CURRENT AFFAIRS --MAY 2016 -- POINTS 1 TO 50.

1. PM Modi launches country's 1st solar-powered e-boats in Varanasi

i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the country's first solar powered e-boats at the Assi Ghat in the river Ganga, Varanasi. 

ii. The initiative is aimed at reducing pollution and keeping the Ganga river clean.

iii. With the help of this e-boats,  the boatmen will be able to save rs. 500 a day without spending on diesel. 

2. Prime Minister launched Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana at Ballia

i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) at Ballia, Uttar Pradesh. It will benefit the poor, especially the women.

ii. The scheme aims to provide cooking gas connections to five crore below-poverty-line beneficiaries over the next three years.

iii. PM Ujjwala Yojana will provide 5 crore LPG connections to BPL Families and the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved 8000 crore rupees for the next 3 years starting from financial year 2016-17.

3. EPFO launches One Employee-One EPF Account drive

i. Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has launched a special drive 'One Employee-One EPF' to encourage EPF members to consolidate their multiple accounts. 

ii. The drive has been launched by Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya in New Delhi.

iii. The initiative of launching the Mission consolidation One Member One EPF Account is a step towards encouraging EPF members to access enhanced IT enabled services through Universal Account Number that are linked with Aadhaar. 

4. Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam & Odia now classical languages of India

i. All four Southern languages - Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Odia are now the classical languages of India. 

ii. Earlier, Sanskrit alone had this status. Demands have come to grant the classical status to Marathi as well. 

iii. Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma gave this information in the Lok Sabha. He elaborated that any language to have a classical status must have high antiquity going back to 1500 to 2000 years. Ancient texts and literature are also considered a valuable heritage. The literary traditions must be original and not borrowed from another speech community, he added.

5. India and New Zealand sign agreement for direct Air Service

i. India and New Zealand has signed a bilateral air services agreement that would facilitate the operation of direct flights between two countries. 

ii. The deal was signed in the presence of the President Pranab Mukherjee, who was on a three-day state visit to New Zealand and the New Zealand Prime Minister John Key.

iii. Now as per the agreement, New Zealand airlines can operate flights to seven select Indian cities while Indian airlines can fly to any point in New Zealand along with intermediate points in Australia, Singapore, Bangkok and Hong Kong. 

6. NABARD partners Germany for food security initiative

i. National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has entered into collaboration with German government for a special programme on 'Soil Protection and Rehabilitation for Food Security'.

ii. The programme is part of the German government's recently introduced special initiative 'One World, No Hunger' initiative. 

iii. India is the only country in Asia chosen for this initiative. As part of the collaboration, NABARD is anchoring two major programmes — soil conservation and rehabilitation of degraded land programme in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. It is also conducting innovation of watershed development and climate change adaptation programmes in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan.

7. Paytm ties up with Wipro for payments bank

i. Paytm, India's largest mobile payments has partnered with the Wipro ltd, a IT services major, to implement technology infrastructure for its upcoming Payment bank business. 

ii. As per this deal, Wipro will provide the core banking solution like the anti-money laundering solution and regulatory reporting solution for Paytm. 

iii. This deal can into existent as Paytm is expected to roll out the payments bank later this year. 

8. Airtel and GBI announce partnership for West Asia

i. Airtel, the enterprise arm of Bharti Airtel and networking player GBI has announced the partnership to increase its direct reach in West Asian countries. 

ii. Till now, the Airtel Business only offers enterprise services to its clients in the Middle East. 

iii. But after this partnership, the company can extend its network and further enhance the benefits for their customers and partners. 

9. Wipro inaugurates Saudi's 1st all-women IT park

i. IT services company Wipro has inaugurated Saudi Arabia's first all women business and technology park (WBP) at the Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University in Riyadh. 

ii. The WBP is a joint venture between Wipro and the university, with oil firm Saudi Aramco acting as the strategic adviser. 

iii. The initiative is expected to create nearly 21,000 jobs by 2025.

10. Reliance Defence gets 15 new defence licences

i. Anil Ambani-led Reliance Defence has received 15 new industrial licences to manufacture a range of defence equipment.

ii. The total number of licences is the highest held by a private firm in India. 

ii. Reliance Defence had last week collaborated with three Ukrainian firms including two state-owned firms for their range of military equipment.

