#EVERYDAYQUIZ #rEADdAILY
International Affairs
- World Tuberculosis (TB) Day was observed today.
- Theme of the year 2016 : Unite to end TB
- Important Points to Note :
- This day is designed to build public awareness about the global epidemic of tuberculosis (TB) and efforts to eliminate the disease.
- 8.6 million new cases of tuberculosis occur each year globally, of which 2.2 million occur in India.
- This day is one of eight official global public health campaigns marked by the World Health Organization (WHO). The remaining 7 are,
- United States lawmakers have introduced a legislation asking the Obama administration to help India join the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.
- The lawmakers reportedly believed that an economically prosperous India would benefit US interests in Asia.
- New Zealand today in a referendum decided to retain its current national flag, with 56.6% of the voters voting in its favour, according to preliminary results.
- About 43% of the voters supported the new flag, designed by Kyle Lockwood.
- The results of the referendum, estimated to have cost NZ$26 million ($17.4 million), will expectedly be confirmed next Wednesday.
Business & Economy
- The Arunachal Pradesh assembly today passed the 2016-17 State Budget by voice votes, as the opposition Congress continued to boycott the three-day session.
- Earlier, Chief Minister Kalikho Pul,had presented the ₹367.58 crore deficit budget, the first from the People’s Party of Arunachal (PPA) government which came to power after months of political instability.
- The Indian Railways today increased the lower berth quota for senior citizens by 50% to 80-90 seats in a train with effect from April 1.
- Note : Female passengers aged above 45 years and pregnant women also eligible to avail the enhanced quota.
- Earlier, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu had announced the proposal in the Budget 2016-17 presented in February.
- India Post has released a customised commemorative stamp on Hindustan Aeronautical Limited (HAL) in recognition of the company’s 75 years of service to the nation.
- Important Points to Note :
- It is for the first time India Post has issued a customised ‘My Stamp’ and HAL is the first organisation to feature on it.
- The tagline of the customized stamp is ‘HAL: The force behind the forces’ and HAL’s platinum jubilee logo on it representing company’s contribution to the nation’s defence forces.
People in News
- Mehbooba Mufti unanimously elected leader of PDP Legislative Party.
- She is expected to become first woman Chief Minister of new PDP-BJP coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir.
MOUs
- India and France have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) forconstruction of six nuclear reactors at Jaitapur nuclear park in Maharashtra.
- It was inked by Electricite de France (EDF), a French public utility and theNuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL).
- The MoU was signed after the two countries had decided to conclude the techno-commercial negotiations for the Jaitapur project by the end of 2016.
Science & Technology
- The Fast patrol vessel (FPV) of the Indian Coast Guard ICGS Arnvesh was commissioned at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
- The ship is primarily intended to undertake coastal patrol, surveillance at sea, anti-smuggling, anti-piracy operations and search and rescue operations.
- Indian Navy has deployed a P8I maritime Aircraft to Seychelles for monitoring purpose.
- This is the first time India has deployed a P8I maritime aircraft to Seychelles.
- It will be deployed in Seychelles till March 23,2016
- It will help in curbing illegal activities and piracy as well as ensuring stability and safety in the Indian Ocean region
New Appointments
- Mobile payment and commerce platform Paytm has appointed ex-head of Alibaba Group Holding's wholesale business, Bhushan Patil, as the company's newPresident.
- Mukund Padmanabhan will be the new Editor for the The Hindu, one of the largest English dailies in the country.
- Note : He will be the second non family member who hold this position in the 125-year old Newspaper.
Books & Authors
- Filmmaker Aishwaryaa R Dhanush is set to launch her autobiography titled “Standing On An Apple Box”.
- Note : Aishwaryaa, the elder daughter of veteran actor Rajinikanth and wife of Kollywood actor Dhanush, has penned her life story as a celebrity child, star wife, filmmaker, and mother.
Deaths
- Ajax and Barcelona legend Johan Cruyff passed away today following a battle with cancer.
- Cruyff was a prime exponent of 'Total Football' and was part of the famous1974-World Cup Dutch team.
- The three-time Ballon d'Or winner also led Ajax to three consecutive European Cup titles.
- Note : 'Tiki-Taka' style of football is widely attributed to his managerial philosophy in Barcelona.
Sports
- Denmark's 17-year-old Mohamad Al-Bacha was crowned the FIFA'16 world champion after winning the final in New York
- He beat England's Sean Allen in the final to win the $20,000 top prize alongside a chance to visit the Ballon d’Or-2016 ceremony in Switzerland.
