AUGUST 1 TO 10 DAILY GK --- BANKERS ADDA.COM
1. Suresh Prabhu flags off Agartala-Delhi train 'Tripura Sundari Express'
i. Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has flagged off maiden
broad-gauge train service between Agartala and Delhi, ‘Tripura Sundari
Express’.
ii. 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.
iii. 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.
2. Andhra Pradesh signs MoU with Japan to develop food value chain
ii. 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.
iii. 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.
2. Andhra Pradesh signs MoU with Japan to develop food value chain
i. The Andhra Pradesh government has signed a Memorandum
of Understanding (MoU) with Japan to develop a food value chain in the state.
ii. 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.
iii. Along with developing a food value chain, it will also establish food industrial parks and develop cold chains.
3. Oracle India Joins SBI To Foster Digital Skills Initiative
ii. 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.
iii. Along with developing a food value chain, it will also establish food industrial parks and develop cold chains.
3. Oracle India Joins SBI To Foster Digital Skills Initiative
i. Global software major, Oracle India has announced a
corporate citizenship collaboration with State Bank of India (SBI) and launched
the 'D-Change' programme which will support education and learning, women's
empowerment and rural skills development in the country.
ii. 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.
4. NTPC commissions NP Kunta power project
ii. 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.
4. NTPC commissions NP Kunta power project
i. NTPC Ltd has commissioned a 50 MW (1X50 MW) capacity solar
photovoltaic power project of NP Kunta Ultra Mega Solar Power Project Stage-I
at Anantapuramu in Andhra Pradesh.
ii. With this, the installed capacity of NP Kunta Ultra Mega Solar Power Project Stage-I coming up at Anantapuramu has touched 250 MW and that of NTPC Group now stands at 47,228 MW.
5. Syed Nayeemuddin conferred Mohun Bagan Ratna
ii. With this, the installed capacity of NP Kunta Ultra Mega Solar Power Project Stage-I coming up at Anantapuramu has touched 250 MW and that of NTPC Group now stands at 47,228 MW.
5. Syed Nayeemuddin conferred Mohun Bagan Ratna
i. The Mohun Bagan FC has conferred club’s highest
decoration Mohun Bagan Ratna (jewel) on legendary Indian Footballer Syed
Nayeemuddin.
ii. With this, he became the 16th recipient of the prestigious award, which is bestowed upon a person for making a seminal contribution to the success of the club. He is also the only sportsperson awarded with the prestigious Arjuna and Dronacharya Awards for football.
iii. Syed Nayeemuddin is former football player and Indian football team coach. He had captained the Indian national football team which had won the bronze medal at the 1970 Asian Games. He was appointed as the coach of India football team in 1997. Under his guidance, India had won South Asian Football Federation Cup.
6. Dilip Rath assumes additional charge as NDDB chairman
ii. With this, he became the 16th recipient of the prestigious award, which is bestowed upon a person for making a seminal contribution to the success of the club. He is also the only sportsperson awarded with the prestigious Arjuna and Dronacharya Awards for football.
iii. Syed Nayeemuddin is former football player and Indian football team coach. He had captained the Indian national football team which had won the bronze medal at the 1970 Asian Games. He was appointed as the coach of India football team in 1997. Under his guidance, India had won South Asian Football Federation Cup.
6. Dilip Rath assumes additional charge as NDDB chairman
i. 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.
ii. The chairman’s post fell vacant last week after T Nandakumar resigned before his five-year term ended.
iii. Rath is currently the managing director of NDDB.
7. India to host Kabaddi World Cup in October
ii. The chairman’s post fell vacant last week after T Nandakumar resigned before his five-year term ended.
iii. Rath is currently the managing director of NDDB.
7. India to host Kabaddi World Cup in October
i. International Kabaddi Federation has announced the
selection of India for hosting "The 2016 Kabaddi World Cup".
ii. The World Cup is featuring 12 countries namely USA, Canada, UK, Australia, Iran, Poland, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Korea, Japan, Kenya, and India. The event is scheduled to be held in October 2016 but the dates for the event will be announced later.
iii. Kabaddi originated from India and is one of the most popular games of Asia. It became a part of Asian Games in the year 1990 while women Kabaddi was included in Asian Games during 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou in 2010.
8. Lewis Hamilton wins 2016 German Grand Prix title of Formula One
ii. The World Cup is featuring 12 countries namely USA, Canada, UK, Australia, Iran, Poland, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Korea, Japan, Kenya, and India. The event is scheduled to be held in October 2016 but the dates for the event will be announced later.
iii. Kabaddi originated from India and is one of the most popular games of Asia. It became a part of Asian Games in the year 1990 while women Kabaddi was included in Asian Games during 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou in 2010.
8. Lewis Hamilton wins 2016 German Grand Prix title of Formula One
i. 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.
ii. 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.
iii. Lewis Hamilton is a British Formula One racing driver from England, currently racing for the Mercedes AMG Petronas team.
ii. 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.
iii. Lewis Hamilton is a British Formula One racing driver from England, currently racing for the Mercedes AMG Petronas team.
2nd August, 2016
1. Parliament passes Indian Medical Council
(Amendment Bill), 2016
i. The Parliament has passed Indian Medical Council
(Amendment) Bill, 2016 to conduct of uniform entrance examination for admission
to all medical educational institutions.
ii. The bill seeks to replace the Indian Medical Council
(Amendment) Ordinance, 2016 and its provisions will come into force
retrospectively from May 24, 2016.
iii. It will be applicable for admission at the
undergraduate and the postgraduate level. This provision will be applicable to
state government seats in government and private medical institutions.
2. Central body approves Rs 400 crore for Ganga
rejuvenation projects
i. 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.
ii. 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.
iii. The NGRBA is a key central body which monitors
planning and execution of all schemes of Ganga rejuvenation in coordination
with five river basin states – Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and
West Bengal.
3. Government launches credit rating scheme for
MSMEs
i. The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
has launched a performance and credit rating scheme to assess the capabilities
and creditworthiness of industries in the sector.
ii. The 'Performance and Credit Rating Scheme' will
provide "trusted" third party opinion to create awareness about the
strengths and weaknesses of enterprises' existing operations.
iii. As per officials, a new scheme of Financial Support
to MSMEs in Zero Defect Zero Effect Certification has been approved in which
the MSMEs will be assessed on ZED Maturity Model on 50 parameters which will
strengthen or facilitate the Make in India initiative.
4. India to host international summit on
tobacco-control
i. India is going to host a crucial global summit in
November to eliminate the illicit trade of tobacco products.
ii. 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.
iii. This is the 7th session of the Conference of the
Parties (COP7) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO-FCTC).
5. Odisha government to recruit transgenders as
jail warders
i. 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.
ii. This is for the first time the state government will
mention the third gender as a separate category in any of the recruitment
process.
iii. 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.
6. Resolution for the renaming of Madras High Court
passed
i. The Tamil Nadu Assembly has passed a 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.
ii. 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.
iii. The High Courts of Bombay, Calcutta and Madras will
be known as the High Courts of Mumbai, Kolkata and Tamilnadu respectively.
7. ICICI Bank ties up with Apollo India to form ARC
i. ICICI Bank has inked a MoU with Apollo India Credit
Opportunity Management LLC and AION Capital Management to set up an asset
reconstruction company.
ii. The MoU is subject to regulatory approvals,
acquisition of debt exposures from lenders and equity stakes in companies.
iii. The collaboration seeks to streamline the operations
of borrowers, facilitate deleveraging and arrange additional funding on a
case-by-case basis. The motive is to revitalise distressed assets and maximise
their economic value.
