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INDIAN AFFAIRS
30th Surajkund International Crafts Mela started at Faridabad
The annual Surajkund International Crafts Mela is inaugurated by Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar in Faridabad. This year is the 30th edition of the Surajkund International Crafts Mela. The event will continue till 15 February.
- This year Telangana is selected as the Theme State and the last year Chhattisgarh was selected as the Theme State for the 29th Surajkund International Crafts Mela.
DIPP gives nod to set up India’s first Defence Industrial Park at Ottappalam
The Union government’s Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) has agreed to set up India’s first defense industrial park at Ottappalam a proposal from the Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation.
- It is expected that the park will be established in 231.25 crore, Union government and Kinfra will invest in the project.
Tamil Nadu to set up 800MW supercritical coal-based power plant
- Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalitha laying the foundation stone for the state’s first 800-MW supercritical coal-based power plant. which will come up at Athipattu in Tiruvallur district over 250 acres of land.
About the project :
- This is the first time in Tamil Nadu that a 800-MW unit is being established under the supercritical technology.
- The project will be completed in August 2019 and 19.2 million units of power a day will be generated
What is supercritical technology ?
A supercritical steam generator is a type of boiler that operates at supercritical pressure, frequently used in the production of electric power.Which operates at pressures above the critical pressure — 3,200 psi or 22 MPa
Key points:
- TN Capital: Chennai
- TN CM: Jayalalitha
- TN Governor : Konijeti Rosaiah
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
Israel,Turkey sign gas deal worth $1.3 billion
Israel and Turkish energy firms signed an agreement to sell $1.3 billion worth of gas to Edeltech announced by Israel’s Leviathan natural gas field offshore partners.
Highlights of the deal :
- The deal involves selling the first gas from the Leviathan reservoir to the Israeli market.The agreement ensues two memorandums of understandings signed by the partners with neighboring Jordan and Egypt last year.
- Edeltechand Zorlu Enerji, a Turkish energy conglomerate, will employ the gas to operate two new energy plants being established in southern Israel.
Key points:
- Isreal : Jerusalem(Capital), Shekel(Currency)
- Turkey : Ankara(Capital), Turkish Lira(Currency)
BANKING & FINANCE
LIC to launches its e-services
Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) launches its e-services. The service will enable policy holders to have easy access to their policies, policy status, and claim information.
E-services include
- Policy image, status of policy, claim status and renewal information
- The service includes alerts with Emails and SMS.
- The E-service help to access policy related information as well as payment anytime and anywhere.
Keys
- Chairman of LIC– S K Roy
- Regulator for insurance Companies-Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI)
RBI gives nod to B Swaminathan’s appointment as Non-Executive Chairman of Karur Vysya Bank
RBI gives nod for the appointment of Independent Director B Swaminathan as the Non- Chairman of the Karur Vysya Bank (KVB) for three years.
About KVB
- KVB is a private sector Bank it’s headquartered is in Karur, Tamil Nadu.
- It was set up in 1916 by A. Venkatarama Chettiar and Athi Krishna Chettiar.
- KVB is one of the largest old generation private banks in India.
- It is largest Tamil Nadu based private bank followed by City Union Bank.
BUSINESS
India exported six metro train coaches to Australia
Creating a history in country’s manufacturing sector, a consignment of six metro coaches measuring 75 feet long and weighing 46 tonnes each made in Baroda was shipped to Australia from Mumbai Port .
- To turn the country into a global manufacturing destination, a total of 450 metro coaches are to be made in India to be exported to Australia over a period of two-and-a-half year.
Keyfacts :
- India will also be exporting 521 bogie frames to Brazil for Sao Paulo monorail.
- Three new Metro coach manufacturing units were established in India in 2015.
Govt bans zero duty import of capital goods for power plants
The government banned duty- free import of capital goods for power generation and transmission projects under the EPCG Scheme.
Aim: To encouraging manufacturing of power equipment and giving a push to domestic capital goods sector.
- Amending the Foreign Trade Policy 2015-20 authorisation under EPCG Scheme shall not be issued for import of any Capital Goods for generation/transmission of power
- The government has fixed a target of 88,537 MW power generation capacity addition for the 12th Plan period ending 2016-17.
About EPCG Scheme :
Export Promotion Capital Goods (EPCG) scheme allows import of capital goods including spares for pre production, production and post production at zero duty subject to an export obligation of 6 times of duty saved on capital goods imported
APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNS
Atulesh Jindal to be New CBDT Chief
Atulesh Jindal the 1978 batch IRS officer is appointed as the Chief of Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT).He replaces A K Jain.
- Atulesh is currently working as the Senior Revenue Service officer in Income Tax department.
- The Central Board of Direct Taxes consists of Chairman and six members form the following departments-Income-tax, Legislation & Computerisation, Personnel & Vigilance, Investigation, Revenue and Audit & Judicial.
Datta Padsalgikar is Mumbai New Police Commissioner
Senior IPS officer Datta Padsalgikar IPS (1982) named as the new Police Commissioner of Mumbai. Padsalgikar succeeds Ahmed Javed IPS (1980), who has been appointed as Ambassador to Saudi Arabia.
J K Garg takes over as MD of Corporation Bank
J K Garg has taken over as Managing Director and CEO of Corporation Bank following the retirement of S R Bansal.
