WBCS Current Affairs 12/03/2014 to 27/03/2014

[admin]

1.As per the new estimate of World Health Organization (WHO), Air pollution is the world’s single largest environmental health risk that caused 7 million deaths in 2012, 80% of which were from heart attacks and stroke.

Excerpts of the UN health agency World Health Organization (WHO) report

Air pollution ranges from cooking fires to auto fumes.
Biggest pollution-related killers: heart disease, stroke, pulmonary disease and lung cancer.
Hardest-hit regions: Southeast Asia viz. India and Indonesia, and the Western Pacific, ranging from China and South Korea to Japan and the Philippines.
Indoor air pollution: The global death toll is 4.3 million deaths, caused by cooking over coal, wood and biomass stoves.
Outdoor pollution: The global death toll is 3.7 million, with sources ranging from coal heating fires to diesel engines.
Outdoor air pollution caused by car exhausts, power stations, emissions from agriculture and industry, heating in people’s homes (Group 1 carcinogenic, a cancer causing agent in the same category as tobacco smoke, UV radiation and plutonium).
Note: Its’ first time, WHO has directed a link between air pollution and heart disease, respiratory problems and cancer. The latest figures of 2012 are more than doubles from the previous estimates of deaths caused by air pollution in 2008.

2.The Arab Summit refused to recognize Israel as a Jewish state and condemned the Israeli illegal settlements established on the Palestinian territories.

3.The private lender bank, Kotak Mahindra launched a new current account product that will enable the account holders to undertake 21 services viz. cheque book requisitioning, checking last few transactions, etc, and using their Twitter accounts.
For the activity of listed service, the bank customers have to use the dedicated hashtags (#).
The account christened ‘Jifi’, also involves a host of loyalty-based reward points accrued from merchant transactions carried out using the account, referrals made and ‘sharing and commenting’ of tweets/updates.
The reward points, classified as transactional and social, can be redeemed for discounts with select online merchants or also transfered to friends.

4.The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) simplified foreign portfolio investment norms by putting in place an easier registration process and operating framework to attract inflows.
The portfolio investor registered in reference to SEBI guidelines is known by Registered Foreign Portfolio Investor (RFPI).

5.The software giant, Microsoft released the source codes of MS-DOS and Word for Windows in collaboration with the Computer History Museum (CHM) in Silicon Valley. The source code from MS DOS 1.1 and 2.0, as well as Microsoft Word for Windows 1.1a, is made public under a non-commercial license that forbids re-publication elsewhere on the Web.

6.The Japanese architecture, Mr. Shigeru Ban (56) won the Pritzker Architecture Prize 2014 for his unique approach in using materials viz. paper tubes, bamboo and shipping containers.

7.The Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 disappeared from air traffic control screens off Malaysia’s east coast early on March 8, as it flew from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board.
As per the recent analysis of satellite data, Inmarsat and UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) have concluded that flight MH370 ended in the southern Indian Ocean. The search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 has resumed after weather conditions in the southern Indian Ocean improved.

8.A 6-shot cylinder revolver, “Nirbheek” is the India’s first gun for women to defend themselves. This 0.32 bore light weight revolver is designed and manufactured to give tribute to December 2012 gang-rape victim Nirbhaya.
About India’s ‘handgun for women’ – “Nirbheek”

9.The Bank of India (BoI) launched an Instant Money Transfer (IMT) scheme and became the first state-run lender to allow withdrawal of funds to individuals from its ATMs without an account in the bank. In other words, the IMT scheme allows customers to withdraw cash without using either debt card or credit card at BoI’s IMT-enabled ATMs.

10.The deadly Ebola virus detected in the samples of a viral hemorrhagic fever that has killed more than 50 people in the West African nation of Guinea marked the first ever human outbreak of the disease in the country. There are fears that the virus may have been spread across the border into Sierra Leone. UNICEF has set up Doctors without Borders in Gueckedou to try to stop the disease from spreading.

11.The US and top economic powers have cancelled the G8 Summit to build pressure on Russia against its military action in Ukraine.
The leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the US, the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission took the decision in The Hague that the G8 Summit scheduled in Sochi in June, 2014 would be replaced by a G7 meeting in Brussels, without Russian involvement.
The G-7 countries stated that they will suspend their participation in the G-8 until Russia changes course and the environment comes back to where the G-8 is able to have a meaningful discussion.
Note:Russia was added to the G7 club of the US, Japan, Germany, Italy, France, Canada and Britain in 1999 as a reward for choosing the path of democracy after the collapse of Communism.

