Daily Current Affairs for Competitive Exams: October 21, 2016

Hello readers,
Here are today’s important headlines with key details for UPSC, SSC, IBPS and other competitive examinations.

SBI declares Silchar as its 5th Zone in North East

The State Bank of India (SBI) on October 20, 2016, declared Silchar as its 5th zone in North-East India. This zone will cater to the banking needs of the people of Mizoram, Tripura and Manipur along with the Barak Valley.
Besides, SBI also opened its administrative office at Silchar. This office will facilitate banking issues for the customers of the region.
The other four zones of SBI in region are located in Guwahati, Shillong, Dibrugarh and Jorhat.
Earlier, Silchar was under Guwahati zone and it was difficult for the bank to address the complaints and issues of the customers in such a difficult terrain. The bank has 736 branches across North East together with 3000 ATMs and 3000 customer service points for customer facilitation.

Fast attack craft INS Tihayu commissioned to Indian Navy

Water Jet Fast Attack Craft (WJFAC) INS Tihayu was commissioned into the Indian Navy on October 19, 2016. The 320-tonne INS Tahiyu is the sixth WJFAC Car Nicobar Class vessel to be commissioned and allotted to the Eastern Fleet of the Navy. Named after Tihayu island (presently known as Katchal island) in the Nicobar group, measuring 49 meters can achieve speeds in excess of 35 knots.

Background

The production of Car Nicobar-class vessels designed and built by GRSE was fast-tracked after the 2008 Mumbai terror attack. It was built for extended coastal and offshore surveillance and patrol.
These vessels are designed as a cost-effective platform for patrol, anti-piracy and rescue operations in India’s Exclusive Economic Zone. The class and its vessels are named for Indian islands.

Indian Boxing Council inducted into WBO with voting rights

The Indian Boxing Council (IBC) was inducted into the World Boxing Organisation (WBO) with voting rights in mid-October 2016. The decision was taken at the WBO’s annual convention at Puerto Rico. The Indian Boxing Council is a licensing body for the country’s professional boxers.

About World Boxing Organisation

The World Boxing Organization is a sanctioning organization that recognizes professional boxing world champions.
It is recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) as one of the four major world championship groups. The other groups are the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Council (WBC), and International Boxing Federation (IBF).
The WBO’s headquarter is located in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The WBO started after a group of Puerto Rican and Dominican businessmen broke out of the WBA’s 1988 annual convention in Isla Margarita, Venezuela over disputes regarding what rules should be applied.

Maharashtra government launches ‘Kaushalya Setu’ for skill development

Maharashtra government launched ‘Kaushalya Setu’, a skill development programme for students, on October 19, 2016. Under the Kaushalya Setu initiative students of Maharashtra State Board of Secondary & Higher Secondary Education who failed to clear Class X or SSC exam, will be accommodated in skill development courses.
The main aim of the initiative is to compensate the loss of a year of students failed the matriculation examination by providing skill-oriented training. It will give a big boost to Central Government’s Skill India Mission-2020 by providing skill development courses to students.

IUNC to declare Kashmir’s Red Stag as Critically Endangered

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is going to declare the Kashmiri Red Stag (also known as Hangul) as a Critically Endangered species. The critically endangered status to the Kashmiri Red Stag will help it to get more protection and enhance the conservation efforts to increase its rapidly declining population.

About Kashmiri Red Stag

The Kashmiri Stag or Hangul is a subspecies of elk native to India. It is found in dense riverine forests in the high valleys and mountains of Kashmir Valley and northern Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh.
As per Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) nearly 3000 to 5000 Hanguls existed around the 1940s. But at present, only about 150 of them survive within its last bastion in Dachigam National Park located on foothills of Zabarwan range on the outskirts of Srinagar, J&K.

About IUCN

The IUCN is the world’s oldest and largest global environmental organisation working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.
It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.
It is also involved in data gathering and analysis, research, field projects, advocacy, lobbying and education. IUCN is best known to the wider public for compiling and publishing the IUCN Red List, which assesses the conservation status of species worldwide.

Here is a list of last few articles on Current Affairs and the Monthly Bullet on Current Affairs for SSC
Monthly Bullet Pdf for October 2016