Extensive Coverage Of Current Affairs 28/3/2016

NATIONAL:

Common Yoga protocol revealed for 2nd International day of Yoga:

·        The International Yoga day has been earmarked on 21st June. The second year celebrations are yet to come and as a part of it the protocol has been released by the AYUSH ministry.

·        The booklet consisting of the protocol was released in the Arogya fair which commenced in Goa.

·        It was released by Shripad Yesso Naik on 26th March,2016.

Gujarat to set up nation’s first Organic Farming University:

·        Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel said that the state will set up country’s first University exclusively focussing on organic farming.

·        The main objective is to help farmers in switching to unconventional methods of farming.

·        State agriculture minister Babubhai Bokhiria said state government is committed to promote organic farming and in order to achieve it, a fund of Rs 10 crore has been earmarked towards the university in the annual 2016-17 budget, presented recently.

·        He apprised that for promoting organic farming, state government has taken steps like setting up of a cell to implement its new organic farming policy.

West Bengal tops small savings schemes collection in FY15:

·        West Bengal, with a gross collection of  32,713 crore into small savings schemes, topped the collection in India for the financial year 2014-15, according to government organisation National Savings Institute.

·        Uttar Pradesh was second in the list followed by Gujarat, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. Notably, the nationwide collection in 2014-15 rose 19.1% year-on-year to 2.47 lakh crore.

Parrikar inaugurates DefExpo 2016 at Goa:

·        Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar today inaugurated the ninth edition of the DefExpo, which showcases land, naval and Internal homeland security systems, at Naqueri-Betul village in Goa.

·        The four-day event will host companies from 47 countries along with official delegations from 44 countries and 750 business delegations. Parrikar also unveiled the Defence Procurement Policy at the event.

Haryana Cabinet approves Jat reservation bill:

·        The Haryana Cabinet on Monday approved the Jat reservation bill, clearing the way for its discussion in the State Assembly.

·        This comes just after Jat leaders renewed their demand for reservation and called for the withdrawal of cases filed during the protests last month.

·        Notably, 30 people lost their lives in February's nine-day violent agitation seeking 10% reservation for Jats.

Government notifies fresh recruitment norms for SFIO posts:

·        The government has notified fresh recruitment norms for various positions at the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) as it continues its efforts to strengthen manpower at the probe agency.

·        The recruitment rules, which have been in the works for quite some time, would come as a boost for the white collar crime investigation agency which has been grappling with staff shortage.

·        SFIO comes under the Corporate Affairs Ministry.

IISER-Tirupati gets new logo:

·        The Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Tirupati got its Memorandum of Association (MoA) as well as its official logo.

·        Foundation stone for the institute was laid by Union Minister for Human Resources Development Smriti Irani.

·        IISER-Tirupati is one of the seven national institutes Andhra Pradesh was promised in the A.P. Reorganisation Act and the sixth one in the country after Pune, Kolkata, Tiruvananthapuram, Mohali and Bhopal.

Himachal Pradesh govt releases Sixth Economic Census report:

·        The sixth Economic Census was conducted in all the 12 districts.

·        The growth rate in number of establishments has been recorded nearly 60 percent more in comparison to fifth census held in 2005.

·        Himachal Pradesh becomes the first state in the country to complete this process of economic census.

·        The data showed that the numbers of female workers have been increased almost three times during past seven years and more than 49 thousand units are being run by female out of four lakh twelve thousand units.

·        Economic Advisor of Himachal Government – Mr. Pradeep Chauhan

World Bank approved $250 million loan to Support Electricity Distribution Sector Reforms in Rajasthan:

·        The World Bank Board approved a 250 million US dollar Development Policy Loan (DPL) for Rajasthan.

·        The loan was granted to support the government of Rajasthan in improving the performance of its electricity distribution sector under the State’s 24x7 Power for All program.

·        The First Programmatic Electricity Distribution Reform Development Policy Loan for Rajasthan will be the first in a series of two operations for a comprehensive turnaround of Rajasthan’s electricity distribution sector.

