Current Affairs One liners: 29 September 2016 The one liners of the day covers important current affairs of the day like Project SAKSHAM, 19th SAARC Summit boycotted, and ISRO-Telangana agreement among others. • The Union Cabinet recently approved closure of - Hindustan Cables Limited • The world’s first baby was born from a new procedure that combines the DNA of three people. The name of the procedure is - Mitochondrial Donation • The country with which Russia recently signed an agreement on Peaceful Nuclear Cooperation is - Cuba • Indian women’s Kabbadi team on 28 September 2016 bagged gold medal at - the 5th Asian Beach Games • The Union Government on 28 September 2016 approved assistance of 1269 crore rupees for drought affected - Maharashtra • The former Australian cricketer, nicknamed as Tangles, who passed away recently is - Max Walker • The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on 28 September 2016 approved ‘Project SAKSHAM’ that is - New Indirect Tax Network (Systems Integration) of the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) • Four SAARC member countries that decided to boycott the 19th SAARC Summit to be hosted by Pakistan from 9 to 10 November 2016 are - India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan • Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and Telangana government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to provide digital classes across the state through its state channel named - Mana TV • World Maritime Day was observed across the world on 29 September 2016 with the years theme - Shipping: indispensable to the world • The US and Vietnamese navies have begun the 7th annual Naval Engagement Activity (NEA), Vietnam 2016 at - Tien Sa Port in Da Nang • The annual cap of coal for sale through State Nominated Agencies has been hiked from four thousand two hundred tonnes per annum to - Ten thousand tonnes per annum • Outlet of the pharmacy was inaugurated by Union Health Minister JP Nadda at Gauhati medical college and hospital – AMRIT pharmacy • The second Italian marine accused of killing two Indian fishermen who was allowed to remain in his country by Supreme Court is - Massimiliano Latorre • The two-day national conference on Prison Reforms will be held in - New Delhi • Air India will introduce three more flights on the Australia-India air route next year, increasing the frequency to - 10 flights per week • Union Cabinet in September 2016 approved MoU between India and Singapore in the field of- Industrial Property Cooperation • Region declared as Measles free recently by WHO- The Americas • Person appointed as the Chief Secretary to the Karnataka Government recently- Subhash Chandra Khuntia • Person elected as the President of Indian Statistical Institute recently- Vijay Kelkar • The World Heart Day is celebrated every year on- 29 September
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Friday 30 September 2016
CURRENT AFFAIRS
Union Government decides to raise EPFO Investment in ETF from 5 to 10 per cent The Union Government on 30 September 2016 decided to raise the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) investment in Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) from existing 5 per cent to 10 per cent. The decision has been taken considering the good returns in ETF investment. An official release said, in the last one year, the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has invested 6577 crore rupees. The investment has yielded a good return of 13.24 per cent. The past performance of the last six months from April, 2016 to August, 2016 also showed gradual appreciation in the returns from 0.37 per cent in March 2016 to 13.24 per cent in August 2016. Five per cent EPF has been invested in NIFTY 50 and SENSEX. The pattern of investment prescribed by the Ministry of Finance has given guidelines for investment in equity from 5 per cent to 15 per cent.
CURRENT AFFAIRS
Tirupati Airport awarded Best Tourist Friendly Airport Airports Authority of India’s Tirupati Airport on 27 September 2016 was awarded the Best Tourist Friendly Airport under the category for State Annual Excellence Awards for the year 2015-16 by Andhra Pradesh Tourism. The award was presented on the eve of World Tourism Day by the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Nara Chandra Babu Naidu at Bhawani Islands, Vijayawada. About State Annual Tourism Excellence Awards • The State Annual Tourism Excellence Awards under various segments of Travel and Tourism Industry are awarded by Department of Tourism, Government of Andhra Pradesh. • They are awarded for maintaining excellent Customer friendly relations with tourists and passengers, coinciding with World Tourism Day Celebrations.About Tirupati Airport • Tirupati Airport was established in the year 1976. • It is a public airport located at Renigunta, a suburb of Tirupati in the state of Andhra Pradesh. • The airport is located 14 km away from Tirupati and 39 km from Venkateswara Temple, Tirumala.
CURRENT AFFAIRS
West Bengal government decides to install Monorail West Bengal government has decided to install monorail from Budge Budge in South 24-Parganas to Ruby Connector in Kolkata. This was informed by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on 29 September 2016. The 14-kilometre-long monorail route will connect Budge Budge to Ruby via Taratala, New Alipore and Prince Anwar Shah Road and will come up at a cost of 4216 crore rupees. This new service will also connect commuters to the proposed metro rail network between New Garia to Kolkata airport. For execution of the monorail project, the state transport department will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Burn Standard Company Limited. Burn Standard Company Limited will be funding the project and the state government will provide land for the purpose. The Chief Minister said that there would not be any problem over land acquisition as minimum land would be required to construct pillars and elevated tracks would be laid connecting them. Other happenings in the state CNG run vehicles in Asansol-Durgapur area The West Bengal environment department has taken up an initiative to run CNG run vehicles in Asansol-Durgapur area. It was decided to introduce the environment friendly transport in the industrial and trading hubs. The change from the present system of running the public transport system will be implemented in phases. In the first phase 500 state run buses will be asked to convert into CNG. Apart from this fleet of South Bengal State Transport Corporation (SBSTC) run buses, the state will ask at least 2000 auto rickshaw operators in the Durgapur-Asansol area to opt for CNG. The state environment department will give 5 crore rupees to the state transport department for the conversion. Hooghly declared as an open-defecation free The Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee declared Hooghly as an open-defecation free (ODF) district at the administrative meeting in Chinsurah. North 24 parganas was also declared as an ODF district. Nadia was declared as the country’s first ODF district, on 30th April 2015. The State Panchayat and Rural Development Department has taken steps to make all the districts in West Bengal open-defecation free by March 2019. 30 April is celebrated as “Nirmal Bangla Dibas” in the State every year.
CURRENT AFFAIRS
Railways Ministry launches various Railways Services Railways Minister Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu on 29 September 2016 launched various Railways Services and dedicated them to the nation. These Railways services are: • Liberalised station to station special freight rates policy. • Policy providing sub quota of 33% to women within reserved categories for the allotment in catering units. • Policy giving preference to local domicile holders for commercial licenses at stations. • New system of allocating vacant berths after final charting to wayside stations. • Launch of the new tag Train at a Glance 2016 and new Time Table effective from 1 October 2016.  Liberalised station to station special freight rates policy • Existing as well as new traffic shall be eligible. • Concession shall be granted up to a maximum of 30 percent on the incremental traffic over and above the benchmark NTKM. • Concession shall be in the form of percentage discount over the Normal Tariff Rate (NTR). It should be ensured that the concessional freight should not be less than the NTR of Class 100. • Concession shall be admissible to Block rake, two/multi point rake, Mini Rake etc. • Concession may be granted for retention of traffic also up to maximum of 15 percent. • STS scheme will be applicable for all terminals namely goods sheds, sidings, ports, CRTs, PFTOs etc. • Commodities excluded from STS are - All commodities with classification below Class-100, All commodities under Main Commodity Head Coal & Coke, Iron ore, Military traffic, POL and RMC. Policy providing sub quota of 33% to women for the allotment in catering units • A Sub Quota of 33 percent for women in allotment of the reserved catering units was introduced in order to extend economic empowerment for women. • This will ensure allotment of minimum 8 percent stalls to women at A1, A, B & C category station and minimum 17 percent allotment at D, E and F category station. • There are approximately 8000 Minor Catering Units over Indian Railways. • Under this provision, Railways shall ensure that women participation does not fall below a specific level. Policy giving preference to local domicile holders for commercial licenses at stations • In compliance of Budget Announcement 2016-17, a process of giving weightage to district Domicile Holders for commercial licenses at stations is being proliferated at all stations over Indian Railways. • It would help to build local ownership and rural empowerment along with socio-economic development. • The weightage to district domicile holders is being proliferated for allotment of Catering Units at all categories of stations. • It will ensure protection of livelihood of the small vendors. • The allotment of Minor Units over Indian Railways will ensure local ownership and will also promote regional / local cuisine, which is always a preferred choice. Transfer of vacant berths for optimal utilisation of berths • This facility of transfer of berths remaining vacant after second charting at the train originating station to the next and subsequent stations will clear the way for the waitlisted passengers at such stations. • The PRS system will automatically allot vacant berths available at the originating stations after preparation of second chart to the subsequent stations where waitlisted passengers are available. • The passenger will get SMS on his registered mobile indicating the coach and berth number allotted. • This will help passengers boarding at road side stations to get confirmed berths. • The TTEs will be able to allot vacant berths on board after departure of the train only upto the next station where quota is available for the train. • At present about 3 lakh berths per year go unutilised while there may be demand at intermediate stations.
