Current Affairs Update – 17th May, 2016

Hello and welcome to exampundit. Here are the important Current Affairs of 17th May, 2016. These are important for the upcoming SBI PO 2016 Mains, SBI Clerk 2016 Mains and UIIC AO 2016 Exams.

• Income Declaration Scheme of the Union Finance Ministry will start
  from 1 June 2016 and will remain in force till 30 September 2016. The scheme is
  also called four month window for declaring black money.
• Under the Scheme declared income would be taxed at the rate of 30
  percent plus ‘Krishi Kalyan’ cess of 25 percent on taxes payable and a penalty
  at the rate of 25 per cent of the taxes payable.
• In other words, a total of 45% of the income declared under the
  scheme will be taxed.

• Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways and Shipping Nitin
  Gadkari on 16 May 2016 launched three initiatives for best practices in road
  transport sector. These three innovative IT initiatives are: INFRACON, ePACE
  and up-Scaled INAM PRO.
• These initiatives are aimed at making the road building procedure
  faster, more transparent and more efficient.
• These innovative IT initiatives are developed in house by National
  Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL).

• ePACE: It stands for Projects Appraisal
  & Continuing Enhancements and it is an online integrated Management  Information System.
• INFRACON: It is the National Portal for
  Infrastructure Consultancy Firms and Key Personnel.

• INAM PRO: It has been developed as a web-based application
  (www.inampro.nic.in) for Infrastructure and Material Providers.

• Carmaker Maruti Suzuki and Uttar Pradesh government has signed an
  MOU for imparting training to 500 youths under the skill development mission.
• Maruti will impart training to 500 unemployed youth to help them
  get employment, an official spokesman here said.
• Speaking on the occasion of signing of MOU, Minister for
  Vocational Education and Skill Development Abhishek Mishra termed signing of
  the MOU as a concrete step towards imparting training to the youth in the state
  to help them make their future.
• Maruti is not only the country’s major industrial unit but also
  understands the aspirations and requirements of the people, Mishra said.

• State-run power producer NTPC Limited on 16 May 2016 signed a
  Joint Venture Agreement (JVA) with state-run miner Coal India limited to foray
  into the Fertilizer Sector and revive plants of the Fertilizer Corporation of
  India Limited (FCIL).
• The JVA was signed by NTPC’s General Manager (BD) Arun Kumar Gupta
  and Coal India’s General Manager (Coal Videsh) T Bandopadhyay.

• The JV company would initially be incorporated with 50:50 equity
  participation from both.
• It will also contain the provision of inducting strategic partners
  at a later date depending upon business requirement of JV company.

• World’s largest single rooftop solar power plant of 11.5 Mw
  capacity was inaugurated in Beas near Amritsar in Punjab today. Spread at a
  single rooftop stretch of 42 acre at Dera Baba Jaimal, the project was synchronised
  earlier this year.
• According to Wikipedia,the Mandalay Bay Resort Convention Centre,
  Las Vegas U.S.A. is next biggest solar photovoltic power station in the world
  having 6.4 Mw capacity. The EPC contractors for the project were Tata Power and
  Larsen and Toubro.
• In addition to single largest rooftop solar power plant, seven
  rooftop solar power plants of 8 Mw capacity were also inaugurated in Beas Dera
  campus making this place the highest single campus generating solar power of
  19.5 Mw at multiple rooftops in the country, informed a senior official from
  PEDA (Punjab Energy Development Agency).

• India and the United States (US) on 16 May 2016 held the first
  round of discussions under the recently-constituted Maritime Security Dialogue.
  The dialogue was held between the officials of Defence and External Affairs
  ministries and their US counterparts.
• The Indian side was represented by Shambhu Kumaran, Joint
  Secretary in-charge of Planning and International Cooperation (PIC) and Munu
  Mahawar, Ministry of External Affairs Joint Secretary, Americas (AMS).

