World Bank ranks India at 132

As per the World Bank Report, India has been ranked at 132 amongst the sample 183 countries, said Minister of State for Corporate Affairs R.P.N. Singh on Thursday.

"Recognising the need for Reforming the Regulatory Environment for doing business in India, a Committee under the Chairmanship of Shri. M. Damodaran has been constituted on 23.08.2012 by this ministry to extensively examine different areas of root functioning such as financial reforms, governance reforms, liberalized policy framework, process reforms etc, and to suggest a roadmap for improving business climate in India," said Singh in Lok Sabha.

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Current Affairs August 2012 Quiz-22

1.Neil Armstrong, the first human to set foot on the moon, died on August 25, 2012. He landed on the moon on which of the following dates?
1) August 5, 1969
2) August 9, 1969
3) July 26, 1969
4) July 20, 1969 5) July 22, 1969

2. The 16th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) was held in August 2012 in which of the following countries?
1) Egypt 2) Iran
3) India 4) Turkey 5) Senegal

August 2012 Economic Affairs

Finance Minister P. Chidambaram has been appointed as India's Governor on the Board of Governors of the African Development Bank and African Development Fund in place of Pranab Mukherjee.Likewise, Department of Economic Affairs Secretary Arvind Mayaram has been appointed as India's alternate Governor.

SEBI has allowed seven Alternative Investment Funds (AIF) to set up shop in the country under a newly formulated route, which allows pooling of funds for investments in areas such as real estate, private equity and hedge funds. The approval has been given to all the seven AIFs by the Securities and Exchange Board of India in a period of less than one month, as per the information available with the market regulator. SEBI had notified its guidelines in May for AIFs, which are funds established or incorporated in India for the purpose of pooling in of capital from Indian and foreign investors for investing as per a pre-decided policy. As per SEBI data, six AIFs registered with the regulator during August 2012, while one was granted registration on July 23.

August 2012 International Affairs

Russia became the 156th member of the World Trade Organization on 21 August, following nearly two decades of negotiations. Russia was one of the world's last major economies to join the Geneva-based institution, having previously expressed concerns about the potential influx of Western goods and services. As part of its membership, Russia has agreed to lower import tariffs to less than 8 percent from a current average of around 10 percent. As part of the agreement, Russia has also made commitments to open trade in several sectors, including the banking, automotive and insurance industries. Some analysts expect this will be to the benefit of Russian consumers by making it cheaper for them to purchase imported products while allowing them to save more and invest back into the local economy. Russia joins the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu, which will become the WTO s 157th member on 21 August. Pascal Lamy is the present Director-General of WTO.

August 2012 Bilateral Relations Affairs

India and Belgium on 8 August decided to cooperate in the railway sector. A MoU was signed for this purpose in the presence of visiting Deputy Prime Minister Didier Reynders, who also holds the portfolio of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and European Affairs. Speaking on the occasion, Minister of External Affairs SM Krishna said India wanted to collaborate with Belgium in newer areas, particularly in infrastructure and energy sector, including port development, renewable energy, both solar and wind power. He said his discussions with Mr Reyders touched the entire gamut of their bilateral relations and touched on their cooperation in further strengthening the strategic partnership with the European Union. They took note of the fact that despite global economic slowdown, there was substantial increase in their bilateral trade, which has now crossed the 13 billion Euro mark in 2011. Belgium has now emerged as the second largest trading partner in goods sector within the European Union.

August 2012 National Affairs

India's ruling United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi has been ranked sixth, in the Forbes magazine list of 100 powerful women. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is ranked the most powerful in the world for the second year in a row. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is placed second, followed by Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, making the top three spots unchanged from that of last year. US first lady Michelle Obama, who had topped the list in 2010, was ranked No.7. Also in the top five were Melinda Gates, co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and wife of Microsoft Corp co-founder Bill Gates, and Jill Abramson, executive editor of the New York Times. Besides Sonia Gandhi, the list released on 21 august features three other Indians. Padmasree Warrior, chief technology and strategy officer, Cisco Systems, and Chanda Kochhar, managing director and CEO, ICICI Bank, are ranked 58th and 59th, while Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, founder and chair, Biocon Ltd, is placed 80th. PepsiCo's Indian-American chairperson and CEO Indra Nooyi is ranked 12th. The list named women involved in policymaking, entertainment, technology and nonprofit organisations, among other fields. They were ranked according to influence, the amount of money they control or earn, and media presence.

