Bank GKCA Update

1st to 30th Sep

Starred Articles
01 Indo-Japan ties: Modi, Abe sign key agreements on bullet trains, Varanasi
Sep revamp
World > Indo-Japan Ties
Japan and India signed five major agreements during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Japan. A deal on
bringing Japan's high speed bullet trains to India signed between the 'two most important democracies of the
world' remained one of the highlights. Japan promised $33.8 billion assistance to India for the next five years
towards funding next generation infrastructure projects, smart cities, rejuvenation of the river Ganga and
introduction of bullet trains. Total five deals signed between India and Japan. These include health, clean
energy, women development and roads, other than the Kyoto-Varanasi agreement.
The two nations also decided to "upgrade" and "strengthen" their defence cooperation as they asked officials
to launch consultations to promote military equipment collaboration and accelerate discussions on modalities
for the sale of Japanese US-2 amphibian aircraft.

01 Asias first ballistic research centre to be set up in Gandhinagar Gujarat

Sep India > Ballistic Research Centre

Asias first ballistic research centre will be set up at Gujarat Forensic Science University (GFSU) in Gandhinagar,
Gujarat. With this India will achieve self-reliance in testing of armoured vehicles. Till now, the armoured
vehicles from India are sent to countries like the UK, USA and France for testing. The FSL in Gujarat was so far
able to conduct testing of only bulletproof jackets, helmets and bulletproof plates. The Ballistic Research
Centre will conduct tests for armoured vehicles of the Indian Army and also provide services to private players
who supply vehicles to the VIPs.

03 Justice HL Dattu to be next Chief Justice of India

Sep Politics and Government > CJI

Justice Handyala Lakshminarayanaswamy Dattu is likely to be the next Chief Justice of India. Justice Dattu will
replace CJI RM Lodha who will retire on the 27th of September. Dattu is currently a judge in the Supreme
Court. Justice Dattu will take office as the CJI at a time when the BJP government has brought in the National
Judicial Appointments Commission Bill which has scrapped the collegium system of appointing judges.
Justice Dattu also served as Chief Justice of Chhattisgarh high court for a few months in 2007 before he was
transferred to Kerala HC. After two CJIs retiring in one year, Justice Dattu's will be a relatively extended tenure.

06 India, Australia sign civilian nuclear energy deal

Sep World > India, Australia nuclear energy deal

To address Indias growing need for power, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government under Prime
Minister Narendra Modi signed a civil nuclear agreement with Australia. The deal, signed in the presence of
Modi and Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, officially marked an end to the ban imposed by Australia on
selling uranium to India. The ban was lifted in 2012, when talks for the nuclear deal began.
Both sides also signed a parallel nuclear safeguards agreement, as India isnt a signatory to the Nuclear NonProliferation Treaty. This was also the case when India had signed a civil nuclear deal with Canada.
Australia has about 40 per cent of global uranium reserves, of which it exports about 20 per cent, making it
one of the largest exporters of the commodity. It doesnt have any nuclear power plants of its own.
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Under the nuclear power generation programme, India hopes to increase its nuclear capacity to 63,000 Mw by
2032 by adding about 30 reactors, at an estimated cost of $85 billion.

09 India Signs FTA in Services, Investments with ASEAN

Sep India > Free Trade Agreement

India has signed the free trade agreement (FTA) in services and investments with the 10-member Association
of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), two years after the discussions on the pact concluded. The agreement will
ease the movement of professionals and increase investment with the 10 nations in the bloc for IT and other
professional sectors. India had implemented FTA in goods with 10-member ASEAN in 2011.
Some of the important Articles contained in the agreement are ones on transparency, domestic regulations,
recognition, market access, national treatment, increasing participation of developing countries, joint
committee on services, review, dispute settlement and denial of benefits.
ASEAN members include Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines, Brunei,
Cambodia and Laos. Philippines, which did not sign the deal is expected to do so once it completes domestic
procedures.

10 RBI sets 70 years as upper age limit for MD, CEO of pvt banks
Sep Bank Specific > RBI Guidelines

The Reserve Bank of India has decided to fix the maximum age for Managing Directors and Chief Executive
Officers in private sector banks at 70.
RBI, in the light of the provisions of the Companies Act, 2013, said that the upper age limit for Managing
Director & Chief Executive Officer (MD & CEO) and other Whole Time Directors (WTDs) of banks in the private
sector should be 70 years. Within the overall limit of 70 years, individual banks boards are free to prescribe a
lower retirement age for WTDs, including MD & CEO, as an internal policy.

