Current Affairs!

[maniza.siddique]

Daily Current Affairs - 29th June, 2016, Wednesday

1) N S Vishwanathan appointed as RBI's new deputy governor

a) The government's appointments committee has approved the appointment of N.S. Vishwanathan as deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

b) Vishwanathan will replace H.R. Khan, who will retire on 3rd July. Viswanathan has been serving as executive director in RBI since 2014.

c) The RBI has four deputy governors; of which two are externally appointed. The other two are typically promoted from within the central bank. Urjit Patel, S.S. Mundra and R. Gandhi are the other three deputy governors at present.

2) Majuli in Assam becomes India's first island district

a) In a first, Majuli, a 400 sq.km island in the river Brahmaputra in Assam has been granted district status.

b) Its area has shrunk from about 1250 sq kms in 1891 to about 515 sq kms in recent times due to massive river-bank erosion caused by the Brahmaputra.

d) It has been vying for a spot in the list of World Heritage Sites of UNESCO. With 22 satras (Vaishnavite monasteries) - and home to the colourful Mising tribes, Majuli has emerged as a major tourist destination despite seasonal floods and erosion.

3) Nestle names Ulf Mark Schneider as CEO

a) The world's biggest food company Nestle, has appointed Ulf Mark Schneider as its CEO. He will succeed Paul Bulcke.

b) His appointment will be effective from September 1. However, he will function as CEO only from January 1, 2017 until his introductory period gets over.

c) Previously, Schneider was CEO of Germany-based healthcare company Fresenius SE.

4) India ranked 105th on WEF's Human Capital Index

a) Out of 130 countries, India has been ranked 105th on the World Economic Forum's Human Capital Index. It measures countries' ability to nurture, develop and deploy talent for economic growth.

b) As per the Index, India has optimised only 57% of its human capital endowment. Though the country's educational attainment has clearly improved across age groups, its youth literacy rate is still only 90% (103rd in the world).

c) Finland topped the Index while India's neighbouring countries China and Bangladesh stood 71st and 104th respectively.

5) Defence Ministry approves purchase of 145 Ultra-Light Howitzers from the US

a) The Defence Ministry recently approved the purchase of 145 Ultra-Light Howitzers, worth about $750 million, from the US. It also approved bulk production of 18 Dhanush artillery guns, the first acquisition of such weapon systems by the Army in three decades.

b) Acceptance of Necessity (AON) was also issued to the proposal of building six next-generation missile vessels under 'Buy Indian' category for Rs 13,600 crore. The navy will be allowed to issue tenders for the same.

c) While 25 guns will come to India in a fly away condition, the rest will be assembled at the proposed assembly Integration and test facility for the weapon system in India in partnership with Mahindra.

6) Rajnath Singh inaugurates HQ of Jharkhand's special anti-Maoist force

a) Union home minister Rajnath Singh has recently inaugurated the newly constructed anti-Maoists forces Jharkhand Jaguar (JJ) headquarters built in Ranchi.

b) It is intended to be the landmark in progress of JJ, (also known as Special Task Forces), toward becoming a substitute for the central forces engaged in anti-guerrilla operations in 22 of the state's 24 Maoist-hit districts

c) Built on a stretch of 173 acres, the JJ camp will have anti-guerrilla warfare training facilities, functionally rich barracks, parade grounds, firing range besides administrative block and officers' mess.

d) The training centre will also have a helipad built to facilitate emergency evacuation and helidrops, especially in Maoist-hit regions located around Ranchi including Chatra, Latehar, Lohardaga, Khunti, Gumla and Saranda (West Singhbhum and Saraikela.

7) IMF clears payment of USD 501 million to Pakistan

a) The IMF has cleared immediate disbursement of $501 million to Pakistan, making the total amount given to the country since 2013 to $6.1 billion.

b) The approval was given after conclusion of 11th review of Pakistan's economic performance under a three-year programme supported by an Extended Fund Facility (EFF) arrangement.

c) IMF also reminded Pakistan that the current exports of $25 billion were not enough for an economy of over $280 billion and that it should aim to double the figure. This can be achieved by making concerted efforts to broaden tax bases, strengthening tax compliance and rationalising tax system in an efficient and equitable manner.

8) PM releases book titled The Birds of Banni Grassland

a) PM Narendra Modi recently released a book titled "The Birds of Banni Grassland" which is a compilation of research work based on 250 species of birds found in Banni area of Kutch, Gujarat.

b) The book was presented to the PM by scientists of the Gujarat Institute of Desert Ecology (GUIDE).

c) Located in Bhuj, this institute has been studying the plant, bird and marine life in the Rann of Kutch for more than 15 years.

9) Indian bags UN honour for corporate sustainability initiative

a) An Indian social entrepreneur Zubaida Bai has been named among the 10 '2016 Global Compact SDG Pioneers', an initiative launched by the UN to search for "entrepreneurs" who can play a vital role.

b) Zubaida is the founder of 'ayzh', a for-profit social venture providing health and livelihood solutions to impoverished women worldwide.

c) UN Global Compact is the world's largest corporate sustainability initiative that supports companies to do business responsibly by aligning their strategies and operations with ten principles of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption; and to take strategic actions to advance broader societal goals.

d) UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon announced the 10 pioneers at the Global Compact Leaders Summit.

10) NSCN (IM) Chairman Isak Chishi Swu passes away

a) Naga Militant leader Isak Chishi Swu has passed away at the age of 87.

b) Swu played a significant role in bringing out the Framework Agreement for Naga peace.

[maniza.siddique]

1) Exercise 'Jalrahat' commences in Assam

a) Exercise 'JALRAHAT' recently commenced in Assam. It is a joint initiative of the state government and the armed forces that is being led by GAJRAJ Corps with full support from HQ Eastern Command.

b) The exercise ended on June 30. The name 'Jalrahat' is a clubbed name of the relief works that will be carried by all three branches of the Indian Armed Forces, namely the Army, Navy and Air Force.

c) Indian Navy will be carrying out Exercise Prakampana based on relief and assistance in case of a super cyclone at Vizag, Andhra Pradesh in August 2016.

d) Indian Air Force will be undertaking Exercise Sahayta based on relief and assistance in case of a major earthquake at Bhuj, Gujarat.

2) Renowned painter KG Subramanyan passes away

a) K G Subramanyam, the pioneer of modern art forms in painting and pottery has passed away at the age of 92.

b) Recipient of Padma Vibhushan, Subramanyan was also a freedom fighter and was jailed briefly during the Quit India Movement.

c) He also received a British Council Research Fellowship to the Slade School of Art at the University of London in the year 1955.

d) He was an art historian and his body of work forms a significant document of Indian art history.

3) China launches second Shijian-16 series satellite

a) Recently, China launched its second Shijian-16 series satellite. It was carried by a Long March-4B rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.

b) This satellite is intended for space environment measurements, radiation and its effects as well as technology testing.

c) First introduced in May 1999, Long March-4B rockets are used to launch sun-synchronous orbit meteorological satellites.

d) The first Shijian-16 satellite was launched in October 2013.

4) ZSI to record climate change impact on Himalayan animals

a) Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) has started five long-term monitoring plots in the Himalayan region to document the impact of climate change on animals.

b) The project will be funded by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Species like fish, butterflies, bees and other insects will be monitored for the changes in their distribution due to climatic changes.

c) The current monitoring will be compared to the old data of ZSI in terms of climate change on the survival of the species.

d) The project will run for three years in states like West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.

5) Union Cabinet approved MoU between UPSC and Royal Civil Service Commission of Bhutan

a) A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and Royal Civil Service Commission (RCSC), Bhutan.

b) The MoU aims to strengthen the existing relationship between UPSC and RCSC. It will facilitate sharing of experience and expertise of both the parties in the area of recruitment.

c) As per the MoU draft, Sharing of experience and expertise in Civil Service matters, Sharing of expertise on use of Information Technology (IT) and Digitization of records, storage and display of historical records will be done.

6) 10th National Statistics Day celebrated

a) 29th June is marked and celebrated as National Statistics Day across India to create awareness about the importance of statistics in daily life and in the process of planning and development.

b) The theme this year is 'Agriculture and Farmer's Welfare'.

c) The day is celebrated annually on the occasion of birth anniversary of India's eminent statistician Late Prof Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis. He founded the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) and was the first Indian statistician to receive global recognition.

7) Union cabinet clears National Mineral Exploration Policy

a) To attract private sector investment, the Union cabinet has approved the National Mineral Exploration Policy to attract both domestic and foreign mining companies in exploration jobs.

b) The decision comes after the lack of exploration opportunities due to limited capabilities of the Geological Survey of India and Mineral Exploration Company Ltd.

c) The policy will pave the way for competitive bidding of prospective mineral blocks through the process of e-auction. Also, the exploration companies will be given an option of annuity or upfront payment to collect their revenue share.

8) UNICEF releases State of the World's Children 2016 Report

a) The United Nations Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has released the World's Children 2016 Report which highlights the condition of vulnerable children across the world.

b) Key Highlights of the report are as follows:

i) Unless we accelerate our progress, nearly 70 million children may die before celebrating their fifth birthdays - 3.6 million in 2030 alone, the deadline year for the Sustainable Development Goals.

ii) Children in sub-Saharan Africa are 10 times more likely to die before their fifth birthdays than children in high-income countries.

iii) Over 60 million primary school-aged children will be out of school - approximately the same number as those out of school today. More than half will be from sub-Saharan Africa.

iv) Around 750 million women will have been married as children - three quarters of a billion child brides.

c) The report also states investing in vulnerable children can not only make their lives better but also make the society richer in every sense.

d) India in the report: India is among five nations who will bear maximum under five deaths, others being Nigeria, Pakistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Angola.

e) The average annual rate for reduction in neonatal mortality required for India to reach the target is almost double the current level.

