DAILY UPDATED CURRENT AFFAIRS – 29.03.2017 TO 31.03.2017
DAILY UPDATED CURRENT AFFAIRS
NATIONAL b) The airlines selected under this round are SpiceJet, Air SC banned sale, registration of BS-III vehicles India subsidiary Alliance Air and regional airlines a) The Supreme Court has banned the sale and Turbo Megha Airways, Air Deccan and Air Odisha registration of Bharat Stage (BS)-III emission norm- Aviation compliant vehicles from April 1, 2017, with c) Some of the inactive airports selected are Shimla, environmentally friendly BS-IV emission norms will Bikaner, Agra, Gwalior, Rourkela, Kadapa, come into force across the country. Jharsuguda, Vidyanagar, Burnpur, Kullu, Diu, b) All the vehicle registering authorities under the Motor Mysore, Shillong, Jagdalpur, Salem, Utkela, and Vehicles Act, 1988 are prohibited from registering Hosur. such vehicles on and from April 1, 2017 that do not UDAN scheme meet BS-IV emission standards. UDAN is an innovative scheme to develop the c) Vehicles that have already been sold on or before regional aviation market. March 31, 2017 will be not included in this ban. It is a market-based mechanism in which airlines bid India became net exporter of Electricity for the first for seat subsidies. Under this scheme, half of the seats time on the plane will be capped at Rs. 2,500 per hour‟s According to CEA (Central Electricity Authority), India flight. has exported around 5,798 million units to Nepal, Government will subsidise the losses incurred by Bangladesh, and Myanmar during the current FY 2016-17. airlines flying to dormant airports by charging Rs. India has exported around 5,798 Million Units to Nepal, 2,500 per hour‟s flight. Bangladesh, and Myanmar. Export to Nepal has increased 80% of the subsidy will be collected by charging a 2.5 times and export to Bangladesh has risen 2.8 times in levy of up to Rs. 8,500 every time they land at an the last three years. airport in a major city or metro and the rest 20% will Suresh Prabhu inaugurated high-speed rail wire Wi-Fi come from the respective State governments. facility Government launched e-challan and m-parivahan apps Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has inaugurated for enforcement of traffic rules high-speed rail wire Wi-Fi facility at National Rail museum The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has in New Delhi. The free Wi-Fi service built over the fiber launched two mobile applications —e-challan and m- network of Rail Tel is designed to offer High- Speed parivahan to provide a comprehensive digital solution for Broadband like experience to users. Mr. Prabhu also enforcement of traffic rules. It will provide a virtual driving launched a book " Indian Railways- The Weaving of a licence, registration certificates, full details of the car and National Tapestry" which has been jointly authored by the owner and various services, information and utilities Shri Bibek Debroy (Member, NITI Aayog) Shri Sanjay related to the transport sector. Chadha (Joint Secretary, Ministry of Commerce) & Ms. Government launched online vigilance clearance Vidya Krishnamurthi. system, e-service book „Kanha tiger reserve’ becomes first in India get official The Union Government has launched the Online Vigilance mascot Clearance System and e-Service Book in New Delhi. It was The „Kanha tiger reserve‟ (Madhya Pradesh) has become launched by Union Minister Jitendra Singh in New Delhi. It the first tiger reserve in India to officially introduce a will reduce time taken for vigilance clearance from three mascot “Bhoorsingh the Barasingha" to create a better months to a day or two. The current Central Vigilance connection with its visitors. The Barasingha or swamp deer Commissioner is Mr. K.V. Chowdary is the state animal of Madhya Pradesh. Gujarat Assembly passes Gujarat Animal Preservation Mr Nitin Gadkari inaugurated residential facility for (Amendment) Bill, 2017 child cancer patients a) Gujarat Assembly has passed the Gujarat Animal Union Shipping Minister, Mr Nitin Gadkari inaugurated a Preservation (Amendment) Bill, 2017 to amend residential facility for child cancer patients in Mumbai. Gujarat Animal Preservation Act, 1954. This Child Care Centre for patients of Tata Memorial b) The amendment bill makes the existing law stricter Hospital has been developed by Mumbai Port Trust as part and provides for harsher punishment and higher of its corporate social responsibility. The Centre aims to penalties to prevent cow slaughter in the state. help cancer patients by providing clean accommodation and c) The law does not allow transportation