17 December 2016 Current Affairs
Devendra Fadnavis, AS Kiran Kumar and John Ralston Marr selected for SIES- National Eminence Award
Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis, ISRO chairman A S Kiran Kumar , UK-based scholar John Ralston Marr and Hari Katha exponent Kamala Murthy have been selected for SIES-Sri Chandrasekarendra Saraswati National Eminence Award. They will be presented awards in different categories.
Indian-American woman elected as Mayor of Californian city
For the first time, an Indian-American woman has been elected as the new Mayor of the key Californian city of Cupertino, globally known for its Apple headquarters. Savita Vaidhyanathan, an MBA who worked as a high school Math teacher and an officer in a commercial bank as well as in non-profit management.
Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana comes into effect
The Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY) comes into effect from 17 December 2016. Any unaccounted cash or deposit in a bank account can be disclosed under the scheme before April 1, 2017. The PMKGY provides for 50% tax and surcharge on declarations of unaccounted cash deposited in banks.
India’s foreign exchange reserves down by USD 887.2 mn to USD 362.987 bn
India’s foreign exchange reserves declined by 887.2 million dollars to 362.987 billion dollars in the week ended 9th December. A RBI press release has informed that foreign currency assets, a major part of the overall reserves fell by 873 million dollars to 339.258 billion dollars. In the previous week too, the reserves had declined by 1.431 billion dollars to 363.874 billion dollars.
Union Government issues Notification of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Pet Shop) Rules, 2016
The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has issued the draft notification for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Pet Shop) Rules, 2016 to regulate pet shops The objective of these proposed new rules is to make pet shops accountable and to prevent cruelty inflicted on animals kept in such pet shops.
Indian Navy’s eight landing craft utility L-58 launched by GRSE
Indian Navy’s eight landing craft utility (LCU) L-58 was launched by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd (GRSE) in Kolkata, West Bengal. It is the last vessel in a series of eight ships of LCU MK-IV project designed and built by GRSE for the Indian Navy. It was launched by Neelam Pratap Singh Rudy, wife of Union minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy.