EveryDayQuiz: Extensive Coverage Of Current Affairs 14/3/2016

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NATIONAL:

Surface to Surface Ballistic Missile Agni-1 Successfully test fired Off from Odisha Coast:

· India today Successfully test-fired its surface-to-surface ballistic missile Agni-I, capable of hitting a target range in between 700 and 1250 kilometers, from a test range off the Odisha coast.

· Supported by a mobile launcher, the sleek missile was tested from the launch complex-4 of Integrated Test Range at Dr. Abdul Kalam Island.

· The missile can travel at a speed of 2.5 km per second. While the weight of the indigenously developed surface-to-surface Agni-I missile is 12,000 kilogram, it is 15 meter long and diameter of 1 meter.

Online Portal ' Swayam' being Launched to Combat Illiteracy:Smriti Irani

· Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani today that an online portal called Swayam is being launched to combat illiteracy in the country.

· Eighty-eight of the 123 deemed universities are privately managed. Tamil Nadu has the maximum number of 28 deemed universities followed by Maharashtra with 21. Karnataka with 14 deemed universities is on the third position.

Tourism Ministry launches four skill initiatives for youths:

· The Tourism Ministry launched four initiatives, including training programmes to bring up ‘prayatak mitra’ and ‘tourist facilitators in North-East’ for the youth, on National Youth Day observed to mark birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda.These are:

ü A SENSITIZATION PROGRAMME FOR THE EXISTING SERVICE PROVIDERS AT VARANASI

ü A PROGRAMME TO GROOM YOUNG PERSONS INTERESTED IN HOME DELIVERY SERVICE AS AN OCCUPATION

ü A PROGRAMME OF TRAINING TO BRING UP PARYATAK MITRA

ü A TRAINING PROGRAMME TO BRING UP TOURIST FACILITATORS IN THE NORTH EAST

Over 55,000 Ayurvedic-Siddha medicines manuscripts documented:

· Over 55 thousand valuable manuscripts containing the practice of Ayurvedic and Siddha medicines have been documented under the National Mission for Manuscripts.

· The present term of this Mission will end in March next year. Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma stated this in the Lok Sabha today.

NDA Government Reduced Green Nod Period to 190 Days:

· NDA government has brought down the time taken for obtaining environmental clearance for projects to 190 days, from the 600 days during the UPA rule.

· Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said the Centre's aim is to further reduce this period to 100 days.

323 Villages Electrified During last week Under DDUGJY:

· As many as 323 villages have been electrified across the country during last week under Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojna.

· Of these, 86 villages are in Odisha, 73 in Jharkhand , 61 in Uttar Pradesh, 42 in Arunachal Pradesh , 33 in Bihar, 16 in Assam, 6 in Chhattisgarh, 3 in Madhya Pradesh and 3 in Rajasthan.

· During the current financial year, 6493 villages have been electrified so far. Of the remaining 11959 villages, 8219 villages are to be electrified through grid, 3267 villages are to be electrified through off- grid where grid solutions are out of reach due to geographical barriers. 473 villages are to be electrified by state governments

International Children's Film Festival for North Eastern Region begins in Gangtok:

· The International Children’s Film Festival for the North East Region began in Gangtok

· The event named, “The Golden Elephant” has been organised by the Children’s Film Society of India, under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, in association with the Sikkim Government’s Culture and Heritage and Human Resources Development Departments.

PM inaugurated three Railway projects at Bihar:

· Bihar gained special importance with the political rivals-PM Narendra Modi and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar being present on the same stage for inauguration of three important Railway projects at Bihar .

· Estimated cost of 3 projects- 7200 crores

MoD Gives Nod To 7 Frigates Worth Rs 13,000 Cr:

· The Ministry of Defence (MoD) approved a Rs 13,000 Crores weapons and sensors packagefor the seven new stealth frigates being constructed by defence shipyards for the Navy as well as accorded the initial approval for the Rs 7,200 crore project to indigenously manufacture 244 air defence guns for the IAF.

· The Rs 13,000 crores package for stealth frigates will be undertaken on a “single vendor and repeat order basis“.

Maharashtra government considering a proposal to make Marathi official language of Bombay High Court:

· The Maharashtra government is considering a proposal to make Marathi the official language of Bombay High Court. This was stated by the Minister for Marathi language Vinod Tawde in the State Assembly.

· He said, as per section 348 (2) of the Indian constitution, there is a proposal to make Marathi the High Court’s official language.

· In 1998, the state government had ordered that Marathi should be official language in all civil and criminal courts in the state.

From May, pay green tax for driving into Shimla:

· From May, all outstation vehicles entering Shimla will have to pay a green tax.

· In a meeting of the finance committee of Shimla municipal corporation (MC), it was decided that tax-collection points would be set up at all entries of the tourist town and that the money collected would be used for improving tourist infrastructure and conserving the environment.