Thursday 29 September 2016
SCIENCE &TECH
HRD Minister inaugurates Super Computer PARAM-ISHAN at IIT Guwahati Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar on 19 September 2016 inaugurated the super computer PARAM ISHAN at IIT Guwahati campus. Students and faculty members of IIT Guwahati are expected to derive huge benefit from the facility. PARAM ISHAN • It is the fastest and most powerful computer in North East, Eastern and Southern region. • It has been jointly developed by IIT Guwahati and Centre for Development of Advanced Computing, C -DAC. • PARAM ISHAN has the power of 250 Teraflops and 300 terabyte capacity and can be used in the application areas like computational chemistry, computational fluid dynamics, computational electromagnetic, civil engineering structures, nana-block self assemble, optimization and others. • It can also be used for weather, climate modeling and seismic data processing.
SCIENCE &TECH
Scientists use stem cells to successfully grow human lungs in a dish A team of researchers from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) created a three-dimensional lung, called as organoids, to study diseases, including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. The organoids resemble sections of human lungs instead of just cells. The study was published in the journal Stem Cells Translational Medicine. How the researchers grew lungs? • The researchers used stem cells taken from actual adult human lungs to coat tiny sticky hydrogel beads. • The beads eventually grew and self-assembled to envelope the hydrogel beads, which were all placed inside linked wells. • The resulting structure produced evenly distributed three-dimensional patterns consistent with actual air sacs like those in human lungs. • Inside each well, the lung cells grew around the beads, which linked them and formed an evenly distributed three-dimensional pattern. • To show that these tiny organoids mimicked the structure of actual lungs, the researchers compared the lab-grown tissues with real sections of human lung. • Moreover, when the researchers added certain molecular factors to the 3D cultures, the lungs developed scars similar to those seen in the lungs of people who have idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. • The scientists were not able build a fully functional lung. However, they have been able to take lung cells and place them in the correct geometrical spacing and pattern to mimic a human lung. What is Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis? • Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a chronic lung disease characterised by scarring of the lungs. • The scarring makes the lungs thick and stiff, which over time results in progressively worsening shortness of breath and lack of oxygen to the brain and vital organs. • The term 'idiopathic' is used because the cause of pulmonary fibrosis is still unknown. • To study the effect of genetic mutations or drugs on lung cells, researchers have previously relied on two-dimensional cultures of the cells. But when they take cells from people with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and grow them on these flat cultures, the cells appear healthy.
SCIENCE & TECH
MIT develops a spectroscopic technique to detect Martian life Scientists at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) US have developed a spectroscopic technique that would help the 2020 Mars Rover to non-invasively identify sediments that are relatively unaltered, and maintain much of their original composition. Such pristine samples will allow scientists to identify the signs of former life, if they existed, on the red planet. The new technique is based on an improved way of interpreting the results of Raman spectroscopy, a common, non-destructive process used by geologists to identify the chemical composition of ancient rocks. Raman spectroscopy • It is a common, non-destructive process that geologists use to identify the chemical composition of ancient rocks. • It is used to identify whether a sample contain carbonaceous matter. • The presence of carbonaceous matter suggests that the sample may also have harbors sign of life. • With the new improve spectroscopy techniques; researchers can now also estimate the ratio of hydrogen to carbon atoms in a sample. • Hydrogen can be used as basis to determine if a certain sample is pristine or not. • If the sample has low hydrogen, it is possible that it has experience more heating, altering its organic matter and losing hydrogen in a form of methane. Besides, the 2020 Mars Rover would be equipped with several scientific tools including Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals (SHERLOC). SHERLOC is an instrument that will acquire Raman spectra from samples on or just below the Martian surface. SHERLOC will be pivotal in determining whether life ever existed on Mars. Development of the technique at MIT was reported in the journal Carbon. 2020 Mars Rover NASA has plans to launch a new Mars rover that will be tasked to probe the region on the planet believed to hold remnants of ancient microbial life. The rover will collect samples of rocks and soil, and store them on the Martian surface. The collected samples would be returned to Earth sometime in the distant future so that scientists can meticulously analyze the samples for signs of present or former extraterrestrial life.
SCIENCE & TECH
NASA spots possible Water Plumes Erupting on Jupiter's Moon Europa The latest finding has given scientists fresh hope that a robotic spacecraft could one day fly past these potential plumes and learn about their contents without having to drill miles deep into the moon's icy shell. Using ultraviolet images taken by Hubble, a space telescope that was launched in 1990, the potential plumes were seen around the southern edge of Europa and appear as dark fingers or patches of possible absorption. They were spotted over the course of 15 months in 2014 when scientists observed Europa passing in front of Jupiter. This was observed by a team of astronomers led by William Sparks of the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore. They observed these finger-like projections while viewing Europa's limb as the moon passed in front of Jupiter. If confirmed, Europa would be the second moon in the solar system known to have water vapor plumes. In 2005, NASA's Cassini orbiter detected jets of water vapor and dust spewing off the surface of Saturn's moon Enceladus. About the Plumes on Europa The plumes are estimated to rise about 125 miles (200 kilometers) before, presumably, raining material back down onto Europa's surface. Europa has a huge global ocean that contains twice water than Earth’s oceans, which is protected by a layer of extremely cold and hard ice of unknown thickness. The plumes provide a tantalizing opportunity to gather samples originating from under the surface without having to land or drill through the ice. Previous Finding Earlier in 2012, a team led by Lorenz Roth of the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, detected evidence of water vapor erupting from the frigid south polar region of Europa and reaching more than 100 miles (160 kilometers) into space. Although both teams used Hubble's Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph instrument, each used a totally independent method to arrive at the same conclusion. Next step to confirm presence of water vapor plumes on Europa It is expected that scientists will use the infrared vision of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, which is scheduled to launch in 2018, to confirm venting or plume activity on Europa. Besides, NASA is also formulating a mission to Europa with a payload that could confirm the presence of plumes and study them from close range during multiple flybys. The work by Sparks and his colleagues will be published in the 29 September 2016 issue of the Astrophysical Journal. Hubble Space Telescope It is a project of international cooperation between NASA and ESA (the European Space Agency.) NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the telescope. STScI, which is operated for NASA by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy in Washington, conducts Hubble science operations.
ECONOMIC AFFAIRS
Union Cabinet approves establishment of Higher Education Financing Agency The Union Cabinet on 12 September 2016 approved the creation of the Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA). The HEFA will be established to give a major push for creation of high quality infrastructure in premier educational institutions. Key highlights of the HEFA • The HEFA will be jointly promoted by the identified Promoter and the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) with an authorised capital of 2000 crore rupees. The Government equity will be 1000 crore rupees. • The HEFA will be formed as a SPV within a PSU Bank/ Government-owned-NBFC. It will leverage the equity to rise up to 20000 crore rupees for funding projects for infrastructure and development of world class Labs in IITs/IIMs/NITs and such other institutions. • It will also mobilise CSR funds from PSUs/Corporates, which will in turn be released for promoting research and innovation in these institutions on grant basis. • The HEFA will finance the civil and lab infrastructure projects through a 10-year loan. • All the Centrally Funded Higher Educational Institutions will be eligible for joining as members of the HEFA. • For joining as members, the Institution should agree to escrow a specific amount from their internal accruals to HEFA for a period of 10 years. This secured future flows will be securitised by the HEFA for mobilising the funds from the market. • Each member institution will be eligible for a credit limit as decided by HEFA based on the amount agreed to be escrowed from the internal accruals.
ECONOMIC AFFAIRS
Union Government notifies new import policy for marble & travertine blocks Union Government on 18 September 2016 notified the new import policy for marble and travertine blocks and marble and granite slabs. The policy will come into effect from 1 October 2016. The new policy ends the quantitative restriction on the import of marble and travertine blocks as well as the cumbersome and restrictive import licensing system.  The Minimum Import Price (MIP) for marble blocks has been reduced to 200 US dollar per metric ton. The basic customs duty on import of marble and travertine blocks has been increased from 10 percent to 40 percent to address the interest of domestic producers. Similarly, the MIP on the import of marble slabs is being reduced to 40 US dollar per square metre and the basic customs duty on the import of marble slabs is doubled to 20 percent. The MIP on the import of granite slabs has been reduced to 50 US Dollars per square metre and the basic customs duty on import of granite slabs has been doubled to 20 percent. The new policy balances the interests of domestic consumers, producers and processors, and ends the cumbersome licensing system for import of Marble & Travertine blocks.
