GK and Current Affairs Updates

U Mumba overcame a fighting Bengaluru Bulls 36-30 in a thrilling summit clash to lift the second Star Sports Pro Kabaddi crown at a packed NSCI Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday. Starting the game as slight favourites, the Mumbai outfit had to stretch every sinew to get the better of their rivals from Bengaluru who fought tooth and nail but fell short at the end. U Mumba came up with some magical play when the occasion demanded, especially in the closing stages of both sessions, to run out victors and take home the top prize of Rs one crore. The Bulls got Rs 50 lakh. At half time U Mumba led 16-8 after a late surge from 7-all. Earlier, in the 3rd-4th placing game, Telugu Titans from Hyderabad downed Patna Pirates 34-26, after leading 16-8 at half time, to finish third and get prize money of Rs 30 lakh

Defending champion Serena Williams finished her last US Open tune-up in style by beating Romanian third seed Simona Halep 6-3 7-6(5) to win the Western & Southern Open on Sunday.For the top-seeded American, the Cincinnati triumph sent a message that she is in top form as she now sets her sights on a calendar sweep of the four grand slams at the August 31-September 13 US Open. 

About Serena Williams --Serena Jameka Williams is an American professional tennis player who is ranked No. 1 in women's singles tennis. The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) has ranked her world No. 1 in singles on six separate occasions. Williams holds the most major singles, doubles, and mixed doubles titles combined amongst active players, male or female. Her record of 36 major titles puts her fifth on the all-time list and first of the open era with: 21 in singles, 13 in women's doubles, and two in mixed doubles. She is the most recent player, male or female, to have held all four major singles titles simultaneously (2002–03 and 2014–15), and the fifth woman ever to do so. She is also the most recent player, together with her sister Venus Williams, to have held all four Grand Slam women's doubles titles simultaneously (2009–10). Her total of 21 Grand Slam singles titles is third on the all-time list behind Margaret Court (24) and Steffi Graf (22), and second in the Open Era, behind only Graf. She is the only tennis player—female or male—to have won singles titles at least six times in three of the four Grand Slam tournaments. She has won 13 Grand Slam doubles titles with her sister Venus and the pair are unbeaten in Grand Slam tournament finals.

Madhya Pradesh government cleared a project for setting up the world's largest 750 MW solar power station at Gudh tehsil  in Rewa district of the state. The cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh here approved the proposal for commissioning the world's largest solar power station at Gudh in Rewa, state government spokesperson and MP Minister Narottam Mishra told reporters. He said that a loan from the World Bank will be sought for commissioning the ultra mega green power generation station. The state's new and renewable energy department will make available the land for the project, he added. The minister said that Centre and the state have formed a joint venture company to facilitate commissioning the project. Mishra also said that the retirement age of group A and B staffers of MP Finance Commission has been increased from 58 to 60 on the recommendation of the commission's board of director.

The digitalization initiative of the Government is to build a truly inclusive and enlightened India. The unique initiative for health care in India-SEHAT launched is an initiative in furtherance to Government’s commitment to empower rural citizens in having access to information, knowledge, skills and other services in various sectors through the intervention of digital technologies and fulfilling the vision of a “Digital India”.  

The Union Minister for Information Technology and Telecom, Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad said this while launching the new initiative here today. He said the Government was working to mainstream the underprivileged classes to come at par and to develop the rural community both socially and economically so as to build an inclusive and enlightened India. He said “Digital India” program is to transform India into a digitally empowered society so as to share the fruits of development with every section of the society especially those living in rural India. He said digitally empowered rural women can truly address the issues of structural imbalances and poverty.
 
 

Noted academician and former Vice-Chancellor of the Jammu University Amitabh Mattoo was on 21 August 2015 appointed as Advisor to Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Chief Minister (CM) Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. Mattoo will have the status of a Cabinet Minister.Born in Srinagar, Mattoo has been the Chief Executive Officer and inaugural Director of the Australia India Institute and Professor of International Relations at the University of Melbourne in Australia.Currently, he is on leave from New Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University where he serves as a Professor of Disarmament Studies at the School of International Studies. He is widely regarded as an inspiring and innovative builder of institutions and the foremost Indian intellectual seeking to build peace in the South Asian region. 

Mattoo also serves on the Governing Council of the Indian Council for Social Science Research (ICSSR), the Executive Committee and Governing Council of Pugwash and is a member of the Lancet Commission on Adolescent Health and Well Being.He has been a Member of the National Knowledge Commission, a high-level advisory group to the Prime Minister of India. He is also the President of the Indian Association of International Studies.

