Earth Hour observed on 25 March 2017

Earth Hour observed on 25 March 2017 ::The eleventh edition of the Earth Hour was observed globally, including India, on 25 March 2017 from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm local time. The focus of the global event was to engage people in critical climate conversations and solutions. Highlights of Earth Hour 2017
• From New York to New Zealand, Paris to Paraguay millions of citizens came together to celebrate the event.
• 187 countries and territories celebrated the Earth Hour 2017. And, more than 3,000 landmarks switched off their lights and millions of individuals, businesses and organizations across seven continents stepped forward to change climate change.
• More than 350 ambassdors and influencers joined the Earth Hour 2017.
• Around 18,000 people donated their facebook feed that has a potential reach of 12 million users. • To mark the occasion, iconic monuments, including India Gate, Rashtrapati Bhawan, Red Fort, Akshardham Temple, Qutab Minar, Safdarjung Tomb and Lotus Temple switched off their lights.  About Earth Hour
• It is a global environmental movement with a message to switch off non-essential lights for one hour. Every year, the event is observed on the last Saturday of March between 8:30 and 9:30 pm. • Globally, it is being organised by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in association with the government, non-governmental organizations and individuals.
• The Earth Hour 2017 was the eleventh edition of the global celebration that started off as a one city event in Sydney, Australia in 2007.
• In 11 years, it has grown to become the world's largest grassroots movement for the environment, inspiring individuals, communities, businesses and organizations in over 180 countries and territories to take tangible climate action. India won 73 medals in 2017 Special Olympics World Winter Games About World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)
• It is considered as one of the world’s largest and independent conservation organizations.
• The WWF has over 5 million supporters in over 100 countries.
• Its primary objective is to stop the degradation of the earth’s natural environment and build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature.
• It seeks to achieve this objective by conserving the world’s biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful.
• It was established on 29 April 1961 with the slogan - For a Living Planet.

Indian Navy to de-induct TU142M Long Range Maritime Patrol aircraft

Indian Navy to de-induct TU142M Long Range Maritime Patrol aircraft after 29 years Indian Navy on 26 March 2017 decided to de-induct TU142M Long Range Maritime Patrol aircraft after 29 years of dedicated service to the nation. The aircraft will be formally de-inducted on 29 March 2017 by Admiral Sunil Lanba, Chief of the Naval Staff at a ceremony to be held at INS Rajali, informally known as Arakkonam Naval Air Station. Rajali is located near Arakkonam, Tamil Nadu. INS Tillanchang commissioned at Karwar Reports suggest that to commemorate the stellar service of the TU142M aircraft, a TU Static Display aircraft will be inaugurated on the occasion at INS Rajali. Besides, an Indian Navy statement says that the role of the TU142M will be taken by P-8I aircraft, which was inducted into the Indian Navy in recent past. Commander Yogender Mair, the last Commanding Officer of the squadron with the TU 142M aircraft, will hand over the charge to Commander V. Ranganathan, who will be the first Squadron Commanding Officer with the P-8l. An official release of the Defence Ministry said, “The aircraft has done the Indian Navy proud by participating in all major naval exercises and operations with distinction. The aircraft saw action during operation ‘Cactus’ in Maldives and participated in operational missions off Sri Lanka to provide airborne surveillance”. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited expected to deliver 123 Tejas aircrafts to IAF by 2024 The Ministry said, with its enhanced endurance, speed, long range weapons and sensors the aircraft transformed the aspects of Maritime Reconnaissance and airborne Anti-submarine warfare for the Indian Navy. About TU142M Long Range Maritime Patrol aircraft
• The aircraft with its four powerful engines and swept wings is the fastest turboprop aircraft in the world.
• Reportedly it has been difficult to intercept by fighters.
• It was inducted into the Indian Navy from erstwhile USSR in 1988 at Dabolim Goa.
• Later in 1992, it shifted its base permanently to INS Rajali and became a formidable LRMR ASW aircraft. Arun Jailtley handed over DRDO developed products to Indian Navy

