Wednesday, 26 August 2015Daily GK Update - 26th August 2015 1. PM inaugurates birth centenary celebrations of Rani Gaidinliui. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 24 August 2015 inaugurated birth centenary celebrations of freedom fighter Rani Gaidinliu. On this occasion he launched commemorative coin of 100 rupees and circulation coin of 5 rupees of Rani Gaidinliu to mark her birth centenary celebrations.

ii. Rani Gaidinliu was a Naga political and spiritual leader who had led a revolt against British colonial rule in India.iii. Her political struggle in present North east India was based on Gandhian principles of Satyagraha, non-violence, self-reliance. She also had played an important role in Indias wider freedom movement by spreading the message of Gandhi ji in Manipur region.iv. She had participated in the freedom struggle at a very young age of 13 after she came under the influence Heraka religious movement.v. Union Government has instituted one of five Stree Shakti Puruskar in honour her in 2000. In 2010, state owned Hindustan shipyard Ltd. had launched an in-shore patrol vessel for the Indian coast guard named as Rani Gaidinliu.

2. Rajasthan Government approved Arogya Rajasthan campaigni. Rajasthan State Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje on 25 August 2015 approved the launch of Arogya Rajasthan campaign. The campaign will be held from December 2015 to March 2016.

ii. The three-month campaign will help in collection and compilation of health data of the rural population in the state. During the campaign, the rural residents would be issued health cards based on spot diagnoses. The cards would be used for further treatment and follow-up of patients.iii. The cabinet also approved a drive to collect health information of citizens to build an online datatbase, which will be held between 15 September and 31 October 2015. The campaign Health camps will be organised at gram panchayat level and every citizen will be issued a Health Card.

3. India, Australia ink MoU on Cooperation in the Fields of Education, Training and Researchi. India and Australia have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the fields of education, research and training. The MoU was signed by Union Minister of Human Resource Development (HRD) Smriti Irani and her counterpart Christopher Pyne MP, Minister for Education and Training of Australia.ii. It was signed after the 3rd meeting of the Australia-India Education Council (AIEC) which was held in New Delhi. The MoU seeks to intensify existing partnerships between both countries in higher education & research, including professional and technical education, vocational education, schools and training. It also seeks to open up new and innovative areas of cooperation.iii. It is a bi-national body established in 2011. It was established as per commitment given by the Education Ministers of India and Australia to guide the strategic direction of the education, research and training partnership between the two countries.iv. The AIEC is co-chaired by Education Ministers on both sides and consists of academia, industry and government. It meets in conjunction with the annual Australia-India Ministerial Dialogue on Education Cooperation.

4. UK to fund Kolkata's climate action programmei. The United Kingdom will fund a capacity building programme for making Kolkata a low carbon city.ii. Ahead of implementation of the UK-Kolkata Municipal Corporation joint programme, the UK Minister of State for International Development, Desmond Swayne, was present on Sunday at an workshop for sensitising the Councillors of the city's 16 boroughs.iii. The UK Minister said the programme would cover over 20 multi-sectoral projects, including rooftop solar plant, a mobility plan, a master plan for energy-efficient street lighting, a disaster management plan and a green city business and investment plan.iv. With the launch of the roadmap later this year, Kolkata will be one of the first mega cities in India to have a comprehensive strategy to address climate change through a sustainable urban development model

5. MCX, Gift ink pact for trading platformi. Multi Commodity Exchange has signed a memorandum of understanding with Gift Special Economic Zone, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gujarat International Finance Tec-City, for setting up an electronic platform to facilitate trading in different asset classes for international investors.ii. The MCX agreement is in line with similar commitment provided by BSE, NSE and Ncdex. MCX will set up a facility for clearing and settlement of securities, commodities, interest rates, currencies, other classes of assets and derivatives to international investors at the one-of-a-kind financial centre being developed at Gandhinagar in Gujarat.iii. Parveen Kumar Singhal, Joint Managing Director, MCX, said given the consistent leadership position and strong technological backbone, the exchanges international platform will not only fulfil the Centres vision to develop an international financial service facility but also create tangible benefits by way of economic linkages.iv. Earlier, MCX had tied up with US-based CME (Chicago Mercantile Exchange) Group to study opportunities in the SEZ.

6. India to implement Sendai framework for Disaster Reduction 2015-2030i. Union Government has announced it plans to implement the Sendai framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 in letter and spirit. It was announced by Union Minister of State (MoS) for Home Kiren Rijiju after inaugurating a workshop on Enhancing Private Sector Partnership for Disaster Risk Reduction in New Delhi.ii. It was adopted during the third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction held in Sendai, Japan in March 2015. Its adaptation involves adopting integrated and inclusive institutional measures in order to work towards preventing vulnerability to disaster.iii. It also seeks to increase preparedness for response and recovery and strengthen resilience in case of disaster. It opts for considering the experience gained through international and the regional strategies/institutions and plans for disaster risk reduction.

7. War museums at Jaisalmer, Laungewala stations inauguratedi. War museums, built recently at the military stations of Jaisalmer and Yuddhsthal at Laungewala to showcase the traditional bravery of the Indian Army, were inaugurated on Monday by Lt Gen Ashok Singh, general officer, commanding-in-chief, Southern Command.

ii. A large number of service officers and civil dignitaries graced the functions, held at the two military stations.iii. The Jaisalmer War Museum is located 10 km from Jaisalmer on the Jodhpur highway. The museum has two large information display halls, an audio visual room, a well stocked souvenir shop and a cafeteria.iv. The war museum at Loungewala has been set up at the site where Pakistan faced a humiliating defeat in 1971. The memorial has a state of the art audio-visual theatre for screening the movie on the Battle of Laungewala.

8. Government announces Dronacharya, Dhyan Chand, Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar awards 2015i. Union Government has announced names of recipients of Dronacharya Awards, Dhyan Chand Awards and Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar for year the 2015.Dronacharya Award 2015 Naval Singh- Athletics Para-sports coach Anoop Singh Wrestling coach Harbans Singh- Athletics coach Swatantar Raj Singh- Boxing coach Nihar Ameen- Swimming coach.

