Current Affairs of 3rd February 2016

Daily Current Affairs contains all major news that occurs National and International Level.It will helpful for those students who are preparing for Bank Exams- IBPS/SBI/PO/Clerk exam , SSC Exams and all other competitive exams .

Current Affairs of 8 December 2015

Dear Banking and SSC , Railway exam Aspirants keep reading Daily Current Affairs for upcoming Exams
1. Justice Ramayyagari Subhash Reddy appointed as Chief Justice of the Gujarat high Court
1. Justice Ramayyagari Subhash Reddy was appointed as Chief Justice of the Gujarat high Court with effect from the date he assumes charge of his office.
2. He would replace Justice Jayant M Patel, who has been acting Chief Justice of Gujarat High Court since 13 August 2015.
3. Prior to the appointment, he was Judge of the High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad for the States of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

2.Major General Menon to head United Nations Disengagement Observer Force
1. Major General Jai Shanker Menon of India was appointed as the Head of Mission and Force Commander of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF). His appointment was announced by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon .
2. Menon succeeds Lieutenant General Purna Chandra Thapa of Nepal, who will complete his assignment on 7 February 2016.
3. Menon brings to his new position extensive command experience and knowledge of peacekeeping affairs at the national and international levels.

3. Maharashtra announced Babasaheb Ambedkar Special Collective Incentive Scheme
1. Maharashtra Cabinet announced Bharatratna Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Special Collective Incentive Scheme for the economically backward Dalit entrepreneurs.The scheme was launched to celebrate the 125th birth anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar.
2. Under this scheme, special facilities would be given to Dalit entrepreneurs besides the present Collective Incentive Scheme 2013. Businessmen in Commodities and Service sector would be able to avail the benefits of this scheme.
3. Major highlights of the Scheme 
Dalit and tribal communities will be allowed to set up their businesses on lands provided by Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC). These lands will be offered at cheaper rates.
• The government will set aside a portion of land in every integrated town for businessmen belonging to lower class.
• Tribal entrepreneurs will be also included under this new scheme.
• Only one member of the family will be eligible for loan under this scheme and start up Unit till get an additional 10 pc incentive
• A single window (Maitri Kaksha) was initiated for giving all permissions required starting business.
• Online Wallet would be made available for those wanting to apply for industrial permissions and all scrutiny and processing fees for would be paid through this and application tracking be available online.

4.Kerala won 61st National School Athletics championship
1. Kerala  won the 61st National School Athletics championship. The national School Athletics championship was held at Olympian Rahman Stadium in Kozhikode, Kerala from 29 January 2016 to 2 February 2016.
2. This is for the 19th consecutive time Kerala becomes the champions in the event. Kerala, the host of the championship got 306 points winning 39 gold, 29 silver and 17 bronze medals.
On the other hand, Tamil Nadu stood at second position with 116 points winning 11 gold, 8 silver and 13 bronze medals. Maharashtra with 101 points gained the third position.

5. India, Brunei signed 3 MoUs to deepen bilateral cooperation
1. India and Bruneisigned 3 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) to deepen bilateral cooperation. The MoUs were signed in Brunei capital Bandar Seri Begawan during the Vice President Hamid Ansari’s 3-day visit to the country.
2. Details related to 3 MoUs
• MoU in health cooperation: The objective of this MOU is to establish cooperation in the field of health by means of pooling technical, scientific, financial and human resources and to upgrade the health care, medical education, research between the two countries.
• MoU on Defence cooperation: The purpose of this MOU is to enhance Defence cooperation between India and Brunei in various fields. Cooperation in defence already exists in the form of naval ship visits, training of senior military officers in Staff colleges and exchange of experience.
• MOU on cooperation in youth and sports affairs: It seeks to provide a framework for exchanges of sports persons and sports teams; to facilitate the exchange of expertise in coaching, sports talent identification, sports management and administration and exchange of information in the field of youth affairs.

