25-12-2016 to 31-12-2016 DAILY GK BANKERS ADDA

25th December, 2016

Good Governance Day being observed to mark Atal Bihari Vajpayee's Birthday

I. Good Governance Day is being observed today (25th December 2016) to mark the birthday of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee who has turned 92. From today, Good Governance campaign will be undertaken for 100 days during which Ministers and Members of Parliament will travel across the country and attend programmes highlighting the government's key initiatives.

II. The endeavour of the government is to improve delivery systems, to promote digital transformation and take forward the connectivity revolution in all sectors.

Obama signs USD 618 bn defence bill; boosts security cooperation with India

I. US President Barack Obama has signed into law the USD 618 billion defence budget for 2017, which enhances security cooperation with India and conditions nearly half of the funding to Pakistan on a certification that it is taking demonstrable steps against the Haqqani Network.

II. Obama has signed the National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA) 2017, which asks Defence Secretary and Secretary of State to take steps necessary to recognise India as America’s “major defence partner”.

Sri Lanka claims world’s tallest artificial Christmas tree

I. Sri Lanka has unveiled a towering Christmas tree, claiming to have surpassed the world record for the tallest artificial Christmas tree. The 73-meter (238-foot) tree, built in capital Colombo, is 18 meters taller than the current record holder. The tree's steel-and-wire frame is covered with a plastic net decorated with natural pine cones, 600,000 LED bulbs and topped by a 6-meter-tall (20-foot) shining star.

II. Their tree beat the existing Guinness record held by a Chinese firm that put up a 55-meter (180-foot) tree-like tower in the city of Guangzhou last year (2015).

DRDO successfully flight tests Smart Anti-Airfield Weapon

I. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully flight tested the Smart Anti-Airfield Weapon (SAAW) at the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur off Odisha coast. Capable of engaging ground targets with high precision covering a range of around 100 km, SAAW precision-guided bomb is an indigenous designed and developed class smart weapon weighing 120 kg.

II. Scientific Advisor to RM and DG (Missile and Strategic Systems), DRDO, Dr G. Satheesh Reddy, lauded the scientific community of the DRDO for their efforts towards the design and development of this state-of-the-art smart weapon within the set time frame.

Google India, Consumer Affairs Ministry join hands for online consumer protection

I. Aiming to raise awareness about online safety, Google India in collaboration with Ministry of Consumer Affairs has announced a nationwide 'Digitally Safe Consumer campaign, as part of a larger effort to help better protect consumer interest online.

II. As part of this collaboration, Google along with the Department of Consumer Affairs will undertake a year long campaign focused on building capacities of consumer organisations, personnel of consumer affairs department and counsellors of National Consumer Helpline on Internet safety and related issues.

After the US, Facebook received most data requests from Indian govt in 6 months

I. Social networking giant Facebook received 6,324 requests from Indian government agencies for 8,290 users/accounts in the first half of 2016. This is the second highest after the US, which made 23,854 requests for 38,951 users/accounts during January-June 2016, according to Facebook’s Government Requests Report.

II. Requests from India have increased, a trend seen globally as well from the previous period. Indian agencies had made 5,561 requests for 7,018 users/accounts in July-December 2015 period.

Govt launch mobile App 'Smart Consumer' & OCMC to provide speedy redressal of consumer grievances

I. The government has launched a host of online initiatives including a mobile App 'Smart Consumer' and an 'Online Consumer Mediation Centre (OCMC)' to provide speedy redressal of consumer grievances.

II. The initiatives were unveiled by Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan at a function in New Delhi on the occasion of National Consumer Day (24th December 2016). A helpline 14404 was also launched for conusmer related grievances.

Pakistani Hindus can register for Indian citizenship with fee as low as Rs 100

I. The registration fees for Hindus and other minority community people from three neighbouring countries including Pakistan as Indian citizens have been drastically reduced to as low as Rs 100 from Rs 15,000. In a gazette notification, the home ministry said the new rules will be applicable to minority communities Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and living in India on long term visa.

II. However, for minority community people from countries other than the three, the fees will be Rs 10,000 for registration in India and Rs 15,000 if registered elsewhere.

Virat Kohli leads Lord's Cricket Ground list of top 20 players of 2016

I. After the release of ICC and Cricket Australia's list of best players of 2016, Lord's Cricket Ground have followed the trend and selected top 20 players for this calendar year.

