BANKING NEWS: 2017

i. World Tuberculosis Day celebrated on 24 March each year.
ii. The theme for World Tuberculosis Day 2017 is 'Unite to End TB: Leave no one behind'. 2017 is the second year of a two-year "Unite to End TB" campaign for World TB Day.

2. ISRO commissions world's third largest hypersonic wind tunnel

i. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) created history by commissioning the world’s third largest hypersonic wind tunnel at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
ii. A wind tunnel is used to study the effects of air flowing past a solid object in ISRO's case, space vehicles.

3. India Notifies Amended Tax Treaty with Singapore

i. The government notified the amended India-Singapore tax treaty under which capital gains tax will be levied at source of investments with effect from April 1,2017.
ii. India had amended the tax treaty with Singapore on December 30, 2016, under which for two years capital gains tax will be imposed at 50 percent of the prevailing domestic rate. Full rate will apply from April 1, 2019.
iii. The revision of tax treaty will help curb revenue loss, prevent double non-taxation and streamline the flow of investments adding that the amended tax treaty has been notified.

4. Assam govt, SBI sign MoU over housing, educational loan at subsidized interest rates

i. The state government of Assam has signed two MoUs with Mumbai-based State Bank of India(SBI) to provide housing loan and education loan for its employees.
ii. To provide housing loan at hugely subsidized interest rates of 5% for its women employees and 5.5 % for men, and education loan for higher education for their children at 4% interest rate. Both types of loans will be free of any collateral security and processing fee.

5. South Indian Bank introduces Aadhar-based payment app

i. To promote cashless digital transactions, South Indian Bank (SIB) has introduced Aadhar-based payment in its Unified Payment Interface (UPI) mobile application- 'SIB M-Pay'.
ii. Even non-customers of South Indian Bank can link any of their bank accounts in this mobile application.
iii. With the latest addition in SIB M-Pay, the fund transfers can be done by just entering the Aadhar number of the beneficiary. SIB M-Pay app is currently available in Android Playstore.

6. World Bank signs US$ 100 million credit agreement with Uttarakhand, Centre

i. The World Bank has signed a 100 million US dollar credit agreement with the Centre and Uttarakhand in New Delhi to improve the quality of health care services in all 13 districts of the state.
ii. The project aims to reduce the financial risk for its citizens and make affordable, quality health care available to all.

7. Airtel acquires Tikona’s 4G business for ?1,600 crore

i. Bharti Airtel has acquired Tikona Digital's 4G airwaves for Rs 1,600 crore, ramping up its high-speed broadband spectrum capacity to take on Reliance Jio Infocomm and the Vodafone-Idea Cellular in the competitive market.
ii. Bharti Airtel as India's largest telecom company provides access to Tikona's 4G airwaves in five circles are Gujarat, UP (East), UP (West), Himachal Pradesh, and Rajasthan.

8. BSE, NSE to launch F&O series in 15 companies

i. Indian capital markets Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and National Stock Exchange (NSE) will introduce futures and options (F&O) contracts in 15 companies including InterGlobe Aviation and Indian Bank from 31 March 2017.
ii. F&O are derivative securities derived from a debt instrument, share, loan, whether secured or unsecured or any other form of security. It also derives its value from the prices, or index of prices, of underlying securities.

9. Raghu Rai conferred with Lifetime Achievement award

i. Photojournalist Raghu Rai was conferred with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Minister Mr. Venkaiah Naidu for “his remarkable contribution to the field.” at 6th National Photography Awards organized by the photo division of the ministry in the capital.
ii. Rai is also a Padma Shri awardee.

10. Yves Meyer wins the 2017 Abel Prize

i. The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters has awarded the Abel Prize for 2017 to mathematician Yves Meyer.
ii. He was awarded for his pivotal role in the development of the mathematical theory of wavelets. The theory of wavelets that he started and made fundamental contributions to finds wide-ranging applications from image processing to fluid dynamics.

11. 8th Laadli Media Awards 2016

i. The 8th Laadli Media Awards for Gender Sensitivity 2016 (Northern and Eastern Region) were announced at the Chinmaya Mission in New Delhi.
ii. Anima Pookkunnyil, Assistant Editor with BusinessLine, and Shreya Ila Anasuya, a freelance journalist, were awarded this year for their critical gender-sensitive reportage.
iii. Ila Anasuya was awarded for her report on Suzette Jordan. Anima Pookkunnyi was awarded for her story about Kamlesh Kairi’s petition to the Supreme Court against the unjust laws.

12. RBI okays appointment of T S Anantharaman as part-time chairman

i. The Reserve Bank of India has accorded its approval for the appointment of T S Anantharaman as part-time Chairman of the bank.
ii. Anantharaman has been holding the position of Non-Executive Director of the bank since August 28, 2009.
iii. At present, he is an investment consultant and director of a number of other companies and institutions.

13. India ranks 87th on energy architecture performance: WEF

i. India has marginally improved its position to 87th place on a global energy architecture performance index, but ranks among the worst for pollution, a survey showed.
ii. Switzerland topped the annual list released by Geneva- based World Economic Forum (WEF) and was followed by Norway, Sweden, Denmark and France in the top five. India's rank improved three places from 90th last year.

14. Sarbananda Sonowal launches initiative to make Majuli carbon neutral

i. Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal launched initiative to develop Majuli, the world’s largest river island, as the country’s first carbon neutral district and a biodiversity heritage site.
ii. He launched the Sustainable Actions for Climate Resilient Development (SaCReD) Initiative would ensure that infrastructure in Majuli had less carbon.

15. Radha Mohan Singh launched Book titled '50 Years – The Great Indian Milk Revolution'

i. The Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri Radha Mohan Singh has launched a Coffee Table Book titled “50 Years – The Great Indian Milk Revolution” commemorating National Dairy Development Board’s (NDDB) Golden Jubilee year.

16. Writer Ashokamitran passes away

i. Prominent Tamil writer and Sahitya Akademi winner Ashokamitran died at the age of 86.
ii. He was given the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1996 for his work Appavin Snegidhar, a collection of short stories.

17. Ankur Mittal wins gold in double trap at ISSF World Cup

i. Young Indian shooter Ankur Mittal, defeated rival James Willett, and bagged the first World Cup gold medal of his career in double trap at the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) World Cup.
ii. The event was held in Acapulco, Mexico.

Thursday 23 March 2017

SSC CGL 2016 VACANCY REVISED

SSC CGL 2016 FINAL VACANCY REVISED

SSC Has published new update regarding SSC CGL 2016 , total vacancies have gone up 9984+(Update as on dated 07.03.2017)

More info = click here

23 March 2017 current affair

23 March 2017
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1. Nation paying tribute on 86th martyrdom day: 23 March

i. Nation is paying tributes to freedom fighters -Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev on their 86th martyrdom day (23 March).
ii. On this day in 1931, British rulers had executed them in Lahore for their revolutionary activities against the British rule.

2. World Meteorological Day 2017 observed globally

i. The World Meteorological Day was observed globally on 23rd March 2017.
ii. The theme of WMD 2017 is 'Understanding Cloud' to highlight the enormous importance of clouds for weather climate and water.
iii. The day is organized every year by World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

3. Govt approves 1.17 lakh more affordable houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana

i. The government approved construction of 117,814 more affordable houses for urban poor under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) in six states (Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha) with a total investment of Rs 5,773 crore and with central assistance of Rs 1,816 crore.
ii. With this, the total number of affordable homes sanctioned under PMAY so far has gone up to 1,760,507, with a total investment of Rs 96,018 crore and a central assistance of Rs 27,714 crore.