ECONOMIC AFFAIRS
India, Samoa tax information exchange agreement approved The Union Cabinet on 21 September 2016 gave its approval for signing and ratification of agreement between India and Samoa for the exchange of information with respect to Taxes. This agreement will stimulate the flow of exchange of information between the two nations for tax purposes which will help curb tax evasion and tax avoidance. As of now, there are no financial implications between the two nations. Only in the event of extraordinary costs exceeding 500 US dollars, the same will be borne by India. India has similar provisions in other such tax information exchange agreement.  Salient features of the Agreement • It enables the competent authorities of the two nations to provide assistance through exchange of information that is relevant to the administration and enforcement of the domestic laws of the two countries concerning taxes covered by this Agreement. • The information received under the Agreement shall be treated as confidential and may be disclosed only to persons or authorities (including courts or administrative bodies) concerned with assessment, collection, enforcement, prosecution or determination of appeals in relation to taxes covered under the Agreement. Information may be disclosed to any other person or entity or authority or jurisdiction with the prior written consent of the information sending country. • The Agreement also provides for Mutual Agreement Procedure for resolving any difference or for agreeing on procedures under the Agreement. • The Agreement shall enter into force on the date of notification of completion of the procedures required by the respective laws of the two countries for entry into force of the Agreement. Negotiations for entering into an Agreement for the exchange of information with respect to Taxes were finalized between India and Samoa in June 2016 and both countries have agreed on the text of the Agreement. Section 90 of the Income Tax Act, 1961 allows the Union Government to enter into an agreement with a foreign country or specified territory for exchange of information for the prevention of evasion or avoidance of income-tax chargeable under the Income-tax Act, 1961.
ECONOMIC AFFAIRS
Union Cabinet approves Winding up of Hindustan Diamond Company Private Limited The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs gave its approval for initiating the process of winding up of Hindustan Diamond Company Private Limited (HDCPL). HDCPL is 50:50 joint venture of the Union Government and De Beers Centenary Mauritius Limited (DBCML). The winding up of HDCPL is not likely to affect supply of rough diamonds to Indian diamantaires because the Indian diamond industry has grown in all these years. At present, India is a house of top diamond producers.  Besides, the Special Notified Zone (SNZ) at Bharat Diamond Bourse, Mumbai established in 2015 also enables the smaller Indian players to have a direct access to the supply of rough diamond. Hindustan Diamond Company Private Limited The HDCPL was incorporated under the Companies Act, 1956 in 1978. The company was established with an objective to supply rough diamonds to diamond processing industry in India, particularly to small and medium diamond jewellery exporters. In the past, the Indian diamond exporters didn’t had a direct access to rough diamonds from Diamond Trading Company (DTC), London. DTC is the marketing arm of De Beers who held a very large chunk of world’s rough diamonds market.
ECONOMIC AFFAIRS
CCEA approves 5176 crore rupees Capital Grant for GAIL pipeline project The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on 21 September 2016 approved the partial capital grant of 5176 crore rupees to GAIL (India) Limited for development of 2539 km long Jagdishpur-Haidia and Bokaro-Dhamra Gas Pipeline (JHBDPL) project. This grant is 40 percent of the total estimated capital cost of 12940 crore rupees. Highlights of the JHBDPL project • JHBDPL project will connect Eastern part of the country with National Gas Grid. • It will ensure the availability of clean and eco-friendly fuel i.e. Natural Gas to the industrial, commercial and transport sectors in the States of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal. • This Capital Grant will encourage the supply of eco-friendly fuel at affordable tariffs to industries and will encourage industrial development in these states. Other Development The CCEA also approved the simultaneous development of City Gas Distribution (CGD) networks in cities namely Varanasi, Patna, Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Bhubaneswar, Kolkata, Cuttack etc. en-route of JHBDPL project. These distribution networks will be developed by GAIL in collaboration with the concerned State Governments. It will bring clean cooking fuel at the door step of Domestic households as well as provide clean fuel to transport sector in the eastern region.
Tuesday 27 September 2016
Current affairs quiz with answers
1. Which country recently launched world's biggest radio telescope in search for extraterrestrial life? a) India b) China c) The Netherlands d) The United Kingdom 2. Name the Indian player who recently won India's first medal at Asian Beach Games. a) Pincky Balhara b) Shivam Bhowmick c) Rajat Malhotra d) None of the above 3. Name the first Russian-Pakistani joint military exercise, which recently commenced in Pakistan. a) Babar-2016 b) Cherat-2016 c) Moskow Friendship-2016 d) Druzhba-2016 4. Arnold Palmer, nicknamed as ‘The King’ recently passed away. He was related to which of the following fields? a) Cricket b) Tennis c) Golf d) Basketball 5. Who won the 2016 St Petersburg Open Men’s Singles title? a) Stan Wawrinka b) Alexander Zverev c) Roger Federer d) Andy Murray 6. Who won the 2016 St Petersburg Open Men’s Doubles title? a) Dominic Inglot and Henri Kontinen b) Leander Paes and Andre Begemann c) Leander Paes and Henri Kontinen d) Treat Huey and Henri Kontinen 7. Name the satellite of students of IIT, Bombay that was launched in ISRO’s launch in which it sent eight satellites to space under one mission? a) Pratham b) PISAT c) SCATSAT-1 d) Junoon 8. Name the country whose voters have given a strong approval to a law on new surveillance powers for the intelligence agencies. a) Japan b) Germany c) Philippines d) Switzerland 9. Who of the following was appointed as the Additional Secretary in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council? a) CK Asnani b) Arun Goyal c) Monika Kapil Mohta d) Mukund Choudhari 10. Who of the following won the women’s doubles title at the Toray Pan Pacific Open trophy? a) Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis b) Chen Liang and Zhaoxuan Yang c) Zhaoxuan Yang and Barbora Strycova d) Sania Mirza and Barbora Strycova 11. Name the person who won the Under-19 Asian Junior Individual squash championship title. a) Tushar Shahani b) Yash Fadte c) Velavan Senthilkumar d) Mohammad Al-Sarraj 12. Union Health Ministry has decided to launch the Mission Parivar Vikas in what number of High Focus districts in seven states? a) 96 b) 112 c) 133 d) 145 13. Name the Indian cricketer who became the fastest Indian and second overall to take 200 wickets, reaching the milestone in his 37th Test. a) Ravichandran Ashwin b) Ravindra Jadeja c) Ishant Sharma d) Bhuvneshwar Kumar 14. Name the film that has been selected as India's entry to the 89th Academy Awards (Oscars) to be held in 2017 in the Foreign Language Film category. a) Neerja b) Udta Punjab c) Sairat d) Visaranai 15. Name India’s largest civilian research and development agency that celebrated its platinum jubilee on 26 September 2016. a) Council of Scientific and Industrial Research b) Defence Research & Development Organisation c) Directorate General of Civil Aviation d) Indian Patent Office Answer. 1. (b) China 2. (a) Pincky Balhara 3. (d) Druzhba-2016 4. (c) Golf 5. (b) Alexander Zverev 6. (a) Dominic Inglot and Henri Kontinen 7. (a) Pratham 8. (d) Switzerland 9. (b) Arun Goyal 10. (d) Sania Mirza and Barbora Strycova 11. (c) Velavan Senthilkumar 12. (d) 145 13. (a) Ravichandran Ashwin 14. (d) Visaranai 15. (a) Council of Scientific and Industrial Research
Google launched app allo
Union Minister Radha Mohan Singh presented Antyodaya Krishi Puruskars
Union Minister Radha Mohan Singh presented Antyodaya Krishi Puruskars Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh on 25 September 2016 gave away Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Antyodaya Krishi Puruskars to 12 farmers for their contribution in the agriculture sector. They were felicitated during a function at the birth place of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay in Mathura. Winners of the award National Award for the year 2016: Krishna Yadav, an enterprising lady farmer from, Dinpur, Najafgarh, New Delhi for her outstanding achievements in the processing and value addition of food especially fruits and vegetables. Zonal awardees includes Award from Zone I: Jinder Singh, a small farmer from Roopnagar, Punjab won the award for starting a nursery of vegetable crops under the brand name ‘Chamkaur Sahib Paniri Farm’. Zone I comprises of the states of Punjab, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi. Award from Zone II: Pooja Sharma, a small Haryana farmer won the award for her innovative ways of farming. Zone II comprises of the states of Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi Award from Zone III: Moti, a small farmer from Saidasaunkh village in Mathura won the award for his outstanding skills in innovative ways of farming which includes production of seeds of new varieties and planting material and distributing it among the fellow farmers at reasonable rates. Zone III covers entire Uttar Pradesh. Award from Zone IV: Deepak Kumar Singh from Bishanpur Banka, Bihar won the award for cultivation and sale of mushroom which has enabled him to earn a sizeable income from this activity. Zone IV comprises of the states of Bihar and Jharkhand. Award from Zone V: Ashok Kumar Sarkar, Nimbudera, a small farmer from, Andaman and Nicobar Island was awarded for his outstanding entrepreneurial skill in agriculture production. Zone V comprises of the states of West Bengal, Orissa and Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Award from Zone VI: Anuradha Chhetri of Pakyong, East Sikkim was awarded for diversification of agricultural activities with orchids can be a boon for the farmers having small landholding in the hilly regions of the country. Zone VI comprises of the states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim. Award from Zone VII: Biswajit Majumder from Sabroom, Tripura has been awarded for establishment of a farmer’s club in his village. Zone VII comprises of the eastern states of Tripura, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Meghalaya. Award from Zone VIII: Hasam Bhai Jumabhai Musangara, an enterprising fish farmer from Gir, Somnath, Gujarat was awarded for his outstanding achievements in Agriculture especially fisheries. Zone VIII comprises of the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, Daman & Diu and Dadra Nagar Haveli. Award from Zone IX: Balaram Patidar a progressive and innovative farmer from Sarangi, in Jhabua, Madhya Pradesh was awarded for cultivating horticultural and cash crops using scientific technologies. Zone IX comprises of the states of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Award from Zone X: Alluri Suryanarayana Murthy, a small farmer from East Godavari, Andhra Pradesh was awarded for adopting an integrated farming system which has enabled the farmers in his surrounding areas to reap huge benefits. Zone X comprises of the states of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. Award from Zone XI: A traditional fisherman A Baburaj from Kozhikode, Kerala won the award for successfully adopting sustainable brackish water aquaculture practices as a livelihood option. Zone XI comprises of the states of Karnataka, Kerala and Lakshadweep. Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Antyodaya Krishi Puruskar As part of the Centenary Celebrations of Deendayal Upadhaya, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research has instituted Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Antyodaya Krishi Puruskar at national and zonal levels in 2016. The awards include one award at national level comprising one lakh rupees and 11 zonal awards comprising of 50 thousand rupees each along with a citation and certificate. Purpose of setting the award This award was instituted for recognizing the contributions of marginal, small and landless farmers for developing integrated and sustainable models of agricultural farming.