8. Deepak Iyer appointed Mondelez India MD
i. Confectionery major Mondelez International has
appointed former Bharti Axa General Insurance Company CEO and MD Deepak Iyer as
Managing Director of its India operation.
ii. He succeeds Chandramouli Venkatesan, who led the
business as Managing Director of India operations for two years and was with
the company for more than a decade.
iii. Iyer, as Managing Director of Mondelez India Foods,
will be part of the Asia Pacific Leadership Team and report into Maurizio
Brusadelli, President of Asia Pacific, Mondelez International.
9. Bhaskar Khulbe appointed as Secretary to Prime
Minister
i. 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.
ii. The Appointments Committee of Cabinet has approved
the appointment of Khulbe with effect from 7th August.
iii. He will look after work related to Cabinet
Secretariat and thrust areas of the government.
10. Simona Halep wins Rogers Cup women's single by
defeating Madison Keys
i. The 24-year old Romania's Simona Halep has won the
Rogers Cup women's singles title after beating American Madison Keys 7-6, 6-3
in the final Montreal.
ii. This is her 14th WTA title. But overall this is her
third title of the year. Simona has also won the titles in Bucharest and Madrid
earlier this season.
iii. While in men's title Serbian Novak Djokovic has
defeated Kei Nishikori (Japan) to won this title. Apart from this, in Men’s
doubles- Ivan Dodig (Croatia) and Marcelo Melo (Brazil) defeated Jamie Murray
(Scotland) and Bruno Soares (Brazil) and in Women’s doubles- Ekaterina Makarova
and Elena Vesnina (Russia) defeated Simona Halep and Monica Niculescu
(Romania).
3rd August, 2016
1. WEF India Economic Summit in Delhi on October
6-7
i. 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.
ii. This year's meet will be convened under the theme,
'Fostering an Inclusive India through Digital Transformation'.
iii. WEF is known for its annual five-day meet in Davos,
Switzerland, attended by top leaders from business, politics, academia, civil
society, international organizations, arts and culture and media.
2. Rajasthan becomes first state to approve sewage
& waste water policy
i. 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.
ii. 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. The requirement of next 30 years will be
covered in this policy.
iii. 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.
3. Kerala cabinet appoints Achuthanandan head of
administrative reforms panel
i. 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.
ii. Former chief secretaries Neela Gangadharan and C.P
Nair will be the other members of the three-member panel headed by
Achuthanandan.
iii. The Kerala Assembly had earlier passed an amendment
bill to pave the way for his appointment.
4. Six New IITS Get Parliament Nod
i. 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.
ii. These IITs will be started in Palakkad (Kerala), Goa,
Dharwad (Karnataka), Bhilai (Chhattisgarh), Jammu, and Tirupati (Andhra
Pradesh).
5. SBI launches cheaper home loan schemes
for public sector undertaking employees and Defence personnel
i. India's largest public sector bank, State Bank of
India (SBI) has launched 2 new schemes of loans for the employees of central as
well as state government, public sector undertaking employees and Defence
personnel.
ii. The bank has introduced ‘Privilege Home Loan’ for
government employees and ‘Shaurya Home Loan’ for Defence Personnel with
pensionable service.
iii. Under the new schemes, loans will be available
without any processing fees. The interest rates will be 0.05 % less than
current interest rates on home loans. According to officials, the borrowers
will enjoy cheaper interest rates and the extended installment tenure up to 75
years of age.
6. Neyveli Lignite plans to buy 1200 MW
Raghunathpur Thermal Power Project
i. Neyveli Lignite (NLC) is planning to acquire a 1200 MW
Raghunathpur Thermal Power Project (RTPP) of Damodar Valley Corporation
(DVC).
ii. The proposed acquisition will be done through a joint
venture company (JVC) of NLC and Damaodar Valley Corporation DVC with an equity
shareholding of 74:26.
iii. RTPP consists of two units of 600 MW each and both
the units has been commissioned during March 2016.
7. BHEL commissions 500 Mw Marwa Thermal Power
station in Chhattisgarh
i. 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.
ii. 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).
iii. In Chhattisgarh, BHEL has contributed a total of
12,500 MW to the state's installed power generation, including central and
private sector utilities.
8. Pushpa Kamal Dahal elected as new Prime Minister
of Nepal
i. Maoist Party Chief Pushpa Kamal Dahal, also known as
Prachanda, has been elected as the new Prime Minister of Nepal.
ii. 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.
iii. 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 today.
9. BCCI appoints Katju to head a legal panel to
help implement Lodha report
i. The BCCI has appointed former SC judge Markandey Katju
as the head of a 4-member legal panel to help the implications of the Justice
Lodha Committee reforms.
ii. This panel will be a single point interface for the
BCCI to interact with the Justice Lodha Committee.
iii. Justice Markandey Katju is the former Chairman,
Press Council of India. Prior to his appointment as Chairman, he served as a
Judge of the Supreme Court of India.
10. Angela Ruggiero appointed IOC’s Athletes’
Commission chair
i. American ice hockey Olympic champion Angela Ruggiero
has been elected as the new chair of the International Olympic Committee
(IOC)’s Athletes’ Commission.
ii. Ruggiero will be replacing Claudia Bokel.
iii. Angela Ruggiero is a former ice hockey player who
has played more games for Team USA than any other man or woman. She is the
current Vice-Chair of the IOC Athletes’ Commission.
11. Anant Maheshwari named as President of
Microsoft India
i. Software major company Microsoft has named Anant
Maheshwari as the next President of Microsoft India. He will join Microsoft
India as president on September 1st and take over the operations of the company
on January 1st.
ii. He will succeed Bhaskar Pramanik, who retires in
March 2017.
iii. As president, Maheshwari will be responsible for all
of Microsoft’s product, service, and support offerings across India. Presently,
Mr. Maheshwari is working as the President of Honeywell India, a Fortune 100
company.
4th August, 2016
1. Six-year-old Indian boy enters Guinness World
Record
i. A six-year-old boy, Om Swaroop Gowda from Karnataka
has set the world record for covering longest distance by limbo skating under
cars.
ii. He clinched the Guinness World records title after a
successful attempt to travel a staggering 65.283-metre distance while holding
his body just above the ground and maintaining a splits position
throughout.
iii. Om managed to clear 36 cars during the incredible
challenge at Orion Mall in Bangalore. Official Guinness World Records
adjudicator Rishi Nath attended the event to ensure that all the rules for
were followed correctly.
2. Cabinet Approval :-
i. The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri
Narendra Modi has given its approval for the terms and conditions for transfer
of 12 acres of National Textile Corporation Ltd. (NTCL), Indu-6 Mill land to
Government of Maharashtra for the construction of a memorial of Dr. B.R.
