Vedic Academy

Daily GK Update : 9th April 2016 For All The Upcoming Exams

1. India Tops Credit Suisse Emerging Consumers Scorecard 2016
i. Indian consumers remain most optimistic, among nine nations surveyed by Credit Suisse, about their current and future finances and relatively lower inflation expectations.

ii. According to Credit Suisse Emerging Consumer Scorecard 2016, India topped the chart, while China and Saudi Arabia shared the second position.
iii. In 2015 scorecard also India was at the top position.
iv. The survey covered nine countries - Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Turkey.
v. According to the survey average Indian respondent's income has increased compared with a decline for the emerging markets average, although income expectations going forward have moderated.

2. Centre Releases Rs.12, 230 crore To States For MGNREGA
i. The Ministry of Rural Development has released a central share of Rs. 12,230 crore to the states for implementation of its flagship programmes under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

ii. Union Minister for Rural Development Birender Singh has said that is ministry has released a central share of Rs. 12,230 crore to the states for implementation of its flagship programmes under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
iii. The Minister also underlined that this fund release will take care of the pending wage liability of the States for the previous Financial Year (2015-16) and help the States to run the programme during the new Financial Year (2016-17).
iv. He reiterated that the Government is committed to ensuring flow of adequate resources for fulfilling the programme objectives.
v. Rebutting the reports that there are arrears of wages of over Rs 8000 crore under MGNREGA for the 2015-2016 financial year.

3. Union HRD Minister Smriti Zubin Irani Launches ISBN Portal
i. The Union Human Resource Development Minster Smriti Irani has launched a portal for registration and allotment of International Standard Book Number (ISBN) at a function held in New Delhi.

ii. The portal has been created to facilitate publishers as well as the authors to register for ISBN online.
iii. ISBN gives an identity to a book and will enhance information abot authors and publishers. This interactive automated system would provide fast and efficient services in a stipulated time frame to the Publishers and Authors as well.
iv. The ministry will also launched the mobile app regarding the same in the some regional languages to reach out to more publishers and authors across the country.
v. The ISBN portal is a part of central government's e-governance initiative for streamlining the process of registration for publishers and authors which will make the process user friendly. Its a 13 character identification allotted by International ISBN Agency based in UK through the National ISBN Agency. It provides access to bibliographic data bases used by the book industry and libraries to provide information.

4. Textiles Minister inaugurates Apparel and Garment Making Unit in Tripura
i. The Union Textiles Minister Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar inaugurated the Apparel and Garment Making unit in Bodhjungnagar Industrial Growth Centre, in Agartala today.

ii. The Minister said that the Apparel Units in the North East are a significant step towards the Make in India Initiative of the Government.
iii. As per the Shri Gangwar when ‘Make in India’ was conceived to make the country a manufacturing destination, it was decided that the potential of the NER, which is a stronghold of handlooms and traditional textiles, may be tapped for ready-made garment industry.
iv. He said that the project for Apparel & Garment Making Units was conceived in this background.
v. In This inaugural progarmme was also attended by Chief Minister of Tripura Shri.Manik Sarkar; State Industries and Commerce Minister Shri Tapan Chakraborty; Union Textiles Secretary Smt. Rashmi Verma, and Chief Secretary of Tripura Shri Y P Singh.

5. Uma Bharti Inaugurates Water Films Festival
i. The Union Minister for water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Uma Bharti has inaugurated the Water Film Festival as a part of the India Water Week celebrations in New Delhi.

ii. This is the the 4th edition of India Water week.
iii. The film festival is organized by the Water and Power Consultancy Services (WAPCOS).
iv. WAPCOS is a Public Sector Unit under Ministry of Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.
v. The theme for this year’s India Water week is “Water for all: Striving together.

6. Rajasthan Becomes the first state in India to clear land title Bill
i. Rajasthan has become the first state to pass land title bill.

ii. State Assembly passed the Rajasthan Urban Land (Certification of Titles) Bills 2016.
iii. State government will set up an authority which will be headed by an Indian Administrative Service Officer. It will seek all the documents from the landowners, and will verify it against records held by the state.
iv. The authority will first issue a provisional certificate, for which the state will not stand guarantee. If there are no objections or dispute arises, the authority will issue a certificate and a map to the owner with state guarantee.
v. The Provisions in the bill fillip towards good governance and Ease of Doing Business also the bill will boost land acquisition in the state and also benefit authorities as no capital expenditure will be required from their end. The bill provides for land for infrastructural development and enables the government to consolidate small land holdings. The land holders, in return, will get an equivalent share of development land.

