Current Affairs Daily Updates: 2nd March 2017
APPOINTMENTS
Sanjiv Singh appointed
Indian Oil Corporation Chairman:
- Sanjiv
Singh has been appointed as the chairman of the country’s largest
commercial enterprise Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (IOCL).
- The
Appointments Committee of Cabinet has approved his appointment for a
period of five years.
- Singh
is at present the director of Refineries at the IOCL. He will be assuming
the charge on or after 1st June 2017.
Ruchi Ghanashyam appointed
as Secretary (West) in MEA
- Senior
diplomat Ruchi Ghanashyam was on 28 February 2017 appointed as the
Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
- She
succeeds Sujata Mehta, who recently took over as a Member in Union Public
Service Commission (UPSC).Her appointment was approved by the Appointments
Committee of Cabinet (ACC).
- As
the Secretary (West), Ghanashyam will be responsible for looking after the
country's diplomatic affairs with the United Kingdom and other European
nations.
Swadheen Kshatriya sworn in as Maharashtra's Chief
Commissioner of RTS
- Former
Chief Secretary of Maharashtra Swadheen Kshatriya was on 1 March 2017
sworn-in as the Chief Commissioner of Right to Services (RTS) of
Maharashtra. Kshatriya’s tenure will be of five years.
- Prior
to this appointment, Kshatriya retired as Chief Secretary of Maharashtra.
Senior IAS officer Sumit Mullick took over as the new Chief Secretary of
Maharashtra in his place.
- His
oath of office was administered by Lokayukta Justice (retd) M L Tahiliani
at Sahyadri state guest house in Mumbai.
- State
Chief Information Commissioner Ratnakar Gaikwad, former CIC Suresh Joshi
and some of the state’s top bureaucrats were present on the occasion.
Luis Norton de Matos appointed Head Coach of India U-17
football team
- The
All India Football Federation (AIFF) on 1 March 2017 appointed Portugal’s
Luis Norton de Matos as the Head Coach of the India U-17 team for the FIFA
U-17 World Cup.
- The
World Cup is scheduled to be held in October 2017.
- De
Matos replaces Nicolai Adam, who was resigned under controversial
circumstances after a revolt from the players.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
Virat Kohli to receive
Polly Umrigar Award & Ashwin to get Dilip Sardesai Award:
- Indian
Captain Virat Kohli will receive the prestigious Polly Umrigar Award.
- The
award is given to India's
International Cricketer of the Year at the Board of Control
for Cricket in India (BCCI) Annual Awards, to be held in Bengaluru on 8th
March 2017.
- Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has been
nominated for the Dilip Sardesai Award.
- Earlier,
Kohli had won Polly Umrigar Award in 2011-12 and 2014-15 and becomes the
first Indian cricketer to be bestowed the honor on three occasions.
- India
off-spinner Ashwin holds the distinction of getting the Dilip Sardesai
Award twice (first in 2011).
"Lipstick Under My
Burkha" Wins Award at Glasgow Film Fest
- Indian
filmmaker Alankrita Shrivastava's Lipstick Under My Burkha, which has been
denied a certificate by the country's movie censor board, has bagged the
Audience Award at the Glasgow Film Festival 2017.
- Scottish
actor David Tennant presented Shrivastava with the award, which was voted
for by the festival's audience.
- The
Prakash Jha production, starring Konkona Sen Sharma and Ratna Pathak Shah,
chronicles the secret lives of four women of different ages in a small
town in India as they search for different kinds of freedom.
BANKING AFFAIRS
World Bank offers over
$1-billion loan to Maharashtra:
- The
World Bank has announced an assistance programme of over $1 billion in the
areas of urban transport and
climate resilient agriculture in Maharashtra, over the next 2-3
years.
- This
was announced by the World Bank’s Chief Executive Officer, Kristalina
Georgieva. Over the last five years, World Bank had invested over $1.4
billion in Maharashtra in urban transport, rural water supply, and agriculture.
Axis, HDFC, ICICI to
charge Rs. 150 after 4 cash transactions
- Some
banks, including HDFC Bank, have begun charging a minimum amount of Rs.
150 per transaction for cash deposits and withdrawals beyond four free
transactions in a month.
- The
new charges would apply to savings as well as salary accounts, leading
private sector player HDFC Bank said in a circular.
- These
charges are for cash transactions in the branches, and not through ATMs.
- State
bank of India will levy a minimum amount of Rs 50 per transaction after
three transactions.
HDFC Bank, others resume levy on cash transactions
- Some
banks, including HDFC Bank, have begun charging a minimum amount of Rs 150
per transaction for cash deposits and withdrawals beyond four free
transactions in a month.
- The
new charges would apply to savings as well as salary accounts effective
from today
- The
bank would also cap the third party cash transactions at Rs 25,000 per
day, while cash handling charges would be withdrawn effective today, the
circular added.
- In
case of several banks, including ICICI Bank and Axis Bank, these charges
came into effect early in January and are same as they were before the
demonetisation move announced on 8 November, while there is an increase in
such fees in case of some others, including HDFC Bank.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC AFFAIRS
BEML launches solar
rooftop project in Karnataka
- BEML
(Bharat Earth Movers Limited), a defense public sector company, has set
itself a goal of utilizing 100 percent renewable energy for its
consumption.
