1. Delhi’s
IGI airport retains world’s number 1 position
i. Delhi’s Indira Gandhi
International Airport has retained the world’s number 1 position for the second
consecutive year in 25-40 Million Passengers Per Annum
(MPPA) category.
ii. The rankings were
announced by the Airports Council International (ACI).
iii. In 2007, a year after the
airport was privatised, the airport’s Airport Service Quality (ASQ) ranking was
101 in the world.
iv. In 2011, the airport moved
to number 2 position, which it retained till 2013. In 2014, it became no. 1 in
the 25-40 MPPA category and retained the rank in 2015 with a score of 4.96
in ASQ survey on scale of 1 to 5.
2. Mahesh
Kumar Singla committee constituted to consider ST status to six communities of
Assam
i. Union Government on 29
February 2016 constituted a committee to consider Scheduled Tribe status to six
Communities of Assam.
ii. The committee will be
headed by Special Secretary (Internal Security) Ministry of Home Affairs,
Mahesh Kumar Singla.
iii. The committee will
recommend the modalities for granting of Scheduled Tribe status to six
Communities namely Koch Rajbongshi, Moran, Matak, Tai Ahom, Chutia
and Adivasi (Tea Tribes) in Assam.
iv. The Committee will submit
its report by 31 May 2016.
v. The committee will consult
with the Government of Assam and suggest the modalities for the required
reservations, of shifting the existing reservation for these communities
from OBC to ST.
3. Former
Chief Justice Of India H.L. Dattu Joined NHRC As Chairperson
i. Former Chief Justice of
India H L Dattu took charge as the Chairperson of National Human Rights
Commission (NHRC).
ii. He is the 7th Chairperson
of the NHRC. His appointment announced under the Protection of Human Rights
Act, 1993, by the President on the recommendation of the high powered committee
headed by the Prime Minister for the tenure of 5 years.
iii. The committee had cleared
the name of Justice Dattu for the post last week.
iv. The post was lying vacant
form the last 8 months after the retirement of Justice K G Balakrishnan.
v. The former Chief Justice Of
India (CJI) took over the position from Justice C Joseph, who has been the
acting chairperson since the end of the five-year term of former chairperson K
G Balakrishnan.
4. India
Inks $3.1 Billion Deals For Apache And Chinook Helicopters With US
i. Indian Defence Ministry has
issued an order worth Rs 22,000 crores for purchase of helicopters, CH-47
Chinook and AH-64 Apache, which will be inducted in the forces soon.
ii. Defence ministry already
issued an order for puchase of 15 chinook helicopter and 21 Apache helicopters,
which will soon be inducted in the forces," Defence Minister Manohar
Parrikar told reporters on 28-feb.
iii. Ministry had totalling Rs
22,000 crores, has been placed for the purchase of these choppers, which will
strengthen the capabilities of country's defence forces.
5. 7th
Lamitye Military Exercise Ends
i. The 7th joint military
exercise between India and Seychelles military forces came to a close on
28-feb-2016 at victoria mahe island in seychella with a final
attack scenario where suspected pirates had escaped at Cap Ternay.
ii. It was conducted aim to
improved interprosporaty of both Armis.
iii.This edition of joint
military drill, will be concluding phase of the drill.
iv. It will be incorporating a
tactical exercise and will be witnessed by senior military officers from both
the countries who will review the standards of interoperability achieved
by both the contingents.
v. India and Seychelles have
been conducting joint drill ‘Exercise Lamitye’ since 2001. Lamitye which means
friendship in Creole (local dialect), is conducted biennially with the aim
of enhancing military cooperation and interoperability between the two
countries
6. SIDBI To
Raise Rs 10,000 Cr. For Stand Up India Fund
i. The Small Industries
Development Bank of India (SIDBI) will raise the proposed Rs 10,000 Crore
corpus for ‘Stand Up India Fund’ from Reserve Bank Of India.
