Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Starred Articles

RBI sets 70 years as upper age limit for MD, CEO of pvt banks
Bank Specific > RBI Guidelines > September 10
The Reserve Bank of India has decided to fix the maximum age for Managing Directors and Chief Executive Officers in private sector banks at 70.
RBI, in the light of the provisions of the Companies Act, 2013, said that the upper age limit for Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer (MD & CEO) and other Whole Time Directors (WTDs) of banks in the private sector should be 70 years. Within the overall limit of 70 years, individual bank’s boards are free to prescribe a lower retirement age for WTDs, including MD & CEO, as an internal policy.

SC clears 3% reservation for disabled in jobs, promotions
Politics and Government > Reservations in Govt Jobs > September 12
The Supreme Court has ruled in favour of three per cent reservation for differently-abled candidates in civil services, not only at the stage of their appointments but also for departmental promotions. Giving a level-playing field to more than four crore people with disabilities in India, the apex court held that the Centre, states and Union Territories were obligated to implement the rules of reservation for this class in the matters of appointment, selection, direct recruitment, deputation and also for promotions. It asked the Centre to show a big heart and give the differently-abled people their due in all central and state government jobs.
A bench led by Chief Justice of India R M Lodha reiterated its earlier verdict that the principle of not exceeding 50 per cent reservation would not be applicable while granting quota for differently-abled people.
The three per cent reservation, as clarified by the apex court in its last year’s judgment, is to the extent of one per cent each for the blind, hearing and speech impaired, and persons suffering from locomotor disability or cerebral palsy.

India inks seven agreements with Vietnam, including one in oil cooperation
World > India - Vietnam > September 15
India and Vietnam inked seven pacts, including one to enhance cooperation in the strategic oil sector, as they called for freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, a remark which could irk China which has been claiming territorial sovereignty over the high seas.
Oil and Gas
A Letter of Intent (LoI) was signed between ONGC Videsh Limited, India and Vietnam Oil and Gas Group, in which PetroVietnam offered new blocks to OVL for oil and gas exploration and production. OVL is keen to expand its presence in Vietnam and is evaluating the blocks on offer.
Defence Equipment
India and Vietnam also signed an MoU on extension of USD 100 million Line of Credit to Hanoi for defence procurement, which provides concessional line of credit for procurement of defence equipment from India.
Custom Matters
Both the countries also signed an agreement on cooperation and mutual assistance in customs matters. The agreement aims to strengthen, promote and develop cooperation and mutual assistance on matters pertaining to customs between India and Vietnam.
Agriculture
An MoU was also signed between the Ministry of Agriculture of India and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam in the field of animal health, which establishes cooperation between India and Vietnam in the field of animal health, including protecting territory of each other from introduction of animal diseases and infection caused by the trade of animals, products of animal origin and materials of animal reproduction.
Fisheries
The fifth MoU was signed between National Fisheries Development Board, Hyderabad, Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture of India and the Directorate of Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam on cooperation in the field of setting up of pangasius breeding and farming in India.
Youth Affairs
India and Vietnam also signed an MoU between the Ministry of Skill Development, Entrepreneurship, Youth Affairs and Sports of India and the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union of Vietnam on cooperation in youth affairs.
Airlines
An MoU between Jet Airways (India) and Vietnam Airlines Company Limited has also been signed, which will enhance their presence in each other's markets. The scope of the MoU involves code sharing on services of each other.

Others

Arunachal Pradesh has highest proportion of hired workers amongst all states
India > Arunachal Pradesh> September 09
According to the 6th Economic Census Report 2013, Arunachal Pradesh has the highest proportion of hired workers among all states including in sectors like education and health. The percentage of female hired workers there is 30.3 per cent. The growth rate of establishments at all India level was 41.73 percent while the growth rate of total number of persons employed over 5th Economic Census 2005 at all India level has been recorded at 34.73 percent.

ISRO scientist becomes first Indian to visit stratosphere
Others > First Indian to Visit Stratosphere > September 10
TN Suresh Kumar, a senior ISRO scientist has become the first Indian to visit the stratosphere, the second layer of the Earth’s atmosphere. Kumar, who is working with ISRO’s Master Control Facility in Hassan, on August 15, 2014 travelled to an altitude of 17,100 metres in a MIG-29 from Sokol Airbase near Nizhny Novgorod in Russia. To achieve this feat, he paid a hefty fee of around Rs 15 lakh.

Subhash Chandra Garg appointed as World Bank Executive Director
Corporate > World Bank > September 10
Senior IAS officer Subhash Chandra Garg has been appointed as Executive Director in World Bank. Garg, a 1983-batch IAS officer of Rajasthan cadre, will have a tenure of three years from the date of assuming charge of the post.
The Executive Directors are responsible for the conduct of the general operations of the World Bank and exercise all the powers delegated to them by the Boards of Governors. They also select a President who serves as Chairman of the Boards. They are responsible for International Bank for Reconstruction and Development's loans, guarantees and policies that impact the World Bank's general operations among others.
Garg is presently serving in Rajasthan. The ACC had last month approved the proposal for extension of tenure of M N Prasad, a 1972 batch IAS officer of Bihar cadre (retired), as Executive Director, World Bank till October 31.

