DAILY GK BANKERS ADDA --PAGES 41 TO 60 OUT OF 80 PAGES

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Govt releases Rs 100 Cr towards co-contribution in APY

i. The Government has released Rs 100 crore towards its co-contribution for Atal Pension Yojana (APY) for 2015-16. APY provides minimum guaranteed pension ranging between Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000 per month for the subscriber from the age of 60 years. The same amount of pension is paid to the spouse in the case of the subscriber's demise. 

ii. Under the scheme, individuals who have registered before March 31, 2016, will get a co-contribution from the government, which will be 50 per cent of the subscriber contribution up to a maximum of Rs 1,000. The co-contribution will be for 5 years from 2015-16 to 2019-20.

iii. The government is implementing Atal Pension Yojana (APY) through banks and the Department of Post. The total number of subscribers registered under APY as on June 30, 2016, has crossed 30 lakh and every day, nearly 5,000 new subscribers are added. Only those users who are not income tax payers and not part of any other social security schemes are eligible for the central government co-contribution. 

Commerce Ministry starts e-marketplace for goods procurement

i. The Commerce Ministry has launched an e-marketplace for online purchase of goods and services by various central government ministries and departments which aimed at bringing in more transparency and streamlining the government procurement of goods and services. 

ii. It was launched by the Union Minister of State (MoS) Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi. In this regards, the portal has been developed by the Directorate General of Supplies and Disposals (DGS&D) which works under the Commerce Ministry and carries out the procurement.

iii. At the launch of portal, Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman stated that under this initiative various brands and specifications are available at the portal with cost and this is just a beginning, many more things are in the offing. It will get expanded in the longer term by March next year. 

Vice President Hamid Ansari unveils Gandhi’s stone statue

i. Vice President Hamid Ansari has unveiled a stone statue of Mahatma Gandhi at Pethub Monastery in the Mongolian capital which is seen as a symbol of India-Mongolia cultural and spiritual ties.

ii. After unveiling the statue of the 'Father of the Nation', the Vice President also went to the monastery founded by former Indian ambassador Kushok Bakula Rinpoche. 

iii. Pethub Monastery, seen as a symbol of India-Mongolia cultural and spiritual ties, was inaugurated in August 1999 by Indian Vice President Krishan Kant. Rinpoche named his monastery as 'Pethub', which in Tibetan means a model or exemplary. The name is drawn from the main monastery in Ladakh which is also known as Spituk Monastery and is over 800 years old. 

Pema Khandu was sworn in as Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh

i. Pema Khandu has sworn in as the ninth Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh while Chowna Mein has sworn in as the Deputy Chief Minister. With this, Mr. Khandu became the youngest Chief Minister in the country. 

ii. They both Mr. Khandu and Chowna have administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor Tathagat Roy at a function in Itanagar. 

iii. The 37 years old Mr. Khandu is a son of late Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu and represents Moktu assembly constituency in Tawang district.

Delhi CM launches live interactive programme TalkToAK

i. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has launched a live interactive programme, titled 'TalkToAK', aimed at directly engaging with the Delhiites, where people from across the country can ask him questions over the phone, by sending text messages and through social media.

ii. The first programme went on for nearly two hours, in which the Chief Minister answered a wide variety of questions based on education, youth and city administration.

iii. During the programme TalkToAK, on education, Mr. Kejriwal stated that his government has planned 100 new schools, which would be better than private schools and speaking about the youth, the CM exhorted them to participate in politics on a large scale. Speaking on the issue of flyover construction in the city, Mr. Kejriwal stated that his government has managed to save over Rs. 350 crores in the construction of five flyovers in the national capital since his party came to power in February, last year.

Terrapin acquires Yatra Online for $218 mn

i. The Indian travel agency Yatra Online which has been founded in 2006 and emerged as the fastest growing consumer travel platforms and online travel agents in India with more than 4 million customers has been entered into a merger agreement with a Nasdaq-listed special purpose acquisition firm Terrapin 3 Acquisition Corp (TRTL). 

ii. The transaction values Yatra at an enterprise value of $218 million (Rs 1,458 crore). 

iii. However, the combined company will continue to be led by Yatra's experienced management team under the leadership of chief executive and co-founder Dhruv Shringi.

11th Asia–Europe Meeting Summit issues Ulaanbaatar Declaration

i. The 11th edition of the Asia-Europe Meeting Summit (ASEM11) or ASEM2016 has issued Ulaanbaatar Declaration. 

ii. The declaration has reaffirmed ASEM’s commitment for greater partnership through informal political dialogue and initiatives in economic and socio-cultural fields. It also has expressed its commitment to the united fight against terrorism and violent extremism. 

iii. Vice President Mohammed Hamid Ansari is also attending the summit which also focused on greater connectivity between Europe and Asia as the theme of the summit is "20 Years of ASEM: Partnership for the Future through Connectivity”.

Sovereign Gold Bond scheme opened for subscription

i. The fourth tranche of the Sovereign Gold Bonds scheme has opened for subscription. 

ii. The bond can be purchased from the National Stock Exchange and Bombay Stock Exchange, besides all Bank branches, select Post Offices and the Stock Holding Corporation of India Limited.

iii. The government had yesterday fixed 3,119 rupees per gram as the issue price of the bond. The scheme will be open until Friday. The minimum subscription has been reduced to 1 gram, although the maximum remains at 500 gram per person or institution. Earlier, the minimum denomination was 5 gram. 

