Current Affairs Update – 19th August, 2015

Hello and welcome to ExamPundit. Here are the Important Current Affairs of 19th August, 2015. These are important for the upcoming UIIC Assistant and IBPS RRB 2015 Exam.

• The Reserve Bank on Wednesday granted ‘in-principle’
  approval to 11 entities, including Reliance Industries, Aditya Birla Nuvo,
  Vodafone and Airtel, to set up payments banks and proposed such licences ‘on
  tap’ in future.
• The other entities which have been given ‘in-principle’
  approval are Department of Posts, Cholamandalam Distribution Services, Tech
  Mahindra, National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL), Fino PayTech, Sun
  Pharma’s Dilip Shantilal Shanghvi and PayTM’s Vijay Shekhar Sharma.
• Going forward, RBI said the central bank would use the
  learning from this licensing round to appropriately revise the guidelines and
  move to give licences more regularly, virtually “on tap”.
• Payment banks allow mobile firms, supermarket chains, and
  others to cater to individuals and small businesses.
• The Payments Bank will be set up as a differentiated bank
  and shall confine its activities to acceptance of demand deposits, remittance
  services, Internet banking and other specified services.
• Payments Banks will initially be restricted to holding a
  maximum balance of Rs. 1 lakh per individual customer.
• They will be allowed to issue ATM/debit cards as also other
  prepaid payment instruments, but not the credit cards.
• These banks can also distribute non-risk sharing simple
  financial products like mutual funds and insurance products.
• They will not be allowed to undertake lending services and
  non resident Indians will not be allowed to open accounts.

• Scripting a new chapter, the Cochin International Airport
  here today became the first in the world to operate completely on solar power.
• Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy inaugurated the 12 MWp
  solar power plant, comprising 46,150 solar panels laid across 45 acres near the
  cargo complex, at a function at the airport this morning.
• With this, the airport will have 50000 to 60000 units of
  electricity per day to be consumed for all its operational functions, which
  technically makes the airport ‘absolutely power neutral,’ Cochin International
  Airport Limited (CIAL) said in a release, adding, it is the first airport in
  the world to operate completely on solar power.
• CIAL had ventured into the Solar PV sector during March
  2013, by installing a 100 kWp solar PV Plant on the roof top of the Arrival
  Terminal Block. This was a trendsetter in the field of grid-connected solar PV
  in Kerala.
• The plant was installed by the Kolkata-based Vikram Solar
  Pvt. Ltd.

• In a first of its kind, the Tata Trusts were planning to
  bring about grass-root level changes to 264 villages in Vijayawada Lok Sabha
  constituency to influence the lives of almost 1 million people through a proper
  planning and development centered around their needs.
• While the ground work for this massive project was initiated
  in April itself, the programme is slated for a formal launch on August 24, 2015
  in the presence of Ratan Tata, chairman emeritus of Tata Sons and Andhra
  Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu among others.
• The entrepreneur turned politician had approached Ratan Tata
  seeking his collaboration to develop model villages in Vijayawada constituency
  under Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana(SAGY) initiative launched by Prime Minister
  Narendra Modi on October 11, 2014. He got a lot more than what he had expected.
  “Why only few villages,” was Ratan Tata’s response to his request.
• That was how the project took shape covering the entire
  rural habitations of his Lok Sabha constituency, excluding just Vijayawada city
  and other urban areas.

• Aditi Chauhan, India’s international football goalkeeper, on
  16 August 2015 became the country’s first woman to play English league
  football.
• She made her debut for the women’s team of the West Ham
  United in the opening game of the season against Coventry City.
• West Ham United Ladies Football Club is an English women’s
  football club (FC) affiliated with West Ham United FC. They were formed in 1991
  and play at Hornchurch Stadium, Upminster the home of Hornchurch FC. They are
  currently in the FA Women’s Premier League Southern Division.

• Bangladesh Under-16 team on 18 August 2015 won their
  first-ever South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) under-16 title. In the title
  clash at the Sylhet District Stadium of Bangladesh, the hosts defeated
  defending champions India 4-2 in penalties.
• Bangladesh got the lead through Fahim Murshed when he found
  the net in the 46th minute. India equalised the score after the hour mark
  through Amay Morajkar’s left-footer. The match went into penalties after both
  sides failed to score the second goal.
• In the shoot out, Bangladesh did not miss any of their
  penalties, while India failed to score its second and fourth helping the home
  side clinch the title for the first time. Earlier, Bangladesh had beaten India
  in the group stage as well.

• Acclaimed Indian actor Anupam Kher has been named an
  advocate for the United Nations’ campaign on gender equality.
• The 60-year-old Saaransh star will collaborate with the
  world body to call on men and boys to stand up against inequalities against
  women and girls, thereby ending the discrimination and violence against them.
• Kher was pinned as a “HeForShe” Champion by UN
  Women Deputy Executive Director Lakshmi Puri at a ceremony here last evening.
• The Kashmiri actor said he was honoured to be named the
  HeForShe advocate and voiced his full support for the organisation’s efforts to
  achieve gender equality.

• Book titled The Kumbh Mela: Mapping the Ephemeral Megacity
  authored by Tarun Khanna was released by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh
  Yadav on 17 August 2015. The book, a product of Harvard University, is edited
  by Rahul Mehrotra, Felipe Vera and Diana Eck.
• The book which is a kind of research work of the University
  tells the story of the Kumbh Mela, the largest celebration on earth that
  depends on the positions of Jupiter, the Sun and the Moon. It also narrates
  that people mostly Hindus travel certain places along holy rivers, like Ganga,
  to take bath and cleanse themselves from sin.
• In 2013, a team from Harvard University monitored the
  large-scale event from its preparation through to the actual celebration,
  investigating and documenting the prototypes for flexible urban planning and
  offering organizers advice on issues around environmental protection.

• The World Photography Day is annually observed on Aug 19
  across the world to celebrate the beautiful art of photography.
• World Photography Day originates from the Daguerreotype, a
  photographic process developed by Joseph Nicèphore Nièpce and Louis Daguerre.
  On January 9, 1839, The French Academy of Sciences announced the daguerreotype
  process. On August 19, 1839 , the French government announced this invention as
  a gift “Free to the World”.
• Another great invention in the form of the Calotype was
  awaiting the year 1839.William Fox Talbot invented this photographic process
  and together, the invention of both the Daguerreotype and Calotype mark 1839 as
  the year that photography was invented.
• Now after 170 years, we commemorate August 19th as a day
  which gave Humanity such a rare gift.

• Noted Malayalam film actor Paravoor Bharathan died here
  today due to age-related ailments, family sources said. He was 86.
• Born in 1929 at Moothakunnam near Paravoor, Bharathan began
  his acting career in mid-1940s when Malayalam dramas started influencing the
  minds of Keralites.
• Rakthabandham, released in 1951, was his first movie.
• He acted in more than 250 movies, enacting significant roles
  along with yesteryear heroes like Sathyan and Nasir.
• He has also acted in movies starring Mammootty, Mohanlal and
  new generation heroes of Malayalam films.
• Some of his well-known films include In Harihara Nagar,
  Aniyan Bava Chetan Bava and Aniathipravu.
• Bharathan was active in movies till 2009. He last appeared
  in Changathikoottam.

Regards

Team ExamPundit

Sponsored

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

Books For 2015 Banking/Insurance Exams