Know about Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana

* The government rolled out its ambitious financial inclusion programme, the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) on 28 August 2014, and said about 1.5 crore accounts were opened on August 28 through thousands of camps, exceeding the firstday target of 1 crore accounts.

* The programme is Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first blockbuster social upliftment scheme and is aimed at improving the lives of millions of India's poor by bringing them into the financial mainstream and freeing them from the clutches of usurious moneylenders, while giving them a modicum of insurance cover.

* Buoyed by the performance on Day 1, Modi shortened the time for achieving the 7.5 crore new accounts to five months from six, urging the finance ministry to complete the task by January 26.

* The prime minister topped up each account with life insurance cover of Rs 30,000, adding to the Rs 1 lakh accidental insurance benefit already available under the account that will come bundled with a Ru-Pay-enabled debit card.

* After six months of satisfactory operations, the account would be eligible for Rs 5,000 overdraft facility, designed to take the poor out of the clutches of moneylenders. Subsequently, these accounts will be also used for providing micro pensions.

* PMJDY was simultaneously launched at multiple centres by 20 chief ministers and several union ministers — Home Minister Rajnath Singh in Lucknow, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in Bhopal, Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani in Surat, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad in Chennai and Information & Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar in Pune.

* In all, 600 programmes and 77,852 camps were organised on the first day for the opening of bank accounts.

* All the 6 lakh villages to be mapped according to the sub service area. Villages with over 2,000 population to get full-fledged brick & mortar branches. Each bank to have at least one fixed point banking outlet catering to 1,000 to 1,500 households.

* Expansion of network includes: 50,000 Business Correspondents - targets set for bank, 7,000 branches and 20,000 new ATMs in the first phase.

* Other features include: Project management consultant/group to be engaged to help financial services department. A web portal would be created for reporting/monitoring of progress.  Roles of various stakeholders like departments, state governments, RBI, NABARD, NPCI and others identified. Gram Dak Sevaks in rural areas are proposed as Business Correspondents of banks.

* Direct benefits transfers for LPG could be routed through these accounts.

* With the introduction of new technology introduced by National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), a person can transfer funds, check balance through a normal phone which was earlier limited only to smart phones so far.

* Mobile banking for the poor would be available through National Unified USSD Platform (NUUP) for which all banks and mobile companies have come together.

Other highlights of the scheme

1) Modi had announced the scheme on Independence Day in his address to the nation.

2) The logo of the mission was created by Priya Sharma through competition in My Gov.in platform.

3) The name “Jan Dhan” was also chosen through an online competition on the MyGov Platform and received more than 6000 suggestion from Indian citizens. After evaluation the jury shortlisted “Jan Dhan” which was suggested by 7 individuals.

4) Slogan of this scheme is " Mera Khata – Bhagya Vidhaata” (My Bank Account – The Creator of the Good Fortune).

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August 2014 Current Affairs Questions (Second Week): PDF

Current Affairs PDF

August 2014- Second Week

Download as PDF: Click Here

1) Name the Indian-origin mathematician who recently won Fields Medal which is known as 'Nobel Prize' of maths?

Ans. Manjul Bhargava

Note: He won the award for developing new approach in the geometry of numbers. Fields Medal was first awarded in 1936 to Finnish mathematician Lars Ahlfors and American mathematician Jesse Douglas.

2) Who was appointed as new Chairman of Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) on 1 August 2014?

Ans. K V Chowdary

Note: He succeed R K Tewari. CBDT is the apex authority of the Income Tax department.

3) Paragliding World Cup Association selected which state in India as a venue to host the 2015 para-gliding World Cup?

Ans. Himachal Pradesh

Note: This will be the first para-gliding World Cup to be hosted in India. The tournament will be organised under the aegis of Para-gliding World Cup Association, France.

4) Union Government decided to appoint whom as the head of the Expenditure Management Commission on 12 August 2014?

Ans. Bimal Jalan 

Note: He is the former RBI governor. He would be tasked to suggest ways for managing public finances by reducing food, fertiliser and oil subsidies to include fiscal deficit.

5) President Pranab Mukherjee on 12 August 2014 conferred the Outstanding Parliamentarian Awards. Name the winners?

Ans. BJP leader Arun Jaitley received the award for the year 2010.

Congress Veteran Karan Singh received the award for the year 2011.

JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav received the award for the year for 2012.