9) Suzuki Motors appoints scion Toshihiro Suzuki as CEO

a) Suzuki Motor Corp has appointed Toshihiro Suzuki, son of Chairman Osamu Suzuki, as its CEO.

b) The appointment comes after Osamu Suzuki said he would decline the CEO position to take responsibility for the automaker's use of incorrect testing methods when calculating vehicle mileage.

10) India maintains 3rd position in ICC ODI team rankings

a) In the recently released ICC ODI team rankings, the Indian cricket team has maintained its third spot.

b) With 123 points, team Australia is at the top position followed by New Zealand. India has 110 points in total.

c) South African batsman AB De Villiers has yet again topped the list of ODI batsmen. In this list, India's Virat Kohli is placed second, while Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan occupy the sixth and eighth positions respectively.

d) No Indian features in the top 10 of the ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers which has been topped by West Indian Sunil Narine, followed by New Zealand's Trent Boult and Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan. The latter ranks first in the ICC Player Rankings for ODI all-rounders.

11) Sanjeev Rajput wins silver in ISSF World Cup

a) Indian shooter Sanjeev Rajput has bagged the silver medal in the men's 50 metre rifle 3 position event of the ISSF World Cup in Baku.

b) Rajput shot 456.9 points in this tournament.

c) Croatia's Petar Gorsa won the gold medal with 457.5, while Hyeonjun Kim of Korea bagged the bronze after he shot 445.5.

12) Ethiopia, Bolivia, Sweden, Kazakhstan elected non-permanent UNSC Members

a) All the 193 members of the UN General Assembly elected Sweden, Bolivia, Ethiopia, Kazakhstan to serve on the UN Security Council (UNSC).

b) This selection has been made for a period of two years starting 1st January, 2017. The newly-elected countries will replace Spain, Malaysia, New Zealand, Angola and Venezuela.

c) As the voting between Italy and Netherlands yielded no clear winner, both the countries will share the two-year term, each for a one-year period.

c) Bolivia and Ethiopia were chosen by their regional groups and had no competitors. Kazakhstan won the seat reserved for Asia Pacific against Thailand, while Italy, the Netherlands and Sweden had competed for two seats for Western Europe.

13) World Bank approves the Tejaswini Project in Jharkhand

a) The World Bank Board has approved of the $63 million Tejaswini Projects, the first World Bank project for the development and support of women and adolescent girls.

b) Tejaswini: Socioeconomic Empowerment of Adolescent Girls & Young Women Project in Jharkhand will support adolescent girls and young women, aged between 14-24, to complete their secondary-level education and acquire relevant skills for the job market.

c) The project will focus on socio-economic empowerment of adolescent girls and young women in 17 select districts of Jharkhand.

d) It is expected to benefit about 680,000 adolescent girls and young women. In the 17 project districts, there are about 2.1 million adolescent girls and young women in the 14-24 age group, of which 13 percent belong to Scheduled Castes and 25 percent to Scheduled Tribes.

14) FSSAI signs MoU with ASCI

a) A MoU was signed between the Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and Advertising Standards Council in India against misleading ads.

b) This MoU is aimed at monitor and keep a check on the misleading & uncorroborated ads in the food and beverage sector.

c) FSSAI has made it compulsory to ASCI to keep check upon the process of complaints against misleading ads by food companies.

d) The CEO of FSSAI, Pawan Agarwal opined that the MoU would effectively help in handling misleading ads related to food and will provide a paradigm shift towards handling such scenarios and bring transparency and accountability with the stakeholders' participation.

15) Navy inducts Indigenous Heavyweight Torpedo 'Varunastra'

a) Indigenously developed heavyweight torpedo Varunastra was inducted in the Indian Navy on 29th June.

b) Developed by Naval Science and Technological Laboratory of the DRDO for the Indian Navy, it weighs 1.25 tonnes. It carries the torpedo carries about 250 kg of explosives at a speed of around 40 nautical miles an hour.

c) Torpedo is a self propelled weapon, with an explosive head that can be launched above or below water surface directed towards a target. Earlier, Torpedo Varunastra was showcased for the first time on the 2016 Republic Day Parade at Rajpath.

[maniza.siddique]

1) NASA tests rocket booster for space mission

a) NASA recently tested its most powerful rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS), carrying 13 CubeSats and an uncrewed Orion Spacecraft will be launched in 2018.

b) The booster was tested at a cold motor conditioning target of 4.4 degrees Celsius - the colder end of its accepted propellant temperature range. When ignited it reached a temperature of 3,300 degree Celsius.

c) SLS' first flight, referred to as Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1), will provide the rare opportunity for these small experiments to reach deep space destinations, as most launch opportunities for CubeSats are limited to low-Earth orbit.

2) Amul is India's official sponsor to the Olympics

a) India's leading food product company, Amul, has declared to officially sponsor the Indian contingent to the 2016 Rio Olympics.

b) During the campaign, the company will launch a series of advertising campaigns for milk and other dairy products. Also, it will sport special branding to boost this association.

c) Amul has embarked upon an 'Eat Milk with Every Meal' campaign. It also sponsored the Indian contingent at the London Olympics in 2012.

3) Govt launches web portal to monitor environmental approvals for mining of minerals

a) A new web portal has been launched for online submission and checking of environmental approvals for mining of sand and minor minerals.

b) The portal will ensure empowerment of the project proponent, as it will not only improve transparency of the entire application process, but also enable proponents to track their applications online.

c) The web-based application automates the entire tracking of proposals, which includes online submissions of a new proposal, editing/updating the details of proposals at each stage of the workflow. The system is based on web architecture.

d) Some of the features of the application include- submission of all projects in a single window interface; checking delays in the clearance process; a unique ID for each proposal for future reference; On-the-fly generation of all required reports; automatic mailer notification to take instant action; accessible from any PC having internet facility and different types of privileges/roles for users as per their responsibilities.

4) Maharashtra, Tata Power to ink pact for 1,000 MW for Mumbai

a) With an intent to fulfill power requirements and boost the transmission capacity for Mumbai region, Maharashtra Govt has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Tata Tata Power for sourcing 1,000 MW from the upcoming Dherand Thermal Project.

b) A series of power subsidies have been announced for industries located in Vidarbha, Marathwada, Northern Maharashtra and other areas of the State, which have been classified as D and D-plus industrial areas.

c)The subsidies were announced by a committee after a 13-month study of the power situation in the State. The subsidies are applicable with retrospective effect from April 1, 2016.

d) The subsidies in the backward regions have been provided to make the areas viable.

5) World Bank, ISA sign agreement for collaboration in solar energy

a) World Bank has signed an agreement worth $1 bn to support India's Solar mission. As a part of the agreement, the World Bank Group will also collaborate with the 121-member International Solar Alliance, headquartered in India, with the aim of attracting $1 trillion in investments by 2030 to promote solar energy worldwide.

b) The projects included under the support of World Bank are solar rooftop technology, infrastructure for solar parks and bringing innovative solar and hybrid technologies to market and transmission lines for solar-rich states.

c) An agreement was signed for a $625-million grid-connected rooftop solar programme. The project will finance the installation of at least 400MW of solar photovoltaic installations that will provide clean, renewable energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by displacing thermal generation.

6) India-Israel co-developed MR-SAM missile successfully test-fired

a) India successfully test fired a new surface-to-air missile, developed jointly with Israel, from a defence base off Odisha coast.

b) This medium range missile (MR-SAM) is a product of joint venture between India and Israel and was successfully test launched from a mobile launcher in the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur.

c) Named as Barak-8 missile, it was co-developed by the Defence Research Development Laboratory (DRDL) of DRDO in partnership with the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).

d) Apart from the missile, the system includes a Multi Functional Surveillance and Threat Alert Radar (MF STAR) for detection, tracking and guidance of the missile.

7) Writer Alvin Toffler dies

a) The Author of 'Future Shock', Alvin Toffler, passed away at the age of 87 years in his sleep.

b) One of the most famous futurists, he authored many books including bestsellers like 'The Third Wave' and 'Powershift'.

8) Researcher develops non-invasive method to kill cancer cells in two hours

a) Researchers have recently developed a non-invasive method to destroy cancer cells in a span as less as two hours which can prove beneficial in cases of inoperable or hard to reach tumors.

b) The process involves injecting of nitrobenzaldehyde, which diffuses in the cell. A beam of light is then aimed at the tissue causing it to become acidic and essentially commit suicide.

c) This process destroys almost 90% of target cells. The research findings of this study were published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

9) Italian film actor Bud Spencer dies

a) Italian film actor Bud Spencer, the good giant, passed away at the age of 86.

b) Born in Naples as Carlo Pedersoli, he adopted the stage name Bud Spencer, the first name inspired by a beer and the last to honour his favourite star, Spencer Tracy.

c) In his youth, Spencer was the first Italian to swim the 100-meter freestyle in under a minute. He later abandoned his swimming career after the 1960 Olympics in Rome.

d) Italian director Mario Monicelli gave him his first big role in the 1955 film Un eroe dei nostri tempi (A hero of our times).

