1. The Union Agriculture Minister Radhamohan Singh has inaugurated India's first International Centre for Foot and Mouth Disease (ICFMD) at Argul in Bhubaneswar, Odisha on April 1, 2017. The research centre has been constructed in joint collaboration of UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation and Union government's Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) to conduct research on viral disease of cattle and buffaloes. The centre has the facility for safe handling and storage of live Foot and Mouth disease virus that essentially is required for control of the disease. The samples from all over the country will be collected in this research centre to find a cure of the disease. Notably, India is suffering a loss of Rs. 23 thousand crore annually due to Foot and Mouth disease of cattle and buffalos.
2. Sunaina Singh has been appointed the new vice chancellor of Nalanda University (NU). She is expected to take up the new assignment soon. Currently, she is vice chancellor of the English and Foreign Language University (EFLU), Hyderabad. The headquarters of NU is at Rajgir, Bihar. Dr.Vijay Pandurang Bhatka, who is the father of India's first supercomputer and acclaimed scientist, is the Chancellor of the university.
3. N Chandrababu Naidu, the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, has been selected for the US India Business Council (USIBC)'s Transformative Chief Minister (TCM) award for his good governance to people after bifurcation. Naidu would receive award at the 2nd annual West Coast Summit (WCS) to be held in Menlo Park, California on May 8, 2017.
4. Japan will provide an Official Development Assistance (ODA) loan for an amount of Yen 371.345 billion (=Rs.21,590 crore approx) under FY 2016-2017 to India for infrastructure projects, the dedicated freight corridor. For this, the notes were exchanged in New Delhi between S Selvakumar, Joint Secretary under Department of Economic Affairs and Kenji Hiramatsu, Ambassador of Japan to India. (Exchange Rate: Re.1 = Yen 1.72).
5. Vanaja N. Sarna, a 1980 batch officer of Indian Revenue Service (IRS), has been appointed the new chairman of the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC). She succeeded Najib Shah. The CBEC is the apex body for framing policy and administrative issues related to indirect tax, and central excise duty. It works under finance ministry, which comprises of a chairperson and a maximum of six members.
6. The Atria Convergence Technologies (ACT) Fibrenet has recently launched 1 Gigabit per second wired broadband internet service in Hyderabad. With this launch, Hyderabad has become the India's first 'Giga-enabled'. ACT Fibrenet uses fiber optic technology and its 1 Gbps offering is 400 times faster than the average internet speed of 2.5 megabits per second in India. Giga speeds will allow downloads from the internet faster than transferring data from a USB drive and will be available for Rs 5,999 per month.
7. Myanmar has become the 7th member of South Asia Sub-regional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) program of Asian Development Bank (ADB) in 2017. The SASEC program was formed in 2001 in response to the request of the four countries of South Asia – Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal – from ADB to assist in facilitating economic cooperation among them. As a project-based partnership, the SASEC program has been helping realize regional prosperity by enhancing cross-border connectivity, facilitating faster and more efficient trade and promoting cross-border power trade. Maldives and Sri Lanka joined SASEC in 2014.
8. The high-level committee headed by Arvind Panagariya has been set up to examine the working of the regulatory bodies viz. Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM) and Central Council of Homoeopathy(CCH) and their governing legislations viz. Indian Medicine Central Council (IMCC) Act 1970 and Homoeopathy Central Council (HCC) Act 1973 respectively, for suggesting suitable reforms. Panagariya is the Chairmanship of Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog. The AYUSH systems of medicine are regulated by two statutory regulatory bodies viz. CCIM and CCH. These regulatory bodies regulate education and practice of AYUSH systems of medicine through its subordinate regulations and also maintain central registers of Indian Medicine and Homoeopathy.
9. Dr. Navrang Saini has taken charge as new Whole Time Member (WTM) of Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) in New Delhi. Dr. Saini will look after Registration & Monitoring wing comprising Insolvency Professionals, Information Utilities, Insolvency Professional Agencies & Entities, Valuers, Surveillance, Investigation and Grievance Redressal. He will also look after Legal Affairs and Establishment. Dr. Saini served as a member of the Indian Corporate Law Service (ICLS). He has served Ministry of Corporate Affairs in various capacities and played a key role in implementation of MCA 21. His last assignment was Director General, Ministry of Corporate Affairs.
10. Gilbert Baker, who created the rainbow flag as a symbol for the gay community, has recently passed away in Kansas, United States. Baker's flag was widely associated with LGBT rights causes.
11. Rio Olympics silver medallist P V Sindhu from India has won the 2017 Women's singles India Super Series tournament by defeating reigning Olympic champion Carolina Marin of Spain in the final by 21-19, 21-16 at Siri Fort Sports Complex in New Delhi. Beside this, Viktor Axelsen of Denmark clinched the men's singles title of the tournament by defeating Chinese Taipei's Tien Chen Chou in straight games.
12. The Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore has topped the 2017 National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) rankings for higher educational institutions in overall ranking. IIT Madras stood at 2nd position, followed by IIT Bombay, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Delhi and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). The institutes are ranked by the National Bureau of Accreditation (NBA) based on their teaching and learning resources, graduation outcome, perception, outreach and inclusivity and research productivity. This year, the project has more than 800 new participants and some new categories has also been introduced in medicine and law. Apart from this, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras has topped the list in India Rankings 2017 in engineering category, followed by IIT Bombay and Kharagpur. Whereas, Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad bagged the first rank in management category while Miranda House, Delhi was ranked the top college. The 2017 India Rankings for higher educational institutions has been released by Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Prakash Javadekar in New Delhi on April 3, 2017.
13. The 19th edition of Commonwealth Forestry Conference (CFC) has started at Forest Research Institute in Dehradun, Uttarakhand with the theme "Forests for Prosperity and Posterity" on April 3, 2017. About 500 delegations including scientists, academicians, forest officers, representatives of the governments, industries, and research and conservation agencies from India and abroad are attending the 5-day event. The conference is being organized in coordination with the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change along with Commonwealth Forestry Association of United Kingdom. The issues affecting climate change and green cover will be deliberated upon in the conference.
14. Roger Federer, a Swiss professional tennis player, has won the 2017 Men's Singles Miami Open Tennis Tournament by defeating Rafael Nadal in the final by 6-3 6-4 in the final at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park in Key Biscayne, United States. Apart from this, Johanna Konta from Great Britain has won the 2017 Miami Open – Women's Singles title by defeating Caroline Wozniacki in the final by 6–4, 6–3.
15. Darcus Howe (74), one of the most prominent black activists of his generation in Britain, has recently passed away in London, United Kingdom. He was best known in the UK for his Black on Black series on Channel 4; his current affairs programme, Devil's Advocate; and his work with Tariq Ali on "Bandung Fil".
16. The World Autism Awareness Day (AWWD) is an internationally recognised day observed every year on April 2 to highlight the need to help improve the quality of life of those with autism so they can lead full and meaningful lives as an integral part of society. The 2017 theme is "Toward Autonomy and Self-Determination".
17. Dawit Isaak, an imprisoned Eritrean-Swedish journalist who was arrested in a crackdown on the media in September 2001 and was known for his critical and insightful reporting, has been chosen for the 2017 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize. His present location is unknown. The $25,000 Prize is named in honour of Guillermo Cano Isaza, a Colombian journalist who was assassinated in 1986 in front of the offices of his El Espectador newspaper in Bogotá. It is awarded each year to an individual or organization that has persevered to protect press freedoms under adversity. The Prize will be awarded during the celebration of 2017 World Press Freedom Day (WPFD) on May 3, which will be hosted in Jakarta, Indonesia.
18. The South Asia Sub-regional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) Finance Ministers' meeting has been chaired by the Union Minister of Finance Arun Jaitley in New Delhi on April 3, 2017 to discuss the imperatives of a new way forward for sub-regional economic cooperation among countries under the SASEC program. The meeting has attended by the 7-Finance Ministers from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal and Sri Lanka apart from officials from these countries and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The event is a unique opportunity for the member countries to discuss and exchange ideas and strive to foster better cooperation in the sub-region. Recently, Myanmar has also joined the SASEC programme as its 7th member.
19. The Union Minister of Textiles, Smriti Zubin Irani has recently launched "PowerTex India" a comprehensive scheme for powerloom sector development in Bhiwandi district of Maharashtra. PowerTex India has also launched simultaneously at over 45 locations in India and will especially benefit small powerloom weavers. The purpose of the 3-year scheme is to boost common infrastructure and modernize the power-loom sector. The scheme has provisions for installation of solar plants and would provide financial assistance/capital subsidy for installation of solar photo voltaic plant (solar plant) by small power-loom units to alleviate the problem of power-cuts. For upgradation of powerloom sector, the union government has also increased subsidy by 30%.
20. The Ntangki National Park is a wildlife park located in Peren district of Nagaland. Among the creatures that inhabit the park are the rare hoolock gibbon, golden langur, hornbill, palm civets, black stork, tiger, white-breasted kingfisher, monitor lizard, python and sloth bear. The name "Ntangki" is derived from the Zeme dialect of the Zeliangrong tribe.
21. Kishori Amonkar (84), the renowned Hindustani classical vocalist, has recently passed away in Mumbai, Maharashtra. She was considered one of the foremost singers in the Hindustani tradition and is an innovator of the Jaipur gharana. Amonkar received a plethora of awards, including the Padma Bhushan in 1987 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2002.
22. Justice Indira Banerjee has been appointed the new Chief Justice of Madras High Court. With this, Justice Banerjee would be the second woman next to Justice Kanta Kumari Bhatnagar (June – November, 1992) to head the charted court. Prior to this appointment, Banerjee was a judge of the Delhi High Court.
23. BP Kanungo has recently taken charge as the new Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for a period of three years in Mumbai, Maharashtra. He succeeded R Gandhi. Prior to this appointment, Kanungo was holding the position of Executive Director of RBI. He has worked in several functional areas of the banks such as foreign exchange management, banking and non-banking supervision, currency management, government and bank accounts and public debt. Kanungo has also served as the head of regional offices of RBI at Jaipur and Kolkata besides holding the position of the Banking Ombudsman for Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
24. Japan has officially recognized bitcoin and digital currencies as legal money with effect from April 1, 2017, which will help the integration of digital currency into the legacy banking system through regulation. Thus, as per new law's implementation, Bitcoin exchanges will also come under additional regulatory scrutiny. The recognition of cryptocurrency as a legal tender also means the applicability of regulations governing banks and financial institutions to crypto-currency exchange platforms. They will be required to comply with strict Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements, along with annual audits. Other requirements include meeting the stated capital and cyber security requirements to ensure consumer protection.
25. Germany has become the first North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member to launch a self-contained cyber command unit, which is designed to shield IT and weapons systems from growing attacks. The Cyber and Information Space Command (Kdo CIR) will have a status equal to that of the army, navy, and air force. The Kdo CIR is the youngest branch of Germany's military "Bundeswehr". It will operate and protect the military's own IT infrastructure and computer-assisted weapons systems, and tackle online threats. The center would also focus on war-game offensive skills and capabilities.
26. The Madhya Pradesh government has recently launched mobile app 'MP e-nagarpalika' to provide various municipal services online. The app would offer 378 services like online payment of property tax, seeking building permission, birth/ marriage/death certificates etc. It will also register complaints related to garbage, water, streetlights etc. Online payment gateway would be available on this app. The mobile app is a part of Rs 225-crore 'e-nagarpalika' project, under which all municipal services would be made available online on a unified web platform.
27. K Prithika Yashini has become the India's first-ever transgender person to become a police official, when she took charge as sub-inspector in Dharmapuri district in Tamil Nadu. In terms of judgement of the Madras High Court delivered in November 2015, directions were given to the Tamil Nadu Uniformed Services Recruitment Board (TNUSRB) to appoint K Prithika Yashini as a sub-inspector of police as she is entitled to get the job. The judgement further directed the TNUSRB to include transgender people as a "third category", apart from the usual category of "male" and "female".
28. Rajiv Kumar Chander, the 1983 batch Indian Foreign Services (IFS) officer, has been appointed as new Ambassador and permanent representative of India to the United Nations (UN) Offices in Geneva. He will succeed Ajit Kumar. At present, Chander is the consul general of India in Vancouver.
29. Under the 'Aapki Beti, Hamari Beti' scheme, the Haryana government will provide one-time grant of Rs 21,000 to all those families whose third girl child was born on or after August 24, 2015. Under the scheme, the eligible families would receive the amount irrespective of their caste, creed, religion, income and number of sons. The purpose of the scheme is to combat the problem of declining child sex ratio and promote girls' education in the state.
30. The International Day of Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action is observed every year on April 4 to raise awareness about landmines and progress toward their eradication. The day also highlights the deadly threat that mines pose to civilians' lives and nations' development. The 2017 theme is "Needs driven. People Centred".
31. Ecuadorean leftist Lenín Boltaire Moreno Garces has won the 2017 Ecuador Presidential election after securing 51.16% of votes in the election. He will be Ecuador's 44th President and will take office on May 24, 2017. Prior to this, Moreno served the nation as Vice President from 2007 to 2013 under President Rafael Correa. The current President of Ecuador is Rafael Correa.
32. The 2017 National conference on Communicating India has held in New Delhi on April 5, 2017. The three main themes for the conference are 'Telling India's story to the world', 'Communicating via Journalism' and 'Dialogue with Diaspora'. The one-day conference has been organized by the Vivekananda International Foundation in collaboration with the India Media Centre, University of Westminster, London, Nehru Memorial Museum and Library and the Indian Institute of Mass Communication with the association of Prasar Bharati.
33. Geeta Johri, a 1982-batch IPS officer, has been appointed Director General of Police (DGP) of Gujarat. With this, Johari has become the first woman IPS officer to be appointed for the top job in the state. Presently, she is posted as managing director in the Gujarat Police Housing Corporation, Gandhinagar. She has been controversial for her role in the investigation into the 2005 Sohrabuddin Sheikh, his wife Kauserbi and 2006 Tulsiram Prajapati encounter cases. The decision comes in wake of sudden ouster of Johari's predecessor P P Pandey who stepped down from the post following a petition in the Supreme Court. Pandey is an accused in Ishrat Jahan encounter case.
