Saturday, December 10, 2016

November, 2016 Current Affair’s (For Clat)

1.      Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have jointly topped the 2016 all-India State/Union Territory-wise Ease of Doing Business rankings, conducted by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) and the World Bank. The rankings are on the basis of a 340-point business reform action plan and their implementation by the States. This covers the period from July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016. Gujarat has acquired 3rd position in the 2016 DIPP-World Bank rankings, followed by Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.


2.      Jhulan Goswami, the Indian women's cricket team captain, has recently acquired No.1 spot in the ICC Women's ODI bowling rankings, followed by Australia's Shelly Nitschke and Lisa Sthakelar. 


3.      The Indo-Nepal Joint Military Exercise "Surya Kiran-X" has started at Army Battle School, Saljhandi, Nepal from October 31 which will continue till November 13, 2016. The purpose of the exercise is to conduct battalion level joint training with emphasis on Counter Terrorism in mountainous terrain. It is an ideal platform for the contingent of both nations to share their experience and gain mutually.


4.      Kylie Verzosa from Philippines has been crowned Miss International 2016 at the Tokyo Dome City Hall in Tokyo, Japan. She is the 6th Filipino to win the crown of Miss International.


5.      Kerala has become the 3rd Open Defecation Free (ODF) state in India on its foundation day (November 1, 2016) under the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) – Gramin. With this, Kerala has become first high density populated state in India to achieve ODF status. Earlier, Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim had declared themselves ODF states.


6.      MN Sharma (93), the first chief architect of Chandigarh, has recently passed away in Chandigarh. He recently wrote a book "Making of Chandigarh: Le Corbusier and After", which brought the chronology of the events of the making of the city in his book. He was the first chief architect of Chandigarh, who closely worked with legendary Swiss-born French architect Le Corbusier. Sharma was the recipient of many national and international awards for his valuable contribution, including the award of the Institute of Life (France) for creating the best environment for the common man in 1973.


7.      Silvio Gazzaniga (95), the Italian sculptor who designed and created the FIFA World Cup trophy in 1971, has recently passed away in Milan, Italy. He was also known as "Mr Cups", as he designed UEFA Cup and the UEFA Super Cup. The FIFA World Cup trophy is 18-carat solid gold trophy weighs approximately 6 kg (or 13 pounds). It depicts a moment of joy: two players celebrating with their arms outstretched and a globe resting on the backs of their shoulders. 


8.      The World Savings Day is observed every year on October 31 to increase the public's awareness of the importance of savings both for modern economies and for individuals alike. The main topics are focused on the importance of savings in the global economy and how every depositor contributes to its development. The 2016 theme is "Grabbing Hold of Your Financial Future".


9.      The joint military training exercise "Sampriti-2016" will be conducted between India and Bangladesh at Tangail, Dhaka, Bangladesh from 05 to 18 November 2016. The training will culminate with a final validation exercise in which troops of both armies will jointly practice a Counter Terrorist Operation in a controlled and simulated environment.


10.  Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak has been appointed as a Brand Ambassador for "Swachh Rail Mission" of Indian Railway to promote cleanliness at rail premises. The initiative will help push the cleanliness drive of the Railway. Pathak is the founder of Sulabh International, an India-based social service organization. Sulabh International has been assigned to clean some important railway stations across the country as part of the mission. As a pilot project, Sulabh has started cleaning and maintenance of five important railway stations from September. These railway stations are Gorakhpur, Old Delhi, Jaipur, Ahmedabad and Gwalior.


11.  Maharashtra will be the first state in India to launch cyber police stations in each district to nab cyber criminals. Any offence related to cyber crime will be registered in these police stations at the district level. Additional cyber police stations will also be set up in some cities. Cyber police stations will also be set up at police commissionerate and Range IG offices.


12.  India will host 7th session of Conference of Parties (COP7) on tobacco control from November 7-12, 2016 at India Exposition Mart in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh. The conference will provide an opportunity to learn from other countries and showcase the steps taken by India to check tobacco consumption. More than 1500 delegates from 180 countries along with other Observers in official relations with the WHO FCTC Secretariat, Geneva are expected to participate in the conference. It is the first occasion that a Conference of Parties (COP) meeting is being held in India. The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) is the first global evidence-based public health treaty that recognizes the right of all people to the highest standard of health.


13.  Bollywood actor Rekha will be honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 13th edition of Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), which will be held from December 7-14, 2016.


