Notification for Direct Recruitment of Postal/Sorting Assistant Exam (PA/SA) 2013-2014 out

Friends….Good News for all Postal/Sorting Assistant Aspirants. Finally after long wait Notification for Direct recruitment of Postal/Sorting Assistant for the year 2013-2014 is out. Centralised notification has been published by Recruitment Division of Department of Posts, Ministry of Communications & Information Technology vide their letter No. F. No. A-34012/10/2014-DE dated 21-02-2014. Last Recruitment for PA/SA was called during August 2012 for filling up the vacancies for 2011 and 2012. Examination was held in different phases during April 2013 to September 2013 and results were published during October-December 2013. Now this notification is for filling up the vacancies for 2013 and 2014.

The detailed notification read as follows:

NOTIFICATION

 Applications are invited from the eligible applicants for filling up of posts of Postal Assistants/Sorting Assistants/Postal Assistants (Savings Bank Control rganization)/Postal Assistants (Foreign Post Organization)/Postal Assistants (Returned Letter Offices)/Postal Assistants (Mail Motor Services) And Postal Assistants (Circle And Regional Offices) for the year 2013-2014 in 22 Postal Circles in the Country in the Pay Band 5200-20200 with 2400 Grade Pay + other admissible allowances for the years 2013-2014.

Age limit: 18-27 years:

(a) For General Category (Unreserved Applicants ) the applicable relaxation is provided to persons belonging to SC/ST/OBC/PH/Ex-servicemen Candidates as per the extant orders. The age limit will be as on 27/03/2014

Educational Qualification:- (1) 10+2 standard or 12th class pass from a recognized university or Board of School Education or Board of Secondary Education with English as a compulsory subject (excluding vocational streams).

(2) The applicants should have studied local language of the State or Union Territory of the concerned Postal Circle or in Hindi as a subject at least in Matriculation level or equivalent.

The aspiring candidates are requested to access the website: 

www.pasadrexam2014.in   for further details like vacancies, eligibility criteria, details of fee etc. The Applications are to be submitted on line and the registration commences from 00:00 hrs of 26/02/2014 and closes by 23:59 Hours of 27th March, 2014.

Further details will be published in this blog very soon. Mean while you can join our exclusive facebook page for PA/SA Exam for getting all latest updates.

Visit>> www.facebook.com/PostalAssistantExamination

Click Here to see letter of Recruitment Division of India Post in this regard. 

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Daily Current Affairs Updates: 21st February 2014

1) Last day of 15th Lok Sabha: 21 February 2014 was the last day of 15th Lok Sabha. Unlike the disruptions and the slogan shouting, the House witnessed bonhomie and camaraderie on the last day with Prime Minister, leader of the House Sushilkumar Shinde, leader of the opposition Sushma Swaraj as also some other party leaders speaking well of each other. Prime Minister, who has been at the helm for the past 10 years and has declared that he will not opt for a third term, said people will now have an opportunity to judge on performance, weaknesses and achievements of the government in the upcoming elections. Most of the MPs Shed Tears on Last Day as many are not aware whether they will be back for the 16th Lok Sabha.

Know about 15th Lok Sabha: The 15th Lok Sabha was formed in May 2009 under the aeigis of United Progressive Alliance.  Ms. Meira Kumar of Indian National Congress was the Speaker of 15th Lok Sabha and also was the first women to be holding the highest post.

2) Whistleblowers Protection Bill passed in Rajya Sabha: A bill to provide for setting up a regular mechanism to encourage persons to disclose information on corruption or wilful misuse of power by public servants, including ministers, was passed by Parliament on Friday. The Whistleblowers' Protection Bill also seeks to provide "adequate protection to persons reporting corruption or wilful misuse of discretion which causes demonstrable loss to the government or commission of a criminal offence by a public servant." The bill was passed by Lok Sabha in 2011.

