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CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS
World Wildlife Day
- World Wildlife Dayis celebrated globally on 3rd March and is closely aligns with the Sustainable Development Goal that is Life without water, which focuses on marine species and to highlight the problems, critical issues of marine wildlife to our everyday life.
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| Theme 2019 | Life below water: for people and planet. |
World Hearing Day
- World Hearing Day is held on 3 March each year to raise awareness of how to prevent deafness and hearing loss and to promote ear and hearing care across the world.
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| Theme 2019 | Check your hearing! |
CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL
PM flags off Tejas Express, fastest train between Chennai & Madurai
- PM Narendra Modi flagged off the Madurai-Chennai Egmore Tejas Express, the fastest train running between the two cities, via video conferencing from Kanyakumari.
- The fully air-conditioned train comprises one executive chair car coach with 56 seats and 12 chair car coaches with 78 seats each.
- The train’s features include infotainment system, attendant call button and smart windows.
| USEFUL INFO |
| Minister of Railways and Coal | Piyush Goyal |
| Constituency | Maharashtra Rajya Sabha |
CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE
Delhi Government to introduce AC Electric Buses
- The Delhi Cabinet has approved a proposal to add 1,000 low-floor AC electric buses to the capital’s public transport fleet.
- The first lot of electric buses will reportedly hit the streets before the end of 2019.
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| New Delhi Capital | New Delhi |
| New Delhi Chief Minister | Arvind Kejiriwal |
| New Delhi Governor | Anil Baijal |
PM Modi to be on 2-day visit to Gujarat from March 4
- The Prime Minister will inaugurate various development projects and also lay the foundation of a Vishwa Umiyadham temple
- Prime Minister will be in Jamnagar district to lay the foundation stone for a desalination plan for converting sea water into potable water on 4th March.
- He will also dedicate a 700-bed hospital, 1008 residential unit, 1000-bed Samras hostel, JMC pipeline work. From Jamnagar, he will reach Ahmedabad to inaugurate the first phase of the city’s Metro Rail project. On the same day, Prime Minister would also inaugurate a newly-built 1,200-bed civil hospital in Ahmedabad.
- On the 5th March, He will lay the foundation stone of Annapurna Dham near Adalaj village of Gandhinagar.
- He also launched the ‘Pradhan Mantri Shramjivi Man dhan Pension Yojana’ at a function to be held in Vastral area of the city.
- This will be the national launch of the scheme, aimed to provide monthly pension of 3,000 rupees for the workers in unorganized sector.
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| Gujarat Capital | Gandhinagar |
| GujaratChief Minister | Vijay Rupani |
| Gujarat Governor | Om Prakash Kohli |
Goa Health Minister lays foundation stone of a tertiary cancer centre
- Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane laid the foundation stone of a tertiary cancer centre at the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Stadium in Bambolim near Panaji.
- He also laid the foundation stone for a day care centre for mentally ill persons and launched an awareness program on Swawlambhan scheme, which aims to make women self-reliant.
- This facility would help in providing free cancer treatment in the state.
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| Goa Capital | Panaji |
| Goa CM | Monahar Parikar |
| Goa Governor | Mridhula Sinha |
CURRENT AFFAIRS:
BANKING AND FINANCE Banks need to lend RS. 1 lakh crore to meet MUDRA target for FY19
- Banks will have to lend about Rs. 1 lakh crore more to meet the Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency (MUDRA) scheme’s target of Rs. 3 lakh crore for 2018-19, as per government data.
- Over 3.89 crore MUDRA loans have been sanctioned so far this fiscal.
- The scheme aims to provide loans up to Rs. 10 lakh to non-corporate, non-farm small and micro-enterprises
SBI reports frauds worth Rs.7951 crore in Apr – Dec FY19
- SBI had reported frauds amounting 7,951 crore during the first nine months of fiscal 2019, mainly due to frauds declared in some large-value accounts.
- All those accounts became non-performing assets “much earlier” and that most of the portfolio was already provided for with full provision.
- The resolution process for recovery is on via various debt recovery regulatory bodies.