ChinA unveils five hundred meter Apesphericalrthre telescope
China unveils Five-hundred-meter ApeSphericalrture Telescope in search for extraterrestrial life China on 25 September 2016 officially launched the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST) in a mountainous region of Guizhou province. The telescope was launched to hunt for extraterrestrial life and explore space.  Key highlights of Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope • The FAST is a radio telescope located in the Dawodang depression, a natural basin in Pingtang County, Guizhou Province, southwest China. • It consists of a fixed 500 m dish constructed in a natural depression in the landscape. • It is the world's largest filled aperture (single dish) radio telescope. • It is the second largest radio telescope after the Russian RATAN-600. • The final cost of the project is 180 million US dollars. • Construction on the FAST project began in 2011 and was completed in July 2016. • The chief scientist of the project is Nan Rendong. • It has a fixed primary reflector located in a natural hollow in the landscape, focusing radio waves on a receiver suspended 140 m above it. • The reflector is made of perforated aluminium panels supported by a mesh of steel cables hanging from the rim. • Its surface is made of 4450 triangular panels, 11 m on a side, in the form of a geodesic dome. • It is capable of pointing anywhere within ±40° from the zenith.
IIT-M develops a lab-on-a-chip diagnostic device
Ten things to know about the PSLV's longest-ever flight
Monday 26 September 2016
Medical Council of India
- The Medical Council of India(MCI) is a statutory body for establishing uniform and high standards of medical education in India. The Council grants recognition of medical qualifications, gives accreditation to medical schools, grants registration to medical practitioners, and monitors medical practice in India.
- It is under the aegis of Indian Medical Council Act 1956, with subsequent amendments and ordinances, that the Medical Council of India (MCI) governs medical education in India.
- The most arresting and important governance-related element of the proposed reform is the scrapping of the MCI and its replacement by a new body, the National Medical Commission (NMC).
- Members of the MCI are elected. While the current system of election to the MCI was based on noble intentions, the effect has been to keep serious medical educationists out of the body.
- The NMC, on the other hand, would have its members selected by a high-powered committee of unimpeachable integrity, to be chaired by the cabinet secretary.
- The evaluation of medical colleges, which at present is conducted based on inputs, will switch over to an output-based evaluation.
- This will eliminate the possibility of corruption, which has flourished under an opaque input-based system in which the MCI could threaten closure of a medical college
- The proposed new legislation will mandate both entrance and exit exams for medical professionals. Anyone practicing medicine in India will have to pass the exit exam. This would bring India in line with the norms of medical certification in other major countries.
- With a mandatory exit exam before anyone is allowed to practice medicine, medical colleges will have to perform. A college which charges exorbitant fees and whose students fail the exit exam will soon be out of business.
- The regulation of fees for medical education:
- The Panagariya committee’s proposal, private medical colleges will be free to set their own fees in a transparent manner. Further, all colleges will need to announce and post upfront their structure of fees.
- For-profit medical colleges will be permitted.
- System of Equity with Efficiency:
- The Panagariya committee’s proposal for for-profit colleges will increase various capitation and other hidden fees charged by the colleges that will considerably jack up a student’s costs over and above the official, regulated tuition fees.
- This can lead to a completely non-transparent system which has served no one well.
- Our current status is that India’s system of medical education features ostensibly non-profit medical colleges, while profiteering by unscrupulous colleges which are subject to opaque and capricious regulation has continued unabated.
- The Panagariya committee has courageously established the principle that, in medical education as in other sectors, profit is not a dirty word.
- It is far better for society to have well regulated for-profit medical colleges with transparent and upfront fees and with a scrupulous system of entrance and exit exams that will keep them honest, than our current system in which no one is genuinely accountable, standards are poor, and it is both medical professionals—and ultimately patients—who suffer.
- “For achieving the desired objectives, it is necessary to ensure that the regulatory institution remain independent and autonomous”. Discuss in the light of experiences in recent past.
- “India’s system of medical education features ostensibly non-profit medical colleges, yet there are unregulated, profiteering and opaque colleges”. Critically analyze the recent reforms suggested by Arvind Panagariya committee
Plot sell at Allahabad
ISRO launched 8 satellites in two different Orbits
ISRO launched 8 satellites in two different Orbits Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on 26 September 2016 successfully launched eight satellites in two different orbits in a single mission. These satellites were launched with the PSLV C35 from the first launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikotta.  The satellites that was carried into space include the primary payload SCATSAT-1 of India, weighing 371 kg, and seven other customer payloads (five foreign and two domestic) together weighing 304 kg during lift off. The weather satellite SCATSAT-1 will be hurled into a polar sun synchronous orbit of 730 kilometer height. The other seven satellites that will be injected into a different orbit as compared to the principal payload are  • Three smaller payloads from Algeria: Alsat-1B 103 kg, Alsat-2B 110 kg and Alsat Nano 7 kg. They are meant for earth observation, remote sensing and technology demonstration. • One from US: Pathfinder-1 of 44 kg. It is a high resolution imaging microsatellite and is owned by BlackSky. • One from Canada: NLS-19 of 8 kg developed at University of Toronto, Canada. It is a nano-satellite to experiment reduction of space debris. • The other two satellites are from India and they are a) Pratham: A student-satellite of the IIT, Bombay. It would estimate the total electron count with a resolution of 1km x 1km location grid. b) PISAT (पैसेट): It is developed by a consortium-led by the PES University in Bengaluru. It would explore remote sensing applications. The two Universities/Academic Institute Satellites and the five foreign satellites were placed into a 670 km polar orbit. SCATSAT-1 of India would serve as a continuity mission for the highly acclaimed Oceansat-2 that has completed its operational life. Its data to accurately predict the landfall of the Cyclone Phailin in Odisha coast recently helped avoid major loss of lives as precautionary measures could be taken in advance. As per reports, this will be made possible by shutting down and restarting the fourth and last stage of the vehicle twice during the flight. The ISRO has gained valuable expertise on restarting the engine of the polar synchronous satellite launch vehicle PSLV in space during June 2016 and December 2015. Through them, the scientists of the space agency gained the expertise to use a single launch mission to inject multiple satellites in different orbits altogether. So far, the PSLV has launched 39 remote-sensing satellites of ISRO including the Chandrayaan-1 of 2008 and the Mars mission of 2013-14. Apart from this, it has also launched 74 foreign commercial and university satellites. Now get latest Current Affairs on mobile, Download # 1 Current Affairs App Click below to see the complete story http://www.jagranjosh.com/current-affairs/ISRO-launched-8-satellites-in-two-different-Orbits-1474861389-1 Sent via Jagran Josh
Current Affairs Quiz: 24 September 2016
1. Name the long range air-to-air missile that was successfully test fired by Indian Air Force from Mirage-2000 Upgrade combat aircraft. a) Novator K-100 b) Barack-8 c) MICA d) Astra 2. Name the state/union territory that increased the retirement age of doctors working in its hospitals to 65 years. a) Pondicherry b) Delhi c) West Bengal d) Punjab 3. Name the Sangeet Natak Akademi winning Hindi and Urdu writer and television personality who died in September 2016. a) Reoti Saran Sharma b) Nalinidhar Bhattacharyya c) Gobind Tez d) TA Rasaq 4. Name the country with which India started a Joint Military Exercise ‘INDRA-2016’? a) Nepal b) Russia c) Sri Lanka d) China 5. Staffan de Mistura, the UN Special Envoy to a country called the countries crisis as the worst humanitarian tragedy since the Second World War. Name the country. a) Iraq b) North Korea c) Syria d) Ukraine 6. Name the venue from where Asia’s oldest and world’s 3rd toughest mountain biking (MTB) race kicked off. a) Shimla b) Nainital c) Mussoorie d) Manali 7. By what percent, the Union Government cut import duty on wheat and potato to boost supplies and check prices of the commodities during the upcoming festival season? a) 5 percent b) 10 percent c) 15 percent d) 20 percent 8. Name the state that adopted the resolution to use Cauvery water only for drinking needs. a) Tamil Nadu b) Pondicherry c) Kerala d) Karnataka 9. Name the person for whose birth centenary commemoration the Union Government approved the constitution of two committees. a) Bal Gangadhar Tilak b) MS Golwalkar c) Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay d) Vinayak Damodar Savarkar 10. Name the state that quashed all notifications regarding 10 percent quota for EBC Economically Backward Classes. a) Haryana b) Gujarat c) Goa d) Maharashtra 11. Name the Pakistani cricketer who became the first Pakistani to receive Test mace from ICC. a) Mohammad Hafeez b) Shahid Afridi c) Misbah-ul-Haq d) Younis Khan 12. Who of the following was appointed as the Indian ambassador to the United States of America? a) Pavan Kapoor b) Navtej Sarna c) Pankaj Saran d) Ronen Sen 13. Who of the following topped in the 2016 Forbes list of 100 Richest Indians? a) Azim Premji b) Acharya Balkrishna c) Anil Ambani d) Mukesh Ambani 14. In what number of high focus districts the Union Government will soon launch Mission Parivar Vikas for improved family planning services? a) 120 b) 136 c) 145 d) 162 15. Who of the following was appointed as the Chief Justice of Kerala High Court? a) Girish Chandra Gupta b) Mohan M. Shantanagoudar c) Chittatosh Mookerjee d) Ashok Bhushan Answer. 1. (c) MICA 2. (b) Delhi 3. (a) Reoti Saran Sharma 4. (b) Russia 5. (c) Syria 6. (a) Shimla 7. (b) 10 percent 8. (d) Karnataka 9. (c) Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay 10. (b) Gujarat 11. (c) Misbah-ul-Haq 12. (b) Navtej Sarna 13. (d) Mukesh Ambani 14. (c) 145 15. (b) Mohan M. Shantanagoudar
