Daily Current affairs - March 22, 2018 for all competitive exams
The World Water Day is observed on 22
March every year, to raise awareness about the importance of water.
- The
theme this year is, ‘Nature for Water’ – exploring nature-based
solutions to the water challenges the world faces in the 21st century.
An international day to celebrate freshwater
was recommended at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and
Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro. United Nations General Assembly
responded by designating 22 March 1993 as the first World Water Day.
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IUSSTF celebrating 18th foundation day
The Indo-U.S.
Science and Technology Forum (IUSSTF) is celebrating its 18th Foundation Day.
- The
Indo-U.S. Science and Technology Forum (IUSSTF) was established in 2000
under an agreement between the Governments of India and United States of
America.
- It
has a mandate to promote, catalyze and seed bilateral collaboration in
science, technology, engineering and biomedical research through
substantive interaction amongst government, academia and industry.
The
Indo-U.S. Science and Technology Forum (IUSSTF) established under an
agreement between the Governments of India and the United States of America
in March 2000, is an autonomous bilateral organization jointly funded by both
the Governments that promotes Science, Technology, Engineering and Innovation
through substantive interaction among government, academia and industry. The
Department of Science & Technology, Governments of India and the U.S.
Department of States are respective nodal departments.
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Reservation for disabled hiked to 5% in PG medical courses
The Health Ministry has hiked the seats
reserved for disabled students in postgraduate medical courses from 3% to 5%.
- The
“historic decision” will ensure that disabled candidates offer an equal
contribution towards India’s progress.
- The
21 disabilities listed under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act,
2016 include dwarfism, autism, and Thalassemia.
CCEA approved continuation of Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan
Cabinet
Committee on Economic Affairs has given its approval for continuation of
Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) from
April 2017 to March 2020.
- Rashtriya
Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS),
launched in 2013 aims at providing strategic funding to eligible state
higher educational institutions.
- The
central funding (in the ratio of 60:40 for general category States, 90:10
for special category states and 100% for union territories) would be norm
based and outcome dependent.
- The
funding would flow from the central ministry through the state
governments/union territories to the State Higher Education Councils
before reaching the identified institutions.
The key
objectives of RUSA are to improve access, equity and quality in higher
education through planned development of higher education at the state level.
Objectives include creating new academic institutions, expanding and
upgrading the existing ones, developing institutions that are self-reliant in
terms of quality education, professionally managed, and characterized by
greater inclination towards research and provide students with education that
is relevant to them as well the nation as a whole.
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Union cabinet approved North-East Industrial Development Scheme
Cabinet has
approved the North East Industrial Development Scheme (NEIDS), 2017 with
financial outlay of Rs 3,000 crores upto March, 2020.
- The
newly introduced scheme shall promote industrialization in the States of
the North Eastern Region and will boost employment and income generation.
- Central
Capital Investment Incentive for Access to Credit (CCIIAC): 30% of the investment in Plant &
Machinery with an upper limit of Rs.5 Crore on the incentive amount per
unit.
- Central
Interest Incentive (Cll): 3%
on working capital credit advanced by eligible Banks/ Financial
institutions for first 5 years from the date of commencement of commercial
production by the unit.
Reimbursement
of 100% insurance premium on insurance of building and Plant
& Machinery for 5 years from the date of commencement of commercial
production by the unit. Reimbursement up to
the extent of Central Govt. share of CGST and IGST for 5 Years from the date
of commencement of commercial production by the unit.
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TCIL to set up US arm for Google project
Union Cabinet
has approved setting up of a US subsidiary of the state-run telecom consultancy
company TCIL for providing techno-commercial and logistic support for three
Google projects for America.
- TCIL
is one of the few companies, which have been roped in to execute “Google
Fiber”, Google’s “Fiber-tothe-Premises Project” in the US for
providing high capacity broadband internet and cable television to all the
cities.
Telecommunications
Consultants India Ltd. is a leading IS/ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 14001:2004
certified Govt. of India Undertaking incorporated in 1978 under the Administrative control of Department of
Telecommunications, Ministry of Communications, Govt. of India. It is a Miniratna company. It was set up to give consultations in fields of Telecommunications
to developing countries around the world.
