Daily GK Potion – 21st October 2014
- Feminist writer Rajam Krishnan passed away
- She was recipient of Sahitya Akademi award, New York Herald Tribune award, Soviet Land Nehru award and others.
- She was known for her writing in Tamil on the lives of poor farmers, saltpan workers, criminals, dacoits, undertrials and female labourers.
- She was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1973 for her novel ‘Verrukku Neer.’
- She died at the age of 89.
- RTI applications and response will be online now
- Government of India has directed all ministries and departments to display RTI applications and responses thereof, on their respective websites from October 31.
- Government gift to researchers: increased their fellowship amount
- Government announced the hike of over 50% in the fellowship amount received by various categories of young research scientists.
- The fellowship amount for Research Associate-III has been hiked from Rs 24,000 to Rs 40,000, Research Associate-II from Rs 23,000 to Rs 38,000, Research Associate-I from Rs 22,000 to Rs 36,000, Senior Research Fellow from Rs 18,000 to Rs 28,000 and Junior Research Fellow from Rs 16,000 to Rs 25,000 per month respectively.
- Khattar to be next Chief Minister of Haryana
- Manohar Lal Khattar, 60 unanimously chosen to lead the BJP government in Haryana. He will be the first BJP chief minister of Haryana.
- He won the Karnal seat with a margin of 63,736 votes.
- Four day World Ayurveda Congress in Delhi
- To popularise Indian system of medicine abroad, the Centre will host a four-day World Ayurveda Congress in the Capital from November 6 to 9.
- It will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Modi, the conference will be attended by delegates and Health Ministers from 24 countries.
- Partly freeze KYC non-complaint accounts, says RBI
- “As regards non-compliance of KYC (Know Your Customer) requirements by the customers despite repeated reminders by banks, it has been decided that banks should impose ‘partial freezing’ on such KYC non-compliant in a phased manner,” the Reserve Bank said in a notification.
- Banks are advised to ensure that the option is exercised after giving due notice of three months initially to the customers and followed by a reminder for further period of three months.
- The banks may impose ‘partial freezing’ by allowing all credits and disallowing all debits with the freedom to close the accounts.
- If the accounts are still KYC non-compliant after six months of imposing initial ‘partial freezing’ banks may disallow all debits and credits from/to the accounts, rendering them inoperative.
- The account holders can revive accounts by submitting the KYC documents as per instructions in force.
- If an existing KYC compliant customer of a bank desires to open another account in the same bank, there should be no need for submission of fresh proof of identity and/or proof of address for the purpose.
- EPFO’s new facility to transfer PF money of foreign employees
- EPFO has started a new facility to transfer provident funds of foreign employees to bank accounts in their own countries.
- The facility will help international workers to avoid opening of bank accounts in India for settling their PF claims with the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO).
- As of now, foreign employees applying for withdrawal of provident funds (PF) are required to open bank accounts in India. After settlement of claims, they transfer their money from India to bank accounts in their own countries, a cumbersome and time-consuming exercise.
- The government ordered merger of the scam-hit firm National Spot Exchange Ltd with its holding company FTIL.
- Indian men’s hockey team chief coach Terry Walsh resigned from the post.
- Fashion designer Oscar de la Renta died.