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MONTHLY GK SEPTEMBER 2015 (UPTO DATE)
PERSONS IN NEWS
(SEPTEMBER 18 2015)
Coach Nikolai Snesarev sends resignation
- Renowned Russian middle and long distance coach Dr Nikolai Snesarev has sent his resignation letter to the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) citing poor infrastructure as the primary reason ahead of Rio Olympics.
- Confirming the development, Nikolai, whose contract runs till the end of 2016 Rio Olympics, said he had written to the AFI and SAI citing Article 21 of the SAI constitution under which one has to give a month’s notice before terminating the contract midway.
- Dr Nikolai had taken charge in February last year.
Global Innovation Index 2015
- The Global Innovation Index (GII) ranks the innovation performance of 141 countries and economies around the world, based on 79 indicators.
- India ranks 81 out of 141 countries
- Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Sweden, the Netherlands and the United States of America are the world’s five most innovative nations.
- China, Malaysia, Viet Nam, India, Jordan, Kenya, and Uganda are among a group of countries outperforming their economic peers.
- The GII is co-published by WIPO, Cornell University and INSEAD.
- The GII 2015 explores the impact of innovation-oriented policies on economic growth and development. High-income and developing countries alike are seeking innovation-driven growth through different strategies. Some countries are successfully improving their innovation capacity, while others still struggle.
Integrated Power Development Scheme
- PM Modi launched the Rs. 45,000 crore nationwide Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS) in his parliamentary constituency.
- The purpose of the scheme is to strengthening power transmission and distribution network in urban areas.
- The Union Cabinet gave its approval to the scheme on 20 November 2014 and the infrastructure developmental projects under it were already sanctioned.
- It will help in reduction in AT&C losses, establishment of IT enabled energy accounting / auditing system, improvement in billed energy based on metered consumption and improvement in collection efficiency.
Govt hikes import duty on edible oils by 5%
- Government hiked import duty on edible oil by 5 per cent in a bid to safeguard the domestic industry.
- Customs or import duty on edible oil in all categories has been increased by 5 per cent, Central Board of Excise and Customs said in a notification.
- Duty on crude edible oil has been increased from 7.5 per cent to 12.5 per cent and on refined edible oil from 15 per cent to 20 per cent.
Indian Railways Develops Hybrid Vacuum Toilets
- Development Cell of the Railway Board has come up with a design that combines the advantages of vacuum toilets and those of bio-toilets to create a new design of a hybrid vacuum toilet.
- One such toilet has been fitted in the Dibrugarh Rajdhani for trial purposes. The concept of a hybrid vacuum toilet is a first ever system of its kind to have been developed and built by any railway system in the world.
- The prototype consists of a custom designed Vacuum toilet adapted from a commercially available vacuum toilet that is used in aircrafts which evacuates its discharge into a bio-digester tank
Commentator Bal Pandit passes away
- Bal Pandit, the secretary of Maharashtra Cricket Association in the mid-1980s, passed away in Pune. He was 86.
- A law graduate, Pandit was one among the pioneers in Marathi cricket commentary and was commissioned by All India Radio for many decades. He has authored a number of books in Marathi.
(SEPTEMBER 17 2015)
India, US create joint challenge coin to mark partnership
- India and the US have created a "joint challenge coin" to symbolise their unique partnership in creating a next-generation aircraft carrier for the Indian Navy.
- One side of the coin reads "Forward Together We Go" and "Chale Chale Saath Saath" in Hindi; which is the vision statement of US President Barack Obama Prime Minister Narendra Modi, issued in their first meeting at the White House last September.
- The other side of this coin, which is golden in colour, has the maps of India and the United States and an aircraft carrier floating on blue water.
Vishwakarma Rashtriya Puraskar
- The Minister of State for Labour & Employment (Independent Charge) Shri Bandaru Dattatreya gave away Vishwakarma Rashtriya Puraskar and National Safety Awards for the Performance Year 2013
- The VRP and NSA awards work both as an impetus as well as a catalyst to unleash the latent and untapped potentials of the promising workers at the plant level while recognizing the excellent performance of the companies in preventing accidents and promoting safety at work place
- VRP is awarded in recognition of outstanding suggestions given by a worker or group of workers and implemented by the management in the form of cash prize and a certificate of merit in three categories. There are 28 award winners out of a total of 193 applications received from different industries for the Performance Year 2013. This year these 28 awards are being shared by 132 individuals.
