Current affairs : April 2nd, 2017 for all competitive exams
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.
PM NarendraModi opens Asia's longest
tunnel
Prime Minister NarendraModi 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.
PowerTex India scheme for powerlooms
unveiled
A three-year Comprehensive Scheme for Powerloom Sector
Development,PowerTex India launched by Union Textile Minister Smriti Zubin
Irani at Bhiwandi on Saturday and simultaneously at 47 powerloom centres in the
country, aims to boost common infrastructure and modernisation of the powerloom
sector.
- The aim is to boost common infrastructure and modernise
the sector
- The scheme, with an outlay of Rs.487 crore for three years from 2017-2018,
has nine major components, including two new ones. The two new schemes
are: Pradhan Mantri Credit Scheme for powerloom weavers and solar energy
scheme for powerlooms.
Himachal Pradesh moving towards a debt
trap: CAG
The
report by the Comptroller and Auditor General that was tabled in the Himachal
Pradesh Vidhan Sabha has observed that the small hill State is heading towards
a major debt trap withfiscal liabilities reaching Rs. 41,197 crore by the end
of 2015-16.
- The State would have to pay 62% of the debt within the next seven years and the per capita debt reached Rs. 57,642 in 2015-16, up from Rs. 40,904 in 2011-12. There is a big leap of 42% in the past five years.
‘Passenger is
Prime’ launched at RGIA
To
assist passengers at Hyderabad airport, GMR has deployed volunteers a part of
the ‘Passenger is Prime’ programme launched at RGIA.
- These
volunteers at designated spots will help passengers, mainly those
unfamiliar with the airport, the disabled and first-time flyers, when
approached. Authorities said they can be identified by their uniform.
- Called
the Passenger is Prime initiative, it is part of several initiatives taken
up at the airport for passenger convenience
Second annual meeting of BRICS New
Development Bank held in New Delhi
A new financial order built by the emerging BRICS economies of Brazil,
Russia, India, China and South Africa.
- 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).
Now, China flags Tawang rail link
China has
asked India to exercise “restraint” on its plan to link the strategic border
district of Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh with a railway network,
saying any “unilateral
action” might “complicate” the unresolved border issue.
- Tawang, where the sixth Dalai Lama was born in 1683, is at
the centre of Tibetan Buddhism and a friction point between India and
China. China has in recent days upped its rhetoric on claims to Arunachal
Pradesh, which it says is Southern Tibet.
Eclipses of binary star shed light on orbiting
exoplanet
A team of scientists from
Raman Research Institute, Bengaluru, and University of Delhi have seen for the
first time indications of a massive planet orbiting a low mass X-ray binary
star system.
- The technique that has been used, namely, X-ray observations,
is a new way of detecting exoplanets.
- X-ray binaries consist of a pair of stars orbiting each
other of which one is compact one such as a black hole or a neutron star
(in this case, a neutron star).
NDB invests $1.5 billion in 7 projects in
2 years of operation
The BRICS-backed New Development Bank (NDB) has invested in seven
projects totaling $1.5 billion in about two years of its operation.
- NDB began operations in July 2015.
- Seven projects have been done so far which aggregate around $1.5 billion. Six of them are in the renewable energy sector and one in transport financing.
SBI in global top 50 post merger
State Bank of India (SBI), the country’s largest lender, which merged
five of its associate banks and Bharatiya Mahila Bank on April 1, joined the league
of top 50 banks globally in terms of assets, according to the bank.
- The merger of five associate banks, State Bank of Bikaner and
Jaipur, State Bank of Mysore, State Bank of Travancore, State Bank of
Patiala and State Bank of Hyderabad, with SBI has created a bank whose
size will be four times the second-largest lender of the country.
- The total business of the five associate banks, which is
about Rs.10 lakh crore, is equal to the second largest lender of the
country - Punjab National Bank.
NSDL, Fino Paytech get final licence
The Reserve Bank of India
(RBI) has granted the final licence for payments bank to two more entities —
Fino Paytech and National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL) — taking the
number of entities who have received the final licence to six.
- Among the 11 entities that had received in-principle licence
in August 2015, three players, Cholamandalam, Tech Mahindra and Dilip
Shanghvi, dropped out. Vodafone m-pesa is yet to apply for the final
licence, while Aditya Birla group is yet to get the final nod.
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.
Jepkosgei smashes three world records at
Prague Half Marathon
Kenya's JoycilineJepkosgei has broken the world half marathon record as
well as the 10km and 15km marks at the Prague Half Marathon on the way to
winning the IAAF Gold Label Road Race in one hour, four minutes and 52 seconds.
- The 23-year-old, who was competing in just her fifth half
marathon, clocked splits of 30:05 and 45:37 to improve the 10km and 15km
world records.
