Dear Readers, We cover some important news in Current Affairs Today Section, which are not covered in Daily Detailed News, More Current Affairs coverage will help you to Score Good Marks in Competitive Exams.
- Try our Current Affairs Quiz 2016
- Read our Current Affairs Today
- Read Our Current Affairs 2016
Click here to try Current Affairs Quiz : September 1 2016
INDIAN AFFAIRS
Two Day Convention on Tourism was flagged off in Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh
i. The two-day BRICS Convention on Tourism was flagged off on September 1 in Khajuraho Madhya Pradesh. The BRICS nations were represented by the Minister of Tourism, South Africa Mr. D.A. Hanekom and delegations from Russia and China.
ii. Tourism Ministers of BRICS countries Met at the world-famous temple city Khajuraho for a two-day long conference that began today.
iii. Heads of the delegation of China and Russia also emphasized greater cooperation among the member countries for the mutual benefit for the growth of tourism and looked at the convention as a platform to interact with the travel industry partners.
iv. On India’s ‘Atulya Bharat’ campaign, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Bihar made presentations.
Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu inaugurates/ launches various facilities/ services
i. As mentioned in the Budget Announcements 2016-17, Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu launched following services from Rail Bhawan on 1st September 2016. The several services are as follows
ii. Train Superintendent (TS) will be made single person responsible for all facilities on train. All railway personnel and Supervisors of all out sourced agencies shall report to the TS for effective control and supervision to ensure improvement in on board services offered by Railways.
iii. Retiring Room can be booked for a minimum period of three hours up to a maximum period of 48 hours.Hourly booking is not allowed for the principle block of 12 hours period
i.e. from 2100 hours to 0900 hours and the tariff would be charged on hourly basis.
iv. All container traffic is charged at Freight Any Kind (FAK) tariff except for a few notified commodities under the group of cement, iron and steel, POL, alumina and stones, which are charged at an intermediate tariff known as container class rate (CCR).
TRAVEL INSURANCE FOR TRAIN PASSENGERS :
♦ The facility is reserved for passengers of Indian Railways who book e-ticket, excluding suburban trains, through its official website, irrespective of the class of the ticket.The facility is available only for confirmed and RAC tickets.
Centre Government notifies National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme
i. The central Government has notified National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme to offer financial incentives to employers for the first time.
ii. The Scheme has an outlay of Rs. 10,000 crore with a target of 50 Lakh apprentices to be trained by 2019-20.
iii. This Apprenticeship Training is considered to be one of the most efficient ways to develop skilled manpower for India.
iv. The policy proposes to work pro-actively with the industry including MSME to facilitate tenfold increase opportunities in the country by 2020.
v. This also provides online portal for ease of administering. All transactions including registration by employers, apprentices, registration of contract and payment to employers will be made as online mode. Eligible employers shall engage apprentices in a band of 2.5% to 10% of the total strength of the establishment.
vi. Employers need to register on the apprenticeship portal and must have TIN/TAN and any one of EPFO/ESIC/LIN. Employers are invited to register on the apprenticeship portal to avail benefits under the scheme.
vii. It is noted that The National Policy of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, 2015 launched by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi focuses on apprenticeship as one of the key components for creating skilled manpower in India.
Union Minister Anant Kumar inaugurated INDIA-CHEM 2016
i. Union Minister for Chemicals and Petrochemicals Anant Kumar has inaugurated INDIA-CHEM 2016 International Conference in Mumbai.
ii. The 3-day 9th Biennial International Exhibition and Conference begun in Mumbai includes 23 countries, 282 exhibitors alone.
iii. The Largest event of chemicals and petrochemicals industry in India in its 9 st rd edition, i.e. India Chem 2016, would be organized from 1 – 3 September 2016, jointly by Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals, Government of India and FICCI.
iv. The Indian chemical industry is at the threshold of rapid growth with the Govt. of India providing an atmosphere of support and encouragement.
v. India’s vibrant chemicals and petrochemicals industry plays a significant role in the economic development of our country.
vi. The most important objective behind organizing the India Chem series is to highlight the investment possibilities in the country’s chemical industry and give a flip to “Make in India” initiative of the Government of India.
vii. Leading companies from all over the world predominantly from China, Japan, Russia, Spain, USA, Germany, Italy, Brazil and South East Asian countries are participating both as exhibitors, delegates and visitors.