6) Tata-Singapore Airlines (SIA) recently named its upcoming joint venture airline as?

Ans. Vistara

Note: It will start its operation from October 2014. Vistara is an inspiration from Sanskrit word, Vistaar that means limitless expanse. It has drawn inspiration from the brand’s domain – the limitless sky.

7) Who became the new Chairperson of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on 16 August 2014?Visit: www.currentaffairs4examz.com

Ans. Rajni Razdan

Note: She was appointed as Chairperson of UPSC by the President Pranab Mukherjee on 14 August 2014 in accordance with the Article 316 (1) of the Constitution. She replaced Prof. D P Agrawal who completed his six-year tenure as Chairman of UPSC on 16 August 2014. 

8) Indian Women’s Recurve team on 10 August 2014 won gold medal at the Archery World Cup Stage IV. Where was the event held?

Ans. Wroclaw, Poland

9) Which Indian player was ranked number one Test all-rounder in ICC Test team rankings released on 11 August 2014?

Ans. Ravichandran Ashwin

10) Who became the first Indian player to reach the semi-final of World Junior Squash Championship on 13 August 2014?

Ans. Kush Kumar

11) Which football club on 13 August 2014 lifted the UEFA Football Super Cup, the first European trophy of the season?

Ans. Real Madrid

12) Selection committee headed by Kapil Dev gave no nominations for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award 2014 on 12 August 2014. Since the inception of the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 1991-92, this is the ..... time that there has been no nomination?

Ans. Second. Other was in 1993-94.

13) Name the German player who announced his retirement from international football on 11 August 2014?

Ans. Miroslav Klose

14) Who became the first woman to win coveted Fields Medal on 13 August 2014 in Seoul, South Korea?

Ans. Maryam Mirzakhani, an Iranian born mathematician

15) Which state police on 10 August 2014 launched Whatsapp helpline to curb corruption?

Ans. Delhi Police

16) Andhra Pradesh Government on 12 August 2014 decided to make which city as its ad hoc capital?Visit: www.currentaffairs4examz.com

Ans. Vijayawada

17) Which state became the most favoured destination for foreign tourists in the North-Eastern (NE) region of India as per the data released by the Union Tourism Ministry in the second week of August 2014?

Ans. Sikkim

18) Iraqi President Mohammed Fuad Masum named whom as the new Iraqi Prime Minister on 11 August 2014?

Ans. Haider al-Abadi

19) World Elephant Day was observed across the world on?

Ans. 12 August 2014

20) Name the powerful Typhoon which smashed large parts of south-west Japan on 9 August 2014?

Ans. Typhoon Halong

21) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 12 August 2014 laid the foundation of 44 MW Chutak hydro-electric project and Nimoo Bazgo project in which state?

Ans. Jammu and Kashmir. 

22) Name the Delhi University professor who on 13 August 2014 received Global South Award given by International Political Science Association (IPSA)?

Ans. Dr. Sunil Kumar

23) Who became the oldest-ever woman to win a Gold medal in European Championships recently?

Ans. Jo Pavey of Great Britain

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Result of SBI PO Online Exam 2014 Published

Friends..State Bank of India has published the results of its PO Exam (Phase-1) held in June- July 2014. You can check your result from the below link. Roll Numbers of Candidates Shortlisted for Phase - II are only available in the PDF. The dates and details of next phase ie, Group Discussions and Interview will be published shortly by SBI. We will update you..Keep visiting All the Best.

Check Result from official site: Click Here

Difficulty in accessing official site? - Click Here for downloaded result 

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SSC CGL Re-Exam 2013 (Tier-1) Marks Published

Friends..Staff Selection Commisssion (SSC) on 26 August 2014 published the marks of SSC CGL Tier-1 Re-exam held recently. The list of selected candidates already published by SSC on 19 August 2014. The marks can be checked by entering Roll Number and Date of Birth from the below link.

Check Marks: Click Here

Read Write Up: Click Here

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IBPS CWE-RRB-III Officer 2014 Online Exam Call letter Out

Friends..IBPS has activated the link to download admit card for officers Scale I, Scale II and Scale III. You can download the call letter from below link by entering Registration Number and Date of Birth or Password.