34. The Union Government has recently constituted National Board of Electric Mobility (NBEM) to promote electric mobility and manufacturing of electric (& hybrid) vehicles and their components. The Board will be chaired by Girish Shankar, Secretary of the Department of Heavy Industry. The NBEM will examine, formulate and propose short- as well as long-term plans and contours of the mission programme on electric mobility, its objectives, quantifiable outcomes and roles and responsibilities of the various stakeholders. It will propose and recommend policy guidelines and government interventions and possible strategies for promoting electric mobility and for encouraging manufacture of electric vehicles in the country.
35. Aleksandar Vucic, the current Prime Minister of Serbia, has won the 2017 Serbian Presidential election by 55% of votes. He will take office on May 31, 2017. Vucic is also the leader and president of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS). The current office holder is Tomislav Nikolic.
36. Ajey Jhankar (57), the noted author and filmmaker, has recently passed away. He was well-known for his novels such as Sarkarnama and Drohpar. The hollywood movie 'Singularity' by filmmakar Roland Joffe was based on Jhankar's novel 'Drohparv'. He was the co-screenwriter for the film. Jhankar was known for his marketing venture 'Market Missionaries.
37. S.P. Bala Subramanyam, the renowned playback singer, actor and music director, has won the NTR National Film Award for 2012 and Hindi film actor Hema Malini will receive the same for 2013. The NTR National Award is an annual award to recognize people for their lifetime achievements and contributions to the Cinema of India. The award is an honorary Nandi Award in the honour of an Indian Film Actor, director, producer, and politician N.T. Rama Rao who also served as the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. It carries a cash prize of Rs. 5 lakh and a citation.
38. Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli has been honoured as the Wisden's Leading Cricketer in the World for 2016. Apart from this, Kohli has already been declared Wisden India Almanack's Cricketer of the Year for the second time in its 2017 edition. In 2016, Kohli amassed 1215 Test runs at an average of 75.93, 10 ODI appearances fetched him 739 runs at 92.37, while he scored 641 T20 International runs at 106.83. Apart from him, Ellyse Perry from Australia has been named for Wisden Leading Woman Cricketer in the World for 2016. The Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World is an annual cricket award selected by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack.
39. India has been ranked 3rd for the third year in a row in the recently published Anti-Doping Rule Violations (ADRVs) report for year 2015. The report is compiled by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). As per the report, 117 athletes from India were punished after testing positive for banned substances in 2015. The list is topped by Russia (176), followed by Italy (129), India (117), France (84) and Belgium (67). An ADRV is a doping offence committed by an athlete or athlete support person, which results in certain consequences or sanctions.
40. Sai Kiran P (18) from Telangana (presently studying at Chennai) has won the second prize in the grade 12 category of the 2017 Nasa Ames Space Settlement Contest for proposing an elevator from Earth to the Moon. The annual global contest was conducted jointly by the NASA Ames Research Center, the National Space Society (NSS) and San Jose State University. The theme of the contest was to design a proposal for human settlements on the moon.
41. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has recently appointed Malvika Sinha as new Executive Director (ED), following the appointment of B P Kanungo as Deputy Governor. As Executive Director (ED), she will look after foreign exchange department, department of government and bank accounts and internal debt management wing. Prior to being promoted as ED, she was Principal Chief General Manager, Department of Cooperative Banking Supervision in the Reserve Bank. Apart from her, there are 10 other EDs of RBI viz. Surekha Marandi, M. Rajeshwar Rao, Sudarshan Sen, Deepak Singhal, Meena Hemchandra, K. K. Vohra, Dr M. D. Patra, Chandan Sinha, Deepali Pant Joshi and Dr. Deepak Mohanty.
42. The Assam government has recently started four-day long Gunotsav programme to improve quality of school education in the state from April 4, which will cover over 9 lakh students of 12320 primary schools in Barpeta, Chirang, Dibrugarh, Hailakandi, Kamrup (Metro), Lakhimpur, Morigaon and West Karbi Anglong districts. It is a quality improvement programme where external evaluators are deputed to the schools for conducting external evaluation of students. The programme is a great initiative to gauge the quality of learning and teachers and students will greatly benefit from it. Originally a Gujarat government initiative, Gunotsav has been adopted by Sarbananda Sonowal led government in Assam.
43. The National Maritime Day (NMD) is celebrated every year in India on April 5 to commemorate the maiden voyage of the first Indian –owned ship "SS Loyalty" sailed from Bombay to London on 5th April 1919. This was a crucial step for Indian shipping history when sea routes were controlled by the British. The 2017 theme of 54th edition of NMD is "Connecting India through Shipping". The United Nations' World Maritime Day (WMD) is observed every year on September 29 to highlight the importance of shipping safety, maritime security and the marine environment.
44. Sir Timothy John Berners-Lee, a professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Oxford, has been bestowed with the 2016 ACM A.M. Turing Award for inventing the World Wide Web (WWW), the first web browser, and the fundamental protocols and algorithms allowing the Web to scale. The ACM Turing Award is often referred to as the "Nobel Prize of Computing," which is presented by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) to an individual selected for contributions of a technical nature made to the computing community. The annual award carries a $1 million prize, with financial support provided by Google Inc.
45. The Uttar Pradesh Government has recently formed an 8-member committee under Chief Secretary Rahul Bhatnagar to implement farm loan waiver decision. The committee would formalise the loan waiver with the banks by April 21, 2017. It will also try to find ways for making payment to the banks by May 15, so that farmers will be in a position to avail of crop loans in 2017. There are 700,000 farmers in the state whose combined Rs 5,630-crore debt has been declared non-performing by the banks; they cannot get new loans.
46. The famous Berhampur Thakurani Yatra festival has started with great pomp and gaiety in Berhampur, Odisha. It is one of the biggest festivals of southern Odisha. The month-long festival of the deity "Goddess Budhi Thakurani" will be held for 29 days till May 1,2017. As per tradition, the Goddess will stay in a temporary abode near her parental house in Desibehera street. The idol of the Goddess would be taken out in a procession to different streets to facilitate residents worship her at their own doorsteps. The biannual extravaganza is the festival of the weaving community, known as Devangiris, and organised by P Durga Prasad Desibehera, whose family has been conducting the festival for generations.
47. Raman Roy, the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Quatrro, has been appointed as the new chairman of the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) for 2017-18. Roy is considered one of the poster boys of the Indian business process outsourcing industry, has been a member of Nasscom's executive council and was the vice-chairman for 2016-17. He succeeded CP Gurnani, who is the MD & CEO of Tech Mahindra. Apart from him, Rishad Premji has been appointed as the Vice Chairman of NASSCOM for 2017-18. Premji is the Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) and Member of the Board in Wipro Ltd.
48. Ikutaro Kakehashi (87), the Roland founder and digital music pioneer, has passed away on April 1, 2017 in Japan. The Japanese engineer was best known for founding Roland Corporation in 1972 as well as his roles in the development of Roland drum machines and the MIDI standard. He invented a series of drum machines and synthesisers such as the TR-808, TR-909 and TB-303 that have been used by some of music's biggest names since the mid-1970s, from Prince to Kanye West, New Order to Dr Dre.
49. Recently, Iceland's parliament has presented a bill that would require public and private businesses to prove they offer equal pay to employees. The bill entails that companies and institutions of a certain size, 25 or more employees, undertake a certification of their equal-pay programmes. If the bill passed then Iceland will become the world's first country to neutralize gender pay gap. According to World Economic Forum (WEF)'s 2015 Global Gender Gap Index (GGGI), Iceland ranks first, followed by fellow Nordic nations Norway, Finland and Sweden.
50. The Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary (DWLS) is located in the Upper Dibang Valley district of Arunachal Pradesh covering an area of 4,149 km2. The sanctuary is rich in wildlife. Rare mammals such as Mishmi takin, red goral, musk deer , red panda, Asiatic black bear, occasional tiger and Gongshan muntjac occur while among birds there are the rare Sclater's monal and Blyth's tragopan. A flying squirrel, new to science has been recently discovered from the edge of this sanctuary. It has been named the Mishmi Hills giant flying squirrel (Petaurista mishmiensis).
51. As per first bi-monthly monetary policy review for 2017-18 of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the repo rate — the main policy rate at which banks borrow from RBI remain unchanged at 6.25%. While, RBI raised the Reverse Repo (RR) rate by 25 bps to 6% and cut the Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) rate and the bank rate by 25 bps to 6.50%. The central bank also allowed banks to invest in Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs) in a bid to spur investments in core infrastructure sectors. The Reverse Repo (RR) rate is the rate at which banks lend funds to the RBI.
52. The Madhya Pradesh government- run Maharshi Patanjali Sanskrit Sansthan will start a one-year diploma course on Hindu priesthood 'Purohityam' from July 2017. This course would be open for all irrespective of caste, gender or religion. The basic qualification needed is class X. Thus, there will be no specifications on caste as both Scheduled Caste and Brahmins can apply for the course. The candidates will be taught basics of priesthood, rituals, mantras in accordance with the Hindu tradition.
53. The United Nations (UN)'s International Day of Sports for Development and Peace (IDSDP) is observed every year on April 6 to recognize the power of sport in promoting peace and its ability to inspire. This year (2017), the United Nations Office on Sport for Development and Peace (UNOSDP) launched the digital campaign #WePlayTogether to encourage organizations and individuals who support or carry out sport for development and peace activities to partake in the commemoration of the IDSDP.
54. The Government of India (GoI) and the United Kingdom (UK) have decided to set up a fund worth £240 million to finance clean energy projects in India. This will be known as the Green Growth Equity Fund (GGEF), which will be sub-fund of National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF). The purpose of joint UK-India fund is to leverage private sector investment from the City of London to finance India's infrastructure projects and is likely to raise around £500 million initially. It will focus initial investments in India's rapidly growing energy and renewable market. The NIIF was formed in 2015 to finance greenfield as well as brownfield projects.
55. India's Travel & Tourism sector has been ranked 7th in the world in terms of its total contribution to the country's GDP, according to the latest report of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC). According to data, the travel and tourism sector generated Rs 14.1 trillion in 2016, which is world's 7th largest in terms of absolute size. Additionally, the sector created 40.3 million jobs in 2016, which ranks India 2nd in the world in terms of total employment generated. The sector accounts for 9.3% of the country's total jobs.
56. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $175 million loan to Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd. (PGCIL) to expand its solar energy transmission network in the country. The project funding will improve the capacity and efficiency of interstate transmission networks, particularly in transmitting the electricity generated from new solar parks to the national grid.
57. The World Health Day (WHD) is observed every year on April 7 to mark the anniversary of the founding of the World Health Organization (WHO). The day provides with a unique opportunity to mobilize action around a specific health topic of concern to people all over the world. This year (in 2017), the WHO is leading a one-year global campaign on depression with theme "Depression: Let's Talk", which is the leading cause of ill health and disability worldwide. Depression is the leading cause of ill health and death among 15-29-year olds. More than 300 million people are now living with depression, an increase of more than 18 per cent between 2005 and 2015. It affects people of all ages, from all walks of life, in all countries.
58. The National Tuberculosis (TB) summit has started in Kangra district of Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh on April 7, 2017. The slogan of the summit on TB frees India is "India versus TB, TB harega, Desh Jeetega". The two-day event will provide a platform for tuberculosis (TB) experts, scientists, patients, doctors and government representatives to discuss strategies for implementing a TB control strategy that engages all stakeholders. It will raise awareness and increase momentum to the fight against TB.
59. Marathi film 'Kasaav' has won the Best Film award at the 64th National Awards, which were announced at the National Media Centre (NMC) in New Delhi on April 7, 2017. Rajesh Mapuskar has been named as the Best Director for his Marathi film 'Ventilator'. Akshay Kumar won his first National Film Award for his role in Rustom, a courtroom drama inspired by the 1959 Nanavati case was adjudged the best actor for Rustom while Surabhi Lakshmi won the best actress award for 'Minnaminungu'. Amitabh Bachchan-starrer film 'Pink' has been named the best film in the category on social issues. The Best Hindi Feature Film award went to "Neerja", directed by Ram Madhvani.
60. India and Israel have signed mega defence deals worth over $2 billion for advanced Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) systems, which are designed to destroy hostile aircraft, missiles and drones at a range of 70-km. As part of the deal, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) will provide Barak-8 advanced Medium-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (MRSAM) systems to the the Indian Army.These Barak-8 systems, with their Multi-Function Surveillance and Threat Alert Radars (MF-STARs) as well as weapon control systems with data links, can detect and track hostile aerial threats at a range of 100-km and destroy them at 70-km. Consequently, they will help in plugging the existing holes in India's air defence coverage.
61. India has been ranked 40th out of 136 countries in the 2017 World Economic Forum's (WEF) Global Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index (GTTCI), as per WEF's Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2017. In the global ranking, Spain has topped the list, followed by France, Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom. The report ranks countries across 14 dimensions, revealing how well countries could deliver sustainable economic and societal benefits through their travel and tourism sector. Apart from the ranking, the report also showed how the industry is a force for good in an otherwise largely stagnant global economy. The global travel and tourism sector accounts for 10% of global GDP, growing faster than other sectors and providing one in 10 jobs.
62. Indian boxer K Shyam Kumar has won a gold medal in the 49- kilogram category at the Thailand International Tournament in Bangkok on April 8, 2017. He clinched the medal without even stepping inside the ring for his summit clash, as Olympic champion Hasanboy Dusmatov of Uzbekistan was unable to play the final match due to his injury.
63. Lance Havildar Prem Bahadur Resmi Magar of the Gorkha Rifles has been posthumously conferred the 2016 Kirti Chakra award by President Pranab Mukherjee at the defence investiture ceremony in New Delhi. The late Lance Havildar eliminated four terrorists during an operation in Jammu and Kashmir on June 16, 2016. The honourable President Mukherjee has also presented 13 Shaurya Chakras, of which four were posthumous, and 45 Distinguished Service medals. These include 15 Param Vishisht Seva Medals, two Uttam Yudh Seva Medals and 28 Ati Vishisht Seva Medals. The Kirti Chakra is the second highest peacetime gallantry award i.e. awarded for valour, courageous action or self-sacrifice away from the field of battle.
64. The Rajasthan government has imposed a 10% cow cess as surcharge on stamp duty for protection and propagation of cows. The surcharge will be applicable on non-judicial instruments. The cess will have a bearing on costs of making documents like property sale or lease deeds, rent agreements and mortgage. Though, judicial stamps, revenue ticket and insurance ticket have been excluded from this order. Rajasthan is the only state in India which has a dedicated Cow Ministry. At present, the Rajasthan Cow Ministry is allocated 11% share of the entire land registrations revenue.