11. J&K Govt signs MoU to set up IIT in Jammu

i. The Jammu and Kashmir government has signed an MoU with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi for setting up an IIT in Jammu. 

ii. About 625 acres of land has been approved at Jagti in Nagrota for the IIT, while regular classes will commence from the current session at a temporary campus.

12 Bitcoin creator confirms identity as Australian Craig Wright

i. Australian entrepreneur Craig Wright has reportedly confirmed that he created digital payment system bitcoins and provided technical proof for his claims. 

ii. The creator of bitcoin had earlier developed it under the pseudonym 'Satoshi Nakamoto'. 

iii. Bitcoins is a virtual currency system in which users exchange bitcoins for transactions and 'mine' bitcoins by sharing their computing power.

13. Ajay Mittal takes charge as I&B Secretary

i. 1982 batch IAS officer of Himachal Pradesh Cadre Ajay Mittal took charge as the Information and Broadcasting Secretary. 

ii. Mr Mittal succeeded Sunil Arora who retired on Saturday. 

iii. Prior to his appointment, Mr Mittal was serving as Additional Chief Secretary for Transport, Social Justice and Empowerment Department in Himachal Pradesh. 

14. Nico Rosberg has won Russian Grand Prix

i. The Formula One championship leader Nico Rosberg has won the Russian Grand Prix in Sochi. 

ii. It's his fourth-straight win of this season. 

iii. His Mercedes teammate, Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen has finished at 2nd and 3rd respectively in the race.

15. Vijender Singh records 5th consecutive victory in Professional Boxing

i. Star Indian pugilist Vijender Singh recorded his 5th consecutive victory in Professional Boxing. 

ii. He defeated Frenchman Matiouze Royer at London's Copper Box Arena via knock-out. 

iii. Royer was Vijender's most experienced rival till date, with 44 bouts, including 14 wins, under his belt before the match. Vijender, whose last four wins were all knock-outs or technical knock-outs, was declared the winner in the fifth round of the six-round super middleweight contest.

16. World Press Freedom Day celebrated today

i. The World Press Freedom Day (3rd May) was observed across the world with the theme Access to Information and Fundamental Freedoms - This Is Your Right!

ii. The day proclaimed by the United Nations in 1993, is celebrated on May 3 every year.

iii. The main aim of day is to draw focus on the freedom of information, protecting journalism from censorship, and ensuring safety for journalists. 

17. Parliament passes Mines and Minerals Amendment Bill, 2016

i. Parliament has passed Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2016. 

ii. The bill will allow transfer of captive mines from one allotted to another without auction. 

iii. The Bill also allow for merger and acquisition of companies with captive mining leases.

18. Govt launches MICE initiative for up gradation of tourism sector

i. Union government has launched an initiative named MICE which is based on meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions for the up gradation of tourism sector in India.

ii. As per this initiative, Tourism Ministry allocated funds to the States and Union Territories’ administrations to develop tourism-related infrastructure.

iii. Earlier Tourism Ministry has launched 'Swadesh Darshan' scheme to develop time-bound tourist circuits in the country.

19. Indian Railways sign MoU with Haryana and Punjab to plant trees alongside railway track

i. The Union Ministry of Railways and Forest Department of Haryana & Punjab have inked Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for plantation of trees alongside Railway Track on Railway Land Boundary. 

ii. The MoU paves way for planting around 5 lakh trees alongside Railway Track on Railway Land Boundary prior to Monsoon Season. 

iii. With this Indian Railways can contribute substantially towards the Green India Mission. 

20. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister launched Chandranna Bima Yojana

i. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has inaugurated an insurance scheme 'Chandranna Bima Yojana' for the working class people.

ii. The total investment is around rs. 132 Crore for the implementation of this scheme. 

iii. Under the scheme, 5 Crore workers would be covered under the scheme, 5 Lakh would be paid if the Insurer worker met with an accidental fatal and 5 Lakh for Permanent disability and Rs. 3 Lakh for Partial disability. 

