New Deputy Governor of RBI

Government appointed Viral V Acharyaa New York University Economics Professor as new Deputy Governor at the Reserve Bank of India. His appointment was cleared by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. He will fill the post that fell vacant after Urjit Patel after he was made RBI Governor to succeed Rajan with effect from September 2016. The existing three Deputy Governors of RBI are S S Mundra, R Gandhi and N S Vishwanathan..

National Academic Depository

Union Cabinet approved establishment and operationalisation of National Academic Depository (NAD), a Digital Depository for school learning certificates, degrees and other academic awards of Higher Education Institutions, on the pattern of a Securities Depository.NAD will be operationalised by NSDL Database Management Limited (NDML) and CDSL Ventures, Limited (CVL).

How NAD Works:

The NAD will register educational institutions/boards/eligibility assessment bodies, students and other users/verifying entities like banks, employer companies, government agencies and academic institutions.It will provide digital or a printed copy of the academic award with security features to the students or other authorized users. NAD will verify academic awards online on the same day of request initiated by any authorized user.

Winners of 61st Britannia Filmfare Awards

Bajirao Mastani with 8 awards was the film wining highest number of awards. Awards in various categories are
Best Actor: Ranveer Singh (Bajirao Mastani).
Best Actress: Deepika Padukone (Piku).
Best Film: Bajirao Mastani.
Best Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali (Bajirao Mastani).
Lifetime Achievement: Moushumi Chatterjee.

UDAY SCHEME

Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojna (UDAY)

UDAY Scheme has been launched by Union Ministry of Power for financial restructuring of debt of power distribution companies. 
It aims for financial revival and turnaround of Power Distribution companies (DISCOMs) and also ensures a sustainable permanent solution to the problem.
By becoming part of it, states power DISCOMs can convert their debt into state bonds as well as roll out number of measures to improve efficiency at power plants. 
It seeks to make DISCOMs financially and operationally healthy so they can supply adequate power at affordable rates and play important role in Union Government’s ambition of meeting target of 100% Village electrification and 24X7 Power For All.

Australian Open Tennis 2016

The Australian Open is a major tennis tournament held annually in Melbourne, Australia. The tournament is chronologically the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events of the year – the other three being the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open
Following are the winners of this edition of the tournament.
Men's Singles: Novak Djokovic

Women's Singles: Angelique Kerber

Men's Doubles: Jamie Murray & Bruno Soares

Women's Doubles: Martina Hingis &Sania Mirza

Mixed Doubles: Elena Vesnina & Bruno Soares

Dada Saheb Phalke award

The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India's highest award in cinema. It is presented annually at the National Film Awards ceremony by the Directorate of Film Festivals, an organisation set up by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The recipient is honoured for their "outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian cinema" and is selected by a committee consisting of eminent personalities from the Indian film industry.

Veteran actor and director Manoj Kumar will be conferred the Dada Saheb Phalke award for 2015.

Aadhaar Bill

A legislation to provide statutory backing to Aadhaar for use for transferring government subsidies and benefits was introduced in Lok Sabha. Opposition protests the legislation fot it's categorised as a money bill which does not need approval of the Rajya Sabha. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the bill addresses concerns over privacy of Aadhaar data and has incorporated a clause that restricts its use as proof of citizenship. The bill will provide for “good governance, efficient, transparent, and targeted delivery of subsidies, benefits and services, the expenditure for which is incurred from the Consolidated Fund of India, to individuals residing in India through assigning of unique identity numbers to such individuals”.

Setu Bharatam

PM Modi launches ‘Setu Bharatam’ project which will build 208 rail-over bridges and rail-under bridges which aims to make all national highways free of railway crossings by 2019.  Around 1,500 bridges that are over 50 to 60 years old will be rebuild under the project. More than 50 thousand crore rupees will be spent on the project. Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari and Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways Pon Radhakrishnan were also present on the occasion. “Veins give strength to our body. Similarly, infrastructure will give speed and strength to the development of India. There will be progress if we focus on building road and railway network, optical fibre network, water, grid and electricity connectivity along with electricity supply. Our government is working in that direction,” Mr. Modi said on the occasion.

He said that developing rural roads is a priority for the government and it has got huge budgetary support this year. In Budget 2016-17, Rs. 19,000 crore has been sanctioned under the Pradham Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), to connect all villages with roads, compared with Rs. 14,291 crore in the revised estimates of 2015-16.

New NHRC Chairman

Former Chief Justice of India(CJI) HL Dattu on Monday took charge as the Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). He is the seventh Chairperson of the Commission. Justice KG Balakrishnan completed his tenure on May 11, last year following which member of the Commission Justice Cyriac Joseph held charge as the acting Chairperson.

