QUESTIONS 1. Lambert's law is related to Reflection Refraction Interference Illumination Answer (d). 2. The coral reefs are the marine counterparts of Temperate forests Tropical rain forests Savannahs Scrublands Answer (b). 3. The Refrigerant 'FREON' is Calcium Tetra Flouride Diflouro Dichloro Methane Flourspar and Felspar Hydrofluosilicic Acid Answer (b). 4. In the budget speech on February 28, 2011, the Finance Minister has announced that an international award with prize money of Rs. 1 crore is being instituted in the memory of Rabindranath Tagore for promoting international peace emancipation of underprivileged universal brotherhood human rights Answer (c). 5. The strong earthquake-cum-tsunami which has moved Japan's main island Honshu by a few feet has also caused Earth's axis to wobble by about 1 inch 2 inches 4 inches 6 inches Answer (c). 6. WIKILEAKS, a whistleblowers website is an international organisation based in U.S.A. U.K. Sweden Norway Answer (c). 7. 'Nomadic Elephant' was the joint military exercise held some time back in India between India and China U.S.A. Russia Mongolia Answer (d). 8. The maximum limit on poll expenditure for parliamentary constituencies has been raised in February, 2011 to 30 lakhs 35 lakhs 40 lakhs 50 lakhs Answer (c). 9. Who received Sangeet Natak Akademi's Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar for Dance in 2009? Omkar Shrikant Dadarkar Ragini Chander Shekar Abanti Chakravorty and Sukracharya Rabha K. Nellai Manikandan Answer (b). 10. Which of the folloiwng folk dances is associated with Jammu and Kashmir? Jhora Veedhi Rauf Suisini Answer (c). 11. Which of the following books has been written by Kamala Das? Witness the Night The Red Devil Earth and Ashes Tonight, This Savage Rite Answer (d). 12. Who invented the Jet Engine? Karl Benz Sir Frank Whittle Thomas Savery Michael Faraday Answer (b). 13. South-South dialogue is associated with Co-operation among developing nations Arms conference Summit meeting between developed and developing countries All the above Answer (a). 14. The reserves held by Commercial Banks over and above the statutory minimum, with the RBI are called Cash reserves Deposit reserves Excess reserves Momentary reserves Answer (c). 15. Who is authorised to issue coins in India? Reserve Bank of India Ministry of Finance State Bank of India India Overseas Bank Answer (a). The Government of India has the sole right to mint coins. The responsibility for coinage vests with the Government of India in terms of the Coinage Act, 1906 as amended from time to time. The designing and minting of coins in various denominations is also the responsibility of the Government of India. Coins are minted at the four India Government Mints at Mumbai, Alipore(Kolkata), Saifabad(Hyderabad), Cherlapally (Hyderabad) and NOIDA (UP). The coins are issued for circulation only through the Reserve Bank in terms of the RBI Act. 16. Which four countries are called the Asian Tigers? Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Taiwan Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, China Hong Kong, South Korea, China, Taiwan Answer (a). 17. In the Budget Estimates for 2011-12, an allocation of Rs. 300 crore has been made for promoting output of pulses in 60,000 villages in rainfed areas with a view to attaining self sufficiency in pulses in a period of two years three years four years five years Answer (b). 18. In the budget for 2011-12 presented by the Finance Minister on 28-2-2011, the growth rate for the year 2010-11 was projected at 7.6% 8.0% 8.6% 9.0% Answer (c). 19. The 'break-even' point is where marginal revenue equals marginal cost average revenue equals average cost total revenue equals total cost none of the above Answer (c). 20. The method of Impeachment of the President of India is adopted from U.S.A. U.K. U.S.S.R. France Answer (a). 21. In the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India, which languages were added subsequently? English, S indhi, Marathi, Sanskrit Sanskrit, Sindhi, Konkani, Manipuri Sindhi, Konkani, Manipuri, Nepali Marathi, Oriya, Konkani, Nepali Answer (c). Maithili, Dogri, Bodo and Santhali are other languages which have been added to the Eighth Schedule, which originally listed only 14 languages in 1950. 22. Indian Parliament Means Rajya Sabha - Lok Sabha Rajya Sabha - Lok Sabha - Prime Minister President of India - Rajya Sabha - Lok Sabha President of India - Vice-President of India - LOk Sabha - Rajya Sabha Answer (c). 23. Generally, the soil of the northern plains of India has been formed by degradation aggradation weathering in situ erosion Answer (b). 24. Hiuen Tsang visited India during the reign of Chandragupta I Chandragupta II Harshavardhana Rudradaman Answer (c). India has had many visitors in the past like Fahien, Alberuni, Megasthenes, St. Thomas. 25. The Muslim adventurer who destroyed the Nalanda University was Alla-ud-din Khilji Muhammad-bin-Tughlak Muhammad-bin-Bhaktiyar Muhammad-bin-Quasim Answer (c). 26. Painting reached its highest level of development during the reign of Akbar Aurangzeb Jahangir Shah Jahan Answer (c). 27. The communal electorate was introduced for the first time in India in 1919 1935 1906 1909 Answer (d). 28. The two states which had non-Congress Ministries in 1937 were Bengal and Punjab Punjab and NWFP Madras and Central Provinces Bihar and Uttar Pradesh Answer (a). 29. Sea breeze is formed during Day time Night time Both Seasonal Answer (a). During daytime land heats up more quickly than water and the air above it rises allowing for air above the sea to blow towards the land. This is known as sea breeze. After sunset land cools down more quickly than water and hence land breeze blows during the night. 30. What percentage of world's freshwater is stored as glacial ice? 50% 10% 70% 30% Answer (c). 31. Which one of the following rivers of India does not make a delta? Ganges Godavari Mahanadi Tapti Answer (d). 32. Which one of the following states has the longest coastline? Maharashtra Tamilnadu Gujarat Andhra Pradesh Answer (c). 33. The pass located in Himachal Pradesh is Shipkila Zojila Nathula Jelepla Answer (a). 34. Match the following and select the correct answer from the codes given below: Crops Producing state (a) Tea (1) Himachal Pradesh (b) Sugarcane (2) Assam (c) Groundnut (3) Uttar Pradesh (d) Apple (4) Gujarat Code: a - 2; b - 4; c - 1; d - 3 a - 2; b - 3; c - 4; d - 1 a - 3; b - 2; c - 1; d - 4 a - 4; b - 3; c - 1; d - 2 Answer (b). 35. An example of false fruit is Apple Guava Mango Tomato Answer (a). An accessory fruit (also called false fruit or spurious fruit) is a fruit in which some of the flesh is derived not from the ovary but from some adjacent tissue exterior to the carpel. Examples of accessory tissue are the receptacle of strawberries, figs, or mulberries, Pomes, such as apples and pears. 36. Normal fasting blood sugar level per 100 ml. of blood in man is 30 - 50 mg 50 - 70 mg 80 - 100 mg 120 - 140 mg Answer (c). 37. Rate of interest is determined by The rate of return on the capital invested Central Government Liquidity preference Commercial Banks Answer (c). 38. The vector of disease sleeping sickness is sand-fly house-fly fruit-fly tse-tse fly Answer (d). 39. For how many years have the dinosaurs been extinct? About 25 million years About 65 milion years About 100 million years About 135 million years Answer (b). 40. A geostationary satellite revolves round the earth from East to West West to East North to South South to North Answer (b). A geo-stationary satellite is stationary with respect to the earth and in order to be so, it must revolve alongwith the earth. Since the direction of earth's rotation is from west to east, the same is the case with a geo-stationary satellite. 41. Among the following materials sound travels fastest in Steel Air Vacuum Water Answer (a). 42. The rear side of the moon was photographed by Viking I Viking II Luna III Mariner IX Answer (c). 43. Which phenomenon do bats or dolphins use to find prey, predators or obstacles? Refraction of sound Formation of beats Scattering Echo location Answer (d). 44. What did the first electronic digital computer contain? Transistors Valves Core memory Semiconductor memory Answer (b). 45. Microsoft Office's personal information manager is Outlook Internet Explorer Organiser Access Answer (a). 46. Hard steel contains 2 to 5 per cent carbon 0.5 to 1.5 per cent carbon 0.1 to 0.4 per cent carbon 0.01 to 0.04 per cent carbon Answer (b). 47. Cement is formed by strongly heating a mixture of limestone and graphite limestone and clay chalk and graphite clay and graphite Answer (b). 48. Glass is a superheated solid supercooled liquid supercooled gas superheated liquid Answer (b). 49. The temperature of oxy-acetylene flame is around 2800o C 3200o C 4000o C 1500o C Answer (b). Oxy-acetylene flame is the only gas flame that is hot enough to melt all commercial metals. The flame is used in metal welding by bringing two pieces of metal together. The touching edges are melted by the flame with or without the addition of filler rod. 50. Which is the most stable eco-system? Desert Ocean Mountain Forest Answer (a).
