National
News
1. National Panchayati Raj
Day: 24 April
i. The nation celebrates the National
Panchayati Raj Diwas (24th Aril) as this date marks a defining moment
in the history of decentralization of political power to the grassroots level.
ii. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Mandla in Madhya Pradesh on the National Panchayati Raj Day. He launched the Rashtriya Gramin Swaraj Abhiyan, at a public meeting, and addressed Panchayati Raj representatives across the country.
ii. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Mandla in Madhya Pradesh on the National Panchayati Raj Day. He launched the Rashtriya Gramin Swaraj Abhiyan, at a public meeting, and addressed Panchayati Raj representatives across the country.
2. Nitin
Gadkari Inaugurates 29th Road Safety Week in New Delhi
i. Union
Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari has
inaugurated the 29th Road Safety Week at Vigyan Bhawan in New
Delhi. He released a book named "Have a Safe Journey".
ii. The central government has increased the number of National Highways keeping in mind the traffic density and various other factors. Mr Gadkari has announced that India will sign a pact with South Korea for enhancing road safety measures.
ii. The central government has increased the number of National Highways keeping in mind the traffic density and various other factors. Mr Gadkari has announced that India will sign a pact with South Korea for enhancing road safety measures.
3. Diu,
1st to Run on 100% Renewable Energy During Daytime
i. Diu Smart
City has become the first city
in India, that runs on 100% renewable energy during daytime setting
a new benchmark for other cities to become clean and green. Diu had been
importing 73% of its power from Gujarat until 2017.
ii. To further enhance its solar capacity, Diu offers its residents a subsidy of Rs10, 000-50,000 for installing 1-5KW rooftop solar panels.
ii. To further enhance its solar capacity, Diu offers its residents a subsidy of Rs10, 000-50,000 for installing 1-5KW rooftop solar panels.
Static/Current Takeaways Important for NABARD
Grade-A Exam 2018-
·
Hardeep
Singh Puri Minister of State (I/C) of the Ministry of Housing and Urban
Affairs.
4. Sunderban
Reserve Forest to Get Ramsar Site Status
i. West
Bengal government has given
its approval to State Forest Department to apply for coveted Ramsar
Site recognition under Ramsar Convention to Sunderban Reserve Forest. Now,
State Forest Department through Central Government will apply to Ramsar
Convention Secretariat.
ii. Once it is conferred Ramsar site status, Sundarbans Reserve Forest will be largest protected wetland in the country. There are currently 26 sites in India recognised as Ramsar wetland sites of international importance.
5. India and World Bank Signs Agreement to Improve Rural Road Network in MP
ii. Once it is conferred Ramsar site status, Sundarbans Reserve Forest will be largest protected wetland in the country. There are currently 26 sites in India recognised as Ramsar wetland sites of international importance.
5. India and World Bank Signs Agreement to Improve Rural Road Network in MP
i. India and
the World Bank signed a $210 million loan
agreement for the Madhya Pradesh Rural Connectivity Project. The
Project is expected to improve the durability, resilience and safety of the
gravel surfaced rural roads and enhance the capacity of the state to manage its
rural roads network.
ii. The Project will cover 10,510 km stretch of rural roads in Madhya Pradesh that fall under the Chief Minister’s Gram Sadak Yojana (CMGSY) program
ii. The Project will cover 10,510 km stretch of rural roads in Madhya Pradesh that fall under the Chief Minister’s Gram Sadak Yojana (CMGSY) program
Static/Current
Takeaways Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-
·
Madhya
Pradesh CM- Shivraj
Singh Chouhan, Governor- Anandiben Patel.
6. Madras
HC, 1st Court in South India to Introduce e-Court Fee Payment Facility
i.The Madras
High Court became the first
court in south India and overall eighth in the country to
introduce e-court fee payment facility. It was jointly launched by Chief
Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami and Chief Justice Indira
Banerjee.
ii. The new system will enable litigants who file cases in High Court to pay judicial stamp duty to the government through e-stamps, which can be purchased both online and offline.
ii. The new system will enable litigants who file cases in High Court to pay judicial stamp duty to the government through e-stamps, which can be purchased both online and offline.
