Showing posts with label best current affairs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label best current affairs. Show all posts

Current Affairs Daily Updates: 03 March 2018

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Current Affairs Daily Updates: 03 March 2018
Awards and Honours
Shatrughan Sinha wins lifetime achievement award in UK:
  • Actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha has been honoured with a lifetime achievement award for his contribution to the fields of arts and politics.
  • The annual Political and Public Life Awards instituted by Britain's Asian Voice weekly newspaper.
  • It was presented at a ceremony in the UK's Parliament complex in London.
Banking and Economy
Huron Global Rich List: China tops, India at 3rd
  • As per the Huron Global Rich List 2018, the countries with highest number of billionaires are: China (819), USA (571) then India at 3rd position with 131 billionaires.
  • Mukesh Ambani remains the richest Indian but Gautam Adani had the fastest growth in wealth (grew by 109% to $ 14 bn). Laxmi Mittal is the 2nd richest Indian.
  • The richest person in the world are:
1.     Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos - $ 123 bn
2.     Warren Buffet of erkshire Hathaway - $ 102 bn
3.     Bill Gates of Microsoft with USD 90 billion
4.     Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook with USD 79 billion
RBI allows higher position limit for FPIs in interest rate futures
  • The Reserve Bank of India has eased position limit in interest rate futures (IRFs) for foreign portfolio investors (FPIs).
  • It has allowed a limit of ₹5,000 crore for Foreign Portfoilo Investors (FPIs) to go long in IRFs.

International Affairs
India, Russia, Bangladesh sign pact for Rooppur atomic plant
  • Indian companies can now participate in construction and installation works in the “non-critical” category for the Rooppur nuclear power plant in Bangladesh.
  • The Rooppur project is the first initiative under an Indo-Russian deal to undertake atomic energy projects in third countries.
  • It will also be the first time Indian firms will take part in such a project abroad.
  • India is not a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and hence cannot participate directly in construction of atomic power reactors.
  • Russia is constructing two nuclear reactors with a capacity of 1,200 MW each in Rooppur, which will be Bangaladesh’s first nuclear power project.
  • India already has a nuclear cooperation agreement with both Russia and Bangladesh.
'India by the Nile' festival to begin next week in Egypt
  • The mega annual cultural festival 'India by the Nile', organized to celebrate Indian culture and its diversity.
  • It will begin in Cairo next week with the main focus on classical culture this year.
  • The 12-day event, the biggest foreign festival in Egypt will start on 6th March.
  • It is organised by the Embassy of India in Egypt and the Maulana Azad Centre for Indian Culture.
National Affairs
Tamil Nadu Govt unveils 24 hour helpline to provide info on education
  • Tamil Nadu Government unveiled a 24-hour helpline that would provide information on education and offer guidance to students.
  • It has been set up for the first time in the country.
  • Chief Minister K Palaniswami formally launched the toll free number 14417 through the 24-hour Education Guidance Centre set up at the Secretariat.
About Tamil Nadu:
CM- Edapaddi K Palaniswami                                        
Governor- Banwarilal Purohit
Classical dance- Bharatnatyam
M A Chidambaram stadium in Chennai
National parks- guindy, anamalai, periyar
World’s largest solar park launched in Karnataka
  • The world's largest solar park set up at an investment of Rs 16,500 crore at Pavagada in Karnataka's Tumakuru district of Karnataka.
  • It was launched by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
  • The 2,000 MW park, named as 'Shakti Sthala', spans across 13,000 acres
  • Developed by- Karnataka Solar Power Development Corp. Ltd
Maharashtra ties up with Wikipedia to promote Marathi
  • The Maharashtra government has tied up with Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia, to propagate the Marathi language and increase its usage online.
  • It was announced on Marathi Language Day i.e. on 27th February.

