DOCSLIB.ORG

Comrade GVS. Mani

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Comrade GVS. Mani www.nfifwi.com Vol.31 | No.2 JANUARY 2015 Annual Subscription Rs.90/­ Comrade GVS. Mani “Times have changed, situations have changed but the need to fight has not changed” - S.W. Kalwit NFIFWI submits Memorandum on FDI News Bulletin | January 2015 NEWS BULLETIN January 2015 Vol:31 | No.2 | Quarterly Journal of NFIFWI Extreme Impact of the highly improbable! CONTACT The current situation which we are S25/221-8C-3KA, Saraauli Behind Balaji Public School, Varanasi e x p e r i e n c i n g t o d a y , w a s t o t a l l y Uttar Pradesh - 221002 unimagined by anyone and it is of extreme magnitude. No one would have thought Com. G. Nagesh All India President that LIC will be forced to withdraw all its Com. Ashok Patil products and constrained to sell very few All India Vice President Com. Vivek Singh products. This type of situation is of Secretary General extreme rarity. Com. B.Manoharan All India Joint Secretary The irony of the situation is that Com. Arun Kumar the reasons for the lesser business All India Joint Secretary Com. Dhananjay P.Yadav performances of Development Officers Resident Secretary, Mumbai are beyond their control. Apart from non Editorial Board :- Com. Rajesh Kumar Gupta availability of more products, the All India Resident Secretary ( Delhi ) Com. Rajeev Krishna Tripathi continuous upsurge in price rise, All India Treasurer increased bank interest rates, new taxes on Com. Mangapathi Rao C All India Resident Secretary ( IRDA ) LI investments, recession in overall economic growth, dramatic decline in Guidance & Support Com. B.Manoharan house hold savings are few of the many All India Joint Secretary factors responsible for the decline of Coordination business performance not only for Com. S. Anand Zonal Secretary (SZ) Development Officers but for LIC of India as well. The Making of National Federation & MOU on Special Rules-1989 The Government at the centre, is -Comrade GVS. Mani merely watching the languishing of this Impact of The Insurance Laws industry at the hands of IRDA. IRDA's (Amendment) Bill, 2008 In this Issue:- regulations right from the beginning was never consistent. It was more focused on grounding of LIC of India, than to regulate Cover Design & Layout G. Lakshmi Narayanan | T.N. Venkatakrishnan & develop the industry. Governments of developed countries across the world, will From the Secretary General Desk ! patronise private sector over government sector is well known, but they may not go 1 www.nfifwi.com News Bulletin | January 2015 to the extent of totally destroying the basic up as “ the last chance to take popular products entity of a well established and financially in LIC' was a ploy. Making LIC win for a short sound public sector. LIC was not only doing life time and create a feeling in the market that all insurance business but was also a dependable the good products are removed once & for all arm for the Government financial needs. was the game plan. In the disguise of fair play for all in the Rubbing salt on the injury, IRDA after market, IRDA's regulations repeatedly attacked forcing LIC to withdraw more than 60 products, LIC's supremacy in the industry. LIC was came up with another severe restriction of forced to create a huge amount of solvency clearing only 5 products per year. For a margin (for all policies underwritten since 1956) company, to the size of LIC which has spread to which was sliced from the policy holders' the length & breadth of the country, with more account, resulting in drastic decline in bonus than 1.5 lakh employees and 12-14 lakh agents, rates. Even during the Ulip fiasco, where the withdrawal of all products and permitting very misselling by the private insurers was rampant, few products that too without any product for IRDA remained silent, watching the children below 8 years clearly establishes the tarnishing of the creditbility of life insurance motives & designs of IRDA was only to industry. destabilise & ground one of the most strong & financially sound LIC of India, rather than to IRDA never had a consistent policy. It regulate or develop this industry. started with 100 hours training with ofine & online exams for agents, then shifted to 50 hours Inspite of these chaotic & miserable with only option of online. Syllabus was first market conditions, it is quite saddening that designed by Insurance Institute of India, later it the Management failed to respond & address was shifted to CII. London and once again, it our concerns with a sense of urgency. The delay reverted to III. On many matters IRDA in modification of special rules, revision of MAB continuously changed its earlier stand, be it on conditions for agents are of immediate concern standard proposal forms, persistency norms