12.The renowned Hindi author, Mr. Govind Mishra will receive Sarawasti Samman 2013 for his book “Dhool Paudho Par” published in 2008. The award would make Mr. Mishra the second Hindi author to receive the honour after noted Indian poet Mr. Harivansh Rai Bachchan.

13.The Election Commission gave its nod to the Ministry of Defense (MoD) for the appointment of the new Navy chief. The permission was sought by the MoD in view of the Model Code of Conduct in force for the Lok Sabha elections.
Selection process of Indian Naval Chief: The Defense Ministry shortlists a list of at least three candidates. The Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) headed by the Prime Minister will select the most suitable person. Other members of the ACC: Defense Minister and Minister of Department of Personnel.
Note: The Indian Naval Chief Admiral DK Joshi’s tenure would have normally ended in 2015, but he resigned in the wake of submarine INS Sindhuratna accident on February, 2014. Vice Admiral RK Dhowan took over as the Acting Chief till regular Naval Chief is appointed.

14.The Supreme Court of India has directed the Union Government to withdraw all orders that makes the Aadhaar card mandatory for availing any service and also directed the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) not to share any information pertaining to an Aadhaar card holder with any government agency without the prior permission of the card holder.
The apex court stated that the project not only violates the right to privacy but the “biometrics”, which is the foundation of the project, is an unreliable and untested technology.
Note: The Justice BS Chauhan bench gave their ruling on the petitions that challenged the Constitutional validity of Aadhaar card with those opposing the mega project saying it was not backed by any statute and compromises with national security.

15.The scientists from the Background Imaging of Cosmic Extragalactic Polarization 2 (BICEP2 )found out the primordial gravitational waves, the first direct evidence of cosmic inflation theory. The data represent the first images of gravitational waves, or ripples in space-time. These waves have been described as the “first tremors of the Big Bang”. The data highlights a deep connection between quantum mechanics and general relativity.

16.As per the Aditya Puri committee recommendations, customers should be given a free copy of their credit profile as it would help in promoting financial discipline among loan seekers.
Excerpts of the recommendations made by Puri committee
Headed by Aditya Puri (Chairman of HDFC Bank).
Recently submitted report of the ‘Committee to recommend Data Format for Furnishing of Credit Information to Credit Information Companies (CICs)’ to RBI.

17.The British racer, Mr. Stuart Oliver won the Tata T1 Prima Truck Racing Championship (India’s first truck racing championship) at the Buddh International Circuit, Greater Noida. Mr. Oliver represented Castrol Vecton team in the race and took 30:26.848 minutes to complete 15 laps of the 2.5 km loop on the 5.1 km-long track.

18.The Tibetian spiritual leader Dalai Lama launched a book on the life of Former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri in New Delhi. The book titled ‘Lal Bahadur Shastri: Lessons in Leadership’ is a biographical account co-authored by former PM’s son Anil Shastri and columnist Pavan Choudhary.

19.The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to utilize unclaimed bank deposits that are estimated at Rs. 3,650 crore for education and awareness of depositors. The apex bank has announced the ‘Depositor Education and Awareness Fund Scheme, 2014’ for this purpose.
What are unclaimed bank deposits that to be credited for fund?
The amounts to be credited to the Fund shall be the credit balance in any deposit account maintained with banks which have not been operated upon for ten years or more, or any amount remaining unclaimed for ten years or more.
Deposit accounts viz. savings bank deposit accounts, fixed or term deposit accounts, recurring deposit accounts and current deposit accounts.

20.Environmentalist Ms. Almitra Patel is the member of Supreme Court Committee for Solid Waste Management of India. She has a very strong technical background and experience in several engineering fields, good para-medical knowledge and on a wide variety of pollution-related issues.

21.The Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) revalidated the field trials for 10 varieties of Genetically Modified (GM) food crops viz. wheat, rice, maize, cotton, sorghum, etc.
The panel has allowed multi-national seed companies viz. Mahyco, BASF India and Monsanto India to go ahead with wider or phase-II field trials for these genetically modified crops.
The companies desiring to go for confined field trials will have to approved first by the respective State governments because agriculture is a State subject under Constitutional provision.
Revalidation of GM crops varieties was required due to the lapse of validity period on account of State governments not allowing field trial.
The GEAC had given its clearance in those 10 cases way back in 2011 and 2012.

22.The European Union leaders signed an agreement with Ukraine, forging closer economic and political ties, as the crisis with Russia continues. The EU Association Agreement with Ukraine is designed to give the country’s interim leadership under PM Arseniy Yatsenyuk economic and political support.
Key elements of the pact: to foster core reforms and economic growth, co-operation in energy and environment protection, sustainable development, to enhance foreign and security policy, respect for human rights, etc.

