Current Affairs Update – 16-18th April, 2016

Hello and welcome to ExamPundit. Here are the important current affairs from 16th of April to 18th of April, 2016. These are very important for the upcoming SBI Clerk and NABARD Assistant Manager 2016 Exams.

Current Affairs at a Glance – 16-18th April, 2016
  1. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on
    14 April 2016 launched
    the pilot of e-NAM, the e-trading platform for the National Agriculture Market
    ,
    for the farmers. It was launched on 125th birth anniversary of Baba Saheb Dr
    Bhim Rao Ambedkar.
  2. Google in collaboration with RailTel,
    the telecom arm of the Indian Railways, rolled out free Wi-Fi service at Bhubaneswar
    railway station
    on 17 April 2016. With this, Bhubaneswar railway
    station became the second station to be covered under the Google-RailTel Wi-Fi
    project. Free Wi-Fi by Google-RailTel took off at Mumbai Central in January
    2016.
  3. Indian Railway on 17 April 2016 for the first
    time used an unmanned air vehicles or drones to inspect the ongoing work
    on the Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) project.
  4. Sikkim Governor Shrinvas Patil on
    17 April 2016 formally unveiled Supercomputer named ‘Param Kanchenjunga’ at the National Institute of
    Technology (NIT) Sikkim
    . It is named after Kangchenjunga Mountain (8586
    m), the third highest mountain in the world.
  5. Panagarh Air Force Base of West
    Bengal
    was renamed as Air Force
    Station Arjan Singh
    on 16 April 2016. This can be termed as a
    rare honour to the nation’s oldest soldier Marshal of Air Force Arjan Singh.
  6. Jharkhand Chief Minister
    Raghubar Das on 14 April 2016 launched the
    Bhimrao Ambedkar Awas Yojana for widows.
  7. Gujarat government on 15 April 2016 appointed Geeta Johri as the Director General of Police (DGP).
    The 1982-batch IPS officer Johri, who has the distinction of being Gujarat’s
    first women IPS officer, also became the first female DGP of Gujarat.
  8. Tata Steel Europe has appointed Bimlendra Jha as Chief Executive Officer of
    Tata Steel UK
    which has been put on block.
  9. IAS officer C K Deshmukh was today appointed as Chief Vigilance Officer
    (CVO) in Indian Oil Corporation Ltd.
  10. Advocate Hari Phuyal has been appointed as the new Attorney
    General of Nepal
    by President Bidya Devi Bhandari upon the
    recommendation of the Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.
  11. Indian artistic gymnast Dipa Karmakar on 17 April 2016 created history by becoming the first Indian woman gymnast to qualify
    for Olympics.
  12. International Day for Monuments and Sites traditionally called World Heritage Day
    was observed across the world on 18 April 2016 with theme ‘The Heritage
    of Sport’.
  13. World Haemophilia Day was observed globally on 17 April 2016 with theme
    Treatment for all is the vision of all.
  14. Dell on 15 April 2016 released
    its ranking of Future Ready Economies Model globally
    . As per the
    ranking, San Jose topped the list of 50 future-ready cities around the world
    that are embracing technology to adapt and thrive in an ever changing and
    globalised future. The national capital Delhi was ranked 44th
    in the list
    .

Finance –
PM Narendra Modi launched National Agriculture Market

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi on
    14 April 2016 launched the pilot of e-NAM, the e-trading platform for the
    National Agriculture Market, for the farmers. It was launched on 125th birth
    anniversary of Baba Saheb Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar.
  • The initiative will usher in
    transparency which will greatly benefit the farmers. In the initial stage 21
    mandis in 8 states have been linked to e-NAM and by September 2016 two hundred
    mandis will be included and by March 2018 five hundred eighty five mandis.
  • With this, the farmers can sell
    or buy the agricultural products online using this portal.

Features of the Project
  • This project will operate through
    an online portal which is being linked to the mandis of the States.
  • Its software will be provided to
    all the willing states without cost.
  • A knowledgeable person will be
    deployed for one year in every sharing mandi to facilitate the smooth
    functioning of the portal.
  • Under this Project, Union
    Government is providing a grant of 30 lakh rupees to the proposed agriculture
    mandis of the states.

India –
Google, RailTel launched free WiFi service at Bhubaneswar Railway
station

  • Google in collaboration with
    RailTel, the telecom arm of the Indian Railways, rolled out free Wi-Fi service
    at Bhubaneswar railway station on 17 April 2016.
  • With this, Bhubaneswar railway
    station became the second station to be covered under the Google-RailTel Wi-Fi
    project. Free Wi-Fi by Google-RailTel took off at Mumbai Central in January
    2016.
  • This facility will enable
    passengers to stream high definition videos while waiting for their respective
    trains at the railway station.
  • Besides Bhubaneswar, trials are
    going on at about 10 more stations which include Jaipur, Patna, Ranchi,
    Ernakulum, Allahabad, Lucknow and Guwahati. Wi-Fi services will be available on
    these stations in a short time.

