Daily GK Updates -- August 2015 -- 101 to 150

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101. India, Bangladesh ink MoU to fight fake currency

i. India and Bangladesh have inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for full cooperation to tackle the menace of fake Indian currency notes (FICN) smuggling. The MoU was signed at a maiden meeting of the Joint Task Force on Fake Currency Notes (JTFFC) in Dhaka held on 12 and 13 August, 2015.

ii. Both countries have agreed to share intelligence inputs on operatives engaged in circulating FICN on real time basis in order to curb

iii. India will provide Advance note sorting machines to Bangladesh to detect FICN circulation at international airports, immigration points, integrated crossing points, banks and financial institutions in Bangladesh.

iv. India will establish State-of-the-art facilities for examination of fake currency notes in Bangladesh. It will facilitate maintaining a digital record of analysis and seizures of fake notes which will include creation of a database on smugglers for use by both countries.

v. India will help Bangladesh to set up Forensic Science Laboratory for examination of fake notes and maintaining a digital depository of forensic reports. As part of the MoU, both countries in future will organise capacity building training programmes in future and the next Joint Task Force meeting will be held again in November 2015.

102. MHA to setup pan-India National Fingerprint Database

i. Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has decided to establish a pan-India National fingerprint database to aid in the speedy identification of criminals and investigation of crimes across the country.

ii. The database will have fingerprint records of nearly 28 lakh convicts from all the states including of those who were arrested for criminal offences.

iii. The National Informatics Centre (NIC) will be nodal agency for creating this cloud based national record by linking finger print database of all States and Union Territories bureaus. The integration of all fingerprint databases will help police from any part of the country to furnish criminal finger prints record on real time basis.

iv. Presently, the Delhi-based Central Finger Print Bureau (CPFB) has digitized data of over 9.7 lakh finger print records of convicted or arrested persons. While Gujarat has the biggest database of fingerprints with nearly 12 lakh records followed by Andhra Pradesh which has 5.3 lakh records and Madhya Pradesh 3 lakh records.

103. Badminton World Championship 2015: Saina Nehwal wins silver medal

i. Defending champion Carolina Marin Martin of Spain has won the prestigious World Badminton Championship 2015 in women’s single category.

ii. In the final match she defeated India’s Saina Nehwal by two set score of 16-21 and 19-21. This second time Carolina Marin had won this championship. Earlier she had won it in 2014 becoming first Spanish women player to win this prestigious title.

iii. It should be noted that Saina Nehwal is first Indian women badminton player to reach finals of Badminton World Championship. In the semifinal match she had defeated Indonesian’s Lindaweni Fanetria in straight-game by two set score of 21-17 and 21-17.

iv. India’s PV Sindhu had won the bronze medal twice in World Badminton Championship in 2013 and 2014. Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa won the bronze in women’s doubles in 2011. Prakash Padukone was the first Indian to win a bronze in 1983.

104. RBI suspended licence of seven non-banking finance companies (NBFCs)

i. On 17 August the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) suspends licence of seven non-banking finance companies (NBFCs). The seven NBFCs whose licences were suspended are – Religare Finance, Artisans Micro Finance, Eden Trade & Commerce, RCS Parivar Finance, Nott Investments, Dewra Stocks & Securities, Swetasree Finance.

ii. Being a dormant entity, Religare Finance licence was suspended by RBI as it did not conducted lending operation for long period of time.

iii. A Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) is a company registered under the Companies Act, 1956, whose principal business is lending, investments and receiving deposits. At present there are around 12,000 NBFCs in India. NBFC does not include any institution whose principal business is agricultural activity, trading activity, industrial activity or sale/purchase/construction of immovable property.

iv. RBI has power under RBI Act 1934 to register, regulate, lay down policy, inspect, issue directions, supervise and exercise surveillance over NBFCs that meet the 50-50 criteria of principal business. Any NBFCs that does not carry out its principal business according to the directions or orders issued by RBI under RBI Act is eligible for penal action that can also result in cancelling the Certificate of Registration issued to the NBFC.

105. IDBI appointed Kishor Piraji Kharat as its MD and CEO

i. Industrial Development Bank of India (IDBI) has appointed Kishor Piraji Kharat as its new Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer. Kishor Kharat is a graduate in commerce and law who is also a certified associate of the Indian Institute of Bankers. He had earlier assumed post of executive director of Union Bank of India and before that he had served Bank of Baroda for three decades.

ii. He has wide exposure across various verticals of banking, international business, including credit, information technology and general administration in India as well as overseas.

iii. IDBI was constituted on 1 July 1964 under IDBI Act 1964 based on the model of Developmental Bank of Canada with a motive to provide direct and indirect finance to Industries. Government of India took over the controls of IDBI in 1975 and then transformed into independent autonomous statutory organisation.

iv. It was regarded as a Public Financial Institution and continued to serve as a DFI for 40 years and was formally transformed into a Bank on 28 September 2004. It thus became 28th Public Sector Bank. IDBI Bank was earlier known as IDBI Ltd which was change to its existing name IDBI Bank Ltd on 7 May 2008.

106.Sachin Tendulkar to be Maharashtra’s Tiger ambassador

i. Maharashtra government has roped Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar as its new ambassador for the Tiger Conservation Project. His association will help state government to raise awareness about saving the tigers in the state.

ii. In this regard Mr. Tendulkar has accepted an offer which was forwarded by state Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar on July 29, 2015 on the eve of World Tiger Day.

iii. State government had forwarded this proposal to Mr. Tendulkar after Tiger Protection Foundation approved a proposal of his appointment along with superstar Amitabh Bachchan as ambassador to promote the Save Tiger campaign in July 2015. Earlier Mr. Amitabh Bachchan had accepted the request from the government and met the minister to discuss details of his role and involvement in the project.

iv. Currently, Maharashtra state has six tiger reserves viz. Tadoba, Melghat, Pench, Nagzira, Sahyadri and Bor. It should be noted that except Sahyadri tiger reserve (located in Kokan region) remaining 5 are located in Vidharbha region of state.

v. Maharashtra has recorded around 190 tigers as per the 2014 Tiger census (usually conducted every four years). Tiger population has recorded a steady rise from 103 in 2006 to 169 in 2010. The increase population of Tigers in state has been attributed to the successful implementation of various conservation efforts.

