News Roundup - 22 October 2014

1. Mohan Lal Khattar to be 21^st Chief Minister of Haryana.
2. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge has started its 20th year of uninterrupted run at the iconic Maratha Mandir cinema hall, Maharashtra. Since its release on October 20, 1995, the classic love story has won over the hearts of generations and is still watched by the youth, often playing to packed houses during its daily 11:30 a.m. show, said the production house Yash Raj Films. The film will complete 1000 weeks at the box office on December 12. 
3. India secured a second consecutive two-year term at U.N. Human Rights Council. Three other countries including Indonesia, Bangladesh and Qatar were elected.
4. The longest railway tunnel (3235 m) in the north-east on the newly constructed Lumding–Silchar broad gauge line in Assam has been scooped out. The tunnel connects the New Haflong railway station with Jatingalumpur railway station and goes under Haflong town.
5. Kerala introduces educational package for tribal pre-primary children in their own language, as a pilot project in Attappady block in Palakkad district. Titled Early Childhood Curriculum Care and Education (ECCCE), it will be implemented in anganwadis in tribal areas with the active participation of government agencies.
6. Centre rolled out reforms to manage government expenditure through speedy project approvals, decentralisation of more financial powers to Ministries and reduced transaction costs. This is expected to lift GDP by 0.5-1 percentage point. The Secretary of an administrative Ministry can now approve schemes and projects that cost up to Rs. 100 crore, up from the present Rs. 25 crore. The Union Cabinet’s approval will be needed only for those that cost more than Rs. 1,000 crore, not Rs. 300 crore.
7. HDFC Bank Q2 2014-15 (Jul-Sep, 2014) 20 % rise in net profit, its slowest growth in the past five quarters, at Rs.2,381.50 crore despite a healthy jump in core interest income and margins, against Rs.1,982.32 crore in the July-September quarter of the last fiscal. Net interest income grew 23.1 per cent to Rs.5,511 crore, while other income grew 11 per cent at Rs.2,047 crore restricted by a halving of its forex and derivative revenue at Rs.221.70 crore.
8. Tata’s Jaguar Land Rover inaugurated its first overseas factory in China with an investment of over $1.7 billion to consolidate its position in the world’s largest car market & also rolled out its premium luxury Range Rover Evoque.
9. Centre launched a web portal that will contain digitised content from museums across the country. Digitisation is done using the Jatan Collection Management Software. The software and the web portal have been developed by Centre of Development of Advanced Computing, Pune.
10. Government orders NSEL (National spot exchange ltd) to merge with its parent holding company FTIL (Financial Technologies India Ltd).
11. Mayank Ashar appointed MD & CEO Cairn India.
12. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah criticised the ‘Kashmir million man march’ scheduled to take place in London later this month. Challenging the organisers to hold the march in the State, Mr. Abdullah said it was easier to do such things at cosy places in the West.
13. DNA testing is the most legitimate and scientifically perfect means a man can use to establish his wife’s infidelity, the Supreme Court has held.
14. The International Boxing Association (AIBA) Executive Committee Bureau decided to provisionally suspend L. Sarita Devi, her coaches (Messrs Gurbakhsh Singh Sandhu, Blas Iglesias Fernandez and Sagar Mal Dhayal) as well as Indian chef-de-mission in the Incheon Asian Games, Adille J. Sumariwalla (who were all present at the Games in Korea) and not to allow any of them to participate at all levels of AIBA competitions, events and meetings until further notice.
15. JSW Steel: Net profit up 6.5 times at Rs. 762 crore for the quarter ended September 30, 2014, against Rs.101 crore in the same period last year. The gross turnover increased by 5 per cent to Rs.12,996 crore for the said quarter from Rs.12,325 crore. Net sales income also improved by 5 per cent to Rs.11,886 crore from Rs.11,308 crore. During the quarter, the company has made a provision of Rs.168.32 crore towards carrying value of its investments in US Plate & Pipe mill and also made a provision of Rs.21.20 crore towards cancellation of the allotment of coal blocks. On a consolidated basis, the JSW Steel group for the reviewed quarter posted a profit after taxes and share of profit/(loss) of associates of Rs.749 crore as compared to a net loss of Rs.116 crore for the same period last year. The gross turnover increased to Rs.14,859 crore from Rs.13,866 crore. Net sales income increased by 7 per cent to Rs.13,692 crore from Rs.12,796 crore. During the quarter, the company reported highest ever crude steel production of 3.30 million tonnes while saleable steel sales volume stood at 3.07 million tonnes.

 Credits: The Hindu, Google.