Current Affairs 15th September 2015

Current Affairs 15th September 2015 - Important Points

• Name the committee formed by Union Government on restructuring water agencies - Mihir Shah Committee

• Pulitzer prize-winning playwright Frank D Gilroy died

• Nepal Constituent Assembly declined proposal for Hindu nation in favour of secularism

• Where did the India-Maldives joint military training Exercise EKUVERIN 2015 held - Kerala

• Who has adopted Document on Advancing Security Council Reforms - UNGA

• Which day UN has adopted Resolution proclaiming as International Genocide Commemoration Day - 9 December

• Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott Dethroned in an - Internal Party Leadership Ballot

• QS World University Rankings 2015-16 released

• ‘Powering the Future We Want’ grant of the United Nations is won by - We Care Solar

• Report titled Assessment of State Implementation of Business Reforms released

• Indian Kalarippayattu Federation was recognized as Regional Sports Federation by - Sports Ministry

Current Affairs 15th September 2015 - Details

Name the committee formed by Union Government on restructuring water agencies - Mihir Shah Committee

Among the important National Current Affairs, On 11th September 2015, a seven-member committee named Mihir Shah Committee was formed by the Union Ministry of Water Resources to advise it on restructuring the the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) and Central Water Commission (CWC).

Former Planning Commission member Mihir Shah will head the expert committee. The committee was commanded to recommend ways for optimal development of water resources in the country.

In order to do so, the committee will undertake elaborate mapping exercise as part of river basin planning that will include mapping and characterizing of aquifiers.

Moreover, it will also work on water resource planning, augmenting and budgeting in an integrated manner.

The evolution of the committee assumes significance as most Indian rivers found to be polluted and it is high time the rejuvenation of rivers takes place.

Pulitzer prize-winning playwright Frank D Gilroy died

On 12th September 2015, Renowned American playwright and director Frank D Gilroy passed away in Monroe, New York at the age of 89.

He has won Pulitzer Prize for theatrical adaptation of his play The Subject Was Roses. In May 1964, the play was premiered on Broadway with a cast including Martin Sheen, Irene Dailey and Jack Albertson. Gilroy also received the Tony Award for Best Play for The Subject Was Roses in 1965.

In 1971, he also directed movies for television and the big screen including the Desperate Characters. Before writing the plays, Gilroy served in the army from 1943 to 1946.

Nepal Constituent Assembly declined proposal for Hindu nation in favour of secularism

On 14th September 2015, The Constituent Assembly of Nepal devastatingly declined the proposal to declare Nepal a Hindu state and proclaimed to remain secular.

To amend the Constitution to make the country a Hindu state waas the proposal of Pro-Hindu National Democratic Party Nepal. In the 601-seat Constituent Assembly, only 21 lawmakers agreed the proposal to amend the constitution which means that the proposal was rejected by more than two-thirds of the members.

Do you Know :

In 2007, after the success of the People's Movement of 2006 and end of monarchy in the country, the former Hindu state, Nepal was declared a secular state.

On 15 January 2007, it was defined as a secular state under the Interim Constitution. The promulgation provided freedom to practice one’s religion and it specifically denied the right to convert another person.

Where did the India-Maldives joint military training Exercise EKUVERIN 2015 held - Kerala

Among the important National Current Affairs, From 31st August to 13th September 2015, India-Maldives joint military training Exercise EKUVERIN 2015 was held at the Pangode Military Station in Trivandrum, Kerala.

The exercise saw the participation of the Indian Army and the Maldives National Defence Forces. In total 90 soldiers took part in it, 45 each.

It was the 6th edition of the bilateral annual exercise started in 2009 in Belgaum, Karnataka.

Exercise EKUVERIN is alternatively held in India and Maldives with the aim of enhancing military cooperation and interoperability between the two countries and increased understanding between both armies.

Who has adopted Document on Advancing Security Council Reforms - UNGA

Among the important International Current Affairs, On 14th September 2015, United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) without any oppose adopted a document for reform of the UN Security Council (UNSC).

The body also decided to acknowledged its central role on the question of equitable representation on and increase in the membership of the Security Council and other related matters in a draft decision submitted by Assembly President Sam Kutesa (Uganda).

Moreover, the Assembly also decided to summon the Open-ended Working Group on the Question of Equitable Representation on and Increase in the Membership of the Security Council and Other Matters related to the Security Council during the seventieth session starting from 15 September 2015, if member states so decided.

The proposal which was adopted for the first time in 23 years has been welcomed by India as it will boost India's bid for a permanent seat in the overhaul world body.

Which day UN has adopted Resolution proclaiming as International Genocide Commemoration Day - 9 December

Among the important International Current Affairs, On 11th September 2015, United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the resolutions that proclaims 9 December as International Day of Commemoration & Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime.

The resolution on International Day started by Armenia is deliberated to celebrate and honour the victims of the crime of genocide around the world, and to raise awareness of the Convention and its role in protecting populations from future genocides.

