Current Affairs 6th October 2015

Current Affairs 6th October 2015 - Important Points

• Who has been honoured with Lifetime Achievement award at Jagran Fest - Shashi Kapoor

• Ruled or Misruled: Story and Destiny of Bihar authored by - Santosh Singh

• Name the cultural heritage destroyed by Islamic State - Arch of Triumph in Palmyra

• 50% subsidy on purchase of seeds was announced by - Telangana government

• Name the programme launched by Odisha government in naxal-affected Rayagada district - Amo doli programme

• World Habitat Day observed on - 5th October

• Second phase of Mission Indradhanush launched in - 352 districts

• Which two countries have signed 18 MoUs in various sector to strengthen bilateral relations - India & Germany

• US, Japan and 10 other Pacific Rim countries signed - Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement

• Which bank has registered highest increase in gross Non-Performing Assets - UCO Bank

• Which programme has been launched by Central Government for crop damage - KISAN Project and Hailstorm App

• Advantage Healthcare India 2015 has been inaugrated by - Ministry of Commerce & Industry

• Who has been appointed as permanent CEO of Twitter - Jack Dorsey

• Arthur B McDonald and Takaaki Kajita shared 2015 Nobel Prize in - Physics

Current Affairs 6th October 2015 - Details

Who has been honoured with Lifetime Achievement award at Jagran Fest - Shashi Kapoor

Among the important National Current Affairs, On 5th October 2015, Veteran Bollywood actor Shashi Kapoor was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement award at the 6th Jagran Film Festival.

He received the award from filmmaker Shyam Benegal.

Various other awardess are as follows :

• Best Debut Director: Ghaywan for his maiden attempt in the internationally acclaimed film Masaan
• Best Male Supporting Actor: Sanjay Mishra for Masaan
• Best Set Design: Vandana Kataria for Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!
• Best Screenplay: Juhi Chaturvedi for Piku
• Best Editing: Pooja Ladha Surti for Badlapur
• Best Background Score: Sanjay Wandrekar & Atul Raninga for PK
• Best Sound Design: Anish John for Asha Jaoar Majhe (Labor of Love)
• Best Cinematography: Pankaj Kumar for Haider
• Best Singer Female: Jyoti Nooran for Tanu Weds Manu Returns
• Best Director: Shoojit Sircar for his film Piku
• Best Feature Film: Kaushik Ganguly's Bengali film Chotoder Chobi
• Best Actor (male): Dulal Sarkar for an outstanding performance in Chotoder Chobi
• Best Actor (female): Bhumi Pednekar for her portrayal of Sandhya in Dum Laga Ke Haisha
• Outstanding Contribution to Indian Cinema: Veteran make-up artiste Pandhari Juker
• Best Singer Male: Sukhwinder for Haider
• Best Music Director: Vishal Bharadwaj for Haider
• Best Female Supporting Actor: Tabu for Haider
• Special Jury Awards: Vicky Kaushal for his performance in Masaan and Gajendra Ahire for his film Postcard

Ruled or Misruled: Story and Destiny of Bihar authored by - Santosh Singh

Among the important National Current Affairs, In September 2015, The book authored by the Assistant Editor of the Indian Express’ Santosh Singh titled Ruled or Misruled: Story and Destiny of Bihar was released.

The book offers a 360 degree journey of Bihar politics since Independence, especially since the Congress’ downfall in 1990. An out and out reporter’s book, tells an interesting and tumultuous journey of the post-1990 legends of Bihar politics - Nitish Kumar, Lalu Prasad, Ram Vilas Paswan and Jitan Ram Manjhi with the legendary clash between Nitish Kumar and Narendra Modi - with the untold version on the 2010 dinner cancellation and Nitish’s ambition, providing the third angle.

Name the cultural heritage destroyed by Islamic State - Arch of Triumph in Palmyra

On 4th October 2015, the 2000-year-old Arch of Triumph in the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra was destroyed by Terror outfit ISIS.