Dhyan Chand Award 2015 Romeo James Hockey Shiv Prakash Mishra- Tennis P.P Nair Volleyball.

Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar 2015 Directorate General of Military Training (DGMT) for identifying and nurturing of young talent in sports Coal India Limited (CIL) for encouraging sports through Corporate Social Responsibility Haryana State Police- For employing sportspersons and sports welfare measures Sports Coaching Foundation (SCF)- For development of sports.

ii. The awardees will receive the awards from the President Pranab Mukherjee at a special function at Rashtrapati Bhawan to be held on 29 August 2015.

Read more: http://www.bankersadda.com/2015/08/daily-gk-update-26th-august-2015.html#ixzz3k750a6qJ

India, Egypt signed two MoUs to deepen bilateral cooperation26-AUG-2015

Top Picks : August 2015 Current Affairs, International | World, 2015 Current Affairs 00Google +0 A+A- Who: Two MoUs between India and Egypt Where: Cairo, Egypt What: Signed When: 24 August 2015 Why: To deepen cooperatin in tourism and research areas India and Egypt on 24 August 2015 signed two Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) to enhance bilateral cooperation.They were signed in Egypts capital Cairo during the visit of External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj to Egypt and they wereMoU on Cooperation in the field of TourismAimed at enhancing bilateral cooperation in Tourism, Hospitality and Human Resource Development; Draw up a road map for enhancing cooperation; establish a Joint Working Group (JWG) on tourism cooperation.MoU on scientific and technical CooperationIt was signed between the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the National Research Center (NRC) of Egypt.It will support promotion and extension of cooperation in Scientific Research and Technology Development in fields of mutual interest; Cooperate on common intellectual property rights; Develop Working Program to review the implementation of MoU; Establish Joint Committee; Exchange of scientists, scholars, information; Joint Research Programmes in water desalination, solar energy, medicine and affordable health care, setting up joint laboratories, etc.

Indian Army inaugurated Jaisalmer War Museum and Laungewala War Memorial26-AUG-2015

Top Picks : News Capsule, Defence | Security, August 2015 Current Affairs, 2015 Current Affairs 00Google +0 A+A- Who: Jaisalmer War Museum and Laungewala War Memorial What: Inaugurated by Indian Army When: 24 August 2015 Jaisalmer War Museum established in the Military Station of Jaisalmer, Rajasthan was inaugurated on 24 August 2015. The museum was inaugurated by Lieutenant General Ashok Singh, General Officer Commanding in Chief of Southern Command to mark the Golden Jubilee Commemoration Year of 1965 Indo Pak War.

The War Museum is located 10 km short of Jaisalmer on the Jaisalmer - Jodhpur Highway.Jaisalmer War Museum It carries two large Information Display Halls, an Audio Visual Room and a souvenir shop. There are a large number of captured war trophies and own vintage equipment on display to include tanks, guns and military vehicles. The Indian Air Force has presented a Hunter aircraft for the museum, which was used during the Battle for Laungewala in 1971 Indo Pak War. The entry to the war museum is free for all visitors.

Besides, to commemorate Battle of Laungewala that was fought on 4 December and 5 December 1971, a War Memorial was constructed and inaugurated at the very site where the Pakistani offensive was blunted. The memorial has a state of art audio visual theatre for screening the movies on the Battle of Laungewala. Located just two hours away from Jaisalmer, the memorial is open seven days a week and the entry is free for visitors.

Second Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) Summit held in Jaipur26-AUG-2015

Top Picks : August 2015 Current Affairs, International | World, 2015 Current Affairs 00Google +0 A+A- Who: Second FIPIC Summit Where: Jaipur, Rajashtan What: Held When: 21 August 2015 Why: To deepen cooperation between India and Pacific Island Nations The Second Forum for India-Pacific Island Cooperation Summit was held on 21 August 2015 in Jaipur, Rajasthan.Besides the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the summit was attended by heads of states and governments and key officials of the 14 pacific island nations of the group.During the summit the leaders discussed common areas of cooperation including marine resources exploration, oil and natural gas, mining, IT, health care, fishing, marine research and space collaboration, climate change, UN reforms.Further, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also held bilateral dialogue with various heads of governments on the sidelines of the summit.About FIPIC It was first concepualised during the visit of Narendra Modi to Fiji in November 2014 to deepen Indias external relations with pacific island nations. The first summit was held in Fijis capital Suva in the third week of November 2014. Apart from India fourteen pacific island countries in the group are: Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. The grouping is part of Indias Act East policy aimed at augmenting Indias proactive presence in East Asia and Pacific region.

Rajasthan Government approved Arogya Rajasthan campaign 26-AUG-2015

Top Picks : August 2015 Current Affairs, Rajasthan, State, 2015 Current Affairs A+A- Who: Arogya Rajasthan campaign What: Approved by Rajasthan Government When: 25 August 2015 Rajasthan State Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje on 25 August 2015 approved the launch of Arogya Rajasthan campaign. The campaign will be held from December 2015 to March 2016.

The three-month campaign will help in collection and compilation of health data of the rural population in the state. During the campaign, the rural residents would be issued health cards based on spot diagnoses. The cards would be used for further treatment and follow-up of patients.The cabinet also approved a drive to collect health information of citizens to build an online datatbase, which will be held between 15 September and 31 October 2015. The campaign Health camps will be organised at gram panchayat level and every citizen will be issued a Health Card.