Coimbatore-based Air Carnival commences operations

i. Low-cost airline with pink and white themed Air Carnival has launched its operations with its maiden flight from Coimbatore to Chennai. The airline, which is based in Coimbatore, will focus on short-haul services with ATR72-500 aircraft. 

ii. The carrier charged Re 1 for the first flight. It plans to keep the tariff at Rs 999 for the first three months. Initially, the company will focus on South Indian market for a year and then it plans to expand to other parts of the country.

iii. The airline will have daily service for 10 sectors including 3 daily flights from Chennai to Coimbatore (up and down) and two daily flights from Chennai to Madurai (up and down). The promoter CMC group plans to infuse around $12-15 million (of which $5 million already invested) initially, which will fund to acquire at least 3-5 air crafts but at present, the airline has started operations using only one aircraft. It would add its second aircraft by the end of September and a third one by the end of October. 

Dabur and DRDO unit tie up for high altitude medicinal plants

i. Dabur, a leading ayurvedic FMCG firm has tied up with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO's) unit Defense Institute of High Altitude Research (DIHAR), Leh, to promote sustainable cultivation of high-altitude medicinal plants in Ladakh. 

ii. As per this deal, both organizations will educate farmers and help enhance livelihood opportunities in the cold desert area.

iii. Under this tie-up with the unit of DRDO, Dabur will also impart training to the villagers on the sustainable cultivation of herbs. For this, the Jivanti Welfare and Charitable Trust, Dabur's corporate social responsibility arm, had approached DIHAR & Pragya — an NGO operating from Leh-Ladakh, with the primary focus on helping the local community in Leh-Ladakh while also augmenting the population of medicinal herbs in the country.

Dipika Pallikal Karthik and Saurav Ghosal clinch National Squash tittles

i. Dipika Pallikal Karthik toppled defending champion Joshna Chinappa to regain the women's title in the 73rd Senior National Squash Championship in Mumbai. 

ii. The men's crown was captured by the titleholder and top seed Saurav Ghosal, who created history by winning it for the 11th time, defeating fourth seed Harinderpal Singh Sandhu in five hard-fought games.

iii. Saurav Ghosal beat Harinderpal Singh Sandhu 11-7 7-11 3-11 11-8 14-12 after an 88-minute battle to go past RK Narpat Singh's feat of 10 titles, won from 1946 to 1955. The World no. 19 Dipika, who was playing in the nationals after a five-year gap when she won in 2011, made it to the tops once again by beating arch-rival Joshna 4-11 11-6 11-2 11-8 in 43 minutes.

Vijender Singh beats Kerry Hope to clinch WBO Asia Pacific title

i. Vijender Singh, the boxing star from India, has clinched the WBO Asia Pacific Super Middleweight title at the Thyagraj Stadium, New Delhi.
ii. To win the title, the six-footer from Haryana defeated former WBC European champion Kerry Hope.

iii. The 30-year-old Vijender Singh took all 10 rounds to dismantle the 34-year-old Australian Hope and record his seventh straight win in the circuit. He scored 98-92, 98-92, 100-90 to be the unanimous winner. With this, Singh also became the country’s first-ever professional boxing title holder. The win also helped him to climb to 15th in the world in his category.

Govt allocates Rs 22,915 cr capital to 13 PSU banks for FY17

i. The Narendra Modi government has allocated Rs 22,915 crore capital to meet the capitalization needs of 13 Public Sector Banks (PSBs) in the current fiscal. This is in line with its Indradhanush initiative, aimed at restoring banking sector health.

ii. The maximum capital infusion will be for State Bank of India (SBI) at Rs 7,575 crore and the least for Allahabad Bank at Rs 44 crore. 

iii. The capital infusion exercise is based on an assessment of need as assessed from the Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of credit growth for the last five years, and banks’ own projections of credit growth. Consequent upon the exercise, 75 percent of the amount collected for each bank is being released now to provide liquidity support for lending operations as also to enable banks to raise funds from the market. The remaining amount will be released later based on performance.

CBDT signs 7 advance pricing agreements to cut tax litigation with Indian taxpayers

i. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has signed seven Unilateral Advance Pricing Agreements (APAs) with Indian taxpayers in a moving design to reduce tax litigation. 

ii. With this, the total number of APAs entered into by the CBDT has reached 77. This includes 3 bilateral APAs and 74 unilateral APAs. The latest APAs signed with taxpayers pertain to various sectors like banking, information technology, and automotive. 

iii. The international transactions covered in these agreements include software development Services, IT enabled Services, Engineering Design Services & Business Support Services. Some of the agreements also have a Rollback provision as well.

iv. The APA Scheme was introduced in the Income-tax Act in 2012 while the Rollback provisions were introduced in 2014. APAs provide an appropriate transfer pricing methodology for determining the value of assets and taxes on intra-group overseas transactions. 

v. The scheme endeavours to provide certainty to taxpayers in the domain of transfer pricing by specifying the methods of pricing and setting the prices of international transactions in advance.

Parliament passes Regional Centre for Biotechnology Bill, 2016

i. On the first day of the Monsoon session, Parliament has passed the Regional Centre for Biotechnology Bill, 2016 with the Rajya Sabha approving it yesterday. 

ii. The bill seeks to establish a Regional Centre for Biotechnology, an institution of education, training and research, under the auspices of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in the National Capital Region. It also confers upon it the status of an institution of national importance.

iii. The Regional Centre is to disseminate knowledge by providing teaching and research facilities in biotechnology and related fields. Besides, it will help create a hub of biotechnology expertise and promote co-operation at the international level. The government through an executive order in April 2009 had established the Regional Centre for Biotechnology Training and Education at Faridabad. Now with approval from Parliament, the institute would be able give Masters and Phd degrees.