II. Indian Test skipper Virat Kohli bagged was honored with No. 1 spot after experiencing a sensational run in 2016 across all the formats of the game. Virat brought an end to his perfect year with Player of the Series award in the recently concluded Test series with England. Englishman Jonny Bairstow followed the Indian Test captain while ICC No.1 Test bowler Ravichandran Ashwin came in third ahead of Sri Lankan spin wizard Rangana Herath.

26th December, 2016 For All The Upcoming Exams

Lucky Grahak Yojana, Digi Dhan Vyapar Yojana launched

i.Government of India has launched Lucky Grahak Yojana for Consumers and Digi-Dhan Vyapar Yojana for Merchants to promote digital transaction.

ii.The schemes are aimed at encouraging people to move towards significantly higher usage of digital transactions through the offer of incentives.

iii.The first Lucky Grahak Yojana draw was held in the presence of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and name of 15 thousand lucky winners were announced.

PM Modi lays foundation stone of Pune Metro Rail

i.PM Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of Pune Metro project's Phase-I.

ii.PM Modi said the government is actively working on the Rurban Mission, which caters to the places that are urbanising quickly.

iii.The government needs to improve the quality of life in villages as well as mitigate the challenges that the urban areas are facing.

Assam CM launches Atal-Amrit Abhiyan across the State

i.Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal has launched 'Atal-Amrit Abhiyan' Scheme across the State .

ii.The initiative is a health assurance scheme which will give comprehensive coverage for six diseases and cover all individuals in eligible families with annual income below Rs 5 lakh.

iii.437 diseases are covered under this scheme.

‘Kuchipudi’ performers dance their way into Guinness World Records

i.Andhra Pradesh’s own classical dance ‘Kuchipudi’ found a place in the Guinness World Records yet again when a record 6,117 dancers came together to present a show at the IGMC Stadium in Vijaywada.

ii.Guinness adjudicator Rishinath declared that "Jayamu Jayamu" item presented in unison by the participants created a new record and handed over a certificate to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.

India’s first 2G Ethanol Bio-refinery set up in Punjab

i.The foundation stone for India's first second generation ethanol bio-refinery to be set up by Hindustan Petroleum Corp (HPCL) at Bathinda in Punjab at a cost of Rs 600 crore .

ii.The foundation stone laying ceremony will be held at village Tarkhanwala, in Bathinda district of Punjab.

UP CM inaugurates power projects worth Rs52,000 crore

i.Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh Yadav has inaugurated power projects worth over Rs52,000 crore across the state.

ii.Along with projects covering transmission and distribution of electricity, three thermal power plants with the total capacity of 33,000 MW were also inaugurated.

iii.This is a major thrust to provide 24-hour electricity to all in the state.

India successfully test-fires nuclear capable Agni-V

i.India tested its Agni-V intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in its final operational configuration from Wheeler Island off Odisha , paving the way for its eventual induction into the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) after user-trials.

ii.The nuclear-capable Agni-V, which can even reach the northernmost parts of China with its strike range of over 5,000-km, test-fired from its canister on a launcher truck

SBI adopts village of Maharashtra for Aadhaar-based payments

i.The State Bank of India (SBI) has adopted Shirki village in Pen taluka in Maharashtra for driving the Aadhaar-based merchant payment initiative.

ii.Under the initiative, the merchants in the village have been provided with simple android phones with a USB-based fingerprint capture device.

iii.The merchant is required to have a bank account with an Aadhaar number needed.

Five global reinsurers, including RGA, Swiss Re, get final licence from Irda

i.The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Irda) has approved the R3 application and granted certificate of registration to five global reinsurers to opens shops.

ii.The R3 is the final approval from the regulator to begin branch operations.

iii.The five global reinsurers that were granted final approval by the regulator are the US-based reinsurer Reinsurance Group of America (RGA), Munich Re and Hannover from Germany, Swiss Re from Switzerland and French reinsurance major Scor.

Scientists find world's most heat resistant material

i.Scientists have identified materials that can withstand temperatures of nearly 4,000 degrees Celsius, an advance that may pave the way for improved heat resistant shielding for the faster-than-ever hypersonic space vehicles.

ii.Researchers from Imperial College London in the UK discovered that the melting point of hafnium carbide is the highest ever recorded for a material.

iii.Tantalum carbide (TaC) and hafnium carbide (HfC) are refractory ceramics, meaning they are extraordinarily resistant to heat.

Co-Artist of national emblem Dinanath Bhargava died at 89

Dinanath Bhargava, a co-artist in the team that sketched the national emblem ‘Lion Capital of Ashoka’ and decorated the pages of the Constitution’s manuscript, died at the age of 89 in Indore.