107.Union Government appoints two private sector professionals to head BoB, Canara Bank

i. Union government has appointed two private sector banking professionals as Mangling Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer of Bank of Baroda (BoB) and Canara Bank. This is the first time that Union government has appointed the two candidates from the private sector to head the Public Sector Banks (PSBs).

ii. P S jayakumar: MD and CEO of Bank of Baroda (BoB). Rakesh Sharma: MD and CEO of Canara Bank.

iii. Apart from these appointments, Union Government also appointed MD and CEO of other three PSBs who are serving government officials. They are MO Rego: MD and CEO of Bank of India (BoI). Kishore Kharat Piraji: MD and CEO IDBI Bank. Usha Ananthasubramanian: MD and CEO of Punjab National Bank (PNB).

iv. Union government appointment non-executive chairman for 5 PSUs namely Bank of India, Canara Bank, Bank of Baroda, Indian Bank and Vijaya Bank. It should be noted that these appointments were made by Union Finance Ministry as part seven pronged plan called Indradhanush Mission to revamp functioning of PSBs.

108. Telangana Government launched Grama Jyothi Scheme across the state

i. Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on 17 August 2015 launched a flagship programme Grama Jyothi across the state. The scheme is aimed at comprehensive development of rural areas allowing planning and execution of works by villages themselves.

ii. For the successful implementation of the scheme, the state government has decided to invest 25000 crore rupees to empower villages. The scheme will focus on improving the Human Development Index (HDI) by addressing core issues such as drinking water and sanitation, health and nutrition, education, infrastructure, natural resources management, agriculture, social security and poverty reduction.

iii. The Grama Jyothi programme aims to empower gram panchayats. The programme introduces a participatory approach in preparing village development plans involving the panchayats, self help groups, people and all interested in the holistic development of the village.

iv. Grama Jyothi programme will be a game-changer to inclusive and holistic development of backward villages of Telangana. The government will also incentivise villages that achieve 100 percent targets in the areas of sanitation, immunisation, nutrition, literacy and green cover.

109. ICICI Bank launched locker facility named Smart Vault

i. ICICI Bank on 18 August 2015 launched Smart Vault, a first-of-its-kind locker facility by a bank in India with latest robotic technology. The facility was launched by Chanda Kochhar, MD & CEO of ICICI Bank at the Defence Colony branch of Delhi.

ii. The Smart Vault uses robotic technology to access the lockers from the safe vault and enables customers to conveniently access their lockers at any time of their preference, in the comfort of a secure lounge where the locker automatically comes up to the customer.

iii. Smart Vault locker is equipped with multi-layer security system, including biometric and PIN authentication and debit cards, among others. Customers can access it without any intervention by the branch staff.

iv. The lockers are of two-three different sizes and the charges of availing this facility would depend on their size. Also, the locker charges in a city would vary depending on the real estate cost.

110. State Bank of India launches mobile wallet app 'Buddy' 

i. Country's largest lender State Bank of India today launched a mobile wallet app, SBI Buddy, in collaboration with Accenture and Mastercard. The service will be available to existing as well as non-SBI customers.

ii. The app was launched by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley along with Jayant Sinha, Minister of State for Finance and Hasmukh Adhia, Secretary, Department of Financial Services.

iii. The mobile wallet app can be used to send money to new and registered customers, book for movies, flights, hotels as well as for shopping. It also has features like reminders to settle dues, recharge and pay bills instantly.

iv. State Bank of India also launched SBI Foundation, which will be the implementing agency for corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities of the lender. The Finance Minister unveiled the logo and website of SBI Foundation. The foundation will promote, encourage, develop causes related to education, environment, women empowerment, children welfare and manage all the CSR activities of the SBI Group. 

111. Andy Murray wins Rogers Cup Masters Tournament 2015

i. Andy Murray of Great Britain has won Rogers Cup Masters Tournament 2015 also known as the Canada Masters. In the final match played at Montreal, Canada he defeated world number one Novak Djokovic of Serbia by 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 score.

ii. It was Murray’s overall 11th Masters Title and first victory against the world number 1 since Wimbledon final of 2013.

iii. 18-year old Belinda Bencic of Switzerland won maiden Canadian Open Masters title in women’s single category. In the final match she defeated world number two Simona Halep by 7-6, 6-7, 3-0 score. It was Belinda’s overall second career title.

iv. French-Slovenian team of Caroline Garcia and Katarina Srebotnik. Garcia and Srebotnik won Canadian Open Masters title in women’s double category. In the final match they defeated top seeded American-Czech team of Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova.

112. Kochi airport becomes world’s first to operate on solar power

i. Scripting a new chapter, the Cochin International Airport on Tuesday became the first in the world to operate completely on solar power. Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy inaugurated the 12 MWp solar power plant, comprising 46,150 solar panels laid across 45 acres near the cargo complex, at a function at the airport this morning.

ii. With this, the airport will have 50000 to 60000 units of electricity per day to be consumed for all its operational functions, which technically makes the airport ‘absolutely power neutral,’ Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) said in a release, adding, it is the first airport in the world to operate completely on solar power.

iii. CIAL had ventured into the Solar PV sector during March 2013, by installing a 100 kWp solar PV Plant on the roof top of the Arrival Terminal Block. This was a trendsetter in the field of grid-connected solar PV in Kerala.

iv. A total of 400 polycrystalline modules of 250Wp with five numbers of 20kW capacity ‘Refu-sol make string inverters’ were used in this plant. It is a grid connected system without any battery storage.

v. After the successful commissioning of this plant, CIAL installed a 1 MWp solar PV power plant partly on the roof top and partly on the ground in the Aircraft Maintenance Hangar facility within the airport premises.

113. Tata Trusts to develop 264 villages in Vijayawada under Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana(SAGY) initiative

i. Tata Trust to develop 264 villages in Vijayawada Lok Sabha constituency of Andhra Pradesh under Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana(SAGY) initiative. This is fruit of the labor of existing MP of Vijayawada Srinivas Kesineni, who had approached Ratan Tata, chairman emeritus of Tata Sons seeking his collaboration to develop model villages in his constituency under SAGY initiative.

ii. This initiative by the Tata Trusts is first of its kind where a Trust had planned to bring about grass-root level changes and to develop model village under SAGY initiative.

iii. Tata Trusts has come forward with an objective to build self sustainable and self driven villages with a focus on the well-being and happiness of the poor in 264 villages.

iv. The project has excluded the Vijayawada city and other urban areas in the constituency. Andhra Pradesh has endorsed the idea and will support the project by providing Rs 600 crore-Rs 700 crore funds under the governmental schemes.

v. For this project Tata Trust has recruited over 1,400 volunteers from these villages who will also get training for the job.

