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INDIAN AFFAIRS
Highlights of Maharashtra Budget 2018 – 2019
On March 9, 2018, Maharashtra Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar presented the state budget for 2018-19 in legislative assembly while Minister of State for Finance, Deepak Kesarkar presented the budget in legislative council. This was the fourth budget of the incumbent BJP-led government under Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
i. Maharashtra Budget 2018-19 focused on farmers and youth.For fiscal 2018-19, revenue deficit is estimated at Rs. 15375 crore.
ii. Rs. 13385 crore budget has been allocated for home department, out of which, Rs. 165 crore will be used for state-wide CCTV surveillance network.13000 gram panchayats will be connected digitally under the Centre’s BharatNet project……………………………Click here to Read more
India’s tallest tricolour hoisted in Belagavi, Karnataka
India’s tallest tricolour was hoisted in Belagavi, Karnataka on March 12, 2018.
i. The flag hoisted in Belagavi is 110m high from the base plate to the top while its size is 120X80 ft.
ii. The flag was hoisted by Belagavi District in-charge Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi.
iii. It weighs 500 kg and was hoisted through an electro mechanic operating system.
iv. Before hoisting of the tallest flag at Belagavi, 107 metre tall tricolour flown in Pune was the highest, followed by 105 metre tall tricolour at Attari-Wagah border.
v. To have the tallest tricolour in Balagavi was the dream project of Belagavi (North) Congress MLA Feroz Sait.
Bengal tops in rural job scheme, T.N. is second
According to data provided by the Minister of State for Rural Development, Ram Kripal Yadav in Rajya Sabha, West Bengal is the best performing State in terms of allotting jobs and utilising funds under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
Performance of States under MGNREGA Scheme:
i. For 2017-18, West Bengal has so far spent more than Rs. 7335.31 crore and has generated more than 28.21 crore work days under MGNREGA.
ii. West Bengal is followed by Tamil Nadu (TN) which has spent Rs. 5981.75 crore and has generated 22.17 crore work days during 2017-18, so far.
iii. Goa ranked at the bottom, with spending Rs. 2.47 crore and generating just 94000 work days under the scheme.
Quick Facts about Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA):
♦ Earlier name – National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005
♦ Launched in – 2006
♦ Administered by – Union Ministry of Rural Development
Banlotwa becomes first alcohol-free village in Ranchi district
Banlotwa has become the first ‘alcohol-free’ village in Ranchi district of Jharkhand.
i. Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das lauded the residents of the village for achieving this feat and has given Rs 1 lakh cash to the village head of Banlotwa.
ii. It is to be noted that, two years ago, Raghubar Das had announced that any village becoming alcohol-free would be given Rs. 1 lakh for its development.
iii. Mr. Das stated that people of Banlotwa have joined hands to make the village ‘nasa mukt’ (alcohol-free). Even Jharkhand state government wants to ensure greater participation of the people in bringing about change and development.
Quick Facts about Jharkhand:
♦ Capital – Ranchi
♦ Current Governor – Draupadi Murmu
♦ Current Chief Minister – Raghubar Das
♦ Important Wildlife Sanctuary – Hazaribag Wildlife Sanctuary
Multilateral HADR Air Force exercise “Samvedna” begins off Kerala Coast
Multilateral Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Air Force exercise, ‘Samvedna’ began off the coast of Kerala on March 12, 2018.
Details about Multilateral HADR Air Force exercise “Samvedna”:
i. In Hindi, Samvedna means ‘Empathy’. The exercise will focus on practising Air Force-centric HADR solutions in a Multi-national cooperative Disaster Management environment.
ii. ’Samvedna’ is being conducted by Indian Air Force (IAF) in association with South Asian Region nations.
iii. Representatives from air forces of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are participating in this exercise.
iv. It will thus establish synergy among Air Forces of participating countries in jointly carrying out HADR activities in wake of natural calamities.
v. The exercise will be conducted as response to a mock situation of a tsunami hitting the western coast of India. The participating air forces will coordinate with each other in post-tsunami disaster management along the western coast and western islands of India.
vi. The exercise will conclude on March 17, 2018.
Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma presents State’s First E-Budget
On March 12, 2018, Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma presented state’s first e-Budget at the legislative Assembly.
i. Each legislator of Assam State Legislative Assembly was provided with a tablet (computer) having details of the Budget.
ii. During the discussions in the house, the legislators were able to access the details through this tablet.
iii. In order to truly make it an E-Budget, the reporters covering the state budget were given a pen drive containing the details.
iv. Besides, Assam State Budget 2018-19 has also been made available on Google app.
First edition of ‘Soldierathon’ organised at Nehru stadium
On March 11, 2018, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of State for External Affairs General VK Singh and cricketer Gautam Gambhir attended the first edition of ‘Soldierathon’ in New Delhi.
About ‘Soldierathon’ in New Delhi:
i. ‘Soldierathon’ is a special marathon aimed at raising funds for welfare of Indian soldiers and their families.
ii. Over 6000 individuals participated in this marathon. Cricketer Mohammad Kaif and Actor Varun Sood also witnessed this marathon.
iii. The marathon began from Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi. Participation was open in four categories viz. 10km, 5km, 3km and wheelchair.
iv. Funds raised during this event will be donated to Indian Army’s Artificial Limb Centre (ALC) and for the education of martyrs’ children.
Facts about Indian Army’s Artificial Limb Centre (ALC):
♦ Established in – 1944
♦ Located in – Pune
♦ Objective – to provide artificial limb, appliances and to deliver rehabilitative care to soldiers of Indian Army who lost their limbs in combat.
India’s first coastal policing academy set up in Gujarat
The National Academy of Coastal Policing (NACP), India’s first coastal policing academy, has been set up in Okha, in Devbhoomi Dwarka district of Gujarat.
i. This is said to be the first-of-its-kind institution in India. It will be run by a multi-agency team of paramilitary and defence forces.
ii. This academy aims to sharpen the skills of marine forces of various Indian states that have coastal lines.
iii. The Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD) will pilot the setting up of NACP. The Border Security Force (BSF) will ensure security of the campus.
iv. The navy and the Coast Guard will help in developing the training curriculum, providing skilled trainers and access to jetties and boats for the academy.
v. Faculty from the Navy, Coast Guard and the BSF, will train police personnel and staff of other security agencies.
vi. Training will be provided on maritime laws, seamanship, boat work, navigation, weapons handling, usage of sea guidance and surveillance gadgets and survival skills for long haul operations on the sea etc.
vii. The academy will be operated temporarily at the fisheries department campus in Okha for nearly 3 years. Later, a new permanent campus will be set up in Devbhoomi Dwarka district.
viii. 24 quarters of the fisheries department will be utilised to run the academy initially. The home ministry has allocated funds for Rs 1 crore to take over these assets.
ix. The National Academy of Coastal Policing (NACP) will start functioning from April 2018.
About Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD):
♦ Headquarters – New Delhi
♦ Director General – Dr. A.P. Maheshwari
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
World Ocean Summit 2018 held in Mexico
On 7th to 9th March 2018, the World Ocean Summit 2018 was held in Riviera Maya, Mexico.
i. This was the fifth World Ocean Summit. It was hosted by the Economist Group.
ii. Over 360 leaders from government, industry, multilateral organisations, scientific community and civil society all over the world took part in the World Ocean Summit 2018.
iii. Problems related to the world’s seas and solutions to protect ocean resources were discussed in the summit.
About the Economist Group:
♦ Established – 1843
♦ Group chief executive – Chris Stibbs
India placed 33rd worldwide in web-borne threats: Kaspersky
As per cybersecurity and anti-virus provider, Kaspersky Labs, India ranks 33rd worldwide on the list of countries facing web-borne threats.
Web-borne threats in India:
i. This revelation was done by Kaspersky Lab at the recent Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) Summit in Mumbai, through a presentation on the threat management and defense landscape in India.
ii. CISO added that India secured 37th place worldwide in attacks by local threats and 13th in incidents with malicious hosts located within the country.
iii. As per the data, 27.4 percent Indian users were affected by web-borne threats, while 62.7 percent users were attacked by local threats.
