Current Affairs 10th September 2015

Current Affairs 10th September 2015 - Important Points

• Gandhi Peace Prize on ISRO was conferred by - President

• 100 percent FDI in white label ATMs through automatic route was approved by - Union Cabinet

• How many Indians are promoted in the Forbes Asia's list of philanthropists - Seven

• National Offshore Wind Energy Policy 2015 was approved by - Union Cabinet

• Who has been conferred with Honoured Guest of Texas award - Anupam Kher

• Which day is observed to commemorate birth anniversary of Kaloji Narayana Rao - Telangana Language Day

• India’s Preferential Treatment to LDCs in Trade in Services in the WTO was approved by - Union Cabinet

• Who is appointed as Director-General of Electronics and Communication Systems cluster of DRDO - J Manjula

• World Suicide Prevention Day is observed on - 10th September

• Who has clinched the bronze medals in 2015 CYG - Abitha Mary Manuel and Anamika Das

Current Affairs 10th September 2015 - Details

Gandhi Peace Prize on ISRO was conferred by - President

On 9th September 2015, President Pranab Mukherjee conferred Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2014 on Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).

ISRO’s Chairman AS Kiran Kumar received the award on behalf of the organisation for its contribution in development of space technology and satellite-based services like launch of Manglayan, PSLV, and others.

On 27th March 2015, a jury headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had chosen ISRO for the prestigious award.

Do You Know :

In 1995, the prize was initiated on the occasion of the 125th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. This annual award is presented to the individuals and institutions for their contributions towards social, economic and political transformation through non-violence and other Gandhian methods.

The award carries a citation, a Plaquean and an amount of one crore rupees.

100 percent FDI in white label ATMs through automatic route was approved by - Union Cabinet

On 9th September 2015, 100 percent Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in white label Automated Teller Machines (WLAs) was approveed by the Union Cabinet. White label ATMs are those that are being set up by non-bank entities.

In contrast to the earlier norm of going through the approval route, this decision by the cabinet allows foreign investments through the automatic route.

Although, any non-bank entity planning to set up WLAs should have a minimum net worth of 100 crore rupees as per the latest financial year's audited balance sheet, which is to be maintained at all times.

How many Indians are promoted in the Forbes Asia's list of philanthropists - Seven

On 27th August 2015, 9th edition of the Forbes Asia’s list of philanthropists was released by Forbes. 40 names of philanthropists from 13 countries of the Asia-Pacific region for their noteworthy contributions are included in the list.

In the year 2015, the list of philanthropists includes a name of a philanthropist from Nepal for the first time.

The list also includes names of seven Indians and they are

• Kerala-born entrepreneur Sunny Varkey featured in the list. He in July 2015 was in news for his pledge to donate half his fortune worth 2.25 billion US dollars as charity in response to the Giving Pledge Initiative, led by Bill Gates and Warren Buffet. Based in Dubai, Varkey is the founder of GEMS Education, a chain of 70 private schools in 14 countries. He has already been featured in Forbes' list of top Indian philanthropists.
• Two India-born brothers Suresh Ramakrishnan and Mahesh Ramakrishnan were named in the list. Both are London-based entrepreneurs and are founders of Whitcomb & Shaftesbury Tailors on London's Saville Row.
• For the contribution in to health and education sectors, Infosys co-founders SD Shibulal, Senapathy Gopalakrishnan and Nandan Nilekani were named.
• Rohan, son of Infosys co-founder NR Narayana Murthy, also feature in the list. He donated 5.2 million US dollars to Harvard University Press for promoting ancient Indian literary classics. He represents his father as a philanthropist.

National Offshore Wind Energy Policy 2015 was approved by - Union Cabinet

On 9th September 2015, the maiden National Offshore Wind Energy Policy was approved by the Union Cabinet.

The motive of the policy is to tackle offshore wind energy potential in India’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The EEZ is an area up to 200 nautical miles from the coast.