65. The Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) is the India's premier advanced research facility in the field of veterinary medicine and allied branches. It is in news because Scientists at the IVRI is in process of setting up a Deoxyribo- Nucleic Acid (DNA) bank for wild animals, the first of its kind in North India, which is expected to start at the end of 2017. So far, they have collected samples of 140 species. Through the DNA bank, scientists at IVRI's Centre for Wildlife will be able to tell the name and schedule of the species if they get only a part of the meat, hair, blood, skin or bone of any animal. Besides, the centre is also collecting serum of animals. The move will help clamp down on wildlife poaching and smuggling and also aid in research on wildlife species. At present, a DNA bank exists in Hyderabad. The headquarters of IVRI is located at Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh.
66. The Department of Science and Technology (DST) has launched Cyber Physical Systems (CPS) programme to deal with self-driven cars, autonomous unmanned vehicles and aircraft navigation systems. The CPS is an interdisciplinary field that deals with the deployment of computer-based systems that do things in the physical world. For instance, the self-driven cars produced by Google and Tesla.
67. Uruguay will become the first country in the world to fully allow the production, sale and consumption of marijuana when its pharmacies will be allowed to sell marijuana in July 2017. It adopted a revolutionary law that fully legalized production, sale and consumption of marijuana. Under the law, buyers must sign up for a national registry of marijuana users to ensure they have fulfilled licensing procedures and do not exceed the monthly maximum purchase of 40 grams (1.4 ounces). Under the law, users also have the option to grow their own pot at home, or join cannabis clubs that grow it in cooperatives.
68. The Madhya Pradesh government has recently launched the Deendayal Rasoi Yojana (DRY), under which subsidized meals will be available at Rs 5 per plate to people, especially the economically disadvantaged sections of society. Under the yojana, anyone can have a wholesome meal at Rs 5 which includes four chapatis, one vegetable curry and Dal every day between 11 am to 3 pm. The arrangement would cater to at least 2000 persons every day. The wheat and rice would be made available at these canteens at Rs one each through fair price shops. Local municipal bodies will make the water and electricity available free-of-cost. The funds for setting up these centres would be made available under Chief Minister's Urban Infrastructure Scheme.
69. Hindi film 'Dhanak' has won the Best Children's Film award at the 64th National Awards. The award carries a 'Golden Lotus Award (Swarna Kamal)', a certificate and cash prize of Rs. 1.5 Lakh. The awards ceremony will be held on 3 May 2017. The movie is written and directed by Nagesh Kukunoor.
70. The National Children's Film Festival (NCFF) has inaugurated by the Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Venkaiah Naidu at Vuda Theater in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh on 7 April, 2017. The 3-day fest is organized by the Children's Film Society, India (CFSI). It is the largest film festival for children in India giving the audience quality and wholesome entertainment. The purpose of the film festival is to expose children to quality cinema and to introduce novel elements beyond films.
71. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated an exhibition titled 'Swachhagraha – Bapu Ko Karyanjali' in New Delhi on April 10, 2017 to mark centenary of the historic Champaran Satyagraha – Mahatma Gandhi's first Satyagraha in India. The exhibition will showcase Champaran Satyagraha and it will connect essential principles of Satyagraha with Swachhagraha. The exhibition will also showcase the ground covered by the Swachh Bharat Mission in creating a mass movement towards a clean India.
72. The National Basketball Association (NBA) has launched India's first NBA Basketball School launched in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The school is a part of a multi-year agreement with India On Track (IOT), which is open to male and female players between ages 6-18. The NBA Basketball School builds an additional track between the Jr. NBA and NBA Academies with the goal of increasing the pool of players who have the talent to attend our academies around the world.
73. Malala Yousafzai (19), the youngest—ever Nobel Peace Prize laureate, will become the United Nations (UN)'s youngest-ever Messenger of Peace to promote girls' education around the world as part of her new role. She is honoured by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during a ceremony at the U.N. headquarters in New York on April 10, 2017. Yousafzai is a Pakistani education activist, who came to prominence when a Taliban gunman shot her in the head on her school bus in 2012 as punishment for campaigning for girls to go to school which defied the militant Islamic group's ban on female education.
74. The Keibul Lamjao National Park is the only floating park in the world, located in the Bishnupur district of Manipur. It is an integral part of Loktak Lake, which is famous for the phumdis floating over it. The park is home to brow-antlered deer 'Sangai' that has been included in the Centre-sponsored endangered species recovery programme. Apart from the brow-antlered deer, the other mammals reported are the hog deer, wild boar, , large Indian civet, common otter, jungle cat, golden cat, bay bamboo rat, musk shrew, etc.
75. Dame Asha Khemka, an Indian-origin educationist in the UK, has won the 'Asian Businesswoman of the Year' award for her efforts in the field of education and skills at the Asian Business Awards ceremony in Birmingham in April 2017. She is the Principal and CEO of West Nottinghamshire College in England. Khemka was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2014 in recognition of her services to the deprived areas of the West Midlands as principal of West Nottinghamshire College.
76. The International Convention on 'World Homoeopathy Day' has started on April 9, 2017 with the theme 'Enhancing Quality of Research in Homoeopathy' through scientific evidence and rich clinical experiences' at Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra (PBK) in New Delhi. The 2-day event is being organized to commemorate the 262nd birth anniversary of the founder of Homeopathy, Dr. Christian Friedrich Samuel Hahnemann, a German physician, who was a great scholar, linguist and acclaimed scientist. The convention is organized by Central Council for Research in Homeopathy and Ministry of AYUSH, Govt. of India (GoI).
77. The G-7 Foreign Ministers meeting has started in Luca, Italy from April 10, 2017. The civil war in Syria is likely to dominate talks in the two day summit, with Italy hoping for a final communique that will reinforce United Nations' efforts to end six years of conflict. The fight against terrorism is also expected to be high on the agenda. The meeting comes as the United States moves a Navy strike group near the Korean peninsula amid concerns over North Korea's nuclear ambitions, and as the West's relations with Russia struggle to overcome years of mistrust. The Group of 7 (G7) consists of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (USA).
78. The President of India, Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the first NIMCARE World Health Day Summit 2017 on April 7, 2017 in New Delhi. The slogan of the summit is 'Unite for a Healthy Mind'. The NIMCARE is a registered Charitable Trust under the Government of Tamil Nadu. The purpose of the non-profitable trust is to make a change in the lives of the underprivileged people by providing them with the highest quality healthcare to every member of the society, educate healthcare professionals in the best available techniques in the world of healthcare and combat the various afflictions ailing the people of the society with the help of cutting edge research.
79. India's first-ever micro-drama festival "Thespis" has started at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts in New Delhi on April 9, 2017. The micro drama festival has presented the series of 25 micro drama tales composed with the duration of 10 minutes and is named after Thespis of Icaria, who lived in 6th century BC and was the first actor to perform solo. The plays are conceptualised in 10 different languages, including Kashmiri, Rajasthani, Urdu, Punjabi, Oriya, Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi and English. It is organized by Delhi based registered theatre group 'Vriksh'.
80. The 12th edition of Indo – Mongolian Joint Military Exercise "Nomadic Elephant" has started at Vairengte in Mizoram from April 5, 2017 and will continue till April 18, 2017. Mongolian Army is represented by nine officers and 36 soldiers of the elite 084 Special Forces Task Battalion while Indian Army is represented by a contingent comprising of three officers, four JCOs and 39 soldiers of the Jammu & Kashmir Rifles. The purpose of the military exercise is to train the troops in Counter Insurgency & Counter Terrorism Operations under the United Nations mandate. The joint training will also lay emphasis on conducting operations by a joint subunit, comprising of troops from both the armies, in adverse operational conditions aimed at enhancing the interoperability between the two armies.
81. Bengaluru city police has launched "Pink Hoyslas" police patrol vehicles for women safety. Pink Hoysalas will be stationed at 51 hot spots' that have been identified on the basis of the crime pattern in various city areas, especially those related to safety of women and children. The vehicles will also patrol during the night to extend a moral support for women of Bengaluru. Apart from this, an emergency panic alarm app "Suraksha" has also launched for women to send emergency alerts directly to the city police control room in case of threat. The Suraksha app is available from Android and iOS platforms.
82. Lewis Hamilton, a British Formula One racing driver from England, has won the 2017 Formula One Chinese Grand Prix at the Shanghai International Circuit in Shanghai, China.
83. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has named Intel as its official Innovation Partner for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2017. The ICC has collaborated with Intel to transform the cricket experience for fans and help coaches and players improve performance. The 2017 season will be the 8th edition of the Champions Trophy, which will begin on June 1 and end on June 18. 8 teams will participate and a total of 15 matches will be played. The opening game will be played between England and Bangladesh, while the India Pakistan rivalry will be played on June 4 at Birmingham.
84. The Uttar Pradesh will launch cheap food canteen "Annapurna Bhojnalayas" across all 14 municipal corporations in the state. Under the scheme, breakfast will be provided at Rs 3, while lunch and dinner will cost Rs 5 only. As per scheme, breakfast will consist of porridge, poha and idli-sambhar along with tea and snacks while for lunch and dinner, dal and rice, seasonal vegetables and chapatis will be served.
85. Anuja Ravindra Dhir, an Indian-origin woman, has become the first non-white judge to sit at the Old Bailey Court of London. She is also the youngest circuit judge to sit at the court. The Old Bailey Court of London is the central criminal court of England and Wales. It houses 15 judges including 10 men and 5 women.
86. The Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting, M Venkaiah Naidu has recently released a book titled "Gandhi in Champaran" authored by noted author Dinanath Gopal Tendulkar at National Mahatma Gandhi Museum in New Delhi. Naidu also released a book containing a collection of letters and articles of the correspondence between Nobel laureate Romain Rolland and Mahatma Gandhi as well as DG Tendulkar's 8 volume biography of Mahatama Gandhi.
87. Dr. Harsh Vardhan, the Union Minister of Science and Technology, has recently launched the Nakshe Portal in New Delhi to mark the 250th anniversary of the Survey of India (SoI). These topographic maps or Open Series Maps (OSM) have been made available for free download from "nakshe" web portal in PDF format on 1:50,000 scale through Aadhaar – enabled user authentication process, in line with Digital India programme of the Government of India (GoI).
88. Colson Whitehead from United States has won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize in fiction for his novel "The Underground Railroad". The novel had received the 2016 National Book Award of the US. This is for the first time in more than 20 years that the same work won the Pulitzer and National Book Award for fiction. The novel depicts the journey of a young woman that escaped from slavery via a fantastical train system.
89. As per Amnesty International Global Report 'Death Sentences & Executions 2016', China has executed most people in 2016, despite the number of executions worldwide dropped by 37%. The report stated that it is difficult to get a clear number as Beijing classifies most information related to the death penalty as "state secrets". The agency said it believes that China executed thousands each year. Excluding China, states around the world executed 1,032 people in 2016, according to Amnesty's records. Iran has acquired 2nd position followed by Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Pakistan and Egypt. The report further stated that 104 countries were recorded to have abolished the death penalty in law or practice. Amnesty collects its statistics using official figures, media reports and information passed on from individuals sentenced to death and their families and representatives.
90. The first-ever G20 Digital Ministerial Meeting on Digital Economy was held in Dusseldorf, Germany on April 6-7, 2017 with theme "Digitisation: Policies for a Digital Future". The conference established a general agreement on how to maximize the benefits of digitalisation and highlighted the importance of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) as the backbone of today's digital economy.
91. The Indian School team has won the 5th edition of Asian School Hockey Championship after defeating Malaysia by 5-1 at the Aishbagh Stadium in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. For India, Alishan Mohammad scored two goals and Pratap Lakra successfully converted a penalty corner and a penalty stroke in the goal. Maninder Singh scored the fifth goal. Malaysia managed to score its single goal through Akhimullah Anuar Esook.
92. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has appointed an internationally acclaimed actress and philanthropist Kristin Davis as its new Goodwill Ambassador. Davis from United States championed UNHCR's work through media interviews and via her social media channels. She has also supported key UNHCR advocacy and fundraising events and campaigns – including traveling to Australia in 2016 to help raise funds for women victims of sexual violence in DR Congo. The headquarters of UNHCR is located in Geneva, Switzerland.
93. Dr Akhilesh Das Gupta (56), the former Union Minister of State for Steel under Dr. Manmohan Singh Government during UPA-I, has recently passed away in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. He was a Prominent Educationist, Professor, and Indian Politician & Philanthropist. Dr. Gupta was the President of Badminton Association of India (BAI), Vice President of Badminton Asia Confederation (BAC), Member – Executive Council of Badminton World Federation (BWF) & Vice President of Indian Olympic Association (IOA). He was also the member of the Rajya Sabha for three terms from 1996 to 2014. Dr. Gupta was the son of Freedom Fighter Late Shri Babu Banarasi Das, the former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.
94. The Union government will launch an umbrella programme 'SAMPADA' for food processing sector with Rs. 6,000 crore outlay to integrate current and new schemes. The purpose of the new programme is to reduce food wastage and to double farmers' income. This programme will help create infrastructure for linkage of entire supply chain. The acronym 'SAMPADA' stands for "Scheme for Agro-Marine Produce Processing and Development of Agro-Processing Clusters".
95. Shiva Kirti Singh, the retired Supreme Court judge, has been appointed the new chairman of the Telecom Disputes Settlement & Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT). The top slot in the telecom tribunal had been vacant for nearly a year since Justice Aftab Alam retired in June 2016. The purpose of the TDAST is to adjudicate disputes and dispose of appeals with a view to protect the interests of service providers and consumers of the telecom sector and to promote and ensure orderly growth of the telecom sector As per norms, the head of the dispute resolution agency for the telecom industry must be a person, who has been a Supreme Court judge, or the chief justice of a high court.
96. Atu Zumvu, a Sub-Divisional Police Officer with the Nagaland Police, has become the first Naga cop to confer with the prestigious Shaurya Chakra award at a ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on April 6, 2017 since Nagaland attained statehood. Zumvu won the prestigious award because he shot down three National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) outfit members, who were responsible for killing 81 people. Nagaland attained statehood in 1963 and since then this is the first time a police officer from the state has been honored with this award.
