This is the new series which have been started by us in which we will provide you weekly compilation of the current affairs.
We will publish our new document named DOUBLE GA TONIC.
We really hope that you all will like this new initiative by our team. This document contains the important current affairs
from November 2015, i.e. 1st November to 14th November.
This tonic is useful for all those candidates who are appearing for the RBI GRADE B EXAM AND NABARD EXAM.
Also, this is useful for the IBPS CLERK EXAM 2015-16.
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INDIA IN NEWS
The Government of India announced on 12 November
2015 that it signed Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) with six countries. These countries are: Finland,
Kazakhstan, Kenya, Sweden, Norway and Denmark, and
Oman and Ethiopia. In addition, Agreed Minutes were
signed with Serbia, Greece, and European Commission.
The Record of Discussions was signed with Brunei
Darussalam and Qatar.
India was re-elected by the General Assembly to a six
year term on the United Nations Commission on
International Trade Law (UNCITRAL). Apart from India,
22 other countries including the United States and
Pakistan were also re-elected to the UNCITRAL.
The Union Government on 9 November 2015 signed
273 million US dollar loan agreement with Asian
Development Bank (ADB) to continue improving rural
roads in the States of Assam, Chhattisgarh, Madhya
Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal. The loan agreement
was signed by S Selvakumar, Joint Secretary (Bilateral
Cooperation), Department of Economic Affairs and
Teresa Kho, Country Director of ADB.
The government approved an agreement with Belgium
for cooperation in development of new and renewable
energy technologies. The objective of the Memorandum,
it added is to establish the basis for a cooperative
institutional relationship to encourage and promote
technical bilateral cooperation on new and renewable
energy issues on the basis of mutual benefit, equality
and reciprocity.
India, UK announced commercial deals worth 9 billion
pounds. The deals cover retail, financial and
professional services, health and education among
others.
India, Indonesia signed MoUs on Energy, Culture
Exchange. These MoUs were signed in the presence of
Vice President Hamid Ansari and his counterpart Jusuf
Kala in Jakarta.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
An Indian culture week called India in Shanghai was on
5 November 2015 inaugurated at China Shanghai
International Arts Festival (SIAF) at the Shanghai Grand
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BUSINESS NEWS
Sameer Gehlaut led Indiabulls Housing Finance Ltd.
(IHFL) has acquired a 40 per cent stake in OakNorth
Bank of the U.K. for $100 million, making it the largest
shareholder of a full service universal bank. The
investment has been identified and approved by the
Strategic Investment Committee for Liability Franchise
Develop- ment, headed by K. C. Chakrabarty, an
independent director on the board and ex-Deputy
Governor of the Reserve Bank of India.
Anheuser-Busch InBev says it has finalized the terms of
a $107 billion takeover of SABMiller that will combine
the planets two biggest brewers and create a company
that makes almost a third of the beer consumed
worldwide. As part of the deal, SABMiller will sell its
stake in a venture with Molson Coors.
Ministry of Railways issued a Letter of Award (LoA) to
USA-based GE Global Sourcing India Pvt Limited for
setting up of Diesel Locomotive Factory (DLF) at
Marhowra, Saran district, Bihar and for procurement
and maintenance of mainline Diesel Electric
Locomotives. With this, a Joint Venture Company
between Union Ministry of Railways and GE Global
Sourcing India Pvt Limited will be formed soon to
construct and run the factory. The factory will
manufacture modern diesel electric locomotives of
4500 HP and 6000 HP to Indian railways.
Internet giant Google is working with the government
on a pilot project for providing Internet connectivity by
using large balloons. Google, under its Project Loon, is
using big balloons floating at a height of 20 kilometers
above earth surface for transmission of Internet
services. It has already tested this technology in New
Zealand, California (the US) and Brazil.
US-based social networking giant Facebook on 31
October 2015 partnered with state-owned Bharat
Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (BSNL) to create 100 WiFi hotspots
in rural areas of western and southern India. During the
partnership, Facebook will invest 5 crore rupees per
annum for buying bandwidth from BSNL. The hotspots
will be set up by BSNL selected vendor Quad Zen and
Trimax.
Tata Motors has roped in Football star Lionel Messi as
the global brand ambassador for its passenger vehicles.
To start with, Tata Motors will roll out the association
campaign, #madeofgreat, starring Lionel Messi.
Anil Ambani-led Reliance Communications Ltd (R-Com)
is merging the telecom business of Sistema Shyam
Teleservices Ltd (SSTL) that operates MTS brand with
itself in an all-stock deal worth Rs.4,500 crore, marking
the start of the much-anticipated consolidation in
Indias telecom sector.
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SUMMITS/CONFERENCE
The 21st International Conference on Frontiers in Yoga
Research and its Applications (INCOFYRA) will be held
from 3 to 7 January 2016 at Prashanti Kutiram,
Bengaluru. The summit will be organized by the
Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Sansthana. The 21st
INCOFYRA will bring together the traditional and
modern medical systems. The theme of the conference
is Yoga in Integrated Healthcare Systems.
To recognise the spirit of the persons with disabilities,
first international film festival for the persons with
disabilities (IFFPD) will be held in Delhi from 1
December to 3 December 2015.
11th National Tribal Crafts Mela Aadishilp has begun in
New Delhi. It was inaugurated by Union Minister of
Tribal Affairs Jual Oram. This edition of Crafts Mela has
been organised by Tribal Cooperative Marketing
Development Federation of India Limited (TRIFED) and
will be open till November 11, 2015.
2015 Valletta Summit on Migration concluded
in Valletta (Malta). Among the key initiatives, the EU
Emergency Trust Fund was established with 1.8 billion
euros to deal with ongoing Mediterranean Migration
Crisis.
