Study Material for SSC and Bank Exam

Highlights of the Railway Budget 2016-17

Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu on 25 February 2016 presented the Railway Budget 2016-17 in the Parliament. This was the the second railway budget for Suresh Prabhu and third rail budget of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government.

E-Tourist Visa Scheme extended to 37 more countries

The Union Government has extended e-Tourist Visa Scheme to 37 more countries. With this, the total count of countries under the scheme will become 150. The new countries included in e-Tourist Visa scheme are Austria, Albania, Botswana, Brunei, Bulgaria, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Comoros, Cote d’lvoire, Cape Verde,  Czech Republic, Croatia, Eritrea, Denmark, Gabon, Greece, Guinea, Gambia, Ghana,  Madagascar, Malawi, Iceland, Lesotho, Liberia, San Marino, Moldova, Namibia, Romania, South Africa, Swaziland, Switzerland, Senegal, Serbia, Slovakia, Trinidad & Tobago, Tajikistan, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Lok Sabha passes Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2016

Lok Sabha has passed Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2016 to grant voting rights to people who became citizens of India following the exchange of enclaves between India and Bangladesh. The bill seeks to amend the Representation of the People Act (RPA), 1950 and the Delimitation Act, 2002. These Acts regulate allocation of seats to the Lok Sabha and state legislatures and delimitation (fixing boundaries) of parliamentary and state assembly constituencies.

Rajendra Singh appointed as DG of Coast Guard

The Union Government has appointed Rajendra Singh as the Director General (DG) of Indian Coast Guard (ICG), country’s coastal protection force. With this appointment, Rajendra Singh becomes first DG of ICG from its own internal cadre since it was set up in 1978. So far this top post was only held by officers who were commissioned in the Indian Navy. He will replace Vice Admiral HCS Bisht who has been promoted as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Naval Command.

ISRO gears up for launch of India’s first solar mission Aditya-L1

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is set to launch the country’s first solar mission called Aditya-L1. It was announced by Union Minister of State (MoS) in PMO Jitendra Singh in the Lok Sabha.

India losses solar case against US at WTO

India has lost solar case against United States at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) for in breaching of international trade rules. In this regard, WTO’s Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) ruled that India’s domestic content requirement for National Solar Mission (NSM) discriminated against imported solar technology. The DSB ruled that India domestic content requirement lacked domestic manufacturing capacity in solar cells and modules and there was risk of a disruption in imports.

Goverdhan Mehta awarded Germany’s Cross of the Order of Merit

Chemical scientist and well-known researcher Goverdhan Mehta has been conferred with Germany’s prestigious Cross of the Order of Merit (Bundesverdienstkreuz) Award. The award was bestowed upon him by Achim Fabig, German Consul General in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

SBI Launches SBI e Smart SME to offer Ecommerce Loan

India’s largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) has launched SBI e-Smart SME to provide a working capital loan for sellers on ecommerce platforms. It was launched by SBI in partnership with ecommerce platform Snapdeal in the presence of bank’s chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya and Snapdeal CEO Sri Kunal Bahl.