Current Affairs March 29, 2017-
Anil Ambani gets a seat on Atlantic Council’s advisory board
NATIONAL AFFAIRS
Tamil Nadu supplies first free immunosuppressive drugs
The Department of Health and Family Welfare of
Tamil Nadu government has
sanctioned Rs.10-15 crore for supplying free
immunosuppressive drugs.
Tamil Nadu has become the first State in the country to decide to supply the expensive immunosuppressive drugs, free of cost, for organ-transplant patients of both private and government hospitals. The government on humanitarian grounds will distribute drugs to Below Poverty Line patients and others.
Nitish bestowed with ‘Anuvrata Puraskar 2016’ for prohibition:
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was bestowed with the 'Anuvrata Puraskar 2016' for implementing total prohibition in the state. Soon after receiving the award, Kumar made a fervent appeal for anti-liquor movement across the country.
Rajasthan govt declares more than 5,000 villages scarcity-hit:
The Rajasthan government has declared 5,656 villages in 13 districts as scarcity-hit in the state. The government has postponed the recovery of the Abiyana Tax from the affected villages.
Top seven IITs to get Rs.100 cr. each:
The Centre will offer Rs.100 crore each to the top seven Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) in the coming financial year to improve their quality further with a view to enhancing their global rankings. The IITs chosen are IIT Madras, IIT Mumbai, IIT Kanpur, IIT Delhi, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Roorkee and IIT Guwahati.
IIT Madras, Indian Army sign MoU:
The
Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IITM) and the
Indian Army have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
to identify the critical technological areas that can be enhanced in the armed forces. IITM Director Bhaskar Ramamurthi and Deputy Chief of Army Staff (P&S) Lt. Gen. Subrata Saha signed the MoU in this regard, a statement issued here said.
ESIC Launches Mobile Clinic Services in AP and Telangana:
For the first time in the country that the ESIC Mobile Clinic Services are launched in
Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Union Minister of state for labour and employment
Bandaru Dattatreya launched the mobile clinic service by flagging off “
Jan
Suraksha Ambulances”. 24th February is celebrated as ESIC day.
India becomes net exporter of power for the first time: Government
India has become a
net exporter of electricity for the first time, the power ministry said, adding that upcoming cross-border transmission lines with neighbouring countries
such as Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar will only increase sales.
April-February power exports of around 5,798 million units were 4 percent higher than what India bought from Bhutan, which has been a steady supplier of hydro-electricity to the country since the eighties.
Anil Ambani gets a seat on Atlantic Council's advisory board:
Reliance Group chairman
Anil Ambani has been inducted into the
international advisory board of the global think tank, The Atlantic Council.
The Atlantic Council announced the induction of Anil Ambani, one of India’s best known business leaders, to its international advisory board- a prominent group of global corporate and political leaders.
Former Utah Governor and Chairman of the Atlantic Council: Jon M. Huntsman
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
Indian Army Chief to be honoured in Nepal:
The President of Nepal, Bidhya Devi Bhandari, will confer the title of “Honorary General of the Nepalese Army” to Gen. Rawat at an investiture ceremony. General Rajendra Chettri, the Chief of the Nepalese Army, was conferred the title of “Honorary General of the Indian Army” on February 3 during his first visit to India after assuming office.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to press NATO on defense spending: Official
Tillerson will hold his first meeting with NATO foreign ministers in Brussels on March 31. He will push allies on how they plan to meet a defense spending goal of 2 percent of gross domestic product, and press NATO to increase its role in the fight against terrorism.
BANKING & BUSINESS
‘Bitcoin not authorised by Reserve Bank of India’:
The Centre said use of Bitcoin has not been authorised by RBI and could breach anti-money laundering provisions. The RBI has warned users of Bitcoin, about the financial, legal and security risks. “No regulatory approval, registration or authorisation is stated to have been obtained by the entities concerned for carrying on such activities,” Minister of State for Finance, A.R. Meghwal said.
