GK Update 2 August 2016

1. Parliament passes Indian Medical Council (Amendment Bill), 2016

i. The Parliament has passed Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Bill, 2016 to conduct of uniform entrance examination for admission to all medical educational institutions. 
ii. The bill seeks to replace the Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Ordinance, 2016 and its provisions will come into force retrospectively from May 24, 2016. 
iii. It will be applicable for admission at the undergraduate and the postgraduate level. This provision will be applicable to state government seats in government and private medical institutions. 

2. Central body approves Rs 400 crore for Ganga rejuvenation projects

i. A high-level panel of the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) has approved various projects worth approximately Rs 400 crore for development of ghats (river fronts) and crematoria at different places along the river Ganga from Uttarakhand to West Bengal under the Centre’s ambitious Namami Gange programme.
ii. The projects, approved by the empowered steering committee of the NGRBA, include development of ghats and crematoria in the stretch from Rudraprayag to Guptkashi in Uttarakhand, Kanpur, Allahabad, Bithoor and Bijnor (on Ramganga) in Uttar Pradesh, Kahalgaon in Bihar, Sahibganj and Rajmahal in Jharkhand and Bhatpara and Naihati in West Bengal.
iii. The NGRBA is a key central body which monitors planning and execution of all schemes of Ganga rejuvenation in coordination with five river basin states – Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. 

3. Government launches credit rating scheme for MSMEs

i. The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises has launched a performance and credit rating scheme to assess the capabilities and creditworthiness of industries in the sector. 
ii. The 'Performance and Credit Rating Scheme' will provide "trusted" third party opinion to create awareness about the strengths and weaknesses of enterprises' existing operations.
iii. As per officials, a new scheme of Financial Support to MSMEs in Zero Defect Zero Effect Certification has been approved in which the MSMEs will be assessed on ZED Maturity Model on 50 parameters which will strengthen or facilitate the Make in India initiative. 

4. India to host international summit on tobacco-control

i. India is going to host a crucial global summit in November to eliminate the illicit trade of tobacco products. 
ii. The summit is scheduled for November 7-12 at the Indian Exposition Mart in Noida. In this summit delegates from 180 countries will take part. 
iii. This is the 7th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP7) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO-FCTC).

5. Odisha government to recruit transgenders as jail warders

i. The Odisha government has decided to recruit members of transgender community persons as warders in jails of the State as per the directive of the Supreme Court. The home department has issued instructions to the Odisha Subordinate Staff Selection Commission (OSSC) to include the gender category. 
ii. This is for the first time the state government will mention the third gender as a separate category in any of the recruitment process.
iii. As per the direction of the Directorate of Prison, the physical standards stipulated for transgender who will apply for the post of jail warders will be same as prescribed for women candidates. 

6. Resolution for the renaming of Madras High Court passed

i. The Tamil Nadu Assembly has passed a unanimous resolution that the Madras High Court be renamed as Tamil Nadu High Court and not as High Court of Chennai as proposed by the Centre.
ii. The Bill was introduced in Lok Sabha by the Minister of Law and Justice, Ravi Shanker Prasad with an aim to modify the names of the High Court’s (HCs) of Bombay, Calcutta, and Madras. 
iii. The High Courts of Bombay, Calcutta and Madras will be known as the High Courts of Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai respectively.

7. ICICI Bank ties up with Apollo India to form ARC

i. ICICI Bank has inked a MoU with Apollo India Credit Opportunity Management LLC and AION Capital Management to set up an asset reconstruction company. 
ii. The MoU is subject to regulatory approvals, acquisition of debt exposures from lenders and equity stakes in companies.
iii. The collaboration seeks to streamline the operations of borrowers, facilitate deleveraging and arrange additional funding on a case-by-case basis. The motive is to revitalise distressed assets and maximise their economic value. 

