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INDIAN AFFAIRS
Andhra CM inaugurates International Yachting Festival
On 29th March 2018, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu inaugurated the International Yachting Festival in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
International Yachting Festival:
i. The International Yachting Festival is held till 1st April 2018. It is conducted by the Andhra Pradesh government.
ii. Visakhapatnam Port Trust (VPT) is providing required support for the festival. Krishnababu, Chairman of VPT, said that, this festival is conducted with an aim to boost sea tourism in Vishakapatnam.
iii. Dignitaries present at the event wore black badges on their shirts as a sign of protest to oppose the Centre’s injustice against Andhra Pradesh.
Some major sea ports in India:
♦ Kandla Port – Gujarat
♦ Nhava Sheva (or) Jawaharlal Nehru Port – Maharashtra
♦ Marmagao port – Goa
Tripura to Set up Crime Wing of State Police
Tripura State Government has decided to set up a well-equipped Crime Wing under the state police to prevent unlawful activities such as drug and narcotics peddling.
Crime Wing under Tripura’s State Police:
i. Tripura’s Law Minister Ratan Lal Nath has stated that the new Crime Wing under Tripura’s State Police will be modelled on lines of Delhi Police’s crime branch.
ii. This decision was take at Tripura State Cabinet’s meeting, held on March 29, 2018.
iii. It is to be noted that curbing crime in the state and restoring the rule of land was one of the promise made in Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) election manifesto.
iv. BJP’s Tripura President, Biplab Kumar Deb took oath as the 10th Chief Minister of Tripura on March 9, 2018.
Quick Facts about Tripura:
♦ Capital – Agartala
♦ Current Chief Minister – Biplab Kumar Deb
♦ Current Governor – Tathagata Roy
♦ Important National Park – Rajbari National Park
India and Pakistan agree to resolve matters related to the treatment of diplomats and diplomatic premises
On 30th March 2018, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) of India said that, India and Pakistan have agreed to resolve all issues regarding treatment of their diplomats placed in the other country through talks.
India and Pakistan agree to resolve matters related to the treatment of diplomats and diplomatic premises:
i. MEA released a statement saying: India and Pakistan have mutually agreed to resolve matters related to the treatment of diplomats and diplomatic premises, in line with the 1992 “Code of Conduct for the treatment of diplomatic/consular personnel in India and Pakistan”.
ii. The conflict started when Pakistani security agencies restricted work on a residential complex being built by India for its officials in Islamabad in February 2018.
iii. India submitted over 15 notes verbale (semi-formal communications) to Pakistan’s Foreign Office on the issue of harassment of officials and their families.
iv. Following this, Pakistan has reported 52 incidents of harassment and intimidation of their diplomats between 7th March and 22nd March 2018.
High Commissioners:
♦ Pakistan’s High Commissioner to India – Sohail Mahmood
♦ India’s High Commissioner to Pakistan – Ajay Bisari
Kerala to host Asia’s largest startup conclave ‘Huddle Kerala’
“Huddle Kerala”, Asia’s largest startup ecosystem congregation, will be held at Kovalam, Kerala, on 6th and 7th April 2018.
Huddle Kerala:
i. Purpose: Huddle Kerala is aimed to create a platform for start-ups to display their products and interact with technology and industry leaders from various parts of the world.
ii. Participation: The event will see participation of 2,000 members including startups, investors, academicians, industry leaders and 40 speakers in 30 sessions.
iii. Sharjah Digital Transformation Higher Committee Chairman Sheikh Fahim Bin Sultan Al Qasimi and Prince Constantijn of Netherlands will also take part in the conclave.
iv. Organised by: It is organised by the Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) along with Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and IAMAI Startup Foundation. The conclave will be inaugurated by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
v. Sponsors: The event is sponsored by Posterscope, a location-based marketing specialist and Zoho Corporation.
v. Main focus: Main focus of the event will be on blockchain, cryptocurrency, internet of things (IoT), gaming and e-sports, cyber security, digital entertainment, augmented reality, virtual reality, e-governance, mobile governance, etc.
vi.Huddle 100 Competition will be conducted as a part of the conclave, which will see participation from 100 companies. Start-ups will display their products at start-up Zone allotted for them.
About Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM):
♦ Purpose – nodal agency of Kerala Government for entrepreneurship development and incubation activities in the State
♦ CEO – Saji Gopinath
BANKING & FINANCE
Nepal’s central bank permits banks to borrow from abroad
For the first time, Nepal Rastra Bank (Nepal’s Central Bank) has permitted domestic commercial banks to borrow funds from foreign banks and financial institutions.
i. The permission has been granted in order to resolve liquidity crunch prevailing in Nepal’s banking system since past few months.
ii. Following this permission, commercial banks of Nepal could now borrow loans up to 25 per cent of their core capital for the period from one year to five years.
iii. However, loans borrowed from abroad are to be utilised for financing only productive sectors such as agriculture, tourism, hydropower and outer infrastructure projects. It cannot be used to lend to the real estate sector in Nepal.
