Current Affairs June – Quick Recap of Week III

Awards and Honours 

Appointments

Banking and Economy

1. HSBCis planning to wind up participatory notes (P-notes)operations in India, as tightening of regulatory framework .
2. PNB Housing Finance, a subsidiary of state-run Punjab National Bank (PNB), has filed the papers with SEBI for its Rs 3,000 crore initial public offering (IPO).
3. The development bank set up by the BRICS group of emerging economies will ramp up lending to $2.5 billion next year.
4. The World Bank has pledged to provide One billion US Dollar aid to Bangladesh over the next three years to fight child malnutrition.
5. The State Bank of India (SBI) has declared Silchar as its 5th zone in North East after Guwahati, Shillong, Dibrugarh and Jorhat, which will cater to the banking needs of the people of Mizoram, Tripura and Manipur along with the Barak Valley.
6. Wipro, an International IT company has acquired US-based consultancy firm Appirio. Appirio is a services firm with a large offshore firm that helps corporates implements cloud applications such as SalesForce.
7. The RBI has said that Foreign Venture Capital Investors (FVCIs) can invest in Indian startups irrespective of the sector in which the startup is engaged without prior permission of the apex bank. Sebi-registered FVCIs have also been permitted to invest in unlisted firms.
8. SIDBI has launched a Rs 60 crore ASPIRE fund to promote innovation,rural entrepreneurship &agri-industry.
9. The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has sanctioned loans worth 19,702 crore to the National Water Development Agency for 50 irrigation projects.
10. Banknotes of the denomination of Rs.2,000 will be in circulation. The Reserve Bank of India has very nearly completed preparations for introducing this new high-value currency.
11. The RBI has released guidelines for penalizing payments systems & banks under the Payments and Settlements Systems Act, 2007.
12. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has proposed a penalty of about Rs 3,050 crore on three telcos — BhartiAirtel, Vodafone and Idea Cellular for failing to provide sufficient interconnect points to Reliance Jio which has led to massive call failures.
13. Aditya Birla Group Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla pledged an investment of Rs. 20,000 crore for the state in sectors like retail, telecom and cement.

National Round-Up

1. The magnificentKashmiri Red Stag or Hangul could finally get some protection with the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) all set to declare it a ‘critically endangered’ species.
2. Indiahas to launch nuclear weapons from air, land and water, the INS Arihant, India’s first indigenously built naval ship.
3. Prime Minister Narendra Modiwill inaugurate the first National Tribal Carnival in Delhi on October 25, which intends to promote a sense of inclusiveness amongst the tribals.
4. Londonhas topped the 2016 Global Power City Index for the fifth consecutive year with Mumbai ranked 39th on the list of the world’s leading global cities for business, innovation and culture, according to a report released.
5. The central government will establish at least oneKrishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK, agriculture science centre) in each of the 646 districts in country.
6. State-run carrier AirIndia is in talks with telecom operator BSNL to install Wi-Fi facility on its aircraft.
7. Football’s world governing body FIFA ratified NaviMumbai as a venue for the Under-17 World Cup to be held in India next year.
8. The Lodha Committee to appointan independent auditor to scrutinize the grant of contracts by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the world’s richest cricket body.
9. The governmentsigned an agreement for a $650 million loan from the World Bank towards the third tranche for construction of the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC) designed for faster movement of goods between northern and eastern parts of India. 
10. Indian Immunologicals Ltd (IIL)has unveiled a vaccine to fight against tapeworms in pigs. CYSVAX, the vaccine, is the world’s first such, the Hyderabad-headquartered wholly-owned subsidiary of the National Dairy Development Board.
11. After eight years of harnessing olive saplings brought from Israel, Rajasthan is all set to launch next month its own brand olive oil, which it claims, will be the country’s first indigenously-produced brand.
12. The central government will set up five national-level sophisticated sports centres for differently-abled sports persons, with an objective of catering to their special needs like training and diet.
13. Amit Mishra has become the fastest Indian spinner to claim 50 ODI wickets, picking up three in the first ODI against NZ at Dharamshala.
14. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate first National Tribal Carnival in Delhi on 25^th
15. Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman unveiled the logo of Cell for IPR Promotion and Management (CIPAM) at a function in New Delhi.
16. It has been designed keeping in mind the slogan of the National IPR Policy – Creative India, Innovative India.
17. In Tripura, the Indo-Bangla bilateral meeting for Agartala-Akhaura rail project was held in Agartala Issues related to land acquisition, tendering process and completion of the project were discussed.
18. Three day conference of top commanders of Indian Air Force concluded today in New Delhi .
19. The conference deliberated on various issues including drafting of women as fighter pilots, induction of fighter aircraft like LCA Tejas and Rafale.
20. President Pranab Mukherjee will inaugurate the 28th Accountants General Conference in New Delhi.
21. Culture and Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma chaired the first meeting of the Reconstituted Central Advisory Board on Culture (CABC) in New Delhi.
22. In Arunachal Pradesh, the fifth Tawang festival started at historic Tawang town. Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal declared the three day festival open in presence of the US Ambassador to India Richard Verma.
23. The 18th MAMI (Mumbai Acadamy of the Moving Image) Film Festival began at the Opera House in Mumbai.
24. President Pranav Mukherjee inaugurated the Sardar Patel Heart Institute at Ankleshwar in Gujarat. He also unveiled the statue of Sardar Patel situated in the institute premises and is scheduled to deliver an address at the institute in a short while.
25. Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojna (PMUY) aims at providing five crore LPG connections to Below Poverty Line households in the country within three years.
26. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched a campaign through which people can send their Diwali greetings and messages to the soldiers to boost their morale.
27. The Union Government held tripartite talks with Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and United People’s Front (UPF) of Manipur to find an amicable solution to their long standing demand.