International
News
7. Iran
Bans Banks From Using Cryptocurrencies
i. Iran has
banned the use of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies by its banks and financial institutions.
ii. As per the central bank of Iran, the ban was necessary since all cryptocurrencies have the capacity to be turned into a means for money-laundering and financing terrorism and in general can be turned into a means for transferring criminals' money.
ii. As per the central bank of Iran, the ban was necessary since all cryptocurrencies have the capacity to be turned into a means for money-laundering and financing terrorism and in general can be turned into a means for transferring criminals' money.
Static/Current Takeaways Important for NABARD
Grade-A Exam 2018-
·
Iran
Capital- Tehran, Currency- Iranian
rial, President- Hassan Rouhani.
·
The Central
Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran is the central bank of Iran.
8. Canada,
EU to Host World’s 1st Female Foreign Ministers Meeting
i. Canada
and the European Union will
host the world’s first 2-Day female foreign ministers’ meeting in
September 2018 in Canada. The announcement was made by
the Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland.
ii. Female Foreign ministers from about 30 countries will be invited to the gathering, which is aimed at deepening global discussion on women’s empowerment.
ii. Female Foreign ministers from about 30 countries will be invited to the gathering, which is aimed at deepening global discussion on women’s empowerment.
Static/Current
Takeaways Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-
·
Canada
Capital- Ottawa, Currency- Canadian
dollar, Prime minister- Justin Trudeau.
9. EU, UN
Co-Host Conference on Syria Aid
i. The
European Union and the United Nations co-chaired
a two-day international conference in Brussels, Belgium aiming to
pump financial aid for Syrians and garner political support for UN-led
intra-Syrian talks.
ii. The conference will bring together participants from more than 85 countries and organisations at the ministerial level, as well as those from over 200 non-governmental organisations. It is the second conference of its kind since 2017.
ii. The conference will bring together participants from more than 85 countries and organisations at the ministerial level, as well as those from over 200 non-governmental organisations. It is the second conference of its kind since 2017.
Static/Current Takeaways Important for NABARD
Grade-A Exam 2018-
·
Syria
Capital- Damascus, Currency- Syrian
pound, President- Bashar al-Assad.
10. Sushma
Swaraj & Nirmala Sitharaman Attends SCO’s Meet in China
Nirmala Sitharaman |
i. Defence
Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and External
Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj have attended the Shanghai
Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO) defence ministers’ and Foreign
Ministers meeting in Bejing, China, respectively.
ii. It is a preparatory meeting related to upcoming summit of the SCO. The annual summit of the SCO, in which India is the latest entrant along with Pakistan, will take place in the Chinese city of Qingdao in June 2018.
ii. It is a preparatory meeting related to upcoming summit of the SCO. The annual summit of the SCO, in which India is the latest entrant along with Pakistan, will take place in the Chinese city of Qingdao in June 2018.
Static/Current Takeaways Important for NABARD
Grade-A Exam 2018-
·
The SCO,
headquartered in Beijing, was founded in 2001.
·
China
Capital- Beijing, Currency- Renminbi, President- Xi
Jinping.
Ranks and
Reports
11. India Highest Recipient Of Remittances In
2017: World Bank
i. India has
retained its position as
the top remittances receiving country with its diaspora
sending about $69 billion back home in 2017, according to the report
of the World Bank. Remittances to India picked up sharply by
9.9% to $69 billion in 2017, reversing the previous year’s dip.
ii. The World Bank said remittance inflows improved in all regions and the top remittance recipients were India with $69 billion, followed by China ($64 billion) and the Philippines ($33 billion).
ii. The World Bank said remittance inflows improved in all regions and the top remittance recipients were India with $69 billion, followed by China ($64 billion) and the Philippines ($33 billion).
Static/Current
Takeaways Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-
·
President of
the World Bank- Jim Yong Kim.
·
Headquarters
of World Bank: Washington, DC.
12. The
World's 50 Greatest Leaders 2018: Mukesh Ambani Ranks 24th
i. Richest
Indian Mukesh Ambani (24th Rank) and human
rights lawyer Indira Jaising (20th Rank) have been named by Fortune
magazine as the World's Greatest Leaders of 2018.
ii. This year's list is topped by 'The Students' of Marjory Stoneman Douglas and other schools of US that witnessed gun violence. This year's list has the #MeToo Movement, which described the pervasiveness of sexual abuse, at No.3 behind Bill and Melinda Gates (2nd Rank).
ii. This year's list is topped by 'The Students' of Marjory Stoneman Douglas and other schools of US that witnessed gun violence. This year's list has the #MeToo Movement, which described the pervasiveness of sexual abuse, at No.3 behind Bill and Melinda Gates (2nd Rank).
