Daily Current affairs - February 28, 2018 for all competitive exams
National
Science Day is celebrated on 28th of February every year in order to
commemorate the invention of the Raman Effect in India by the Indian physicist,
Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman on the same day in the year 1928.
- For
his great success in the field of science in India, Chandrasekhara Venkata
Raman was awarded and honored with the Nobel Prize in the Physics in the
year 1930.
- Theme: “Science and Technology for a
Sustainable Future”.
The Raman
Effect is a change in the wavelength of light that occurs when a light beam
is deflected by molecules. When a beam of light traverses a dust-free,
transparent sample of a chemical compound, a small fraction of the light
emerges in directions other than that of the incident (incoming) beam. Most
of this scattered light is of unchanged wavelength. A small part, however,
has wavelengths different from that of the incident light; its presence is a
result of the Raman effect.
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Cabinet apprised of an MoU between India and
Fiji on Cooperation in Renewable Energy
The Union Cabinet has been apprised of
aMemorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Cooperation in Renewable Energy between
India and Fiji.
- The
MoU was signed on 24th May, 201 7at Suva, Fiji.
- The
MoU envisages establishing a Joint Working Committee to review, monitor
and discuss matters relation to areas of cooperation. It provides for
exchange of expertise and networking of information.
- The
Memorandum of Understanding will help in strengthening bilateral
cooperation between the two countries.
Cabinet approves signing of MoU between India
and Jordan on Cooperation in the Field of Manpower
The Union
Cabinet has approved the proposal for signing of a Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) between India and Jordan on Cooperation in the Field of Manpower.
- The
MoU aims at enhancing collaboration between the two sides in promoting
best practices in the administration of contractual employment, reflects
the latest reforms in recruitment processes and enhances the protection
and welfare of Indian workers in Jordan.
- The
MoU will be valid for a period of five years, incorporates provision of
automatic renewal and a monitoring mechanism through a Joint Technical
Committee.
Cabinet approves MoU between India and Vietnam
on Economic and Trade Cooperation
The Union Cabinet has approved thesigning of
a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Vietnam on Economic and
Trade Cooperation.
- The
MoU would expand more bilateral trade and economic cooperation between
India and Vietnam.
KYC norms for e-wallets made mandatory from
March 1
Users of prepaid payment instruments (PPI) such
as mobile wallets will have to complete the KYC requirements by February 28 as
the Reserve Bank of India has refused to extend the deadline any further.
- Those
who do not comply with the KYC norms will not be allowed to load money
into their respective wallet accounts or carry out remittance-based
transactions.
- They
will also not be allowed to transfer the cash in the wallet account to
their bank accounts.
Mumbai becomes first city in World Cities Culture Forum
Mumbai is set
to be the newest member and the first Indian city on
the World Cities Culture Forum (WCCF), a platform for cities to share their
culture.
- The
WCCF enables the policy makers of member cities to share research and
intelligence, while exploring the vital role of culture in prosperity.
Forum members collaborate via a program of events including themed
symposia, regional summits and workshops.
- Mumbai,
like members of the Forum, will be able to share its culture as part of a
comparative research to understand its role and impact. The municipal
corporation will be able to maintain a relationship with the other member
cities and Mumbai will be represented on the Forum at all events.
The World
Cities Culture Forum (WCCF), which BOP convenes, provides a way for policy
makers to share research and intelligence, and explore the vital role of
culture in their future prosperity.
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Swajal Yojana launched in Rajasthan
Swajal pilot
project has been launched at Village Bhikampura, Karauli, Rajasthan.
Swajal is a
community owned drinking water programme for sustained drinking water supply.
- Under
the scheme, 90% of the project cost will be taken care by the Government
and the remaining 10% of the project cost will be contributed by the
community.
- The
Operations and management of the project will be taken care by the local
villagers.
Revenue surplus budget presented in Bihar
Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister
Sushil Kumar Modi presented a “revenue surplus” budget for 2018-19 in the State
Assembly.
- There
were no new tax proposals in the Rs. 1,76,990.27-crore budget.
- The
Finance Minister said that development of women, Dalits and weaker
sections has been given special focus in the budget. The fiscal deficit of
the budget is Rs. 11,203.95 crore, which is 2.17% of the GSDP
- Establishments
and committed expenditure for 2018-19 was estimated at Rs. 84,672.62
crore, which was Rs. 5,854,16 crore more than the Rs. 78,818.46 crore for
the 2017-18 budget estimate
Haryana okays death for rape of girls below 12
yrs
The Haryana government decided to make existing
criminal laws related to sexual offences committed against women and children
stringent by enhancing punishments.
- In
case of rape or gang rape of a girl below 12 years of age, there will be a
punishment of death or rigorous imprisonment of not less than 14 years
which may extend to imprisonment for life
Telangana launches integrated app for all
government services
The Telangana government launched an m-Governance
mobile application called ‘T App Folio’ to help citizens with one point access
to government services like MeeSeva services, RTA services, fee payments and
bill payment services etc
- While
T App Folio has already integrated T Wallet, myGHMC, RTA m Wallet and
HawkEye through a single sign-in feature, going forward, the Telangana
government plans to bring on-board all mobile apps of its various
departments to T App Folio over next 12 months.