Sebastian Vettel beats Lewis Hamilton to win Australian Grand

Sebastian Vettel beats Lewis Hamilton to win Australian Grand Prix Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel on 26 March 2017 defeated Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton to clinch the 2017 Australian Grand Prix. It was Vettel's first win since the Singapore Grand Prix in September 2015. About Sebastian Vettel
• Born on 3 July 1987, Sebastian Vettel is a German racing driver.
• At present, he is driving in Formula One for Scuderia Ferrari.
• He is a four-time Formula One World Champion. He won the championship in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 with Red Bull Racing.
• He has held numerous "youngest" Formula One records. A few of them are: the youngest driver to have taken part in an official practice session of a Grand Prix (until Max Verstappen at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix), to score championship points (until Daniil Kvyat at the 2014 Australian Grand Prix), to lead a race (until Max Verstappen at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix), and others.
• At present, he is in fourth place among all time race winners.  About Australian Grand Prix
• The Australian Grand Prix is a motor race held annually in Australia.
• The Grand Prix is the oldest surviving motor racing competition held in Australia. The race has been held 79 times since it was first run at Phillip Island in 1928. • At present, the race is held at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit at Albert Park in Melbourne.
• The Australian Grand Prix is the first round of the Championship, having been the first race of each year, excluding 2006 and 2010.
• Australian driver Lex Davison and German driver Michael Schumacher are the most successful drivers in this race.
• The winner of the 2016 Australian Grand Prix was Nico Rosberg.

India won 73 medals in 2017

India won 73 medals in 2017 Special Olympics World Winter Games India’s special athletes won 73 medals in the 2017 Special Olympics World Winter Games. The games were held between 18 March and 25 March 2017 in Austria. India’s performance in 2017 Special Olympics World Winter Games
• India dominated in three team events - Floor Hockey (male), Unified Floorball and Traditional Floorball.
• Cumulatively, Indian athletes won 30 medals in these three games, which was also the highest tally in a single day. Along with this, the special women team also won 16 bronze medals.
• An important gold medal came in the Unified Floorball (Male) event, where India defeated Nigeria, while the Floor Hockey team crushed Lithuania 7-2.
• At the end of the tournament, India took its tally to 73 medals by winning 8-0 against Austria.
• India also won 10 medals in Alpine skiing, including 3 gold, 3 silver and 4 bronze medals. World Conference on Environment 2017 concluded
• The snowboarding team bagged 8 medals that included 4 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze medals.
• 5 more medals came in Snow Shoeing and 4 medals were won in Speed and figure skating.
• In the process, Himachal’s Megha became the first Indian to win a gold medal in the games. About 2017 Special Olympics World Winter Games
• It included seven disciplines including Alpine Skiing, Snow Boarding, Snow Shoeing, Figure Skating, Speed Skating, Floor Hockey and Floor Ball (and Unified floor Ball).
• It witnessed 2,600 athletes from over 105 countries competing with each other.
• The games were held in four cities of Austria, namely, Graz, Schladming, Styria and Ramsau.
• While the opening ceremony was held at Planai Stadium in Schladming, the closing ceremony was held at Merkur Arena in Graz.
• Besides the competitions, the event included culture and art programs, health programs, symposia and congresses.

Can colour-blind people pursue MBBS:

Can colour-blind people pursue MBBS: SC to Medical Council of India The Supreme Court (SC) on 25 March 2017 directed the Medical Council of India (MCI) to form a committee of experts to examine the possibility of colour-blind people pursuing the MBBS course. A bench of Justices Dipak Misra and A M Khanwilkar also directed that the committee shall include experts from genetics, ophthalmology, psychiatry and medical education from AIIMS, New Delhi and PGIMER, Chandigarh. The committee is expected to submit its report within three months. The bench also suggested MCI to appoint KV Viswanathan along with M Shoeb Alam for the assistance. The committee will also concentrate on diagnostic test for progress and review of the disorder and what are the available prosthetics aids to assist medical practitioners. The committee shall also suggest the areas of practice that could be undertaken by colour-blind people without difficulty with these aids. The bench noted that there were no regulations framed by the MCI which stated that a candidate for the MBBS course should be able to identify the three primary colours. Background The court gave this direction while considering a plea by Pranay Kumar Podder and others, who were denied admission to the MBBS course at a Tripura college due to partial colour-blindness. These aspirants also approached the High Court of Tripura and Agartala. However, the high court refused to interfere in the matter. In their appeal, the appellants pointed out that there were no regulations framed by the Medical Council of India under the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956, debarring them from admission.  These students were denied admission based on the recommendations of expert committee of Medical Council of India.

