Current Affairs Update – 28th August, 2015

Hello and welcome to ExamPundit. Here are the Important Current Affairs Of 28th August, 2015. These are Important for the upcoming IBPS RRB Office Assistant and IBPS Clerk 2015.

Finance
Union Government
launched E-Payment Module for Deposit of Compensatory Levies into CAMPA Funds
  • The Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
    Prakash Javadekar on 27 August 2015 launched an e-payment module to accept
    compensatory amount for diversion of forest land in the country.
  • This e-payment module will cut delays and bring transparency
    in the system which is meant for collecting fund from user agencies which diver
    forest land for non-forest purpose.

Highlights of the
E-payment Module
  • The payment through the e-payment module has to be made to
    the designated account, depending on the State in which the forest land
    proposed to be diverted is located.
  • The deposit of compensatory levies through the e-portal will
    be optional till 31 August 2015.
  • However, the payment of compensatory levies by User Agencies
    will be accepted only through the e-module from 1 September 2015.
  • With the activation of the e-payment portal, no payments
    will be accepted other than through the portal, unless specifically ordered by
    Ad-hoc CAMPA.
  • Initially, payments will be permitted through two modes
    Online challan mode through RTGS and NEFT and Offline challan mode.

Reliance Communications
Ltd tied up with Jasper to offer Internet of Things services in India
  • Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group’s Reliance Communications Ltd.
    (RCoM) was on 27 August 2015 entered into an agreement with the USA based
    Jasper Technologies, Inc. to offer Internet of Things (IoT) services in India.
  • The services are expected to be rolled out by 30 September
    2015.
  • Enterprises and individuals in India will be offered IoT
    services to launch and manage business activities and monitor individual
    behavioural patterns. Further, it will help businesses to build, implement and
    go to market faster, while gaining real-time visibility, control and service
    reliability he said.
  • RCoM will provide or install chips that can relay feedback
    to its data centres for processing and appropriate action.

India, Germany to
continue to exchange tax-related info

  • With a focus on countering black money, India and Germany
    have decided to continue to exchange tax-related information spontaneously on
    the basis of the existing agreements.
  • This was agreed upon a meeting between Indian delegation led
    by the Revenue Secretary, Shaktikanta Das, and the State Secretary of Germany,
    Johannes Geismann, in Berlin recently. A Finance Ministry statement, issued
    here on Friday, said that it was also agreed to explore other possibilities of
    enhancing information.
  • It was decided to resume negotiations on partial revision of
    the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) with a view to bring the
    provisions relating to exchange of information to international standards. Now,
    both sides will meet here next month and effort would be to agree on a final
    version to ensure that it is signed soon.
  • This meeting between the Indian and German authorities was
    in furtherance of Government’s policy of proactive engagement with other
    countries for exchange of information to counter the menace of tax evasion and
    stashing of black money abroad.

Government gives nod
to 6 new SEZ proposals
  • The government today approved six new proposals, including
    four from IT and ITeS sector, for setting up of Special Economic Zones (SEZs).
  • The decision was taken by the Board of Approval (BoA) for
    SEZ, chaired by Commerce Secretary Rita Teaotia, a Commerce Ministry official
    said.
  • The proposals which got the approval include those of HCL IT
    City Lucknow, Loma IT Park Developer and North Mumbai International Commodity
    Township.
  • HCL IT City Lucknow and Loma IT Park Developer have proposed
    to set up IT/ITeS zones in Lucknow and Mumbai, respectively.
  • The Commerce Ministry is taking steps to increase exports as
    the country’s shipments in the last four financial years have been hovering
    around USD 300 billion.
  • SEZs account for about 25 per cent of the country’s total
    exports.

India
Aurangzeb Road to be
renamed Abdul Kalam Road in Delhi

  • Aurangzeb Road in Lutyen’s Delhi will soon be known as APJ
    Abdul Kalam Road with the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) today giving its
    nod in this regard.
  • Following the former President’s demise last month, there
    had been a demand from many sections of the society for dedicating a road after
    him as a token of love and tribute to the “missile man”.
  • Aurangzeb road begins at the Taj Mansingh hotel near India
    Gate and joins Safdarjung Road near the official residence of the Prime
    Minister.

Manipur government
handed over 336.93 acres land for National Sports University
  • Manipur Government on 27 August 2015 handed over 336.93
    acres of land at Yaithibi Khunou in Thoubal district to Union Ministry of Youth
    Affairs and Sports for construction of National Sports University.
  • Earlier in first week of August 2015, a central team headed
    by Sports Secretary visited the site and identified it as the first preference
    for establishment of the University. They visited the site after Union
    Government announced its plan to set up a University in the state.
  • The University will introduce B.PEd, MPEd,
    diploma/certificate courses, physiotherapy, fitness, sports management, sports
    journalism and others.

Samsung launches
free, solar-powered mobile charging stations in Bengaluru

  • Samsung Electronics has introduced a first-of-its-kind
    initiative in Bengaluru that would delight smartphone users who are constantly
    faced with battery drain during the course of their workday.
  • The Korean mobile phone manufacturer, which enjoys 40 per
    cent market share in value and 33 per cent in volume in the country, has
    installed solar-powered mobile charging stations in front of five Samsung smart
    cafes across the city for customers to get their phone battery recharged for
    free.
  • The locations are CMH Road, Indiranagar; Total Mall,
    Sarjapura Road; Sahakaranagar, Malleswaram and Vijayanagar.
  • The solar charger is installed on a 10-foot-high pole
    fixture with a charging dock at 4ft height and can be used by eight people
    simultaneously to charge their smartphones on the go.