Justice Sundaresh Menon to be appointed new Chief Justice

Judge of Appeal Sundaresh Menon will be appointed the Chief Justice (CJ) of the Supreme Court with effect from Nov 6, replacing the present Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong who will retire on the same day after he reaches his 75th birthday.

A statement from the Prime Minister's Office on Wednesday afternoon said that the decision to appoint Justice Sundaresh Menon was taken "in concurrence with the advice of the Prime Minister".

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Statements and Conclusions

Generally 5 questions are covering in bank clerk exams from this topic.

Directions (1-5): In each question below are three statements followed by two conclusions numbered I and II. You have to take the three given statements to be true even if they seem to be at variance from commonly known facts and then decide which of the given conclusions logically follows from the three statements disregarding commonly known facts.(UBI 06-02-2011)

Give answer (1): if only conclusion I follows.
Give answer (2): if only conclusion II follows.
Give answer (3): if either conclusion I or conclusion II follows.
Give answer (4): if neither conclusion I nor conclusion II follows.
Give answer (5): if both conclusion I and conclusion II follows.

1. Statements:
All the paints are colors.
All the links are paints.

Conclusions:
I. No varnish is paint.
II. All links are colors.

Rahul Dravid, Gautam Gambhir nominated for Padma Awards

Just retired Rahul Dravid will be nominated for Padma Bhushan award 2012 for his service and contribution to Indian cricket.

Padma Bhushan is the third highest civilian honour in India after Bharat Ratna and Padma Vibhushan.

Rahul Dravid had announced retirement from cricket in March 2012 after playing 16 years of international cricket for India.

Current Affairs August 2012 Quiz-21

1. Meles Zenawi passed away on August 20, 2012. He was the Prime Minister of which of the following African countries from 1995 until his death in 2012?
1) Somalia 2) Ethiopia
3) Eritrea 4) Djibouti
5) Sudan

2. Which Chinese woman shooter won the first gold medal of the London Olympics on July 28, 2012?
1) Yi Siling
2) Yu Dan 3) Ye Shiwen
4) Wang Mingjuan
5) Li Xuerui

Neil Armstrong, first man on moon, dies at 82

Neil Armstrong, the legendary US astronaut, who in 1969 took "one giant leap for mankind" by becoming the first man to set foot on the moon, has died at the age of 82, his family said on Saturday.

Armstrong died just weeks after he underwent a heart surgery, and his family said in a statement that he passed away following complications resulting from cardiovascular procedures, according to US media reports.

July 20, 1969 became a watershed date in the history of mankind after Armstrong, commanding the Apollo 11 spacecraft landed on the moon, and accompanied by fellow astronaut Edwin Aldrin spent nearly three hours walking on the moon.

Computer Awareness 4 Bank Exams

1. Hackers ………………
(A) all have the same motive
(B) are people who maintain computers
(C) may legally break into computers as long as they do not do any damage
(D) break into other people's computers
Ans: break into other peoples computers

2. Unauthorised copying of software to be used for personal gain instead of for personal backups is called ………………
(A) program thievery
(B) data snatching
(C) software piracy
(D) program looting
Ans: software piracy

Merkel tops Forbes list of powerful women; Sonia No. 6

Forbes magazine ranked German Chancellor Angela Merkel the most powerful woman in the world for the second year in a row in the annual list dominated by politicians, businesswomen and media figures.  U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton placed second, followed by Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, making the top three spots unchanged from last year. Sonia Gandhi, president of the Indian National Congress, was at No. 6.