10) RBI to study Blockchain technology to curtail paper currency

a) The Reserve Bank of India has decided to to set up a committee to study the use of 'Blockchain' technology. This technology helps to reduce the use of paper currency.

b) The blockchain is the technical innovation of Bitcoin. The blockchain database is consist of blocks which holds the time stamped batches of valid transactions. The blocks are linked to form a chain with each additional block reinforcing those before it, thus giving the technology its name.

c) The linked block make hacking very tricky and difficult as they have to get access to every copy of database. If the original document or transaction were altered, it will produce a different digital signature.

11) SCO Summit 2016 concludes in Tashkent, Uzbekistan

a) The 2016 Shanghai Cooperation organization Summit was successfully concluded in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

b) This 2 day summit was concluded under the presidentship of Pakistan.

c) In this summit India & Pakistan have signed the Memorandum of Obligation. This memorandum was signed by India & Pakistan to become full member of SCO.

d) India & Pakistan are expected to become full members by the next meeting at Astana, 2017.

12) Malaysia gets 2 women Shariah HC judges

a) Two women, Noor Huda Roslan, 40, and Nenney Syuhaidah Shamsuddin, 41, have been appointed as the Judges of Malaysia's Islamic Shariah High Court.

b) Shariah High Court, also known as Syriah High Court, refers to Sharia law in Islamic religious law and deals with exclusively Islamic laws, having jurisdiction upon every Muslim in Malaysia.

c) This is the first time in the history of the judiciary of the Muslim-majority country where muslim women have been appointed to the post and marks a positive development for the judiciary.

13) Sameer emerges fastest athlete of 56th National Inter-state Athletics

a) India's sprinter Sameer Mon emerged as the fastest male athlete in 100m dash in 10.60secs on the third day of 56th National Inter State Senior Championship.

b) Sameer has previously won the inter state titles in 2008 & 2011. He was also the member of the bronze winning Indian 4x100m relay quartet in Delhi Commonwealth Games six years ago.

14) India Post opens 'My Stamp' scheme for individuals and corporate

a) India Post has opened up the ongoing scheme of customized printing of 'My Stamp' for individuals and corporate also.

b) Under the scheme, an individual or a corporate entity can get their photo or logo printed inside the postage stamp at a price of 12 lakh rupees.

c) As per reports, this time there will be 5000 sheets comprising 60000 postage stamps. These stamps can be used for general postal mail.

d) The plan to go ahead with the scheme of 'My Stamp' was reached on specific demands of several like Western Union, SNDT Women's University, Allahabad High Court and others. So far, My Stamp have been issued for Amazon India and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.

e) The scheme was first introduced in India during the World Philatelic Exhibition, 'INDIPEX-2011'

15) Viswanathan Anand honoured with 'Honoris Causa' Doctor of Science degree

a) Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) has conferred the Honoris Causa Doctor of Science was conferred on 5 time world champion Viswanathan Anand. He was conferred with this honour during IIT's 49th convocation ceremony.

b) NITI aayog chairman Arvind Panagariya bestowed the degree to Viswanathan Anand.

16) Royal Enfield announces collaboration with Flipkart to sell its accessories

a) E Commerce giant has joined hands with bike maker Royal Enfield to sell its branded gears and accessories.

b) This is for the first time Royal Enfield has partnered with a third-party for sale of its accessories. Earlier, it used to sell within its own authorised retail network and website.

[arkadeep_ronnie (Arkadeep Ghosh)]

Join UBI PO 2016 Thread on PaGaLGuY – Invitation by @Arkadeep_Ronnie http://bnc.lt/a/key_live_kbkQE6Qy8jxrhqmDfbDCClenzre7DAvJ?groupId=44798236&campaign=pgapp_share&feature=groupshare

[omidichwalkar (Onkar Dichwalkar)]

 Daily Current Affairs - 04th July, 2016, Monday

1) Cabinet clears pay hike for 1 cr. govt employees, pensioners

a) Cabinet has approved the implementation of seventh pay commission for its over 1 crore employees recommending an overall hike of 23.5%.

b) The new scales of pay provide for entry-level basic pay going up from Rs. 7,000 per month to Rs 18,000, while at the highest level i.e. Secretary, it would shoot up from Rs 90,000 to Rs 2.5 lakh. For Class 1 officers, the starting salary will be Rs 56,100.

c) The 7th Pay Commission examined a total of 196 existing Allowances and, by way of rationalisation, recommended abolition of 51 Allowances and subsuming of 37 Allowances.

d) The recommendations cover 47 lakh central government employees and 53 lakh pensioners. This include 14 lakh serving employees and 18 lakh pensioners in defence forces.

2) Ministry of Tourism releases data on domestic and foreign tourist visits to states and UTs

a) Ministry of Tourism has recently released a data on domestic and foreign tourists visit to states and Union territories for the year 2015.

b) There were 1,432 million domestic tourists visits to the states and UTs. Tamil Nadu has topped in terms of state of highest domestic visits. Tamil Nadu had 333.5 million domestic visits. Uttar Pradesh is at the 2nd position and Andhra Pradesh stands at 3rd.

c) In 2015, the number of foreign tourists visits have risen by 4.4% compared to the visits in 2014.

d) The State that topped the list of the top ten States in terms of number of FTVs during 2015 is Tamil Nadu with 4.68 million visits. Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh secured second and third place with 4.41 million visits and 3.1 million visits respectively.

3) Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address 'Mann Ki Baat' to be broadcast in Bangladesh

a) Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Mann Ki Baat will soon be telecasted in Bangladesh.

b) The massage given by PM will be translated into the native tongue and the answers to the questions invited from people of Bangladesh will also be incorporated.

c) Mann Ki Baat will be broadcasted in Bangladesh on All India Radio's upcoming Bangla language service channel Akashvani Maitree, for which AIR has made arrangements to receive comments and voice messages from citizens of Bangladesh.

4) RIL, SBI sign shareholder agreement for payments bank JV

a) State Bank of India & Reliance Industries have recently signed an agreement to set up a joint venture for payments banks.

b) In 'The Subscription & Shareholders' agreement' has 70% equity of RIL and 30% equity of SBI.

5) Maharashtra target of planting 2 crore trees in state crossed

a) Maharashtra state has successfully crossed it's ambitious target of planting 2 crore trees in state. The state has crossed the mark of 2 crores and planted around 3 crores trees on 1st July, 2016.

b) In Maharashtra, the green cover is only 20% against the required 33.5%. Out of a total of 307 lakh hectares, only 61.35 lakh hectares are under green cover.

6) India jumps 19 places on World Bank Logistics Performance Index; moves to 35th rank

a) The recently released, World Bank's global logistics performance ranking placed India 19 above that the country's previous performance. India is at the 35th position against the 54th spot it occupied in the previous 2014 report.

b) This is due to the improvement in movement of goods inside the country thus facilitating better trade.

c) Other countries in top 10 are Belgium, Austria, United Kingdom, Hong Kong and the United States. Japan is ranked 11. Syria is ranked lowest.

c) The report ranks countries on a number of dimensions of supply chain performance, including infrastructure, quality of service, shipment reliability, and border clearance efficiency.

7) Radha Mohan Singh launches a web-based App CMRS

a) A web based app CERS was recently launched by The Union Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare Minister, Radha Mohan Singh.

b) CERS stands for Crop Manager Rice based Systems. This app is for better crop and Nutrient management released for Bihar farmers in a program organised at ICAR-RCER in Patna.

c) The app will become part of Digital India programme and it will be linked with Soil Health scheme for bringing access to new technologies to rural India.

d) CMRS provides irrigated and rainfed farmers with rice-based cropping systems in Bihar with a crop and nutrient management guideline customized to the needs of an individual farmer.

8) State Bank of India launches three new digital offerings

a) On the occasion of 61st State Bank Day on 1st July, State Bank of India has launched 3 new digital offerings.

b) With Flipkart, SBI has launched the pre-approved EMI facility on purchase. SBI will provide overdraft facility to pre-qualified set of customers for transacting on Flipkart for a minimum purchase of Rs. 5000.

c) SBI has also launched its social media banking platform called 'SBI Mingle' for Facebook and Twitter users. Using SBI Mingle, customers can check balance and request for mini statements on their facebook and twitter accounts.

d) State run State Bank of India has recently launched a digital village with an aim to transform the village into the cashless economy system.

b) The scheme will work towards transforming villages into safe, healthy and vibrant digital centres.

9) Rapid Rural Police Response System launched in Punjab

a) To ensure a prompt and effective police response, Punjab state government has launched a rapid rural police response system across the state.

b) State has flagged off 400 new motorcycles and 220 new Bolero jeeps under the new system. Under this system, it is mandatory for the police department to respond to any crime or law & order situation within 20 minutes of it being reported.

c) This service will insure the quick police service to the doorstep of a common man.

10) Michael Cimino, director of film The Deer Hunter, died

a) Michael Cimino, the director of the 1978 Vietnam war film The Deer Hunter has passed away in Los Angeles at the age of 77.

b) Cimino has directed total 8 films out of which The Deer Hunter, Desperate Hours (1990), starring Mickey Rourke and Anthony Hopkins, and the gangster film The Sicilian (1986), adapted from a novel by Godfather author Mario Puzo are few his notable films.

c) He received the 1978 academy award for The Deer Hunter and for writing and directing Heaven's Gate in 1980.

