2016-05-24

Hello and welcome to exampundit. Here are the important Current Affairs of 24th May, 2016. These are important for the upcoming UIIC AO 2016, SBI Clerk and SBI PO 2016 Exams.

Current Affairs at a Glance – 24th May, 2016

The government today announced the names of 13 more cities that will be developed under the Centre's 'Smart City Mission' with Lucknowin poll-bound Uttar Pradesh topping the list, followed by Warangal in Telangana and Dharmashalain Himachal Pradesh.

IRDAI has imposed a penalty of Rs. 35 lakh on Future Generali India Insurance Co for violating various laws including the ones related to payments, licensing of insurance agents and file and use policy.

The World Bank will provide assistance of $100 million to the Karnataka Urban Water Supply Modernisation project.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on 22 May 2016 launched the PEHALprogramme for the district of Shimla.

The Union Government on 20 May 2016 constituted a committee of experts on defence spending. The 11-member committee will be headed by Lt Gen DB Shekatkar (retd) and include top military officers and civilian experts.

Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh Ambani was on 17 May 2016 awarded with the prestigious Othmer Gold Medal for his entrepreneurial leadership by the United States based Chemical Heritage Foundation.

Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling was on 22 May 2016 conferred with the Yugkavi Siddhicharan Prize by Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli.

British director Ken Loach's film I, Daniel Blake on 22 May 2016 won the Palme d'Or at Cannes Film Festival.

Renowned scientist S K Sharma on 23 May 2016 was appointed the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL).

United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on 20 May 2016 announced the appointments of Mary Robinson of Ireland and Macharia Kamau of Kenya as his Special Envoys on El Nino and Climate.

The book titled My Favourite Nature Stories authored by famous author Ruskin Bond was released on 19 May 2016. Apart from My Favourite Nature Stories, Bond also launched another book titled The World Outside My Window.

The World Bank Group has launched the much anticipated Pandemic Emergency Finance Facility (PEF) — a new financing mechanism to quickly mobilise funds to tackle global disease outbreaks and create a new insurance market for pandemic risk.

Finance/Insurance –

Lucknow tops list of 13 new smart cities



The government today announced the names of 13 more cities that will be developed under the Centre's 'Smart City Mission' with Lucknow in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh topping the list, followed by Warangal in Telangana and Dharmashala in Himachal Pradesh.

Twenty-three cities with the higher rankings from as many states and Union terrritories, which failed to get representation in the first round of a competition held in January, participated in the 'Fast Track Competition', the result of which was announced by Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu today.

Of these 23 cities, only 13 could qualify for the smart city projects through the fresh competition.

Other cities, which won this round, were Chandigarh, Raipur (Chhattisgarh), New Town Kolkata, Bhagalpur (Bihar), Panaji (Goa), Port Blair (Andaman and Nicobar Islands), Imphal (Manipur), Ranchi (Jharkhand), Agartala (Tripura) and Faridabad (Haryana).

The 13 cities selected in the Fast Track Competition have proposed a total investment of Rs 30,229 crore. With this, the investment proposed by 33 cities (20 cities announced in January and 13 cities today) under the smart city plans is now Rs 80, 789 crore.

IRDAI imposes Rs. 35 lakh penalty on Future Generali



IRDAI has imposed a penalty of Rs. 35 lakh on Future Generali India Insurance Co for violating various laws including the ones related to payments, licensing of insurance agents and file and use policy.

It has asked the company to remit the amount within a period of 15 days.

The company was found to be making payments to its intermediaries under accounting heads as support services, consultancy that were not reported to the Authority, it said.

IRDAI said it was in violation of Insurance Act and imposed a fine of Rs. 5 lakh for the contravention.

A similar penalty of Rs. 5 lakh was imposed for not giving a clear picture of insurance agents engaged by the company.

Further, the insurer was allowing agents to solicit business even after expiry of their license, IRDAI said.

World Bank assistance for Karnataka urban water project



The World Bank will provide assistance of $100 million to the Karnataka Urban Water Supply Modernisation project.

An agreement was signed between the Government of India and World Bank on Tuesday.