Government to amend Child Labour Prohibition and Regulation Act:

· The government today said that it will amend the Child Labour Prohibition and Regulation Act to link it with Right to children to access free and compulsory education.

· Labour and Employment minister Bandaru Dattatreya said it proposes complete prohibition on employment of children below 14 years and making the punishment for employers more stringent and constitution of rehabilitation fund for rehabilitation activities.

· Mr Dattatreya said children in the age group of 5 to 8 years are directly linked to the formal education system through a close coordination with the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan.

Farakka Power Plant in WB shuts down five units:

· Abysmally low level of water in the Farakka Feeder Canal has caused the National Thermal Power Corporation to shut down five units of its power plant at Farakka in Murshidabad district of West Bengal.

· The five units together have a combined generating capacity of 1600 MW and the shutdown is likely to affect Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and industry in the Eastern Region.

FSSAI to train 20K street vendors in Delhi:

· As part of its project to promote clean food, food safety regulator FSSAI will train about 20,000 street food vendors in the nation capital over the next four weeks.

· The decision to launch ‘Project Clean Strategy Food’ was announced at an event to connect with corporates, media specialists and food experts to promote food safety.

· The event was co-organised with the Indian Institute of Mass Communication.

· Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has partnered the government’s Skill India initiative and others for the project.

· FSSAI CEO -- Pawan Agarwal

GOI allows women in combat roles in all CAPFs:

· The Union Home Ministry recently published new rules allowing women to apply as direct-entry officers in border guarding force ITBP, the only paramilitary which hitherto did not allow ladies to join in supervisory combat roles owing to its primary task of guarding the difficult Sino-India border.

· Two other forces – Border Security Force and Sashastra Seema Bal – were allowed to directly induct women officers in 2013 and 2014 respectively.

BSNL plans to install ‘zero base’ mobile towers:

· To demonstrate that communication can be delivered with good aesthetics, state-run BSNL plans to install 50 ‘zero base’ mobile towers, which are better looking and multi-functional.

· The concept of a ‘zero site’ is that it can be used as a wi-fi hotspot, street light and camera and the radio units can be hidden inside the pole or underneath.

· BSNL Chairman and Managing Director -- Anupam Shrivastava

INTERNATIONAL:

Malaysia bans recruitment of new foreign workers:

· Malaysia has banned the recruitment of new foreign workers after widespread criticism of its decision to bring in 1.5 million Bangladeshis to work in the country, a move that may also affect Indian labourers.

· Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid said employers who wanted to hire foreign workers should recruit from among foreign employees already in the country, including those whose permits had expired.

South Sudan allowed soldiers to rape as wages : UN

· According to a UN Report, the South Sudanese government has conducted a “scorched earth policy” against civilians caught up in the country’s civil war.

· The Government has allowed its soldiers and allied militias to rape women in lieu of wages, torture and murder suspected opponents and deliberately displace as many people as possible.

India Inc first in the world to formally adopt UN’s SDG:

· India Inc. is set to formally adopt the United Nations’ (UN) agenda for the world’s sustainable development and the 17 goals identified for its implementation.

· SDG- Sustainable Development Growth;

· MDG- Millenium Development Growth

· SDG- 17 goals; MDG- 8 goals

· SDG will be a evaluated, monitored and reported in a time-bound manner

· MDG was in implementation from 2001-2015

India's engagement with African Countries in Petroleum Sector Continues on Upswing:

· The crude oil import from Africa between April and December 2015 stood at over 29 million metric tonnes. Angola and Egypt are the other countries from where substantial quantities of petroleum was imported during this period.

· Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said this is in line with India’s efforts to diversify its energy sources and they have interest in oil and gas companies in Nigeria, Sudan, South Sudan, Mozambique, Libya and Gabon.

Turkish President Vows to Bring Terrorism to its Knees after Ankara bombing:

· Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed to bring terrorism to its knees after an attack in the capital Ankara that killed at least 34 people and 125 wounded yesterday.

· Mr Erdogan said the suicide car bomb would serve only to strengthen the resolve of Turkey's security forces. Mr Erdogan said in a statement that terror groups were targeting civilians because they were losing the battle against Turkish security forces.

Palestinian Wins USD One Million Global Teacher Prize:

· A Palestinian teacher from a refugee camp has been awarded one million dollar Global Teacher Prize for her outstanding contribution to the profession.

· Hanan Al Hroub was presented the award at a ceremony held in Dubai

· The Global Teacher Prize, now in its second year, was set up by Kerala-born entrepreneur and educational philanthropist Sunny Varkey, to recognise one exceptional teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to the profession as well as to shine a spotlight on the important role teachers play in society.

SAARC Programming Committee meet begins in Pokhara:

· External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will leave for Nepal to attend SAARC ministerial meet. Before the Ministerial meeting, a session of Programming Committee of SAARC will be held in Pokhara (Nepal). Standing Committee of the SAARC, which is a Foreign Secretaries-level Forum, will be held on 16th of this month.

