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INDIAN AFFAIRS
Union Home Minister lays foundation for several development projects in Diu
On April 21, 2018, Union Home Minister, Rajnath Singh laid foundation for various development projects in Union Territory, Diu.
Development Projects in Diu:
i. Mr. Rajnath Singh laid foundation for Construction of a pile jetty in Vanakbara village at a cost of Rs.3.77 crores, first phase of sewerage network, including a common sewage treatment plant, in Diu costing Rs.20.70 crores, building of an Annexe Circuit House at a cost of Rs. 20.60 crores and New school buildings at Kamleshwar, Zampa and Ghoghla.
ii. In context of this news, it is important to note that Diu has been selected for Central Government’s Smart Cities Mission.
iii. A total of Rs. 1400 crore would be spent on developmental projects under this programme.
Quick Facts about Diu:
♦ Population – 21576 (as per Census 2011)
♦ Area – 40 Sq. Km
♦ Taken back from Portuguese possession in – 1961
G20 Ministers and Central Bank Governors agree to aim for economic growth by promoting trade
Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors from G20, (the Group of 20 economies) have agreed to aim for economic growth by promoting trade.
Highlights of G20 Spring Meeting:
i. Agreement in this regard was arrived at the G20 Spring Meeting held in Washington D.C., US on 19th and 20th April, 2018.
ii. The meeting was chaired by Argentina’s Treasury Minister Nicolas Dujovne.
iii. During the course of this meeting, the participants expressed concerns over protectionist international trade policies and a further escalation of US-China trade war, which could slow down the global economy.
Quick Facts about G20 (Group of Twenty):
♦ Founded in – 1999
♦ Purpose – Forum to deliberate upon key issues affecting the global economy
♦ Members Countries: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, and the European Union
SJVN signs MoU with Ministry of Power to achieve 9200 Million Units in FY 2018-19
SJVN Limited, the operator of one of the largest Hydro Power Plants in India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Union Ministry of Power for the year 2018-19.
Details about SJVN Limited – Union Ministry of Power MoU:
i. SJVN Ltd. is a Mini Ratna public sector undertaking under administrative control of Union Power Ministry.
ii. As per the terms of the MoU, SJVN shall strive to achieve 9200 Million Units generation during 2018-19. In FY 2017-18, it generated 9280 Million Units against the target of 8950 Million Units.
iii. SJVN’s Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) target for 2018-19 has been set at Rs. 900 crore.
iv. Having four projects with capacity of 1610 MW under construction and another four projects with capacity of 2155 MW under various stages of clearances, SJVN envisages being a 5700 MW+ generating company in near future.
Quick Facts about SJVN Limited:
♦ Incorporated in – 1988
♦ Registered Office – Shimla, Himachal Pradesh
♦ Joint Venture between – Government of India and Government of Himachal Pradesh
Uttarakhand CM launches campaign to connect with youngsters
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat launched a campaign called “Devbhoomi dialogue”, calling upon youth to look for self-employment opportunities in their chosen fields.
“Devbhoomi dialogue”, Uttarakhand:
i. Seeking valuable suggestions from Youth, Mr. Rawat stated that a search for self-employment opportunities can to help check the perennial problem of migration from the remote hill areas.
ii. He added that, suggestions made by the youth under this programme will be included in the policies to be framed by Uttarakhand State Government in future.
iii. Uttarakhand State Government had successfully conducted a similar feedback oriented programme called ‘Apki Rai, Apka Budget’ to seek suggestions from public before introducing State’s annual budget in March 2018.
Quick Facts about Uttarakhand:
♦ Capital – Dehradun
♦ Current Chief Minister – Trivendra Singh Rawat
♦ Current Governor – Krishan Kant Paul
♦ Important National Park – Jim Corbett National Park
Yogi’s FB page most popular among Indian CMs
As per rankings released by Facebook on April 19, 2018, Facebook (FB) page of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is the most popular among all other chief ministers of India.