Objectives

• To Promote Research and Development in the Offshore Wind Energy Sector.
• To Reduce Carbon Emissions.
• To Encourage Indigenization of the Offshore Wind Energy Technology.
• To Create Skilled Manpower and Employment in a new industry
• Developing offshore wind energy potential in India’s EEZ
• To promote investment in the Energy Infrastructure.

Do You Know :

• The Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) is the nodal ministry for the implementation of the policy.
• The National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE) is the nodal agency for execution of offshore wind energy projects.
• The policy will be applicable throughout the country depending upon offshore wind potential availability.

Who has been conferred with Honoured Guest of Texas award - Anupam Kher

On 7th September 2015, Bollywood actor Anupam Kher was conferred with the Honoured Guest of Texas award for his contribution to the cinema and the world of art.

Deputy Mayor of Houston Ed Gonzalez on behalf of Texas Governor Greg Abbot presented the award to the 60-year-old actor.

Prior to this, in first week of September 2015, he was honoured with a Senate Proclamation award by the Texas State Senate.

Apart from this, 7 August has been declared as the Anupam Kher Day in Houston by Houston Mayor Annise Parker in August 2015 after success of his show titled Anupam Kher’s play Mera Matalab Vo Nahi Tha (My intention was not that).

On 19 August 2015, after the consideration of his success in US, Kher was appointed as UN ambassador for the “HeforShe” campaign for gender equality.

Which day is observed to commemorate birth anniversary of Kaloji Narayana Rao - Telangana Language Day

On 9th September 2015, First Telangana Language Day (Telangana Bhasha Dinosthavam) was observed to celebrate the birth anniversary of noted poet Kaloji Narayana Rao, who was called people’s poet.

The day was observed to familiarize Telangana Language which has influence of Deccani Urdu, Marathi and Kannada. Several programmes like literary programmes and workshops, were held across the state on the occasion.

Apart from this, Dr Ammangi Venugopal was awarded with the first ever Kaloji Award by the state Government for his contribution to the literary world of Telangana.

India’s Preferential Treatment to LDCs in Trade in Services in the WTO was approved by - Union Cabinet

On 9th September 2015, The Union Cabinet approved India’s Preferential Treatment to Least Developed Countries in Trade in Services in the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

In the sphere of Trade in Goods, India has already made a very generous offer to LDCs in the form of a Duty Free Tariff Preference (DFTF) scheme.

Features of Preferential Treatment to LDCs

It is applicable to following three areas

• Waiver of visa fees for LDC applicants applying for Indian Business and employment visas
• Article XVI of the GATS (Market Access)
• Technical Assistance and capacity building

Who is appointed as Director-General of Electronics and Communication Systems cluster of DRDO - J Manjula

On 9th September 2015, J Manjula became the first woman Director-General of the Electronics and Communication Systems cluster of Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO).

Before joining DRDO in 1987, she had a brief stint in Electronics Corporation of India Ltd. She had worked with the Integrated Electronic Warfare cluster of DRDO's Defence Electronics Research Laboratory, Hyderabad for 26 years.

She has designed responsive jammers and controller software for various systems that were inducted in Army, Navy, Air Force and Paramilitary and fast signal acquisition receivers, high power RF systems.

In 2014, she was awarded with the India Today Woman Summit award. She is also a recipient of DRDO's Scientist of the Year 2011 and Performance Excellence awards.

World Suicide Prevention Day is observed on - 10th September

On 10th September 2015, World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) was observed on the theme of the World Suicide Prevention Day 2015 is Preventing Suicide: Reaching Out and Saving Lives.

The theme express to reduce the disgrace around talking about suicide prevention. It motivates us all to consider the role that offering support may play in combating suicide.

The motive of the day is to provide worldwide commitment and action to prevent suicides, with various activities around the world.

The International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) integrates with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Federation for Mental Health, to host World Suicide Prevention Day.

Who has clinched the bronze medals in 2015 CYG - Abitha Mary Manuel and Anamika Das

On 9th September 2015, Abitha Mary Manuel and Anamika Das won bronze medals at the 5th Commonwealth Youth Games (CYG) in Apia in Samoa.

Das has won the medal in shot put event and Manuel won the medal in girls 800m race, on the third and final day of athletics competitions.