ii. The Fund will be disbursed
to Dalit and women entrepreneurs. As per the SIDBI Chairman & MD
Kshatrapati Shivaji, It will be raised from the RBI through the priority sector
lending shortfalls under the scheme announced by PM Narendra Modi.
iii. According to that scheme
each bank branch has been mandated to lend to one micro-enterprise promoted by
a woman and SC and ST entrepreneur and the funds will also include one devoted
for factoring, educational loans, Mudra loans of up to Rs 10 lakh and the Stand
Up India loans.
iv. SIDBI is currently working
on 4 new credit guarantee funds, apart from the already operational Credit
Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises which gives a cover of up
to Rs 1 crore for MSME loans.
v. The bank depends on a
variety of instruments to raise resources, including certificate of deposits,
commercial papers, non-convertible debentures and credit lines from external
agencies.
7. Japan to
stipulate 80% emission cut goal by 2050
i. The Japanese government
will stipulate a long-term goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per
cent by 2050 from current levels.
ii. The move follows the
international climate agreement reached in Paris in December 2015.
iii. The plan, being compiled
by the environment ministry and the ministry of economy, trade and industry
(METI), is likely to be approved by the cabinet before Japan hosts the
Group of Seven (G7) summit in May.
iv. The government is
obligated by law to update the national plan for cutting emissions, but it has
not had a new plan since fiscal 2013 partly because energy policy was
thrown into disarray by disasters, including the 2011 Fukushima nuclear crisis.
v. Prior to the global climate
talks in Paris, the administration decided on a goal of slashing greenhouse gas
emissions by 26 percent in 2030 from 2013 levels, which will be included
in the upcoming plan.
8. Randeep
Hooda Honoured With Achievement Award In Australia
i. Randeep Hooda, the
Bollywood actor was felicitated by Melbourne based South Asian community
members at a function in Australia. On the occasion, the
39-year-old actor, also shared his memories of the time he spent as an
international student in the country.
ii. The members of a non
profit organization South Asian Public Affairs Council (SAPAC) honoured the
visiting actor with an achievement award for making his mark in the film
industry.
iii. At the event, Randeep
Hooda formally launched a non profit organisation ‘Nobody Dies Hungry’ founded
by an Australian Indian Aloke Kumar.
iv. The award was presented by
the Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism Danielle Green.
v. And a local councilor Oscar
Yildiz also offered Hooda to become an ambassador of ‘Bully Zero Australia’
which the actor accepted.
9. Hashim
Thaci elected as President of Kosovo
i. Foreign Minister Hashim
Thaci was on 26 February 2016 elected as president of Kosovo by the Members of
Parliament amid the protests.
ii. He succeeded Atifete
Jahjaga as head of state after winning the required simple majority in voting
held in Pristina.
iii. He was a guerrilla leader
during a conflict that led to Kosovo, a mainly ethnic Albanian province
declaring independence from Serbia.
iv. He had also served as
prime minister fell out with many opposition groups after helping to negotiate
with Serbia a deal that gave more autonomy to minority Serbs of Kosovo.
v. Kosovo unilaterally
declared independence from Serbia in 2008. It has been recognised by the US and
many EU countries. This self-declared independence was not recognized by
Serbia and many other countries around the world.
10. NASA
Invites India To Jointly Explore Mars
i. India and the US could
jointly explore Mars and, who knows, an Indian astronaut could also head to the
Red planet on a joint mission.
ii. India Maiden mission to
red planets manglyaan has opened the eyes of the world on ISRO’s capabilities
at undertaking low cost, high value inter-planetary mission.
iii. Director of the Jet
Propulsion Laboratory or JPL Charles Elachi a part of NASA and an institution
better known for piloting most of the American planetary exploration
efforts with rovers like Curiosity, says India and the US could jointly explore
Mars and even invited India to send astronauts to the Red Planet.
iv. When India launched its
mission to Mars, and I congratulate India on a superb mission by reaching the
orbit or Mars in the very first attempt.
v. JPL supported ISRO in the
navigation and communication because of the antennas we have. Reaching the Mars
orbit in first attempt was an amazing achievement and that too at such low
cost. Now American scientists through its Mars Atmosphere and Volatile
EvolutioN Mission (MAVEN) mission and India through its Mars Orbiter Mission
are sharing data.
