National & International Appointment
1. 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.
- He also served as Municipal Commissioner of Ahmedabad for over three years.
- Mohapatra is an MA in Political Science, MPhil in Diplomacy (International Relation) and also an MBA degree holder.
Know about AAI :
- Airports Authority of India (AAI) is statutory body under the aegis of Union Ministry of Civil Aviation.
- It is responsible for creating, upgrading, maintaining and managing civil aviation infrastructure in India.
- It provides Air traffic management (ATM) services over Indian airspace and adjoining oceanic areas.
- AAI manages around 125 airports in India, which include 18 International Airport, 07 Customs Airports, 78 Domestic Airports and 26 Civil Enclaves at Defence airfields.
2. 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.
- Romer will take up the position in September. He is currently a professor at New York University (NYU) and director of NYU’s Marron Institute of Urban Management.
- Romer will support the President and the senior management in leading the institution and inspiring the development profession during this time of transformative change.
National Affairs
3. 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.
- The purpose of e-court is to ensure speedy justice for the litigants.
- The e-Courts will ensure easy and better access to justice for public. It will also provide solution for large number of pending cases in the country.
- India’s first Integrated Criminal Justice System (ICJS) will be launched in High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad.
- The system will integrate the courts, police stations, prosecution, forensic science laboratories and jails
4. 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.
- The device uses infrared and radar technology to collect signals up to a distance of 2-3 km and displays the composite video image on a screen fitted inside the locomotive.
- “TRI-NETRA system” is based on technology employed by fighter aircrafts to see through clouds and operate in pitch darkness.
Banking & Finance
5. 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.
- The capital infusion exercise is based on an assessment of need as assessed from the Compound Annual Growth Rate of credit growth for the last five years, and banks’ own projections of credit growth.
- 75 percent of the amount collected for each bank is being released now to provide liquidity support for lending operations as also to enable banks to raise funds from the market.
- The remaining amount will be released later based on performance.
6. 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.
Note:
- Yatra.com is an Indian online travel agency and a travel search engine based in Gurgaon, Haryana, founded by Dhruv Shringi, Manish Amin and Sabina Chopra in August 2006.
7. 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.
- It will bring more transparency and streamlining the government procurement of goods and services.
- Various brands and specifications are available at the portal with cost and this is just a beginning, many more things are in the offing.
- It will get expanded in the longer term by March next year.
Honours & Awards
8. 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.
- Erguner was named UNESCO Artist for Peace in recognition of his Efforts to promote the universal values of music, an essential instrument of dialogue between cultures.
Obituaries
9. 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).
- In 2011, the Maharashtra government had sanctioned a financial aid of Rs. one lakh for treatment of the ailing singer.
Note:-
- Mubarak Begum was born in Sujangarh, Rajasthan and moved to Mumbai when she was 10-year-old.
- Her career as a playback singer began in 1949 with the Indian, Hindi-language film Aaiye.
- She is best known for the evergreen song “Kabhi tanhaiyon mein hamari yaad ayegi” from the movie Hamari Yaad Aayegi (1961).
Sports
10. IOA organises send-off event for Indian athletes participating in Rio Games
- The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) organised an official send-off event for the Indian athletes participating in the Rio Games beginning 5th of August.
- Tennis star Sania Mirza, wrestlers Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik and Vinod Tomar, gymnast Dipa Karmakar and young table tennis star Manika Batra were among those who attended the ceremony.
- Actor Salman Khan and music composer AR Rahman, the Goodwill Ambassadors of the Indian contingent for the Games, met the Indian athletes at an event.
- India will be fielding over 100 athletes at the Games this time.
11. 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.
- Yasir, who recorded the figures of six for 72 and four for 69, leapfrogged India’s Ravichandran Ashwin and England’s fast bowling pair of James Anderson and Stuart Broad.
- There is no Indian in the top-10 batsmen in Tests.
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