Daily GK Update: 22nd and 23rd October, 2015 current affairs : RBI issues guidelines on Gold Monetisation Scheme 2015
- RBI on 22 October 2015 issued a Direction to all Scheduled Commercial Banks (excluding Regional Rural Banks) on implementation of the Gold Monetisation Scheme, 2015 notified by the Union Government.
- RBI issued the direction to banks in exercise of powers conferred on it under Section 35A of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
- The GMS 2015 will replace the existing Gold Deposit Scheme, 1999.
- The designated banks may sell or lend the gold accepted under STBD to MMTC for minting India Gold Coins (IGC) and to jewellers, or sell it to other designated banks participating in GMS.
- The gold deposited will be auctioned by MMTC or any other agency authorised by the Central Government and the sale proceeds will be credited to the Union Government’s account with the Reserve Bank.
PM modi lays foundation stone of new capital city of Andhra Pradesh.
- He laid the foundation stone of Amaravati, a new capital city of Andhra Pradesh on the occasion of Dussehra and Vijaya Dashmi.
- A Grand ceremony was held in Guntur District of Andhra Pradesh.
- Andra Pradesh CM N. Chadnrababu Naidu along with other guests were also present in the rituals to mark laying the foundation.
- The name Amaravathi was chosen in view of the historical, spiritual and mythological significance as it was ancient seat of Satavahana kingdom.
- The city is located between Vijayawada and Guntur region of state on the banks of Krishna River.
- It is only place where river flows north direction instead of east or south.
Alok Rawat becomes first male member of National Commission for Women.
- His appointment fills the fourth seat in the five-member body that seeks to review the constitutional and legal safeguards for women.
- Alok Rawat is 1977 batch IAS officer of Sikkim cadre.
- Prior to this appointment, he had served at various senior level posts at different Union Ministries.
- He had served as Director (joint secretary) in Union Ministry of Defence and Union Ministry of Road transport and Highways.
- He also had served as secretary (UPSC) and secretary (Coordination and Public Grievances) in the Union Cabinet Secretariat and secretary in Union Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga rejuvenation.
Govt divided Maharashtra and Gujarat Naval Areas into two separate headquartes.
- The decision was taken in order to enhance operational and administrative organizational structure.
- They have been divided under Flag Officer Maharashtra Area and Flag Officer Gujarat Naval Area.
- The division will help for better vigilance on the sea border with Pakistan and in better communication and coordination with the respective state governments, local authorities and fishermen.
- Rear Admiral Satish Namdeo Ghormade took the charge of Flag Officer Maharashtra Area. While, Rear Admiral Murlidhar Pawar will assume as Flag Officer of Gujarat Naval Area.
Dreaming Big – My Journey to Connect India, Autobiography of Sam Pitroda released.
- It is written with the help of an American author David Chanoff.
- The autobiography describes the journey of Satanarayan Gangaram Pitroda (famously known as Sam Pitroda), who is known as father of Indian telecommunication revolution.
- The book embarks a life long journey of Sam Pitroda starting from his birth in 1964 in Titilagarh in Odisha to his revolutionary career in United States and India.
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe conferred with Confucius Peace Prize 2015 by China .
- The Prize is dubbed as Chinese equivalent of the Nobel Peace Prize.
- He has been chosen for this edition of prize for his inspirational leadership and service to pan-Africanism and African independence.
- The prize also has recognised his efforts to overcome difficulties of all kinds and his commitments for constructing his nation’s political and economic order.
PM Modi laid foundation stone of Shri Venkateswara Mobile & Electronics Manufacturing Hub in Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh.
- The hub will be a dedicated mobile handset manufacturing facility.
- The foundation stone was laid during PM’s visit to Andhra Pradesh to lay foundation stone of Andhra Pradesh’s new capital city Amravati.
- Shri Venkateswara Mobile & Electronics Manufacturing Hub will create more than 10000 jobs within a year. The hub is expected to contribute at least 5 percent of all-India target of 15 lakh jobs by 2019.
Union Ministry of Urban Development on 22 October 2015 gave its nod to the first batch of state level Action Plans under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT).
- The approved Action Plans have a total of 143 projects in 89 AMRUT cities in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Rajasthan.
- The State Annual Action Plans (SAAP) worth 2786.28 crore rupees were cleared by inter-ministerial Apex Committee of AMRUT for 89 cities in the three states.
- It is for the first time that the Urban Development Ministry approved state level plans unlike the past practice of appraising and approving individual projects.
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Renowned marine biologist Syed Zahoor Qasim passes away in New Delhi.
- He was 88. He is considered as the founder of Polar Biology in India.
- He was also part of the first Indian expedition to Antarctica in 1981-82.
- After the first expedition, he successfully organized and guided the next the seven expeditions till 1988 and made pioneering contributions in the field of fisheries biology, mari-culture, estuarine ecology and environmental pollution.
- In recognition of his contributions, he was honoured with Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan by the Union Government and Life Time Achievement Award by the Indian Science Congress in 2008.
Labh Janjua , Singer of “London Thumkda” found dead at his residence in Mumbai.
- Bollywood celebrities like Ayushmann Khurrana, Pritam, Sunidhi Chauhan and Shaan have mourned the tragic demise of Punjabi singer Labh Janjua, calling it a big loss to the Indian music industry.
- Labh Janjua, best known for his hit songs like “London thumakda” and “Jee karda”, was found dead at his residence in Goregaon (West) on Thursday morning, police said.
- His body was taken to Cooper Hospital for post mortem and the police is investigating further.
