CURRENT AFFAIRS - JULY 2014 INFO TRACK

Economy

1. Central Board of Direct Tax (CBDT) on 17 July 2014 constituted a six-member empowered committee to reduce litigation at the dispute resolution forums in the Income Tax Department. The Committee will also suggest steps to reduce legal cases and has been asked to submit its report within two months.
2. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 15 July 2014 announced to ease the infrastructure financing norms in order to encourage infrastructure development and affordable housing.
3. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on 15 July 2014 barred founder of Satyam Computers, B Ramalinga Raju and four other top executives from accessing the capital markets for 14 years.
4. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 17 July 2014 issued draft guidelines for licensing of payments banks and small banks. Both these banks will be created with a common objective of furthering financial inclusion by adding value through adapting technological solutions to lowers costs.
5. Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitely on 9 July 2014 presented Economic Survey of India 2013-14 in the Lok Sabha. India’s economy in financial year 2014-15 is expected to grow in the range of 5.4 – 5.9 percent overcoming sub-5 percent growth. The Survey listed certain risk factors for the growth and they are poor monsoon, the external environment and the poor investment climate.
6. Union Budget introduced new scheme Van Bandhu Kalyan Yojna for tribals, National level institutes for Universal Inclusive Design, Mental Health Rehabilitation and a Centre for Disability Sports to be established.
7. Union budget to energize capital markets introduced uniform KYC norms and inter-usability of the KYC records across the financial sector.
8. The Union Budget provided finances to set up an institute which provides support to mainstream the 4PIndia, Comprehensive policy will be announced, to develop Jal Marg Vikas (project on Ganges) and encouraging Tier I and Tier II airports.
9. Union Budget 2014-15 provided new initiatives like National Industrial Corridor Authority and preparing master planning of industrial corridors and economic corridors to increase the industrial growth.
10. National Bank of Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC) on 4 July 2014 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the development of Small Farm Producers.
11. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on 2 July 2014 approved the inclusion of onion and potato under the purview of stock holding limits under the Essential Commodities Act 1955. The inclusion will remain in force for a year. 
12. Indian Railways on 3 July 2014 successfully conducted a trial run of a semi-high-speed train to make travel faster between Delhi and Agra. This train is equipped with an electronic locomotive of WAP 5400 horse power from the Ghaziabad Loco Shed. It is the country’s fastest train. 

News

1. Business 20 (B20) Australia Summit was held in Sydney, Australia on 18 July 2014. At the Summit, the business leaders of G20 countries issued a blueprint for G20 leaders to boost economic and job growth and make global economy more resilient to deal with future shocks.
2. The Global Innovation Index 2014 (GII) was released at the B20 Australia Summit held in Sydney on 18 July 2014. The 2014 Index was released by the Australia’s industry minister Ian Macfarlane. GII 2014 in its 9th edition covers 143 countries around the world and uses 81 indicators across a range of theme.
3. Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 plane, MH-17, was shot down over war-torn eastern Ukraine near the Russian border on 17 July 2014. The Plane was shot down at an altitude of 10000 meters (33000 feet).
4. 7th India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) summit will be held in New Delhi, India in 2015. This was announced after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met South African President Jacob Juma on the sidelines of 6th BRICS Summit in Fortaleza, Brazil on 16 July 2014.
5. Om Prakash Kohli on 16 July 2014 took oath of office as Governor of Gujarat. He succeeded Kamla Beniwal who was transferred to Mizoram by the President of India
6. Environmentalist and social activist Chandi Prasad Bhatt on 15 July 2014 was awarded with the prestigious Gandhi Peace prize for 2013.
7. Indian Naval Ship (INS) Kuthar Warship was damaged in a mishap on 13 July 2014. This was the 15th such incident after INS Sindhurakshak sank on 14 August 2013. The Indian Navy ordered a Board of Inquiry to probe the incident.
8. World Population Day was observed across the world on 11 July 2014. The theme of World Population Day 2014 was investing in Young People. It is observed to bring awareness to people about importance of small families and living healthy lives.
9. India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2013 was released in New Delhi by Prakash Javadekar, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Environment, Forests & Climate of 8 July 2014.  The report provides information on forest cover, tree cover, mangrove cover and growing stock inside and outside forest areas.
10. Emma Watson, the British Actress on 8 July 2014 was appointed as theGoodwill Ambassador for UN Women.
11. India on 8 July 2014 successfully test-fired an advanced version of the 290-km range BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from Chandipur-on-Sea off Odisha coast.
12. President Pranab Mukherjee on 1 July 2014 joined Twitter with the handle -@RashtrapatiBhvn. He is the first serving president of India to join Twitter.
13. Michelle Howard became the first female four-star admiral in US Navy. She is the first women admiral in 236 year old history of US Navy.
14. Four India-born Americans were honoured on the eve of US Independence Day on 4 July 2014. They were honoured for their contributions to the US during annual Great Immigrants tribute held in New York, US.
15. DY Patil, the Governor of Bihar, on 4 July 2014 assumed the additional charge of West Bengal as the acting Governor. His oath of the office was administered by senior most judge Justice Asim Kumar Bandyopadhya of the Calcutta High Court at a function in Raj Bhawan in Kolkata. 
16. Special Air India flight carried 46 Indian nurses and 137 others from Erbil in Kurdistan, Iraq arrived to Kochi in Kerala, India on 5 July 214. 
17. Bharat Vir Wanchoo, the Governor of Goa resigned on 4 July 2014. He is the fifth Governor to resign in last one month after M K Narayanan (West Bengal), B L Joshi (Uttar Pradesh), Shekhar Dutt (Chhattisgarh) and Ashwani Kumar (Nagaland).