Current Affairs Quiz: 27 March 2017

It's help every aspirant of competitive exams to revise the day at an ease. 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 Hatsun is planning two Greenfield projects in India, Santosh Trophy and 2017 Best CEOs List of Barron's among others.

1. Who won the 2016-17 Santosh Trophy?
a) Goa
b) Services
c) West Bengal
d) Kerala

2. As per the notification of the Union Government, a senior official of the MoEF will permanently chair the Animal Welfare Board of India.  In this regard, consider the following statements.
I. In AWBI’s 55-year history, it was always chaired by somebody outside government, like veterinarians, animal welfare activists or retired judges.
II. The first chair of the Board was Rukmini Devi Arundale. Which is/are correct?
a) Only I
b) Only II
c) Both I and II
d) Neither I nor II

3. Who of the following was recently appointed the Director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences?
a) Randeep Guleria
b) M C Mishra
c) P K Dhondhiyal
d) None of the above

4. Which Indian got ranked in the 2017 Best CEOs List of Barron's?
a) Mukesh Ambani
b) Anil Ambani
c) Aditya Puri
d) Vishal Sikka

5. How much amount of loan was signed by the World Bank with Uttarakhand and Union Government to improve health services in the state?
a) USD 100 million
b) USD 150 million
c) USD 200 million
d) USD 250 million

6. Jagadisa Thyagarajan, famously known as Ashokamitran, who died recently, belonged to which field? a) Literature
b) Politics
c) Acting
d) Singing

7. Which Indian political leader has been named among the probable contenders for Times 100 most influential people in the world list 2017?
a) Narenda Modi
b) Arun Jaitley
c) Sushma Swaraj
d) Sonia Gandhi

8. India has become the third largest market in the world in terms of domestic passenger traffic in which segment of transport?
a) Railways
b) Aviation
c) Waterways
d) Roadways

9. A court in which nation has passed a ruling sentencing the country’s own President to death for ‘high treason’?
a) Sudan
b) Iran
c) Somalia
d) Yemen

10. India won this many number of medals in the 2017 Special Olympics World Winter Games.
a) 70
b) 71
c) 72
d) 73

11. It is in this country scientists switched on the world's largest 'artificial sun' recently.
a) Germany
b) Poland
c) Canada
d) Russia

12. The 2-day long World Conference on Environment 2017 was held in
a) Hyderabad
b) New Delhi
c) Kolkata
d) Chandigarh

13. The Indian Navy is preparing for de-induction of a Long Range Maritime Patrol aircraft after 29 years of dedicated service to the nation. Name it.
a) ShinMaywa US-2
b) TU142M
c) Ilyushin Il-38
d) Pipistrel Virus SW 80

14. She was chosen as the first female Chief Executive of the Hong Kong.
a) Starry Lee
b) Carrie Lam
c) Regina Ip
d) Anson Chan

15. Hatsun is planning to set up two Greenfield projects in
a) Coimbatore and Ongole
b) Ongole and Palakode
c) Hyderbad and Ongole
d) Coimbatore and Chennai ANSWER 1. (c) West Bengal
2. (c) Both I and II
3. (a) Randeep Guleria
4.(c) Aditya Puri
5. (a) USD 100 million
6. (a) Literature
7. (a) Narendra Modi
8. (b) Aviation
9. (d) Yemen
10. (d) 73
11. (a) Germany
12. (b) New Delhi
13. (b) TU142M
14. (b) Carrie Lam
15. (a) Coimbatore and Ongole

