Daily Current Affairs for SSC, Banking: August 23, 2016

National Sports Awards 2016

• The Union Government bestows National Sports Awards every year to recognize and reward excellence in sports in India. These awards include Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, Dronacharya Award, Arjuna Award, Dhyan Chand Award, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy and Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar.

• 2016 Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award:  It is India’s highest award in sports given for outstanding performance in the field of sports over a period of four years. Recipients are: PV Sindhu (Badminton), Sakshi Malik (Wrestling), Dipa Karmakar (Gymnastics) and Jitu Rai (Shooting).
• 2016 Dronacharya Award: It bestowed upon coaches for producing medal winners at prestigious international sports events. Recipients are: Nagapuri Ramesh (Athletics), Sagar Mal Dhayal (Boxing), Raj Kumar Sharma (Cricket),Bishweshwar Nandi (Gymnastics), S. Pradeep Kumar (Swimming) and Mahabir Singh (Wrestling).
• 2016 Arjuna Award : It is India’s second highest sporting award bestowed upon sportsperson for consistently outstanding performance for four years.Recipients are: Rajat Chauhan (Archery), Lalita Babar (Athletics),Sourav Kothari (Billiards & Snooker), Shiva Thapa (Boxing),Ajinkya Rahane (Cricket), Subrata Paul (Football), Rani (Hockey),Raghunath V.R. (Hockey), Gurpreet Singh (Shooting), Apurvi Chandela (Shooting), Soumyajit Ghosh (Table Tennis),Vinesh (Wrestling), Amit Kumar (Wrestling), andeep Singh Mann (Para-Athletics) and Virender Singh (Wrestling).
• 2016 Dhyan Chand Award: It is bestowed upon sportspersons for life time contribution to sports development. Recipients are: Satti Geetha (Athletics), Sylvanus Dung Dung (Hockey) and Rajendra Pralhad Shelke (Rowing).
• 2015-16 Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy: It is bestowed upon overall top performing university in inter-university tournaments. Recipient: Punjabi University, Patiala.

Maharashtra becomes first state to draft law for Internal Security

• Maharashtra became the first state in the country to draft its own internal security legislation The Maharashtra Protection of Internal Security Act (MPISA), 2016. The bill has been kept public responses for suggestions and objections. Later it will be presented to the legislature for approval.
•  Bill It gives special emphasis on maintaining law and order and combating terrorism, insurgency, caste-related violence and communalism in the state.
• Definition of internal security: The situation posing threat to state within its borders, either caused or prompted, provoked or proxied by a hostile foreign power. Special Security Zones (SSZ): Proposes setting up of SSZ where movement of arms, explosives and inflow of unaccounted funds will be prohibited. SSZs will have separate police infrastructure. They will also have a command and control system, and separate Standard Operating Procedure (SoP) to be followed by SSZ police.
• Critical Infrastructure Sectors (CIS): It includes nuclear reactors, dams, major projects, coastal areas under its ambit. Powers of police chief: He can ban or regulate the production, storage, possession, sale, or entry of (i) any devices or equipment (ii) poisonous chemical, biological or radioactive substances (iii) electronic content of potentially explosive nature (iv) any inflow of funds. Punishment: Jail term of up to three years and fine for those threatening the State’s security.

Sunita Jain conferred with Vyas Samman award for the year 2015

• Hindi scholar and writer Sunita Jain was conferred with the prestigious 25th Vyas Samman 2015. She was presented with the award by West Bengal Governor K N Tripathi.
•  She was bestowed with this prestigious literary award for her poetry collection Kshama (published in 2008).
•  Other Awards: The Vreeland Award (1969) and Marie Sandoz Prairie Schooner Fiction Award (1970 and 1971) and Padma Shri (2004).
•  About Vyas Samman award: The Vyas Samman award award was instituted by the K.K. Birla Foundation in 1991. It is awarded annually to outstanding literary work in Hindi authored and published in past 10 years by an Indian citizen The award carries monetary award of 2.5 lakh rupees, a citation and a plaque.

V P Singh Badnore the new Governor of Punjab

• VP Singh Badnore (69) has sworn in as the new Governor Punjab and also as Administrator of Chandigarh. He was administered the oath of office by Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice SJ Vazifdar at oath taking ceremony held in Punjab Raj Bhawan Chandigarh. He succeeds Kaptan Singh Solanki, who is the Governor of Haryana and was holding additional charge of Punjab Governor and Administrator of Chandigarh since January 2015.

S R Nathan: Former President of Singapore of Indian origin passes away

• SR Nathan: former longest-serving Singapore President of Indian-origin passes awayThe Indian-origin former Singapore President S.R. Nathan passed away days after suffering a stroke. He was 92. He was the sixth and longest-serving President of Singapore. He was closely associated with the country’s founding leader Lee Kuan Yew.
• Awards and honours: Government of India had conferred the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman (Overseas Indian Award) upon him in 2012 in recognition of his contribution in building closer links between India and Singapore.

PM Narendra Modi, Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani jointly inaugurate the restored Stor Palace in Kabul

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani  jointly tele-inaugurated the restored Stor Palace in Kabul. The Stor Palace is located in the Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Campus in Kabul. The newly renovated and restored building will house the Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Besides, it will also serve as the venue for hosting official domestic and international events by the Afghan government.