👉CA QUIZ 1. Which of the following cities becomes first in India to gets smart Toilet? a)Chennai b) Mysore c) New Raipur d) Jaipur e) None of These Ans. Chennai A total of 183 self-cleaning public e-Toilets have been installed in the Chennai City. Chennai is the 1st city in India to gets smart Toilets. hese toilets are free for Public use. Each toilet automatically cleans itself before entry and after use and sensors enable consumption of less water and power with each use. 2.Which of the following countries has declared an emergency three weeks after a major oil pipeline burst, affecting two rivers in the country’s northwest? a) Chile b) Ecuador c) Colombia d)Peru e) None of These Ans. Peru Peru has declared an emergency three weeks after a major oil pipeline burst, affecting two rivers in the country’s northwest. The pipeline spilled 3,000 barrels of crude oil into the Chiriaco and Morona rivers, which are the main source of water and food for several indigenous communities. 3.International Finance Corporation (IFC), a part of the World Bank group launched its first Uridashi Masala bonds (Japanese Bonds ) to mobilize how much amount directly from Japanese household investors to promote private sector development in India? a)R70 crore b) R30 crore c)R50 crore d)R60 crore e) None of These Ans. R30 crore International Finance Corporation (IFC), an part of the World Bank group launched its first Uridashi Masala bonds (Japanese Bonds) to mobilize R30 crore (or $4.3 million) directly from Japanese household investors to promote private sector development in India. 4.A global conglomerate company acquired the heritage Old War Office in London that was once inhabited by Winston Churchill. Name of that conglomerate is ___________? a) TATA Group b)Hinduja Group c) RPG group d)Biyani Group e) None of These Ans.The Hinduja Group The Hinduja Group is a global conglomerate company acquired the heritage Old War Office in London that was once inhabited by Winston Churchill.In this Acquirestion with Spanish company ObrasconHuarte Lain Desarrollos (OHLD) on a 250-year lease from the ministry of defence, the plan is to convert it into a hotel and luxury residences. 5.Who has been chosen for the 2015 BihariPuraskar for his anthology of Rajasthani poems 'Katha Sun AaweHaiSabad' Published in 2010? a)DrBhagwatiLalVyas b)DrHarihar Prasad c)Dr Ram Pratap d)Dr Ajay Gupta e) None of These Ans. DrBhagwatiLalVyas Poet DrBhagwatiLalVyas has been chosen for the 2015 BihariPuraskar for his anthology of Rajasthani poems 'Katha Sun AaweHaiSabad' Published in 2010.A recipient of SahityaAkademi Award, DrVyas has highlighted the increasing tendencies of commercialization and degradation of human values through his poetry. 6.Cricketer Martin Crowe has recently passed away after a prolonged battle with cancer that eventually proved one attack the gifted cricketer couldn't see off. He belongs to __________? a) Australia b) Russia c) China d)New Zealand e) None of These Ans.New Zealand New Zealand Cricketer Martin Crowe passed away after a prolonged battle with cancer that eventually proved one attack the gifted cricketer couldn't see off. The cricket great had been suffering from lymphoma since September 2014. He Born on September 22, 1962, in Henderson, Auckland, Crowe's father was former domestic cricketer Dave, while brother Jeff also went on to captain the New Zealand cricket side. 7.The Prime Minister NarendraModi has launched "SetuBharatam" programme to build bridges for safe and seamless travel on National Highways. How much amount govt allocated for this purpose? a)Rs 50,000-crore b)Rs 90,000-crore c)Rs 30,000-crore d)Rs 40,000-crore e) None of These Ans. Rs 50,000-crore Today, The Prime Minister NarendraModi has launched Rs 50,000-crore "SetuBharatam" programme to build bridges for safe and seamless travel on National Highways. With this the government aims to make all national highways free from railway crossings by 2019. 8.Which of the following state’s Government has taken first of its kind initiative by launching the Air Ambulance? a) Karnataka b)Odisha c)Kerala d) Himachal Pradesh e) None of These Ans. Kerala Government of Kerala has taken first of its kind initiative by launching the Air Ambulance in Kerala launched by the Chief Minister Oommen Chandy.The Air Ambulance in Kerala will exclusively be used for the speedy organ transplant. The Air Ambulance in Kerala is a brand new six-seater aircraft that is a state-owned Rajiv Gandhi Academy for Aviation Technology. It imparts training to the aspirants seeking to become commercial pilots. 9.The 47th Dada SahebPhalke Award for the year 2015 given to which of the following? a)ShriManoj Kumar b)ShriShyambenegal c)ShriLalit Singh d)Shri Ajay Devgan e) None of These Ans.ShriManoj Kumar Veteran Film Actor and Director Shri Manoj Kumar is to be conferred the 47th Dada SahebPhalke Award for the year 2015. Award is conferred by the Government of India for outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian Cinema. 10.A 75-seater solar-powered passenger ferry, the first of its kind in the country, is quietly taking shape at Aroor in Alappuzha district in which strates? a) Uttar Pradesh b)Chhattisgarh c) Kerala d) Jharkhand e) None of These Ans. Kerala A 75-seater solar-powered passenger ferry, the first of its kind in the country, is quietly taking shape at Aroor in Alappuzha district in Kerala.The boat is expected to be commissioned within the next three months.This boat is being built by NavAlt, a Kochi-based joint venture, in collaboration with a French company.
Daily Current Affairs - 10th March 2016, Thursday
1. India extends biggest ever overseas credit line worth $2 billion to Bangladesh
i. In a landmark development, India extended the biggest ever overseas credit line worth $2 billion to Bangladesh.
ii. The agreement was signed between chairman and managing director of Exim Bank Yaduvendra Mathur with senior secretary in Bangladesh's economic relations division Mohammad Mesbahuddin at the National Economic Council Complex.
iii. In a statement, the Indian high commission said, "The $2 billion LOC (line of credit) is the biggest credit line India has so far extended to any country." The agreement was in line with PM Modi's announcement during his visit in June 2015.
2. Jean Arnault to head political mission of U.N. in Colombia
i. In a recent appointment, United Nations General Secretary Ban Ki-moon appointed France's Jean Arnault, a veteran U.N. envoy to head the new political mission of U.N. in Colombia.
ii. The mission is to monitor and verify the future cease-fire between the Colombian government and the largest rebel group in the county, Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.
iii. Reportedly, Arnault had been leading U.N. preparations for the deployment of the mission and was working closely with negotiating teams for the government and the rebel group dealing with the view to end the longest running guerrilla conflict in Latin America. March 23rd is the deadline for the peace talks however the deadline maybe extended till an acceptable peace deal is finalised.
3. UNFPA-UNICEF launch multi country initiative to end child marriage
i. Recently, the UNFPA-UNICEF Global Programme to Accelerate Action to End Child Marriage, a new multi-country initiate was launched with the objective to put an end to child marriage thereby securing the rights of millions of young girls world-wide.
ii. This announcement was made by UNICEF and UNFPA on March 8th, on the occasion of International Women's Day.
iii. As part of the Global effort to prevent child marriage, UNFPA-UNICEF Global Programme to Accelerate Action to End Child Marriage will involve families, communities, governments and young people.
iv. This programme was jointly launched by UNFPA-UNICEF since child marriages continue to be a problem in many countries in parts of Africa, Asia and Middle East even today.
4. Cabinet gives nod to Pradhan Mantri Ujwala Yojana
i. In a recent development, cabinet gave its nod to Rs.8000 crore rural cooking gas (LPG) connection scheme. As per the Pradhan Mantri Ujwala Yojana, free of cost LPG gas connection will be provided to women members of poor households.
ii. While presenting the Budget 2016-17, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitely had announced this plan explaining, "Women of India have faced the curse of smoke during the process of cooking" and therefore they should get access to cooking gas.
iii. Jaitely, while speaking of this scheme in the budget added,"I have set aside a sum of Rs 2,000 crore in this year's Budget to meet the initial cost of providing these LPG connections.
iv. The Pradhan Mantri Ujwala Yojana,is expected to benefit about 1 crore 50 lakh households below the poverty line in 2016-17." The scheme is aimed at protecting the health of women insular India and empowering them.
5. 46th Raising Day of Central Industrial Security Forces observed
i. On March 8th, the 46th Rising Day of the CISF was observed in India. On this occasion Prime Minster Narendra Modi saluted the "bravery" and "sense of duty" of the CISF personnel.
ii. CISF, is short for Central Industrial Security Force, it came into existence in 1969 with the objective to provide integrated security cover to public sector undertakings and at present has a strength of around 1.4 lakh personnel.
iii. The CISF guards and secures critical infrastructure installation such as the nuclear installation, space establishment's airports including the Delhi Metro.
6. PwC Survey - India ranks 5th in terms of CEO ranking of growth markets
i. As per the recently released PwC's 19th Annual Global CEO Survey (India report), India ranks fifth in terms of the CEO ranking of the growth markets. In another words, Indian CEO are comparatively more confident about their company's growth than their global peers.
ii. The survey revealed, a good 64% of Indian CEO respondents were confident of their growth prospects in the coming 12 months as compared to 35% globally.
iii. Deepak Kapoor, chairman, PwC India said, "The confidence reposed by Indian CEOs on growth is quite encouraging, given the backdrop of international market and currency volatility, and the transformation in the expectations of consumers, investors and employees."
7. India launches sixth navigation satellite from Sriharikota
i. Recently, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched India's sixth navigation satellite from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota about 110 km from Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
ii. The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)- C32 launched the IRNSS - 1F satellite, and it has been placed at an altitude 488.9 km.
iii. ISRO had so far launched five navigation satellites under the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), this being the sixth. ISRO Plans to put seven navigation satellites in total into orbit by March 2016.
