Current Affairs Update - 21 July 2016

Updated on : 11:06, 30 August 2016

— NATIONAL —

India, Bangladesh to jointly inaugurate Petrapole checkpost:

 

• India and Bangladesh will open the newly constructed modern integrated check-post at Petrapole-Benapole point of the India-Bangladesh border in West Bengal.
• Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Prime Minister NarendraModi are scheduled to inaugurate it this evening through video conference which will also be linked to West Bengal Chief Minister MamataBannerjee.
• 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.

Union Cabinet approves Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2016:

• The Union Cabinet approved The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2016 to protect transgenders from discrimination.
• Through this Bill, the Government aims to evolve a mechanism for social, economic and educational empowerment of the transgenders.

Union Cabinet approves signing of Air Services Agreement between India and Mozambique:

• The Union Cabinet approved signing of the Air Services Agreement between India and Mozambique.
• In order to promote the air connectivity between the two countries, the two sides initiated the process of consultation in 2011 to finalize the text of Air Services Agreement.

ECI launched National Electoral Roll Purification 2016:

• The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced that launch of National Electoral Roll Purification (NERP) 2016 programme across the country.
• The programme was launched to improve health of Electoral Rolls (ERs) and to optimize the Polling Station (PS) location and area across the country.
• The motto of ECI for the year 2016 is No voter to be left behind.

Union Cabinet approves incorporation of Sagarmala Development Company:

• The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister NarendraModi approved the incorporation of Sagarmala Development Company (SDC) under the Companies Act, 2013.
• It will be under the administrative control of the Ministry of Shipping.
• SDC will be developed with an initial Authorized Share Capital of 1000 Crore rupees and a Subscribed Share Capital of 90 Crore rupees.
• It will provide equity support to the project Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) and funding support to the residual projects under the Sagarmala Programme.

Cabinet okays Benami transaction bill amendments:

• The Cabinet gave its approval for introducing amendments to the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) (Amendment) Bill, 2015.
• The amendments will allow the Government to confiscate benami properties by following due procedures.
• Benami transactions refer to deals where the owner of a property denies knowledge of ownership, or the person paying for the property is fictitious or untraceable.

Centre creates a new Electronics and IT Ministry:

• The Centre has created a new Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology by bifurcating the erstwhile Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.
• The newly formed Electronics and IT Ministry will deal with matters related to Aadhaar, promotion of internet, IT-enabled services, bridging the digital divide, and National Informatics Centre (NIC), among others.

CCEA approves Ghatampur Thermal Power Project in Uttar Pradesh:

• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) gave its approval for installation of Ghatampur Thermal Power Project (GTPS) of 1980 MW capacity through a Joint Venture Company.
• The Joint Venture Company is named as Neyveli Uttar Pradesh Power Limited (NUPPL).
• The company is formed jointly by Neyveli Lignite Corporation Limited (NLC) and Uttar Pradesh RajyaVidyutUtpadan Nigam Limited (UPRVUNL).

CCEA approves construction of new Dry Dock within Cochin Shipyard Limited:

• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved construction of a new dry dock within Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL).
• The dock at CSL will be developed at an estimated cost of 1799 crore rupees.

Union Cabinet approves establishment of All India Institutes of Medical Sciences at Gorakhpur:

• The Union Cabinet gave its approval for establishment of new All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh.
• The institute will be established under the PradhanMantriSwasthyaSurakshaYojana (PMSSY).

Odisha government to celebrate bicentenary of 1817 Paika revolt:

• Odisha Government decided to celebrate the bicentenary (200 years) of the 1817 Paika revolt against the British Empire in 2016.
• For the purpose, the state will organise a series of events in Odisha and at national level.
• The decision was taken at a high level meeting held under the chairmanship of Minister of State for Culture and Tourism Ashok Chandra Panda.

NITI Aayog, Intel India sign SoI to start Atal Tinkering Lab Initiative for Young Innovators:

• The NITI Aayog signed a Statement of Intent (SoI) with Intel India to start the Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATL) initiative as a part of its flagship programme Atal Innovation Mission (AIM).
• 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.

Kerala Assembly passes Legislative Assembly (Removal of Disqualifications) Amendment Bill 2016:

• The Kerala Assembly passed the Legislative Assembly (Removal of Disqualifications) Amendment Bill, 2016.
• The bill will pave way for CPM veteran VS Achutanandan’s appointment as the Administrative Reforms Committee Chairman with Cabinet rank.
• The bill seeks to amend the Section 2 of the 1951 Act by adding sub-section 2 which says that “No person shall be disqualified from being the member of legislative assembly (MLA) on the grounds that he or she holds the office of profit in term of being the Chairman of the Administrative Reforms Commission.”
• The section 2 in the 1951 Act was added to give effect to the sub-clause (angel) of clause (1) of Article 191 of the Constitution.
• The Article says that an MLA shall be disqualified if he or she holds any office of profit under the Union Government or any of the state governments, other than an office declared by law.
• Earlier, a draft bill to amend the law related to the commission was approved by the state Cabinet.

India, Japan ink Social Security Agreement:

• India and Japan have signed a Social Security Agreement (SSA) and will come into force on 1 October 2016.
• The SSA will benefit Indian and Japanese professionals and skilled workers working in each other’s country and will also boost bilateral business linkages.

