Akodara in Gujarat becomes India’s first Digital Village
i. Akodara village in Sabarkantha district of Gujarat recently has earned the title of the first digital village in India.
ii. The village, which sustains a total population of 1191 people, uses various cashless systems for payments of goods and services.
iii. All transactions in the village are carried out through digital modes like net-banking, SMS or debit cards.
India’s first cycle highway inaugurated in UP
i. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has inaugurated India’s first and Asia’s longest bicycle highway between Agra and Etawah in UP.
ii. A rally of 90 cyclists from five countries and across India followed the inauguration ceremony at the Lion Safari in Etawah.
Bapu's Charkha among 100 'Most Influential Photos of All Time'
i. A 1946 picture of Mahatma Gandhi with his Charkha (spinning wheel) in the foreground is among the 100 most influential images of all time, according to a compilation by Time magazine of “images that changed the world.”
ii. The Time collection includes 100 of the most iconic and history-altering images, dating from the 1820s to 2015 that have remained engrained in the human psyche from the time they were taken.
iii. Among the pictures is the tragic photo of the lifeless body of three-year-old Syrian Alan Kurdi lying face down on the shore near the coastal town of Bodrum.
Bharatiya Mahila Bank merger with SBI cleared
i. Paving the way for consolidation in the banking sector, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the amalgamation of Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB) into State Bank of India (SBI). ii. Both the banks offer various banking products to their retail and corporate customers.
iii. Bharatiya Mahila Bank Ltd is the first of its kind in the Banking Industry in India formed with a vision of economic empowerment for women. Incorporated under the Companies Act 1956 on 5 August 2013.
Lok Sabha passes Taxation Laws (Second Amendment) Bill, 2016
i. The Lok Sabha has passed the Taxation Laws (Second Amendment) Bill, 2016 to amend the Income Tax Act, 1961 and Finance Act, 2016 on 29 November 2016. The Bill was introduced in Lok Sabha on 28 November 2016.
ii. It imposes a higher rate of tax and penalty in respect of undisclosed incomes.
iii. The Bill proposes to introduce the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan (PMGK) Yojana, 2016.
4 India-born CEOs on Fortune's Businessperson of the Year list
i. Four leading India-born CEOs, including Microsoft’s Satya Nadella and Mastercard’s Ajay Banga, who delivered big in taking their companies ahead, have featured in Fortune’s Businessperson of the Year list topped by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.
ii. Nadella has been ranked fifth among 50 global corporate heads by Fortune Magazine in its annual ‘Businessperson of the Year’ compilation, followed by CEO of the Milwaukee-based maker of water heaters A O Smith, Ajita Rajendra on the 34th spot, HDFC Bank’s Managing Director Aditya Puri on the 36th position and Banga on 40th.
iii. The list of 50 business tycoons also includes Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, 2, Alphabet CEO Larry Page, 4, Alibaba Executive Chairman Jack Ma, 10, Apple CEO Tim Cook, 11, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick, 15 and Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, 29.
M. M. Kutty appointed Delhi Chief Secretary
i. Senior IAS officer M. M. Kutty has been appointed the Delhi Chief Secretary.
ii. He replaced K. K. Sharma, who has transferred to the Union HRD Ministry as an officer on special duty (OSD).
iii. The Centre has sent back Kutty to his parent Union Territories cadre before completion of the tenure of his Central deputation.
Morgan Stanley lowers India’s growth forecast by 40 bps to 7.3% for FY’17
i. American Morgan Stanley has lowered its growth forecast for FY’17 to 7.3% from 7.7% earlier on account of currency replacement programme. ii. As global growth accelerates to 3.4% in 2017 from 3% in 2016, Morgan Stanley expects India’s exports to support the overall recovery in 2017 after being a drag in 2016. 2018 will be the first year of recovery in private capacity expansion after six years of a weak trend.
Government approves 6 new SEZs for IT, biotech
i. The Government of India has approved 6 proposals from four developers to set up a new special economic zona (SEZs) IT and biotechnology across Telangana, Haryana and Karnataka.
ii. The decision was taken by the Board of Approval (BoA), headed by Commerce Secretary Rita Teaotia during the board meeting on November 9, 2016.
iii. The four developers are Vaxenic India, EON Kharadi Infrastructure, GAR Corporation and KRC Infrastructure.
Pankaj Advani claimed bronze medal at IBSF World Snooker Championship
i. Fifteen-time world champion Pankaj Advani suffered a 2-7 loss in the semifinals against Andrew Pagett of Wales to settle for a bronze medal at the IBSF World Snooker Championship.
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