Daily GK Potion – 16th August 2015

• Finance minister Arun Jaitley on Friday launched a seven pronged plan– Indradhanush–to revamp functioning of public sector banks.
• The seven elements include appointments, board of bureau, capitalisation, de-stressing, empowerment, framework of accountability and governance reforms.
• Banks board of bureau will replace existing appointments board. Its members would be appointed in the next six months to be headed by the RBI governnor.
• Banks board bureau would also hold bad assets of public sector banks.
• Under recapitalisation plans for Public Sector Banks, 13 banks would get Rs 20,058 crore this financial year. The rest Rs 5,000 crore would be allocated based on efficiency criteria.
• SBI will get the  highest Rs 5,511 cr, followed by Bank of India at Rs 2,455 cr, IDBI at Rs 2,229 cr, PNB at Rs 1732 cr and IOB at Rs 2009 cr.

• Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel has announced a ban on the use of plastic in the state.
• Several municipal bodies in the state have already baned use of plastic bags thinner than 40 microns. But the state government has announced this kind of a ban for the first time.
• This decision was taken keeping in view protection of environment, cleanliness and cattle health.

• Declaration of Kerala as a ‘complete digital state’ and announcement of a new youth programme in memory of former President, the late APJ Abdul Kalam marked Independence Day celebrations in the state.
• The state has achieved 100 per cent mobile density, 75 per cent e-literacy, highest digital banking rate and broadband connection up to panchayat level
• Government would set up wi-fi hotspots in all local self government institutions and implement complete mobile governance in the next phase to achieve the best results of the Digital Kerala initiative

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi today announced a new campaign ‘Start-up India; Stand up India’ to promote bank financing for start-ups and offer incentives to boost entrepreneurship and job creation.
• He also promised to do away with the current practice of interview-based selections for low-skilled government jobs.
• “We are looking at systems for enabling start-ups. We must be number one in start-ups… Start-up India; Stand up India,” he said, exhorting all bank branches to fund at least one start-up of tribals and dalits.

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