114. Finance Minister launches two funds for promoting MSMEs and Start-ups

i. On 18 August Finance Minister Arun Jaitley launched two funds the India Aspiration Fund (IAF) and SIDBI Make in India Loan for Enterprises (SMILE) under Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) in line to carter funding for start-ups and to aid small enterprises in India.

ii. SIDBI under the first fund India Aspiration Fund (IAF) would invest in venture capital funds for meeting the equity requirement of MSME start-ups and for this the initial corpus of Rs. 2,000 crore has been set. Life Insurance Corp. of India (LIC) will be a partner and co-investor in this fund.

iii. Under second fund the SIDBI Make in India Loan for Enterprises (SMILE) is a debt-fund which will carter soft term loans to MSMEs to meet debt-to-equity norms and pursue growth opportunities, SIDBI has set Initial corpus of Rs. 10, 000 crore under SMILE fund. Finance Ministry has launched these funds under SIDBI to boost MSME and start-ups under Make in India initiative and expects to create employment for over one lakh person for four to five years.

iv. Ministry also intend to move people from overstaffed agriculture sector to areas such as services and manufacturing through MSMEs and start-up which fund their own business and creates employment.

115. LIC launches maiden unit linked insurance plan (ULIP)

i. State run insurer, Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has launched its maiden unit linked insurance plan (ULIP) product across the country. The ULIP which is also called as ‘New Endowment Plus’ offers investment-cum-insurance provision during the term policy providing dual benefit for the policy holder.

ii. It provides dual benefits of risk cover and investment opportunity in market to the policy holder and also provides option of partial withdrawal under this plan.

iii. ULIP provides four fund options to policy holders in form of — bond fund, balance fund, secured fund, and growth fund to which policy holder can switch over according to their conveniences. Policy holders can switch over among the fund options for four times in a given policy for free of charge.

iv. ULIP provides double death benefit .i.e. it gives assured amount equal to the higher of basic sum assured or policy holder’s fund value on death before or after the date of commencement of risk. It also provides accident death benefit to rider which provides for an additional amount equal to accident death benefit sum assured on death due to accident.

v. The basic sum assured under ULIP is higher by 10 times the annualised premium and 105% of the total premiums paid. The minimum lock-in period for ULIP plan is for five years and if surrender before that an additional charge is levied.

116. BSE sets up new system for reporting suspicious trades

i. Bombay Stock Exchange has instituted new system Suspicious Transaction Reports (STRs) for reporting suspicious trades in order to check money laundering through stock markets.

ii. The national stock exchange has asked its members to report details of the STRs submitted to the government’s Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) on a monthly basis. As per new rules

iii. Trading members are required to submit the data through a specific FIU-STR module on the BSE Electronic Filing System (EFS), an online gateway along with Cash Transaction reports (CTRs).

iv. In this data members should provide details of their registration with the FIU along with the information regarding the principal officers and the designated directors for the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) compliance.

v. The new system was initiated in line with regulators and Government’s financial intelligence agencies move to enhance their vigil recently on entities trying to misuse the stock market platform for black money laundering and to evade taxes.

117. The Kumbh Mela: Mapping the Ephemeral Megacity authored by Tarun Khanna released by Akhilesh yadav

i. Book titled The Kumbh Mela: Mapping the Ephemeral Megacity authored by Tarun Khanna was released by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on 17 August 2015. The book, a product of Harvard University, is edited by Rahul Mehrotra, Felipe Vera and Diana Eck.

ii. The book which is a kind of research work of the University tells the story of the Kumbh Mela, the largest celebration on earth that depends on the positions of Jupiter, the Sun and the Moon. It also narrates that people mostly Hindus travel certain places along holy rivers, like Ganga, to take bath and cleanse themselves from sin.

iii. In 2013, a team from Harvard University monitored the large-scale event from its preparation through to the actual celebration, investigating and documenting the prototypes for flexible urban planning and offering organizers advice on issues around environmental protection.

iv. This substantial hardcover presents their comprehensive research findings along with city maps, aerial images and photographs of this most fascinating feat of urban planning.

118. Meet the White House’s first transgender staffer

i. The White House has appointed its first openly transgender staff member. Raffi Freedman-Gurspan has been hired as an outreach and recruitment director for presidential personnel in the White House Office of Presidential Personnel, LGBT groups and the White House said Tuesday.

ii. Freedman-Gurspan "demonstrates the kind of leadership this administration champions,” Valerie Jarrett, senior adviser to President Obama, said in an e-mailed statement confirming the appointment. "Her commitment to bettering the lives of transgender Americans -- particularly transgender people of color and those in poverty -- reflects the values of this administration."

iii. ational Center for Transgender Equality Executive Director Mara Keisling said: "President Obama has long said he wants his administration to look like the American people. I have understood this to include transgender Americans. A transgender person was inevitably going to work in the White House.

iv. Freedman-Gurspan's previous job was at the National Center for Transgender Equality, where she worked as a policy adviser for the Racial and Economic Justice Initiative. In that role, she also urged the government to release undocumented transgender immigrants who cannot be adequately protected from sexual violence in detention.

119. Happy World Photography Day to all shutterburgs

i. The World Photography Day is annually observed on Aug 19 across the world. Be it  a professional or amateur photographers, all of them celebrate the day with equal zest. One of the most important thing is to know about the origin of photography.

ii. The Daguerreotype photographic processes was invented by Frenchmen Joseph Nicephore Niepce and Louis Daguerre in 1837. William Fox is said to be the inventor of Calotype photo process.

iii. Homai Vyarawalla is the first lady press photographer from Navasari, Gujarat. She was born in a middle class family in 1913. Her work captured the last day of the British Empire in India and the emergence of a new country.

iv. The one behind the famous photograph of Jawaharlal Nehru and the wife of the then British Deputy High Commission lighting up a cigarette together, Vyarawalla shot to fame from there.

