Finance
1. RBI tightens norms for NBFCs
- ·
Tightening norms for non-banking financial companies (NBFCs), the
Reserve Bank of India on Monday raised the capital adequacy requirement and the
net owned fund limit, among others, with an objective to mitigate risks in the
sector. - ·
With a view to streamlining the regulations for the sector, the RBI also
revoked temporary suspension on issuance of Certificate of Registration (CoR)
to companies that want to conduct business of non-banking financial institution
(NBFI). As per the latest directives, the RBI has raised the limit for NBFCs to
maintain the net owned fund (NOF) requirement to four times by 2017 to Rs.2
crore. - ·
At present, the NOF requirement is at Rs.25 lakh. In a phased manner,
the NBFCs would be required to raise it to Rs.1 crore by March, 2016, and to
further double it to Rs.2 crore by 2017. “NBFCs failing to achieve the
prescribed ceiling within the stipulated time period shall not be eligible to
hold the CoR (Certificate of Registration) as NBFCs. The bank will initiate the
process for cancellation of CoR against such NBFCs,” it said in a notification. - ·
Also, NBFCs primarily engaged in lending against gold jewellery, will
have to maintain a minimum Tier I capital (or equity capital) of 12 per cent
with effective from April 1 as against existing requirement of 10 per cent. - ·
For deposit and non-deposit taking NBFCs, Capital to Risk (Weighted)
Assets Ratio or CRAR, which includes Tier I capital of 7.5 per cent, is 15 per
cent at present. - ·
However, as per the new norms, NBFCs have to raise the Tier I capital to
8.5 per cent by end of March 2016 and 10 per cent by March, 31, 2017. Towards
provisioning of standard assets, the RBI said that NBFCs would be required to
raise it to 0.3 per cent by end of March 2016; 0.35 per cent by March 2017 and
to 0.4 per cent by end of March 2018. - ·
Presently, every NBFC is required to make a provision for standard
assets at 0.25 per cent of the outstanding. - ·
In the interest of harmonisation, the asset classification norms for
NBFCs-ND-SI and NBFCs-D will be brought in line with that of banks, the RBI
said. “At present, an asset is classified as non-performing asset when it has
remained overdue for a period of six months or more for loans; and overdue for
twelve months or more in case of lease rental and hire purchase instalments, as
compared to 90 days for banks.” - ·
For NBFCs-ND with an asset size of less than Rs.500 crore, the RBI said
they shall not be subjected to any regulation either prudential or conduct of
business regulations, example, Fair Practices Code (FPC), KYC, if they have not
accessed any public funds and do not have a customer interface. Also, those
having customer interface will be subjected only to conduct of business
regulations including FPC, KYC, if they are not accessing public funds.
2. Nabard and Origo signed MoU to provide
financial leg-up to farmers
financial leg-up to farmers
- ·
National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) and Origo
Commodities, a collateral management firm, have entered into a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) to support farmers in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to
realize better pricing for their harvest. - ·
This will be done by providing them a facility for pledging their
produce under Negotiable Warehouse Receipt financing. Origo allows farmers to
make deposits of their produce in its warehouses and obtain pledge financing. - ·
“This MoU is going to help farmers to a great extent by realising the
right price by offering them options to sell their produce at the right time.
The initiative also focuses on Warehousing Development and Regulatory Authority
(WDRA) accreditation so that farmers can benefit from post-harvest loans at 7%
p.a. with interest subvention,’’ Jiji Mammen, Chief General Manager, Andhra
Pradesh and Telangana Regional Office, Nabard said on Monday. - ·
The joint would enable farmers to use the warehousing infrastructure of
Primary Agriculture Co-operative Societies (PACS) and also more than 100
warehouses managed by Origo Commodities across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
3. PM launches digital life certificate for pensioners
- ·
In a big relief to over a crore retired employees of government and
PSUs, a pensioner can now digitally provide proof of his existence to
authorities for continuity of pension every year instead of requiring to
present himself physically or through a Life Certificate issued by specified
authorities. - ·
The “Jeevan Pramaan” scheme, an Aadhar-based Digital Life Certificate
for pensioners, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, is one more
enabling mechanism for the benefit of the common man after the push towards
self-certification. - ·
The Department of Electronics and IT has developed a software
application which will enable the recording of the pensioner’s Aadhar number
and biometric details from his mobile device or computer, by plugging in a
biometric reading device. - ·
Key details of the pensioner, including date, time, and biometric
information, will be uploaded to a central database on real-time basis,
ultimately enabling the pension disbursing agency to access a Digital Life
Certificate. - ·
This will conclusively establish that the pensioner was alive at the
time of authentication, the statement said. - ·
The earlier requirement entailed that a pensioner either personally
present himself before the pension disbursing agency, or submits a Life
Certificate issued by authorities specified by the Central Pension Accounting
Office (CPAO). - ·
At present, 50 lakh individuals draw pension from the central government
alone. A similar number draw pension from State and Union Territory
governments. Several PSUs also provide pension benefits besides which over 25
lakh retired personnel draw pension from the Armed Forces.
