Work on Shahpur Kandi Dam to resume soon;

Work on Shahpur Kandi Dam to resume soon; Punjab and J&K sign agreement to this effect Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab on 3 March 2017 agreed to resume works on Shahpur Kandi Dam project in Gurdaspur district of Punjab. The agreement was reached ahead of the annual Indus Water Commission meeting that will be held in Lahore, Pakistan. The 55.5meter high Shahpur Kandi dam will help in providing irrigation facility to 5000 hectares of land in Punjab and 32173 hectares in J&K besides generation of 206 MW power. The agreement was reached due to the meditation efforts of the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejunvenation. The Ministry of Water Resources persuaded the two states so that the country can use its rights on Eastern Rivers of Indus basin in a successful manner. About Shahpur Kandi Dam project
• The construction of Shahpur Kandi project was taken up in May 1999.
• Later in 2014, the work on the project was halted in 2014 due to dispute between Punjab and J&K.
• The project was supposed to be built with an estimated cost of Rs 2285.81 crore (price level of April 2008).
• It was a part of the Scheme of National Projects by Union Government.
• The estimated cost included central assistance @ 90 per cent of the balance cost of works component of irrigation and water supply.
• The project will be implemented by the government of Punjab. However, there will be a tripartite team headed by Member, CWC and consisting of Chief Engineers of two States to monitor the project as and when required but at least once in three months to ensure that the construction is as per the agreement.
• The design of the project will be the same, which was agreed between the two states. However, the concurrently model studies will be done to ensure that the mandated share of 1150 cusecs of water is available to Jammu and Kashmir, which will be binding on both the States.
• On the other hand, the balance costs of compensation for land acquisition of the Thein Dam will be paid by the government of Punjab, as agreed earlier.
• In addition, jobs to the oustees would be given by the Government of Punjab as per the agreed R&R policy of both the State Governments.
• 20 per cent of the total power generated at the Thein Dam will be shared with Jammu and Kashmir by the Punjab government, as agreed earlier. This share will be provided at the mutually agreed rate of Rs 3.50 per unit, subject to the confirmation of the rates by the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission.
• Punjab would be providing 20% share in the total power generated at the Thein Dam at the mutually agreed rate of Rs. 3.50 per unit to J&K. Besides, issues related to the project will be referred to the Arbitration mechanism provided in the agreement signed between two states in 1979. The case will be solved by mechanism process without affecting the progress of work.   It was unanimously agreed that the work on the Shahpur Kandi Dam Project would resume as soon both the State Governments formally approve the agreed decisions.

Current Affairs One liner of the day: 6 March 2017

The one liner of 3rd March covers important current happenings that are relevant to competitive exams. The day’s one liner’s cover important the happenings like Smart Mosquito Density System, GDP growth target for 2017 at a 25-year low and GDP growth target for 2017 at a 25-year low among others.
• The government of this State proposed a Smart Mosquito Density System to fight vector-borne diseases – Andhra Pradesh
• The women’s singles title at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships 2017 was won by - Elina Svitolina
• Identify the country that pegged its GDP growth target for 2017 at a 25-year low - China
• The men’s singles title at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships 2017 was won by – Andy Murray
• Scientists of this country developed the first all-solid-state battery cells recently – The USA
• The Union government has launched the first-ever across-the-river survey to determine the population of aquatic life in – Ganga
• This city is going to host the three-day event, Destination North East 2017 – Chandigarh
• This historic ship, known as the world’s oldest aircraft carrier was decommissioned on 6 March 2017 – INS Viraat
• The Wildlife Institute of India is planning to use drones to monitor the habitat of – Tigers   
• The famous liver surgeon, who also performed first successful liver transplant on a human patient, passed away recently. His name is - Thomas E Starzl
• The West Bengal Government recently granted official language status to tribal language Kurukh. The language is – a Dravidian language
• The winner of the 2017 ATP Mexican Open Men’s Singles title is - Sam Querrey
• The w inners of the 2017 Dubai Tennis Championships Men’s Doubles title are - Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau
• West Bengal Clinical Establishments Bill, 2017 passed by state assembly will replace - West Bengal Clinical Establishments Bill, 2010
• Syed Shahabuddin, who died recently, was a - politician
• Country that fired several banned ballistic missiles into waters off its east coast recently - North Korea
• The two states that in March 2017 agreed to resume works on Shahpur Kandi Dam project are - Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir

CURRENT QUIZ ON 6 MARCH 2017

These quizzes will help you in answering questions which can/may be asked in the next exam that will be faced by you. The day’s updated quizzes cover the topics like Shahpur Kandi Dam project, first all-solid-state battery cells and Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships 2017 among others.