To get fresh updates on your Facebook & Twitter timelines, subscribe to our pages created specifically for them. We will be posting only those exam specific links on these pages:
Bank PO:
FB: https://www.facebook.com/pagalguybankpo
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PaGaLGuYBankPO
SSC & Other Exams:
FB: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pagalguy-SSC-CGL-Others/879667042056262
Twitter: https://twitter.com/pagalguyssc
UPSC:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pagalguy-UPSC/951926044840262
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PaGaLGuYUPSC
एक दिन एक कुत्ता जंगल में रास्ता खो गया.. तभी उसने देखा, एक शेर उसकी तरफ आ रहा है..। कुत्ते की सांस रूक गयी.. "आज तो काम तमाम मेरा..!" उसने सोचा.. MBA ka lesson yaad aa gaya aur फिर उसने सामने कुछ सूखी हड्डियाँ पड़ी देखि.. वो आते हुए शेर की तरफ पीठ कर के बैठ गया और एक सूखी हड्डी को चूसने लगा.. और जोर जोर से बोलने लगा, "वाह ! शेर को खाने का मज़ा ही कुछ और है.. एक और मिल जाए तो पूरी दावत हो जायेगी !" और उसने जोर से डकार मारा.. इस बार शेर सोच में पड़ गया.. उसने सोचा- "ये कुत्ता तो शेर का शिकार करता है ! जान बचा कर भागो !" और शेर वहां से जान बचा के भागा.. पेड़ पर बैठा एक बन्दर यह सब तमाशा देख रहा था.. उसने सोचा यह मौका अच्छा है शेर को सारी कहानी बता देता हूँ .. शेर से दोस्ती हो जायेगी और उससे ज़िन्दगी भर के लिए जान का खतरा दूर हो जायेगा.. वो फटाफट शेर के पीछे भागा.. कुत्ते ने बन्दर को जाते हुए देख लिया और समझ गया की कोई लोचा है.. उधर बन्दर ने शेर को सब बता दिया की कैसे कुत्ते ने उसे बेवकूफ बनाया है.. शेर जोर से दहाडा, -"चल मेरे साथ, अभी उसकी लीला ख़तम करता हूँ".. और बन्दर को अपनी पीठ पर बैठा कर शेर कुत्ते की तरफ लपका.. Can you imagine the quick "management" by the DOG...??? कुत्ते ने शेर को आते देखा तो एक बार को उसके आगे जान का संकट आ गया मगर फिर हिम्मत कर कुत्ता उसकी तरफ पीठ करके बैठ गया l Another lesson of MBA applied aur जोर जोर से बोलने लगा,- "इस बन्दर को भेजे 1 घंटा हो गया.. साला एक शेर को फंसा कर नहीं ला सकता !" यह सुनते ही शेर ने बंदर को पटका और वापस भाग गया । Moral of the story: There are many such monkeys around us, try to identify them.. Be a Smart Worker rather than a Hard Worker. 😇Good Morning all of u
Daily current Affairs - 11th March, 2016 Friday
- Rest of India team bags Irani Cup
i) Rest of India team defeated Mumbai by four wickets to lift the Irani Cup.
ii) The team chased a target of 480 runs set by Mumbai on the fifth and final day of the match. This run-chase is the best in the history of Irani Cup and the third-highest in the history of first-class cricket.
iii) This is the 26th win of the Rest of India team in the Irani Cup tournament.
iv) The Irani Cup tournament commenced in 1959-60 to commemorate the completion of 25 years of Ranji trophy.
v) Irani Cup is named after late Z.R. Irani, who was associated with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
vi) It is annually played between the winner of Ranji trophy in the respective year and the Rest of India team.
- Centre to launch radio channel for traffic updates on NHs
i) The Union Road Transport and Highways Ministry is planning to launch a dedicated radio frequency to broadcast traffic updates on national highways.
ii) The Highway Advisory Services has been launched as a pilot project to provide traffic information to commuters on NH-8.
iii) All India Radio's FM Gold will air updates in the Delhi stretch, whereas AIR in Alwar and Jaipur would cover the stretch in Rajasthan.
- B S Chauhan appointed chairperson of 21st Law Commission
i) The Union government has finally appointed ex-Supreme Court judge Balbir Singh Chauhan as the chairperson of the 21st Law Commission. The position was lying vacant since its constitution in September 2015.
iii) During his two-year term, chairman of 20th Law Commission A P Shah worked on 19 important reports. The present commission has the task of amending the Indian Penal Code amid allegations of abuse and arbitrary use of the law.
(iv) The Union Ministry of Law & Justice has urged the commission to specifically study the usage of provisions under Section 124A (Sedition) of the IPC.
iv) The Law Commission of India is an executive body which works to effect legal reforms.
- Centre approves amendment to Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925
i) The Union government has given the go-ahead for the amendment of the 91-year-old Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925, in order to remove the exemption granted to Sahajdhari Sikhs in 1944 to vote in elections to Sikh religious bodies.
ii) Previously, an amendment was carried out by a notification released by the Home Ministry in October 2003 in exercise of the powers conferred by the Parliament under section 72 of the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966.
iv) Panjab & Haryana High Court had quelled this notification, leaving it to the appropriate legislative authorities to amend the act.
- Ahmed Abul Gheit is the new Secretary General of Arab League
i) Ahmed Abul Gheit, former Egyptian foreign minister and diplomat, has been appointed as the new Secretary General of the 22-member Arab League.
ii) He will replace Nabil El-Araby, who served as Egypt's foreign minister under a transitional government formed after the 2011 uprising.
iii) The Arab League is a regional organisation of countries located in and around North Africa. Its main objective is to strengthen relations between member states on various matters.
iv) Currently, the Arab League has become the forum of Sunni Muslim countries led by Saudi Arabia to air grievances with regional Shi'ite power Iran.
- Union Cabinet approves Hydrocarbon Exploration & Licensing Policy
i) To ensure transparency and attract global investment in the energy sector, the Union Cabinet has approved the new Hydrocarbon Exploration & Licensing Policy (HELP).
ii) HELP will require companies to acquire just one licence to manage all kinds of hydrocarbon reserves such as oil, gas, shale and coal bed methane.
iii) Earlier, there were many restrictions on choosing buyers or setting a selling price on gases. However, with the implementation of HELP such barriers will be lifted.
iv) This policy will use the revenue-sharing model to replace the previously followed practice of contractors sharing the profit with the government after recovering costs.
v) Further, it will enable companies to freely price gas, carve out blocks of their choice for exploration, share revenue, and not profits with the government. Companies will not need a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) audit of their oil and gas fields.
- Former Indian footballer Amar Bahadur passes away
i) Well-known former Indian Footballer Amar Bahadur Gurung has passed away at the age of 73 in Gurgaon.
ii) Affectionately known as Amar Dai in the football fraternity, he earned a total of 22 caps in his lifetime and won a bronze medal in the 1970s Asian Games in Bangkok.
iii) He was a part of Gorkha Brigade team which won the Durand Cup in 1966. He won the Rovers Cup for Mafatlal SC in 1968.
v) The Maharashtra government conferred on him the Shiv Chhatrapati Shivaji Award in 1973.
- Researchers identify bacterium capable of decomposing plastic
i) Japanese researchers have recently identified a species of bacterium capable of degrading plastic i.e. polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
ii) The bacterium - Ideonella sakaiensis 201-F6 -could almost completely degrade a thin film of PET in a brief period of six weeks at 30°C.
iii) The bacterium uses two specific enzymes to completely decompose PET. It produces an intermediate substance through hydrolysis. The second enzyme then works with water and acts on this intermediate substance to break it down to the two monomers - ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid which are used for making PET through polymerisation.
- South Asia Regional Training and Technical Assistance Center to be set up in India
i) The Union government has approved the signing of an MoU with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to set up South Asia Regional Training and Technical Assistance Center (SARTTAC) in India.
ii) SARTTAC will be a joint venture among IMF & six other South Asian countries such as Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka, and development partners.
iii) The MoU provides for addressing capacity-building needs of state-level government officials, in macro, fiscal, monetary policies by the IMF.
iv) SARTTAC will bring capacity development in fiscal and financial policies that will result in economic development and inclusive growth in the country.
- Rajya Sabha passes Real Estate Bill
i) Much to the relief of new home buyers, Rajya Sabha has passed the Real Estate Bill, which will soon be tabled in Lok Sabha for consideration.
ii) The bill seeks to regulate the property sector and protect consumer rights by bringing about transparency.
iii) As per the bill, all real estate projects will have to be registered with regulatory authorities. Further, developers will have to disclose project information, including details of the promoter, project layout plan, land status, etc.
iv) The bill strictly prohibits discrimination on the basis of religion, region, caste, creed or sex and gender while finalising property transactions.
v) It covers building projects that are more than 500 sq m or have over eight apartments.
To deal with young criminals: The Juvenile Justice Act 2015
On December 31 last year, President Pranab Mukherjee gave his assent to the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Amendment Act 2015. It came into effect on January 15, 2016 and endeavours to deal with children who commit crimes as well as safeguard those in need of protection.
Who is a juvenile delinquent?
'Juvenile delinquents' or 'children in conflict with the law' refers to any person below the age of 18 years who has come in contact with the justice system as a result of committing a crime or being suspected of committing a crime. However, the Indian Penal Code (IPC) specifies that a child cannot be charged with any crime until he has attained seven years of age.
What led to amendment of the existing act?
The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000 was passed in compliance with the mandates of the 1989 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). This act considers individuals below the age of 18 as children.
However, many people voiced their views against this provision when one of the main accused in the 2012 Delhi gang rape (who was then a few months away from turning 18 years of age) was tried in a juvenile court. He was later set free after a mere three-year sentence in a reform home. The ensuing public outrage across India prompted lawmakers to review rising cases of teenage crimes. People and parliamentarians alike realised the urgency to formulate a law to tackle heinous crimes committed by juveniles in the age group of 16-18 years.
Highlights of the Juvenile Justice Act 2015:
- As per the provisions of the amended act, juveniles in the age group of 16-18 years will be tried as adults under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for heinous offences like rape, murder, etc. that include a prison sentence of seven years or more.
- One of the major amendments made was the removal of Clause 7 which stipulated that a person who commits a lesser i.e. a serious crime between the ages of 16-18 years should be tried as an adult only if he is apprehended after the age of 21 years.
- The bill provides for the establishment of Juvenile Justice Boards (JJB) and Child Welfare Committees (CWC) in each district. These bodies will conduct a preliminary inquiry to assess the mental state of the juvenile offender. Based on this assessment, JJBs will decide whether the offender is to be sent for rehabilitation or be tried as an adult.
