VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017 APRIL 1

INTERNATIONAL India becomes associate member of IEA  India, world’s 3rd largest energy consumer has joined International Energy Association (IAE) as associate member. India will also now have a greater say in global energy issues.  With India as a associate member, IEA now formally covers 70% of the world’s energy consumption, thus increasing its relevance.  India’s participation will enrich the energy efficiency and renewable sectors of IEA members and other countries.  India will gain from IEA’s data gathering processes, survey methodologies and range of energy data, which will enable India in the near future to set up its own robust integrated database agency.  It also gives an opportunity to India to be the voice of the developing world and represent the interests of the emerging markets. It will enable India to be involved in the key committees and dialogues of the IEA.

About International Energy Association  The International Energy Agency (IEA) is a Paris-based autonomous intergovernmental organization established in the framework of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 1974 in the wake of the 1973 oil crisis.  The IEA was initially dedicated to responding to physical disruptions in the supply of oil, as well as serving as an information source on statistics about the international oil market and other energy sectors.  The IEA has a broad role in promoting alternate energy sources (including renewable energy), rational energy policies, and multinational energy technology co-operation.  IEA member countries are required to maintain total oil stock levels equivalent to at least 90 days of the previous year's net imports. At the end of July 2009, IEA member countries held a combined stockpile of almost 4.3 billion barrels (680,000,000 m3) of oil.  On 1 September 2015, Fatih Birol took office as the new Executive Director, succeeding in this position former Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs, Maria van der Hoeven.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak Visits India  Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak is on a 6-day visit to India.  This year marks the 60th anniversary of formal diplomatic relations. Malaysia’s father of independence, Tunku Abdul Rahman, visited India in 1962.  India and Malaysia signed their strategic partnership in 2010. India has trained Malaysian pilots for the Russian SU-30 aircraft.

NATIONAL SBI gets new logo and enters in the league of top 50 Global Banks  From April 1, the associate banks which will be merging with State Bank of India will sport the lender's signage and logo, with its iconic keyhole set against the background of inky blue.  On the design, “SBI” legend will be seen in white colour and will be written in a new font called Effra.  As per the Reserve Bank of India, all branches of the associate banks will function as branches of SBI from April 1, 2017.  With The merger, State Bank of India will enter the league of Top 50 Global Banks with a balance sheet size of Rs. 41 trillion.

Cabinet approves ratification of 2 ILO conventions on prohibiting child labour  The Union Cabinet has given its approval for ratification of two fundamental conventions of International Labour Organization (ILO) concerning with Child Labour.  They are Minimum Age Convention (No 138) and Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention (No 182). Now these conventions will be legally binding.

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017  Minimum Age Convention (No 138) or Convention 138: It is concerned with minimum age for admission to employment. So far, it has been ratified by 169 countries.  Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention (No 182) or Convention 182: It is concerned with the prohibition and immediate action for elimination of the worst forms of Child Labour. It has been ratified by 180 countries.

ECONOMY Project Saksham:  The Government has approved Rs. 2,256 crore outlay for Project Saksham to bolster the information technology network for the new GST regime.  Project Saksham is the name given to CBEC’s IT Infrastructure Project. This IT Infrastructure project will enable not just the implementation of Goods and Services tax (GST) but also support all existing services in Customs, Central Excise and Service Tax.  In addition, it will also enable extension of the Indian Customs Single Window Interface for Facilitating Trade (SWIFT) and other taxpayer-friendly initiatives under Digital Indian and Ease of Doing Business of CBEC.  It will enable setting up of an information exchange mechanism with GSTN through the use of pre-agreed Application Programming Interface (API) or other secure methods of message exchange.

Axis Bank ties up with Wells Fargo for US remittances  Axis Bank has tied up with Wells Fargo (the third largest American bank by assets) to offer real-time remittances from the Indian diaspora to their relatives back home.  Under the arrangement between the two banks, any member of the Indian diaspora with an account with the Wells Fargo will be able to transfer money to their relatives back home and there will be no transaction fee applicable to the money transfers from the USA. But the relative or the beneficiary in India will need to have an account with Axis Bank. Kotak Mahindra Bank launches 8-11 app to double customer base  Kotak Mahindra Bank has launched the '811 banking app' which is part of the lender's vision to double customer base in 18 months.  Customers will be able to open an account on the 811 banking app with zero balance.  Only Aadhaar and PAN card would be required to open 811 account which would provide access to over 100 features on mobile. The account offers up to 6 percent interest rate on savings deposits.

ENVIRONMENT,SCIENCE AND TECH Barmer-Munawab, Pipad Road-Bilara rail routes declared as Green Corridors  The North Western Railway has declared the Barmer-Munawab and Pipad Road-Bilara rail routes in Rajasthan as Green Corridors.  With this total number of green corridors has increased to five.  The 114-km-long Manamadurai– Rameswaram stretch of Southern Railway was India’s first ‘Green corridor’.  Okha-Kanalus and Porbandar-Wasjaliya railway sections of Gujarat also have been declared green corridors. About Green Corridor  The Green Corridor ensures zero toilet discharge on rail tracks as part of its commitment to clean environment under the ‘Swachh Rail-Swachh Bharat’ initiative.  Trains in the section have been equipped with bio-toilets to ensure zero discharge of human waste on the rail tracks and preventing corrosion of the tracks.

IMPORTANT DAYS 82nd Establishment Day of RBI- 01st April 2017  The Reserve Bank of India is the central bank of the country.  The Reserve Bank of India was set up on the basis of the recommendations of the Hilton Young Commission. The Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 (II of 1934) provides the statutory basis for the functioning of the Bank, which commenced operations on April 1, 1935.

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017  Burma (Myanmar) seceded from the Indian Union in 1937 but the Reserve Bank continued to act as the Central Bank for Burma till Japanese Occupation of Burma and later upto April 1947. After the partition of India, the Reserve Bank served as the central bank of Pakistan upto June 1948 when the State Bank of Pakistan commenced operations.  The Bank, which was originally set up as a shareholder's bank, was nationalized in 1949.

BOOK RELEASE Railway Minister released Book Titled 'Indian Railway- The weaving of a National Tapestry'  Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu released the book titled 'Indian Railway- The weaving of a National Tapestry' jointly authored by Shri Bibek Debroy (Member, NITI Aayog) Shri Sanjay Chadha (Joint Secretary, Ministry of Commerce) & Ms. Vidya Krishnamurthi.  The theme of this book is the historical development of railways in India, organized into chapters dealing with different periods of development in chronological order.  In addition, Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhu also launched Hi-speed free Wi-Fi services for the visitors at National Rail Museum, New Delhi.

PLACES IN NEWS Hyderabad becomes first city to have 1 GBPS internet speed:  Internet Service Provider (ISP) ACT Fibernet has announced the launch of 1Gbps (gigabits per second) wired broadband internet services in Hyderabad, making the `City of Pearls’ India’s first `Giga City’.

APRIL 2 NATIONAL PM Narendra Modi opens Asia's longest tunnel  Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the 9.2 km long Chenani-Nashri all-weather road tunnel on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway.  The road tunnel will reduce the travel time between the two state capitals of Jammu and Srinagar by approximately two hours.  The two-lane Chenani-Nashri tunnel is Asia's longest bi-directional highway tunnel, which will cut the distance between Jammu and Srinagar to around 250 km from the current 350 km. ECONOMY Post merger, SBI begins operations as unified entity  The State Bank of India, the country's largest lender has started functioning as unified entity from 01st April 2017 post merger of its five associate banks, besides Bharatiya Mahila Bank.  The five associate banks merged with the SBI are State Bank of Bikaner & Jaipur, State Bank of Hyderabad, State Bank of Mysore, State Bank of Patiala and State Bank of Travancore.  With the merger, the SBI joins the league of top 50 banks globally in terms of assets.  The total customer base of the bank reaches 37 crore with a branch network of around 24,000 and nearly 59,000 ATMs across the country. The merged entity now has a deposit base of more than Rs 26 lakh-crore and advances level of Rs 18.50 lakh crore

GOVT SCHEME Govt launches PowerTex India scheme for powerloom sector  Union Textiles Minister, Ms. Smriti Irani launched PowerTex India Scheme on 1st April 2017 at Bhiwandi in Thane district of Maharashtra.  It is a gamut of schemes aimed at development of powerloom sector in India with a special focus on small powerloom weavers. The scheme was simultaneously launched at 45 locations across India.  Ms. Smriti Irani along with Maharashtra Chief Minister Mr. Devendra Fadnavis launched PowerTex India helpline for scheme related assistance. For nationwide publicity of scheme, a PowerTex van was also flagged off.

‘Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana’ launched in Nellore, Andhra Pradesh

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017  On 1st April 2017, Mr. Thaawarchand Gehlot, Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment launched, first of its kind “Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana” in Nellore; Andhra Pradesh aimed to make life comfortable for senior citizens of India.  This scheme has been launched for providing Physical Aids and Assisted-living Devices to Senior Citizens belonging to Below Poverty Line (BPL) category who suffer from age related problems viz. hearing impairment, low vision, dental problems etc.  These aids and devices will help them in performing their day to day functions without depending on any caregiver or family member.‘Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana’ launched in Nellore, Andhra Pradesh  This scheme was proposed in Union Budget 2015-16 and is fully funded by Central Government. Money required to run this scheme will be drawn from Senior Citizens’ Welfare Fund. EVENTS Second annual meeting of BRICS New Development Bank held in New Delhi  New Delhi is playing host to Second Annual Meeting of the New Development Bank (NDB) also known colloquially as BRICS bank.  This is the first time the meet is happening in India. MOUs were signed between NDB and European Investment Bank (EIB), European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) and International Investment Bank (IIB).

IMPORTANT DAYS World Autism Awareness Day: 02nd April 2017  The World Autism Awareness Day 2017 has been observed across the world on 2 April 2017. The 2017 theme for the day is "Toward Autonomy and Self-Determination".  World Autism Awareness Day is an internationally recognised day, encouraging Member States of the United Nations to take measures to raise awareness about children with autism throughout the world. PERSONS IN NEWS American singer & song writer Bob Dylan accepts Nobel literature award  American singer and song writer Bob Dylan has finally accepted his Nobel Prize for literature, more than three months after the awards ceremony.  The academy, which awards the coveted prize, ended prolonged speculation as to whether the 75-year-old troubadour would use a concert stopover in Stockholm to accept the gold medal and diploma awarded to him.

APRIL 3

INTERNATIONAL Myanmar becomes 7th member of SASEC  Myanmar became the 7th member of South Asia Sub-regional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) program of Asian Development Bank (ADB). It was officially made member at the SASEC Finance Ministers’ meeting held in New Delhi and chaired by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. About South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation  Founded -2001  Type -Subregional program  Headquarters -Manila, Philippines  Region served -South Asia  Membership -Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka  The South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) program brings together Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, and Sri Lanka in a project-based partnership that aims to promote regional prosperity, improve economic opportunities, and build a better quality of life for the people of the subregion.  SASEC countries share a common vision of boosting intraregional trade and cooperation in South Asia, while also developing connectivity and trade with Southeast Asia through Myanmar, to the People’s Republic of China, and the global market.

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017  The Manila, Philippines-based Asian Development Bank (ADB) serves as the Secretariat for the SASEC member countries

NATIONAL Government launches BS-IV grade fuels  Government has formally launched Bharat Stage-IV (BS-IV) grade transportation fuel across the country to keep carbon emission in check.  The launch came days after the Supreme Court banned sale and registration of BS-III vehicles from 1 April, 2017. It sets target of ushering in BS-VI fuel by April 2020 by skipping BS-V fuel.  All state-run oil marketing companies will provide BS-IV-compliant fuel at their 53,500 retail fuel stations across the country.  BS-IV fuels contain far less sulphur than BS-III fuel. Sulphur in fuel makes it dirtier and lowers the efficiency of catalytic converters, which control emissions. The BS-IV complaint vehicles release less pollutants Carbon Mono-oxide (CO), Hydrocarbon (HC), Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx), Sulphur (SOx) and particulate matter (PM) compared to BS III complaint vehicles.

IISc ranked best educational institution by HRD Ministry  Bengaluru's Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and Delhi's Miranda House have made it to the top of respective categories in the country's official higher education rankings announced by the government.  Releasing the list in New Delhi, Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar stated that the government will provide more grants and funds for institutions faring better in rankings.

TOP UNIVERSITIES  IISc, Bangalore  JNU, New Delhi  BHU, Varanasi

TOP COLLEGES  Miranda House, Delhi  Loyola College, Chennai  Shri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi ECONOMY Under GST regime, tax evasion over Rs 5 crore a non-bailable offense  Tax evasion of over Rs 5 crore under the GST regime would be a non-bailable offense and the police would have the authority to make an arrest without a warrant.  The Central GST (CGST) Bill provides that if the offenses relating to taxable goods and/or services where the amount of tax evaded or the amount of input tax credit wrongly availed or the amount of refund wrongly taken exceeds Rs 5 crore, it shall be treated as cognizable and non-bailable. GOVT SCHEME Union Textiles Minister launches PowerTex India Scheme  The Government has launched PowerTex India, a comprehensive scheme for power loom sector development, simultaneously at over 45 locations in the country.  The Union Textiles Minister, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani Launched the scheme in Bhiwandi, Thane district, Maharashtra. The scheme will especially benefit small powerloom weavers. The comprehensive scheme has the following components:  In-situ Upgradation of Plain Powerlooms.  Group Workshed Scheme (GWS).  Yarn Bank Scheme.  Common Facility Centre (CFC).  Pradhan Mantri Credit Scheme for Powerloom Weavers.  Solar Energy Scheme for Powerlooms.  Facilitation, IT, Awareness, Market Development and Publicity for Powerloom Schemes.  Tex Venture Capital Fund.  Grant-in-Aid and Modernisation & Upgradation of Powerloom Service Centres (PSCs).

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EVENTS 19th commonwealth forestry conference to begin in Uttarakhand today  19th Commonwealth Forestry Conference (CFC) 2017 will begin today at Forest Research Institute (FRI) in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.  Uttarakhand Governor Dr. K.K. Paul will inaugurate the 19th Commonwealth Forestry Conference at the FRI in Dehradun.  The 5-day conference is being organized on the theme ‘Forests for Prosperity and Posterity’.

PERSONS IN NEWS Justice Pradeep Nandrajog sworn in as Chief Justice of Rajasthan HC  Justice Pradeep Nandrajog was sworn in as Chief Justice of Rajasthan High Court.  Prior to this appointment, Justice Nandrajog was the Delhi High Court judge.

OBITUARY LGBT rainbow flag creator Gilbert Baker passes away at 65  Gilbert Baker, creator of the rainbow flag as a symbol for the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) community passed away in Kansas, US.  He had created the eight-colour flag in 1978 for New York’s gay freedom day, which is now the modern pride parade.  Since then his flag has been associated with LGBT rights causes across the world.  The eights colours in the flag are Pink (represented sexuality), red (symbolised life), orange (symbolised healing), yellow (signified sunlight), green (represented nature), turquoise (symbolised art), indigo (represented harmony) and violent (represented human spirit).

APPOINTMENT Vanaja Sarna appointed as Chairman of CBEC  Vanaja N. Sarna was appointed the new chairman of the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC). She succeeded Najib Shah.  CBEC is the nodal government agency on Indirect Taxes responsible for administering Customs, Central Excise, Service Tax and Narcotics in India. Currently it operates and functions under the aegis of the Department of Revenue of Union Ministry of Finance.

Rajiv Kumar Chander appointed as India's Ambassador and permanent representative to the UN  Rajiv Kumar Chander has been appointed as the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations Offices in Geneva.  Mr. Chander belongs to the Indian Foreign Services batch of 1983. He is currently the consul general of India in Vancouver since August 2015. He was the deputy permanent representative with the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations, Geneva, between 2006 and 2009.

Indira Banerjee appointed as new Chief Justice of Madras High Court  Justice Indira Banerjee, a sitting judge of the Delhi High Court, has been appointed as the new Chief Justice of the Madras High Court.  She succeeded Sanjay Kishan Kaushal. With this, Justice Banerjee became the second woman to head the Madras High Court. Justice Kumari Bhatnagar was the first lady to head the Charted court in 1992.

Vipul takes charge as new Consul General of Dubai  Diplomat Vipul, a 1998 batch Indian Foreign Service officer took up the charge as the new Consul General of Dubai. SPORTS PV Sindhu wins India Super Series tournament Rio  Olympics silver medallist P V Sindhu won the India Open Super Series title in women’s single category.  In the final match, she defeated Rio Olympic champion Carolina Marin of Spain by 21-19, 21-16 score.

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017  Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen had won men’s singles title of the tournament after defeating Chinese Taipei’s Tien Chen Chou .

Roger Federer wins Miami Open 2017  Roger Federer (Switzerland) defeated Rafael Nadal (Spain) to win Miami Open 2017 Singles title. Miami Open 2017 was held in Florida, USA.

APRIL 4

INTERNATIONAL India, Malaysia inks 7 agreements  India and Malaysia have inked seven agreements to foster deeper relationship between the two countries.  The agreements were exchanged in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Malaysian counterpart Najib Abdul Razak in New Delhi who was on six day state visit to India.  Signed agreements are Air Services Agreement,MoU on Cooperation Fertilizers sector, MoU on cooperation in Sports, MoU for cooperation in training,MoU on Mutual Recognition of the Educational Qualifications,MoU on collaboration in technology development in the field of Palm Oil and MoU on implementation of 4th Generation Technology Park in Andhra Pradesh.

Global initiative launched to fight fake news  A global alliance of tech industries and academic organisations have unveiled $14-million The News Integrity Initiative to combat the spread of “fake news”, improve public understanding of journalism, promote news literacy and build trust in journalism.  Fake news has become a serious issue in the U.S. election campaign, when clearly fraudulent stories circulated on social media, potentially swaying some voters. Concerns also have been raised since then about hoaxes and misinformation affecting elections in Europe and rise of click farms to generate revenue from online advertising using made-up news stories.  The founding funders of the initiative include Facebook, Craigslist founder Craig Newmark’s philanthropic fund, Ford` Foundation, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Tow Foundation, AppNexus, Mozilla and Betaworks.  City University of New York’s journalism school will coordinate research, projects and events.

NATIONAL Government sets up National Board for Electric Mobility  The Centre has constituted National Board of Electric Mobility (NBEM) to promote electric mobility and manufacturing of electric (& hybrid) vehicles and their components.  The Board will be chaired by the Shri Girish Shankar, Secretary of the Department of Heavy Industry. The NBEM will examine, formulate and propose short as well as long-term plans and contours of the mission program on electric mobility and its objectives. ECONOMY SBI cuts lending rates by 0.15%  Ahead of the Reserve Bank of India's monetary policy this week, the country's largest bank, State Bank of India has reduced its benchmark lending rate by 0.15%.  Base rate or the minimum lending rate of the bank has been reduced from 9.25% to 9.1%. The cut in SBI's base rate was effective from 1st April 2017.

Ola integrates with UPI to simplify payment options  Cab aggregator Ola has integrated with Unified Payment Interface (UPI) to simplify digital payment options for its customers.  This integration will allow Ola customers to use their unique UPI IDs to pay for all their rides on the Ola platform. While making payments for the Ola rides, a customer will now have an option called ‘Pay by UPI’ along with cash, debit/credit card and Ola Money wallet option.

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017 GOVT SCHEME No of beneficiaries under Ujjwala Yojana crosses 2 crore mark: Government  The number of beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana for providing free of cost LPG (cooking gas) connections to BPL households has crossed 2 crore mark since its launch in May 2016.  The success of the scheme shows that how it is serving as a novel means of women empowerment and achieving the goals of providing clean fuel and a better life to the people. About Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana  The Ujjwala Yojana was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in May 2016 from Maldepur Morh, Ballia in Uttar Pradesh.  Tagline : Swachh Indhan, Behtar Jeevan.  Implementing Ministry: The scheme is being implemented by the Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.  Purpose : Empower women and protect their health by shifting them from traditional cooking based on unclean cooking fuels or on fossil fuels to clean cooking gas.  Beneficiary: Under the scheme, an adult woman member of a BPL will be given deposit-free LPG connection with financial assistance of Rs 1,600 per connection by the Centre. Identification of beneficiaries: It will be through the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) in consultation with state governments and Union territories.  Targets: 8,000 crore has been earmarked for providing 5 crore LPG connections to poor households within 3 years by 2019. DEFENCE DAC approves proposals to buy Barak missiles for naval warships  The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) of the Union Defence Ministry has approved proposal to procure fresh batch of Barak surface-to-air missiles (SAM) for the Indian Navy’s warships from Israel.  The procurement of the missiles will enhance India’s maritime capability in view of the changing security dynamics in the Indian Ocean region (IOR).

ENVIRONMENT,SCIENCE AND TECH Scientists identify fungus that eats plastic  Scientists from Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) have identified a soil fungus Aspergillus tubingensis that uses enzymes to rapidly break down plastic materials.  The plastic-eating fungus was found Islamabad, Pakistan. The new discovery in an advance can help to deal with plastic waste problem that threatens our environment in safer and more effective way.

India, UK to set up Green Growth Equity Fund under NIIF for green energy  India and the United Kingdom have decided to set up a 240 million pound Green Growth Equity Fund to finance clean energy projects in India.  Decision in this regard was taken at the 9th India-UK Economic and Financial Dialogue in Delhi. Both India and UK are going to make a contribution of 120 million pounds each in the fund which will focus initial investments in India’s rapidly growing energy and renewables market.  The Fund will be a sub-fund of National Infrastructure and Investment Fund (NIIF) which was set up by India in 2015 to finance greenfield as well as brownfield projects and stalled projects.

First bio-gas bus in Kolkata with flat Rs1 fare  Phoenix India Research and Development Group launched the first bio-gas fuelled bus in Kolkata keeping a flat fare of just Rs 1.  The company has tied-up with Ashok Leyland to manufacture the 54-seater bus at a cost of Rs 13 lakh approximately. The first bus will be flagged off on April 7, 2017 and will run between Ultadanga in the north and Garia in the south in Kolkata.

OBITUARY Renowned Hindustani classical vocalist Kishori Amonkar passes away  Renowned Hindustani classical vocalist Kishori Amonkar passed away.  She was 84.

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017  She was recognised as one of the foremost singers in the Hindustani tradition and as an innovative exponent of the Jaipur gharana.

APPOINTMENT Senior IPS Officer Geeta Johari appointed as Gujarat DGP  Senior IPS Officer Geeta Johari was appointed as new Director General of Police (DGP) of Gujarat.  With this, she became first woman IPS officer to be appointed as DGP of the state

BP Kanungo takes over as RBI Deputy Governor  BP Kanungo took over as the Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in Mumbai. He was appointed by Government in March 2017 for a period of three years. APRIL 5

INTERNATIONAL North Korea fires missile into sea off east coast  North Korea has fired a ballistic missile from its east coast into the sea off the Peninsula from Sinpo, a port city and submarine base.  The missile was launched at a high angle and reached an altitude of 189 km and flew about 60 kilometres.  Its launch comes ahead of a summit between US and Chinese leaders who are set to discuss North Korea’s arms program.  Earlier in March 2017, North Korea had fired four missiles towards Japan, some of which came as close as 300 km to the Japanese coast.

CAG to audit UN Secretariat in New York  The Comptroller and Auditor General of India will audit the UN Secretariat in New York, a job which till now was the exclusive domain of developed countries.  The CAG is the external auditor of several UN organisations and India’s Shashi Kant Sharma is the Chairman of the UN Board of Auditors. UN Board of Auditors:  The General Assembly established the United Nations Board of Auditors (Board) in 1946 as an important mechanism to promote accountability and transparency in the United Nations.  The members of the Board have collective responsibility for the audits.  Currently the heads of the SAIs of India, Tanzania and Germany are the members of the Board.  The Auditors-Generals of UN member states are elected to the Board.  The Board performs external audit of the accounts of the United Nations organization and its funds and programmes and reports its findings and recommendations to the Assembly through the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions.  The Board provides independent assurance to Member States and other stakeholders regarding proper use of the resources of the United Nations and its funds and programmes.  It reports on financial matters as well as on regularity and performance issues.  It plays a significant role in assisting the United Nations to improve its operations and its internal control systems.  The findings and recommendations of the Board have led to continuous systematic improvements in the functioning of the United Nations.

Germany becomes first NATO member to launch cyber command unit  Germany became the first North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member country to launch a self-contained cyber command unit dubbed as Cyber and Information Space Command (Kdo CIR).  It has been designed to shield IT and weapons systems from growing attacks. The Kdo CIR will be the youngest branch of Germany’s military “Bundeswehr”.  It will operate and protect German military’s own IT infrastructure and computer-assisted weapons systems, and tackle online threats. It will also focus on war-game offensive skills and capabilities. ECONOMY

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017 ICICI, Axis Bank sell Rs 1800 crore Ballarpur loans to Edelweiss  ICICI Bank and Axis Bank sold Rs.1,800 crore of loans to paper maker Ballarpur Industries Ltd to Edelweiss Asset Reconstruction Company.  It is the first time that loans have been sold to an asset reconstruction firm. Axis Bank sold loans of Rs.1,200 crore and ICICI Bank sold loans of Rs.600 crore. GOVT SCHEME Haryana to provide one-time grant of Rs. 21,000 to families for third girl child  Haryana Government has decided to provide one-time grant of Rs 21,000 to all those families whose third girl child was born on or after August 24, 2015 under the ‘Aapki Beti, Hamari Beti’ scheme.  Under the scheme, the eligible families will receive the amount irrespective of their caste, creed, religion, income and number of sons. Its purpose is to combat the problem of declining child sex ratio and promote girls’ education in the state. EVENTS National conference on Communicating India to be organized  A day-long national conference on Communicating India will be organized in New Delhi which will be inaugurated by Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore.  Telling the India's story to the world, Communicating via Journalism and Dialogue with Diaspora are three main themes which are outlined for the conference.