1. Scientists of this country developed the first all-solid-state battery cells recently.
a) The USA
b) Germany
c) China
d) India

2. Identify the country that pegged its GDP growth target for 2017 at a 25-year low.
a) China
b) Japan
c) South Korea
d) Saudi Arabia

3. Who won the women’s singles title at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships 2017?
a) Serena Williams
b) Caroline Wozniacki
c) Venus Williams
d) Elina Svitolina

4. Who won the men’s singles title at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships 2017?
a) Andry Murray
b) Roger Federer
c) Rafael Nadal
d) Novak Djokovic

5. The government of this State proposed a Smart Mosquito Density System to fight vector-borne diseases.
a) Telangana
b) Andhra Pradesh
c) Karnataka
d) Tamil Nadu

6. The Union government has launched the first-ever across-the-river survey to determine the population of aquatic life in which major Indian river?
a) Ganga
b) Yamuna
c) Godavari
d) Brahmaputra

7. Which city is going to host the three-day event, Destination North East 2017?
a) Mumbai
b) Pune
c) Bangalore
d) Chandigarh

8. Which historic ship, known as the world’s oldest aircraft carrier was decommissioned on 6 March 2017?
a) INS Vikrant
b) INS Arihant
c) INS Viraat
d) INS Chakra

9. The Wildlife Institute of India is planning to use drones to monitor the habitat of which animal species?
a) Tiger
b) Leopard
c) Rhinoceros
d) Asian elephant

10. The Indo-Polish pair of Rohan Bopanna and Marcin Matkowski recently lost the finals of the Dubai Tennis Championships Men’s Doubles. Who of the following won the title?
a) Simone Bolelli and Andreas Seppi
b) Mahesh Bhupathi and Michael Llodra
c) Sergiy Stakhovsky and Mikhail Youzhny
d) Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau

11. Who won the 2017 ATP Mexican Open Men’s Singles title? a) Bruno Soares
b) Rafael Nadal
c) Sam Querrey
d) Novak Djokovic

12. The West Bengal Government recently granted official language status to tribal language Kurukh. The language belongs to which of the following language family?
a) Austro-Asiatic
b) Dravidian
c) Tibeto-Barman
d) Munda

13. A famous liver surgeon, who also performed first successful liver transplant on a human patient, passed away recently. Name him. a) Thomas E Starzl
b) Claude Couinad
c) Timothy Berkins
d) None of the above

14. Who of the following is the author of the book Rekha: The Untold Story?
a) Yasser Usman
b) Ram Kamal Mukherjee
c) K Vijay Kumar
d) Meena Iyer

15. Name the two states that in March 2017 agreed to resume works on Shahpur Kandi Dam project.
a) Punjab and Haryana
b) Punjab and Rajasthan
c) Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir d) Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh
ANSWER 1. (a) The USA
2. (a) China
3. (d) Elina Svitolina
4. (a) Andry Murray
5. (b) Andhra Pradesh
6. (a) Ganga
7. (d) Chandigarh
8. (c) INS Viraat
9. (a) Tiger
10. (d) Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau
11. (c) Sam Querrey
12. (b) Dravidian
13. (a) Thomas E Starzl
14. (a) Yasser Usman
15. (c) Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir

Melody Meyer, Atul Gupta appointed as advisors of Cairn India

Melody Meyer, Atul Gupta appointed as advisors of Cairn India Oil and gas experts Melody Meyer and Atul Gupta were on 6 March 2017 appointed as advisors of Hydrocarbons major Cairn India. As advisors, they will provide strategic direction and delivery focus to Cairn India. The aforesaid appointments were made in a move to gear up in achieving the aim of contributing 50 per cent of India's overall crude production through 5 billion barrels of oil equivalent reserves. Cairn India seeks to invest Rs 30000 crore in five new projects. These are Enhanced Oil Recovery projects for Bhagyam and Aishwariya, Raageshwari Deep Gas (RDG), Barmer Hill tight oil and Aishwariya Hill tight oil. About Melody Meyer • Meyer, a United States citizen, has 37 years of experience with Chevron Corporation. • She was the Asia-Pacific President of Chevron Corporation where she was responsible for driving Chevron's exploration and production (E&P) activities across nine countries in the region. • She has served various roles in various companies such as President of Energy Technology, Vice President of the Gulf of Mexico SBU, Vice-President of US Mid-Continent and Alaska SBU. About Atul Gupta • A British citizen of Indian origin, Gupta has over 36 years of experience and currently advises private equity firms. • He is also on the boards of a number of upstream oil and gas companies including Nostrum (Kazakhstan), Seven Energy (Nigeria) and Vetra Energy (Colombia). • He has also served as the Managing Director of Hindustan Oil Exploration Company of HOEC Bardahl India from August 2006 to August 2008. About Cairn India • Cairn India is one of the largest independent oil and gas exploration and production companies in India. • It is a subsidiary of the natural resources company Vedanta Ltd, led by Anil Agarwal. • Headquartered in Gurgaon, the company has operational offices in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu.

CAUTION :::::CHEATING WITH A NEW TRICK

सावधान : ठगने का नया तरीका :- 
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 

एक दिन जब मै ड्राइविंग करते हुए जल्दी-जल्दी ऑफिस जा रहा था, 
एक फोन आया जिसमें मुझे 3 घंटे के लिए फोन स्विच ऑफ करने के लिए कहा गया और बताया कि 4G अपलोड करने के लिए यह जरूरी है. 

थोड़ी देर बाद जब किसी जरूरी फोन करने के लिए मैंने फोन स्विच ऑन किया तो देखा कि कई मिस कॉल आए हुए हैं और उस में सबसे ज्यादा मेरे घर से कॉल आए थे. 

मैंने तुरंत घर फोन किया तो देखा कि घर के सारे लोग घबराए हुए हैं. 

मुझे मालूम पड़ा कि उनके पास एक कॉल आया था जिसमें मुझे किडनैप किये जाने की सूचना थी और एक अच्छी रकम फिरौती के रूप में मांगी गई थी. 

प्रमाण के लिए उन्हें मेरी आवाज भी सुनाई गई थी. 

घरवालों ने कई बार मुझे फोन किया पर वह हमेशा स्विच ऑफ मिला. 

मेरे पापा घबराकर अपहरणकर्ताओं के बताये खाते में पैसा ट्रांसफर करने के लिए बैंक गये हुये थे. 

जब मैं पुलिस में रिपोर्ट दर्ज कराने पहुंचा तो मालुम हुआ कि सुबह से इस तरह के कई केस आ चुके हैं और कई लोगो ने जो पैसा ट्रांसफर कर दिया है, वह किसी विदेशी खाते में गया है और किसी कीमत पर वापस नहीं आ सकता। 

(नोट : यह लेख एक पीड़ीत द्वारा भेजी गयी शिकायत पर आधारित है।) 

निष्कर्ष : 
यह है माफिया का बिना किडनैप किये पैसा बनाने का नया, रिस्क फ्री तरीका। 

अत: आप से आग्रह है कि जनहित में इस मैसेज को अवश्य प्रेषित करें। 

अपना ज्यादा से ज्यादा ध्यान रखें। 

ऐसा किसी के साथ हो, 
उससे पहले ही सबको सतर्क करें। 

निवेदक :- 
सुरेश शुक्ला 
डायरेक्टर जनरल 
राष्ट्रीय अपराध जांच ब्यूरो 
नागरिक अधिकार सुरक्षा परिषद *

Weekly Current Affairs Quiz with answers

These quizzes will help you in revising the week at an ease, as it hosts the most important occurrences/happenings of the week that may be asked in the nearest competitive exam that will be faced by you. The quizzes covered in this weekly segment include 1. The ‘Working Group on Migration’ on 1 March 2017 submitted its report to the union government. Consider the following statement in context to the budget.
I. The 18-member working group/panel was headed by Partha Mukhopadhay of the Centre for Policy Research.
II. It proposes amendments to the protocols of the registrar general of India. KIII. It talks about interstate operability of public distribution system (PDS). Which is/are correct?
a) Only I and II
b) Only I and III
c) Only II and III
d) I, II and III

2. Jayant Malaiyya, the finance minister of Madhya Pradesh, on 1 March 2017 presented the annual state budget of the financial year 2017-18 in the legislative assembly. Consider the following statement in context to the budget. I. Size of the budget 2017-18 was Rs 185564.27 crore.
II. It proposes to implement the 7th pay commission from 1 April 2017. III. Rs 21 crore was allocated for computerisation of High Court, Subordinate Courts and Advocate General Office. Which is/are correct?
a) Only I and II
b) Only I and III
c) Only II and III
d) I, II and III

