National
News
1. Smriti Irani Inaugurates 7th Edition of Home Expo India 2018
i. The
seventh edition of Home Expo India 2018,
organised by Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH), was
inaugurated at India Expo Centre & Mart in Greater Noida.
ii. Union Minister of Textiles Smriti Irani inaugurated the fair, while Ajay
Tamta, Minister of State for Textiles, was the guest of honour. Home
Expo India 2018 will generate business deals for direct import.
2. Himachal Pradesh Celebrates its 71st
Foundation Day
i. Himachal
Pradesh celebrated its 71st foundation day with
much fanfare and gaiety. Several cultural events were organized across the
state. It may be recalled that the hill state came into existence after
the merger of 30 odd princely states in 1948.
ii. The
main event was held at Ridge Maidan in Shimla, where Chief Minister Jairam
Thakur reviewed the ceremonial Parade presented by police, home guards and NCC
cadets.
Static/Current Takeaways Important for NABARD
Grade-A Exam 2018-
·
Himachal
Pradesh CM- Jai Ram
Thakur, Governor- Acharya Dev Vrat.
3. Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana
Launched in Telangana
i. Launching
the ‘Gram Swaraj Abhiyan’ in Telangana, the Union Minister for
Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan stated the number
of LPG distribution points in the State will be increased to 1,000 from the
existing 707 for quicker and efficient delivery of gas cylinders.
ii. Mr Pradhan promised to create 20 lakh ‘happy
homes’ in the State through free LPG gas connections under the Pradhan
Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY)-- the scheme providing free cooking gas
connections to below the poverty line families.
Static/Current Takeaways Important for NABARD
Grade-A Exam 2018-
·
Telangana
CM- K. Chandrashekar Rao, Governor- ESL
Narasimhan.
International
News
4. PM
Modi Leaves on 5-Day Visit to Sweden & UK
i. Prime
Minister Narendra Modi left
on a five-day visit to Sweden and the UK. The visit to the two
nations aims at enhancing bilateral cooperation in key areas like trade,
investments and Science & technology.
ii. On the first leg of his visit, the Prime
Minister will attend the first-ever India-Nordic Summit at Stockholm, which
will be co-hosted by India and Sweden. In London, Mr Modi will take part in
the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting being hosted by
the UK.
Static/Current Takeaways Important for NABARD
Grade-A Exam 2018-
·
Nordic
countries include
Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark and Iceland.
·
Sweden Capital- Stockholm, Currency- Swedish
krona.
·
The United
Kingdom Capital- London, Currency- British
pound.
5. Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting Begins in London
5. Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting Begins in London
i. The Commonwealth
Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM 2018) has begun in London, the
UK. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take part in the event on 19th and
20th of April.
ii. The theme of the summit is 'Towards a
Common Future'. The biennial event has brought together delegates from
53 Commonwealth nations.
6. UN Launches Road Safety Trust Fund
i. United
Nations’ Deputy Secretary-General
Amina Mohammed announced the launch of the ‘UN Road Safety Trust
Fund’ to stimulate action that can save lives and prevent injuries and
sufferings associated with road accidents.
ii. The UN
Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the development arm of the UN in
Europe, is designated as the Secretariat for the Trust Fund. A contribution
ofUSD 1500 to the fund could help save one life and prevent 10 serious
injuries.
Static/Current Takeaways Important for NABARD
Grade-A Exam 2018-
·
The United
Nations is an international organization founded in 24th of October
1945.
·
It is
currently made up of 193 Member States.
·
The
Headquarters of UN: New York, USA.
·
Antonio
Guterres is the Secretary-General of United Nations.
Awards
7. Dharmendra
to be Conferred With Raj Kapoor Lifetime Achievement Award
Dharmendra |
i. Veteran
Bollywood actor Dharmendra will be
conferred with the prestigious Raj Kapoor Lifetime Achievement and filmmaker
Rajkumar Hirani with Raj Kapoor Special Contribution
awards. Maharashtra Culture Minister Vinod Tawde announced the names
of the winners.
ii. The
state government-instituted awards will be given away at the 55th
Maharashtra State Marathi Film Festival.
Banking/Economy
News
8. CII Pegs India's GDP Growth at 7.3-7.7% for 2018-19
i. The
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has
announced that it expects India's gross domestic product (GDP) to grow
at 7.3-7.7% during the 2018-19 financial year.
ii. This
is based on strengthening demand in the rural economy, including agriculture
and non-farm activities, as well as better global growth climate.
Static/Current
Takeaways Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-
·
Rakesh
Bharti Mittal is the President of Confederation of Indian Industry.
9.
Government Raises NABARD's Authorised Capital to Rs 300 billion
i. As part of the drive to double
the income of farmers by 2022, the government has raised the authorised
capital of NABARD by six times from 50 billion to Rs 300 billion to
help it increase its lending to the rural economy.
ii. The
increase in authorised capital will enable Nabard to respond to commitments it
has undertaken, particularly in respect of the Long Term Irrigation Fund and
on-lending to cooperative banks.
Static/Current Takeaways Important for NABARD
Grade-A Exam 2018-
·
The
government in the Budget had enhanced the corpus of the Rural Infrastructure
Development Fund (RIFD) to Rs 280 billion with an overall objective of doubling
farmers income by 2022.
·
Nabard is
the main agency for implementing RIFD scheme.
·
Harsh Kumar
Bhanwala is the Chairman of NABARD.
·
It headquarters
in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
10. Kotak Mahindra Bank Pips SBI to Become
India’s 2nd Most Valuable Bank
i. Shares of
private lender Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd beat
India’s largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) for the first time to become
the second most valued bank in the country. Data from BSE showed that Kotak
Mahindra Bank has a market capitalization of Rs2,22,560.69 crore after
its shares rose 1.7%.
ii. SBI market capitalization stood at
Rs2,22,043.74 crore. Its shares were trading at Rs248.80 on BSE, down 1% from
its previous close.
Static/Current Takeaways Important for NABARD
Grade-A Exam 2018-
·
Uday Kotak
is the Executive Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Kotak Mahindra Bank.
·
It headquarters
in Mumbai.
·
HDFC Bank
Ltd is the country’s most valuable bank with a market capitalisation of Rs5.04
trillion.
Sports News
11. CWG 2018: Complete List of All the Medals
Won By India
i. India
finished third in the medals tally at
the Commonwealth Games 2018, courtesy 66 medals including 26
gold, 20 silver and 20 bronze medals.
ii. Australia with 198 medals (80 Gold, 59 Silver and 59 Bronze) topped the chart and England with 136 Medals (45 Gold, 45 Silver and 46 Bronze) stood second.
Find the Complete Medal Tally Here
12. Indian Swimmer Double Crosses Bangla Channel, Sets World Record
ii. Australia with 198 medals (80 Gold, 59 Silver and 59 Bronze) topped the chart and England with 136 Medals (45 Gold, 45 Silver and 46 Bronze) stood second.
Find the Complete Medal Tally Here
12. Indian Swimmer Double Crosses Bangla Channel, Sets World Record
i. Pune-based 17-year-old swimmer
Sampanna Ramesh Shelar has set a world record to double cross
the Bangla Channel.
ii. Shelar, is the first person to swim to
and fro from Saint Martin's Island Jetty to Teknaf in Bangladesh also known as
the Bangla Channel. He has completed the journey of 32.2 kilometres in 9 hours
and 10 minutes