Rs. 28,000 cr released under MGNREGA

i. The Centre has released more than Rs. 28,000 crore so far this year to States under MGNREGA to clear the last year’s liabilities and for running the programme in the ongoing year.

ii. Under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA), funds are released to the States on the basis of agreed to labour budget and performance of the States.

iii. For ensuring timely payment of wages, the Centre has started National Electronic Fund Management System in 11 States, Minister of State for Rural Development Ram Kripal Yadav said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.

Herbalife associates with IOA as nutrition partner

i. Herbalife International India, a global premier nutrition company, has entered into a two-year exclusive partnership with Indian Olympic Association to be the official nutrition sponsor of the Indian Olympic contingent to Rio De Janeiro.

ii. Herbalife International is an American multinational multi-level marketing corporation that develops, markets and sells nutrition supplements, weight management, sports nutrition and personal-care products. 

iii. The company was founded by entrepreneur Mark Hughes in 1980, and it employs around 7,800 people worldwide. 

 Dabur acquires South African cosmetic firm Discaria Trading

i. Homegrown FMCG major Dabur has stated that it has acquired South Africa-based Discaria Trading (PTY) Ltd for an undisclosed amount. The South Africa based firm is engaged in manufacturing and trading of cosmetics. 

ii. Dabur International, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dabur has completely acquired (100% share) Discaria Trading in South Africa. Accordingly, Discaria has become a step down wholly-owned subsidiary company of Dabur India.

iii. This marks Dabur's entry in the high-potential South Africa market. The company currently has manufacturing in Nigeria and Egypt, which caters to the North and East African markets. 

Tata STRIVE skill development centre launched in Hyderabad

i. Tata STRIVE, an initiative of Tata Community Initiatives Trust, has been launched its first Skill Development Centre (TSSDC) centre. 

ii. The centre will equip the youth in the State with skills in BPO, banking, financial services, insurance and retail industries to make them employable. The 17,000-sq ft facility in Kukatpally was inaugurated by Telangana IT and Industries Minister KT Rama Rao. 

iii. The centre can seat 240 students and offers courses that span six weeks to 16 weeks and Anita Rajan is the Chief Operating Officer of Tata STRIVE, the first Group CSR programme of the Tata Group.

NASA announces discovery of 104 new planets outside solar system

i. NASA has announced the discovery of 104 new planets outside our solar system including four that could have Earth-like, rocky surfaces. 

ii. Scientists discovered the exoplanets in Hawaii using Kepler space telescope. 

iii. The unmanned Kepler mission has been scanning 150,000 stars in the Cygnus constellation for signs of orbiting bodies, particularly those that might be able to support life. 

SpaceX launched space station docking port

i. US space firm SpaceX has launched supplies to the International Space Station, including a crucial docking port for future American commercial crew vehicles. 

ii. The SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft lifted off on the company's Falcon 9 rocket on time from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. 

iii. The cargo is the first of two international docking adapters, which will allow US commercial spacecraft to dock to the station while transporting American astronauts in the near future.

Odisha-born bureaucrat Guruprasad appointed as chairman of AAI

i. An Odisha-born bureaucrat Guruprasad Mohapatra has been appointed the chairman of Airports Authority of India (AAI). He is a 1986 batch Gujarat cadre IAS officer. 

ii. Prior to this, he was posted as Joint Secretary in Union Ministry of Commerce and had served as Municipal Commissioner of Ahmedabad for over three years. After about two years of his tenure as Joint Secretary, he was appointed the Chairman of AAI.

iii. He had also served as Municipal Commissioner of Ahmedabad for over three years. He started in the State Electricity Sector with the erstwhile Gujarat Electricity Board in 2002 and worked with various Electricity Companies such as GSEC and the distribution companies such as PGVCL, DGVCL & UGVCL.

Sidhu resigns as Rajya Sabha MP

i. Navjot Singh Sidhu, former Indian cricketer and Member of Parliament has resigned from his Rajya Sabha seat on the first day of the Monsoon Session.
ii. Sidhu’s resignation was accepted with immediate effect by Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari.

iii. The cricketer-turned-politician wife Navjot Kaur Sidhu, a member of the Punjab Legislative Assembly, is Chief Parliamentary Secretary in the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-BJP government. Sidhu himself was nominated to the Rajya Sabha earlier this year.

World Bank Group appoints Paul Romer as Chief Economist

i. World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim has appointed Paul Romer as World Bank Chief Economist with effect from September 2016. Romer is a widely respected economist and a successful entrepreneur. 

ii. The American economist Paul Romer will succeed Kaushik Basu as Chief Economist and Senior Vice-President of the World Bank. He will join the Bank at a critical time when the field of development is transforming under the forces of rapid technological change, globalization, and demography.

iii. Romer is currently a professor at New York University (NYU) and director of NYU's Marron Institute of Urban Management. Romer is also known as a proponent of "endogenous growth theory", which holds that economic growth is primarily the result of investment in human capital, innovation, and knowledge. He also founded a start-up Aplia, an education technology company dedicated to increasing student effort and classroom engagement.

Turnbull sworn in as Australia’s PM

i. Malcolm Turnbull was sworn in for another term as Australia’s prime minister,after a narrow election victory with budget repair and a public vote on same sex marriage among his top priorities. 

ii. Malcolm Bligh Turnbull (born 24 October 1954) is the 29th and current Prime Minister of Australia and the Leader of the Liberal Party. 

iii. He assumed both offices after defeating Tony Abbott in a leadership election on 14 September 2015. He was subsequently elected in his own right at the 2016 federal election.

