This is default featured slide 1 title

Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these sentences with your own descriptions.

This is default featured slide 2 title

Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these sentences with your own descriptions.

This is default featured slide 3 title

Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these sentences with your own descriptions.

This is default featured slide 4 title

Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these sentences with your own descriptions.

This is default featured slide 5 title

Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these sentences with your own descriptions.

Friday, June 20, 2014

Marketing Questions for Bank Exams including SBI Clerk/PO 2014, IBPS RRB 2014 etc

1. The functions of the distribution channel do not includes:
(A)Helping the company to do demand
forecasting
(B)Helping the customer in understanding and using the goods
(C)Marketing research
(D)Promotion of the sale of goods
(E)None of the above
Ans. (C)Marketing research

2. Idea Screening is the first stage of:
(A)New product development
(B)Diversification
(C)Product modification
(D)None of the above
(E)All the above
Ans. (A)New product development

3. EMI can be a marketing tool when____
(A)EMI is very low
(B)EMI is very high
(C)EMI is fluctuating
(D)EMI is constant
(E)EMI is ballooning
Ans. (A)EMI is very low

4. Directing marketing does not cover ____:
(A)Online Marketing
(B)Public relations
(C)Personal selling
(D)Catalogue marketing
(E)None of the above
Ans. (B)Public relations

5. Some banks are appointing _____ for their asset products
(A)Direct selling agents
(B)Marketing executors
(C)Special officers
(D)All the above
(E)None of these
Ans. (A)Direct selling agents

6. Value is the quotient of:
(A)Revenue and cost
(B)cost and Benefit
(C)Total cost and average cost
(D)None of these
(E)All the above
Ans. (B)cost and Benefit

7. Sales are declining, profits are declining and competition is increasing. These indicate that the
product may be in:
(A)Introduction stage
(B)Decline stage
(C)growth stage
(D)All the above
(E)None of the above
Ans. (B)Decline stage

8. The three layers of packaging are:
(A)Primary, secondary, tertiary packaging
(B)Primary, secondary and shipping packaging
(C)Shipping, inner and outer packing
(D)None of the above
(E)All the above
Ans. (B)Primary, secondary and shipping packaging

9. The objectives of price can be:
(A)Profit
(B)Market share
(C)cash flow
(D)All the above
(E)None of the above
Ans. (D)All the above

10. Concentrated marketing is a strategy opted for:
(A)Market segmentation
(B)Market Research
(C)Marketing Mix
(D)None of these
(E)All the above
Ans. (A)Market segmentation

11. Home banking is an example of:
(A)Direct marketing
(B)Indirect marketing
(C)Branch marketing
(D)None of the above
(E)All the above
Ans. (A)Direct marketing

12. A direct marketing channel is also called ____ level channel:
(A)Zero
(B)One
(C)Two
(D)Three
(E)Four
Ans. (A)Zero

13. Though "Pizza huts" are located in posh, air-conditioned premises, they continue call themselves
as "Pizza huts". This is to take advantage of _______
(A)Local sentiment of wanting to eat in huts 2)
Brand value
(C)Brand recognition
(D)Brand extension
(E)Brand growth
Ans. (C)Brand recognition

14. Orient your needs to your sales', is a ____:
(A)sales concept
(B)marketing concept
(C)Management concept
(D)Production concept
Ans. (A)sales concept

15. Marketing Myopia is a state in which a marketer is:
(A)Preoccupied with product and selling and ignores customer
(B)customer oriented
(C)Sales oriented
(D)None of the above
(E)All the above
(E)None of these

Ans. (A)Preoccupied with product and selling and ignores customer

Himachal Pradesh Circle: PA/SA Exam Official Key 2014

Friends…Here is the official Answer Key of Postal/Sorting Assistant Exam held in Himachal Pradesh Postal Circle on June 8, 2014 shared by our friends Shubham Sood and Jaipal Sharma. You can download the answer key as PDF from below link

