8th April 2017, Important Daily Current Affairs

Important Current affairs dated 8th April 2017 for Competitive Exams in India.
Hello Readers, We bring you another issue of current affairs that covers the important news in Current Affairs Today Section.
Current Affairs help in your preparing yourself for the various Competitive Exams in India. UPSCSuccess.com wishes all the readers best of luck. These Current Affairs coverage will help you to Score Good Marks in Competitive Exams such as UPSC, and other PSCs.

Indian Affairs

Pranab Mukherjee releases book on Draupadi by Veerappa Moily

• President Pranab Mukherjee has released the book on Draupadi authored by Veerappa Moily in New Delhi on April 7, 2017

• The book titled ‘Flaming Tresses of Draupadi‘ was written in both English and Kannada and it is published by Rupa.

•  The book gives new perception into the Draupadi’s life and traces the life journey of Draupadi from her birth to her marriage with the Pandavas.

Centre to revive ambitious North Koel irrigation project in Jharkhand

• Union Govt. has decided to revive its 45-year-old North Koel river irrigation project with an objective to provide irrigation facilities to over one lakh hectare of farm land in Jharkhand, specifically in Daltonganj and Palamu region along with neighbouring districts of Bihar.

• The pending work on this project will be completed at an estimated cost of Rs 1,622 crore.

• The project was conceived in year 1972 and the construction work started in 1975.

• The construction work stopped in 2007 due to pending clearances from Environment Ministry. Till then, 90% of the work was completed at the cost of Rs. 800 crore.

Two Day National TB Summit held in Dharmshala

• Two-Day National TB Summit, for raising awareness and increasing momentum to fight against TB is being held in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh on 7^th and 8^th April.

•  Governor of Punjab VP Singh Badnore and Himachal Pradesh Health Minister Kaul Singh Thakur inaugurate the summit.

 

Haryana sex ratio touches 950 for the first time

• This was for the first time in the history of Haryana , the sex ratio has touched the 950 mark. Haryana CM Manohar LalKhattar said that the sex ratio at birth stood at 950 girls to 1000 boys.

•  In 2016 for the first time Haryana sex ratio at birth crossed the 900 mark.

•  In the past Haryana sex ratio was 879 females per 1000 males which is very doleful matter for a state.

 
 

Center declares Kerala drought-hit, announces Rs. 24000 crore relief to eight states

• The union government declared Kerala as a drought hit state along with 7 other states and announced a drought relief package of Rs 24000 crore to drought affected areas as well.

• Government has allowed 50 additional working days under The National Rural Employement Gurantee Scheme.

•  Seven states which are included along with Kerala are Tamil Nadu, Karnataka,Uttarkhand, UttarPradesh, AndhraPradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

•  Kerala government declared 14 districts as a drought hit areas.

• As per the report 8400 farmers has lost their crops before harvesting and estimated loss would be Rs 3.25 crore.

• Tamil Nadu declared all 32 districts as a drought affected area and seek assistance of Rs 39,565 crore.

India-UK Agree on New Areas of Economic Cooperation

India’s Power and Renewable Energy Minister Piyush Goyal and UK’s Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Greg Clark agreed on important areas in the energy sector.
During the visit of Prime Minister Modi to the UK in November 2015, MoU on cooperation has been signed between India and U.K in the energy sector.
Both the nations already agreed to set up a Green Growth Equity Fund (GGEF) to finance energy needs.
Focus:

1. Innovation in smart technology to improve performance
2. Reduce losses in Indias power sector
3. Financing for clean energy
4. Decentralized energy scale up and sustainability
5. Support to states in renewable energy planning and deployment.

International Affairs

Malala Yousafzai to become the youngest UN messenger of peace

• Nobel Peace Prize winner from Pakistan, Malala Yousafzai is set to become the United Nations’ youngest-ever ‘Messenger of Peace’. She has been selected for this honour by United Nations current Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

• The designation ceremony will be held on April 10, 2017 at the UN’s headquarters in New York, United States.

•  Post designation ceremony, Malala and Antonio Guterres will have a conversation with youth representatives from different parts of the world on the theme of ‘Girls’ Education’.