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| SBI Headquarters | Mumbai |
| SBI Tagline | Banker to every Indian |
| SBI Chairman | Rajinish Kumar |
Indian economy expected to grow at 7.3% in 2019-20: Moody’s
- Indian economy is expected to grow at 7.3 per cent in calendar years 2019 and 2020
- Global Macro Outlook said the country is less exposed to a slowdown in global manufacturing trade growth than other major Asian economies and emerging markets and is poised to grow at a relatively stable pace in the two years.
- Moody’s said the announcement in Interim Budget 2019-20 on direct cash transfer programme for farmers and the middle-class tax relief measures will contribute a fiscal stimulus of about 0.45 per cent of GDP.
HDFC Bank plans to acquire 9% stake in CSC E-Governance for 14.6crore
- Private sector lender HDFC Bank will buy a 9.11 per cent stake in CSC E-Governance Services. The acquisition, for 14.62 crore, which HDFC Bank termed as a “strategic investment”, will be on cash basis.
- HDFC Bank has executed an agreement for subscribing to 37,993 equity shares of face value of 1,000 each to be issued by CSC E-Governance Services India Limited at Rs. 3,848 per equity share
| USEFUL INFO |
| HDFC Headquarters | Mumbai |
| HDFC Tagline | We Understand Your World |
| HDFC CEO | Aditya Puri |
CURRENT AFFAIRS: CABINET APPROVAL
Cabinet Approval
- The Cabinet committee approved Pradhan Mantri JI-VAN (Jaiv Indhan –Vatavaran Anukool fasal awashesh Nivaran) Yojana.
It will provide financial support integrated Bioethanol projects using lignocellulosic biomass and other renewable feedstock. The total financial outlay is of Rs.1969.50cr for the period from 2018-19 to 2023-24. - Cabinet approved1450 crore for the share capital of RBI in National Housing Bank (NHB), which operate as the principal agency to promote housing finance institutions in India. The decision is the resultant of the amendments made to the NHB Act, 1987 in 2018.
- Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved constructionof four lane bridge which connects Dhubri in Assam and Phulbari in Meghalaya over Brahmaputra. It will be constructed with loan assistance from Japan International Cooperative Agency at the Civil Construction cost of Rs.3548cr and total capital cost of Rs.4997.04cr.
- Cabinet approved the proposal for setting up a Centre for Disability Sports at Gwalior in Madhya Pradeshwhich will be registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. The estimated cost of setting up the centre shall be of 170.99 crore for a period of 5 years.
- Cabinet approved National Policy on Software Products 2019 with an outlay of 1500cr for a period of 7 years.
- Cabinet approved draft Homeopathy Central Council (Amendment) Ordinance, 2019 which looks for the extension of the period for reconstruction of the council from the existing one year to 2 years.
- Union Cabinet approved metro rail projects of Kanpur and Agra cities in Uttar Pradesh. The estimated cost of the project is 8379.62cr and will be completed in 5 years.
- Union Cabinet decided to value Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas as 25th member of International Energy Agency’s Technology Collaboration Programme on Bioenergy (IEA Bioenergy TCP).
- Cabinet approved the FDI proposal for Foreign Direct Investment of more than Rs.5000cr and upto Rs.25,000cr in Vodafone Idea Limited. It will be part of a proposed equity fund raise by way of Rights issue.
- Union Cabinet approved Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Ordinance, 2019 which will bring the people living in remote and inaccessible areas under reservation. It will pave the way for 10% quota for the economically weaker section to be applicable in the state.
- Union Cabinet approves promulgation of an Ordinanceto make amendments to the Aadhaar Act 2016, Prevention of Money Laundering Act 2005 and Indian Telegraph Act 1885.
- Cabinet approved the proposal for creation of 2 posts of commissioners in the office of the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities (CCPD), interms of provisions of the Rights of Persons with Disability (RPF) Act, 2016.
- Cabinet approved the creation of Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) and associated activities for the disinvestment of Air India and its Subsidiaries/JV. Itwill transfer Air India’s Rs.29,464cr loans, Subsidiaries to SPV.
