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Showing posts with label Daily news. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Daily news. Show all posts

Sunday, April 02, 2017

SUPER 6 CURRENT AFFAIRS- 02nd APRIL 2017

21:11


1) PM Narendra Modi opens Asia's longest tunnel
•Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the 9.2 km long Chenani-Nashri all-weather road tunnel on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway. The road tunnel will reduce the travel time between the two state capitals of Jammu and Srinagar by approximately two hours. The two-lane Chenani-Nashri tunnel is Asia's longest bi-directional highway tunnel, which will cut the distance between Jammu and Srinagar to around 250 km from the current 350 km. 

•The world's sixth road tunnel has a transverse ventilation system enabled and controlled by ABB software. It also boasts features like Integrated Traffic Control System (ITCS), Video Surveillance System, FM Rebroadcast System, Entrance Detection-Control System and Active Firefighting System. There are 124 closed-circuit TV cameras for surveillance inside the tunnel. In the case of a traffic violation, the control room will inform the traffic police deployed outside the tunnel, who will fine the violators on the spot. The new 9.2 kilometre Chenani-Nashri tunnel in Jammu & Kashmir, the longest highway tunnel in Asia, will feature a state-of-the-art ABB ventilation system to ensure that users have access to fresh air as they drive through it. 

2) Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak Visits India
•Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak is on a 6-day visit to India.

•Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak was given the ceremonial reception at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi. This year marks the 60th anniversary of formal diplomatic relations. Malaysia’s father of independence, Tunku Abdul Rahman, visited India in 1962. India and Malaysia signed their strategic partnership in 2010. India has trained Malaysian pilots for the Russian SU-30 aircraft. 

3) Second annual meeting of BRICS New Development Bank held in New Delhi
•A new financial order built by the emerging BRICS economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. New Delhi is playing host to Second Annual Meeting of the New Development Bank (NDB) also known colloquially as BRICS bank. This is the first time the meet is happening in India. MOUs were signed between NDB and European Investment Bank (EIB), European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) and International Investment Bank (IIB). 

•India has sought USD 2 billion loans for various projects from the NDB. India has also signed a 350 million dollar loan agreement with NDB for financing Development and Upgradation of Major District Roads in Madhya Pradesh. This is the First Loan Agreement for NDB assisted project in India. In the event, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley stated that India has successfully implemented a number of reforms and Indian economy is expected to grow at 7.2 percent in 2017 and at the rate of 7.7 percent in 2018.

4) World Autism Awareness Day: 02nd April 2017
•The World Autism Awareness Day 2017 has been observed across the world on 02 April 2017. The 2017 theme for the day is "Toward Autonomy and Self-Determination". World Autism Awareness Day is an internationally recognized day, encouraging the Member States of the United Nations to take measures to raise awareness about children with autism throughout the world.

•Autism is a lifelong neurological condition that manifests during early childhood, irrespective of gender, race or socio-economic status. The term Autism Spectrum refers to a range of characteristics. Appropriate support, accommodation, and acceptance of this neurological variation allow those on the Spectrum to enjoy equal opportunity and full and effective participation in society.

5) Japan commits 371 bn yen assistance for infra projects in India
•Japan has committed an 'Official Development Assistance' (ODA) of 371.345 billion yen (about Rs 21,590 crore) under 2016-2017 for various infrastructure projects, including the dedicated freight corridor, in India.

•The notes in this regard were exchanged in New Delhi between S Selvakumar, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs and Kenji Hiramatsu, Ambassador of Japan to India.

•The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), a State Government entity, has been allowed to borrow directly from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Official Development Assistance (ODA) loan for Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) project.

6) Jepkosgei smashes three world records at Prague Half Marathon
•Kenya's Joyciline Jepkosgei has broken the world half marathon record as well as the 10km and 15km marks at the Prague Half Marathon on the way to winning the IAAF Gold Label Road Race in one hour, four minutes and 52 seconds.