- Australian cricketer Shane Watson today announced that he will retire from all forms of international and first-class cricket after the World T20 tournament.
- Watson with 10,888 runs and 289 wickets in his 14-year-long international career is one of seven cricketers in history to register more than 10,000 runs and collect more than 200 wickets across all formats of international cricket.
NATIONAL:
World Tuberculosis Day observed today:
· World Tuberculosis (TB) Day is observed every year in order to create public awareness about the disease and the need for regular screening and prevention.
· The theme for this year’s World TB Day is “Unite to end TB”. Notably, 8.6 million new cases of tuberculosis occur each year globally, of which 2.2 million occur in India.
Cabinet approves National Capital Goods policy:
· In a bid to boost the manufacturing sector and 'Make in India' initiative, the union cabinet cleared the National Capital Goods Policy.
· The move aims to increase the domestic production of capital goods – from 2.30 lakh crore in 2014-15 to 7.5 lakh crore by 2025.
· Presently, around 40-45% of the capital goods demand is met by imports.
Cabinet approves construction of 1 crore houses:
· The cabinet approved the construction of one crore houses over the next three years as part of the government’s plan aiming to provide housing for all by 2022.
· The total estimated cost will be 81,975 crore, out of which 60,000 crore will come from budgetary allocations and the remaining from Nabard, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said.
Centre approves 11 highway projects worth 6,284 crore rupees for various states:
· The government has approved eleven highway projects worth 6,284 crore rupees for various states including Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh.
· Road Transport and Highways Secretary Sanjay Mitra said the total length of the projects is about 453 kilometres.
· Nine will be implemented in engineering, procurement and construction, EPC mode, one in BOT (Toll).
Union Water Resources Ministry implementing its flagship programme Jal Kranti Abhiyan:
· The Union Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Ministry is implementing its flagship programme Jal Kranti Abhiyan.
· The purpose is to create awareness among common people about the conservation of water.
· In Himachal Pradesh also several steps are being taken by monitoring agency, the Central Water Commission under this programme.
· The Commission has appointed Jal Mitra and Neer Nari as his representative in these Panchayat.
Government hikes dearness allowance by 6%:
· The government hiked the dearness allowance (DA) for central government employees and pensioners by six percent.
· The move is expected to benefit a total of 50 lakh employees and 58 lakh pensioners.
· The new rate of DA, standing at 125% from the previous 119%, will be implemented from January 1, 2016, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said.
Mumbai service tax dept releases advt for auctioning of Mallya’s Airbus A319 jet:
· The service tax department of Mumbai has given advertisement for auctioning of Vijay Mallya’s Airbus A319 jet to recover over 370 crore rupees in dues and penalty.
· The aircraft is a corporate jet having 25 passenger seating capacity and six crew seating capacity exclusively designed for exotic and luxurious.
Punjab Assembly passes Agriculture Indebtedness Bill:
· The Punjab Assembly has a passed a bill that provides relief to the farmers. The Punjab Settlement of Agricultural Indebtedness Bill, 2016. The bill specifies that the interest payable on debt shall be calculated at such rate as may be notified by the government.
· According to the new bill, the interest rates on debts will be calculated by the state government.
· This would be in accordance with the interest rates charged by banks on yearly basis.
FM Arun Jaitley launches Fasal Bima Yojana:
· Union finance minister Arun Jaitley launched the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana and Unified Package Insurance Scheme in Mumbai.
· The revamped schemes would help farmers insure their crops against natural calamities in an efficient way because insurance companies will reverse bid for higher sum insured and lower premium.
· Uttarakhand became the first state to adopt this scheme as insurance companies bid for a 2% premium.
· Both schemes would target crop insurance as well as accidental insurance for farmers, insurance for tractors as well as farm equipments
Wages of NREGS hiked by 6%:
· The Union government has proposed to hike the wages of NREGS workers by 6%. They have dropped the new wage calculation formula.
· The government appointed a committee to revise the wage calculation formula for the MGNREGA workers.
· According to the new recommendations, the wages will be calculated on CPI-rural index.
· The current scheme of wages is based on the agricultural labour index.
Government developing aptitude test for students:
· The HRD Ministry is planning to develop an aptitude test for school students to assess their areas of interest and pursue the right courses, officials reportedly said.
· A task force has been formed consisting of officials from CBSE and NCERT and psychometric experts to create a prototype of the test. The ministry is also mulling giving certificates after the test.
India Post releases customised ‘My Stamp’ on HAL:
· India Post has released a customised commemorative stamp on HAL the first time India Post is coming out with customised ‘My Stamp’ and HAL is the first organisation to have it.
