Daily Current Affairs Updates–15th August 2016:
Daily Current affairs News Updates about the National and International events were listed here. Candidates those who are preparing for IBPS/SBI/PO/Clerk exam and all other competitive exams can use this.
DAYS TO REMEMBER:
Puducherry today observes De Jure Transfer Day
· Puducherry today observed De Jure Transfer Day with pomp and gaiety. It was on this day in 1962 French colonies of Puducherry, Karaikal, Yanam and Mahe were formally acceded to the Indian Union.
· Lt. Governor KiranBedi unfurled the nation flag at the monument for freedom struggle at Keezhur opening the celebrations.
· It was in this village a referendum on whether to merge with India was held way back in 1954. Of the 178 representatives who participated in the voting, 170 voted in favour of merger.
· Chief Minister paid rich tributes to freedom fighters who toiled for the cause of freedom from colonial rule.
Bihar becomes 2nd state to ratify GST
· Bihar State Legislature on Tuesday ratified the Constitution Amendment Bill on Goods and Services Tax (GST) in a special one-day session.
· With this, it has become the first non-BharatiyaJanata Party ruled state to ratify the GST.
· The GST Bill needs to be ratified by at least 15 state legislatures before the President can notify the GST Council, which will then decide the new tax rate and other issues. The government intends to reach the golden number of 15 states in the coming month.
· Last week, Assam became the first state to ratify the Bill.As reported earlier, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had called Finance Minister ArunJaitley last week and offered to have the Bill passed on August 16.
Digital Maharashtra drive: Will connect 28,000 gram panchayats by 2017-18, says CM Fadnavis
· The Maharashtra government will bring in a digital revolution by connecting all its 28,000 gram panchayats in 36 districts by 2017-18 to open the world to rural Maharashtra.
· Chief Minister DevendraFadnavis has taken up the uphill task with a strict timeline to give a boost to core sectors like primary and secondary education, health and agriculture.
· Along with the nodal department of ministry of information technology and telecommunications, at least five major ministries have been told to simultaneously expedite their projects across rural sectors.
· The success of the pilot project, launched in Nagpur three months ago, has paved the way for replicating the model in other gram panchayats.
· In chief minister’s home town, 776 grampanchayats have executed the project to make Nagpur the first digitally smart district of Maharashtra.
Maharashtra launches Crime Criminal Tracking Network system (CCTNS)
· On the occasion of the 70th Independence Day, Maharashtra launched the country's first comprehensive 'Crime Criminal Tracking Network System’ (CCTNS) through 42 cyber labs inaugurated simultaneously here on 15th of August.
· Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, while launching the CCTNS, announced that the whole of Mumbai would be under closed-circuit television monitoring by October, while similar projects are underway in other major cities like Pune and Nagpur.
· Under the CCTNS, the state government will raise a special cyber police force of around 1,000 policemen well trained to handle the growing incidents of cyber-crimes, he added.
Govt to build museum to glorify tribal freedom fighters
· Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said, museums will be built in several states to glorify the role of lesser-known people from tribal communities who contributed to the freedom struggle.
· Addressing the nation on the 70th Independence Day from the Red Fort on Monday, MrModi said, the role of some people in the freedom struggle is discussed more than needed, while the contribution of tribals has not been highlighted as much.
· He said, government will build permanent museums to glorify the role of tribal freedom, so that coming generations could be able to know about their sacrifices for the country.
· Prime Minister has also announced to increase 20 per cent hike in pension of Freedom fighters.
Goa hosting BRICS in October this year
· The coastal state of Goa has been given the opportunity to host the BRICS summit ahead of other states because of its high hospitality standards, Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar has said.
· The BRICS summit will be held in Goa in mid-October.Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi was in Goa last week to review preparations for the meet, which is expected to be attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
· Parsekar also said that Goa should capitalise on the state's tourism potential.
Nod for Rs. 6,554-cr. Anantapur package
· Taking the Independence Day celebrations to Rayalaseema region for the second time in three years after the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Monday announced a Rs. 6,554-crore special development package for Anantapur district for a plethora of steps that include drought-proofing.
· By selecting Anantapur for the flag-hoisting and announcement of the largesse, Mr. Naidu, apparently wanted to remove a perception that Rayalaseema and the state’s most backward and drought-prone district were being neglected.
