1. ICICI Bank becomes the first private bank to launch voice recognition services (VRS)

(i) ICICI Bank, India’s largest private sector bank, has launched voice recognition services

(VRS) which authenticate customers based on their speech patterns.

(ii) Customers will now no longer have to enter their card numbers/PIN or answer

security questions to authenticate themselves as their voice will now act as the

password for their banking transaction.

(iii) The introduction of VRS technology is part of the larger technology-led innovative

services introduced by the Bank to enable banking transactions in a secure,

and convenient manner.

2. Snapdeal acquires Hyderabad based startup MartMobi

(i) The e-commerce major, Snapdeal, has acquired a Hyderabad based mobile

technology startup, ‘MartMobi’, for an undisclosed amount. The acquisition was aimed at

strengthening Snapdeal’s mobility platform for merchant partners.

(ii) MartMobi was founded by Pramod Nair and Satya Krishna Ganni. It primarily creates

mobile sites and apps for e-commerce stores and small and medium sized businesses.

(iii) At the beginning of 2015 itself, Snapdeal acquired the payments and mobile recharge startup

Free charge in a cash-and-stock deal as well as picked up stakes in the digital financial

services platform RupeePower and logistics venture GoJavas.

3. PM Modi launches ‘Kisan TV’ for farmers

(i) On the occasion of the completion of the first year of the NDA Government, PM Modi launched

Doordarshan’s ‘Kisan TV’ at a function held at Vigyan Bhawan. The tagline of the news

channel is ‘DD Kisan – Badalte Bharat ki Shaan.’

(ii) After assuming power in 2014, the NDA government had announced that it will launch a

24×7 news channel for farmers for which an outlay of Rs. 100 crore was made in the

Union Budget 2014.

(iii) In his address, Modi stressed that the channel will create cohesion between India’s

Agriculture Universities, scientists and farmers through the medium of Kisan TV.

4. MUDRA bank partners with 19 state and regional level coordinators to reach small entrepreneurs

(i) Small entrepreneurs are often cut off from the banking system on account of limited branch

presence in regional and remote areas. In order to change this, Micro Units

Development Refinance Agency (MUDRA) has partnered with 19 state and regional

level coordinators to reach such small entrepreneurs.

(ii) This initiative is aimed at financing ‘last mile financiers’ of small and micro businesses.

Also, these businesses are expected to generate ten times more jobs compared to

what they currently generate.

(iii) MUDRA bank’s effort is likely to transform small enterprises into a Rs. 11 lakh crore

industry, which would give a significant push to the Indian economy.

5. Mandeep Kaur bags two gold medals at World Junior Boxing Championship

(i) Mandeep Kaur Sandhu, a 15 year old from Punjab, won two gold medals at the Women’s

World Junior Boxing Championship in Taipei.

(ii) Mandeep won the gold medal by beating Ireland’s Niamh Earley in the final match with 3 –

0 margin. She had been dominant throughout in her category (52 kg) at the championship.

(iii) Overall, Indian boxers pocketed 7 medals – 3 gold, 1 silver and 2 bronze.

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