime Minister was in news as a leading news paper of USA, the New York Times reported that Mr Wen's close relatives had become enormously wealthy during his ten-year tenure. GEN. DAVID PETRAEUS: One of the top generals of US army was in news as he resigned from the post of the Chief of Central Intelligence Agency of USA due to his alleged involvement in an extra-marital affair. SHIRANI BANDARANAYAKE: Ex Chief Justice of Sri Lanka was news as she is facing an impeachment motion against her
A weeklong film festival to mark 100 years of Indian Cinema was held in Dhaka, Bangladesh. China launches its first aircraft carrier - Liaoning The fifth meeting of the SAARC Home Ministers held in Male, Maldives. Pakistan has successfully test-fired its nuclear cruise missile - the Babur (Hatf-VII), having a range of 700 km.
PERSONS IN NEWS
NOVEMBER 2012
MUKESH AMBANI: For the fifth year in a row, Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) chairman Mukesh Ambani retained the top spot as Indias wealthiest man with a net worth of $21 billion, according to global business magazine Forbes. ANAND KUMAR: Founder of Super 30 institute, which provides free residential coaching to students from underprivileged families for IIT-JEE exams, was in news as he was named as the Peoples Hero by the People magazine, a popular international magazine of the Time group. A. P. J. ABDUL KALAM: Indias missile man and former President was invited by China to teach at the prestigious Peking University. ARVIND KEJRIWAL: has launched a new political party named Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). KAVERY KALANITHI: Executive Director of Sun TV Network and wife of Kalanithi Maran, was named as Indias top paid business woman, earning a pay package of Rs 57 crore in 2011-12, according to Fortune magazine.
GYANMS GENERAL AWARENESS JANUARY 2013
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SILVIO BERLUSCONI: Former Prime Minister of Italy was in news as he was awarded a four year jail term for a tax related fraud. STEPHEN HARPER: Canadian Prime Minister visited India WILLIAM HAGUE: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of United Kingdom visited India. M23: the rebel group of Congo was in news as it launched an armed attack against army of Congo and took control of city of Goma.
admired for his courage in overcoming a potentially debilitating disability was in news as he inaugurated the London paralympics. He is now almost entirely paralysed and communicates through a speech generating device.
GENERAL
LIANG
GUANGLIE:
Chinese
Defence
OCTOBER 2012
FELIX BAUMGARTNER: Supersonic skydiver from Austria was in news for his death-defying, record-breaking leap from the edge of space at about 39 kms, breaking the sound barrier at a sky diving speed of 1,342-kmph on October 14, landing in a desert in New Mexico. DIEGO MARADONA: Football legend from Argentina visited Kannur, Kerala on a private tour. AISHWARYA RAI: Appointed International Goodwill Ambassador for UNAIDS, the joint UN programme on AIDS and HIV. LT. GEN. K S BRAR (RETD.): was in news as he was attacked by alleged militants in Central London. He had led Operation Blue Star in 1984 to flush out pro Khalistani militants from the Golden Temple, Amritsar. MALALA YOUSAFZAI: She is the 14-year-old peace activist who became the voice of girls in Swat in Afghanistan when the Taliban controlled the valley in 2008. She was recently shot at and seriously injured by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), triggering a nationwide wave of revulsion at not just terrorists but also their supporters.
MAHINDA RAJAPAKSA:
India on an official tour.
APPOINTMENTS
NOVEMBER 2012
SYED ASIF IBRAHIM: Director, Intelligence Bureau ALOK JOSHI: Director, Research & Analysis Wing (RAW) RANJIT SINHA: Investigation Director of the Central Bureau of Chairperson and Managing
RAKESH MOHAN: Executive Director at IMF Board. He will also be representing three other countries Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Bhutan on the IMF Board. ERNEST BAI KOROMA: President of Sierra Leone, Africa
SEPTEMBER 2012
AISHWARYA RAI BACHCHAN:
has been appointed the UN Goodwill Ambassador for UNAIDS to raise awareness on issues related to new HIV infections in children.
OCTOBER 2012
PRANAY SAHAY, IPS: Director General, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) SHUBHALAKSHMI PANSE: Chairperson and Managing Director of Allahabad bank. HUGO CHAVEZ: President of Venezuela (re-elected)
was in news as he was charged with sedition for putting up banners mocking the Constitution during a rally in Mumbai.
