NATIONAL:
Prime Minister to inaugurate 3rd Asia Ministerial Conference on Tiger Conservation:
· Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 3rd Asia Ministerial Conference on the Tiger Conservation in New Delhi.
· More than 700 tiger experts, scientists, managers, donors and other stakeholders from all Tiger Range Countries will discuss issues related to tiger conservation and anti poaching strategies during the three-day event.
· Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar has said, the government has allotted 380 crore rupees to Project Tiger in the current fiscal year, which is an all-time high.
Government to launch Village Self Governance Campaign to improve rural livelihoods:
· Gram Uday Se Bharat Uday Abhiyan, a ten day Village Self Governance Campaign, will be held from Thursday.
· Rural Development Minister, Chaudhary Birender Singh said this in a media briefing in New Delhi.
· He said the aim of the campaign is to strengthen Panchayati Raj and improve rural livelihoods.
· The Minister announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address Gram Sabhas on Panchayati Raj Day.
· Agriculture Minister Radhamohan Singh said the Gramoday campaign is very significant to improve awareness of people on Government Programmes.
Jammu & Kashmir government's new scheme increases rice ration:
· Jammu & Kashmir's government announced a new scheme to provide 5 kg rice ration per head, on top of the 5 kg under the National Food Security Act (NFSA).
· However, the total ration provided will be capped at 35 kg per family. This comes after protests over the implementation of NFSA which had reduced their staple rice ration.
Post Twitter, Election Commission ties with Facebook for TamilNadu polls:
· The Election Commission (EC) announced its partnership with Facebook to reach out to 31% of the electorate in Tamil Nadu and achieve 100% turnout.
· From May 15, Facebook users will see news feed reminders with informational links about their polling stations, Facebook officials said.
· Notably, the Commission had tied-up with Twitter last month to promote its #TN100percent campaign.
CCRH has signed two MOUs with Canada and Armenia during two day International Convention on WHD:
· Central Council for Research in homoeopathy (CCRH) has signed two MOUs with institutions of higher education of Canada and Armenia.
· These MOUs between CCRH and College of Homeopaths of Ontario, Canada and another between CCRH and Yerevan State Medical University, Armenia, were signed during two day International Convention on World Homoeopathy Day organized at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.
· During the event, there were several presentations on clinical research including latest research updates, and role of Homoeopathy in malaria, dengue, natural disasters, brain injuries, chronic ear infection, sciatica etc.
Godavari islands, Konaseema to be tourist hubs:
· Andhra Pradesh Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu said that every island in the Godavari area would be developed as a tourist centre under the Akhanda Godavari project.
· State Deputy Chief Minister N Chinarajappa said 350 crore has been earmarked to develop tourism in the Konaseema area with night safaris and eco-tourism, as well as festivals.
Indian ports added highest ever capacity in FY16:
· Indian ports have witnessed the highest ever capacity addition in 2015-16 at 94 million tonnes, Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari said.
· Further, the operating profits in major ports in FY16 have increased 19% year-on-year to 4,268 crore.
· Notably, Kandla port in Gujarat has emerged as the first major port to attain 100 million tonnes traffic in a single year, Gadkari added.
Government plans to make prescription of generic medicines mandatory:
· Health Ministry is planning to make prescription of generic medicines mandatory for doctors of all government hospitals.
· Inaugurating Jan Aushadhi Store at new OPD of PGI Chandigarh, Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers Hansraj Gangaram Ahir said that to make Jan Aushadhi scheme successful, doctors should establish a belief among the people that generic medicines are equivalent in quality to the costly ones.
Centre plans to promulgate uniform Minimum Wages Act: Dattatreya
· Union Minister of State for Employment and Labour Bandaru Dattatreya said that the Centre is planning to promulgate a uniform Minimum Wages Act all over the country after discussing the issue at length in the ensuing session of Parliament.
· He said that a 100-bed ESI hospital would be set up in Kakinada as it was listed as one of the 100 Smart Cities in the country and also a lot of industrial activity is going on.
Jharkhand Government announced to reserve 2 percent employment for meritorious sportspersons:
· Jharkhand Chief Minister Ragbubar Das announced that the government would reserve two percent employment in various departments for meritorious sportspersons of the state.
· The announcement was made at the inaugural function of the National Archery Championship (Indian round) at Arjuna stadium.
· At present, two percent job quota for medal-winning sportspersons is there only in state police department, it was extended to all departments.