New FIFA President

Giovanni Vincenzo Infantino who holds dual nationality, Italian and Swiss elected as President of FIFA during the 2016 FIFA(Fédération Internationale de Football Association) Extraordinary Congress on 26 February 2016. Issa Hayatou of Cameroon was acting President for the last five months. 

Oscar 2016

88th Academy award winners are...

• Best picture                            Spotlight
• Actor in a leading role           Leonardo DiCaprio(The Revenant)
• Actress in a leading role        Brie Larson (Room)
• Actor in a supporting role     Mark Rylance(Bridge of Spies)
• Actress in a supporting role  Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl)
• Director                                 Alejandro González Iñárritu(The Revenant) 

Union Budget 2016-17 Summary for Competitive Exams

The highlights of union budget 2016 are

• Growth of Economy accelerated to 7.6% in 2015-16.
• Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana(Prime Minister Crop Insurance Scheme) in which the premium rates to be paid by the farmers have been brought down substantially so as to enable more farmers avail insurance cover against crop loss on account of natural calamities. The scheme will come into effect from the upcoming Kharif season. Allocation under Prime Minister Fasal Bima Yojana Rs. 5,500 crore.
• Allocation for Agriculture and Farmers’ welfare is Rs. 35,984 crore
• ‘Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana’ to be implemented in mission mode. 28.5 lakh hectares will be brought under irrigation.
• Implementation of 89 irrigation projects under Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme (AIBP), which are languishing for a long time, will be fast tracked
• A dedicated Long Term Irrigation Fund will be created in NABARD with an initial corpus of about Rs. 20,000 crore
• Programme for sustainable management of ground water resources with an estimated cost of Rs. 6,000 crore will be implemented through multilateral funding
• Promote organic farming through ‘Parmparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana’ and 'Organic Value Chain Development in North East Region'.
• Allocation under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana increased to Rs.19,000 crore. Will connect remaining 65,000 eligible habitations by 2019.
• Rs. 850 crore for four dairying projects - ‘Pashudhan Sanjivani’, ‘Nakul Swasthya Patra’, ‘E-Pashudhan Haat’ and National Genomic Centre for indigenous breeds
• A sum of Rs. 38,500 crore allocated for MGNREGS.
• 300 Rurban Clusters will be developed under the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Rurban Mission
• 100% village electrification by 1st May, 2018.
• Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan  with an allocation of  RS. 655 crore to be launched to strengthen the Panchayati Raj Institutions
• Allocation for social sector including education and health care Rs.1,51,581 crore.
• Rs. 2,000 crore allocated for initial cost of providing LPG connections to BPL families.
• New health protection scheme will provide health cover up to Rs. Onelakh per family. For senior citizens an additional top-up package up to Rs. 30,000 will be provided.
• 3,000 Stores under Prime Minister’s Jan Aushadhi Yojana will be opened during 2016-17.
• ‘National Dialysis Services Programme’ to be started under National Health Mission through PPP mode
• “Stand Up India Scheme” to facilitate at least two projects per bank branch. This will benefit at least 2.5 lakh entrepreneurs.
• Digital Depository for School Leaving Certificates, College Degrees, Academic Awards and Mark sheets to be set-up.
• Allocation for skill development – Rs. 1804. crore. 
• National Board for Skill Development Certification to be setup in partnership with the industry and academia
• 100 Model Career Centres to operational by the end of 2016-17 under National Career Service.
• Total investment in the road sector, including PMGSY allocation, would be Rs. 97,000 crore during 2016-17.
• India’s highest ever kilometres of new highways were awarded in 2015. To approve nearly 10,000 kms of National Highways in 2016-17.
• Allocation of Rs. 55,000 crore in the Budget for Roads. Additional Rs. 15,000 crore to be raised by NHAI through bonds
• Total outlay for infrastructure - Rs. 2,21,246 crore.
• 100% FDI to be allowed through FIPB route in marketing of food products produced and manufactured in India.
• Allocation of Rs. 25,000 crore towards recapitalisation of Public Sector Banks.
• Target of amount sanctioned under Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana increased to Rs 1,80,000 crore.
• Price Stabilisation Fund with a corpus of Rs. 900 crore to help maintain stable prices of Pulses. 
• “Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat” programme will be launched to link States and Districts in an annual programme that connects people through exchanges in areas of language, trade, culture, travel and tourism.
• Fiscal deficit in RE 2015-16 and BE 2016-17 retained at 3.9% and 3.5%.
• Revenue Deficit target from 2.8% to 2.5% in RE 2015-16
• Total expenditure projected at Rs. 19.78 lakh crore
• Plan expenditure pegged at Rs. 5.50 lakh crore under Plan, increase of 15.3%
• Non-Plan expenditure kept at Rs. 14.28 lakh crores
• Mobilisation of additional finances to the extent of Rs. 31,300 crore by NHAI, PFC, REC, IREDA, NABARD and Inland Water Authority by raising Bonds. 
• Committee to review the implementation of the FRBM Act.
• Raise the ceiling of tax rebate under section 87A from Rs.2000 to Rs.5000 to lessen tax burden on individuals with income upto Rs.5 laks. 
• Increase the limit of deduction of rent paid under section 80GG from Rs.24000 per annum to Rs.60000, to provide relief to those who live in rented houses.
• New manufacturing companies incorporated on or after 1.3.2016 to be given an option to be taxed at 25% + surcharge and cess provided they do not claim profit linked or investment linked deductions and do not avail of investment allowance and accelerated depreciation.
• Lower the corporate tax rate for the next financial year for relatively small enterprises i.e companies with turnover not exceeding Rs. 5 crore (in the financial year ending March 2015), to 29% plus surcharge and cess.
• 100% deduction of profits for 3 out of 5 years for startups setup during April, 2016 to March, 2019. MAT will apply in such cases. 
• Commitment to implement General Anti Avoidance Rules (GAAR) from 1.4.2017.
• Withdrawal up to 40% of the corpus at the time of retirement to be tax exempt in the case of National Pension Scheme (NPS). Annuity fund which goes to legal heir will not be taxable.
• Krishi Kalyan Cess, @ 0.5% on all taxable services, w.e.f. 1 June 2016. Proceeds would be exclusively used for financing initiatives for improvement of agriculture and welfare of farmers. Input tax credit of this cess will be available for payment of this cess. 

