Current Affairs Update - 24 September 2016

Updated on : 20:55, 28 September 2016

— NATIONAL —

Mission Parivar Vikas’ of Government

• These 145 districts are in the seven high focus, high TFR states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Assam that constitute 44% of the country’s population.
• Ministry of Health and Family Welfare will soon launch “Mission Parivar Vikas” in 145 high focus districts having the highest total fertility rates in the country.
• The main objective of ‘Mission Parivas Vikas’ will be to accelerate access to high quality family planning choices based on information, reliable services and supplies within a rights-based framework.

PM approves constitution of two committees for commemoration of birth centenary of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay

• Mr. Modi will head the 149 member National Committee while Home Minister Rajnath Singh will chair the 23 member Executive Committee.
• Former Prime Ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee and H.D. Deve Gowda, Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley and Manohar Parrikar, former Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani and BJP President Amit Shah are the members of National Committee.
• Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev, Film Director Chandraprakash Dwivedi, former Hockey player Dhanraj Pillai, former Chief Justice R C Lahoti and Constitutional expert Subhash Kashyap will have also been included in the National Committee among others. Union Minister Dr. Mahesh Sharma will be the Convenor of the committee.

315 Cr Released for Building Toilets Along Ganga

• Union Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Ministry has released an amount of Rs. 315 crore to the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation for the implementation of Ganga action plan under Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) during the current financial year.
• This amount will be spent on the construction of toilets along the river Ganga.
• It may be recalled that Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Ministry had released Rs. 263 crore for this purpose to the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation during the last financial year. So far, 14,500 toilets have been constructed under this scheme.

India Ranks 143rd in Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)

• In the first ever annual assessment of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in health performance India has ranked 143rd among 188 countries.

Health Indicators measured includes: mortality rates, malaria, hygiene and air pollution.

• India ranked 143 placed just ahead of Pakistan and Bangladesh which were ranked 149th and 151st respectively . India’s is placed lower than countries like Bhutan, Botswana, Syria and Sri Lanka.
• The study was published in medical journal Lancet and launched at a special event at the United Nations general assembly in New York.
• The SDGs are 17 universal goals, 169 targets and 230 indicators set by the United Nations in 2015 to guide a range of pressing problems, including food and water security, poverty and climate change up to 2030.
• The Central African Republic, Somalia and South Sudan had the lowest values in the SDG index.

Indian Air Force successfully test fires long range air-to-air MICA missile

• Indian Air Force has successfully fired recently acquired long range air-to-air MICA missile on a manoeuvring target from Mirage-2000 Upgrade combat aircraft.
• A Defense Ministry release said in New Delhi yesterday that the missile achieved a direct hit on a target which was much smaller than an actual aircraft and flying at a low altitude.
• The release said, with the success of this mission by ‘Tigers’, the first squadron of the force, IAF has become one of the few air forces in the world with the capability of such beyond visual range air-to-air missile

India-Russia Military Exercise Begins

• The eighth edition of India-Russia Joint Military Exercise ‘INDRA-2016’ has begun in the Ussiriysk District in Vladivostok, Russia.
• Main focus of this edition of the joint exercise is on ‘Counter-Terrorism Operations in semi mountainous and jungle terrain under United Nations Mandate’.
• To achieve interoperability in joint operations, troops from both sides would acquaint themselves with the respective approach to such operations.

 

— INTERNATIONAL —

Russia-Pakistan Military Drill ‘Friendship 2016’

• The military exercise in which around 200 Russian army men are participating, was earlier reported to have been cancelled in the wake of the killing of 18 soldiers in the September 18 terror attack on an Indian army base in J&K
• Russian forces have reached in Pakistan for its first ever joint military drill.
• The two-week military drill named ‘Friendship 2016’ is the first between the two former Cold War rivals. It will continue till October 7.
• The exercise is a signal that Russia and Pakistan are deepening their military cooperation.