The list named women involved in policymaking, entertainment, technology and nonprofit organizations, among other fields. They were ranked according to influence, the amount of money they control or earn, and media presence.

Tamil Nadu student wins U.K. MBA scholarship

Sruthi Vijayachandran, a postgraduate student from Tamil Nadu, has been awarded a scholarship to study MBA at the London School of Business Finance after being awarded the First Prize in the final of the Best Young Speaker from Asia competition held at Robinson College, University of Cambridge.

 

Ms. Vijayachandran, who hails from Coonoor, was among nine young English language students from across Asia flown to Britain to take part in the competition that involved giving two presentations with a business theme and answering a series of questions put to them by an expert panel.

Current Affairs August 2012 Quiz-20

1. The restructured version of the Provision of Urban Amenities in Rural Areas (PURA) was launched by the Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh recently in which of the following states?
1) Tamil Nadu 2) Kerala
3) Goa 4) Orissa
5) Andhra Pradesh

2. Who was elected as a judge of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), based in The Hague, Netherlands in April 2012?
1) Justice Altamas Kabir
2) Justice D.K.Jain
3) Justice P. Sathasivam
4) Justice G.S.Singhvi
5) Justice Dalveer Bhandari

Russia Becomes 156th Member Of World Trade Organization

Russia has officially become a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) after years of negotiations.

With its formal accession, Russia becomes the 156th country to join the body that sets global trade rules and enforces trade agreements.

Until now, Russia was the largest economy in the world that was a not a WTO member. Russia’s membership became official 30 days after the move was formally supported by both chambers of parliament and the government.

21, 751 Village Grain Banks Sanctioned for 20 States

The Government has been sanctioned 21,751Village Grain Banks to 20 States. The Village Grain Banks Scheme provides safeguards against starvation during period of lean season or natural calamity, when marginalized food insecure households do not have sufficient resources to purchase rations. Such households in need of food grains, can borrow food grains from the Village Grain Banks set up within their villages to be subsequently returned to the Bank.

The grain banks can be set up in food scarce areas like drought prone areas, hot and cold desert areas, tribal areas and the inaccessible hilly areas which remain cut off because of natural calamities like flood etc.

P.J. Kurien is Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman

Cutting across party lines, members of the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday unanimously elected Congress leader P.J. Kurien Deputy Chairman of the House. He succeeds K. Rahman Khan.

The Opposition and ruling party members put off for a while their confrontation over the Comptroller and Auditor General report on coal block allocation — on which the House was adjourned during question hour — to allow the election of Mr. Kurien and subsequent felicitations by leaders of all parties.

 

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is also the leader of the House, proposed Mr. Kurien's name for the post. He was seconded by Leader of the Opposition Arun Jaitley.

Six Top Sporting Coaches to receive Dronacharya Award for 2012

The names of six sporting coaches were recommended for the Dronacharya Awards for the year 2012. Wrestling coach Yashvir Singh, Boxing Coach BI Fernandez, Athletics Coach Virender Poonia, Kabaddi Coach Sunil Davas, Parathletics Coach Dr. Satyapaul and Hockey Coach Harinder Singh are the six coaches who have been selected for the coveted award, given to the coach of different sports, for their excellent contribution to the sports.

Boxing Coach BI Fernandez, who is a Cuban national, became the first foreign coach to be recommended for the Dronacharya Award. Fernandez has been instrumental in India’s impressive performances in Boxing in the international tournaments.

New scheme launched for kerosene-free Delhi

The HinduChief Minister Sheila Dikshit along with Food & Supply Minister Haroon Yusuf (right) handing over a gas-stove to a beneficiary during the launch of ‘kerosene-free Delhi' scheme on Tuesday. Photo: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar

Ration card holders will be given free gas connections in lieu of their kerosene quota

Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Tuesday distributed liquid petroleum gas (LPG) connection papers and stoves to 20 people at a function at Delhi Secretariat to mark the launch of a scheme that aims to make the Capital kerosene-free by December this year.