Sports Affairs
Vinesh Phogat gets silver in Asian Wrestling Championship
  • Vinesh Phogat won silver in woman’s Free Style 50 kg event at the Asian Wrestling Championship in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
  • She was defeated by China’s Chun Lei.
  • India’s Sangeeta won bronze in 59 kg Free Style category.
  • Harpreet Singh won a bronze in 82 kg Greco-Roman event.
  • Rajinder Kumar- bronze in 55 kg Greco-Roman event
Navjot Kaur clinches India's first gold in Asian Wrestling Championships
  • Navjot Kaur has scripted history by becoming the first Indian woman to win a Gold medal at the Senior Asian Wrestling Championships.
  • She won 65 kg freestyle category at the tournament being held at Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan.
  • She defeated Japan's Miya Ima.
  • Rio Olympics Bronze medallist Sakshi Malik won a bronze in the 62 kg division.
27th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup Hockey tournament begins in Ipoh today
  • The 27th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup Hockey tournament begins in the Malaysian city of Ipoh today.
  • Six nations - India, hosts Malaysia, defending champions England, Australia, Argentina and Ireland - are taking part in the tournament.
  • UK is the defending Champion.
  • Last time India had won the tournament in 2010.
  • India has won the tournament total 5 times.
Shubhankar Sharma tied 2nd at WGC-Mexico Championship
  • Indian golfer Shubhankar Sharma grabbed the tied second place at the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship opening round at Mexico City.
  • In December, he had become the first Indian and Asian golfer to win the Joburg Open.


Current Affairs Daily Updates: 02nd DEC 2017

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Current Affairs Daily Updates: 02nd DEC 2017
1. Cabinet approval for setting up National Nutrition Mission:
  • The Union Cabinet has given approval for establishing National Nutrition Mission (NNM) for improving the nutritional status of children (0-6 years), pregnant and lactating mothers.
  • The Mission, under the Ministry of Women and Child Development will monitor various schemes which have been framed for reducing malnutrition.

Current Affairs Daily Updates: 13th May 2017

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Current Affairs Daily Updates: 13th May 2017
APPOINTMENTS
VK Saraswat Named As New JNU Chancellor
  • The HRD Ministry has named scientist and former DRDO chief Vijay Kumar Saraswat as the next chancellor of JNU.
  • A full time member of NITI Ayog, Saraswat will be replacing ISRO Chief K. Kasturirangan, who completed his term on 30 March, 2017.

Current Affairs Daily Updates: 11th and 12th May 2017

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Current Affairs Daily Updates: 11th and 12th May 2017
APPOINTMENTS
Union Government appoints 7 new Secretaries
  • The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved the appointment of secretaries in different sectors.

Current Affairs Daily Updates: 9th and 10th May 2017

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Current Affairs Daily Updates: 9th and 10th May 2017
APPOINTMENTS
Indian American Nominated for Key Post in FERC
  • US President Donald Trump nominated Indian-American Neil Chatterjee as a Member of Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
  • FERC is an agency responsible for overseeing America’s power grid and deciding on multibillion-dollar energy projects.

Monthly Current Affairs Roundup: March 2017

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Dear Readers,
Welcome to Mentor for Bank Exams. Today I am here to share March 2017 Monthly Current Affairs Roundup. This covers all the important new and events that occurred in the month of March 2017. I have compiled important & expected points, which can be asked in upcoming exams like – SBI PO 2017, Banking interviews and all upcoming Banking & Insurance exams.

Monthly Current Affairs Roundup: March 2017
Thank you!!!
Keep Visiting!!!

Current Affairs Daily Updates: 8th April 2017

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Current Affairs Daily Updates: 8th April 2017
APPOINTMENTS
Bhimaraya Metri appointed as the Director of IIM Trichy.
  • Metri will take over the office from Prafulla Agnihotri, who is also the founding director of IIM Trichy.
  • Before taking charge as IIM Trichy Director, Metri served as the Dean of L&T Institute of Project Management at Vadodara.
  • Besides this, he has also served as Professor in-charge of PhD programmes at BITS Pilani, Professor and Dean at MDI Gurgaon, IMI New Delhi as well.