Fortune released maiden Change the World List26-AUG-2015

Top Picks : News Capsule, August 2015 Current Affairs, 2015 Current Affairs, Report | Survey Google + A+A- Who: Change the World List What: Released by Fortune Magazine When: 20 August 2015 Fortune, an American business magazine, on 20 August 2015 released its maiden Change the World List.It listed out the companies that have made significant progress in addressing major social problems as a part of their core business strategy.The list consists of a range of companies including telecommunications (Vodafone), retailing (Walmart), automobiles (Ford; Toyota) and information technology (Google; Facebook, IBM).Highlights of Change the World List Among the 51 companies it listed out the UK based Vodafone and Kenya based safaricom together ranked no.1 in the list. The joint service M-Pesa lets people who lack bank accounts use their smart phones to save and transfer money, receive pensions, and pay bills is. At present 42 percent of Kenyas GDP is transacted through it. The second rank was given to the search engine giant Google (Alphabet) that provides various communication tools to bridge gaps across the space and time. While Toyota automobile company was place at the third position, retail giant Walmart was at the fourth. Bangladesh based Grameen Bank was at the 12th position that helped millions of people to overcome poverty. Other important companies that are in the list are Alibaba, Starbucks, Unilever, Nike and Twitter.

BRIDGE programme of Australia extended to include Navodaya Schools26-AUG-2015

Top Picks : News Capsule, Abbreviations | Terms, August 2015 Current Affairs, 2015 Current Affairs 00Google +0 A+A- Who: BRIDGE programme of Australia What: To extended to include Navodaya Schools BRIDGE programme: Building Regional Intercultural Dialogue and Growing Engagement programmeAustralias BRIDGE Programme was in news in August 2015. The programme that is run by Australian Schools in collaboration with Indian Schools came in news on 24 August 2015 after Australia agreed to include Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs).The agreement was reached during the 3rd Australia-India Education Council (AIEC) meeting held in New Delhi chaired by the Education Minister of both the countries.

The Australia-India BRIDGE school partnerships project, which is currently confined to private schools, will connect Australian and Indian schools and focus on building teacher capability across key learning areas, including science, technology, engineering and mathematics, information and communication technologies, intercultural understanding, values and inclusive education.

RGI released Census 2011 on Population by Religious Communities 26-AUG-2015

Top Picks : August 2015 Current Affairs, National | India, 2015 Current Affairs 10Google +0 A+A- Who: Census 2011 on Population by Religious Communities What: Released by RGI When: 25 August 2015 The Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India (RGI) on 25 August 2015 released the data on Census 2011 on Population by Religious Communities. The distribution is total population by six major religious communities namely, Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain besides Other Religions and Persuasions and Religion not stated.As per the Census 2011, the Total Population in 2011 was 121.09 crores. Here is the list of Population by Religious Communities based on Census 2011:ReligionPopulation

Hindu96.63 crores (79.8%)

Muslim17.22 crores (14.2%)

Christian2.78 crores (2.3%)

Sikh2.08 crores (1.7%)

Buddhist0.84 crores (0.7%)

Jain0.45 crores (0.4%)

Other Religions & Persuasions0.79 crores (0.7%)

Religion Not Stated0.29 crores (0.2%)

ProportionThe proportion of Hindu population to total population in 2011 has declined by 0.7 percentage point (PP) while the proportion of Sikh population has declined by 0.2 PP and the Buddhist population declined by 0.1 PP during the decade 2001-2011.The proportion of Muslim population to total population has increased by 0.8 PP. There has been no significant change in the proportion of Christians and Jains.Growth RateThe growth rate of population in the decade 2001-2011 was 17.7 percent. The growth rate of population of the different religious communities in the same period was- Hindus at 16.8 percent; Muslim at 24.6 percent; Christian at 15.5 percent; Sikh at 8.4 percent; Buddhist at 6.1 percent and Jain at 5.4 percent.

The Muslim population grew at a faster rate than the Hindu population, but the gap between the two growth rates is narrowing fast. The data shows that between 2001 and 2011, Hindu population grew by 16.76 percent, while population of Muslims grew by 24.6 percent. The population of both communities grew much faster during the 1991-2001 with Hindus at 19.92 percent and Muslims at 29.52 percent.

The Muslim community has registered a moderate 0.8 percent growth to touch 17.22 crore between 2001 and 2011, up from 13.8 crore between 1991-2001, while Hindus population showed a decline by 0.7 percent at 96.63 crore during the period.

Though there is the decadal increase in share of Muslim population, however, their growth rate is lower than the previous decade 1991-2001.

India, Seychelles signed five Agreements/MoUs to improve bilateral relations26-AUG-2015

Top Picks : August 2015 Current Affairs, International | World, 2015 Current Affairs 00Google +0 A+A- Who: Five Agreements/MoUs Where: New Delhi What: Signed When: 26 August 2015 Why: To improve bilateral relations India and Seychelles on 26 August 2015 signed five agreements/Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) aimed at improving bilateral relations in New Delhi.They were signed in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Seychelles President James Michel during the latters visit to India.List of Agreements/MoUs Air Services Agreement. MoU for providing one Dornier Maritime Aircraft. Agreement for exchange of information with respect to Taxes. MoU between Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and Seychelles Agricultural Agency for Cooperation in agricultural research and education. Protocol on framework of cooperation in the field of Blue Economy between India and Seychelles.

Rajasthan Government and FCEL inked agreement to launch Annapurna Bhandar Yojana26-AUG-2015

Top Picks : August 2015 Current Affairs, Rajasthan, State, 2015 Current Affairs 00Google +0 A+A- Who: Rajasthan Government and FCEL Where: Jaipur What: Inked agreement to launch Annapurna Bhandar Yojana When: 20 August 2015 Rajasthan State Food and Civil Supplies Corporation (RSFCSC) and Kishore Biyani-led Future Consumer Enterprise Ltd (FCEL) on 20 August 2015 inked an agreement to launch the Annapurna Bhandar Yojna, which is a Public Private Distribution Scheme, the first-of-its kind in India.

The agreement was signed in presence of Vasundhra Raje, Chief Minister of Rajasthan in Jaipur.The agreement was signed with an aim to provide better quality multi-brand consumer goods at competitive prices to the public of the state through Fair Price Shops (FPS).Under the Yojna, Annapurna Bhandars will emerge as malls in rural areas of Rajasthan and in the first phase, the scheme would be operational through five thousand Fair Price Shops in the state.

As a pilot run, this scheme was launched through five shops in Jaipur city and one at Udaipur by supplying multi-brand daily consumption products.

