NATIONAL AFFAIRS
Shigmo festival to begin from March 14
Goa’s biggest Hindu folk festival, Shigmo, will begin on March 14 and will continue in various rural areas over a fortnight. Different days have been earmarked for celebrations in different parts of the State.
The festival also depicts the Goan life in traditional folk dances like Ghode Modni, Goff, and Fugdi, performed in troupes along the procession, passing through the streets.
New canyon system found near Kovvada
Scientists of CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) in Visakhapatnam is full of joy. They have found three new canyons, forming a major canyon system in the depths of the Bay of Bengal, close to Kovvada in Srikakulam district.
The first time, they have clearly mapped the ocean floor between Visakhapatnam and Srikakulam by sending over 32 high density beams to the depths of the sea. Canyon systems are generally formed by the flow of river water into the sea and they could be as old as the river system, which is close to 23 million years.
The last canyon systems off the Visakhapatnam coast were discovered in 1963 by American geologist E.C. LaFond of the U.S. Navy Electronics Laboratory.
Over 500 bird species in Himachal, says survey
The wildlife wing of the Himachal Pradesh’s Forest Department has claimed that there are around 564 bird species living in the hill State, which accounts for 45% of the total 1,263 bird species found in India.
The four-day survey called ‘Great Backyard Bird Count, 2017’, which was held from February 17 to 20, about 83 bird check lists were uploaded to eBird and 319 species were reported from eight districts. The district of Kangra was home to the maximum number of species – as many as 453 of them.
INS Tillanchang commissioned at Karwar
INS Tillanchang, a Water Jet Fast Attack Craft (WJFAC), was commissioned into the Indian Navy by Vice-Admiral Girish Luthra, the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command in Karwar, Karnataka.
Rail service from Ranchi to Tori launched
The Railways extended passenger services on the newly constructed broad gauge line up from Ranchi in Jharkhand to Tori in Bihar. Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu inaugurated the extension of the Ranchi Barkichanpi daily passenger service up to Tori via videoconferencing from New Delhi. The extension will provide train services on the 29.5-km Barkichanpi-Tori section.
Centre issues draft rules on e-wallet payments
The Centre has issued draft rules to ensure integrity, security and confidentiality of electronic payments made through prepaid payment instruments (PPIs), popularly called e-wallets. The draft rules, on which the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to develop an information security policy that ensures that the systems operated by them are secure.
India by the Nile mega cultural festival
The fifth edition of the “India by the Nile” festival began in Cairo Egypt. India’s ambassador to Egypt Sanjay Bhattacharya states that the festival is a special moment as it commemorates the 70 years of India’s Independence as well as the 70 years of its diplomatic relations with Egypt.
Qatar Airline plans to set – up a foreign entity in India
Qatar airways plans to set up a fully foreign entity owned airline in India. According to the present norms, an air operator permit is granted to a company only if it is registered in India.
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
Commonwealth trade meet begins
An inaugural Commonwealth summit focused on stimulating trade within the group kicked off in London, as government representatives and business people gathered to discuss opportunities for growth. The Commonwealth leadership is targeting an increase in intra-group trade to $1 trillion by 2020, from $750 billion.
South Korea impeached its president
South Korea president Park Geun hye was impeached by the constitutional court as he was accused of colluding with a friend who alleged pressured companies to donate money in return for government favours. The Present Prime Minister Hwang – Kyo ahn is serving as the acting president of the country.
Mobile world congress to be hosted by India
Director General of Cellular Operators Association of India announced that the meet will concentrate more on South East Asian Markets. India is hosting the conference for the first time in Pragati Maidan at Delhi.
APPOINTMENTS
Bala Venkatesh Varma is the new Ambassador of India to Andorra
Venkatesh currently working as the Ambassador of India to Kingdom of Spain, he is now accredited as ambassador of India to Andorra with his residence in Spain.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Punjab varsity develops new Bt cotton varieties
Punjab Agricultural University in Ludhiana has announced that it has developed the country’s first genetically-modified varieties of cotton — the seeds of which could be reused by farmers with no commercial restrictions, resulting in savings on repeat purchases every season.
“The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has identified three Bt cotton varieties – PAU Bt 1, F1861 and RS2013 – for cultivation in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.
Ancient copper coins found in central Kashmir
The Jammu and Kashmir State Archaeology Department has discovered over 800 coins dating back to the 11th, 12th Century in Budgam district. Described as a “rare numismatic discovery”, the coins are said to be one of the largest recoveries from the district.
AWARDS
Saraswati Samman for Konkani writer
Eminent Konkani writer Mahabaleshwar Sail has been honoured with the Saraswati Samman 2016 for his novel Hawthan. The 74-year-old’s novel was shortlisted out of 22 books written in as many languages. The award carries a cash prize of Rs.15 lakh and a citation. Mr. Sail is a bilingual writer who has four Marathi dramas and seven Konkani novels to his credit.
BANKING & BUSINESS
LIC to step up income from non-single premium in FY18
Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), the country’s largest life insurer, will step up sale of non-single premium policies to about 25 per cent in 2017-18 to bring balance in its business growth profile.
RBI to soon introduce new Rs 10 notes with more security features: Five things to know
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said that it will soon issue Rs 10 denomination notes with enhanced security features for the circulation. Earlier last month Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das clarified that the government has no plans to introduce new currency notes of Rs 1,000 denomination.
Let’s look at five security features which the Central Bank plans to introduce
1) The banknotes in the Mahatma Gandhi series-2005 are to carry inset letter ‘L’ on both number panels, bearing the signature of Governor Urjit Patel.
2) The year of printing, 2017, will be on the reverse of the note.
3) Numerals on both the panels will be in ascending size from left to right.
4) The first three alpha-numeric characters (prefix) will remain constant in size.
5) “All the banknotes in the denomination of Rs 10 issued by the Bank in the past will continue to be legal tender,” the central bank said.
Nokia to help Tata Power to detect faults in Delhi
Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (TATA Power DDL) has become the first Indian power utility to deploy tele-protection services over its entire network following a deal with Nokia. The enhanced system will allow Tata Power-DDL to receive nearly instant updates of any fault in its infrastructure and reroute power through alternative lines to minimise the disruption to the end consumer.
BOOKS & AUTHORS
Book on the Delhi Mughals launched
The Mughal City of Old Delhi a book by Swapna Liddle, covering the trajectory of Delhi as a city since its establishment as the Mughal capital till India’s independence was launched at the Annexe Court of the India International Centre. Starting from the mid 16th century and extending to the mid 20th century, he says that the book contains 300 years of Delhi’s history.
HISTORICAL EVENTS OF THE DAY
World Kidney Day celebrated on March 9 2017
World Kidney Day (WKD) is a global health awareness campaign focusing on the importance of the kidneys and reducing the frequency and impact of kidney disease and its associated health problems worldwide. World Kidney Day is observed annually on the 2nd Thursday in March.
Kidney day 2017 Theme: Kidney Disease & Obesity