for to be addressed by the Management. agents etc., and at present IRDA has come out In other words, for Development with a draft on agents recruitment. Officers, the situation prevailing today is like IRDA’s final blow on LIC was when the survival of citizens at the border during a the “Product Regulations” was issued during war. Future of the insurance market is February 2 0 1 3 , which i m p o s e d m a n y becoming more unpredictable with more inexplicable restrictions, that many of the life changes in the offing. Even though the situation insurance plans that were quite popular for may not last long, immediate steps to arrest the over a c e n t u r y , s u d d e n l y g o t invalidated. impact on our class should be envisaged. We All the time tested products were withdrawn. need the skills of a accomplished sea men No proper reasons for withdrawal was given. whose expertise is used to save both the ship & the passengers during turbulence & crisis. Extension of time given for withdrawal of products from September to December 2013 Our Organisation has the skills ! was a clear gamble played on LIC by vested interests. The campaign slogan which was put - Editorial board 2 News Bulletin | January 2015 From the Secretary General’s Desk ! Dear Comrades, developments, why no agitation was called to protest Never since the inception of LIC of India (since against the Management. When the former 1956), has seen such an offensive been waged against leadership, could call for Parliament March & the class of Development Officers by multiple Yogakshema March for GOIB, why not for such a corridors of power. Never have been the Development major issue of Job security of the entire class? All the officers, deprived of their basic right of their Job in this above issues started from the year 2009 and went on corporation to this extent. Our class is passing through till December 2013. a very difficult phase. The entire situation is not In Indore FCM, Members elected me as S.G because of today's development. and from then on my only focus was to take all out The severe hardship faced by us because of Special efforts to ensure each and every member is protected Rules 2009 was conceived by the Management in 2008 in this job and to use all our resources to ensure and implemented in 2009. Minimum Business Management reviews special rules 2009 in our Guarantee for the Agents was increased in the year favour. It was not an easy task. The entire 2009. Management introduced the CLIA scheme in the organisation has to work together on this issue. year 2008. IRDA notified new product guidelines in the After a lot of persuasion and follow-up, we year 2013 and LIC withdrew all the policies on 31st were able to break the ice. A meeting with the December 2013. Management only on Review of Special Rules 2009 Since 2009, the working conditions of the was conducted on 11th Sep 2014. It was the first break Development Officers deteriorated. The situation through. Unlike the earlier leadership, which never created frustration and restlessness among members. discussed any issue even with AIP, a collective Internal unrest on security of the Job increased among representation was made before the Management. membership. The process of review of Special Rules started Many members questioned the then leaders, moving. Since then I have been following with CO why there is no agitation against the Special Rules (Marketing Dept., Chief (Mktg), ED (MKtg) and with 2009? Why did the then SG (2009) kept silent when the MD & Chairman) vigorously. As a team, all the CS Management decreased the oor level from 22% to members are putting their best efforts unitedly to get 19%, why the then SG did not react in his entire five full the issue resolved in our favour at the earliest. I am years, when the 50% & 3 years condition was reduced working very hard with all sincerity & seriousness to to 38 % & 2 years in Special rules 2009 and also when bring the result soon. We have made major inroads in many Development Officers were issued show cause convincing the Management on the precarious notices for termination and faced disincentives. situation and the emergency for review. At present the process is in final stage. We are expecting the Why the then leadership was neglecting the issues of management to call us any moment to finalise the the young Development Officers, who were to face review of Special Rules-2009. termination in a matter of two years in the Spl. Rules 2009 for non performance. Why the then SG was silent On the issue of meal coupon & unit meeting, on the issue of MBG for all these years? Why NF has not we have strongly conveyed our anguish to the approached the court of law on CLIA issue then? When Management and pursuing the matter with ED SG, who is a member of IRDA, advisory Board, not (Mktg).