4. Cabinet approves proposal for Amendments to the NABARD Act, 1981

i. Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the following proposals:
(a) Amendments to National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) Act, 1981, include provisions that enable Central Government to increase the authorized capital of NABARD from Rs. 5,000 crore to Rs. 30,000 crore and to increase it beyond Rs. 30,000 crore in consultation with RBI.
(b) Transfer of 0.4 percent equity of RBI in NABARD amounting to Rs. 20 crores to the Government of India.

5. India ranks 131 on Human Development Index, Norway No.1

i. In the recently released Human Development Index by United Nations, India is ranked 131 out of 188 countries in the list.
ii. The list is topped by Norway followed by Australia and Switzerland on 2nd and 3rd positions respectively.
iii. India’s HDI value for 2015 is 0.624, which puts the country in the medium human development category but behind fellow South Asian countries like Sri Lanka (73rd)and the Maldives(105th).

6. PM to inaugurate India’s longest road tunnel in J&K on April 2

i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate to the nation, the country’s longest road tunnel named Chenani-Nashri tunnel, built on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, which will cut short the distance between Jammu and Srinagar by nearly 30 km.
ii. The Prime Minister will inaugurate the 9.2 km long twin-tube tunnel on JK highway on April 2, 2017.

7. NABARD launches water conservation campaign in Karnataka

i. NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development) will help Karnataka with low-cost technologies for water conservation and efficient use of water in the drought-affected districts.
ii. The main focus of the save water programme would be to create awareness and to cover maximum number of villages in the districts.

8. India and ADB Signed $350 Million Loan for Roads in Madhya Pradesh

i. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India signed a $350 million loan for improving about 1,500 kilometers of major district roads in Madhya Pradesh in line with the State’s Road Development Plan.
ii. The Project will involve upgrading roads with concrete pavements, strengthening culverts and bridges, and maintaining the improved road assets for a period of five years.
iii. Along with ADB’s loan, the Government of Madhya Pradesh will provide counterpart support of $150 million.

9.High level committee to examine working of CCIM, CCH and their governing legislation

i. The high-level Committee has been formed to examine the working of the regulatory bodies Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM) and Central Council of Homoeopathy (CCH) and their governing legislations namely, Indian Medicine Central Council Act 1970 and Homoeopathy Central Council Act 1973 respectively, for suggesting suitable reforms for AYUSH.
ii. The committee will be headed by Arvind Panagariya, Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog. Other members of the committee are Chief Executive Officer (CEO), NITI Aayog and Secretary, Ministry of AYUSH.

10. IIT-Kharagpur to get supercomputing facility

i. The Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, is the first academic institution to get a supercomputing facility under the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM).
ii. This will provide large computational support to users to carry out both research and teaching activities that involve modern High Performance Computing (HPC) and usher in a new age in research and innovation in the country.

11. Samsung Pay launched in India

i. Android phone maker Samsung launched its digital payment application, called 'Samsung Pay', in the country as Indians look to shift to newer payment methods after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s demonetisation exercise.
ii. The early access service is available only with a few banks - Axis, HDFC, ICICI, SBI, and Standard Chartered.'Samsung Pay' works with both NFC (near field communication) and MST (Magnetic Secure Transmission).

12. HUDCO gets SEBI approval to float IPO

i. State-run Housing and Urban Development Corp. Ltd (HUDCO) has received capital markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India’s (SEBI) approval to raise funds through an initial share sale as part of the government’s disinvestment drive.
ii. The government holds 100 per cent stake in the company.IDBI Capital, Nomura Financial Advisory and Securities, SBI Capital Markets and ICICI Securities will manage the company’s public issue.

13. World Sparrow Day: 20 March

i. The World Sparrow Day was observed across the World on 20 March 2017. The day was created with an aim to raise awareness about the house sparrow and then other common birds to urban environments.
ii. The first World Sparrow Day was celebrated in 2010 across the World.

14. PepsiCo ropes in PV Sindhu as brand ambassador

i. PepsiCo’s sports drink brand Gatorade has roped in Indian shuttler PV Sindhu as its brand ambassador.
ii. Sindhu is the first Indian brand ambassador of the PepsiCo brand.

15. ICC appoints Ankur Khanna as new CFO

i. The International Cricket Council (ICC) on announced the appointment of Ankur Khanna as its Chief Financial Officer (CFO).
ii. Khanna will join the ICC at the end of March leaving Air Asia India where he has held the post of CFO for the last one year.

16. Ravindra Jadeja replaces Ravichandran Ashwin to rank top test bowler in ICC rankings

i. Ravindra Jadeja replaces R Ashwin to become number 1 Test bowler.
ii. Ravindra Jadeja tops the ICC Test bowlers ranking. He is at number one position with 899 points.

22 March 2017 current affair

22 March 2017
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1. World water day observed globally

i. World Water Day is held annually on 22 March as a means of focusing attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.
ii. In 2017, the theme for World Water Day is 'Wastewater'.

2. Rs 2 lakh is the cash transaction limit, Aadhaar mandatory for I-T returns

i. The Rs 3-lakh limit proposed for cash payments in the Budget for 2017-18 will be brought down to Rs 2 lakh as part of an unprecedented 40 amendments to the Finance Bill.
ii. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced the amendments in the lower House. This is aimed at tightening the noose on those dealing in cash.
iii. Most other amendments are making Aadhaar mandatory for filing tax returns, applying for permanent account numbers (PAN) and allowing payments by only non-cash modes such as cheques, bank drafts or electronic transfers for electoral trusts are also aimed at curbing black money.

3. RBI proposes to fix upper limit in PPIs at Rs 1 Lakh

i. The RBI proposed to fix the upper limit for Pre-paid Payment Instruments (PPIs) at Rs 1 lakh in view of growing usage of PPIs for a purchase of goods and services.
ii. The central bank has sought comments on draft circular on Master Directions on Issuance and Operation of Pre-paid Payment Instruments (PPIs) in India till March 31, 2017.
iii. As per the draft, the amount in a PPI should not exceed Rs 1 lakh at any point of time if the customer provides full KYC and Rs 20,000 if the customer provides minimum KYC details to the PPI issuing entity.

4. Assam Government approves recommendation of 7th Pay Commission

i. The Assam state cabinet has decided to implement the recommendation of the Seventh Pay Commission.
ii. The implementation will make state exchequer bear an additional burden of over Rs. 3000 Crore in the next financial year and the proposed pay structure would come into effect from 1 April 2016.

5. Second India-UAE conference on globalization to be held in Dubai

i. The second India-UAE conference on globalization held at Dubai with an aim to promote cooperation between the two countries, organized by All India Management Association (AIMA).
ii. Health care innovation will be among the subjects discussed during the conference themed as ‘Resetting Globalisation: Collaborating in a Fast Changing World'.

6. Russia’s VTB bank to shut India office

i. Russian bank VTB has decided to close its only office in New Delhi, India to cut costs but will continue to work in India.
ii. The decision to shut the branch in India was taken as part of a strategy of VTB Group aimed at optimizing costs and will continue to work on the Indian market expanding its cooperation with local partners.

7. Madhabi Puri Buch appointed as SEBI whole time member

i. The government has announced Madhabi Puri Buch as new whole time member of Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) for the period of three years.
ii. She is currently serving in the New Development Bank, Shanghai.