- The CWC will determine institutional care for children in need of care and protection.
- The act also lays down eligibility of adoptive parents and the adoption procedures for orphaned, abandoned or surrendered children. A central adoption resource authority (CARA) will frame the rules for adoption, which will be implemented by state and district-level agencies.
- Penalties for cruelty against children, like offering narcotic substances to a child, and abduction or selling of children have been detailed in the act.
- It also incorporates new offences, including illegal adoption, corporal punishment in childcare institutions, use of children by militant groups, and offences against disabled children.
- The act also stipulates the following measures:
- Increasing the reconsideration period for surrender of children by parents or guardians.
- Enhancing the period for inter-country adoption in case the child is not given for domestic adoption.
- Assigning the role of designated authority to the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights to monitor implementation of the Act.
- Making the Centre and state governments responsible for spreading awareness on the provisions of the Act.
Juvenile Justice Boards:
- One or more than one JJBs are to be constituted for each district.
- Composition:
- The board would consist of one Judicial Magistrate
- Two social workers would also be members, at least one of whom should be a woman.
3. The role of JJBs will be to:
- Ensure legal aid to juveniles.
- Determine the mental state of a juvenile offender and decide if he/she needs to be tried as an adult.
- Regularly inspect adult jails to check whether children are lodged in such jails.
Child Welfare Committees:
- As per the Act, state governments have to constitute Child Welfare Committees in every district.
- Composition: The CWC should comprise a chairperson and four members. At least one person in the committee should be a woman.
- The role of CWCs will be to:
- Inquire juvenile offender's cases.
- Provide residence to offenders when the trial is ongoing.
- Interview and understand problems of such children.
Reasons for criticism of the new Act:
- India is a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which require all signatories to treat persons under the age of 18 as children. However, the new act is in contravention of this rule of the UNCRC.
- Violation of fundamental rights:
- Article 14 of the Indian Constitution demands equal treatment for every person before the law. However, the new act permits different treatment for two sets of juvenile delinquents for the same offence on the difference of their date of their apprehension.
- Article 21 ensures protection of rights and personal liberty. Any law in India should be just and fair for every citizen. Thus, the provision for different treatment for two different juvenile delinquents on the difference of the date of their apprehension contradicts this right.
- Article 20(1) stipulates that no person should be subjected to a penalty greater than that which might have been inflicted under the law in force at the time of the commission of the offence. But as per the new act, if a juvenile has committed a crime between the age of 16-18 and is apprehended at a later date, he/she may face a higher penalty than what would be applicable to him if he/she had been apprehended earlier at the time of commission of the offence.
3. The parliamentary standing committee (PSC) chaired by Dr. Satyanarayan Jatiya has argued the following:
- The statistical data provided by National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) was one of the reasons for enactment of the amended law. As per the NCRB, number of heinous crimes committed by juvenile offenders in the age of 16-18 years is doubling up. However, the PSC contended that since this data has been compiled based on the number of FIRs filed and not actual convictions, it is misleading.
- The committee also raised questions of the fair and uniform implementation of this act throughout India.
4. Many child rights activists have asserted that with the Act's implementation, the government has veered away from goals of reformation and rehabilitation of juvenile delinquents. Further, they stated that the blame for increasing rate of crimes committed by children cannot be laid on them alone, but also on the society and the state.
We would also like to hear your opinions about this Act. You can share your views in the comment box below.
I found an app for following news in 5 points. Although there can be no alternative to newspapers... 😆 But still... at least keeps you inormed, if in lack of time... This one is better than InShorts. You may give it a try if you feel. http://tiny.cc/wrap_up For GD PI as well General Awareness.
Daily Current Affairs - 12th March 2016, Saturday
1. Clean my Coach initiative launched by Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu
(i) On March 11, Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu launched "Clean My Coach" Service keeping in line with the Indian Railways Cleanliness drive 'Swachh Rail Swachh Bharat.'
(ii) This 'Clean My Coach' service was announced by the Railway Minister in his Rail Budget Speech of 2016-17 and it has been implemented with an immediate Action on Rail Budget 2016-17.
(iii) As per the scheme if any cleaning requirement in the coach is required, the passenger sends an SMS on a mobile number 58888. Alternatively, passenger can also use android app 'Cleanmycoach Indian Railways' or webpage 'cleanmycoach.com' for logging the request.Passenger's request is immediately acknowledged via SMS on mobile phone along with a code.
(iv) This service empowers the citizen to get an important service on board and is in line with the objectives of the Digital India Programme
2. South Korea to partner with India for the Indian Maritime Summit
(i) The Indian Maritime Summit is all set to be held in Mumbai starting April 14-16 this year during which the government is expected to ink agreements worth Rs.72,000 crore on port-related projects with private entities.
(ii) The Ministry of Shipping has identified 109 projects worth Rs.72,864 crore on which agreements will be signed. South Korea will be the partner with India for the event.
(iii) Ship-building, ship repair and recycling, port modernisation, new port development and multi-model logistic hubs, etc. are some of the sectors identified for investment. Further, over 150 projects will be showcased for investment under the Sagarmala Project for port modernisation.
3. Col. Gaurav Karki to lead first all girls NCC expedition to Mt. Everest
(i) Recently, Colonel Gaurav Karki led the first-ever all-girls National Cadet Corps (NCC) expedition to the Mount Everest.
(ii) The team comprising fifteen service personnel and ten girl cadets would reach Nepal on March 31, 2016 and is likely to summit the peak between 15 and 25 May 2016. Earlier, pre-Everest expeditions were held to Mt. Deo-Tibba (19688 ft.) and to Mt. Trishul (23360 ft.) to select eligible candidates for the final expedition.
(iii) The mountaineering expeditions in NCC are being conducted to strengthen the character and instil qualities of courage, comradeship, discipline and leadership in the cadets.
4. YES Bank launched all women bank branch in Bengaluru
(i) India's private sector lender Yes Bank started an all-women operated bank branch called 'Yes Grace' in Bengaluru recently.
(ii) Though the bank will cater to male customers as well, its main aim is to offer customised banking solutions to women. It also aims to drive financial literacy, family banking, safety and wellness among women. The Bank opened two more such branches in New Delhi and Mumbai.
(iii) "The Yes Grace branch is part of a two-pronged approach by Yes Bank; to promote women leadership in financial services sector and enable the evolving financial objectives of women," said the bank's CEO and MD Rana Kapoor .
5. Former CMD of IDBI Bank Yogesh Aggarwal under CBI Scanner
(i) Former IDBI Bank CMD Yogesh Aggarwal was recently brought under the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate's lens for allegedly disbursing at least Rs.350 crores to tainted businessman Vijay Mallya even before the loan sanctioning procedure was completed by the bank.
(ii) In its FIR, the CBI said that the bank had shown undue favours to Kingfisher Airlines Ltd. in disbursement of loans despite the firm's weak financials, negative net worth, low credit rating. Further, KFA did not satisfy the bank's corporate loan policy.
(iii) However, Aggarwal has refuted the charges saying that the money was disbursed in anticipation of the loan being sanctioned by the executive committee and that this is not an unusual practice.
6. Uber's first Engineering centre of Asia launched in India
(i) Cab-hailing app Uber recently launched its first engineering center in Asia in Bengaluru. \
(ii) The center aims to address localised problems like poor Internet connectivity, accuracy in routing vehicles and supply projection, among others.
(iii) The center will be headed by Uber's engineering manager Jaikumar Ganesh, who is based out of San Francisco.
(iv) Thuan Pham, Chief Technology Officer at Uber stated that India is a very important market for the firm and thus the objective is to scale up Uber's engineering capabilities in the future.
To get fresh updates on your Facebook & Twitter timelines, subscribe to our pages created specifically for them. We will be posting only those exam specific links on these pages:
Bank PO:
FB: https://www.facebook.com/pagalguybankpo
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PaGaLGuYBankPO
SSC & Other Exams:
FB: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pagalguy-SSC-CGL-Others/879667042056262
Twitter: https://twitter.com/pagalguyssc
UPSC:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pagalguy-UPSC/951926044840262
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PaGaLGuYUPSC
Daily Current Affairs - 13th and 14th March 2016, Sunday and Monday
1. Hanan Al Hroub wins Global Teacher's Prize 2016
(i) Hanan Al Hroub, the Palestinian teacher who teaches refugee children, recently won the $1 million Global Teacher Prize 2016.
(ii) As she grew up in a refugee camp near Bethlehem, she took up the onus of teaching refugee children, especially those torn up by war.
(iii) The finalist of the Global Teacher Prize included teachers from UK, India, Kenya, Pakistan, Japan, US and Finland. On receiving the award Hanan Al Hroub said, "I am proud to be a Palestinian female teacher standing on this stage." She intends to use the prize money on supporting refugee children.
2. 'Sundarbans Maithri' - First ever joint exercise in riverine borders of the Sundarbans conducted
(i) In a first-ever joint exercise in the riverine borders of the Sundarbans, border-guarding forces of India and Bangladesh recently conducted the 'Sundarbans Maithri' drill to enhance bilateral cooperation.
(ii) The exercise began with the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) conducting joint searches of cargo vessels on the Ichamati river along with troopers, including dog and bomb squads.
(iii) It is hoped that such coordinated border management drills will deter smugglers and criminals operating with impunity. As part of the coordinated border management plan, such exercises are likely to be conducted on land also.
3. 4th World Congress of Biosphere Reserves to take place in Lima
(i) The 4th World Congress of Biosphere Reserves is to be conducted in Lima from March 14 to 17. The latest session of the International Coordinating Council of the Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme will also be held in Lima itself.
