DAILY GK UPDATE: 1ST NOVEMBER 1.Debt funding: RBI wants govt to remove FDI sectoral limits, seeks

preference for long-term investor

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has urged the government to further

liberalise foreign direct investment (FDI) norms by doing away with

most sectoral caps in order to cut reliance on debt flows to fund

India's record high current account deficit.

2. CCEA approved MSP hike for rabi crops; no decision on wheat

Government approved hike in the support price of five rabi crops such

as gram and masur by upto 20 percent for the next year starting April

2013, but no decision was taken on wheat price.

3. HCL Signed MoU with Madhya Pradesh Government for speedy clearance

Public sector Enterprise Hindustan Copper Ltd (HCL) signed a

Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Madhya Pradesh government for

obtaining required clearances of its proposed investment of 1856

crore Rupees in the state.

4. Virat Kohli Selected for BCCI Polly Umrigar Award

Indian Cricketer Virat Kohli was chosen for the Board of Control for

Cricket in India's (BCCI) Polly Umrigar award for being India's top

international cricketer in 2011-12.

5. Sachin, Virat, Gavaskar to be honoured at BCCI Awards function

Sachin Tendulkar will be honoured for completing his 100th

International century while Virat Kohli will get the Polly Umrigar

Award for being India's top international cricketer of 2011-12 at the

BCCI Annual Awards ceremony to be held on November 21 in Mumbai.

6. Telecom operators win spectrum concession

A panel of ministers says telecom operators fighting the withdrawal

by government of high quality airwaves will be allowed to keep some of

their spectrum holdings.

NOTE:- The panel's concession will allow carriers to retain 2.5 Mhz of

spectrum, offering relief to operators who said they risked losing

connectivity. The companies will have to match an auction-based price

for the 2.5 Mhz of capacity they are allowed to retain and buy any

additional spectrum they need from the auction, said the government

official who asked not to be named.

7. Sunita Williams sets new record, embarks on 7th space walk

Indian-American Sunita Williams along with a fellow astronaut today

ventured out of the International Space Station, adding to her record-

setting space walking sojourns, to find an ammonia leak in the vital

radiator system.

NOTE:- Expedition Commander Williams and Flight Engineer Aki Hoshide

switched their spacesuits to battery power at 1229 GMT (1759 IST),

signalling the start of today's planned 6.5-hour excursion outside the

International Space Station.

8. India-Vietnam set a trade target of $7 billion for 2015

India and Vietnam set a bilateral trade target of $7 billion for 2015

with India impressing upon Vietnam to adopt a flexible approach paving

way for early conclusion of an ambitious agreement on services and

investment, after the comprehensive trade in goods agreement.

9. Cabinet approves amendments to labour legislations for improving

working condition

Union Cabinet today approved amendments to two important labour

legislations. The amendments aim at improving the employment, working

conditions and welfare of construction workers.

NOTE:- The Cabinet approved amendments to the Building and Other

Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of

Service Act, 1996 and Building and Other Construction Workers’ Welfare

Cess Act, 1996 and introduction of Building and Other Construction

Workers Related Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2012 in the winter session of

Parliament.

10. India inks protocol with U.K. to amend tax pact

In its continuing drive to check tax evasion and proliferation of

black money, India has signed a protocol with the U.K. for amending

the convention between the two countries for avoidance of double

taxation and prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on

income and capital gains.

11. IABF to retain Cuban coach

The Indian Amateur Boxing Federation (IABF) has decided to retain the

services of Cuban coach Blas Iglesias Fernandez till the next Olympics

in Rio (2016).

12. TDP leader Yerram Naidu dies in road accident

Telugu Desam Party’s senior leader and former Union minister K. Yerram

Naidu died in a road accident in Andhra Pradesh’s Srikakulam district.

He was 55.

DAILY GK UPDATE: 2ND NOVEMBER 1. Ashish Kumar Chauhan appointed as New MD & Chief Executive of BSE

Ashishkumar Chauhan appointed as the Managing Director and Chief

Executive of Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) today.

NOTE:- He was Group Chief Information Officer of Reliance Industries

Ltd prior to joining BSE. Chauhan, holds a mechanical engineering

degree from IIT Bombay and has also done a post-graduate diploma at

IIM Calcutta. He joined the BSE as Deputy CEO in 2009.

2. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan Conferred with French Award The Knight of

the Order of Arts and Letter

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was conferred with the Knight of the Order of

Arts and Letters (Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres) by

the French Ambassador to India François Richier. She was awarded on

behalf of the French Authorities.