Popularity of Facebook Pages:
i. On April 19, 2018, social media platform, Facebook released data of top ranked Facebook pages of government bodies, ministries and political parties in India.
ii. Popularity of the pages is based on total interactions which includes total reactions, shares and comments on the page for the period from January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2017.
iii. With 42 million likes, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the most popular Lok Sabha member while legendary cricketer, Sachin Tendulkar is the most popular Rajya Sabha member with over 28 million likes.
iv. Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) Facebook page has been adjudged as the most active, followed by Aam Aadmi Party at second place and Congress at third position.
PM Modi award for Manipur’s Karang – India’s first cashless island of the country
On April 22,2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi honoured officials for making Manipur’s Karang the first cashless island of the country, and implementing the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and other priority initiatives of the Centre.
Karang – first cashless island of the country
i. Karang island, a remote and backward region. It was separated from the Bishnupur district. Incentives were provided for training towards digital payments and five POS machines were installed on the island.
ii. Self-help groups and youth clubs were roped in for community mobilization and parallel activities were conducted on the island for Aadhaar enrolment and opening of bank accounts.
iii. An online channel was launched to make people aware about digital payments. Due to this effort, 92 per cent of the bank accounts were linked with mobile and 70 per cent of them were linked with Aadhaar.
Other honours/awards
i. Modi awarded civil servants for smooth implementation of four priority programmes — Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban and Rural), Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana, and for promoting digital payments.
ii. Banka district administration in Bihar – for reinventing education using technology.
iii. Assam’s Dhemaji and Telangana’s Karimnagar – best implementation of ‘Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushal Yojana’.
iv. Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra and Madhya Pradesh’s Neemuch – implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Gramin) aimed at providing pucca houses with basic amenities to all homeless people.
Digambarpur of West Bengal: India’s best Gram Panchayat
The central government has declared Digambarpur gram panchayat of West Bengal in South 24 Parganas district as the best panchayat in the country.
i. State Panchayat Minister Subrata Mukherjee. There are 2.5 lakhs gram panchayats in the country, the central government had selected 1000 and “Digambarpur under Pathar Pratima block has came out the best among those 1000 gram panchayats.
ii. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjeereminded that state was topped in job creation under the NREGA project. West Bengal has not only topped in rural employment generation, but also been able to reduce the unemployment rate by 40 per cent.
iii. On the basis of seven factors of work include the system of planning, quality of planning, different activities and level of coordination, implementation of the plan and its proper monitoring, use of Information Technology and documentation the ranking of the Gram Panchayats have been selected.
iv. Gram Panchayats in districts including Purulia, Birbhum and Burdwan have also been awarded special prizes for certain achievements.
About West Bengal
♦ Capital – Kolkata
♦ Governor – Keshari Nath Tripathi
♦ Chief Minister – Mamata Banerjee
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
PM Modi’s Visit to Germany
On April 20, 2018, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Germany after wrapping up his visit to the United Kingdom where he attended the 25th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) and held bilateral meeting with British PM Theresa May.
Highlights of PM Modi’s Visit to Germany:
i. On April 20, 2018, Indian PM Narendra Modi met German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin and discussed multiple aspects relating to bilateral cooperation as well as other global issues.
ii. This was the first meeting between PM Modi and Angela Merkel since Merkel began her fourth term as German chancellor in March 2018.
iii. Germany is India’s largest trade partner in the European Union. In 2016-17, the bilateral trade between India and Germany stood at USD 18.76 billion.
Quick Facts about Germany:
♦ Capital – Berlin
♦ Currency – Euro
♦ Current Chancellor – Angela Merkel
♦ Important Cities – Hamburg, Munich, Frankfurt,
G-20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) Meeting held in Washington D.C.