The PPP agreement enables Rajasthan State Food and Civil Supplies Corporation in implementation of its function of providing non-PDS (Public Distribution System) items at affordable prices to general public through Fair Price Shops.

Chief Minister Vasundhra Raje said this scheme will become Indias biggest entrepreneurship drive with five thousand fair price shop dealers turning into entrepreneurs with Annapurna Bhandars.

PayU India tied-up with redBus to attract customers to use its wallet PayU Money26-AUG-2015

Top Picks : Corporate, August 2015 Current Affairs, Corporate Agreement | Tie-ups, 2015 Current Affairs 00Google +0 A+A- Who: PayU India What: Tied-up with redBus When: 25 August 2015 Why: To attract customers to use its wallet PayU Money PayU India on 25 August 2015 tied-up with online bus ticketing platform redBus to offer cash-back discounts to customers who use its wallet PayU Money to buy tickets.Today, around 50 percent of bookings on redBus are through the PayU Wallet. This tie-up is expected to increase the wallet customers from the current 5 million users to 20 million by 2015 end. However, payments on redBus can also be made with credit and debit cards, net banking and cash on delivery.

Established in 2011, PayU India is part of Naspers Group which owns companies such as red-Bus, OLX and Goibibo. The company is now forming similar alliances in the travel booking space and integrating with sites such as Makemytrip, Goibibo and Cleartrip.

Australia-India Education Council (AIEC) meeting concluded in New Delhi26-AUG-2015

Top Picks : August 2015 Current Affairs, International | World, 2015 Current Affairs 00Google +0 A+A- Who: INT-Australia-India Education Council (AIEC) meet Where: New Delhi What: Concluded When: 24 August 2015 Australia-India Education Council (AIEC) annual meeting concluded in New Delhi on 24 August 2015. This was the third annual meeting of the AIEC.

The meeting was chaired by Union Minister of Human Resource Development Smriti Zubin Irani and Australias Minister for Education and Training Christopher Pyne.Main Outcomes of the meeting India and Australia agreed to extend the Australia-India BRIDGE school partnerships project to include Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs). BRIDGE Building Regional Intercultural Dialogue and Growing Engagement is currently confined to private schools only. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the fields of education, training and research was inked The two nations agreed for a total joint financial commitment of up to 1 million Australian dollars for various activities under Educational Cooperation Both the countries issued a Joint Communiqu commending the significant progress made in the areas of skills, higher education and research among others and welcomed the extension of collaborative activity to include engagement in the schools sector. The communiqu also emphasized that the Global Initiative for Academic Networks (GIAN), launched by India, would enable interaction between the Indian and Australian academicians to mutual benefit.

Besides, Australian Minister Christopher Pyne also announced former cricketer Adam Gilchrist as the Australia-India Education Ambassador. He will help project the quality of Australian education and strengthen the bilateral education, training and research relationships.About Australia-India Education Council (AIEC)The AIEC is a bi-national body established in 2011 as a commitment by the Education Ministers of India and Australia to guide the strategic direction of the education, training and research partnership between the two countries. The AIEC, which is co-chaired by Education Ministers on both sides, consists of academia, industry and government and meets in conjunction with the annual Australia-India Ministerial Dialogue on Education Cooperation.

SAI launched School Sports Promotion Foundation26-AUG-2015

Top Picks : News, August 2015 Current Affairs, Sports, 2015 Current Affairs 10Google +0 A+A- Who: School Sports Promotion Foundation What: Launched by SAI When: 24 August 2015 The Sports Authority of India (SAI) on 24 August 2015 launched the School Sports Promotion Foundation with an aim to tap the sporting talent at the school level.The Sports Promotion Foundation aims to reach out to around 100000 secondary and senior secondary schools irrespective of their ownership, economic or social strata they operate in or the board they are affiliated to.Functions of School Sports Promotion Foundation The foundation will organise sports tournaments across the country to identify talent and nurture it and take them through the city, district, state, zonal and national level of competitive sport. At the next level, it will arrange to provide sports coaching to those talented youth who are identified through these tournaments at all levels. School Sports Promotion Foundation will roll out Football and Cricket in the first year of its operations. In the second year, other sports like Tennis, Basketball and Athletics will be introduced and rural, sub-urban elementary schools with a strong focus on rural sports would be included in the programme.

Study titled the Future of Forests: Emissions from Tropical Deforestation, 2016-2050 released26-AUG-2015

Top Picks : August 2015 Current Affairs, Environment | Ecology, 2015 Current Affairs 00Google +0 A+A- Who: Study titled The Future of Forests: Emissions from Tropical Deforestation, 2016-2050 What: Released When: 24 August 2015 The Washington-based Center for Global Development (CGD) on 24 August 2015 released a report on the future of tropical deforestation from 2016-2050 with and without carbon pricing policies.

The study says that in next 35 years, an area of tropical forest equivalent to the size of India will be deforested. If current trends continue, tropical deforestation will add 169 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere by 2050, the equivalent of running 44000 coal-fired power plants for a year.Highlights of the study In the absence of new forest conservation policies, 289 million hectares of tropical forest will be cleared from 2016-2050an area about the size of India and one-seventh of Earths tropical forest area in the year 2000. It projects that this tropical deforestation will release 169 GtCO2 to the atmosphere from 2016-2050one-sixth of the remaining carbon that can be emitted if the rise in Earths temperature is to be likely held below 2 C. It estimates that a universally applied carbon price of 20/tCO2 dollar from 2016-2050 would avoid 41 GtCO2 of emissions from tropical deforestation while a carbon price of 50/tCO2 dollar would avoid 77 GtCO2. These prices correspond to average costs to land users of 9/tCO2 dollar and 21/tCO2 dollar respectively. It corroborates the conclusions of previous studies that reducing tropical deforestation is a sizable and low-cost option for mitigating climate change. In contrast to previous studies, it was projected that the amount of emissions that can be avoided at low-cost by reducing tropical deforestation will increase rather than decrease in future decades. It says that 89% of potential low-cost emission reductions are located in the 47 tropical countries that have already signaled their intention to reduce emissions from deforestation in exchange for performance-based finance.It suggests that if all tropical countries implemented anti-deforestation policies as effective as those in the Brazilian Amazon post-2004 then 60 GtCO2 of emissions would be avoided.