of cows during transport so that there is no fear of any secondary infection. night hours. It also makes slaughtering of cow Government announced regional aviation routes and cognizable and non-bailable offence. airlines under UDAN scheme d) It also rises the minimum jail term for illegal ferrying a) The Union Civil Aviation Ministry Ashok Gajapathi of cows for slaughter from 7 to 10 years against the Raju has announced regional aviation routes and current provision of 3 to 7 years. It also increases the airlines after the first round of bidding under UDAN monetary penalty from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh. (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) Scheme. In the first Odisha became first state to adopt SHG based financial round, as many as 128 routes connecting 70 big and inclusion model small airports across the country were selected and all Odisha became the first state in the country to adopt Self flights will become active within 4-6 months. Help Groups (SHG) based model for financial inclusion model to extend banking services in the unbanked areas
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DAILY UPDATED CURRENT AFFAIRS – 29.03.2017 TO 31.03.2017 through SGHs. For this the state government has inked INTERNATIONAL agreement with the State Bank of India (SBI). The SHGs 3rd G20 Framework Working Group meeting held in formed under the Odisha Livelihood Mission (OLM) will Varanasi be eligible to provide banking services. a) The third edition of G20 Framework Working Group Union Govt. imposed 10% import duty on wheat & Tur (FWG) meeting under the German presidency was held dal in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. The Union Government has imposed 10% import duty on b) It was inaugurated by Shaktikanta Das, Economic wheat and tur dal to protect farmers‟ interest amid Affairs Secretary and Dinesh Sharma, special secretary projection of a record crop this year. This will help curb in the Finance ministry was head the programme. sharp fall in the wholesale prices of these commodities and c) The first two FWG meetings under the German ensure support price to farmers. 10 % import duty on wheat presidency of G20 were held at Berlin in December 2016 & Tur dal. and at Riyadh in February 2017. Government approved 101 cold chain projects to boost d) The fourth and the last G20 FWG meeting under the G- food processing sector 20 German presidency is likely to be held in Argentina The Union Ministry of Food Processing Industries (FPI) before the G20 leaders‟ summit in July 2017 in has sanctioned 101 new integrated cold chain projects total Hamburg, Germany. investment of Rs. 3,100 crore for creation of modern e) This was the fourth occasion that India, hosted the FWG infrastructure for the food processing sector across the meeting since its inception in 2009. country. Maharashtra as cornered the maximum number of f) G20 members are members include India, Australia, the projects followed by Uttar Pradesh. Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Union Petroleum Ministry launchds MoPNG e-Seva Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Saudi Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Shri Arabia, Russia, Turkey, South Africa, UK, US and EU. Dharmendra Pradhan launched MoP&NG e-Seva. It is a British PM Theresa May signed letter to trigger Brexit dedicated grievances redressed platform on Social Media from EU for all queries and grievances relating to Oil and Gas British Prime Minister „Theresa May‟ has signed the letter Sector. that will trigger Britain's exit from the European Union. The India’s first Biogas bus launched in Kolkata letter was delivered by hand to European Council President A 55-seat bus powered by biogas, sourced from cow dung, Donald Tusk in Brussels by Tim Barrow, Britain's permanent has been launched in Kolkata. The operators claim it is representative to the EU. It sets the clock for a two-year India‟s first such bus service. A nominal fare of Re 1 will negotiation process for Britain's relationship with the EU as a be charged from each passenger. The bus, to run on the non-member. Britain will have left the economic bloc by 29th 17.5 km Ultadanga-Garia stretch, will be one of the fleet of March, 2019. 