26th September 2014 Current Affairs Updates

1) Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan resigned: Prithviraj Chavan has resigned as Maharashtra chief minister after his government was reduced to a minority with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) withdrawing support. President's Rule is expected to be imposed in the state, where elections will be held in less than three weeks. NCP's insistence on the two allies contesting an equal number of the state's 288 Assembly seats and the demand for rotational chief minister for half of the government's five-year term if the alliance retained power were the sticking points during the seat-sharing talks which eventually led to the collapse of the alliance.

2) PM Narendra Modi arrived in New York: Describing America as India's "natural global partner", Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in New York on Friday on a five-day visit to the US, holding out an assurance that India is "open and friendly" for business and innovations.  Modi, 64, flew into New York's JFK airport on a special Air India Boeing plane on the first leg of his maiden visit to the US as Prime Minister after a nearly nine-hour flight from Frankfurt where he had an overnight halt.

3) Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award 2014 announced: CSIR on 26 September 2014 announced the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Awards 2014 for ten scientists in recognition of their work. The awards were announced by Director General of Council for Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) Dr. Paramvir Singh Ahuja during the CSIR’s 72nd Foundation day celebrations in New Delhi. The Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology consists of a citation, a plaque and a cash prize of 5 lakh rupees.

4) Union Government launched Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Antyodaya Yojana for urban and rural poor: Union Government on 25 September 2014 launched Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Antyodaya Yojana for urban and rural poor. The Yojana aims at alleviating urban and rural poverty through enhancement of livelihood opportunities through skill development and other means. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Antyodaya Yojana has two components one for urban India and other for rural India. The Urban component will be implemented by the Union Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation while rural component named as Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana will be implemented by the Union Ministry of Rural Development.

5) Rajat Sharma is new President of News Broadcasters Association: The News Broadcasters Association announced appointment of office bearers for the year 2014-15 with India TV's Rajat Sharma as the President and Ashok Venkatramani of ABP News as the Vice President. A statement from the Association, which represents private television news and current affairs broadcasters, said Sharma, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of India TV has been appointed as the President.

6) S&P upgrades India's credit outlook from negative to stable: Rating agency Standard & Poors has reversed its opinion about the Indian economy and upgraded the rating outlook to stable from negative while maintaining the credit rating at BBB-. This is a major change from its position last year when it said India faces one in three chances of a downgrade.