Quick Facts about Kaspersky Lab:
♦ Founded in – 1997
♦ Headquarters – Moscow, Russia
Bolivia unfurls ‘world’s biggest flag’
On 10th March 2018, Bolivia unveiled its 200 km long flag, which it claims to be the world’s biggest flag.
i. The flag extends between the cities La Paz and Oruro. It is made of blue cloth and features Bolivian national symbols. Its width is three meters.
ii. Bolivian people held the flag as a sign of support for Bolivia’s claim for access to the Pacific coast.
iii. Bolivia demands access to the Pacific Ocean, which it lost to Chile in a war in the 19th century.
iv. Bolivia will present its case demanding access to Chile’s Pacific coast at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on 19th March 2018.
About International Court of Justice (ICJ):
♦ Headquarters – The Hague, Netherlands
♦ President – Judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf
BANKING & FINANCE
DCB Bank launches online service to send money globally
DCB Bank has launched “DCB Remit”, a remittance service to enable customers to send money online globally.
DCB Remit:
i. Using DCB Remit, any resident Indian can register online and send money to 20 countries such as the US, Canada, Australia, the UK, the UAE and Germany.
ii. Once the exchange rate of money is fixed, customer can transfer money from any account to DCB Bank account. This in turn can be transferred to the beneficiary account present in another country on or within the next business day.
iii. DCB Remit has been introduced in collaboration with Avenues Payments. Avenues Payments specialises in providing cross border payments.
About DCB Bank:
♦ Headquarters – Mumbai
♦ MD & CEO – Murali M. Natrajan
APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNS
Anjani Kumar appointed as Commissioner of Police, Hyderabad
Anjani Kumar has been made the new Commissioner of Police, Hyderabad.
i. Anjani Kumar is an IPS officer of 1990 batch. He has been appointed the new Commissioner of Police, Hyderabad, as part of a major reshuffle of senior police officers in Telangana.
ii. Kumar was the Additional DGP (Law & Order). The post of Hyderabad Police Commissioner was vacant for the past 4 months.
iii. Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and Order), V.V. Srinivasa Rao was in-charge of the post during those 4 months.
iv. V.V. Srinivasa Rao has been made the Chairman of Telangana State Level Police Recruitment Board.
Some museums in Telangana:
♦ Alampur Museum
♦ Heritage Jail Museum
♦ Warangal Museum
SPORTS
India top medal tally at ISSF Shooting World Cup 2018, Mexico
International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup was held in Guadalajara, Mexico from 1st to 12th March, 2018.India topped the medal tally at ISSF Shooting World Cup by winning four gold, one silver and three bronze.
i. Shahzar Rizvi, Manu Bhaker, Akhil Sheoran and Om Prakash Mitharval won the gold medals for India.
ii. Anjum Moudgil bagged a silver while Jitu Rai, Ravi Kumar and Mehuli Ghosh finished with bronze………………………………...Click here to Read more
Bishworjit Singh, Samira Abraham clinch gold medals at National Triathlon Championship
On 11th March 2018, Bishworjit Singh and Samira Abraham won gold medals in the men’s and women’s categories of the senior National triathlon championship held in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
Men’s Category:
i. Winner: Bishworjit Singh of the Services Sports Control Board (SSCB) finished the triathlon event in 2 hrs, 09 min and 46 sec and won gold medal in men’s category. The triathlon event consisted of 1.5 km of swimming, 40 km of cycling and 10 km of the run.
ii. KSH Minachandra of SSCB won silver medal and L Mahesh from Manipur won bronze medal in the men’s category.
Women’s category:
iii. Samira Abraham of Goa finished with a timing of 2 hrs 30 min and 04 seconds and won gold medal in the women’s category.
iv. Pragna Mohan from Gujarat won the silver medal and Monika Nagpure from Gujarat won the bronze medal in the women’s category.
Some temples in Andhra Pradesh:
♦ Venkateswara Temple – Tirupati
♦ Sri Bhramaramba Mallikarjuna Temple – Srisailam
Asian Champ Navjot Kaur climbs to No 2 in United World Wrestling rankings
Navjot Kaur has become world No 2 in the women’s 65kg category in the latest rankings released by the United World Wrestling.