3) World's longest free Wi-Fi zone in Patna: If you have an internet-enabled device and you are anywhere on the stretch from NIT-Patna on Ashok Rajpath to Danapur, you can now access the internet free of cost. Once known as a backward state, Bihar has made a strong bid for a mention on the world's infotech map as chief minister Nitish Kumar unveiled the 20km free Wi-Fi zone, the longest across the globe, at a function christened e-Bihar summit in Patna on Wednesday.

4) Bharatiya Mahila Bank & NIA ink MoU for health policies: Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB) and New India Assurance have inked an MoU to provide three customised package health insurance policies from the general insurance major. These policies are named BMB Sakhee, BMB Nirbhaya and BMB Parivar Suraksha.

Know BMB?- Bharatiya Mahila Bank  is the financial services banking company based in New Delhi, India. India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh inaugurated the system on 19 November 2013 on the occasion of the 94th birth anniversary of former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Although initially reported as a bank exclusively for women, the bank will allow deposits to flow from everyone, but lending will be predominantly for women. India will be the third country in the world to have bank especially for women. Pakistan, Tanzania already have an exclusive bank for women.

5) IMF projects 5.4% growth for India in 2014-15: Projecting a growth rate of 4.6 percent this year, the IMF on Thursday said the Indian economy is likely to expand by 5.4 percent on stronger global scenario, improving export competitiveness, a favorable monsoon and a confidence boost after recent policy actions. "Growth is projected at 4.6 percent for fiscal year 2013-14, and should pick up to 5.4 percent in 2014-15 (at factor cost)," the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said in its report after concluding annual discussions with India.

6) Mahatma Gandhi's grandson Rajmohan joined AAP: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) got a shot in the arm when Rajmohan Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, joined the party on Friday. "The party is vehemently opposed to corruption and this is what I liked in it. There is a disparity between the rich and poor and this also reflects in poor. "If a common man joins and also becomes a part of politics then this is a welcoming step," Gandhi, son of Devdas Gandhi and maternal grandson of C Rajagopalchari said.

7) Veteran CPI leader Parvati Krishnan passed away: Senior CPI leader and four-time MP Parvati Krishnan, who was in the forefront of trade union movement in the country, died in Coimbatore on Thursday. She was 94 and is survived by daughter Indirani, a doctor, residing in the US.

8) Lok Sabha passed amended narcotic drugs bill: Lok Sabha on Thursday passed the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Amendment) Bill, 2011, simplifying the regulations for procuring and possessing narcotic drugs when used for medicinal purposes. Once passed by the Rajya Sabha also, it would bring relief to thousands of cancer patients in the country who use opioid for acute and chronic pain relief.

9) PNB applied to open branches in Pakistan: Government on Friday said state-owned bank PNB has applied for opening branches in Pakistan and is awaiting approval from the competent authority. "Punjab National Bank has applied for opening of two branches in Pakistan, one each in Lahore and Karachi, but these branches have not been approved by the competent authority," Minister of State for Finance Namo Narain Meena said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.

10) India’s first time voters aged 18-19 add up to 23 million:  Election Commission (EC) released fresh data on Thursday and pegged India’s total number of voters who are 18 or 19 years old at over 23.2 million. The data released by the EC on Thursday is updated till 14 February.

11) National Youth Policy, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Abhiyan launched: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi threw his weight behind keeping politicians out of sports bodies in the country and said sportspersons themselves should be at the helm of affairs. Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi interacted with sports personalities after the launch of the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Abhiyan (RGKA) and National Youth Policy, 2014 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi on Friday.

12) Injured MS ruled out of Asia Cup; Kohli to lead: Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been ruled out of the Asia Cup, which starts next week in Bangladesh, owing to a side strain that he picked up during the second Test in New Zealand. Virat Kohli will lead India as it fight it out against sub-contintental rivals Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan during the two-week Asia Cup 2014.

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Current Affairs February 2014 PDF Download (Third Week Questions)

Latest Current Affairs- February 2014 Third Week

Prepared by: http://www.currentaffairs4examz.com

 Febraury 2014 Current Affairs Questions and Answers for preparing Exams| IBPS | SSC CGL 2014| UPSC | Civil Services | Bank | LD Clerk and all other Competitive Examinations.