 •The 23-year-old, who was competing in just her fifth half marathon, clocked splits of 30:05 and 45:37 to improve the 10km and 15km world records. Defending champion Violah Jepchumba of Kenya finished second in 65:22, with Fancy Chemutai third.
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SUPER 6 CURRENT AFFAIRS- 1st April 2017

03:56


1. CAG raps Meghalaya govt for failure to implement RTE


  • The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has rapped the Meghalaya government for its inability to execute the Right To Education Act, 2009, bringing about underutilisation of assets of over Rs 900 crore, shortage of nearly 1700 teachers and appointment of over 70 per cent untrained staff.
Report highlights:
  • Identifying the lack of basic infrastructure as one of the factors hindering universalization of elementary education
Key Facts: (No need to mug it up, just for understanding the core issue):
  • Shortage of 1,748 teachers in primary schools
  • 224 primary schools having only one teacher for 7,769 children enrolled.
  • Untrained appointed teachers – 77 per cent of primary school teachers and 85 per cent of upper primary school.
  • 68 schools – no science and maths teacher.
  • Shortages of uniform grant and non-availability of free textbooks
  • Annual plans were made without adopting participatory approach at the village/habitation level.
  • Provision of reserving 25 per cent for children belonging to weaker sections and disadvantaged groups was not being implemented.
  • Children with special needs and dropouts did not receive special care and attention
  • Government has failed to contain the existing dropout rate of six per cent.
Way forwards:
  • Enrolment of children and universalization of elementary education by covering all the eligible children should be ensured and the dropout rates be contained.
  • Focus should be laid on training the untrained teachers and reducing the shortage of teachers in primary schools besides, providing infrastructure and basic facilities to schools and effective utilization of funds.

2. BHEL commissioned 800 MW Supercritical Thermal Power Plant in Karnataka


The Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) on 30 March 2017 commissioned a 800 MW supercritical thermal power plant in Raichur District of Karnataka.
This is the second unit of the 2×800 MW Yeramarus Thermal Power Station, the first unit of which was successfully commissioned in early March 2017.
The plant which was commissioned on 15 March 2017 is also the BHEL’s first 800 MW Supercritical Thermal Power Plant.
About Yeramarus Thermal Power Station
  • The power station is owned and operated by the Raichur Power Corporation Limited (RPCL), which is jointly owned by the Karnataka Power Corporation Ltd. (KPCL) and the BHEL.
  • BHEL did complete design, engineering, manufacture, supply, erection and commissioning of this state-of-the-art supercritical project on turnkey basis.
  • It has supplied all the critical equipment like boiler, turbine and generators, electrical, key packages of balance of plant, and also carried out the associated civil works.
  • The major equipment for the project has been manufactured by BHEL at its Haridwar, Trichy, Bhopal, Ranipet, Hyderabad, Jhansi, Thirumayam and Bengaluru plants.
  • The construction of the plant was undertaken by the company’s Power Sector – Southern Region.
BHEL-KPCL Business Relations
  • BHEL has supplied and executed 4,010 MW of coal based sets for KPCL and its joint ventures, which accounts for 95 per cent of the utility’s coal-based installed capacity.
  • BHEL is also presently executing KPCL’s first gas-based combined cycle power project of 370 MW capacity involving a fuel-efficient advanced-class gas turbine at Yelahanka, Bengaluru.
About Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited
  • The company is the market leader in both the subcritical as well as the supercritical segments in the country.
  • The company has secured orders for 48 supercritical Steam Generators (SG) and 41 supercritical Steam Turbine Generators (STG) – the highest in the country by any power equipment manufacturer. Of these, 12 SG and STG have already achieved capacity addition.
  • BHEL’s contribution of nearly 60% of the total  power generated in the country bears testimony to the superlative performance of BHEL’s equipment.

3. India may be hit by U.S. trade review 


  • US to review its trade ties with its trading partner, in the backdrop of country’s surmounting trade deficit.
  • A “country-by-country, product-by-product” report will be prepared in 90 days that would form the basis of further measures that the administration would take to reduce the country’s trade deficit.
  • The report to identify every form of trade abuse and every non-reciprocal practice.
  • The review will be to assess whether a deficit is being caused by cheating, specific trade agreements, lax enforcement or World Trade Organization rules.
U.S. issues of concern with India:-
  • Inadequate protection of intellectual property,
  • State subsidies and tariff and non-tariff barriers.
  • Ban on animal-tested cosmetics and restrictions on dairy products and alcohol
  • Opaqueness in its non-tariff regulations
  • Export subsidy programmes in several sectors .
Future focus:
  • Trade in energy
  • Trade in generic pharmacy and defense.
  • Movement of service professionals in and out of U.S.
Key Fact:
  • India is the ninth biggest trading partner of the U.S. and had a trade surplus of around $26 billion with the U.S in goods trade alone last year.

