WBCS Current Affairs 28/03/2015 to 03/04/2015

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1.Sunita Tomar, poster girl of India’s anti-tobacco campaign passed away at her hometown in Bhind district of Madhya Pradesh. She was 28 and was diagnosed with oral cancer. She had appeared in government’s 30-second video titled ‘Sunita’ which had highlighted the devastating effect of smokeless tobacco. The video had shown her personal testimony before and after an operation to remove the cancerous growth and a part of her mouth. For this video Sunita had teamed with Voice of Tobacco Victims (VoTV) in order to create awareness about the tobacco-cancer. It is estimated that tobacco causes 40% of the cancer in India. Around 10 lakh new cancer cases are reported every year. In fact, India has the highest incidence of oral cancer in the world, prompting its link to the habit of chewing tobacco among Indians. While, 60% of oral cancer patients in India die within a year or two of their diagnosis because of their late treatment.

2. Andhra Pradesh government has approved Amaravathi as name of the new capital city of the state coming up in the Vijayawada-Guntur region. The name Amaravathi was chosen in view of the historical and spiritual significance as it was ancient seat of Satavahana ruler’s kingdom. Decision in this regard was taken by Andhra Pradesh Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. Apart from this, cabinet also approved the first phase of the master plan prepared by Singapore government.

3. Odisha Government on 1 April 2015 launched ‘Aahar’- cheap meal scheme for providing subsidised food to urban poor. It was launched by Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at the Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar on the occasion the foundation day of the state i.e. Utkala Dibasa. Facts about Aahar- cheap meal scheme It aims at providing meal at Rs. five to the urban poor. In the first phase scheme was launched simultaneously in five cities of state including Bhubaneswar, Rourkela, Cuttack, Berhampur and Sambalpur. The subsidised meals will be provided at four crowded places each in these five cities to people visiting urban areas for various work

4. Union Government on 1 April 2015 launched Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric vehicles (FAME) – India Scheme. The scheme was launched as part of the National Mission for Electric Mobility to boost eco-friendly vehicles sales in the country.

5. Gulshan Rai on 1 April 2015 took charge as India’s first cyber security chief under the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) as Special Secretary for cyber security. Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March 2015 had created this new post in PMO and had appointed Rai as its head. Prior to this appointment, he was Director-General Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) at the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY). He also heads the E-Security and Cyber Law division in the Union Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.

6. Misao Okawa, the World’s oldest person on 1 April 2015 died in Japan at the age of 117 and 27 days.

7. Punjab Government has launched ‘Padho Punjab- Khedo Punjab Mission’ i.e. Learn Punjab- Play Punjab Mission. It is a special mission launched to provide school students a separate period in the curriculum for playing along with studies.

8. Recently released Country Threat Index (CTI) by US-based intelligence think tank- Intel Center has placed Pakistan eighth in the list of the most dangerous countries in the world as of March 2015. Top 10 Most Dangerous Countries in the world Rank Country CTI Score 1 Iraq 811 2 Syria 717 3 Nigeria 272 4 Somalia 257 5 Afghanistan 186 6 Libya 157 7 Yemen 132 8 Pakistan 122 9 Ukraine 103 10 Egypt 74 Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two South Asian countries in the list.

9. New Zealand cricketer Kyle Mills on 1 April 2014 announced retirement from international cricket. He made this announcement after New Zealand lost to Australia in ICC World Cup 2015 final.

10. Former military ruler Genral Muhammadu Buhari won the Presidential election in Nigeria. He defeated incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan by more than two million votes. With this historic win, Buhari became the first opposition candidate in history of Nigeria to win a presidential election. In this election Buhari’s All Progressives Congress (APC) party has received around 15,424,921 votes and Jonathan’s People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has recieved 12,853,162 votes.

11. ashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL) the corporate entity of Vizag Steel Plant (VSP) on 31 March 2015 launched novel green project that can generate 120 MW power. It is first of its kind green project launched in Indian Steel Industry that can generate pollution free captive power using 100 per cent Blast Furnace Gas and Coke Oven Gas. The plant consists of state-of-the-art Boiler Turbo Generator (BTG) Power Plant technology in order to efficiently utilise the surplus Blast Furnace Gas (BFG). This Power Plant is designed for firing 100 per cent BFG and Coke Oven Gas for the new captive power plant of 120 MW-capacity. The plant is built at a cost of Rs 676 crore. It will help VSP to move step towards achieving self-sufficiency in power generation and to reduce dependency on the State Grid in the process of steel making. Presently, RINL is having three turbo generators each 60 MW (180 MW) capacity and two turbo generators of 67.5 each (135MW) capacity. Thus, having total captive power generation capacity of 315 MW.