8. ABB India bags award for restoring 1,035 MW Sharavathi plant in Karnataka

i. ABB India has restored and modernized the critical 1,035 MW Sharavathi hydropower plant in Karnataka that accounts for 25% of Karnataka Power Corporation’s generation.
ii. For restoring the crucial power infrastructure, the ABB has bagged 'the India Smart Grid Foundation (ISGF) innovation award'.

9. ISRO commissions two major facilities at VSSC

i. Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) commissioned two major facilities a Hypersonic Wind Tunnel and Shock Tunnel at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre at Thiruvananthapuram.
ii. Commissioning of such facilities would provide adequate data for design and development of current and future space transportation systems in the country.

10. Majuli all set to become India’s 1st carbon neutral district

i. Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal launched initiatives to develop Majuli, world biggest river island, as India’s first carbon neutral district and as a biodiversity heritage- yet not officially released.
ii. He launched “Forests are Lives” campaign to celebrate the importance of Assam’s rich forest and biodiversity.

11. Shri Upendra Tripathy Appointed as Full Time Interim Director General of ISA

i. Shri Piyush Goyal, Union Minister for Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy and Mines and Ms. Ségolène Royal, Minister for Environment, Energy and Marine Affairs Government of France jointly decided to appoint Mr. Upendra Tripathy, as the Interim Director General (IDG) of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) on a full time basis.
ii. Mr. Upendra Tripathy was the Former Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

12. ICMR head named to UN group on antimicrobial resistance

i. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Director Soumya Swaminathan has been named to a high-level group set up by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to provide expertise on and coordinate the global fight against antimicrobial resistance.

13. 4 Indian cities among cheapest globally: EIU

i. Four Indian cities are among the cheapest to live in globally, while Singapore (last in the list) has been ranked as the most expensive for the fourth consecutive year, according to a 'Worldwide Cost of Living 2017' report by Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).
ii. Bengaluru (3rd place), Chennai (6th), Mumbai (7th) and New Delhi (10th) have been ranked by EIU among the 10 cheapest cities in the world.
iii. Almaty has been ranked as the cheapest city in the world.

14. Major Rohit Suri awarded Kirti Chakra

i. Major Rohit Suri, from the Parachute Regiment who led the army team that carried out a surgical strike in PoK last year, was presented the second highest peacetime gallantry award Kirti Chakra by President Pranab Mukherjee.
ii. Corporal Gursevak Singh of Indian Air Force was posthumously conferred the Shaurya Chakra for putting up a valiant fight against terrorists who had attacked the frontline Pathankot air base.

15. K T Irfan Wins Bronze in Asian Racewalking Championships

i. India’s national record holder in men’s 20km race walk, K T Irfan has won bronze at the Asian Race Walking Championships in Nomi, Japan.

21 March 2017 Current affair

21 March 2017
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1. International Day of Forests: 21 March

i. March 21 is the United Nations’ (UN) International Day of Forests, which promotes the importance of forests and trees in our lives.
ii. The 2017 theme is 'Forests and energy'.

2. Bharatiya Mahila Bank to be merged with SBI

i. New-Delhi headquartered The Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB) will be merged with the country's largest lender State Bank of India (SBI).
ii. The move will ensure that banking services are provided to more women at a faster pace, given the advantage of the large network of SBI.

3. Branches of SBBJ, SBH, SBM, SBP and SBT to operate as branches of SBI from April 1, 2017

i. All branches of State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur (SBBJ), State Bank of Hyderabad (SBH), State Bank of Mysore (SBM), State Bank of Patiala (SBP) and State Bank of Travancore (SBT) will function as branches of State Bank of India from April 1, 2017.
ii. The Customers, including depositors of all the five Banks will be treated as customers of State Bank of India with effect from April 1, 2017.

4. India home to 101 billionaires, Mukesh Ambani tops the list: Forbes

i. India is home to world’s fourth highest number of billionaires with Reliance Industries chief Mukesh Ambani (33rd position globally) leading the club of more than 100 super rich Indians.
ii. The list has been topped by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates for the fourth year in a row.

5. Uttarakhand HC accords human status to Ganga, Yamuna

i. The Uttarakhand High Court has given the status of "living human entities" to the Ganga and Yamuna.
ii. The Director of Namami Gange project for cleaning and rejuvenating the river, the Chief Secretary and the Advocate General of Uttarakhand will act as the "legal parents" of the holy rivers and work as the human face to protect, conserve and preserve them and their tributaries.

6. India's first sign language dictionary to come up soon

i. The government is all set to come up with the country's first-of-its-kind dictionary which aims to bring uniformity in sign languages used by hearing and speech impaired people across the nation.
ii. The Indian Sign Language (ISL) dictionary is being developed by the Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC). The dictionary is being developed in both print and video format.

7. Solar Energy Scheme for Small Powerloom Units

i. The Government has approved a new scheme to provide financial assistance or capital subsidy to small powerloom units, for installation of Solar Photo Voltaic (SPV) plant, in order to alleviate the problem of power cut and shortages faced by decentralized powerloom units in India.
ii. Under the Solar Energy Scheme, the plants have two options:
On-Grid Solar Power Plant where power cut/shortage is negligible and power tariff is high.
Off-Grid Solar Power Plant in areas where there is power shortage & on-grid power is not continuously available.

8. ICICI Bank launches new app for rural customers

i. ICICI Bank, India’s largest private sector bank by consolidated assets has announced the launch of a mobile banking app 'Mera iMobile' for rural customers.
ii. This app will allow them to access banking services as well as information on agri-services.

9. India ranks 122nd in World Happiness Report

i. India ranked 122nd out of 155 countries in the recently released World Happiness Report, 2017.
ii. India is behind Pakistan (80th) and Nepal (99th) in the global list of the happiest countries. The top three happiest countries in the list are- Norway, Denmark and Iceland.

10. ICRISAT, ICAR join hands for crop improvement

i. Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) would work together on crop improvement and agronomy programmes for grain legumes and dryland cereals.
ii. ICAR and ICRISAT, recently signed an agreement in New Delhi, in which climate-smart crops, smart food and digitalisation of breeding database were identified as some of the core areas of research.

11. IIT-Madras inks pact with Tanstia-FNF Service

i. IIT-Madras and small scale industry body Tanstia-FNF Service Centre have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for technology transfer of water treatment analysis kits designed to treat drinking water mainly in rural areas.
ii. The research at IIT-Madras for developing the filter and the kit was funded by International Development Research Centre, Canada.

12. NBCC to execute social housing project in Mauritius

i. National Building Construction Corporation (NBCC), a Navratna construction major under the Ministry of Urban Development will execute a US $ 20 million (Rs.130 crore) social housing project in Mauritius.
ii. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in this regard was signed between NBCC and Mauritius.

13. Canadian wins $1m Global Teacher Prize

i. A Canadian school teacher Maggie MacDonnell was awarded the annual Global Teacher Prize and won a $1-million prize during a ceremony in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

14. Five Indians in WEF’s 100 Young Global Leaders list

i. Five Indians have made it to the World Economic Forum's list of 100 Young Global Leaders under 40 years of age.
ii. These include Paytm Founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Blippar app's Founder Ambarish Mitra, journalist in Fortune India Hindol Sengupta, Swaniti Initiative's Rwitwika Bhattacharya and The Tamara Coorg hospitality's Shruti Shibulal. All the people in the list are entitled to a five-year leadership journey.