 Corporate

1. B Ashok on 16 July 2014 took charge as Chairman of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), the India’s largest oil firm.
2. M S Mehta was appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Reliance Infrastructure on 7 July 2014. He took charge as CEO for a period of five years.
3. Adani Ports & SEZ Ltd (APSEZ) on 4 July 2014 formed a joint venture (JV) with French shipping company CMA CGM to build a container terminal. The container terminal will be built at Mundra in Gujarat.
4. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on 3 July 2014 announced to provide 50 million US dollars of equity investment into an Indian company, ReNew Power Ventures Private Limited.

International

1. 7th BRICS Summit will be held in Russian city of Ufa in 2015. The announcement was made in Fortaleza Declaration on 16 July 2014 on the sidelines of 6th BRICS Summit in Fortaleza, Brazil.
2. Bolivia on 18 July 2014 passed a law to legalise child labour for kids from age 10. The bill was approved by Bolivian Congress in June 2014. The bill was signed into law by the Vice President of Bolivia.
3. 6th BRICS Summit was held in Fortaleza, Brazil on 15 July and 16 July 2014. The theme of the Summit was Inclusive Growth: Sustainable Solutions.
4. India and Brazil on 16 July 2014 signed three agreements during the sixth BRICS Summit in Fortaleza, Brazil. The agreement was signed by Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff at the Brazilian President official residence the Itamaraty Palace.
5. Bashar al-Assad was sworn in as Syria’s President in Damascus for a seven-year term on 16 July 2014. With this he became the President for the third consecutive term. He was re-elected after a presidential election that was held in June 2014. 
6. India and Canada has signed an India-Canada Audiovisual Co-production Treaty with an aim to create jobs in both countries and boost tourism. This audiovisual treaty is the first of its kind for India and was signed in Delhi. The treaty came into force on 1 July 2014 but the announcement was made on 9 July 2014.
7. India and United Kingdom on 8 July 2014 decided to launch negotiations forcivil nuclear cooperation. The decision was taken during the visit of UK foreign secretary of state William Hague to India.  He visited India on 7- 8 July 2014.
8. German Cabinet headed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel on 3 July 2014 approved a new law that allows dual citizenship for the children of immigrants on 3 July 2014.
9. Senegal President Macky Sall on 4 July 2014 sacked Prime Minister Ms Aminata Toure. She was sacked due to her failure to win a seat from Dakar in the 2014 local elections.
10. UN Tribunal, Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) on 8 July 2014 ruled on the Indo-Bangladesh maritime border dispute of the Bay of Bengal. The court has awarded 19467 square kilometers, a major part of disputed area to Bangladesh from a total disputed area of 25602 square kilometers.
11. Senegal President Macky Sall on 4 July 2014 sacked Prime Minister Ms Aminata Toure. She was sacked due to her failure to win a seat from Dakar in the 2014 local elections.
12. Japan on 1 July 2014 ended the 60 years of pacifism giving Army the option to exercise force. The resolution towards this was adopted by Japanese Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Shizo Abe.
13. China – South Korea bilateral summit was held in Seoul on 3 July 2014. The summit was held between South Korean President Park Geun-hye and Chinese President Xi Jinping. It was held during the Chinese President Xi’s first visit to South Korea since he became the President in 2013.
14. Japan on 3 July 2014 issued multiple entry visas for short term stay to Indians. The visas will allow Indian visitors to spend up to 15 days on a visit and the visas are likely to be valid for three years.
15. Four-party meet held in Berlin on 2 July 2014 agreed on a series of step to resume the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine. The four-party meet was held between Foreign Ministers of Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France.
16. France on 30 June 2014 announced to provide one billion Euros (8200 crore rupees) line of credit over a three years period to India. The announcement was made by French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius who is on a visit to India.
17. Sri Lanka and Seychelles on 28 June 2014 signed 6 agreements of bilateral importance. The agreements were signed during the visit of Sri Lankan President to Seychelles.
18. India and China on 30 June 2014 signed three agreements in the fields of commerce, water resources and human resources development. The signed agreements will facilitate China to set up industrial parks, share hydrological information during Brahmaputra floods and impart training to public officials.