11. Zee
Media to acquire 80% stake in India Today companies
i. Zee Media Corporation will
acquire up to 80 per cent stake in India Today group’s loss-making e-commerce
and TV shopping entities — Today Merchandise and Today Retail Network Pvt
Ltd — for Rs 166 crore in staggered payments over the next four years.
ii. The investment will be
made in tranches.
iii. By June, Zee Media would
acquire 49 per cent stake by investing Rs 39.7 crore by subscribing equity
shares of both companies and had managerial and operational control over
the target company.
iv. Explaining its rationale
for investing in the ventures, Zee Media said TV shopping holds great
investment value and with this acquisition, the company would shorten the
launch timing of TV shopping channel.
12. Rozle
Prezelj elected Chairman of IAAF Athletes’ Commission
i. Slovenian high-jumper Rozle
Prezelj on 27 February 2016 was elected the Chairman of the International
Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Athletes' Commission in
Monaco.
ii. Prezelj took over as
Chairman of the commission from Frank Fredericks with immediate effect.
iii. On the other hand,
Britain’s marathon world record-holder Paula Radcliffe was nominated Vice
Chairwoman of the commission.
iv. His best result was at the
2008 Olympics where he finished 12th in high jump.
13. Rahul
Sachdev won 1st All India Open Invitational Snooker Championship 2016
i. Rahul Sachdev on 29
February 2016 won the 1st All India Open Invitational Snooker Championship 2016
in Aurangabad, Maharashtra.
ii. This tournament was
organized by Billiards and Snooker Association of Aurangabad and had no
relation with Cue Sports India.
iii. Rahul defeated Pushpender
Singh of Railways in the final with 5-3 Score. Though Pushpender emerged as a
strong contender and had lost only one frame before reaching the final
while Rahul scored a break of 104.
iv. Rahul sood as the runner
up in Nationals in 2013 and it was his highest performance. It is major
breakthrough in his career to win All India level Invitation tournament.
v. To reach final, Rahul
ousted Laxman Rawat (Railways) 5-1 whereas Pushpender Singh knocked out Kamal Chawla
of Railways 5-1.
14. Armaan
Ebrahim won FMSCI Motorsports Man of the Year Trophy
i. Car racer Armaan Ebrahim on
28 February 2016 was awarded the Motorsports Man-of-the-Year Trophy at ceremony
organised by the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI).
ii. Armaan walked away with
the glittering ‘Raymond Gautam Singhania Rolling Trophy’ and a cash prize of Rs
2,00,000 for his performance in the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo
Asia Series.
iii. B.I. Chandhok recived
lifetime achivement award. An avid racer and a founder of FMSCI, Chandhok has
served the motorsports fraternity in various roles and the gathering
saluted the man for his lifelong achievements.
iv. He was awarded the trophy
by FMSCI chairman Vijay Mallya.
15. Bahadur
Singh Rana Won Gold In 50 Km Race Walk In National Championship
i. Olympian Basant Bahadur
Singh Rana clinched the gold medal in men’s 50km race walk event on the second
and final day of the National Championships in Jaipur.
ii. It was the 3rd edition of
National Race Walking Championships.
iii. The 32 year old Rana has
a personal best of 3:56:48 which he clocked in the 2012 London Olympics, which
was a national record.
iv. Delhi walker Rana clocked
4 hours 7 minutes 24 seconds to finish first out of 33 participants in the race
but only 9 managed to complete the race.
v. Perhaps it was a good 1
minute 25 seconds behind the Rio Olympic qualification mark. Chandan Singh
clinched the silver medal with a time of 4:09:50 while Jitendra Singh won
the bronze medal with an effort of 4:12:10. The former has already bettered the
Rio qualification mark in the 20km category. In the Women’s category,
Neena K.T won the yellow medal with a time of 53:12.49, Bhawna Jat won the
silver with a time of 53:27.79 while Priyanka Patel won the bronze, after
clocking a timing of 53:32.95.