12th ASEM Foreign Ministers' meet held in Luxemburg.
The ASEM FMM 12 was held under the theme Working
Together for a Sustainable and Secure Future.
21st INCOFYRA to be organised in Bengaluru in 2016.
The theme of the conference is Yoga in Integrated
Healthcare Systems.
International Indigenous Terra Madre 2015 started in
Shillong.
OBITUARIES
Rhythm and Blues legend Allen Toussaint died at the
age of 77 after suffering two heart attacks.
Hero MotoCorp patriarch and doyen of Indian twowheeler industry, Brijmohan Lall Munjal, passed away
this evening after a brief illness. He was 92.
Former Israeli President Yitzhak Navon died. Navon
was Israels first Sephardic president.
NRI industrialist Swraj Pauls son Angad Paul dead.
French intellectual Rene Girard passed away.
India's former Ambassador to Nepal Bimal Prasad dead
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DEFENCE IN NEWS
Indian Army on 7 November 2015 successfully testfired the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile at the
Pokhran Test Range in Rajasthan. It was launched from
an Autonomous Mobile Launcher (AML). For BrahMos,
it was the 50th test-flight. The previous test-firing was
from INS Kochi off the west coast on 1 November 2015.
Indian Armys Strategic Forces Command (SFC) on 9
November 2015 successfully test-fired surface-tosurface Agni-IV missile. The nuclear capable missile was
test-fired from the Wheeler Island off the Odisha coast.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on 10 November
2015 commissioned the India Coast Guard Offshore
Patrol Vessel (OPV), Samarth at Vasco in Goa. It is
Coast Guards largest OPV. The Ship built by Goa
Shipyard limited is the first in the series of six off Shore
Patrol vessels. The 105m OPV is fitted with most
advance technology, navigation and communication
equipment, sensors and machinery. It has a maximum
speed of 23 knots and has an endurance of 6000
nautical miles at economical speed.
The seventh edition India-Russia Joint Military Exercise
Indra-2015 has begun in Bikaner district of Rajasthan.
This edition of exercise is focusing on Counter
Terrorism Operations in Desert Terrain under a United
Nations Mandate. The bilateral exercise would be held
between Indian Armys Infantry Battalion and
Independent Russian Motorised Brigade from 7 to 20
November 2015.
An Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) Arinjay was on 1
November 2015 commissioned by Vice Admiral Sunil
Lanba PVSM, AVSM Flag Officer Commanding-in-chief,
Southern Naval Command at a ceremony held at Naval
Base in Kochi. The ship will be based at Okha under the
administrative and operational control of the
commander, coast guard region (north west). The ship
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COMMITTEES IN NEWS
The Committee of Eminent Persons (CEP) on 5
November 2015 submitted its report. It was constituted
by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Council
under the Chairmanship of Prof Ashok Misra to suggest
reforms to the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE).
Richard Proud-chaired Independent Commission (IC)
on Doping in Sports submitted its report to the World
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UDAY Scheme
a) Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi has given its nod Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojna
(UDAY) for financial restructuring of debt of power
distribution companies.
b) The Scheme aims for financial turnaround and revival of
Power Distribution companies (DISCOMs) and also
ensures a sustainable permanent solution to the
problem.
c) UDAY scheme allows power DISCOMs in selected states
to convert their debt into state bonds as well as roll out
number of measures to improve efficiency at power
plants.
d) Selected states would be able to sell the balance 25 per
cent as state-backed power bonds or loans which will
carry interest rates of g-sec plus 50 basis points.
e) Thus with nod to UDAY Scheme, Union Government
seeks to accelerate the process of reform across the
entire power sector in order to ensure affordable and
accessible 247 Power for All.
f) The scheme has been framed by Union Power Ministry
as power DISCOMs in several states have been severely
mismanaged, resulting in a debt burden upward of 4
lakh crore rupees. This has taken a toll on the power as
well as bank sectors.
GOLD SCHEMES by Union Government
The three schemes launched by Govt. are:
(i) Gold Monetisation Scheme (GMS)
(ii) Gold Sovereign Bond Scheme
(iii) Gold Coin and Bullion Scheme
a) Prime Minister Modi also unveiled the first ever
national gold coin minted in India with the national
emblem of Ashok Chakra engraved on it. The Gold
Monetisation Scheme is aimed at tapping part of an
estimated 20,000 tonnes of idle gold worth Rs. 5,40,000
crore in family lockers and temples into the banking
system.
b) The Gold Sovereign Bond will be issued by the Reserve
Bank of India (RBI) on behalf of the government with an
interest rate of 2.75%. The bonds will be sold through
banks and designated post offices. Describing the
schemes as sone pe suhaga (icing on the cake), Modi
said gold has often been a source of womens
empowerment in the Indian society, and these schemes
will underscore that sense of empowerment.
c) Gold monetisation scheme (GMS) is a deposit scheme of
banks where you will be paid interest on the weight of
gold you give. The minimum deposit is 30 grams (of 995
fineness). To make a deposit under this scheme, you
need to first get your gold tested from one of the centres
certified by BIS. These centres, gold refiners and banks
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will be in a tripartite agreement. After doing an XRF (xray fluorescence) and a fire assay test, you will be told
the result. If you still wish to deposit the gold, the centre
will give a purity certificate endorsing the weight and
purity of gold. You have to then take the certificate to
one of the designated banks. In the meantime, the
banker will also get intimation from the centre of your
gold deposit and he will credit your gold deposit
account with the equivalent amount of gold. The test
centre will send the gold to a refiner who will keep the
gold in his warehouse (unless the banks choose to hold
it themselves).
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