Current Affairs - March 27, 2018 Current Affairs

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has decided to eliminate three zeros off the country's inflation-ridden currency, the bolivar. This new monetary denomination, which replaces the one he established in January 2017, will help the government fight the "economic war of financial persecution". 500 bolivars, the new maximum denomination of the country's bills will amount to only $0.01.

Ministry of Human Resource Development has approved 'Study in India' programme. The 'Study in India' programme's primary objective is to target foreign students by branding India as an attractive education destination. The move is aimed to improve the global ranking of Indian educational institutes. Under the programme, meritorious students will be provided with fee waiver and scholarship.

Surat district in Gujarat has become the first district in India to have 100 percent solar powered Primary Health Centers (PHC). All 52 PHCs in Surat are now powered by solar system. This initiative will not only contribute in reducing the electricity bill by 40 percent but will also help in fighting global warming. 150 out of 572 gram panchayats in Surat are now powered by solar system. Surat is also making significant leap in making gram panchayats within districts, solar powered.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has recently launched the first of its kind initiative titled 'Videsh Aaya Pradesh ke Dwaar' in Hyderabad, which is a key centre for Telugu and Urdu media. The purpose of the initiative is to create a pool of media professionals interested in foreign policy and guide them on connecting with the MEA. The initiative involves MEA's engagement with the regional media based in different cities across India who have carved their own space and have a unique and wide readership profile. The event was attended by around 40 Editors and representatives from the main media organisations based in Hyderabad.

The 11th Rashtriya Rifles Biennial Conference is being conducted at Nagrota in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) from 26 to 27 March 18. The event chaired by Chief of the Army Staff has been attended by Army Commander Northern Command, Director General Rashtriya Rifles, Corps Commander 15 and 16 Corps and all General Officers Commanding Counter Insurgency Forces. The Rashtriya Rifles (RR) is a branch of the Indian Army under the authority of the Indian Ministry of Defence. The RR is a counter-insurgency force made up of soldiers deputed from other parts of the Indian Army. The force is currently deployed in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. It has assisted the locals from inaccessible and far flung areas of the state by providing assistance in diverse fields and has given an impetus to development, growth, education, women empowerment, skill development and communal harmony through its multifarious enabling civil action programs.

Australian skipper Steve Smith & batsman Cameron Bancroft have admitted to charges of ball-tampering during the 3rd day of the third Test match against South Africa in Cape Town. Bancroft was caught on television cameras appearing to rub a yellow object on the ball during the match. Australia captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner have decided to relinquish their leadership duties.

Martin Vizcarra, a Peruvian engineer and former regional governor, has been sworn-in as the new president of Peru after his predecessor "Pedro Pablo Kuczynski" became the latest of the country's leaders to resign amid corruption scandals and public repudiation.

Joginder Sanger, a leading NRI entrepreneur has won the 'Business Personality of the year 2018' award in the UK. He awarded for showing a high level of commitment and enthusiasm in leading his business to success. Sanger is the chairman of Mastcraft Group and Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. Sanger had played a key role in raising funds for rebuilding the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan's building in the UK.

Equitas Small Finance Bank has launched a new 'Yellow Army Savings Account' to increase its customer base through its association with Chennai Super Kings. The yellow army savings account will offer an interest rate of 6% per annum for balance below ₹10 lakh and 6.5% per annum for balance above ₹10 lakh. Equitas will be the principal sponsor of CSK and the banking partner of CSK for 3 years.

The Airport Authority of India (AAI) signed an MoU with Assam government under its Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR) initiative for the sustainable development of human settlements at villages in Kamrup district. AAI would provide financial assistance under its CSR initiative of 4.58 crore Rupees for the Kamrup district as per the estimates prepared by the UNDP to improve the resilience of communities around Guwahati Airport.

India Under-16 team has won the 2018 U-17 Jockey Cup International Youth Invitational Football tournament by defeating hosts Hong Kong in the final by 4-2 on March 25, 2018. For India, Bekey Oram netted twice in the first half. The other two goals came through Rohit Danu and Lalrokima in the second session. This was India's third consecutive victory in as many days. They had earlier defeated Chinese Taipei (4-0) and Singapore (3-1). The tournament was an Under-17 event where India fielded their Under-16 national team. The Indian team have already qualified for the AFC Under-16 Finals from where the top four teams will make it to the FIFA Under-17 World Cup.

India overtaken Germany to become the fourth largest automobile market in the world, According to the latest global data. Automobile sales, including passenger and commercial vehicles, in Asia's third-largest economy, grew 9.5%. It is the fastest among major global markets, last year to more than 4 million units, outpacing Germany's 3.8-million vehicle sales, which rose by a modest 2.8% in the same period. The top 5 countries on the list are- 1. China 2. USA 3. Japan 4. India 5. Germany.

India become the 3rd largest electricity producer in the world as its electricity production grew 34% over seven years to 2017. The country now produces more energy than Japan and Russia, which had 27% and 8.77% more electricity generation capacity installed, respectively, than India seven years ago. Electricity production stood at 1,003.525 Billion Unit between April 2017-January 2018, according to a February 2018 report by India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF), a trust established by the commerce ministry. With a production of 1,423 BU in FY 2016, India was the third largest producer and the third largest consumer of electricity in the world, behind China (6,015 BU) and the United States (4,327 BU). The top 3 Producers of Electricity in the world are- 1. China 2. The USA 3. India.

The International Solar Alliance (ISA) and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), signed the Host Country Agreement. The Agreement will give ISA a juridical personality and gives it power to contract, to acquire and dispose off movable and immovable properties, to institute and defend legal proceedings. Under this agreement, ISA shall enjoy such privileges, applicable tax concessions and immunities as are necessary for ISA's Headquarter to independently discharge its function and programmes.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad has received the award for the Most Improved Airport in the Asia Pacific region. It is the 1st international award for Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport that has over 200 flight movements per day. In 2016-17, it handled over 7.4 million passengers making it the 8th busiest airport in terms of passenger traffic in India.

The former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh presented the G.K. Reddy Memorial National Award for 2017 to Karan Thapar for journalism, at an event held in Teen Murti Bhawan, New Delhi. Karan Thapar is a senior journalist and television presenter. He has been awarded the G.K. Reddy Memorial National Award for 2017 for his contribution to journalism. The function was organised by T Subbarami Reddy, the founder of G K Reddy Memorial Award and TSR Foundation. He is also a Rajya Sabha member from Congress.