- The NSA is given in recognition of outstanding safety performance of industrial establishments, construction sites, ports and installations under AERB to stimulate and maintain the interests of both the management and the workers in accident prevention programmes.
- For the Performance year 2013, the total number of NSA Award Winners and Runners-up in all the ten schemes adds up to 98 (53 winners & 42 runners-up), which were selected out of 199 applications received under various schemes.
- The Ministry of Labour & Employment, Government of India, has been operating the “Vishwakarma Rashtriya Puraskar (VRP)” (Previously known as Shram Vir National Awards) and “National Safety Awards (NSA)” since 1965.
(SEPTEMBER 16 2015)
Indian-Origin Lawmaker Appointed Shadow Chief Secretary in UK
Indian-origin British Members of Parliament (MPs), Seema Malhotra and Lisa Nandy, were appointed as to the shadow cabinet of Jeremy Corbyn, the newly-elected leader of Labour Party in the United Kingdom (UK) in third week of September 2015.- Malhotra was appointed as the shadow chief secretary for Treasury, while Nandy was appointed as shadow secretary for energy and climate change.
- Shadow cabinet is a group of politicians who hold a political post with their party, but whose party is not in government (that is, an opposition party). A member of the shadow cabinet is a shadow minister and its leader is called the Leader of Opposition.
India-Kuwait Joint Working Group Meeting
- The 4th meeting of the India-Kuwait Joint Working Group on Hydrocarbons was held in New Delhi.
- The Kuwaiti Side was headed by Dr. Ahmad Al-Qattan, Representative of the Kuwaiti Oil Sector and the Indian Side was headed by Mr. Ashutosh Jindal, Joint Secretary (International Cooperation), Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, Government of India.
- Both sides discussed various issues of bilateral engagement in the hydrocarbon sector and expressed satisfaction at the progress achieved on the decisions taken during the 3rd Joint Working Group signed in 2014 in Kuwait.
- The two sides also discussed opportunities for joint investment in the oil & gas sector in India and abroad.
(SEPTEMBER 15 2015)
QS World University Rankings 2015/16
- Indian Institute of Science(IISC), Bengaluru and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi have secured a position among the 200 top universities of the world QS World University Rankings 2015-16.
- While IISC has been ranked 147th, IIT Delhi has secured the 179th position, far ahead from last year's 235th.
- According to the QS World University Rankings 2015, there are 14 Indian institutions in the World University Rankings and half of them are among the global 400.A total of 7 institutes including IISc Bangalore (147th), IIT Delhi (179th), IIT Bombay (202nd), IIT Madras (254th), IIT Kanpur (271st), IIT Kharagpur (286th), IIT Roorkee (391st) figure in the top 400.
- The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is the world's top university, closely followed by Harvard. The University of Cambridge is tied to Stanford University for the third place. London is the only city in the world with four universities in the top 50, more than Boston and New York (3) Paris, Sydney, Hong Kong and Beijing (2), with the London School of Economics and Political Science making the top 40 for the first time.
- Thirty-four countries are represented in the top 200.A total of 82 countries are represented in the QS World University Rankings this year. The US has the largest number of institutes at 154, the UK has 71, Germany has 43 and France, 41.
The World Bank released ease of doing business.
- Because of regulatory burden, India has been ranked at the 142nd position, among 182 nations ranked in the World Bank's Doing Business
- Singapore is at the top position, followed by New Zealand. Hong Kong SAR (China) is at the third spot. Other nations in the top 10 are Denmark (4th), Korea Republic (5th), Norway (6th), the US (7th), the UK (8th), Finland (9th) and Australia (10th).
- Gujarat is ranked on the top while Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand were placed at the second and third positions, respectively.
- The ranking of the states, prepared based on eight specified parameters which include setting up of business, allotment of land, labour reforms and procedure for environmental clearance. The parameters also include infrastructure, procedure for registration for tax purposes and inspections for compliance of various norms.