Sports
Air India won Guru
Tegh Bahadur Hockey title after 7 years
  • Air India’s Hockey team on 27 August 2015 won the Guru Tegh
    Bahadur Hockey title. In the finals played at the MHA-Mahindra Stadium in
    Mumbai, Air India defeated defending champions Army XI 3-1 via the penalty
    shoot-out after the two teams were deadlocked goalless in regular play.
  • Air India regained the title after seven years. Last time,
    it won the title in 2008.
  • Air India’s goalkeeper Adrian D’Souza won the Player of the
    final Award from the tournament’s organizers, Mumbai Hockey Association
    Limited. Army’s goalkeeper Najmudeen was declared as the Best Goalkeeper in the
    tournament.

Usain Bolt won 200
meter title at 2015 World Championships in Athletics in Beijing

  • Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt on 27 August 2015 won the 200
    meter title at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics held at Beijing in
    China.
  • Bolt completed the race in 19.55 seconds surpassing his
    American rival Justin Gatlin who completed the race in 19.74 seconds.
  • Earlier, on 23 August 2015, he also won the 100 metre gold
    against the same rival Justin Gatlin.

AB de Villiers broke
Sourav Ganguly’s record of fastest 8000 ODI runs
  • South African skipper AB de Villiers on 26 August 2015
    became the fastest batsman to reach 8000 One Day International (ODI) runs. He
    achieved the fete during the third ODI against New Zealand in Durban which
    South Africa won by 62 runs to claim the series, 2-1.
  • De Villiers, who went past 8000 runs in just his 182
    innings, broke the previous record held by former Indian captain Sourav
    Ganguly.
  • Ganguly achieved the fete in 200 innings and Sahin
    Tendulkar, the leading run-scorer in ODIs achieved it in 210 innings.
  • De Villiers currently holds the record for the fastest
    half-century, fastest century and the fastest 150 in ODIs.

Appointments
Balachandran M
re-appointed Non-Executive Chairman of payments corp
  • Balachandran M has been re-appointed the Non-Executive Chairman
    of National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) for a further period of two
    years.
  • He assumed office as Non-Executive Chairman two years back
    following the resignation of former NPCI Chairman N. R. Narayana Murthy.
  • Balachandran incidentally has served as Chairman &
    Managing Director of Bank of India, Director-IBPS, and Nominee Director of the
    RBI to the board of NPCI before his appointment in NPCI.
  • The Corporation has grown in the last two years,
    particularly in RuPay card, immediate payment service (IMPS), and Aadhaar-based
    electronic transfer systems

Greece appoints first
female prime minister

  • A monumental moment in Greek politics happened Friday when
    Vassiliki Thanou, president of the country’s Supreme Court, was sworn in as the
    first female prime minister in the nation’s history. The 65-year-old justice
    was named to head a caretaker government until the country holds early
    elections next month.
  • After a final effort to get political party leaders to form
    a coalition led by former Energy Minster Panagiotis Lafazanis failed, President
    Prokopis Pavlopoulos was obligated to appoint a caretaker administration.
  • The date for Greece’s general elections—the fifth in six
    years—is to be officially announced in the next few days, but it is likely to
    be scheduled for Sept. 20, according to Greek political analysts.

Kandakatla Manohar
appointed as Director of NIMS
  • Dr Kandakatla Manohar was on 27 August 2015 appointed as the
    Director of Nizams Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) of Hyderabad. His
    appointment was approved by the Telangana Government. He succeeded Dr L
    Narendranath.
  • Manohar is a native of Penchikalapeta of Warangal district
    and is working as the Superintendent of the MGM Hospital in Warangal.

Awards
& Honors –
Noted Indian
Scientist Awarded First Sunhak Peace Prize

  • Noted Indian agriculture scientist Dr Modadugu Vijay Gupta,
    who has done pioneering work in aquaculture in India, Bangladesh and several
    Southeast Asian countries, was today awarded the first Sunhak Peace Prize which
    he shared with the President of Kiribati Islands.
  • Mr Gupta, 76, shared the USD 1 million prize with President
    of Kiribati Islands Anote Tong in Seoul at a glittering function which was
    attended by invitees from all over the world.
  • Mr Tong, 63, the head of the Pacific Ocean island nation
    which is facing dire prospects of being engulfed by rising sea waters by 2050,
    was chosen for the award for his dogged fight to end the carbon emissions which
    are spelling doom for small island nations.
  • Billed as an alternative to the Nobel Peace Prize, the
    awards were presented by South Korean religious leader Dr Hak Ja Han Moon, the
    wife of late Rev Sun Myung Moon, who instituted the awards to recognise and
    highlight the work of individuals making big efforts for the betterment of the
    people.

Barcelona’s Lionel
Messi wins UEFA Best Player in Europe award

  • Lionel Messi added another individual trophy to his
    collection Thursday, being voted UEFA’s Best Player in Europe for last season.
  • The Barcelona star beat Luis Suarez, his teammate at the
    Champions League winner, and Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo in a Europe-wide
    poll of journalists.
  • Messi, the four-time FIFA world player of the year, got the
    UEFA honor after a season-long duel with Ronaldo for the Champions League
    scoring record. Both resume this season on 77 goals.
  • Suarez, who scored the decisive second goal in the 3-1 final
    win over Juventus in June, reached the shortlist despite starting his season in
    late-October. The Uruguay forward served a FIFA ban for biting at the 2014
    World Cup.

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This post was last modified on July 20, 2019 10:17 am