Current Affairs Update – 10-15th September, 2016

• Anil Ambani-led Reliance
  Communications and Maxis Communications Berhad (MCB), promoters of Aircel, on
  14 September 2016 agreed to merge their wireless businesses to form the fourth-largest
  telecom operator in the country.
• The merger is termed as the
  biggest consolidation deal in India’s telecom sector.

• R-Com will demerge its wireless
  business and transfer it to the new entity. Its standalone business will focus
  on the enterprise segment and data centre businesses.
• Sistema will continue to hold 10
  per cent in standalone R-Com.
• Both R-Com and Maxis will hold 50
  per cent each in the new entity.
• The merged company will be one of
  India’s largest private sector companies. It will have an asset base of over
  65000 crore rupees and net worth of 35000 crore rupees.
• The entity will enjoy substantial
  benefits of scale driving significant revenue growth, and capex and opex
  synergies with a net present value of 20000 crore rupees.

• Global taxi aggregator Uber is
  teaming up with Maruti Suzuki to push up the number of drivers on its platform
  to over one million.
• According to a memorandum of
  understanding (MoU) signed between the companies on Thursday, carmaker Maruti
  Suzuki will assess and train 30,000 commercial drivers for Uber, over the next
  three years.
• The initiative, named UberSHAAN
  will be rolled out first in Hyderabad, Chennai and Delhi-National Capital
  Region. After a four-month pilot, the facility will be extended to Mumbai,
  Bengaluru, Ahmedabad and Pune. Driver training and on-boarding programmes will
  be organised, which are required to join the Uber platform. Maruti has 370
  driving schools and six institutes of driving and traffic research. 

• The Union Government on 12
  September 2016 issued model guidelines for states to regulate direct selling
  and multi-level marketing businesses while prohibiting pyramid structures as
  well as money circulation schemes. The guidelines were issued to protect
  consumers from Ponzi frauds.
• The Direct Selling Guidelines
  2016 framework was released by the Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas
  Paswan. They have been sent to the states and Union Territories for adoption.

• In the guidelines, the Union Government
  has clearly defined legitimate direct selling and differentiates it from
  pyramid and money circulation schemes to help investigating agencies identify
  fraudulent players.
• Direct selling means marketing,
  distribution and sale of goods or providing of services as a part of network of
  direct selling other than under a pyramid scheme.
• Pyramid Scheme has also be
  defined in the framework. Money Circulation Scheme has the same meaning as
  defined under Prize Chits and Money Circulation Schemes (Banning) Act, 1978.
• To conduct direct selling
  business, the guidelines have prescribed many conditions that need to be
  complied within 90 days.
• The guidelines bar direct selling
  companies from charging any entry fee from agents or compelling them to buy
  back unsold stocks. These entities will have to enter into an agreement with
  direct sellers or agents, and give full refund or buy-back guarantee for goods
  and services sold to them.

• Task force headed by NITI Aayog
  Vice-Chairman Arvind Panagariya to prepare a road map for elimination of
  poverty submitted its report to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on 11
  September 2016.
• It has suggested setting up a
  committee to identify people Below Poverty Line (BPL). It also suggested
  participation from states in defining the BPL population.
• The other members of the task
  force were Aayog Member Bibek Debroy and secretaries from ministries of rural
  development, housing and urban poverty alleviation.
• It asked for constitution of a
  new committee, which in participation with the states and other stakeholders
  should work on defining the BPL population and identify them.

• First: It asks to continue with
  the Tendulkar poverty line.
• Second: It asks to switch to the
  Rangarajan or other higher rural and urban poverty lines.
• Third: It calls to track the
  progress over time of the bottom 30 percent of the population
• Fourth: It asks to track progress
  along specific components of poverty such as nutrition, housing, drinking
  water, sanitation, electricity and connectivity.

