Current Affairs : November 8, 2011

Lt General Singh reviews exercise Sudarshan Shakti progress

• Lt General AK Singh, Southern Army Commander reviewed the field exercise “Sudarshan Shakti”. The exercise is presently underway in frontier desert areas of Rajasthan to test the operational effectiveness of the Pivot and Strike Corps of the Southern Army and validate certain new concepts which had emerged during the transformation studies undertaken by the Army.

Indian Americans form body to boost nanotechnology

• Washington: Given the huge potential of nanotechnology, a group of Indian Americans professionals have launched The Indus Nanotech Association (TINA), which would connect entrepreneurs and businesspersons, researchers, technologists and investors.

Mayawati announces steep hike in sugarcane price

• With an eye to the 2012 assembly elections, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati announced a steep hike in the sugarcane purchase price, making it the highest in the country.
  

Hilton No.1 international hotel brand in India: Survey

• Hilton Hotels & Resorts, the flagship brand of Hilton Worldwide, has been ranked the No.1 international hotel brand in India in a survey of business travellers conducted by British market research agency BDRC Continental.

Bangalore to host Indian Ocean Rim countries meet

• India’s tech hub Bangalore, will November 15 host the 11th ministerial meeting of the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC) that will focus on promoting trade and investment among the 18 member-countries.

New measure raises American poor to 49 million

• By American standards, more than 49 million or 16 percent of the people in the world’s richest nation were living in poverty in 2010 under an alternative measure released by the Census Bureau.

Chanda Kochhar tops Fortune India’s powerful businesswomen’s list

• ICICI Bank MD and CEO Chanda Kochhar tops Fortune India’s 50 Most Powerful Women in Business list. Filmmakers Ekta Kapoor and Farah Khan, apart from VLCC founder Vandana Luthra and veteran designer Ritu Kumar, also featured on Fortune India’s 50 Most Powerful Women in Business list.

TRAI to float consultation paper on priority call routing

• With emergencies like natural calamities or terror attacks in mind, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) plans a consultation paper on priority call routing in mobile networks for people engaged in “response and recovery” work.

India launches scheme for slum-free cities

• The Government has launched a programme to rid Indian cities of slums by providing new dwelling units to squatters on payment of a part of the cost

Plan Panel’s nod for investment in Leh Project

• The Planning Commission has given investment clearance to the scheme Flood Protection and Training works on Igoo Nallah in Leh District, Jammu and Kashmir. The scheme is estimated to cost Rs 35.83 crore at 2010-11 (Price Level). The project envisages channelisation of Igoo Nallah for a length of 13.6885 km with construction of PCC or Gabion wall on both the banks. It also involves construction of 45 Check Dams across the Nallah at suitable intervals. The Nallah is prone to flash floods during heavy rainfall or due to sudden downpour of the cloud burst. The scheme will benefit around 38.25 hectares of cultivated land and homestead land, including public and private properties involving nearly 3500 people.

US food major McCormick and Kohinoor Foods join hands for Indian market

• US food giant McCormick announced its 85:15 joint venture with Kohinoor Speciality Foods for evolving the Indian partner into a rice to food major and bring to India passion of flavour in cooking ingredients and convenience food categories.

Tendulkar becomes first cricketer to get 15000 Test runs

• Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar achieved another milestone, becoming first cricketer to cross 15,000-runs mark in Test cricket. He got to the mark in his 182nd Test and 300th inning. He is the leading run getter in both Test and ODI cricket.

Hilton Hotels & Resorts ranked No: 1 International Hotel Brand in India

• Hilton Hotels & Resorts, the flagship brand of Hilton Worldwide, ranked the number one international hotel brand in India in the Indian Hotel Business Guest Survey.

Tibetans protest ‘remove Free Tibet flag’ scene in movie Rockstar

• Tibetan activists held a protest in McLeodganj – the seat of Tibetan government-in-exile, opposing Cenror Board s directive to makers of upcoming Ranbir Kapoor-starrer Rockstar to remove or blur scene of Free Tibet flag. The Imtiaz Ali-directed movie has shown Tibetans with the Free Tibet flag in a song sequence Sada haq ithe rakh which was shot in Norbulingka Monastery.

SEBI approves IPO norms for Life Insurance sector

• SEBI approved the Initial Public Offering (IPO) norms for Life Insurance Companies. The guidelines framed by IRDA are also approved by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and waiting for gazette notification by the government. The insurance regulator has finalised the norms last year which were sent to the market regulator for its approval.

M T Vasudevan Nair bags Ezhuthachan Puraskaram

• Well-known writer and Film Personality M T Vasudevan Nair chosen for the prestigious Ezhuthachan Puraskaram 2011 for his invaluable contribution to Malayalam literature. Expressing happiness, Mr Vasudean Nair said the prize money would be presented to Tirur Thunjan Parambu, the Memorial for Thunjath Ramanujan Ezhuthachan, known as the father of Malayalam literature. Mr Nair had earlier won many coveted awards, including Jnanpeeth, Kerala and Kendra Sahitya Akademi awards, among others. Instituted in 1993, Padmashri Sooranad Kunjan Pillai won the maiden award, followed by Thakashi Sivasankara Pillai, Poet Balamani Amma and literary critic M Leelavathi in 2010.

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Month: Current Affairs - November, 2011

Category: Government Schemes Current Affairs