The objective of the project is to provide city-wide access to a continuous piped water supply in the eligible cities in Karnataka and to strengthen the service delivery arrangements at the city level.

India –

Himachal Pradesh launched PEHAL programme for Shimla district

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on 22 May 2016 launched the PEHAL programme for the district of Shimla.

The objective of the programme is to identify certain thrust areas that have a direct bearing on the lives of the people in the district.

Under the PEHAL, 5 focus areas were identified by the district administration for development. They are –

Primary Education

Forest Rights

Health and Sanitation

Campaign against drugs and skill development

Women Empowerment

Features of PEHAL programme

PRERNA: It is the primary education component of the programme. The objective is to identify gaps in primary education and make teachers responsible focusing on them. 100 primary schools across the district were identified under the programme.

Forest rights: The focus will be on two aspects -educating people on forest rights and administrative measures to settle all issues in relation to community rights of traditional forest dwellers in the district.

Health and sanitation: Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) and awareness campaigns will be conducted to stress the linkage between sanitation and health.

Skill Development: As part of the livelihood mission, major initiatives will be undertaken to impart skills that include basic masonry, electrical work, home appliances, plumber courses, etc.

Women empowerment: Various stakeholders, including the line departments, Panchayath Raj Institutions, Mahila and Yuvak Mandals will be involved in implementing the programme.

Union Government constituted DB Shekatkar Committee on defence spending

The Union Government on 20 May 2016 constituted a committee of experts on defence spending.

The 11-member committee will be headed by Lt Gen DB Shekatkar (retd) and include top military officers and civilian experts.

The committee will recommend measures to enhance the combat capabilities of the over 13-lakh strong armed forces.

It will also focus on re-balanceing the overall defence expenditure in view of the escalating salary and pension bills. It was mandated to submit the report in three months.

INS Tarmugli commissioned into Indian Navy

Fast Attack Craft INS Tarmugli was on 23 May 2016 commissioned into Indian Navy today by Vice Admiral HCS Bisht, AVSM, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command at Naval Dockyard, Visakhapatnam.

INS Tarmugli will be based in Visakhapatnam under the Naval Officer-in-Charge (Andhra Pradesh) and will be deployed for coastal patrol and surveillance operations along the East Coast of India.

Sponsored

Awards & Honors –

Mukesh Ambani awarded with Othmer Gold Medal for Entrepreneurial Leadership

Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh Ambani was on 17 May 2016 awarded with the prestigious Othmer Gold Medal for his entrepreneurial leadership by the United States based Chemical Heritage Foundation.

Ambani was presented the award by Carsten Reinhardt, President & CEO of Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF) during the occasion of the Heritage Day of CHF at Philadelphia, United States of America.

He was awarded for his entrepreneurial leadership that has resulted in:

Expansion of India’s petroleum refining industry

Creation of the Jamnagar Refinery in Gujarat – the largest grassroots petroleum refinery in the world

Path-breaking initiatives in oil and gas exploration.

Sikkim CM Pawan Chamling conferred with Nepal’s Yugkavi Siddhicharan Prize

Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling was on 22 May 2016 conferred with the Yugkavi Siddhicharan Prize by Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli.

The prestigious literary prize was bestowed upon him for his commendable contributions in promoting Nepali literature in India.

The prize was presented on the occasion of 105th birth anniversary of the late poet Siddhicharan Shrestha. It carries a certificate of appreciation and a sum of 100000 Nepali Rupees.

Director Ken Loach's film I, Daniel Blake wins 2016 Palme d'Or

British director Ken Loach's film I, Daniel Blake on 22 May 2016 won the Palme d'Or at Cannes Film Festival.

It was Loach's second award for best picture at the festival after 2006's The Wind That Shakes the Barley.

Loach is an English film and television director.

He is known for his naturalistic, social realist directing style and for his socialist ideals.

His 1969 film Kes was voted the 7th greatest British film of the 20th century in a poll by the British Film Institute.

As of 2016, Jane Campion is the only female director to have won the Palme d'Or for The Piano.

Appointments –

S K Sharma appointed CMD of Nuclear Power Corporation of India

Renowned scientist S K Sharma on 23 May 2016 was appointed the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL).