Download as PDF- Click Here

PA/SA Exam 2014: Official Answer Key of Uttar Pradesh Circle

Friends…Here is the official Answer Key of Postal/Sorting Assistant Exam held in Uttar Pradesh Postal Circle on June 1, 2014 shared by our friend Mayank Saraswat. You can download the answer key as PDF from below link



Download as PDF- Click Here

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Daily Current Affairs Updates: 18 June 2014

1) FIFA World Cup 2014: Defending champions Spain knocked out: Defending champions Spain, the dominant global football power for the past six years, were eliminated from World Cup contention Wednesday with a 2-0 loss to Chile. Spain's famed passing game failed against a high-tempo, tenacious Chile team, its era ending in the storied Maracana Stadium filled mostly with noisy Chilean sunpporters. In simpler terms, Spain, the world champion side, became the first team to crash out of the 2014 World Cup.

2) Ex-Norwegian PM Gro Harlem Brundtland awarded Asian 'Nobel Prize': Former Norwegian premier Gro Harlem Brundtland was named today as the first recipient of the Tang Prize, touted as Asia's version of the Nobels, for her work as the "godmother" of sustainable development. Brundtland was awarded the debut prize, created by one of Taiwan's richest men with a USD 100 million donation, with winners in three other categories to be announced this week.

3) Rajiv Topno appointed Modi's private secretary: Rajiv Topno, a Gujarat-cadre IAS officer of 1996 batch, has been appointed private secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Earlier, Topno had served at the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) under Manmohan Singh too for almost five years. His five years of central deputation was to end this month but his term has been extended. Under Manmohan Singh, Topno was a director at the PMO. Now he has been appointed to the crucial post of PS to the Prime Minister. He will be the youngest IAS officer to serve at this post.

4) India Successfully Test Fired Medium-Range Akash Missile:  India successfully test fired the medium-range surface-to-air missile Akash on Wednesday from a defence base in Odisha, an official said. The indigenously developed missile, with a 27-km range and an effective ceiling of 15 km, was test fired from the Integrated Test Range in Balasore district, 230 km from Bhubaneswar.

5) India-born scientist Sanjaya Rajaram chosen for World Food Prize: India-born plant scientist Dr Sanjaya Rajaram has been named the winner of the $250,000 World Food Prize for his contribution in increasing global wheat production by more than 200 million tonnes in the years following the Green Revolution. 
Dr Rajaram's breakthrough achievement in successfully cross-breeding winter and spring wheat varieties, which were distinct gene pools and had been isolated from one another for hundreds of years, led to him developing plants that have higher yields and a broad genetic base. The World Food Prize was established in 1986 by Borlaug in order to focus the world's attention on hunger and on those whose work has significantly helped efforts to end it. This year marks the 28th anniversary of the prize.


6) Facebook released messaging app Slingshot: Social media giant Facebook announced the release on Tuesday of its latest messaging app Slingshot. Slingshot lets users share selfies and other short-lived videos and pictures, but friends have to share something before they are able to see images from others, according to the announcement. Slingshot is an attempt to take users away from the popular messaging app Snapchat.

June 2014 Current Affairs PDF Download: Second Week

Current Affairs PDF

June 2014- Second Week

Download as PDF-Click Here

1) Name India’s largest warship which was dedicated to the nation by the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi on 14 June 2014?
Ans. INS Vikramaditya
Note: During his visit to warship INS Vikramadtya off Goa coast in Arabian Sea, the Prime Minister was given a ceremonial guard of honour by the Navy and was briefed about the warship. INS Vikramaditya has been acquired from Russia for over 15000 crore rupees. The deal for the warship was signed in 2004 during previous NDA regime. It has been dedicated to the nation after a gap of 10 years.

2) Who was appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Infosys on 11 June 2014?
Ans. Vishal Sikka
Note: Vishal Sikka will take over as the CEO on 1 August 2014. He will succeed the current Chief Executive and Managing Director S.D. Shibulal. Earlier, he worked as non-founder Chief Executive Officer of SAP AG and a former executive board member of SAP AG. Vishal Sikka is a doctorate in computer science from Stanford University. It is for the first time that the Infosys did not choose one of its founders for the role.

