Daily Current affairs - April 14th and 15th, 2018 for all competitive exams
Nation remembers Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar on
his 127th birth anniversary. Floral tributes were paid at Babasaheb’s
Statue in the Parliament House Complex, New Delhi.
- Dr
Babasaheb Ambedkar, the chief architect of the Constitution of
India, was born on 14th April 1891 at Mhow in Madhya Pradesh, which
is now known as Dr Ambedkar Nagar. He was also the first law minister
of India.
PM Modi launches largest Health care scheme on
Ambedkar Jayanti
On the occasion of Birth anniversary of Dr BR
Ambedkar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the phase one of the
Ayushman Bharat schemes that aim at creating a healthy, prosperous and
strong India.
- The
first phase of Ayushman Bharat will see 1.5 Lakh such Centers being set up
across the country.
- The
Prime Minister also launched Health and Wellness Centre under Ayushman
Bharat scheme in Jangala village of Karnataka. This health and wellness
centre will have the facility of teleconsultation.
Government launched web based e-FRRO scheme
The government
has launched the web-based application ‘e-FRRO’ (e-Foreigners Regional
Registration Office) which aims to provide efficient visa related services
online to foreigners visiting India.
- The
e-FRRO scheme is aimed at building a centralized, transparent online
platform for the foreigners to avail visa related services and to provide
Faceless, Cashless and Paperless services to the foreigners with user
friendly experience.
- under
the scheme, foreigners would be able to get as many as 27 Visa and
Immigration related services in India from the comfort of their place of
stay. Using the e-FRRO application, foreigners can apply online on the
portal and obtain the service(s) through email/post without appearing in
person at the FRO/FRRO office.
- Advantages
of e-FRRO include facilitation of legitimate
foreigners through “Digital India” vision of the Government, foreigners
need not visit FRRO/FRO office – “Services from the comfort of home”,
convenient and Time saving, exclusive dashboard for User friendly experience
and Uniform & Standardized Services across the Country.
In 2017,
more than one crore foreigners visited India and out of them approximately
3.6 lakhs had to visit FRRO offices spread across the country for various
visa-related services. With the launch of the online e-FRRO scheme, their
physical visit to the FRRO offices thus been obviated.
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GoI announce 1st tranche of Sovereign Gold Bond scheme
for 2018-19
The government
of India has announced that the first tranche of Sovereign Gold Bond scheme for
the current year 2018-19 will shortly be opened for subscription.
- The
sovereign gold bond was introduced by the Government in 2015. While the
Government introduced these bonds to help reduce India’s over dependence
on gold imports, the move was also aimed at changing the habits of Indians
from saving in physical form of gold to a paper form with Sovereign
backing.
The bonds
will be denominated in multiples of gram(s) of gold with a basic unit of 1
gram. The tenor will be for a period of 8 years with exit option from the 5th
year to be exercised on the interest payment dates.
The minimum
permissible investment limit will be 1 gram of gold, while the maximum limit
will be 4 kg for individual, 4 kg for HUF and 20 kg for trusts and similar
entities per fiscal (April-March) notified by the government from time to
time.
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Centre to seek death for rape of minors
Following the uproar over the gang rape and murder of an
eight-year-old girl in Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir, Women and Child Development
Minister Maneka Gandhi said that the government would try to amend the POCSO
Act to ensure the death penalty for rape of minors under 12 years of age.
- Under
the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012, which deals
with sexual crimes against minors, the maximum punishment is life
imprisonment.
Tihar to adopt WHO’s mental health drive
The Tihar Jail will soon adopt the World Health
Organisation’s (WHO) Psychological First Aid programme to sensitise its inmates
towards mental health issues.
- The
project, titled ‘Samarthan’, will enable inmates who suffer from mental
health issues to avail expert medical assistance from staff working in the
prisons.
- The
programme will be carried out under the guidance of Dr. Nand Kumar,
professor of psychiatry in AIIMS, and in collaboration with Mental health
Foundation, medical professional, and prison staff working in Tihar, an
official said.
The PFA programme, developed by the WHO, aims to provide
“supportive and practical” assistance to those who have faced crisis
situations. Tihar will become the second institution after Pennsylvania State
Penitentiary to adopt the programme. The prison staff will be trained to
provide assistance to those who are depressed or facing mental health issues.
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Indian army team completes ocean sailing
expedition successfully
An all arms Indian Army Ocean Sailing
Team returned to Mumbai after successfully completing a 1,800 nautical miles
sailing expedition.
They sailed from Mumbai to Minicoy
Island in Lakshadweep over the last 40 days.
