Daily GK Update: 13th September, 2015

India, Pakistan agree to maintain peace along border after DG level talks 

i. India and Pakistan have started a three-day Director General (DG)-level border dialogue in New Delhi. 

ii. Director General (DG) Border Security Force (BSF) D K Pathak is leading 23 member Indian delegation and his counterpart Major General Umar Farooq Burki, DG  of Pakistan Rangers (Punjab) is leading a 16 members Pakistani delegation. 

iii. Both the delegations also have representatives from respective Home and Foreign ministries along with officers from narcotics control and survey department.

iv. In this dialogue both sides have 

• Decided to devise new strategies along the International Border in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) to put an end to incidents of ceasefire violations. 
• Agreed maintenance of peace and tranquility on the border is the most important issue and this needs to be implemented on the ground. 

v. India also has suggested that rather than debating and contesting about the past incidents, both sides should work on a future strategy in order to make the border peaceful and safe for the troops and civilians alike.

AUSINDEX15, first Australia and India maritime exercise begins in Visakhapatnam 
i. Inaugural bilateral maritime exercise between India and Australia AUSINDEX15, commenced off coast of Visakhapatnam.
ii. The inaugural biennial exercise began with briefings and practical demonstrations ashore between Royal Australian Navy and Indian Navy before moving to sea.

iii. AUSINDEX15 naval exercise between navies of both countries is held in line with the Framework for Security Co-operation. The framework was announced by the Australian and Indian Prime Ministers in 2014.

Union Government extends e-Tourist Visa Scheme to 37 more countries 

i. Union Government has announced to extend e-Tourist Visa Scheme to 37 more countries in order to attract maximum foreign tourists in the country. 

ii. It was announced by Secretary of Union Tourism Ministry Vinod Zuthsi while addressing a function of Indian Association of Tour Operators in New Delhi. 

iii. With this extension, the total 150 countries will come under the ambit of e-Tourist Visa Scheme from present 113 countries. 

iv. By August 2015, more than 22,000 tourists have used this scheme to visit India, compared to 2700 tourists in August, 2014. 

Rajasthan first state to submit State Annual Action Plan under AMRUT 

i. Rajasthan has become the first state in the country to submit State Annual Action Plan under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT). 

ii. State Government has submitted the action plan for approval by the Union Urban Development Ministry for financial year 2015-16. 

iii. The plan seeks to target two categories of AMRUT projects in the state viz. universal coverage in respect of water supply connections, sewerage connections and urban transport to all urban households. 

2015 Singapore General Elections: PAP returns to power 

i. In recently concluded 2015 Singapore General Elections, People’s Action Party (PAP) led by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has emerged victorious. 

ii. PAP returned to power after scoring a landslide victory by winning an absolute majority of 83 seats in the 89 member Parliament. 

iii. With this victory, governing PAP has secured their 14th consecutive term in office since independence of city-state in 1965. 

iv. 2015 Singapore General Elections was country’s first election after the death of its founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. 

Indra Nooyi, 2nd powerful women in 2015 Fortune’s business list 

i. Indra Nooyi, CEO of food and beverage giant PepsiCo is the sole Indian-origin executive in 2015 edition of Fortune’s list of 50 Most Powerful Women in Business. 

ii. India-born Nooyi was placed at second position in this year’s list and has moved up by single position from her previous third position in year 2015. 

iii. This edition of the list was topped by General Motors CEO Mary Barra. She heads United States largest auto-maker and it is her second year as head.

Renowned Water policy expert Ramaswamy Iyer passes away 

i. Renowned water policy expert Ramaswamy R. Iyer passed away in New Delhi following a severe bout of viral fever. He was 86. 

ii. He was instrumental in drafting India’s first National Water Policy in 1987. Ramaswamy R. Iyer was born in October 1929 in Thakkalai district of Tamil Nadu. 

iii. He was best known for producing a rich body of commentary on water policy and environmental issues. 

iv. He was an officer of the Indian Audit and Accounts Service (IAAS) and also had served as Secretary of Water Resources in the Union Government. His last held position was that of an honorary research professor at the New Delhi based Centre for Policy Research.

Tenth World Hindi Conference begins in Bhopal 

i. The Tenth World Hindi Conference has begun in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh with the theme of Hindi Jagat-Vistar and Sambhavnaye. 

ii. The three-day conference was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It has been organised in Madhya Pradesh for the first time and being held in India after 32 years. 

iii. It is joint event of Union Ministry of External Affairs in partnership with the state Government of Madhya Pradesh.

iv. This edition of conference will host scholars from 39 countries who are going to discuss issues like Hindi in administration, foreign policy and law during the event. An exhibition showcasing assimilation of Hindi with modern techniques also has been set up at the conference venue. 

ABVP sweeps Delhi University polls

i. The Bharatiya Janata Party-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) has for the second consecutive year trounced National Students Union of India (NSUI) to win all four seats in the student union elections of Delhi University.

ii. The Congress-backed NSUI stood on the second position on three posts including that of president, joint secretary and secretary while AAP's student wing came second for the post of vice president.

iii. ABVP's presidential candidate, Satender Awana won by a margin of over 6,000 votes. "Our party has been working for the cause of students which is why we have won," Mr. Awana said soon after the victory.

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