21. ADMM Plus Exercise on Maritime Security and Counter Terrorism begins in Brunei  

i. The ADMM-Plus (ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus) Exercise on Maritime Security and Counter Terrorism (Ex MS & CT) has started in Brunei. 

ii. The nine day exercise seeks to strengthen the strong bilateral ties and extensive maritime interactions between India and ASEAN countries. 

iii. ADMM Plus Ex MS & CT is a multinational naval exercise conducted under the aegis of ADMM Plus consortium. It aims at enhancing mutual understanding with respect to maritime security issues and streamlining drills on counter-terrorism operations at sea. 

22. Google acquires start-up by Indian-origin businessman

i. An American multinational technology company, Google has acquired a business technology start-up 'Synergyse' founded by an Indian-origin entrepreneur as part of its plans to scale training offerings for Google Apps to its customers and customers' users.

ii. The Toronto-based Synergyse is founded by Varun Malhotra in the year 2013. It aims to teach users how to use Google Apps. 

iii. Synergyse will help users get up to speed quickly including when new features are rolled out. Till now Google did not disclose the financial details of the deal. 

23. BHEL commissions 600 MW thermal power plant in MP

i. State-run Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) has announced the commissioning of a 600 MW coal-based thermal power plant in Madhya Pradesh.

ii. The unit has been commissioned at the 1x600 MW Jhabua Thermal Power Project (TPP) located in Seoni district in Madhya Pradesh.

iii. The project has been developed by Jhabua Power Ltd (JPL), a subsidiary of Avantha Power & Infrastructure Ltd (APIL). This is the second project of APIL commissioned by BHEL after the 1x600 MW Avantha Bhandar TPP at Raigarh in Chhattisgarh.

24. Indian American Sikh woman elected to key Republican position

i. An Indian American Sikh woman from California, Harmeet Kaur Dhillon has been elected to an important position in the Republican party at the US national level. 

ii. She was born in Chandigarh, India but raised in rural North Carolina after her Sikh parents moved to the US.

iii. She was elected as the newest national committee woman of the Republican National Committee. She was the first woman elected to this position of vice chair of the California Republican Party.

25. Three Indian Scientists elected as Fellows of The Royal Society

i. Three eminent Indian Born scientists listed in the fifty scientists elected as Fellows of the Royal Society, a premier scientific academy of the U.K and the Commonwealth.

ii. Their names had appeared on the list of 50 new fellows and 10 new Foreign Members announced by the Royal Society.

iii. They are- Physicist Sriram Ramaswamy, Director of TIFR Centre for Interdisciplinary Sciences, Hyderabad, 2nd - Biochemist Ramanujan Hegde, MRC Laboratory of Microbiology, U.K. and 3rd - Applied mathematician Lakshminarayanan Mahadevan, Harvard University.

26. Kishore Biyani appointed MD of Bharti Retail

i. Future Group’s Chief Executive Kishore Biyani has been appointed managing director of Bharti Retail as part of the reconstitution of the board following their merger pact announced last year.

ii. Rakesh Biyani, who is also a director at Future Group, has also been appointed as Joint Managing Director of Bharti Retail, which will be later renamed as Future Retail Ltd and listed on stock exchanges.

27. Rohit Sharma Signs as Brand Ambassador for Hublot Watches

i. Rohit Sharma became the Brand Ambassador of world famous Swiss luxury watch maker Hublot. The Mumbai batsman is the second cricketer who have been assigned for the role.

ii. Earlier renowned cricketer after former Australian captain Michael Clarke have been associated with the brand.

iii. The Swiss Watch company observed a lot of common between the Brand and Rohit Sharma as he combines traditional batting technique with entertainment.

28. Sachin Tendulkar to be India's goodwill ambassador at Rio Olympics

i. Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar has agreed to become India's Olympic goodwill ambassador, alongwith actor Salman Khan and Shooter Abhinav Bindra. 

ii. AR Rahman was also approached by Indian Olympic Association to become goodwill ambassadors of Indian contingent for 2016 Rio Olympics. 

iii. This comes after superstar Salman Khan's appointment as goodwill ambassador created furore, with top athletes like Milkha Singh and Yogeshwar Dutt criticizing the move.