12 SC clears 3% reservation for disabled in jobs, promotions

and Government > Reservations in Govt Jobs
Sep Politics
The Supreme Court has ruled in favour of three per cent reservation for differently-abled candidates in civil
services, not only at the stage of their appointments but also for departmental promotions. Giving a levelplaying field to more than four crore people with disabilities in India, the apex court held that the Centre,
states and Union Territories were obligated to implement the rules of reservation for this class in the matters
of appointment, selection, direct recruitment, deputation and also for promotions. It asked the Centre to show
a big heart and give the differently-abled people their due in all central and state government jobs.
A bench led by Chief Justice of India R M Lodha reiterated its earlier verdict that the principle of not exceeding
50 per cent reservation would not be applicable while granting quota for differently-abled people.
The three per cent reservation, as clarified by the apex court in its last years judgment, is to the extent of one
per cent each for the blind, hearing and speech impaired, and persons suffering from locomotor disability or
cerebral palsy.

15 India inks seven agreements with Vietnam, including one in oil cooperation
> India - Vietnam
Sep World
India and Vietnam inked seven pacts, including one to enhance cooperation in the strategic oil sector, as they
called for freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, a remark which could irk China which has been
claiming territorial sovereignty over the high seas.
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Oil and Gas
A Letter of Intent (LoI) was signed between ONGC Videsh Limited, India and Vietnam Oil and Gas Group, in
which PetroVietnam offered new blocks to OVL for oil and gas exploration and production. OVL is keen to
expand its presence in Vietnam and is evaluating the blocks on offer.
Defence Equipment
India and Vietnam also signed an MoU on extension of USD 100 million Line of Credit to Hanoi for defence
procurement, which provides concessional line of credit for procurement of defence equipment from India.
Custom Matters
Both the countries also signed an agreement on cooperation and mutual assistance in customs matters. The
agreement aims to strengthen, promote and develop cooperation and mutual assistance on matters pertaining
to customs between India and Vietnam.
Agriculture
An MoU was also signed between the Ministry of Agriculture of India and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural
Development of Vietnam in the field of animal health, which establishes cooperation between India and
Vietnam in the field of animal health, including protecting territory of each other from introduction of animal
diseases and infection caused by the trade of animals, products of animal origin and materials of animal
reproduction.
Fisheries
The fifth MoU was signed between National Fisheries Development Board, Hyderabad, Department of Animal
Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture of India and the Directorate of Fisheries, Ministry of
Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam on cooperation in the field of setting up of pangasius breeding
and farming in India.
Youth Affairs
India and Vietnam also signed an MoU between the Ministry of Skill Development, Entrepreneurship, Youth
Affairs and Sports of India and the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union of Vietnam
on cooperation in youth affairs.
Airlines
An MoU between Jet Airways (India) and Vietnam Airlines Company Limited has also been signed, which will
enhance their presence in each other's markets. The scope of the MoU involves code sharing on services of
each other.

16 Government approves National Ayush Mission

Sep Politics and Government > National Ayush Mission

To address gaps in health services in vulnerable and far-flung areas of the country, the government has
approved the National Ayush Mission. Through the Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and
Homoeopathy (Ayush) mission, the Centre seeks to address gaps in health services by supporting the efforts of
state governments for providing Ayush health services and education in the country.
The mission will also help provide sustained availability of quality raw material for Ayush systems of medicine
and improve availability of quality drugs through increase in number of pharmacies and drug laboratories.

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17 Leonardo DiCaprio appointed as UN Messenger of Peace

Sep World > Leonardo DiCaprio

With a special focus on climate change, Academy Award-nominated actor and environmental activist Leonardo
DiCaprio has been designated the United Nations Messenger of Peace by UN chief Ban Ki-moon. His new role
as Messenger of Peace will be to address the opening of the Climate Change Summit on September 23 in New
York that has been convened by the Secretary General. The day-long Summit will see participation from about
120 heads of state and governments as well as leaders from government, business, finance and civil society to
promote climate action for a healthy planet, sustainable economic growth and better standards of living for all.
In 1998, DiCaprio established the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation with the mission of protecting the Earths
last wild places and implementing solutions to build a more harmonious relationship between humanity and
the natural world. DiCaprio will join 11 other United Nations Messengers of Peace and one Goodwill
Ambassador who advocate on behalf of the United Nations on a variety of priority issues for the Organisation.
Messengers of Peace are individuals who possess widely recognised talents in the fields of art, film, literature,
music and sports, helping to raise worldwide awareness of the Organisations ideals and activities.

