Veteran journalist Arvind Padmanabhan dies

Veteran journalist Arvind Padmanabhan dies Veteran journalist Arvind Padmanabhan passed away on 8 March 2017 of cardiac arrest.  He was 49. Arvind worked as an Executive Editor at IANS. About Arvind Padmanabhan
• Arvind Padmanabhan was born in 1967 at Tirunelveli, Tamul Nadu.
• His father was G. Padmanabhan, who worked for many years with the Press Institute of India and the Indian & Eastern Newspapers Society (IENS, now INS).
• Arvind was widely admired in the journalistic community for the thoroughness he displayed in reporting, writing and editing.
• Before joining the IANS, he worked with the PTI, The Times of India and TV18.
• He joined the India Abroad Newspaper as in-charge of its Business Section in 1999.
• With the news agency, he first assumed charge of the Business Bureau of the wire service and subsequently became the Business Editor of IANS and then the Bureau Chief.
• Soon, he was elevated as the Executive Editor. He headed the business and economy team. About IANS
• Indo-Asian News Service is a private Indian news agency.
• It was founded by Indian-American publisher Gopal Raju as the India Abroad News Service.
• Later, the agency was renamed as the Indo-Asian News Service.

EPFO extends Digital Life Certificate submission through Jeevan Pramaan Patra

EPFO extends Digital Life Certificate submission through Jeevan Pramaan Patra by March 31 The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation, the retirement fund body of India, in March 2017 extended the last date for submission of digital life certificate through Jeevan Pramaan Patra (JPP) up to 31 March 2017 under Employees' Pension Scheme (EPS). Earlier the last date was 28th February 2017. An official release said, members and pensioners of the EPS are required to furnish Aadhaar number by the end of March 2017. Union Government released 2000 crore rupees to EPS-95 as contribution for 2015-16 The date of submission of the Aadhaar–authenticated Jeevan Pramaan as life certificate was extended as several pensioners failed to submit their life certificates for the continuation of drawal of their pension. An official release said, members and pensioners of the EPS are required to furnish Aadhaar number by the end of this month. Highlights of the notification
• It said, in case a member has not been allotted Aadhaar number, a copy of Aadhaar enrolment ID slip is sufficient for settlement of the claim under EPS. EPFO introduces single page composite claim form for withdrawing money
• It said Aadhaar number is not required in case a member of pension scheme having less than 10 years of service chooses to withdraw by making an application. Jeevan Pramaan- an Aadhar based Digital Life Certificate for pensioners The Aadhaar-based digital life certificate named Jeevan Pramaan was launched for pensioners in November 2014. This certificate was launched with an aim to help crore of pensioners in getting the benefits of pension by producing life certificates each year in a digital instead of the physical life certificate. EPFO launches Employees Enrolment Campaign 2017 Before the launch of this digital life certificate, the pensioners were supposed to present themselves before the Pension Disbursing Agency or used to submit a Life Certificate issued by authorities specified by the Central Pension Accounting Office (CPAO).

Union Environment Ministry launches web portal for obtaining CRZ

Union Environment Ministry launches web portal for obtaining CRZ Clearances The Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Anil Madhav Dave on 8 March 2017 launched the web portal for obtaining Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearances by the project proponents. The portal was launched as a part of ‘Ease of Doing Business’ module of the Union Government. Highlights of the portal
• The system will enable the project proponents and the concerned State and Union Territory bodies like the State Coastal Zone Management Authorities (SCZMAs) and Municipal and Town Planning agencies in tracking the status of their proposals.  
• The system is based on web architecture similar to the existing systems in place for according environmental and forest clearances.
• It is a very user-friendly initiative which will enable submission of applications for CRZ clearance in a single-window interface and facilitates quick flow of information related to CRZ clearances.  
• It allocates a unique identity for each proposal for all future references.  
• It is accessible from any computer having the internet facility.
• It aims to boost efficiency, transparency and accountability in the process of CRZ clearances.
• It will also enhance responsiveness through workflows and availability of real-time information on the status of CRZ clearance proposals.
• It will ensure ease of business and convenience of citizens in accessing information and services. • It has common and standardised procedures and processes across all the Central and State levels. Other Initiatives Apart from this, the Environment Ministry is also planning to launch few other initiatives like the notification of High Tide Line/Low Tide Line (HTL/LTL), ecologically sensitive areas falling under CRZ-1, hazard line etc. All these initiatives will be aimed at minimising the discretions and enhancing accountability at all the levels.

