Daily Current affairs - February 24&25, 2018 for all competitive exams
To celebrate
the idea of unity in diversity, the Ministry of Culture is
organising the the Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav at Gwalior, Madhya
Pradesh.
- The
Mahotsav will cover a profusion of art forms from classical and folk,
music and dance, theatre to literature and the visual arts and would offer
the chance to experience the best in established and emerging virtuosity.
- The
Ministry of Culture is organising the event under the Ek Bharat Shreshtha
Bharat matrix.
The Ek
Bharat Shreshtha Bharat programme was launched by the Prime Minister on 31st
October, 2016 to promote engagement amongst the people of different
states/UTs so as to enhance mutual understanding and bonding between people
of diverse cultures, thereby securing stronger unity and integrity of India.
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E-waybill for inter-State goods movement likely
from April 1
A group of State finance ministers (GoM), led by
Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, mooted the implementation of the
provision for electronic-waybill generation for inter-State movement of goods
from April 1, under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime.
- The
e-waybill is generated on the GST-Network — a common and shared
information technology (IT) infrastructure between the Centre and States.
- The
GoM’s suggestion would be taken up by the GST Council at its meeting on
March 10.
The e-waybill provision — meant to eliminate tax evasion
and increase revenues by about 20% — was introduced on February 1, but had to
be put on hold following glitches in the system
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Govt. schedules meeting on Lokpal for March 1
In a turnaround from its earlier position, the
government will invite the leader of the single largest Opposition party to
attend a meeting scheduled for March 1 to discuss the long-pending appointments
to the anti-corruption ombudsman, Lokpal.
- At
a brief hearing before a Bench led by Justice Ranjan Gogoi on Friday,
Attorney-General K.K. Venugopal said the meeting would have the Prime
Minister, the Lok Sabha Speaker, the Chief Justice of India and the leader
of the single largest Opposition party in attendance.
- This
is a significant development as the government has for years taken the
position that Lokpal appointments could be made only after amending the
law to replace the Leader of the Opposition with the single largest party
Opposition leader on the high-level selection committee. The Bench posted
the next hearing for March 6.
Under the Lokpal and Lokayukta Act of 2013, the high-level
selection committee for appointments to Lokpal comprises the Prime Minister,
Lok Sabha Speaker, the LoP, the Chief Justice of India and an eminent jurist
chosen by them. The 16th Lok Sabha does not have an LoP as the Congress party
failed to get the required 10 per cent membership in the Lok Sabha post the
2014 parliamentary elections. However, an April 2017 judgment by the Supreme
Court did not buy the government’s argument that an amendment in the
provisions to replace the LoP with the single largest Opposition party leader
was necessary to get on with the Lokpal appointments.
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DD, AIR staff to work in PIB too
In an unprecedented order , the Information and
Broadcasting Ministry posted 15 officials from Doordarshan and 16 from All
India Radio (AIR) as publicity officers for various Ministries.
- The
attempt is to strengthen the government’s severely short-staffed publicity
arm, the Press Information Bureau (PIB), say senior officials of the
I&B Ministry.
- However,
the latest reshuffle of the 31 Indian Information Service (IIS) officers
from the state broadcasters is likely to lead to confusion and a conflict
of interest.
- The
officers’ primary charge will be to handle the publicity of the
Ministries. They will, however, additionally continue their work in
Doordarshan and AIR.
For the first time, peak power demand crosses
10,000 MW mark in Telangana
The power utilities of Telangana met a record
peak demand of 10,000 MW power for the first time since formation of the State.
- The
increase in the demand has been attributed mainly to the uninterrupted
power supply to the agriculture sector starting from January 1 this year.
Stating that it was a memorable occasion for the power
utilities in the State, particularly with the background of their inability
to meet uninterrupted supply even to the domestic sector when Telangana came
into being, the top executives of the two distribution companies said support
from the government and hard work of the employees for the last three years
had been behind the success.
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SC refused to intervene on Kaleswaram project
In a major
relief to the Telangana government, the Supreme Court has refused to intervene
in an order granted by the Hyderabad High Court suspending the order of the
National Green Tribunal at Delhi staying the construction of the Kaleswaram
Lift Irrigation Project.
- The
NGT bench at Chennai had on October 5, 2017 directed the Telangana
government to stay the construction of the project.
