Daily Current Affairs Updates–13th October 2016:
Daily Current affairs News Updates about the National and International events were listed here. Candidates those who are preparing for IBPS/SBI/PO/Clerk exam and all other competitive exams can use this.
IMPORTANT DAYS
International Day for Disaster Reduction: October 13
International Day for Disaster Reduction is observed annually on 13 October. This theme - Live to Tell: Raising Awareness, Reducing Mortality. The day encourages every citizen and government to take part in building more disaster resilient communities and nations.
World Tsunami Awareness Day to be observed on November 5
i. The government of India will be observing the First World Tsunami Awareness Day on November 5. It will be observed during the upcoming Asian Ministerial Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR) 2016. The conference is slated to take place in Delhi between November 2-5.
World Sight Day being observed: Oct 13
i. World sight day is being observed today. The day is observed to focus attention on blindness and vision impairment. Government has set up free eye check up and treatments facilities in the designated primary health centres, community health centres, medical colleges, regional institutes of opthalmology and selected NGOs all over the country.
Prevention of vision loss due to sight threatening conditions like cataract, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma is possible with regular eye check up. Persons over 40 years of age or having glaucoma, diabetes or family history of eye diseases should get their eyes checked at least once a year.
Dharmendra Pradhan launches National Seismic Programme in Mahanadi Basin
i. Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of State (with Independent charge) for Petroleum and Natural Gas, on 12 October 2016 launched the National Seismic Programme (NSP) on Mahanadi basin (onshore) in Odisha.
The Programme was launched to carry out assessment of unappraised areas across the country for potential oil and natural gas reserves.
PM Modi to launch national SC/ST hub on Oct 18
i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will unveil key initiatives and a hub to provide support to entrepreneurs from the SC/ST community here on next Tuesday.
The Prime Minister will also launch zero defect, zero effect (on environment) (ZED) scheme, distribute charkhas to women and present national awards to outstanding micro, small and medium enterprises.
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Union MSME Minister Kalraj Mishra and Governor of Punjab V P Singh Badnore will grace the occasion.
ii. The ZED scheme was first mentioned by Modi in his Independence Day speech in 2014. It denotes high quality manufacturing with a minimal negative impact on environment.
Govt developing 20 cancer institute across country: J P Nadda
i. Health Minister J P Nadda has said the government is developing 20 cancer institute across the country. Addressing a four-day global conference on head-neck cancer in New Delhi yesterday, Mr Nadda said, Centre is committed to provide all type of support to address cancer.
He said, the Ministry is giving special emphasis to tertiary healthcare and developing 50 tertiary cancer centres. Mr Nadda said that all states should have one cancer institute. ii. The Minister said, National cancer Institute will be established by spending 150 crores rupees and 40 to 45 crores will be spent on tertiary cancer care centres. He said, the National Cancer Institute at Jhajjar in Haryana will be commissioned in July 2018.
HIMANSH, India’s remote and high-altitude station opened in Spiti, Himachal Pradesh
i. The National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR) established a high altitude research station in Himalaya called HIMANSH. The station is situated above 13500 feet at a remote region in Spiti, Himachal Pradesh.
The station was unveiled by M. Rajeevan, Secretary to the Ministry of Earth Sciences, on 9 October 2016.
The ongoing initiatives by NCAOR will contribute to the integrated study the glaciers in the upper Indus basin (Chandra basin) in Himachal Pradesh and their contribution to discharge.
CCEA approves for revision of ethanol price
i. Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, CCEA has approved the mechanism for revision of ethanol price for supply to Public Sector Oil Marketing Companies to carry out the Ethanol Blended Petrol, EBP, Programme.
The administered price of ethanol for the Programme will be 39 rupees per litre for the next sugar season from 1st December this year to 30th November next year. Charges will be paid to the ethanol suppliers as per actuals in case of Excise Duty and VAT/GST and transportation charges as decided by the oil marketing companies.
ii. CCEA also approved the construction of new link between Sahibganj bypass in Jharkhand to Manihari bypass in Bihar including four lane bridge on river Ganga. The cost is estimated to be 1955 crore rupees including cost of land acquisition, resettlement and rehabilitation and other pre-construction activities. The total length of the road to be developed is approximately 22 kms.
