Daily Current Affairs from 31 October 2013

Daily Current Affairs  from 31 October 2013

1)  Nation paid tribute to the veteran freedom fighter and first Home Minister of Independent India, Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel on his 137th birth anniversary. Born on 31st October, 1875 in Gujarat, Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel is also known as the Iron Man Of India. Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel was awarded Bharat Ratna posthumously in the year 1999.

2) Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi laid foundation stone of Statute of Unity, a 182-metre tall statue of "iron man" Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his 138th birth anniversary. The statue will be raised on a small rocky island in the middle of the Narmada riverbed facing Sardar Sarovar Dam at Kevadia. The Statue Of Unity will be double the height of the Statue of Liberty in the USA. Proposed 182 meters (597 ft) monument will be the tallest statue of the world when completed.

3) Petrol cheaper by Rs 1.15/lt; diesel to cost more by Re 0.50/lt: Public sector oil marketing companies on Thursday reduced petrol prices by Rs 1.15 a litre and increased diesel prices by 50 paise a litre both effective midnight of Thursday.

4) India slips to 106th spot in World Prosperity Index: India has slipped by five places to 106th spot, way below neighbouring Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and China in the World Prosperity Index, due largely to its poor ‘safety and security’ environment.

5) S. Masood Ahmed, chief scientist at the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI), here has won the K.K. Menon Award for 2013. The award instituted by the Geological Society of India recognised his contributions in sedimentary geology.

6) Fodder scam: Lalu Prasad’s bail plea rejected by HC- Jharkhand High Court rejected the bail plea of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, who is serving a five-year sentence at the Birsa Munda Central Jail here after being convicted in a fodder scam case.

7)New York City to raise tobacco buying age to 21: New York city has voted to increase the legal age to 21 for buying tobacco, including cigarettes and e-cigarettes, making it the first major city in the US to institute a minimum smoking age above 19 years.

8) Bharat Joshi is new British Dy High Commissioner: Bharat Joshi is the new British Deputy High Commissioner to be based in Chennai, replacing Mike Nithavrianakis. Born in Croydon in the UK in 1969, Joshi joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1995 and has had diplomatic postings to Gambia, Dhaka, Qatar and Cameroon.

9) Subhas Goswami, director of the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy appointed as the Director General (DG) of Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) on 30 October 2013. He will succeed Ajay Chadha, IPS.

10) Pankaj Razdan was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of the Birla Sun Life Insurance (BSLI), life insurance arm of Aditya Birla Group on 30 October 2013.

11) Saina Nehwal slips to 7th spot in BWF ranking: Second-round exit from French Open Super Series proved costly for Saina Nehwal as the Indian badminton ace continued her downward slide, slipping one more spot to be placed at world number seven in the latest BWF ranking released.

12) Prime Focus has appointed Vikas Rathee, an investment banking and corporate finance professional, as its Group Chief Operating Officer (COO).

13) Sanjiv Kapoor will be joining SpiceJet as the Chief Operating Officer from November 1, the airline said in a statement to the Bombay Stock Exchange.

14) Northern Railway halts platform ticket sale till November 10: Northern Railway has decided to stop sale of platform tickets at major stations in the city, including at New Delhi station, with immediate effect to avoid over crowding during Diwali and Chhat puja festivals.

15) The Supreme Court today directed the Centre and State governments to pass an order within three months, on giving fixed tenure to civil servants. A bench headed by Justice K S Radhakrishnan said that fixed tenure of bureaucrats will promote professionalism, efficiency and good governance.

16) British Prime Minister David Cameron will come on his third visit to India in last two years on November 14 and will hold talks with his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh on key bilateral and regional issues.

17) Congress president Sonia Gandhi has been listed the third most powerful woman as Russian President Vladimir Putin beat President Barack Obama to the top spot on Forbes' list of "The World's Most Powerful People".