The studyCGDs study is based on 8 million observations of historical forest loss spanning 101 tropical countries. In the study, the spatial projections of future deforestation incorporated topography, accessibility, protected status, potential agricultural revenue, and a robust observed inverted-U-shaped trajectory of forest cover loss with respect to remaining forest cover.

Ananth Padmanabhan appointed as CEO of HarperCollins India26-AUG-2015

Top Picks : Corporate, August 2015 Current Affairs, 2015 Current Affairs, Corporate Charge | Discharge 00Google +0 A+A- Who: Ananth Padmanabhan What: Appointed as CEO of HarperCollins India When: 25 August 2015 Ananth Padmanabhan was on 25 August 2015 appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of HarperCollins India with effect from October 2015. Padmanabhan succeeded P M Sukumar. Padmanabhan will have overall responsibility for all divisions of the business and will report to Charlie Redmayne, CEO of HarperCollins UK. While the responsibility for running the day to day Collins India education business remains with Krishna Naroor.

Presently, Padmanabhan is working as a Senior Vice President of Sales at Penguin Random House. He has a total of 20 years of experience in the publishing sector.

He has served on the Management Executive level and was responsible for sales, local acquisition and publishing strategy and local digital strategy at Penguin Random House. He is also a writer and his first book Play with Me was published in 2015.

Formation of a new HarperCollins India BoardHarperCollins also announced the formation of a new HarperCollins India Board. The board includes Redmayne; Padmanabhan; Colin Hughes; Ed Kielbasiewicz; Alex Beecroft; and Amit Abrol.

Krishna Naroor will also join the board.

Girish Sahni assumed charge as Director General of CSIR26-AUG-2015

Top Picks : News Capsule, August 2015 Current Affairs, Person Appointed, 2015 Current Affairs 00Google +0 A+A- Who: Girish Sahni What: Appointed as Director General of CSIR When: 26 August 2015 Girish Sahni on 26 August 2015 assumed charge as the Director General of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) with effect from the 24 August 2015. Additionally, Sahni will also serve as Secretary, Department of Scientific & Industrial Research, Union Ministry of Science & Technology.Previously, Sahni had been the Director of CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology (CSIR-IMTECH), Chandigarh.Born on 2 March 1956, Sahni specializes in Protein Engineering, Molecular Biology, and Biotechnology. He is internationally recognized for his research contributions. He is Fellow of Indian National Science Academy, New Delhi; Indian Academy of Science, Bangalore, and NASI, Allahabad.

About Girish Sahni Sahni has contributed significantly in the area of protein cardiovascular drugs especially clot busters and their mode of action in the human body. The team led by him is responsible for producing technology for Indias first indigenous clot bluster drug, natural streptokinase (under brand name STPase marketed by Cadila Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Ahmedabad). His team has also developed a novel life-saver thrombolytic drug (Clot-specific streptokinase), Indias first bio-therapeutic molecule which is not a Biosimilar. This drug has been patented worldwide. Recently, the team led by him developed fourth-generation Anti-thrombotic clot busters, the first of its kind in the world. He has received many awards for his contributions including National Biotechnology Product Development Award 2002, CSIR Technology Shield 2001-2002, The Vasvik Industrial Award 2000, Ranbaxy Award in Pharmaceutical Sciences 2003 and Vigyan Rattan Award 2014.Ananth Padmanabhan appointed as CEO of HarperCollins India26-AUG-2015

Top Picks : Corporate, August 2015 Current Affairs, 2015 Current Affairs, Corporate Charge | Discharge 00Google +0 A+A- Who: Ananth Padmanabhan What: Appointed as CEO of HarperCollins India When: 25 August 2015 Ananth Padmanabhan was on 25 August 2015 appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of HarperCollins India with effect from October 2015. Padmanabhan succeeded P M Sukumar. Padmanabhan will have overall responsibility for all divisions of the business and will report to Charlie Redmayne, CEO of HarperCollins UK. While the responsibility for running the day to day Collins India education business remains with Krishna Naroor.

Presently, Padmanabhan is working as a Senior Vice President of Sales at Penguin Random House. He has a total of 20 years of experience in the publishing sector.

He has served on the Management Executive level and was responsible for sales, local acquisition and publishing strategy and local digital strategy at Penguin Random House. He is also a writer and his first book Play with Me was published in 2015.

Formation of a new HarperCollins India BoardHarperCollins also announced the formation of a new HarperCollins India Board. The board includes Redmayne; Padmanabhan; Colin Hughes; Ed Kielbasiewicz; Alex Beecroft; and Amit Abrol.

Krishna Naroor will also join the board.Girish Sahni assumed charge as Director General of CSIR26-AUG-2015

Top Picks : News Capsule, August 2015 Current Affairs, Person Appointed, 2015 Current Affairs 00Google +0 A+A- Who: Girish Sahni What: Appointed as Director General of CSIR When: 26 August 2015 Girish Sahni on 26 August 2015 assumed charge as the Director General of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) with effect from the 24 August 2015. Additionally, Sahni will also serve as Secretary, Department of Scientific & Industrial Research, Union Ministry of Science & Technology.Previously, Sahni had been the Director of CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology (CSIR-IMTECH), Chandigarh.Born on 2 March 1956, Sahni specializes in Protein Engineering, Molecular Biology, and Biotechnology. He is internationally recognized for his research contributions. He is Fellow of Indian National Science Academy, New Delhi; Indian Academy of Science, Bangalore, and NASI, Allahabad.