· The stamp in recognition of the company’s 75 years services to the nation was released by UshaChandrashekhar, Chief Post Master General, Karnataka Circle, and V M Chamola, Director (HR), HAL.
Telangana inks pact with French Aviation Trainer:
· To provide training to the aviation fraternity and aerospace, the agreement was signed between Telangana industries department principal secretary Arvind Kumar and Aerocampus Aquitaine general manager Jerome Verschave on the sidelines of the ongoing India Aviation 2016.
· The agreement paving the way for institute that will come up at Begumpet Airport in Hyderabad.
· The French company plans to set up an academy to train local talent in addition to skilled workforce for the maintenance and repair.
· The Program aiming to train at least 1,000 students a year in aerospace and related areas. We want this aero campus to give maximum preference to Telangana students.
Consumer Affairs Ministry signs MoUs with industry bodies to promote consumer welfare:
· Consumer Affairs Department has signed MoUs with the Industry bodies to promote consumer interests and a Joint Working Group will monitor the implementation of agenda.
· The MoUs broadly covers the collaborative programmes on developing and implementing a self-regulatory code of fair business practices.
· The MoU initiating advocacy action against unfair trade practices and preventing fake, counterfeit and sub-standard products and services and adoption of voluntary standards.
World Bank to extend 9,000 Crore to Swachh Bharat:
· The government approved $1.5 billion (approximately 9,000 crore) World Bank support for the Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) in rural areas.
· Under the project, 8850 crore is to provide incentives to the state, and 150 crore is for the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation.
· The Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) is aimed at improving cleanliness and eliminating open defecation.
Union Government released Detailed Project Report on Forestry Interventions for Ganga:
· Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Uma Bharti released the Detailed Project Report (DPR) on Forestry Intervention for Ganga.
· The DPR envisioned policy and law interventions, concurrent research, monitoring and evaluation, and mass awareness campaigns to rejuvenate and develop forests in the Ganga River basin.
Union Government and Industry Association signed MoU for effective redressal of consumer complaints:
· Department of Consumer Affairs under the Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Industry Association for effective redressal of consumer complaints.
· Under the MoU, the Industry Association comprising ASSOCHAM, CII, DICCI, FICCI and PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry will implement six-point agenda to address consumer complaints.
Union Government used telephone feedback mechanism under CPGRMS for the first time for grievance redressal:
· CPGRMS: Centralized Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System
· The abbreviation CPGRMS was in news as the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Dr Jitendra Singh initiated a telephone feedback mechanism under the CPGRMS for the first time.
· Using this facility, feedback regarding the response given by the officials will be collected from the complainants who used the Centralized Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System.
OECD released Standardised e-format for Exchange of Country-by-Country reports to assist Tax Administration:
· The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)released its standardised electronic format for the exchange of Country-by-Country (CbC) reports between jurisdictions -- CbC XML Schema - along with the related user guide.
· The CbC reports are electronically transmitted between competent authorities in accordance with the CbC XML Schema.
· These will assist tax administrations in obtaining a complete understanding of the way in which Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) structure their operations.
INTERNATIONAL:
India, B'desh PMs launch two bilateral projects:
· Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasinalaunched two projects under which India will supply 100 MW of electricity to Bangladesh and in return receive 10 Gigabits per second internet bandwidth.
· Describing the move as historic, Modi said India is marching shoulder-to-shoulder with Bangladesh in its progress. The launch took place over video conference.
Nepal and Azerbaijan became Dialogue Partner of SCO:
· Nepal became a dialogue partner of the Beijing-based regional security grouping, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
· Nepal was officially made a dialogue partner after a memorandum was signed during the Nepalese Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli visit to China.
· As a dialogue partner, Nepal will be able to participate in the multi-field cooperation of the Organisation.
· Beside Nepal, Azerbaijan also officially became a SCO dialogue partner on upon the signing of a similar memorandum.
India joins hands with Russia for disaster management:
· India and Russia joined hands for minimising the consequences of natural calamities like Floods and Earthquakes.
· Union home minister Rajnath Singh and Russian minister for civil defence Vladimir Andreevich Puchkov signed an MoU on cooperation in prevention and elimination of consequences of emergencies in the field of disaster management to acquire a new character with enhanced levels of cooperation in the field of disaster risk reduction.
· India was making consistent efforts to include disaster mitigation features into the new development programmes, including revisiting some of the ongoing development schemes for mainstreaming disaster risk reduction.