Legendary singer Mubarak Begum Shaikh passes away 

i. Legendary singer and ghazal maestro Mubarak Begum Shaikh has passed away at her residence in Mumbai after a prolonged illness. She was 80 years old and started her career with light music recitals in All India Radio. She was proficient in both Hindi and Urdu. 

ii. Rajasthan-born Mubarak Begum is known for the evergreen song 'Kabhi tanhaiyon mein hamari yaad ayegi' from the 1961 movie 'Hamari Yaad Aayegi', which is, till this day, regarded as a classic rendition.

iii. Her career as a playback singer began in 1949 with the Indian, Hindi-language film Aaiye. That was the launch of a notable singing career spanning over 110 films over four decades till the early 1980s. Besides playback singing, she used to give regular stage performance and musical concerts.

Pakistan's Yasir Shah scales number one spot in ICC Test rankings

i. Wrist spinner Yasir Shah has scaled the number one spot in the ICC Test rankings becoming the first Pakistani bowler to do so since Mushtaq Ahmed in December 1996. 

ii. He reached the number-one spot after bowling Pakistan to a 75-run victory over England in the first Test at Lord's. Yasir, who recorded the figures of six for 72 and four for 69, leapfrogged India's Ravichandran Ashwin and England's fast bowling pair of James Anderson and Stuart Broad. 

iii. Yasir won the player of the match award in his first Test outside Asia and now leads Ashwin by seven points and Anderson by 10 points. Ashwin, however, still leads the All-rounders rankings. Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan is second. 

Rohit Khandelwal becomes first Indian to win Mr. World title

i. Rohit Khandelwal has become the first Indian to win the title of Mr. World at a grand ceremony at Southport in England. He received a whopping cash prize of 50,000 US dollars. However, the first runner-up crown went to Mr. Puerto Rico.

ii. Rohit defeated 47 other contestants from across the globe to bag the title. Born in Hyderabad in 1989, Mr. Khandewal, is a model, actor and television personality. He is also the winner of Mr. India 2015 contest.

iii.  Mr. World is a 2-3 week competition designed to test the candidates in a variety of ways through a series of challenge events, interviews, and a final stage show. These challenges test every aspect deemed necessary to be "The World's Most Desirable Man."

NITI Aayog & Intel India Sign SOI to Kick-off Atal Tinkering Lab Initiative for Young Innovators 

i. NITI Aayog and Intel India sign Statement of Intent (SOI) to start Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATL) Initiative for Young Innovators as a part of its flagship programme the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM). 

ii. The aim of setting up Atal Tinkering Laboratories is to build relevant skill sets among youngsters and to provide access to technology that will enable solutions. The Atal Tinkering Labs that will be established in schools all across the country with the technical support of Intel Technology India Pvt. Ltd.

iii. These laboratories intend to impact 250,000 youth with innovation skills & skills for the future across 500 communities & schools. Intel will support NITI Aayog in building capacities of mentors and developing linkages with Maker ecosystem for quality improvement of projects made by youth, facilitating ideation, design thinking, and prototyping workshops through industry experts and co-lead an innovation festival which reaches out to 500,000 young innovators. 

ECI Launches SVEEP portal in Hindi

i. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has launched the SVEEP Portal in the Hindi language along with two other releases in the sidelines of the Conference of Chief Electoral Officers of States by the Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi.

ii. The Series of Launches are : Launch of SVEEP Portal in Hindi, Launch of Matdaata Mahotsav Document and Film, and Release of NERP Handbook.

iii. However, SVEEP Portal is a web-based application, accessible to the Chief Electoral Officers and all other stakeholders and serves as a window for easy accessibility of various initiatives of the Commission. While, a document and a film on Matdaata Mahotsav which was held in Central Park from 14th - 17th January 2016 and Handbook on NERP (National Electoral Rolls Purification) to further improve upon the Electoral Roll and ensure it stays error free in a standardized form.

  

SC accepts structural reforms in BCCI

i. The Supreme Court (SC) has accepted the major recommendations of the Lodha Committee on reforms to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), including a bar on ministers and civil servants and those above 70 from becoming its members. 

ii. It, however, left it to Parliament to decide whether it should come under the RTI and betting on the game should be legalised.

iii. The court has also accepted the recommendations of the committee headed by retired Chief Justice of India (CJI) Justice R M Lodha to have a CAG nominee in the BCCI. 

SBI launches Rs 7,000 crore stressed assets fund with Brookfield

i. Country's largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) SBI and Brookfield Asset Management have set up a joint venture (JV) with an initial commitment of over $1 billion to make investments in businesses with stressed assets.

ii. Brookfield will commit around Rs 7,000 crore and SBI up to 5 percent of the total investments into stressed assets, the state-owned bank said in a statement.

iii. The JV will evaluate and invest in various stressed assets, relying upon Brookfield's operational expertise to manage recapitalised businesses. At a later stage, the JV may seek participation from other lenders in the identified assets.

Paytm ties up with grocery retailer Heritage Fresh

i. Mobile payment and commerce platform Paytm has entered into a strategic alliance with Hyderabad-based grocery retailer Heritage Fresh as Paytm aims to provide more and more users the convenience and safety of cashless transactions. 

ii. So with the effect of this tie up, payments made through Paytm will now be accepted at all the 114 supermarket stores of Heritage Fresh in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Chennai. 

iii. Heritage Foods Limited is one of the largest private sector dairy enterprises in Southern India and the brand "Heritage Fresh" is a leading food and grocery brand of it. 

