*CURRENT AFFAIRS (21:08:2014)

1. KV Thomas is the new Chairman
of the Public Accounts Committee.
- The Congress leader will head
the yearly panel set up to analyze
the CAG report in Parliament.
- The Committee comprises a
maximum of 22 members (15
from Lok Sabha and remaining
from the upper house).
- The office of the PAC chairman is,
by convention, given to the
opposition party.
- Senior BJP leader Murli Manohar
Joshi held this post in the
previous government.
2. Partha Mitra, an Indian-
American neuroscientist, has been
honoured with Early Concept
Grants for Exploratory Research
(EAGER) under President Barack
Obama's multi-year Brain Initiative
to map the human brain.
- He shares the prize with his
fellow researcher Florin Albeanu.
- The money will be given over
two years for the development of
innovative conceptual and
physical tools to advance
neuroscience.
- The $300,000 grant will help
them to develop a "virtual
neuroanatomist - an artificial-inte
lligence system that can identify
cell types and neural structures in
microscopic images of brain
slices.
3. Dutch racer 'Max Verstappen' is
all set to become the youngest
Formula One (F1) driver in the
history.
- He, the son of former Formula 1
driver Jos Verstappen, will be of
little over 17 years when he
participates in the 2015 season.
- The record is currently held by
Jaime Alguersuari (Spain), who
was 19 years and 125 days old at
his debut in 1990 in Hungarian
Grand Prix.
4. Centre set up a high-level
committee to suggest roadmap to
revamp FCI (Food Corporation of
India).
- The panel, chaired by former
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister
Shanta Kumar, is required to hand
in the report within three months.
- The move is aimed at improving
efficiency and financial
management of the public body.
5. Centre approves Metro Rail
Project for Nagpur.
- It will span across 38 kms along
two corridors (i) North-South
Corridor from Automotive Square
to MIHAN, and (ii) East-West
Corridor from Prajapati Nagar to
Lokmanya Nagar.
- Nagpur is the 13th largest urban
conglomeration in India.
- The government also dedicates
the 1000 MW ( 2X500 MW) stage I
of Mouda Super Thermal Power
Project to the nation in Nagpur
(Maharashtra).
- The project is slated to be the
biggest power station of NTPC in
the State.