Current Affairs Daily Digest – March 5 2019
1. PM Modi launches Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-dhan (PM-SYM) Yojana
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi launched the Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-dhan (PM-SYM) Yojana at Vastral in Gujarat. He also distributed the PM-SYM pension cards to select beneficiaries. Over two crore workers at three lakh Common Service Centers across the country witnessed the launch event through video conference.
The Prime Minister dedicated PM-SYM Yojana to the forty two crore strong unorganized sector workers in the country. the scheme will assure a monthly pension of Rs.3000 for the enrolled unorganized sector workers during their old age.
The Prime Minister appealed to the informal sector workers earning less than Rs.15000 per month to enroll as beneficiaries in the nearby Common Service Centre.
2. PM lays Foundation Stone of Shikshan Bhavan and Vidhyarthi Bhavan
The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of Shikshan Bhavan and Vidhyarthi Bhavan at Annapurna Dham Trust in Adalaj, Gujarat.
Prime Minister said that India had the rich tradition of communities taking lead, to solve the challenges faced by an era. He mentioned about communities coming together to improve education and irrigation.Such community efforts have greatly benefitted people, PM added.
3. CURTAIN RAISER: AL NAGAH 2019
Exercise Al Nagah III, third in the series of bilateral joint exercise between India and Oman is scheduled to be held from 12 to 25 March 2019 at Jabel Al Akhdar Mountains in Oman. The exercise will see both the armies exchanging expertise and experience in tactics, weapon handling and firing, with an aim to enhance interoperability in counterterrorist operations in semi urban mountainous terrain.
India-Oman bilateral security ties have continued to develop since the beginning of India-Oman Joint Military Cooperation meetings in 2006. Exercise Al Nagah III follows the first two joint exercises that were held in Oman in January 2015 and India in March 2017 respectively.
4. National Common Mobility Card – India’s First Indigenously developed Payment Platform launched by PM in Ahmedabad
One Nation, One Card for transport mobility was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a function in Ahmedabad . The Indigenous Automatic Fare Collection System based on One Nation One Card Model , National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) is the first of its kind in India.India’s First Indigenously Developed Payment system for transport consisting of NCMC Card, SWEEKAR (SwachalitKiraya: Automatic Fare Collection System) and SWAGAT (Swachalit Gate) is based on NCMC Standards.
These are bank issued Debit/Credit/Prepaid cards and the customer may use this single card for payments across all segments including metro, bus, suburban railways, toll, parking, smart city and retail. The stored value on card supports offline transaction across all travel needs with minimal financial risk to involved stakeholders.
5. Independent Verification of Swachh Bharat Grameen confirms over 96% usage of toilets
The National Annual Rural Sanitation Survey (NARSS) 2018-19, conducted by an Independent Verification Agency (IVA) under the World Bank support project to the Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen (SBM-G), has found that 96.5% of the households in rural India who have access to a toilet use it.
The survey was conducted between November 2018 and February 2019 and covered 92040 households in 6136 villages across States and UTs of India.
The key findings of NARSS 2018-19 are as follows:
- 93.1% of households were found to have access to toilets during the survey period (the corresponding figure as per the SBMG MIS in November 2018 was 96%)
- 96.5% of the people who had access to toilets used them
- 90.7% of villages which were previously declared and verified as ODF were confirmed to be ODF. The remaining villages also had sanitation coverage of about 93%
- 95.4% of the villages surveyed found to have minimal litter and minimal stagnant water.
6. Textiles Minister inaugurates Refurbished Handloom Haat
Union Textiles Minister, Smriti Zubin Irani, inaugurated the renovated Handloom Haat in New Delhi. She also launched three projects of NIFT – VisionNXT – Trend Forecasting Initiative, Indian Textiles and Craft Repository and Design Innovation and Incubation.
The Haat at Janpath in New Delhi has been set up by Ministry of Textiles to provide marketing opportunities to authentic handloom products from various States, PSUs and cooperative societies.