South Korea tops global average internet speed:
· According to Akamai’s ‘State of the Internet’ report, South Korea has the fastest average connection speed in the world at 26.7 Mbps.
· Sweden occupies the second spot with an average speed of 19.1 Mbps followed by Norway at 18.8 Mbps. India stands at 114th position with an average internet speed of 2.8 Mbps.
North Korea conducts fresh missile engine test:
· North Korea's state media reported today that the country has successfully tested a solid-fuel engine, which will boost the power of its ballistic missiles.
· South Korean President Park Geun-hye ordered the South's military to be ready to respond to the North's "reckless provocation".
· Last week, North Korea said it would soon test ballistic missiles that can carry nuclear warheads.
China to provide millions of dollars in soft loan to Nepal:
· China will provide millions of dollars in soft loan to Nepal to rebuild its International Airport at Pokhara, which was devastated by last year’s earthquakes.
· Earlier, Nepal officials fixed the loan amount at around 216 million US dollars. The airport reconstruction was one of the 10 agreements signed during Nepalese Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s meeting with his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang three days ago.
APPOINTMENTS:
Paytm appoints ex-head of Alibaba as its President:
· Mobile Payment and e-commerce site Paytm has appointed Bhusan Patil as its new President. He was the head of Alibaba wholesale groups earlier.
· Paytm has appointed its new President to help Paytm grow across the borders.
· Currently Paytm has a userbase of 125 Million and it has planned to sell $ 2 billion worth products in 2016.
· Paytm CEO– Vijay Shekhar Sharma
Mukund Padmanabhan appointed as new editor of The Hindu:
· Mukund Padmanabhan will be the new Editor for the The Hindu, one of the largest English dailies in the country.
· He will be the second non family member who hold this position in the 125-year old Newspaper.
· In January Malini Parthasarathy had resigned as the editor.
Justice Permod Kohli new Chairman of CAT:
· Retired Chief Justice of Sikkim High Court Justice Permod Kohli has been appointed as the Chairman of Central Administrative Tribunal.
· It was approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet. Justice Kohli will be in the post for a period of five years with effect from the date of assumption of charge of the post or till attaining the age of 68 years, whichever is earlier.
BANKING :
Core banking facility available at 25K post offices by April:
· The Department of Posts will offer core banking solutions (CBS) to its customers at 25,000 post offices by April, against 20,494 CBS-enabled branches.
· CBS-enabled post offices allow customers to access their postal savings from any of the branches where the facility is available.
· Core banking is a banking service provided by a group of networked bank branches where customers may access their bank account and perform basic transactions from any of the member branch offices.
RBI makes liquidity monitoring rules easier for banks:
· Reserve Bank of India made life a bit easier for banks by softening rules on liquidity measurement and risk management.
· It said that banks do not need to consider retail deposits with maturity beyond a month for liquidity coverage ratio (LCR) calculation, giving more flexibility in their daily operations.
· Earlier, only bulk deposits over RS 1 crore where banks di not permit early withdrawal were exempted from LCR calculations.
· Corporate debt securities including commercial paper can also be reckoned as Liquidity Risk Monitoring Tools, subject to a 50% haircut, if these are not issued by a bank, financial institution, or non-banking finance companies. Earlier, RBI allowed only 20% haircut.
RBI revises liquidity measuring rules for Basel III:
· The Reserve Bank has revised certain rules on measuring liquidity for Basel III norms, providing exemption to branches of foreign banks from submitting statement with regard to foreign currency.
· In view of developments since the issue of circulars regarding Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR), Liquidity Risk Monitoring Tools and LCR Disclosure Standards, feedback received from the stakeholders and experience gained, it has been decided to amend certain provisions of these guidelines, RBI said in a notification
· All banks in India, including branches of foreign banks are required to report this on a monthly basis, as per the existing norms. The revised guidelines comes into effect from February 1, 2016.
South Indian Bank gets ISO 9001:2008 certification:
· South Indian Bank has announced that its personnel department has achieved theISO 9001:2008 certification.
· It is a remarkable achievement for the bank as only very few personnel departments have won this certification in the industry, said V G Mathew, MD & CEO of South Indian Bank, while receiving the certificate from Shashi Nath Mishra, Global Head, Indian Register Quality Systems, at a function held at the bank’s headquarters in Thrissur.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY:
Anand Mahindra and Aditya Puri among top global 30 CEO’s:
· Barron’s top list of CEO’S across the globe finds a place for corporate honchos Anand Mahindra(M&M) and Aditya Puri(HDFC).