INTERNATIONAL:
Panama Papers: India to attend OECD meet in Paris:
· India will take part in a special meeting of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development or OECD in Paris to firm up cooperation between countries in the wake of the 'Panama Papers' leak.
Pakistan, China launch joint air force training exercise Shaheen 5:
· China’s air force to launch joint training exercises with Pakistan, the fifth such edition between the two countries.Shaheen-5 will take place from April 9 to 30 this year.
· These exercises and exchanges between Chinese and Pakistani air forces in recent years had effectively deepened cooperation between both the sides.
Polio can be eradicated in 12 months: WHO
· Despite challenges in Pakistan and Afghanistan, where the polio virus is still endemic, the World Health Organisation (WHO) is confident that polio could be eradicated within 12 months.
· If wiped out, the polio virus will become the only second human-hosted virus to be eradicated since smallpox ended in 1980.
· Just nine cases of the virus have been recorded this year so far, two in Afghanistan and seven in Pakistan.
· The WHO is concentrating its efforts in three areas known to be reservoirs for the virus – the Pakistani city of Karachi and two cross-border corridors, around Quetta Block and in the Peshawar district.
China's GDP to decline to 6.7% this year: World Bank
· Chinese economic growth will decrease to 6.7% this year and further contract to 6.5% in 2017 owing to a deceleration in the real estate and manufacturing sectors, the World Bank said.
· The Chinese government has fixed a GDP target between 6.5% and 7% for this year for the economy which grew 6.9% in 2015.
Russia sent 1st part of air defense system: Iran
· Iran's Foreign Ministry officials announced that Russia delivered the first part of the S-300 surface-to-air missile defense system.
· The missile system was delivered after Russia revived the deal in 2015, after it had been blocked following sanctions in 2010. According to reports, the S-300 system can engage multiple aircraft and ballistic missiles that are 150 km away.
Women of Chinese tribe mark annual hair festival:
· Women from China's Yao ethnic group celebrated their long hair by washing their hair near a river at the Huangluo Yao village at an annual festival.
· The women of the tribe cut their hair only once in their lifetime.
· Notably, the tradition of the tribe has earned them a Guinness record for world's first long hair village.
Obama to designate monument honouring Women's equality:
· US President Barack Obama designate a new national monument in Washington to honour the women's equality movement in America and across the globe.
· The new Belmont-Paul Women's Equality National Monument will protect the iconic house that has served as the headquarters for the National Woman's Party since 1929.
· The new monument is named after former Party president, activist and suffragist Alva Belmont.
G7 Foreign Ministers' meet ends in Hiroshima:
· The two-day G7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting ended in Hiroshima, with the Foreign Ministers of the seven industrialized countries issuing a joint communique, reaching consensus on a variety of global and regional issues including terrorism, refugees, and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea,DPRK nuclear problem.
· The communique condemned recent terrorist attacks in Turkey, Belgium and other regions and said a concrete G7 action plan on countering terrorism would be adopted at the G7 Ise-Shima Summit in May.
Fitch expects India to be on top of global ladder by expanding 7.7% in current fiscal:
· Fitch Ratings expects India to be on the top of global growth ladder and expanding by 7.7 per cent in the current fiscal.
· Meanwhile, the World Bank has forecast gradual acceleration in South Asia's economic growth from 7.1 per cent in 2016 to 7.3 per cent in 2017 driven by India's expected GDP growth of 7.7 per cent next year.
APPOINTMENTS:
Kohli becomes brand ambassador of Futsal league:
· Virat Kohli has joined the recently-announced Premier Futsal football league as its brand ambassador.
· Premier Futsal was launched amid much fanfare last week and Kohli, who has been the face of Indian Cricket over the last few years, will now lend his name to Futsal, the newer, shorter 5-a-side variant of soccer.
· Premier Futsal is set to take place in India from July 15th to July 24th with each game split into two halves of 20 minutes each.
· Over 50 International Futsalers, from four Continents and 21 countries are expected to participate.
Ex-Chhattisgarh HC Judge N K Agarwal likely to be next Haryana’s new Lokayukta:
· Former Chief Justice of the Chhattisgarh High Court NK Aggarwal will be Haryana’s next Lokayukta. He succeeds Justice Pritam Pal .
· NK Aggarwal was recommended by a committee and has been approved by Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki.
