Current Affairs for Competitive Exams 15th March 2018.

National News

1. Health Ministry and WHO Signed Agreement For Enhanced Cooperation For Healthcare

i. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of WHO met J.P. Nadda, Union Health and Family Welfare Minister in New Delhi. They discussed perspectives on national, regional and global public health program.

ii. To strengthen collaborative work between India and WHO in achieving improved health outcomes,  Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and World Health Organization (WHO) signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA).

Static/Current Takeaways Important for Exams-

• WHO Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

2. IATA Partners with Civil Aviation Ministry in India

i. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has signed an MoU with the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the National Aviation University to enhance human resource availability in India's aviation industry.

ii. Under the agreement, the signatory institutions would also leverage "the existing infrastructure for training in India to expand the reach of vocational training in aviation disciplines".

3. Pune Tops in Improved Quality Governance: Survey

i. Pune came on top in the fifth edition of the Annual Survey of India’s City-Systems (ASICS), edging out Thiruvananthapuram which had topped the previous two editions of the survey. Bengaluru was ranked at the bottom.

ii. Thiruvananthapuram dropped two ranks to be placed third out of 23 cities spread across 20 states in the survey done by urban governance watchdog Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship and Democracy.

iii. The top 3 cities in the list are- 

1. Pune,

2. Kolkata,

3. Thiruvananthapuram,

4. CCEA Approves Continuation of Ongoing Urea Subsidy Scheme

i. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the proposal of Department of Fertilizers to continue Urea Subsidy Scheme upto 2019-20 at a total estimated cost of Rs. 1,64,935 crore and for disbursement of fertilizer subsidy. This decision implies that there will be no increase in price of urea, till 2020.

ii. Urea Subsidy is a part of Central Sector Scheme of Department of Fertilizers with effect from 1st April, 2017 and is wholly financed by the Government of India through Budgetary Support.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for Exams-

• Ananthkumar is the Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers.

5. India, Madagascar Sign Umbrella Agreement in Defence Sector

i. India and Madagascar have signed an umbrella agreement in the field of defence. Under the agreement, both the countries will explore various ways of co-operation in the field of defence. An amended air service agreement was also signed to support efforts towards improving connectivity between the two countries.

ii. Both the countries will have a co-sharing agreement with Air Seychelles through Air India and Air Madagascar. This was announced by President Ram Nath Kovind after delegation-level talks with his Madagascar counterpart in Antananarivo.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for Exams-

• Madagascar Capital- Antananarivo, Currency- Malagasy ariary, President- Hery Rajaonarimampianina.

6. NCRB Launches ‘Citizen Services’ Mobile App

i. The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) launched a mobile app called ‘Citizen Services’ on the occasion of its 33rd Inception Day.

ii. The application has been developed in-house by the NCRB. It will offer various essential police related services to the citizens. The application comprises a bouquet of 9 police related services for the citizen

International News

7. World Happiness Report 2018: India Ranks 133rd, Finland Tops

i. The World Happiness Report is a landmark survey of the state of global happiness. The World Happiness Report 2018, ranks 156 countries by their happiness levels, and 117 countries by the happiness of their immigrants.

ii. Burundi in East Africa is the unhappiest place in the world. The study reveals the US has slipped to 18th place, five places down on 2016. India ranks 133rd in the report after Pakistan (75th), China (86th) and Nepal (101st). 

Top 3 countries in the list are-

1. Finland,

2. Norway,

3. Denmark,

8.  President of India Inaugurates World Hindi Secretariat in Mauritius

i. President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated World Hindi Secretariat in Mauritius capital, Port Louis. The Secretariat is fully financed by India and a grant of 33 crore rupees was provided. The land was provided by the Mauritius government.

ii. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone of this building in 2015.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for Exams-

• Mauritius capital- Port Louis, President- Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, Currency- Mauritian rupee.

9. Angela Merkel Elected to 4th Term as German Chancellor

i. Germany’s Parliament elected Angela Merkel for her fourth term as chancellor, putting an end to nearly six months of political drift in Europe’s biggest economy.
ii. Lawmakers voted 364-315 to re-elect Merkel, Germany’s leader since 2005, who ran unopposed.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for Exams-

• Germany Capital- Berlin, Currency- Euro.

10. World Consumer Rights Day- 15 March

i. World Consumer Rights Day is celebrated globally on 15th March. It is an awareness day and theme for this year's WCRD 2018 is ‘Making Digital Marketplaces Fairer’.

ii. The day is an opportunity to promote basic rights of all consumers, demanding that those rights are respected and protected. On this day in 1962, President John F Kennedy formally addressed the issue of consumer rights in US Congress and became the first leader to do so. 

Static/Current Takeaways Important for Exams-

• Consumer Affairs Minister of India is Ram Vilas Paswan.
• The first World Consumer Rights Day was observed in 1983.
• In India, the National Consumer Day is observed on 24th December.

Awards

11. ICMR Wins 2017 Kochon Prize for TB Research

i. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) was awarded the International Kochon Prize 2017 for encouraging research and development (R&D) efforts towards tuberculosis treatment.

ii. ICMR received the $65,000 award from the Kochon Foundation, a non-profit organisation from Korea, for establishing the India TB Research Consortium to accelerate R&D efforts in the country.

Banking/Economy News

12. IBBI Signs MoU with Reserve Bank of India

1. The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) signed an MoU with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). 

ii. Under the MoU, the RBI and the IBBI will work in partnership for the effective implementation of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 and its allied rules and regulations. 

Static/Current Takeaways Important for Exams-

• Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India Chairman- Dr. M S Sahoo.
• It was set up on 1st October 2016 under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (Code).

13. World Bank Projects India's GDP Growth at 7.3% for 2018-19

i. The World Bank has projected India's GDP growth at 7.3% for 2018-19 and accelerates further to 7.5% in 2019-20. The World Bank's biannual publication, India Development Update - India's Growth Story, expects the economy to clock a growth rate of 6.7% in the current fiscal ending March 31.

ii. The report, however, observed that a growth of over 8% will require continued reform and a widening of their scope, aimed at resolving issues related to credit and investment and enhancing the competitiveness of exports.