Russian PM suspends its sports minister

i. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has suspended Deputy Sports Minister Yury Nagornykh, who was named in a report on the doping of Russian athletes at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

ii. The investigation was led by Canadian sports lawyer Richard McLaren, who sat on the independent commission that last year exposed doping and corruption in Russian track and field, leading to its exclusion from the international competition. 

iii. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) did not spell out whether it would heed growing calls for Olympic bans already imposed on Russia's track and field athletes and weightlifters to be extended to all its competitors in Games in Rio de Janeiro in August.

Nigerian journalist wins BBC World News Komla Dumor Award

i. A Nigerian journalist Didi Akinyelure has won the second BBC World News Komla Dumor Award for 2016. 

ii. Didi Akinyelure is a prime-time news anchor in Nigeria and presents business news for CNBC, which broadcasts across the continent. She has been working with the CNBC Africa team since 2013. Prior to that, she worked in the asset management finance sector in Nigeria and in the UK.

iii. The award was established to honour Ghanaian BBC World News presenter Komla Dumor, who died suddenly aged 41 in 2014. The Komla Dumor award aims to celebrate African journalism and reward exceptional talent. The first Komla Dumor Award was won by Ugandan news anchor Nancy Kacungira.

Steve Elworthy appointed as the Managing Director of 2019 World Cup

i. The International Cricket Council (ICC) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) jointly announced that Steve Elworthy had been appointed as Managing Director of the ICC Cricket World Cup, which will be held in England and Wales in 2019. 

ii. Mr. Elworthy will also have an oversight of the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 and the ICC Women’s World Cup 2017, which will both be staged in England and Wales.

iii. Mr. Elworthy is a former South Africa fast bowler who played four Tests and 39 ODIs and also featured in the Commonwealth Games 1998 and the ICC Cricket World Cup 1999. In his new role as Managing Director of the ICC Cricket World 2019, Elworthy will oversee a dedicated Lord’s based team responsible for all aspects of the tournament including marketing, logistics, cricket operations, volunteering, and security.

Indian boy’ project to safeguard fishermen bags Google Community Impact award in Asia region

i. An Indian boy from Tamil Nadu has won the community impact awards from Google for his project of mobile GPS that keeps fishermen safe from invisible maritime boundaries. 14-year old Advay Ramesh won the mentioned prize for Asia-Pacific region in the Google Science Fair of 2016. 

ii. Under this fair, Google has awarded 25 innovative Community Impact student projects across the globe that solve community and health resource challenges using science.

iii. Google selected top 100 ideas out of thousands of projects submitted. This includes 14 projects from Indian students. The top 16 global finalists will join Google in Mountain View on September 27 for their sixth annual Awards Celebration. To help develop their project, each winner will also be awarded $1,000 in an educational scholarship and a year-long mentorship from a Google Science Fair partner organization.

The Western Union appoints Sohini Rajola as new Vice-President

i. International remittance company the Western Union appointed Sohini Rajola as Regional Vice President, India and South Asia. 

ii. Rajola will be responsible for managing and developing the Western Union business across India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Maldives, and Bhutan.

iii. Prior to the Western Union, Rajola was the Senior Vice President and Head - Digital Banking of Axis Bank. 

Sarvita Sethi appointed Coca-Cola VP-Finance for India and South West Asia

i. Beverages major Coca-Cola has appointed Sarvita Sethi as the new Vice-President-Finance for India and South West Asia. 

ii. Sethi takes over from Sanjeev Kumar, who moves to Lagos as Director Finance, Coca-Cola West Africa and will be heading finance operations for 31 countries and will report to Peter Njonjo, President, Coca-Cola West Africa Business Unit. 

iii. While Sarvita will report to Venkatesh Kini, President, Coca-Cola India, and South West Asia. She has been a part of Coca-Cola for eight years and earlier she was Commercial Finance Director – Great Britain and Ireland, based in London.

Oldest litigant of Ayodhya dispute Mohammad Hashim Ansari passes away

i. The oldest litigant of Babri Mosque Ram Janmbhumi dispute of Ayodhya, Mohammad Hashim Ansari has passed away. The 96-year-old Ansari, who was ailing for some time due to heart-related ailments, breathed his last at his house in Ayodhya. 

ii. Ansari had been associated with the Babri mosque dispute case since December 1949 but had filed the case in December 1961 along with six others about the disputed matter. 

iii. Allahabad High Court in 2010 in its majority verdict allotted one-third of the disputed site in Ayodhya to Nirmohi Akahara. The other two-thirds portion has been given equally to be shared by the Waqf Board and the side representing Ram Lalla. Soon after the verdict, Ansari had called for burying the dispute and making "a fresh start".

Hockey legend Mohammed Shahid passes away

i. Noted Indian hockey player Mohammed Shahid has passed away in Gurgaon due to multiple organ failures. He was 56 years old. 

ii. He was a member of the V Baskaran-led Indian team that won a Gold medal at the 1980 Moscow Olympics. 

iii. Mohammed Shahid was born on 14 April 1960 in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. He was known for his dribbling skills and was considered one of India's greatest hockey players. He was a part of the national team that won a silver medal at the Delhi Asian Games in 1982 and bronze in the Seoul Asiad in 1986. He has also received the Arjuna Award in 1981 and was honoured with Padma Shri in 1986.

