Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association all-women post offices

Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association
Secretary to the Govt. of India , United Nations peacekeeping force

V.K.Gupta has taken over as new Member Engineering, Railway Board & Ex-official Secretary to the Govt. of India.  

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appointed the first woman to command a United Nations peacekeeping force a Norwegian general who has served in Lebanon, the first Gulf War, Bosnia and Afghanistan.
The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting will be participating at the 67th Annual Cannes Film Festival scheduled to be held from 14th May to 25th May 2014.

Two all-women post offices have been opened in Nagaland.

Sony Music Entertainment bought 26 per cent stake in Infibeam Digital Entertainment (P) Ltd (INDENT) for an undisclosed sum.

Around 5,000 Hindus migrate from Pakistan to India every year, a Pakistan Hindu Council (PHC) said.

A report by UN experts says Iran's purchases for its banned nuclear and missile programs have slowed over the last six to nine months which could be the result of the changed political climate under President Hassan Rouhani or its use of new clandestine methods.

Simply amazed by the quality and scale of startup companies being launched in India in the last few years, top Silicon Valley experts have said that next decade is going to be "golden era" of Indian entrepreneurship.

Union Minister Farooq Abdullah has been elected as the president of Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association amidst walkout by some 'disgruntled' members of the body.

DAILY GK UPDATE 13 MAY 2013

i. Pakistan's incoming prime minister Nawaz Sharif said on Monday that he would be "very happy" to invite India's Manmohan Singh to his swearing-in ceremony. "I will be very happy to extend that invitation.

ii. "I had a call from him yesterday. We had a long chat on the phone and then he extended an invitation to me and I extended an invitation to him.

iii. "We will be very happy to invite him, whether he will come or not is a different issue but I hope that he will visit Pakistan soon," Sharif added at the family's sprawling estate, just outside the eastern city of Lahore

iv. India's premier on Sunday congratulated Sharif on his victory in Pakistan's landmark elections on Saturday and expressed the hope for better relations.

v. Manmohan Singh said he hoped to work with Sharif to chart "a new course" between the countries and invited him to "visit India at a mutually convenient time".

vi. Relations between the two countries have been fractious in recent weeks, with both sides protesting at the deaths of prisoners held by the other's government.

 Retail Inflation declined to 9.39 Percent in April 2013

i. Retail inflation declined to 9.39 per cent in April because of reduction in prices of vegetables, edible oil and protein-based items as per the data released on 13 May 2013.

ii. Retail inflation which is based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) stood at 10.39 per cent in March 2013.

iii. The prices in the vegetables basket reduced to 5.43 per cent in April 2013 from 12.16 per cent in March 2013. Inflation in egg, meat and fish was registered at 13.60 per cent during April 2013. 

iv. In oils and fats segment, inflation stood at 7.52 per cent.

v. Among all the constituents that constitute the CPI, cereals saw the highest inflation of 16.65 per cent in April 2013.

vi. In urban areas, retail inflation fell to 9.73 per cent in April 2013 from 10.38 per cent in March 2013. The CPI for rural population declined to 9.16 per cent during April 2013 from 10.33 per cent in March 2013.

K.Siddaramaiah sworn-in as K'taka CM

i. K. Siddaramaiah, who led the Congress party to victory in the Assembly elections in Karnataka was sworn in as the 22nd Chief Minister on Monday.

ii. He was sworn in by Governor H R Bhardwaj at a ceremony at Sri Kanteerava Stadium inBangalore.

iii. Siddaramaiah was elected as the leader of Congress Legislature Party, at the meeting of the newly elected MLAs in Bangalore on Friday

RBI gears up for plastic notes as 20% paper bills get soiled

i. As the Reserve Bank gears up for a trial of plastic currency notes, it has to dispose of soiled paper currency bills worth an estimated amount of over Rs two lakh crore a year.

ii. On an average, one out of five paper notes in circulation (over 20 percent) gets disposed of every year after getting soiled and the number of such soiled currency bills stood at over 13 billion units during the fiscal ended 31st March 2012, as per the latest data available with RBI.

iii. The figures are not yet available for the last fiscal 2012-13, but the number of soiled currency notes has remained above 13 billion for at least three financial years.

iv. As per the RBI data, the total value of all currency notes in circulation stood at over Rs 10.5 lakh crore at the end of financial year 2011-12.

v. However, soiled notes valued at an estimated amount of Rs 2.05 lakh crore had to be moved out of circulation by RBI during that fiscal.

vi. RBI Governor D Subbarao had said that the central bank is trying to introduce plastic currency, as they have longer shelf life.

vii. In India, the RBI is planning to introduce one billion pieces of Rs 10 notes in polymer or plastic on a trial basis in Kochi, Mysore, Jaipur, Bhubaneswar and Shimla, although a timeline is yet to be decided.

RBI’s projected 5.7% GDP growth for 2013-14

i. The RBI’s has projected a GDP growth for 2013-14 at 5.7% as against finance ministry’s projection of 6.1%- 6.7%. 

ii. Indian economy grew by 5% in 2012-2013 on account of poor performance of manufacturing, agriculture and services sector. 

iii. RBI’s current assessment is that economic activity will remain subdued and will only show a modest pick-up in second half of 2013-14, subject to appropriate conditions in the later part of year.

 NABARD inaugurated first Farmers’Club in kargil

Kargil got its first Farmers’Club, as NABARD inaugurated Trespone Farmer’s Club at Trespone TSG Block in the district.

Farmers’ Club (FCs)

i. Farmers’ Clubs (FCs) are grassroot level informal forums of farmers.

ii. Such Clubs are organized by rural branches of banks with the support and financial assistance of NABARD for the mutual benefit of the banks concerned and the village farming community/rural people.

iii. With the enhancement of the programme, other agencies like NGO, VAs, KVKs, SAUs etc. are also now included as agencies included in the formation and promotions of FCs.

The Farmers’ Clubs programme which was earlier known as “Vikas Volunteer Vahini (VVV) Programme” was launched by NABARD in 1982.

ii. The programme was directed towards development in rural areas through credit, technology transfer, awareness and capacity building.

iii. The “VVV Programme” was renamed as “Farmers’ Club Programme” in 2005 by revisiting its earlier mission.