Latest Current Affairs from Third Week of February 2014 in PDF- useful for all competitive Examinations!!!!!

Download as PDF- Click Here

Q1. Social media giant Facebook Inc acquired which social messaging app company for 19 billion dollars in a cash and stock deal on 19 February 2014?

Ans. WhatsApp

Note: Under this agreement WhatsApp co-founder and CEO Jan Koum will join Facebook Board of Directors. WhatsApp Messenger is a cross-platform mobile messaging app which allows you to exchange messages without having to pay for SMS.

Q2. Name the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh who has resigned on 19 February 2014 in protest to the decision to bifurcate the State?

Ans. Kiran Kumar Reddy

Note: The Telangana Bill, splitting Andhra Pradesh and forming Telangana as 29th State was passed by the Lok Sabha on 18 February 2014 with Congress and BJP coming together on the issue.

Q3. Which state won the National Tourism Award 2012-13 on 18 February 2014?

Ans. Sikkim

Note: Union Ministry of Tourism declared Sikkim as the best State in the implementation of rural tourism projects.

Q4. The 67th British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Awards were given in London on 16 February 2014.

Best Film: Best Film

Best Director: Alfonso Cuar’on (Gravity)

Best Actor: Chiwetel Ejofor (12 years a Slave)

Best Actress: Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine)

Q5. Interim Budget 2014-15 was presented in the Lok Sabha by Union Finance Minister, P Chidambaram on 17 February 2014. This was the ....th budget by Chidambaram as Finance Minister?

Ans. Ninth

Note: This was the 83rd budget of the Union Government.

Q6. Indian flag was unfurled on 16 February 2014 at the Winter Olympics Village. Which city is hosting Winter Olympics 2014?

Ans. Sochi, Russia

Q7. Which country's Parliament on 19 February 2014 passed a law that made it mandatory to put graphic warning on cigarette packs?

Ans. Sri Lanka

Note: Regulation says that pictorial warnings should be printed on the surface of both front and back portions of every cigarette packet, package or carton containing cigarettes covering 80 percent of the pack, package or cartoon.

Q8. Name the scheme, in the second week of February 2014, launched by IRCTC to make payment process fast and to reduce transaction failures due to bank payment related problems?

Ans. E-Wallet Scheme

Note: Under the scheme, user can deposit money in advance with IRCTC and the money can be used as payment option along with other payment options available on IRCTC website for the payment at the time of booking tickets.

Q9. Which language was given the Classical language status by Union Government on 20 February 2014?

Ans. Odia

Note: It is the official language of Odisha. Classical language will give impetus to scholarships in the language. Odia is the first language from the Indo-Aryan linguistic group to be billed in the list of classical language. Odia is the sixth language to be become the classical language of the country after Tamil (2004), Sanskrit(2005), Telugu(2008), Kannada(2008) and Malayalam(2013).

Q10. Telengana bill dividing Andhra Pradesh was passed in the Lok Sabha on 18 February 2014. What is the name of the bill  that aims to create the 29th State of  India?Visit>>www.currentaffairs4examz.com

Ans. Andhra Pradesh Re-organisation Bill 2014

Q11. World famous Khajuraho Dance Festival began at Khajuraho on 20 February 2014. Khajuraho is in which state?

Ans. Madhya Pradesh

Note: The aim of the Khajuraho Dance Festival is to promote cultural heritage and traditional dances of India. The Dance festival is organized by the Kala Parishad under the Madhya Pradesh government.

Q12. India’s first Minority Cyber Village was inaugurated by the Minister for Minority Affairs K Rehman Khan on 19 February 2014 in Chandoli in Alwar district of which stae?

Ans. Rajasthan

Note: Chandoli has been selected as the first village for the pilot project as it holds more than 80 percent of minority population and also because the minorities of the Mewat region is still backward in education.

Q13. Supreme Court of India on 18 February 2014 commuted the death sentence of three convicts in assassination case of which former Prime Minister to life imprisonment?