Hemant Kumar Ruia appointed CFO of Indus Towers:
· Indus Towers, the country's largest telecom tower firm, appointed Hemant Kumar Ruia as its Chief Financial Officer (CFO).
· Before joining Indus Towers, Ruia worked as CFO at the Reliance Retail Ltd.
· At Reliance, he played the role of business partner across various brands with Reliance Retail - Reliance Fresh, Digital, Jewellery, Trends, Footwear and Reliance Markets.
BANKING :
Bharti Airtel get payments bank licence from RBI:
· Airtel M Commerce Services Ltd (AMSL), a unit of Bharti Airtel Ltd, said it secured a payments bank licence.
· Payments banks will offer basic savings, deposit, payment and remittance services to people without access to the formal banking system.
· Bharti Airtel will set up the payments bank in partnership with Kotak Mahindra Bank, which holds 19.9% stake in AMSL.
Unified payments interface launched:
· National Payments Corporation of India’s (NPCI) Unified Payments Interface (UPI) was launched by RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan.
· UPI would allow users to integrate different bank accounts on a unified mobile application and transfer funds using a single identifier, eliminating the exchange of sensitive financial information during transactions.
· Presently, 19 banks have partnered with NPCI.
AWARDS AND HONOURS:
IIT- Kharagpur wins National IP Award:
· The IIT-Kharagpur has won an award the by the Indian government for being the top academic institute for patents in 2016.
· IIT-Kharagpur director Partha Pratim Chakraborty said they have received a letter from the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry saying the institute has been awarded the prize for ‘Top Academic Institute for Patents 2016′.
· The award will be given on April 26 in Delhi by Union minister Nirmala Sitharaman at a function jointly organised for the celebration of World Intellectual Property Day by the Indian Intellectual Property office.
· The National IP Award carries an amount of Rs. 1,00,000, a citation and a memento.
· To simplify the process of patent filing by students as well as professors who have done some substantial research within the institute, the IIT has been running an IP Portal.
Khadija Ismayilova selected for 2016 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize:
· Khadija Ismayilova, an investigative journalist from Azerbaijan, has been chosen to receive the 2016 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize.
· The $25,000 Prize is named in honour of Guillermo Cano Isaza, a Colombian journalist who was assassinated in front of the offices of his newspaper, El Espectador, in Bogotá, on 17 December 1986.
· It is funded by the Cano Foundation (Colombia) and the Helsingin Sanomat Foundation (Finland).
Priyanka Chopra to be conferred with Dadasaheb Phalke Film Foundation Award 2016:
· Actress Priyanka Chopra will be bestowed with Dadasaheb Phalke Film Foundation’s Best Actress of the Year Award.
· The ceremony will be held on the 147th Dadasaheb Phalke Jayantiin Mumbai on April 24.
· This will be the second award from the Foundation after she received her first one for Most Memorable Performance in 2011 for her role in Vishal Bhardwaj’s.
Rajinikanth, Sania, Priyanka get Padma awards:
· President Pranab Mukherjee conferred Padma awards to 56 eminent personalities including actor Rajinikanth, actress Priyanka Chopra, and tennis player Sania Mirza in a ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
· While Rajinikanth received a Padma Vibhushan, Sania got a Padma Bhushan and Priyanka, a Padma Shri. This comes after several others were given the awards at another ceremony in March.
Varanasi Kathak dancer breaks world record:
· Soni Chaurasiya a Kathak dancer from Varanasi has broken the world record of longest dance performance by continuously dancing for 123 hours and 30 minutes.
· She broke the record on 9th April at 9.21 pm at Mount Litera Zee School, Varanasi.
· With her performance, she broke the previous record of HemlataKundalu of Trichur, Kerala, who performed Mohiniattam continuously for 123 hours and 20 mins.
· Soni began her performance on April 4 at 6 pm on a school in Varanasi. While no official from the Guinness World Records attended the performance.
United States tops Global Connectivity Index 2016:
· According to a Huawei report, the US topped the Global Connectivity Index 2016.
· Singapore and Sweden were ranked second and third, respectively.
· The report measures the progress of 50 nations, divided into three groups of starters, adopters and frontrunners, in investment and deployment of information and communications technology.
· India, which was placed in the starters category, was ranked 44th.
President presents Padma awards to 56 eminent personalities:
· President Pranab Mukherjee today presented the Padma awards to 56 eminent personalities from various fields in a civil investiture ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhawan.