INTERNATIONAL:

Taiwan Nationalist Party selected its first female leader:

·        The Nationalist party of Taiwan has chosen Hung-Hsiu-chu as its first female leader after ousting her as its presidential candidate.

·        Hung takes over from Eric Chu, who was the party’s eventual presidential candidate and who resigned as party chairman after the defeat.

·        Hung was the former legislator and teacher and she was chosen from the three other competitors.

·        Tsai Ing-wen, who belonged to the Democratic Progressive Party won the presidential election of Taiwan.

Pakistan and Iran aim to boost trade to $5 billion:

·        Pakistan and Iran aim to increase annual trade volumes between the two countries to$5 billion by 2021. 

·        Trade between Pakistan and Iran fell to $432 million in 2010-11 from $1.32 billion in 2008-09, according to the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan, after western powers imposed sanctions on Tehran aimed at halting a nuclear program they suspected was aimed at developing a nuclear bomb.

Iran to boost missile program after new US ban:

·        Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif on Saturday announced that the Islamic Republic will further "boost" its ballistic missile arsenal because it has "nothing to do with nuclear weapons".

·        This comes just after the United States banned two companies with alleged links to Iran's missile programme. Notably, Iran's recent nuclear deal does not explicitly address the issue of ballistic missile use.

Magnitude 4.8 quake strikes off Mexico:

·        A 4.8 magnitude earthquake struck in the Gulf of California, east of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula. Local authorities said there were no reports of damage.

·        The US Geological Survey said that the quake had a depth of 10 km and centered 127 km southeast of San Felipe in Mexico.

Nawaz Sharif to attend nuclear security summit in U.S.:

·        Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will attend the fourth nuclear security summit in Washington.

·        On his way to the U.S., Sharif will leave for London with a brief stopover of couple of days. The nuclear security summit in the U.S. will discuss the evolving threats and highlight steps to minimise the use of highly enriched uranium.

·        The summit also offered an opportunity for Pakistan to project its credentials in the nuclear field.

UNEP released Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment 2016:

·        The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in the fourth week of March 2016 released the Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment 2016.

·        As per the report, all investments in renewables totalled 286 billion US dollars in 2015, some 3 percent higher than the previous record in 2011.

·        Coal and gas-fired electricity generation drew less than half the record investment made in solar, wind and other renewables capacity.

·        The report further revealed that within the developing-economy category, the “big three” of China, India and Brazil saw investment rise 16 percent to 120.2 billion US dollars in 2015.

World Bank approved $100 million loan to Jordan for creating jobs for Jordanians, Syrian refugees:

·        The World Bank agreed to provide concessional 100 million US dollar loan to Jordan for creating one lakh jobs for Jordanians and Syrian refugees.

·        The loan will be provided at rates usually reserved for the poorest countries.

·        The announcement was made by World Bank President Jim Yong Kim during a joint visit of Kim and United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to Jordan.

Syrian Army recaptured historic city of Palmyra from Islamic State:

·        Palmyra: An ancient Semitic World Heritage Site located in Homs Governorate, Syria

·        Palmyra as the Syrian Army recaptured the historic city from Islamic State (IS) terror group.

·        The city was captured by the IS in May 2015 and since then the Army of Syria fought for its control with the support of national aviation and Russian Aerospace Forces.

·        The loss of Palmyra represents one of the biggest setbacks for the Islamic State that declared a caliphate in 2014 across large parts of Syria and Iraq.

World Bank to provide loan to Jordan for creating jobs for Syrian refugees:

·        World Bank will provide concessional 100 million US Dollar loan to Jordan for creating one lac jobs for Syrian refugees.

·        World Bank President Jim Yong Kim has announced this after Lebanon was also awarded 100 million US Dollar to ensure universal school enrolment for Lebanese and Syrian refugee children by 2017.

·        Jordan hosts about 640,000 registered Syrian refugees and Lebanon more than one million.

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY:

TATA motors to supply 619 HMV’S to Indian Army:

·        The automobile giant, TATA motors have signed a agreement with the Indian Army to supply 619 more Highly mobilized trucks to the Indian Army.