· Companies in the list – Amazon, JP Morgan, Netflix, Disney, Alphabet ,Google are few top firms in the list.
Top CEO’S:
1. Warren Buffet(Berkshire Hathaway)
2. David Cote(Honeywell)
3. Jamie Dimon(JP Morgan Chase)
4. Larry Page(Alphabet)
5. Howard Schultz(Starbucks) and
6. Mark Zuckerberg(Facebook)
Wings Travel acquired taxi service Bookmycab:
· BPO transport service provider Wings Travels has closed the acquisition of taxi aggregator Bookmycab for an undisclosed amount.
· The acquisition is part of Wings Travels’ plan to strengthen its technology and expand business to 47 more cities inIndia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and Sri Lanka.
· The combined entity will be rebranded as Wings Bookmycab.
Flipkart, Ola Co-founders invest in HashLearn:
· On-demand mobile tutoring app HashLearn has raised an undisclosed amount offunding from Flipkart Co-founder Binny Bansal, Ola Co-founder Bhavish Aggarwal and Google India Head Rajan Anandan.
· Singapore Angel Network and a clutch of other investors also participated in the round. Founded in 2013 by Jayadev Gopalakrishnan and Gokul Janga, HashLearn connects students to tutors through its app.
Uber to pay up to $10,000 on finding bugs:
· Uber announced a bug bounty of up to $10,000 to hackers who will find bugs in its system.
· Starting from May 1, it will last for 90 days and reward hackers who will find four issues accepted by Uber as genuine bugs. Uber last year held a private bug bounty program where 100 bugs were found and fixed.
Air India One crew to wear Khadi clothes soon:
· The cabin crew of 'Air India One', the official aircraft of the President, the Prime Minister, and the Vice-President will soon be wearing Khadi garments aboard.
· This is to promote the adoption of the fabric, especially among the youth, said an official. The Khadi Gramodyog Bhavan, under the Khadi and Village Industries Commission, has received an order for the same.
Vijay Mallya exits from Sanofi after 33 years as chairman:
· Beleaguered Vijay Mallya is exiting the board of Sanofi India Limited (SIL).
· The company announced that Mallya, chairman of the board of directors has conveyed his decision to not seek re-election as a director at the ensuing annual general meeting (AGM).
· Mallya, who has been Sanofi chairman for the last 33 years, is the first casualty of the recent decision by market regulator Sebi that wilful defaulters are barred from taking board positions in listed companies.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY:
Indian Coast Guard ship Arnvesh commissioned at Visakhapatnam:
· Indian Coast Guard’s fast patrol vessel (FPV) Arnvesh ship was commissioned at Visakhapatnam, by the Eastern Naval Command, Vice-Admiral HCS Bisht.
· The Ship will enhance Coast Guard’s capability in furthering its mandate of maritime safety, security on the eastern sea board.
· The 300-tonne and 50-m long vessel is propelled by triple Rolls Royce Kamewa water jets and can achieve a maximum speed of 33 knots.
DRDO develops RADAR to look through walls:
· The Indian Army gets its first Thermal based RADAR technology that will enable to look through the walls.
· Developed by: LRDE(Electronics & Radar Development Establishment) of DRDO
· Features- It looks through walls of 20-30cm thickness and it works based on Thermal RADAR technique named DivyaChaksu
India deploys P8I maritime aircraft to Seychelles:
· Indian Navy has deployed a P8I maritime Aircraft to Seychelles for monitoring purpose.
· This is the first time India has deployed a P8I maritime aircraft to Seychelles.
· It will be deployed in Seychelles till March 23,2016
· It will help in curbing illegal activities and piracy as well as ensuring stability and safety in the Indian Ocean region
Sundarbans becomes No-Pollution Zone:
· The district administration and political parties have decided to minimise carbon impression in the Sundarbans islands to ensure least possible damage to the ecosystem of the Sundarbans during this polling season.
· The objective of this programme to maintain a clean and green Sundarbans this polling season.
· In an all-party meeting where he said a consensus was reached to restrict the use of plastic or any other non-biodegradable material during the campaign.
Google building new live-streaming app:
· Google is reportedly building a new live-streaming app called YouTube Connect.
· The standalone app lets users stream videos right from their phones and also store previous broadcasts for later playback. In direct competition with Twitter’s Periscope and Facebook Live, it features built-in news feed, chat and tagging.
· However, it does not feature support for sharing live-streams on social networks.