Berhampur Thakurani Yatra fetival begins in Odisha  The famous Berhampur Thakurani Yatra, one of the biggest festivals of southern Odisha, has been celebrated with pomp and gaiety.  Nearly a month-long festival celebrates the journey of the deity Maa Budhi Thakurani.

ENVIRONMENT,SCIENCE AND TECH Tree-dwelling crab species Kani maranjadu found in Kerala  Scientists from the University of Kerala have discovered a new species of long-legged, tree-dwelling crabs named Kani maranjandu in Western Ghats of Kerala. It has been named after the Kani tribe in Kerala and are substantially different from other congeners (organisms within the same genus).  Kani maranjandu is the first crab species of its kind to offer a record of an arboreal crab (species that lives in trees).  Its upper shell is hard, its male abdominal structure and reproductive parts and diagnostic elongated walking legs (no other genus has).

Japan officially recognises Bitcoin as currency  Japan has officially recognized bitcoin and digital currencies as legal money along the lines of other fiat currencies with effect from April 1, 2017.  The recognition comes after implementation of a new law amending Banking Act in Japan for legalizing these currencies.  It will help in integration of digital currency into legal banking system through regulatory scrutiny.

RBI Board clears proposal to introduce Rs 200 notes  The board of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has cleared a proposal to introduce banknotes of Rs 200 denomination.  The decision was taken at the RBI board meeting held in Mumbai in March 2017.  The process of printing the new Rs 200 notes is likely to begin after June 2017 once the government officially approves the new denomination. IMPORTANT DAYS April 4: International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action  The International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action is observed every year on April 4 to highlight the deadly threat that mines pose to civilians’ lives and nations’ development.  The theme of this year was “Needs driven. People Centred”.  The day was constituted by United Nation General Assembly (UNGA) by passing resolution in December 2005.

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017 AWARDS AND HONOURS Doctors artwork finds place in Guinness Book:  A fingerprint painting, created by a group of Indian doctors as a symbolic representation to end frequent attacks against the fraternity, has found place in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s largest such artwork.  Titled “Ray of Hope“, measuring 469.75 m, the painting was made up of 15 lakh finger impressions of doctors from different parts of the country, collected over a period of four months.  The record title is in the name of Dr Naveen Koval, an assistant professor of Pediatrics at Kannur Medical College, Kerala, who conceptualised the work and Indian medical association.

PERSONS IN NEWS K Prithika Yashini becomes India’s first-ever transgender police official  K Prithika Yashini became India’s first-ever transgender person to become a police official, after she took charge as sub-inspector in Dharmapuri district in Tamil Nadu.  Her appointment was made as per the Madras High Court order delivered in November 2015. The court had directed Tamil Nadu Uniformed Services Recruitment Board (TNUSRB) to appoint K Prithika Yashini as a sub-inspector of police as she is entitled to get the job.

PLACES IN NEWS Jhargram becomes 22nd Bengal district  Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee declared Jhargram as the 22nd district of West Bengal.  Jhargram has been formed by bifurcating West Midnapore, which has a population of more than 11.37 lakh. Mamta Banerjee announced a budget of Rs 200 crore for the development of Jhargram.

SPORTS India ranks 3rd in WADA doping charts  India was ranked third for the third year in a row in a doping violation report published by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) for 2015.  In 2015, 117 Indian athletes were punished after testing positive for banned substances. India followed the Russian Federation (176) and Italy (129), the same position as in the reports of 2013 and 2014.

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INTERNATIONAL Union Cabinet approves MoU between India and Australia in field of Health and Medicine  The Union Cabinet has approved the MoU between India and Australia on cooperation in the field of Health and Medicine.  The MoU will involve cooperation through joint initiatives in the Health Sector and strengthen bilateral ties between both countries. The main areas of cooperation are Communicable diseases such as Tuberculosis and Malaria.  Non-Communicable Diseases and Mental Health. Anti-Microbial Resistance and responding to public health emergencies. Regulation of vaccines, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices. Digital Health. Tobacco Control Any other area of cooperation decided mutually by both countries.

Union Cabinet approves agreement between India and Bangladesh on Audio Visual Co-Production  The Union Cabinet has approved the agreement on Audio Visual Co-Production India and Bangladesh. Decision in this regard was taken at the Union Cabinet Meeting chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.  It will cover co-production of films, animations and documentary films.  An audio-visual co-production made under it, will be entitled to all the benefits which may be accorded to any national audio-visual work by both countries in accordance with their respective laws and regulations.  It will lead to exchange of art and culture among the two countries and create goodwill and better understanding among the peoples of both the countries.

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017  Facilitate utilization of Indian locales for shooting, thus raising the prospect of India as a preferred film shooting destination across the globe.

Cabinet approves Collaboration Agreement to support the Belmont Forum Secretariat  The Union Cabinet has given its approval for signing of the Collaborative Agreement with French National Research Agency (ANR), France for supporting the Belmont Forum Secretariat from January, 2015 to December, 2017 at a total estimated expenditure of Euro 40,000.  The Cabinet also approved continued financial support to Belmont Forum Secretariat beyond 2017.  The Agreement will help to maintain a certain degree of continuity in the operations of the Forum and also help in smooth coordination of the activities of Belmont Forum. As India is already participating in 4 Collaborative Research Actions (CRAs) and Secretariat will be coordinating the activities of Belmont Forum, Indian scientific community will ultimately benefit from this agreement. About Belmont Forum  The Belmont Forum, created in 2009, is a high level group of the world’s major and emerging funders of global environmental change research and international science councils.  It provides an opportunity to identify study and deliver international environmental research priorities, for the society, in an accelerated way through trans-national research collaboration between natural and social scientists and alignment of international resources  India is a member of Belmont Forum, besides Australia, Brazil, Canada, European Commission, France, Germany, Japan, Netherland, South Africa, UK and USA etc.  Ministry of Earth Science (MoES), represents India in the Belmont Forum since 2012. ECONOMY Monetary policy review: RBI leaves repo rate unchanged  The Reserve Bank of India has released the first Bi-monthly Monetary policy of the new financial year (2017-18). GDP growth has hiked to 7.4% from 6.7%. Rates in the newly released Monetary policy are as follows-  Repo Rate under the Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF) unchanged at 6.25%.  The Reverse Repo Rate (RRR) under the Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF) has been hiked to 6% from 5.75%.  The Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate are at 6.50% decline from 6.75%.  Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) remains unchanged at 4% and Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) also remains unchanged at 20.50%.

Union Cabinet approves setting up Rail Development Authority  The Union Cabinet has cleared approved setting up an independent rail regulator, named Rail Development Authority (RDA).  It will be based in Delhi and will be set up through an executive order.  It will be responsible for recommending passenger fares, setting performance standards for rail operations and creating level playing policy for private sector participation.

PM to lay foundation stone of a multi-modal terminal on River Ganga in Jharkhand  Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of a multi-modal terminal on River Ganga at Sahebganj in Jharkhand.  The state of the art terminal, to be constructed at an estimated cost of 280 crore rupees, is an important component of the development of the National Waterway-1 from Varanasi to Haldia.

Aditya Birla Group gets RBI licence to start payments bank  Aditya Birla Idea Payments Bank Ltd becomes the seventh entity to receive a final licence from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to set up a payments bank. ii. Except Vodafone M-Pesa Ltd, all payment bank licence holders have received the final approval.  Among payment bank licence holders, two entities namely Airtel Payments Bank and India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) have started operations so far.  While Airtel is offering 7.25% interest on its savings account, IPPB is offering three types of accounts where interest rates will vary from 4.5-5.5%.

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GOVT SCHEME Cabinet approves closure of Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Suraksha Yojana  The Union Cabinet has approved closure of the Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Suraksha Yojana (MGPSY) which was set up in 2012 to address the social security-related issues of the Emigration Check Required (ECR)-category workers going abroad for employment to ECR countries.  The subscription under the MGPSY was very low and no new subscription was received for more than a year. Closure of the scheme will, therefore, obviate the avoidable recurring administrative and record-keeping expenditure.  Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Suraksha Yojana is a special social security scheme which includes Pension and Life Insurance, introduced by Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs for the overseas Indian workers in possession of Emigration Check Required (ECR) passports.  It is a voluntary scheme designed to help workers to meet their three financial needs: saving for retirement, saving for their return and resettlement, and providing free life insurance offering coverage for death from natural causes.

IMPORTANT DAYS International Day of Sport for Development and Peace: 06th April  6 April was declared as the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP) by the UN General Assembly.  On the occasion of the 2017 International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP), the United Nations Office on Sport for Development and Peace (UNOSDP) launches the digital campaign #WePlayTogether to encourage organizations and individuals.

National Maritime Day:

 54th National Maritime Day was observed on April 5th.  It was first celebrated on April 5, 1964.  In India, April 5 is marked as the National Maritime Day commemorating the first voyage of the SS Loyalty, the first ship of Scindia Steam Navigation Company towards United Kingdom on this day in 1919.

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INTERNATIONAL Thailand’s king signs new constitution  Thailand’s new king has signed an army-drafted constitution that sets the country on the path to elections while cementing the grip of the military over any future government.  The constitution is the nation’s 20th since the absolute monarchy was abolished in 1932.  The new charter introduces a different electoral system, a modified proportional method of choosing the 500 members of the lower house of parliament in which people vote for one of 350 constituency candidates; those votes are totalled to determine which of the remaining 150 party list seats go to which party. Under the previous system voters cast two ballots, one for the candidate and one for the party.  Along with weaker governments, the constitution stipulates that an unelected, 250-seat upper house, or senate, will wield significant influence in the years following the election, currently expected at the end of 2018.  Membership of the senate will be essentially determined by the military, giving the generals enormous sway over future governments, which would need three quarters of the seats in the lower house to have a majority in both houses.  Elected governments will also be bound in this constitution to follow the military’s 20-year blueprint for Thailand, and it will be easier for the “independent” bodies, like the Constitutional Court, which will have enhanced powers, to constrain those governments even further.

Iceland set to become world’s first country to neutralise gender pay gap

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017  Iceland is set to become the first country in the world to neutralise gender pay gap. In this regard, a bill was introduced in Iceland’s parliament that makes mandatory for public and private businesses to prove they offer equal pay to employees.  The bill entails companies and institutions of a certain size (25 or more employees), to undertake a certification of their equal-pay programmes.  According to World Economic Forum (WEF)’s 2015 Global Gender Gap Index (GGGI), Iceland was ranked first and was followed by fellow Nordic nations Norway, Finland and Sweden.

NATIONAL Union Government declares Kerala drought-hit  The Union has declared Kerala drought-hit, along with seven other States. The declaration was based on a memorandum submitted to the Union Ministry of Agriculture by Kerala Government seeking assistance for drought relief activities.  Other seven states are Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Centre has allowed 50 additional working days in these eight states under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee (MGNREGA) Scheme and shall receive assistance of Rs. 24,000 crore.

ECONOMY FMCG is highest paying sector in India, according to a survey by Randstad.  Employees of fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry receive the highest salaries in India at ₹11.3 lakh a year as the average annual cost-to-company (CTC) across all levels and functions.  The FMCG sector is followed by power and information technology, where employees earn average annual salaries of ₹9.8 lakh and ₹9.3 lakh respectively, according to Randstad 2017 Salary Trends Study findings.  Pharma and healthcare, offering an average annual CTC of ₹8.8 lakh and telecom ₹8.7 lakhs take the fourth and fifth position in the list as India’s most lucrative industries.  As far as the location-specific salary trends are concerned, Bengaluru, the IT capital of India tops the chart as the highest paying city in the country, with an average annual CTC of ₹14.6 lakhs while Mumbai offered ₹14.2 lakh.

NEFT transfers to be faster as RBI cuts clearance time  The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to slash clearance time for National Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT) in an attempt to enhance the efficiency of the electronic payment system and add to customer convenience.  The NEFT settlement cycle will be reduced from hourly batches to half hourly batches, the RBI stated in the first bi-monthly monetary policy for 2017-18.  11 additional settlement batches will be introduced at 8.30 am onwards, taking the total number of half hourly settlement batches during the day to 23. RBI also stated the starting batch at 8 am and closing batch at 7 pm shall remain the same and the return discipline will also remain the same as per the existing practice.

DEFENCE Prem Bahadur Resmi Magar posthumously conferred Kirti Chakra  President Pranab Mukherjee has posthumously conferred Kirti Chakra, the second highest peacetime gallantry award on Lance Havildar Prem Bahadur Resmi Magar of Gorkha Rifles.  The late Lance Havildar had eliminated four terrorists during an operation in Jammu and Kashmir in June 2016.  President also presented 13 Shaurya Chakras, of which four were posthumous and 45 Distinguished Service medals that included 15 Param Vishisht Seva Medals, 2 Uttam Yudh Seva Medals and 28 Ati Vishisht Seva Medals.

Indian Army Chief Bipin Rawat conferred with honorary rank of general of Nepal Army

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017  General Bipin Rawat, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) was conferred with honorary rank of general of Nepal Army.  The title was conferred by Nepalese President Bidhya Devi Bhandari during a special function at the President’s Office. India and Nepal have a long tradition of conferring such honorary titles on the chiefs of their armies since 1950 to signify the close military-to-military ties. EVENTS Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated 3-day National Children’s Film Festival  Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting and Urban Development M Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated a three-day National Children’s Film Festival in Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.  It is the largest film festival for children in the country giving the audience quality and wholesome entertainment. The aim of the film festival is to expose children to quality cinema and to introduce novel elements beyond films.

ENVIRONMENT,SCIENCE AND TECH North India to get first wildlife DNA bank in Bareilly  North India will soon get its first DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) bank for wildlife at the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh.  In this regard, scientists at IVRI in Bareilly are in the process of collecting the DNA samples of all kinds of wildlife to set up the bank.  It is expected to help in wildlife research and also bring down poaching.

India takes over control of Kudankulam Unit 1  India has taken over full operational control of Unit 1 of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP). An agreement was signed in this regard recently.  With the deal, the Russian and the Indian sides have confirmed fulfilment of all warranty terms and obligations of the contractor (ASE Group of Companies) for the construction of Unit 1.  About Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant:  Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant is situated in Koodankulam in the Tirunelveli district of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.  The reactors are pressurised water reactor of Russian design. Thermal capacity is 3,000 MW, gross electrical capacity is 1,000 MW with a net capacity of 917 MW.  When completed the plant will become the largest nuclear power generation complex in India producing a cumulative 2 GW of electric power.  Pressurized water reactors (PWRs) are one of three types of light water reactor (LWR), the other types being boiling water reactors (BWRs) and supercritical water reactors (SCWRs). In a PWR, the primary coolant (water) is pumped under high pressure to the reactor core where it is heated by the energy released by the fission of atoms. The heated water then flows to a steam generator where it transfers its thermal energy to a secondary system where steam is generated and flows to turbines which, in turn, spin an electric generator. In contrast to a boiling water reactor, pressure in the primary coolant loop prevents the water from boiling within the reactor. All LWRs use ordinary water as both coolant and neutron moderator. Google unveils ‘YouTube Go’  Google has rolled out the beta version of its new ‘YouTube Go’ application in India. The application promises to give a better experience of watching videos on a slower network.  It has been designed to be offline first and to improve the experience of watching videos on a slower network. Users can also keep a tab on data used for streaming or saving videos.  It can be downloaded on the Google Play Store in India.

IMPORTANT DAYS World Health Day: 7 April  World Health Day is celebrated on 7th of April every year to mark the anniversary of the founding of the World Health Organization.  The theme of 2017 World Health Day is 'Depression: Let's Talk'.

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017 AWARDS 64th National Film Awards

 The 64th National Film Awards were announced in which the Directorate of Film Festivals presents its annual National Film Awards to honor the best films of 2016 in the Indian cinema.  The awards ceremony will be held on 3 May 2017 in India. Here is the list of Winners of all categories.

Cateogry List of Winners Most Film Friendly State Uttar Pradesh Best writing on Films G Dhananjayan Best book on cinema Lata Surgatha- a book that narrates the story of legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar Best Music Leeches Best Short fiction Aba Best Animation Hum Chitra Banate Hain Best Educational Film The Waterfalls Best Environment Film The Tiger Who Crossed the Line Best Investigative Film Placebo Best Biographical/Historical Zikr Uss Parivash Ka reconstruction Best Non-Feature Film Fireflies in the Abyss, My Discovery of a Legend Best Tamil Film Joker Best Gujarati Film Wrong Side Raju Best Marathi Film Dashakriya Best Hindi Film Neerja Best Bengali Film Bisarjan Best Kannada Film Reservation Best Malayalam film Maheshinite Pratikaram Best Visual Effects Shivaay Best Female Playback Singer Iman Chakraborty Best Male Playback Singer Sunder Iyer Best Actor Akshay Kumar for Rustom Best Children's Film Dhanak, Hindi Best Supporting Actress Zaira Wasim for Dangal Best Film On Social Issues Pink Best Action Choreography Peter Hein for Pulimurugan Best Feature Film Kasav, Marathi film Best Director Rajesh Mapuskar for Ventilator Best Actress Surabhi Best Sound Recording Kaadu Pookkunna Neram Best Screenplay Maheshinite Pratikaram Best Child Artiste Adish Praveen

PERSONS IN NEWS Bhimaraya Metri joins as Director of IIM Trichy

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017  Bhimaraya Metri has taken over as Director of Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Trichy (IIM Tiruchirappalli).  He succeeded Prafulla Agnihotri. Prior to joining IIM Trichy, Metri was the Dean at L&T Institute of Project Management, Vadodara.

OBITUARY Roland founder and digital music pioneer Ikutaro Kakehashi passes away  Japanese engineer, Roland founder and pioneer of digital music Ikutaro Kakehashi passed away in Japan. He was 87.  He was best known for founding Roland Corporation in 1972 as well as his roles in the development of Roland drum machines and MIDI standard (Musical Instrument Digital Interface). APPOINTMENT Malvika Sinha appointed as new Executive Director of RBI  The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has appointed Malvika Sinha as new Executive Director (ED) following the appointment of B P Kanungo as Deputy Governor.  In her new role, she will look after foreign exchange department, internal debt management wing and department of government and bank accounts.  Prior to her elevation, she was Principal Chief General Manager, Department of Cooperative Banking Supervision in the RBI. She had had joined RBI in 1982 and as a career central banker she had served in the areas of regulation and supervision, foreign exchange and government and bank accounts. SPORTS Ministry approves appointment of two foreign athletics coaches  Sports Minister Mr. Vijay Goel has approved the appointment of two top foreign athletics coaches, one each in race walking and 400m race. Australian Dave Smith has been appointed as the coach in race walking.  The ministry also approved the appointment of American Galina P Bukharina as coach of national 400m and 400m relay teams. The appointments have been made keeping in mind the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.  The ministry has also approved the appointment of two masseurs- Dmitry Kislev and Elmira Kisleva both from Russia.

RCB, Nazara tie up to launch online cricket game  Royal Challengers Bangalore and gaming entity Nazara Games have come together to launch a new mobile cricket game RCB Star Cricket.  This will also mark the first cricket franchise to have a game off the field and on the screen.

P V Sindhu reaches career-best World No.2 ranking  Rio Olympics silver medallist P V Sindhu jumped three places to achieve a career-best world number two ranking in the latest Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings.  The 21-year-old shuttler from Hyderabad became only the second Indian woman after Saina Nehwal to break into the top-five of the world rankings by earning 75759 points.

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INTERNATIONAL US, China agree to pursue 100-day plan for reducing trade deficit  United States and China have agreed to pursue a ‘100-day plan’ aimed at reducing the US trade deficit with China.  Decision in this regard was taken by US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in their first summit held in Florida, US.  They also agreed to adopt the US-China Comprehensive Dialogue. It will replace the Strategic and Economic Dialogue. It is designed to cover 4 fields that include law enforcement, cyber security and economy.

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India, Bangladesh sign 22 agreements  India and Bangladesh have signed 22 agreements in various fields such as defence, nuclear cooperation, judicial sector, earth sciences, navigation, peaceful uses of outer space, to boost bilateral cooperation.  These agreements were signed in presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh Prime Minister Shiekh Hasina in New Delhi after delegation level talks.  India also announced concessional Line of Credit (LoC) of $4.5 billion to Bangladesh for projects in priority sectors.  Moreover, India also gave LoC of $500 million to Bangladesh for defence purchases. Some of the agreements signed are  MoU on Defence Cooperation Framework  MoU on Bilateral Judicial Sector Cooperation  MoU for extending Defence LOC of $500 million.  MoU on Cooperation in the Field of Mass Media.  MoU on Cooperation in the area of Cyber Security.  MoU concerning Cooperation on Aids to Navigation. MoU on Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.  MoU for Extending a 3rd Line of Credit (LoC) by GoI to GoB. Agreement on Cooperation in Peaceful uses of Nuclear Energy.  MoU on Co-operation in the field of Information Technology and Electronics.  MoU on establishing Border Haats across the border between India and Bangladesh.  Agreement for the Regulation of Motor Vehicle Passenger Traffic (Khulna-Kolkata route).  Inter-Agency Agreement on Cooperation regarding Nuclear Power Plant Projects in Bangladesh  MoU on Mutual Scientific Cooperation in the field of Earth Sciences for Research and Development

NATIONAL Sex ratio in Haryana touches 950 mark for first time  The sex ratio in Haryana for the first time in the history has touched the 950 mark in March, 2017.  It was announced by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. The state has improved its skewed sex ratio after the launch of ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ programme by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Haryana.  It also had launched a massive campaign in the state by strictly implementing Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act and Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act. The State is also running sensitisation-cum-awareness campaigns promoting girl child.

ECONOMY Ban on cash transactions of over Rs 2 lakh not applicable for bank, post office withdrawals  Ban on cash transaction in excess of Rs 2 lakh will not be applicable to withdrawals from banks and post office savings accounts, the Income-Tax department announced.  In a clarification on the newly inserted Section 269ST in the I-T Act, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) abort the restriction to withdrawal from banks and post offices. Restriction is also not applicable to any receipt by government, banking company, post office savings bank or co-operative bank respectively.

HDFC Bank UPI on Chillr app  HDFC Bank announced its Unified Payments Interface (UPI) will also be available on Chillr, a multi-bank mobile payments app.

South Indian Bank, Flyworld Money in pact for remittances  South Indian Bank has entered into an agreement with Flyworld Money Exchange to facilitate remittances by Indian expatriates in Australia.  Through this tie-up, NRIs in Australia could enjoy quick and cost-effective remittances to India using the SIB Express facility. With this agreement, SIB marks the first remittance arrangement with an exchange house in Australia.

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India ranks 9th in corruption in business: EMEIA Fraud Survey  According to EY Europe, Middle East, India and Africa (EMEIA) Fraud Survey 2017, India ranks 9th among 41 surveyed countries in bribery and corrupt practices in businesses.  India’s ranking has improved marginally from the survey findings in 2015 when India was at the 6th position.  It has improved due to better regulatory scrutiny and emphasis on transparency and governance.

GOVT SCHEME Madhya Pradesh Government launches 1 year diploma course on Hindu priesthood  Madhya Pradesh government-run Maharshi Patanjali Sanskrit Sansthan will launch one-year diploma course on Hindu priesthood ‘Purohityam’ from July 2017.  This course will be open for all irrespective of religion, caste, or gender. The basic qualification needed for enrolling this course is class X.  The enrolled candidates will be taught basics of priesthood, rituals, mantras in accordance with the Hindu tradition. EVENTS First NIMCARE World Health Day Summit 2017  The slogan of the first NIMCARE World Health Day Summit is, ‘Unite for a Healthy Mind’.  The summit will focus on the importance of talking about depression as a vital component of recovery.  Out of all the mental health disorders, depression is the most common.  Depression affects people of all ages from all walks of life and in all countries.  As per the National Mental Health Survey 2015-16 conducted by NIMHANS, 5.2% of the Indian adult population suffers from depression in some form or the other. The problem of depression often gets ignored due to lack of understanding on the part of family members.  The social stigma attached to a mental disorder, even if it is easily treatable, is also a major problem in India.

PM to launch digital exhibition on Champaran Satyagraha  Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch a 'special digital exhibition' on the Champaran Satyagraha on 10th April 2017. It is a unique initiative to re-envision the theme of the movement undertaken by Mahatma Gandhi.  The exhibition will be titled as 'Bapu Ko Karyanjali' and will be launched at the National Archive in New Delhi.  This effort will dovetail into the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan, and generate greater awareness towards cleanliness, in the run-up to the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi in 2019.

