Starred
Articles
SBI
ties up with Snapdeal, PayPal in a single day
Corporate
> SBI > May 21
Just a day after joining
hands with Amazon to develop payment solutions for customers and
small businesses, SBI has signed MoUs with Snapdeal and PayPal. The
deal with Paypal will allow SBI debit card holders to use a digital
payment gateway for buying products from foreign websites and also
enable micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) customers to access
a secure payment solution. Its second deal with Snapdeal will allow
SBI to provide finance to the sellers who sell products on the
e-commerce platform. Both the deals are targeted to boost micro,
small and medium enterprises (MSME) businesses. SBI hopes to fufill
the Prime Minister's dream of `Make in India' and digital India
through such deals.
Mohan
Kumar appointed as the new defence secretary
India
> Defence > May 22
1979 batch IAS officer from
Odisha, G Mohan Kumar is all set to become the new defence secretary
of India, after incumbent R K Mathur's retirement. Kumar was the
front runner for the post as he was a pivotal member of the PM's
'Make in India' campaign of which defence was a vital cog. The
Appointments Committee of the Cabinet also appointed Ashok Kumar
Gupta, a 1981 batch Tamil Nadu officer, as the new secretary of
defence production, who will eventually succeed Mohan Kumar.
UN
observes International Day for Biological Diversity
Days
>
International Day
for Biological Diversity > May 22
International Day for
Biological Diversity (IBD) was observed on the 22nd of May, 2015 by
the United Nations (UN), with this year's theme being Biodiversity
for Sustainable Development. The theme highlights the relevance of
biodiversity in achieving the goal of sustainable development. The
first International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB) was observed
on the 22nd of December 2000 to increase understanding and awareness
of biodiversity issues.
Tourists
from China, Japan may get to use ATMs here
Banking
and Insurance >
ATMs > May 22
Reserve
Bank of India-promoted NPCI has entered into an agreement with
China Union Pay and Japan Credit Bureau in order to
enable Chinese and Japanese tourists in India to use local ATM
and point of sale terminals. Apart from the international debit card
to be launched next month, the National Payments and Settlement
Corporation of India (NPCI) is also readying to launch credit cards
and implement the Bharat Bill Payment system to facilitate cashless
transactions.
Others
PVR
set to acquire DLF's DT Cinemas
Corporate
> PVR
Cinemas > May 20
India's largest multiplex
operator PVR cinemas is reportedly in the process of acquisition of
the wholly-owned subsidiary of DLF, DT Cinemas. The deal is likely to
value DLF at about Rs 500 crore. A debt of about Rs 20,500 crore has
compelled DLF to exit from DT Cinemas business. Both the parties are
likely to approach the Competition Commission of India (CCI) for
in-principle approval as PVR Cinemas is the market leader. However,
neither of them has commented on the market speculations.
Worldpay
to enter Indian market in association with IndusInd Bank
Banking
and Insurance >
IndusInd Bank > May 20
The Uk-based payment
processing giant Worldpay will now be able to provide services in
India in association with IndusInd Bank. The pact will mark the first
step for Worldpay in entering Indian market as a result of growth in
ecommerce across the industry. The association is expected to allow
each company to benefit from the other's respective expertise in
domestic and international payments and contribute to the growth of
the ever-growing Indian ecommerce industry.
India
ranks 24th on the first Environmental Democracy Index
India
>
Environmental
Democracy Index > May 21
India has managed to secure
the 24th position out of a total of 70 countries in the world's first
Environmental Democracy Index. The index evaluates nations' progress
in enacting laws to promote transparency, accountability and citizen
engagement in environmental decision making. The index, which is
topped by Lithuania, is a powerful lever that will help governments
to become more transparent and allow ordinary citizens to advocate
for more rights pertaining to the environment.
Saina
Nehwal regains top spot in World Badminton rankings
Sports
> Badminton > May 21
Indian badminton player
Saina Nehwal regained the number one spot in rankings after
temporarily slipping from the position last month. The female ace
shuttler had reached the top of the rankings early last month on the
virtue of a grand slam victory, which she subsequently lost due to
ranking fluctuations. But, the Olympic bronze medalist regained the
coveted spot to go as the top ranked player into the Australian Open,
starting on the 26th of May, 2015.
Wipro
receives Microsoft's Supplier of the year award
Awards
> Technology > May 21
Indian IT major Wipro was
honoured by Microsoft with 'Supplier of the Year award' for its
demonstration of excellence across multiple disciplines. Wipro has
been associated with Microsoft for years, demonstrating its
commitment to excellence, innovation and collaboration. With its high
impact results, Wipro has been a major factor in the success of
Microsoft. Award winners were based on excellence in a number of
areas, including quality, value, service and innovation.