6.SC appointed Lodha Committee to sell PACL's assets
1. Supreme Court  appointed a committee under former Chief Justice RM Lodha to sell assets of Pearls Agrotech Corporation Ltd (PACL) and refund 49 thousand crore rupees to the investors.
The investors invested in the firm’s collective investment scheme (CIS) that was deemed illegal by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).
2. A bench headed by Justice Anil Dave said that the title deeds of various lands belonging to PACL should be handed over by the CBI to the SEBI. The court in its direction said that SEBI will take appropriate steps to ensure their sale.It also directed the panel to decide on the modalities of sale, but hinted it would be via auction.

7. Veteran Urdu writer Intizar Hussain died
1. Veteran Urdu fiction writer and poet Intizar Hussain died  in Lahore. He was 92.
2.  He was born on 7 December 1923 in India; he migrated to the newly formed Pakistan in 1947. He was among the 10 finalists for the Man Booker International Prize for fiction in 2013.
3.  He was the first Pakistan national and the first Urdu writer ever to be nominated for the international award.

8. Former RBI Deputy Governor S S Tarapore passed away
1. S.S. Tarapore, former Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), passed away  in Mumbai. He was 80.
2. Tarapore was mostly known for his strong views on issues, ranging from inflation to capital account convertibility.

9. World Bank approved $35 million to improve citizen access to public services in Madhya Pradesh 
1. The World Bank Board  approved a 35 million US dollars credit for the Citizen Access to Responsive Services Project. The Project will improve access to selected public services for the people of Madhya Pradesh (MP) and particularly those belonging to deprived groups.
2. The World Bank’s concessionary lending arm, the International Development Association (IDA) will lend the amount with a maturity of 25 years, including a 5 year grace period.
3. Silent Features of the Citizen Access to Responsive Services Project
• This project will provide support to Madhya Pradesh Government to expand the number of services under the 2010 Public Services Guarantee Act.
• It would help to open LSK centers in underserved and remote areas, streamline government procedures and reach out to citizens so they all benefit from access to key public services anywhere, anytime through transparent and accountable governance as per the government’s Vision 2018.
• Madhya Pradesh was the first state in India and worldwide to approve a Right to Public Services legislation and since then, 14 states have emulated the initiative by focusing on providing a more responsive service delivery, particularly for the poor and underserved groups.
• Three guiding principles will drive the next generation of PSGA reforms in MP: inclusiveness, simplification and accountability.
• It will integrate various service delivery platforms currently under operation and develop a Sarv Seva portal to allow citizens to access services through the channel of their choice (i.e., kiosk, phone, web or mobile technologies).
• The MP government is also working on simplifying government procedures so that some certificates are not needed at all, or are available real time at a single repository.

10. World Wetlands Day observed with theme Wetlands for our Future – Sustainable Livelihoods
1. The World Wetlands Day was observed  across the globe to mark the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands in the city of Ramsar in Iran in 1971.
2. The theme of World Wetlands Day this year is Wetlands for our Future – Sustainable Livelihoods. It highlights the value of wetlands in securing local livelihoods through activities as fishing, rice farming, tourism, and water provision.
3. The day is observed on the same day every year to promote, create awareness and ensure positive and affirmative action for conservation of wetlands.
4. This year the World Wetlands Day is being celebrated by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in collaboration with the West Bengal Government at Sunderbans.

11.Alphabet Inc. became world’s most valuable company
1. Shares of Alphabet Inc. opened nearly 3 percent higher to become the world's most valuable public company, replacing Apple Inc.
2. The shift occurred in extended trading of 1 February 2016 after Alphabet released a fourth-quarter earnings report that highlighted the robust growth of the digital ad market.
3. At after-hours levels (which technically reflect an indication, but not the real-world value) of 1 February 2016, Alphabet's market cap hit about 570 billion US dollars, eclipsing Apple's market cap of roughly 535 billion US dollars. Shares of Apple opened down nearly 1 percent on 2 February 2016.