4. SBI Chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya
most powerful Indian woman in biz: Fortune
most powerful Indian woman in biz: Fortune
- ·
Arundhati Bhattacharya, the Chairperson of country’s largest bank SBI,
has been named as the most-powerful woman in business in India by Fortune
Magazine. - ·
ICICI Bank’s Chanda Kochhar and Shikha Sharma of Axis Bank follow
Bhattacharya at the second and the third place respectively. - ·
In the Fortune India list of 50 most-powerful businesswomen, there are
as many as eight new entrants. - ·
Interestingly, two first timers—Bhattacharya and Nishi Vasudeva, the
Chairperson and Managing Director at HPCL (fourth place)—have made a cut into
the top 10. - ·
Bhattacharya made to number one spot “due to her relentless fight
against bad loans. Since she took over a year or so ago, she has improved
assets quality, cut costs and recapitalised SBI (State Bank of India).” - ·
“That’s no mean feat when you consider that SBI has 190 foreign offices,
a market cap of Rs. 1.9 lakh crore and 2,22,033 employees,” Fortune India
noted. - ·
These powerful women represent various sectors such as banking, finance,
healthcare, media, fashion and entertainment.
5. Union Bank to charge own customers beyond
8 ATM transactions
8 ATM transactions
- ·
After private banks – HDFC Bank and Axis bank – decided to charge own
customers for more than five transactions at their ATMs, public sector lender
Union Bank of India has also joined the bandwagon. - ·
The Mumbai-based bank will charge own customers for more than eight
transactions per month at its ATMs and more than five at other banks ATMs. It
will be charging Rs 15 per (excluding tax) from November 15, 2014. - ·
Many public sector banks are still in “wait and watch mode”.
They would like to see how pricing is firmed up by the private banks and large
state-owned banks. - ·
HDFC Bank and Axis Bank will charge their own customers for more than
five transactions at their Automated Teller Machines starting 1 December. - ·
HDFC Bank will be charging Rs 20 for financial transactions and Rs 8.5
(excluding taxes) for non-financial transactions (balance enquiry, mini
statement). Axis Bank will be charging Rs 20 (excluding taxes) for financial
transactions and Rs 9.5 for non-financial transactions - ·
At other bank ATMs, the customers of these banks will be charged beyond
three transactions. Earlier five transactions were free at non-home bank ATMs. - ·
However, Axis Bank has made ten transactions free for its Prime Plus
Savings Account and Prime Salary account holders. These account holders are
mandated to have a minimum opening balance of Rs 1 lakh.
India
6. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expanded
Council of Ministers with 21 new faces
Council of Ministers with 21 new faces
- ·
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 9 November 2014 expanded his Council of
Ministers and added 21 more ministers to his government. This is first
expansion of cabinet for Prime Minister Narendra Modi led government, since it
came into power on 26 May 2014. - ·
The 21 new ministers include four Cabinet Ministers, three Minister of
State (Independent Charge) and 14 Minister of State. - ·
With this expansion, the total number of ministers under different ranks
including the Prime Minister has gone up from previous 45 to 66. The expanded
council of ministers was from two parties, 20 from BJP and one YS Chowdary was
from TDP, Andhra Pradesh. - ·
The President Pranab Mukherjee administered the oath of office and
secrecy to the above twenty-one members of the Council of Ministers at a
swearing-in ceremony held in the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
7. Laxmikant Yashwant Parsekar sworn-in as
18th chief minister of Goa
18th chief minister of Goa
- ·
Goa Health Minister Laxmikant Yashwant Parsekar was on 8 November 2014
sworn-in as 18th Chief Minister of Goa. He succeeded Manohar Parrikar who
resigned on 8 November 2014. - ·
Along with Parsekar, seven other BJP ministers were also sworn-in
including Francis D’Souza, Dayanand Mandrekar, Ramesh Tawadkar, Mahadev Naik,
Dilip Parulekar, Milind Naik, and Alina Saldanha and two Maharashtrawadi
Gomantak Party (MGP) ministers Ramkrishna Sudin Dhavalikar and Pandurang Deepak
Dhavalikar. - ·
Laxmikant Yashwant Parsekar is the member of the Goa Legislative
Assembly from Mandrem constituency. Parsekar started as a Rashtriya Swayamsevak
Sangh (RSS) party worker.