14.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recently inaugurated Asia's largest man-made "Jungle Safari" at Naya Raipur in Chhattisgarh. It is nearly 800-acre Nandanvan Zoo and Safari. The Jungle Safari has been divided into 8 zones viz. Monument zone, Parking zone, Administrative zone, Water zone, Waiting zone, Zoo zone, Safari zone, Management zone. It will have wild animals moving freely in natural surroundings. The eco-friendly vehicles would take the visitors around to have the enchanting glimpses of wild-life and nature's beauty. The Jungle Safari would accommodate around 10,000 visitors every day. There would be safaris for tigers, lions, bears and other wild animals. The area would also have separate zones for the carnivorous and herbivorous animals in the Safari.


15.  LinkedIn has signed MoU with Union Ministry of Human Resource Development to create more jobs opportunities for Indian students. As part of the MoU, LinkedIn's 'Placements' product will be adopted by all Indian colleges affiliated with All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). The placements provides a level-playing field for all students, regardless of their location or college and allows them to take an online assessment test, which gives them direct access to thousands of openings in 35 top corporates in India.


16.  The Bhitarkanika National Park is a national park located in the Kendrapara District, Odisha. The park is a unique ecosystem, highly dynamic and at the same time fragile. The delta, the river mouth, the sea, mangrove forest, avian fauna, reptiles, amphibians and fauna and flora contribute to the park's biological diversity. It is in news because a two-member technical evaluation mission team of International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) deputed by the UNESCO has recently visited the National Park. The purpose of the visit is for the ground-zero assessment of the bio-diversity of the unique mangrove eco-system of park.


17.  The Election Commission of India (ECI) has launched an online survey for Overseas Indian Citizens in collaboration with Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai to assess level of awareness about the registration and voting process and to also gather opinion about their preferred method of voting. The purpose of the unique survey is to study and determine the registration and participation rates among overseas electors. The survey shall help in not only identifying information gaps but also in finding the preferred methods of voting which can subsequently be shared with the Government and Legislators. The link may be seen at www.everyvotecounts.in.


18.  The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is an association of Indian businesses which works to create an environment conducive to the growth of industry in India. The headquarters of CII is located at New Delhi. It is in news because CCI has launched a unique platform "Startup Mentorship Circle" in Mumbai to help in connecting start-ups with the global marketplace. The platform is truly a strong eco-system for nurturing innovation and startups to drive sustainable economic growth and generate large scale employment opportunities.


19.  Aniruddha Rajput, a practicising lawyer of India's Supreme Court, has been elected to UN's International Law Commission. He is India's first time candidate to the Commission and a permanent representative to the UN Ambassador. Rajput is among the 34 individuals elected by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) as members of the International Law Commission. The newly elected members will serve 5-year terms of office with the Geneva-based body, which will begin from January 2017. The members have been elected from five geographical groupings of African, Asia-Pacific, Eastern European, Latin American and Caribbean and Western European states.


20.  The book "An Era of Darkness: The British Empire in India" has been authored by Dr. Shashi Tharoor, the Lok Sabha MP. The book recalls in some detail the misdeeds of the British in looting India and making it suffer an agonizing and violent death. In it, author has rightly points out that British rule in India was effectively and regularly supplemented by famine, forced migration and brutality – the three examples of why British rule over India was despotic and anything but enlightened. The book has recently released by the Vice President of India M. Hamid Ansari.


21.  The first ever International Agro-biodiversity Congress (IAC) has started in New Delhi on November 6, 2016. The 4-day Congress has been inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which will be attended by 900 delegates from 60 countries. The event will initiate and encourage a dialogue among stakeholders, including farmers, to better understand everyones role in agro-biodiversity management and the conservation of genetic resources. It will address the threats imposed by climate change and ways to achieve sustainable agriculture production. India is one of the mega-diversity centres possessing unique crop and animal diversity.


22.  Indian women's hockey team has won the 4th edition of the 2016 Asian Women's Hockey Champions trophy- 2016 by defeating China in the final by 2-1 in Singapore. This is first time that Indian women's hockey team has won the Asian Champions Trophy competition.


23.  The 22nd session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 22) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has started at Marrakech in Morocco on November 7. In the 12-day global climate conference, delegates will deliberate on the details of implementing the Paris deal, such as drafting rules for how to measure and report emissions as well as the financial contributions meant to help poor countries deal with climate change.


