Indian Affairs

201 Pages·2015·2.09 MB·English

Current Affairs September 2015
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Current Affairs PDF: September 2015

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Table of Contents
Indian Affairs ..................................................................................................................................................... 3
International Affairs ......................................................................................................................................... 74
Banking & Finance ........................................................................................................................................ 106
Business ......................................................................................................................................................... 120
Awards ........................................................................................................................................................... 124
Appointments ................................................................................................................................................. 140
Acquisitions & Mergers ................................................................................................................................. 158
Science & Technolgy ..................................................................................................................................... 163
Environment ................................................................................................................................................... 165
Sports ............................................................................................................................................................. 170
Obituary ......................................................................................................................................................... 189
Books & Authors ........................................................................................................................................... 196
Important Days............................................................................................................................................... 198

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Current Affairs PDF: September 2015

Indian Affairs

Government planning India’s longest 600 km expressway to connect Delhi and Katra
Presently, it takes about 11-12 hours to reach Katra from Delhi. The Expressway proposed by
the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways is expected to bring down the commutation time by 5-
6 hours. The Expressway will increase the connectivity between New Delhi and Jammu and it will
be aided by the National Highway being built between Srinagar and Jammu currently. Katra,
which is at an elevation of 875 metres above the sea level, is 42 kms further than Jammu.
• The announcement was made by the PM, consecutively after announcing a highway
project for providing connectivity for the four religious shrines (Char Dham) in
Uttarakhand.
• The New Delhi-Katra expressway will be a relief for pilgrims visiting the holy shrine of
Vaishno Devi in J&K.
• The proposed expressway will cover 600 kms and will be India’s longest. It will pass
through Haryana, Punjab and J&K, costing more than INR 15,000 crores. The Ministry
of Road Transport & Highways is conducting feasibility studies for the project, with the
help of consultants.
• The Hybrid Annuity Model of PPP (Public Private Partnership) is expected to be employed
for this project, with the Government bearing 40% of the project cost.
• This project is a part of the government’s plan to construct about 1,000 kms of
expressways at an estimated cost of INR 16,680 crores, as the traffic flow on these
routes is favourable. The approved corridors are Delhi-Chandigarh, Bengaluru-Chennai,
Delhi-Jaipur, Delhi-Meerut, Kolkata-Dhanbad, Delhi-Agra and Vadodara-Mumbai.
Union Government releases Rs 2,000 crore for Employees’ Pension Scheme
• The INR 2,000 crore was released by the Union Government as its contribution for the
year 2015-16, towards the Employee’s Pension Scheme. This was in addition to the
grant-in-aid of INR 250 crore already released by the Centre for providing a minimum
pension of Rs. 1,000 to EPS, 1995.
• The additional grant was necessary to ensure and sustain continuance of the minimum
pension.

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Current Affairs PDF: September 2015

Smart National Common Mobility Card model for seamless travel acr oss India

The Ministry of Urban Development has come out with a Smart National Common Mobility
Card (NCMC) model to enable seamless travel by different metros and other transport systems
across the country besides retail shopping and purchases.
Minister of Urban Development M.Venkaiah Naidu has approved the ‘EMV Open Loop Card
with stored value’ in this regard.
• The card will do away with the need to carry separate cards for banking and transit
requirements.
• It meets travel needs based on stored value of money and can be used for travelling by
any means of transport and also enables account based retail applications.
• The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) will be involved in indigenous
development and management of Clearing and Settlement of payments, Simulating
Cards, Terminals and network, a support base of vendors for providing certified tools,
cards, terminals and other services.
• The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) will develop the
standards and hardware for Metro gates/validators along with related ecosystems.
• Certification and authentication mechanism will be developed by NPCI or any other
government agency.
• In this regard funding of 47 crore rupees has been approved by the ministry.
Sakhi, One stop crisis centre(OSCC) for women in distress
The First time ever in Haryana,a scheme called ‘Sakhi’, was inaugurated to help the women,
who are suffering from sexual, mental and emotional harassments(Including eve-teasing,
domestic violence and rape).
• Haryana’s Women and Child Development Minister Kavitha Jain inaugurated the
scheme Sakhi, One Stop Crisis Center (OSCC), today at Karnal district in Haryana.
• The scheme is launched under the Union Government .
• The Objective of this scheme is to provide necessary help to women victims and others,
who are suffering from any kind of harassment.
• On August 28th, women police stations have been also opened in all the 21 districts of
Haryana.
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• Haryana is the second such state to have women police stations, w hile Chadigarh

secured the first place.The aim of women police stations is to provide security for