Current Affairs Daily Updates: 6th and 7th April 2017

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Current Affairs Daily Updates: 6th and 7th April 2017
APPOINTMENTS
RBI appoints Smt. Malvika Sinha as New Executive Director
  • The Reserve Bank of India has appointed Smt. Malvika Sinha as Executive Director (ED).
  • As Executive Director Smt. Sinha will look after Foreign Exchange Department, Department of Government and Bank Accounts and Internal Debt Management Department.
  • Smt. Malvika Sinha holds a Masters Degree from University of Bombay and has done her Masters in Public Administration. She is also a Certificated Associate of Indian Institute of Bankers.

Current Affairs Daily Updates: 4th and 5th April 2017

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Current Affairs Daily Updates: 4th and 5th April 2017
APPOINTMENTS
Shri B.P. Kanungo appointed as RBI Deputy Governor
  • Shri B.P. Kanungo (Bibhu Prasad Kanungo) of Odisha took over as the Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India.
  • The Government of India, on March 11, 2017 has appointed him as the Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, for a period of three years from the date of his taking over charge of the post on or after April 3, 2017.

Current Affairs Daily Updates: 1st and 3rd April 2017

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Current Affairs Daily Updates: 1st and 3rd April 2017
APPOINTMENTS
Vanaja N. Sarna as New Chairman of Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC)
  • Ms. Vanaja N. Sarna has been appointed as Chairman, Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC). She is taking over on superannuation of Shri Najib Shah.
  • Ms. Vanaja N. Sarna has served Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) in several capacities over the last 36 years. These include postings in Customs, Central Excise and Service Tax formations in Kochi, Delhi, Chennai, Meerut, Chandigarh and Bangalore.
  • She has also worked as Additional Director General, National Academy of Customs, Excise & Narcotics (NACEN), in Chennai. She was also Additional Director General in Directorate General of Revenue Intelligence, New Delhi.

Current Affairs Daily Updates: 28th March 2017

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Current Affairs Daily Updates: 28th March 2017
APPOINTMENTS
Indian-American Vanita Gupta appointed president of ‘Leadership Conference’
  • Indian-American Vanita Gupta has been appointed as president and CEO of ‘The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights’, becoming the first woman to head the prestigious organization.
  • She will replace Wade Henderson who is stepping down after more than two decades. She will begin her new role on June 1, 2017.

Current Affairs Daily Updates: 27th March 2017

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Current Affairs Daily Updates: 27th March 2017
AWARDS AND HONOURS
Ravish Kumar awarded first Kuldip Nayar journalism award:
  • Eminent TV journalist Ravish Kumar (Senior executive editor of NDTV India) has been awarded inaugural ‘Kuldip Nayar journalism award’ for his contribution to the field of journalism at the India International Centre, New Delhi.
  • He conferred with an award plaque along with a cash amount of Rs. 1 lakh.
  • The award was set up to honor those working in vernacular media.

Current Affairs Daily Updates: 25th March 2017

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Current Affairs Daily Updates: 25th March 2017
AWARDS AND HONOURS
8th Laadli Media Awards 2016
  • The 8th Laadli Media Awards for Gender Sensitivity 2016 (Northern and Eastern Region) were announced at the Chinmaya Mission in Delhi.
  • Anima Pookkunnyil, Assistant Editor with BusinessLine, and Shreya Ila Anasuya, a Delhi-based freelance journalist, were awarded this year for their critical gender-sensitive reportage.

