Current Affairs Update – 30th–31st August, 2015

Hello and welcome to ExamPundit. Here are the Important Current Affairs of 30th and 31st August, 2015. We have also started including Daily GK Bits to keep you updated!! These are important for the upcoming IBPS Clerk Exam.

• State Bank of India (SBI) and ICICI Bank have been given the
  status of domestic systemically important banks (D-SIBs) by the Reserve Bank of
  India (RBI) on Monday.
• RBI had announced the framework for dealing with D-SIBs in
  July 2014 and the framework requires RBI to disclose the names of banks
  designated as domestic systemically important every year in August starting
  from August 2015.
• Based on the bucket in which a D-SIB is placed, an
  additional common equity requirement has to be applied to it, as per the
  framework. The framework also requires that D-SIBs may be placed in four
  buckets depending upon their Systemic Importance Scores (SISs).
• The D-SIB framework specifies a two-step process of
  identification of D-SIBs. In the first step, the sample of banks to be assessed
  for systemic importance has to be decided. The selection of banks in the sample
  for computation of SIS is based on analysis of their size as a percentage of
  annual GDP.

• With an eye on people on the move, public lender Indian Bank
  has launched IndPay, a mobile application service that enables its customers to
  operate bank account from anywhere, anytime.
• IndPay can be operated through smartphones compatible with
  Android, Windows and iOS mobile operating systems.
• Customers can do transactions like enquiries, getting mini
  statements and transferring funds to any account, the Chennai-based bank said
  in a statement.
• Indian Bank MD and CEO M K Jain formally unveiled the new
  service recently, it said.

• Reflecting a muted performance, the GDP growth slowed to 7
  per cent in the April-June quarter, from 7.5 per cent in the previous quarter,
  amid deceleration in farm, services and manufacturing sectors.
• A slower GDP growth, along with slower pace of industrial
  production expansion, however bolsters the case for a rate cut by the Reserve
  Bank.
• The Gross Value Added (GVA), a new concept introduced by CSO
  to measure the economic activity, also slipped during the first quarter to 7.1
  per cent, from 7.4 per cent a year ago.
• The GDP grew at 7.5 per cent in the January-March quarter
  while it was 6.7 per cent in the April-June quarter last year, according to
  data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
• The nominal GDP and GVA at current market price showed a
  steep decline in the quarter under review. The nominal GDP slipped to 8.8 per
  cent in Q1 from 13.4 per cent a year ago while the GVA growth rate nearly
  halved to 7.1 per cent from 14 per cent a year ago.

• Public lender Canara Bank on Monday said the government will
  infuse an equity capital of Rs 947 crore in the bank.
• It said the board of the bank at a meeting held on Monday
  approved the proposal of issuing equity shares on preferential basis to the
  government in lieu of the capital infusion.
• Last week, the country’s largest lender SBI also spoke of
  issuance of equity shares on a preferential basis to the government for a capital
  infusion of Rs 5,393 crore.
• Earlier this month, the government decided to infuse a total
  of Rs 20,088 crore in 13 public sector banks, including SBI, PNB, IDBI, Bank of
  Baroda, Canara Bank, Indian Overseas Bank and Union Bank of India.

• Aurobindo Pharma Ltd. has received approval from the U.S.
  Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) to manufacture and market Raloxifene Hydrochloride
  tablets USP 60mg.
• Announcing this on Saturday, the company said the drug was
  indicated for treatment and prevention of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.
  Its estimated market size was $404 million for the twelve months ended June
  2015.
• The approved abbreviated new drug application (ANDA) is
  bioequivalent and therapeutically equivalent to the reference listed drug
  product Evista tablets 60mg of Eli Lilly. It is 45 ANDA to be approved out of
  Unit-VII formulation facility in Hyderabad for manufacturing oral
  non-antibiotic products, a company release said.

• Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) and its partners will invest
  about USD 24 billion in producing natural gas from a giant field off Mozambique
  and converting it into liquid fuel (LNG) for export by ships to consumers like
  India.
• ONGC Videsh Ltd, the overseas investment arm of the
  state-run explorer, holds 16 per cent stake in Rovuma Area 1 where recoverable
  resources in excess of 75 trillion cubic feet have been established.
• BPCL holds another 10 per cent and Oil India Ltd 4 per cent
  stake in the field and all three together hold more stake than operator
  Anadarko of the US (26.5 per cent).

• Allergic to dairy products? Now, start your day with a glass
  of lactose-free milk from Amul. India’s largest dairy cooperative Gujarat
  Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) is all set to launch India’s
  first branded lactose-free milk in a month.
• Basically, anyone with lactose intolerance has difficulty in
  digesting milk sugars (lactose) from dairy products, due to insufficient amounts
  of lactase enzyme in the gut.
• One of the most common cases of food intolerance among
  consumers is lactose intolerance.

• Union Government on 30 August 2015 launched a scheme named
  SAHAJ for online release of new LPG connections for the consumers. The scheme
  launched by Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan can be availed
  through the portal mylpg.in.
• At present, the scheme will be available in 13 cities of the
  country, namely Delhi, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Bhubaneshwar, Chandigarh,
  Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Patna and Pune. It will be
  launched pan-India within the next few days.
• SAHAJ facility will enable the prospective customers to post
  online request for a new connection by filing Know Your Customer (KYC) form,
  uploading photographs and bank account details. After submission, the customer
  will receive the registration number to know the connection status.
• It also provides the facility to choose the mode of payment,
  which may be online or offline mode of payment for connection. Electronic
  subscription voucher will be mailed to the customer and physical delivery of
  the Gas cylinder, regulator with hose pipe will be made by the distributor.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 31 August 2015 released
  digital recordings of epic Ramcharitmanas, as a set of digital CDs produced by
  All India Radio (AIR).
• Digital recordings of the epic is a part of AIR’s attempt to
  go digital in a big way so that the public broadcaster can reach audiences
  globally.
• The recordings of Goswami Tulsidas work, sung by leading
  singers of Bhopal gharana, have been done by the AIR over several years and are
  regularly broadcast especially in the Hindi heartland.

