Current Affairs: 22 September 2016

The International Day of Peace is observed across the world annually on 21st September.
It is dedicated to world peace and specifically the absence of war and violence such as might be occasioned by a temporary ceasefire in a combat zone for humanitarian aid access.
The theme of this year (2016) is “The Sustainable Development Goals: Building Blocks for Peace”.

S S Mallikarjuna Rao has taken charge as executive director (ED) of Manipal-based Syndicate Bank.
Earlier, Mallikarjuna Rao was general manager (GM) and CFO of Oriental Bank of Commerce, looking after alternate delivery channels, marketing and publicity.
He started his career as officer in Bank of Maharashtra in 1985.

Former India wicketkeeper M.S.K. Prasad (41-year) has been appointed as the new chairman of selectors while Ajay Shirke has retained unopposed as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary at its 87th Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Mumbai.
Prasad will replace Sandeep Patil as Chairman of the selectors.
Other members include Jatin Paranjpae, Devan Gandhi, Gagan Khoda and Sarandeep Singh.
Former India seamer Venkatesh Prasad has been retained as chairman of the junior selection committee.

The World Bank has appointed Junaid Ahmad (Bangladesh) as its new Country Director for India.
He will replace Onno Ruhl who served his four-year term.
Ahmad holds a PhD in Applied Economics from Stanford University and a Masters in Public Administration from Harvard University.

India’s Centre for Civil Society in collaboration with Canada’s Fraser Institute has released the Economic Freedom of the World 2016 Annual Report.
India has slipped by 10 positions to 112th on WEF index out of 159 countries and territories.
China, Bangladesh and Pakistan lagged behind India at 113th, 121st and 133th ranks respectively.
The report is based on data from 2014 and measures the World Economic Freedom (WEF) Index by analysing the policies and institutions of 159 countries and territories.

The Union Government has approved nine highway projects of 414 km at an estimated cost of Rs. 2600 crore.
These projects are related to the states of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Nagaland and Uttar Pradesh.
The projects were approved at standing finance committee chaired by Road Transport and Highways Secretary Sanjay Mitra.

Union Cabinet chaired by PM Narendra Modi has approved the merger of Rail budget with Union Budget.
Advanced presentation of the annual Budget to get all the legislative approvals for the annual spending and tax proposals before the beginning of the new financial year on 1st April.
The actual date of Budget presentation will be decided after taking into account dates of assembly elections.
All proposals on the railways will be included in it and there is a separate discussion on the railways each year.

A two-day conference of Power, Renewable Energy and Mines Ministers of 29 States and Union Territories will be held at Vadodara (Gujarat) from 7th October.
The aim is to review the implementation of various ongoing schemes and programmes and host of issues pertaining to power, coal and renewable energy sectors.
Issues like the implementation of Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY), 24×7 Power for All and Rural Electrification Programme will discuss.

New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has approved a proposal to rename the Delhi’s famous Race Course Road (RCR) on which the Prime Minister’s residence is situated to ‘Lok Kalyan Marg‘(LKM).
Race Course Road was named after the Delhi race course, part of Delhi Race Club, established in 1940.