Defence contracts worth Rs 50 to 60,000 crore expected to be signed during current financial year: Defence Minister
i. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has said that he expects another 50,000-60,000 crore rupees worth of defence contracts to be signed during the current financial year, taking the total orders to three trillion rupees since he took charge two years ago.
Haryana government sanctions 500 buses for Gurugram
In a bid to strengthen the public transport system in Gurugram, the Haryana government has sanctioned a fleet of 500 buses for the millennium city. Gurugram MLA Umesh Agarwal said a new body Greater Gurugram Urban Transport Service Ltd (GGUTSL) has been constituted for this purpose.
India to become 2nd biggest steel manufacturer by year-end: Birender Singh
Union Steel Minister Birender Singh has said India will become the second biggest steel manufacturer in the world by year-end. Currently, China is the largest steel manufacturing country followed by Japan and produces five times more steel than India.
Pampore, Jammu and Kashmir: 56-hour gun battle with militants ends
i. Pampore, a town situated on the eastern side of river Jehlum on Srinagar-Jammu National Highway in Jammu and Kashmir, was in news in second week of October 2016. It came in news after Entrepreneurship Development Institute (EDI) complex located in the area was attacked by two militants.
The terrorists had stormed into the EDI complex in the wee hours on 10 October 2016 and took positions inside one of the buildings.
INTERNATIONAL
2,400-year-old burial chamber discovered in Turkey
i. A 2,400-year-old burial chamber was recently discovered by archaeologists in Milas district, Turkey. Over 100 artefacts dating back to the Hellenistic and Roman eras have been found within the chamber. Milas Museum Director Gülnaz Savran said, "this burial chamber belonged to an important family... and continued to be used by the same family over the following centuries."
Wonder Woman to be UN ambassador for women's empowerment
i. The United Nations is to enlist the super powers of "Wonder Woman" for a new campaign to empower women and girls.
ii. The comic and television series heroine will be officially designated as the UN honorary ambassador for the empowerment of women and girls during a ceremony on October 21.
The ceremony will launch a year-long campaign on gender equality and women's empowerment, which is one of the UN's new global goals for the next 15 years.
BANKING NEWS
IndusInd Bank Q2 net profit rises 26% to 704 crore
i. Mumbai-based lender IndusInd Bank on Wednesday reported a 26% year-on-year rise in the net profit to 704.26 crore in the second quarter ended September. Operating profit for the quarter grew by 27% to 1,281.65 crore as against 1,006.53 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous year. IndusInd has continued positive growth despite tepid global markets, CEO Romesh Sobti said.
Manappuram tops BSE 500 list with 2-fold returns this year
Kerala-based Manappuram Finance leads the list of ten companies from the BSE 500 stocks that have doubled in 2016 so far. Manappuram's stock has gained nearly 210%, which the analysts attributed to the firm's efforts to diversify its loan book. Other strong performers were Escorts and Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertiliser, which have gained around 133% and 126% respectively.
BUSINESS NEWS
Schneider Electric to invest 750 crore in India
i. French energy management and automation firm Schneider Electric on Wednesday said it plans to invest 750 crore in India over the next three-five years in research and development, innovation and manufacturing. "In the past 10 years we have invested... around €800 million (5,880 crore)," CEO Jean-Pascal Tricoire said. Schneider has developed in India at a break-neck pace, he further added.
Ola to raise $500m from SoftBank, General Motors: Report
i. Indian cab-hailing startup Ola is reportedly in talks with existing investor SoftBank and American automaker General Motors among others to raise $500 million in a fresh round of funding. Ola had raised $57.3 million in Series G round of funding in December 2015 from an unknown investor and, has raised a total of $1.23 billion so far.
AGREEMENTS & MoUs
Cabinet approves MoU on various sources
i. The Cabinet has given its approval for signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on General Cooperation with New Development Bank (NDB) through the BRICS Interbank Cooperation Mechanism. The proposal will enhance trade and economic relations among the BRICS countries and benefit the participating institutions from the BRICS nations.