24.  Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh has been appointed as the brand ambassador of Switzerland tourism's campaign for 2017 "Nature wants you back".


25.   M Rajeshwar Rao has been appointed as the new Executive Director (ED) of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). He will succeed G Mahalingam, who is taking voluntary retirement from the central bank. Rao will look after Department of Statistics and Information Management, Financial markets Operations Department and International Department. Prior to this appointment, he was the Chief General Manager, Financial Markets Operations Department. He has also worked as the Banking Ombudsman, New Delhi and in the Reserve Bank's regional offices at Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chennai and New Delhi.


26.  The book "Game Goes On" has been authored by an Australian commentator, Alan McGilvray. The book is based on his more than 50 years of the involvement with the game of cricket. He includes recollections of games he has witnessed through his life as a commentator and, in his younger days, as a player associated with extravagant cricketers like Bradman, Oldfield, McCabe, and O'Reilly.


27.  Praveen Kumar Sharma has been appointed as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Central Registry of Securitisation Asset Reconstruction and Security Interest of India (CERSAI). Sharma is the General Manager of the State Bank of India (SBI).The CERSAI is a central online security interest registry of India, which provide the platform for filing registrations of transactions of securitization, asset reconstruction and security interest by the banks and financial institutions. Any person can also search and inspect the records maintained by the registry on payment of prescribed fees. The headquarters of CERSAI is located at New Delhi. 


28.  The Rashtriya Kalidas Samman will be conferred to Banshi Kaul for 2016-17 and Raj Bisaria for 2015-16. Both the theatre artists are known for long cherished practice, excellence and continuous creative activeness in the country. Governor Omprakash Kohli will present the awards at an award ceremony to be held on November 10, 2016 in Ujjain. The Kalidas Samman is a prestigious arts award presented annually by the government of Madhya Pradesh in India. The award carries a cash prize of Rs. 200,000 and a citation.


29.  The Chhattisgarh government has launched "Lakshya Bhagirathi" campaign to complete the irrigation projects that could not be completed. Under the campaign, the water resources department had identified 108 projects that could not be completed. For the last three decades, the projects were pending for required clearances.


30.  Amitav Ghosh, an acclaimed Indian-American fiction author, will be honoured with the Tata Literature Live! Lifetime Achievement Award for 2016 in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the Indian literary space. The award will be presented to him at Tata Literature Live!'s annual awards ceremony to be held on November 20, 2016 at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), Nariman Point, Mumbai.


31.  India's first-ever Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) driven bus has been jointly launched by Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in Thiruvanthapuram, Kerala. The first pilot eco-friendly bus is a joint effort of Petronet LNG Limited (PLL), Indian Oil Corporation Ltd and Tata Motors Ltd to introduce LNG as a fuel in commercial vehicles in the state capital. LNG is considered to be a cleaner and safer fuel which emits 50 % less carbon for mass transportation.


32.  Rahul Dravid, the former Indian Cricketer and Captain, has become the brand ambassador for 2017 T20 Blind Cricket World Cup, which will be hosted by India. The tournament will be played from January 28 to February 12, 2017, with 10 countries participating in the event. On this occasion, Dravid has also launched the 'Support Blind Cricket by buying a Cricket Ball' campaign. 


33.  Ishaat Hussain is the newly appointed interim-chairman of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). He succeeded Cyrus Mistry and shall hold office as chairman of the company until a new chairman is appointed in his place.


34.  The book "Beyond the Last Blue Mountain: A Life Of J. R. D. Tata" has been authored by R M Lala. Partition. It is the biography of J.R.D. Tata, the patriarch of the biggest industrial house in India.


35.  The Public Service Broadcasting Day is observed every year on November 12 in India to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi's maiden visit to All India Radio (AIR) studio. On November 12, 1947, the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi visited the studio of All India Radio, Delhi for the first and last time. He addressed the refugees from Pakistan, stationed at the camp at Kurukshetra in Haryana after partition.


36.  India's first banking robot "Lakshmi" has been launched by the Kumbakonam-based City Union Bank, which will become the first on-site bank helper in India. The artificial intelligence powered robot "Lakshmi" can speak English, gesture and engage in a life-like manner in conversations. The robot can interact with customers on more than 125 subjects including account balance and interest rates on loans.


37.  Narinder Batra has become the first Indian to be elected the President of the International Hockey Federation (FIH). He succeeds Spaniard Leandro Negre, who has been the FIH chief since 2008. Batra, who is the president of Hockey India, has become the 12th FIH President and the first Asian to grab the post.