About Girish Sahni Sahni has contributed significantly in the area of protein cardiovascular drugs especially clot busters and their mode of action in the human body. The team led by him is responsible for producing technology for Indias first indigenous clot bluster drug, natural streptokinase (under brand name STPase marketed by Cadila Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Ahmedabad). His team has also developed a novel life-saver thrombolytic drug (Clot-specific streptokinase), Indias first bio-therapeutic molecule which is not a Biosimilar. This drug has been patented worldwide. Recently, the team led by him developed fourth-generation Anti-thrombotic clot busters, the first of its kind in the world. He has received many awards for his contributions including National Biotechnology Product Development Award 2002, CSIR Technology Shield 2001-2002, The Vasvik Industrial Award 2000, Ranbaxy Award in Pharmaceutical Sciences 2003 and Vigyan Rattan Award 2014.Indian Army inaugurated Jaisalmer War Museum and Laungewala War Memorial26-AUG-2015

Top Picks : News Capsule, Defence | Security, August 2015 Current Affairs, 2015 Current Affairs A+A- Who: Jaisalmer War Museum and Laungewala War Memorial What: Inaugurated by Indian Army When: 24 August 2015 Jaisalmer War Museum established in the Military Station of Jaisalmer, Rajasthan was inaugurated on 24 August 2015. The museum was inaugurated by Lieutenant General Ashok Singh, General Officer Commanding in Chief of Southern Command to mark the Golden Jubilee Commemoration Year of 1965 Indo Pak War.

The War Museum is located 10 km short of Jaisalmer on the Jaisalmer - Jodhpur Highway.Jaisalmer War Museum It carries two large Information Display Halls, an Audio Visual Room and a souvenir shop. There are a large number of captured war trophies and own vintage equipment on display to include tanks, guns and military vehicles. The Indian Air Force has presented a Hunter aircraft for the museum, which was used during the Battle for Laungewala in 1971 Indo Pak War. The entry to the war museum is free for all visitors.

Besides, to commemorate Battle of Laungewala that was fought on 4 December and 5 December 1971, a War Memorial was constructed and inaugurated at the very site where the Pakistani offensive was blunted. The memorial has a state of art audio visual theatre for screening the movies on the Battle of Laungewala. Located just two hours away from Jaisalmer, the memorial is open seven days a week and the entry is free for visitors.Fortune released maiden Change the World List26-AUG-2015

Top Picks : News Capsule, August 2015 Current Affairs, 2015 Current Affairs, Report | Survey A+A- Who: Change the World List What: Released by Fortune Magazine When: 20 August 2015 Fortune, an American business magazine, on 20 August 2015 released its maiden Change the World List.It listed out the companies that have made significant progress in addressing major social problems as a part of their core business strategy.The list consists of a range of companies including telecommunications (Vodafone), retailing (Walmart), automobiles (Ford; Toyota) and information technology (Google; Facebook, IBM).Highlights of Change the World List Among the 51 companies it listed out the UK based Vodafone and Kenya based safaricom together ranked no.1 in the list. The joint service M-Pesa lets people who lack bank accounts use their smart phones to save and transfer money, receive pensions, and pay bills is. At present 42 percent of Kenyas GDP is transacted through it. The second rank was given to the search engine giant Google (Alphabet) that provides various communication tools to bridge gaps across the space and time. While Toyota automobile company was place at the third position, retail giant Walmart was at the fourth. Bangladesh based Grameen Bank was at the 12th position that helped millions of people to overcome poverty. Other important companies that are in the list are Alibaba, Starbucks, Unilever, Nike and Twitter.RGI released Census 2011 on Population by Religious Communities 26-AUG-2015

Top Picks : August 2015 Current Affairs, National | India, 2015 Current Affairs A+A- Who: Census 2011 on Population by Religious Communities What: Released by RGI When: 25 August 2015 The Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India (RGI) on 25 August 2015 released the data on Census 2011 on Population by Religious Communities. The distribution is total population by six major religious communities namely, Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain besides Other Religions and Persuasions and Religion not stated.As per the Census 2011, the Total Population in 2011 was 121.09 crores. Here is the list of Population by Religious Communities based on Census 2011:ReligionPopulation

Hindu96.63 crores (79.8%)

Muslim17.22 crores (14.2%)

Christian2.78 crores (2.3%)

Sikh2.08 crores (1.7%)

Buddhist0.84 crores (0.7%)

Jain0.45 crores (0.4%)

Other Religions & Persuasions0.79 crores (0.7%)

Religion Not Stated0.29 crores (0.2%)

ProportionThe proportion of Hindu population to total population in 2011 has declined by 0.7 percentage point (PP) while the proportion of Sikh population has declined by 0.2 PP and the Buddhist population declined by 0.1 PP during the decade 2001-2011.The proportion of Muslim population to total population has increased by 0.8 PP. There has been no significant change in the proportion of Christians and Jains.Growth RateThe growth rate of population in the decade 2001-2011 was 17.7 percent. The growth rate of population of the different religious communities in the same period was- Hindus at 16.8 percent; Muslim at 24.6 percent; Christian at 15.5 percent; Sikh at 8.4 percent; Buddhist at 6.1 percent and Jain at 5.4 percent.

The Muslim population grew at a faster rate than the Hindu population, but the gap between the two growth rates is narrowing fast. The data shows that between 2001 and 2011, Hindu population grew by 16.76 percent, while population of Muslims grew by 24.6 percent. The population of both communities grew much faster during the 1991-2001 with Hindus at 19.92 percent and Muslims at 29.52 percent.

The Muslim community has registered a moderate 0.8 percent growth to touch 17.22 crore between 2001 and 2011, up from 13.8 crore between 1991-2001, while Hindus population showed a decline by 0.7 percent at 96.63 crore during the period.