• India and Afghanistan on 14
  September 2016 signed an Extradition Treaty to facilitate exchange of wanted
  terrorists and criminals.
• The two nations also inked
  agreements on peaceful uses of outer space and on cooperation on civil and
  commercial matters.
• The treaties were signed during
  Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani’s visit to India. He was on a visit to India
  from 14-15 September 2016.
• In addition, during the meeting
  the two leaders President Ghani and Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought faster
  implementation of the trilateral agreement among Afghanistan, Iran and India.
  This agreement was reached in May 2016 with an aim of creating a network of
  regional connectivity around Iran’s Chahbahar port.
• Besides, India also extended a
  one-billion dollar to Afghanistan for capacity and capacity building in areas
  like empowerment of women, education, skill development, health, energy and
  others. Prime Minister Modi also proposed to supply world class and easily
  affordable medicines from India and cooperation in solar energy through
  mutually agreed instruments.

• The Union Cabinet on 12 September
  2016 approved the creation of the Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA).
• The HEFA will be established to
  give a major push for creation of high quality infrastructure in premier
  educational institutions.

• The HEFA will be jointly promoted
  by the identified Promoter and the Ministry of Human Resource Development
  (MHRD) with an authorised capital of 2000 crore rupees. The Government equity
  will be 1000 crore rupees.
• The HEFA will be formed as a SPV
  within a PSU Bank/ Government-owned-NBFC. 
  It will leverage the equity to rise up to 20000 crore rupees for funding
  projects for infrastructure and development of world class Labs in IITs/IIMs/NITs
  and such other institutions.
• It will also mobilise CSR funds
  from PSUs/Corporates, which will in turn be released for promoting research and
  innovation in these institutions on grant basis.
• The HEFA will finance the civil
  and lab infrastructure projects through a 10-year loan.

• The Union Cabinet on 12 September
  2016 approved the process, formation and functioning of the Goods and Services
  Tax (GST) Council.
• The council will consist of the
  Finance Minister and State Finance Ministers. It will make recommendations on
  important issues related to GST, including items and rates.

• Creation of the GST Council as
  per Article 279A of the amended Constitution
• Creation of the GST Council
  Secretariat, with its office at New Delhi
• Appointment of the Secretary
  (Revenue) as the Ex-officio Secretary to the GST Council
• Inclusion of the Chairperson,
  Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC), as a permanent invitee (non-voting)
  to all proceedings of the GST Council
• Create one post of Additional
  Secretary to the GST Council in the GST Council Secretariat and four posts of
  Commissioner in the GST Council Secretariat

• Union Finance Minister –
  Chairperson
• The Union Minister of State,
  in-charge of Revenue of finance – Member
• The Minister In-charge of finance
  or taxation or any other Minister nominated by each State Government – Members

• Central Board of Direct Taxes
  (CBDT) on 8 September 2016 launched e-nivaran (electronic resolution) facility
  for online redressal of taxpayers’ grievances. The grievances can be related to
  refunds, Income Tax Returns (ITRs), Tax Deducted at Source (TDS), and Permanent
  Account Number (PAN) among others.
• It was started with an aim to
  reduce instances of harassment of the public when it comes to complaints
  related to the Income Tax (IT) department.

• It will help taxpayers in
  registering their complaints through their computer and receive a special PIN
  number on their registered mobile number and email, which will help to keep
  track on the issues.
• It will also allow the
  complainant to track the progress of the complaint.
• People can lodge their complains
  and upload the documents related to the same in form od a PDF file and clubbed
  as a ZIP file.
• People who don’t have a PAN can
  also access the e-nivaran facility and lodge their complaints in connection
  with their I-T case.

• Union Government on 9 September
  2016 issued fresh flexi-fund guidelines for Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS).
  The guidelines would give more freedom to states in spending money under the
  CSS to meet local developmental requirements.
• Under the new norms, flexi-funds
  in each CSS have been increased from the current 10 percent to 25 percent for
  states and 30 percent for Union Territories. Now, the states can use the fund
  to undertake mitigation or restoration activities in case of natural
  calamities, or to satisfy local requirements in areas affected by internal
  security disturbances.
• The guidelines said that state
  governments will have to constitute a state-level sanctioning committee to
  avail of the flexi-fund facility. The flexi-fund facility is not for CSS which
  emanate from legislation, like MNREGA. Based on the recommendations of the
  sub-group of chief ministers and consultations with stakeholders, Niti Aayog
  had issued instructions for rationalisation of Centrally Sponsored Schemes.

