DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS: MARCH 20, 2018

NATIONAL

First National Workshop on POSHAN Abhiyan

• The first National workshop on POSHAN Abhiyaan involving all the states and union territories is being held at PravasiBharatiya Kendra,New Delhi.
• The Ministry of Women and Child Development is organising the workshop.
• POSHAN Abhiyaan has been set up with a three year budget of Rs.9046.17 crore commencing from 2017-18.

Indian Navy: Bilateral Exercise ‘Varuna’ with French Navy

• The navies of India and France are currently engaged in a joint bilateral exercise named “Varuna-18”.
• It commences in the Arabian Sea off the Goa coast.
• The drill would include anti-submarine, air defence and asymmetric engagement exercises.
• The last edition of VARUNA was conducted off the French Coast in Apr 2017.

PM Modi Lays Foundation Stone for Navi Mumbai Airport

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the long overdue airport project at Navi Mumbai.
• The budget allocated for the project is Rs 16,700 crore.
• It is expected to ease flight operations at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport.

Informal WTO Ministerial Meeting Held in New Delhi

• The Informal World Trade Organisation Ministerial Meeting held in New Delhi.
• It provides an opportunity to engage in free and frank discussions with the hope that it will lead to political guidance on some major issues.

WTO

Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland

Head: Roberto Azevedo

Satya Pal Malik given additional charge as Governor of Odisha

• Bihar Governor Satya Pal Malik has been given additional charge as the Governor of Odisha.
• Dr SC Jamir, who is the present Odisha governor, is completing his tenure today.

Odisha

Capital: Bhubaneswar

Chief minister: Naveen Patnaik

President Inaugurates Festival of Innovation and Entrepreneurship

• President of India to Inaugurate Festival of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (FINE) at Rashtrapati Bhawan.
• He also presented Gandhian Young Technological Innovation awards instituted by Society for Research and Initiatives for Sustainable Technologies and Institutions [SRISTI].
• FINE, an initiative to recognise, respect, showcase, reward innovations and to foster a supportive ecosystem for innovators.

Karnataka Government approves ‘religious minority’ status for Lingayats

• Karnataka’s Siddaramaiah-led Congress government accepted an expert committee’s recommendation, and accorded the status of a religion (a minority one) to the Lingayat sect.
• Lingayats are followers of 12th century Brahmin saint Basavanna who rebelled against Brahminism and its ritualistic practices.
• The state cabinet have decided to accept the recommendations of a committee that suggested that Lingayats should be granted religious minority status.

Jharkhand gave nod for plastic industry infrastructure

• The Jharkhand cabinet gave its nod to the government for forming a special purpose vehicle (SPV) and an industrial park for promoting plastic industries in state.
• The 11 member ministerial council led by chief minister Raghubar Das approved the formation of the SPV (Jharkhand Plastic Park Limited) and cleared the deck for setting up a plastic park in Debipur block in Deoghar district.
• A financial approval of Rs 120 crore was given for both the projects.

Jharkhand

Capital: Ranchi

Chief Minister: Raghubar Das

Governor: Draupadi Murmu

INTERNATIONAL

India ties up with EU On Sharing Earth Observation Data

• India and the European Union signed an agreement that will enable them to share earth observation data from each other’s satellite.
• The pact was inked in Bengaluru by Philippe Brunet, director for Space Policy, Copernicus and Defence, on behalf of the European Commission and by PG Diwakar, scientific secretary.
• The aim is to strengthen and stimulate cooperation on Earth observation and mutual access to the data.

EU

Headquarters: City of Brussels, Belgium

Greece launches its own space agency

• Greece launched its first space agency as an effort to rebuild the ailing economy as it exits a severe eight-year debt crisis.
• Entering into the space sector can make Greece stronger and more productive, increasing the country’s standing in many ways.

Greece

Capital: Athens

Currency: Euro

Prime Minister: Alexis Tsipras

BANKING AND ECONOMY

SEBI Raises Currency Derivative Trade Limit To $100 Million

• The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has raised the exposure limit under exchange-traded currency derivatives trading for residents and foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) to $ 100 million across all currency pairs involving the Indian rupee.
• The move will help entities engaged in forex transactions to maintain their currency risks in a better manner.

SEBI

Headquarters: Mumbai

Chairman: Ajay Tyagi

SPORTS

Cricketer Kevin Pietersen Announces Retirement

• England batsman Kevin Pietersen announced his apparent retirement from cricket.
• He played his last game for the Quetta Gladiators in the ongoing edition of the Pakistan Super League.
• The right-hand batsman began his career in 2004 agai    nst Zimbabwe in Harare.

OBITUARY

Veteran Hindi poet Kedarnath Singh passes away

• The Veteran poet and author Kedarnath Singh, one of the doyens of modern poetry in Hindi, passed away.
• He was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award in Hindi in 1989 for Akaal Mein Saras (Cranes in Drought) — his poetry collection and the Jnanpith Award in 2013.

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Sparrow day – March 20,2018

• The World Sparrow Day is observed on March 20, 2018.
• In Bengaluru, Edwin Joseph popularly known as Sparrow Man, has transformed his home into a sanctuary for the little gregarious birds.

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS QUIZ: MARCH 20, 2018