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May 23, 2015

21st May 2015 - Important Current Affairs updates

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National Affairs
  • Food inspectors have ordered Nestle India to recall a batch of Maggi noodles from shops across the country, saying the product contained dangerous levels of lead.
    • The Food Safety and Drug Administration (FDA) in Uttar Pradesh said high lead content was found during routine tests on two dozen packets of instant noodles, manufactured by Nestle in India.
    • The packets of instant noodles tested in the state-run laboratory were contaminated. They found a lead concentration of 17.2 parts per million (ppm), which is way beyond the permissible limit (ranges between 0.01 ppm and 2.5 ppm).
    • The scientists also found high levels of added monosodium glutamate (MSG), a taste enhancer, in the noodles.
  • The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, today gave its approval for the revival of closed urea unit of Fertilizer Corporation India Limited (FCIL) at Sindri (Jharkhand) with an investment of Rs 6000 crore.
    • This unit was lying defunct and was not in operation since 2002. 
    • Note : There is no functional urea unit in the Eastern part of the country except two small units at Namrup (Assam).
  • The Union Cabinet also approves setting up of a new Ammonia-Urea Complex at Namrup in Assam at a cost of 4,500 crore rupees.
  • Cabinet gives nod for amendments in FDI policy to treat investments by NRIs, PIOs and OCIs at par with investment made by resident Indians.
  • Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi announced that the Government is going to set up Nirbhaya Centres across the country to help women in distress.
  • Anti-Terrorism Day being observed across the country today (21st May 2015).
    • Purpose of this day is to educate and wean away people from terrorism and violence.
    • It was on this day in 1991 that former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by the LTTE, in the southern Indian town of Sriperambadudr, at an election rally.
    • LTTE : Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
  • Maharashtra government has decided to make necessary changes in the Factories Act, 1948 to allow women to work in factories in night shifts.
    • The managements will have to ensure security of women working in night shift.
    • The decision was taken at a meeting of the state Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
    • Note : Earlier, section 66 (1) (c) of the Factories Act, 1948 restricted women from working at a factory between 7 PM and 6 AM.
  • HRD Minister Smriti Irani announces monetary rewards to parents and schools which would ensure education of the girl children.
    • The ministry is going to launch a mobile app within one or two months to enable anyone to freely download NCERT books.
New Appointments
  • US President Barack Obama has named Akhil Amar, an Indian-American professor from Yale University as a member of the prestigious National Council on Humanities.
Science & Technology
  • For the fist time, a Mirage 2000 fighter jet of the Indian Air Force (IAF) test-landed on the Yamuna Expressway near Delhi as part of a drill for emergency landings on national highways.
    • The IAF has been considering the use of national highways for emergency landing by fighter aircraft.
Science & Technology
  • The indigenously developed air-to-air supersonic Astra, was successfully fired from Su-30 MKI fighter aircraft and tested for a very long range at the Integrated Test Range, in Odisha on Thursday.
    • On Wednesday, two Astra missiles were launched when the fighter aircraft was performing high-g manoeuvres in two separate trials.
    • The 3.8 metre tall Astra can carry a warhead weighing 15 kg and intercept and destroy enemy aircraft at supersonic speeds in head-on and tail chase modes. 
    • It possesses high Single Shot Kill Probability (SSKP) and can be launched from different altitudes.
Deaths
  • Eminent economist, noted academic and policy advisor Mrinal Datta Chaudhuri (81), who bewitched and inspired generations of students at the Delhi School of Economics with his lively lectures on an ostensibly arid subject, passed away.
    • ‘MDC’ as Professor Chaudhuri was popularly and affectionately called, studied with Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen in Shantiniketan and furthered his education at Kolkata’s Presidency College before completing his Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where he studied modern economics under the legendary Paul Samuelson, whom Dr. Chaudhuri personally regarded as “the greatest economist of the 20th century”.
Business & Economy
  • State Bank of India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with e-commerce player Amazon to develop payment and commerce solutions for customers and small businesses.
    • SBI chairperson : Arundhati Bhattacharya
    • Amazon India vice president and country manager : Amit Agarwal
Sports
  • Star Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal on Thursday regained the number one spot in the latest BWF world rankings released on Thursday.
    • Meanwhile, P V Sindhu lost a position to be on 12th place.
    • In men’s singles, K Srikanth has retained his fourth place. Even P Kashyap and H S Parnnoy also maintained their 13th and 15th positions, respectively.
    • Women's Singles (Top 10)
      1. Saina NEHWAL (India)
      2. LI Xuerui (China)
      3. Carolina MARIN (Spain)
      4. TAI Tzu Ying (Chinese Taipei)
      5. WANG Shixian (China)
      6. Ratchanok INTANON (Thailand)
      7. SUNG Ji Hyun (Korea)
      8. WANG Yihan (China)
      9. SUN Yu (China)
      10. Nozomi OKUHARA (Japan)
    • Men's Singles (Top 10)
      1. CHEN Long (China)
      2. LIN Dan (China)
      3. Jan O JORGENSEN (Denmark)
      4. K. Srikanth (India)
      5. SON Wan Ho (Korea)
      6. CHOU Tien Chen (Chinese Taipei)
      7. WANG Zhengming (China)
      8. Kento MOMOTA (Japan)
      9. Viktor AXELSEN (Denmark)
      10. TIAN Houwei (China)
Read Current Affairs of 20th May 2015 from here 

Note : The current affairs of  22nd and 23rd May 2015 will be available soon....



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