NOTE:- She was conferred with the award for the contributions made by

her to Indian and World Cinema and the developments in Indo-French

cooperation in art, culture and the most important one, Cinema.

3. Indian Ambassador to Bhutan Pawan Varma Resigned

Indian Diplomat Pavan K. Varma resigned as India’s ambassador to

Bhutan with an idea of entering into politics.

NOTE:- Ambassador Pavan Varma is set to join the Janata Dal-United

(JDU). He asserted that he wants to contribute to clean politics and

good governance in the country.

Pawan Varma, is a 1976 batch IFS officer and had taken voluntary

retirement but is going to demits office on 31 December 2012.

Pawan Varma is also an author of several well-acclaimed books,

including Ghalib and The Great Indian Middle Class.

4. Delhi's first Mahila Haat opened

Delhi's first Mahila Haat opened for the public. It showcased women

artisans who sold handicrafts, fabrics, artifacts and kitchen

products.

NOTE:- The market is at Aruna Asaf Ali Road parking lot near Delhi

Gate and only men accompanying their families will be allowed in. The

formal inauguration will be done on Saturday by BJP leader Sushma

Swaraj. North Delhi Municipal Corporation, which owns the Haat,

expects a bigger crowd in the weekends.

5. Anand Kumar of Super 30 Fame Declared People’s Hero

Anand Kumar, teacher and founder of Super 30 institute, which provides

free residential coaching to students from economically backward

families for IIT-JEE exams, named 'People's Hero' by People magazine

of American Time Magazine Group.

NOTE:- It is itself an uncommon occasion where the people magazine

which usually profiles celebrities from films and other fields onto

their magazine had chosen a person who is a teacher by profession. The

magazine stated that Anand has done it on his own, which is

remarkable.

6. Pakistan Cabinet Ratified the Landmark Visa Pact with India

Pakistan’s Cabinet ratified four recent agreements with India. The

major of which is landmark visa pact aimed at facilitating

restrictions on several categories of travellers, including senior

citizens and businessmen.

7. Case can’t be dismissed if delay in lodging complaint is explained:

SC

Supreme Court today said a criminal case cannot be dismissed merely

because of delay in lodging a complaint if the delay has been

reasonably explained.

NOTE:- A bench of justices P Sathasivam and Ranjan Gogoi said, the

prosecution case cannot be rejected merely on the ground of delay

since the complainant has reasonably explained the reasons for the

delay.

8. Scientists from India and Switzerland develope bio-fertilizer

product

A group of scientists from India and Switzerland have developed a bio-

fertilizer product that can enhance productivity and nutrition of

agricultural crops. The product made from a combination of micro

organisms can increase yield of wheat, rice and pulses by up to 30 per

cent and improve nutrient intake capacity of plants. An event to mark

the achievement of this milestone and its technology transfer was held

in New Delhi today.

NOTE:- Two Indian fertilizer companies were chosen to lead the process

of commercialisation of this technology in the country. Speaking on

the occasion, Alok Adholeya one of the technology developers said, the

product, which will be available in the market in a year's time, can

reduce dependence on chemical fertilizers by up to 25 per cent

9. Union Government Body CCEA lifted Export Ban on Some Milk Products

Union Government body, Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA)

lifted the export ban on milk products, especially on whole milk

powder (WMP), dairy whitener, infant milk foods and other milk

products till March 2013.

NOTE:- In February 2011 to meet the domestic supply of Milk Products

the Union government had imposed ban on export of all kinds of milk

products that is skimmed milk powder (SMP), whole milk powder (WMP),

dairy whitener, infant milk foods, casein and casein products.

10. Master card and Thomas Cook Came up Together for Travel Prepaid

Cards

Thomas Cook (India), the integrated travel and travel-related

financial services company launched prepaid foreign exchange

borderless prepaid card in collaboration with MasterCard Worldwide, a

global payments and technology company.

NOTE:- The borderless prepaid card is going to enable travellers with

an option of loading eight currencies on a single card that is US

Dollars, British Pounds, Euro, Australian Dollars, Canadian Dollars,

Swiss Francs, Singapore Dollars and Japanese Yen.

11. 12th IORARC meet held in Gurgaon

Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC) meet

held in Gurgaon to resolved further deepen cooperation among the

member countries to ensure sustained growth and balanced economic

development of the region. The grouping reaffirmed to ensure freedom

of navigation and strengthen security of sea lanes in the Indian

Ocean.

