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Important Current Affairs 23rd April 2017 Free PDF

Important Current Affairs 23rd April 2017 with Free PDF

Dear Aspirants,

We bring you Important Current Affairs 23rd April 2017 with Free PDF in English and Hindi, which will update you with latest headlines, news from various domains i.e: National News, Sports, Business, Awards & recognition. It will help you in preparation of competitive exams like: SSC, SBI, IBPS PO, Clerk, Railways & Various other Entrance examinations.

Current Affairs 23rd April 2017: NATIONAL NEWS

One of Asia's largest churches inaugurated in Nagaland

Dubbed as Asia’s largest Baptist Church and Asia’s second largest Church, the new Sumi Baptist Church Zunheboto  (SBCZ) was dedicated by Rev. Dr. Solomon Rongpi, general secretary of the CBCNEI Saturday at an impressive function held inside the Church building. 
●    Standing at the height of 1864.9 m above the sea level, this colossal structure has a height of 166’ft, length of 203’ft and breadth of 153’ft with a total plinth area of 23,73,476 sq.ft with seating capacity of 8500 seats and 27 rooms.
●    Delivering the message on the theme “Enter His gate with thanksgiving,” Rev. Dr. Solomon Rongpi told the fully packed audience that one should always give thanks to God for all the blessings He showers upon His people. 
●    He said that despite facing hardships, adversaries and trails in one’s life, the people of God should not fail in shouting praises to God.
●    Rev.Rongpi asked the gathering that during this time of dedication, believers in Zunheboto to remember God’s love and compassion and to start counting the blessings of God one by one. 
●    He said that the people of Zunheboto has been blessed with a magnificent Church which is the second largest Church in Asia, the largest being Yoido Full Church at Seoul, South Korea, which is a Pentecostal Church.
●    Earlier, giving a brief account on the construction of the Church, Kiyelho H.Yeptho, chairman, NCBC informed that the works on the new Church building began in the year 2007 and was completed in the year 2017. 

First ‘Made in India’ Industrial Robot BRABO

TAL Manufacturing Solutions, a wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Motors has unveiled India’s first ‘conceptualized, designed and manufactured articulated industrial robot’ called “BRABO”. BRABO stands for “Bravo Robot”.
●    The robot has been developed indigenously for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) in India. 
●    The robot is primarily developed to complement the human workforce and repeatedly perform high volume, dangerous and time-consuming tasks ranging from handling of raw materials to packaging of finished products.
●    BRABO was designed and manufactured at the TAL’s Pune factory. 
●    Other than the motors and drives for the Robo-arm, all the other parts of the robot were indigenously manufactured in India. 
●    BRABO has four patents registered in its name and TAL has also applied for an intellectual property (IP) certification for the robot.

First eco friendly refinery to be open in Rajasthan

The Rajasthan government is all set to ink a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with HPCL on Tuesday to set up India’s first Bharat Stage-VI (BS-VI) oil refinery and petrochemical complex in Pachpadra area of Barmer district, a senior official said.
●    In 2013, the previous Congress government had signed an MoU with HPCL (Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited) to set up a 9-million-tonne refinery-cum-petrochemical project with an investment of ₹37,000 crore. 
●    The Vasundhara Raje government put the project under review in July 2014, questioning the less share to the state and the interest-free loan package.
●    “The viability gap funding (VGF), which was ₹3736 crore for 15 years to be given by state government, has come down to ₹1123 crore.”
●    The state government’s return on investment has been increased to 12% from 2%. 
●    The government will invest ₹20,865 crore in 15 years as VGF and equity share (26%) in the refinery.
 

Current Affairs 23rd April 2017: AWARDS

Aishwarya Rai wins Best Actress Dadasaheb Phalke Excellence Award

Veteran actress- politician Hema Malini along with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, filmmaker Shoojit Sircar and Zeenat Aman bagged the Dadasaheb Phalke Excellence Awards 2017 that took place.
●    Mumbai witnessed Bollywood stars and music giants grace the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Excellence Awards 2017 on Friday night.
●    Chitra Productions in association with Dadasaheb Phalke Excellence Awards 2017 celebrated the 148th birth anniversary of the father of Indian Cinema, the respected Dadasaheb Phalke.
●    This year, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan won the award for the best actress female for her stellar performance in the film Sarabjit while Hema Malini won the Award in the category of Kalashree.
●    Veteran Zeenat Aman walked the stage to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award. 
●    On the other hand, Sircar bagged Creative Director Award for Pink, along with Rohit Roy, who bagged the Best Negative Role in Film for Kaabil.
 

Current Affairs 23rd April 2017: BUSINESS

Vodafone to sale 9.5% additional stake to Aditya Birla Group

Vodafone has agreed to sell 9.5% additional stake to Aditya Birla Group for Rs 130 per share after they merge their telecom operations to create the country’s largest operator worth more than $23 billion.
●    Aditya Birla Group has filed with the BSE the composite scheme of amalgamation between Vodafone and Idea Cellular, which stated that the merged entity shall be under the joint control of the two firms and will be governed by the shareholders’ agreement.
●    In the merged entity, Vodafone will hold 50% stake, while Aditya Birla Group hold 21%. Upon completion of merger, Vodafone will transfer 4.9% shares of merged entity to Aditya Birla Group for Rs 3,874 crore.
●    Post such transfer, Aditya Birla Group shareholding will increase to 26% and Vodafone shareholding will reduce to 45.1%, according to the scheme. The remaining 28.9% will be held by other shareholders.
●    Also, Aditya Birla Group will have the right to acquire more shares from Vodafone at a price of Rs 130 per share, in order to equalise the shareholdings over 4 years. 
●    If equal shareholding is not achieved within four years, Vodafone will sell down its shareholding to equalise its shareholding with Aditya Birla Group over the following 5 years, the scheme said.
 

Current Affairs 23rd April 2017: APPOINTMENTS

Devendra Kumar Sharma appointed as Chairman of BBMB

Devendra Kumar Sharma was on 18 April 2017 appointed as the Chairman of Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) for a period of three years. His appointment was approved by the Appointment Committee Of Cabinet.
●    BBMB manages the release of water in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan as it controls Bhakra, Pong and other dams. 
●    Presently, Sharma is serving as the Managing Director of Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited where he was instrumental in implementing and commissioning Tata Hydro Power Station in Bhutan.
●    He has been associated with the power sector for over 30 years. 
●    He was also associated with the industrial giant Larsen & Toubro for a long time in its infrastructure development projects.

Sulkhan Singh appointed new DGP of Uttar Pradesh, replaces Javeed Ahmad

Sulkhan Singh, the senior most IPS officer of Uttar Pradesh, has been appointed as the new Director General of Police (DGP) by the Yogi Adityanath-led state government. 
●    Sulkhan Singh would replace Javeed Ahmed, the incumbent DGP of UP. 
●    The newly elected BJP regime has transferred more than 30 IAS and 50 IPS officers after coming to power. 
●    Along with Ahmed, 11 other IPS officers were shuffled on Friday.
●    Sulkhan Singh, the 1980 batch IPS officer, would be heading the police department of Uttar Pradesh. 
●    He was currently posted in the Training Department of UP police.
●    Ahmed has now been appointed as the chief of Uttar Pradesh Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC). 
●    Apart from Ahmed, senior police official Bhavesh Singh has been appointed as ADG, Intelligence, whereas, Aditya Mishra was elevated as ADG, Law & Order.
 

Current Affairs 23rd April 2017: OBITUARY

Top Maoist leader Narayan Sanyal passes away

He was the second most important leader after the party’s national secretary, Muppalla Lakshmana Rao.
●    A top ranking leader of the outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist [CPI-Maoist], Narayan Sanyal passed away late on Monday night in a south Kolkata hospital.
●    He was in his early 80s and was suffering from cancer.
●    Sanyal was the Polit Bureau member of the CPI-Maoist at the time of his arrest in 2005 and perhaps the second most important leader after the party’s national secretary, Muppalla Lakshmana Rao.
●    Born in an affluent family in undivided Bengal’s Bogra district, now in Bangladesh, Sanyal was known for his keen interest in football. 
●    His father was the district chief of Congress and was a generous host to many of the leaders, including second Chief Minister of West Bengal Bidhan Chandra Roy and Congress leader Sarojini Naidu. 
●    Sanyal and his family shifted to West Bengal in the 1940s and he got a job in a bank.
●    “I worked in the United Bank of India in Kolkata, which originated from Comilla Union Bank in Bangladesh,” he once told this correspondent.

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Important Current Affairs 22nd April 2017 Free PDF

Important Current Affairs 22nd April 2017 with Free PDF

Dear Aspirants,

We bring you Important Current Affairs 22nd April 2017 with Free PDF in English and Hindi, which will update you with latest headlines, news from various domains i.e: National News, Sports, Business, Awards & recognition. It will help you in preparation of competitive exams like: SSC, SBI, IBPS PO, Clerk, Railways & Various other Entrance examinations.

Current Affairs 22nd April 2017: NATIONAL NEWS

SC questions Govt about making Aadhaar mandatory

The Supreme Court on Friday questioned the Centre for making Aadhaar compulsory in filing of Income Tax returns, and asked how it was not a violation of the earlier court order against making Aadhaar mandatory for services.
●    A bench of Justices AK Sikri and Ashok Bhushan was hearing two public interest litigations — filed by SG Vombatkere, a retired Indian Army Officer and Bezwada Wilson, founder and convener of Safai Karmachari Andolan; and the other plea by CPI leader Binoy Viswam — challenging the Section 139AA of the Income Tax Act as amended by the Finance Act, 2017, making Aadhaar mandatory for filing I-T returns.
●    The Centre, represented by Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi, argued that this was being done to remove ‘black money’ from the economy. 

