CURRENT UPDATE : INDIAN ECONOMY GROWS 4.7 % IN 3RD QUARTER OF CURRENT FISCAL

INDIAN ECONOMY GROWS 4.7 % IN 3^RD  QUARTER OF CURRENT FISCAL

The Indian economy grew 4.7 per cent in the third quarter of this financial year. The growth was mainly due to improved performance in agriculture and services sectors. The country's gross domestic product (GDP) had expanded 4.8 per cent in the July-September quarter and 4.4 per cent in April-June.

According to official data released by the Central Statistics Office, CSO, on Friday growth in the first nine months from April to December was 4.6 per cent compared with 4.5 per cent in the same period a year ago.

The CSO, in its advance estimates, puts GDP growth at 4.9 per cent. Farm sector output expanded 3.6 per cent in October-December as compared with 0.8 per cent in the corresponding period of the previous financial year.

The growth in manufacturing sector however declined to 1.9 per cent in the third quarter as against a growth of 2.5 per cent a year ago. The output of the sector also contracted 0.7 per cent in the first nine months.

Growth in electricity, gas and water supply was 5 per cent compared with 2.6 per cent a year earlier.

CURRENT UPDATE : VIGILANCE COMMISSIONER

FORMER CISF CHIEF RAJIV TAKES OVER AS VIGILANCE COMMISSIONER

Former CISF Director General Rajiv has taken over as the new Vigilance Commissioner in Central Vigilance Commission. President Pranab Mukherjee appointed Rajiv as Vigilance Commissioner on the basis of recommendation of a three-member selection committee chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

CURRENT UPDATE : CENTER SETS UP EXPERT COMMITTEE TO STUDY DEMAND FOR BODOLAND STATE

CENTER SETS UP EXPERT COMMITTEE TO STUDY DEMAND FOR BODOLAND STATE

Center has set up one-man expert committee of former Union Home Secretary G K Pillai to study and examine the demand of a separate Bodoland state to be carved out of Assam. Official sources the committee will consult all sections of the society on the viability of a separate state and submit its report within nine months. After the government's decision to form new Telangana state, the demand for a separate Bodoland has intensified. 

The government had set up an autonomous Bodoland Territorial Council in 2003 by signing an accord after years of violent agitation that claimed hundreds of lives.

CURRENT UPDATE : HIGHEST ISRAELI CIVILIAN AWARD

HIGHEST ISRAELI CIVILIAN AWARD FOR MERKEL

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been awarded Israel's highest civilian honour ,the "Medal of Distinction" yesterday evening for her unwavering commitment to the country. 

Israeli President Shimon Peres awarded Merkel the honor at a ceremony in Jerusalem.

CURRENT UPDATE : NAVY CHIEF RESIGN

NAVY CHIEF QUITS OVER SPATE OF MISHAPS

Navy Chief Admiral D K Joshi on Wednesday resigned taking "moral responsibility" over the spate of mishaps involving naval warships in the last seven months.

Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral D K Joshi resigned today in the wake of submarine accident. In a statement, the Defence Ministry said that Admiral Joshi has resigned taking moral responsibility for the accidents and incidents which have taken place in the Navy during the past few months. 

The Government has accepted his resignation with immediate effect. Vice Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral R K Dhowan will act as officiating Chief of Naval Staff till the regular appointment.

CURRENT UPDATE : EGYPT'S NEW PRIME MINISTER

EGYPTIAN INTERIM PRESIDENT ASKS IBRAHIM MEHLAB TO FORM NEW GOVT.

Outgoing housing minister Ibrahim Mahlab, a former official in the deposed Hosni Mubarak government, was today named as Egypt's new prime minister, a day after the military-backed cabinet resigned unexpectedly.

Mahlab said he was "officially tasked with forming a new government" by interim president Adly Mansour, the state-run Al-Ahram newspaper reported on its website. 

He said he would immediately start consultations on the appointment of a new cabinet. Mahlab, who resigned as housing minister on Monday, was a member of the National Democratic Party of Mubarak, whose 30-year reign came to an end with the 2011 popular uprising. 