Our correspondent reports that five banks from the BRIC nations had established the BRICS Interbank Co-operation Mechanism to enhance trade and economic relations amongst the BRIC countries, and enterprises.
ii. The Cabinet also gave its nod for signing of a MoU between India and Hungary on cooperation in the field of water management. The MoUwill encourage the development of bilateral relations between public and private organizations concerning water resources of both the countries.
iii. The Cabinet has given its approval for signing the Memorandum of Understanding MoU between India and the Russia on Expansion of Bilateral Trade and Economic Cooperation. The MoU would expand more bilateral trade and economic cooperation between the two countries.
iv. The Cabinet was also apprised of the MoU signed on April 7, 1999 and the First Executive Programme for MOU signed with Qatar on bilateral cooperation in the field of Youth and Sports signed on 5th of June this year. The MoU will help in expanding knowledge and expertise in the areas of sports science, sports medicine and coaching techniques.
v. The Union Cabinet on Thursday paved the way for signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Hungary to enhance cooperation in tackling water management issues. The MoU will be signed between the Union Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation and Hungary's Interior Ministry.
vi. The Union Cabinet has approved the establishment of Indian Institute of Management (IIM) at Jammu. The institute will from a temporary campus at Old Government College of Engineering and Technology from 2016-17 academic year The project will involve a cost of nearly 62 crore rupees for initial four years. The student strength intake for this year in the Post Graduate Diploma Programme in Management is 54 which will progressively go up to a cumulative student strength of 120 in the 4th year
The Union Cabinet has approved redevelopment of residential colonies at West Ansari Nagar and Ayur Vigyan Nagar Campuses of All India Institute of Medical Sciences, AllMS, New Delhi. National Buildings Construction Corporation Limited will undertake the exercise to replace the existing housing stock of 1,444 dwelling units. It will also create social infrastructure facilities including Dharamshala and commercial Built Up Area.
Bengaluru-based startup inks 650 cr deal with Peruvian army
i. Bengaluru-based imaging-design startup, Tonbo Imaging has reportedly entered into a $100 million (around 650 crore) contract with the Peruvian army. The startup will manufacture and export 'night-vision sights' for the army's weapons. Tonbo Imaging designs and builds advanced imaging and sensor systems to sense, understand and control complex environments.
Bank of Maharashtra renews tie-up with United India Insurance
i. State-run Bank of Maharashtra (BoM) today said it has renewed its corporate agency tie-up with United India Insurance Company (UIIC).
Customers can buy the entire gamut of UIIC products at any of the 1,896 branches of the bank across the country, the lender said in a release here.
ii. They can buy insurance products related to motor, fire, health, marine, overseas travel policy and personal accident from the bank's branches..
Railways to sign deal with Germany for high-speed trains
i. Aiming to reduce travel time significantly, Railways will ink a pact with Germany for running high-speed trains in the country.
ii. Accompanied by a high-ranking delegation, German Minister for Transport and Digital Infrastructure, Alexander Dobrindt will meet Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu tomorrow.
iii. A senior Railway Ministry official in New Delhi said that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will be signed between the two countries for bilateral cooperation in the rail sector.
India, Brazil to ink pact, boost bilateral cooperation
i. India and Brazil will sign an agreement on cooperation and facilitation of investment on the sidelines of the upcoming BRICS Summit in Goa by Brazilian Ambassador to India Tovara Da Silva Nunes.
ii. The major sectors of focus in Brazil are medical equipment and medicines, aerospace, aeronautics, oil and natural gas, chemicals, fertilizers and processed food.
The Brazilian Ambassador termed the country as an attractive destination for companies. Brazil is one of the major trade partners of India in Latin America.
APPOINTMENTS
UN General Assembly To Appoint Antonio Guterres As Next Secretary General
i. The UN General Assembly will today formally appoint Portugal's former Prime Minister Antonio Guterres as the next Secretary-General of the world body to replace Ban Ki-moon.
ii. Mr Guterres will succeed Mr Ban as the 9th Secretary General when Mr Ban's tenure ends on December 31.
