CURRENT AFFAIRS JULY-30- AUGUST-16
International Tiger Day observed
International Tiger Day was observed on 29 July 2016. The day is held annually on 29th July to give worldwide attention to the reservation of tigers
The goal of the day is to promote a global system for protecting the natural habitats of tigers and to raise public awareness and support for tiger conservation issues.
It was founded in 2010 at the St. Petersburg Tiger Summit, with the aim to double the big cat population by 2022.
Joint Indo-Thailand Military Exercise ‘Maitree’ culminates
The Indo-Thailand Military Exercise Maitree concluded on 29 July 2016 at Krabi, Thailand. The exercise had commenced on 15 July 2016 under the aegis of the Royal Thailand Army.
The aim of the joint exercise was to train contingents of both the armies on conduct of counter terrorist operations in an urban environment.
90 soldiers of Indian Army and Royal Thailand Army had participated in the two week long Exercise.
The exercise included combined training, familiarization with weapons & equipment used by both the countries.
BJP MP Chhedi Paswan’s Lok Sabha membership cancelled by Patna HC
The Patna High Court cancelled the Lok Sabha membership of BJP MP from Sasaram Chhedi Paswan over concealing information in his election affidavit.
A petition was filed against Paswan in the Patna High Court alleging that he concealed information in his election affidavit ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
T Nanda Kumar resigns as Chairman of National Dairy Development Board
T Nanda Kumar resigned from the post of Chairman of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB). Kumar had submitted his resignation.
Kumar’s resignation was accepted by the Appointments Committee of Cabinet on 27 July 2016.
Kumar, who had a five-year term ending in 2019, will be relieved on 1 August 2016.
T Nanda Kumar is a retired 1972-batch IAS officer from the Bihar cadre.
Rajya Sabha passes Compensatory and Afforestation Fund Bill, 2016
The Rajya Sabha unanimously passed the Compensatory and Afforestation Fund (CAF) Bill, 2016 that allows States to access nearly 42000 crore rupees and channel into afforestation projects.
The Bill was already passed by Lok Sabha on 3 May 2016.
The Bill establishes the National Compensatory Afforestation Fund under the Public Account of India, and a State Compensatory Afforestation Fund under the Public Account of each state.
DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS 30TH JULY'16
These Funds will receive payments for: (a) compensatory afforestation, (b) net present value of forest (NPV), and (c) other project specific payments.
Union Government forms 'Disha' for timely implementation of Central Schemes
Union Government announced the formation of District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (DDCMC) that will be known as ‘Disha’. First meeting of Disha will be held on 13 August 2016.
Disha was created for effective development and coordination of Central Government's programme, whether it is for infrastructure development or Social and human resource development.
It will monitor the implementation of 28 schemes and programmes of Ministry of Rural Development and other Ministries.
CM Chandrababu Naidu launches 'Mission Harita Andhra Pradesh'
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu launched 'Mission Harita Andhra Pradesh', by planting saplings at Sunkollu village under Nuzividu mandal in Krishna district.
Interestingly, Harita Andhra Pradesh was a pet project of late chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy but Chandrababu has now made it a 'mission' with a new slogan Vanam-Manam (forest and we).
The objective of the mission is to increase the green cover in the state to 50 per cent by the year 2029.
BCCI chief Anurag Thakur joins Territorial Army as Lieutenant
BCCI chief Anurag Thakur was commissioned into the Territorial Army (TA) as a regular officer by Army chief Dalbir S Suhag.
Thakur is the first serving BJP MP to join the military force.
He made it to the TA after clearing an exam and an interview.
Railway Board Chairman, AK Mital, gets 2-year extension
The current Chairman of the Railway Board, AK Mital, has got an extension to continue for 2 more years.
Mital was supposed to superannuate on July 31, and today would have been his last working day.
Four new writers get Jananpith 'Navlekhan' award
Four new writers have got the Bharatiya Jnanpith's 11th Navlekhan award for the year 2015 in a ceremony held in New Delhi. Out of these four, three are from Rajasthan.
The awardees were chosen by a selection panel headed by senior writer and journalist Madhusudan Anand, comprising eminent literary figures Vishnu Nagar, Govind Prasad and Om Nischal.
DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS 30TH JULY'16
Amlendu Tiwari and Balram Kawant were awarded for their novels 'Parityakt', and 'Sara Morila,' while Om Naagar and Tasneem Khan were awarded for their non-fictions 'Nib Ke Chire Se' and 'Yeh Mere Rahnuma' respectively.
Veteran Marathi actor Nandu Pol passes away
Marathi theatre actor Nandu Pol, who was a founder-member of the prestigious city-based ‘Theatre Academy’, passed away at a private hospital here following a prolonged illness, family sources said. He was 68.
Short in stature and endowed with an eternally jovial look, Mr. Pol graced the vernacular stage with indelible performances in plays like Vijay Tendulkar’s Ghanshiram Kotwal,Teen Paishacha Tamasha.
Veteran tabla maestro Pandit Lacchu Maharaj dies
Tabla maestro Pandit Lacchu Maharaj passed away in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. He was 72.
Lacchu Maharaj has been described as one of the frontline tabla players in the world.
Pandit Lacchu Maharaj belonged to Banaras Gharana.
His real name was Lakshmi Narayan Singh.
President of India receives copy of book ‘India’s most Powerful Women’
The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee received a copy of a coffee table book ‘India’s Most Powerful Women’ at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The book has been written by Mrs. Prem Ahluwalia.
Speaking on the occasion, the President congratulated Mrs. Prem Ahluwalia, the author of the book for making an attempt to recognize the contribution of women in India through her book.
He expressed hope that the objective of the book and the stories of its women reach every young mind and inspire them to move towards a progressive society.