Though there is the decadal increase in share of Muslim population, however, their growth rate is lower than the previous decade 1991-2001.India, Seychelles signed five Agreements/MoUs to improve bilateral relations26-AUG-2015

Top Picks : August 2015 Current Affairs, International | World, 2015 Current Affairs A+A- Who: Five Agreements/MoUs Where: New Delhi What: Signed When: 26 August 2015 Why: To improve bilateral relations India and Seychelles on 26 August 2015 signed five agreements/Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) aimed at improving bilateral relations in New Delhi.They were signed in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Seychelles President James Michel during the latters visit to India.List of Agreements/MoUs Air Services Agreement. MoU for providing one Dornier Maritime Aircraft. Agreement for exchange of information with respect to Taxes. MoU between Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and Seychelles Agricultural Agency for Cooperation in agricultural research and education. Protocol on framework of cooperation in the field of Blue Economy between India and Seychelles.BRIDGE programme of Australia extended to include Navodaya Schools26-AUG-2015

Top Picks : News Capsule, Abbreviations | Terms, August 2015 Current Affairs, 2015 Current Affairs 00Google +0 A+A- Who: BRIDGE programme of Australia What: To extended to include Navodaya Schools BRIDGE programme: Building Regional Intercultural Dialogue and Growing Engagement programmeAustralias BRIDGE Programme was in news in August 2015. The programme that is run by Australian Schools in collaboration with Indian Schools came in news on 24 August 2015 after Australia agreed to include Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs).The agreement was reached during the 3rd Australia-India Education Council (AIEC) meeting held in New Delhi chaired by the Education Minister of both the countries.

The Australia-India BRIDGE school partnerships project, which is currently confined to private schools, will connect Australian and Indian schools and focus on building teacher capability across key learning areas, including science, technology, engineering and mathematics, information and communication technologies, intercultural understanding, values and inclusive education.Rajasthan Government and FCEL inked agreement to launch Annapurna Bhandar Yojana26-AUG-2015

Top Picks : August 2015 Current Affairs, Rajasthan, State, 2015 Current Affairs A+A- Who: Rajasthan Government and FCEL Where: Jaipur What: Inked agreement to launch Annapurna Bhandar Yojana When: 20 August 2015 Rajasthan State Food and Civil Supplies Corporation (RSFCSC) and Kishore Biyani-led Future Consumer Enterprise Ltd (FCEL) on 20 August 2015 inked an agreement to launch the Annapurna Bhandar Yojna, which is a Public Private Distribution Scheme, the first-of-its kind in India.

The agreement was signed in presence of Vasundhra Raje, Chief Minister of Rajasthan in Jaipur.The agreement was signed with an aim to provide better quality multi-brand consumer goods at competitive prices to the public of the state through Fair Price Shops (FPS).Under the Yojna, Annapurna Bhandars will emerge as malls in rural areas of Rajasthan and in the first phase, the scheme would be operational through five thousand Fair Price Shops in the state.

As a pilot run, this scheme was launched through five shops in Jaipur city and one at Udaipur by supplying multi-brand daily consumption products.

The PPP agreement enables Rajasthan State Food and Civil Supplies Corporation in implementation of its function of providing non-PDS (Public Distribution System) items at affordable prices to general public through Fair Price Shops.

Chief Minister Vasundhra Raje said this scheme will become Indias biggest entrepreneurship drive with five thousand fair price shop dealers turning into entrepreneurs with Annapurna Bhandars.PayU India tied-up with redBus to attract customers to use its wallet PayU Money26-AUG-2015

Top Picks : Corporate, August 2015 Current Affairs, Corporate Agreement | Tie-ups, 2015 Current Affairs A+A- Who: PayU India What: Tied-up with redBus When: 25 August 2015 Why: To attract customers to use its wallet PayU Money PayU India on 25 August 2015 tied-up with online bus ticketing platform redBus to offer cash-back discounts to customers who use its wallet PayU Money to buy tickets.Today, around 50 percent of bookings on redBus are through the PayU Wallet. This tie-up is expected to increase the wallet customers from the current 5 million users to 20 million by 2015 end. However, payments on redBus can also be made with credit and debit cards, net banking and cash on delivery.

Established in 2011, PayU India is part of Naspers Group which owns companies such as red-Bus, OLX and Goibibo. The company is now forming similar alliances in the travel booking space and integrating with sites such as Makemytrip, Goibibo and Cleartrip.Australia-India Education Council (AIEC) meeting concluded in New Delhi26-AUG-2015

Top Picks : August 2015 Current Affairs, International | World, 2015 Current Affairs A+A- Who: INT-Australia-India Education Council (AIEC) meet Where: New Delhi What: Concluded When: 24 August 2015 Australia-India Education Council (AIEC) annual meeting concluded in New Delhi on 24 August 2015. This was the third annual meeting of the AIEC.

The meeting was chaired by Union Minister of Human Resource Development Smriti Zubin Irani and Australias Minister for Education and Training Christopher Pyne.Main Outcomes of the meeting India and Australia agreed to extend the Australia-India BRIDGE school partnerships project to include Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs). BRIDGE Building Regional Intercultural Dialogue and Growing Engagement is currently confined to private schools only. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the fields of education, training and research was inked The two nations agreed for a total joint financial commitment of up to 1 million Australian dollars for various activities under Educational Cooperation Both the countries issued a Joint Communiqu commending the significant progress made in the areas of skills, higher education and research among others and welcomed the extension of collaborative activity to include engagement in the schools sector. The communiqu also emphasized that the Global Initiative for Academic Networks (GIAN), launched by India, would enable interaction between the Indian and Australian academicians to mutual benefit.

Besides, Australian Minister Christopher Pyne also announced former cricketer Adam Gilchrist as the Australia-India Education Ambassador. He will help project the quality of Australian education and strengthen the bilateral education, training and research relationships.About Australia-India Education Council (AIEC)The AIEC is a bi-national body established in 2011 as a commitment by the Education Ministers of India and Australia to guide the strategic direction of the education, training and research partnership between the two countries. The AIEC, which is co-chaired by Education Ministers on both sides, consists of academia, industry and government and meets in conjunction with the annual Australia-India Ministerial Dialogue on Education Cooperation.SAI launched School Sports Promotion Foundation26-AUG-2015