It was located at the entrance to Palmyra’s historic colonnaded street which linked the Roman Empire to Persia.

In May 2015, ISIS militants captured Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the surrounding area from Syrian government forces .

Earlier, Destruction of cultural heritage in Palmyra by ISIS are :

• The ancient Lion of Al-l?t statue on 27th June 2015.
• The 1st-century Temple of Baalshamin on 23th August 2015.
• The Temple of Bel with explosives on 30th August 2015.
• The 2nd-century AD Tower of Elahbel between 27th August 2015 and 2nd September 2015.

50% subsidy on purchase of seeds was announced by - Telangana government

Among the important National Current Affairs, On 4th October 2015, the Telangana Government announced 50% subsidy on purchase of seeds to reduce input costs for farmers in the Rabi season in view of the Kharif failure.

The decision was made during the high level review meeting held in Hyderabad. The meeting was held after several farmers committed suicide due to crop failure in Kharif season.

As per the decision, groundnut and Bengal gram seeds will be supplied to farmers at 50% subsidy. Benefits for farmers as per the decision

• 25 kilogram bag of Bengal Gram seeds will be sold at for 800 rupees
• 30 kilogram bag of groundnut seeds will be sold at 1400 rupees

Name the programme launched by Odisha government in naxal-affected Rayagada district - Amo doli programme

Among the important National Current Affairs, On 4th October 2015, the state government of Odisha launched a healthcare programme named ‘Amo doli programme’ to help patients and pregnant women from inaccessible areas to reach nearest hospital in naxal-affected Rayagada district of the state. It will benefit people of 183 remote villages to reach the hospital.

Under the Amo Doli programme, a stretcher has been designed as a sling to carry patients smoothly and with less effort. Each sling costs around 9000 rupees and the programme is being funded under the Integrated Action Plan which is meant for Maoist-affected districts.

Benefits of Amo doli programme

• It will help the patients and pregnant women to reach their nearest hospital or motorable road from inaccessible areas.

The programme aims at helping people residing in hilly areas where no approach road to a village exists.

World Habitat Day observed on - 5th October

Among the important International Current Affairs, On 5th october 2015, The World Habitat Day was observed across the world with the theme Public Spaces for All.

The day was initiated on 17th December 1985, when the UN General Assembly designated the first Monday of October of every year as World Habitat Day. It was first celebrated in 1986.

Objectives of World Habitat Day 2015

• Contribute to a policy dialogue that focuses on the broad range of issues related to integration public spaces and streets into city planning.
• Identify policy formulation and capacity development issues in which the UN system, in particular UN-Habitat, can offer significant contributions.
• Identify key stakeholders in urban areas and actively engaging them in discussions that offer solutions to sustainable development, especially regarding the topic of Public Spaces and streets
• Raise awareness about the need for well designed and managed public spaces and streets.
• Develop processes and tools to promote ensure public spaces are conducive and safe for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities.
• Enhance community cohesion and safety for all citizens through activity and events held in public spaces and streets.
• Contribute to implementation of the proposed Sustainable Development Goals, in particular Goal 11 Target 7.

Second phase of Mission Indradhanush launched in - 352 districts

On 5th October 2015, The Union Government launched its second phase of the immunisation programme, Mission Indradhanush, focusing on 352 districts.

It aims at achieving more than 90% full immunization in the country by 2020. The mission targets to cover all children below 2 years of age and pregnant women with full immunization against seven vaccine preventable diseases.

This phase will cover 352 districts including 279 mid priority districts, 33 from the North East states and 40 districts from phase one where large number of missed out children were detected.

First phase of Mission Indradhanush

On 25th December 2014, the Union Government launched Mission Indradhanush to immunize all children against seven vaccine preventable diseases namely tetanus, polio, diphtheria, whooping cough (Pertussis), tuberculosis, measles and hepatitis B.

The first round focused on 201 districts in 28 states and was started from 7th April 2015. It was followed by three rounds of more than a week in the months of April 2015, May 2015, June 2015 and July 2015.

