Daily Current affairs - March 9, 2018 for all competitive exams
On the occasion of International Women’s Day,
PM Narendra Modi launched the National Nutrition Mission (NNM) and Pan India
Expansion of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) (Save girl child, educate a girl
child) covering all 640 districts of the Country at a mega event held at
Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan.
- NNM
has been set up with a three year budget of Rs.9046.17 crore commencing
from 2017-18. The NNM is a comprehensive approach towards raising
nutrition level in the country on a war footing.
- The
Prime Minister also awarded ten districts for showing outstanding
performance in the areas of effective community engagement, enforcement of
PC&PNDT Act and enabling the education of the girl child.
Government launches Biodegradable sanitary pads
'Suvidha'
The government
has launched ‘Suvidha’, the 100% Oxo-biodegradable Sanitary Napkin, under the
Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP).
- The
oxo-biodegradable sanitary pads priced at Rs. 2.50 per pad will be
available at Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi centres.
- The
biodegradable pad will ensure 'Swachhta, Swasthya and Suvidha' for
the underprivileged women.
- This
is a step taken by the Department of Pharmaceuticals.
Union cabinet approves Relief measures for telecom sector
The Union
Cabinet has approved two key measures in telecom sector to facilitate
investments, consolidation in the sector and enhancing ease of doing business.
The measures include:
1. Restructuring of Deferred Payment Liabilities
of telecom Service providers for spectrum
2. Revision of limits of cap for spectrum holding
1. Restructuring
of Deferred Payment Liabilities of telecom Service providers for
spectrum: By giving one-time opportunity to opt for
higher number of instalment (max. 16 instalment) apart from currently
permitted 10 instalments. The increased instalment is based upon the
principle that the Net Present Value (NPV) of the Payment Due is protected as
per respective notice inviting application for auction of spectrum from 2012.
2. Revision
of limits of cap for spectrum holding: The overall
spectrum cap is revised from the current limit of 25% to 35%. The current
intra-band cap is removed. Instead, there is a cap of 50% on the combined
spectrum holding in the sub-1 GHz bands (700 MHz, 800 MHz and 900 MHz bands).
There will be no cap for individual or combined spectrum holding in above 1
GHz band. The revised spectrum caps limits may be revisited after Final Acts
of World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC) 2019.
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Union government approved for In-situ management of crop residue
The government
has approved a Rs 1,151 crore scheme to promote in-situ (in the farm itself)
management of crop residue in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi.
- The
new central scheme will be implemented for two years.
- The
move is aimed at providing a cost-effective and eco-friendly solution to
farmers to deal with the problem of stubble burning that results in
raising air pollution levels in the capital and neighbouring states every
winter.
This scheme
is as per the government’s budget announcement on having a special scheme to
support efforts of the governments of Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and
Delhi to address air pollution.
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I – Metros association has launched
I–Metros’ -an
association of all Indian Metro Rail companies has been launched.
- “I-Metros”
is proposed to be a platform to provide a forum for exchange of ideas,
pooling of knowledge and sharing of experience, best practices,
innovations etc. among the Indian Metro rail companies to nurture
excellence in performance.
- This
society will be registered under Society Registration Act-1860.
- The
objective of forming this association is to provide a common platform for
all Metro rail companies for sharing experience, information, best
practices, innovations etc.
Girls’ marriage age should be 21 in case of
without parents concern
BJP MP Gopal Shetty has proposed a private
member bill in the Lok Sabha demanding that the age bar for girls’ marriage be
extended to 21 from 18, if the marriage doesn’t have parents’ consent.
- Adding
that by 21, girls attain maturity, Shetty said the age bar for girls could
be 18 if the marriage has the consent of parents.
Budget 2018-19: Yanamala Ramakrishnudu presents
budget with focus on people's welfare
The AP Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu
has presented Budget at Rs. 1,91,070 crore for the Financial Year
2018-19. The budget estimates entail an overall increase of around 21.69
per cent over Rs 1.56 lakh crore in 2017-18.
- In his fourth Budget, Yanamala proposed the Revenue
Expenditure estimated at Rs. 1,50,271.99 crore and Capital Expenditure
estimated at around Rs. 28,678.49 crore, which includes Rs. 9,351.15 crore
towards principal repayment of Public Debt.
- The state's fiscal deficit was expected to touch Rs
24,205 crore, which would be over Rs 3,000 crore less than 2017-18.
- The per capita income of the state rose to Rs 1,42,054
in 2017-18, from Rs 1,23,664 in 2016-17, registering a jump of 14.87 per
cent
- While a total of Rs 13,722 crore has been earmarked for
welfare schemes, an increase of 20.78 per cent, irrigation got Rs 16,978
crore and agriculture and allied services were allotted Rs 12,355
crore.
A.P. provides Rs. 20 crore for welfare of
transgenders
The Andhra Pradesh government allocated Rs. 20
crore to the welfare of transgenders in the 2018-19 budget presented by Finance
Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu in the Legislative Assembly
- It
may be recalled that the said policy, under which ration cards, pensions,
house sites and financial assistance were envisaged, was cleared by the
Cabinet meeting held in December 2017.