ENVIRONMENT,SCIENCE AND TECH Agriculture Ministry, ISRO to team up to Geo-Tag Agricultural Assets  The Union Agriculture Ministry has joined hands with the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), a wing of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for geo-tagging agricultural assets.  In this regard, Agriculture Ministry under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojna (RKVY) and NRSC have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).  The move will help bring transparency in governance due to real-time monitoring and effective utilisation of agricultural assets such as ponds, crop area, warehouses and laboratories etc.  At present, officials provide information on the assets manually, so there is no transparency. Geo-tagging will provide realistic status of assets.  It will not only help in monitoring and utilising assets but will be useful in formulating schemes for development in the agricultural sector.  It will also help in avoiding duplication of data. Utilisation of space technology will help farmers to further get access to pesticide testing labs, storage infrastructure, and market-related information PERSONS IN NEWS Malala Yousafzai to become youngest United Nations Messenger of Peace

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017  UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has selected Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai (19) as Messenger of Peace.  With this, she becomes UN’s youngest-ever Messenger of Peace, the highest honour bestowed by the UN on a global citizen. SPORTS Boxer Shyam Kumar wins gold at Thailand International  Indian boxer K Shyam Kumar won a gold medal in the 49- kilogram category at the Thailand International Tournament in Bangkok. NBA launches first basketball school in India  The National Basketball Association (NBA) announced the setting up of its first basketball school, a network of tuition-based basketball development programmes, in Mumbai.  The school, as part of a multi-year agreement announced with India On Track (IOT), is open to male and female players between ages 6-18.

APRIL 9

INTERNATIONAL India, Russia team up to promote innovation and R&D  India has signed a joint declaration with Russia to promote innovation and the R&D ecosystem between the two countries.  'The declaration was signed between the Department of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation on the sidelines of the Global R&D Summit 2017.  With this collaboration, there will be an effort to promote innovation and technology entrepreneurship through the development of long-term cooperation, co-innovation and direct contacts between Russian and Indian innovation clusters.

ECONOMY,BANKING AND FINANCE Flipkart Buys eBay India  India's largest e-commerce player Flipkart buys eBay's India business, and closing a $1.4 billion fund-raising round from Tencent, eBay and Microsoft.  In exchange for an equity stake in Flipkart, eBay has agreed to make a $500 million cash investment in and sell its eBay.in business to Flipkart.

Samsung India’s R&D unit tops chart of IT patent applicants  Samsung R&D Institute India filed the maximum number of patent applications in the IT sector in 2015-16, followed by home-grown TCS and Wipro according to Indian Patent Office survey.  In the scientific and research and development organizations category, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has topped the chart. Indian Patent Office comes under the Commerce and Industry Ministry.

Smita Sandhane appointed MD of Saraswat Bank  Saraswat Bank, the largest lender in the co-operative space, has appointed Smita Sandhane as its Managing Director (MD) with effect from 01st April 2017.  She is the first woman chief of India's largest urban co-operative bank.

DEFENCE 12th Indo-Mongolian Joint Military Exercise Nomadic Elephant held in Vairengte  The 12th edition Indo-Mongolian Joint Military Exercise Nomadic Elephant 2017 has begun at Vairengte in Mizoram.  Vairengte houses Indian Army’s elite Counter-Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School. The first joint Nomadic Elephant was held in 2004 and since then it is annually held. It seeks to promote military associations between India and Mongolia. EVENTS World Homeopathy Day: International Convention Organised in New Delhi

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017  Minister of State (Independent Charge) for AYUSH, Shripad Yesso Naik inaugurated the National Convention on World Homeopathy Day on 10 April 2017 at New Delhi.  The event was organized to commemorate the 262nd birth anniversary of the founder of Homeopathy, Dr. Christian Friedrich Samuel Hahnemann, a German physician, who was a great scholar, linguist and acclaimed scientist.  The theme of the convention is "Enhancing Quality Research in Homeopathy through scientific evidence and rich clinical experiences". AWARDS Indian-origin educationist wins 'Asian Businesswoman of Year' award  65-year-old Dame Asha Khemka, Principal and CEO of West Nottinghamshire College, was honoured for her efforts in the field of education and skills at the Asian Business Awards ceremony on Friday.  The event, which took place at the famous Edgbaston cricket ground in the city, also marked the launch of the 'Asian Rich List' for the Midlands to highlight the high net worth Asians in the region.  Other winners at the event included Morningside Pharmaceuticals which received the Asian Business of the Year Award; Kailash Suri, Managing Director of Reel Cinemas, who won Entrepreneur of the Year; and Nishti Ismail, founder of Nishti's Choice, awarded for being a Community Champion.

PLACES IN NEWS Bengal gets 23rd district: West Burdwan  West Burdwan district was carved out of Burdwan on Friday by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, making it the 23rd district.  Mamata said 44,500 flats under housing scheme are being built in subsidence-affected areas at the new district. “Besides 24 special need support units, 5 sick neo-natal care units, 2 multi super-speciality hospitals would be built in Bardhaman district,” she said.  The chief minister also announced setting up a mishti (sweet) hub in the district to export sweets such as ‘langcha’, popular in Burdwan.  The new district comprises Burdwan Paschim, Asansol and Durgapur. With the division, the agrarian parts of Burdwan now fall under East Burdwan, while the industrial hub will come under West Burdwan, which has two sub-divisions – Asansol Sadar and Durgapur.

UP govt to build music village in Bismillah Khan's honour  The Uttar Pradesh Government has given its clearance to the project of building a music village in Varanasi in honour of legendary Shehnai player Ustad Bismillah Khan. The village, to be named as 'Bismillah Khan Sangeet Gram', will have a museum centre, a training cum research centre among others things associated with musical 'gharanas'.  The project conceived by Padma Shri Soma Ghosh, the adopted daughter of the legendary shehnai player, got the clearance from chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday. SPORTS Hamilton beats Vettel to win his fifth Chinese Grand Prix  Mercedes' British Formula One racer Lewis Hamilton defeated Ferrari's four-time Formula One World Champion Sebastian Vettel to lift his fifth title at the Chinese Grand Prix.

APRIL 10

INTERNATIONAL Kolkata- Khulna-Dhaka bus service flagged off  A Kolkata-Khulna-Dhaka bus service was recently ceremoniously flagged off from Kolkata. This is a part of several initiatives being taken to strengthen bilateral relations between India and Bangladesh.  This is for the first time, Kolkata and Khulna are being directly connected through a bus route.  It will be a 409 Km long bus route from Kolkata via Khulna to Dhaka.

First UK rail freight service to China to depart  The first rail freight service from United Kingdom to China departed from Essex. Earlier the first freight train in the opposite direction, from China to UK had arrived in London in January 2017.

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017  The train service was launched as part of China’s ambitious One Belt, One Road (OBOR) initiative that aims to revive the ancient Silk Road trading routes with the West dating back more than 2,000 years.

NATIONAL Pakistan sentences alleged RAW agent Kulbhushan Jadhav to death  Pakistan’s Field General Court Martial has sentenced to death Indian national and alleged RAW (Research and Analysis Wing) agent Kulbhushan Jadhav (46) who was arrested last year on charges of spying.  The death sentence was confirmed by army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa after the Field General Court Martial found him guilty of all the charges.

Parliament passes Constitution (SCs) order (Amendment) Bill, 2017  Parliament has passed the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order (Amendment) Bill 2017 after it was passed by Rajya Sabha. It was already passed by Lok Sabha in March 2017.  The Bill seeks to amends the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 and the Constitution (Pondicherry) Scheduled Castes Order, 1964.  Modify the list of SCs for Odisha: It makes castes Sualgiri, Swalgiri as synonyms to the Sabakhia caste in the list of SCs for the state. Modification of name of Pondicherry.  It modifies name of the Union Territory of Pondicherry to Puducherry by incorporating changes in the Constitution (Pondicherry) Scheduled Castes Order, 1964.  Article 341 of the Constitution empowers the President to specify the Scheduled Castes in various states and UTs. Further, it permits Parliament to modify this list.

Constitution 123rd Amendment Bill, 2017 passed in Lok Sabha  Lok Sabha has passed Constitution 123rd Amendment Bill, 2017 which seeks to give constitutional status to National Commission for Backward Classes.  The bill was passed by the house with 360 MPs voting in favor and 2 against the bill.  Objectives of the Bill The Constitution 123rd Amendment Bill seeks to make the following changes: It seeks to insert a new article 338B in the constitution which provides for NCBC, its composition, mandate, functions and various officers.  Insert a new article 342-A which empowers the president to notify the list of socially and educationally backward classes of that state / union territory. In case of a state, president will make such notification after consultation with the Governor. Under the same article, it is proposed that parliament by making a law can include or exclude the classes from the central list of backward classes. ECONOMY,BANKING AND FINANCE RBI allows banks to invest in REITs & InvITs  The Reserve Bank of India has allowed banks to invest in Real Estate Investment Trust (REITs) and Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs), a move that will help revive the cash-starved infrastructure sector.  Banks are allowed to invest in equity-linked mutual funds, venture capital funds (VCFs) and equities to the extent of 20% of their Net Owned Fund (NOF).

President Pranab Mukherjee picks winner of Lucky Grahak and Digi Dhan Vyapar Yojanas  President Pranab Mukherjee has picked up lucky winners from the 100th draw of lots under the digital payments promotion schemes Lucky Grahak Yojana and Digi Dhan Vyapar Yojana.  Total the six winners were selected — three consumers and three merchants of Lucky Grahak Yojana and Digi Dhan Vyapar Yojana. The winners will be felicitated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 14 in Nagpur (Maharashtra) on the occasion of Ambedkar Jayanti.

GOVT SCHEME Venkaiah Naidu launches 352 housing projects in 53 cities  Minister of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation M Venkaiah Naidu launched 352 projects in 53 cities in 17 States across the country with an investment of Rs 38,003-cr to build 2,03,851 affordable houses.

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017  These housing projects would be implemented by the Confederation of Real Estate Developers' Associations of India (CREDAI) across the country in the first major private investment in affordable housing.

Deendayal Rasoi Yojna launched in Madhya Pradesh  Madhya Pradesh government kick-started its ambitious ‘Deendayal Rasoi Yojana’ under which subsidised meals will be available at Rs 5 per plate to people, especially the economically disadvantaged sections of society.  The initiative is on the lines of state run Amma Canteens, started by the former chief minister J Jayalalithaa, which served subsidised food at low prices. Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan inaugurated the scheme at Gwalior. In the first phase, the scheme would be inaugurated in 49 districts. DEFENCE Bharat ke Veer  It is a web portal and mobile application launched recently on the occasion of Valour Day of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).  The portal is an IT based platform, with an objective to enable willing donors to contribute towards the family of a braveheart who sacrificed his/her life in line of duty.  This website is technically supported by National Informatics Centre (NIC) and powered by State Bank of India.  This domain allows anyone to financially support the bravehearts of his choice or towards the “Bharat Ke Veer” corpus. The amount so donated will be credited to the account of ‘Next of Kin’ of those Central Armed Police Force/Central Para Military Force soldiers.  To ensure maximum coverage, a cap of 15 lakh rupees is imposed and the donors would be alerted if the amount exceeds, so that they can choose to divert part of the donation to another braveheart account or to the “Bharat Ke Veer” corpus.  “Bharat Ke Veer” corpus would be managed by a committee made up of eminent persons of repute and senior Government officials, who would decide to disburse the fund equitably to the braveheart’s family on need basis.

About Valour Day:9th April  The Valour Day is celebrated in remembrance of an act of unparalleled bravery displayed by a small contingent of CRPF personnel, pitted against a full-fledged infantry brigade of Pakistani Army, trying to overrun their post, at Sardar Post, Rann of Kutch, Gujarat on April 09, 1965.  They not only defeated the Pakistani brigade but also killed 34 Pakistani soldiers and captured 4 of them alive. The CRPF successfully defended the post till the arrival of reinforcements.

Tu-142M:

 Navy’s flagship anti-submarine aircraft Tu-142M will be turned into a museum.  The aircraft will be given to the Andhra Pradesh government to be converted into a museum and kept on the Beach Road close to the Submarine Kursura in Visakhaptnam.

EVENTS World Homeopathy Day: International Convention Organised in New Delhi  Minister of State (Independent Charge) for AYUSH, Shripad Yesso Naik inaugurated the National Convention on World Homeopathy Day on 10 April 2017 at New Delhi.  The event was organized to commemorate the 262nd birth anniversary of the founder of Homeopathy, Dr. Christian Friedrich Samuel Hahnemann, a German physician, who was a great scholar, linguist and acclaimed scientist.  The theme of the convention is "Enhancing Quality Research in Homeopathy through scientific evidence and rich clinical experiences".

ENVIRONMENT,SCIENCE AND TECH Astronomers discover Venus-like planet orbiting a dim star Kepler-1649

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017  Astronomers using NASA’s Kepler space telescope have discovered a Venus-like planet orbiting a dim star called Kepler-1649.  The newly found planet is one-fifth the diameter of our Sun and is only slightly larger than Earth. It is located 219 light years away from Earth.  The Venus-like planet tightly embraces its low-temperature star Kepler-1649 by encircling it every nine days. The tight orbit around the star causes the flux of sunlight reaching it to be 2.3 times as great as the solar flux on Earth.  For comparison, the solar flux on Venus is 1.9 times the terrestrial value (on earth).  The discovery will provide insight into the nature of planets encircling around M dwarf stars, by far the most common type in the universe. About Kepler Space Telescope (KST)  KST is an unmanned space observatory launched in 2009 by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).  It is tasked with determining how commonly, Earth-like planets occur throughout the Milky Way galaxy.  KST works by observing a dimming in the light of a star, known as a transit, each time an orbiting planet passes in front of it.  It has been designed for a statistical mission and not to probe into the environmental conditions of planets that exist in the so-called Goldilocks zone (Habitable zone) of their stars.

APRIL 11

NATIONAL Survey General of India Completes 250 Years  The Survey General of India (SOI) completes 250 years.  The government launched 'Nakshe’ mapping portal' a dedicated website allowing the access to the public to download 3,000 maps or Open Series Maps (OSM) in a pdf format on 1:50,000 scale prepared by the Survey of India (SOI) but made Aadhaar mandatory for the purpose.  Harsh Vardhan, minister of science and technology, stated that the motto behind making Aadhaar mandatory for using this service was to make it available only to Indians.

About Survey General of India  It was set up in 1767 and has evolved rich traditions over the years.  In its assigned role as the Nation’s principal mapping agency, Survey of India bears a special responsibility to ensure that the country’s domain is explored and mapped suitably to provide base maps for expeditious and integrated development and ensure that all resources contribute their full measure to the progress, prosperity and security of our country now and for generations to come.  The Survey of India acts as adviser to the Government of India on all survey matters, viz Geodesy, Photogrammetry, Mapping and Map Reproduction.The Surveyor General of India is the Head of Department of Survey of India, a Department under the Ministry of Science and Technology of Government of India.  He also happens to be the senior most member of the Survey of India Service, an organized engineering service under the Union of India.  Major James Rennel was the first Surveyor General of Bengal Presidency (1767-1777)  Lt Gen Charles Reynolds was the first Surveyor General of the Bombay Presidency(1796-1807)  Col Colin Mackenzie was the first Surveyor General of Madras (1810-1815) and the first Surveyor General of India (1815-1821)  The current Surveyor General is Dr. Swarna Subba Rao

ECONOMY, BANKING AND FINANCE Manappuram Finance to launch co-branded prepaid card with YES Bank  Kerala-based NBFC Manappuram Finance will launch its own co-branded prepaid card in the tie-up with YES Bank to promote digital financial transactions.

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017  The 'Manappuram YES Bank Prepaid Money Card' can be pre-loaded up to a maximum amount of Rs. 50,000 and then be used to withdraw money from all ATMs. As the card works on the popular MasterCard and RuPay networks, it can also be used for online transactions and at merchant establishments with PoS terminals.

Align pay in PSBs to that in CPSEs: BBB  The Bank Board Bureau (BBB) has recommended that Government should bring in reforms in the compensation process in public sector banks (PSBs) on the lines of Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs). BBB has suggested compensation reforms in PSBs so that best practices can be introduced ‘on the lines already prevalent in CPSEs.  It will play important role in attracting high-quality talent for non-executive directors and chairmen.  It will also maintain a level-playing field with the private sector with respect to role, responsibility and remuneration.

Fino Paytech inks deal with ICICI group companies  Fino Paytech, which just received the Reserve Bank of India's licence to launch a payments bank, has inked a deal with ICICI group companies to distribute insurance products and tied up with Exide Life insurance to sell products via its distribution channel.  Fino Payments Bank will sell life and general insurance products of ICICI Prudential and ICICI Lombard. AWARDS Atu Zumvu becomes first Naga cop to receive ‘Shaurya Chakra’ award  For the first time since Nagaland officially gained recognition as a state, a state Police Officer Atu Zumvu has been awarded one of the nations' military honour, ‘Shaurya Chakra' award at a ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.  Nagaland attained statehood in 1963 and since then this is the first time a police officer from the state has been honored with this award.

Colson Whitehead wins 2017 Pulitzer Prize for ‘Underground Railroad’  Colson Whitehead’s celebrated novel The Underground Railroad has won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for fiction.  The novel is about an escaped slave that combined liberating imagination and brutal reality.  Earlier in November 2016, the novel had received the National Book Award of US. This makes Colson Whitehead first person to win Pulitzer and National Book Award for fiction in last 20 years.

APPOINTMENT Kristin Davis appointed UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador  UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, announced the appointment of internationally acclaimed actress and philanthropist Kristin Davis as its Goodwill Ambassador.  UNHCR Goodwill Ambassadors are celebrity representatives of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) who use their talent and fame to advocate for refugees.

Malvika Sinha appointed RBI Executive Director  The Reserve Bank has appointed Malvika Sinha as Executive Director following the appointment of B P Kanungo as Deputy Governor.  As Executive Director, she will look after foreign exchange department, department of government and bank accounts and internal debt management wing, RBI stated in a release.

Ajit Kumar Srivastava, Shabri Bhattasali named new CBDT members  Senior bureaucrats Ajit Kumar Srivastava and Shabri Bhattasali were appointed members of Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), the apex policy making body of the Income Tax department.  The CBDT functions under the Central Board of Revenue Act, 1963. CBDT has introduced the Electronic PAN (e-PAN) card for individuals and for 19,704 newly incorporated companies as it tied up with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA).

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017

Mukta Dutta Tomar appointed India's Ambassador to Germany  Mukta Dutta Tomar has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Federal Republic of Germany.  She is presently Additional Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs. Earlier, Gurjit Singh was holding this post till in March 2017.

APRIL 12

INTERNATIONAL G20 Ministers in-charge of digital economy issue declaration on ‘Shaping Digitalisation for an Interconnected World’  G20 Ministers responsible for the digital economy met in Dusseldorf, Germany recently for a ministerial conference.  They have issued a declaration on ‘Shaping Digitalisation for an Interconnected World’, laying out priorities and a roadmap for policies.  The declaration talks about the need for greater availability of affordable broadband connectivity, improved digital skills, and literacy, greater digital entrepreneurship and broader adoption of digital technologies and services for the digital economy to contribute to achieving the goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.  Another core theme is support for MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) which might be constrained by their scale in adoption of digital technologies. MSMEs benefitting from the digital revolution is crucial for inclusive growth.  The declaration includes three annex papers on ‘A Roadmap for Digitalisation: Policies for a Digital Future’, ‘Digital skills in vocational education and training’ and ‘G20 Priorities on Digital Trade’. Collaboration between the countries and with all stakeholders, including academia and private sector and sharing of best practices forms a key part of all three papers.

India, Georgia sign Joint Statement to launch Joint Feasibility Study on FTA  India and Georgia have singed a Joint Statement on the launching of the Joint Feasibility Study on the Free Trade Agreement between both countries.  The statement was signed by Union Commerce & Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Georgia’s Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Giorgi Gakharia.  The objective of the study is to further promote economic, trade and investment relations between the two countries for creating favourable conditions for more comprehensive economic cooperation.  Upon the completion of the Joint Feasibility Study both countries may proceed to negotiations on an FTA once the internal procedures are completed and the mandates on negotiations are approved.  In this regard, Joint Feasibility Study Group consisting of the officials of the two countries has been established. It will provide an opportunity for more in-depth and systematic examination of potential FTA. It will discuss possible scope of a potential FTA and analyse sensitiveness of specific sectors and recommend possible ways to address them.

About Georgia  Capital -Tbilisi.Kutaisi (legislative)  Largest city -Tbilisi  Official languages -Georgian  President -Giorgi Margvelashvili  Prime Minister -Giorgi Kvirikashvili  Currency -Georgian lari

NATIONAL HIV/AIDS Bill passed in Parliament

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017  The Lok Sabha has passed the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) (Prevention and Control) Bill, 2017, which will strengthen the rights of the people infected with the disease. Rajya Sabha has already passed the Bill.  Provisions related to the role of governments: Under the Bill, central and state governments are obliged to provide for anti-retroviral therapy (ART) and management of opportunistic infections (infections that take advantage of weakness in the immune system and occur frequently). The bill also prohibits specific acts of discrimination by the state, or any other person, against HIV-positive people, or those living with such people.  Provisions related to discrimination: The Bill lays down penal provisions for any discrimination practised against a person with HIV/AIDS and breach of confidentiality. The protection mandated in the Bill extends to the fields of employment, healthcare services, educational services, public facilities, property rights, holding public office, and insurance. It also provides for confidentiality of HIV-related information and makes it necessary to get informed consent for undertaking HIV tests, medical treatment and research.  Provisions related to ombudsman: The bill also provides for an ombudsman. According to the provisions of the Bill, an ombudsman shall be appointed by each state government to inquire into complaints related to the violation of the Act and the provision of health care services. The ombudsman shall submit a report to the state government every six months stating the number and nature of complaints received, the actions taken.  Provisions related to guardianship: Provisions related to guardianship are also specified. A person between the age of 12 to 18 years who has sufficient maturity in understanding and managing the affairs of his HIV or AIDS affected family shall be competent to act as a guardian of another sibling below 18 years of age. The guardianship will apply in matters relating to admission to educational establishments, operating bank accounts, managing property, care and treatment, amongst others.  Role of courts: Cases relating to HIV positive persons shall be disposed off by the court on a priority basis. In any legal proceeding, if an HIV infected or affected person is a party, the court may pass orders that the proceedings be conducted (a) by suppressing the identity of the person, (b) in camera, and (c) to restrain any person from publishing information that discloses the identity of the applicant. When passing any order with regard to a maintenance application filed by an HIV infected or affected person, the court shall take into account the medical expenses incurred by the applicant.

ECONOMY, BANKING AND FINANCE Nokia partner with Airtel & BSNL to set up 5G internet speed in India  Nokia and Airtel along with state-owned network BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd) have announced that they have partnered to set up 5G internet speed in India to introduce a fast internet ecosystem in the country.  An MOU has been signed between the companies. The aim of the partnerships is to upgrade the existing 4G network in India to make way for better 5G services in the country.

GST Network to encrypt companies’ data to check leaks

 Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN), the company that will pore through millions of invoices daily to ensure that the tax applied on transactions is limited to the value added at that stage, will encrypt the data submitted by businesses and have firewalls to prevent leaks.  Only two people will have access to data—the taxpayer himself and his assessing officer. The same data will be stored at four different locations to safeguard it.  GSTN is a private, not-for profit company in which the central government and states and Union territories together hold 49%. The rest is owned by financial institutions.

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017  The company will provide information technology support to all stakeholders for smooth implementation of the new taxation regime across the country and will be the repository of all information related to taxation and entities registered under GST.  GSTN will mobilize working capital by levying a user fee on state governments for its services.

West Bengal’s Haldia port cleanest in India: Ministry:  The Haldia port of West Bengal has emerged as the cleanest in a first-ever ranking of all major Indian ports on sanitation parameters. Vizag port came second.  The ranking of all 13 Indian ports was conducted by the Quality Council of India (QCI) during the ‘Swachhta Pakhwada’.  The ranking was based on the efforts made by these ports to address waste generating sources with respect to port operation, office area, township area and the response to incoming ships.

GOVT SCHEME Government launches URJA MITRA app  The Union Ministry of Power has launched URJA MITRA app for empowering citizens by real time information sharing on power supply.  The app is a first of its kind which provides a central platform, web-portal (www.urjamitra.com) as well as mobile app for state power Distribution utilities to disseminate power outage information to rural/ urban power consumers through SMS/ push/email notifications across the country.  Rural Feeder Monitoring Scheme: The Ministry also inaugurated Rural Feeder Monitoring Scheme to monitor the quantity and quality parameters of power supply in rural areas of the country. The entire data under the scheme will be hosted on National Power Portal (NPP) on real time basis and may be accessed by various stake holders through web services.