15. 2017 healthiest country index

i. Bloomberg released it's 2017 World Health Index. Italy has been named the healthiest country by the index followed by Iceland and Switzerland at the top second and third position respectively.
ii. The list graded 163 countries based on variables such as life expectancy, causes of death and health risks such as high blood pressure, malnutrition, the availability of clean water and tobacco use.

16. Tamil Nadu wins Vijay Hazare Trophy

i. In Cricket, Tamil Nadu has won the domestic 50-over competition, the Vijay Hazare Trophy, for the fifth time.
ii. In the Final played at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in New Delhi, Tamil Nadu defeated Bengal. Dinesh Karthik was named man of the match.

17. Cheteshwar Pujara becomes first Indian to face 500 balls in Test innings

i. Cheteshwar Pujara has become the first Indian to face 500-plus balls in an innings, going past the mark against Australia.
ii. He broke past Rahul Dravid's record of 495 balls, which were the most faced by an Indian in one Test innings.

18. BCCI’s new constitution ousts Mumbai Cricket Association as full member

i. Mumbai, 41-time Ranji Trophy champions, will no longer be considered a Full Member association in accordance with the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) new constitution.
ii. The new constitution stipulates that only 30 associations will function as controlling bodies for domestic cricket in their respective states by the Justice Lodha Committee.
iii. Maharashtra and Gujarat cricket associations were included in the list of Full Members which means that the cricket associations of Mumbai, Vidarbha, Saurashtra and Baroda previously functioning as Full Members will now be considered Associate Members henceforth.

20 March 2017 Current affair

20 March 2017
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1. Finance Minister finalized capital infusion for 10 PSU banks

i. Coming in support of weak and non-performing Public Sector Banks (PSBs), the Finance Ministry has chalked out a turnaround-linked Rs 8,586-crore capital infusion plan for 10 PSBs.
ii. The Top five capital gaining banks are IDBI Bank (Rs 1,900 crore), Bank of India (Rs 1,500 crore), UCO Bank ( Rs 1,150 crore), Andhra Bank and Indian Overseas Bank with Rs (1,100 crore) each.

2. 3 Day International Buddhist Conference in Bihar

i. The three days 'International Buddhist Conference' organized by Ministry of Culture and Nava Nalanda Mahavira Deemed University in Rajgir, Bihar.
ii. The two highlights of the inaugural session- first, the release of the reprint of the Pali Tripitaka in Devanagari script by the Dalai lama and second highlight was the announcement of the opening of the department of the Buddhist science for the first time in Asia.

3. Harsh Vardhan to inaugurate 5th foundation day function of BIRAC

i. Union Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan will inaugurate the 5th foundation day function of the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) in New Delhi.
ii. The discussion will focus on the impact the Biotech Ecosystem is making on the Indian economy and the opportunities which exist for the Indian Biotech Sector as a global player.

4. Amazon India brings out ‘A-Z GST Guide’ program

i. E-commerce major Amazon India has come out with a new program for sellers to get insights and help related to the goods and services tax (GST), called the ‘A-Z GST Guide’.
ii. The programme in its pilot phase has already trained over 5,000 sellers on the Amazon platform. The portal provides resources in the form of tutorials, blogs, and free online training sessions.

5. Idea Cellular board approves merger with Vodafone India

i. The boards of Aditya Birla Group and Vodafone Group have approved a merger between Idea Cellular and Vodafone India Ltd.
ii. Vodafone India will own 45.1 percent stake in the merged entity. Promoters of Idea will hold 26 percent stake in the company and the remaining will be held by the public.

6. World Bank announces 57 billion US dollar for sub-Saharan Africa

i. World Bank has announced 57 billion US dollar financing for sub-Saharan Africa over the next three fiscal years (2017-2019).
ii. Of that total, 45 billion dollars will come from the International Development Association (IDA), 8 billion dollars from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and USD 4 billion dollars will come from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD).

7. Government swaps chief executives of IDBI Bank, Indian Bank

i. The Centre has swapped the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of state-owned Indian Bank and IDBI Bank.
ii. Mahesh Kumar Jain, who was Managing Director & CEO at Indian Bank, has been appointed as Managing Director & CEO of IDBI Bank.
iii. Kishore Piraji Kharat, who was appointed as IDBI Bank CEO, has now been appointed as Managing Director and CEO of Indian Bank.

8. ONGC signs pact to buy out GSPC’s KG block stake

State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has signed definitive agreements to buy out debt-ridden Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation’s (GSPC) entire 80% stake in KG-basin natural gas block for $1.2 billion.

9. Snapdeal appoints Jason Kothari as CEO of FreeCharge

i. E-commerce firm Snapdeal announced the appointment of Jason Kothari as the Chief Executive Officer of its digital payment platform FreeCharge.
ii. In addition to taking on the role of CEO, Jason will continue his key leadership role as Chief Strategy and Investment Officer at Snapdeal.

10. Kumar Mangalam Birla named Chairman of Vodafone-Idea merged entity

i. British telecom major Vodafone and Aditya Birla group-run Idea Cellular announced the merger of their operations and Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla has been appointed as the Chairman of Vodafone-Idea merged entity.

11. Indian-American Computer Scientist Anshumali Wins NSF’s CAREER Award

i. An Indian-American computer scientist, Anshumali Shrivastava, was honored with the National Science Foundation’s prestigious CAREER Award for his research on redesigning current machine-learning processes.

12. Former Odisha MP Pyarimohan Mohapatra passes away

i. Former Rajya Sabha member Pyarimohan Mohapatra passed away in Mumbai after a prolonged illness. He was 77.
ii. Mohapatra was the Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister when Biju Patnaik occupied the top post.

13. Meteorologist Dev Raj Sikka passes away

i. Dev Raj Sikka, former director of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune died of a cardiac arrest. He was 85 years old.
ii. He was the first to propose a link between the El Nino phenomenon and the Indian monsoon.

14. Shahid Afridi appointed as ambassador of Blind Cricket World Cup

i. Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi has been appointed as the ambassador for the fifth edition of the Blind Cricket World Cup 2018.
ii. The announcement was made by the Pakistan Blind Cricket Council (PBCC). Blind Cricket World Cup will be hosted by PBCC in the United Arab Emirates(UAE) and Pakistan in January 2018.

15. Roger Federer claims fifth Indian Wells Masters title

i. World famous tennis player Roger Federer (Switzerland) claimed his fifth BNP PARIBAS OPEN, ATP Indian Wells Masters title after defeating Stan Wawrinka in California, USA.
ii. Federer joined Novak Djokovic as the only men to win five Indian Wells titles, adding to those he won in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2012.

19 March 2017 Current Affair

19 March 2017 -----------------------------

Uttar Pradesh now have two Deputy CM

i. Yogi Adityanath, the 32nd Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh now have two deputies Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma.

ii.Other states who have had two Deputy CM are Meghalaya, Telangana and Jharkhand.

First fully India-made train flagged off at Dadar station

i.Medha, the made-in-India rake was flagged off for the maiden run of the 12-coach train from Dadar to Borivali, at Lokmanya Tilak Terminus.

ii.Medha has been manufactured by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai, which has installed LED lighting to reduce energy consumption.

Amitabh Bachchan launches world's first app for breast health

i.Mumbai-based Ushalakshmi Breast Cancer Foundation has released an app to provide information under one roof.
ii.Launched by Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan, the app – ‘ABC of Breast Health’ – will provide information in 12 languages.

