Current Affairs - 3 November 2014

CM Devendra Fadnavis arrives in Nagpur to a rousing welcome by a sea of cheering people

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  Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday (November 2) arrived in Nagpur for the first time after becoming the Chief Minister of Maharashtra to a rousing welcome accorded by a host of Government officials and galaxy of people’s representatives, BJP leaders from across the city and Vidarbha and a sea of party workers and supporters.

  
  

  Then began the historic rally through Wardha Road and passed through Chhatrapati Square, Orange City Hospital Square, Savarkar Nagar Square, Laxmi Nagar Square, Bajaj Nagar Square, Shankar Nagar Square, Laxmi Bhavan Square and then reached the Dharampeth residence of Fadnavis. Thousands of citizens were standing on both sides of the route to greet and welcome their darling leader.

Govt goes on front foot over black-money case

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  NEW DELHI: The government on Sunday went on an offensive on the black-money issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi stating that the government would make every effort to get unaccounted wealth back to the country. 
  
  Then, finance minister Arun Jaitley raised doubts about the motive behind the chorus to disclose names of those with foreign bank accounts and warned that premature revelation of names would not just prevent flow of information, but would have near-catastrophic impact on flow of funds from the US. 
  
  At the same time, government officials tried to suggest that the UPA had failed to undertake adequate steps to bring back black money and pointed to its reluctance to even set up the Supreme Court-mandated special investigation team. 
  
  The aggressive tone came less than a week after the Supreme Court's strong observations on the black money investigation and its insistence that the government furnish a list of account holders in HSBC's Geneva's branch, which had been shared with the SIT in June

At least 55 killed in suicide blast on Pakistani side of Wagah border

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  LAHORE: At least 55 people were killed and more than 150 injured in a lethal suicide attack on the Pakistan side of Wagah border, the only road crossing between Amritsar and Lahore, minutes after the flag lowering ceremony on Sunday evening. Banned terrorist organization Jundullah, responsible for a suicide bombing that killed 78 Christians inside a church in Peshawar last September, claimed responsibility.
  
  Punjab inspector general of police Mushtaq Sukhera said the bomber triggered the explosion outside a restaurant near a paramilitary soldiers' checkpoint at Wagah.
  
  "The parade venue is about 600 metres ahead of the blast site. The suicide bomber detonated the bomb away from the parade venue because of the strict checking," said top Rangers officer Tahir Khan. "If the blast had occurred close to the border gate, the devastation would have been far greater," Khan added.

Dengue vaccine tested on Indian adults, found safe

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  LYON (FRANCE): The world's first dengue vaccine CYD-TDV has passed the crucial India test and could be available in the country as early as by the end of next year.
  
  In an exclusive interview to TOI, the vaccine makers Sanofi Pasteur revealed that their first study of the vaccine on Indian adults (aged 18-45 years) across five sites in India — Delhi, Ludhiana, Bangalore, Pune and Kolkata found the vaccine "safe and immunogenic in Indian adults" with results comparable to other clinical studies in Asia.
  
  The study showed that 87% of Indian adults in the trial were positive to dengue at enrolment, confirming the significant endemic nature of the vector borne disease in the country.

Actor Sadashiv Amrapurkar passes away

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  Actor Sadashiv Amrapurkar, who was being treated for lung infection at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital (KDAH), passed away Monday morning.
  
  He was hospitalised about two weeks ago for lung infection and is kept in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
  
  In his long career, he has won two Filmfare awards - in 1984, he won the award for the best supporting actor for Ardh Satya and in 1991, the best villain trophy for his portrayal of a ruthless eunuch in Sadak.
  
  The actor is also known for his performance in Aankhen, Ishq, Coolie No 1 and Gupt: The Hidden Truth among others.
  
  Born and brought up in a Maharashtrain Brahmin family, Sadashiv Amrapurkar is fondly called Tatya by his family and close friends. He was always socially inclined and has worked towards the betterment of those less fortunate from a very young age. Sadashiv Amrapurkar is married to his high school sweetheart, Sunanda Karmarkar. Be it in school or college, Sadashiv was always interested in acting.