Which two countries have signed 18 MoUs in various sector to strengthen bilateral relations - India & Germany

Among the important International Current Affairs, On 5th October 2015, 18 MoUs in various sector including renewable energy, skill development and culture were signed by India and Germany at the end of third Indo-German Inter-governmental Consultations in New Delhi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel co-chaired the meeting.

List of Agreements/MoU’s signed

• Cooperation in Food Safety: Joint Statement of Intent was inked between the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
• Cooperation in Food Safety: Joint Statement of Intent was inked between the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL).
• Cooperation in Agricultural Studies: MoU inked between German Agribusiness Alliance and Agriculture Skill Council of India (ASCI).
• Cooperation in the Field of Railways: to further develop the cooperation in the field of railways a Joint Declaration of Intent was inked between the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure, Germany and the Ministry of Railways.
• Cooperation in the Field of Manufacturing: MoU was inked between the Department of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises of India and Fraunhofer Society of Germany.
• Fast-Track system for German companies in India: Joint Announcement was made.
• Cooperation in the Field of Advanced Training of Corporate Executives and Junior Executives from India: Joint Declaration to continue the cooperation was inked between the two nations.
• Promotion of Languages: Joint Declaration of Intent signed between Ministry of Human Resource Development and the Federal Foreign Office of Germany. The agreement seeks to promote German as a foreign language in India and the promote Modern Indian Languages in Germany.
• Indo-German Solar Energy Partnership: MoU between the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy on Indo-German Development Cooperation Regarding the Indo-German Solar Energy Partnership.
• Security Cooperation: MoU was inked between the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Germany.
• Aviation Security: MoU was inked between the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Federal Ministry of the Interior of the Federal Republic of Germany.
• Cooperation in the Field of Skill Development and Vocational Education and Training: A Joint MoU was inked between the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, on one hand, and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany, on the other hand.
• Cooperation in the Field of Disaster Management: The Joint Declaration of Intent was inked by the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Germany.
• For extension of tenure of Indo-German Science and Technology Centre (IGSTC): Announced as a Joint Declaration by the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research of Germany.
• Indo-German Partnerships in Higher Education (IGP): MoU was inked between University Grants Commission (UGC) and German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), Germany.
• Plant Protection Products: Joint Declaration of Intent was inked by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, (MoA&FW) and the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL), Germany.
• Supporting participation of Indian Young Scientists in Natural Sciences for the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings: Letter of Intent was inked between the Department of Science and Technology (DST) of India, the Council for the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings (Council), and the Foundation Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings (Foundation).
• Summary Record of the Negotiations on Development Cooperation: Inked between the Union Government and the Government of Germany.

US, Japan and 10 other Pacific Rim countries signed - Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement

Among the important International Current Affairs, On 5th October 2015, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement to lower trade barriers, bolster worker protections and set standards for a raft of other industries was signed by The United States (US), Japan and 10 other Pacific Rim countries.

The agreement has been designed to facilitate trade among the US and a host of other countries scattered across both sides of the Pacific Ocean.

The 10 other countries are Canada, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, Australia, Brunei, Singapore, Vietnam, New Zealand and Peru.

What will TPP do?

• It will set common standards in trade for 12 Pacific-rim countries, including the US and Japan.
• A total of 18000 taxes have been removed that various countries put on made-in-America goods; this will level the playing field for farmers, ranchers and manufacturers.
• The TPP deal also sets minimum standards on issues ranging from workers’ rights to environmental protection.
• Unfortunately, the TPP will not create jobs. While the administration touts the TPP as a job-creating, wage-raising enterprise, but it has not made public any employment or sectoral impacts study.
• It also sets up dispute settlement guidelines between governments and foreign investors separate from national courts.

