Formation of committee to resolve grievances of women sports

Formation of committee to resolve grievances of women sports persons announced The Union Government on 8 March 2017 decided to constitute a high level committee to resolve the grievances and complaints of women sports persons. An announcement in this regard was made by the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Youth Affairs and Sports Vijay Goel at a conference on ‘Women and Sports in India’ in New Delhi. The conference was organised by the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports to mark the International Women’s Day to deliberate upon various issues for encouraging more and more women to take up sports. The day long conference  focused on – i. Creation of safe spaces for girls athletes and women coaches ii. Inclusion of gender sensitization modules in coach training modules iii. Gender parity in terms of support to women athletes iv. Zero tolerance towards sexual harassment in sports complex v. Women representation in sports institutions, federations and other sports bodies Facts related to the committee ::::::
• The committee will be constituted under the chairmanship of Joint secretary Sports.
• The committee will comprise athletes, advocates and senior officers of the ministry and sports journalists.
• In order to ensure effectiveness of the committee, all of its members will be women.
• Women athletes, who have any complaint, can approach the committee for their grievance redressal.

Australian service marks the third anniversary of MH370

Australian service marks the third anniversary of MH370 tragedy Family members of the Australians on board the fatal Malaysian Airlines’ flight MH370 gathered at St John’s Cathedral in Brisbane to mark the third anniversary of the tragedy on 8 March 2017. The private ceremony was attended by around 100 people including Darren Chester, Australian Minister for infrastructure and transport and Angus Houston, former Australian defence chief who coordinated the initial search efforts for the missing flight and diplomats from Malaysia, China and New Zealand. Speaking at the ceremony, Darren Chester stated that while the searchers have been unsuccessful in solving the mystery surrounding the missing plane, they tried their best and still hope remains for a possible breakthrough in the future that would result in the plane being found. Key Details :::::::--
• Several relatives of the 239 passengers and crew aboard the Boeing 777 live in or near Brisbane. • Chester announced the government’s decision of erecting a permanent memorial in remembrance of the lost passengers and crew in the west coast city of Perth, which had been a base for the Indian Ocean air and sea search parties.
• Chester noted right before the service that he could understand the frustration many family members of the victims felt about the fact that there was no longer any search mission for the plane.
• The active search for the crash site of the plane was officially called off by Australia, Malaysia and China in January 2017, after the search crew failed to find any further lead or trace.
• The advanced search mission was suspended after sweeping almost 120000 square kilometers of the Indian Ocean southwest of Australia.
• The airliner is suspected to have flown very far off course for some unknown reason during its journey from Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia to Beijing in China on 8 March 2017.
• There are suggestions by some relatives of raising funds to continue the search of the ocean floor privately. The mystery surrounding MH370
• The plane was carrying 239 people including 12 crew members • It had completed 53460 flight hours and 7525 take-offs and landings.
• The pilot had a record of more than 18000 flying hours and had been employed with the airlines since 1981.
• The air traffic controllers lost contact with the plane almost an hour after its take off.
• The flight was last detected on the military radar near the island of Pulau Perak at the northern end of the Strait of Malacca.
• Though no distress signal or message was sent from the plane, reports suggest that it attempted to turn back from its scheduled path.
• The weather conditions were also reported to be good.
• The plane’s disappearance launched one of the largest-ever international search efforts in the area over the South China Sea, Gulf of Thailand and the Indian Ocean.
• Around 120000 sq km area of the seabed has been searched using advanced underwater drones and sonar equipment.
• A flaperon from the plane was discovered on Reunion Island more than 3700 km away from the main search site in July 2015

President Pranab Mukherjee presents Nari Shakti Puraskar 2016

President Pranab Mukherjee presents Nari Shakti Puraskar 2016 President Pranab Mukherjee on 8 March 2017 presented the Nari Shakti Puraskar 2016 at a ceremony in New Delhi on the occasion of International Women’s Day 2017. This year, the Selection Committee, chaired by the Minister of Women & Child Development Maneka Sanjay Gandhi, unanimously agreed to increase the number of Awards to 31 as more nominees were found to be deserving and the age criteria was also relaxed. Some of the awardees of this year are scientists Anatta Sonney, B Codanayaguy and Subhu Varier, entrepreneurs Reema Sathe and Zuboni Humtsoe, trailblazer Mumtaz Kazi and many more. The Nari Shakti Puraskar carries a cash award of Rs 1 Lakh and a certificate for individuals and institutions. About Nari Shakti Puraskar
• Union Government confers Nari Shakti Puraskar every year on eminent women and institutions in recognition of their service towards the cause of women empowerment.
• The Nari Shakti Awards were initiated in the year 1999 and the guidelines were reframed in the year 2015.
• The Ministry of Women and Child Development announces these national level awards.
• The award is open to all Indian Institutions, organisations and individuals.
• The WCD Ministry invites nominations from the State Governments, concerned Central Ministries, NGOs, universities, private and public sector undertakings (PSUs) working for empowerment of women.
• In exceptional cases, the Selection Committee may also, suo moto, recommend a person or institution for the award with justification.
• The final selection of the awardees is made by the National Selection Committee which takes into account the recommendations of the Screening Committee.

