Important Current Affairs 21st October 2017

Important Current Affairs 21st October 2017

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Current Affairs 21st October 2017: NATIONAL NEWS

National Lata Mangeshkar awards to be given in Indore 

Madhya Pradesh Government is organising the National Lata Mangeshkar Award to honour the celebrities in the field of music for their contribution.
●    This time the award for year 2012 to 2016 will be given to the awardees.
●    It is to be noted that a grand award ceremony will be held at Indore’s Brilliant Convention Centre on October 26. 
●    It is to be noted that the Lata Mangeshkar Award is a national-level award instituted to honour works in the field of music. 
●    Various State Governments of India present awards with this name. 
●    The State Government of MP started this award in 1984. 
●    The award consists of a certificate of merit and a cash prize. 
●    This time the maestros receiving the award include music director Usha Khanna for the year 2012, Singer Alka Yagnik for the year 2013, Music Director Bhappi Lahiri for 2014, Singer Udit Narayan for 2015 and Music Director Anu Malik for the year 2016 will be conferred with National Lata Mangeshkar Award. 

Dharmendra Pradhan launches piped natural gas project in Odisha

Oil minister Dharmendra Pradhan Friday launched supply of piped natural gas (PNG) project under ‘Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga’ (PMUG) in Odisha.
●    With this, GAIL started supply of environment-friendly PNG to 255 houses in Nalco Nagar located at Chandrasekharpur area in the state capital. 
●    The supply of PNG to a limited households was done ahead of its schedule in March 2018.
●    PMUG will pass through five states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal. 
●    The longest stretch of the project, which is about 769km, will be built in Odisha. 
●    “This pipeline will lead to industrial development of eastern India. 
●    Based on this gas-based pipeline, we are also planning to commission Talcher Fertiliser plant and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to lay foundation stone for this project in coming November”, Pradhan said.
●    City gas distribution (CGD) projects in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack are being taken up in parallel with the Jagdishpur – Haldia & Bokaro–Dhamra Natural Gas Pipeline (JHBDPL).

Sazerac buys stake in John Distilleries

John Distilleries Private Limited (JDPL), a leading liquor maker in India, announced on Friday that Sazerac Company, a family-owned spirits company in the United States has acquired an equity stake in it.
●    Sazerac, owners of brands including Fireball, Southern Comfort, Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon and E.H. Taylor Bourbon, had acquired an equity stake in JDPL from Gaja Capital, who would continue to remain partially invested in the company, a release said.
●    This strategic partnership marks Sazerac’s entry into the Indian market, one of the largest and fastest growing markets for spirits in the world, it added.
●    “Sazerac’s technological expertise coupled with a global portfolio of brands spread across all spirit categories will be an added advantage for JDPL,” said JDPL chairman and managing director Paul John.

Workers protest Tata Steel Netherlands-Thyssenkrupp merger

A workers’ group of Tata Steel’s Netherlands unit has raised concerns over the proposed Tata Steel-Thyssenkrupp merger of their steel operations in Europe in a 50:50 joint venture.
●    The major concern of Central Works Council(CWC) of Tata Steel Netherlands (TSN) is that, as per the MoU, the Supervisory Board of TSN will no longer be independent and that TSN’s Board of Directors will not be properly constituted, a company statement said.
●    However, Hans Fischer, CEO of Tata Steel’s European operations has assured that the company will follow due diligence in consultation with all relevant stakeholders as Tata Steel progresses in the transaction.
●    He said the company has held a number of meetings and had constructive discussions and briefings with groups representing “our employees” including the European Works Council, the CWC and the UK Steel Committee besides the Supervisory Board and Board of Management of TSN.
●    On the other hand, the CWC said there is no clarity as to how the new business will be financed and where the liabilities will be placed in the business.
●    The MoU also raises many other questions, in particular regarding the impact on the downstream activities, it said.

Linking Aadhaar number to bank accounts is mandatory, says RBI

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Saturday clarified that linking bank accounts to Aadhaar is mandatory under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, dismissing media reports which suggested that such a linkage is not mandatory.
●    “The Reserve Bank clarifies that, in applicable cases, linkage of Aadhaar number to bank account is mandatory under the Prevention of Money-laundering (Maintenance of Records) Second Amendment Rules, 2017 published in the Official Gazette on June 1, 2017,” it said in a statement.
●    RBI also said that the anti-money laundering rules which were amended in June 2017 have statutory force and banks have to implement them without awaiting further instructions.
●    The government had notified under PMLA that every bank account should be linked to Aadhaar by 31 December, failing which the accounts will become inoperative.
●    The central bank’s clarification comes after an RTI reply to Moneylife.in said that it has not issued any directive that makes it mandatory to link bank accounts with Aadhaar number.
●    On 14 October, a fresh petition was filed in the Supreme Court challenging the government’s decision to link bank accounts and mobile phones to the 12-digit unique identity number issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).

Arcelormittal joins race to acquire Bhushan Steel under bankruptcy code

ArcelorMittal, the world's largest steel company, has joined the bidding race for stressed steel assets in the country by expressing interest to acquire Bhushan Steel. 
●     LN Mittal-led ArcelorMittal has submitted an expression of interest (EoI) for Bhushan Steel, which has been referred to National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) under Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code. 
●    This provides ArcelorMittal, which failed to make much headway in setting up greenfield steel projects in India, an opening to pick up good steel assets in the country at what is widely believed to be reasonable prices, sources said. 
●    “We don’t comment on M&A speculation and rumour,” an ArcelorMittal spokesperson said in response to ET’s query. According to media reports, Korean steelmaker Posco, which faced delays in getting its proposed 10 mt greenfield steel unit in Odisha off the ground for over a decade, is also in the fray for stressed assets like Bhushan Steel and Essar Steel. 
●    India is one of the world's fastest growing markets for steel, including automotive steel, and the country is battling cheap imports from Japan and South Korea.

Sebi slaps Rs 20 lakh fine on Lancor Holdings' promoters

Markets regulator Sebi has slapped a fine of Rs 20 lakh on four promoters of Lancor Holdings for failing to make public announcements following acquisition of shares of the firm through bulk deals.
●    The promoters -- R V Shekar, Shyamala Shekar, Sangeetha Shekar and Swetha Shekar -- have to pay the fine 'jointly and severally', as per an order dated October 18 of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi).
●    According to the regulator, R V Shekar along with persons acting in concert (PACs) -- Shyamala, Sangeetha and Swetha -- had acquired 0.99, 0.70, 0.54 and 0.61 per cent shares of the firm on four separate occasions during September 2009, by way of bulk deals.
●    Following the acquisitions, these entities were required to make public announcements under Sebi's SAST (Substantial Acquisition of Shares and Takeovers) Regulations.
●    "The notices (four promoters) by not making public announcements on acquiring shares of the company , have not only failed to comply with the provisions of SAST Regulations but have also deprived the shareholders of the exit opportunity at the relevant times which has to be viewed seriously," Sebi said.