SPORTS:
Dhoni crosses 1,000-run mark in T20Is:
· Indian limited-overs skipper, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, while playing against Bangladesh in the ICC World T20, became the fifth Indian batsman and the first T20I captain to cross the 1,000-run mark in T20 internationals.
· Virat Kohli, with 1,446 runs currently leads the list, followed by Rohit Sharma (1,219), Suresh Raina (1,163) and Yuvraj Singh (1,110).
Germany’s Nico Rosberg won 2016 Australian Grand Prix:
· Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg of Germany won the 2016 Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix at Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit at Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia.
· Rosberg's 15th Formula One victory was also his fourth in succession after he won the final three races of last season.
· Britain’s Lewis Hamilton, winner of 2015 Australian Grand Prix, secured the second place in the race.
· Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel of Germany came third for Ferrari after leading for much of the race.
17-yr-old crowned FIFA'16 world champion:
· Denmark's 17-year-old Mohamad Al-Bacha was crowned the FIFA'16 world champion after winning the final in New York.
· He beat England's Sean Allen in the final to win the $20,000 top prize alongside a chance to visit the Ballon d’Or-2016 ceremony in Switzerland.
· Notably, this was the first time the tournament was played on both X-Box and PlayStation consoles.
Taskin loses appeal against suspension from Intl cricket:
· Bangladesh’s key pace bowler Taskin Ahmed lost his appeal against suspension from international cricket for illegal action.
· The International Cricket Council last week suspended Taskin, 20, and left-arm spinner Arafat Sunny after they underwent tests in India to determine if their bowling actions breached rules.
OBITUARY:
Member of rap pioneers Phife passes away:
· Phife Dawg, a member of rap pioneers A Tribe Called Quest, has died at the age of 45.. Born Malik Isaac Taylor in 1970, he co-founded the philosophically focused rap group in 1985.
· Their biggest hit came in 1991, with the single Can I Kick It?
1. World Tuberculosis Day: 24 march
i. World TB Day, falling on March 24th each year. This time the Theme is "Unite to End TB".
ii. It is designed to build public awareness that tuberculosis remains an epidemic in much of the world, causing the deaths of nearly one-and-a-half million people each year, mostly in developing countries.
iii. It commemorates the day in 1882 when Dr Robert Koch astounded the scientific community by announcing that he had discovered the cause of tuberculosis, the TB bacillus.
iv. At the time of Koch's announcement in Berlin, TB was raging through Europe and the Americas, causing the death of one out of every seven people.
v. Koch's discovery opened the way towards diagnosing and curing TB.
2. Union Cabinet Has Approved Rs. 9000 Crore for Swachh Bharat Mission
i. The government of India has approved a $1.5 billion (approximate Rs 9,000 crore) to support Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) in rural areas.
ii. This offer has been made by The World Bank. The approval also provides for a mechanism of incentivisation through World Bank credit. States’ performance will also be gauged through performance indicators.
iii. Apart from the above The GOI has also approved a revised cost of Rs 4,021 crore for the 720 Mw Mangadechhu Hydroelectric Project in Bhutan.
iv. The project will provide surplus power to India. For this project the bilateral agreement was signed in April 2010 with an estimation Rs 2,896 crore.
v. In this project the GOI is funding 30% and 70% has been taken as loan on which 10% annual interest to be paid back in 30 equal six month instalements.
3. AROGYA Fair To Be Commence From March 26 In Goa
i. The 4 days National AROGYA fair is going to be started from 26 March in Goa.
ii. The fair will be organised by AYUSH Ministry and Confederation of Indian Industry.
iii. This year fair is being organised with the objective of promoting and popularising Indian Medicine Systems to the general public and update industry of the latest developments in the sector.
iv. The fair will also promote and propagate the Indian Medicine systems namely Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa and Homeopathy.
v. The 4 days fair are expected to cover free medical check-ups, distribution of medicines and technical sessions. The ministry is expecting approximate 15,000 to 20,000 people to attend the event.
4. Indian Coast Guard Vessel Arnvesh Commissioned
i. The Fast Patrol Vessel (FPV), ICGS Arnvesh, of the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) was commissioned in Visakhapatnam.
ii. The vessel was commissioned by the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Naval Command, Vice-Admiral HCS Bisht.
iii. The ship is primarily intended to undertake surveillance at sea, coastal patrol, anti-smuggling and anti-piracy operations.
iv. Arnvesh is equipped with the most-advanced navigational and communication sensors and equipment, including night vision capabilities, and is fitted with 40/60 Bofors gun onboard as main armament.
v. Arnvesh is the 16th vessel among the 20 vessels in this category being constructed by Cochin Shipyard Limited. The ship is built by the Cochin Shipyard Ltd.