Current Affairs August 2012 Quiz-19

1. Who was the flag bearer for India during the closing ceremony of the London Olympics on August 12, 2012?
1) MC Mary Kom
2) Saina Nehwal
3) Sushil Kumar
4) Gagan Narang
5) Vijay Kumar

2. Which of the following countries granted asylum to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on August 16, 2012?
1) Sweden 2) Australia
3) Cuba 4) Venezuela
5) Ecuador

Current Affairs 4 Bank Exams in Facebook

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Computer Awareness 4 Bank Exams

1. Assembly language is ...........
1) Machine language
2) High-level programming language
3) A low-level programming language
4) Language for assembling computers
5) None of these

2. Which keys enable the input of numbers quickly ?
1) ctrl, shift and alt
2) function keys
3) the numeric keypad
4) arrow keys
5) None of these

Vijay, Yogeshwar to get Khel Ratna, Arjuna for Yuvraj

Olympic heroes, shooter Vijay Kumar and wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt were on Saturday jointly recommended for the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, the country's highest sporting honour.

The names of pistol shooter Vijay Kumar, who won a silver in the 25m rapid fire event at the London Olympics and Yogeshwar, who bagged a bronze in 60kg free style event, were selected by the Arjuna Awards and Khel Ratna Committee, headed by Athens Olympics silver medallist shooter Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore.

Cricketer Yuvraj Singh, who is preparing to stage a comeback after recovering from a rare germ cell cancer, is among the 25 sportsperson, who have been nominated for the Arjuna Award.

Miss China bags the title of Miss World 2012

Miss China, Wenxia Yu won the title of Miss World 2012 while Miss Wales Sophie Elizabeth Moulds and Miss Australia Jessica Michelle Kahawaty came second and third respectively. Miss China had to compete with 116 candidates to win the crown.

Miss India Vanya Mishra made it to the list of top 7 finalists, but could not go beyond that.
Miss World contest is watched by over a billion people across the world.

Reigning Miss World Ivian Sarcos of Venezuela crowned the winner in the futuristic Ordos stadium, which sits alongside a vast town square devoted to the powerful Mongolian warrior Genghis Khan.

Highlights of Economic Outlook 2012-13

Dr. C. Rangarajan, Chairman, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister released the document ‘Economic Outlook 2012-13’ at a Press Conference in New Delhi today. Following are the highlights of the document:

Ø Economy to grow at 6.7 per cent in 2012/13

o Farm sector GDP projected to grow at 0.5 per cent in 2012/13 due to the impact of weak monsoon on agriculture and the current reservoir storage position in 2012/13.

o Manufacturing sector projected to grow at 4.5 per cent. Electricity, automotive, steel and cement sector have shown improvement in the period of April-June. Because of the benefits of the low base, manufacturing sector will show improved performance in the second half of this year.

o Mining sector for the year as a whole expected to grow at 4.4 per cent due to growth in the coal and lignite sector, and some recovery in iron ore.

 

Contribution of MSMEs to GDP

 

Based on the data of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) published by Central Statistical Office, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, the contribution of Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) to GDP and total industrial production was estimated to be 8.72% and 44.86% respectively during the year 2008-09. The estimated contribution of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in total exports of the country for the year 2007-08 (latest available), based on data obtained from Export Promotion Councils, was 30.80%.