Government reduces number of centrally sponsored schemes to 28  The Union Government has reduced the number of centrally sponsored schemes (CSS) from 66 to 28 umbrella schemes, effective from the financial year 2016-17.  These schemes were reduced based on the recommendation of the sub-group of Chief Ministers on rationalisation of centrally sponsored schemes.  Government has categorised 6 schemes as Core of the Core, 20 schemes as Core Schemes and remaining two as Optional Schemes.  If required government is also planning to merge the related schemes and implement them as Umbrella Schemes with flexibility to states to administer in the line with their requirements. Core schemes:  For these schemes, the fund-sharing pattern between the Centre and states would be 60:40 for general category states.  For the eight Northeastern and three Himalayan states, ratio is 90:10. Core-of-core Schemes:  These schemes are fully funded by the Centre. Some of the schemes included in this category are: MGRNEA, National Social Assistance Plan and the National Programme for Persons with Disabilities.  Optional Schemes: These schemes are for social protection and social inclusion. The fund-sharing pattern between the Centre and states is 50:50 for general category states and 80:20 for Northeastern and hilly states.  Funds for these schemes will be allocated to states as a lump sum and states would be free to choose which optional scheme they want to adopt.

EVENTS India's first-ever micro-drama festival held in Delhi  India's first ever micro-drama festival, named Thespis, was held recently in New Delhi.  The longest play of the festival ran for not more than 10 minutes and the shortest one lasted for only 42 seconds.  The festival was organized by theater group 'Vriksh'. The inaugural play of the festival was titled 'Chamaeleonidae'. BOOK RELEASE PM releases book authored by LS Speaker Sumitra Mahajan

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017  Prime Minister Narendra Modi released a book 'Matoshree', authored by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan in New Delhi.  The book 'Matoshree' covers the life and times of legendary Devi Ahilyabai Holker who ruled the Holkar Empire spread over the Malwa region from 1767 to 1795.

AWARDS AND HONOURS National Hindi Sevi Samman Awards announced  Central Hindi Institute Director N.K. Pandey announced the names of writers from different categories for the prestigious Hindi Sevi Samman Awards.  The awardees will receive Rs 5 lakh each, a citation and a shawl from President Pranab Mukherjee at a ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan in May 2017.  The Ganesh Shankar Vidhyarthi Award for Hindi journalism will be awarded to Rahul Dev and Baldev Bhai Sharma.  Professor S. Shesharatnam (Andhra Pradesh), M. Govind Rajan (Tamil Nadu), Harmahendra Singh Bedi (Punjab) and H. Subadani Devi (Manipur) have been selected from non-Hindi speaking states for their contribution to the Hindi language.  Foreign Hindi writers selected for the award are Professor Fujii Takeshi (Japan) and Professor Gabriela Nik Ilieva (New York) while the Non-Resident Indians (NRI) who get the awards are Pushpita Avasthi (Netherlands) and Padmesh Gupt (London).

APRIL 13

NATIONAL Pink patrol, security app for women in Bengaluru  A fleet of pink patrol vehicles to attend to the distress calls from women and an exclusive police mobile phone distress application have been introduced in Bengaluru as part of an effort to improve the safety and security of women in the city.  The pink patrol cars called the 'Pink Hoysalas' and the Suraksha mobile phone app were unveiled by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. The app has been developed by the Bengaluru city police IT team and can be downloaded on Android and iOS phones. Indian Institute of Petroleum and Energy (IIPE) at Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh:  The Union Cabinet has given its approval for setting up of Indian Institute of Petroleum and Energy (IIPE) at Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh as “an Institute of National Importance” through an Act of Parliament.  The Institute will have the governance structure as well as legal mandate to grant degrees in a manner similar to that enjoyed by IITs. A separate Act will also impart the required status to the Institute to become a “Centre of Excellence” in petroleum and energy studies.  The Cabinet has also approved Rs 655.46 crore as capital expenditure to set up IIPE and contribution of Rs 200 crore towards its Endowment Fund.  The objective is to meet the quantitative and qualitative gap in the supply of skilled manpower for the petroleum sector and to promote research activities needed for the growth of the sector. Cab safety measures for women included in the New Taxi Policy guidelines  Cab safety measures for women commuters as recommended by the Ministry of Women and Child Development to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and Shipping (MoRTH) have been included in the new Taxi Policy guidelines.  These recommendations from the Ministry of Women and Child Development comes at the backdrop of increasing cases of sexual harassment of women commuters in the cabs.  Recommendations that were included in the New Taxi policy guidelines are:  Mandatory fitting of GPS panic devices in the taxis.  To ensure the safety of women and child passengers, central locking system in the taxis to be disallowed.  Sharing of a seat in the cabs must be subject to the willingness of passengers.

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017  Identification of driver along with the photo and the registration number should be prominently displayed in the cab.  Violation of stipulated rules and regulations by taxi operators and drivers to be strictly dealt in accordance with law. Haryana launched Operation Durga to ensure women Safety  Similar to that of Uttar Pradesh’s ‘anti-romeo squad’, the Haryana government has launched ‘Operation Durga’ to ensure women safety in the state.  Under this operation, teams formed by the Chief Minister’s Flying Squad visited public places such as schools, colleges, bus stands and railway stations and caught persons indulging in crime activities against women like eve-teasing, stalking, harassment and other such activities.  Since women are hesitant in reporting incidents involving anti-social elements to the Police, the campaign, ‘Operation Durga’ was launched so that flying squads patrol those areas where  such anti-social elements committed crimes against women.

ECONOMY, BANKING AND FINANCE Government sets up a panel to examine framework for Virtual Currencies  The Government has set up an Inter-Disciplinary Committee to examine the existing framework with regard to Virtual Currencies.  The Committee will take stock of the present status of Virtual Currencies both in India and globally. It will also examine the existing global regulatory and legal structures governing these Currencies.  The Finance Ministry stated that the committee will suggest measures for dealing with such currencies including issues relating to consumer protection and money laundering. The Committee will be chaired by Special Secretary of Economic Affairs, Shri Dinesh Sharma. About Virtual Currencies  A virtual currency or virtual money has been defined in 2012 by the European Central Bank as "a type of unregulated, digital money, which is issued and usually controlled by its developers, and used and accepted among the members of a specific virtual community."  The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), a bureau of the US Treasury, defined virtual currency in its guidance published in 2013.  In 2014, the European Banking Authority defined virtual currency as "a digital representation of value that is neither issued by a central bank or a public authority, nor necessarily attached to a fiat currency, but is accepted by natural or legal persons as a means of payment and can be transferred, stored or traded electronically".  A virtual currency is created through encryption techniques. There are various kinds, such as: bitcoin, litecoin, peercoin, namecoin, ether and primecoin. Among these, bitcoin is most famous. In India, there are multiple bitcoin exchanges, bitcoin mining companies and portfolio management firms.

Cabinet approves listing of 11 CPSEs on stock exchanges  The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has given its approval for the listing of 11 Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) on stock exchanges.  As approved, the listing of CPSEs will be through the public offer of shares up to 25 per cent of Government of India's shareholding. CPSEs are:-  Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL)  IRCON International Limited  Indian Railway Finance Corporation (IRFC) Ltd.  Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) Ltd.  RITES Ltd.  Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL)  Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) Ltd.  Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDSL)  North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO) Ltd.  MSTC Ltd.

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017  Mishra Dhatu Nigam Ltd. (MIDHANI)

Petrol, diesel prices to change every day from May 1  As per the announcement of government from May 1, 2017, petrol and diesel prices will change every day in sync with international rates.  State-owned fuel retailers Indian Oil Corp (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL) will launch a pilot for daily price revision in five select cities which are Puducherry, Vizag in Andhra Pradesh, Udaipur in Rajasthan, Jamshedpur in Jharkhand and Chandigarh from May 1, 2017 stated by Petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Central Processing Centre (CPC) gets new Pin Code  The Department of Post has allotted a unique pin code for the Income Tax Department’s Central Processing Centre (CPC) based in Bengaluru so as to ensure that the letters and mails sent by taxpayers to the CPC are not lost or reach the centre late. The new pin code given to CPC is 560500.  Earlier, the CPC was using the pin code 560100 which was marked for the entire city area of Bengaluru. The new pin code will cater exclusively to the CPC of the Income Tax department and will help in addressing the grievances of the taxpayers with respect to the issues of non-reaching of postal mails. President Gives Assent to Four GST Legislations  President Pranab Mukherjee has given assent to four supporting legislations on Goods and Services Tax (GST).  The four legislations are:  The Central GST Act, 2017,  The Integrated GST Act, 2017,  The GST (Compensation to States) Act, 2017, and  The Union Territory GST Act, 2017.  The above bills were passed in Rajya Sabha on April 6th and in Lok Sabha on 29 March.  Now with the President’s assent, these bills will pave way for the roll-out of GST regime from 1 July.  The Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017, deals with the levy of the Central Goods and Services Tax by the union government over the supply of goods and services within the boundary of a state.  The Integrated GST Act, 2017, provides for the levy of Integrated Goods and Services Tax by the union government on the interstate supply of goods and services.  The Goods and Services Tax (Compensation to States) Act, 2017, provides for compensation for the losses incurred by the states on account of implementation of the Goods and Services Tax.  The Union Territory GST Act, 2017, provides for the levy and collection of tax on intra-state supply of goods, services or both, by the Union Territories. Jammu & Kashmir GST regime will not be applicable to Jammu and Kashmir because of the fact that Article 370 gives special status to the state.  So, the state will have to legislate its own law and integrate with the GST regime. GST Goods and Services Tax is a comprehensive indirect tax which is to be levied on the manufacture, sale and consumption of goods and services in India.  This is so far the biggest tax reform in the country.  GST will subsume central excise, service tax, Value Added Tax (VAT) and other local levies to create a uniform market. GST eliminates the cascading effect of taxes because it is taxed at every point of business and the input credit is available in the value chain. The tax rates under GST regime will be based on the recommendation GST Council. Council has two-thirds voting by States and one-third by Centre. Bank accounts to be blocked if not self-certified by April 30, 2017  As part of Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) compliance, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has asked the banks/financial institutions to link their accounts with Aadhaar number and self-certification from customers by April 30, 2017, to avoid closure of accounts.  It is clearly directed the banks to obtain a self-certification for the accounts opened between July 1, 2014 to August 31, 2015.

Karnataka Bank gets new MD and CEO

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017  Mahabaleshwara Mavinakudige Subrahmanya has been appointed as the new MD and CEO of Karnataka Bank Ltd.  He succeeds Polali Jayarama Bhat, who voluntarily stepped down 15 months ahead of his three-year term as MD and CEO.  Mr. P J Bhat is the new part-time non-executive chairman of Karnataka Bank

Amazon receives RBI approval for e-wallet  Amazon India has received the RBI’s approval for an e-wallet 'Amazon Pay', which the e-tailer had applied for early last year.  The licence has been issued to Amazon Online Distribution Services on March 22, 2017 and is valid for five years.

Tata Motors arm launches Made-in-India robot  TAL Manufacturing Solutions, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tata Motors has launched a Made-in-India robot catering primarily to micro, small and medium industries.  The indigenously built robot TAL Brabo is available in two variants of payloads of 2 kg and 10 kg, priced at Rs.5 lakh and Rs.7 lakh, respectively.  This is the first robot conceptualized and designed in India.

Government launches Aadhaar Seeding Application  The Union Ministry of Labour & Employment has launched Aadhaar Seeding Application for efficient service delivery and widening the reach of Employees Provident Fund (EPF) benefits.  It was launched at the 217th special meeting of the Central Board of Employees Provident Fund (CBEPF/EPFO) in New Delhi under the chairmanship of Minster of State for Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya  The seeding application has been developed by the EPFO with the support of Common Service Centres (CSC) and CDAC (Centre for Development of Advanced Computing).  It has been developed in pursuance of the government’s policy for optimum use of information technology for efficient service delivery and widening the reach of benefits to people.  The application will enable a provident fund member or pensioner walk into any field offices of the EPFO or CSC outlets with UAN (Universal Account Number) and Aadhaar and seed the Aadhaar with the UAN

GOVT SCHEME Jharkhand police initiates Tare Zameen Par programme for underprivileged kids  Jharkhand Police has initiated Tare Zameen Par programme to enlighten children in Naxal-affected areas in the Palamau district of Jharkhand.  This programme is aimed to restore confidence in the state police force and to encourage children to lead happy lives.  As a part of the programme, the state police appealed the locals to donate bags, shoes, books and clothes to improve the basic amenities of the children in the Naxal-affected areas.

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu relaunches ‘Adarana Scheme'  Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh N. Chandrababu Naidu announced the re-launch of 'Adarana scheme' for improving traditional occupations.  It is for the uplift and all-round development of people belonging to the Backward Classes stated by CM Naidu.

IMPORTANT DAY The second spell of Hindu new year and harvest festivals falls are being celebrated across the country:  Bengalis celebrate Poila Boishakh.  Malayalis celebrate Vishu.  Tamilians celebrate Puthandu.  Assamese celebrate Rongali Bihu.

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017  Punjabis celebrate Baisakhi.  Odia celebrates Maha Vishuba Sankranti. PERSONS IN NEWS PM Modi becomes the most followed world leader on Instagram  Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emerged as the most followed world leader on photo-sharing app Instagram with a whopping 6.9 million followers, surpassing US President Donald Trump.  Mr. Modi is also the most "effective world leader" on the platform. Trump, who occupies the second spot, has 6.3 million followers while Pope Francis is in third place with 3.7 million followers. APPOINTMENT UN chief Guterres names Achim Steiner as new administrator of UNDP  United Nation (UN) chief Antonio Guterres has named a German Achim Steiner, as the new administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP).  Headquartered in New York City, the UNDP seeks to reduce poverty, improve social development and encourage women's empowerment. SPORTS India, Australia sign sports partnership  India and Australia have started a partnership aimed at increasing cooperation in sports, in the presence of visiting Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and batting legend Sachin Tendulkar.  The partnership will advance India-Australia cooperation in four areas athlete and coach training and development, sports science, sports governance and integrity, and grassroots participation.  Sports Minister Vijay Goel has launched a major grassroots programme named 'Khelo India' for developing a sporting culture at grass-root level

APRIL 14

INTERNATIONAL Mother of all Bombs:  The GBU-43/B – dubbed the ‘Mother of all bombs’ – has been dropped on an Islamic State complex in Afghanistan by the US forces.  The Moab or GBU-43/B is the world’s largest non-nuclear weapon.  It is designed to destroy heavily reinforced targets or to shatter ground forces and armour across a large area.  Its blast is equivalent to 11 tons of TNT. By comparison, the nuclear weapon dropped on Hiroshima had a blast yield of 15 tons of TNT.  While it has a blast radius that stretches a mile in each direction the bomb leaves no lasting radiation effect because it is non-nuclear.  MOAB was first tested in March 2003 at the time of US led invasion of Iraq. The test resulted in a huge mushroom cloud that could be seen as far away from 32 km.  MOAB, however, is not the largest bomb ever made. Russia in 2007 tested ‘Aviation Thermobaric Bomb of Increased Power’, nicknamed as the “Father of All Bombs”. It is estimated to be 4 times more powerful than MOAB.

NATIONAL Right to access Internet cannot be curtailed, says SC  The Supreme Court has clarified that a general prohibition on all online content about pre-natal sex determination will curtail the fundamental right to know of a genuine information-seeker. The clarification came based on a petition demanding for strict adherence by search engines to Section 22.  Section 22 is about prohibition of advertisement relating to pre-natal determination of sex.  The court held that the prohibition should kick in only if the content found online is violative of Section 22 under the Pre-conception and Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) (PCPNDT) Act of 1994.  Citizens have the right to access the Internet to gain information, wisdom and knowledge and their right cannot be curtailed unless it encroaches into the boundary of illegality.

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017  Calling the Internet a “virtual world” and a “world which is invisible in a way,” the Supreme Court observed that the fundamental right of expression includes “the right to be informed and the right to know and the feeling of protection of expansive connectivity” the Internet offers on the click of a button.  The three Internet search engines — Microsoft, Google India and Yahoo! India — gave their assurances to the Supreme Court that they would neither advertise nor sponsor advertisements violative of the PNPCDT Act. The trio said they had already appointed ‘in-house’ experts to spot illegal content.  Nodal officers have already been appointed at State levels to keep tabs on the Net for offensive material contravening Section 22 of the Act.  In case the nodal officers detect illegal online content, they would communicate with the search engine’s experts, which would take it off within the next 36 hours of receiving the information. These experts would then follow it up by providing the nodal officers concerned with an action taken report.

Cisco launched 5th global and 1st in India cyber range lab in Gurugram  US-based tech giant Cisco launched its fifth global cyber range lab in Gurugram, Haryana with an aim to train Indian firms and government agencies on real-world cyber attacks.  This is the first cyber range lab in India. The facility was inaugurated by National Cyber Security Coordinator Gulshan Rai.

ASCI issues guidelines for celebrities endorsing products

 The advertising industry watchdog Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has come up with a set of guidelines for celebrities endorsing products.  As per the guidelines, celebrities are personalities from the field of entertainment and sports and also includes other well known personalities like doctors, authors, activists and educationists who gets compensation for appearing in advertisements.  Celebrities must exercise due diligence to make sure that all description claims and comparisons made in the advertisements that they endorse are not misleading and deceptive.  It will be the duty of the advertiser and the advertising agency to make sure that celebrities are aware about the ASCI guidelines. A  SCI have barred celebrities to endorse product/treatment/remedy that is prohibited under The Drugs & Magic Remedies Act (Objectionable Advertisements) and the Drugs & Cosmetic Act.  Celebrities should not endorse those products which by law require a health warning on its packaging or advertisement.  Celebrities seeking the advice of ASCI to ascertain whether the advertisement potentially violates any provision of the ASCI code or not would be considered of having completed due diligence.  Also, the advertising advice of ASCI cannot be construed as pre-clearance for an advertisement. ECONOMY, BANKING AND FINANCE

Bank Boards Bureau evolves 'GRAF' for PSBs  The Bank Boards Bureau (BBB) has evolved a Governance, Reward and Accountability Framework (GRAF) for public sector banks to ensure that they have the ability to compete successfully with private sector banks, small finance and payments banks, foreign banks and non-banking finance companies.  The framework is guided by the latest global benchmarking on governance practices provided by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervisions guidelines on corporate governance principles for banks released in July 2015.  The GRAF seeks to ensure that corporate governance at PSBs is in keeping with various pieces of legislation, including the Companies Act, 2013, Banking Regulation Act, 1949, and Securities and Exchange Board of India (listing obligations and disclosure requirements) Regulations, 2015.  Further, the framework abides by the guidelines of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision on corporate governance principles for banks. Among others, the principles deal with the board’s overall responsibilities, board qualifications and composition, senior management, risk management function, compliance, internal audit and compensation.

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017 Prime Minister launches BHIM-Aadhaar platform

 Prime Minister has launched BHIM-Aadhaar platform from Nagpur.  BHIM-Aadhaar platform is the merchant interface of the BHIM App that has been launched for making digital payments using the Aadhaar platform.  BHIM App was launched in December 2016 to provide a one-stop solution for all digital payments.  The App created a new world record by registering 1.9 crore downloads within four months since its launch. the newly launched BHIM-Aadhaar platform will help people to pay digitally using their biometric data like thumb imprint on a merchant’s biometric enabled device like a smart phone or a biometric reader.  The App needs to be installed only by merchants and they need to connect their smartphones to the biometric scan machine to accept the payments from customers  The customers who want to pay using this app needs to link Aadhaar number and biometic fingerprint to complete a transaction.

RBI tightens norms on bank performance  The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has come out with a revised prompt corrective action (PCA) framework for banks, spelling out certain thresholds, the breach of which could invite resolutions such as a merger with another bank or even shutting down of the bank.  The revised norms have set out three thresholds. The thresholds are based on capital, net non-performing assets, profitability and leverage ratio. What happens when there is breach of any threshold?  The breach of the first threshold will invite restriction on dividend distribution or require parents of foreign banks to bring in more capital. This will get triggered if capital adequacy ratio (including capital conservation buffer) falls below 10.25% or common equity tier-I (CET1) capital ratio falls below 6.75%. Breach of either CAR or CET1 would trigger corrective action. The trigger for net NPA is 6% and 4% for leverage ratio. Two consecutive years of negative return on assets (RoA) will also be classified in threshold one.  The breach of the second threshold will occur when the capital adequacy ratio falls below 7.75% or CET1 goes below 5.125%. The net NPA threshold is breach of 12% and leverage ratio below 3.5%. Three consecutive years of negative ROA will also trigger threshold two. Breach of threshold two will result in restrictions on expansion of branches and higher provisions.  The breach of the last threshold happens when CET1 falls below 3.625% and net NPA goes above 12%. Negative ROA for four consecutive years will also be considered as a breach of the third threshold vis-a-vis the profitability parameter. Restrictions, in addition to that of threshold one and two, will be put on management compensation and directors’ fees if the third level is breached.  Corrective action that can also be imposed on banks includes special audit, restructuring operations and activation of recovery plan.  The banks can also be asked to bring in new management, or even can supersede the bank’s board, as a part of corrective action.

Postal department, SBI join hands to promote cashless transactions

 Department of Posts has joined hands with State Bank of India to promote 'SBI buddy e-wallet' and Point of Sale (POS) machines for cashless transactions at post office counters while booking speed post and registered post items.  Higher officials have dedicated SBI buddy e-wallet and SBI POS machines at Chandigarh General Post Office for the general public.

IRDAI launches web portal for insurers  The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has launched a web portal for insurers that will allow them to register and sell policies online.  The portal 'isnp.irda.gov.in' is also open to intermediaries in the insurance business.

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017 Income Tax Department launches Operation Clean Money-II  The Income Tax department has launched the second phase of the ‘Operation Clean Money’ to investigate over 60,000 individuals with an aim to detect black money generation post demonetisation.  The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), the policy-making body of the income tax department has detected flow of black money into the banks amounting to over Rs 9,334 crore between November 9, 2016 and February 28 this year.  Under the second phase of Operation Clean Money, more than 60,000 persons including 1,300 high risk persons has been identified for detailed investigation.  The department has deducted more than 6,000 transactions of high value property purchase and 6,600 cases of outward remittances.  The first phase of ‘Operation Clean Money’ was launched on January 31, 2017.  In the first phase, the department went through e-verification of large cash deposits into the banks after the demonetisation and had sent online queries and investigated around 17.92 lakh persons.  This operation will help in eliminating black money and widen the tax base.  The impact of the operations carried out by the income tax department has resulted in a 21.7% increase in the income tax returns in the financial year 2016-17.  Also, 16% growth in the gross collection has been observed, which is the highest in the last five years. Besides, 14% growth in net collection has been realized, which is the highest in the last three years. Dr. (Ms.) Mukulita Vijayawargiya takes charge as Whole Time Member of IBBI  Dr. (Ms.) Mukulita Vijayawargiya took charge as Whole Time Member of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) in New Delhi.  She will look after the fields like Administrative Law Wing, Information Technology, Limited Insolvency Examination, National Insolvency Examination, Finance Accounts and Communication. GOVT SCHEME Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY)  Loans extended under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) during 2016-17 have crossed the target of Rs. 1,80,000 crore for 2016-17.:  Sanctions currently stand at Rs. 1,80,087 crore with final data still awaited from some of the smaller non-banking lenders.  Of this amount, Rs. 1,23,000 crore was lent by banks while non-banking institutions lent about Rs. 57,000 crore.  Data compiled so far indicates that the number of borrowers this year were over 4 crore, of which over 70% were women borrowers.  About 20% of the borrowers were from the Scheduled Caste Category, 5% from the Scheduled Tribe Category, while Other Backward Classes accounted for almost 35% of the borrowers. About the Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana (PMMY) scheme: The PMMY Scheme was launched in April, 2015. The scheme’s objective is to refinance collateral-free loans given by the lenders to small borrowers. The scheme, which has a corpus of Rs 20,000 crore, can lend betweenRs 50,000 and Rs 10 lakh to small entrepreneurs. Banks and MFIs can draw refinance under the MUDRA Scheme after becoming member-lending institutions of MUDRA. Mudra Loans are available for non-agricultural activities upto Rs. 10 lakh and activities allied to agriculture such as Dairy, Poultry, Bee Keeping etc, are also covered. Mudra’s unique features include a Mudra Card which permits access to Working Capital through ATMs and Card Machines. There are three types of loans under PMMY: Shishu (up to Rs.50,000). Kishore (from Rs.50,001 to Rs.5 lakh). Tarun (from Rs.500,001 to Rs.10,00,000). DEFENCE Nepal and China to conduct Sagarmatha Friendship-2017 Nepal and China is all set to hold their first ever joint military exercise named ‘Sagarmatha Friendship-2017’ from April 17 to April 26.

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017 The 10 day long joint exercise will focus on combating terror and disaster management. Although, Nepal conducts joint exercises with other countries like India and United States, this is the first time it is holding a joint exercise with China.

IMPORTANT DAYS 126th Birth Anniversary of Dr.Bhimrao Ambedkar Celebrated  126th birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna Dr. B.R.Ambedkar was celebrated at the Parliament House complex. The President, Vice President and Prime Minister paid floral tributes to the statue of Ambedkar present in the Parliament House Lawns. The celebrations were organized by Dr. Ambedkar Foundation, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment. AWARDS Himachal Pradesh bags Krishi Karman Award 2015-16  The Union Ministry of Agriculture has selected Himachal Pradesh for the Krishi Karman Award 2015-16 for the commendable increase in food grains production.  Himachal Pradesh is being selected for this award for the third time. The award would carry a trophy, citation and cash prize.