Current Affairs One Liners of the Week:
Current Affairs One Liners of the Week: 19 September to 24 September 2016 The recap of the week covers important current affairs of the week like India-Russia Joint Military Exercise ‘INDRA-2016’, Rafale fighter jet deal between India and France and 2016 Right Livelihood Award among others. • Indian Air Force successfully fired the recently acquired long range air-to-air MICA missile on a manoeuvring target from - Mirage-2000 Upgrade combat aircraft • The renowned Hindi and Urdu writer, playwright and television personality, who died in New Delhi is - Reoti Saran Sharma • Delhi government on 23 September 2016 increased the retirement age of doctors working in its hospitals from 62 to - 65 • The eighth edition of India-Russia Joint Military Exercise ‘INDRA-2016’ begun in - Ussiriysk District in Vladivostok, Russia • The UN Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura called the Syrian crisis the worst humanitarian tragedy since - the Second World War • Test captain of the Pakistan national cricket team who became the first Pakistani to receive the prestigious ICC Test Championship mace after topping in the ICC Test Team Rankings - Misbah-ul-Haq • He was appointed as India’s Ambassador to the US - Navtej Sarna • He was appointed as the Chief Justice of Kerala High Court – Justice Mohan M. Shantanagoudar • India and France inked the 7.8-billion Euro deal for - 36 Rafale fighter jets • State that will now have its own bravery awards and these awards will be given out on Independence Day and Republic Day every year is - Delhi • Afghanistan signed a peace agreement with one of the country's largest militant groups Hezb-e-Islami led by - Gulbuddin Hekmatyar • Two Indian forest officials, who were selected for the 2016 Clark R. Bavin Wildlife Law Enforcement Awards are - Sanjay Dutta and Ritesh Sarothiya • Hindustani classical singer who will be honoured with the annual 'LalitArpan Samman' this year is - Shubha Mudgal • The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) signed a contract with M/s DST, Germany to design vessels, especially suited to navigate the 1620 km stretch of - National Waterway-1 (NW-1) • Author of the book "Citizen and Society" that was launched by President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is - Vice President Mohd Hamid Ansari • China's city that is set to host India Week celebrations with a business and investment meeting to be attended by CEOs of top Indian firms is - Yangzhou • Punjab and Haryana High Court has stayed the 10 percent reservation given to economically weaker sections in - Haryana • Winners of the 2016 Right Livelihood Award widely referred as the Alternative Nobel Prize are - Syria Civil Defence (The White Helmets), Egypt’s Mozn Hassan and Nazra for Feminist Studies, Russia’s Svetlana Gannushkina and Turkish daily Cumhuriyet • The state where about 52000 government primary and upper primary schools functioning under the School and Mass Education Department, have no teacher for each class is – Odisha • The country where the Muslim Brotherhood has made a return to parliament after winning 16 seats in the 130-member house is - Jordan • Government's think-tank Niti Aayog has devised a short-term and medium-to-long term action plan to help India achieve 50 medals in - 2024 summer Olympics • The company that has landed a 99.7-million dollar contract from Vietnam Border Guard to design, construct and supply high-speed patrol vessels is - Larsen & Toubro (L&T) • Two institutions that signed an MoU to work jointly towards sustainable development of the tea sector are - the United Planters' Association of Southern India (UPASI) and the China Tea Marketing Association (CTMA) • Asian Development Bank in September 2016 approved 631 million US dollars loan for- Visakhapatnam-Chennai industrial corridor • Two companies that recently signed MoU with Dhamra LNG Terminal Private Limited for taking equity stake in the Terminal- Indian Oil Corporation Limited and GAIL India Limited • CCEA approved the partial capital grant of 5176 crore rupees for development of 2539 km long Jagdishpur-Haidia and Bokaro-Dhamra Gas Pipeline (JHBDPL) project to- GAIL (India) Limited • Person appointed as the World Bank Country Director for India recently- Junaid Ahmad • PV Bharathi was recently appointed as the Executive Director (ED) of- Canara Ban • Oscar-winning director of movie LA Confidential who passed away recently- Curtis Hanson • The India cricketer who was recently named the captain of the India's all time Test XI by Wisden is - MS Dhoni • The person recently appointed the chairman of the BCCI Selection Committee is - MSK Prasad • The Indian industrialist who was recently conferred the Clinton Global Citizen Award is - Adi Godrej • Person sworn in as the Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court- Girish Chandra Gupta • The team lifted the title of the Obaidullah Khan Heritage Cup Hockey Tournament by defeating Indian Railways - Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) • The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs gave its approval for initiating the process of winding up of Hindustan Diamond Company Private Limited (HDCPL), which is a - 50:50 joint venture of the Union Government and De Beers Centenary Mauritius Limited (DBCML) • The Union Cabinet approved the signing and ratification of agreement for the exchange of information with respect to Taxes with – Samoa • The Union Cabinet approved the provision of a direct communication link through a dedicated submarine Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) between - Mainland (Chennai) and Andaman and Nicobar Islands • The two nations that was requested by Assam Government to immediately rectify their travel advisory to its citizens to the state - UK and Australia • Country that topped the World Economic Freedom (WEF) Index 2016- Hong Kong • India stood at which position in the World Economic Freedom (WEF) Index 2016- 112th • Nobel laureate who was honoured as the 2016 Humanitarian of the Year by the Harvard Foundation- Aung San Suu Kyi • Person appointed as the India's Ambassador to Sweden recently- Monika Kapil Mohta • Transportation app Ola in September 2016 tied-up for Cab Booking Interface Integration with- Yatra.Com • Country hit by Typhoon Meranti recently- China • Joint Sea-2016 naval exercise was conducted between- China and Russia • Person appointed as the Chairman of Life Insurance Corporation of India recently- VK Sharma • International Day of Peace was observed across the world on 21 September 2016 with theme - The Sustainable Development Goals: Building Blocks for Peace • The Giant African Land Snail (GALS) was spotted in the campus of - the Goa University at Taleigao • Number of cities in the third list of Smart Cities that was released by Union Government – 27 • Scientists at MIT have developed a spectroscopic technique that would help the 2020 Mars Rover to identify the signs of life at – Mars • Rushiraj Barot won gold in the junior men's 25m rapid fire pistol event in - ISSF Junior World Cup • The state that objected to Genetically-Modified (GM) mustard from being considered for commercial cultivation in India is – Kerala • Two-day North East Connectivity Summit was held in- Agartala • Person who resigned as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Jubilant FoodWorks Limited recently- Ajay Kaul • Company acquired by Facebook recently to build Wi-Fi drones, data servers and virtual reality goggles faster- Nascent Objects • Service launched by Indian Railways recently to facilitate access to wheelchairs, battery operated cars for elderly, differently-abled people- Yatri Mitra Sewa • World Leaders recently at the United Nations General Assembly Summit for Refugees and Migrants adopted the- New York Declaration • Company that was recently conferred with the prestigious membership of the Asia-Pacific Aerospace Quality Group- Hindustan Aeronautics Limited • The first football referee of Odisha who recently passed away at age of 100 is - Narottam Mohanty • Naropa Festival recently started in Ladakh region of India. The festival is also known as - Kumbh of Himalayas • A team of researchers recently created a three-dimensional lung, called as organoids. This technique could be used to study specifically - Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis • The financial services firm with which the Board of Control for Cricket in India recently tied up is - Janalakshmi Financial Services • Anandi Ramalingam has been appointed as the first woman Director (Marketing) of - Bharat Electronics Limited • He became the first minority actor in 18 years to win the Emmy Award for best leading actor in a drama series - Rami Malek • India successfully test-fired the most advanced surface-to-air missile off the Odisha coast - 'Barak-8' • Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar on 19 September 2016 inaugurated the super computer PARAM ISHAN at - IIT Guwahati campus • President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party on 19 September 2016 won the Russian parliamentary