GK Power Capsule Nov 2013 (The Hindu Review)

This GK Capsule has been prepared by Career Power Institute Delhi (Formerly Known as Bank Power). This has been prepared on the basis of news and events appeared in The Hindu Newspaper in the month of November 2013. 1. Multi Commodity Exchange of India appointed Satyananda Mishra as the chairman of MCXs board. 2. Indian Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar appointed as UNICEF's first brand ambassador for South Asia. 3. Neeraj Sahai, Indian-American has appointed as president of Standard & Poor's Ratings Services, the world's largest ratings firm. 4. The All India Football Federation reappointed Kushal Das as AIFF General Secretary for a second term of another three years. 5. Nisha Desai Biswal was sworn in as the US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia. 6. Union Government appointed Justice Ajit Prakash Shah as the new Chairman of the 20th Law Commission of India. 7. The Union Government appointed Usha Ananthasubramanian as the chairperson and managing director of public sector Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB). She was an Executive Director with Punjab National Bank (PNB). 8. Imomali Rakhmon was re-elected as the President of Tajikistan. 9. Malala Yousafzai received the EU's Sakharov human rights prize for her brave crusade for the right of the children to education. 10. The 18th International Children's Film Festival concluded in Hyderabad. A Dutch Film named Kauwboy, directed by Boudewijn Koole won the Golden Elephant Award for best film in the 'International Live Action' category. 11. Anjolie Ela Menon was awarded with Dayawati Modi Award for Art and Culture and Education by Dayawati Foundation. 12. President of India Pranab Mukherjee presented Indira Gandhi National Service Scheme Best University Award 2012-13 to Mangalore University of Karnataka.

13. Dr. Angela Merkel, German Chancellor selected for Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for the year 2013. 14. Waheeda Rehman will be conferred with the inaugural Centenary Award for the Indian Film Personality of the Year 2013 at the 44th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa. 15. The Government of India decided to confer, the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award on eminent scientist Prof CNR Rao and cricket player Sachin Tendulkar. Sachin Tendulkar is the first sports person to win the Bharat Ratna Award. 16. Lord Swraj Paul was presented with the International Indian of the Decade award. 17. Barack Obama appointed an Indian-American Gargee Ghosh as the member of the Presidents Global Development Council. 18. Abdulla Yameen defeated the former premier, Mohammed Nasheed to win the Maldivian Presidential elections. 19. Gabriela Isler from Venezuela won Miss Universe 2013 contest held at Crocus City Hall in Moscow, Russia. Manasi Moghe from India had been shortlisted for the top 10 finalists of Miss Universe 2013. 20. Frederick Sanger, a British biochemist who is the only person to win Nobel Prize two times for Chemistry died. 21. British Nobel Prize-winning author Doris Lessing was died. 22. Ram Kripalu Tripathi, popularly known as Jagadguru Kripaluji Maharaj passed away on. 23. Tarla Dalal, one of the first celebrity chefs of India died due to heart attack in Mumbai. 24. The Regional Pravasi Bhartiya Divas was officially launched in Sydney, Australia. 25. The 7th India-Republic of Korea Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) was held in New Delhi. 26. As per the data released by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) on 6 November 2013, Mumbai emerged as the city with highest internet penetration in India. Mumbai has 12 million internet users, followed by Delhi with 8.1 million users.

27. ISRO successfully launched Mars mission from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. The satellite is scheduled to reach the Mars orbit in September 2014 and is designed to circle the Red Planet in an elliptical orbit of 366 km X 80000 km. 28. The 9th International Heavy Minerals Conference was held in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. 29. The North East Business summit began at Dibrugarh in Assam. 30. Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh inaugurated the 3rd BRICS International Competition Conference in New Delhi. The theme of the conference is: Competition Enforcement in BRICS Countries: Issues and Challenges. 31. The 22nd Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) held in Colombo, Sri Lanka on the theme Growth with Equity: Inclusive Development ended. The participant leaders of the CHOGM unanimously agreed on the proposal to host the next CHOGM in 2015 in Malta. 32. The Indian delegation to CHOGM to Sri Lanka was led by the Foreign Minister of India, Salman Khurshid after Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister of India decided to skip the event. 33. The 11th ASEM (Asia-Europe Meeting) Foreign Ministers Meeting took place in New Delhi. The theme of the meeting was "ASEM: Bridge to Partnership for Growth and Development. 34. The cyclonic storm Lehar hit the Andhra Pradesh coast and caused severe damage in the coastal region. After cyclone Phailin and cyclone Helen, this is the third severe cyclone within a month. 35. Eminent Scientist and Bharat Ratna Awardee Prof CNR Rao was elected as honorary foreign member of Chinese Academy of Science (CAS). 36. The 44th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) began at Panaji in Goa. 37. The Union Finance Minister P.Chidambaram released a Commemorative Coin of 20 Rupees a circulation coin of 5 Rupees to mark the culmination of the 125th Birth Anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad.

