Current Affairs Update – 25th May, 2016

Hello and welcome to exampundit. Here are the Important Current Affairs of 25th May, 2016. These are important for the upcoming UIIC AO 2016, SBI PO & SBI Clerk Mains Exams 2016.

Current Affairs at a Glance – 25th May, 2016

  1. Reserve Bank deputy governor S S
    Mundra has raised concerns over one-third of ATMs being non-functional and
    warned the banks of penal action if the compliance levels are not met.
  2. The Union Cabinet on 25 May 2016
    approved the National
    Capital Goods Policy 2016
    . This is first ever policy for Capital Goods
    sector
    with a clear objective of increasing production of capital goods
    from 2.3 lakh crore rupees in 2014-15 to 7.5 lakh crore rupees in 2025.
  3. The Government of Telangana
    and the US-based healthcare tech firm Eclat Health Solutions
    on 24 May 2016 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). Under the
    MoU, the Eclat will invest 15 million US dollars in Tier II cities of
    Telangana.
  4. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) said on Wednesday that it has
    signed a pact with Bharat Electronics
    Limited (BEL)
    for developing advanced airborne communication and electronic
    warfare systems
    .
  5. State-run BHEL today said it has
    commissioned the first 800 mw supercritical thermal unit in Raichur, Karnataka.
    The unit has been commissioned at the 2×800 MW Yeramarus Thermal Power Station (TPS) located in Raichur district of Karnataka,
    Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) said in a statement.
  6. Taxi aggregator Uber
    has signed a pact with Kempegowda
    International Airport
    to provide people rides who land in the city from the
    airport.
  7. DTH player Tata Sky
    has partnered TechProcess Payment Services, an electronic
    payments company, for the Next Gen Digital Payments Platform.
  8. Senior BJP leader and former
    Union minister Sarbanand
    Sonowal
    was sworn-in as the Chief Minister of
    Assam
    on 24 May 2016.
  9. Lieutenant General SK Saini in
    third week of May 2016 took over as the 46th Commandant of the
    Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun
    .
  10. Subhash Chandra has resigned from the post of director and
    non-executive chairman of Zee Media
    .
  11. Indian Naval Sailing Vessel (INSV) Mhadei set sail from Goa on Tuesday with an all-woman
    crew for a voyage to Port Louis in Mauritius skippered by Lt. Cdr. Vartika
    Joshi, a Naval Constructor.  This
    would be the first open-ocean voyage of the Navy’s all-woman crew of the Mhadei
    .
  12. India, which is has emerged as
    world’s second largest mobile market, is also the fifth largest producer of e-waste,
    discarding roughly 18.5 lakh metric tonnes of electronic waste each year, a
    study says. The telecom equipment alone accounting for 12 per cent of the
    e-waste, a joint study by Assocham-KPMG
    said.
  13. The United Nations Office on
    Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on 24 May 2016 launched its inaugural World Wildlife Crime Report.
    The report highlights how the poaching and illegal trade of thousands of
    different species across the globe present real environmental dangers.
  14. The United Nations World Humanitarian Summit concluded on 24 May
    2016 in Istanbul,
    Turkey. The summit was organised by the United Nations Office for the
    Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA).
  15. The book titled A Call to
    Mercy: Hearts to Love, Hands to Serve
    was in news on 25 May 2016.
    The book is a collection of previously unreleased writings by Mother Teresa.
  16. Renowned Pink Panther star Burt
    Kwouk
    passed away on 24 May 2016.
  17. Veteran Communist Party of India
    (Marxist) leader and former MLA and MP K Anirudhan passed
    away on 22 May 2016 at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

Finance/Industry –
RBI finds 33% of ATMs non-functional

  • Reserve Bank deputy governor S S
    Mundra has raised concerns over one-third of ATMs being non-functional and
    warned the banks of penal action if the compliance levels are not met.
  • Mundra quoted a survey of 4,000
    ATMs conducted by a Reserve Bank team recently wherein it has found that almost
    one-third of these machines are not in working conditions. The ATMs surveyed
    were situated in various parts of the country and were of various banks, he
    said.
  • The RBI survey has also found
    many violations of various regulatory instructions such as on display material,
    facilities for differently abled, etc, he added.
  • The government and the RBI have
    taken financial inclusion as one of the top agendas and ATMs are one of the
    ways to attain that objectives, he said, adding despite that banks are being
    found not adhering to the compliance levels prescribed by the regulators.
  • Led by state-run banks, 56
    commercial banks together had 1,00,671 on-site cash vending machines and 96,656
    offsite machines as of February this year as per the RBI data.
  • After the big push to install
    ATMs in remote places, where there is no physical presence of a bank, by the
    past UPA government, banks, especially private sector ones, have been going
    slow in putting up new cash vending machines of late.
Why is it important?