· Mr Mukherjee presented five Padma Vibhushan, eleven Padma Bhushan and forty Padma Shri awards at the function.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY:
Polaris Ties up with Snapdeal to sell All Terrain Vehicles:
· Off-road vehicle manufacturer Polaris has tied up with the popular e-commerce website Snapdeal to sell its ATV (All Terrain Vehicles).
· The online retailer website has listed 18 models of the off-road vehicles, ranging from Outlaw 50 at Rs. 2.86 lakh to RZR XP Turbo at Rs. 28 lakh.
· Customers who wish to place an order just need to head over to the Polaris section at Snapdeal and pay a Rs. 3,000 non-refundable booking amount and can book the Polaris of their choice.
· Snapdeal CEO – Kunal Bahl
Vijay Mallaya bought Barbados CPL side for $100:
· Royal Challengers Bangalore franchise owner Vijay Mallya has claimed that he bought the Caribbean Premier League side Barbados Tridents.
· Mallya claims to have met the Barbados Prime Minister, who agreed to lend support, before he bought the franchise in February. However, he added the cost of running the franchise will stand around $2 million.
Greybull Capital to buy Tata Steel's UK plant:
· UK-based investment firm Greybull Capital confirmed the acquisition of Tata Steel's Long Products Europe business including the struggling Scunthorpe plant in UK for a "nominal" amount.
· Reportedly, this deal is different from UK government's to save Tata Steel's Port Talbot plant.
· The acquisition will be supported by a £400 million package to turn around the plant, Greybull added.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY:
Endangered bird spoon-billed sandpiper spotted in China:
· A spoon-billed sandpiper was spotted in tropical island of China’s Hainan area this week, the third time the bird has been seen.
· Spoon-billed sandpipers migrate to wetlands in Southeast Asia every spring and autumn, and during the course they make stops in China’s Jiangsu. Endangered bird spoon-billed sandpiper spotted in China
· The elimination of migratory stopover habitat, particularly in the Yellow Sea region, and subsistence hunting on the wintering grounds are reasons cited for the Spoon-billed Sandpipers population decline.
· In 2009 the first time it was spotted on the island.
18-rotor helicopter takes its 1st manned flight:
· The first certified 18-rotor electric helicopter, called the Volocopter VC200, has completed its first manned test flight.
· Developed by Germany-based E-Volo, the multicopter is a fuel-free drone-like vehicle that does not need constant monitoring to be airborne.
· The helicopter hits top speed at 60 mph and aims at becoming a semi-affordable personal transport.
European Space Agency releases 360° video of ISS:
· The European Space Agency (ESA) has released a 360° video of the International Space Station (ISS).
· The virtual reality (VR) tour explores the Harmony module, that was installed in 2007 and houses the crew and their beds.
· Earlier, the ESA had released an immersive video of the Destiny module on the ISS, which is the on-board space laboratory.
SPORTS:
Tamil Nadu Premier League to be launched soon:
· The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) has announced the launch of the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL), which is scheduled to be held between August and September.
· The league will not be including any players from the IPL as the tournament is restricted to only state players and players who ply their trade in the TNCA league.
Poster of Sachin Tendulkar's biopic released:
· Former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar shared the official poster of his upcoming biopic, 'Sachin: A Billion Dreams', on Twitter.
· The movie, which will feature Tendulkar making his acting debut, is being directed by award-winning British film-maker James Erskine, while AR Rahman has composed the film's music. The teaser for the movie is set to release on April 14.
Gujarat Lions defeat Kings XI Punjab by 5 wickets:
· In their first ever Indian Premier League (IPL) match, the Gujarat Lions defeated the Kings XI Punjab by five wickets at Mohali.
· Dwayne Bravo's best IPL bowling figures of 4/22 helped the Lions restrict the Kings to 161/6.
· Man-of-the-match, Aaron Finch scored his second highest IPL knock of 74(47) as the Lions got their first IPL win.
OBITUARY:
Woman biker Veenu Paliwal dies in road accident:
· Veenu Paliwal, 'dubbed' as one of India's top woman biker, passed away in a road accident in Madhya Pradesh's Vidisha district.
· The 44-year-old was on a nationwide tour on her Harley Davidson bike when it skidded off the road. Paliwal, who was declared brought dead by doctors at a primary health centre, is survived by two children.
