#everydayquiz #readDaily
International Affairs
MOUs
Business & Economy
- The world’s first fully electric-powered double-decker bus has been unveiled inLondon a month ahead of its road release.
- The five models, built by Chinese manufactures BYD, will be able to travel 180 miles on a single charge.
- Holi, Diwali and Easter may soon be declared official holidays in Pakistan, based on a resolution adopted by Pakistan's National Assembly today.
- Indian Foreign Secretary Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and his Pakistani counterpart Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry today exchanged courtesies at the SAARC dinner in Nepal.
- The meet marks the first official interaction between the two foreign secretaries since the January 2 terror attacks on the Pathankot airbase, which derailed bilateral ties between the nations.
- 7th meeting of the Governing Board of the Indo-German Science and Technology Centre (IGSTC) was held in New Delhi.
- The meeting was chaired by the Union Science & Technology and Earth Sciences Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan.
- The Rajya Sabha today passed the Sikh Gurdwaras (Amendment) Bill after it was introduced by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
- The bill aims to remove the exception given to the Sahajdhari Sikhs in 1944 to vote in the elections, and select the members of the Board and committees constituted under the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925.
- Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh has told the Lok Sabha that over ₹1,500 crore was spent by the government ministries on foreign travel over the last three years.
- Note : Under the new regulations issued in January, officials cannot go on more than four official visits in a year and these visits cannot exceed five working days.
- Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today appealed people to celebrate dry Holi, amid water shortage in the state.
- Note : There is only 25% water left in dams across Maharashtra.
- Food processing industries minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal inaugratedInternational Food andHospitality Fair, AAHAR 2016 in New Delhi.
- Over 90 countries are participating in31st edition of AAHAR fair.
- This fair is being organised by India trade promotion organization at Pragati Maidan.
- President Pranab Mukherjee today formally inaugurated the 5th edition of the India Aviation 2016 and the five-day biennial aviation show is being jointly organised by the Union Civil Aviation Ministry and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) at the Begumpet airport, Hyderabad.
- About 25 countries are taking part this time in the India Aviation show, being held with the theme of Indian civil aviation sector: Potential as global manufacturing hub.
- Priyanka Kakodkar and Raksha Kumar were named as joint winners of the 2015-16 Chameli Devi Jain Award.
- They were awarded for their work that clubs social concern and compassion with pioneering reportage and analytical skills.
- The award will be presented by former Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh on 17 March 2016 at the India International Centre, Delhi.
- Important Note : The annual Chameli Devi Award of The Media Foundation is the premier award for women media persons in India.
- The Madame Tussauds wax museum today announced that PM Narendra Modi's wax statue will be unveiled at its branches across Europe and Asia in April.
- In a "signature kurta" with a jacket, Modi's statue will show him "making a namaste gesture".
- The museum said Modi was chosen for his importance in world politics and his "massive social media presence".
- As many as 14 Indians have figured in a list of top 100 global venture capitalists (VCs), according to investment tracking firm CB Insights.
- Sameer Gandhi of Accel Partners ranked 25th globally was the top-ranked Indian-origin investor followed by Promod Haque of Norwest Venture Partners at rank 32.
- The list was compiled based on their investments since 2008.
MOUs
- State-owned Pawan Hans has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) withIRCTC to implement the 'Heli Project' to promote helicopter tourism in India.
- The MoU envisages both sides to jointly identify areas of cooperation and enable selling of online tickets for regular and chartered helicopter services and joy rides.
- Note : Pawan Hans is a PSU of the Civil Aviation Ministry.
Business & Economy
- ICICI Bank today launched a Contactless option in its app 'Pockets'.
- This will allow users to make payments at outlets by tapping their smartphones.
- Currently, the feature is made available to the bank's employees which will be extended to all ICICI card holders.
- The service creates 'virtual' cards for the physical cards, that are stored on the banks' servers.
- HDFC Bank in partnership with Mumbai-based startup accelerator Zone Startups India has launched a dedicated banking solution for startups called 'SmartUp'.
- The service includes payment and banking solutions for startups along with advisory and forex services. SmartUp will be available across India including tier-2 and tier-3 cities that are emerging as startup hubs.
- India and China have exchanged offers on the removal of a list of tariffs on import of goods.
- Against India's offer to remove 42.5% of tariff lines, China has expressed willingness to abolish the same amount of tariff.
- Note : India's merchandise exports to China for 2014-15 stood at $11.9 billion against China's $60.4 billion exports to India.
- Shehnai exponent Ustad Ali Ahmad Hussain Khan (77) passed away.
- He is known for composing the signature tune for Doordarshan along with Pandit Ravi Shankar.
- He was felicitated with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2009 for his contribution to Hindustani instrumental music.
- For the first time in close to three decades, Viswanathan Anand has lost his India number one ranking.
- With a current Elo rating of 2763, Anand is narrowly behind Pentala Harikrishna’s 2763.3, after suffering a fourth round loss at the 2016 Candidates Championship in Moscow.
- Note : Anand has lost eight of his previous 26 matches.
- Playing against England in the ICC World T20 today, West Indies player Chris Gayle recorded the most number of sixes in T20I cricket with 98 in 46 matches, surpassing Brendon McCullum's record of 91 sixes in 71 matches.
- Note : Gayle also became the first player to hit 50 sixes in World T20, the highest, ahead of Yuvraj Singh's 31.
- The All India Football Federation (AIFF) is planning to launch an Under-13 I-League.
- The decision was taken at the Executive Committee meeting in New Delhi, after the proposal was given the green signal by AIFF President Praful Patel.
- The main motive behind this particular move is to increase the number of players between the age of 15-17 in the I-League.
NATIONAL:
Maharashtra Assembly passes amendment to Public Trusts Act:
· Maharashtra Assembly passed a bill to amend the Maharashtra Public Trusts Act which provides for de-registration of long-defunct trusts among other things.
· After the Legislative Council passes it, the law would pave way for initiating action against about 3.5 lakh such charitable trusts (which is around 50 per cent of the total number of trust registered under the Trusts Act).
Gujarat Government announces Road Safety Policy 2016:
· The Gujarat government announced the Road Safety Policy 2016, aiming toreduce road accidents by 50% by 2020.
· The government will implement the provision of fitness certificates for commercial vehicles, and introduce air ambulances in the future.
· Gujarat Road Transport Minister Vijay Rupani revealed that 7,955 people died, while 6,309 were "seriously injured" in accidents in 2014.
Odisha Cabinet approved constitution of Food Commission as per NFSA:
· Odisha Cabinet approved a proposal to constitute a State Food Commission (SFC) as per the National Food Security Act (NFSA) 2013.