NOTE:- The United States has been included as the 6th Dialogue partner

of the grouping consisting of Indian ocean rim countries.

India also the outgoing Chair would hand over the Group Chair position

to Australia, which hosts the 13th council of meeting next year.

12. Veteran cartoonist T Samuel passed away

Veteran cartoonist T Samuel, a pioneer of pocket cartoons in the

country, died in New Delhi today. He was 86.

DAILY GK UPDATE: 3RD NOVEMBER 1. Vice President Releases Series of Books ‘Granthavali’

Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari today released a collection of

writing and works -Granthavali of late Dr Dineshnandini Dalmia in New

Delhi.

Speaking on the occasion Mr. Ansari said that she was an outstanding

literary figure - an author of prose and poetry, a social reformer and

a philanthropist.

2. Meira Kumar to address sixth SAARC Parliamentarians' meet

Lok Sabha Speaker Mrs. Meira Kumar will address the 3-Day sixth

conference of Association of SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians in

Islamabad.

NOTE:- Mrs. Kumar is the lead speaker on meaningful Participatory

Democracy in South Asia in the conference to be inaugurated by the

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari.

The Deputy chairman of Rajya Sabha P J Kurien is also part of the

delegation.

The conference will also delebrate on targeting Food Security for the

region and streamlining Parliamentarians role in accomplishing the

Minimum Development Goals.

3. India, S Korea discuss possibility of revising DTAC

India and South Korea today discussed the possibility of revising

Double taxation avoidance convention (DTAC) at a high level meeting

between Finance Minister P Chidambaram and his counterpart Jaewan

Bahk.

NOTE:-The meeting, which took place in the South Korean capital of

Seoul, discussed expanding information sharing between the taxation

authorities and cooperation in modernising the customs system of both

nations. It also discussed public procurement cooperation and measures

to develop co-financing infrastructure projects.

The cooperation between the two countries covers all areas of

bilateral relations, including political, economic and commercial,

defence, information technology, science and technology and cultural

exchange.

4. Veteran BJP leader Kailashpati Mishra dies in Patna

Veteran BJP leader and former governor of Gujarat Shri Kailashpati

Mishra died today in Patna after prolonged illness.

5. Carrom WC: India bags Men’s Team title

India defeated the defending champions Sri Lanka in the Men’s Team

Championship at the 6th World Carrom World Cup to bag the title in

Colombo today.

NOTE:- Indian slicers led by World No.1 Yogesh Paradeshi, K. Srinivas

and Prakash Gaekwad beat Sri Lanka’s Nishantha Fernando, Mohamed

Sherifdeen and Chamil Cooray.

Earlier, Indian Women’s team had defeated Sri Lankan team to bag the

women’s team title yesterday.

6. Panabaka Lakshmi assumes charge as MoS Petroleum & Natural Gas

Panabaka Lakshmi today assumed charge as Minister of State for

Petroleum and Natural Gas.

NOTE:- Prior to her present assignment after the recent reshuffle, Ms

Lakshmi was Minister of State for Textile and Health and Family

Welfare.

7. Kataria takes over as MoS rural development

Lalchand Kataria took over as minister of state for rural development

after his portfolio was changed following an apparent goof-up in work

allocation in the ministerial revamp.

8. Centre to provide generic medicines free of cost in government

hospitals:PM; Health sector spending to go up three fold in 12th Five

Year Plan.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that generic drugs would be made

available free in all public hospitals across the country to help the

poor reduce their expenditure on health.

He said the spending in health sector in the 12th Five Year Plan will

go up by three times.

NOTE:- Speaking at the foundation stone laying of the Lady Hardinge

Medical College project in New Delhi, the prime minister said that

health indicators reflected a country's overall well-being.

9. Indian pair of Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna qualifies to play

at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals

The Indian pair of Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna have booked the

final berth at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London. The pair

clinched the WTF berth after advancing to the semifinals of the BNP

Paribas Masters in Paris.

10. Hironmoy Chatterjee appointed as the CEO of AITA

Hironmoy Chatterjee, Secretary of the Bengal Tennis Association was

appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of The All India Tennis

Association (AITA).

TNOTE:- he decision of Chatterjee’s selection was made by the

Executive Board of AITA that is headed by President Anil Khanna with

consultation to the honourable Life President, Yashwant Sinha.

DAILY GK UPDATE: 4TH NOVEMBER 1. Teledensity increases to over 77 per cent

The teledensity in the country has been increased to over 77 per cent

at the end of August this year. It was around 74.96 per cent in August

last year, thus registering a growth of over 4 pc in Telephone users

base.