 Sports

1. Germany was ranked number One in the latest release of the FIFA's world rankings released on 17 July 2014. Germany improved its position by one places as it was ranked number two behind Spain until now.
2. Philipp Lahm, the captain of Germany’s football team announced his retirement from international game on 18 July 2014. He announced his retirement just five days after Germany led by him won its fourth football World Cup beating Argentina
3. The 127th edition of the Durand Cup Football Tournament will be held in Goa from 28th October 2014 to 9th November 2014. This was revealed by a Defence press release from Mumbai on 15 July 2014.
4. Mahela Jayawardene, the former skipper of Sri Lankan cricket team, announced his retirement from Test cricket on 14 July 2014. He will retire from Test Cricket after the home series against Pakistan in August 2014
5. Sim Bhullar became the first basketball player of Indian origin to join the National Basketball Association (NBA). He signed a summer contract in second week of July 2014 with the Sacramento Kings, a professional basketball team in the US.
6. Germany on 13 July 2014 became the 2014 FIFA World Cup championafter defeating Argentina 1-0 at the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The single goal of the final was made by Mario Gotze during the extra-time. 
7. FIFA on 9 July 2014 suspended Nigeria from all international football competitions with immediate effect. Nigeria was suspended on account of government interference in running Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
8. Sania Mirza, the Indian tennis ace, along with her Zimbabwean doubles partner Cara Black on 7 July 2014 were ranked career-best fifth in the latest WTA Doubles rankings. 
9. The Sports Authority of India (SAI) and TheFootballLink on 8 July 2014 jointly launched F-Cube, technology to promote football at the grass-root level. F-Cube technology was launched at the Weightlifting Auditorium of the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi. 
10. Petra Kvitova of Czechslovakia on 5 July 2014 won the women’s single of Wimbledon Tennis Open of 2014. To win her second title, she defeated the Canadian Eugenie Bouchard 6-3, 6-0.
11. Novak Djokovic of Serbia on 6 July 2014 won the Men’s Wimbledon Tennis Open defeating Roger Federer of Switzerland. He defeated Federer 6-7(7), 6-4, 7-6(4), 5-7, 6-4. This is the second Wimbledon title for 27-year-old, Djokovic and seventh career Grand Slam. Djokovic won his first Wimbledon title in 2011.
12. Marylebone Cricket Club XI on 5 July 2014 won the match played to celebrate 200-years (bi-centenary) of Lord’s Cricket Ground – the Home of Cricket. Sachin Tendulkar-led MCC XI beat Shane Warne-led Rest of the World XI in Lord’s in London, UK.
13. Jitu Rai became World Number 1 pistol shooter in the men's 10m air pistol category. This was revealed by the latest rankings released by the International Shooting Federation (ISSF) on 1 July 2014.
14. Pankaj Advani, the Indian cueist on 29 June 2014 won his maiden IBSF 6-Red World snooker title at Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt. To win the title, he defeated Kacper Flilpiak of Poland in a game that lasted for an hour. 

MPSC Assistant Preliminary Examination-2014 Solved Papers

MPSC Police Sub Inspector Preliminery Examination-2014 Solved Paper

Global Innovation Index 2014

India is placed at the 76th position, a slip of 10 places from last year, in the annual Global Innovation Index (GII) survey for 2014 released by Cornell University, INSEAD, and the World Intellectual Property Organisation. Among the BRICS nations India is the worst performer and China is the best among BRICS nations at 29th position, 6 places up from last year. Brazil climbed three positions to 61, Russia rose 13 rungs to 49, and South Africa five places to 53

This is the fourth consecutive year that India performed poorly on GII. It occupied 62nd rank in 2011, 64th in 2012, and 66th in 2013.

Singapore and Hong Kong are the only two Asian countries that find a place among the top 10 in the GII. Singapore displaced Hong Kong to lead the continent in overall innovation performance. Switzerland topped the Index followed by UK, Sweden, Finland and the Netherlands. 

