Bank railway s. S. C



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Explanation: Prasar Bharati came to Supreme Court after Delhi High Court ruled that DD can’t share the feed freely with cable operators. The SC had stayed the high court order so that viewers could watch the India-Pakistan match that was held on 15 February 2015. Star Sports, the official broadcasters of ICC World Cup 2015 in India, had argued that it had invested crores of money and it is objecting to DD sharing its feed with cable operators and Star Sports is incurring huge loss. The semifinals and the final will also be shown on DD due to this SC order.



4) The Election Commission of India (ECI) on 19 February 2015 presented the first copy of its publication that attempts to encapsulate the most critical and outstanding features of Indian elections for a fact-filled and inside eye view. What is the name of this publication that gives data and insights on the Lok Sabha elections of 2014? – India Votes

Explanation: “India Votes” is a publication of the ECI in which special emphasis was laid on the historic general elections of 2014, which has gone down in record books as the largest-ever democratic exercise. It traces the details of the process of elections right from the training of the electoral teams at the EC headquarters here and at the grassroots levels to the planning that goes behind staging the exercise.



5) A new PSU fertilizer company was incorporated at the existing site of Ramagundam Fertilizer plant in Telangana as a joint venture of National Fertilizers Ltd (NFL), Engineers India Ltd. and Fertilizer Corporation of India Ltd. on 17 February 2015. What is the name of this newly founded entity? – Ramagundam Fertilizers and Chemicals Limited

Explanation: Ramagundam Fertilizers and Chemicals Ltd (RFCL) will have new ammonia and urea plants of 2,200 tonnes per day and 3,850 tonnes per day respectively. It is situated in Karimanagar district of Telangana. The estimated cost of the project to be implemented by the company is Rs.5,000 crore. The project, targeted for completion in 2018, is part of the revival plan of Fertilizer Corporation of India Ltd. by the Union Govt.



6) Hikaru Nakamura of United States won the Zurich Chess Classic tournament that concluded on 20 February 2015. What was the position of India’s Vishwanathan Anand in the tournament? – Second

Explanation: Vishwanathan Anand was leading this tournament but finished second after he lost to Hikaru Nakamura in the final game. A sudden change in rules during the final stages of rapid competition paved the way for a final game even though it was not stipulated in the initial regulations. It is also worth mentioning that Anand had defeated Nakamura in classical game of the tournament earlier. For Nakamura, it was the second big win in the year after he had won the just-concluded Gibraltar Masters.



TODAY’S NEWS FOR FUTURE

22/02/2015



1) Which former Indian cricketer was inducted in the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame during India’s World Cup match against South Africa at Melbourne on 22 February 2015? – Anil Kumble

Explanation: Anil Kumble, who is now the Chairman of the ICC Cricket Committee, is the fourth India cricketer to be inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame after fellow former captains Bishen Bedi, Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar were inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in 2009. He became overall the 77th member in the ICC Hall of Fame. With 619 Test wickets, he is the third highest wicket-taker in Test cricket after Muttiah Muralidaran (800) and Shane Warne (708), while his 337 wickets in ODIs ranks him in ninth position on the all-time list of most successful bowlers in that format. Kumble captained India in 14 Tests between 2007 and 2008, winning three and losing five. In the 138-year history of Test cricket during which 2,156 Tests have been played to date, Kumble is one of only two bowlers after England’s Jim Laker to have taken all 10 wickets in an innings. He achieved this feat against traditional rival Pakistan in New Delhi in February 1999. During his career, Kumble played 132 Tests and 271 One-Day Internationals. Apart from his 619 Test and 337 ODI wickets, Kumble also scored 2,506 runs in Tests and 938 runs in ODIs. Joining Kumble as the 78th inductee was the late Betty Wilson, one of the greatest women’s cricketers of all-time.



2) Which team won the 3rd edition of Hockey India League (HIL) that concluded on 22 February 2015? – Ranchi Rays

Explanation: Ranchi Rays defeated Punjab Warriors 3-2 in a penalty shootout in the final at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in Delhi on 22 February. The regulation time score read 2-2 which resulted in the shootout. Though the Rays are a new team, the squad is more or less the same as that of the now non-existent Ranchi Rhinos which won the inaugural HIL in 2013.





