Gk Update 28 June 2016

1. N S Vishwanathan appointed as the new deputy governor of RBI

i. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has cleared the appointment of NS Vishwanathan as the Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). 
ii. He is currently working as an executive director at the RBI since April 2014 and overseeing the banking regulation and non-banking department. He would succeed H R Khan, who will retire on July 3. 
iii. The appointment came as per the rule under which RBI has provision for four deputy governors, two of whom are appointed from outside while the other two Deputy Governors are traditionally appointed from those working within RBI.

2. India ranked 105th on WEF's Human Capital Index

i. India has been ranked 105th out of 130 countries on the World Economic Forum's Human Capital Index, which measures countries ability to nurture, develop and deploy talent for economic growth. 
ii. Finland topped the index while other countries like China (71) and Bangladesh (104) were ranked above India.
iii. The index has been released by Geneva-based World Economic Forum (WEF).

3. Defence Ministry gives the nod for purchase of 145 Ultra Light Howitzers guns from the US

i. The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has given its approval for the purchase of 145 Ultra-Light Howitzers (ULH) guns from the US.
ii. The procurement of ULH will be through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) route from the US and it will cost around 750 million dollars. As part of this deal, 25 ULH guns will come to India directly from the US in a fly-away condition. 
iii. Rest will be assembled in India at the proposed Assembly Integration and Test facility (AITF) for the weapon system in partnership with Mahindra and Mahindra Company.

4. Rajnath Singh inaugurates h.q. of Jharkhand's special anti-Maoist force 

i. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has inaugurated the newly constructed headquarters of Jharkhand's special anti-Maoist force 'Jharkhand Jaguar' in Jharkhand's capital city Ranchi. The headquarters will pave the way for the further strengthening of the force. 
ii. Singh also inaugurated the administration block and other buildings at Jharkhand Jaguar campus. 
iii. Jharkhand Jaguar is an anti-Maoist squad formed eight years ago in 2008 and has led many successful operations against Maoists so far.

5. Odisha government to provide education loan at 1% interest

i. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has launched a new scheme Kalinga Siksha Sathi Yojana with an aim to provide education loan at 1 % interest to students for pursuing higher studies. 
ii. The State government dedicated this scheme to former Chief Minister Biju Patnaik on his Birth Centenary.
iii. Under this scheme, poor students aspiring to pursue professional and technical education can now avail themselves of study loan up to 10 lakh rupees at 1% interest rate. Odisha government will provide a cost of 500 crore rupees from its own  resources for this purpose.

6. IMF clears payment of USD 501 million to Pakistan

i. Washington DC-based the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has cleared the payment of $501 million for Pakistan. 
ii. The Executive Board of the IMF has completed the eleventh review of Pakistan’s economic performance under a three-year program supported by an Extended Fund Facility (EFF) arrangement. 
iii. The Executive Board’s decision enables the immediate disbursement of an amount equivalent to SDR 360 million (about US$501 million), bringing total disbursements to SDR 4.32 billion (about US$6.01 billion).

7. PM releases book titled “The Birds of Banni Grassland”

i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has released a book titled “The Birds of Banni Grassland” in New Delhi. 
ii. The Book is a compilation of the research work, relating to more than 250 species of birds found in the Banni area of Kutch, Gujarat. 
iii. The book was presented to the Prime Minister by the Scientists of Gujarat Institute of Desert Ecology. The Gujarat Institute of Desert Ecology, located at Bhuj, has been studying the plant, bird and marine life in the Rann of Kutch for over 15 years.

8. Sujoy Bose appointed as the CEO of NIIF

i. The Union government has appointed Mr. Sujoy Bose as the Chief Executive Officer of National Investment and Infrastructure Fund Ltd. (NIIF).
ii. His appointed for the post has been made by a search-cum-selection committee which was constituted under the chairmanship of economic affairs secretary Shaktikanta Das. 
iii. At present, he is the Director and Global Co-Head, Infrastructure and Natural Resources at Washington-based International Finance Corporation (IFC). IFC is the private sector lending arm of the World Bank.

