Latest Current Affairs Question & Answers: 19th November 2014

1) Nanavati Commission of Enquiry which probed the 2002 post-Godhra riots submitted its final report to Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel on 18 November 2014. Twelve years after it was constituted, how many extensions were given to the commission to submit its final report?

(A) 24

(B) 12

(C) 5

(D) 10

2) Sutirtha Bhattacharya was on 18 November 2014 appointed as the new chairman and managing director of?

(A) Steel Authority of India Limited

(B) Coal India limited

(C) Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited

(D) None of these

3) Filmmaker Wong Kar-Wai was on 18 November 2014 selected to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 45th edition of International Film Festival of India, Goa. He is from which country?

(A) China

(B) South Korea

(C) Japan

(D) Hong Kong

4) Which city will host the 2019 athletics world championships as announced on 18 November 2014?

(A) London

(B) Beijing

(C) Tokyo

(D) Doha

5) Terry Walsh was on 18 November 2014 resigned as the head coach of?

(A) Indian Cricket Team

(B) Indian Volleyball Team

(C) Indian Hockey Team

(D) Indian Shooting Team 

6) Who among the following has been chosen for the BCCI’s Col. C.K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award for 2013-14 on 18 November 2014?

(A) Kapil Dev

(B) Dilip Vengsarkar

(C) Rahul Dravid

(D) VVS Laxman

7) Government on 18 November 2014 relaunched the Kisan Vikas Patras, to tap household savings for funding infrastructure development in the country. To begin with, KVP will be sold through?

(A) Post Offices

(B) Nationalized Banks

(C) LIC

(D) All of these

8) A committed headed by former Cabinet Secretary TSR Subramanian, set up to review environmental laws, has submitted its report on 18 November 2014 to Environment Minister?

(A) Ravi Sankar Prasad

(B) Arun Jaitley

(C) Harsh Vardhan

(D) Prakash Javadekar

9) 12th ASEAN-India Summit was recently held at?

(A) Brisbane, Australia

(C) Kathmandu, Nepal

(C) Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar

(D) Hanoi, Vietnam

10) International Buddhist Conference was recently held at?

(A) Lumbini, Nepal

(B) New Delhi, India

(C) Colombo, Srilanka

(D) None of these

Answers

1) Ans. (A) 24

2) Ans. (B) Coal India limited

3) Ans. (D) Hong Kong

4) Ans. (D) Doha

5) Ans. (C) Indian Hockey Team

6) Ans. (B) Dilip Vengsarkar

7) Ans. (A) Post Offices

8) Ans. (D) Prakash Javadekar

9) Ans. (C) Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar

10) Ans. (A) Lumbini, Nepal

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Know more about Kisan Vikas Patra

Union government on 19 November 2014 relaunched the erstwhile popular small savings instrument Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP) to encourage people to save more and keep them off fraudulent schemes. Here are the things you should know about the scheme.

* Kisan Vikas Patra savings scheme was originally launched in 1988. The maturity period of the scheme when launched was five and half years and the money invested doubled on maturity. KVP was a popular saving scheme that doubled the money invested in eight years and seven months.

* However, KVP was discontinued by the UPA government in 2011 following the Shyamala Gopinath Committee report. It had suggested that KVPs may be discontinued as they are prone to misuse.

* In the newly launched scheme amount invested in Kisan Vikas Patra would get doubled in 100 months or eight years and four months. This means KVPs would be giving a return of 8.7 per cent annually. This is in line with 8.70 per cent per annum interest rate offered by another popular savings instrument public provident fund (PPF).

* However, investors would not get any tax benefit for their investment in Kisan Vikas Patra unlike in PPF.

* The Kisan Vikas Patra certificates would be available in the denominations of Rs 1,000, 5,000, 10,000 and 50,000 and there is no upper limit on investment in KVPs.

* Kisan Vikas Patra certificates can be encashed after a lock-in period of 30 months or 2 years and 6 months. Thereafter, investors can withdraw in any block of six months.