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38. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation and the Embassy of Sweden jointly unveiled a Nobel Memorial Wall at Rajiv Chowk metro station, Delhi. 39. Charkha of Mahatma Gandhi that he used in Yerwada Jail during the Quit India Movement was auctioned in UK on 5 November 2013 for 110000 (1.1 crore rupees approximately) at England. 40. A Bangladeshi court sentenced to death 152 soldiers for their role in a 2009 mutiny.

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41. The 33rd India International Trade Fair began at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. This year Japan is a partner country and South Africa, the focus country. While Bihar is a partner state, Odisha is the focus state. 42. India successfully test-fired its nuclear-capable Dhanush ballistic missile from a naval ship off Odisha coast. The surface-to-surface Dhanush, a naval variant of India's indigenously developed Prithvi missile, was test fired by the Srategic Force Command. 43. India successfully test-fired the advanced version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile with a range of 290 Km from the Pokhran test firing range in Rajasthan. 44. INS Vikramaditya aircraft carrier (formerly known as Admiral Gorshkov) was inducted into the Indian Navy on 16 November 2013 at Sevmash Shipyard in Severodvinsk, Russia. 45. India successfully test fired the indigenous Agni-1 missile with a range of 700 Km from Wheeler Island off Odisha coast. 46. Indian Navy inducted the fourth generation advanced jet trainer aircraft Hawk 132. The aircraft was built by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) with Transfer of Technology from M/s British Aerospace, UK. 47. Investigative website Cobrapost in its Operation Blue Virus alleged that IT companies are misusing social media to artificially boost politicians

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popularity with many firms claiming to be working for BJP and Narendra Modi. The Indian economy grew 4.8% in the JulySeptember quarter, recovering from the slowest expansion in four years in the previous quarter at 4.4%. The Centres fiscal deficit touched Rs 4,57,886 crore or 84.4 per cent of its Budget estimate of Rs 5,42,499 crore between April and October, 2013. Current Account Deficit (CAD) in India is likely to come down below 3 per cent of GDP in the current fiscal on the back of measures taken by government, Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council (PMEAC) Chairman C Rangarajan said. The Reserve Bank said it will launch CPI-indexed bonds (between Rs 10,000-15,000 crore) aimed at protecting the savings of retail investors from the impact of price rise by the end of next month with a maturity period of 10 years. A consortium of lenders led by Axis Bank has sent notice to Delhi Airport Metro Express Pvt Ltd (DAMEPL) for payment of loans (Rs 1800 Cr.) which have turned into non-performing assets (NPA). Inflation on Consumer Price Index was at 10.09 per cent in October, entering double digits after seven months. Wholesale inflation was at 7 per cent, the highest in current financial year. The Asian Development Bank announced plans to provide an annual $2 billion loan to India for the next five years till 2017. India is likely to become the third largest economy by 2030 behind China and the USA, a Standard Chartered report said. UK has scrapped its controversial 3,000-pound "security bond" for some "high-risk" foreign visitors, including those from India. The move comes ahead of Prime Minister David Cameron's third visit to India. India has slipped by five places to 106th spot in the World Prosperity Index. Norway is at first rank. Debit card holders will be required to punch in their PIN numbers every time they use the card at point-of-sales from 1 December.

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60. Reserve Bank of India has decided to permit banks to undertake insurance broking business departmentally, subject to the requirements, including the minimum net worth of Rs 500 crore. 61. Reserve Bank of India directed public sector banks to provide loans to women self help groups at a rate of 7 per cent per annum under the Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana-Aajeevika scheme. 62. The Election Commission clarified that if the number of electors who had utilised the NOTA (none of the above candidates) option in the EVM/Ballot paper exceeded the votes polled by any of the candidates, the candidate with the highest number of votes would be declared winner. 63. Railway Minister Mallikarjun Kharge launched the High Speed Rail Corporation (HSRC) as a fullyowned subsidiary of Rail Vikas Nigam Limited. 64. The RBI asked banks to charge customers for transaction SMS alerts on the basis of usage, instead of imposing a fixed fee, to ensure equity and to be reasonable. 65. Savings bank account and term deposit holders can now earn interest at shorter intervals, with the Reserve Bank allowing banks to revise the periodicity of interest payments. At present, banks are required to pay interest on savings and term deposits at quarterly or longer intervals. 66. Reserve Bank has asked banks not to pay more than Rs.50,000 in cash to customers holding at-par cheques. 67. Supreme Court directed the Centre and the States to set up a Civil Services Board (CSB) for the management of transfers, postings, inquiries, process of promotion, reward, punishment and disciplinary matters. 68. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) declared in a statement that the Syrian Arab Republic has completed the functional destruction of critical equipment for all of its declared chemical weapons. 69. Aam Aami Party plans to re-launch its fortnightly eight-page mouthpiece AAP Ki Kranti.