·        Tata 6X6 HMV is meant for the loading-unloading and transportation of ammunition pallets, spares and other operational equipment.

·        Tata has already supplied 1239 units and it being the highest order to a private company from the defence sector under Defence Procurement Procedure.

·        The 6X6 HMV is a indigenously developed vehicle.

Tata Motors signs follow-on order with army:

·        Tata Motors signed a follow-on contract with the Indian Army to supply an additional 619 units of its high-mobility vehicle (HMV) 6X6 multi-axle trucks for an unspecified amount.

·        This is in addition to an earlier order for 1,239 units received in 2015

Dr Reddy's ties up with US firm to develop drug:

·        Drug major Dr Reddy's Laboratories has entered into a licencing agreement with US-based biopharma company XenoPort for the development and commercialisation of a latter's oral-based drug.

·        Under the deal, Dr Reddy's will pay an upfront fee of $50 million and up to $440 million later. The company plans to develop the drug as a potential treatment for chronic plaque psoriasis.

Tata Sons to raise stake in AirAsia to 49%:

·        Business conglomerate Tata Sons has entered into an agreement with Chennai-based airlines AirAsia India to increase its stake in the company to 49% from the existing 41.06%.

·        Malaysia's AirAsia Berhad will continue to hold a 49% stake in the airline. The stake sale comes after Delhi-based Telestra Tradeplace, which held a 10% stake in the company, decided to exit.

AWARDS AND HONOURS:

Dhirubhai Ambani to be given Padma Vibhushan award posthumously:

·        Entire Ambani family is likely to be present at Rashtrapati Bhawan when Kokilaben Ambani will receive the Padma Vibhushan award conferred on her husband and founder of Reliance Group, late Dhirubhai Ambani.

·        Dhirubhai Ambani, along with construction magnate Pallonji Shapoorji Mistry, Maruti Udyog Chairman R C Bhargava, Sun Pharmaceutical Founder Dilip Shanghvi and MasterCard Chief Executive Ajaypal S Banga are among those chosen for this year’s highest civilian awards.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY:

Scientists go on globe-spanning research mission:

·        NASA is sending scientists on an around-the-globe mission to study climate change and the impact humans have on it.

·        In the next six months, researchers will undertake eight new campaigns in locations ranging from the ice sheets of Greenland to coral reefs of the South Pacific.

·        They will also undertake three airborne research campaigns over the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.

Baidu uses maps data to predict crowd gatherings:

·        Chinese company Baidu has claimed to predict potential crowd gatherings across the world by analyzing its map searches.

·        The company reportedly hosts around 302 million monthly users for its map services.

·        A machine-learning system was trained to analyze the company's map queries data, and found that the time and place of huge gatherings can be predicted three hours in advance.

Google releases 360° video of its data center:

·        Google has released a 360° video of its data center in The Dalles, Oregon.

·        The virtual reality (VR) tour, released in 4K resolution, shows where Google stores its data, how multiple data centers around the world are connected to each other, how all the systems are kept sufficiently cool and how the company disposes its faulty hard drives.

SPORTS:

California Chrome lands world’s richest horse race:

·        California Chrome justified his status as joint favorite by landing the Dubai World Cup with a perfectly timed run under jockey Victor Espinosa.

·        Chrome won the $10-million Dubai World Cup at Meydan Racecourse in the United Arab Emirates.

·        Chrome finished second in the race last year, part of a disappointing campaign for the 4-year-old.

India beat Australia to qualify for WT20 semis:

·        India defeated Australia by six wickets on Sunday to qualify for the ICC World T20 semi-finals.

·        Batting first, the Australians posted 160/6 in 20 overs, riding on Aaron Finch's 43(34). Hardik Pandya picked two wickets for the Indians. In reply, the Blues managed to attain the target in 19.1 overs, courtesy a blistering 82*(51) by Virat Kohli.

 Kohli registers most T20I M-o-M awards in a year:

·        Virat Kohli won his sixth T20I Man of the Match award for 2016 in India's victory against Australia, thereby registering the most by any player in a calendar year.