120. Bangladesh lifted South Asian Football Federation U-16 title

i. Bangladesh Under-16 team on 18 August 2015 won their first-ever South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) under-16 title. In the title clash at the Sylhet District Stadium of Bangladesh, the hosts defeated defending champions India 4-2 in penalties.

ii. Bangladesh got the lead through Fahim Murshed when he found the net in the 46th minute. India equalised the score after the hour mark through Amay Morajkar's left-footer. The match went into penalties after both sides failed to score the second goal.

iii. In the shoot out, Bangladesh did not miss any of their penalties, while India failed to score its second and fourth helping the home side clinch the title for the first time. Earlier, Bangladesh had beaten India in the group stage as well.

iv. Besides India and Bangladesh, the tournament was participated by Nepal, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and the Maldives.

121. New IAAF president Sebastian Coe promises independent doping unit

i. Sebastian Coe has described his election as president of the world athletics governing body as the pinnacle of his career and vowed to introduce an independent doping commission to address perceived “conflicts and loopholes”.

ii. Lord Coe, the double Olympic gold medallist who led the organising committee for the London 2012 Games, said beating the Ukrainian former pole vaulter Sergey Bubka to the presidency was a bigger moment than any of his previous successes.

iii. Victory for a visibly relieved Coe, who defeated Bubka by 115 votes to 92, prompted an outpouring of support from British athletes and sports administrators who said he was the man to repair the battered image of the sport in the wake of a slew of doping and corruption allegations.

iv. The new IAAF president, who will begin work following the impending world championships in Beijing, said athletics had played a lead role in tackling doping. But he admitted: “We do have to recognise there is too broad a view that this something – whether real or perceived – that there are conflicts and loopholes. 

122. AFI chief Sumariwalla elected IAAF Council member 

i. Athletics Federation of India President Adille Sumariwalla was today elected as one of the members of the prestigious Council of the IAAF, the global governing body of the sport, in its polls held here. 

ii. Sumariwalla, an Olympian 100m runner, was elected as one of the nine individual members of the all-powerful IAAF Council at the 50th Congress of the world athletics body held a day ahead of the start of the World Athletics Championships. 

iii. Sumariwalla is the first Indian to be elected in the IAAF Council. He got 61 votes in the second round to get elected. Former AFI and Indian Olympic Association President Suresh Kalmadi was also earlier a member of the IAAF Council from 2001 to 2013 but by virtue of his being the chief of the Asian Athletics Association and not through an election. 

iv. The Commonwealth Games scam-tainted Kalmadi lost his seat as an ordinary member after he was defeated in the AAA presidential elections to Dahlan Al-Hamad of Qatar in Pune in 2013. 

123. Payments banks: With India Post getting RBI nod, India’s biggest bank for poor is in the making

i. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has chosen just 11 out of 41 applicants to set up payments banks in the country. Payments banks are institutions that will offer most of the banking services except loans and credit card products to retail customers. Customers can deposit money up to Rs 1 lakh in these banks, transfer money, make payments and buy financial products such as insurance and mutual funds.

ii. The 11 names include India’s postal department, two telecom players (Airtel and Vodafone), three large corporate houses (Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), Aditya Birla Nuvo and Tech Mahindra), two financial services firms (Fino Paytech and Cholamandalam), two individual entrepreneurs (Dilip Sahnghvi and Vijay Sharma) and National Securities Depository Ltd, a surprise winner.

iii. The names that are absent in the list are equally notable. These include Kishore Biyani of Big Bazaar, George Muthoot of Muthoot Financial Services, prepaid payment instrument issuers (PPIs) such as Oxigen and Itz cash and few other mobile payment services such as My mobile payments, Pay Point and One MobiKwik Systems.

iv. The postal department, which failed to get into the list of full service banks when the RBI gave permits to IDFC and Bandhan in April 2014, has been trying for long to get into the banking business. The department has begun to set up ATMs and connect its offices through core banking solution network. The post expects to connect about 25,000 branches under CBS in next one year.

v. Since payments banks do not require huge amount of capital (the initial capital requirement set by the RBI for these banks is Rs 100 crore as against Rs 500 crore for full-service banks), India Post will not have to struggle much to seek the capital assistance from the finance ministry, which, in the past, had opposed India Post’s plan to become a full-service banks citing higher capital requirement and lack of experience in offering credit. But, this time, capital shouldn’t be an issue.

124. Ashwani Lohani, a tourism veteran, to steer Air India as CMD

i. Ashwani Lohani has been featured in the Limca Book of Records in 2007 for holding four different engineering degrees. With his appointment as the chairman and managing director of Air India succeeding Rohit Nandan, he may well get to create some new records in the aviation industry.

ii. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet on Thursday announced Lohani's name and is it widely expected that outgoing CMD Nandan will remain for another month till he gets a posting as a secretary to the government of India. So Lohani will perhaps join only next month.

iii. With the appointment of Lohani, the government has made it clear that it still cannot come around to tasking an aviation professional with the job of turning around an ailing airline. Lohani has enough experience in the tourism industry and in the railways but remains a career bureaucrat, much like the outgoing Nandan.

iv. Nandan was at the helm for three-and-a-half years and is credited with getting Air India to post an operational profit for the first time after the erstwhile Air India and Indian Airlines merged in 2007. Also, Air India finally entered prestigious airline grouping Star Alliance during Nandan's tenure after several botched attempts earlier.

v. Ashwani Lohani belongs to the Indian Railways Services Mechanical Engineering 1980 batch and is presently working as the chief administrative officer of the Indian Railway Organization for Alternate Fuels, a subordinate organization of the Railway Board.

125. Government approves pact between India and Seychelles to curb black money

i. With an intention of curbing black money generation the government approved signing and ratification of the Tax information exchange agreements between India and Seychelles. According to the agreement both the nations will exchange information with each other regarding taxes so as to curb tax evasion and avoidance by its citizens.

ii. As per the agreement the information provided by each nation will be treated as confidential and may be disclosed only to persons or concern authorities (Judiciary) who in relation to taxes covered under the agreement.

iii. Due to this agreement the competent authorities of both the countries will get relevant information for administration and enforcement of the domestic laws of two countries concerning taxes.

iv. The Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Asset) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015 was passed by the parliament in May 2015. It makes people mandatory to disclose their foreign income and assets and pay 30 per cent of it as tax and if fail to pay in given time limit then extra 90 per cent is levied.

v. India and United States have signed inter-governmental agreement to implement the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) under which both the nations exchange a wide range of financial information among themselves automatically and periodically. In June 2015, India has joined the Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement (MCAA) on Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information (AEOI) which includes Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, Indonesia and New Zealand.