· It will monitor and evaluate the implementation of the NFSA Act and advice for its effective implementation to the State government.
· The Commission will have five members and one member secretary including a chairperson.
RUSA for achieving Equity, Access and Quality in Higher Education:
· RUSA: Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan
· Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA), it was launched in 2013 with an aim to provide strategic funding to eligible state higher educational institutions.
· It is implemented and monitored through an institutional structure comprising of theNational Mission Authority, Project Approval Board and the National Project Directorate at the centre and the State Higher Education Council and State Project Directorate at the state level
Union Government and Jammu & Kashmir Government signed MoU on UDAY Scheme:
· Union Government and Jammu & Kashmir Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) under the Scheme Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana (UDAY) for operational and financial turnaround of the State’s Power Distribution Department.
· With this, J&K became the ninth state to sign MoU with the combined DISCOM debt around 1.94 lakh crore rupees. The main aim for signing the MoU is to restructure high interest rate of the total discom debt thereby improving financial condition of State Discom
7th Governing Board meeting of Indo-German Science and Technology Centre held in New Delhi:
· 7th meeting of the Governing Board of the Indo-German Science and Technology Centre (IGSTC) was held in New Delhi.
· The meeting was chaired by the Union Science & Technology and Earth Sciences Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan.
· During the meeting, Dr. Vardhan highlighted the achievements and progress of IGSTC in accelerating the bilateral Science & Technology collaboration.
Punjab passed Punjab Sutlej Yamuna Link Canal land (Transfer of Proprietary Right) Bill, 2016:
· Punjab Assembly unanimously passed the 'Punjab Sutlej Yamuna Link Canal land (Transfer of Proprietary Right) Bill, 2016'.
· The bill was passed against the construction of contentious Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL).
· The bill is an attempt to divest its neighboring states from getting share from Punjab’s river waters.
FSSAI launches app to tackle consumer complaints:
· The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has launched an Android mobile app that allows consumers to complain against the quality of packaged food and the food served in ready-to-eat outlets.
· Consumers can check their food against the app’s safety parameters and report any food-related mishaps along with pictures. It also informs consumers about India's food safety laws.
International Food and Hospitality fair, AAHAR 2016 inaugurates in New Delhi:
· Food processing industries minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal inaugratedInternational Food and Hospitality Fair, AAHAR 2016 in New Delhi.
· Over 90 countries are participating in 31st edition of AAHAR fair, organised by India trade promotion organization at Pragati Maidan.
FICCI to Fund construction of 250 toilets in Government schools in AndhraPradesh:
· Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) will fundconstruction of as many as 250 toilets in government high schools in Andhra Pradesh.
· A team from FICCI visited Chittoor district to identify schools intended for the“Swachh Bharath Swachh Vidyalaya” project.
· The team led by Uma Settu and Nominitha had a meeting with District Collector Siddarth Jain and got a presentation from him on the requirements of the project.
President to inaugurate Aviation show in Hyderabad:
· President Pranab Mukherjee will formally inaugurate the fifth edition of the India Aviation 2016, the biggest aviation show, in Hyderabad.
· Union Civil Aviation Ministry and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) are jointly organising the five-day biennial aviation show at the Begumpet airport at the heart of the city.
Record 323 villages electrified in week ending March 13:
· A total of 323 villages have been electrified across the country under the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana, in the week ending March 13.
· Piyush Goyal, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Power, Coal and New & Renewable Energy, tweeted that last week’s achievement in village electrification is the highest ever for a week.
PMO completes special cleanliness drive under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan:
· The Prime Minister’s Office has completed a special cleanliness drive under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan spanning over the fortnight.
· The drive has resulted in the weeding out of over 10 thousand files and transfer of one thousand files of important archival value to the National Archives of India.
Government to ensure participation of boxers in Rio Olympics under National flag:
· Sports Ministry has said government will make all efforts to ensure participation of boxers in the Rio Olympics under the national flag.
· The meeting took place in the backdrop of reports that the Amateur International Boxing Association (AIBA) is insisting on formation of a duly elected National Federation for Boxing before 31st of this month.
· He also stated this needs to be done at the earliest in view of the Olympics to be held in Rio de Janeiro in August this year.
14 Indians in top 100 global VCs: CB Insights
· As many as 14 Indians have figured in a list of top 100 global venturecapitalists (VCs), according to investment tracking firm CB Insights.
· Sameer Gandhi of Accel Partners ranked 25 globally was the top-ranked Indian-origin investor followed by Promod Haque of Norwest Venture Partners at rank 32. The list was compiled based on their investments since 2008.
Railways E-catering extended to 408 stations:
· Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu has announced that the e-catering facility in Indian Railways has been extended to 408 stations from the existing 45.
· The meals can be booked by SMS, mobile app or a website using a registered mobile number. The new e-catering facility will have a cash-on-delivery option and the passengers will be charged a 12% commission.
Railways starts E-ticketing for journalists:
· The Indian Railways launched an e-ticket booking facility on concessional passes for accredited journalists.
· To book tickets under this facility, journalists have to use their registered ID card number issued by the Railways. Earlier, they were required to book tickets on concessional passes at normal Passenger Reservation System (PRS) counters.
Centre releases Rs 609 cr for upgrading prisons in eight States:
· The Centre has released 609 crore rupees for upgrading prisons in eight States as recommended by the Thirteenth Finance Commission.
· Kerala has got 154 crore rupees followed by Chhattisgarh, 150 crore rupees and Odisha 100 crore rupees. Andhra Pradesh has been sanctioned 90 crore rupees and Maharashtra 60 crore rupees.
India’s First Education focused Accelerator Programme Edugild started at MIT, Pune:
· Pune-based Maharashtra Institute of Technology (MIT) set up India's first education technology accelerator called Edugild. The accelerator will be the first one in the country to focus only on the education sector.
· The programme, in its first year, received applications from 300 entrepreneurs' focused on the education sector from all over the country. Of these, four companies were selected by Edugild for its accelerator programme.
Union Tourism Ministry and Ecotourism Society signed MoU for Responsible and Sustainable Tourism:
· Union Tourism Ministry signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Ecotourism Society of India (ESOI) for promoting responsible and sustainable tourism.
· ESOI has been declared as the official partner by the Tourism Ministry in helping it to develop policy guidelines, code of conduct and ethical practices for Sustainable Tourism, to position India as a Global eco-tourism destination.
· Further, ESOI has been recognized as the partner in driving and advocating Sustainable Tourism Criteria for India (STCI) initiatives across the country.