• Rajiv Mehrishi, 1978 batch IAS of Rajasthan cadre, was
  appointed as the Union Home secretary. He will occupy the post for two years
  with effect from 31 August 2015. He was due to retire on the day of
  appointment, but was given an extension of two-year.
• He succeeded LC Goyal, an IAS officer of 1979 batch of
  Kerala cadre.
• At the time of appointment as the Home Secretary, Mehrishi
  was holding the post of Finance Secretary. He is the third Home Secretary of
  the present NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

• The government today appointed outgoing Home Secretary L C
  Goyal as the Chairman and Managing Director of India Trade Promotion
  Organisation (ITPO).
• “The Prime Minister has approved the appointment of L C
  Goyal (1979 batch Karnataka cadre IAS officer) as Chairman and Managing
  Director, India Trade Promotion Organisation,” an official statement said.
• Earlier, Goyal had sought an early retirement, 17 months
  ahead of schedule, for personal reasons which was approved by the government.
• He was replaced by Economic Affairs Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi
  in the Home Ministry.
• Set up in 1977, ITPO is the nodal trade promotion agency of
  the government and functions under the supervision of the Commerce Ministry.

• The Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the
  designation of R.P. Watal, the senior most Secretary in the Finance Ministry,
  as Finance Secretary.
• A 1978-batch Andhra cadre IAS officer, Watal is currently
  the Expenditure Secretary in the Finance Ministry, Rajiv Mehrishi, who was till
  recently the Finance Secretary, has now been elevated as Home Secretary.

• Mare Dibaba of Ethiopia on 30 August 2015 won the women’s
  marathon title at the 2015 World Athletics Championships at the Beijing
  National Stadium, China. She is the first Ethiopian female to win the event at
  the world championships.
• The 25-year-old Dibaba captured the title by finishing the
  race in 2 hours, 27 minutes and 35 seconds.
• In the race, she defeated Helah Kiprop of Kenya, who won the
  silver medal by completing the marathon in 2 hours 27 minutes and 36 seconds.
  Eunice Kirwa of Bahrain won bronze medal in this event after completing it in 2
  hours 27 minutes and 39 seconds.

• Indian wrestler Anil on 29 August 2015 won gold medal in the
  50 kg freestyle category in the Cadet Wrestling World Championships at
  SARAJEVO, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He defeated Erfan Aeini of
  Iran 10-6.
• It was second medal for India at SARAJEVO as Ankush won
  silver in the 38 kg women freestyle on 28 August 2015.
• To reach the finals of the competition, earlier, Anil
  defeated Tumentsogt Bold of Mongolia in the semi-final bout while in
  quarter-final he defeated Ertugrul Kahveci of Turkey.

• Indo-Tibetan Border Police official and mountaineer Jot
  Singh has been honoured with the Tenzing Norgay national adventure award by
  President Pranab Mukherjee.
• Singh, who has been undertaking expeditions with the border
  guarding force for a long time, was decorated with the award during the
  national games awards presentation ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan
  yesterday.
• Known as the special force for mountaineering skills, 11
  ITBP personnel have got this honour till date.
• The force has scaled more than 200 peaks across the globe
  successfully and Inspector Jot Singh is one of the best mountaineers of ITBP,
  who has also scaled the Mount Everest, an official said.
• The mountain-trained force has been deployed primarily to
  guard high altitude Indo-China border since 1962.

• Renowned neurologist and author Oliver Wolf Sacks died on 30
  August 2015 in New York, the USA. He was 82.
• Compared to his career as a practitioner of neurology and an
  academician he was better known as the author of best-selling books on the grey
  matter like Migraine, Awakenings, The Mind’s eye, etc.
• He was awarded the Lewis Thomas Prize for Writing about
  Science in 2001.
• In 2008, he was conferred with the Order of the British
  Empire/Sir (CBE) honour for services to literature.

• Filmmaker Wes Craven, the creator of classic horror
  franchises Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream, has died. He was 76.
• Craven died on Sunday at his home in LA after battling with
  brain cancer, his family announced, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
• Craven wrote and directed the first Nightmare on Elm Street
  film, helmed the first four Scream movies and guided Meryl Steep to an Oscar nomination
  in Music of the Heart.
• The Last House of the Left was Craven’s first feature film,
  which he wrote, directed and edited in 1972.
• He followed it up with another film, The Hills Have Eyes (1977),
  which he wrote and helmed.
• Craven is also credited for discovering young talents, who
  later came to be known as superstars like Johnny Depp, for A Nightmare on Elm
  Street, Sharon Stone in her first starring role for Deadly Blessing and Bruce
  Willis in his first featured role in an episode of the 1980s version of The
  Twilight Zone.

1. Padmanabhaswamy Temple – Kerala
2. Dr. Bhupen Hazarika Cricket Stadium – Guwahati, Assam
3. Lakh Bahosi Sanctuary – Uttar Pradesh
4. Wanakbori Thermal Power Station – Gujarat
5. Currency of Azerbaijan – Azerbaijani manat

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