3. Bihar’s annual state budget 2017-18 was presented in the legislative assembly on 27 February 2017. Consider the following statements in context to the same.
I. The budget was presented by Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav.
II. The size of the budget for the fiscal year 2017-18 is Rs 160085 lakh crore.
III. The state government has introduced three types of new taxes including tax on sand mining. Which is/are correct?
a) Only I
b) Only II
c) Only II and III
d) I, II and III

4. FORPHEUS has been given the Guinness title for which unique talent?
I. For playing tennis better than humans
II. For exploring unique technological intelligence
III. For its exceptional educational capabilities
IV. For exploring the possibility of Harmonised automation with Sinic Theoretics Which of the above statements is correct?
a) I and II
b) All of the above
c) None of the above
d) I, II and IV

5. Which of the following movies won the 89th Academy Awards for the Best Picture?

a) La La Land
b) Arrival
c) Moonlight
d) Lion

6. Who of the following won the 89th Academy Awards for the Best Actor?
a) Andrew Garfield
b) Ryan Gosling
c) Denzel Washington
d) Casey Affleck

7. The term SWATHI that was in news refers to a
a) Weapon Locating Radar
b) Injectable Polio Vaccine
c) Portable Weather Monitoring Device
d) Smallest Blood Glucose Monitoring Device

8. UK’s House of Lords voted to amend the Brexit Bill. Which among the following was the main reason for the house to delay the bill’s passing?
a) The bill doesn’t guarantee protection to EU citizens living in UK
b) The bill doesn’t guarantee protection to UK citizens living in the EU
c) The bill doesn’t speak the mandate of the people
d) The bill doesn’t fulfil the requirements of the Brexit negotiations  

9. Who won the 2017 Hockey India League title?
a) Punjab Warriors
b) Kalinga Lancers
c) Dabang Mumbai
d) Delhi Waveriders

10. Which Indian city was named as the Richest Indian city as per the New World Wealth report 2017?
a) Delhi
b) Mumbai
c) Bengaluru
d) Chennai

11. Which movie won the Audience Award at the Glasgow Film Festival 2017?
a) City of Joy
b) Bhakta Vidur
c) Santa Banta Pvt Ltd
d) Lipstick Under My Burkha

12. The National Green Tribunal has banned camping activities within 100 m of which prominent Indian River?
a) Yamuna
b) Beas
c) Indus
d) Ganga

13. Name the historic city that was recaptured by the Syrian troops back by Russian jets by the Islamic State (IS) in March 2017.
a) Raqa
b) Palmyra
c) Aleppo
d) None of the above

14. Which among the following statements was not included in Trump’s first address to the US congress?
a) US will meet the financial obligations of all the NATO members
b) US will adopt a merit-based immigration system
c) US will seek the help of its Muslim allies to destroy the ISIS
d) US will build a great wall on the US-Mexican border

15. The Union Government recently notified the Specified Bank Notes (Cessation of Liabilities) Act, 2017. As per the Act, a person can hold how many notes if it is for the purposes of study, research or numismatics?
a) Twenty-five notes
b) Ten notes
c) Twenty notes
d) Fifteen notes