He said that the book will also serve as good source of research for researchers and analysts.
DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS 31st july '16
Suresh Prabhu lays foundation stone for new Railway Station at Imphal
Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu laid foundation stone for construction of a new Railway Station at Imphal.
Mr. Prabhu also assured that the proposal from Manipur Government to extend the rail link from Imphal to the border town Moreh of the state will be looked into.
DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS 31st july '16
Centre sanctions nearly Rs. 620 crore to UP as drought assistance
Centre has sanctioned nearly Rs. 620 crore to Uttar Pradesh as assistance for the recent drought situation in the state.
It also approved almost 80 crores for Rajasthan which was affected by hailstorm and 15 crores to Manipur affected by earthquake.
A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting in New Delhi chaired by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
Government to set up 660 One Stop Centres to help women affected by violence
Government aims to set up 660 One Stop Centres (OSCs) across the country to offer medical, legal and psychological aid to women affected by violence under a scheme funded by Nirbhaya fund
Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi said the scheme was first implemented on April 1 last year.
After the scheme's successful implementation in the first phase, efforts are on to set up 150 more OSCs in different parts of the country by April 2017
HP govt signs MoU with NTPC and NHPC
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed in New Delhi between Himachal Pradesh government, NTPC and NHPC for setting up Hydro Engineering College in the State.
This is first of its kind joint venture in the Country.
The MoU was signed in the presence of Union Health Minister Sh. J.P. Nadda, Union Minister of State (Power) Sh. Piyush Goyal and HP Transport and Technical Education Minister Sh. G.S. Bali.
Justice Dilip Babasaheb Bhosale sworn in as new CJ of Allahabad HC
Justice Dilip Babasaheb Bhosale was sworn in as the new chief justice of Allahabad High Court. The oath of office was administered by governor Ram Naik in Allahabad.
Chief Justice Bhosale was serving as acting chief justice of high court of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Born in Mumbai in 1956, Justice Bhosale was first appointed as judge of Bombay high court in 2001, and later in 2012, he was transferred to Karnataka high court.
Rajjat Barjatya, MD & CEO of Rajshri Productions, passes away
MD and CEO of Rajshri Media, Rajjat Barjatya has passed away in Mumbai after losing a battle to cancer.
He was the cousin of film maker of Sooraj Barjatya.
Rajjat Barjatya hailed from a filmy background and the roots of her family were embedded in the entertainment industry since 1947.
IWF bans Russian team from Rio Olympics
International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) has formally suspended an 8-member Russian team from next month's Rio Olympics due to doping offences
DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS 31st july '16
. Last month, IWF Executive Board had decided to suspend for a year national federations that produced three or more doping violations in re-tests from the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games - made possible by improved detection techniques.
DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS 1st August'16
WHO to remove trans genders from its mental disorders list
The World Health Organisation (WHO) is considering changing the way it classifies transgender identity.
It came following calls from researchers and advocates to remove it from the WHO's list of mental disorders
The study was led by the National Institute of Psychiatry in Mexico.
PM Modi flags off 'Run for Rio'
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has flagged off the Run for Rio event in New Delhi to celebrate the Olympic mood in the country.
The mass run was announced by the Sports Minister Vijay Goel at a press conference.
Around 20,000 school children participated in the event, which commenced from Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in Delhi.
SEBI's first phase of new enterprise portal goes live
Markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has initiated the first phase of its new enterprise portal to facilitate accurate and timely circulation of information to internal and external stakeholders.
The portal, developed by IT firm Tech Mahindra, provides an e-platform to registered and prospective intermediaries to interact in a secure, transparent, and paperless manner with SEBI.
Justice Iqbal Ahmed Ansari sworn-in as Chief Justice of Patna High Court
Justice Iqbal Ahmed Ansari was sworn in as the Chief Justice of Patna High Court. His oath of office was administered by Bihar Governor Ramnath Kovind at Raj Bhawan in Patna.
Justice Ansari had worked twice as Acting Chief Justice of Patna High Court since December 2014 before being sworn in as its 39th Chief Justice. Justice Ansari retires on 29 October 2016.
TVSN Prasad committee formed for exploring possible alternatives to Pellet Guns
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on 26 July 2016 constituted a sevenmember expert committee for exploring possible alternatives to pellet guns as non-lethal weapons.
The committee will be chaired by Joint Secretary (Police Modernisation) TVSN Prasad. It has been asked to submit its report within two months.
DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS 1st August'16
The committee was constituted to rethink on the use of pellet guns after its use by CRPF for crowd control in Kashmir was blamed for causing fatal injuries and blindness among protestors during the recent unrest.
Tokyo elects Yuriko Koike as first female governor
Former Japanese Defence Minister Yuriko Koike was elected as the first woman governor of Tokyo, the capital city of Japan.
Koike garnered more than 2.9 million votes in the election, defeating her opponents, Hiroya Masuda and Shuntaro Torigoe, by a wide margin.
She served as the member of the House of Representatives of Japan from 1993 to 2016 when she resigned to run in the Tokyo gubernatorial election.
India to host Kabaddi World Cup in October 2016
International Kabaddi Federation announced selected India to host The 2016 Kabaddi World Cup. The World Cup featuring 12 countries is scheduled to be held in October 2016, the dates for the event will be announced later.
Participants of the tournament include India, USA, Canada, UK, Australia, Iran, Poland, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Korea, Japan and Kenya.
Kabaddi became a part of Asian Games in the year 1990 and India has won all the gold medals since.
Pro Kabaddi season 4: Patna Pirates lift trophy for second time
Patna Pirates beat Jaipur Pink Panthers by 37-29 in the final of season 4 in the Pro Kabaddi League. Patna, who were the champions of season 3, dominated the game right from the first whistle.