Snippets from the States

1. The 43rd IndiaInternational Knit Fair is scheduled between October 19 and 21 at India Knit Fair Complex, Tirupur, Tamil Nadu, India.
2. A ‘happiness junction’ has been inaugurated at the Sonpur railway station in Bihar’s Saran district, which will provide books and several entertainment tools for waiting passengers.
3. In Jammu and Kashmir over 800 years old village Itchu in Ladakh region has been electrified for the first time using solar micro grids.
4. . Andhra Pradesh government for 2016-17 has set the Gross Value Addition (GVA) target for the horticulture sector at Rs.49,845 crore.
5. A unique walking rallywith an aim to spread the message of ‘Unity in Diversity’ was held in the iconic city of Agra.
6. Rights activist Irom Sharmilaannounced the name of her party as People’s Resurgence Justice Alliance.
7. In Uttar Pradesh, the cabinet approved the construction of an International theme park at Ayodhya.
8. Jharkhand governmentwill introduce a pension scheme for those sports persons who brought laurels to the state or the country, but are still working as daily wager.
9. A pilot project to supply rationfood articles at the doorstep as part of implementing the Food Security Act would be launched in Kerala on November 1.
10. In Madhya Pradesh, all the towns will become Open Defecation Free by December 2017. Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan made this announcement at a workshop on urban development in Bhopal.
11. The Parsi Food Festivalis being held at the ‘Made in India’ restaurant at the Radisson Blu hotel in Noida between October 14 and 23.
12. Prime Minster Narendra Modi inaugurated three hydropower projects of 1,752 MW capacities in Himachal Pradesh.
13. The National Green Tribunalrapped Uttar Pradesh government for wasting crore of rupees of public money on Ganga rejuvenation and restrained it from spending on any major project except maintenance work on the stretch from Haridwar to Kanpur.
14. The Haryana governmenthas decided to increase their retirement age in the state from 58 to 65 years.
15. Bhojpuri and Rajasthaniare given the status of official language by including them in the
16. Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.
17. Union Minister for Consumer Affairs Ram Vilas Paswaninaugurated Consumer Mela 2016 at Connaught Place in New Delhi.
18. The ‘mela’ has been organised to bring consumers, companies, regulators and Department of Consumer Affairs on one platform for Consumer Awareness and possible grievance redressals and on the spot registration of grievances
19. Ahead of the ‘Make in Odisha‘ conclavescheduled to be held on November 30-December 2, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on met envoys from over 25 countries at an ‘Ambassadors Meet‘ organised in New Delhi.
20. The Election Commission of Indiawill hold the first ever International Conference on Voter Education in New Delhi.
21. The National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research (NICPR)has signed an MoU with All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), an autonomous institute under the Ministry of AYUSH, for collaboration in the areas of cancer prevention, research and care by setting up a Center of Integrative Oncology at NICPR-Noida.
22. Jammu and Kashmir government has set upits first pain clinic to treat patients suffering from various types of pains.
23. India’s second eco-friendly airportin Vadodara is all set to open its doors to passengers.
24. Petro-chemical complexwould be set up in Andhra Pradesh with an investment of Rs 35,000 crore during this financial year.
25. In a bid to make the city an infotech hub on the lines of Bengaluru, Madhya Pradesh minister Rajendra Shuklalaid the foundation stone for  Rs 50-crore IT park.
26. Prime Minister Narendra Modi today launched the national SC/ST hub and zero effect on environment scheme for MSME sector in Ludhiana, Punjab.