Overall Benefits of TPP

• Levels the Playing Field for US Workers by Disciplining State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs)
• Prioritizes Good Governance and Fighting Corruption
• Includes First Ever Development Chapter
• Includes the Strongest Worker Protections of Any Trade Agreement in History
• Includes the Strongest Environmental Protections of Any Trade Agreement in History
• Helps Small Businesses Benefit from Global Trade
• Promotes E-Commerce, Protects Digital Freedom, and Preserves an Open Internet
• Capitalizes on America’s Position as the World Leader in Services Exports

How TPP Upgrades NAFTA?

• It sets the standards to protect digital freedom, by preserving the free flow of information across borders.
• It improves protections for 40 million American workers whose jobs depend on innovation.
• It adopts highest environmental standards of any trade agreement.
• It adopts the highest labor standards, including fully-enforceable requirements to protect the freedom to form unions and bargain collectively.
• It includes the first-ever measures to ensure that state-owned enterprises compete on a commercial basis.

Which bank has registered highest increase in gross Non-Performing Assets - UCO Bank

On 4th october 2015, the highest increase in gross Non-Performing Assets (NPAs) in %age terms against total loans in the 2014-15 fiscal year has been registered by UCO Bank.

The Gross NPA to gross advances ratio of UCO Bank increased to 8.05 % at the end of March 2015 from 4.47 %, accretion of 3.58 on an annual basis.

Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) and Bank of Maharashtra (BoM) are at the 2nd and 3rd position on the list with their gross NPA rising to 8.30 % and 6.18 % respectively at the end of March 2015.

On the other hand, the gross NPA level of Corporation Bank rose from 3.42 % to 4.80 % at the end of March 2015, showing an increment of 1.38 over the previous fiscal.

About Non Performing Assets

Banks usually classify any commercial loans as Non-Performing Assets which are overdue for more than 90 days and any consumer loans which are overdue for more than 180 days. More generally, NPA are those assets that are not producing any income.

Which programme has been launched by Central Government for crop damage - KISAN Project and Hailstorm App

Among the important National Current Affairs, On 5th October 2015, The Union Government initiated KISAN Project (C(K)rop Insurance using Space technology And geoiNformatics) of Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers’ Welfare, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare.

Satellite and drone-based imaging and other geospatial technology will be used by the project to get timely and precise data on crop yields.

Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Centre (MNCFC), an attached Office of Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & FW, ISRO Centres (Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad & National Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad), India Meteorological Department, CCAFS, State Agriculture Departments and State Remote Sensing Centres will jointly implement the programme.

In addition, the government also launched an Android-based app, developed by ISRO, for collection of data of hailstorm to access large-scale damage to standing crops. The data collected by the app will greatly help the Union Agriculture Ministry in making quick assessment of damage to crops because of hailstorm.

Advantage Healthcare India 2015 has been inaugrated by - Ministry of Commerce & Industry

On 5th October 2015, an international summit on Medical Value Travel, Advantage Health Care India, 2015 has been inaugrated by Ministry of Commerce & Industry. The summit aims at promoting healthcare services exports from India.

From 5th October to 7th October 2015, Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) and Services Export Promotion Council (SEPC) inaugrated the summit in New Delhi.

Who has been appointed as permanent CEO of Twitter - Jack Dorsey

Among the important appointments, On 5th October 2015, Jack Dorsey has been appointed as the permanent Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Popular micro-blogging site Twitter.

About Jack Dorsey

In March 2006, Dorsey along with Noah Glass, Biz Stone and Evan Williams founded the famous micro-blogging site Twitter, Inc.

Arthur B McDonald and Takaaki Kajita shared 2015 Nobel Prize in - Physics

Among the important International Current Affairs, On 6th october 2015, the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physics for their discovery of neutrino oscillations, which shows that neutrinos have mass has been won jointly by Japan's Takaaki Kajita and American Arthur B. McDonald. Takaaki Kajita belongs to the University of Tokyo while McDonald is from Queen's University, Canada.

Each winner will get a diploma and a gold medal at the annual award ceremony on scheduled to held on 10th December 2015 at the death anniversary of prize founder Alfred Nobel.