- The
team was flagged in at Mumbai by Lieutenant General Michael Mathews,
Commandant of the Pune-based College of Military Engineering.
- The
expedition team comprising of 18 officers, 3 junior commissioned officers
and 14 other ranks was led by Lieutenant Colonel Karunakaran Adencherry.
Pilicode becomes India’s first filament
bulb-free panchayat
Pilicode panchayat in Kasaragod, Kerala which won the State
Energy Conservation award last year, has added yet another feather in its cap
by becoming the first village panchayat in the country that has completely
abandoned filament bulbs, and this declaration was made by chief minister
Pinarayi Vijayan.
- The
panchayat achieved this rare distinction by replacing all the filament
bulbs by LED bulbs under its unique project ‘Oorjayanam’, which aims to
make the panchayat energy efficient, and this has evinced the interest of
the district administration, which wants to introduce it in other parts of
the district as well.
Haryana Cabinet approves new rehabilitation policy for slum
dwellers
Haryana State Government has approved the slum-in-situ
rehabilitation policy in line with Housing for All-2018, under which, urban
slum dwellers on Government land will be provided housing facility without
relocating them to other areas.
- As
per the policy approved by Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Rs
1.67 lakh per dwelling unit will be provided to developer for construction
of houses for these urban slum dwellers.
- Out
of Rs. 1.67 lakh, Rs 1 lakh financial assistance per dwelling unit will be
provided by Central Government, while Haryana State Government will
provide assistance of Rs 67000.
New scheme for farmers introduced in Rajasthan
In a major relief to farmers, a new market intervention
scheme was introduced in Rajasthan with the procurement of onions announced on
the intervention price of Rs. 6,180 per metric tonne, while the daily limit of
procurement of agricultural produce was enhanced from 25 quintals to 40
quintals during the Rabi season.
- Agriculture
Minister Prabhulal Saini said the Centre had fixed the market intervention
price for onions on the State government’s request and had also set the
limit of other expenses at Rs. 1,545 towards mandi tax, godown charges,
transport and packaging.
- The
maximum limit of procurement through the government agencies will be 2.60
lakh metric tonnes.
India, U.K. in talks over education
India and the United Kingdom (U.K.) were holding talks to
seal an agreement on mutual recognition of educational qualifications, London’s
envoy said.
- Sir
Dominic Asquith said that education was a major area of bilateral
cooperation between the two sides which was likely to feature in official
discussions during the upcoming London visit of Prime Minister Narendra
Modi.
- India’s
non-recognition of the one-year masters programmes given by various
British universities had been an issue between two sides as these courses
are popular among Indian students.
- One
of the factors that had prevented India from recognising the one-year
master courses was the fact that several less-reputed educational
institutions were also found to be offering such courses, often
jeopardising academic prospects of students.
India last month signed an agreement on mutual recognition
of educational degrees with France, during the visit of President Emmanuel
Macron to Delhi. The British envoy observed that ongoing talks between London
and Delhi were on the lines of the Indo-France one.
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India, Russia sign 7 MoU at DefExpo 2018
India and Russia signed 7 MoUs at Defence Expo at
Chennai, Tamil Nadu. These MoUs were signed between the Indian Private Defence
sector manufacturing companies and Russian Original Equipment Manufacturers
(OEMs) for manufacture, development of spares, sub-assemblies and assemblies of
identified Russian origin platforms.
- The
MoUs were signed during third India-Russia Military-Industrial
Conference held on the sidelines of DefExpo 2018.
INDRA (Naval Exercise) is a joint, bi-annual military
exercise conducted by India and Russia starting in 2003.
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Pakistan PM inaugurates Neelum-Jhelum dam in
PoK, rakes up Kashmir issue
Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi inaugurated
the first unit of the Neelum-Jhelum hydroelectric project in Pakistan-occupied
Kashmir.
- The
first unit will produce 242 MW of electricity, and Abbasi told a ceremony
in Muzaffarabad that the two other units of the project will be completed
within two months.
- The
project is expected to generate 5.15 billion units of electricity a year
and annual revenues of about Rs 55 billion.
US, Britain and France launch military operation against Syria
In a combined operation, the United States, Britain and
France have launched a military operation against Syria in response to an
alleged poison gas attack in Douma last week.
- Huge
blasts were reported around Damascus early today, moments after the US,
France, and Britain announced they were striking Syria’s chemical weapons
capabilities.
- Announcing
the military action from the White House, U.S. President Donald Trump said
the joint action was meant to establish a strong deterrent against the
production, spread, and use of chemical weapons.
Ukraine eyes Defence Corridors
Ukraine is keen to be a part of two Defence Corridors
proposed by the Defence Ministry.