Centre to set up Swachh Bharat Kosh to fund Swachh Bharat campaign
Politics and Government > Swachh Bharat Campaign > September 11
The central government has said it will set up a Swachh Bharat Kosh to fund the Swachh Bharat (Clean India) campaign announced by PM Narendra Modi on August 15th. As part of this campaign, the Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry will anchor a Swachh Vidyalaya (Clean Schools) campaign. The HRD Ministry said public sector units under 25 Ministries have pledged Rs. 400 crore for the campaign and private and public sector companies would be encouraged to build toilet blocks in schools. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Bharti have already pledged Rs. 100 crore each towards this campaign. The government has prepared an action plan to set up toilets in all government schools by 15th August, 2015. The Swachh Bharat Campaign is part of a mission to make India a clean country by 2019, Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary.

Banks plan to sell Electrotherm debt to ARCs to recover money
Corporate > Electrotherm > September 13
Bankers are looking to sell their exposures in Electrotherm Ltd., a steel, power and renewable energy company headquartered in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, to Asset Reconstruction Companies (ARCs) in order to recover their debt after failing to implement a corporate debt-restructuring package earlier this year. A 17-bank consortium led by Bank of India and including State Bank of India (SBI), Bank of Baroda, UCO Bank, Vijaya Bank and State Bank of Travancore (SBT) among others have an exposure of Rs. 3442 crore in the company. According to Electromtherm’s FY14 annual report, Bank of Baroda has already sold its exposure to Edelweiss Asset Reconstruction Company (EARC) on March 26. Electrotherm’s total debt stood at R3, 108 crore in FY14 and for the three months to June, the company reported a R129.7 crore net loss on the back of R378.4 crore revenue. A number of banks including UCO Bank, SBT and the Central Bank of India have declared the company and its guarantors as willful defaulter.

Hindi Diwas - President Pranab Mukherjee appeals for popularization of Hindi
India > Hindi Diwas > September 14
National Hindi Diwas is annually observed on September 14 in India to promote the 'Matra Bhasha'- the mother tongue.
President Pranab Mukherjee appealed for the popularization of Hindi, saying it has a special place among all the languages in India. Addressing a Hindi Diwas function, he said efforts should be made to use simple words while transacting official business in the language.
Mukherjee said he was pleased to know that the official language department, which organized the event, will soon come out with a Hindi website for each central ministry and department. He said the websites must use simple words and parlance while providing information on government programmes and projects. Mukherjee said that through this initiative of using Hindi, the government can expand its reach among the people and help them avail development programmes.
The President further said that the use of Hindi in Internet and mobile services has increased manifolds and this would be helpful in providing efficient administration to the public.

Government to modify IT act to simplify e-transactions and boost e-commerce
Economy > E-commerce > September 14
In order to further boost the ever-expanding over USD 2 billion online shopping market in the country, the government plans to modify the IT Act 2000 under the proposed Communications Convergence Bill to provide legal recognition for transactions carried out using electronic data interchange and other means of electronic communication. Besides, the government also aims to draft a set of globally acceptable guidelines to increase the legal predictability for electronic commerce (e-commerce) and adopt the United Nations General Assembly's (UNGA) recommended Model Law on Electronic Commerce (MLFC).

TCS opens Saudi Arabia's first all-woman BPO centre
Corporate > TCS > September 14
India's largest software exporter TCS has opened Saudi Arabia's first all-female business process centre, which will provide employment to up to 3,000 women in three years.
TCS, in a statement, said that Saudi Aramco and GE are the centre's first customers. The all-female employee business process service centre, that was announced in September of 2013, will offer customers specialised Finance & Accounting, HR, Materials Supply and Office services to improve their operational efficiency.

USA wins 2014 Basketball World Cup
Sports > Basketball > September 14
The US retained their title as world basketball champions with a crushing 129-92 victory over Serbia in the final held in Madrid's Palacio de Deportes. Kyrie Irving scored 26 points. He was named MVP for the tournament. The All-Tournament Team was MVP Irving, Spain's Pau Gasol, Nicolas Batum of France, Serbia's Milos Teodosic and American Kenneth Faried.

Indian HS Prannoy wins Indonesian Masters Grand Prix Gold title
Sports > Badminton > September 15
Kerala badminton player HS Prannoy defeated Indonesian Firman Abdul Kholik in Palembang, Indonesia on Sunday to win the Indonesian Masters Grand Prix Gold title. This is his first senior ranks title. Prannoy dedicated the title to his coach Pullela Gopichand and his parents.

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