23.The Central Government sold 42.26 million shares or 9 % of Axis Bank’s share capital through a trust fund, Specified Undertaking of the Unit Trust of India (SUUTI), by a block deal in a price range of Rs.1,313-1,341 per share.
Purpose: To garner over Rs.5, 500 crore through the sale of 4.2 crore shares or 9 % stake.
Note: Axis Bank is the third largest private sector bank of India in which Government of India holds 20.7 % share by assets. The share sale is part of the government’s campaign to raise revenues and meet its revised fiscal deficit target of 4.6 % of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the financial year ending on March 31, 2014.

24.Dr. Kamalesh Chandra Chakrabarty (62), the Deputy Governor of RBI, resigned from the post against his scheduled term end, due to his personal reasons. His term was scheduled to end on June 30, 2014.
Mr. Chaktabarty is also the Chairman of the Bharatiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran and also heads the Advisory Committee of College of Agricultural Banking (CAB).

25.Physicist Prof. Rajesh Gopakumar (46) to be honoured with 23rd G D Birla award for scientific research for 2013. At present, Mr. Gopakumar working as a theoritical physicist at Harish Chandra Research Institute, Allahabad and has made important contributions on topics in quantum field theory and string theory.

26.As per the study of Ethisphere Institute (USA), Wipro Limited and Tata Power Company emerged as the only Indian entities in the 2014 list of World’s Most Ethical Companies.

27.The scientists from the Harvard Medical School, Boston developed an artificial heart that can beat in animals. This discovery could be helpful in repairing damaged hearts enabling millions of people around the world live longer, healthier lives.
In order to develop the artificial heart similar to natural heart, scientists developed a new family of hydrogel using a stretchy human protein known as tropoelastin.

28.India and the USA signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to create a joint implementation committee to regularly monitor and boost the PEACE (Promoting Energy Access through Clean Energy) initiative in New Delhi. This new initiative PEACE was launched in 2013 under the India-US Energy Dialogue.

Objective: To harness commercial enterprise to bring clean energy access to un-served and underserved Indian villages, capture lessons learned, and develop best practices. Reliable and cost-effective off-grid clean energy solutions can significantly improve the quality of life and economic conditions in rural households and communities.
Focus Areas of Promoting Energy Access through Clean Energy (PEACE)
Sharing best practices and institutional and other approaches.
Finance.
Technology innovation, standards, testing, and certification.
Skill development and information sharing.
Under the U.S.-India Energy Dialogue 2014, both the Governments finalized an initial plan of activities viz.
To create a new “PACEsetter fund” to support the development of early-stage, innovative clean energy solutions for un-served and underserved populations in India.
To cooperate on a study to recommend the design of a smart micro-grid pilot to test and validate a business model for scaling up smart micro-grids commercially.
Will work with stakeholders to develop a quality assurance framework, including control standards and performance benchmarks, that can serve consumers better in terms of safety, reliability, performance and cost comparison, and facilitate the delivery of high quality products to the market.
Off-Grid Alliance: To establish an alliance of businesses, not-for-profit organizations, and government to strengthen India’s off-grid ecosystem, bring existing efforts to scale, and attract new businesses and commercial enterprises.
Note: The implementation of PEACE will be under the New Technology and Renewable Energy (NTRE) Working Group of the U.S.-India Energy Dialogue.

29.The Election Commission signed up Bollywood actor Aamir Khan as its national icon in the run-up to 2014 Lok Sabha poll. Aamir Khan will spread awareness about the importance of voting and will urge people to cast their votes.
Purpose: To encourage more and more people to vote in the General Elections 2014.
Mr. Khan joined the league of four other ‘national icon’– Indian cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, boxer MC Mary Kom, badminton ace Saina Nehwal and former President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam.

30.The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) extended the 80:20 schemes to import gold to five private banks.
Under RBI 80:20 scheme
Banks have been allowed to import gold:HDFC Bank, Axis Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, IndusInd Bank and Yes Bank.
Objective: To make easy on inward consignment of the gold.
Nominated agencies could import gold with a condition that 80% kept for domestic use and 20% of the consignment will be exported.
Note: After oil import, Gold import is the 2nd biggest import that had pushed the current account deficit (CAD) to a record high in the last year.

