CURRENT AFFAIRS : RAJIV GANDHI NATIONAL SADHBHAVNA AWARD

AMJAD ALI KHAN TO GET

 RAJIV GANDHI NATIONAL SADHBHAVNA AWARD

        Sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan will be honoured with the Rajiv Gandhi National Sadhbhavna Award for his contribution towards promotion of communal harmony and peace. 

The award carries a citation and a cash award of Rs five lakh. It will be conferred on Khan on 20th August, the birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi.

"The advisory committee of the Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavna Award decided that the 21st Rajiv Gandhi National Sadhbhavna Award be given to famous Sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan for his outstanding contribution towards promotion of communal harmony, peace and goodwill," an AICC release said in New Delhi on Tuesday.

The award ceremony is held every year on the birth anniversary of the former Prime Minister and was instituted to commemorate his lasting contribution to promoting peace, communal harmony and fighting against violence.

The former recipients of the award include Mother Teresa, Bismillah Khan, Mohammed Yunus, Teesta Setalvad, Swami Agnivesh, Harsh Mander, Sunil Dutt, Dilip Kumar, Maulana Wahiuddin Khan and K R Narayanan.

CURRENT AFFAIRS AND GK QUIZ - 10

CURRENT AFFAIRS AND GK QUIZ - 10

1. Which of the following port has been conferred the “Major Port of the Year” award?

[A]Ennore Port                                   [B]Chennai Port

[C]Visakapatnam Port                        [D]Paradip Port

2. Who among the following has been awarded with “German Whistleblower Award”-2013?

[A]Julian Assange                   [B]Karen Kwiatkowski

[C]EdwardSnowden               [D]Jeffrey Alexander Sterling

3. Which of following committee was set up with an objective of evolving a mechanism for Minimum Support Price to the collectors of Non-Timber

forest products?

[A]T Haque committee                   [B]Sudha committee

[C]Mahajan committee                   [D]Verma committee

4. Recently, King Albert II has decided to abdicate his throne in favour of his son (Phillippe) after ruling the country for 20 years, was ruling which of the following country?

[A]Belgium                             [B]Algeria      

[C]Bolivia                              [D]Uganda

5. Who among the following is the current Chairperson of “National Green Tribunal” of India? 

[A]Justice Jyothimani                                [B]Justice Kingaonkar

[C]Justice Swatanter Kumar                    [D]Justice U D Salvi

6. The Union Government has decided to make production of Photo identity card mandatory for purchase of which of the following commodity?

[A]Ammonium Nitrate               [B]LPG

[C]Acids                                   [D]Alcohol

7. Who among the following is the author of the book “The Lowland”?

[A]Donal Ryan                                    [B]Jhumpa Lahiri

[C]Ruth Ozeki                                     [D]Eve Harris

8. Which of the following has become the first automaker to participate in Greenhouse Gas Reporting Programme in India?

[A]Ford Motor                          [B]Maruti Suzuki

[C]General Motors                   [D]Toyota

9. Which one of the following planet is also called Earth’s Twin?

[A]Venus                                  [B]Jupiter      

[C]Mars                                   [D]Mercury

10. 2014 marks the centenary of the World War-I. This war was mostly fought in which among the following continent?

[A]Europe                                 [B]North America

[C]Asia                                     [D]Africa

                      ANSWER 

1	D	6	C
2	C	7	B
3	A	8	A
4	A	9	A
5	C	10	A

INDONESIA’S CORRUPTION ERADICATION COMMISSION WINS “RAMON MAGSAYSAY AWARD”

 RAMON MAGSAYSAY AWARD -  2013

Indonesia’s Corruption Eradication Commission has been conferred with the Ramon Magsaysay Award for its successful campaign against corruption in Indonesia.

The Corruption Eradication Commission or KPK as it is generally known in Indonesia, has prosecuted nearly 100 government officials and others since its first investigations in 2003 and has a perfect conviction record.

Other Magsaysay Award winners for 2013:

v  Ernesto Domingo: A pioneering doctor from the Philippines

v  Lahpai Seng Raw: Aid worker in Myanmar

v  Habiba Sarabi: Afghanistan’s only female governor

v  Shakti Samuha: Anti-trafficking organization in Nepal.

About Ramon Magsaysay Award:

The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation was named after third president of the Philippines and an Asian equivalent of the Nobel Prize.  The Magsaysay awards have been granted annually since 1958 to people and organizations for excellent public service and integrity.