Indian wins top prize at UN challenge for open source tool  An Indian software engineer Abdulqadir Rashik has won the top prize at a global challenge for an open-source tool that enables users to interactively view UN General Assembly resolutions and gain a deeper understanding of the voting patterns of member states.  He also won the 'Unite Ideas UNGAViz Textual Analysis and Visualisation Challenge' for his Global Policy.

BOOK RELEASE Pranab Mukherjee released book on Draupadi by Veerappa Moily  A book on Draupadi named 'the Flaming Tresses of Draupadi' written by senior Congress leader M Veerappa Moily was released by President Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi.  The book is an English translation by D A Shankar of Moily’s original work in Kannada.

APRIL 15

ECONOMY, BANKING AND FINANCE PM launches GNFC’s cashless/less cash township model across 12 States  Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched in Nagpur, a cashless/less cash township model, developed by Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilizers and Chemicals Ltd (GNFC), across 81 townships in 12 States.  These townships will deliver 2.5 lakh cashless transactions per day, translating into 9 crore cashless transactions in a year.  GNFC’s township at Bharuch in Gujarat became India’s first cashless township after demonetization.  The townships for adopting GNFC’s model were selected based on a third-party assessment by Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC). The chosen 81 townships belonged to that of central public sector companies such as ONGC, Indian Oil, NTPC, SAIL, BHEL, NMDC, CRPF, BSF and Police Lines and also to private sector townships like Reliance, Essar, Adani, Birla Aditya, Welspun etc. GOVT SCHEME CM Connect app  Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has launched a new mobile app CM Connect. The app Andhra Pradesh runs on Microsoft’s Kaizala platform.  The app will be useful in receiving feedback from the public directly on any given issue.  With this App, people can share the confidential information with the Chief Minister directly.  The app would help in effective planning, improving and implementation of the schemes and programmes. UP Signs ‘Power For All’ Agreement With Centre

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017  The Uttar Pradesh government has signed an agreement with the Centre for “Power for All”. With this, Uttar Pradesh, which was the only state in the country which had not signed the agreement, has finally come on board the central government scheme.  24×7 Power for All scheme is a joint initiative of the central and state governments, with the objective of providing round-the-clock electricity to all households, industry, commercial businesses and any other electricity consuming entities within four years.  As a part of energy efficiency measures, 10,000 energy efficiency solar- panel pumps will be distributed through Centre’s undertaking, Energy Efficiency Services (EESL). In addition, it has been agreed to distribute energy efficient bulbs, tube lights and fans at cheaper rates. Separately, the state government has also launched ‘1912’ as the toll-free helpline for the consumers in rural areas to communicate their grievances pertaining to power and electricity.

HISTORY Modi to honour 16 Odisha families linked to 1817 revolt  Descendants of 16 families associated with a little-known but bloody rebellion against British colonialism, called the Paika rebellion of 1817 will be felicitated by the Prime Minister.  Two-hundred years ago in 1817, a valiant uprising of soldiers led by Buxi Jagabandhu (Bidyadhar Mohapatra) took place in Khurda of Odisha. This is known as Paika rebellion.  The Paikas were the traditional land-owning militia of Odisha and served as warriors. When armies of the East India Company overran most of Odisha in 1803, the Raja of Khurda lost his primacy and the power and prestige of the Paikas went on a decline. The British were not comfortable with these aggressive, warlike new subjects and set up a commission under Walter Ewer to look into the issue.  The commission recommended that the hereditary rent-free lands granted to the Paikas be taken over by the British administration and this recommendation was zealously adhered to. They revolted against the British.  However, the rebellion had several other underlying causes – like the rise in the price of salt, abolition of the cowrie currency for payment of taxes and an overtly extortionist land revenue policy.  Although initially the Company struggled to respond they managed to put down the rebellion by May 1817. Many of the Paik leaders were hung or deported. Jagabandhu surrendered in 1825. ENVIRONMENT,SCIENCE AND TECH Saturn’s moon Enceladus may be habitable: NASA  NASA has announced that Saturn’s sixth-largest moon Enceladus and Jupiter’s fourth-largest moon Europa may be habitable as they have the necessary ingredients required to sustain life.  The key ingredients of life are liquid water, a source of energy for metabolism, and chemicals such as carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and sulphur.  Findings were made by NASA with the help of Cassini-Huygens unmanned spacecraft and the Hubble Telescope. Cassini-Huygens unmanned spacecraft was sent in 1997 to study Saturn, its rings, and its moon.  Saturn’s moon Enceladus has a higher possibility of hosting life than Jupiter’s Europa as it has a form of chemical energy on which life forms can feed. Enceladus is a small, icy moon which has an abundance of hydrogen molecules in water plumes. 98% of the gas in the plumes was found to be water and 1% is hydrogen and the remaining is a mixture of molecules of carbon dioxide, methane, and ammonia. Underwater vents present on Enceladus resemble the vents present on Earth’s ocean floors, where microbes and other sea life congregate.  Scientists expect to find the potential for life in those vents as microbes flourish on Earth in hot cracks on the ocean floors, where sunlight cannot penetrate.  Microbes are capable of using the process of methanogenesis, in which hydrogen is combined with carbon dioxide dissolved in the water, to obtain energy  . This process creates methane as a byproduct, which is a critical ingredient for life Tags: Scientists find second Great Spot on Jupiter  Scientists have found second Great Spot in Jupiter which is cold and high up.  The Great Spot was found to be 24,000 km across and 12,000 km wide. It is found to be in the upper atmosphere and is much cooler than the hot surroundings.

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017  Unlike the Great Red Spot which was identified in 1830, this newly discovered Great Spot is continuously changing its shape and size.  The Great Cold Spot is believed to be caused by magnetic forces responsible for Jupiter’s polar auroras. This phenomenon drives energy into the atmosphere and creates a region of cooling in the boundary layer between the underlying atmosphere and the vacuum of space.  The Great Spot was discovered by a British-led team using a telescope in the Southern Observatory in northern Chile.  It was found to be much more volatile than the slowly changing Great Red Spot and found to be thousands of years old. Scientists have planned to study the Great Cold Spot using ground telescopes and NASA’s Juno spacecraft that is orbiting around Jupiter.  The study has been published in Geophysical Research Letters, a journal of the American Geophysical Union. Seabed Resident Event Profiler (SREP) robot developed by NIO  Scientists at CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) have developed a robotic platform, Seabed Resident Event Profiler (SREP) that is capable of being stationed at any water depth from 0-200 metres to track the oceanic processes. The robot has been designed to regularly record the water column information at every 10 to 25 cm during every profile four times a day.  The robot was tested during the recent voyage of RV Sindhu Sadhana, the latest state of the art research vessel of NIO.  The SREP robot has been designed particularly to carry out studies related to the monsoon, global climate and upwelling.  Upwelling is a phenomenon associated with the monsoon that sees the migration of deep sea oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) towards the coast. It also brings the nutrient-rich water to the surface and enhances the biological productivity of the region. Several sensors attached to SREP is capable of detecting the conditions associated with upwelling such as low temperature, low oxygen, high nutrients, and changes in density patterns etc.  This enables SREP to effectively track upwelling during June to September. Upwelling is an important phenomenon for the ecosystem sustenance and fishery. Similarly, since south-west monsoon forms the backbone of the country’s economy, knowing the conditions for its onset forms one of the major goals of SREP.  The robot in its final configuration will be capable of sitting on the seabed for 100 days continuously to track the oceanic processes in the upcoming monsoon season. ISRO to share technology for manufacturing of Lithium-ion batteries for production of electric vehicles  The government has directed the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to share battery technology for mass production of Lithium-Ion batteries for electric vehicles.  The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre under ISRO has developed indigenous technology to manufacture high-power batteries for use in two- and three-wheelers and their feasibility tests conducted by the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) was found to be successful. T  his development is expected to push India’s electric vehicles (EV) industry.  It has been reported that many major automobile companies, battery manufacturers and public sector undertakings like Indian Oil, BHEL, Mahindra Renault, Hyundai, Nissan, Tata Motors, High Energy Batteries have approached ISRO for transfer of the battery technology so that it will enable them to produce indigenous Lithium-Ion batteries.  ISRO is soon expected to come up with a framework to make the transfer process smooth. A MoU for manufacturing batteries is expected to be soon reached between ISRO and BHEL. The cabinet secretariat has asked ISRO to develop an enabling framework to enable even interested private players to obtain the technology for mass production.

OBITUARY Former J&K Governor Girish Saxena dies  Former Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Girish Chandra Saxena has passed away at the age of 90.  Saxena was an Indian Police Service officer of the 1950 batch from the Uttar Pradesh cadre.

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017  He served two terms as the governor of Jammu and Kashmir. He also served as the head of Research and Analysis Wing from 1983 to 1986. PLACES IN NEWS PM Modi inaugurates new units in Koradi thermal power station  Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated 1980 MW of the Koradi super-critical thermal power project of state-run Mahagenco near Nagpur in Maharashtra to the nation.  The 1,980 MW capacity includes three units of 660 MW each. The plant currently has one unit of 200 MW, two units of 210 MW each and with the addition of the three units of 660 MW each, its total capacity has increased to 2,600 MW.

APRIL 16

INTERNATIONAL Nepal President to arrive in India on five-day visit  Nepalese President Bidya Devi Bhandari is arriving in New Delhi on a five-day visit to India.  This will be Bhandari's first foreign trip after assuming the office in October 2015, following the promulgation of the new Constitution in Nepal.  A high-level delegation comprising several ministers and MPs accompanying her.

BRICS envoys on Middle East meet in India

 Special Envoys of five BRICS member states who specialises on West Asian Affairs held a quiet meeting in Vishakhapatnam to assess current situation in the volatile region after use of chemical weapons in Syria and US retaliatory strike on the Syrian air base.  Condemning recent several attacks against some BRICS countries, including that in the Russia, the five envoys stressed that counter-terrorism measures should be undertaken on the firm basis of international law under the aegis of the UN and its Security Council.  This was the first meeting of the BRICS special envoys on the Middle East held in India and gained significance following growing instability in West Asia and North Africa.

NATIONAL Maharashtra, the first state to stage special drive for transgenders to register as voters  Maharashtra has become the first state to launch a special awareness drive to ensure that transgenders in the state register as voters in greater numbers.  The state branch of the Election Commission of India (ECI) launched the drive on April 15, celebrated as Third Gender Day. According to ECI officials, despite the approximate population of third genders in Maharashtra being pegged at more than 10 lakh, only about 1,700 are registered voters.

Bhopal to have India's first privately run railway station  For the first time in Indian Railway history Habibganj station in Bhopal has been handed over to the private firm to be operated by it.  The station building will be developed in line with airport terminals. However, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu clarified that trains at the station will still be run by the Railways.

ECONOMY, BANKING AND FINANCE Finance Ministry approves 8.65% interest rate on EPF  The Finance Ministry have permitted the Labour Ministry to go ahead with 8.65% rate of interest on Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) for 2016-17, which will benefit over four crores EPFO members. Google launches Areo app  Google has launched a new food delivery and home services aggregator called Areo for the Indian market.

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017  The app is available as a free download on the Google Play store and is currently operational in Bengaluru and Mumbai.

India’s economy will grow by 7.2% in 2017-18, predicts World Bank  India’s gross domestic product is expected to spike to 7.2% in the 2017-18 financial year from 6.8% the previous fiscal, according to a new World Bank report titled “Globalization Backlash”.  The international agency forecast that India’s economic growth will rise gradually to 7.7% in 2019-’20, underpinned by a recovery in private investments.

GOVERNANCE Manipur CM launched DARPAN web applications to check corruption  Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh launched two web applications to check corruption and keep track of government activities.  The two web applications were Anti-Corruption Cell and Digital Application for Review by Public And Nation (DARPAN). The two web applications would monitor all government funded projects and ensure transparency and accountability.

Prakash Javadekar launched RUSA Portal, Mobile App  Human Resource and Development Minister Prakash Javadekar launched the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) portal and mobile app in New Delhi.  The portal is one-stop for States’ Higher Education Plans, the decision of the States’ Higher Education Councils and details of the resources. The mobile application will ensure that all projects under RUSA are tracked for 24x7.

AWARDS Indian engineer Trupti Jain wins ‘Cartier Women’s Initiative award’  An Indian environmental engineer has won this year’s prestigious ‘Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards’ here for providing women working on farms with water management solutions and protecting small farmers against droughts and flash floods.  Trupti Jain, 46, was one among the six winners chosen for the Asia-Pacific laureate from a pool of nearly 1,900 applicants from over 120 countries and were selected by an independent international jury.  Each recipient receives a USD 100,000 prize money as well as a year of mentoring.

Hanchinal receives M.S. Swaminathan Award  The sixth prestigious M.S. Swaminathan Award for contribution in the field of agriculture given to R.R. Hanchinal, Chairperson of Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers Rights Authority, the government of India.  He received the award for his contributions and sustained support to the areas of crop improvement for hot and very hot dry environments, seed production technology and intellectual protection rights in plant varieties. OBITUARY Computer pioneer Robert W Taylor dies aged 85  Robert W Taylor, who was instrumental in creating the internet and the modern personal computer, has died in California.  Mr Taylor funded researchers or led teams of scientists who are responsible for some of the most important technologies of the modern world.  They include the computer mouse and computers that use graphics such as icons and windows - the kind of command system that is universal on modern devices.

World's oldest person Emma Morano dies aged 117

 Emma Morano, an Italian woman believed to have been the oldest person alive and the last survivor of the 19th century died at the age of 117.  Morano, born on November 29, 1899, died at her home in Verbania, northern Italy.

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017 BOOK RELEASE Arjun Gaind launches his book on Punjab  Author Arjun Gaind launched his latest book, 'Punjab: Building the Land Of Five Rivers' in Mumbai. SPORTS Sai Praneeth wins Singapore open Badminton  Sai Praneeth has won the title match of Men's singles at Singapore Open Badminton beating his compatriot Kidambi Srikanth. Pankaj Advani won his sixth Asian Billiards title  Sixteen-time world champion Pankaj Advani has won his sixth Asian Billiards title and seventh overall Asian championship.  The ace cueist defeated his compatriot Sourav Kothari 6-3 in an entertaining final of the Asian Billiards Championship in Chandigarh.

APRIL 17

INTERNATIONAL Turkey Referendum: President Erdogan wins sweeping powers  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan won the referendum on granting him sweeping new powers by a clear majority.  The “Yes” vote garnered by Erdogan was 51.36% and “No” was 48.64%. while the supporters of Erdogan has hailed the results, the two main opposition parties have challenged the results. The draft of the new constitution has the following salient features:  Next presidential and parliamentary elections will be held on 3 November 2019;  It provides for a five year tenure and maximum of two terms for the President;  The president will have powers to directly appoint top public officials, including ministers; President will be able to assign one or several vice-presidents;  The job of prime minister would be scrapped;  President will have power to intervene in the judiciary; The president will have power to decide whether or not to impose a state of emergency

NATIONAL Country’s first Vistadome coach inaugurated in Visakhapatnam:  Indian Railways has launched the country’s first ever Vistadome coach services on Visakhapatnam-Araku route.  Features of the coaches include glass roof, LED lights, revolving seats and GPS-based info system.

Government launches programme for capacity building of Elected Women Representatives (EWRs) of Panchayats  The Ministry of Women and Child Development in collaboration with the Ministry of Panchayati Raj has launched a nationwide programme for capacity building of Elected Women Representatives (EWRs) of Panchayats and a training program for Trainers of women panchayat leaders at Ranchi, Jharkhand.  In the first phase of the training, 40 master trainers of Jharkhand will be trained at the State institute of Rural Development, Ranchi.  In the second phase, around 3000 Elected Women Representatives (EWRs) will be imparted training by the master trainers at the districts of Simdega, Pakur and Chatra of Jharkhand.  In subsequent phases, similar training modules will be organised in different states throughout the country with the help of National Institute of Rural Development, State Institutes of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Departments of the States.

Election Commission seeks funds for paper trail units

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017  Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) has requested the Union Law Ministry for urgent release of funds, given the “prevailing environment,” to facilitate procurement of VVPAT (voter verifiable paper audit trail) machines for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.  VVPAT stands for Voter-Verified Paper Audit Trail. VVPAT system maintains a physical trail of all votes cast. Small slips of paper records the details of the vote.  The Election Commission (EC) first introduced VVPAT in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

ECONOMY, BANKING AND FINANCE India’s GDP to grow 7.2% in 2017-18: World Bank Report  In a new World Bank report titled Globalization Backlash, the agency expects India’s gross domestic product to spike to 7.2% in the financial year 2017-18 from 6.8% the previous fiscal.  It has also forecasted that the ‘fiscal, inflation and external conditions’ in the country to remain stable and India’s economic growth to rise gradually to 7.7% in 2019-20, “underpinned by a recovery in private investments”.  The agency has stated that despite renewed weakness in private investment and sluggish external demand, India continued to grow robustly until ‘demonetisation’ slowed the growth, albeit modestly.  It expects that inflation would stabilise with the support of favourable investment climate and structural reforms.  The agency, however, has warned India against significant risks to its favourable growth outlook. Among them, it has underlined uncertainties in the external environment, not-so clear picture of the impact of demonetisation on small and informal firms, obstacles to private investment and rapid hikes in the prices of oil and other commodities. GOVT SCHEME

Government covers 14 SC, ST, OBC and DNT scholarship schemes under Digital Payments  The Government has stated that 14 scholarship schemes for Scheduled Castes and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) / Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-nomadic Tribes (DNTs) students come under Digital Payments Initiatives.  This is expected to benefit 3.54 crore students across the country. As per the modalities of this initiative, all scholarship amount will be deposited in the bank accounts of the students.  There will be a 60% Aadhaar seeding in SC student bank account.  Educational Empowerment is carried out by virtue of scholarships, hostels for students, coaching facilities, capital for creation/upgradation of premises, institution etc.  Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment spends 54 % of its Budget on scholarships for Scheduled castes.  In addition, the government has tasked each branch of public sector banks to handhold at least one SC/ST youth, as an entrepreneur, to generate more employment among the members of the community. DEFENCE Canberra keen on joining naval games  Australia is keen on joining the Malabar trilateral naval exercises among India, Japan and the U.S., and has requested observer status at the upcoming edition, scheduled for July.  Australia had been a part of the exercises in 2007. But a sharp response from China, which saw the joint exercises as a coalition against it, put an end to the quadrilateral format.  Japan and the U.S. are keen on expanding the games to include Australia with officials from both countries specifically stating so on various occasions. However, India has been reluctant to antagonise China. About Malabar exercise:  The Malabar drills, which began in 1992 as a bilateral naval exercise between India and the U.S., has since grown in scope and complexity, acquiring considerable heft in recent times. In 2015, it was expanded into a trilateral format with the inclusion of Japan.

EDUCATION Vastu Shashtra to be introduced in IIT Kharagpur  IIT Kharagpur plans to introduce Vastu Shashtra to the architecture students from this year August.

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017  While the rudiments of Vastu Shastra will be introduced to the first and second-year undergraduate architecture students, detailed grounding on the subject will be imparted to the post graduate and research scholars in infrastructure.  For the UG students, graded modules related to basic design and history of architecture will be taught.  For the PG level, modules imparting solar principles, sacred diagrams, 9 circuit placements or the nabagraha mandal, sacred altars and design semiotics and semantics will be taught.

APRIL 18

INTERNATIONAL Australia abolishes 457 Visa Programme largely used by Indians  Australia has abolished the 457 Visa Programme used by thousands of temporary foreign workers, a majority of them Indians to address growing unemployment in that country. Instead, Australia wants to adopt ‘Australians first’ approach to skilled migration.  Since access to the skills is important for the growth and investment of that country’s businesses, it intends to replace the 457 visa programme by another visa programme, with new restrictions.  The new temporary visa will be designed in such a way it will help in recruiting the best and brightest to fill critical skill gaps in the interest of that nation.  The new visa will ensure that foreign workers are not brought into Australia just because it is easy for the employers to recruit a foreign worker than go to the trouble of hiring an Australian.

NATIONAL Disabled persons granted exemption from standing during National Anthem in movie halls  The Supreme Court has granted an exemption to six categories of disabled people from standing when the national anthem is played before the screening of a film in theatres.  The six categories include people suffering from cerebral palsy, Parkinson disease, muscular dystrophy and other categories of disability.  The order comes at the backdrop of reported incidents of people with disabilities facing the wrath of people trying to enforce patriotism during the national anthem.

ECONOMY, BANKING AND FINANCE BEML bags Hindustan PSU award  Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) a defence public sector has received the Hindustan PSU Award under the category ‘Fastest Growing Organisation – Miniratna’.  Umesh Chandra, Executive Director, received the award on behalf of the company. The award was presented by Nitin Gadkari a Union Minister of State for Road Transport.

PNB launches three new products on foundation day  On the occasion of its Foundation Day, Punjab National Bank (PNB) has launched three new products for its customers.  The three new products are automated electronic toll collection to facilitate hassle-free toll payment/ collection, a credit card mobile App and a scheme for financing a grid connected Roof Solar Power Project.

SBI surpasses ONGC to become most valued PSU stock  State Bank of India (SBI) surpassed oil exploration major Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) to become most valued public sector undertaking (PSU) stock in terms of market capitalization (m-cap) in intra-day trade.  SBI with m-cap of Rs 239,808 crore was ahead of ONGC having m-cap of Rs 236,003 crore, BSE data showed.

GOVT SCHEME

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017 PM launches projects related to SAUNI Yojana  Phase I of SAUNI (Saurashtra Narmada Avtaran Irrigation) project was recently dedicated to the Nation. This is the second milestone in the Rs 12,000 crore project to pump Narmada water in 115 dams of arid Saurashtra region after the PM dedicated to public phase-I of the Link-I canal in August last year.  The project is not a part of the Narmada project but is based on it. 1 MAFT (million acre feet) flood water has been allotted to Saurashtra by the state government and this water will be pumped to major reservoirs in the region under the SAUNI Yojna. Unlike traditional irrigation projects, SAUNI is technically a ‘linking’ project, where the water will be filled in irrigation dams that are already equipped with canal network. This network of canals will then help channel water into farms.  Also, SAUNI project involves making pipe canals instead of the conventional open canals. The pipelines in the SAUNI project are underground, which means that no land needs to be acquired.

EVENTS President inaugurates Kempegowda festival in New Delhi  President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the Kempegowda Festival in New Delhi.  The festival is organized by the Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Foundation. About Kempegowda  Hiriya Kempe Gowda, well known as Kempe Gowda I, was a feudatory ruler under the Vijayanagara Empire.  The city of Bengaluru itself was established by Kempe Gowda in 1537, as the capital of his erstwhile kingdom.  He is considered to be the founder of Bengaluru , currently the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka.

ENVIRONMENT,SCIENCE AND TECH BRABO: First ‘Made in India’ Industrial Robot  TAL Manufacturing Solutions, a wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Motors has unveiled India’s first ‘conceptualized, designed and manufactured articulated industrial robot’ called “BRABO”. BRABO stands for “Bravo Robot”.  The robot has been developed indigenously for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) in India. The robot is primarily developed to complement the human workforce and repeatedly perform high volume, dangerous and time-consuming tasks ranging from handling of raw materials to packaging of finished products.  BRABO was designed and manufactured at the TAL’s Pune factory.  Other than the motors and drives for the Robo-arm, all the other parts of the robot were indigenously manufactured in India. BRABO has four patents registered in its name and TAL has also applied for an intellectual property (IP) certification for the robot.

IMPORTANT DAYS The International Day for Monuments and Sites: 18th April  Every year on 18 April, ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites) celebrates the International Day for Monuments and Sites (also called as World Heritage day).  The theme for 2017 is “Cultural Heritage & Sustainable Tourism".

PERSONS IN NEWS Sagar Baheti: India’s first visually impaired athlete to complete Boston Marathon  Sagar Baheti has become the first visually impaired Indian runner to complete the historic Boston Marathon.  Bengaluru-based 31 years old Baheti completed a distance of 42.16 km distance in just over four hours.  Supported by the Massachusetts Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (MABVI), Baheti finished the 121st Boston Marathon as one of 30,000 runners.

Philippine President Duterte wins TIME 100 Reader Poll  Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has won Time magazine's readers' poll of the 100 most influential people in the world.

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017  Rodrigo also known as Digong, is a Filipino politician and jurist who is the 16th and current President of the Philippines. SPORTS Gayatri Pullela wins twin crown at Pembangunan Jaya Raya Junior Grand Prix  National Badminton coach Pullela Gopichand's daughter Gayatri Pullela has bagged both the singles and doubles crown at the Pembangunan Jaya Raya Junior Grand Prix in Jakarta. Sebastian Vettel wins Bahrain Grand Prix 2017  Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) won the Bahrain Grand Prix 2017 by defeating Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes).  It was Sebastian's 3rd victory in Bahrain and 44th of his career.