NOTE:- The data released by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT)

shows that the user base stood at 899.78 million in August 2011 which

rises to 939.57 million in August this year.

The wireless phones have increased to 908.3 million in August 2012,

from 865.7 million in the same period last year.

However, wireline users base declined to 31.2 million by August end

this year, from 34.1 million in August 2011.

2. SAARC Association Conference kick started in Islamabad

The sixth conference of the Association of SAARC Speakers and

Parliamentarians began in Islamabad today. During the inaugural

session, SAARC women parliamentarians met with the general secretary

of the Women Parliamentary Caucus Nafeesa Shah in the chair.

3. Kimi Raikkonen won the thrilling Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

The former World Champiton Kimi Raikkonen leaded to victory at the end

of the 40th lap at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix .

NOTE:- He was followed by Ferrari's Fernando Alonso in the second

place while Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel was third . McLaren’s Jenson

Button was in the fourth place.

4. Family courts to be set-up in all districts of UP

Uttar Pradesh Govt. has announced to set up Family Courts all

districts of the state. At present these courts are functional in 12

districts and in remaining 63 districts it will be set up very soon.

NOTE:-The government has also said that like other state government

employees, women judicial officers in the state will also be entitled

for child care leave.

5. Paris Masters: Bhupathi- Bopanna won Men's Double title

The Indian duo Mahesh Bhupati and Rohan Bopanna have clinched Men's

Double title of the BNP Paribas Masters Tennis Tournament.

NOTE:- They defeated Pakistan's Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi and his Dutch

partner Jean-Julien Rojer in a thrilling final match by 7-6, 6-3 in

Paris today.

6. Centre to launch special skill development programme to facilitate

employment of youths from Naxal-affected states.

Centre will launch a special skill development programme to facilitate

employment of youth belonging to Naxal-affected states in the

corporate sector.

Home Ministry has roped in the National Skill Development Corporation

(NSDC) to impart training to youth from the Naxal-affected states in

vocational courses like computer and mobile phone repairing, motor

mechanic, catering, hospitality, carpentry, nursing assistant and

driving.

NOTE:- A total of 1,500 youths will be enrolled in the three-month

training course beginning next month, while 2,000 more will be trained

in the next fiscal. The Ministry will bear the expenses up to 30,000

rupees for each youth.

7. Sikkim will soon be the first state in the country to provide

'pucca' houses to all its residents

Sikkim will soon be the first state in the country to provide 'pucca'

houses to all its residents as it has launched a mega social housing

mission of quality housing to families living in hutments.

Under the 211 crore rupee ambitious project, 6,000 poor household

dwellers living in 'kutcha' houses will be given a single storey

earthquake-resistant new 'pucca' house free of cost by the end of

2013.

8. 11th Lokayukta's conference held in New Delhi.

11th Lokayukta's conference held in New Delhi. Meet wants more

Lokayukta power to curb corruption. Central Vigilance Commission's

suggest of setting up an association of anti-corruption agencies to

check graft.

9. Japan looks for security alliance with India

Japan and India may start a bilateral group to discuss security in the

South China Sea, according to Japanese media. This grouping of senior

officials would be set up during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's

forthcoming visit to Tokyo on November 15.

NOTE:- Japanese PM Yoshihiko Noda would be looking for a security

alliance with India as Japan attempts to counter a belligerent China

over the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea. Part of this

exercise could involve increased naval exercises.

10. Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam invited by China to teach at Peking University

China invited Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, the former President and Missile

Man of India to teach at the Peking University of China. The nation

also offered him the lab of his choice to work on with the students.

The invitation came up during Dr. Kalam’s visit to the Beijing Forum

by the Chairperson Zhu Shanlu of Peking University.

DAILY GK UPDATE: 5TH NOVEMBER 1. World Bank sanctioned 320-million dollar loan to India for road

projects in Assam

India has signed a 320-million dollar loan agreement with the World

Bank for road projects in Assam.

The agreement was inked by Joint Secretary, Department of Economic

Affairs, Prabodh Saxena and Country Director of World Bank, Onno Ruhl

in New Delhi.

NOTE:- The Assam State Roads project aims to enhance road connectivity

in the north-eastern state by helping the Public Works Department to

improve state connectivity and facilitate regional integration. It

will be implemented over a period of six years.

The project will have three components including improvement,

modernization and safety management of roads.