Ans. Rajiv Gandhi

Note: Decision was made by the apex court following the delay of 11 years in deciding their mercy plea by the central government.

Q14. Name the largest telecom operator of India which signed a strategic agreement with Loop Mobile on 18 February 2014 to acquire the mobile network and 3 million subscribers of Loop Mobile in Mumbai circle?

Ans. Bharti Airtel

Q15. Central Zoo Authority on 18 February 2014 selected the Indira Gandhi Zoological Park (IGZP) for creation of a conservation breeding centre for the endangered wild dog – Dhole. It is situated in which state?

Ans. Andhra Pradesh

Q16. Which Indian players were nominated amongst the nominees for the ESPNcricinfo@20 Cricketer of the Generation award on 17 February 2014?

Ans. Sachin Tendulkar and Virendra Sehwag

Note: Other nominees are Shane Warne ,  Braine Lara, Muttiah Muralitharan and Jacques Kallis

Q17. New Zealand on 18 February 2014 won the two matches Test Series against India at which margin?

Ans. 1-0

Note: Brendon McCullum in the second test match created a history by becoming first Kiwi player to score triple hundred.

Q18. Name the Marathi film which on 17 February 2014 won the Crystal Bear (Glasernen Bar) for the best film award by the Children’s jury in Generation Kplus section at the 64th Berlin International Film Festival?

Ans. Killa

Q19. Who was appointed as Pakistan’s high commissioner to India on 17 February 2014?Visit>>www.currentaffairs4examz.com

Ans. Abdul Basit

Note: He will replace Salman Bashir. Salman Bashir relinquishes charge of office on 28 February 2014.

Q20. Which train will become the first train in India to be attached with a Braille-embedded AC coach for visually-challenged passengers by the end of February 2014?

Ans. Purushottam Express

Note: Purushottam Express is a superfast train running between Delhi and Puri.

Q21. Union Cabinet on 20 February 2014 approved the setting up of an Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC). The proposal for EOC was made by the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs on the recommendations of which committee which looked into Social, Economic and Educational Status of Muslim Community in India?

Ans. Justice Sachar Committee

Note: EOC is a three-member body and will be headed by a retired judge of the High Court. 

Q22. Apart from Saina Nehwal, which other Indian women Badminton player was ranked within Top 10 in the latest Badminton World Federation (BWF) women’s singles ranking released on 20 February 2014?

Ans. P V Sindhu

Note: She was ranked at 9th whereas Saina was ranked 7th.

Q23. Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved a National Mission for a Green India on 20 February 2014. What is its aim?

Ans. To increase India’s diminishing forest cover.

Note: It will be called Green India Mission (GIM).

Q24. Name the Bill which provides protection of livelihoods rights, social security of street vendors which was passed by Rajya Sabha on 19 Feb 2014?

Ans. Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Bill 2014.

Q25. President of India on 17 February 2014 imposed President’s Rule in Delhi after accepting the resignation of?

Ans. Arvind Kejriwal

Q26. World Bridge Championship for Bermuda Bowl (men) and Venice Cup (women) will be hosted by which country for the first time in October 2015?

Ans. India

Note: This was announced by the World Bridge Federation (WBF) on 17 February 2014.

Q27. Who was presented the International Gandhi Award for the year 2013 by resident of India on 15 February 2014?

Ans. Dr. Vijaykumar Vinayak Dongre (VV Dongre) and Prof. Guocheng Zhang

Q28. Union Cabinet on 20 February 2014 decided setting up of Coal Regulatory Authority (CRA). Which Union Ministry is looking after the matters relating to coal, coal block allocation etc?

Ans. Union Coal Ministry

Q29. International Mother Language Day (Bhasha Divas) was observed across the world on which day of February?

Ans. 21 February

Note: International Mother Language Day was announced by UNESCO on 17 November 1999 and was formally recognised by the United Nations General Assembly in its resolution establishing 2008 as the International Year of Languages.

Q30. Which state government and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) launched a campaign on 20 February 2014 to educate people about safe drinking water and safe sanitation practices?Visit>>www.currentaffairs4examz.com

Ans. West Bengal

Q31. Name the indigenously developed surface-to-air missile successfully test-fired by India on 21 February 2014?