10. The Gujarat Legislative Assembly on 31 March 2015 passed Gujarat Control of Terrorism and Organized Crime (GUJCOC) Bill, 2015. It is third time this controversial Bill being passed by state assembly. Earlier, passed bill was rejected two times by the then Presidents in 2004 and 2008 for reconsideration. Key facts GUJCOC Bill, 2015 is a modified version of the original 2003 Gujarat Control of Organized Crime Bill. It still contains the provisions that had led to its rejection by Presidents in the past. The bill aims to empower the law enforcing authorities to intercept and record phone calls as evidence. It also puts the onus of proving the innocence on an accused. Clause 14 of the Bill mentions that evidence collected through interception of wire, electronic or oral communication shall be admissible as evidence against the accused in the court.

11. Vice Admiral Surinder Pal Singh Cheema on 31 March 2015 took over the reins of the Western Naval Command as Flag Officer Commanding-in-chief.

12. Himachal Pradesh Government on 30 March 2015 launched part one of E-Vidhan Mobile apps. E-Vidhan Mobile apps will enable all 68 members of state assembly to get the entire House business on their smartphones and tablets, laid in the House 45 minutes before the beginning of the daily proceedings. With this Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha became the first state assembly in the country to launch this app to facilitate smart-working. Key facts

13. Andhra Pradesh government, National University of Singapore (NUS) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) have signed MoU to work on Ease of Doing Business in the state. It was signed for cooperation in relation to ‘Masterplan on Ease of Doing Business in Andhra Pradesh (MEDBAP): Vision 2020′. The tripartite MoU will be effective from April 1, 2015 and valid for three years i.e. upto March 31, 2018

14. New Zealand cricketer and former captain Daniel Vettori has announced his retirement from international cricket. He made this announcement after playing last match in ICC World Cup 2015 Final against Australia. Earlier in 2011, he had retired from Tests and Twenty-20s cricket format.

15. Delhi Government on 30 March 2015 banned sale, purchase, storage and manufacturing of all forms of chewable tobacco including guktha and pan masala containing tobacco. In this regard, Delhi Government led by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has issued notification banning all products of chewable tobacco in all forms.

16. Nine organic and exotic agricultural products from Northeast India were accorded geographical indication (GI) registration tag. GI tag will help to protect these exclusive special local crops and pave way for better branding and marketing of these products both in domestic and international Market. Geographical Indication (GI) accorded products are Assam Karbi Anglong Ginger. Assam Tezpur Litchi. Meghalaya Khasi Mandarin. Sikkim Large Cardamom. Mizoram Bird Eye Chilly. Manipur Kachai Lemon. Tripura Queen Pineapple. Arunachal Orange. Nagaland Tree Tomato. Union Government owned North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation Limited (NERAMAC) had played important role in getting GI registry. North Eastern Council (NEC) provided the financial support to this initiative. About Geographical Indication (GI) Geographical Indication is an insignia on products having a unique geographical origin and evolution over centuries. It is a mark of authenticity and ensures that registered authorised users (or at least those residing inside the geographic territory) are allowed to use the popular product name. In India GI registration is governed by the Geographical Indications of goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999. Darjeeling tea was the first product in India accorded with GI tag.

17.Katsushi Inoue on 30 March 2015 was appointed as President & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Honda Cars India Ltd (HCIL). He will assume charge on 1 April 2015 and succeed Hironori Kanayama who is due to retire. Inoue was associated with Honda Motor Co for past 29 years. In his last assignment he was serving as General Manager in Marketing Planning office in Japan headquarters. He also had worked with various Honda ventures in different markets across the globe, including Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, the UK, Poland and Germany. Apart from this appointment, HCIL also appointed Hiroyuki Shimizu as new senior vice president & director, marketing & sales. Shimizu has been associated with HCIL for over 25 years. In his last assignment, he had served as Director and Vice President in Honda Automobile (Thailand) Co Ltd. He had started his career in 1990 with Honda and has experience in product planning, marketing and sales.