Seven Indian firms in Fortune 500 list

i. Seven Indian companies have made it to the latest Fortune 500 list of the world's biggest corporations in terms of revenue. 

ii. The list is topped by the retail giant Walmart with revenue of $482,130 million, followed by State Grid (revenue of $329,601 million) and China 

National Petroleum ($299,271 million) at the second and third place respectively. 

iii. While among Indian firms, Indian Oil Corporation ranked highest at 161st place with revenue of $54.7 billion. However, another state-run firm ONGC has moved out of the rankings for 2016 and private gems and jewelry major Rajesh Exports has made its debut at the 423rd position.

iv. Among the seven Indian companies, four are from the public sector while Reliance Industries (215th) is the top-ranked among private sector firms, followed by Tata Motors (226) and Rajesh Exports. Among state-run majors, Indian Oil is followed by banking behemoth SBI (232), Bharat Petroleum (358) and Hindustan Petroleum (367). 

India, Bangladesh has inaugurated Petrapole checkpost

i. India and Bangladesh has opened the newly constructed modern integrated check-post at Petrapole-Benapole point of the India-Bangladesh border in West Bengal. The cost of the project is 200 crore.

ii. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have inaugurated it through video conference which have also been linked to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Bannerjee. 

iii. The multipurpose checkpost is aimed at further facilitating increased India-Bangladesh trade. Currently the Petrapole-Benapole lands customs station is one of the busiest handling over 60% of the India-Bangladesh bilateral trade of around US$ 6 billion. 

Cabinet approvals

i. Establishment of a new All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh under Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) has been approved by the Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. The cost of the project for the establishment of the new AIIMS in Gorakhpur shall be Rs. 1011 crore which does not include recurring costs (wages & salaries and operation & maintenance expenses).

ii. Another approval by the Union Cabinet is for the incorporation of Sagarmala Development Company (SDC) under the Companies Act, 2013 with an initial authorized share capital of 1 thousand crore rupees and a subscribed share capital of Rs. 90 Crore. SDC will be under the administrative control of the Ministry of Shipping. It will provide equity support to the project Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) and funding support to the residual projects under the Sagarmala Programme.

iii. The 3rd approval for the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill 2016 which has been approved by the Union Cabinet under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. This Bill will help the Government to evolve a mechanism for their social, economic and educational empowerment and will also benefit a large number of transgender persons, mitigate the stigma, discrimination and abuse against this marginalized section and bring them into the mainstream of society. It will lead to greater inclusiveness and will make the transgender person's productive members of the society.

iv. The 4th approval by the Union Cabinet is for introducing amendments to the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) (Amendment) Bill, 2015 in Parliament. The amendments aim to strengthen the Bill in terms of the legal and administrative procedure so as to overcome the practical difficulties which may arise in the implementation of the provisions of the Bill when it becomes an Act.

v. The 5th approval is for the signing of the Air Services Agreement between India and Mozambique as at present there is no Air Services Agreement between India and Mozambique and to promote the air connectivity between the two countries, the two sides also initiated the process of consultation in 2011 to finalize the text of Air Services Agreement.

vi. Sixth approval is for a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which has been signed between India and Tunisia for strengthening bilateral cooperation in the field of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and Digital Economy. 

vii. Seventh approval by the Union Cabinet chaired is about a ex-post-facto approval for a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between India and the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation of the Swiss Confederation for cooperation in skill development. 

viii. The 8th approval by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) is for the installation of Ghatampur Thermal Power Project of 1980 Mega Watt capacity. This project will be installed by a joint venture of Neyveli Lignite Corporation Limited and Uttar Pradesh Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited with an estimated cost of Rs 17,237.8 crore, including interest during construction component of Rs 3,202.42 crore.

ix. The 9th approval by the CCEA is for a construction of a new dry dock within Cochin Shipyard Limited at a cost of 1 thousand 7 hundred 99 crore rupees. The objective is to augment the shipbuilding and repair capacity of the country. 

India and Japan has signed a Social Security Agreement 

i. India and Japan have signed a Social Security Agreement (SSA) that will come into force on 1st October 2016. 

ii. The SSA will benefit Indian and Japanese professionals and skilled workers working in each other’s country and will also boost bilateral business linkages. 

iii. The SSA will help avoid double social security contributions but an exemption will be provided to Indian worker, only if he is covered under the social security system of India and continues to pay his contribution during period of overseas contract. 

Turkey declares 3-month state of emergency 

i. Turkey's president has declared a three-month state of emergency following a failed coup. 

ii. The decision was made following a meeting with cabinet ministers and top security advisers in Ankara. 

iii. While declaring the imposition of the emergency Erdogan said that the measure was being taken to counter threats to Turkish democracy.

 ECI launched National Electoral Roll Purification 2016

i. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced the launch of National Electoral Roll Purification (NERP) 2016 programme across the country.

ii. The programme was launched to improve health of Electoral Rolls (ERs) and to optimize the Polling Station (PS) location and area across the country.

iii. The motto of ECI for the year 2016 is No voter to be left behind.

Federal Bank ties up with Reliance Jio Money

i. Federal Bank has signed an agreement with Reliance Jio Money for one-click payment service.

ii. Reliance Jio Money is a wallet application that will be launched soon for mobile devices where Federal Bank will enable a direct payment option for its customers.

iii. Through this service, the leading private sector bank's customers can complete a transaction without funding the wallet. The bank's customers will get a facility to directly pay from their account for the services offered through the wallet (without pre-loading their wallet).