1. President Presents Padma Awards To 56 Eminent Personalities
i. Today, President Pranab Mukherjee has presented the Padma awards to the remaining 56 eminent personalities from various fields in a civil investiture ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi.
ii. The name of the recipients, who were honored with Padma Vibhushan- Superstar Rajnikant, classical singer Dr Girija Devi, journalist Ramoji Rao. Singer Udit Narayan, and tennis player Sania Mirza have been honoured with the Padma Bhushan. Actor Priyanka Chopra, writer Dhirendra Nath Bezbaruah, among others have been honoured with the Padmashree.
iii. Earlier in March, 56 eminent personalities were honoured with the Padma awards at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
iv. The government had announced Padma awards, one of the highest civilian awards in the country, for 112 eminent persons on the eve of Republic Day.
2. PM To Inaugurate 3rd Asia Ministerial Conference On Tiger Conservation
i. The three day 3rd Asia Ministerial Conference on the Tiger Conservation is going to inaugurate by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on 12th April, 2016 which will continue till 14th of April, 2016.
ii. In this conference, more than 700 tiger experts, scientists, managers, donors and other stakeholders are gathering to discuss issues related to tiger conservation.
iii. Apart from this, Ministers and government officials from all Tiger Range Countries, namely Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, India, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russian Federation, Thailand, Vietnam, besides Kyrgyz Republic and Kazakhstan, having ranges of Snow Leopard are participating in the conference.
iv. Tiger population has decimated to non-viable level in some range countries, which is a cause for concern. While several Tiger Range Countries like India, Nepal, Russia and Bhutan have registered an increase in tiger population, the status of Tiger remains “endangered”.
v. Currently, more than 70 per cent of the global wild tiger population is in India because of concerted efforts of the government and other stakeholders. Recently GOI has also allotted 380 crore rupees to the Project Tiger in the current fiscal year, which is the all time highest investment in this type of project. This conference is being co-organized by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, National Tiger Conservation Authority, Global Tiger Forum, Global Tiger Initiative Council, Wildlife Institute of India, WWF and Wildlife Conservation Trust.
3. Panama Papers : India To Attend OECD Meet In Paris
i. India will take part in a special meeting of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris tomorrow to firm up cooperation between countries in the wake of the 'Panama Papers' leak. The GOI has decided to participate after it has received the invite last week from the Paris-based body.
ii. To know about the leak report which has mentioned that 500 Indians are holding offshore assets in the tax haven, GOI has been decided that a Director- rank officer of Central Board Of Direct Taxes (CBDT) will represent the country at the day- long special session.
iii. The government had also set up a Multi-Agency Group to investigate the Indian names and entities holding offshore assets in the tax haven as reported in the leaks . The officials said that a preliminary report has been sought by this week from the Finance Ministry, which is expected to be forwarded to the Prime Minister's Office.
iv. Yesterday Finance Ministry officials stated that they are looking forward to the meet as the country adheres to a number of OECD mandated norms aimed at strengthening overseas tax cooperation and exchange of information.
v. They also said that India also follows fiscal guidelines endorsed by the OECD.
4. India, Maldives Sign Six Agreements To Boost Ties
i. India and Maldives have signed six agreements in different sectors to boost bilateral relations between both maritime neighbouring countries.
ii. The agreements were signed after comprehensive talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visiting Maldives President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom at the Hyderabad House.
iii. In the talks it was agreed that India will set up a police academy, build the Defence Ministry building of Maldives besides speeding up infrastructure projects relating to security. India will also extend all possible assistance to the island nation, including in maritime sphere and capacity building of armed forces.
iv. Here the list of signed Agreements: 1. Double Taxation, 2. Exchange of Information, 3. Defence Cooperation, 4. Space Research, 5. Tourism Cooperation, 6. Conservation and Restoration.
v. The two nations signed an action plan for defence cooperation. Action plan is in the context of defence cooperation being an important component of the India-Maldives bilateral relationship and the shared strategic and security interests of the two countries in the Indian Ocean region.
5. G7 Foreign Ministers' Meet Held In Hiroshima
i. The G7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting is one of the ministerial meetings that held in advance of the G7 Summit in Hiroshima on 10th & 11th April, 2016.
ii. It is the first of ten related ministerial meetings held leading up to the Ise-Shima Summit.
iii. The Ise-Shima Summit will be held on May 26 and 27, 2016 in Ise City, Mie Prefecture. Outcome of this G7 FM's meeting will be the base for the discussion for G7 summit.
iv. The G7 Fm's meet is a meeting attended by the leaders of the seven countries of Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and Canada, along with the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission.
v. At the Summit, leaders discuss issues of a global magnitude that face international society and with a call to end nuclear weapons. Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, who has attended the two day annual meeting said that ministers has discussed anti-terrorism steps, maritime security and issues related to North Korea, Ukraine and the Middle East.