Indian women hockey team beat Belarus to clinch five-match test

Indian women hockey team beat Belarus to clinch five-match test series Indian women hockey team on 8 March 2017 dished out a disciplined performance to notch up a 3-1 win over Belarus to register their fifth consecutive victory. With the win, Indian eves clinched the five-match Test series 5-0 against Belarus. In the final match, India’s Vandana Katariya, Gurjit Kaur and Rani scored for the team on 6th minute, 15th minute and 55th minute, respectively. On the other hand, Yuliya Mikheichyk scored the solitary goal for Belarus on the 52nd minute. The Indian team was captained by striker Rani, the Indian eves were quick to get off the blocks as Vandana scored a field goal in the 6th minute of the match.The first quarter of the match went on to be an eventful one for the Indian women, as Gurjit Kaur successfully converted a Penalty Corner in the 15th minute to take her side 2-0 up against Belarus. The opponent country found a breakthrough in the 52nd minute of the match when Yuliya converted a Penalty Corner. However, the Indian team defended strongly thereafter, and even converted a Penalty Corner through skipper Rani in the 55th minute to eventually lock the match in India’s favour.

Ashwin and Jadeja jointly rank Number One in ICC Test rankings

Ashwin and Jadeja jointly rank Number One in ICC Test rankings India’s Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja on 8 March 2017 became the first pair of spinners to be jointly top-ranked in the MRF Tyres ICC Player Rankings for Test Bowlers. The rankings released a day after the second Test against Australia in Bengaluru. Jadeja’s seven wickets in the match helped him move up one rank to reach the top position for the first time in his career. Before Ashwin and Jadeja, Dale Steyn and Muttiah Muralidaran shared the top spot in April 2008. In the MRF Tyres ICC Player Rankings for Test Batsmen, Steve Smith, captain of Australian cricket team, maintained his reign at the top for 77 Tests, going past Ricky Ponting’s 76 matches. Top 10 in ICC Player Rankings for Test Bowlers Ranking Player Rating 1 Ravichandran Ashwin 892 2 Ravindra Jadeja 892 3 Josh Hazlewood 863 4 Rangana Herath 827 5 Kagiso Rabada 821 6 Dale Steyn 819 7 James Anderson 810 8 Stuart Broad 803 9 Vernon Philander 798 10 Mitchell Starc 757 About Ravichandran Ashwin • Born on 17 September 1986, Ravichandran Ashwin is a right-handed batsman and right-arm off break bowler.
• In domestic cricket, he plays for Tamil Nadu. He plays for Rising Pune Supergiants in the IPL.
• He is the fastest Indian bowler to reach the 50-, 100-, 150-, 200-, and 250-wicket mark in Test cricket.
• In 2016, Ashwin became the only Indian after Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar to win the ICC Cricketer of the Year award.
• In his 45th test match, against Bangladesh in February 2017, he became the fastest player to pick up 250 test wickets. About Ravindra Jadeja
• Born 6 December 1988, Ravindrasinh Anirudhsinh Jadeja plays as a left-handed middle-order batsman and slow left-arm orthodox bowler.
• He plays for Saurashtra in first-class cricket and the Gujarat Lions in the IPL.
• He was a part of the Indian U-19 cricket team that won the World Cup in Malaysia in 2008.
• On 22 January 2017, he became the first Indian left arm spinner to take 150 ODI wickets.