IRCTC joins hands with SBI to promote rail ticketing

i. Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has joined hands with the State Bank of India to chalk out a detailed plan for promotion of rail ticketing activities, including internet ticketing and unreserved ticketing system. 

ii. The MoU was signed by IRCTC CMD A K Manocha and Arundhati Bhattacharya, CMD, SBI.

iii. The MoU also envisages for undertaking activities which can provide value to customers and bring about synergy in working of both the organisations.

 BHEL commissions 40 mw hydropower units in West Bengal

i. Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has commissioned the third unit of the 4x40 MW Teesta Low Dam Hydro Electric Project (HEP) Stage-IV in West Bengal. 

ii. A run-of-the-river greenfield project located in Darjeeling district of West Bengal(WB), Teesta HEP is being set up by National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC), on the River Teesta. The fourth and final unit of the project is also in advanced stages of execution.

iii. The Power generation from the Teesta project will result in reduction of green-house gas emissions and will help in achieving a low carbon development path for the state as well as the nation. The order for Electrical & Mechanical (E&M) works for four units of 40 MW each was placed on BHEL by NHPC.

BCCI conducts ‘English language and communication skills’

i. The Board of Control for Cricket in India has organised a course for umpires on English language and communication skills.

ii. For this the first batch took place from July 12 to 16 and the second is scheduled from July 19 to 23 in Mumbai.

ii. The course has been designed by the British Council along with the International Cricket Council and is aimed at equipping the match officials with 

requisite communication skills. 

Modi lays foundation stone AIIMS and revival of a fertilizer plant in Gorakhpur

i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid the foundation stone of All India Institute Of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and revival of fertilizer factory which was closed for the last three decades in Gorakhpur district of Uttar Pradesh. 

ii. Recently only, the Union Cabinet has approved the setting up of AIIMS under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) at an estimated cost of Rs. 1,011 crore. 

iii. The PMSSY scheme aims at correcting the regional imbalances in the availability of affordable and reliable tertiary level healthcare in the country and to augment facilities for quality medical education in under-served or backward states. Apart from it, he has also unveiled the statue of late Mahanth Awedyanath at Gorakhnath temple in the city.

India ranks 110th on Sustainable Development index

i. In Sustainable Development index, India has ranked 110 out of 149 nations on where they stand with regard to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). India ranks 110th on the list is followed by Lesotho on 113th position, Pakistan (115), Myanmar (117), Bangladesh (118) and Afghanistan (139).

ii. The index is topped by the Sweden followed by Denmark and Norway on the top three performing countries respectively. However, in the latest index the Central African Republic and Liberia are at the bottom of the Index while the US ranks 25th in the index and Russia 47th. 

iii. The index is formed by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and the Bertelsmann Stiftung. The aim of creating this index is to provide a report card for tracking Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) progress and ensuring accountability. 

Centre forms a panel to prepare a draft bill on Ganga river

i. Centre has constituted a committee to prepare Draft Bill on Ganga to deal with all the issues related to the River. 

ii. The committee will be chaired by the retired Justice Giridhar Malviya. 

iii. The committee will submit its report within three months. The legislation will have provisions to ensure cleanliness and uninterrupted flow of Ganga.

Green nod for Odisha power project

i. A State green panel has given first-stage clearance to Orissa Integrated Power Ltd (OIPL) for diverting 17.02 hectares of revenue forest land to set up a 4,000 MW UMPP in Sundargarh district in Odisha at a cost of ₹29,000 crore.

ii. As per the proposal, the ultra mega power project (UMPP) requires a total of 1,302.36 hectares, which includes 17.02 hectares of revenue forestland, 1,285 hectares of non-forestland and 1,105.86 hectares of private land.

iii. At a recent meeting of the Bhubaneshwar Regional Empowered Committee (REC), the proposal of the Orissa Integrated Power Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of State-run Power Finance Corporation of India, was recommended ‘stage 1’ approval with some conditions.

Kerala Tourism has secured two Gold Awards at PATA awards

i. Kerala Tourism has secured two Gold Awards at the prestigious Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) awards in recognition of its trendsetting marketing initiatives. 

ii. The two gold medals for 'Marketing Media' are in the categories of 'Travel Advertisement Broadcast Media' and 'E-Newsletter', which were clinched by the successful 'Visit Kerala' television commercial campaign and the popular Kerala Tourism E-Newsletter respectively.

iii. The awards will be presented at the PATA Gold Awards Luncheon and Presentation on September 9 in Jakarta. Last year also , Kerala Tourism has awarded the PATA Gold in the Heritage and Culture category for the Muziris Heritage Project.

Odisha govt forms a judicial panel for reforms in Jagannath temple management

i. The Odisha government has constituted a judicial commission to study the functioning of the Puri Jagannath Temple, which has in recent weeks witnessed major controversies over mismanagement of rituals by unruly servitors.

ii. The one-man commission will be headed by retired Orissa High Court judge Bimal Prasad Das. It will recommend reforms for smooth management of the Shree Jagannath Temple and propagation of the Jagannath culture. Although, the government has not set any deadline for the commission to complete its report. 

iii. The major issues the commission will cover are temple security, behavior of priests, streamlining of rituals and preservation of the 12th-century shrine.

Kerala Government constitutes State Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation

i. The Kerala State Government has constituted a State Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (STAGI) on the lines of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI).

ii. The Group will advise the State government on the policies and practices to be adopted and implemented under the National Immunisation Programme.

iii. The group will provide technical and academic inputs and leadership in the State’s immunization efforts. It will have the Director of Health Service as the chairman and the Director of Medical Education as co-chairman. Apart from the chairman and the co-chairman, it will have eleven members.