On 19th and 20th April 2018 , Shri Subhash Chandra Garg, Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Ministry of Finance, Government of India led the Indian Delegation to the G-20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) Meeting held in Washington D.C.
i. The Main schema of the Meeting was to discuss prospects and vulnerabilities of global economy, harnessing future of work for inclusive growth and take stock of progress made under G20 Compact with Africa Initiative.
ii. Secretary Shri Garg highlighted that the digital age technologies have profound implications for policies concerning every aspects of the economy. It also has enormous implications for emerging markets and developing countries.
iii. India has started adopting policies and programmes for transforming systems of delivery of services using digital technologies and connecting every Indian with digital technologies and access through Adhaar .
iv. The Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Shri Garg is currently on an official tour to Washington D.C. to attend the Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank and other associated meetings. He is accompanied by Mr. Urjit Patel, Governor, RBI and other senior officials.
North Korea halts all nuclear tests and missile launches as Trump hails ‘big progress’
North Korea halts missile and nuclear tests, a pledge made by leader Kim Jong-un ahead of a meeting with Donald Trump. All other countries have welcomed this decision.
i. North Korea has conducted all six of its nuclear tests at Punggye-ri test site in the country’s north-east. It tested its first nuclear weapon in 2006, while its last and most powerful test came last September 2017.
ii. South Korea’s presidential office welcomed the announcement as “meaningful progress” towards denuclearisation. “It will create a very positive environment for the success of the upcoming inter-Korean and North-US summits.
iii. The two countries are due to hold a summit on the southern side of the demilitarised zone.The meeting is to be followed in May or June by a meeting between Kim and Trump.
BANKING & FINANCE
PNB impounds passports of wilful defaulters
India’s second largest public sector bank, Punjab National Bank (PNB) has stated that Union Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has confiscated passports of 150 wilful defaulters based on its complaints.
Loan Recovery efforts made by PNB:
i. In addition to impounding the passports, PNB has also lodged 37 FIRs against those who are not repaying loans.
ii. In March 2018, Union Finance Ministry asked banks to obtain passport details of those who have borrowed more than Rs 50 crore and ensure swift action in case of fraud in order to prevent them from fleeing the country.
iii. In wake of Rs 14000-crore fraud by diamond traders Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi, PNB has become proactive in recovery of loans to improve its financial position.
iv. The bank has already declared 1084 wilful defaulters and published photos of 260 such defaulters in newspapers as part of its recovery drive.
v. PNB has claimed to leverage data analytics for loan recovery and risk management, and has also tied up with a leading credit agency.
Quick Facts about PNB:
♦ Founded in – 1894
♦ Headquarters – New Delhi
♦ Current MD & CEO – Sunil Mehta
♦ Tagline – ‘The name you can bank upon’
IOB inks information utility pact with NeSL
On April 20, 2018, Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) entered into an agreement with National e-Governance Services Limited (NeSL) for utilizing its Information Utility Services envisaged under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016.
More Details about IOB-NeSL tie-up:
i. State-owned NeSL is the first Information Utility entity registered with the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) under the aegis of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016.
ii. Information utility is an information network which procures and stores financial data like borrowings, default and security interests of various entities. It enables lenders in making decisions on credit transactions.
iii. Owing to this agreement, IOB branches will now be able to provide authenticated information about debts and defaults, thereby enhancing transparency in maintaining the list of borrowers, debtors, creditors and loan defaulters.
Quick Facts about IOB:
♦ Founded in – 1937
♦ Headquarters – Chennai, Tamil Nadu
♦ Current MD & CEO – R. Subramania Kumar
♦ Tagline – ‘Good People to Grow With’
RBI makes Aadhaar key to KYC compliance
On April 20, 2018, Reserve Bank of India amended its ‘know your customer’ (KYC) guidelines, making Aadhaar mandatory for conducting customer due diligence by banks and finance companies.