Current Affairs One liner of the day: 27 March 2017

The one liner of 23rd March covers important current happenings that are relevant to competitive exams. The day’s one liner’s cover important the happenings like plan to de-induct a Long Range Maritime Patrol aircraft, 2017 Australian Grand Prix and World Conference on Environment 2017 among others.  
• The renowned pulmonologist appointed as the Director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences is - Randeep Guleria
• The winner of the 2016-17 Santosh Trophy is - West Bengal
• The winner of the 2017 Australian Grand Prix is - Sebastian Vettel
• World Bank signed USD 100 million credit agreement to improve quality of health care services in all 13 districts of - Uttarakhand
• Jagadisa Thyagarajan, famously known as Ashokamitran, who died recently, was a - litterateur
• Indian who got ranked in the 2017 Best CEOs List of Barron's - Aditya Puri
• This Indian political leader has been named among the probable contenders for Times 100 most influential people in the world list 2017- Narendra Modi
• India has become the third largest in terms of domestic passenger traffic in - Aviation Market
• A court in this nation has passed a ruling sentencing the country’s own President to death for ‘high treason’ – Yemen
• The 2-day long World Conference on Environment 2017 was held in – New Delhi
• India won this many number of medals in the 2017 Special Olympics World Winter Games – 72
• It is in this country scientists switched on the world's largest 'artificial sun' recently – Germany
• The Beijing-backed civil servant who on 26 March 2017 was chosen to be the first female Chief Executive of the Hong Kong is - Carrie Lam
• Hatsun is planning to set up two Greenfield projects in 2017-18 in - Coimbatore and Ongole
• The Supreme Court appointed Committee of Administrators (COA) on 26 March 2017 issued a seven-point instruction for the three existing BCCI office bearers, namely - Vice President CK Khanna, Joint Secretary Amitabh Chaudhary and Treasurer Aniruddh Chaudhry
• The Supreme Court (SC) of India on 27 March 2017 held that the government cannot make Aadhaar mandatory for availing benefits of - Welfare schemes
• The Indian Navy is preparing for de-induction of a Long Range Maritime Patrol aircraft after 29 years of dedicated service to the nation - TU142M

US Universities report 26 per cent decline in Indian student

US Universities report 26 per cent decline in Indian student applications The universities in the United States of America have registered a share decline in the number of applications from Indian students amidst rising fears of hate crimes and anxiety over potential visa policy changes by the Trump administration. The decline was noted in a survey conducted jointly by the National Association for College Admission Counselling and its subgroup International Association for College Admission Counselling along with the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, Institute of International Education and the Association of International Educators. Key Highlights
• The survey covered more than 250 American colleges and universities.
• Its preliminary results revealed a 26 per cent decline in undergraduate applications and a 15 per cent decline in graduate applications by students from India this fall.
• The full version of the survey report called ‘Open Doors 2016’ will be released by the end of March 2017.
• Overall, the survey reported an average drop of 40 per cent in the application forms by international students. Currently, India and China together make up 47 per cent of the US international student enrollment with almost half a million Indian and Chinese students studying in the US. The fear of potential visa policy changes has impacted China as well, as the country reported a drop of 25 per cent in its student applications in undergraduate studies and 32 per cent in graduate studies.

The Universal Immunization Program:

Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan on 24 March 2017 launched MoPNG e-Seva, a dedicated grievances redressal platform on Social Media for all queries and grievances relating to Oil and Gas Sector. The grievances will be dealt on real-time basis. Highlights of the MoPNG e-Seva
• The MoPNG e-Seva portal will be a single point interface for all customers to reach out to the government for addressing their feedback or grievances related to Oil & Gas Sector on social media.
• It will also deliver 24 x 7 support for consumers.
• It will serve as a single point for queries on Twitter and Facebook to begin with; and other social media platforms in due course.
• A team of Nodal Officers from Oil Companies and Allied Services will be addressing the issues on real-time basis.
• Conversations will be tracked on real-time basis and a standard operating procedure will be put into place for immediate intervention and closure by concerned officials of Companies.
• It will also handle queries that are received on the official handles of Union Petroleum Minister and Union Petroleum Ministry.
• For quick intervention and resolution of complaints, consumers can send their feedback or query with compulsory information like Full Name, Consumer ID, Location, Service Agency and Company Details on Twitter or Facebook.