India wins elections to two subsidiary bodies of UN

India has won elections to two subsidiary bodies of a UN organ focussed on social and economic issues.
●    India along with 12 other members was elected to the Committee for Programme and Coordination (CPC), a subsidiary body of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
●    The country garnered the most number of votes in the Asian group, with 49 out of 50 members of ECOSOC voting in its favour.
●    The 13 members elected for three-year terms, beginning January 2018, include Burkina Faso, Iran, Japan, Pakistan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Moldova, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, the United Kingdom and United States.
●    The CPC is the main subsidiary organ of the Economic and Social Council and the General Assembly for planning, programming and coordination.
●    India, along with 19 other nations, was also elected by acclamation to the International Narcotics Control Board for a four-year term beginning January next year.

India successfully test fires land attack version of BrahMos

Adding a news shot in its arm, an Indian Naval ship for the first time fired a land-attack BrahMos supersonic cruise missile.
●    "Land attack version of BrahMos supersonic cruise missile was fired for the first time from an Indian Navy's stealth frigate, off the eastern coast, at a land target," Times of India quoted a source in the Ministry of Defence.
●    "So, far only anti-ship version of BrahMos had been fired by Indian Navy," the source added.
●    This puts India in a select club of nations with such capability.
●    The land-attack version of BrahMos has been operationalised in the Indian Army since 2007.
●    The BrahMos missile, with a range of 290 km and a Mach 2.8 speed, is capable of being launched from land, sea and sub-sea pads against sea and land targets.
 

Current Affairs 22nd April 2017: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

1st ‘India Indonesia Energy Forum’ held in Jakarta

Union Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal, New & Renewable Energy and Mines, Shri Piyush Goyal and H.E. Mr. Ignasius Jonan, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Republic of Indonesia met on 20th April, 2017 for the 1st ‘India Indonesia Energy Forum’, held in Jakarta, Indonesia. 
●    The Energy Forum was preceded by 2nd Joint Working Group (JWG) on Oil and Gas, 4th Joint Working Group on Coal and 1st Joint Working Group on New and Renewable Energy. 
●    The reports of three Joint Working Groups were presented to two Ministers during the Energy Forum. 
●    The 2nd JWG on Oil and Gas discussed policy framework of India and Indonesia, oil and gas infrastructure development, cooperation opportunities in capacity building and business opportunities in oil and gas sector in both countries. 
●    Representatives of major Indian companies in oil and gas sector such as ONCG Videsh Limited, Petronet LNG Limited, Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) and Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) participated in the JWG. 
●    Indonesian companies such as PT Pertamina, PT Triputra, PT Nusantara Regas, Medco Energy and PT PGN were also represented.


 

Finance Minister Shri Arun Jaitley participates in G-20 Finance Ministers’ and Central Bank Governors’ Meeting in Washington DC

The Union Finance Minister Shri Arun Jaitley said that the emerging economies have become increasingly important, accounting for more than 75 percent of global growth. 
●    He said that among the emerging economies, India has been a major driver of global economic growth with an expected growth of 7.5 percent for 2017-18 as against 7.1 percent in 2016-17. Shri Jaitley said that India’s growth remains resilient, with low inflation, fiscal prudence and low Current Account Deficit. 
●    He said that India has also undertaken robust structural reform measures. The Finance Minister Shri Jaitley was addressing the gathering while participating in the G-20 Finance Ministers’ and Central Bank Governors’ Meeting in Washington D.C. yesterday. 
●    The discussion sessions focused on the Compact with Africa, Financial Sector Development and Regulations, International Financial Architecture and Global Financial Governance. 
●    Speaking further on the occasion, the Finance Minister Shri Jaitley further said that India is on course to introduce the Goods and Services Tax (GST) from July 2017. 
●    He said that GST will eliminate the multiplicity of taxes and make India a single common market and as per IMF projections, India’s medium term growth is poised to raise above 8%. 
 

Current Affairs 22nd April 2017: GLOBAL NEWS

MasterCard creates credit card with fingerprint scanner

The days of tapping in your PIN at the checkout could be numbered after credit card provider Mastercard unveiled a payment card in South Africa featuring a biometric fingerprint scanner.
●    Mastercard, which processes more than 65,000 transactions every minute worldwide, made the announcement on Thursday following two successful trials in South Africa.
●    The technology works in a similar way to mobile phone payments, in which users must hold their finger over the sensor whilst making a purchase. 
●    Instead of a card user entering in their four-digit personal identification number (PIN), the payment card features a small biometric area designed to verify the user's fingerprint.
●    The payment network said it is currently extending the trial process and hopes to fully implement the technology throughout Europe and Asia later this year.
●    While fingerprint recognition is widely considered as a safer and more efficient way of payment authentication than PINs, analysts at Berlin-based Security Research Labs had previously hacked scanners such as the ones used by Samsung's Galaxy S5.


 

China launches its first ever unmanned cargo spacecraft

China on Thursday successfully launched its first unmanned cargo spacecraft, taking another crucial step towards realising the Communist giant’s ambition to have a permanently manned space station in the next few years.
●    Powered by a Long March-7 Y2 carrier rocket, Tianzhou-1 roared into the air from the Wenchang Space Launch Centre in the southern Hainan Province, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
●    Hours later, space department officials declared the launch a success, as it entered the designated orbit.
●    In space, the cargo ship will dock with the orbiting Tiangong-2 space station, provide fuel and other supplies, and conduct space experiments before falling back to Earth.
●    China aims to build by 2022 a permanent space station, which is expected to orbit for at least 10 years, and the debut of the cargo ship is important as it acts as a courier to help maintain the space station.
●    Without a cargo transportation system, the station would run out of power and basic necessities, causing it to return to Earth before the designated time.
 

Current Affairs 22nd April 2017: SPORTS

Cricket excluded from 2018 Asian Games

One of the sports to miss out from the programme list of the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang is cricket. 
●    Apart from cricket, skateboarding, sambo and surfing are among the other sports which have been removed from the programme in order to reduce the burden on Indonesian organisers.
●    This measure was taken as a part of the series of changes aimed at reducing the total number of events from 493 to 431. 
●    Also omitted from the list are kurash and belt wrestling events. 
●    This news was confirmed by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) to insidethegames.
●    Meanwhile, there will also be reduced competitions in the sports of ju jitsu, jet ski, sport climbing, paragliding, bridge and wushu.

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Important Current Affairs 21st April 2017 Free PDF

Important Current Affairs 21st April 2017 with Free PDF

Dear Aspirants,

We bring you Important Current Affairs 21st April 2017 with Free PDF in English and Hindi, which will update you with latest headlines, news from various domains i.e: National News, Sports, Business, Awards & recognition. It will help you in preparation of competitive exams like: SSC, SBI, IBPS PO, Clerk, Railways & Various other Entrance examinations.

Current Affairs 21st April 2017: NATIONAL NEWS

India changes 4 decade old definition of blindness

India has changed its over four-decade-old definition of blindness, bringing it in line with the WHO criteria, a step that would drastically bring down the number of people considered "blind" in the country.
●    According to the new definition, a person who is unable to count fingers from a distance of three metres would be considered "blind" as against the earlier stipulation of six metres, which was adopted in 1976.
●    The aim of revising the definition is also to be able to generate data which can be compared with global estimates and achieve the WHO goal of reducing the blindness prevalence of India to 0.3 per cent of the total population by 2020. 
●    The notification in this regard has been issued by the Union Health Ministry.
●    Going by the new definition, the population of blind people in India will reduce from 1.20 crore (as per National Blindness survey 2007 data) to 80 lakh.

Indian Railways to Organise Two Day Global Technology Conference On 3rd & 4th May 2017 at New Delhi

In keeping with the unremitting agenda of the Indian Railways to augment the pace of its operational improvements through enhancing its pace of modernized technological adaptations, the Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) Lucknow of the Indian Railways has decided to hold a two-day Global Technology Conference on 3rd & 4th May 2017 at New Delhi. 
●    The Technical Engineering Institutes of the Indian Railways viz. Institute of Rolling Stock Engineers (IRSE) and the Institution of Signal and Telecommunications Engineers (IRSTE) are the nodal bodies are collaborating in  organizing this Conference. Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu, Hon’ble Minister for Railways will inaugurate the Global Conference on 3rd May 2017.
●    With four lead thrust areas viz. Safety, Reliability, capacity enhancement and customer service, the Global Technological Conference envisages bringing in new perspectives and insights in planning for future rail transportation growth in the country and for assessing contemporary global technologies relevant to adoption on IR. 
●    The Conference shall feature technical sessions, technical presentations, and table-top exhibits, besides wide opportunities for several industries networking too.

