Current Affairs Today 07th March 2019 | Current Affairs News

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Daily Current Affairs PDF of 7th March 2019

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL

Government brings TMA scheme to boost agriculture exports of farm commodities

• The government introduced a Transport and Marketing Assistance (TMA) scheme for providing financial assistance for transport and marketing of agriculture products with a view to boosting export of farm commodities to certain countries in Europe and North America.
• Under the TMA scheme, the government would reimburse a certain portion of freight charges and provide assistance for marketing of agricultural produce
• The scheme covers freight and marketing assistance for export by air as well as by sea (both normal and refrigerated cargo)

• The scheme would be applicable for a period as specified from time to time. Presently, it would be available for exports effected from March 1 this year to March 2020.

Mahesh Sharma Inaugurated ‘AzaadiKe Diwane’ Museum at Red Fort in Delhi

• The Minister of State for Culture (Independent charge) and Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Dr. Mahesh Sharma inaugurated ‘Azaadike Diwane’ museum at Red Fort, New Delhi which is created by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
• The museum is the fifth in a series of recently inaugurated ones – the others being the Subhash Chandra Bose and INA museum, the Yaad-e-Jallian museum, the Museum on 1857 (on the country’s first war of Independence) the Drishyakala (a museum on Indian Art) 
• The ‘Azaadike Diwane’ museum talks abouton the sacrifices of India’s freedom fighters.

Bharat Electronics launched SWAGAT- Automatic Fare Collection Gating System

• Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), a defence public sector undertaking, presented SWAGAT – the Automatic Fare Collection Gating System.PM NarendraModi launched the system as part of the inaugural of Phase-I of the Ahmedabad Metro.
• SWAGAT is an initiative steered by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) in collaboration with BEL and Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC) with the support of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI) and State Bank of India (SBI).
• SWAGAT is compliant with the National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) ecosystem for hassle-free commute across India.
• The Automatic Fare Collection System has been designed and developed by CDAC, a R&D organization of the Ministry of Electronics & IT.

Janaushadhi Diwas to be celebrated across the country

• Janaushadhi Diwas will be celebrated across the country on March 7
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address five thousand Janaushadhi stores across the country through video-conferencing on the occasion.
• He will also interact with owners of Janaushadhi Kendras and beneficiaries of the scheme
• More than five thousand 50 Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana Kendras, PMBJP, are functional in 652 districts.
• The Janaushadhi Diwas aims to provide further impetus and create awareness about the use of generic medicines
• The Government launched the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana to make affordable and quality generic medicines popular among the people. The Government aims to have atleast 1 PMBJP Kendra in each block of the country by 2020

Government has transferred first instalment of Rs 2000 each to over two crore farmers so far under PM-Kisan scheme

• The Centre has transferred the first instalment of two thousand rupees each to over two crore farmers so far under the ambitious Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan) scheme.
• In the Interim Budget 2019-20, the central government had announced the PM-Kisan scheme under which 6,000 rupees per year will be given in three instalments to 12 crore small and marginal farmers.
• Last month, Prime Minister NarendraModi officially launched the scheme in Uttar Pradesh by transferring the first tranche amount to over one crore farmers. 

NGT imposed Rs. 500 crore fine on Volkswagen for cheating emission tests

• The National Green Tribunal slapped a fine of 500 Crore rupees on German auto major Volkswagen for damaging the environment using cheat device in its diesel cars in India
• A bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel directed the carmaker to deposit the amount within two months.
• The tribunal enhanced the compensation amount of 171.34 crore, which was recommended by a NGT- appointed committee, as a means of “creating deterrence”

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTRENATIONAL

Malaysia joins International Criminal Court

• Malaysia has become a member of the International Criminal Court
• The ICC is the world’s only permanent war crimes court and aims to prosecute the worst abuses when national courts are unable or unwilling
• Malaysia becomes the 124th member of the court since its establishment in 2002.
• Burundi became the first country to quit the court in 2017

 CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE

Delhi government launched app to track bus, metro services

• Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot has launched a common mobility app named ‘One Delhi’ that provides information on public transport systems including buses and the metro.
• It shows bus or metro routes, nearest bus stops, fares and gives arrival information in real time. 

