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National News
India’s biggest power plant in Jharkhand
- Power plant: Patratu Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited
- General Manager: B Narayan
- Joint Venture of National Thermal Power Corporation and Jharkhand Government
- Total Capacity: 8000MW in total, first phase of 4000MW capacity.
Joint Conference of Chief Ministers and Chief Justices of High Courts
- The event was held at New Delhi.
- It was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Kerala, Thazhathangady Juma Mosque opens doors to women for the first time
- Women in the community were never allowed to take a look at the inside of the mosque.
- Juma mosque has opened its doors to all women on April 24, 2016
UDAY bonds fetch Rs.99,000 crore
- Eight states have issued bonds worth over Rs.98,959.96 crore under UDAY(Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana) scheme in 2015-16.
- Aim of UDAY is to improve operational and financial efficiency of state power distribution companies.
- The special bonds (non-SLR special securities) issued by RBI.
- The states that have issued the bonds are:
- Rajasthan issued Rs 37,349 crore
- Uttar Pradesh issued Rs 24,332 crore
- Chhattisgarh issued Rs 870 crore
- Punjab issued Rs 9,860 crore
- Jammu & Kashmir issued Rs 2,140 crore,
- Bihar issued Rs 1,551 crore,
- Jharkhand issued Rs 5,553 crore
- Haryana issued Rs 17,300 crore
Central Government CGMP compliant facility in Himachal Pradesh
- For manufacture of DPT and TT vaccine at the Central Research Institute (CRI),
- The facility is in Kasauli in Himachal Pradesh.
Army completes amphibious exercise ‘Jal Prahar’
- To validate and fine-tune its strategy to take over enemy land via sea
- All three wings of the armed forces Army, Air Force and Navy participated in exercise.
Legal system too expensive for most: Study
- Survey was conducted across 305 locations in 24 States between November 2015 and February 2016.
- 90% of the litigants earn less than Rs. 3 lakh per annum
- Median expected cost of litigation for this group is around Rs. 16,000.
- legal aid aims to provide free legal services to the weaker sections who otherwise can’t afford it, the survey found that that just 1% of the respondents make use of this service.
Panama disease affects banana cultivation in Kerala
- Scientists are concerned that the sporadic cases of infestation could turn into an epidemic
- Posing a potential crisis for farmers. Most of the popular cultivars have shown signs of infestation.
- Scientists have recommend soil treatment with fungicides for control of the disease.
RBI to examine Workers’ Bank proposal
- Proposal was mooted by the trade unions about a decade ago.
- Has been discussed by Labour Ministry and Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) for several years now.
- Modelled on similar experiences in countries like Canada, Netherland, Switzerland and South Africa where a collective pension fund system invests worker’s savings in equities of domestic and global markets.
National corridor body plan shelved
- Authority has been put on the back burner due to the delay foreseen by the Prime Minister’s Office and the Cabinet Secretariat in getting Parliamentary approval
- Plan to set up NICA was announced by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in his maiden Budget speech in July 2014.
International
Cuba removes ban on Cubans entering or leaving the country by sea
- Cuban government adjusted its migration policy and lifted a restriction that prevented Cubans from entering or leaving the country by cruise ship or commercial vessel
- Previously Cuba did not allow Cuban-born individuals living elsewhere to travel to the island by a commercial vessel.
Business and Economy
Uber partners with FICCI, Gujarat Tourism for soft skill training
- training is designed and conducted by Ace Driving & Road Safety Education Pvt Ltd on areas of Safe Driving and Interpersonal Skills of the drivers
- To improve the overall rider experience in Gujarat.
- Optional to all Uber drivers. Those who attend the training will be certified by FICCI and Gujarat Tourism under this program.
Reliance buys Iranian oil after six-year hiatus
- Reliance Industries Ltd, has bought crude oil from Iran after a 6-year break.
- Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL) and Essar Oil Ltd are the main buyers of Iranian oil in India
People in News
Salman Khan named goodwill ambassador for India at Rio Olympics
- Announcement was made in the presence of Olympic medalists and Rio star athletes
Clement Mouamba as PM of Congo
- Congo’s President Denis Sassou Nguesso named former finance minister Clement Mouamba as prime minister
- He was at one time the opposition leader.
Science and Technology
India’s first open source encyclopedia to the Art and culture goes live
- Sahapedia is an open source resource on the Arts, Cultures and heritage of India.
- Used to explore the richness of India’s cultural landscapes.
App-Based Premium Bus Service in Delhi
- Expected to start in the city from middle of June while registration for it would start from June 1 this year.
- Premium buses will be fully air-conditioned with no passengers allowed to stand.
- Ticket rates would be higher than those in existing bus services in the city.
- To ensure the safety of women passengers, Buses will have to be equipped with Wi-Fi and GPS.
Awards
Manoj Bajpayee to receive the Dadasaheb Phalke award
- Dadasaheb Phalke award in the Best Actor Category (Critics’ Choice) for his contribution in Hansal Mehta’s Biographical drama,“Aligarh”.
- The Award will be presented on 1st May 2016.
Kendra Sangeet Natak Akademi Samman for 3 Odiya artists
- Three Personalities:
- PrefullaKar – Light Music performer
- AlokKanungo – Odissi Dancer
- SadasivPradhan – Chhau Dancer
Sports
First Indian participant at World Kickboxing Championship
- Tajamul Islam, a seven-year-old girl, is set to become the first Indian to represent the country at the World Kickboxing Championship in Andria, Italy,
- hails from a small village in North Kashmir’s Bandipora district
- First Kashmiri girl to take part in kickboxing at the international level.