INDIA-BORN MAMNOON HUSSAIN ELECTED AS THE NEW PRESIDENT OF PAKISTAN

MAMNOON HUSSAIN ELECTED AS THE NEW PRESIDENT OF PAKISTAN

India-born Pakistani businessman Mamnoon Hussain, a close aide of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, was today elected as the 12th President of Pakistan after hetrounced his lone opponent in a one-sided contest.

Hussain, 73, will be sworn in on September 9 at the presidential palace due to be vacated by incumbent Asif Ali Zardari, who is stepping down at the end of his five-year term. Hussain emerged as a clear winner in the contest with ex-judge Wajihuddin Ahmed of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf party, state media reported.

Pakistan Peoples Party had withdrawn its candidate Raza Rabbani and boycotted the election protesting change of poll dates from August 6 to July 30 on Supreme Court's directions.Lawmakers from both houses of the national parliament and four provincial assemblies voted in the two-man race for the top post.

The polling started at 10.00 AM amidst tight security arrangements and was over by 15:00 PM.

According to the unofficial results, 277 votes were cast from the Senate and National Assembly in favour of Hussain. 

Hussain, will be president for five years.He resigned his membership of the PML-N soon after the election results were announced. The office of the president is ceremonial in Pakistan but he is still the constitutional chief of the armed forces but cannot order deployments.

Pakistan so far had 11 presidents, out of which five were military generals. Four of them seized powers through coups, whereas first president Major Sikandar Mirza was elected in 1956 after the first constitution was adopted.

Former Sindh governor and an alumnus of the Institute of Business Administration, from where he graduated in 1965,Hussain is an old loyalist of Nawaz Sharif and remained withthe PML-N during the regime of former military ruler PervezMusharraf.

He served as the governor of Sindh from June to October 1999 and lost the post after the then army chief Gen Pervez Musharraf toppled the PML-N government in a military coup in Oct 1999.

FIRST QUARTER REVIEW OF MONETARY POLICY 2013-14 , RESERVE BANK OF INDIA

RBI KEEPS KEY INTEREST RATES UNCHANGED, CUTS GDP FORECAST FOR FY'14 TO 5.5%

           The Reserve Bank of India has decided to keep all the key rates unchanged in its first quarter monetary policy review for 2013-2014 today. The repo rate has been kept unchanged at 7.25 per cent. Consequently, the reverse repo rate will remain unchanged at 6.25 per cent, and the marginal standing facility (MSF) and the Bank Rate at 10.25 per cent. The cash reserve ratio of scheduled banks has been retained at 4 per cent of their net demand and time liabilities.

           The RBI has revised the growth projection for 2013-14 downwards from 5.7 per cent to 5.5 per cent. The RBI has stated that the biggest risk to the macroeconomic outlook stems from the external sector and the monetary policy’s stance is intended to address these risks from external shocks. The RBI has also said that its recent liquidity tightening measures are aimed at checking undue volatility in the foreign exchange market and will be rolled back in a calibrated manner as stability is restored to the foreign exchange market.

              The RBI has stated that depreciation in rupee is expected to put pressure on inflation, but it will deploy all instruments in its command to keep inflation at 5 per cent by March. Today's monetary policy review is the last for RBI Governor Duvvuri Subbarao, whose term will end in early September, unless it is extended.

The next mid-quarter review of monetary policy for 2013-14 will be put out on September 18, 2013. The second quarter monetary policy review for 2013-14 is scheduled on October 29, 2013.

CURRENT RATES
POLICY RATES	BANK RATE	10.25 %
	REPO RATE	7.25 %
	REVERSE REPO RATE	6.25 %
	MARGINAL STANDING FACILITY RATE	10.25 %
RESERVE RATIO	CRR	4 %
	SLR	23 %
LENDING RATE	BASE RATE	9.70 %  -  10.25 %

"Metro Man" Sreedharan chosen for Lokmanya Tilak award

"Metro Man" Sreedharan chosen for Lokmanya Tilak award

Metro Man" E. Sreedharan has been selected for the prestigious Lokmanya Tilak award for 2013 for his outstanding contribution to society.

Name of Sreedharan, considered as the architect of the ambitious Delhi metro project, was announced on Monday by Deepak Tilak who heads the Lokmanya Tilak Trust.

The Padmashree laureate is also credited for pulling off the Konkan Railway project.

The award comprising a gold medal, a citation and Rs one lakh cash, will be conferred on Sreedharan on 1st August, Tilak said.

