Current Affairs Today – November 6 2016

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INDIAN AFFAIRS

President approved payment of 2% duty from july 1
i. President Pranab Mukherjee has given his consent to payment of a 2 per cent dearness allowance (DA) to central government employees.
ii. The move would benefit about 50.68 lakh employees and 54.24 lakh pensioners.The DA would result in an annual burden of Rs.5,622.10 crore.
iii. As a Result upon the decision taken by the government on recommendations of the 7th Central Pay Commission relating to DA, the President is pleased to decide that the DA to all categories of the central government employees shall be admissible at the rate of 2 per cent of basic.
iv. The decision to provide 2 per cent DA on basic pay was earlier approved by the Union Cabinet and will be applicable from July 1.The ministry further added that  the orders would also apply to the civilian employees paid from the Defence Services Estimates.

Online platform Nyaaya expanding indian laws launched
i. The internet is a huge space, rich in knowledge and resources. It is also a dark place where information is unfiltered and not always student-friendly.
ii. India Grid for Learning, launched by INGEGNO, is an education marketplace and Identity Access Management (IAM) platform in India, that aims at creating a continuous synchronised teaching and learning experience for educators, institutions and schools.
iii. It provides an ecosystem offering content and technological solutions for education corporate and public enterprises for technology-enabled learning and teaching experiences in India.
iv. India Grid will also provide an opportunity for Indian and global content owners and educational technology companies to display their offerings to the varied Indian market.
v. IGFL will not only be a platform to monitor the progress a student has made but also suggest effective methods to choose courses over a period of time.

Army launched School chlo operation in south Kashmir
i. After‘Operation Calm down’ in South Kashmir, Army is now aiming on another operation’School Chalo‘, under which it identifies areas and provides students with free coaching and make them participate in extra-curricular activities.
ii. This situation was dealt on the internal front and doing that with desired results
iii. The army had launched Operation ‘Calm Down’ in August- September to eradicate different parts of the Valley of militants and protesters using minimum force.
iv. With educational institutions remaining closed for about five months and over 30 schools being burnt down over the past weeks, Gen Narula’s directions under the ‘School Chalo‘ programme is increasingly becoming popular in the Valley.

Odisha Signs Agreement To Set Up 4 More STPI Centres & Odisha To Get Gems & Jewellery Industrial Park
i. Naveen Patnaik lead Odisha government signing an MoU with Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) for setting up facilities at four more places. The agreement was signed to set up STPI centres at Angul, Jajpur, Jeypore in Koraput and Sambalpur.
ii. Presently STPI centres ae loacted at Rourkela, Bhubaneswar, Berhampur and Balasore. After this proposal Odisha would have the highest number of such centre in the country.
iii. The proposed STPI centres would act as resource centres for IT, ITES and ESDM sector by offering general infrastructural facilities like ready to use Incubation Hi-Speed Data connectivity and other amenities required export of software and services.
iv. According to the agreement, the Odisha government would provide three acres of developed land and minimum 20,000 sq ft built-up space for each centre.
v. Recently Government has accorded in principle approval for establishment of a Gems & Jewellery Industrial Park at Ramdaspur of Cuttack district with an outlay of Rs.685 crore in 3 phases.
Odisha :
♦ Mahendra Hill is the highest point in Odisha
♦ Chilka lake is the Largest lake in Odisha
♦ Kalinga is the old name of Odisha

Buddha Mahotsava kicks off in Arunachal Pradesh
i. The three day Buddha Mahotsava celebration kicked off in Arunachal Pradesh on November 4 2016 with vibrant cultural display from Monpa, Sajolang(Miji) Aka, Sartang, Bugun and Sherdukpen tribes of the region at Buddha Park, Bomdila.
ii. It was organised by the District Administration of West Kameng to promote tourism in the state.
iii. The festival commemorates the life and teachings of Lord Gautama Buddha.Hundreds of Buddhist monks playing cymbals and drums are present at the festival.

NGT gives green signal to Cuttack Baliyatra festival
i. National Green Tribunal(NGT) given its approval for the week-long annual Baliyatra festival from November 14 at the designated ground if the same was not located on Mahanadi riverbed as was alleged in the original application (OA).
ii. All steps would be taken to ensure that the river water is not polluted due to the festival.
iii. Additional Government Advocate (AGA) of Orissa High Court, Janmejaya Katakia the NGT bench of Justice S P Wangdi and expert member Prof P C Mishra clarified that the confusion over the conduct of the festival.
Cuttack Baliyatra festival :
♦ Bali Yatra festival is held on the banks of Mahanadi river in Cuttack, to mark the day when ancient Sadhabas(ancient meriners) would set sail to distant lands of Bali, for trade and cultural expansion.