One Crore MGNREGA assets geotagged

Mahatma Gandhi NREGS has reached a new milestone today by geotagging one Crore assets and putting them in public domain. 
●    The scale of rural assets created under MGNREGA is very large. Since the inception of the programme in financial year 2006-07, about 2.82 Crore assets have been created under the programme. 
●    On an average, about 30 Lakh Assets are created annually which includes a variety of works such as water harvesting structures, plantations, rural infrastructure, flood control measures, individual assets for sustainable livelihood, community infrastructure and so on. 
●    The process of geotagging is going on and all assets under MGNREGS will be geotagged. 
●    Special focus is being given to geotag Natural Resource Management works especially the water related works. 
●    GeoMGNREGA is a unique endeavor of the Ministry of Rural Development in association with National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), ISRO and National Informatics Centre. 
●    A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by Ministry of Rural Development with NRSC on 24th June 2016 for geo-tagging the assets created under MGNREGS in each gram panchayat. 
●    Strength of Space technology has been leveraged.

Meeting of the Consultative Committee for Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas on “Digital Modes of Payment - Promotion of cashless transactions” held

Meeting of the Consultative Committee of the Members of Parliament for the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas was held in Srinagar on 21st April, 2017. 
●    Following Hon’ble Members of Parliament participated in the meeting - Shri Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma, Shri Chandrakant Bhaurao Khaire, Sh. Harinder Singh Khalsa, Shri Janak Ram, Shri Murali Mohan Maganti, Shri Narasimham Thota, Shri Ninong Ering, Shri Satya Pal Singh, Shri Ramdas Chandrabhanji Tadas, Dr Ravindra Babu Pandula, Col. (Retd.) Sona Ram Choudhary, Shri Tamradhwaj Sahu, Shri Tariq Anwar, Shri Vikaram Usendi, Shri Ranjib Biswal and Shri Ravi Prakash Verma
●    A presentation on the topic “Digital Modes of Payment - Promotion of cashless transactions” was made during the meeting. 
●    The Hon’ble Members gave their valuable inputs and suggestions to further promote the digital modes of payment by way of cashless transactions. 
●    Chairing the meeting, Minister of State (I/C) for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan welcomed all the Members of the Consultative Committee. 
●    Shri Pradhan emphasized on the efforts made by the Ministry and the OMCs to promote digital payments at fuel stations. 
●    He informed that the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas took the lead role in digital payment promotion drive. 
●    A three pronged strategy was followed ie rapid expansion of digital payment infrastructure at fuel stations, massive awareness campaign and incentivizing consumers. 
●    He informed that 38,128 ROs are with POS and more than 86% of ROs have digital infrastructure today. 

Minister of State (IC) for Labour & Employment Presents NSCI Safety Awards – 2016 to 70 Organisations


The Union Government is committed to the safety, health and welfare of the working class, said the Minister of State (Independent charge) for Labour and Employment, Shri Bandaru Dattatreya. 
●    He was speaking at a function after presenting National Safety Council’s ‘NSCI Safety Awards’ for the year 2016 in New Delhi today. 
●    Altogether 70 organisations have been awarded in four categories – Sarva Shreshtha Suraksha Puraskar, Shreshtha Suraksha Puraskar, Suraksha Puraskar and Prashansa Patra. 
●    Besides, 12 client organizations from Construction Sector have also been awarded. In Manufacturing Sector, IOCL- Digboi Refinery; National Fertilizers Ltd., Panipat and NPCIL, Kaiga Generating Station 3 & 4, Kaiga, Karnataka under Group A, Group B and Group C respectively; in Construction Sector, L&T Ltd., Rawatbhata, Chittorgarh for NPCIL Atomic Power Project, Rajasthan and Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd. and in MSME Sector, Electricals & Electronics, Thane, Maharashtra have won Sarva Shreshtha Suraksha Puraskar for the year 2016. 
●    Shri Bandaru Dattatyeya said that as a part of legislative reforms of labour laws, the Centre has started a process of codification and amalgamation of 44 Central Labour Laws into four Codes in order to simplify them. They are: Code on Wages, Code on Industrial Relations, Code on Social security & Welfare, and Code on Safety & working conditions. 
●    He said that as a founder member of the International Labour Organization India has contributed immensely in formulation and implementation of labour standards. So far India has ratified 45 Conventions and 1 protocol of ILO.

Current Affairs 21st April 2017: PERSONS

Modi, Vijay Shekhar Sharma in Time's 100 Most Influential Persons

Time Magazine on 20 April 2017 released the annual list of 100 most influential people of 2017. 
●    This year's list includes the names of Presidents and Prime Ministers, CEOs and celebrities for the power of their inventions, the scale of their ambitions, the genius of their solutions to problems that could not be solved before.
●    This year, only two Indians to feature on the list- Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma.
●    Oscar winner Viola Davis, Grammy winner John Legend, actor Riz Ahmed, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and philanthropist Melinda Gates graced the five different covers of this year’s list of 100 most influential people.
●    US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and British Prime Minister Theresa May featured on the new list of 100 most influential people by the magazine.
 

Current Affairs 21st April 2017: GLOBAL NEWS

Mongolia launches its first ever satellite

Mongolia launched its first satellite on Wednesday, part of its efforts to make use of new technology to diversify its resource-dependent economy.
●    The 1,227-megahertz satellite, called Mongol Sat-1, will help landlocked Mongolia expand its television, telecoms and broadband services, according to a video posted on the official website of Mongolia's parliament .
●    The satellite was launched in partnership with Asia Broadcast Satellite (ABS), a telecoms and broadcast provider for the region. 
●    No details about the cost of the satellite and the launch were provided, and government agencies could not be immediately reached for comment.
●    "The project that began over 10 years ago has been finally accomplished," said Parliament Speaker Miyeegombo Enkhbold in a meeting with ABS Chief Executive Officer Thomas Choi at the satellite's launch.
●    Enkhbold said the satellite would also be used to help with space research, map making and with preparing for natural disasters.


 

World Bank Approves $ 375 Million Loan for Developing National Waterway-1

In a major boost towards realising country’s ambitious inland waterways project, the World Bank has approved a $375 million loan for capacity augmentation of National Waterway-1(River Ganga) under Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP). 
●    The government is developing NW-1 (River Ganga) under JMVP from Haldia to Varanasi (1390 Km) with the technical and financial assistance of the World Bank at an estimated cost of Rs 5369 crore. 
●    The project would enable commercial navigation of vessels with capacity of 1500-2,000 DWT. 
●    Under the project, there are going to be three multi-modal terminals--one each at Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh), Sahibganj (Jharkhand), and Haldia (West Bengal), two inter-modal terminals- at Kalughat and Ghazipur, a new Navigation Lock at Farakka, five Roll on-Roll off (Ro-Ro) terminals, development of Ferry services at Varanasi, Patna, Bhagalpur, Munger, Kolkata and Haldia and Vessel repair and maintenance facilities. 
●    While the contracts for construction of multi-modal terminals at Varanasi, Sahibganj, and a new Navigation Lock at Farakka have been awarded, and the work at respective sites has commenced, the construction of multi-modal terminal at Haldia will begin soon. 
●    The foundation stone for the multi-modal terminal at Sahibganj was laid by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 6th April, 2017. 
●    In August 2016, the Minister for Road Transport, Highways & Shipping Shri Nitin Gadkari laid the foundation stone for multi-modal terminal at Varanasi. 

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Important Current Affairs 20th April 2017 Free PDF

Important Current Affairs 20th April 2017 with Free PDF

Dear Aspirants,

We bring you Important Current Affairs 20th April 2017 with Free PDF in English and Hindi, which will update you with latest headlines, news from various domains i.e: National News, Sports, Business, Awards & recognition. It will help you in preparation of competitive exams like: SSC, SBI, IBPS PO, Clerk, Railways & Various other Entrance examinations.

Current Affairs 20th April 2017: NATIONAL NEWS

Agra, Gorakhpur Airports renamed

In the third meeting of the Uttar Pradesh cabinet, the state government renamed the Gorakhpur and Agra Airports as well as the name of the Department of Welfare of the Differently-abled.
●    The Gorakhpur Air Force Station was renamed after the name of Mahayogi Gorakhnath, the founder of Nath monastic movement. 
●    Interestingly, the newly-appointed Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is the Head Priest of the Gorakhnath Mutt, which is a leading centre of the Nath monastic order.
●    Likewise, the Agra Airport was renamed after RSS ideologue Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay airport.
●    On the other hand, the Department of Disabled Welfare will now be known as Divyang Jan Vikas Empowerment. 
●    Divyang is a term used for the differently-abled. 
●    During the meeting, the cabinet also approved the decision to open 20 new agricultural centres.


 

Cabinet clears EC's proposal to buy paper trail EVMs

In a bid to increase transparency in the electoral process, the Union cabinet on Wednesday cleared a proposal to procure 1,615,000 voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) machines by September 2018.
●    Estimated to cost Rs 3,173 crore it will also ensure VVPAT units are used in all the polling booths in the next general elections in 2019.
●    Immediately it nixes the growing controversy after allegations of tampering of electronic voting machines (EVMs) were levelled by several political parties, including the Congress, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
●    “A voter has a right to know whether his vote has been correctly registered or not. VVPAT machines in many phases and in small numbers were ordered earlier in 2013, 2015 as well. 
●    The estimate of the Election Commission is that approximately 16 lakh machines are required. 
●    The entire procurement will be supplied by September 2018. 
●    If by September 2018 machines are procured then elections conducted after that time will have a paper trail,” finance minister Arun Jaitley said while addressing a press conference after the cabinet meeting.