election by securing 343 seats of the total 450 in - Duma, the lower house of Russian Parliament • The Cauvery Supervisory Committee headed by Shashi Shekhar directed Karnataka to release 3000 cusecs of water per day from 21 to 30 September 2016 to - Tamil Nadu • Guided Missile Destroyer Ship that was launched recently at Mazagaon Dock Ship Builders Limited (MDL), Mumbai- INS Mormugao • Malayalam critic chosen for the prestigious N Mohanan Suvarna Mudra Award 2016- M Leelavathy • Pulitzer-winning US playwright who authored the masterpiece Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf and died recently- Edward Albee • Person appointed as the Head of International Society for Blood Transfusion (ISBT) recently- Ravi Reddy • Sports personality appointed as Brand Ambassador of Punjab National Bank recently- Virat Kohli • The UPSC member who was recently appointed the Chairman of the Union Public Service Commission is- Alka Sirohi • Charkhi Dadri has been recently declared as the 22nd district of - Haryana • The Indian hearing-impaired shooter who won the bronze medal in the first World Deaf Shooting Championships is - Priyesha Deshmukh\ • The recent joint naval exercises conducted between China and Russia in the South China Sea is - Joint Sea-2016 • The drama series that won the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards is - Game of Thrones • The Indian wrestler who won gold medal in Junior World Wrestling Championships is – Manisha • Indian shooters clinched seven medals, including three golds, on the opening day of the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Junior World Cup for pistol, rifle and shotgun at - Gabala in Azerbaijan • The new import policy for marble and travertine blocks and marble and granite slabs notified by the government will come into effect from - 1 October 2016 • First Indian music and dance festival aimed to showcase the country's rich and diverse culture was kicked off in - Sydney, Australia • 7-day-long Naropa festival is being celebrated in- Jammu and Kashmir
Barack Obama vetoed a bill
Barack Obama vetoed a bill that would have allowed families of 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia US President Barack Obama on 23 September 2016 vetoed a bill that would have allowed the families of 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia. Earlier, the Justice against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) was passed by both the chambers of the Republican controlled Congress. As per President, the JASTA, would have jeopardized the long standing international principles regarding sovereignty and would have made adverse impact with US interests and nationals overseas.  In his message accompanying his veto, he said that the bill departs from longstanding standards and practice under US Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act. It also threatens to strip all foreign governments of immunity from judicial process in the country based solely upon allegations by private litigants that a foreign government's overseas conduct had some role or connection to a group or person that carried out a terrorist attack inside the United States. The US President said the bill would upset longstanding international principles regarding sovereign immunity, putting in place rules that, if applied globally, could have serious implications for the country's national interests and it can even complicate relations with its closest partners.
Asia’s oldest MTB race kicks off in Shimla
Asia’s oldest MTB race kicks off in Shimla The 12th edition of Asia’s oldest and world’s 3rd toughest mountain biking (MTB) race kicked off on 24 September 2016 from historic Ridge Maidan of Shimla in Himachal Pradesh. Nearly 67 participants from 14 countries including 11 men of SSB are taking part in the race which would conclude on 3 October 2016 in Dharmshala, the district headquarter of Kangra. Mohit Sood, President Himalayan Adventure Sport and Tourism Promotion Association said that total 650 kilometers would be covered by the participants during their journey. This year the new route of race is going to be more challenging to the riders in terms of terrain. There will be an equal amount of uphill and downhill segments in the race. Looped circuits of approximately 60-70 km each day of the race will be covered by the riders. On the way these bikers would also meet 10000 school children’s studying in the different government schools and aware them to preserve environment as well as adopt habit of cycling in their day today activities.
Sunday 25 September 2016
Cauvery River Row
Cauvery River Row: Where Water flares the flame The Cauvery water dispute, which has been a bone of contention amongst Karnataka and Tamil Nadu throughout recent decades, has again prompted brutality in the area after Supreme Court affirmed its order. The court has guided Karnataka state government to discharge 15,000 cusecs of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu for the following 10 days trying to spare the samba crops.  Cauvery Horata Samiti, the association which has been at the cutting edge of issue in Karnataka, required a statewide "bandh" prompting vicious dissents by farmers. The disruption has affected public transport offices, schools, universities and government workplaces in Mandya. The Cauvery water debate has affected the local politics for long with gatherings mixing feelings of individuals as the river has a profound social, economic and religious significance for them. This, thus, prompted a circumstance where the general assessment turned out to be more rigid with time, making it even troublesome for the political parties to locate a shared conviction. Why so much angst about the Cauvery? The waterway Cauvery is the biggest in southern India, and starts close Mercara in the Coorg area at a height of 1,341 m (4400 ft) above ocean level towards the Western Ghats, taking an easterly course through the conditions of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, before joining the Bay of Bengal. The Cauvery's upper hill catchment lies in Karnataka and Kerala. It is affected by the typically tried and true south-west storm amid June to September. Its lower part lies in the plains of Tamil Nadu, served by the not really dependable north-east Monsoon amid October to December. In specialized water law dialect, Karnataka is the upper riparian state where the waterway begins; Tamil Nadu is a lower riparian state. Puducherry needs its offer of the Cauvery on the grounds that it is the place the stream streams into the Bay of Bengal. Also, Kerala really contributes more water to the waterway than it can use, as a result of its topography. How old is the dispute over the Cauvery? It is over 150 years of age. Amidst the nineteenth century, the administration of Mysore (as Karnataka was then called) needed to assemble various new irrigation project. This made nervousness what was then the condition of Madras, which was reliant on the Cauvery for water system. After a few rounds of dialogs between the two and the government of India, an assention was marked in 1892, which represented various interstate streams. Another understanding was marked in 1924, identifying with the utilization, conveyance, and control of the Cauvery waters particularly. Both understandings expressed that current water system ought not be hindered by the development of new works upstream, and downstream irrigation ought not be decreased. Besides, all works must in the arranging stages be affirmed by the downstream state government (i.e., Tamil Nadu for Cauvery's situation). At the end of the day, under the law Mysore could do nothing that would reduce water supply to Tamil Nadu, the lower riparian state. Karnataka did not execute these agreements or understanding. Rather, it shaped four new projects by developing dams over the tributaries of Cauvery, without getting leeway from the Centre, Planning Commission, and Central Water Commission. In 1910, the administration of Mysore proposed a reservoir at Kannambadi, and looked for the assent of the Madras government under the 1892 understanding. As the Madras government did not concur, it was alluded to arbitration. The arbitration board's grant was not adequate to the Madras government and it appealed. At the point when the Government of India did not intercede, moves were started that prompted the consenting to of the 1924 Arrangement. The dispute Timeline: Feb 5, 2007: After 16 years, Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal holds as valid the two agreements of 1892 and 1924 executed between the governments of Madras and Mysore on the apportionment of water to Tamil Nadu The final award makes an annual allocation of 419 tmcft to Tamil Nadu in the entire Cauvery basin, 270 tmcft to Karnataka, 30 tmcft to Kerala and 7 tmcft to Puducherry out of the total 740 TMC available in the Cauvery basin in a normal year. Sept 19, 2012: At the seventh meeting of the CRA, Manmohan Singh directs Karnataka to release 9,000 cusecs of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu at Biligundlu. Both the CMs — Jayalalithaa and Jagadish Shettar — term it "unacceptable". This is the first CRA meet since the UPA came to power at the Centre in 2004.Sept 28, 2012: The Supreme Court slams the Karnataka government for not complying with the PM’s direction.Feb 29, 2013: The Centre notifies the final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT). The Central government was mandated to constitute the Cauvery Management Board (CMB) simultaneously with the gazette notification of the final award of the Tribunal dated February 19.March 10, 2013: The Tamil Nadu chief minister says she will work for the formation of the Cauvery Water Board during a felicitation ceremony organised in Thanjavur for her efforts to get the final award notified in the Union gazette.March 19, 2013: Tamil Nadu moves the Supreme Court to give directions to the water ministry for constitution of the Cauvery Management Board.May 28, 2013: Tamil Nadu moves Supreme Court, seeking Rs 2,480 crore in damages from Karnataka for not following the