3) Janata Dal United leader Nitish Kumar took oath as Chief Minister of Bihar on 22 February 2015. He took over as Chief Minister after a dramatic exit by his predecessor Jitan Ram Manjhi who stepped down on 20 February after a lengthy battle to hang on to the post. This is Nitish Kumar’s …………..term as Chief Minister of Bihar –Fourth

Explanation: Nitish Kumar became Bihar Chief Minister for the first time on 3 March 2000. This first term, however, was for just 8 days. His second and third terms were in 2005 and 2010 respectively. He had resigned in May 2014 owing to his party’s poor performance in 2014 Lok Sabha elections. He was replaced with Jitan Ram Manjhi, who was considered his close loyalist. Nitish Kumar’s bid to come back as a Chief Minister was made in view of the coming elections later on 2015. But Manjhi refused to step down and insisted on a floor test instead. However, hours before his test of strength in the assembly, Manjhi handed his resignation to Governor KN Tripathi on 20 February 2015 when it became clear that even with the BJP’s support, he would not be able to muster enough legislators to cross the halfway mark.



4) What is the name of the Indian Christian priest who was freed by Afghani abductors on 22 February 2015 eight months after he was captured? – Father Alexis Prem Kumar

Explanation: Father Alexis Prem Kumar was abducted from Herat in Afghanistan by unidentified gunmen on 2 June 2014. A native of Tamil Nadu, Rev. Kumar was working with the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), an educational charity, as its Afghanistan Director and had been in the country for over three years. He had accompanied teachers on a visit to a JRS-supported school for returnee refugees in Sohadat village, 25-km from the city of Herat. He was kidnapped from the school as he was about to return to Herat. Indian Government played an important role in securing his release.



5) The Union Govt. on 20 February 2015 notified rules to implement the decision to increase foreign direct investment limit in the insurance sector to 49%. What is the name of the bill associated with this subject that will be presented in the Budget session of Parliament? – The Indian Insurance Companies (Foreign Investment) Rules 2015

Explanation: The Indian Insurance Companies (Foreign Investment) Rules Bill allows up to 26% foreign investment through the automatic route, while foreign partners can increase their stake beyond that limit up to 49% with the approval of the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB). The rules will also apply to insurance brokers, third party administrators, surveyors and loss assessors, and other insurance intermediaries appointed under the provisions of the IRDA Act, 1999. Any increase of foreign investment of an Indian insurance company will have to be in accordance with the pricing guidelines specified by the RBI under the FEMA rules. With this bill, Union Govt. seeks to replace The Insurance Laws (Amendment) Ordinance, 2014, that was promulgated by the President of India, in December 2014.

6) What is the period of loan extension that was given to Greek government by the finance ministers of euro zone on 20 February 2015 to avert a potential crash crunch in March 2015? – 4 months

Explanation: The agreement, clinched after the third ministerial meeting of euro zone finance ministers held at Brussels offers a breathing space for the new Greek government to try to negotiate longer-term debt relief with its official creditors. This loan extension ends weeks of uncertainty since the election of a leftist-led government in Greece which pledged to reverse austerity measures that were imposed on Greek as conditions of the bail-out package given to it in 2010.

7) Cyclone Marcia and Lam struck which country on 20 February 2015 that left a trail of destruction in the country? – Australia

Explanation:  Tropical Cyclone Lam slammed into the Northern Territory of Australia on 20 February 2015, causing extensive damage to remote Aboriginal communities near Elcho Island, some 500 km east of the territory’s capital Darwin. On the other hand tropical Cyclone Marcia barrelled through the northeastern state of Queensland on the same day at the highest-rated category five, ripping apart houses, uprooting trees and bringing down power lines. However, no one was killed due to these cyclones.

8) What is the name of the e-portal that was launched by the Govt. of India on 21 February 2015 to address consular complaints pertaining to the Ministry of External Affairs? – “Madad”

Explanation: The portal ‘Madad’ (Help) was launched at the headquarters of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) by the External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. The portal seeks to significantly reform the linear process adopted to post grievances from the originator of the grievance to the concerned Embassy or Consulate of India abroad and cut down the time required for grievances to be sent from Delhi to Indian Missions abroad and to get them to take necessary action. Among the chief characteristics of ‘Madad’ are to speed up forwarding and handling of complaints, improve tracking and redressal and escalate unresolved cases. All the stakeholders, in this consular grievance monitoring, are tightly linked to the portal, including Missions and Posts abroad and MEA’s Branch Secretariats in Chennai, Guwahati, Hyderabad and Kolkata.

9) Anti-toll tax campaigner Govind Pansare, who died of on 20 February 2015 five days after he was shot at in Kolhapur, was associated with political party? – Communist Party of India (CPI)

Explanation: 82-year old Govind Pansare was a senior leader of the CPI and was known for his advocacy for rights of people from the lower most strata of society. Despite being a part of the CPI, Pansare had spoken against some of the practices the party followed, often complaining that the communist moment could not succeed in becoming mainstream in the society. Pansare and his wife were shot at on 16 February 2015 while they were returning from a morning walk in Kolhapur. The attack was eerily similar to the shooting of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar in 2014, who was also killed in the attack.