The Patna unit made history as they became the only team to lift the trophy twice in the tournament’s history of four editions.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child book launched
The book based on the script of the play 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' launched globally.
This is JK Rowling’s eighth Harry Potter story written along with Jack Thorne and John Tiffany.
Thorne scripted the two-part play based on the original story, which begins 9 years after 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows', which was published in 2007.
DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS 2nd August'16
Anandiben offers to resign, asks party to elect new face
Faced with infighting in the party and huge disenchantment on the ground, beleaguered Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel offered to resign and asked the BJP to select a new face.
Her decision comes at a time when the BJP’s long dominance in the State appears to be under strain, just a year before the Assembly elections.
DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS 2nd August'16
Suresh Prabhu flags off Agartala-Delhi train 'Tripura Sundari Express'
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has flagged off maiden broad-gauge train service between Agartala and Delhi, ‘Tripura Sundari Express’.
The ‘Tripura Sundari Express’ will run weekly between Agartala and Anand Vihar in Delhi. The rail link was developed at an expense of 968 crore rupees.
Apart from this, Prabhu along with Bangladesh Railway Minister Md. Mazibul Hoque also laid the foundation stone for Agartala-Akhaura International Rail Project. This train link would be part of the trans-Asian rail connectivity.
Andhra Pradesh signs MoU with Japan to develop food value chain
The Andhra Pradesh government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Japan to develop a food value chain in the state.
Under the MoU, Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (MAFF) will encourage direct investments by Japanese companies in the fields of agriculture and food-related industry in Andhra Pradesh.
Along with developing a food value chain, it will also establish food industrial parks and develop cold chains.
Oracle India Joins SBI To Foster Digital Skills Initiative
Global software major, Oracle India has announced a corporate citizenship collaboration with State Bank of India (SBI) and launched the 'D-Change' programme.
It will support education and learning, women's empowerment and rural skills development in the country.
The initiative will merge SBI's financial expertise and expansive reach with Oracle's technology leadership to help local communities drive substantial change and develop a skilled economy.
Uber China Merges with Didi Chuxing
China’s Didi Chuxing and Uber have now both confirmed that Didi has agreed to buy Uber’s separate business in China.
The deal, according to a person familiar with the matter, that would value the combined company at $35 billion.
Didi Chuxing is China's leading taxi company and the service provider in the market with more than 85 percent stake. After the merger, Uber’s stake will be 5.89 per cent in Didi Chuxing.
Uber CEO Travis Clanik and the founder of Didi companies Cheng Wei will be the board members. Chuxing will invest a billion dollars (about Rs 6,700 crore) in Uber out of China.
Rani Nair set to be new CBDT Chairperson
Senior Indian Revenue Service(IRS) officer Rani Singh Nair is set to be appointed the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) chairperson, with incumbent Atulesh Jindal retiring
DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS 2nd August'16
Nair, a 1979-batch IRS officer, is presently working as member (legislation and computerisation) in CBDT, policy making body of the Income-Tax department.
Dilip Rath assumes additional charge as NDDB chairman
Dilip Rath took over as the chairman of National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), after the department of personnel and training (DoPT), Government of India gave him the additional charge of the post until the appointment of a regular incumbent.
The chairman’s post fell vacant last week after T Nandakumar resigned before his five-year term ended.
Rath is currently the managing director of NDDB.
Narsingh Yadav gets clean chit from NADA, allowed to participate in Rio 2016 Olympics
The National Anti-Doping Association (NADA) on Monday gave clean chit to wrestler Narsingh Yadav in doping case and allowed him to participate in the Rio Olympics.
A panel of the NADA, reviewing Narsingh’s case, said the wrestler is a victim of sabotage as there is no fault and negligence on his part.
The panel concluded by saying that the wrestler deserves the benefit of article 10.4 of NADA’s anti-doping code.
Lewis Hamilton wins 2016 German Grand Prix title of Formula One
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton has won the 2016 German Grand Prix title of Formula One. It was his fourth consecutive win in the 2016 season and overall fifth title of the 2016 season.
Earlier in 2016 season, he had won Monaco (May 2016), Canadian (June 2016), Austrian (July 2016), British (July 2016) and Hungarian (July 2016) Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton is a British Formula One racing driver from England, currently racing for the Mercedes AMG Petronas team.
Novak Djokovic clinched 2016 Rogers Cup
Serbian Novak Djokovic and Simona Halep of Romania won men’s and women’s singles title in the 2016 Rogers Cup.
The Rogers Cup also known as Canadian Open/Masters was held in Toronto (for men) and Montreal (for women) from 25 July to 31 July 2016.
DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS 3rd August'16
Central body approves Rs 400 crore for Ganga rejuvenation projects
A high-level panel of the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) has approved various projects worth approximately Rs 400 crore for development of ghats (river fronts) and crematoria at different places along the river Ganga from Uttarakhand to West Bengal under the Centre’s ambitious Namami Gange programme.
The projects, approved by the empowered steering committee of the NGRBA, include development of ghats and crematoria in the stretch from Rudraprayag to Guptkashi in Uttarakhand, Kanpur, Allahabad, Bithoor and Bijnor (on Ramganga) in Uttar Pradesh, Kahalgaon in Bihar, Sahibganj and Rajmahal in Jharkhand and Bhatpara and Naihati in West Bengal.
India to host international summit on tobacco-control
India is going to host a crucial global summit in November to eliminate the illicit trade of tobacco products.
The summit is scheduled for November 7-12 at the Indian Exposition Mart in Noida. In this summit delegates from 180 countries will take part. This is the 7th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP7) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO-FCTC).
Odisha government to recruit transgenders as jail warders
The Odisha government has decided to recruit members of transgender community persons as warders in jails of the State as per the directive of the Supreme Court.