29. Virat Kohli nominated for Khel Ratna and Ajinkya Rahane for Arjuna Award

i. BCCI has nominated Indian Test captain Virat Kohli for the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award and his teammate Ajinkya Rahane for Arjuna Award. These nominations by BCCI have come after a gap of four years. 

ii. Other sports bodies and associations are also in the process of sending their nominations. Sports persons nominated for the Khel Ratna Award so far are Incheon Asian Games gold medallist shooter Jitu Rai, squash star Dipika Pallikal, athlete Tintu Luka and ace golfer Anirban Lahiri. For Arjuna Awards, Athletes Lalita Babar and OP Jaisha, shooters PN Prakash and Apurvi Chandela, and archer Laxmirani Majhi have been nominated. 

iii. The Khel Ratna award carries a cash prize of Rs 7.5 lakh along with a citation while the Arjuna Award will carries a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh and a citation.

30. Leicester City's Jamie Vardy named FWA Footballer of the Year 2016

i. Leicester City striker forward Jamie Vardy was named 2015-16 Footballer of the Year by the Football Writers Association (FWA). 

ii. He will be honoured with the prestigious FWA accolade, which has been running since 1948, at a gala dinner in London on 12 May 2016.

iii. With this he joined the likes of Bobby Moore, George Best, Eric Cantona, Thierry Henry and Cristiano Ronaldo among its past winners. Vardy, who topped the vote among FWA members, scored 22 goals in 34 Premier League appearances this season. 

31. Lok Sabha passes Compensatory Afforestation Fund Bill, 2015

i. The Lok Sabha passed the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Bill, 2015 for the establishment of funds under the public accounts of Centre and each State towards compensatory afforestation. 

ii. It also provides for additional afforestation and penal compensatory afforestation to regulate collected funds. The bill seeks to establish the National Compensatory Afforestation Fund under the Public Account of India and a State Compensatory Afforestation Fund under the Public Account of each state. 

iii. The payments into the funds include compensatory afforestation, net present value of forest (NPV), and any project specific payments. 

32. Financial inequality highest in India, China: IMF

i. According to IMF, Financial inequality is highest in India and China among Asia Pacific countries despite the two being among the fastest growing economies. 

ii. China and India have grown rapidly and reduced poverty sharply, however, this impressive economic performance has been accompanied by increasing levels of inequality.

iii. On India, the report said inter provincial inequality is lower in India than in China, and rising inequality in India has been found to be primarily an urban phenomenon. The two countries have introduced a number of policies to tackle the rising inequality.

33. 63rd National Film Awards ceremony was held in New Delhi

i. The 63rd National Film Awards ceremony was held in New Delhi. During the ceremony, the  Directorate of Film Festivals of India presents its annual National Film Awards to honour the best films of 2015 in the Indian cinema. The awards were announced on 28 March 2016.

ii. Actors Amitabh Bachchan and Kangana Ranaut received National Awards for their roles in 'Piku' and 'Tanu Weds Manu Returns' respectively at the 63rd National Film Awards ceremony. 

iii. Meanwhile, veteran actor Manoj Kumar was conferred with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award at the ceremony. The awards were presented to the actors by President Pranab Mukherjee.

34. Piyush Goyal unveil portal on payment to contract workers

i. Coal and Power Minister Piyush Goyal has introduce a new portal for Contract Labour Payment Management System. 

ii. According to officials, the portal provides access to all contract workers, through a Workers Identification Number (WIN), to view their personal details and payment status. Contract workers can also register their grievance through this portal.

iii. The Web portal is created for monitoring compliance of labour payment and other benefits to contract workers under the Contract Labour (Regulation & Abolition) Act, 1970. It is an integrated framework for all subsidiaries of CIL. The Central Mine Planning and Development Institute (CMPDI), the consultancy arm of CIL, will maintain the portal. 

35. Commerce Ministry launches web-based dashboard for export, import data

i. Commerce Ministry has launched a web-based dashboard to provide an easy access to detailed trade data of the country. 

ii. The dashboard will provide an accurate perspective to the general public on the facts around the trade performance in India. 

iii. The dashboard will provide a graphical collection of export and import from India. This will enable small and upcoming businessmen to foray into global trade based on reliable information directly accessible through government sources.