(ii) The Congress will bring together over 1,000 experts to forge a ten-year roadmap for UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme. The Congress will also evaluate lessons learned and challenges faced by the World Network of Biosphere Reserves, and will formulate and launch an Action Plan for Biosphere Reserves for 2016-2025.
(iii) The Congress is being organised by the Secretariat of the MAB Programme, the Ministry of Environment of Peru and its National Service of Natural Areas Protected by the State (SERNANP), and the MAB National Committee of Peru.
4. China announces plan to set up its own maritime 'judicial centre'
(i) Recently, China's supreme court announced plans of establishing develop its own international maritime 'judicial centre' to handle territorial disputes and help China become a "maritime power".
(ii) China has had several conflicts with neighbouring countries over claims in the resource-rich South China Sea.
(iii) Though this move is to secure China's sovereignty and maritime rights, the institution is unlikely to be recognised by neighbours with whom the Asian nation has territorial disputes.
5. K M Birla declared 'CEO of the Year' at 4th edition of the International Advertising Association Awards
(i) Recently, Chairman of the Aditya Birla Group, Kumar Mangalam Birla, was declared 'CEO of the Year' at the 4th edition of the International Advertising Association (IAA) Awards.
(ii) IAA is an international body of advertisers and agencies which organises annual awards based on popular polls and peer reviews.
(iii) Among others, Bharat Patel, ex-Procter & Gamble India Chairman, was inducted into the Hall of Fame. BBDO India Chairman Josy Paul was declared the 'Creative Agency Head of the Year', Dentsu Aegis Network South Asia Chairman Ashish Bhasin was declared the 'Media Agency Head of the Year', Colors CEO Raj Nayak was declared 'Media Person of the Year' and Bollywood actor Varun Dhawan was declared 'Brand Endorser of the Year'.
6. Kotak Mahindra group sign agreement with Canada Pension Plan Investment Board to invest in stressed assets
(i) Kotak Mahindra Group recently signed an agreement with the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) in order to invest close to $525 million in stressed assets in India's banking and corporate sector.
(ii) The CPPIB, Kotak Mahindra Group along with its asset reconstruction arm Phoenix ARC are set to invest in asset sales by banks aimed in order to restructure, recovery and improve companies in distress.
(iii) As per a statement by Kotak Mahindra Group, "Canada's pension fund will have the ability to invest up to $450 million in the partnership."
7. Paytm borrowed Rs.300 crore from ICICI Bank
(i) Recently, mobile payment platform Paytm took a loan worth Rs.300 crore from ICICI Bank, India's largest private lender, in two tranches. Analysts say this is a testimony to the slowdown in venture capital (VC) investing.
(ii) Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma said, "This is a treasury management move for working capital. While adequate funds are there, it is advised by our finance teams to get these credit lines for working capital on the back of security such as FDs (fixed deposits), mutual funds, etc. in order to conserve cash."
(iii) Paytm, financed by Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, forayed into the Indian online payment platform and is soon to launch a payments bank as well.
8. Geraint Thomas week-long Paris-Nice cycling stage race
(i) Welshman, Geraint Thomas recently became the third British cyclist to win the week-long Paris Nice stage race.
(ii) He was well ahead of the over two-time Tour de France winner Alberto Contado and Richie Porte.
(iii) With this victory, Thomas now joins other British winners of the race, namely Tom Simpson and Bradley Wiggins.
To get fresh updates on your Facebook & Twitter timelines, subscribe to our pages created specifically for them. We will be posting only those exam specific links on these pages:
Bank PO:
FB: https://www.facebook.com/pagalguybankpo
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PaGaLGuYBankPO
SSC & Other Exams:
FB: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pagalguy-SSC-CGL-Others/879667042056262
Twitter: https://twitter.com/pagalguyssc
UPSC:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pagalguy-UPSC/951926044840262
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PaGaLGuYUPSC
Daily Current Affairs - 15th March 2016, Wednesday
1. CII Survey - RIL, Vedanta, Mahindra & Mahindra, Tata Motors and Wipro among top 10 Indian sustainable companies
(i) In a recent Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) survey, corporate majors like RIL, Vedanta, Mahindra & Mahindra, Tata Motors and Wipro are among the nation's top 10 sustainable companies. These companies are followed by ITC, Tata Power, Tata Chemicals, Hindustan Zinc and ACC.
(ii) As per the CII-ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development survey, of the 100 companies profiled across 20 sectors, only 18 responded to the Information Request (IR). The remaining firms (mostly from media, transportation and financial services sectors) either did not respond or refused to participate.
(iii) A 'Sustainable Plus' tag across three levels-platinum, gold, bronze-was accorded to companies based on their responses. They were graded on parameters like governance and social and environmental initiatives. Companies that received the Sustainable Plus Platinum are India's most sustainable firms. Seven companies got Sustainable Plus Gold, and the remaining 83 got Sustainable Plus Bronze.
(iv) The survey revealed that sustainability was high in terms of governance vis-à-vis environmental and social parameters.
2. Mumbai tops the list of cities on administration, ability to deliver better quality of life
(i) As per the findings of the recent Annual Survey of India's City-Systems by Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship and Democracy, Mumbai tops the list of 21 big cities on the capability of a city administration and ability to deliver better quality of life over the medium and long term.
(ii) New Delhi slipped to the sixth position from the previous fifth in 2014. Thiruvananthapuram retained its second position.
(iii) Other cities which made progress from their previous ranking include Hyderabad, which has moved up to 9th place from previous 17th and Kanpur which was ranked 14th in 2014 has moved up by 6 spots.
3. Head of Bangladesh's central bank Atiur Rahman resigns
(i) The head of Bangladesh's central bank Atiur Rahman recently resigned after money worth over $100 million was robbed from the country's foreign currency reserves. Rahman submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina after unidentified hackers stole the money from Bangladesh's bank account with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
(ii) As per reports, Rahman did not inform the Bangladesh government of the theft which actually took place in February this year.
(iii) Media reports suggest that the gang responsible for the theft used stolen credentials to make cash transfer requests look legitimate. The transfers were only stopped after the volume of money requested raised suspicion at other banks.
4. India and US launch Fulbright-Kalam Climate Fellowship
(i) India and the US recently launched the Fulbright-Kalam Climate Fellowship to advance bilateral cooperation on climate change.
(ii) The fellowship aims to encourage Indian scholars to carry out research on climate along with US institutions. The fellowship, jointly funded by both the governments, will enable up to 6 Indian PhD students and post-doctoral researchers to work with US host institutions for a period of 6-12 months.
(iii) The fellowship is named after late Indian President Dr A P J Abdul Kalam and is part of the commitment made by the US President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address climate change-related issues in both the countries.
5. Anand Mahindra conferred with France's highest civilian award
(i) Recently, Mahindra & Mahindra Chairman and Managing Director Anand Mahindra was conferred with the Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honour), which is France's highest civilian award.
(ii) It conferred on Anand Mahindra for his remarkable national and international achievements and initiatives as the head of the Mahindra Group. As one of India's company most prominent business groups, Mahindra & Mahindra has helped forge productive partnerships between French and Indian industries.
6. Lt. Gen N P S Hira appointed as Deputy Chief of Army Staff
(i) Recently, Lt Gen N P S Hira was appointed as the Deputy Chief of Army Staff and he took charge on March 14. He was previously posted as the Chief of the Army's Northern Command in Udhampur.
(ii) Defence spokesman, Col S D Goswami informed, "He commanded the Battalion in Assam (Op Rhino) during high violence period. The unit bagged 32 gallantry awards and COAS citation under his command."
(iii) He added, "Lt. Gen. N P S Hira also commanded 12 Infantry Brigade deployed on the Line of Control in Uri sector. The Brigade earned an Ashok Chakra, Kirti Chakra, Shaurya Chakra and many more gallantry awards during his command."
7. Nobel Memorial Prize winner Llyod S Shapley passes away
(i) The American mathematician Lloyd S. Shapley, who shared the 2012 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Science, passed away at the age of 92. He shared the Nobel with Harvard professor Alvin E Roth for his work on game theory.
(ii) Shapley, a mathematician and emeritus professor at UCLA, was considered one of the fathers of game theory which explains the choices that competitors make in a situation that requires strategic thinking. While Shapley analysed match-making in markets and created with formulas to match supply and demand in markets where prices don't do the job, Roth applied Shapley's formulas to real-world problems.
(iii) He introduced the concept of "Shapley Value" using which the benefits of cooperation can be proportionally divided among participants based on their relative contribution.
(iv) In 1981, he was conferred with the John von Neumann Theory Prize, which is presented to individuals who make ground-breaking theoretical contributions in operations research and the management sciences.
8. Man Booker Prize-winning British author Anita Brookner passes away
(i) Recently, the Man Booker Prize-winning British author Anita Brookner passed away, aged 87. Brookner, who authored over 25 books was also a renowned art historian.
(ii) She won the Booker Prize for fiction in 1984 for her novel Hotel du Lac. She was the first woman to be the Slade Professor of Fine Art at the University of Cambridge from 1967 to 1968.
(iii) A Start in Life, The Bay of Angels, Latecomers, Undue Influence, etc. are some of her other works.
9. Sachin Tendulkar set to launch premium apparel and accessories brand True Blue
(I) Recently, cricketer Sachin Tendulkar announced his decision to launch his premium menswear apparel and accessories brand named True Blue in a joint venture with Arvind Fashion Brands. The plan is to launch 25-30 stores across India, with the first offline store coming up in Mumbai in May 2016.
(ii) Tendulkar said that the brand will offer a range of apparels that will have "Indian elements with a modern artistic touch to it". The apparel range will showcase 300 styles and is priced at Rs.1,199 onwards.