Directions 4 Bank Exams

Directions (1-2): study the following information to answer the given Questions
Point P is 9m towards the East of the point Q. Point R is 5m towards south of point P. Point S is 3m towards the west of point R. Point T is 5m towards the North of point S. Point V is 7m towards the south of point S.
1. If a person walks in a straight line for 8m towards west from point R, which of the following points would he cross the first?
a) V b) Q c) T d) S e) None

2. Which of the following points are in a straight line?
a) P,R,V b) S,T,Q c) P,T,V
d) V,T,R e) None

Vijaya Bank Clerk's Recruitment 2012

No.of Posts: 800

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Opening date for On-Line Registration:                               16.08.2012

Closing date For On-Line Registration:                                05.09.2012

Payment of Application fee/Intimation Charges                  16.08.2012    to    05.09.2012

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Olympics 2012 - Medals Tally

Rank	Country	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	United States	46	29	29	104
2	China	38	27	23	88
3	Great Britain	29	17	19	65
4	Russia	24	26	32	82
5	South Korea	13	8	7	28
6	Germany	11	19	14	44
7	France	11	11	12	34
8	Italy	8	9	11	28
9	Hungary	8	4	5	17
10	Australia	7	16	12	35
11	Japan	7	14	17	38
12	Kazakhstan	7	1	5	13
13	Netherlands	6	6	8	20
14	Ukraine	6	5	10	21
15	New Zealand	6	2	5	13
16	Cuba	5	3	6	14
17	Islamic Republic of Iran	4	5	3	12
18	Jamaica	4	4	4	12
19	Czech Republic	4	3	3	10
20	North Korea	4	0	2	6
21	Spain	3	10	4	17
22	Brazil	3	5	9	17
23	South Africa	3	2	1	6
24	Ethiopia	3	1	3	7
25	Croatia	3	1	2	6
26	Belarus	2	5	5	12
27	Romania	2	5	2	9
28	Kenya	2	4	5	11
29	Denmark	2	4	3	9
30	Azerbaijan	2	2	6	10
30	Poland	2	2	6	10
32	Turkey	2	2	1	5
33	Switzerland	2	2	0	4
34	Lithuania	2	1	2	5
35	Norway	2	1	1	4
36	Canada	1	5	12	18
37	Sweden	1	4	3	8
38	Colombia	1	3	4	8
39	Georgia	1	3	3	7
39	Mexico	1	3	3	7
41	Ireland	1	1	3	5
42	Slovenia	1	1	2	4
42	Serbia	1	1	2	4
42	Argentina	1	1	2	4
45	Tunisia	1	1	1	3
46	Dominican Republic	1	1	0	2
47	Trinidad and Tobago	1	0	3	4
47	Uzbekistan	1	0	3	4
49	Latvia	1	0	1	2
50	Grenada	1	0	0	1
50	Bahamas	1	0	0	1
50	Uganda	1	0	0	1
50	Algeria	1	0	0	1
50	Venezuela	1	0	0	1
55	India	0	2	4	6
56	Mongolia	0	2	3	5
57	Thailand	0	2	1	3
58	Egypt	0	2	0	2
59	Slovakia	0	1	3	4
60	Belgium	0	1	2	3
60	Finland	0	1	2	3
60	Armenia	0	1	2	3
63	Malaysia	0	1	1	2
63	Indonesia	0	1	1	2
63	Estonia	0	1	1	2
63	Puerto Rico	0	1	1	2
63	Chinese Taipei	0	1	1	2
63	Bulgaria	0	1	1	2
69	Guatemala	0	1	0	1
69	Montenegro	0	1	0	1
69	Portugal	0	1	0	1
69	Botswana	0	1	0	1
69	Gabon	0	1	0	1
69	Cyprus	0	1	0	1
75	Qatar	0	0	2	2
75	Greece	0	0	2	2
75	Moldova	0	0	2	2
75	Singapore	0	0	2	2
79	Hong Kong	0	0	1	1
79	Bahrain	0	0	1	1
79	Afghanistan	0	0	1	1
79	Morocco	0	0	1	1
79	Tajikistan	0	0	1	1
79	Kuwait	0	0	1	1
79	Saudi Arabia	0	0	1	1

London Olympics 2012 Medal Tally India

 

 

SILVER MEDALS:

● Vijay Kumar - Shooting (Men's 25m Rapid Fire Pistol)

● Sushil Kumar - Wrestling (Men's 66kg Freestyle)

