Important Current Affairs 16th August

NATIONAL:

ONGC to invest Rs.83,000 crore to boost oil.

• The Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) is to invest around Rs.83,000 crore in 25 major projects to boost oil and gas production has stagnated in 2018. The cumulative oil and gas gain from these projects is expected to be over 180 million tonne of oil and oil equivalent gas over 32 Billion Cubic Meters (BCM) by financial year 2024.

ONGC's production:

ONGC already logged a net profit of Rs.26,716 crore an increase of 34% over in  2017-18. The MRPL achieved the highest ever throughput of 16.43 MT with a utilisation of 109.5%.

ONGC had launched a nation-wide Solar Chulha Challenge with 86 Solar PV cooking stoves were installed at Bacha and Jamthi in Betul district of Madhya Pradesh.

In FY19 the ONGC spent about Rs.615 Crore on CSR initiatives with a focus on national campaigns of the government like Swachh Bharat, education, health and nutrition among others. The company has earned its highest revenue of Rs.1,09,655 crore in FY19 as an increase of 29% from 2018.

Palani panchamirtham get GI tag.

• The renowned Palani panchamirtham the prasadam at Dhandayuthapani Swamy temple in Palani has been given the Geographical Indication (GI) tag. It is the first GI tag to prasadam in Tamilnadu.

• The  GI application of panchamirtham has made limited to the temple and the Palani town in Dindigul district by the Joint Commissioner and Executive Officer of Arulmigu Dhandayuthapani Swamy Thirukoil of Palani in June 2016. The prasadam is  prepared only to meet the demands of devotees not for commercial purposes.

About Palani  panchamirtham:

• The palani  panchamirtham is a  Abishega  prasadam  for religious devotees prepared at the top of Palani Hills by labourers and  the employ of the temple. The Palani panchamirtham is made by combining the five natural substances like banana, cow ghee, cardamom, jaggery and honey. Dates and sugar candies are added to it for extra flavours. 

• The panchamirtham is made without adding any water, preservatives or artificial ingredients in the absence of any chemical processes. The Palani panchamirtham is made under the guidance of Mysuru’s Central Food Technological Research Institute. It is also certified by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

About GI Tags in Tamil Nadu:

• Geographic Indication (GI) is a sign used on products that had a specific geographical origin, quality, reputation.

• Tamil Nadu has 30 GI tags for various products including handicrafts such as Salem fabric and Kancheepuram silk, agricultural items like Virupakshi Hill banana, Erode turmeric and Madurai Malli.

           

BANKING AND ECONOMICS:

Denmarks Jyske Bank unveiled worlds first negative interest rate home loan.

• Denmark’s third-largest bank Jyske Bank launched the world’s first negative interest rate mortgage. The bank handling out loans to homeowners where the charge is minus 0.5% a year. It has begun offering borrowers a 10-year deal at -0.5%. Jyske bank borrowers will make a monthly repayment, as usual, The amount still outstanding will be reduced each month by more than the borrower.

Negative interest rates effectively mean that a bank pays a borrower to take money off their hands, so they pay back less than they have been loaned.

Another Danish bank, Nordea will begin offering 20-year fixed-rate deals at 0% and a 30-year mortgage at 0.5%.

About Jyske Bank:

♦ Founded: 1967

♦ Headquarters: Silkeborg, Denmark

♦ CEO: Anders Dam

APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATIONS:

Ravi Shastri re-appointed as India’s coach.

• Former India allrounder Ravi Shastri, who was re-appointed as India’s head coach on Friday by the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) set up by Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), responded to former New Zealand coach Mike Hesson’s congratulatory tweet. Shastri was given a second straight term as India’s coach, after he pipped Hesson and former Australia allrounder Tom Moody to retain the position

• Shastri, who had taken over the coaching role after the 2017 Champions Trophy, is expected to continue to serve in the position till the end of the 2021 T20I World Cup.

• The three-member Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) instituted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), comprising Kapil Dev, Anshuman Gaekwad and Shantha Rangaswamy, announced the decision after conducting interviews with the prime candidates. This will be Shastri’s fourth stint with the national team, having served briefly as the Cricket Manager (2007 tour of Bangladesh), Team Director (2014-2016) and head coach (2017-2019).

• Among all the candidates, Shastri’s record was unmatched as the team reached the No.1 ranking in Test matches under his guidance and won a series in Australia for the first time in 71 years.

AWARDS:

Fifty Six BSF Officials Conferred with Medals on 73rd Independence Day.

• The Fifty Six Border Security Force (BSF)officials announced for conferring the  Police Medals on the occasion of 73rd Independence Day, 2019. The five of them would confer with Police Medal for Gallantry for Distinguished Service.

The operational planning, exemplary combat audacity, operational acumen and flawless conduct of the operation, the gallant Bordermen of 8 Battalion BSF Sh. Sandeep Kumar Gupta, Asstt Commandant, Sh. Sushil Singh, Asstt Commandant, HC Vinay Krishali and CT Sanjoy Pal awarded Police Medal for Gallantry.

These 4 Bordermen were instrumental in neutralizing a dreaded naxal commander in an operation launched in the night intervening 14/15 Dec 2017 in the general area of Bandhi Gude District – Malkangiri, Orissa.