The home department has issued instructions to the Odisha Subordinate Staff Selection Commission (OSSC) to include the gender category.
This is for the first time the state government will mention the third gender as a separate category in any of the recruitment process.
As per the direction of the Directorate of Prison, the physical standards stipulated for transgender who will apply for the post of jail warders will be same as prescribed for women candidates.
Resolution for the renaming of Madras High Court passed
The Tamil Nadu Assembly has passed an unanimous resolution that the Madras High Court be renamed as Tamil Nadu High Court and not as High Court of Chennai as proposed by the Centre.
The Bill was introduced in Lok Sabha by the Minister of Law and Justice, Ravi Shanker Prasad with an aim to modify the names of the High Court’s (HCs) of Bombay, Calcutta, and Madras.
The High Courts of Bombay, Calcutta and Madras will be known as the High Courts of Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai respectively.
Freecharge inks partnership with PayUbiz
India's digital payments platform Freecharge has partnered with the leading payment gateway solution provider, PayUbiz, to further strengthen its merchant base and help consumers move from cash to digital payments.
This integration allows Freecharge to tap PayUbiz's more than 10, 000 online merchants.
DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS 3rd August'16
The partnership draws Freecharge closer its vision of creating an ecosystem where organized and unorganized merchant networks can accept electronic payments through one secure platform.
Bank of Baroda ties up with start-up Fisdom
India's leading public sector bank, Bank of Baroda has tied up with a financial technology start-up Fisdom for personal wealth management services.
Fisdom app helps users make financial investments in an easy and paperless manner by blending cutting-edge technology with personalised financial advice. It helps people manage their money with the help of a robo-advisor.
Besides, the bank has also entered into a pact with six other fintech companies, proficient in different areas.
Anant Maheshwari named as President of Microsoft India
Anant Maheshwari, President of Honeywell India was named as the President of Microsoft India by the parent company Microsoft Inc.
Maheshwari will succeed Bhaskar Pramanik, who retires in March 2017.
Maheshwari, who will join Microsoft India on 1 September 2016, will take over operations of the company on 1 January 2017.
As president, Maheshwari will be responsible for all of Microsoft’s product, service, and support offerings across India.
Bhaskar Khulbe appointed as Secretary to Prime Minister
Bhaskar Khulbe, a Senior IAS officer of 1983 batch of West Bengal cadre has been appointed as Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He was Additional Secretary in Prime Minister's Office.
The Appointments Committee of Cabinet has approved the appointment of Khulbe with effect from 7th August.
He will look after work related to Cabinet Secretariat and thrust areas of the government.
Anita Gopalan wins 2016 PEN/Heim Translation Fund Grants
Translator and artist Anita Gopalan has awarded with the 2016 PEN/Heim Translation Fund Grants for her English translation of Hindi novel Simsim by Geet Chaturvedi.
Gopalan is the second Indian translator to be selected for the grant.
Simsim, the lyrical, award-winning novel was first published in 2008. It is recognized for its groundbreaking contribution to contemporary Hindi fiction
‘Wall of Wishes’ inaugurated to celebrate Olympic mood
Sports Minister Vijay Goel inaugurated ‘Wall of Wishes’ at India Gate Lawns in New Delhi.
The Wall of Wishes was launched in presence of Olympian Boxer M C Mary Kom to celebrate the Olympic mood in the country.
Rio Olympics is scheduled to be held from 5 August to 21 August 2016.
DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS 3rd August'16
R D Burmania: Panchamemoirs authored by Chaitanya Padukone released
A book titled R D Burmania: Panchamemoirs authored by Chaitanya Padukone was released. The book throws light on the legendary musician Rahul Dev Burman. It also claims that Burman hated composing such songs and even believed that the genre was just a passing fad.
The book chimes a tribute that strings together amazing, amusing and fascinating anecdotes, incidents and idiosyncrasies as well as rare, startling photographs while unraveling the mystique behind Bollywood's most adored composer-singer RD Burman.
This Memoirs also features exclusive tributes to Panchamda from illustrious luminaries like Amitabh Bachchan, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Rishi Kapoor, A.R.Rahman, Zeenat Aman, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Hariharan, Sonu Nigam, Himesh Reshammiya, Shekhar Kapur, Mahesh Bhatt, Babul Supriyo and cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar, Hema Malini, 'late' Rajesh Khanna and many more.
President of India receives copy of book ‘Grassroots Innovation’
The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee received a copy of book ‘Grassroots Innovation’ authored by Prof. Anil K. Gupta of IIM Ahmedabad who is also the Vice Chairman, National Innovation Foundation at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Speaking on the occasion, the President congratulated Prof. Anil K. Gupta and said that he was deeply appreciative of his efforts and painstaking work about the innate creativity and innovative potential of our people.
He stated that Dr. Gupta’s book was about stories of extraordinary men and women who are silently contributing in the innovation movement for the economic development and advancement of society.
DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS 4th August'16
Rajya Sabha passes historic GST Constitution Bill
Marking an end to the long and tumultuous debate on GST, the Rajya Sabha today approved the crucial 122nd Constitutional amendment to turn the bill into law. The Lok Sabha had already passed the key bill.
The bill will now go back to the Lower House to incorporate the amendments approved by the Rajya Sabha. The bill will also have to be approved by 50 per cent of all the state assemblies.
The Constitution (122nd Amendment) Bill, 2014 was approved by the Rajya Sabha with 203 votes in favour and none against.
WEF India Economic Summit in Delhi on October 6-7
World Economic Forum (WEF), will host its annual India Economic Summit on October 6-7 in New Delhi which would be attended by over 500 business and political leaders including top policymakers and CEOs.
This year's meet will be convened under the theme, 'Fostering an Inclusive India through Digital Transformation'.
DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS 4th August'16
West Bengal Cabinet cleared proposal to rename the state as “Bengal”
West Bengal Cabinet cleared a proposal to rename the state as “Bengal” in English and “Bango” or “Bangla” in Bengali.
Later, it will be sent to the Union Government for approval by the Parliament as changing of the name will require its approval.
The other reason for changing the name of the state is that whenever there is any meeting of all states, West Bengal comes at the bottom of the list alphabetically.
Rajasthan becomes first state to approve sewage & waste water policy
Rajasthan has become the first state in the country to approve sewage and wastewater policy. It has been approved by Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje in Jaipur. Under this policy, all district headquarters, heritage cities, and cities in the state which have more than one lakh population will be included.
Waste water treated under it will be used in irrigation and agricultural work.
It will be compulsory for every house in the state to connect with sewage system in those cities which have 100% sewage system in next five years.
Six New IITS Get Parliament Nod
The Parliament has approved the establishment of six new IITs across the country by passing the Institutes of Technology (Amendment) Bill, 2016 in the Rajya Sabha. These IITs will be started in Palakkad (Kerala), Goa, Dharwad (Karnataka), Bhilai (Chhattisgarh), Jammu, and Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh).
BHEL commissions 500 Mw Marwa Thermal Power station in Chhattisgarh
State-run Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) has commissioned the second 500 Mw (megawatt) thermal unit at Marwa Thermal Power Station in Janjgir-Champa district of Chhattisgarh.
The first unit of Marwa TPS was also commissioned earlier by BHEL. Marwa TPS has been set up by Chhattisgarh State Power Generation Company (CSPGCL).
Khandu expands cabinet, inducts 10 ministers
In its first expansion of the cabinet, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu has expanded his cabinet by inducting 10 ministers including former Speaker Nabam Rebia.
The politicians included in the cabinet are : Tanga Byaling, Rajesh Tacho, Nabam Rebia, Honchun Ngandam, Wangki Lowang, Kamlung Mossang, Tapang Taloh, Kumar Waii, Takam Pario and Jomde Kena. All of them were sworn in as cabinet ministers.
Kerala cabinet appoints Achuthanandan head of administrative reforms panel
The Kerala cabinet has decided to appoint veteran CPI-M leader V.S Achuthanandan as the chairman of the Kerala Administrative Reforms Commission with cabinet rank.
Former chief secretaries Neela Gangadharan and C.P Nair will be the other members of the three-member panel headed by Achuthanandan.
The Kerala Assembly had earlier passed an amendment bill to pave the way for his appointment
DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS 4th August'16
Pushpa Kamal Dahal elected as new Prime Minister of Nepal
Maoist Party Chief Pushpa Kamal Dahal, also known as Prachanda, has been elected as the new Prime Minister of Nepal.
The Parliament elected him with 363 in favour and 210 against it. Dahal returns to the post for the second time after a gap of over seven years.
Dahal who will be heading a coalition government comprising Nepali Congress, the largest party in parliament, will be taking the oath of office and secrecy at the President’s Office.
Harmanpreet Kaur first Indian to play in Women's Big Bash League
India women's team all-rounder Harmanpreet Kaur created history by becoming the first player from the country to get a contract from an overseas Twenty20 franchise.
The 27-year-old is all set to play in the Women's Big Bash League in Australia after striking a deal with defending champions Sydney Thunder.
Sprinter Dharambir Singh’s ‘A’ sample tests positive
Dharambir Singh, who had qualified in the 200m sprint, is the athlete who has failed a dope test and his participation in Rio Games has been cancelled.
Dharamvir is the third Rio-bound athlete to test positive after wrestler Narsingh Yadav and shot-putter Inderjeet Singh. Yadav, however, was later given a clean chit by the National Anti Doping Agency.
Nobel Laureate Ahmed Zewail has passed away
Nobel Prize-winning Egyptian-American chemist Ahmed Zewail, a science and technology advisor to President Barack Obama and the first U.S. science envoy to the Middle East, has passed away in the United States. He was 70 years old.
He was a member of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) faculty and was the sole recipient of the Nobel chemistry prize in 1999.
Mr. Ahmed was born in Cairo and studied at Alexandria University. He later moved to the United States and earned his Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS 5th August'16
LS Speaker inaugurates DRDO exhibition in Parliament premises
Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan has inaugurated the three-day Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) exhibition in the Parliament premises in New Delhi.
The three-day long exhibition will showcase numerous state-ofthe-art defence technologies, products, and systems developed by various DRDO laboratories indigenously.
This would include the BrahMos missile, the 'Arjun' main battle tank, Airborne Early Warning and Control System, Multi Barrel Rocket Launcher 'Pinaka' Various type of Radars and other products. The DRDO will also organise a virtual reality display of Arjun Main Battle Tank, BrahMos Missile, AEW&C & LCA-Tejas.
DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS 5th August'16
RBI launches new website ’Sachet’ to curb Illegal Collection of Deposits
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Raghuram Rajan has launched ’Sachet- www.sachet.rbi.org.in’, a web portal to curb illegal collection of deposits.
Sachet is an SLCC (State Level Coordination Committees) website from which the members of the public would be able to obtain information regarding entities that are allowed to accept deposits, lodge complaints and also share information regarding illegal acceptance of deposits by unscrupulous entities.
The website would also help enhance coordination among regulators and State Government agencies and thus be useful in curbing instances of unauthorised acceptance of deposits by unscrupulous entities.
RBI constitutes a Committee on Household Finance
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has set up a committee to look at the various facets of household finance in India and to benchmark India’s position vis-à-vis both the peer countries and advanced countries.
The Committee will be chaired by Dr. Tarun Ramadorai, Professor of Financial Economics, University of Oxford and will have representation from financial sector regulators, namely, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) apart from Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
The Committee is expected to submit its report by end-July 2017.