Navjot Kaur climbs to No 2 in United World Wrestling rankings:
Women’s 65kg category:
i. India’s Navjot Kaur recently became the first Indian woman to win a gold medal at the Asian Championship in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
ii. The first position in 65kg category is occupied by Petra Olli of Finland. However, Navjot Kaur and Petra Olli both have 18 points.
Women’s 50kg category:
i. India’s, Vinesh Phogat has secured second rank in the 50kg category with 22 points. The first place in this category is bagged by Lei Chun of China with 24 points.
Other Indian women on the ranking:
i. India’s Sangeeta Phogat has secured 5th rank in the 59kg category with 18 points.
ii. India’s Sakshi Malik has bagged 4th rank in the 62kg category with 18 points.
Men’s freestyle section:
i. India’s Sharvan has ranked 8th in the 61kg and Bajrang Punia has ranked 4th with 22 points in the 65kg category.
Men’s Greco-Roman category:
i. India’s Rajender Kumar has ranked number 4 in the 55kg category, Vikram Kurade has ranked number 8 in the 63kg category.
ii. India’s Manish has ranked 8th in the 67kg category, Kuldeep Malik has ranked number 5 in the 72kg category, Harpreet Singh has ranked number 4 in the 82kg category and Naveen has ranked 8th in the 130kg category.
About Wrestling Federation of India:
♦ President – Brijbhushan Sharan Singh
♦ Location – New Delhi
OBITUARY
Legendary comedian Ken Dodd passes away
On 11th March 2018, comedian Ken Dodd died after suffering from chest infection, at his residence in the Liverpool suburb of Knotty Ash, England.
i. Ken Dodd was 90 years old. He was well known for his very long stand-up shows.
ii. Also, he was a popular singer. His popular works are “Happiness” and “Tears”. He had recently returned from hospital after receiving treatment for chest infection and had married Anne Jones.
Some major sea ports of India:
♦ Kandla Port – Gujarat
♦ Nhava Sheva – Maharashtra
♦ Mumbai Port – Maharashtra
IMPORTANT DAYS
NCRB celebrates its 33rd Inception Day & releases “Citizen Services” Mobile App
On 11th March 2018, National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) celebrated its 33rd Inception Day at Mahipalpur, New Delhi.
NCRB celebrates its 33rd Inception Day & releases “Citizen Services” Mobile App:
i.Rajiv Jain, Director of Intelligence Bureau (IB) was the Chief Guest of the event. He launched a Mobile App called “Citizen Services”.
ii. This app was developed by NCRB. This app is a collection of various essential police related services to citizens.
iii. Citizens can use this app for Complaint Registration & Status Check, View FIR Detail, SOS – Stay Safe, Locate Police Stations, Vahan-Samanvay, Emergency Contact List, Police Stations Telephone Directory etc.
iv. An exhibition featuring various in-house developed applications by NCRB was also organized at the event.
v. 19 NCRB officers were honoured for their sincerity and dedication. Cultural Programmes and other events were organised on this occasion.
About National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB):
♦ Purpose – Nodal Agency for authentic source of Data on crime, accidents, suicides, and prisons for policy matters and research
♦ Director – Ish Kumar
Less Traffic Day observed in Bengaluru
On 11th March 2018, Less Traffic Day was observed in Bengaluru.
i. Less Traffic Day was observed in Bengaluru for the second time on 11th March 2018. The first Less Traffic Day was observed on 11thFebruary 2018.
ii. The Less Traffic Day was planned by Karnataka Transport Minister HM Revanna. This has been initiated to reduce air pollution and traffic congestion.
iii. Citizens are expected to voluntarily prefer public transport or cycles or walk.
iv. On the second Less Traffic Day, the BMTC (Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation) had arranged additional public transport services in heavily populated areas.
v. Also, daily passes for buses were provided at a discounted rate to encourage people to use public transport.
Some temples in Karnataka:
♦ Iskcon Temple – Bengaluru
♦ Sri Chennakesava Temple – Hassan