58th Annual Grammy Awards

The 2016 Grammy Awards were held on February 15, 2016, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.
Main Awards:


Album of the Year                    1989 Taylor Swift
Song of the Year                       Thinking Out Loud Ed Sheeran, Amy Wadge
Best New Artist                         Meghan Trainor
Record of the Year                    Uptown Funk Bruno Mars, Mark Ronson

Gallantry awards 2016

On the eve of 67th Republic Day celebrations President Pranab Mukherjee has conferred the country’s highest peacetime gallantry award,award of one Ashok Chakra, two Kirti Chakras and eight Shaurya Chakras to the Indian Army personnel on the occasion of Republic Day 2016.
List of awardees:
Ashok Chakra
Lance Naik Mohan Nath Goswami (Posthumous), 9 PARA (Special Force)
Kirti Chakra
Subedar Mahendra Singh, Sena Medal, 9 PARA (Special Force)
Sepoy Jagdish Chand (Posthumous), 546 DSC Platoon
Shaurya Chakra
Colonel Santosh Yashwant Mahadik (Posthumous), Sena Medal, 41 Rashtriya Rifle (PARA)
Major Praphul Kumar Bhardwaj, 12 PARA (Special Force)
Major Anurag Kumar, 9 PARA (Special Force)
Major Sandip Yadav, 55 Rashtriya Rifle (Armed)
Lieutenant Harjinder Singh, 3 KUMAON
Naik Satish Kumar (Posthumous), 21 Rashtriya Rifle (Guards
Naik Kheem Singh Mehra, 21 KUMAON
Sepoy Dharma Ram (Posthumous), 1 Rashtriya Rifle (MAHAR)

Malaysia Masters Grand Prix 2016

World Championship bronze-medallist, India's P V Sindhu clinched the Malaysia Masters Grand Prix Gold title on 24 january 2016.

Other winners:

Women’s doubles category: Misaki Matsutomo and Ayaka Takahashi from Japan.

Mixed doubles category      :Zheng Siwei and Li Yinhui from China.

Men’s singles category       :Lee Chong Wei from Malaysia.

Men’s doubles category     :Markus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo from                                                   Indonesia.                     

About Grand Prix Gold Title:

The 2016 Malaysia Masters Grand Prix Gold was the first grand prix's badminton tournament of the 2016 BWF Grand Prix and Grand Prix Gold. The tournament was held at the SPICE Indoor Stadium in Penang, Malaysia from 19–24 January 2016 and had a total purse of $120,000.    

       

Medal of Order of Australia

Melbourne settled kerala dentist Dr.Sajeev koshy has been awarded the Medal of Order of Australia on 26 january 2016.Dr.koshy was given the award fo his service to dentistry in victoria,Australia.He was honoured by Governor General Of Australia.

About Order of Australia;

The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, to recognise Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or meritorious service.Before the establishment of the order, Australian citizens would receive British honours.