Global Design Competition for National War Memorial and Museum
i. The Ministry of Defence, Government of India has sanctioned the construction of a National War Memorial and National War Museum in New Delhi.
ii. The National War Memorial will honour the memory of all soldiers of the Indian Armed Forces who have made the ultimate sacrifice for the nation. It would combine architectural aesthetics and public sentiment, and serve as a place for people to show their respect for soldiers, for their extraordinary efforts to protect the nation. The selected site is located in the heart of New Delhi, within the C-Hexagon that lies in the close vicinity of India Gate and Chattri.
iii. The International Design Competition for the Memorial and Global Architectural Competition for the Museum has been launched on 15 August 2016 on MyGov.in portal.
♦ 1st prize for the National War Memorial competition is US$ 30,000 and for the National War Museum competition is US$ 75,000.
♦ 2nd prize for the National War Memorial competition is US$ 25,000 and for the National War Museum competition is US$ 50,000.
♦ 3rd prize for the National War Memorial competition is US$ 20,000 and for the National War Museum competition is US$ 25,000.
Kerala to form JV with Railways for infra projects
i. Kerala has decided to enter into joint venture agreement with Railways for rail projects in the state under the 51:49 equity partnership arrangement.
ii. Projects under consideration include introduction of suburban rail service between Thiruvananthapuram and Chengannur, construction of Angamali-Sabari rail line, Nilambur-Nanjangode line, Guruvayoor-Tirunavaya line, Kochi-Madurai line, Thalassery-Mysore line, laying of rail container track to Cochin International Airport and setting up of Palakkad rail coach factory.
Indian Petroleum Companies arranged the International Conference on LPG cooking gas
i. The two-day meeting is arranged by the Indian Petroleum Companies to deliberate the need for an LPG-enabled household and use of traditional cooking fuels in Bhubaneswar.
ii. The ultimate focus of the meet will be the need for an LPG enabled household, problems arising due to absence of cooking gas, the usage of traditional bio mass cooking fuels and their impact on both health and environment.
iii. Delegates from several developing countries, such as Brazil, Ghana, Nigeria, Nepal and Sri Lanka will participate in the conference.
iv. This event will also have a session on the hugely successful ‘Give it Up’ scheme that has given birth to a silent revolution and encouraged a large part of India’s affluent section to voluntary give up their LPG subsidy.
v.Topics like “Role of private sector in expanding the reach of LPG” and “Role of Women in LPG Global Network – Global Practices & International Models” will also be discussed.
vi. It is noted that the International Conference on LPG cooking gas was inaugurated by Jharkhand Governor Droupadi Murmu in Bhubaneswar in the presence of Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and other senior officials.
Gujarat government signed an MoU with the Ministry of Civil Aviation under the Regional Connectivity Scheme
i. The Gujarat government signed an MoU with the Ministry of Civil Aviation under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS in order to boost regional air connectivity by developing small airports and airstrips in the state thereby attracting domestic airlines.
ii. This MoU was signed in presence of Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and union Civil Aviation minister Ashok Gajpathi Raju.
iii. Regional connectivity scheme aims to provide affordable flying, promote tourism, increase employment and encourage balanced regional growth.
v. As per the agreement signed between both the parties, 11 airports/airstrips in Gujarat will be developed as per RCS scheme of the Ministry of Civil Aviation
vi. Both the state government and the ministry will now work jointly to activate these airports/airstrips in Gujarat. The MoU between us will provide a much needed thrust to the regional air connectivity, which is directly linked with economic development.
vii. MoU signed today under the regional connectivity scheme aims to revive unserved/under-served airports of Gujarat and airports in Bhavnagar, Porbandar, Keshod, Kandla, Deesa, Amreli, Mahesana and Mandvi will be developed under this scheme.