SEPTEMBER 2012
ALTAMAS KABIR: appointed 39th Chief Justice of India RAMESH ABHISHEK: Chairman of commodity markets regulator Forward Markets Commission (FMC). KAUSHIK BASU: Chief economist and Senior Vice-President of the World Bank JOSE EDUARDO DOS SANTOS: President of Angola (re elected) HASSAN SHEIKH: President of Somalia
CHRISTOPHER STEVENS
The US envoy to Libya was in news as he was killed by violent protesters in Benghazi, Libya. The protest was against a US film Innocence of Muslims which allegedly portrayed Prophet Mohammed in an insulting manner.
evoked wide spread violent protests for its anti Muslim contents, causing insult to Prophet Mohammed, in a number of Muslim countries like Libya, Egypt, Yemen.
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MAN BOOKER PRIZE FOR FICTION: Hilary Mantel for her book 'Bring up the Bodies'. She made history by becoming the first woman and first British author to become a two-time winner of this prestigious award. SHARMILA TAGORE: Awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Arts by the Edinburgh Napier University for her outstanding contribution to Indian cinema. GOLDEN PEACOCK AWARD: Analjit Singh, Max India founder and Vodafone Chairman, for personal leadership and his contribution to society. 27TH INDIRA GANDHI AWARD FOR NATIONAL INTEGRATION: Gulzar, the noted poet, lyricist and filmmaker "for his yeoman work in promoting and preserving the spirit of National Integration." 11TH ECONOMIST CROSSWORD BOOK AWARD 2012: To Aman Sethi for his book A Free Man
This prize for 2012 has been awarded to Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
Kyoto Prize: Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Renowned literary critic and educator (Given by Kyoto City in Japan) Knight of the Order: (of Arts and Letters), by French Govt to Aishwarya Rai Bachchan for the contributions made by her to Indian and World Cinema and the developments in Indo-French cooperation in art, culture and Cinema. National Book Award: (of USA) Katherine Boo for her book Behind the Beautiful Forevers about the life in Mumbai slums.
OCTOBER 2012
NOBEL PRIZES FOR 2012 DECLARED
Nobel prize for Chemistry Physics Winner Robert Lefkowitz, USA and Brian Kobilka, USA Serge Haroche, France and David Wineland, USA John Gurdon, Britain and Shinya Yamanaka, Japan Mo Yan, China Work done for studies of proteins that let body cells respond to signals from the outside. for work in quantum physics that could one day open the way to revolutionary computers. for the 'reprogramming' of the fate of cells, For his hallucinatory realism with which he merges folk tales, history and the contemporary. for over six decades contributed to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe. for studies on the matchmaking that takes place when doctors are coupled up with hospitals; students with schools; and human organs with transplant recipients.
SEPTEMBER 2012
Moorti Devi Award-2010*: Prof. Gopi Chand Narang for the book Urdu ghazal aur Hinduatani jehan-o-tehzib.
Moorti Devi Award-2011*: Dr. Gulab Kothari for his book Main hi Radha, Main hi Krishna.
*This
award is given by Bhartiya Jnanpith Trust for recognising a persons contribution to Indian philosophy and cultural heritage in any language
GOLDEN LION for best film at the 69th Venice Film Festival: Korean film Pieta directed by Kim Ki-duk.
Peace prize
European Union
Economics
STORY OF NOBEL PRIZES The Nobel Prize is an international award of highest level given annually since 1901 for outstanding achievements in six fields - Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Literature, Economics and Peace the prizes were started by Nobel Academy set up by great Sweedish scientist Alfred Nobel. The prize consists of a medal, a personal diploma, and a prize amount (reduced recently by 20%) of Swedish Kroner 8 million (roughly $ 1.1 million). In 1968, the Sveriges Riksbank (Bank of Sweden) instituted the prize in Economic Sciences in memory of Alfred Nobel, founder of the Nobel Prize. The peace prize is decided by the Parliament of Norway. These awards are announced every year in the month of October.