About J K Garg :
- He had started his career at Corporation Bank in 1986, and would head the bank for three years.
- Prior to this appointment, Garg was Executive Director in UCO Bank, Corporation Bank .
- Garg has experience in credit management, recovery,forex operations, retail banking and administration.
Key points :
- Corporation Bank HQ : Mangalore, Karnataka
- Corporation Bank Tagline : A Premier Public Sector Bank
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
France to partner ISRO in Mars Mission
French space agency Centre National d’études spatiales (CNES) signed a letter of intent with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) to be the partner in the next Mars mission.
- The next mission is expected to be launch in 2018.
- The reliable PSLV will be used in the second mission in 2018.
- India and France also signed agreements for earth observation satelliteto monitor environment, weather, water resources and coastal zones.
SPORTS
2016 Syed Modi Badminton Title – Overview
The 2016 Syed Modi International Grand Prix Gold is the second grand prix’s badminton tournament of the 2016.It was held in Lucknow, India on at the Babu Banarasi Das Indoor Stadium from 26 – 31 January 2016.
Fukuoka to host 2021 World Aquatics Championships
Japanese city of Fukuoka will host the 2021 World Aquatics Championships. The announcement was made by The International Swimming Federation (FINA).
- The event will be hosted by Qatari the capital city of Doha.
- The FINA World Championships are the World Championships for aquatics sports like Swimming, Diving, High Diving, Open Water Swimming, Synchronized Swimming and Water Polo.
- The first championship was held in 1973 and is now it is held every two years.
Keys
- President of International Swimming Federation -Julio Maglione
Pietro Fittipaldi wins 2015 MRF Challenge Formula 2000
Pietro Fittipaldi Brazil racing driver has won the 2015 MRF Challenge Formula 2000 by winning two of the four races.
- The racing was held in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu at Madras Motor Racing Track.
- He wins the game with 244 points by attaining top position among the other participants.
- The 17-year old Pietro Fittipaldi is the grandson of former Formula One World champion Emerson Fittipaldi.
- He began his career in 2011 in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series by winning the championship at Hickory Motor Speedway.
Kohli replaces Finch as No 1 batsman in T20 Internationals
Virat Kohli was rewarded for his stupendous performance in India’s clean sweep against Australia in the T20 internationals as he replaced Aaron Finch with 892 points as the top-ranked batsman in the ICC list.
Other’s position :
- India’s Suresh Raina moved up three places to 13th after his impressive series, while opener Rohit Sharma also moved up four places to be placed 16th in the list.
- David Warner, who scored 17 in the opening match before heading to New Zealand for the one-day international series against the Black Caps, dropped six spots to 18th.
- West Indies spinner Sunil Narine, who is currently banned by the ICC due to an illegal bowling action, retained top spot in the bowling.
OBITUARY
Oscar nominated actor Frank Finlay dies at 89
The British actor Frank Finlay who was nominated as Oscar winner in 1966 has died. The 89 year old Frank work as Iago in Othello.
- He was also the member of Laurence Olivier’s National Theatre Company.
- He also works in filmsThe Three Musketeers (1973), Murder by Decree (1979), A Christmas Carol (1984) and The Pianist (2002).
- Frank was also honored with a CBE (Commander Order of the British Empire) in 1984.
‘World’s best chef’ Benoit Violier dies aged 44
The world’s best Chef Benoit Violier was found dead at his home. He was the owner of the Restaurant de l’Hotel de Ville in Crissier, near the city of Lausanne.
- He was born in La Rochelle, a coastal city in western France
- His restaurant received three Michelin stars and tops in France’s La Liste ranking of the world’s 1,000 best eateries.
- Across the 48 countries Benoit’s restaurant was given the best of 1000 venues.
Malayalam actor Kollam G K Pillai passes away
A theatre-turned-cinema-actor Kollam G K Pillai is known for his character and comedy roles in dramas, movies and TV serials died due to age-related illness.
About Kollam G K Pillai :
- Pillai had been active in theatre since 1960s and enacted a handful of memorable roles in noted dramas of that time including Neetipeedham, Kunjali Maraykkar and Ezharaponnana.
- Pillai stepped into tinsel world by donning a role in 1965 movie Masappady Mathupillai. He had acted in over 70 films including Chula, My Dear Kuttichathan, Mucheettu Kalikkarente Makal and so on.
- Pillai also appeared in some television serials also in the later years of his acting career.
BOOKS & AUTHORS
Former Prez APJ Abdul Kalam’s book ‘Transendence’ launched
Former President APJ Abdul Kalam’s book “Transendence” was launched in Johannesburg, South Africa with religious leaders, politicians, diplomats and businessmen from all communities sharing the lessons from the book based on his spiritual experiences with Pramukh Swami Maharaj.
About Transendence :
The book, in which Kalam details his experiences with Pramukh Swami Maharaj, leader of the global Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), was lauded by speakers who said they had benefited from the advice and wisdom of both the leaders.
Books written by APJ Abdul Kalam :
Wings of Fire, 2020 – A Vision for the New Millenium, Envisioning an Empowered Nation, Ignited Minds, My Journey, Developments in Fluid Mechanics and Space Technology, The Luminous Sparks, The Life Tree, Mission India, Children Ask Kalam, Guiding Souls and Inspiring Thoughts.