6. Shan-e-Punjab Express becomes India's first train fitted with CCTV cameras
i. Minister for Railways Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu inaugurated the fitment of CCTV in Train Shan-e-Punjab Express through video-conferencing from Rail Bhawan premises, New Delhi.
ii. CCTV surveillance cameras in the Shaan-e-Punjab Express is one more step towards improving security in Indian trains.
iii. The CCTV system on the Shaan-e-Punjab Express includes 4 to 6 cameras per coach strategically located so that the entire area can be covered.
iv. The system will facilitate facial recognition of the target person by giving high resolution images.
v. It would enable facial recognition even in low light conditions especially in the aisles at night. The storage capacity is for one month. The recorder has safety storage/emergency recording function. In case of HDD failure, the data will store on additional storage device with in-built diagnostics to log internal function or hardware failure.
7. Tata starts U.K. steel sale
i. Tata Steel, the country’s largest steel producer, has signed an agreement to sell the loss-making 4.5-million tonne (mt) long-product Scunthorpe steel plant in Britain to UK-based investment firm Greybull Capital for a nominal consideration, with the latter taking assets and relevant liabilities.
ii. The crenelated steelmaker appointed KPMG LLC as process advisor for the “thorough, but expedited sale” of its entire shareholding in its subsidiary Tata Steel UK, which includes Britain’s largest steel plant at Port Talbot.
iii. The agreement with Greybull, an investor in distressed companies, will save thousands of jobs.
iv. The Long Products Europe business employs 4,800 people, 4,400 in the U.K. and 400 in France.
v. The steel industry in the U.K. and Europe has been on a downturn owing to the global oversupply of steel, high production costs and cheap imports. The sale includes the Scunthorpe works, two mills in Teesside, an engineering workshop in Workington, a design consultancy in York, a mill in Hayange, France, and sales and distribution facilities.
8. Fairfax India To Invest $300 million in Sanmar Chemicals
i. Sanmar Chemicals, India's private sector petrochemical firm, will receive Rs.1,996 crore equity investment from Fairfax India Holdings, reported Reuters.
ii. A 30 percent minority stake in the company will be offered through a combination of equity and fixed income instruments to Fairfax.
iii. Fairfax India Holdings said on Friday it has agreed to acquire a minority stake in privately held Indian petrochemical company Sanmar Chemicals via a roughly $300 million investment.
iv. The Sanmar investment is the latest in a string of bets Fairfax India and its sister concern Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd have made in the country within the last year. The two entities are chaired by Canadian billionaire Prem Watsa.
v. Headquartered in Chennai, Sanmar Group is a family-owned enterprise headed by N.Sundar. The $1 billion conglomerate has business concerns in engineering technologies and shipping, apart from chemicals.
9. Bharti Airtel First Entity To Get Payments Bank Licence From RBI
i. India leading telecom company Bharti Airtel received its payment bank license that is had applied for in partnership with Kotak Mahindra Bank, a move that will help the companies take Indian government's financial inclusion plans to the next level.
ii. Bharti Airtel and Kotak Mahindra had applied for the payment bank licence through AMSL, which launched Airtel Money in 2011.
iii. Airtel Money was the first mobile based pre-paid payment instrument service in the country and it empowers millions across India to leverage their mobile phones as a secure way for making payments and transferring money.
iv. The payment banks will cater to the needs of small savings accounts, remittance services, low income households, small businesses and other unorganised sector entities.
10. LAVA International Announces MS Dhoni As Its Brand Ambassador
i. A Noida based handset manufacturer Lava International has announced the Indian's limited over captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni as it's new brand ambassador. This step has been taken to strengthen its brand in India.
ii. The contract value was not disclosed by company. The company has set up its first manufacturing plant in Noida (UP) and plans to invest Rs.2,615 crore to raise its annual production capacity to 216 million phone sets.
iii. The present plant of the company in Noida is aligning itself with the Government of India’s ‘Make in India’ initiative.
iv. According to VP of the Lava International Mr. Solomon Wheeler, to bringing him on board strengthens our resolve to offer trusted and reliable products and services to all our consumers at all times.
v. Lava International was established in the year 2003 as Pacetelation Communications. In 2009, the company was renamed Lava International. The company had launched the world's first Intel chip-based smartphone and achieved the revenues of $1.2 billion in fiscal 2014-15.