Union Government launched SAHAJ Scheme

Union Government has launched SAHAJ scheme for online booking of new LPG connections for the consumers as parts of its consumer friendly initiative on 25 january 2016.It was launched by Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan at a function held in New Delhi.The booking can be done through the unified web portal www.mylpg.in which is available in 13 languages.

SAHAJ Scheme:

SAHAJ facility will enable the customers to post online request for a new connection by filing Know Your Customer (KYC) form by uploading bank account details and photographs. After submitting the details, customer will receive the registration number to know the new connection status. Later, customer can opt for offline or online mode of payment for the new connection. Once payment is done, electronic subscription voucher will be mailed to the new customer. Later distributor will do physical delivery of the Gas cylinder, regulator with hose pipe.Initially, the scheme has been launched in twelve cities.12 cities are Ahmedabad, Bhubaneswar, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Chennai, Chandigarh, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Patna, Mumbai and Pune.

Lady Wigram Trophy motor race 2016

The Sahara Force India Academy racer,Jehan Daruvala has won the 2016 Lady Wigram Trophy in New Zealand,one of New Zealand’s most prestigious events. It is the Daruvala’s maiden victory in Formula cars since making the switch from karting in 2015.

About Trophy:

Lady Wigram Trophy is New Zealand’s most prestigious race event held annually. The trophy formerly awarded to the winner of the Wigram Airfield race. It is part of the Tasman Series and classes like Formula 5000, Formula Holden, Formula Three and                                                                                         Formula Pacific.

Interesting Republic Day facts

We start this post by wishing you a happy Republic Day...

We are a nation that is known for its diversity and cultural ethnicity across the globe.

1. Republic Day is celebrated for marking the replacement of the Government of India Act of 1935 with the Constitution of India. The reason for selecting January 26th as Republic Day is that on the same day of 1930, the Declaration of Indian Independence, called the Purna Swaraj, was put into motion by the Indian National Congress.

2. There are just two original copies of the Constitution in the country written in Hindi and English. They have been preserved in helium-filled cases in the Parliament of India. This constitution has been calligraphed and not printed. Such photo lithographic copies are in circulation and only 1000 copies have been written till date.

3. It took two years and eleven months for Dr B.R. Ambedkar and his team to draft the Indian Constitution, the world’s longest constitution.

4. A majority of national awards such as Bharat Ratna, Padma Bhushan and Kirti Chakra are awarded during the Republic Day ceremony.

5. The President unfurls the flag with the 21 gun-salute that involves firing of arms and canons as a naval and military honour. The National Anthem is sung at this time.

6. The Prime Minister honors thousands of Indian Soldiers who died fighting for the Nation. He places a wreath at Amar Jawan Jyoti on the India Gate as a mark of respect to them.

7. The 'Beating Retreat' held on 29th January, marks the end of all Republic day celebrations in the country. The ceremony is held Vijay Chowk where bands of the Indian Army, Indian Air Force and Indian Navy perform.

Combined Graduate Level(CGL) Exam 2016

The Staff Selection Commission holds Combined Graduate Level Examination, for recruitment to different posts for which a Graduation from a recognized University is the minimum requirement. The Examination will comprise of two Tiers written Objective Type examination followed by Computer Proficiency Test/ Interview/Skill test, wherever applicable as per the Scheme of Examination notified.

The Combined Graduate Level Examination is the open competitive exam for recruitment for various posts in the Ministries and Departments of the Government of India.

Application link will be open from 13.02.2016 - 14.03.2016

Apply for Combined Graduate Level Exam (CGL) here

Expected Tier I examination start date:   08.05.2015

Get Combined Graduate Level Exam(CGL) syllabus

Get Combined Graduate Level Exam(CGL) model quesation paper

Educational qualification: For most of the positions a graduation is enough

Age limit: 18-27

Padma awards 2016

Padma award seeks to recognize work of any distinction and is given for distinguished and exceptional achievements/service in all fields of activities/disciplines, such as Art, Literature and Education, Sports, Medicine, Social Work, Science and Engineering, Public Affairs, Civil Service, Trade and Industry etc. All persons without distinction of race, occupation, position or sex are eligible for these awards.