Current Affairs Daily Updates: 24th March 2017

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Current Affairs Daily Updates: 24th March 2017
AWARDS AND HONOURS
Frenchmen Yves Meyer Wins 2017 Abel Prize for Wavelets Theory
  • Yves Meyer, a French mathematician, was honored with the 2017 Abel Prize, given by Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, on March 21, 2017 in a ceremony in Oslo, Norway.
  • The 77 years old nomad was honored the prestigious award for his contribution in the development of the mathematical theory of wavelets.
  • Yves will receive 6 million Norwegian krone (about £600,000) cash award from His Majesty King Harald V at an award ceremony in Oslo on May 23, 2017.
Ed Sheeran to receive Songwriters Hall Of Fame 2017 award
  • The 26 year old English singer songwriter and record producer Ed Sheeran from UK will be honoured with the Songwriters Hall of Fame’s 2017 Hal David Starlight Award
  • Sheeran will receive the award at the 48th Annual Induction and Awards Dinner on June 15, 2017 in New York.
  • Other Awardee:
    • Global Ambassador Award – Pitbull
    • 2017 SHOF inductees – Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, Berry Gordy, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Robert Lamm & James Pankow p/k/a “Chicago,” Max Martin and Shawn “Jay Z” Carte
Indian journalist Ravish Kumar conferred with first Kuldip Nayar journalism awards
  • Ravish Kumar, the senior executive editor of NDTV India, was awarded the inaugural Kuldip Nayar Journalism Award at New Delhi’s India International Centre on March 19, 2017 in recognition of his outstanding contribution in the world of Journalism.
  • In the event organised by the Gandhi Peace Foundation, Ravish was presented the prestigious award by veteran journalist Kuldip Nayar after whom the award has been named.
  • He was conferred with an award plaque along with a cash amount of Rs 1 lakh. iv. Ravish has earlier won several prestigious awards including the Ramnath Goenka Award in 2013.
  • He was also awarded the best journalist of the year 2015 by Mumbai press club.
Raghu Rai honoured with Lifetime Achievement at National Photography Awards
  • Veteran photojournalist Raghu Rai on 22 March 2017 was conferred with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 6th National Photography Awards.
  • Rai began his career in photography in 1965. He has also served on the jury of World Press Photo and Unesco’s International Photo Contest.
BANKING AFFAIRS
Assam govt, SBI sign MoU over housing, educational loan at subsidized interest rates
  • The state government of Assam has signed two MoUs with Mumbai based State Bank of India (SBI) to provide housing loan and education loan for its employees.
  • Devajyoti Hazarika, state additional secretary of finance and Om Prakash Mishra General Manager of SBI of NE Circle have signed MoU for loan facility at subsidized interest rates.
  • Housing loan at the interest rates of 5% for women employees Housing loan at the interest rates of 5.5 % for men and Education loan for higher education for their children at 4% interest rate The maximum limit of the housing loan is Rs 15 lakh and Education loan is Rs.10 lakh
World Bank signs USD 100 million Health Care Deal for Uttarakhand
  • The World Bank has signed a USD 100 million credit agreement with the Union Government and Uttarakhand to improve quality of healthcare services in all 13 districts of Uttarakhand.
  • The agreement for the project was signed by Raj Kumar, Joint Secretary in Union Ministry of Finance; Neeraj Kharwal, Project Director for the Uttarakhand Health Systems and World Bank India Operations Manager and Acting Country Director Hisham Abdo Kahin.
  • The project aims to reduce the financial risk for its citizens and make affordable and quality health care available to all.
  • It will also strengthen the government’s ability to effectively engage with the private sector to pursue the innovations planned under this project.
IOB to get Rs.1,100­crore capital infusion
  • Chennai Based Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) will get Rs 1,100 crore capital infusion from the Government
  • This was confirmed by Finance Ministry on March 22, 2017.
  • This was approved after the bank achieved the parameters set by the government as part of a turnaround linked capital infusion plan.
  • It was the second tranche of capital infusion in public sector banks to enhance their capital base while the first tranche was first announced in July, 2016.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC AFFAIRS
India Notifies Amended Tax Treaty With Singapore
  • The Government of India has officially notified the third Protocol amending India Singapore Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) on March 23, 2017.