The
Kaleshwaram project is an off-shoot of the original Pranahitha-Chevella Lift
Irrigation Scheme taken up by the Congress government in 2007 when Andhra
Pradesh was not divided. After the formation of Telangana in 2014, the TRS
government redesigned the project on the ground that the original plan had
too many environmental obstacles and had very low water storage provision —
only about 16.5 tmc ft.
According to
engineers, KLIP has many unique features, including the longest tunnel to
carry water in Asia, running up to 81 km, between the Yellampally barrage and
the Mallannasagar reservoir. The project would also utilise the highest
capacity pumps, up to 139 MW, in the country to lift water.
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PM Modi launches Amma 2 wheeler scheme in Tamil
Nadu
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Launched ‘Amma’,
subsidised 2 Wheeler Scheme for working women in Tamil Nadu.
- This
scheme was launched to mark the 70th birth anniversary of Jayalalithaa,
the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.
- Under
‘Amma’ 2 Wheeler Scheme, every year, one lakh working women in Tamil Nadu
will be given 50% of the cost of a two-wheeler or a grant of Rs. 25000.
All Kolkata Metro trains to be air-conditioned
by 2020
All locomotives of the Kolkata Metro, the country
oldest metro railway service, will be air-conditioned in the next two years.
- Indrani
Banerjee, chief public relations officer of Kolkata Metro, which connects
northern and southern fringes of the city, said that by 2020 all coaches
will be air-conditioned.
- Kolkata
Metro authorities said the new rakes will be a technological shift. They
will not only ensure jerk-free comfortable rides but will also have CCTVs
in every compartment and a communication line to the motorman in case of
emergency.
44th Khajuraho Dance Festival Held in Madhya
Pradesh
The 44th edition of Khajuraho Dance Festival
2018 was held at Khajuraho temple, a UNESCO world heritage site in Madhya
Pradesh.
- It
was inaugurated by Madhya Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel and
was organised by culture department of state government.
Khajuraho Dance Festival is an annual cultural festival
that highlights the richness of various Indian classical dance styles.
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Assam to Observe 'Rhino Day' on September 22
The Assam government has announced to
observe September 22 as 'Rhino Day' to generate public awareness
on protection of the one-horned pachyderm.
- A
State Rhino Project in line with National Rhino Project will be launched
in Assam soon for protecting the pachyderms from threats of poaching.
Elephanta Island gets permanent power supply for 1st time
The Elephanta Island near Mumbai has received
permanent electricity connection for the first time since 70 years of
Independence.
- The
project will benefit around 1,200 residents on the island, which houses
UNESCO World Heritage site Elephanta Caves.
- Prior
to this, the villagers resorted to solar energy and power generators for
their requirements.
Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) Programme
India has
invited Saudi participation in Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR)
Programme.
- To
ensure energy security, the Government of India had decided to set up 5
million metric tons (MMT) of strategic crude oil storages at three
locations namely, Visakhapatnam, Mangalore and Padur (near Udupi).
- These
strategic storages would be in addition to the existing storages of crude
oil and petroleum products with the oil companies and would serve as a
cushion during any external supply disruptions.
In the
2017-18 budget, it was announced that two more such caverns will be set up
Chandikhole in Jajpur district of Odisha and Bikaner in Rajasthan as
part of the second phase.
In January
2016, India signed a deal with the United Arab Emirates that allows the Gulf
OPEC country to fill half of the underground crude oil storage facility of
ISPRL at Mangalore. Therefore, the UAE’s Abu Dhabi National Oil Company will
store about 6 million barrels of oil at Mangalore.
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Saudi Arabia hosts its first ever jazz festival
in Riyadh
Saudi Arabia conducted the Groovz Jazz
Festival, its first ever jazz festival, at the Riyadh Intercontinental Hotel,
in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
- The
Groovz Jazz Festival was conducted for 3 days. Nearly, 2,000 people
attended this festival.
- The
concert was organized by Time Entertainment. A divided seating arrangement
was provided separately for men and women. Family areas were also
provided.
- Both
local and international artists performed at the festival. Bands from
Riyadh, Beirut and New Orleans performed at the festival.
- Apart
from musical performances, food trucks, a vintage car display etc. were
there in the Groovz Jazz Festival.
Singapore hosts record 1.27 million Indian
travelers in 2017
For the third time in a row, Singapore has
registered record arrivals from India with 1.27 million travelers.
- Over
1.1 million Indian travelers went to Singapore in 2016.