BRONZE MEDALS:

● Saina Nehwal - Badminton (Women's Singles)

● Chungneijang Mery Kom Hmangte - Boxing [Women's Fly (51kg)]

● Gagan Narang - Shooting (Men's 10m Air Rifle)

● Yogeshwar Dutt - Wrestling (Men's 60kg Freestyle)

Current Affairs August 2012 Quiz-18

1. Who was appointed as the Chief Economic Advisor (CEA) in the Finance Ministry in August 2012? (He was former chief economist at the IMF)
1) Kaushik Basu
2) C. Rangarajan 3) Y.V.Reddy
4) Raghuram Rajan
5) Ajay Chhibber

2. Which city hosted the 20th ASEAN Summit on April 3, 2012?
1) Jakarta (Indonesia)
2) Phnom Penh (Cambodia)
3) Manila (Philippines)
4) Bangkok (Thailand)
5) Hanoi (Vietnam)

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Current Affairs August 2012 Quiz-17

1. Gagan Narang became the first Indian to win a medal at the London Olympic Games on July 30, 2012 when he won a bronze medal in 10 metre air rifle shooting. Who won gold medal in this event?
1) Alin George Moldoveanu (Romania)
2) Niccolo Campriani (Italy)
3) Wang Tao (China)
4) Zhu Qinan (China) 5) None

2. Joyce Banda became the Presi-dent of which of the following African countries on April 7, 2012? (She is this country's first female president)
1) Zambia 2) Tanzania
3) Malawi 4) Mozambique
5) Liberia

Allahabad Bank Single Window Operator A (Clerical Cadre) Recruitment 2012

No.of Posts: 1100
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RBI directed NBFCs to maintain Net-owned Funds (NOF) at Rs 3 crore by 31 March 2013

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in a notification issued on 3 August 2012 stated that all registered non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) which who intend to convert themselves into non-banking financial company-micro finance institutions (NBFC-MFIs) would have to seek registration with immediate effect, not later than 31 October 2012.   The central bank also mentioned that the NBFCs have to maintain net-owned funds (NOF) at Rs 3 crore by 31 March 2013, and at Rs.5 crore by 31 March 31 2014. If the NBFCs fail maintain the NOF they will have to ensure that lending to the micro finance sector, that is, individuals, SHGs or JLGs, which qualify for loans from MFIs to be restricted to 10 per cent of the total assets. The NBFCs operating in the north-eastern region are to maintain the minimum NOF at Rs.1 crore by 31 March 2012, and at Rs.2 crore by 31 March 2014.

Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Puraskar for D.R. Mehata

D. R. Mehta, the founder and chief patron of Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti, the organisation known the world over for the affordable artificial Jaipur Foot, has been selected for this year’s Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Puraskar. Dr. Mehta, now in the gallery of those like Mother Teresa, Ustad Bismillah Khan, Lata Mangeshkar, Sunil Dutt and Dilip Kumar, is a retired civil servant and former Securities & Exchange Board of India (SEBI) chief and former Deputy Chairman of the Reserve Bank of India. Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Motilal Vora made the announcement of the award in New Delhi on 4th August.

  Mr. Vora is the member-secretary of the Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavna Puraskar Advisory Committee which had met in Delhi a day before. The award, which carries a citation and a cash component of Rs.5 lakh, will be presented to Dr. Mehta in Delhi on August 10, the birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi.

Russia, India joint anti-terrorism drills begins

Russia and India will hold an official opening of joint INDRA-2012 anti-terrorism military exercises in the Siberian republic of Buryatia, a spokesperson for Russia's Eastern Military District said.
Both countries have conducted five INDRA-series joint ground and naval exercises since 2003. The last such exercise was held in India in October 2010.

 "An official opening of the INDRA-2012 will be held on August 7 at the Burduny training range," said Lt. Col. Igor Muginov.
Some 500 servicemen -- about 250 on each side -- will take part in the drills, which will be conducted using some 50 Russian combat vehicles.

