Current Affairs Update – 19th March, 2016

Hello and welcome to ExamPundit. Here are the important Current Affairs of 19th March.

Current Affairs at a Glance – 19th March, 2016
  1. In an effort to contribute towards the
    ‘Start-up India’ campaign and for nurturing the start-up ecosystem in the
    country, HDFC Bank, the best private
    bank in Asia, has launched a first-of-its-kind dedicated banking solution for
    start-ups, ‘SmartUp’
    . HDFC Bank has launched SmartUp in association
    with ‘Zone Startups India’, a start-up accelerator based in Mumbai. SmartUp is
    custom designed to meet all the requirements of a start-up including banking
    services, payment solutions, and advisory and forex services.
  2. The VAT department’s ‘Bill Banvao Inaam Pao’ scheme has taken
    off successfully — with Rs 5.65 lakh reward amount distributed to customers who
    participated — it is yet to make much headway in prosecuting those shopkeepers
    and traders operating with cancelled licences and manipulating records.
  3. Tech Mahindra’s Bhubaneswar centre has
    signed a pact with Odisha’s Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT) for
    establishing a ‘Centre for Innovation’ here
    .
  4. Professor
    TV Paul
    took over as the 56th
    president of International Studies Association (ISA),
    at its annual
    convention at Atlanta, Georgia this week.
  5. Union urban Development minister M Venkaiah Naidu on 18 March 2016 conferred with the Skoch Lifetime
    Achievement Award at 43rd SKOCH
    summit
    held in New Delhi.
  6. Bangladesh pace sensation Taskin Ahmed and left-arm spinner Arafat
    Sunny were today suspended for bowling with an illegal
    action by the ICC
    , dealing a massive blow to the team’s campaign in the
    ongoing World Twenty20.
  7. Tata
    Consultancy Services
    on 17 March 2016 announced a three year
    partnership with the Virgin Money London Marathon.


Finance/Economy/Industry
HDFC
Bank Launches SmartUp – A Banking Solution Specifically For Startups

  • In an effort to contribute towards the
    ‘Start-up India’ campaign and for nurturing the start-up ecosystem in the
    country, HDFC Bank, the best private bank in Asia, has launched a
    first-of-its-kind dedicated banking solution for start-ups, ‘SmartUp’.
  • HDFC Bank has launched SmartUp in
    association with ‘Zone Startups India’, a start-up accelerator based in Mumbai.
    SmartUp is custom designed to meet all the requirements of a start-up including
    banking services, payment solutions, and advisory and forex services.
  • SmartUp initiative with not only act
    as a partner for startups in their early growth stage, but will also help
    develop an ecosystem for encouraging innovation and start-ups in the country.
    Zone Startups India a collaboration between BSE Institute (a subsidiary of
    Bombay Stock Exchange), Ryerson University’s accelerator Digital Media Zone,
    Ryerson Futures Inc., and Simon Fraser University.
  • SmartUp was launched at an event
    organized by Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) in the presence of top HDFC Bank officials
    including Navin Puri, Country Head- Branch Banking, Smita Bhagat, Branch
    Banking Head- North & West and Co-Head, eCommerce, Parag Rao, Country Head-
    Card Payment Products, Merchant Acquiring Services and Marketing from HDFC
    Bank. Ajay Ramasubramaniam, Director at Zone Startups India was also present at
    the event.

Bill
Banvao Inaam Pao: VAT dept’s scheme a success but slow in prosecuting violators

  • The VAT department’s ‘Bill Banvao
    Inaam Pao’ scheme has taken off successfully — with Rs 5.65 lakh reward amount
    distributed to customers who participated — it is yet to make much headway in
    prosecuting those shopkeepers and traders operating with cancelled licences and
    manipulating records.
  • Out of 50 dealers found operating with
    cancelled licenses, officials said action has been taken against only 11 of
    them.
  • The department has recovered Rs 22
    lakh as penalty from these 11 dealers for the months of January and February.

Tech
Mahindra, BPUT tie up for innovation centre

  • Tech Mahindra’s Bhubaneswar centre has
    signed a pact with Odisha’s Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT) for
    establishing a ‘Centre for Innovation’ here.
  • The pact was signed between Shyam
    Sundar Pattnaik, vice chancellor, BPUT and B K Mishra, Global Delivery Head of
    Tech Mahindra in the presence of Skill Development & Technical Education minister
    Sanjay Kumar Das Burma.
  • In a first of its kind initiative,
    BPUT would collaborate with the industry for solving industry’s problems.
    Students pursuing Phd and M Tech (Master of Technology) at the university will
    be at the IT major’s campus for a period ranging from one year to three years.

Appointments
Indian
Professor Appointed 56th President Of International Studies Association
An Indian Professor has become the
president of a scholarly group in the US dedicated to international studies.
Professor TV Paul took over as the
56th president of International Studies Association (ISA), at its annual
convention at Atlanta, Georgia this week.
In his address, which among others was
attended by former Canadian Prime Minister, Joe Clarke, Mr Paul called on
international relations scholars to explicitly deal with grand strategies of
peaceful change more effectively, especially in the context of the rise of new powers
such as China and India.
Born in Kerala, Mr Paul in his speech
encouraged scholars with historical understanding to offer ideas for policy
makers about which strategy produced conflict and which strategy generated
unnecessary violence.
Awards
& Honors –
Skoch
Lifetime Achievement Award conferred on Venkaiah Naidu
  • Union urban Development minister M
    Venkaiah Naidu on 18 March 2016 conferred with the Skoch Lifetime Achievement
    Award at 43rd SKOCH summit held in New Delhi.
  • He was selected for the award for his
    contributions to inclusive growth and towards poverty alleviation in India.
  • Besides, IT minister of Telangana
    State KT Rama Rao was awarded the Skoch Award in the Startup India category for
    his initiative in establishing the path breaking tech incubator T-Hub.

Sports
ICC
suspends Bangladesh bowlers Taskin, Sunny

  • Bangladesh pace sensation Taskin Ahmed
    and left-arm spinner Arafat Sunny were today suspended for bowling with an
    illegal action by the ICC, dealing a massive blow to the team’s campaign in the
    ongoing World Twenty20.
  • Arafat’s analysis revealed that the
    elbow extension for majority of his deliveries had exceeded the 15 degrees’
    level of tolerance permitted under the ICC Regulations, while not all of Taskin’s
    deliveries were legal.
  • The 20-year-old Taskin, the fastest
    bowler in Bangladesh right now, has 21 wickets in 14 ODIs and 9 in 13 T20Is.
    Sunny, on the other hand, 24 scalps from 16 ODIs and 12 from 10 T20Is.
  • In accordance with Article 6.1 of the
    ICC Regulations, Arafat’s and Taskin’s international suspensions will also be
    recognised and enforced by all the members for domestic cricket events played
    in their own jurisdiction.

World
TCS
named official technology partner for Virgin Money London Marathon
  • Tata Consultancy Services on 17 March
    2016 announced a three year partnership with the Virgin Money London Marathon.
  • The aim of the partnership is to
    enhance the digital experience delivered to marathon participants.
  • Under the terms of the partnership,
    TCS will become the race’s official technology partner for the 2016, 2017 and
    2018 events.


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