Current Affairs Update - 30 July 2016

Updated on : 11:05, 30 August 2016

— IMPORTANT DAYS —

World Day against Trafficking in Persons

• World Day against Trafficking in Persons is an official United Nations observance held on July 30.It was established in 2013 by the UN General Assembly.
• The observance focuses on raising awareness of human trafficking & the importance of stopping it.The day aims to raise awareness of the situation of those who have fallen victims to human trafficking and to promote and protect their rights.

 

— NATIONAL —

Strategic Forces Command exempted from RTI ambit

• The Strategic Forces Command, which forms part of the National Command Authority (NCA), has been added to the Second Schedule of the Right to Information Act (RTI), 2005, which exempts security and intelligence establishments from its purview.
• A government notification said the Strategy Forces Command was being brought under sub-section (2) of Section 24 of the RTI. The NCA’s Executive Council, chaired by the National Security Adviser, gives inputs to the Political Council, which authorises a nuclear attack if need be.
• The Political Council is chaired by the Prime Minister and advised by the Executive Council.
• This mechanism is meant to ensure that the nuclear weapons are under civilian control. A Command and Control (C2) mechanism prevents their accidental or unauthorised use.

Minister launches PashudhanBimaYojana in Haryana

• Haryana Animal Husbandry and Dairying Minister, Mr O P Dhankar launched PashudhanBimaYojana at a function organized at Government Polytechnic Institute in Jhajjar today.
• While speaking on the occasion, he said that PradhanMantriFasalBimaYojana and PashudhanBimaYojana were the result of recommendations made in Swaminathan Report.
• He reiterated the commitment of the present state government to make Haryana a risk free state. He said that the Animal Husbandry and Dairying Department has set a target to cover one lakh cattle under PashudhanBimaYojana.

Centre sanctions nearly Rs 620 crore to UP as drought assistance

• Nearly Rs. 620 crores have been sanctioned to Uttar Pradesh by the Centre as assistance for the recent drought situation in the state.
• The Central Government also approved almost Rs. 80 crores for Rajasthan which was affected by hailstorm and Rs. 15 crores to Manipur which was affected by earthquake.
• A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting in the national capital chaired by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

HP govt signs MoU with NTPC, NHPC for hydro engineering college in Bilaspur

• The establishment of the first hydro engineering college in Himachal Pradesh will boost regional development and provide more job opportunities, Union Health Minister J P Nadda said.
• He was speaking at an event where anMoU was signed between the Himachal Pradesh government and National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) and National Hydel Power Corporation (NHPC) for setting up of the hydro engineering college in Bilaspur.

WB tourism department launches app

• The West Bengal Tourism department has launched a mobile App based on its theme of ‘Experience Bengal’. Alongside information on places of tourist interest, the App would be loaded with other facilities like maps and directions.
• The sight would be powered by information on each and district of the state and the various places that can be visited and activities that can be taken up. There would also be information on the various festivals of the state.
• Through some related links on the App, the users can also get access to Facebook, Twitter Page of West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation and Bengal cuisine website. Online booking facilities would also be available through the App available on android.

 

— INTERNATIONAL —

India to host international summit on tobacco-control

• India will host a crucial global summit in Nov to eliminate the illicit trade of tobacco products.The summit is scheduled from Nov 7-12 in Noida will aim “to eliminate illicit trade of tobacco products.
• About 1,000-1,500 delegates from 180 countries are expected to participate in the summit.The percentage of tobacco-related cancers is 30.1 of the population as a whole.

Joint Indo-Thailand Military Exercise ‘Maitree’ culminates

• The Indo-Thailand Military Exercise Maitree concluded on 29 July 2016 at Krabi, Thailand.
• The exercise had commenced on 15 July 2016 under the aegis of the Royal Thailand Army.
• The aim of the joint exercise was to train contingents of both the armies on conduct of counter terrorist operations in an urban environment.

 

— BANKING —

SEBI plans to ease norms for start-up listings

• The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) plans to relax guidelines for listing of start-ups.
• The regulator is in favour of the shares being traded in smaller numbers so that more investors can trade and has also proposed higher allotment to retail investors.
• According to SEBI’s proposal, the 25 per cent cap on holding by an individual entity or persons acting in concert should be done away with. The regulator has sought feedback.