APRIL 19

INTERNATIONAL Trump’s order targets H-1B programme  President Trump has signed an executive order that directs federal agencies to review employment immigration laws to promote “Hire American” policies.  The order makes no immediate changes to work visa programs but tells the Departments of Labor, Justice, Homeland Security and State to study existing laws and procedures and recommend changes.  In the case of one program, H-1B temporary visas, the order directs the agencies to suggest changes to help ensure that the visas are awarded to the most skilled, best-paid immigrant workers.  The order also calls for a crackdown on fraud and abuse in the current system of work visas — which the agencies had already signaled they would do.

NATIONAL Union Cabinet decides to ban use of red beacon by VIPs from May 1 :to end VIP culture  The Union Cabinet has put a ban on the use of red beacons atop cars of VIPs. Only the President, Vice-President and Chief Justice of India.  The exemption also applies to the emergency service vehicles. Accordingly, fire brigade, ambulance services, police vehicles and other emergency services will be allowed to use the blue beacon.  The decision will come into force from May 1, 2017.  In effect, the ban is applicable to the prime minister, union ministers, chief ministers, state cabinet ministers, bureaucrats and judges of the High Court and Supreme Court. The decision was taken to end VIP culture. ECONOMY, BANKING AND FINANCE Railways seek aid for unviable routes  The Railway Ministry has sought compensation for operating railway lines of strategic and national importance — a practice discontinued following the merger of Railway and Union Budgets.  Every year, the Indian Railways used to get subsidy from the Finance Ministry for losses incurred on railway operations on strategic lines. After the Budget merger, the Finance Ministry had discontinued the practice of providing annual subsidy to the Railways for operating loss-making strategic routes as the Railways was no longer required to pay an annual dividend.

Global economy to grow 3.5% in 2017: IMF  The IMF has predicted that the global economy would grow at 3.5% in 2017, up from 3.1 % last year, and 3.6% in 2018.  This year’s projection of IMF is marginally higher than what was stated in their last update. The improvement in this year’s projection springs up from good economic news in Europe and Asia, notably from China and Japan.  As per IMF, momentum in the global economy has been building up since the middle of the last year making it reaffirm its previous forecasts of higher growth for this year and next year.

India jumps to 8th place on Global FDI Confidence Index

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017  India has jumped one spot to 8th rank in the 2017 A.T. Kearney Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Confidence Index.  USA has topped A.T. Kearney Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Confidence Index for the fifth year in a row. The top 5 countries in A.T. Kearney Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Confidence Index 2017 are:  USA  Germany  China  UK  Canada

RBI opened the Office of the Banking Ombudsman at Chhattisgarh and Jammu & Kashmir  The Reserve Bank of India has set up two new Offices of the Banking Ombudsman for the State of Jammu and Kashmir (in Jammu) and Chhattisgarh (in Raipur).  The Office of the Banking Ombudsman at Reserve Bank of India, Jammu and Chhattisgarh will have the jurisdiction over the entire State of Jammu and Kashmir and Chhattisgarh which, hitherto was under the jurisdiction of the Office of the Banking Ombudsman, New Delhi-I and Bhopal, respectively. DEFENCE Navy’s missile destroyer dedicated to Chennai  Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami dedicated the Indian Navy’s indigenously designed ‘P15A Guided Missile Destroyer’, INS Chennai to the city Chennai.  INS Chennai is commanded by captain C. R. Praveen Nair and has 45 officers. The ship was commissioned by ex-Defence Minister Manohar Parikkar in 2016. It is one of the most potent warships to have been constructed in India. HISTORY Channakeshava temple turns 900  The Channakeshava temple in Belur — a masterpiece of Hoysala architecture — turned 900 this year. Belur, along with Halebid, is proposed as a UNESCO heritage site.  The temple, constructed by Vishnuvardhana of the Hoysala dynasty, is a monument recognised by the ASI. Considered to be the first temple of Hoysala style, it was built between 1106 and 1117. The temple is regarded a marvel of architecture in typical Hoysala style. It commemorates the king’s victory in 1104.

ENVIRONMENT,SCIENCE AND TECH Met dept. expects a ‘normal’ monsoon  In its first official forecast of the season, the IMD expects India to have normal monsoons this year.  Rains are likely to be 96% of the 50-year average of 89cm for the monsoon season of June to September. They are expected to fan out favourably and “help agriculture.” This estimate falls at the bottom edge of what it considers ‘normal’ monsoon rains. However, due to the looming threat of El Nino and adoption of new weather model, the IMD says there is significant element of uncertainty in this forecast.  The El Nino — characterised by surface waters of the equatorial Pacific warming up more than half a degree — is known to dry up monsoon rains every six out of 10 years. This year, international weather models as well as the IMD’s own dynamical global climate forecasting system model indicate that El Nino conditions might set in during the “latter part of the monsoon.”  Another climate phenomenon, called the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), which refers to a swing in the sea surface temperatures in the western and eastern Indian oceans, is also known to influence the Indian monsoon. A ‘positive’ IOD can counter an ominous El Nino. In its assessment, the IMD expects “weak positive IOD” to develop in the latter half of the monsoon, which means that it’s unlikely to be a potent ally this year.

PLACES IN NEWS UP Govt Renames Gorakhpur and Agra Airports  The UP government changed the name of Gorakhpur and Agra Airports as well as the name of the department of welfare of the differently abled.

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017  The Gorakhpur Airforce Station has been renamed as Mahayogi Goraknath Airport after the founder of the Nath monastic movement.  The Agra Airport will be renamed after Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay airport. The Department of Disabled Welfare will now be known as 'Divyang Jan Vikas Empowerment'.

APRIL 20

INTERNATIONAL China to host BRICS Film Festival in June, 2017  The 2017 BRICS Film Festival will be held in Chengdu, southwest China’s Sichuan Province from June 23 to 27, 2017.  There will be 30 films from BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) screened during the festival.  The first BRICS Film Festival was held in New Delhi, India, in September 2016.

NATIONAL Centre extends Ceasefire with Naga rebel groups till April 27, 2018  The union government has extended the ceasefire with the two Naga armed factions, namely, National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Reformation (NSCN-R) and National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Neakpao-Kithovi (GPRN/NSCN) till April 27, 2018.  The decision over extension of ceasefire was taken at a meeting held between the officials of Home Ministry and the Ceasefire Supervisory Board of Naga armed factions. A ceasefire is already in operation between the government and the Naga armed factions of NSCN-R and NSCN-NK. ECONOMY, BANKING AND FINANCE Madhya Pradesh government, DMRC inked pact to supply power from Rewa project  Madhya Pradesh government has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to supply 24 per cent of electricity generated from the Rewa ultra mega solar project to be set up in the state.  The rest of the power will be supplied to the state.

Union Cabinet approves policy guidelines to allow state entities to directly borrow bilateral loans  The Union Cabinet has approved the policy guidelines to permit financially sound State Government entities to borrow directly from bilateral ODA (Official development Assistance) partners for the purpose of implementing vital infrastructure projects.  The approval is subject to fulfilment of certain conditions and all repayments of loans and interests to the funding agencies.  As a corollary to the new decision, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has been permitted to borrow directly from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Official Development Assistance (ODA) loan for implementation of Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) project.

HEALTH India develops National Action Plan to combat Antimicrobial Resistance  Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare announced the finalization of India’s comprehensive and multi-sectoral National Action Plan at the ‘Inter-Ministerial Consultation on AMR containment’ held at New Delhi.  The consultation was attended by various ministers including Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Ram Vilas Paswan, and Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Anil Madhav Dave.  The Ministers signed a ‘Delhi Declaration’ to contain Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).  The Delhi Declaration calls for the support of all stakeholders including UN, WHO, FAO and other UN agencies, civil society organizations etc., in developing and implementing the national and state action plans on AMR.

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017  The National action plan has objectives of enhancing awareness, strengthening surveillance, improving rational use of antibiotics, reducing infections and promoting research.

ENVIRONMENT,SCIENCE AND TECH ISRO to test launch GSLV-Mk III-D1 in May 2017  ISRO is all set to undertake the first developmental flight of a ‘game-changer’ rocket (launching vehicle) that will have the capacity to launch four-tonne class of satellites, from Sriharikota spaceport. ISRO looks forward to conduct the second developmental flight within this year.  With the successful test launch, ISRO can carry out all the launches within the country instead of depending on international agencies for the launch of heavier satellites. Hence, the successful test launch will help in reducing ISRO’s dependency on international launching vehicles.  ISRO’s launch vehicles as of now have the capability to launch satellites only up to 2.2 tonne. For the launch of heavier satellites, it had to depend upon the international agencies.  So, the ISRO rightly views operationalisation of this rocket as a “game-changer” mission.

RGIA gets carbon neutrality status  The Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) at Shamshabad has been given the carbon neutrality status by Airports Council International (ACI) under its Airport Carbon Accreditation programme.  The airport’s operator GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL), a GMR Group-led consortium, has stated that it was conferred with the carbon neutrality (level 3: neutrality) by the ACI at a ceremony held in Doha, Qatar

LHS 1140b: Another planet in habitable zone discovered  Astronomers have discovered yet another planet, called LHS1140b, which is expected to be present in the Goldilocks Zone.  It’s not so far away, either. It is found orbiting around the star LHS 1140 some 39 light-years away.  The planet is found to be rocky, like the Earth but is over six-times as massive as Earth and about 1.5-times larger and falls under the category of ‘Super Earth’. Its gravitational pull will be three times stronger than that of the Earth.  Rocky planets within the habitable zone are the best candidates to find evidence of some form of life. AWARDS One Part Woman bags Sahitya Akademi award:  The English translation of writer Perumal Murugan’s novel Mathorubhagan (One Part Woman) has won the Sahitya Akademi’s award for translation in English.  The translation was done by Aniruddhan Vasudevan.  The Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honor in India, which the Sahitya Akademi, India’s National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of the most outstanding books of literary merit published in any of the major Indian languages (24 languages, including the 22 listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, along with English and Rajasthani) recognised by the Sahitya Akademi.

UNESCO’s Felix Houphouet-Boigny Peace Prize 2017 winners  UNESCO has named Giuseppina Nicolini, Mayor of Lampedusa (Italy) and the non-governmental organisation SOS Méditerranée (France) as the winners of Felix Houphouet-Boigny Peace Prize 2017 “for their work to save the lives of refugees and migrants and welcome them with dignity”.  In the past, Felix Houphouet-Boigny Peace Prize has been granted to internationally renowned personalities like Nelson Mandela, Yasser Arafat, King Juan Carlos of Spain, former US president Jimmy Carter and Shimon Peres.  For the first time, the award goes to a mayor. Giuseppina Nicolini is a 56-year-old mayor of a small Italian island since 2012. She has been selected for the award for “her boundless humanity and unwavering commitment to refugee crisis management”. As a mayor, Nicolini ensured that the Lampedusa deals as efficiently and humanely as possible with the migrants and refugees arriving from war-torn Middle Eastern countries by sea. Lampedusa is a small island which is roughly equidistant from Southern Sicily, Malta and Tunisia.

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017  SOS Mediterranee is an NGO founded in 2015 to rescue the refugees each week from dinghies and boats in the Mediterranean. Since 2013, it is estimated that nearly 13,000 people have perished in shipwrecks. SPORTS Video gaming to be featured at 2022 Asian Games:  Competitive video games will become a medal sport for the first time ever at the 2022 Asian Games.  They will appear as a demonstration event at the 2018 edition of the next Asian Games, to be held in Indonesia, as part of the run-up to esports’ official inclusion as a medal sport in the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.  Asian Games is a multi-sport competition, touted as second only to the Olympics in terms of size. It is held every four years. APRIL 21

INTERNATIONAL Pakistan Leases Gwadar port to a State-run Chinese firm for 40 years  Pakistan has leased the operations of its strategic Gwadar port to a State-run Chinese firm, the China Overseas Port Holding Company (COPHC) for a period of 40 years.  COPHC is slated to carry out all the developmental work on the port situated in the Balochistan province of Pakistan. COPHC took over the operations of the port in 2013.  Previously, the control of the Gwadar port was with Singapore’s PSA (Port of Singapore Authority) International.  As per the contract, 91% share of revenue collection from gross revenue of terminal and marine operations as well as 85% share from gross revenue of free zone operation will go to the COPHC. The provinces will not be given any share in the revenue collection.

NATIONAL SC sets 25% of husband’s net salary as alimony  The Supreme Court in its latest ruling has set 25% of the net salary as the maintenance to be paid by a husband to his estranged wife.  The Court has observed that the alimony paid to a woman must be “just and proper” and must be sufficient enough to ensure that a woman lived with dignity after separating from her husband.  It has further observed that the alimony must be befitting the status of the parties and the capacity of the spouse to pay maintenance.  The ruling has come on a man’s plea challenging Calcutta High Court’s order that asked him to pay Rs 23,000 every month as alimony to his former wife. But the Bench of justices R Banumathi and MM Santanagoudar turned down his plea that the amount was excessive. The present ruling delivered by the Supreme Court follows its inclination to safeguard the interest of women in matrimonial disputes affecting their financial status.  In an earlier judgment delivered in 2016, the apex court had observed that as per Hindu Law, the husband has got a personal obligation to maintain his wife whether or not he possessed any property. In case if he possessed of properties, then his wife will be entitled to a right to be maintained out of such properties. ECONOMY, BANKING AND FINANCE Reliance Industries Ltd. become most-valued Indian company  The Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL) regained its status as India’s most valued firm by market capitalization.  RIL overtook Tata Group’s crown jewel TCS. TCS had replaced RIL as the most valued firm more than four years ago.

Steel Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh inaugurated 'India Steel 2017' in Mumbai  The 3rd edition of International Conference and Exhibition on Steel Industry 'India Steel 2017' was held at Mumbai Exhibition center in Mumbai from 19th-21st April 2017.

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017  It was inaugurated by Union Steel Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh. First of its Kind exhibition-cum-conference was organized by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCO) along with Union Ministry of Steel. Anti-dumping duty likely on hydrogen peroxide  Government is planning to impose anti-dumping duty of up to $118 per tonne on import of hydrogen peroxide used by industries in applications such as corrosion control and paper bleaching from six countries.  The move is aimed at guarding domestic players from cheap imports of ‘hydrogen peroxide’ from Bangladesh, Taiwan, Korea, Indonesia, Pakistan and Thailand.  Hydrogen peroxide is a colourless liquid, slightly more viscous than water.  Hydrogen peroxide is the simplest peroxide.  It is used as an oxidizer, bleaching agent and disinfectant. It is also used as ripening agent.  Concentrated hydrogen peroxide, or “high-test peroxide”, is a reactive oxygen species and has been used as a propellant in rocketry.  Hydrogen peroxide is unstable and slowly decomposes in the presence of base or a catalyst. Because of its instability, hydrogen peroxide is typically stored with a stabilizer in a weakly acidic solution.  Hydrogen peroxide is found in biological systems including the human body. Enzymes that use or decompose hydrogen peroxide are classified as peroxidases. ENVIRONMENT,SCIENCE AND TECH After Mars, ISRO decides it’s time to probe Venus:  The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has invited scientists to suggest studies for a potential orbiter mission to Venus – somewhat similar to the one that landed in Mars in 2013.  ISRO plans to send a spacecraft that will initially go around Venus in an elliptical orbit before getting closer to the ‘Yellow Planet’. It will carry instruments weighing 175 kg and using 500W of power.  Venus, the second planet from the Sun, comes closest to Earth roughly every 583 days, or about 19 months.  Venus, our closest planetary neighbour, is similar to Earth in many aspects. However, it takes only 225 days to revolve around the Sun. Secondly, the surface is very hot due to nearness to the Sun.  Ever since the then USSR sent the Venera mission to Venus in February 1961, there have been close to 30 missions to the planet, the last one being Japan’s Akatsuki in 2010. These comprised orbiters, landers, atmospheric probes and fly-bys.  The erstwhile Soviet Union tops the list with 16 Veneras and two Vegas. The US had Mariner, Pioneer and Magellan missions. IMPORTANT DAYS 11th Civil Services Day function held in New Delhi  The Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh inaugurated the two-day 11th Civil Services Day program (20-21 April) in New Delhi.  Civil Services Day is celebrated in India every year on 21st April. The function was organized by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances, and Pensions.  This day coincides with the date on which SardarVallabhbhai Patel had addressed the first batch of probationers at the All India Administrative Service Training School at Metcalfe House, New Delhi in 1947.  PERSONS IN NEWS Narendra Modi, Paytm’s Vijay Shekhar Sharma in Time’s ‘most influential people’ list  Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma were the only two Indians to make it to an annual list of ‘100 most influential people in the world’ 2017, released by the Time magazine. SPORTS Rio Olympics silver medallist P.V.Sindhu moves to No. 3 in World Ranking  Ace shuttler PV Sindhu has been ranked No. 3 in the latest BWF ranking. Sindhu who was at No.5 climbed up two places on the basis of making the quarter-finals of the recently-concluded Singapore Open Super Series.

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017  Sindhu’s career best is when she reached World No. 2 two weeks ago. As per the latest BWF ranking, London Olympics bronze medallist Saina Nehwal has been ranked eighth. Kidambi Srikanth and B Sai Praneeth have been placed at 21st and 22nd positions respectively.

APRIL 22

NATIONAL Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad launches Probono Services, Legal Aid Schemes, Nyaya Mitra  Minister of Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad inaugurated three welfare initiatives of the Department of Justice. The services launched are-  Pro-bono legal services- Through the Pro bono legal services, lawyers who want to provide legal services free of cost can register themselves on a web-based platform.  Tele-law service- It aims to connect marginalized communities with lawyers through video conferencing facilities, to be set up at Common Service Centres (CSCs).  Nyaya Mitra Project- It aims to reduce pendency in lower courts, with a special focus on cases which are more than ten years old. ECONOMY, BANKING AND FINANCE RBI signs MoU with the Bank of Guyana  The Reserve Bank of India signed an MoU)on “Supervisory Cooperation and Exchange of Supervisory Information” with Bank of Guyana.  Earlier, RBI has signed 40 such MoUs, one Letter for Supervisory Co-operation and one Statement of Co-operation. About Guyana  Guyana officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana,] is a sovereign state on the northern mainland of South America.  Capital and largest city- Georgetown  President-David Granger  Prime Minister –Moses NAgamootoo  Currency- Guyanese dollar World Bank approves $375 million loan for National Waterway-1  The World Bank has approved a loan of $375 million (around Rs 2,421 crore) for capacity augmentation of National Waterway-1 (NW-1) between Haldia in West Bengal and Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh on the river Ganga under the Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP).  The project would enable commercial navigation of vessels of 1,500-2,000 deadweight tonnes capacity along a 1,390-km stretch.  Jal Marg Vikas Project is a project on the river Ganga that envisages the development of waterway between Allahabad and Haldia that will cover a distance of 1620 km. It aims to develop a fairway with three metres depth to enable commercial navigation of at least 1500 tonne vessels on the river.  The project includes the development of fairway, multi-modal terminals, strengthening of open river navigation technique, conservancy works, modern River Information System (RIS) etc. As a part of the project, Inland Waterways Authority of India will set up a River Information Service System on NW-1, the first of its kind in India.  Besides, three multi-modal terminals, one each at Varanasi, Sahibganj (Jharkhand), Haldia; and inter-modal terminals at Kalughat and Ghazipur; a navigation lock at Farakka; and five Roll on-Roll off (Ro-Ro) terminals would be constructed. NW-1  National Waterway-1 (NW-1) is a waterway passing through Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal, potentially serving the major cities of Haldia, Howrah, Kolkata, Bhagalpur, Patna, Ghazipur, Varanasi, Allahabad and their industrial hinterlands including several industries located along the Ganga basin. River Information system (RIS)

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017  RIS is a combination of modern tracking equipment comprising of hardware and software designed to optimise transport and traffic processes in inland water navigation.  The system has the capability to enhance swift electronic data transfer between mobile vessels and Base stations through advance and real-time exchange of information.  It enables safe and efficient inland water transport by avoiding risks such as (i) Ship-to-Ship collisions. (ii) Ship-Bridge collisions. (iii) Groundings.  Inland Waterway Authority of India (IWAI) is implementing the RIS in India.

One Crore MGNREGA assets geotagged  Mahatma Gandhi NREGS has reached a new milestone today by geotagging one Crore assets and putting them in public domain.  The geotagging exercise started from 1st September, 2016. One Crore assets have been geotagged and put in public domain in the last seven months. It is expected that the exercise will lead to greater transparency and ensure accountability at field level.  Geotagging is the process of adding geographical information to various media in the form of metadata. The data usually consists of coordinates like latitude and longitude, but may even include bearing, altitude, distance and place names.

Government approves Guidelines on service charge  Ministry of Food and Consumer Affairs has approved the ‘Guidelines on Fair Trade Practices Related to Charging of Service Charge from Consumers by Hotels and Restaurants’.  As a part of the guidelines which has been issued in public interest to protect the rights of consumers, the government has said that Service charge on hotel and restaurant bills is “totally voluntary”, adding that mandatory levy of service charge amounts to unfair trade practice.  As per the guidelines, Hotels and restaurants cannot decide on service charge and the column of service charge will be left blank in the bill for the customers to fill up before making payment.  The guidelines have also stated that in a case of mandatory levy of service charge, customers can file a complaint in the Consumer Court.  However, at present, stringent action cannot be taken against the erring hotels as the current Consumer Protection Act, 1986 does not empower the ministry to do so.  But, under the new Consumer Protection Bill, an authority is expected to be set up with powers to take such actions. DEFENCE India, South Korea sign MoU for Defence Industry  India and South Korea have signed an Inter-governmental MoU for Defence Industry cooperation between their shipbuilding yards.  The Indian side was represented by Secretary of Defence Production A K Gupta and South Korea was represented by his counterpart Chang Miyung Jin, in New Delhi.  India has nominated Hindustan Shipyard at Vishakhapatnam whereas South Korea is yet to nominate its shipyard.  The cooperation is part of the ‘Make in India’ policy. Accordingly, the warships will be built at domestic shipyards with the help of South Korea. This will enable HSL to upgrade and modernise its facilities and finish shipbuilding projects in a timely and cost effective manner. It would be able to imbibe best practices in shipbuilding. As a result of which, the production of HSL will increase manifold leading to the creation of more employment opportunities to the unemployed. In addition, the plan to identify and develop indigenous sources for the supply of material and equipment would pave way for the development of ancillary industry /maritime cluster in the region. Indian Navy test-fires land attack version of BrahMos missile  Indian Navy recently successfully test fired BrahMos Land Attack Supersonic Cruise Missile from a ship. This variant of Long Range BrahMos Missile was fired from Indian Naval Ship Teg, a Guided Missile Frigate, on a target on land.  BrahMos Missile has been jointly developed by India and Russia, and its Anti Ship variant has already been inducted into Indian Navy.

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017  Land Attack variant of BrahMos Missile provides Indian Naval Ships the capability to precisely neutralise selected targets deep inland, far away from coast, from stand-off ranges at sea.  The missile has a range of 400km.  The technology upgrade to the extended range BrahMos has come after India gained entry into the 34-nation Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) in June 2016, which “removed the caps” on the missile’s range. The MTCR basically prevents the proliferation of missiles and UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) over the range of 300-km. EVENTS 1st ‘India Indonesia Energy Forum’ held in Jakarta  Union Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal, New & Renewable Energy and Mines, Shri Piyush Goyal and Indonesia's Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Mr. Ignasius Jonan met for the 1st ‘India Indonesia Energy Forum’, held in Jakarta, Indonesia.  The Energy Forum was preceded by 2nd Joint Working Group (JWG) on Oil and Gas, 4th Joint Working Group on Coal and 1st Joint Working Group on New and Renewable Energy. The reports of three Joint Working Groups were presented to two Ministers during the Energy Forum.

ENVIRONMENT,SCIENCE AND TECH NDMA conducted first mock exercise on forest fire in Uttarakhand  The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) conducted its first-ever mock exercise on forest fire in Uttarakhand to help improve the preparedness and response mechanism in the event of a forest fire.  The mock exercise was conducted on the principle of Incident Response System (IRS).  he mock exercise, aimed at assessing the efficacy of integrating the preparedness and response mechanisms of the forest department with those of the district administration, has been conducted in collaboration with the State Government.  The exercise is significant as almost 70 per cent of the State's geographical area is under forests and incidents of forest fires are commonplace.  The simulation exercise was conducted simultaneously at multiple locations, including residential areas adjoining forests, across all 13 districts covering different types of forests and varying degrees of severity of forest fires. About National Disaster Management Authority  National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) is an agency of the Ministry of Home Affairs whose primary purpose is to coordinate response to natural or man-made disasters and for capacity-building in disaster resiliency and crisis response.  NDMA was established through the Disaster Management Act enacted by the Government of India in December 2005  The Prime Minister is the ex-officio chairperson of NDMA. The agency is responsible for framing policies, laying down guidelines and best-practices and coordinating with the State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMAs) to ensure a holistic and distributed approach to disaster management  By a 9-member board chaired by the Prime Minister of India. The remainder of the board consists of members nominated based on their expertise in areas such as, planning, infrastructure management, communications, meteorology and natural sciences. The day-to-day management of the agency is overseen by the office of the Vice Chair NDMA is operationally organized into the following divisions:  Policy & Planning  Mitigation  Operations & Communications  Administration  Capacity Building

China’s first cargo spacecraft successfully docks with the Tiangong-2 space lab  China has successfully docked its first cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-1 with the Tiangong-2 space lab.