11) ICC relaxes Decision Review System for LBWs

a) International Cricket Council has approved changes in the decision review system to overturn the nont our LBW decisions.

b) Currently, half of the ball would need to be hitting a zone between the centre of leg and off stumps. With these changes, half of the ball must be shown to be hitting any part of the stumps. It will help to ease the LBW decision making.

c) These changes will come into effect from 1st October, 2016.

12) Lewis Hamilton wins 2016 Austrian Grand Prix

a) Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton has won the 2016 Austrian Grand prix after a thrilling close competition against his Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg.

b) Max Verstappen of Red Bull came 2nd and Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen emerged 3rd.

13) Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel dies

a) A holocaust survivor and an author who fought for peace & human rights, Elie Wiesel has recently passed away in Israel at the age of 87.

b) Wiesel won the nobel peace prize in 1986. He wrote about the his family being sent to the Nazi concentration camps in his first book, 'Night'. It was published in France in 1958. He authored 57 books in his lifetime.

c) Wiesel was sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp in poland when he was 15. He was later and ultimately freed from the Buchenwald camp in 1945.

14) Kerala government decided to ban 'electronic cigarettes'

a) Kerala state government has recently decided to ban the e-cigarettes in state.

b) The decision came in view of studies claiming that its use can cause various health issues, including cancer and heart ailments. An expert committee appointed by the Centre to study the ill effects of e-cigarette had recommended banning the device in the country in 2014 itself. Indian Medical Association has also found out the same results.

c) The state's health department have also found out that the device is used for smoking ganja, hashish and other narcotic substances.

15) Haryana to develop new Industrial Township at an expense of $5 billion

a) Haryana state government has decided to develop a new industrial township at a cost of $5 billion. This township will be over over 1,500 acres in Sohna and Manesar in the Gurgaon district.

b) For this purpose, Haryana government has already signed a MoU with China Fortune Land Development (CFLD). A joint venture of Haryana Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC) and CFLD will develop infrastructural facilities, industrial units and residential and commercial projects in the township.

c) These projects would be completed within the next 10 years and would generate employment opportunities for lakhs of youth, besides making available state-of-the-art health and education facilities.

[nagarajkm56 (Nagaraj K M)]

Daily updates for 3rd July ??

[elangomsh (Elangovan S)]

Anybody knows when will Ibps rrb notification will come please tell me

[omidichwalkar (Onkar Dichwalkar)]

Dear PaGaLGuY Readers,

We are pleased to present you the June 2016 General Knowledge (GK) Bullet - an exclusive, complete and comprehensive summary of important news, both national and international, that took place in the month of May.

This Bullet is relevant for Banking, SSC, Insurance and UPSC Exams. We will keep posting similar GK bullets so that you have a ready source of all necessary GK material while studying for your exams.

You can download the June 2016 - GK Bullet here:

http://bit.ly/29K8OEP

We will continue posting similar GK bullets so that you have access to ready GK study material while preparing for your exams.

To download our previous months' bullets, click here:

1. May 2016 - GK Bullet here: http://bit.ly/1r9xI7m

2. April 2016 - http://bit.ly/1TsZSlh

3. March 2016 - http://bit.ly/1Sbn9XW

4. February 2016 - http://bit.ly/1SCgnzi

5. January 2016 - http://bit.ly/1PqhMDE

All The Best!

To get fresh updates about Banking Exams on your Facebook & Twitter timelines, subscribe to our pages created specifically for them. We will be posting only those exam specific links on these pages:

Bank PO:

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/pagalguybankpo

Twitter:https://twitter.com/PaGaLGuYBankPO

SSC & Other Exams:

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pagalguy-SSC-CGL-Others/879667042056262

Twitter:https://twitter.com/pagalguyssc

UPSC:

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pagalguy-UPSC/951926044840262

Twitter:https://twitter.com/PaGaLGuYUPSC

[maniza.siddique]

Daily Current Affairs - 5th July, 2016, Tuesday

1) BRICS meeting on energy conservation begins in Visakhapatnam

a) The first meeting of the BRICS Working Group on Energy Saving and Energy Efficiency commenced on 4 July in Visakhapatnam and will conclude on 5 July 2016.

b) Hosted by the Union power ministry, it will be attended by all 5 member nations, namely Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

c) India will showcase its efforts in energy saving and efficiency, particularly the LED street lighting programme and PAT (Performance Achievement & Trade) programme for industrial energy efficiency.

2) Taxidermists to work their magic on Napoleon's last horse

a) The last horse ridden by Napoleon Bonaparte is being restored with stuffing by two taxidermists at the Army Museum in Paris.

b) The white Arabian stallion, Le Vizir, was gifted to Napoleon by an Ottoman sultan in 1802. He sports a brand on his rump made up of an N topped with a crown.

c) One of the emperor's favourites - achieved great victories at Jena and Eylau - he accompanied his master to exile in Elba after Napoleon's first forced abdication in 1814.

3) New species of 'ant-mimicking' spider found in Kerala

a) A new species of spider, which mimics the characteristics of ants, has been discovered in the moist deciduous forest of the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary.

b) This spider lives along with ants in the corrugated bark of large trees and is difficult to differentiate from ants.

c) This spider belongs to Aetius genus of the ant-mimicking spider family Corinnidae. Researchers assert that while there are over 200 variety of ant-mimicking spiders, a spider so much similar to an ant has been discovered for the first time.

d) This spider has been jointly discovered by researchers of the Centre for Animal Taxonomy and Ecology (CATE) of Christ College, Irinjalakuda, and the Oxford Museum of Natural History, London.

4) NASA spacecraft on course for its date with Jupiter

a) Juno, an unmanned NASA spacecraft, is approaching Jupiter on a $1.1 billion mission to circle the biggest planet in the solar system and provide more insights on the origin of our planetary neighbourhood.

b) This solar-powered spacecraft will fire its main rocket engine to slow itself down from a speed of 150,000 mph and slip into poisonous atmosphere of Jupiter and orbit for two years.

c) Best known for its Great Red Spot, the planet is marked by cold, windy clouds of ammonia and water that appear red, brown and in beige swirls.

d) The spacecraft is set to bring details about the water figure and atmosphere of the planet.

5) Former French Prime Minister Michel Rocard dies

a) Former French Prime Minister, Michel Rocard, has passed away at the age of 85.

b) Rocard, an enthusiastic advocate of the European Union, served as Prime Minister under President Francois Mitterrand from 1988 to 1991.

c) One of his achievements was the creation of the RMI, a welfare program which served as a financial aid for people of working age not eligible for unemployment benefit.

6) Linda Burney becomes first Indigenous woman elected to Australia's lower house

a) A former teacher, Linda Burney, 59, is the first female Aboriginal to get elected into Australia's lower house of parliament, winning a seat for the centre-left Labour party after national polls.

b) With this, she joins first Aboriginal MP Ken Wyatt of the conservative Liberal Party who was elected in 2010. Olympian Nova Peris was the first indigenous woman in the upper house of the Parliament.

c) In December 2014, she became the interim leader of the opposition after the resignation of John Roberson. She is an ambassador of the Australian women's Education Foundation.

d) She has been a pioneer in politics having been the first woman Aboriginal to enter the New South Wales state parliament in 2003.

7) Madhav Dhekane takes charge as Director of ISRO Inertial Systems Unit

a) Renowned scientist Madhav Dhekane has been appointed as the Director of ISRO Inertial Systems Unit, Kerala.

b) Dhekane holds an M.Tech degree in Systems and Control from Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai and had joined Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in 1983.

c) He has served various prominent positions in ISRO such as Deputy Director, Control, Guidance & Simulation Entity at VSSC, Chief Controller at VSSC and Associate Director (R&D) at VSSC.

8) Javeline ace Annu Rani sets record at National Inter-state Athletics Championships

a) Javeline thrower Annu Rani has set a national record with a massive 59.87m throw at the recently-concluded 56th National Inter-state Senior Athletics Championships.

b) The 23-year-old, who hails from Meerut in Uttar Pradesh, bettered her previous meet mark with her first round 59.06m at G.M.C. Balayogi Stadium. However, her big throw of the day (59.87m) came in the fourth round that erased her two-year-old Incheon performance of 59.53m.

c) Teammate Suman Devi, who scored with a season best 59.45m registered during her gold winning throw in South Asian Games at Guwahati earlier this year, could only finish in the second place. Haryana girl Sharmila Kumari stood third with 53.80m throw.

9) Hero MotoCorp inks 3-year wage agreement with Gurgaon workers

a) Country's largest two-wheeler maker, Hero MotoCorp, has signed a 3-year pact with its permanent workers at their Gurgaon plant.

b) The pact is regarding a hike of Rs. 12,500/- which is spread over three years and will be effective from 1st August, 2015 to 31st July, 2018.

10) National Mineral Exploration Policy unveiled by Narendra singh Tomar

a) Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has launched the National Mineral Exploration Policy (NMEP) with an intent to explore the new mining areas across the country and raise contribution of the sector in the country's GDP.

b) The policy was revealed at the inaugural function of the two-day national conclave on 'Mines and Minerals' at Raipur in Chhattisgarh. The event witnessed a participation of over 300 delegates from the country.

c) The policy will help in will help in mapping of the mining areas across the country, thus creating a lot of employment opportunities in mineral rich districts.

