Current Affairs Daily Digest – March 2 2019
1. Debeswar Malakar is new Commissioner of Guwahati Municipal Corporation
The Assam Government has effected reshuffle in the State bureaucracy , With this reshuffle, IAS officer Debeswar Malakar, who is serving as the Director of Land Records Assam, has been transferred and posted as the new Commissioner of Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC).
Monalisa Goswami, who earlier held the post of Commissioner of Guwahati Municipal Corporation, has now been transferred and posted as the new Commissioner & Secretary to the Government of Assam, Health & Family Welfare Department.
2. World Bank’s ED Aparna Subramani meets Bhutan PM
World Bank’s Executive Director (ED) for Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Sri Lanka, Aparna Subramani called on Bhutan Prime Minister Dr Lotay Tsheringat Thimpu .
The ED of World Bank for Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Sri Lanka has made the visit to Bhutan after release of a working paper of World Bank titled ‘Bhutan Development Report-A Path to Inclusive and Sustainable Development’ where it was stated that due to Bhutan’s small domestic market, sparse population, and high transportation costs, the risks associated with private investment are comparatively higher.
3. Arun Jaitley releases book titled ‘Mann Ki Baat – A Social Revolution on Radio’
A book titled, ‘Mann Ki Baat – A Social Revolution on Radio’ was released by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in New Delhi . The book is a compendium encompassing 50 editions of the ‘Mann Ki Baat’ programme by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on All India Radio.
4. Shashank Shekhar wins 10 km race of Nepal’s COAS Open Marathon and Run for Fun in Kathmandu
India’s Shashank Shekhar won the 10 kilometre race of Nepal’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Open Marathon and Run for Fun held in Kathmandu. Shekhar of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) Contingent at Embassy of India in Kathmandu secured first position.
RD Murgan also from CISF got third place. A total nine CISF personnel participated in 10 KM race category. The remaining seven personnel also successfully completed run and received Certificate of Achievement.
COAS Open Marathon and Run for Fun is an annual event organised by the Nepal Army.
Indian Ambassador to Nepal Manjeev Singh Puri has appreciated CISF personnel for the remarkable achievement and congratulated the winners.
5. Government to celebrate ‘Poshan Pakhwada’ from 8th to 22nd March 2019 across the Country: Smt Maneka Sanjay Gandhi
The Minister for Women and Child Development, Smt. Maneka Sanjay Gandhi announced that the Government will celebrate the first anniversary of POSHAN Abhiyaan on 8th March, 2019 by organising Poshan Pakhwada across the Country. Poshan Pakhwada will be celebrated as part of Jan Andolan under POSHAN Abhiyaan from 08th to 22nd March, 2019.
Smt Maneka Gandhi said that the Poshan Pakhwada will be celebrated on lines of ‘Poshan Maah’ held in the month of September, 2018. The Pakhwada will be launched on International Women’s Day, 8th March, 2019.
6. Shri Ajay Narayan Jha joins as Member Finance Commission
Shri Ajay Narayan Jha joined the Fifteenth Finance Commission as its Member. He joins in place of Shri Shaktikanta Das who had resigned as a Member of the Commission after being appointed as Governor, Reserve Bank of India.
Prior to joining the Commission, Shri Jha, a 1982 batch IAS officer of Manipur cadre, was the Finance Secretary to the Government of India. Earlier he had also served as Secretary to the Fourteenth Finance Commission which was headed by former RBI Governor, Shri Y.V. Reddy.
The Fifteenth Finance Commission was constituted by a Presidential Order in November, 2017 under the Chairmanship of Shri N. K. Singh to decide the formula for devolution of revenue between Centre and States, for a period of 5 years – April, 2020 to March, 2025.
7. Ex-Finance Secretary Hasmukh Adhia appointed non-executive chairman of BoB
Former Finance Secretary Hasmukh Adhia was appointed as non-executive chairman of Bank of Baroda.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved his appointment as part-time non-official director as well as non-executive chairman on the board of Bank of Baroda for a period of three years.
Adhia, a 1981-batch IAS officer of Gujarat cadre, superannuated on November 30 last year. He last served as the Finance Secretary.
8. Government of India and ADB sign $926 Million Loan Agreement for Mumbai Metro Rail Project
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India signed a $926 Million Loan Agreement to operationalize two lines for the Mumbai Metro Rail System that will ease the distress of millions of commuters each day and help provide a cleaner, less congested city.
The Single Largest Infrastructure Project Loan in ADB history approved by the ADB Board will help fund lines 2A (Dahisar to D.N. Nagar), 2B (D.N. Nagar–Bandra–Mandale), and 7 (Dahisar [East] to Andheri [East]), totaling about 58 kilometers (km).