Minister of State (IC) for Labour & Employment Presents NSCI Safety Awards – 2016 to 70 Organisations

The Union Government is committed to the safety, health and welfare of the working class, said the Minister of State (Independent charge) for Labour and Employment, Shri Bandaru Dattatreya. 
●    He was speaking at a function after presenting National Safety Council’s ‘NSCI Safety Awards’ for the year 2016 in New Delhi today. 
●    Altogether 70 organisations have been awarded in four categories – Sarva Shreshtha Suraksha Puraskar, Shreshtha Suraksha Puraskar, Suraksha Puraskar and Prashansa Patra. 
●    Besides, 12 client organizations from Construction Sector have also been awarded. 
●    In Manufacturing Sector, IOCL- Digboi Refinery; National Fertilizers Ltd., Panipat and NPCIL, Kaiga Generating Station 3 & 4, Kaiga, Karnataka under Group A, Group B and Group C respectively; in Construction Sector, L&T Ltd., Rawatbhata, Chittorgarh for NPCIL Atomic Power Project, Rajasthan and Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd. and in MSME Sector, Electricals & Electronics, Thane, Maharashtra have won Sarva Shreshtha Suraksha Puraskar for the year 2016 
●    Shri Bandaru Dattatyeya said that as a part of legislative reforms of labour laws, the Centre has started a process of codification and amalgamation of 44 Central Labour Laws into four Codes in order to simplify them. 
●    They are: Code on Wages, Code on Industrial Relations, Code on Social security & Welfare, and Code on Safety & working conditions. He said that as a founder member of the International Labour Organization India has contributed immensely in formulation and implementation of labour standards. 
●    So far India has ratified 45 Conventions and 1 protocol of ILO.


Supreme Court approves e-auction of Taj Mansingh Hotel in Delhi

The Supreme Court (SC) on 20 April 2017 approved the e-auction of Taj Mansingh Hotel in Delhi. 
●    A bench of Justices P C Ghose and R F Nariman allowed New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) to e-auction the property.
●    The bench rejected the claim of Tata group-owned Indian Hotels Co. Ltd (IHCL) over the property. The auctioning the Taj Mansingh Hotel property was stiffly opposed by Tata group-run Indian Hotels Company Ltd which manages the hotel.
●    In an earlier hearing, the Supreme Court asked NDMC to reconsider its decision for the e-auction as the IHCL had approached SC against a Delhi High Court’s ruling that allowed for the auction of Taj Mansingh Hotel.
●    However, on 27 October 2016 hearing, a division bench denied IHCL’s claim to right of first refusal on the auction and called for the bidding.  It allowed IHCL to participate in the bid and also match the highest offer.
●    NDMC and IHCL had entered into an agreement in 1976 to construct and run a five-star hotel in one of the prime locations of Delhi that is Mansingh Road. 
●    This licence operated for a period of 33 years from late 1976 and concluded in 2011. However, NDMC declined to renew the IHCL licence for 30 years.

Current Affairs 20th April 2017: AWARDS

Saira Banu, Jackie Shroff gets Raj Kapoor awards

Veteran actress Saira Banu and actor Jackie Shroff were named for the prestigious Raj Kapoor awards of the Maharashtra Government. 
●    The names of the duo were announced on 19 April 2017 by the State Cultural Affairs Minister Vinod Tawde in Mumbai.
●    Saira Banu (72) will be awarded with the prestigious Raj Kapoor Lifetime achievement award, while Jackie Shroff (60) was selected for the Raj Kapoor Special contribution award. 
●    They will be awarded for their cinematic journey and contributions to the Indian cinema respectively.
●    Prominent films of Saira Banu includes "Junglee" (1961), "Purab aur Paschim" (1970), "Victoria No. 203" (1972), "Jwar Bhata", "Padosan" and "Bairag" (1976).
●    Prominent films of Shroff include "Hero" (1983), "Teri Meherbaniyan" (1984), "Sazish". He had won the Filmfare best actor award for his role in the film "Parinda" (1990).


 

Current Affairs 20th April 2017: SPORTS

Ronaldo first player to score 100 goals in Champions League


Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to score 100 goals in the Champions League when he netted a hat trick against Bayern Munich on Tuesday -- then used the occasion to ask for more respect from fans.
●    Ronaldo had cut an isolated figure up front for long periods, and was jeered by some home fans for not working hard enough off the ball. 
●    At one point he put his finger to his lips, appearing to attempt to shush the Bernabeu.
●    But they were all cheering his name at the end after he had knocked home the goals that put Madrid through to the semifinals with a 4-2 win on the night, 6-3 on aggregate.
●    "I don't tell them to be quiet, never, I only ask that they do not whistle," Ronaldo told Spanish TV station Antena 3. 
●    "Because I always give my best in every game, although sometimes I do not score goals I try and work hard to help Real Madrid.

Current Affairs 20th April 2017: GLOBAL NEWS

Malaysia Airlines world's first to satellite track it's flights

Malaysia Airlines — which lost a jetliner with 239 people on board in 2014 in one of aviation’s greatest mysteries — has become the first carrier to adopt a satellite flight-tracking system.
●    The airline will use a soon-to-be-launched satellite network to monitor its fleet in areas where there is currently no surveillance, including polar regions and remote areas of the oceans.
●    “Real-time global aircraft tracking has long been a goal of the aviation community. 
●    We are proud to be the first airline to adopt this solution,” Malaysia Airlines Chief Operating Officer Izham Ismail said in a statement to Bloomberg.
●    The airline reached a deal for the service provided by US-based Aireon, FlightAware and SITAONAIR.
●    Planes deviating from a flight path will be able to be identified more quickly with the system.
 

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Current Affairs 19th April 2017: NATIONAL NEWS

Reliance beats TCS to become India's most valuable company

Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries (RIL) surpassed Tata group Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) to become India's most valuable company in terms of market capitalisation (m-cap) in intraday trade.
●    RIL, with the m-cap of Rs 457,641 crore was ahead of TCS, which had a m-cap of Rs 457,386 crore at 09.37 am, the BSE data shows. RIL was trading 1.2% higher at Rs 1,407.50, while TCS was flat at Rs 2,321.40.
●    RIL, however, trimmed gains as trade progressed and slipped to the No. 2 spot. At 09:51 am; TCS reclaimed the at number one position with m-cap of Rs 457,099 crore. RIL m-cap stood at Rs 456,682 crore, data show.
●    Thus far in the calendar year 2017, RIL has outperformed the market by surging 30% as compared to 11.4% rise in the S&P BSE Sensex. 
●    The technology major TCS, however, has underperformed by falling 1.7% during this period.

SBI surpasses ONGC to become India's most valuable PSU

The State Bank of India (SBI) on 18 April 2017 became India's most valued Public Sector Company in terms of market valuation. The market cap of SBI stood at Rs 235307.51 crore as on 18 April 2017.
●    It surpassed state-run energy major Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) as its market cap was about Rs 2961.79 crore more than that of ONGC's Rs 232345.72 crore. 
●    ONGC once used to be the country's most-valued Public Sector Company in terms of market valuation.
●    Among the top-10 most valued companies list, SBI is at the fifth position while ONGC is seventh on the list.  So far in Financial Year 2017-18, shares of SBI have surged almost 16 per cent while ONGC's shares have fallen by over 4 per cent.
●    On the other hand, in Private Sector, IT major Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) became the most-valued Indian company with a market cap of Rs 454902.85 crore, followed by Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) with Rs 445578.92 crore market cap.
●    TCS had replaced RIL as the most valued firm more than four years ago itself. However, RIL witnessed  a sharp growth in recent past on success of telecom venture Jio.

Disabled people may not stand during National Anthem : SC

The Supreme Court today extended the exemption granted to certain categories of disabled persons from standing while national anthem is played in cinema halls to those affected with autism, cerebral palsy, multiple disabilities, Parkinson's disease, stenosis, leprosy and polio cured.
●    The Centre had earlier submitted before the court that the home ministry on the directions of the court has issued guidelines on how people with disabilities can show respect when the national anthem is being played in movie halls or public functions saying they should not move and position themselves “maintaining the maximum possible alertness physically”. 
●    “Having heard learned counsel for the parties, we are inclined to modify the orders and direct that the persons who are wheelchair users, those with autism, persons suffering from cerebral palsy, multiple disabilities, parkinson's, multiple sclerosis leprosy cured, muscular dystrophy and deaf and blind be treated not to be within the ambit of the orders passed by this Court. 
●    As far as the other categories, which we have not referred to mentioned in the application, are concerned, the same may be considered by the Union of India.
The issue of the disabled had been taken up by senior advocate Raju Ramachandran.

The Government decides to do away with beacons for all categories of vehicles

With a view to strengthening healthy democratic values in the country, the Central Government took another historic step today. 
●    The Union Cabinet, in its meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today decided to do away with beacons of all kinds atop all categories of vehicles in the country. 
●    The government is of the considered opinion that beacons on vehicles are perceived symbols of VIP Culture, and have no place in a democratic country. 
●    They have no relevance whatsoever. 
●    Beacons, however, will be allowed on vehicles concerned with emergency and relief services, ambulance, fire service etc. 
●    In the light of this decision the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways will make necessary provisions in the law. 