- The
country also had discussions with HAL and BEL for manufacturing defence
equipment in India, a top official of Ukrainian defence industrial group
Ukroboronprom
- Ukraine
would be able to substitute some of the Russian equipment that India uses
at a cheaper price. On the offset clause specified by the India, he said
his team discussed it with HAL and BEL for manufacture of products in
India. He said that in the last decade, Ukraine defence exports to India
was $2 billion.
China launches cloud platform for its scientists
China has introduced China Science and Technology Cloud () to
provide scientists with accessible, accurate and secure data services to
promote research and innovation.
- China
Science and Technology Cloud (CSTC) have been developed by the Computer
Network Information Centre of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
- CSTC
obtains data from the academy’s research institutes and major scientific
installations, and many Chinese top universities and private innovation
centres.
China
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Capital
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Beijing
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Currency
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Renminbi
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President
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Xi Jinping
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New Zealand bans all new offshore oil exploration
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced a ban on
all new offshore oil exploration permits as a part of her Government’s plan to
transition towards a carbon-neutral future.
- The
ban on new offshore oil exploration permits has been applied with immediate
effect. However, it will not affect existing permits and onshore drilling.
New Zealand
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Capital
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Wellington
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Currency
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Dollar
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President
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Jacinda Ardern
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Sharif can’t fight polls: Pak. SC
In a unanimous decision, Pakistan's Supreme Court banned the
former Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, from participating in elections for life,
declaring that any person proved to be “dishonest or not righteous” is barred
from politics for life or holding any public office.
- Mr.
Sharif had to resign as a legislator and also as Prime Minister in July
last year after being declared dishonest by the court on corruption
charges.
- Chief
Justice Mian Saqib Nisar observed before the ruling that the public
deserves leaders of good character.
In the verdict, Justice Umar Ata Bandial wrote that the
disqualification of any member of Parliament or a public servant under
Article 62 (1) (f) would be permanent. “Such a person cannot contest in
elections or become a member of Parliament,” the court said. Article 62(1)(f)
sets the precondition for a member of Parliament to be honest and
righteous. In July 2017, Mr Sharif was disqualified after a probe
ordered by the Supreme Court on Panama Papers found him guilty of not
disclosing money from his son Hussain Nawaz’s company in Dubai. Mr. Sharif
denied receiving any money from his son.
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World Bank approves $55mn for Bangladesh
project
The World Bank has approved $55mn to expand
the use of clean renewable energy in rural areas of Bangladesh where
grid electricity cannot reach easily.
- The
additional financing to the Second Rural Electrification and
Renewable Energy Development (RERED II) Project will install 1,000
solar irrigation pumps, 30 solar mini-grids and about 4mn improved cooking
stoves in rural areas.
NASA conducting phytoplankton bloom in the
North Atlantic NAAMES Mission
In a first,
NASA is conducting a study of the world’s largest phytoplankton bloom in the
North Atlantic, named the North Atlantic Aerosols and Marine Ecosystems Study
(NAAMES) mission, to see how the tiny sea critters influence the climate in
every season.
- It
is the first research mission to conduct an integrated study of all four
distinct phases of the world’s largest phytoplankton bloom.
- The
North Atlantic Aerosols and Marine Ecosystems Study (NAAMES) is an
interdisciplinary investigation resolving key processes controlling marine
ecosystems and aerosols that are essential to our understanding of Earth
system function and future change.
NAAMES is
funded by the NASA Earth Venture Suborbital Program and is the first EV-S
mission focused on studying the coupled ocean ecosystem and atmosphere.
NAAMES consists of four, combined ship and aircraft field campaigns that are
each aligned to a specific event in the annual plankton lifecycle. NAAMES is
a five year investigation to resolve key processes controlling ocean system
function, their influences on atmospheric aerosols and clouds and their
implications for climate. Observations obtained during four, targeted ship
and aircraft measurement campaigns, combined with the continuous satellite
and in situ ocean sensor records, will enable improved predictive
capabilities of Earth system processes and will inform ocean management and
assessment of ecosystem change.
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Google to redesign Gmail for its web interface
Tech giant Google announced that it is working on
revamping its email service, Gmail, for web users, and will be rolled out in
the coming weeks.
- The
company had sent out a mail to G Suite users informing them of the
development of a new version of the email service.
- The
revamp, which is taking place after several years, will also include a
number of features, according to a TechCrunch.
Ashok Leyland bags Rs. 100-cr. defence order
Ashok Leyland, the flagship company of the Hinduja Group and
one of the largest suppliers of mobility solutions to the Indian Army, has won
an order from the Ministry of Defence (MOD) for supplying high mobility 10x10
vehicles (HMV 10x10) that will carry Smerch rockets.