- Visitor
arrivals from India into Singapore have crossed the one-million mark at
1.27 tourists, according to data from the Singapore Tourism Board.
US tightens H-1B visa rules
The US
government has announced a new policy that has made the procedure of issuing
H-1B visas relatively harder than the existing one.
- The
updated policy guidance is in sync with President Donald Trump’s ‘Buy
American, Hire American’ Executive order.
- Under
the new policy, the company would have to walk an extra mile to prove that
its H-1B employee at a third-party worksite has specific and
non-qualifying speculative assignments in speciality occupation.
- New
employers must provide contracts and itineraries for employees who will
work at a third-party location. This includes evidence of actual work
assignments, which may include technical documentation, milestone tables,
marketing analysis, cost-benefit analysis, brochures, and funding
documents.
The H-1B
visa program generally allows a foreign employee to work for a specific
sponsoring American employer. As is true in many employment situations, the
location of work can change.
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India’s 1st 5G trial successful, 3 GB/sec speed
Achieved
Chinese technology giant Huawei and telecom
services provider Bharti Airtel announced to have successfully
conducted 5G network trial under a test set-up in India.
- The
trial took place at Airtel’s Network Experience Centre in Manesar
(Gurugram).
- During
the test trial, the speed of more than 3Gbps was achieved.
ISRO to launch another IRNSS satellite in April
After its failure to inject into the orbit the
eighth of the navigation satellite, IRNSS-1H that was to replace the faulty
IRNSS-1A in the Indian Navigation Satellite Constellation or NavIC in August
last year, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is gearing up to
launch another IRNSS satellite in April.
India Successfully Test-Fires ‘Dhanush’ Missile
India has successfully test-fired the
nuclear-capable surface-to-surface 'Dhanush' ballistic missile with a
strike range of 350 km from a naval ship off Odisha coast.
- It
was developed by the Defence Research and Development
Organisation. ‘Dhanush’ missile is is capable of carrying a payload
of 500 kg and hitting both land and sea-based targets.
- It
is a naval variant of the indigenously-developed ‘Prithvi’ missile.
- It
is capable of carrying a payload of 500 kg and hitting both land and
sea-based targets.
Ombudsman scheme for NBFCs
The Reserve
Bank of India (RBI) has issued an ombudsman scheme for non-banking finance
companies (NBFCs), offering a grievance redressal mechanism for their
customers. The scheme will come into effect immediately.
- An
officer at the RBI not below the rank of general manager will be appointed
by the regulator as the ombudsman with territorial jurisdiction being
specified by the central bank. The tenure of each ombudsman cannot exceed
three years and can be reduced by the regulator if needed.
- Any
customer or person can file a complaint with the ombudsman on various
grounds like non-payment or inordinate delay in payment of interest,
non-repayment of deposits, lack of transparency in loan agreement, non-compliance
with RBI directives on fair practices code for NBFCs, levying of charges
without sufficient notice to the customers and failure or delay in
returning the securities documents despite repayment of dues among others.
Only written complaints or those in electronic format will be accepted.
Paytm to give users its own credit rating
Digital payments startup Paytm is launching its
own credit scoring product called ‘Paytm Score’, according to reports.
- The
Vijay Shekhar Sharma-led startup will give credit score to users based on
their digital transactions across the company’s multiple offerings,
including e-commerce and bookings platforms, the reports added.
- The
score will then be shared with Paytm’s lending partners.
Airtel partners Lenovo to offer smartphones
with Rs 2,000 cashback
Airtel has added a new smartphone brand for its
“Mera Pehla Smartphone” initiative.
- Select
Motorola and Lenovo smartphones will now be available with cashback of Rs
2,000 as part of the initiative.
- As
part of the offer, Moto C would be available at an effective price of Rs
3,999, Moto E4 at Rs 6,499 and Lenovo K8 Note at Rs 10,999.
Aditya Birla Idea Payments Bank Starts
Operations
Aditya Birla Idea Payments Bank Ltd
(ABIPBL) started operations, making it the fifth payments bank to
roll out operations.
- The
Reserve Bank has issued a licence to the bank under Section 22 (1) of
the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 to carry on the business of payments
bank in India.
The other payments banks that have started operations
include Airtel Payments Bank Ltd, India Post Payments Bank Ltd, Paytm
Payments Bank Ltd and Fino Payments Bank Ltd.
The other applicants that are yet to set up payments bank
include Vodafone m-Pesa Ltd, Reliance Industries Ltd and National Securities
Depository Ltd.