Punjab to provide 33 percent reservation for women in govt jobs

i.Punjab cabinet has decided to provide 33 per cent reservation for women in all government jobs.

ii.The cabinet also decided to increase representation of women in the Panchayati Raj Institutions and Urban Local Bodies from the present 33 per cent to 50 per cent.

March 16: Indian-American Appreciation Day recognised by Kansas

i.The U.S. state of Kansas has recognised March 16 as ‘Indian-American Appreciation Day’ to honour an Indian techie Srinivas Kuchibhotla who was killed last month in a racially-motivated hate crime.

18 March 2017 Current affairs

18 March 2017

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1. RBI to print Rs 10 plastic notes

i. RBI has been authorized by Government of India (GOI) to conduct field trials of plastic notes of Rs 10 in five cities across the country viz Kochi, Mysore, Jaipur, Shimla and Bhubaneswar.
ii. The main purpose of introducing plastic note is to extend the life cycle of banknotes. Moreover, Plastic notes are cleaner, lasts longer and are difficult to counterfeit.

2. Trivendra Rawat elected as Uttarakhand CM

i. Trivendra Singh Rawat, a former Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Pracharak elected as Uttarakhand's 9th Chief Minister after replacing of Harish Rawat.
ii. He is currently the convener of the Modi government’s flagship program for Ganga cleanup, the ‘Namami Gange’ program and also the party in charge in Jharkhand.

3. India, Russia sign long-term support pact on Sukhoi Su-30MKI

i. India and Russia have signed two long-term support agreements for the Sukhoi Su-30MKI combat aircraft fleet, of the Indian Air Force (IAF).
ii. Bangalore-headquartered Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) with United Aircraft Corporation and United Engine Corporation also signed an agreement for maintenance of other Russian-origin platforms.

4. Essar group: India’s first private sector township to go cashless

i. The Essar group’s township at Hazira in Surat district of Gujarat has become India’s first private sector township to go cashless.
ii. This will prove to be an important step towards making India a cashless economy.
iii. TMW is a Mumbai-based financial technology company whose wallet is powered by Mumbai-headquartered RBL Bank Ltd.

5. GST Council Approves SGST & UTGST Draft Bills

i. The Goods and Service Tax (GST) council headed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley cleared the remaining State GST (SGST) and Union Territory GST (UTGST) draft bills during its 12 Council meeting.
ii. Now with this Council has approved all five draft bills for GST which is likely to be rollout by July 1, 2017.
iii. The UTGST draft law is for the Union Territories like Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli, which do not have legislative assemblies.

6. Indian railways signs agreement with Australian research center

i. To support future research and technology development, related to critical infrastructure in India, a railway research center in Australia has entered into an agreement with the Indian Railways.
ii. Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India (DFCCIL), a Special Purpose Vehicle set up under the administrative control of Ministry of Railways, has signed an agreement with representatives from Monash University's Institute of Railway Technology (IRT), Australia in New Delhi.
iii. Establishment of a new applied research and development institute in India, SRESTHA (Special Railway Establishment for Strategic Technology & Holistic Advancement) will be guided by them.

7. Sanjauli police post becomes first in India to be linked with CCTNS

i. Sanjauli police station of Sanjauli the main suburb of the city of Shimla, Himachal Pradesh has become the first police post in the country to be linked with Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS), a nationwide online tracking system. Chief minister Virbhadra Singh inaugurated the system.
ii. The system will facilitate people in lodging online/offline complaints, police verification of job applicants, tenants, character verification and migrant labourer registration.

8. Kerala gets first private bank: ESAF Small Finance Bank

i. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan launched ESAF (Evangelical Social Action Forum) Small Finance Bank, Kerala’s first private sector bank since the country’s Independence, in Thrissur, Kerala.
ii. R Prabha, former Chairman, Kerala Grameen Bank, is the Chairman of ESAF Small Finance Bank. The Bank will launch a new social deposit scheme ‘Hridaya Deposits’ for HNI and NRI customers.

9. World Bank approves funding for India's ambitious National Hydrology Project

i. The World Bank has approved a $175 million loan to India for the National Hydrology Project to improve India’s ability to forecast floods and reduce the recurring chances of floods and droughts.
ii. The loan would be disbursed by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD). The loan has a six-year grace period in which no interest payments will be due and will mature in 23 years.

10. Social Security Agreement between India and Brazil

i. India and Brazil initialed the text of the Social Security Agreement (SSA) in Brazil.
ii. The SSA between India and Brazil once in force by early 2018 will be the first such agreement between the BRICS countries.

11. Mallikarjun Kharge becomes next PAC Chairman

i. Former Minister of Inidan Railways Mallikarjun Kharge has been nominated for the post of chairman of the Public’s Account Committee (PAC) of Parliament.
ii. Kharge will take charge from K.V. Thomas on May 1, 2017.

12. India ranks 148 in 2017 UN Women in Politics Map

i. The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and UN Women launched the ‘Women in Politics 2017 Map’ in New York.
ii. The Women in Politics 2017 Map is the visual representation of women’s political empowerment in executive government and parliament as on January 1, 2017.
iii. As per the Map, India ranked 148 out of 193 UN member nations in representing women in the executive government. The theme for 2017 is 'Women’s Economic Empowerment In The Changing World Of Work'.
iv. Top 5 countries with highest women in parliament: Rwanda, Bolivia, Cuba, Iceland and Nicaragua.

13. Michael Clarke’s launches his autobiography ‘My Story’

i. Former Australia captain Michael Clarke has launched his autobiography named ‘My Story’ in Kolkata.
ii. This book was triggered by how he was affected by Phil Hughes’ death when India was touring Australia in 2014-15.

17 March 2017 current affairs

17 March 2017
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1. Cabinet Approvals

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in its meeting has approved several MoUs.
Some important cabinet approvals are as follows:
i. National Health Policy, 2017 approved by Cabinet Focus on Preventive and Promotive Health Care and Universal access to good quality health care services.
ii. MoUs for cooperation in Youth and Sports Matters with Indonesia and the Kyrgyz Republic.
iii. MoU between India and Bangladesh on Aids to Navigation (AtoNs).

2. India joins WHO call to end TB by 2030 in South East Asian

i. India with World Health Organization (WHO) signed a 'call for action' and pledged to scale up measures to end the Tuberculosis by 2030.
ii. India among other countries in the South East Asian Region, which bear half of the global tuberculosis burden. India reports 2.8 million new TB cases annually and nearly half a million deaths due to the disease.
iii. Six of the region's countries Bangladesh, Democratic People's Republic (DPR) Korea, India, Indonesia, Myanmar and Thailand are among the 30 high TB burden nations globally.

3. IISc, Bengaluru Placed Among Top 50 in THE’s Asia Universities Ranking

i. The Times Higher Education (THE) released its Asia University Rankings 2017. The top rank in the Asia University Rankings was attained by the National University of Singapore (NUS) for the second consecutive year.
ii. According to the 2017 ranking, Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru has been ranked best Indian University and has been placed at 27th position among the universities in Asia.
iii. Besides, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay was another Indian university among top 50 placed at 42 position.

4. Bandhan Bank, Avenues India tie up

i. Bandhan Bank, has signed an agreement with Avenues India Pvt Ltd, a payment solution provider to provide merchants with seamless access to point-of-sales (POS) and payment gateway products.
ii. Merchants are expected to have a faster and more direct access to POS machines, payment gateways, and competitive financing options.

