Current Affairs 11th August 2015

Current Affairs 11th August 2015 - Important Points

• Which Indian Hockey player has been suspended for 9 months - Gurbaj Singh

• Who is announced as the Maharashtra’s tiger ambassador - Amitabh Bachchan

• Who has banned Santhara ritual in Jain Community - Rajasthan High Court

• World Bio-Fuel Day is observed on - 10th August

• Name the parent company launched by Google - Alphabet Inc

• New train services in Northeast was launched by - Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu

• Nai Manzil Scheme in Patna was launched by - Union Ministry for Minority Affairs

• International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples was observed on - 9th August

• First Indian city to join World Tourism Cities Federation Council - Kochi

• Who has presented Saraswati Sammaan to Dr. M Veerappa Moily - President Pranab Mukherjee

Current Affairs 11th August 2015 - Details

Which Indian Hockey player has been suspended for 9 months - Gurbaj Singh

Among the important Sports Currrent Affairs, On 10th August 2015, for indulging in groupism and creating disharmony within the team, Senior India hockey player Gurbaj Singh was suspended for 9 months.

He will be debarred from palying 2016 Rio Olympics. The decision was taken in a meeting of Hockey India's disciplinary committee headed by midfielder and former India coach Jude Felix and Harbinder Singh.

Who is announced as the Maharashtra’s tiger ambassador - Amitabh Bachchan

Among the important National Currrent Affairs, On 10th August 2015, the proposal to be the tiger ambassador of the state offered by Maharashtra Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar was acccepted by Amitabh Bachchan to promote eco tourism, especially tiger tourism in Maharashtra.

The 72-year-old actor has liaised his assent to Mungantiwar through a letter.

Who has banned Santhara ritual in Jain Community - Rajasthan High Court

On 10th August 2015, the Santhara ritual inducing in the Jain Community was banned by Rajasthan High Court.

The court contemplated the act as a criminal act resulting in suicide and directed to inscribe cases under section 306 of Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Human rights activist Nikhil Soni filed the Public Interest Litigation against the ritual affirming that the ritual is a social evil and should be considered as a suicide.

Do You Know :

Santhara, also known as Sallekhana or Samadhi-marana or Sanyasana-marana is an ancient ritual, is the voluntary starvation to accept death to shrive old karmas and avert the creation of new ones.

World Bio-Fuel Day is observed on - 10th August

Among the important International Currrent Affairs, On 10th August 2015, The World Bio-Fuel Day was observed to create awareness about non fossil-fuels (Green Fuels) around the globe.

The day is observed to mark the extraordinary achievement by Sir Rudalph Diesel who successfully ran mechanical engine with Peanut Oil on 10th August 1893 for the first time.

About World Bio-Fuel Day in India

The Union Petroleum Ministry on this occasion launched marketing of High Speed Diesel (HSD) blended with Bio-diesel in selected retail outlets of Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) in New Delhi and Vishakhapatnam by Hindustan Petroleum (HPCL), in Vijayawada by Indian Oil (IOC) and in Haldia by Bharat Petroleum (BPCL).

Name the parent company launched by Google - Alphabet Inc

Among the important International Currrent Affairs, On 10th August 2015, a new parent company called Alphabet Inc that separates highly profitable search and advertising business of google was launched by Search engine giant Google.

With this, Alphabet Inc will replace Google as the publicly-traded entity and all the shares will be converted automatically into the shares of new parent entity with same rights.

Highlights

• All subsidiaries of Google will be brought under the control of Alphabet Inc under the new structural arrangement
• Current CEO & Co-founder of Google Larry Page will led Alphabet Inc while Eric Schmidt will be executive Chairman and the other co-founder Sergey Brin will serve as the President of Alphabet Inc.
• Current directors of the company will become directors of Alphabet Inc whereas Google’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Ruth Porat will become CFO of Alphabet.
• Sundar Pichai will be the CEO of new Google that is now the subsidiary of Alphabet Inc.

New train services in Northeast was launched by - Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu

Among the important National Currrent Affairs, On 10th August 2015, after the completion of North Lakhimpur-Murkongselek and Balipara- Bhalukpong sections into broad-gauge, new train services in the Northeast was launched by Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu.

The day was described as a Golden Day in the history of Arunachal Pradesh by Prabhu.