Current Affairs Quiz: 8 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 2017 International Women's Day 2017, India’s longest extradosed bridge and Times Higher Education (THE) rankings 2017  among others.

1. India’s longest extradosed bridge was inaugurated in
a) Bharuch
b) Kakinada
c) Ghazipur
d) Jabalpur

2. The Tirtha Darshan scheme for senior citizens was announced by a) Karnataka
b) Haryana
c) Punjab
d) Kerala

3. The Leaders' Summit in Commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Indian Ocean Rim Association was held in
a) Jakarta
b) New Delhi
c) Colombo
d) Dhaka

4. Which airport secured first position in the world in the 5-15 million passengers per annum category in 2016?

a) Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad
b) Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi
c) Bengaluru International Airport d) Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport

5. Which of the following figured in top 10 institutions in the 'Best Small Universities' category of the Times Higher Education (THE) rankings 2017?
a) IIT, Kanpur
b) IIM, Ahmedabad
c) NID, Ahmedabad
d) IISc, Bangalore

6. Which Oscar winner was honoured by the Harvard foundation with the ‘Artist of the Year’ 2017 award?
a) Viola Davis
b) Emma Stone
c) Casey Affleck
d) Mahershala Ali

7. Which city hosted the two-day International Yoga festival, organised by Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga in association?
a) Mumbai
b) Delhi
c) Bangalore
d) Pune

8. The House of Lords voted in overwhelming majority to call for which body’s meaningful vote on the final terms of Brexit?
a) The Sovereign
b) Parliament
c) The Judiciary
d) The Church

9. What is the theme of the 2017 International Women's Day that is observed on 8 March every year?
a) Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step It Up for Gender Equality
b) Empowering Women, Empowering Humanity: Picture it! c) Equality for Women is Progress for All
d) Women in the Changing World of Work: Planet 50-50 by 2030

10. Which country recently overtook Eurozone to become world’s biggest bank system, as per a new analysis by the Financial Times?
a) India
b) United States
c) China
d) Japan

11. First smart tribal village Habbi was recently inaugurated. The village is located in which of the following states?
a) Punjab
b) Jammu and Kashmir
c) Arunachal Pradesh
d) Telangana

12. The Indo-Nepal Joint Military Exercise Surya Kiran-XI commenced recently at which of the following places?
a) Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand
b) Saljhandi, Nepal
c) Almora, Uttarakhand
d) None of the above

13. The joint military training exercise AL NAGAH-II was conducted between Indian Army and the Army troops of which country?
a) Bangladesh
b) Oman
c) Japan
d) Myanmar

14. The State bank of India will levy penalty if Minimum Average Balance in account of metropolitan population is below what amount? a) Rs 3000
b) Rs 4000
c) Rs 5000
d) Rs 7000

15. India’s first AI based chatbot EVA was launched by which bank? a) ICICI Bank
b) Axis Bank
c) Yes Bank
d) HDFC Bank

ANSWERS 1. (a) Bharuch
2. (b) Haryana
3. (a) Jakarta
4. (a) Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad
5. (d) IISc, Bangalore
6. (a) Viola Davis
7. (b) Delhi
8. (b) Parliament
9. (d) Women in the Changing World of Work: Planet 50-50 by 2030
10. (c) China
11. (b) Jammu and Kashmir
12. (a) Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand 13. (b) Oman
14. (c) Rs 5000
15. (d) HDFC Bank

