Daily GA Update 06 - Nov - 2014

1. Uttarakhand bids for 2018 National Games 

i.) Uttarakhand has expressed its desire to host the 38th National Games in 2018 and the Indian

Olympic Association will take a decision on the matter in its General Body Meeting next month. 

ii.) Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat has expressed the interest to host the 38th National Games in a letter to IOA Secretary General Rajeev Mehta last month. 

iii.) It is requested to you that the responsibility of hosting the 38th National Games be given to Uttarakhand state and arrange a visit to the state by a team of experts to evaluate the existing sports infrastructure and suggest additional facilities so that the infrastructure can be developed as per the required standards of National Games.

iv.) Mehta said that a decision on the hosting right of the National Games will be taken at the GBM of the IOA, which will be held next month as three years' time is normally given to a host state. 

2. Russian Deputy PM meets PM Modi in New Delhi

i.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, Dmitry Rogozin, and a team of Russian delegates in New Delhi. Rogozin is in India for the 20th round of India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission meeting that is being co-chaired by Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj.

ii.) Modi stressed that India gives high importance to the time-tested and the special and privileged strategic partnership with Russia. Meanwhile, Trade Minister Nirmala Sitharaman invited Russian investment in the country and said both the nations want immediate removal of red tapism to witness unfettered economic ties

3. Power minister says $250 billion needed to tackle energy crunch

i.) India needs to invest $250 billion over the next five years to tackle chronic energy shortages and

provide power for all its 1.2 billion people.

ii.) Piyush Goyal said the bulk of the investment would need to come from the private sector but the government would also invest more.

iii.) I visualise an investment of nearly $250 billion in this sector in the next four or five years," Goyal told a World Economic Forum conference in New Delhi.

iv.) The government is targeting $100 billion of investment in renewables and $50 billion in transmission and distribution to "create a national grid where power can seamlessly flow", Goyal said, as it seeks to avoid a repeat of 2012 when one of the world's biggest blackouts hit swathes of northern India.

4. Indian Army Chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag will undertake his first visit to Nepal

i.) Indian Army Chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag will undertake his first visit to Nepal next week during which he will be conferred the title of honorary rank of General of Nepal Army. Singh, who will embark on his four-day visit on November 12, will be conferred the title by President Ram Baran Yadav at a special function. 

ii.) He is visiting the country at the invitation of his Nepalese counterpart Gen Gaurav Shumsher Rana. Singh will lay a wreath on the Bir Smarak at Tundikhel following which he will call on CoAS Rana. 

iii.) On the next day, the Indian Army chief will meet President Yadav and Prime Minister Sushil Koirala and visit the Kavre-based Birendra Peace Operations Training Centre. Singh will also visit Mustang-based army academy on November 14. 

5. Facebook launches Ebola charity donation button 

i.) Facebook is stepping up its efforts to fight Ebola by adding a button designed to make it easier for its users to donate to charities battling the disease. 

ii.) The social media company is also deploying 100 satellite communication terminals to boost Internet and phone services to affected areas in West Africa. 

iii.) The programs come on the heels of a $25 million donation last month by CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention toward the Ebola response. Facebook Inc. says that, over the coming week, its users will see an option to donate to three nonprofits fighting Ebola. 

iv.) The company is also sending WiFi terminals to provide Internet and voice-calling access to remote areas of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. 

6. Ex-Ferrari president Luca Di Montezemolo is new Alitalia head: Reports 

i.) Ferrari's former long-time chairman Luca Di Montezemolo has been chosen to head up Italy's national carrier Alitalia, Italian media reported Thursday.

ii.) The decision was taken during a board meeting on Wednesday. Etihad Airways -- which signed a deal in August to save the troubled Italian airline from bankruptcy -- will see its chief executive James Hogan also become Alitalia's vice president, the reports said without citing a source. 

iii.) The Italian flagship carrier refused to comment. Montezemolo was ousted from his role as president of flashy sports brand Ferrari in September after 23 years amid a strategy clash with the board.

7. ITC likely to set up food processing park in Telangana 

i.) ITC Limited has shown interest in setting up a food processing park in Telangana, state IT Minister K T Rama Rao said here today. 

ii.) He said the government has cleared a proposal by the hotel division of the multi-business conglomerate for setting up a five-star hotel in Madhapur area, the IT hub of the state capital. 

"They (ITC) have approached us with a proposal for setting up a food processing park.

iii.) We suggest them to set it up at Gajwel as it is nearer to the state capital and more apt," Rao told reporters on the sidelines of a national conference on packaging. 

iv.) Rao further said that ITC Group would be pumping in around Rs 700 crore for the proposed hotel.He said the government has already received proposals for expansion of ITC's existing paper plant at Bhadrachalam with an investment of Rs 3,000 crore. 

8. Sachin Tendulkar unveils his autobiography 'Playing it My Way' 

i.) Sachin Tendulkar's much-awaited autobiography 'Playing It My Way' was today launched in the

presence of some of his former teammates, celebrities and family members at an engrossing ceremony here.

ii.) The book, the first copy of which he gave to his mother Rajni earlier in the day, was unveiled by Tendulkar himself amid thundering applause by the gathering. Tendulkar presented a copy to his mentor and childhood coach Ramakant Achrekar in the presence of his daughter Sara. 

iii.) Before the launch of the book, cricket analyst and host for the evening Harsha Bhogle had three panel discussion sessions with Tendulkar's former teammates and family, who  significantly feature in the book. 

iv.) The first panel discussion was attended by former India captains Sunil Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsarkar, Ravi Shastri and former Mumbai cricketer Vasu Paranjape, who played a crucial role in shaping Tendulkar's career.