Yangzhou Host India Business and Culture Fest

• The city in coastal Jiangsu province has been an important business partner for India in the Eastern China Region.
• As part of Yangzhou’s International Cuisine Festival, an ‘Incredible India Pavilion’ was inaugurated, showcasing select Indian food delicacies and for promoting tourism-related travel options for Yangzhou visitors to India.
• China’s Yangzhou city is hosting India Week celebrations from 23 September with a business and investment meeting to be attended by CEOs of top Indian firms.
• Companies in Yangzhou have shown keen interest in investing in India as part of the projects available under the ‘Make in India’ initiative.
• Secretary of the ruling Communist Party of China’s Yangzhou unit, Xie Zhengyi, will soon lead an investors’ delegation to India to explore opportunities for investment.

India China Sign MoU on Tea Production

• India and China have joined hands to promote sustainable tea production and consumption.
• The United Planters’ Association of Southern India (UPASI) and China Tea Marketing Association (CTMA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in this regard.
• This MoU is the first step towards greater regional cooperation between Indian and Chinese tea industries, which produce and consume the highest volume of tea in the world. The funding support for this region would be around €15 million by 2020.

 

— BANKING —

IRDAI Slaps Penalty on SBI Life Insurance

• Insurance regulator IRDAI has imposed a penalty of Rs 10 lakh on SBI Life Insurance Company for violations of various norms.
• Inspection reports indicated that it had done 621 policies after expiry of licence.
• Authority renewed the expired licence of the corporate agent from a retrospective date i.e licence expiry date, which is only for operational convenience but doesn’t mean that insurer is allowed to procure business during the licence expiry period while the renewal application was under process.

SEBI Bars 4 Firms From Selling Assets

• Securities and Exchange Board of India has prohibited four companies from selling various immovable and movable properties as part of its efforts to recover dues totalling over Rs 1,200 crore.
• The companies are Mega Mould India, Promotech Infratech, Megasys Medi life and Mangalam Agro Products.
• After finding that the companies and their directors illegally raised funds from the public, the SEBI had earlier asked them to refund the money to investors.
• While Mega Mould India owes Rs 888 crore to Sebi, an amount of Rs 331.77 crore, 11 crore and Rs 52.79 lakhs is to be recovered from Promotech Infratech, Mangalam Agro Products and Megasys Medi life, respectively.

Andhra Bank agreements with Cigna TTK and Reliance General Insurance

• Andhra Bank has entered into corporate agency agreements with Cigna TTK Company Ltd, and Reliance General Insurance Company Ltd for providing health and general insurance respectively, to its customers.
• “The tie-up with both the insurance companies will immensely benefit the customers by providing alternatives in choosing products. These partnerships will provide mutual benefit to the bank and insurance companies in tapping the potential in the market and also help in increasing the insurance coverage.
• The two separate agreements were signed in presence of Andhra Bank Executive Director S K Kalra, MD and CEO of Cigna TTK Health Insurance Sandeep Patel and CEO of Reliance General Insurance Rakesh Jain, among other

 

— BUSINESS AND ECONOMY —

Canara Bank to raise $500mn for its overseas branches

• State-owned Canara Bank on Friday said its board has permitted raising up to $500 million as a part of its $2-billion medium-term note programme, for funding its overseas branches.
• This would be done by issuing senior unsecured foreign currency bonds in international markets. The board has also approved raising up to Rs1,128 crore via a rights issue to existing shareholders.

Digital finance to create 21mn jobs in India by 2025′

• Digital finance could boost India’s gross domestic product by $700 billion by 2025 and create 21 million new jobs, a McKinsey Global Institute report said.
• Digital finance, delivered through phones and internet, among others, will contribute nearly two-thirds of India’s GDP rise. Globally, businesses could save costs worth $400 billion and 25 billion labour hours by switching to digital payments.

 

— APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGN—

Girish Chandra Gupta was sworn in as Chief Justice of Calcutta

• Justice Girish Chandra Gupta was sworn in as Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court.
• West Bengal Governor K.N. Tripathi administered the oath of office to Justice Gupta at the Raj Bhavan in the presence of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
• Gupta replaces Manjula Chellur, who has taken over as Chief Justice of Bombay High Court.

