#Daily #Current #affairs

SBI Cuts home loan rate by another 10 bps for new buyers

State Bank of India (SBI), has cut the interest rate for new home loans by another 10 bps, to 9.9 per cent. In effect, the interest rate for new home loans will be reduced by 25 bps. For the existing ones, 15 bps is the reduction. The move comes amid the RBI directive that an interest rate differential will not be allowed if customer profiles are similar.

Haryana Government gives yoga guru Ramdev Cabinet Minister Status

Haryana government decided to give status equivalent to state Cabinet Minister to yoga guru Ramdev. Earlier in January 2015, state government had appointed him as its brand ambassador to promote yoga and ayurveda. By promoting yoga and Ayurveda, Haryana state government is seeking amalgamation of tradition and modernity in order to turn Haryana into a model state based on Indian values and traditions. In this regard state government is also planning to include yoga in the school syllabus and develope herbal forest in the state under the supervision of yoga guru Ramdev which will include thousands of species of ayurvedic herbs. State government will also construct yogshalas in all the towns and about 6,500 villages of the state to make Yoga a compulsory subject in Haryana’s schools.

National Judicial Appointment Commission Act, 2014 comes into force

Union Government has brought into force the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act, 2014 along with the 99th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2014. In this regard, notification to effect was issued by the Union Law Ministry. With this new law the collegium system to appoint members to the higher judiciary has come to an end. Now President will appoint judges in the Supreme Court (SC) and 24 High Courts (HCs) in consultation with the NJAC.

Facts about NJAC Act, 2014

Composition of NJAC As per Article 124A, NJAC is a 6 member constitutional body. Consisting of Chairman- Chief Justice of India (CJI). Members- Two senior most Judges of the Supreme Court, the Union Minister of Law and Justice and two eminent persons. Two eminent persons will be nominated by committee led by Prime Minister of India, the CJI, and the Leader of the Opposition in the House of the People.

German Nobel laureate novelist Gunter Grass passes away

Guenter Grass, the Nobel-winning German writer who gave voice to the generation that came of age during the horrors of the Nazi era has died. He was 87. Grass was lauded by Germans for helping to revive their culture in the aftermath of World War II and helping to give voice and support to democratic discourse in the post war nation. Grass made his literary reputation with “The Tin Drum,” published in 1959. It was followed by “Cat and Mouse” and “Dog Years,” which made up what is called the Danzig Trilogy after the town of his birth, now the Polish city of Gdansk.

Sania seals historic world no. 1 rank with Charleston title

Sania Mirza created history by becoming the first female tennis player from India to achieve the world number one rank in doubles. Sania achieved her stupendous title win at the WTA Family Circle Cup with partner Martina Hingis. The top-seeded Indo-Swiss pair defeated Casey Dellacqua and Darija Jurak 6-0 6-4 in just 57 minutes in the lop-sided final of the $731,000 clay court event.