The resolution was adopted without a vote in the 193-member Assembly and it reiterates the responsibility of each individual State to protect its populations from genocide through appropriate and necessary means.

Do You Know :

9th December has been proclaimed as International Genocide Commemoration Day by UNGA because the day marks anniversary of the signing of the 1948 Genocide Convention. It was one of the first United Nations conventions to address humanitarian issues.

It was adopted in response to the atrocities which were committed during the World War II and through GA Res. 180(II) UN recognised that genocide is an international crime, which entails the national and international responsibility of individual persons and states.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott Dethroned in an - Internal Party Leadership Ballot

Among the important International Current Affairs, On 14th September 2015, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott was deposed from the power as leader of the ruling centre-right Liberal Party.

He was deposed after he lost to challenger Malcolm Turnbull in an internal party leadership ballot. In the ballot, Turnbull received 54 votes while Abbott received 44 votes.

Now, the former Communication Minister of Australia, Turnbull became Australia's fourth prime minister since 2013 and overall he is the 29th Prime Minister of Australia.

However, deputy leader of the Liberal Party will be Foreign Minister Julie Bishop. Bishop secured 70 votes.

This ballot was an end result of the leadership challenge posed by Turnbull claiming that Tony Abbott was incapable of providing the economic leadership the country needs.

QS World University Rankings 2015-16 released

Among the important International Current Affairs, On 15th September 2015, the 12th edition in the series of annual global university ranking list, QS World University Rankings 2015-16 was released.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) of the USA was referred as the top university in the world, the Indian Institute of Science-Bangalore (IISc-B) was at 147th position and the Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi (IIT-D) was ranked at 179th.

Six performance indicators were used in the preparation of the list including global reputation, research impact, staffing levels and international complexion.

The six performance indicators with corresponding weightages: Academic reputation (40%), Employer reputation (10%), Student-to-faculty ratio (20%), Citations per faculty (20%), International faculty ratio (5%) and international student ratio (5%).

Highlights of the 2015-16 List

• MIT topped the list of universities in the world for record fourth time.
• Harvard University moved up two places to rank second, followed by the University of Cambridge and Stanford University in joint third.
• The California Institute of Technology (Caltech) of the USA was ranked the fifth best university.
• Among Asian universities National University of Singapore topped the list with the 11th position.

List of Indian University with Rankings

• IISc-Bangalore - 147
• IIT-Delhi - 179
• IIT-Bombay - 202
• IIT-Madras - 254
• IIT-KANPUR - 271
• IIT-KHAGRAPUR - 286
• IIT-ROORKEE - 391
• IIT-Guwahati - 451-460
• University of Delhi - 481-490
• University of Calcutta - 601-350
• Punjab University - 700+
• University of Pune - 700+

‘Powering the Future We Want’ grant of the United Nations is won by - We Care Solar

Among the important International Current Affairs, On 14th September 2015, We Care Solar won 1 million US dollar ‘Powering the Future We Want’ grant given by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA).

The award was accepted by Dr. Laura Stachel, co-founder of We Care Solar at a ceremony held at UN Headquarters in New York.

We Care Solar provide renewable energy at low cost with a medical device that prevents maternal and child complications during labour in areas without electricity.

Apart from this, Masdar, a renewable energy company, received a special award, and BYD, an electric vehicle company, was chosen to receive special recognition.

Report titled Assessment of State Implementation of Business Reforms released

Among the important National Current Affairs, On 14th September 2015, A report titled Assessment of State Implementation of Business Reforms was released.

The report apprehended the findings of an assessment conducted jointly by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), the World Bank Group and KPMG as the knowledge partner, the Confederation of Indian Industry and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

Data for the assessment was collected through a structured questionnaire that was sent to each state and union territory government. Following the completion of the data collection, the data was evaluated in detail to ensure that the same yardstick was applied to measure progress for all states.

Top 10 State Rankings in terms of implementation of 98-point action plan

• Gujarat - 71.14 percent
• Andhra Pradesh - 70.12 percent
• Jharkhand - 63.09 percent
• Chhattisgarh - 62.45 percent
• Madhya Pradesh - 62.00 percent
• Rajasthan - 61.04 percent
• Odisha - 52.12 percent
• Maharashtra - 49.43 percent
• Karnataka - 48.50 percent
• Uttar Pradesh - 47.37 percent

Indian Kalarippayattu Federation was recognized as Regional Sports Federation by - Sports Ministry

Among the important Sports Current Affairs, On 14th September 2015, Indian Kalarippayattu Federation was recognized as Regional Sports Federation by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports to promote and give due acknowledgement and importance to sports having regional spread.

About Kalarippayattu Sport

• It is a Martial art sport that is performed in Southern state of Kerala and in some parts of Tamil Nadu.
• The word kalari in Kalaripayattu describes both a battlefield and combat arena and has been derived from Sangam literature.
• It is considered as one of the oldest fighting system in existence with its origin dating back to 3nd century BC to the 2nd century AD when each warrior in Sangam era received regular military training.