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Indian Polity *
    QUICK REVISION MODULES VALUE ADDED NOTES CURRENT AFFAIRS *INDIAN POLITY * Need some help? [email protected] Or use live chat from home page Www.IASTODAY.in ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Domestic Violence Act Why its important? ✔ Supreme Court widens ambit of Domestic Violence Act orders striking down of the two words ‘adult male’, paving the way for prosecution of women and non-adults for violence against a woman. What next to study? ➢ The Supreme Court has widened the scope of the Domestic Violence Act by ordering deletion of the words “adult male” from it, paving the way for prosecution of women and even non- adults for subjecting a woman relative to violence and harassment. ➢ The apex court has ordered striking down of the two words from Section 2(q) of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, which deals with respondents who can be sued and prosecuted under the Act for harassing a married woman in her matrimonial home. Design bureau to reduce dependence on imports Why its important? ✔ To indigenise procurements and reduce import dependence, the Indian Army announced the establishment of the Army Design Bureau which will integrate various stake holders in its long-term requirements. What next to study? ➢ The design bureau will be the repository of all technical know-how for defence equipment manufacturing. ➢ The Army Design Bureau (ADB) has been conceptualised as an interface of the Indian Army with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), academia, defence PSUs, OFBs and private industry, paving the way for high-quality research and development of defence products.
    [Show full text]
  • Indian Polity and Governance English.Indd
    ANSWERS AND EXPLANATIONS Indian Polity and Governance 1. (c) in noti fi ed minority concentrati on districts by members of minority communiti es as well as The Rights against exploitati on is provided under others. Arti cles 23 and 24 of the Consti tuti on of India. Arti cle 23 of the Indian Consti tuti on reads as follows: Improving living conditi ons: The Committ ee noted that the poverty rati o is highest for Muslims in urban “Traffi c in human beings and beggar and similar areas at 34%. Additi onally, the rati o of workers in the other forms of forced labour are prohibited and any total populati on (worker populati on rati o) is much contraventi on of this provision shall be an off ence higher for males than for females in all religious punishable in accordance with law.” groups, especially in urban areas. Arti cle 24 forbids employment of child-labor in • Preventi ng and controlling communal riots: The factories or in hazardous works. The arti cle reads Committ ee noted that 668 incidents of communal ”No child below the age of fourteen years, shall be violence were reported in the country in 2012 in employed to work in any factory or mine or, engaged which 703 persons were killed and 1,506 persons in any other hazardous employment.” were injured. 2. (c) 3. (b) Statement 1 is correct. According to Arti cle 30 of The Consolidated Fund of India formed under the consti tuti on, all minoriti es, whether based on religion provision of Arti cle 266(1) of the Indian Consti tuti on or language, shall have the right to establish and and No amount can be withdrawn from the fund administer educati onal insti tuti ons of their choice.
    [Show full text]
  • 24TH MEETING of the WESTERN ZONAL COUNCIL HELD Panaji 22
    24TH MEETING OF THE WESTERN ZONAL COUNCIL HELD Panaji 22, 2019 Sravana 31, 1941 The 24th meeting of the Western Zonal Council was held at Panaji on August 22, 2019, under the Chairmanship of Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah in the city today. The meeting was attended by the Chief Minister of Goa Dr. Pramod Sawant, Chief Minister of Maharashtra Shri. Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister of Gujarat Shri. V.R. Rupani and Administrator of the Union Territories of Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli Deputy Shri. Prafula Patel along with other Ministers from these States, senior officers from the Central and State Governments including Chief Secretaries and Secretaries to Government of India. The meeting began with Chief Minister of Maharashtra welcoming the decision taken by the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister regarding the removal of Article 370 and 35A of the Constitution in respect of the State of Jammu & Kashmir. He also emphasized that this decision would pave the way for the development of J&K and Ladakh and integration of this part with the rest of the country. The Chief Ministers of Goa & Gujarat and Administrator of Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli also endorsed and supported the views of CM, Maharashtra. Welcoming all the members of the Council to the 24th meeting, the Union Home Minister said that the meeting will be fruitful in resolving the issues having Centre-State and inter-State ramifications with consensus. After due deliberations, unequivocal decisions taken by consensus should be resolved to further strengthen the federal structure of the country, he said.