* Kisan Vikas Patra certificates can be issued in single or joint names and can be transferred from one person to any other person/persons, multiple times.

* The facility of transfer from one post office to another anywhere in India and of nomination will be available.

* Kisan Vikas Patra certificates can also be pledged as security to avail loans from the banks.

* Initially, the Kisan Vikas Patra certificates will be sold through post offices, but later on they will be made available to the through designated branches of nationalised banks.

* Kisan Vikas Patra was very popular among the investors and the percentage share of gross collections secured in KVP was in the range of 9 per cent to 29 per cent against the total collections received under all National Savings Schemes in the country. Gross collections under Kisan Vikas Patra in 2010-11 were Rs. 21631.16 crore which was 9 per cent of the total gross collections during the year. Kisan Vikas Patra scheme was withdrawn in 2011.

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18th November 2014 Daily Current Affairs Updates

1) Nanavati panel submits final report on Gujarat riots: Twelve years after it was constituted, the Nanavati Commission of Enquiry probing the 2002 post-Godhra riots submitted its final report to Chief Minister Anandiben Patel on 18 November 2014. Justice Nanavati and Commission member Justice Akshay Mehta met Ms. Patel at her residence and handed over the report. Justice Nanavati told PTI that the report was over 2,000 pages, but did not divulge anything further. The Commission’s term expired on October 31 after 24 extensions. It submitted the first part of its report related to the Sabarmati Express in 2008, which said that the train burning was a “planned conspiracy.” The same year, after the death of Justice K.G. Shah, retired HC Justice Akshay Mehta was appointed to the Commission.

2) NASA installed first zero-gravity 3D printer on ISS: NASA successfully installed the world’s first zero-gravity 3D printer on the International Space Station (ISS) to help astronauts experiment with additive manufacturing in microgravity. NASA astronaut Barry Wilmore installed the 3D printer, designed and built by Made In Space, inside the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) on the ISS. The printer was launched in September aboard the SpaceX 4 resupply mission to the ISS.

3) Doha to host 2019 athletics world championships: Doha will host the 2019 athletics world championships, another sporting victory for the tiny Gulf state of Qatar. It already has the FIFA World Cup in 2022, and may also have ambitions for the biggest prize of them all, the Olympics. Doha, the Qatari capital, won its bid to host the world championships in a secret IAAF vote on Tuesday at a Monte Carlo hotel after losing out to London three years ago. This time, Doha beat an American bid from Eugene, Oregon, and Spanish city Barcelona in the vote by the IAAF's 27-member ruling council.

4) Terry Walsh resigned as India Hockey Coach: India's chief hockey coach Terry Walsh quit from his position after his contractual talks with Hockey India and the Sports Authority of India (SAI) broke down but a fresh proposal is still being worked out for the Australian's consideration. Walsh, whose contract was to come to an end on Wednesday, had already submitted his resignation last month after his demands for a greater say in team decisions and hand-picked support staff were turned down by HI and SAI.

5) Vengsarkar to receive C.K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award: Dilip Vengsarkar who earned the sobriquet ‘colonel’ has been chosen for the BCCI’s Col. C.K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award for 2013-14. He will receive a citation, trophy and cheque for Rs. 25 lakh at the BCCI’s eighth annual awards ceremony to be held on November 21. “I am honoured and delighted to have been chosen for the award and also to be in the august company of those who have been honoured before me. I thank the BCCI,” Vengsarkar said. 

6) Govt relaunched Kisan Vikas Patras: Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Communication Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad relaunched the Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP) investment scheme on 18 November 2014 to tap household savings for funding infrastructure development in the country and to lure them away from ponzi schemes. The savings instrument will be available in the denomination of Rs. 1000, Rs. 5,000, Rs. 10,000 and Rs. 50,000. There will be no upper ceiling on investments an investor can make in them. However, no tax benefits would be available on these investments. Banks will accept these certificates as pledged security for loans. To begin with, the certificates will be available only at post offices. Over time, however, designated branches of nationalised banks will also sell them.

7) TSR Subramanian Committee submits report on amendment of green laws: A committed headed by former Cabinet Secretary TSR Subramanian, set up to review environmental laws, has submitted its report to Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar. The committee’s report takes ahead the Government’s move to amend five key green laws to ensure transparency in clearances along with protecting the environment. Receiving the report, Javadekar said it would help the Ministry avoid “undue delays and ensure transparency in clearances and implementation of projects.”

8) 45TH IFFI Salutes Wong Kar-Wai with Lifetime Achievement Award: One of the Hong Kong's most celebrated filmmakers Wong Kar-Wai will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 45th edition of IFFI. He is Internationally renowned as an auteur for his visually unique, highly stylised, emotionally resonant work, including Days of Being Wild (1990), Ashes of Time (1994), Chungking Express (1994), Fallen Angels (1995), Happy Together (1997), 2046 (2004) and The Grandmaster (2013).

9) Coal India gets Sutirtha Bhattacharya as new chief: Public Enterprise Selection Board (PSEB) finalised Sutirtha Bhattacharya, a 1985 Andhra Pradesh cadre IAS officer as the new chairman and managing director of Coal India limited (CIL). Bhattacharya was selected from the list of 12 candidates who applied for the post the head of Coal India, the almost monopolistic coal mining company of ‘Maharatna’ stature.

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Latest Welfare Schemes launched by Narendra Modi Government in 2014 PDF Download

Friends.. Here is the list of latest schemes & plans announced by Narendra Modi led Union Government during the past few months. This will be highly useful for all upcoming competitive exams. You can download this article as PDF from the ‘print friendly’ button at the bottom.

1) Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana

Launched on: 28 August 2014

Aim: Ambitious scheme for comprehensive financial inclusion by providing bank accounts, insurance cover and a debit card to all the citizens of the country.

Ministry/Department in charge of the scheme: Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance

2) Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Shramev Jayate Karyakram

Launched on: 16 October 2014

Aim: To create an environment conducive to industrial development while also ensuring transparency in the labour sector.

Ministry/Department in charge of the scheme: Labour Ministry

3) Bal Swachhta Mission

Launched on: 14 November 2014

Aim: Nationwide sanitation initiative for schools as part of Swachh Bharat Mission.

Ministry/Department in charge of the scheme: Ministry of Women and Child Development.

4) Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana

Launched on:  25 September 2014

Aim: Aims at training 10 lakh (1 million) rural youths for jobs in three years, that is, by 2017.

Ministry/Department in charge of the scheme: Ministry for Rural Development.

5) Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Antyodaya Yojana for urban and rural poor

Launched on: 25 September 2014

Aim: Aims at alleviating urban and rural poverty through enhancement of livelihood opportunities through skill development and other means.

Ministry/Department in charge of the scheme: Union Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation & Union Ministry of Rural Development.

6) Digital life certificate 'Jeevan Pramaan' for pensioners

Launched on: 11 November 2014

Aim: Retired employees of government and PSUs can now digitally provide proof of his existence to authorities for continuity of pension every year instead of requiring to present himself physically or through a Life Certificate issued by specified authorities.

Ministry/Department in charge of the scheme: Department of Electronics and IT

7) Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Campaign)

Launched on: 2 October 2014

Aim: National level campaign by the Government of India covering 4041 statutory towns to clean the streets, roads and infrastructure of the country. Aims to accomplish the vision of 'Clean India' by 2 October 2019, 150th birthday of Mahatma Gandhi.

Ministry/Department in charge of the scheme: All Ministries & Departments.

8) ‘Make in India’ global initiative

Launched on: 25 September 2014

Aim: Aims to boost India`s manufacturing sector. 

9) Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana

Launched on: 12 October 2014

Aim: encourages Members of Parliament from both Houses to identify and develop one village from their constituency as a model village by 2016, and two more by 2019, covering over 2,500 villages of the 6 lakh villages country-wide.

Ministry/Department in charge of the scheme: Rural Development Ministry

10) Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Yojana

Launched on: 10 July 2014

Aim: Help in generating awareness and improving the efficiency of delivery of welfare services meant for women with an initial corpus of Rs 100 crore.

11) Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana

Launched on: 20 November 2014

Aim: To provide access of electricity to rural households across the country.

12) Sukanya Samriddhi account

Launched on: 22 January 2015

Aim: Under the scheme, an interest of 9.2 per cent (FY 2015-16) is provide on deposited amount which is tax free. The account under this scheme a saving account can be opened by the parent or legal guardian of a girl child of less than 10 years of age with a minimum deposit of Rs 1,000 in any post office or authorised branches of commercial bank.

13) HRIDAY (National Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana) scheme

Launched on: December 2014

Aim: For conserving and preserving the heritage characters of 12 cities. These are: Amritsar, Varanasi, Gaya, Puri, Ajmer, Mathura, Dwarka, Badami, Velankanni, Kanchipuram, Warangal (Telangana) and Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh).

Ministry/Department in charge of the scheme: Urban Development Ministry

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Current Affairs & GK Quiz Questions: 18 November 2014

1) Which cricket player was named as the co-owner of the Uttar Pradesh Wizards franchise in the Hero Hockey India League (HHIL) on 18 November 2014?

(A) Virat Kohli

(B) Suresh Raina

(C) Rohit Sharma

(D) MS Dhoni

2) The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded in which city?

(A) Brussels

(B) Geneva

(C) Oslo

(D) Stockholm 

3) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 17 November 2014 arrived at Australia and addressed 16,000 members of the Indian Australian community at Sydney. Who was the last Indian prime minister to visit Australia before Modi?

(A) Manmohan Singh

(B) P V Narasimha Rao

(C) A B Vajpayee

(D) Rajiv Gandhi

4) Which Indian State is the leading cotton producer?

(A) Gujarat

(B) Maharashtra

(C) Andhra Pradesh

(D) Madhya Pradesh

5) Which country will host the G-20 Summit in 2015?

(A) Turkey

(B) China

(C) Canada

(D) South Africa

6) Where is the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee located?

(A) Italy

(B) Switzerland

(C) Belgium

(D) France

7) Supreme Court appointed Justice Mukul Mudgal Committee, which investigated the allegations of spot fixing and betting in the 2013 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), has given a clean chit to who among the following on 18 November 2014?

(A) Gurunath Meiyappan

(B) Raj Kundra

(C) S Sreeshanth

(D) N. Srinivasan

8) Name the indigenously developed surface-to-air missile which was successfully test-fired by India on 17 November 2014 from a test range in Odisha?

(A) Akash

(B) Dhanush

(C) Agni

(D) Prithvi

9) Who among the following has been provided with Z-category security by the central government on 17 November 2014 taking into account his "vulnerability to attacks from his opponents"?

(A) Aravind Kejiriwal

(B) Anna Hazare

(C) Baba Ramdev

(D) Ashram Bapu

  

10) Vrindavan Chandrodaya Mandir, the proposed tallest temple in the world, the foundation stone of which was laid by the President Pranab Mukherjee on 16 November 2014 is in which state?

(A) Gujarat

(B) Arunachal Pradesh

(C) Uttar Pradesh

(D) West Bengal

Answers

1) Ans. (B) Suresh Raina

2) Ans. (C) Oslo

3) Ans. (D) Rajiv Gandhi

4) Ans. (A) Gujarat

5) Ans. (A) Turkey

6) Ans. (B) Switzerland

7) Ans. (D) N. Srinivasan

8) Ans. (A) Akash

9) Ans. (C) Baba Ramdev

10) Ans. (C) Uttar Pradesh 

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United India Insurance Assistant Recruitment 2014 Notification: 684 Vacancies

Friends..United India Insurance Company Limited (UIIC), Chennai has invited online application from eligible candidates for the recruitment of 684 Assistant vacancies. Eligible candidates may apply online from 18-11-2014 to 02-12-2014. Further details are as follows:

Name of the Post: Assistant

Total No.of Posts: 684 (Gen-364, OBC-164, SC-95, ST-61)

Important Dates:

Starting Date to Apply Online: 18.11.2014.