 A Film festival on Mother Teresa in India and abroad

i. The Mother Teresa International Film Festival (MTIFF), a film festival focusing on Mother Teresa's life and teachings is going to be held at over 100 locations in India and around 50 other countries. 

ii. The festival will be kicked off from Kolkata on August 26 after which it will travel all over the world for the next six months. It will be organized by the World Catholic Association for Communication.

iii. The objective is to spread the message of Mother Teresa before the world. The festival would also feature a film on the Nobel laureate and inspired by her life. Mr. Sunil Lucas will be the festival director. 

 NDMC signs MoU with NEERI to develop sewage treatment plants

i. The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) to develop 12 sewage treatment plants (STP).

ii. This project will help increase the green cover in NDMC areas and curb dust pollution. NDMC will bear only pumping cost while the NEERI will bear the cost of the project.

iii. All these plants will be connected to all parks which will help the horticulture department to maintain the parks. 

Corp Bank launches ‘Green PIN’ facility

i. Corporation Bank has launched a new facility called ‘Green PIN’. 

ii. This is an online module for generation of Personal Identification Number (PIN) for credit card holders. The facility enables credit card users to generate PIN online. PIN is compulsory for all point-of-sale (POS) terminal transactions at a merchant establishment.

iii. SK Roy, Chairman of LIC of India, launched the facility.  

Ajay Bhushan Pandey appointed as CEO of UIDAI

i. The Union Government has appointed Ajay Bhushan Pandey as the Chief Executive Officer of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).

ii. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved the promotion of Pandey with effect from 12 July 2016. He is a 1984 batch Indian Administrative Service officer of Maharashtra cadre.

iii. In UIDAI, he will have to deal with the legal cases involving privacy and parliamentary issues that Aadhaar has been embroiled in.

Fox News CEO Roger Ailes resigns

i. Roger Ailes, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Fox News Channel has resigned from his post. 

ii. He will be succeeded by Rupert Murdoch, Head of parent company 21st Century Fox and Founder of the empire that includes Fox.

iii. However, Ailes will continue to serve as an informal adviser to Rupert Murdoch.

 Former French cyclist Dominique Arnaud passes away

i. Former French cyclist Dominique Arnaud has passed away in Dax, Aquitaine, France due to cancer. He was 60 years old. 

ii. Mr. Arnaud was born on 19 September 1955 in Tarnos, France, and was a French racing cyclist. He rode in eleven editions of the Tour de France, which is an annual multiple stage bicycle race primarily held in France.

iii. He won three stages in the Vuelta and a stage in the Midi Libr and Tour du Limousin in 1983, which is a 4-day road bicycle race held annually in Limousin, France. 

 Sony Pictures Networks bags broadcast right of International Champions

i. Sony Pictures Networks India has acquired the exclusive broadcast rights to telecast the 2016 edition of the International Champions Cup (football) in India.

ii. The matches this year will be held across North America, Europe, Australia, and China, and will see 17 of the top clubs from across the world participating in the highly anticipated season opening tournament.

iii. The International Champions Cup will begin from July 22 and will run through August 13, 2016, and will be telecast live and exclusive on Sony Espn and Sony Espn HD channels. The tournament will also be streamed live on the SonyLiv app. 

India makes the first contribution to UN Trust Fund

i. India has contributed USD 100,000 to a trust fund set up for victims of sexual exploitation and abuse by peacekeepers. The fund was established at the end of March and continues to seek funds to support services for victims and address gaps in services.

ii. This is the first contribution to the Trust Fund the Secretariat has received.

iii. India has historically been one of the largest troop-contributing countries in peacekeeping operations and is currently ranked as the second largest contributor of military and police personnel.

Suresh Prabhu inaugurates passenger amenities at Yasvantpur station

i. Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has inaugurated a host of passengers services and other amenities at the Yasvantpur station, one of the three railways stations that serve Bengaluru, Karnataka.
ii. He inaugurated the new entry, concourse, and escalators at platform number one of Yesvantpur station.

iii. He also dedicated to the nation the electrification of the Yelahanka-Dhramavarma section and doubling of electrification of Yesvantpur -Yelahanka and Yelahank-Channasandra sections.

 Startup India States Conference has held today 

i. The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) has organized a day-long conference on Startup India in New Delhi today with an aim to give impetus to start up India initiative. 

ii. During this conference, all stakeholders, particularly states have discussed the progress, and policies they have made on the Startup India initiative. The conference has presided over by commerce minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

iii. During the conference, the State Governments of Telangana, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Kerala and Karnataka have been presenting the initiatives undertaken by them to promote Startups. While the Startups have share their growth stories and expectations from the government.

ICICI Bank organises Coin Exchange Mela during the 'Ratha Yatra' festival in Puri

i. ICICI Bank Ltd has organised a coin exchange mela during the 'Rath Yatra' festival at the RBI financial literacy camp in Bholanath Vidyapith. 

ii. The mela took place under the guidance of the Reserve Bank of India. S. P. Mohanty, General Manager, Issue Department of RBI, inaugurated the event. The Bank periodically organises exchange melas to offer free facility of exchanging acceptable soiled and mutilated currency notes with fresh currency and coins to the general public. 

iii. The coin mela saw participation of over 52000 people, where they exchanged coins worth Rs. 6.34 lakh in the denomination of Rs.10, Rs.5, Rs.2 and Re.1. The Bank also exchanged fresh currency worth Rs 6.25 lakh in denominations of Rs.100, Rs.50, Rs.20 and Rs.10 during the mela.

THANKS BANKERSADDA