Launched by the Telangana IT and Industries Minister KT
Rama Rao in Hyderabad, Telangana has become the second state government in
India to set up a mobile service delivery gateway in place for the provision
of government to citizen (G2C) services. The platform is being launched in
Telugu and English for the convenience of citizens
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Chilika Lake Largest Habitat of Irrawaddy
Dolphins Globally
The Chilika lake in Odisha has emerged as
the single largest habitat of Irrawaddy dolphins in the world with
the spotting of 155 such animals, according to the Chilika
Development Authority (CDA).
- The
first ever ‘Annual Monitoring’ was conducted by the CDA to count the
number of the marine mammals and to study the hydrological impacts of
removal of pen culture (locally known as gherries).
Chilika Lake is the largest coastal lagoon in
India and the second largest coastal lagoon in the world.
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Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) approved $1.5bn loan to
India
The Asian
Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has approved $1.5 billion in loans to
India for infrastructure projects in 2018.
- The
funds are meant for investment in energy, roads and urban development
projects. Of the loans committed by the multilateral bank, around $200
million will be invested under the National Investment and Infrastructure
Fund (NIIF) framework.
The AIIB was
established as a new multilateral financial institution aimed at providing
“financial support for infrastructure development and regional connectivity
in Asia.” It was founded in October, 2014, and has its headquarters in
Beijing. Its goals are also to boost economic development in the region,
create wealth, prove infrastructure, and promote regional cooperation and
partnership.
The value of
AIIB’s authorized capital amounts to $100 billion, with almost $30 billion
invested by China. India is not only one of the founding members of AIIB but
is also the 2nd largest shareholder in AIIB.
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CBSE tweaks pass criteria for Class X
The Central Board of Secondary Education has
tweaked the passing criteria for Class X students writing their final board
exams from March 5.
- A
notification said the current batch, which has chosen five main subjects,
will be exempted from the mandatory separate pass criteria in subjects
that have 20 marks for internal assessment and 80 marks for the board
examination.
- They
need to secure an overall 33% (both taken together) to pass.
Last academic year, students had to secure 33% in the
internal assessment and the board exam separately to make the cut. The same
pass criteria norms would apply to candidates if they had additional
subjects, provided that the additional subjects comprised of 20 marks
internal assessment and board examination which consisted of 80 marks.
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India, Nepal to hold the joint exercise in
Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand
India and Nepal would hold a joint exercise in
Uttarakhand that will include training on jungle warfare, anti-terrorism
combat.
- Nepal’s
newly-appointed defence minister Ishwor Pokharel after assuming office
signed an agreement to launch Surya Kiran Nepal – India Military Joint
Exercise.
- Last
year, the 12th edition of Surya Kiran Military exercise was held in
Kathmandu.
Vietnam and India to discuss South China Sea
Vietnam will take up South China Sea-related
issues during the March 2-4 visit by President Tran Dai Quang.
- Hanoi
wished to fully utilise the comprehensive strategic partnership with India
and was likely to sign a civil nuclear agreement during the visit.
- South
China Sea issue will be discussed between leaders as the situation in the
South China Sea is complicated. Some positive developments have taken
place but the ground reality remains problematic
Beijing’s claims over most of the South China Sea is a
major issue between the two countries, and Hanoi has been one of the more
vocal countries in the 10-member ASEAN grouping to find a solution to China’s
expansionist policy in the crucial water body. The Ambassador however assured
that his country remained committed to maintaining cordial ties with Beijing.
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PML-N chooses Sharif as its ‘leader for life’
Pakistan’s ruling party Pakistan Muslim
League-Nawaz (PML-N) chose former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif as its ‘leader
for life’, days after the Supreme Court disqualified him as party head.
- The
move is seen as a mark of defiance against the apex court’s decision.
- The
post is ceremonial but many members insist that Mr. Sharif remains the
leader and no decision will be taken without his approval.
- The
party also nominated Mr. Sharif’s younger brother Shehbaz Sharif,
currently the Chief Minister of the Punjab, for the post of acting
president.
Norway announced $13mn to Arctic Seed Vault
Norway has
announced it will spend 100 million Norwegian crowns, or $13 million, to make
improvements to a special seed vault in the Arctic.
- The
vault received its one-millionth seed sample on February 26, its 10th
anniversary. It has the ability to hold about 2.5 billion seeds in total.
- The
Norwegian government built the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in 2008 to store
seed samples of the world’s crops and plants. The vault serves as a
natural deep freeze, and is meant to protect important genetic material in
case of a major man-made or natural disaster.
- The
loss of crop diversity and the vulnerability of existing seed collections
in various seed/gene banks gave birth to the idea in of establishing a
back-up seed facility in Svalbard.
Where is India’s seed vault?
At Chang La
in the Himalayas, at a height of 17,300 feet, there is a storage facility
with over 5,000 seed accessions. One accession consists of a set of seeds of
one species collected from different locations or different populations.