RSS ranks swelling as BJP makes electoral gains

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  NEW DELHI: The BJP's big victory in the last Lok Sabha polls may be a reflection of growing support for the RSS, apart from the desire for change that worked in favour of PM Narendra Modi. The figures put together by the Sangh in its annual stock-taking meeting in Lucknow in October showed a phenomenal growth in its support base over the last three years.
  
  While there has been a steady rise in the number of people joining the Sangh and its various activities since 1985, when the organization which started in 1925 began its first door-to-door campaign across the country, the last three years showed a huge swing in favour of the group. The shakhas run in neighbourhoods are considered the biggest measure of Sangh's strength.
  
  When they were shrinking in number, the Sangh decided to make changes in its approach and go for an aggressive membership drive from 2012 and focus on a three-year period till 2014.

Most crimes against women take place at home: Report

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  NEW DELHI: Women seem to be most unsafe in their homes while the conviction rate in crimes against women remains very low, a government study has found.
  
  Cruelty by husband and relatives continue to have the highest share (38%) of crimes against women, followed by 'assault on women with intent to outrage her modesty' (23%), kidnapping and abduction (17%) and rape (11%).
  
  In a chapter on social obstacles in women empowerment, the Central Statistics Office (CSO)'s publication 'Women and Men in India 2014' found a phenomenal increase (157%) in reporting of 'indecent representation of women' cases in 2013 over 2012. Other noticeable increases in reporting over 2012 were in assault on women with intent to outrage her modesty (56%) and insult to modesty of women (37%).
  
  The report said 5% of total cognizable crime fell under the category of crime against women in 2013 against 4% in 2012.

Saradha case: CBI to talk to RBI officials on ‘loopholes’

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  NEW DELHI: The CBI will soon examine some Reserve Bank of India officials in connection with the Saradha scam probe as it wants to understand regulatory loopholes. 
  
  Sources said Saradha was not operating as a non-banking finance company and RBI had hardly any role in regulating its operations, but the agency had come across some inputs which required clarification from the central bank. 
  
  Sources, however, clarified that examining an official should not be taken to mean complicity in an alleged crime. "The examination will be aimed at understanding the circumstances and seeking clarification about documents," an official said. 

Chinese army entered Indian waters at Ladakh’s Pangong Lake

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  LEH/NEW DELHI: Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) recently made a two-pronged simultaneous incursion by sending its troops into Indian waters in the Pangong lake as well as five kilometres deep into Indian territory through the land route in the same area, according to reports. 
  
  Official sources said on Sunday that according to reports received by security agencies, Chinese boats entered into the Indian waters at the Pangong Lake nestled in the higher reaches of Ladakh on October 22. 
  
  These incursions were simultaneously backed by Chinese troops on the road built alongside the Pangong lake which took place in eastern Ladakh and on the northern bank of Pangong Lake, located 168km from Leh, the sources said. 
  
  However, alert troops of ITBP noticed the movement of Chinese troops and intercepted them at the imaginary line that is supposed to be the line of actual control (LAC) in the lake. 

Supreme Court judges bat for succinct judgments

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  NEW DELHI: After nearly 40,000 judgments since 1950, many of which run into hundreds of pages, Supreme Court judges have informally come together to accept a hitherto unadmitted yet serious problem — verbose verdicts often create confusion, both for law and litigants. 
  
  Most judges feel that adding pages to judgments — in cases where the law has already been laid down by the apex court — neither adds muscle to delineated legal points nor helps the litigant, who has waited for years only to grapple with a word-heavy decision. 
  
  "Lean, to-the-point judgments delivered in quick time" is the message that the judges are informally circulating among themselves every time they meet in groups and discuss ways to fine-tune it. 
  
  "The judges are serious about rendering speedy justice to litigants. In most cases, the law has already been succinctly laid down and does not require further arguments to delay a verdict. Those cases need to be decided fast with crisp judgments focusing only on facts in the backdrop of the already laid down law," sources in the Supreme Court told TOI.