·        The batsman's 82-run innings led India to the World T20 semifinals. Notably, Kohli overtook Shane Watson's record of five T20I Man of the Match awards achieved in 2012.

Romanian team jerseys to feature math equations:

·        In a bid to generate students' interest towards mathematics in Romania, the country's national football team has decided to use numerical equations in place of normal squad numbers on their jerseys in their friendly encounter against Spain on Sunday.

·        Notably, Romania has European Union's one of the worst school drop-out rate of 18% (as of 2014).

Saina, Anupam Kher conferred 2016 Padma awards:

·        President Pranab Mukherjee presented Padma Bhushan awards to Badminton player Saina Nehwal and actor Anupam Kher at a ceremony in the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

·        Reliance founder Late Dhirubhai Ambani was awarded the Padma Vibhushan posthumously.

·        Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar was also presented the Padma Vibhushan while actor Ajay Devgn was presented the Pada Shri award.

Zaheer Khan appointed Delhi Daredevils captain:

·        The Delhi Daredevils have appointed former Indian pacer Zaheer Khan as their captain for the 2016 season of the Indian Premier League.

·        Zaheer played seven matches for Delhi last year and took seven wickets. In his overall IPL career, he has picked 82 wickets in 77 games. The 37-year-old had said that the upcoming season would be his last.

15-yr-old creates backward skating world record:

·        Prayatn Sharma, a 15-year-old boy from Gwalior has entered into the Guinness book of world records after his attempt of fastest backwards skating was successful.

·        The youngster covered a kilometre in the city in around two minutes and eight seconds skating backwards, smashing the previous world record. Notably, Prayatn skates at speeds close to 80 kmph.

OBITUARY:

Belgium’s cyclist dies after collision with motorbike during race:

·        A cyclist has died after a collision with a motorbike during Belgium’s Gent-Wevelgem race.

·        Antoine Demoitie, a Belgian rider, was hit by the motorbike after several riders came down in a crash as the race passed through northern France.

1. Padma Award Has Been Presented By The President Pranab Mukherjee

i. Today President Pranab Mukherjee has presented five Padma Vibhushan, eight Padma Bhushan and forty-three Padma Shri awards at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. 

ii. The government had announced Padma awards for 112 eminent persons on the eve of Republic Day. But today 56 persons have received the awards. 

iii. The list comprises 10 Padma Vibhushan, 19 Padma Bhushan and 83 Padma Shri awardees. 19 of the awardees are women and the list also includes 10 persons in the category of foreigners, NRIs, PIOs (include one posthumous) and 4 posthumous awardees.

iv. Here is the list of recipients:

Padma Vibhushan : 

1.Founder of Reliance Industries late Dhirubhai Hirachand Ambani (posthumous), 2.Former Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Jagmohan, 3.Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, 4.Indian-American economist Avinash Kamalakar Dixit and 5.Renowned dancer Yamini Krishnamurti.

To know more Click Here

2. President Rule Imposed In Uttarakhand

i. President’s Rule has been imposed in Uttarakhand. 

ii. The decision has been come up a day before the crucial trust vote in the state assembly for the Harish Rawat government. 

iii. The Cabinet had recommended the imposition of Central rule in the state last night following an hour-long emergency meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and also received the formal nod from President Pranab Mukherjee. 

iv. The Centre on Sunday brought Uttarakhand under President’s rule citing a constitutional breakdown in the wake of a rebellion in the ruling Congress, which slammed the decision calling it a “murder of democracy” and a “black” day. 

v. President Pranab Mukherjee signed the proclamation under Article 356 of the Constitution dismissing the Congress government headed by Harish Rawat and placing the Assembly under suspended animation this morning on the recommendation of the Union Cabinet. The Government justified the imposition of President’s Rule saying the Harish Rawat government was “unconstitutional” and “immoral” since March 18, when the “failed” Appropriation Bill was shown as passed.