126. Bharat Stage IV (BS-IV) compliant vehicles though out the country from 1 April 2017: Ministry of Road Transport & Highways

i. In order to reduce air pollution due to vehicles the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways issued a notification to introduce Bharat Stage IV (BS-IV) compliant four wheeler vehicles though out the country from 1 April 2017. As per the notification from 1 April 2017 all newly manufactured four-wheeled vehicle that are complaint with the BS-IV standards will be allowed to registered and move on roads.

ii. From 1 April, 2010 vehicles in few cities of NCR, Mumbai, Kolkatta, Chennai, Ahmadabad, Bangalore, Hyderabad including Secunderabad, Kanpur, Pune, Surat, Agra, Lucknow and Sholapur were already running with BS IV complaint engine. More 50 cities were added till 1 April 2015.

iii. Bharat stage emission standards also known as “Bharat Stage” are emission standards instituted by the Government of India in accordance with European regulation standard ‘Euro norms’ to regulate the output of air pollutants that vehicles emits.

iv. India adopted “Barat stage” in accordance with ‘Euro norms’ from year 2000 and stage wise introduced Bharat Stage compatible fuel and ungraded and modified vehicles throughout the country. Each stage specifies a certain limit on the pollutants released, Higher the Bharat Stage goes lesser it emits pollutants.

v. The BS-IV complaint vehicles release less pollutants {Carbon Mono-oxide (CO), Hydrocarbon (HC), Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx) and Sulphur (SOx)} i.e. 0.025 Respirable suspended particulate matter (RSPM) as compared to its preceding Bharat Stage complaint vehicles.

127. Hindustan Unilever Sun Pharma Industries and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) among the world’s top 100 innovative Companies: Forbes

i. Three Indian companies Hindustan Unilever Sun Pharma Industries and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and have been named among the world’s 100 most innovative companies by Forbes.

ii. Hindustan Unilever the FMCG has been ranked 41 on the list whereas TCS stood at number 64 and Sun Pharma at 71 in the Forbes list of ‘The World’s Most Innovative Companies’. Key findings

iii. California-Based Tesla Motors has topped the list whose market capitalization is of $25.5 billion. Tesla Motors has also won the Apple’s creative crown. Salesforce.com, Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and ARM Holdings and among the top five companies on the list.

iv. TCS, India’s largest IT Company with a market cap of $80.3 billion has appeared on the list for the eighth time. Sun Pharma, India’s largest drug company with a market cap $39 billion appears on the list for the fourth straight time.

v. Forbes has ranked these companies based on their innovation premium this is the difference between their market capitalisation and a net present value of cash flows from existing businesses. Forbes included only those industries that are known to invest in innovation and has seven years of public financial data and $10 billion in market cap.

128. Historian Babasaheb Purandare conferred with Maharashtra Bhushan Award 2015

i. Eminent Historian writer Babasaheb Purandare has been conferred with Maharashtra Bhushan Award 2015. He was bestowed this award in literature category by Governor C. Vidyasagar Rao in presence of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at a function held in Raj Bhava, Mumbai.

ii. Babasaheb Purandare was born as Balwant Moreshwar Purandare on 29 July, 1922. He is famously entitled as Shiv Shahir i.e. ‘Shivaji’s poet’. He is being credited with writing the first historical work on 16th century Great Maratha king Chattrapati Shivaji. He is best known for his book Raja Shiv Chhatrapati and popular play Janata Raja.

iii. His book Raja Shiv Chhatrapati has more than 16 editions and widely read across the state. It is estimated that over 5 lakh copies of this book have been sold. Janata Raja play has been performed more than 850 times in last three decades after it was first staged in 1985. It has been staged in all over Maharashtra, Delhi, Bhopal, Agra and United States.

iv. Maharashtra Bhushan Award is a highest civilian award of Maharashtra state presented annually by the state government.

129. US launches biggest NATO airborne drills since Cold War in Europe

i. The US military has launched the largest NATO airborne drills dubbed as Swift Response 15 since the end of the Cold War to enhance security and stability in the European region. Swift Response 15 will be month long simultaneous multinational airborne operations drill in which around 5,000 soldiers from 11 NATO member states will participate.

ii. 11 NATO member courtiers participating are: Bulgaria, Germany, France, Greece, Portugal, Netherlands, Italy, Poland, Britain Spain, and United States. These airborne drills aim to help high-readiness NATO forces in order to act as one single force and to demonstrate its alliance’s capacity to operate and rapidly deploy forces in support to maintaining a strong and secure Europe.

iii. In these drills allied warplanes led by US will drop more than one thousand paratroopers and warfare equipment to Hohenfels training area in Germany. Similar air drop drill will also take place the same day at the Novo Selo training area in Bulgaria.

130. Anupam Kher Unlocks Another Achievement, Named Advocate For UN's Gender Equality Campaign

i. Critically acclaimed Bollywood actor Anupam Kher has another achievement to his credit now. Kher has been named an advocate for the United Nations’ campaign on gender equality, and is collaboration with the UN will call on men and boys to stand up against inequalities against women and girls, further helping in ending the discrimination and violence against them.

ii. N Women Deputy Executive Director Lakshmi Puri declared and honored Anupam Kher as an advocate for the “HeForShe” Champion at a ceremony that was held last evening. Kher was honored to be named the HeForShe advocate and he has promised full support for the UN's effort.

iii. Lakhsmi Puri revealed that UN Women were highly keen on working with Kher because of his past records and achievements. Apart from being a renowned actor, filmmaker, motivational speaker and philanthropist, there wouldn't have been any person more apt to play a role challenging gender stereotypes, harmful practices, discriminatory social norms and traditions that further enhance gender inequality and violence against women.

iv. Kher has worked in over 100 plays and nearly 450 films, clearly proving how huge his contribution has been. Apart from being an actor, Kher was also involved in philanthropy and established The Anupam Kher Foundation to spread education among less privileged children and to provide palliative care to people with life-limiting diseases. He was also awarded the Dalai Lama Award for his work with underprivileged children.