Project related to trend innovation lab ‘VisionNxt’ initiativebeing set up by NIFT in the building will create an indigenous fashion forecasting service that endeavours to design seasonal directions for our country.
The project of Indian Textiles and Craft Repository Initiative of NIFT is supported by the DC Handlooms and the DC Handicrafts, Ministry of Textiles. The body of textile and craft knowledge generated through the Craft Cluster Initiative will be channelled into a national knowledge portal titled Indian Textile & Craft Repository.
7. American actor Luke Perry died in California
American actor Luke Perry has died in California at the age of 52, less than a week after suffering a massive stroke. The actor rose to fame for his roles in “Beverly Hills 90210” and “Riverdale”.
8. Former Deputy Prime Minister of Nepal Bharat Mohan Adhikari passed away
Former Deputy Prime Minister of Nepal and Senior leader of ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP), Bharat Mohan Adhikari passed away . Mr Adhikari was very popular among the common people for introducing “Aafno Gaun Aafai Banau”, a development programme aimed at developing villages across the country by giving them the authority to select local projects on their own.
9. Reliance Infrastructure Limited wins bid for greenfield airport in Rajkot for Rs 648 crore
Anil Ambani-led Reliance Infrastructure Limited has received the Letter of Award (LOA) from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) of a contract worth Rs. 648 crores for the construction of new greenfield Airport at Hirasar in Rajkot district of Gujarat.
Reliance Infrastructure had scored the highest technical score of 92.2% among nine qualified bidders like Afcons and L&T. The airport is to be completed within 30 months from the date of issue of letter of award (LoA).
The new airport is being constructed at a location near the National Highway (NH-8B) connecting Ahmedabad and Rajkot, nearly 36 km from the existing Rajkot Airport.
10. Azaadi Ke Diwane’ museum inaugurated at Red Fort
Union Minister Mahesh Sharma inaugurated ‘Azaadi Ke Diwane’ museum, dedicated to the unsung heroes of the country’s freedom struggle, on the Red Fort premises here and said it would inspire the younger generation.
Built by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the museum is the fifth in a series of recently inaugurated ones — the others being the Subhash Chandra Bose and INA museum, the Yaad-e-Jallian museum, the Museum on 1857 (on the country’s first war of Independence) the Drishyakala (a museum on Indian Art) — on the sacrifices of India’s freedom fighters.
11. ICICI Bank to buy 9.9% in NBFC Kisan Finance for Rs18 crore
ICICI Bank said it will acquire 9.9% stake in non-banking finance company Kisan Finance for cash consideration of Rs 17.82 crore. The acquisition is expected to be over by the end of March 2019,
Kisan Rural Finance Ltd (Kisan Finance), was incorporated in December 2017. The company had registered a net loss of ₹48 lakh in 2017-18 at a revenue of Rs4 lakh.
12. India home to 22 of the Top 30 Most Polluted Cities
As per reports by IQ Air Visual and Greenpeace, the battle of South-Asia regarding the deteriorating air quality and the global climate accord. India is said to be comprised of seven of the top 10 of the most polluted cities existing in the world. Gurgaon located in the capital of India New Delhi, is the most polluted city in the world.
The index measures the presence of PM 2.5 which is a pollutant which can go deep in the lungs and bloodstream of a human being causing several respiratory and other lung diseases. Along with the death toll arising with these pollution figures, there’s an estimated cost of USD 225 billion in lost labour and trillions in medical costs. India has 22 of the top 30 most polluted cities in the world with China having 5, Pakistan with 2 and one in Bangladesh.
13. Sanjeev Ranjan new Road Transport Secy, NN Sinha NHAI chief
The government has appointed Sanjeev Ranjan as Secretary of Road Transport and Highways Ministry. A 1985-batch IAS officer of Tripura cadre, Ranjan is presently Chairman of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). Nagendra Nath Sinha, who is currently the Managing Director of National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL), will take additional charge as NHAI Chairman.