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017  It is hailed as a major step towards China’s ambition of establishing a permanently manned space station by 2022.  China has an ambitious plan of building a permanent space station by 2022, that will be in the orbit for at least 10 years. Tiangong-2 (Heavenly Palace 2) space lab was home to two astronauts for a month in last October. T  It was China’s longest-ever manned space mission. iangong-2 was put up into space on September 15, 2016.  China has prioritised advancing its space programme to strengthen national security. Tianzhou-1 is a tube-like craft which is capable of carrying 6 tonnes of goods, 2 tonnes of fuel and can fly unmanned for three months. It is considered that the cargo spacecraft has provided an important technological basis for building a space station.  According to Chinese sources, Tianzhou-1 will dock two more times with Tiangong-2 before falling back to Earth.

IMPORTANT DAYS World Earth Day : 22 April  The World Earth Day is being observed all over the world on 22 April with the message to protect the environment.  The campaign theme for 2017 is 'Environmental and Climate Literacy'. The first Earth Day celebrations took place in 1970. About World Earth Day:  In 1969 at a UNESCO Conference in San Francisco, peace activist John McConnell proposed a day to honor the Earth and the concept of peace, to first be celebrated on March 21, 1970, the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere.  This day of nature's equipoise was later sanctioned in a proclamation written by McConnell and signed by Secretary General U Thant at the United Nations.  A month later a separate Earth Day was founded by United States Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in first held on April 22, 1970.  Nelson was later awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom award in recognition of his work  While this April 22 Earth Day was focused on the United States, an organization launched by Denis Hayes, who was the original national coordinator in 1970, took it international in 1990 and organized events in 141 nations.

AWARDS GNFC wins Golden Peacock Award  The Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilizers & Chemicals Ltd (GNFC) won the prestigious Golden Peacock Award 2017 in the category of Innovative Product/Service for pioneering a cashless township transformation model.  The Golden Peacock Awards were established by the Institute of Directors (IOD) in India in 1991.  Rajiv Kumar Gupta, the managing director of the GNFC, was given the award at a ceremony at the 27th World Congress at the Dubai Global Convention. OBITUARY Veteran Journalist Nora Chopra passes away  Veteran Journalist Nora Chopra passed away at 64 due to multi-organ failure.  A senior journalist and columnist, Smt. Chopra was widely admired and respected for her journalistic skills.

APRIL 23 INTERNATIONAL India wins elections to two UN subsidiary bodies  India has won elections to two subsidiary bodies of a UN organ focussed on social and economic issues.  India along with 12 other members was elected to the Committee for Programme and Coordination (CPC), a subsidiary body of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017  The country garnered the most number of votes in the Asian group, with 49 out of 50 members of ECOSOC voting in its favour.  The 13 members elected for three-year terms, beginning January 2018, include Burkina Faso, Iran, Japan, Pakistan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Moldova, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, the United Kingdom and United States.  The CPC is the main subsidiary organ of the Economic and Social Council and the General Assembly for planning, programming and coordination.  India, along with 19 other nations, was also elected by acclamation to the International Narcotics Control Board for a four-year term beginning January next year.  The 20 members included Burkina Faso, Cd’Ivoire, Togo, Algeria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Croatia, Czech Republic, Russia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Cuba.

NATIONAL Yogi Aditynath directs officials to set up yoga wellness centres  Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed officials to set up yoga wellness centres in 40 districts of the state in the current financial year.  The chief minister has also asked officials to take permission from the central government for setting up wellness centres in 35 other districts, an official spokesman said while briefing on the presentation of the AYUSH department here last night.  The 40 yoga wellness centres will be set up in 23 ayurvedic, 7 Unnani and 12 homeopathic hospitals of the state this financial year, the spokesman said.  In his directives for the International Day of Yoga falling on June 21, the chief minister has said all necessary arrangements should be ensured well within time for the joint yoga display by 51,000 participants in Lucknow.

ECONOMY, BANKING AND FINANCE First digital village inaugurated in Arunachal Pradesh  Nirjuli village-1 in Papum Pare district was today declared as the first digital village of Arunachal Pradesh.  Digital village aims at cashless transactions even in sabji mandis to make payment through mobile and advocate awareness through schools for which the SBI may be able to provide computers to promote digitalisation, micro ATM, CSP besides other financial support to the villagers to improve their income level. “Quality Mark” Award Scheme for Dairy Cooperatives initiated by NDDB  As part of the innovative initiatives under the “White Revolution” umbrella Schemes, the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries has supported the National Dairy Development Board(NDDB) developed initiative of “Quality Mark” Award Scheme for dairy Cooperatives to promote and encourage enhancement of safety, quality and hygiene of milk and milk products manufactured by dairy cooperatives.  It is aimed at bringing about process improvement in the entire value chain from producer to the consumer to ensure availability of safe and quality of milk and products both for the domestic and foreign market.  The Quality Mark” Award Scheme for dairy Cooperatives in the country has been initiated to instill confidence in the consumers for the quality of milk being marketed by them by ensuring availability of safe and good quality milk and milk products. GOVT SCHEME INS darshak conducting joint hydrographic survey of Sri Lankan bay  The Indian Navy’s hydrographic survey ship, INS Darshak, jointly with Sri Lankan Navy, is undertaking a hydrographic survey of Weligama Bay.  The announcement was made by the Indian Navy on 20 April 2017 on a social media platform. INS Darshak, which is on a two-month deployment in the Sri Lankan waters, jointly with the Sri Lankan Navy is surveying the bay, which was last studied in the year 1901. IMPORTANT DAYS World Book & Copyright Day being observed today

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017  World Book and Copyright Day (WBCD) is being observed on 23rd April 2017. The day seeks to raise awareness about the importance of reading and promote publishing and the protection of copyright around the globe.  The event is organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).  Conakry, the capital of Guinea has been designated World Book Capital 2017.

SPORTS Himanta Biswa Sarma becomes interim BAI president  BJP leader and Assam Badminton Association President Himanta Biswa Sarma was on Sunday appointed Badminton Association of India's interim head during its executive council meeting.  The post of president was left vacant after the sudden demise of former president Akhilesh Das Gupta

Tushar Arothe appointed coach of Indian women’s team  The BCCI announced Tushar Arothe the new coach of the Indian women’s team.  He was appointed after former India women captain, Purnima Rau was sacked as head coach of the national team.  Tushar Arothe previously had a stint as the India women fielding coach and head coach between 2008 and 2012.

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INTERNATIONAL A step forward for Indo-Bangla ties  The Tripura government has commenced the land acquisition process for the construction of India-Bangladesh Friendship Bridge over river Feni that demarcates boundaries between the two countries in south Tripura.  The process for acquiring land for a four-lane approach road and a connecting road on Indian side in southern Tripura has also begun.  Government of India is bearing the entire burden of expenditure towards the construction of the 150-metre bridge which will connect Sabroom of India and Ramgarh in Bangladesh.  Rehabilitation package is ready to compensate people who would be dislodged for construction purposes.  The bridge would facilitate implementation of a protocol India earlier signed with Bangladesh to use Chittagong sea port as a ‘port of call’. The port is 72 kilometre away from Sabroom.  India is also expanding rail network up to Sabroom to handle cargo consignments that would arrivefrom Chittagong port. Ultimate connectivity plan is to benefit Tripura and other landlocked northeastern States with international and domestic shipments using the sea port.

A new freight train connects Russia with China  A freight train connecting Russia with China arrived in Ganzhou an inland city in Jiangxi province, carrying goods from Moscow.  The freight train travelled more than 7,000 km, before reaching Ganzhou in eastern China.

NATIONAL Soon, underwater tunnels will connect Howrah with Kolkata  The construction of the first underwater metro tunnel in the country deep under the bed of the Hooghly river has begun.  Two tunnels will be built. By the end of July, two tunnels running parallel will connect the twin cities of Howrah and Kolkata located on either side of the Hooghly.  The tunnels are being dug at a depth of 30 metres below the earth’s surface and 13 metres below the riverbed.

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017  The twin tunnels, about 520 metres long, are crucial to the much-awaited ₹ 8,900 core East West Metro project that will connect Salt Lake Sector V in the eastern part of Kolkata to the Howrah Maidan across the river. ECONOMY, BANKING AND FINANCE India becomes no 2 LPG importer:  India has replaced Japan as world’s number two importer of liquefied petroleum gas or LPG.  Japan recorded a drop of 3.2% in LPG imports during the period under review to 10.6 million tonnes.  China continues to occupy numero uno position as world’s largest LPG importer.  The main reason behind the increase in the consumption of LPG in India is due to the two government schemes coupled with free gas connections.  From May 2016, the government is providing free cooking gas connections to women from extremely poor households, to reduce the use of polluting fuels such as wood and dried cow dung. This has increased India’s active LPG users to about 200 million, which is 60% more than Japan’s entire population.  According to the World Health Organization, polluting fuels used for cooking purposes results in 1.3 million premature deaths in India every year.  India has set an ambitious target of increasing LPG usage to cover 80% of the households by March 2019. As per the present estimates of the oil ministry, demand for fuel will touch 35 million tonnes by 2031-32 in India.

GOVT SCHEME Haryana launches mobile app 'Kilkari' to create awareness among pregnant women  The National Health Mission (NHM) in Haryana launched a mobile-based application named 'Kilkari' to create awareness among pregnant women, parents and health workers on the  From the second trimester of pregnancy, till the child is one-year-old, the application will deliver 72 times appropriate audio messages to registered mobile numbers on pregnancy, child and childbirth care every week. DEFENCE India becomes world’s fifth largest military spender  According to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri), India has become world’s fifth-largest military spender spending at $55.9 billion in 2016.  The US remains the world’s largest military followed by China, Russia, and Saudi Arabia. The other prominent spenders in the top 15 include Japan, South Korea, and Australia. EVENTS Engaging Asia arbitration summit:  The summit was recently held in New Delhi.  The Summit brings together lawyers and corporates from participating countries to discuss Asia’s potential in driving worldwide growth in commercial arbitration.  It provides participants an opportunity to discuss the surge in arbitration in Asia, especially among economic powers such as India and China, and Southeast Asia.  The Summit presents a platform for the international arbitration community to engage with policy makers and share experiences in best practices. It also provides ample opportunity to network on the sidelines with leading arbitration lawyers and corporate counsels.

‘Mother of all marches’ in Venezuela:  The Mother of All Marches, also known as the Mother of All Protests, was a day of protests held on 19 April 2017 in Venezuela against their president Nicolas Maduro and the chavist regime.  The protests began after the Supreme Tribunal of Justice dissolved the National Assembly and took over its legislative powers, on 29 March, 2017, in what was called a self-coup.

ENVIRONMENT,SCIENCE AND TECH 3D-printing conquers glass:  Scientists have developed a novel way to 3D-print objects using glass, an advance that could be used to make very small optical components for complex computers.

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017  The process is known as Stereolithography. Stereolithography is a form of 3D-printing technology used for creating models, prototypes, patterns and production parts in a layer by layer fashion using photopolymerisation, a process by which light causes chains of molecules to link, forming polymers.  The material, which remains a liquid, is washed out in a solvent bath, leaving only the desired cured structure. The polymer still mixed in this glass structure is subsequently removed by heating.

Material tougher, more conductive than copper developed  Researchers have developed thin carbon nanotube (CNT) textiles that exhibit high electrical conductivity and a level of toughness about 50 times higher than copper films, currently being used in electronics.  Tough nano-architectured conductive textile are made by capillary splicing of Carbon nanotubes.  Beginning with catalyst deposited on a silicon oxide substrate, vertically aligned carbon nanotubes were synthesised via chemical vapour deposition in the form of parallel lines of 5 micrometre wide, 10 micrometre in length, and 20-60 micrometre in heights. Potential applications:  Aligned carbon nanotube sheets are suitable for a wide range of application spanning from the micro to the macro-scales. The structural robustness of thin metal films has significant importance for the reliable operation of smart skin and flexible electronics, including biological and structural health monitoring sensors.  Maharashtra govt signs MoU with Railways to expand green cover  In a bid to expand the green cover, the Maharashtra government recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Railways, under which trees will be planted on the land adjacent to the railway tracks in the state. Goldman Environmental Prize for Prafulla Samantra  Social activist Prafulla Samantra was announced one among six winners of the Goldman Environmental Prize for his “historic 12-year legal battle that affirmed the indigenous Dongria Kondh’s land rights and protected the Niyamgiri Hills from a massive, open-pit aluminum ore mine.”  The other five winners for this year are: Mark Lopez (United States); Uroš Macerl (Slovenia); Rodrigo Tot (Guatemala); Rodrigue Katembo (Democratic Republic of Congo); and Wendy Bowman (Australia). IMPORTANT DAYS Panchayati Raj Diwas:  National Panchayati Raj Day is the national day of India celebrated by Ministry of Panchayati Raj on 24 April annually.  This date marks a defining moment in the history of decentralization of political power to the grassroots level.  The Constitution (73rd Amendment) Act, 1992 that came into force with effect from 24th April, 1993 has institutionalized Panchayati Raj through the village, Intermediate and District level Panchayats. AWARDS K Viswanath wins Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2016  Veteran filmmaker and actor Kasinadhuni Viswanath has been conferred Dadasaheb Phalke award for 2016 by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting.  The award consists of a Swarn Kamal (Golden Lotus), a cash prize of Rs. 10 lakhs and a shawl.

About Dadasahib Phalke  The award is conferred by the Union Government for outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian Cinema.  The Award was established in 1969 to commemorate the birth centenary year of father of Indian cinema, Dadasaheb Phalke.  It is the highest official recognition (award) in Indian cinema. It is given on the basis of recommendations of a committee of eminent personalities set up by the government.

Moushumi Chatterjee gets BFJA lifetime achievement award

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017  Veteran actress Moushumi Chatterjee has received the lifetime achievement award, at the 80th Bengal Film Journalists' Association (BFJA) awards.  The BFJA, the oldest association of film scribes in the country was founded in 1937. Bengali film actor Prosenjit Chatterjee was given the best actor award for his role in "Sankhachil", while Rituparna Sengupta was given the best actress crown for her role in "Rajkahini" along with Paoli Dam for "Natoker Moto" (2015).

'Newton' wins best film honor at Hong Kong International Film Festival  Bollywood film "Newton" has won the best film honor at the Hong Kong International Film Festival. The lead actor of the film is Raj Kumar Rao.  Amit Masurkar-directed "Newton", is a political satire. It had its world premiere at the 67th Berlin Film Festival where it won the International Federation of Art Cinemas (CICAE) award in its Forum segment.

SPORTS Monte Carlo Masters: Nadal wins Men's Singles; Bopanna and Cuevas lift men's doubles  Rafael Nadal has won the Men's Singles title of Monte Carlo Masters Tennis tournament 2017. He defeated Albert Vinolas at a summit clash in Monaco. With this Rafael claimed a record 10th Monte Carlo Masters title.  Earlier, India's Rohan Bopanna and his Uruguayan partner Pablo Cuevas lifted the men's doubles crown at the Monte Carlo Masters after win over Spain's Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez in Monaco.

Aditi Ashok, SSP Chawrasia win Golf Industry Awards  SSP Chawrasia and Aditi Ashok were among the winners at the second Golf Industry Association (GIA) Awards 2017. Aditi, who finished second in the Ladies European Tour (LET) order of merit in 2016 bagged Outstanding Achievement as a Player award.  Chawrasia, who successfully defended his Indian Open title in 2017, bagged the Award for the Men's Player of the Year.  Ali Sher, the Delhi Golf Club caddy-turned-pro-golfer, was feted for an Outstanding Playing Career. Ali Sher won the Indian Open back in 1991 and was honored with an Arjuna Award in the same year.

APRIL 25 ECONOMY, BANKING AND FINANCE Government e-Marketplace (GeM)  In the light of alleged irregularities, the government has reiterated that GeM is the most transparent, accountable and efficient public procurement portal and has already resulted in savings of crores of Rupees to the Government.  The government noted that the processes on GeM are completely transparent and GeM is the first Government portal that places all the procurements- big or small- by Government organizations in public domain, with details about the buyer, seller, item, quantity and price.  The government has also assured that there are adequate checks and balances in place on GeM which do not allow suppliers to get away with supplying at a higher price to the Government, than the prevailing market or Last Procurement Price (LPP).  Government e-Marketplace (GeM) aims to transform the way in which procurement of goods and services is done by the Government Ministries/Departments, PSUs, autonomous bodies etc.  DGS&D with technical support of NeGD (MeitY) has developed GeM portal for procurement of both Products & Services.  GeM is a completely paperless, cashless and system driven e-market place that enables procurement of common use goods and services with minimal human interface. GOVT SCHEME Solve a problem, win ₹1 crore  The Centre is set to launch a scheme for students from higher educational institutions to volunteer to offer innovative, original and practical solutions to problems facing the country and get rewarded for their efforts.

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017  The scheme will be called IDEAS, or Innovations for Development of Efficient and Affordable Systems. It is an initiative to challenge young minds with problems of society in general, to come up with innovative, original, practical and economical solutions.  The Human Resource Development Ministry has identified a handful of areas pertaining to which the problem-solving skills of students will be tested. These are affordable healthcare, computer science and ICT, energy (making solar/renewable resources cheaper, energy efficiency, etc.), affordable housing, healthcare, agriculture, education, water resources and river systems, affordable infrastructure, defence, cybersecurity and information security, and environment and climate change.  The scheme will invite students to find solutions to problems in these fields — and offer a prize of ₹1 crore to the best solution in each field.  Under each of the above areas or themes, 10 problem statements will be prepared and widely publicised. All higher educational institutions will be eligible and encouraged to participate, but participation of IITs, NITs and CFTIs will be mandatory.

DEFENCE India, France carry out joint naval exercise 'Varuna'  The Indian Navy has begun a joint maritime exercise with the French Navy at the Mediterranean Sea to further deepen combat coordination between the two navies.  Guided missile destroyer INS Mumbai, stealth frigate INS Trishul and fleet tanker INS Aditya are taking part in the 'Varuna' exercise which will continue till April 30.

ENVIRONMENT,SCIENCE AND TECH IIITM-K develops app for coffee growers  Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management-Kerala (IIITM-K) has launched an application named Kaapi Soil Health Management and Monitoring (Kshemam) app to provide soil nutrient information and fertiliser recommendation for coffee plantation owners.  The app will help in proper identification of optimum levels of fertiliser use.  Farmers by entering information like geographic coordinates or their administrative divisions can check the soil property, nutrient status and fertiliser recommendations for their land.  In addition, the spatial variation of individual nutrients can also be thematically visualised with the help of this app.  By using this app, the farmers can generate fertiliser recommendation, nutrient advisory and soil health card in English, Kannada, Tamil or Malayalam.

IMPORTANT DAYS Prevent malaria - save lives: WHO push for prevention on World Malaria Day, 25th April  Despite many preventive measures, malaria still remains a leading cause of mortality world wide. Malaria mosquito generally thrives in the areas with a lot of moisture and humidity.  Malaria being a mosquito-borne disease, is transmitted by the bite of female Anopheles mosquito which is a parasite, like all mosquitoes.  Ghana, Kenya and Malawi will pilot the world’s first malaria vaccine from 2018, offering it for babies and children in high-risk areas as part of real-life trials. Combined with existing malaria interventions, such a vaccine would have the potential to save tens of thousands of lives in Africa.  The injectable vaccine, called RTS,S or Mosquirix, was developed by British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline to protect children from the most deadly form of malaria in Africa.  This is WHO’s pilot programme to assess whether the Mosquirix’s protective effect in children aged 5 to 17 months can be replicated in real-life.  It will also assess the feasibility of delivering the four doses needed, and explore the vaccine’s potential role in reducing the number of children killed by the disease. AWARDS RDPR bags awards:  Karnataka Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) Department has bagged e-Puraskar Award for the best performance in empowering panchayats by using Information and Communication

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017 Technology (ICT) tools, for 2016-17. The State bagged the award for its Ganshi Sakshi Kayak GPS-enabled ICT tool.  Kerala bagged the second prize, while West Bengal secured third prize in the category of ICT tools.  Ministry of Panchayat Raj has been conferring e-Puraskar for bringing in transparency, efficiency and accountability in the functioning of panchayats through ICT tools. The cash prize for the first position is Rs. 2 crore, Rs. 1 crore for second position and Rs. 50 lakh for third position. PERSONS IN NEWS Astronaut Peggy Whitson Sets NASA Record For Most Days In Space:  NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson has officially set the U.S. record for most cumulative days in space, surpassing astronaut Jeff Williams’ record of 534 days.  Whitson also is the first woman to command the space station; she has commanded it twice. Her first stint as commander was in April 2008 and she’s commanding the current crew.  She also holds the record for most spacewalks by a female astronaut. Whitson took her eighth spacewalk in March.

PLACES IN NEWS India’s first sea ropeway to link Mumbai and Elephanta island  India’s first and longest ropeway to connect Mumbai with the famous Elephanta Island in the Arabian Sea is planned to be constructed by the Mumbai Port Trust, according to the official report.  The 8-km ropeway will begin from Sewri in Mumbai’s east coast and end at Raigad district’s Elephanta Island, globally renowned for Elephanta Caves, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

SPORTS Indian shot putter Manpreet Kaur bags Gold at Asian Grand Prix Meet in China  Indian shot putter Manpreet Kaur has clinched a gold in the first leg of the Asian Grand Prix Athletics Meet in Jinhua, China.

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INTERNATIONAL India, Armenia sign 3 agreements  India and Armenia have signed three agreements after Vice President Hamid Ansari held a bilateral meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan in Yerevan, Armenia.  The two countries signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on peaceful uses of outer space, another MoU on cooperation in youth matters and a program of cultural cooperation for the years 2017-2020. The two countries are celebrating the 25th anniversary of their diplomatic ties.

About Armenia  Capital and largest city -Yerevan  President -Serzh Sargsyan  Prime Minister -Karen Karapetyan  Currency -Dram

China launches first indigenously built aircraft carrier  China has launched its first indigenously built aircraft carrier following the 68th-anniversary celebrations of the founding of the Chinese navy.  It is China’s second aircraft carrier built in the north-eastern port of Dalian. The new aircraft carrier will be able to operate China’s Shenyang J-15 fighter jets and will be more dedicated to military and humanitarian operations.  The design of the new aircraft carrier has been obtained from China’s first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, which was bought second-hand from Ukraine in 1998 and refitted in China.

ECONOMY, BANKING AND FINANCE Yes Bank ties up with Paisabazaar.com

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017  Private sector lender Yes Bank announced the alliance with Paisabazaar.com under which the bank will offer conditionally approved loans to the latter’s existing customers.  As part of the partnership, the bank will help Paisabazaar.com through its advanced analytics and data mining capabilities to offer customers of the financial marketplace with customized and conditionally approved offers across retail lending products.

JOINT DOCTRINE OF ARMY, NAVY, IAF UNVEILED  With aim to match the pace of fast changing nature of war, the ministry of defence has released the Joint Doctrine of Armed Forces stressing on the need for synergy amongst the three Services namely Army, IAF and Navy and hone strategy for inter-operability to achieve the political and military objectives in an effective manner.  This doctrine is the second in the series after its first version was released in 2007. It included the lessons learnt over the past ten years and is aligned with the doctrines of individual Services.  The Joint Doctrine will serve as a cornerstone document for application of Military Power in a synergized manner and also establish a broad framework of concepts and principles to understand approach to joint planning and conduct of operations across all the domains of conflict.  Taking the strategic scenario into account, the doctrine said India will have to have deterrent capabilities to protect its interests on the Line of Actual Control(LAC) facing China and Line of Control(LOC) with Pakistan. The document noted that while conflicts the world over for gaining territorial control were diminishing, India, however, has to protect its territory as the LAC and LOC are disputed.  It also mentioned proxy war in Jammu and Kashmir and volatile situation in Af-Pak region is another major challenge for India while describing Radicalisation of youth in some states through social media was another contemporary challenge facing national security, the document said adding management of digital environment is priority area.  The doctrine also talked about the steps initiated for establishment of the “Defence Cyber Agency”, “Defence Space Agency” and “Special Operations Division”.  The doctrine has added surgical strikes, even those across the border, among the nation’s possible responses to terrorist attacks.

DEFENCE Rajiv Rai Bhatnagar appointed CRPF chief  IPS officer Rajiv Rai Bhatnagar has been appointed as the Director-General of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). The appointment has come two days after 25 CRPF personnel were ambushed by Naxals in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district. The CRPF was functioning without a head for the past two months after the retirement of K. Durga Prasad on February 28, 2017.  Rajiv Rai Bhatnagar is a 1983 batch IPS officer belonging to the Uttar Pradesh cadre. He is the Director General of the Narcotics Control Bureau.  In another key appointment, IPS officer R.K. Pachnanda has been named the director general of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).  R.K. Pachnanda is a 1983 batch IPS officer of West Bengal cadre. He will take charge after the retirement of Krishna Chaudhary in June-end.