 

Uruguay to Become First Country to Fully Legalize Marijuana

• Uruguay is set to become the first country to allow recreational marijuana to be sold in pharmacies in July. The country is trying for nearly four years to legalize the production, sale and consumption of marijuana.

•  The country has stockpiled 400 kilograms (880 pounds) of marijuana so far.

•  Uruguayan citizens and permanent residents who must be 18 or older will be allowed to purchase marijuana from a pharmacy.

•  People must enroll in a national registry of marijuana users before purchase.

• They will be limited to purchasing 40 grams (1.41 oz) per month and 10 grams per week. When pharmacies first start selling marijuana, users can only purchase it in 5-gram containers at $1.30 (1.22 euros) per gram.

•  Non Resident Uruguayans or Foreigners will not be allowed to purchase marijuana from pharmacies in Uruguay.

•  The law also allows Uruguayans to grow their own marijuana at home or with marijuana clubs.

US, China agree to pursue 100-day plan for reducing trade deficit

• United States and China have agreed to pursue a ‘100-day plan’ aimed at reducing the US trade deficit with China.

• Decision in this regard was taken by US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in their first summit held in Florida, US.

• They also agreed to adopt the US-China Comprehensive Dialogue. It will replace the Strategic and Economic Dialogue. It is designed to cover 4 fields that include law enforcement, cyber security and economy.

Banking and Finance

RBL bank opens IFSC banking unit in GIFT city

• RBI has allowed PUBLIC and PRIVATE sector banks to open an IFSC banking units at GIFT cityto undertake foreign exchange transactions with residents and non-residents Institutions.

•  RBL bank announced the opening of its IFSC banking unit at Gujarat International History of RBL Bank Finance Tec-city called Gift city.

•  Under this system IFSC banking units (IBU) will give RBL bank access to international financial market and bank will offer a range of products and services to their clients.

•  Through this system RBL will raise foreign currency funds to meet its requirements in IBU and fund offshore subsidiaries of Indian companies.

•  IBU offers a range of financial services including foreign currency funding to resident and overseas entities.

•  It opens the opportunity door for our clients and can show their potential growth overseas.At present GIFT IFSC has already crossed the $2.5 billion.

RBI allow banks to invest in Reits And Invits and enables faster money transfer by finetuning NEFT Networks

• Banks will be allowed to invest in Real estate investment trusts (REITs)and Infrastructure investment trusts (InvITs) by RBI.

• These trusts are a structured business model for entrepreneurs and corporates to convert their capital locked in assets through issue of units to investors.

•  Banks which are currently allowed to invest 20% of their Net-owned funds in equity, mutual funds, venture capital funds, and stocks may invest in these trusts within this limit.

•  RBI enables faster money transfer by finetuning NEFT (National electronic Funds Transfer)network by increasing the number of cycle to 23 from current 12 to allow faster settlement of funds and more funds to settle in a day.

Ban on cash transactions of over Rs 2 lakh not applicable for withdrawals

• The Income Tax Department clarified that the Rs 2 lakh cash transaction limit will not be applicable on withdrawals from bank, cooperative bank or a post office savings account.

•  Section 269ST in the I-T Act, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) said the restriction shall not apply to withdrawal from banks and post offices.

•  To control black money all over India , the government has fixed the top limit of Rs 2 lakh on cash transactions, which is lower than the Rs 3 lakh proposed in Budget 2017-18. The penalty for violating this is a fine equivalent to the amount of transaction.

•  This was aimed at curbing black money by discouraging cash transaction and promoting digital economy.

HDFC Bank launches its UPI on India’s first multi bank payment app, Chillr

• HDFC Bank launched its unified payments interface (UPI) on Chillr.

• With this launch, HDFC Bank UPI will be available on Chillr, in addition to the bank’s Mobile Banking app.

• Launch of HDFC Bank UPI on Chillr will benefit customers of 44 banks that will now be able to conduct digital transactions seamlessly using the Chillr app.

• These transactions conducted on Chillr will go through HDFC Bank’s UPI platform.

• Started as India’s first multi-bank payment app, Chillr has been running on immediate payment service (IMPS) with 11 banks prior to this launch and has achieved a milestone of monthly transaction value of over Rs 500 crore.

• With HDFC Bank UPI on Chillr app, the startup’s base will expand as customers of over 33 more banks will be able to use it, in addition to existing 11 banks.