    [Show full text]
  • Prelim Bits 24-10-2019
    Prelim Bits 24-10-2019 Snow Leopard Population Assessment Union Environment Ministry launched the First National Protocol on Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India. It was launched in the Global Snow Leopard & Ecosystem Protection (GSLEP) Program on International Snow Leopard Day. It is the first of its kind, developed in association with the Snow Leopard States/UTs - Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. Snow Leopard is found in 12 countries - India, Nepal, Bhutan, China, Mongolia, Russia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. It is listed as a ‘vulnerable’ category in the Red List of IUCN. GSLEP It is the world’s first initiative that aims to conserve high mountain ecosystems by protecting snow leopard in the region. It unites all 12 range country governments, non-governmental and inter- governmental organisations, local communities, private sector. Arunachal Pradesh is one of the 22 priority landscapes of the GSLEP. In 2004, WWF-India introduced the concept of Community Conserved Area (CCA) in the State to empower local communities to become active decision- makers and implement conservation initiatives. This year, the GSLEP Program is being organised by the Union Environment Ministry at New Delhi. The Steering Committee meeting of GSLEP chaired by Nepal and Co-Chaired by Kyrgyzstan. Global Ease of Doing Business World Bank has released Ease of Doing Business ranking for the year 2019. India ranks at 63rd among 190 countries, moved 14 places from the previous year (77th rank in 2018). The report assess improvement in ease of doing business environment in Delhi and Mumbai. In the last 5 years, India’s ranking has improved 79 places - to 63 in 2019 from 142 in 2014.
    [Show full text]
  • Western Zonal Council
    Western Zonal Council drishtiias.com/printpdf/western-zonal-council The 24th meeting of the Western Zonal Council, to be chaired by Union Home Minister, will be held in Panjim (Goa) on August 22, 2019. Speedy investigations into sexual assault cases, a comprehensive security plan and improved security at railway stations will top the agenda of the meeting. The council, functioning under the aegis of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)’s Inter-State Council Secretariat, comprises Goa, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and the Union Territories of Daman and Diu, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli. The previous meeting of the council was chaired by the then Home Minister in April, 2018 at Gandhinagar (Gujrat). Zonal Council The Zonal Councils are the statutory (and not the constitutional) bodies. They are established by an Act of the Parliament, that is, States Reorganisation Act of 1956. The act divided the country into five zones (Northern, Central, Eastern, Western and Southern) and provided a zonal council for each zone. While forming these zones, several factors have been taken into account which include: the natural divisions of the country, the river systems and means of communication, the cultural and linguistic affinity and the requirements of economic development, security and law and order. Each zonal council consists of the following members: Home Minister of Central government. Chief Ministers of all the States in the zone. Two other ministers from each state in the zone. Administrator of each union territory in the zone 1/2 In addition to the above Zonal Councils, a North-Eastern Council was created by a separate Act of Parliament—the North-Eastern Council Act of 1971.