- Among the major states, West Bengal occupied 11th slot, Tamil Nadu (12th), Haryana (14th), Delhi (15th), Punjab (16th), Himachal Pradesh (17th), Kerala (18th), Goa (19th), Bihar (21st) and Assam (22nd).
Malcolm Turnbull is new Australian prime minister
- Malcolm Turnbull sworn in as new Australian prime minister, after Tony Abbott was ousted by his party in a leadership challenge.
- Mr Turnbull, who was communications minister under Mr Abbott, is the fourth prime minister since 2013. He will be Australia's 29th prime minister
- In a move led by Mr Turnbull and his deputy and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, Mr Abbott was voted out by the Liberal party by 54 votes to 44.
- Julie Bishop will remain as Foreign Minister and Deputy Leader.
Narsingh secures Olympic quota place with Worlds bronze
- Narsingh Pancham Yadav becomes first Indian wrestler to book berth after bagging a bronze medal in the Men's 74kg Freestyle category in the World Wrestling Championships held in Las Vegas, USA.
- Though Narsingh lost the semi final game to Unurbat Purevjav (Mongolia), he could defeat Zelimkhan Khadjiev (France) 12-8 in the bronze medal play-off.
- This is the first time that an Indian wrestler has earned an Olympic berth with a medal at the Worlds.
- Narsingh’s win confirmed quota place for India in the 2016 Rio Olympics.
(SEPTEMBER 14 2015)
United Nations adopts document for Security Council reforms
- United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) unanimously adopted a document for reform of the UN Security Council (UNSC), without a vote,
- The proposal which was adopted for the first time in 23 years has been welcomed by India as it will boost India's bid for a permanent seat in the revamped world body.
Nawaz Sharif Inaugurates Pak-China Friendship Tunnels
- Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif inaugurated the Pakistan-China Friendship Tunnels, which have been constructed by China overlooking the Attabad Lake in Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK)
- The seven-kilometre-long five tunnels are part of the 24-km portion of the Karakoram Highway (KKH) which was damaged in 2010 due to land slides at Attabad.
- Two major bridges and 78 small bridges have also been constructed on the rebuilt section of the highway
- The tunnels have been constructed by the National Highway Authority (NHA) in collaboration with the China Road and Bridge Corporation to restore part of the road which had become submerged under the Attabad lake waters.
- The project has been completed in a span of three years and two months.
RBI, Nepal Rastra Bank ink pact
- Reserve Bank today inked an agreement with Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) on “Supervisory Cooperation and Exchange of Supervisory Information”
- The MoU was signed by Nepal Rastra Bank's Executive Director Narayan Prasad Paudel and RBI's Executive Director Meena Hemchandra at the central office of Reserve Bank
- The Reserve Bank has so far entered into memorandums of understanding with supervisors of 27 countries.
Sports Ministry Grants Recognition to Indian Kalarippayattu Federation
- Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has recognized the Indian Kalarippayattu Federation as Regional Sports Federation.
- This recognition means granting a major role to the Indian Kalarippayattu Federation (IKF) for promotion and development of Kalarippayattu sport in India.
- Kalaripayattu is a Martial art which originated as a style in Kerala during 3nd century BC to the 2nd century AD. It is now practiced in Kerala, in contiguous parts of Tamil Nadu. It was originally practiced in northern and central parts of Kerala and the Tulunadu region of Karnataka.
Wholesale Price Index dips to historic low
- Wholesale Price Index (WPI) inflation sank to an unprecedented low of (-)4.95 percent in August 2015 compared with (-) 4.05% in July 2015 because of cheap fuel and vegetable prices.
- But the inflation for onion and pulses sky rocketed at 65.29 percent and 36.40 percent respectively in the month of August 2015.
(SEPTEMBER 13 2015)
JK Tyre to acquire Kesoram's tyre unit
- JK Tyre & Industries Ltd has agreed to buy Kesoram Industries Ltd's tyre manufacturing unit to acquire 100% equity in a tyre unit in Haridwarfor 22 billion rupees ($332.17 million)
- Kesoram is part of the BK Birla Group, while JK Tyre is part of the JK Group.