[maniza.siddique]

Daily Current Affairs - 06th July, 2016, Wednesday

1) JNPT becomes India's first port to implement Logistics Data tagging of containers

a) Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust has become the first in India to implement Logistics Data tagging of containers which will help importers and exporters track goods in transit through logistics data bank service.

b) The containers will be attached with a Radio Frequency Identification Tag (RFID) and will be tracked through RFID readers installed at different locations.

c) The tagging system would improve visibility and transparency of EXIM container movement by covering the entire movement through rail or road till the Inland Container Depot and Container Freight Station. Also, it will help in reducing the overall lead time of the container movement across the western corridor and lower the transaction costs incurred by shippers and consignees.

2) India's first Commercial Court & Disputes Resolution Centre inaugurated in Chhattisgarh

a) Chhattisgarh CM has recently inaugurated India's first Commercial Court and Disputes Resolution Centre.

b) Some facilities available for litigants through the new system includes video-conferencing, e-Court, e-Library, e-Filing and e-Summons. The court also acts as an arbitration centre and meditation centre.

c) These ultra-modern facilities available at the court will facilitate the investors in their commercial dealings.

3) Noel Neill, first actor to play Lois Lane in Superman, dies

a) Noel Neill, the first actor to play Superman heroine Lois Lane, has passed away at the age of 95.

b) Neill became starred opposite Kirk Alyn (who portrayed Clark Kent) in a 15-chapter serial for Columbia Pictures that played in movie theatres in 1948.

c) She often played the parent or other relative of one of the main characters, including the 1978 Superman feature film, the 1980s TV series Superboy, the 1990s primetime drama Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, and the 2006 film Superman Returns.

4) B Sai Praneeth wins men's single title at 2016 Canada Open Grand Prix Badminton

a) Indian shuttler B Sai Praneeth has won the Canada Open Grand Prix Badminton Men's Singles title at Calgary.

b) The fourth-seeded 23-year-old defeated Korea's Lee Hyun Il 21-12 21-10 in the singles final.

c) Top-seeded doubles pair Attri and Reddy defeated Adrian Liu and Toby Ng 21-8 21-14. The pair of Attri and Reddy is the first Indian men's doubles pair to qualify for the Rio Olympics.

5) Para swimmer Niranjan Mukundan wins 8 medals at IWAS World Games

a) Bengaluru para swimmer Niranjan Mukundan has won eight medals, including three golds, at the recently-concluded IWAS (International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports) U-23 World Games in Prague, Czech Republic.

b) Niranjan was born with a medical condition called Spina Bifida and has clubbed feet. He competes in the S-8 category. He also had the honour of delivering the athletes' oath on behalf of 35 competing countries.

c) He was honoured as the Junior World Champion in 2015.

6) Acclaimed Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami dies

a) Award winning Iranian Filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami passed away at the age of 76.

b) He contributed to the Iranian cinema with more than 40 films over a span of five decades. His "Taste of Cherry" won him the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1997.

c) Kiarostami found major international acclaim with 1990's "Close-Up," which tells the real-life story of a man who impersonated filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf, conning people into believing they will star in his new film.

7) World's largest charkha unveiled at IGI airport

a) World's largest spinning wheel (charkha) was unveiled at Terminal 3 of Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi.

b) Union MSME minister has said that the charkha is a symbol of Gandhian values and shows government's priority towards Khadi and Village Industries.

c) The idea behind the installation is to highlight India's quest to foster an egalitarian society as demonstrated by Mahatma Gandhi.

8) NASA extends New Horizons mission to Kuiper Belt

a) The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the first week of July 2016 gave its approval to the New Horizons mission to investigate a mysterious object known as 2014 MU69 deep in the Kuiper Belt.

b) 2014 MU69, otherwise known as 1110113Y, is a relatively small KBO discovered in June 2014 by astronomers using the NASA/ ESA Hubble Space Telescope.

c) Estimated to have a diameter of 30 miles, it is considered to be one of the earliest building blocks of the solar system.

d) New Horizons is currently 3.24 billion miles (5.21 billion km) from Earth and 264 million miles (424.9 million km) beyond Pluto, with all systems healthy and operating normally.

9) R Thiruppathi Venkatasamy appointed as Accountant General of Tamil Nadu

a) Centre has appointed R Thiruppathi Venkatasamy as the Accountant General of Economic and Revenue Sector Audit of Tamil Nadu with immediate effect.

b) Prior to this appointment, he served as the Senior Deputy Accountant General in the organisation of Comptroller and Auditor General Agartala, Tripura.

c) A 2000 batch officer of Indian Audit and Accounts Service, Venkatasamy is an alumni of University of Minnesota (US) and hails from Virudhunagar district of Tamil Nadu.

10) Aditya Birla Fashion acquires global clothing brand Forever 21

a) Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail (ABFRL) has acquired global clothing brand 'Forever 21' in the Indian market for USD 26 million (around Rs 175.52 crore).

b) Diana Retail is the franchisee of Forever 21 brand in India. The transaction involved acquisition of the Forever 21 Undertaking of Diana Retail with effect from July 1 through a business transfer agreement not share transfer

c) Forever 21 is among the fastest growing fashion retailers in the world with a network of more than 700 stores worldwide. Its India operations reported a turnover of Rs 262 crore in 2015-16.

[omidichwalkar (Onkar Dichwalkar)]

Daily Current Affairs - 7th July, 2016, Thursday

1. Union cabinet approves setting up of major port at Enayam in Tamil Nadu

a) The Union cabinet has given a nod to set up a major port at Enayam in Tamil Nadu. The estimated cost of the project is around Rs. 25,000 crores.

b) A special purpose vehicle will be formed for development of this project, with initial equity investment from three other major ports in Tamil Nadu namely Chidambaranar Port Trust, Chennai Port Trust, and Kamarajar Port Limited.

c) This port will act as a major gateway container port for Indian cargo that is presently trans-shipped outside the country, but also become a trans-shipment hub for the global East-West trade route.

2. India signs MoU with Mauritius for rural development and poverty alleviation

a) The Union cabinet recently signed two MoU with Mauritius to create a framework for cooperation between the National Development Unit, Prime Minister's Office of the Republic of Mauritius and the Ministry of Rural Development of the Republic of India in the sphere of rural development.

b) The MoU will facilitate cooperation in the field of rural development and capacity building on the basis of equality.

c) A joint committee on cooperation and rural development will be formed.

d) Both countries have agreed to coordinate and facilitate appropriate technical cooperation, exchange of relevant information and documents in the sphere of rural development, & collaboration to strengthen their human resource capacity.

3. India, Portugal decide to issue joint postage stamps

a) Department of Post of India and Portugal Post have decided to issue joint postage stamps on the theme of folk dances.

b) Department of Post of India has picked up Dandiya dance of Gujarat.

4. India to ink pacts with Mozambique

a) India has decided to enter into a government-to-government pact with the Government of Mozambique to import pulses.

b) Mozambique, which has its eastern coast alongside the Indian Ocean, currently faces a shortage of 7.6 millions of tonnes of pulses, a staple protein source for many.

c) India has decided to apply the cooperative model of farming to Mozambique to increase production.

d) Cabinet has approved the signing of an MoU between the two nations on drug demand reduction and prevention of illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and precursor chemicals and related matters through enhanced cooperation.

5. National Apprentice Promotion Scheme approved

a) Union Cabinet has given a green signal to the National Apprentice Promotion Scheme to incentivise employers to engage apprentices.

b) Under this scheme, 50 lakh youth of the country will receive apprenticeship training by 2019-20 at an estimated cost of Rs. 10,000 crores.

c) To be implemented by the director general of training (DGT) under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), the scheme will strengthen the employment sector.

d) 25% of total stipend will be given by government directly to the employers payable to the apprentices.

6. Rajasthan becomes first state to introduce minimum wages for part-time workers

a) Rajasthan has become India's first state to introduce minimum wages for part time workers.

b) As per the official notification, it is mandatory to pay 50% of the prescribed a day minimum wage to a person who works for less than four hours in a day.

c) With this, part-time workers of Rajasthan now come under the Minimum Wages Act, 1948.

7. Zee Learn appoints Debshankar Mukhopadhyay as CEO

a) Debshankar Mukhopadhyay has been appointed as the CEO of Zee Learn.

b) Earlier, he was the head of Educational Sales-Financial Services & Insurance, at Manipal Global Education Service.

c) He has served at Max Life Insurance Co. Ltd, Western Union, Scholastic India, Zee Interactive Learning Systems Ltd and DHL Worldwide.

8. Bengali actor Jeet acquires Kolkata team of PFL

a) Bengali film actor Jeet has acquired the Kolkata franchise of the first-ever multi-nation Premier Futsal League (PFL).

b) The team will be known as Kolkata 5s. The PFL will start from 15th July, 2016.

9. 30% of the land in India is getting degraded: ISRO study

a) As per a recent report released by ISRO, 30% of India's geographical land is under land degradation. The study was carried out using data from satellite images.

b) The degrading area has increased over 0.5 per cent to 29.3 million hectares during the period.

c) There was high desertification and degradation in Delhi, Tripura, Nagaland, Himachal Pradesh and Mizoram, while Odisha, Telangana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh showed some improvement.

d) ISRO's Space Applications Centre released the findings last month in the form of a 'Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas', combining GIS and remote sensing data.

e) The states where high amount of land is degraded are, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana.