Now in his sixties, Mahlab is a civil engineer who formerly served as chairman and chief executive of the Arab Contractors Company, a large Egyptian civil engineering firm. Egypt's military-installed interim government led by Prime Minister Hazem El-Beblawi resigned in a surprise move ahead of presidential polls that may bring the country's powerful army chief Field Marshal Abdul Fattah al-Sisi to power. 

Beblawi announced the decision after a cabinet meeting attended by Sisi, also the Defence Minister. 

Beblawi gave no particular reason for the Cabinet's resignation, but it comes amid a series of strikes, including one by public sector workers. Sisi is widely tipped to win the poll if he stands. 

He has not yet announced his candidacy but media reports said he has decided to run and will make an announcement soon. 

Sisi, who ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in July, is required to resign from the government and the army before he can officially announce his presidential bid. 

A reshuffle to allow Sisi to step aside was on the cards but the mass resignation of the entire cabinet caught everyone by surprise including officials.

CURRENT UPDATE : WORLD'S FASTEST CAR

WORLD'S FASTEST CAR HITS 435KM PER HOUR IN US

United States engineers have developed the world's fastest car with a top speed of an incredible 435 kilometres per hour. 

US firm Hennessey's Venom GT set the new record for the fastest car in the world during a test run at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. 

Venom beat the previous best record of 431km/h set by Bugatti Veyron Super Sport. 

Venom GT is a stretched Lotus Exige with a 7.0-litre, 927kW twin-turbo V8 wedged between its axles. 

The record is impressive as test driver Brian Smith started from rest, broke the record and stopped on a 5.1-kilometre stretch of tarmac rather than using an high-speed oval to give the car a running start, 'Drive.com' reported. 

"If we could run on an 8-mile (12.8km) oval we could go faster than that," Smith said. 

However, Bugatti will retain its place in the Guinness book of records, the report said. The independently verified Hennessey speed will not go into the book as the Venom could only be driven one way on the NASA landing strip. The book requires cars to make runs in two directions to account for variables including gradients and wind direction. 

CURRENT AFFAIRS & GK QUIZ - 145

CURRENT AFFAIRS & GK  QUIZ - 145

1. According to the 2010-12 Sample Registration Survey report, which one of the following states registered

lowest mortality rate in the country?

[A]Mizoram                            

[B]Goa

[C]Kerala                                

[D]Gujarat

2. Which of the following is the theme of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2014?

[A]Engaging Diaspora: Connecting Across Generation 

[B]Sharing a Common Heritage: The Emotional Connect

[C]Engaging Diaspora: Connecting All Indians

[D]One India: One World

3. The “Araku Valley” known for its rich biodiversity is located in ___?

[A]Assam                                

[B]Tripura

[C]Andhra Pradesh                 

[D]Odisha

4. India and which one of the following countries has recently agreed to hold third “2 plus 2” dialogue?

[A]USA                                     

[B]Japan

[C]China                                

[D]Australia

5. Which among the following parties has gain majority in the 10^th  Parliamentary elections held in Bangladesh, recently?

[A]Awami League Party

[B]Bangladesh Worker’s Party

[C]Jatiyo Samjtantrik Dal

[D]Bangladesh Nationalist Party

6. What is the name of India’s satellite-based flight navigation system which has been certified by aviation regulator DGCA, recently?

[A]GAGAN                            

[B]BHUVAN

[C]BHOOMI                         

[D]PRITHVI

7. Recently, India and Nepal decided to work together for joint conservation efforts for the endangered

____? 

[A]Bengal Tiger                               

[B]Asian Elephant

[C]South Asian Rover Dolphin          

[D]Rhinoceros

8. In international banking system, what does the TIBOR stands for ___?

[A]Tokyo Interbank Offered Rate

[B]Taiwan Interbank Offered Rate

[C]Thailand Interbank Offered Rate

[D]Tongling Interbank Offered Rate

9. Which one of the following committees was set up by RBI to study the various issues relating to financial benchmarks?

[A]Umesh Chandra                 

[B]Vijaya Bhaskar

[C]Urjit Patel                         

[D]Subbu Rao

10. Who among the following is the new chairman of NASSCOM?

[A]R Chandrashekar               

[B]Naveen Patnaik

[C]Kushal Mittal                     

[D]Aditya Birla

            ANSWER

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

CURRENT UPDATE : INDIA EMERGES AS LARGEST PRODUCER OF FRUIT & VEGETABLES

INDIA EMERGES AS LARGEST PRODUCER OF FRUIT & VEGETABLES

India has globaly emerged as largest producer of fruit and vegetables including Mango, Banana, Brinjal and Cabbage. According to an Agriculture Ministry release, horticulture production grew by more than 8 per cent during the last decade. Total production in the sector for the year 2012-2013 is 269 million tonnes.