18 India, China sign 16 MoUs during Xi Jinping's visit

Sep World > India - China

India and China have signed 16 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs), including one on enhancing
cooperation in railways and customs.
The MoUs were signed after delegation-level talks between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister
Narendra Modi.
The first MoU was signed between External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Chinese counterpart Wang
Yi on opening a new route for Indian Pilgrimage (Kailash Mansarovar Yatra) to the Tibet Autonomous Region of
the People's Republic of China.
Three MoUs were signed for strength cooperation in railways.
The fourth MoU was signed between Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman and
China's Commerce Minister Gao Hucheng over the five year Trade and Economic Development Plan.
The fifth MoU called the agreed Minutes of the Tenth Session of India-China Joint Economic Group was also
signed between Nirmala Sitharaman and Gao Hucheng.
India and China also entered into an agreement on Audio-Visual Co-production. The agreement would enable
the producers from both countries to get an opportunity to pool their creative, artistic, technical, financial and
marketing resources to co-produce films. It would hold Indian audio-visual products to gain greater market
access.
The other MoUs included the Sister City Pact between Ahmedabad and Guangzhou and Mumbai and Shanghai,
industrial parks in Maharashtra, drug administration and cooperation etc.

21 TCS becomes top women employer in India

Sep Corporate > TCS

The number of female employees at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has crossed the one-lakh mark, making it
the country's biggest employer of women in the private sector. Women now comprise one-third of its 3.06
lakh workforce. This makes TCS, also the most valued company in India, one of the top employers of women in
the technology sector globally. The top slot is held by IBM, which has an estimated 1.3 lakh women out of a
workforce of 4.31 lakh.

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24 Mars Mission: India creates history as Mangalyaan successfully enters Mars

orbit in first attempt
Sep India > Mars Mission
Creating history, ISRO's Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) successfully entered the orbit of the red planet. India
joins the United States, Russia and Europe in successfully sending probes to orbit or land on Mars. Apart from
India, none managed to succeed on their first attempt.
The mission also makes India the first country in Asia to reach Mars, after an attempt by regional rival China
failed to leave Earth's orbit in 2011. ISRO's MOM is also the cheapest such mission till now. The Mars Orbiter
Mission was achieved on a budget of $74 million, nearly a tenth of the amount the U.S. space agency NASA
spent on sending the Maven spacecraft to Mars.

26 SBI signs $500 million line of credit with Korea Eximbank

Sep Corporate > SBI

State Bank of India (SBI) has signed a line of credit (LoC) of $500 million with Export-Import Bank of Korea
(Korea Eximbank). This line will be in addition to (LoC) of $200 million signed between the two institutions on
January 16, 2014 to support Indian companies importing goods and services from Korea. The LoC can be
utilised to finance SBI's clients in India and its neighbouring countries having business relationships either by
way of equity participation or regular trade with Korean companies globally, as well as joint ventures or
subsidiaries of Korean companies.

30 Google inks pact with Andhra Pradesh for state's IT vision

Sep Corporate > Google

Google India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Andhra Pradesh government to support AP
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu's vision of transforming the state of Andhra Pradesh to 'Digital AP'. Under
the pact, Google India would work with the AP government to get women as well as small and medium
business online and help them gain from the internet economy. The highlights of the MoU include helping AP
government make their websites mobile-ready and accessible in the local language, promoting internet safety
amongst children and government officials, improving and getting more local language content online and
collaborating with the AP government to scale initiatives to promote digital literacy amongst women and
helping small medium businesses in AP to gain from the Internet economy and going digital.
The MoU was signed by Google India Vice-President and Managing Director Rajan Anandan and AP secretary
Sanjay Jaju in the presence of AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.

Awards
24 India rolls Liars Dice for the Oscars
Sep Oscars
Hindi road drama Liars Dice will be Indias nomination for the Best Foreign Film at the Academy Awards,
better known as the Oscars, which will be given away in Los Angeles in 2015.
The movie, directed by Kerala State award-winner Geetu Mohandas, stars national award winners Geetanjali
Thapa and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Set along the Himachal-Tibet border, the movie deals with distress migration.

