ExamsTyari

      Current Affairs - January 8,2016

 

Amitabh Kant was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NITI Aayo

Amitabh Kant, secretary in the department of industrial policy and promotion, has been appointed the chief executive officer (CEO) of the NITI Aayog.

 

Amitabh Kant is known to be the brain behind two key campaigns of Narendra Modi government - Make in India and the ease of doing business.

 

Kant has been appointed in place of former IAS officer Sindhushree Khullar, who was appointed as the first CEO of the National Institution for Transforming India (Niti) Aayog, a body that has replaced Planning Commission, for a fixed one-year term beginning January 1, last year. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is Chairman of Niti Aayog.

 

India-France military exercise Shakti-2016.

Indo-French joint military training exercise named 'Exercise Shakti-2016' will be held in Mahajan Field Firing Ranges in Rajasthan's Bikaner.This is the third edition in the series of bilateral exercises.

 

The exercise would be conducted in two phases, namely combat conducting and tactical training and validation exercise

 

India to grow at 7.8% in year 2016: World Bank Report 

IIndia is projected to grow by a robust 7.8% this year and 7.9% in the next two years, the World Bank forecast said, citing strong investor sentiment and the positive effect on real incomes of the recent fall in oil prices.

 

In its latest Global Economic Prospect report which is released every six months -- the World Bank marginally reduced India's growth rate 0.2% in 2015 and 0.1% in both 2016 and 2017.However, India continues to be the bright spot of the global economy, as Chinese growth is projected to slow further.The World Bank estimates that China grew at an estimated 6.9% in 2015 (0.3% less than its June projection).

 

Union Government launches River Information System

In a first of its kind of initiative, the Union Government on Wednesday launched a River Information System (RIS) that will facilitate safe and accurate navigation on National Waterway - 1 on River Ganga.

 

RIS is being implemented under the overall responsibility of the Inland Waterway Authority of India, a statutory body administered by the Ministry of Shipping.

 

Raghuram Rajan has been conferred Central Banker of the Year Award.

Reserve Bank of India Governor, Raghuram Rajan, has been conferred with the Central Banker of the Year award for the year 2016 by the Financial Times Group's publication,The Banker.

 

The Financial Times Ltd. owns the Banker, an English-language monthly international financial affairs publication. Brendan Bracken, founding Editor of the Financial News first published the magazine in January 1926.

 

About Raghuram Rajan;

• Raghuram Rajan became the 23rd Governor of RBI in the year 2013.

• He was the Chief Economist at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) from 2003 to December 2006.

• He was awarded the Financial Times-Goldman Sachs prize for his book 'Fault Lines: How Hidden Fractures Still Threaten the World Economy' in 2010.

• He became the President of the American Finance Association in 2011.

• Rajan was appointed as the Chief Economic Adviser to the Government of India in the year 2012

Miguel Tabuena has won Hilton Asian Tour Golfer of the Month.

The Philippines' Miguel Tabuena on 7 January 2016 was voted as the Hilton Asian Tour Golfer of Month for December 2015. Tabuena won the award ahead of Thailand's Phachara Khongwatmai and India's Himmat Rai. The trio were nominated by a selection panel before going into a voting process.

 

• Born on 13 October 1994, Miguel Tabuena is a Filipino professional golfer. As an amateur golfer, he won the events in Malaysia and Singapore and won the silver medal at the 2010 Asian Games in the men's individual event.

•  He turned professional in 2011. He has played on the Asian Tour since 2011 and picked up his first win at the 2015 Philippine Open.

•  He became the first Filipino to win his National Open since 2008.

Devender Kumar Sikri has been appointed as Chairman of Competition Commission of India.

Former Gujarat cadre IAS officer Devender Kumar Sikri has been appointed as the Chairman of fair-trade regulator Competition Commission of India (CCI). Sikri will succeed Ashok Chawla as the Chairman of Competition Commission of India (CCI).

 

Competition Commission of India;

• The Competition Commission of India (CCI) was established in March 2009.

• The objective of CCI is to promote a healthy competition in market and to ensure freedom of trade in Indian market.

• The CCI oversees the implementation of the Competition Act, 2002, as amended by the Competition (Amendment) Act, 2007.

Government decides to merge Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs with MEA.

The government has decided to merge the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) with the External Affairs Ministry in sync with its broad principle of minimum government, maximum governance.

 

The MOIA is part of the government of India. The ministry is headed by Foreign Minister Swaraj. It is dedicated to the multitude of Indian nationals settled out of India. Positioned as a Services Ministry, it provides information, partnerships and facilitations for all matters related to Overseas Indians: Non-Resident Indian and Person of Indian Origin.

 

Established in May 2004 as the ministry of non-resident Indian’s affairs was renamed as the ministry of overseas Indian affairs in September 2004.