CM Vasundhara Raje presented Rajasthan annual budget for FY

CM Vasundhara Raje presented Rajasthan annual budget for FY 2017-18 Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje on 8 March 2017 presented the state budget for the financial year 2017-18. The budget for the financial year 2017-18 mainly focuses on investment and economic growth, economic infrastructure development and education. Recommendations of seventh pay commission will be implemented in the state. In terms of fiscal indicators, the Chief Minister Raje pegged the fiscal deficit of Rs 24753.53 crore, which is 2.99 per cent of the GSDP. Delhi Budget 2017-18 Fiscal Indicators
• Estimated Revenue Deficit for 2017-18
a) Without effect of UDAY - deficit of Rs. 1528 crore.
b) With effect of UDAY - deficit of Rs. 13528 crore • Estimated Fiscal Deficit for 2017-18 Rs 24753.53 crore which is 2.99% of GSDP.
• Estimated total revenue receipts for 2017-18 Rs 130162 crore.
• Estimated own tax revenue for the year 2017-18 Rs. 59455 crore against Rs 69062 crore in the 2016-17, which is higher by 16.16%.
• Estimated own tax revenue for 2017-18 as percentage of GSDP is 8.34%
• Estimated interest payment in 2017-18 is Rs. 19626.91 crore which is 15.08% of total revenue receipts Bihar government presented Rs 1.60 lakh crore budget Highlights of Rajasthan Budget 2017-18 Economic Infrastructure Development: On the name of economic infrastructure development, the budget for the fiscal year 2017-18 focuses on development of drinking water, transport, roads, air transport, energy, tourism art and culture among others. New schemes announced for the infrastructural development includes
• Some schemes were announced for the management of drinking water in the state and they are a) Scheme from Jakham dam: For the development of the dam Rs 912.55 crore was allocated. The dam will cover 554 villages in blocks of Pratapgarh, Pipalkhoont and Arnod. b) Bundi cluster distribution scheme: Rs 80.80 crore was allocated under the scheme which will benefit 97000 people of the cluster.
c) Chakhan dam scheme: Rs 73.93 crore was allocated under the scheme that will benefit Indragarh and Sumerganj mandi towns plus 45 villages and 6 dhanies to be benefited.
d) Didwana city reorganisation scheme: the scheme will be implemented in two phases at an expense of Rs 32 crore (approx). Madhya Pradesh annual Budget 2017-18 presented
• Plans for energy sector: To revamp the organisational structure of state discoms, the government has proposed to establish four grid sub-stations (GSS) in the financial year 2017-18, and they will be a) 2 GSS of 400 KV b) 6 GSS of 220 KV c) 15 GSS of 132 KV d) 200 GSS of 33 KV • Plans Art and Culture sector: For protection and development of the Art and Culture sector of the state, the 2017-18 budget includes (few of them)
a) Conservation and development works of 8 museums at an expense of Rs 13 crore.
b) Conservation works of archaeological sites- at Ajmer (2), Bharatpur (2), Kota (1) and Nagaur (1) at an expense of Rs 6.46 crore c) Completion of restoration and conservation works of Fateh Vilas Mahal Khetri and development of infrastructure facilities.
d) Digitisation of rare manuscripts and ancient records of Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad Arbi Farsi Research Institute, Tonk.
e) For conservation and systematic development for Chittorgarh Fort with the partnership of ASI, Chittorgarh Fort Development Authority will be constituted. Kerala State Budget 2017-18 presented Investment and Economic growth: For investment and economic growth the budget 2017-18 proposes development works in industries and mines. For the Industries segment, the budget proposes for the establishment of High Learning Centre at CIPET Jaipur at an expense of Rs 51.32 crore. Some other important decisions for industrial sector includes
a) Development of 2 new centres in textile and agro-food processing sectors. The centres will be developed with the help of Union Government.
b) Besides, for interest subsidy under the scheme of young entrepreneur promotion by RFC, the loan limit was increased to Rs 1.50 crore from existing Rs 90 lakh c) Entrepreneurship Training centre will be created at JNV University, Jodhpur and Vardhaman Mahaveer Open University, Kota.
d) In the mines sector, Rs 500 crore was allocated for public utility works for citizens of mines affected areas. Besides, the state has decided to go for e-auction system for allotments of mines, ERCC and RCC. Human Resource and Social Development: Things that were included for Human Resource and Social Development in the name of Social Justice and Empowerment in the budget 2017-18 includes (few of them)
a) Sahyog and Uphar Yojana: Under the yojna, the Subsidy and incentive amount would be doubled for the marriage of the daughter.
b) Mukhyamantri specially abled Samman Pension Scheme: The pension under the scheme would be given to all eligible specially abled at Rs750 per month without the criteria of age.
c) Mukhyamantri Ekal Nari Samman Pension Yojana: Widow Pensioners elder than 60 years will get Rs 1000 per month and widow pensioners of more than 75 years will get Rs 1500 per month.
d) Sukhad Dampatya Jeevan Yojana: under the scheme, the financial support to the specially abled bride and groom has been increased to Rs 50000 per couple. e) Samyukta Sahayta Assistance: under this assistance scheme, the assistance for specially abled for artificial limb/equipment would be increased to Rs 10000
f) Devnarain Yojana: Four hostels will be developed at an expense of Rs 30 crore.
g) Social justice and empowerment department: to carry out its duties, the department was allocated with Rs 5596.80 crore Haryana State Budget 2017-18 presented Besides, the budget also has something for Economic Backward Classes (EBC) of Rajasthan. Slew of incentives was announced for communities that fall under the bracket of EBC and they are
a) Top 100 students who get admission in IIT, IIM, AIIMS, NLU, IISc will get lump sum Rs 25000.
b) Top 100 candidates of RAS exam conducted by RPSC will get Rs 30000.
c) Top 50 candidates who get into All India Services will get Rs 50000. d) RBSE students who get top 100 positions in class-10 and in class-12 (all streams) will get lump sum Rs 15000. e) Top 100 girls of RBSE who score 90 per cent plus marks in class-10 Board Exam and top 100 girls of RBSE each who score 90% plus marks in Science, Arts and Commerce streams in class-12 Board Exam (i.e. 300 in all) will get a Scooty along with Certificate of appreciations. At the same time, allocations and plans were made for other sectors that fall under the bracket of the Human Resource and Social Development. The sectors that fall into this bracket are women & child development, minorities, youth & sports, medical & health and education among others. In addition to all these, CM Vasundhara Raje proposed to slash the stamp duty from 5 to 3 per cent in the state budget for 2017-18. The registration fee on the partition deeds of properties other than the ancestral ones was slashed from 1 to 0.25 per cent. Get details of Rajasthan Budget 2017-18