PESB selects Sanjiv Singh for IOC’s top post

• Sanjiv Singh will be the new Chairman of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), the nation’s largest company.
• Singh, 56, who is currently Director of Refineries at IOC, was selected for the top job after government headhunters Public Enterprise Selection Board (PESB) interviewed eight candidates.

M.S. Sahoo appointed chairman of Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board

• The cabinet’s panel approves the appointment of M.S. Sahoo as chief of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board for a period of 5 years or until further orders, whichever is the earliest
• M.S. Sahoo is currently a member at anti-trust regulator Competition Commission of India and was earlier a member at capital markets regulator Sebi

Vijay Kelkar elected president of ISI

• Former petroleum secretary Vijay Kelkar has been elected president of the prestigious Indian Statistical Institute (ISI).
• Kelkar succeeded former RBI governor C Rangarajan.
• He was elected at the general body meeting of the institute, which functions under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation

Mohan M Shantanagoudar new CJ of Kerala

• Justice Mohan M Shantanagoudar was sworn in as Chief Justice of Kerala High Court at a function held at Raj Bhavan here.
• Governor Justice (Retd) P Sathasivam administered oath of office to Justice Shantanagoudar, who was the acting Chief justice. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his cabinet colleagues were among those present on the occasion

Centre appoints 3 scholars to RBI monetary policy panel

• The Union government has named 3 outside experts as members of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), moving to a model followed in the developed world.
• The 6 member MPC – the other 3 members are from RBI will conduct its first monetary policy review on 4 October, Urjit Patel’s first as RBI governor.
• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the names of Chetan Ghate, a professor at Indian Statistical Institute Pami Dua, director at Delhi School of Economics (DSE) and Ravindra Dholakia, professor at Indian Institute of Management, Ahmadabad, as MPC members.

 

— AWARDS AND HONOURS —

Industrialist Adi Godrej conferred Clinton Global Citizen Award

• Industrialist Adi Godrej, the Chairman of Mumbai-based Godrej Group, was conferred the 10th Annual Clinton Global Citizen Award for leadership in business and philanthropy, an official said here on Wednesday.
• The award recognizes Godrej’s “leadership in transforming the intersection of business and philanthropy and making the Godrej Group a global example of what can be achieved through inclusive, sustainable business strategies”.
• It was presented by Hikmet Ersek, CEO and President Western Union, in the presence of former US President Bill Clinton and his daughter Chelsea in New York on Monday.

 

— BOOKS & AUTHORS —

President, PM launch VP’s book titled “Citizen and Society”

• President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi today launched Vice President Mohd Hamid Ansari’s book titled “Citizen and Society” at the Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi.
• The book is a collection of lectures delivered by Hamid Ansari ranging from the role of women in a multicultural society to other dynamics of a democratic nation.

 

— SPORTS —

Hurt Ritu Rani retires from international hockey

• Former Indian women’s hockey captain Ritu Rani has retired from international hockey after being deeply hurt following her axing from the Rio Olympics-bound squad.
• Ritu, who was controversially dropped from the team for the Rio Olympics citing “attitude” issues, however was included in the 29 probables for the national camp which began in Bhopal on Sunday.

Vani Kapoor clinched the 13th leg of the womens Professional Golf Tour

• Indian golfer Vani Kapoor clinched the 13th leg of the womens Professional Golf Tour on the final day at the Jaypee Greens at Noida.
• This is Vani’s sixth title in nine appearances this season. Gursimar Badwal finished runner­up with a total score of 222, followed by Saaniya Sharma in third place.
• The Tour now moves to the historic Delhi Golf Club for the 14th Leg to be played from September 26.

Sania Mirza wins her 40th WTA doubles title

• Indian tennis star Sania Mirza won her 40th WTA doubles title after winning the Pan Pacific Open title in Tokyo on Saturday.
• Sania and her Czech partner Barbora Strýcová, playing together in their third tournament, defeated China’s Zhaoxuan Yang and Chen Liang 6-1, 6-1 in the 52-minute long tournament final.