38.   The 36th edition of India International Trade Fair (IITF) will be held at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi on 14th November, 2016 and will continue till November 18, 2016. The fair will be inaugurated by the President of India Pranab Mukherjee with the theme of "Digital India". This year's partner country and states are South Korea and Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand respectively. The focus country and state are Belarus and Haryana respectively.


39.  Meng Hongwei, a politician of People's Republic of China, has been elected as the new President of International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL). Interpol is the 2nd-largest international organization after the United Nations in terms of international representation. The headquartered of INTERPOL is located at Lyon, France. Its work focuses on public safety and battling terrorism, crimes against humanity, environmental crime, genocide, war crimes, etc.


40.        The 6th edition of India-China Joint Training Exercise "Hand in Hand 2016" will be held in Pune from November 15 to 27. The purpose of the joint training is to share the expertise in drills and practices while tackling insurgency and terrorism and also to promote healthy military to military relations between the Indian Army and the People's Liberation Army of China.


41.        Lyricist-writer Gulzar will be honoured with the Tata Literature Live! Poet Laureate Award for 2016 for his contribution to Indian literature through his heart-rending poetry. The award carries a citation, plaque and cash prize and will be presented to him at Tata Literature Live!'s annual awards ceremony to be held on November 17, 2016 at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), Nariman Point, Mumbai. 


42.        The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has formed a special task force under the Chairmanship of Deputy G Governor of RBI SS Mundra to re-calibrate all ATMs and cash dispensing machines with the new design of (Rs 500 and Rs 2000) notes. The task force will consists of representatives from the government, large banks like SBI, Axis Bank, ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank, National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and select channels.


43.        India's first Cherry Blossom Festival has started at Shillong in Meghalaya on November 14, 2016, which is widely celebrated in Japan. The 4-day festival will provide opportunities to showcase the unique beauty of pink and white cherry blossoms and traditional arts, culture and cuisine to the naturalists and tourists of state. The Cherry Blossom Festival is popularly known as Sakura Festival in Japan i.e. held in April every year.


44.        The 3rd edition of World Internet Conference has started in Wuzhen, China on November 16, 2016 to discuss the future of the digital economy.The 3-day event is expected to be attended by delegates from more than 120 countries, including 8 top foreign leaders. 


45.        Chhattisgarh has become the first Indian state to adopt a resolution on demonetization of high-value currency notes. The decision was taken to flush out black money from the system and to usher in the clean transaction and clean money system. Besides fighting black money, it will also impact various other contentious issues plaguing the system.


46.        The comprehensive joint exercise "2016 Raad ul Barq – Strike of thunder" has been conducted by Pakistan Army and Pakistan Air Force in Khairpur Tamewali firing range of Cholistan desert, near Indo-Pak border, to showcase the combat readiness of the country's defence line with live firepower demonstration using heavy artillery fighter jets and air defence weapons.


47.        Indian chess Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand has won the 2016 Champions Showdown in Saint Louis, USA. Anand beat three other grandmasters- Hikaru Nakamura, Fabiano Caruana and Veselin Topalov to clinch the top spot. The tournament saw each competitor play 24 matches, including two classical round robins, two rapid round robins and four blitz round robins. Anand won seven and drew 16. His only defeat came on the final day against Nakamura.


48.        Sunway Taihulight has been named as the world's fastest supercomputer title, as per recently released semiannual Top 500 list of supercomputers. It is developed by the China's National Research Centre of Parallel Computer Engineering and Technology (NRCPC). Taihulight can perform 93 quadrillions calculations per second (petaflop/s). It is intended for use in research and engineering including climate, weather, life sciences, advanced manufacturing and data analytics. The TOP 500 list is considered one of the most authoritative rankings of the world's supercomputers. It is compiled on the basis of the machines' performance on the Linpack benchmark by experts from U.S. and Germany.


49.        The National Institute of Sowa Rigpa will be established at Leh in Jammu & Kashmir, which is approved by Government of India (GoI). The Tibetan Medicine system is known as Sowa Rigpa (Amchi). The System of Sowa Rigpa is practiced in many parts of India viz. Ladakh, Sikkim, Darjeeling, Mon Tawang and West Kameng regions of Arunachal Pradesh, etc. The medicine has been recognized by Government of India (GoI) by amending the Indian Medicine Central Council (IMCC) Act, 2010.