· External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said the meetings are part of regular interactions within the SAARC framework.

· India's focus would be not only to take stock of the decisions but also to work out the way forward on priority issues.

China sets up its Own International Maritime Judicial Centre:

· China has said it is setting set up its own international maritime judicial centre to handle territorial disputes. The top court gave few details in its announcement, but said the centre would help China become a maritime power.

· Beijing is locked in disputes with its neighbours over claims in the resource-rich South China Sea, with tensions raised in recent months over China's aggressive land reclamation. It has also squared off with Japan over the Diaoyu or Senkaku islands.

APPOINTMENTS:

Vishvas ViduSapkal appointed as the next High Commissioner of India to the Republic of Fiji:

· Vishvas ViduSapkal currently Deputy Chief of Mission in Embassy of India, Cairo, has been appointed as the next High Commissioner of India to the Republic of Fiji.

· Sapkal, an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer of the 1998 batch, was expected to take up his assignment shortly.

· The High Commission of India in Fiji Suva carry out activities of different types including provision of consular services such as passports and visa.

Anil Wadhwa concurrently accredited as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of San Marino:

· Anil Wadhwa, Ambassador of India to Italy, has been concurrently accredited as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of San Marino with residence in Rome. He is an Indian Foreign Service Officer of the 1979 batch was also posted as Secretary (East) in 2014.

· He has also served as the Indian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Thailand (Nov 2011 to Jan 2014) and previously as the Ambassador to Poland and to the Sultanate of Oman.

Ravindra appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire:

· Shri R. Ravindra currently Counsellor in High Commission of India, Colombo, has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire.

· He is likely to take up his assignment shortly. In his new stint Ravindra will succeed Dinesh Bhatia.

· He is a 1999 batch IFS officer.

Indian Scholar Appointed VC of Canberra University:

· Noted Indian scholar and plant physiologist H Deep Saini has been appointed the next Vice Chancellor of the prestigious University of Canberra.

· Saini, a notable plant physiologist, said he was thrilled to be appointed the University’s Vice-Chancellor at such a fantastic time for the institution.

· Saini completed his undergraduate and master’s degrees at the Punjab Agricultural University in Ludhiana, and doctorate in plant physiology from the University of Adelaide.

· Saini has received a number of honours including the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.

BANKING :

ICICI bank ties up with Ferrari for co-branded credit card:

· Country’s largest private sector lender ICICI Bank said it has tied up with marquee sports car maker Ferrari to launch co-branded credit card.

· Ferrari Credit Card comes in two variants on the Visa platform and offers customers a host of offers including an all-expenses-paid trip for top spenders to Italy and also includes a Scuderia Ferrari watch as a joining gift,”

· Other benefits which come with the card include discount on Ferrari branded products at the Ferrari Store in Maranello, Italy, and merchandise sold online at the Ferrari Store and Myntra.com, the statement said.

· The cardholder also gets complementary access to domestic airport lounges in the country and a ‘buy one, get one free’ offer on bookings done through bookmyshow.com.

FM says, 164 Chit Fund companies currently being probed by central agencies for duping customers:

· Union Finance Minister Arun Jailtey has said that as many as 164 ponzi or Chit Fund companies are currently being probed by central agencies for duping customers across the country.

· The action includes incorporating fraud as a substantive offence in the Companies Act, granting statutory status to the SFIO under the law, stricter norms of corporate governance and their implementation.

FM, RBI Governor caution against over-stating bad loan:

· Amid outrage over Vijay Mallya’s massive default on loans, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan cautioned against overstating the bad loans crisis in the banking system lest it hampers the entire lending operations and growth.

· He expressed concern over rising Non Performing Assets (NPAs) in banks and hoped that the situation would see improvement.

Crisil Estimates India’s GDP Growth at 7.9%:

· The domestic rating agency Crisil has estimated the GDP growth of India at 7.9% for the fiscal year 2016 provided the Monsoon remains normal and the government implements the announced reforms.

· The estimated GDP growth remains to be the highest prediction so far pointing at 9% growth as estimated by Crisil.

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY:

Government Relaxes Norms Under Public Procurement For Start-Up MSMEs:

· The start ups in India have been witnessing a favourable environment as the Union Government stresses on creating a nation of more job providers than job seekers.

· Giving a boost to several initiatives including the ‘Stand Up India, Start Up India”and empowering the small entrepreneurs, it has decided to relax procurement norms related to experience and turnover for micro, small and medium start-ups with a view to enabling these ventures to be part of its public procurement.

WPI Inflation falls for 16th Straight month at 0.9%, Food Inflation falls by 3.2%:

· The food articles, mainly vegetables and pulses have turned cheaper as per the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) inflation data for February released .

· The index for food articles declined by 3.2 per cent in February as compared to the previous month due to lower price of fruits and vegetables, eggs, pulses, spices, onions and wheat.