• Himachal Pradesh government on 11
  September 2016 notified the guidelines for transparent auction and scientific
  mining and hiked the penalty for offences under the mining act. The government
  has also decided that the mining lease would be granted through open auction.
• In order to curb illegal mining,
  the state government has notified the Himachal Pradesh Minor Minerals
  (Concession) and Minerals (Prevention of Illegal Mining, Transportation and
  Storage) Rules, 2015 providing for stringent punishment for illegal mining.
• Imprisonment up to two years or
  fine up to 25000 rupees or both has been made for those involved in illegal
  mining of minerals, their transportation and holding. In compliance of orders
  of National Green Tribunal, the government had banned mining in the state but
  at the same time the government was concerned that the pace of development was
  not hamper for want of minerals and resorted to scientific mining.

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
  on 8 September 2016 cancelled the certificate of registration of five
  non-banking financial companies (NBFCs).
• Now, these companies will not be
  able to transact the business of a non-banking financial institution as laid
  down under clause (a) of Section 45-I of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.
• The certificates were cancelled
  in exercise of the powers conferred on it under Section 45-IA (6) of the
  Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.

• The first BRICS Wellness Workshop
  concluded on 11 September 2016 in Bengaluru, Karnataka. The workshop was
  inaugurated by Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers and Parliamentary
  Affairs Ananth Kumar on 10 September 2016.
• Along with the workshop, National
  Fair on comprehensive Indian Medicine system (AROGYA) was also inaugurated in
  the city. The four day event is organized by Union Ministry of AYUSH, in
  collaboration with Research and Information System for Developing Countries
  (RIS). The fair will conclude on 13 September 2016.

• The results of the 2016 ‘Swachh
  Survekshan’ (Cleanliness Index) for rural India was released on 8 September
  2016. Mandi (Himachal Pradesh) and Sindhudurg (Maharashtra) were declared as the
  cleanest districts in India.
• Mandi was judged as the cleanest
  district in “Hills” category and Sindhudurg as the cleanest in the “Plains”
  category.
• The results were declared by the
  Minister, Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Rural Development and
  Panchayati Raj.
• A total of 22 hill districts and
  53 plain areas were assessed under the Gramin Swachh Survekshan launched in May
  2016.
• State wise, Sikkim and Kerala
  were ranked as top performing states in a Swachhta (cleanliness) survey
  conducted by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), while Chhattisgarh and
  Jharkhand were placed among the last on the table.

• South Korean electronics major
  Samsung Electronics announced on 12 September 2016 that Vice Chairman Lee
  Jae-yong will be appointed as a registered executive director on the board.
• The decision was made keeping in
  mind the urgent need for strategic decision-making on aggressive investments
  and new growth engines from a long-term perspective.

• Japanese automobile maker Isuzu
  Motors on 14 September 2016 announced the appointments of Hiroshi Nakagawa as
  the Chairman of Isuzu Motors India (IMI) with immediate effect.
• Hiroyasu Miura, the erstwhile
  Chairman of IMI will take over as the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of
  Isuzu Engineering Business Centre India Pvt Ltd (IEBCI) with immediate effect.
• Nakagawa has been actively
  involved in Isuzu business division for over 20 years in key Isuzu markets.

• Fortune on 13 September 2016
  released list of most powerful women based outside the US. The list was topped
  by Banco Santander’s Ana Botin. The 2016 list spans 19 countries and is
  comprised of 16% new names.
• Indian’s in the list include top
  women bankers, namely SBI chief Arundhati Bhattacharya (2nd rank), ICICI head
  Chanda Kochhar (5th rank) and Axis Bank CEO Shikha Sharma (19th rank).