Current Affairs One liner of the day: 8 March 2017

Current Affairs One liner of the day: 8 March 2017 8 March 2017: The one liner of 8th March covers important current happenings that are relevant to competitive exams. The day’s one liner’s cover important the happenings like 2017 International Women's Day 2017, India’s longest extradosed bridge and Times Higher Education (THE) rankings 2017  among others.
• India’s longest extradosed bridge was inaugurated in – Bharuch, Gujarat
• The Tirtha Darshan scheme for senior citizens was announced by – Haryana
• This Indian institute figured in top 10 institutions in the 'Best Small Universities' category of the Times Higher Education (THE) rankings 2017 - IISc, Bangalore
• This airport secured first position in the world in the 5-15 million passengers per annum category in 2016 - Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad
• The Leaders' Summit in Commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Indian Ocean Rim Association was held in – Jakarta, Indonesia
• This Oscar winner was honoured by the Harvard foundation with the ‘Artist of the Year’ 2017 award – Viola Davis
• This city hosted the two-day International Yoga festival, organised by Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga in association – Delhi
• The House of Lords voted in overwhelming majority to call for this body’s meaningful vote on the final terms of Brexit – Parliament
• The Indo-Nepal Joint Military Exercise Surya Kiran-XI commenced recently at - Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand
• First smart tribal village Habbi was recently inaugurated. The village is located in - Jammu and Kashmir
• The country that recently overtook Eurozone to become world’s biggest bank system, as per a new analysis by the Financial Times, is – China
• The theme of the 2017 International Women's Day that is observed on 8 March every year is - Women in the Changing World of Work: Planet 50-50 by 2030
• The joint military training exercise AL NAGAH-II was conducted between Indian Army and the Army troops of - Oman
• State bank of India will levy penalty if Minimum Average Balance in account of metropolitan population is below - Rs 5000
• India’s first AI based chatbot EVA was launched by - HDFC Bank

JINGLE BELLS song ON CRISTMAS DAY

“Jingle Bells” is among the most popular Christmas songs around the world. It was written by James Lord Pierpont, its original title was “One Horse Open Sleigh” and it was published under it in the autumn of 1857.

funny dance by fat man

JOKES BASED VIDEO---COMEDY

Former Lok Sabha Speaker Rabi Ray passes away

Former Lok Sabha Speaker Rabi Ray passes away Rabi Ray, former Speaker of Lok Sabha, passed away on 6 March 2017 after a prolonged illness in Cuttack. He was 91. Ray was also an eminent socialist politician, a Gandhian, and had also served as a former Union minister. About Rabi Ray++++
• Born on 26 November 1926, Rabi Ray passed obtained his bachelor’s degree in History from the Ravenshaw College in Cuttack.
• Later, he studied Law in the Madhusudan Law College in Cuttack.
• In 1948, he joined the Socialist Party as its member.
• During 1953-54, he held the post of the Joint Secretary of the All India Samajwadi Yuvak Sabha.
• Under the leadership of Rammanohar Lohia, Ray founded the Socialist Party in Orissa in 1956.
• In 1967, he was elected to the 4th Lok Sabha from Puri constituency in Orissa.
• He was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Orissa in 1974. He completed his term in Rajya Sabha in 1980.
• From January 1979 to January 1980, he served as the Union minister of Health and Family Welfare in Morarji Desai Ministry.
• In 1989, he was re-elected to the 9th Lok Sabha from the Kendrapara constituency in Orissa as a Janata Dal candidate.
• On 19 December 1989, he was unanimously elected as the Speaker of the 9th Lok Sabha.

