Current Affairs - April 2, 2018 Current Affairs

Kotak Mahindra Bank has launched the country's first artificial intelligence-powered voice-bot 'Keya' in the banking sector. Keya uses automatic speech recognition, natural language understanding and text-to-speech technology. The voice-bot uses natural language understanding to navigate the customer directly to the destination where he can get his issue resolved.

As per information shared by Indian Cellular Association (ICA) with Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, India is now the second largest mobile phone producer in the world after China. CA's claim was based on data available from market research firm IHS, China's National Bureau of Statistics and Vietnam General Statistics Office. With 11 million units produced in 2017, India replaced Vietnam as the second largest producer of mobile phones in 2017. On account of rise in domestic production, imports of the devices in India also reduced to less than half in 2017-18. Fast Track Task Force (FTTF), a body under Union Ministry of Electronics and IT, has set target to achieve around 500 million mobile phone production in India by 2019.

China successfully launched a Long March 3B rocket carrying two Beidou-3MEO satellites: Beidou-30 and Beidou-31 from the LC2 Launch Complex of the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, Sichuan province, China. The Long March 3B rocket flew with a Yuanzheng-1 (YZ-1) upper stage attached. This ignited its YF-50D engine after launch. It will burn out for nearly four hours, and the two BeIDou-3 satellites will be released into MEO. The MEO satellites are the Medium Earth Orbit entity of the third phase of the Chinese Beidou (Compass) satellite navigation system. The BeiDou-3 M5 and M6 satellites are based on dedicated satellite bus. Their weight is nearly one metric ton a piece. Both satellites have two deployable solar arrays.

The government has announced that, it has planned to sell 76 per cent stake in Air India. This has been mentioned in the expression of interest (EoI) document that was released on 28th March 2018. The government has planned to sell 76 per cent equity share capital of Air India along with subsidiary Air India Express and a 50% stake in Air India SATS (Singapore Airport Terminal Services) and also transfer the management control. It has been said that, the management or employees can directly take part in the bidding process or by forming a consortium. Ernst & Young LLP India has been named the transaction adviser for this disinvestment process.

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has appointed former Rajasthan DGP, Ajit Singh as the Head of its Anti-Corruption Unit. Ajit Singh will replace former Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar, who has been assigned advisory role in the ACU till May 31, 2018. Mr. Singh has served in Indian Police Service (IPS) for 36 years. He is experienced in anti-corruption operations, investigative work and field policing. He has also been the head of Rajasthan's anti-corruption bureau.

Allahabad Bank announced that, it has reduced the base rate and benchmark prime lending rate (BPLR) by 45 basis points each. The Asset Liability Management Committee (ALCO) of Allahabad bank decided to decrease base rate and BPLR (benchmark prime lending rate) by 45 basis points. Allahabad Bank has reduced base rate to 9.15 per cent from 9.60 per cent. BPLR has been reduced to 13.40 per cent from 13.85 per cent. These revised rates will be effective from 2nd April 2018. This move will reduce EMIs for its borrowers.

India's first insect museum opens in Tamil Nadu. The museum, established at a 6,691 sqft area, is fully dedicated to insects and claimed to be the first of its in the country. It would display insects preserved as specimens as also live ones depicting their different developmental stages, images, videos and models of their unique behaviour, habits and habitats. The uniqueness of the museum is visible in the lobby, which depicts the theme, "BUGS ARE KINGS", while the exhibiting area comprises seven radial walls (bay) on the right side and an undivided wall on the left side.

The incumbent Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi got re-elected for a second term. Around 23 million of the 60 million registered voters cast their votes for the Egyptian Presidential election that was held during 26th to 28th March 2018. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi garnered 92 per cent votes, while his only challenger and al Ghad party chief Moussa Mostafa Moussa secured just three per cent of vote share. Sisi was elected for a four-year presidential term in 2014 after he overthrew Islamist president Mohammed Morsi in 2013.

Delhi started supplying Ultra-clean Euro-VI or Bharat Stage (BS)-VI grade petrol and diesel without any additional cost in order to curb air pollution. It become the first city in India to switch from Euro-IV grade petrol and diesel to Euro-VI grade petrol and diesel. Cities in the national capital region like Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram and Faridabad and 13 major cities like Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Pune will switch to Euro-VI grade fuel from 1st January 2018. Rest of India will switch to Euro-VI grade fuel from April 2020. Euro-VI grade fuel is estimated to cost nearly 50 paisa a litre more. But customers are not charged any additional cost. Mathura refinery in Uttar Pradesh, Panipat refinery in Haryana, Bina refinery in Madhya Pradesh and Bhatinda refinery in Punjab are currently supplying Euro-VI grade fuel to Delhi.

Indian women's cricket team captain Mithali Raj was honoured with the 'Sportsperson of the Year' award at the Telangana Sports Journalists Association annual awards for 2017, in Hyderabad, Telangana. Mithali Raj's parents received the Sportsperson of the Year award on her behalf from BV Papa Rao, Advisor to the Telangana government. The 'best senior male athlete' award was presented to shuttler Kidambi Srikanth by former BCCI president N Shivlal Yadav. The 'best coach of the year' award was given to Pullela Gopichand for the second consecutive time, by former Indian cricketer VVS Laxman.

United States and South Korea kicked off the annual military exercise 'Foal Eagle drill'. Nearly 11500 American and 290000 South Korean troops will be participating in a month-long a series of field training exercises to be held under 'Foal Eagle drill'. This edition of 'Foal Eagle drill' will be a low-key event, featuring fewer strategic weapons, as North Korea has proposed to hold summits with the South Korea and US, which has in turn eased the tension and diplomatic rhetoric on Korean peninsula. Earlier, the drill was to be held in February 2018. However, it was delayed in order to avoid a clash with Winter Olympic Games 2018 in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Jammu & Kashmir Cricket Association has appointed former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan as the coach-cum-mentor of its senior state side for 2018-19 season. He will be the coach-cum-mentor of J&K team for a period of 1 year. Pathan played 29 Tests, 120 ODIs & 24 T20 for India b/w 2003 & 2012. He will also be holding coaching clinics in various parts of J&K for the development of the game.

Utkala Dibasa is celebrated on 1st April every year to mark the formation of Odisha as a separate province on 1st April 1936. Odisha separated from the combined Bengal-Bihar-Orissa province on that day. Various government and non-government organisations conducted programmes to mark the occasion. This day is a restricted holiday in Odisha. Utkala Gaurav Madhusudan Das, Utkalamani Gopabandhu Das, Maharaja Shri Ramachandra Bhanjadeo, Maharaja Shri Krushna Chandra Gajapati, Raja Baikunthanath Dey, Fakir Mohan Senapati, Gangadhar Meher, and Gourishankar Ray were instrumental in the formation of Odisha.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved for continuation of Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) Scheme and City Compost Scheme and City Compost Scheme beyond 12th Five Year plan till 2019-20. The proposal was forwarded by Department of Fertilizers. 61,972 crore. The expenditure will be on actual basis since the national rollout of DBT entails 100% payment of subsidy to fertilizer companies. Similarly, MDA is being governed by City Compost Scheme which was launched in 2016.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated a 10.3 km long Hindon Elevated Road, touted to be the longest elevated road in the country. It will be connecting Raj Nagar Extension in Ghaziabad to UP Gate, shortening an hour-long journey to just 18 minutes. The entire stretch of the Hindon Elevated Road is built on 228 single-pier pillars.