Harm Ohlmeyer appointed as Chief Financial Officer of Adidas Harm

Harm Ohlmeyer appointed as Chief Financial Officer of Adidas Harm Ohlmeyer was on 7 March 2017 appointed as Chief Financial Officer of Adidas with effect from May 2017. He will succeed Robin Stalker, who served the post for 16 years. Presently, Ohlmeyer is serving as the Head of the global eCommerce business of Adidas.  Comment This appointment is the second executive change at Adidas since activist shareholders bought stakes in the company in 2015 after its shares tumbled following a series of profit warnings as it failed to keep pace with US rival Nike. Earlier, Herbert Hainer was replaced as Chief Executive Officer in October 2016 by Kaspar Rorsted, the Danish former Chief of consumer goods group Henkel. About Harm Ohlmeyer
• Harm Ohlmeyer, a German, joined Adidas in 1998 and gained extensive experience in the areas of Finance and Sales.
• He served various roles in Adidas including Head of finance for the core Adidas brand.
• He held the position of SVP Finance of TaylorMade-Adidas Golf from 2004 to 2006 in Carlsbad, California.
• He took over as the Head of eCommerce business of Adidas in 2011.
• From 2014 to 2016, he held additional responsibility as SVP Sales Strategy and Excellence.
• He also played a key role in efforts to make Adidas more digital, increasing ecommerce sales to USD 1.1 billion.
• He is a passionate triathlete and football fan. About Adidas Group
• Adidas is Herzogenaurach, Bavaria based German Multinational Corporation that designs and manufactures sports shoes, clothing and accessories.
• It is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe and the second biggest in the world after Nike.
• Adidas Group also has its subsidiary in India as Adidas India which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company, Rockport and 9.1 percent of Football Club Bayern Munich.

Pradeep Nair named Regional Director of Ford Foundation for India

Pradeep Nair named Regional Director of Ford Foundation for India, Nepal and Sri Lanka Pradeep Nair on 8 March 2017 was named the Ford Foundation Regional Director for its office serving India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Nair previously headed the then US President Bill Clinton's Climate Initiative in India. Who is Pradeep Nair?
• Pradeep Nair is a seasoned public and private sector leader.
• He holds a deep regional expertise and more than 20 years of experience building partnerships among government, corporate, philanthropic and civil society partners in the dynamic South Asia region.
• He joined the Ford Foundation with a record of guiding the growth and development of regional institutions.
• As India Country Director, he established the organisation's India office and played pivotal role in forming strong relationships with the Indian government, the private sector and NGO communities across Asia.
• As head of Clinton's Climate Initiative in India, he helped to grow the regional chapter of the global cities network.
• He obtained an MBA in finance from Karnataka University. He also holds an engineering degree in Electronics from Bharathiar University. He also studied filmmaking. About Ford Foundation
• The Ford Foundation is a globally oriented private foundation with the mission of advancing human welfare.
• It is headquartered in New York.
• The foundation was created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and Henry Ford.
• The foundation makes grants through its headquarters and ten international field offices.