31.To make hockey exciting and viewer-friendly, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) introduced major changes in the structure of the sport viz. reduced the 70-minute game to 60 minutes, comprising four 15-minute quarters instead of two 35-minute halves. After the first and third quarters there will be a two-minute break while the existing 10-minute half-time will remain unchanged.
New format of Hockey
Purpose: To improve the flow and intensity of hockey, increase fan experience and provide more time for game presentation and analysis.
Played in 4-quarter format.
Match duration: 60 minutes 4 quarters: Each quarter will be of 15 minutes.
40 sec timeout: After penalty corner awarded and after a goal scored.
Two-minute breaks: After the first and third quarters. The existing 10-minute half time will remain unchanged.

32.As per the India Human Development Survey (IHDS) survey, 4 out of 10 women in India still have no say in their marriage, 8 out of 10 need permission to visit a doctor, 6 out of 10 practise some form of head covering and the average Indian household gives over Rs.30,000 in dowry.
Excerpts of the latest data of India Human Development Survey (IHDS) 2011-12
Sample size: 42,000 households.
Covers economic data on income and expenditure, development data on education and health, and sociological data on caste, gender and religion.
Average wedding expense: Groom: Rs 81,952, Bride – Rs 1,26,724.
Average dowry: Rs.30, 000.
Marriage: 48% women (over 25) were married before age 18 (as opposed to 60% in 2004-5) and 59% women (over 25) with any say in marriage.
Around 41% of women still have no say in their marriage.
Say in marriage: Best states: Tamil Nadu (94%), Assam (90%), AP and Kerala – 86%, Worst States: Rajasthan (20%), UP(24%), MP & Orissa- 29%.
Mean age at marriage - 17.8.
Knew their husband before marriage (over 25): 18%.
Woman practice head/face covering: Highest: Rajasthan – 96%, Bihar – 91%, Haryana & MP – 88%, Lowest: T.N – 6%, AP – 13%, North east – 15%.
81% women need permission to visit doctor.
60% of women, including 59% of forward caste Hindus and 83% of Muslim women, practice some form of `purdah’ or `ghunghat’.
Most expensive weddings: Kerala & Delhi.
The practice of marrying a cousin or relative, more common in the south than the north, is becoming less common, but over 20% in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka still marry relatives.
About India Human Development Survey (IHDS)
Conducted by the National Council for Applied Economic Research (NCAER).
Largest household survey. (After the government’s Nation Sample Survey Organization (NSSO) surveys.
NCAER is the only independent body that conducts such large-sample panel surveys.
Outcome of the survey: The data shows that with the growing level of education, urbanization and women empowerment programme the condition of women is slightly improving in the society.

33.Russian President Mr. Vladimir Putin and the leaders of Crimea signed a treaty in Moscow to make Crimea part of Russia again. Though, Mr. Putin stated that he has no plan to seize any other regions of Ukraine.
As per the resolution approved by the new republic’s legislature, Crimea has also decided to switch to Russian time by moving the clock forward two hours by March 30, 2014.
Though, peninsula will keep the existing Ukrainian budget and tax codes until Crimea formulates its own related regulations.
About newly-proclaimed Republic of Crimea
Formerly known as the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.
Capital:Simferopol.
Official languages: Russian, Crimean Tatar and Ukrainian.
Prime Minister of Crimea: Sergey Aksyonov.
Officially currency: Russian Ruble (though, Ukrainian Hryvnias will continue to circulate till January 2016).
Elections to the government bodies of Crimea and Sevastopol shall be conducted on September, 2015. Till then, current Parliament of Crimea and the Council of Ministers of Crimea along with the Legislative Assembly of the city of Sevastopol will continue their work.
Ukrainian citizens and non citizens permanently living in Crimea and Sevastopol will automatically be recognized as Russian unless they express their wish to maintain their current citizenship within a month.
Note: After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Crimea stayed with Ukraine in 1991 as the Republic of Crimea before Ukraine later changed its name as the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.

34.Ms. Aditi Khanna became the first women President of Indian Journalist’s Association (IJA) in London. At present, Ms. Khanna is the London correspondent for Press Trust of India.

35.The US regulator, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) filed a law-suit on 16 world’s largest banks, as these global financial institutions are accuse of conspiring to manipulate the LIBOR interest rate.
About LIBOR (London Interbank Offered Rate) interest rate
The rate at which banks in London lend money to each other for the short-term in a particular currency. In other words, its’ an interest rate at which banks can borrow funds, in marketable size, from other banks in the London interbank market.
World’s most widely used benchmark for short-term interest rates.
A new Libor rate is calculated every morning by financial data firm Thomson Reuters based on interest rates provided by members of the British Bankers Association.