3. National Film Awards: Amitabh Bachchan, Kangana Ranaut, Baahubali Won Big

i. Bollywood won big at the 63rd National Awards with Amitabh Bachchan and Kangana Ranaut scooping up Best Actor and Best Actress awards for Piku and Tanu Weds Manu Returns respectively.

ii. SS Rajamouli’s magnum opus Baahubali emerged as the Best Film and Sanjay Leela Bhansali won in the best director category for his period drama, Bajirao Mastani. 

iii. Earlier, Bollywood director Ramesh Sippy and actor-director Satish Kaushik handed over the recommendations for the awards to information and broadcasting minister Arun Jaitley.

iv. This is 4th National Amitabh Bachchan who had earlier won for Agneepath, Paa and Black. 

v. For Kangana, this comes as the second consecutive win. She was adjudged the Best Actress last year for Vikas Bahl’s Queen, which also emerged as the Best Film. 

4. Rotavirus Vaccine Has Been Launched By The Union Health Minister 

i. The government launched the vaccine for Rotavirus vaccine  as part of Universal Immunization Programme to prevent child mortaility due to Rotavirus diarrhoea. 

ii. The vaccine, developed indigenously under a public-private partnership by the science and health ministries.

iii. It's a landmark achievement under the Prime Minister's "Make in India" initiative. 

iv. Launching the vaccine at a function in Bhubaneswar, Union Health Minister J P Nadda said, the vaccine is initially being introduced in 4 States which are Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Odisha. 

v. The introduction of Rotavirus vaccine will enable the government to directly address the problem of diarrheal deaths.

5. Madhya Pradesh To Get Its First ITBP Modern Weapon Training Centre

i. Madhya Pradesh is going to have its first Indo Tibetan Border Police weapon training centre at Batiagarh, Damoh. 

ii. ITBP's Weapon and Support Weapon Training Centre will be the first of its kind in the state.

iii. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has issued orders to set up in Damoh," Patel told reporters yesterday in the presence of MP finance minister Jayant Mallaiya. 

iv. The newly recruited constables of ITBP will be given training at the center for operating all kinds of small and big weapons including cannons capable of firing up to 5-km range and sten guns. 

v. A similar training center is already operational in Allahabad.

6. Haryana Launches Scheme For The Differently-Abled

i. Haryana Government has launched a new scheme ‘Adapting Homes for the Differently-abled’, under which pension of 6 months would be given in advance to such persons for adapting their homes as per their requirement.

ii. The grant for diet money to hearing impaired has been increased from Rs 400 to Rs 1,000 per month. 

iii. Similarly, the grant for the visually-impaired children has also been increased from Rs 600 to Rs 1,600 per month.

iv. Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Kavita Jain here said this amount would be recovered over a period of 42 months under the 'Adapting homes for the differently-abled' scheme. 

v. Haryana has been selected by the Centre as a pilot state for universal ID for persons with disability, for which work has already been started. 

7. Maharashtra Gets Its First Set Of Women Commanders To Protect Forest

i. Women have been finding a place for themselves in all the challenging fields. 

ii. Recently Indian Navy announced to recruit 3 female fighter pilots. Similarly, Women have been chosen as forest guards in Maharashtra.

iii. A batch of 20 women are likely to become the first women commandos of the state forestry department.

iv. They were trained from Gadchiroli’s Jungle Tactic and Survival Course (JTSC).

v. The one-month training has began on February 8 and it include women of the age group 19-24

8. Haryana Cabinet Has Approved Jat Reservation Bill

i. The Haryana cabinet today approved the Jat reservation bill. 

ii. This comes a day after the Akhil Bhartiya Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (ABJASS), the body that spearheaded the Jat quota stir in February, today threatened to resume the agitation if its demands are not met by the end of this month.

iii. The Haryana cabinet today cleared the bill that proposes to provide reservation to five communities, including the politically-dominant Jat community.

iv. Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had said earlier that the state government would introduce a new bill in the assembly's budget session for reservation to five communities, namely Jat, Jat Sikh, Tyagi, Bishnoi and Ror.

v. Mr Khattar had made it clear that the existing 27 per cent reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in the state would not be disturbed. The OBC community is opposing inclusion of Jats in their category for reservation. A five-member committee under the chairmanship of the chief secretary was formed earlier this month to prepare draft of the Bill to grant reservation under the ambit of constitution.