 

— INTERNATIONAL —

Turkey declares three-month state of emergency after a failed military coup:

• Turkey’s President RecepTayyipErdogan declared a three-month state of emergency in the country. The emergency was declared in response to the failed coup that happened on 15 July 2016.
• The decision was made following a meeting with cabinet ministers and top security advisers in Ankara.
• While declaring the imposition of the emergency Erdogan said that the measure was being taken to counter threats to Turkish democracy.

Russian PM suspends Deputy Sports Minister YuryNagornykh named in doping report:

• Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev suspended Deputy Sports Minister YuryNagornykh from his office.
• He was suspended after his name occurred in a report on the doping of Russian athletes at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.
• As per reports, the suspension will last until the investigation into the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) report on the involvement of Russian state officials in the doping scandal is over.

Canada to conduct world’s first Zika vaccine test on humans:

• A Canadian university said that it will conduct the world’s first Zika vaccine test on humans.
• The vaccine that is under development will be tested on humans in the near future. Until now, vaccines have been tested on mice.
• Professor Gary Kobinger of the Universite Laval, based in Quebec City, said that they are very proud to be part of the first international team in the world to complete all of the steps in the regulatory process for the test.
• He said that development of the Zika vaccine has been authorized by the US Food and Drug Administration and Health Canada.
• Kobinger, a doctor of microbiology and professor of medicine at the university, is overseeing the study.

 

— APPOINTMENTS —

Coca-Cola appoints SarvitaSethi as VP (Finance) for India and South West Asia:

• Beverages company Coca-Cola appointed SarvitaSethi as the new Vice-President (Finance) for India and South West Asia.
• Sethi took the charge from Sanjeev Kumar, who is moving to Lagos as Director-Finance for Coca-Cola West Africa. He will also be heading company’s finance operations for 31 countries.
• Sethi will be reporting to Coca-Cola India and South West Asia President VenkateshKini.
• The India and South West Asia Business Units of The Coca-Cola Company includes India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives.
• Before being appointed as the VP (Finance), Sethi served as the Commercial Finance -Director for the Coca-Cola Central and Southern Europe business.

 

— BOOKS & AUTHORS —

The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable authored by AmitavGhosh:

• The Book titled The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable authored by Indian novelist AmitavGhoshwas released.
• The book addresses the challenges of representing the complexity of climate change in literature and the responsibility of writers to document the extreme reality humans are now facing.
• He examines the inability at the level of literature, history and politics to grasp the scale and violence of climate change.

 

— BANKING —

New Development Bank launched by BRICS, announces loans worth 900 million dollars:

• The New Development Bank launched by 5 emerging economies, known as BRICS, has announced its first round of loans worth about 900 million dollars.
• The Bank held its first general meeting in Shanghai yesterday. Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa established the institution last year.
• The first set of loans will fund five renewable-energy development projects, including those related to solar and wind power generation.

 

— AWARDS AND HONOURS —

Chennai’s Advay Ramesh wins Google Community Impact Award from Asia:

• Advay Ramesh, a Class 10 student from Chennai, won the prestigious Google Community Impact Award from Asia, a theme based award part of Google Science Fair 2016.
• Ramesh bagged the award for creating a device that enhances fishermen’s safety and productivity.
• Ramesh’s FishErmen Lifeline Terminal (FELT) hand-held terminal uses the Standard Position Services (SPS), an open service without encryption provided by the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System, to enhance fishermen’s safety and productivity at the sea.

Edmund Hillary’s note was voted 2015’s best banknote:

• New Zealand’s $5 currency note, featuring mountaineer Edmund Hillary, was named the banknote of 2015 by International Bank Note Society.
• Hillary, who was born on July 20, 1919, was the first person, along with Tenzing Norgay, to reach the summit of Mt Everest. He was one of Time’s 100 most influential people of the 20th century.

IISc top Indian institute in QS’ BRICS rankings:

• Ranked at number six, the Indian Institute of Sciences (IISc), Bengaluru has been listed as the top Indian university in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) University Rankings 2016 for BRICS nations.
• While eight Indian universities ranked in the top 50, most of them, including IISc, lost ranks compared to their positions last year.
• Notably, China’s Tsinghua University maintained its top spot.

 

— BUSINESS AND ECONOMY —

FSSAI sets draft guidelines for instant noodles:

• The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India issued draft guidelines for instant noodle standards amid attempts to bring clarity in regulating these products.
• This follows FSSAI’s ban on Nestle’s ‘Maggi’ last year over allegations of high lead content and MSG level above permissible limit.
• FSSAI also issued draft guidelines for fortified atta and fortified rice, among others.

Mumbai 2nd cheapest for travellers: TripAdvisor

• TripAdvisor has ranked Mumbai the second cheapest city for travellers, with an estimated cost of $767 for a three-night stay in a four-star hotel, tourist activities and food.
• Meanwhile, the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi has topped the list with an estimated cost of $674, and Cape Town, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok have completed the top five.

 

— SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY —

Teal unveils world’s fastest production drone:

• US-based startup,Teal has unveiled what it claims is the world’s fastest production drone.
• It can fly at speeds up to 112 kmph, has a two-mile range and 20-minute flight time and can withstand winds traveling at 64 kmph.
• The $1299-drone features a 13 MP 4K camera and offers built-in apps for controlled flying, racing and follow mode.