International Round-Up

1. The US Navyhas commissioned its largest, most expensive and technologically advanced destroyer, The USS Zumwalt.
2. Typhoon Sarikasmashed into the main Philippine island of Luzon, ripping off roofs, toppling power lines and forcing more than 12,000 people to flee to safer ground.
3. China launched its longest manned space mission, sending two astronauts into orbit to spend a month aboard a space laboratory that is part of a broader plan to have a permanent manned space station in service around 2022.
4. Finlandis the safest country on The Earth, According to Global Travel and Terrorism Report by the World Economic Forum (WEF).
5. Indiacomes down at the 11th most unsafe countries in the world.
6. Vodafonehas agreed a partnership with Iranian internet firm Hi-Web to help modernize its network, the companies, making the British company the latest Western firm to enter Iran after sanctions were lifted.
7. Burundi is set to become the first nation to withdraw from the International Criminal Courtin a move that underlines the depth of the crisis in the country and comes amid widespread antipathy in Africa towards the court.
8. Chinawill deploy world’s largest outdoor air purifier designed by a Dutch engineer in its smog-hit capital Beijing, as the thick heavily-pollute dhaze returned to haunt the city.
9. Power Grid Corp has said its board had approved proposals to invest Rs.1,184.45 crore in power transmission projects across India
10. China launched the two-man Shenzhou 11 space mission, which is its longest-ever manned space mission.
11. The two astronauts will spend about a month in China’s recently-launched experimental space lab, Tiangong 2. While China claims its space programme is for peaceful purposes.
12. The five-nation group of emerging economies BRICS has agreed to set up an independent BRICS Rating Agency in its efforts to challenge western hegemony in the world of finance. It was announced during the 8th BRICS summit held in Goa, India.
13. India has signed agreement with Russia to lease second Akula-II class nuclear attack submarine (SSN). The deal is believed to be worth about $2 billion.
14. Foreign Secretary S. Jaishanker is visiting Sri Lanka from to further economic cooperation and discuss other bilateral issues. Mr. Jaishankar is leading a high-level business delegation and several meetings are scheduled during his three-day visit to explore opportunities in trade and investment sector.

India and the World

1. Indiato initiate a joint venture arrangement with Algeria for a multi-billion dollar fertilizer plant located in the North African country .
2. Russiahas agreed to lease a second nuclear submarine to India in a deal which will cost around USD 2 billion.
3. India and Myanmaragreed to coordinate with each other on border security as Prime Minister Narendra Modi reaffirmed New Delhi’s commitment to help develop Myanmar.
4. Indian and Chinese armiesconducted a day-long exercise focused on humanitarian aid and relief, where a fictitious situation of an earthquake was emulated LAC in Eastern Ladakh.
5. An exhibition on 200-year-old history of Indians showcasingearly days of cattle traders, laundry men and brick-makers has been launched in Singapore.
6. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh will leave for Bahrain on a 3-day visit. During the visit, Mr Singh will hold bilateral meeting with the Interior Minister of Bahrain and interact with prominent members of the Indian community.

Science and Technology

1. Last month was the warmest September in 136 years of record-keeping, meaning 11 of the past 12 consecutive months dating back to October last year have set new monthly high-temperature records, NASA
2. More than 50 researchers from 30 countries are to carry out the first scientific full circumnavigation ofAntarctica in an attempt to measure pollution and climate change.
3. The San Diego-based mobile chipgiantannounced it will be launching the world’s first 5G modem Snapdragon X50.
4. Climate changecould sink up to 122 million more people into extreme poverty by 2030, mostly in South Asia and Africa, where small farmers would see their output plummet, the UN warned.
5. Russiahas agreed to lease out a second nuclear attack submarine of the Akula class to India this month in a deal worth around $2 billion.
6. Using two of the world’s largest configurable telescopes, scientists have created the most detailedmap yet of hydrogen atoms the Milky Way.
7. Indian Coast Guard Ships (ICGS) ‘Aryaman’ and ‘Atulya’,the 18th and 19th in the series of 20 Fast Patrol Vessels (FPVs), designed and built by Cochin Shipyard Limited, were commissioned.

Environment

1. Brazilhas opened up the first sanctuary in Latin America for elephants previously in captivity, anidyllic retreat that could eventually house as many as 50 of the giant animals.
2. Envoys of more than 170 countries in Kigali, Rwanda on 15 October 2016 agreed to phase down use and production of potent greenhouse gases, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) by 2045.
3. The agreement amends the 1987 Montreal Protocol on Substances that depletes the Ozone Layer.

Sports Point

Obituary

Important days