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Bank Specific
03 NetApp to partner with NABARD for data and disaster recovery centres in
banks
Sep cooperative
NetApp-NABARD
Data storage solutions firm NetApp has entered into a partnership with National Bank of Agriculture and Rural
Development (NABARD) for data and disaster recovery centres to help cooperative banks move on to core
banking solution (CBS) platform. This is a major shift from a manual or partially computerized standalone
environment in which the banks had been operating previously. With CBS, banks will be able to increase
financial inclusion with the help of cost effective and efficient technology. The move will also enable the
government to transfer subsidy and other payments to account holders based on their Aadhaar numbers. Of
the 201 banks with 6,818 branches under the Nabard Project, 199 banks and 6,795 branches are fully on CBS
as on March 31, 2014. Another 87 branches opened in these banks during the process of implementation, have
also been put on CBS. TCS and Wipro are implementing the project.

08 State Bank of India and MasterCard launch multi-currency travel card

Bank of India
Sep State
State Bank of India and MasterCard have announced the launch of a multi- currency foreign travel card that
will be available through 100 selected branches of State Bank in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Bangalore Circles.
The card is available in both retail and corporate variants and will allow the consumers to pay conveniently in
multiple currencies. It will initially be available in four currenciesUSD, GBP, Euro and SGD and eventually be
made available in all major currencies. It's a prepaid and reloadable card with 24/7 access to balance and
transaction history online or via the dedicated customer service centre. Cardholders can gain free access to
exclusive benefits and offers around the world including cash delivery, medical and lawyer assistance services.

Corporate
01 SBI signs $152 million export line of credit with Japan Bank of International
Cooperation (JBIC)
Sep SBI
State Bank of India (SBI) has signed a loan agreement with the Japan Bank of International Cooperation (JBIC)
to set up an export credit line in two currencies worth USD 152 million. The agreement was signed by SBI
Chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya and JBIC Governor Hiroshi Watanabe in Tokyo, where Prime Minister
Narendra Modi is on a state visit.
The credit line will be utilised by Meja Urja Nigam to finance the procurement of steam turbine generators
from Japan's Toshiba Corp and its Indian subsidiary to construct a super critical pressure coal-fired power plant
in Meja, Uttar Pradesh.

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08 Aditya Birla Chemicals to acquire Jayshree Chemicals unit for Rs 212 crore
Birla
Sep Aditya
Aditya Birla Chemicals (India), a subsidiary of the $40 billion Aditya Birla Group, on Monday said it will acquire
the chlor-alkali division (CAD) of Jayshree Chemicals for a cash consideration of Rs 212 crore. Jayshree
Chemicals' chlor-alkali facility with a capacity of 50,000 tonnes is located at Ganjam, Odisha. It has around
1600 acres of salt works in Andhra Pradesh. Chlor-alkali is used extensively in aluminium and several other
industries. Jayshrees chlor-alkali manufacturing facility is situated in close proximity to several aluminium
manufacturing facilities, which provides significant growth opportunities.

10 Subhash Chandra Garg appointed as World Bank Executive Director

Sep World Bank

Senior IAS officer Subhash Chandra Garg has been appointed as Executive Director in World Bank. Garg, a
1983-batch IAS officer of Rajasthan cadre, will have a tenure of three years from the date of assuming charge
of the post.
The Executive Directors are responsible for the conduct of the general operations of the World Bank and
exercise all the powers delegated to them by the Boards of Governors. They also select a President who serves
as Chairman of the Boards. They are responsible for International Bank for Reconstruction and Development's
loans, guarantees and policies that impact the World Bank's general operations among others.
Garg is presently serving in Rajasthan. The ACC had last month approved the proposal for extension of tenure
of M N Prasad, a 1972 batch IAS officer of Bihar cadre (retired), as Executive Director, World Bank till October
31.

13 Banks plan to sell Electrotherm debt to ARCs to recover money

Sep Electrotherm

Bankers are looking to sell their exposures in Electrotherm Ltd., a steel, power and renewable energy company
headquartered in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, to Asset Reconstruction Companies (ARCs) in order to recover their
debt after failing to implement a corporate debt-restructuring package earlier this year. A 17-bank consortium
led by Bank of India and including State Bank of India (SBI), Bank of Baroda, UCO Bank, Vijaya Bank and State
Bank of Travancore (SBT) among others have an exposure of Rs. 3442 crore in the company. According to
Electromtherms FY14 annual report, Bank of Baroda has already sold its exposure to Edelweiss Asset
Reconstruction Company (EARC) on March 26. Electrotherms total debt stood at R3, 108 crore in FY14 and for
the three months to June, the company reported a R129.7 crore net loss on the back of R378.4 crore revenue.
A number of banks including UCO Bank, SBT and the Central Bank of India have declared the company and its
guarantors as willful defaulter.