British singer George Michael dies at 53

i.British singer George Michael who launched his career with Wham in the 1980s and continued his success as a solo performer.

ii.He has died on 25 December 2016 at the age of 53 and cause of death was heart failure.

Pankaj Advani won National title in 6-red Snooker

i.Sixteen-time world champion Pankaj Advani ended the year on a high by bagging the National title in 6-red snooker, the shorter format of the game.

ii.Starting off as the favourite, Advani lived up to the expectations and reclaimed the title, which he had won during the inaugural

edition in Bengaluru in 2010.

iii. In the final, Advani prevailed over local youngster Ishpreet Chadha 7-4 to clinch the title.

27th December, 2016

Karnataka govt launches 25 bio-diesel buses in the state

i.In an effort to reduce pollution caused by diesel buses, Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has launched 25 bio-diesel buses in the state.

ii.These eco-friendly buses will ply on four routes, including Tirupati and Chennai.

iii.Costing around Rs90 lakh each, bio-diesel buses eject 60-70% less emissions than diesel buses and would reportedly save the Corporation Rs80 lakh each year.

Central Government of India releases Rs 1,982 crore for Andhra Pradesh's Polavaram project

i.The Centre has released Rs 1,982 crore for the multipurpose Polavaram irrigation project in Andhra Pradesh through National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), which sanctioned the long term irrigation fund under Prime Minister Krishi Sinchayee Yojana.

ii.Polavaram Project is a multi-purpose irrigation project which has been accorded national project status by the central government.

iii.This dam across the Godavari River is under construction located in West Godavari District and East Godavari District in Andhra Pradesh state and its reservoir spreads in parts of Chhattisgarh and Odisha States also.

Central Government of India releases special stamp on freedom fighters & Hardayal Municipal Heritage Public Library

Department of Posts, Ministry of Communications has brought out a Special Cover on freedom fighter 'Shri Gaya Prasad Katiyar' and a set of eight Commemorative Postage Stamps on 'Personalities Series: Bihar' & a stamp on 'Hardayal Municipal Heritage Public Library'.

Farmers get additional 60 days to repay crop loans: RBI

i.In a relief to farmers hit by demonetisation, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has given an additional 60 days to repay their crop loans due in November-December, 2016 and prompt repayment would be eligible for the extra 3% interest subsidy.

ii.The government has been implementing the Interest Subvention Scheme since 2006-07. As per the scheme for the year 2016-17 besides subvention of 2 per cent per annum, an additional interest subvention of 3 per cent is also provided to prompt payee farmers from the date of disbursement of the crop loan.

Registration of Pakistani Hindus as Indian Citizen reduced from Rs. 15,000 to Rs. 100

The registration fees for Hindus and other minority community people from three neighboring countries comprising Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh, to register as Indian citizens have been reduced drastically to Rs 100 from Rs 15,000.

Odisha Governemnt Launches Malaria control programme DAMAN

i.The Odisha government has decided to intensify state sponsored malaria elimination scheme 'Daman' (Durgama Anchalare Malaria Nirakaran) in eight remote districts of the state.

ii.The state government has approved the scheme to be implemented in 8,000 villages of these districts and adding the programme is an innovative and integrated approach for control and prevention of malaria.

Maharashtra CM launched 'Transform Maharashtra' initiative

i.Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis launched an initiative 'Transform Maharashtra' at IIT Bombay's 'Mood Indigo' festival.

ii.Under it, the chief minister will address issues related to youth in governance.

Odisha Names Mega Lift Irrigation Scheme after the freedom fighter Parbati Giri

i.The State Cabinet of Odisha on December 24 named the Mega Lift Irrigation Scheme worth Rs. 7,600 crore, after the noted freedom fighter and social reformer Parbati Giri as a mark of respect for her immense contribution to the freedom movement and service to the poor and needy.

ii.The scheme was named after Parbati Giri by the Chief Minister of state, Naveen Patnaik at a cabinet meeting.

iii.The State Cabinet has approved tender for 13 mega lift irrigation schemes with a total command area of 19,400 hectares in Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar districts.

Actor Mithun Chakraborty resigns from Rajya Sabha

i.Actor Mithun Chakraborty ha resigned from the Rajya Sabha citing health issues.

ii.The 66-year-old actor was nominated to the Upper House by West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC).

iii.He still had nearly two years of tenure remaining in the Rajya Sabha.