- The proposal for implementation of scheme titled ‘Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles in India Phase II (FAME India Phase II) approvedby the Union Cabinet for the promotion of Electric mobility in the country. The total outlay is of Rs.10,000cr for a period of 3 years with effect from 1st April 2019.
- Cabinet approved inclusion of Common Service Centre (CSC e-Governance Services India) as Enrolment Agency for Pradhan MantriShram Yogi Maan(PM-SYM) whichwill enable workers in unorganized sector to get monthly pension of Rs.3000 on attaining the age of 60 years.
- Cabinet committee has approved laying down procedure and mechanism for asset monetization of CPSEs/PSUs/other government organizations and immovable enemy properties as per section IV of section 8A of the Enemy Property Act, 1968.
- Union Cabinet approved setting up of new AIIMS at Manethi, Haryana at a cost of Rs.1299cr. Cost of construction and running would be met by the Central Government under Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY).
- CCEA approved investment for transmission component of Arun-3 Hydro Electric Project (Nepal portion) by Sutlej Jal Vikas Nigam (SJVN) Limited. The project is on Arun River in Sankhuwasabha district of Eastern Nepal.
CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS
Tribal Musician Thanga Darlong awarded first AB Vajpayee Life Time Award
- Tripura’s Thanga Darlong, the last tribal musician to play Rosem – a bamboo made a flute-like musical instrument, was conferred the Atal Behari Vajpayee Life Time Award during the 37th Agartala Book Fair.
- Deputy Chief Minister Jishnu Devvarma handed over the first AB Vajpayee Life Time Achievement Award to the Rosem maestro.
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| Tripura Capital | Agartala |
| Tripura Chief Minister | Biplab Kumar Deb |
| Tripura Governor | Kaptan Singh Solankhi |
Marathi poet Vasant Abaji Dahake gets ‘Janasthan’ award
- Veteran Marathi writer and poet Vasant Abaji Dahake has been honoured with the prestigious ‘Janasthan’ award
- The award, which carries a cash prize of Rs. lakh, a bronze memento and a citation, was given on the occasion of the birth anniversary of celebrated Marathi poet and playwright late V V Shirvadkar, popularly known as Kusumagraj
- Dahake was given the Sahitya Akademi Award for his collection of poems ‘Chitralipi’. He is also known as a playwright, short story writer and critic.
CURRENT AFFAIRS: SUMMIT AND CONFERENCE
7th RCEP Intersessional Ministerial Meeting held in Cambodia
- The 7th Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Intersessional Ministerial Meeting was organizedin Siem Reap, Cambodia.
- It was headed by Chutima Bunyapraphasara, Acting Minister of Commerce of Thailandand saw participation of ministers from the 16 RCEP Participating Countries (RPCs).
- It was also attended by Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation- Suresh Prabhu.
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| Cambodia Capital | Phnom Penh |
| Cambodia Currency | Cambodian Riel |
PM Modi to inaugurated Construction Technology India-2019 Expo-cum-Conference
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Construction Technology India-2019 Expo-cum-Conference in New Delhi
- The conference will identify proven, innovative and globally established technologies for use in the Indian context.
- Technology providers, researchers, start-ups, developers, academia, public sector agencies and other domain experts are participating in the two day event.
- Proven technologies which are identified during CTI – 2019 will be further invited to design and build lighthouse projects of nearly one thousand housing units each at six States in the country.
- These States are Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Tripura and Uttar Pradesh.
Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Summit on Innovation and Governance held in New Delhi
- Vice President Shri M Venkaiah Naidu presented Kalam Innovation in Governance Award 2019, at the third edition of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Summit on Innovation and Governance heldin New Delhi.
- He also started75 new Kalam Digital Libraries spread across the country, which willbe serving as centersfor no-cost digital based learning inschools.
CURRENT AFFAIRS: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
PM Modi launches Khelo India APP
- Prime Minister Narendra launched Sports Authority of India’s (SAI) first-of-its-kind mobile application, ‘Khelo India App’ in order to create awareness about sports and fitness in the country.
