CURRENT AFFAIRS DAILY DIGEST

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1. Narendra Kumar appointed as Chairman of Central Water Commission

Narendra Kumar, an officer of Central Water Engineering Service (1979 batch) has assumed the charge of Chairman, Central Water Commission (CWC). He has served in various capacities in CWC as Assistant Director in Design Organisation, Deputy Director in Project Appraisal Directorate and Director in Dam Safety Organisation and Project Monitoring Directorate.

2. Parliament passes Enemy Property bill

• The Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Bill, 2016, which amends the Enemy Property Act, 1968, was passed by voice vote in the Lok Sabha, incorporating the amendments made by the Rajya Sabha.
• The Lok Sabha had passed the bill earlier but certain amendments were introduced to it in the Rajya Sabha, on the recommendations of a Select Committee. Those amendments had to be approved by the Lower House, which was done.
• According to the bill, “Enemy property” refers to any property belonging to, held or managed on behalf of an enemy, an enemy subject or an enemy firm.
• The government has vested these properties in the Custodian of Enemy Property for India, an office instituted under the central government.
• After the India-Pakistan War of 1965, the Enemy Property Act was enacted in 1968, which regulates such properties and lists the Custodian’s powers.

3. Inter-state River Water Disputes (Amendment) Bill, 2017 introduced in Lok Sabha

• Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Sushri Uma Bharti introduced Inter-State River Water Disputes (Amendment) Bill, 2017 in Lok Sabha.
• Introducing the Bill the Minister called it a “Revolutionary step” towards the resolution of Inter- State River Water Disputes.
• The Bill proposes a Single Standing Tribunal (with multiple benches) instead of existing multiple tribunals, which shall consist of one Chairperson, one Vice-Chairperson and not more than six other Members.

4. Women Safety app ‘Ammavin Aran’ launched by AIADMK

The AIADMK IT Wing has launched the first-of-its-kind women safety application in Tamil Nadu. The app is called “Ammavin Ara” meaning “mother’s fortresses”. The app will give the user details about the nearest police station and hospital along with map details and phone number.  There is an in-built whistle, which can manipulate the phone speaker to create a loud noise when pressed by anyone in distress. Also the app carries an in-built call recorder and ‘Tips’ icon to provide lifesaving information.

5. Karnataka Govt announces ₹10-crore fund for women entrepreneurs

Karnataka has announced an Idea2POC (Proof of Concept) fund of ₹10 crore for women entrepreneurs. Under this (Idea2POC) scheme, the Karnataka Department of IT, BT and S&T will fund up to Rs.50 lakh for any woman innovator looking for funds for Proof of Concept validation, certification, and cover costs in manufacturing of pilot devices. The IT/BT Department, under the Multi-Sector Startup Policy of Karnataka, created the Idea2PoC Fund.

6. Krishi Unnati Mela 2017 begins in NewDelhi

The three-day National Agricultural Fair, Krishi Unnati Mela 2016 was organized at the campus of IARI, New Delhi from 15-17 March jointly by ICAR and Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare. The mela will be inaugurated by Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Radha Mohan Singh on 15th March, 2017. A large number of farmers and other visitors are expected to participate in the mela. Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) every year has been organizing Krishi Vigyan Mela (Agriculture Science Fair) to display and popularise the latest advancement in agricultural research and technology development among farmers and end users since 1972.

7. Arunachal Pradesh Launches Adarsh Gram Yojana for Rural Poor

The Arunachal Pradesh government has launched a new scheme ‘Adarsh Gram Yojana‘ that is in accordance with the basic philosophy of the Prime Minister ‘Sabka Saath Sabka Vikaas’. The scheme aims to reach the poor people in rural areas of the state to serve them better. Under the scheme, 123 villages (comprising one village per circle) will be developed as ‘Model Villages’ during the fiscal year 2017-18.

8. UK Parliament passes Brexit bill

Britain’s Parliament has passed the ‘Brexit bill’ paving the way for Prime Minister Theresa May to trigger negotiations for the UK’s exit from the European Union.  The House of Commons has rejected amendments by the House of Lords, calling on the government to protect the status of EU nationals within three months of the start of Brexit talks, by 335 votes to 287. They also dismissed calls for Parliament to have a meaningful vote on any Brexit deal by 331 to 286 votes.  This meant that the EU (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill passed the House of Commons without any changes.

9. Vienna named best city in quality of living: Survey

• Vienna has beaten Zurich to be crowned the place with the best quality of living in an annual survey in which European cities dominated the top 10.
• Management consultancy Mercer said Vienna scored the highest for overall quality of living in the 215-city survey after improvements in Austria’s political and social environment, knocking the Swiss city of Zurich into second position.
• Third in the list came another Swiss city, Geneva, followed by Vancouver, Canada, and Auckland, New Zealand, in shared fourth place.

10. IndusInd Bank to buy IL&FS Securities

Private sector lender IndusInd Bank has said it will buy IL&FS Securities Services Ltd (ISSL), a subsidiary of Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&FS) Ltd, in an all-cash deal.IL&FS Securities Services, incorporated in July 2006, is a capital markets intermediary for professional clearing, depository and custodial services. ISSL services both retail and institutional clients including over 1,000 brokers, FPIs (foreign portfolio investors) and FIIs (foreign institutional investors).

11. World’s first fluorescent frog discovered in Argentina

The world’s first fluorescent frog has been discovered in the Amazon basin in Argentina. Scientists at the Bernardino Rivadavia Natural Sciences Museum in Buenos Aires made the discovery by accident while studying the pigment of polka-dot tree frogs, a species common to the rainforest.

Fluorescence — the ability to absorb light at short wavelengths and re-emit it at longer wavelengths — is uncommon in creatures that live on land.

12. Pakistan suspends Mohammad Irfan in spot-fixing case

Pakistan has charged and suspended giant fast bowler Mohammad Irfan over allegations of spot-fixing during a recent Twenty20 league, in a case that has so far ensnared three other current or former national stars. The widening scandal threatens to take some of the sheen off the recently completed Pakistan Super League (PSL), which was hailed as a step towards restoring international cricket in the terror-hit country after the final in Lahore passed without incident.

13. Bhuma Nagi Reddy Andhra MLA passes away

Senior legislator of Andhra Pradesh and three-time MP from Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in Kurnool district Bhuma Nagi Reddy died of a heart attack at Nandyal, Kurnool district Popularly known as Bhuma in political circles, he shot into national headlines by contesting against former Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao from Nandyal constituency in 1996 and lost the seat with a margin of 90,000 votes.

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