12th International Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition to be held in New Delhi
i. 3 day International Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition PETROTECH-2016  inaugurated by  Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on December 5,2016.It was organised by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas
ii. Theme : Hydrocarbons to fuel the future: Choices and Challenges
iii. Aim: To explore areas of growth in petroleum technology, exploration, drilling, production and processing, refining and other related issues.
iv. The main event held at Vigyan Bhawan while the PETROTECH-2016 Exhibition held at Pragati Maidan
v. 100 eminent speakers and 6000 delegates and 600 exhibitors from over 50 countries participated in this event.
vi. In addition o the exhibition there  will be 2 Ministerial Sessions on “Hydrocarbons to fuel the future: choices and challenges” and “Transforming India: key initiatives”, 3 Plenary Sessions on “Oil price volatility: challenges and opportunities”, “India rising: resilience and reforms” and “India, manufacturing hub for the hydrocarbon sector”, 5 Theme Sessions on “Natural Gas: road towards cleaner and prosperous future”, “Beyond Fossil Fuels”, “Gearing for growth: talent requirements and expectations”, “Future of upstream: a techno-managerial challenge” and “The growing prominence of Asian refining”, Roundtable discussions on BRICS and CELAC countries, CEO Conclave, Exclusive forum on Women in the hydrocarbon industry and Yuva Youth Form and Technical Programmes.

India to host IEF-IGU Ministerial Gas Forum in New Delhi
i. 5th IEF-IGU Ministerial Gas Forum to be held in New Delhi on 6 December 2016.It is supported by GAIL (India) Limited and the Natural Gas Society of India.
ii. Theme:  “Gas for Growth; improving economic prosperity and living standards”.
iii. The International Energy Forum (IEF) and the International Gas Union (IGU) have set up this important dialogue platform amongst Ministers, CEOs and experts aiming to better understand the current state of play in the global gas industry and how the gas sector can contribute to sustainable growth and secure energy future

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Anurag Bhushan unveiled Mahatma Gandhi statue in Dubai
i. Consulate General of India, Dubai preferred to install the statue of Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation, at its premises, and celebrate the 141st Birth Anniversary of Sardar Vallabhai Patel, popularly known as the Iron Man of India.
ii. Speaking at the event, Bhushanspot lighted how the Indian civilisation “stands out”. He spoke highly about both the patriotic leaders and the path they chose to make India a better place to live in.
iii. He talked about Mahatma’s biggest virtue ‘path of peace’ (ahimsa) and encouraged people to follow it as well.It’s a small step and through this we will spread  the virtues of the great leader, his literature and khadhi.
iv. School students expressed their thoughts about the both the great leaders and their sacrifice in India’s independence. A special cultural performance was organised including a dancing and singing performances.
v. The special performance at the event was that of a little girl reciting Mahatma Gandhi’s favourite bhajan (spiritual song) Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram.

BANKING & FINANCE

Economy likely to grow at 7.6 per cent in 2016-17: NCAER
i. Economic think-tank NCAER has pegged India’s GDP growth at 7.6% for 2016-17, following a pick-up in rural demand and “positive signals” on the manufacturing front.
ii. The manufacturing sector is giving positive signals with Purchasers’ Managers Index, Index of Industrial Production for core sectors.
iii. According to NCAER, the anticipated improvement in the agricultural sector and the associated increase in rural demand will give an upward push to economic growth.
iv. The Monetary Policy Committee has also forecasted a 7.6% growth.
About NCAER:
♦ The National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) is one of India’s oldest economic think-tank set up in 1956.
♦ Headquarters: New Delhi

BUSINESS

India among world’s top 3 countries for launching new start-ups
i. With the total venture investment in start-ups in 10 years is estimated at Rs 1,11,700 crore, India has emerged as one of the top three global countries in terms of the number of start-ups founded.
ii. The average venture investment in investment flow is about 42 percent, while fundings have arrived for more than 10,000 start-ups during the same period. The average annual growth in the funded start-ups has been 16 percent.  
iii. According to India Venture Capital and a private equity report prepared by the Indian Institue of Technology in Madras (IIT-M), the Indian start-up landscape has dramatically changed in the last few years.
iv. The report also says that Indian start-up landscape is very vibrant as seen by the number of companies founded.