97. The Union government has recently constituted an inter-ministerial committee to monitor the regional air connectivity scheme UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik) which seeks to make flying affordable by connecting un-served and under-served airports. Besides, the panel would be responsible for coordination among stakeholders, including state governments, for time bound implementation of the scheme. The committee will be chaired by Rajiv Nayan Choubey, the Civil Aviation Secretary. The committee will also be responsible for overall monitoring of the schemes of promotion of regional connectivity by way of revival of unserved and under-served airports.
98. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recently released a book 'Matoshree', authored by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan in New Delhi on April 11, 2017. The book 'Matoshree' covers the life and times of legendary Devi Ahilyabai Holker who ruled the Holkar Empire spread over the Malwa region from 1767 to 1795. Ahilyabai Holkar was a very able ruler and organizer, highly respected during her lifetime and considered as a saint by people after her death. She is remembered and worshipped by people for her exemplary governance, sense of justice and fairness.
99. Bengaluru has been ranked the top-paying city for professionals in India with an average yearly salary of Rs.14.6 lakh, according to the 2017 Salary Trends Study by Randstad. Mumbai ranks second with Rs14.2 lakh followed by Hyderabad and NCR with an average annual CTC figure of Rs 13.6 lakhs and Rs 13.5 lakhs respectively. Chennai (Rs 13.4 lakh), Pune (Rs 13.2 lakh) and Kolkata (Rs 11.4 lakh) were the other top payers in the list. The Randstad Salary Trends Study 2017 is an analysis of 1,00,000 jobs across 20 industry verticals and 15 core functions. The survey identifies roles that are experiencing strong demand in the job market across industries and pay relatively higher remunerations for talent in the six to 10 years experience bracket when compared to other professionals in the same salary range. Core Java professionals top the list of these "Hot Jobs" with an average annual CTC of Rs18.06 lakh, followed by digital marketing professionals with Rs17.09 lakh and testing automation engineers with Rs14.67 lakh.
100. Mukta Dutta Tomar, a 1984-batch IFS officer, has been appointed as the new Ambassador of India to the Federal Republic of Germany. She will succeed Gurjit Singh. Presently, she is the additional Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
101. Nobel Peace laureate Malala Yousafzai has become only the 6th person to receive honorary Canadian citizenship for advocating girls' education. The Pakistani activist was welcomed to the seat of Canada's democracy by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. At age 19, Yousafzai is the youngest person to speak to Canadian members of parliament and senators in a joint session. She is also the youngest to receive honorary Canadian citizenship — a privilege previously granted to five others including Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama and Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi.
102. Achim Steiner from Germany, an expert in environmental issues and politics, has been named as the new administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). He will succeed Helen Elizabeth Clark, a former New Zealand Prime Minister. Previously, he served at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and headed the UN office in Kenya. The UNDP focuses on poverty reduction, HIV/AIDS, democratic governance, energy and environment, social development, and crisis prevention and recovery. The headquarters of UNDP is located in New York City, United States.
103. The International Day of Human Space Flight is celebrated every year on April 12 to mark the beginning of the space era for mankind, reaffirming the important contribution of space science and technology in achieving sustainable development goals and increasing the well-being of States and peoples, as well as ensuring the realization of their aspiration to maintain outer space for peaceful purposes. On 12th April 1961 the first human space flight was carried out by Yuri Gagarin, a Soviet citizen. This historic event opened the way for space exploration for the benefit of all humanity.
104. The Andhra Pradesh government will launch a unique programme 'Ammaku Vandanam' in schools to pay tribute to mothers and to respect motherhood. The programme will be implemented in high schools on the annual day of every academic year or on any other day decided by the School Management Committee (SMC). Under the programme, the school children will take the blessings of their mothers and may also do 'paada pooja' (washing her feet). The state government has allocated Rs 2.50 crore for organising the programme. Of this, the government will release Rs. 1.25 crore, while the remaining amount has to be pooled by the headmasters and teachers from the alumni/donors/CSR.
105. The National Safe Motherhood Day (NSMD) is observed every year on April 11 to create awareness on maternity care for pregnant and lactating women. The NSMD is an initiative of White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood, India (WRAI). The focus of year 2017 is to ensure that women must have the availability and adequate access to care during pregnancy, childbirth and postnatal services.
106. The Union Government has recently constituted an Inter-Disciplinary Committee to examine the existing framework with regard to Virtual Currencies. The Committee will take stock of the present status of Virtual Currencies both in India and globally. It will also examine the existing global regulatory and legal structures governing these Currencies. The committee will also suggest measures for dealing with such currencies including issues relating to consumer protection and money laundering. The Committee will be chaired by Dinesh Sharma, the Special Secretary of Economic Affairs, and will submit its report within 3 months.
107. The Government of India (GoI) has signed an agreement with China to extend the term of Hindi language course functioning at a leading Chinese University since 2012. The MoU was signed by Consul General of Shanghai Consulate Prakash Gupta on behalf of Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and Shanghai International Studies University (SISU) President Cao Deming in Shanghai. Under the terms of the agreement, the MoU envisaged appointing a Hindi language professor by ICCR in consultation with SISU to teach the language to Chinese and international students at the University. Initially, the MoU was signed on October 29, 2012 for a period of five years by (then) Ambassador of India to China and Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar and SISU Executive Vice President Feng Qinghua.
108. The Andhra Pradesh government has re-launched 'Adarana scheme' for improving traditional occupations. The scheme is for the uplift and all-round development of people belonging to the Backward Classes. The scheme will offer modern tools, technology, marketing, and financial support to artisans and those pursuing traditional occupations to raise their income levels and provide employment in the rural areas. 'Adarana' had been launched with this objective during the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) rule.
109. The World Bank (WB) has approved a $375 million loan to India's first waterway project "National Waterway (NW) 1". The waterway project is to create a water transport fairway on a 1,360-km stretch of the Ganga River between Varanasi and Haldia. The project will help build the infrastructure needed to develop water transportation in the area. It will finance the construction of six multi-modal terminals, 10 RORO jetties, ship-repair facilities as well as passenger jetties along the river. It will also help modernise the ageing Farakka lock and add a new lock to allow for smoother passage of boats. The project will also help the Inland Waterways Authority of India acquire a state-of-the-art River Information System as well as navigation aids to make travel on the river safer and more reliable. The US$375 million loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) has a 7-year grace period and a maturity of 17 years.
110. Haldia Port of West Bengal has topped the list in the first-ever ranking of the ports on Sanitation Parameters under the Union Ministry of Shipping. The ranking was based on the efforts undertaken by ports to counter waste generating sources with respect to port operation, office area, township area and the response to incoming ships. The ranking of all 13 Indian ports was conducted by the Quality Council of India (QCI) during the 'Swachhta Pakhwada' observed from March 16-31, 2017.
111. India has recently signed sport partnership agreement with Australia to increase cooperation in sports. The India-Australia Sports Partnership would facilitate exchange of athletes, coaches, technical officials, sports scientists between the two countries. It will advance India-Australia cooperation in four areas, athlete and coach training and development, sport science, sport governance and integrity and grassroots participation. Under the new partnership, Victoria University and the University of Canberra would work with India to assist in the establishment of a National Sports University (NSU) similar to the Australian Institute of Sport.
112. India's first industrial-articulated robot "TAL Brabo" has been launched by TAL Manufacturing Solutions, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tata Motors. It is the first industrial robot to be fully conceptualized, designed & made in India for Micro, Small and Medium Industries (MSME). The indigenously built robot is available in two variants of payloads of 2 kg and 10 kg, priced at Rs. 5 lakh and Rs.7 lakh. It can be used for tasks such as picking and placement of materials, welding, sealant application and vision-based inspection. The robot can be programmed to operate 24/7 and can perform complex operations cost effectively. Apart from the MSME sector, the robot can also be used by large-scale manufacturers.
113. Dr. Mark Wainberg (71), the renowned Canadian AIDS researcher and social activist, has recently passed away in Bal Harbour, Florida, USA. He was a leader in the fight against AIDS and was a major force in HIV Science. Wainberg was the founder and Director of the McGill University AIDS Centre and the Lady Davis Institute at Montreal's Jewish General Hospital at the Montreal Jewish General Hospital and Professor of Medicine and of Microbiology at McGill University.
114. Munshi Venu (63), a prominent Malayalam actor, has passed away at Chalakudy in Thrissur, Kerala. He acted in over 75 Malayalam films and will be remembered for his comical characters. He was best known for his roles in Chotta Mumbai, Salt 'n' Pepper, Kanyaka Talkies, Oru Muthassi Gadha, Immanuel and Daddy Cool.
115. The Haryana government has recently launched 'Operation Durga' campaign to ensure women safety in the state. Under this campaign, 24 teams have been formed by the Chief Minister's Flying Squad. The teams comprise woman personnel, including nine Sub-inspectors of Police, 14 Assistant Sub-inspectors, six Head Constables and 13 constables, besides other police officers from each district. The teams will visit public places such as schools, colleges, bus stands and railway stations and will nab anti-social elements indulging in crimes against women, including eve teasing, vulgar comments, stalking and other similar activities.
116. The Sangken festival has started in Arunachal Pradesh from April 14, 2017 that marks the start of Theravada Buddhist New Year. It is celebrated by the Theravada Buddhist community. On the occasion the images of Buddha are taken out and are given ceremonial bath. The holy bath of lord Buddha is an auspicious event in the 3-day fest. Later people celebrate the festival by splashing water on each others, which symbolizes the spiritual cleansing in order to begin the New Year free from impurities. The water also symbolizes fortune and purity that is said to clear all diseases, sins and bad luck.
117. Justice Gita Mittal has become the acting Chief Justice of Delhi High Court (DHC). She has authored many significant judgments and was also instrumental in the establishment of vulnerable witness deposition complexes in Delhi. Her judicial pronouncements include judgments on compensation to riot victims, right to shelter for displaced persons, right to marriage of a woman member of the armed forces, among others. She has also been part of various court committees. She succeeded Chief Justice G. Rohini , who retires on April 13, 2017.
118. Himachal Pradesh has bagged Krishi Karman Award 2015-16 for commendable increase in food grains production. The state Agriculture Department has been selected for this award for the 3rd time due to their dedicated efforts in extending technological inputs and services to the farmers which resulted in increase in food grains production. The award would carries a trophy, citation and cash prize. Apart from this, the department has also done considerable work in promoting poly-house cultivation, crop diversification, micro irrigation, organic farming and soil health management. The state was also conferred the Krishi Karman Award for 2011-12 for increase in wheat production and in 2014-15 for increasing food grains production.
119. Abdulqadir Rashik, an Indian software engineer, has recently won first prize in Unite Ideas #UNGAViz Textual Analysis and Visualisation Challenge for his 'Global Policy', an open-source tool that enables users to search and interactively view General Assembly resolutions to gain a deeper understanding of the voting patterns and decisions made by United Nations Member States. Rashik's prototype will be made public and shared with United Nations bodies and member states. He will also receive recognition from the Department of State and the Office of Information and Communications Technology. Previously, he won the top prize in the United Nations #LinksSDGs challenge in March 2017 for his 'Links to Sustainable Cities', an interactive visualisation that identifies and maps the links between various Sustainable Development Goals. Rashik is an entrepreneur and founder of India-based Miavy Systems.
120. The Uttar Pradesh government has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Union government for the 'Power for All' scheme in the state. The aim of this scheme is to ensure 24-hour quality power supply in the state by October 2018 and electric connection to every house and agriculture field by 2019. The purpose of the MoU is to ensure that consumers get quality electricity at an affordable price. The project will cost above Rs. 40 thousand crore out of which 20 thousand crore will be spent till 2018.
121. Trupti Jain, an Indian environmental engineer, has won prestigious 2017 Cartier Women's Initiative Awards at the Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall in Singapore for providing women working on farms with water management solutions and protecting small farmers against droughts and flash floods. She is among the six winners chosen for the Asia-Pacific laureate from a pool of nearly 1,900 applicants from over 120 countries and was selected by an independent international jury. Each recipient receives a $ 100,000 prize money as well as a year of mentoring. Jain is the founder of the Gujarat-based Naireeta Services company and providing handmade water management solutions that enable small farmers to filter and store rainwater underground to protect them against droughts and flash floods.
122. Girish Chandra Saxena (90), the former Governor of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), has recently passed away in New Delhi. Saxena was the 1950-batch IPS officer, who served in Uttar Pradesh as Chief of Police in various districts including Rampur, Aligarh, Bareilly and Allahabad. Later, he was deputated to the Government of India (GoI) in April 1969, served in Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) for 16 years and headed it from 1983 to 1986. After his retirement from the RAW in 1986, Saxena served as an advisor to the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi till January 1988. His main areas of specialization were international affairs, national security and intelligence matters.
123. Pankaj Advani, 16-time world champion, has won his 7th Asian title by defeating his compatriot Sourav Kothari 6-3 in an entertaining final of the 2017 Asian Billiards Championship in Chandigarh.
124. The Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has stated that the Habibganj station in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh has been handed over to a private firm to be operated by it. With this, Habibganj station has become the India's first privately-run railway station. The station building will be developed in line with airport terminals. Though, the trains at the station will still be run by the Railways.
125. The Pana Sankranti, also known as Maha bisuba Sankranti, is the traditional New Year day festival of Buddhists and Hindus in Odisha. This year, it is celebrated on April 14, 2017.This day is named after the main chilled sweet mango-milk-yoghurt-coconut drink "Pana", which shared as a tradition on this occasion. The festival is celebrated with visits to Shiva, Shakti, or Hanuman temples, as the day is considered to be the birthday of Hanuman.People takes baths in rivers or major pilgrimage centers. Communities participate in mela (fairs), watch street dance or acrobatic performances. A notable climax of the social celebrations is fire-walk, where volunteers sprint over a bed of burning coal while being cheered with music and songs. Pana Sankranti is similar to new year festivals observed by Hindus elsewhere such as Vaisakhi (north and central India), Bihu (Assam), Pohela Boishakh (Bengal), Vishu (Kerala) and Puthandu (Tamil Nadu).
126. The Koradi Thermal Power Station (KTPS) is located at Koradi near Nagpur, Maharashtra. It is in news because Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recently dedicated the 3,300 MW KTPS to the nation. The power plant will help boost the state's power utilisation and help farmers draw power at flexible hours as per their requirements.
