1. Govt. may transfer IDBI Bad loans to a special entity
(i) In order to get better valuation for IDBI Bank strategic stake sale, the government may transfer the bank’s bad loans to a special entity.
(ii) The government is contemplating reducing its stake in bank well below 50% to transform it into another Axis Bank. Presently, the government holds 76.5% in IDBI and is considering several options, including strategic sales, to privatise the bank.
(iii) IDBI Bank’s gross NPA amounted to Rs.14,758 crore at the end of September 2015, an increase of Rs 3,199 crore since September 2014.
2. A K Jain appointed as the Chairman of CBDT
(i) Senior revenue service officer A K Jain was recently appointed as the Chairman of the Central Board of Taxes (CBDT).
(ii) It is the apex policy-making body of the Income Tax department and the appointment to the post was approved by the Appointments Committee of Cabinet. He also holds the additional charge of Member (Personnel and Vigilance) in CBDT.
(iii) In November 2015, Jain, an IRS officer of the 1978 batch, was made the acting chairman of the board after the superannuation of Anita Kapur. Kapur has taken the role of advisor on tax reforms in the Finance Ministry.
3. India’s Kartik Sawhney and Neha Swain to get 2016 queen’s young leader award
(i) Recently, Indian-born youngsters Kartik Sawhney, 21, and Neha Swain, 28, were among 60 other winners to get the 2016 Queen’s Young Leader award.
(ii) This award recognises leadership qualities, community building efforts of young people in the age group of 18-29 from across the 53 Commonwealth countries.
(iii) Sawhney, who is visually impaired, has been honoured for his work in highlighting access to education for all through his Project STEMAccess, which offers hands-on science workshops in India, besides virtual training sessions.
(iv) Swain founded an NGO called Rubaroo, which conducts interactive workshops to bring out the leadership qualities in young people who come from different socio-economic backgrounds.
4. National Energy Conservation day observed on December 14
(i) National Energy Conservation Day is annually observed across India on December 14 in order to raise awareness about the importance of energy and conservation.
(ii) The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) that was instituted in 2001, is a constitutional body under the Government of India that executed the Energy Conservation Act.
(iii) BEE also helps in the development of policies and strategies in order to reduce excessive energy usage.
(iv) On this day, the National Energy Conservation Award 2015 in textile sector given by the Union Ministry of Power was awarded to Arvind Ltd. The firm bagged this award for the second year in a row due to its energy saving initiatives.
5. Anirban Lahiri awarded the 2015 Asian Tour’s Order of Merit crown
(i) Indian golfer Anirban Lahiri was recently awarded the 2015 Asian Tour’s Order of Merit crown.
(ii) With this, Lahiri becomes the fourth Indian to win this honour, others being Jeev Milkha Singh (2006, 2008), Arjun Atwal (2003) and Jyoti Randhawa (2002).
(iii) Lahiri won the Maybank Malaysian Open and Hero Indian Open within just three weeks in February 2015 and went on to record five other top-10s around the world.
(iv) Another achievement was when he finished fifth at the PGA Championship and became known as the best Indian finisher at a major championship.
6. Apurvi Chandela clinches gold at the 59th National Shooting Championship
(i) In the recently concluded 59th National Shooting Championship, Apurvi Chandela clinched a gold medal in the women’s air rifle event, while Geetakshi Dixit and Anjum Moudgil bagged silver and bronze medals respectively.
(ii) In the men’s rifle 3-position event, Chain Singh bagged gold while Gagan Narang and Swapnil Kusale won silver and bronze medals respectively.
To make your preparation easier and to help you score better in your exams, follow competitive exams related news and articles here:
Bank PO:
FB: https://www.facebook.com/pagalguybankpo
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PaGaLGuYBankPO
SSC & Other Exams:
FB: https://www.facebook.com/Pagalguy-SSC-CGL-Others-879667042056262/timeline/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/pagalguyssc
UPSC:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Pagalguy-UPSC-951926044840262/timeline/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PaGaLGuYUPSC