Current Affairs updates of 4th and 5th October 2013

National Affairs

• Two fast track courts have been formed by the Tripura High Court for speedy disposal of cases related to crime against women.
• Hours before the model code of conduct came into effect in Delhi, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit launched a new website of the culture department.

Appointments

• S. Varadarajan took over charge as chairman and managing director (CMD) of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL). S.Varadarajan has succeeded R.K. Singh.
• Corporation Bank has a new Chairman and Managing Director in S.R. Bansal. Prior to this elevation, Bansal was an Executive Director at Punjab National Bank.
• Former Supreme Court judge C.V. Wigneswaran was sworn in as the first chief minister of Sri Lanka’s northern province, most of which was under LTTE's control for nearly 30 years.

Awards and Honors

• Leading industrialist Ratan Tata has been inducted into the prestigious National Academy of Engineering (NAE) in the US for his outstanding contributions to industrial development in India and across the world.
• Veteran director Shyam Benegal will head the accomplished jury for the Seventh Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) to be held in Brisbane on December 12.
• Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra presented the Dogra Ratan Awards for the 2012 to five prominent personalities for their contributions in various fields.
• The awards were given to 
• .Padma Shri Vijay Kumar Chopra (Editor-in-chief of the Punjab Kesari Group of Newspapers), 
• Prof Zahur-ud-Din (eminent Urdu writer) 
• Honorary Captain S Bana Singh, 
• Amit Dutta (noted filmmaker) and 
• Ravinder Jamwal (reputed sculptor)

Science and Technology

• The two new species described from Uruguay, Chaco castanea and Chaco costai, are middle sized spiders that range between 1 and 2 cm in body size. Like all Nemesiids they have elongated body and robust legs with predominantly black-brownish coloration.
• India and Bangladesh have begun cooperation in the power sector in a big way with the launching two projects - a 500 MW grid and 1320 megawatt Maitri MW Thermal station.

Business and Economy

• The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development has sanctioned Rs 40.35 crore for rural water supply scheme in the Union Territory of Puducherry under Nabard’s Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF).
• The Reserve Bank set up a three-member committee under former Governor Bimal Jalan to scrutinise applications for new bank licences, which are expected to be awarded by by January.
• RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan on Friday said the central bank is working on the contours of the scheme that will provide cheap loans to buyers of consumer goods.
• With an aim to make Indian capital markets an easier and attractive investment destination for overseas investors, SEBI has finalised detailed regulations for ‘foreign portfolio investors’ (FPIs).

Deaths

• Vietnam's legendary General Vo Nguyen Giap, whose guerrilla tactics defeated the French and American armies, died at the age of 102, prompting an outpouring of tributes for the independence hero.

Sports

• Portugal's Luis Leao Pinto won 9th Himalaya Bicycle Rally.