Current Affairs – February 28, 2018

World News

India Ranks 47th on Inclusive Internet Index

is ranked 47th out of 86 countries when it comes to inclusive Internet and connectivity for all, a Facebook report said.  Facebook, which commissioned the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) to create a comprehensive ‘Inclusive Internet Index’, found India in the middle of Asian countries (12th out of 23) when it comes to connectivity.”  Sweden took the first place, followed by Singapore and the US.

Major cities allowed to ban diesel cars in Germany

 Germany’s Federal Administrative Court ruled in favour of allowing major cities to ban diesel cars, in a move aimed at combating air pollution.  The campaign to impose strict measures against polluting vehicles gained strength after the Volkswagen emission scandal.

Saudi Arabia allows women to join military

 Saudi Arabia has for the very first time opened applications for women to enlist in the military as the kingdom continues to enact reforms granting females more access to a wide range of previously forbidden careers.  Interested candidates can apply for positions with the rank of soldier in the provinces of Riyadh, Mecca, al-Qassim and Medina.  A list of requirements says applicants must be Saudi citizens and aged between 25 and 35 with a high school diploma.

US Supreme Courts rules immigrants can be held indefinitely

 The US Supreme Court ruled immigrants who face possible deportation can be detained indefinitely without receiving bond hearings, even if they entered the country legally or are seeking asylum.  It reversed a ruling by San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals which has set six-month limit for detention without bond hearings for immigrants not risking national security.

National News

King of Jordan in India on 3-Day Visit

 The King of Jordan Abdullah-II bin Al-Hussein arrived in New Delhi on a 3-day visit to India. The King is accompanied by a business delegation.  During his visit, he will also participate in a CEO Round-table followed by India-Jordan Business Forum.  The Jordanian King’s visit comes nearly three weeks after Prime Minister travelled to Jordan as part of his trip to West Asia, including Palestine.  The two sides are expected to sign MoUs and agreements in diverse areas of bilateral cooperation.

Shri J P Nadda chairs 5th meeting of Mission Steering Group of NHM

 “The Health and Wellness Centers are expected to provide preventive, promotive, rehabilitative and curative care for a package of 12 services.”  This was stated by Shri J P Nadda, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare as he chaired the 5th meeting of the Mission Steering Group of the National Health Mission (NHM) in New Delhi.

 Shri Hardeep S Puri, Union Minister of State (I/C) Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Shri and Smt.  Anupriya Patel, Ministers of State for Health and Family Welfare and Dr. Rajiv Kumar, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog were also present at the meeting.

State News

Central Government sanctions more than Rs. 700 crore under PMGSY for Arunachal Pradesh

 Union Rural Development Ministry sanctioned more than Rs. 700 crore for 43 roads and 15 bridges under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) for Arunachal Pradesh. The total of 685 KM of roads and 577 meters of bridges will be constructed out of the sanctioned amount.  Chief Minister Pema Khandu has thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the grant and said his concern for Arunachal Pradesh in terms of connectivity is evident from the positive gesture.  The state is rising under dynamic leadership of Mr. Modi and with such continuous support, Arunachal Pradesh shall transform itself at par with other developed states.

Country’s first Aviation Multi Skill Development Centre launched in Chandigarh

 Union Civil Aviation Minister, P. inaugurated a one-of-its-kind aviation multi skill development centre in Chandigarh.  This aviation multi skill development centre in Chandigarh is a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative of Airports Authority of India (AAI) and has been set up by the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and the Aerospace and Aviation Sector Skill Council of India.  It is equipped with modern training infrastructure to supplement an industry-relevant course curriculum.  Over the next three years, the centre will train (free of cost) nearly 2300 students in eight aviation job roles.

Mumbai bus service authority to get 40 eco-friendly buses

 The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) panel has approved the procurement of 40 smaller electric vehicles, 20 AC and 20 non-AC buses, for the city.  Electric buses are eco-friendly and don’t emit gases and create less noise, it said.  BEST, which already has four electric buses, will receive all the 40 buses within the next nine months.

Banking & Economy

EPFO makes online claims must for PF withdrawals above Rs 10 lakh

 In a bid to become a paperless organisation, Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has made it mandatory to file online claims for provident fund (PF) withdrawals above Rs 10 lakh.  Online claims for withdrawals of above Rs 5 lakh under the Employees Pension Scheme 1995 has also been made mandatory.  Claims of only those subscribers will be processed, who have an active universal account number (UAN). Besides, bank account of the subscriber has to be linked and verified in the system before claim settlement.  EPFO currently has more than 5 crore subscribers and manages a corpus of over Rs 10 lakh crore.