50.        Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna – Gramin (PMAY-G), in Agra, Uttar Pradesh to provide affordable houses to all those Indians living below the poverty line by the year 2022. Under the scheme, Rs. 1, 50,000 will be given for each house which will be equipped with many facilities like kitchen and toilet. Beside this, the prime minister has also distributed allotment letters to 50 beneficiaries of the scheme, which aims to provide about 3 crore new housing units countrywide.


51.        India has recently become an associate member of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) that operates the largest particle physics laboratory in the world. The agreement was signed by Dr. Sekhar Basu, Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission and Secretary and CERN Director General Dr. Fabiola Gianotti in Mumbai, Maharashtra. With this membership, India will enhance participation of young scientists and engineers in various CERN projects and bring back knowledge for deployment in the domestic programmes. It will also open opportunities for Indian industries to participate directly in the CERN project. The headquarters of the CERN is located at Geneva, Switzerland.


52.        The world's first Bollywood theme park has opened in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). The theme park will have 16 cinematic rides, six themed restaurants and a choice of 30 live shows that are inspired by contemporary and classic blockbusters, including the "Dabangg" action movies and the epic historical drama "Mughal-E-Azam". The vibrant cultutal-rich park boasts cinemas, a theatre, rides, simulators and 4D shows of popular Hindi movies.


53.        Pankaj Patel has been elected as the President of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) for the year 2017. He will succeed Harshavardhan Neotia during the Ficci AGM to be held on December 2016 in New Delhi. Patel is the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Cadila Healthcare Ltd.


54.        The Palampur Assembly Constituency has become the India's first e-assembly constituency at Kangra district in Himachal Pradesh. Now, the resident of constituency would not only know about the development works going on by one click on computer but they would also send their requirement about funds for different schemes in their respective areas online. This system would be introduced in other 67 constituencies of the state in next 6 months.


55.        Legendary Carnatic musician M.Balamuralikrishna (86) has recently passed away in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. He penned about 300 kirtanas and many Universities decorated him with honorary doctorates. Balamuralikrishna caught the nation's attention in Doordarshan's iconic music video "Mile Sur Mera Tumhara" in which he sang the Tamil lyrics in the song first telecast on Independence Day in 1988. He was also a recipient of Filmfare awards and National Film Awards for best music direction and playback singing.


56.        Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand has been conferred the first 'World Sanskrit Award' for her contribution towards promotion of the language by the Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari at the Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra in New Delhi. The award is instituted by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and is presented to eminent Sanskrit scholars to recognise their outstanding contribution to the study/teaching/research in Sanskrit language and literature. Sirindhorn is an educator and scholar of Sanskrit and Pali.


57.        The Indian-origin Portugal Prime Minister, Antonio Costa will be the chief guest at the 14th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention to be held from January 7 to 9, 2017 in Bengaluru, Karnataka. Apart from this, Michael Ashwin Satyandre Adhin, vice-president of the Republic of Suriname, will be the special guest at the Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas to be held on January 7, 2017 in Bengaluru.


58.        Captain Radhika Menon from India has been honoured with the 2016 International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Award for her exceptional bravery in the dramatic rescue of 7 fishermen from a sinking fishing boat in tumultuous Bay of Bengal waters in 2015 at IMO Headquarters in London. With this, she has become the first woman in the world to be awarded by the IMO. Menon is also the India's first female Merchant Navy Captain. The annual award was established by IMO to provide international recognition for those who, at the risk of losing their own life and perform acts of exceptional bravery.


59.        The 13th edition of World Robot Olympiad (WRO) will be held in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh. The theme for the competition is "Rap the Scrap", where students would showcase solutions to reduce, manage and recycle waste using robotics technology. Over 2,000 participants from 55 countries are taking part in the international championship. The WRO is an annual robotics competition for students where participants will be presenting ideas on problem solving through the use of robots. The competition is being organized jointly by the India STEM Foundation and the National Council of Science Museums (NCSM) under the Ministry of Culture.


60.        The Rajasthan government will start the Annapurna rasoi programme to provide quality meal at cheap price to people belonging to the weaker section and labourers. Under the programme, labourers, rickshaw pullers, auto drivers, students, working women, elders and other weaker section will be provided breakfast at Rs 5 per plate and lunch/dinner at Rs 8 per plate.