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Google
Fiber is part of the Access division of Alphabet Inc. It provides
fiber-to-the-premises service in the United States, providing broadband
Internet and IPTV to a small and slowly increasing number of locations. Google Fiber offers five
options, depending on location: a free Internet option, a 100 Mbit/s option,
a 1 Gbit/s Internet option, and an option including television service (in
addition to the 1 Gbit/s Internet) and an option for home phone. The service
was first
introduced to the Kansas City metropolitan area.
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CCEA approved for Integrated Scheme for Development of Silk Industry
upto 2020
Cabinet
Committee on Economic Affairs has given its approval for Central Sector Scheme
“Integrated Scheme for Development of Silk Industry” for the next three years
from 2017-18 to 2019-20.
- The
scheme will be implemented through Central Silk Board (CSB).
- The
scheme aims to achieve self-sufficiency in silk production by 2022. To
achieve this, production of high grade silk in India will reach 20,650 MTs
by 2022 from the current level of 11,326 MTs thereby reducing imports to
Zero.
- The
core objective of the scheme is to improve the productivity and quality of
silk through R&D intervention.
The scheme
will promote Women Empowerment and livelihood opportunities to SC/ST and
other weaker sections of the society. The scheme will help to increase
productive employment from 85 lakhs to 1 crore persons by 2020.
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Union cabinet approved for closure of India Development Foundation
Union Cabinet
has given its approval for closure of India Development Foundation of Overseas
Indians (IDF-OI) to enhance synergies in channelizing Diaspora’s contributions
to Government of India’s various flagship programmes.
- IDF-OI
was set up by Government of India with the approval of Cabinet in 2008
as an autonomous not-for-profit Trust, to facilitate Overseas
Indian philanthropy into social and development projects in India.
- Later,
promotion of Government of India’s Flagship programmes – National Mission
for Clean Ganga and Swachh Bharat Mission; and Social and Development
projects identified by State Governments – was added to the mandate of
IDF-OI.
As the
Foundation received only Rs. 36.80 Lakhs between December 2008 and March 2015
as donation from overseas Indian community, a comprehensive review of IDF-OI
was undertaken in 2015.
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Nitin Gadkari inaugurated Inland ferry services
in Goa
Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways,
Shipping and Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Nitin
Gadkari inaugurated Mormugao Port Trust and Drishti Marine’s
ambitious inland ferry services in Goa.
- The
inaugural plaque was unveiled at the newly constructed Airport Ferry
Terminal (AFT) at Baina beach in the distinguished presence
of state ministers.
German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier on
5-Day visit to India
German President Frank-Walter
Steinmeier will arrive in New Delhi on a five-day visit to India.
- This
will be his first visit to India as the President of Germany.
- The
German President is also scheduled to attend a business event in New
Delhi and visit to Chennai. Germany is India’s largest
trading partner in Europe and the 6th largest trading partner in the
world.
U.S. Federal Reserve raises key interest rate
by a quarter-point
The U.S. Federal Reserve is raising its benchmark interest
rate and signalling that it is sticking with a gradual approach to rate hikes
under its new chairman, Jerome Powell.
- The
Fed boosted its key short-term rate by a modest quarter-point to a
still-low range of 1.5% to 1.75% and said it will keep shrinking its bond
portfolio.
- Both
steps show confidence that the U.S. economy remains sturdy nearly nine
years after the Great Recession ended. The actions mean consumers and
businesses will face higher loan rates over time.
The Fed’s rate hike marks its sixth since it began tightening
credit in December 2015. It is sticking with the forecast it issued in
December for three increases in 2018. But it did boost its 2019 estimate from
two hikes to three.
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NITI Aayog, Piramal foundation inks agreement
NITI Aayog and Piramal Foundation have
inked Statement of Intent (SoI) to work closely with District
Collectors and key officers of ‘Aspirational Districts’ to support
their transformation in terms of healthcare, education and nutrition.
- Under
the SoI with NITI Aayog, Piramal Foundation will work in close conjunction
with district administration, Central Prabhari Officers, State Prabhari
Officers, state government and concerned Central ministries to improve
identified indicators by strengthening existing public systems
specifically in health and nutrition and education sectors.
In a first, Indian Oil Corporation starts home
delivery of Diesel
State-owned Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has
launched home-delivery of diesel on a pilot basis in
Pune and plans to expand doorstep delivery of the fuel to other parts of
the country in near future.
- The
country's biggest oil company has mounted a diesel dispenser, similar
to the one seen at petrol pumps, on a midsized truck along with a storage
tank for delivering the fuel at customers doorsteps in Pune.