36.The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has cautioned banks to take immediate steps to implement appropriate systems and controls if their systems and ATMs are still working on Windows XP, as Microsoft will stop issuing updates and patches for bugs in its Windows XP operating system (OS) from April 8, 2014.
If the updates and patches for bugs are stopped, then the probability of attacks on systems based on Windows XP OS may increase and it may be difficult to defend such attacks in the absence of Microsoft support.

37.The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) hiked the trade related remittance limit from Rs.2 lakh to Rs.5 lakh per transaction with immediate effect

38.Mr. Nandan Nilekani resigned as chairman of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) and formally joined Congress. Infosys co-founder Mr. Nilekani will contest Lok Sabha polls from Bangalore. Mr. Nandan Nilekani declared that his and wife Rohini’s assets were worth Rs.7,700 crore

39.As per the report published by the Sweden-based Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), India become the world’s largest arms importer over 2004-13 and its import of weapon systems is three times more than Pakistan and China.Indian imports of major weapons rose by 111% in the last five years compared to 2004-08. Its share of total global arms imports increased from 7 to 14%.
World’s total arms sales had increased by 14 % from 2009 to 2013.
World’s top five Global arms importers: India (14%), China (5%), Pakistan (5%), the United Arab Emirates (4%) and Saudi Arabia (4%).
Major suppliers of arms to India in 2009-13: Russia (accounting for 75% of imports) and the US (7%).
World’s top five Global arms suppliers between 2009 and 2013: the United States (29 % of global exports), Russia (27%), Germany (7 %), China (6 %) and France (5%).
Imports by European nations decreased by 25 % between 2004-2008 and 2009-13.

40.Indian imports of major weapons rose by 111% in the last five years compared to 2004-08. Its share of total global arms imports increased from 7 to 14%.
World’s total arms sales had increased by 14 % from 2009 to 2013.
World’s top five Global arms importers: India (14%), China (5%), Pakistan (5%), the United Arab Emirates (4%) and Saudi Arabia (4%).
Major suppliers of arms to India in 2009-13: Russia (accounting for 75% of imports) and the US (7%).
World’s top five Global arms suppliers between 2009 and 2013: the United States (29 % of global exports), Russia (27%), Germany (7 %), China (6 %) and France (5%).
Imports by European nations decreased by 25 % between 2004-2008 and 2009-13.
About Rani-ki-Vav
Location: Patan, Gujarat.
Constructed by Queen Udayamati of the Solanki dynasty.
The 11th century stepwell and is one of the finest examples of stepwells in Gujarat.
The well is subterranean structure with a series of steps, board landings, pavilions and sculpted walls which provides access to water in deep water. It is of seven storeys with five exist and there are more than 800 elaborate sculptures which are survived. This is a protected monument under the Archeological Survey of India.
About Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP)
Location: Kullu region in Himachal Pradesh.
Established: 1984 and declared as National Park in 1999.
Area: 452 sq mi.
Known for its biodiversity and has more than 25 forest types, 800 kinds of plants and is home to more than 180 bird species.
Habitat to numerous flora and more than 375 fauna species that comprises nearly around 31 mammals, 181 birds, 3 reptiles, 9 amphibians, 11 annelids, 17 mollusks and 127 insects.

41.The astronomers of Oliver Chesneau of the Cote d’Azur Observatory (Nice, France) discovered the largest Yellow star “HR 5171 A” in our Milky way Galaxy.
Technique used by astronomers: Interferometry that helps to combine the light collected from multiple individual telescopes, effectively creates a giant telescope up to 140 metres in size.

42.Indian Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar has been voted the cricketer of the generation by a 50-member jury of current and former cricketers and journalists. The award is meant to honour the most outstanding cricketer between the years 1993 and 2013.

43.The Mangalore-based College of Fisheries developed a diagnostic kit (RapiDot Diagnostic Kit)for the detection of white spot virus in shrimps. The technology developed with funding assistance from the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, New Delhi.

44.Prolific author and journalist Mr. Khushwant Singh (99) passed away due to cardiac arrest in New Delhi. He was best known for his trenchant secularism, his humour, and an abiding love for poetry.
About Mr. Khushwant Singh
Born: February 2, 1915 in Hadali, British India (current Sargodha District, Pakistan)
Founder editor of Yojana from 1951-1953.
Member of the Rajya Sabha (1980 to 1986).
Award(s): Rockfeller Grant, Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan, Sahitya academy fellowship award, etc.
Books: Train to Pakistan, I Shall Not Hear the Nightingale, Delhi, A History of the Sikhs, etc.
Also wrote autobiography, “Truth, Love and a Little Malice” that was published by Penguin Books in 2002.
Editor of several literary and news magazines, viz. The Illustrated Weekly of India, The Hindustan Times and The National Herald, etc.