16.1st Raisina Dialogue Inaugurated By
Sushma Swaraj In New Delhi
i. External Affairs Minister
Sushma Swaraj has inaugurated the 1st Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi.
ii. Envisioned as India’s
flagship conference of geopolitics and geo-economics, the Raisina Dialogue 2016
is designed to explore prospects and opportunities for Asian integration.
iii. It is a key to not only
India's development but the entire region and the Asian continent.
iv. The conclave has focused
on Asia's physical, economic, human and digital connectivity. Over 450
delegates from around 40 countries are participating in the three-day
conference. The delegates also include former president of Sri Lanka Chandrika Bandaranaike
Kumaratunga and former president of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai.
v. As per officials "the
Asian century in effect is really about once again integrating Asia with
itself, integrating Asia within itself, and integrating Asia with the
world". The theme of this inaugural edition of the Dialogue is
"Connecting Asia" which tries to capture the various facets of these
ambitions.
17. Mukesh
Ambani Again Tops 84 Indian Billionaires in Forbes List
i. Mukesh Ambani
Reliance Industries chairman again topped 84 Indian billionaires in
Forbes 2016 list of the world's richest people once again headed by Bill Gates
with a net worth of $75 billion.
ii. Mukesh Ambani with a net
worth of $19.3 billion was ranked 36th among world's 1,810 billionaires with an
aggregate net worth of $6.48 trillion, down from $7.05 trillion last year.
iii. Technology guru Gates,
who has topped the list for 17 of the last 22 years was followed by Spanish
clothing retailer Amancio Ortega, best known for the Zara fashion chain, with
Warren Buffett remaining in the third spot.
iv. United states led with the
greatest number of billionaires, with 540, followed by China with 251, Germany
with 120, India with 84 and Russia with 77.
v. China had the most of 198
newcomer billionaires, adding 70 to the list. Thirty-three newcomers were from
the US, 8 from India and 28 from Germany Notable newcomers included Flipkart
cofounders Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal (No. 1476) of India.
18. M. S.
Swaminathan Research Foundation To Establish A Research Chair In Kalinga
Institute Of Social Sciences (KISS)
i. The MS Swaminathan Research
Foundation has signed a MOU with Bhubaneswar -based Kalinga Institute of Social
Sciences (KISS) to establish a Research Chair.
ii. The Chair will be named
after MS Swaminathan, father of Indian Green Revolution for promoting knowledge
and skill for empowerment for less privileged children in India.
iii. This is the first-ever
initiative of the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation to establish a Research
Chair in any private institute in the country.
iv. The Kalinga Institute of
Social Sciences (KISS) is the largest residential institute for the tribals in
the world.
v. It provides free of cost
accommodation, education, food, health care from Kindergarten to Post Graduation
to more than 25,000 children of whom 12,200 are girls.
19.
UltraTech acquired cement units of Jaiprakash Associates
i. Aditya Birla Group firm
UltraTech has announced the acquisition of debt-ridden JP Group’s cement plants
for Rs 16,500 crore, making it the biggest deal in the sector.
ii. The buyer will pay an
additional amount of Rs 470 crore to complete the grinding unit.
iii. In a transaction that
will take its cement portfolio to nearly 91 million tonne, UltraTech Cement
will acquire 22.4 mt of assets from Jaiprakash Associates.
iv. The deal includes two
units in Madhya Pradesh.
v. UltraTech Cement said it
entered into a binding Memorandum of Understanding with Jaiprakash Associates
Limited for the acquisition of its identified cement plants having total cement
capacity of 22.4 MTPA (million tons per annum) situated in Madhya Pradesh,
Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh and
Karnataka.