  • That is three out of 11 payment
    banks which got the RBI’s approval, and the withdrawal highlights some of its
    limitations: payments banks cannot lend, there are restrictions on deposit
    deployment, and, more importantly, might not find a strategic fit with a
    group’s other businesses. 
  • The companies which have said no to payment banks
    are: Cholamandalam Investment and Finance Co., Sun Pharma promoter Dilip Shanghvi
    and his partners (IDFC Bank and Telenor Financial Services) and Tech Mahindra.
Union Cabinet approved National Capital Goods Policy 2016

  • The Union Cabinet on 25 May 2016
    approved the National Capital Goods Policy 2016. This is first ever policy for
    Capital Goods sector with a clear objective of increasing production of capital
    goods from 2.3 lakh crore rupees in 2014-15 to 7.5 lakh crore rupees in 2025.
  • It also seeks to raise direct and
    indirect employment from the current 8.4 million to 30 million by 2025.
Features of National Capital Goods Policy 2016

  • Vision: To increase the share of
    capital goods contribution from present 12 to 20 percent of total manufacturing
    activity by 2025
  • Mission: To become one of the top
    capital goods producing nations of the world by raising the total production to
    over twice the current level
  • To raise exports to a significant
    level of at least 40 percent of total production and thus gain 2.5 percent
    share in global exports of capital goods
  • To improve technology depth in
    Indian capital goods from the current basic and intermediate levels to advanced
    levels
  • Objectives: Increase total
    production to achieve total production in excess of 5 lakh crore rupees by 2025
    from the current 2.2 lakh crore rupees
  • To increase the share of domestic
    production in India’s capital goods demand from 56 percent to 80 percent by
    2025 and in the process improve domestic capacity utilization to 80-90 percent
  • To improve skill availability by
    training 50 lakhs people by 2025
  • Programmes: To achieve the above
    objectives the policy proposed a new scheme Heavy Industry Export & Market
    Development Assistance Scheme (HIEMDA) on pilot basis, Technology Development
    Fund under PPP model, start-up centre for capital goods sector.
Telangana Government, Eclat Health Solutions signed MoU to invest $15
million

  • The Government of Telangana and
    the US-based healthcare tech firm Eclat Health Solutions on 24 May 2016 signed
    a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
  • Under the MoU, the Eclat will
    invest 15 million US dollars in Tier II cities of Telangana.
  • Besides, another agreement was
    signed between the Government and Monif Matouk, Chairman, Genesis
    Pharmaceuticals and Afi Hasan, CEO Safye Holdings.
  • The MoUs were signed in Indianapolis,
    the USA in the presence of Telangana IT and Industries Minister K T Rama Rao.
  • He is on a 2-week trip to the USA
    to attract investments into the State.
HAL signs pact with BEL to develop airborne communication

  • Hindustan Aeronautics Limited
    (HAL) said on Wednesday that it has signed a pact with Bharat Electronics
    Limited (BEL) for developing advanced airborne communication and electronic
    warfare systems.
  • “The umbrella understanding
    includes sharing of expertise in design, development, engineering and
    manufacturing between HAL and BEL to develop and produce advanced airborne
    communication, electronic warfare systems, etc,” T Suvarna Raju, CMD, HAL
    said in a release.
  • D K Venkatesh, Director (Engg and
    R&D) HAL and A T Kalghatgi, Director (R&D) of BEL signed the MoU in the
    presence of T Suvarna Raju, CMD, HAL and S K Sharma, CMD, BEL in New Delhi on
    Tuesday, the release added.
BHEL commissions 800 mw supercritical thermal unit in K’nataka

  • State-run BHEL today said it has
    commissioned the first 800 mw supercritical thermal unit in Raichur, Karnataka.
  • The unit has been commissioned at
    the 2×800 MW Yeramarus Thermal Power Station (TPS) located in Raichur district
    of Karnataka, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) said in a statement.
  • Yeramarus is being developed by
    Raichur Power Corporation Ltd (RPCL) — a joint venture of Karnataka Power Corporation
    Limited (KPCL) and BHEL.
  • The second unit of this project
    is also in the advanced stage of construction and is expected to be commissioned
    shortly, the statement said.
Uber signs pact with Kempegowda International Airport