Indian Railway used drone for the first time to inspect Dedicated
Freight Corridor project

  • Indian Railway on 17 April 2016
    for the first time used an unmanned air vehicles or drones to inspect the
    ongoing work on the Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) project.
  • The drone was used for three days
    on a trial basis to monitor a total of 98 kilometers on the DFC. Out of this,
    it was used to monitor 42-km long track between Baghega to Srimadhopur in
    Rajasthan in the Western DFC and the 56-km long line between Durgawati and
    Sasaram in Bihar.
  • The use of drone enabled Indian
    Railway officials to prepare the status report of the surveyed section of the
    DFC project quickly and easily.
  • The drone was hired from a
    private operator and it cost 3000 rupees per km for undertaking the aerial
    survey. Currently about 170 projects, including doubling and laying of new
    lines, are being executed by railways.

Supercomputer ‘Param Kanchenjunga’ unveiled at Sikkim NIT

  • Sikkim Governor Shrinvas Patil on
    17 April 2016 formally unveiled Supercomputer named ‘Param Kanchenjunga’ at the
    National Institute of Technology (NIT) Sikkim. It is named after Kangchenjunga
    Mountain (8586 m), the third highest mountain in the world.
  • The Param Kanchenjunga is the
    most powerful and fastest among all available at the 31 National Institute of
    Technology’s.
  • It has been jointly developed by
    Pune-based Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) and the NIT
    Sikkim. The total cost of the Supercomputer is around three crore rupees.

Panagarh airbase renamed after former IAF chief Arjan Singh

  • Panagarh Air Force Base of West
    Bengal was renamed as Air Force Station Arjan Singh on 16 April 2016. This can
    be termed as a rare honour to the nation’s oldest soldier Marshal of Air Force
    Arjan Singh.
  • Air Officer Commander-in-Chief of
    the Eastern Air Command, Air Marshal C Harikumar unveiled the rechristening
    plaque at a ceremony held at the Panagarh Air Base. He announced that the
    crucial Air Force Base in the eastern theatre will now be called Air Force
    Station Arjan Singh.
  • Marshal of the Air Force Arjan
    Singh, 97, had led the Indian Air Force (IAF) in the 1965 India-Pakistan war.

Jharkhand Government launched Bhimrao Ambedkar Awas Yojana for widows
  • Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar
    Das on 14 April 2016 launched the Bhimrao Ambedkar Awas Yojana for widows.
  • Its objective of the scheme is to
    create equality and harmony in society, ensuring all round development.

Salient Features of the Yojana
  • The programme is with a budget
    allocation of 80 crore rupees and a target of 11000 units (houses) for widows
    was set in 2016-17 financial year.
  • An amount of 75000 rupees would
    be granted to build a house in districts in hilly terrains and 70000 rupees in
    plains and the amount would be distributed among the beneficiaries in three
    installments in their bank accounts.

Appointments –
Geeta Johri appointed as first woman DGP of Gujarat

  • Gujarat government on 15 April
    2016 appointed Geeta Johri as the Director General of Police (DGP). The
    1982-batch IPS officer Johri, who has the distinction of being Gujarat’s first
    women IPS officer, also became the first female DGP of Gujarat.
  • She was elevated to the post
    after the state DGP PC Thakur was transferred to the centre as the Director
    General of Civil Defence and Home Guards on deputation.

Bimlendra Jha appointed as CEO of Tata Steel UK

  • Tata Steel Europe has appointed
    Bimlendra Jha as Chief Executive Officer of Tata Steel UK which has been put on
    block.
  • As Executive Chairman of Tata
    Steel Europe’s Long Products Europe Business, Jha played a crucial role in
    finding a suitor for the long product division in Europe.
  • In his new position, Jha will
    report to Hans Fischer, Chief Executive Officer of Tata Steel Europe and will
    be supported by a team of executives drawn across functions including
    operations, procurement, finance, human resources and commercial, said Tata Steel
    in a statement on Monday.
  • Last week, Tata Steel signed an
    agreement with Greybull Capital to sell its struggling long product division.
  • Koushik Chatterjee, Group
    Executive Director, Tata Steel said Jha’s experience in the process of
    divestment of Long Products division in Europe will be invaluable as Tata Steel
    Europe explores strategic alternatives for its operations in the UK.

C K Deshmukh appointed CVO in Indian Oil Corporation

  • IAS officer C K Deshmukh was
    today appointed as Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO) in Indian Oil Corporation Ltd.
  • C K Deshmukh, a 1996 batch IAS
    officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre, has been appointed to the post till May 23,
    2017, the date on which she completes combined central deputation tenure of
    seven years, an order issued by Department of Personnel and Training said.
  • The CVO acts as distant arm of
    Central Vigilance Commission to check corruption and strengthen anti-graft
    measures in an organisation.