5. Bajaj Finance enters life care financing segment
i. Shares of Bajaj Finance went up by nearly 4 per cent today as the company is entering the Rs 20,000-crore life care segment.
ii. Bajaj Finance is entering the Rs 20,000-crore life care segment.
iii. Under this segment it will finance expenses for stem cells storage units, cosmetics-based hair treatment, dental and eye care, IVF & maternity care, laproscopic cure for a dozen ailments, and elective medical/paramedical care for many other issues.
iv. The Pune-based company, which claims to be the first to enter this segment in the country, expects to net around Rs 1,000 crore in sales over the next five years from this business hoping to an encore of the massive demand for such segmental funding in the Western markets where life care segment is a booming business.
6. Justice Permod Kohli Appointed As Chairman of Central Administrative Tribunal
i. Retired Chief Justice of Sikkim High Court Justice Permod Kohli has been appointed as the Chairman of Central Administrative Tribunal(CAT).
ii. His appointment was approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
iii. Justice Kohli will have tenure of five years with effect from the date of assumption of charge of the post or till attaining the age of 68 years, whichever is earlier.
iv. Mr. Kohli born in 1951 in the town of Rajouri, Jammu and Kasmir. He joined Bar at Jammu in 1972. Mr. Kohli became Advocate General of Jammu & Kashmir in December 1990. He is an expert in Constitutional, Civil and Taxation cases. He remained Legal Advisor to Sri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board and Sri Mata Vaishno Devi University till elevation.
v. He as Judge has provided services to the High Courts of Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand and Punjab & Haryana. Prior to this appointment in 2011 Mr. Kohli was elevated as the Chief Justice of the Sikkim High Court.
7. South Indian Bank gets ISO 9001:2008 certification
i. The South Indian Bank has announced that its personnel department has achieved the ISO 9001:2008 certification.
ii. It is a very remarkable achievement for the bank as only very few personnel departments have won this certification in the industry.
iii. The announcement has been made by the MD & CEO of South Indian Bank Mr. V G Mathew.
iv. The ISO certification signifies a global benchmark in customer satisfaction, reduction in defect levels and product quality.
v. The standard recognizes all the services required by the customer, it can be product services, hardare or software etc.
8. Nepal becomes Shanghai dialogue partner
i. After a long wait, Nepal has officially become a dialogue partner of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation with the signing of a memorandum.
ii. Foreign Secretary Shanker Das Bairagi and SCO Secretary-General Rashid K Alimov inked the memorandum amid a special ceremony held at the SCO Secretariat in Beijing.
iii. The programme was witnessed by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and other senior ministers, who are on an official visit to China. iv. Nepal had applied for dialogue partner of the SCO in 2007 and in 2015.
v. The 15th SCO Summit held in July last year in Ufa, Russia, decided to grant Nepal the dialogue partner status.
9. India and France sign MoU for construction of six nuclear reactors at Jaitapur
i. India and France have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for construction of six nuclear reactors at Jaitapur in Maharashtra, two months after the two countries decided to conclude the techno-commercial negotiations for the project by the year end.
ii. The pact was inked at the end of the two-day visit of a high-level delegation of Electricite de France (EDF) — French public utility to Mumbai for holding discussions with the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) on the construction of the plants.
iii. French Ambassador to India Francois Richier, who was present on the occasion, reiterated his country’s commitment to working seamlessly with India through a collaborative approach to enable both sides to contribute collectively to the development of nuclear energy in India in the most economical manner.
iv. The Jaitapur nuclear power project is proposing a nuclear power plant of 9900 MW.
v. It consists of 6 European Pressurised Reactors (EPR) of 1650 MW each.
10. Kadhaprasangam Maestro And Actor VD Rajappan Passed Away
i. Kadhaprasangam maestro and actor VD Rajappan has passed away at a private hospital in Kottayam. He was 70.
ii. He was Kerala's popular 'Kadhaprasangam' (story telling) artiste and Malayalam film actor mainly known for his comic roles.
iii. Rajappan had acted in more than 50 Malayalam movies.
iv. He was the centre of attraction at festival grounds in Kerala at the peak of his career in 1970s and 80s.
v. He acted in many movies including 'Kakka', 'Kusruthikkattu', 'Kattupothu', 'Kuyilinethedi' and 'Engane Nee Marakkum.' His last movie was 'Ok Chacko Cochin Mumbai'. He went on to have a successful tint as a comedian in cinema and was very popular among the masses.