In the last decades the government implemented a host of schemes including National Horticulture Mission, Horticulture Mission for North East and Himalayas States, National Mission on Micro Irrigation and Vegetable Initiative for Urban Clusters to increase the horticulture production.

CURRENT AFFAIRS & GK QUIZ -144

CURRENT AFFAIRS & GK  QUIZ - 144

1. Recently, which among the following has announced to launch of an All Woman’s Insurance branch?

[A]Bajaj Allianz                      

[B]Tata AIG General

[C]ICICI Lombard                 

[D]Reliance General

2. Who among the following has been chosen for Portugal highest honor “Order of Prince Henry”?

[A]Cristiano Ronaldo                      

[B]Lopes Anthony

[C]Alves Bruno                       

[D]Costa Ricardo

3. Football legend “Eusebio Silva Ferreira” who passed away recently, belongs to which country? 

[A]France                               

[B]Portugal

[C]Egypt                                

[D]Spain

4. In which one of the following states, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has decided to set up world’s largest corporate learning and development centre?

[A]Kerala                                

[B]Punjab

[C]Maharashtra                       

[D]Karnataka

5. Who among the following has won men’s Chennai Open Tennis Trophy 2013?

[A]Somdev Burman                

[B]Roger Vasselin

[C]Stanislas Wawrika             

[D]David Federer

6. According to latest Green 500 supercomputers list, PARAM Yuva II has been raked no.1 power efficient supercomputer in India. PARAM computer was developed by__?

[A]CSIR         

[B]C-DAC      

[C]IITM          

[D]ISRO

7. The Loser festival is the most important festival celebrated in___?

[A]Ladakh                              

[B]Leh

[C]Shimla                                

[D]Srinagar

8. World Braille Day is observed on which of the following days?

[A]December 30                     

[B]December 31

[C]January 4                            

[D]January 6

9. The Strait of Gibraltar connects the Atlantic Ocean to the ___?

[A]Indian Ocean                     

[B]Mediterranean Sea

[C]Arctic Ocean                      

[D]Pacific Ocean

10. Which among the following has created the India’s first most comprehensive “Financial Inclusion Index”, (Inclusix) recently?

[A]RBI            

[B]CRISIL      

[C]ICRA         

[D]CIBIL

            ANSWER

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

CURRENT UPDATE : AKASH MISSILE

INDIA SUCCESSFULLY TEST FIRES AKASH MISSILE

India today successfully test-fired indigenously developed surface-to-air Akash missile. Compared to American MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile system, Akash has the capability to neutralise aerial targets like fighter jets and cruise missiles .

The test was carried out from the Integrated Test Range launch complex at Chandipur off Odisha coast 22 minutes after eleven this morning.

Defence sources say, the missile succelfully intercepted a floating object supported by Pilot Less Target Aircraft 'Lakshya'. The floating object was flown from launch complex-2 was knocked down by Akash accurately. Some more trials are to be conducted in the next couple of days.

Akash is a medium range surface-to-air anti-aircraft defence system. This is developed by the Defence Research Development Organisation - DRDO as part of the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme. It has a strike range of 30 km and can carry a warhead of 50 kgs. It has the capability to target aircraft up to 30 km away and is packed with a battery that can track and attack several targets simultaneously.

The last trial of Akash was conducted on 6th of June in 2012 from the same base.

CURRENT UPDATE : IMF PEGS INDIA'S FY'15 GROWTH AT 5.4%

 IMF PEGS INDIA'S FY'15 GROWTH AT 5.4%

IMF on Thursday projected a higher 5.4 per cent economic growth for India in 2014-15 and suggested strengthening of inflation management polices and doing away with supply bottlenecks for better GDP. 