women.
Manipur assembly passes Protection of Manipur People Bill, 2015
The Manipur Legislative Assembly unanimously passed the Protection of Manipur People Bill,
2015. The House also unanimously passed two amendment bills, namely the Manipur Shops
and Establishments (Second Amendment) Bill, 2015and the Manipur Land Revenue and
Land Reforms (Seventh Amendment) Bill, 2015. All three bills were passed by voice vote.
In addition to that, the house also passed a resolution welcoming the Peace Accord signed
between the Union Government of India and the National Socialist Council of Nagaland
(NSCN)-IM.
SC stays Rajasthan HC’s decision declaring ‘Santhara’ ritual illegal
On August 10, 2015 Rajasthan High Court ordered by declaring that Santhara as illegal, the
practice, which involves voluntary fast-unto-death, illegal and an offence punishable under the
Indian Penal Code (IPC).
• But the Supreme Court stayed the order passed by Rajasthan High Court declaring
Santhara as illegal.
• Santhara is a Jain custom of embracing voluntary death – it involves practitioners taking
an oath to stop eating until they die of starvation. According to Jains, this is a way to
purge oneself of bad ‘karma’ and attain ‘moksha’.
• The Bench was hearing a batch of petitions filed by various religious bodies of Jain
community members against the High Court order on Santhara.
Law Commission of India submitted its report on Death Penalty
Law Commission of India recommended that the death penalty be abolished for all crimes other
than terrorism-related offences and waging war against the country after 53 years which favored
retention of the death penalty in statute books.
• In its 272-page draft report, the commission favoured speedy abolition of the death
penalty from the statute books not serve the penological goal of deterrence any more
than life imprisonment.
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Current Affairs PDF: September 2015

• The report stated that from January 26, 1950 till date, successive Presidents have

accepted 306 mercy petitions and rejected 131.

• The Commission also held a one-day Consultation on The Death Penalty in India on 11
July 2015 in New Delhi. Thereafter, upon extensive deliberations, discussions and in-
depth study, the Commission gave shape prepared its report.
• It is essential that the state establish effective compensation schemes to rehabilitate
victims of crime. It is also essential, the panel said, that courts use the power granted to
them under the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 to grant appropriate compensation to
victims in suitable cases.
Maharashtra government approves ordinance to amend MPDA Act
Maharashtra government gave permission to amend (alter) the Maharashtra Prevention of
Dangerous Activities (MPDA) Act
• Shri. Devendra Fadnavis, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Maharashtra at the weekly cabinet
meeting, took the decision to imprison the members of sand mafia, for not less than one
year.
• The persons found involved in sand mafia won’t get bail for one year, if once they got
imprisoned under illegal sand mining cases.
• The MPDA Act, 1981, applies to slumlords, bootleggers, drug offenders, video pirates
and other dangerous persons.
• Now, the illegal sand miners have also been included in the list of dangerous persons in
the Act through the recent amendments.
10th World Hindi Conference to be held in Bhopal
• India is set to host the World Hindi Conference after a gap of 32 years which will focus
for the first time on promoting the language as a means to employment.
Indo-Australian Bilateral Co-operation in the field of security
Discussions were held on intelligence sharing, combating international terrorism, cyber security
and better working relations for border and maritime security at a bilateral meeting between India
and Australia to discuss the bilateral co-operation between the two countries. The
visiting Australian Minister of Defence, Mr. Kevin Andrews and the Minister of State for
Home Affairs Shri Kiren Rijiju participated in the discussion.
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Current Affairs PDF: September 2015

Key Facts:

• The leaders underscored the growing depth of the Australia-India strategic partnership
and building on converging interests, shared values and common democratic
institutions.
• They also discussed bilateral collaboration across the security spectrum, including in
counter terrorism, cyber policy and maritime security.
• Additionally they also touched upon the issues of stability of Asia Pacific region, security
of sea lanes of communication.
• A follow-up discussion of the financial action task force in Brisbane, Australia in June
2015 took place in this occasion and they addressed deficiencies in implementation of
the recommendations with regard to terror financing.
• They also agreed for enhanced co-operation in the areas of mutual interest of both the
countries.
Section of the India-Myanmar-Thailand highway now operational
The Myawaddy- Thinggan Nyenaung-Kawkareik section (25.6 km long) of the Asian Highway
No.1, which links India to Thailand via Myanmar, has become operational. Now, the travel
time between Thinggan Nyenaung and Kawkareik will be reduced from 3 hours to 45 minutes.
• The section is a part of the trilateral highway that is planned to connect Moreh,
Manipur to Maesot, Thailand, via Tamu, Mandalay and Myawaddy in Myanmar. The
whole highway is expected to become operational by November this year.
• The section is also a part of the East-West economic corridor of the Greater
Mekong Subregion.
• Along with the inauguration of the section of the highway, a cornerstone-laying
ceremony for the building of Myanmar-Thailand friendship bridge No. 2, to link
Thailand’s Maesot with Myanmar’s Myawaddy was also held at Myawaddy.
• A bus-service between Imphal and Mandalay is also being contemplated by India
and Myanmar.
FSSAI reduced Permitted Levels of Trans-Fat in Edible Oils
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)has reduced the permitted level
of trans-fat content in edible fats and oils from 10 to 5 per cent across the country. The new
standards will come into force by August 2016.
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Current Affairs PDF: September 2015

