National
News
1. India Becomes 2nd Largest
Producer of Mobile Phones in the World
i. India is now the second-largest mobile
phone producer in the world after China. According to the data shared by Indian
Cellular Association with the government, annual production of mobile
phones in India increased from 3 million units in 2014 to 11 million units in
2017.
b. With this, India replaced
Vietnam to become the second largest producer of mobile phones in 2017.
Static/Current
Takeaways Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-
Vietnam Capital- Hanoi, Currency- Vietnamese dong,
President- Tran Dai Quang.
2. Delhi Becomes 1st City to
Roll-Out Euro VI Fusty
i. With an aim to combat the
rising levels of air pollution in Delhi-NCR region, petrol pumps in the
capital started supplying ultra-clean Bharat Stage VI grade fuel (both
petrol and diesel).
ii. This move makes New Delhi
the first city in the country to switch from BS-IV grade fuels to BS-VI
(equivalent to fuel meeting Euro-VI emission norms).
Static/Current Takeaways
Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-
The major difference in standards
between the existing BS-IV and the new BS-VI auto fuel norms is the presence of
sulphur.
3. Kerala to Host Asia's Largest
Startup Conclave
i. Asia's largest startup
ecosystem congregation, Huddle Kerala,
will be held at Kovalam. The initiative is envisaged to provide a platform for
start-ups to pitch their products and interact with a wide array of technology
and industry leaders from around the world.
ii. Chief Minister Pinarayi
Vijayan will inaugurate the conclave,
being organised by the Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) in association with
Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and IAMAI Startup
Foundation.
Static/Current Takeaways
Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-
Palaniswamy Sathasivam is the present Governor of Kerala.
Thiruvananthapuram is the capital city of Kerala.
4. Foundation Stone Of Naitwar
Mori Hydro Electric Project Laid In Uttarakhand
i. R K Singh, Minister of State
(IC) for Power and New & Renewable Energy,
laid the foundation stone of the 60 MW Naitwar Mori Hydro Electric Project
(NMHEP) along with Uttarakhand Chief Minister Shri Trivendra Singh Rawat in
Uttarkashi.
ii. The Proposed NMHEP is located on the
river Tons – a tributary of the Yamuna, in Uttarkashi district of
Uttarakhand. This run-of-the-river project was allocated to SJVN Ltd by the
Government of Uttarakhand.
5. U.P. CM Inaugurates India’s
Longest Elevated Road in Ghaziabad
i. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister
Yogi Adityanath inaugurated
a 10.30-km-long elevated road, touted to be the longest of its kind
in the country, connecting UP Gate and Rajnagar Extension, Ghaziabad.
ii. Built at a cost of Rs1,147 crore, the
six-lane elevated road is supported on 227 pillars. The road will make it
easier to commute between Delhi and Ghaziabad.
6. Mangaluru Airport Adjudged
India's Cleanest Airport
i. The Mangalore International
Airport has been adjudged the cleanest
airport in the country. Airport director VV Rao received the award during
the 23rd annual day celebrations of the Airports Authority of India
(AAI) in New Delhi.
ii. In the survey conducted across 53 airports
in the country by AAI, Mangaluru airport was adjudged the cleanest.
Static/Current Takeaways
Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-
The Chairman of Airports
Authority of India is Guruprasad Mohapatra.
International
News
7. World Autism Awareness Day- 2
April
i. The United Nations General
Assembly unanimously declared 2 April
as World Autism Awareness Day to highlight the need to help improve the
quality of life of those with autism so they can lead full and meaningful lives
as an integral part of society.
ii. The theme for WAAD 2018 is "Empowering
Women and Girls with Autism".
8. USA and South Korea Begin
Joint Military Exercise- 'Foal Eagle'
i. The United States and South
Korea began their joint military
training exercise named 'Foal Eagle. More than 11,500 U.S. troops and
nearly 300,000 South Korean forces will take part in the four-week exercises.
ii. Foal Eagle, the largest annual joint
military exercise in South Korea, usually runs about two months. Its start was
delayed this year at the request of South Korea until after the Winter
Olympics.
Static/Current Takeaways
Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-
South Korea President- Moon
Jae-in, Capital- Seoul.
Banking News
9. SIDBI Foundation Day- Launches
'Samridhi- virtual assistant' & ' Bankability Kit'
i. SIDBI (Small Industries
Development Bank of India) has
celebrated its foundation day. Chairman Managing Director of SIDBI Mohammad
Mustafa launched a series of initiatives from its Lucknow bank
headquarters.
ii. An MoU was signed with The New India
Assurance Co. Ltd. and two MSMEs were issued insurance policies. Chairman
SIDBI also launched 'Samridhhi- the virtual assistant' on banks revamped
universal loan portal www.udyamimitra.in. During the day, a ‘Bankability
Kit’ (brought in partnership with Bank of Baroda and IDBI Bank) was also
launched.
Static/Current Takeaways
Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-
SIDBI CEO- Dr Kshatrapati Shivaji, Founded- 2
April 1990, Headquarter- Lucknow.
10. Jana Small Finance Bank
Commences Operations
i. Jana Small Finance Bank (formerly Janalakshmi Financial Services)
announced commencement of its banking operations.
ii. To cover its extensive customer base, Jana
Bank will initially open 19 branches across 18 States and expand to 200 banking
outlets, including the 25% unbanked rural
branches by June 2018.
Static/Current Takeaways
Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-
>Ramesh Ramanathan is the
chairman of Jana Group.
>Ajay Kanwal is the Managing Director and Chief Executive
Officer of Jana Small Finance Bank.