The Seventh Pay Review Commission for implementing the recommendations in Education Institutes submits its report to HRD Ministry

Union Minister of Human Resource Development, Shri Prakash Javadekar has assured the teacher fraternity and staff of Education Institutions, University and Colleges of getting justice in their remuneration related matters. 
●    Addressing media persons here in New Delhi, the Minister said the Seventh Pay Review Commission for implementing the recommendations in educational institute, University and Colleges has submitted its report to the Ministry of Human Resource Development. 
●    Accordingly, a Committee headed by Secretary Higher Education has been constituted. 
●    The Committee will have officials from Finance Ministry and other relevant offices and it will submit its final recommendations which will go to Cabinet.
●    Shri Prakash Javadekar hoped that the Professors, Staff and every individual in education sector will definitely get benefited.
●    He said ‘those who had some doubt whether government is moving or not in this direction, let me dispel their doubts that we have already started action and soon they will get good news’. 
●    He further urged the education fraternity to try more vigorously to improve the quality of education at all levels and concentrate on study, examination and assessment work.

Current Affairs 19th April 2017: ECONOMY

IMF trims India's growth percentage to 7.2%

The IMF on Tuesday trimmed India's annual growth forecast by 0.4 percentage points to 7.2 per cent for 2017, citing the impact of demonetisation.
●    "In India, the growth forecast for 2017 has been trimmed by 0.4 percentage point to 7.2 per cent, primarily because of the temporary negative consumption shock induced by cash shortages and payment disruptions from the recent currency exchange initiative," the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said in its latest annual World Economic Outlook (WEO).
●    The World Economic Outlook was released here before the start of the annual Spring Meeting of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.
●    "Medium-term growth prospects are favourable, with growth forecast to rise to about eight per cent over the medium term due to the implementation of key reforms, loosening of supply-side bottlenecks, and appropriate fiscal and monetary policies," the IMF report said.
●    The Indian government in February had pegged GDP growth at a higher-than-expected 7.1 per cent for the current fiscal despite the note ban.
 

Current Affairs 19th April 2017: SPORTS

Chris Gayle first to score 10000 run's in T20 Cricket

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB’s) Gayle became the first entrant of the exclusive club as he reached 3 against the Gujarat Lions in their 2017 Indian Premier League (IPL) match on Tuesday. 
●    He went on to score a 38-ball 77, with the help of seven sixes and five fours.
●    Before the start of the 2017 IPL, Gayle needed 63 runs to reach the 10,000 milestone. He scored 32, 6, 22 in the three matches he played prior to Tuesday's fixture. He was also dropped from two matches, which delayed the milestone.
●    Gayle might end up being the only one in the 10,000 club in T20s for a long time. No other batsman has crossed 8,000 runs in T20s with the second highest run-scorer after Gayle being Brendon McCullum (7596). Brad Hodge has 7338 runs to his name while David Warner has 7156 runs.
●    Gayle also became the first player to score more than 10,000 runs in three levels -- first-class, list-A and T20s. And with Gayle’s feat, India added to its reputation of providing the perfect stage for entering the 10,000 clubs.


 

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Current Affairs 18th April 2017: NATIONAL NEWS

Indian Warships on Overseas Deployment: Visit Souda Bay, Greece

As part of the Indian Navy’s Overseas Deployment (OSD) to the Mediterranean Sea and the West Coast of Africa, four warships, namely Indian Naval Ships Mumbai, Trishul, Tarkash and Aditya, arrived at Souda Bay, Greece for a three-day visit yesterday. 
●    The warships will engage with the Hellenic Navy during their stay in the country. Apart from professional interactions, a number of sports and social engagements are planned, which would go a long way in enhancing co-operation and understanding between the two navies. 
●    The visiting ships are part of the Indian Navy’s Western Naval Command and are based in Mumbai. 
●    The Task Group is headed by Rear Admiral RB Pandit, the Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet, who is flying his flag on the indigenous guided missile destroyer, INS Mumbai. 
●    The current visit seeks to underscore India’s peaceful presence and solidarity with friendly and like-minded countries towards ensuring good order in the maritime domain and to strengthen the existing bonds between India and Greece.

UNFCCC Executive Secretary Appreciates India’s Climate Actions

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Executive Secretary, Ms. Patricia Espinosa, met the Minister of State (Independent Charge), Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Shri Anil Madhav Dave, here today.  
●    During the meeting, Shri Dave highlighted India’s Science Express Climate Action Special (SECAS) train being run as an ongoing climate change awareness programme for various sections of society, especially students. 
●    The Environment Minister also emphasized the importance of sustainable lifestyles in addressing the climate change issues.
●    UNFCCC Executive Secretary praised India’s actions as an example for many other countries. 
●    She emphasized the need to showcase these efforts on international platforms.

Prakash Javadekar inaugurates National Conference on innovation (Navonmesh) in School Education

Imparting of Quality Education to Students is the crux of the learning outcome process for which we have to strive continuously and it is the Teacher as well as Parents, concerned departments, Educationist and the society in general has to work collectively. 
●    Our Government has now charted the modalities of learning outcome process. 
●    Addressing a three day national conference on innovation (Navonmesh) in school education here at NCERT headquarters New Delhi today, Union Minister of Human Resources Development, Shri Prakash Javadekar emphasised the need to impart quality Education to students in such a manner so that they could come up as good citizens imbibed with values.
●    Shri Javadekar said we are planning to create awareness among parents and teachers as well as students regarding the norms of education being given at certain level in definitive mode. 
●    For this posters will be displayed in school across the country. 
●    Teacher will be provided proper training and accountability will be fixed. 
●    He said our Government has drawn up the learning outcome charter to improve and ensure the quality of Education.
 

Current Affairs 18th April 2017: APPOINTMENTS

B.N.Mohapatra takes over as the New Financial Commissioner (FC) of (Railways)

Shri B.N.Mohapatra has been appointed as the new Financial Commissioner (FC) (Railways) and ex-officio Secretary to the Government of India and has taken over the charge on 17/04/2017.  
●    Prior to this posting, Shri B.N.Mohapatra was posted as Additional Member/ Finance since 01.11.2016.
●    An officer of Indian Railway Accounts Service (IRAS) of 1980 examination batch, Shri  B.N.Mohapatra completed his post graduation in Political Science and graduation in LLB.
●    During his career, Sh. Mohapatra has worked on various higher and middle level management posts on the Indian Railways like DRM/ Tinsukhia, NFR, Assistant General Manager (AGM) on East Coast Railway. 
●    In Railway Board he has worked in various directorates like Pay Commission, Establishment, Expenditure and Accounts as Executive Director and Advisor.

Current Affairs 18th April 2017: AWARDS

Meritorious SC & ST students awarded with Dr. Ambedkar National Merit Awards

Meritorious Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes students of Secondary and Senior School examination of year 2016 were awarded with “Dr. Ambedkar National Merit Awards” at a function here today. 
●    Ministers of State for Social Justice & Empowerment Shri Krishan Pal Gurjar, Shri Vijay Sampla and Shri Ramdas Athawale presented the Awards to the SC & ST students who have topped the 10th and 12th standards examination of year 2016. New printed version of ‘Collected Works of Babasaheb Ambedkar (CWBA)’ and a set of Audio CDs on CWBA were released on the occasion. 
●    The function was organized by Dr. Ambedkar Foundation (DAF) under Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
●    The awards have been distributed in two categories - in the first category, those SC & ST students who has excelled in the Secondary School Examination in the year 2016. 
●    As there is no female student in First, Second and Third rank, hence special awards have been announced to the highest scoring girl students to encourage the girl child education. 
●    In the second category of awards, the top graded SC & ST students of Senior Secondary School Examination 2016 have been awarded. 
●    Total Awardees in 10th Class and 12th Class are 79 & 105. The prize money of First Prize is Rs. 60,000/-, Second Prize is Rs. 50,000/- and Third Prize is Rs. 40,000/-.
 

Current Affairs 18th April 2017: SPACE SCIENCE


ISRO announces launch of South Asia Satellite on 5 May

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will be launching its 'South Asia Satellite' on 5 May 2017. The launch aims to benefit all the countries in the region, except Pakistan.
●    The news on the agency’s plan to launch South Asia Satellite was confirmed by ISRO chief AS Kiran Kumar during his telephonic interview with PTI. He informed that it’s going up in the first week of May 2017.
●    But reports suggest (on basis of ISRO sources) that the launch of this communication satellite (GSAT-9) is scheduled for 5 May 2017. It will be launched on board the space agency's rocket GSLV-09 from Sriharikota spaceport.
●    The satellite with a lift-mass of 2195 kilogramme would carry 12 ku-band transponders.
●    It has been designed for a mission life of more than 12 years.
●    Earlier, the satellite was named as SAARC Satellite but was changed to South Asia Satellite when Pakistan was dropped from the list of nations taking part in the project.

Current Affairs 18th April 2017: DAYS AND DATES


World Heritage Day observed

The 2017 World Heritage Day was observed across the world on 18 April 2017. The theme for the year is Cultural Heritage & Sustainable Tourism.
●    The theme for the 2017 World Heritage Day was chosen in relation to the United Nations International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development and in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals.
●    The day is aims at raising awareness of the importance of protecting and preserving various sites around the world that have achieved world heritage status.
●    As of July 2016, there are 27 cultural, 7 natural and 1 mixed World Heritage Sites in India that are recognised by the UNESCO.
●    These sites are places of importance of cultural or natural heritage as described in the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, established in 1972.
●    India’s first two sites inscribed on the list at the Seventh Session of the World Heritage held in 1983 were the Agra Fort and the Ajanta Caves.
 