G Mahalingam as Sebi Whole-Time Member
i. Government has appointed Reserve Bank's Executive Director G Mahalingam as a Whole-Time Member of markets regulator Sebi.
ii. Apart from the Chairman, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) can have three Whole-Time Members (WTMs). Mahalingam's appointment follows the retirement of Prashant Saran as WTM in June this year.
Bob Dylan wins 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature
i. Bob Dylan on 13 October 2016 won the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature. Dylan was bestowed with the precious award for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition. Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, artist and writer.
ii. His early songs such as Blowin' in the Wind and The Times They Are a-Changin became anthems for the American civil rights and anti-war movements.
His early songs such as Blowin' in the Wind and The Times They Are a-Changin became anthems for the American civil rights and anti-war movements.
Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank awarded by Ugandan govt for his literary work
Former Uttarakhand chief minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has been conferred with a prestigious award by the Ugandan government for promoting human values through his literature. Nishank, who is currently a BJP MP from Haridwar, has authored a number of books and anthologies.
Honouring the former chief minister with the award in recognition of his literary work at Kampala last night, the Ugandan Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda said Nishank's literary oeuvre bears testimony to the fact that despite being a politician he attaches utmost importance to promotion of human values in life, a statement from the MP's office said.
Pune-based inventor gets international automation award
Satish Pathak, a Pune-based innovator, has been awarded the the Excellence in Technical Innovation by the International Society of Automation.
The innovation, called Digital Controlled Valve for Precise Liquid Dispensing by Gravity flow, has the capacity of saving for the industry and is a step change technology in industrial valves, said Pathak
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
India ranked 2nd in science research growth: Report
India is ranked second among countries with the highest growth in their contribution to high-quality scientific research, according to a recent report. Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), ranked 16, is the top Indian institute among the 100 best research institutes across the world. Notably, China topped the rankings with 40 institutes in the top 100 list.
Inox Wind bags 40 MW power project from Malpani Group
Noida-based Inox Wind today said that it has bagged repeat orders from multi-business conglomerate Malpani Group for two wind power projects of 20 MW each in Gujarat. The two orders will be executed on turnkey basis and are scheduled to be commissioned by March 2017, Inox said. The orders involve supply and installation of 20 units of wind turbine generators.
SPORTS NEWS
India to play junior hockey tournament in Spain
The Indian junior hockey men's team will participate in a four-nation international junior hockey tournament in Spain from October 24-30. The team will be led by Harjeet Singh while Dipsan Tirkey will be the vice-captain. They will play their first match against the 2013 junior world champions Germany on October 24, followed by Belgium and the hosts Spain.
IOC confident of giving free internet at Beijing 2022
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has stated it is confident that China will guarantee "free and uncensored" internet during the 2022 Winter Games to be held in Beijing. Social media sites like Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and Facebook are inaccessible in China. Notably, China had committed to providing media with the same freedom to report during the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.
Ashwin's strike rate best among spinners in 100 years
Ravichandran Ashwin's strike rate of 49.4 is the best among spinners in the last 100 years, and the third-best overall for spin bowlers. Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne, the top wicket-takers in Tests, are at fifth and sixth spot respectively. Sri Lanka's Rangana Herath and Australia's Nathan Lyon are the only other active spinners besides Ashwin in the top 10.
Tatenda Taibu to take up the role of a sports administrator
Former Zimbabwe captain Tatenda Taibu has accepted the role of Zimbabwe Cricket's convener of selectors and development officer. His primary task will be the installation of floodlights at Zimbabwe's Harare Sports Club. Taibu, who retired in 2012 at the age of 28 to focus on working with the church, represented Zimbabwe in two cricket World Cups.
Indian shooter Jitu Rai named 'Champion of Champions' by ISSF
The International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) has awarded ace shooter, Jitu Rai, the 'Champion of Champions' title for pistol shooting in 2016. Jitu on 09 October 2016 beat Serbia's Damir Mikec, 29.6 to 28.3 in the Champions Trophy 10m Air Pistol final.
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