7. Airtel Buys Aircel’s 4G Spectrum in 8 Circles For Rs 3,500 crore
i. Bharti Airtel announced the acquisition of 20 MHz spectrum in eight circles from Aircel for Rs 3,500 crore.

ii. Bharti will acquire spectrum or radiowaves in 2,300 MHz band in Tamil Nadu, Bihar, West Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, North East, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.
iii. Aircel had won the spectrum in a government auction and is entitled to hold it till September 20, 2030.
iv. After this acquisition, Bharti Airtel will become a pan-India 4G operator.
v. The transfer of right to use for the circles of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha is subject to the revision of spectrum caps with the upcoming auction to be conducted by Department of Telecommunications (DoT).

8. $200-mn Pact Inked To Study TAPI Project
i. Shareholders of the Turkmenistan- Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) Pipeline Company Limited signed an agreement to invest $200 million in studies and engineering for the $10 billion project to transport natural gas to energy-hungry countries like India.

ii. The agreement signing ceremony was witnessed by TAPI and senior government officials of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Asian Development Bank officials in Ashgabat, capital of Turkmenistan, according to a statement by ADB.
iii. The agreement would pave the way for delivery of long-term natural gas supplies to Pakistan by addressing its energy shortages.

9. Saudi Arabia And Egypt To Build Bridge Across Red Sea
i. Saudi Arabia’s King Salman has announced an agreement with Egyptian President Abdul-Fattah al-Sisi to build a bridge over the Red Sea connecting the two countries.

ii. The announcement made on the second day of visit of Saudi Arabia's King to Cairo.
iii. The name given to this bridge after the Saudi king is King Salman bin Abdel Aziz Bridge.
iv. The planned bridge would help in boosting commerce and trade between the two allied countries. This historic step will also connect the two continents, Africa and Asia.
v. The estimated cost to this bridge is around $4 billion.

10. Federal Bank–Phillip Capital Tie-Up Announced At Singapore
i. Federal Bank, the Indian Banking major in the private sector, entered into a strategic partnership with Phillip Capital (India) Pvt. Ltd, a subsidiary of the Singapore headquartered Phillip Capital group, for managing NRI Portfolio Investment Scheme (P*S).

ii. Mr. Shyam Srinivasan, MD & CEO, Federal Bank and Mr. Lim Hua Min, Chairman of Phillip Capital Group, Singapore exchanged the MoU announcing the tie-up.
iii. P*S is a route designated by the Reserve Bank of India for Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) to invest in Indian Equity Markets for purchase of shares and convertible debentures listed on registered stock exchanges in India.
iv. Phillip Capital is an integrated financial house with a global presence that offers a full range of quality and innovative services to retail, corporate and institutional customers.
v. The tie-up with its Indian subsidiary will thus be a significant value-add to the NRI clientele of Federal Bank, particularly those in the non-GCC countries, who can now avail P*S using the wide global network of Phillip Capital and their experience and expertise in providing consistent and world-class customer service.

11. Maharaja Ranjit Singh's Statue To Be Installed In France
i. The statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh will be installed in France's Saint-Tropez town. The town is the birth place of Army General Jean-Francois Allard.

ii. The installation will be held in September this year and for the installation ceremony Henri Prevosat-Allard, Deputy Mayor and in-charge of tourism of Saint-Tropez met Punjab Tourism Minister Sohan Singh Thandal and invited him to the installation ceremony of Singh’s statue in France.
iii. For the occasion, Henri has also invited Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal to Saint-Tropez on September 17 when the statues of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, General Allard and his wife Bannou Pan Dei will be installed.
iv. In September, the Indian embassy in France will hold also an exhibition on the life of the king.
v. Henri informed the Chief Minister that Gen. Allard (French) along with Gen. Ventura (Italian) served in the army of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and both made an enormous contribution for the modernization of his military through their strategic experience and raised Fauj-i-khas, the “special” or “royal” brigade.

12. Tausif Monif Joined Lambda Therapeutic Research As Its New President
i. Lambda Therapeutic Research, a Global Clinical Research Organization has announced the appointment of Tausif Monif as its new President for Global Operations.

ii. Prior to this appointment Mr. Monif was working with Sun Pharmaceutical as Vice President in Gurgaon and having a rich experience of more than 24 years in the Clinical Research Industry.
iii. His joining Lambda will support the company's vision of expanding their Global footprints.
iv. The Lambda Therapeutic Research company headquartered in Ahmedabad - India has its presences in many countries like Poland (Europe), London (UK), USA and Canada.
v. Presently company is offering an end to end clinical research and total drug development solutions to the Pharmaceutical companies.

13. Lamborghini India Appointed Mr. Sharad Agarwal As Its New Head
i. Lamborghini India Pvt. Ltd has appointed Sharad Agarwal as its country head with immediate effect.

ii. In Lamborghini he will be taking care of the entire activities of oversee sales, marketing, and network development of the company.
iii. Prior to this appointment Mr. Agarwal was working with Audi India as the head of corporate sales and financial services. Than later on in 2013 he worked as Head of Field Forces in 2013.
iv. Mr. Agarwal is carring of 15 years of experience in the automotive industry. He was also associated with Zuari Industries, TVS Motor Company and Mahindra First Choice.
v. Lamborghini India Pvt. Ltd is the arm of the Italian based car maker headquartered in Sant'Agata Bolognese. The company mainly deal with the luxury cars, sports cars and SUVs.

