Daily news 3 April 2018

National News

1. Nirmala Sitharaman in Russia to attend Moscow Conference
i. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is in Russia to attend the 7th Moscow Conference on International Security. This is her first visit to Russia in her capacity as the Defence Minister.
ii. During her three-day tour, she will meet her Russian counterpart Army General Sergei Shoigu and other senior leaders.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-

Russia Capital- Moscow, Currency- Russian ruble, President- Vladimir Putin.




2. West Bengal Introduces 'Rupashree Scheme’ for Marriage of Poor Girls
i. The state government of West Bengal introduced a new scheme called ‘Rupashree’ in order to provide marriage assistance to girls coming from economically weaker families with a budgetary allocation of Rs 1500 crore.
ii. The scheme proposes to extend one-time financial assistance worth Rs 25,000 to the family of the girl whose annual income is up to Rs 1.5 lakh. 

Static/Current Takeaways Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-

West Bengal CM- Mamata Banerjee, Governor- Keshri Nath Tripathi.



3. World-Class Tourist Amenities Unveiled at Konark Sun Temple
i. A world-class interpretation centre and other tourist facilities for visitors were inaugurated at the Konark Sun Temple, Odisha.
ii. It coincided with Utkal Diwas, Odisha's foundation day. The facilities were inaugurated by the Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. 

Static/Current Takeaways Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-

Konark Sun Temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

It was built in the 13th century.



4. E-Way Bill for Inter-State Movement of Goods Comes into Force
i. With the beginning of the financial year 2018-19, the e-way Bill System for Inter-State movement of goods comes into force.
ii. Under this system businesses and transporters have to produce before a GST inspector e-way bill for moving goods worth over Rs 50,000 from one state to another. 

Ranks & Reports 

5. India Ranks 37th in Global Startup Ecosystem: Startupblink Report
i. According to report released by global startup ecosystem map Startupblink, India was ranked 37th out of 125 countries in global startup ecosystem in 2017. Startupblink is a global startup ecosystem map with tens of thousands of registered startups, coworking spaces, and accelerators.
ii. The list, measuring startup ecosystem strength and activity, was topped by the United States followed by the United Kingdom.

6. Bloomberg Billionaires Top 100 Index Released
i. Reliance Industries Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh Ambani has been ranked 19th on Bloomberg Billionaires Top 100 Index as he becomes the third richest Asian on the list. With a net worth of approximately $38.3 billion, Ambani’s wealth is pegged at about over 1.5 percent of India’s GDP.
ii. While Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has added $21.8 billion to his fortunes this year and takes the top spot, Microsoft founder Bill Gates was ranked 2nd.
iii. From Asia, Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma (ranked 13th) is the richest with a net worth of $47.2 billion and is followed by Tencent co-founder and CEO Pony Ma (17) with a $41.1 billion net worth.

Business News

7. Ola Acquires Ticketing App Firm Ridlr
i. Ride-hailer Ola has acquired Mumbai-based Ridlr, an end-to-end public transport ticketing and commuting app. The acquisition will complement Ola’s efforts to integrate its mobility platform with public transportation infrastructure.
ii. Founded in 2012, Ridlr enables users to search and book public transport options on their mobile phones.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-

Headquarter of Ola is in Bangalore, Karnataka. 

CEO of Ola is Bhavish Aggarwal.



8. SoftBank Signs $930 million Deal to Set Up Solar Venture in India
i. SoftBank has signed a $930-million deal with China's energy conglomerate Golden Concord (GCL) to produce and sell solar equipment in India.
ii. GCL will invest for a 40% stake in the joint venture, with SoftBank taking the rest. The project will have a 4 gigawatt-capacity and will produce solar ingots, silicon wafers, batteries, and components.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-

Chairman & CEO of Soft Bank- Masayoshi Son, Headquarters- Tokyo, Japan.

Daily news 4 April 2018

National News

1. Suresh Prabhu Launches Digital Initiative for Ease of Export

i. Union Commerce and Industry and Civil Aviation Minister, Suresh Prabhu launched digital initiatives by Export Inspection Council (EIC) for ease of export at New Delhi.
ii. EIC is the official export certification body of Government of India and has launched this flagship project of Digital India Initiative to keep pace with changing dynamics of the world.
iii. Three portals have been developed to reduce transaction time and cost in a transparent manner. The portals will play an important role in the Go Green initiative by reducing paper usage and saving millions of trees.

2. HRD Ministry Releases ‘NIRF India Rankings 2018’

i. The Union Minister of Human Resource Development, Mr Prakash Javadekar, released the NIRF (National Institute of Ranking Framework) India Rankings 2018 in various categories on the basis of performance of Higher Educational Institutions in a programme held in New Delhi.
ii. The top 3 Overall Institutes in India are:
1. Indian Institute of Science (IISc Bengaluru),
2. Indian Institute of Technology Madras,
3. Indian Institute of Technology Bombay.
iii. The top 3 Universities in India are- 
1. Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru,
2. Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi,
3. Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi.