ONGC plans to invest $5 bn on KG basin block:

· State-owned ONGC may invest about $5 billion in its KG basin block KG DWN 98/2 to produce 17 million cubic meters per day (mcmd) of gas and 75,000 barrels per day (bpd) of oil by 2019 fiscal.

· While ONGC has announced its investment plans to develop its deepwater block in KG basin, other players like (RIL), Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation (GSPC) and Cairn India are likely to follow the suit as government’s reform decisions in the hydrocarbon sector to move towards a transparent market economy.

· Earlier, ONGC partnered global oil majors of the likes of Norway’s StatOil, Brazil’s Petrobras and Chevron Corp. of U.S. to develop the block but they all walked away due to delays and bureaucratic hurdles.

· Chairman: Dinesh Kumar Sarraf

AWARDS AND HONOURS:

Certificates Of Honour And The Maharishi Badrayan Vyas Samman Awarded To Eminent Scholars:

· The President of India, Sri Pranab Mukherjee awarded the certificates of honour to eminent scholars of Sanskrit, Pali/Prakrit, Arabic and Persian and the Maharishi Badrayan Vyas Samman to young scholars for the year 2014.

SPORTS:

World T20: Bangladesh Qualifies for Super 10:

· In Cricket, Bangladesh has qualified for the Super-10 stage of the ICC Twenty-20 World Cup.

Services beat Maharashtra to retain Santhosh Trophy National Football Championships Title:

· Services today retained the Santosh Trophy National Football Championships title after beating hosts Maharashtra 2-1 in the summit clash in Nagpur

· Tudu, a national camper for the SAFF Cup last year, scored twice in the space of 11 minutes (26th and 37th) to help Services clinch their fifth title overall.

· Services took away Rs 5 lakh for winning the tournament while Maharashtra got Rs 3 lakh for finishing runners-up.

Lin Dan Earns his Sixth All England Badminton Title:

· Lin Dan earned his sixth All England badminton title when he routed Chinese teammate Tian Houwei 21-9, 21-10 in the final in Birmingham

· In the women's final later, Wang Shixian of China was going for her third title, and out to spoil Japanese opponent Nozomi Okuhara's 21st birthday.

National Affairs

With the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) allowing women to join its supervisory combat roles, women can now be inducted as officers in combat roles inall five Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs).
- The Five forces are,
- Note : The decision was taken by the government in the backdrop of Home Minister Rajnath Singh announcing 33% reservation for women at constable level posts in CRPF and CISF.
Allahabad High Court is celebrating 150 years of its existence.

President Pranab Mukherjee was the Chief Guest of the celebrations.
Chief Justice of India (CJI) TS Thakur and Union Law Minister DV Sadananda Gowda were some of the dignitaries who attended the function.
Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court - Dhananjaya Y. Chandrachud

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated Three railway projects, having an estimated cost of ₹7,200 crore, in Bihar.

Those Three projects are,

Rail-cum-road bridge at Patna over the River Ganga.
Rail-cum-road bridge at Munger.
Additional bridge at Mokama over the River Ganga (double line Railway Bridge).

The 9th edition of the biennial defence expo, Defexpo India 2016, organised by the Defence Ministry, will be held in South Goa from 28th to 31st March 2016.

Note : This is the first time that the expo will be hosted outside Delhi.

Delhi government is planning to announce an app-based bus service next week, wherein the government will ply the private contract carriage buses with "special permit" to ferry the passengers.

The app will let passengers locate and board the buses on their route and pay normal fares fixed by the government.
These buses will run on the routes prepared by the transport department.

International Affairs

The Serbian government has proclaimed a state of emergency as heavy rains are causing extensive flooding and might force thousands to leave their homes.

More than 50 people died in the deluge and about 700 homes were flooded across the country with 170 people needing to be moved for their safety forcing thousands to leave their homes.

Business & Economy

Yes Bank, the India’s fifth largest private sector Bank has signed MOU with the India Brazil Chamber of Commerce for cooperation in knowledge sharing, consultancy, skill and technology.

This MoU emphasizes strategic grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS), represents the changing world economic situation.

State-run telecommunications company Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is planning to install 50 'zero base' mobile towers in India.

A zero base tower can function as a wi-fi hotspot, street light and camera and has better aesthetics with radio units concealed inside its pole or underneath.
BSNL is expected to develop a concept for the same in six months.

India is going to supply 18 metre-gauge 1350 HP Diesel Electric Locomotivesto Myanmar to help the country bolster its railway transportation system.

In this regard, RITES (Public Sector Enterprise under Union Ministry of Railways) has signed a contract with Myanmar Railways.
The supply contract is a vital project being funded under an existing line of credit (LOC) extended by India to Myanmar.

Awards & Honors

Kerala Tourism’s new campaign on responsible tourism has bagged the prestigious 'Golden City Gate Award' at the world’s leading travel trade show ITB in Berlin.

