GS-III

Century Plyboards (India) Ltd. (CPIL) is looking to cut costs and boost profitability by harnessing solar power at its units. It has already set up a one MW power plant at Chennai and is planning to add 4 MW across its various plants. Sajjan Bhajanka, chairman, CPIL, said in a …

Firm’s total water purifier capacity to cross 10 lakh units Kent RO Systems, a healthcare products firm, is planning to set up a second manufacturing plant at Noida at an investment of more than Rs. 150 crore. The facility will be ready in 4-5 years. “Our next expansion would happen …

It will not help recover NPAs: unions The government’s ambitious plan to merge three public sector banks — Bank of Baroda, Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank — could take at least one year to complete, banking industry officials said. The proposal to merge these banks, seen as long overdue, is …

Petition also seeks to empower State governments to take decisions on prohibition of these deadly poisons The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to examine a plea seeking ban on nearly 85 pesticides that are being used in India on the grounds that they pose health hazard. A Bench of Justices …

In response to the report titled ‘Maneka Gandhi bypassed, nutrition norms cleared’ (September 09, 2018), the Ministry of Women and Child Development has issued the following clarification: “The finalisation of Supplementary Nutrition Guidelines is still under the consideration and no final decision has been taken yet. There is no difference …

Petitioners, including Maneka Gandhi, seek better care for Bandula A campaign for the freedom of an old and feeble elephant chained in Colombo’s Dehiwala Zoo for the past 66 years has garnered support from New Delhi. Union Minister Maneka Gandhi, who is known for her activism for animal rights, has …

Anna Rajam Malhotra, 91, joined civil services in 1951 and opted for the Madras cadre India’s first woman IAS officer after Independence, Anna Rajam Malhotra, who served in the Madras State under then Chief Minister C. Rajagopalachari and at the Central government, died in Mumbai on Monday. She was 91. …

In a relief for the nearly 70 lakh two-wheeler riders in Delhi, the Supreme Court on Monday stayed a National Green Tribunal order making the odd-even vehicle rotation scheme applicable to all, including scooters and motorbikes. A Bench led by Justice Madan B. Lokur also exempted women driving four-wheelers from …

The Centre on Monday proposed the amalgamation of state-owned Bank of Baroda, Dena Bank and Vijaya Bank to create India’s third-largest bank. The decision was taken at the meeting of a ministerial panel, headed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, which oversees merger proposals of state-owned banks. The other members of …

Poor response to tenders called for on two earlier occasions As there is poor response to taking up extraction of sand in the non-Coastal Regulatory Zone areas, the district administration is considering relaxing norms and allowing people from outside the district to extract sand, said Minister in-charge of Dakshina Kannada …

For consumers, the speakers are being used instead of radio or television for on-demand news “What’s the news?” has become a familiar refrain for consumers with smart speakers, opening up a new channel for publishers but also raising concerns about the growing influence of tech platforms in media. Devices such …

State-owned Union Bank of India has decided to quit the Antwerp diamond hub in Belgium as the branch did not generate expected business, a senior bank official said. The Finance Ministry had advised all the public sector banks to review their overseas business and close branches that are not profitable …

‘External sources key to fall in rupee’ The measures announced by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Friday to address widening current account deficit and attract inflows to stabilise the currency may not yield result immediately and the rupee could be under further pressure. The steps were primarily aimed at easing …

Spending on elections, other populist measures to blame, says ICRA Funding of farm loan waivers, poll-related spending and other populist measures are likely to ensure that States are set to miss their fiscal consolidation targets budgeted at the beginning of the year, says a report. “Given the factors such as …

Aims for early Chandrayaan-2 mission The late-night dark skies at Sriharikota lit up in bright orange hues as the PSLV-C42 lifted off and vanished into the thick black clouds, carrying two satellites from the United Kingdom – NovaSAR and S1-4 from the first launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space …

On the heels of a Twitter exchange, the IT-BPO major has let go of a discriminating employee Information technology company Tech Mahindra has, on the back of a former employee’s sustained Twitter campaign, sacked a senior company official in charge of the training and diversity portfolio. The move came following …

‘No mention in PM’s televised address’ Two days after the Prime Minister launched Swacchata Hi Seva, a national cleanliness drive, safai karamcharis(sanitation workers) from across Delhi will start their own campaign against manual scavenging to increase awareness and protest against deaths of five men in a city sewer last week. …

10 cm cube-sized communication satellite will be launched into space by a U.S.-based firm in Nov. Gurudatta Panda, a 28-year-old from Odisha’s Berhampur, is part of a small team of technocrats that built a satellite for a private satellite design, manufacturing and management company. The eight-member team, including Mr. Panda, …

India’s ‘Diamond City’ offers a lesson for the country’s ever-expanding cities on water management and the optimal use of water, which is rapidly becoming a scarce resource. Surat’s civic body is setting up state-of-the-art sewage treatment plants (STPs) to ensure every drop of waste water is treated and reused for …

Karnataka is likely to follow Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, and West Bengal that have reduced State taxes on petroleum products to provide relief to motorists, who have been hit hard by their rising prices. The State government may take a decision on the issue in a day or two, based on …