4. South Asia Sub regional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) programme.


South Asia Sub regional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) is facilitating trade guided by the SASEC Trade Facilitation Strategic Framework (2014–2018) in the sub-region through various projects.  
The SASEC program:
The SASEC program was formed in 2001 in response to the request of the four countries of South Asia – Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal – from ADB to assist in facilitating economic cooperation among them. These four countries comprise the South Asia Growth Quadrangle (SAGQ), formed in 1996, as a vehicle for accelerating sustainable economic development through regional cooperation. As a project-based partnership, the SASEC program has been helping realize regional prosperity by enhancing cross-border connectivity, facilitating faster and more efficient trade and promoting cross-border power trade. Maldives and Sri Lanka joined SASEC in 2014, further expanding opportunities for enhancing economic linkages in the sub-region.
South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) program of Asian Development Bank (ADB) is expanding towards the East with Myanmar formally becoming the 7th member of SASEC in 2017.
The trade facilitation actions under SASEC are guided by the SASEC Trade Facilitation Strategic Framework (2014–2018), adopted by the SASEC members in March 2014
The Asian Development Bank is the secretariat and lead financier of the program, which to date has supported a total of 46 projects worth about $9.2 billion in transport, trade facilitation, energy, information and communications technology (ICT) and economic corridor development.
Key projects:
  • The nine projects comprise of two rail projects inBangladesh worth $890 million, two economic corridor initiatives (a project and program loan) and a bridge project in India worth an aggregate of $1.2 billion, trade facilitation and airport projects in Bhutan worth $27 million and key SASEC road and energy projects in Nepal worth $302 million.
  • All these projects are aligned with the SASEC OP’s thrusts of developing road and rail links aligned closely with trade routes toward the east, streamlining trade procedures, and improving energy infrastructure.
  • These projects will receiveADB financing of $1.43 billion. These nine projects represent a significant increase compared to the previous 15 years, when the annual average value of projects approved was only about $500 million.
ADB assistance to India:
  • Asian Development Bank (ADB) has been partnering with Indian Customs for sharing best practices and technical expertise with other countries under the SASEC umbrella.
  • The through-transport arrangements being finalized among Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) is an initiative that would help in seamless cross-border movement of vehicles/cargo among identified corridors bringing down transaction costs and delays and easing the border congestion.
  • ADB is also supporting India to develop integrated solutions for enhancing their logistics efficiency, covering the infrastructure and connectivity needed, as well as a logistics facilitation model that would enable faster and more efficient vehicle/cargo movement.
  • ADB has been following a consultative process in working with private sector stakeholders for raising awareness and building their capacity and to make sure their views are reflected in designing the national trade facilitation initiatives.

5. SpaceX successfully launched and then retrieved its first recycled rocket


  • SpaceX successfully launched and then retrieved its first recycled rocket, a historic feat and the biggest leap yet in its bid to drive down costs and speed up flights.
  • It was the first time SpaceX founder Elon Musk tried to fly a booster that soared before an orbital mission.
  • He was at a loss for words after the Falcon 9 core landed on the bull’s-eye of the ocean platform following lift-off with a broadcasting satellite.
  • Mr. Musk foresees dozens, if not hundreds of repeat flights, for a booster and rocket turnarounds of as little as 24 hours, perhaps by next year.
  • Land, refuel and then back up again, with everything leading to one day putting humanity “out there among the stars.”
  • This particular first stage landed on an ocean platform almost exactly a year ago after a space station launch for NASA.
  • SpaceX refurbished and tested the 15-story booster, still sporting its nine original engines. It nailed another vertical landing at sea once it was finished boosting the satellite for the SES company of Luxembourg.
  • SpaceX employees outside jammed Mission Control at the Hawthorne, California, company headquarters cheered loudly every step of the way and again when the satellite reached its proper orbit.

6. Industries grossly pollute Ganga

  • A Recent report released by Central Pollution Control Board highlights:
    • 30% of the so-called Grossly Polluting Industries (GPI), along the Ganga, is not complying with norms.
    • The CPCB has identified a total of 764 major polluting industries along Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal and Bihar.
    • Tanneries comprise the bulk of polluting industries and 80% of the polluting industries are located in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand
  • What are Grossly Polluting Industries?GPIs are defined as industries that discharge more than 1,00,000 liters of waste water and/or hazardous chemicals.
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Friday, March 31, 2017

SUPER 6 CURRENT AFFAIRS- 31st MARCH 2017

13:37

1) President inaugurated 'Namami Brahmaputra' festival in Assam
•The biggest river festival of India, Namami Brahmaputra, begins in 21 districts of Assam.

•President Pranab Mukherjee will inaugurate the festival on the banks of the river Brahmaputra, which is considered country's only male river.