• The WHD was first inaugurated in May 2005 and has become an annual
  event ever since. The purpose of the WHD is to promote public awareness of
  hypertension and to encourage citizens of all countries to prevent and control
  this silent killer, the modern epidemic.
• The theme for World Hypertension Day is Know Your Numbers with a
  goal of increasing high blood pressure (BP) awareness in all populations around
  the world.

• The 2016 International Day of Families was observed across the
  world on 15 May 2016. The theme for the year was Families, healthy lives and
  sustainable future.
• The International Day of Families provides an opportunity to
  promote awareness of issues relating to families.
• The theme of 2016 International Day of Families focuses on the
  2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goal 3, which is to Ensure healthy
  lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.

• The 2016 World Telecommunication and Information Society Day
  (WTISD) was observed on 17 May 2016.
• This year, WTISD focused on the theme ICT entrepreneurship for
  social impact. The theme was in accordance with Resolution 68 and as endorsed
  by International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Council 2015.
• The theme for WTISD-16 was in line with ITU’s work in unlocking
  the potential of ICTs for young innovators and entrepreneurs, SMEs, and others.

• South Korean author, Han Kang, on 16 May 2016 won the 2016 Man
  Booker International Prize for her novel ‘The Vegetarian’.
• The prize ceremony was held at the Victoria & Albert Museum in
  London Han is the first South Korean to win the prize. The writer and her
  British translator will share the 72000 Dollar prize money. The book was
  translated by Deborah Smith.

• The United Nations in the third week of May 2016 announced that
  four Indian peacekeepers and a civilian will be honoured along with other 124
  personnel with a prestigious U.N. medal.
• Head Constable Shubhkaran Yadav, Rifleman Manish Malik, Havildar
  Amal Deka, Naik Rakesh Kumar and Gagan Punjabi will be honoured with the Dag
  Hammarskjold Medal awarded posthumously.
• The 124 personnel will be honoured on the International Day of
  United Nations Peacekeepers. The day, observed annually on 29 May, will be
  commemorated this year on 19 May.

• Nandini Bhandaru, a doctoral researcher at IIT-Kharagpur, bagged
  the European Materials Research Society’s (EMRS’s) Young Scientist Award at the
  EMRS 2016 Spring Meeting Lille France.
• She was awarded for her outstanding contribution to material
  science and nano technology, particularly nano patterning of soft films and
  surfaces.
• She is working at Instability and Soft Patterning laboratory of
  IIT-Kharagpur. Her area of doctoral research is on nanofabrication including
  soft-Lithography, thin film dewetting, polymer blend films and self-assembly.

• Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced on 14 May 2016
  that noted space scientist Udupi Ramachandra Rao, popularly known as U. R. Rao,
  will be honoured with the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) Hall of
  Fame Award for 2016.
• Rao will be honoured in recognition of his outstanding
  contribution to the progress of astronautics within the framework of the IAF’s
  activities.
• The scientist will be presented with the certificate at the 67th
  International Astronautical Congress, which will be held in Guadalajara in
  Mexico on 30 September 2016.

• Justice Deepak Gupta on 16 May 2016 was sworn-in as the new Chief
  Justice of the Chhattisgarh High Court.
• Chhattisgarh Governor Balram Das Tandon administered the oath of
  office to Justice Gupta at a function at Raj Bhawan in Raipur.
• Justice Gupta earlier served as the Chief Justice of the Tripura
  High Court.

• Justice Tinlianthang Vaiphei on 16 May 2016 was sworn in as the
  acting Chief Justice of Tripura High Court. He was administered the oath of
  office by the Governor Tathagata Roy at the Raj Bhavan in Agartala.
• At present Vaiphei is the Acting Chief Justice of the Gauhati High
  Court. He replaced Deepak Kumar Gupta, who was transferred as the chief justice
  of the Chhattisgarh High Court.
• Vaiphei was appointed as an Additional Judge in the Gauhati High
  Court in July 2003. He was elevated as the Chief Justice (Acting) in October
  2015.