12.Titli became first Indian film to win Best First Foreign Film award by FSCC
1. Indian film-maker Kanu Behl directorial Titli bagged the Best First Foreign Film Award conferred by the French Syndicate of Cinema Critics 2016 (FSCC).
2. Titli has earlier won at various international film festivals at places like Bordeaux, Hawaii, New York, Turkey and Spain.
3.  Titli is a 2015 Bollywood drama film written and directed by Kanu Behl, co-produced by Dibakar Banerjee Productions Pvt. Ltd and Aditya Chopra under the banner of Yash Raj Films. It features actors Ranvir Shorey, Amit Sial, Shashank Arora, Lalit Behl and Shivani Raghuvanshi in the lead roles.

13.Former Lok Sabha Speaker Balram Jakhar passed away
1. Former Lok Sabha Speaker Balram Jakhar passed away  in New Delhi. He was 92.
Jakhar was elected as the Lok Sabha Speaker for two consecutive terms from 1980 to 1989. He was elected to the Lok Sabha four times and also served as the Union Agriculture Minister in 1991 in P. V. Narasimha Rao Ministry.
2. He was elected to the Punjab Legislative Assembly in 1972 and was re-elected in 1977. He served as Minister in the state and also the Leader of Opposition.
3. Jakhar also served as the Governor of Madhya Pradesh from 2004 to 2009.He was the first Asian to be elected as Chairman of Commonwealth Parliamentarian Executive Forum.

14.Odisha Government extended Aahar cheap meal scheme to 29 districts
1. The Government of Odisha  decided to extend the Aahar scheme to 29 districts in the State. A decision in this regard was taken at a review meeting on the programme at the State secretariat in Bhubaneswar.
2. As per the decision, 58 centres will be established in 29 districts across the State to provide subsidized food to urban poor under the scheme. The centres will be opened from March 2016.
3. Features of Aahar Scheme
• It was launched by the State Government on 1 April 2015 to mark the State’s Foundation Day, Utkala Diwas.
• As part of the first phase of the scheme, Aahar outlets were opened in five cities, namely, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Berhampur, Sambalpur and Rourkela.
• The outlets served meal comprising of Rice, Dalma and Pickle at a subsidised rate of 5 rupees with financial assistance from three State run corporations and Tata Steel.
• Each Aahar outlet will cater to one thousand people daily between 11 am and 3 pm.
Daily Current Affairs contains all major news that occurs National and International Level.It will helpful for those students who are preparing for Bank Exams- IBPS/SBI/PO/Clerk exam , SSC Exams and all other competitive exams .

Current Affairs of 8 December 2015

Dear Banking and SSC , Railway exam Aspirants keep reading Daily Current Affairs for upcoming Exams
1. Justice Ramayyagari Subhash Reddy appointed as Chief Justice of the Gujarat high Court
1. Justice Ramayyagari Subhash Reddy was appointed as Chief Justice of the Gujarat high Court with effect from the date he assumes charge of his office.
2. He would replace Justice Jayant M Patel, who has been acting Chief Justice of Gujarat High Court since 13 August 2015.
3. Prior to the appointment, he was Judge of the High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad for the States of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

2.Major General Menon to head United Nations Disengagement Observer Force
1. Major General Jai Shanker Menon of India was appointed as the Head of Mission and Force Commander of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF). His appointment was announced by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon .
2. Menon succeeds Lieutenant General Purna Chandra Thapa of Nepal, who will complete his assignment on 7 February 2016.
3. Menon brings to his new position extensive command experience and knowledge of peacekeeping affairs at the national and international levels.

3. Maharashtra announced Babasaheb Ambedkar Special Collective Incentive Scheme
1. Maharashtra Cabinet announced Bharatratna Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Special Collective Incentive Scheme for the economically backward Dalit entrepreneurs.The scheme was launched to celebrate the 125th birth anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar.
2. Under this scheme, special facilities would be given to Dalit entrepreneurs besides the present Collective Incentive Scheme 2013. Businessmen in Commodities and Service sector would be able to avail the benefits of this scheme.
3. Major highlights of the Scheme 
Dalit and tribal communities will be allowed to set up their businesses on lands provided by Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC). These lands will be offered at cheaper rates.
• The government will set aside a portion of land in every integrated town for businessmen belonging to lower class.
• Tribal entrepreneurs will be also included under this new scheme.
• Only one member of the family will be eligible for loan under this scheme and start up Unit till get an additional 10 pc incentive
• A single window (Maitri Kaksha) was initiated for giving all permissions required starting business.
• Online Wallet would be made available for those wanting to apply for industrial permissions and all scrutiny and processing fees for would be paid through this and application tracking be available online.