61.        Indian Railways will soon introduce an advanced system "Tri-Netra" on its trains which will help to reduce train accidents by keeping a record of the track maintenance and will also provide better visibility during foggy days. Tri-Netra stands for "Terrain imaging for diesel drivers infra-red, enhance optical & radar assisted system". The system provides a locomotive pilot a clear view of up to 1km on a straight track, even during inclement weather. This helps in maintaining high speed in poor visibility and avoids delay in arrivals. Tri-Netra system is made up of a high-resolution optical video camera, high-sensitivity infrared video camera and a radar-based terrain mapping system.


62.        The Wangala harvest festival is an annual post-harvest festival of the Garo tribe of Meghalaya i.e. started in November 2016. The festival marks the end of the agricultural year. It is an act of thanksgiving to the sun god of fertility "Misi-A-Gilpa-Saljong-Galapa". During the festival, men play the drums and women perform the Wangala Dance. The festival is also known as "100 Drum Festival", which mainly includes tribal groups offering sacrifices to please their main deity Saljong – the Sun God.


63.        Dileep Padgaonkar, the noted journalist and editor, has recently passed away in Pune, Maharashtra. He was part of a 3-member interlocutor's team that was chosen by the Centre in 2010 to have dialogues with various strata of society in Jammu and Kashmir. Padgaonkar was a long-time editor of the Times of India and was a recipient of the Legion d'Honneur, France's highest civilian distinction, for his services to journalism. 


64.        Fidel Castro (90), the revolutionary leader and former President of Cuba, has recently passed away in Havana, Cuba. Under his administration, Cuba became a one-party socialist state, industry and business were nationalized and state socialist reforms implemented throughout society.


65.        M C Mary Kom, an Olympic bronze-medallist and a 5-time world champion, to be honoured with 'Legends Award' by International Boxing Association (AIBA) on December 20, 2016.


66.        India's first digital and cashless village "Akodara" is located at Sabarkantha district in Gujarat. It is situated 90 kms away from Ahmedabad. Under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the village was adopted by the ICICI Foundation in 2015 and developed as a digitised village. In it, all transactions are carried out without cash changing hands through sms, net-banking or debit cards.


67.        Goa will become the first state in India to go cashless from December 31, 2016. With this, people will be able to buy perishables such as fish, meat, vegetables or anything else at the press of a button on their mobile. There will be no need to carry purse for purchases, as all transactions will be done on the mobile.


68.        The book "The Immortals of Meluha" has been authored by Amish Tripathi. The book is based on the belief that perhaps the actions, the deeds and karma are the only deciding factors in transforming an ordinary man to Mahadev – God of Gods.


69.        Iranian film "Daughter" has won the prestigious Golden Peacock award at the 47th International Film Festival of India (IFFI). The film is a family drama set in southern Iran that brings out inter-generational conflict between a strict father and a young daughter. It has been directed by Reza Mirkarimi. The film also won the best actor male award for Farhad Aslani, who won the Silver Peacock prize and Rs.10 lakh in cash.


70.        Naidu The Union Government has decided to constitute a committee with Chief Ministers of five states to suggest measures to normalise the situation in the wake of demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denomination notes. The committee will be headed by Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu.


71.        The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) has recently constituted two high-level committees to gather inputs on various aspects, including on service providers and corporate liquidation. The 9-member advisory committee on service providers is headed by educationist Mohandas Pai while the panel on corporate insolvency and liquidation is chaired by noted banker Uday Kotak. IBBI seeks to consolidate and amend laws relating to reorganisation as well as insolvency resolution of corporate persons, partnership firms and individuals in a time-bound manner.


72.        India has recently hosted the 50th anniversary of United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) in New Delhi as part of its commitment to the purposes and principles of the United Nations and the evolution of its specialized programmes and agencies. India is only one of 8 countries that has been a member of UNCITRAL from its inception, and has recently been re-elected for a term of six years. The purpose of the UNCITRAL is to promote the progressive harmonization and unification of international trade law.


73.        India's first and Asia's longest cycle highway has been opened in Uttar Pradesh. The 207-km-long cycle highway runs between Etawah and Agra. It was inaugurated by state Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. It is about 7-feet-wide and is separated by a divider from main highway which ensures the safety of cyclists.


74.        The 7th World Ayurveda Congress (WAC) will be held from December 2, 2016 at Science City in Kolkata, West Bengal.The mega event is being organized by the World Ayurveda Foundation with support of Ministry of AYUSH and the State Government of West Bengal. The focus of congress is "Strengthening the Ayurveda Ecosystem".

 

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