- The application has three unique features that will make it convenient for youngsters to take up sport and also help to identify potential champions among children, across the country
- The application is available both in hindi and english and once downloaded can be used even when the parent or teacher does not have connectivity to the internet
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| Sports And Youth affairs Minister | Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore |
| Constituency | Jaipur, Rajasthan (LS) |
CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOU
Centre and ADB sign 926 million loan agreement to operationalize two lines of Mumbai Metro
- The Centre and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have signed a 926 million dollar loan agreement to operationalize two lines of the Mumbai Metro Rail System.
- It is the single largest infrastructure project loan in ADB history approved by the ADB Board
- It will help fund lines 2A (Dahisar to D.N. Nagar), 2B (D.N. Nagar-Bandra-Mandale), and 7 (Dahisar-East to Andheri-East), totaling about 58 kilometres,
- Once operational by the end of 2022, an estimated two million passengers a day will use the two new lines and will travel in improved safety and comfort.
- It will also reduce emissions from vehicles, with carbon dioxide emissions expected to fall by about 166,000 tons a year.
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| Asian Development Bank Headquarters | Manila, Phillipines |
| Asian Development Bank President | Takehiko Nakao |
CURRENT AFFAIRS: RANKING
India 47th in ‘Inclusive’ Internet list: Facebook
- India ranked 47th in the ‘Inclusive Internet Index 2019’ which is prepared by the ‘Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) for Facebook.
- The index was expanded to include 100 countries which will represent 94% of the world’s population and 96% of global GDP.
- Sweden topped the index whereas Singapore ranked 2nd and the USA ranked 3rd. India maintained its previous year rank.
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| Facebook Headquarters | California, US |
| Facebook CEO | Mark Zukerberg |
CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATION
Ex-Finance Secretary Hasmukh Adhia appointed as non-executive chairman of BoB
- Former Finance Secretary Hasmukh Adhia was appointed as non-executive chairman of State-run Bank of Baroda for three years.
- Hasmukh Adhia, a 1981-batch IAS officer of Gujarat cadre
- The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved his appointment as part-time non-official director as well as non-executive chairman on the board of Bank of Baroda
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| Bank of Baroda Headquarters | Vadodara, Gujarath |
| Bank of Baroda Chairman | P S Jayakumar |
| Bank of Baroda Tagline | India’s International Bank |
M K Pardeshi appointed as IHC, New Zealand
- Muktesh Kumar Pardeshi has been been appointed as the next High Commissioner of India to New Zealand. Presently he is Ambassador of India to Mexico. He is expected to take up the assignment shortly.
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| New Zealand Capital | Wellington |
| New Zealand Currency | Dollar |
| New Zealand Prime Minister | Jacinda Ardern |
IDBI Bank Appoints LIC’s Hemant Bhargava as Non-Executive Chairman
- IDBI Bank has appointed Hemant Bhargava as non-executive, non-whole time chairman. Bhargava is currently the Chairman (in-charge) and Managing Director of Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC).
- The bank stated that Bhargava has been appointed for 3 years or until he continues in his position at LIC. The life insurer is now the majority shareholder in IDBI Bank with a 51% stake.
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| IDBI Bank Headquarters | Mumbai |
| IDBI Bank MD and CEO | Rakesh Sharma |
CURRENT AFFAIRS: BOOKS AND AUTHOR
Nayantara Sahgal launched a new novel named “The Fate of Butterflies”
- Veteran author Nayantara Sahgal launched new novel The Fate Of Butterflies.
- Sahgal was introduced by author Namita Gokhale during the launch at Oxford Bookstore.
- “The Fate Of Butterflies” is published by Speaking Tiger
CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS
Kyrgios beat Zverev to win Mexico open title
- Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios beat world number three Alexander Zverev in the final to win the Mexico Open title.
- Kyrgios will regain his place in the world’s top 50 rankings, had earlier beaten Rafael Nadal in the tournament
CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARY
Former Deputy Prime Minister of Nepal Bharat Mohan Adhikari passed away
- Former Deputy Prime Minister of Nepal Bharat Mohan Adhikari has passed away
- He was a Former Deputy Prime Minister of Nepal and Senior leader of ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP)
- Mr Adhikari was very popular among the common people for introducing “Aafno Gaun Aafai Banau”, a development programme aimed at developing villages across the country by giving them the authority to select local projects on their own