Current Affairs 17/12/2015 The Hindu

1. ISRO PSLV-C29 successfully launched 6 Singapore satellites into space:

               Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on 16 December 2015 successfully launched 6 satellites of Singapore into Space. The satellites were launched using the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) C29 from the first launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) at Sriharikotta in Andhra Pradesh.It was also the 50th launch of a big rocket from the SDSC since the launch of SLV-3 on 10 August 1979.

2.Justice Reva Khetrapal took oath as Delhi's Lokayukta

                        Former Delhi High Court judge Reva Khetrapal on 17 December 2015 took oath as Delhi's new Lokayukta. The post of the anti-corruption ombudsman was vacant since November 2013, when retired Justice Manmohan Sarin renounced the office.

3.RBI liable to disclose information about banks under RTI Act: Supreme Court

        

                   The Supreme Court on 16 December 2015 held that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is liable to disclose information about the banks and financial institutions for their action against the loan defaulters including industrialists under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005.

4.IRCTC ties up with Paytm for e-catering payments

                Train passengers will now find it easier to make online payments for the food ordered through e-catering with Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) entering into a tie-up with Paytm, a leading payment and e-commerce shopping website.

5.Rohit Sharma to launch cricket comic series 'Hyper Tygers’

                 

            Cricketer Rohit Sharma along with Graphic India, UK-based ISM Komix and Cornerstone Sport are set to launch a new environmental superhero team called 'Hyper Tygers’. The digital comic will be free to read on all devices from February 1 through Sharma’s Facebook page and the Graphic POP! Mobile app.

                   Rohit Sharma is the perfect partner to help us bring this futuristic cricket world to India and the hundreds of millions of cricket fans in the country,”added Graphic’s Co-Founder & CEO, Sharad Devarajan.

 6.Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order Amendment Bill, 2015  

          Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its approval for introduction Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order Amendment Bill, 2015 in the Parliament. The Bill seeks to amend Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 in order to modify the list of Scheduled Castes in respect of 5 States viz. Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Kerala, Odisha and West Bengal.

7.Loon Project for connectivity by Sundar Pichai             

           Union Government has given in principle approval to work on Loon project of internet search engine giant Google for providing Internet connectivity by using large balloons. The announcement was made by Google CEO Sunder Pichai in New Delhi after meeting Union Communication and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad.

8.World Bank Approval for Swatch bharat Mission:

          

       The World Bank has approved a 1.5 billion dollars loan to support the Union government’s flagship cleanliness drive Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM). The loan funds would be used for SBM Support Operation Project and shall support SBM’s rural component known as SBM-Gramin (SBM-G). The loan has a maturity of 18 years including a grace period of 5 years.