(iii) CEO of Arvind Fashion Brands Rajiv Mehta said, "Our expertise combined with Sachin's unmatched love for anything Indian boosted our decision and that brought into play this significant joint venture partnership."
To get fresh updates on your Facebook & Twitter timelines, subscribe to our pages created specifically for them. We will be posting only those exam specific links on these pages:
Bank PO:
FB: https://www.facebook.com/pagalguybankpo
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PaGaLGuYBankPO
SSC & Other Exams:
FB: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pagalguy-SSC-CGL-Others/879667042056262
Twitter: https://twitter.com/pagalguyssc
UPSC:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pagalguy-UPSC/951926044840262
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PaGaLGuYUPSC
# GUYS YE # MATTER # DOPT( Department of Personnel and Training) KO # JYADA # SE # JYADA # BHJO, SIRF 10 MIN KA TIME # NIKAL LO ISKE LIYE AUR # KHUDH K LIYE. MATTER ============================== COPY PASTE BELOW :- Mismatch of replies given by DOPT AND USER DEPARTMENT. AS PER PG PORTAL COMPLAIN NUMBER DOPAT/E/2015/ 04284,DOPT CLEARLY SAID EXTENDING UPPER AGE LIMIT CAN BE DONE BY USER DEPARTMENT,SO WE THOUGHT OF SENDING PG PORTAL TO USER DEPARTMNENT AND THE REPLY WHICH WE GOT WAS SUPRISING,WHICH WAS "THE USER DEPARTMENT CLEARLY SAID ITS PERTAINS TO DOPT" WHICH I WOULD LIKE TO PROVE THIS FROM PG PORTAL NUMBER MINHA/E/2016/00799, MEAPD/E/2016/00512 MEAPD/E/2016/00511 DPOST/E/2016/02327, MODEF/E/2016/00642, CBODT/E/2016/02184 SO NOW I WOULD LIKE DOPT TO CLARIFY US WHY THEY ARE GIVING US WRONG INFORMATION ON THIS GOVERNMENT PLATFORM,THE DEMAND MADE BY US THROUGH THIS PG PORTAL IS THAT, WE ALL WANT THAT AGE LIMIT FOR ALL POST HAVING GRADE PAY FROM 4200-4600 FOR GENERAL CANDIDATES SHOULD BE 30 YEARS,BUT WHAT ACTUALLY WE ARE GETTING IS MISLEADING REPLIES,HOPE I HAVE GIVEN SUFFICIENT PROFFS TO PROVE MY POINTS AND AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE PROMPT ACTION WILL BE TAKEN BY DOPT TO SOLVE THIS ISSUE. =============================== Procedure-- 1. go to http://pgportal.gov.in/GrievanceNew.aspx 2. choose PUBLIC GRIEVANCE 3. click the box " I agree that my grievance does not fall in any of the above listed categories" 4. click the box SUBMIT 5. select *Select Ministry/Department >>> PERSONNEL AND TRAINING (DEPARTMENT) 6.* Grievance Category >>> POLICY AND REGULARORY 7. Name >>> write any name 8. Adress >>> write any address 9. state >>> select state 10. mobile>>> give if you have 11. email >>> any email id 12. # grievance >>> COPY
I have created group for avid readers where we will discuss about books, books and more books ! Whatsapp me on 9041760573 if you want to be added :)
Daily Current Affairs - 16th March 2016, Wednesday
1. Htin Kyaw elected as first civilian President in Myanmar
(i) In a historic election, Htin Kyaw of the National League for Democracy (NLD) and a close ally of Aung San Suu Kyi was elected as the first civilian leader my Myanmar's Parliament.
(ii) Myanmar witnessed 50 years of military rule and Htin Kyaw victory is looked upon as, "Aung San Suu Kyi's victory".
(iii) Htin Kyaw won with 360 of the total 652 votes cast in the two houses of parliament. The second highest votes were garnered by hardliner, Myint Swe nominated by the Myanmar military, he received a total 213 votes. Swe was closely followed by Henry Van Thio, an ethnic Chin candidate who won 97 votes. Myint Swe and Henry Van Thio are to serve as as first vice-president and second vice-president respectively.
(iv) Htin Kyaw, 70, is the son of writer and poet Min Thu Wun, who had won seat for the National League for Democracy (NLD) in 1990. He's always kept a low profile and is known to have played a senior role at the Daw Khin Kyi Foundation.
2. India emerges as second biggest investor in London
(i) India recently emerged as the second biggest investor in London following US, in terms of country's tech firms investing in London.
(ii) The latest data, released by London & Partners, the official promotional company for London shows that Indian tech firms have been investing in London at an unprecedented rate.
(iii) As per the data since 2005 there has been 117 per cent increase in Indian companies of which 113 per cent increase in tech companies investing in London, which accounts for a whooping 46 % of all projects.
(iv) The figures have revealed that Indian companies are second biggest investors, ahead of even China and Japan. Major tech investments in London include Kayako,Cigniti Technologies and many others.
3. Royal Brunei all women flight crew makes first journey to Saudi Arabia
(i) In a milestone that coincided with the Brunei National Day, three pilots of the Royal Brunei Airlines made history by being the airlines first all female flight crew.
(ii) The three women flight crew made their first journey to Saudi Arabia where women are not allowed to drive even today.
(iii) The flight Captain was Sharifah Czarena, assisted by Senior First Officers Sariana Nordin and Dk Nadiah Pg Khashiem. The captain of the flight, Czarena is trained in UK and became the first Royal Brunei pilot to fly out of London in its flagship Boeing 787 Dreamliner in December 2013.
(iv) On this occasion she said, "As a woman, a Bruneian woman, it is such a great achievement. It's really showing the younger generation or the girls especially that whatever they dream of, they can achieve it."
4. World's first fully electric double decker bus launched in London
(i) In a recent development, the World's first fully electric double decker bus was launched in London, UK. The bus services which was launched by London's transport authority is expected to start service from April 2016 in London.
(ii)The buses have been made by China automaker BYD, and as per the Chinese manufacturing company it represents breakthrough in Public transportation.
(iii)On this occasion, Managing Director of BYD Auto Europe Isbrand Ho said, "This is actually the first double-decker, fully electric vehicle that can travel 190 miles (306km) in the world - bar none."
(iv) The bus is expected to help in controlling London's dire air pollution problem. It has the ability to carry 81 passengers for 306 km before it is re-charged, which requires four hours.
5. LSE Group in tie up with Deutsche Boerse
(i) In what is termed as an industry defining combination, the London Stock Exchange Group (LSE) agreed terms for a merger of equals with the Deutsche Boerse. The tie up is expected to create one of the world's largest exchange companies with a combined value of about £21billion.
(ii) As per the agreement, LSE shareholders will own 45.6% of the new holding company, while Deutsche Boerse shareholders will own 54.4%. The LSE Group already owns Milan based Borsa Italiana.
(iii) The two exchanges said the, "combination of London, Frankfurt and Milan will provide a platform for financing and promoting economic growth of European companies and be an attractive offering to Asian and US companies looking to access investors and capital".
6. 14 Indian origin investors in top100 global venture capitalists
(i) As per the recent findings of CB Insights, a research firm which tracks Venture Capitalist and angel investments, fourteen Indian origin investors have made it to the top100 global venture capitalists.
(ii) Peter Fenton's Benchmark capital tops the World's top100 venture capitalist followed by Fred Wilson, Union Square Ventures and Chris Sacca's Lowercase Capital.
(iii) Sameer Gandhi of Accel Partners ranked 25, in addition to being the top- ranked Indian origin investors of the 14. The report evaluated investors on the basis of their investments since 2008.
7. ICICI Bank launches 'iTap'
(i) India's largest private sector lender ICICI Bank recently launched, iTap, mobile solution based on Near Field Communication (NFC) technology which permits the customers to make their payments with their linked cards to the banks' pockets, by just tapping the mobile phones.
(ii) Rajiv Sabharwal, Executive Director, ICICI Bank said this was one a step ahead of the tap-and-pay solution the bank had been offering.
(iii) To avail the service, a customer need not carry a card at the time of payment as long as the card is linked to pockets. Pockets, is a digital banking service offered by ICICI Bank which has had about 3.3 million downloads so far.
8. March 15 observed as World Consumer Rights Day
(i) Every year March 15 is observed as the World Consumer Right Day, with the view to raise global awareness about consumer rights.
(ii) On March 15, 1962 John F Kennedy addressed the US Congress on the issue of consumer rights, following which Consumer Movement marked this day to promote the consumer rights and create global awareness about the same.
(iii) The 2016 theme on World Consumer Rights Day is "antibiotics off the menu" with consumer rights movement organising around the world for fast food companies to make a global commitment to stop the sale of meat raised with the routine use of antibiotics important to human medicine.
To get fresh updates on your Facebook & Twitter timelines, subscribe to our pages created specifically for them. We will be posting only those exam specific links on these pages:
Bank PO:
FB: https://www.facebook.com/pagalguybankpo
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PaGaLGuYBankPO
SSC & Other Exams:
FB: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pagalguy-SSC-CGL-Others/879667042056262
Twitter: https://twitter.com/pagalguyssc
UPSC:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pagalguy-UPSC/951926044840262
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PaGaLGuYUPSC
I have created group for avid readers where we will discuss about books, books and more books ! Whatsapp me on 9041760573 if you want to be added :)
Join Editorials for exams Thread on PaGaLGuY – Invitation by @srajandwivedi02 http://bnc.lt/a/key_live_kbkQE6Qy8jxrhqmDfbDCClenzre7DAvJ?groupId=41255924&campaign=pgapp_share&feature=groupshare
Daily Current affairs - 17th March, Thursday
1. Sushila Karki is to become Nepal's first woman Chief Justice
a) Recently, Nepal's Judicial Council recommended senior-most Supreme Court judge
Sushila Karki's name for the top post i.e. the Chief Justice of the nation.
b) She will become the first woman Chief Justice of Nepal once her nomination is formally accepted by President Bidhya Bhandari (who was elected as the first woman President in October 2015).
c) The judicial council has decided to recommend her name for this position to the constitutional council headed by Prime Minister K.P. Oli. Nepal's constitutional council is responsible for nominating the head of judiciary.
d) Karki will replace incumbent Chief Justice Kalyan Shrestha who will retire on April 13, 2016.