Top ten countries:

1. Switzerland
2. UK
3. Sweden
4. Finland
5. Netherlands 
6. US
7. Singapore
8. Denmark
9. Luxembourg
10. Hong Kong

President confers Gandhi Peace prize on Chandi Prasad Bhatt

President Pranab Mukherjee conferred the prestigious Gandhi Peace Prize for 2013 upon environmentalist Chandi Prasad Bhatt. The 80-year-old Bhatt, a true Gandhian and member of the Sarvodaya movement, has organized the Dashauli Gram Swarajya Sangh in 1964. Through the Sangh he tried to improve the lives of villagers by providing employment near their homes in forest-based industries, and fighting against wrong policies through Gandhian non-violent satyagraha. In 1973 he started Chipko movement for the redressal of the legitimate rights of the hill people to collect wood and fodder and saving them from natural calamities owing to large scale deforestation. The Gandhi Peace Prize which carries a plaque, citation and an amount of Rs. 1 crore was instituted by the government in 1995 on the occasion of the 125th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. The previous recipients of this award are: former Tanzanian President Dr Julius K Nyerere, founder President of Sarvodaya Sharamadana movement in Sri Lanka Dr A.T. Ariyaratne, Dr Gerhard Fischer of Rama Krishna Mission in Germany, Baba Amte, Dr Nelson Mandela and Grameen Bank of Bangladesh (jointly), Dr John Hume of the Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan in Ireland, former Czechoslovakian President Vaclav Havel and Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa.

Bor Sanctuary becomes 47 Tiger Reserve of India

The Minister of State (Independent Charge), Environment, Forests & Climate Change Prakash Javadekar approved the recommendation on a proposal from the State of Maharashtra for notifying the Bor Sanctuary, New Bor Sanctuary and the New Bor Extended Wildlife Sanctuary as a tiger reserve.

Bor is the 47th tiger reserve in the country and the 6th tiger reserve of Maharashtra. With the approval of this sanctuary as tiger reserve it would receive funding and technical support which would strengthen tiger conservation, besides eco-development to benefit fringe people.

The Bor Wildlife Sanctuary, notified by the State in 1970, is rich in biodiversity with a wide variety of flora and fauna, including tiger, co-predators, prey animals and birds. The habitat is scenic and is on the boundary of Nagpur and Wardha districts, amidst the Satpura-Maikal landscape, forming catchment of the river Bor. The sanctuary, which covers 138.1214 sq.km., is also an important corridor between Tadoba-Andhari and Pench Tiger Reserves of the State. 

Highlights of the Union Budget 2014-15

Here are the highlights of the Budget 2014-15 presented by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

Fiscal deficit● Accepts fiscal deficit target of 4.1 percent of GDP for 2014/15
● Fiscal deficit seen at 3.6 percent of GDP in 2015/16
● Finance Minister says: "We cannot spend beyond our means"
● Tax-to-GDP ratio must be raised

Growth
● Aims for sustained growth of 7-8 percent in the next 3-4 years
● Finance minister says he is bound to usher in policies for higher growth, lower inflation

Taxation● Aims to approve goods and services tax by end of this year
● Will not change rules on retrospective taxation
● All pending cases of retrospective tax for indirect transfers to be examined by a high-level committee before action is taken
● Proposes changes in transfer pricing mechanism
● Extends 5 percent withholding tax on corporate bonds until June 30 2017
● Income tax exemption limit raised by Rs 50,000 to Rs 2.5 lakh and for senior citizens to Rs 3 lakh
● Government expects Rs 9.77 lakh crore revenue crore from taxes
● Long term capital gain tax for mutual funds doubled to 20 per cent; lock-in period increased to three years
● Excise duty on footwear reduced from 12 per cent to 6 per cent
● Net effect of direct tax proposals is revenue loss of Rs 22,200 crore
● Tax proposals on indirect tax front would yield Rs. 7,525 crore

Investment● Raises limit on foreign direct investment in defence sector from 26 per cent to 49 per cent; raises FDI limit in insurance sector to 49 percent
● Earmarks Rs 7000 Crore to create 100 "smart cities"
● Will provide the necessary tax changes to introduce real estate investment trusts and infrastructure investment trusts
● Proposes Rs 4000 crore for affordable housing through national housing bank and extends tax incentives for housing loans
● Exemption limit for investment in financial instruments under 80C raised to Rs 1.5 lakh from Rs 1 lakh.
● Investment limit in PPF raised to Rs 1.5 lakh from Rs 1 lakh
Foreign direct investment
● Raises limit on foreign direct investment in defence sector from 26 percent to 49 percent
● Raises FDI limit in insurance sector from 26 percent to 49 percent

Spending● Capital outlay for defence raised by 50 billion rupees over interim budget
● Earmarks Rs 7000 crore to create 100 "smart cities"
● Proposes Rs 5000 crore for warehousing capacity; 100 billion rupees of private capital for start-up companies; and 378 billion rupees of investment in national and state highways
● Rs 4000 crore for affordable housing proposed through national housing bank and extends tax incentives for housing loans
● Proposes Rs 8000 crore for rural housing scheme

Subsidies● Plans to make food and petroleum subsidies more targeted
● Rural job-guarantee scheme, which provides 100 days of paid employment a year, will become more focused on asset creation
● Proposes Rs 8000 crore for rural housing scheme

Agriculture● Will focus on achieving 4 growth per year in agriculture
● Proposes a long-term rural credit fund with an initial corpus of Rs 5000 crore
● Rs 100 crore for development of organic farming

Social sector● Pension Scheme to be revived for a year (Aug 15-14) for citizens above 60
● Rs 50,548 crore for SC welfare schemes.
● Rs 32,387 crore for ST welfare schemes.