2. Prez confers Dr. Durgabai Deshmukh awards

The President Mr Pranab Mukherjee today conferred the Dr. Durgabai

Deshmukh awards for the years 2005, 2006 and 2007 at a function

organised at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday.

The eighth award for the year 2005 was jointly given to the Mizoram

Hmeithai (Widows) Association and the People’s Forum, Bhubaneswar for

providing services to destitute and widows women.

While the ninth award for the year 2006 was given to Sumangali Seva

Ashram of Bangalore for providing care, education to orphan and needy

children and socio-economic opportunities for development of women.

For the year 2007, the tenth award was presented to Snehalaya of

Ahmednagar, Maharashtra for its landmark work in the rehabilitation of

women of the red light areas and other destitute women.

3. Kerala government has lifted the ban on eggs and poultry from Tamil

Nadu

Kerala government has lifted the ban on eggs and poultry from Tamil

Nadu today, according to Tamil Nadu poultry farmers association. The

poultry farmers of Namakkal region were badly affected by the ban

imposed on poultry and eggs by Kerala, suspecting bird flu.

NOTE:- The ban was imposed last week after reports of bird flu in a

private turkey farm in Karnataka. The poultry farmers of Namakkal

region including Namakkal, Erode, Karur and Salem districts had

reportedly suffered a loss of Rs 25 crore because of the ban.

4. Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) set the limit for

concessional SMS at 100 per day per SIM.

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in its latest directive

to be implemented in 15 days, has set the limit for concessional SMS

at 100 per day per SIM. According to the latest measures, there is no

maximum limit for SMS, but consumers will be charged not less than 50

paisa per SMS once it crosses 100 a day.

NOTE:- The TRAI directives are aimed at curbing unsolicited SMS and

calls which continue to be a menace for mobile users.

5. Chandresh Kumari Katoch assumed charge as Union Minister of

Culture.

Chandresh Kumari Katoch today assumed charge as Union Minister of

Culture. Ms. Katoch said that her priority will be to make the

monuments of the country more visitor friendly and improve the quality

of the country’s museums. Ms. Katoch said, she will also focus to

energize the Library Mission and to promote archival initiatives work.

She said, her Ministry will promote classical and folk arts through

various organizations in the country.

6. India, Egypt looking forward to expand trade, economic ties

India and Egypt are looking forward to expand trade, economic co-

operation and investment to give a boost to their age old ties.

NOTE:- A visiting India business delegation led by the CII signed a

Memorandum of Understanding with its counterpart, the Egyptian

Business Development Association in Cairo to explore new business and

investment opportunities in Egypt.

7. Irom Sharmila completed 12 yrs of indefinite fast

Irom Sharmila, Iron Lady of Manipur, today completed 12 years of

indefinite fast demanding repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers

Act (AFSPA).

NOTE:- Ms Sharmila, who is force-fed through the nose to keep her

alive began her fast till death after ten persons, including a boy who

received the national bravery award, were shot dead in an alleged

encounter with Assam Rifles personnel at Malom near Imphal airport on

November 2, 2000.

8. Andhra Pradesh Government announced an assistance of Rs. 1.5 lakh

to the families of those who died in rain related incidents

Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy decided this at a high level review

meeting held in Hyderabad. He directed the district authorities to

immediately release funds to carry out rescue and relief operations.

Rescue and relief operations are in full swing in the north coastal

region of the state.

NOTE:- Revenue Minister Raghuveera Reddy told that about 90 thousand

people are taking shelter at 170 relief camps . Standing crops and

horticulture produce were damaged in about 6 lakh hectare and over

1300 tanks have been breached.

9. IIT panel for 80% fee hike

Undergraduate students at the premier Indian Institutes of Technology

could see their annual tuition fees hiked to Rs. 90,000 next year,

after a committee of IIT directors recommended the 80 per cent

increase. NOTE:- Students currently pay a hugely subsidised Rs. 50,000

per year.

10. Mahesh Jethmalani quits BJP National Executive Council

BJP leader and senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani has resigned from the

party's National Executive Council over corruption charges against the

party President Nitin Gadkari.

11. Chef Jacob Sahaya Kumar Aruni, passed away

Chef Jacob Sahaya Kumar Aruni, or Chef Jacob popularly, host of the

television show Aaha Enna Rusi, passed away following a cardiac

arrest. He was 37.

NOTE:- He created a Guinness record in 2010, for the world’s longest

barbeque marathon by cooking outdoors, for 24 hours and five minutes.