131. Australian government appoints Adam Gilchrist ambassador to India - for education

i. In a move set to further strengthen education ties with India, the Australian government on Thursday appointed former cricketer Adam Gilchrist as nation's inaugural ambassador to the region on education.

ii. The announcment was made by the Minister for Education and Training Christopher Pyne prior to attending the Annual Ministerial Dialogue and third Australia-India Education Council meeting in New Delhi on August 24.

iii. Adam will play an important part in supporting the growth in the strong bilateral education relationship between Australia and India, to help ensure that Australia continues to be seen as a high quality provider of education.

iv. The Indian people recognise Adam as one of cricket's greats, and the values he espouses both on and off the field excellence and integrity are precisely those with which Australia aligns its reputation for high-quality education, training and research, Pyne added.

132. Minority Ministry Launches Online Application Management System (OAMS) for "Nai Roshni"

i. Dr. Najma Heptulla, the Union Minister for Minority Affairs Launched Online Application Management System (OAMS) for Nai Roshni. Speaking on the occasion she said the system brings the scheme in to public domain and will facilitate transparency and quick delivery.

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ii. The Ministry has developed an Online Application Management System (OAMS) for Nai Roshni scheme. The procedures involved and benefits of the system include:

• Submission of online application and generation of an application ID with date.
• Online screening of applications.
• Online receipt of documents.
• No loss of documents due to postal or human negligence.
• Curtailment of procedural delays.
• Minimized paper work.
• Time saving.
• The applicant can check the status of their applications with their ID.
• Online project approval, sanctions and release of funds.
• Online monitoring of projects.
• Reports on trained women, location of projects etc. available in public domain.

iii. The Ministry of Minority Affairs implements Nai Roshni a scheme for Leadership Development of Minority Women since 2012-13, to empower and instill confidence in women by providing knowledge, tools and techniques for interacting with Government systems, banks and intermediaries at all levels.

iv. The scheme is implemented through Non -Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Civil Societies, Trust etc. The scheme provides one week training programmes followed by Handholding for one year. The training is provided on various Training modules cover issues relating to women viz. Leadership of Women through participation in decision making, Educational Programmes for women, Health and Hygiene, Legal rights of women, Financial Literacy, Digital Literacy, Swachch Bharat, Life Skills and Advocacy for Social and Behavioural change.

133. Ranil Wickremesinghe sworn in as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka

i. Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. He was administered the oath of office by President Maithripala Sirisena at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo.

ii. Wickremesinghe, a lawmaker since 1977, had served the country as its Prime Minister on three occasions. He held the post from 1993-94, 2002-2004 and since January 2015.

iii. Apart from this, immediately after the swearing-in, the General Secretaries of the two main parties in the country, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the United National Party (UNP) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work together in the parliament and form a National Government.

iv. Earlier on 18 August 2015, Wickremesinghe’s United National Party won 106 seats, seven short of a majority in the 225-member parliament. This agreement between the UNP and Sirisena’s SLFP will enable Wickremesighe to secure a majority in Parliament.

134. Himachal Pradesh Government launched RISHTA project

i. Himachal Pradesh Government on 20 August 2015 launched the Rajiv Gandhi Illuminating Scheme for Hill Town Advancement (RISHTA) project, an efficient smart LED based street lighting project. With this, Himachal Pradesh became the first state in North India to do so.

ii. The scheme is also known as Centralized Control and Monitoring System (CCMS) Smart Street Lighting Scheme for Urban Local bodies which implements LED based street lighting project. This project is being implemented by collaboration of state Urban Development Department and EESL.

iii. EESL (Energy Efficient Services Limited) is a joint venture company formed by four power sectors i.e. National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), Power Grid Corporation of India (PGCIL), Power Finance Corporation Ltd. (PFC) and Rural Electrification Corporation (REC).

iv. For this project, EESL will invest all the capital upfront for implementation of Project. Municipalities will pay back this investment to EESL over a period of 7 years from energy and cost savings that will accrue as a result of installation of energy efficient LED lights.

v. In this project, a total of 63484 street lights will be replaced with LEDs in all the Urban Local Bodies to achieve 45 to 55 percent energy savings. The total savings within a year in terms of operation and maintenance will be 6.5 crore rupees.

135. Government launched education loan portal for students seeking loans

i. On 20 August 2015, Government launched a web-based portal www.vidyalakshmi.co.in for the students seeking educational loans. In order to ensure that no student misses out on higher education due to lack of funds, finance minister in the Union Budget for 2015-16 had proposed to set a fully IT-based Student Financial Aid Authority.

ii. In line with this proposal this portal was launched with an aim to administer and monitor scholarship as well as educational loan schemes under the Pradhan Mantri Vidya Lakshmi Karyakram (PMVLK). The launch of this portal also aims to bring all banks providing educational loans under one roof.

iii. The portal has been developed and maintained by NSDL e-Governance Infrastructure Limited (NSDL e-Gov) under the guidance of Ministry of Finance, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development and Indian Banks’ Association (IBA).

iv. It is a first of its kind portal that provides access to information and makes application for educational loans provided by banks and also government scholarships under a single window.

v. The portal also has a provision to apply to multiple banks for educational loans and facility for banks to download students’ loan applications among others.

136. Narendra Modi-Barack Obama hotline becomes operational

i. The hotlines or secure lines of communication between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Barack Obama and their national security advisers have recently become operational, though it has not been put to use during its short lifespan so far. 

ii. This is a secure line between two very very close partners so that they can exchange views at the heads of state level...exchange views and co-ordinate approaches to solving real problems, said the top White House official. 

iii. With this India becomes only the fourth country- after Russia, Great Britain and China - with which the US has a hotline. For India this is the first hotline at the level of head of state.

iv. The establishment of hotline or secure line of communication between leaders of the two largest democracies of the world is part of efforts of Obama and Modi to increase the frequency of level of communication and frequent discussion between them on key bilateral, regional and global issues. 