9. Federal Bank To Open Startup Incubation Centres

i. Federal Bank is all set to open an incubation centers for startups in Bangalore and Ernakulam. 

ii. These branches will offer advice on capital, regulatory support and even disburse funds in these specialized lounges.

iii. These lounges centres named as Launchpad and are equipped with fast internet connections, support staff from the financial world and advisory mechanisms. 

iv. These lounges would be the perfect breeding ground for future entrepreneurs because these lounges would be manned by bank executives capable of dealing with the financial requirements of startups as well as local specialists who would be able to advise on regulatory issues.

v. In addition to that Federal Bank brings to the ‘Chillr’ application is that they would allow even non-Federal Bank users to instantly open a Federal Bank account through a selfie and an ‘Aadhaar’ identification number and allow them to receive payments through ‘Chillr’.

10. China Launches First Cyber Security Organization

i. China has launched its first cyber security public organization aimed at better safeguarding national cyber security and guiding Internet companies in perform their duties.

ii. The Country’s first cyber security public organisation has been launched by China which consists of academic institutes, individuals and internet companies including Tencent and popular internet Security Company Qihu 360. 

iii. The organization will focus on promoting self-discipline in the industry, accelerating the establishment of industry standards and cyber security studies and participating in international cooperation.

iv. During the launch, Wang Xiujun, deputy director of the China Administration of Cyberspace, the country’s Internet regulator, said that she hoped the association could emphasize on safeguarding the country’s internet security and building up China as an internet power, while attracting more cutting-edge cyber security enterprises and talent to enhance the industry’s authority.

v. The organization will focus on promoting self-discipline in the industry, accelerating the establishment of industry standards and cyber security studies and participating in international cooperation.

11. Syrian Army Recaptures Historic City Of Palmyra From IS

i. Syrian Army and popular defence forces have regained control of the ancient city of Palmyra from Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group. 

ii. The liberation of the historic city of Palmyra from the ISIS terror group was undertaken by joint efforts of Syrian Army with support of national aviation and Russian Aerospace Forces. 

iii. The ancient city of Palmyra is a UNESCO designated World Heritage site and home to some of the world’s most magnificent ancient ruins. 

iv. ISIS had taken complete control of the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra in May 2015. After the seizure of entire ancient city, they had destroyed many ancient ruins.

v. The city is situated in a strategically important area on the road between Syria’s capital Damascus and the oil rich eastern city of Deir al-Zour. Oil and gas produced from the fields located in Deir al-Zour, Syrian government used to generate electricity for areas under its control in the west of the country. Earlier in March 2015, ISIS had demolished several ancient sites that pre-date Islam in Iraq, including UNESCO World Heritage Sites Hatra and Nimrud.

12. Singapore Ingapore Corvette Test Fires Barak Missile 

i. The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) has successfully test-fired a Barak missile from its Victory-class missile corvette RSS Vigour during Fleet Exercise conducted in the South China Sea.

ii. Singapore’s Minister for Defence and Commanding Officer of the RSN’s Missile Corvette Squadron, on the conduct of the exercise and the capabilities of the missile corvette, the defense ministry said in a press statement. 

iii. Speaking of the exercise, Dr. Ng commented that the RSN personnel’s professionalism and commitment to maintaining operational readiness and ensuring mission success. He said, “I watched the entire life firing from another ship alongside. 

iv. It was deeply satisfying to see the system work like clockwork. It detected and tracked the target and launched the Barak missile to hit spot-on. 

v. It gives us confidence that all our investments into sophisticated systems will be able to defend Singapore when we need to”.

13. Surya Deva Appointed As UN Human Rights Commissioner

i. Indian origin law professor Surya Deva has been appointed as an adviser on human rights and multinationals and businesses by the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC). 

ii. The Council has approved his appointment to the position formally known as Special Procedure Mandate Holder. 

iii. According to officials he will be a member of the 4 member working group on the issue of human rights, transnational corporations and other business enterprises. 

iv. These advisers report annually to the Council and in most cases to the UN General Assembly. 

v. They will take up cases and broader concerns in their fields with government and contribute to the development of international human rights standards.