Babri Masjid Demolition Case

Babri Masjid Demolition Case: Won't accept dropping of charges against Advani on technical grounds: SC The Supreme Court of India on 6 March 2017 said that it will not accept discharge of senior BJP leader LK Advani and others in the Babri Masjid demolition case only on technical grounds. While making oral observations on the discharge of Advani and other BJP leaders like MM Joshi and Uma Bharti, the apex court kept the option open on reviving the conspiracy charge against them. Besides, the apex court also came up with an option of ordering a joint trial of cases that arises out of the two FIRs, which were lodged in the wake of the demolition of the disputed Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri structure in Ayodhya in 1992. Oldest litigant of Babri Masjid case Hashim Ansari decided to withdraw his plea These observations were made during a brief hearing by the bench of Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose and Justice Rohinton F Nariman, who posted the matter for further hearing on 22 March 2017. Altogether, thirteen people were discharged of the conspiracy charge in the case, the trial of which is being held at a special court in Raebareli. Few of them were LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Uma Bharti, Sadhvi Ritambhara, Vinay Katiyar, Giriraj Kishore and Vishnu Hari Dalmia. The two FIRs on Babri Masjid Demolition Case The two cases of the Babri Masjid Demolition Case on which the joint trail will be ordered in a Lucknow court by the Supreme Court are Oldest and last Babri litigant Hashim Ansari passes away • Crime No. 197/1992: It was registered in a police station of Ayodhya and deals with the actual demolition of the masjid. The case was filed against lakhs of unknown Kar Sevaks (volunteers). The karsevaks were accused of pulling down the three domes of the Masjid.
• Crime No. 198/1992: It was filed against 12 people for promoting enmity, promoting imputations and assertions prejudicial to national integration and statements conducing to public mischief. Some of the 12 accused in the case were Giriraj Kishore, Ashok Singhal, LK Advani, Vishnu Hari Dalmiya, Murli Manohar Joshi, Vinay Katiyar, Uma Bharti and Sadvi Ritambara. At the time of the incident, i.e. demolition of the masjid, they were standing on the dais at Ram Katha Kunj. Punishments of the two cases if found guilty
• Crime No. 197/1992: It calls for the maximum punishment of 10 years imprisonment.
• Crime No. 198/1992: It calls for the maximum punishment of five-year imprisonment. Former IFS and MP Syed Shahabuddin passes away These FIRs were filed shortly after the structure of the Babri Masjid was demolished on 6 December 1992. The two cases are being tried in courts of Rae Bareilly and Lucknow.

Trump revises travel ban, Iraq excluded from the list US President

Trump revises travel ban, Iraq excluded from the list US President Donald Trump signed a new executive order on 6 March 2017, reinstating a ban on immigration from six of the previously banned Muslim majority countries for three months and all refugees for four months. The countries featuring on the banned list include Libya, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Yemen and Somalia. Iraq, which was included in the previous ban, was spared from the current one after agreeing for additional visa vetting measures. The decision to exclude Iraq from the list was welcomed by the Iraqi foreign ministry and it said that this order will enhance US-Iraqi cooperation in the fight against Islamic State terrorists. Trump calls for 'merit-based' immigration system in address to Congress
Key Highlights
• The new ban will come into effect on 16 March 2017.
• The new order exempts permanent residents and current visa holders who had initially been covered by the previous order.
• It also dropped language offering preferential status to persecuted religious minorities for refugee settlement, a provision that had been viewed as targeting Muslims. • This revised order was unveiled by the US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Department of Homeland Security John Kelly.
• The order also gives permission to refugees who had already received approval from the State department to enter the United States.
• It also lifts the indefinite ban imposed on all Syrian refugees. Trump’s previous executive order, his first immigration directive, was faced with wide-scale protests, especially at the nation’s airports. It was ultimately blocked by a federal appeals court. Trump administration revokes law protecting transgender students

FINE-ART-BODYPAINT

Hasya Kavi Sammelan||it's a formal or informal gathering of poets in Hindi-speaking

45% of country's bird species in Himachal Pradesh

45% of country's bird species in Himachal Pradesh: Great Backyard Bird Count The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) 2017 report, which is under preparation, claims that nearly 45 per cent of the 1263 species available in India are found in Himachal Pradesh. The state forest department of Himachal Pradesh was one of the participants of the four-day long event. Himachal Forest Department has been participating in the eBird event the since 2013. Highlights of the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) 2017 report
• As per available eBird data, in total 564 bird species were reported from Himachal Pradesh.
• These 564 species is nearly 45 per cent of the 1263 species found in whole country.
• Till date, 2833 bird check lists have been uploaded to e-Bird from all districts of Himachal Pradesh with highest number of 453 bird species reported from the Kangra district only.
• The data was contributed by nearly 50 bird watchers including staff of the Himachal Forest Department and volunteers. Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) 2017 event Great Backyard Bird Count is the first online citizen-science project that was launched in 1998 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society to collect data on wild birds and to display results in near real-time. The event is annually organised for four days in the month of February. It is organised to create an annual snapshot of the distribution and abundance of birds. GBBC 2017 engaged bird watchers from the general public in the counting of birds. The event/initiative that ran from 17 February to 20 February 2017 was headed by SK Sharma, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest Wildlife. The event was coordinated by the bird count India partnership, a coming-together of a number of Indian groups and organisation that are interested in birds, nature and conservation. A detailed report is in preparation and will be published shortly. eBird is a website for recording and maintaining the bird sighting data and is based at the Cornell University s Laboratory of Ornithology. The next GBBC will be conducted from 16 February to 19 February 2018.