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Current Affairs 17th April 2017: NATIONAL NEWS

President of India Honours Freedom Fighters on the occasion of Centenary of Mahatma Gandhi’s Champaran Satyagraha

The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee attended an event to commemorate the centenary of Mahatma Gandhi’s Champaran Satyagraha, at Patna today (April 17, 2017) where he honoured freedom fighters. 
●    Speaking on the occasion, the President said that we are today commemorating the hundred years of Champaran Satyagraha. 
●    Champaran in Bihar served as the laboratory of Satyagraha and National Freedom Movement. 
●    He said that the symbolic significance of Champaran Satyagraha was much greater than what actually happened in Champaran.
●    Along with the Kheda Satyagraha of 1917-1918, the Champaran Satyagraha was the movement responsible for putting Gandhi on the front seat of the Indian nationalist movement and making satyagraha a powerful tool of civilian resistance.


 

Nation-wide training programme launched for Elected Women representatives (EWRs) of Panchayats 

A comprehensive module for capacity building of Elected Women Representatives (EWRs) of Panchayats and a training program for Trainers of women panchayat leaders across the country was launched by the Ministry of Women and Child Development in collaboration with the Ministry of Panchayati Raj today. 
●    The training program was launched at Ranchi, Jharkhand through a video conference, by the Minister of Women & Child Development, Smt Maneka Sanjay Gandhi in the presence of Minister of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar in New Delhi today. 
●    The training program seeks to empower EWRs of panchayats by enhancing their capacity, capability and skill in governance and administration of villages.
●    Addressing the select women trainers/women sarpanches of Jharkhand at the video conference today, Smt Maneka Sanjay Gandhi said that inspite of 33% reservation for women in the panchayat bodies, the EWRs continue to remain ineffective since they do not have appropriate knowledge and skill to administer the village, and the show continues to be run by their husbands.

Prakash Javadekar launches Portal and Mobile App of RUSA

Union Minister of Human Resource Development Shri Prakash Javadekar today launched the unique portal and mobile app of Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA), a body under the aegis of the Ministry of Human Resource Development here in New Delhi.
●    Speaking on the occasion Shri Javadekar said “Our Government’s first priority is to improve the quality of primary as well as higher education. 
●    Unless we improve the quality of education we will not be able to create capable people and good citizen and therefore improvement of quality is the thrust for all our efforts in the educational fields. 
●    Today this is a unique event as well as experiment wherein we have inaugurated 17 facilities created under Rashtriya Ucchatat Shiksha Abiyan (RUSA) in one go in 14 states”. 
●    He said that Centre and State Government will be deliberating and discussing upon the modalities for bringing improvement further.
●    Under the concept of RUSA the quality of education can go up by improving the research labs infrastructure and creating smart class rooms and various other programmes by which the quality enhancement and value addition to the students happen, Shri Javadekar added. 
●    The Minister said ‘RUSA is a success and during the last three years Modi Government has increased the expenditure to the tune of Rs. 2800 crore for this. 
●    He said we have created infrastructure in many universities, colleges and model colleges.

Army Commander’s Conference Begins

Biannual Army Commander’s Conference commenced on 17 April 2017 with the opening address by Gen Bipin Rawat, Chief of Army Staff at Manekshaw Centre, Delhi Cantt.
●    Army Commander’s Conference is an important event in the planning and execution process of the Indian Army. 
●    To ensure due diligence, decisions are taken through a collegiate system comprising the Army Commanders and other senior officers who will deliberate upon the prevailing security scenario, strategic and actionable issues to ensure effective combat edge of the Indian Army. 
●    Gen Bipin Rawat, the Army Chief, in his opening address emphasized that all systems were working well and complimented all those who are working on the ground. 
●    He observed that Indian Army continues to hold a strong image and a professional reputation. 
●    He exhorted all ranks to endeavour to further strengthen the same. 


 

Power Purchase Agreement for Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Power Project signed

Union Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal, New & Renewable Energy and Mines, Shri Piyush Goyal, presided over the signing of Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) between Delhi Metro Railways Corporation (DMRC) & Madhya Pradesh Power Management Company (MPPMC) with Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Limited, the implementing agency for the ‘world’s largest single­site solar power project’, the Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Power Project (UMSPP, 750MW) in Bhopal today. 
●    Other dignitaries present on the occasion were Union Minister for Urban Development, Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation and Information & Broadcasting, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu and Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh. 
●    Addressing the gathering, Shri Naidu said that Madhya Pradesh is a special state having huge resource base that is being harnessed under Shri Chouhan’s leadership. 
●    Taking a huge step towards realizing Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of 24x7 Affordable, Quality Power for All, Madhya Pradesh has successfully brought down the rate of solar power to Rs. 3.30/ unit, which is a huge revolution in its own right, Shri Naidu noted. 
●    The Minister said that seven cities in the State qualified as smart cities in the first round comprising a total of 20 cities. 
●    This has been made possible only through people's active participation and the dynamic leadership in the State, Shri Naidu said.

NDMA to conduct mock exercise on forest fire in Uttarakhand 

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) will conduct its first-ever mock exercise on forest fire in Uttarakhand on Thursday (April 20, 2017) to help improve the preparedness and response mechanism in the event of a forest fire. 
●    The mock exercise will be conducted on the principle of Incident Response System (IRS), which identifies stakeholders and clearly attributes roles and responsibilities to each one of them. 
●    It will enhance preparedness and ensure a swift response by reducing confusion and chaos. 
●    It will help in filling gaps, ensuring better communication and improving coordination among various stakeholder agencies. 
●    It will also generate awareness among the local population about the Do's and Don'ts to be followed to prevent and respond to a forest fire.

70th Himachal Day celebrated across Himachal Pradesh

70th Himachal Day was celebrated across Himachal Pradesh (HP) on 15 April 2017. Himachal Pradesh came into existence by merging 30 odd princely states in 1948.
●    According to Transparency International Survey 2005, Himachal Pradesh was found to be the second least corrupt state in the country. 
●    In 1948, Himachal Pradesh’s Per Capita Income was Rs 240 and its GDP was Rs 26 crore. However, presently, Per Capita Income and its GDP are Rs 147277 and Rs 124570 crore respectively. 
●    Literacy rate increased from 7 per cent in 1948 to 82.80 per cent in 2011. 
●    Out of total 3226 panchayats, 3138 panchayats have been connected with motorable roads.
●    HP had electricity only in 6 villages when it was formed and only 331 villages had drinking water facility. But now, every village of Himachal Pradesh has piped electricity facility and water facility.
●    There were hardly any schools and health institutions at the time of its formation. 
●    Now, HP has a government school within a radius of 3 km and health institutions on almost every corner.

M.P. govt. inks pact to set up Asia's largest solar plant

The Madhya Pradesh government has inked a pact with IFC, member of the World Bank Group, to set up the world’s largest solar energy plant with a capacity of 750 MW.
●    The Rewa Ultra-Mega Solar Power Project will be set up in Gurh tehsil of Rewa district over an area of 1,500 hectares at an estimated cost of Rs 4,500 crore.
●    The project will be the largest single-site solar power project in the world, a release said.
●    The Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Madhya Pradesh Renewable Energy Development Corporation and IFC.
●    “Successful implementation of the Rewa Ultra-Mega Power project will be a key milestone for Madhya Pradesh’s outstanding efforts and leadership in renewable energy and the Centre’s remarkable vision on solar power,” the state’s Energy Minister Rajendra Shukla said.
●    IFC, which is working with the Union government to assist in meeting its large-scale solar energy generation goals, is also supporting the state government for the project.
 

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We bring you Important Current Affairs 16th April 2017 with Free PDF in English and Hindi, which will update you with latest headlines, news from various domains i.e: National News, Sports, Business, Awards & recognition. It will help you in preparation of competitive exams like: SSC, SBI, IBPS PO, Clerk, Railways & Various other Entrance examinations.

Current Affairs 16th April 2017: NATIONAL NEWS

Digital transactions rose 23% in March

Digital transactions increased by about 23 times in March to nearly 64 lakh, with total value of Rs 2,425 crore, from last November when demonetisation took effect.
●    “Volume of all digital transactions increased by about 23 times with 63,80,000 digital transactions for a value of Rs2,425 crore in March 2017, compared to 2,80,000 digital transactions worth Rs101 crore till November 2016,” Niti Aayog said in a statement.
●    Aadhaar Enabled Payments have increased from 2.5 crore in November 2016 to over 5 crore in March 2017, it said.
●    After scrapping of Rs500 and Rs1,000 notes on November 8, 2016, the government had launched two schemes to incentivise digital payments—Lucky Grahak Yojana and DigiDhan Vyapar Yojana on 25 December.
●    The statement also said Immediate Payment Service (IMPS) transactions have also increased from 3.6 crore to 6.7 crore during the same period.
●    In order to achieve the target of 2,500 crore digital transactions in the current financial year, the Prime Minister today announced about 75 townships spread all over India as ‘less-cash townships’, it said.