14. Indo American Appointed As The President & CEO Of Bank Of The West

i. Nandita Bakshi an Indian-American has been appointed as the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Bank of the West. 

ii. Bank of the West is the unit of French banking giant BNP Paribas. 

iii. She will take over the roles of President and CEO-designate effective from 1 April 2016 and will assume the role on 1 June 2016.

iv. She will succeed Michael Shepherd who has been appointed as chairman of the BNP Paribas USA, a new holding company for all BNP Paribas subsidiaries in the United States. 

v. Presently she also serves on the board of the Consumer Bankers Association. She is recipient of a New England News ‘Woman of the Year’ award in 2002. 

15. Hockey India Annual Awards : Sreejish And Deepika Won Hockey Player Of The Year

i. Deepika and PR Sreejesh has won the Dhruv Batra Player of the Year Award for Women and Men respectively at the Hockey India (HI) Annual Awards. The award has been given in the 2nd Hockey India Annual Awards ceremony for 2015. 

ii. The best hockey players in India and former greats of the game came together for the awards, whose total prize money was in excess of Rs.2 crore.

iii. Apart from them Late Captain Shankar Laxman has won the coveted Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award, Mr. Baldev Singh for Invaluable Contribution, Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy for Outstanding Achievement etc. 

iv. The first set of awards marking important milestones in the careers of players were presented to Dharamvir Singh, Kothajit Singh, Birendra Lakra and Sushila Chanu for making 100 appearances for India. They were also presented with a cheque of Rs.50,000. 

v. While Mr. Gurbaj Singh and V.R. Raghunath were awarded for turning out in India colours 200 times and were presented with a cheque of Rs.1 lakh each.

1. Indian-American appointed as President, CEO of Bank of the West

1. Indian-American Nandita Bakshi (57) has been appointed the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Bank of the West, a subsidiary unit of French banking giant BNP Paribas. She will succeed Michael Shepherd who has been appointed as chairman of the BNP Paribas USA, a new holding company for all BNP Paribas subsidiaries in the United States.

2. Currently she also serves on the board of the Consumer Bankers Association. She is recipient of a New England News ‘Woman of the Year’ award in 2002.

2. India-born Surya Deva appointed UN Adviser on Human Rights and Businesses

1. An India-born academician Surya Deva has been appointed as the United Nations (UN) Adviser on Human Rights and Businesses. He was appointed by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) as the Asia-Pacific representative of the UN Working Group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises.

2. He is one of the founding Editors-in-Chief of the Business and Human Rights Journal. He also sits on the Editorial Board of the Netherlands Quarterly of Human Rights.

3. World Theatre Day 2016 observed globally

1. The International Theatre Institute (ITI) Centres and the international theatre community across the world celebrated the World Theatre Day (WTD) on 27 March 2016.

2. The Russian Dramatist Anatoly Vasiliev was the World Theatre Day International Message Author 2016. Vasiliev is a noted Russian theatre director and one of the leading European contemporary stage directors.

4. World Bank approved $100 million loan to Jordan for creating jobs for Jordanians, Syrian refugees

1. The World Bank on 27 March 2016 agreed to provide concessional 100 million US dollar loan to Jordan for creating one lakh jobs for Jordanians and Syrian refugees. The loan will be provided at rates usually reserved for the poorest countries.

2. The announcement was made by World Bank President Jim Yong Kim during a joint visit of Kim and United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to Jordan.

5. Syrian Army recaptures historic city of Palmyra from IS

1. Syrian Army and popular defence forces have regained control of the ancient city of Palmyra from Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group. The liberation of the historic city of Palmyra from the ISIS terror group was undertaken by joint efforts of Syrian Army with support of national aviation and Russian Aerospace Forces. 

2. The ancient city of Palmyra is a UNESCO designated World Heritage site and home to some of the world’s most magnificent ancient ruins.

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