 

— BUSINESS AND ECONOMY —

BPCL buys 21% stake in PE-backed FINO PayTech for $37.6 mn

• State-run refiner Bharat Petroleum Corp. Ltd (BPCL) said on Friday it has signed definitive agreements to acquire a 21% stake in payment technology solutions provider FINO PayTech Ltd for Rs 251 crore ($37.6 million) in cash.
• Mumbai-based FINO was one of 11 companies to receive the Reserve Bank of India’s in-principle approval to start a payments bank last year.
• BPCL said the deal, along with the payments bank to be launched by FINO, will help the refiner provide customized offerings to different segments of customers and drive its fuel and non-fuel business.

BRICS Employment Working Group to meet on 27-28 July,2016 in Hyderabad

• The first-ever meeting of BRICS Employment Working Group (BEWG) to shape the agenda for labour and employment track in the five-nation grouping will be held here from July 27.
• The two-day conclave is essentially a meeting of senior officials from the BRICS member states, an official release said today.
• BandaruDattaraya, Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment, will also address the meeting hosted by India.

 

— APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGN—

JN Singh appointed new Chief Secretary of Gujarat

• The Gujarat government has appointed Dr. J.N. Singh, a 1983-batch Gujarat cadre IAS officer, as new Chief Secretary of the State in place of G.R. Aloria, who is superannuating on July 31st.
• His order was issued by the Personnel Department headed by Additional Chief Secretary Anil Mukim.
• Dr. Singh is currently Additional Chief Secretary (Finance) and also officiating as Managing Director of Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation (GSPC).

Intex appoints Madhuri Dixit as brand ambassador for consumer durable products

• Intex Technologies has appointed cinestarMadhuri Dixit as brand ambassador for its consumer durable products, including washing machines and refrigerators. The actor has been signed for a period of two years, a company release said.
• In addition to Madhuri, Intex already has many other stars as its brand ambassadors for other product categories. For the mobile phones, the brand has FarhanAkhtar as the national brand ambassador, SudeepSanjeev for Karnataka, Mahesh Babu for Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and Suriya for Tamil Nadu.

Justice D B Bhosale takes oath as chief justice of Allahabad high Court

• Uttar Pradesh governor Ram Naik today administered the oath to Justice DilipBabasahebBhosale as the new Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court here.
• Justice Bhosale would be probably the 46th chief justice of the Allahabad High Court and he will succeed Justice D Y Chandrachud, who has now been elavated to the Supreme Court.
• 58- year-old Chief Justice Bhosale was the acting chief justice of the Andhra Pradesh-Telengana states before being appointed as the chief justice of Allahabad High Court.

Shambhu Singh Yadav appointed as Deputy Lokayukta of UP

• Shambhu Singh Yadav, a retired IAS officer and secretary to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister AkhileshYadav was today appointed as the Deputy Lokayukta of the state.
• On joint recommendation of Chief Minister AkhileshYadav and Lokayukta Justice Sanjay Misra, a letter was sent to Raj Bhawan last week in this regard.
• The government had recommended Yadav, a 1997-batch IAS officer, presently posted at the Chief Minister’s secretariat on extension.
• Yadav, considered close to ruling Samajwadi Party, had retired three years ago and served as special secretary to former Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav in the previous SP government in 2003.

 

— SPORTS —

Rio 2016: Russian weightlifters banned from Olympic Games

• Russia’s weightlifting team has been banned from competing at the Rio Olympics because of doping offences.
• Individual sport federations must rule on whether Russians can compete in Rio following the country’s doping scandal.
• Two of the eight-strong weightlifting team had already been banned for prior violations, and another four were named in the McLaren report into the issue.
• Russia’s Sports Minister said 272 of the original 387 athletes selected had been cleared to complete in Rio.

 

— OBITUARY —

RajjatBarjatya, MD and CEO of Rajshri Productions no more

• RajjatBarjatya, MD and CEO of RajshriMedia, passed away on Friday (July 29) at a hospital in Mumbai.
• Cousin of filmmaker SoorajBarjatya, Rajjat took his last breath at 6:30 in the evening.
• He had cancer and was admitted in Jaslok Hospital from last few days.
• According to media sources Rajjat suffered from lukaemia in the past and survived the same.