3) Google on 10 June 2014 confirmed the purchase of which Satellite Firm for 500 million US dollar?
Ans. Skybox Imaging

4) Who was on 7 June 2014 appointed as the Solicitor General of India?
Ans. Ranjit Kumar
Note: The Solicitor General (SG) of India is subordinate to the Attorney General for India (AG).

5) Who won the French Open title 2014 for the ninth time on 8 June 2014?
Ans. Rafael Nadal of Spain
Note: He is the first men to win five French Open titles in a row. He defeated Novak Djokovic in the final.

6) Who was sworn-in as the first Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh after bifurcation on 8 June 2014?
Ans. Chandrababu Naidu
Note: Governor E S L Narasimhan administered the oath of Naidu and his cabinet at Acharya Nagarjuna University, Guntur on 8 June 2014.

7) World Blood Donor Day was observed across the world on 14 June 2014 with the theme?Visit: www.currentaffairs4examz.com
Ans. Safe blood for saving mothers.

8) Name the eminent Malayalam scientist-turned-writer who was selected for the prestigious Moortidevi Award for 2013 on 13 June 2014?
Ans. C Radhakrishnan
Note: He has been selected for his novel Theekkadal Katanhu Thirumadhuram. Moortidevi award is presented by the Bhartiya Jnanpith and carries cash prize of four lakh rupees, a plaque and a statue of goddess Saraswati.

9) Which state assembly passed a Bill on 13 June 2014 to put a complete ban on dance bars across the State?
Ans. Maharashtra

10) Name the Indo-French Air Exercise, which was concluded on 13 June 2014 in Jodhpur Air Base?
Ans. Garuda V
Note: The exercise between the air forces of both countries started on 2 June 2014 saw various combat roles including Air to Air refueling.

11) India on 13 June 2014 became a permanent signatory to Washington Accord. The Accord was signed by National Board of Accreditation at a meet of International Engineering Alliance of WA member countries held in?
Ans. Wellington, New Zealand.

12) Narmada Control Authority (NCA) on 12 June 2014 gave its approval to Gujarat government to raise the height of Sardar Sarovar Dam on Narmada River in Kevadia to ........... meters from present 121.92 meters?
Ans. 138.68

13) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 12 June 2014 released commemorative postage stamps on the 2014 FIFA World Cup. What is the slogan of FIFA World Cup 2014?
Ans. All In One Rhytm.

14) Name the four Standing Committees of the Cabinet which was decided to be discontinued by Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi on 10 June 2014?
Ans. 1) Cabinet Committee on Management of Natural Calamities
2) Cabinet Committee on Prices
3) Cabinet Committee on World Trade Organisation Matters
4) Cabinet Committee on Unique Identification Authority of India related issues

15) Who was appointed as the additional Principal Secretary to Prime Minister, Narendra Modi on 9 June 2014?
Ans. PK Mishra
Note: He is a retired IAS officer of 1972 batch of the Gujarat cadre.

16) Who was crowned as Miss USA 2014 on 8 June 2014?
Ans. Miss Nevada Nia Sanchez

17) Who was sworn-in as the President of Egypt in Cairo on 8 June 2014?
Ans. Abdel Fattah el-Sisi
Note: He is the fifth Egyptian President to come from Army and will be the president for four years.

18) Name the Foreign Minister of China who was on a two-day long visit to India from 8 June to 9 June 2014?Visit: www.currentaffairs4examz.com
Ans. Wang Yi

19) Name the leading NRI industrial who was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award by a UK-based business association on 13 June 2014?
Ans. Lord Swraj Paul
Note: He is the founder of the UK-based steel and engineering multinational company Caparo that first began operations in the West Midlands under the banner of a small company called L K Industrial.

20) Who was elected as the President of 69th Session of United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on 11 June 2014?
Ans. Sam Kahamba Kutesa
Note: He is Uganda’s Foreign Affairs Minister. The theme for the 69th session is “Delivering on and Implementing a Transformative Post-2015 Development Agenda”.