2. Sir Andrew Wiles received Abel Prize for Fermat's last theorem proof
a) British mathematician and number theorist Sir Andrew Wiles won the 2016 Abel Prize by presenting a proof for Fermat's Last Theorem, a 300-year-old math problem which was first posed by French mathematician Pierre de Fermat in 1637.
b) Wiles, 62, who is a professor at Oxford University's Mathematical Institute, got hooked to the equation at the age of 10. After seven years of hard work, he cracked the problem in 1994.
c) The techniques he used to prove the theorem led to further developments in number theory.
d) Considered to be the Nobel for mathematics, the Abel Prize comes with a cash reward of six million Norwegian krone (around £500,000). It was instituted in 2002 by the Norwegian Academy of Sciences and Letters in the honour of Niels Henrik Abel, one of Norway's most celebrated mathematicians. Jean-Pierre Serre, John Milnor, Pierre Deligne, etc. are some of the Abel laureates.
3. Veteran Shehnai player Ustad Ali Ahmad Hussain Khan passes away.
a) Legendary Shehnai exponent Ustad Ali Ahmad Hussain Khan passed away at the age of 77.
b) Ustad Hussain Khan represented the Benares school of Shehnai music. He was conferred with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2009 for his contribution to Hindustani instrumental music.
c) The West Bengal government honoured him with the 'Bangabhushan' award.
d) A top-level artiste of the All India Radio, he also used to teach in the ITC Sangeet Research Academy. His performances have been staged across the world, including Belgium, Russia, Switzerland, France, Tunisia, Singapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong and the Philippines.
4. Barack Obama appoints Merrick Garland as a Supreme Court Judge.
a) US President Barack Obama nominated federal appeals court judge Merrick Garland as the Supreme Court judge.
b) Garland had been shortlisted twice but lost the position to Sonia Sotomayor (2009) and Elena Kagan (2010). He has been selected to succeed conservative Justice Antonin Scalia who passed away in February 2016.
c) Garland has been on the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit since 1997 and earlier served in the Justice Department under Democratic President Bill Clinton.
d) He has been chosen over Indian-born US Deputy Solicitor General Sri Srinivasan who was one of the candidates for the post.
5. USNDN released World Happiness Report, 2016
a) The United Nations Social Development Network(USNDN) has released the fourth World Happiness Report, 2016 in Rome. It is released just before the UN World Happiness Day which will be globally observed on 20th March, 2016.
b) As per the report, Denmark is the happiest nation in the world whereas Burundi is the least happiest nation.
c) India was ranked 118th in the list, down one slot from last year on the index. India was among the group of 10 countries witnessing the biggest happiness declines, along with Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Yemen and Botswana.
d) The nation's GDP per capita, life expectancy, social support and freedom to make life choices as indicators of happiness were taken into account while making this report.
6. Vatican decided to confer sainthood to Mother Teresa
a) Pope Francis recently announced that religious sister Mother Teresa will be canonised (officially declare a priest or sister to be a saint) on September 4, 2016.
b) The announcement comes 19 years after the death of the Nobel laureate who also was honoured with the Bharat Ratna. She founded the Missionaries of Charity and devoted 45 years of her life for the service of the poor and sick on the streets of Kolkata.
c) She will now become a Saint of the Roman Catholic Church and was beatified (the first step towards sainthood) by then pope John Paul II in 2003.
d) She received her Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. In 2003, she was beatified as "Blessed Teresa of Calcutta".
7. Smartup - a dedicated banking solution started by HDFC Bank
a) A banking solution for startups called SmartUp in order to meet all their needs and encourage innovation in the startup ecosystem.
b) It offers banking and payment solutions, along with advisory and forex services.
c) The SmartUp current account will provide benefits like waiver of average monthly balance for the first six months, employee salary account by not necessitating the minimum-number-of-employees condition, etc.
d) The product will be made available across India, even in tier-2 and tier-3 cities that are emerging as start-up hubs.
8. Amar Abrol will take charge as CEO of AirAsia India
a) Amar Abrol was appointed as the CEO of AirAsia India, succeeding Mittu Chandilya. He will take charge from April 1, 2016.
b) With over 20 years of experience, Abrol was earlier the CEO of Tune Money, a start-up that delivers inexpensive financial products in Southeast Asia. Before that he spent 19 years in American Express, leading various teams across markets like Hong Kong, Singapore, UK, India and Malaysia.
c) In other top appointments, AirAsia India also announced Ankur Khanna as the Chief Financial Officer and Kiran Jain as the Head of Commercial.
9. Abdulqadir Rashik received the first prize in the United Nations Unite Ideas #LinksSDGs Data Visualisation Challenge
a) Recently, Abdulqadir Rashik, software engineer and founder of India-based Miavy Systems, won the top prize in the 'United Nations Unite Ideas #LinksSDGs Data Visualisation Challenge'.
b) The competition aimed to involve the public in sharing ideas about how to visualise interlinkages between the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
c) He was awarded the prize for his submission "Links to Sustainable Cities", an interactive visualisation that identifies and maps the links between Sustainable Development Goal 11, Sustainable Cities and Communities, and the other 16 Goals.
d) The solution submitted will be used to spot research opportunities and steer policy decisions for the implementation of global sustainability initiatives.
e) SDGs is a set of 17 goals and 169 targets adopted by the General Assembly in 2015 and forms the basis of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
10. Legendary American Singer Frank Sinatra passes away.
a) Francis Wayne Sinatra a.k.a Frank Sinatra Jr. passed away at the age of 72.
b) He died ahead of a performance as part of his 'Sinatra Sings Sinatra tour', which included some of his father's biggest hits.
c) Carrying forward his father's legacy, Sinatra Jr. began singing at the age of 19 and later became his father's musical director and conductor.
d) "Spice", "Believe in Me", "What Were You Thinking Of?", etc. are some of the songs he composed.
To get fresh updates on your Facebook & Twitter timelines, subscribe to our pages created specifically for them. We will be posting only those exam specific links on these pages:
Bank PO:
FB: https://www.facebook.com/pagalguybankpo
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PaGaLGuYBankPO
SSC & Other Exams:
FB: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pagalguy-SSC-CGL-Others/879667042056262
Twitter: https://twitter.com/pagalguyssc
UPSC:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pagalguy-UPSC/951926044840262
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PaGaLGuYUPSC
Daily Current Affairs - 18th March 2016, Friday
1. IRCTC Survey - Surat cleanest railway station
1. Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) survey - Surat is the cleanest railway station
(i) As per the recent survey conducted by Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), Surat has been termed as the cleanest railway station, followed by Rajkot and Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh).
(ii) The findings are based on the survey conducted in January-February 2016 at 407 railway stations, which included 75 A-1 stations (Those stations which earn revenue more than Rs.50 crore) and 332 A category stations(Those with revenue between Rs. 6 crore and Rs. 50 crore) in India.
(iii) The survey was based on the feedback of around 1.34 lakh passengers who gave their responses on 40 cleanliness parameters.
(iv) This survey was a part of Prime Minster Narendra Modi's 'Swacch Bharat Abhiyaan'. 40 per cent of all the stations surveyed fared 'average' in terms of cleanliness. Varanasi, PM Modi's constituency railway station stood 65 among the 75 A-1 railway station.
(v) In A- Category, Beas (Punjab) followed by Gandhidham (Gujarat), Vasco Da Gama (Goa), Jamnagar (Gujarat), Kumbakonam (Tamil Nadu) and Nasik Road (Maharashtra) were among the cleanest railway stations.
2. India signs $35million loan deal with World Bank
(i) India recently signed a loan agreement worth $35 million dollars with the World Bank for the Madhya Pradesh citizen access to responsive services project.
(ii) The agreement was signed to this effect in New Delhi between Shri Raj Kumar, Joint Secretary (MI), Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance on behalf of the Government of India and Mr. Onno Ruhl, Country Director, World Bank (India) on behalf of the World Bank.
(iii) The objective of the project is to improve access and quality of public services in the state.
(iv) As per the agreement, the project which cost about 50 million dollar, 35 million dollar will be financed by the Bank and the remaining amount is to be funded by the Madhya Pradesh State budget. The project duration is for five years.
3. India and Australia sign pact to avoid double social security contribution
(i) In a recent development, India signed a pact with Australia to avoid double social security contribution.
(ii) As per the pact, employees of India deputed to Australia and vice versa will not have to make double social security contribution. With this, Australia has become the 14th country with which India has a social security agreement in force.
(iii) The other countries with which India has this pact includes Korea, Finland, Sweden, Czech Republic, Hungry, Germany, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Denmark, Norway and Switzerland.
4. India to sign trilateral road pact with Myanmar and Thailand
(i) As per recent development, India is to sign a trilateral road agreement with Myanmar and Thailand with the view to link the North-East and two of the East Asian countries -- Myanmar an Thailand.
(ii) Union Road Minister Nitin Gadkari said, "The landmark Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal (BBIN) Motor Pact has already been inked with identification of 14 routes for passenger services and 7 routes for cargo movement."
(iii) The India-Myanmar-Thailand (IMT) trilateral pact is expected to provide ease of travel between SAARC and ASEAN Nation and expected to boost business, trade, education, trade an tourism among these regional groups.