Padma Vibhushan

1.                Ms. Yamini Krishnamurthi                      Art- Classical dance
2.                   Shri Rajinikanth                                      Art-Cinema
3.                   Smt. Girija Devi                                      Art-Classical Vocal
4.                   Shri Ramoji Rao                                      Literature & Education-Journalism
5.                   Dr. Viswanathan Shanta                              Medicine- Oncology
6.                   Shri Shri Ravi Shankar                              Others-Spiritualism
7.                   Shri Jagmohan                                              Public Affairs
8.                   Dr.Vasudev Kalkunte Aatre                      Science & Engineering
9.                   Shri Avinash Dixit                                      Literature & Education
10.               Late Shri Dhiru Bhai Ambani                     Trade & Industry

Padma Bushan

11.               Shri Anupam Kher                                      Art-Cinema
12.               Shri Udit Narayan Jha                              Art-Playback Singing
13.               Shri Ram V.  Sutar                                      Art-Sculpture
14.               Shri Heisnam Kanhailal                              Art-Theatre
15.               Shri Vinod Rai                                      Civil Service
16.               Dr. Yarlagadda Lakshmi Prasad              Literature & Education
17.               Prof. N. S. Ramanuja Tatacharya              Literature & Education
18.               Dr. Barjinder Singh Hamdard                      Literature & Education - Journalism
19.               Prof. D. Nageshwar Reddy                      Medicine-Gastroenterology
20.               Swami Tejomayananda                              Other-Spiritualism
21.               Shri Hafeez Contractor                              Others-Architecture
22.               Shri  Ravindra Chandra Bhargava              Public Affairs
23.               Dr.Venkata Rama Rao Alla                      Science & Engineering
24.               Ms. Saina Nehwal                                      Sports-Badminton
25.               Ms. Sania Mirza                                      Sports-Tennis
26.               Ms. Indu Jain                                              Trade & Industry
27.               Late Swami Dayanand Sarawasati              Others-Spiritualism
28.               Shri Robert Blackwill                                  Public Affairs

29.               Shri Pallonji Shapoorji  Mistry (NRI/PIO)  Trade & Industry

Padma Shri

30.               Smt. Prathibha Prahlad                               Art- Classical Dance
31.               Shri Bhikhudan Gadhvi                               Art- Folk Music
32.               Shri  Sribhas Chandra Supakar               Art- Textile Designing
33.               Shri Ajay Devgn                                       Art-Cinema
34.               Ms. Priyanka Chopra                               Art-Cinema
35.               Pt. Tulsidas Borkar                                       Art-Classical Music
36.               Dr. Soma Ghosh                                       Art-Classical Vocal
37.               Shri  Nila Madhab Panda                       Art-Film Direction and Production
38.               Shri S.S. Rajamouli                                       Art-Film Direction and Production
39.                Shri Madhur Bhandarkar                               Art-Film Direction and Production
40.               Prof. M. Venkatesh Kumar                       Art-Folk Artist
41.               Ms. Gulabi Sapera                                       Art-Folk Dance
42.               Smt. Mamta Chandrakar                               Art-Folk Music
43.               Ms. Malini Awasthi                               Art-Folk Music
44.               Shri Jai Prakash Lekhiwal                       Art-Miniature Painting

45.               Shri  K. Laxma Goud                               Art-Painting

Hydrocarbons Conference

The Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Dharmendra Pradhan said India and Africa should collaborate in the energy field for development and a brighter future for the people of India and Africa.The fourth edition of India Africa Hydrocarbons Conference (IAHC) has begun on January 21, 2016 in New Delhi.The two day conference aims at enhancing greater cooperation between India and African continent in the field of Hydrocarbons.Petroleum Secretory KD Tripathi said earlier that it is an opportune time for global oil prices between importers and exporters from India and Africa.

Food Security Act

Consumer Affairs and Food Minister Ram Vilas that by April the National Food Security Act (NFSA) was likely to cover all States and Union Territories said on 21 january 2016.All the 36 States and Union Territories (UTs) now have online system for redressal of public distribution system (PDS) grievances. Direct Cash Transfer of food subsidy to the beneficiaries started in Chandigarh and Puducherry in September last year.

Food Security Act:

The National Food Security Act, 2013 (also Right to Food Act) is an Act of the Parliament of India which aims to provide subsidized food grains to approximately two thirds of India's 1.2 billion people. It was signed into law on 12 September 2013, retroactive to 5 July 2013.

New bird species found in India

Scientists have discovered a new bird species named Himalayan Forest Thrush in northeastern India and adjacent parts of China.imalayan Forest Thrush bird was first noticed at different elevations with similarities to other bird species Plain-backed Thrush. But both of them have two different song types.

Global Talent Competitiveness Index 2015-16

Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI) for the year 2015-16, India ranked at the 89th position in the list of 109 countries. The list has been compiled by the INSEAD business school, in partnership with Adecco and Human Capital Leadership Institute of Singapore (HCLI).Top 10 in GTCI list: Switzerland (1st), Singapore (2nd), Luxembourg (3rd), United States (4th), Denmark (5th),Sweden (6th),United Kingdom (7th), Norway (8th),Canada (9th) and Finland (10th).

main investor in Rail Development Fund

World Bank would be the anchor investor in the new Railway Development Fund, which would be used to fund modernisation of Indian railways,Union Minister Suresh Prabhu.The World Bank would be the anchor investor in the new Railway Development Fund, which would be used to fund the modernisation of Indian Railways. The World Bank (WB) and the Indian Railways would work together to create a Railway Development Fund that will partly finance the $142-billion investment plans for the core infrastructure sector that the Narendra Modi government has announced.