18. Eminent freedom fighter and educationist Madan Mohan Malviya was conferred with Bharat Ratna (posthumously), highest civilian award of the country. His family members received the award from President Pranab Mukherjee at the glittering function held at Durbar hall of the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi.

19. Eminent freedom fighter and educationist Madan Mohan Malviya was conferred with Bharat Ratna (posthumously), highest civilian award of the country. His family members received the award from President Pranab Mukherjee at the glittering function held at Durbar hall of the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi.

20. Aditi Arya from New Delhi has won the Femina Miss India 2015 crown at the 52nd edition of the beauty pageant. The runners up were Aafreen Rachel Vaz (1st runner-up) from Mangaluru, Karnataka and Vartika Singh (2nd runner-up) from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. 2014 Miss India winner Koyal Rana crowned Aditi Arya with Miss India 2015 title at Yash Raj Studio in Mumbai.

21. Australian cricketer Michael Clarke has announced his retirement from One Day Internationals (ODI) cricket format. He had made this announcement prior to playing ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. However, he will continue to represent Australia in the Test matches.

22. Veteran hockey player Balbir Singh Senior was awarded Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award by Hockey India. The award carrying trophy along with a cheque of Rs 30 lakh was presented to Balbir Singh at the inaugural Hockey India Annual Awards ceremony held at New Delhi.

23. World Number one ace shuttler Saina Nehwal on 29 March 2015 won India Open Super Series Badminton Women’s Singles 2015 Title. She defeated Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon in the final match played at Siri Fort Indoor Complex in New Delhi in straight sets 21-16, 21-14.

24. Australia on 29 March 2015 won the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 for the record fifth time. In the final match Australia defeated co-hosts of the tournament, New Zealand by 7 wickets played at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Australia. In the final match, New Zealand had won the toss and had chosen to bat first. They had set the target of 183 runs to Australia after losing all wickets in the 45th over. Australian team easily overhauled the target in the 34th over with 7 wickets in hand. Captain of Australian Team- Michael Clarke. Captain of New Zealand Team- Brendon McCullum. In the final match, Australian bowlers James Faulkner and Mitchell Johnson had bagged 3 wickets each, while Mitchell Starc had claimed two wickets. Captain Michael Clarke had scored 74 runs and Steve Smith 56 runs. Previously, Australia had won the Cricket World Cup in 1987, 1999, 2003 and 2007. It was first time of New Zealand to enter final of Cricket World Cup. In the previous world cup’s they were defeated for six times in the semi-finals.

25. Union Government on 27 Mach 2015 gave its approval to build crore strategic project of next-generation Airborne Warning and Control Systems (AWACS). Decision in this regard was taken by Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) headed by Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. DAC gave its nod for two AWACS, which includes buying two Airbus A330s, worth 5,113 crore rupees. Airbus was the lone bidder for the programme. About Airborne Warning and Control Systems (AWACS) Project AWACS or eyes in the sky can detect incoming aerial threats like hostile fighters, drones and cruise missiles from 400-km away. It has capability to penetrate longer distances within enemy territory by way of radars and electronic warfare systems without venturing into the region physically. The project will involve mounting indigenous 360-degree coverage active electronically scanned array (AESA) radars on Airbus A-330 wide-body jets. Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) will develop the AWACSs. Apart from this, DAC also cleared the purchase of mine ploughs for T-90 tanks at Rs 710 crore and 30 weapon locating radars at Rs 1,605 crore besides others.

26. Ninth edition of Earth Hour was observed on 28 March 2015 across the World. Earth Hour 2015 encouraged people to explore and adopt a cleaner and more sustainable lifestyle by embracing renewable energy solutions. In this edition of Earth Hour, millions of people around the world took part in the event for the global climate change awareness campaign. Over 170 countries participated in the event and more than 1,200 landmarks along with 40 UNESCO world heritage sites observed the Earth Hour. Paris’s iconic Eiffel Tower, Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate and Hong Kong’s famed skyline also participated in the Earth Hour by switching off their lights. The Eiffel Tower turned off lights for only five minutes due to security reasons. About Earth Hour It is an annual global event organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). The initiative began in 2007 in Sydney, Australia and later became global event. Earth Hour’s goal is to raise awareness for sustainable energy use and create a more environmentally sustainable lifestyle. This day encourages citizens, communities, businesses and organisations to switch the lights off from 8:30 pm local time for an hour to highlight the plight of the planet.