CURRENT AFFAIRS AND GK QUIZ - 9

CURRENT AFFAIRS AND GK QUIZ - 9

1. Recently, which one of the following country decided to allow banks to set their own lending rates to improve falling economy?

[A]China                                 [B]Greece

[C]Mexico                               [D]Norway

2. United Nations has recognized which of the following dates as “World Toilet Day”?

[A]August 19                           [B]November 19

[C]July 25                               [D]October 5

3. India's first textile park dedicated to hand block printing and craft has been inaugurated at which place? [A]Bagru, Rajasthan                  [B]Nasik,Maharastra

[C]Patna, Bihar                         [D]Methi, Haryana

4. Recently (July 2013), RBI opened a special liquidity window for commercial banks to meet the cash requirement of mutual funds. What is the limit

of this window?

[A]25000 crore                        [B]50000 crore

[C]30000 crore                         [D]40000 crore

5. At what position India did finish in the Archery World Cup stage 3 held in Columbia recently (July 2013)?

[A]Second       [B]Fourth       [C]Third         [D]Fifth

6. Recently (July 2013), which of the following has become the first High Court in India to introduce to online payment of court fee?

[A]Delhi High Court               [B]Mumbai High Court 

[C]Madras High Court           [D]Karnataka High Court

7. The term “Abenomics” refers to the economic policies advocated by Shinzo Abe. Shinzo Abe is the current (July 2013) Prime Minister of __?

[A]Japan                      [B]South Korea

[C]Singapore               [D]Indonesia

8. Who among the following has been appointed as director of Bureau of Police Research and Development?

[A]Rajat Gupta            [B]Anandswarup Gupta

[C]KN Sharma            [D]Rajiv Chandra

9. As per the latest data on India’s poverty, which of the following states have shown biggest drop in percentage of poor?

[A]Bihar and Madhya Pradesh                              [B]Odisha and Bihar

[C]Odisha and Jharkhand                                      [D]Jharkhand and Bihar

10. Who among the following has won 13th IPCA World Women’s Individual Chess Championship title for India?

[A]Pragahi Chala                    [B]K Jennitha Anto

[C]Sushmita Patel                   [D]Surabhi Bharadwaj

11. Who among the following has been appointed as new United States Defence Secretary?

[A]John McCain         [B]John Kerry

[C]Chuck Hagel          [D]Robert Gates

12. Which among the following department is responsible for the preparation and presentation of Union Budget to the Parliament?

[A]Department of Economic Affairs                           [B]Department of Revenue

[C]Department of Expenditure                                   [D]Department of Financial Services

13. Recently, who among the following Indian-origin writer has won the inaugural British Physics Journalism Prize?

[A]Anita Sengupta                  [B]Ashwin Vasavda

[C]Jitendra Mehta                   [D]Anil Ananthaswamy

14. Medellin, which is named as the World's most innovative city is located in ___________?

[A]Canada                  [B]Colombia

[C]Brazil                     [D]Mexico

15. Which among the following countries is set to launch first solid fuel rocket by 2016?

[A]United States                     [B]China

[C]Japan                                  [D]Russia

16. Babli project, which is recently making in news is present in ___________?

[A]Andhra Pradesh                 [B]Madhya Pradesh

[C]Karnataka                          [D]Maharashtra

17. The Sampriti-III is the Joint Special Forces Exercise of India and __________?

[A]Nepal                                 [B]Bhutan

[C]Sri Lanka                           [D]Bangladesh

18. The Spratly Islands, which are under dispute are located in ____________?

[A]East China Sea                  [B]South China Sea

[C]Sea of Japan                       [D]North Pacific ocean

19. Who among the following has created history by becoming the first Indian on a solo non-stop trip across the world in a sail boat?

[A]Vamsi Krishna                   [B]Anurag Kumar

[C]Abhilash Tomy                  [D]Ankit Yadav

20. Which among the following States has the highest decadal (2001-11) growth rate of population?

[A]Gujarat                               [B]Haryana

[C]Kerala                                [D]Bihar

                                 ANSWER 

1	A	6	A	11	C	16	D
2	B	7	A	12	A	17	D
3	A	8	A	13	D	18	B
4	A	9	B	14	B	19	C
5	B	10	B	15	B	20	D

CURRENT AFFAIRS AND GK QUIZ - 8

• CURRENT AFFAIRS AND GK QUIZ - 8
• 1. Recently, who among the following has been chosen for the prestigious Saraswati Samman 2012?
  [A]Shankha Ghosh                 [B]Indira Parthasarathy
  [C]Sugathakumari                   [D]Sunil Gangopadhyay
  