India’s first fully organic state

Sikkim,India’s landlocked state, has become the country’s first fully organic state.It successfully implemented organic farming practices on around 75,000 hectares of agricultural land.The Sikkim Organic Festival 2016 has been organised on the sidelines of the National Conference on Sustainable Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. On this occasion, PM also launched three new orchid species developed in Sikkim which is also known as the Land of Flowers viz. Cymbidium Sardar (named after Sardar Patel), Cymbidium Deen Dayal (named after Deen Dayal Upaddhyay) and Cymbidium Namo (named after Narendra Modi).

Board of Directors of AIIB

Dinesh Sharma, Additional Secretary of Ministry of Finance has been elected to the 12-member board for which a secret ballot was held on 16 january 2016.India’s Dinesh Sharma has been elected to the board of directors of the China-sponsored Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is the designated governor of the AIIB from India. 

Launched Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank

China-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), in which India and 56 countries have joined as founding members, was formally opened here today by Chinese President Xi Jinping on 16 january 2016.57 countries have joined as founding members, while the US and Japan have stayed out. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang will address the founding conference of the AIIB council.

new bio-artificial liver

Chinese scientists have developed a new bioartificial liver that they say will help people suffering from organ failure to live longer. Designed to be attached outside the patient’s body, the device makes use of human liver cells. In its first clinical use last week, the device “saved a 61-year-old woman who was dying from acute liver failure,”.It has been developed by team of researchers from the Shanghai Institute for Biological Sciences and doctors from Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital.

First flower blooms in space

For the first time ever, a flower has bloomed in space, aboard the International Space Station. This brings cosmic explorers one step closer to growing other flowering plants in space, like tomatoes, which NASA says it hopes to do in 2018.zinnia plant had flowered on the International Space Station (ISS). Scot Kelly, an American astronaut, engaged in the space work since March 2015 who also doubled up as a resident gardener shared on Twitter how successful he was in making a brightly hued Zinnia bloom.

2016 DSC Prize for South Asian Literature

Anuradha Roy won the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature 2016 for her novel Sleeping on Jupiter at the Fairway Galle Literary Festival in Sri Lanka.Sri Lankan PM Ranil Wickremesinghe handed over the US $50,000 DSC Prize and a trophy to the winner on 15 january 2015.The DSC Prize for South Asian Literature is a literary prize awarded annually to writers of any ethnicity or nationality writing about South Asia[1] themes such as culture, politics, history, or people.

First Female President of Taiwan

Tsai Ing-wen (59) has been elected as leader of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP),first female and 14th President of Taiwan.After eight years of the pro-China Kuomintang (KMT) party, Ing-Wen’s victory signals a welcome breath of fresh air for many Taiwanese people.In celebration of the news, her supporters flooded the streets, waving party banners and cheering speeches.

Indian Army Day

Army Day is celebrated on 15 January every year in India, in recognition of Lieutenant General K. M. Cariappa's taking over as the first Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army from General Sir Francis Butcher, the last British Commander-in-Chief of India, on 15 January 1949. The day is celebrated in the form of parades and other military shows in the national capital New Delhi as well as all headquarters. On 15 January 2015 India celebrated 67th Indian Army day in New Delhi. Army Day marks a day to salute the valiant soldiers who sacrificed their lives to protect the country and the people living in it. 

wealth management service

State Bank of India became the first public sector lender to launch wealth management service, a space dominated by private and foreign players, to cater to fast-growing affluent segment of the country on 14 january 2016.The wealth management unit and the first bank branch for start-ups will begin operations from technology hub Bengaluru before these are expanded to other parts of the country.

100 New Alien Planets

A few years ago NASA’s planet-hunting Kepler spacecraft was crippled by a mechanical malfunction which really threw a wrench in the works discovered 100 new alien planets orbiting other stars.It has found a system with three planets that are bigger than Earth, spotted a planet in the Hyades star cluster—the nearest open star cluster to Earth—and discovered a planet being ripped apart as it orbits a white                                                                                                   dwarf star.

Kepler (spacecraft):

Kepler is a space observatory launched by NASA to discover Earth-like planets orbiting other stars.The spacecraft, named after the Renaissance astronomer Johannes Kepler,was launched on March 7, 2009.