21) World Day against Child Labour was observed across the world on 12 June 2014 with the theme?
Ans. Extend social protection: combat child labour.

22) The three day Leh Festival began in Leh region of which state on 12 June 2014?
Ans. Jammu & Kashmir

23) Name the biography of 91-year-old-thespian Dilip Kumar which was released on 10 June 2014 in Mumbai by Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra and Aamir Khan?
Ans. The Substance and the Shadow: authored by Uday Tara Nayar

24) Who was appointed as the Commander-in-Chief of Strategic Forces Command on 13 June 2014?
Ans. Lt Gen Amit Sharma
Note: He replaced Vice Admiral SPS Cheema.

25) Which Indian won Silver Medal in men’s 10-meter air pistol event at the ISSF World Cup Shooting in Munich on 11 June 2014?
Ans. Jitu Rai
Note: The Gold was clinched by Pablo Carrera of Spain and Bronze was bagged by Pavlo Korostylov of Ukraine.

26) Canara Bank on 10 June 2014 opened its seventh overseas branch in which city?
Ans. New York, USA

27) Which former Indian cricket captain, joined the Mudgal Committee on IPL spot-fixing as an expert on cricketing affairs on 8 June 2014?
Ans. Sourav Ganguly

28) 40th G-7 summit 2014 was held from 4 June 2014 – 5 June 2014 at?
Ans. Justus Lipsius building, Brussels

29) UN General Assembly on 7 June 2014 announced an award in honour of which famous leader, who died recently?
Ans. Nelson Mandela

30) Jayalalithaa, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, on 11 June 2014 launched which salt as a part of social welfare scheme in the state?
Ans. Amma Salt
Note: Amma Salt is manufactured by Tamil Nadu Salt Corporation limited (TNSC) under the State Industries Department.

31) Who was conferred with the prestigious Bharat Ratna JRD Tata Award for 2013 by the Aeronautical Society of India (ASI) on 9 June 2014?
Ans. Somasundaram of Airports Authority of India (AAI)

32) Who was appointed as President of Reliance Jio Infocomm on 10 June 2014?
Ans. Sunil Dutt

33) Which airport won the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Award by Airport Council International (ACI) in the category of the best improved airport in Asia Pacific Region recently?Visit: www.currentaffairs4examz.com
Ans. Kolkata Airport

34) Who became the first speaker of Telangana Legislative Assembly on 10 June 2014?
Ans. Sirikonda Madhusudhana Chary

35) Which Power Plant on 8 June 2014 became India’s first nuclear plant to generate 1000 MW power?
Ans. Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant

36) 6th International Nuclear Energy Forum ATOMEXPO-2014 was held from 9 to 11 June 2014 at?
Ans. Moscow, Russia

37) State Cabinet of Maharashtra on 13 June 2014 approved the long pending proposal to bifurcate Thane district to carve out Palghar district from it. With the bifurcation there will be total how many districts in Maharashtra?
Ans. 36

38) IUCN released the Red List of Threatened Species on 12 June 2014. Expand IUCN?
Ans. International Union for Conservation of Nature

39) Who was elected as 10th president of Israel on 10 June 2014?
Ans. Reuven Ruby Rivlin

40) Uttarakhand Assembly session was held for first time outside Dehradun from 9 June to 11 June 2014 at?
Ans. Gairsain

41) Who was sworn-in as the President of Ukraine in Kiev on 7 June 2014?
Ans. Petro Poroshenko

42) Who took charge as US interim Ambassador to India on 6 June 2014?
Ans. Kathleen Stephens

IIT JEE Advanced Results 2014 declared

>> The results for the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology Joint Entrance Exam (IIT-JEE) has been published today.

>> Candidates can view their results by entering their JEE (Advanced) 2014 Roll Number and date of birth on the official website. The All India Ranks of JEE Advanced will be declared after the results, however candidates will not receive any individual rank cards.

>> Rajasthan's Chitraang Murdia has topped the IIT-JEE (Advanced) - 2014 examination. Chitraang, who is from the Delhi zone, scored 334 out of a total of 360 marks.

