The Competition Master

RAPID GK SERIES 50

RAPID GK SERIES 50

1. India has joined the United Nations in this year 2. The Religious Book of Jew is 3. The Capital of Guinea is 4. The Lake Great Bear is...

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‘India expresses interest in 6 more C-17 planes’

‘India expresses interest in 6 more C-17 planes’

The Indian Air force has expressed interest in acquiring six more C-17 heavy lift transport aircraft, in addition to a contract for 10, th...

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Youth employment a 'high-priority agenda': PM

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on  Tuesday said that youth employment is a "high-priority agenda" of his  government but felt the infrastructure for the skill- development of  young people is "progressing slower".  </li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>In his inaugural address at the 44th session of Indian Labour  Conference, the Prime Minister emphasised the need for skill development  of the young people. </li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>"This can happen only if we equip our young people with skills that  are required to meet the demands of our rapidly growing economy," he  said.<br />
</li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Maintaining that the rapid growth of Indian economy since 2004 has  clearly brought out shortcomings of the country's skill development  processes, he said, "Today, availability of skills is possibly the  single-most important constraint to rapid industrial growth."<br />
</li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Noting that the process of expanding skill development  infrastructure is progressing slower in the country that he had hoped  after the government launched Skill Development Mission, Singh urged the  private sector to chip in with more vigour. </li>
</ul></div>

Youth employment a 'high-priority agenda': PM

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday said that youth employment is a "high-priority agenda" of his government but felt the i...

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Karnataka minister VS Acharya passes away

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div id="5998" style="display: block;">                                          <ul><li style="text-align: justify;">Senior BJP leader and Higher Education  Minister VS Acharya passed away after a massive heart attack during a  function here on Feb 14.  </li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Seventy-two-year-old Acharya, who was not keeping well for some  time, collapsed while participating at a seminar, organised by the  Karnataka State Government College Principals Forum, and was rushed to  Mallige Medical Centre, where he was declared dead.  </li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>One of the senior-most figures of the ruling BJP, soft-spoken  Acharya, a medical practitioner by profession, was respected by  politicians cutting across party lines. He is survived by wife, four  sons and a daughter.  </li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>A member of the state Legislative Council, Acharya, born on July  six, 1939 in the coastal town of Udupi, also held the portfolios of  Planning and Statistics, Muzrai, Information Technology and  Biotechnology.  </li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>He earlier also served as Home Minister, state BJP vice-president and Udupi district BJP President.  </li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The Cabinet held an emergency meeting and condoled the death, expressing profound grief.  </li>
</ul></div></div>

Karnataka minister VS Acharya passes away

Senior BJP leader and Higher Education Minister VS Acharya passed away after a massive heart atta...

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Oil Minister rules out deregulation of diesel prices

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">Oil Minister S Jaipal Reddy on Feb 14  ruled out deregulation of diesel prices and said he had demanded that  the government compensate state-owned oil firms for the losses they made  on not raising prices of petrol. </li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>State-owned oil companies will need to raise diesel price by Rs  11.35 per litre if the government was to free its pricing like it was  done in case of petrol in June 2010. </li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Even petrol rates have not moved in tandem with cost since its  deregulation and state-owned oil firms have refrained from raising rates  since December in view of assembly elections in five crucial states  like Uttar Pradesh. Oil firms lose Rs 3-3.20 a litre on the fuel  currently. </li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Reddy firmly said there was no proposal at the moment to raise diesel rates. </li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>He, however, supported oil companies demand for being compensated  for revenue losses incurred on selling petrol below imported cost.</li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Currently the government makes good only the losses incurred on diesel, domestic LPG and kerosene.</li>
</ul></div>

Oil Minister rules out deregulation of diesel prices

Oil Minister S Jaipal Reddy on Feb 14 ruled out deregulation of diesel prices and said he had demanded that the government compensate stat...

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India, China attack EU on Carbon tax

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">India, China and other major developing  economies attacked European Union saying the bloc's "unilateral"  decision to levy charges on international flights "in the name of  climate change" would "seriously jeopardise" efforts to fight global  warming.<span> </span></li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Talking tough on the issue of EU's Emission Trading Scheme during  their 10th meeting on Climate Change here, Environment Ministers of the  BASIC countries - Brazil, South Africa, India and China- noted that the  measure on aviation sector "violates international law including the  principles and provisions of UNFCCC and runs counter to  multilateralism".<span>     </span></li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>"Ministers noted that the unilateral action by EU in the name of  climate change was taken despite strong international opposition and  would seriously jeopardise the international efforts to combat climate  change," said a joint statement issued by the the BASIC group at the  conclusion of the two-day meeting.<span>     </span></li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The Ministers-- Jayanthi Natarajan (India), Xie Zhenhua (China),  Francisco Gaetani (Brazil) and Alfred James Wills (South Africa)-- also  "recognised the threat of similar unilateral measures being considered  by developed countries in the name of climate change in the area of  international shipping" and expressed their concern.<span></span><span>     </span></li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Addressing the media, Chinese Minister Xie said the 27- nation  bloc's "unilateral action" is a "severe breach" of several international  laws including that of International Civil Aviation Organisation and  expressed hope that they would "abolish" the carbon trading scheme.<span>     </span></li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The controversial European Union Emissions Trading Scheme requires  all airlines, including Indian, using airports in EU to pay a tax for  their greenhouse gas emissions.<span>     </span></li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>India, Russia, the US, China and other countries would meet in  Moscow later this month to decide on whether to take retaliatory  measures against EU on its "unilateral" decision to impose carbon tax on  air travel. </li>
</ul></div>

India, China attack EU on Carbon tax

India, China and other major developing economies attacked European Union saying the bloc's "unilateral" decision to levy ch...

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Indian airlines to be allowed to expand overseas operations

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">Indian airlines including state-run Air  India will now be allowed to use maximum permissible bilateral flying  rights, allowing them to expand their overseas operations, the Aviation  Ministry said on Feb 14. </li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>India has been under-utilising its bilateral agreements under  self-imposed restrictions because struggling Air India, the country's  flag carrier, was unable to use the maximum limit. </li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>"Under the new arrangement, code share operations will be encouraged," the ministry said in a statement. </li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The move is a big positive for all carriers, said Kapil Kaul,  regional head of the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation, a consulting  firm. </li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>Most Indian airlines are losing money as a result of high fuel  costs, huge debts, cutthroat competition and a slowdown in the economy.</li>
</ul></div>

Indian airlines to be allowed to expand overseas operations

Indian airlines including state-run Air India will now be allowed to use maximum permissible bilateral flying rights, allowing them to exp...

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RBI hikes bank rate to 9.5 per cent

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div id="6003" style="display: block;">                                          <ul><li style="text-align: justify;">The Reserve Bank of India has decided  to increase the bank rate to 9.5 per cent with immediate effect. RBI  said in a notification that this increase should be viewed and  understood as one-time technical adjustment to align the Bank Rate with  the marginal standing facility (MSF) rate rather than a change in the  monetary policy stance. </li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li>The Bank Rate, which is the standard rate at which the RBI buys or  re-discounts bills of exchange or other commercial paper, is presently  used as a penal rate, which the banks have to pay for their failure to  meet the mandatory Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) and Statutory Liquidity  Ratio (SLR). </li>
</ul><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">The Bank Rate, which has been increased to 9.50 per cent, was kept unchanged since April 2003.</li>
</ul></div></div>

RBI hikes bank rate to 9.5 per cent

The Reserve Bank of India has decided to increase the bank rate to 9.5 per cent with immediate ef...

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