70. India and Vietnam signed an agreement that would pave way for transfer of sentenced prisoners languishing in jails in the two countries. 71. The joint retreat ceremony of the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) would start on Petropole-Benapole. 72. Pakistan successfully test-fired Hatf IX (Nasr) missile, a surface-to-surface missile with a range of 60 km. 73. India and China began a 10-day joint military drill on counterterrorism the first such exercise between the neighbours in five years in southwestern China. 74. The 9th World Agricultural Forum (WAF) congress and Agri-Tech trade fair concluded in Hyderabad. 75. Japan has conferred The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star on Dr. Sreedharan, former Managing Director of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation.

76. Cabinet gave its approval for the follow-on public offer of 17 per cent share of Power Grid

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Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL) to raise about Rs.7,500 crore. Kuwaiti Prime minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah visited india on 8th November. The Election Commission has banned the publication of exit polls in the five election-bound States from November 11 till December 4. Channels have been banned from telecasting interviews of voters after they cast their votes. Nuclear power project will be establish in Kovvada in Andhra Pradesh with a capacity of 10,000 MW. The death toll from super typhoon Haiyan, which has decimated entire towns in the Philippines could soar well over 10,000 making it the countrys worst recorded natural disaster. The International Court of Justice ruled that the area around a flashpoint ancient temple Preah Vihear temple on the Thai border belongs to Cambodia and that any Thai security forces should leave. First ultra mega solar plant with a capacity of 4,000 MW would come up near Sambhar Lake in Rajasthan.

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93. 83. In about 100 business days, U.S software giant Microsoft will retire support services for its most widely-used operating system Windows XP. April 8, 2014, marks the end of 12 years of free-technical support. 84. Japanese officials have admitted for the first time that thousands of people evacuated from areas near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant may never be able to return home. 85. The One World Trade Center, currently being built at the site of the twin towers destroyed in the 9/11 terror attacks, has been declared the tallest building in the U.S. at a symbolic height of 1,776 feet. 86. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Raghuram Rajan said that the current account deficit (CAD)

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for this year would be about $56 billion, less than 3 per cent of gross domestic product. World Bank and the Asian Development Bank have assured financial assistance of $313 million to the Odisha government for restoration and rehabilitation activities in cyclone Phailin-hit areas. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will inaugurate the first all-women Bharatiya Mahila Bank in Mumbai on November 19, the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. With the inauguration of the bank, seven branches would become operational across the country, including Kolkata, Chennai, Ahemdabad and Guwahati. China relaxed its one child policy. Now couples can have two children if one parent is an only child. Former U.S. president Jimmy Carter arrived in Kathmandu to observe the crucial elections. Mr. Carter will lead a team of 50 election observers. EPFO will pay at least 8.5 per cent rate of return on PF deposits for 2013-14 to its over 5 crore subscribers as provided in the previous fiscal. The Group of Ministers (GoM) headed by Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde looking into issues related to Andhra Pradesh bifurcation has completed consultations with all stakeholders and is expected to submit a report to the Union Cabinet soon. The Janata Dal-United and National Conference have come out in favour of awarding the Bharat Ratna to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The Bombay High Court directed the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to file an affidavit clarifying if all the guidelines were followed while issuing a certificate to film-maker Sanjay Leela Bhansalis film Ram Leela . The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has imposed Rs. 10 million in fine on 10 entertainment channels for airing excessive Indian content, more than 10 per cent of the airtime. A multi-party interim government headed by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was sworn in Bangladesh for holding election.

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97. The Reserve Bank of India decided to provide liquidity support to micro and small enterprises (MSEs) to the tune of Rs.5,000 crore, through the Small Industrial Development Bank of India (SIDBI). 98. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) clamped down on a fraudulent investment scheme being run by MCX Biz Solutions. 99. Brazil is inviting Cabinet-level government officials, top Internet industry executives and civil society groups from all over the world for a global meet in Sao Paulo on the governance of worldwide web on April 23-24 next year. 100. Indian economy is expected to improve marginally in the current financial year with its GDP at market price projected to expand by 3.4 per cent from 3.3 per cent in the previous fiscal, think tank Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) said. 101. Eighty-one cases have been filed against yoga guru Ramdevs Patanjali Yogpeeth Trust in Uttarakhand for violations of land laws. 102. The Karnataka government has given a three-day deadline to all banks to provide security at all ATMs. This is following the attack on a woman in an ATM kiosk in Bangalore city. 103. India and Vietnam reached an understanding on enhancement of bilateral ties in the areas of defence, energy and investments. India will provide $100-million line of credit for defence purchases. 104. Tata Power signed an agreement with the Vietnamese government for setting up a 1,320 MW thermal plant in the Southeast Asian nation. 105. The Supreme Court restrained Subrata Roy, chief of the Sahara group, and other directors from leaving the country, and its companies from selling of any movable or immovable property. 106. A media portal, Mediasarkar.com released tapes of an alleged sting operation it carried out on AAP candidates and senior leaders. 107. The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court banned Bollywood film Goliyon ki Raasleela- Ram Leela in Uttar Pradesh.

