Important Current Affairs of 16th December 2015

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF DECEMBER 16, 2015

• On 15th Decemeber International Tea Day was observed.
• This day aims to draw global attention of governments and citizens to the impact of the global tea trade on workers, small growers and consumers.
• Note : The first International Tea Day was celebrated in New Delhi on 15 December 2005.
• The Japanese government is set to ease requirements for issuing multiple-entry visas to short-term Indian travellers effective from 11th January 2016.The move came after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Indian Premier Narendra Modi on Saturday agreed to promote people-to-people exchanges, the Japan Times reported.

• Under the new visa system, the maximum period of stay will be extended to 30 days from the current 15, with visas valid for five years, up from three years.
• Iron Man of India Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's  (31 October 1875 – 15 December 1950) Death anniversary has bee observed on 15th December.
• Rajasthan has become the first state to submit smart city plans for three selected cities.
• Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is going to launch 6 Singapore satellites from Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) - C29 on 16th December 2015.
• The legendary 16 Grammys award winner Israeli-US violinist Itzhak Perlman has been awarded the 2016 Genesis prize for his accomplishments as a musician, teacher and advocate for people with disabilities.
• This prize is also known as  Jewish Nobel.
• Veteran music composer Bappi Lahiri and singer Kumar Sanu were presentedlifetime achievement awards by the West Bengal government.
• The Bishesh Sangeet Samman was awarded to Dwijen Mukhyopadhyay, Ajoy Chakraborty and Sandhya Mukherjee.
• Shantanu Moitra was honoured with Maha Sangeet Samman along withMohammad Aziz, Kumar Bose and Shibaji Chattopadhyay.
• Sriradha Bandyopadhyay, Dileep Kumar Bose, Fakir Alamgir and Nachiketa were given Special Sangeet Samman.
• An Indian artist (Andhra Pradesh) K.S.Kamesh’s painting 'Amalgamation' has been selected for the International Artist Grand Prize Competition-2016.
• Development Credit Bank (DCB) has announced a cut in its base rate (minimum lending rate) by 15 basis points from 10.85 per cent to 10.7 per cent.
• The private sector bank also pared its erstwhile benchmark prime lending rate by 15 basis points from 18.10 per cent to 17.95 per cent.
• Oil and gas major Cairn India is going to launch the world's largest enhanced oil recovery programme in the Rajasthan desert using polymer injection technology for recovering more oil.
• Veteran Indian-origin politician Pravin Gordhan has been appointed South Africa's new Finance Minister by President Jacob Zuma.
• L Narasimha Reddy, a former Chief Justice of Patna High Court, is going to head theJudicial Committee which will look into the implementation of One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme.
• The Committee has been given a six-month deadline for submission of its recommendations.
• Indian Premier League (IPL) 2016
• Mahendra Singh Dhoni , Ajinkya Rahane, Ravichandran Ashwin, Steven Smith and Faf du Plessis are going to play for Pune franchise.
• Ravindra Jadeja, Suresh Raina , Brendon McCullum, All-rounder James Faulkner and Dwayne Bravo to play for Team Rajkot.
• Indian star golfer Anirban Lahiri has won the coveted Order of Merit crown of Asian Tour for year 2015.
• American professional tennis player Serena Williams was honored as SI's Sportsperson of the Year 2015.
• Note : She became the first female athlete honored on her own by the magazine in more than 30 years.