>> Among the female candidates, Aditi from IIT Roorkee zone has topped the exam securing an all-India Rank of 7. There are five female candidates among the top 100 rankers.

>> In all 27,151 candidates, out of 1,26,997 registered, have qualified the examination with 19,416 in common merit list — 6,000 in OBC (NCL), 4,400 SC and 1,250 ST merit lists.

>> The exam was conducted on May 25, 2014 by seven zonal IITs. Nearly 1.19 lakh students appeared in the exam. Apart from IITs, admission to ISM Dhanbad is also based on this exam.

>> The online choice filling option for various courses at the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and ISM Dhanbad begins from June 20, 2014 and will continue till June 24. Only candidates securing All India Ranks and securing above minimal position on the combined Merit List will be eligible for the online seat choice filling process. Architecture aspirants having cleared the JEE Advanced exam will be required to attempt the Architecture Aptitude Test which will be conducted on June 26, 2014. The first round of seat allocation results will be declared on July 1, 2014.

Check results: Click Here

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Know about INS Vikramaditya- India’s largest warship

Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India on 14 June 2014 dedicated INS Vikramaditya to the nation. With this, India’s largest warship, INS Vikramaditya has been inducted into Indian Navy. Know more about INS Vikramaditya

>> The 44,500-tonne INS Vikramaditya, procured from Russia, is one of the newest acquisitions of the Indian Navy and the most powerful symbol of its military reach. INS Vikramaditya joined the Indian Navy on November 16, 2013 and was commissioned by former defence minister AK Antony last November at Russia's Sevmash shipyard.

>> Vikramaditya, a floating airfield, has an overall length of about 284 metres and a maximum beam of about 60 metres, stretching as much as three football fields put together.

>> Standing about 20-storey tall from the keel to the highest point, the ship has a total of 22 decks and carries 1,600 personnel.

>> It is a modified Kiev-class aircraft carrier which was purchased by India from Russia for the Indian Navy in 2013. The ship has been renamed in honour of Vikramaditya, a legendary 1st century BC emperor.

>> Its logistics requirements include nearly 100,000 eggs, 20,000 litres of milk and 16 tonnes of rice per month. The vessel is capable of sustaining at sea for about 45 days.


>> Originally built as Baku and commissioned in 1987, the carrier served with the Soviet (until the dissolution of the Soviet Union) and Russian Navies before being decommissioned in 1996, it being too expensive to operate.

17 June 2014 Current Affairs Updates

1) Uttar Pradesh governor BL Joshi resigned: Uttar Pradesh governor BL Joshi resigned from his post on Tuesday. BL Joshi sent his resignation papers to Union home ministry, according to reports. BL Joshi's resignation comes amid reports that Modi government has asked 7 UPA-appointed governors to step down. The seven governors who were told to step down are M K Narayanan in West Bengal, Sheila Dikshit in Kerala, Margaret Alva in Rajasthan, Kamla Beniwal in Gujarat, BL Joshi in UP, K Sankaranarayanan in Maharashtra and Devendra Konwar in Tripura.

2) Stuart Binny breaked Anil Kumble's 21-year-old ODI record: Surprised to find his name among the top-10 bowling performances of all time after breaking Anil Kumble's 21-year-old record, Indian allrounder Stuart Binny said seaming conditions played a huge role in his haul of 6 for 4 against Bangladesh.
Binny's brilliant performance helped India defend a meagre 105 against the hosts in the second ODI Match, who were let down by their batsmen after a fine show by the bowlers. The Indians now have a 2-0 lead in the three-match series. Taking six wickets by giving away just four runs in 04 overs, Binny broke Kumble's record of 6 for 12 against the West Indies in Hero Cup final back in 1993.

3) Vijay Kumar narrowly missed shooting final: Olympic silver medallist Vijay Kumar shot 582 to miss the final by one point in men’s rapid fire pistol in the shooting World Cup in Maribor, Slovenia, on Tuesday. The 28-year-old Vijay had shot 282 out of 300 on the first day of qualification with a series of 100, 96 and 96. On the second day, he shot 98, 96 and 96 in the 8-second, 6-second and 4-second series respectively. Christian Reitz of Germany beat China’s Zhan Jian 5-2 in a shoot-off for gold after the two had tied on 30.

