Daily GK Potion – 2nd December 2014

  1. United Bank of India has identified United Breweries Holdings, the guarantor of grounded airline Kingfisher, as wilful defaulter.
  2. Canara Bank awarded FIEO
    • Canara Bank has been conferred the annual Niryat Bandhu silver trophy among banks for its export-related services.
    • The award is instituted by the Federation of Indian Export Organisation to recognise outstanding export-promotion support offered by banks, financial institutions, commodity boards and export promotion councils.
  3. Snapdeal appoints Vishal Chadha as VP market development.
  4. Lakshmi Vilas Bank says No cap on ATM use for its debit card holders
    • Lakshmi Vilas Bank (LVB) has extended certain customer friendly provisions allowing cost free transactions on their own ATMs to its debit card holders without any cap on number of transactions.
    • The bank will also allow its customers to do up to five ATM transactions (inclusive of both financial and non-financial) in a month at other bank ATMs in other locations (that is, other than the six metros) without any charge.
    • Transactions up to 3 in a month at other bank metro ATM’s will be cost free.
  5. RBI keeps key interest rates unchanged in fifth Bi-Monthly Monetary Policy
    • The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has kept the key policy rates unchanged.
    • RBI has decided to keep the policy repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) unchanged at 8.0 per cent.
    • The cash reserve ratio (CRR) of scheduled banks unchanged at 4.0 per cent of net demand and time liabilities (NDTL).
    • The reverse repo rate under the LAF will remain unchanged at 7.0 per cent, and the marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the bank rate at 9.0 per cent.
  6. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has retained its growth estimate for 2014-15 at 5.5 per cent.
  7. Former Chief Minister of Maharashtra Abdul Rahman Antulay passed away. He was 85. He also served as the Union Minister for Minority Affairs in the UPA-I government.
  8. Agni-IV test-fired successfully
    • India’s strategic missile, Agni-IV, was successfully test-fired from the Wheeler Island, off the Odisha coast.
    • The missile’s range is 4,000 km.
  9. 26th World AIDS Day observed on December 1.
  10. Dublin-born film artist Duncan Campbell has won this year’s £25,000 Turner Prize for a video that reflects on African art.
  11. Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s birthday to be observed as national ‘Good Governance Day’
    • Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that national ‘Good Governance Day’ will be observed each year on the birthday of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
  12. PM Modi Announces Rs 28,000 Cr for New Rail Projects in Northeast
    • He also announced sanctioning of Rs 5,000 crore for 2G mobile coverage in the region.
  13. Comedian Deven Verma died at the age of 77
    1. Veteran Bollywood character actor, director and producer Deven Verma died following a heart attack and kidney failure, family sources said. He was 77.
      Deven-Verma