14 TCS opens Saudi Arabia's first all-woman BPO centre

Sep TCS

India's largest software exporter TCS has opened Saudi Arabia's first all-female business process centre, which
will provide employment to up to 3,000 women in three years.
TCS, in a statement, said that Saudi Aramco and GE are the centre's first customers. The all-female employee
business process service centre, that was announced in September of 2013, will offer customers specialised
Finance & Accounting, HR, Materials Supply and Office services to improve their operational efficiency.
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20 RBI cancels licence of Ajmer Urban Cooperative Bank

Urban Cooperative Bank
Sep Ajmer
Following financial irregularities and heavy debts, The Reserve Bank has cancelled the licence of Ajmer Urban
Cooperative Bank. There are over 20,000 accounts with around Rs 85 crore in savings from the customers. It
has the arrangement of Rs 65 crore and is falling short of more than Rs 20 crore to pay to the account holders.
The RBI had restricted transition by the bank in 2011 after several financial irregularities came to light and gave
it time for recovery of loans.

22 Yahoo buys Bangalore based tech startup Bookpad

Sep Yahoo

Bangalore-based Bookpad has become the first Indian tech startup to be bought by Yahoo, going from creation
to acquisition in just one year. The deal comes some eight months after Facebook snapped up Bangalore's
Little Eye Labs. Yahoo, which is in line to reap about $9.5 billion (Rs 57,000 crore) from Alibaba's initial public
offering, has bought the firm in a deal worth around Rs 50 crore ($ 8.3 million).
In January, Bangalore-based Little Eye Labs became the first Indian firm to be bought by Facebook.

24 Microsoft to train 1 million women under tech initiative

Sep Microsoft

Microsoft, under its initiative to bring more women into the Indian IT industry, along with partners will train
and mentor 1 million women in the next 12 months. Microsofts 'Women in Tech' initiative aims to double the
number of women IT professionals in India from the present one million in the next few years. The initiative
will include girl school students, young women students in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths)
colleges, women IT professionals and entrepreneurs.
Women in Tech is designed to help aspiring IT professionals, by associating with them from the time they are
in high school till they take up a IT job or start their own IT venture. Under the initiative, Microsoft will engage
with 750,000 women in STEM courses in the next 12 months and will also train 250,000 women IT
professionals.
Besides, the programme will look towards building local communities for girls and women to meet, network
and learn from each other by sharing ideas and learnings across the board.

25 Amul becomes fastest growing dairy organisation in world

Sep Amul

The Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), which markets the popular Amul brand of milk
and dairy products, is the fastest growing dairy organisation in the world and has risen to the 15th rank among
top global dairy companies in 2014.
As per a statement released by the GCMMF, Amul has been ranked 15th among the top dairy organisations of
the world by International Farm Comparison Network (IFCN), a global dairy knowledge organisation.
Amul was on the 20th spot on the IFCN list in 2012.
Amul (GCMMF) has been ranked the 15th largest dairy organisation in the world, both in terms of total milk
procurement and in terms of turnover per litre of milk procurement.

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26 Tata Steel wins Asian CSR leadership award

Sep Tata Steel

Bank GKCA Update

1st to 30th Sep

Sukinda Chromite Mine of Tata Steel in Odisha has bagged the Asian Corporate Social Responsibility Leadership
Award for Community Development. The award was presented by World CSR Congress at Dubai. Voluntarily,
several officers of Sukinda Chromite Mine have been sponsoring orphan tribal girls of nearby schools of
Sukinda.
Due to Improvement Activities done by employees in the work place, they receive prize money. Even that
they donate to the needy school kids for buying books and school uniform.

Economy
01 World Bank to provide US$ 107 million for second Mizoram State Road
project
Sep World Bank - Mizoram State Roads Project
The Government of India and the World Bank have signed a Credit Agreement for assistance of US$ 107 million
for the second Mizoram State Roads Project (MSRP II). The project is fully funded through the World Banks
International Development Agency (IDA). This project is the first project facilitating regional connectivity in
transport sector undertaken in India with bank support. The objective of the project is to enhance transport
connectivity along regional trade corridors in Mizoram. The project will focus on improvement of priority
cross-border roads connecting Bangladesh and Myanmar and of trade related infrastructure.

