Current Affairs Daily Updates 5th January 2017
APPOINTMENTS
RBI appoints Surekha
Marandi as Executive Director:
- The
Reserve Bank of India has appointed Surekha Marandi as
its Executive Director (ED) in place of U S Paliwal, who
retired on December 31, 2016.
- Marandi
will look after Consumer Education and Protection Department, Financial
Inclusion and Development Department, and Secretary's Department.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
Arthur Morris inducted
into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame:
- Former
Australia cricketer Arthur Morris has become the 82nd player into
the International Cricket Council’s Hall of Fame by Steve Waugh
in Sydney (Australia).
- Arthur
Robert Morris (left-handed batsmen) has played 46 Test matches between
1946 and 1955.
BANKING AFFAIRS
Paytm gets final approval
for payments bank:
- Mobile
commerce and payments company Paytm has got the final permission to open
a payments bank by RBI.
- Reserve
Bank of India gave permission to formally launch Paytm Payments Bank.
- Paytm
and 11 other players, including Vodafone, Airtel and Fino PayTech, had
applied for a payments bank licence in 2015.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY AFFAIRS
Azure Power Commissions
Largest Solar Power Project (150MW):
- Solar
power producer Azure Power commissioned 150 MW solar power project in Punjab,
which is its largest in North India.
- For
this project, Azure Power had signed a solar power implementation
agreement with Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA) under its Solar
Policy Phase III.
- The
150MW solar power plant represents a portfolio of three projects of 50MW
each.
Rs. 5 discount for online
payment of LPG cylinder:
- State-owned
fuel retailers, Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd
(BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL) will offer an upfront
discount of Rs 5 on every LPG refillto all LPG customers who
will book and pay for it online.
- To
provide cashless transactions, the government had asked oil companies to
pay consumers 0.75 per cent discount on cashless fuelling of petrol and
diesel at petrol pumps.
- This
has now been extended to cooking gas (LPG).
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
Jovenel Moise elected as
the President of Haiti:
- Jovenel
Moise has been elected as the President of Haiti.
- The
electoral tribunal officially declared the winner on 3 January 2017.
United Nation Recognises
2017 as Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development:
- The
United Nations 70th General Assembly has recognised the year 2017 as the International
Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development.
- This
recognizes the importance of international tourism and particularly of the
designation of an international year of sustainable tourism for
development, in fostering better understanding among peoples everywhere,
in leading to a greater awareness of the rich heritage of various
civilizations and in bringing about a better appreciation of the inherent
values of different cultures, thereby contributing to the strengthening of
peace in the world.
NATIONAL AFFAIRS
Union Cabinet approves AoC
between India and Portugal in field of agriculture and allied sectors:
- The
Union Cabinet has given its approval for signing of an Agreement for
cooperation (AoC) between India and Portugal in thefield of Agriculture
and allied sectors.
- The
AoC covers various activities including trade in plants and plant
products, exchange of scientific and technical information, exchange of
information in phytosanitary issues, training programmes etc.
Union Cabinet approves MoU
between India and Kenya in field of agriculture and allied sectors:
- The
Union Cabinet has approved signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
between India and Kenya on bilateral cooperation in the field of
agriculture and allied sectors.
- The
MoU covers various activities in the field of agriculture and allied
sectors which include agricultural research, animal husbandry and dairy,
livestock and fisheries horticulture and natural resource management.
PM Releases special
commemorative postage in 350th birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh in Patna:
- Prime
Minister Modi released special commemorative stamps onPrakash
Parv in 350th birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh in Patna on
5 January 2017.
- Bihar
Governor Ram Nath Kovind, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Punjab Chief
Minister Prakash Singh Badal, Union Minsters Ravi Shankar Prasad Ram Vilas
Paswan and Harsimrat Kaur were present on this occasion.
Bunkar Mitra Helpline for
Handloom Weavers went live:
- The
Textile Minister Smriti Irani has launched a Bunkar Mitra-Handloom
Helpline Centre where professional queries of weavers will be
answered by the experts in the field.
- This
helpline can be accessed by dialing the toll free number 1800-208-9988.
Two-day Assam Biotech
Conclave to begins in Guwahati:
- The
two day Assam Biotech Conclave has begun in
Guwahati.
- Chief
Minister Sarbanand Sonowal inaugurated the conclave in presence of
Science and Technology minister Keshab Mahanta.
- Chief
Minister hoped that this conclave would help Assam in biotechnology
sector.
- The
conclave will create business and partnering opportunities for its
stakeholders and to showcase the facilities and opportunities offered by
Guwahati Biotech Park.
Union Government launches
IPR Enforcement Toolkit for Police:
- The
Union Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman launched an Intellectual
Property Rights (IPR) Enforcement Toolkit for Police.
- This
toolkit will be provided to all state police departments across the nation
to assist them in dealing with the cases relating to Trademarks
and Copyrights infringements.
- The
toolkit has been jointly developed by the Cell for IPR Promotion and
Management (CIPAM) and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and
Industry (FICCI).
Telangana, Assam join Uday
Discom debt scheme:
- Telangana
and Assam signed memoranda of understanding (MoUs) to join the Ujwal
Discom Assurance Yojna (UDAY) taking the total number of
states covered under the scheme to 20.
- An
overall net benefit of approximately Rs 6,116 crore to Telangana and Rs
1,663 crore to Assam will come from joining the scheme.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
China launches longest
high-speed train service:
- China
has launched its longest high-speed train service, fromKunming, capital
of southwest China's Yunnan Province, to Beijing.
- The
train, named "Shangri-la of the World," left
Kunming at 11:05 am on a 2,760-km trip to Beijing. The mileage will
increase to 45,000 km by 2030.
SPORTS AFFAIRS
MS Dhoni quits as captain
of ODI and T20 teams:
- MS
Dhoni has stepped down as the captain of India's limited-overs
sides.
- He
will, however, be available for the selection for the upcoming England ODI
and T20I series starting January 15.
- Dhoni
had given up the Test captaincy in December 2014.
India win record 4th
straight SAFF Women's C'ship title:
- India's
women's football team defeated Bangladesh 3-1 in Siliguri
on Wednesday to win the 2016 South Asian Football Federation
Women's Championship for the fourth consecutive time.
- Dangmei
Grace opened the scoring for India, with Sasmita Malik and Indumathi
Kathiresan scoring second-half goals for the hosts. India have won all
editions of the eight-nation tournament, which started in 2010.
Ashirbad Behera, Ranjib
Biswal quit posts from Odisha Cricket Association:
- On
the direction of the Apex court, Odisha Cricket Association (OCA)
secretary Ashirbad Behera, president Ranjib Biswal and all OCA
office-bearers quit from their posts.
Dilip Vengsarkar steps
down from MCA vice-president post:
- Former
India captain Dilip Vengsarkar has submitted his resignation as vice-president
of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA).
- The
move comes on the line of the Supreme Court January 2 order.
- On
December 17, Sharad Pawar resigned as president of the MCA.
Supreme Court Removes
Anurag Thakur as BCCI President:
- The
Supreme Court of India has stripped Anurag Thakur of his
powers as BCCI President for not complying with the
orders of the apex court with regard to implementation of the Lodha
committee reforms.
- He
was elected as the BCCI president in May 2016 after Shashank
Manohar was elevated to International Cricket Council's chairman
post.
- In
2011, he became BCCI joint secretary after spending little over a decade
as president of the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA).
