Daily GK Updates - 8th March, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES

1. Swachh Shakti 2018: The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, in association with the Government of Uttar Pradesh, is organizing a Women’s Convention – called Swachh Shakti 2018 on International Women’s Day on 8th March at Lucknow. Uttar Pradesh will be hosting Swachh Shakti 2018 as the largest State in the country. Swachh Shakti 2018 will provide momentum to the sanitation coverage in Uttar Pradesh.

2. PM Launches National Nutrition Mission and Pan India Expansion Of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao: On the occasion of International Women’s Day, PM Narendra Modi launched the National Nutrition Mission (NNM) and Pan India Expansion of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) covering all 640 districts of the Country at a mega event held at Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan. NNM has been set up with a three year budget of Rs.9046.17 crore commencing from 2017-18. The NNM is a comprehensive approach towards raising nutrition level in the country on a war footing. The Prime Minister also awarded ten districts for showing outstanding performance in the areas of effective community engagement, enforcement of PC&PNDT Act and enabling the education of the girl child.

3. Karnataka Government Unveils Official State Flag: Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah accepted a nine-member committee’s design for the proposed official state flag. The committee was set up last year to examine the legal feasibility of an official state flag after demands by pro-Kannada activists. If the Centre approves the proposal, Karnataka will be the second state to have a separate flag, after Jammu and Kashmir.

4. Dearness Allowance for Central Govt employees hiked: The Cabinet approved a hike in Dearness Allowance to central government employees and Dearness Relief to pensioners from 5% to 7%, with effect from January 1, 2018. It represents an increase of 2%. The hike is expected to benefit 48.41 lakh central government employees and 61.17 lakh pensioners. The impact on the exchequer over the DA hike will be ₹6,077 crore per annum.

5. Udyam Sakhi Portal Launched For Women Entrepreneurs: On the occasion of International Women’s Day the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) launched a portal for women entrepreneurs of India: www.udyamsakhi.org. The portal was unveiled by the Minister of State (I/C) of MSME, Giriraj Singh, in a program in New Delhi. The portal is a network for nurturing entrepreneurship and creating business models for low cost products and services in order to empower women and make them self-reliant and self-sufficient.

6. Delhi Govt. to install Panic Alarm System in each state-run bus: On the International Women’s Day, the Delhi government has announced a project under which state-run buses would be installed with Panic Alarm Systems. Each bus will be equipped with 4 panic buttons that cover the entire length of the vehicle. A loud beeping alarm will be activated for 40 seconds on pressing the button.

7. ‘Vision For Future’ Event To Marks 70 Years Of Indo-Russia Ties Held In New Delhi: An event named ‘Vision for Future’ was held in New Delhi to commemorate 70 years of the Indo-Russia ties. The event sought to expose the youth to the dynamic opportunities of cooperation between the two countries. The program inaugurated at the Pravasi Bhartiya Kendra was organised by the Ministry of External Affairs (Eurasia Division) and the International Federation of Indo-Russian Youth Clubs.

8. Sanitary Pads for women at Rs. 2.50: The Central government launched biodegradable sanitary napkins under the name ‘Suvidha’, priced at ₹2.50 per pad, which will be available at Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) Kendras. The sanitary napkins will be available in a pack of four pads for Rs. 10 across over 3,200 PMBJP Kendras by May 28, 2018.  

9. enTTech 2018 inaugurated in Mumbai: India’s biggest Media & Entertainment Services Market – enTTech 2018 was inaugurated in Mumbai. The market, spread over two days (March 7 – 8, 2018) will see fast matchmaking between 100 international delegates and their Indian counterparts. The event was organized by SEPC in association with MEAI and TVAGA and supported by the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce & Industry.

10. LED Gram Light Training Programme launched: Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat launched a programme for women self-help groups at Thano. The 5-day programme named LED Gram Light Training programme will train 50 women from 10 SHGS in making LED bulbs, tubelights and chandeliers and help them stand on their own feet. It will boost the sale of local products and will also help in stoping sale of Chinese items of home decor.

11. Indian architect BV Doshi wins Pritzker: Balkrishna Doshi, the legendary Indian architect is being honoured with the Pritzker Architecture Prize, the Nobel equivalent for the field. He is the 45th Pritzker laureate and the first from India. The international prize, established by Chicago’s Pritzker family in 1979, bestows laureates with $100,000 along with a bronze medallion.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES

1. International Women’s Day 2018 observed: International Women’s Day is dedicated to celebrating womanhood, their social, political, cultural, economic achievements and their significant contributions to society. The day also emphasises the importance of gender equality. Before the UN adopted it in 1977, the day was mostly celebrated in socialist and Communist countries. This year, the theme is #PressforProgress.

2. World ATM Congress 2018 Held in Spain: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is participating in World ATM Congress (WATMC) 2018 being held in Spain. Now entering its sixth year, World ATM Congress is the world’s largest international air traffic management (ATM) exhibition and conference attracting thousands of delegates each year. The AAI is showcasing its achievements and initiatives, through a stall at the conference which was inaugurated by A.K. Dutta, Member (ANS), AAI.

OTHER UPDATES

BANKING / FINANCE:

1. RBI imposes penalty on SBI: The Reserve Bank of India has imposed a monetary fine of Rs 40 lakh on the country’s biggest lender the State Bank of India over counterfeit notes. After Inspection RBI found a violation of its instructions issued on the detection and impounding of counterfeit notes.

BUSINESS / ECONOMY:

1. Airtel acquires India leg of GBI cables: Telecom major Bharti Airtel acquired India leg of Gulf Bridge International submarine cable which will boost its data carrying capacity. Under the agreement, Airtel will acquire the ownership of the India leg of GBI’s India-Middle East-Europe submarine cable. This will also complement Airtel’s existing global network spanning 250,000 kms with presence in 50 countries.

2. Paytm now registered investment advisor: Financial services platform Paytm’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Paytm Money has received approval from market regulator SEBI to become a Registered Investment Advisor. The nod from the SEBI will allow the company to roll out investment and wealth management products to consumers across the country. The platform has planned to start with direct plan mutual funds investments with zero commission.

3. Indian startups raise funds via bitcoins: Initial coin offerings (ICOs) are emerging as a new way of raising funds for startups. An ICO is based on cryptocurrencies and is a mix of an initial public offer (IPO) and crowdfunding. Startups have managed to raise as much as $200 million in a single round of funding through ICOs. Instead of granting shares in the company, the issuer will create crypto-tokens to give out to investors.