INTERNATIONAL:
World’s First Fully Electric Double Decker Bus launched in London:
· In UK, the world’s first fully electric double decker bus was launched by London’s transport authority and will start service in the British capital next month.
· Five of the buses, made by China automaker BYD, will run on two routes in London.
Sushma to leave for Nepal to attend SAARC Ministerial Meet:
· External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will leave for Nepal to attend SAARC ministerial meet.
· Standing Committee of the SAARC which is a Foreign Secretaries level Forum will be held which will be attended by Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar.
· These meetings will prepare the ground for the session of Council of Ministers. It will be attended by Foreign Ministers of SAARC countries.
· External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson – Vikas Swarup
60th Session of Commission on the Status of Women inaugurated in New York:
· The 60th Session of Commission on the Status of Women was inaugurated at the United Nations headquarters in New York, the USA.
· During the session, the Commission will discuss on its priority theme -Women’s empowerment and its link to sustainable development.
· The session will be attended by the representatives of UN Member States, UN entities, and ECOSOC-accredited non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from all regions of the world.
· 45 member States of the UN, including India, were chosen as the members of the session.
59th Session of Commission on Narcotic Drugs inaugurated in Vienna:
· The 59th Session of Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) was inaugurated in Austria’s capital Vienna.
· The focus of the UNGASS 2016 will be on what actions Member States can take by 2019 to achieve the goals set forth in a policy document titled - Political Declaration and Plan of Action on International Cooperation towards an Integrated and Balanced Strategy to Counter the World Drug Problem.
Royal Brunei Airlines makes history by being all-female crew in Saudi Arabia:
· Three Royal Brunei Airlines pilots have made history by being the company’s first all-female flight crew, making their first journey to Saudi Arabia, where women are not allowed to drive.
· The women flew the Boeing 787 Dreamliner from Brunei to Jeddah. The milestone coincided with Brunei’s National Day to celebrate independence.
· Saudi Arabia is the world’s only country to forbid women from driving.
· Last year women in Saudi Arabia cast their votes for the first time in municipal elections. A total of 978 women also registered as candidates.
India, China exchange Tariff cut offers:
· India and China have exchanged offers on the removal of a list of tariffs on import of goods.
· Against India's offer to remove 42.5% of tariff lines, China has expressed willingness to abolish the same amount of tariff.
· Notably, India's merchandise exports to China for 2014-15 stood at $11.9 billion against China's $60.4 billion exports to India.
22 killed in Ecuador Army Plane Crash:
· All 22 people on board an Ecuador military plane were killed , when the plane crashed in a jungle in the country's Pastaza province.
· President Rafael Correa said the 19 soldiers, two pilots and a mechanic were killed on their way to a parachuting course. However, the cause of the crash was not established.
Malawi, UNICEF tested first UAV flights for early diagnosis of HIV in infants:
· The Government of Malawi and UNICEF successfully tested the use ofUnmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs or drones) to explore cost effective ways of reducing waiting times for HIV testing of infants.
· Though drones were used in the past for surveillance and assessments of disaster, this is the first known use of UAVs in Africa for improvement of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) services.
Mauritania ratified 2014 Protocol to the Forced Labour Convention:
· Mauritania became the second African country to ratify the 2014 Protocol to the Forced Labour Convention 1930.
· Prior to Mauritania, Niger (Africa), Norway (Europe) and the United Kingdom (Europe) ratified the protocol.
· The protocol requires States to take effective measures for prevention of forced labour, protection of victims and ensuring their access to justice and compensation.
APPOINTMENTS:
UK Anti-Doping appointed as Secretariat for International Olympic Committee Anti-doping Taskforce:
· United Kingdom Anti-Doping (UKAD) was granted a role of organising a worldwide fight against performance-enhancing drugs in the run-up to 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.
· It was appointed as the secretariat for an International Olympic Committee anti-doping taskforce which will seek to standardise testing procedures.
· The announcement came with Russia still banned by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and on course to be excluded from the Olympics following a report into mass doping violations.
BANKING :
Banks told to pay interest on SB account on quarterly basis:
· They will earn slightly better returns on their Savings bank (SB) deposits as the Reserve Bank of India has mandated that banks should credit interest on savings deposit at quarterly or shorter intervals.
PSU banks write off 38 accounts worth Rs. 8,033 Crore:
· Public sector banks have written off 38 accounts of 100 crore and above amounting to about 8,000 crore during the nine months of the current fiscal.
· As against 8,033 crore for 2015-16, banks had written off 47 accounts of 100 crore and above totalling 13,018 crore in 2014-15, Minister of State for Finance Jayant Sinha said in written reply in the Rajya Sabha.
ICICI Bank launches contactless Mobile Payment Solution:
· ICICI Bank announced a Contactless mobile payment solution to enable its credit and debit customers to make in-store contactless payments by waving their smartphones near an NFC-enabled merchant terminal.
· The mobile payment solution available in the Bank’s ‘Pockets’ app, provides improved convenience of ‘Touch & Pay’ as customers are no longer required to carry a physical card or cash to pay in stores.
· ICICI Bank is the first financial institution in the country to leverage the Host Card Emulation which creates ‘Virtual’ cards for ‘physical’ credit or debit cards (Visa/MasterCard) of the bank, as selected by the customer.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY:
London beckons fast-growing Indian technology companies:
· Uniphore Software, a speech recognition technology company, and Stelae Technologies, an artificial intelligence company, are among 20 fast growing Indian technology firms identified by a programme set up by London Mayor’s office to encourage international businesses to set up offices in London as part of their expansion strategy.
· The initiative is one of the programmes that emerged following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the UK last November.
Cairn Energy issued 29,000 Crore tax demand notice:
· The Income tax department has slapped UK’s Cairn Energy with over 29,000 crore in taxes, including 18,800 crore in retrospective interest.
· It alleges that the company made a capital gain of 24,503.50 crore in 2006 by transferring the shares of its Indian assets being held in a tax haven, to the newly incorporated Cairn India.
Glenmark Pharma received final approval of USFDA for migraine drug:
· Glenmark Pharmaceuticals announced that it received the final approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) to manufacture and market Frovatriptan Succinate tablets in the American market.
· The Frovatriptan Succinate Tablets, 2.5 mg, which is therapeutical equivalent of Endo Pharmaceutical's Frova tablets 2.5 mg, has an estimated market size of 87.8 million US dollars for the 12 months ended January 2016.
Reliance Industries, Tata Motors among top 10 sustainable firms: Sustainable Plus Survey
· The Sustainable Plus survey revealed that RIL, Vedanta, Mahindra & Mahindra, Tata Motors and Wipro are among the top 10 companies, which have received the tag of India's most sustainable firms.