• Global organization EY on 10 May 2016 released the Renewable
  energy country attractiveness index 2016. The report reveals 40 countries on
  the attractiveness of their renewable energy investment and deployment
  opportunities based on a number of indicators.
• This year, the European markets slipped down in the EY’s Renewable
  energy country attractiveness index (RECAI) rankings while less mature markets
  across Latin America, Africa and Asia continued to rise.

• The emerging markets now represent half of the countries in the
  40-strong index, including four African markets featuring in the top 30.
• Index was topped by the United States (US) and was followed by
  China at 2nd position and India at 3rd position.
• Countries like Chile at 4th position, Brazil at 6th position and
  Mexico at 7th position climbed higher in the index top 10.
• While Germany and France fell in the ranking to 5th and 8th
  position respectively.

• US-based law firm BakerHostetler in May 2016 hired the world’s
  first robot lawyer ROSS to assist the company and its various teams in legal
  research.
• The law firm will licence artificial lawyer ROSS for use in its
  Bankruptcy, Restructuring and Creditors’ Rights team.

• ROSS has been built by ROSS Intelligence and is built upon IBM
  cognitive computer Watson.
• With the support of Watson’s, lawyers can ask ROSS their research
  question.
• The ROSS reads through the law, gathers evidence, draws inferences
  and returns highly relevant, evidence-based answers.

• The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the European Union
  (EU) on 16 May 2016 announced the launch of #EmergencyLessons campaign on
  education in crisis zones.
• The campaign is a social media-driven public awareness campaign.
  It is aimed at reaching 20 million Europeans and highlighting the importance of
  education for children affected by emergencies.

• The campaign specifically targets people 25 year old and younger
  peoples.
• For the next seven months, the stories of the children affected by
  emergencies will be shared on social media.
• It covers countries like Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy,
  Slovenia, Slovakia and the United Kingdom.

• China on 15 May 2016 launched the Yagoan-30 remote sensing
  satellite. It was placed in the sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) by using the Long
  March 2-D rocket.
• The satellite was launched from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center
  located in Gobi desert in northwest China’s Gansu Province.

• Australian researchers built the world’s first scanning helium
  microscope (SHeM). An announcement in this regard was made by the scientists
  belonging to the University of Newcastle in the third week of May 2016.
• It would enable scientists to study human, animal and plant
  samples, as well as pharmaceutical drugs and computer chips in their true
  state.
• It is expected to provide new insights into structures at a
  microscopic level.

• Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA) of the Food and Agriculture
  Organnisation (FAO) will enter into force on 5 June 2016. The agreement seeks
  to ensure sustainable fisheries and responsible fish stock management globally.
• The agreement is world’s first-ever international agreement
  specifically targeting illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) championed by
  FAO.
• This became possible after 29 countries and the European Union
  formally deposited their instrument of adherence to the PSMA.

• A three-member Indian women’s archery
  team comprising Deepika Kumari, Bombayla Devi and Laxmirani Majhi was on 16 May
  2016 named for the Rio Olympics.
• The women’s trio will compete in the
  individual events as well as team event at the Rio Games in August 2016.
• India’s women archers earned three
  individual berths and a team quota by virtue of the team’s performance at the
  World Championships in Copenhagen in 2015.

• Former Test cricketer Deepak Shodhan,
  the first Indian to score a memorable ton in his debut innings, died on 16 May
  2016. He was 87.
• India’s oldest living Test cricketer
  died due to cardiac arrest after a brief battle with lung cancer at his
  residence in Ahmedabad.

• He was left-handed batsman and could
  bowl medium pace.
• He played just three Tests in all
  averaging 60-plus.
• He rescued India from dire straits by
  scoring 110 not out in his debut innings against Pakistan in the fifth and final
  drawn Test at Eden Gardens, Kolkata in 1952-53.

Regards

Team ExamPundit