Infrastructure● Earmarks Rs 500 crore for 24x7 uninterrupted power in all homes
● Rs 100 crore for metro projects in Lucknow and Ahmedabad
● Rs 2,037 crore set aside for Integrated Ganga Conservation Mission called 'Namami Gange'
● Rs 200 crore for world-class sports stadium in Jammu and Kasmir
● Trade Facilitation Centre in Varanasi Handloom and Crafts Museum
● Rs 1000 crore to enhance rail connectivity in the Northeast
● Rs 2250 crore for the development and modernization of the border infrastructure
● A project on the river Ganga called 'Jal Marg Vikas' for inland waterways between Allahabad and Haldia; Rs 4,200 crore set aside for the purpose
● War memorial to be set up along with a war museum; Rs 100 crore set aside for this
● Rs 7,060 crore for setting up 100 Smart Cities

Education● Five more IIMs to be opened in HP, Punjab, Bihar, Odisha and Rajasthan
● Five more IITs in Jammu, Chattisgarh, Goa, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala.
● Four more AIIMS like institutions to come up in Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Vidarbha in Maharashtra and Poorvanchal in Uttar Pradesh

Tourism● E-Visas to be introduced at 9 airports
● Finance Minister says tourism helps in job creation and e-visas will encourage more tourists to visit India
● A provision of Rs 500 crore for five tourism sector.

Banking● Deduction limit on interest on loan for self-occupied house raised to Rs 2 lakh from Rs 1.5 lakh.
● Set aside Rs 11,200 crore for PSU banks capitalisation
● Government in favour of consolidation of PSU banks
● Government considering giving greater autonomy to PSU banks while making them accountable
● PSUs to invest to over Rs 2.47 lakh crore this fiscal

Others● Earmarks Rs 200 crore for Sardar Patel statue
● Proposes Rs 150 crore for improving women safety
● LCD, LED TV become cheaper
● Cigarettes, pan masala, tobacco, aerated drinks become costlier
● Government proposes to launch Digital India' programme to ensure broad band connectivity at village level
● Rs 100 crore scheme to support about 600 new and existing Community Radio Stations
● Rs 150 crore for Communication facilities in Andaman and Nicobar Islands
● Rs 188 crore for disaster preparedness in Puducherry
● Rs 3,600 crore for providing safe drinking water
● North-stop 24-hour channel is proposed to be introduced
● Farmer TV channel will be launched for the benefit of farmers.
● Rs 200 crore to make Delhi a world class city for social welfare and Rs 500 crore for energy
● Kisan Vikas Patra to be reintroduced, National Savings Certificate with insurance cover to be launched
● 'Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya New Teachers Training Programme' launched with initial sum of Rs 500 crore
● Government provides Rs 500 crore for rehabilitation of displaced Kashmiri migrants
● Indian Custom Single Window Project to be taken up for facilitating trade

Railway Budget 2014-15 Highlights

Union Railways Minister Sadananda Gowda presented the Rail Budget in the Parliament 8 July, 2014.

 Here are the highlights:

 ● Grateful to honourable PM Narendra Modi ji for having given me this opportunity and for entrusting me with this responsibility
 ● Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom
 ● It gives me immense pleasure to present my first Railway Budget flooded with suggestion for new trains, new railway lines
 ● We now target to become the largest freight carrier in the world
 ● Indian railways carry only 31% of the total freight in the country. It is a challenge we have to face
 ● 5 lakh crore required each year for the next ten years for ongoing projects alone
 ● 23 paisa lost per passenger per km in 2012-13
 ● Social obligation of Railways in 2013-14 was Rs. 20,000 crore
 ● Focus on sanctioning projects rather than completing them
 ● The more projects we add the thinner we spread our resources
 ● I can get claps from this house by announcing many new projects but that would be rendering injustice to the struggling organization
 ● The fare revision was tough but a necessary decision - it will bring Indian Railways an additional revenue of 8,000 crores
 ● Indian Railways carries more than the entire population of Australia in a day
 ● Populist projects and mismanagement have brought Railways to point of funds crunch
 ● This state of affairs in railways needs immediate course correction
 ● Gross traffic receipts in 2013-14 was Rs. 1.3 lakh crore, operating ratio was 94 per cent
 ● Indian Railways spent Rs. 41,000 crore on laying of 3,700 km of new lines in last 10 years
 ● Need to explore alternative sources of resource mobilisation and not depend on fare hike alone
 ● Large part of the budget outlay to go to safety projects
 ● Maximum financial outlays for projects slated for completion in this area itself
 ● High priority areas - safety, cleanliness, passenger amenities and capacity augmentation
 ● Future projects to be financed on public-private partnership model
 ● Plans to attract investment from domestic and foreign players in infrastructure; focus to be on aggressive indigenisation
 ● FY15 Total Expenditure Pegged At Rs.1.49 lakh crore
 ● FY15 total receipts pegged at Rs.1.64 lakh crore
 ● Propose to hike budgetary plan outlay to Rs.47,650 crore
 ● FY15 passenger fare revenue pegged at Rs.44,600 crore
 ● Pre-cooked meals by reputed brands, focus on cleanliness and passenger feedback
 ● Outsource cleaning activities at 50 major stations, separate housekeeping wing for cleanliness and sanitation
 ● CCTVs to be used for monitoring cleanliness
 ● RO Drinking water at stations and trains
 ● Corporates encouraged to adopt stations for better maintenance and upkeep
 ● 17,000 Railway Protection Force personnel to be available soon
 ● Introduction of women RPF constables, coaches meant for women to be escorted for greater safety