11. Football legend Johan Cryuff passes away
i. Johan Cruyff aka Flying Dutchman, the legendary Dutch football striker and coach has died of lung cancer at the age of 68.
ii. As a player, Cruyff was the embodiment of Dutch “total football”, a fluid style of play focused on ball possession and rapid passing, and involving all members of the team in both attack and defence.
iii. He emerged as one of the world’s greats in the early 1970s when he helped Ajax Amsterdam win three European Cups in a row from 1971-73.
iv. He was named European Footballer of the Year in 1971, 1973 and 1974.Johan Cryuff. He joined Barcelona for a then-world record transfer fee of $2.0 million.
v. He was also a key player in the great Netherlands team that reached the 1974 World Cup final. Cruyff had been a heavy smoker, and had had heart surgery in 1991. His death comes less than six months after he announced that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer.
12. Australia’s Shane Watson To Retire From Internationals After World Twenty20
i. Veteran Australian all-rounder Shane Watson has announced today that he would retire from international cricket at the end of the ongoing World Twenty20 tournament in India. He is 34 year old.
ii. He shared his decision to call it quits with teammates in Mohali, where Australia take on Pakistan in a World T20 group match on Friday," Cricket Australia said. Mr.
iii. Watson had retired from Test cricket at the end of last year's Ashes tour of England.
iv. Mr. Shane Watson made his debut in year 2002 as an opening batsman and a reliable pacer.
v. He also took 168 ODI wickets and holds the Australian record for the highest ODI score, an unbeaten 185 against Bangladesh in Dhaka in 2011.
1. Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched Longitudinal Ageing Study in India
1. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on 22 March 2016 launched the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI).
2. The Longitudinal Ageing Study is the largest survey of its kind. It will survey more than 60000 elderly over 25 years plan. The survey will provide scientifically validated data on various issues of the elderly.
3. The study will be important as it will investigate various health structures, and impact of social determinants on health of the elderly. It will also help in framing evidence-based policy.
2. World Tuberculosis Day 2016 observed with theme Unite to End TB
1. World Tuberculosis Day (WTD) 2016 was globally observed on 24 March 2016 with the theme Unite to End TB.
2. The theme was selected against the backdrop of the adoption of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda by the United Nations General Assembly in September 2015.
3. The Goal 3 of the Agenda aspires to ensure health and well-being for all, including a bold commitment to end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and other communicable diseases by 2030.
3. NC-PER-APNT-Justice (retd) Permod Kohli appointed Chairman of Central Administrative Tribunal
1. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) on 23 March 2016 approved the appointment of Justice (retd) Permod Kohli as the Chairman of Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT).
2. He is a former Chief Justice of Sikkim High Court.He was appointed for a period of five years with effect from the date of assumption of charge of the post, or till attaining the age of 68 year, whichever is earlier.
4. India, France sign MoU for construction of six nuclear reactors at Jaitapur
1. India and France have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for construction of six nuclear reactors at Jaitapur nuclear park in Maharashtra. It was inked by Electricite de France (EDF), a French public utility and the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL).
2. The MoU was signed after the two countries had decided to conclude the techno-commercial negotiations for the Jaitapur project by the end of 2016. This cooperation roadmap was finalised during the official state Visit of French President Francois Hollande to India in January 2016.
3. EDF is France’s public electricity producer and supplier. It has been designated by the French government for taking over AREVA NP and shall supply equipment to for Jaitapur nuclear park.
5. Nepal joins SCO grouping as dialogue partner
1. Nepal was officially made a dialogue partner of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), a Beijing-based regional security grouping. In this regard, Nepal signed memorandum during Nepalese Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli official visit to China. As a dialogue partner, Nepal will be able to participate in the multi-field cooperation of the SCO.
2. It will also create new opportunities for the SCO’s mutually beneficial cooperation and benefit people living in the extensive region that the SCO covers.
6. Govt okays India-UAE pact for $75 bn investment in NIIF
1. Government cleared a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to explore opportunities for mobilisation of up to USD 75 billion long-term investment in the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF).
2.The government in December had set up the Rs 40,000 crore NIIF, which is an investment vehicle for funding commercially viable greenfield, brownfield and stalled projects.
3. While the government will invest Rs 20,000 crore in NIIF, another similar amount will come from private investors.
NIIF has already been established as a Category II Alternate Investment Funds (AIF) as per the regulations of the Securities and Exchange Board of India
#SSC #IBPS #SBI #RBI #NABARD #NICL #NIACL #CAT #NMAT #everydayquiz
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