27. As per the latest census, the Great Indian one-horned Rhinoceros population in Assam’s Kaziranga National Park (KNP) – world heritage site has increased to over 2401. The census was conducted by Assam’s forest department in association with several wildlife NGOs as a regular exercise in the park for four days from 24 to 28 March 2015. Entire Park was divided into 81 blocks for the purpose of census and the whole exercise involved about 200 people.

28. Rajasthan Government on 27 March 2015 passed the Rajasthan Camel (Prohibition of Slaughter and Regulation of Temporary Migration or Export) Bill, 2015. It was passed in state legislative assembly by a voice vote. The bill bans the slaughter, trading and unauthorised transportation of camels in the state. It also prescribes rigorous punishment for its violation including five years of rigorous imprisonment along with monetary fine. Causing injury to camel is also punishable as per the bill.

29. An Indian-American scientist and biology professor Murty Kambhampati is chosen for prestigious US Presidential award. He is among 15 scientists who have been chosen for US Presidential award for excellence in the field of science, mathematics and engineering mentoring (PAESMEM). All of them will receive the award at a White House ceremony later in year 2015. Apart from Kambhampati, Sri Lankan-origin Tilak Ratnanather is also among the 15 scientist from Indian subcontinent chosen for award.

30. Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on 28 March 2015 successfully launched fourth navigation satellite Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS)-1D. It was launched by Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) C-27 into the orbit from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. The satellite is similar to, and follows the IRNSS 1A, 1B and 1C which were launched in April 2013, July 2014 and October 2014respectively. IRNSS-1D will be launched into a sub Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (sub GTO). It weighs 1,425 kg and carries a navigation payload and CDMA ranging payload in addition with a laser retro-reflector. About IRNSS series IRNSS is a navigation system that will cover India, and also extend 1,500 kms from its boundaries. It will provide accurate position information to users in India. Basically it will provide two kinds of services, Standard Positioning Services, which is available to all users, and an encrypted service that is provided only to authorized users. The complete IRNSS system will include three satellites in geostationary orbit and four satellites in geosynchronous orbit at an altitude of 36,000 km above the Earth. The deployment of all the satellites was expected to be completed by 2015 at a cost of Rs. 1,420 cr. IRNSS is similar to other satellite navigation service providers like USA’s GPS (Global Positioning System), Russia’s Glonass, Europe’s Galileo, Japan’s Quasi Zenith and China’s Beidou. Applications of IRNSS Terrestrial, Aerial and Marine Navigation. Disaster Management. Vehicle tracking and fleet management. Integration with mobile phones. Precise Timing. Mapping and Geodetic data capture. Terrestrial navigation aid for hikers and travellers. Visual and voice navigation for drivers.

31. Ace shuttler Saina Nehwal on 28 March 2015 created history by becoming first Indian woman to be ranked number one in the world in Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings in Women’s Singles category. She achieved this rare feat after Spain’s Carolina Marin’s lost her semi-final match to Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon in the Indian Open Super Series. Saina has overtaken China’s Li Xuerui to become the highest ranked player in the world. Saina Nehwal is the second Indian badminton player to achieve this feat, after legendary shuttler Prakash Padukone. He had achieved the top rank in 1980 in Men’s Single Category.

32. Rajasthan government on 27 March 2015 passed Rajasthan Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Bill, 2015 in state assembly. With this Rajasthan has become first Indian state to fix a minimum educational qualification for contesting elections to the Panchayati Raj Institutions. The Bill amends the Rajasthan Panchayat Raj Act, 1994 to add provisions related minimum educational qualification for Panchayati elections.

33. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has been selected for the Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2014. It was announced by the jury for the Prize which had met under the Chairmanship of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. ISRO was chosen for the prestigious award for its contribution in Development through space technology and satellite-based services. Making space technology a catalyst of development. Bringing societal transformation and provided the service to the common man and nation. In this process it has become one of the six largest space agencies of the world.

34. President Pranab Mukherjee on 27 March 2015 conferred country’s highest civilian award Bharat Ratna on former Prime Minister (PM) Atal Bihari Vajpayee. President Pranab Mukherjee by departing from protocol presented the Atal Bihari Vajpayee the prestigious award at his home in New Delhi. In December 2014, Union Government had chosen Atal Bihari Vajpayee along with late educationist and freedom fighter Madan Mohan Malviya (posthumously) for the prestigious award.