•The main purpose of the 5 day festival (31st March to 4th April) is to give a boost to the investment and tourism prospect in the state. Prime Minister of Bhutan Tshering Tobgay and Governor of Assam Banwarilal Purohit will attend the inaugural ceremony.

2)Third meeting of G-20 framework working group held at Varanasi
•The 3rd G-20 Framework Working Group (FWG) Meeting under the G-20 German Presidency was held in Varanasi on 28th and 29th of March, 2017.

•The first two G-20 FWG meetings under the G-20 German Presidency have already been held at Berlin in Dec 16 and at Riyadh in Feb 17. Since the inception of the FWG in 2009, this is the fourth occasion that India is hosting this meeting.

•Previously, India had hosted the G-20 FWG Meetings in Rajasthan (2012), in Goa (2014) and in Kerala (2015) under different presidencies.

3)Union Government launches Online Film Certification System
•Information & Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu launched the online film certification system, 'e-cinepramaan' with an aim to censor corruption and promote clean cinema.

•The new system of Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) will make the entire process of certification transparent and efficient.

•The new online certification system will be an important step in making the CBFC office paperless and would enable effective monitoring and real-time progress tracking for both CBFC officials and the applicant (producers).The payments made during the process by the producers will go to Bharat Kosh portal.

4)El Salvador becomes first country in the world to ban metals mining
•El Salvador, Central America’s smallest nation, has become the first country in the world to ban metals mining nationwide.

•The new law, supported by 70 lawmakers, bans all exploration, extraction, and processing of metals both in open pits and mines. The level of environmental pollution in El Salvador is one of the highest in the region and the availability of drinking water is the lowest, according to UN data.

5) NASA, ISRO jointly working on project NISAR
•The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) are jointly working on the development of Dual Frequency (L and S band) Synthetic Aperture Radar Imaging Satellite named as NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR).

•The L-band SAR is being developed by JPL/NASA, while ISRO is developing S-band SAR.

6) India's S V Sunil named player of the year for 2016 in Asian Hockey Awards
•Indian forward player S V Sunil was named the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) Player of the Year for 2016.

•Drag-flick specialist Harmanpreet Singh was chosen as the Promising Player of the Year in the continental body’s annual awards. S.V. Sunil played a vital role in India's successful outing at the FIH Champions Trophy in London where the team earned a historic silver medal.
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Thursday, March 30, 2017

SUPER 6 CURRENT AFFAIRS- 30th MARCH 2017

15:51

1) Chenani-Nashri Tunnel: The longest road tunnel in South Asia
•In the Historic move, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will formally open the longest road tunnel of South Asia- Chenani-Nashri Tunnel on 2nd April 2017.

All you need to know about Chenani-Nashri Tunnel-

•The 9.2 km long road tunnel is built between Chenani in Udhampur District and Nashri in Ramban District of Jammu & Kashmir.

•It is also known as Patnitop Tunnel.

•The tunnel was built at a cost of Rs 3,720 crore in a record time of 5 and a half years by Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services (IL&FS) Ltd.

•It is located at an altitude of 1,200 meters in the heart of the Himalayas.

•With the help of this tunnel, the travel time on National Highway 44 between Jammu and Srinagar will reduce about 2 hours by shortening the distance by 30 km

•The tunnel is constructed on a famous technology named New Austrian Tunneling Method (NATM).

•Chenani-Nashri Tunnel is the country's first and the world's sixth road tunnel with a Transverse Ventilation System.

•A total of 124 cameras and a linear heat detection system inside the tunnel will alert the Integrated Tunnel Control Room located outside the tunnel to the need for intervention.

•The commuters will also be able to use their mobile phones inside the tunnel. BSNL, Airtel, and Idea have set up facilities inside the tunnel to carry the signal so far.

•The other important road tunnels in Jammu & Kashmir includes Jawahar Tunnel and Nandni Tunnels.

•The 24.5-kilometer long Lærdal Tunnel in Norway is the longest road tunnel in the world.

2) Govt signs deal for Hydrocarbon project in Neduvasal
•The Government of India signed a contract for the Discovered Small Fields (DSF) Bid 2016 with GEM Laboratories for extracting Hydrocarbons at Neduvasal, in Tamil Nadu.

•The contract was one of the many signed for 31 areas under the DSF Bid Round 2016.  The estimated total revenue would be approximately Rs 46,400 crore, of which royalty collection and Government's revenue share is expected to be around Rs 5,000 crore and Rs 9,300 crore, respectively. It is also estimated that employment for about 37,500 persons would be generated through these fields.