36. India to hold festival in Egypt to mark Tagore's birth anniversary

i. To mark the 155th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, India will organize a cultural festival in Egypt next week. It will build the connections between the people of the two countries who share strong cultural bonds. 

ii. The festival will be host from 8 May to 12th May by the Embassy of India in Cairo and Maulana Azad Centre for Indian Culture.

iii. The Indian embassy has held several programmes on Tagore as part of a build up to the festival, which will be organised in cooperation with Egyptian Ministry of Culture, Supreme Council of Culture, Cairo Opera House, National Library and Museum of Modern 

Art.

37. World's smallest engine powered by light created

i. The world's smallest engine has been created at Cambridge University by UK based researchers. The engine is fueled by lasers and gold and a few billionths of a metre in size, which uses lights to power the engine. 

ii. The engine will help to develop nano-machines that can navigate in water, sense the environment around them or even enter living cells to fight disease.

iii. The engine is powered by laser light and named the ANT ( actuating nano-transducer ). The microscopic ANT engine, which cannot be seen by the human eye, is believed to be up to a hundred times more powerful than any other engine known to man if you take its force to weight ratio into account. 

38. NSE to launch new exchange for MSME

i. NSE, the national stock exchange is all set to launch a new trade receivable and credit exchange platform for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). 

ii. This new exchange will help MSMEs to file their bill against large companies, which can be accepted electronically and auctioned so that these small enterprises are paid immediately.

iii. The new exchange platform will be a joint venture of NSE and Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) and could be the first specialized exchange for micro SMEs. The platform would be known as 'Trades Exchange' as it' will be based on the Trade Receivables Discounting System (TReDS). The new platform will be operational by the end of this year.

39. Three Earth-like planets discovered orbiting dwarf star

i. An international team of scientists have discovered a trio of Earth-like exoplanets using the TRAPPIST telescope at ESO’s La Silla Observatory. 

ii. These planets were found orbiting an ultra-cool dwarf star just 40 light-years from Earth and are likely comparable in size and temperature to Earth and Venus. 

iii. Scientists have named the ultra-cool dwarf star 2MASS J23062928-0502285 (also known as TRAPPIST-1). It is located in the constellation of Aquarius (The Water Carrier). TRAPPIST-1 is about one eighth the size of the Sun (barely larger than Jupiter) and significantly cooler. The three planets were found to orbit very close to their host dwarf star. Two of the exoplanets have orbital periods of about 2.4 days and 1.5 days respectively. The third planet has a less well-determined orbital period in the range 4.5 to 73 days. 

40.Jindal Brothers Sign Rs 6,500 Crore Power Deal

i. JSW Energy Ltd, led by Mr. Sajjan Jindal has agreed to buy a 1,000 MW power plant of Jindal Steel and Power Ltd’s (JSPL), which is located in Chhattisgarh. 

ii. The total value of the deal is rs. 6,500 crore. After the acquisition, JSW Energy will have a total power generation capacity of 5,531 megawatts.

iii. The transaction is scheduled to be completed by June 30, 2018. JSW Energy is a part of JSW Group. Presently, Jindal Steel's net debt at the end of 2015 stood at rs.46,000 crore, seven times its current market valuation.

41. Uber ties up with Alipay globally

i. Uber, the online cab service provider has announced its global partnership with the third party payment platform, Alipay. 

ii. With the help of this partnership, Uber will be able to provide its service in more than 400 cities globally.

iii. Alipay’s collaboration with Uber reflects a step forward of Ant Financial’s global strategy and it also extends to the Alipay’s strategic global partners like Paytm in India. As currently, Uber riders in India can avail the facility through Paytm platform. Its aims to bring better experiences for its users globally.

42. Ferrari names Fiat Chrysler's chief as its CEO

i. Italian sports car manufacturer Ferrari has appointed its Chairman Sergio Marchionne as the new CEO with "immediate effect".

ii. Marchionne replaced 69-year-old Amedeo Felisa, who retired from his post when the carmaker's board of directors met to discuss the first-quarter results.

43. Sameer Chadha appointed as Partner and CEO of KPMG India

i. Sameer Chadha was on 3 May 2016 appointed as the partner and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of KPMG's offshore arm in India.

ii. Chadha joined KPMG Global Services (KGS) from Barclays Shared Services, where he was the Chief Executive Officer.

iii. Chadha has 25 years of experience with leading organisations across the financial services and consumer goods sectors. KPMG India Pvt Ltd offers financial advisory services, business advisory services, tax and regulatory services and risk advisory services.