D K Gayen new GM of East Central Railway
D K Gayen has assumed charge of new General Manager of East Central Railway (ECR) with headquarters at Hajipur in Bihar.
Earlier, Rajeev Mishra, GM of Eastern Railways, was holding additional charge of ECR.
Gayen was earlier working as Chief Mechanical Engineer of South Eastern Railway at Kolkata.
Nita Ambani becomes first Indian woman member of IOC
The founder and chairperson of the Reliance Foundation Nita Ambani became the first Indian woman member of International Olympic Committee after being elected at the 129th IOC Session in Rio.
She is the only individual member from India and her appointment at the world body is until she attains the age of 70.
Sir Dorabji Tata was the first person to represent India in the IOC. Raja Randhir Singh is currently holding the post of an honorary member after serving the international body from 2000-2014.
Sudhanshu Mani appointed as new GM for ICF
Sudhanshu Mani has been appointed as General Manager, Integral Coach Factory
Prior to this, he was Chief Mechanical Engineer, Rail Wheel Factory, Yelahanka Bengaluru. Mani belongs to 1979 batch of Indian Railways Service of Mechanical
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Engineers (IRSME).
He has over 36 years of experience in Indian Railways and worked in areas like workshop management, railway operations, project management, planning, and R&D. In his earlier capacities, he had worked as Advisor (Minister), Berlin, at Embassy of India, Germany, Divisional Railway Manager, South Western Railway, etc.
Shubha Mudgal to be awarded Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award
The advisory committee of the Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award has decided that the 23rd Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award will be given to Shubha Mudgal.
Mudgal will be honoured for her outstanding contribution towards the promotion of communal harmony, peace and goodwill on 20 August 2016 at Jawahar Bhawan Auditorium.
She is a well-known Indian singer of Hindustani classical music, Khayal, Thumri, Dadra, and Indian pop music.
IOC gives nod to addition of five new sports in Olympic Games Tokyo 2020
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has agreed to add Baseball-Softball, Karate, Skateboard, Climbing Sports and surfing in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
The decision was taken by the 129th IOC session being held in Rio de Janeiro. The inclusion of the new sports will add 18 events.
DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS 6th-8th August'16
China successfully launches the first satellite for mobile telecommunication
China has successfully launched the first Tiantong satellite for mobile telecommunication at southwestern China's Xichang Satellite Launch Center, with the Long March-3B carrier rocket.
It is the first satellite of China's home-made satellite mobile telecom system and a key part of the country's space information infrastructure.
Tiantong-01 was designed by China Academy of Space Technology and its ground service will be operated by China Telecom.
Taxis in Dubai to promote Kerala Tourism
Kerala Tourism has rolled out a promotional campaign in Dubai targeting Arab travellers and showcasing the state's backwaters and waterfalls on taxis plying in the bustling metropolis, with the onset of the outbound tourism season in the Middle East.
In this regards, as many as 200 Kerala-branded taxis will ferry the message of 'A Faraway Land Four Hours Away' - with eye-catching visuals featuring hill stations, backwaters, waterfalls and also Ayurvedic therapies - through the streets of Dubai, the throbbing heart of the UAE.
The campaign, inspired by the previous highly successful branding efforts on London taxis and the Mumbai metro, will run till August 15.
Kathakali dance troupe in Egypt for first time
A nine-member Kathakali dance troupe has performed first time in Egypt.
The Kathakali dance troupe was a part the 14th Summer Festival organized by Bibliotheca Alexandrina.
And as part of their tour, the Indian dance troupe will performe in different places including Port Said Cultural Palace, Ismailia Cultural Palace.
Modi Launches PMO App at MyGov Anniversary Event
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the new PMO app at a function organised by MyGov in New Delhi. The app would correspond to the website of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
The app is developed by a team of young engineering students from Delhi who has won the contest to develop the app
The new app will allow mobile users to connect with the website of the Prime Minister's Office.
2nd National Handloom day has celebrated
The second National Handloom Day has been celebrated all over the country, on August 7. As the first National Handloom Day was celebrated last year and Hon’ble Prime Minister was the Chief Guest in the main event held in Chennai on 7th August, 2015.
But this time, the main function was held in Varanasi in which Sant Kabir Awards and National Handloom Awards has been presented by the Union Textiles Minister Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani who was the Chief Guest on the occasion
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Finance Minister Arun Jaitley inaugurated India's International Footwear Fair
A three day long India's International Footwear Fair (IIFF) has been launched by the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.
This year around 263 companies from India and abroad are participating in the event.
Naidu launches Swachh Survekshan for 500 cities
Union Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu has launched Swachh Survekshan-2017 for 500 cities in the country with an idea to make competitive environment make the cities clean in New Delhi.
This is the second round of survey to cover 500 cities and towns, including those with a population of one lakh and above, besides capital towns with less than one lakh population and towns known for heritage, tourism, and hilly locations.
Javadekar inaugurated transit campus of IIT in Jammu
Union Minister for Human Resource and Development Prakash Javadekar has inaugurated the transit campus of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Jammu. Even a total of 90 students have been enrolled at IIT Jammu for the academic session.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) had also been signed between the Department of Higher Education, Jammu and Kashmir and the Department of Higher Education in the HRD Ministry, on May 1, 2016, in this regard.
RBI imposes penalty on two cooperative banks of Chhattisgarh
Reserve Bank of India has imposed the penalty on two cooperative banks of Chhattisgarh under the Banking Regulation Act.
The Zila Sahakari Kendriya Bank Maryadit, Raipur, and Raipur Urban Mercantile Cooperative Bank Limited are the two on which RBI imposed the penalty of five lakh rupees each.