45.Retired Supreme Court judge, Mr. BN Srikrishna appointed as the Chairman of Financial Planning Standards Board India (FPSB). He succeeded Mr. Dhirendra Swarup.

46.The President of Sahitya Akademi, Dr.Viswanath Prasad Tiwari presented prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award 2013 at the annual “Festival of Letters” in New Delhi.
Sahitya Akademi Award 2013 to
Famous poets: Rabindra Sarkar (Assamese), Subodh Sarkar (Bengali), Anil Boro (Bodo), Sitaram Sapolia (Dogri), Chinu Modi (Gujarati), Ambika Dutt (Rajasthani), Radhakant Thakur (Sanskrit), Arjun Charan Hembram (Santali), Namdev Tarachandani (Sindhi) and Javed Akhtar (Urdu) .
Novelists: Mridula Garg (Hindi),Manmohan (Punjabi) and R.N. Joe D’ Cruz (Tamil).
Renowned film maker Dr. Makhonmani Mongsaba.
Books of essays: C.N.Ramachandran (Kannada), Tukaram Rama Shet (Konkani), Satish Kalasekar (Marathi), and Katyayani Vidmahe(Telugu).
Books of short stories: Temsula Ao (English) and Mohi-ud- Din Reshi (Kashmiri).
Travelogues: Makhonmani Mongsaba (Manipuri) and Man Bahadur Pradhan (Nepali).
M.N.Paloor (Malayalam) for his autobiography, Sureshwar Jha (Maithili) for his memoirs and Bijoy Misra (Odia) for his play.
Note: Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honor in India to recognize and promote excellence in Indian writing and also acknowledge new trends.

47.The French company Airbus launched its wholly owned subsidiary in India called Airbus India.
About Airbus India
Fifth country subsidiary outside Europe for the Airbus.
Objective: To restructure the Airbus operations in India and consolidate it to tap the growing Indian aviation market.
Will include strategy, customer services and procurement teams under one organization.
Would also set up customer centres in Delhi and Mumbai.
New Chief Executive Officer: Mr. Srinivasan Dwarakanath.
Chairman: Mr. Charles Champion.
Would manage the company’s Indian footprint spread across several sites.
Plan to set up a Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) capability.
Note: Airbus is the world’s leading commercial aircraft manufacturer and is owned by the Airbus Group and has subsidiaries in the United States, India, Japan and China.

48.Karnataka won the Vijay Hazare Cricket Trophy 2013-14 by defeating Railways by four wickets at the EdenGardens in Kolkata. For the first time, Karnataka won the Vijay Hazare trophy. Its’ Karnataka’s hat-trick title, as they already won the Ranji Trophy and Irani Trohy in this season (2014).
Note: Vijay Hazare Trophy, also known as the Ranji One Day Trophy, was started in 2002–03 as a limited-over domestic competition involving state teams from the Ranji Trophy plates. It is named after the famous Indian cricketer Vijay Hazare.

49.Nagaland and Assam will be the first two states to be issued plastic Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The new plastic EPICs have many scientific features viz. a hologram with coded details of the voter to prevent duplication, forging and tampering.

50.Ms Soma Mondal appointed as the first female director (commercial) of Navratna Public Sector Unit (PSU) National Aluminium Company Ltd (NALCO).
Previously, Ms. Mondal was working with the company as executive director (marketing) at Nalco’s corporate office.
Note: NALCO is a public sector enterprise of the Government of India. It is Asia’s largest integrated aluminium complex, encompassing bauxite mining, alumina refining, aluminium smelting and casting, power generation, rail and port operations.

51.A national campaign has been launched against the dengue disease titled “U & Me Against Dengue” in six Indian cities with a joint partnership of private and public firm.

52.The public sector lender, Canara Bank announced cricketer Shikhar Dhawan as its brand ambassador.

53.The ICC World Twenty20 (also referred to as the ICC World T20 or the T20 World Cup) will be played in Bangladesh from March 16, 2014 – April 6 2014.

54.At the 7th Asian Air Gun Championship in Kuwait, India’s ace shooter Ms Heena Sidhu clinched the air pistol women’s gold medal and Chain Singh bagged a gold medal in men’s air rifle event.

55.The private sector lender, ICICI Bank launched portable hand-held machines (or portable POS machines) to avoid inconvenience around entering secret PIN number for card transactions in hotels.
The ICICI Merchant Services is an alliance between ICICI Bank and electronic commerce and payment services company First Data.

