Indira Awas Yojana Renamed After Prime Minister
i. The flagship rural housing scheme Indira Awas Yojana (IAY), started by former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, has been restructured and renamed as Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), which will be launched next month.
i. The IAY will be subsumed by the PMAY from April 1 next year. Under the new scheme, the government is aiming to construct one crore houses by 2019.
Govt merges Railway Budget with Union Budget
i. The Cabinet today approved the scrapping of the 92-year old practice of presenting a separate Railway Budget and merged it with the Union Budget.
ii. The Cabinet also approved the advancing of the date of presentation of the Union Budget to February 1, as against the current practice of presenting it on the last working day of February.
Centre announces new list of 27 smart cities
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s constituency Varanasi made it to the list of 27 Smart Cities that was announced.
ii. Vadodara, Agra, Nagpur, Ajmer, Amritsar, Gwalior, Thane and Thanjavur are some of the other cities that have been named.
iii. The 27 cities will require the investment of Rs 66,883 crore.
Government approves 9 highway projects worth Rs 2,600 cr
i. The central government has approved nine highway projects at a cost of Rs 2,600.31 crore.
ii. These projects include Rehabilitation and Up-gradation of Allahabad-Mirzapur section of NH-76 in Uttar Pradesh to 2-lane.
iii. The other highways approved are in the states of Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
Shubha Mudgal to get ‘LalitArpan Samman’
i. Hindustani classical singer Shubha Mudgal will be honoured with the annual ‘LalitArpan Samman’ this year.
ii. Mudgal, a Padma Shri recipient, was born in Allahabad and is known for her singing in genres of Khayal, Thumri and Dadra.
Shubha Mudgal to get ‘LalitArpan Samman’
i. Hindustani classical singer Shubha Mudgal will be honoured with the annual ‘LalitArpan Samman’ this year.ii. Mudgal, a Padma Shri recipient, was born in Allahabad and is known for her singing in genres of Khayal, Thumri and Dadra.
Bangladesh’s Junaid Ahmad new World Bank head in India
i. Junaid Ahmad has become the World Bank’s Country Director for India, replacing Onno Ruhl who served a four-year term based out of the national capital.
ii. The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries
Google rolls out travel app
i. Google Inc. has rolled out Google Trips, a new travel app that lets users plan each day of their trip and help them manage travel reservations.
Ajay Shirke re-elected as BCCI Secretary
i. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has elected Ajay Shirke as Secretary unopposed at its Annual General Meeting.
ii. Shirke became the secretary in July after Anurag Thakur was elevated as the president.
iii. In another major development, former Indian seamer Venkatesh Prasad was appointed as the new chairman of selectors.
Anup Kumar to lead India in Kabaddi World Cup
i. Star raider Anup Kumar from Haryana will lead India in next month’s Kabaddi World Cup to be held in Ahmedabad.
ii. All-rounder Manjeet Chillar will be Anup’s deputy in the 14-member squad for the tournament that is set to commence on October 7 and will feature 12 teams.
Anup Kumar to lead India in Kabaddi World Cup
i. Star raider Anup Kumar from Haryana will lead India in next month’s Kabaddi World Cup to be held in Ahmedabad.ii. All-rounder Manjeet Chillar will be Anup’s deputy in the 14-member squad for the tournament that is set to commence on October 7 and will feature 12 teams.
Misbah-ul-Haq becomes first Pakistani to receive Test mace from ICC
i. Misbah-ul-Haq has received the prestigious ICC Test Championship mace for inspiring Pakistan to the top of the ICC Test Team Rankings.
ii. This is for the first time a Pakistani cricketer has received the award.
iii. The current rankings system was introduced in 2003.
Flipkart becomes 1st e-commerce in India to cross 100 million customers
i. Flipkart has crossed the 100-million registered users mark, becoming the first e-commerce company in the country to hit the milestone.ii. The Bengaluru-based company has doubled its user base over the last year.
iii. It added 25 million users in the past six months alone.
Oscar-winning writer and director dies at 71
i. Oscar-winning writer and film director Curtis Hanson has died at his home in Hollywood at the age of 71.
ii. He is known for his work in films like Kevin Spacey-starrer LA Confidential, The Hand That Rocks the Cradle and The River Wild.
Important Current Affairs Quiz for Bank ...
