Current Affairs for BANK Exams 22 March 2018, RR ACADEMY MEERUT

1. Important Cabinet Approvals- 21st March 2018

i. The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given the following set of approvals. The important Cabinet Approvals are given as follows-
ii. The Cabinet has approved-
1. Opening of Missions in Africa to implement commitments of India-Africa Forum Summit (IAFS-III).
2. Ayushman Bharat – National Health Protection Mission, Benefit cover of Rs. 5 lakh per family per year, More than 10 crore families to be covered.
Find The Complete Approvals Here

2. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on 5-Day Visit to India

i. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will arrive in New Delhi on a five-day visit to India. This will be his first visit to India as the President of Germany. He will visit Varanasi.

ii. The German President is also scheduled to attend a business event in New Delhi and visit to Chennai. Germany is India’s largest trading partner in Europe and the 6th largest trading partner in the world.

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

• Germany Capital- Berlin, Currency- Euro, Chancellor- Angela Merkel.

3. Union Cabinet Approves 'Ayushman Bharat' Health Scheme

i. The Union Cabinet has approved the launch of 'Ayushman Bharat' -National Health Protection mission. The Scheme has the benefit cover of 5 lakh rupees per family per year.

ii. The target beneficiaries under the scheme will be over 10 crore poor and vulnerable families. The scheme will subsume the ongoing centrally sponsored schemes- Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) and senior citizen health insurance scheme (SCHIS).

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

• JP Nadda is the present Health and Family Welfare Minister of India.

4. IRCTC Introduces Billing Through Point of Sale in Trains

i. Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has introduced billing through Point of Sale (POS) hand-held machines in trains to check overcharging by vendors.

ii. The POS billing machines will be introduced in trains in a phased manner. IRCTC has already introduced POS machines in New Delhi -Karnataka Express on a pilot basis.

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

• M. P. Mall is the Chairman & Managing Director of IRCTC.

5. Kerala Declares Jackfruit as Official Fruit of State

i. Jackfruit has attained a respected status with the state government declaring it as the official fruit of Kerala. Kerala has been producing around 30 to 60 crore jackfruits every year.

ii. As per the officials, the state can generate a revenue of around Rs 30,000 crore through value-added jackfruit products.

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

• Kerala CM- Pinarayi Vijayan, Governor- Palaniswamy Sathasivam.

6. Nitin Gadkari Inaugurated Inland Ferry Services in Goa

i. Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Shipping and Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Nitin Gadkari inaugurated Mormugao Port Trust and Drishti Marine’s ambitious inland ferry services in Goa.

ii. The inaugural plaque was unveiled at the newly constructed Airport Ferry Terminal (AFT) at Baina beach in the distinguished presence of state ministers.

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

• Goa CM- Manohar Parrikar, Governor- Mridula Sinha.

7. NITI Aayog, Piramal Foundation Inks Agreement

i. NITI Aayog and Piramal Foundation have inked Statement of Intent (SoI) to work closely with District Collectors and key officers of ‘Aspirational Districts’ to support their transformation in terms of healthcare, education and nutrition.

ii. Under the SoI with NITI Aayog, Piramal Foundation will work in close conjunction with district administration, Central Prabhari Officers, State Prabhari Officers, state government and concerned Central ministries to improve identified indicators by strengthening existing public systems specifically in health and nutrition and education sectors.

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

• NITI- National Institution for Transforming India.
• NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman- Rajiv Kumar, CEO- Amitabh Kant.

8. Punjab Government to Impose Permanent Ban on Hookah Bars

i. The Punjab government decided to impose a permanent ban on hookah bars in the state instead of issuing temporary orders against them every two months.
ii. The state cabinet, at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, approved an amendment to the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003 for the prevention and control of diseases caused by the use of tobacco products.

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

• VP Singh Badnor is the present Governor of Punjab.

9. In A First, Indian Oil Corporation Starts Home Delivery Of Diesel

i. State-owned Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has launched home-delivery of diesel on a pilot basis in Pune and plans to expand doorstep delivery of the fuel to other parts of the country in near future.
ii. The country's biggest oil company has mounted a diesel dispenser, similar to the one seen at petrol pumps, on a midsized truck along with a storage tank for delivering the fuel at customers doorsteps in Pune. This is the first company to have started doorstep delivery after receiving clearance from the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO).

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

• Sanjiv Singh is the Chairman of Indian Oil Corporation.

International

10. Singapore Airport Rated World's Best, Mumbai Ranked 63rd

i. The Singapore Changi Airport has been named the world's best airport for the sixth consecutive year by consultancy firm Skytrax. The Incheon International Airport in South Korea and Haneda Airport in Japan were placed second and third respectively.

ii. While the Mumbai airport (Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport Mumbai) has been ranked 63rd, the airports in Bangalore (Kempegowda International Airport) and Delhi (Indira Gandhi International Airport) are at 64th and 66th place respectively.

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

• Singapore Currency- Singapore dollar, President- Halimah Yacob.

11. World Water Day- 22 March

i. The World Water Day is observed on 22 March every year, to raise awareness about the importance of water. The theme this year is, ‘Nature for Water’ – exploring nature-based solutions to the water challenges the world faces in the 21st century.

ii. An international day to celebrate freshwater was recommended at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro. The United Nations General Assembly responded by designating 22 March 1993 as the first World Water Day.

Banking News

12. Swiggy Partners with ICICI Bank

i. Online Food ordering and delivery platform Swiggy has partnered with the country's largest private sector lender ICICI Bank to roll out two digital solutions to facilitate the transfer of funds for its delivery partners.

ii. This includes a Unified Payment Interface (UPI)-based solution for instant fund transfers and an option for facilitating cash deposits at automated Cash Deposit Machine (CDM) available at ICICI Bank branches and ATM locations across the country. 

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

• Chanda Kochhar is the MD & CEO of ICICI Bank.
• ICICI Bank Headquarters in Mumbai.

Awards

13. Canadian Mathematician Robert Langlands Wins Abel Prize

i. Canadian mathematician Robert Langlands won the prestigious Abel Prize for developing a programme connecting representation theory to number theory. The programme has enlisted hundreds of the world’s best mathematicians over the last 50 years. 

ii. Now aged 81, Langlands will be awarded the 6.0-million-kroner Abel Prize by Norway’s King Harald in Oslo on May 22.

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

• Abel Prize has been named after the 19th-century Norwegian mathematician Niels Henrik Abel,.
• The prize was established by the Norwegian government in 2002.

14. 105th Indian Science Congress- NHAI Receives Best Design Pavilion Award

i. The NHAI (National Highways Authority of India) pavilion at 105th Indian Science Congress has been adjudged as Best Design Pavilion. The award was conferred by Dr. Najma Heptulla, Governor of Manipur.
ii. The NHAI had put up an exhibition stall to showcase its Projects and other initiatives like Electronic Toll Collection, Wayside Amenities, Incident Management, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Road Safety etc.

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

• Nitin Gadkari is the present Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Shipping and Water Resources.

Obituaries

15. Pulitzer Prize Winner Les Payne Dies

i. Les Payne, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and columnist for Newsday who fiercely championed racial equality has passed away.

ii. He was 76.  He won Pulitzer Prize for “Heroin Trail” series in 1974.