14. ISRO Unveils ‘Young Scientist’ Programme to Train Students in Space Science
State-run Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced the launch of its Young Scientist programme to train class 9 students in space technology and its applications.
“ISRO has launched the special programme for school children ‘Yuva Vigyani Karyakram’ (Young Scientist programme) to impart basic knowledge on space technology, space science and applications to the young ones to arouse their interest in space activities.
15. Bhagwan Lal Sahni is appointed Chairman of the National Commission for Backward Classes
Bhagwan Lal Sahni has been appointed as the chairman of the newly constituted National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC). Kaushalendra Singh Patel, Sudha Yadav and Achary Talloju have been appointed as members of the commission.
Their names were approved by President Ram Nath Kovind. The NCBC was given constitutional status by Parliament in 2018, after repealing the National Commission for Backward Classes Act, 1993.
16. Assam’s Hailakandi top aspirational district: Niti Aayog study
Assam’s Hailakandi district has shot up to number one from the 52nd position, among the aspirational districts of the country, a new report released by the Niti Aayog said.
Hailakandi ranked first among the 112 aspirational districts of India on the basis of its performance during November-December 2018 and January 2019, an official release said.
“Aspirational district Hailakandi will be given an additional allocation of Rs 10 crore for securing first rank,” District Assistant Commissioner Parikshit Phurkan said.
17. US, South Korea Call Off Foal Eagle and Key Resolve Exercises, Announce New Exercise
The United States and South Korea decided to call off their joint exercise “Foal Eagle” and “Key Resolve” and instead bifurcate them into smaller exercises. This is being done to ease tensions with North Korea. “Key Resolve” will be replaced by “Dongmaeng” which is also known as alliance in English, Foal Eagle drills will be replaced by a smaller battalion-sized exercise.
This decision has been made after there was a failure to reach an agreement on denuclearisation during the summit in Hanoi, Vietnam between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
18. India Nominates NITI Aayog Member Ramesh Chand for Post of UN’s FAO Director General
India has nominated NITI Aayog member and agricultural economics and policy expert Ramesh Chand to lead a specialised agency of the United Nations focussed on achieving food security for all. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), in a statement said that five candidates have been presented by FAO member countries for the post of Director-General to be elected in June 2019.
Election for the agency’s top leadership post with a four-year term of office starting on August 2019 will take place in Rome between June 22-29 at the 41st Session of FAO’s Conference in Rome.The new Director-General will succeed Jos Graziano da Silva, who was first elected in 2011 and has served two consecutive terms.
Since the establishment of FAO in 1945, there have been eight Directors-General, including Binay Ranjan Sen of India from 1956-1967.
19. LIC Housing-IMGC Partnership
LIC Housing Finance has partnered with India Mortgage Guarantee Corporation (IMGC) to offer special loan scheme, under which borrowers can repay the amount till the age of 75 years.
Under the new partnership, IMGC will provide LICHFL with mortgage guarantee which is a kind of financial product that compensates financial institutions for losses that may arise from a default on a mortgage loan, LICHFL said in a release.This strategic tie-up will help the LICHFL to accommodate more home loan borrowers, increase market penetration besides combating NPAs.
20. Delhi Most Polluted Capital in World, Gurugram Worst City, Reveals Greenpeace Report
Delhi has been ranked the most polluted capital in the world, while Gurugram is the most polluted city, according to a Greenpeace report. According to the latest data compiled in the IQ Air Visual 2018 World Air Quality Report and interactive world’s most polluted cities ranking, which is prepared in collaboration with Greenpeace Southeast Asia in order to reveal the state of particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution in 2018, Delhi had an average yearly PM2.5 concentration at 113.5 micrograms per cubic metre.
21. India to get first jewellery park set on 21 acres at Navi Mumbai
A year after signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Maharashtra government, the gems and jewellery sector is set to get India’s first jewellery park in Navi Mumbai.
Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Suresh Prabhu is scheduled to lay the foundation stone of the park, which would be developed on co-operative housing model basis, accommodating about 4,800 large and small units encompassing the entire jewellery value chain.