IDFC Bank rolls out Aadhaar Pay for cashless payments to merchants
i.IDFC Bank has announced the nationwide launch of IDFC Aadhaar Pay, the country’s first Aadhaar-linked cashless merchant solution that uses a retailer’s own Android smartphone to enable cashless payments.
ii.Developed by IDFC Bank in association with the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) and National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI)

KVGB launches ‘Bank Sakhi’ scheme

i.The Karnataka Vikas Grameen Banks (KVGB) has come up with ‘Bank Sakhi‘ innovative scheme for employing women in villages to promote and improve the cashless transactions in rural areas.

ii.The Bank Chairman S.Ravindran revealed that the bank would appoint women business correspondents called 'Bank Sakhi' in select villages where this scheme would be implemented.

iii.In order to start this, the bank had hired 11 'Bank Sakhi' and had plans to appoint a minimum of 50 such women in different districts.

iv.The 'Bank Sakhi' will provide a range of financial services on behalf of the bank to her community.

Salman Khan launches his app 'BeingInTouch' on 51st birthday

i.Actor Salman Khan on Twitter has announced the launch of his app, 'BeingInTouch', on his 51st birthday 27 December 2016.

ii.The app will provide access to Salman's social media accounts, along with his unseen pictures and videos.

iii.The app users can also avail discounts from various brands on the app.

iv.It is currently available for download on Google Play store.

China Passes Environment Tax Law to Curb Pollution

i.China has passed a new law to levy environment tax on polluters, especially on heavy industries.

ii.The environment tax law was adopted by the legislature, the National People’s Congress (NPC) standing committee at a meeting in Beijing.

iii.The law will be implemented on January 1, 2018.

iv.Battling recurring pollution enveloping its cities,The Environment Tax Law was adopted by the legislature, the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee

Dr Barbara Jatta becomes first ever female director of Vatican Museums

i.Dr Barbara Jatta(54) has appointed as the first female director of Vatican Museums by Pope Francis.

ii.It will be effective from January 2017 Jatta is currently working as the Deputy Director of the museums Since June 2016

iii.With this appointments she will become the highest-ranking female administrator in the Vatican.
Former Sri Lankan prime minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake passes away

i.Former Sri Lankan prime minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake died at the age of 83.
ii.He was admitted to the intensive care unit of a hospital last week. Wickremanayake had served as prime minister during Mahinda Rajapaksa’s term as president from 2005 to 2010.

Yuki Bhambri wins $10,000 ITF Hong Kong F4 Futures

i.Yuki Bhambri has captured the title of the $10,000 ITF Hong Kong F4 Futures.

ii.It was his 11th title on the ITF Pro Circuit.

iii.He defeated Shintaro Imai of Japan who has been placed at second position.

iv.Bhambri won 75% of his first service points and broke serve three times to lock victory in one hour and 54 minutes.

28th December, 2016

Viral Acharya appointed as deputy governor of RBI

i.Viral Acharya has appointed by the Government of India as the deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

ii.He will be joining the ranks of Vishwanathan, S S Mundra, R Gandhi as one of four deputy governors serving under RBI Governor Urjit Patel.

iii.Mundra and Gandhi had served under former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan, while Vishwanathan was appointed during Urjit Patel’s tenure.

Indian Army partners with IIT Gandhinagar for critical technology requirements

i.Indian Army has inked an agreement with IIT Gandhinagar to set up a research and development (R&D) cell at the IIT campus to identify problems and possible solutions for the Indian Army.

ii.The agreement also enable the IIT and Indian Army to collaborate in areas including critical technology requirements of Indian Army, sharing of professional and technical knowledge.

Ministry of Shipping Inaugurates Sagarmala Development Company’s office in New Delhi

i.The Union Minister for Road Transport and Shipping, Nitin Gadkari has inaugurated the Sagarmala Development Company’s office in New Delhi to promote port-led development.

ii.The company would help in structuring activities, bidding out projects for private sector participation, identifying suitable risk management measures for strategic projects across multiple states, regions and obtaining requisite approvals and clearances.

PM Modi lays foundation stone of 900 km Char Dham highway

i.PM Narendra Modi has laid the foundation stone of Char Dham highway development project in Dehradun.

ii.Char Dham Yatra is an annual pilgrimage to the shrines of Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri.

iii. The project includes developing 900 km of National Highways in Uttarakhand at Rs 12,000 crore. The Char Dham project is a tribute to those who lost their lives during Uttarakhand flash floods.