  • The third DTAA will come into force from April 1, 2017.
  • The India Singapore DTAA will provide source based taxation of capital gains arising on sale of shares in a company.
  • This will curb revenue loss, prevent double non taxation and streamline the flow of investments.
  • It would facilitate relieving of economic double taxation in transfer pricing cases.
  • Capital gains on shares during the period 1st April, 2017 to 31st March, 2019 will be taxed in source country at half of normal tax rate.
  • It also inserts Article 9(2) in the DTAA which would facilitate relieving of economic double taxation in transfer pricing cases.
Bharti Airtel acquires 4G business of Tikona Networks
  • Bharti Airtel on has acquired 4G business of Tikona Networks including the Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) business and 350 sites across 5 circles of Tikona Digital for Rs 1600 crore.
  • Currently, Tikona has 20 MHz spectrum in the 2300 MHz band in Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh (East), Uttar Pradesh (West), Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh circles.
  • With this acquisition, Airtel will be second company after Reliance Jio to have pan-India presence in 2300 Mhz band. The 2300 Mhz band has second largest ecosystem of 4G devices.
  • The acquisition of the 4G business in Gujarat, UP (East), UP (West) and Himachal Pradesh will be undertaken by Airtel, while in the Rajasthan circle, it will be accomplished through Airtel's subsidiary Bharti Hexacom Limited.
DEATHS
Noted Tamil writer Ashokamitran passes away
  • Noted Tamil litterateur Thiagarajan, popularly known as Ashokamitran, passed away on 23 March 2017 following a brief illness in Chennai. He was 85.
  • A well known novelist and essayist, Ashokamitran was noted for his subtlety and refreshing creativity in expression.
IMPORTANT DAYS OBSERVED
World Tuberculosis Day 2017 observed globally
  • The World Tuberculosis (TB) Day 2017 was observed globally on 24 March 2017 with the theme Unite to End TB: Leave no one behind.
  • This year, WHO places a special focus on uniting efforts to Leave no one behind, including actions to address stigma, discrimination, marginalization and overcome barriers to access care.
  • This year marks the second year of the End TB Strategy of the World Health Organisation (WHO). The strategy aims to help ensure that countries implementing it adhere to sound ethical standards to protect the rights of all those affected.
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
India Ranks 87 in Energy Architecture Performance Index 2017
  • Energy Architecture Performance Index (EAPI) 2017 by World Economic Forum released on March 22, 2017.
  • The 5th annual index has been topped by Switzerland while Bahrain is ranked the lowest at 127th. 
  • Top 5 Countries in EAPI 2017 are Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and France.
  • The report showed that including India, some of the other largest consumers of energy such as China (95th), Japan (45th), the Russian Federation (48th) and the United States (52nd) have either slipped in the rankings or experienced only marginal gains.
NATIONAL AFFAIRS
Five Indian cities included in World Heritage List
  • India has been placed at 87th position among 127 countries in the global
  • The Union Government informed that five Indian cities were included in the Tentative List of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
  • The information was given by the Union Minister of State for Culture and Tourism (Independent Charge) Dr Mahesh Sharmain in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.
  • The five Indian cities included in the list are –
    • Ahmedabad
    • Delhi
    • Jaipur
    • Bhubaneswar
    • Mumbai
Union Cabinet approves proposal to establish a Fund of Funds for Start-ups
  • The Union Cabinet in 2016 approved the proposal to establish a Fund of Funds for Start-ups (FFS) with a total corpus of Rs 10000 crore.
  • Alternate Investment Funds (AIFs) supported by FFS shall invest at least twice the amount of contribution received from FFS in Start-ups. If the amount committed for a Start-up in whole has not been released before a Start-up ceases to be so, the balance funding can continue thereafter.
  • It was also decided that operating expenses will be met out of the FFS to the extent of 0.50 per cent of the commitments made to AIFs and outstanding.
  • The operating expenses including carrying out due diligence, legal and technical appraisal, convening meeting of Venture Capital Investment Committee, etc.
  • The operating expenses will be debited to the fund at the beginning of each half year that is on 1 April and 1 October.