Trains that were flagged off on the occasion are :

• Extension of 55429/55430 Rangiya-Rangapara North Passenger upto Dekargaon with New Nos. 55721/55722.
• Extension of 55613/55614 of Dekargaon-Harmuti Passenger upto Murkongselek with new No. 55813/55814
• Increase in frequency of 15903/15904 Dibrugarh-Chandigarh Express from Weekly to Bi-weekly announced in Railway Budget 2012-13.
• 15613/15614 Guwahati-Murkongselek Intercity Express (Daily)
• 55719/55720 Dekargaon-Bhalukpong Passenger (on newly gauge-converted Ballipara-Bhalukpong section)

Nai Manzil Scheme in Patna was launched by - Union Ministry for Minority Affairs

On 8th August 2015, a new Central Sector Scheme Nai Manzil aws initiated in Patna by the Union Minister for Minority Affairs Najma Heptulla.

Key features of the scheme

• It provides a new direction and a new goal for the dropped out students and those studying in Madrasas as they dont get the formal Class XII and Class X Certificates resulting them largely unemployed in organised sector.
• It focuses at providing educational involvement by giving the bridge courses to the trainees and getting them Certificates for Class XII and X from distance medium educational system.
• A trade basis skill training in 4 courses including Manufacturing, Engineering, Services and Soft skills will also be provided to them.
• It will provide them the direction for continuing higher education.

International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples was observed on - 9th August

Among the important International Currrent Affairs, On 9th August 2015, International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples was observed with the theme Post 2015 Agenda: Ensuring indigenous peoples' health and well-being.

This year's theme focuses on the issue of indigenous peoples' access to health care services, as improving indigenous peoples’ health remains a critical challenge for indigenous peoples, Member States and the United Nations.

Do You Know :

On 23rd December 1994, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) acquired resolution 49/214 and announced that the International Day of the World's Indigenous People shall be observed on 9th August every year during the International Decade of the World's Indigenous People (1995–2004). In 2004, the Assembly alo stated a Second International Decade, from 2005–2015, with the theme of A Decade for Action and Dignity.

First Indian city to join World Tourism Cities Federation Council - Kochi

Among the important National Currrent Affairs, On 10th August 2015, first Indian city to be a member of Beijing headquartered World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF) Council and join its league of leading tourism cities across the world was Kochi.

WTCF sent an invitation Kochi to Kerala Tourism Department to be the member of the council. On the basis of its partnerships in culture, sports and tourism, Kochi became the member of the council.

The set ground for membership was fulfilled by Kochi's cuisine, martial arts and snake and dragon boat races.

About WTCF

• Tourism cities like Los Angeles, Berlin, Barcelona and many other world famous tourism cities and tourism-related institutions voluntarily formed this non-profit, non-governmental international organisation WTCF.
• In 2012, WTCF initiated at Beijing with 58 cities and today it bounded by 135 members.

Who has presented Saraswati Sammaan to Dr. M Veerappa Moily - President Pranab Mukherjee

Among the important National Currrent Affairs, On 10th August 2015, 24th Saraswati Sammaan for the year 2014 was presented to Dr. M Veerappa Moily by President of India, Pranab Mukherjee for his vast Sri Ramayana Mahanveshanam written in Kannada.

A 13-member panel of scholars and writers headed by former Chief Justice of India selected RC Lahoti Moily’s work for the award.

About poem Ramayana Mahaveshanam

In the poem Ramayana Mahaveshanam, Moily tried to explore the Ramarajya or the true principle of the ideal State from a secular and modern point of view in his collection of poems.

Moily who is 75-year-old and a senior Congress leader from Karnataka is an inveterated writer in Kannada. His novels and poems comprises of

• Halu-Jenu Maththe
• Nadeyali Samara
• Suligali: Typhoon
• Sagaradeepa: Ocean lamp
• Kotta (made into telefilms in both Kannada and Hindi)
• Tembare (translated into English under the title, The Edge of Time)
• Yakshaprashne

Do You Know :

Saraswati Samman is awarded in remembrance of outstanding prose or poetry literary works in Indian languages.

KK Birla Foundation initiated this award in 1991 and carries a citation, a plaque and a prize amount of 10 lakh rupees.

Three awards are established by the KK Birla Foundation in the field of literature which are Bihari Puraskar (for Hindi and Rajasthani writers of Rajasthan), Vyas Samman (for Hindi) and Saraswati Samman.