3. India-Japan-US Trilateral Talks Held in New Delhi

i. The crucial dialogue between the three leading democratic powers (viz. India, Japan and the USA) of the Indo-Pacific region was held in New Delhi.
ii. The India-Japan-US trilateral was launched in December 2011. It was elevated to ministerial level in September 2015. The last ministerial dialogue was held in New York in September 2017.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-

Japan Capital- Tokyo, Currency- Japanese yen, Prime Minister- Shinzo Abe.

US Capital- Washington D.C., Currency- American dollar, President- Donald Trump.



4. Trial Run of 1st India-Bangladesh Container Train Flagged Off

i. The trial run of the first container train between India and Bangladesh was flagged off from Kolkata city. 
ii. The train left for Bangladesh with 60 containers loaded with almost 1,200 tonnes of de-oiled cake, used as a raw material for animal feed.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-

Bangladesh PM- Sheikh Hasina, Capital- Dhaka, Currency- Bangladeshi Taka.

5. HRD Ministry Constitutes Committee to Prevent Exam Paper Leakages

i. The Ministry of Human Resource Development has constituted a High Powered Committee to examine the entire system of conducting Class X and Class XII examination conducted by the CBSE with a view to prevent leakages.
ii. Mr Vinay Sheel Oberoi, Retd. Secretary (Higher Education), MHRD will be the Chairperson of the 7 member High Power Committee.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-

Prakash Javadkar is the Present Union Minister of HRD.

Banking News

6. MoU Between Indian Army and HDFC Bank

i. An MoU was signed between the Indian Army and HDFC Bank on the Defence Salary Package. The first MoU between HDFC Bank and the Indian Army was signed in 2011 and was renewed in Mar 2015.
ii. Under the current MoU apart from other benefits the Army personnel will get free personal accident death cover and free permanent disability cover of Rs 30 lakhs, free educational cover of upto Rs 1 Lakh per year for four years for education of dependent child in case of accidental death of defence personnel and 100% processing fees waived for Car Loans and Personal Loans. 

Static/Current Takeaways Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-

HDFC Bank- India’s largest private bank by market capitalization

HDFC Bank Chairman- Aditya Puri.





Reserve Bank of India labelled HDFC Bank as ‘domestic systematically important bank’ - in other words, 'too big to fail'.





General Bipin Rawat is the present Chief of Indian Army.



7. Jio Payments Bank Limited Commences Operations

i. Jio Payments Bank Limited has commenced operations as a payments bank. The Reserve Bank has issued a licence to the bank under Section 22 (1) of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 to carry on the business of payments bank in India.
ii. Reliance Industries Limited, Mumbai was one of the 11 applicants which were issued in-principle approval for setting up a payments bank.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-

Telecom major Bharti Airtel was the first to begin payment bank services in November 2016.

8. IndusInd Bank Gets RBI Nod to Acquire IL&FS Arm

i. Private sector lender IndusInd Bank has received RBI's approval to buy the securities services arm of IL&FS. 
ii. In March 2017, the bank entered an agreement with Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services, the promoter shareholder of IL&FS Securities Services Ltd (ISSL), to acquire 100% stake in ISSL.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-

IndusInd Bank commenced operations in 1994

IndusInd Bank Chairman- R. Seshasayee, Headquarter- Mumbai, Owner- Hinduja Group.

Sports News

9. Commonwealth Games 2018 Starts at Gold Coast in Australia

i. The 21st edition of the Commonwealth Games begun in Gold Coast, Australia, with a colourful opening ceremony. 
ii. Carrara Stadium has been chosen as the venue to host the opening ceremony. These Games marked the 5th time that Australia has hosted the games. India was represented at the opening ceremony by a contingent of over 200 athletes who were led by flag-bearer P V Sindhu.  

Static/Current Takeaways Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-

Australia Capital- Canberra, Currency- Australian Dollar, Prime Minister- Malcolm Turnbull

Daily news 6 April 2018

National News

1. Nepal PM K P Sharma Oli on 3-day Visit to India

i. Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli has begun his three-day visit to India. According to the External Affairs Ministry, the visit will provide an opportunity to review wide-ranging cooperative partnership and to progress it further.
ii. PM Oli will also visit G B Pant University of Agriculture and Technology in Pantnagar, Uttarakhand.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-

Nepal Capital- Kathmandu, Currency- Nepalese rupee, President- Bidhya Devi Bhandari, Prime Minister- Khadga Prasad Oli.

2. National Maritime Day: 5 April

i. The 55th edition of National Maritime Day was celebrated all over India. NMD is celebrated on 5th April every year since 1964.
ii. The theme for National Maritime Day 2018 is: ‘Indian Shipping – An Ocean of opportunity’. 

3. Coal Ministry Launches UTTAM App For Quality Monitoring

i. The Union Minister for Railways and Coal Shri Piyush Goyal launched UTTAM App for Coal Quality Monitoring. UTTAM stands for – Unlocking Transparency by Third Party Assessment of Mined Coal.
ii. The Ministry of Coal and Coal India Limited (CIL) developed UTTAM. It aims to
provide an App for all citizens and coal consumers to monitor the process of Third Party Sampling of coal across CIL subsidiaries.