Last Date to Apply Online: 02.12.2014.

Dates for Payment of Application Fee: 18.11.2014 to 02.12.2014.

Last date for printing of Applications: 17.12.2014.

Dates of Online Exam: 1st week of January, 2015.

Educational Qualification:(As on 30.06.2014) : Graduate from a recognized University OR Pass in HSC / equivalent (12th pass) examination with 60% marks (50% for Ex-servicemen, SC/ST & PwD) and knowledge of Regional Language i.e. Language of the State of Recruitment is essential.

Age (as on 30th June 2014): Minimum Age : 18 years and Maximum Age : 28 years (as on 30.06.2014).Candidates born not earlier than 1st July, 1986 and not later than 30th June, 1996 (both days inclusive) are only eligible to apply.

Emoluments: Total emoluments (pre-revision) works out to approximately Rs.17,000/- p.m. in the initial stage in a Metro city. Other allowances may vary depending upon the place of posting. Apart from allowances, other benefits such as Lump sum Domiciliary Medical Benefits, Membership of Group Mediclaim Policy for reimbursement of Hospitalisation expenses, Leave Travel Subsidy and other Staff welfare schemes would be as per the rules of the Company.

Selection Procedure: All eligible candidates should apply on-line before the last date for registration of application. a. All candidates will have to appear for the Online examination, thereafter, candidates will be shortlisted and will be called for Interview and Computer Proficiency Test. Final selection will be made on the basis of performance in the Online Test, Interview and Computer Proficiency Test taken together. Merely satisfying the eligibility norms do not entitle a candidate to be called for ONLINE Test/Computer Proficiency Test/Interview.

Syllabus

Duration of Objective Test 120 minutes

1) Reasoning: 50 Marks & 40 Questions

2) English Language: 50 Marks & 40 Questions

3) Numerical Ability: 50 Marks & 40 Questions

4) General Knowledge: 50 Marks & 40 Questions

5) Computer Knowledge: 50 Marks & 40 Questions

Total: 250 Marks with 200 Questions

Application Fee:

-Rs.75/- for SC/ ST/ PWD candidates

-Rs.450/- for other candidates

How to Apply: Eligible candidates may apply online through the website www.uiic.co.in from 18-11-2014 to 02-12-2014. You can apply directly from the below link also.

View Official Notification: Click Here

Apply Online: Click Here

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Call Letter/Admit Card of IBPS Clerks IV Exam 2014

Friends.. IBPS has activated the link to download the Call Letter/Admit Card of its CWE Clerk Exam scheduled to start on 6 December 2014. You can download your admit card from the below link by entering your Registration No and Date Of Birth or Password. All the Best.

Download Admit Card: Click Here

Read Information Handout: Click Here

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Assam Circle Postal/Sorting Assistant 2014 Final Result Published

Friends.. the final result of Direct Recruitment of Postal Assistants ( Post Offices/ SBCO/Circle Office/ Regional Office/SBCO) and Sorting Assistants for the year 2013 & 2014 has been published by the Assam Postal Circle today (18 November 2014) . The examination for Paper-1 of the exam was held at Assam Postal Circle on 27 April 2014 and subsequently the Paper-2 ie, Computer/Typing test was held during 20 to 21 September 2014. Now this is the final result. Official intimation will be served to all selected candidates soon regarding the further formalities. Candidates can check the result from the below link. Congratulations to all the selected candidates!

Check result from official site: Click Here

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