3) Kerala, Tripura and Arunachal joined UDAY
•Kerala, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh have joined the Centre’s power distribution company debt relief scheme, Ujjwal Discom Assurance Yojna (UDAY).

•With this, 26 states have joined the scheme. The government estimates that Kerala, Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura will gain net benefits of approximately Rs 4,178 crore, Rs 309 crore and Rs 810 crore respectively. 

4) SBI launches 'Unnati' credit card
•SBI Card launched a unique credit card ‘SBI Card Unnati’ targeted at all SBI customers, including Jan Dhan account-holders across the country.

•As per the statement of SBI Card CEO, Vijay Jasuja, any SBI customer with a balance of at least Rs 25,000 in his/her savings account with the bank would be eligible for the Unnati credit card without the need for any credit score or credit history.

•The card was launched by Piyush Goyal, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy and Mines.

5) INLCU L51 commissioned into India Navy
•Indian Navy inducts surveillance ship (INLCU) L51, the first of the eight ships of the Landing Craft Utility MK IV Class, was commissioned into the India Navy by Vice Admiral Bimal Varma AVSM, Commander-in-Chief of the Andaman & Nicobar command at a ceremony in Port Blair.

•The commissioning of the ship adds a feather to the glorious chapter in the nation’s ‘Make in India’ initiatives and indigenisation efforts in the field of warship design and construction.

6) World Environmental Education Congress 2017
•The 9th World Environmental Education Congress (WEEC) will be held in Vancouver, Canada between September 9-15 2017. The theme will be 'Weaving new connections'.

•The International Organizing Committee is the WEEC Permanent Secretariat, based in Italy. The congress is an international meeting point for everyone working with education for environment and sustainable future or who has an interest in the field. WEEC 2017 will be an excellent opportunity to learn more about the latest in environmental and sustainability education to discuss with people from all over the world.
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Wednesday, March 29, 2017

SUPER 6 CURRENT AFFAIRS- 29th MARCH 2017

16:27

1) 1st time India becomes Net Exporter of Electricity
 
•As per Central Electricity Authority, the Designated Authority of Government of India for Cross Border Trade of Electricity, 1st time India has turned around from a net importer of electricity to Net Exporter of electricity.

•During the current year 2016-17 (April 2016 to February 2017), India has exported around 5,798 Million Units to Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar which is 213 Million units more than the import of around 5,585 Million units from Bhutan.

2) IRDAI imposed penalty on ICICI Pru Life
•The Insurance Regulatory and Development authority of India (IRDAI) has imposed a penalty of Rs 20 lakh on ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company on various charges.

•The charges include free look cancellations not being in line with regulations and delay in processing surrenders/partial withdrawals.

3) UN appoints David Beasley to head World Food Programme

•United Nations Chief Antonio Guterres has appointed former South Carolina Governor David Beasley to head the Rome-based World Food Programme (WFP).

•Beasley will run the affairs of the world’s largest humanitarian organization, serving more than 90 million beneficiaries in 80 countries. He will replace another American, Etharin Cousin, who has been the WFP executive director since 2012.

4) Karnataka Bank’s PoS installations reach 10,000-mark
•The total tally of PoS (point-of-sale) installations of Karnataka Bank Ltd has reached 10,000. The bank has been offering PoS services since 2011.

•This service enabled the merchant establishments to accept card payments and boost their business. The bank is also providing ‘PoS Manager’, an android mobile app, to help merchants monitor and keep track of their counter transactions besides providing an interface to contact the bank and service provider for further information and escalations.

5) Paytm, The first e-commerce company to become ASCI member

•The country’s fast-growing e-commerce industry Paytm is all set to become a member of the self-regulatory voluntary organization Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) from April, 2017.

•The move is significant because advertising violations by e-commerce companies, which are big spenders on television, print and digital media, have been on the rise in recent years.

•The Alibaba-backed Paytm has also set up a new company named Paytm Financial Services, which will sell financial products like insurance and mutual funds to its planned payments bank account holders.

6) Bhubaneswar to host men’s hockey World League Final 2017
•The International Hockey Federation (FIH) confirmed Bhubaneswar as venue for two of its major events the Men’s Hockey World League Final in December 2017 and the men’s World Cup in 2018.

•The Kalinga Stadium in the Odisha capital was confirmed as host after the state government signed a deal with FIH to sponsor the two events.
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