14 Government to modify IT act to simplify e-transactions and boost ecommerce

Sep E-commerce
In order to further boost the ever-expanding over USD 2 billion online shopping market in the country, the
government plans to modify the IT Act 2000 under the proposed Communications Convergence Bill to provide
legal recognition for transactions carried out using electronic data interchange and other means of electronic
communication. Besides, the government also aims to draft a set of globally acceptable guidelines to increase
the legal predictability for electronic commerce (e-commerce) and adopt the United Nations General
Assembly's (UNGA) recommended Model Law on Electronic Commerce (MLFC).

India
01 Revived Nalanda University begins first academic session
Sep Nalanda University

The revived Nalanda University has begun its first academic session from September 1, with 15 students,
including five women, and 10 faculty members. The ancient Nalanda University, established in the fifth century
during the Gupta dynasty was an internationally renowned centre of learning with scholars from across the
world. It stood till the 12th century, when it was razed by an invading Turkish army. The new university will
come up in Rajgir, 12 km from the site of the ancient University. Classes are now being held in a makeshift
campus. The formal inauguration is expected in mid-September. The fully-residential university, to be
completed by 2020, will eventually have seven schools, all for post-graduate and doctoral students, offering
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courses in science, philosophy and spirituality and social sciences. Over 1,000 students from 40 countries have
sought admission in Nalanda University. But only 15 students have been selected, including one each from
Japan and Bhutan and others from India. More students will be enrolled in September as the selection process
is still under way. The university is an initiative of the Indian government and the 18 East Asia Summit (EAS)
countries. China has committed $1 million for the project and a MoU on this was signed during Manmohan
Singh's visit to Beijing in November 2013. Singapore has pledged $5-6 million and Australia about $1 million
Australian dollars. The central government has sanctioned Rs 2,700 crore ($445 million) cost for the university,
to be spent over 10 years.

06 Unit 5 of RAPS becomes worlds 2nd longest running reactor

Sep Nuclear reactor

Indias nuclear power programme today reached a new milestone after Unit 5 of the Rajasthan Atomic Power
Station (RAPS) become the second longest running reactor in the world by being in operation for 765 days
continuously. The 220 MW Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR), in RAPS has been in uninterrupted
operation since August 2, 2012 and it has been operating at full power with a capacity factor of 105 percent.
The plant, commissioned in February 2010, has been running at the capacity of 98.5 percent and until now
generated 8,663 million units of electricity. Unit 7 of Canadas Pickering nuclear plant holds the world record of
running continuously for 894 days.

09 Arunachal Pradesh has highest proportion of hired workers amongst all

states
Sep Arunachal Pradesh
According to the 6th Economic Census Report 2013, Arunachal Pradesh has the highest proportion of hired
workers among all states including in sectors like education and health. The percentage of female hired
workers there is 30.3 per cent. The growth rate of establishments at all India level was 41.73 percent while the
growth rate of total number of persons employed over 5th Economic Census 2005 at all India level has been
recorded at 34.73 percent.

10 ISRO scientist becomes first Indian to visit stratosphere

Sep First Indian to Visit Stratosphere

TN Suresh Kumar, a senior ISRO scientist has become the first Indian to visit the stratosphere, the second layer
of the Earths atmosphere. Kumar, who is working with ISROs Master Control Facility in Hassan, on August 15,
2014 travelled to an altitude of 17,100 metres in a MIG-29 from Sokol Airbase near Nizhny Novgorod in Russia.
To achieve this feat, he paid a hefty fee of around Rs 15 lakh.

14 Hindi Diwas - President Pranab Mukherjee appeals for popularization of

Sep Hindi
Hindi Diwas
National Hindi Diwas is annually observed on September 14 in India to promote the 'Matra Bhasha'- the
mother tongue.
President Pranab Mukherjee appealed for the popularization of Hindi, saying it has a special place among all
the languages in India. Addressing a Hindi Diwas function, he said efforts should be made to use simple words
while transacting official business in the language.
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Mukherjee said he was pleased to know that the official language department, which organized the event, will
soon come out with a Hindi website for each central ministry and department. He said the websites must use
simple words and parlance while providing information on government programmes and projects. Mukherjee
said that through this initiative of using Hindi, the government can expand its reach among the people and
help them avail development programmes.
The President further said that the use of Hindi in Internet and mobile services has increased manifolds and
this would be helpful in providing efficient administration to the public.