16 buses to be deployed across Kolkata and surrounding US signed executive order to roll back Obama's climate areas. The vehicle is powered by a German technology change measures engine. US President Donald Trump signed another controversial Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu said that the executive order to radically change his predecessor Barack Railways will spend over Rs 10,000 crore on the Obama's climate policies, dealing a body blow to the renewal of tracks and adopt the latest technology to international efforts to combat global warming. detect rail fracture. US Senate votes to approve Montenegro as NATO’s 29th The Uttarakhand High Court has ordered a complete member ban on all mining activities in the state for four US Senate has voted overwhelmingly to approve Montenegro months. as 29th member of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty In Uttar Pradesh, all below poverty line (BPL) Organization). The NATO is an intergovernmental military households in the urban and rural areas of the state alliance based on the North Atlantic Treaty signed in April will get free power connection while those above 1949. It consists of 28 independent member countries across poverty line (APL) will be given 100 % financing North America and Europe. NATO‟s H.Q. is at Brussels, option with easy EMIs. Belgium. Jens Stoltenberg is the Secretary General of NATO. The Parliament has passed the Mental Healthcare Bill, El Salvador became world’s first country to ban metal mining 2016 that decriminalises suicide attempt by mentally Central America‟s smallest nation El Salvador became first ill people and guarantees the right to better health care country in the world to ban metal mining nationwide. The for people with mental illness. new law bans all exploration, extraction and processing of metals both in open pits and mines. BILATERAL El Salvador India and Nepal: India and Nepal have signed an Capital: San Salvador agreement to renew supply of petroleum to Nepal for a Currency: United States Dollar period of five years i.e. till 2022.The agreement was signed between Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (IOCL) and Nepal Oil ECONOMY & BANKING Company (NOC). Under it IOC will supply about 1.3 Government lowered interest rates on Small saving million tonnes of fuel annually to Nepal with a promise to schemes by 0.1% double the volume by 2020. The Union Finance Ministry has lowered interest rates on all nine small saving schemes by 0.1% for the April-June quarter as compared to January-March quarter.
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DAILY UPDATED CURRENT AFFAIRS – 29.03.2017 TO 31.03.2017
Investments in the PPF scheme will fetch lower annual b) A QR code uses four standardized encoding modes rate of 7.9% from previous rate of 8%. (numeric, alphanumeric, byte/binary, and kanji) to 5-year National Savings Certificate will also fetch efficiently store data; extensions may also be used. lower annual rate of 7.9% from previous rate of 8. India and NDB inked $350 million loan pact for the Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP) investments will yield 7.6% upgradation of district roads in Madhya Pradesh Sukanya Samriddhi Account Scheme, will offer 8.4% India has signed its first loan agreement with the New annually, from 8.5% at present. Development Bank (NDB)/BRICS Bank for $350 million Senior Citizens Savings Scheme will offer 8.4% for to be used in the development and upgradation of district the 5-year. The interest rate is paid quarterly. roads in Madhya Pradesh. The NDB is a multilateral bank Term deposits of 1-5 years will fetch a lower 6.9-7.7 created by BRICS nations viz. Brazil, Russia, India, China % that will be paid quarterly. and South Africa. It had started its operations in July 2015 The 5-year recurring deposit has been pegged lower at with initial authorized capital of $100 billion. It is headquartered in Shanghai, China. Renowned Indian 7.2%. banker Kundapur Vaman Kamath is the President (first) of However, interest on savings deposits has been NDB. retained at 4% annually. Lok Sabha passed 4 GST Bills SBI launched 'Unnati' credit card The four bills passed were Central GST Bill, Integrated The union minister Piyush Goyal has launched a unique GST Bill, GST Compensation Bill, and the Union Territory credit card „SBI Card Unnati‟ 'Unnati' (credit) card for its GST Bill, 2017. These Bills were passed as Money Bills, customers holding an account with a minimum balance of thus eliminates the role of Rajya Sabha. It paves way for Rs. 25,000. For the first four years, that bank will not to implementing a new, consolidated indirect tax regime from charge anything from the customer. The annual fee of the proposed date of July 1, 2017. Rs.499 is waived off for the first four years. Key Fact Amazon acquired Middle East’s largest online retailer The tax rates under GST regime will be based