GYANMS GENERAL AWARENESS JANUARY 2013
OCTOBER 2012
India Grows at Night by Gurucharan Das Ad katha: The story of Indian Advertising by Anand Halve and Anita Sarkar Sethji by Shobhaa De London Company by Farukh Dhondy Indias Tryst with Destiny by Jagdish Bhagwati &Arvind Panagariya Joseph Anton - by Salman Rushdie The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng
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Swimming Home by Deborah Levy The Lighthouse by Alison Moore The Casual Vacancy by J K Rowlings Ending Corruption? How to Clean up India by N. Vittal, Former CVC of India Fifty Shades of Grey by EL James What Young India Wants by Chetan Bhagat No Easy Day by Mark Owen, Kevin Maurer Ministry of Hurt Sentiments by Altaf Tyerwala A Free Man by Aman Sethi
SEPTEMBER 2012
DR VERGHESE KURIEN: Architect of the Operation Flood, fondly known as the Milkman of India, father of White Revolution which made India the leading producer of milk in the world, accounting for 17% of total production. He formed Anand Milk Union Ltd (Amul), one of the top Asian brands with a turnover of nearly Rs 13,000 crore. He was also founder of National Dairy Development Board. G. KASTURI: Former Editor of The Hindu and former Managing Director of The Hindu Group. RANGANATH MISRA: The former Chief Justice of India K S SUDARSHAN: Ex chief of Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) SYED MUSTAFA SIRAJ: Veteran Bengali writer from Kolkata, West Bengal ANIL BORDIA: Eminent educationist, activist and former civil servant from Rajasthan
OBITUARY
NOVEMBER 2012
BAL THAKREY: 23-01-1926 17-11-2012 A mascot of Marathi pride and Hindutva, the 86-year-old Shiv Sena supremo was idolised with almost God-like devotion by his frenzied Sainiks and demonised in equal measure by detractors. Popular as the Tiger of Maharashtra, he started his career as a cartoonist and shot to popularity with his concept of Marathi manoos in 1960. He launched Shiv Sena on June 19, 1966 to champion the cause of Marathi sons-of-the-soil. He also started the newspaper Saamna which becames mouthpiesce of Shiv Sena. Struck an alliance with BJP in 1995 and formed the government in Maharashtra but never occupied the post of Chief Minister. His residence named Matoshri was very popular amongst his followers. K.C. PANT: Former Planning Commission Deputy Chairman and ex-Defence Minister. DR. JOSEPH MURRAY: Renowned scientist from USA who won the Nobel Prize in 1990 for the first successful organ transplant.
PLACES IN NEWS
NOVEMBER 2012
PATNA: The city was in news as at least 17 people were killed in a major tragedy during the Chhat Puja on the banks of river Ganga on Nov. 19. The mishap occured after stampede on a make shift bridge at the Adalatganj ghat on the banks of Ganga. TEHATTA: A small town in Nadia district of West Bengal was in news due to violent clashes between the villagers and the police that took place on November 14 at Haulia, a village near Tehatta. CYCLONE NILAM swept across north Tamil Nadu coast near Mahabalipuram, about 55 km from Chennai, on Oct. 31, causing widespread damage. ASHULIA, DHAKA (BANGLA DESH): The place was in news as over 110 people were killed and scores injured in a fire believed to be the most devastating in the countrys industrial history that gutted a garment factory.
OCTOBER 2012
YASH CHOPRA: Legendary film producer and director, known as King of Romance. His last film Jab Tak Hai Jaan will be released on Diwali, Nov. 13. SUNIL GANGOPADHYAY: Sahitya Akademi President Noted Bengali littrateur and
OCTOBER 2012
MINBYAR TOWNSHIP: A town near Sittwe in border state of Rakhine, Myanmar was in news due to violent clashes there between Rohingya Muslims and ethnic Rakhine Buddhists. ABYEI: a 10,000 sq km oil-rich territory on Sudan and South Sudan border which is claimed by both sides, was in news due to frequent violent skirmishes there between the two communities - Misseriya tribes allied to the North and Ngok Dinka people who consider themselves South Sudanese. NEW YORK: The city and areas around it were lashed by the devastating hurricane Sandy causing widespread damage.
JASPAL BHATTI: Popular satirist and film-maker from Punjab, the man behind hit comedy shows like Ulta Pulta and Flop Show. DINESH THAKUR: Renowned theatre and film artist BRAJESH MISHRA: Indias first National Security Adviser and ambassador to UNO. ERIC HOBSBAWM: One of Britain's leading historians and most significant Marxist intellectual of the past half century. PRINCE NORODOM SIHANOUK: Cambodia
GYANMS GENERAL AWARENESS JANUARY 2013
Former
king
of
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SEPTEMBER 2012
GHOGALGAON: A small village in Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh was in news as scores of villagers launched a jal satyagraha there by standing in neck deep waters of Narmada river for 17days, demanding reduction in the water level of Omkareshwar dam. Ultimately, State govt acceded to their demand. MUDALPATTI: Place near Sivakasi in Tamil Nadu was in news as over 38 persons were killed in a fire accident at a cracker factory. ALLAHABAD UNIVERSITY: known as the Oxford of the East, the fourth-oldest university in the country turned 125 on September 23, 1887. KARACHI: Port town of Pakistan was in news as around 300 people were killed in a fire that broke out in a local garment factory. FEUGO VOLCANO: in Guatemala was in news due to its sudden eruptions.
