Current Affairs April 2016 - Places in NEWS
News 1 - Special Purpose Vehicle for Bhubaneswar Smart City takes off
India’s first special purpose vehicle (SPV) on smart city - Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited - commenced its operations on 1 April 2016. Shri R. Balakrishnan, Development Commissioner and Additional Chief Secretary to Government of Odisha was appointed as Chairman of the SPV and Shri R Vineel Krishna as the CEO of ‘Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited’.
It will have Authorized Capital of Rs.500 crores, divided in to 5 crore shares of Rs.100 each. Of this, the Government of Odisha and Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation will have a share of Rs.112.50 crores each while Bhubaneswar Development Authority will contribute share capital of Rs.250 crores.
News 2 - Massive fire at Puttingal temple in Kerala; judicial probe ordered
The Puttingal Temple in Paravur, Kollam, India, experienced an explosion and fire after firework celebrations went awry which killed 110 people and more than 350 were injured. The explosion and fire were caused by firecrackers. The pilgrims were celebrating the last day of a seven-day festival of the goddess Bhadrakali.
The Kerala state government has ordered a judicial inquiry into a fireworks display headed by retired justice Krishnan Nair. The committee will submit the report in six months.
News 3 - World’s Largest ‘Wooden Charkha’ to be on Display at IGI Airport
The world's largest wooden Charkha (spinning wheel) will be installed at Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport. It is ready for dispatch from Paryog Samiti, a unit of Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) in Ahmedabad.
The four-tonne Charkha is made from high-quality teak wood and will last for over 50 years. It was built by around 26 workers and carpenters in 40 days. It was the initiative of KVIC Chairman VK Saxena to showcase India's symbol of non-violence to the world.
News 4 - Supercomputer Param Kanchenjunga Unveiled at NIT Sikkim
The National Institute of Technology (NIT) Sikkim has unveiled the Supercomputer Param Kanchenjunga which is said to be the most powerful and fastest among all the 31 National Institute of Technology's.
It was formally unveiled by Sikkim Governor Shrinvas Patil at the NIT Sikkim campus at Ravangla in South Sikkim District. The super computer is expected to help in research and academics. Since NIT Sikkim has research areas like climate modelling etc., it would aid in these fields as well. The supercomputer was established jointly with C-DAC - Pune at a cost of Rs.3 crores.
News 5 - Delhi ranked 44th among world’s 50 “Future-ready Cities”
Delhi has been recognized as one of the 50 future-ready cities around the world, according to a report by IT major Dell. The National Capital is ranked 44th on the list which is topped by San Jose, followed by San Francisco.
The 'Future-Ready Economies Model' scores large, high-growth global metropolitan areas. The cities positioned in the list were evaluated along three dimensions -- human capital, infrastructure and commerce.
News 6 - Operationalization of new Indian Institute of Science Education and Research at Tirupati
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has given its approval for operationalization of new Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) at Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh from the Academic Year of 2015-16 from a transit / temporary campus, at an estimated cost of Rs. 137.30 crore for the initial three years (2015-18).
The State Government of Andhra Pradesh has earmarked 244 acres of land at Srinivasapuram, Pangur and Chindepalli villages of Yerpedu Mandal for construction of the permanent campus of IISER, Tirupati. It was also decided to commence its functioning from the academic session of 2015-16 from the transit campus at Sree Rama Engineering College, Tirupati.
News 7 - President of India to attend the Khongjom Day
The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee will visit Manipur on April 23, 2016 where he will attend the Khongjom Day Observation 2016 and inaugurate a Monument-cum-Tourist Centre at Khongjom, Manipur.
Khongjom Day is observed on the 23rd April every year by the Government of Manipur to pay tribute to the brave sons of Manipur who made supreme sacrifice for the cause of their motherland.
News 8 - Tallest 'Tiranga' to be flagged off at Wagah border
The Border Security Force to hoist the tallest national flag of 350 feet at Wagah border breaking Jharkhand’s record of hoisting tallest flag of 293 feet in Ranchi.
The tallest tri-color can be seen both from Lahore as well as Amritsar. At that height, the flag would have to be proportionately sized, therefore it would also be the largest Tricolour.