8. Freecharge inks partnership with PayUbiz

i. India's digital payments platform Freecharge has partnered with the leading payment gateway solution provider, PayUbiz, to further strengthen its merchant base and help consumers move from cash to digital payments.
ii. This integration allows Freecharge to tap PayUbiz's more than 10, 000 online merchants. Furthermore, the latter's wide assortment of merchants across sectors will also be accessible to Freecharge patrons. 
iii. The partnership draws Freecharge closer its vision of creating an ecosystem where organized and unorganized merchant networks can accept electronic payments through one secure platform.

9. Bank of Baroda ties up with start-up Fisdom

i. India's leading public sector bank, Bank of Baroda has tied up with a fintech start-up Fisdom for personal wealth management services.  
ii. Fisdom app helps users make financial investments in an easy and paperless manner by blending cutting-edge technology with personalised financial advice. It helps people manage their money with the help of a robo-advisor.
ii. Besides, the bank has also entered into a pact with six other fintech companies, proficient in different areas. 

10. Deepak Iyer appointed Mondelez India MD

i. Confectionery major Mondelez International has appointed former Bharti Axa General Insurance Company CEO and MD Deepak Iyer as Managing Director of its India operation.
ii. He succeeds Chandramouli Venkatesan, who led the business as Managing Director of India operations for two years and was with the company for more than a decade.
iii. Iyer, as Managing Director of Mondelez India Foods, will be part of the Asia Pacific Leadership Team and report into Maurizio Brusadelli, President of Asia Pacific, Mondelez International.

11. Anita Gopalan wins 2016 PEN/Heim Translation Fund Grants

i. Translator and artist Anita Gopalan has awarded with the 2016 PEN/Heim Translation Fund Grants for her English translation of Hindi novel Simsim by Geet Chaturvedi.
ii. Gopalan is the second Indian translator to be selected for the grant.
iii. Simsim, the lyrical, award-winning novella was first published in 2008. It is recognized for its groundbreaking contribution to contemporary Hindi fiction. The book narrates the clash between two Indias, i.e. one old and traditional, and the other driven by consumerism and corporate greed.

12. Bhaskar Khulbe appointed as Secretary to Prime Minister

i. Bhaskar Khulbe, a Senior IAS officer of 1983 batch of West Bengal cadre has been appointed as Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He was Additional Secretary in Prime Minister's Office. 
ii. The Appointments Committee of Cabinet has approved the appointment of Khulbe with effect from 7th August. 
iii. He will look after work related to Cabinet Secretariat and thrust areas of the government.

13. Air Marshal Neelakantan takes charge of Southern Air command

i. Air Marshal S Neelakantan has assumed charge as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Southern Air Command. 
ii. The traditional Guard of Honour was presented to him by the 'Air Warriors.'
iii. Air Marshal Neelakantan, who was commissioned as a fighter pilot in the Indian Air Force on December 28, 1977, is an alumni of National Defence Academy. He also led the IAF contingent in Congo as part of the UN Mission in 2006-07.

14. Indian-American Professor Emeritus Braj B Kachru passes away

i. Noted Indian-American Professor Emeritus of Linguistics Braj B Kachru has passed away in Urbana. He was 84 years old. 
ii. He was a Jubilee Professor Emeritus of Linguistics, faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 
iii. He was born on May 15 in 1932 in Srinagar and was a member of the Indian Cultural Society, The Linguistic Society of America and the founder of the International Association of World Englishes. 

15. Simona Halep wins Rogers Cup women's single by defeating Madison Keys

i. The 24-year old Romania's Simona Halep has won the Rogers Cup women's singles title after beating American Madison Keys 7-6, 6-3 in the final Montreal. 
ii. This is her 14th WTA title. But overall this is her third title of the year. Simona has also won the titles in Bucharest and Madrid earlier this season.
iii. While in men's title Serbian Novak Djokovic has defeated Kei Nishikori (Japan) to won this title. Apart from this, in Men’s doubles- Ivan Dodig (Croatia) and Marcelo Melo (Brazil) defeated Jamie Murray (Scotland) and Bruno Soares (Brazil) and in Women’s doubles- Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina (Russia) defeated Simona Halep and Monica Niculescu (Romania).