Japanese Minatsu Mitani beats Saina Nehwal to win the French Open Super Series (badminton) at Paris. The third kabaddi World Cup will be held in Punjab from December 1-15. The Sidvin Festival of Speed to be held at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida (UP) on December 1 and 2. International Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF) declares ATHLETES OF THE YEAR MEN - Usain Bolt, sprinter from Jamaica WOMEN - Allyson Felix, sprinter from USA
SPORTS WORLD
NOVEMBER 2012
BCCI ANNUAL AWARDS - 2012 Board of Control for cricket honoured Sachin Tendulkar for completing his 100th international century. Poly Umrigar Award Col CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award Virat Kohli Sunil Gavaskar
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) India Car Rally 2012, organised by the Ministry of External Affairs and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), kicked off on Nov. 26 from Yogyakarta, Indonesia with a ceremonial flagoff at Singapore. The rally will formally end in Guwahati on December 17. The car rally marks the twentieth commemorative year of ASEANIndia relations and the tenth year of the summit level engagement. Kimi Raikkonen of Finland won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix for Lotus team, racing ahead of Fernando Alonso (Spain) of Ferrari. GOLDEN BOOT AWARD: Lionel Messi, Forward player of Barcelona, in recognition for scoring the most goals (50) in Europes domestic football leagues last season. Rory MclIroy of North Ireland, the reigning World Champion, won the Dubai World Tour Golf Championship to retain his number one title at the end of the season in 2012. SEBASTIAN VETTEL (GERMANY) OF RED BULL team became the only third person in the history of F-I racing to have won the three world championships in a row. He became the youngest triple world champion in history at age 25, winning the season with 281 points, against 278 of Fernando Alonso (Spain) of Ferrari team. CHRIS GAYLE: The West Indian opener became the first player in Test cricket to slam a six off the very first ball in a match. It took a good 135 years since the first ball was bowled in Test cricket for this record to be created. Gayle smashed debutant Sohag Gazi of Bangla Desh at Dhaka, taking 18 from the first over but the 21-year-old off-spinner took revenge by having the opener caught for 24. The first officially recognised test match commenced on March 15, 1877 and was contested by England and Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). World Women's Chess Championship held in Khanty Mansiysk, Russia. Novak Djokovic of Serbia beats Roger Federer (Swiss) to win ATP World Tours Final (Tennis) Championship at London. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has approved day-night format for the Test matches. It has left the
India beats Pakistan to lift inaugural Asian Cricket Council's Womens Twenty20 Asia Cup in Guangzhou, China. The team was lead by skipper Mithali Raj. India came runners up in the Asian Kabbadi Championship, staged in Lahore, while hosts Pakistan emerged Champions. Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna clinched the Paris Master, their second title of the year, defeating Aisam-ul-haq Qureshi and Jean-Julien Rojer in Paris. Pankaj Advani won the World Billiards Championship (time format) beating defending champion Mike Russell of Qatar at Leeds, England. Rupesh Shah won the World Billiards Championship (point format) beating Australia's Matthew Bolton at Leeds, England. M.S. Dhonis superbike championship team has been renamed as Mahi Racing Team India. It will also be the factory team of the Kawasaki. Sun TV network has purchased the Hyderabad franchise of Deccan Chargers team of the Indian Premier Legue
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decision on the type and colour of the ball to be used on the member boards. Judd Trump of England won the World Snooker International championships at Chengdu, China, beating Neil Robertson of Australia. FULECO: It is the name of the mascot of the 2014 Football World Cup to be played in Brazil.
SEPTEMBER 2012
GIRISHA WINS SILVER IN PARALYMPICS
H N Girisha of Karnataka gave India its first medal at the London Paralympic Games after bagging silver in the Men's High Jump event. Girisha with impairment in his left leg, sailed over a height of 1.74m using scissors technique.