4) ICICI Bank launched 'iMobile' app for Windows phones: Private sector lender ICICI Bank on Tuesday launched its mobile banking application 'iMobile' for Windows phones. The new app is available for download on the Windows Phone Store for mobile phones on the Windows 8 operating system. "With this new app, our mobile banking application is now available on all major platforms including iOS, Android and Blackberry," ICICI Bank director Rajiv Sabharwal said.


5) Finance Ministry appointed RC Lahoti as arbitrator in Vodafone tax case: The government has appointed former Chief Justice of India R C Lahoti as arbitrator in the Rs 20,000 crore tax dispute case with UK telecom major Vodafone. "Yes, he (Lahoti) has been appointed for arbitration from our side," a Finance Ministry official told PTI. The government's decision was in response to an arbitration notice served by Vodafone International Holdings B.V. in April under the Bilateral Investment Protection and Promotion Agreement between India and the Netherlands for resolving the dispute.

Apply Online for IBPS Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) 2014


Links to apply online for IBPS RRB CWEs Phase-III recruitment of Office Assistants (Multipurpose) / Clerks, Scale I, Scale II and Scale III Officers for the year 2014 has been activated by IBPS today(18 June 2014).

Important Dates are as follows:
Opening Date for Online Registration: 18 June 2014
Closing Date for Online Registration: 09 July 2014
Tentative Date of Examination for Officers: 06 September 2014/ 07 September 2014
Tentative Date of Online Examination for Office Assistant (Multipurpose): 13 September 2014/ 14 September 2014/ 20 September 2014/ 21 September 2014

To see the recruitment notification Click Here

Apply online for Officers (Scale I, Scale II and Scale III):Click Here


Apply online for Office Assistants (Multipurpose) / Clerks: Click Here

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Daily Current Affairs Updates: 16 June 2014

1) World Cup 2014: Germany's Thomas Mueller nets hat-trick as dismal Portugal is routed 4-0: Thomas Mueller's hat-trick inspired Germany to a 4-0 mauling of 10-man Portugal in their opening World Cup Group G match on Monday. The Germans delivered a sizzling attacking display that underlined their tag as strong title contenders and the match, billed as a clash of European heavyweights, was over as a contest by half-time. Two Mueller goals and a thumping Mats Hummels header blew away a Portugal side whose first-half misery was compounded by a needless 37th-minute red card for Pepe.


2) Michael Schumacher out of coma, left French hospital - spokesperson: Formula One champion Michael Schumacher is no longer in a coma and has left the French hospital where he was being treated since suffering severe head injuries in a skiing accident late last year. "Michael has left the CHU Grenoble (hospital) to continue his long phase of rehabilitation. He is not in a coma anymore," a statement from spokeswoman Sabina Kehm read. On Monday, his spokesman told Reuters that Schumacher had been admitted on Monday morning to University Hospital of Lausanne, Switzerland after leaving hospital in France.

3) Juan Manuel Santos re-elected Colombia president in peace vote: Juan Manuel Santos convincingly won re-election Sunday after Colombia's tightest presidential contest in years, an endorsement of his 18-month-old peace talks to end the Western Hemisphere's longest-running conflict. Santos defeated right-wing challenger Oscar Ivan Zuluaga with 53 percent-to-47 per cent of valid votes with 99.9 per cent of precincts reporting.

4) Government hikes import tariff value on gold, silver: The government on Monday hiked import tariff value on gold and silver to $411 per 10 grams and $632 per kg as global prices have increased in the wake of escalating violence in Iraq.

5) Delhi becomes first kerosene-free city in India: The Delhi Government on Tuesday announced that the national capital has become the first ‘kerosene-free city’ in the country. “With the successful implementation of Delhi: A Kerosene-Free City Scheme, 2012, no subsidised kerosene is being issued in the national capital and the country can save upto Rs 200 crores every year,” said S.S. Yadav, Commissioner, Food Supply and Weights and Measures. The scheme was launched in 2012 in collaboration with three Oil Marketing Companies and Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas for which Delhi Government had incurred an expenditure of Rs 62 crores.