Banking/Economy
News
13. BoI Inks Pact With NeSL to Share
Data Under Insolvency Rules
i. State-run
Bank of India (BoI) has entered
into an agreement with National E-Governance Services (NeSL) for
information utility (IU) arrangement under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code
(IBC).
ii. As per the agreement, BoI will avail NeSL service to expedite corporate insolvency resolution process.
ii. As per the agreement, BoI will avail NeSL service to expedite corporate insolvency resolution process.
Static/Current Takeaways Important for NABARD
Grade-A Exam 2018-
·
The NeSL
became India's first information utility (IU) for bankruptcy cases under the
'Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) 2016' in October 2017.
·
Bank of
India Headquarters- Mumbai, CEO- Dinabandhu
Mohapatra.
14. Paytm Payments Bank Registers 100M
KYC Wallets
i. Paytm
Payments Bank now has
over 100 million KYC wallets, against the constant campaigning
done by the bank about the benefits of the Know Your Customer (KYC)
system.
ii. The bank has introduced several options that include Paytm KYC centres and 'Paytm-Ka-ATM' outlets to offer more localised support.
ii. The bank has introduced several options that include Paytm KYC centres and 'Paytm-Ka-ATM' outlets to offer more localised support.
Static/Current Takeaways Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-
·
Paytm
Payments Bank is owned 51 percent by Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma and 49
percent by One97 Communications Limited.
15. Uttarakhand to Get Rs1,700 crore Aid
From ADB
i. The Asian
Development Bank (ADB) has
agreed in principle to give an aid of 1,700 crore rupees to Uttarakhand
for infrastructure development and creation of sewerage treatment
facilities in urban areas.
ii. This was conveyed to Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat by the country director of ADB’s India Regiment Mission Kenichi Yokoyama at a meeting in Dehradun.
ii. This was conveyed to Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat by the country director of ADB’s India Regiment Mission Kenichi Yokoyama at a meeting in Dehradun.
Static/Current Takeaways Important for NABARD
Grade-A Exam 2018-
·
President of
ADB- Takehiko Nakao, ADB
Headquarters- Manila, Philippines, Opened on- 19th
December 1966.
Awards
16. Dadasaheb Phalke Excellence Awards 2018:
Complete List of Winners
i. Dadahaheb
Phalke Excellence Awards 2018 honoured the
individuals from the entertainment industry for their outstanding contribution
towards the growth and development of cinema and/or television.
Find the Complete List of Winners Here
17. Egyptian Photographer Mahmoud Abu Zeid Wins UNESCO Press Freedom Prize
Find the Complete List of Winners Here
17. Egyptian Photographer Mahmoud Abu Zeid Wins UNESCO Press Freedom Prize
i. Jailed
Egyptian photographer Mahmoud Abu Zeid, popularly
known as Shawkan won the 2018 Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize
of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s
(UNESCO).
Static/Current Takeaways Important for NABARD
Grade-A Exam 2018-
·
The
UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize was established in 1997 by
UNESCO in honour of Guillermo Cano Isaza, a Colombian journalist.
·
France's
Audrey Azoulay- 11th
DG of UNESCO, Headquarters- Paris, France.
Sports News
18. India Wins 8th South Asian Judo
Championship
i.
India has won 8th South Asian
Judo Championship held in Lalitpur, Nepal. On the
concluding day of the championship, Indian women and men won team events.
Keeping the unbeaten streak, Indian women whitewashed the
championship by beating host Nepal in the final of team events.
ii. Indian men also won the team championship. They defeated Pakistan by 3-2 in the final. Earlier Indian women grabbed all 7 gold medals in the individual category while men bagged 3 gold and 3 bronze medals.
iii. India topped the medal tally winning 10 Gold and 3 Bronze medals in the individual category. Host Nepal remained second and Pakistan got third place.
ii. Indian men also won the team championship. They defeated Pakistan by 3-2 in the final. Earlier Indian women grabbed all 7 gold medals in the individual category while men bagged 3 gold and 3 bronze medals.
iii. India topped the medal tally winning 10 Gold and 3 Bronze medals in the individual category. Host Nepal remained second and Pakistan got third place.
Static/Current Takeaways Important for NABARD
Grade-A Exam 2018-
·
Col.
Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore is the Minister of State (I/C) of the Ministry of
Youth Affairs and Sports.