Govt cancels FCRA licences of 20,000 NGOs for incomplete documentation

i.The Government of India cancelled the Foreign Contribution of Regulation Act FCRA licences of 20,000 out of 33,000 NGOs for violation of laws.

ii.Only 13,000 NGOs in the country are now legally valid as the licences of 20,000 such organisations have been cancelled for incomplete documentation.On December 15, 7 NGOs, including one run by activist Shabnam Hashmi, were barred by the government from receiving foreign funds after their FCRA licence

Gujarat government announces Biotechnology Policy

i.Gujarat government lead by Vijay Rupani has introduced the ‘Biotechnology Policy-2016‘ to establish Gujarat as a preferred destination for manufacturing of biotechnology products.

ii.Under the policy, the state government would provide capital subsidy up to Rs 25 crore on the total investment for developing a Biotechnology (BT) Park, said Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel while announcing the policy.

Nagar Uday Abhiyan launched in Madhya Pradesh

i.CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan has launched Nagar Uday Abhiyan rallies across the state.

ii.In these rallies, urban welfare and other public welfare schemes will be reviewed.

iii. This campaign will be conducted in three phases from December 25 to February 5 to assess services being provided to citizens and bring them at standard live.

Au Financiers gets final nod to start small finance bank operations

i.AU Financiers (India) Ltd has received the final licence from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to start a small finance bank, becoming the seventh entity to do so.

ii.AU Financiers was the only non-banking finance company (NBFC) among the 10 entities to receive in-principle approvals to start small finance banks in September 2015.

Bank of Maharashtra Adopts Village in Sangli for Digital Transactions

i.Pune based public sector lender Bank of Maharashtra, has helped to make the village of Malangaon, in Sangli district, Maharashtra, a completely cashless village.

ii.Post the announcement of withdrawal of 500 and 1000 currency notes and the push towards a cashless society.

Paytm launches 100-member merchant helpdesk to educate on digital payments

Mobile payment and e-commerce platform Paytm has announced a 100-member 'merchant helpdesk' and announcing that it will invest Rs 50 crore towards educating merchants on digital payments across the country.

Shinzo Abe becomes first Japanese prime minister to visit Pearl Harbour

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who arrived in Hawaii , will become the first Japanese leader to visit Pearl Harbor. He pay's his respects at the USS Arizona Memorial, the site of the deadly attack that prompted the U.S. entry into World War II.

Tata Motors signs up Akshay Kumar as brand ambassador

i.Tata Motors announced the appointment of Bollywood film star Akshay Kumar, as the brand ambassador for its Commercial Vehicle Business Unit.

ii.Indian Cinema's 'original Khiladi' will make his blockbuster entry in this new role at the launch of Tata Motors' latest offering in Commercial Vehicles, slated in January 2017.

ShahRukh Khan Conferred with Honorary Doctorate for promoting Urdu Language

i. Actor Shahrukh Khan has received an honorary doctorate from Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) in Hyderabad for his extraordinary contribution in promotion of the Urdu language and culture through his films.

ii.Chancellor Zafar Sareshwala conferred the 'honorius causa' on Khan and Rekhta Foundation founder Sanjiv Saraf at the sixth convocation of the university, for their contribution in the promotion of Urdu language and culture.

Virat Kohli chosen as captain of Cricket Australia’s ODI team of the year

i.Accolades continue to pour in for India’s dynamic Test captain Virat Kohli, has named skipper of Cricket Australia’s ODI team of the year which also featured young yorker specialist Jasprit Bumrah.

ii.Kohli, who was earlier also picked captain of the ICC’s ODI team of the year, was preferred over Australia’s Steve Smith. Smith was, however, picked in the ‘All-Star’ team.

16-year-old Indian shooter equals Rio gold medallist's score

Shooter Pruthviraj Ayachi shot 209.5 in the finals of the junior men's 50 meters Rifle Prone event at the National Shooting Championship, equalling the score of the Rio Olympics' gold medallist.

29th December, 2016

Govt launches Swachh Swasth Sarvatra initiative

i.Government of India launched Swachh Swasth Sarvatra initiative, aiming at strengthening health centres in open defecation-free blocks.

ii.Launching this initiative in New Delhi, Health Ministry J P Nadda stated that the objective of this initiative is to strengthen community health centres in 708 Open Defecation free blocks across the country to enable them to achieve higher levels of cleanliness and hygiene.

Cabinet approves ordinance to make possession of old notes penal offence

i.The Cabinet has approved promulgation of an Ordinance to make possession of a large number of scrapped banknotes a penal offence making holding of old 1,000 and 500 rupee notes after March 31st 2017 beyond a threshold amount a criminal offence.

ii.The possession will attract a monetary fine of 10,000 rupees or five times the cash held, whichever is higher.

