24 May 2016 Current Affairs
India Signs $100 million Loan Agreement with World Bank
The Loan and Project Agreements for World Bank (IBRD) assistance of US$ 100 million for the Karnataka Urban Water Supply Modernization project were signed between Government of India/Government of Karnataka and the World Bank on 24 May 2016. Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation (KUIDFC) is the implementing agency of the project.The loan, from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), has a 5-year grace period, and a maturity of 24 years.It aims at providing city-wide access to a continuous piped water supply in the eligible cities in Karnataka . It also seeks to strengthen the water service delivery arrangements at the city level.
Sarbananda Sonowal Sworn-in as Assam Chief Minister
Senior BJP leader and former Union minister Sarbanand Sonowal was sworn-in as the 14th Chief Minister of Assam on 24 May 2016. State Governor Padmanabha Balakrishna Acharya administered the oath of office and secrecy to Sarbananda Sonowal at the oath taking ceremony held in Khanapara, Guwahati.With this, Sonowal became Assam’s second tribal chief minister after Jogen Hazarika in the 1970s. He is also first Chief Minister from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Assam. It is the first time that a BJP-led alliance will form a majority government in Assam.Earlier on 19 May 2016, the BJP and its allies Asom Gana Parishad and Bodoland People’s Front scored a massive victory bagging 86 seats in the 126 member Assam assembly. In 2011 Assembly elections of Assam the party won only five seats.
Union Government Announced 2nd batch of 13 Smart Cities
The Union Government on 24 May announced the 2nd batch of 13 smart cities that will be developed under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Smart City Mission. These cities were shortlisted based on scores obtained in Fast Track competition conducted for 23 cities from as many States and Union Territories. This competition list was topped by Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh and was followed by Warangal in Telangana and Dharmashala in Himachal Pradesh. In the Fast Track competition, 23 cities had participated from which these 13 were selected. 13 shortlisted smart cities (Rank wise) are — Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh). Warangal (Telanagana). Shimla (Himachal Pradesh). Chandigarh (UT of Chandigarh). Raipur (Chattisgarh). New Town Kolkata (West Bengal). Bhagalpur (Bihar). Panaji (Goa). Port Blair (UT of Andaman & Nicobar Islands). Imphal (Manipur). Ranchi (Jharkhand). Agartala (Tripura). Faridabad (Haryana). The first batch of 20 smart cities was announced on 28 January 2016.
NGO Routes 2 Roots Awarded Inter-cultural Innovation Award 2016
Routes 2 Roots, a Delhi-based Non-profit organization (NGO), has been awarded prestigious Inter-cultural Innovation Award 2016. The award was bestowed upon the NGO for their unique Student Exchange Program, which allowed children in schools from India and Pakistan to connect with each other. The award was given by United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) in Baku, Azerbaijan. Under this programme, students from both countries connect with each other through written, audio and visual recordings that share history before partition and thus help in eliminating misunderstandings about each other’s cultures. This engagement also facilitates the students to ask each other questions, thereby discovering common interests.