10. First fossil facial tumour found in dinosaur jaw

a) First record of the fossil facial tumour in the jaw of a 69 million-year-old dwarf duck-billed dinosaur is recently found by An international group of researchers, including Kate Acheson from the University of Southampton in the U.K.

b) The tumour is a type of non-cancerous facial tumour, which is found in humans, mammals and some modern reptiles.

c) The scientists claimed that the presence of such a deformity early in their evolution provides us with further evidence that duck-billed dinosaurs were more prone to tumours than other dinosaurs.

d) The micro CT scans discovered that the dinosaur suffered from a condition known as an 'ameloblastoma', a benign, non-cancerous growth known to afflict the jaws of humans and other mammals, and some modern reptiles too.

11. Tarantula species named in honour of Garcia Marquez

a) Nobel literature laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez has been honoured and a Tarantula species has been named after him.

b) The newly researched "Kankuamos marquezi" is named for both Garcia Marquez and the indigenous Kankuamo group who live in the area of Caribbean Colombia where the writer was born.

c) This tarantula species has a defence mechanism which includes releasing stinging hairs that dig into predator's' eyes and people's skin.

12. FTII to be converted into Digital Media University

a) The governing council of Film & Television has given a nod to the conversion of FTII into Digital Media University with 22 new courses.

b) The suggestions were given by the Academic Council of FTII headed by producer BP Singh.

c) The Digital Media University envisages setting up of nine different "schools" under the aegis of FTII, which will offer 22 courses. The institute currently offers 11 courses- seven on filmmaking and four on television production.

13. NADA signs 2-year MoU with Australian agency

a) National Anti-Doping Agency has signed a 2-year MoU with its Australian counterpart and its international parent body-WADA-to bolster its anti-doping programme.

b) The project plan established by these 3 agencies will ensure that India implements a more effective anti-doping programme that is fully compliant with the WADA Code.

c) WADA's role is to monitor the partnership, including the timeline set for the project, and to assist with the implementation of the work required.

d) The MoU will prove beneficial in testing and results management structures, more timely appeals processes, and a review of the agency's structure to confirm that the current structures enable autonomous operational decision making.

14. US sanctions North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un for human rights abuses

a) Citing notorious abuses of Human rights, US has sanctioned Kim Jong-Un, the infamous leader of North Korea.

b) The sanctions, for the first time target any North Koreans for rights abuse and also affect property and other assets within the U.S. jurisdiction.

c) The report from US notified many of the abuses are in North Korea's prison camps, which hold between 80,000 and 120,000 people including children.

[maniza.siddique]

Daily Current Affairs - 8th July, 2016, Friday

1) Former Nokia executive Tejinder Kalra joins Indus Towers as COO

a) Indus Towers has appointed Tejinder Kalra as the Chief Operating Officer. His appointment is effective since July 1.

b) He joins Indus Towers from Nokia, where he was the Global Head for Bharti Business in his most recent role.

c) He also worked for with Reliance Infocomm, Satyam Infoway, Sprint RPG India amongst other organizations in the past.

2) Google buys France-based startup Moodstocks

a) Search giant Google recently acquired a French startup called Moodstock.

b) Moodstocks caught the US technology giant's eye for its work in computer vision and machine learning, as well for accomplishments in enabling smartphones or other mobile devices to recognize images and objects.

c) The Moodstocks team, described as a small group of researchers and engineers, will join a Google research and development center in Paris. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

3) SBI Card launches premium credit card 'Elite'

a) SBI Cards and Payment Services (SBI Card), the third-largest card issuer by number, has launched a premium credit card called ELITE.

b) Created on the MasterCard World platform, ELITE is build with several privileges and benefits for high networth individuals (HNIs).

c) The card will come with a joining fee of ₹4,999. All ELITE customers will receive a welcome gift of ₹5,000 in the form of vouchers from popular travel and lifestyle brand.

d) ELITE offers privileges such as 24x7 concierge services, golf course reservations, spa, and limousine or movie ticket bookings which can be availed with just one phone call. Also, ELITE offers lounge access through "priority pass programme" at over 850 airports across the globe for frequent fliers.

4) China inducts largest homegrown Y-20 military transport plane

a) China has inducted its largest indigenously-built transport aircraft Y-20, a breakthrough in military aviation technology for the PLA that allows the world's largest force to transport cargo and troops over long distances in diverse weather conditions.

b) The Y-20 officially joined the PLA Air Force in Chengdu, is ideal for transporting cargo and personnel over long distances in diverse weather conditions and has a maximum weight limit of 200 tonnes.

c) Besides manufacturing J-15, China's first-generation multipurpose aircraft for the newly-built aircraft carrier, Chinese military has testedJ-31, a fifth generation aircraft, and stealth fighter J-20, which PLA officials claim to be comparable with US versions.

5) Film festival on wildlife has begun in Shimla today

a) With an intent to highlight environmental issues, Shimla will celebrate a three-day Woodpecker Environment and Wildlife Film Festival at historic Gaiety Theatre.

b) As many as 45 films, including several national Award winning films and five films from Himachal Pradesh would be screened at the festival.

c) Critical environment and wildlife conservation issues like climate change, forest conservation, biodiversity and man-animal conflict and success stories would also be showcased.

6) The GOI constitute a Committee to examine desirability and feasibility of new FY

a) A Committee has been formed to examine the desirability and feasibility of having a 'new financial year' which will be headed by former Chief Economic Advisor (CEA) Shankar Acharya.

b) It will examine merits and demerits of various dates for commencement of a financial year and submit its report by December 31.

c) The members of the committee include former Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrasekhar, former Finance Secretary Tamil Nadu P V Rajaraman and Centre for Policy Research Senior Fellow Rajiv Kumar.

7) TripAdvisor appoints Gary Fritz President Asia Pacific

a) Leading global travel site TripAdvisor has appointed Gary Fritz as its Chief Growth Officer and President of the Asia Pacific region.

b) Before joining TripAdvisor, Fritz founded the advisory and investment group Amanogawa, LLC.

c) In his role as President, he will lead the company's operations and strategy throughout the Asia Pacific region.

8) Noted music director Omi passes away

a) Renowned music director Om Prakash Sonik, of the well-known duo Sonik-Omi, has passed away the age of 77 following a brief illness.

b) Omi was the nephew of the blind music director Master Sonik and together they formed the noted Sonik-Omi team which provided music to nearly 125 Bollywood movies in the 1950-1980s.

c) Some of their best-known works are Bhakti Mein Shakti, Dharma, Dil Ne Phir Yaad Kiya, Sawan Bhadon, Aabroo, and Raftaar.

9) South African writer Lidudumalingani Mqombothi wins 2016 Caine Prize

a) South African author Lidudumalingani has won the 2016 Caine prize for African writing for his short story Memories We Lost, published in Incredible Journey: Stories That Move You .

b) The Eastern Cape-born author, who is also a filmmaker and producer, received the prestigious award considered to be as Africa's leading literary award worth £10 000 as prize money.

c) Memories We Lost is told by a girl who acts as protector of her sister, whose serious mental illness is badly misunderstood in a South African village.

10) India ranks 91 in Networked Readiness Index 2016

a) India ranked 91 on the Networked Readiness Index (NRI) 2016, a key component of the World Economic Forum's The Global Information Technology Report 2016.

b) The report assesses the state of networked readiness of 139 economies using the NRI and examines the role of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in driving innovation.

c) India has slipped down two positions to an overall rank of 91, despite improvements in its political and regulatory environment and in its business and innovation environment. However the drop can be attributed to the fact that other countries are progressing at a faster pace.

[examguru (ga guru .)]

https://www.facebook.com/groups/bankingmaterials2013/

[anmoljain07 (Anmol Jain)]

Can anyone please share pdf/website link for all government schemes and policies launched in past two years? It will be of great help

[omidichwalkar (Onkar Dichwalkar)]

1) Dipa Karmakar named World Class Gymnast by International Gymnastics Federation

a) Karmakar, who recently became the first Indian female gymnast to qualify for the Olympics, has been awarded the honour for her performances in the Gymnastics World Championships held in Glasgow in October-November 2015.

b) She is the first woman in the gymnast history to land the Produnova, one of the most dangerous vaults. She won 10 gold medals at two national games. She received the Arjuna Award in August 2015.

2) NASA's Juno Spacecraft successfully enters Jupiter's orbit

a) Juno spacecraft of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has successfully entered Jupiter's orbit.

b) The main aim of this spacecraft is to understand the origin and evolution of Jupiter. The spacecraft will also investigate the existence of a solid planetary core, map Jupiter's intense magnetic field, measure the amount of water and ammonia in the deep atmosphere and observe the planet's auroras.

c) The spacecraft will orbit the planet once every 53 days until October 14, when it will shift to a tighter 14-day orbit.

3) SC-appointed Green Panel recommends high pollution cess of 20-22% on diesel vehicles

a) The Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) has recommended a green cess of 20-22% on diesel vehicles for the National Capital Region (NCR).

b) EPCA has recommended a cess of 20% on the cost of vehicles with engines that are smaller than 1,500cc in size, and 22% on those over 1,500cc.

c) Removing the fuel price differential, through the imposition of ECC (environment compensation charge) will be a step in removing the incentive for diesel vehicles which would reduce public health risk as diesel emissions are among the more harmful pollutants.