Delhi Budget 2017-18

Delhi Budget 2017-18 Delhi State Finance Minister, Manish Sisodia presented the state annual budget for the period 2017-18 on 8 March 2017 in the state’s legislative assembly. The budget has been proposed at 48000 crore, which is 16.5 per cent higher than the Revised Estimates of ₹41200 crore in 2016-17. The presentation of the budget this year moved away from the traditional framework of budgeting into planned and unplanned heads and instead was classified under two sections, Revenue and Capital. The Arvind Kejriwal government also brought out another unique initiative this year in the form of a comprehensive ‘Outcome Budget’ that would monitor the outcome of the projects initiated under the new budget.  The “Outcome Budget” will be put up on the Delhi government’s website by 31 March 2017. Economic Scenario • Despite the negative impact of demonetisation on the economic activities of the state, the Gross State Domestic Product of Delhi at current prices is likely to increase to ₹6,22,385 crore in 2016-17 from ₹5,51,963 crore in 2015-16, indicating a growth of 12.76 percent.
• The per capita income of Delhi at current prices is likely to increase to ₹ 3,03,073 in 2016- 17 which is 10.77% higher than the per capita income of ₹ 2,73,618 in 2015-16.
• The per capita income of Delhi is about three times higher than the per capita income of ₹ 1,03,818 in 2016 at the national level. Good Governance
• The minimum wages for unskilled, semi-skilled and skilled workers have been increased by around 37 per cent. The increased rates of the wages are as follows: - Unskilled persons – From ₹ 9,724 to ₹ 13,350 per month. - Semi-skilled: From ₹ 10,764 to ₹14,698 per month. - Skilled workers:  From ₹ 11,830 to ₹ 16,182 per month.
• The government has also launched skill development courses in 10 night shelters for the homeless that include sewing, cooking, beautician services and plumbing. In each night shelter, 25 homeless per batch will be trained and given certificates on the completion of 120 hours of training.
• The government has also provided health care facility in the night shelters through Mohalla Clinics.
• The government has also reduced the tax on sanitary napkins costing above Rs 20 from 12.5% to 5%.
• Apart from this, the government has decided to integrate existing database of Aadhar, Permanent Account Number, Election Photo Identity Cards to reduce cost and duplication for better delivery of public services. Education Total budget: ₹ 11300 crore
• The allocation is 24 per cent of the total budget estimate, which is the highest education budget among all the states.
• 24 new schools will start in this year. The construction work of 8000 new classrooms is almost complete and 10000 more new classrooms will be built in the next financial year.
• Pre-primary classes will be introduced in 156 government schools in 2017-18, with upgraded infrastructure facilities.
• Early childhood education centres will be set up all over Delhi for children between the age group of 2-6 years.
• A special library would be set up within the classroom for students of nursery to 5th class and 400 new libraries will be opened in the government schools for Class 6-10. • Besides this, five English-medium schools of Excellence will be set up in the state during the fiscal year and commerce stream will be introduced in all government schools.
• Extra Curriculum Activity Departments will also be started under the Education Department to promote Indian art, dance and music.
• The government has also planned the expansion of NSIT, DTU and IIIT in order to accommodate more students in these institutes.
• The Delhi Pharmaceutical Science and Research University (DPSRU) will be initiating a sports medicine course at both undergraduate and postgraduate level from academic session 2017-18.
• Two multi- storey hostels with modern facilities will also be constructed to accommodate 2350 players
• To impart specialised coaching to the players, 110 additional posts of Physical Education Teachers and Sports Coaches will be created.
• The government has also proposed to expand the coverage of Mid Day Meal scheme to all students of class IX to XII of girl schools. Health Total budget: ₹ 5736 crore.
• 110 Mohalla Clinics are already functional in Delhi and the number is expected to be increased to 150 by the end of the current financial year. The government aims to set up 1000 more Mohalla Clinics in the next financial year.
• Medicines and diagnostics will be made free in Poly Clinics, where a specialist will be available for all diseases. While 23 of such clinics are already working in the capital, their number will be increased to 150 by the end of next financial year.
• The total number of hospital beds in all government hospitals will be increased from 10,000 to 20,000 in the next 18 months.
• The government is also working on schemes of issuing Health Card and to provide Health Insurance to all citizens of Delhi.
• The government has also initiated a Public Private Partnership model in collaboration with private clinics, test centres and hospitals to deliver quality treatment in 30 critical and life-saving surgeries.
• The government has also decided to honour those who help rush road accident victims to hospitals by giving a cash award of ₹ 2000 along with an appreciation letter from the government.Public Transport The total budget for Public Transport & Road Infrastructure: ₹ 5506 crore.
• The government has proposed to add 736 more buses under cluster scheme during 2017-18.
• To provide last mile connectivity to commuters, Government has approved the Letter of Intent scheme and 10,000 new auto permits will be issued.
• The Government has also approved Metro phase-IV comprising six 104 km long corridors. The construction for the same is expected to commence soon. Road Infrastructure
• All elevated corridors and flyovers at outer ring road from Vikaspuri to Wazirabad stretch have been opened for the public to decongest the outer ring road.
• Construction of underpass at Ashram Chowk along with Mathura road will be initiated in 2017-18.
• The construction work of new flyover /underpass between Mahipalpur to airport road will be started in the year 2017-18.
• The construction of elevated road over Barapullah Nallah Phase-III from Sarai Kale Khan to Mayur Vihar is in the final stage of completion. Social Security & Welfare Total budget: ₹ 3467 crore.
• The pension for senior citizens persons with disability and widows has been increased by ₹ 1,000 per month in order to enable them to live life with dignity.
• The government will also be setting up a “Commission for Senior Citizen” in 2017-18 which will look into issues related to the welfare and protection of senior citizens in the state.
• The Government will also be implementing various schemes for students belonging to minority communities such as financial assistance for the purchase of stationery, scholarship and the reimbursement of tuition fees in private schools. Water Supply & Sanitation Total budget: ₹ 2108 crore
• The Government has set the target to lay water pipeline in the whole of Delhi including unauthorised colonies and JJ clusters during this year.
• The water supply network is being evaluated in the entire city through a new programme "Walk the Line' that will provide comprehensive database about the deficiencies of the network.
• The Delhi Jal Board has also started rainwater harvesting system in Burari to increase the water supply.
• Water supply network has been laid in 309 colonies which is a record in the history of Delhi Jal Board.
• Besides this, all sewage pumping stations shall be automated to ensure optimisation of pumping and channel flow in the trunk sewers to reduce the work of desilting of drains.
• The project for laying of Interceptor Sewers along three major drains (Najafgarh, Supplementary & Shahdara) will be completed soon, thereby creating a milestone for cleaning and beautification of Yamuna. The model will then be followed for cleaning of major drains in the city. Housing & Urban Development Total budget: ₹ 3113 crore
• During the last two years, the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) has relocated 5000 slum dwellers from various JJ Bastis by providing them with flats at Baprolla and Dwarka.
• Apart from this, a number of steps have been taken to make Delhi open Defecation free.
• Also, 8000 clean and modern toilets have been constructed up until now in Delhi with 6000 more in the final stages of completion. 5000 more toilets will be constructed in 2017-18.
• There is also a proposal for construction of new shelters for homeless in several areas in the city including Nangloi Phase-II, Dwarka Sector-3, Rohini Sector-5 and Geeta Colony under the National Urban Livelihood Mission (NULM). Energy Total budget: ₹ 2194 crore
• The government is targeting 1000 MW Solar Photovoltaic installation in next 5 years and 2000 MW till 2025.
• To promote solar installation a Generation Based Incentive (GBI) of ₹2/- per unit / KW will be given to domestic consumers for installation of Solar Photovoltaic Power Plant.
• To overcome the problem of disposal of Municipal Solid Waste, the government has approved Waste to Energy Plants to generate electricity at 3 locations. Environment & Forest
• Total Budget: ₹ 106 crore
• Several steps have been taken to improve the environment condition in the state including afforestation, universal use of CNG by commercial vehicles, subsidy on newly purchased Battery Operated Four Wheelers and Two wheelers and ban on plastic use.
• Besides this, the government has also proposed to increase the number of Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations from 6 to 26 in the year 2017-18.
• The government has also proposed to develop a maiden Wildlife (Bird) Rescue Centre at Rajokri on an area of around 6 acres with world class facility. Rural Development & Flood Irrigation Total budget: ₹ 925 crore • The government has decided to enhance the scope of “Delhi Rural Development Board” by including both rural and urban villages of Delhi.
• The government has also decided to develop a Modern Flower Market cum Exhibition Centre at Gazipur to encourage the place as State of the Art Centre of international standards.
• The government is committed to implement the E-mandi project in all mandies to ensure transparency in transactions, better pricing to the farmers and shortening the payment cycle for the farmers.
• To respect the culture and religious customs of all communities, the government has decided to construct Chhat Ghat all over Delhi. Tourism Total budget: ₹ 119 crore
• The government is preparing tourism policy and master plan for the promotion of tourism and tourism infrastructure.
• To promote Delhi as a film shooting destination, it is proposed to introduce “Single Window Clearance Mechanism” for filmmaking facility.
• The government has also planned to develop the Riverfront of River Yamuna to create a place that allows people to connect with nature as well as the river.
• It is proposed to make World Class Ecological River Front of 5 km at upstream of Wazirabad. Get more details on Delhi Budget