· The other components include Rs. 2,400 crore for agriculture, Rs. 1,423 crore for horticulture, Rs. 775 crore for dairying, Rs. 850 crore and Rs. 450 crore for the Peruru and Bhairavanitippa irrigation projects respectively, another Rs. 450 crore for reviving and modernising 450 tanks.
Baloch leaders seek support from US, European countries against oppressive Pak regime
· Encouraged by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's supportive words, leaders of the Baloch nationalist movement have sought support from the US and European countries against the oppressive Pakistani regime.
· Chairman of the Baloch National Movement Khalil Baloch said in a statement that the world must understand that Pakistan's use of religious terrorism as a policy tool will have far reaching consequences.
· Terrorism cannot be contained, but needs to be countered effectively, he said.
· He expressed hope that the US and Europe will join Prime Minister Modi and hold Pakistan accountable for the crimes against humanity and the war crimes it has committed against the Baloch people during its occupation of Balochistan.
· He said the indifference shown by international community in this respect is worrying.
INTERNATIONAL:
India extends $ 1 million grant to Zimbabwe
· India has provided One million US Dollars grant to Zimbabwe in the wake of El Nino induced drought disaster.
· In a press release, External Affairs Ministry said, last week, Indian Ambassador to Zimbabwe handed over the assistance to Zimbabwe.
· Accepting the grant, Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Dr. MisheckSibanda thanked for the quick response by India to an international appeal made by his country.
· He further said that Zimbabwe was happy with the sound relationship that exists between Zimbabwe and India in critical sectors of the economy such as SME, ICT, Energy, Education and Pharmaceuticals.
BANKING NEWS:
RBI questions banks for lending Rs 5,262 crore to REI Agro
· RBI has questioned the decision of a 21-bank consortium (an association of two or more individuals, companies, organizations or governments) led by UCO Bank to extend a staggering (very large) Rs 5,262-crore loan to Kolkata-based rice trading firm REI Agro which was found to be involved in fraudulent activities.
· The clarifications were sought in the light of RBI's master circular on fraud.Out of 21 banks, 20 banks reported the account as fraud and one bank had sold the account to Asset Reconstruction Company.
· As per the RBI master circular on frauds, banks are required to put in place a framework for loan frauds directing early detection and necessary corrective action by introducing Early Warning Signals (EWS) and Red Flagged Accounts (RFA) for loan of Rs 50 core or more.
Offline banking apps push inclusion
· Offline banking is gaining more ground with financial inclusion. To help rural and under-privileged customers, who don't have internet connectivity, banks such as Kotak Mahindra Bank and DCB Bank have introduced mobile banking apps that can be used both online and offline.
· With the Kotak Bharat app, You can transfer up to Rs.2500 a day in one transaction from their savings, current accounts or even credit cards
· With the Kotak Bharat app, users can transfer money, recharge their mobile or DTH, link Aadhaar number to the bank account, locate nearby Kotak ATMs and branches and also buy insurance coverage under the PradhanMantri Suraksha Bima Yojana and Pradhan MantriJeevanJyoti Bima Yojana schemes.
BUSINESS NEWS:
BHEL bags Rs 169 cr order for solar photovoltaic power plant
· State-owned power equipment maker BHEL on Tuesday said it has secured an order to set up solar photovoltaic (SPV) plants, estimated to cost Rs 169 crore.
· The EPC order has been placed by West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Corporation Ltd (WBSEDCL), BHEL said in a statement.
· Three SPV plants of 10 MW each are to be set up at Mejia (Bankura), Santaldih (Purulia) and Chharrah (Purulia) in West Bengal, it added.
· In 2015 as well it bagged EPC orders from NTPC for 50 MW solar power plants each at Ananthpur (AP) and Mandsaur (MP).
Minda forms JV with Chinese firm for auto components
· Auto component maker Spark Minda group flagship firm, Minda Corporation Ltd today said it has formed a joint venture with China's Shandong Beiqi Hai Hua Automobile Parts Co (SBHAP).
· The 50:50 joint venture, to be known as Minda China Plastic Solutions Ltd, is being formed between Minda KTSN, a 100 per cent subsidiary of Minda Corp and the Chinese partner, the company said in a BSE filing.