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Tata Steel to host 179th founder’s day
celebration
Tata Steel’s 179th founder’s day celebration,
which is held to commemorate the birth anniversary of Tata
Steel founder Jamshetji Nusserwanji Tata, will be held on March 3.
Where chairman of ThyssenKrupp Steel Henrich Hessinger will be the special
guest of the event
- A
nine-member delegation from ThyssenKrupp Steel comprising of top
executives will accompany Hessinger to the function.
Google integrates its mobile payment app with
SBI
Global search engine giant Google integrated its
mobile payment app, Tez with the nation’s largest lender State Bank.
- Under
which its customers can create an SBI UPI Id–@oksbi and get access to
exclusive SBI offers.
- SBI
and Google’s will work towards a wider adoption of digital payments and
focus on building unique propositions.
4G network on moon in 2019
Vodafone is
planning to create the first 4G network on the moon by 2019.
The company
has appointed Nokia as its technology partner for the 4G network.
- This
will be the first privately-funded moon landing mission.
Airtel, Google to launch Android Go phones in
India
Bharti Airtel announced a partnership with Google
to launch low-cost Android Oreo (Go edition) smartphones in India.
- Airtel
will be launching these products under its ‘Mera Pehla Smartphone’
programme where it subsidises the price of 4G VoLTE handsets.
- Google
had, in December last year, unveiled the Android Oreo Go edition for
smartphones with 1GB RAM or less.
I&B Minister Smriti Irani Releases
'India-2018' Book
Information and Broadcasting Minister Smriti
Irani released 'India 2018' (English Version) and 'Bharat
2018' (Hindi Version).
- The
books are published by the Publications Division. The book available in
both print and online versions.
- It
is an exhaustive publication dealing with all aspects of the country's
development. With its latest edition, the book has entered into
its 62nd year of publication.
PNB appoints A K Pradhan as Group Chief
Risk Officer
Punjab National Bank (PNB) appointed its general
manager A K Pradhan as the Group Chief Risk Officer.
- The
exchange is hereby informed that A K Pradhan, General Manager, has been
appointed as Group Chief Risk Officer.
- The
state-owned lender, however, did not disclose the functions and
responsibilities of the Group Chief Risk Officer.
King of Jordan in India on 3-Day Visit
The King of Jordan Abdullah-II bin Al-Hussein arrived
in New Delhi on a 3-day visit to India.
- The
King is accompanied by a business delegation. During his visit, he
will also participate in a CEO Round-table followed by India-Jordan
Business Forum.
- The
two sides are expected to sign MoUs and agreements in diverse areas of
bilateral cooperation.
Eminent Odia Writer Kanakalata Mohanty Passes
Away
Eminent Odia writer Kanakalata
Mohanty passed away.
- Mohanty
was the author of 12 novels and more than a 100 short stories.
- Her
novels Ete Andhara, Kete Jwala and Anuradha shot her into the
limelight in the 1960s.
Kanchi Seer Jayendra Saraswathi Passes Away
Sri Jayendra Saraswathi Swamigal, the senior
seer of Kanchi Kamakoti Mutt situated in Tamil Nadu, passed away. He
passed away due to breathing problems.
- The
junior pontiff, Sri Sankara Vijayendra Saraswathi will be the 70th
Jagadguru of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam.
Karnataka beat Saurashtra to win Vijay Hazare
Trophy
Karnataka beat Saurashtra by 41 runs in Vijay
Hazare Trophy final.
- This
is Karnataka’s first domestic trophy of the season after having lost out
on the Ranji Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
- Off-spinner
Makvana bagged four wickets for 34 but India’s T20 player Unadkat went
wicketless.
Roger Federer And Serena Williams Becomes Most
Decorated Laureus Award Winner
Tennis legend Roger Federer became the most
decorated winner in the history of Laureus World Sports Awards after he won
twin honors at the 18th edition of the awards ceremony in Monaco.
- It
was his sixth award. The awards include the Sportsman and Comeback titles.
- American
tennis great Serena Williams won the Sportswoman of the Year Award
following her Australian Open success, her 23rd Grand Slam title.
- Serena
is now the most decorated female Laureus Award winner with five Laureus
statuettes.
118-yr-old Davis Cup to convert into ‘World Cup
of Tennis’
The Davis Cup, in existence since 1900, may be
converted into a ‘World Cup of Tennis’ from next year.
- The
new format will feature 18 teams playing a week-long event at one venue,
instead of the existing 16 teams playing across four different months.
- A
25-year, $3 billion partnership with investment group Kosmos is in place
for the new event.
India Clinched 11 Medals At Strandja Memorial
Boxing Tournament
India have come up with best ever
performance at the 69th Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament in
Bulgaria. At Sofia, the country ended with a whopping 11 medals – five
from men and six from women boxers.
- Overall, the contingent clinched two gold, three
silver and six bronze medals. Vikas Krishan, who claimed a gold
medal in 75 kg category, was also adjudged the best boxer of the
event, a first for an Indian. Another Gold medal was clinched
by Amit Panghal.