orders of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal.June 1, 2013:The Union water resources secretary chairs the first meeting of the supervisory committee in which Tamil Nadu demanded its share of water for June as stipulated in the award.June 2, 2013: Water cannot be released as and when TN demands, says Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah.June 6, 2013:Karnataka says it cannot release 134 tmcft of water to Tamil Nadu between June and September.June 12, 2013:The Cauvery Supervisory Committee terms as not "feasible" Tamil Nadu’s plea for direction to Karnataka for release of Cauvery water.June 14, 2013:Tamil Nadu decides to file contempt plea against Karnataka for its stand on the Cauvery Supervisory Committee.June 15, 2013:Chief minister Jayalaithaa says the Tamil Nadu government will approach the Supreme Court for the formation of the Cauvery Management Board and Cauvery Water Regulatory Authority.June 26, 2013:Contending that the setting up of a supervisory committee had become a futile exercise, Tamil Nadu moves SC for constitution of the Cauvery Management Board.June 28, 2013:Tamil Nadu files contempt petition in the Supreme Court against Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah for his defiant stand against the Supervisory CommitteeJuly 15, 2013:Karnataka and Tamil Nadu clash during the third meeting of the Cauvery Supervisory Committee over the latter’s share of the river water. While Tamil Nadu sought 34 tmcft in July and 50 tmcft in August to save the Samba crop, Karnataka says that it had already released 34 tmcft between June and July 13.August 2016: Tamil Nadu asks the Supreme Court to direct Karnataka to release water to Tamil Nadu after Siddaramiah says there is no water in the reservoirs.Sept 6, 2016:SC directs Karnataka to release 15,000 cusecs a day till Sept 15. Protests break out in Karnataka Rivers are complicated? It is. Not only in India, but also at a global level. Internbational law has reams of statute on interstate streams (waterways that go through the regions of the few states), saying that such waters can't be said to be situated in any one state, and that no state can assert select responsibility for waters to deny other downstream state of their equitable offer. In this way, no state can successfully legislate for the utilization of such waters, since its administrative force does not reach out past its territories. In a federal system, for example, India, things are similar. What are the grievances of Tamil Nadu? TN says that the aggregate volume of water from Karnataka for streaming down to the Mettur dam is turning out to be less and less. It additionally affirms that the water discharges were not being made in time to address the issue of development of crops, especially in the Cauvery delta of TN. TN needs the yearly discharges to be made in a managed way, from week to week, from June to May. How did the latest dispute start? There are four parties to the debate—Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Puducherry. Karnataka built four projects on and close to the Cauvery: Harangi, Kabini, Hemavathi and Suvarnavathy. For these, Karnataka did not get the earlier assent of the Tamil Nadu government. From 1974, Karnataka began diverting river flows into the four new supplies. Not able to resolve the dispute, the Center alluded it to the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) in 1990. So, why Supreme Court order made the Kannadigas unhappy? On 5 September, a SC bench involving judges Dipak Misra and Uday Umesh Lalit asked Karnataka to discharge 15,000 cusecs (cubic feet every second) of water every day to Tamil Nadu for 10 days. Tamil Nadu was asked to discharge water proportionately to downstream Puducherry. What did Karnataka agree to and what was Tamil Nadu’s demand? Well, Karnataka was willing to discharge less water, that is, 10,000 cusecs, while Tamil Nadu needed more, that is, 20,000 cusecs for the 10-day time frame from 5 September. So, it was easy for SC to pick the median and it should have made both sides happy? Indeed, that is the thing that the Misra-led SC bench would have though, however considering the savagery in the city of Karnataka, the court's intercession in this way has not helped to resolve this crisis. On 12th September, the SC requested Karnataka to discharge 12,000 cusecs of water a day to Tamil Nadu until 20 September. That implies Karnataka will wind up discharging more water to its neighbor. But, why SC even get dragged into this dispute whereas CWDT is supposed to sort this issue? Well, it’s interesting and long story. The CWDT had awarded the decision in 1991, for Tamil Nadu, which then told Karnataka to implement it. Karnataka was not willing. In this way, Tamil Nadu recorded suit in the Supreme Court in 2001. It is as yet pending. The next hearing of that suit is on 18th October 2016. Meanwhile, the CWDT gave its final decision in 2007 (which likewise in fact supplanted the 1892 and 1924 agreement to water sharing). What's more, the most recent SC orders have been appealed in special leave petitions (SLPs) submitted by Tamil Nadu against Karnataka. Well, then what was CWDT interim order of 1991? The Tribunal guided Karnataka to guarantee that 205,000 million cubic feet (TMC) of water was accessible in Tamil Nadu's Mettur Reservoir in a year from June to May. What happened then? Karnataka proclaimed a law, followed by an Act, to discredit the impact of the tribunal ruling. The President then made a reference to the Supreme Court for its opinion. The SC addressed this reference in November 1991, saying the statute and the Act were unconstitutional and beyond the legislative power of the State. In 1998, Centre set up the Cauvery River Authority (CRA) and a monitoring committee (MC). The CRA incorporated the Prime Minister, and the chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and of Puducherry. The MC included secretary of the union minister of water resources, and chief secretaries of the three states, and Puducherry, Chairman, Central Water Commission, and others. The CRA and the MC should manage issues on sharing of waters every now and then. So, CRA and the MC failed to resolve matters? Yes, it shows up so. Regardless, nobody knows whether despite everything they exist, as another supervisory committee has been set up in their place in 2013. Why Tamil Nadu approaches the SC time and again? Normally, Tamil Nadu approaches the SC for a bearing to Karnataka to accept and comply to what requested by the tribunal, setting a timetable for arrival of the water in various months of the year. On the majority of these events, Karnataka comes up with the excuse that as a result of the lacking precipitation, it had not been workable for it to entirely consent to the interim order by discharging the amount of water as coordinated. What does the 2007 final order of the Tribunal say and what is the conclusion it drawn? The Tribunal, in a unanimous decision, decided the aggregate accessibility of water in the Cauvery basin at 740 TMC at the Lower Coleroon Anicut site, including 14 TMC for environmental protection and drainage into the ocean. The final award made a yearly allotment of 419 TMC to Tamil Nadu in the whole Cauvery basin, 270 TMC to Karnataka, 30 TMC to Kerala, and 7 TMC to Puducherry. It characterized an "normal or ordinary year" as one in which the aggregate yield of the Cauvery basin is 740 TMC. In a normal ordinary year, Karnataka needs to discharge to Tamil Nadu at Biligundulu 192 TMC (as against 205 TMC in the interim award) in every month. It includes 182 TMC from the designated share of TN, including 10 TMC for environmental purposes. In a distressed year, the distributed shares are to be proportionately lessened among Kerala, Karnataka, TN and Puducherry. The Tribunal likewise prescribed setting up the Cauvery Management Board (CMB) to actualize the Tribunal's order, and said, otherwise, "its choice would just be on a bit of paper". Furthermore, its most part remained on paper only: the CMB has not yet been set up, despite the fact that the order has been published in the official periodical on 19 February 2013, and is binding. What is the supervisory committee, then?The supervisory committee was constituted by the Ministry of Water Resource in 2013., and incorporates individuals from the Ministry of Water Resource, chief secretaries of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry, and the CWC. The function of committee was to offer impact to the execution of the Tribunal order of 5 February 2007. Clearly, this council replaces the past Cauvery River Authority and the checking advisory group, set up in 1998, and is viewed as a contrasting option to the Board, proposed by the Tribunal. The most recent Supreme Court order has requested that Tamil Nadu approach the supervisory committee to deal with its grievance. Anyway SC got involved, so what was the point? The way that the Supreme Court mediated suggests that the Judiciary is maybe pointlessly getting included in matters that are past its ability. The SC could have recently requested that this committee to meet urgently and resolve the crisis amicably, contend observers. But Supreme Court resolved the dispute now? It is basically a federal debate, and should be resolved amicably between the states on the grounds that the issue is so intricate. Top-down settling by the Supreme Court will unavoidably support one state and estrange another. The state that is seen to have lost in the case then can't control popular sentiments in the state, and will again prompt appeal, as has now apparently happened again against the SC judgment. In this manner, the matter truly must be managed by an expert body including proficient subject expert of both States. Will the dispute drag on and continue to the next century? It will, if the states concerned don't show development and rather continually depend on suit, knowing completely well that the Supreme Court can't enforce the Tribunal's last order. And at whatever point there are legal battles fought in court, emotions run high in both states on the issue.