This is the first company to have started
doorstep delivery after receiving clearance from the Petroleum and
Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO).
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BrahMos
missile successfully test-fired from Pokhran in Rajasthan
The BrahMos supersonic cruise
missile was successfully test fired at 8:42 am from
Rajasthan’s Pokhran test range on Thursday.
- Union
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Congratulated Defence
Research and Development Organisation(DRDO), the Armed Forces and Defence
Industry for the successful flight test.
The supersonic cruise missile was successfully
test fired from a Sukhoi-30MKI fighter jet against a sea-based
target from an unknown location. BrahMos is a
self-propelled guided missile developed in a joint-venture between India and
Russia. The missile has been named after two rivers–
the Brahmaputra in India and the Moskva in Russia.
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Cambridge Analytica suspends CEO over data
breach scandal
Facebook expressed outrage over the misuse of its data as
Cambridge Analytica, the British firm at the centre of a major scandal rocking
the social media giant, suspended its Chief Executive.
- The
move to suspend CEO Alexander Nix came as recordings emerged in which he
boasts that his data company played an expansive role in Donald Trump’s
2016 campaign, doing all of its research, analytics as well as digital and
television campaigns.
In undercover filming captured by Britain’s Channel 4 News,
he is also seen boasting about entrapping politicians and secretly operating
in elections around the world through shadowy front companies.
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Peru’s president Pedro Pablo Kuczynski resigns
Peru’s center-right President Pedro Pablo
Kuczynski announced his resignation after vote-buying allegations ensnared him
in a fresh scandal on the eve of an impeachment vote, capping months of
political turmoil in one of Latin America’s most stable economies.
- Kuczynski,
a 79-year-old former Wall Street banker who once held U.S. citizenship,
promised a “constitutional and orderly” transition of power to end what he
described as a hostile political climate that had made governing nearly
impossible.
Peru
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Capital
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Lima
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Currency
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Sol
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Prime Minister
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Mercedes Aráoz
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India Post releases special cover on Stephen Hawking
India Post has paid tribute to theoretical
physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking by issuing a special cover on him.
- Chief
Post Master General (CPMG) of Maharashtra and Goa Circle H C Agrawal and
Director of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) Dr Sandip
Trivedi jointly issued the special cover.
- Hawking
died at the age of 76 on March 14 in his home in Cambridge in the United
Kingdom.
105th Indian Science Congress- NHAI Receives
Best Design Pavilion Award
The NHAI (National Highways Authority of India)
pavilion at 105th Indian Science Congress has been adjudged as Best
Design Pavilion.
- The
award was conferred by Dr. Najma Heptulla, Governor of Manipur.
- The
NHAI had put up an exhibition stall to showcase its Projects and other
initiatives like Electronic Toll Collection, Wayside Amenities, Incident
Management, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Road Safety etc.
Canadian mathematician Robert Langlands wins
Abel Prize
Canadian mathematician Robert Langlands won
the prestigious Abel Prize for developing a programme connecting
representation theory to number theory.
- The
programme has enlisted hundreds of the world’s best mathematicians over
the last 50 years.
- Langlands
will be awarded the 6.0-million-kroner Abel Prize by Norway’s
King Harald in Oslo on May 22.
Abel Prize is a Norwegian prize awarded
annually by the Government of Norway to one or more outstanding
mathematicians. Abel Prize has been named after the 19th-century Norwegian
mathematician Niels Henrik Abel,. The prize was established by the Norwegian
government in 2002.
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Serena Williams crashes out of Miami Open
Serena Williams crashed out of
the Miami Open in the first round.
- Japan’s Naomi
Osaka defeated the former world number one.
- Osaka,
who won her first major title in Indian Wells last weekend
- She
beat Williams 6-3, 6-2 win in one hour and 17 minutes.
- In
her comeback in Indian Wells, she made it through to round three, where
she fell to sister Venus in straight sets.
West Indies qualify for the 2019 Cricket World
Cup
Two-time World Cup winners West
Indies qualified for next year’s world cup.
Scotland lost to West Indies by five runs on
the Duckworth Lewis method in their qualifying match.
- West
Indies were bowled out for 198 and Scotland were 125 for 5 with 14 overs
remaining.
- The
World Cup is hosted in England next year.