6) Union Minister Shri Kalraj Mishra launched the SME Finance Facilitation Centre: To facilitate access to finance and credit for SMEs, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) on Monday set up an Online Finance Facilitation Centre for SMEs, with the aim of providing advisory and credit facilitation support to SMEs, according to a CII release. The centre will operate as a one-stop shop, aggregating financing options from various major financial institutions.

7) Shaktikanta Das assumed charge as Revenue Secretary: Shaktikanta Das, a 1980 batch Tamil Nadu Cadre IAS officer, assumed charge as Revenue Secretary in the Finance Ministry on Monday.

8) Micromax launched the first Indian-made Windows phones: Indian smartphone maker Micromax has launched its first set of Windows Phone-based smartphones – Canvas Win W092 and Canvas Win Q121 in the country. With this Micromax has become the first Indian smartphone-maker to introduce Windows Phone devices in India. Win W092 and Win Q121 are budget phones, with the former priced at Rs 6,500, while the latter will come for Rs 9,500.

Monday, June 16, 2014

Daily Current Affairs Updates:15 June 2014

1) PM Modi began his first foreign visit to Bhutan: Narendra Modi on Sunday embarked on his maiden visit to Bhutan as India's Prime Minister. His two-day trip underscores his government's commitment to consolidate ties in India's neighbourhood. On the eve of his visit, Modi on Saturday said that Bhutan was a "natural choice" as his first foreign destination because of the "unique and special relationship" and his trip would focus on making development cooperation "even more effective". In his pre-departure statement, Modi said relations with Bhutan will be a key foreign policy priority of his government. "I am looking forward to my first-ever visit to Bhutan and to nurturing and further strengthening India's special relations with Bhutan", said Modi who is undertaking a two-day trip at the invitation of King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk and Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay.

2) PM Narendra Modi dedicated INS Vikramaditya to the nation: Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated India's largest warship INS Vikramaditya to the nation and pitched for making the country self-reliant in manufacturing defence equipment, shedding dependence on imports. "It is an important day for our nation. It is a golden day in Indian Navy's history. For me, it is a matter of pride and happiness that INS Vikramaditya is joining the Navy. It is a historic step," he said.

About INS Vikramaditya
Vikramaditya, a floating airfield, has an overall length of about 284 metres and a maximum beam of about 60 metres, stretching as much as three football fields put together. Standing about 20 storeys tall from keel to the highest point, the ship has a total of 22 decks and carries 1,600 personnel. With over 1,600 personnel on board, Vikramaditya is literally a floating city. Linked to the personnel on board is mammoth logistics requirement - nearly 100,000 eggs, 20,000 litres of milk and 16 tonnes of rice, to name just a few, per month.

3) Australia thrash Netherlands 6-1 to retain hockey World Cup: Australia retained the men's hockey World Cup title by outplaying Olympic silver medallists The Netherlands 6-1 in the final at the Kyocera Stadium on Sunday. Chris Cirielo's three penalty corner conversions was the feature of the contest that saw Australia retain the trophy they had won in New Delhi in 2010. The successive men's World Cup title wins was a present the Australian team had promised to their coach Ric Charlesworth, who had won it as a player in 1986 and as a coach four years ago. Playing their fourth successive World Cup final, Australia made up for the disappointment of losing two successive summit showdown to Germany.

4) India won first ODI against Bangladesh by seven wickets in rain-curtailed clash: India won the first ODI against Bangladesh by seven wickets in a rain-curtailed match in Dhaka on Sunday. Openers Ajinkya Rahane and Robin Uthappa powered confident fifties to guide India to victory as the visitors reached the revised target of 150 runs off 26 overs with seven balls to spare after heavy rain stopped play for more than two hours in the day-night clash at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium.