8. Darjeeling Zoo received The Earth Heroes
Award 2014
Award 2014
- ·
The Darjeeling Zoo or the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park was on
1 November 2014 selected for the prestigious International Award The Earth
Heroes Award 2014. - ·
It has become the 1st zoo in India. It has competed with 300 zoos across
the world.Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park is largest high altitude zoo of India. It is
located in West Bengal. - ·
The Earth Heroes award is annually awarded by the Royal Bank of Scotland
in collaboration with the Government of United Kingdom. - ·
Darjeeling Zoo was established in 1958 and has played a key and
proactive role in promoting the conservation and preservation of Himalayan
fauna and flora. - ·
Darjeeling Zoo is one of the very few places on earth that has
successfully bred some of the rarest animals in the world including the
majestic Snow Leopards, the Tibetan Wolf and the cute Red Pandas.
9. Baldev Raj Mahajan appointed as new AG of
Haryana
Haryana
- ·
Haryana Government was on 10 November 2014 appointed Baldev Raj Mahajan,
senior advocate, Punjab and Haryana High Court, as Advocate General (AG) with
immediate effect. - ·
He is considered as an expert in civil law. He is currently the national
president of Akhil Bharatiya Adhivakta Parishad.
10. GS Sandhu appointed as Chairman of
National Chemical Weapon Convention
National Chemical Weapon Convention
- ·
The Union Government on 3 November 2014 appointed GS Sandhu as Chairman of National Chemical
Weapon Convention. - ·
His appointment was confirmed by the Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) for
the post of Chairman, National Authority for the Chemical Weapons Convention. - ·
Sandhu is a 1980 Rajasthan cadre IAS officer. Prior to this, he was serving as the
financial services secretary in the Union Finance Ministry.
11. World Bank agrees to consider Assam
agri-project
agri-project
- ·
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today said the World Bank has agreed in
principle to consider a mega project in the state under Assam Agricultural
Competitiveness Project (AACP) proposed by the state. - ·
The new project, ‘Assam Agricultural Commercialization and Rural
Transformation Project’, worth Rs 12,000 crore, was submitted to the Centre on
June 4 and the proposal has been cleared by the Ministry of Agriculture and was
now pending with the Planning Commission, an official release said. - ·
Gogoi, while reviewing the projects, asked all officers concerned to
complete the remaining works under the project, including accelerating the
disbursement and timely execution of contract immediately. - ·
World Bank’s country director for South Asia Region Rajni Khanna
appreciated the progress in all sectors under AACP with particular reference to
successful innovative activities including the establishment of a statewide
groundwater monitoring system, farmer producer organisation and a pilot program
of using solar power for running irrigation pumpsets, the release said.
International
12. Ukrainian People’s Front Party won the
parliamentary elections 2014
parliamentary elections 2014
- ·
Ukrainian People’s Front Party led by Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny
Yatsenyuk won the country’s eighth parliamentary elections on 8 November 2014. - ·
The People’s Front Party gained 22.14 percent of the vote while the
political bloc that supports Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko came second
by winning 21.81 percent.
13. Indian—origin radiographer elected ISRRT
President
President
- ·
A South African Indian-origin radiographer has been elected as the
president of the International Society of Radiographers and Radiological
Technologists (ISRRT). - ·
Dr Fawzia Peer, who has been a radiographer for three decades, is the
Manager of the Department of Nuclear Medicine and also an honorary lecturer at
the Albert Luthuli Central Hospital’s Nuclear Medicine Department in Durban. - ·
Peer said she would pursue the organisation’s objective of being the
international liaison representative for Medical Radiation Technology, an area
in nuclear medicine which involves the application of radioactive substances in
the diagnosis and treatment of disease.