India gets its first private bank in 11 years with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley inaugurating Bandhan Bank as a full-fledged scheduled commercial bank on Sunday, ushering in a new era in country's financial sector, which will now see innovation taking the centrestage to reach out to the unbanked population. "Bandhan Bank is the first to be off the block as the new change happening in the country's finance and banking field," said Uday Kotak, head of Kotak group.Who's who of Indian banking and policymakers were present at the inaugural ceremony. Bandhan is the first microfinance company to transform into a bank. Reserve Bank of India has turned liberal in doling out banking licenses to entities of different capabilities. It has just issued 11 in-principle licenses to set up payments banks. 
Bandhan Bank will primarily cater to the unorganized sector like daily wage earners and women running small businesses -- the segments that had been its borrowers for a decade. As a bank, it will also offer savings, remittance and insurance services and try to raise its stake in the bottom of the pyramid customers even as the established ones such as State Bank of India and ICICI Bank are in a race to have more customers from the unbanked population. 
"Our primary focus will be the eastern region where banking penetration is still poor,"

Chandra Shekhar Ghosh, managing director and chief executive officer said. Ghosh founded Bandhan in 2001.The company has 67 lakh micro finance borrowers and their accounts have been formally transferred to the new entity, creating around Rs 10000-crore strong loan portfolio to start with.Bandhan begun operation with 500 branches, a majority of these are in the eastern region including West Bengal.

Veteran actor-director Amol Palekar has been appointed as chairman of India's Oscar jury, which will select the country's official entry in the best foreign film category of the 88th Academy Awards. The "Gol Maal" star, 70, whose film "Paheli" was India's official entry for the Academy Awards in 2005, will be heading the 17-member jury. "We have selected Amol Palekar as the head of India's Oscar jury. He is an eminent film personality," Supran Sen, Secretary General of the Mumbai-based Film Federation of India (FFI)said .An elated Palekar said the process of selecting the film to represent India at Oscars 2016 is yet to begin. 

The foundation stone laying ceremony of National Research Centre on Integrated Farming (ICAR-NRCIF) was held today, Pipra Kothi, East Champaran district, Bihar. Union Minister of Agriculture, Shri Radha Mohan Singh was the Chief Guest on the occasion. Inaugurating the National Integrated Agriculture Research Centre, Shri Radha Mohan Singh said that the new institute will be dedicated to the welfare of the farmers in the region. The mandate of the institute will be to conduct research on the development of location specific integrated farming system models for diverse agro-ecological conditions specially flood and wetland situation with emphasis on rice, sugarcane and banana which require more water. Agriculture Minister expressed hope that the institute will bear the responsibility of developing integrated models for whole of the region so that the food and nutritional security of people is secured. He declared that KVKs will be strengthened across the country for accelerating the lab to land programme. 

Progressive farmers and entrepreneurs from the region including seven women farmers, who have excelled in cultivation of mushroom, banana cultivation and rice production were felicitated by the Minister. On the occasion, Dr S. Ayyappan, DG, ICAR and Secretary, DARE welcomed all dignitaries and farmers and apprised about the mandate of the newly established institute. 

Justice Madanlal Laxmandas Tahaliyani, a retired judge of Bombay High Court, was today sworn in as the newMaharashtra Lokayukta. Governor C Vidyasagar Rao administered the oath of office to Justice Tahaliyani at a brief ceremony held at the Darbar Hall of Raj Bhavan here. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Minister for Higher, Technical and Medical Education, Vinod Tawde, judges of Bombay High Court, public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam, family members of Justice Tahaliyani and others were present on the occasion. Justice Tahaliyani succeeds Justice (retd) PB Gaikwad, whose term as Lokayukta ended on July 1, 2014. 

Jamaican athlete Usain Bolt has won world 100 metre title in the World Athletics Championships held in Beijing, China. With this victory he retained his 100 metre title which was won earlier in 2009. In the blue riband event, Bolt ran a season’s best of 9.79 seconds winning gold medal. While Justin Gatlin of United States finished at the second spot in 9.80 sec, taking silver medal.

Usain Bolt’s Records

Usain Bolt is regarded as the fastest person in the world. 
He is the first athlete to hold both the 100 metres and 200 metres world records.
 He is Olympic gold medallist and has won medal in 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Olympic games in 100 metres. He is also the first to achieve a “double double” by winning 100 m and 200 m titles at consecutive Olympics (2008 and 2012).