· These companies were followed by ITC, Tata Power, Tata Chemicals, Hindustan Zinc and ACC.
AWARDS AND HONOURS:
Priyanka Kakodkar and Raksha Kumar won Chameli Devi Jain Award:
· Priyanka Kakodkar and Raksha Kumar were named as joint winners of the 2015-16 Chameli Devi Jain Award.
· They were awarded for their work that clubs social concern and compassion with pioneering reportage and analytical skills.
· The award will be presented by former Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh on 17 March 2016 at the India International Centre, Delhi.
· The annual Chameli Devi Award of The Media Foundation is the premier award for women media persons in India.
India-based software engineer Abdulqadir Rashik won First Prize in UN #LinksSDGs Data Visualization Challenge:
· India-based software engineer Abdulqadir Rashik won the Unite Ideas #LinksSDGs Data Visualization Challenge.
· Rashik, entrepreneur and founder of India-based Miavy Systems, was awarded the Challenge’s top prize for his submission Links to Sustainable Cities, an interactive visualization that identifies and maps the links between Sustainable Development Goal 11, Sustainable Cities and Communities, and the other 16 Goals.
· The project was a collaboration between the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs’ Division for Sustainable Development and the Office of Information and Communications Technology.
BOOKS AND AUTHORS:
Gandhi: An Illustrated Biography authored by Pramod Kapoor:
· Gandhi: An Illustrated Biography authored by Pramod Kapoor, it is abiography of Mahatma Gandhi who played a key role in Indian independence movement.
· The book is an intimate study into the evolution of a mischievous, fun-loving boy, into the Mahatma. It also seeks to decode Gandhi for modern generation.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY:
Google AI wins series against Go world champion:
· In a final roundup, Google’s artificial intelligence (AI) program AlphaGo beatWorld champion Lee Sedol by 4-1 to win the five-game series of the Chinese board game ‘Go’.
· AlphaGo had already clinched a series victory with its third consecutive win last Saturday. Last year, AlphaGo became the first machine to beat a human professional player at the game.
Google removes app that spied on Indian Army:
· Google removed an app from its Play Store that was reportedly used by Pakistani intelligence agencies to spy on the Indian Army. Called SmeshApp, it was reportedly used during the Pathankot airbase attack to access classified information.
· The app allows third party access to personal information including text messages, location, phone logs and photos.
Tech giants plan to improve user Data Encryption:
· Silicon Valley giants like Facebook, Google and Snapchat are reportedly working on increasing the user data privacy amid the Apple-FBI encryption controversy.
· In addition to its existing privacy features, Facebook’s WhatsApp plans to expand encryption to voice calling in coming weeks. Whereas, Snapchat is working on a secure messaging system and Google is working on an encrypted email project.
Samsung unveils new social media app 'Waffle':
· Samsung recently unveiled its new social media mobile application called 'Waffle' which uses a picture-based grid layout user interface that resembles the grid on a waffle.
· According to the company, the app enables its users to post a picture on a grid, and then others in their social circle can post additional images around it, creating a 'waffle' of socialization.
SPORTS:
UN suspends Sharapova as goodwill ambassador after doping allegations:
· United Nations says it has stopped working with disgraced tennis player Maria Sharapova who last week admitted to testing positive for a banned substance.
· The New York based UN Development Programme, it was suspending Sharapova, who worked as a goodwill Ambassador, until the outcome of the investigation into her case is known.
India beat Bangladesh by 72 runs in Women’s World T20 opener:
· Indian women’s cricket team thrashed their Bangladeshi counterparts by 72 runs in the opening group ‘B’ league fixture of the ICC World T20, in Bangalore.
· Batting first, India scored a healthy 163 for five with skipper Mithali Raj scoring 42 off 35 balls and Harmanpreet Kaur smashing 40 off 29 balls. V R Vanitha made 38 and Veda Krishnamurthy was unbeaten on 36. In reply, Bangladesh could only manage 91 for five in 20 overs.
World T-20: India loses its opener game to New Zealand:
· Team India suffered a shocking defeat at the hands of New Zealand team in the opening game of the Super 10 segment of the ongoing ICC World Cup T20 Cricket Tournament played at theVidarbha Cricket Association Stadium at Jamtha near Nagpur.
· While chasing a victory target of 127 runs, the Indian innings collapsed like house of cards recording their second lowest total of 79 runs in the penultimate over as they were humbled by the Kiwis spinners.
Anand loses to Karjakin in Candidates Chess Tournament:
· Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand suffered a shocking loss againstSergey Karjakin of Russia in the fourth round of Candidates Chess tournament in Moscow.
· The loss, coming in after a fine start that started with a victory over Topalov and two draws, put Anand on the back-foot in the biggest challenge of this year.
Kohli enters list of top-10 T20I run-getters:
· Virat Kohli, with 1,391 runs in 39 T20Is, entered the list of top-10 T20I run-getters playing against New Zealand in India’s first match of the World T20 tournament.
· Rohit Sharma with 1,209 runs is the second highest run-getter for India in T20Is.
· Former New Zealand Captain Brendon McCullum leads the top-10 list with 2,140 runs in 71 matches.
Sania-Hingis crash out of Indian Wells Masters:
· The Indo-Swiss duo of Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis crashed out of the Indian Wells Masters on Tuesday, after suffering a 6-7 (9-7), 4-6 second round defeat against the unseeded duo of Vania King and Alla Kudryavtseva.
· This is the duo's second defeat in 2016, after crashing out of the Qatar Open in February, which ended their 41-match winning streak.
1) In a historic event, who was chosen as Myanmar’s new President by country’s Parliament on 15 March 2016 to become the first non-military president since the army took power in a coup in 1962? – Htin Kyaw
Explanation: 69-year old Htin Kyaw, a close confidant of Aung San Suu Kyi, was chosen as Myanmar’s new President by the Parliament in a historic parliamentary vote on 15 March.
– Kyaw was nominated by Suu Kyi-led National League for Democracy (NLD) party earlier in the month and was voted into the presidency by parliament as he got 360 out of 652 votes. He would thus become Myanmar’s first civilian President in 53 years.
– He will succeed the current president, Thein Sein, a former army General who implemented reforms in 2011 moving the country away from dictatorship.
– The two runners up, military nominee Myint Swe and ethnic minority Chin candidate Henry Van Thio, will become first and second vice-presidents respectively.
……………………………………………….
