| [Download not found] |
National News
States to put stock holding limits on sugar
- Union cabinet decided to allow States to impose and enforce stock limits on sugar to verify its market price rise.
- In the face of adequate availability of sugar stocks with the Sugar Mills, the wholesale and retail prices have shown a spurt.
- move will empower State and Central players to impose stock limits and regulate supply, distribution, storage and trade of sugar to bring down sugar prices at reasonable level
100 rural drinking water projects in Odisha
- 100 piped water supply projects for rural areas and piped water provision in all gram panchayats by 2017.
- project is made at an estimated cost of Rs 72 crore
- Will help as many as 1, 72,000 people residing in rural areas.
Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh Govt implement NFSA across state
- Northeastern states Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh to implement the National Food Security Act,
- Scheme empowers 87% of the priority households in the state population.
- Tripura had implemented the Food Security Act in August 2015, Meghalaya in September 2015, Assam in December 2015, and Mizoram in March 2016.
Jail term up to 5 yrs for chain snatchers
- Maharashtra government has pledged to increase the punishment for chain snatching up to 5 years of rigorous imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 25,000.
International
India 3rd in worldwide dope violation in new WADA report
- India has become 3rd in Anti-Doping Rule Violation in 2014
- Russia ranked first followed by Italy
Business and Economy
NZD $5 bill named best Banknote of the year
- Mountaineer and Explorer Sir Edmund Hillary is featured on face of the $5 bill currency note which is best Bank Note of the year
Banks have to report foreign contribution to NGO’s within 48 hours
- Banks mandated to report to the central government within two days any information on NGOs getting foreign funds.
- Amended Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Rules 2015 directed these rules in Gazette of India on December 2015.
- Applicable irrespective of whether or not such person is registered or granted permission under the FCRA.
MoU between Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India and the Insurance Authority, UAE
- Agreement pave the way for enhanced cooperation between the two bodies in the field of insurance supervision
- Move will further improve mutual understanding through the exchange of regulatory and relevant information including confidential information
DBS Bank launches mobile-only bank
- Singapore based DBS Development Bank launched a mobile-only bank in India
- Uses technologies like biometrics and artificial intelligence for paperless, signature-less and branchless bank.
Isuzu opens manufacturing plant in Andhra Pradesh
- Japanese automobile maker Isuzu has opened its new factory at Sri City in Andhra Pradesh
- New production unit has come up on a 107-acre factory will generate jobs for around 2,000-3,000 people
- Company has earmarked 3,000 crore investment over next five years.
- An annual capacity of 50,000 units which can be scaled up to 120,000 units.
Cabinet approves BPCL’s Oman investment
- Approved an increase in investment in Bharat Oman Refineries (A Bharat Petroleum Corporation owned company) to a maximum of Rs 3,000 crore.
- Move will enhance the availability of petroleum products in the Northern and Central parts of the country.
Tata Power commissions 44 MW Lahori wind farm project
- 100 % subsidiary of Tata Power Renewable Energy Limited.
- Tata Power’s total installed capacity of 9,183 MW in addition to the two million customers it serves through retail power distribution.
- New 44 MW project is expected to generate about 84 million units (MUs) per year.
People in News
United Nation Chief Ban Ki Moon appoints Indian to University Council United Nation
- To formulate its principles & policies, approve biennial Budget and work program.
- 12 members including an Indian Academician named Radha Kumar.
South Sudan’s rebel Chief Riek Machar made as Vice president
- He wound up the civil war in two years.
Cartoonist Toms Passes Away in Kerala
- Created everlasting cartoon characters like Bobanum Moliyum (Boban and Molly), kids lawyer Pothen, the flirty Appy Hippy, the nincompoop panchayat president Ittunnan (chettan), his wife (chettathi), Unnikkuttan, Kunchukuruppu and so many creatures.
- Bobanum Moliyum strip was first published in Malayala Manorama in 1957. Toms retired from the newspaper in 1987.
Science and Technology
Russia’s brand new cosmodrome launches first-ever rocket
- Unmanned rocket called Soyuz-2.1A rocket carrying three satellites
- All three satellites launched on the Soyuz rocket have been successfully deployed to their specified orbits.
- Existing roadmap aims the cosmodrome should have up to 10 launches every year in the next several years.
China launches sounding rocket
- Designed to conduct research and take measurements and scientific experiments at Hainan Province in China.
- Kunpeng-1B was launched from Danzhou by the National Space Science Center
- Rocket reached a maximum height of 316 kilometers (196 miles), with the total flight time coming to 10 minutes.
- These rockets are low-cost launch vehicles developed to carry scientific instruments that take measurements during the rocket’s sub-orbital flight.
Seventh navigational satellite IRNSS 1G launched
- The satellite with a design life time of 12 years has 2 payloads for navigation and ranging.
Environment & Ecology
4,800-year-old fossil of mother cradling baby
- Taiwan Archaeologists have discovered a 4,800 year old human fossil of a mother holding an infant child in her arms
- Carbon dating was the method adopted to determine the ages of the fossils.
- 48 sets of remains unearthed in graves in the Taichung area are the earliest trace of human activity found in central Taiwan.
Awards
Indian Institute of Management Calcutta Acquires EQUIS Accreditation
- IIM Calcutta becomes the first Indian business school to achieve the ‘Triple Crown’ in accreditation
- Only 5 business schools in Asia and 73 business schools around the world are currently ‘Triple Accredited’
Sports
TVS Racing signs up first woman rider Shreya Sunder Iyer
- First woman rider Shreya Sunder Iyer in the Indian National Rally championship this year.
- Shreya started a career in motor racing at 20
- First Indian woman rider to successfully complete a ride across the sand dunes in Dubai
ICC suspends the Cricket Association of Nepal
- International Cricket Council (ICC) has suspended the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN)
- This is due to government intervention in the cricket board
- Cricket administrating body suspended the membership of CAN for breach of Article 2.9 of the ICC’s Articles of Association.
- ICC code of the Article 2.9 prohibits government interference and requires free and fair elections.
- CAN not to be entitled to receive any ICC funding.
Deepika Kumari equals world record in recurve event at archery World Cup
- Gained a score of 686/720 that equaled the record-breaking score of 686/720 set by South Korean archer Ki Bo-Bae in 2015.
- She has booked berth for the upcoming Rio Olympics with her performances at the World Championships in Copenhagen last year.