2nd WEEK CURRENT AFFAIRS MARCH 2018
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Study Daily Current Affairs from Daily GK Update 2nd week March 2018 on Ideticedu and stay updated as well as prepare for Current Affairs section of bank exams,UPSC,BPSC, SSC, Railway & other Competitive exams.
National News
1.Suresh Prabhu Gets Additional Charge Of Civil Aviation Ministry
Commerce and Industries minister Suresh Prabhu was given additional charge of the Civil Aviation Ministry, a day after the resignation of TDP’s Ashok Gajapathi Raju.
2.India Wins Best Exhibitor Award At ITB- Berlin
India has won the “Best Exhibitor Award ” at ITB – Berlin.
3.1st Ever Multi-Nation Naval Exercise At Sea Begins In Andaman
The first-ever multi-nation naval exercise at sea, MILES-18, began at the Andaman sea. 11 naval ships of 8 countries and nine Indian ships are participating in the three-day exercise.
4.Govt Makes Passport Mandatory For Bank Loans Of Rs. 50 Crore & Above
The government has made providing passport details mandatory for taking loans of 50 crore rupees and above.
5.I- Metros’ -An Association Of All Indian Metro Rail Companies Launched By Cabinet Secretary
The Union Housing Ministry has launched ‘I-Metros’, an association of all-India metro rail companies, which will act as a forum of exchange of ideas and innovations.
6.PM Modi, French President Macron Jointly Inaugurate Solar Power Plant At Mirzapur In UP
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visiting French President Emmanuel Macron jointly inaugurated 101-megawatt solar power plant at Dadar Kala village in Mirzapur district of Uttar Pradesh. The largest solar projects in the country has been set up by French company ENGIE.
7.Rajasthan Passes Bill To Award Death Penalty For Those Who Rape Girls Under 12 Years Of Age
Rajasthan assembly has passed an amendment bill awarding death penalty for convicts involved in the rape of girls below 12 years of age.
Capital of Rajasthan- Jaipur CM of Rajasthan- Vasundhara Raje
Governor of Rajasthan- Kalyan Singh
8.PM Launches Campaign To Eradicate TB By 2025
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched a campaign to eradicate tuberculosis (TB) from India by 2025.
9.Centre Forms Tribunal To Solve Mahanadi Water Dispute Between Odisha & Chhattisgarh
The Centre has constituted a three-member Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal to solve the dispute between Odisha and Chhattisgarh over sharing the river’s water. Supreme Court Judge AM Khanwilkar will be the Chairman of the tribunal.
10.Home Minister Rajnath Singh Inaugurates Asia-Pacific Regional Conference Of IACP
Home Minister Rajnath Singh has inaugurated the two-day Asia-Pacific Regional Conference of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) in New Delhi.
11.CCEA Approves Continuation of Ongoing Urea Subsidy Scheme
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the proposal of Department of Fertilizers to continue Urea Subsidy Scheme upto 2019-20 at a total estimated cost of Rs. 1,64,935 crore and for disbursement of fertilizer subsidy. This decision implies that there will be no increase in price of urea, till 2020.
12.IATA Partners with Civil Aviation Ministry in India
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has signed an MoU with the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the National Aviation University to enhance human resource availability in India’s aviation industry.
13. India, Madagascar Sign Umbrella Agreement in Defence Sector
India and Madagascar have signed an umbrella agreement in the field of defence.
14.NCRB Launches ‘Citizen Services’ Mobile App
The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) launched a mobile app called ‘Citizen Services’.
15.PM Inaugurates 105th Indian Science Congress in Imphal
PM Modi inaugurated the 105th Indian Science Congress in Imphal, Manipur. The theme for ISC 2018 is ‘reaching the unreached through science and technology’.
16.Annual Krishi Unnati Mela Begins in New Delhi
The three-day annual Krishi Unnati Mela has begun in New Delhi.
17.Andhra Pradesh Stands at 51st Position in Global Multidimensional Poverty Index
Andhra Pradesh stands at equivalent to 51st rank globally in Multidimensional Poverty Index (2017).Andhra Pradesh becomes the first Indian state to conduct an exclusive household survey at state and district level to estimate the multidimensional poverty of the state.
18.NITI Aayog Released SATH-E Roadmaps
NITI Aayog released comprehensive roadmaps and detailed timelines for its initiative ‘Sustainable Action for Transforming Human Capital in Education (SATH-E)’ project.
- NITI-National Institution for Transforming India.
- NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman- Rajiv Kumar, CEO- Amitabh Kant.
19.Lok Sabha Passes Gratuity Amendment Bill
Lok Sabha has passed gratuity amendment bill. The Payment of Gratuity (Amendment) Bill, 2017 aims at increasing the upper ceiling of the gratuity from the present 10 lakh rupees to 20 lakh rupees for employees in the private sector and in Public Sector Undertakings at par with Central Government employees
20.LaQshya Program Launched to Improve Quality of Maternity Care
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched ‘LaQshya program’ aimed at improving quality of maternity care in labour room and maternity Operation Theatre (OT).
JP Nadda is the present Union Health and Family Welfare Minister of India
International News
1.President Xi Jinping Becomes China’s Leader For Life As Parliament Abolishes Presidential Term-Limit
China’s Parliament has abolished the decades-old two-term limit for the President, allowing Xi Jinping to remain as the country’s leader for life.
2.Maldives Parliament Approved Anti-Defection Bill
The Maldives Parliament has approved the anti-defection bill.
