Current Affairs 13th August 2016
NATIONAL
- Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu Minister for Information & Broadcasting inaugurates Independence Day Film Festival
- In order to provide efficient and transparent governance to the people at their doorsteps, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal inaugurated the state’s first ‘Sewa Kendra’ where people will be able to avail 243 services under one roof
- The Assam Assembly unanimously passed the Constitution Amendment Bill on GST, becoming the first state to ratify the crucial tax reform legislation
- President nod for six new IITs in country; NIT in AP
- Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, HUPA has approved construction of over 37,000 houses for the urban poor in Haryana and Karnataka with central assistance of Rs 569 crore
- The Minister of State for Home Affairs Shri Kiren Rijiju visited Indonesia to attend the International Meeting on Counter Terrorism on the theme “Countering Cross Border Movement of Terrorism” held in Bali, Indonesia
- Nagaland govt to grant 33% reservation to women in Urban Local Bodies
- Krishna Pushkaralu, the 12-day festival that comes once in every 12 years, begins on Friday with over three crore devotees expected to take a holy dip in the river across Andhra Pradesh
INTERNATIONAL
- The United Nations will issue a stamp in honour of carnatic music legend, M S Subbulakshmi, on her birth centenary next week, coinciding with the celebrations of India’s 70th Independence Day
NEW APPOINTMENTS
- Rajya Sabha named 10 of its members to the Joint Committee of Parliament that will go into the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill
- Microsoft announced the appointment of Sri ram Rajamani as new managing director of its India lab
BANKING
- A Reserve Bank of India (RBI) committee has recommended that banks should identify specialised areas for certification of staff manning key responsibilities
- The Reserve Bank will transfer to the central government its surplus profit of Rs 65,876 crore, marginally lower than the amount given last year
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
- IRDAI has imposed Rs 35 lakh fine on Bharti Axa General Insurance Co Ltd for violation of various norms including outsourcing activities and corporate governance guidelines
- Gamesa has received order from KCT Renewable Energy Pvt Ltd for a 40 MW wind power project located at Molagavalli site in Andhra Pradesh
- Private Sector lender, Kotak Mahindra Bank (KMB), announced the availability of Flipkart’s mobile site in its mobile banking app, which gives the customer a secure in-app shopping environment
SCIENCE &TECHNOLOGY
- NASA has selected six US companies to develop deep-space-habitat prototypes – The selected partners are:
- Bigelow Aerospace of Las Vegas, Nev.
- Boeing of Pasadena, Texas
- Lockheed Martin of Denver, Colo.
- Orbital ATK of Dulles, Va.
- Sierra Nevada Corporation’s Space Systems of Louisville, Colo.
- Nano Rocks of Webster, Texas
SPORTS
- Australia’s undefeated women’s team claimed the first Rugby Sevens Olympic gold medal
- Rio Olympics: Michael Phelps wins 22nd Olympic gold in 200 individual medley