Current Affairs - March 23, 2018 Current Affairs

The government-owned Indian Oil Corp (IOC) started doorstep delivery of diesel on a pilot basis in Pune and has thus became first company in India to provide such service after receiving clearance from the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO). IOC has started this service in Pune through a diesel dispenser mounted on a midsized truck along with a storage tank. Based on the response it gets during the three-month trial period in Pune, IOC may roll out the doorstep delivery of fuel to other cities of India. Potential customer for this service are 'static customers' like transport companies with large diesel consumption and shopping malls/commercial establishments that use diesel in gensets for producing electricity.

The Madhya Pradesh Animal Husbandry Department has inked a MoU with Bharat Financial Inclusion Ltd (BFIL) to launch 'Pashu Dhan Sanjeevani - 1962', an animal healthcare programme. The MoU was signed in the presence of Madhya Pradesh Animal Husbandry Minister Antar Singh Arya and BFIL CEO and MD Geoff Woolley. The 'Pashu Dhan Sanjeevani - 1962' is claimed to be the first of its kind initiative by any state government in India. This programme offers animal owners a range of veterinary services. They just have to dial the toll-free helpline number 1962. The service delivery process will be monitored through the 'Bharat Sanjeevani' software and a mobile app exclusively developed for doctors, veterinary field officers and artificial insemination technicians.

Jackfruit attained a respected status with the state government declaring it as the official fruit of Kerala. Kerala has been producing around 30 to 60 crore jackfruits every year. As per the officials, the state can generate a revenue of around Rs 30,000 crore through value-added jackfruit products.

The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is observed every year on 21st March. The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is observed every year on 21st March. Theme for International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination 2018: Promoting tolerance, inclusion, unity and respect for diversity in the context of combating racial discrimination.

India handed over the 18th diesel-electric locomotive to Myanmar and thereby completed the first project under the current Indian line of credit (LoC) to Myanmar. All 18, AC-DC 1350 HP diesel-electric locomotives are fitted with the microprocessor control based system and can attain a maximum speed of 100 KM PH. These locomotives have been customised for the Myanmar Railways and have been built by Diesel Locomotive Works, Varanasi. The handing over ceremony was attended by Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain.

The union government decided to declare 2018 as 'National Year of Millets to boost the cultivation of millets like ragi and jowar on a mission mode to achieve nutritional security. This was stated by Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh while addressing MPs in a consultative committee meeting in New Delhi . The Minister said millet cultivation has declined due to change in dietary habits and unavailability of millets. As a result of this, level of nutrients like proteins, Vitamin-A, iron, and iodine fell in women and children. This led to a special focus on millets, which are being promoted under the National Food Security Mission (NFSM). The push will promote cultivation of jowar, bajra, ragi. Under NFSM, maize and jau are also promoted separately.

Chandigarh becomes the 1st city in North India to install Automatic Speed Gun Cameras with digital displays for traffic management. The high-tech speed cameras are equipped with night vision technology and will record the speed of oncoming traffic, helping Chandigarh Police to issue challans to anyone driving above the city speed limits. Chandigarh also happens to be among a few cities to accept driving on high-beam inside the city limits as a punishable offense.

The UN General Assembly declared 21 March as World Down Syndrome Day in 2011. This day aims to create awareness on Down syndrome among the public. World Down syndrome Day 2018 marks the 13th anniversary of World Down Syndrome Day. The focus for World Down syndrome Day 2018 is: #WhatIBringToMyCommunity - how people with Down syndrome can contribute in schools, workplaces, community, public and political life, culture, media, recreation, leisure and sport.

China has announced that, it is constructing the world's fastest wind tunnel. it would be the world's fastest hypersonic wind tunnel. It would be used to help in the development of spacecraft. A Chinese researcher has said that, the 265 meter-long tunnel would be used to test hypersonic aircraft that can travel up to a speed of 30,625 kph. This speed is 25 times the speed of sound.

The Minister of State for Home Affairs, Hansraj Gangaram Ahir inaugurated the two-day first National Conference on Drug Law Enforcement in Delhi. The conference is being organized by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Ministry of Home Affairs. The Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh will be the Chief Guest at the closing session. More than 50 State and Central law enforcement agencies involved in combating drug trafficking have confirmed their participation in this Conference.

Online food ordering and delivery platform, Swiggy and India's largest private bank, ICICI Bank have partnered to roll out two innovative digital solutions to facilitate a convenient and hassle-free way for delivery partners to transfer funds to Swiggy. The first one is a Unified Payment Interface (UPI) based solution which enables instant fund transfers on-the-go while the other is a facility for depositing cash at automated Cash Deposit Machines (CDM) available at ICICI Bank branches and ATMs across India. Swiggy has integrated the UPI solution with ICICI Bank, which offers a secure and scalable mode to enable collection of funds from its delivery partners. Under this arrangement, Swiggy's delivery partners will have their own UPI handle, to which they can link their savings bank account and start transacting by using any UPI-enabled app like ICICI Bank 'Pockets', 'Google Tez', 'BHIM',etc.

The Government of India (GoI) had constituted an 8-member task force under CBDT member Arvind Modi in November 2017 to review the Income-tax Act of 1961 and to draft a new Direct Tax Law in consonance with the economic needs of the country. Recently, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has invited suggestions and feedback from stakeholders and general public in the format provided on the departmental website. It stated that the format can be downloaded from the website and suggestions may be sent through e-mail at rewriting-itact@gov.in, latest by 2nd of next month. The task force will also study the direct tax system in other countries and also keep in mind international best practices. The committee will submit its report in May 2018.

US President Donald Trump announced 60 billion US dollar tariffs on China for its alleged unfair trade practices. The White House the actions were necessary to counter unfair competition from China's state-led economy. The move is seen as a direct shot in a brewing trade war between the world's two biggest economies. The US Trade Representative Robert E. Lighthizer to announce within 15 days a proposed list of products to be hit with tariff increases. USTR already identified potential targets 1,300 product lines worth about 48 billion dollars. The President has also asked Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to come up with a list of restrictions on Chinese investment. The US currently has about 500 billion dollars of trade deficit with China. China has forcefully denounced President Trump's decision to impose tariffs on Chinese goods and accused him of putting the two economies on course for a trade war. China's embassy in Washington said in a statement said if a trade war was initiated by the United States, China would fight to the end to defend its own legitimate interests with all necessary measures. The embassy said it urges the US to cease and desist and warned that by endangering China-US trade relations, Washington will eventually end up hurting itself.

Ministry of Communications announced that the Smart India Hackathon 2018 - Software edition Grand Finale is scheduled to be held on March 30-31, 2018 in Panipat. Smart India Hackathon 2018 would be the 2nd hackathon initiative in India following Smart India Hackathon 2017.

Indian shooter Elavenil Valarivan shattered the qualification world record in 10-meter women's air rifle event of the season's first junior ISSF World Cup in Sydney, Australia. Besides her individual podium finish, Elavenil also combined with Shreya Agrawal and Zeena Khitta to claim the team gold medal. Arjun Babuta bagged his second junior world cup medal, claiming a bronze in men's 10-meter air rifle event. The 18-year-old Elavenil, competing in her second World Cup and first final. Her 631.4 in the qualification was a new world record.