Daily GK Updates - 10th March, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India-Belgium signs Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement and Protocol: India and Belgium have signed an agreement to amending the existing Agreement and Protocol between the two countries for avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income in New Delhi.

The agreement was signed in the presence of Sushil Chandra, Chairman CBDT and Jan Luykx, Ambassador of Belgium to India.  

2.  Maternity Benefit Bill, 2016 passed by the Parliament: Under the recommendations of the bill, Bill, 2016, working women in all establishments (either public or private) will be entitled to 26 weeks of paid maternity leave.

If a woman adopts a child below 3 months of age, she will be entitled to 12 weeks leave from the date the child is handed over to her. This entitlement will be applicable for the first two children. For the 3rd child, any women will be granted 12 weeks of maternity leave.

3. Himachal Pradesh launches mobile App ‘Mera Hunar’ : Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh has launched mobile App and website ‘Mera Hunar HP’, a first of its kind in the country.‘Mera Hunar’ is a web based platform where the skilled, semi-skilled persons can apply for various jobs as per their convenience like plumber, carpenter, mechanic, security guards, drivers, tourists guides, etc online. The platform is available both in English and Hindi.

4. Tamil Nadu launches Rs 1,580 crore housing scheme: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami launched a housing scheme estimated at Rs 1,580 crore. The scheme was being implemented by the state government with Central assistance for the economically poor. In the year 2016-17, concrete houses will be constructed for 50,170 beneficiaries in town panchayat limits.

5. Odisha govt launches 181 helpline for distressed women: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has launched 24*7  helpline number 181 to assist women in distress on the occasion of International Women’s Day (8th March 2017). A woman from any part of the Odisha can dial 181 to get immediate assistance.

6. HDFC Bank digitizes over 1200 dairy co-operatives across India: Private sector lender HDFC Bank has digitised payments at over 1,200 dairy co-operatives in the country. It benefits 3.2 lakh dairy farmers across 16 states under the aegis of its Milk to Money (M2M) programme.

Launched in 2010, M2M is aimed at bringing dairy farmers into the organized banking system, digitising the entire dairy value chain.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Pakistan adopts Hindu marriage law: The Pakistani parliament has adopted the landmark Hindu Marriage Law to regulate the community's marriages in the country. 

According to the bill, the minimum age of 18 has been prescribed for marriage.

The law will be applicable in Punjab, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.

2. Park Geun-Hye, South Korean President removed from office: The Constitutional court has removed South Korean President, Park Geun-Hye from the office. The impeachment was carried out over allegations of corruption and cronyism on Park.The new president will now be elected by South Korea within 60 days.

Hwang Kyo-ahn will serve as the acting president meanwhile.

3. Donald Tusk re-elected as European Council’s President: Tusk has been re-elected for a term of two and a half year by 27 to one votes. Poland, Tusk’s home country was the only one to oppose his election. He’ll take over the office from 1st June 2017.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

1. Google acquires Kaggle for undisclosed amount to boost data play: Technology giant Google has announced to acquire a start-upKaggle which hosts a number of data scientists for an undisclosed amount at the Cloud Next 2017 conference.

BANKING:

2. RBI Will Soon Introduce New Rs 10 Notes with More Security Features: The Reserve Bank of India on March 9, 2017 notified that it is soon going to issue Rs. 10 denomination notes with enhanced security features for circulation.

Besides, RBI also notified that all the banknotes in the denomination of Rs 10 issued in the past will also continue to be legal tender.

The note will be in the Mahatma Gandhi series-2005 and carry inset letter ‘L’ on both number panels. Rs.10 Numerals on both the panels will be in ascending size from left to right. The first three alpha-numeric characters (prefix) will remain constant in size.

HONOURS & AWARDS:

3. Konkani author Mahabaleshwar Sail gets Saraswati Samman: Eminent Konkani writer Mahabaleshwar Sail has been honoured with the 26th Saraswati Samman 2016 for his novel ‘Hawthan’. The selection for the award, is made by a jury presided by former chief justice A S Anand. Sail is a renowned bi-lingual writer who has four Marathi dramas and seven Konkani novels to his credit.