Daily Current affairs - April 21st, 2017 for all competitive exams
The Civil
Services Day is organized on 21st April every year, when civil servants
re-dedicate themselves to the cause of the citizens and renew their commitment
to public service.
- 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.
Government
of India to issue Sovereign Gold Bonds 2017-18
Government of
India, in consultation with the Reserve Bank of India, has decided to issue
Sovereign Gold Bonds 2017-18 – Series I.
The Bonds will
be sold through banks, Stock Holding Corporation of India Limited (SHCIL),
designated post offices and recognised stock exchanges viz., National Stock
Exchange of India Limited and Bombay Stock Exchange.
- Denomination: The Bonds will be denominated in multiples of gram(s) of gold
with a basic unit of 1 gram.
- Tenor: The tenor of the Bond will be for a period of 8 years with
exit option from 5th year to be exercised on the interest payment dates.
- Minimum
size: Minimum permissible investment will be 1 gram of gold.
Legal
Aid and Empowerment initiatives
Three key legal aid and empowerment initiatives of the Department of Justice were recently launched.
- These
initiatives are aimed at fulfilling the department’s core mandate of
enhancing ‘access to justice’ for the poor and
vulnerable communities, including making accessible quality and effective
legal aid for them.
Following
initiatives were launched:
1. Pro
bono legal Services
2. Tele
Law: Mainstreaming Legal Aid through Common Service Centre:
3. District
Facilitation Centre to reduce pendency: Engagement of Nyaya Mitra:
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.
- 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.
For
the First Time, UNESCO’s Peace Prize Goes to a Mayor:
A Unesco jury
has awarded the organization’s prestigious ‘peace prize’ to the mayor of
Lampedusa, the Italian island which gained fame as a hotspot for migrant
arrivals.
- Mayor
Giusi Nicolini was awarded the prize together with French NGO SOS
Mediterrannee, for their work in saving the lives of refugees and migrants
and for welcoming them with dignity.
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.
Logistics
pact with U.S. ‘almost done’
India is all
set to notify the operationalising of the Logistics
Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) with the U.S.
- The
notification includes designating the points of contact for the U.S.
military to work with and setting up a common account for payments. The
U.S., which has similar agreements with several countries, has already
notified the details.
- After
the notification, the U.S. is expected to formally ratify the agreement
which will then operationalise the pact.
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.
Mongolia launched its first satellite Mongol Sat-I
Mongolia launched its first satellite
named Mongol Sat-I, part of its efforts to make use of new technology to
diversify its resource-dependent economy.
- It is 1227 Megahertz satellite. The satellite was
launched in partnership with Asia Broadcast Satellite
(ABS).
- The Satellite helps with space research, map making and
preparing for natural disaster.
GMR
Hyderabad Airport gets carbon neutrality certificate:
The GMR
Hyderabad International Airport Limited has received the Carbon Neutrality
(Level 3+) Certificate from the Airports Council International (ACI).
- The
certification comes under ACI’s Airport Car Accreditation Programme that
is the industry standard for assessment of an airport’s efforts to manage
and reduce carbon emissions.
- The programme was launched in June, 2009 and comprises four levels.