Harikrishna Devsare Baalsahitya award

Veteran poet Balkrishna Garg was honoured with the second Harikrishna Devsare Baalsahitya Award 2015 for his collection of poems for children, titled 'BaalGeet'.He was conferred with the award by Sahitya Akademi President Vishwanath Prasad Tiwari and National Book Trust Chairman Baldeo Bhai Sharm. Apart from Mr. Garg, Yogendra Kumar and Hem Bhatnagar were also felicitated for their contributions to childrens literature.
About Award:
The award was instituted in 2014 in the memory of Harikrishna Devsare, a renowned Hindi writer known for his work in the field of children’s literature. The award comprised cash prize of Rs 75,000, a shawl and a citation. Harikrishna Devsare was one of the foremost writers of Hindi children’s literature and had devoted his entire life in creating children’s literature in Hindi. He died in 2013.

2016 FIFA Ballon d’Or award

Argentina and Barcelona footballer Lionel Messi was named world player of the year 2015 at a FIFA gala in Zurich and claimed the Ballon d'Or trophy for the fifth time overall.

2015 winners:

FIFA Women's World Player of the Year: Carli Lloyd 

FIFA Puskás Award: Wendell Lira 

FIFA World Coach of the Year (Men's): Luis Enrique 

FIFA World Coach of the Year (Women's): Jill Ellis 

FIFA FIFPro World XI:Neuer, Silva, Marcelo, Ramos, Alves, Iniesta, Modric, Pogba, Messi, Neymar, Ronaldo

FIFA Fair Play Award: All football organisations supporting refugees.

It is an annual football association award given by FIFA to the male player who has performed the best in the previous calendar year. This award was instituted in 2010 after France Football’s Ballon d’Or and the men’s FIFA World Player of the Year award were merged. It is awarded to the male player, based upon highest votes secured by him from national team coaches and captains, as well as journalists from around the world.

National Youth Day

                                                

National Youth Day is celebrated in India on 12 January on the birthday of Swami Vivekananda. In 1984 the Government of India declared the day as the National Youth Day and since 1985 the event is celebrated in India every year.Swami Vivekananda always believed in the power and the dreams of the youth and he wanted every youth of the country to encourage and nourish the historical culture of the nation as well as bring about advancement in them according to the changing modernization. His philosophy was a mixture of both spirituality and science.

Registrar General and Census Commissioner (RGCC) of India

Senior IAS officer Sailesh appointed as Registrar General and Census Commissioner on 7 january 2016.The Appointments Committee of Cabinet has approved the appointment of Sailesh as Registrar General and Census Commissioner for a period till July 28, 2017.The post of the RGCC of India is usually held by a civil servant holding the rank of Joint Secretary to Government of India. It is responsible for conducting the decennial Census.

73rd annual Golden Globe Awards.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association reveal the nominees for the 73rd annual Golden Globe Awards.Golden Globe Awards are the annual awards that honour the best in Motion Pictures and Television for the previous year.

winners of various awards:

        MOTION PICTURES

Best Motion Picture Drama: The Revenant.

Best Motion Picture Musical/Comedy: The Martian

Best Director in Motion Picture-Drama: Alejandro Inarritu for The Revenant. 

Best Actor in Motion Picture-Drama: Leonardo DiCaprio for The Revenant. 

Best Actress in Motion Picture-Drama: Brie Larson for Room. 

Best Actor in Motion Picture or Musical or Comedy: Matt Damon for The Martian.

Best Actress in Motion Picture Musical or Comedy: Jennifer Lawrence for Joy. 

Best Actor in a Supporting role in Motion Picture: Sylvester Stallone for Creed. 

Best Actress in a Supporting role in Motion Picture: Kate Winslet for Steve Jobs. 

Best Original Score Motion Picture: Ennio Morricone for The Hateful Eight

Best Foreign Language Film: Son of Saul (Hungary)

        TELEVISION

Series, Drama: "Mr. Robot."

Actor, Drama: Jon Hamm, "Mad Men."

Actress, Drama: Taraji P. Henson, "Empire."

Series, Comedy: "Mozart in the Jungle."

Actor, Musical or Comedy: Gael Garcia Bernal, "Mozart in the Jungle."

Actress, Musical or Comedy: Rachel Bloom, "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend."

Movie or Limited Series: "Wolf Hall."

Actor, Limited Series or TV Movie: Oscar Isaac, "Show Me a Hero."

Actress, Movie or Limited Series: Lady Gaga, "American Horror Story: Hotel."

Supporting Actor, Series, Limited Series or TV Movie: Christian Slater, "Mr. Robot.