Ambedkar.
ii. The Union Cabinet has also approved the rates for
Spectrum Usage Charge (SUC) for various bands of spectrum for which auction are
going to be conducted shortly. With this decision the path is clear for an
issuance of the Notice Inviting Application for spectrum auction by the
Department of Telecommunications.
iii. The 3rd approval by the Union Cabinet has given for
Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Bill 2016 to improve road safety in the country. As
every year 5, lakh road accidents are reported in the country in which 1.5 lakh
people lose their lives. The Government has committed to reducing the accidents
and fatalities by 50% in five years.
iv. The 4th approval is for the signing of new Air
Services Agreement (ASA) between India and Lao People’s Democratic Republic
(Lao PDR).
v. The 5th approval by the Union Cabinet has given for
making suitable amendments in the Central List of OBCs by way of
inclusion/correction/deletion of castes/communities applicable to the State of
Andhra Pradesh and the newly formed State of Telangana as per the advice
received from the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC).
vi. The next approval is for the acceptance of the major
recommendations of the Sub-Group of Chief Minsters on Rationalization of
Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSSs). The Sub-Group had examined 66 CSSs and
recommended that the number of CSSs should not normally exceed 30. A consensus
was reached on many contentious issues not only between the States represented
on the Sub- Group but other States/UTs also through regional consultations and
meetings with Union Ministries/Departments.
3. RBI launches new website ’Sachet’ to curb
Illegal Collection of Deposits
i. 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.
ii. 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.
iii. 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.
4. RBI constitutes a Committee on Household Finance
i. 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-Ã -vis both the peer countries and advanced countries.
ii. 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).
iii. The Committee is expected to submit its report
by end-July 2017.
5. LS Speaker inaugurates DRDO exhibition in
Parliament premises
i. Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan has inaugurated the
three-day Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) exhibition in
the Parliament premises in New Delhi.
ii. The three-day long exhibition will showcase numerous
state-of-the-art defence technologies, products, and systems developed by
various DRDO laboratories indigenously.
iii. 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.
6. UD Min approves investment of Rs
4404 Cr to 8 states, UTs
i. Ministry of Urban Development has approved an
investment of Rs. 4,404 crore in augmenting water supply, sewerage networks,
drainage, urban transport and public and green spaces in urban areas in 8
States and UTs under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation
(AMRUT) for the current financial year.
ii. An inter-ministerial Apex Committee chaired by Rajiv
Gauba, Secretary (Urban Development) has approved the State Level Annual Action
Plans (SAAP) of these 8 States/UTs.
iii. Investments approved were included -
Karnataka- Rs.1,625 Cr, Andhra Pradesh-Rs.877 Cr, Bihar-Rs.775 Cr,
Telangana-Rs.555 Cr, Haryana-Rs.525 Cr, Nagaland-Rs.40 Cr, Dadra, Nagar
& Haveli-Rs.3.70 Cr and Andaman & Nicobar Islands - Rs.3.18
Cr.
7. Vasundhara Raje lays the foundation of 14
projects in Jaipur
i. Rajasthan's Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje has laid
the foundation of 14 projects worth Rs 2,229 Crore and stated that the city of
Jaipur will be a 'wonder city' in next two years.
ii. The projects include converting Amanishah Nala into
its original form of Dravyawati river. The task is being undertaken by Jaipur
Development Authority, Tata Projects Limited and Shanghai Urban
construction group with an estimated cost of Rs 1,676 crore.
iii. The project aims to make the 47-km long water body
pollution free and beautiful in the next two years. Plantation of 16,000
saplings in 65,000 sq meters will also be a part of the
beautification of the river, etc.
8. Shipping Corporation of India Inks MOU amid
Growth Plans
i. Shipping Corporation of India Ltd. has signed the
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Shipping for the
financial year 2016-17.
ii. The MoU was signed by
Shri Rajiv Kumar, IAS, Secretary (Shipping) and Capt. B.B. Sinha,
Chairman and Managing Director, Shipping Corporation of India Ltd., at New
Delhi.
iii. The MOU, which is based on the MOU guidelines
2016-17 issued by the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE), consists of
parameters drawn on the prescribed evaluation criteria and factors such as
capacity and its expansion, business environment, projects under implementation
have been considered.
9. Sudhanshu Mani appointed as new GM for ICF
i. Sudhanshu Mani has been appointed as General Manager,
Integral Coach Factory.
ii. Prior to this, he was Chief Mechanical Engineer, Rail
Wheel Factory, Yelahanka Bengaluru. Mani belongs to 1979 batch of Indian
Railways Service of Mechanical Engineers (IRSME).
iii. 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.
10. ‘Grassroots Innovation’ authored by Prof. Anil
K. Gupta has released
i. ‘Grassroots Innovation’ authored by Prof. Anil K.
Gupta of IIM Ahmedabad, also the Vice Chairman of National Innovation
Foundation at Rashtrapati Bhavan has been released.
ii. He has gifted his first copy of the book to the
President.
iii. The book was about stories of extraordinary men and
women who are silently contributing to the innovation movement for the economic
development and advancement of society.
11. 4 Indian-origin persons among US' top wealth
advisors: Forbes
i. Four Indian-origin persons have been named among
America's top wealth advisors by Forbes on a list of 200 members who
collectively manage USD 675 billion.
ii. Raj Sharma and Ash Chopra, both working in Merrill Lynch
- Private Banking & Investment Group, have been ranked 17th and 129
respectively on the Forbes 2016 'America's Top Wealth Advisors' list.
iii. While Sonny Kothari of Merrill Lynch Wealth
Management has been ranked 176, Raju Pathak of Morgan Stanley Wealth Management
is placed at 184.
12. Shubha Mudgal to be awarded Rajiv Gandhi
National Sadbhavana Award
i. 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.
ii. 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.
iii. She is a well-known Indian singer of Hindustani
classical music, Khayal, Thumri, Dadra, and Indian pop music.
13. IOC gives nod to addition of five new sports in
Olympic Games Tokyo 2020
i. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has agreed
to add Baseball-Softball, Karate, Skateboard, Climbing Sports and surfing in
the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
ii. The decision was taken by the 129th IOC session being
held in Rio de Janeiro.
iii. The additional sports in Tokyo will not impact the
athlete or event quotas of existing Olympic sports or be binding on future host
cities. The inclusion of the new sports will add 18 events.
5th August, 2016
1.Vijay Rupani to be CM of Gujarat while Nitin
Patel his Deputy
i. In a surprise move, BJP state chief Vijay Rupani has
been named as the new Chief Minister of Gujarat while Nitin Patel as Deputy CM
after a meeting of the BJP legislators at State Party headquarter.
ii. For the past few hours, the name of Nitin Patel was almost confirmed as the person to take over from Anandiben Patel, who resigned a few days ago.
It is not known what transpired in the meeting resulting in this change in name.
iii. The meeting was held in the presence of national BJP president Amit Shah and central observers Nitin Gadkari and Saroj Pandey.
ii. For the past few hours, the name of Nitin Patel was almost confirmed as the person to take over from Anandiben Patel, who resigned a few days ago.
It is not known what transpired in the meeting resulting in this change in name.
iii. The meeting was held in the presence of national BJP president Amit Shah and central observers Nitin Gadkari and Saroj Pandey.
2. First Tech Meet of Hydrocarbon Vision 2030
i. The first technology two-day meet under the
Hydrocarbon Vision 2030 for Northeast India has begun in Guwahati and
deliberate various issues regarding implementation of the document which
envisages an investment of Rs 1,30,000 crore.
ii. The meet is a stepping stone to put the north-east
region on top of Indian energy map by utilising its hydrocarbon potential in
line with the Hydrocarbon Vision 2030.
iii. The experts from different PSUs and private sector
oil firms are attending the two-day technology meet. The Technology Meet is an
initiative of the sub- committee of the upstream sector led by ONGC and has
members from upstream national oil companies as well as private companies.