Ans. Akash

Q32. India and which country on 19 February 2014 signed three agreements in New Delhi?

Ans. Bahrain

Note: This was during the state visit of Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of Kingdom of Bahrain to India.

Q33. Which office location in India was ranked as the world’s eighth most expensive office location in a report released by the Cushman & Wakefield on 18 February 2014?

Ans. Connaught Place (CP) in Delhi

Q34. Name the former National Security Agency contractor, who was elected as the new Rector of the University of Glasgow on 18 February 2014?

Ans. Edward Snowden

Q35. Name the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Kingfisher Airlines who resigned on 17 February 2014?

Ans. Sanjay Aggarwal

Q36. Name the former Preston and England footballer who died at the age of 91 recently?

Ans. Tom Finney

Q37. Name the great TV comedian who died at the age of 91 on 14 February 2014?

Ans. Sid Caesar

Q38. Name the Carnatic music Vocalist who died due to chest congestion in Bangalore on 17 February 2014?Visit>>www.currentaffairs4examz.com

Ans. Rudra Krishna Srikantan

Q39. Name the Hindi writer and Jnanpith Award winner who passed away in Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh on 17 February 2014?

Ans.  Amar Kant

Q40. Name the the French Olympic champion who on 15 February 2014 broke 21-year-old world record of pole vault of Sergey Bubka with a leap of 6.16 meter at Donetsk in the Ukraine?

Ans. Renaud Lavillenie

Q41. Name the Foreign Minister of Kyrgyz Republic was on an official visit to India from 13 to 15 February 2014?

Ans. Erlan Abdyldaev

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Employment News this week: Job Highlights (22th – 28th February 2014)

 1.  State Bank of India, Mumbai   

     Name of Post – Specialist Cadre Officers

     No. of Vacancies - 393, Last Date     -    06.03.2014

2.  GAIL India Limited                  

     Name of Post – Manager, Dy. Manger, Sr. Officer

No. of Vacancies - 12, Last Date     -    04.03.2014

3.  Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University fo Agriculture & Technology,  

    Meerut                                

Name of Post – Professor, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor

No. of Vacancies - 29, Last Date     -    15.03.2014

4.  Central Coalfields Limited,                          

Name of Post – Staff Nurse, Pharmacist, Physiotherapist, Technician etc.

     No. of Vacancies - 116, Last Date     - 02.03.2014

5.  Mahandi Coalfields Limited, Odisha                    

Name of Post– Mining Sirdar T & C Gr. C & Dy. Surveyor T & C Gr. C

     No. of Vacancies - 160, Last Date     - 07.03.2014

6. Mahandi Coalfields Limited, Odisha                     

Name of Post – Electrician Cat III (T)

     No. of Vacancies - 147, Last Date - 03.03.2014

7.  National Institute of Rural Development, Hyderabad

Name of Post – Associate Professors,

No. of Vacancies - 24 Last Date     -    05.03.2014

Source: www.employmentnews.gov.in

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AP VRO VRA Results 2014 declared

Results of AP VRO VRA declared. Written examination for the posts was conducted on 2nd February 2014. The candidates those who had appeared for AP VRO VRA written examination can check result from below link.

AP VRO VRA Results 2014: Click Here

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Result of IBPS Specialist Officers (SO) III Online Exam 2014 published

IBPS Specialist Officer 2014 written test results Published. IBPS (Institute of Banking Personnel Selection) has conducted online exams for the recruitment of various specialist officers posts, I.T. Officers (Scale-I and II), Marketing Officer s(Scale I), HR/Personnel Officers (Scale I), Agricultural Field Officers (Scale I), Technical Officers (Scale I), Chartered Accountants (Scale  II) and Law Officers (Scale I and II) on 8th and 9th Febuary 2014.

Candidates need to enter your Registration Number / Roll Number and Date of Birth / Password to view the Results.

