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Click Here to Current Affairs August 2015
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Indian Affairs
Javadekar Launches E-Payment Module for Deposit of Compensatory Levies into CAMPA Funds
- The Government today launched an e-payment module, with an objective to make the payment of compensatory levies receivable in lieu of diversion of forest land quicker and more transparent.
- The module will end delays in the deposit of compensatory levies. The payment through the e-payment module has to be made to the designated account, depending on the State in which the forest land, proposed to be diverted, is located.
- The deposit of compensatory levies through the e-portal will be optional till August 31, 2015.
- However, the payment of compensatory levies by User Agencies will be accepted only through the e-module from September 1, 2015. With the activation of the e-payment portal, no payments will be accepted other than through the portal. Initially, payments will be permitted through two modes – online challan mode through RTGS and NEFT and offline challan mode.
Theme for Delhi Book Fair – Skill Development
- The 21st edition of the DelhiBook Fair(DBF) that begins today is based on the theme of skill development. The DBF started in the year 1995 with cooperation of ITPO.
- The theme of the event jointly organised by the Federation of Indian Publishers(FIP) and Indian Trade Promotion Organisation(ITPO) follows the Skill Indiacampaign launched recently by PM Narendra
- The nine-day fair includes numerous literary seminars and conferences besides activities for children, book launches and author interactions with participation by leading publishers.
- President of FIP – Ashok Gupta.
- Chief of ITPO- Sh. J S Deepak
8th International Conference on “Indian Civil Aviation and Tourism” held in New Delhi
Ministry of Civil Aviation and ASSOCHAM organized an event 8th International Conference on “Indian Civil Aviation & Tourism” in New Delhi which was jointly inaugurated by Union Minister of Civil Aviation Shri Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Culture (Independent Charge) and Tourism (Independent Charge), Dr. Mahesh Sharma.
- During the event, a Knowledge Report titled “Indian Civil Aviation: At the Cusp of Taking off” was released by Shri Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Dr. Mahesh Sharma.
- The inaugural session was followed by various sessions in which crucial issues related to aviation sector like Infrastructure challenges, Cargo and freight Industry, Regulatory Issues, Fiscal framework and potential of Tourism.
Union Government gives nod to 6 new SEZ proposals
Board of Approval (BoA) for SEZ chaired by Commerce Secretary Rita Teaotia taken decision for approval for six new proposals, including four from IT and ITeS sector, for setting up of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) by the Government.
The approved SEZ proposals are
- HCL IT City Lucknow- set up IT/ITeS zones in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
- Loma IT Park Developer- set up IT/ITeS zones in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
- North Mumbai International Commodity Township- It is proposed free trade warehousing zone in Thane, Maharashtra.
- Exports from these zones rose to Rs 4.94 lakh crore in 2013-14, from Rs 22,840 crore in 2005-06.
- Formal approval has come for 416 proposals, of which 330 SEZs have been notified. As many as 36 such zones are operational in Tamil Nadu, followed by Karnataka, Telangana (26) and Maharashtra (25).
Maharashtra government acquires Dr. B. R. Ambedkar’s London House
The three-storey bungalow on King Henry road in London where Dalit icon and architect of Indian Constitution, BR Ambedkar lived as a student in the 1920s is acquired by Maharashtra government.
- The state government became the first in India to own a property abroad for Rs 35 crore.
- Dr Ambedkar, lived in this house for nearly a year between 1921-22 as a student of the London School of Economics. He is known to have written several research papers in the house.
- Spread over 2500 square feet, the house is expected to become an attraction for followers of Dr Ambedkar, especially students, given that many owners in the area rent their homes to students who pursue higher education in institutions nearby.
NITI Aayog launched second version of India Energy Security Scenarios 2047
NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Arvind Panagariya in New Delhi has launched the second version of the India Energy Security Scenarios 2047 calculator (IESS 2047) an open source Web-based tool which can be used to explore different energy scenarios.
- The tool aims to scan a range of potential future energy scenarios for India for diverse energy demand and supply sectors leading up to 2047.
- The model allows users to interactively make energy choices and explore a range of outcomes for the country from carbon dioxide emissions and import dependence to land use.
- Its purpose is to look forward to a more comprehensive policy discourse on India’s future energy planning by policy makers, academicians, private sector and other stakeholders, engage various stakeholders in the country’s energy planning and facilitate informed debates at different levels.
- This instrument allows the user develop a secure future pathway and suggest current policy interventions for the same.
- It will support the Government’s vision of achieving power for all and 175 GW of renewables by 2022, rural electrification and reducing import dependency.
International Affairs
Vassiliki Thanou sworn in as first female Prime Minister of Greece
Vassiliki Thanou, president of Greece’s Supreme Court age 65, sworn in as head of Greece’s new caretaker government.
- Vassiliki Thanou, a top judge and the country’s first female prime minister, will lead the country until the election, which is expected to take place on 20 September.
- Thanou was appointed as Prime Minister as President Prokopis Pavlopoulos, after leaders of the three main political parties of Greek parliament failed to form a coalition government to replace outgoing Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.