4.Kerala won 61st National School Athletics championship
1. Kerala  won the 61st National School Athletics championship. The national School Athletics championship was held at Olympian Rahman Stadium in Kozhikode, Kerala from 29 January 2016 to 2 February 2016.
2. This is for the 19th consecutive time Kerala becomes the champions in the event. Kerala, the host of the championship got 306 points winning 39 gold, 29 silver and 17 bronze medals.
On the other hand, Tamil Nadu stood at second position with 116 points winning 11 gold, 8 silver and 13 bronze medals. Maharashtra with 101 points gained the third position.

5. India, Brunei signed 3 MoUs to deepen bilateral cooperation
1. India and Bruneisigned 3 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) to deepen bilateral cooperation. The MoUs were signed in Brunei capital Bandar Seri Begawan during the Vice President Hamid Ansari’s 3-day visit to the country.
2. Details related to 3 MoUs
• MoU in health cooperation: The objective of this MOU is to establish cooperation in the field of health by means of pooling technical, scientific, financial and human resources and to upgrade the health care, medical education, research between the two countries.
• MoU on Defence cooperation: The purpose of this MOU is to enhance Defence cooperation between India and Brunei in various fields. Cooperation in defence already exists in the form of naval ship visits, training of senior military officers in Staff colleges and exchange of experience.
• MOU on cooperation in youth and sports affairs: It seeks to provide a framework for exchanges of sports persons and sports teams; to facilitate the exchange of expertise in coaching, sports talent identification, sports management and administration and exchange of information in the field of youth affairs.

6.SC appointed Lodha Committee to sell PACL's assets
1. Supreme Court  appointed a committee under former Chief Justice RM Lodha to sell assets of Pearls Agrotech Corporation Ltd (PACL) and refund 49 thousand crore rupees to the investors.
The investors invested in the firm’s collective investment scheme (CIS) that was deemed illegal by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).
2. A bench headed by Justice Anil Dave said that the title deeds of various lands belonging to PACL should be handed over by the CBI to the SEBI. The court in its direction said that SEBI will take appropriate steps to ensure their sale.It also directed the panel to decide on the modalities of sale, but hinted it would be via auction.

7. Veteran Urdu writer Intizar Hussain died
1. Veteran Urdu fiction writer and poet Intizar Hussain died  in Lahore. He was 92.
2.  He was born on 7 December 1923 in India; he migrated to the newly formed Pakistan in 1947. He was among the 10 finalists for the Man Booker International Prize for fiction in 2013.
3.  He was the first Pakistan national and the first Urdu writer ever to be nominated for the international award.

8. Former RBI Deputy Governor S S Tarapore passed away
1. S.S. Tarapore, former Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), passed away  in Mumbai. He was 80.
2. Tarapore was mostly known for his strong views on issues, ranging from inflation to capital account convertibility.

9. World Bank approved $35 million to improve citizen access to public services in Madhya Pradesh 
1. The World Bank Board  approved a 35 million US dollars credit for the Citizen Access to Responsive Services Project. The Project will improve access to selected public services for the people of Madhya Pradesh (MP) and particularly those belonging to deprived groups.
2. The World Bank’s concessionary lending arm, the International Development Association (IDA) will lend the amount with a maturity of 25 years, including a 5 year grace period.
3. Silent Features of the Citizen Access to Responsive Services Project
• This project will provide support to Madhya Pradesh Government to expand the number of services under the 2010 Public Services Guarantee Act.
• It would help to open LSK centers in underserved and remote areas, streamline government procedures and reach out to citizens so they all benefit from access to key public services anywhere, anytime through transparent and accountable governance as per the government’s Vision 2018.
• Madhya Pradesh was the first state in India and worldwide to approve a Right to Public Services legislation and since then, 14 states have emulated the initiative by focusing on providing a more responsive service delivery, particularly for the poor and underserved groups.
• Three guiding principles will drive the next generation of PSGA reforms in MP: inclusiveness, simplification and accountability.
• It will integrate various service delivery platforms currently under operation and develop a Sarv Seva portal to allow citizens to access services through the channel of their choice (i.e., kiosk, phone, web or mobile technologies).
• The MP government is also working on simplifying government procedures so that some certificates are not needed at all, or are available real time at a single repository.