- In
this endeavor, the company has inaugurated a 200 KW grid connected rooftop
solar project at its Mysore complex.
- To
achieve 100% renewable energy, BEML has set up a 5 MW windmill project in
Gadag district in north Karnataka.
Government notifies Specified Bank Notes (Cessation of
Liabilities) Act, 2017
- The
Union Government has notified the Specified Bank Notes (Cessation of
Liabilities) Act, 2017 to prohibit the holding, transferring or receiving
of scrapped old Rs.500 and Rs. 1000 currency notes from 31 December, 2016,
- This
law makes possession of more than a certain number of the old Rs. 500 and
Rs. 1,000 notes a criminal offence.
- It
ends the liability of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the government
on the demonetised Rs.500 and Rs. 1000 currency notes.
- It
prohibits the holding, transferring or receiving of demonitised notes from
31 December, 2016 and confers power on the court of a first class magistrate
to impose the penalty.
DEATHS
Writer Taarak Mehta passes
away
- Popular
Gujarati humourist Taarak Mehta passed away after prolonged illness. He
was 88.
- Mehta's
famous works include "Duniya Ne Undha Chasma", which inspired
the hit Hindi sitcom "Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah" on SAB
TV.
- He
has also written six popular Gujarati plays.
- Born
in Ahmedabad on December 26, 1929, Mehta was honoured with Padma Shri in
2015
NATIONAL AFFAIRS
Thiruvananthapuram tops
city governance ranking: ASICS
- Thiruvananthapuram,
capital of Kerala has topped in city governance ranking of the Annual Survey of India’s
City Systems (ASICS) 2016 conducted by Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship
and Democracy.
- This
year it was the fourth edition the annual survey which had evaluated 21
major cities from the 18 states.
- It
highlighted inadequacies in urban governance that could affect public
service delivery and quality of life.
- Pune is ranked second, up two ranks from 2015. Kolkata retained its third
slot.
- National
capital Delhi slipped to 9th
rank from seventh. Bhubaneswar was the biggest gainer in the
2016 survey as it jumped eight places from 2015 to the 10th spot.
Odisha Govt signs MoU with
‘Invest India’:
- The
Odisha government has signed an agreement with “Invest India” the National Investment Promotion
and Facilitation Agency of the Union ministry of commerce and industries.
- They
will help the state govt. in achieving the Mission-1000 Start-ups by the year 2020 and help the
youth in realising their dreams.
- Start-up
India has the objective of making India a country of job creators and make
India the No. 1 start-up nation in the world.
'Swachh Shakti Saptah'
launched in Haryana
- Launching
the 'Swachh Shakti Saptah' in Gurugram, Haryana, union minister Narender
Singh Tomar said "swachhta" (cleanliness) has become a movement
which now needs to made a mass movement.
- This
week will culminate on March 8 at Ahmedabad where Prime Minister Modi will
be the chief guest, he said.
- He
said he was now glad that 102 districts of the country have declared
themselves ODF under the scheme, including 14 districts of Haryana.
- Three
states - Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh and Kerala - have already declared
themselves ODF and Tomar hoped by November 1 this year, Haryana would
become the fourth state in this list.
Delhi Govt extends midday
meal scheme for girls up to class 12:
- Currently,
the scheme covers all primary classes of MCD and government schools and
upper primary classes till Class 8th with 16 lakh students.
- Schools
will start serving midday meal to girl students of class 9th to 12th from 1st of next month.
- Now,
Delhi state government will become the first state in the country to serve
midday meal up to class 12.
- This
will be done with a view to fight malnourishment and anemia, especially in
female students.
Panneerselvam inaugurates
'Amma Kalviyagam':
- Former
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister ‘O Panneerselvam’ has launched a portal 'ammakalviyagam.in' as a
part of 69th birth anniversary celebrations of late chief minister Jayalalithaa Jayaram (known
as Amma).
- The
portal is a hub of learning, interaction, opportunity, and connection.
- It
will help student assistance from reputed teachers free of cost at the
convenience of their homes.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AFFAIRS
Indian Navy successfully test-fired Anti-Ship Missile from
Kalvari Class Submarine
- The
Indian Navy on 2 March 2017 successfully conducted the maiden firing of an
anti-ship missile from an INS Kalvari class submarine.
- The
test firing was conducted in the Arabian Sea and the missile successfully
hit a surface target at extended ranges during the trial firing.
- INS
Kalvari is a class of diesel-electric attack submarine. These submarines
are based on the Scorpene-class submarine being built for the Indian Navy.
- While
INS Kalvari is designed by French naval defence and energy company DCNS,
they are being manufactured by Mazagon Dock Limited in Mumbai.
SPORTS AFFAIRS
India to host women's
Youth World Boxing Championship
- India
will host the World Women's Youth Boxing Championship in November this
year, the first major international event to be held in the country since
2010.
- In
2010, India had hosted the Commonwealth Championships followed by the Commonwealth
Games.
- The
country has not hosted a major boxing event since then, primarily because
of the administrative turmoil that gripped the sport in 2012.