10) What is the name of the woman pilot of the Indian Air Force (IAF) who recently became the first woman pilot to become part of the famous helicopter-formation team “Sarang”? – Squadron Leader Deepika Misra

Explanation: Squadron Leader Deepika Misra was commissioned in the helicopter stream of IAF and was posted to a Chetak-Cheetah unit. Women short-service commission pilots were earlier permitted to fly such single-engine helicopters. However, in a major policy shift in 2010, the IAF allowed women pilots to fly twin-engine medium to heavy-lift helicopters. When the IAF sought women pilots to volunteer for the “Sarang” team, she jumped at the chance and was among the first to be inducted into the indigenous Advanced Light Helicopter squad. She was part of the famous helicopter-formation team that is performed at the Aero India 2015 being held at Bengaluru.



TODAY’S NEWS FOR FUTURE

24/02/2015



1) An important agreement pertaining to wage revision of bank employees was signed on 23 February 2015 between the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) and bank trade unions at Mumbai which resulted in the aversion of the proposed 4-day bank strike from 25 February. What are the main points under this agreement? – 15% hike in wages and off on second and fourth Saturdays of the month

Explanation: The wage hike will be applicable to nearly 10 lakh employees in public sector banks, old generation private sector banks and some foreign banks. Though bank employees have got second and fourth Saturday off, they will have to work full day on the first and third Saturdays. The wage revision negotiations had been going on for more than two years. The agreement on the wage revision would be implemented with effect from 1 November 2012. With the settlement, the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) was successful in averting the proposed 4-day strike proposed by the United Forum of Banking Unions (UFBU) from 25 February. The last round of negotiations between the unions and the IBA, held on 3 February 2015 had failed after the IBA offered a 13% hike compared to 12.5% offered earlier.





2) Which film won the Best Picture award at the 87th Academy Awards ceremony held on 22 February 2015? – “Birdman”

Explanation: “Birdman” won 4 Academy Awards, also popularly known as Oscar awards. The other Oscars won by it included Best Director, Best Cinematography and Best Original Screenplay.“The Grand Budapest Hotel” also won 4 Oscars but the awards won by this film were given mainly for film’s artistic presentation such as for Costume Designing, Makeup and Hairstyling, Production Design and Best Original Score. Another movie that made its mark at these Academy Awards was “Whiplash” which won 3 Oscars. Eddie Redmayne(“The Theory of Everything”) and Julianne Moore (“Still Alice”) respectively won the award for Best Actor and Best Actress.



3) Pawel Pawlikowski’s film “Ida” won the Best Foreign Language Film award at the 87thAcademy Awards on 22 February 2015. This film is from which country? – Poland

Explanation: Polish film “Ida” which depicts the moving story of a nun of 1960s won the Best Foreign Language Film award.



4) British newspaper “The Guardian” in its report of 22 February 2015 claimed that the CEO of British banking giant HSBC kept millions of dollars in a Swiss account. What is the name of this CEO? – Stuart Gulliver

Explanation: Stuart Gulliver is the current Group Chief Executive of HSBC, a position he has held since 1 January 2011. “The Guardian”, in its report published on 22 February claimed that Gulliver held about $7.6 million (6.7 million euros) in 2007 in a Swiss account in the name of Worcester Equities Inc, a Panama-registered company. He was listed as the owner and one of the beneficiaries of the account. This latest report assumes significance as HSBC is presently hit by a scandal pertaining to black money stacked in bank’s Geneva (Switzerland) branch that has prompted investigations of the bank by Britain’s financial watchdog and Swiss authorities.



5) In an important development former Maldives President and current opposition leader Mohamed Nasheed was arrested by country’s police on 22 February 2015. What is the main charge against him? – Illegal arrest of a senior judge in 2012

Explanation: Nasheed was arrested to stand trial for his 2012 order as President to arrest Criminal Court Judge Abdulla Mohamed. In a surprising move he was charged under anti-terrorism laws for unspecified reasons. It is worth mentioning that Nasheed had resigned as country’s President in February 2012 following weeks of public protests against his order to arrest this judge. Later he lost to Yameen Abdul Gayyoom in the Presidential Elections of 2013.



6) In a surprising move Japan’s Honda Motor Co. on 23 February 2015 announced replacing its President and CEO Takanobu Ito. The company is presently going through the effects of mass recalls involving production glitches in new models and problems with air bags in older vehicles. Who will take over as new head of the company in place of Ito? – Takahiro Hachigo

Explanation: Takahiro Hachigo is presently Honda’s Managing Director. He will replace Takanobu Ito from June 2015. Ito, who will become an adviser to the company and will remain on the board, has been chief executive since 2009. Honda is the auto maker most affected by the recall of millions of vehicles equipped with potentially faulty air bags from Takata Corp., which have been linked to at least six deaths.