5. BSE ties up with Sentifi for algo analysis, updates

i. The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) has tied up with Sentifi, a Swiss company and leader in algorithmic-based analysis, for social media updates of 40,000 globally listed stocks.
ii. Sentifi analyses in real time the public online communication of more than 60 lakh persons and organizations relevant to the financial markets. Under the partnership, Sentifi would track, analyze and report social media messages on various stocks which would be provided on the BSE website.

6. SEBI allows celebrity endorsements in MFs

i. Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) allowed celebrities to endorse Mutual Fund products at the industry level and issued new advertising code that will require fund houses to communicate in a simple manner with the public.
ii. SEBI stated that it has permitted celebrity endorsements at the industry level for the purpose of increasing awareness of mutual funds as a financial product category.

7. Dilip Shanghvi appointed as member of RBI's western board

i. Sun Pharmaceuticals Managing Director Dilip Shanghvi has been appointed by the central government as a member of the western area local board of Reserve Bank of India.
ii. The appointment is for four years with effect from March 11, 2017, as per the central bank.

8. Jwala Gutta appointed SAI governing body member

i. India's most successful Badminton Doubles specialist Jwala Gutta has been appointed a member of the governing body of Sports Authority of India (SAI).
ii. The 14-time national champion and two-time Olympian Jwala won the bronze medal at the 2011 World Championships. She is also a 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games champion and a silver medallist at the 2014 Glasgow Games in women's doubles.

9. Indian-American Teen Indrani Das Wins 2017 Regeneron Science Talent Search

i. An Indian-American high school student, Indrani Das, 17, of New Jersey, has won the 2017 Regeneron Science Talent Search bagging the top award of 250,000 dollars.
ii. Indrani, a student at the Academy for Medical Science Technology in Hackensack, won the prestigious high school science and mathematics competition for her new approach to neurological damage.

10. ONGC to invest Rs 21,500-crore in India's deepest gas find

i. State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) will invest over Rs 21,500 crore to develop India's deepest gas discovery by 2022-23, helping it more than double output from its prime KG basin block.
ii. ONGC, which had last year firmed up an investment of Rs 34,012 crore in bringing to production 10 oil and gas discoveries in its Bay of Bengal block KG-DWN-98/2 (KG-D5), plans to invest another Rs 21,528 crore in developing the ultra-deepsea UD-1 find.

11. Aeries Financial Tech, Rubique form tie-up

i. CASHe, a fin-tech product promoted by Aeries Financial Technologies, has entered into a strategic partnership with online marketplace for financial products Rubique.
ii. Under the partnership, Rubique will enlist CASHe on its online platform for borrowers to avail viable short-term loan products from CASHe.
iii.CASHe disburses multiple loan products ranging from Rs. 5,000-1 lakh payable over 15, 30 and 90 days.

12. Changi voted World's Best Airport for 5th consecutive year

i. Singapore's Changi Airport has been voted the World's Best Airport by air travellers at the 2017 World Airport Awards for the fifth consecutive year.
ii. The 2017 World Airport Awards are based on 13.82 million customer nominations across 105 nationalities of air travellers, with 550 airports worldwide taking part.
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13. China, Saudi Arabia ink deals worth about $65 billion

i. China and Saudi Arabia have signed preliminary deals that is about $65 billion while four-day visit by Saudi King Salman to China.
ii. China’s Deputy Foreign Minister Zhang Ming stated that President Xi Jinping and King Salman inked a total 14 cooperation agreements, including a memorandum of understanding on 35 projects for production capacity and investment cooperation.

14. NEXTracker partners with to APL Apollo Tubes to expand domestic manufacturing

i. Global solar tracker manufacturer, NEXTracker has partnered with APL Apollo Tubes for manufacturing a bulk of its products in India.
ii. NEXTracker will be increasing its local steel content percentage to over 80% by volume and weight of its final product. NEXTracker also assess that the association with new Indian steel manufacturer reduces shipment time by up to 50%.

15. SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket Launches EchoStar 23 Satellite

i. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket conducted its third flight of the year to launch a commercial communications satellite in the geosynchronous transfer orbit.
ii. The launch took off from NASA’s Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida and carried the EchoStar 23 communications satellite into orbit.
iii. Having a mass of around 5,500 kilograms (12,000 lb), EchoStar XXIII was the heaviest geosynchronous payload yet launched by the Falcon 9 and will operate at 45 degrees west in geostationary orbit.

16. Pakistan successfully test-fires surface-to-sea missile

i. Pakistan Navy conducted a successful test of a land-based anti-ship missile, bolstering the operational reach of the country’s navy to launch long-range, anti-ship missiles from land.
ii. The trial of the missile was conducted from the coastal region and the missile secured a hit on a target placed at sea. The missile is equipped with advanced technology and avionics, which enable engagement of targets at sea with a high degree of accuracy.

16March 2017 current affairs

16 March 2017
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1. Captain Amarinder Singh to be sworn-in as CM of Punjab

i. Captain Amarinder Singh, who led the Congress to victory in Punjab after a decade, will be sworn-in as the Chief Minister for the second time.
ii. Congress had won 77 of the 117 state Assembly seats in the recently held polls. The Aam Aadmi Party emerged as the largest opposition party with 20 seats. The Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP alliance finished third with 18 seats.

2. Govt approves National Health Policy

i. The government has approved the National Health Policy which proposes to provide assured health services to all in the country.
ii. The policy was approved at the meeting of Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. The policy increases the gambit of sectors covered in the Primary Health Centre (PHC) level and envisages a comprehensive approach.

3. Cabinet approves setting up of 50 Kendriya Vidyalayas

i. Fifty new Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) will be established across the country to provide quality education to around 50,000 students with the Cabinet giving a go ahead to the project.
ii. The schools, which will be set up under the civil sector for classes 1 to 5.
iii. By providing a common syllabus and system of education, the KVs are intended to ensure that the children of government employees do not face education disadvantages while their parents are transferred from one location to another.

4. Namami Gange: 20 projects approved for swift implementation

i. 20 projects worth Rs 1,900 Crore have been approved for swift implementation of Namami Gange Programme in Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Delhi. The Executive Committee (EC) of National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) approved these projects.
ii. Out of 20 projects which were given EC approval, 13 are in Uttarakhand that includes creating new sewage treatment plants, upgrading existing STPs and laying of sewage networks in Haridwar at an estimated cost of approximately Rs 415 crore.
iii. This plan is aimed at treating sewage water generated by not only city's 1.5 lakh local dwellers, but also by people who visit the holy place for various purposes.

5. Cabinet clears special assistance for EAPs in Andhra Pradesh

i. The Cabinet has approved financial assistance for bifurcated Andhra Pradesh by way of special dispensation in funding of Externally Aided Projects (EAPs) and also the irrigation component of Polavaram project.
ii. The special assistance will be provided to the state towards repayment of loan and interest for EAPs signed and disbursed from 2015-16 to 2019-20.The Centre will also fund 100% of the irrigation component of the Polavaram project starting from 1st of April, 2014.

6. Govt launches new scheme for developing export linked infrastructure

i. The government has launched a new scheme Trade Infrastructure for Export Scheme (TIES) for developing export linked infrastructure in states with a view to promote outbound shipments.
ii. Launched by Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, TIES seeks to bridge the infrastructure gap and provide forward and backward linkages to units engaged in trade activities.
iii. The TIES would focus on projects like customs checkpoints, last mile connectivity, border haats and integrated check posts.
iv. The scheme, to be implemented from April 1, would have a budgetary allocation of Rs 600 crore for three years with an annual outlay of Rs 200 crore. It will be implemented from 2017-18 till 2019-20.

