Current Affairs April 11,2017

Current Affairs April 11,2017

National Affairs

“Vidyalay Chale Chalayein Abhiyaan 2017” inaugurated in Jharkhand

Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das, said school committees had to play an important role in brushing up the hidden talent in children. Inaugurating “Vidyalay Chale Chalayein Abhiyaan 2017” programme. Mr. Das said every child of the State should go to school and therefore they become strength of the country.

Aadhaar must for access to Survey of India maps

The Survey of India, the country’s oldest scientific organisation and official maker of maps, has set up a web portal called ‘Nakshe’ that allows 3,000 of its 7,000 maps to be downloaded for free. 

“The Aadhaar is to ensure that only Indians are able to access this portal.” The maps to be made available through the portal http://soinakshe.uk.gov.in/ will make it easier for residents of villagers and panchayats to readily access information of the people.

First To Receive Shaurya Chakra Award Since Nagaland Attained Statehood

Atu Zumvu, who is a Sub-Divisional Police Officer with the Nagaland Police received the prestigious Shaurya Chakra award at a ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Nagaland attained statehood in 1963 and since then this is the first time a police officer from the state has been honoured with this award.

Centre releases Rs 23,443 crore for Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme

The Centre has released Rs 23,443 crore to the states under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) as part of the its early spending push. Funds released would be used to undertake priority work under water conservation measures. 

The amount released also includes all pending liabilities as on March 31, 2017. The government had allocated Rs 48,000 crore to MGNREGS in this year’s budget. 

Champaran Satyagraha: 100 years on, recalling the birth of the Gandhian political experiment

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch a digital exhibition in the national capital to mark the 100th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s Champaran Satyagraha.

The exhibition titled ‘Bapu Ko Karyanjali’ will not only focus on the Champaran movement, but with this event the government is planning to re-emphasise the importance of cleanliness, which was close to Mahatma Gandhi’s heart and was also a key element of the movement.

International Affairs

India & Australia signs six pacts

Australian Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull saying that it is ready to supply uranium to India as both countries signed six agreements, including one on countering terrorism. Australia has about 40 per cent of the world’s uranium reserves and exports nearly 7,000 tonnes of yellow cake annually. Both sides welcomed the decision for the first bilateral Army-to-Army exercise later this year. 

Bangladesh promises SEZs to India

Hasina invites Indian companies to Bangladesh and promises SEZs and to invest in the country’s infrastructure sector that requires investments of about $20 billion a year till 2030. 

India invests in Bangladesh infrastructure projects especially in the energy sector, as well as manufacturing, transport and food processing. The country also offers packages that allow 100% repatriation of profits and invested capital by foreign investors.

BANKING & BUSINESS

RPower seals LNG projects with Bangladesh

Anil Ambani-led Reliance Power executed project agreements with Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) for the first phase of the 750 MW LNG power project at Meghnaghat, near Dhaka in Bangladesh, entailing investments of $1 billion, the largest FDI in Bangladesh.

The agreements include Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) and Implementation Agreement (IA). Reliance Power also signed an MoU with PetroBangla to set up a 500 LNG terminal at Kutubdia Island near Chittagong in Bangladesh.

M&M, Zoomcar tie up for ElectricVehicles

Mahindra Electric expects announced a partnership with Zoomcar, a self-driven car-rental firm, to promote shared mobility of electric cars in India. This partnership focused to create mobility solutions with these products, on fleet, retail and shared mobility platform. 

The company unveiled its small electric car e2oPlus, sedan eVerito. It is the “first-of-its-kind association” will enable the company to make green mobility available to a larger audience.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

3 Books on Gandhiji Re-launched

Three books on Gandhi which continues to inspire people were re-launched by the government here to mark 100 years of the “satyagraha”. Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting M. Venkaiah Naidu released the books, The publications are — Gandhi in Champaran by D.G. Tendulkar, Romain Rolland and Gandhi Correspondence and an eight-volume biography of Gandhi by Tendulkar.

APPOINTMENTS

Clerk turns new Chief Justice of U.S. Supreme Court

Neil M. Gorsuch was sworn as the 113th justice of the Supreme Court of U.S. Justice Gorsuch, who served as a clerk for Justice Kennedy. It is the first time in the history of the Supreme Court that a sitting justice John Roberts will serve with a justice who had been his clerk. Chief Justice John Roberts administered a separate oath, to Justice Gorsuch in a private session at the Supreme Court. 

LIC appoints two more MDs

The central government appointed two more managing directors to the nation’s largest financial powerhouse LIC. B.Venugopal and Sunita Sharma, will serve for a period of two years. Venugopal is heading the Western Zone of LIC in Mumbai and Sunita is the Managing Director of its subsidiary, LIC Housing Finance.

SPORTS

India beats Chile in shoot-out Qualifies for World league semifinal

India defeated Chile in the shoot-out in a pulsating contest to win the Women’s Hockey World League Round 2 and qualify for the World League semifinal. 

Indians shine at Asian youth chess

India won four gold, five silver and three bronze to finish on top of the medal tally at the Asian youth chess championship. Vietnam won four medals, one gold, two silver and one bronze, while strong contender China could win just two medals in one gold and one silver.