Google ties up with SBI for mobile payments app Tez

 Internet giant Google has tied up with State Bank of India (SBI) for its mobile payments app Tez.  Through this partnership, Google Tez will allow users to create an SBI UPI Id – @oksbi and get access to exclusive offers for SBI customers.  The partnership will focus on building unique propositions for users and merchants, including specially curated offers.

India’s 2018 GDP growth estimate unchanged at 7.6%: Moody’s

 Credit rating agency Moody’s has kept India’s GDP growth estimate unchanged at 7.6% for the calendar year 2018.  Moody’s said that Indian economy has started to recover from the “negative impact” of demonetization and disruption related to the rollout of the GST.

PNB shares tank 12% after fraud amount rises to $2 billion

 After the PNB Bank said that the Nirav Modi fraud amount could rise to $2 billion, shares of PNB plunged by over 12%.  PNB has lost around 40% of its market capitalization since the fraud was disclosed to the public.

Sports

Team India, Proteas donate Rs.5.5 lakh for Cape Town water crisis

 Team India captain Virat Kohli and his Proteas counterpart Faf du Plessis have donated Rs.5.5 lakh to the Cape Town water Crisis on behalf of both the teams for drought relief efforts in Cape Town.  This comes days after Cape Town pushed back ‘Day Zero’ to July 9, the day the city is expected to run out of water.

118-yr-old Davis Cup to convert into ‘World Cup of Tennis’

 The Davis Cup, in existence since 1900, may be converted into a ‘World Cup of Tennis’ from next year.  The new format will feature 18 teams playing a week-long event at one venue, instead of the existing 16 teams playing across four different months.  A 25-year, $3 billion partnership with investment group Kosmos is in place for the new event.

Awards & Honours

Roger Federer becomes Most Decorated Laureus Award Winner

 Tennis legend Roger Federer became the most decorated winner in the history of Laureus World Sports Awards after he won twin honors at the 18th edition of the awards ceremony in Monaco.  It was his sixth award. The awards include the Sportsman and Comeback titles.  American tennis great Serena Williams won the Sportswoman of the Year Award following her Australian Open success, her 23rd Grand Slam title.  Serena is now the most decorated female Laureus Award winner with five Laureus statuettes.

Appointments & Resignations

PNB appoints A K Pradhan as Group Chief Risk Officer

 A K Pradhan has been appointed as the Group Chief Risk Officer of Punjab National Bank (PNB).  Mr. Pradhan was earlier holding the post of a General Manager.

 Although the functions and responsibilities of the Group Chief Risk Officer have not been disclosed by PNB, the decision for this appointment seems to be in wake of Rs 12700 crore fraud unearthed at one its branches.  In response to the PNB fraud, Union Finance Ministry has asked all the state-owned banks to scrutinise all their non-performing accounts (NPAs) of over Rs 50 crore for possible fraud and report it Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).  Besides, state-owned banks have also been asked to come up with a pre-emptive risk mitigation action plan within 15 days to check recurrence of frauds.

Sudhir Tripathy appointed as Jharkhand Chief Secretary

 Additional Chief Secretary Sudhir Tripathi has been made the new chief secretary of Jharkhand.  Sudhir Tripathy replaces Rajbala Verma as Jharkhand Chief Secretary. Rajbala Verma retired from his position on 28th February 2018.  Sudhir Tripathy is a 1985 batch IAS (Indian Administrative Service) Officer. He was the Additional Chief Secretary in the state health department.

Books & Authors

Smriti Irani Releases ‘India-2018’ Book

 Information and Broadcasting Minister released ‘India 2018’ (English Version) and ‘Bharat 2018’ (Hindi Version). The books are published by the Publications Division.  The book available in both print and online versions.  It is an exhaustive publication dealing with all aspects of the country’s development.  With its latest edition, the book has entered into its 62nd year of publication.

Obituaries

Kanchi Seer Jayendra Saraswathi Passes Away

 Sri Jayendra Saraswathi Swamigal, the senior seer of Kanchi Kamakoti Mutt situated in Tamil Nadu, passed away at the age of 82.  He passed away due to breathing problems.  The junior pontiff, Sri Sankara Vijayendra Saraswathi will be the 70th Jagadguru of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam.

Important Days

National Science Day

 National Science Day (NSD) is celebrated every year on 28 February.  The theme of NSD-2018 is “Science and Technology for a Sustainable Future”.  NSD is celebrated to commemorate the discovery of the ‘Raman Effect’, which led to Sir C.V. Raman winning the Noble Prize.  The theme has been chosen for the purpose of raising public appreciation of the scientific issues involved.