 Bullet train:
 ● Indian Railways on course to fulfill its long cherished dream. I propose a Bullet train on the Ahmedabad - Mumbai sector
 ● Higher speed for existing trains will be achieved by upgrading the present network
 ● 23 projects underway in North-East. Propose to allocate higher funds than previous year for these projects

New Trains and Extended Trains in Rail Budget 2014 

58 new trains, including five new 'Jansadharan' trains and an equal number of premium group of trains have been proposed in the Rail Budget presented by railway minister Sadananda Gowda on 8 July, 2014.

The new trains include six AC Express trains, 27 Express trains, eight passenger trains, two Mainline Electric Multiple Unit (MEMU) services and 5 Diesel Electric Multiple Unit (DEMU) services besides extension of 11 existing trains.

Jansadharan Trains
(1) Ahmedabad-Darbhanga Jansadharan Express via Surat
(2) Jaynagar-Mumbai Jansadharan Express
(3) Mumbai-Gorakhpur Jansadharan Express
(4) Saharasa-Anand Vihar Jansadharan Express via Motihari
(5) Saharasa-Amritsar Jansadharan Express

Premium Trains
(1) Mumbai Central-New Delhi Premium AC Express
(2) Shalimar-Chennai Premium AC Express
(3) Secunderabad-- Hazrat Nizamuddin Premium AC Express
(4) Jaipur-Madurai Premium Express
(5) Kamakhya-Bengaluru Premium Express

AC Express Trains
(1) Vijayawada-NewDelhiAPExpress (Daily)
(2) LokmanyaTilak(T)-Lucknow (Weekly)
(3) Nagpur-Pune (Weekly)
(4) Nagpur-Amritsar (Weekly)
(5) Naharlagun-NewDelhi (Weekly)
(6) Nizamuddin-Pune (Weekly)

Express Trains
(1) Ahmedabad-Patna Express (Weekly) via Varanasi
(2) Ahmedabad- Chennai Express (Bi-weekly) via Vasai Road
(3) Bengaluru -Mangalore Express (Daily)
(4) Bengaluru -Shimoga Express (Bi-weekly)
(5) Bandra(T)-Jaipur Express (Weekly) Via Nagda, Kota
(6) Bidar-Mumbai Express (Weekly)
(7) Chhapra-Lucknow Express (Tri-weekly) via Ballia, Ghazipur, Varanasi
(8) Ferozpur-Chandigarh Express (6 days a week)
(9) Guwahati-Naharlagun Intercity Express (Daily)
(10) Guwahati-Murkongselek Intercity Express (Daily)
(11) Gorakhpur-Anand Vihar Express (Weekly)
(12) Hapa-Bilaspur Express (Weekly) via Nagpur
(13) Hazur Saheb Nanded-Bikaner Express (Weekly)
(14) Indore-Jammu Tawi Express (Weekly)
(15) Kamakhya-Katra Express (Weekly) via Darbhanga
(16) Kanpur-Jammu Tawi Express (Bi-weekly)
(17) Lokmanya Tilak(T)-Azamgarh Express (Weekly)
(18) Mumbai_Kazipeth Express (Weekly) via Balharshah
(19) Mumbai-Palitana Express (Weekly)
(20) New Delhi -Bhatinda Shatabdi Express (Bi-weekly)
(21) New Delhi-Varanasi Express (Daily)
(22) Paradeep-Howrah Express (Weekly)
(23) Paradeep-Visakhapatnam Express (Weekly)
(24) Rajkot-Rewa Express (Weekly)
(25) Ramnagar-Agra Express (Weekly)
(26) Tatanagar Baiyyappanahali (Bengaluru) Express (Weekly)
(27) Visakhapatnam-Chennai Express (Weekly)