RBI updates master direction on KYC (Know Your Customer) norms:
i. As per the circular, for the purpose of doing customer due diligence, all RBI regulated entities must obtain Aadhaar number, PAN or Form No. 60 from an individual who is eligible for enrolment of Aadhaar. As every citizen is eligible for Aadhaar, the rule will apply to all Indians.
ii. The mandatory Aadhaar norm will not apply to residents of Jammu and Kashmir, Assam and Meghalaya.
iii. In addition to this, RBI has also done away with sections relating to the use of other “officially valid documents” by banks and financial institutions for address and identity proof.
iv. However, any change in norms, will be subject to a final decision by the Supreme Court on matters related to Aadhaar.
India’s growth expected to expand at 7.4 % in 2017-18: RBI Governor Urjit Patel
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Urjit Patel has stated that India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is expected to grow at 7.4% in 2018-19.
RBI Governor Urjit Patel’s Outlook on Indian Economy:
i. Mr. Patel gave this statement while addressing the International Monetary Finance Committee in Washington D.C, US on April 21, 2018.
ii. He stated that global demand has been improving, which should encourage exports and boost fresh investments in 2018-19.
iii. According to Mr. Urjit Patel, Gross fiscal deficit (GFD) of the Central Government is budgeted at 3.3 per cent in 2018-19.
iv. He outlined that although GDP growth in 2017-18 moderated to 6.6 percent as compared to 7.1 percent in 2016-17, there was a strong rebound in the second half of 2017-18 on the back of a turnaround in investment demand.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
TCS inches closer to become first Indian company with $100 bn market cap
On April 20 2018 , TCS moved closer to the USD 100 billion mark in market capitalisation as its share price surged nearly 7 per cent , adding about USD 6.2 billion to its valuation.
i. This has taken its market capitalisation (m-cap) to over Rs 6.50 lakh crore or around $98 billion. With this, the IT major emerges as the first Indian company with a market capitalisation of close to $100 billion.
ii. On NSE, shares of the company surged 6.54 per cent to its one-year high of Rs 3,399.90.The stock was the biggest gainer on both key indices, Sensex and Nifty.
iii. The firm’s market valuation zoomed Rs 37,702.06 crore to Rs 6,45,880.63 crore.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
Winners of the ‘1st Print Biennale India 2018’ given away awards in New Delhi
The awards of Print Biennale India 2018 were given at a function in New Delhi on April 20, 2018.
Print Biennale India 2018 Awards:
i. ‘Print Biennale India 2018’, the first-ever International Exhibition of Graphic Prints was inaugurated in New Delhi on March 25, 2018.
ii. It was hosted by India’s National Academy of Art, the Lalit Kala Akademi.
iii. The exhibition brought together participants from 17 countries such as USA, UK, Sri Lanka, Mexico, China, Sweden, Poland, Argentina, Greece, Bangladesh, and Mauritius.
iv. A total of 1126 entries of 415 artists across the globe (including 364 of Indian artists) were received.
v. Winners of the ‘1st Print Biennale India 2018’: Arup Kumar Kuity (Andhra Pradesh), Satya Narayana Gavara (Andhra Pradesh), Purvi Parmar (Gujrat), Preya Bhagat (Uttar Pradesh) and Sonal Varshneya (Uttar Pradesh).
vi. In addition to above five awards, eight other printmakers were chosen for appreciation mention by the jury of the competition.
IOC President Thomas Bach presents memento to Abhinav Bindra, Vijender Singh
On Apr. 20 2018 , International Olympic Committee(IOC) president Thomas Bach presented a memento to Indian Olympic medallist shooter Abhinav Bindra and boxer Vijender Singh.
i. A dinner was hosted last night in honour of IOC president Bach during his second visit of India. On this occasion Union Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President Narinder Dhruv Batra, Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) President HE Sheikh Ahmad Al Sabah were also present.
ii. On this occasion IOC President presented a memento to Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra and bronze medallist Vijender Singh. During the dinner former Indian Olympians and players were also present.
