1.
SpiceJet and Boeing ink record $4.4 bn deal at India Aviation Show
i. In the biggest-ever deal signed at the India Aviation Show, SpiceJet has inked an agreement with Boeing for purchase of 42 737 MAX 8 aircraft costing Rs. 26,000 crore ($ 4.4 billion).
ii. The deal was signed between Boeing Senior Vice-President (Asia-Pacific and India Sales) Dinesh Keskar, SpiceJet CEO Sanjeev Kapur and Sun Group CFO, S.L. Narayanan, on the inaugural day of the Hyderabad Air Show-India Aviation 2014 in the presence of Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh.
iii. “The order is a tremendous endorsement of the 737 MAX’s unsurpassed fuel efficiency. Its capabilities supports SpiceJet’s mission to become India’s preferred low-cost airline. We are very proud to be partners with SpiceJet and a part of the airline’s continued success,” Mr. Keskar said.
iv. Development of the 737 MAX has been on schedule with the aircraft’s firm configuration achieved in July 2013. The first flight is scheduled in 2016 with deliveries to customers beginning in 2017. Boeing has over 1,800 orders of the 737 MAX to date, said a company release.
2.
IPL first half goes to UAE, final will be played in India
i. United Arab Emirates will stage the initial phase of the IPL while Bangladesh was kept on standby for some of the matches by the BCCI, ending weeks of speculation over the venues of the high-profile event which was today scheduled from April 16 to June 1.
ii. The tournament, which had to be partly shifted out of the country owing to the general elections, will return to India for the final phase from May 13 though the BCCI has sought the government's permission to stage matches in the country from May 1 itself.
iii. The early return to India would be possible only if the government agrees to provide security to the tournament in states where polling would have concluded at that stage.
iv. "The BCCI is pleased to announce that the 2014 Pepsi IPL season will start on Wednesday 16th April 2014, and conclude on Sunday, 1st June 2014," Board Secretary Sanjay Patel said in a statement.
v. The initial phase of the tournament would be played out at three venues in the UAE - Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah from April 16 to 30.
vi. The second half has been tentatively kept in Bangladesh but could be held in India if the BCCI manages to get the government's clearance.
vii. "From Wednesday 16th April to Wednesday 30th April, at least 16 matches will be held in the United Arab Emirates. BCCI is very grateful to the Emirates Cricket Board, its Chairman, HH Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, and the government of the UAE for their offer of wholehearted support to host the Pepsi IPL for this period," the BCCI stated.
3.
National campaign against dengue launched
i. To eradicate dengue, a multi-pronged campaign was on Tuesday launched across six Indian cities with public-private partnership.
ii. As part of the two-month long campaign 'U & Me Against Dengue', fumigation drive, neem plantation and cleanliness drive would be kicked off in phases across Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Pune and Ahmedabad to combat the spread of the mosquito-borne viral infection.
iii. Dr Chandrakant S Pandav, head of the Centre for Community Medicine at AIIMS, said through the campaign they want to empower the community by creating awareness about dengue and educating people about preventive measures to make their community dengue-free.
iv. The campaign is a joint initiative of pest control brand Mortein in partnership with AIIMS, IMA, New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), Rotary Blood Bank and NGO SAHAYOG.
vi. The key requirement of a dengue patient is platelets of matching blood group. While some of us may be regular blood donors, most of the people who wish to donate blood are not sure about how and where they can do so," he said.
vii. It is estimated that there are over 400 million cases of dengue worldwide now and each year the disease claims over 100 million lives across the world.
4.
India's industrial output up 0.1 percent in January
i. India's industrial output was higher by 0.1 percent during January, as mining and electricity sectors performed marginally better, government data showed Wednesday.
ii. The cumulative growth of the industrial production for the April-January period year-on-year was at a standstill from a growth of one percent in the corresponding period of last fiscal, according to data released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) in New Delhi.
iii. Factory output measured in terms of the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) had dropped by 0.6 percent in December, registering a contraction for the third straight month.
iv. Mining sector output in January increased by 0.7 percent from a deceleration of 1.8 percent in the corresponding period of last year.
v. Electricity sector output rose by 6.5 percent in January from 6.4 month in the the corresponding period of 2013.
vi. However, manufacturing sector declined by 0.7 percent in the month under review from an increase of 2.7 percent in January 2013.
5.
Ram Kripal Yadav joins BJP
i. Rebel Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Ram Kripal Yadav, who is keen to contest from the Patliputra Lok Sabha seat in Bihar against RJD chief Lalu Prasad's daughter Misa Bharti, on Wednesday joined the BJP.
ii. BJP president Rajnath Singh made the announcement at the party headquarters in New Delhi.
iii. The former aide of RJD chief Lalu Prasad thanked Rajnath Singh.
iv. Vowing to work for the BJP as a grassroot worker, Yadav hit out at Lalu Prasad and accused the RJD chief of playing "dynasty politics".