Note : Titled 'New Worlds', the multimedia campaign containing three short films directed by reputed Malayalam filmmaker Anwar Rasheed won the silver prize of this year’s Das Golden Stadttor or Golden City Gate, dubbed the Oscar of tourism communication, at the Internationale Tourismus-Borse Berlin (ITB-Berlin) 2016.

Mahindra & Mahindra Chairman and Managing Director (MD) Anand Mahindra was conferred with Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honour) by French Government.

He was presented with this award by Francois Richier, Ambassador of France to India in recognition of his outstanding national and international achievements.

New Appointments

Justice Ajit Singh, Judge of the Rajasthan High Court, was appointed as the Chief Justice of the Guwahati High Court.
Justice Satish Kumar Mittal was sworn in as Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court.

Sports

Lin Dan from China has won the prestigious 2016 All England Badminton title in the men’s singles category.
Vijender Singh knocks out Hungary’s Alexander Horvath to register fourth consecutive win in Pro Boxing.

With the win, Vijender’s record in Pro Boxing stands at four bouts, four wins and four knockouts.

French team Paris Saint-Germain won their fourth consecutive and sixth overallLigue 1 title by beating bottom-placed ESTAC Troyes.
Services has won the 70th edition of Santosh Trophy Football Championships title 2016 by defeating hosts Maharashtra

1. Nuclear-capable surface-to-surface Agni-I ballistic missile test fired

1. Indigenously developed nuclear capable surface-to-surface . ballistic missile Agni-I was successfully test-fired off the Odisha coast.

2. It was conducted as part of training exercise by the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) of Indian Army. The missile was fired from mobile launcher at launchpad-4 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Abdul Kalam Island (Wheeler Island) off the Odisha coast.

2. Kakrapar nuclear plant shut down after coolant system develops leak

1. Recently, power generation unit 1 at Kakrapar Atomic Power Station (KAPS) in Gujarat was shut down for indefinitely period after leakage of heavy water. The reactor was shut down as per design provisions after a small leak in the Primary Heat Transport (PHT) System of the plant was detected.

2. The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL), operator of KAPS has confirmed that there was no harmful, radioactive leakage and the backup safety mechanisms for emergency situation are working as intended.

3. India Inc became first in world to formally adopt UN's sustainable goals

1. India Inc. formally adopted the United Nations' (UN) agenda for the world's sustainable development and the 17 goals identified for its implementation in Mumbai.

2. The 11th National Convention on Sustainable Development Goals organized by the Global Compact Network in Mumbai, which was inaugurated by Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar, assumed significance as this is for the first time the UN is involving private and public sector corporates globally to drive its development agenda. This was the first such meeting which was held globally.

4. Palestinian Hanan Al Hroub wins 2016 Global Teacher Prize

1. Palestinian teacher Hanan Al Hroub from a refugee camp has been awarded prestigious one million dollar 2016 Global Teacher Prize.

2. She was presented with the award at a ceremony held in Dubai for her outstanding contribution to the profession. She beat nine other finalists to bag the award including India’s Robin Chaurasiya, who runs a not-for-profit school in Mumbai for girls from the city’s red light district of Kamatipura.

5. Services wins 70th Santosh Trophy football title 2016

1. Services has won the 70th edition of Santosh Trophy Football Championships title 2016 by defeating hosts Maharashtra. In the final match played at SEC Railway Stadium, Nagpur (Maharashtra), the Services defeated host team Maharashtra by 2-1 goal score.

2. For the winning team two goals were score by Tudu in the space of 11 minutes (26th and 37th). For Maharashtra, the single goal was scored by Mohammed Shabaz in the 15th minute. With this win, Services has retained that title and has won it for fifth time in year 1961, 2012, 2013 and 2015.

6. China to set up International Maritime Judicial Centre

1. China’s Supreme Court has decided to set up its own International Maritime Judicial Centre (IMJC) to handle territorial disputes and protect its sea rights. It was announced by China’s Supreme Court Chief Justice Zhou Qiang at the annual meeting of the national legislature National People’s Congress (NPC).

2. This move will help China to bolster its claims in the disputed South and East China seas and also help it become a maritime power.

7. Lin Dan wins 2016 All England Badminton title

1. Lin Dan from China has won the prestigious 2016 All England Badminton title in the men’s singles category. In the final match played at Birmingham, England he defeated Chinese teammate Tian Houwei by 21-9, 21-10 score. It was his overall sixth All England badminton title and earlier he had won it in 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012.

Other category winners

Women’s singles category: Nozomi Okuhara (Japan) won the title by defeating Wang Shixian (China) by 21-11, 16-21 and 21-19 score.

Men’s Doubles category: Russian pair Vladimir Ivanov and Ivan Sozonov won the title by defeating Japanese pair Hiroyuki Endo and Kenichi Hayakawa by 21-23, 21-18, 21-16 score.

Women’s Doubles category: Japanese pair Misaki Matsutomo and Ayaka Takahashi won the title by defeating Chinese pair Tang Yuanting and Yu Yang by 21-10 and 21-12 score.