West Bengal grants official language status

West Bengal grants official language status to Kurukh The West Bengal Government granted official language status to endangered tribal language Kurukh. The official language status was given to the endangered language by the state government in February 2017. However, the announcement was recently made by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Key highlights
• In west Bengal, the language is spoken by Oraon tribal community, who live in Dooars. The Dooars are the alluvial floodplains in north-eastern India that lie south of outer foothills of Himalayas and north of Brahmaputra River basin.
• Most of the tribal languages in the West Bengal have their origins in the Austro-Asiatic and Tibeto-Barman families; however, Kurukh is an exception. The origin of the endangered language lies in the Malto, which hails from Dravidian family. Malto is not spoken in West Bengal, but in the Rajmahal hills area in Jharkhand.
• Jharkhand has already recognised Kurukh as a language, and students can write their school final examination in its script.
• According to the 2001 census report, the language is spoken by about 17 lakh persons. About Kurukh language
• Kurukh is a Dravidian language.
• The language belongs to the Northern Dravidian group of the Dravidian family of languages, and is closely related to Sauria Paharia and Kumarbhag Paharia, which are often together referred to as Malto.
• It is spoken by nearly two million Oraon and Kisan tribal peoples of Odisha, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. It is also spoken in Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan.
• In the UNESCO's list of endangered languages, Kurukh is marked as being in a "vulnerable" state.
• The language is written in Devanagari.
• Narayan Oraon had invented the Tolong Siki script specifically for Kurukh.

Rekha – The Untold Story authored by Yasser Usman Rekha

Chandigarh to host Destination North East 2017 Chandigarh will be hosting ‘Destination North East 2017’, a three-day event from 6 March 2017 to showcase North East as a potential destination for investment. The event organised by the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Government of India and PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry will see round table discussions and exhibition stalls, displaying various features of the North East in order to attract investment in different sectors including handloom and handicraft, tourism, horticulture and floriculture, skill development, food processing, organic farming and bamboo development, rural livelihoods and entrepreneurship and microfinance.
Key Highlights
• Destination North East 2017 would be inaugurated by Jitendra Singh, the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region.
• The main objective of the event is to showcase the North East region (NER) as a great investment potential by highlighting its rich cultural heritage, customs and traditions.
• The main theme of this year’s festival is to highlight the use of appropriate technologies in all sectors of development for NER.
• According to S N Pradhan, Joint Secretary of DoNER, the main focus would be on the 3 H mission, which includes Horticulture, Handicraft and Handloom.
• Besides providing an opportunity to different sectors to deliberate upon their achievements, issues and challenges, the event would provide a platform to discuss and develop linkage strategies at B2B and people to people level.
• The festival would also include cultural programmes and performances from popular orchestra groups like Shillong Chamber Choir and Angaraag Mahanta (Papon).
• Some of the event participants include the Office of Principal Scientific Adviser to Government of India and Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR). Destination North East is an annual event and this is the first that it is being organised outside Delhi.

Andy Murray won men’s singles title at Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships

Andy Murray won men’s singles title at Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships Andy Murray of the United Kingdom on 4 March 2017 won the men’s singles titles at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships 2017. To win the title, he defeated Fernando Verdaso of Spanish 6-3 6-2 at the summit clash held in Dubai, the United Aran Emirates (UAE).  With this title, Murray has become the first British champion in the 25 year history of the tournament. For Murray, it was his best win over the Spaniard since the Miami Championships almost exactly eight years ago and comes after he finished as runner-up to Roger Federer in Dubai in 2012. Incredibly, it was his seventh final in his last eight tournaments and 14th in his last 16. Rohan Bopanna loses in the final of doubles clash
• Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau claimed the doubles title with a 4-6 6-3 10-3 win over the Indo-Polish pair of Rohan Bopanna and Marcin Matkowski
• It is their 13th title together, which includes both Wimbledon and the ATP World Tour Finals in 2015.
• It is Rojer's 22nd doubles title and Tecau's 30th. Bopanna was seeking his fourth Dubai title after winning in 2012, 2014 and 2015, all with different partners. World’s first robot table tennis tutor sets new Guinness World record About Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships
• Since its inaugural edition in 1993, the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships has consistently showcased the world's best players in the competition.
• In 2005, two ATP World Tour champions, Andre Agassi and Roger Federer, scaled the Burj Al Arab Jumeirah for a friendly practice session atop the helipad at the iconic hotel.
• The tournament has frequently been named the ATP World Tour 500 Tournament of the Year at the ATP World Tour Awards presented by Moet & Chandon.
• The championships is owned and organised by Dubai Duty Free and held under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.