Employment news 6 september 2013

Employment news 6 september 2013 , Gk Gs Ga 6 September 2013

Nawaz Sharif brothers to pay for their security

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his brother, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif have decided to shell out 140 million (approximately Rs. 90 million) for a security wall around their family estate in Raiwind.

Both have been facing some flak for extensive deployment of security cover. Spokesperson for the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Asim Khan Nyazee said the estate also functioned as a camp office and the practice hd been that the government provided security for the Prime Minister.

However, the decision to pay for the security wall was taken so as not to put a burden on the finances of the state, Mr. Nyazee said. 

Rahul Dravid is brand ambassador for Tobacco control campaign

The Union Health Ministry today announced former Indian cricket team captain Rahul Dravid as brand ambassador for its National Tobacco Control Campaign.

India has been committed towards strengthening its national tobacco control efforts as well as contribute towards tobacco control, additional secretary MoHFW, C K Mishra said while making the announcement today.

 It is only through collective resolve of governments, world leaders, development partners and civil society, we can save lives, protect and preserve the health of future generations from harmful effects of tobacco use.

With World Health Assembly adopting a target of 30 per cent relative reduction in tobacco use by 2025, the global narrative on tobacco control is increasingly exploring the concept of ‘tobacco endgame’, aimed at reducing tobacco availability to minimal levels.

Samsung to launch 2 ultra-high definition TVs in India this month

Samsung today unveiled seven new products across verticals, including two models of ultra high definition, that are expected to be launched in Indian market this month at prices of Rs 3.25 lakh and Rs 4.40 lakh, respectively.

UHD TV would give views an unique TV watching experience and sharper image quality. 

With just one Connect Box it would also give customers a relief from hassles of cable wires

company announced the launch of 55 inch OLED TV which had been made available in the European markets at a price of 8,000 euro.

ICICI Bank takes banking to remote areas with ‘Branch on Wheels’

ICICI Bank, the country’s largest private sector bank, launched its ‘Branch on Wheels’ to offer basic banking services in remote areas which have so far been devoid of banking facilities.

The mobile branch, which also has an ATM, will offer basic banking products and services such as savings accounts, loans, cash deposit/withdrawal, account balance enquiries, statement printing and funds transfer/DD/PO collection, among others, the bank said in a statement.

The mobile branch will be operated at a specific time in pre-identified, unbanked villages through a van that will be stationed at specified locations.

The truck will be equipped with a GPS tracking system, laptops with 3G connections, LED TV, a safe, a printer, public announcement system, a UV lamp to detect forged cheques, a note counting-cum-authentication machine that would identify fake currency notes and a low weight ATM. Two ICICI Bank officials and a guard would manage the mobile branch with ATM.

ICICI Bank has launched 308 Gramin (rural) branches across the country and plans to scale this up to 500 this fiscal, said Rajiv Sabharwal, Executive Director.

Indian writer Sushmita Banerjee shot dead 

Indian national Sushmita Banerjee, whose memoir about her dramatic escape from the Taliban was turned into a Bollywood film, was shot dead in Afghanistan by militants, police said today. 

Banerjee, 49, was killed outside her home in Paktika province. She was married to Afghan businessman Jaanbaz Khan and recently moved back to Afghanistan to live with him. 

Banerjee’s book Kabuliwalar Bangali Bou (A Kabuliwala’s Bengali Wife), about her escape from the Taliban in 1995, became a bestseller in India and was made into the Bollywood film “Escape From Taliban” in 2003. 

The film based on the book starred actor Manisha Koirala and was billed as a “story of a woman who dares (the) Taliban”. 

IRDA may allow savings-linked health plans

You may soon be able to build a savings corpus in your health insurance plan. 

To enhance the reach of health insurance as well as provide wider product choice to policyholders, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) is considering a proposal to allow general insurers to launch savings-linked health insurance products.

Some general insurance have already approached the regulator to allow them to launch these products, whereby a part of the premium paid will be used to build a savings kitty. 

However, such health-plus-life products have not really taken off as insurance companies have not been able to get their actuarial departments to address the issue of plan period — health insurance contracts are usually for a year, while term plans are long term.

Currently, savings-linked plans are only offered by life insurance companies in India.

The proposed plan is expected to help policyholders choose an integrated product without shopping around the market for building a savings corpus along with health insurance

Air India joins other airlines in raising fares

Air India today joined other airlines in raising its fares with its officials saying these were being increased to the levels two-three months ago.

Air India and some other airlines had announced special fares in June, which were 10-15 per cent lower, to attract more passengers.

Air India's move came a day after Jet Airways and no-frill carrier SpiceJet hiked fares by a steep 25 and 30 per cent respectively to mitigate the impact of the sharp fall in the rupee value and the almost seven per cent rise in oil prices.

International oil prices have been trading between USD 105 and USD 115 a barrel since the past few months and following the Syrian crisis, has seen more upward spurt. 

Jet fuel prices were hiked by a steep 6.9 per cent, taking the rate to Rs 75,031 per kilolitre (KL) from September 1.

Book: Ahmev Radha, Ahmev Krishnah by Gulab Kothari released

The Vice President of India M. Hamid Ansari released the book titled Ahmev Radha, Ahmev Krishnah at New Delhi on 4 September 2013.

The book is written by Gulab Kothari, Chief Editor of Hindi newspaper Rajasthan Patrika. Ahmev Radha, Ahmev Krishnah is the collection of poems in Sanskrit language.

Bhartiya Gyanpith has also honoured this book with the prestigious Moortidevi Prize.

At the release function, the Vice President of India called people of India to stay in connection with the cultural roots for the purpose of overall development.

BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) group on Thursday made progress in the creation of a $100-billion Currency Reserve Fund (CRF) by announcing individual contribution. 

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the development was significant as it came at a time when emerging market currencies were very vulnerable in recent months on account of global factors like withdrawal of the easy money policy by the U.S., whose economy had shown signs of recovery.

In fact, the BRICS leaders also expressed concern at the stalling of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) reform process. They recalled the urgent need to complete the next IMF quota review by January next to “ensure the Fund’s credibility, legitimacy and effectiveness.”

China will contribute $41 billion, while Brazil, Russia and India will chip in with $18 billion each. South Africa, the smallest economy, will commit only $5 billion to the CRF.