Important Cabinet Approvals:28 December 2016

i. Cabinet Approves Ordinance to Penalize Person with Scrapped Notes Post March 31.

ii. Cabinet Approves Road Connectivity Project for LWE Affected Areas

iii. Centre gives ex post facto approval for ratification of ISA’s Framework Agreement

iv. Centre Gives Green Signal for Apex Corridor Development Body
v. Centre Approves Rs 266 crore investment for Delhi under AMRUT

India Signs Agreement with Bhutan for green and sustainable construction

i.India has signed an agreement with Bhutan for assistance in green and sustainable construction of infrastructure in the Himalayan kingdom.

ii.The MoU was signed between Central Public Works Department (CPWD), under India’s Ministry of Urban Development and the Department of Engineering Services, under Bhutan’s Ministry of Works and Human Settlements.

Former IAS officer Anil Baijal to be next Delhi Lt Governor

i.Anil Baijal has replaced Najeeb Jung as the next Delhi Lt Governor. Baijal, a 1969-batch IAS officer, served as home secretary in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.

ii.Delhi's former Lt-Governor Najeeb Jung had resigned on December 22 2016, 18 months before the end of his tenure.

Centre approves Rs 266 crore investment for Delhi under AMRUT

i.The Central Govt of India has approved investments of Rs266 crore rupees for improving water supply and sewerage networks in Delhi.

ii.With the approval, the Urban Development Ministry has now given nod to a total investment of Rs489 crore rupees for improving urban infrastructure in the national capital under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) guidelines.

Haryana Government to set up country’s first Caterpillar Train

i.Haryana Government has decided to set up a pilot corridor for an innovative concept of 'Caterpillar Train' that will fly over city’s traffic, in Gurgaon city.

ii.The concept of Caterpillar Train, also known as C-Train, was co-developed by an Indian Railways engineer Ashwani Kumar Upadhyaya along with Emil Jacob, both PhD Caterpillar Trainscholars at MIT, for which they won a global award at the MIT in the United States earlier in 2016 for this innovative idea.

SP Vaid appointed as new J&K police chief

i.The Jammu and Kashmir Cabinet has cleared the appointment of 1986 batch IPS officer Dr Shesh Pal Vaid, Special DG, Coordination and Law and Order, as new Director General of Police.

ii.He will succeed DGP K Rajendra, whose extended term of service ends on 31 December 2016.

Rajasthani writer Satya Narayan chosen for Bihari Puraskar

i.Eminent Rajasthani writer Satya Narayan has been chosen for the 26th Bihari Puraskar, 2016 by the K K Birla Foundation.

ii. He will be awarded a cash prize of Rs 2 lakhs, besides a citation and a plaque.

iii.Narayan selected for his Hindi book titled ‘Yeh Ek Dunia’ which was published in 2010.The book is a meticulous depiction of various circumstances of life in the contemporary world.

South Indian Bank has introduced a full-fledged NRI-focused mobile banking app

i.South Indian Bank has introduced a full-fledged NRI-focused mobile banking application called SIB Mirror+ across major mobile platforms.

ii.The new app was launched after the path-breaking 'E-Lock' feature that provided a single tap solution to fully secure all digital transaction from frauds. SIB Mirror+ equips the customers to perform almost all banking transactions from their smart phones.

Ex Madhya Pradesh CM Sunderlal Patwa passes away at 92

Veteran BJP leader and two-time Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Sunderlal Patwa passed away after a brief illness. 92-year-old Patwa, a former union minister, died due to a heart attack.

Transformer of Modern Physics and Astronomy Vera Rubin Dies at 88

Vera Rubin, who transformed modern physics and astronomy with her observations showing that galaxies and stars are immersed in the gravitational grip of vast clouds of dark matter, died at 88

Meghalaya to host National Games 2022

i.After successfully co-hosting the 12th South Asian Games with Assam early in 2016, Meghalaya has now got the opportunity to hold the National Games 2022 with its 50 years of statehood.

ii. Meghalaya clinched the bid for hosting the prestigious 2022 national games in the state overshadowing four other bidders Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Chhattisgargh and Uttarakhand.

iii. It also pledged Rs 5 crore as the bid amount for the game.

Ana Ivanovic announces retirement from Tennis

Serbian Ana Ivanovic, the former world No1 and 2008 French Open champion, has retired from tennis at the age of 29.