Download Call Letter: Click Here

Download Current Affairs Materials: Click Here

Update shared by our friend Karan Mankatala

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Download Call Letter for IBPS RRB Office Assistant CWE III 2014 Pre-Exam Training

Friends..IBPS has activated the link to download pre-exam training call letters for those belonging to SC/ST and minority communities. You need to enter Registration number and Date of Birth or Password to download.

Download Call Letter: Click Here

Update shared by our friend Karan Mankatala

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Complete Current Affairs PDF: July 2014

Friends.. Here is the Complete Current Affairs PDF of July 2014. You can download PDF from the following links. Many events of National and International importance happened during July 2014. Football World Cup and Common Wealth Games 2014 were the major sports events had in July 2014. We have tried our best to include questions on all important events. If anything is missed please bear with us. This will be useful for all upcoming competitive Exams including IBPS PO/Clerk etc. Do let us know your feedback on this for further improvement. Thank you all once again for your encouragement and support. Currentaffairs4examz Team J

Download as PDF: Link 1 and Link 2

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Daily Current Affairs Updates: 21 August 2014

1) T M Bhasin elected IBA chairman: T. M. Bhasin, Chairman and Managing Director of Indian Bank, has been elected as the Chairman of Indian Banks’ Association (IBA), which is a representative body of CMDs and CEOs of public sector, private sector and foreign banks. IBA plays an advisory role, and presents views of banking industry to various Union Ministries for policy formulation as also to RBI for regulatory matters. 

On behalf of IBA, Mr. Bhasin, will be associated with “Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana” Mission, headed by Union Finance Minister, said a statement.

2) Thai Army chief chosen Prime Minister: Thailand’s Army chief is all set to become the country’s next Prime Minister after the junta-picked National Legislative Assembly on Thursday overwhelmingly approved his nomination, consolidating the military’s hold on power three months after he ousted the elected government in a coup. The 60-year-old Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha was named as the next Prime Minister after the NLA voted 191-0 in his favour in an uncontested race. Altogether 194 of the existing 197 NLA members signed in to attend Thursday’s meeting to vote on the prime minister.

3) Islamic State militants killed US journalist James Foley: Militants from Islamic State (Isis) claimed to have killed an American journalist long held captive in Syria in retaliation for ongoing US air strikes against its forces in Iraq. A propaganda video circulated showed a masked Isis fighter beheading a kneeling man dressed in an orange jumpsuit who is purported to be James Wright Foley, a photojournalist who went missing in Syria in 2012. The masked executioner spoke in English, with what sounded like a British accent, and said the slaying came in response to the air strikes ordered by President Barack Obama against Isis 12 days ago.

4)  Bangladesh to join BRICS Bank: Bangladesh has decided to join the newly formed BRICS Bank, an initiative of the world's five emerging economies - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. This was informed to news reporters by Finance Minister A.M.A. Muhith.

5) PM dedicates Ranchi-Dharamjaygarh-Sipat transmission line to the nation: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today dedicated to the nation the Ranchi-Dharamjaygarh-Sipat 765kv inter-regional power transmission line in Jharkhand. This line is the first inter-regional link between eastern region and western region, an official statement said. The Prime Minister also inaugurated the commencement of work at state-run NTPC’s thermal power plant (3x660 MW) at North Karanpura at Chatra in Jharkhand.

6) Australian Cyril Baldock is oldest to swim English Channel: Australian Cyril Baldock has set the world record for the oldest person to swim the English Channel. The 70 year old Bondi Surf Life Saving Club member completed the swim between England and France in 12 hours and 45 minutes.

7) RBI tightened rules for lending against shares by NBFCs: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), on Thursday, tightened the norms for giving loans against shares by non-banking financial companies (NBFCs). NBFCs lending against collateral of shares have been told to maintain a loan-to-value (LTV) ratio of 50 per cent. They can accept only specified Group 1 securities as collateral for loans of value more than Rs.5 lakh.

8) Kerala, India’s top consumer of liquor, heads for prohibition:  The excise policy of the Congress-led United Democratic Front government, finalized in a two-hour meeting held at the chief minister's official residence on Thursday, proposed to make Kerala alcohol-free in 10 years. As a first step, 418 bars closed since April 1 as they had failed to upgrade to two-star facilities, won't have their licenses renewed. Similarly, licenses of 312 functioning bars in the state won't be renewed after March 31, 2015. The government will also seek the legal possibility of terminating the licenses of these 312 bars immediately. Kerala has the highest per capita consumption of liquor in the country at 8.3 litres. Punjab comes second with 7.9 litres, while the national per capita consumption of liquor is 4 litres.