>Jana Small Finance Bank
headquarters in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
11. SEBI Doubles Investment Limit
of Angel Funds to Rs10 crore
i. Looking to provide an impetus to
early-stage start-ups, markets regulator Securities
and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)
decided to double the investment limit by angel funds in venture capital
undertakings to Rs10 crore from the current Rs5 crore.
ii. The SEBI board has approved amendments to Alternative
Investment Funds (AIF) regulations with respect to ‘Angel Funds.’
Further, SEBI would halve the minimum corpus size required for an ‘Angel Fund to register with it to Rs5
crore.
Static/Current Takeaways
Important for Exam-
>SEBI- Securities and Exchange Board of India.
>SEBI Chairman- Ajay
Tyagi, ‘Headquarters- Mumbai.
12. RBI Changes Methodology for
Bond Valuation to Check Manipulation
i. In a bid to prevent the possibility of
manipulation in the prices of securities, especially government securities
(G-Secs), the Reserve Bank of India has changed the methodology used by debt
market players, including banks and primary dealers, for their valuation.
ii. As per a central bank directive, security/bond
valuation will be based on the weighted average price of the last
half-an-hour of trading on the last trading day of every quarter against the
last traded price earlier.
Static/Current Takeaways
Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-
Dr Urjit Patel is the 24th
Governor of RBI.
RBI Headquarters in Mumbai.
RBI was Established on 1st April
1935.
Awards
13. J.C. Daniel Award for
Sreekumaran Thampi
 |
| Sreekumaran Thampi |
i. Lyricist and director
Sreekumaran Thampi has been
selected for the J.C. Daniel Award, the Kerala government’s highest
honour for lifetime contribution to Malayalam cinema. The award comprises
of Rs5 lakh and a citation.
ii. The award was distributed at
the Kerala State Film Award distribution function in Kollam. Thampi made his
debut in 1966 with Kattumallika.
Static/Current Takeaways
Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-
Kerala CM- Pinarayi Vijayan, Governor- Justice
(Retd.) Palaniswamy Sathasivam.
Appointments
14. Debjani Ghosh Appointed New
President of Nasscom
i. Debjani Ghosh, former managing director of Intel South
Asia, is the new president of Nasscom. She has replaced R.Chandrashekhar
upon completion of his term.
ii. A big propagator of gender
diversity and equal representation in corporate India, Ms Ghosh was the first
woman to lead Intel India and MAIT (Manufacturers' Association for Information
Technology).
Static/Current
Takeaways Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-
National Association of Software
and Services Companies is the full form of Nasscom.
Raman Roy is the chairman of
Nasscom.
15. US Diplomat DiCarlo Becomes
1st Female UN Political Chief
i. Long-serving American diplomat
Rosemary DiCarlo was appointed
to become the first woman to head UN political affairs, one of the most
high-profile positions at the world body. DiCarlo has replaced Jeffrey
Feltman.
ii. DiCarlo also served as deputy assistant
secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs and director for United
Nations affairs at the national security council in Washington.
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 the United Nations.
16. Lt Gen Harpal Singh Takes
Charge as Director General Border Roads
I Lt
Gen Harpal Singh an alumnus
of National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla has been appointed as Director General
Border Roads (DGBR).
ii. He
commanded a Border Roads Task Force in Jammu & Kashmir valley.
17. Shuttler Kidambi Srikanth
Appointed as Deputy Collector in Andhra Pradesh
i. Indian shuttler Kidambi
Srikanth was appointed as a Deputy
Collector in the state government by the CM of Andhra Pradesh N Chandrababu
Naidu.
ii. K Srikanth was recently being awarded the
Padma Shri award, India's fourth highest civilian honour. The Cabinet also
announced a reward of Rs 2 crore for the shuttler.
Static/Current Takeaways
Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-
Kidambi Srikanth became the first
Indian to win four Superseries titles in a calendar year after winning the
French Open earlier in 2017.
18. Chandra Bhushan Appointed
Deputy Election Commissioner
i. Senior bureaucrat Chandra
Bhushan Kumar has been appointed as Deputy
Election Commissioner as part of a major bureaucratic reshuffle effected by
the government.
ii. A total of 13 officers have been appointed
as joint secretaries in different central government departments. Bhushan has
been appointed to the post for five years.
Static/Current Takeaways
Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-
Om Prakash Rawat is the present
Chief Election Commissioner of India.
Sports News
19. Miami Open 2018- Complete
List of Winners
i. The Miami Open, sometimes known as the Miami Masters, is an
annual tennis tournament for men and women currently held in Florida, the USA.
ii. American John Isner won his first ever Masters 1,000 title with
a victory over German Alexander Zverev in the Miami Open final. S. Stephens
won in the Women's singles category.
Find the Complete List of Winners
Here
20. Kerala Lifts Their 6th
Santosh Trophy
i. Kerala has lifted their sixth Santosh Trophy
Football title. In a thrilling final at the Salt Lake Stadium in
Kolkata.
ii. Kerala held their nerves to beat defending
champions and 32-time winners Bengal via penalty shootout. Locked 2-2
after extra time, Kerala goalkeeper V Mithun put up a stellar show in the
tie-breaker to help his side win 4-2
Obituaries
21. Former Manipur CM R K
Dorendra Singh Passes Away
i. Former Manipur Chief Minister
R K Dorendra Singh passed away
in Imphal.
ii. He was 83. Dorendra Singh had been chief
minister of the state four times between 1974 to 1993. Before becoming the
chief minister, he was the Speaker of Manipur Assembly.
Static/Current
Takeaways Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-
Manipur
CM-
Nongthombam Biren Singh, Governor- Dr. Najma A. Heptulla.