IDFC Bank launches Aadhaar Payment App

IDFC Bank launches Aadhaar Payment App IDFC Bank on 8 March 2017 launched biometric-based Aadhaar Pay App, India’s first Aadhaar-linked application that uses shopkeeper's Android smartphone to enable cashless payments. The app can be download only by the link sent to the merchant’s mobile number after e-KYC verification of merchant’s account number. To get the app, the merchants are required to visit the nearest branch of IDFC bank. Aadhar Pay App was developed by the IDFC Bank along with UIDAI and National Payments Corporation of India. How Aadhar Payment App will Work?
• Merchants will be required to download the Aadhar Pay payment app on their android smartphone connected to a biometric reader which costs Rs 2000.
• While, a customer, who wants to make payment, just needs to enter his Aadhar Number in the app of the merchant and select the bank from which the payment is to be made and use the biometric scan as the password for the transaction.
• Upon entering the Aadhar Number, the app will automatically fetch the bank accounts linked with your Aadhar number.
• Customers will not require any app or password to pay to merchants against any purchase.
• However, only the bank account holders whose Aadhar number is linked with their bank account will be eligible to make payments through Aadhar Pay Payment app. • The merchants will be required to connect their bank accounts and register themselves on the app. Comment The IDFC Aadhar Pay App will help eliminate the long waiting period and hassle of getting a new PoS (Point of Sale) machine. Presently, there are only 15 lakh PoS machines deployed by the banks across the country. SBI alone has deployed over 3 lakh PoS followed by HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank. Customers will not be required to carry debit or credit cards, download mobile applications or even carry a mobile to make cashless transactions through this app. This simply eliminates the hassles of remembering passwords, account numbers or setting up virtual payment addresses to transfer money.