Karnataka government unveils state flag, awaits
Centre’s approval
Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah unveiled
the state flag, terming the move a historic decision.
- The state cabinet had asked me to take a decision after
taking the opinion of pro-Kannada organisations and intellectuals.
- The proposal to have a state flag will be sent to the
home ministry for approval.
- This is for the first time that the state will have its
own flag. Except for Jammu and Kashmir, no other state in India has its
own flag.
On June 6, 2017 the Kannada and Culture Department set up
of a nine-member panel to examine the feasibility and legal issues around the
demand.
If the flag is formally introduced in the state, Karnataka
will become the second state after Jammu and Kashmir to have its own flag.
J&K, which enjoys special powers under Article 370 of the Constitution,
adopted its own flag in 2015.
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Madhya Pradesh Announces Pension for Single
Women
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh
Chouhan on International Women's day announced 'Mukhyamantri Mahila
Kosh' scheme.
- Under this scheme, the women who aren't married
and are above the age of 50 will be given pension.
State govt to construct freshwater lake in city
The Kerala State government is planning to build
a first-of-its-kind Rs. 50-crore freshwater lake for recreational activities
and water sports on the western side of Parappady - Kannadikkal river
- The project involves developing the unused waterlogged
paddy field for tourism, sports and boating facilities in 60 acres spread
across Chevayur and Vengeri villages. Around 40% of the area will be
conserved for waterbodies.
- The Tourism Department will have administrative control
over the project.
K.G. Mohanlal, eco-tourism director, has been directed to
create a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to set the project in motion. The
government has already set aside Rs. 20 crore under the Kerala Infrastructure
Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) for the project
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Haryana’s 1st Cyber Police station opened in
Gurugram
Haryana’s first cyber police station, equipped
with a digital forensic laboratory, was inaugurated in Gurugram.
- It will have a dedicated team of 35 specially trained
cops, including two inspectors.
- V. Umashankar, CEO of Gurugram Metropolitan Development
Authority (GMDA), inaugurated the station. The police station will have
modern equipment to deal with crimes in the cyber world.
Diu Becomes First UT to be 100% Powered by
Solar Energy
Diu has become the first Union Territory in
India to run 100 percent on solar power generated energy. Diu
has managed to generate surplus solar power for its residents, reducing their
electricity costs, in a span of just three years.
- Diu, which is one of the least populated territories in
India, marking an area of 42 square kilometres, has witnessed
the installation of solar power plants in over more than 50 acres of its
land.
WHO launches plan for cheaper TB drugs
The World Health Organization (WHO), invited
pharmaceutical companies around the world to submit proposals to manufacture
affordable versions of newer medicines for treatment of drug resistant
tuberculosis.
- The aim was to replicate the success of addressing the
HIV epidemic. Competition among Indian drug producers had then brought
down the price of HIV medicines by 99% from $15,000 per patient per year
to less than a dollar a day.
- WHO has now requested drug makers to submit an
Expression of Interest (EoI) for Bedaquiline and Delaminid, two
new-generation drugs, recommended for drug resistant-TB. Under WHO norms,
drugs submitted upon such requests and complying with its standards are
included in a list for procurement by the UN and other organisations.
India has nearly 1.3 lakh DR-TB patients, the most in the
world, but the Health Ministry gets only 10,000 doses of Bedaquiline and 400
doses of Delaminid. The medicines are obtained as donations from Janssen (US)
and Otsuka Pharmaceuticals (Japan), the respective manufacturers.
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Scientists found Calcium silicate perovskite at Earth’s
surface
For the first
time, scientists have found Earth’s fourth most abundant mineral—calcium
silicate perovskite—at Earth’s surface.
- Scientists found the calcium silicate perovskite within
a diamond mined from less than one kilometre beneath Earth’s crust, at
South Africa’s famous Cullinan Mine, best known as the source of two of
the largest diamonds in the British Crown Jewels.
- CaSiO3 perovskite in diamond indicates the recycling of
oceanic crust into the lower mantle.
Usually, the
mineral is found deep inside Earth’s mantle, at 700 kilometres. The only
possible way of preserving this mineral at the Earth’s surface is when it’s
trapped in an unyielding container like a diamond.
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International team of
physicists successfully created Rydberg polarons
An
international team of physicists have successfully created a “giant atom” and
filled it with ordinary atoms, creating a new state of matter termed “Rydberg
polarons”.
- These atoms are held together by a weak bond and is
created at very cold temperatures.
- It uses ideas from two different fields: Bose Einstein
Condensation and Rydberg atoms.
A BEC (Bose
Einstein Condensate) is a liquid-like state of matter that occurs at very low
temperatures. A BEC can be perturbed to create excitations which are akin to
ripples on a lake. Here, researchers have used a BEC of strontium atoms.
A
particularly interesting implication is for cosmology. Our universe is
believed to be filled with a mysterious ‘dark matter’ which exerts a
gravitational force on other matter.
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Microsoft to discontinue Windows 10 S for a new
‘S Mode’
Microsoft has confirmed it will discontinue
Windows “10 S” the latest version of its flagship Operating System.