2) In an important development, the Supreme Court on 15 March 2016 decided to set up a five-judge Constitution Bench to debate the establishment of a new court, which if established, would be the first-of-its-kind in India. Which court is this? – National Court of Appeal
Explanation: It is worth mentioning that V. Vasanthakumar, an advocate from Puducherry, had sought the apex court’s directions to the Government to consider setting up a National Court of Appeal to relieve the Supreme Court of its case burden.
– The 2-bench comprising the Chief Justice of India (CJI) T.S. Thakur and Justice U.U. Lalit, in its order decided to refer the matter to a five-judge constitution bench to hear the matter from 4 April 2016.
– While Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi opposed setting up of National Court of Appeal K.K. Venugopal, senior advocate and a proponent of such courts, highlighted importance of such court.
– Appeal courts are becoming a feature of numerous countries primarily as they lessen the burden on the apex and associated high judiciary.
……………………………………………….
3) The Union Govt. during March 2016 imposed a ban on manufacture and sale of over three hundred drugs in the country. These drugs belong to which category? – Fixed Dose Combination (FDC) drugs
Explanation: The Govt. of India, through a notification dated 10 March 2016, prohibited manufacture, sale and distribution of 344 Fixed Dose Combination (FDC) drugs that are likely to involve risk to human beings (when safer alternatives to the said drugs were available).
– This ban was imposed on the recommendations of an expert committee who had mentioned that these drugs were found to have no therapeutic justification. The fixed dose combination of chlopheniramine maleate plus codiene syrup, which is used in the cough syrups, was also banned.
– After this notification, on 14 March, drug majors Pfizer and Abbott stopped sale of their popular cough syrups Corex and Phensedyl respectively, while on 15 March FMCG firm Procter and Gamble (P&G) discontinued the manufacture and sale of its popular brand ‘Vicks Action 500 Extra’.
……………………………………………….
4) Which tax and advisory firm recently came under the scanner of the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) for how the firm arrived at the Rs. 4,100 crore valuation for the now- defunct Vijay Mallya-promoted Kingfisher Airlines Ltd.? – Grant Thornton India LLP
Explanation: Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO), which comes under the purview of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, is looking closely at the Rs. 4,100 crore valuation attached by Grant Thornton to the Kingfisher Airlines brand in 2011. That valuation in hand, Kingfisher Airlines made this brand the single largest collateral for its loans.
– Kingfisher Airlines had pledged various assets to banks in a bid to raise cash and the company had to hypothecate the ‘Kingfisher (Airlines)’ brand, with an estimated value ofRs.4,100 crore, to banks. The valuation was done by firm Grant Thornton.
– A notice has been sent to Grant Thornton seeking clarification on valuation. It came to highlight as Grant Thornton assigned a value of Rs. 4,100 crore to Kingfisher Airlines, although lenders arrived at the valuation of Rs.160 crore when they carried out their own internal exercise.
……………………………………………….
5) Which 10 firms were classified as country’s ‘Top 10 Sustainable Firms’ as reported in a survey of corporate India conducted by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)? –ACC, Axis Bank, HDFC Bank, Hindustan Zinc, Mahindra & Mahindra, Reliance Industries, Tata Motors, Tech Mahindra, Vedanta and Wipro
Explanation: The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) on 14 March 2016 released a survey (Sustainable Plus Survey) of corporate India to identify the levels of sustainability practices among the companies representing it. It classified 10 companies as ‘Sustainable Plus Platinum’ for the highest levels of adherence to the said practices.
– These 10 firms are – ACC, Axis Bank, HDFC Bank, Hindustan Zinc, Mahindra & Mahindra, Reliance Industries, Tata Motors, Tech Mahindra, Vedanta and Wipro.
– The ‘Sustainable Plus Survey’ looks at the 100 largest companies by market capitalisation across 20 sectors in the country. It is aimed at checking the environment, social and governance dimensions of business and measures the progress of Indian companies in adopting sustainable business practices. The survey pointed to governance as the strongest dimension of sustainability.
– Seven other companies got a ‘Sustainable Plus Gold’ classification. These included Bajaj Auto, Ambuja Cements, Hindustan Unilever and Tata Steel. The remaining 83 companies got Sustainable Plus Bronze.
1. Career Guidance Counselling Centres launched in Delhi to improve employment opportunities for women
1. Career Guidance Counselling Centres were launched in Delhi-NCR. The centres were set-up to provide dedicated career services to young women seeking employment in the region.
2. The career counselling centres are set up as part of a collaboration between United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the IKEA Foundation, Xyntéo, and the India Development Foundation.
3. The aim of these centres is to impact the lives of women in India through training, entrepreneurial skill development and employment.
4. The study had disclosed that almost 80 percent of young women in Delhi did not have access to accurate and timely information on educational and job opportunities.
5. The Centres will be managed by the Self Employed Womens Association- Bharat, the All-India Federation of SEWA within the Pankh Program of the SEWA Yuva Shakti Kendras in Delhi.
2. My Biosphere, My Future campaign launched in Lima
1.My Biosphere, My Future campaign of UNESCO was launched at the 4th World Congress of Biosphere Reserves in Lima,Peru. UNESCO’s World Network of Biosphere Reserves aspires for sustainable development through different projects.
2. The biodiversity hotspot, Oxapampa- Ashaninka -Yanesha biosphere reserve in the Amazon is being disturbed by the human activities like deforestation and overfishing of endangering local species of tropical fish.
3. In order to address the threats to their ancestral home (Biosphere), Ashaninka people have developed projects to support sustainable consumption and resource management
4. The campaign will help them to address the problems of their biosphere and improve their income and quality of life through these projects.
3. India’s first education focused accelerator programme Edugild started at MIT, Pune
1. Pune-based Maharashtra Institute of Technology (MIT) in the second week of March 2016 set up India's first education technology accelerator called Edugild.
2.The accelerator will be the first one in the country to focus only on the education sector.
3. The programme, in its first year, received applications from 300 entrepreneurs focused on the education sector from all over the country. Of these, four companies were selected by Edugild for its accelerator programme.
4. Priyanka Kakodkar and Raksha Kumar won Chameli Devi Jain Award
1. Priyanka Kakodkar and Raksha Kumar on 15 March 2016 were named as joint winners of the 2015-16 Chameli Devi Jain Award. They were awarded for their work that clubs social concern and compassion with pioneering reportage and analytical skills.
2. Kakodkar's reports, which targeted on the acute farming crisis in Maharashtra, were published on the front page of The Times of India in the year 2015. More than 50 of her reports were published in a year by the paper.
3. Independent journalist Raksha Kumar won the honour as her reports focused on the perilous features of the Union Government's proposal to amend the Land Acquisition Act, the Forest Rights Act and the Coal Act.