- The
initial order is worth more than Rs. 100 crore.
- This
will pave Ashok Leyland’s way for newer opportunities in providing
mobility platforms for other missile carriers, missile launchers, modular
bridges and other critical loads
Jio, Sodexo join hands to accelerate digital transformation
Jio, Sodexo join hands to accelerate digital
transformationJio, Sodexo join hands to accelerate digital transformation
- Jio Money, the Prepaid Payment Instrument (PPI) wallet
of Jio Payments Bank Ltd., has enabled integration of Sodexo Meal Cards
with the Jio Money account of its users. This will allow mobile-based
payments through Sodexo Meal Card.
- Hence Sodexo merchants in India can accept digital
payments through Sodexo. Sodexo Meal Pass can be linked to the Jio Money
app to perform quick payments.
- User’s don’t have to carry Sodexo’s physical card for
shopping. They just have to add the Sodexo Meal Card balance to the Jio
Money app and perform.
RBI tightens reporting norms for Liberalised Remittance Scheme
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued a notification aimed at
tightening reporting norms for the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS).
- Under LRS, all resident Indian individuals, including
minors, are allowed to freely remit abroad, up to USD 250000 per financial
year for any permissible current or capital account transaction or a
combination of both.
LRS scheme was introduced on February 4, 2004. At that time
the limit was just USD 25000. However it was revised in a phased manner in
line with prevailing macro and micro economic conditions and now stands at
USD 250000 per financial year.
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PNB launches products to mark Foundation day
State-run Punjab National Bank (PNB) launched new
products such as pre-approved credit card and UPI solution to mark its
124th foundation day.
- Besides, the bank announced its UPI partnership with
the expense management app WALNUT that comes embedded with
features such as bill reminders, bill-split and instant paperless loans.
ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank repository participants for NERL
National E-Repository Limited (NERL), a group company of National
Commodity and Derivatives Exchange Limited (NCDEX), has empanelled ICICI Bank
and HDFC Bank as repository participants.
- As per the agreement, ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank will
offer pledge finance against electronic negotiable warehousing receipts
(eNWR) created on NERL’s repository platform for commodities stored in
warehouses registered with Warehousing Development and Regulatory
Authority (WDRA).
India Mobile Congress 2018 to be held between October 25-27
India Mobile Congress will be held from 25th to 27th of
October this year at Aerocity in New Delhi. It is one of the biggest marquee
Mobile, Internet and Technology events in Asia, organized by Department of
Telecommunications and Cellular Operators Association of India.
- Theme: “NEW DIGITAL
HORIZONS: Connect. Create. Innovate.”
- The India Mobile Congress 2018, hosted by the Department
of telecommunications and the Cellular Operators Association of India
(COAI), is an excellent platform for policy makers, industry and
regulators to engage in meaningful deliberations to drive the future
direction of this important sector.
Nepal foreign minister to visit China
Nepal’s foreign minister Pradip Gyawali will make
an official visit to China about a week after Prime Minister KP Oli’s state
visit to India.
- Gyawali will be in China with a delegation from April 16
to 21 at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.
This is the first high-level visit from Nepal
to China after the formation of the Oli government. Gyawali will
meet Wang on Wednesday. Wang will host a luncheon in honour of Gyawali.
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Neeraj Chopra, 1st Indian to win Gold in
Javelin throw
Neeraj Chopra became the first Indian javelin thrower to
claim a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games, with a season’s best
effort of 86.47m in the final.
- The 20-year-old junior world champion had made the
final after achieving the qualifying mark in his very first throw.
- Neeraj was favourite for gold after his 85.94m throw in
March 2018 at Patiala during the Federation Cup National Championships.
Mary Kom, 1st Indian woman to win CWG boxing
Gold
Five-time world champion and Olympic bronze
medallist MC Mary Kom has become the first Indian woman boxer to win
a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games.
- Mary Kom achieved the feat after defeating Northern
Ireland's Kristina O'Hara in the 45-48kg category final at Gold
Coast, Australia. The 35-year-old boxer from Manipur is participating in
her maiden Commonwealth Games.
Finch becomes first player to represent seven teams in IPL
Australian batsman Aaron Finch has become the
first-ever player to represent seven teams in the IPL, after taking the field
for Kings XI Punjab against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Friday.
- Before Kings XI Punjab, Finch had played for Rajasthan
Royals (2010), Delhi Daredevils (2011-2012), Pune Warriors India (2013),
SunRisers Hyderabad (2014), Mumbai Indians (2015) and Gujarat Lions
(2016-2017).