IBPS Specialist Officers III Results: Click Here

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20 February 2014 Daily Current Affairs Updates

1) Facebook to buy WhatsApp for $19 billion:  Facebook Inc will buy fast-growing mobile-messaging startup WhatsApp for $19 billion in cash and stock, as the world's largest social network looks for ways to boost its popularity, especially among a younger crowd. The acquisition of the hot messaging service with more than 450 million users around the world stunned many Silicon Valley observers with its lofty price tag.  Facebook will pay $4 billion in cash, $12 billion in Facebook shares and $3 billion in restricted stock units to be granted to WhatsApp founders and employees that will vest over four years.

Know about WhatsApp?- WhatsApp Messenger is a proprietary, cross-platform instant messaging subscription service for smartphones. In addition to text messaging, users can send each other images, video, and audio media messages as well as their location using integrated mapping features. WhatsApp Inc. was founded in 2009 by Americans Brian Acton and Jan Koum (also the CEO), both former employees of Yahoo!, and is based in Mountain View, California..

2) Rajya Sabha passed Telangana Bill: India on February 20, 2014 got its 29th state, but not before a day-long debate in Parliament and a decades-long struggle for it. The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill 2013, which seeks to bifurcate the southern state into Telangana and Seemandhra, was passed by Rajya Sabha on Thursday, days after it was adopted by Lok Sabha. The Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh announced to grant special Category Status to 13 districts of Seemandhra for a period of five years to improve state’s finances. The Prime Minister also said the resource gap that may arise in Seemandhra after state division in the first year will be compensated in the Regular Union Budget for 2014-15.

Know about Telangana?- Telangana  is a region in the state of Andhra Pradesh.  Telangana is bordered by the states of Maharashtra to the north and north-west, Karnataka to the west, Chhattisgarh to the north-east and Odisha to the east. State of Andhra Pradesh had three main cultural regions: Telangana, Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema. The Telangana region has an area of 114,840 square kilometres (44,340 sq mi), and a population of 35,286,757 (2011 census) which was 41.6% of the population of Andhra Pradesh. On 5 December 2013, Cabinet approved the Telangana draft bill prepared by the Group of Ministers (GoM).

3) Saurabh Chandra is new Oil Secretary: Saurabh Chandra, Secretary in the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion, will be the new Oil Secretary. He will replace Vivek Rae who is retiring on February 28. The file for appointment of new Petroleum & Natural Secretary has been signed by the concerned authorities including the Prime Minister and now a formal order is expected any time.

4) Odia becomes sixth classical language:  Odia on Thursday became the sixth language in India to get classical status following approval of the Union cabinet. With this achievement, Odia is now in the same league with Tamil, Sanskrit, Kannada, Telugu and Malayalam. It is the first language from the Indo-Aryan group of languages to get the classical tag.

5) Unique identity code for hallmarked jewels: Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) proposes to introduce UIN as a component of hallmark to ensure traceability of such certified articles in a bid to protect consumers from being cheated. It will be a nine-digit alpha-numeric code on jewellery. Sunil Soni, Director-General, BIS, said the UIN concept in jewellery is expected to be operational later this year. It will also help the standards body take action against the unscrupulous manufacturers misusing the ISI mark/hallmark.

6) Senior bureaucrat Yaduvendra Mathur named Exim Bank CMD: Veteran civil servant Yaduvendra Mathur was on Thursday appointed Chairman and Managing Director of the Export Import Bank of India (Exim Bank). Mathur, who was Chairman and Managing Director of Rajasthan Financial Corporation, succeeds TCA Ranganathan, who retired in November last year.

Know about Exim Bank?- Export-Import Bank of India is the premier export finance institution in India, established in 1982 under the Export-Import Bank of India Act 1981. Since its inception, Exim Bank of India has been both a catalyst and a key player in the promotion of cross border trade and investment. Exim Bank is managed by a Board of Directors, which has representatives from the Government, Reserve Bank of India, Export Credit Guarantee Corporation of India, a financial institution, public sector banks, and the business community.