10. World Wetlands Day observed with theme Wetlands for our Future – Sustainable Livelihoods
1. The World Wetlands Day was observed  across the globe to mark the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands in the city of Ramsar in Iran in 1971.
2. The theme of World Wetlands Day this year is Wetlands for our Future – Sustainable Livelihoods. It highlights the value of wetlands in securing local livelihoods through activities as fishing, rice farming, tourism, and water provision.
3. The day is observed on the same day every year to promote, create awareness and ensure positive and affirmative action for conservation of wetlands.
4. This year the World Wetlands Day is being celebrated by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in collaboration with the West Bengal Government at Sunderbans.

11.Alphabet Inc. became world’s most valuable company
1. Shares of Alphabet Inc. opened nearly 3 percent higher to become the world's most valuable public company, replacing Apple Inc.
2. The shift occurred in extended trading of 1 February 2016 after Alphabet released a fourth-quarter earnings report that highlighted the robust growth of the digital ad market.
3. At after-hours levels (which technically reflect an indication, but not the real-world value) of 1 February 2016, Alphabet's market cap hit about 570 billion US dollars, eclipsing Apple's market cap of roughly 535 billion US dollars. Shares of Apple opened down nearly 1 percent on 2 February 2016.

12.Titli became first Indian film to win Best First Foreign Film award by FSCC
1. Indian film-maker Kanu Behl directorial Titli bagged the Best First Foreign Film Award conferred by the French Syndicate of Cinema Critics 2016 (FSCC).
2. Titli has earlier won at various international film festivals at places like Bordeaux, Hawaii, New York, Turkey and Spain.
3.  Titli is a 2015 Bollywood drama film written and directed by Kanu Behl, co-produced by Dibakar Banerjee Productions Pvt. Ltd and Aditya Chopra under the banner of Yash Raj Films. It features actors Ranvir Shorey, Amit Sial, Shashank Arora, Lalit Behl and Shivani Raghuvanshi in the lead roles.

13.Former Lok Sabha Speaker Balram Jakhar passed away
1. Former Lok Sabha Speaker Balram Jakhar passed away  in New Delhi. He was 92.
Jakhar was elected as the Lok Sabha Speaker for two consecutive terms from 1980 to 1989. He was elected to the Lok Sabha four times and also served as the Union Agriculture Minister in 1991 in P. V. Narasimha Rao Ministry.
2. He was elected to the Punjab Legislative Assembly in 1972 and was re-elected in 1977. He served as Minister in the state and also the Leader of Opposition.
3. Jakhar also served as the Governor of Madhya Pradesh from 2004 to 2009.He was the first Asian to be elected as Chairman of Commonwealth Parliamentarian Executive Forum.

14.Odisha Government extended Aahar cheap meal scheme to 29 districts
1. The Government of Odisha  decided to extend the Aahar scheme to 29 districts in the State. A decision in this regard was taken at a review meeting on the programme at the State secretariat in Bhubaneswar.
2. As per the decision, 58 centres will be established in 29 districts across the State to provide subsidized food to urban poor under the scheme. The centres will be opened from March 2016.
3. Features of Aahar Scheme
• It was launched by the State Government on 1 April 2015 to mark the State’s Foundation Day, Utkala Diwas.
• As part of the first phase of the scheme, Aahar outlets were opened in five cities, namely, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Berhampur, Sambalpur and Rourkela.
• The outlets served meal comprising of Rice, Dalma and Pickle at a subsidised rate of 5 rupees with financial assistance from three State run corporations and Tata Steel.
• Each Aahar outlet will cater to one thousand people daily between 11 am and 3 pm.