Boycott shooting from 2022 CWG huge setback for India: Abhinav Bindra
On April 19 2018, Indian Olympics Association President Narinder Batra calls for boycotting the 2022 Commonwealth Games over the absence of shooting from the event’s roster are going a “bit too extreme”.
i. The Birmingham Organising Committee has decided to exclude shooting from the 2022 Games. National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) president Raninder Singh had called for the 2022 Games’ boycott if shooting was not reinstated at the next CWG.
ii. In the recent Gold Coast Common Wealth Games ,India has bagged 16 medals includes seven gold Medals.
iii. Shooting has been played in every edition since Kingston 1966, except once in Edinburgh in 1970 at CWG.
SPORTS
Former Brazil, Inter Milan goalkeeper Julio Cesar retires from football at boyhood club Flamengo
i. Julio Cesar, 38-year-old former Brazil, Inter Milan and Benfica goalkeeper has retired from football after playing a last match for boyhood club Flamengo.
ii. Cesar was a starter for Brazil in two of the last three World Cups.Julio Cesar honoured with five Italian titles and the 2010 Champions League title with Inter, three Portuguese titles with Benfica and the 2004 Copa America with Brazil.
OBITUARY
Avicii, top electronic dance music artist, found dead at 28
i. Swedish DJ Avicii, one of the world’s biggest dance music stars, has died in Oman at the age of 28. Avicii was an international pop star, performing his well-known electronic dance songs around the world
ii. The Grammy-nominated DJ and producer, born Tim Bergling, was best known for “Levels” and “Wake Me Up.”
World’s oldest person dies in Japan at age of 117
On April 22, 2018 The world’s oldest person Nabi Tajima has died in southern Japan at the age of 117. Her town of Kikai is in Kagoshima prefecture on Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan’s four main islands.
i. Tajima was born on August 4, 1900, and reportedly had more than 160 descendants, including great-great-great grandchildren.
ii. She became the world’s oldest person seven months ago after the death of Violet Brown in Jamaica, also at the age of 117.
iii. US-based Gerontology Research Group announce that Japanese woman, Chiyo Yoshida, 116 years old ,is the next world’s oldest person in its records.
BOOKS & AUTHORS
President Receives the First Copy of “Adi Shankaracharya: Hinduism’s Greatest Thinker”
On April 21,2018 The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, received the first copy of the book “Adi Shankaracharya: Hinduism’s Greatest Thinker”, from the author Shri Pavan Varma, at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
i. Adi Shankaracharya was born over 1,200 years ago in Kerala. He was a spiritual leader, a Vedantic philosopher, a monk, a scholar and an explorer. His contributions are continued to be a guide to everyday life.
ii. He established four Peethas – in the north, south, east and west. These Peethas were and are different – and at once they were and are the same. That is the beauty of India.
Nitish Kumar Launches 3 Books On Mahatma Gandhi’s Champaran Movement
On April 22,2018 Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar released three books based on Mahatma Gandhi’s Champaran movement of 1917.
i. Nitish Kumar released the books titled- ‘Mister M K Gandhi Ki Champaran Diary’ written by Arvind Mohan, ‘Champaran Andolan 1917’ edited by Ashutosh Partheshwar and ‘Pir Muhammad Munis: Kalam Ka Satyagrahi’ collected and edited by Srikan.
ii. The Champaran movement is acknowledged as the first Satyagraha movement inspired by Mahatma Gandhi.
iii. Talking about the 1857 rebellion, the chief minister said that a three-day function is being organised from April 23, keeping in mind the important role played by Babu Veer Kuer Singh in the revolt.
IMPORTANT DAYS
World Earth Day – April 22
Earth Day is observed every year on April 22. It was first celebrated in 1970. The founder of Earth Day is Gaylord Nelson, a US senator from Wisconsin. Nelson, who had been witnessed the devastation caused by an enormous oil spill in Santa Barbara, California in 1969.
i. Theme of Earth Day 2018 – ‘End Plastic Pollution’.
It is dedicated to providing the information and inspiration needed to fundamentally change human attitude and behavior about plastics.
ii. The importance of Earth Day is to increase the awareness among common public, especially among youngsters, to get full effect of the campaign of environmental safety.