3. Goa to implement 7th Pay Commission from Nov 1
3. Goa to implement 7th Pay Commission from Nov 1
i. Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar has stated that
the 7th Pay Commission recommendations would be implemented in the state from
November 1st.
ii. While the pending arrears from January to October 2016 would be deposited in the employee provident fund (PF) and National Pension System (NPS).
iii. A provision of Rs.2,553 crore has been made in the state budget towards this implementation. As the state government will have to pay Rs 272 crore per month as against Rs 213 crore per month as per the existing scale, which will be an additional burden of Rs 59 crore.
4. Odisha opens 100 new multi-purpose calamity shelter units
ii. While the pending arrears from January to October 2016 would be deposited in the employee provident fund (PF) and National Pension System (NPS).
iii. A provision of Rs.2,553 crore has been made in the state budget towards this implementation. As the state government will have to pay Rs 272 crore per month as against Rs 213 crore per month as per the existing scale, which will be an additional burden of Rs 59 crore.
4. Odisha opens 100 new multi-purpose calamity shelter units
i. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has dedicated 100
multi-purpose shelter houses to the people of Odisha for use during floods and
cyclones with an aim to ensure zero casualty during calamities.
ii. These 100 multi-purpose calamity shelter units have been inaugurated by the CM across 17 districts of the state which include Puri, Ganjam, Balasore, Bhadrak and Kenrapara, Malkangiri, Keonjhar and Cuttack, Boudh and Jajpur, besides in Bargarh, Kalahandi, Nayagarh and Subarnapur.
iii. Theses 100 new shelters will add to the state’s existing 526 multi-purpose shelter houses, adding people can take shelter in these places during calamities like floods and cyclones. The chief minister also stated that more shelter houses are already under construction and the state will have 879 multi-purpose shelter houses by end of this year.
ii. These 100 multi-purpose calamity shelter units have been inaugurated by the CM across 17 districts of the state which include Puri, Ganjam, Balasore, Bhadrak and Kenrapara, Malkangiri, Keonjhar and Cuttack, Boudh and Jajpur, besides in Bargarh, Kalahandi, Nayagarh and Subarnapur.
iii. Theses 100 new shelters will add to the state’s existing 526 multi-purpose shelter houses, adding people can take shelter in these places during calamities like floods and cyclones. The chief minister also stated that more shelter houses are already under construction and the state will have 879 multi-purpose shelter houses by end of this year.
5. RBI imposes penalty on two cooperative banks of
Chhattisgarh
i. Reserve Bank of India has imposed the penalty on two
cooperative banks of Chhattisgarh under the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
ii. 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.
iii. The Zila Sahakari Kendriya Bank Maryadit was
penalised for violation of the directives/guidelines of the Central Bank on
'Know Your Customer' norms. While the Raipur Urban Mercantile Cooperative Bank
Ltd faced action for violation of the directives on the prohibition of grant of
loans and advances to own directors or their relatives or concerns in which
they are interested.
6. Corporation Bank launches group credit life
insurance scheme
i. Mangalore-based mid-sized public sector bank,
Corporation Bank has launched ‘group credit life insurance scheme’ of LIC of
India in Mangaluru.
ii. 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.
iii. The scheme is available to customers in the age
group of 18-60 years who have taken term loan from the bank. The scheme covers
various term loans, including retail loans and loans to MSME and agriculture.
7. Nita Ambani elected as the first Indian woman
member of IOC
i. Noted sports promoter and founder chairperson of
Reliance Foundation, Nita Ambani has been elected as an individual member of
International Olympic Committee.
ii. With this, she became the first Indian woman to join
the prestigious body which governs Olympic sports in the world. She had been
nominated for the same in June by the IOC Executive Board and was elected by
IOC members in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday at the 129th IOC Session.
iii. The 52-year-old Nita is the only individual member
from India and her appointment at the world body is until she attains the age
of 70.
8. Vinod Rai steps down from IDFC Bank’s board
i. 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.
ii. The decision has been taken to avoid conflict of
interest as Rai is also the chairman of Bank Board Bureau (BBB). The BBB will
not only select board members of public sector banks but will also devise
strategies for them.
iii. Mr. Rai was on Mumbai- headquarter IDFC Bank board
since its inception in October 2015. He was appointed as the Chairman of Bank
Board Bureau on 28 February 2016. 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. He was the 11th Comptroller and Auditor
General (CAG) of India.
9. Assamese Litterateur Mahim Bora passed away
9. Assamese Litterateur Mahim Bora passed away
i. Noted Assamese litterateur Mahim Bora has passed away
due to old age problems. He was 92 years old.
ii. He was a Padma Shri (2011) and Sahitya Akademi winner. He had received the Sahitya Akademi award for his most popular work ‘Edhani Mahir Hanhi’ in 2001 and the Assam Valley Literary award in 1998.
iii. Mr. Mahim Bora's literary works include ‘Kathanibari Ghat’, ‘Bohubhuji Tribhuj’, ‘Much aru Manuh’, ‘Top’, ‘Tinir Tini Gol’.
10. IBJA announces awards for Indian medal winners at Rio 2016 Olympics
ii. He was a Padma Shri (2011) and Sahitya Akademi winner. He had received the Sahitya Akademi award for his most popular work ‘Edhani Mahir Hanhi’ in 2001 and the Assam Valley Literary award in 1998.
iii. Mr. Mahim Bora's literary works include ‘Kathanibari Ghat’, ‘Bohubhuji Tribhuj’, ‘Much aru Manuh’, ‘Top’, ‘Tinir Tini Gol’.
10. IBJA announces awards for Indian medal winners at Rio 2016 Olympics
i. India Bullion and Jewellers Association (IBJA) has
announced 500 gms Sovereign Gold Bonds and silver to the Indian medal winners
at the Rio 2016 Olympics.
ii. The Sovereign Gold Bonds of 500 gms will be awarded
to the Gold Medal winners and 1 kg silver will be awarded to Silver Medal
winners.
iii. As India is scheduled to compete at the 2016 Summer
Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. And this time, the Indian Olympic
Association is going to send the nation's largest ever delegation in Summer
Olympic history.
6th August, 2016
1. Union Government aims to roll out GST from April
1, 2017
i. The Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced that
the Government has set the ambitious target to roll out of the Goods and
Services Tax, (GST) from 1st April 2017.
ii. Mr. Jaitley also unveiled a detailed roadmap for GST
implementation.
iii. This announcement was made after Rajya Sabha had
passed The Constitution (122nd Amendment) (GST) Bill, 2014.
2. Union Government fixes an inflation target of 4
percent for five years
i. The Union Government has set an inflation target of 4
% for the next five years with a range of plus/minus 2 % for the next five
years under the monetary policy framework agreement with the Reserve
Bank.
ii. In this regard, Union Government will soon set-up
Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) to adhere to the target till March 31,
2021.
iii. This target was fixed after the Union Government and
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had reached an agreement on a monetary policy
framework.
3. South India's first Doppler weather radar
inaugurated
i. ISRO chairman A S Kiran Kumar has inaugurated a 'C
Band Polarimetric Doppler Weather Radar' at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre
(VSSC), Thiruvananthapuram.
ii. It is first of its kind in South India. While Prime
Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated the first Doppler weather radar in
Cherrapunji which was built by the ISRO and Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL)
in May. The work was on for two more Doppler radars to be set up in Bhuj in
Gujarat and Gopalpur.
iii. This Doppler weather radar can provide advance
information about storms, cyclones, and other severe weather conditions. The
data from this radar would be available to India Meteorological Department
(IMD) to supplement its weather predictions and also to researchers and user
agencies.