Quick Facts about Nepal:
♦ Capital – Kathmandu
♦ Currency – Nepalese Rupee
♦ Current Prime Minister – Khadga Prasad Oli
♦ Neighbouring Countries – India and China
Kotak becomes first bank to roll out AI-run voicebot
Kotak Mahindra Bank has launched voicebot ‘Keya’, the first artificial intelligence-powered voicebot in Indian banking sector.
Salient Features of Kotak Mahindra Bank’s voicebot ‘Keya’:
i. ’Keya’ has been developed on basis of a library of millions of phone-banking conversations over the past three years.
ii.Kotak Mahindra Bank has integrated ‘Keya’ with its phone-banking helpline.
iii. Keya uses automatic speech recognition, text-to-speech technology and natural language understanding and can understand Hindi as well as English.
iv. By using above stated technology, ‘Keya’ navigates the customers directly to the destination where he/she can get his/her issue resolved.
v. ’Keya’ is powered by Nuance (the technology behind Apple’s Siri).
Quick Facts about Kotak Mahindra Bank:
♦ Founded in – 1985
♦ Headquarters – Mumbai
♦ Current MD – Uday Kotak
♦ Tagline – Let’s Make Money Simple
RBI changes methodology for bond valuation to check manipulation
In order to prevent the possibility of manipulation in the prices of securities, especially government securities (G-Secs), on the last trading day of a quarter, Reserve Bank of India has changed the methodology used for their valuation by debt market players, including banks and primary dealers.
New methodology for bond valuation:
i. As per RBI’s new directive, security/bond valuation will be based on the weighted average price of the last half-an-hour of trading on the last trading day of every quarter. Earlier the valuation was based on last traded price.
ii. This move is to normalise any aberration resulting from an attempt to manipulate the price by a cartel of banks at the last moment.
iii. Closing price of bonds on the last day of a quarter is crucial, as it recorded to report the mark-to-market (MTM) status i.e. the current market value rather than the book value.
Quick Facts about Reserve Bank of India (RBI):
♦ Commenced Operations on: 1st April 1935
♦ Headquarters: Mumbai
♦ Current Governor: Mr. Urjit Patel
BUSINESS
RK Singh lays foundation stone of Naitwar Mori Hydro Electric Project in Uttarakhand
On March 30, 2018, Minister of State (IC) for Power and New & Renewable Energy, R K Singh and Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat laid the foundation stone of the 60 MW Naitwar Mori Hydro Electric Project (NMHEP) in Uttarkashi.
Details about 60 MW Naitwar Mori Hydro Electric Project (NMHEP):
i. This run-of-the river project, Naitwar Mori Hydro Electric Project (NMHEP), is located on the river Tons – a tributary of the Yamuna in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand.
ii. Government of Uttarakhand has allocated this project to SJVN Ltd, a Mini Ratna PSU under administrative control of Union Ministry of Power.
iii. Environment clearance for this project was obtained in 2016. The entire project is scheduled to be completed by December, 2021.
iv. NMHEP comprises two underground generating units of 30 MW each, which will add 265.5 Million Units of renewable energy and would result in CO2 emissions reductions to the tune of 0.21 Million tons per year.
Quick Facts about Uttarakhand:
♦ Capital – Dehradun
♦ Current Chief Minister – Trivendra Singh Rawat
♦ Current Governor – Krishan Kant Paul
♦ Important National Park – Jim Corbett National Park
APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNS
Chandra Bhushan Kumar appointed as Deputy Election Commissioner
On 30th March 2018, Chandra Bhushan Kumar was appointed as Deputy Election Commissioner as part of a major bureaucratic reshuffle by the government.
Chandra Bhushan Kumar – Deputy Election Commissioner:
i. Chandra Bhushan Kumar is an IAS officer of 1995 batch of union territories cadre. He has been appointed as Deputy Election Commissioner for a term of 5 years.
ii. On the whole, 13 officers were appointed as joint secretaries in various central government departments.
iii. Other appointments:
1.S K Shahi & Krishna Bahadur Singh – joint secretaries in Home Ministry
2.Vineet Joshi – Director General of National Testing Agency under the Department of Higher Education
3.Anurag Agarwal – Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs
4.Ritvik Ranjanam Pandey – Joint Secretary in the Department of Revenue
5.Ravi Kota – Joint Secretary in the Fifteenth Finance Commission
6.B Kishore – Joint Secretary in Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare
7.E Ramesh Kumar -Joint Secretary in the Animal Husbandry Department
8.Samir Kumar & Nitishwar Kumar – joint secretaries in Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation
9.Girish C Hosur – Joint Secretary in the Department of Higher Education
10.Mukul Ratra – Deputy Director General in the Department of Telecommunications
About Election Commission of India:
♦ Chief Election Commissioner – Mr. Om Prakash Rawat
♦ Election Commissioners – Mr. Sunil Arora, Mr. Ashok Lavasa
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Russia tests new nuclear ICBM Sarmat
On March 30, 2018, Russia successfully tested its latest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) Sarmat.