7) Who was elected as the Speaker of the Delhi Legislative Assembly on 23 February 2015? – Ram Niwas Goel

Explanation: Ram Niwas Goel is an MLA of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) from Shahdara constituency. He was elected unanimously by the Assembly. Bandana Kumari of AAP was elected as the Deputy Speaker.

The list of winners of 87th Academy Awards
******************************************************



=>Best Picture: Birdman
=>Best Director: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu for Birdman
=>Best Actor: Eddie Redmayne for The Theory of Everything
=>Best Actress: Julianne Moore for Still Alice
=>Best Supporting Actor: JK Simmons for Whiplash
=>Best Supporting Actress: Patricia Arquette for Boyhood
=>Achievement in Costume Design: Milena Canonero for The Grand Budapest Hotel
=>Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling: Frances Hannon and Mark Coulier for The Grand Budapest Hotel
=>Best Foreign Language Film: Ida directed by Pawel Pawlikowski
=>Best Live Action Short Film: The Phone Call
=>Best Documentary Short Subject: Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1
=>Original Screenplay: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Nicolas Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Armando Bo for Birdman
=>Achievement in Sound Mixing: Craig Mann, Ben Wilkins, Thomas Curley for Whiplash
=>Achievement in Sound Editing: Alan Robert Murray Bub Asman for American Sniper
=>Achievement in Visual Effects: Ian Hunter, Scott Fisher, Andrew Lockley and Paul Franklin for Interstellar
=>Best Animated Short Film: Feast directed by Patrick Osborne and Kristina Reed
=>Best Animated Movie: Big Hero Six 6
=>Achievement in Production Design: Adam Stockhausen and Anna Pinnock for The Grand Budapest Hotel
=>Achievement in Cinematograph: Emannuel Lubezki for Birdman
=>Achievement in Film Editing: Tom Cross for Whipalsh
=>Best Documentary Feature: Citizen Four directed by Laura Poitras
=>Best Original Song: John Stephens and Lonnie Lynn for Glory
=>Best Original Score: Alexandre Desplat for The Grand Budapest Hotel
=>Best Adapted Screenplay: Graham Moore for The Imitation Game



TODAY’S NEWS FOR FUTURE

25/02/2015



1) The report of the 14th Finance Commission was tabled in the Parliament by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on 24 February 2015. How much raise in share of states in central taxes has been suggested in this report that has been accepted by the Union Govt.? – 10%

Explanation: According to an Action Taken Report on the recommendations given by the Commission, the Centre has decided to devolve a much higher share of 42% of the Union’s tax receipts to the States. Compared to 2014-15, this will be a significant enhancement of 10% over the 32% during the award period of the 13th Finance Commission. As against a total devolution of Rs. 3.48 lakh crore approximately in 2014-15, the total devolution to the States in 2015-16 will be Rs. 5.26 lakh crore approximately, a year-on-year increase of Rs. 1.78 lakh crore approximately. The higher tax devolution will allow States greater autonomy in financing and designing schemes as per their needs and requirements. The Commission, headed by former RBI Governor Y.V. Reddy, gave its report to the President on 15 December 2014. The recommendations of the Finance Commission are binding upon the Government as it is constituted by the President under a constitutional provision. These recommendations will be valid from April 1, 2015, for a period of five years.

2) In a unique experiment State Bank of India (SBI) has recently initiated a new loan collection model that allows borrowers to pay back on a daily instalment basis. This initiative has been started primarily to keep bad loans in check. This first-of-its-kind loan product offering has been made to which entity? – Olacabs

Explanation: Olacabs is a renowned cab-hailing service company. Under the tie-up, cab owners associated with Olacabs can avail themselves of car loans from SBI on a preferential basis, with faster loan turnaround time. Since repayments will be on a daily basis, the loans could come a tad cheaper. Each time the driver makes a payment to Olacabs, a part of it will automatically go to SBI towards loan servicing, through Olacabs’ pre-paid wallet. This is a departure from the existing loan servicing model where borrowers repay by way of equated monthly instalments. Any break in the daily collection cycle will serve as an early warning signal and the bank can quickly intervene and resolve the matter, ensuring that the loan does not become non-performing. These loans will be covered under the Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises. Under the cover, if a borrower fails to discharge his liabilities to the lender, the Trust makes good the loss incurred by the lender for up to 85% of the credit facility.

3) Which state would become the first in India to present a ‘paperless’ budget as announced on 23 February 2015? – Himachal Pradesh


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