Hamid Ansari gets a second term as Vice President

UPA candidate Hamid Ansari was today re-elected Vice President in a virtual repeat of the one-sided election that was witnessed in the Presidential poll when he defeated NDA's Jaswant Singh by a huge margin.

Ansari thus became only the second person to get a second term when he defeated Singh by a margin of 252 votes. The 75-year-old a former career diplomat, who missed out in the recent Presidential race, got 490 votes against 238 secured by the BJP veteran, a former union minister who had held the portfolios of finance, defence and external affairs.

DR. Zaidi takes Over as New Election Commissioner

Dr. Syed Nasim Ahmad Zaidi has today assumed the charge as Election Commissioner in the Election Commission of India. He fills the vacancy in the Election Commission caused by the assumption of charge by Sh. V.S. Sampath as the 18th Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) succeeding Dr. S.Y. Quraishi.

Dr. Zaidi superannuated as Civil Aviation Secretary on July 31. Dr. Zaidi had earlier worked as Director-General of Civil Aviation, and was India’s representative in the International Civil Aviation Organisation. He was also the Joint Secretary in the Civil Aviation Ministry, and Commissioner of Bareilly Development Authority.

RBI slashes SLR, releases Rs. 60,000 cr

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), on Tuesday, kept the key indicative policy rates unchanged while it cut the gross domestic product (GDP) forecast for the current financial year from 7.3 per cent to 6.5 per cent and raised the inflation forecast from 6.5 per cent to 7 per cent.

However, the RBI cut the Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) by one percentage point from 24 per cent to 23 per cent which is expected to provide liquidity of around Rs.60,000 crore.

“Even as our growth is slowing in line with the rest of the world, our inflation continues to be high…. the primary focus of monetary policy remains inflation control,” said D. Subbarao, Governor, RBI, while addressing a press conference after meeting bankers as part of its first quarter review of the Monetary Policy 2012-13.

India set to launch Mars mission in 2013

India plans to launch a mission to Mars next year, putting an orbital probe around the red planet to study its climate and geology, top space department officials said on Thursday.
The mission would mark another step in India's ambitious space programme, which envisages the Asian giant's first manned mission in 2016.

"We will embark on the Mars mission after the Department of Science gives the green signal and decides the schedule early next year," Deviprasad Karnik, director of the state-run Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) told AFP.

Recruitment of Assistants in Reserve Bank of India

Recruitment of Assistants in Reserve Bank of India

Applications (App.) are invited for the post of Assistant in Reserve Bank of India (RBI/Bank) from Indian citizens, citizens of Nepal and subjects of Bhutan and persons of Indian origin who have migrated from Pakistan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and East African countries or Kenya, Uganda and United Republic of Tanzania with the intention of permanently settling in India and in whose favour Eligibility Certificates have been issued by Government of India. Before applying, Candidates should ensure that they fulfill the eligibility criteria for the post. Candidates are requested to apply online through Bank’s website www.rbi.org.in IMPORTANT DATES:- Website Link Open 01.03.2012 to 25.03.2012 Date of Written Test 29.04.2012 Payment of fees at Bank Branches 01.03.2012 to 27.03.2012