4. The award will be presented by former Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh on 17 March 2016 at the India International Centre, Delhi.
5. Gandhi: An Illustrated Biography authored by Pramod Kapoor
1.Gandhi: An Illustrated Biography authored by Pramod Kapoor was in news in the second week of March 2016. It is a biography of Mahatma Gandhi who played a key role in Indian independence movement.
2. The book is an intimate study into the evolution of a mischievous, fun-loving boy, into the Mahatma. It also seeks to decode Gandhi for modern generation.
3. The chronological text and accompanying photographs in the book bring out Gandhi’s unique complexities – his failures and successes, the intimate relations he shared with his contemporaries, and the difficult one he shared with his own family.
4. The books covers all the important aspects of his life – schooling, early marriage in Kathiawar, his college days in London, employment in South Africa, train ride in Pietermaritzburg, etc.
6. ICICI Bank launched NFC-based mobile payment solution Touch & Pay
1. ICICI Bank on 15 March 2016 announced a new mobile payment solution Touch & Pay. This solution is based on Near Field Communication (NFC) technology and will enable the bank’s customers to make secure contactless payments at retail stores using smartphones.
Features of Touch & Pay
1The feature will be incorporated into the existing Pockets application of the bank.
2. Customers can make payment by tapping smart phone at a NFC enabled merchant terminal and make the payment through account linked ICICI Bank Debit/Credit Card.
3 To ensure security of the card details, for every payment done at a merchant store using this service, a one-use unique token is created by the Bank's server and will be sent via encryption to the merchant,
7. Reliance Industries, Tata Motors among top 10 sustainable firms: Sustainable Plus Survey
1.The Sustainable Plus survey on 14 March 2016 revealed that RIL, Vedanta, Mahindra & Mahindra, Tata Motors and Wipro are among the top 10 companies, which have received the tag of India's most sustainable firms. These companies were followed by ITC, Tata Power, Tata Chemicals, Hindustan 2. Zinc and ACC.
The survey conducted by CII-ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development also revealed that the banking sector benefited from the high scores of HDFC and Axis banks. On the other hand, scores of Tech Mahindra and Wipro gave a boost to performance of software and services sector.
8. World Consumer Rights Day 2016 observed with theme Antibiotics off the Menu
1.The World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD) 2016 was observed on 15 March 2016. The day was celebrated by the Consumers International (CI) across the world with the theme Antibiotics off the Menu.
2. The theme was taken up to ensure that fast food companies make a global commitment to stop the sale of meat raised with the routine use of antibiotics important to human medicine.
9. 7th Governing Board meeting of Indo-German Science and Technology Centre held in New Delhi
1. 7th meeting of the Governing Board of the Indo-German Science and Technology Centre (IGSTC) was held in New Delhi. The meeting was chaired by the Union Science & Technology and Earth Sciences Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan.
2. During the meeting, Dr. Vardhan highlighted the achievements and progress of IGSTC in accelerating the bilateral Science & Technology collaboration.
Main achievements under IGSTC
1. India is investing approximately 14 million euro for the construction of an India focussed beam line and access to the synchrotron facility at PETRA-III in DESY at Hamburg, which will be ready for inauguration later in 2016.
2. India is also an equity share holder with investment of 36 million euro in the construction of the international Facility for Antiproton-Ion Research (FAIR) at Darmstadt.
3. Innovative projects on affordable biomedical devices, lab-on-chip for water pathogen detection and nano-materials for adsorption of uremic toxins for Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) patients have been initiated
10. World Kidney Day 2016 observed with theme Kidney Disease & Children. Act Early to Prevent It!
1. World Kidney Day (WKD) was observed globally with the theme Kidney Disease & Children. Act Early to Prevent It!
2. The theme was taken up to inform parents, caregivers, young patients, policy makers and the general public of the importance of identifying and treating childhood kidney diseases.
3. The World Kidney Day is annually observed on the second Thursday in March. It is a joint initiative of the International Society of Nephrology (ISN) and the International Federation of Kidney Foundations (IFKF).
4.The day is a global health awareness campaign that focuses on the importance of the kidneys and reducing the frequency and impact of kidney disease and its associated health problems worldwide.
World Kidney Day started in 2006.
11. India-based software engineer Abdulqadir Rashik won First Prize in UN #LinksSDGs Data Visualization Challenge
1. India-based software engineer Abdulqadir Rashik won the Unite Ideas #LinksSDGs Data Visualization Challenge.
2. Rashik, entrepreneur and founder of India-based Miavy Systems, was awarded the Challenge’s top prize for his submission Links to Sustainable Cities, an interactive visualization that identifies and maps the links between Sustainable Development Goal 11, Sustainable Cities and Communities, and the other 16 Goals.
3. The project was a collaboration between the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs’ Division for Sustainable Development and the Office of Information and Communications Technology.
4. India Inc became first in world to formally adopt UN's sustainable goals
The global data science competition aimed to engage the public in sharing ideas about how to visualize the inter-linkages between the Sustainable Development Goals, a set of 17 global goals and 169 targets that form the basis of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
12. UN suspended Maria Sharapova as goodwill ambassador after doping allegations
1. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) suspended Maria Sharapova as a goodwill ambassador.The five-time grand slam winner who became a goodwill ambassador in February 2007 was suspended after she tested positive for the banned substance meldonium at 2016 Australian Open.
2. The statement said that the UNDP remains grateful to Maria Sharapova for her support of our work, especially around the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster recovery
1. Career Guidance Counselling Centres were launched in Delhi-NCR. The centres were set-up to provide dedicated career services to young women seeking employment in the region.
2. The career counselling centres are set up as part of a collaboration between United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the IKEA Foundation, Xyntéo, and the India Development Foundation.
3. The aim of these centres is to impact the lives of women in India through training, entrepreneurial skill development and employment.
4. The study had disclosed that almost 80 percent of young women in Delhi did not have access to accurate and timely information on educational and job opportunities.
5. The Centres will be managed by the Self Employed Womens Association- Bharat, the All-India Federation of SEWA within the Pankh Program of the SEWA Yuva Shakti Kendras in Delhi.
2. My Biosphere, My Future campaign launched in Lima
1.My Biosphere, My Future campaign of UNESCO was launched at the 4th World Congress of Biosphere Reserves in Lima,Peru. UNESCO’s World Network of Biosphere Reserves aspires for sustainable development through different projects.
2. The biodiversity hotspot, Oxapampa- Ashaninka -Yanesha biosphere reserve in the Amazon is being disturbed by the human activities like deforestation and overfishing of endangering local species of tropical fish.