7. UCO Bank, Future Generali tie up

i. Private insurer Future Generali India Insurance Company (FGII) has entered into a corporate agency tie-up for its products with public lender UCO Bank.
ii. The PSU lender will provide a window at its bank branches for marketing FGII’s offerings. Apart from UCO, the company has tie-ups with over 100 banks across the country.

8. HDFC Bank to offer online loans against securities

i. HDFC Bank launched an instant digital Loan Against Securities (LAS) facility in collaboration with the National Securities Depository Ltd.(NSDL).
ii. The bank stated that customers can avail themselves of overdraft facility against shares in three steps:
(a) Select the shares to be pledged on net banking
(b) Accept agreement through one-time password (OTP)
(c) Pledge the shares with NSDL online through OTP.
iii. Demat customers can calculate their eligibility for overdraft limit against shares, and open a current account instantly.

9. State Bank of India signs MoU with CREDAI

i. State Bank of India and real estate developers’ body Confederation of Real Estate Developers' Associations of India (CREDAI) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to jointly conduct various initiatives towards development of the realty sector.
ii. The MoU will be in force for a period of 3 years.
iii. CREDAI is the largest real estate association in the country with over 11,500 members.

10. McNally Bharat bags Rs. 415-cr solar power project in AP

i. McNally Bharat Engineering Company Ltd has bagged a Rs. 415.29-crore order from Andhra Pradesh Power Generation Corporation Ltd.
ii. The project entails design, engineering, manufacturing, supply, commissioning and operation and maintenance of 500-MW grid connected solar photovoltaic power project including civil works in Andhra Pradesh.

11. BHEL's first 800-MW supercritical plant becomes operational

i. Power equipment maker BHEL has commenced commercial operations of its first 800-MW unit, a supercritical thermal plant in Karnataka.
ii. Karnataka Power Corporation Ltd (KPCL) and BHEL are the main equity partners of RPCL, the owner and operator of this power plant. The milestone was achieved for the first unit of the 2x800-MW Yeramarus thermal power station of Raichur Power Corporation Ltd (RPCL), in Raichur district of Karnataka.

12. International Vision Zero Conference Begins In New Delhi

i. The International Conference on the Vision Zero and its relevance to Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) began at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi.
ii. The aim is to focus on the Occupational Safety and Health issues and challenges in the Manufacturing, Construction and Mining sector and provide a forum for promoting safety and health at work by exchanging knowledge, practices, and experience.
iii. The conference was inaugurated by the Minister of State (Independent) for Labour and Employment, Shri Bandaru Dattatreya.

13. Chennai Port Trust signs MoU with the Government of Puducherry

i. Chennai Port Trust and the Government of Puducherry has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for handling EXIM cargo originating from Puducherry Port hinterland in New Delhi.
ii. The aim is to promote industrial growth in the region, generate substantial employment and attract investment by major industries. Around 5 Lakh to 10 Lakh tonnes of cargo is expected to be handled between this two ports.

14. India's contribution to UN increases to Rs 244 crore

i. India's contribution to the United Nations rose 55% to Rs 244 crore in 2015-16 compared with the previous fiscal.
ii. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj informed the Lok Sabha that the government had also made voluntary contributions to the tune of Rs 22 crore to international organizations, including UN agencies, in the last financial year.
iii. The country contributed Rs 244 crore to the UN last fiscal compared with Rs 157 crore in 2014-15.

15. Annual Krishi Unnati Mela Begins in New Delhi

i. The three-day annual Krishi Unnati Mela was inaugurated by Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh at the Indian Agriculture Research Institute in Pusa, New Delhi.
ii. To provide information on new farm schemes and technologies and another welfare scheme that will help to double the farmer’s incomes by 2022.
iii. As a part of the event, the Minister also gave away Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Rashtriya Krishi Vigyan Protsahan Puraskar 2016 to recognize the contribution of Krishi Vigyan.

16. Justice Sharma sworn in as Upalokayukta of Assam

i. Justice Chittaranjan Sharma sworn in as Assam's Upalokayukta by Governor Banwarilal Purohit.
ii. He was administered the oath of office by the governor at a simple ceremony in the Raj Bhawan. Justice Sharma was a former Judge of the Gauhati High Court.

17. Tata Steel, Wipro in world's most ethical companies' list

i. Two Indian companies namely Tata Steel Limited and Wipro Limited have been named in the list of World’s Most Ethical Companies 2017 by American think tank Ethisphere Institute.
ii. Wipro is one among the two Information technology category firm named in the list. The other firm in that category is US based Xerox Corporation.
iii. Besides, Tata Steel is also one of the two companies named in the metals, minerals and mining category. US-based Schnitzer Steel Industries Inc is the other company in this segment.
iv. World’s Most Ethical Companies 2017 list consists of 124 firms. US based Ford Motor Company has been named one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies for the 8th straight year.

18. Babul Supriyo named vice-president of FIFA U-17 World Cup

i. Union Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, Babul Supriyo has been named as Vice President of the 2017 U-17 FIFA World Cup organizing committee stated by Praful Patel, president of All India Football Federation (AIFF).
ii. For the first time, India to host FIFA U-17 World from October 6 to 28, 2017. Host cities are Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata, Kochi, Margao and Guwahati.

19. Joanna Rowsell Shand Announces Retirement

i. Two times Olympic gold medallist Joanna Rowsell Shand announced her retirement from international cycling.
ii. The 28-year-old track cyclist won gold in the women’s team pursuit at London Olympics 2012 and Rio Olympics 2016.

15 March 2017 current affairs

15 March 2017
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1. Govt introduces bill on inter-state river water row in Lok Sabha

i. The Inter-State River Water Disputes (Amendment) Bill, 2017 has been introduced in the Lok Sabha which proposes to streamline the adjudication of river water disputes and make the present legal and institutional architecture robust.
ii. Minister of Water Resources and River Development Uma Bharti introduced the Bill in the house.
iii. The tribunal will consist of one Chairperson, one Vice-Chairperson and not more than six other members. The total time period for adjudication of dispute has been fixed at maximum of four and half years.

2. Footwear Design And Development Institute Bill, 2017 Introduced In The Lok Sabha

i. The Commerce & Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman introduced the Footwear Design and Development Institute (FDDI) Bill, 2017 in the Lok Sabha in order to declare the FDDI as an Institution of National Importance (INI).
ii. To enable FDDI emerge as Centre of Excellence to meet with the international standards and address the shortage of trained human resource in the sector.
iii. The FDDI was established by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India in the year 1986. It has pan-India presence with campuses at Noida, Kolkata, Chennai, Fursatganj (UP), Rohtak (Haryana), Chhindwara (M.P) and Jodhpur (Rajasthan).

3. World Consumer Rights Day being observed: 15 March

i. World Consumer Rights Day is being observed today (15 March 2017) which is an awareness day and theme for this year is 'Building a Digital World Consumers can Trust’. Several functions are being organized across the country to mark the occasion.
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4. Union Government launches Rs.52000 lakh Mission Fingerling

i. The Union government has launched Mission Fingerling to achieve Blue Revolution with the holistic development and management of fisheries in the country.
ii. The Blue Revolution programme focuses on creating an environment that envisages integrated and holistic development and management of fisheries for the socio-economic development of the fishers and fish farmers.
iii. The main motive behind this programme is to enhance the fisheries production from 10.79 mmt (2014-15) to 15 mmt by 2020-21.