137. YouTube announces partnership with Whistling Woods to set up “YouTube Space” in Mumbai

i. Video sharing portal YouTube has announced to set up a new “YouTube Space” in Mumbai with Asia’s largest and most renowned film schools the Whistling Woods International (WWI). The ‘YouTube Space’ at WWI will provide production facility for YouTube video creators as well as the students of WWI where they can learn video production.

ii. This facility at WWI will be set up at Filmcity which is a major film and television production hub in Mumbai and is expected to open at end of the year. You Tube had launched first You Tube Space in 2012 the facility at Mumbai is the seventh other six are in Tokyo, Los Angeles, London, New York, Brazil, and recently launched in Berlin.

iii. At Mumbai facility the video creators can produce original digital video content right from the start of an idea through to filming, editing, and uploading to YouTube with the help cutting edge audio, visual, and editing equipments at the WWI. Both WWI and YouTube at this facility will also develop original courses to train the next generation of Indian filmmakers to succeed in digital and online media.

iv. To facilitate You Tube operations WWI has include content creation, audience development and monetisation in its degree and diploma programs. This new facility at WWI is set up by You Tube with an idea to support the incredible wave of creative Indian YouTube creator community.

138. Rajasthan Govt Join Hands With Future Group To Mordernise Public Distribution System

i. The Rajasthan government on Thursday entered into an agreement with Future Consumer Enterprise Ltd. (FCEL) to modernise the public distribution system (PDS) by providing multi-brand consumer goods at competitive prices to public through fair price shops.

ii. Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje launched the initiative, “Annapurna Bhandar Yojna”, a public private partnership (PPP) scheme touted as the first of its kind in the country after Rajasthan State Food and Civil Supplies Corporation and FCEL signed an agreement at the chief minister’s office here.

iii. Future Group CEO Kishore Biyani said: “We are committed to take the benefits of modern retail through the fair prices shops to the common people of Rajasthan.”

iv. “Annapurna Bhandar Yojna would strengthen government’s effort in bringing about a positive change and bettering the daily lives of the people of Rajasthan,” Raje said in a statement, adding she hoped that this would become India’s biggest entrepreneurship drive with 5,000 FPS dealers turning into entrepreneurs.

139. Government Issues Norms for Selection of CEOs and MDs of Smaller PSU Banks

i. After the irk raised due to appointment of two private sector bankers to head Bank of Baroda and Canara Bank the government has issued norms for selection of MDs and CEOs in Mid and Small Public Sector Banks (PSBs) on 20 August 2015.

ii. After the irk raised due to appointment of two private sector bankers to head Bank of Baroda and Canara Bank the government has issued norms for selection of MDs and CEOs in Mid and Small Public Sector Banks (PSBs) on 20 August 2015.

iii. The top post in the PSBs would be filled from the existing pool of executive directors (EDs) or deputy managing directors (DMDs) in state-owned banks with a remaining service period of 2 years. Henceforth the private sector executives would not be the part of the selection process of top management in the public sector banking space.

iv. The section will be done by the interaction of the candidates with three panels of the sub-committee of the Appointments Board, where the candidates will be rated out of 100 marks.

v. 50 marks to be awarded for Annual Performance Appraisal Reports (APARs) of five years and 50 marks assigned on the basis of performance during interaction with the sub-committee.

140. Union Government to sell 10 per cent stake in IOC

i. Union government has announced to sell 10 per cent stake in state owned Indian Oil Corporation (IOC). This disinvestment drive on the stock market through an offer for sale (OFS) will fetch Union Government about 9,500 crore rupees to the exchequer. The 10 per cent stake in IOC comprises 24.27 crore shares.

ii. Presently, Union government holds around 68.57 per cent shares in IOC which is the biggest oil refining and marketing company in the country.

iii. Stake sale of IOC will mark the fourth round of disinvestment drive of Union Government in year 2015. 

iv. Other three rounds of disinvestment are being in carried in Power Finance Corporation (PFC), Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) and Dredging Corporation of India (DCI). So far from these disinvestment drives government has earned around 3,300 crore rupees.

141. Puducherry CM N Rangasamy launched Free Laptop Scheme

i. Puducherry Chief Minister (CM) N Rangasamy on 21 August 2015 launched the much awaited Free Laptop Scheme. The scheme envisages to provide free laptops to all students who have passed Plus Two from Government Higher Secondary Schools in the last two academic years that is 2013-14 and 2014-15.

ii. The state will give free laptops to 11 thousand odd students by incurring an expense of 20 Crore rupees. While launching the scheme, Rangasamy gave away laptops to 180 students who topped in Plus Two Examinations in their respective schools.

iii. The scheme was launched on the occasion of Student's Day in Puducherry. During the launching ceremony, Rangasamy also distributed 5000 rupees each to 10 students who excelled in the National Talent Search Examination.

iv. The cash award was also given to government schools which achieved 100 percent results in urban areas and 90 percent results in rural areas in plus-two board examinations.

142. Uber Cabs tied-up with Bharti Airtel to set up WiFi hotspots in each of its cabs

i. Bharti Airtel Limited on 21 August 2015 tied-up with the Uber Cabs, allowing Uber riders to pay using Airtel’s mobile wallet service Airtel Money. With this partnership, Uber will set up WiFi hotspots in each of its cabs. Uber will pay Airtel for the bandwidth consumed.

ii. As part of this partnership, Uber riders across India can now pay for their trips using Airtel's mobile wallet service Airtel Money. Mumbai will be the first city in India to enjoy free high-speed internet from Uber, powered by Airtel 4G. The service will soon be rolled out for Uber riders pan-India.

iii. Under the terms, Bharti Airtel will offer its 4G MiFi (mobile WiFi) devices to Uber vehicles, while drivers will get subsidised mobile devices and data plans. While, Uber will offer discounts to Airtel customers, including 500 rupees off on their first ride using Airtel Money.

iv. Uber has its operations in more than 60 countries and about 330 cities, of which 18 are in India. The company had launched operations in India less than two years ago and now has about 150000 driver partners.

143. Far left splits from Tsipras as Greece heads to poll

i. Rebels opposed to Greece’s international bailout walked out of the leftist Syriza party on Friday, formalising a split after its leader Alexis Tsipras resigned as prime minister and paved the way for early elections.

ii. Tsipras is hoping to strengthen his hold on power in a snap election after seven months in office in which he fought Greece’s creditors for a better bailout deal but had to cave in and accept more onerous terms.

iii. One day after money began flowing from Greece’s third bailout programme, a much-needed period of political and economic certainty remained as elusive as ever, drawing concerned calls from the Euro Zone that Athens must stick to commitments given under the rescue deal.

iv. The walk-out may allow Tsipras to move Syriza a little closer to the political centre and broaden his appeal among voters, which remains strong despite Greece’s near-brush with financial collapse under his premiership.