Passenger Trains 
(1) Bikaner-Rewari Passenger (Daily)
(2) Dharwad-Dandeli Passenger (Daily) via Alnavar
(3) Gorakhpur-Nautanwa Passenger (Daily)
(4) Guwahati-Mendipathar Passenger (Daily)
(5) Hatia-Rourkela Passenger
(6) Byndoor-Kasaragod Passenger (Daily)
(7) Rangapara North-Rangiya Passenger (Daily)
(8) Yesvantpur-Tumkur Passenger(Daily)

MEMU services 
(1) Bengaluru-Ramanagaram 6 days a week (3Pairs)
(2) Palwal-Delhi-Aligarh

DEMU services 
(1) Bengaluru -Neelmangala (Daily)
(2) Chhapra-Manduadih (6days a week) via Ballia
(3) Baramula-Banihal (Daily)
(4) Sambalpur-Rourkela (6 days a week)
(5) Yesvantpur-Hosur (6 days a week)

Extension of Run of Existing Trains 
(1) 22409/22410 Anand Vihar Sasaram Garib Rath Express to Gaya
(2) 12455/12456 Delhi Sarai Rohilla Sriganganagar Express to Bikaner
(3) 15231/15232 Gondia Muzaffarpur Express to Barauni
(4) 12001/12002 New Delhi Bhopal Shatabdi Express to Habibganj
(5) 54602 Ludhiana-Hissar Passenger to Sadulpur
(6) 55007/55008 Sonpur-Kaptanganj Passenger to Gorakhpur
(7) 55072/55073 Gorakhpur-Thawe Passenger to Siwan
(8) 63237/63238 Buxar-Mughalsarai MEMU to Varanasi
(9) 63208/63211 Jhajha-Patna MEMU to Jasidih
(10) 64221/64222 Lucknow Hardoi MEMU to Shahjahanpur
(11) 68002/68007 Howrah-Belda MEMU to Jaleswar

Capitals, Governors and Chief Ministers of Indian States

States	Capitals	Governors	Chief Ministers
(1) Andhra Pradesh	Hyderabad	Mr. E.S.L.Narasimhan	Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu
(2) Arunachal Pradesh	Itanagar	Lieutenant General (Retd) Nirbhay Sharma	Mr. Nabam Tuki
(3) Assam	Dispur	Mr. J. B. Patnaik	Mr. Tarun Gogoi
(4) Bihar	Patna	Mr. D. Y. Patil	Mr. Jitan Ram Manjhi
(5) Chhattisgarh	Raipur	Mr. Ram Naresh Yadav	Dr. Raman Singh
(6) Goa	Panaji	Mr. B.V. Wanchoo	Mr. Manohar Parrikar
(7) Gujarat	Gandhinagar	Ms. Margaret Alva (Additional charge)	Ms. Anandiben Patel
(8) Haryana	Chandigarh	Mr. Jagannath Pahadia	Mr. Bhupinder S. Hooda
(9) Himachal Pradesh	Shimla	Ms. Urmila Singh	Mr. Virbhadra Singh
(10) Jammu and Kashmir	Srinagar (Summer) Jammu (Winter)	Mr. N. N. Vohra	Mr. Omar Abdullah
(11) Jharkhand	Ranchi	Dr. Syed Ahmed	Mr. Hemant Soren
(12) Karnataka	Bengaluru	Mr. K Rosaiah	Mr. K. Siddaramaiah
(13) Kerala	Thiruvananthapuram	Ms. Sheila Dikshit	Shri. Oommen Chandy
(14) Madhya Pradesh	Bhopal	Mr. Ram Naresh Yadav	Mr. Shivraj Singh Chauhan
(15) Maharashtra	Mumbai	Mr. K. Sankaranarayan	Mr. Prithviraj Chavan
(16) Manipur	Imphal	Dr. Ashwani Kumar  (additional charge)	Mr.Okram Ibobi Singh
(17) Meghalaya	Shillong	Dr. K. K. Paul	Mr. Mukul A. Sangma
(18) Mizoram	Aizawl	Dr. Kamla Beniwal	Mr. Lal Thanhawla
(19) Nagaland	Kohima	Mr. Vakkom Purushothaman	Mr. Neiphiu Rio
(20) Odisha	Bhubaneswar	Mr. S.C. Jamir	Mr. Naveen Patnaik
(21) Punjab	Chandigarh	Mr. Shivraj V. Patil	Mr. Parkash Singh Badal
(22) Rajasthan	Jaipur	Ms. Margaret Alva	Smt. Vasundhara Raje
(23) Sikkim	Gangtok	Mr. Shriniwas D. Patil	Mr. Pawan Chamling
(24) Tamil Nadu	Chennai	Mr. K Rosaiah	Ms. J. Jayalalithaa
(25) Tripura	Agartala	Mr. Vakkom Purushothaman (Additional charge)	Mr. Manik Sarkar
(26) Telangana	Hyderabad	Mr. E.S.L.Narasimhan	Mr. K. Chandrasekhar Rao
(27) Uttarakhand	Dehradun	Dr. Aziz Qureshi	Mr. Harish Rawat
(28) Uttar Pradesh	Lucknow	Dr. Aziz Qureshi	Mr. Akhilesh Yadav
(29) West Bengal	Kolkata	Mr. M. K. Narayanan	Ms. Mamata Banerjee

