Daily GK Updates - 17th March, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1.  “Elecrama – 2018”: The United Kingdom became the Indian electrical industry’s international partner for the  Elecrama 2018, which was held from March 10 to 14, at the World Utility Summit. Elecrama is the flagship showcase of the Indian Electrical Industry ecosystem and the largest congregation of power sector. The event enabled to share lessons on building a cleaner, smarter and more efficient power sector.

2.    FINE - Festival of Innovation and Entrepreneurship: President of India will inaugurate Festival of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (FINE) and will present Gandhian Young Technological Innovation awards at Rashtrapati Bhawan on March 19, 2018. FINE is an initiative to recognise, showcase, reward innovations and to foster a supportive ecosystem for innovators. It is a platform for innovators for building linkages with potential stakeholders.

3.  SATHE Roadmaps:  NITI Aayog is all set to release comprehensive roadmaps and detailed timelines for its initiative ‘Sustainable Action for Transforming Human Capital in Education ’ project at NITI Aayog. SATHE will introduce System-wide Governance Transformation in School Education. These roadmaps present customized, action-oriented programmes, outlining interventions at the individual, district and State level.

4.   Ban on plastics in Maharashtra: Maharashtra has decided to ban the use of plastic from the Maharashtrian new year day “Gudi Padva” to be held on 18^th March 2018. The ban would cover the production, use, storage, sale, import and transportation of plastic. The plastic used to cover medicines, forest and horticulture products, the use of plastic in special economic zones for export purposes are exempted from the ban.

5.  OSDMA joins hands with RIMES: The Odisha State Disaster Mitigation Authority (OSDMA) will collaborate with the Thailand-based Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System (RIMES) for strengthening its early warning services and enhancing preparedness for management of hazards in the State. OSDMA and RIMES would forge a partnership in the field of drought monitoring. RIMES is already working with the Tamil Nadu.

6.      Two-tier Panchayati Raj in Arunachal Pradesh: Arunachal Pradesh Assembly passed a bill to remove Anchal Samiti, intermediate level of the three-tier Panchayati Raj system, and set up a two-tier system in the state. In a two-tier system, the strength of elected members would be reduced. In a two-tier system, planning and execution of schemes would be faster as there would be a direct connection between Gram Panchayats and Zilla Parishad.

7.   Kerala’s State fruit or the official fruit –“Jackfruit”: The jackfruit is the largest tree-borne fruit known for its distinctive taste and aroma. Kerala will make an official declaration in this regard on March 21, 2018. The government plans to promote the ‘Kerala Jackfruit’ as a brand in markets across the country and abroad due to its nutritious and organic value.

8.   Arunachal to be the 4^th state to declare death for raping minors: Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Haryana have already prescribed the death penalty for those convicted of raping girls under 12 years. Arunachal Pradesh is to be such 4^th state. The State Assembly on 16th March passed the Criminal Laws (Arunachal Pradesh) Amendment Bill 2018. The bill seeks to amend, among others, section 354, 354 (B), 354 (D) of Indian Penal Code for harsher punishment.

9.  Inauguration of  “Women of India Organic festival-2018”: 1st Mumbai Edition of Women of India Organic festival in Mumbai was inaugurated on 16th March. The event will promote Women farmers & Entrepreneurs engaged in organic produce from across India. This year’s theme of the festival is “Good for Women; Good for India; Good for You”. “Women of India Festival 2018” is celebrated since 2015.

10. 8th Theatre Olympics to be hosted by NSD: The National School of Drama (NSD) will host the “8th Theatre Olympics” at Mumbai in later March. The Mumbai chapter of the 8th Theatre Olympics is organised by the NSD in collaboration with the Directorate of Cultural Affairs, Maharashtra. The eighth edition of this global theatre festival is being held in 17 cities. The theme for the eighth edition is ‘Flag of Friendship’.

11. Inauguration of Indian Science Congress in Imphal: Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the 105th Indian Science Congress at Manipur University at Imphal. The theme of the Indian Science Congress is “Reaching the Unreached Through Science and Technology”. This is the second time in over a century that the Indian Science Congress is being held in the North-East.

12. ‘LaQshya’ programme by Union Health Ministry:  The Union Health Ministry announced the launch of LaQshya, a programme aimed at improving quality of care in labour room and maternity operation theatre. The programme will improve the quality of care maternity operation theatres, and obstetrics Intensive Care Units and High Dependency Units. The programme aims at implementing ‘fast-track’ interventions for achieving results within 18 months.

 INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1.   Xi-Jinping got re-elected: China’s Parliament re-elected Xi Jinping as the country’s president and also the chairman of Central Military Commission of the People’s Republic of China on 17th March. On March 11, China passed a constitutional amendment to remove any term limits enabling Xi Jinping to hold presidential office beyond 2023. Wang Qishan was elected as Vice President of China.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1.  Sanjivani Jadhav grabbed bronze: India’s long-distance athlete Sanjivani Jadhav bagged a bronze medal at the 14th Asian Cross-Country Championship held at Guiyang in China. Sanjivani clocked 28 minutes 19 sec in the senior women’s 8 km event to finish 3rd. In the team ranking, India finished 3rd in senior women’s event and bagged bronze medal with 28 points, finishing behind 1st placed Japan (12) and 2nd placed China (14).

2.    ‘Cricketer of the Year’ – Kannanur Lokesh Rahul: KL Rahul is the ‘Cricketer of the Year’ in the sixth edition of Wisden India Almanack. The Almanack pays a tribute to India’s women cricketers, with a wonderful cover picture of celebration at the World Cup. Shantha Rangaswamy, India’s first woman superstar, has been inducted into the Wisden Ind ia Hall of Fame. Priyank Panchal, Hasan Ali and Tamim Iqbal are the other Cricketers of the Year.

BANKING/ FINANCE:

1.   The Reserve Bank of India has issued a Prompt Corrective Action framework to maintain the sound financial health of banks:  The framework facilitates banks in breach of risk thresholds for identified areas of monitoring, such as capital, asset quality and profitability, to take corrective measures. The RBI, through corrective framework, encourages banks to abstain from riskier activities.

2.    INDIA and ADB Sign $120 Million Loan: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a $120 million loan agreement with India to improve the operational efficiency of Indian railways. The loan amount will be used for doubling the railway tracks and electrification of tracks along high-density corridors. The investment program is targeting routes in the states of Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY:

1.   India’s First Cloned Assamese Buffalo – ‘Sach Gaurav’ (Male Calf): He born for the first time at Central Institute for Research on Buffaloes in Hisar. The calf was born to a Murrah buffalo. It was also the first to be born in the field, 100 km from the cloning laboratory at Hi-Tech Sach Dairy Farm. This was the second cloned male buffalo after Hisar-Gaurav. Assamese buffaloes are found in north-east India.