Daily News Analysis for IAS / UPSC (19th March, 2016)

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Supreme Court stops Punjab from levelling SYL canal land

Supreme Court has ordered status quo on the land meant for the Sutlej-Yamuna Link canal
Haryana alleged attempts by Punjab to alter its use by levelling it.
Punjab assembly passed the Punjab Sutlej Yamuna Link Canal (Rehabilitation and Re-vesting of proprietary Rights) Bill, 2016 to de-notify the land acquired to build the canal in Punjab.
Haryana argued the Bill would negate the Supreme Court’s 2004 decree calling for unhindered construction of the canal which will give Haryana its share of water.

Punjab Government notified Swine Flu under Epidemic Disease Act

All the hospitals will have to inform the Department of Health about a case of ILI (Influenza like Illness) having chronic diseases.
Treatment of swine flu is provided free of cost to all the patients as recommended by the Government.

Online System to automate all the operations of FCI depots launched

Important project under Digital India initiative of Government.
System will automate/streamline all the activities during the stock inflow/outflow by road.
System will provide an efficient way to monitor & track the movement of items by rail.
Godown operation such as dumping management etc will be automated.
System will keep track of all the millers/Agency that are associated with the depots
System will track chemical spraying, fumigation & procurement quality check.
Facilitate the depot management for FCI, helps in speeding up operations, Free up manpower from laborious data collation and report preparation
Saves operational costs by proper planning & optimizing the administrative.
Will help save costs and prevent leakages.

India signs Loan agreement with World Bank

Loan agreement of 35 million dollars with World Bank for “Madhya Pradesh Citizen Access to Responsive Services Project”.
Project size is $50 million
$35 million will be financed by the Bank, and the remaining amount will be funded out of State Budget.
The project duration is 5 years.
Objective of the project is to improve access and quality of public services in Madhya Pradesh through implementation of the 2010 Public Service Delivery Guarantee Act.

India ranked 118 in Happiness Index

Denmark tops the list holding the tag of Happiest Nation in the world
Followed by Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, Finland, Canada, Netherlands, New Zealand, Australia and Sweden
USA occupies 13^th

Modi’s wax statue at Madame Tussauds Museum

Modi figured in the Time Magazine’s Person of the Year’s list which gives him enough support to figure in the museum.
Currently the second most followed politician on twitter after President Obama

4th World Congress of Biosphere Reserves inaugurated in Lima

World meeting of the Committees of UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Program (MAB)
Participants include experts from governments, biosphere reserves, local communities, UN agencies, NGOs, academic institutions, and organizations and institutions from all over the world working with the MAB Program.

First Electrical Double decker bus operated in London

Built by Chinese manufactures BYD, will be able to travel 180 miles on a single charge
Buses are expected to cost more than £350,000
Electric buses will lower carbon emissions and help improve London’s air quality
Buses will come into operation by April

Four Oil Psus Sign Pacts to Raise Stake in Russian Oil Field

First MoU was signed between ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL), the overseas investment arm of ONGC, and Russia’s Rosneft
Have signed two separate memorandums of understanding, one Heads of Agreement, and one sale purchase agreement worth $2 billion
Will increase India’s participation in the Siberian oil and gas fields to 26 per cent from the existing 15 per cent.

SBI Partners With Uber for Instant Vehicle Financing

The scheme would encourage skilled drivers to overcome liquidity crunch and excess documentation requirements to become an entrepreneur
Loans could be sanctioned in one day using an inbuilt digital offering.
Loans would be collateral free as well as carry a very competitive interest rate.
Loans will be covered under the government’s Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojna Scheme

Gamesa wins solar order from Sri Lanka

Spain Major Gamesa Wind Turbines has won the solar energy order from LAUGFS Power Ltd in Sri Lanka
To provide solar power in Baruthankanda village in Sri Lanka.
The project is expected to commence operations by October.

AP Fiber Grid project in Andhra Pradesh

The government has signed a MoU with Cisco as technical partner for the project.
Cisco will complete aerial cable connectivity in North Andhra by April-end and across the entire State by July-end.
Total cost for aerial cables to provide internet, telephone and 100 free-to-air channels is Rs.330 crore.
In the second phase, underground cable network will be laid.
The nodal agency AP State FiberNet Ltd will provide 15 Mbps connection to households at Rs.149 and to 100 Mbps to offices at Rs.999 per month by involving local cable operators.

Michelle Yeoh appointed UNDP goodwill ambassador

Will focus on raising awareness and mobilizing support for the recently proposed Sustainable Development Goals.
Will pursue her longstanding passion for global development issues, including gender equality and the eradication of poverty

Merrick Garland nominated for US Supreme Court

Fazle Kabir appointed as Governor of Bangladesh’s Central Bank

He is former finance secretary and chairman of Sonali Bank
Appointment comes from the government after governor Atiur Rahman resigned over the recent cyber heist of $81 million

Ashley Judd appointed U.N. Goodwill Ambassador

Ashley and UNFPA will be joining forces to raise awareness about women dying while child birth.
To empower women to choose when and how often to become pregnant.

Shehnai Exponent Ustad Ali Ahmad Hussain Khan Passes Away

Paul Daniels, TV Magician, Dies Aged 77

Daniels is best known for his BBC TV series The Paul Daniels Magic Show, which ran from 1979 to 1994.
He achieved international fame through his television series

Andrew Wiles awarded with the Nobel Prize of Mathematics

Has been awarded the 2016 Abel Prize which is the Nobel Prize equivalent for Mathematics
He won the award for his proof of Fermat’s Last Theorem which baffled the Mathematicians for more than 300 years.

Paralympics Games began in Arunachal Pradesh

Three-day event being organized by the Arunachal Pradesh Paralympics Association (APPA) scheduled to be held from March 15 to 17.
Demand of Corpus fund of Rs.20 Lakh for Paralympic Games, 10 Lakh each for Umang Festival and for procurement of sports goods, boys’ and girls’ hostels for persons with disabilities, their training at SLSA, and appointment of five posts of coaches for them.