July 2012 Economic Affairs

SEBI tightened Eligibility & Exit Criteria for Stocks in Derivatives Segment: The market regulator, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on 23 July 2012 tightened eligibility and exit criteria for stocks in the derivatives segment by increasing the benchmark liquidity level for any scrip to be eligible for trading in the derivatives segments. By doing away with illiquid stocks, SEBI aims to check manipulation. According to the circular issued by SEBI, scrips with a minimum trading volume value of Rs 10 lakh and market wide position limit (MWPL) or market capitalisation of Rs 300 crore cannot be eligible for entry into the Future and Options (F&O) segment. Over 220 scrips trade in the F&O segment on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) at present. Of these 220 scrips only 100 scrips will possibly meet the new eligibility criteria set by the market regulator. The minimum Median Quarter Sigma Order Size, which indicates liquidity/order size in scrip, a requirement for introduction in derivatives segment was revised to Rs 10 lakh, from Rs 5 lakh at present. The MWPL, indicating the size of the company was also raised to Rs 300 crore, from Rs 100 crore. Scrips that fail to maintain a minimum MWPL requirement of Rs 200 crore would cease to be in the F&O segment. The earlier limit was set at Rs 60 crore. SEBI also tightened the minimum conditions for a stock to continue trading in the derivatives segment. As per the circular, a stock's MQSOS over the last six months ought to be more than Rs 5 lakh against Rs 2 lakh earlier for the stock to continue trading.

July 2012 Science and Technology

Russia’s Soyuz-FG Carrier rocket set Five Satellites into Orbit: Russia's Soyuz-FG carrier rocket set off from the Baikonur space centre in Kazakhstan on 22 July 2012. The rocket will put the Russian satellites Canopus-B and MKA-PN1, a Belarusian BKA satellite, the Canadian ADS-1B and German TET-1 into orbit. The Canopus-B satellite, developed by the All-Russia Research Institute of Electromechanics, is designed for remote sensing of the Earth. It weighs about 400 kg and will work on a circular orbit at a height of 510 km. The MKA-PN1 satellite, developed by Russia's NPO Lavochkin aerospace company, will collect data to help meteorologists build models of ocean circulation - particularly in Arctic waters along Russian shores - and climate dynamics. The German TET-1 satellite, a part of the German Aerospace Center's On-Orbit Verification Program, will conduct a test on new space technologies. The ADS-1B satellite, built by the Com Dev aerospace company, will form part of a ship-identification satellite system.

July 2012 Persons

Rajkeshwur Purryag is Mauritius fifth President: Rajkeshwur Purryag became the fifth president of Mauritius on 21 July. His predecessor Anerood Jugnauth resigned in March following open conflict with Prime Minister Navin Chandra Ramgoolam. The row erupted when the leader of the opposition Paul Berenger announced the creation of an opposition alliance headed by Mr. Jugnauth.Mr. Ramgoolam asked Mr. Jugnauth to either deny the statement by the opposition, or — in the case of confirmation — to resign, arguing that his new role was incompatible with a position as head of state.

July 2012 Sports

Spaniard Fernando Alonso of Ferrari won this year's Formula One German Grand Prix championship on 21 July that was held in Hockenheim, Germany. While, Redbull’s driver Webber took the second position.

Egypt won the world junior squash championship by beating Pakisthan on 19 July held in Doha, Qatar. While India beat England to get the Bronze medal.

Hashim Amla became the first South African to hit a triple century against England on 21 July at Oval. He surpassed teammate AB de Villiers' 278 not out - the previous highest Test innings for a South African.

July 2012 Awards

Vandana Shiva to receive Fukuoka Prize in Japan this year: The Government of Japan on 23 July 2012 decided to honour renowned Indian Environmentalist Vandana Shiva with Fukuoka Prize 2012. She enlightens people about the ideas for the love of nature. She is the director of The Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology. Dr. Shiva is the founder of Navdanya, an NGO which was established in the year 1991. She commenced her work in the field of conservation of traditionally used seeds, organic farming and fair trade. In 1993, she had received Right Livelihood Award that is known as the Alternative Nobel Prize. Fukuoka Prize is the prestigious award and given to those people who contribute to the academy, arts and culture in Asia. Earlier, Pandit Ravi Shankar, Padma Subrahmanyam, Romila Thapar and Ashis Nandy were the famous personalities who were honoured by this award. She penned several books including, Earth Democracy: Justice, Sustainability and Peace, The Violence of the Green Revolution, Monocultures of the Mind: Perspectives on Biodiversity and Biotechnology, and Staying Alive: Women, Ecology and Survival in India. She also set up an international college for sustainable living in the year 2001.