Weekly Updated Current Affairs for Week 10/(4-10 March) (2019)
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WEEKLY UPDATED CURRENT AFFAIRS FOR WEEK 10/(4-10 MARCH) (2019) Rangotsav begins at Barsana in Mathura The famous Rangotsav celebration began on 3 March at Barsana in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh. The festival was inaugurated by the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The 35th edition of AAHAR, Food, and Hospitality fair, began in New Delhi The 35th edition of AAHAR-the Food and Hospitality fair began in New Delhi on 3 March. The fair will be held from 3-7 March 2020. Organizing Team: The fair is organized by India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) along with the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (FPI), Agriculture and Processed Food Products Development Authority (APEDA) and several apex industry associations. World Bank announces 12 billion USD aid to fight coronavirus The World Bank announced 12 billion USD to assist countries that are grappling with economic impacts of coronavirus. The virus has reached 60 countries so far. The World Bank is to provide financial aid for the countries to act upon the needs and develop a fast response towards the spread of the virus. The bank released a statement announcing an emergency fast track package that includes low-cost loans, grants, and technical assistance. Pune to host 108th Indian Science Congress in 2021 The Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA) announced that Pune will host the annual session of 108th Indian Science Congress on January 3-7, 2021. The theme of the ISCA is “Science and Technology for Sustainable Development with Women Empowerment” and focus on economic growth, environmental protection and social inclusion of all communities using science and technology. It will also see deliberations on providing equal opportunities to women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) while achieving sustainable development. RBL Bank inks partnership with Zomato to launch co-branded credit cards India private sector bank, RBL Bank (formerly known as Ratnakar Bank ltd) inks partnership with Online food ordering and delivery app Zomato to launch co-branded credit cards, powered by Mastercard. This partnership will help the online food delivery platform further cement its position in India’s dining market by offering benefits such as Zomato credits on purchases, and increase the reach of its flagship membership program Zomato Gold. IIT Mandi signs deal with NABARD for setting up FPOs The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mandi & Enabling Women of Kamand (EWOK) Society has inked a tripartite deal with the National Bank For Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) for setting up three Farmer Producer Organization in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh. NABARD has sanctioned an amount of Rs 35 lakhs to EWOK Society and IIT Mandi for 3 FPOs to be established in the next 3 years. Sudhanshu Pandey becomes new CMD of MMTC Ltd Sudhanshu Pandey has assumed additional charge as Chairman and Managing Director of Metals and Minerals Trading Corporation (MMTC) Ltd. He is presently served as Additional Secretary at the Department of Commerce. He was the successor of Ved Prakash. Khelo India University Games 2020 Highlights Khelo India University Games 2020 was held for the first time at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) University, Bhubaneshwar, Odisha. The games were held from 22 February to 1 March 2020. Over 4,000 top athletes from a total of about 176 universities across India participated in the event. Launching Team: The Khelo India University Games was launched by the GoI in partnership with the Government of the State of Odisha. The competition was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Plot-1441, Opp. IOCL Petrol Pump, CRP Square, Bhubaneswar-751015 Ph. :8093556677, 9040456677, Web :www.vanik.org, E-mail : [email protected] 1 WEEKLY UPDATED CURRENT AFFAIRS FOR WEEK 10/(4-10 MARCH) (2019) Aim:The aim of Khelo India University Games is to make it an aspirational competition for India’s youngsters to help them find a balance between sport and education. President to confer National Lalit Kala Akademi Awards President Ram Nath Kovind is to confer Lalit Kala Akademi’s 61st annual awards to 15 artists on 4 March 2020 at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi. The award appreciates the extraordinary talents to perform even better in the future. List of Winners: Anoop Kumar Manzukhi Gopi from Thrissur, Kerala David Malakar from Kolkata, West Bengal Devendra Kumar Khare from Vadodara, Gujarat Dinesh Pandya from Mumbai, Maharashtra Faruque Ahmed Halder from 24 Parganas in Kolkata, West Bengal Hari Ram Kumbhawat from Jaipur, Rajasthan Keshari Nandan Prasad from Jaipur, Rajasthan Mohan Kumar T from Bengaluru, Karnataka Ratan Krishna Saha from Mumbai, Maharashtra Sagar Vasant Kamble from Mumbai, Maharashtra Satwinder Kaur from New Delhi Sunil Thiruvayur from Ernakulam, Kerala Tejaswi Narayan Sonawane from Solapur, Maharashtra Yashpal Singh from Delhi Janaushadhi week is celebrated from 1-7 March Janaushadhi week is celebrated