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) also sees inflation, driven by food prices, remaining near double digits in 2014-15. Though it said tight monetary policy is likely to slow growth recovery. 

"Growth is projected at 4.6 per cent for fiscal year 2013-14, and should pick up to 5.4 per cent in 2014-15 (at factor cost)," the multilateral agency said in its report after concluding annual discussions with India. 

As per India's official estimates, the economy is likely to expand at 4.9 per cent in 2013-14 as against 4.5 per cent in the previous fiscal. The government expects to growth to pick up in the 2014-15 fiscal. 

Meanwhile, in a note prepared for the G20 leaders' meet that will start on February 22 in Sydney, the IMF asked high inflation countries, like India to strengthen their fiscal and monetary policy frame work to tackle price rise. 

"On the monetary front, economies where inflation is still relatively high, or where policy credibility has come into question, need to continue tightening monetary policy in the context of strengthened policy frameworks (India and Turkey)," IMF said in a note prepared for the G20 leaders' meet starting on February 22 in Sydney. 

Inflation has been a major concern for India for the past few years. 

However, in the past few months, it has starting showing sings of moderation. India's central bank RBI has adopted a hawkish monetary stance to tame inflation. 

The Washington-headquartered agency also stressed that countries like India needs to better its supply infrastructure by doing away bottlenecks to achieve faster growth, job creation and poverty reduction. 

CURRENT UPDATE : INDIA’S FIRST MINORITY CYBER VILLAGE

INDIA’S FIRST MINORITY CYBER VILLAGE IN RAJASTHAN

Minister for Minority Affairs K Rehman Khan today inaugurated country’s first Minority Cyber Village in Chandoli in Alwar district of  Rajasthan. He said that Mewat region is still backward in education and government is making all efforts for upliftment of minorities. 

He said that Government is considering to open special schools on pattern of Kendriya Vidyalayas for minority community. MOS Minority Affairs Ninong Iring and MOS Defence Jitendraa Singh also addressed the function.

Aim of this ambitious Cyber village project is to provide computer education to the people of 15 to59 age group.Ministry of Minority Affairs has targeted villages with substantial population of minorities for yhis project. 

Chandoli with over 80 percent of minority population is the first village selected for pilot project. Under this project experts will provide training of commuter skills to the people of chandoli

CURRENT UPDATE:GLOBAL AYURVEDA FEST

MAURITIUS PRESIDENT TO BE CHIEF GUEST 

AT GLOBAL AYURVEDA FEST IN KERALA

A five-day Global Ayurveda Festival will be held from 20^th  February in Kerala to highlight the state's emergence as the global destination in which Mauritius President Rajkeswar Puryaag will be the chief guest. 

Described as the biggest summit on Ayurveda, Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy will inaugurate the second edition, in which 4000 delegates from 35 countries are expected to participate. 

In the context of the growing burden of new age communicable diseases, the central theme of this edition will be Ayurveda in Public Health, Dr G G Gangadharan, Chairman National Steering committee and Dr G Vinod Kumar, Secretary General, told reporters in Kochi on Tuesday. 

Though the potential of Ayurveda in public health is huge, it has unfortunately not been tapped to full potential till date. 

Various sub-themes for the event include various clinical specialities in Ayurveda, Cosmetology, Nutrition and a variety of other related topics. 

A Lankan delegation, including its Health minister Salinda Dissanayake; Mahipela Herath, Chief Minister of the Sabaragamuwa Provincial Council; B S B Yalegama, minister of health and Indigenous medicine, Kandy are among those participating. 

A 50-member German delegation and delegates from countries such as France, Argentina, U.K., Italy, Singapore have confirmed participation. At least 350 delegates will be participating. 

UK researcher Dr Gerry Bodekar, an adviser on international policy on Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicine), Dr Marc Cohen, Australia's foremost pioneer of complementary medicine who has made significant impact on education, research, clinical practice and policy are among foreign delegates who would address scientific sessions. 

An International Business Meet, being organised by the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation will be inaugurated on 21st Feb by state Home minister Ramesh Chennithala. 

The Centre for Innovation in Science and Social Action (CISSA), Kerala Government and the Ayurveda fraternity of Kerala represented by various associations are organising the event.