127. The first-ever joint military exercise 'Sagarmatha Friendship-2017' will be held between Nepal and China from April 17, 2017 with a special focus on combating terror and disaster management. The 10-day-long military drill is being organised by the two countries as part of their preparedness against terrorism that has posed as a serious security threat globally. It is to be known that Sagarmatha is the Nepali name of Mt Everest that is bordering between Nepal and China.
128. The Jharkhand Police has recently launched 'Tare Zameen Par programme' to enlighten children in Naxal-affected areas in the Palamau district of Jharkhand. The purpose of the programme is to restore confidence in the state police force and to encourage children to lead happy lives. As a part of the programme, the state police appealed the locals to donate bags, shoes, books and clothes to improve the basic amenities of the children in the Naxal-affected areas.
129. Robert William Taylor (85), the internet and computer pioneer, has recently passed away in California, United States. He was instrumental in creating the internet and the modern personal computer. Taylor's was also responsible for developing ethernet local networking and a word processing program that became Microsoft Word.
130. The Chief minister of Himachal Pradesh, Virbhadra Singh has recently launched an 'unemployment allowance scheme' at the state level function at Chamba on the occasion of the 70th foundation day of Himachal Pradesh. As per the scheme, the state government will provide an unemployment allowance of Rs 1,000 per month to youth having intermediate or above qualification where as the unemployed youth with disability would be given Rs 1,500 per month. Apart from this, the state government has also decided to regularize contract employees after three years in service, instead of the present period of 5 years.
131. Maharashtra became the first Indian state to launch a special awareness drive to ensure that transgenders in the state register as voters. The state branch of the Election Commission of India (ECI) has launched the drive on April 15, celebrated as Third Gender Day (TGD). According to ECI officials, Maharashtra has over 10 lakh transgenders and only about 1,700 are registered voters. It must be noted that the 'third gender' status for hijras or transgenders was created by the Supreme Court in its landmark judgment on 15th April 2014.
132. The Union Minister of Human Resource and Development (HRD) Prakash Javadekar has launched the portal and mobile app "Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA)" in New Delhi on April 17, 2017. The portal will act as a one-stop one-stop destination for higher education plans, decisions and information on resources of states. Apart from this, the Fund and Reform Tracker has also launched for RUSA. The mobile application will ensure that all projects under RUSA are tracked 24×7. RUSA is the Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) launched in 2013 to provide strategic central funding to State Higher Education Departments and Institutions and achieve the broad objectives of access, equity and excellence.
133. Gayatri Pullela has bagged both the singles and doubles crown at the Pembangunan Jaya Raya Junior Grand Prix in Jakarta, Indonesia. She won girls U-15 singles title by defeating her compatriot Samiya Farooqui by 21-11, 18-21, 21-16. Later, Pullela and Samiya won their U-15 doubles title by defeating Indonesian pair of Kelly Larissa and Shelandry Vyola in the final by 21-17, 21-15. Both Gayatri and Samiya train together at the Pullela Gopichand Academy in Hyderabad. Gayatri Pullela is the daughter of National Badminton coach Pullela Gopichand.
134. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has won the 2017 Time magazine's readers' poll of the 100 most influential people in the world. Duterte got 5% of the total "yes" votes in the poll, which closed on April 16, 2017. The official TIME 100 list, which is selected by TIME's editors, will be announced on April 20, 2017.
135. Emma Martina Luigia Morano (117), the world's oldest woman, has recently passed away at Verbania in Italy on April 15, 2017. She was born on 29th November 1899 in the Piedmont region of Italy and was officially the last person born in the 1800s still living. She was the Guinness World Record holder for the oldest living person and oldest living woman. Upon Morano's death, Violet Brown from Jamaica became the world's oldest known person in the world.
136. The World Hemophilia Day (WHD) is observed every year on April 17 to improve and sustain care for people with inherited bleeding disorders around the world. The 2017 World Hemophilia Day theme is "Hear Their Voices" to unite the community and show support for the millions of people affected by bleeding disorders. Hemophilia is an inherited bleeding disorder in which a person lacks or has low levels of certain proteins called "clotting factors" and as a result, the blood doesn't clot properly. Clotting factor is a protein in blood that controls bleeding. If you have hemophilia, you may bleed for a longer time after an injury than you would if your blood clotted normally. Hemophilia is quite rare. About 1 in 10,000 people are born with it.
137. Sai Praneeth Bhamidipati from India has won the 2017 Men's singles Singapore Open Badminton tournament by defeating his compatriot Kidambi Srikanth in the final by 17-21, 21-17,21-17 at Singapore Indore Stadium, Singapore. Apart from this, Tai Tzu-ying of Taiwan has won the Women's Singles title by defeating Carolina Marin of Spain in the final by 21-15, 21-15. In the Men's doubles event, the pair of M Boe and C Mogensen defeated the J Li and Y Liu duo 21-13, 21-14. In the Women's doubles, the pair of K R Juhl and C Pedersen beat the pair of M Matsutomo and A Takahashi 21-18,14-21, 21-15. In the Mixed Doubles, the K. Lu and Y Huang duo defeated the duo of P Dechapol and S Teiratennachal 19-21, 21-16, 21-11.
138. The first-ever Nepal-China joint military exercise 'Sagarmatha Friendship-2017' has started at Kathmandu, Nepal from April 17, 2017 with a special focus on counter- terrorism and disaster management. The purpose of 10-day-long military exercise is to exchange experience, skills and professional knowledge between the armies of Nepal and China. It is to be known that Sagarmatha is the Nepali name of Mt Everest that is bordering between Nepal and China.
139. Prof. A.V. Narasimha Murthy, the noted historian and archaeologist, has bestowed with the prestigious Dr. Paduru Gururaja Bhat Memorial Award 2017 in Udupi, Karnataka for his contribution to Indian Archaeology, Ancient History and Numismatics. The award carries a citation and a purse of Rs. 50,000. Prof. Murthy is the Chairman of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan (BVB), Mysuru and former Head, Department of Ancient History and Archaeology, University of Mysore. The Udupi-based Dr. Paduru Gururaja Bhat Memorial trust had instituted the award in 2010 for recognising outstanding contributions in the field of history, archaeology, sociology, and other social sciences. The late Paduru Gururaja Bhat (1924-1978) was a teacher, historian and researcher par excellence, especially in Tulu history and culture.
140. The World Heritage Day (WHD) is being observed every year on April 18 to spread awareness of the importance of protecting and preserving various sites around the world that have achieved world heritage status. The 2017 theme is "Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Tourism". The world heritage sites are officially recognised by the UN and the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation, UNESCO. These sites are classified as a natural or man-made structure that has international importances and hold cultural and physical significance. There are total 1,052 heritage sites in all over the World. In India, there are 35 World Heritage Sites including the very famous Taj Mahal in Agra, Nalanda University, Mahabodhi Temple in Bihar and Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh.
141. The Rajasthan government has recently signed a reworked MoU with Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) for the Rs 43,129 crore Barmer refinery. The Barmer refinery will be the first in the country to produce BS-6 standard fuel. The state government will have 26% stake in the project while rest will be held by HPCL. The government has made 4800 acre land available at Pachpadra for the project. It is expected that the project will take four years to complete.
142. Dr. Rayappa Ramappa Hanchinal has been bestowed with the 6th edition of prestigious M.S. Swaminathan Award for contribution in the field of agriculture. Dr Hanchinal received the award for his contributions and sustained support to the areas of crop improvement for hot and very hot dry environments, seed production technology and intellectual protection rights in plant varieties. He is the Chairperson of Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers Rights Authority, New Delhi. The award is instituted and given under the aegis of Retired ICAR Employees Association (RICAREA) in association with the Nuziveedu Seeds Ltd (NSL). It carries a cash prize of Rs. 2 lakh, a medal and citation.
143. India's oldest and largest Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), IIT Kharagpur will start "Vastu Shastra" classes for architecture students from the next academic session i.e. starting from August 2017. It will be introduced to undergraduate students as part of courses on basic design and history of architecture. At the post-graduate level, concepts of social principles, 9-circuit placements or the nabagraha mandal, sacred altars and design semiotics and semantics will be taught to students. The purpose of this initiative is to explore India's ancient roots in Vastu Shastra. It is a part of the institute's Science and Heritage Initiative (SandHI) which will oversee the curriculum design.
144. According to the latest report of World Bank titled "Globalization Backlash", India's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is expected to grow at 7.2% for FY 18, from 6.8% in FY 16. The international agency expects the fiscal, inflation and external conditions in India to remain stable and a gradual GDP growth rise to 7.7% in 2019-20. The report focuses on the economic climate in South Asia and, predicts growth in the region.
145. The Chief Minister of Manipur , Nongthombam Biren Singh has recently launched two web applications to check corruption and to keep track of government activities. The newly launched web-sites are Anti-Corruption Cell and Digital Application for Review by Public And Nation (DARPAN), which will monitor all government funded projects and ensure transparency and accountability. The purpose of the website DARPAN is to inform the people of the State about various projects being taken up by the Government of Manipur and current status of the projects and check dissemination of fake or incorrect status report by using GPS location verification.
146. The President of India, Pranab Mukherjee has inaugurated the 3rd edition of the Global Exhibition on Services (GES-2017) on April 17, 2017 at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. The GES-2017 will highlight India's potential to boost its services exports across sectors. The 4-day event will be held at India Expo Mart in Greater Noida and will focus on 20 services sectors, including information technology, tourism and hospitality, logistics, education and financial services. GES 2017 brings together 550 exhibitors from 70 plus countries. More than 20,000 visitors are expected to attend the exhibition. The exhibition will see over 5,000 business meetings and deliberations at more than 30 seminars. The exhibition is being organised by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry together with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Services Export Promotion Council (EEPC).
147. Sebastian Vettel, a German racing driver for Scuderia Ferrari, has won the 2017 Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix tournament at Bahrain International Circuit in Bahrain.
148. The Ministry of Women and Child Development in collaboration with the Ministry of Panchayati Raj has launched a nationwide programme for capacity building of Elected Women Representatives (EWRs) of Panchayats and a training program for trainers of women panchayat leaders on April 17, 2017 at Ranchi, Jharkhand. The training program seeks to empower EWRs of panchayats by enhancing their capacity, capability and skill in governance and administration of villages. The purpose of the training programme is to build the confidence of the women representatives in dealing with the daily functioning of the panchayats and make them aware of the laws and rights of women under Constitution of India.
149. The 14th edition of United Nations International Day of Vesak will be hosted by Srilanka from May 12-14, 2017 under the theme "Buddhist Teachings for Social Justice and Sustainable World Peace". Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India, will be the chief guest for UN Vesak Day. The events include an International Buddhist Symposium the participation of over 400 delegates from 100 countries. Vesak is associated with three important locations of Buddhist history – Lumbini in Nepal, the birth place of Prince Siddharta, Bodh Gaya (Buddha Gaya) Bihar State in India where The Buddha attained the most exalted Enlightenment under a Bodhi Tree and Kushinagar (Kusinara) in Uttar Pradesh, India where The Buddha attained Mahaparinibbāna. The significance of Vesak lies with the Buddha's teaching of cessation of suffering and universal peace to all humankind. It is a message to urge followers to do that which is good and to turn away from evil. It is a message of peace and perfect harmony between human beings and nature.
150. The Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has formed a committee to review the recommendations made by University Grants Commission (UGC) panel on implementation of the 7th pay commission in educational institutions. The committee will be headed Kewal Kumar Sharma, the secretary of the department of Higher Education (HE). The development comes against the backdrop of teachers' associations of various universities threatening to go on strike on April 19, 2017 over the delay in implementation after the UGC panel submitted its report. The pay review committee of the UGC, which was formed in 2016 and was headed by it member VS Chauhan, had recommended to scrap ad-hoc and temporary appointments of teachers across universities.
151. The State Bank of India (SBI) has become the India's most valued Public Sector Unit (PSU) in terms of market valuation. At the end of trade on April 18, the market cap of SBI stood at Rs 2,35,307.51 crore. Among the top-10 most valued companies list, SBI is at 5th position, while ONGC is at 7th. Apart from this, IT major TCS is the most valued Indian company with a market cap of Rs 4,54,902.85 crore followed by RIL, HDFC Bank, ITC, SBI, HDFC, ONGC, Infosys, HUL, and Maruti Suzuki.
152. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) to help develop low-cost lithium ion batteries for electric vehicles. According to the MoU, BHEL will set up a production plant, while ISRO will provide support for scale-up, joint effort in cost optimisation, research and development for alternate chemistry and buyback commitment, according to sources. BHEL will develop the battery for commercial applications. This is part of India's plan to promote low-cost electric vehicles with the use of lithium-ion batteries.
153. As per latest biannual World Economic Outlook (WEO) report, International Monetary Fund (IMF) has increased India's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate estimate for FY 17 (2016-17) to 6.8%, from 6.6% estimated in January 2017. As per WEO, IMF has also retained India's GDP growth projection of 7.2% for FY 18 and 7.7% for FY19 because of the temporary negative consumption shock induced by cash shortages and payment disruptions from the recent currency exchange initiative. According to WEO, the global economy is expected to do better with 3.5% growth in 2017 against 3.1% in 2016 on the back of better growth in the US and the emerging market pack, but Euro zone is likely to continue to grow at current pace.
154. Allan Holdsworth (70), the renowned British guitarist and composer, has recently passed away in California, United States. He was known for his advanced knowledge of music, through which he incorporated a vast array of complex chord progressions and intricate solos.
155. Sagar Baheti from Bangaluru has become the India's first visually impaired runner to compete and finish the historic Boston Marathon, which is the world's oldest, most competitive and the hardest marathon. He covered the 42.195 km distance in 4 hours, 14 minutes and 7 seconds and finished the race at the 18th spot in the visually impaired category. Presently, Baheti cannot identify objects beyond one metre. He was supported by the Massachusetts Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (MABVI) to compete in the marathon.
156. The Civil Services Day (CSD) is organized every year on April 21 in India by civil servants to rededicate and recommit themselves to the cause of the people. This day gives civil servants the opportunity for introspection and thinking about future strategies to deal with the challenges being posed by the changing times. On this occasion, all officers of Central and State Governments are honoured for excellence in public administration by the Prime Minister of India. This year, 2-day programme will be inaugurated by the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on April 20, 2017 and the Prime Minister Narendra Modi will confer PM's awards for Excellence in Public Administration to Districts/Implementing units and other Central/State organisations on April 21, 2017 for effective implementation of Identified Priority Programmes and Innovation.