20. TCS
Recognized As Top Global Employer
i. Tata Consultancy Services
(TCS), a leading IT services company has been recognized as a Global Top
Employer by the Top Employers Institute.
ii. The assessment was done
among 1,072 companies worldwide and the TCS become 1st with an exceptional
performer across 9 core HR areas including talent strategy, workforce planning,
on-boarding, learning and development, performance management and leadership
development, among others. These things makes the company one in only eight
organizations worldwide to have achieved this status.
iii. This certification is
only awarded to the best employers around the world organisations that
demonstrate the highest standards of employee offerings.
iv. Others in the list include
CJSC Technip, DHL, Dimension data, Saint Gobain, JT International, Mobinil,
Mobistar, Orange and Valeo.
v. This year, it was also
certified as the Region-wide Top Employer in Europe for the 4th consecutive
year. TCS earned the foremost rating in the United Kingdom and Germany, and
also received an accreditation in six other countries in Europe - Belgium,
Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
21. Sanjeev
Kapoor joins Vistara as Chief Strategy and Commercial Officer
i. Sanjiv Kapoor has been
appointed as the Chief Strategy and Commercial Officer of Vistara Airlines.
ii. Kapoor will be responsible
for managing a wide portfolio of Vistaras commercial and planning functions,
including strategy development, network planning, pricing and revenue
management, sales and distribution, among others.
iii. He will also be responsible
for in-flight services and ground operations of the carrier.
iv. Kapoor succeeds Giam Ming
Toh, who is returning to Singapore Airlines on completion of his deputation
with Vistara.
v. Tata Sons holds a majority
51 per cent stake in Vistara - a joint venture with Singapore Airlines, which
holds the remaining 49 per cent. Kapoor joins Vistara with over 19 years of
experience in the airline industry, in various leadership and consulting role.
22. Vice
Admiral Atul Kumar Jain Takes Over As Chief Of Staff, Eastern Naval Command
i. Vice Admiral Atul Kumar
Jain took over as the Chief of Staff of the Visakhapatnam.
ii. He succeeds Vice Admiral
Bimal Verma who has been transferred as Commander-in-Chief of Andaman &
Nicobar Command at Port Blair.
iii. Vice Admiral Jain is an
alumnus of the Sainik School (Rewa), National Defence Academy (Pune), the
Defence Services Staff College (Wellington, Ooty), the College of Naval Warfare
(Mumbai) and the National Defence College (Pretoria, South Africa).
iv. He was commissioned in the
Indian Navy on 01 July 1982 and post specialisation in Gunnery and Missile
Warfare, he held appointments as Gunnery Officer of missile destroyers, IN
Ships Ranvijay and Ranvir.
23. RBI
unlocks Rs.40000 crore additional capital for banks
i. At the time when public
sector banks are facing pressure on their profitability due to a sharp rise in
non-performing assets, which is eroding their capital base.
ii. The Reserve Bank of India
(RBI) move comes revised norms on capital recognition, making available an
additional Rs.40,000 crore to Indian banks, this announcement is a big relief
for, mainly, public sector banks.
iii. Finance minister Arun
Jaitley announced after his budget speech a capital infusion of Rs. 25,000
crore for the fiscal year starting in April.
iv. The minister did not make
any increases to the capital infusion amount that was decided in August
2015.
v. Many public sector banks
reported huge losses for the quarter ended December 2015 after the RBI asked
lenders to identify several accounts as non-performing. Banks are expected to
post weak earnings in the current quarter too.
24. Mrugank
Paranjape Appointed As MCX MD
i. Multi Commodity Exchange
announced the appointment of Mrugank Paranjape as MD & CEO of the
exchange.
ii. He will succeed Manoj
Vaish. The exchange has also re designated Parveen Kumar Singhal, the present
Joint Managing Director as President & Whole Time Director with effect from
April 1. The appointment will be for a period of three years and subject to prior
approval from SEBI.
iii. Mr. Mrugank Paranjape was
Asia Pacific Head of Trust & Securities Services/Cash Management for
Financial Institutions and Regional Head of Securities for The Global Network
Banking Division, Deutsche Bank (Malaysia) Berhad since last 14 years.