9) Film on Indira Gandhi's assassins banned from release: The Information and Broadcasting Ministry on Thursday put on hold the release of the controversial Punjabi film, Kaum De Heere, based on the assassination of the former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, following concerns raised by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. “The film will not be released on Friday. The decision has been taken as per Rule 32 of the Cinema Certification Rules, 1983,” an official said. The instruction was issued after Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) Chairperson Leela Samson watched the movie.

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Employment News: 23rd August to 29th August 2014

1. Union Public Service Commission,

Name of Posts – Assistant Directors, Safety Officer, Operation Officer, Specialists etc.

No. Of Vacancies- 53

Last Date- 11.09.2014

2. Barkatullah University, Bhopal      

Name of Posts – Teaching Posts

No. Of Vacancies- 41

Last Date- 30.08.2014

3. Neyvel Lignite Corporation Ltd, Chennai           

Name of Posts – Junior Engineer Trainee

No. Of Vacancies- 157

Last Date- 10.09.2014

4. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture & Technology, Meerut      

Name of Posts – Professor, Associate Professor, Joint Director, Jr. Research Officer etc.

No. Of Vacancies- 76

Last Date- 22.09.2014

5. Directorate General Boarder Security Force, New Delhi

Name of Posts –Head Constable and Constable

No. Of Vacancies- 80

Last Date- 30 days from the date of publication

6. Central Mine Planning & Design Institute Ltd, Jharkhand   

Name of Posts –Assistant Driller, Rigman, Assistant Foreman (Mech.)

No. Of Vacancies- 64

Last Date- 20.09.2014

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SBI Clerk Exam Review: 23 August 2014 (Afternoon Session)

Friends...Here is the review of SBI Clerk Exam held 23.08.2014 (Afternoon Session) shared by our friend Karan Mankatala from Punjab. Our team thank him for sharing the review and wish him all the very best.

Hi All,  I am from Punjab

I attended exam on 23rd August (Evening Shift)

Total exam was moderate

Aptitude was easy but questions were molded, but solvable

Number Series were bit tricky

Simplification was little time consuming, DI was very easy (only addition and percentage)

Other Questions were from: 2 from SI_CI, 1 Profit & Loss, 1 Area, 3 Ratio, 1 Partnership,

                                        1 Time & Work, 1 Pipes & Cisterns

Questions were like

* Find number of Revolutions to cover a distance of 6864 ----

* Two pipes fill tank is 16 and 24 mins resp. There is also a waste pipe. If all pipes are opened, empty tank is full in 20 mins. How long will waste pipe take to empty tank

Reasoning---- Puzzle and Sitting arrangement (Inward - outward) was difficult ---- I couldn't solve them. Rest all questions from Reasoning was very easy.

Computer and Marketing was very easy... just basic concepts

English          ---- This section was easy

GK---- Moderate level

Few GK questions were like :

* Question on SARFARESI ACT

* Highest Gold Producing Country in World

* Leader of INC in 16th Lok Sabha

* Which country topped Global Innovation Index

* Father of White Revolution

* Which of the following is a Demand Liability

* 9th G-20 Summit will be held in

* Malaysia Currency

* Qatar Capital

* U-17 FIFA World Cup will be held in

* Nehru Cup Associated with

* Uri II hydro project in which State

* India signed 4 hydro projects with which country

* 'One Life is not Enough' book written by

* Theme of World Water Day

* Overseas Affairs Ministers for Northern State

* Which of the following is not a negotiable instrument

* What is most liquid form of 'MONEY'

* If CRR is increased then its effect on Banks

* CBS full form

* Bank providing 6% interest on Savings Account

* Neelanchan project associated with

Marketing/Computer Questions

* A call means

* Lead means

* Marketing research is required for

* Proper marketing strategies don't require

* Types of Software

* Question on Web Cam

* Question on Audio Recognition

* Question on Internet

* CD is form of which device

My Attempt was

GA --36

Marketing/Computer--39

Aptitude       -- 37

Reasoning--30

English--       37

On total 179

P.S Don't be nervous, give ur best.. Exam is not that tough but u have to manage time

All the best to all readers

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Daily Current Affairs from 20 August 2014

1) K V Thomas takes over as new PAC Chairman: Senior Congress leader K V Thomas on Wednesday took over as the new Chairman of Parliament's Public Accounts Committee. The key committee, which examines Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) reports after they are tabled in Parliament, will hold its first meeting next week. The post of the PAC chairman is held by a senior member of the opposition party. Murli Manohar Joshi (BJP) was the chairman of the PAC in last Lok Sabha.The PAC, constituted every year, consists of not more than 22 members - 15 members elected by Lok Sabha and not more than seven members from Rajya Sabha.