4. Centre launches nation-wide breastfeeding
programme
i. Centre has launched a nation-wide breastfeeding
programme "MAA - Mother's Absolute Affection" with an aim to enhance
optimal breastfeeding practices in New Delhi.
ii. MAA is an intensified programme of the Health
Ministry for creating an enabling environment to ensure that mothers, husbands,
and families receive adequate information and support for the promotion of
breastfeeding.
iii. The Ministry has also allocated 30 crore rupees for
the Programme and 4.3 lakh rupees for each district for implementing the
various activities under MAA programme.
5. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley inaugurated
India's International Footwear Fair
i. A three day long India's International Footwear Fair
(IIFF) has been launched by the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on August 5th in
New Delhi.
ii. This year around 263 companies from India and abroad
are participating in the event.
6. Railways, Chhattisgarh govt. ink agreement for the formation of JV
i. 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.
ii. 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.
iii. Chhattisgarh has become the third state to sign JV
Agreement with the Ministry after Odisha and Haryana. 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.
7. Naidu launches Swachh Survekshan for 500 cities
i. 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.
ii. The main objective of Swach Survekshan is not to
point out shortcomings but to suggest ways to improve the state of cleanliness
in the particular area.
iii. 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.
8. Maharashtra Government to provide as many as
1,200 wi-fi hotspots in Mumbai
i. Chief Minister of Maharastra Government Mr. Devendra
Fadnavis has stated that Maharashtra government will provide as many as 1,200
wi-fi hotspots in the megapolis as a part of transforming Mumbai into a Smart
City.
ii. As the state government wants to make Mumbai a wi-fi
city by May 2017 with 1,200 hotspots at important places.
iii. While out of the total of 1,200 hotspots, 500 will
be operational in the first phase by November 2016.
9. Javadekar inaugurated transit campus of IIT in
Jammu
i. Union Minister for Human Resource and Development
Prakash Javadekar has inaugurated the transit campus of Indian Institute of
Technology (IIT) at village Jagti, Tehsil Nagrota in Jammu.
ii. Even a total of 90 students has been enrolled at IIT
Jammu for the academic session.
iii. 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.
10. Kolkata hosts 64-day- long theatre festival
i. The Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre (EZCC), an
autonomous organization under Government of India's Ministry of Culture, has
organized a 64-day-long theatre festival in Kolkata.
ii. The festival- Kolkata Theatre Festival 2016- will
showcase as many as 245 theatres of several groups at Bharatiyam Cultural
Multiplex in Kolkata's satellite town Salt Lake.
iii. This is the biggest theatre festival, not even in
Kolkata but in the World as well.
11. China successfully launches the first satellite
for mobile telecommunication
i. 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.
ii. 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.
iii. Tiantong-01 was designed by China Academy of Space
Technology and its ground service will be operated by China Telecom.
12. IBM and Apple open first global development hub
in India
i. IBM in partnership with Apple has launched a new
global development hub at Manyata Tech Park, Bengaluru.
ii. The hub mainly aims to help the clients in India
complete digital mobility process platform.
iii. IBM is also planning to launch satellite centres in
many other countries including China, Romania, and Brazil.
13. Olympics 2016 opens with a glittering ceremony
in Rio De Janerio
i. The 31st Summer Olympic Games has opened in the
Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro, with a vibrant opening ceremony at the
Maracana Stadium.
ii. Acting Brazil President Michel Temer declared open
the Games.
iii. The theme of Rio De Janerio Olympic is world peace
and environment. This time in Rio more than 11,000 athletes from 209 countries
are all set to compete, including India, and a refugee Olympic team.
14. IOA announces cash award for medal winning athlete
in Rio Olympics
i. Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has announced a cash
award of 50 lakh rupees for the gold medal winning athlete in the Rio
Olympics.
ii. 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.
iii. Apart from IOC, Indian Railways has also announced a
cash award of 1 crore rupees for its athlete who wins a gold medal at the Rio
Olympics. While silver medallist will get 75 lakh rupees and bronze medal
winner 50 lakh rupees. For the athletes who manages a top-8 finish, the reward
will be 30 lakh rupees and for mere participation 5 lakh rupees.
7th
August, 2016
1. Vijay Rupani takes oath as Gujarat Chief
Minister
i. 60 year old BJP leader Vijay Rupani has sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Gujarat at the Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar today.
ii. He was administered the oath of office and secrecy by the Governor OP Kohli.
iii. While Nitin Patel has sworn in as the Deputy CM of the state.
2. Modi Launches PMO App At MyGov Anniversary Event
i. 60 year old BJP leader Vijay Rupani has sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Gujarat at the Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar today.
ii. He was administered the oath of office and secrecy by the Governor OP Kohli.
iii. While Nitin Patel has sworn in as the Deputy CM of the state.
2. Modi Launches PMO App At MyGov Anniversary Event
i. 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).
ii. The app is developed by a team of young engineering
students from Delhi who has won the contest to develop the app.
iii. The new app will allow mobile users to connect with
the website of the Prime Minister's Office.
3. 2nd National Handloom day has celebrated today
3. 2nd National Handloom day has celebrated today
i. The second National Handloom Day has been celebrated
all over the country, on today (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.
ii. 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.
ii. 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.
iii. Besides the main event in Varanasi, there was many
other programmes across the nation.
4. Odisha govt launches new website of state Home
department
i. The Odisha government has launched a new website of
the state Home department to enable the differently-abled persons to see and
hear the website.
ii. The portal has been designed by the National
Informatics Centre (NIC) with accessibility guidelines for differently-abled
persons and inaugurated by the state Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
iii. This is a bilingual website available in both
English and Odia language. It facilitates access to all directorates or
departments along with various citizen services like Secretariat Pass, Tracking
the Missing Child, Reservation of Odisha Bhawan, Crime and Criminal Tracking
Network & Systems and other such services.
5. Telangana signs MoU with ISRO for water
resources info system
i. 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.
ii. The MoU was inked in the presence of Irrigation
Minister T Harish Rao and ISRO chairman A S Kiran Kumar at the
Hyderabad-headquartered National Remote Sensing Centre of ISRO.
iii. 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). The project, likely to be completed in one year.
6. Taxis in Dubai to promote Kerala Tourism
i. 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.
ii. 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.
iii. The campaign, inspired by the previous highly
successful branding efforts on London taxis and the Mumbai metro, will run till
August 15. The government has also given the administrative sanction for a
budget of Rs. 60 lakh for Kerala Tourism’s marketing strategy.
7. Tamilnadu CM gives cash awards to five
sportspersons
i. Five sportspersons from Tamil Nadu, including a
differently-abled woman who had won honours in international contests, have
been given cash awards by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa which
includes Jenitha Anto of Tiruchirappalli has presented with a cheque for Rs 25
lakh for winning an international chess tournament for the differently abled
held in Serbia last month. Anto had won the tournament for the fourth
time.
ii. The other receiver of the cash awards are- C Ajith
Kumar, R Naveen, L Samayasri, and S Priyadarshini.
iii. Jayalalithaa also gave away a total cash incentive
of Rs 1.20 crore to four other sportspersons who had won medals in different
events at the World School Athletics Championship in Turkey in July.
8. Kathakali dance troupe in Egypt for first time
i. A nine-member Kathakali dance troupe has performed
first time in Egypt.
ii. 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.
iii. Kathakali is a complex art belongs to Kerala, which
is combination of many different forms of art. It includes dance, drama,
literature, music both vocal and instrumental, and plastic form of art, such as
painting and sculpture.