7) CCEA approves Rs.46,000 crore Green India Mission: The cabinet committee on economic affairs on Thursday approved a Rs.46,000-crore scheme to improve and increase India’s diminishing forest cover, a day after the environment ministry was rapped for failing to properly implement a decade-old afforestation programme. The new scheme, known as the National Mission for a Green India, envisages an expenditure of Rs.13,000 crore in the 12th five-year plan period ending in March 2017, and a total cost of Rs.46,000 crore over the next 10 years.

8) Chidambaram to attend G20 finance ministers` meet in Australia: Finance Minister P. Chidambaram will embark on a five day trip to Australia beginning Friday during which he will attend the G20 Ministerial meeting and also meet international investors. Chidambaram will be leading a high level Indian delegation to attend the two day G-20 Finance Ministers’ and Central Bank Governors’ Meeting scheduled to be held in Sydney, Australia on Feb 22 and 23. Beside the Finance Minister, the Indian delegation includes Dr. Raghuram G. Rajan, Governor of Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Dr. Arvind Mayaram, Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs and other senior officials of Ministry of Finance among others.

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Odia gets classical language status

>> Odia on Thursday became the sixth language of the country to get “classical language’’ status after the Union Cabinet conceded a long-pending demand for putting it in the same league as Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam.

>> Odia is billed as the first language from the Indo-Aryan linguistic group and the case for making it a classical language was also premised on the fact that it has no resemblance to Hindi, Sanskrit, Bengali and Telugu. The proposal was moved by the Culture Ministry.

>> Once a language is declared classical,

1) It gets financial assistance for setting up a centre of excellence for the study of that language and also opens up an avenue for two major awards for scholars of eminence.

2) University Grants Commission can be requested to create – to begin with at least in Central Universities – a certain number of professional chairs for classical languages for scholars of eminence in the language.

>> The criteria for declaring a language as classical mandates high antiquity of its early texts/recorded history over a period of 1,500-2,000 years, a body of ancient literature/texts which is considered a valuable heritage by generations of speakers and a literary tradition that is original and not borrowed from another speech community.

>> Also since the classical language and literature is distinct from the modern, there can also be a discontinuity between the classical language and its later forms or its offshoots.

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Facebook to buy WhatsApp message service for $19 billion

>> Facebook Inc will buy fast-growing mobile-messaging startup WhatsApp for $19 billion in cash and stock in a landmark deal that places the world's largest social network closer to the heart of mobile communications and may bring younger users into the fold.

>> The transaction involves $4 billion in cash, $12 billion in stock and $3 billion in restricted stock that vests over several years. The WhatsApp deal is worth more than Facebook raised in its own IPO and underscores the social network's determination to win the market for messaging.

>> Founded by a Ukrainian immigrant who dropped out of college, Jan Koum, and a Stanford alumnus, Brian Acton, WhatsApp is a Silicon Valley startup fairy tale, rocketing to 450 million users in five years and adding another million daily.

>>"No one in the history of the world has ever done something like this," Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said on a conference call on Wednesday. Zuckerberg, who famously closed a $1 billion deal to buy photo-sharing service Instagram over a weekend in mid-2012, revealed on Wednesday that he proposed the tie-up over dinner with CEO Koum just 10 days earlier, on the night of Feb. 9.

>> WhatsApp was the leader among a wave of smartphone-based messaging apps that are now sweeping across North America, Asia and Europe. Although WhatsApp has adhered strictly to its core functionality of mimicking texting, other apps, such as Line in Japan or Tencent Holdings Ltd's WeChat, offer games or even e-commerce on top of their popular messaging features.

>> The deal provides Facebook entree to new users, including teens who eschew the mainstream social networks but prefer WhatsApp and rivals, which have exploded in size as private messaging takes off.

>> "People are calling them 'Facebook Nevers,'" said Jeremy Liew, a partner at Lightspeed and an early investor in Snapchat.

How the service will pay for itself is not yet clear.

>> Zuckerberg and Koum on the conference call did not say how the company would make money beyond a $1 annual fee, which is not charged for the first year. "The right strategy is to continue to focus on growth and product," Zuckerberg said.