5. Four Indians in World Economic Forum's Young Global Leaders list
(i) Recently four Indian made it to the list of 121 young global leaders recognised by the World Economic Forum (WEF) namely, Kanika Dewan, Dhivya Suryadevara, Shaurya Veer Himatsingka and Sheetal Amte-Karajgi.
(ii) According to WEF, these 121 Young Global Leaders for 2016 are "shaking up policy, society and the world around them" and this includes scientists, government leaders, future business leaders, social activists and artists, aged under 40.
(iii) Of the Young Global Leaders Class of 2016, the majority include women and individuals from emerging economies.
(iv) Other eminent personalities who were named Young Global Leader (YGL) in the past include British Prime Minister David Cameron, Google chief Larry Page, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, Alibaba Group chief Jack Ma, and Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer among others.
6. Hollywood Actress Ashley Judd appointed U.N. Goodwill ambassador
(i) Recently Hollywood actress, Ashley Judd was appointed as the United Nations (U.N.) Goodwill ambassador for the U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA).
(ii) Ashley Judd is an actor, writer, political activist and humanitarian. As a Goodwill Ambassador, Ashley is expected to support the agency's efforts to stop women dying while delivering and to empower women to choose when and how often to conceive from their partners.
(iii) UNFPA is the lead agency with the aim for making a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled.
(iv) Miss Judd on her appointment said,"It was a honour to be appointed as UNFPA's Goodwill Ambassador and to advocate for women's rights."
7. Meir Dagan, former Mossad chief passes away
(i) Meir Dagan, the chief of Israeli intelligence agency Mossad passed away recently at 71.
(ii) Dagan was widely known for disrupting Iran's nuclear program. He served as the Director of Mossad from 2002 until his retirement in 2011.
(iii) Though Israel neither confirms nor denies, it was during this period, Israel carried out deadly assaults on Iran's nuclear scientist and carried cyberattacks against its nuclear enrichment facilities.
(iv) In a statement, Israeli Prime Minister, Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, called the former spy director a "great fighter" who had devoted his life for the country and the Jewish people. He added that, "He led the organisation in daring, pioneering and groundbreaking operations."
8. GenPact signs MoU with Olympic Gold Quest to support Indian woman athlete at Rio
(i) Recently, Information Technology(I.T.) firm GenPact signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Olympic Gold Quest organisation, with the view to help those Indian women athlete win Olympic medal, who are preparing for this year's Olympic in Rio de Janeiro.
(ii) This is a part of the company's Social Corporate Responsibility (CSR) programme, and is a second major initiative under the 'diversity & inclusion' pillar of company towards driving women in leadership. This deal marks GenPact's first partnership in sporting arena.
(iii) Previously the company had also set up Genpact's Center for Women's Leadership, an industry-academia partnership in association with Ashoka University.
(iv) Olympic Gold Quest organisation (OGQ) was cofounded by sporting icons Geet Sethi and Prakash Padukone and has in so far supported four out of the six medalists ( Vijay Kumar, Gagan Narang, Saina Nehwal and Mary Kom) at the 2012 Olympics.
9. Infosys Foundation donates Rs 8 crore to Asia Heart Foundation
(i) Recently, Infosys Foundation, the philanthropic arm of tech firm Infosys signed a deal with Asia Heart Foundation to enable the adoption of robotics in healthcare.
(ii) As per the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) the foundation has granted Rs. 8 crore to Asia Heart Foundation which will enable them to do robotic surgeries with the purchase of high end equipment, the IS 3000 da Vinci Si system.
(iii) The IS 3000 da Vinci Si system will enable, affordable, less invasive and high equality surgery to large number of people. A part of the funds will also be utilised in training surgeons and providing research opportunities for making use of robots in complex surgeries and indigenising the production of such technology in India.
To get fresh updates on your Facebook & Twitter timelines, subscribe to our pages created specifically for them. We will be posting only those exam specific links on these pages:
Bank PO:
FB: https://www.facebook.com/pagalguybankpo
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PaGaLGuYBankPO
SSC & Other Exams:
FB: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pagalguy-SSC-CGL-Others/879667042056262
Twitter: https://twitter.com/pagalguyssc
UPSC:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pagalguy-UPSC/951926044840262
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PaGaLGuYUPSC
Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) has become the first bank to commence the sale of Indian Gold Coin (IGC) in the domestic market. ii. It has tied up with MMTC for the sale of IGC of 24 carat purity. The IGC has the national emblem, the Ashok Chakra, engraved on one side and the face of Mahatma Gandhi on the other. iii. The coin carries advanced anti-counterfeit features and comes in tamper-proof packaging. iv. The current denominations available are 5, 10 and 20 gm. IGC is the first ever national gold offering by the Centre and was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 5. v. This gold coin is minted by the Security Printing and Minting Corporation of IndiaLtd and hallmarked by the Bureau of Indian Standards.
NEW RATE OF INTEREST KVP _7.8% NSC _8.1% PPF_8.1%
Daily Current Affairs - 19th March 2016, Saturday
1. Singapore's Changi Airport voted as the world's best airport in 2016
(i) In a recent, Singapore's Changi Airport was voted as the best airport at the 2016 World Airport Awards.
(ii) It was for the fourth consecutive time that Singapore's Changi Airport got voted as the World's best airport.
(iii) The survey was conducted by aviation research firm Skytrax and the decision was based on the votes of the travellers, in what is said to be the largest, global airport satisfaction survey. The World Airport's Award are annually conducted annually by Skytrax.
2. Hinduja richest Asian-origin entrepreneur in Britain for the fourth consecutive year
(i) In a recent, Indian born Hinduja Brothers -- G P Hinduja and S P Hinduja recently topped the 'Asian Rich List 2016.'
(ii) The Asian Rich List is an annual ranking which assesses the total wealth of Britain's' top 101 richest Asians and is developed by UK-based publishing house Asian Media and Market.
(iii) The Hinduja Brothers with an estimated fortune of 16.5 billion pounds top the ranking followed by top steel tycoon Lakshmi N Mittal who has a fortune of 6.4 billion pounds, and ranks second on the list.
(iv) The 2016 analysis of the UK's richest Asian revealed that the fortune of the UK's richest Asians has increased from 54.48 billion pounds in 2015 to 55.54 billion pounds in 2016.
3. General Lori Robinson to become first woman to lead combatant command in US military
(i) In a recent development, US Defence secretary Ash Carter nominated General Lori Robinson to lead US Northern Command (NORTHCOM).
(ii) The position is one of the senior most in the US military and has to be confirmed by the senate. If confirmed, this will the first time in US military history that a female would be appointed to lead a combatant command.
(iii) General Robinson enrolled in Air force in 1982 and is currently the commander for the Pacific Air Forces. As per reports, if appointed she would replace Admiral Bill Gortney, who has held the position since 2014.
4.Exercise 'Iron Fist' conducted by the Indian Air Force in Pokhran
(i) Recently, the Indian Air Force conducted, "Exercise Iron Fist" with the view to showcase its combat and fire power in Pokhran desert of Rajasthan.
(ii) The exercise saw the presence of President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other dignitaries.The focus of the exercise is to demonstrate weapons which were made in India and showcase its combat ability for meeting challenges from the air, land or sea.
(iii) AIR Defence Spokesperson, Lt. Col Manish Ojha informed the event comprises of six packages depicting six themes in which more than 180 fighters, transport aircraft and helicopters are participating. The Indian made Akash surface to air missile was also fired first.
5. Vanjangipeta became first open defecation-free village in AP
(i) In a recent development,Vanjangipeta a small village in the north coastal district of Srikakulam has become the first open defecation free village in the district.
(ii) The village which was previously known for its poor hygiene and unsanitary conditions, now has toilet in every household.
(iii) There are in all 162 houses in the village and following the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan,the villagers of Vanjangipeta 's constructed individual toilets through collective efforts.
6. Kerala to produce organic milk in tie up with Netherland
(i) In a recent development, Kerala's State co-operative Milk Marketing Federation, MILMA is soon to join hands with the Netherland to produce high quality, nutritious 'organic milk' without using synthetic feed or antibiotic while rearing cattle.
(ii) As many as five milk societies have been identified for implementing the ambitious project which are to soon begin operations after the Dutch government gives it approval.
(iii) K T Thomas, Managing Director of MILMA in Malabar region, which manages dairy co-operative societies in six northern districts of the state, said an MoU is expected to be signed in this regard soon.
(iv) The Kerala's State co-operative Milk Marketing Federation, MILMA has tied up with Solidaridad, a state-recognised NGO in Netherlands and Trans-disciplinary university in Bengaluru which concentrates on promoting traditional food, culture and treatment systems.
7. M Venkaiah Naidu awarded the Skoch lifetime Achievement Award
(i) In a recent development, the Skoch Group in its release stated that Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu was selected for the Skoch Lifetime Achievement Award.
(ii) M Venkaiah Naidu was selected for his contribution to inclusive growth and in poverty alleviation. On the other hand, the Skoch Challenger of the year Award was conferred on IT Minister K T Rama Rao in the start-up India category for establishing the path breaking tech incubator T-Hub.
(iii) The Skoch Challenger Awards are highest independently instituted civilian awards and are conferred on some of the best minds across India for their efforts in the area of digital, financial and social inclusion.
To get fresh updates on your Facebook & Twitter timelines, subscribe to our pages created specifically for them. We will be posting only those exam specific links on these pages:
Bank PO:
FB: https://www.facebook.com/pagalguybankpo
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PaGaLGuYBankPO
SSC & Other Exams:
FB: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pagalguy-SSC-CGL-Others/879667042056262
Twitter: https://twitter.com/pagalguyssc
UPSC:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pagalguy-UPSC/951926044840262
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PaGaLGuYUPSC