9. CSS Corp appoints Manish Tandon as its new CEO
i. CSS Corp, a global Technology Support company, has
appointed Manish Tandon as its new Chief Executive Officer of the company. He
will be inducted as a whole time director of the board and as CEO later this
quarter.
ii. He will take over from "Tiger" TG Ramesh,
the current CEO who now transitions to a strategic advisor role as a
non-executive director on the board.
iii. Mr. Manish is an IIT Kanpur alumnus, and a Gold
Medalist from IIM Bangalore. He is currently the head of Healthcare & Life
Sciences, Insurance and High-Tech Manufacturing businesses at Infosys. He also
is a director on the board of Infosys Lodestone, Infosys Public Services and
EdgeVerve.
10. ‘Vietnam Veedu' Sundaram passes away
i. Veteran South Indian film director and scriptwriter
“Vietnam Veedu’ Sundaram has passed away in Chennai. He was 76 years old.
ii. 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.
iii. He also acted in a few films and directed a lot of
teleserials.
11. New head for BHEL Corporate R&D
i. KK Khurana, General Manager in-charge, has taken over
as Head of BHEL Corporate R&D with effect from August 4, 2016.
ii. 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 company.
iii. He has wide experience in thermal power plant
projects.
8th
August, 2016
1. PM launches Mission Bhagiratha and lays
Foundation Stone of key development projects in Telangana
i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the
Telangana government's ambitious Mission Bhagiratha at Komatibanda Village,
Gajwel, in Medak District of Telangana.
ii. The scheme has been launched by the State Government
with an objective to provide safe drinking water to all. As the Mission,
Bhagiratha is a pet project of the Chief Minister Mr. Rao, taken up at an
outlay of Rs. 42,000 crore. Apart from creating a water grid for supply
drinking water to houses, it aims to rejuvenate more than 45,000 water tanks.
iii. The Prime Minister also laid the Foundation Stones
for important development projects. These included the 1600 MW Thermal Power
station of NTPC at Ramagundam, revival of a Fertilizer Plant at Ramagundam,
Kaloji Narayana Rao University of Health Sciences, Warangal, and
Manoharabad-Kothapalli Railway line. He also dedicated to the nation the 1200
MW Thermal Power Station of Singareni Collieries at Jaipur, in Adilabad
district at an outlay of Rs. 7,000 crore.
2. Odisha Government launches special assistance
scheme for elderly weavers
i. The Odisha government launched a special assistance
scheme- ‘Baristha Bunakar Sahayata Yojana’ for elderly weavers to mark
the National Handlooms Day (7th August).
ii. It has been launched by the state Chief Minister
Naveen Patnaik with an aim to improve the financial condition of over 8,000
weavers, who have been working in this field for the last 20 years.
iii. The Baristha Bunakar Sahayata Yojana is for all
senior weavers who are above the age of 60 years. Under this scheme all weavers
who are above 60 years they will get a monthly pension of 500 rupees, and those
above 80 years would get 700 rupees.
3. Union Minister Prakash Javadekar inaugurates
Chhattisgarh’s first IIT
i. Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash
Javadekar has inaugurated the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) - Raipur at
the Government Engineering College campus.
ii. The IIT will have its own campus by the time its
first batch of students pass out.
4. IRCTC signs MoU with Manipur govt to provide hospitality & tourism services
i. Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation
(IRCTC) and the Manipur government have signed a Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU), which seeks to provide improved hospitality and tourism services to
their customers by making 'joint use of their capabilities and facilities'.
ii. The MoU entails upon both the parties to identify
areas of cooperation and draw up detailed plans for the development of joint
tourism products and opening and managing various catering and hospitality
outlets, budget hotels and handicrafts shops at railway as well as non-railway
locations.
iii. The MoU also include involvement of Self Help Groups
(SHGs), setting up of water vending machines, use of Rail Neer (IRCTC's
packaged water) and development of lounges and greeting services for tourists.
5. Over 1000 Dancing Robots Set Guinness Record In
China
i. A new Guinness World Record for the most robots
dancing simultaneously has been set in China where 1,007 robots shimmied in
unison, nearly double the previous record.
ii. The attempt was organised by Qingdao-based Ever Win
Company which almost doubled the previous record of 540 dancing robots which
was achieved earlier this year by Chinese company UBTECH Robotics Corp.
iii. A few robots were disqualified because they did not
dance or fell over, but the majority of the mechanical dance troupe completed the
60 second routine in perfect unison. Each of the 43.8 cm tall dancing machines
at the Qingdao Beer Festival were controlled using just one mobile phone and
they had to dance for a full minute in order to count towards the record.
6. First-ever 'Pizza ATM' opens in the US
i. The first-ever 'Pizza ATM' has been installed at a
university campus of US by French- based company Paline, which developed the
ATM.
ii. The pizza vending machine on the campus of Xavier
University (XU) in Ohio can hold seventy 12-inch pizzas and dispense them fresh
and hot in just three minutes. The cost of each pizza is around $10, with the
ATM accepting credit and debit cards, as well as a student card.
iii. Customers can select what kind of pizza they want
using the 24-hour machine's touchscreen. The pizza ATM, which opens for public
on August 10.
7. Former RBI Deputy Governor Anand Sinha joins
IDFC Bank board
i. IDFC Bank has appointed former Reserve Bank of India
(RBI) deputy governor Anand Sinha to the bank's board.
ii. His appointment comes into effect from August
1.
iii. This comes after Vinod Rai, the former comptroller
and auditor general (CAG) of India, who served as a nominee director
representing IDFC Limited on the board of IDFC Bank, stepped down after serving
on the board for a year.
8. Syndicate Bank launches new products
i. Arun Shrivastava, MD & CEO of Syndicate Bank has
launched new products to ease customer transactions.
ii. The first products launched by the bank was the
fund transfer based on ‘Aadhaar Number through NUUP’, using an ordinary mobile
phone without internet connection.
iii. While the other one was ‘Fund Transfer through IMPS’
at any branch for instantaneous credit to any bank account.
9. Zydus acquires derma brand Melgain from Issar
Pharma
i. Ahmedabad-headquartered Zydus Group has acquired
Melgain brand from Hyderabad based Issar Pharma for an undisclosed sum that
would marketed in India by Liva Healthcare.
ii. Zydus is currently the leader in the skin
de-pigmentation segment and the acquisition of Melgain marks its foray into the
re-pigmentation.
iii. Zydus is a fully integrated, global healthcare
provider, with strengths all along the pharmaceutical value chain.
11. Gymnast Dipa Karmakar becomes first Indian to
qualify for Vault Finals
i. Dipa Karmakar, the Indian Gymnast, created history by
becoming the first Indian gymnast to enter the Olympic final at the Rio Olympic
Centre.
ii. The 22-year-old qualified for the final round in the
Individual vault final of artistic gymnastics after finishing eighth on the
standings.
iii. Competing in the third sub-division, Dipa had an
average score of 51.665. She scored 14.850 by performing her much-vaunted
‘Produnova’ vault cleanly on the vault, 11.666 on the uneven bars, 12.866 in
balance beam and 12.033 in floor exercises. While American Simone Biles, the
three-time world all-round champion topped the charts with a score of
16.050.