Mixed Doubles category: Indonesian pair Praveen Jordan and Debby Susanto won the title by defeating Denmark pair Joachim Fischer Nielsen and Christinna Pedersen by 21-12 and 21-17 score.

1) In an important decision, the highest decision making body of the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) on 13 March 2016 decided to dispense with the Khaki shorts, which has been the trademark dress for organization’s cadres since last 91 years. The khaki shorts will now be replaced with which new uniform? – Brown trousers

Explanation: The decision to replace the Khaki shorts with brown trousers was taken at the three-day annual meeting of Akhil Bhartiya Pratinidhi Sabha, the highest decision-making body of the RSS, at Nagaur (Rajasthan). There was no specific reason to choose brown colour other than its common availability and good looks.

– Loose Khaki shorts have been the trademark of RSS cadres since the organization’s inception in 1925. Even though other parts of the uniform have been changed from time to time, khaki shorts remained in vogue till now.

– Initially till 1940, the uniform of RSS was khaki shirt and shorts before white shirts were introduced. Leather shoes replaced long boots in 1973 and later rexine shoes were allowed.

– The adoption of brown trousers in place of Khaki shorts was described as a major replace.

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2) A 3-day conference to take stock of the Asian region’s economic performance and challenges ahead concluded on 13 March 2016 in New Delhi. What was the title of this conference that was attended by delegates from all Asian countries and was also addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde? –“Advancing Asia”

Explanation: “Advancing Asia” Conference was held on 11, 12 and 13 March 2016 in New Delhi. It was organized jointly by Indian Govt. and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

– The conference dwelled upon some important topics such as – the most effective drivers of growth, income inequality, gender inequality, investments in infrastructure, climate change, managing capital flows and financial inclusion.

– Addressing the conference Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India dispelled the myth that democracy and rapid economic growth could not go together.

– IMF chief Lagarde described India as bright spot in the turbulent times for the global economy. She added that it was only befitting that the conference was being held in New Delhi.

– India and the IMF also announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for establishing the South Asia Regional Training and Technical Assistance Centre. It is expected to become the focal point for planning, coordinating, and implementing the IMF’s capacity-development activities in the region.

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3) The Board of Directors of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on 12 March 2016 took which important decision regarding recent market developments where retail investors have lost out because of bad practices of some promoters? – It restrained ‘wilful defaulters’ from accessing capital markets for raising funds from the public

Explanation: The meeting of SEBI Board of Directors took place on 12 March 2016 in New Delhi. Taking note of market developments where retail investors have lost out because of bad practices of some promoters, the board decided to restrain ‘wilful defaulters’ from accessing capital markets for raising funds from the public.

– The Board also said companies who have defaulted on payments on their debt instruments will not be permitted to issue debt to the public. Such persons will not be allowed to take board positions in listed companies.

– The SEBI Board, however, allowed the wilful defaulter to make a counter-offer in case there is a takeover bid for that listed company.

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4) Who was appointed the Deputy Chief of Army Staff by Defence Ministry on 12 March and assumes this new responsibility from 14 March 2016? – Lt. Gen N P S Hira

Explanation: Lt. Gen N P S Hira, who is presently posted as Chief of Staff of Northern command at Udhampur, was posted to Army Headquarters at Delhi to take over as Deputy Chief of Army Staff with effect from 14 March 2016.

– Lt. Gen Hira has a rich experience of counter insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir and in the northeast region, as well as conventional operations in Western command.

– He takes the post of from Lt. Gen. MMS Rai who superannuated a day earlier on 13 March 2016.

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5) Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal on 12 March 2016 announced the name ‘UJALA’ for the LED based Domestic Efficient Lighting Programme (DELP), which is currently running successfully in over 120 cities across India. The term UJALA is the acronym for – Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All

Explanation: UJALA, an acronym for Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All, is being implemented by Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL).

– The National LED programme was launched by Prime Minister during January 2015 with a target of replacing 77 crore incandescent lamps with LED bulbs.

– The programme (now known as UJALA) is running successfully across 12 states in India namely Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Puducherry, Jharkhand, Bihar and Uttarakhand. While more states are expected to join the initiative very soon.

1. India successfully test-fired Agni-I ballistic missile

i. India on 14 March 2016 successfully test-fired indigenously built nuclear-capable intermediate range Agni-I ballistic missile. It was launched from launch pad-4 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Abdul Kalam Island (Wheeler Island) on the Odisha coast.

ii. The trial was as part of training exercise by the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) of Indian Army.

iii. The sophisticated missile covered 700 km distance within 9 minutes and 36 seconds. The latest trial of Agni-I followed the first successful test-fire that was conducted on 27 November 2015 from the same base.

iv. Agni-I was developed by Advanced Systems Laboratory, the premier missile development laboratory of DRDO in collaboration with Defence Research Development Laboratory and Research Centre Imarat and integrated by Bharat Dynamics Limited, Hyderabad.

v. The missile is 15-metre-long and weighed 12 tonnes and equipped with sophisticated navigation system which ensures it reaches the target with a high degree of accuracy and precision. It is designed to carry a payload of more than one tonne. Its strike range can be extended by reducing the payload.

