IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF MAY 31, 2016

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF MAY 31, 2016

• Goa celebrated its 29th Statehood Day On May 30, 2016.
• It was on this day in 1987 that Goa became the 25th state of India.
• It was a Union Territory along with Daman and Diu from December 1961 onwards when Goa was liberated from the colonial rule.
• On May 30, 2016 Hindi Journalism Day was observed.
• On this day in the year 1826, the first Hindi newspaper of India called Udant Martand (The Rising Sun) was edited and published. 
• With this, the Hindi Journalism completed its 187 years in India.
• The University Grants Commission has reduced the working hours of college professors following the instructions by the Human Resource Development Ministry. 
• The teaching hours of associate professors have been reduced to14 hours a week from 16 hours. 
• Further, the additional six hours allocated to research by professors can now be used for innovating and updating course contents.
• An inter-ministerial committee has recommended reducing the royalty paid by companies on thermal coal purchases to the coal-bearing states by three percentage points to 11%. 
• This could reportedly bring down the power cost to consumers by up to 5 paise per unit. 
• Note : Royalty rates are revised every three years and the last revision took place in 2012.
• Jammu and Kashmir is the only Indian state to have a state flag and its own constitution. 
• The state enjoys a special status under the Indian Constitution, owing to a binding UNSC resolution. 
• Adopted in 1952, the plough on the flag represents agriculture, while the three vertical lines represent the three major regions - Jammu, the Kashmir valley and Ladakh.
• Government has decided to start dialysis centre in every District of the country to provide treatment to kidney patients.
• These dialysis centres will be opened under Public Private Partnership model for which 900 crore rupees have been allocated.
• The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has successfully deployed the first experimental inflatable room attached to the International Space Station (ISS). 
• The experimental inflatable room dubbed as BEAM (Bigelow Expandable Activity Module) was deployed after it was successfully expanded and pressurized.
• Indian television serial 'Balika Vadhu' has entered the Limca Books of Records as the 'Longest Running Daily Soap' in Hindi, with a run of over 2,000 episodes. 
• Launched on July 21, 2008, the show initially addressed the issue of child marriage. 
• It has two seasons, titled 'Balika Vadhu: Kachchi Umar Ke Pakke Rishte' and 'Balika Vadhu: Lamhe Pyaar Ke'.
• China's central bank On May 30, 2016 set the daily Yuan-fixing rate against the US Dollar at 6.5784, the lowest level since February 2011.
• Actor Suresh Chatwal, known for his role as the commissioner in the Hindi television series 'FIR', passed away. 
• Chatwal, who made his debut with the 1969 film 'Rakhi Rakhi', worked in several Bollywood films including 'Karan Arjun', 'Munna Bhai MBBS' and 'Om Shanti Om'.
• Sunrisers Hyderabad have defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by 8 runs to clinch the IPL title for the first time.  
• Important Points to Note :
• Host : India
• Total Teams : 8
• Held between : 9th April 2016 – 29th May 2016
• Champions : Sunrisers Hyderabad (1st title)
• Orange Cap : Virat Kohli (Royal Challengers Bangalore)
• Purple Cap : Bhuvneshwar Kumar (Sunrisers Hyderabad)
• Six-time Paralympic gold medal-winning British wheelchair racer, David Weir On May 30, 2016 became the first wheelchair racer to complete a mile-long race (approximately 1.6 kilometers) in under three minutes.
• An IPL-style T20 league is being scheduled to be hosted by the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) in December 2016, CAB President Sourav Ganguly announced On May 30, 2016. 
• The league would consist of eight teams, out of which five of the franchises have already been finalised. 
• Note : As per board rules, no player outside India will be allowed to participate.
• Manavaditya Singh Rathore, son of the 2004 Athens Olympics silver medalist Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, clinched the Gold medal in the Men’s Junior Trap event of the International Junior Shotgun Cup in Finland. A
• Playing against Sri Lanka in the second Test, England skipper Alastair Cook became the youngest cricketer and the first Englishman to score 10,000 Test runs. 
• Note : 
• Cook, aged 31 years, 157 days, broke Sachin Tendulkar's record of breaching the mark at the age of 31 years, 326 days. 
• Cook was also the youngest to score 7,000, 8,000 and 9,000 Test runs.