Top Picks : News, August 2015 Current Affairs, Sports, 2015 Current Affairs A+A- Who: School Sports Promotion Foundation What: Launched by SAI When: 24 August 2015 The Sports Authority of India (SAI) on 24 August 2015 launched the School Sports Promotion Foundation with an aim to tap the sporting talent at the school level.The Sports Promotion Foundation aims to reach out to around 100000 secondary and senior secondary schools irrespective of their ownership, economic or social strata they operate in or the board they are affiliated to.Functions of School Sports Promotion Foundation The foundation will organise sports tournaments across the country to identify talent and nurture it and take them through the city, district, state, zonal and national level of competitive sport. At the next level, it will arrange to provide sports coaching to those talented youth who are identified through these tournaments at all levels. School Sports Promotion Foundation will roll out Football and Cricket in the first year of its operations. In the second year, other sports like Tennis, Basketball and Athletics will be introduced and rural, sub-urban elementary schools with a strong focus on rural sports would be included in the programme.Study titled the Future of Forests: Emissions from Tropical Deforestation, 2016-2050 released26-AUG-2015

Top Picks : August 2015 Current Affairs, Environment | Ecology, 2015 Current Affairs 00Google +0 A+A- Who: Study titled The Future of Forests: Emissions from Tropical Deforestation, 2016-2050 What: Released When: 24 August 2015 The Washington-based Center for Global Development (CGD) on 24 August 2015 released a report on the future of tropical deforestation from 2016-2050 with and without carbon pricing policies.

The study says that in next 35 years, an area of tropical forest equivalent to the size of India will be deforested. If current trends continue, tropical deforestation will add 169 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere by 2050, the equivalent of running 44000 coal-fired power plants for a year.Highlights of the study In the absence of new forest conservation policies, 289 million hectares of tropical forest will be cleared from 2016-2050an area about the size of India and one-seventh of Earths tropical forest area in the year 2000. It projects that this tropical deforestation will release 169 GtCO2 to the atmosphere from 2016-2050one-sixth of the remaining carbon that can be emitted if the rise in Earths temperature is to be likely held below 2 C. It estimates that a universally applied carbon price of 20/tCO2 dollar from 2016-2050 would avoid 41 GtCO2 of emissions from tropical deforestation while a carbon price of 50/tCO2 dollar would avoid 77 GtCO2. These prices correspond to average costs to land users of 9/tCO2 dollar and 21/tCO2 dollar respectively. It corroborates the conclusions of previous studies that reducing tropical deforestation is a sizable and low-cost option for mitigating climate change. In contrast to previous studies, it was projected that the amount of emissions that can be avoided at low-cost by reducing tropical deforestation will increase rather than decrease in future decades. It says that 89% of potential low-cost emission reductions are located in the 47 tropical countries that have already signaled their intention to reduce emissions from deforestation in exchange for performance-based finance.It suggests that if all tropical countries implemented anti-deforestation policies as effective as those in the Brazilian Amazon post-2004 then 60 GtCO2 of emissions would be avoided.

The studyCGDs study is based on 8 million observations of historical forest loss spanning 101 tropical countries. In the study, the spatial projections of future deforestation incorporated topography, accessibility, protected status, potential agricultural revenue, and a robust observed inverted-U-shaped trajectory of forest cover loss with respect to remaining forest cover.AP Government, Tata Trust signed MoU to develop villages of Vijayawada parliamentary constituency26-AUG-2015

Top Picks : Andhra Pradesh, August 2015 Current Affairs, State, 2015 Current Affairs 00Google +0 A+A- Who: MoU between AP Government and Tata Trust Where: Vijayawada What: Signed When: 24 August 2015 Why: To develop 264 villages of Vijayawada parliamentary constituency Andhra Pradesh Government and the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust on 24 August 2015 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop 264 villages of the Vijayawada parliamentary constituency.The MoU was signed in Vijayawada in the presence of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and the chairman of the Tata trust Ratan Tata.Key Features of the MoU All round development of villages will be taken up including health, education, drinking water and self employment for the youth. About 2.5 lakh households of the constituency will benefit under this initiative. Special emphasis will be given for the development of bamboo cultivation and marketing and Self Help Groups. Funds will be provided by the Union Government through MP Local Area Development Scheme (MP LADS), State Government and the Tata Trust.India, Egypt signed two MoUs to deepen bilateral cooperation26-AUG-2015

Top Picks : August 2015 Current Affairs, International | World, 2015 Current Affairs 00Google +0 A+A- Who: Two MoUs between India and Egypt Where: Cairo, Egypt What: Signed When: 24 August 2015 Why: To deepen cooperatin in tourism and research areas India and Egypt on 24 August 2015 signed two Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) to enhance bilateral cooperation.They were signed in Egypts capital Cairo during the visit of External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj to Egypt and they wereMoU on Cooperation in the field of TourismAimed at enhancing bilateral cooperation in Tourism, Hospitality and Human Resource Development; Draw up a road map for enhancing cooperation; establish a Joint Working Group (JWG) on tourism cooperation.MoU on scientific and technical CooperationIt was signed between the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the National Research Center (NRC) of Egypt.It will support promotion and extension of cooperation in Scientific Research and Technology Development in fields of mutual interest; Cooperate on common intellectual property rights; Develop Working Program to review the implementation of MoU; Establish Joint Committee; Exchange of scientists, scholars, information; Joint Research Programmes in water desalination, solar energy, medicine and affordable health care, setting up joint laboratories, etc.Union Government launched 'Sehat' to provide healthcare facilities in rural areas26-AUG-2015

Top Picks : August 2015 Current Affairs, National | India, 2015 Current Affairs 00Google +0 A+A- Who: Telemedicine initiative 'Sehat' What: Union Government launched it When: 25 August 2015 Why: To provide healthcare facilities in rural areas The Union government on 25 August 2015 launched a telemedicine initiative 'Sehat' in collaboration with Apollo Hospitals to provide healthcare facilities in rural areas.

The initiative was launched by Union Communication and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad at a function in New Delhi.Under the initiative people will be able to consult doctors through video link and also order generic drugs. It will also help in providing quality and affordable healthcare is one of the emerging needs for citizens in rural areas.

The Common Service Centres (CSCs) have been delivering tele-consultation services with support from Apollo and Medanta Hospitals in some areas. These CSCs will also provide diagnostic services and promote sale of generic drugs through collaboration with Health Ministry by setting up Jan Aushadhi Stores.

Now, with this initiative, the tele-consultation services are being extended to 60000 centres across the country.