14. China and Russia signed energy
cooperation agreements
cooperation agreements
- ·
China and Russia signed energy cooperation agreements on 9 November
2014. The agreements were signed by the President of Russia Vladimir Putin and
President of China Xi Jinping at the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
(APEC) summit in Beijing. - ·
The deals include a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop a
second major supply route to supply Russian natural gas to China along a
western route. - ·
Earlier in May 2014, both the countries signed China-Russia East Route
natural gas pipeline deal of 400 billion US dollars, which will provide China
with 38 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually from 2018. - ·
Both the countries agreed to support cooperation in high-speed rail,
high technology, aero-space and finance sectors. The discussion between the two
countries also included new cooperation projects of nuclear and hydropower.
15. 25th anniversary of Fall of Berlin Wall
celebrated in Germany
celebrated in Germany
- ·
Germany on 9 November 2014 celebrated the 25th anniversary of fall of
the Berlin Wall. The celebrations were attended by German Chancellor Angela
Merkel. - ·
On the occasion, white balloons marking a stretch of the wall were
released to symbolize the disappearance of the wall. - ·
The fall of the Berlin Wall on 9 November 1989 was the most significant
event in recent German history and the wall. - ·
The Berlin Wall was built in 1961 by the German Democratic Republic
(GDR, East Germany) to stop people fleeing from East Germany to the West. - ·
The wall was a symbol of division between the Eastern and Western
Germany and its fall in 1989 marked a powerful symbol of the end of the Cold
War. Within a year of its collapse, Germany divided after its defeat in World
War Two was reunited. - ·
The Berlin Wall stretched for 155 kilometers through Berlin of which
only 3 kilometer is in existence now also. The barrier included guard towers
placed along large concrete walls, which circumscribed a wide area (later known
as the death strip) that contained anti-vehicle trenches, fakir beds and other
defenses.
Sports
16. Virat Kohli became fastest cricketer to
reach 6000 ODI runs
reach 6000 ODI runs
- ·
Indian cricketer Virat Kohli on 9 November 2014 became the fastest
cricketer in the history to reach 6000 one-day international run mark. During
his 53-run knock in India’s third ODI against Sri Lanka, he overtook legendary
West Indian Vivian Richards’ record. - ·
While playing his 144th match and 136th innings, 26-year-old Indian
began the match 50 short of 6000 and reached the milestone with a single off
left-arm spinner Chaturanga de Silva in the 39th over at the Rajiv Gandhi
International Stadium at Uppal, Hyderabad. - ·
While playing his 144th match and 136th innings, 26-year-old Indian
began the match 50 short of 6000 and reached the milestone with a single off
left-arm spinner Chaturanga de Silva in the 39th over at the Rajiv Gandhi
International Stadium at Uppal, Hyderabad. - ·
Richards reached the milestone in 1989 by playing 141 innings in 156
matches. - ·
Kohli who made his ODI debut against Sri Lanka at Dambulla in August
2008, has reached the milestone with help of 20 centuries and 32
half-centuries. He is the eighth Indian to have scored 6000 or more runs and
47th overall.
17. Hockey India announced Hockey India
Annual Awards
Annual Awards
- ·
Hockey India on 10 November 2014 announced the Hockey India Annual
Awards wherein outstanding hockey players in the men’s and women’s categories
will be awarded the prize money of 25 lakh rupees each. - ·
Hockey India will identify and reward the most promising and potent
players from the current as well as upcoming teams. Moreover, the organization
decided to name the individual trophies after Hockey India president Dr
Narinder Batra’s son Dhruv who passed away recently. - ·
Each award will consist of a trophy, certificate and cash award.
18. India won four match Men’s Hockey Test
series against Australia
series against Australia
- ·
Indian Hockey team on 9 November 2014 won four match Men’s Hockey Test
series against Australia by 3-1. - ·
In the fourth and the final match of the series played at the Perth
Hockey Stadium, Australia, India defeated Australia by 3-1 margin. - ·
After losing the opening match 0-4, India emerged winners in the
remaining three games. All the matches were played at Perth. - ·
This is the first time that India defeated Australia in a bilateral
series. Prior to this series, the two countries have played five Test series in
past of which three were won by Australia and one ended in a draw. - ·
In this series, Indian men’s hockey team skipper Sardar Singh registered
a milestone as he completed his 200th international cap in the fourth and final
Test against world champions Australia.