3.Bidya Devi Bhandari Re-Elected As Nepal President
Nepal’s first woman President Bidya Devi Bhandari was re-elected for a second term.
- Prime Minister of Nepal- Khadga Prasad Oli
- The currency of Nepal- Nepalese rupee
- Kathmandu is the capital city of Nepal
4.Gina Haspel Appointed CIA’s First Female Director
Gina Haspel, the newly nominated first-ever female director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
5.World Happiness Report 2018: India Ranks 133rd, Finland Tops
Burundi in East Africa is the unhappiest place in the world. India ranks 133rd in the report.
Top 3 countries in the list are-
- Finland,
- Norway,
- Denmark,
6.President of India Inaugurates World Hindi Secretariat in Mauritius
President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated World Hindi Secretariat in Mauritius capital, Port Louis
7.World Consumer Rights Day- 15 March
World Consumer Rights Day is celebrated globally on 15th March.
Theme for this year’s WCRD 2018 is ‘Making Digital Marketplaces Fairer’.
8.Angela Merkel Elected to 4th Term as German Chancellor
Germany’s Parliament elected Angela Merkel for her fourth term as chancellor.
9.WHO Member-Countries Commit to End TB by 2030
Member-countries of the World Health Organisation (WHO) South-East Asia Region, including India, committed to intensifying efforts to eradicate tuberculosis by 2030.
10.Xi Jinping Re-Elected China President, Wang Vice President
Xi Jinping was re-elected as President.Wang Qishan has been elected as the new Vice President of China.
11.WEF Energy Transition Index 2018: India Ranks 78th, Sweden Tops
India has been ranked at 78th among 114 countries on the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) energy transition index. The list was topped by Sweden.
The Top 3 Countries in the List are-
- Sweden,
- Norway
- Switzerland
Economy/Banking/Finance News
1.ICICI Bank Launches Online Overdraft Facility For MSME Customers
ICICI Bank has launched instant overdraft ‘InstaOD’ facility for MSME (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) customers in a completely online and paperless manner. Customers can get overdraft facility up to Rs 15 lakh for a year anytime, anywhere using the bank’s Internet and mobile banking app.
2.SBI Reduces Charges On Non-Maintenance Of Minimum Balance
The country’s largest lender, SBI has slashed charges for non-maintenance of Average Monthly Balance (AMB) in savings accounts by nearly 75 percent.
3.World Bank Projects India’s GDP Growth at 7.3% for 2018-19
The World Bank has projected India’s GDP growth at 7.3% for 2018-19 and accelerates further to 7.5% in 2019-20.
4.GST, 2nd Highest Tax Rate in World: World Bank Report
According to the World Bank Report, The goods and services tax (GST) is one of the most complex with the second highest tax rate in the world.
- Jim Yong Kim is the 12th President of the World Bank Group.
- World Bank Headquarters in Washington DC, USA.
5.Muthoot Finance Ties Up With Global IME Bank
Muthoot Finance, the flagship company of Muthoot Group has tied up with Global IME Bank to expand its money remittance services between Indo Nepal Corridor. Muthoot Finance is the only NBFC to extend the money transfer services from India to Nepal.
6.India and ADB Signed $120 Million Loan to Improve Rail Infrastructure
India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a $120 million loan agreement for completion of works for double-tracking and electrification of railways tracks.
7.SEBI Raises Currency Derivative Trade Limit to $100 Million
Capital markets regulator SEBI raised the exposure limit under exchange-traded currency derivatives trading for residents and FPIs to USD 100 million across all currency pairs involving the Indian rupee.
- SEBI- Securities and Exchange Board of India.
SEBI Chairman- Ajay Tyagi, Headquarters- Mumbai
Sports
1.Australia Beat England To Lift 27th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup
World champions Australia have lifted the coveted Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey title. In the final at Ipoh, Malaysia, they beat defending champions England by a narrow 2-1 margin.
2.Deepa Malik Becomes Asian Rank 1 in Javelin F-53 Category
Indian para-athlete Deepa Malik won a gold medal in the F-53/54 category javelin event at the World Para Athletics Grand Prix in Dubai.
3.Nepal Cricket Team Gains ODI Status
Nepal cricket team get One-day International status.
Awards
1.ICMR Wins 2017 Kochon Prize for TB Research
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) was awarded the International Kochon Prize 2017 for encouraging research and development (R&D) efforts towards tuberculosis treatment.
2.Jackie Shroff’s ‘Shunyata‘ Wins International Award in US
Actor Jackie Shroff’s short film ‘Shunyata‘ has won an award at Best of India Short Film Festival in Los Angeles, US. The 22-minute fiction film directed by Chintan Sarda
3.Indian Film ‘Halkaa‘ Bags Award at Montreal Fest
Indian filmmaker Nila Madhab Panda’s “Halkaa“, which had its world premiere at the 21st Festival International du Film Pour Enfants de Montreal Film (FIFEM), has bagged the Grand Prix de Montreal at the gala
Obituaries
1.Scientist Stephen Hawking Has Died Aged 76
Stephen Hawking, the brightest star in the firmament of science, whose insights shaped modern cosmology and inspired global audiences in the millions, has died at the age of 76.
2.Actor Narendra Jha Passes Away At 55 After Heart Attack
Hindi film actor Narendra Jha, seen in films like Haider and Raees, died due to a heart attack. He was 55.
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