Currently, he is India Head, Deutsche Bank.
iv. Last May, SEBI rejected
the exchange's proposal to appoint Balasubramaniam Venkataramani, Chief
Business Officer of BSE as MD & CEO as MCX had not followed proper
procedure.
v. The exchange remained
without a full-time MD & CEO since May 2014 when Vaish resigned after just
three months stint.
25. Scott
Kelly, American Astronaut, Returns to Earth After 340 Days in Space
i. NASA(National Aeronautics
and Space Administration) astronaut and Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly and
his Russian counterpart Mikhail Kornienko returned on Earth.
ii. After a historic 340-day
mission aboard the International Space Station.
iii. It was a science
experiment to study the effects of microgravity on the human body, so that NASA
can prepare astronauts for longer flights to Mars and beyond.
iv. Mr. Kelly, who spent the
time about 249 miles above the planet aboard the International Space Station,
and the Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko landed on Eastern in
Kazakhstany.
26. George
Kennedy The Oscar Winning Actor Passed Away
i. George Kennedy, who has
passed away recently, was one of America’s most recognizable and versatile
character actors.
ii. He was 91 year old. He
appeared in more than 175 films, ranging from westerns to disaster movies and
from thrillers to comedies.
iii. Mr. Kennedy's the tough
guy character won an academy award for his portrayal of a savage chain-gang
convict in the 1960s. He had undergone emergency triple bypass surgery in 2002.
iv. His biggest acting
achievement came in Cool Hand Luke, a 1967 film about a rebellious war hero
played by Paul Newman who is bent on bucking the system as a prisoner on a
Southern chain gang. Its theme of rebelling against authority and the establishment
helped make it one of the most important films of the tumultuous 1960s.
v. Kennedy played the role of
Dragline, the chain-gang boss who goes from Luke’s No 1 nemesis to his biggest
disciple as Newman’s character takes on folk hero status among fellow inmates.
The movie garnered four Academy Award nominations, and Kennedy was named best
supporting actor.
27. Aaron
Phangiso Suspended For illegal Bowling Action
i. Aaron Phangiso, the South
African left-arm spinner, has been suspended from bowling in domestic cricket
with immediate effect after his action was found to be illegal.
ii. Cricket South Africa
announced An International Cricket Council (ICC) movement expert found his arm
extended beyond the 15 degrees allowed.
ii. Phangiso’s action was
reported after he took 2 for 38 for the Highveld Lions in their eight-wicket
win against Warriors in the semifinal of South Africa’s domestic Momentum One
Day Cup.
28. Mega Military Exercise Of ASEAN Plus
Countries Begins In Pune
i. The multinational mega
Military Exercise Force 18 conducted by Indian Army has started in Pune,
Maharashtra from 2nd March.
ii. The theme of the exercise
is `Humanitarian Mine Action’ (HMA) and `Peacekeeping Operations’ (PKO).
iii. The exercise will
conclude on 8th March, 2016 with around 300 participants from 18 ASEAN
(Association of Southeast Asian Nations ) Plus countries.
iv. Participating ASEAN
countries along with ASEAN Plus nations are India, Australia, Japan, New
Zealand, China, South Korea, Russia and US . The ten ASEAN countries from South
East Asia are Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar,
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
v. The Exercise Force Eighteen
is the largest multinational exercise ever conducted by the ground on Indian
soil on Humanitarian Mine Action (HMA) and Peace Keeping Operatios (PKO). It is
conducted by India as part of its ambitious Look (Act) East policy. The
exercise will allow the armies of these countries to develop a common
understanding in handling any complex situation.
29. India
Signs Financing Agreement With World Bank For US$ 3OO Million
i. A financing agreement for
International Development Association (IDA) credit of US$ 300 (equivalent) for
the Madhya Pradesh Higher Education Quality Improvement Project was signed with
the World Bank.
ii. The Financing Agreement
was signed by Mr. Raj Kumar (Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs)
on behalf of Government of India and Onno Ruhl, Country Director, World Bank,
India on behalf of the World Bank.
iii. Objective of this project
is to improve student outcomes especially of disadvantaged groups in selected
Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and to i