9th
August, 2016
1. RBI : 3rd Bi-monthly Monetary Policy Statement
2016-17
i. Raghuram Rajan the governor of Reserve Bank of India
has published the third bi-monthly monetary policy statement for the fiscal
year 2016-17 and kept the rates unchanged.
ii. Mr. Rajan, whose term ends on September 4, maintained
repurchase (repo) rate at 6.5 %, cash reserve ratio (CRR) at 4 %, Reverse Repo
Rate - 6.00%, Marginal Standing Facility Rate (MSF)- 7.00%, Bank Rate- 7.00% ,
Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR)- 21%.
iii. While the Growth forecast at 7.6% for the current
fiscal and Inflation target remains 5% for January 2017.
2. International Day of the World's Indigenous
Peoples observed on 9th August
i. The International Day of the World's Indigenous
Peoples is observed on August 9 each year to promote and protect the rights of
the world’s indigenous population.
ii. The theme for 2016 International Day of the World's
Indigenous Peoples is 'Right to Education'.
iii. It was first pronounced by the General Assembly of
the United Nations in December 1994, marking the day of the first meeting of
the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations of the Subcommission on the
Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, in 1982.
3. Maharastra govt launches 'Quit India 2' movement
to mark its 75th anniversary
i. To mark the 75th anniversary of Quit India Movement,
Maharashtra Government launched Quit India 2-from Swaraaj to Suraaj
initiative.
ii. The initiative would emphasize on freedom from
illiteracy, farmer suicide, wastage of water, addiction among youth and
corruption.
4. Vodafone renews multi-million dollar IT deal with
IBM
i. India’s second largest mobile operator Vodafone has
renewed its multi-million dollar agreement for IT infrastructure with tech
giant IBM for another five years.
ii. IBM will support Vodafone India’s IT environment
transition into its hybrid cloud, allowing the telecom to leverage and
integrate existing IT resources and data assets with private cloud
environments.
5. Apple buys US machine learning startup Turi
i. Apple has confirmed that it has bought US machine
learning startup Turi as Silicon Valley giants focus on a future rich with
artificial intelligence.
ii. Turi specialises in enabling developers to imbue
software applications with artificial intelligence, so the apps learn to think
more the way people do.
iii. The move will help Apple to step up its artificial
intelligence efforts to compete against rival services from Amazon, Google, and
Microsoft.
6. Reliance General enters 'bancassurance' deal
with co-operative bank
i. Non-life insurer Reliance General Insurance Company
Ltd. has announced a bancassurance tie-up with Shamrao Vithal Co-operative Bank
(SVCB).
ii. As per the deal, the Reliance General will distribute
its insurance products to the customers of SVCB having a network of 194
branches.
7. HDFC board gives green signal to HDFC Life-Max
merger
i. The HDFC board has approved the merger of Max Life and
Max Financial Services with its insurance arm HDFC Standard Life
Insurance.
ii. The total premium of the merged entity of HDFC
Life-Max is expected to be Rs.26,000 crore.
iii. It will create the biggest public sector life
insurer.
8. MSTC joins hands with Mahindra INTERTRADE
i. Mahindra Intertrade, a part of Mahindra Group has
entered into a partnership with MSTC, a Government of India enterprise, to
set-up country's first integrated auto recycling facility.
ii. The facility will have the first-of-its-kind
Greenfield auto shredding and recycling capability to dispose of end of live
vehicles.
iii. The joint venture (JV) agreement was officially
signed by Sumit Issar, Managing Director, Mahindra Intertrade, and B. B. Singh,
Chairman & Managing Director, MSTC under the aegis of the Minister of Steel
and Mines, Chaudhary Birender Singh. vehicles.
9. Job portal Monster sold for USD 429 million
i. Amsterdam-based human resource consulting firm
Randstad Holdings has announced that it would acquire job portal Monster
Worldwide for USD 429 million in cash.
ii. Post acquisition, Monster will keep its brand name
and will operate as a separate entity.
iii. Randstad Holdings expects to complete the deal in
the fourth quarter of this financial year.
10. Irom Sharmila ends 16-year-long fast
i. Human rights activist Irom Chanu Sharmila (44) today
has ended her 16-year-long fast against Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958
and was granted bail by an Imphal court on Rs.10,000 personal bond.
ii. However, She will be examined in court again on
August 23.
iii. Irom had earlier announced that she will contest
2017 Manipur Assembly election.
11. Mr. K M Hanumantharayappa New Chairman of Central
Silk Board assumes charge
i. K M Hanumantharayappa has assumed charge as new
Chairman of Central Silk Board, Union Ministry of Textiles, for a period of
three years.
ii. He is the 25th Chairman of the Central Silk
Board.
iii. He is a sericulturist and a weaver and succeeds N S
Bissegowda.
12. Pawan Munjal reappointed as the CMD & CEO
of Hero MotoCorp
i. Two-wheeler market leader Hero MotoCorp has
reappointed Pawan Munjal as its chairman, managing director, and chief
executive for a period of five years. His current tenure comes to an end on
September 30 this year.
ii. While the company also elevated its head of
operations and supply chain Vikram Kasbekar as a director on the company's
board.
iii. Apart from Mr. Munjal and Kasbekar, the company has
also appointed Neerja Sharma as the Company Secretary and Chief Compliance
Officer.
13. Former Arunachal Pradesh CM Kalikho Pul has
passed away
i. Former Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister and Congress
rebel Kalikho Pul was found dead at his residence in Itanagar. He was 46 years
old.
ii. He allegedly hanged himself. According to initial
reports, he was suffering from depression and was extremely upset after his
appointment was struck down by the Supreme Court.
iii. He was the Chief Minister from the period February
to July 2016.
14. Yoga guru TKV Desikachar passes away
i. Renowned Yoga Guru TKV Desikachar has passed away
following a brief illness in Chennai. He was 78 years old.
ii. He was known for transforming the way yoga was
practiced and turned it into both a wellness concept and a therapy.
iii. He also founded the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram
where today about 1000 students visit every month to learn yoga.
15. Abhijeet Gupta retains Commonwealth Chess
championship crown
i. Grandmaster and former world junior champion Abhijeet
Gupta has added another feather to his cap by retaining the Commonwealth Chess
championship crown. As the title was also won earlier by him in 2015.
ii. This is the 20th Commonwealth Chess championship and
was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
iii. Besides, International Master Tania Sachdev also
finished with a gold medal. Although in this edition all the medals were won by
the Indians players in the senior category. Grandmasters S L Narayanan and Deep
Chakkravarthy got the silver and bronze medals respectively in the open
section.
10th
August, 2016
1. PM Narendra Modi launches Yaad Karo Kurbani
celebrations
i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched Yaad Karo
Kurbani (remember the sacrifices) celebrations at the birthplace of freedom
fighter Chandra Shekhar Azad at Alirajpur, Madhya Pradesh.
ii. The Yaad Karo Kurbani is a 15-day programme aimed to
commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Quit India Movement (QIM) and 70 years
of Independence.
iii. Later he also flagged off the Tiranga Yatra to mark
the launch of the 70th Freedom Year celebrations with a theme song '70
Saal Azadi Yaad Karo Kurbani' which has been composed by Dr. Ghazal Srinivas.
2. PM Modi, Russian Prez Vladimir Putin jointly
dedicated Kudankulam Nuclear Plant Unit-I to the nation
i. The first unit of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant has
jointly dedicated to the nation by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa,
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin through video
conferencing.
ii. It has been built with Russian expertise following a
pact between the then Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Soviet leader
Mikahil Gorbachev in November 1988.
iii. Now the first unit of Kudankulam power plant is
generating its full capacity of 1000 megawatts of electricity.