4. Global Logistics Summit Held in New Delhi

i. The Global Logistics Summit was held in New Delhi. It was organised by the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, along with FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry) and the World Bank Group.
ii. According to the Union Minister for Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu, 56 new airports will be ready for operation in the next few years.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-

World Bank President- Jim Yong Kim, Headquarter- Washington DC.

5. Delhi-Pathankot Flight Under UDAN Scheme Inaugurated

i. Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu inaugurated first flight from Delhi to Pathankot (Punjab), at a ceremony held at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi. 
ii. The Pathankot airport has been opened by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to improve regional connectivity as per the UDAN Scheme. Pathankot in Punjab state is the 21st airport in the country, which got operational for passengers.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-

UDAN is a Regional Connectivity Scheme stands for Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagarik.

Under UDAN, air connectivity is provided to unserved and underserved airports at a subsidized fare.





The Chairman of Airports Authority of India is Guruprasad Mohapatra.



6. India 3rd Most Vulnerable Country to Cyber Threats

i. India emerged as the third most vulnerable country in terms of risk of cyber threats, such as malware, spam and ransomware, in 2017, according to a report by security solutions provider Symantec.
ii. In 2017, 5.09% of global threats detected were in India. The U.S. (26.61%) was most vulnerable to such attacks, followed by China (10.95%), according to ‘Internet Security Threat Report’.

7. Sahyog- Hyeoblyeog 2018: Indian, Korean Coast Guards Hold Joint Exercise

i. Indo-Korean joint anti-piracy, search and rescue exercise ‘Sahyog- Hyeoblyeog 2018’ was conducted off the Chennai coast, in Tamil Nadu. The Korean Coast Guard ship ‘Bodaro’ took part in the exercise.
ii. Indian Coast Guard deployed a Dornier aircraft to carry out a sea-air coordinated search along with ICG Shaurya, Rani Abbakka, C-423, C-431 in the exercise.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-

Director General of Indian Coast Guard is Rajendra Singh and Commissioner of Korean Coast Guard is General Park Kyung.

International News

8. Turkey Hosts Critical Summit on Syria War With Russia and Iran

i. The presidents of Iran, Turkey and Russia met for their second tripartite summit in under six months, aiming to speed the peace process for Syria and bolster their influence in the country.
ii. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hosted his Russian and Iranian counterparts Vladimir Putin and Hassan Rouhani in Ankara for a meeting that could have a critical bearing on developments in Syria.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-

Iran Capital- Tehran, Currency- Iranian Rial.

Turkey Capital- Ankara, Currency- Turkish lira.





Russia Capital- Moscow, Currency- Russian ruble.



9. India and Azerbaijan Ink 2 Agreements

i. India and Azerbaijan have inked two documents for the visa waiver for diplomatic, official and service passports holders and cooperation between diplomatic training institutes.
ii. The agreements were signed during the ongoing visit of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to that country. Ms Swaraj is there to be part of 18th NAM Ministerial Conference in Baku.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-

President of Azerbaijan- Ilham Aliyev, Capital- Baku, Currency- Azerbaijani manat.

Business News

10. FIEO and PayPal Inks MoU

i. Digital payments company PayPal and the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) signed an agreement for the promotion of outbound shipments among small and medium enterprises (SMEs) leveraging the partners' expertise and technology products.
ii. As part of the agreement, PayPal will work with FIEO to educate SMEs on how to
leverage global opportunities, help them receive money in a safe and timely manner with PayPal products. FIEO contributes to more than 70% of India's exports.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-

Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) headquarters in New Delhi.

Ganesh Kumar Gupta is the President of FIEO.

Sports News

11. CWG 2018: Weightlifter Sanjita Chanu Wins India’s 2nd Gold Medal

i. Weightlifter Khumukcham Sanjita Chanu has delivered India its second gold medal of the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast City, Australia by dominating the women’s 53kg event.
ii. The defending champion, Loa Dika Toua of Papua New Guinea, claimed silver with a total lift of 182 and bronze went to Canada’s Rachel Leblanc-Bazinet who finished with a combined effort of 181kg.

12. CWG 2018- Deepak Lather Becomes Youngest Weightlifter to Win Medal

i. Teenager Deepak Lather became the youngest Indian (18 Yrs old) weightlifter to claim a Commonwealth Games medal, clinching a bronze in the men’s 69kg category. 
ii. He held the 62kg category national record at 15. 

13. Mithali Raj Becomes Most Capped Player in Women's ODIs

i. Indian women's cricket team captain Mithali Raj has become the most capped player in women's ODI cricket after turning out for the 192nd time against England.
ii. Raj, who is also the highest run-getter in WODIs, overtook former England captain Charlotte Edwards, who had appeared in 191 WODIs. Indian fast bowler Jhulan Goswami is the third-most capped WODI player.