  • Taxi aggregator Uber has signed a
    pact with Kempegowda International Airport to provide people rides who land in
    the city from the airport.
  • Through this pact, Uber will be
    given a dedicated parking area and pick-up zone called ‘U Zone’ located within
    the airport premises, the company said in a release.
  • Stating that the U-Zone has been
    created to streamline traffic and reduce congestion at the pick up lanes, it
    said Uber executives will also be at the airport to help passengers find their
    cars easily and give them access to wi—fi in case they face network issues.
Tata Sky ties up with TechProcess for digital payments

  • DTH player Tata Sky has partnered
    TechProcess Payment Services, an electronic payments company, for the Next Gen
    Digital Payments Platform.
  • This platform will empower
    multi-mode online and mobile payments for Tata Sky and will provide convenience
    and safety for consumers to make digital payments.
  • The Next Gen Digital Payments
    Platform is interoperable with more than 185+payment modes, including credit
    and debit card, net-banking e-wallets and the likes. The platform is a single
    integration omni-channel payment solution compatible with online and mobile
    channels.
Aditya Birla Fashion enters into binding MoU with Forever 21

  • Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail
    (ABFRL) today said it will be entering into a binding MoU with global clothing
    brand Forever 21 to acquire its online and offline rights for the Indian
    market.
  • Forever 21 is among the fastest
    growing fashion retailers in the world with a large network of more than 700
    stores worldwide.
  • The proposed acquisition is
    subject to necessary statutory approvals and signing of definitive agreements.
  • Forever 21 expects that its
    partnership with ABFRL will help establish it as one of the largest women’s wear
    brand in the country.

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Appointments –
Sarbananda Sonowal sworn-in as Assam Chief Minister

  • Senior BJP leader and former
    Union minister Sarbanand Sonowal was sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Assam on
    24 May 2016. Governor Padmanabha Balakrishna Acharya administered his oath of
    office and secrecy at Khanapara in Guwahati.
  • It was the first time after 1985,
    when a Chief Minister took his oath in an open field.
  • With this, Sonowal became Assam’s
    second tribal chief minister after Jogen Hazarika in the 1970s. He is also
    first Chief Minister from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Assam.
  • It is the first time that a
    BJP-led alliance will form a majority government in Assam.
Lieutenant General SK Saini takes over as 46th Commandant of Indian
Military Academy

  • Lieutenant General SK Saini in
    third week of May 2016 took over as the 46th Commandant of the Indian Military
    Academy (IMA), Dehradun.
  • Lt Gen Saini is an alumnus of the
    National Defence Academy (NDA) and the Indian Military Academy (IMA).
  • He was commissioned into the 7th
    Battalion of the Jat Regiment in June 1981.
  • He has held various staff,
    instructional and command appointments.
  • He has commanded his battalion, a
    mountain brigade and a counter insurgency force in Jammu & Kashmir.
Resignations –
Subhash Chandra steps down as Zee Media chairman

  • Subhash Chandra has resigned from
    the post of director and non-executive chairman of Zee Media.
  • In a filing to the BSE, Zee Media
    said that its board in a meeting held today “took on record the
    resignation of Dr. Subhash Chandra as Director & Non-Executive Chairman of
    the Company with effect from May 24, 2016.”
  • It further said that its board
    also approved appointment of R K Arora, CEO, as an Additional Director of the
    company.
  • Zee Media, formerly known as Zee
    News, is one of the leading news networks of India.
  • It has news channels which
    includes Zee News, Zee Business, India 24×7, Zee Punjab Haryana Himachal, Zee
    Madhya Pradesh Chhattisgarh, Zee 24 Taas, 24 Ghanta, Zee Kalinga News, Zee
    Purvaiya and Zee Rajasthan News.
India –
All-woman crew of INSV Mhadei sets sail for Mauritius

  • Indian Naval Sailing Vessel
    (INSV) Mhadei set sail from Goa on Tuesday with an all-woman crew for a voyage
    to Port Louis in Mauritius skippered by Lt. Cdr. Vartika Joshi, a Naval
    Constructor. The ship was flagged-off by R.Adm K.K. Pandey from INS Mandovi at
    Verem in north Goa at a ceremony on Tuesday.
  • This would be the first open-ocean
    voyage of the Navy’s all-woman crew of the Mhadei. It is a training voyage to
    expose the young crew to the weather that they will confront during the
    circumnavigation of the globe scheduled for 2017.
BJP forms NEDA to boost development agenda in North-East India

