15 January 2016 – Daily Current Affairs

Alan Rickman, Harry Potter-fame actor passed away

Alan Rickman, a well-known and respected actor known for movies such as Harry Potter, Robin Hood and Die Hard, passed away on January 14 ^th 2016. He was battling with cancer and was 69. Over the past 30 years, Alan Rickman made a name for himself in the Hollywood industry. Admired for his award-winning performances as Severus Snape (in Harry Potter series) and Hans Gruber (in Die Hard series), Alan will be severely missed by his admirers and fans all over the world. Alan Rickman was born in London on February 21 ^st in the year 1946. He played various roles across screen and theatres before gaining fame.

World Bank signs a new loan agreement with Union Government for NNW (Neeranchal National Watershed) Project

On January 14 ^th 2016, a new loan agreement was signed between the World Bank and Union Government in India’s Capital. This major objective of this agreement was funding for development and completion of the NNW (Neeranchal National Watershed) Project. This project will be beneficial for all 28 Indian states that have implemented the project. However, some states including Maharashtra , Madhya Pradesh , Andhra Pradesh , Gujarat , Chhattisgarh , Telangana, Rajasthan , Odisha and Jharkhand shall gain more from this project as they have implemented more number of watershed projects across their states compared to others.

New anti-tank missile successfully tested by DRDO in Rajasthan

The DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) during January’s second week was able to test-fire anti-tank missile ‘Nag’, successfully across the MFFR (Mahajan Field Firing Range) in Rajasthan. This test took place during night hour trail for validating the enhanced (4-km) range capacity of the Imaging-Infrared seeker. This seeker will guide the missile to its target after the missile has been launched. During this test, TTS (thermal target system) was introduced as missile target. The thermal signal produced by TTS is similar to that of any operational tank and therefore aptly mapped by missiles as target.

Gautam Ghosh and Kamal Hassan included in SB (Shyam Benegal) Committee

Noted film personalities Gautam Ghosh and Kamal Hassan were inducted in the SB (Shyam Benegal) Committee on 14 ^th January 2016 on CBFC’s (Central Board of Film Certification) functioning. The objective behind this inclusion was to extend the committee’s representation to more diverse regions across the Indian nation. Also, existing members of the committee recommended these names inclusion. Apart from the newly included members, the other members of the committee include Shyam Benegal who is the present chairman, Rakeysh Mehra (notable director), Piyush Panday and Bhawana Somayaa

SBI launches first ever branch focussing on start- up businesses

India’s largest bank, State Bank of India (SBI), on 14 January 2016 launched and inaugurated India’s first ever bank branch focused entirely on start-up. Called SBI InCube, this branch has been set up in Bangalore. The objective of this specialized branch will be to understand as well as address the diverse banking requirements of Start-up Businesses. Apart from this, SBI also launched a new service called ‘SBI Exclusif, aimed at providing wealth management options and services to the affluent and growing sections of the nation.