2) 'Iron Lady' Irom Sharmila released: Irom Sharmila was on 20 Aug 2014 released from the hospital after 14 years as a Manipur court on Tuesday ruled that there was no vidence that she wanted to commit suicide. The teary-eyed activist said, "I am emotional. I need people's mass support," as she stepped out of the hospital. "Fresh air is refreshing," she said on her release. Calling AFSPA a draconian law, Sharmila said, "I won't change my mind. In our native land there are a lot of widows due to action of draconian law. I'm not a victim but what about our next generation?"

3) Yoga legend BKS Iyengar passed away: World-renowned yoga guru and founder of the Iyengar School of Yoga B K S Iyengar passed away following illness. Iyengar, honoured with Padma Vibhushan, is survived by a son and daughter. Iyengar was considered one of the foremost yoga teachers in the world and had written many books on yoga practice and philosophy including ‘Light on Yoga’, ‘Light on Pranayama’, and ‘Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali’.

4) India to observe 2015-2016 as Water Conservation Year: Uma Bharti- The year 2015-16 will be observed as water conservation year and a public movement will be launched during the year to conserve the precious resource, Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Minister Uma Bharti said on Wednesday. The minister said the cooperation of state governments, NGOs, civil society, youth and retired personnel will be taken in this task. She said, public movement has become a necessity for conservation of water and river in the country as it is an important element of development and at some places the sacred water of the River Ganga is not even fit for consumption by animals.

5) HDFC Bank accorded most valued brand: HDFC Bank with a brand value of $ 9.4bn is India’s most valuable brand according to the first edition of the BrandZ Top 50 Most Valuable Indian Brands ranking that was announced in Mumbai. At pole position, HDFC Bank’s valuation was much higher than telecom major Airtel at $ 8.2 bn that occupied the second spot.

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List of Arjuna Award Winners 2014 with discipline: PDF Download

The Arjuna Awards are given by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, government of India to recognize outstanding achievement in National sports. Instituted in 1961, the award carries a cash prize of INR 500,000, a bronze statuette of Arjuna and a scroll. The Government has recently revised the scheme for the Arjun Award. As per the revised guidelines, to be eligible for the Award, a sportsperson should not only have had good performance consistently for the previous three years at the international level with excellence for the year for which the Award is recommended, but should also have shown qualities of leadership, sportsmanship and a sense of discipline.

A large number of nominations were received for these awards this year, which were considered by the select  panels of eminent sportspersons and sports administrators; Selection Committees were headed by eminent sportspersons  and consisted of former  Olympians, Arjuna Awardees, Dronacharya Awardees, Dhyan Chand Awardees, Sports Journalists/Experts/Commentators and sports administrators. Selection Committee for Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award and Arjuna Awards was headed by Shri Kapil Dev.

Here is the list of complete winners and their discipline. You can download this as PDF from print friendly button below.

1. Mr. Abhishek Verma - Archery

2. Ms. Tintu Luka- Athletics

3. Mr. H.N. Girisha- Para-Athletics

4. Mr. V. Diju- Badminton

5. Ms. Geetu Anna Jose- Basketball

6. Mr. Jai Bhagwan- Boxing

7. Mr. R. Ashwin- Cricket

8. Mr. Anirban Lahiri- Golf

9. Ms. Mamta Pujari - Kabaddi

10. Mr. Saji Thomas- Rowing

11. Ms. Heena Sidhu- Shooting

12. Ms. Anaka Alankamony- Squash

13. Mr. Tom Joseph- Volleyball

14. Ms. Renu Bala Chanu- Weightlifting

15. Mr. Sunil Kumar Rana- Wrestling

For Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna 2014, no sportsperson has been recommended. The awardees will receive their awards from the President of India at a specially organized function at the Rashtrapati Bhawan on August 29, 2014 (National Sports Day).  

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