E-Banking

• E-Banking
  
  E- banking refers to electronic banking. It is like e-business in banking industry. E-banking is also called as virtual banking or online banking. E-banking is a Result of the growing expectations of bank customers. E-banking involves information technology based banking. Under this IT system the banking services are delivered by way of a computer-controlled system. This system involves direct interface with the customers. The customers need not to visit bank premises
  
  Popular services covered under E-banking
  
  1. Automated teller machine
  2. Credit card
  3. Debit card
  4. Smart card
  5. Electronic funds Transfer system
  6. Cheque truncation system
  7. Mobile banking
  8. Internet banking
  9. Telephone banking
  Automated teller machine
  
  ATM is designed to perform the most important function of bank. it is operated plastic card with its special features. The plastic card has replaced cheque Personal attendance of the customer banking hours restrictions and paper based verification. These are debit cards. An ATM is an electronic funds Transfer terminal capable of handling cash deposits Transfer between accounts balance enquires, cash withdrawals and pay bills. It may be online or Offline. Any customer processing ATM card issued by the shared payment network system can go to any ATM linked to shared payment networks and perform his transactions
  
  Credit card/ Debit card
  
  The Credit card holder is empowered to spend wherever and whenever he wants with his Credit card within the limits fixed by his bank. Credit card is a post paid card. Debit card considered as a prepaid card with usage facility limited to the balance in the linked deposit account of the cardholder. An individual has to open an account with the issuing bank which gives debit card with a Personal identification number. When he makes purchases he enters his pin on shops pin pad. When the card is slurped through the electronic terminal it dials the acquiring bank system -either master card or VISA that validates the pin and finds out can never overspend because the system rejects any transactions which exceeds the balance in his account. The bank never faces a default because the amount spent is debited immediately from the customers account.
  
  Smart card
  
  Banks are adding chips to their current magnetic stripe cards in order to enhance security and offer new services that are called smart cards. Smart cards allow
  
  Thousands of times of information storable on magnetic stripe cards. In addition these cards are highly secure, more reliable and perform multiple functions. They hold a large amount of Personal information ranging from medical and health history to Personal banking and personal preferences.
  
  Services of E-banking
  
  E-banking provides a multitude of services that are as follows
  
  1. Bill payment service
  
  E-banking facilitates the payment of electricity bills, telephone bills, Credit card, and insurance premium bills. And the bank does not charge customers for online payments
  
  2. Fund Transfer
  You can Transfer any amount from one account to another of the same or any another bank. Customers can send money anywhere in India.
  
  3. Credit card customers
  With internet banking customers cannot only pay their credit card bills online but also get a loan on their cards. In case of loss of the credit card an online reporting can be done.
  
  
  4. Investing through internet banking
  Now, FD can be opened on line through funds Transfer and investors with interlinked demit account and bank account can easily trade in the stock market.
  
  5. Recharging prepaid mobile
  By just selecting the operator name entering the mobile number and the amount of Recharge the mobile phones can be back in action within few minutes.
  
  6. RTGS fund Transfer
  RTGS is an inter Bank funds Transfer system. Where are Transferred as end when the transactions are tiggered.
  
  7. Shopping
  Online Shopping can also be done with a range of all kind of products. Railway and air tickets can be bought through the internet banking.
  
  8. Online payment of taxes.
  A customer can pay various taxes on line including excise and service tax direct tax etc.
  
  Electronic funds Transfer
  Electronic funds Transfer provides for electronic payments and collections. EFT is safe secure, efficient and less expensive than paper check payments and collections . RBI EFT is a scheme introduced by RBI to help banks offering their customers money Transfer service from account to account to any branch to any other bank branch in places where services are offered.
  
  Internet banking
  
  Through internet banking you can check your transactions at any time of the day and as many times as you want to. Where as in a traditional method you get quarterly statements from the bank. If the fund Transfer has to be demand outstation where the bank does not have a branch the bank would demand outstation charges. Whereas with the help of online banking.
  
  Mobile banking transactions
  
  Now banks have started offering mobile banking and telemarking to their customers. The expansion in the use and geographical reach of mobile phones has created new opportunities for banks to use this mode for banking transactions and also provide an opportunity to expand banking facilities to the excluded sections of the society.