    [Show full text]
  • Annual Report 2019-20
    GOVERNMENTOFINDIA MINISTRYOFHOMEAFFAIRS AnnualReport 2019-20 AnnualReport2019-20 CONTENTS Chapter-1 1-5 MandateandOrganisationalStructureoftheMinistryofHome Affairs Chapter-2 6-28 InternalSecurity Chapter-3 29-48 BorderManagement Chapter-4 49-53 Centre-StateRelations Chapter-5 54-61 CrimeScenariointheCountry Chapter-6 62-69 HumanRightsandNationalIntegration Chapter-7 70-113 Union Territories Chapter-8 PoliceForces 114-152 Chapter-9 153-179 OtherPoliceOrganizationsandInstitutions Chapter-10 180-200 DisasterManagement Chapter-11 201-214 InternationalCooperation Chapter-12 215-236 MajorInitiativesandSchemes Chapter-13 237-256 Foreigners,FreedomFighters’ PensionandRehabilitation Chapter-14 257-273 WomenSafety Chapter-15 274-289 Jammu,KashmirandLadakh Affairs Chapter-16 290-306 RegistrarGeneralandCensusCommissioner,India Chapter-17 307-321 MiscellaneousIssues Annexures (I-XIX) 323-363 MANDATEANDORGANISATIONALSTRUCTUREOF Chapter-1 THEMINISTRYOFHOMEAFFAIRS 1.1 The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) 1.3 The list of existing Divisions/ discharges multifarious responsibilities, the Department of the Ministry of Home Affairs important among them being - internal security, indicating major areas of their responsibility border management, Centre-State relations, are as below: administration of Union Territories, Administration Division management of Central Armed Police Forces, disaster management, etc. Though in terms of 1.4 The Administration Division is Entries 1 and 2 of List II – 'State List' – in the responsible for handling all administrative and Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India, vigilance matters and allocation of work 'public order' and 'police' are the responsibilities among various Divisions of the Ministry. of States, Article 355 of the Constitution enjoins Administration Division is also the Nodal the Union to protect every State against external Division for matters relating to Right to aggression and internal disturbance and to Information Act, 2005.
    [Show full text]
  • Zonal Councils Are the Statutory (And Not the Constitutional) Bodies
    The Zonal Councils are the statutory (and not the constitutional) bodies. Zonal council consists of the following members- They are established by an Act of the Parliament, that is, States Reorganisation Home Minister of Central government. (Chairman) Act of 1956. Chief Ministers of all the States in the zone. These are advisory bodies that will discuss and make recommendations with regard Two other ministers from each state in the zone. to any matter of common interest in the field of economic and social planning Administrator of each union territory in the zone between the Centre and States. Member of Zonal Council Introduction Zonal Council Total number of Zonal Council There are 5 five Zonal councils namely- The Northern Zonal Council, comprising the States of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, National Capital Territory of Delhi and Union Territory of Chandigarh. The Central Zonal Council, comprising the States of Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. The Eastern Zonal Council, comprising the States of Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, and West Bengal. The Western Zonal Council, comprising the States of Goa, Gujarat, Maharashtra and the Union Territories of Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli. The Southern Zonal Council, comprising the States of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Puducherry. In addition to the above Zonal Councils, a North-Eastern Council was created by a separate Act of Parliament– the North-Eastern Council Act of 1971. Its members include Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Arunchal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Tripura and Sikkim.9 Its functions are similar to those of the zonal councils, but with few additions.