Hari Phuyal appointed Nepal’s Attorney General

  • Advocate Hari Phuyal has been
    appointed as the new Attorney General of Nepal by President Bidya Devi Bhandari
    upon the recommendation of the Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.
  • Phuyal was appointed as per
    Article 157.2 of the Constitution yesterday.
  • The office was vacant since March
    1, when the then Attorney General Hari Krishna Karki resigned from his position,
    reports Himalayan Times.
  • The post of Attorney General is a
    coveted one and he works as the chief legal advisor to the government here.

Sports –
Dipa Karmakar became first Indian woman gymnast to qualify for Olympics

  • Indian artistic gymnast Dipa
    Karmakar on 17 April 2016 created history by becoming the first Indian woman
    gymnast to qualify for Olympics.
  • Karmakar booked a berth for the
    Rio Games after a strong performance at the final qualifying and test event.
    She earned a total score of 52.698 points in the Olympics qualifying event to
    book a berth for artistic gymnastics in Rio Games to be held in August 2016.
  • Karmakar has been listed as the
    79th gymnast among individual qualifiers in the list of women’s artistic
    gymnast who have qualified for the Rio Olympics.

Australia won 2016 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup
  • Australia on 16 April 2016
    defeated India 4-0 in the final to win the 25th edition of the Sultan Azlan
    Shah Cup held in Ipoh, Malaysia.
  • This was the 9th title for the
    Aussies at this tournament having last won it in 2014.
  • India last won the tournament in
    2010, their fifth title, when they were jointly declared winners with South
    Korea.
  • Thomas Craig and Matt Gohdes
    scored two goals each in open field play for Australia. The Aussies took off
    though Craig’s field goals in the 25th and 35th minutes. Gohdes made it 3-0 in
    the 43rd minute and scored the fourth in the 57th minute.

Rafael Nadal defeated Gael Monfils to win Monte Carlo Masters title
  • Rafael Nadal on 17 April 2016
    defeated Frenchman Gael Monfils to grab the 2016 Monte Carlo Masters title.
  • Nadal, appearing in his 100th
    Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Tour final, won 7-5 5-7 6-0 in 2 hours
    46 minutes to claim his ninth title, but his first since 2012.

Days –
International Day for Monuments and Sites observed with theme The
Heritage of Sport

  • International Day for Monuments
    and Sites traditionally called World Heritage Day was observed across the world
    on 18 April 2016 with theme ‘The Heritage of Sport’.
  • The theme was decided by the
    International Council for Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) in the backdrop of Rio
    Olympics 2016 that is to be hosted in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in August 2016.
  • World Heritage Day is observed to
    create awareness to protect and preserve the shared wealth of humankind and
    showcases the diversity of cultural heritage. It calls for collective efforts
    of the international community to preserve the valuable asset.

World Haemophilia Day 2016 observed globally with theme Treatment for
all is the vision of all

  • World Haemophilia Day was
    observed globally on 17 April 2016 with theme Treatment for all is the vision
    of all.
  • The day aims at raising awareness
    about haemophilia and other inherited bleeding disorders.  The day also provides an opportunity to talk
    to the family and friends, colleagues, and caregivers to raise awareness and
    increase support for those living with an inherited bleeding disorder.
  • Hemophilia Day was established in
    1989 with the support of the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH). The date of
    17 April was chosen to honour Frank Schnabel, the founder of WFH, whose
    birthday falls on the same date.

Lists –
Dell released list of Future Ready Economies Model; Delhi ranked 44th

  • Dell on 15 April 2016 released
    its ranking of Future Ready Economies Model globally. As per the ranking, San
    Jose topped the list of 50 future-ready cities around the world that are
    embracing technology to adapt and thrive in an ever changing and globalised
    future.
  • The national capital Delhi was
    ranked 44th in the list.
  • The Future-Ready Economies Model
    scores large, high-growth global metropolitan areas based on attributes that
    enable people and organisations to access new tools and ideas that deliver
    better connectivity, better economic performance and a greater ability to
    attract talent.
  • The rankings were compiled by IHS
    Economics based on proxy indicators that define the insights and criteria
    developed at the 2015 Strategic Innovation Summit: Enabling Economies for the
    Future, hosted by Harvard University and sponsored by Dell.

Obituaries –
Hero Group co-founder Satyanand Munjal passed away
  • Satyanand Munjal, co-founder of
    Hero Cycles group, passed away on 14 April 2016 at Model Town, Ludhiana. He was
    99.
  • He was popularly known as Mahatma
    Satyanand Munjal for being devoted to several social causes related to the Arya
    Samaj.
  • Satyanand had co-founded Hero
    Group with his three brothers, Om Prakash Munjal, Brijmohan Lall Munjal and
    Dayanand Munjal. The brothers hailed from a small town called Kamalia, now in
    Pakistan.
  • The philanthropist had served as
    a Co-Chairman and Managing Director (MD) of Hero Cycles Ltd.

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