Supporting Actress, Series, Limited Series or TV Movie: Maura Tierney, "The Affair."

2016 Central Banker of the Year Award

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor, Raghuram Rajan, has been conferred with the Central Banker of the Year award for the year 2016 by the Financial Times Group's publication, The Banker. The Central Banker of the Year awards recognise the officials that have best stimulated the growth of their country's economy.Raghuram Rajan became the 23rd Governor of RBI in the year 2013.

2016 Chennai Open title

Stanislas Wawrinka from Switzerland has won the 2016 Chennai Open title of tennis. In the summit clash at Nungambakkam tennis stadium in Chennai, he defeated the Aljaz Bedene from Slovenia by 6-3, 6-4 score.The Chennai Open is a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It is currently part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) World Tour. It is held annually in the month of January at the SDAT Tennis Stadium in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It is owned by IMG and organized by IMG Reliance.

Government of india reappoints deputy governor of RBI

The government on 8 january 2016 reappointed Urjit Patel, who headed a committee that paved the way for the proposed monetary policy committee, as the deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for a second time for a three-year term.Patel joined the central bank on January 11, 2013, months before Raghuram Rajan took charge as the Governor, and has been heading the monetary policy department. Rajan and Patel had earlier worked together in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington.

WTA Brisbane International Tennis trophy 2016

Milos Raonic from Canada has won the 2016 WTA Brisbane International Tennis trophy in the men’s single category.In the final match played at Brisbane (Australia), he defeated Roger Federer (world No. 3) from Switzerland by 6–4, 6–4 score. It is Milos Raonic overall 8th career title and 1st of the 2016 season.

WTA Brisbane International Tennis 2016

Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis carried the dominance of 2015 into the new season, winning their sixth consecutive title by lifting the WTA Brisbane trophyin the women’s doubles category,in Brisbane. Mirza-Hingis quelled the challenge of Kerber-Petkovic in mere 69 minutes.The Indo-Swiss pair won in straight sets 7-5, 6-1.The top seeds have now stitched a 26-match winning streak.

Chairman of CCI

Former Gujarat cadre Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Devender Kumar Sikri appointed as chairman of fair-trade regulator Competition Commission of India (CCI).He will succeed Ashok Chawla whose tenure ended as the Chairman of CCI. He will have tenure of two and half years i.e. till he attains the age of 65 years.

India's 1st World Music Festival

Udaipur will host India’s first World Music Festival on February 13 and 14 where more than 100 musicians from over 12 countries, including Spain, Ghana, Italy, France, Venezuela and India will perform. The festival will reportedly be held annually at the same time in Udaipur and will aim to make it a world music destination in South Asia.One of the most popular Fado singers from Portugal, Carminho will be performing for the first time in India at the event. 

Swedish Cup Grand Prix

Indian shooter Apurvi Chandela shot her way to a second successive gold medal and emerged as the 'Shooter of the Tournament' she won her first gold medal of the tournament on 5 january 2015 with a world record score of 211.2.The silver and bronze went to Swedish shooters Astrid Steffensen (207.6) and Stine Nielsen (185.0).

World’s first slum museum

Dharavi in Mumbai is to get the world’s first slum museum,The museum will showcase some of the myriad objects that are produced every year in Dharavi.The small mobile museum will open in February for two months and display everything from pottery and textiles to recycled items.Following the success of Slumdog Millionaire,the slum has become a tourist attraction and guides offer tours of its hundreds of workshops.

first state to sign MoU

 Jharkhand will become the first state to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Centre, on 5 january 2015, for the Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY) reforms for state-owned power distribution companies (discoms).Through UDAY Jharkhand will also derive an overall net benefit of approximately 5,300 crore rupees.MoU was signed between the state government, Union Ministry of Power and state power distributor Jharkhand Bijli Vitaran Nigam Ltd (JBVNL).

Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of BHEL

Atul Sobti board director in Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL)  was appointed as the chairman and managing director (CMD) of the company on 1 january 2016. he has been the chairman of Raichur Power Corporation Limited, a joint venture company of BHEL and Karnataka Power Corporation Limited. 

2015 SAFF football championships

India exacted sweet revenge of their last edition defeat as they beat defending champions Afghanistan 2-1 in the summit clash in a dominating display to lift the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Cup for the seventh time on 3 january 2015.The SAFF Championship also called South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Cup is the biennial football competition of the men’s national football teams of 8 countries in South Asia region. The championship was established in 1993 and is governed by the South Asian Football Federation.

GCMMF's 1st vice chairman

Panchmahals-based Panchamrut Dairy's chief Jetha Bharwad become the first vice chairman of the powerful Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF).GCMMF is a largest food products marketing organization of India.