2. 13th meeting of Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development held in Dubai

i. The 13th meeting of Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development was held on 14 March 2016 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). The meeting was held to promote the power of broadband networks and services for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

ii. It brought the leaders from the public, private and social sectors together to seek the solutions to achieving education, equity and employment for all. The Broadband Commission also discussed among other issues like how to innovate in education through technology.

iii. The full meeting of the Commission revisited the issue of new broadband targets to help achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The meeting set the ground for new concrete, measurable broadband targets to be agreed for the next full meeting of the Commission in September 2016 at the New York meeting.

iv. The Dubai meeting of the Commission was held at the invitation of Broadband Commissioner Sunny Varkey, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, in the context of the Global Education and Skills Forum, and right after the joint ITU/UNESCO Policy Forum during UNESCO Mobile Learning Week.

v. The Broadband Commission works to ensure that no one is left behind by leaving no one off-line. In 2015, 44 percent world population remains offline, including 36 percent of LDC population while there are 200 million fewer girls and women online than boys and men.

3. Palestinian Hanan Al Hroub won 2016 Global Teacher Prize

i. A Palestinian primary school teacher from a refugee camp, Hanan Al Hroub, on 13 March 2016 won one million dollar Global Teacher Prize. She was awarded for her outstanding contribution to the profession.

ii. Hroub, who runs the Samiha Khalil High School in Al-Bireh, Palestine, defeated nine other finalists from around the world, including India’s Robin Chaurasiya to win the award. The 2016 Winner of the Global Teacher Prize was announced by Pope Francis in a ceremony held at the Atlantis Palm Hotel in Dubai.

iii. Hroub uses a specialist approach in her school, which she developed, detailed in her book 'We Play and Learn' to overcome tense environments of the region under the shadow of the Israel-Palestine conflict. Hroub's approach has led to a decline in violent behaviour in schools where it was a frequent occurrence. She has also inspired her colleagues to review the way they teach and their classroom management strategies.

iv. Robin Chaurasiya runs a not-for-profit school in Mumbai for girls from the city's red light district of Kamatipura.

v. The Global Teacher Prize is a 1 million US dollar award presented annually to an exceptional teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to their profession.

4. Services won Santosh Trophy of Football 2-1

i. Services on 13 March 2016 won the Santosh Trophy National Football Championships title. In the summit clash at SEC Railway Stadium in Nagpur, Services defeated host Maharashtra 2-1.

ii. Arjun Tudu, a national camper for the SAFF Cup in 2015, scored twice in the space of 11 minutes (26th and 37th) to help Services clinch their fifth title overall. Services took away 5 lakh rupees for winning the tournament while Maharashtra got 3 lakh rupees for finishing runners-up.

iii. Santosh Trophy, started in 1941, is an annual Indian football tournament. It is contested by states and government institutions. It was the premier football competition in the country before the National Football League started in the year 1996. The first winners were Bengal, who also leads the all-time winners list with 31 titles to date.

iv. The trophy is named after the late Maharaja Sir Manmatha Nath Roy Chowdhary of Santosh (now in Bangladesh) who had been the President of the Indian Football Association, the football organisation of Bengal and the donators of the trophy.

5. Maritime India Summit 2016 to be held in Mumbai

i. Maritime India Summit 2016 (MIS 2016), the maiden flagship initiative of the Union Ministry of Shipping, will be organised from 14 to 16 April 2016 at Bombay Convention and Exhibition Centre, Mumbai. Republic of Korea is the partner country for MIS 2016.

ii. The summit will provide a unique global platform for investors to explore potential business opportunities in the Indian Maritime Sector. The conference aims to foster interaction between stakeholders through B2B and G2B meetings. It will have special sessions on factors and services related to Indian Maritime Sector.

iii. The conference will also highlight investment opportunities in the Indian Maritime States and Union Territories.

6. 4th World Congress of Biosphere Reserves inaugurated at Lima

i. 4th World Congress of Biosphere Reserves was inaugurated on 14 March 2016 at Lima in Peru. The event will be held from 14 March to 17 March 2016 to address different issues related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Post 2015 Development Agenda.

ii. It is a world meeting of the Committees of UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Program (MAB) and experts directly involved in the practical implementation of biosphere reserves including representatives of governments, biosphere reserves, local communities, UN agencies, NGOs, academic institutions, and organizations and institutions from all over the world working with the MAB Programme.

iii. The Congress will discuss on education for sustainable development, the economic viability of nature conservation systems, human migrations and protection of natural resources, among others.