Indian
Banks Association to sign revised wages pact with banks union
Banking
and Insurance >
Wage Revision > May 22
The
banking regulation body Indian Banks Association (IBA) will formally
sign the wage revision pact with (United Forum of Bank Unions) UFBU,
which will benefit 8.5 lakh employees from state-run banks, old
private banks and some foreign banks. According to the pact,
employees will receive a 15% hike in their salaries, which will cost
a total of Rs. 4725 crore to the banking sector.
Janalalithaa
sworn-in as Tamil Nadu CM for the fifth time
Politics
and Government >
Jayalalithaa > May 22
The 'caretaker CM' of Tamil
Nadu O Panneerselvam handed over his resignation to Governor K
Rosiah, making way for AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa to take over the
position of Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. Jayalalithaa was swornin
for a fifth time as chief-minister of Tamil Nadu on 23rd May, 2015.
In September last year,
Jayalalitha was disqualified as MLA and had to step down as CM after
a Bengaluru special court convicted her and three others in a
disproportionate assets case and sentenced them to five years'
imprisonment. Following this, Panneerselvam stepped in and served a
brief eight-month term as CM. On May, 11, 2015, the Karnataka High
Court acquitted Jayalaithaa in the case and prompted her return as
CM.
Indian
film ‘Masaan’ wins Fipresci Award at Cannes
Awards
> Cannes
Film Festival > May 24
Indian
film-maker Neeraj Ghaywan’s film “Masaan” was awarded the
International Federation of Film Critics (Fipresci) award at the 68th
Cannes International Film Festival on Saturday, 23rd May, 2015.
Masaan is Ghaywan’s debut feature film set in Varanasi and is based
on the lives of four people. It also features Bollywood star Richa
Chada.
Psychometric
tests mandatory for candidates vying for top positions at PSU banks
Banking
and Insurance >
Bank Recruitment > May 25
Aspiring
job seekers for top posts at public sector banks will have to undergo
two psychometric tests, which will be a part of three stage selection
process, which will also include a background check and personal
interview. The RBI has hired global management consulting firm Hay
Group to shortlist managing director and CEOs for five PSBs. The
intent of the psychometric tests is to evaluate a candidate's
leadership qualities, situational judgement capability and overall
personality traits.
ICICI
launches voice password facility for users
Banking
and Insurance >
ICIC Bank > May 25
In a first, customers of
ICICI Bank will now be able to make transactions using their voice
only with the new voice recognition service launched by the bank. The
service will authenticate the customers based on their speech
patterns and act as a password for them to perform transactions
through the bank's call centre. This hands-free alternative is set to
enhance the everyday banking experience of the customers.
Mumbai
Indians beat Chennai Super Kings to win IPL 2015
Mumbai
Indians won IPL-8 by defeating Chennai Super Kings at the Eden
Gardens, Kolkata. While MI scored 202/5, the second-highest score in
an IPL final, CSK laboured to 161/8 in their 20 overs, falling short
by 41 runs. MI thus joined Kolkata Knight Riders and CSK to become
the third team to win the IPL twice. In a surprisingly similar
scenario, Mumbai Indians had beaten CSK in the final at Eden Gardens
to the win the IPL in 2013.
Sangakkara
named CEAT International Cricketer of the Year; Rahane is Indian
Cricketer of the Year
Sports
> Cricket > May 26
India's
Ajinkya Rahane won the CEAT Indian Cricketer of the Year award while
former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara won the International
Cricketer of the Year honour at a ceremony organised on May 25. Kapil
Dev was conferred with the International Lifetime Achievement Award
at the 19th edition of the CEAT awards. The awards honoured the best
of cricketers based on their performances in international cricketing
in all formats - Test, ODI and T20 - as rated by the CEAT Cricket
ratings (CCR) for the year 2014 – 2015.
Employees
to transfer their dormant PF accounts
Economy
> Provident
Fund > May 26
According
to data from the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), Rs.
27000 crores is lying inoperative in dormant Employees Provident Fund
Accounts. Owing to the above reason, the government decided not to
accrue interest on the amounts of such accounts, which remain dormant
for more than 36 months. The government has asked employees to
transfer their dormant bank accounts and EPFO has recently set up an
online help desk to enable people to settle or transfer their dormant
accounts.
0 comments:
Post a Comment