The jewellery industry is expecting a fund allocation from Maharashtra for workers’ welfare and for small business units in the jewellery sector.
22. Bharti AXA General wins ‘Assocham Non-Life Insurer of The Year Award’
Bharti AXA General Insurance has been conferred with the ‘Non-Life Insurer of The Year Award 2019 by the Assocham, one of the apex trade associations of India.
The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) honored Bharti AXA General Insurance with this recognition for its excellence and contribution to the non-life insurance sector during the recently-held Insurance Leaders Meet 2019 (Regulation, Disruption and Product Dynamics) and Excellence Awards in Kolkata.
23. Abhinandan Varthaman to get Bhagwan Mahavir Ahimsa Puraskar
Indian Air Force Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman will be the first recipient of the ‘Bhagwan Mahavir Ahimsa Puraskar’ instituted by the Akhil Bharatiya Digambar Jain Mahasamiti.
24. Nepal Govt officials join INGAF training course in New Delhi
The Third group of 22 officials of Nepal’s Ministry of Finance joined their training course on ‘Global Perspectives on Public Financial Management’ at the Institute of Government Accounts and Finance (INGAF) in New Delhi .
The training is being held under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme of the Ministry of External Affairs. The training will enhance capabilities of these officials in global practices dealing with e-payment system, accounting & cash management, public burrowing system, accounting of foreign loans/grants and repayments, pension payment system, internal audit, fiscal responsibility and budget management.
25. India Signs Loan Agreement with the World Bank for USD 25.2 Million for Chhattisgarh Public Financial Management and Accountability Program
The Government of India, the State Government of Chhattisgarh and the World Bank signed a $25.2 Million Loan Agreement to support the State’s Reforms in Expenditure Management. This support will cover Expenditure Planning, Investment Management, Budget Execution, Public Procurement and Accountability.
The Chhattisgarh Public Financial Management and Accountability Program, which is the First Bank-Financed State-Level Project in Chhattisgarh in nearly a decade, will also help the State strengthen its Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) and Tax Administration Systems.
26. India signs Loan Agreement with the World Bank for USD 96 Million for Additional Financing for Uttarakhand Disaster Recovery Project
The World Bank, Government of India and Government of Uttarakhand (GoUK) signed a $96 Million Loan Agreement to provide additional funds to the State of Uttarakhand in its post-disaster recovery plans, ongoing since the floods of 2013, as well as strengthen its capacity for Disaster Risk Management.
The World Bank, through the Uttarakhand Disaster Recovery Project, has been supporting the State Government since 2014 to restore housing and rural connectivity, and to build resilience of communities. So far, the Project has completed more than 2,000 permanent houses and 23 public buildings and restored over 1,300 kilometers of roads and 16 bridges.
27. Andhra Pradesh signs MoUs worth Rs 21,000 cr
The Andhra Pradesh Economic Development Board signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) worth Rs 21,0000 crore with various companies.The MoUs were signed in the presence of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, APEDB Chief Executive Officer J. Krishna Kishore and representatives of different companies.
These MoUs would fructify into the investment potential of Rs 21,000 crore and generate direct employment of around 57,000 and indirect employment of around 1,65,000, said APEDB, which is responsible for sustainable economic growth through trade, investments, partnerships and collaborations.
28. 3-day International Women’s Film Fest to be held across India
The Federation of Film Societies of India (FFSI) will celebrate the International Women’s Day with the International Women’s Film Festival 2019 from March 8 to 10 throughout India.
The fest will be held in Kolkata, Guwahati, Imphal, Hyderabad, Pune, Bengaluru, Puducherry, Jamshedpur, Kohlapur, Madurai, Karimnagar, Mumbai and as well as other cities, showcasing a melange of internationally acclaimed films by woman filmmakers.
In Imphal, the FFSI in collaboration with the Film Society of Manipur and the Manipur State Film Development Society will organise the fest.