11. Ukraine Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk To Resign
i. The Ukrainian Prime Minister, Arseniy Yatsenyuk announced his resignation two months after he survived a no-confidence vote in parliament. Arseniy Yatsenyuk, 15th Prime Minister of Ukraine is a lawyer and economist.
ii. Yatsenyuk's government has been besieged by war, corruption and economic struggles. His cabinet survived a no-confidence vote in February, but two parties left the governing coalition in protest that the prime minister wasn't ousted, a move that deprived the coalition of a majority in parliament.
iii. Yatsenyuk was an opposition leader in 2014 when massive protests helped drive pro-Russia President Viktor Yanukovych from power.
iv. Yanukovych had been viewed as slowing Ukraine's economic march toward the West.
v. But his resignation sparked an outcry from Moscow, and within weeks Russia annexed Crimea.
12. Varanasi Kathak Dancer Breaks World Record
i. A Kathak dancer from Varanasi has broken the world record of longest dance performance by continuously dancing for 123 hours and 30 minutes. It was previously held by Kerala’s Hemlatha.
ii. Soni Chaurasiya, 31, daughter of a pan vendor, broke the record on Saturday at 9.21 pm at Mount Litera Zee School, Varanasi.
iii. With her performance, she broke the previous record of Hemlata Kundalu of Trichur, Kerala, who performed Mohiniattam (a classical dance) continuously for 123 hours and 20 mins.
iv. Soni began her performance on April 4 at 6 pm on a school campus in Varanasi. While no official from the Guinness World Records attended the performance, two cameras had been installed to record Soni’s each move.
v. Her trainer Rajesh Dogra allowed Soni to take hourly breaks lasting five minutes. The dancer, however, decided to take a 20-minute break every four hours.
13. Virat Kohli Named As Brand Ambassador Of Premier Futsal Football League
i. Premier Futsal is the newer and shorter five-a-side variant of soccer ( football) named the Virat Kohli as its brand ambassador.
ii. This is the world's first multinational Futsal league which is all set to take place across eight Indian cities from July 15 to 24, 2016.
iii. His announcement as brand ambassador follows the unveiling of soccer legend Luis Figo as Premier Futsal's president last week which marked another major coup for the league as it heads into its inaugural season.
iv. The league is governed by the Futsal Association of India (FAI) with accreditation from the international governing body, Asociacion Mundial de Futsal (AMF).
v. Around 50 international futsalers, from 4 continents and 21 countries are expected to participate in the game.
14. Indian Teams Clinch Asian Kho Kho Championship Title
i. India's men's and women's teams have won both the category’s championship titles at the third Asian Kho-Kho championship organised in Indore.
ii. In both the finals, the hosts scored victory against Bangladesh teams. The women’s side won 26-16 while the men won 26-17.
iii. The Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan and Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar along with Asian Kho Kho Association secretary Qazi Rau-uddin Ahmed Choupal, Indian Olympic Association secretary Rajiv Mehta have felicitated winners at the event.
iv. Sarika Kale won the women’s match-winner title, while counterpart Aniket Pote won the men’s prize.
v. Each player was awarded with Rs. 51,000. The three-day championship was organised at a newly-constructed state-of-the-art indoor kho-kho stadium in Indore.
15. Serena Williams Maintains Top Spot: WTA Rankings
i. American tennis star Serena Williams kept her lead in the women's rankings, while Polish Agnieszka Radwanska returned to the second place.
ii. The Polish player is ahead of German Angelique Kerber, who dropped to the third place with 5.740 points.
iii. In the women's doubles, India's Sania Mirza and her Swiss partner Martina Hingis retained their top status in the rankings with 11,825 points.
1. RBI gives nod to Bharti Airtel’s payments Bank Unit
1. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has given its in-principle approval to Bharti Airtel’s payments bank venture — Airtel M Commerce Services Ltd (AMCS). With this AMCS has become the first entity to receive final approval from the RBI to start a payments bank.
2. Airtel M Commerce is a subsidiary of Bharti Airtel, a telecom company. Private sector lender Kotak Mahindra Bank has upto 19.9 per cent stake in Airtel M Commerce. Note: The Payments Banks are not allowed to lend. Hence, a tie-up with banks will help them source loans for their customers.