108. Taking a serious view of the Uttar Pradesh notification providing for a compensation of Rs. 5 lakh only to Muslims affected in the recent Muzaffarnagar riots for relocation, the Supreme Court directed the State government to recall the October 26 order and issue a fresh one to include all people hit by the violence. 109. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said her government was willing to offer infrastructure such as office space for a token amount of Re.1 in panchayat areas to any bank willing to open a branch in rural areas without banks. 110. The Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers on Goods and Services Tax (GST) headed by Jammu and Kashmir Finance Minister A.R. Rather, has unanimously rejected the Centres proposal to enter GST in the Union List in the Constitution. 111. Chinese State media reported that the military had carried out the first test flight of a newly developed stealth Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). 112. A jury has added $290 million more to the damages Samsung Electronics owes Apple for copying vital iPhone and iPad features, bringing the total amount the South Korean technology titan is on the hook for to $930 million. 113. Indias first indigenous aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, being built at the Cochin Shipyard Limited and formally launched in August this year, will be commissioned by 2017 114. Indian director Shubhashish Bhutianis short film Kush has been selected by the Academy in the short-list of 10 live-action shorts that will advance in the Oscar race.

115. The nuclear deal between Iran and P5+1 (the U.S, the U.K., France, Russia, China and Germany) signed in Geneva. 116. The Supreme Court refused to direct the Election Commission to hold fresh polls if the majority of

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the electorate exercises None of the Above Option (NOTA) in the electronic voting machines while casting their votes. 117. A long-awaited international conference to resolve the Syrian crisis will be held in Geneva on January 22. The United Nations (U.N.) announced the date of the conference a day after Iran and six global powers successfully negotiated a landmark nuclear deal in the Swiss city. 118. China said the Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) would include the airspace over the disputed Senkaku or Diaoyu islands in the East China Sea. Chinese authorities will require aircraft to notify them of their flight plans, failing which they could face interception from air defence forces. 119. Pakistan inducted the first fleet of indigenously developed Strategic Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), named Burraq and Shahpar UAV Systems, into the Pakistan Army and Pakistan Air Force. 120. The Supreme Court issued notice to all States seeking their response to a batch of petitions seeking a declaration that the Aadhaar scheme is unconstitutional. 121. Chief Justice of India P. Sathasivam constituted a 10-member Gender Sensitisation and Internal Complaints Committee (GSICC) in the Supreme Court to receive and decide complaints against sexual harassment. It will be headed by Justice Ms. Ranjana Desai. A complaint has to be inquired into and the report acted upon by the committee within 45 days. 122. Narendra Modi is among the 42 global leaders shortlisted by Time magazine for its Person of the Year title, becoming the only Indian political leader in the fray. 123. China announced plans to launch its third lunar Change-3 probe early next month. The Change-3 probe will carry a moon rover named Jade Rabbit, or Yutu in Chinese and conduct a softlanding on the lunar surface in the middle of December.

124. Pakistan Prime Minister Muhammed Nawaz Sharif promoted and appointed Lt. Gen. Raheel Sharif as army chief. He will replace General Parvez Kayani. 125. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had asked the three-member ministerial committee looking into the problems being faced by the sugar industry. The panel of Ministers, headed by Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, has Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram and Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh as members. 126. Upset that the UPA government has failed to pass the Janlokpal Bill, anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare has said he will renew his agitation on the first day of the winter session of Parliament. 127. The first book printed in The USA sold for $14 million at auction, becoming the worlds most expensive printed book. The translation of Biblical psalms The Bay Psalm Book was printed by Puritan settlers in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1640 and sold in just minutes. 128. Tata Sons has decided to withdraw its application for a new bank licence. As on July 1, 2013, the RBI had received 26 applications. On September 6, 2013, RBI communicated that Value Industries Ltd. (Videocon) had withdrawn its application. In its place, the application of K. C. Land & Finance Ltd., which was not included in the list of applicants released orginally, was included. 129. The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) will launch its platform for trading in currency derivatives, making it the fourth bourse in the country to offer such trades. Other stock exchanges present in the currency futures segment are: National Stock Exchange, MCX-SX and United Stock Exchange. 130. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India released the tariff structure and guidelines for mobile banking services. The TRAI has prescribed a ceiling tariff for an outgoing unstructured supplementary service data (USSD)-based mobile banking service at Rs.1.50 per USSD session.

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