    [Show full text]
  • Brief on Zonal Councils
    Brief on Zonal Councils There are five Zonal Councils which are statutory bodies set up under the States Re-organization Act, 1956 to provide a common meeting ground to the States and UTs in each zone for resolution of inter-state and regional issues, fostering balanced socio-economic regional development and building harmonious Centre- State relations. The Zonal Council meetings are chaired by the Union Home Minister. The Chief Ministers and two Ministers from the member States are the members in each Zonal Council. In case of UTs, there are two members from each UT. Each Zonal Council has set up a Standing Committee consisting of Chief Secretaries of the member States of the respective Zonal Councils. The Standing Committees meet from time to time to resolve the issues or to do necessary ground work for further meetings of the Zonal Councils. Senior officers from the NITI Aayog (erstwhile Planning Commission), Central Ministries and State Governments are associated with the meetings depending upon necessity. Meetings of Standing Committees and Zonal Councils Considering the great potential of this forum in resolving regional and inter-state issues through cordial discussions, the present government reviewed the work of Zonal Councils in 2014 and instructed the Inter State Council Secretariat to reactivate the Councils and convene regular meetings. The Zonal Councils have now been reactivated and the meetings of the Zonal Councils and their Standing Committees are being conducted regularly since then. During the period 2014-19, 14 meetings of the Zonal Councils under the Chairmanship of the Hon’ble Union Home Minister and 19 Standing Committee Meetings under the Chairmanship of respective Chief Secretaries have been held as detailed below: Details of meetings of Zonal Councils held from 2014 to December, 2019 No.
    [Show full text]
  • How Fares India in Healthcare? a Sub-National Analysis
    FEBRUARY 2020 How Fares India in Healthcare? A Sub-National Analysis KRITI KAPUR How Fares India in Healthcare? A Sub-National Analysis KRITI KAPUR ABOUT THE AUTHOR Kriti Kapur is a Junior Fellow with ORF’s Health Initiative. ISBN: 978-93-89622-65-2 © 2020 Observer Research Foundation. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without permission in writing from ORF. How Fares India in Healthcare? A Sub-National Analysis ABSTRACT India’s geographical landscape is vast, cultural differences can be sharp, and income disparities are stark in certain regions. Access to healthcare, therefore, is varied and the on-ground gaps and challenges are complex. The NITI Aayog Health Index is an attempt by the current government to formulate a mechanism to monitor at the sub-national level the country’s performance in improving healthcare. This paper uses the findings of the Health Index to analyse the key trends in the most essential health outcomes across States and Union Territories. Using multiple data points from the health index reports, this paper explores the shortcomings of the health systems and processes with the aim of findings ways to address the problems. Attribution: Kriti Kapur, “How Fares India in Healthcare? A Sub-National Analysis,” ORF Occasional Paper No. 237, February 2020, Observer Research Foundation. ORF OCCASIONAL PAPER # 237 FEBRUARY 2020 1 HOW FARES INDIA IN HEALTHCARE? A SUB-NATIONAL ANALYSIS I. INTRODUCTION India has seen immense progress across different socio-economic indicators over the past 70 years since independence.
    [Show full text]
  • Fifty-Fifth Report
    55 STANDING COMMITTEE ON FINANCE (2017-18) SIXTEENTH LOK SABHA MINISTRY OF PLANNING [Action taken by the Government on the recommendations contained in Forty-Eighth Report of the Standing Committee on Finance on ‘Demands for Grants (2017-18)] FIFTY-FIFTH REPORT LOK SABHA SECRETARIAT NEW DELHI December, 2017/ Agrahayana, 1939 (Saka) FIFTY-FIFTH REPORT STANDING COMMITTEE ON FINANCE (2017-2018) (SIXTEENTH LOK SABHA) MINISTRY OF PLANNING [Action taken by the Government on the recommendations contained in Forty-Eighth Report of the Standing Committee on Finance on ‘Demands for Grants (2017-18)] Presented to Lok Sabha on 20 December, 2017 Laid in Rajya Sabha on 20 December, 2017 LOK SABHA SECRETARIAT NEW DELHI December, 2017 / Agrahayana, 1939 (Saka) CONTENTS PAGE COMPOSITION OF THE COMMITTEE.................................……….………… (ii) INTRODUCTION .........................................................……………………...... (iii) CHAPTER I Report ...................................................................………… CHAPTER II Recommendations/Observations which have been accepted by the Government ............................…………… CHAPTER III Recommendations/Observations which the Committee do not desire to pursue in view of the Government’s replies .......……… CHAPTER IV Recommendations/Observations in respect of which replies of the Government have not been accepted by the Committee ….. CHAPTER V Recommendations/Observations in respect of which final reply of the Government is still awaited .....................................…… ANNEXURE Minutes of the Sitting of the Committee held on 16 November, 2017 APPENDIX Analysis of Action Taken by the Government on the Recommendations Contained in the Forty-Eighth Report (Sixteenth Lok Sabha) of the Standing Committee on Finance on ‘Demands for Grants (2017-18) (i) COMPOSITION OF STANDING COMMITTEE ON FINANCE – 2017-18 Dr. M. Veerappa Moily - Chairperson MEMBERS LOK SABHA 2. Kunwar Pushpendra Singh Chandel 3.