29 O Panneerselvam sworn in as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu

SepTamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu Finance Minister O Panneerselvam was sworn in as the new chief minister of the state.
Panneerselvam, 63, the elected leader of the AIADMK legislature party, succeeds J Jayalalithaa, who was
sentenced to four years in prison for indulging in corruption.
Several AIADMK legislators were also sworn in as ministers. He became the chief minister of Tamil Nadu in
2001 in similar circumstances. He was also leader of the opposition when the AIADMK was voted out in 2006.

29 Syed Muazzem Ali is new Bangladesh envoy

Envoy
Sep Bangladesh
Retired diplomat and former Foreign Secretary, Syed Muazzem Ali, has been appointed the new Bangladesh
High Commissioner to India.
Mr. Ali will replace Tariq A. Karim, who has been in office for the past five years. He played a major role in
setting up the embassy of independent Bangladesh in the U.S. Mr. Ali served as the Bangladesh Ambassador to
Bhutan, Iran and France, and also worked at Bangladesh missions in Washington, Warsaw, New Delhi and
Jeddah in different capacities. He had retired as the Foreign Secretary in 2001.

Politics and Government

04 Government approves 7 percent hike in dearness allowance
Allowance
Sep Dearness
The central government has approved 7 per cent hike in dearness allowance (DA), taking it to 107 per cent of
basic pay. Around 30 lakh central employees and 50 lakh pensioners including dependents will be benefitted
by this. The increase is in accordance with the recommendations of the 6th Central Pay Commission.

11 Centre to set up Swachh Bharat Kosh to fund Swachh Bharat campaign

Sep Swachh Bharat Campaign

The central government has said it will set up a Swachh Bharat Kosh to fund the Swachh Bharat (Clean India)
campaign announced by PM Narendra Modi on August 15th. As part of this campaign, the Human Resource
Development (HRD) Ministry will anchor a Swachh Vidyalaya (Clean Schools) campaign. The HRD Ministry said
public sector units under 25 Ministries have pledged Rs. 400 crore for the campaign and private and public
sector companies would be encouraged to build toilet blocks in schools. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and
Bharti have already pledged Rs. 100 crore each towards this campaign. The government has prepared an
action plan to set up toilets in all government schools by 15th August, 2015. The Swachh Bharat Campaign is
part of a mission to make India a clean country by 2019, Mahatma Gandhis 150th birth anniversary.
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16 Krishan Kant Paul takes charge as Mizoram Governor

Sep Mizoram
Meghalaya Governor Krishan Kant Paul, who was appointed to take additional gubernatorial charge of
Mizoram and Manipur was sworn-in as the Governor of Mizoram on September 16. The swearing-in ceremony
was attended by Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla, his cabinet colleagues, legislators and top officials.

17 Le Yucheng is China's new ambassador to India

Sep China

China has appointed Le Yucheng as its ambassador to India, in a move coming a day ahead of President Xi
Jinping's maiden visit to the country. Le was earlier China's assistant minister of Foreign Affairs. Prior to his
arrival in New Delhi, he served as the China's ambassador to Kazakhstan.
The President appointed Le as the country's envoy, replacing Wei Wei.

19 Union I&B Ministry launched News SMS Service in 5 Indian languages

Sep Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry

Union Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry has launched free news SMS service of All India Radio (AIR)
in five Indian languages. The five languages are Hindi, Marathi, Sanskrit, Dogri and Nepali.
The SMS service is aimed at providing important news to the subscribers in their preferred language on their
mobile phones.

Sports
07 US Open 2014: The Champions
Sep Tennis

Sania Mirza clinched the mixed doubles crown at the US Open 2014 with her male partner Bruno Soares of
Brazil. The duo beat the pair of Abigail Spears (US) and Santiago Gonzalez (Mexico) by 6-1 2-6 11-9.
It was her 3rd mixed-doubles titles, after the two with Mahesh Bhupathi at the Australian Open in 2009 and
then at French Open in 2012.
Men's Singles
In the Men's Singles category, US Open witnessed a new unheralded champion. Croatias Marin Cilic
conquered his first grand slam having dashed the hope of Kei Nishikori - the first man from Asia (and Japan) to
reach a Gand Slam final - with an emphatic scoreline of 6-3, 6-3 and 6-3.
Women's Singles
Serena Williams defeated Caroline Wozniacki to bag her 3rd consecutive US Open crown. It's her sixth US Open
and 18th Grand Slam title overall.
Men's Doubles
Bob and Mike Bryan lifted their fifth US Open and 16th Grand Slam doubles title. It was also their 100th
tournament title overall. They defeated Spaniards Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez 6-3, 6-4.
Women's Doubles
Russian pair of Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina won their second Grand Slam women's doubles title
They disappointed the duo of Martina Hingis and Flavia Pennetta with a come-from-behind win.

