Important Current Affairs 18th June 2016

States Resolve to Provide 24×7 Power

1. All the states agreed to provide 24×7 power to all the people by March 2019 or earlier.
2. States have also resolved to electrify all remaining unelectrified villages by 31st Dec2016.
3. Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal announced after attending a two-day conference of power ministers of states.
4. He also announced launch of the helpline ‘1912’ for consumer complaints redressal across the country.

HDFC, Max to Merge Life Insurance Arms

1. Max Financial Services & Max Life have entered into an agreement for a merger with HDFC Life.
2. Max Life will first merge with Max Financial Services which in turn will merge with HDFC Life.
3. Their joint venture partners, Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance of Japan &Standard Life of UK have also given nod.
4. The merger would create the largest private sector life insurance company in the country.

Govt Launches e-Nivaran Scheme

1. The Govt has launched an e-Nivaran scheme to deal with the real Tax related concerns of the people.
2. It will be launched in Delhi on a pilot basis.
3. A website has also been launched in which tax reforms will be monitored
4. PM Modi asked officials to work on increasing the tax base to 10 crore from the 5.43 crore at present.
5. The two-day Rajasva Gyan Sangam of senior tax officials concluded.

NRIs can now Join NPS Online

1. Non-Resident Indians can now open National Pension Scheme (NPS) accounts online if they have Aadhaar Card or PAN card.
2. Till now, NRIs could open NPS accounts only through paper applications by approaching bank offices.
3. To further ease the process,eNPS is being extended to non-resident Indian subscribers.
4. National Pension System (NPS) is a voluntary, defined contribution retirement savings scheme.

Trainer Aircraft Makes Inaugural Flight

1. India’s indigenous trainer aircraft,Hindustan Turbo Trainer-40 (HTT-40) made its inaugural flight in Bengaluru in the presence of Defence Minister.
2. The aircraft designed & developed by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.
3. HTT-40 weighs about 2,800 kg & has Turbo Prop engine
4. The aircraft is aimed at being used for the first stage training for all flying cadets of the three services.

Rio Declares Financial Emergency

1. Rio de Janeiro’s governor has declared a state of financial emergency & requested federal funds to help fulfill obligations for public services during the Olympics.
2. Emergency measures are needed to avoid a total collapse in public security, health, education & transport.
3. The governor has blamed the crisis on a tax shortfall.
4. The measure could accelerate the release of federal emergency funds.

India Wins Silver in Champions Trophy

1. India had to settle for silver in the hockey Champions Trophy after losing to Australia in the final.
2. Both teams were goalless after regular time & Australia outscored India 3-1 in the shoot-outs.
3. Only Harmanpreet Singh was able to score in the shootout while SK Uthappa, SV Sunil & Surender Kumar all shot wide of the target.
4. India lone previous medal in the Champions Trophy came 34 years ago.

UK Backs India’s NSG Bid

1. UK PM David Cameron has assured PM Modi of the UK’s “firm support” for India’s NSG.
2. Cameron confirmed Britain’s backing for India’s membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) in a telephone call to Modi.
3. NSG is a group of 48 countries seeking to prevent proliferation of nuclear weapons by controlling the export of materials, equipment &technology that could be used to manufacture these.

First Batch of Female Pilots Get Wings

1. The first batch of three female pilots  Avani Chaturvedi, Bhawana Kanth & Mohana Singh were inducted in Indian Air Force fighter squadron.
2. The achievement of the three is a significant milestone for the Indian military, as this is the first time it has permitted women into combat roles.
3. Last October, the govt has decided to open the fighter stream for women on an experimental basis for 5 yrs.

Indian-Origin as US Ambassador to M’sia

1. US President Barack Obama has nominated an Indian-origin diplomat as the next American ambassador to Malaysia.
2. If confirmed by the Senate, Kamala Shirin Lakhdhir would replace Joseph Y Yun as the next US ambassador to Malaysia.
3. Lakhdhir has served as the US Consul General in Belfast, Northern Ireland & UK.
4. She received a BA from Harvard College & an MS from the National War College.