56.India’s annual Consumer Price Inflation (CPI) falls to 8.10% in February 2014, i.e. 25-month low on account of lower food prices.
As per the Consumer Price Index (CPI) data, inflation fell for the third consecutive month and eased to 25-month low of 8.10 percent in February mainly on account of a drop in food prices. In other words, overall inflation in the food basket, including beverages, slowed to 8.57 % in February from 9.9 % in the previous month.
The rate at which vegetable prices increased eased to 14.04 % as against 21.91% in January. Retail inflation also slowed in protein-rich items viz. eggs, fish and meat to 9.69 % in February as opposed to 11.69 % in January.
Note: A Consumer Price Inflation (CPI) measures changes in the price level of a market basket of consumer goods and services purchased by households.

57.The India Premier League (IPL) 2014 season 7 will be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bangladesh and India. Due to 16th Lok Sabha elections in India, the IPL tournament partly shifted out of the country and will return to India for the final phase of matches.

58.Ms Michelle Bachelet (62) sworn-in as the President of Chile for second time. She is the first person since 1932 to win the presidency of her country twice in competitive elections. Previously, Ms Bachelet served as Chilean President from 2006-2010.
Succeeded by: Sebastián Piñera.
Note: Under Chile’s constitution, she was banned from running for a second consecutive term, even though her popularity ratings remained high.

59.The scientists from the University Of Notre Dame, discovered a new class of antibiotics, “Oxadiazoles”, to fight deadly bacteria viz. Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) and other drug-resistant bacteria that threaten public health.

60.The Finnish handset maker Nokia launched its first Android-based smart phone, the Nokia X in India at Rs.8, 599. The Nokia X handset comes with 4GB of in-built storage, and can be expanded up to 32 GB via micro SD card.

61.In a bid to expedite proceedings against sitting MPs and MLAs in criminal cases, the Supreme Court sets a deadline for lower courts to complete trial in cases involving lawmakers within a year of framing of charges.
The apex court stated that all such proceedings involving lawmakers must be conducted on a day-to-day basis in order to expedite the trial.
As the trial is kept pending for years, lawmakers continue to enjoy membership of the legislative body despite being charged in a heinous offence.
Justice R M Lodha bench stated that the trial courts will have to give explanation to the Chief Justice of the respective high court if the trial is not completed within a year.

62.The scientists from the University of East Anglia, UK discovered traces of four new man-made gases in the atmosphere that are capable of destroying the ozone layer and intensifying global warming. Scientists stated that the new gases are manmade because they were not seen in the atmosphere until the 1960s.
About four new man-made Ozone-Killing gases
Three of the gases are Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and one is a Hydro- Chlorofluorocarbon (HCFC), which can also damage ozone.
The four new gases have been identified as CFC-112, CFC112a, CFC-113a, HCFC-133a.
CFC-113a: An agrochemical intermediate for the manufacture of pyrethroids. (a type of insecticide once widely used in agriculture).
CFC-113a and HCFC-133a: Intermediaries in the production of widely used refrigerants.
CFC-112 and 112a may have been used in the production of solvents and used to clean electrical components.
Of the four species identified, CFC-113 seems to be most worrying, as it is an insecticide coming from a very small but growing emissions source somewhere as yet unidentified.
CFC and HCFC gases have been found to damage the ozone layer, which is essential to filter ultraviolet rays that can cause cancer in humans.
As per estimate, about 74,000 tonnes of these gases have been released into the atmosphere.
The study was published in the journal Nature Geoscience.
Note: The ozone layer protect the planet from damaging ultraviolet rays that can cause skin cancer and eye cataracts.

63.As per the second update of the Annual Health Survey (AHS), all major health indicators in the country’s worst-performing States are showing a gradual improvement over the years but inter-State variations persist.

About 2nd update of Annual Health Survey (AHS)

Objective: To monitor the performance and outcome of various health interventions of the Government including those under National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) at closer intervals through benchmark indicators
In 284 districts of nine states survey was conducted.
States: Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Assam.
These states account for about 48 % of the total population in the country.
Highlights of the Annual Health Survey (AHS)

(a)Crude Birth Rate (CBR) and Crude Death Rate (CDR):-

Minimum CBR: Bageshwar (14.7) in Uttarakhand.
Maximum CBR: Shrawasti (40.9) in Uttar Pradesh.
CBR in rural areas of districts is higher than that in urban areas.
Minimum CDR: Dhemaji (4.5) in Assam.
Low female death rates have also been observed as compared to male death rates.
(b)Infant Mortality Rate (IMR):-