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14 USA wins 2014 Basketball World Cup

Sep Basketball

The US retained their title as world basketball champions with a crushing 129-92 victory over Serbia in the final
held in Madrid's Palacio de Deportes. Kyrie Irving scored 26 points. He was named MVP for the tournament.
The All-Tournament Team was MVP Irving, Spain's Pau Gasol, Nicolas Batum of France, Serbia's Milos Teodosic
and American Kenneth Faried.

15 Indian HS Prannoy wins Indonesian Masters Grand Prix Gold title

Sep Badminton

Kerala badminton player HS Prannoy defeated Indonesian Firman Abdul Kholik in Palembang, Indonesia on
Sunday to win the Indonesian Masters Grand Prix Gold title. This is his first senior ranks title. Prannoy
dedicated the title to his coach Pullela Gopichand and his parents.

World
04 NATO summit 2014 held in Wales, UK
Sep NATO Summit 2014

North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) Summit 2014 was held in Wales, UK from 4 to 5 September 2014.
This was the first summit held in the United Kingdom since Margaret Thatcher welcomed NATO leaders to
London in 1990. More than 60 world leaders attended the NATO Summit. The Ukraine crisis and Afghanistan
were the top agendas for this years NATO summit.

08 World Literacy Day observed across the world

Sep World Literacy Day

World Literacy Day was observed across the world on 8 September 2014. The theme of International Literacy
Day 2014 is Literacy and Sustainable Development. The aim is to highlight the importance of literacy to
individual, communities and societies.
For over 40 years now, UNESCO has been celebrating International Literacy Day by reminding the international
community that literacy is a human right and the foundation of all learning. The importance of observing
International Literacy Day is the need to mobilize public opinion in favour of the struggle against illiteracy.
According to Human Development Report-2003-UNDP it is estimated that there are 879 million illiterate adults
in the world, of which two-third are women.

21 Afghanistan's Election Body Names Ghani New President-Elect

Sep Afghanistan

Ending months of vote-related tension, Afghanistan's election commission has named a new president after
the leading candidates signed a power-sharing deal that names one of them as the country's new chief
executive.
The commission named Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai as the winner and next president and noted that his one-time
rival, Abdullah Abdullah, will fill the newly created position of chief executive, a post akin to prime minister.
But it pointedly did not release final vote totals amid concerns that doing so could inflame tensions.

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22 Voreqe Bainimarama sworn in as Fiji's Prime Minister

Sep Fiji

Coup leader Voreqe Bainimarama has been sworn in as Fiji's new prime minister, five days after the South
Pacific nation held its first general election since 2006. With official results confirming Bainimarama had swept
the election with almost 60 percent of the vote, he was sworn in by President Epeli Nailatikau at a brief
ceremony in Suva's Government House.
The election extended full voting rights for the first time to ethnic Indians, who make up about 40 percent of
the 900,000 population and enthusiastically backed Bainimarama's move to put them on an equal footing with
indigenous Fijians.
Tensions between the two races have been the underlying cause of four coups in the island nation since 1987.

24 US jury finds Arab Bank liable for backing terrorism

Sep US

A federal jury found Jordan-based Arab Bank liable for knowingly supporting terrorism efforts connected to
two dozen attacks in the Middle East, the first time a bank has ever been held liable in a civil suit under a broad
antiterrorism statute. Arab Bank, a major Middle Eastern bank with $46 billion in assets, was accused of
knowingly supporting specific terrorist acts in and around Israel during the second Palestinian uprising of the
early 2000s. The plaintiffs in this case, about 300 victims of 24 terrorist attacks, said the acts had been carried
out by Hamas, and accused Arab Bank of supporting the organization by handling transfers and payments for
Hamas members.
The case focused on transactions Arab Bank handled during the second Palestinian uprising. The plaintiffs
accused Arab Bank of handling transactions for a number of well-known terrorists, and helping to route
transactions for a charity called the Saudi Committee. That charity, the plaintiffs argued, sent payments to the
families of Hamas suicide bombers, pointing to a Saudi Committee spreadsheet that included the names of
relatives of some of those bombers.

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