5) Malayalam Author C. Radhakrishnan selected for Moortidevi Award: Eminent Malayalam scientist-turned-writer C. Radhakrishnan has been selected for the prestigious Moortidevi Award for 2013 for his novel “Theekkadal Katanhu Thirumadhuram”. The novel is a biographical account of Thunchath Ezhuthachan. The novel attempts to bring back to life the socio-cultural ambience of 15th century, according to a press release issued by Bharatiya Jnanpith which has instituted the award. Moortidevi Award carries a cash prize of Rs.4 lakh, a plaque and a statue of goddess Saraswati.

6) Metro launched first solar plant: The first solar module of Delhi Metro's introductory inaugural 'Roof Top Solar Power Plant' was inaugurated on Sunday at the Dwarka sector 21 metro station. The plant, with a capacity of 500 kWp is expected to start generation by the end of July. With the beginning of power production from this 500 kWp plant next month, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) will become the first ever metro system in the country to install this plant 'Roof Top Solar Power Plants' at its stations. An official of Delhi Metro said the power produced from this plant will meet the power requirements of the DMRC at this station.


7) Father's day celebrated: Father's Day celebrates fatherhood and the influence of fathers in society. Created to complement Mother's Day, a celebration that honours mothers and motherhood, many countries celebrate Father's Day on the third Sunday of June. Some countries celebrate it on other days.

Current Affairs Updates from 14 June 2014

1) Shaktikanta Das appointed as Revenue Secretary: In a first major bureaucratic reshuffle, the Modi Government has appointed Shaktikanta Das as the new Revenue Secretary. He will replace Rajiv Takru, who has been moved to the Department of North Eastern Region (DONER). Das, a 1980 batch IAS officer of Tamil Nadu cadre, is coming back to the North Block almost a month before the presentation of full budget for 2014-15. He was in the Finance Ministry for five years before moving to the Chemicals & Fertiliser Ministry as Fertiliser Secretary on December 30 last year. He has a deep experience in budget making as he was Joint Secretary in the Budget Division under the Department of Economic Affairs. He is expected to take charge on Monday.
2) Netherlands Win Seventh Women's Hockey World Cup Title: Olympic gold medallists The Netherlands defeated Australia 2-0 in the title showdown to clinch the women's hockey World Cup at the Kyocera Stadium, Hague on Saturday. This was the fourth time these two nations met in the women's World Cup title encounter, and The Netherlands have won three of them. Out of 13 women's World Cups since its inception in 1974, the Dutch have won it seven times.

3) Murali Kartik retired from all forms of cricket: Former India left-arm spinner Murali Kartik announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. The 37-year-old Kartik decided to call it quits from cricket with immediate effect, on Saturday. Kartik was part of the Kings XI Punjab team in the recently concluded seventh edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 7). He played his last competitive match, in IPL 7, against Chennai Super Kings on May 7, 2014. He also played for Kolkata Knight Riders, Pune Warriors and Royal Challengers Bangalore.

4) Angelina Jolie made honorary dame by the Queen: Actor Angelina Jolie has been named an honorary dame in the Queen’s birthday honours this year. She was granted this distinction in recognition of her work in highlighting sexual violence in conflict. Ms. Jolie, who is also the United Nation’s Special Envoy for Refugees, has spent the last few days in London co-chairing the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict with Foreign Secretary William Hague.

5) Alexander Stubb to become Finland's next prime minister: Finland's ruling conservative party elected EU affairs minister Alexander Stubb as its new leader on Saturday, putting him on track to take over as the country's prime minister after incumbent Jyrki Katainen steps down later this month. Stubb, 46, won about 60 percent of delegates' votes at a congress of their centre-right National Coalition party, beating Paula Risikko, the minister for health and social services, in a run-off.

6) Lord Swaraj Paul Honoured With 'Lifetime Achievement Award': Leading NRI industrialist Lord Swraj Paul has been honoured with the 'Lifetime Achievement Award' by a UK-based business association for his outstanding contribution to the industry, education and philanthropy. Lord Paul's daughter Anjali received the award at the Black Country Asian Business Association's annual awards in West Midlands as he was on a business trip to the US.