7. Rock legend Keith Emerson died

i. British Keyboardist and progressive rock legend Keith Emerson died on 10 March 2016. He was 71.

ii. Emerson, the co-founder of British prog-rock band Emerson, Lake & Palmer, was widely considered one of the top keyboard players of the progressive rock era.

iii. Apart from ELP, founded in 1970, Keith Emerson is best remembered for his role in The Nice, formed in 1967. The British musician and composer was born in Yorkshire in 1944.

iv. ELP rose to become one of the most popular bands of the 1970s, and were voted in at number seven on Rolling Stone’s 2011 Reader Poll of the best prog-rock acts of all time.

8. ICICI Bank ties up with Ferrari for co-branded credit card

i. Country's largest private sector lender ICICI BankBSE 3.70 % today said it has tied up with marquee sports car maker Ferrari to launch co-branded credit card.

ii. "The 'Ferrari Credit Card' comes in two variants on the Visa platform and offers customers a host of offers including an all-expenses-paid trip for top spenders to Italy and also includes a Scuderia Ferrari watch as a joining gift," the bank said in a statement here.

iii. Details of the fees, if any, were not immediately shared by the bank. ICICI bank's General Manager Kusal Roy said this is the first-ever Ferrari range of credit cards in the country.

iv. The bank had over 34.69 lakh outstanding credit cards as of November, that saw transactions of over Rs 2,393 crore at ATMs and POS terminals.

9. Kerala Tourism’s Responsible Tourism Campaign Wins Golden City Gate Award At ITB Berlin

i. Kerala Tourism’s new campaign on responsible tourism has bagged the prestigious Golden City Gate Award at the world’s leading travel trade show , ITB in the German capital of Berlin.

ii. Titled ‘New Worlds’, the multimedia campaign containing three short films directed by reputed Malayalam filmmaker Anwar Rasheed won the silver prize of this year’s Das Golden Stadttor or Golden City Gate, dubbed as the Oscar of Tourism communication, at the ITB.

iii. The ‘New Worlds’ campaign was launched internationally by UNWTO Secretary General Taleb Rifai at the World Travel Mart in London .

iv. It portrays the importance of responsible tourism initiatives under taken in Kerala which have led to several life-changing stories and have become the heart of it.

v. Golden Gate Award is entitled as Oscar in tourism communication. It is awarded every year for the ultimate recognition in global tourism communication at the ITB-Berlin which is the world’s leading travel trade show.

10. Record-breaking Astronaut Scott Kelly Retiring This April

i. Astronaut Scott Kelly will retire from NASA next month, after spending nearly a year in space and setting a record for the most cumulative days in space of any American.

ii. Kelly is a former Navy pilot who joined NASA in 1996, will leave the agency April 1. Kelly joined the astronaut corps in 1996 and currently holds the American record for most time spent in space. After retiring, Kelly will continue to participate in the ongoing research related to his one-year mission.

iii. Kelly flew in space four times, beginning with space shuttle Discovery’s trip to NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope on the STS-103 servicing mission in 1999.

iv. Kelly broke the American record for most cumulative time in space during his one-year mission, accruing 520 days.

v. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is the agency of the United States Federal Government responsible for the civilian space program as well as aeronautics and aerospace research.

vi. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden has named Cornell University Astronomy Professor Steven W. Squyres, as chairman of the NASA Advisory Council (NAC).

11. Free Wi-Fi Service launched At Srinagar International Airport

i. State-run telecommunication company, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has launched free Wifi services at the Srinagar international airport.

ii. Tourists visiting the Kashmir valley can now access hi-speed Internet services at the international airport here free of charge for the first 15 minutes as BSNL today launched its state-of-art WiFi HotSpot services. The 4G-based WiFi HotSpot services of the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) at the Srinagar International Airport was inaugurated by Kashmir Divisional Commissioner Asgar H Samoon.

iii. Passengers will have to login after turning on WiFi services on their laptops or smartphones or any other wireless device. Then, a BSNL-WiFi prompt will pop-up on their device and the passengers will have to register and then they will be provided with a one-time password, he said. After verification, they will be able to browse.

12. Vijender Singh Registers Fourth Straight Win In Pro Boxing

i. Indian boxer and Olympic bronze medalist Vijender Singh notched up his fourth successive knockout win in the professional boxing circuit, beating Hungary’s Alexander Horvath in under three rounds in Liverpool.

ii. The Bhiwani boxer achieved the knockout victory in the third round after being the one with the upper hand in the first two rounds as well. With the win, Vijender’s record in Pro Boxing stands at four bouts, four wins and four knockouts.

iii. Vijender Singh Beniwal, also known as Vijender Singh or Vijender Beniwal, is an Indian professional boxer and former amateur boxer from Kaluwas, Bhiwani district in Haryana.

#SSC #IBPS #SBI #RBI #NABARD #NICL #NIACL #CAT #NMAT #everydayquiz

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Extensive Coverage Of Current Affairs 14/3/2016

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