Centre imposes Rs 10,000 crore penalty on RIL and its partners
i. The Central Government has fined Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) and its partners BP and Niko nearly slapped a nearly Rs.10,000 crores for pumping out gas that flowed to the Krishna Godavari-D6 Block from an adjoining field owned by ONGC.
ii. Reliance and its partners have been given a month to respond to the notice issued by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

Google capital changed its name to capitalG
i. Google Capital — the company’s venture arm that focuses on growth-stage companies as opposed to earlier-stage startups — is now “CapitalG.”
ii. The domain name looks to have been acquired a few weeks ago. The domain was owned by an
organization called GDiapersback in 2014 and then it moved to privacy. It transferred from Go Daddy to Mark Monitor.
iii. CapitalG, (formerly Google Capital), is the late-stage growth venture capital fund financed by Alphabet Inc., and based in San Francisco, CA. Founded in 2013, it focuses on larger, growth stage technology companies, and invests for profit rather than strategically for Google.
iv. In addition to capital investment, CapitalG’s approach includes giving portfolio companies access to Google’s people, knowledge, and culture to support the companies’ growth and offer them guidance.

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

Indian woman Uppma Virdi named Businesswoman of the Year in Australia
i. A 26-year-old Uppma Virdi, hailing from Jalandhar and living in Melbourne, received the ‘Businesswoman of the Year Award’ at the India Australia Business Community Awards (IABCA) held in Sydney, for taking the aroma of fresh Indian tea to Australian households.
ii. Uppma Virdi is the founder of Chai Walli is the granddaughter of an Ayurvedic doctor who used to make Ayurvedic chai blends. Born in India and brought up in Australia, Uppma learnt how spices balance, their properties and the art of chai.
iii. Her hobby of making special Ayurvedic tea with dash of spices like ginger, cardamom (elaichi), jaggery (gur), dalchini (cinnamon), saunf (fenel), etc., coupled with the expertise of her 96-year old grandfather Pritam Singh Virdi’s recipe gave birth to a start-up ‘Chai Walli’ in 2014.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNS

BJP’s Avinash Khanna all set to be appointed NHRC member
i. BJP Vice President Avinash Rai Khanna(55) is appointed as a member of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). He will be the first active politician to be appointed as a member of NHRC
ii. He was a former Rajya Sabha member from Punjab and BJP in-charge of Jammu and Kashmir and he was a member of Punjab State Human Rights Commission.
iii. His name was cleared by the panel comprising the Lok Sabha Speaker, Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha, Union Home Minister, Leaders of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha with the Prime Minister as its head.
iv. According to the Human Rights Act 1993, only a former Chief Justice of India can be appointed as NHRC chairperson. The four full-time members should be a former judge of the Supreme Court, a former chief justice of a high court and two others “from amongst persons having knowledge of, or practical experience in matters relating to human rights.

KPMG India CEO Richard Rekhy to retire
i. Leading professional services firm KPMG India CEO Richard Rekhy announced to retire from his post.He has been serving as CEO since 2012 .
ii. His decision was accepted by KPMG International Chairman John B Veihmeyer and he will continue to serve as CEO until his successor is ratified by KPMG India

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

India lose out on host in world’s largest telescope
i. India has failed on being the destination for the world’s largest telescope. There was a lot of expectation that the giant Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) would get housed at a remote high- altitude site in the cold desert of Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir.
ii. This week members of the multi-country group that is t decided to build the telescope in the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean. A telescope that would cost upwards of USD 2 billion by the time it is becomes operational in 2025.
iii. The TMT project found favour with the National Democratic Alliance and was one of the first mega science projects cleared by Modi’s cabinet.
iv. The preferred site to house the giant TMT was on a 4050-m- high mountain in Hawaii called Mauna Kea but the local courts in Hawaii heard protest petitions from the local people who felt the making of the telescope violated a ‘sacred site’.