Sharma will be responsible for design, construction, commissioning and operation of nuclear power reactors. He has been appointed to the new post for a period of five years.

At present, Sharma is working as Distinguished Scientist and Director (Operations) in NPCIL.

Rakesh Kumar Mishra appointed Director of Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology

Rakesh Kumar Mishra on 19 May 2016 was appointed the new Director of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

Who is Rakesh Kumar Mishra?

Mishra is a noted expert in the study of function of genes.

He had joined CCMB in 2001 as a senior scientist after stints at the IISc, Bangalore, the University of Bordeaux, France, Saint Louise University, USA and the University of Geneva, Switzerland for post-doctoral experience.

Farook Mahmood elected president of FIABCI

Farook Mahmood, Chairman and Managing Director of Silverline Realty, a Bengaluru-based real estate broking firm, has been elected president of FIABCI.

FIABCI is an international real estate federation and is a business network of real estate professionals worldwide. It has members in 65 countries, including 100 professional associations, 65 academic institutions and 3,000 individual members from all professions of the real estate sector.

He was elected FIABCI World President for 2017-18 in Panama. Farook Mahmood is a graduate in Real Estate Management and started off with the real estate division in his family’s Furniture House Agency.

He is also active with the FIABCI World Council of Brokers, and was serving its Vice-President.

FIABCI is the most representative organisation of the real estate industry in the world and holds special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations.

UN appoints Mary Robinson and Macharia Kamau Special Envoys on El Nino and Climate

United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on 20 May 2016 announced the appointments of Mary Robinson of Ireland and Macharia Kamau of Kenya as his Special Envoys on El Nino and Climate.

The El Nino weather phenomenon, which occurs every two to seven years, affects rainfall patterns and causes both drought and flooding.

The United Nations Special Envoys will provide the leadership required to tackle these challenges, raising the profile and sounding the alarm.

Books & Authors –

My Favourite Nature Stories authored by Ruskin Bond released

The book titled My Favourite Nature Stories authored by famous author Ruskin Bond was released on 19 May 2016.

In the book, Bond details various encounters with the natural world. He offers detailed explanation why he has such an overwhelming love for nature.

Apart from My Favourite Nature Stories, Bond also launched another book titled The World Outside My Window. In this book, he writes about some of the most interesting insects, birds, trees and flowers he has observed.

Both the books were brought out by Rupa Publications to celebrate Ruskin Bond's 82nd birthday.

World –

World Bank group launches Pandemic Emergency Finance Facility

The World Bank Group has launched the much anticipated Pandemic Emergency Finance Facility (PEF) — a new financing mechanism to quickly mobilise funds to tackle global disease outbreaks and create a new insurance market for pandemic risk.

PEF is expected to bring the much needed coordination and speed for future global disease outbreak response efforts.

The PEF facility launch announcement came few days ahead of the May 26-27 Summit of Group of Seven Leaders in Ise-Shima, Japan. G7 leaders had urged the World Bank Group to develop the initiative during their May 2015 summit in Schloss-Elmau, Germany.

Japan — which holds the G7 Presidency -- became the first donor to the PEF initiative and committed $ 50 million.

Sports –

Mohun Bagan beats Aizawl FC 5-0 to lift 14th Federation Cup title

Mohun Bagan on 21 May 2016 clinched the Federation Cup title for the 14th time. In the final played at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati, Bagan defated Aizwal FC 5-0.

Bagan won this tournament after a gap of 8 years (in 2008), when it defeated Dempo 1-0.

The first half of the match went goalless. In the second half, Mizo striker Jeje Lalpekhlua netted two goals, while the other three goals were scored by Sony Norde, Dhanachandra Singh and Bikramjit Singh.

Pankaj Advani wins 2016 Asian 6-Red snooker title

India’s ace cueist Pankaj Advani on 22 May 2016 won the Asian 6-Red snooker title. To win this tile for the first time, he defeated top-seeded Malaysian Keen Hoh Moh 7-5 in the finals held in Abu Dhabi.

To reach the finals, he defeated Aditya Mehta, an Indian player, 6-1 in a semi final match.

With this win, Advani became the first in the world to hold both world and continental titles in 6-Red snooker at the same time.

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