1. Govt to develop Bodh Gaya as spiritual capital
i. Describing Bodh Gaya as the “land of enlightenment”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said his government would develop the site as the spiritual capital for it to serve as a civilisational bond between India and the Buddhist world.
ii. “The government of India would like to provide all possible support that its Buddhist cousin nations need for the satisfaction of their spiritual needs from this holiest of holy places for them,” he said after visiting Mahabodhi Temple.
iii. Describing Buddha as a “crown jewel” of India, which accepts all ways of worship, he said he revered Buddha as a reformer of not only Hinduism but also the world, who gave a new world view and vision which is critical for survival of all.
2. Maharashtra to train 55,000 employees under KRA programme
i. The Maharashtra Government has decided to provide training to over 50,000 employees as part of its Key Result Area (KRA) programme to enhance their performance and bring them on par in competence with the corporate sector.
ii. During this programme, the government intends to train 55,000 employees out of total 11 lakh across the State in the first phase. The government is focusing on training bureaucrats, including fresh Class-I officers and those reaching the age of 50.
iii. According to Ajit Deshmukh, in-charge of the training programme, experts have set a syllabus to train employees in a manner that will change their views and motivate them to perform better. Deshmukh is the under secretary of General Administration Department (GAD).
iv. They will also be given training in public administration, management skills, works related to budget and finance, using of human resource, various laws and develop skills in computer and information technology, he added.
3. India among few bright spots in global economy, says IMF
i. The IMF on Saturday said India is among the few bright spots in the global economy as G20 finance ministers began their two-day meeting here against the backdrop of concerns over Chinese economic slowdown looming large on world markets.
ii. The remarks from International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Christine Lagarde came at the meeting of G20 finance minister and Central Bank Governors where they also discussed monetary policy uncertainties.
iii. Lagarde told the gathering that between advanced and emerging economies, there are problems in most places in the advanced world while in emerging economies, there are problems in China although not that big as stock markets are making it to be, according to officials present at the meeting.
iv. Officials said that RBI governor Raghuram Rajan said at the meeting that they are surrounded by economic gloom probably hinting at concerns over slowdown in China.
v. On Thursday, India deprecated the recent devaluation of major currencies followed by currency depreciation in a large number of emerging markets which raises the risk of competitive devaluations.
4. G20, OECD announce new corporate governance code
i. To safeguard minority shareholders’ interests and promote capital market as a key platform to raise funds, G20 and OECD today announced new corporate governance principles for listed companies and regulators in all member countries, including India.
ii. Consequently, regulators and policymakers across the world, which include SEBI in India, will update their regulations for the listed firms in line with the new code.
iii. The new code calls for enhanced cross-border cooperation among regulators, including through bilateral and multilateral arrangements for exchange of information. It also states that the impediments to cross-border voting by shareholders should be eliminated, while shareholders should be allowed to consult each other.
iv. The new G20/OECD Principles of Corporate Governance were released here by the OECD Secretary General, Angel Gurria, and Turkish Deputy Prime Minister, Cevdet Yilmaz, on the sidelines of the ongoing G20 minister level meetings.
5. World's shortest man, Chandra Bahadur Dangi, dies at 75
i. Chandra Bahadur Dangi, verified by the Guinness Book of Records as the world's shortest man - at 21.5 inches (54.6cm) - died of an undisclosed illness in American Samoa.
ii. The shortest man shot to fame after his pictures with the world's tallest man, Sultan Kosen from Turkey, were released in 2013. He was touring Samoa Islands, a US territory in South Pacific Ocean, when he fell sick and was admitted to Lyndon B Johnson Tropical Medical Center in Pago Pago at around midday.
iii. Thaneswar Guragai, who assisted him on his tours, was quoted in Himalayan Times: "Chandra Bahadur Dangi's nephew, Dolakh, called me from the Samoa Islands and asked me to inform the family about the death." Guragai was in Kathmandu when Dangi breathed his last.
iv. The 75-year-old Dangi lived in a remote village around 400km (248 miles) from Kathmandu, and travelled the world after he was officially declared the world's smallest man in 2013.
6. Aadesh Shrivastava Dead: Madhuri Dixit Nene, Arjun Kapoor and Other Bollywood Celebs Mourn Music Composer's Demise
i. Bollywood music composer-director Aadesh Shrivastava, who had been battling cancer, passed away in Mumbai on Saturday at around 12:30 a.m.
ii. The "Baabul" music director was being treated at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital for over 40 days after his cancer relapsed for the third time.
iii. His body is currently being kept at the hospital. The funeral will take place at 12:30 p.m. at Oshiwara Crematorium, Andheri West
iv. Shrivastava rose to fame with his musical compositions for films like "Kabhie Khushi Kabhie Gham", "Rajneeti", "Chalte Chalte", "Baabul" and "Baghban" among others.
v. As soon as news of Shrivastava's demise broke, several Bollywood celebs took to twitter to express their condolences to the acclaimed music director.