NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. India’s longest bridge inaugurated by PM Modi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the strategically important
Dhola-Sadiya Bridge in Assam. It spans the Lohit River to connect the states of
Assam and Arunachal Pradesh and is 9.15 kms in length. The construction began
in 2011 and was completed on 10 March 2017. It was built by Navayuga
Engineering Company Limited.
2. Govt. changes start-up definition: The union government has introduced minor changes to the Startup
definition. An entity shall be considered as a Startup if its turnover is less
than Rs. 25 crore (unchanged) and has not completed seven years from the date
of its incorporation /registration. Earlier, only companies up to five years
from the date of incorporation were eligible for concessions.
3. Anurag Tripathy appointed as Secretary of CBSE: Anurag Tripathy (1998 batch-IRPS officer)
has been appointed as the Secretary of the Central Board of Secondary Education
(CBSE) for a period of five years.
4. Centre bans sale of cattle for slaughter: The central govt. has banned sale of cattle for slaughter and has
allowed its trade only among farm land owners. Cattle can be sold only to a
person having documents to prove he is an “agriculturist”, the rule says,
adding “young” and “unfit animals” cannot be sold. Rules have been notified
under Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act of 1960.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Indian-American, Amul Thapar, to get key judicial post: US Senate has confirmed Indian-American Judge Amul Thapar to a key
judicial position on powerful US court of appeals. He is he the first
Indian-American to be nominated by US President Donald Trump for the 6th US
Circuit Court of Appeals and second South Asian judge to be on the US
Circuit Court of Appeals.
2. Nobel Laureate, Toni Morrison, honoured by Authors
Guild: The Authors Guild has honoured Nobel literature
laureate Toni Morrison at its 25th annual gala. Morrison received Distinguished
Service Award and praised the power of literature and the “community” of
writers. Morrison won the Pulitzer Prize and the American Book Award in 1988
for Beloved.
3. Mark Zuckerberg gets honorary degree: Facebook Co-founder, Mark Zuckerberg received an honorary doctorate
degree from Harvard, 13 years after dropping out from the University. He
dropped out of the Ivy League school to focus on Facebook. He started Facebook
in his Harvard dorm room in 2004.
OTHER UPDATES:
BUSINESS & ECONOMY:
1. Govt selects bankers for IOC
stake sale: Govt. has selected five merchant bankers to
manage 3% stake sale in Indian Oil Corporation. Govt. has set a target of
raising 46,500 crore rupees through minority stake sale and 15,000 crore rupees
from strategic disinvestment. Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, Deutsche Equities, SBI
Capital Markets and ICICI Securities are the bank that are selected.
2. India retains world’s highest FDI crown: India has retained its top rank of being the world’s premier greenfield
FDI investment destination for the second consecutive year. China has overtaken
the US to become the second biggest country for FDI.
3. BHEL commissions thermal unit in Maharashtra: Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited has commissioned a 270 megawatt thermal
unit at Sinnar in Nashik district of Maharashtra. This is a part of Rattan India
Nasik Power Ltd’s 5×270 MW thermal power project.
BANKING & FINANCE:
4. RBI allows co-operative banks to issue Prepaid Payment
Instruments (PPIs): RBI has allowed
co-operative banks, who are permitted to install ATMs and issue debit cards, to
also issue prepaid payment instruments PPIs like mobile wallets. RBI laid down
strict norms and conditions to be followed by co-operative banks before
permitting them to issue wallets for utility bill payments and other activities
up to a limit of Rs 10000.
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