Maharashtra govt picks L&T to convert Nagpur into smart city
· Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has received a letter of intent appointing it as the implementation partner to convert Nagpur, the Orange City, into the country’s first large-scale integrated smart city.
· This is in line with the government’s vision to use vanguard technology for creating smart solutions to improve quality of life of citizens.
· The scope of work in phase 1 for L&T’s smart world communications business vertical, which is a part of L&T Construction, will cover laying of 1200 km of optical fibre network backbone, creating 136 City Wi-Fi hotspots at key locations, establishing 100 digital interactive kiosks and developing city surveillance systems with 3800 IP based cameras.
Tata AutoComp to acquire engine cooling company TitanX
· Tata AutoComp Systems, the Tata Group-owned auto-component conglomerate, will acquire TitanX, a leading global engine cooling supplier.
· TitanX supplies engine and powertrain cooling solutions to the commercial vehicle industry having plants across North America, South America, Europe and China with sales of approximately $200 million.
· TitanX is currently owned by EQT Opportunity and Fouriertransform.
AWARDS AND HONORS:
CLRI scientist bags A P J Abdul Kalam award
· Central Leather Research Institute's Principal Scientist P Shanmugam has bagged the Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Award for meritorious services in the Higher Education Department of Tamil Nadu.
· Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa presented the award comprising a certificate, Rs five lakh cheque and eight gram gold medal during the 70th Independence Day celebrations at Fort St George here today.
· The KalpanaChawla Award for Courage and Daring Enterprise was presented to Jayanthi hailing from Namakkal District by Jayalalitha on the occasion. The award carries Rs five lakh cheque, certificate and gold coated medal.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY:
ALMA Images the Planetesimal Belt around HR8799
· Planets develop from the dusty placental disk of material that surrounds a star after it begins to shine.
· Astronomers believe the process of building planets and dissipating the disk takes about ten million years.
· Many mysteries remain, however, including the tendency of dust not to stick together, and the likelihood that colliding clumps could break apart rather than agglomerate.
Hubble Discovers Two Dwarf Galaxies Moving into the Milky Way
· NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has uncovered two tiny dwarf galaxies that have wandered from a vast cosmic wilderness into a nearby “big city” packed with galaxies.
· The Hubble observations suggest that the galaxies, called Pisces A and B, are late bloomers because they have spent most of their existence in the Local Void, a region of the universe sparsely populated with galaxies.
· The Local Void is roughly 150 million light-years across.
SPORTS NEWS:
ICC Test Ranking: Ajinkya Rahane enters top-10 in batsman’s list
· Indian batsman Ajinkya Rahane jumped three places to enter the top-10 in batsman’s list while Ravichandran Ashwin maintained his pole position among all-rounders in the latest Test rankings released by the International Cricket Council (ICC).
· Rahane, who was 11th in the last list is currently 8th and the only Indian in the top-10 led by Australian skipper Steve Smith.
Wlodarczyk shatters world record for hammer gold
· Poland's Anita Wlodarczyk underlined her absolute dominance of the women's hammer by throwing a world record 82.29 metres to win the Rio Olympic gold by an incredible 554 centimetres on Monday.
· The only woman to have thrown the hammer further than 80 metres, the 31-year-old world champion had already broken the Olympic record with a second throw of 80.40 when she entered the ring for the third time.
Eleftherios Petrounias flexes his muscles to win rings gold
· Greek muscle man Eleftherios Petrounias showed off his superior power in the strongman’s event as he edged out local favourite and 2012 champion Arthur Zanetti to win the rings gold medal at the Olympics on Monday.
· Petrounias added the Rio Games title to the world and European crowns he holds with a score of 16.000.
Rio 2016: Shuttlers PV Sindhu & Kidambi Srikanth storm into Singles quarterfinals
· Shuttlers PV Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth have stormed into the Singles quarterfinals of Rio Olympics keeping India’s medal hopes in Badminton alive after a shock early exit of Saina Nehwal.
· Sindhu made it to the last-8 beating Tzu Ying Tai of Chinese Taipei, 21-13, 21-15, while Srikanth defeated Jan Jorgensen of Denmark, 21-19, 21-19.
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