ANSWERS 1. (b) I, II and III ‘Working Group on Migration’ suggests that the protocols of the registrar general of India should be amended to enable caste-based enumeration of migrants. This will help them to avail the attendant benefits in the states to which the migration takes place.
2. (b) Only I and III Size of the budget 2017-18 is Rs 185564.27 crore, with a revenue surplus of Rs 4596.40 crore. The recommendations of Seventh Pay Commission will be implemented from 1 January 2016 and the hiked salaries will be paid from July 2017.
3. (b) Only II Abdul Bari Siddiqui, the finance minister of Bihar, on 27 February 2017 presented the annual state budget of 2017-18 in the legislative assembly. The size of the budget for the fiscal year 2017-18 is Rs 160085 lakh crore. The state government has not introduced any fresh tax.
4. (b) All of the above FORPHEUS (Future Omron Robotics Technology for Exploring Possibility of Harmonised automation with Sinic Theoretics) has officially been given the Guinness title for its unique technological intelligence and educational capabilities.
5. (c) Moonlight The 89th Academy Awards, popularly called Oscar Awards, were conferred on 26 February 2017 (27 February 2017 as per Indian time). The award ceremony was held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles. The Best Picture Award was won by Moonlight.
6. (d) Casey Affleck The 89th Academy Awards, popularly called Oscar Awards, were conferred on 26 February 2017 (27 February 2017 as per Indian time). The award ceremony was held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles. Casey Affleck won the Best Actor for the movie Manchester by the Sea.
7. (a) Weapon Locating Radar SWATHI is a Weapon Locating Radar (WLR). It was developed by the DRDO’s Electronics and Radar Development Establishment (LRDE). The radar provides fast, automatic and accurate location of all enemy weapons like mortars, shells and rockets firing within in its effective zone of coverage.
8. (a) The bill doesn’t guarantee protection to EU citizens living in UK UK’s upper house, The House of Lords voted on 2 March 2017 to amend the Brexit Bill, thereby delaying the bills passing. The members of the House voted 358 to 256 for an amendment that will require the ministers to protect the rights of more than three million European Union and European Economic Area citizens living in the UK after it exits the EU.
9. (b) Kalinga Lancers Kalinga Lancers on 26 February 2017 lifted the fifth edition Hockey India League title. In the finals played at Chandigarh, Kalinga Lancers defeated Dabang Mumbai 4-1.
10. (b) Mumbai Mumbai was named as the richest Indian city with a total wealth of USD 820 billion. It is home to 46000 millionaires and 28 billionaires, and is followed by Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Pune.
11. (d) Lipstick Under My Burkha Restricted for release by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), Indian movie Lipstick Under My Burkha was awarded the third annual Audience Award at the Glasgow Film Festival 2017. Indian filmmaker Alankrita Shrivastava directed the movie.
12. (d) Ganga The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has ordered a ban on camping activities within 100 metres of the Ganga. The decision was taken by a bench of justices headed by Chairperson Swatanter Kumar. The ban will be imposed from Kaudiyala to Rishikesh in Uttarakhand.
13. (b) Palmyra Syrian troops backed by Russian jets on 2 March 2017 recaptured the historic city of Palmyra from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Loss of Palmyra is being considered as the latest blow to the militant group, ISIS, because in recent past the group had suffered losses in its two main strongholds, namely Raqa (Syria) and Mosul (Iraq).
14. (a) US will meet the financial obligations of all the NATO members US President Donald Trump while reaffirming his support to the NATO members during his first address to the Congress insisted that the members must meet their own financial obligations and warned that it was not his job to represent the world.
15. (a) Twenty-five notes The Union Government on 1 March 2017 notified the Specified Bank Notes (Cessation of Liabilities) Act, 2017. The Act is introduced in the public interest for the cessation of liabilities on the specified bank notes.

Bharti Airtel, Millicom International sign agreement to combine operations

Bharti Airtel, Millicom International sign agreement to combine operations in Ghana Bharti Airtel and Millicom International Cellular SA on  3 March 2017 signed an agreement to combine operations in Ghana. The agreement was signed between Tigo Ghana Limited, subsidiary of Millicom and Airtel Ghana Limited, subsidiary of Airtel. The transaction is subject to obtaining approvals from the relevant authorities in Ghana and the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. Once completed, it will provide the opportunity to develop nationwide digital infrastructure and services in Ghana. Highlights of the Togo-Airtel tie-up • As per the agreement, Airtel and Millicom will have equal ownership and governance rights in the combined entity. • The combined business will serve nearly 10 million customers, of which 5.6 million are data customers. • It will cover more than 80 per cent of Ghana's population with high-speed data and provide the widest 3G coverage across the country. • The combined business is also expected to provide Ghanaian customers with a major boost in both rural and urban network coverage, in turn, translating into better voice quality, high-speed data services and reinforced network stability and resilience. • With the combined fibre footprint and increased number of data centres, enterprise customers such as large corporations and SMEs will have access to a diverse portfolio of world-class solutions. • Mobile Financial Services will also be greatly enhanced with combined agent networks and platforms. • The combination of Tigo and Airtel will create an operator that will be able to offer Ghanaian consumers and businesses a state of the art network with high-speed mobile data coverage. • This tie-up is expected to fetch in revenues close to USD 300 million, making them one of the largest communications service provider in Ghana. Airtel Ghana contributes around 6-7 per cent to Bharti Airtel’s Africa revenue which totaled close to USD 900 million for the July-September quarter in 2016.