OCTOBER 2012
Saina Nehwal beats Juliane Schenk of Germany to win the Denmark Open Super Series Premier Trophy (badminton) at Odense, Denmark. Pankaj Advani won his seventh World Billiards title when he outclassed defending champion Mike Russell in the finals at Leeds in UK Sachin Tendulkar: has been honoured by the Australian government with the membership of the Order of Australia, an honour rarely awarded to nonAustralians. Anil Kumble: Former Indian cricket captain appointed chairman of ICC's Cricket Committee. Saina Nehwal: The London Olympics bronze medallist in badminton was in news as she flew in a Kiran aircraft of the Indian Air Force from an airbase near Hyderabad. Babita Kumari: She is the third Indian woman wrestler to grab a medal at any International Wrestling meet when she clinched a bronze in World Wrestling Championship held at Edmonton, Canada. First Indian women to win an international medal in wrestling was Alka Tomar and second, Geeta Phogat, elder sister of Babita. West Indies won the ICC T-20 Cricket World Cup captained by Darren Sammy, after defeating host Sri Lanka at Colombo, Sri Lanka. Marlon Samuels of West Indies was declared Man of the Match. Australia beats England to lift ICC T-20 Cricket World Cup for women at Colombo, Sri Lanka. East Zone lifts Duleep Trophy (cricket) defeating Central Zone at Chennai. East Bengal won the Federation Cup (Football) beating the Dempo SC at Siliguri, West Bengal. Rest of India beat Rajasthan to lift Irani Cup 2012(of cricket) at Bangalore. Team India B beat India A to win the N.K.P. Salve Challenger Trophy of cricket at Rajkot, Gujarat. The 28th National junior athletics championships held at Lucknow, UP. Sebastian Vettel: The German Champion of Red Bull team recorded a stupendous victory in the Indian Grand Prix for the second successive year, at the Buddh International Circuit, Noida, UP. Michael Schumacher: Legendary F-1 champion (43) from Germany, arguably the most successful driver in Formula One car races (91 wins), announced his retirement from the sports. Tony Greig: Former England captain was in news as he has been diagnosed with lung cancer.
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ABBREVIATIONS
AYUSH AERB AICTE APDRP Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy Atomic Energy Regulatory Board All-India Council for Technical Education Accelerated Power Development and Reform Programme (meant for improving commercial viability of electricity power distribution). APEC Adsia-Pacific Economic Cooperation A forum for 21 Pacific Rim countries (styled "member economies) that seeks to promote free trade and economic cooperation. ASEAN BASIC The Association of Southeast Asian Nations Group of Brazil, South Africa, India and China for the purpose of safeguarding their interests under Kyoto protocol BIKRA CAGR CAPART CBMs CCTNS CIRP CPSU DARE DDS Banking Industry Country Risk Assessment Compounded Annual Growth Rate Council for Advancement of People's Action and Rural Technology Confidence-Building Measures Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems Committee for Internet-Related Policies (at UNO). Central Public Sector Units Defence Avionics and Research Establishment Duty Drawback Scheme for exporters (in place of DEPB) DEPB DGCA DRDO EAS EPFO ETC FIEO FINO FMCG GSLV Duty Entitlement Pass Book for exporters (since withdrawn) Directorate General of Civil Aviation Defence Research and Development Org. East Asia Summit Employees' Provident Fund Organisation Electronic Toll Collection (at toll plaza) Federation of Indian Export Organisations Financial Inclusion & Network Organisation Fast Moving Consumer Goods Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle
IAEA ICDS IDFC IIFCL IUCN MCOCA MICE NADA NCDEX NCTC NELP NSSF NPCIL NSSF NSSO PSLV PTCT RFID RISAT RINL RKVY SAARC SAFTA SAI SFIO TDSAT
International Atomic Energy Agency Integrated Child Development Service Infrastructure Development Finance Company India Infrastructure Finance Company Ltd. International Union for Conservation of Nature Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act Business referring to Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions National Anti Doping Agency National Commodities and Derivatives Exchange National Counter-Terrorism Centre New Exploration Licensing Policy National Small Savings Fund Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited National Small Savings Fund National Sample Survey Organisation Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle Parent to Child-Transmission (of HIV) Radio Frequency Identification Radar Imaging Satellite Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojna South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation South Asian Free Trade Agreement Sports Authority of India Serious Fraud Investigation Office Telecom Tribunal. Disputes Settlement & Appellate
World Anti Doping Agency West Asia and North Africa (the countries here are facing civil war) Wireless Interoperability for Microwave Access
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