President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service - 05

1.Sh. Om Prakash Tripathi, DIG, FHQ, BSF

2.Sh. Ashok Kumar Yadav, DIG, Ftr HQ, BSF TRA

3Sh. Rabindra Pal Singh Malik , DIG Ftr HQ, BSF TRA

4.Sh. Balbir Singh Sandhu, 2IC (Work), FHQ, BSF

5.Sh. Sudhir Kumar Mishra, 165 BN BSF

 Police Medal for Meritorious Service - 46

 1.       Sh. Sandeep Rawat, Commandant, STC BSF Chakur

 2.       Sh. Rajesh Kumar Kanwar, Commandant, SHQ BSF Bhilai

 3.      Sh. Ramesh Kumar Sharma, Commandant, Ftr HQ, Jammu

 4.      Sh. Suman Florence Trikey, Commandant, Command HQ SPL OPS

 5.       Sh. C H Sethuram, Commandant, 162 Bn, BSF

 6.       Sh. Sudhindra Kumar Singh, Commandant, BIDR BSF T/PUR

 7.       Sh. Manish Aul, Commandant, SHQ BSF, SHILLONG

 8.       Sh. Sukhminderhit Singh Mand, Commandant, 56 Bn, BSF

 9.       Sh. Raja Paul, Commandant, DIG(HQ) FHQ

 10.     Sh. S. Shiva Murthy, Commandant, Ftr HQ Odisha

 11.   ShSurinder Singh Rana, LO GDE-I Commandant, SDG(WC)BSF     CHG

 12.     Sh. Dalbir Singh, 2nd-in-Command, 55 Bn BSF

 13.     Yash Pal, 2nd-in-Command, Ftr HQ, Jammu

 14.     Sh. Madan Mohan Kandpal, Deputy- Commandant, 3 Bn BSF

 15.     Sh. Madan Singh, Deputy- Commandant (Sports), Ftr HQ,   Rajasthan

 16.     Sh. Anurag Kumar Azad, Deputy- Commandant, 1 Bn BSF

 17.     Sh. Surinder Singh, Deputy- Commandant, 62 Bn BSF

 18.     ShJagdeep Kumar, Deputy- Commandant, DIG(HQ) FHQ

 19.     Sh. Kunj Bihari Prasad, Deputy- Commandant, Ftr HQ, M&C

 20.     Sh. Rameshwar Lal Bishnoi, Deputy- Commandant, 161 Bn BSF

 21.     Sh. Lakhwinder Singh Brar, Deputy- Commandant, 91 Bn BSF

 22.     Sh. Puran Lal Meena, Deputy- Commandant, 78 Bn BSF

 23.     Sh. TriyugiNathMaurya, Asstt- Commandant, 51 Bn BSF

 24.     Sh. Murari Lal Meena, Asstt- Commandant, 151 Bn BSF

 25.     Sh. Jacob Koshy, Asstt- Commandant, 3 Bn BSF

 26.     Sh. Suresh Kumar, Asstt- Commandant, SHQ BSF, JAMMU

 27.     Sh. V Nagarajan, Asstt- Commandant (Min), STC BSF, Indore.

 28.     Sh. Hari Krishan, Inspector(GD), CSWT Indore

 29.     Sh. Kailash Babu, Inspector (G), 65 Bn BSF

 30.     Sh. Ajeet Singh Shekhawat, Inspector (G), 78 Bn BSF

 31.     Sh. Surender Singh, Inspector (GD), STC BSF, K/Camp

 32.     Sh. Sumer Singh, Sub-Inspector(GD), 133 Bn BSF

 33.     Sh. Jawahar Yadav, Inspector(GD), 115 Bn BSF

 34.     Sh. Pushparajan R, Inspector(GD), STC BSF, Baikunthpur

 35.     Sh. Ashok Kumar, Inspector(GD), 38 Bn BSF

 36.     Sh. Rajbir Singh Tomar, Inspector(GD), 151 Bn BSF

 37.     Sh. HekisheSema, Inspector(GD), 111 Bn BSF

 38.     Sh. Mohan Kumar A M Inspector(COMM), 179 Bn BSF

 39.     Sh. Dalbir Singh, Inspector(RO), STS-I Tigari BSF

 40.     Sh. Hayat Singh Pundhir, Sub-Inspector(GD), 96 Bn BSF

 41.     Sh. Ashok Kumar, Sub-Inspector(GD), 100 Bn BSF

 42.     Sh. Nikhil Chandra Sharma, Sub-Inspector(GD), 179 Bn BSF

 43.     B Chandra Sekhara Raju, Sub-Inspector(GD), 10 Bn BSF

 44.     Sh. Sarjeet Singh, Sub-Inspector(GD), DIG (HQ) FHQ

 45.     Sh. Paras Ram, Sub-Inspector(GD), 170 Bn BSF

 46.     Sh. Kishan Lal, Constable(Tailor), STC BSF, Indore.

SPORTS:

Uttarakhand gets full member status in the BCCI by CoA.

• Cricket Association of Uttarakhand (CAU) granted full membership in the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India). This is done by the Committee of Administrators (CoA) on August 13, 2019. The association inducted as a member association. It is the full member with amendments that are required to be communicated by CoA. This membership grant brought an end to long-standing dispute among Uttarakhand Cricket Association(UKCA), United Cricket Association ( UTCA), Uttaranchal Cricket Association (UCA) and the CAU vying for BCCI affiliation. The Uttarakhand cricket association was also asked to appoint an electoral officer by September 14, 2019, in accordance with the approved constitution.

About BCCI

Headquarters- Wankhede stadium, Mumbai.

Chief executive officer- Rahul Johri.

President- Vinod Rai (interim).