5. Biren Singh to be Sworn in Next CM of Manipur

i. The incumbent Chief Minister of Manipur Okram Ibobi Singh resigned from the post giving way for formation of a new ministry under the BJP.
ii. This is the first time the BJP has come to power in the north-eastern state. The Congress leader Okram Ibobi announced to resign after BJP named Nongthombam Biren Singh as the party’s leader to form the government with the majority win.
iii. The BJP’s N. Biren Singh will take oath as Manipur’s next chief minister on 15th March 2017 along with his council of ministers in the presence of BJP president Amit Shah and Union Minister Jitendra Singh.

6. Digital push: Gujarat to provide e-marketplace for businesses

i. The Gujarat government has entered into an agreement with a global cloud-based solutions provider cloudBuy.com to develop a B2B marketplace for small and large business units in the state.
ii. The e-marketplace will be used to promote businesses in the state on one single platform, where members can trade with each other and across India and globally. The project has been developed as part of the Centre’s ‘Digital India’ and ‘Make in India’ initiatives.

7. SBI announces Rs 6,000-cr tractor loan settlement scheme

i. State Bank of India has announced a one-time farm loan settlement scheme worth 6,000 crore rupees primarily for tractors. SBI in a tweet stated that One Time Settlement is announced for Agriculture Loans and the Scheme is valid until 31st March 2017.
ii. Managing Director of the bank Rajnish Kumar stated that loans disbursed before 2011 and falling under doubtful or loss category accounts as of September 2016, will be considered under the scheme.
iii. The MD also said other agri-loans like kisan credit cards and other term-loans for tractors and farm loans may also be covered under the scheme. SBI's total farm loan portfolio is 1.25 Lakh Crore rupees and tractor loan book is about 6,000 crore rupees.

8. Wholesale Inflation rises to 6.55% in February 2017

i. Wholesale inflation shot up to a 39-month high of 6.55% in February 2017, on account of costlier food and fuel items. Wholesale price based inflation had stood at 5.25% in January 2017, and 3.68% in December 2016.
ii. According to official data, food inflation jumped to 2.69% in February 2017, from minus 0.56% in January 2017. Inflation in the fuel basket spurted to 21.02% in February 2017, from 18.14% in January 2017.

9. Retail inflation rises to 4-month high of 3.65%

i. Retail inflation rose to a 4-month high of 3.65% in February 2017, mainly due to an increase in the prices of food items.Inflation measured in terms of the Consumer Price Index had stood at 3.17% in January 2017.
ii. Retail inflation was 5.26% in February 2016. According to data released by the Central Statistics Office, retail inflation in food items rose to 2.01% in February 2017, from 0.61% in January 2017. But prices of vegetables declined by 8.29% and of pulses by 9.02%.

10. World Bank loan for MP solar plant

i. The World Bank has agreed to provide a loan to develop internal transmission arrangements of the upcoming Rewa Ultra Mega Solar project in Madhya Pradesh.
ii. It will provide 25% of the loan amount under its Clean Technology Fund, where the money will be provided at an interest rate of only 0.25%. This would be the first solar power project in the country to receive a loan under Clean Technology Fund (CTF).

11. BoB approves bond issue

i. The Capital Raising Committee of Bank of Baroda’s board approved raising of funds through the issuance of Basel III compliant Additional Tier-I bonds (perpetual debt instrument) amounting to Rs 500 crore with green shoe option of Rs 500 crore.
ii. In a stock exchange notification, the bank stated the issuance will be on private placement basis depending on market conditions.

12. Official language policy award

i. Central Bank of India has been awarded first prize in the implementation of Official Language Policy in the western region for the year 2015-2016.
ii. Sudhir Pathak, Chief Manager of Central Bank of India received the trophy and certificate from Kalyan Singh, Governor of Rajasthan at the Official Language Conference of Central and Western Regions in Udaipur recently.

13. IndusInd Bank to acquire IL & FS Securities Services

i. IndusInd Bank has entered into an agreement with Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services Ltd (IL& FS) to acquire 100% stake in IL& FS Securities Services Ltd (ISSL).
ii. The private sector bank, however, did not disclose the cost of acquisition or the price at which ISSL shares were acquired.
iii. ISSL, which was incorporated in 2007 as a subsidiary of IL& FS, is a capital market intermediary for professional clearing, depository and custodial Services.

14. Reliance Comunications gets SEBI approval for merger with Aircel

i. Reliance Communications has received approvals from markets regulator SEBI and the stock exchanges for proposed demerger of its wireless business into Aircel Ltd.
ii. Reliance Communications has received approval of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), BSE and NSE for the proposed scheme of arrangement for demerger of the wireless division of the company into Aircel Ltd and Dishnet Wireless Ltd.

15. Government Establishes Banana Research Centre in Bihar

i. The Union Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare Minister Shri Radha Mohan Singh laid the foundation stone of the Banana Research Centre at Vaishali, Bihar Centre to fulfill the aspirations of the local banana growers.
ii. The new center will work to find reasons behind less production in banana, enhancement in acreage for cultivation, suitable utilization of the various parts of the plants, different products, marketing and value addition.

16. Pawan Goenka gets 2nd term as IIT-Madras Board Chairman

i. Pawan Goenka Managing Director of Mahindra and Mahindra has been granted second-term as Chairman of the Board of Governors (BoG) of IIT-Madras.
ii. The President of India, in his capacity as visitor of IIT-Madras, approved the nomination of Goenka, for three years with effect from June 9, 2017.
iii. He had been serving as Chairman, BoG of IIT-Madras, since 9th June 2014 when he was first nominated to the position for a three-year period.

17. Vienna World’s Best City in Quality of Life, Hyderabad Best Indian City: Mercer

i. According to the Mercer’s 19th annual Quality of Living survey released Vienna, the capital of Austria has topped the list of cities offering the highest quality of life for the eighth year in a row.
ii. In India, Hyderabad emerged as the best city in terms of living standards among Indian cities for the third year in a row.
iii. Baghdad was ranked the worst place at 230 to live due to continuous violence in the city.

18. Now, book an Uber when flying Jet Airways

i. Full-service airline Jet Airways has announced a partnership with ride-hailing app Uber to book airport cabs through the Jet Airways app itself.
ii. The airline will partner Uber and facilitate travel from the airport once a passenger has booked a ticket on the Jet Airways app.
iii. Guests booking their flights on the app and using Uber for the first time will also benefit from a discount of Rs. 150 across their first three rides by using the promo code JETUBER.

19. Commonwealth Day

i. Commonwealth Day has celebrated annually across the Commonwealth of Nations on 13th March 2017.
ii. The objective is to come together and celebrate its values and diversity. Theme is 'A peace-building Commonwealth'. It is marked by a multi-faith service in Westminster Abbey, normally attended by Queen Elizabeth II as Head of the Commonwealth along with the Commonwealth Secretary-General and Commonwealth High Commissioners in London.

20. Shashank Manohar resigns from ICC chairman’s post

i. In a surprise development, Shashank Manohar has resigned as International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman after merely eight months in office, citing personal reasons.
ii. He became the first independent chairman of ICC but had several run-ins with the BCCI on revenue sharing pattern.

21. Filmmaker and Children’s Author Amy Krouse Rosenthal Dies

Popular American author, filmmaker and public speaker, Amy Krouse Rosenthal died due to ovarian cancer. She was 51.

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Sunday 26 March 2017

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