  • The abbreviation NEDA standing
    for North East Democratic Alliance was in news as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
    on 24 May 2016 formed NEDA to boost development agenda in North-Eastern states
    of India.
  • This alliance can be termed as
    non-Congress alliance of parties willing to join of Chief Ministers of Assam,
    Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Sikkim.
  • The main objective of the NEDA,
    which is part of the NDA, will be all-round development of North East and
    better co-ordination among the states and central government.
Reports –
India fifth largest producer of e-waste in world: Study

  • India, which is has emerged as
    world’s second largest mobile market, is also the fifth largest producer of
    e-waste, discarding roughly 18.5 lakh metric tonnes of electronic waste each
    year, a study says.
  • The telecom equipment alone
    accounting for 12 per cent of the e-waste, a joint study by Assocham-KPMG said.
  • The rising levels of e-waste
    generation in India has been a matter of extreme concern in recent years. With
    more than 100 crore mobile phones in circulation, nearly 25 per cent end up in
    e-waste annually, it said.
  • The Ministry of Environment,
    Forest and Climate Change has notified e-waste management rules, 2016 in which
    producers are for the first time covered under extended producers’
    responsibility (EPR).
  • The rules prescribe a waste
    collection target of 30 per cent waste generated under EPR for the first two
    years, progressively going up to 70 per cent in the seventh year of the
    rule.The rules prescribe stringent financial penalties for non-compliance.
UNODC launches inaugural World Wildlife Crime Report

  • The United Nations Office on
    Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on 24 May 2016 launched its inaugural World Wildlife
    Crime Report. The report highlights how the poaching and illegal trade of
    thousands of different species across the globe present real environmental
    dangers.
  • The report also urges shared
    responsibility in tackling this crime given how products made from illicit
    flora and fauna such as fashion items, furniture, food, and pets, may be hidden
    in plain sight.
  • The report is a part of UNODC’s
    ongoing Global Programme on Wildlife and Forest Crime.
Key highlights of the report

  • Wildlife and forest crime is not
    limited to certain countries or regions, but is a truly global phenomenon.
  • Nearly 7000 species have been
    seized, including not only mammals but reptiles, corals, birds, and fish. No
    single species is responsible for more than 6% of the seizure incidents.
  • Illegal wildlife markets do not
    correspond neatly to biological categories. Some markets make use of multiple
    species, while some species feed multiple distinct markets.
World –
United Nations World Humanitarian Summit concluded in Istanbul

  • The United Nations World
    Humanitarian Summit concluded on 24 May 2016 in Istanbul, Turkey. The summit
    was organised by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
    Affairs (UN OCHA).
  • More than 50 heads of state and
    government attended the summit, which commenced on 23 May 2016. However, the UN
    Secretary General Ban Ki-moon voiced his disappointment at the absence of world
    leaders from G7 countries.
  • The World Humanitarian Summit’s
    main achievement was the Grand Bargain, which is the name for a set of 51
    commitments to reform humanitarian financing to make emergency aid finance more
    efficient and effective.
  • In the summit, a New charter for
    Persons With Disabilities was also endorsed. The charter aims at improving the
    living conditions of persons with disabilities during emergencies.
Books & Authors –
A Call to Mercy: Hearts to Love, Hands to Serve by Mother Teresa

  • The book titled A Call to Mercy:
    Hearts to Love, Hands to Serve was in news on 25 May 2016. The book is a collection
    of previously unreleased writings by Mother Teresa.
  • The material in the book offers
    Mother Teresa’s profound yet accessible wisdom on how we can show mercy and
    compassion in our day-to-day lives.
  • The book was compiled by the Rev.
    Brian Kolodiejchuk, who has led the case for Mother Teresa’s sainthood.
  • It will be released in August
    2016 weeks before the late Nobel Peace Prize winner is to be canonized.
Obituaries –
Pink Panther star Burt Kwouk passes away

  • Renowned Pink Panther star Burt
    Kwouk passed away on 24 May 2016. He was 85. He is survived by his wife
    Caroline Tebbs and a son.
  • He was best known for playing
    Inspector Clouseau’s manservant Cato in the Pink Panther films.

Veteran CPI (M) leader K Anirudhan passes away

  • Veteran Communist Party of India
    (Marxist) leader and former MLA and MP K Anirudhan passed away on 22 May 2016
    at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. He was 92.
  • Anirudhan was suffering from
    age-related ailments for some time.
  • He was known as the giant killer
    in electoral politics in the state.
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