Employment News Today 10 August 2013

Employment News Today 10 August 2013

US granted sale of 145 Howitzers

US has decided to sell India 145 state-of-the-art 155mm towed Howitzers to India worth about $885 million to improve the security.

Indian Government has requested a sale of 145 M777 155mm lightweight towed Howitzers with laser inertial artillery pointing systems, warranty, spare and repair parts, maintenance, and training equipment, the Department of Defense said in a notification.

the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said--India intends to use the Howitzers to modernise its armed forces and enhance its ability to operate in hazardous conditions.

Implementation of this sale will require annual trips to India involving up to 8 US Government and contractor representatives for technical reviews /support, training, and incountry trials for aperiod of two years.

ABOUT Howitzers

M777 155mm Light-Weight Towed Howitzers made its debut in the war in Afghanistan. In addition to the US Army, it is also used by the Australian and Canadian armies. Saudi Arabia has also ordered for M777 Howitzers. 

71st anniversary of the Quit India Movement

August 9 is the 71st anniversary of the Quit India Movement, which Mahatma Gandhi called the biggest struggle of his life.

In August 1942, Gandhiji launched the Quit India Movement (“Bharat Chhodo Andolan”).

The Quit India Movement was India's final nationwide campaign for independence.

Gandhiji’s slogan of ‘Do or Die’ (‘Karo ya Maro’) inspired the nation. Every man, women and child began dreaming of a free India.

There were hartals and demonstrations all over the country. The people attacked all symbols of the British government such as railway stations, law courts and police stations. Railway lines were damaged and telegraph lines were cut.

Even old men and children were shot dead while taking part in processions. Protestors were arrested and tortured and their homes raided and destroyed. By December 1942, over sixty thousand people had been jailed.

President Pranab Mukherjee will host a reception and felicitate freedom fighters here on Friday on the occasion of the 71st anniversary of the Quit India Movement. 121 freedom fighters from across the country would be felicitated at the 'At Home' to be held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Aadhaar not mandatory to avail govt services

Aadhaar card is not a must for availing services like opening bank accounts, admission in school and obtaining passport, Parliament was informed

However, according to the Minister, the consumers would be required to seed their Aadhaar number with their bank account to avail subsidy on domestic cooking gas (LPG) after three months from the launch of Direct Benefit Transfer (for LPG) in their area.

The government has launched the DBT for LPG consumers in 20 districts in the country. 

There are plans to launch the DBT in other parts of the country.

Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), implementing Aadhaar project, has plans to increase the number of these centres to about 2,000 in 18 states and union territories by March 2014.

68th anniversary of atomic bombing in Nagasaki

Nagasaki’s mayor criticized Japan’s government for a lack of effort on international nuclear disarmament as the country marked the 68th anniversary on Friday of the atomic bombing on the city.

The two atomic bombs the U.S. dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 prompted Japan’s surrender in World War II. The Hiroshima blast killed 140,000 people, and another 70,000 died in Nagasaki.

Hiroshima held an observance of the first bombing on Tuesday. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told a crowd of about 50,000 that Japan has a unique responsibility to push for the end of nuclear weapons.

Nagasaki Mayor Tomihisa Taue criticized the Japanese government at a ceremony Friday for refusing to sign a statement rejecting the use of nuclear weapons. 

Despite the public’s safety concerns about nuclear energy since the Fukushima crisis, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been aggressively pushing to export nuclear plants and technology to emerging countries, including Turkey and Vietnam, and trying to step up cooperation with France and India.

Nokia announces pre-bookings for Lumia 925 on online sites

Nokia today announced pre-bookings for its Lumia 925 on leading e-commerce sites.

is also offering an EMI scheme of three and six months respectively and free Blaupunktbluetooth headset.

General

2G Network-- GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - all versions

3G Network-- HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 - RM-892

  HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100 

Data  GPRS -- Class B

EDGE  --Up to 236.8 kbps

Speed  --HSDPA, 42.2 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps; LTE, Cat3, 50 Mbps UL, 100 Mbps DL

WLAN  --Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot

Bluetooth -- Yes, v3.0 with A2DP

NFC  --Yes

USB -- Yes, microUSB v2.0

Camera  ---Primary 8 MP, 3264 x 2448 pixels, Carl Zeiss optics, optical image stabilization, autofocus, dual.

Nokia had launched this latest smartphone in its Lumia series in London in May. 

The phone is available in Europe for around £400.

RBI to sell Rs 22,000 crore bonds every Monday to check Rupee slide

This measure is a part of a continuing effort to arrest the slide in the rupee, which hit a record intra-day low of Rs 61.80 against the dollar on Tuesday.

Over the last two months, the RBI has instituted several measures to contain the volatility in the foreign exchange market," the central bank said in a statement.

On a review of the impact of these measures and for effective liquidity management, it has been decided that the RBI will auction Government of India Cash Management Bills for a notified amount of Rs 22,000 crore once every week on Mondays.

The duration of the auction will be announced one day prior to the date of auction, it added.

The rupee on Thursday recovered from an all-time closing low, adding 42 paise to end at 60.88 against the dollar.

On 15th July, the Reserve Bank put in place measures to restore stability in the foreign exchange market, including raising the Marginal Standing Facility and bank rates to 10.25 per cent and restricting access by way of repo window to Rs 75,000 crore.

On 22nd July, the RBI rationalised gold imports by making it mandatory on all nominated banks to ensure that at least one-fifth of the imported metal is exclusively made available for exports.

A day later, the RBI directed banks to draw only 50 per cent of their total deposits in overnight borrowings and maintain a 99 per cent average cash reserve ratio every day.

Irda allows banks to act as insurance brokers

Insurance regulator Irda has allowed banks to act as brokers and sell products of more than one insurer so as to increase the penetration of the sector across the country.

While RBI approval is required for banks to become brokers, Irda is of the opinion that any in case of any dispute arising out of insurance transactions, its jurisdiction should prevail. 

It added that the laws applicable to insurance contracts shall be enforced and information in this regard shall be furnished to the RBI.

There is no capital requirement for insurance broking business carried out by banks, according to Irda .

The licence, once issued, will be valid for three years from the date of issue, it said, adding that the renewal of licence can be applied 30 days before expiry of licence.

Every insurance broker will, before the commencement of the business, deposit and keep deposits with any scheduled bank as sum of Rs 50 lakh

For bank brokers---

Not more than 25 per cent of insurance handled by the insurance broker in any financial year is placed with the insurance company within the promoter group, separately for life and general insurance business