Ministry of Culture Organizes 5th Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav in North East Region
  • The Fifth ‘Rashtriya Sanskrit Mahotsav (RSM) – 2017’ is being organized in North Eastern Region of India by Ministry of Culture from 23rd to 31st March, 2017.
  • The festival will be inaugurated at Parade Ground, Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh on 23rd March, 2017 and extend to other Northeastern states including
    • Dimapur (Nagaland)
    • Majuli (Assam)
    • Imphal (Manipur)
    • Aizawl (Mizoram)
    • Gangtok (Sikkim)
    • Shillong (Meghalaya)
    • Khowai (Tripura)
  • The essential thrust of Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav (RSM) is to present rich diversity and uniqueness of Indian culture and to promote the cultural inter-linkages amongst the states to strengthen National integration and also to bid the artists of other parts of the country with the people of North East in a single thread of culture.
CCEA approved North East Road Network Connectivity Project Phase I
  • The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved the Phase I of the North East Road Network Connectivity Project. The approval was given at a meeting of the CCEA chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 22 March 2017 in New Delhi.
  • Details related to North East Road Network Connectivity Project Phase I : Under the project, 403 kilometers of National Highways (NHs) will be developed in Meghalaya and Mizoram.
  • Out of 403 kilometers, approximately 52 kilometers will be in Meghalaya and 351 kilometers in Mizoram.  The project will be executed in the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) mode.
  • The projects will be taken up for implementation during the financial year 2017-18.
NCST approves proposal for 5 additional seats for tribals in Sikkim Assembly
  • The National Commission for Schedule Tribes (NCST) approved the proposal for five additional seats for tribals in the Sikkim assembly.
  • The commission approved the proposal requesting the increase in the reserved seats for the Scheduled Tribes from 12 to 17 at a meeting held in New Delhi.
  • The meeting, chaired by the Chairman of the Commission Nand Kumar Sai, saw in attendance the Vice Chairperson of the Commission Anusuiya Uikey, Members Hari Krishna Damor and Harshdbhai Chunilal Vasava, Secretary of the Commission Raghav Chandra and other senior officials.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY / DEFENCE AFFAIRS
ISRO sends four teams to 36th Expedition to Antarctica
  • The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in March 2017 announced that it has sent four teams to install stakes on ice for Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) to validate the glacier surface velocity.
  • The teams will mount the stakes around Indian station known as Bharati and Maitri.
  • One team is from Space Application Center and the second team is from National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC). The third and fourth team belongs to IRS Dehradun and Space Physics Laboratory.
  • Based on the data collected, the teams will validate the glacier surface velocity in order to measure the thickness of snow over the land and sea using GPR’s. Further, the teams will also verify the situations of snow over the sea and land ice.
  • In addition, these four teams will study snow melt and freeze dynamics on Antarctica. They will use space-based and ground-based facts and data to research on this.
SPORTS AFFAIRS
Ankur Mittal clinches gold in double trap event in ISSF World Cup Mexico
  • Indian shooter Ankur Mittal won the gold medal at the International Shooting Sport Federation Shotgun World Cup in the men’s double trap event at Acapulco, Mexico on March 23, 2017.
  • Mittal beat Australia’s James Willet with a score of 75 out of 80 while Willett managed 73.
  • With this, India got its first medal of the competition where it has sent a nine member squad.
  • In the six man 80­targets final round, Ankur missed a total of 5 targets, including just two in his last 40.



Current Affairs Daily Updates: 23rd March 2017

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Current Affairs Daily Updates: 23rd March 2017
APPOINTMENTS
Upendra Tripathy appointed as Interim Director General of ISA
  • Upendra Tripathy, the former secretary at Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, was appointed as the full-time interim Director General (IDG) of the International Solar Alliance (ISA).
  • He served the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy as its secretary from 1 April 2014 to 31 October 2016.
  • He has worked with local, provincial and union governments in India for the last 36 years.