More Information about Russia’ ICBM Sarmat:
i. ICBM Sarmat was launch from Plesetsk in northwestern Russia.
ii. It will replace the Soviet-era Voyevoda, which is known as “Satan” in the West.
iii. ’Satan’ is the world’s heaviest ICBM.
iv. ICBM Sarmat weighs 200 metric tons and has a greater range than ‘Satan’.
v. On account greater range, it can even fly over the North or the South Poles and can strike targets anywhere in the world.
vi. ICBM Sarmat not only carries an array of warheads capable of dodging missile defences, but also carries a bigger number of nuclear warheads, thus making it more powerful than ‘Satan’.
Quick Facts about Russia:
♦ Capital – Moscow
♦ Currency – Ruble
♦ Current President – Vladimir Putin
♦ Important Rivers – Volga, Ob
Pakistan successfully test fires Submarine Launched Cruise Missile BABUR
On March 29, 2018, Pakistan successfully test fired indigenously developed Submarine Launched Cruise Missile (SLCM) BABUR.
More Information about Pakistan’s SLCM BABUR:
i. SLCM BABUR has a strike range of 450 KMs and is capable of delivering various types of payloads.
ii. It incorporates state of the art technologies including advanced guidance and navigation features and underwater controlled propulsion.
iii. SLCM BABUR was fired from an underwater dynamic platform and engaged its target with precise accuracy.
Quick Facts about Pakistan:
♦ Capital – Islamabad
♦ Currency – Pakistani rupee
♦ Current Prime Minister – Shahid Khaqan Abbasi
♦ Important Rivers – Indus, Jhelum
Scientists identify new organ in Human Body
Scientists have identified a new organ in human beings which has been dubbed the ‘interstitium’.
Details about ‘interstitium’:
i. Interstitium is a network of interconnected, fluid-filled compartments that can be found beneath the surface of the skin and is also present in tissue layers lining the gut, lungs, blood vessels, and muscles.
ii .It is made up of both strong (collagen) and flexible (elastin) connective tissue proteins. Interstitial fluid moves throughout this organ.
iii. Based on the initial observation, researchers believe that Interstitium may even be one of the largest organ in the human body.
iv. Scientists are hopeful that this discovery would prove to be helpful in understanding how cancer spreads within the human body.
SPORTS
Zimbabwe Cricket sacks skipper Graeme Cremer, all coaching staff
On 30th March 2018, Zimbabwe Cricket sacked its entire coaching staff and removed Graeme Cremer as captain after their failure to qualify for the 2019 World Cup.
Zimbabwe Cricket sacks skipper Graeme Cremer and entire coaching staff:
i. It is said that, Brendan Taylor would be made the captain of Zimbabwe team. Zimbabwe Cricket had given time for the head coach and his technical staff to resign or else it said that, they would be considered dismissed at the end of the stipulated time.
ii. Head coach Heath Streak, batting coach Lance Klusener, bowling coach Douglas Hondo, fielding coach Walter Chawaguta, fitness coach Sean Bell and team analyst Stanley Chioza , all other coaching staff, Zimbabwe A coach Wayne James and Under-19 coach Stephen Mangongo, all have been fired.
About Zimbabwe Cricket:
♦ MD – Faisal Hasnain
♦ Purpose – administers the Zimbabwe cricket team
Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) appoints Irfan Pathan as coach-cum-mentor
On 30th March 2018, Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) appointed Irfan Pathan as the coach-cum-mentor of its senior stateside for the 2018-19 season.
JKCA appoints Irfan Pathan as coach-cum-mentor:
i. JKCA CEO Aashiq Bukhari said that, Irfan Pathan will be the coach-cum-mentor of their team for one year.
ii. Irfan Pathan is 33 years old. He has played 29 Tests, 120 ODIs and 24 T20 Internationals for India in the 2003 to 2012 period. He captained Baroda team for the last two domestic seasons.
About BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India):
♦ Headquarters – Mumbai
♦ CEO – Mr. Rahul Johri
OBITUARY
Former Manipur chief minister R K Dorendra Singh passes away at 83
On 30th March 2018, former Manipur Chief Minister R K Dorendra Singh died at the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences Hospital in Imphal, Manipur.
Death of R K Dorendra Singh:
i .R K Dorendra Singh was 83 years old. He was the chief minister of Manipur four times between 1974 and 1993.
ii .Earlier, he was the Speaker of Manipur Assembly.
Some wildlife sanctuaries of Manipur:
♦ Keibul Lamjao National Park
♦ Sirohi National Park