>> Zuckerberg and Koum said that WhatsApp will continue to operate independently, and promised to continue its policy of no advertising.

>> "Communication is the one thing that you have to use daily, and it has a strong network effect," said Jonathan Teo, an early investor in Snapchat, another red-hot messaging company that flirted year ago with a multibillion dollar acquisition offer from Facebook.

>> "Facebook is more about content and has not yet fully figured out communication."

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Daily Current Affairs: 19 February 2014

1) Kiran Kumar Reddy resigned as CM of Andhra Pradesh, quits Congress: Declaring his innings as Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh over, N. Kiran Kumar Reddy submitted his resignation to Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan on Wednesday in protest against the Union government’s decision to “divide Telugus for the sake of votes and seats.” Ending his 39-month reign, Mr. Reddy announced that he was quitting the Congress and the membership of the Assembly. He assumed office on November 25, 2010. He also urged the governor to make alternate arrangements at the earliest as he would not like to continue as caretaker chief minister.

2) Interim budget passed in Lok Sabha: Interim budget was Wednesday passed in Lok Sabha after the House functioned amidst chaos raised by political parties on the issue of reservation in the AIIMS super speciality faculty. The budget and two Bills that sought appropriation of funds were passed with minimal discussion due to a row raised by members that also led to the early adjournment of the House.

3) Bahrain King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa arrived India:  TheKing of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa on Tuesday arrived in the national capital. Al Khalifa is on a state visit to India from February 18 to February 20 at the invitation of President Pranab Mukherjee. During his first visit to India, Al Khalifa will meet President and Vice President of India and will hold delegation-level discussions with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on bilateral, regional and global issues.

4) Odia gets classical language status: Odia became the sixth language of the country to get “classical language’’ status after the Union Cabinet conceded a long-pending demand for putting it in the same league as Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam. Odia is billed as the first language from the Indo-Aryan linguistic group and the case for making it a classical language was also premised on the fact that it has no resemblance to Hindi, Sanskrit, Bengali and Telugu. The proposal was moved by the Culture Ministry.

5) Indira Gandhi Zoological Park to get country’s first wild dog breeding centre: In about two to three months’ time, the Indira Gandhi Zoological Park (IGZP), Visakhapatnam will be the first zoo in the country to have a conservation breeding centre for the endangered wild dog or ‘dhole.’ Selected by the Central Zoo Authority to carry out this project at a cost of Rs. 50 lakh, the zoo authorities have earmarked an area on the premises for the centre.

6) Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw appointed new chairperson of IIM Bangalore replacing Mukesh Ambani: Indian Institute of Management-Bangalore (IIM-B) has appointed Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw as the Chairperson of its Board of Governors. At the meeting of the Board of Governors of IIM Bangalore held on February 11, the chairperson, Mukesh Ambani, expressed his decision to step down, IIM-B said in a release.

7) Rajya Sabha passed the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Bill, 2014: The Bill provides for protection of livelihoods rights, social security of street vendors, regulation of urban street vending in the country and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto. The Lok Sabha had passed the Bill on September,2013.

8) Kohli reaches career-best 9th in ICC Test rankings: Owing to his decent performance in the just-concluded two-Test series against New Zealand, India batsman Virat Kohli on Wednesday rose to his career-best ninth position in the latest ICC Test rankings issued here on Wednesday. Kohli, who made 214 runs in four innings, broke into top-10 for the first time in his career and joined compatriot Cheteshwar Pujara, who slipped a rung to be on seventh spot. Kohli jumped two places following his knocks of 38 and 105 not out in the Wellington Test, which ended in a draw.

9) K Rehman Khan inaugurated Minority Cyber Village in Rajasthan: India’s first Minority Cyber Village was inaugurated by the Minister for Minority Affairs K Rehman Khan on 19 February 2014 in Chandoli in Alwar district of Rajasthan. Chandoli has been selected as the first village for the pilot project as it holds more than 80 percent of minority population and also because the minorities of the Mewat region is still backward in education.

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