PM approves constitution of two committees
PM approves constitution of two committees for birth centenary of Pt. Deendayal Upadhyay Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 23 September 2016 approved the constitution of two committees for the commemoration of the birth centenary of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay. 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 LK Advani and BJP President Amit Shah are the members of National Committee.  Besides, 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. The committee includes several Governors, Chief Ministers, Scientists, Journalists, Academicians, Social Workers and Spiritual Leaders. Union Minister Dr. Mahesh Sharma will be the Convenor of the committee. Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay, who was born on 25 September 1916 in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, was the ideologue of Jan Sangh, the parent organisation of BJP. BJP is planning year-long celebrations which will be inaugurated by the party chief at its National Council at Kozhikode.
Saturday 24 September 2016
Un security council
UN Security Council adopts resolution on nuclear non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament The UN Security Council on 23 September 2016 approved a resolution urging quick global implementation of Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban treaty that would ban tests of nuclear weapons. With 14 votes in favour and one abstention (Egypt), the resolution welcomed progress made towards universalization of the Treaty, noting that 183 States have signed the Treaty and 166 States have deposited their instruments of ratification.  US Secretary of State John Kerry invoked North Korea's latest nuclear explosion in urging ratification of the treaty for a safer, more secure, and more peaceful planet. But the US has not yet done so. The UN's Comprehensive Test Ban Organization already has a network of monitoring stations. But it still cannot go on site to inspect for tests until the treaty enters into force. For that, the holdouts among the 44 countries that are designated nuclear capable, the United States, China, Egypt, India, Iran, Israel, North Korea and Pakistan must ratify. The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty bans all nuclear explosions for both civilian and military purposes. Adopted by the UN General Assembly under resolution 50 (1996), the Treaty will enter into force 180 days after the date of deposit of the instruments of ratification by all.
Friday 23 September 2016
Today word of the day
English learning
Airtel hits back at Reliance Jio
Airtel hits back at Reliance Jio, introduces 90-day free data pack for 4G customers http://tz.ucweb.com/9_4nnx
Current affairs
Current Affairs Quiz: 22 September 2016 Jagranjosh.com brings for its reader daily updated quizzes that cover the topics like Visakhapatnam-Chennai industrial corridor, chairman of the BCCI Selection Committee and Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court, among others. 1. Which Bank approved the 631 million US dollars loan for Visakhapatnam -Chennai Industrial Corridor recently? a) World Bank b) Asian Development Bank c) European Investment Bank d) Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank 2. Which two companies recently signed MoU with Dhamra LNG Terminal Private Limited for taking equity stake in the Terminal? a) Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited and Indraprastha Gas Ltd b) Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd and GAIL India Limited c) Indian Oil Corporation Limited and GAIL India Limited d) Hindustan Petroleum Ltd and Indraprastha Gas Ltd 3. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs recently approved the partial capital grant of 5176 crore rupees for development of 2539 km long Jagdishpur-Haidia and Bokaro-Dhamra Gas Pipeline (JHBDPL) project to which company? a) GAIL (India) Limited b) Indian Oil Corporation Limited c) Bharat Petroleum Limited d) Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited 4. Who was appointed as the World Bank Country Director for India recently? a) Onno Ruhl b) Junaid Ahmad c) Syed Muazzem Ali d) Harsh Vardhan Shringla 5. PV Bharathi was recently appointed as the Executive Director (ED) of which bank? a) Yes Bank b) Dena Bank c) Bank of India d) Canara Bank 6. Name the Indian industrialist who was recently conferred the Clinton Global Citizen Award. a) Anil Ambani b) Aditya Vikram Kumar Mangalam c) Adi Godrej d) Azim Premji 7. Who was recently appointed the chairman of the BCCI Selection Committee? a) Rakesh Parikh b) Aashish Kapoor c) Ajay Shirke d) MSK Prasad 8. Who was recently sworn in as the Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court? a) Manjula Chellur b) Girish Chandra Gupta c) Chittatosh Mookerje d) None of the above 9. Who was recently named the captain of the India's all time Test XI by Wisden? a) MS Dhoni b) Virat Kohli c) Sourav Ganguly d) Sachin Tendulkar 10. Name the Oscar-winning director of movie LA Confidential who passed away recently? a) Curtis Hanson b) Alfred Hitchcock c) James Cameron d) Christopher Nolan 11. Which of the following island will not be connected with the submarine Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) that will be created between Chennai and Andaman and Nicobar Islands? a) Little Andaman b) Car Nicobar c) Havelock d) Neil Island 12. CCEA approved the process of winding up of a joint venture company. Name it. a) Hindustan copper limited b) Hindustan Diamond Company c) Diamond Trading Company d) None of the above 13. The Union Cabinet approved signing and ratification of tax agreement with which nation? a) Samoa b) Fiji c) Palau d) Australia 14. Who of the following is the author of book Democrats and Dissenters? a) Sanjeev Sanyal b) Ravi Velloor c) Ramachandra Guha d) MK Rasgotra 15. Name the team that won the Obaidullah Khan Heritage Cup Hockey Tournament? a) Punjab Sindh Bank b) Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd c) Indian Railways d) Indian Oil Corporation ANSWERS 1. (b) Asian Development Bank 2. (c) Indian Oil Corporation Limited and GAIL India Limited 3. (a) GAIL (India) Limited 4. (b) Junaid Ahmad 5. (d) Canara Bank 6. (c) Adi Godrej 7. (d) MSK Prasad 8. (b) Girish Chandra Gupta 9. (a) MS Dhoni 10. (a) Curtis Hanson 11. (d) Neil Island 12. (b) Hindustan Diamond Company 13. (a) Samoa 14. (c) Ramachandra Guha 15. (b) Bharat Petroleum Corporation
Niti aayog
NITI Aayog chalks up plan to secure 50 medals in 2024 Olympics NITI Aayog, the think tank of union government, has devised a short –term and medium-to-long term action plan to help India achieve 50 medals in 2024 summer Olympics. In its action plan for revitalising sports in India, Niti Aayog said, India still does not have a conducive environment for sports to polish the talent of Indian sports persons and make them at par with their global counterparts.  Details of the Vision • Short-term vision (4-8 years): it envisages targeting a group of priority sports, organising sports persons into three groups for each priority sport, harnessing the potential of indigenous and regional sports, selecting world-class coaches as well as a grading system for coaches. This term will also focus on a sports injury insurance scheme, strengthening and scaling up of existing SAI training centres, facilitating creation of sports academies for individual sports and more. It also looks forward towards creating a digital database for sports, implementing national sports code and sports Bill and promoting revenue generating methods for team leagues of priority sports. • Medium to long term vision (8-15 years): It will focus on identifying talent at a young age, having sports curriculum in schools, a dedicated training program for coaches, encouraging development of sports infrastructure through private or PPP mode and developing a health and psychological support division. It will also focus on availability of consistent funding of contracts as well as promoting a culture of sports in the country. In terms of funding, the Aayog said that to do away the process of erratic funding it has recommended that after each Olympics, a fixed 4-year contract is signed between SAI (Sports Authority of India) and sportspersons from Group A sportspersons, keeping in mind the funding required by them up to the next Olympics and other international events in between. For Group B and C also, the budgets for the next 4 years should be fixed, with consistent funding allocation for each year. Funding data for all the groups should be publicly made available as soon as it gets finalised.
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