1. Ana Botin – Group Executive
   Chairman, Banco Santander. She is a resident of Spain.
2. Arundhati Bhattacharya –
   Chairperson, State Bank of India. She is a resident of India.
3. Isabelle Kocher – CEO, Engie. She
   is a resident of France.
4. Chua Sock Koong – Group CEO,
   Singapore Telecommunications. She is a resident of Singapore.
5. Chanda Kochhar – Managing
   Director and CEO, ICICI Bank. She is a resident of India.
6. Alison Cooper – CEO, Imperial
   Brands. She is a resident of U.K.
7. Guler Sabanci – Chairman, Sabancı
   Holding. She is a resident of Turkey.
8. Ho Ching – Executive Director and
   CEO, Temasek. She is a resident of Singapore.
9. Annika Falkengren – CEO and
   President, SEB Group. She is a resident of Sweden.
10. Omella Barra – Co-COO, Walgreens
    Boots Alliance. She is a resident of U.K.

• Sikkim’s Sushmita Rai in the
  second week of September 2016 won a bronze medal at the recently concluded
  World Martial Arts Masterships 2016, which was held at Cheongju,
  Chungcheongbuk-do of South Korea.
• The competition is considered an
  Olympics for martial arts with 2073 participants from 87 countries.
• The World Martial Arts
  Masterships was the first comprehensive martial arts competition where national
  teams from across the globe took part.

• Gautam Gambhir-led India Blue on
  14 September 2016 won the inaugural day/night Duleep Trophy Cricket tournament
  held in Greater Noida.
• In the final, India Blue defeated
  India Red, captained by Yuvraj Singh, by a massive 355 runs.
• Ravinder Jadeja, who bagged 5
  wickets in the second innings, finished the game with a 10-wicket haul.
• Cheteshwar Pujara was named the
  Player of the Match.

• Vijay Goel, Union Sports
  Minister, Janardan Singh Gehlot, President of International Kabaddi Federation,
  on 14 September 2016 formally unveiled the logo of the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup.
• The logo is derived from the
  natural heritage of Gujarat, the Asiatic Lion, symbolising the ferocity of a
  Kabaddi defender and the agility of a raider.
• The 2016 Kabaddi World Cup will
  be held at The Arena by TransStadia in Ahmedabad from 7 October to 22 October
  2016.
• A total of 12 teams including
  hosts India will compete for the top honours in the tournament, which has been
  divided into two groups of six teams each.

• Javelin thrower Devendra
  Jhajharia on 13 September 2016 became the first Indian to clinch two gold
  medals at the Paralympics. He broke his own world record to clinch the medals
  at the Rio Games.
• Jhajharia, who won his previous
  gold in the 2004 Athens Games, bettered his own world record to finish on top
  in the men’s F46 event.
• Jhajharia’s previous best was
  62.15 metres, which he had achieved in the 2004 Games. In the 2016 Rio
  Paralympics, he improved the mark with an attempt of 63.97 metres.
• World No. 1 Chunliang Guo from
  China won the silver medal in the event. Sri Lanka’s Herath Priyantha grabbed
  the bronze.

• Indian Railways Men Hockey Team
  on 11 September 2016 won the MCC Murugappa Gold Cup Hockey Tournament 2016 in
  Chennai. It is for the first time that Indian Railways clinched the title.
• In the finals, Indian Railways
  Hockey Team defeated Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) Team by 2 – 1.
• As the winning team, Indian
  Railways takes home the prize money of 5 lakhs rupees, and the runner-up team
  Indian Oil Corporation receives 2.50 lakhs rupees.