157. The National Safety Council (NSC) is a self-supporting non-profit autonomous society, set up by the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Govt. of India (GoI) on 4th March 1966. Its aim is to strengthen a national movement on Safety, Health & Environment (SHE) to prevent and mitigate loss of life, human suffering & economic losses and provide support services. It is in news because the 2016 NSCI Safety Awards will be presented by the Minister of State (Independent Charge), Labour & Employment Bandaru Dattatreya on April 20, 2017 in New Delhi. The NSCI Safety Awards are coveted national level awards in the field of Workplace Safety, Health and Environment. The headquarters of the NSC is located in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
158. The Sessa Orchid Sanctuary is located in the Himalayan foothills in Bhalukpong Forest Division of West Kameng District, Arunachal Pradesh. It conjoins Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary to the southwest. It is a part of the Kameng Protected Area Complex (KPAC), which is an Elephant Reserve. Sessa is noted for the occurrence of more than 200 orchid species with 5 new and endemic species. Sub-tropical types include the genera Dendrobium, Bulbophyllum, Coelogyne, Eria, Phaius and Liparis. The sanctuary is unique in having 7 endemic species of saprotrophic orchids.
159. Veteran actress Saira Banu has been named for the prestigious Raj Kapoor Lifetime achievement award of the Maharashtra Government. Actor Jackie Shroff is selected for the Raj Kapoor Special contribution award. Apart from this, noted Marathi film industry personalities Vikram Gokhale and Arun Nalawade have been named for the coveted V. Shantaram Lifetime Achievement and V. Shantaram Special Contribution annual awards. Both the lifetime awards carry a citation and cash of Rs. 5 lakh each, while both the special contribution awards carry a citation and Rs. 3 lakh. The awards will be presented at the 54th Maharashtra State Marathi Film Festival.
160. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has conducted its first-of-its-kind State-level mock exercise on forest fire in Uttarakhand on April 18, 2017. The aim of the mock exercise is to assess the efficacy of integrating the preparedness and response mechanisms of the forest department with those of the district administration. The 3-day exercise is significant as almost 70% of the State's geographical area is under forests and incidents of forest fires are commonplace. The mock exercise has been conducted in collaboration with the State Government. The fire officials from all the districts and other departments of the state have participated in the exercise.
161. India has been ranked at the 8th position in the 2017 A.T. Kearney Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Confidence Index. As per A.T. Kearney report, foreign companies have considered India as an attractive destination due to its reforms to enable a transparent and an easy business environment. Around 31% of firms surveyed were optimistic about India's economic outlook over the next three years. About 70% of the respondents plan to maintain or increase their FDI in India. The Index is an annual analysis of how political, economic, and regulatory changes will likely affect FDI inflows into countries in the coming years. The Index is constructed using primary data from a proprietary survey administered to senior executives of the world's leading corporations. All companies participating in the survey have annual revenues of $500 million or more. United States has ranked first in the FDI index, followed by Germany, China, United Kingdom and Canada.
162. Vinay Sah has become the new MD and CEO of LIC Housing Finance. He succeeded Sunita Sharma, who has been promoted as Managing Director of Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC). Prior to joining LIC Housing Finance, Sah was Executive Director–Marketing/Product Development with LIC of India.
163. The ICICI Bank Data Centre in Hyderabad has become the India's first Platinum rated project to be rated under IGBC Green Data Centre Rating System. At present, more than 150 professionals from ICICI Bank are IGBC Accredited Professionals (APs) and they are fully equipped to manage the green building facilities of ICICI Bank. The Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) is a part of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and its' vision is to enable a sustainable built environment for all and facilitate India to be one of the global leaders in the sustainable built environment by 2025. The IGBC Green Data Centre Rating System would facilitate in providing tremendous tangible and intangible benefits. Tangible benefits include: 20 to 25% reduction in Power Usage Effectiveness, 25 to 30% reduction in water consumption. Intangible benefits include enhanced air quality, excellent day-lighting, health & well-being of the staff operating such facility.
164. The Punjab government will launch an innovative scheme "Book Banks" in all schools of the state so that needy students will get the books for their academic year free of cost. These book banks will request students to deposit their old books so that the needy students in the next batch can use them free of cost. The scheme will help the needy save money and it will also reduce costs and environmental damage associated with printing new books. Though, this unique initiative will be purely on voluntary basis and no student would be bound to give away their old books. NGOs that have been running similar schemes will help the government in the implementation process.
165. Devineni Rajasekhar (63), the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader and former Andhra Pradesh Minister, has recently passed away in Hyderabad. He was popularly known as Devineni Nehru. Nehru was a five-time MLA from the Kankipadu constituency in Krishna district and was an ardent follower of late Chief Minister N.T. Rama Rao.
166. B.N. Mohapatra, an officer of Indian Railway Accounts Service (IRAS) of 1980 batch, has been appointed the new Financial Commissioner (FC) of Indian Railways. Prior to this posting, he served as Additional Member (Finance) since November 2016.
167. Devendra Kumar Sharma, the managing director of Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited, will be the new chairman of the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB). The BBMB manages the release of water in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan as it controls Bhakra, Pong and other dams. The post of chairman had been lying vacant since September 2015 and its temporary charge was given to SK Sharma. The appointment committee of the Union cabinet approved DK Sharma's name and the power ministry will issue a formal order soon. The appointment is for a period of three years on deputation from the date of assuming charge.
168. Malaysia Airlines will become the world's first airline to track its flights with the help of satellites by 2018. For this, Malaysia Airlines has signed an agreement with Aireon LLC, SITAONAIR and FlightAware LLC that will enable it to monitor its aircraft flight paths in real time anywhere in the world including over the Polar Regions and the most remote oceans. No new avionics or modifications are needed for aircraft to be tracked by the satellites.
169. The UN Chinese Language Day is observed every year on April 20 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to raise awareness and respect for the history, culture and achievements of each of the six official languages of the world body. April 20 was chosen as the date for the Chinese language to pay tribute to Cang Jie, a mythical figure who is presumed to have invented Chinese characters about 5,000 years ago. The six official languages of the United Nations are as follows: English, French, Russian, Chinese, Spanish and Arabic.
170. The 2017 BRICS Film Festival will be held in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province from June 23 to 27. During the festival, 30 films from BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) will be screened, including an anthology by five directors from the aforementioned countries, "Where has the time gone". The feature film consisting of five 18-minute shorts on the same theme is a joint work by Walter Salles from Brazil, Aleksey Fedorchenko from Russia, Madhur Bhandarkar from India, Jahmil X. T. Qubeka from South Africa, and Jia Zhangke from China. The first BRICS Film Festival was held in New Delhi, India in September 2016.
171. The 2017 Felix Houphouet-Boigny Peace Prize has been awarded to Giuseppina Nicolini, Mayor of Lampedusa (Italy) and to the nongovernmental organization 'SOS Mediterranee (France)' for their work to save the lives of refugees and migrants and welcome them with dignity. SOS Mediterranee is a civic, European organization for the rescue of people in distress in the Mediterranean. The prize includes a cheque of USD 150,000, a gold medal and a peace diploma. The Felix Houphouet-Boigny Peace Prize was created in 1989 to honor individuals or public and private bodies or institutions that have made a significant contribution to promoting, seeking, safeguarding or maintaining peace in conformity with the United Nations' Charter and the Constitution of UNESCO.
172. The first-ever World Ocean Festival (WOF) will be held in New York City, United States from June 4, 2017, which will be organized by the Global Brian Foundation (GBF). As part of the festival, activists and enthusiasts will take to the streets and waterways of New York City to raise their voices to reverse the declining health of our oceans. The week-long event will galvanize people across the world to bring public attention to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically Goal 14, on conservation and sustainable use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.
173. India has contributed $250,000 to UN election assistance programme for helping countries to hold elections and develop their electoral systems. This is the second Indian contribution of $250,000 to the programmes for electoral assistance and capacity building. The first was made in 2012. The Election Assistance Division (EAD) of United Nations, which was set up in 1991, has helped over 100 countries with their elections. It is based on the principle established in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The division principally provides technical assistance for organising and conducting elections.
174. The cricket icon Kapil Dev will be honoured with the 75th Master Dinanath Mangeshkar award on April 24, 2017 for his outstanding contribution to Indian Cricket. Beside this, Actor Aamir Khan will be honoured with the Vishesh Puraskar for Best Film "Dangal". Apart from this, legendary actress Vyjayanthimala Bali will be honoured with Master Dinanath Vishesh Puraskar for her achievements in Hindi cinema. 'Mohan Wagh Award' for best drama will be awarded to Sunil Barve for "Amar Photo Studio Subak Sanstha". The event will be organised by Master Dinanath Smruti Pratishthan and Hridayesh Arts.
175. The veteran actress Moushumi Chatterjee has been honored with the lifetime achievement award at the 80th Bengal Film Journalists' Association (BFJA) awards. Apart from this, Bengali film superstar Prosenjit Chatterjee was given the best actor award for his role in "Sankhachil", while Rituparna Sengupta was given the best actress crown for her role in "Rajkahini" along with Paoli Dam for "Natoker Moto" (2015). A galaxy of seasoned directors – Kaushik Ganguly ("Cinemawala" – 2016), Shiboprasad Mukherjee-Nandita Roy ("Belaseshe" – 2015), Aniruddha Roychowdhury ("Buno Haans" 2014), Srijit Mukherjee ("Rajkahini" – 2015) and Goutam Ghosh ("Sankhachil" – 2015) – were honoured with best direction trophies for their works. The BFJA is the oldest association of film critics in India, founded in 1937 to serve the developing film journalism and film industry.
176. The Sahitya Akademi has recently declared its 2016 Translation Prize in English language to Sri Aniruddhan Vasudevan for his book titled "One Part Woman". The book is the English translation of Perumal Murugan's controversial Tamil novel 'Maadhorubaagan'. Vasudevan will be felicitated with the award along with other winners of the Sahitya Akademi award in 23 languages in a ceremony in June 2016. The prize consists of a casket containing an engraved copper-plaque and a cheque of Rs. 50,000.
177. The All India Radio (AIR) Aizawl has been honoured with the prestigious Lelte Award at an impressive 26th Award Ceremony held at Chanmari YMA Hall in Aizawl. The award is given in recognition of the role played by AIR Aizawl for the overall progress & development of Mizoram and for promotion of Mizo language & literature and for its contribution in the field of healthcare & education and in promotion of brotherhood. The Lelte Special Award was received by D R Lalropuia, Director (E) & Head of Office. Lelte is a popular Weekly Magazine in Mizoram which hit the stand since 1983. The Magazine is instituting "Lelte Awards" aims at recognizing talents and skills of the young and budding Mizo artists for the past 26 years. Besides, the Magazine strives for honouring, promoting and recognizing what's matter in Mizoram.
178. India and South Korea has recently signed an agreement to firm up bilateral cooperation in defence shipbuilding. The agreement will form the basis of defence cooperation between the two countries in shipbuilding. Under the MoU, the two sides will nominate one shipyard each for this purpose. India has already picked Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) while Korea will make the nomination soon. It will enable HSL to upgrade and modernise its facilities so as to enable it to execute naval projects in a timely manner. The agreement will also be useful for the development of vendors for supply of material.
179. The International Mother Earth Day (IMED) is observed every year all over the world on April 22 with the message to protect environment. The day is celebrated worldwide to raise awareness among people that they have a collective responsibility to promote harmony with nature and to balance the economic, social and environmental needs of present and future generations. The campaign theme for 2017 is "Environmental and Climate Literacy". The day was proposed at the UNESCO conference in 1969 and the first Earth Day celebrations took place in 1970.
180. The General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC Re) has become the first re-insurer to open an office at India's first International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) at Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City). GIC Re is the wholly-owned by the government, which provide reinsurance support to life and non-life insurers in India and abroad. GIC Re's foreign and domestic premium composition now stands at 45:55.
181. Madhya Pradesh will be awarded with the Union Government's Krishi Karman Award for 2015-16 for wheat production. It is the fifth consecutive year that Madhya Pradesh will be conferred with the prestigious Krishi Karman Award. MP wheat production in 2015-16 stood at 184.10 lakh tonnes as against 171.03 lakh tonnes in 2014-15, a rise of 7.64%. The award instituted by the Union Agriculture Ministry carries a trophy, citation and cash prize of Rs. 2 crore. In addition, the cash reward of Rs. 2 lakh and a citation letter will be handed over to a woman and a male farmer as 'best wheat producer'.
182. The first-ever India Indonesia Energy Forum (IIEF) was held in Jakarta, Indonesia on April 20, 2017. The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy and Mines Piyush Goyal and Indonesia Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Ignasius Jonan participated in the forum. The Energy Forum was preceded by 2nd Joint Working Group (JWG) on Oil and Gas, 4th JWG on Coal and 1st JWG on New and Renewable Energy. The reports of three JWGs were presented to two Ministers during the Energy Forum.
183. India's first-ever 'village of books' will open at Bhilar village in Maharashtra on May 4, 2017 to promote tourism and Marathi language. The village is roughly 8 km away from the hill station of Panchgani. As of now, all the books provided by the Maharashtra government are in Marathi. Soon, the books written in Hindi and English will be added to this collection. Author interactions, literary events and book-reading sessions will also be conducted in the village. The idea for this book village is inspired by Hay-on-Wye, a Welsh town known for its book stores and literature festivals.
184. Athens, the capital of Greece, has been designated as the UNESCO World Book Capital 2018 by Irina Bokova, the Director-General of UNESCO, in Paris. The city of Athens was chosen for the quality of its activities, supported by the entire book industry. The proposed activity programme includes meetings with writers, translators and illustrators, concerts, thematic exhibitions, poetry readings and workshops for publishing professionals. Athens is the 18th city to become World Book Capital. At present, Conakry (the capital of the Republic of Guinea) is the World Book Capital for 2017.
185. The Odisha government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation with the objectives of improving the lives of smallholder farmers and promoting inclusive agricultural transformation. The MoU will allow the government and the foundation to partner on agriculture projects including a project to improve data management, analysis and use within the department of agriculture. Other activities may include expansion of bio-fortified crops in Odisha, generating evidence on policy issues pertaining to farmer's income, land, women in agriculture, and crop diversification and developing joint programmes on soil diagnostics and agronomic inputs targeting.