 

PM Modi inaugurates new units in Koradi thermal power station in Nagpur

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 14 April 2017 dedicated various units of the thermal power plants at Koradi, Chandrapur and Parli of Maharashtra to the nation. 
●    The total capacity of these plants is 3230 Mega Watts.
●    PM Modi inaugurates new units in Koradi thermal power station
●    The dedicated power plants include
●    Three super-critical units 660 MW each at Koradi
●    Two of 500 MW each at Chandrapur
●    One of 250 MW at Parli
●    The power station was inaugurated during Modi’s day-long visit to Nagpur.
●    Immediately after arrival at airport, he proceeded to sacred Deekshabhoomi and paid rich tributes to the Architect of Indian Constitution Bharat Ratna Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar at the Central Memorial on his birth anniversary.
●    Later, he dedicated the thermal power plants to the nation.

Noise pollution exceeds permissible limit in 7 Indian cities

The average level of noise pollution generally exceeds the permissible limits in seven cities of the country, including Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai.
●    The information was made available by Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave on Monday in a written reply in Rajya Sabha.
●    He said the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in association with its counterparts in every state carries out monitoring of noise pollution in seven metropolitan cities – Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Lucknow and Hyderabad through a network of 70 noise-monitoring stations under National Ambient Noise Monitoring Programme (NANMP).
●    The noise standards for motor vehicles, air conditioners, refrigerators, gensets and certain types of construction equipment are prescribed in the Schedules of the Environment (Protection) Rules, 1986, Dave said.
●    The minister said pressure horns (sirens and multi-tone horns) are banned except for police van, ambulance and fire brigades under provisions of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989.


Prakash Jvadekar to Launch Own Portal and Mobile App of RUSA

The Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA), under the aegis of the Ministry of Human Resource Development, is going to launch its own portal and mobile app tomorrow (the April 17, 2017) by Union HRD Minister Shri. Prakash Javadekar here in New Delhi. 
●    The portal is a one-stop for States’ Higher Education Plans, decision of the States’ Higher Education Councils and details of the resources under this scheme. Also, the gallery is a rich repository of the projects initiated under RUSA. 
●    Present on the occasion will be 12 State Education Ministers, Secretaries, RUSA Nodal officers, apart from those who will be present for the launch here; others will witness the launch through digital telecast. 
●    Seventeen RUSA projects will also be launched tomorrow digitally. They include a cluster university in Jammu and Kashmir, micro ATM facility at the RUSA centre for intelligent systems in Pune University, solar power facility in Shree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kalady, Kerala; language laboratories in Ghatsila College, Jharkhand, among others.
 

Current Affairs 16th April 2017: AWARDS

Mahavir Phogat awarded FICCI's gender parity award

Mahavir Singh Phogat, a real life hero and father of wrestler Geeta Phogat, along with Apollo Hospital founder Prathap C Reddy, bagged Ficci’s gender parity award for their contribution in harnessing the talents of their daughters.
●    Phogat was accompanied by his Commonwealth Games gold medal winner daughter Geeta at the event that marked the launch of the country’s first gender parity index by Ficci’s Ladies Organisation (FLO), which will gauge how women fare in a male dominated corporate sector of India.
●    Industry captains lauded Phogat for empowering his daughters, which was replicated in Bollywood’s block-buster film Dangal, starring Aamir Khan.
●    Leading film director Farha Khan, fashion designer Anita Dongre, HDFC managing director Renu Sud Karnad and Hindustan Times group chairperson Shobhana Bhartia also got the Ficci Ladies Organisation ICON awards.
●    Giving away the awards, finance minister Arun Jaitley said India must move towards greater gender parity.
●    Amid a challenging global economic scenario, Jaitley said India is the only country which is willing to reform.
●    Vinita Bimbhet, president of FLO, said, “Gender equality is intrinsically linked to sustainable development. 
●    The overall objective of gender equality is a society in which women and men enjoy the same opportunities, rights and obligations in all spheres of life.”

Current Affairs 16th April 2017: GLOBAL NEWS

Two billion people drinking contaminated water: WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) on 13 April 2017 published a report, Global Analysis and Assessment of Sanitation and Drinking-Water (GLAAS) 2017, that states that nearly two billion people currently use contaminated water.
●    The revelation was by made in the new report published by WHO on behalf of UN-Water.
●    The report states that countries will not meet global aspirations of universal access to safe drinking-water and sanitation unless steps are taken to use financial resources more efficiently.
●    Contaminated drinking-water is estimated to cause more than 500000 diarrhoeal deaths each year.
●    Contaminated water is also a major factor in several neglected tropical diseases, including intestinal worms, schistosomiasis and trachoma.
 

Current Affairs 16th April 2017: INTERNATIONAL RELATION

India cancels maritime talks with Pak

India has called off maritime security dialogue with Pakistan, scheduled for early next week, amid tensions over death sentence being awarded to Kulbhushan Jadhav.
●    A delegation led by Pakistan's Maritime Security Agency (MSA) was to visit New Delhi April 16-19 to discuss issues related to fishermen and search and rescue operations.
●    News agency Press Trust of India quoted its sources in the Coast Guard as saying the Ministry of Defence has not given clearance for the delegation's visit.
●    The development comes amid tension between the two countries over Mr Jadhav, a former Indian naval officer, being awarded death sentence by a Pakistani military court.
●    The death sentence to Mr Jadhav, 46, was confirmed by army chief General Bajwa after the Field General Court Martial found him guilty of "espionage and sabotage activities" in Pakistan.
●    Pakistan claims its security forces had arrested Mr Jadhav from the restive Balochistan province on March 3 last year after he reportedly entered from Iran. It also claimed that he was "a serving officer in the Indian Navy." .
●    The Pakistan Army had also released a "confessional video" of Mr Jadhav after his arrest. However, India denied Pakistan's contention and maintained that Mr Jadhav was kidnapped by the Pakistan authorities.
 

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Important Current Affairs 15th April 2017 Free PDF

GK & Current Affairs

Important Current Affairs 15th April 2017 with Free PDF

Dear Aspirants,

We bring you Important Current Affairs 15th April 2017 with Free PDF in English and Hindi, which will update you with latest headlines, news from various domains i.e: National News, Sports, Business, Awards & recognition. It will help you in preparation of competitive exams like: SSC, SBI, IBPS PO, Clerk, Railways & Various other Entrance examinations.

Current Affairs 15th April 2017: NATIONAL NEWS

President of India awards standards to Armoured Corps Centre and School Ahmednagar 

The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee awarded Standards to Armoured Corps Centre and School Ahmednagar today (April 15, 2017). 
●    Speaking on the occasion, the President said that any nation draws it strength from all elements of National Power, and the capabilities of its Armed Forces are a major source of National power. 
●    Although we are a peace loving Nation, we will use all instruments of National power in order to protect our sovereignty. 
●    He was confident that our brave soldiers will rise to the occasion, as they have done so in the past, to meet the challenges and emerge victorious. 
●    The President complimented the brave men of the Armoured Corps Centre and School for their impeccable turnout and outstanding precision in the parade they displayed today. 
●    This distinguished Establishment has a glorious past and rich tradition of professionalism and excellence in imparting training to the men of the Armoured Corps, the Indian Army and Friendly Foreign Countries. 
●    Since its inception in 1948, the Armoured Corps Centre and School has distinguished itself in service of the nation. 
●    In recognition of its selfless devotion, professionalism and dedication to service the nation honours it today, with a deep sense of gratitude and appreciation.

Nation Pays Homage to Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar on his 127th Birth Anniversary 

The President, Shri Pranab Mukherji led the nation in paying homage to Bharat Ratna Baba Saheb, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar on his 127th Birth anniversary here today. 
●    He paid floral tributes at the statue of Baba Saheb at Parliament House Lawns in the Parliament House complex in the morning. 
●    The Vice President, Shri M. Hamid Ansari, the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the Speaker, Lok Sabha Smt. Sumitra Mahajan, Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment Shri Thaawarchand Ghelot, Ministers of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Shri Krishan Pal Gurjar and Shri Vijay Sampla and leaders of various political parties paid tributes to Dr. Ambedkar at the statue of Baba Saheb at Parliament House Lawns. 
●    Thousands of people visited the Parliament House Complex since morning to pay tributes to the Bharat Ratna Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar amidst chanting of slogan ‘Baba Saheb Amar Rahe’, ‘Jai Bheem’ and ‘Jai Bharat’. 
●    The function organized by Dr. Ambedkar Foundation, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment began with a prayer by Buddhist monks.

PM Narendra Modi launches BHIM-Aadhaar Pay app

Prime Minister Modi on 14 August 2017, the 126th birth anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar, launched BHIM-Aadhaaar app for merchants in Nagpur. 
●    In addition to this, he also launched cash back and referral bonus schemes for BHIM and declared about 75 townships spread all over India as ‘less-cash townships’.
●    The initiatives were launched with an aim to further the digital payments revolution in India. It also seeks to reinforce the vision of Baba Saheb for social empowerment of all through financial inclusion.
●    Tributes to venerable Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar on Ambedkar Jayanti. 
●    BHIM-Aadhaar, the merchant interface of the BHIM App will pave the way for making digital payments by using the Aadhaar platform.
●    This will enable every Indian citizen to pay digitally using their biometric data like their thumb imprint on a merchants’ biometric-enabled device which could be smart phone having a biometric reader.
●    Any citizen without access to smart phones, the internet, debit or credit cards will be able to transact digitally through the BHIM Aadhaar platform.