India figured among top 10 markets for Australia - AIBS

India has figured among the top 10 markets for the international business community in Australia’s International Business Survey (AIBS). India has also emerged as the most challenging of the top 10 countries to do business with.

The AIBS found that India ranked as ninth important market currently. The country was also seen as the third important future market. The survey found that the most important market for international business for the participants varied by the industry. For India it is education and training industry stood as the most important market for Australian international business community. On the list of top most important overseas markets in terms of international revenue, India stood at the ninth position, while US and China took the first and second rank respectively. 

On rating the ease of doing business in their most important markets as compared to Australia, only 9 per cent of businesses perceived India as an easier or much easier market than Australia, with 81 per cent regarding it as more or much more difficult.

While strong growth prospects are the most important reason provided for planning on doing business in India in the future, personal contacts/networks do play a secondary role.

AIBS 2014, a comprehensive study of Australian companies involved in international business, was commissioned by Export Council of Australia with the support of Austrade and Export Finance and Insurance Corporation, and conducted by University of Sydney between October and December last year.

The survey captured data from more than 1,600 Australian businesses, reflecting the opinions of a wide range of firms from diverse industries operating in over 120 markets.

Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Service Examination 2014

The Union Public Service Commission will hold the Civil Service (Preliminary) Examination, 2014 for recruitment of various post of Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS), Indian Police Service (IPS), and certain other Group 'A' and Group 'B' Central Service/ Posts.

1. Indian Administrative Service
2. Indian Foreign Service
3. Indian Police Service
4. Indian P & T Accounts & Finance Service, Group ‘A’
5. Indian Audit and Accounts Service, Group ‘A’
6. Indian Revenue Service (Customs and Central Excise), Group ‘A’
7. Indian Defence Accounts Service, Group ‘A’
8. Indian Revenue Service (I.T.), Group ‘A’
9. Indian Ordnance Factories Service, Group ‘A’ (Assistant Works Manager, Administration)
10. Indian Postal Service, Group ‘A’
11. Indian Civil Accounts Service, Group ‘A’
12. Indian Railway Traffic Service, Group ‘A’
13. Indian Railway Accounts Service, Group 'A'
14. Indian Railway Personnel Service, Group ‘A’
15. Post of Assistant Security Commissioner in Railway Protection Force, Group ‘A’
16. Indian Defence Estates Service, Group ‘A’
17. Indian Information Service (Junior Grade), Group ‘A’
18. Indian Trade Service, Group 'A' (Gr. III)
19. Indian Corporate Law Service, Group "A"
20. Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Service, Group ‘B’ (Section Officer’s Grade)
21. Delhi, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli Civil Service, Group 'B'
22. Delhi, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli Police Service, Group 'B'
23. Pondicherry Civil Service, Group 'B'

Qualifications: The candidate must hold a degree of any of Universities incorporated by an Act of the Central or State Legislature in India or other educational institutions established by an Act of Parliament or declared to be deemed as a University under Section-3 of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956, or possess an equivalent qualification.
Age Limit (As on 01/08/2014): 21-32 years
Fee: Rs. 100/- either by remitting the money in any Branch of SBI by Cash, or by using net banking facility of State Bank of India/ State Bank of Bikaner & Jaipur/ ate Bank of Hyderabad/ State Bank of Mysore/ State Bank of Patiala/ State Bank of Travancore or by using Visa/ Master Credit/ Debit Card. Female/ SC/ ST/ PH candidates are exempted from payment of fee.
Plan of Examination: The competitive examination comprises two successive stages.

• Civil Services (Preliminary) Examinations (Objective Type) for the selection of candidates for Main Examination; and
• Civil Services (Main) Examination (Written and Interview) for the selection of candidates for the various services and posts.

Penalty for Wrong Answers: Candidates should note that there will be penalty (negative marking) for wrong answers marked by a candidate in the Objective Type Question Papers.
How to Apply: Candidates are required to apply Online by using the website: www.upsconline.nic.in.

Important Dates:

• Closing date of online registration 30/06/2014
• Date of written examination 24/08/2014

For more details, please visit:  www.upsc.gov.in/exams/notifications/2014/csp/CSP%202014%20English.pdf