Minimum IMR: Rudraprayag (19) in Uttarkhand.
Maximum IMR: Shrawasti (103) in Uttar Pradesh.
Districts achieved the MDG -4 National target of 28 by 2015: Purbi Singhbhum & Dhanbad (Jharkhand) and Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Pithoragarh & Almora (Uttarakhand).
Four districts viz. Bokaro & Ranchi (Jharkhand) and Bageshwar & Nainital (Uttarakhand) are in closer vicinity to achieve the MDG-4 National target.
IMR in rural areas of districts is significantly higher than that in urban areas.
(c)Neo-Natal Mortality Rate (NNMR):-

Minimum NNMR: Rudraprayag (11), Uttarkhand.
Maximum NNMR: Balangir (75) in Odisha.
Rural NNMR in districts is significantly higher than the urban.
(d)Under Five Mortality Rate (U5MR):-

Minimum U5MR: Pithoragarh district (24), Uttarakhand.
Maximun U5MR: Kandhmal district (145), Odisha.
Districts achieved the MDG -4 National target of 42 by 2015: Pithoragarh, Almora, Rudraprayag, Chamoli, Nainital & Bagheswar (Uttarakhand) and Purbi Singhbhum (Jharkhand).
10 districts viz. Dhanbad, Bokaro, Kodarma, Hazaribagh & Giridih (Jharkhand) and Kota (Rajasthan) and Champawat, Udham Singh Nagar, Dehradun & Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand) are in closer vicinity to achieve the MDG-4 National target.
Rural U5MR in districts is significantly higher than the urban.
(e) Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR):-

Minimum MMR: Kumaon HQ (183) in Uttarakhand.
Maximum MMR: Faizabad Mandal (451) in UP.
(f) Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB)

Minimum SRB: Pithoragarh district (764), Uttarakhand.
Maximum SRB: Moradabad district (1034), Uttar Pradesh.
Terms:

Crude Birth Rate (CBR) denotes live births per 1000 population and Crude Death Rate (CDR) denotes number of deaths per 1000 population.
Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) denotes the number of infant deaths (age below one year) per 1000 live births.
Neo-Natal Mortality Rate (NNMR) measures the number of infant deaths (age below 29 days) per 1,000 live births.
Under Five Mortality Rate (U5MR) denotes the number of children who died before reaching their fifth birthday per 1,000 live births.
Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) measures the proportion of maternal deaths per 1,00,000 live births.
Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB) defined as the number of female live births per 1,000 male live births.
Outcome of the survey: These indicators would provide requisite inputs for better planning of health programmes and pave the way for evidence based intervention strategies.

64.Indian author Mr. Pankaj Mishra won the prestigious Donald Windham Campbell Literature prize 2014 in the non-fiction category. The awards are announced by The Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library at YaleUniversity.
Mr. Mishra Mishra is an Indian essayist, memoirist, travel writer and novelist whose work expands our understanding of the encounter between Western and Non-western culture.
Besides the novel, The Romantics, he has published four works of non-fiction: Butter Chicken in Ludhiana: Travels in Small TownIndia, An End to Suffering: the Buddha in the World, Temptations of the West: How to Be Modern in India, Pakistan, Tibet, and Beyond and From the Ruins of Empire: The Intellectuals Who Remade Asia.

65.Mizoram clinched the 68th Santosh Trophy for Football by defeating Railways by 3-0 at Siliguri ,West Bengal and won Rs.5 lakh prize money, while the runners up Railways received Rs.3 lakh. This is the maiden Santosh Trophy for Mizoram and this was also the first appearance for them in the final match.
Railways won its’ last Santosh Trophy in 1966.

66.The Union Government banned vehicles from carrying iron and steel rods, pipes or any protruding material beyond the body frame. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has deleted the provision in the Central Motor Vehicle Rules (CMVR), 1989 that allowed protrusions up to one metre.

67.The 64th National Basketball Championship held at the Thyagaraj Indoor Stadium in New Delhi.
Winners:
Chhattisgarh won the women’s title after beating Indian Railways by 81-77.
Tamil Nadu won the men’s title by defeating Punjab by 74-57.
Harish Sharma Most Valuable Player Award: Rikin Pethani (Tamil Nadu) and Kavita Kumari (Chhattisgarh).
Services finished third in the men’s category while Delhi women beat Maharashtra to secure third position.

68.The People’s Republic of China announced to raise its military budget for 2014 by 12.2% to $132 billion. The hike in defense spending would seek to develop more high-tech weapons and to beef up coastal and air defenses.