    [Show full text]
  • Current Affair Quiz – April 30, 2018
    Current Affair Quiz – April 30, 2018 1. Which Indian fencer has won a silver in the sabre event of the Tournoi World Cup Satellite Fencing Championship in Iceland? A. Nandani Magesh B. Ruchi Trikha C. C A Bhavani Devi D. Geeta Singh Answer: C 2. The 2018 Ayushman Bharat Diwas has celebrated on which date in India? A. April 27 B. April 29 C. April 28 D. April 30 Answer: B 3. Prajnesh Gunneswaran has clinched his first-ever singles tennis title on the ATP Challenger circuit. He belongs to which city? A. Chennai B. New Delhi C. Kochi D. Patna Answer: A 4. Who clinched the 2018 Barcelona Open tennis tournament? A. Dominic Thiem B. Rafael Nadal C. Kei Nishikori 1 D. Stefanos Tsitsipas Answer: B 5. Which state government has signed a MoU with the British Council to strengthen educational and cultural cooperation? A. Punjab B. Kerala C. Tamil Nadu D. Maharashtra Answer: D 6. Who has been honoured with the 26th P C Chandra Puraskaar 2018? A. Mithun Chakravarti B. Sonu Nigam C. Sharmila Tagore D. Asha Bhosle Answer: D 7. The 2018 International Dance day is observed on which date? A. April 29 B. April 28 C. April 30 D. April 27 Answer: A 8. Who is the author of the book “My Journey from Marxism-Leninism to Nehruvian Socialism”? A. C H Hanumantha Rao 2 B. Bimal Jalan C. Amartya Sen D. Kaushik Basu Answer: A 9. Which city hosted the 2018 International Buddhist Conference? A. Dharmshala B. Varanasi C. Kathmandu D. Lumbini Answer: D 10.
    [Show full text]
  • Western Zonal Council
    Western Zonal Council drishtiias.com/printpdf/western-zonal-council The 24th meeting of the Western Zonal Council, to be chaired by Union Home Minister, will be held in Panjim (Goa) on August 22, 2019. Speedy investigations into sexual assault cases, a comprehensive security plan and improved security at railway stations will top the agenda of the meeting. The council, functioning under the aegis of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)’s Inter-State Council Secretariat, comprises Goa, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and the Union Territories of Daman and Diu, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli. The previous meeting of the council was chaired by the then Home Minister in April, 2018 at Gandhinagar (Gujrat). Zonal Council The Zonal Councils are the statutory (and not the constitutional) bodies. They are established by an Act of the Parliament, that is, States Reorganisation Act of 1956. The act divided the country into five zones (Northern, Central, Eastern, Western and Southern) and provided a zonal council for each zone. While forming these zones, several factors have been taken into account which include: the natural divisions of the country, the river systems and means of communication, the cultural and linguistic affinity and the requirements of economic development, security and law and order. Each zonal council consists of the following members: Home Minister of Central government. Chief Ministers of all the States in the zone. Two other ministers from each state in the zone. Administrator of each union territory in the zone In addition to the above Zonal Councils, a North-Eastern Council was created by a separate Act of Parliament—the North-Eastern Council Act of 1971.
    [Show full text]