Current Affairs: 16th Jan 2017

RBI raises ATM withdrawal limit to Rs 10,000 per day from current Rs 4,500
i. The limit on withdrawals from ATMs has been enhanced from the current limit of Rs.4,500 to Rs.10,000 per day per card (It will be operative within the existing overall weekly limit).
ii. In a major relief for ATM users, the limits placed on withdrawals and current accounts has been raised with immediate effect.

India slips to 92nd rank on global talent competitiveness Index
i.India has slipped 3 places to 92nd rank on the global index of talent competitiveness that measures how countries grow, attract and retain talent, a list topped by Switzerland.
ii.India’s ranking is worst among the five BRICS countries.
iii. While China was ranked at the 54th place, Russian Federation was placed at 56th, followed by South Africa at 67th and Brazil 81st.
iv.Switzerland topped the overall index, followed by Singapore and the United Kingdom in second and third places respectively, in the list released by INSEAD Produced in partnership with The Adecco Group and the Human Capital Leadership Institute of Singapore (HCLI).Last year, India came in at 89th on the index.

SC allows 24-week pregnant woman to have abortion
i.The Supreme Court has given permission to a woman in her 24th week of pregnancy to undergo termination of pregnancy after medical report finds foetus is without skull.
ii.The Court says, a woman can abort if foetus poses danger to mother’s life.
iii.The apex court also directed that the termination of pregnancy be performed by a team of doctors of the hospital which shall maintain a complete record of the procedure adopted in the matter.

New Adoption Regulations come into force from 16 January 2017
i.The new Adoption Regulations have come into force on 16 January 2017, which have replaced the Adoption Guidelines, 2015, will further strengthen the adoption program in the country by streamlining the process.
ii.Transparency, early de-institutionalisation of children, informed choice for the parents, ethical practices and strictly defined timelines in the adoption process are the salient aspects of the Adoption Regulations 2017.

WPI inflation rises to 3.39% in December 2016
i.Breaking a 3-month declining trend, wholesale inflation rose to 3.39% in December 2016.
ii.The increase was mainly due to a rise in prices of manufactured items, even as food articles turned cheaper.
iii.Wholesale price index-based inflation had stood at 3.15% in November 2016, and minus 1.06% in December 2015.
iv.According to Commerce Ministry data, overall wholesale food inflation fell to minus 0.7% in December 2016, from 1.54% in November. But inflation in manufactured articles rose to 3.67% in December, from 3.2% in November.

2016 recorded as country’s warmest year
i.2016 was India’s warmest year ever since the documenting of meteorological records began in 1901.
ii.The information was revealed by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) in its release named ‘statement of a climate of India, 2016′.
iii.2016 was warmer than last year by 0.24 degree Celsius.

BSF launches operation ‘Sard Hawa’ at Rajasthan border
i.Border Security Force (BSF) launched operation ‘Sard Hawa’ at the western international border of Rajasthan, under which vigil will be beefed-up to check the instances of infiltration due to the dense fog in the area.
ii. The operation will continue till 28 January 2017.
iii.The purpose of the operation is to keep a hawk’s eye on the international border, where vigil has been beefed-up and officers have also been asked to be part of the operation to motivate jawans.

Prasar Bharti hosts International Television Dance Festival in Hyderabad
i.The first edition of Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) International Television Dance Festival is scheduled to be held in Hyderabad the city with royal patronage for arts, literature, and architecture, on January 15, 2017.
ii.Prasar Bharati is hosting the event.
iii.The Dance Festival is conceptualized so as to bring the cultural diversities from across the world into the limelight, by breaking cultural barriers.

App named ‘SEZ India’ launched by Commerce Ministry
i.The Commerce Ministry has launched a mobile app ‘SEZ India’ which provides detailed information related to special economic zones.
ii.The app was launched under the ministry’s e-Governance initiatives.
iii.The app and would help the SEZ units and developers to find information easily and track their transactions on SEZ Online System.
iv.Developers and units can now file all their transactions digitally through this system and track the status.

Tamil Nadu Gov launched mobile app ‘pinakin’ for Tourism
i.For the benefit of both domestic and international tourists, Tamil Nadu Tourism Department has launched a mobile app ‘pinakin’ with information on tourism in Tamil Nadu with audio facilities.
ii.The app, in two languages Tamil and English which covers world heritage tourist sites like Mamallapuram, Thanjavur Big Temple, Gangaikonda Cholapuram and Darasuram.
iii.The app can be downloaded free of cost from iStore or Playstore.

Kohli research block inaugurated at Gachibowli
i.N Chandrasekaran, Chairman designate of Tata Sons, has inaugurated the Kohli Research Block at the International Institute of Information Technology here at Gachibowli.
ii.The block is part of the Kohli Center on Intelligent Systems (KCIS) set up in July 2015.
iii.The 60,000 sq ft facility will focus on research in Artificial Intelligence.The center will coordinate research among relevant groups in the institute as well as industrial and research groups within the country and abroad.

Sony Pictures enters Hindi film music space with Sony ROX HD
i.Sony Pictures Networks India has entered the Hindi film music space with the launch of Sony ROX HD.
ii.The channel is geared to be a destination of choice for the contemporary music enthusiast.
iii.Sony ROX HD showcases the latest Hindi film music in high definition visual format of 1080i resolution that is enhanced by Dolby Audio.

Pentavalent Bio Sciences bags Tata Social Enterprise Challenge
i.Pentavalent Bio Sciences Pvt Ltd from Bengaluru has emerged the winner at the Tata Social Enterprise Challenge 2016-17.
ii.The challenge is a joint initiative of the Tata group and the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta (IIM-C). It recognizes promising early-stage social enterprises that bring about long-term solutions to India’s social needs.