4) 2016 BRICS Youth Summit held with theme Youth as bridge for Intra-BRICS Exchanges

a) 2016 BRICS Youth Summit was recently held in Guwahati Assam to bring together the youngsters from five BRIC nations to empower them and strengthen their young minds.

b) Over 50 youth from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa gathered in Guwahati for the event.

c) The BRICS Youth Summit was initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The last summit was held in Russia in 2015. Guwahati was chosen as the venue for the international summit to expose youth from the remote northeast region to international platforms.

d) The theme of this summit was 'Youth as Bridge for Intra-BRICS Exchanges'.

e) This summit was focused on areas like skill development, entrepreneurship, social inclusions, youth volunteerism and youth participation in governance.

5) Union Cabinet approves Interest Subvention Scheme for farmers

a) The Union cabinet chaired by PM Narendra Modi has approved Interest Subvention Scheme for farmers for 2016-17.

b) The government has embarked sum of Rs. 18,276 for this scheme. The scheme will prove beneficial to the farmers to get a short term crop loan payable within one year up to Rs. 3 lakh at only 4% per annum.

c) Central govt will provide interest subvention of 5% per annum to all farmers for short crop loan up to one year for loan upto Rs. 3 lakh borrowed by them during 2016-17.

d) To provide relief to the farmers affected by natural calamities, the interest subvention of 2 per cent will be provided to banks for the first year on the restructured amount.

6) Union Government launched National Green Highways Mission

a) Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari has launched the National Green Highways mission (NGHM) in New Delhi. This initiative launched the plantation drive on 1,500 km of National Highways at a cost of about 300 crore rupees.

b) This mission has also launched initiatives like Guidelines for Implementation, Vision Document, Knowledge Reports of the mission, Adopt a Green Highway Program, Kisan Harit Rajmarg Yojana,National Green Highways Mission Mobile App.

c) This mission is launched under the Green highways policy to analyse the vision of developing eco-friendly and green National highways. This mission will generate jobs as greening of 1 km of highway provides employment for 10 people.

d) The government has made it mandatory to set aside 1 percent of the total project cost of any NH contract to a Green Fund corpus that will be used for plantation purposes.

7) Deepak Singhal appointed as the Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh

a) Deepak Singhal, principal secretary of irrigation has been appointed as the Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh.

b) Singhal will replace former chief secretary of Uttar Pradesh, Alok Ranjan.

c) Senior IAS officer Pravir Kumar was looking after the charge of Chief Secretary after the retirement of Ranjan.

8) 231 Projects under Namami Gange launched all over country

a) Union government has recently launched 231 different projects to give a major boost to Namami Gange at various locations like Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Haryana and Delhi.

b) These projects involve modernisation and redevelopment of Ghats and crematoriums, development of sewage infrastructure and treatment, afforestation, tree plantation, pilot drain project, interceptor drain project, trash skimmers and conservation of biodiversity.

c) 400 villages along the river will be developed as Ganga Gram in Phase I under Ganga Gram Yojna.

d) Thirteen IITs have adopted five villages each for development as Ganga Grams. She said training for 328 sarpanchs was completed at Sichawal in Punjab.

9) India, S Africa sign MoUs in four areas of cooperation

a) India & South Africa have recently inked 4 MoU is major areas of cooperation like the information and communication technology (ICT), grass root innovation and tourism, the Programme of Cooperation will cover segments of arts and culture.

b) These programmes were announced during the meet of PM Narendra Modi and his South African counterpart Jacob Zuma in Johannesburg, South Africa.

c) During the meeting, both the leaders discussed a wide range of bilateral and international issues including reform of the UN Security Council (UNSC).

10. India gives SUVs to Mozambique, completes delivery of $4.5 mn grant

a) India handed over 30 SUVs to Mozambique, completing the delivery of US $4.5 million grant assistance as part of supporting the institutions of Mozambique.

b) Secretary of Economic relations in the External Affairs ministry Amar Sinha handed over these vehicles.

11. NATO Summit concluded in Warsaw

a) The leaders of 28 NATO allies and many partner nations have started a meet for a landmark Warsaw Summit.

b) The agenda of the biannual summit included the situation in Eastern Europe, the risks emanating from the Middle East, reform of NATO's partnership policy, question of enlargement, debate about the future nuclear strategy of the Alliance.

c) The leaders agreed to deploy more troops along the eastern borders of Estonia 7 Poland. The leaders have also supported Georgia's membership aspirations.

12. Nirmala Sitharaman to lead business delegation to Russia

a) Union Commerce and Industry minister Nirmala Sitharaman will soon lead the delegation of over 110 companies. This delegation will showcase it's engineering prowess at a trade fair in Russia.

b) India is the partner country for 'INNOPROM 2016', which is the largest annual international industrial trade fair of Russia. This 4 day trade fair will start in Ekaterinburg.

c) The theme of this exhibition is 'Industrial Net'. The event means to bring together all important components to improve efficacy under one roof.

d) States like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh are also showcasing their strengths. Central government departments including Heavy Industries, Electronics and IT, Ministries of Power, Tourism and Renewable Energy, will also form part of the official delegation.

e) INNOPROM will also offer india a platform to showcase 'Brand India Engineering' & 'Make in India'.

13. Kerala Government imposes 14.5 per cent fat tax on Junk Food

a) The state government of Kerala has announced the Fat Tax on junk food in the market of the state. This will make food items like burgers, pizzas, pasta costlier.

b) The announcement was done in the first budget of LDF government on Friday. 'Fat tax' is something that is prevalent in certain foreign countries like France, Denmark and Hungary but is largely an alien term in India.

c) Kerala govt hopes to collect at least Rs. 10 crore from 14.5% tax on fattening food products like burgers, pizzas, etc. sold in fast food restaurants.

d) The government has also imposed a 'Green tax' for vehicles over 10 years besides levies on various items including packed wheat products like atta, rava and maida.

14. Chief Operating Officer of Microsoft Kelvin Turner has resigned

a) Chief Operating Officer of Microsoft Kelvin Turner has recently resigned with effect from 31st July, 2016.

b) He was serving Microsoft for last 11 years handling the sales operations.

c) Turner will be joining Citadel Securities as Chief Executive Officer.

15. Radhika Menon: First woman to receive Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea

a) Captain Radhika Menon, the first ever woman captain of Indian merchant Navy who has received the IMO award for exceptional Bravery at sea.

b) Menon will receive the 016 International Maritime Organisation Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea for her role in the dramatic rescue of seven fishermen from a sinking fishing boat in tumultuous seas in the Bay of Bengal in June last year.

c) She is master of oil tanker Sampurna Swarajya.

16. Phiroz Vandrevala steps down as TCS director

a) The non executive director Phiroz Vandrevala has resigned from his post from the country's largest IT services Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).

b) He has served TCS since September 2007. However, Vandrevala, also the Vice-Chairman and MD of Diligenta, a TCS subsidiary, will continue with this role.

[maniza.siddique]

1) World Population Day 2016 observed with theme Investing in teenage girls

a) World Population Day was observed on 11th July, 2016, worldwide. This day is celebrated with an intent to raise awareness of global population issues.

b) The theme for this year is 'Investing in Teenage girls' and focuses on the empowerment of teenage girls. Teenage girls who face a lack of school and early marriage and motherhood which leaves them vulnerable to illness, injury and exploitation. They are denied even their basic rights.

c) These challenges are exacerbated among marginalized girls, such as members of ethnic minorities or those living in poverty or remote areas.

d) The event was established by the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme in 1989.

e) The theme of the 2015 World Population Day was Vulnerable Populations in Emergencies.

2) IUCN declares Bornean Orangutan as critically endangered

a) According to International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Bornean Orangutan has been declared as critically endangered.

b) Sharp decline in population has been observed due to habitat destruction and illegal hunting which accounts for 86% population reduction between 1973 and 2025.

c) Also, the IUCN also put the whale shark, the largest fish in the world, on the Endangered list.

3) Sushila Karki confirmed as Nepal's first woman Chief Justice

a) Sushila Karki has been appointed as the first woman chief Justice with a unanimous decision by the parliamentary panel.

b) Karki (64), who has done her Masters in Political Science from Banaras Hindu University, is famous for her 'zero-tolerance' for corruption.

c) Karki was recommended for the top judicial post on April 10 this year by the Judicial Council but her appointment was pending due to delay in the formation of the PHSC for some technical reasons.

d) Currently, 11 nominees are awaiting the PHSC hearing for their appointment as the SC judges.

4) Sanjay Gupta named CMD of Konkan Railway

a) Sanjay Gupta has been appointed as the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL).

b) Prior to his appointment, he served as the Director (Operating and Commercial) of KRCL. He will be replacing Vhanu Prakash Tayal.

5) Ad award for Srinivasan K Swamy

a) The Advertising Club Madras has conferred its Distinguished Service Award on Srinivasan K Swamy, Chairman and Managing Director, R K Swamy BBDO for his outstanding contribution to the advertising industry.

b) The Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) will, on 29th July, present him with the Lifetime Achievement Award in Mumbai.

c) This award is the highest honour to be given to an individual in India for their outstanding contribution to the advertising industry. This award was instituted in 1988 by AAAI and so far 23% of people have only received it.

6) Noted Pakistani philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi has passed away

a) Legendary Pakistani philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi passed away at the age of 92 due to respiratory ailment during dialysis.

b) Famous for his social services, he established Edhi Foundation and village which is a home to poor, needy, orphans and addicts.

c) Nominated several times for the Nobel peace prize he was again in this year's list. He has won a host of international awards in recognition of his work.