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5th international data science summit held in New Delhi
5th
international data science summit was recently held in New Delhi.
- The
conference was attended by around 130 delegates from Corporate Officers
and executives involved in strategy, Government Policy Planners, Academic
institutions, Electrical utilities, Researchers and Developers along with
Standards Development Organizations.
Bureau of
Indian Standards (BIS), the National Standards Body of India, in association
with Data Science Foundation organized the summit.
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India to Host 1st International Solar Alliance
in March 2018
- India will
host the first International Solar Alliance (ISA) summit on 11th
March 2018. It will be attended by French President Emmanuel Macron
and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
- The
summit will be held in Delhi.
- The
ISA aims to launch 121 projects during the summit. During the summit, two
new programmes will be inaugurated on- Scaling Solar E-Mobility and
Storage, and Rooftop Solar.
The 15th edition of BioAsia 2018 held in
Hyderabad
The 15th edition of BioAsia, the annual flagship
event of the Government of Telangana, was held from 22nd – 24th February, 2018
in Hyderabad.
- BioAsia
is a preeminent technology and bio-business convention in Asia for Life
sciences, pharmaceuticals and healthcare.
- The
theme of BioAsia 2018 was “RIGHT TIME, RIGHT NOW” focusing on strategies
to keep up with the pace of change.
- The
event was attended by 1500 delegates from over 55 countries.
- Ireland,
Netherlands and South Africa were the International Partners while
Gujarat, Assam and Rajasthan were the partner states for this event.
Ras Banaras Sanskriti Mahotsav’- Ended In Varanasi
‘Ras Banaras – Swachhagrah – Bapu ko
Kaaryaanjali’, a diversified cultural festival organized by the Ministry of
Culture at Maan Mandir and Assi Ghat of Varanasi concluded successfully.
- The
festival witnessed folk dance and songs, food & shopping delights in
full swing.
- The
event appealingly connected country’s youth to various facets of the
country’s rich and vibrant culture alongside giving a message of
cleanliness to the people of Varanasi.
Priyanka quits as brand ambassador for Nirav Modi’s brand
Actress Priyanka Chopra’s spokesperson has
confirmed that she has quit as the global ambassador of jewellery designer
Nirav Modi’s brand following allegations of money laundering against him.
- The
actress had earlier accused him of non-payment of dues for several
advertisement campaigns.
- Nirav
Modi is the prime accused in the $1.77 billion (Rs.11, 400 crore) scam
involving Punjab National Bank.
Veteran Actress Sridevi passes away
Bollywood star Sridevi died due to cardiac arrest
in Dubai.
- Sridevi
was 54 years old. Sri Devi went to Dubai with her family to attend her
nephew’s wedding.
- She
made her Bollywood debut in 1978 and had acted in numerous films
afterwards. She got Padma Shri award in 2013.
Swachh Bharat Abhiyan ambassador Kunwar Bai passes away
106 year-old Swachh Bharat Abhiyan Ambassador
Kunwar Bai, who was felicitated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for her unique
move to build toilets in her village in Chhattisgarh, died following a
prolonged illness.
Parupalli Kashyap wins Austrian Open
International Challenge
India’s Parupalli Kashyap won the men’s singles
title of the Austrian Open International Challenge, in Vienna, Austria.
- Parupalli
Kashyap defeated Malaysia’s June Wei Cheam 23-21 21-14 in the men’s
singles final and won the Austrian Open International Challenge.
- This
is Parupalli Kashyap’s first international title in more than three years.
He is a former National badminton champion.
Aruna Budda Reddy becomes 1st Indian to win an
individual medal at Gymnastics World Cup
Aruna Budda Reddy became the first Indian gymnast
to win an individual medal at the Gymnastics World Cup.
- She
won a bronze medal in the women’s vault event, in Melbourne, Australia.
- Aruna
Budda Reddy is 22 years old. She hails from Hyderabad. She is a former
black belt and a Karate trainer.
Cricket Canada Unveils ICC-Approved T20 League
Canada’s own first franchise-based Twenty20
league “Global T20 Canada”, was announced in New Delhi. The Global
T20 Canada League will begin functioning from July 2018 at three venues in
Toronto.
- Global
T20 Canada League has received official sanction of the International
Cricket Council (ICC).
- Cricket
Canada has become the first Associate member of the ICC to start
a Twenty20 franchise league in the North America market.