3. Niti Aayog ties up with US EIA to set up
a portal on energy data
i. Niti Aayog has inked a pact with US Energy Information
Administration (EIA).
ii. The think tank is working to develop India's energy
data agency which would take 3-4 years to develop. The web portal will host all
the data related to energy sector including oil & gas, coal, solar &
thermal energy etc.
iii. Niti Aayog also inked an SOP with US Agency for
International Development (USAID) and UK's Department of Energy & Climate
Change (DECC) for collaboration in the area of energy research.
4. Government to set up committee to review
e-commerce rules
i. The government has decided to set up a committee to
look into all issues including foreign direct investment norms pertaining to
the fast-growing e-commerce industry in the country.
ii. The committee will be headed by the NITI Aayog CEO
Mr. Amitabh Kant. The other members of the panel include officials from
commerce and industry ministry and department of electronics and IT among
others. Representatives from four states including Maharashtra and Karnataka
are also members of the panel.
iii. The committee will look at all the issues including
FDI pertaining to the e-commerce sector. The committee would also suggest ways
to further promote the growth of the sector.
5. First Solar India commissions 130 MW of solar
power plants in AP, Telangana
i. The local subsidiary of the Nasdaq-listed First Solar,
First Solar Power India, has announced the commercial operation of 80 MW and 50
MW solar power plants in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
ii. The projects are part of the 260 MW project portfolio
owned by First Solar in India. These two plants will collectively produce
enough energy to power approximately 2,27,500 average homes in India and will
displace 204 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.
iii. The electricity generated by the two projects will
be purchased by the Southern Power Distribution Company of Andhra Pradesh and
the Telangana State Southern Power Distribution Company under 25-year power
purchase agreements.
6. Maneka Gandhi kicks off a campaign to mark 11
August as Daughters' Day
i. The Ministry of Women and Child Development has
launched a social media campaign to mark the Daughters Day to be celebrated on
11th August 2016 by tweeting a picture with her daughter-in-law and
grand-daughter.
ii. The entire coming week will be celebrated by the
Ministry of Women and Child Development as Daughters Week, as part of the Beti
Bachao Beti Padhao programme to check female foeticide, improve sex ratio and
educate girls across the country.
iii. Through social media websites such as Facebook,
Twitter etc, users from across the country will post photographs online with
their Daughters,Daughters-in-law and Granddaughters using the hashtag
#BBBPDaughtersWeek. This opportunity is being used by the Ministry to engage
citizens to celebrate the young women and girls in their lives and spread the
message of valuing the girl child.
7. NHAI Signs MOU with IIT- Kharagpur for Research
Project
i. National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has signed
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with IIT-Kharagpur for the research project
on Laboratory and Field investigations on Paneled Cement Concrete Pavements for
Highways.
ii. The duration of the research project is 3 years and
NHAI have paid Rs. 1.25 crore for the project, excluding the cost of
construction of trial pavement section on NH.
8. China launches a satellite to get accurate
images of earth
i. China has launched a new high-resolution Synthetic
Aperture Radar (SAR) imaging satellite Gaofen-3 from the Taiyuan Satellite
Launch Centre in northern Shanxi Province.
ii. The Satellite will provide accurate pictures of earth
with an ability to photograph detailed scenarios of its specific areas. It was
the 233rd flight mission by a Long March carrier rocket.
iii. The Gaofen-3 and the Long March 4C rocket were
developed by the China Academy of Space Technology and the Shanghai Academy of
Spaceflight Technology, under the guidance of the China Aerospace Science and
Technology Corporation.
9. Dinesh Kumar Khara appointed as MD of State Bank
of India
i. The Department of Personnel and Training of State Bank
of India (SBI) has announced the appointment of Mr. Dinesh Kumar Khara as its
Managing Director (MD).
ii. His appointment has been done by the Appointments
Committee of Cabinet (ACC) for a period of three years, extendable by two years
after the review of his performance.
iii. Presently he is working as MD and Chief Executive
Officer of SBI Funds Management Pvt Ltd.
10. Rajeev Krishnan appointed as Managing Director
of Max Hypermarkets India
i. Rajeev Krishnan has been appointed as the Managing
Director of Max Hypermarkets in India with effect from 1 August 2016.
ii. Krishnan succeeds Viney Singh, outgoing Managing
Director. However, Singh will continue to be on the Board of the company as a
Non-Executive Director.
iii. As managing director, Krishnan will guide and direct
the strategy and execution of the Hypermarket & Supermarket business of the
SPAR brand in India, and will report to the board of Max Hypermarket, a
franchisee of SPAR India.
11. Anderson dethrones Ashwin from the top spot in
ICC bowler rankings
i. In the latest MRF player Rankings for Test Bowlers,
England Speedster James Anderson has topped the list.
ii. The English cricketer replaces India off Spinner
Ravichandran Ashwin.
iii. The James Anderson has reached his career best by
claiming the top position month back on May 31. The race was among Ashwin,
Pakistani bowler Yasir Shah and Anderson.
12. Takehiko Nakao Re-elected For Second Term as
ADB President
i. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) Board of Governors
has unanimously re-elected Takehiko Nakao as President of ADB for a further 5
years beginning on 24 November 2016.
ii. Mr. Nakao was first elected as President by the Board
of Governors on 28 April 2013 to serve the 3 and a half years remaining on the
term of his predecessor, Haruhiko Kuroda.
ii. He is the 9th President of ADB and was the sole
nominee after ADB’s Governors were invited to make nominations for the
organization’s presidency.
13. ACC has approved appointments of four G Ms as
Executive Directors in various banks
i. The Appointment Committee of Cabinet (ACC) has
approved appointments of four G Ms as Executive Directors in various banks.
ii. The appointment includes- Mr. Ashok Kumar Garg, Mr.
Raj Kamal Verma, Gopal Murli Bhagat, and Himanshu Joshi as the ED of Bank of
Baroda, Union Bank of India, Corporation Bank, and Oriental Bank of Commerce respectively.
14. Yesteryear Tamil actress Jyothilakshmi has
passed away
i. Popular southern actress Jyothi Lakshmi has
passed away at age 63. She was suffering from blood cancer for a while and had
been undergoing a treatment.
ii. She made her film debut in TR Ramanna's Tamil film
Periya Idathu Penn that had actors Saroja Devi and MG Ramachandran in the lead
in 1963 at the age of 10.
iii. Jyothi starred in over 300 southern films, Telugu
and Tamil films such as "Pilla Pidagu", "Bangara Babu" and
"Gandharva Kanya". she went on to star mostly in dance numbers and
negative roles. Her last on-screen appearance was in last year's Tamil adult
comedy "Trisha Illana Nayanthara".
15. Veteran Tamil writer-producer Panchu
Arunachalam has passed away
i. Veteran film producer, script, lyricist and screenplay
writer of Tamil cinema Mr. Panchu Arunachalam has passed away following a brief
illness.
ii. Mr. Panchu Arunachalam was born on 18th June 1941 at
Sirukoodalpatti, Karaikudi, in Tamil Nadu.
iii. He is popular for writing over 100 Tamil films,
including hits like Murattu Kaalai, Sakalakala Vallavan, and Apoorva
Sagodhargal. He worked with Rajinikanth in 23 films, including Kazhugu, Pokkiri
Raja, and Paayum Puli among others.
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