Current Affairs - March 10, 2018 Current Affairs

Vivek R Wadekar, the 1991-batch Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer, has been appointed as the new Special Director in the Enforcement Directorate (ED) by the Union government for a period of five years. The ED is the central investigative agency, under the Union finance ministry, that enforces the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) in the country.

Central Banking's fifth annual awards recognize outstanding achievement within a community that has had to balance monetary accommodation and financial stability in an environment of rapid innovation, political change, and global uncertainty. The Bank of Canada, this year's Central Bank of the Year, emerged as a beacon of best practice for much of the community. 1. Transparency: Central Bank of Ireland. 2. Reserve manager of the year: Bank of Korea. 3. Banknote and currency manager of the year: Norges Bank. 4. An initiative of the year: Bank of England's FinTech Accelerator. 5. Website of the year: Bank of Lithuania. 6. Economics in central banking: Alberto Cavallo and Roberto Rigobon - Billion Prices Project/PriceStats. 7. Asset manager of the year: BlackRock. 8. Innovation in reserve management: HSBC. 9. Global custodian of the year: BNY Mellon. 10. Securities lending services provider of the year: Northern Trust. 11. Banknote and currency services provider of the year: Landqart. 12. Technology consultant of the year: Vizor Software. 13. Risk management services provider of the year: OpenLink. 14. Consultancy and advisory provider of the year (data and regulatory management): BearingPoint. 15. Payments and market infrastructure provider of the year: Perego.

Mumbai ranks 47 on the "city wealth index" of 314 global cities in the Knight Frank Wealth Report 2018. The "city wealth index" is drawn from four major indicators - wealth, investments, lifestyle and future.

The IGI Airport in Delhi and Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport have been adjudged joint-best in the world by Airports Council International in the 'Over 40 million passengers annually' category for year 2017. While the IGI took the top spot after being ranked second in the 2016. IGI though crossed the 60million passenger mark last year with a total traffic of 63.5 million.

India's biggest Media & Entertainment Services Market - enTTech 2018 was inaugurated in Mumbai. The market, spread over two days (March 7 - 8, 2018) will see fast matchmaking between 100 international delegates and their Indian counterparts. The event was organized by SEPC in association with MEAI and TVAGA and supported by the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce & Industry.

Diu has become the India's first Union Territory (UT) to run 100% on solar power energy. Diu has a total area of 42 square kilometers and the installation of the solar power plants here has been done in over 50 acres. On a daily basis, the Union Territory generates a total of 13 megawatts of electricity from solar power plants out of this 3 MW is contributed by rooftop solar plants and 10 MW by others. With this, Diu has managed to generate surplus solar power for its residents, reducing their electricity costs, in a span of just three years.

On 8th March 2018 (International Women's Day), Madhya Pradesh West Power Distribution Company (MPWPDC) launched a 'Pink Electricity Zone' that will be managed by women staff. Akash Tripathi, MD of MPWPDC, said that, the Pink Electricity Zone comprises 25 women staff. They will manage the energy maintenance work of 13,000 power connections in Aranya Nagar. Only women have been posted as Assistant engineer, junior engineer, line supervisor, linepersons, metre readers, accountant, computer operators in the zone. They will be dressed in pink uniform.

At the Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi, Minister of MSME (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) - Giriraj Singh launched a portal named "Udyam Sakhi" for women entrepreneurs of India. The portal is a network for nurturing entrepreneurship and creating business models for low cost products and services in order to empower women and make them self-reliant and self-sufficient.

An event named 'Vision for Future' was inaugurated at the Pravasi Bhartiya Kendra in New Delhi to commemorate 70 years of the Indo-Russia ties. This Program was organised by the Ministry of External Affairs (Eurasia Division) and the International Federation of Indo-Russian Youth Clubs.

On the occasion of International Women's Day (IWD-2018), the Maharashtra government has started Ashmita Yojana under which sanitary napkins at subsidised rates will be provided to rural girls and women across the state. As stated by state government, the scheme will emerge as a model scheme for the country. The girls studying in Zilla Parishad schools will get a sanitary pad packet for Rs 5. Meanwhile, the women living in rural area can avail the sanitary packs for Rs 24 or Rs 29.

The Central government launched biodegradable sanitary napkins under the name 'Suvidha', priced at Rs.2.50 per pad, which will be available at Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) Kendras. The sanitary napkins will be available in a pack of four pads for Rs. 10 across over 3,200 PMBJP Kendras by May 28, 2018.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated National Legislators Conference on the theme 'We For Development' in New Delhi. The motive of the conference is to bring MPs and MLAs on a single platform where ideas and plans for development can be exchanged. The conference will hold discussions on how women help in the development work being done for the country where ideas on projects and plans can be debated. NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant will give a presentation on the first day and the plenary will be presided over by Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker M Thambidurai. Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu will address the concluding session.

The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, in association with the Government of Uttar Pradesh, is organizing a Women's Convention - called Swachh Shakti 2018 on International Women's Day on 8th March at Lucknow. Uttar Pradesh will be hosting Swachh Shakti 2018 as the largest State in the country. Swachh Shakti 2018 will provide momentum to the sanitation coverage in Uttar Pradesh.

Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli named cab-hailing startup Uber's first Brand Ambassador in India. Kohli will also be involved in a series of marketing and customer experience initiatives.

China's heavy-lift "Long March-5B carrier rocket", which is capable of carrying a payload of 25,000 kg in low earth orbit, will be launched into space in 2019. It will help carry the core module and experimental modules to China's space station. The carrier rocket will undergo testing this month in preparation for the first launch mission.