9. Gudni Johannesson wins Iceland’s presidential election

i. Gudni Johannesson has won the Iceland’s presidential election. He is a history professor who ran as an independent in the election and was able to secure 39.1% of the vote. 
ii. He will succeed Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, who served 20 years as head of state. 
iii. The elections were held in the backdrop of the Panama Papers leak in April, which implicated several top officials of the country.

10. Two Indians get Queen’s Young Leaders Award 2016

i. Two Indians, Kartik Sawhney, and Neha Swain, have won the 2016 Queen's Young Leaders award in the United Kingdom which has been presented by Queen Elizabeth at the British monarch in Buckingham Palace. The name of these awardees has been announced last year in December. 
ii. Sawhney (21) and Swain (28) have won the prestigious award for their exceptional work in transforming the lives of others and making a lasting difference in their communities. 
iii. The Queen’s Young Leader Award recognises and celebrates exceptional people aged 18-29 from across the Commonwealth and is given to youths who are taking the lead in their communities and using their skills to transform lives.

11. Indian bags UN honour for corporate sustainability initiative

i. An Indian social entrepreneur Zubaida Bai, has been named among 10 "champions and pioneers" by United Nation chief Ban Ki-moon under the world's largest corporate sustainability initiative that calls on companies to align with universal principles of human rights, environment, and anti-corruption.
ii. Zubaida Bai is the founder of 'AYZH' which is a for-profit social venture providing health and livelihood solutions to impoverished women worldwide. 
iii. AYZH was named among the 10 '2016 Global Compact SDG Pioneers', an initiative launched by UN to search for "entrepreneurs" who can play a pivotal role.

12. Founder of Titan, Xerxes Sapur Desai has passed away

i. Xerxes Sapur Desai, the man who founded India's largest watchmaker company 'Titan Co Ltd', has passed away following a prolonged illness in Bengaluru. He was 79 years old. 
ii. He did BA in History and also did masters in philosophy, economics, and politics from Oxford University. After getting graduated, he joined Tata Administrative Service (TAS) in 1961.
iii. He also worked with Tata Press, Tata Chemicals, and Taj Hotels before setting up Titan in 1986. The idea of Titan came about in 1979, but it took him seven long years to finally set up a factory in Hosur, on the outskirts of Bengaluru, in 1986 with support from the Tamil Nadu government. With the success in watches, he got Tata's approval to start Tanishq, the jewelry business that is now a trusted brand and India’s largest jewelry firm.

13. NSCN (IM) Chairman Isak Chishi Swu has passed away

i. The Chairman of NSCN (IM) Isak Chishi Swu has passed away in New Delhi after a prolonged illness. He was 87.
ii. Swu joined the Nagaland underground force in the late 1950’s and served as Foreign Secretary of the Naga National Council (NNC) which was a political organization of Naga People. 
iii. Isak Chishi Swu is one of the founding leaders the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) in January 1980 .

14. National Inter-State Senior Athletics C’ships begin in Hyderabad 

i. The 56th National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships, a qualifying event for the Rio Olympics, has begun in Hyderabad today. 
ii. As many as 744 athletes, including 264 women from 26 states will take part in the five-day event. 
iii. So far, 21 athletes have qualified for the Rio Olympic Games besides the women's 4x400m relay squad. A Sri Lankan relay team will also take part in the event in its bid to attain the Rio qualification standard. This is the fourth time that senior Nationals have returned to Hyderabad.

15. India maintains the third position in ICC ODI team rankings

i. According to ICC Ranking released in Dubai, India has maintained its number three position in the ICC ODI team rankings which is being headed by world champions Australia. Australia has got 123 rating points while India got 110 points. The second place was occupied by New Zealand with 113 rating points.
ii. In the MRF Tyres ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen, India’s Virat Kohli is placed second while South Africa’s AB de Villiers has continued to lead the ODI batsmen chart while his countryman Hashim Amla is placed third.
iii. Meanwhile, no Indian features in the top 10 of the ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers which is being headed by West Indian Sunil Narine and in the MRF Tyres ICC Player Rankings for ODI all-rounders, Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan leads the ODI all-rounders ranking.