• Indian Cyclists won six medals,
  including three gold, two silver and one bronze on the opening day of the Track
  Asia Cup 2016 in New Delhi.
• The medal winners for India include
  Deborah Herold, Kezia Vargheese, Alena Reji, Rajkumari Devi, Nayana Rajesh and
  Anu Chutia.
• Deborah Herold won two gold
  medals at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex Velodrome. Her first gold came in
  women’s elite 500 by clocking 35.964 seconds. Mohd. Adnan Farina Shawati of
  Malaysia and Yin Yin from Hong Kong bagged the silver and bronze medals respectively.
• Her second Gold came in team
  sprint women elite event, where the Indian team comprising Deborah Herold and
  Kezia Vargheese defeated the team from Kazakhstan to bag the gold medal. A
  bronze medal was awarded to Rajkumari Devi, due to walkover at the women elite
  pursuit 3kms event.

• Third seed Stan Wawrinka on 11
  September 2016 defeated world number one Novak Djokovic to lift the 2016 US
  Open Men’s Singles title.
• In the final, Swiss Wawrinka
  defeated Serbian Djokovic 6-7, 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 to clinch the title.
• This is Wawrinka’s maiden US Open
  title and his third major title.

• Indian athlete Deepa Malik on 12
  September 2016 became the first Indian woman to bag a medal at the Paralympics.
• Malik clinched a silver medal in
  the shotput F-53 event. Her throw of 4.61m was the best in her six attempts.
• With the win, she confirmed
  India’s third medal from the Rio Paralympics.
• Fatema Nedham of Bahrain won the
  gold medal with the best throw of 4.76m. Greece’s Dimitra Korokida bagged the
  bronze medal with a throw of 4.28m.

• Germany’s Angelique Kerber on 10
  September 2016 defeated Karolina Pliskova by 6–3, 4–6, 6–4 to win 2016 US Open
  Women’s Singles title.
• It was Kerber’s second Grand Slam
  singles title. With this, she became the first German to win the US Open since
  Steffi Graf in 1996.
• On the other hand, Pliskova
  became the first Czech woman to make the US Open final since 1993. Also, she is
  the only fourth player to defeat both of the Williams sisters in the same Grand
  Slam tournament.

• Britain’s Jamie Murray and
  Brazil’s Bruno Soares on 10 September 2016 won the 2016 US Open Men’s Doubles
  title.
• Murray and Soares defeated
  Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-2 6-3.
• With this, Murray became the
  first British man for 44 years to win the US Open doubles title. Soares also
  became the first Brazilian to win more than one Grand Slam doubles title.

• Army Green on 11 September 2016
  won the Durand Cup football title. In the final of Asia’s oldest football
  tournament in New Delhi, Army Green defeated Neroca FC 6-5 via penalty shoot
  outs.
• In the semi-final, Army Green had
  prevailed over Aizawal FC by a 4-2 margin, to become the first Army team since
  2005 to reach the title clash.
• In their semi-final, Manipur
  side, Neroca FC, defeated DSK Shivajians 3-nil to become the first team from
  the North East to reach the summit-clash of the Durand football tournament.
• With this victory, Army Blue
  collected the cash prize of 45 lakh rupees, biggest cash prize in the
  tournament. On the other hand, Neroca collected a cash prize of 20 lakh rupees.

• Mariyappan Thangavelu won India’s
  first gold medal at the Rio Paralympics. He won the gold in the Men’s High Jump
  T-42 event with a leap of 1.89 metres.
• With this, Thangavelu also became
  the first Indian high-jumper to win gold at the Paralympics. This was India’s
  overall third gold at the Games and the first after 12 years.
• In addition, Bronze in the event
  also went to India through Varun Singh Bhati, who jumped his personal best of
  1.86 metres to finish third. USA’s Sam Grewe bagged the silver medal.
• India had claimed a Gold and a
  Bronze at Athens in 2004. Javelin thrower Devendra Jhajharia had then won the
  Gold, with Rajinder Singh claiming the Bronze in powerlifting.

• Indian American Ramesh Raskar on
  13 September 2016 won the 2016 Lemelson-MIT Prize.
• Raskar is the co-inventor of
  radical imaging solutions including femtophotography, an ultra-fast imaging
  system that can see around corners, low-cost eye-care solutions for the
  developing world and a camera that allows users to read pages of a book without
  opening the cover.