Odisha assembly ratifies GST Bill, 16th state to endorse GST
i. With Goa becoming the 15th state to ratify the goods and services tax (GST) bill, the legislation is now short of just one more state ratification before it is sent for presidential assent. Odisha, which has called for a special sitting of its legislative assembly, could become the 16th state to ratify it.
ii. The Odisha legislative Assembly on Thursday unanimously passed a resolution ratifying the Constitution Amendment Bill on Goods and Services Tax (GST), 2016.
iii. The approval from 16 states has come far ahead of the Centre’s targeted deadline of rolling out the new taxation system from April 1, 2017.
iv. The ratification part was crucial to the process because the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) needed support from several state governments including those led by Congress and other non-NDA non-Congress parties.
v. Till now the ratification has got support from across political parties including Nitish Kumar-led Bihar, Aam Aadmi Party-led Delhi and Congress-led Himachal Pradesh. Key BJP states which have ratified the Bill includes 1.Assam 2.Bihar 3.Jharkhand 4.Himachal Pradesh 5.Chhattisgarh 6.Gujarat 7.Madhya Pradesh 8.Delhi 9.Nagaland 10.Maharashtra 11.Haryana 12.Mizoram 13. Telangana 14.Sikkim 15.Goa
Centre constitutes A .K. Sinha expert committee to study silt in river Ganga in Bihar
i. The Central Government has constituted an expert committee of four members to study the silt in the river.
ii. The Centre will send a team to Bihar to study silt in river the river. In a letter addressed to Bihar government said that the team has been instructed to submit its report within 10 days.
iii. Member of Ganga Flood Control commission A .K. Sinha has been made Chairman of the committee. The committee includes Chief Engineer of Central Water Commission S.K.Sahu, Prof. of IIT, A.K. Gosain and members of National Disaster Management Authority Dr. Rajnish Ranjan.
iv. The Ganges also Ganga is a trans-boundary river of Asia which flows through the nations of India and Bangladesh. The 2,525 km (1,569 mi) river rises in the western Himalayas in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, and flows south and east through the Gangetic Plain of North India into Bangladesh, where it empties into the Bay of Bengal. It is the third largest river in the world by discharge.
v. The Ganges is the most sacred river to Hindus. It is also a lifeline to millions of Indians who live along its course and depend on it for their daily needs. It is worshipped as the goddess Ganga in Hinduism. It has also been important historically, with many former provincial or imperial capitals includes as Pataliputra, Kara, Kashi, Patna, Hajipur, Munger, Bhagalpur,Murshidabad, Baharampur, Kampilya, and Kolkata located on its banks.
BUSINESS
Mobikwik and Samagra launch ‘M-Gullak’ for urban poor
i. Digital payments platform, MobiKwik and Samagra, an NGO serving urban poor launched “M-Gullak” in Pune to promote the habit of savings among Urban Poor.
ii. “M-Gullak” will provide ICT-enabled mobile wallet platform that enables users save in very small amounts at various locations, recharge phones, buy digital goods and transfer to their bank accounts.
iii. This mobile wallet platform is expected to benefit 150,000 urban poor residents by the end of this year.
iv. It will be available for over 50 million users in Delhi and also other metro cities.
Microsoft to set up a cyber security centre in Connaught Place
i. Tech giant Microsoft is setting up a cyber security centre in the heart of New Delhi to arm governments and private agencies with all-round intelligence on cyber attacks within India.
ii. Microsoft has seven such centers globally that have partnerships with international law enforcement agencies such as Interpol and Europol to fight cybercrime. The centre will be an expanded version of a small one launched in June this year in the company’s Gurgaon office.
iii. It is noted that Security is becoming a big conversation topic, especially when are talking about the cloud.
iv. The centre, which is likely to be in Connaught Place in close proximity to most government establishments, would target the spread of malware by monitoring the Internet traffic flowing through the country.
v. Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology headquartered in Redmond, Washington, that develops, manufactures, licenses, supports and sells computer software, consumer electronics and personal computers and services.