China developed high speed unmanned sea vessel
i. China has developed a high-speed, intelligent unmanned sea vessel which could be used for a host of applications including submarine detection.
ii. According to Xinhua, the “SeaFly-01″completed a test at Nanhu Lake in Wuhan. The 10.25-meter-long vessel could acquire a maximum speed of 45 knots.
iii. It was built with carbon fiber material, and is equipped with BeiDou communication navigation technology. It is able to “learn” independently and avoid barriers, among other functions.
iv. The vessel is able to carry a photoelectric scout device, light weapons, sonar and other equipment, and can be used in a wide range of applications, including coastal patrol, armed confrontation, submarine detection and water-quality monitoring.

SPORTS

Pacquiao reclaimed WBO title for third time by beating vargas
i. Filipino star Manny Pacquiao reclaimed the World Boxing Organization welterweight title for the third time with a unanimous decision victory over former champion Jesse Vargas.
ii. Pacquiao, 59-6 with two drawn and 38 knockouts, showed he still has a lot left in the tank but he failed to get the knockout victory that has eluded him for the past seven years.
iii. It is noted that Pacquiao won the WBO title for the first time in 2010 when he beat Miguel Cotto. He lost it two years later to Bradley, then got it back by winning the rematch with Bradley in 2014.

Air Force Club Iraq lift Asian Federation Cup
i. Air Force Club, Iraq has lifted the Asian Federation Cup by defeating Bengaluru Football Club 1-0 at Doha
ii. Bengaluru FC had become the first Indian club to qualify for the final after they defeated defending champions Johor Darul Ta’zim 4-2 on aggregate in the semifinals.
iii. No Indian team in the sport has ever won an Asian level title since the national side bagged the Asian Games Gold at Jakarta in 1962.

Assam boy won 5 golds in south Asian Aquatic Championship
i. A 15-year-old Bastab Tapan Bordoloi from Assam’s Jorhat district made the nation proud by catchingfive gold medals and a silver at the recently concluded South Asian Aquatic Championship (SAAC) in Sri-Lanka.
ii. Bastab was encouraged by his parents to practice swimming. He started swimming at the age of nine and bagged his first medal (silver) in All Assam State Level Championship in 2012.
iii. He was the only swimmer from the northeast region who participated in six events at the championship.The event brought together participants from six countries – India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka – in Colombo.
iv. As part of appreciation for his achievement, Jorhat Aquatic Society along with the sports club awarded Bastab with a Phulon Gamosa, bouquets, citation and a cheque worth INR 50,000.This young boy now aims to compete more in international tournaments with a view to bring more laurels to the country.

Andy Murray became world number one after Raonic withdraws from paris masters
i. Britain’s Andy Murray became the new world number one after Milos Raonic withdrew from their Paris Masters semi-final with injury.
ii. The Easy victory would see Murray, 29, move to the top of the rankings for the first time in his career after replacing long-time incumbent Novak Djokovic.
iii. Raonic added that he had suffered a muscle tear in his right leg in his previous match, sending Murray through to face John Isner in Sunday’s final
iv. Djokovic had been No 1 since June 2014 – a 122-week run at the top of the list – but his quarter-final defeat to Marin Cilic on Friday paved the way for Murray, who now becomes the 26th man to top the rankings and the first Britain to top the listing since the system was introduced in 1973.

India wins 29 medals at Commonwealth Wrestling Championships
Rio Olympian Sandeep Tomar, Amit Dhankar and Satyawart Kadian bagged gold medals in their respective men’s freestyle categories , totally India has won 29 medals at the Commonwealth Wrestling Championships in Singapore.
Winners from India :

BOOKS & AUTHORS

Vice President M. Hamid Ansari Releases the book ‘An Era of Darkness: The British Empire in India
i. Vice President of India, M. Hamid Ansari released book ‘An Era of Darkness: The British Empire in India’ authored by Dr. Shashi Tharoor.
ii. Vice President said that the author rightly points out that British rule in India was effectively and regularly supplemented by “famine, forced migration and brutality” – the ‘three examples of why British rule over India was despotic and anything but enlightened’.

IMPORTANT DAYS

International Day for Preventing Exploitation of Environment in War and Armed Conflict – November 6, 2016
i. International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict is observed on November 6, 2016 to educate people about the damaging effects of war and armed conflict on the environment.
ii. The UN General Assembly declared November 6 of each year as the International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict On November 5, 2001.
iii. This year, all 193 Member States of the UN Environment Assembly adopted a resolution committing States to the protection of the environment in areas affected by armed conflict To achieve the vision of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of peace, prosperity and dignity for all on a healthy planet