7) NASSCOM unveils India's first Centre of Excellence on Internet of Things

a) National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) unveiled India's first Centre of Excellence focused on Internet of Things (CoE- IoT) at its Startup Warehouse in Bengaluru.

b) The centre is a joint initiative between the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeITY), Education and Research Network (ERNET) and NASSCOM and will function as an enabler of funding, accelerating, and mentoring for start-ups in this area.

c) It is also supported by Accenture, Cisco, Intel, HCL Technologies, Qualcomm, TCS and L&T Technology Services, among others.

8) Google acquires Paris-based startup Moodstocks

a) Tech giant Google has expanded its technology services by acquiring Paris based start up Moodstocks, which has developed machine learning based image recognition technology for smartphones.

b) The acquisition by Google will see it add the recognition technology of Moodstocks to its already large number of services it offers which use machine learning, such as Google Translate, Smart Reply in Inbox and the Google app.

c) The terms of the deal were not disclosed. Moodstocks' team will also move over to Google's R&D center in Paris.

9) Andhra Pradesh decided to conduct 'Smart Pulse Survey' of 1.48 crore households

a) Andhra Pradesh government has decided to conduct a 'Smart Pulse Survey' for collecting socioeconomic data of 1.48 crore households in the state. The survey will be conducted between 8 July to 30 July 2016.

b) The state Cabinet decided to conduct the survey to determine the socio-economic status and collect all other relevant details of each household in the state. Revenue and civic staff would go round the houses and collect the data during the above dates. Citizens can provide their details even over internet.

c) The state government has appointed senior IAS officers, who previously served as Collectors, as nodal officers for the 13 districts to oversee the survey.

10) Legendary football coach Amal Dutta passes away

a) Former India international Amal Dutta, the first professional football coach of the country, has passed away at the age of 86 due to age related ailments.

b) A midfielder, who represented India at the 1954 Asian Games, the former Mohun Bagan and East Bengal footballer later made a name for himself as a tactical genius as he pioneered professional coaching in India.

c) Known for his humility and gentle behaviour, Dutta was the brain behind Mohun Bagan's Diamond system -- a 4-1-2-1-2 formation -- in the late 1990s, that had taken the club to a different level.

[maniza.siddique]

Daily Current Affairs - 13th and 14th July, 2016, Wednesday and Thursday

1) Second phase of Haritha Haram programme launched in Telangana

a) The two-week long Haritha Haram programme of Telangana government aimed to plant 46 crore plants to improve the green belt has recently begun.

b) Chief Minister Chandrasekhar Rao participated in the plantation programme at Gundrampally near Chityal in Nalgonda district by planting a Neem sapling. People from all walks of life including students, NGOs, self help group members the general public took part in the green drive on a massive scale. The exercise was intended to develop a green corridor all along the highway.

c) Hyderabad - Vijayawada highway was selected as a pilot project to plant trees on either side of highways. Such plans are proposed to be planted as part of the programme not only on Hyderabad - Vijayawada but Mumbai, Warangal, Bengaluru and Nagpur highways. 163 kms on this highway up to Telangana was divided into 14 segments to carry out the programme smoothly.

2) Zydus, Medicines Patent Pool inks agreement for Bristol-Myers Squibb's daclatasvir tablets

a) Drug firm Zydus Cadila has inked a generic manufacturing pact with the Medicines Patent Pool for manufacturing global pharma major Bristol-Myers Squibb's daclatasvir tablets used to treat Hepatitis C.

b) The company "has signed a non-exclusive, royalty free agreement with the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) for the generic production of Bristol-Myers Squibb's daclatasvir, a novel direct-acting antiviral that is proven to help cure multiple genotypes of the Hepatitis-C Virus said an official statement.

c) The agreement sub-licences Zydus to produce and sell daclatasvir in 112 low and middle income countries. Between 130 and 150 million people worldwide are estimated to have HCV.

3) India, Mozambique sign MoUs on drug trafficking, pulse trading and sports

a) India and Mozambique have signed agreements in areas of drug trafficking, pulse trading and sports. The MoU was signed in presence of PM of India Narendra Modi and President of Mozambique Filipi Nyusi.

b) The three Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) - on reduction of drug trafficking and psychotropic substances and related materials, cooperation in the field of youth affairs and sports, and long term agreement for purchase of pulses - were signed between Secretary of Economic Relations in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Amar Sinha and Mozambique's Finance Minister.

c) The agreements were made with an aim to at enhancing mutual cooperation between the two countries in combating illicit trafficking in narcotics, psychotropic substances and their precursors through an exchange of information, expertise and capacity building.

4) 2nd Anti-Drug Working Group meeting of Heads of Drug Control Agencies of BRICS concluded

a) The 2nd Anti-Drug Working Group meeting of Heads of Drug Control Agencies of BRICS countries was concluded on 8 July 2016 in New Delhi and was attended by officials and policy makers from the other BRICS nations - Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa.

b) The delegates resolved to develop and enhance cooperation and collaboration among the Member States to monitor current trends and drug trafficking routes, exchange of information among the drug law enforcement agencies, share and exchange experiences, best practices and enhance capacity building in order to prevent and counter illicit drug trafficking and related crimes.

c) The meeting was the second such meeting of the Heads of Drug Control Agencies. The first such meeting was held in Moscow, Russia in 2015 in keeping with the spirit of the eThekwani Declaration.

5) Tathagata Roy sworn-in as Governor of Arunachal Pradesh

a) Tathagata Roy, the governor of Tripura, has sworn-in as the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh. The oath was administered by the Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court Ajit Singh. He is the 18th Governor to be sworn in as Governor of this Himalayan State.

b) Roy will discharge the function of the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh during the absence on leave of Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa.

c) Dr. Joram Begi was also sworn-in as the Chief Information Officer of Arunachal Pradesh. The oath to the Chief Information Officer was administered by Tathagata Roy.

6) India, Tanzania signed five agreements

a) India and Tanzania have signed five agreements across various sectors to strengthen their bilateral ties during in the third phase of PM's four-nation visit to the country.

b) The Indian Prime Minister and the Tanzanian President discussed a wide range of issues which also included agreements on trade between the two countries. They will be looking forward to strengthen ties with each other.

c) Key aspects of the pact:

• Memorandum of Understanding for a new Vocational Training Centre at Zanzibar

• MoU on Cooperation in the field of water resource management and development Line of Credit (LoC) of 92 million US dollars to solve the current water crisis in Zanzibar

• MoU to waiver Visa requirement for the people with Diplomatic/Official passports i.e. citizens with a Diplomatic or Official passport won't require a Visa to visit either of the countries

• Agreement on the collaboration of National Small Industries Corporation of India (NSIC) and Small Industries Development Organisation Tanzania (SIDO), as a part of a new Joint Action Plan (JAP)

• The country heads decided to cooperate with each other in the food security and natural gas sector

• Work on overall defence and security partnership, with special focus on the maritime domain

• To tackle two of the greatest global threats, namely: terrorism and climate change, in a coordinated fashion.

7) Union Cabinet approves The High Courts (Alteration of Names) Bill, 2016

a) Centre has given its approval to introduce 'The High Courts (Alteration of Names) Bill, 2016 in Parliament. The High Courts (Alteration of Names) Bill, 2016 will facilitate the changing of the names of Bombay High Court as Mumbai High Court, Madras High Court as Chennai High Court and Calcutta High Court as Kolkata High Court respectively.

b) The High Courts of Bombay, Madras and Calcutta were named after the cities in which they were located. Currently, there is no central law to serve this requirement of name change.

8) Ashok Patnaik appointed as CEO of NATGRID

a) Ashok Patnaik has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID), an ambitious intelligence gathering mechanism conceived in the wake of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.

b) Patnaik is a 1983-batch IPS officer of Gujarat cadre. He was serving as an additional director in the Intelligence Bureau.

9) IDFC Bank acquires micro lender Grama Vidiyal

a) Private sector lender IDFC Bank has acquired South India-based lender Grama Vidiyal Microfinance for an undisclosed amount.

b) Grama vidiyal was acquired in an all cash deal to expand the customer base of IFDC Bank. The IFDC Bank will also gain access to loan portfolios which enjoy priority sector status.

c) Grama Vidiyal Micro Finance started operations in 1997 & had 1.2 million customers primarily in its home State, Puducherry and Kerala and in parts of Karnataka and Maharashtra.

10. Shinzo Abe's party attains majority in Upper House of National Diet

a) Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling Liberal Democratic Party emerged victorious in an election for the 121 seats in the upper house of parliament National Diet.

b) Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling coalition already enjoys a two-thirds majority in the lower house and they needed a supermajority in the House of Councilors to start a parliamentary motion for changing the constitution.

c) According to Abe, this victory is the result of his economic policies in Japan popularly known as Abenomics.

d) Abe's LDP already enjoys majority in the lower house. With this win, the LDP has also got a super majority in the upper house. This will facilitate the way for Abe to start a parliamentary motion for changing the constitution.

[kavvya]

Itna sannata q hai bhai

[kavvya]

And be lated happy birthday to @boge.sudhir  

[elangomsh (Elangovan S)]

Banking awareness, current affairs, computer knowledge, gk which book and website you are referring please tell me