in India from 1-7 March 2020. During this occasion, various activities like health checkup Camp, Jan AushadhiParicharcha, Jan Aushadhi ka sath are being undertaken. Campaigns for blood pressure checkups, sugar level checkups, free doctor consultation, and free medicine distribution are hosted at various Jan AushadhiKendras. People who visited these health camps were also informed and educated about the price benefits and quality of the medicines being sold at Jan AushadhiKendras. Cabinet approved amalgamation of PSBs with effect from 1 April The Union Cabinet led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the consolidation of ten Public Sector Banks (PSBs) into four. The amalgamation of the PSBs will be effective from 1 April 2020. The banks include: 1. amalgamation of Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC) and United Bank of India into Punjab National Bank (PNB) 2. amalgamation of Syndicate Bank into Canara Bank 3. amalgamation of Andhra Bank and Corporation Bank into Union Bank of India 4. amalgamation of Allahabad Bank into Indian Bank ♦ The amalgamation is aimed to create seven large PSBs with scale and national reach, with each amalgamated entity having a business of over Rs.8 lakh crore. The move is expected to help create banks with a scale that can be compared to global banks and capable to compete effectively in India and globally. NABARD infused Rs 1.46 lakh crore in the rural banking system National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has infused Rs.1.46 lakh crore in the rural banking system during the current fiscal. The bank stated that it had given Rs.66,397 crore in short-term credit and Rs.6,704 crore in long-term credit to rural cooperative banks. Regional rural banks (RRB) have availed Rs.14,141 crore in short-term credit and Rs.8,417 crore in long-term credit. Uttarakhand Govt announces Gairsain to be its summer capital The state government of Uttarakhand has announced that “Gairsain” will be the summer capital of Uttarakhand. Gairsain is a tehsil located in Chamoli district. Plot-1441, Opp. IOCL Petrol Pump, CRP Square, Bhubaneswar-751015 Ph. :8093556677, 9040456677, Web :www.vanik.org, E-mail : [email protected] 2 WEEKLY UPDATED CURRENT AFFAIRS FOR WEEK 10/(4-10 MARCH) (2019) The historic announcement was made by the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Trivendra Singh Rawat on the conclusion of his budget speech during the assembly session held in Gairsain. Luxembourg becomes 1st country to make public transport free Luxembourg, the 7th smallest country in Europe, has been made public transport free to reduce traffic pressure on the road. It becomes the 1st country in the world to make public transport free. It abolished fares for trains, trams and buses. The main reason is to have a better quality of mobility, and then the side reason is clearly also environmental issues. Sri Lanka will lead science, technology and innovation sector in BIMSTEC The 20th Session of the senior officials’ meeting (SoM) was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on 3 March 2020. The meeting was chaired by Sri Lankan Foreign Secretary RavinathaAryasinha. Highlights: ♦ In the meeting, it was decided that Sri Lanka will lead the science, technology, and innovation sector in the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC). ♦ It was also decided that a facility for technology transfer is planned to be opened in the future. Mumbai to host 2023 IOC session Mumbai will be hosting the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) session in 2023. The announcement was passed by IOC president Thomas Bach. The committee chose India to encourage and support the National Olympic Committee of India and all the National Federations to promote and strengthen Olympic sport in the country. The decision by IOC committee is yet to be ratified at the 136th IOC session in Tokyo in July 2020. Ajay Bhushan Pandey becomes new Finance Secretary Government of India appointed the current Revenue Secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey as the new Finance Secretary. Pandey replaces current Finance Secretary Rajiv Kumar. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment. He had earlier worked as chief executive officer of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), the organization behind the Aadhaar. Sanjay Kumar Panda becomes India’s next Ambassador to Turkey The Ministry of External Affairs announced Senior diplomat Sanjay Kumar Panda has been appointed as India’s Ambassador to Turkey. He will succeed Sanjay Bhattacharya. Sunil Joshi becomes new chairman of BCCI’s selection committee Former Indian cricketer Sunil Joshi becomes the new chairman of the national selection panel by the BCCI’s Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) in Mumbai. The CAC also select former Indian cricketer Harvinder Singh for a place in the five-member group. The CAC, comprising Madan Lal, RP Singh and Sulakshana Naik, select the two selectors with Joshi replacing South Zone representative MSK Prasad. Chandrayaan-III mission to be launched in first half of 2021 The Union Minister Jitendra Singh announced that ISRO’s Chandrayaan-III would be launched in the first half of 2021.