vi.Its best known software products are the Microsoft Windows line of operating systems, Microsoft Office office suite, and Internet Explorer and Edge web browsers. Its flagship hardware products are the Xbox video game consoles and the Microsoft Surface tablet lineup. As of 2011, it was the world’s largest software maker by revenue and one of the world’s most valuable companies
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
Two Indians – T.M.Krishna, Bezwada Wilson awarded with Ramon Magsaysay award for 2016
i. Two Indians Carnatic singer T.M. Krishna and campaigner for eradication of manual scavenging Bezwada Wilson were among six persons who received the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay award for 2016 in Manila.
ii. M. Krishna is a Carnatic music vocalist. Hailing from a family of music connoisseurs, he was exposed to the south Indian classical music at an early age.
iii. Bezwada Wilson is an Indian activist and one of the founders and National Convenor of the Safai Karmachari Andolan (SKA), an Indian human rights organization that has been campaigning for the eradication of manual scavenging.
Irrfan Khan honored with the Entertainer of the Year award by CNBC
i. Irrfan Khan was honored with the Entertainer of the Year award by CNBC in New Delhi and he was felicitated by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.
ii. Sahabzade Irrfan Ali Khan credited as Irrfan Khan or simply Irrfan, is an Indian film actor known for his works predominantly in Hindi cinema. He is also known for his works in British films, and Hollywood.
iii. Film critics, contemporaries, and other experts consider him to be one of the finest actors in Indian cinema for his versatile and natural acting. In 2011, Khan received the Padma Shri, India’s fourth highest civilian honour for his contribution to the field of arts.
iv. Khan has garnered the National Film Award for Best Actor in the 60th National Film Awards 2012, for his performance in Paan Singh Tomar. Khan has won the 2014 Asian Film Award for Best Actor, three International Indian Film Academy Awards, three Filmfare Awards, an Independent Spirit Award nomination, and various international honours.
v. He also hosted a television show and commercials. As of 2015, he had appeared in more than 50 Indian films in Bollywood, and a few international films, such as Life of Pi and Jurassic World, with a featured role alongside Tom Hanks in the 2016 adaptation of Dan Brown’s novel Inferno.
vi. The actor has been praised for his performance in movies like Piku, Jurassic World and Talvar
Aishwaryaa Rajinikanth Dhanush appointed as UN Women’s Advocate for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in India.
i. Aishwaryaa, the eldest daughter of Tamil star Rajnikanth and wife of Acotr Dhanush joined the UN Family of Women, when she was appointed as UN Women’s Advocate for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in India.
ii. Aishwaryaa Rajinikanth Dhanush’s appointment was announced by Lakshmi Puri, UN Assistant Secretary General and UN Women Deputy Executive Director.
iii. Aishwarya Dhanush (born 1 January 1982) is an Indian film director and classical dancer. She is the elder daughter of actor Rajinikanth. She made her feature film début with 3 (2012) starring her husband Dhanush. She has occasionally done playback singing.
iv. Aishwarya was born to actor Rajinikanthand Latha Rangachari. She has a younger sister, Soundarya Rajinikanth, who works in the Tamil film industry as well. Aishwarya is married to the Indian film actor Dhanush.
v. In August 2011, she announced that she would direct her husband and Shruti Haasan in her first feature film titled 3, with Dhanush going on to clarify that it would be his only film under his wife’s direction.
vi. The film gained high anticipation prior to release after the song “Why This Kolaveri Di” from its soundtrack, composed by her cousin Anirudh Ravichander, went viral and became an internet phenomenon. She appeared alongside the lead cast and composer in the making of the video
vii. In July 2015, Aishwarya launched a YouTube channel under the banner of “Ten Entertainment” to exclusively promote original content and short films by aspiring filmmakers.
APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNS
Maharashtra and Gujarat governors get additional charge of TN and MP
i. The governors of Maharashtra and Gujarat will hold the additional charge of the states Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh respectively.
ii. Governor of Maharashtra Ch Vidyasagar Rao will hold additional charge of the state Tamil Nadu and and Governor of Gujarat Om Prakash Kohli will hold the additional charge of Madhya Pradesh.
iii. Governor of Tamil Nadu, Konijeti Rosaiah’s tenure ended on August 30 and Governor of Madhya Pradesh, Ram Naresh Yadav, will complete his tenure on September 7
Indian-origin Ajei Gopal named CEO of US-based software firm
i. Ajei Gopal was appointed as the CEO of US company ANSYS with effect from January 1 , 2017.He was as a succeedor of James Cashman.
ii. Gopal has served as interim president and COO of Symantec, leading the company through the recruitment of a permanent CEO.
iii. James Cashman will become Chairman of the Board of Directors effective from January 2017.
ANSYS :
♦ It produces engineering simulation software used for testing product designs across a wide spectrum of industries like rockets and wearable technology.
Michel Temer – Brazil’s New President
i. Michel Temer, Brazil’s former vice president, has been sworn in as the country’s new president.
ii. Michel Miguel Elias Temer Lulia is a Brazilian lawyer, poet and politician who has been the 37th President of Brazil since 31 August 2016, taking office after the impeachment and removal of his predecessor Dilma Rousseff.
iii. He had been serving as President in an acting capacity since 12 May 2016, when Rousseff was suspended from office to face the impeachment trial. He was the Vice President of Brazil under Rousseff from January 2011 until he succeeded her as President. He was elected to the Vice Presidency in the 2010 election and was reelected in 2014.
iv. On 12 May 2016, Temer assumed the presidential powers and duties as Acting President following the suspension of President Rousseff during her impeachment trial. Temer seems to be embracing a more socially conservative and economically liberal disposition for his government as well. In his first speech in office, Temer called for a government of “national salvation” and asked for the trust of the Brazilian people.
v. Later in 2016, as Acting President, Temer attended the opening ceremony of the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics.
vi. On 31 August 2016 the Senate voted 61–20 to convict President Dilma Rousseff and remove her permanently from her position. On the same day Temer, as Vice President, was sworn in as her successor, and will serve out what would have been the remainder Rousseff’s second term until 1 January 2019.
Ashok Chawla is new Chancellor at Teri university
i. Former Finance Secretary Ashok Chawla has appointed as the new Chancellor of TERI university.He was a succeedor of R.K. Pachauri.
ii. Chawla is working as the Chairman of Teri since February 2016.
Other Appointments:
Three new members into the Governing Council.They are Co-Chairman of Forbes Marshall Naushad Forbes, Prof. Basabi Bhaumik from Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Delhi and Founder of Institute for or Sustainable Development and International Relations (Paris) Prof. Laurence Tubiana.
ENVIRONMENT
CIL& ICFRE Signs MoU for Environment Related Issues
i. CIL& ICFRE Signs MoU for Environment Related Issues in Coal Mining Projects.
ii. The MoU will also help in improving the rehabilitation and reclamation of the mined out areas.
iii. This arrangement would help CIL in proper compliance and monitoring of the conditions that are laid down by the MoEF&CC while according environment and forest clearances.
iv. The MoU covers assessment and monitoring of plantation and eco restoration activities, preparation of wild life management plans, preparation of environmental impact assessment and environmental management plans, capacity building for the executives of CIL on environment and forestry issues etc.
v. Coal India Limited(CIL) is an Indian state-controlled coal mining company headquartered in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It is the largest coal producer company in the world and contributes around 82% of the coal production in India. It produced 494.24 million tonnes of coal during FY 2014–15 and earned a revenue of ₹954.35 billion from sale of coal in the same financial year.
BOOKS & AUTHORS
AB de Villiers to share his life in ‘AB: The Autobiography’
i. “AB: The Autobiography” will be released on September 8 by Pan Macmillan across the UK, Australia, New Zealand and India.
ii. The book will chronicle the journey of AB de played various sports before eventually realising and fulfilling his abilities with cricket.
iii. In addition to covering key moments from his career, his successes, failures and the people that have influenced his life, the book will also explore the man’s interests outside the game
