Current Affairs : 20 July 2016

Guruprasad Mohapatra appointed as Chairman of Airports Authority of India

• Senior IAS officer (1986-batch) Guruprasad Mohapatra has been appointed as Chairman of Airports Authority of India (AAI). 
• Earlier, he was working as Joint Secretary in Union Ministry of Commerce from the past two years.

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World Bank confirms NYU’s Paul Romer as Chief Economist

• The World Bank has confirmed New York University economics professor Paul Romer (60-yers) its next chief economist. 
• He will replace Kaushik Basu, a former Indian government economics adviser who is retiring.

India’s first e-court opened at Hyderabad High Court

• India’s first e-court (paperless court) was opened at High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad . 
• High Court of Hyderabad is the common high court for the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. 
• It has been inaugurated by Supreme Court judge Justice Madan B. Lokur who heads the e-Committee of the Supreme Court.

Indian Railways to install TRI-NETRA to reduce train accidents

• The Indian Railways has initiated process to launch the Terrain Imaging for Diesel Drivers-Infrared Enhanced Optical and Radar Assisted (Tri-NETRA) system to avoid train accidents.
• The system will be installed on locomotives for enhancing the vision of Locomotive Pilots in inclement weather.

Govt. allocates Rs 22,915 cr capital to 13 PSU banks for FY17

• Government has allocated 22,915 crore rupees capital to 13 public sector banks for the current fiscal.
• Government has undertaken an exercise to assess the capitalization needs of Public Sector Banks in line with the announcements made under the Union Budget.

Terrapin acquires Yatra Online for $218 mn

• Yatra online has been entered into a merger agreement with a NASDAQ- listed special purpose acquisition firm Terrapin 3 Acquisition Corp(TRTL). 
• The transaction values Yatra at an enterprise value of $218 million (Rs 1,458 crore). 
• The combined company will continue to be led by Yatra’s experienced management team under the leadership of chief executive and co-founder Dhruv Shringi.

Commerce Ministry starts e-marketplace for goods procurement

• Union Minister of State (MoS) Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman has launched an e-marketplace for online purchase of goods and services by various central government ministries and departments in New Delhi . 
• The portal has been developed by the Directorate General of Supplies and Disposals (DGS&D) which works under the Commerce Ministry and carries out the procurement.

Turkish musician Kudsi Erguner named UNESCO Artist for Peace

• Turkish musician Kudsi Erguner has been appointed as the UNESCO Artist for Peace by the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova. 
• He was appointed after the opening ceremony of the 40th session of the World Heritage Committee (WHC) held in Istanbul, Turkey.

Legendary playback singer Mubarak Begum passes away

• Legendary playback singer Mubarak Begum (80-year) passed away in Mumbai, Maharashtra. 
• She is known for her singing scores of songs, duets and ghazals for Bollywood, mainly during the (1950-70s).

Pakistan’s Yasir Shah scales number one spot in ICC Test rankings

• Pakistan’s spinner Yasir Shah has scaled the number one spot in the ICC Test rankings becoming the first Pakistani bowler to do so since Mushtaq Ahmed in December 1996. 
• He reached the number-one spot after bowling Pakistan to a 75-run victory over England in the first Test at Lord’s.

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