Once operational by the end of 2022, an estimated 2 million passengers a day will use the two new lines, travelling in improved safety and comfort. It will also reduce emissions from vehicles, with carbon dioxide emissions expected to fall by about 166,000 tons a year.
9. Setting up of Centre for Disability Sports at Gwalior in Madhya
The Government has approved the proposal regarding setting up of a Centre for Disability Sports at Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh, to be registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860, which is to function under the name of Centre for Disability Sports, Gwalior. Setting up of the Centre shall entail an estimated cost of Rs 170.99 crore (Non-recurring Rs.151.16 crore and Recurring Rs 19.83 crore), spread over a period of 5 years.
The Centre will have an Outdoor Athletic Stadium, Indoor Sports Complex, Basement Parking Facility; Aquatic Centre having 2 Swimming Pools, one covered Pool and an Outdoor Pool; High Performance Centre with classrooms; medical facilities; Sports Science Centre; hostel facilities for athletes, support facilities including accessible lockers, dining, recreational amenities and Administrative Block.
Taking 1st April, 2019 as the zero date, the project is expected to be completed in two years time, i.e, by 31st March, 2021. Thereafter, it will take another 6 months for the Centre to become operational.
10. PM addresses Construction Technology India Event
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi addressed the Construction Technology India Event, 2019 event at Vigyan Bhavan . The Prime Minister emphasized the commitment of the Union Government towards ensuring that every family’s dream of a home, becomes a reality.
The Prime Minister said that the need for the Global Housing Technology Challenge, was felt in the light of rapid urbanization in India. He said that elements from several schemes, including PM Awas Yojana, HRIDAY and AMRUT, are oriented towards transforming the housing sector. He said that adapting technology to different geographical conditions is also a challenge.
11. Shri Nitin Gadkari will lay the foundation stone for National Highways projects worth Rs 515 Crore in Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh tomorrow
The Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Shipping, Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation Shri Nitin Gadkari will be in Jhansi to lay the foundation stone for National Highways projects worth nearly Rs 515 Crore in Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh.
12. The 7th Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Intersessional Ministerial Meeting Concludes in Cambodia
The Ministers from the 16 RCEP Participating Countries (RPCs) attended the 7th RCEP Intersessional Ministerial Meeting held in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu attended the 7th RCEP Intersessional Ministerial Meeting in Cambodia.
The Ministers recalled the Leaders’ determination to conclude a modern, comprehensive, high quality, and mutually beneficial RCEP in 2019, and resolved to exert utmost effort to achieve this target.
13. SpaceX launches unmanned US space capsule to space station
A SpaceX rocket with a newly designed unmanned crew capsule blasted off for the International Space Station, in a key milestone for Elon Musk’s space company and NASA’s long-delayed goal to resume human spaceflight from U.S. soil later this year.
SpaceX’s 16-foot-tall (4.9 meter) Crew Dragon capsule, atop a Falcon 9 rocket, lifted off from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center .
14. DRDO Chairman honoured with Missile Systems Award by US-based AIAA
DRDO Chairman G Satheesh Reddy has been honoured with the prestigious Missile Systems Award by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) for his excellence in the field of missile systems technology.
Mr. Reddy will be awarded the Missile Systems Award 2019 along with Arizona-based Raytheon Missile Systems’ Rondell J Wilson, the Virginia-based professional society of aerospace engineering announced in a statement. The 55-year-old renowned scientist was appointed as the chairman of Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) last year.
15. Rs 9,000 cr gas-grid project for NE approved: Pradhan
Union petroleum and natural gas minister Dharmendra Pradhan said in Agartala that a Rs 9,000 crore gas-grid project has been approved to transport natural gas among northeastern states and West Bengal.
“There is huge amount of natural gas available in Assam, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh and other northeast states is being tapped into for the Rs 9,265 crore North East Gas Grid (NEGG). The government has okayed this project to transport gas among the northeastern states as well as West Bengal via Siliguri,” Pradhan said while inaugurating the Rs 215 crore Sonamura Gas Collecting station of ONGC here.
16. Usha Thorat-led task force to ensure stability of external value of rupee
The Reserve Bank of India has constituted an eight-member task force on offshore rupee markets, headed by Usha Thorat, former Deputy Governor, to look into issues related to the markets and recommend appropriate policy measures to ensure the stability of the external value of the rupee.
The terms of reference of the task force include assessing the causes behind the development of the offshore rupee market; study the effects of the offshore markets on the rupee exchange rate and market liquidity in the domestic market; and recommend measures to address concerns, if any, that may arise out of offshore rupee trading.