PM Narendra Modi presents Swachh Shakti Awards 2017

PM Narendra Modi presents Swachh Shakti Awards 2017 to women sarpanch PM Narendra Modi on 8 March 2017 presented Swachh Shakti Awards 2017 to women sarpanch in Gandhinagar, Gujarat who have contributed immensely to the movement towards a clean India. The awards were presented on the occasion of International Women's Day 2017. Awardees PM Modi honoured ten women with the Swachh Shakti Samman for their exemplary work in the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. Among the women awardees were Manju Maurya from UP, Uttara Thakur from Chhattisgarh, Kumari Neelam from Haryana, Shivani Dakoy from West Bengal, Asha Putri from Rajasthan, Sumitra Kumari from Assam, Ramila Ben Rai Singh Gavit from Gujarat, Akamma Harval from Karnataka, M. Malika from Tamil Nadu, and Sushila Kurkute from Maharashtra. All of them were given the name of Swachhta Champion. Background Around 6000 women sarpanches from across the country participated in the Swachh Shakti Sammelan. Among them were mostly those women sarpanches who played a key role in making their villages open defecation free. On the same occasion, a digital exposition was also displayed where one could see how a clean village is transforming itself into being digital. These include those 25 villages out of 33 in Gujarat which have become Open Defecation Free. Click below to see the complete story

Cultural festival 'India by the Nile' starts in Egypt

Cultural festival 'India by the Nile' starts in Egypt The fifth edition of the mega cultural festival ‘India by the Nile’ began in Cairo, Egypt on 8 March 2017. The festival aims to showcase the diversity in India’s culture, art and cuisine and also to strengthen India’s partnership with Egypt. Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the festival, India’s Ambassador to Egypt, Sanjay Bhattacharyya said that the event is a special moment as this year commemorates 70 years of India’s independence as well as 70 years of its diplomatic relations with Egypt. Key Highlights
• The festival will continue till 27 April 2017 and will be held in Cairo as well as several other cities.
• The inaugural ceremony was attended by the Egyptian Minister of Antiquities, Khaled Al-Anani and other prominent dignitaries.
• It took off with a Crafts Mela, which will run from 8 to 14 March. The mela showcases a joint handicraft exhibition of India and Egypt.
• It is being organised by the Embassy of India in collaboration with the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (India), the Ministry of Social Solidarity (Egypt) and the Federation of Egyptian Industries (FEI).
• The craftsmen displayed their crafts at the Pyramids Light and Sound Theatre in Giza on 8 March at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Helwan University, Zamalek and on 9 March at the Misr Public Library in Zawya
• On 11 March, the exhibition would be displayed at the Children’s Civilisation & Creativity Centre in Heliopolis and on 12 March at the Maulana Azad Centre for Indian Culture in Zamalek and on the 13th at the Manipuri Restaurant in Sofitel Cairo. Overall, the festival is the largest foreign festival in Egypt, showcasing at least 70 events across the country. According to Bhattacharyya, the event will provide an opportunity to several craftsmen to demonstrate their expertise, share their experience and relive the ties shared by the two ancient civilisations.

Current Affairs One liner of the day: 9 March 2017

The one liner of 7th March covers important current happenings that are relevant to competitive exams. The day’s one liner’s cover important the happenings like the ICC Player Rankings for Test Bowlers, Jeevan Pramaan Patra (JPP) and Trump’s new immigration order among others.
• The Indian pacers that are currently sharing the Number One spot in the ICC Player Rankings for Test Bowlers are - Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin
• Indian women hockey team recently clinched a five-match Test series against – Belarus
• The person recently named as the Regional Director of Ford Foundation for India, Nepal and Sri Lanka is - Pradeep Nair
• This country is hosting the fifth edition of the mega cultural festival ‘India by the Nile’ – Egypt
• This state among the United States of America is seeking to challenge Trump’s new immigration order – Hawaii
• The citizens of this country gained permission to travel to the European Union nations without having a visa- Georgia
• Noted Bengali folk music singer who passed away recently - Kalika Prasad Bhattacharya
• Online web platform launched by Karnataka to report the performance and achievements of the government to the citizen - Pratibimba
• India’s first biometric-based payment system Aadhaar Pay was launched by - IDFC Bank
• The Advanced S-300 Missile Defence System of Iran which became operational was manufactured by - Russia
• BSE Institute will organise a two-day 'Dalal Street Lit Fest 2017' at its premises in from 10 March 2017 in – Mumbai
• In US, former Utah Republican Governor who has accepted President Donald Trump's offer to be Ambassador to Russia is - Jon Huntsman
• State Bank of India has decided to reintroduce penalty on non-maintenance of minimum balance in accounts from – 1 April 2017
• The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation, the retirement fund body of India, has extended the last date of submission of digital life certificate through Jeevan Pramaan Patra (JPP) under Employees' Pension Scheme (EPS) to - 31 March 2017  
• Veteran journalist Arvind Padmanabhan passed away recently. He worked with – IANS