Tripura government launched Notun Disha initiative

• The government of Tripura announced ‘Notun Disha’ (New Direction) for assessing the academic level of students in classes III-VIII and then improving their current level.It was launched by state Education Minister

• The Notun Disha is a one-month project to provide training to teachers. Training will be provided by NGOs and educational institutions to 800 teachers.

• In that initiative the state government has decided to distribute laptops to 800 school teachers to assess the level of students’ development in different disciplines.

Chennai Central station to be named after MGR – PM Modi

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday (March 6) announced that the Chennai Central railway station will be renamed after former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MG Ramachandran.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Tamil Nadu to officially launch the National Democratic Alliance’s poll campaign for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
• The 146-year-old iconic railway station is one of the major landmarks in the city.
• He launched several schemes, and unveiled projects in roadways, railways, and energy sector worth Rs. 5010 crore

Ancient tribal language Gondi to be taught in tribal districts of Madhya Pradesh

• Ancient tribal language Gondi will be taught in tribal districts of Madhya Pradesh
• Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath has decided to include Gondi in the primary education curriculum of the state’s tribal-dominated districts.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND FINANCE

Hitachi arm & SBI to roll out digital payments platform

• State Bank of India and Hitachi Payment Services Pvt Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hitachi Ltd launched their merchant-acquiring joint venture, SBI Payment Services Pvt Ltd (SBIPSPL), in Mumbai, for establishing a digital payments platform for India and other countries in the region.
• The joint venture (SBI) has a 74 percent stake, and the balance is with Hitachi Payment Services) will facilitate expansion of the digital payments landscape in India via its digital payments platform.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: ECONOMY

OECD cuts global growth forecast over trade, Brexit uncertainty

• The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, OECD, has again cut its 2019 forecast for global economic growth due to ongoing trade tensions and Brexit uncertainty.
• In an interim version of its Economic Outlook, the OECD lowered its forecast to 3.3 per cent for this year, down from the 3.5 per cent it predicted in November, which was itself a downgrade from a previous 3.7 per cent.
• The 19-nation eurozone was particularly hard hit, with predicted growth dropping from 1.8 per cent to one per cent.
• The growth forecast for European powerhouse Germany sank to 0.7 per cent from 1.4, while Italy’s fell from 0.9 per cent growth into a recession at minus 0.2 per cent.
• Britain’s growth forecast was chopped from 1.4 to 0.8 per cent, which would mark the first time it had fallen below one percent since 2009 following the global economic crisis.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

President Kovind presents ‘Swachh Survekhshan 2019’ Awards

• Swachh Survekhshan-2019 Awards were presented by President Ram Nath Kovind in New Delhi. Indore bagged award for cleanest city for third straight year in Swachh Survekshan.
• The second and third positions were grabbed by Ambikapur in Chhattisgarh and Mysuru in Karnataka, respectively.
• New Delhi Municipal Council area gets cleanest small city award while Uttarakhand’s Gauchar was adjudged Best Ganga Town in the survey. Top ranked cities received a statue of Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi as award for their work towards cleanliness.
• Swachh Survekshan 2019 covered all Urban Local Bodies in the country, making it the largest such cleanliness survey in the world.

Guinness World Record in yoga in Hong Kong made by over 1,000 people

• A Guinness World Record in Yoga was set by more than a thousand people who performed the Virabathrasan or the Warrior II Pose for 3 minutes, in Sun YatSen Memorial Park, Hong Kong.
• This initiative to promote yoga was taken by Overseas President of BJP for Hong Kong and China Sohan Goenka.
• The previous record was of387

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPS

Google unveils Bolo app to teach kids to read English and Hindi

• Google unveiled speech-based ‘Bolo’ app aimed at rural children, to teach them how to read in English and Hindi.
• The app is aimed at bridging learning gap in education and is available on Google play store in India.
• The app, which uses Google’s speech recognition and text-to-speech technology and features an animated character ‘Diya’
• It is a free-to-use app first available in India. It is designed to be work even in offline.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BOOKS

Daaji’s new book on how to design one’s destiny “Designing Destiny: The Heartfulness Way” released

• Spiritual teacher KamleshPatel, popularly known as Daaji’s book“Designing Destiny: The Heartfulness Way”  was launched.
• In that book,the author provides practical wisdom on how to use heartfulness practices to refine lifestyle and design destiny, including destiny in the afterlife.It has been published by Westland Publications.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATION

Ajit Kumar Mohanty appointed as Director of BARC

• Distinguished scientist Ajit Kumar Mohanty has been appointed as Director of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC).
• The BARC is India’s premier nuclear research facility based in Mumbai.
• It is a multi-disciplinary research centre with extensive infrastructure for advanced research and development covering the entire spectrum of nuclear science, engineering and related areas.
• Mohanty has been appointed Director for a period of three years.
• He is at present Director, Physics Group, in BARC and Director, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics.

Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah designated as president of Olympic Council of Asia

• Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah of Kuwait has been re-elected as president of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) for an eighth term
• Sheikh Ahmad has won a new five-year term until 2024
• An IOC member stepped down from his position in the global Olympic body in November because of his forgery accusation in a criminal court against the Kuwaiti and four others.

Kaja Kallas appointed as the first female prime minister of Estonia

• Kaja Kallas, the leader of the Reform Party has been appointed as the first female Prime Minister of Estonia, after the liberal Reform Party declared victory in the elections against centre-left Prime Minister JuriRatas’s party.
• Kallas, a 41-year-old lawyer and former European Parliament member, took over as Reform leader less than a year ago.
• The Reform Party secured 8% votes against Centre party votes of 23%. The coalition government will be formed between Reform Party and far-right EKRE.

 CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOU

National Centre for Good Governance inks pact with Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs

• The National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG) and Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA) have signed an MoU
• To ensure better utilisation of infrastructure facilities during training programme.
• NCGG aims to promote good governance through capacity building on public policy and governance both at national and international level and carrying out studies research on issues relating to governance.
• National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG) has been set up by the Government of India (GoI) under the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions
• The IICA, registered as a society, is under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs with the primary objective of establishing, managing, maintaining and running a world class institute

India signed USD 25.2 million loan agreement with the World Bank

• The Government of India, the State Government of Chhattisgarh and the World Bank signed $25.2 Million Loan Agreement to support the State’s Reforms in Expenditure Management.
• This support will cover Expenditure Planning, Investment Management, Budget Execution, Public Procurement and Accountability.
• The Chhattisgarh Public Financial Management and Accountability Program, which is the First Bank-Financed State-Level Project in Chhattisgarh in nearly a decade, will also help the State strengthen its Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) and Tax Administration Systems.

India signed loan agreement with World Bank Uttarakhand Disaster Recovery Project

• India signed a loan agreement with the World Bank for 96 Million US dollars for additional financing of Uttarakhand Disaster Recovery Project.
• The 96 million dollars loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) has a 5-year grace period and a final maturity of 15 years.
• The World Bank has been supporting the State Government since 2014 to restore housing and rural connectivity and to build the resilience of communities.
• The additional financing of 96 million dollars will further help in the reconstruction of bridges, road and river bank protection works, and in the construction of a training facility for the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF)

India, Paraguay agree to promote bilateral investment, explore new areas of collaboration

• India and Paraguay have agreed to identify sectors of mutual interest to promote bilateral investment and decided to explore new areas of collaboration, including Information and Communication Technology, space and biotechnology
• The decisions were taken as Vice President Venkaiah Naidu ongoing visitto the Latin American country
• During the visit Naidu had meetings with Paraguay’s President Mario Abdo Benítez, Vice President Hugo Velazquez and President of the National Congress (Senate) Silvio Ovelar
• Both sides agreed to jointly celebrate the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. India welcomed the issuance of a commemorative postal stamp in Paraguay.

 CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS

Manpreet Singh named captain of Indian hockey team for Sultan Azlan Shah Cup

• Manpreet Singh was named captain of the 18-member Indian hockey team to play in the upcoming 28th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.
• The prestigious tournament will be held in Ipoh, Malaysia from the 23rd of this month.
• Surender Kumar will be the Vice-Captain of the team.
• Apart from India and hosts Malaysia, the other participating nations in the tournament are Canada, Korea, South Africa, Asian Games gold medal list Japan. India, will start its campaign against Japan on the opening day itself.

Roger Federer claims 100th ATP title of his career

• Roger Federer has claimed the 100th ATP title of his career with after beating 20-year-old Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 6-4 in the final of the Dubai Tennis Championships.
• The 20-time grand slam champion is the second man, after American Jimmy Connors to claim 100 titles.
• Federer will have to win 10 more titles to beat Connors’ men’s record of 109, while Martina Navratilova holds the all-time record having won 167 women’s singles crowns during her career.

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