- The tech giant is contemplating a new “S Mode” for
Windows 10 Home, Enterprise and Pro versions of the OS.
- The new “S Mode” will lock down any copy of Windows 10
so it can only run apps from Microsoft Store.
Former
Uber CEO Travis Kalanick to launch investment fund called ‘10100’
Travis Kalanick, the former Uber chief executive,
announced in a Twitter post that he is going to start an investment fund called
10100.
- The fund will oversee for-profit investments as well as
non-profit work and focus on education and future of cities.
- One user suggested that it could be a reference
“Googol” or “10 to the power 100.”
Knight Frank Wealth Report 2018: Mumbai, 16th
most expensive city
Mumbai ranks 16th among the top 20 costliest cities
in the world, according to the Knight Frank Wealth Report
2018
- The rise in Indian financial capital’s ranking on this
count is supported by the rapid wealth creation in the country.
- The index is drawn from four major indicators: wealth,
investments, lifestyle and future.
- Top 3 Wealthiest Cities in the Report are- Guangzhou; ;
Hong Kong; New York.
2 Indians on longlist of U.K.’s Women’s Prize
for Fiction
Two Indian authors are among the 16 from around
the world to make the cut for the U.K.’s annual Women’s Prize for Fiction long
list released in London
- Arundhati Roy’s second work of fiction,The Ministry of Utmost Happiness ,
and Meena Kandasamy’s tale of a violent marriage, When I Hit You: Or, A Portrait of the Writer as a
Young Wife , are in the running for the £30,000 prize set up
to celebrate excellence and originality in writing by women in English
throughout the world.
- This year’s longlist covers both new and
well-established writers. There are six first novels on the list and four
nationalities are represented: India, U.S., U.K. and Australia.
Two TDP ministers resign from Modi govt over
Andhra special status issue
The two Telugu Desam Party (TDP) ministers in the
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government
resigned.
- In a reciprocal measure, the two BJP ministers in the
Andhra cabinet too put in their papers and quit the state government.
- Telugu Desam Party ministers Ashok Gajapathi Raju and
YS Chowdary went to the PM’s residence to submit their resignation
letters.
Indian
volunteer Srishti Bakshi wins Commonwealth Point of Light award
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II recognised
Srishti Bakshi from India as the 26th Commonwealth Point of
Light in honour.
- Srishti is the founder of the CrossBow
Miles movement.
- After seeing that India’s National Crime Records Bureau
recorded 327,394 cases of violence against women in 2015, Srishti decided
to make a statement.
- And spread her message of gender equality across the
country.
Prakriti to be 1st ITBP Woman Combat Officer
In another first for women, 25-year-old
Prakriti has been inducted as the first direct-entry combat officer
in the Indo-Tibetan Border Police.
- The ITBP is the last of the Central Armed Police Forces
(CAPFs) to induct women officers in combat roles after the government
first allowed it to enrol them in 2016.
Prince Charles Appoints Sanjeev Gupta As UK
Skills Ambassador
Indian-origin steel tycoon Sanjeev Gupta has
been appointed by Britain's Prince Charles as an official ambassador for
the Industrial Cadets programme designed to nurture manufacturing skills.
- Mr Gupta was appointed to the flagship programme to
give children and young people direct structured experience of
the industry while still at school or college. Mr Gupta is an Executive
Chairman of UK-based GFG Alliance.
Winners of Central Banking Awards 2018
Central Banking’s fifth annual
awards recognise outstanding achievement within a community that has had
to balance monetary accommodation and financial stability in an environment of
rapid innovation, political change and global uncertainty.
- The Bank of Canada, this year’s Central Bank of the
Year, emerged as a beacon of best practice for much of the community.
Here is the complete list of Winners-
- Governor of the Year: Lesetja Kangyago
- Central Bank of the Year : Bank of Canada
- Lifetime Achievement Award : Perng Fai-nan
- Transparency: Central Bank of Ireland.
- Reserve manager of the year: Bank of Korea.
- Banknote and currency manager of the year: Norges
Bank.
These prestigious awards recognise outstanding performance
by individuals and organisations within the central banking community.
Launched in 2014, the awards have become a fixture in the
community's calendar, recognising as they do the diversity, significance and
specialisms of central banking in today's global, interconnected economy.
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Veteran Sufi Singer Pyarelal Wadali Passes Away
Ustad Pyarelal Wadali, younger brother
of Ustad Puran Chand Wadali passed away in Amritsar,
Punjab.
- He was one of the singers of popularly known
'Wadali Brothers'.
- Wadali Brothers are famous for their Punjabi Sufi
music.
ISSF World Cup 2018- Anjum Moudgil Wins
Silver
Indian shooter Anjum Moudgil clinched a silver
medal in the women’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions event at the ongoing
ISSF World Cup in Guadalajara, Mexico.
- It was Anjum’s first World Cup medal. Former junior
world champion China’s Ruijiao Pei won the Gold Medal in that
event.
- India thus remained on top of the medals tally
with eight medals, while China is in second with two gold, two silver, one
bronze.