3. In order to address the threats to their ancestral home (Biosphere), Ashaninka people have developed projects to support sustainable consumption and resource management
4. The campaign will help them to address the problems of their biosphere and improve their income and quality of life through these projects.
3. India’s first education focused accelerator programme Edugild started at MIT, Pune
1. Pune-based Maharashtra Institute of Technology (MIT) in the second week of March 2016 set up India's first education technology accelerator called Edugild.
2.The accelerator will be the first one in the country to focus only on the education sector.
3. The programme, in its first year, received applications from 300 entrepreneurs focused on the education sector from all over the country. Of these, four companies were selected by Edugild for its accelerator programme.
4. Priyanka Kakodkar and Raksha Kumar won Chameli Devi Jain Award
1. Priyanka Kakodkar and Raksha Kumar on 15 March 2016 were named as joint winners of the 2015-16 Chameli Devi Jain Award. They were awarded for their work that clubs social concern and compassion with pioneering reportage and analytical skills.
2. Kakodkar's reports, which targeted on the acute farming crisis in Maharashtra, were published on the front page of The Times of India in the year 2015. More than 50 of her reports were published in a year by the paper.
3. Independent journalist Raksha Kumar won the honour as her reports focused on the perilous features of the Union Government's proposal to amend the Land Acquisition Act, the Forest Rights Act and the Coal Act.
4. The award will be presented by former Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh on 17 March 2016 at the India International Centre, Delhi.
5. Gandhi: An Illustrated Biography authored by Pramod Kapoor
1.Gandhi: An Illustrated Biography authored by Pramod Kapoor was in news in the second week of March 2016. It is a biography of Mahatma Gandhi who played a key role in Indian independence movement.
2. The book is an intimate study into the evolution of a mischievous, fun-loving boy, into the Mahatma. It also seeks to decode Gandhi for modern generation.
3. The chronological text and accompanying photographs in the book bring out Gandhi’s unique complexities – his failures and successes, the intimate relations he shared with his contemporaries, and the difficult one he shared with his own family.
4. The books covers all the important aspects of his life – schooling, early marriage in Kathiawar, his college days in London, employment in South Africa, train ride in Pietermaritzburg, etc.
6. ICICI Bank launched NFC-based mobile payment solution Touch & Pay
1. ICICI Bank on 15 March 2016 announced a new mobile payment solution Touch & Pay. This solution is based on Near Field Communication (NFC) technology and will enable the bank’s customers to make secure contactless payments at retail stores using smartphones.
Features of Touch & Pay
1The feature will be incorporated into the existing Pockets application of the bank.
2. Customers can make payment by tapping smart phone at a NFC enabled merchant terminal and make the payment through account linked ICICI Bank Debit/Credit Card.
3 To ensure security of the card details, for every payment done at a merchant store using this service, a one-use unique token is created by the Bank's server and will be sent via encryption to the merchant,
7. Reliance Industries, Tata Motors among top 10 sustainable firms: Sustainable Plus Survey
1.The Sustainable Plus survey on 14 March 2016 revealed that RIL, Vedanta, Mahindra & Mahindra, Tata Motors and Wipro are among the top 10 companies, which have received the tag of India's most sustainable firms. These companies were followed by ITC, Tata Power, Tata Chemicals, Hindustan 2. Zinc and ACC.
The survey conducted by CII-ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development also revealed that the banking sector benefited from the high scores of HDFC and Axis banks. On the other hand, scores of Tech Mahindra and Wipro gave a boost to performance of software and services sector.
8. World Consumer Rights Day 2016 observed with theme Antibiotics off the Menu
1.The World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD) 2016 was observed on 15 March 2016. The day was celebrated by the Consumers International (CI) across the world with the theme Antibiotics off the Menu.
2. The theme was taken up to ensure that fast food companies make a global commitment to stop the sale of meat raised with the routine use of antibiotics important to human medicine.
9. 7th Governing Board meeting of Indo-German Science and Technology Centre held in New Delhi
1. 7th meeting of the Governing Board of the Indo-German Science and Technology Centre (IGSTC) was held in New Delhi. The meeting was chaired by the Union Science & Technology and Earth Sciences Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan.
2. During the meeting, Dr. Vardhan highlighted the achievements and progress of IGSTC in accelerating the bilateral Science & Technology collaboration.
Main achievements under IGSTC
1. India is investing approximately 14 million euro for the construction of an India focussed beam line and access to the synchrotron facility at PETRA-III in DESY at Hamburg, which will be ready for inauguration later in 2016.
2. India is also an equity share holder with investment of 36 million euro in the construction of the international Facility for Antiproton-Ion Research (FAIR) at Darmstadt.
3. Innovative projects on affordable biomedical devices, lab-on-chip for water pathogen detection and nano-materials for adsorption of uremic toxins for Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) patients have been initiated
10. World Kidney Day 2016 observed with theme Kidney Disease & Children. Act Early to Prevent It!
1. World Kidney Day (WKD) was observed globally with the theme Kidney Disease & Children. Act Early to Prevent It!
2. The theme was taken up to inform parents, caregivers, young patients, policy makers and the general public of the importance of identifying and treating childhood kidney diseases.
3. The World Kidney Day is annually observed on the second Thursday in March. It is a joint initiative of the International Society of Nephrology (ISN) and the International Federation of Kidney Foundations (IFKF).
4.The day is a global health awareness campaign that focuses on the importance of the kidneys and reducing the frequency and impact of kidney disease and its associated health problems worldwide.
World Kidney Day started in 2006.
11. India-based software engineer Abdulqadir Rashik won First Prize in UN #LinksSDGs Data Visualization Challenge
1. India-based software engineer Abdulqadir Rashik won the Unite Ideas #LinksSDGs Data Visualization Challenge.
2. Rashik, entrepreneur and founder of India-based Miavy Systems, was awarded the Challenge’s top prize for his submission Links to Sustainable Cities, an interactive visualization that identifies and maps the links between Sustainable Development Goal 11, Sustainable Cities and Communities, and the other 16 Goals.
3. The project was a collaboration between the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs’ Division for Sustainable Development and the Office of Information and Communications Technology.
4. India Inc became first in world to formally adopt UN's sustainable goals
The global data science competition aimed to engage the public in sharing ideas about how to visualize the inter-linkages between the Sustainable Development Goals, a set of 17 global goals and 169 targets that form the basis of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
12. UN suspended Maria Sharapova as goodwill ambassador after doping allegations
1. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) suspended Maria Sharapova as a goodwill ambassador.The five-time grand slam winner who became a goodwill ambassador in February 2007 was suspended after she tested positive for the banned substance meldonium at 2016 Australian Open.