Corporation Bank launches group credit life insurance scheme
Mangalore-based mid-sized public sector bank, Corporation Bank has launched ‘group credit life insurance scheme’ of LIC of India in Mangaluru.
It has been launched by the Jai Kumar Garg, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Corporation Bank.
The scheme has been made available initially at all the branches of Mangaluru zone. It will later be extended to all the branches of the bank.
The scheme is available to customers in the age group of 18-60 years who have taken term loan from the bank.
Vinod Rai steps down from IDFC Bank’s board
Former Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India Vinod Rai has stepped down from private sector lender IDFC Bank’s board.
However, he will continue to be the non-executive independent chairman of IDFC Ltd
. He is also the current chairman of UN Panel of External Auditors and Honorary
Advisor to the Railways as well as a member of the Railway Kaya Kalp Council.
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Union Government fixes an inflation target of 4 percent for five years
The Union Government has set an inflation target of 4 % for the next five years for the next five years under the monetary policy framework agreement with the Reserve Bank.
In this regard, Union Government will soon set-up Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) to adhere to the target till March 31, 2021.
Railways, Chhattisgarh govt. ink agreement for the formation of JV
The Ministry of Railways has signed an agreement with the Chhattisgarh government for the formation of a joint venture (JV) company for focused resource mobilisation, implementation and monitoring of critical rail projects.
Mr. S. C. Jain, Executive Director (Works) signed the agreement on behalf of the Railways Ministry while Mr. Subodh Kumar Singh, Secretary, Department of Commerce & Industry, Chhattisgarh and Secretary to Chief Minister signed for the State.
The JV company will have 51% share from Government of Chhattisgarh and 49% from Ministry of Railways and will work in identifying projects which may be taken up in Chhattisgarh.
IBM and Apple open first global development hub in India
IBM in partnership with Apple has launched a new global development hub at Manyata Tech Park, Bengaluru.
The hub mainly aims to help the clients in India complete digital mobility process platform.
IBM is also planning to launch satellite centres in many other countries including China, Romania, and Brazil.
Telangana signs MoU with ISRO for water resources info system
Telangana Irrigation Department has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Indian Space Research Organisation for setting up a Telangana Water Resources Information System (TWRIS) on the ‘Bhuvan’ web portal.
The MoU was inked in the presence of Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao and ISRO chairman A S Kiran Kumar at the Hyderabadheadquartered National Remote Sensing Centre of ISRO.
The main aim is to capture every field-level irrigation network including dams/barrages, anicuts, main and field channels, etc. and mark every irrigation structure on satellite visualisation tool Bhuvan (similar to Google Earth).
Vijay Rupani takes oath as Gujarat Chief Minister
60 year old BJP leader Vijay Rupani has sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Gujarat at the Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar.
He was administered the oath of office and secrecy by the Governor OP Kohli.
While Nitin Patel has sworn in as the Deputy CM of the state.
New head for BHEL Corporate R&D
KK Khurana, General Manager in-charge, has taken over as Head of BHEL Corporate R&D with effect from August 4, 2016.
Prior to the elevation as GM I/C of Corporate R&D, he was involved in Project Engineering Management (PEM), Technical service among other areas in the
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company. He has wide experience in thermal power plant projects.
IOA announces cash award for medal winning athlete in Rio Olympics
Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has announced a cash award of 50 lakh rupees for the gold medal winning athlete in the Rio Olympics.
While 30 lakh rupees for silver and 20 lakh rupees for bronze. In addition, the coaches will be awarded an equivalent of 50 % of the amount that the athletes receive.
Assamese Litterateur Mahim Bora passed away
Noted Assamese litterateur Mahim Bora has passed away due to old age problems. He was 92 years old.
He was a Padma Shri and Sahitya Akademi winner.
Mr. Mahim Bora's literary works include ‘Kathanibari Ghat’, ‘Bohubhuji Tribhuj’, ‘Much aru Manuh’, ‘Top’, ‘Tinir Tini Gol’.
‘Vietnam Veedu' Sundaram passes away
Veteran South Indian film director and scriptwriter “Vietnam Veedu’ Sundaram has passed away in Chennai. He was 76 years old.
Sundaram was born in Tiruchi and 'Vietnam Veedu' became part of his name after he wrote the script, first for theatre and then for the film, starring Sivaji Ganesan.
DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS 14th to 16th August 2016
6,900 km gas pipelines to connect Bangladesh, Myanmar, India
The government has ambitious plan to lay 6,900 km of gas pipelines linking Bangladesh, Myanmar, most north-eastern states, and West Bengal.
Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) and Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) signed an agreement in April this year to jointly set up a Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) terminal plant in Chittagong port city which will help pipe gas to the north-eastern states.
Smart Ganga City programme launched in 10 cities
Union Ministers M Venkaiah Naidu and Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti has jointly launched 'Smart Ganga City' programme in 10 cities located through video conferencing.
Haridwar, Rishikesh, Mathura, Varanasi, Kanpur, Allahabad, Lucknow, Patna, Sahibganj and Barrackpore are the cities/town where the programme will be implemented in the first phase
These cities has been chosen by the National Mission for Clean Ganga where the programme will be established in the first phase for infrastructure development for sewage treatment on hybrid annuity mode on public private partnership basis.
Railway Budget set to be merged with Union Budget from next fiscal
Ending a 92-year-old tradition which started during the colonial era, Railway Budget will be merged with the General Budget from 2017-18 onwards.
If the merger happens, the Railways will get rid of the annual dividend that it has to pay for gross budgetary support from the government.
According to a report, the finance ministry has given a go-ahead signal to the proposal by the Railways ministry and has set up a five-member committee in this regard.
India’s first BIO-CNG plant inaugurated in Pune
India’s first ever BIO-CNG plant producing CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) from agricultural residue was inaugurated in Pune, Maharashtra.