2. India, Maldives signed six agreements to deepen bilateral cooperation
1. India and Maldives singed six agreements to boost the bilateral relations between the two countries.The agreements were inked in New Delhi during the two-day official visit of Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom to India.
2. The signed Agreements/MoUs are
• Agreement for Avoidance of Double Taxation of income - The Agreement seeks to avoid double taxation of income derived from international air transport.
• Agreement for the Exchange of Information with respect to Taxes – It envisages mutual assistance for exchange of information that is relevant to the administration and enforcement of the domestic laws concerning taxes covered by the Agreement.
• Bilateral Agreement related to Orbit Frequency Coordination of "South Asia Satellite” proposed at 48oE – It will be used for the purpose of performing intersystem orbit-frequency coordination for the operation of ‘South Asia Satellite’. It will also be used for fulfilling ITU level regulatory requirements and obtaining international level protection/recognition for the ‘South Asia Satellite’.
• MoU for Cooperation in the area of conservation and restoration of ancient mosques and joint research and exploratory surveys in Maldives - It proposes for development of detailed proposals for such projects by Archaeological Survey of India and Department of Heritage, Maldives.
• MoU on cooperation in the field of Tourism - It envisages cooperation in areas of tourism including expansion of bilateral cooperation and exchange of information and data related to tourism.
• Action Plan for Defence Cooperation – It is an important component of the India-Maldives bilateral relationship and the shared strategic and security interests of the two countries in the Indian Ocean region. It envisages an institutional mechanism at the level of the Defence Secretaries to further bilateral defence cooperation.
3. World Homoeopathy Day observed
1. World Homoeopathy Day was observed on 10 April 2016 and it was organised by India.
2. The day commemorates the birth anniversary of Dr. Samuel Hahnemann, a German Physician.
Hahnemann discovered the principles of Homeopathy two centuries ago and developed it as a gentle healing system of medicine.
4. Ex-Army Chief General JJ Singh conferred highest French civilian honour
1. Former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General (retd) Joginder Jaswant Singh was conferred the highest French civilian honour, Officier de l Ordre national de la Legion d Honneur (Officer of the Legion of Honour).
2. It is the highest civilian award given by the French Republic for outstanding service to France, regardless of the nationality of the recipients. Singh was conferred the honour by French Ambassador to India Francois Richier.
5. 12 April: International Day of Human Space Flight
1. Every year 12th April is being observed as the International Day of Human Space Flight to commemorate the date of the first human space flight in the history of mankind.
2. On this day in 1961, Yuri Gagarin, a Soviet Union (USSR) cosmonaut undertook first successful first human space flight. This historic event opened the way for space exploration for the benefit of all humanity.
6. Rajinikanth, Sania, Priyanka honoured with Padma awards
1. Superstar Rajinikanth, tennis icon Sania Mirza, former US Ambassador Robert D Blackwill and actor Priyanka Chopra were among the 56 eminent persons who were honoured with Padma awards today.
2. Former DRDO chief V K Aatre, chief editor of Telugu daily Eenadu Ramoji Rao, philanthropist and educationist Indu Jain, chairman of Maruti Suzuki India R C Bhargava, singer Udit Narayan, eminent lawyer Ujjwal Nikam were also honoured with the Padma awards by President Pranab Mukherjee at the Civil Investiture Ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
3. Rajinikanth, Aatre, Rao, renowned vocalist Girija Devi, chairperson of Cancer Institute, Chennai V Shanta were given Padma Vibhushan.
4. Bhargava, Jain, Blackwill, Mirza, Narayan, Manipuri playwright Heisnam Kanhailal, noted Telugu and Hindi litterateur Yarlagadda Lakshmi Prasad, teacher of Vedanta Dayananda Saraswati (posthumous), leading sculptor Ram Vanji Sutar, Indologist N S Ramanuja Tatacharya and International head of Chinmaya Mission Swami Tejomayananda were honoured with Padma Bhushan.
5. Chopra, Nikam, former President of Editors Guild of India Dhirendra Nath Bezboruah, renowned novelist from Karnataka S L Bhyrappa, Puducherry-based social worker Madeleine Herman de Blic, president of Bodo Sahitya Sabha Kameswar Brahma were among the 40 eminent persons who were given the Padma Shri.