Amazon to buy West Asian e-tailer Souq.com:
Souq.com will expand its workforce and operations after Amazon clinched a deal to buy 100% of the Middle East online retailer, executives from both firms said. Amazon and Souq.com said they had agreed on the takeover, despite an eleventh-hour bid by Dubai billionaire Mohamed Alabbar’s Emaar Malls to cut in with an offer of $800 million.
Truecaller announces partnerships in India:
Stockholm-based Truecaller announced partnerships in India with
Bharti Airtel, ICICI Bank and Google, besides rolling out the latest version of its application with new features. The partnership with Bharti will allow the operator’s subscribers to access the Truecaller app even
on feature phones without data, while the collaboration with ICICI Bank will enable Truecaller users
to transfer money from within the app.
Google’s video calling service Duo has also been integrated into the Truecaller app, allowing users to make video calls directly through it. India is the biggest market for the app with 150 million users.
Tata AIA launches m-Insurance in partnership with TTSL:
Tata AIA Life Insurance Co Ltd has joined hands with Tata Teleservices Ltd (TTSL) to launch m-Insurance which they said would also bring the economically weaker sections under insurance cover. m-Insurance provides life insurance cover of up to Rs. 1 lakh for the telecom company’s prepaid subscriber base in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana as a pilot offer on select recharge. Indian citizens between 18-80 years of age can avail of this offer which is paperless and does not require any medical tests.
Vijaya Bank signs a pact with Piaggio:
To provide financial support for the purchase of vehicles under Small Road Transport operators scheme in
Bengaluru.
Vijaya bank inked an MoU with
Piaggio.
IRDAI slaps penalty on ICICI Pru Life:
The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India has imposed a penalty of Rs.20 lakh on ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company on on various charges, including free look cancellations not being in line with regulations and delay in processing surrenders/partial withdrawals.
APPOINTMENTS
United Nations appointed new Executive Director for world food program:
David Beasley is appointed as the new executive director for world food program he is replacing Etharin Cousin. David served as 113th Governor of South Carolina before this appointment. World Food Programme is the largest humanitarian organization addressing hunger and promoting food security and it is headquartered in Rome.
AWARDS
Gurinder Chadha gets Sikh Jewel Award:
Indian-origin British Director Gurinder Chadha is honoured with the Sikh Jewel Award for 2017 for her contribution in British Cinema. Indian high commissioner to UK, YK Sinha was present at the award function.
Garfield sobers Trophy awarded to Ravichandran Ashwin:
Ashwin was named as the ICC cricketer of the year 2016, to add feather to his crown he was honoured with prestigious sir Garfield sobers Trophy in Dharmasala. With this Ashwin has become the third Indian and the 12th player overall to win the award. The trophy is awarded annually by the ICC to its chosen world player of the year. Rahul Dravid was the person to receive the award in the year 2004.
BOOKS & AUTHORS
Ivanka Trump pens motivational book:
Ivanka Trump, the daughter of U.S. President Donald Trump, is all set to share her rules for success in an upcoming business book. Titled Women Who Work: Rewriting the Rules for Success, the book will release in the U.S. on May 2. The book is being published by Portfolio, an imprint of Penguin Random House.
SPORTS
Bhubaneshwar to host the Men's Hockey world cup 2018:
Bhubaneshwar Kalinga Stadium will host the Men’s hockey World League final 2017 and Hockey Men’s world cup 2018. Odisha will be the title sponsor for the tournaments; titles will be “Odisha Men’s Hockey world League Final Bhubaneshwar 2017 and the Odisha Hockey Men’s world Cup Bhubaneshwar 2018.
Brazil Book 2018 World Cup Berth, Argentina Tumble:
Brazil has become the first team to qualify for the football World Cup to be held in Russia from June 14 to July 15 in 2018.
OBITUARY
Anti-apartheid icon Ahmed Kathrada dead:
Celebrated South African anti-apartheid activist Ahmed Kathrada, a Robben Island prisoner and one of Nelson Mandela’s closest colleagues in the struggle against white rule, died at the aged of 87.