• With the launch of UPI, Chillr is targeting a monthly transaction value of $1 billion (Rs 6,600 crores) and 10 million transacting users by the end of this year.

Appointments & Resigns

Former Supreme Court judge Shiva Kirti Singh to head TDSAT

• Retired Supreme Court judge Shiva Kirti Singh has been appointed as the chairman of the  Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal(TDSAT). The position had been vacant for since June 2016, post the retirement of the previous chairman, Justice Aftab Alam.
• The position had been vacant for since June 2016, post the retirement of the previous chairman, Justice Aftab Alam.
•  He was served as the chief justice of Allahabad High Court

 

L&T names S.N. Subrahmanyan as new CEO replacing A.M. Naik

• Larsen and Toubro Ltd (L&T) has appointed with the current president & deputy MD S.N. Subrahmanyan became company’s new CEO replacing A.M. Naik who will now take charge as non-executive chairman.

•  S.N Subrahmanyan, currently the deputy managing director and president, to the position of managing director and CEO with effect July 1.

•  Subrahmanyan also takes charge at a challenging time—private investment demand in India hasn’t taken off, there is a slowdown in West Asia because of depressed oil prices.

Mukta Dutta Tomar appointed as New Ambassador of India to Germany

• Mukta Dutta Tomar, a 1984-batch IFS officer, has been appointed as India’s next ambassador to Germany.

• The appointment of Tomar, who will succeed Gurjit Singh, comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Germany next month.

• Among other positions, Tomar has been Consul General of India in Chicago.

 
 

Science and Technology

Discovers protein called PorB that increases effectiveness of vaccines against cancer

• Scientists from Boston University School of Medicine, US have discovered a protein called PorB that could help make vaccinations more effective and provide protection from diseases such as cancer.

• In this study, researchers had purified this protein, found on the exterior of bacteria (neisseria meningidis).

• It helps to increase amount of antibody production and can stimulate cells to kill offending agent and used it as an accessory to provide a better vaccination response.

• Proteins are unusually any of a class of nitrogenous organic compounds which have large molecules composed of one or more long chains of amino acids.

• They are an essential part of all living organisms, especially as structural components of body tissues such as muscle, hair, etc., and as enzymes and antibodies.

Sports

RCB, Nazara tie up to launch online cricket game

• With a view to cash in on the popularity of cricket, Royal Challengers Bangalore and gaming entity Nazara Games have come together to launch a new mobile cricket game RCB Star Cricket.

• RCB is looking to extend its brand franchise to the online sphere and create a game which lasts longer than the IPL period of 90 days. This will also mark the first cricket franchise to have a game off the field and on the screen.

• The game can be played in two modes Reward mode and Career mode. It will enable the player to play as their favorite stars like Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle and AB de Villier

•  It will available for download on Google Play Store from mid-April 2017.

Boxer Shyam Kumar wins gold at Thailand International

• Indian boxer K Shyam Kumar (49kg) clinched a gold medal at the Thailand International Tournament in Bangkok without even stepping inside the ring for his summit clash on Saturday.

• Shyam, who won a gold at the 2015 edition of the event, was to take on Olympic champion Hasanboy Dusmatov of Uzbekistan in the final.

• However, Dusmatov pulled out of the bout owing to an injury, giving the Indian his second gold medal at the event.

• Earlier, Rohit Tokas (64kg) had lost in the semi-finals to settle for bronze medal. Incidentally, Rohit had won a bronze medal in the 2015 edition as well. India thus finished the tournament with two medals.

• The country had sent a seven-strong team for the event, of which four boxers lost in the opening round.

Pakistan’s Younis Khan to retire after West Indies Tests

• Former captain of the Pakistan cricket team Younis Khan(39) has announced to retire from international cricket matches after the 2017 test series against West Indies which will be ending on May 14 in Jamaica

• Younis Khan an become the second Pakistani cricketer to announced his retirement after Misbah-ul-Haq in the same month.

• Under his capitancy, Pakistan cricket team won the World Twenty20 title in 2009

•  He became the first player in the history of Test cricket to score centuries in 11 countries

About Jamaica:
Jamaica is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea, consisting of the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles.
Capital: Kingston
Currency: Jamaican Dollar

Obituary

 
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