IMPORTANT DAYS World Intellectual Property Day – 26 April  Every April 26, World Intellectual Property Day is celebrated to learn about the role that intellectual property rights (patents, trademarks, industrial designs, copyright) play in encouraging innovation and creativity.  WIP Day is organized by World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). It is a self-funding agency of the United Nations, with 189 member states.

PERSONS IN NEWS Youngest Indian chancellor bags Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Foundation award

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017  The youngest chancellor of any university in the nation, Dileep K Nair has bagged Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Foundation award for excellent performance in the field of education in Trivendurum, Kerala.  The 38-year-old academician is currently the Chancellor of the North East Frontier Technical University (NEFTU) in Arunachal Pradesh.

PLACES IN NEWS Northeast India’s largest IT hub opens in Tripura:  Northeast India’s sixth and largest Information Technology (IT) hub was recently inaugurated in Tripura to boost employment and e-governance besides to export software technology.  This IT hub would help to create employment opportunities for the IT educated youths and to further extend the e-governance to the door step of people.

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INTERNATIONAL

US President Donald Trump has introduced biggest tax reform plan in the history of United States.

 As per the proposals of the new plan, major cuts have been made in the income tax rate. the income tax rates have been slashed from 39.6% to 35%. The new plan has also sharply slashed the business taxes.  Steep discounts have been announced on corporate profits that are brought back into the US. The new plan proposes for a 15% corporate tax rate which is a sharp drop from the existing 35%. In addition, the new reforms aim to move to a territorial tax system that provides relief to both small and large businesses.  It is also proposed to repeal the estate tax, the alternative minimum tax.  In addition, tax relief will be provided to the families with child and dependent care expenses. Further, the number of tax brackets is expected to be brought down to three from seven. However, under the US law, only the Congress is empowered to make major changes to the tax laws.  These reforms are hailed as the biggest tax cut and largest tax reform in the history of the United States. According to the economists, the new tax reforms are likely to add trillions of dollars to the deficit over the next decade. As far as India is concerned, the reforms are expected to further push up stock markets which have already responded positively.

ECONOMY, BANKING AND FINANCE e-SOT and e-PRAN card launched for Atal Pension Yojana subscribers

 With a view to digitally empower the Atal Pension Yojana (APY) subscribers and improve the quality of service, the facility of online viewing of the statement of the transaction (e-SOT) and also the e- Permanent Retirement Account Number (e-PRAN card) have been launched.  More than 45 lacs APY subscribers will be benefitted with this initiative.

GOVT SCHEME

Over Rs.one lakh cr investment approved for housing of urban poor

 Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation has sanctioned 1,00,537 more houses for urban poor under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) with an investment of Rs.4,200 cr taking the total investment so far approved to Rs.1,00,466 cr.  With the latest sanctions, the Ministry has so far approved construction of 18,75,389 houses for Economically Weaker Sections under PMAY(Urban) in 2,151 cities and towns in 34 States/UTs as against 13.80 lakh houses sanctioned during 2004-15 with an approved investment of Rs.32,009 cr.

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017 About PMAY-Urban

 The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) Programme launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation (MoHUPA), in Mission mode envisions provision of Housing for All by 2022, when the Nation completes 75 years of its Independence.

The Mission seeks to address the housing requirement of urban poor including slum dwellers through following programme verticals:

 Slum rehabilitation of Slum Dwellers with participation of private developers using land as a resource.  Promotion of Affordable Housing for weaker section through credit linked subsidy.  Affordable Housing in Partnership with Public & Private sectors.  Subsidy for beneficiary-led individual house construction /enhancement.

Centre Takes 10 New Swachh Iconic Places under Swachh Bharat Mission Phase II  Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation under Swachh Bharat Mission, was held recently at Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine, in Jammu & Kashmir.  On this occasion, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar announced 10 new Iconic places to be taken under the Phase II of Swachh Iconic Places initiative. These ten new iconic places which are to be brought to a higher standard of swachhta and visitors’ amenities are- 1. Gangotri 2. Yamunotri 3. Mahakaleshwar Temple, Ujjain 4. Char Minar, Hyderabad 5. Church and Convent of St. Francis of Assissi, Goa 6. Adi Shankaracharya’s abode Kaladi in Ernakulam 7. Gomateshwar in Shravanbelgola 8. Baijnath Dham, Devghar 9. Gaya Tirth in Bihar and 10. Somnath temple in Gujarat.

DEFENCE

India successfully test-fires Agni-III ballistic missile

 India successfully carried out a fresh user trial of 3,000-kilometer range Agni-III ballistic missile from Abdul Kalam Island off Odisha coast.  The Strategic Forces Command with logistics support from Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) carried out the test from launch pad No. 4 of the Integrated Test Range.

EVENTS

India to host 18th World Road Meeting

 India is set to host the 18th World Road Meeting (WRM 2017) on November 13, 2017 according to the International Road Federation (IRF).  The WRM is the biggest global platform for road engineers, safety and transport experts and companies engaged in road safety products.  The theme of this year's edition is 'Safe Roads and Smart Mobility: The Engines of Economic Growth'. The WRM is held every four years.

ENVIRONMENT,SCIENCE AND TECH

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017 NASA’s Cassini spacecraft successfully travels between Saturn and its rings

 Recently, NASA’s Cassini spacecraft completed its final close flyby of Saturn’s moon Titan and has now started its final set of 22 orbits before plunging into Saturn on September 15, 2017, and thus completing its 20-year long journey.  Already, Cassini has dived successfully through the space between Saturn and its rings, a region no spacecraft has been before. It will perform another 21 dives through the same gap and will send more detailed information about Saturn and its rings.  These series of 22 manoeuvres that brings Cassini closer to Saturn’s surface before plunging into it is called as the spacecraft’s “grand finale.”  The spacecraft will provide the radar team with the final set of new images of the hydrocarbon seas and lakes that are present in Titan’s North Polar Region.

ISRO launches solar calculator app

 ISRO has launched a solar calculator app that can calculate the benefits of installing solar panels in different regions of the country.  The app has been created by the Space Application Center (SAC) facility of ISRO following the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE)’s request.  The app comes handy for installation of Photovoltaic (PV) for tapping of solar energy.

IMPORTANT DAYS

UNESCO to screen Indian short film as part of World Press Freedom Day

 UNESCO to screen Rahul V. Chittella’s short film “Azaad” as a part of World Press Freedom Day event that is scheduled to be held from May 1-4 in Jakarta, Indonesia.  The movie is about the dysfunctional relationship between a father and his son. World Press Freedom Day is celebrated by UNESCO to celebrate the principle of freedom of the press  The theme for this year’s edition of World Press Freedom Day is “Critical Minds for Critical Times: Media’s role in advancing peaceful, just and inclusive societies“.  May 3 is celebrated as World Press Freedom Day every year to celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom as well as to evaluate the freedom of press around the world. It serves as an occasion to defend the media from attacks on their independence and to pay tribute to journalists who died while doing their profession.

OBITUARY Veteran actor Vinod Khanna passes away  Veteran actor and politician Vinod Khanna has expired at the age of 70.  He was said to be suffering from cancer.  Khanna is married twice and is survived by four children.

PERSONS IN NEWS Srishti Kaur wins Miss Teen Universe pageant  Srishti Kaur of India has been crowned Miss Teen Universe 2017 at Managua, the capital of Nicaragua.  She won after beating 25 contestants from across the world. In addition, she also bagged an award for the best national costume. Her costume featured a peacock, the Indian national bird.  She succeeds Nieveles Gonzalez of Puerto Rico as the Miss Teen Universe.  Kaur had also won the title of Miss Teen Tiara International at the beginning of this year beating 29 contestants

SPORTS

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017 Nita Ambani made member of IOC’s Olympic Channel Commission  India’s first woman International Olympic Committee member Nita Ambani has made it to two important commissions of the global sports governing body, including the prestigious Olympic channel.  Besides the Olympic Channel, Ms. Ambani has also been made a member of Olympic education Commission as IOC announced the composition of 26 commissions for 2017.  Ms. Ambani has replaced International Paralympic Committee President Philip Craven. She will serve the position till she turns 70.

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INTERNATIONAL India and Cyprus sign 4 agreements  India and Cyprus have signed four agreements after delegation-level talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades at Hyderabad House in New Delhi.  The areas in which the MoUs have been exchanged are Air Services, Agriculture, Merchant Shipping and Culture Education.

About Cyprus  Capital and largest city -Nicosia  Currency -Euro (EUR)

Bhutan out of vehicle pact

 Bhutan government has announced that it is not ready to go ahead with the process at present.  It asked the other members of the ‘BBIN’ grouping — India, Bangladesh and Nepal — to continue to operationalise it without Bhutan.  The decision to step out of the BBIN process comes on the back of severe domestic opposition to the motor vehicles agreement, primarily on fears of vehicular pollution and environmental degradation if trucks from neighbouring countries are given access to Bhutan, a country that prides itself on its “carbon neutrality” and preserving the environment.

Kazakhstan opens consulate in Chennai  Kazakhstan has opened its honorary consulate in Chennai. The consulate will cover the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala.  It will be headed by well-known businessman Suraj Shantakumar.  This year marks the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Kazakhstan.  Kazakhstan has expressed confidence that the establishment of the consulate in Chennai, which is a major industrial centre would promote the potential for economic cooperation in a number of areas like IT industry, engineering, tourism, transport infrastructure, as well as agricultural production.

NATIONAL Tripartite MoU signed for broadband services to Post Offices  A tripartite Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between BBNL, Department of Posts and BSNL to provide broadband connectivity of BharatNet to Post Offices in rural areas. BSNL would provide broadband services.  The infrastructure expenses and the operational expenses would be paid by the Department of Posts. BBNL would facilitate and coordinate the entire project.

GOVT SCHEME PM launches low-cost flights  The first flight under the UDAN —Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik — scheme for regional connectivity was recently inaugurated by the PM.

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017  The first UDAN flight was inaugurated on the Shimla-Delhi route.  The Shimla-Delhi flight is operated by Alliance Air, a subsidiary of Air India.  The fare for 24 seats on the flight has been fixed at Rs. 2,036.  Air India will receive a subsidy of Rs. 3,340 per passenger from the government for capping the fare.  The government will collect 80% of the subsidy by charging a levy of up to Rs. 50 per ticket on flights deployed on the national route. The remaining 20% will come from respective State governments. DEFENCE All-woman battalion:  The Centre has decided to raise an all-woman India Reserve Battalion (IRB) in Jammu and Kashmir to tackle women stone throwers.  The all women contingent will be among the five IRBs sanctioned by the Centre for the State last year.  The women battalion would also be assigned other law and order duties but its personnel will be primarily deployed for tackling protesters.  The IRBs are being raised to provide jobs to the local youths with 60% of the vacancies to be filled with candidates from the border districts. The cost of raising each battalion is around Rs. 61 crore, and 75% of the expenditure will be borne by the Centre.  IRB personnel are normally deployed in their respective States but they can be sent elsewhere if required. ENVIRONMENT,SCIENCE AND TECH E-taxi trial run to begin in Nagpur  The country’s first electric taxi trial in the country would be launched in Nagpur from May 24.  The first project of its kind will be undertaken by Nagpur Municipal Corporation. Mahindra and Mahindra is set to provide 200 taxis for the initiative.  Electric car taxi is one of the ambitious projects and forms as a part of its UNDP millennium goals to tackle pollution. AWARDS Poet Shankha Ghosh conferred Jnanpith Award:  Eminent Bengali poet and literary critic Sankha Ghosh has been conferred the 52nd Jnanpith Award.  He is also a Sahitya Akademi awardee. Ghosh was also honoured with Padma Bhushan in 2011.  The Jnanpith Award is one of the prestigious literary honours in the country. The award was instituted in 1961.  Eligibility: Any Indian citizen who writes in any of the official languages of India is eligible for the honour.

Bhubaneswar: First Indian city to win Pierre L’enfant Awards-2017  Bhubaneswar has become the first Indian city to win Pierre L’enfant International Planning excellence award-2017 instituted by the American Planning Association (APA).  Bhubaneswar has been chosen for its good and advanced town planning and engaging its residents in the planning process.  The APA Awards jury has selected Five Excellence Award recipients in total who will be honoured at the Awards Luncheon at APA’s National Planning Conference in New York on May 8. OBITUARY Oscar-Winning Director Jonathan Demme passes away  American Director Jonathan Demme, the Oscar-winning director behind classics like The Silence of the Lambs and Philadelphia, died in New York.  He was 73 years old. The cause was esophageal cancer and complications from heart disease. APPOINTMENT T Krishnakumar is Coca-Cola India’s new chief  Beverage major Coca-Cola Company announced key leadership changes for its India & South West Asia business and Hindustan Coca-Cola Bottling (HCCB) operations.  T Krishnakumar has been appointed as the president of India and South West Asia Business Unit. He has replaced Venkatesh Kini. SPORTS Kerala hosts country’s first ever transgender athletic meet

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017  Kerala has conducted the country’s first-ever transgender one-day athletic meet in Thiruvananthapuram.  The event saw the participation of 132 participants belonging to 12 districts of the state. No participant representing Idukki and Pathanamthitta districts participated in the event.  The event was jointly organised by Kerala sports council and Sexual Gender Minority Federation of Kerala. In the competition, six events were conducted, namely, 100 metres, 200 metres, and 400 metres running; 100x 4 relay race, high jump and shot put.

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NATIONAL First book village in the country to come up in Maharashtra  From May 4, Bhilar, a tiny hamlet in Satara district of Maharashtra is all set to become India’s first ‘book village’.  The concept of book village is inspired by Britain’s Hay-on-Wye, which is a Welsh town located in the United Kingdom, famous for its bookstores and literature festivals. Under this initiative, tourists and locals can come and read books, magazines, newspapers stacked at 25 artistically decorated locations around the village.  The books on wide-ranging subjects and 15,000 books in Marathi would be made available on these premises.  Some of the books that will be available for the readers are very rare and out of publication, including novels, reference books about Maharashtra and Marathi culture written by prominent authors.  To make sure that the books are returned by the tourists, tourists will be made to pay a nominal deposit.  Bhilar has been chosen as already it attracts a number of tourists who throng the village to taste the locally produced strawberries.  The state government has chosen Bhilar to further promote tourism and the Marathi language. Government launches Test and Treat policy for HIV  Union Health Minister JP Nadda has launched the Test and Treat policy for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) patients.  As per this new policy, anyone who is tested and found positive will get the necessary treatment free of cost. Anyone found positive will be provided with ART (Anti- Retroviral Therapy) irrespective of his CD count.  The scheme will be a centrally sponsored scheme.  All men, women, adolescents and children who have been diagnosed positively can benefit under this new policy.  HIV destroys the CD4 T cells in the human body and weakens the immunity levels. A person who has CD4 cell count below 200 is considered to be at significant risk of developing serious illnesses. Before the announcement of this new policy, the government was providing free treatment to people with a count of 400 and below. ECONOMY, BANKING AND FINANCE India’s Forex reserves increase by $1.25 billion  According to the Reserve Bank of India’s weekly statistical supplement, India’s foreign exchange (Forex) reserves have increased by $1.25 billion to reach $371.13 billion from $369.88 billion as on April 21, 2017. The current reserves are just short of a lifetime high of USD 371.99 billion reached in the week to September 30, 2016.

GOVT. SCHEMES Over 21 lakh LED Street Lights installed across India under Street Light National Programme  Under the Government of India’s Street Lighting National Programme (SLNP) over 21 lakh conventional street lights have been replaced with LED street lights across the country.  The installation of LED street lights has resulted in Annual energy savings of 295 million unit kWh, avoided capacity of over 73 MW and reduction of 2.3 lakh tonnes of CO2 annually.  Rajasthan had the highest replacement of LED bulbs.

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017  Under Street Light National Programme (SLNP), Government aims to replace 1.34 crore conventional street lights with energy efficient LED lights.  The project has been implemented across 23 states and union territories. Energy Efficiency Services Limited, a Public Energy Services Company under the administration of Ministry of Power, Government of India (GoI) is the implementing agency for SLNP.  EESL also undertakes social audits in all states post the completion of the project.  Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) is a joint venture of NTPC Limited, Power Finance Corporation, Rural Electrification Corporation and POWERGRID, Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) was set up under Ministry of Power (India) to facilitate implementation of energy efficiency projects. Campaign sends 596 dropouts to school  Altogether 596 students who had dropped out of school have returned for admissions to them in Tripura under a special campaign by the State’s School Education Department and the Centre’s Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA). The campaign was carried out in all eight districts of the State.  Tripura had an alarming rate of school drop-outs at the height of insurgency, when scores of schools became non-functional, mainly in the hilly areas. Most had left school in Classes VIII or IX mainly due to family reasons. The majority of school drop-outs are girls.  The scheme was launched in March, 2009 with the objective to enhance access to secondary education and to improve its quality. It is envisaged to achieve an enrolment rate of 75% from 52.26% in 2005-06 at secondary stage of implementation of the scheme by providing a secondary school within a reasonable distance of any habitation.  The other objectives include improving quality of education imparted at secondary level through making all secondary schools conform to prescribed norms, removing gender, socio-economic and disability barriers, providing universal access to secondary level education by 2017, i.e., by the end of 12th Five Year Plan and achieving universal retention by 2020.  Important quality interventions provided under the scheme are: (i) appointment of additional teachers to reduce PTR to 30:1, (ii) focus on Science, Math and English education, (iii) In-service training of teachers, (iv) science laboratories, (v) ICT enabled education, (vi) curriculum reforms; and (vii) teaching learning reforms.  Important equity interventions provided in the scheme are: (i) special focus in micro planning (ii) preference to Ashram schools for upgradation (iii) preference to areas with concentration of SC/ST/Minority for opening of schools (iv) special enrolment drive for the weaker section (v) more female teachers in schools; and (vi) separate toilet blocks for girls.  Implementation mechanism of the Scheme: The scheme is being implemented by the State government societies established for implementation of the scheme. The central share is released to the implementing agency directly. The applicable State share is also released to the implementing agency by the respective State Governments.

AWARDS Indian Sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik wins gold medal in Moscow competition  Internationally renowned sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik from Odisha won the jury prize gold medal at the 10th Moscow Sand art Championship.  The competition was held between 22nd and 28th April at Kolomenskoye, Moscow in Russia. The theme for the competition was "The world around us". Pattnaik was the Indian representative in the competition, where twenty-five sculptors from different countries participated. SPORTS Jehan Daruvala becomes 1st Indian to take pole in FIA F3 European Championship  Jehan Daruvala, in his rookie season at the FIA Formula 3 European Championship, is already making waves.  The 18-year-old product of Force India Academy, became the first Indian to take pole in the F3 European series, securing the top spot on the starting grid for Race 1 of the second round of the championship in Monza, Italy.  However, he was unable to translate that into a race victory, and finished the hard-fought race in second place, behind his Carlin Racing teammate Lando Norris of the UK.

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017

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INTERNATIONAL Global Mobile Internet conference in Beijing  The world's largest mobile Internet conference started in Beijing on Thursday with technology executives, businessmen and developers attending talks by industry leaders at the capital's China National Convention Centre (CNCC).  The 2016 Global Mobile Internet Conference (GMIC) opened with a speech by E.Hao, the 'Thought Leader' for the Great Wall Club (GWC) organisers, while an exhibition showcasing robot products, virtual reality goggles and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) drew some 25,000 visitors to the Olympic Green venue.  The five-day GMIC, hosted annually in Beijing and Silicon Valley in San Francisco, features talks on predicting the future with technology, including prospects for the internet movie industry, interactive entertainment and smart cars.  The event also aims to provide a platform for startups and budding entrepreneurs so they can learn about the next big innovations, according to the organizers, who say the "unprecedented Summit inspired by Science...breaks into the unknown and brings you to the future".

NATIONAL Survey finds Karnataka the most corrupt state  Karnataka occupies the first slot in a list of states perceived to be corrupt on the basis of people's experience in paying bribes for public services, a survey conducted by an NGO has revealed. Karnataka is followed by Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Jammu & Kashmir and Punjab.  The Centre for Media Studies survey, which covered 20 states, found Himachal Pradesh, Kerala and Chhattisgarh to be the least corrupt  . The report said around one-third of the households experienced corruption in public services at least once during the last one year in comparison to about 53% of households that admitted to paying bribes during a similar study in 2005. ECONOMY, BANKING AND FINANCE Without FATCA Compliance, Banks Accounts To Be Blocked  Bank accounts that were opened between July 1, 2014 and August 31, 2015 and are not in compliance with FATCA (Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act) provisions will be blocked. The Income Tax Department had set a deadline of April 30 for FATCA compliance for these accounts.  FATCA allows automatic exchange of financial information between India and the US.  India had entered into an agreement with the United States for implementation of the Foreign Accounts Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) with effect from August 31, 2015.  Account holders are required to provide details such as country of tax residence, tax identification number from such country, country of birth, country of citizenship etc.  In a statement last month, the government had said that financial institutions are advised that all efforts should be made by the financial institutions to obtain the self-certification. The account holders may be informed that, in case self-certifications are not provided till April 30, 2017, the accounts would be blocked.  If the accounts are blocked due to lack of self-certification, then transactions by the account holder in such blocked accounts will be permitted once the self-certification is obtained and due diligence is completed.  Earlier, the financial institutions had to obtain self-certification from account holders by August 31, 2016, in respect of all individual and entity accounts opened from July 1, 2014 to August 31, 2015.  Mutual funds and other financial institutions had also asked customers to comply with the new norms.  In view of the difficulties faced by stakeholders, the tax department had on August 31, 2016 extended the deadline for complying with self-certification norms.  The purpose of FATCA is aimed at ensuring that individuals pay tax on income generated from their wealth parked overseas.

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017  FATCA obliges such banks and financial institutions to report such information about citizens having accounts with them. IMPORTANT DAYS World Immunization Week, 24-30 April 2017  World Immunization Week – celebrated in the last week of April – aims to promote the use of vaccines to protect people of all ages against disease. Immunization saves millions of lives and is widely recognized as one of the world’s most successful and cost-effective health interventions. Today, there are still 19.4 million unvaccinated and under-vaccinated children in the world.  2017 marks the halfway point in the Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP) – endorsed by 194 Member States of the World Health Assembly in May 2012 – which aims to prevent millions of deaths from vaccine-preventable diseases by 2020 through universal access to immunization.  Despite improvements in individual countries and a strong global rate of new vaccine introduction, all of the targets for disease elimination—including measles, rubella, and maternal and neonatal tetanus—are behind schedule. In order for everyone, everywhere to survive and thrive, countries must make more concerted efforts to reach GVAP goals by 2020. Additionally, those countries that have achieved or made forward progress towards achieving the goals must work to sustain those efforts over time.  The theme is VaccineWorks

PLACES IN NEWS

Mumbai and Chennai have been named among the top 20 tourist destinations in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region, a report said.

 The rankings have been based in terms of total number of international overnight arrivals, number of nights spent at each destination and cross-border spending, according to Mastercard Asia Pacific Destinations Index 2017.  Overall, Bangkok remains the most visited in the list of 171 destinations across 22 countries in the APAC region.  Chennai ranked 14 with 5.2 million international overnight arrivals, while Mumbai stood 15 with 4.9 million arrivals.  In terms of total night spent, Mumbai ranked 13, with tourists stayed for 30.7 million nights in 2016, while Chennai was at 15 with 29.6 million nights.  Chennai ranked 13 with an expenditure of $4.6 billion by international tourists. Mumbai was at 15 with $4.4 billion spend

OBITUARY Sufi legend Begum Yaman passes away at 52  Famous sufi singer and daughter of legendary Sitar Maestro (late) Ustad Vilayat Ali Khan, Begum Yaman K. Khan has passed away after multiple organ failure.  Begum Yaman was the granddaughter of Ustad Inayat Khan and daughter of Ustad Vilayat Khan of the Imdadkhani (named after her great-grandfather Imdad Khan) or Etawah Gharana.  Begum Yaman used to sing all forms of Indian semi-classical music and was probably the only female singer in India of Sufi style of music in its purest form. She was the recipient of 'Hasrat Amir Khusrao Award' by Urdu Press Club International and an award for her excellence and contribution to semi-classical and Sufiana kalam by Balkan-Ji-Bari International. SPORTS Pankaj Advani settles for silver at Asian Snooker Championship  India's top cueist Pankaj Advani lost to China's Lv Haotian in the summit clash of Asian Snooker Championship here today, as he failed in his bid to win the continental double of billiards and snooker titles in the same year.  Advani lost 3-6 in the final to his Chinese opponent and it meant that he could not become the first player to win both Asian titles in Billiards and Snooker in same calendar year.  The defeat in the final also meant that Advani could not complete a career Grand Slam in cue sport.

SCO 209 SECOND FLOOR SECTOR 36-D CHANDIGARH. PH NO 8054369515 VEDANTA INSTITUTE CURRENT AFFAIRS 1 APRIL 2017-30 APRIL 2017 After becoming a pilot, Gul Panag is now India’s first woman to race in Formula E  After becoming a certified pilot, former Miss India Gul Panag is now unleashing the automobile junkie in her on a professional platform- Formula E. Panag, who is currently in Barcelona, Spain, drove Mahindra Racing’s all new M4Electro at the circuit de Calafat in Catalonia, Spain.

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