- Tsipras, who resigned barely seven months into his four-year term, has said he needed a stronger mandate to implement the tough austerity measures accompanying the €86bn (£63bn) bailout.
Business
Reliance Communications Ltd tied up with Jasper to offer Internet of Things services in India
- Reliance Communications partnership with Internet of Things(IoT) platform provider Jasper to launch their IoT services. Jasper’s only telecom partner in India is Reliance.
- This will help enterprises automate IoT service lifecycle as well as monetize their businesses.Silicon Valley-based Jasper currently provides solutions for connected devices, connected cars and mobility services.
- The tie-up will provide solutions to the upcoming smart cities, making electricity distribution grids smarter for public safety and on the healthcare front.
- Reliance Group president (IT and Innovation): Alok Srivastava .
- Chief architect for Jasper for the APAC region :Lee Cox.
Awards
Appointments & Resigns
Sanjay Kapoor steps down as Chairman of Micromax
- Sanjay Kapoor is stepping down as chairman of Micromax after joining the country’s No. 2 handset maker.
- Kapoor, a former Bharti Airtel chief executive for India and South Asia and also a director at PVR and Bennett Coleman & Company Ltd, which publishes ET.
- At the time Kapoor joined, Micromax also hired Samsung India mobile head Vineet Taneja and another Bharti Airtel veteran Badal Bagri to power growth and build a bigger brand before an initial public offering (IPO).
- Samsung is the leader in the tally with 23 per cent, followed by Micromax (17 per cent), Intex (11 per cent), Lava (7 per cent) and Lenovo (6 per cent).
- Co-founder of Micromax Informatics Ltd – Rahul Sharma .
- Founder of Samsung – Lee Byung-chul
Rajiv Mangla appointed as CTO of Snapdeal
- Former Adobe executive Rajiv Mangla has been appointed as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of eCommerce major Snapdeal.
- In his new role, Mangla will help to establish Snapdeal’s technical vision and lead all aspects of its technological development of the company.
- Prior to this appointment he was serving as VP Engineering, Digital Marketing at Adobe Systems and has spent about 10 years in this company.
- Prior to joining Adobe, Mangla had been an entrepreneur for 10 years and founded a couple of companies.
Kandakatla Manohar appointed as Director of NIMS
Dr Kandakatla Manohar who has been working as the superintendent of the MGM Hospital in Warangal,the state Government appointed him as as new new director of Nizams Institute of Medical Sciences (Nims), replacing Dr L Narendranath.
- The appointment of Dr Narendranath was in violation of Rule 3 of the minimum qualifications for teachers in Medical Institutions Regulations, 1988 and was therefore illegal.
- Dr K Manohar is a native of Penchikalapeta of Warangal district.
- Dr Narendranath never worked as professor of orthopaedics or head of the department for five years as required as minimum qualifications prescribed by the Medical Council of India.
- In 2014, a writ petition was filed in the AP High Court, questioning the government’s decision to appoint Dr L Narendranath as Director of NIMS, the hospital witnessed protests from doctors belonging to Telangana. However, Narendranath refuted all allegations and continued in his post.
Sports
AB de Villiers broke Sourav Ganguly’s record of fastest 8000 ODI runs
- After a gap of 13 years,Former India captain Sourav Ganguly’s record of being the fastest to reach 8000 ODI runs has been broken by the South Africa skipper and stroke-maker AB de Villiers.
- De Villiers achieved this milestone during the third ODI against New Zealand in Durban on 26 Aug, 2015.
- .De Villiers is the only batsman to score 8000 runs in less than 200 ODIs.He took 182 innings to reach the milestone whereas Ganguly belted the same numbers in 200 innings. It took De Villiers 10 years and 205 days to reach the landmark.
- De Villiers had already entered the record books, for the umpteenth time.
Air India won Guru Tegh Bahadur Hockey title after 7 years
- Air India won the Guru Tegh Bahadur Hockey title after seven years against Army XI 3-1 via the penalty shoot-out after the two teams were deadlocked goalless in regular play in the finalat the MHA-Mahindra Stadium in Mumbai.
- Last time, it won the title in 2008.
- Former India custodianAdrian D’Souza got the player of the final award from the tournament’s organisersMumbai Hockey Association Limited and Army’s goalkeeper Najmudeen was declared as the Best Goalkeeper in the tournament.
- The winning team got Rs 1.5 lakh while the runners-up received Rs 75,000.
Doha to host first edition of Pakistan Super League
- PCB today announced Doha, Qatar as the venue for hosting the inaugural edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) from February 4-24 next year.
2015 World Athletics Championships: Usain Bolt wins fourth straight 200m world title
- Jamaica’s Usain Bolt ran the fastest time of the year in 19.55 seconds to win a record fourth straight world 200 metres title and sweep the individual sprints at a major global championships for a fifth time.
Books & Authors
Globalisation Democratisation and Distributive Justice” is written by Shri Mool Chand Sharma
- Arun Jaitley Releases Book “Globalisation, Democratization and Distributive Justice” Authored by Professor Mool Chand Sharma Professor of Law at Delhi University and Presently the Member of Law Commission of India.
