Current Affairs November 28-29, 2015
NHAI approved scientific projects
National Highways Authorities of India (NHAI) has approved
a pilot project for undertaking scientific studies on designing greenbelts
along national highways. Proposal in this regard was submitted by Nagpur based National Environmental Engineering
Research Institute
(NEERI).
Baroness Patricia elected as the new Secretary General of
the Commonwealth
Dominica-born British lawyer Patricia Scotland (60) has
been elected as the new Secretary General of the Commonwealth. She becomes the first woman and also first British citizen to be
elected as secretary-general of the 53-member Commonwealth bloc’s history. She
will succeed Kamalesh Sharma from India and enter into the office
on 1 April 2016 for four-year term i.e. till 2020. The Commonwealth
Secretary-General is the head of the Commonwealth Secretariat which is the
central body that has served the Commonwealth of Nations. Commonwealth
Secretariat was established in 1965 and responsible for representing the
Commonwealth publicly. Headquarter- Marlborough House in London.
Kerala decided to setup NRI Commission
Kerala cabinet has approved to set up a NRI Commission.
With this, Kerala becomes the 2nd state after Punjab to have such a body. The NRI commission will be a quasi
judicial body and it will address all issues of the diaspora including fake
recruitments as well as disputes over properties, and investment. The
commission will be headed by a retired high court judge and the members will
comprise a retired Indian Administrative Service officer, two representatives
of the Kerala diaspora and a state government official of the rank of a joint
secretary.
SBI to float subsidiary to manage its properties
Country’s largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) is
finalising plans to set up a subsidiary for managing its large portfolio of
real estate properties and those taken on lease or rent. SBI is planning to set
up a subsidiary for
management of properties owned by it and also for those taken on lease or rent. The subsidiary
would eventually take over these properties after it was formed.
West Bengal government will construct a replica of Eiffel
Tower
West Bengal In memory of 13/11 terror attack in France,
the West Bengal government has planned to construct a 55-metre replica of
Eiffel Tower in Kolkata. It will take three years to complete the structure.
The replica is going to be a part of the “Seven Wonders of the World”
theme-park at the Eco Park in Rajarhat, Kolkata. The list of “wonders”
replicated at the park include the Taj Mahal from India, Christ the Redeemer
from Brazil, Chichen Itza from Mexico, Petra in Jordan, the Great Wall of
China, Machu Picchu in Peru and the Colosseum in Rome. Kolkata already has a
scaled down version of the Big Ben clock.
Suzuki Motorcycle India ties up with Snapdeal to sell its
vehicles online
Suzuki Motorcycle
India has tied up with online marketplace Snapdeal for the sales of its
vehicles, the two wheeler manufacturer said. Customers will be able to browse
Suzuki products on the Snapdeal Motors platform, select a vehicle, book it (via
online payment of booking amount) and select a dealership in their vicinity
from where the vehicle can be picked up. As an initial launch offer, buyers who
purchase Suzuki vehicles on Snapdeal can avail 1 year free vehicle insurance.
Israel successfully tested Barak-8 missile
Israel recently,
successfully tested Barak-8 missile, an advanced surface-to-air missile. It
will play a crucial role in securing the Israel’s offshore gas fields. The
missile is being jointly
developed by the India’s DRDO, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), Israel’s Administration for the Development of Weapons and Technological
Infrastructure, Elta Systems and other companies.
IIT Kharagpur and IIT Bombay among the top 100 institutes
in the world Graduate Employability Rankings
The first edition of Quacquarelli Symonds (QS)
Graduate Employability Rankings has placed IIT Kharagpur and IIT Bombay among the top 100 institutes in
the world. IIT Kharagpur ranked at 77 and IIT Bombay ranked at 93. The top 3
universities in this ranking are Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute
of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University.
TAPI
gas pipeline project to start from December 13
The ground-breaking ceremony of the
proposed multi-billion dollar 1,735-kilometre gas pipeline connecting Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India will start from
December 13. Reported by Turkmenistan Ambassador to Pakistan. The
trans-national gas pipeline project known as TAPI, is intended to carry 33
billion cubic meters of gas annually through the Afghan cities of Herat and
Kandahar and terminate in Fazilka, a border town in India’s
Punjab state.