186. The high-level UN Conference to Support the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14 (or UN Ocean Conference) will be co-hosted by the Governments of Fiji and Sweden at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, United States from 5 to 9 June 2017 to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development. The theme of the Conference is 'Our oceans, our future: partnering for the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14'.
187. At the 2nd edition of the Golf Industry Association (GIA) Awards, Shiv Shankar Prasad Chawrasia from India has won the award for the 2016 Men's Player of the Year, while Aditi Ashok bagged the Outstanding achievement as a Player award. Apart from this Ali Sher, the Delhi Golf Club caddy-turned-pro-golfer, was feted for an Outstanding Playing Career.
188. Nora Chopra (64), the veteran journalist and columnist, has recently passed away in New Delhi. She was widely admired and respected for her journalistic skills. Chopra had started her career with the Pioneer in Allahabad and later she worked for Northern India Patrika, The Sunday Guardian, the Asian Age and Tehelka.
189. Bollywood film "Newton" has won the best film honour at the Hong Kong International Film Festival. Amit Masurkar-directed "Newton", which also stars Anjali Patil and RajKumar Rao, is a political satire. It had its world premiere at the 67th Berlin Film Festival where it won the International Federation of Art Cinemas (CICAE) award in its Forum segment.
190. In a bid to expand the green cover, the Maharashtra government recently signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Railways, under which trees will be planted on the land adjacent to the railway tracks in the state.
191. The 15th edition of WFH International Musculoskeletal Congress (IMC) will be held in Seoul, South Korea from May 5-7, 2017, which is been organized by the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH) and the Korea Hemophilia Foundation . The purpose of IMC is to bring together orthopedic surgeons, physical therapists, physiatrists, rehabilitation medicine specialists, rheumatologists, hematologists, scientists, researchers, and other health professionals from around the world to discuss a variety of surgical and non–surgical approaches to the prevention and management of hemophilic arthropathy.
192. Yes Bank has won the prestigious 2017 Golden Peacock Innovative Product / Service Award (GPIPSA) at the 27th World Congress at the Dubai Global Convention in Dubai, UAE. Apart from this, Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilizers & Chemicals Ltd (GNFC) also won the award in this category for pioneering a cashless township transformation model. The Golden Peacock Awards are acknowledged as a benchmark of corporate excellence worldwide. The awards seek to raise the overall standards of developing and implementing transformative business models, and to recognize the achievements of the best performing organizations.
193. The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) has offered honourary life membership to Sandhya Agarwal, former captain of the Indian women's Test team. Agarwal is being honoured in recognition of her distinguished service to the game. She has played 13 Tests and 21 ODIs from 1984 to 1995. After her retirement, she continued to contribute to the game as a selector and coach, besides being a member of the BCCI's women's committee. Presently, she is the chairperson of Girl's Under-19 and senior women's team of MPCA. The Marylebone Cricket Club, founded in 1787, has been recognised as the sole authority on the laws of cricket since its foundation.
194. The Arabian Travel Market (ATM) has started at Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai from April 24, 2017. The ATM is the leading global event of the Middle East inbound and outbound travel industry. The 4-day fair will welcome over 2,600 exhibitors and an expected 30,000 visitors to the Middle East. The theme of the India Pavilion is "Yoga and Wellness", which will depict India as a year round multi faceted tourist destination for all ages and all seasons. The pavilion will highlight medical tourism in India which is fast gaining currency both amongst Middle East and European travellers. The Indian Pavilion under the aegis of the Tourism Ministry will exhibit the grandeur of the Indian subcontinent and will provide a platform to the leading Indian tour operators, travel agents, hoteliers, state governments and airlines to market India as an affordable and exotic tourist destination, which can be the basis of holistic travel experience.
195. Himanta Biswa Sarma, the BJP leader and Assam Badminton Association President, has been appointed the new interim President of Badminton Association of India (BAI). The post of president was left vacant after the sudden demise of former president Akhilesh Das Gupta.
196. Prafulla Samantra, an iconic leader of social justice movements in India, the Goldman Environmental Prize for his historic 12-year legal battle that affirmed the indigenous Dongria Kondh's land rights and protected the Niyamgiri Hills from a massive, open-pit aluminum ore mine. In this battle, Prafulla has been kidnapped, assaulted and attacked several times by the mining company for his activism and continues to receive threats for his 'anti-development' stance. The other 2017 recepients are: Mark Lopez (United States), Uros Macerl (Slovenia), Rodrigo Tot (Guatemala), Rodrigue Mugaruka Katembo (Democratic Republic of Congo) and Wendy Bowman (Australia).
197. The National Panchayati Raj Diwas is celebrated every year on April 24 across India to mark the passing of the Constitution (73rd Amendment) Act, 1992 that came into force with effect from 24 April 1993.
198. Rafael Nadal, a Spanish professional tennis player, has won the Men's Singles title of Monte Carlo Masters Tennis tournament by defeating Albert Vinolas by 6-1, 6-3 at a summit clash in Monaco. With this, Rafael claimed a record 10th Monte Carlo Masters title. Beside this, India's Rohan Bopanna and his Uruguayan partner Pablo Cuevas won lifted the men's doubles crown at the Monte Carlo Masters after registering a hard- fought three-set win over Spain's Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez.
199. Indian shot putter Manpreet Kaur has recently clinched Gold in the first leg of the at the 2017 Asian Grand Prix Meet in Jinhua, China. Manpreet came up with a best throw of 18.86 metre, which was nearly one meter more than her earlier national record of 17.96 metre that she had set in 2015. With the performance, Manpreet also qualified for the IAAF World Championships to be held in August 2017 in London, United Kingdom (UK).
200. The World Malaria Day (WMD) is observed every year on April 25 to create awareness among the people about this vector borne disease. The 2017 theme is "End malaria for good". According to World Health Organisation (WHO), nearly four lakh people die of malaria every year in the world. Tackling malaria is improving with a 29% drop in mortality rates between 2010 and 2015 and a 21% global decrease in cases. In India, every year close to one million people suffer from this diseases. Malaria caused by the falciparum parasite is the most serious, and can lead to breathing problems, liver failure, coma and eventual death. In areas with high malaria concentration, pregnant women and children are most at risk of contracting the disease. Around Ninety-one countries are working to reduce their malaria burden through the deployment and use of WHO-recommended preventive, diagnostic and treatment tools.
201. Kasinadhuni Viswanath (87), the renowned actor-director, has been named for the prestigious 2016 Dada Saheb Phalke award for his outstanding contribution to the film industry. He is icon in the film industry and known for classical and traditional art, music and dance. The award will be conferred by President Pranab Mukherjee at a function on May 3 at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. With this, Viswanath will become the 48th recipient of the award, the highest recognition in Indian cinema. The award carries a golden lotus, a cash prize of Rs 10 lakhs and a shawl.
202. According to data from Oil Ministry's Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell, China is the world's largest importer of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), where as India toppled Japan to acquire second position. It is because of Indian government's drive to provide free cooking connections to women from extremely poor households resulted in 32.5 million new LPG connections being added in FY17. The government's efforts have pushed up India's active LPG user count to about 200 million. It aims to increase the households using LPG to 80% of total households in India by FY19 from 72.8% as on April 1, 2017. On the other hand, Japan is cutting back on LPG as cooking fuel and is moving to cheaper alternatives such as natural gas. According to World Health Organisation (WHO), hazardous cooking fuels like wood and cow dung cause air pollution on burning and are responsible for 1.3 million pre-mature deaths a year.
203. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has made a provision enabling people to apply online for passports in Hindi. The move comes after President Pranab Mukherjee recently accepted recommendations made in this regard by the Committee of Parliament on Official Language via its 9th report. The report was submitted in 2011. People can download the application form available in Hindi, fill it in and upload it while applying for the passport. The information regarding passport and visa will also be now made available in Hindi on the official website of the Ministry.
204. As per latest annual update of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) military expenditure database, the United States is the largest military spender in the world with an expenditure of $611 billion, followed by China, Russia and Saudi Arabia. India has acquired the 5th position as largest military spender in 2016 with expenditure of $55.9 billion for 2016-17.
205. Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi has been bestowed with the prestigious P C Chandra Puraskaar 2017 for his global crusade against child slavery and exploitative by the PC Chandra Jewellers on April 23, 2017 at the Science City auditorium in Kolkata, West Bengal. This year the P C Chandra Puraskaar carries an honorarium of Rs 10 lakh, which is tax exempted.
206. Haryana has won the 2017 National Youth Athletics Championships by defeating Kerala at G.M.C. Balayogi Stadium in Hyderabad. Haryana emerged champions with overall 166.5 points including girls and boys performance. Kerala, finished as runners-up managing 134.75 points. Though, Kerala retained the team crown for girls with 100 points, while Haryana boys topped with 108.5 points at the end of the three day meet. Javelin throw player Damneet Singh of Punjab has been declared the best Athlete in boys category while in girls Aparna Roy of who win 100m hurdles race awarded as the best.
207. The National Health Mission (NHM) in Haryana has recently launched a mobile-based application "Kilkari" to create awareness among pregnant women, parents and health workers on the importance of ante and post natal care, institutional delivery and immunisation. From the second trimester of pregnancy, till the child is one-year-old, the app will deliver 72 times appropriate audio messages to registered mobile numbers on pregnancy, child and childbirth care every week.
208. The All India Institute of Medical Sciences ( AIIMS) has become the India's First public hospital to start plaque brachytherapy facility for the treatment of eye tumours. The facility is a form of local radiation delivered to the eye through a radioactive device which is attached to the eye for a temporary period of time. The Rajendra Prasad Centre for Opthalmic Sciences will treat children suffering from a type of cancer called Retinoblastoma and adults who suffer from melanoma.
209. Israel has recently appointed Hana Khatib as first female judge in its Muslim sharia court system. Hana Khatib, an attorney from the northern town of Tamra, was selected by an Israeli justice committee to become a religious judge, or qadi, in the court's ruling on personal law for Muslims inside Israel. Khatib is the first woman not only for the Muslim sharia courts but also for all the religious courts in Israel, as no women serve as judges in the Jewish or Druze courts. Because of this, her appointment is a precedent for Israel. Khatib will be sworn in by Israeli President Reuven Rivlin in a few weeks.
210. Man Kaur, a 101-year-old athlete from India, has recently won Gold in the 100 metres sprint at the World Masters Games in Auckland, New Zealand on April 24, 2017. She completed the race in one minute 14 seconds and was the only athlete to compete in her age category. With this, She scored her 17th gold medal for her athletic career which started at the age of 93.
211. The World Intellectual Property Day (WIPD) is observed every year on April 26 to learn about the role that intellectual property rights (patents, trademarks, industrial designs, copyright) play in encouraging innovation and creativity. The 2017 theme is "Innovation – Improving Lives" to explore how innovation is making our lives healthier, safer, and more comfortable, turning problems into progress.
212. Haryana will become the first Indian state to invite all Twitter and Facebook users to interact with the Chief Minister Manohar Lal. This was disclosed in a workshop on Social Media Grievance Redressal Mechanism chaired by Additional Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Dr Rakesh Gupta at Panchkula. The state government will launch an integrated Social Media Grievances Tracker – Twitter and Facebook for faster and real-time redressal of grievances pertaining to different departments, on May 15, 2017. The online grievance redressal mechanism is being set up to identify process and resolve all relevant short-term complaints being sent by citizens to the Chief Minister Office (CMO) or the Government through social media.
213. Dr. Mridul Bhadauria has been elected the new President of Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI). Apart from her, Dinesh Patel has also been elected as new general secretary of AKFI. The elections were held here under the supervision of Justice I S Israni. The AKFI is the central institution to administrate and promote Kabaddi in India. Beside this, AKFI aims at improving the standard of the sport in the neighboring countries of India. It also organizes international kabaddi tournaments for both men and women in India.
214. The International conference on "Dara Shikoh – Reclaiming Spiritual Legacy of India" will be held from April 27, 2017 at ICCR's Azad Bhavan in New Delhi. The 2-day conference will be organised by the Indian Council Of Cultural Relations (ICCR) and will see the participation of eminent scholars from the US, Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and India. The purpose of the conference is to highlight Dara Shikoh's contributions to bring about spiritual homogenisation of Hinduism and Islam and his initiatives in building a cohesive social and cultural edifice in India.
215. Versatile playback singer Vani Jairam has been conferred with the Ghantasala national award on April 23, 2017. She is known in the North as Meerabai for her rendition of songs sung by the medieval poet in praise of Lord Krishna. The award is instituted by the Ghantasala National Art Academy in the memory of the legendary singer Ghantasala Venkateswara Rao who ruled the roost for over three decades the Telugu tinsel world.
216. The World Day For Animals In Laboratories (also known as World Lab Animal Day (WLAD)) is observed every year on April 24 to mark the birthday of former National Anti-Vivisection Society (NAVS) president Hugh Dowding, Today the event is marked by demonstrations and protests by groups opposed to the use of animals in research. NAVS and other groups opposed to animal research have claimed that the WLAD is recognized by the United Nations. However, the day is not included on the official list of United Nations observances.
217. The Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India (CREDAI) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with State Bank of India (SBI) to provide loans at a concessional rate to builders as well as customers for affordable housing projects. Both SBI and CREDAI will collaborate and work towards the development of the real estate sector, specifically through the affordable housing and green housing projects. The duration of the agreement is for a period of three years. The CREDAI is the apex body of private Real Estate developers registered under Section 25 of Companies Act, 1956. It is a not-for-profit company and its headquarters is located in New Delhi.
218. The 15th edition of Indo-French naval exercise "Varuna" has started at Toulon port on southern France's Mediterranean coast on April 24, 2017 to deepen combat coordination between the two navies. The purpose of current naval exercise is to underscore India's peaceful presence and solidarity with friendly and like-minded countries towards ensuring good order in the maritime domain and to strengthen the existing bonds between India and France. From Indian side, guided missile destroyer INS Mumbai, stealth frigate INS Trishul and fleet tanker INS Aditya are taking part in it, which will continue till April 30, 2017. The ships are part of the Indian Navy's overseas deployment to the Mediterranean Sea and West Coast of Africa and they arrived at Toulon port on southern France's Mediterranean coast.