- The deal will be funded by a mix of debt and internal resources and is expected to close over the next few months
2015 US Open Women's Doubles final
- India's tennis star Sania Mirza bagged her second consecutive Grand Slam title of the season, and fifth overall, as she won the US Open women's doubles 2015 with Swiss partner Martina Hingis defeating Casey Dellacqua and Yaroslava Shvedova.
- It was Sania and Hingis' second major title in a row, having won the Wimbledon championships earlier this season.
- Hingis also won the mixed doubles alongside a partner from India, men´s doubles veteran Leander Paes.
Kalamandalam Satyabhama Passed away
- Well-known Mohiniyattam dancer and Padmashree-awardee choreographer Kalamandalam Satyabhama died at 77.
- The Nruthya Natya Puraskaram of the Government of Kerala was first awarded to Satyabhama in 2005.
- Regarded as a matriarch of the classical dance, she was awarded the Padma Shri in 2014 and the first Swati Tirunal Puraskaram by Kollam Kathakali Club and Troupe in 2006. In 1994, she bagged the Leel Kendra Sangeeta Akademi award.
- Kalamandalam Satybhama was the first woman Vice Principal of Kerala Kalamandalam and, later, became its Principal till she retired in 1992.
- Satyabhama has published a treatise on Mohiniyattam in Malayalam, by name, Mohiniyattam - History, Techniques and Performance.
- Mohiniyattam is a semi-classical dance form of Kerala. It is perfomed by women.
2015 US OPEN WINNERS LIST
- 2015 US Open Men's Singles Title : Novak Djokovic won the title over Roger Federer.
- 2015 US Open Women’s Singles Title : Italy’s Flavia Pennetta won the title over Roberta Vinci
- 2015 US Open Men’s Doubles Title : Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut lifted the trophy aganist Jamie Murray and John Peers
- 2015 US Open Women’s Doubles Title : Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis won the title againist Casey Dellacqua and Yaroslava Shvedova.
- 2015 US Open Mixed Doubles Title: Leander Paes and Martina Hingis won the title aganist Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Sam Querrey
- Grand Slam wheelchair title : Britain's Jordanne Whiley won her first Grand Slam singles title agnist Yui Kamiji
(SEPTEMBER 12 2015)
Cardekho Acquires Zigwheels
- Girnar Soft, which runs online classified portals such as CarDekho and BikeDekho, has acquired online automobile portal Zigwheels for an undisclosed amount.
- Zigwheels is a part of media conglomerate Times Group, which will continue to publish a print supplement by the same name.
- This is Girnar’s second acquisition after buying Gaadi.com last year.
- The idea of the flagship CarDekho was kicked off by brothers Amit and Anurag Jain, both IIT-Delhi alumni, after their visit to the Delhi Auto Expo in 2008.
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Singapore ruling party PAP wins decisive election victory
- The governing People's Action Party (PAP) won a decisive victory in Singapore's general election, retaining its more than 50-year grip on power, according to results.
- Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, leader of the incumbent PAP party and also the eldest son of Singapore's founding father, has been in power since 2004.
- The PAP won 83 of 89 seats on offer, while the opposition Worker's Party (WP) secured six seats.
- Turnout was 93.56% among registered voters.
Tamil Nadu Global Investors Meet
- Tamil Nadu has attracted Rs 2.42-lakh crore, more than double the investment targeted for its first ever Global Investors Meet (GIM)
- Tamil Nadu would host a GIM once every two years, the next in 2017
- Embassy Group, a leading Indian property developer, signed an MoU with the Government of Tamil Nadu at the Tamil Nadu Global Investors Meet 2015, for the development of an industrial park in the State with a projected total investment of Rs 900 crores.
US Open 2015 Mixed Doubles
- Leander Paes of India and Martina Hingis of Switzerland won the mixed doubles title of US Open 2015 after beating American pair of Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Sam Querrey in the final at the Louis Armstrong Stadium in New York.
- The 42-year-old Paes has now won nine Grand Slam mixed doubles titles, surpassing compatriot and former partner Mahesh Bhupathi’s record of eight titles.
- With this win, Paes and Hingis became the first team since 1969 to win three Grand Slam mixed doubles titles in the same season.
- The only other team to win three majors in the same year were Marty Riessen and Margaret Court 46 years ago.