44. Progeria-affected teen Nihal dies at 15

i. Nihal Bitla, who was suffering from the rare genetic condition progeria, died in a hospital in Telangana at the age of 15 years. 

ii. The disease aged him eight times faster than normal children thus shortening his life span. 

iii. Nihal was the face of the Progeria Research Foundation’s campaign, which was working to detect undiagnosed children living in India.

45. Mark Selby won World Snooker Championship

i. England's world number one Mark Selby on 2 May 2016 won World Championship title of Snooker. In the final match played in Sheffield, Selby from Leicester defeated China’s Ding Junhui 18-14.

ii. With this win, Selby also ended Ding’s chance of being the first Asian player to win the world title. This was Selby’s second trophy of the year, earlier he had won minor Gdynia Open event in Poland.

iii. This was Selby’s second World Snooker title, the first was won against Ronnie O'Sullivan in 2014. 

46. Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba to be next Navy chief

i. Vice-Admiral Sunil Lanba will be the next chief of the Indian Navy. He will take over on 31st of this month following the retirement of Navy Chief Admiral R K Dhowan. 

ii. Presently he is serving as Flag Officer Commanding in chief in the Western Naval command in Mumbai. 

iii. He will be the 23rd chief of Indian Navy.

47. President of India present Niryat Shree and Niryat Bandhu awards

i. The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee has attended the Golden Jubilee celebrations of federation of Indian export organizations (FIEO) and also presented the Niryat Shree and Niryat Bandhu awards at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.

ii. The Niryat Shree and Niryat Bandhu Awards were instituted in the year 1995-96 with the aim to motivate exporters by the FIEO. 

iii. The total Awards are 52 which include 46- Niryat Shree Awards and 6- Niryat Bandhu Awards. The Nirtyat Shree Awards accorded to exporters for their contribution in 12 categories. Niryat Bandhu Awards presented to Export promotion Councils and Banks for their support to the exporting community. In the Category of Niryat Bandhu Awards, the Awardees are Canara Bank – Gold, Bank of India – Silver, Punjab National Bank – Bronze etc. 

48. 49th Annual Meeting of the Asian Development Bank started at Frankfurt (Germany)

i. The 49th Annual General Meeting of ADB is being held from May 2-5 at Frankfurt, Germany. The Indian Finance Minister Mr. Arun Jaitley has also reach there to attend the ADB's board of governors meet.

ii. There, Finance Ministry will have a bilateral meeting with Hans-Joachim Fuchtel, Parliamentary State Secretary to German Federal Ministry for economic cooperation and development. He will discuss the economic assistance packages from India to Bhutan, progress of work of hydropower projects funded by India and the sub-regional cooperation in his meeting with Bhutanese finance minister Lyonpo Namgay Dorji. 

iii. Jaitley will then participate in the CNBC debate on 'Asian Economic Outlook-2016' along with other finance ministers of Indonesia, Pakistan, and ADB President Takehiko Nakao.

49. Projects worth Rs. 2,446 crore approved under Namami Gange programme

i. The Empowered Steering Committee (ESC) of the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) has approved projects for Development of Ghats. 

ii. The total estimated cost of the projects is Rs. 2446 crore and these projects have been carved to improve the facilities of Ghats and crematoria for reduction of pollution load into river Ganga. 

iii. All the projects will be implemented under the centrally sponsored scheme of Namami Gange and Government of India would bear 100% costs.

50. Reliance Power to setup plant in Bangladesh

i. Reliance power is all set to setup a power plant in Bangladesh as it got the approval for the first phase of Reliance Power’s project. As per the approval, the company will set a 3,000 MW gas based power plant. 

ii. With this, it pave the way for the largest Foreign Direct Investment in the neighboring country with a potential investment of over Rs 8,700 crore ($1.3 billion).

iii. In first phase, a 750 MW power plant will be set up at Meghnaghat (Narayanganj district), South east of Dhaka, along with the FSRU (floating storage and regassification unit) terminal at Maheshkhali Island in Cox’s Bazar district of Bangladesh. FSRU-based LNG terminal will supply Re-gasified LNG for the power project. The first phase will be commissioned in 2018-19.

source:bankersadda.com    thanks