2. The statement said that the UNDP remains grateful to Maria Sharapova for her support of our work, especially around the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster recovery
Mother Teresa to become a saint on Sept. 4: Pope Francis
i. Mother Teresa will be made a saint on September 4, Pope Francis announced. 19 years after the death of the Nobel Laureate who spent 45 years serving the poor and sick on the streets of Kolkata.
ii. “Pope Francis today approved Mother Teresa’s elevation to sainthood and set September 4 as the date for her canonisation,” said a message from the Vatican to the Mother House — the headquarters of the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata.
iii. Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity and spent 45 years serving the poor, the sick, the orphaned, and the dying on the streets of Kolkata. She died at the age of 87 here in 1997.
7th Governing Board meeting of Indo-German Science and Technology Centre held in New Delhi
i. 7th meeting of the Governing Board of the Indo-German Science and Technology Centre (IGSTC) was held on 15 March 2016 in New Delhi. The meeting was chaired by the Union Science & Technology and Earth Sciences Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan.
ii. During the meeting, Dr. Vardhan highlighted the achievements and progress of IGSTC in accelerating the bilateral Science & Technology collaboration.
iii. India is investing approximately 14 million euro for the construction of an India focussed beam line and access to the synchrotron facility at PETRA-III in DESY at Hamburg, which will be ready for inauguration later in 2016.
iv. India is also an equity share holder with investment of 36 million euro in the construction of the international Facility for Antiproton-Ion Research (FAIR) at Darmstadt.
v. Innovative projects on affordable biomedical devices, lab-on-chip for water pathogen detection and nano-materials for adsorption of uremic toxins for Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) patients have been initiated.
Singareni 600 MW power unit synchronised in Telangana
i. The first of two 600 MW power generation units at the Singareni Thermal Power Plant (STPP) at Pegadapalli in Jaipur mandal of Adilabad District, was synchronised with top officials including Singareni Collieries Chairman and Managing Director N. Sridhar participating in it.
ii. The power generation unit will be inaugurated by Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Raoin April.
iii. According to chairman the STPP at Jaipur will eventually bring down the deficit in power generation in Telangana State.
iv. Among the officials who were present were Singareni Director (Projects and Planning) A. Manohar Reddy, Director (E&M) P. Ramesh Babu, Director Finance, Pavithran Kumar, General Manager, STPP, Sudhakar Reddy, GM (Civil) Muralikrishna and GM, Srirampur are, Sd. M. Subhani.
MoU Signed Between M/O Tourism And Ecotourism Society Of India For Responsible And Sustainable Tourism
i. The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Ecotourism Society of India (ESOI) to take its commitments to Responsible and Sustainable tourism to the next level.
ii. In accordance, Suman Billa, Joint Secretary, M/o Tourism and Steve Borgia, Honorary President, Ecotourism Society of India signed the MOU in the presence of Vinod Zutshi, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism in New Delhi on March 15, 2016.
iii. The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India has officially declared ESOI as their partner in helping develop policy guidelines, code of conduct and ethical practices for Sustainable Tourism, to position India as a Global ecotourismdestination embracing Responsible Tourism guidelines across the various sectors of Tourism & Hospitality, Transport, Aviation etc.
iv. In this context ESOI will prepare a 10-year Road Map for advocacy and certification under the Sustainable Tourism Criteria for India. The Road Map will be based on regional workshops held with relevant stakeholders across the country.
March 15 World Consumer Rights Day
i. World Consumer Day is celebrated across the World on 15th March 2016.
ii. The Day is an occasion of solidarity among consumers and to promote the basic rights of all consumers, for demanding that those rights are respected and protected, and for protesting the market abuses and social injustices which undermine them.
iii. Theme for the World Consumer Rights Day 2016 – Antibiotics off the menu. It is a campaign to stopover the sale of meat raised up with the use of antibiotics important to human medicine.
Anita Brookner, Booker Prize-Winning Author, Dies Aged 87
i. Anita Brookner, the Booker prize-winning British author and renowned art historian, has died at the age of 87.
ii. She won the Booker in 1984 for her novel Hotel du Lac, one of 24 novels she wrote after a distinguished career as an art historian. She was highly regarded as a stylist and her novels explore themes of emotional loss and difficulties associated with fitting into society, and typically depict intellectual, middle-class women.
iii. London born novelist graduated in BA History from King’s College London In 1949, was the first woman to hold the prestigious Slade Professorship of fine art at Cambridge University. She also taught at the Courtauld Institute of Art. Her first novel, A Start in Life was published in 1981 at the age of 53. Her most recent novel was published in 2011.
iv. She has awarded with Man Booker prize in 1984 and in 2010 she had won James Tait Black Memorial.
ICICI Bank launched NFC-based mobile payment solution Touch & Pay
i. ICICI Bank on 15 March 2016 announced a new mobile payment solution Touch & Pay. This solution is based on Near Field Communication (NFC) technology and will enable the bank’s customers to make secure contactless payments at retail stores using smartphones.
ii. The feature will be incorporated into the existing Pockets application of the bank. Customers can make payment by tapping smart phone at a NFC enabled merchant terminal and make the payment through account linked ICICI Bank Debit/Credit Card.
iii. To ensure security of the card details, for every payment done at a merchant store using this service, a one-use unique token is created by the Bank's server and will be sent via encryption to the merchant,
iv. The facility will be available in the last week of March 2016 at more than 60000 merchants across the country.
Union Government and Jammu & Kashmir Government signed MoU on UDAY Scheme
i. Union Government and Jammu & Kashmir Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) under the Scheme Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana (UDAY) on 15 March 2016 for operational and financial turnaround of the State’s Power Distribution Department.
ii. With this, J&K became the ninth state to sign MoU with the combined DISCOM debt around 1.94 lakh crore rupees. The main aim for signing the MoU is to restructure high interest rate of the total discom debt thereby improving financial condition of State Discom
iii. An overall net benefit of approximately 9800 crore rupees would accrue to the State by opting to participate in UDAY, by way of savings in interest cost, reduction in Aggregate Technical and Commercial (AT & C)and transmission losses, interventions in energy efficiency, coal reforms etc. during the period of turnaround.
iv. It will enable Jammu & Kashmir to raise funds at cheaper rate to clear the outstanding dues of around 3538 crore rupees of Community and Public Sector Union (CPSUs), which would entail an annual saving of 1200 crore rupees over 4 years towards interest cost to the State.
#SSC #IBPS #SBI #RBI #NABARD #NICL #NIACL #CAT #NMAT #everydayquiz
No comments:
Post a Comment