This regulation will be applicable to hydrogenated vegetable oils, margarin e and fat spreads and

interesterified vegetable fat. An environment advocacy group today termed this move as an

important milestone in controlling non-communicable diseases in India and urged to bring it to
“near-zero levels“.
Cabinet approved reimbursement to 4 PSUs for import of pulses
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved the
proposal of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, to
reimburse Rs.113.40 crore of losses on pulses imported between 2006 to 2011period
by four government agencies apart from losses incurred in the sale of pulses up to six
months after closure of the scheme.
These four government agencies are the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing
Federation (NAFED), Project and Equipment Corporation (PEC), State Trading
Corporation (STC) and Metals and Minerals Trading Corporation (MMTC). This will enable
the central public sector undertakings (PSUs) to intensify trading activities and cool down prices.
SAARC conference on Disaster Mitigation begins in Delhi
A conference of SAARC countries to chalk out and undertake joint efforts on various issues related
to disaster mapping and mitigation in the member nations is being held in Delhi, with the
National Disaster Management Authority and National Disaster Response Force also participating.
The increased frequency of natural calamities in the SAARC countries’ region and the
prevalent geo-climatic conditions calls for enhanced levels of preparedness and risk resilience as
well as collaborative action amongst member countries. Such preparedness will enable the
countries to deal with disaster situations in individual and joint capacity and ensure minimal loss
of lives and assets.
South Asian Annual Disaster Management Exercise (SAADMEx)
• India has taken the lead to begin the process of simulation exercises on disaster
management in the region, named SAADMEx.
• India has requested the SAARC countries to augment the current levels of individual and
joint preparedness rescue, relief and responseefforts during disaster situations.
The exercise will be conducted in two phases
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(i)Advance Coordination among countries to decide on the modalities and re quirements of the

main exercise;

(ii) The main exercise which will be held in NCR. It will consist of three components,
namely the Table Top Exercise (TTx), the Field Training Exercise (FTx) and the After
Action Review (AAR).
This will be followed by a Workshop for sharing the best practises on Disaster Risk Reduction
Railway launches 3 IT initiatives developed by Centre For Railway Information Systems
(CRIS)
• CRIS is the Railway ministry’s IT arm. The IT initiatives aim to improve passenger and
customer services and move towards e-Governance, in line with the Digital India
Programme.
• The initiative includes a paperless unreserved ticketing through mobile phones
between Delhi and Palwal section, Coin-cum-Card operated ATVMs (Automatic Ticket
Vending Machines) at New Delhi railway station and a ‘Parichalaan’ mobile application
for freight operations.
• The paperless unreserved ticketing facility is already in operation in Chennai and
Mumbai and is going to be slowly made available in the suburban sections of the Eastern
Railway, South Eastern Railway and South Central Railway.
• Mobile purchase of Platform tickets and Monthly Seasonal tickets will be enabled
in the Mumbai and Chennai suburban networks.
• The Parichalaan app will help senior decision makers of the operations department to
plan freight operations on a real-time basis.
• Talks for a MoU for using Geospatial Technology and Satellite technology for
various operations of Railway are underway between CRIS and ISRO.
Government to infuse Rs. 8.5 lakh cr in Railways
• With a focus on infrastructure development in railways to boost growth, the
Government will invest 8.5 lakh crores in railways, which has the potential to change the
face of the sector.
• The announcement was made by Minister of State for Finance, Shri Jayant Sinha.
• Railway has suffered from a decade of chronic under-investment and capacity
addition has been to the minimum. For instance, the Delhi – Kolkata route is operating
at 150-160% over capacity.
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• Focussed attention is needed for effective safety, maintenance, be tter signalling, rolling

stock, increase in speed, better passenger services especially with respect to cleanliness

and hygiene etc.
• Private participation is being sought for two locomotive factories that have been
planned in Bihar, for investing in train sets and developing about 400 stations all over
India.
• 17 states have already entered into Joint Venture agreements with the railways.
Indian Wind Resource Atlas launched by MNRE
• The Indian Wind Atlas is an online GIS (Geographic Information Tool) for identification
of the regional and local wind energy potential in India.
• It gives information about various parameters such as Wind Speed (m/s), Wind
Power Density and Capacity Utilisation Factor (CUF)calculated for an average 2
MW Turbine that can operate at 100 m level.
• The Atlas will help policy makers at Centre and State Governments to deal with issues
related to tariff fixation, transmission, grade frequency etc and providing better
infrastructure for the investors.
• The information will be available free of cost.
The atlas has been prepared using very high resolution and joint frequency tables have been
derived for the entire country at 500m resolution for enhanced accuracy by using the dynamic
meso-micro coupled WRF modelling technique.
Unmanned Level Crossings eliminated by Western-Central Railway
• Western Central Railway- HQ in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh.
• Becomes the first to close all the unmanned railway crossings.
• About 118 unmanned level crossings were closed and some were converted into
manned, while Limited Height Subways (LHs) were built for some.
• Unmanned level crossings have been a matter of concern as they are death traps.
• Elimination of level crossings was one of the recommendations of the High Level Safety
Review Committee or the Kakodkar Committee on Railway safety, apart from other
recommendations such as upgrading of signalling system and installation of protection
warning system.
• The Railway Ministry is focussing on a ‘Zero Tolerance to train accidents’ policy.
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