  
  2. In which among the following cities of India, the first all-women court was set up recently?
  [A]Chennai                             [B]Hyderabad
  [C]Mumbai                              [D]Bangalore
  
  
  3. The Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) works under which among the following ministries?
  [A]Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA)
  [B]Ministry of Finance
  [C]Ministry of Law and Justice
  [D]Ministry of Commerce and Industry
  
  
  4. Recently, which among the following has launched its all-electric four-seater passenger car, the e2o in India?
  [A]Ford India             [B]Mahindra and Mahindra
  [C]Tata Motors           [D]Maruti Suzuki
  
  
  5. In which among the following countries, the world’s biggest dinosaur park is slated to come up?
  [A]South Africa                      [B]Canada
  [C]Australia                            [D]United States
  
  
  6. A new committee has been set up by Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry, to put in place a policy on energy security and prepare a roadmap for enhancing domestic oil and gas production to reduce dependence on exports by 2030. Who heads this committee?
  [A]Vijay Kelkar committee
  [B]B. K. Chaturvedi committee
  [C]Raghunath Anant Mashelkar committee
  [D]Shankar Acharya committee
  
  
  7. World's largest concentrated solar power plant has been opened recently by__:
  [A]France                                [B]Russia
  [C]United Arab Emirates        [D]Israel
  
  
  8. The lowest dropout rate of school students in the country is in __:
  [A]Andhra Pradesh                 [B]Karnataka
  [C]West Bengal                      [D]Kerala
  
  
  9. HPCL is setting up an oil refinery in Rajasthan, which is the biggest ever investment in the desert State. This refinery is coming up in ___:
  [A]Jodhpur                              [B]Jaisalmer
  [C]Barmer                               [D]Jalor
  
  
  10. Which among the following is a Coral Island?
  [A]Maldives                            [B]Lakshadweep
  [C]Tasmania                            [D]Medagaskar
  
  
  11. The Union Budget 2013-14 has pegged the fiscal deficit for the current year at___:
  [A]4.5 per cent                        [B]5 per cent
  [C]5.2 per cent                        [D]5.6 per cent
  
  
  12. Union Budget 2013-14 has proposed to levy a surcharge of 10 percent on individuals whose annual taxable incomes exceeds __:
  [A]50 lakhs                             [B]75 lakhs
  [C]1 crore                                [D]2 crores
  
  
  13. International Court of Arbitration at the Hague has recently ruled in favour of India as Pakistan has objected the construction of a power project. The power project in question is __:
  [A]Nimoo Bazgo project        [B]Baglihar project
  [C]Kishanganga project    [D]Tulbul navigation project
  
  
  14. What is the name of the new version of Office software launched by the Microsoft?
  [A]Office 8                 [B]Office 2013
  [C]Office 38               [D]Office 365
  
  
  15. As per a recent government decision, one major port is to be developed in each of Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal. What is the current number of Major Ports in India?
  [A]10               [B]12               [C]14               [D]14
  
  
  16. World’s biggest wildlife summit was held in which among the following countries recently?
  [A]Seoul                      [B]Bangkok
  [C]Hanoi                     [D]Colombo
  
  
  17. The location of the proposed National Institute of Sports Sciences and Medicine (NISSM) is___:
  [A]Chennai                 [B]Kolkata
  [C]New Delhi           [D]Hyderabad
  
  
  18. The government has recently merged some schemes out of the three schemes given below.
  1. Janashree Bima Yojana (JBY)
  2. Aam Admi Bima Yojana (AABY)
  3. Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) Identify the set of these two schemes from the given options:
  [A]1 and 2                   [B]1 and 3
  [C]2 and 3                   [D]1, 2 & 3
  
  
  19. As per the recently released Government data, which among the following States has the highest percentage households availing of banking services?
  [A]West Bengal          [B]Himachal Pradesh
  [C]Gujarat                   [D]Karnataka
  
  
  20. New START treaty is signed between which among the following countries?
  [A]India and United States
  [B]United States and China
  [C]United States and Russia
  [D]India and Russia
                  
                                        ANSWERS

  1	C	6	A	11	C	16	B
  2	C	7	C	12	C	17	C
  3	A	8	D	13	C	18	A
  4	B	9	C	14	D	19	B
  5	C	10	B	15	B	20	C