on the Souq.com recommendation GST Council. Council has two-thirds The USA based e-commerce giant Amazon made its entry voting by States and one-third by Centre. in UAE by acquiring the Middle East‟s largest online retailer Souq.com.Souq.com is the largest e-commerce The GST laws passed by Parliament will not apply to platform offering more than 400,000 products in the Arab Jammu and Kashmir world. The GST Council has recommended a four-tier tax Truecaller partnered with ICICI Bank for UPI-based structure 5, 12, 18 and 28%. mobile payment Syndicate Bank opened 40 ‘Ananya’ branches Truecaller partners with ICICI Bank to launch its new The „Syndicate Bank‟ has digitally inaugurated 40 Unified Payments Interface (UPI)-based mobile payment „Ananya‟ transformed branches to enhance customer service “Truecaller Pay” which will allow users to send experience, improve sales focus, and improve digital money to any UPI id or a mobile number registered with transactions through a dedicated digit zone.Earlier, the bank the BHIM app.The non-ICICI bank users can use it by has launched its first micro, small and medium enterprise registering on to Truecaller Pay app. (MSME) hub in Bengaluru. BHIM app RBI to set up separate Enforcement Department a) BHIM (Bharat Interface for Money) is a Mobile App The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is to set up a separate developed by National Payments Corporation of India Enforcement Department (EFD) proposed to be opened on (NPCI), based on the Unified Payment Interface April 3. Currently for banks, the RBI has two departments, (UPI). regulation and supervision. Now with the third department b) It was launched by Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of Enforcement, it will look after the issue of any violation of India, at a Digi Dhan mela at Talkatora Stadium in by banks and impose penalty or issue warning. New Delhi on 30 December 2016. SBI gets Rs 1,400 crore loan from European Investment c) It has been named after Bhim Rao Ambedkar and is Bank intended to facilitate e-payments directly through The European Investment Bank (EIB) has granted Rs 1,400 banks and as part of the 2016 Indian banknote crore (EUR 200 million) 20 -year long-term EIB loan to demonetization and drive towards cashless State Bank of India to fund solar power projects. The long- transactions. term loan will support total investment of EUR 650 million d) BHIM allow users to send or receive money to other in five different large-scale photo-voltaic solar power UPI payment addresses or scanning QR code or projects This will contribute to India‟s National Solar account number with IFSC code or MMID (Mobile mission and reduce dependence on fossil fuel power Money Identifier) Code to users who do not have a generation. UPI-based bank account. e) BHIM is currently being used by over 125 lakh Indian PERSON IN NEWS citizens David Beasley: The United Nations (UN) Chief „Antonio QR code Guterres‟ has appointed former South Carolina Governor a) QR code (abbreviated from Quick Response Code) is David Beasley to head the Rome-based World Food the trademark for a type of matrix barcode (or two- Programme (WFP). dimensional barcode) first designed for the automotive industry in Japan.
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Vanaja N. Sarna: Vanaja N. Sarna was appointed as the new of USD 1000 after he admitted corruption charges chairman of Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC), during the Pakistan Super League. following retirement from service of incumbent Najib Shah In the senior Hockey men's category, Indian forward Sima Kamil: One of the Pakistan largest banks United Bank „V Sunil‟ has been named the „Asian Player of the Limited (UBL) has appointed „Sima Kamil‟ as the new Year 2016‟ by the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF). In president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the bank.She is the junior Hockey men's category, drag flicker the first woman to head a major commercial bank in Pakistan. „Harmanpreet Singh‟ has been named the Asian Sunaina Singh: Professor 'Sunaina Singh' has been appointed Promising Player of the Year 2016. as the new vice-chancellor of Nalanda University (NU). She Tamil Nadu beat India „B‟ by 42 runs in the final to succeeded „George Yeo‟ who resigned from the post. clinch the „Deodhar Trophy‟ at Visakhapatnam. Vanita Gupta: Indian-American Vanita Gupta has been India beat Australia by eight wickets in the fourth and appointed as president and CEO of 'The Leadership final cricket Test to claim the four-match series 2-1 at Conference on Civil and Human Rights'. the HPCA stadium, Dharamsala.Player of the series: Gurdev Singh Badal: Former Punjab minister and senior Ravindra Jadeja (India). Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Gurdev Singh Badal (85- Indian pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty year) passed away at Ludhiana. He was a five-time Member has won the USD 20,000 „Vietnam Open International of Punjab Legislative Assembly, representing the Panjgrain Challenger badminton title‟ in Hanoi, Vietnam. constituency in Jalandhar district Punjab. Ahmed Kathrada: Veteran South African‟s Indian-origin MISCELLANEOUS anti-apartheid activist Ahmed Kathrada (87-year) passed INLCU L51 commissioned into India Navy away. The surveillance ship „INLCU L51‟ was commissioned into Arun Sarma: Noted playwright & Sahitya Akademi Award the Indian Navy by Vice Admiral 'Bimal Verma', AVSM, winner Arun Sarma (86-year) passed away Commander-in-Chief, Andaman and Nicobar Command in a ceremony at Port Blair. LCU 51 is the first of the eight AWARD ships of the Landing Craft Utility (LCU) Mk IV Class. Indian off-spinner „Ravichandran Ashwin‟ (30-years) IIT Madras, Indian Army ink MoU to strengthen has received the „Garfield Sobers Trophy‟ for the „ICC critical technological areas Cricketer of the Year 2016‟ as well as the „ICC Test The Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IITM) and Cricketer of the Year 2016‟ from former India Indian Army have signed a Memorandum of Understanding captains and ICC Cricket Hall of Famers Kapil Dev (MoU) to identify the critical technological areas that can and Sunil Gavaskar in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh. be enhanced in the armed forces Ashwin has become the third Indian and the 12th Indian Navy unveils Integrated Automatic Aviation player overall to win the award after Rahul Dravid Meteorological System at Rajali Air Station (2004) and Sachin Tendulkar (2010). The Indian Navy has unveiled the Integrated Automatic President „Pranab Mukherjee‟ presented B. C. Roy Aviation Meteorological System (IAAMS) at Rajali Air National Awards to 49 Doctors for the years 2014, Station in Tamil Nadu. The aim of IAAMS is to modernise 2015 and 2016 at a function held at Rashtrapati the meteorological infrastructure of the nine Naval Air Bhavan, New Delhi. „Bidhan Chandra Roy Award‟ Stations (NAS). It is expected to bring accuracy in weather was instituted in memory of former West Bengal monitoring mechanism in the Indian Navy. Chief Minister Dr. B. C. Roy by Medical Council of The Indian Navy has de-inducted TU142M Long India in 1976. Range Maritime Patrol aircraft after 29 years of dedicated service to the nation and 30,000 hours of SPORTS accident-free flying. The aircraft was formally de- Srinath Narayanan (23-year) is all set to become inducted at a ceremony held at INS Rajali naval air India's 46th Grandmaster after he defeated David station in Arakkonam, Tamil Nadu. Anton Guijarro (Spanish Grandmaster) at the ongoing Rajasthan govt has celebrated 68th foundation day on Sharjah Masters 2017 chess tournament. 30th March.Rajasthan is India's largest state by area. Turkish runner Elvan Abeylegesse was stripped of two The Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General 'Bipin Olympic silver medals and one world silver after a re- Rawat' has released a book titled „Home of the Brave‟ analysis of an in-competition doping test dating back at the South Block in New Delhi. The book is authored to 2007. by Nitin A Gokhale (defense and security analyst), and Professional footballer Lionel Messi has banned from Brig S K Chatterji (Retired). their next four competitive internationals starting with President Pranab Mukherjee has inaugurated India's the World Cup's qualifier in Bolivia for swearing (the largest river festival “Namami Brahmputra“ in use of offensive language) at a match official. Assam.The festival to be organized across 21 districts Gauri Singh (14-year) from Udaipur Rajasthan has in Assam from 31st March to 4th April, 2017. become the first Indian girl swim from Sea Link near Recently, the theme song 'Namami Brahmaputra' Worli Koliwada to the Gateway of India in the Arabia composed by Angaraag Mahanta 'Papon' was released Sea. She took over 6 hours 30 minutes to complete the in both Hindi and Assamese. 36-km long distance route. Former cricketer Sachin Tendulkar launched his own Pakistani fast bowler Mohammad Irfan has been app titled '100MB' in Mumbai. banned from all forms of cricket for a year and a fine
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