It was jointly inaugurated by Union Minister of surface Transport Nitin Gadkari and Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar.
Syndicate Bank launches Project Ananya aimed at digital banking
India's major commercial banks, Syndicate Bank has launched a program called "Project Ananya" that focuses on improved customer service and offering the latest in digital banking services.
Project Ananya over the next 2 years will upgrade the products, services and digital channels of the Bank to cater to the fast changing customer needs including those of the younger generation, who are more tech-savvy and prefer to do banking online.
The bank plans to transform 10 % of its branches to the new format in the next 6-12 months.
SBI, Korea Development Bank join hands for business opportunities
The Country's largest public sector lender State bank of India and Korea Development Bank have signed a memorandum of understanding to enhance
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business synergies.
The agreement was signed between SBI chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya, and chairman and CEO of Korea Development Bank (KDB), Lee Dong-Geol.
Through this MoU, both SBI and KDB will gain direct access to both markets of operation, and will be able to use the vast combined network to expand their businesses abroad.
In this regards, both the banks will also set up a Korea desk in India.
South Indian Bank, SBI Card to launch co-branded credit card
Kochi Based leading private sector Lender South Indian Bank, and SBI Card, one of India's leading Credit Card issuers, announced the launch of co-branded credit cards for the customers of South Indian Bank.
Through this alliance South Indian Bank and SBI Card will launch two variants of credit card on VISA platform, namely South Indian Bank Platinum SBI Card and South Indian Bank SimplySAVE SBI Card.
UBI launches USSD based mobile app for basic banking needs with NPCI
National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) ties up with Union Bank of India to launch an USSD based *99# mobile application for their customers.
This application can be downloaded in an android smartphone from the Google Play Store by the bank customers and can be used even without any internet connection as it does not require any data.
NPS: PFRDA lowers minimum contribution to Rs 1,000 per year
Insurance regulator PFRDA has substantially lowered the minimum annual contribution to Rs 1,000 to keep the account active in order to encourage more people to join the National Pension System.
Priorly instead of 1000, a subscriber had to contribute at least Rs 6,000 in a financial year to keep the Tier-1 account running.
NPS comprises of two tiers of accounts:
TIER – I is the non-withdraw able permanent retirement account into which the accumulations are deposited and invested as per the option of the subscriber.
Tier-II is a savings account; the regulator has decided to waive the requirement of annual minimum contribution of Rs 250 and minimum balance of Rs 2,000 at the end of a fiscal year.
IRDAI Slaps Rs 35 Lakh Fine on Bharti AXA General Insurance
Insurance watchdog, IRDAI has imposed Rs 35 lakh fine on Bharti AXA General Insurance Co Ltd for violation of various norms including outsourcing activities and corporate governance guidelines.
The fine is based on violation related with an inspection finding during December 2012 to March 2013.
DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS 14th to 16th August 2016
Union Government constitutes National Committee on Trade Facilitation
The Union Government has constituted a National Committee on Trade Facilitation (NCTF) to develop the pan-India road map for trade facilitation.
It has been constituted in line with the World Trade Organisation (WTO’s) Trade Facilitation Agreement (FTA), which India also has ratified.
The NCTF will inter – ministerial body on trade facilitation and will be headed by Pradeep Kumar Sinha, who is the Cabinet Secretary of India.
Manjula Chellur appointed as Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court
Justice Manjula Chellur has been selected as the new Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court. Currently, she is the Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court. She will succeed CJ Dhirendra Hiralal Waghela who retires on August 24, 2016. She will be second woman Chief Justice of the Bombay HC, after Sujata Manohar in 1994.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Sonam Kapoor win top awards at IFF Melbourne
Bollywood star actors Sonam Kapoor and Nawazuddin Siddiqui bagged the best actress and best actor awards at the Indian Film Festival (IFF) of Melbourne 2016.
The theme for this year 2016 is ‘Women Empowerment’. Angry India Goddess, will bring the curtains down for the festival.
Lionel Messi announces to continue to play for Argentina
Lionel Messi has announced that he will play on for Argentina, reversing his decision in June to retire from international soccer.
The Barcelona forward Messi had announced not to play for Argentina again after the team lost to Chile in the final of the Copa America in the United States.
USA wins 1,000th Olympic gold medal
Simone Manuel anchored the U.S. women's 4x100 metres medley relay team to the 1,000th gold medal in her country's summer Olympic history, and the second of her career.
USA has got its first gold in 1896 Athens Olympic.
Indian ace wins Australian Open squash
India squash queen Dipika Pallikal won the Australian Open squash title by beating Mayar Hany of Egypt by 10-12, 11-5, 11-6, 11-4.
Notably, this is her first Professional Squash Association (PSA) title since February 2015.
Pallikal stands on 10th in ranking table and this is Dipika’s 11th PSA title.
Famous Lyricist Na Muthukumar passed away
Na Muthukumar passed away in Chennai at the age of 41 years.
He was 41 and suffering from jaundice for the past few days. He won two national awards.
He has written songs for more than 1000 films. In 2012 alone, he has written songs for about 102 films.
DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS 14th to 16th August 2016
Akshardham founder Pramukh Swami passes away
Pramukh Swami Shantilal Patel, the 95-year-old founder of Akshardham temples and a saint of the Swaminarayan sect, passed away after prolonged illness at the Sarangpur temple.
He was the president of the Bochasanvasi Akshar Purushottam Sanstha (BAPS), a sub-sect of the Swaminarayan sect, which during his tenure expanded globally, with over 3000 temples built in five decades worldwide.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the late President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam were among his followers.
Kalam had written a book on his “spiritual experiences with Pramukh Swami” and during his tenure as President.