• President Pranab Mukherjee on 14
  September 2016 presented the Rajbhasha awards at Rashtrapati Bhawan. The awards
  were given away on the occasion of Hindi Divas.
• Vijaya Bank has bagged the second
  prize under Rajbhasha Kirti Puraskar (Region C) for the year 2015-16.
• The Rajbhasha awards were
  instituted by the Department of Official Language of Home Ministry to recognize
  the excellent contribution of Ministries, Departments and Nationalized Banks in
  the field of Hindi.
• Hindi Divas is celebrated
  annually on 14 September because on this day in 1949 the Constituent Assembly
  of the country adopted Hindi language as the official language of India.

• The 2015 National Medal of Arts
  and the National Humanities Medals recipients were unveiled on 14 September
  2016 by the White House.
• Mel Brooks, Morgan Freeman, Audra
  McDonald, Berry Gordy and Philip Glass are on the list for the National Medal
  of Arts, while Terry Gross and Wynton Marsalis are among the Humanities
  recipients.
• President Barack Obama will award
  the medals on 22 September 2016 in a ceremony in the East Room of the White
  House.

• Haryana has bagged ‘Best
  Horticulture State’ award for the concerted efforts made by the state
  government to increase the income of the farmers in horticulture.
• The award was received by Haryana
  Agriculture Minister OP Dhankar on 9 September 2016 at two-day 9th Agricultural
  Leadership Summit 2016. The summit was organized by Indian Council of Food and
  Agriculture (ICFA) in New Delhi.

• A revenge drama Ang Babaeng
  Humayo (The Woman Who Left) on 10 September 2016 won the Golden Lion for Best
  Film Award at the 73 Venice Film Festival.
• Ang Babaeng Humayo is nearly
  four-hour black and white revenge drama film about a woman’s thirst for revenge
  and her feelings of forgiveness after 30 years in jail for a crime she did not
  commit. 
• On the other hand, Russian
  director Andrei Konchalovsky and Mexican film director Amat Escalante shared
  Silver Lion for Best Direction for their respective films Paradise and The
  Untamed.
• Tom Ford’s noir thriller
  Nocturnal Animals from the U.S. won the Grand Jury Prize.

• National Hindi Divas (Hindi Day)
  was observed across India on 14 September 2016. The day was observed to promote
  the Matra Bhasha – the mother tongue of India and show its importance as a
  language in the country and the world at large.
• As a part of Hindi Diwas Samaroh,
  a special function named ‘Hindi Hain Hum’ was also organised at the PHD Chamber
  of Commerce in Delhi.
• On the occasion of Hindi Divas,
  the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee presented Rajbhasa awards in various
  categories at a function held at Rashtrapati Bhavan. These awards were
  instituted by the Rajbhasha Vibhag, Ministry of Home Affairs to recognize the
  excellent contribution of Ministries, Departments and Nationalized Banks and
  others in the field of Hindi.

• International Day of Democracy
  was observed on 15 September 2016 with theme Democracy and the 2030 Agenda for
  Sustainable Development. The day provides an opportunity to review the state of
  democracy in the world.
• The 2016 theme of the day is
  based on the United Nations resolution that was adopted in September 2015 by
  all 193 Member States that is the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The
  2030 agenda seeks to achieve a better future for all by ending extreme poverty,
  fight inequality and injustice, and protect Earth.

• The world’s first driverless bus
  service began carrying passengers in the first week of September 2016 in Lyon,
  France.
• Two electric minibuses with a
  capacity of 15 passengers each are now operating a 10-minute route with five
  stops in the city centre at an average speed of 10 Kilometres per hour.

• The buses include features like
  LiDAR radar technology and motion sensors to help it avoid collisions.
• They’re equipped with a range of
  detectors that allow them to know exactly where they are.
• It can hold up to 15 passengers.
• The bus is designed by French
  company Navya.

Regards

Team ExamPundit