SC Asked Union Government to secure India-Bangladesh border

SC Asked Union Government to secure India-Bangladesh borde To check cross-border influx of illegal Bangladesh nationals into Assam, the Supreme Court (SC) on 8 March 2017 directed the Union Government to release funds for fencing the India-Bangladesh border. The bench comprising Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice RF Nariman perused the status report on the progress made in the works relating to securing and fencing the border, which was presented by the Union Government and said the task has to be completed soon. It also said the Madhukar Gupta committee would "oversee and supervise" it. Additional Solicitor General (ASG) PS Patwalia, who appeared in the court on the behalf of the Union Government, said some tenders have been finalised and work orders issued to successful bidders to undertake the exercise of border fencing. The court issued the direction to the center while hearing the pleas of Assam Sanmilita Mahasangha, Assam Public Works and All Assam Ahom Association. The pleas were filed in the aftermath of large-scale riots in 2012 and 2014 resulting in the death of many people. ASG PS Patwalia said that the Expenditure and Finance Committee will meet on 9 March 2017 to decide on the issue of releasing funds. Later the court posted the matter for further hearing on 19 April 2017. Besides, the court also made clear that the work of updation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) to identify original residents of Assam would continue under state coordinator Prateek Hajela. It said that, the court wants to make it clear, to the state, that whatever manpower, Hajela committee want has to be given.

Current Affairs Quiz: 9 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 mega cultural festival ‘India by the Nile’, ICC Player Rankings for Test Bowlers and folk singer Kalika Prasad Bhattacharya among others.
1. Who of the following was recently named as the Regional Director of Ford Foundation for India, Nepal and Sri Lanka?
a) Vijay Laxman
b) Sujata Giri
c) Vinod Singhal
d) Pradeep Nair

2. Indian women hockey team recently clinched a five-match Test series against which of the following countries?
a) Pakistan
b) Bangladesh
c) Belarus
d) Netherlands
3. Who of the following Indian pacers are currently sharing the Number One spot in the ICC Player Rankings for Test Bowlers?
a) Ajinkya Rahane and Ravichandran Ashwin
b) Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin
c) Ravindra Jadeja and Suresh Raina
d) None of the above

4. Veteran journalist Arvind Padmanabhan passed away recently. He worked with which of the following organisations?
a) IANS
b) PTI
c) Times of India
d) Asian Age

5. Which country is hosting the fifth edition of the mega cultural festival ‘India by the Nile’?
a) Ethiopia
b) Egypt
c) Burundi
d) Uganda

6. Which state among the United States of America is seeking to challenge Trump’s new immigration order?
a) Hawaii
b) California
c) Ohio
d) Colorado

7. The citizens of which country have gained permission to travel to the European Union nations without a visa?
a) Ukraine
b) Georgia
c) Moldova
d) Turkey

8. Kalika Prasad Bhattacharya, who recently passed away, was the noted folk singer of which language?
a) Odia
b) Hindi
c) Bengali
d) Marathi

9. Online web platform Pratibimba was launched by which state government to report the performance and achievements of the government to the citizen?
a) Karnataka
b) Andhra Pradesh
c) Rajasthan
d) Maharashtra

10. India’s first biometric-based payment system Aadhaar Pay was launched by which bank?
a) ICICI Bank
b) IDFC Bank
c) HDFC Bank
d) IDBI Bank

11. The Advanced S-300 Missile Defence System of Iran which became operational was manufactured by which country?
a) Russia
b) Germany
c) China
d) France

12. EPFO has extended the last date of submission of digital life certificate through Jeevan Pramaan Patra (JPP) under Employees' Pension Scheme (EPS) till
a) 15 March 2017
b) 31 March 2017
c) 10 April 2017
d) 30 April 2017

13. Name the rating agency that predicted that Indian economy will grow 7.1% in fiscal 2016-17.
a) FITCH
b) MOODY’s
c) Standard & Poor's
d) China Lianhe Credit Rating Co. Ltd.

14. Who authored the book The Rise of Sivagami: Book 1 of Baahubali - Before the Beginning? a) Ram Kamal Mukherjee
b) Anand Neelakanthan
c) Yasser Usman
d) K Vijay Kumar

15. BSE Institute will organise a two-day 'Dalal Street Lit Fest 2017' at its premises in from 10 March 2017 in
a) Delhi
b) Lucknow
c) Hyderabad
d) Mumbai

ANSWER 1. (d) Pradeep Nair
2. (c) Belarus
3. (b) Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin
4. (a) IANS
5. (b) Egypt
6. (a) Hawaii
7.(b) Georgia
8. (c) Bengali 9.
(a) Karnataka
10. (b) IDFC Bank
11. (a) Russia
12. (b) 31 March 2017
13. (a) FITCH
14. (b) Anand Neelakanthan
15. (d) Mumbai