Govt forms panel to study virtual currencies framework

The government has formed a panel to study the existing framework for virtual currencies such as bitcoin.
●    A finance ministry statement said Dinesh Sharma, special secretary in the economic affairs department will chair the nine-member interdisciplinary committee. The committee has been tasked to submit its report within three months.
●    Circulation of virtual currencies which are also known as digital/crypto Currencies has been a cause of concern, the statement said.
●    “This has been expressed in various fora from time to time. Reserve Bank of India had also cautioned the users, holders and traders of virtual currencies (VCs), including bitcoins, about the potential financial, operational, legal, customer protection and security related risks that they are exposing themselves to vide its press releases dated 24 December, 2013 and February 1, 2017,” it added.
●    The panel will also have representatives from department of economic affairs, department of financial services, department of revenue, home ministry, IT ministry, Reserve Bank of India, NITI Aayog and State Bank of India.

Modi world’s most followed leader on Instagram

With 6.8 million followers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has become the world’s most followed leader on Facebook’s photo-sharing app Instagram, a new study revealed on Wednesday.
●    Modi, who was at third spot on Instagram last year, is closely followed by the US President Donald Trump with 6.3 million followers, said the study conducted by global public relations firm Burson-Marsteller.
●    The study looked at the activity of the 325 Instagram accounts of heads of state and government, and foreign ministers over the past 12 months.
●    Though Modi has only 53 photos posted on his account, he has been termed as the most effective world leader on the photo-sharing app, considering that each of his posts receives an average of 223,000 interactions.
 

Current Affairs 15th April 2017: GLOBAL NEWS

Malala Yousafzai becomes sixth honorary Canadian citizen

Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai on Wednesday received honorary Canadian citizenship and praised Canada's open embrace of refugees under the Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
●    Canada last year accepted 25,000 refugees from Syria and in January, when US President Donald Trump issued an immigration ban on people from seven Muslim-majority countries, Trudeau pointedly tweeted that refugees were welcome in Canada.
●    "Your motto and your stand - Welcome to Canada - is more than a headline or a hashtag," Yousafzai said in an address to legislators in the Canadian Parliament.
●    "I pray that you continue to open your homes and your hearts to the world's most defenceless children and families," she said.
●    Yousafzai, an Pakistani education activist who came to prominence when a Taliban gunman shot her in the head in 2012, is only the sixth person to receive honorary Canadian citizenship.
●    Other recipients include Nelson Mandela and the Dalai Lama.

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Important Current Affairs 14th April 2017 Free PDF

Important Current Affairs 14th April 2017 with Free PDF

Dear Aspirants,

We bring you Important Current Affairs 14th April 2017 with Free PDF in English and Hindi, which will update you with latest headlines, news from various domains i.e: National News, Sports, Business, Awards & recognition. It will help you in preparation of competitive exams like: SSC, SBI, IBPS PO, Clerk, Railways & Various other Entrance examinations.

Current Affairs 14th April 2017: NATIONAL NEWS

Bhopal to have India's first privately run rail station

Indian Railways has decided to push the accelerator, in order to increase non-fare revenues via innovative schemes and strategies. 
●    During 2016-17, Rs 10,181 crore was earned by Indian Railways via non-fare revenues, which they want to increase it to Rs 14,000 crore in this current fiscal year.
●    As we had shared earlier this year, some of the most interesting concepts for increasing non-fare revenues include branding of important trains, offering railway stations to private players and others.
●    The good news is that Railway Board has already approved several of these plans, and in the coming days, things would move swiftly.
●    One of the most talked about plans of Indian Railways was allowing brands to sponsor who trains, inner walls and the outer surface of coaches; and this plan is now approved.
●    A Railway official has given two examples: train named Paytm Express and Savlon Swachh Bharat Express, which would be soon running near your location.

All 4 GST bills cleared by President

President Pranab Mukherjee today cleared all four Goods and Service Tax (GST) Bills, days after they were passed by the Parliament.
●    The bills were passed in the Lok Sabha on March 29, and in the Rajya Sabha on April 6. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cabinet had approved them on March 20.
●    The bills are related to Central GST (C-GST), Integrated GST (I-GST), Union Territory GST (UT-GST) and the Compensation to the States Law.
●    The C-GST Bill makes provisions for the levy and collection of tax on intra-state supply of goods or services - or both - by the Central Government.
●    On the other hand, the I-GST Bill makes provisions for the levy and collection of tax on inter-state supply of goods or services - or both - by the Central Government.
●    The UT-GST Bill makes provisions for the levy and collection on tax on intra-UT supply of goods and services in the Union Territories without legislature.


 

MoU) Signed Between NSFDC & Development Commissioner (Handlooms) 

The CMD, National Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation (NSFDC) under Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and Development Commissioner (Handlooms) under Ministry of Textiles signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the presence of Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot, Union Minister of Social Justice & Empowerment and Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani, Union Minister of Textiles here today. 
●    Senior Officers of both the Ministries, DC (Handlooms) and NSFDC were also present on the occasion. 
●    The objective of signing this MoU is to help Scheduled Caste weavers and their families by promoting production and marketing of high value quality Handlooms products at Block level Cluster in various States like Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Odisha etc. 
●    Handlooms Sector is a part of Textile Industry, the second largest economic activity after agriculture. 
●    There are around 44 lakh Handloom weavers in the country out of which 3.90 lakh are Scheduled Caste Weavers. 
●    Under the cluster approach, new strategy for promoting production and marketing of high value quality handloom products shall be adopted to ensure more earnings of the Scheduled Caste Handloom Weavers.


 

Indian Academy of Highway Engineers signs MoU with University of New South Wales for establishing Centre of Excellence in Smart Transportation


In line with the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways vision to influence and adopt global innovation into the transportation sector, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Ministry through the Indian Academy of Highway Engineers and University of New South Wales (UNSW) to set up a Centre for Advanced Transportation Technology and Systems (CATTS). 
●    The MoU was exchanged between the Director of IAHE Mr. V L Patankar and Vice Chancellor of UNSW Prof. Ian Jacobs on April 10th, 2017 in the presence of Simon Birmingham, Australian Minister for Education. The vision for CATTS is to: 
●    Accelerate the evaluation and adoption of new transportation technologies and explore market opportunities for them in India and Australia. 
●    Conduct research, development and training in the areas of transport system modelling and data for smart cities. 
●    This would be the world’s first transportation centre involving two countries committed to seeing technological innovation for economic development through improved safety and reduced congestion.
 

Current Affairs 14th April 2017: AWARDS

Padma Shri awarded to recipients

President Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday conferred the Padma awards at a ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. 
●    89 people were awarded by President this year for their exceptional work in various fields. 
●    This year the President gave out 7 Padma Vibhushan awards, 7 Padma Bhushan awards and 75 Padma Shri Awards. 
●    Among those who received the Padma Shri awards were Chef Sanjeev Kapoor, Discus Thrower Vikas Gowda, Gymnast Dipa Karmakar and Wrestler Sakshi Malik.
●    The ceremony was also attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh and other dignitaries.
 

Current Affairs 14th April 2017: PERSONS

Indian Software engineer wins UN Open Source tool challenge

An Indian software engineer has won the top prize at a global challenge for an open-source tool that enables users to interactively view UN General Assembly resolutions and gain a deeper understanding of the voting patterns of member states. 
●    Abdulqadir Rashik, also an entrepreneur, won the ‘Unite Ideas #UNGAViz Textual Analysis and Visualisation Challenge’ for his ‘Global Policy’, an open-source tool that enables users to search and interactively view General Assembly resolutions to gain a deeper understanding of the voting patterns and decisions made by United Nations Member States.
●    Rashik’s prototype will be made public and shared with United Nations bodies and member states. 
●    He will also receive recognition from the Department of State and the Office of Information and Communications Technology.
●    Rashik is a frequent contributor to Unite Ideas challenges and he previously won the top prize in the #LinksSDGs challenge for his ‘Links to Sustainable Cities’, an interactive visualisation that identifies and maps the links between various Sustainable Development Goals.

Current Affairs 14th April 2017: OBITUARY

Dainik Bhaskar group Chairman Ramesh Agarwal dies at 73

Former union minister and Congress leader Akhilesh Das died here on Wednesday after suffering a cardiac arrest, a family source said. 
●    He was 56.
●    Son of former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Banarasi Das Gupta, he was admitted to the Lari Cardiology Centre after he complained of distress, a family member told IANS.
●    Das was the Minister of State for Steel in the Manmohan Singh-led government in 2004-09. He was also a former Mayor of Lucknow.
●    Das was a three-time Rajya Sabha member — twice from the Congress and once from the Bahujan Samaj Party. 
●    He was also the President of Badminton Association of India.
●    In November 2014, Das quit the BSP. 
●    He rejoined the Congress before the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections this year.

Malayalam Actor Munshi Venu Passes away at 63

Munshi Venu, who's known for playing supporting roles in Malayalam films, passed away at a palliative care centre at Chalakudy, Thrissur. According to reports, the actor suffered kidney failure today. He was 63.
●    The actor, was diagnosed with kidney-related ailments last year, had been undergoing dialysis since then.
●    Munshi Venu didn't own a house and that he was living at a lodge in Chalakudy for the last 10 years.
●    Making his acting debut with Kamal's comedy drama Pachakuthira, Munshi Venu will be more remembered for his comical characters. 
●    Venu has acted in over 75 Malayalam films. He's known for films like Chotta Mumbai, Salt 'n' Pepper, Kanyaka Talkies, Immanuel and Daddy Cool.

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