144. Government frames policy for e-marketing of handloom products 

i. Government today said it has established a policy framework to promote e-marketing of handloom products through approved e-commerce entities, aiming to popularize the "India Handloom" brand and boost sales of handloom products. 

ii. Under the policy framework, application of any e-commerce entity interested in online marketing of handloom products will be processed by a within three weeks time by a panel. 

iii. Any e-commerce entity willing to work for promotion of online marketing of handloom products in collaboration with the Office of DC (Handlooms) may apply for the same. The application will be scrutinized by a specially constituted Committee.

iv. An e-commerce entity approved by the Office would be required to make priority display of handloom products on its home page, leading to an exclusive section for certified/branded handloom products carrying either 'India Handloom' brand or Handloom mark. 

145. Back as world No. 1, Saina Nehwal signs Rs 25 crore deal

i. It was double delight for Saina Nehwal on Thursday. The World Championships silver medallist regained the No. 1 rank - surging 2,180 points ahead of Carolina Marin  and also struck a landmark deal with management company IOS Sports & Entertainment.

ii. Saina's deal is worth Rs 25 crore over two years. IOS also manages top sportspersons like Suresh Raina, MC Mary Kom, Sushil Kumar and Vijender Singh.

iii. The shuttler was also excited to be back on the top of the world rankings. She secured the No. 1 rank for the first time on April 2 but remained there only for five weeks. However, this time round, the Indian will enjoy a longer reign. With 82,792 points, Saina is 2,180 points ahead of world champion Carolina Marin. Third placed Tzu Ying Tai of Chinese Taipei is over 12,000 points behind the Indian.

146. R Gandhi committee of RBI recommends conversion of UCBs into regular banks 

i. A Reserve Bank of India (RBI) committee has recommended conversion of Urban Cooperative Banks (UCBs) with business size of 20,000 crore rupees or more into regular banks. 

ii. This recommendation was given by the High Powered Committee on UCBs headed by RBI Deputy Governor R Gandhi in its report. 

Recommendations 

• Conversion of UCBs will not be compulsory for large UCBs and they can continue the way they operate currently in terms of asset size and balance sheet. 
• Large UCBs can convert themselves into commercial banks in order to minimise the systemic risk. 
• For conversion, smaller UCBs with business size of less than 20,000 crore rupees who are willing to convert to Small Finance Banks can apply to the RBI. 
• Licenses for conversion to operate as UCBs will be issued to well-managed and financially sound cooperative credit societies having a minimum track record of 5-years. 
• With the conversion, UCBs will be allowed to grow and proliferate further to meet the objective of financial inclusion. 

147. A P Shah Committee recommends MAT relief to FIIs 

i. Union Finance Ministry appointed committee chaired by retired SC judge A P Shah has recommended that Minimum Alternate Tax (MAT) should not be imposed on FIIs retrospectively for the period preceding 1st April 2015.

ii. This recommendation is considered as a big relief to FIIs as government had exempted them from MAT starting April 1, 2015 in the Union Budget for 2015-16 but had not made the clarification retrospective imposition. 

iii. In its report committee has mention that there is no legal basis for levying 20 per cent MAT on past capital gains of FIIs. 

Background 

a. Union Finance Ministry had appointed this 3 member Committee on the issue of levying MAT on capital gains made by FIIs retrospectively. 

b. Members of Committee: 

• A P Shah (Chairman), 
• Dr. Girish Ahuja 
• Dr. Ashok Lahiri. 

c. The committee was constituted after the tax department had sent legal notices to 68 FIIs demanding around six hundred crore rupees as MAT dues of previous years. This had raked up a MAT controversy within FIIs and they had moved to court challenging this tax imposition.

148. Eminent Sanskrit Scholar and Indologist NR Varhadpande passed away

i. Varhadpande was famously known for his book titled Aryan Invasion: A Myth that exposes fallacy of Aryan invasion and is considered as one of the most profound works in changing the course of ancient Indian history. 

ii. An ardent student of Psychology, Varhadpande worked as the Chief Psychologist with the Ministry of Defence and was instrumental in devising various Psychological tests for the armed forces personnel. 

149. Noted academician Amitabh Mattoo appointed as Advisor to J&K CM Mufti Mohammad Sayeed

i. Noted academician and former Vice-Chancellor of the Jammu University Amitabh Mattoo was on 21 August 2015 appointed as Advisor to Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Chief Minister (CM) Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. Mattoo will have the status of a Cabinet Minister.

ii. Born in Srinagar, Mattoo has been the Chief Executive Officer and inaugural Director of the Australia India Institute and Professor of International Relations at the University of Melbourne in Australia.

150. Golfer Aditi Ashok first Indian to win Ladies British amateur stroke-play Championship 

i. Ace Indian golfer Aditi Ashok won the prestigious Ladies British amateur stroke-play Championship 2015 at Leeds, United Kingdom. 

ii. With this victory she became first woman and youngest player from India to win this Championship. 

iii. In her wining game, Aditi shot a four-day total of 11-under 285 (comprising 71, 73, 70, 71) at the par 74 at the Moortown Golf Club, Leeds. 

iv. The 17-year-old Bengaluru based golfer earlier had won the prestigious St. Rule Trophy in July 2015. She also had finished second in the 2015 European Women’s Amateur Championship. She also had claimed the overall title called ‘The Nicholls Trophy’ and ‘Dinwiddy Trophy’ which are given for the under-18 golfer with lowest score.

151. Former Australian Cricketer Arthur Morris passes away 
i. Former Australian Cricketer Arthur Morris passed away. He was aged 93.
ii. He was an opener and is regarded as one of Australia’s greatest left-handed batsmen.
Morris is best known as member of Don Bradman’s 1948 ‘Invincibles’ team which made an undefeated tour of England.
iii. He had retired from international cricket at the age of 33.
iv. Morris was the first Australian batsman to score centuries in both innings of his first-class debut at the age of 18 years. He was born in Sydney on 19 January 1922.

source:www.bankersadda.com