(SEPTEMBER 11 2015)
Rajasthan first state to submit Atal Mission action plan
- Rajasthan has become the first state in the country to submit State Annual Action Plan under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT).
- Under the Action Plan, Rajasthan has targeted universal coverage in respect of water supply connections and sewerage connections to all urban households in the state.
- The State Government has proposed projects under these two categories worth Rs.1,087 cr for approval by the Union Urban Development Ministry during the current financial year.
- Under the State Annual Action Plan, AMRUT projects are proposed to be taken up in 13 of the 28 AMRUT cities in Rajasthan.
National Medal Of Arts & Humanities
- President Barack Obama presented the 2014 National Medals of Arts and Humanities to Pulitzer Prize winning Indian-American author Jhumpa Lahiri and 20 other distinguished persons at a White House ceremony.
- The first National Humanities Medal was awarded in 1996. Since then, the medal has been bestowed upon 163 individuals and 12 organisations
Rakesh Sharma is new MD & CEO of Canara Bank
- Rakesh Sharma appointed as MD and CEO of Bengaluru-headquartered Canara Bank.
- Before joining Canara Bank, Sharma was the MD and CEO of Lakshmi Vilas Bank since March 2014.
- Prior to his stint in Lakshmi Vilas Bank, Sharma served State Bank of India in various roles, including in Tokyo where he was in charge of the overall functioning of SBI branches in Japan.
- Sharma’s main expertise lies in retail and wholesale banking, corporate credit, asset liability management, loan syndication, trade finance, industrial relations and human resources issues.
Indo-Pak DG-level border talks
- India and Pakistan began a three-day Director General (DG) -level border dialogue in New Delhi and decided to devise new strategies along the International Border in Jammu and Kashmir to put an end to incidents of ceasefire violations.
- The 23 member Indian delegation is led by Director General (DG) BSF D K Pathak. Both the delegations also have representatives from respective home and foreign ministries along with officers from narcotics control and survey department
- The talks progressed in a most congenial and positive environment. Major General Umar Farooq Burki, Director General, Pakistan Rangers (Punjab) is leading a 16 member Pakistani delegation.
- The talks progressed in a most congenial and positive environment. Major General Umar Farooq Burki, Director General, Pakistan Rangers (Punjab) is leading a 16 member Pakistani delegation.
India to buy Heron TP drones
- The government has approved the purchase of 10 missile-armed drones from Israel a crucial acquisition that will enhance India’s cross-border military strike capability. The $400-million proposal for buying armed Heron TP drones from Israel was cleared last week.
- These drones will be operated by the Indian Air Force, which has a fleet of reconnaissance drones. IAF also has a fleet of Harpy UAVs from Israel, which are self-destructing systems primarily tasked with taking out enemy radar positions.
- The IAI Eitan is also also known as Heron TP, is an unmanned reconnaissance aircraft developed in Israel in the early 21st century by the Malat division of Israel Aerospace Industries.
Hollywood Actor John Connell dies at 91
- Hollywood actor Actor John P. Connell (91), best known as the star of the daytime TV drama “Young Dr. Malone”, passed away at his home in Los Angeles.
- Connell, who was also a television writer, playwright and prolific commercial voiceover artist. Born in Philadelphia, Connell broke into show business on Broadway in “Time Limit” and “Uncle Willie” and with the national company of “Picnic”.
- Connell worked on other live TV broadcasts, including “Studio One in Hollywood”, “Kraft Theatre”, “You Are There” and “Goodyear Playhouse”.
International Day of Commemoration of Victims
- United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the resolutions that proclaims 9 December as International Day of Commemoration & Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime.
- the day marks anniversary of the signing of the 1948 Genocide Convention. This convention was one of the first United Nations conventions to address humanitarian issues.
- Genocide is the deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially those of a particular nation or ethnic group.
(SEPTEMBER 10 2015)
Most Powerful Women in Business 2015
- PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi is the sole Indian-origin executive in Fortune's list of 50 most powerful women in business, which has been topped by General Motors CEO Mary Barra. General Motors CEO Mary Barra topped the list.
- India-born Nooyi is ranked 2nd on the list, moving up a notch from her third position last year.
- General Motors CEO Mary Barra