219. The Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) refers to uniform nomenclature of five security forces in India under the authority of Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). They are the Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB). Recently, Rajiv Rai Bhatnagar, the 1983 batch of the Uttar Pradesh cadre IPS officer, has been appointed the new Director General of the CRPF. He succeeded acting DG Sudeep Lakhtakia and will have a tenure of almost three years from the date of joining the post till December 31, 2019, the date when he will superannuate. The appointment of Bhatnagar comes after acting CRPF DG Sudeep Lakhtakia's stint led to the casualty of 36 paramilitary men in two major attacks executed by the ultra-Left extremists in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh. Prior to this appointment, Bhatnagar was serving as Director General of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).
220. Dileep K Nair, the youngest-ever chancellor of India, has won the Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Foundation Kerala State award for the year 2016-17 for excellent performance in the field of education. in Trivendurum, Kerala. Currently, he is the Chancellor of the North East Frontier Technical University NEFTU in Arunachal Pradesh. Nair has around 12 years of experience in various Educational Projects in different parts of the country. He is also the founder of The Automobile Society (India) and The Engineer's Outlook Magazine.
221. The Tamil Nadu government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bharat Broadband Network Limited (BBNL) for implement the Centre's rural internet connectivity programme "Bharatnet". For this purpose, a sum of Rs. 50 lakh has been allocated as the state's share captial. The scheme will be helpful in providing Internet connectivity to every household in Tamil Nadu.
222. The International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day (ICDRD) is observed every year on April 26 to raise global awareness of the consequences of the explosion of the Nuclear Power Plant. The day commemorates an explosion at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in 1986 which spread a radioactive cloud over large parts of the Soviet Union, now the territories of Belarus, Ukraine and the Russian Federation. Due to explosion, nearly 8.4 million people in the three countries were exposed to the radiation.
223. Robert Jonathan Demme (73), the Oscar-winning US filmmaker, has passed away in New York City, United States. He was best known for his directorial ventures "Silence of the Lambs" and "Philadelphia". He was also a prolific documentary-maker who directed the 1984 "Talking Heads" in concert film "Stop Making Sense", as well as docs on Neil Young and Justin Timberlake.
224. Sujal Kahar (12), the football enthusiast and goal-keeper from Mumbai, has been shortlisted to represent India at the 5th edition of FIFA Football for Friendship (F4F) global social programme. India joins the programme for the first time and will participate alongside over 60 other countries. Sujal will join young footballers from around the world in St. Petersburg, Russia in July 2017. The F4F programme is an international children's social program supported by Gazprom and FIFA. The mission of F4F program is to develop children's football, promote youth sports and a healthy lifestyle, foster tolerance and respect for different cultures and nationalities among children from different countries.
225. RK Pachnanda, the 1983 batch of the West Bengal cadre IPS officer, has been appointed as the new Director General of Indo-Tibetan Border Police(ITBP). Currently, he is serving as Director General of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), India's specialized force for responding to natural disasters and CBRN emergencies. He will succeed ITBP DG Krishna Chaudhary, who will retire from service on June 30, 2017. Pachnanda will have a tenure with ITBP till October 31, 2018.
226. India will host the 18th edition of IRF World Road Meeting (WRM 2017) in Delhi from November 14-17, 2017 with the theme "Safe Roads and Smart Mobility: The Engines of Economic Growth". The WRM has been organized by the International Road Federation (IRF) once every four years for the past 60 years. It is a prestigious event and is expected to attract over 4,000 international and national participants. The purpose of the conference is to identify and discuss the range of challenges that are faced in delivering safe, sustainable, and smart road transport and mobility at an affordable price. The WRM includes a conference, an exhibition, a young professional lab and an innovation cafe and will also provide an outlet for sharing cutting-edge research, best practices and experiences, from across the world.
227. Srishti Kaur from India has been crowned Miss Teen Universe 2017 at the Ruben Dario National Theater in Managua, the capital of Central American country Nicaragua. She also won the Best National Costume Award at the prestigious pageant, which featured a peacock – the Indian national bird. The youngster has studied from Lotus Valley International in Noida and is currently pursuing her education at London School of Fashion. Kaur succeeded Nieveles Gonzalez from Puerto Rico as the Miss Teen Universe. Apart from her, Xirelle Agustin from the Philippines won in the Teen Popularity category, while Nicole Obando from Costa Rica won the award for Teen Charm. The pageant is organized by the Miss Universe organization for teens aged 15 to 19.
228. Belgium has become the first country to open an honorary consulate office in Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City). This is in addition to Belgium's embassy in Delhi, two consulates general in Mumbai and Chennai and an honorary consulate in Kolkata. Beside this, Hari Sankaran was nominated as Honorary Consul of the Kingdom of Belgium to the state of Gujarat. Sankaran is the Vice-Chairman and MD of Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services (IL&FS). The GIFT city is India's first multi-service SEZ with International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) status which is catering to India's large financial services market by offering global firms world's class infrastructure and facilities.
229. El Salvador has become the first country in the world to ban the mining of metals to protect water sources and the environment. According to the text published on April 27, 2017 in the official journal the law bans prospection, exploration, exploitation, extraction or processing of metallic minerals in El Salvador. The new law entered into force after being signed by President Salvador Sanchez Ceren and will protect poor rural communities threatened by proposed mining projects.
230. Bhubaneswar has become the first Indian city to won 2017 Pierre L'enfant Planning Excellence and Achievement Awards-2017, which is instituted by the American Planning Association (APA). The No.1 smart city Bhubaneswar has received this award for good and advanced town planning and engaging its residents in the planning process. The association selected five excellence award recipients, which will be honoured at an awards luncheon at the association's National Planning Conference in New York on May 8, 2017. Notably, the American Planning Association honours comprehensive planning efforts and inspiring individuals to recognize outstanding community plans, planning programs and initiatives, public education efforts, and individuals for their leadership on planning issues.
231. Yashwanth Naidu, a deaf and Dumb Cricketer from Andhra Pradesh, has been declared Man of the Tournament in the T-20 Asia Cup for his controlled bowling at Dhaka, Bangladesh. In the triangular tournament, India beat Bangladesh and Pakistan in the T-20 Asia Cup to lift the Trophy. Earlier, during 2016, Naidu was instrumental in India winning the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka and during 2015 when India lifted the World Cup, his bowling won laurels of all.
232. Prof. Sankha Ghosh, an eminent Bengali poet and literary critic, has been conferred the 52nd edition of the Jnanpith Award (2016) by President Pranab Mukherjee at a function in New Delhi on April 27, 2017. He was awarded for his outstanding contribution in the field of literature. Excerpt of Ghosh's classic creations are Adim lata -gulmomay, Murkho Baro, Samajik Noy and Baborer Prarthana. With this, Prof. Ghosh has become the 6th Bengali author to win India's highest literary award after Mahasweta Devi, Tarashankar Bandopadhyay, Ashapurna Devi, Subhash Mukhopadhyay and Bishnu Dey.
233. Bollywood Actor Shah Rukh Khan has become the first Indian actor to deliver a speech at the internationally acclaimed TED Talks. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design. He attended 'Ted 2017 – The Future You' conference at Vancouver, Canada on April 27, 2017 and spoke on various issues beginning from his startdom to the changes world has experienced with the introduction of internet. Shah Rukh Khan has also partnered with TED to host the hindi version of the famous talk show. TED talks is famous for its motivational and inspirational speeches around the world.
234. Vinu Chakravarthy (71), the veteran Tamil actor and scriptwriter, has passed away in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. He was well known for his unique stentorian voice and trade mark pauses in dialogue delivery. He acted in over 1,000 Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Badaga and Malayalam languages films playing villain, comic roles and supporting characters. He has also directed movies on his own and is credited with introducing Silk Smitha.
235. India has been ranked 136th out of 180 countries in the latest annual World Press Freedom Index (WPFI-2017). As per report, the rank has been slipped 3-places due to threats from (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi's nationalism" and growing self-censorship in the mainstream media. The report also mentioned that journalists were increasingly targets of online smear campaigns and threats. The 2017 WPFI compiled by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reflects a world in which attacks on the media have become commonplace and strongmen are on the rise. The index is topped by Norway, followed by Sweden, Finland and Denmark. China has acquired 176th position among 180 nations and is described as the "world's leading prison for citizen journalists".
236. The 2017 World Immunization Week (WIW) has started from April 24, 2017 to raise awareness about the critical importance of full immunization throughout life and its role in achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). The week long global public health campaign is celebrated with theme "Vaccines Work" to highlight the importance of immunization as a top global health investment priority and to promote understanding of the action steps required to achieve the Global Vaccine Action Plan.
237. The World Day for Safety and Health at Work is an annual international campaign to promote safe, healthy and decent work. It is held on 28 April and has been observed by the International Labour Organization (ILO) since 2003. As per estimate, every day 6300 people die at a result of occupational accidents or work related diseases which mean that there are more than 2.3 million deaths per year. The human cost of this daily adversity is vast and the economic burden of poor occupational safety and health practices is estimated at 4% of global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) each year. The 2017 theme "Optimize the collection and use of occupational Safety and Health (OSH)" focuses on the critical need for countries to improve their capacity to collect and utilize reliable Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) data.
238. The Indian short film "Azaad" will be screened by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural organisation (UNESCO) as part of 2017 World Press Freedom Day (WPFD) event, which will be held from May 1-4, 2017 in Jakarta, Indonesia. The movie is written and directed by Rahul V. Chittella, which tells the story of the dysfunctional relationship between a father and his son. The WPFD is observed every year on May 3 to celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom; to evaluate press freedom around the world, to defend the media from attacks on their independence and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the exercise of their profession. The 2017 theme is "Critical Minds for Critical Times: Media's role in advancing peaceful, just and inclusive societies".
239. India's first-ever transgender athletic meet was held at the Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala on April 28, 2017 to provide a platform for the transgender community to display their athletic ability. Around 100 participants from nine districts of Kerala competed in the one-day meet which had competitions like 100 metre, 200 metre and 400 metre races, 4×100 metre relay, long jump and shot put. The event was jointly organised by Kerala sports council and Sexual Gender Minority Federation of Kerala.
240. The International Basava Convention (IBC) has been inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on April 29, 2017. To mark the occasion, he launched translated volumes of Vachana, penned by 12th century social reformer Basavanna and other saints in 23 Indian languages The Prime Minister has also released the digital version of the work at the first-ever celebration of Basava Jayanthi at the national level. Vachana is a prosaic form well known in the Kannada literature which propagate values of universal brotherhood. This style of writing was used by Basavanna for spreading social awareness and brings equality in the society in the 12th century. The event also coincides with golden jubilee of Basava Samiti, set up by former Vice President B D Jatti in 1964 with an aim to spread Basavannas message across India. The 23 Vachana volumes, edited by esteemed literary scholar late M M Kalburgi and translated by more than 200 people, was commissioned by the Bengaluru based Basava Samithi at a cost of Rs. 2.5 crore of which, the Karnataka government contributed Rs. 1 crore.
241. Jagat Prakash Nadda, the Union Health Minister, has recently launched the Test and Treat policy for providing treatment to patients suffering from Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). As per the policy, anyone who is tested and found HIV positive will be provided Anti- Retroviral Therapy (ART) treatment free of cost. It is a centrally sponsored scheme and people suffering from HIV will benefit from it.
242. The noted Indian sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik from Odisha has won the jury prize gold medal at the 10th edition of Moscow Sand art Championship-2017 in Moscow, Russia. Pattnaik secured the gold for his 10 feet high sand sculpture of Lord Ganesh with messase "Go Green" at the Championship to highlight the importance of ecological balance in the face of global warming. The theme for the international sand sculpture event was "The world around us".
243. India's first electric taxi (e- taxi) trial will be held in Nagpur, Maharashtra from May 24, 2017. For this initiative, Mahindra and Mahindra (M&M) will provide 200 taxis. The e-taxi is one of the ambitious projects of the Union Government and forms as a part of its United Nations Development Program (UNDP) millennium goals to tackle pollution. The project will be undertaken by Nagpur Municipal Corporation and is the first project of its kind in India.
244. Gul Panag, an Indian actress and an automobile enthusiast, has become the first Indian woman to drive Formula E racing car at a race track. She drove the M4Electro at the Circuit de Calafat in Catalonia, Spain. The M4Electro is a Mahindra 4th generation Formula E race car and a Season 4 challenger in Barcelona, Spain. To drive a racing car, one requires a high level of fitness as the G forces create tremendous stress on the body. It requires specialized training to ensure a high level of precision.
245. Jehan Daruvala has created history by becoming the first Indian racer to occupy pole position in the FIA Formula 3 European Championships in the qualifying session for Round 2 in Monza, Italy. Though, he was unable to translate that to a race victory, and finished the hard-fought race on April 29, 2017 in second place, behind his Carlin Racing teammate Lando Norris of the United Kingdom (UK). Formula 3 is considered to be one of the toughest junior racing category, but is known to produce legends in F1.
246. Ashwani Kumar, the former Union minister, has been selected by Japan for its prestigious 'Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun' award for his contribution to fostering Japan-India ties and promotion of friendship between the two countries. The Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun is the highest category of decorations among the Orders of the Rising Sun, is conferred in recognition of distinguished accomplishments of individuals. The Presentation Ceremony for the Investiture of the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun will be held at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on May 9, when the foreign recipients will be given an audience with His Majesty the Emperor of Japan.
247. The 4th edition of National Standards Conclave (NSC) will be held in New Delhi from May 1-2, 2017. The purpose of the conclave is to bring awareness and prepare Industries Central Government Ministries, State Governments, regulatory/standards setting and conformity assessment bodies on the growing importance of "Standards" in the changing scenario of global trade. The Department of Commerce, Government of India in collaboration with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and the National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies (NABCB) and other knowledge partners is organizing the Conclave.
248. Lv Haotian from China has won the 33rd edition of ACBS Asian Snooker Championship-2017 by defeating India's top cueist Pankaj Advani in the final by 3-6 in Doha, Qatar. This is the first silver Advani has won this season, the rest all gold medals — at the National Championships of Billiards, 6-red Snooker, 15-red Snooker and the Asian Billiards Championship. The defeat in the final meant that Advani could not complete a career Grand Slam in cue sport. A victory could make Advani only player in history to win all majors in two sports at all levels and across all formats.
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