Mr. Parameshwaran Iyer to lead Swachh Bharat Mission.
- Govt has appointed World Bank’s water and sanitation specialist, Parameshwaran Iyer, as the new Secretary of the Drinking Water and Sanitation Department.
- He has been given the post by PM Narendra Modi for two years to steer the Swachh Bharat Mission.
India to participate in Cobra Gold 2016 military exercise in Thailand
- The decision in this regard was conveyed to Thailand, the host country, during Vice President Hamid Ansari’s visit to the country.
- It is the largest Asia-Pacific military exercise and held in Thailand every year.
- It is among the largest multinational military exercise in which the United States participates.
SBI and Thomas Cook tie up for inflation proof holidays.
- State Bank of India has tied up with Thomas Cook to offer online customers a recurring deposit that helps them save toward an `inflation proof’ holiday.
- Availing the holiday on maturity of the recurring deposit is optional as customers can choose either to travel or redeem their savings.
DJ Pandian appointed as Vice President of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
- His appointment as vice-president and chief investment officer was approved by AIIB.
- He was also the MD of Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation (GSPC).
Manipur documentary Phum Shang wins Golden Conch Award at MIFF 2016
- Manipuri documentary film Phum-Shang on 3 February 2016 bagged the prestigious Golden Conch Award for the best documentary film at the 14th Mumbai International Film Festival for Documentary, Animation and Short Films (MIFF 2016).
- The film is directed by Haobam Paban Kumar, an alumnus of the Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute, Kolkata.
Aruna Sethi appointed as first women head of Indian Cost Accounting Service.
- She took over charge as the head of Indian Cost Accounts Service (ICoAS).
- With this appointment, she became the first woman to occupy the post.
Dhirubhai Ambani Centre for Innovation and Research estabilished in Bangalore
- Reliance Group Chairman Anil Ambani announced the establishment of Dhirubhai Ambani Centre for Innovation and Research in Aerospace at Whitefield in Bengaluru.
- The centre would also generate more than 1,500 highly skilled jobs and support government’s plan for indigenous design, development and manufacture of defence equipment.
BSE and IFC partnered to develop corporate governance scorecard
- The scorecard seeks to help companies assay their corporate governance performances against national or international-benchmarked practices.
- Using the scorecard, companies can identify areas of further improvement and track progress over time.
Govt to infuse about Rs 5000 crore in PSU Banks this quarter.
- The decision was taken to strengthen their balancesheet of PSU banks.
- Funds would be infused after Parliament approves third Supplementary Demand for Grants in the upcoming Budget session.
Pandit Ram Narayan, Sarangi maestro gets Bhimsen Joshi Award
- He has been chosen for the prestigious Bharat Ratna Pandit Bhimsen Joshi classical music award for 2015-2016.
- The annual award, instituted by the Maharashtra government, is given to individuals who have excelled in classical vocal or instrumental music, the minister said.
Mobile messaging app Whatsapp crossed over one billion user milestone.
- Over 100 milion users added on the the board in recent five months
- In February 2014, WhatsApp was acquired by social networking site Facebook, its biggest buyout till date, for a whopping $19 billion.