14. Mother Teresa Conferred With Founders Award Posthumously In UK
i. The Nobel Peace Prize awardee Mother Teresa now has been conferred with the UK's prestigious Founders Award this year.

ii. The award is given to recognize and reward exemplary achievements of people within the global Asian community.
iii. The award was received by Agi Bojazhiu, who is the only living relative of Mother Teresa. Presently Agi is 72 year old and the niece of Mother Teresa.
iv. The Founders award is to recognize and reward exemplary achievement within the global Asian community across 14 categories that include business, philanthropy, entertainment, culture and sport.
v. It is the the part of Asian Award. The award was launched in 2010 by Paul Sagoo, entrepreneur and founder of the Lemon group. Teresa, who died in 1997 at Kolkata, have spent more than 45 year of her life as serving the poor, the sick and the orphaned. She will be made a saint on September 4, 2016.

15. Kansai Nerolac Ties Up With Gujarat Lions For IPL
i. Kansai Nerolac Paints Ltd (KNPL) has signed up with the Gujarat Lions franchise as associate sponsor for the ninth edition of the Indian Premier League which will begin on April 9, 2016.
ii. Gujarat Lions, captained by Suresh Raina, is one of the two debutant teams this IPL season.
iii. He has a mix of experienced and fiery young players such as Brendon McCullum, Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Dale Steyn, Aaron Finch and India U-19 captain Ishan Kishan to name a few.
iv. Gujarat Lions will battle it out against seven other teams for the title of ‘Indian Premier League Champions 2016.
v. The association between Kansai Nerolac and Gujarat Lions follows some aggressive advertising by the brand during the recently concluded ICC World 20-20. Kansai Nerolac has also been maintaining a good media presence through on-air ad slots during the IPL over the years.

Daily GK Update : 8th April 2016 For All The Upcoming Exams

1. North East ASEAN Business Summit Inaugurated In Imphal
i. The first ever two day North East-ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Business Summit was inaugurated at the City Convention Centre in Imphal, Manipur.

ii. The two day summit has been organized by Manipur Commerce and Industries Department (MCID) in collaboration with the Union Ministries of External Affairs and Development of North-Eastern Region(DoNER), Indian Chamber of Commerce(ICC) and Indian Chamber of Service Industries(ICSI).
iii. Bangladesh Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed was the chief guest at the inaugural session of the Summit.
iv. The North East -ASEAN Business Summit aims to attracting investment from both domestic and foreign firms to the North-Eastern states to increase productivity and generate employment in the region.
v. The main highlights of the Summit include a Regional conference on “Ease of Doing Business”, “Agro and Food Processing : Potential and Challenges” and a “Session on Empowering MSME in North East”.

2. Govt. inaugurates 'Namma Toilet' in Delhi under Swachh Bharat Mission
i. To promote the Swachh Bharat Mission, Union Urban development Minister Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated 'Namma Toilet' in the national capital Delhi.

ii. This is a step in the direction of fulfilling the mission's target to establish over 2.5 lakh public toilets by 2nd October 2017.
iii. Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is contributing in a major way to ensure hygiene and cleanliness to all in the country, public toilets are being built across the country.
iv. The mission targets to establish 2 lakh 56 thousand public toilets by 2nd October 2017.
v. Across Delhi Namma toilets were inaugurated at 19 other places by the local municipal councillors. These toilets are being built under corporate social responsibility by NBCC. People were enthusiastic to see these innovative toilets. It is designed to withstand the extreme harsh conditions one can expect outdoors in our country and the high usage.

3. Petroleum & Natural Gas Minister dedicates 36 new CNG stations in Delhi & NCR.
i. Minister of State for Petroleum & Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan dedicated 36 new CNG stations located in Delhi and NCR to the public.

ii. 30 out of these stations have been installed by Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) 3 stations by Haryana City gas in Gurgaon, 1 station by GAIL Gas in Sonepat and 2 stations by Adani gas – one each in Faridabad and Khurja (Bulandshahar) have been set up.
iii.While 25 out of these 36 CNG stations are located in NCT of Delhi, 11 are located in NCR - Ghaziabad, Greater Noida, Gurgaon, Faridabad, Sonipat and Khurja.
iv. Presently Delhi-NCR is having 347 CNG stations of about 77 lakh kg per day CNG dispensing capacity.
v. All 4 CGD companies operating in Delhi-NCR have planned to augment the existing CNG dispensing capacity to 88 lakh kg per day by developing additional 104 CNG Petroleum & Natural Gas Minister dedicates 36 new CNG stations in Delhi & NCR stations in Delhi-NCR.

4. Asia’s 50 Most Powerful Businesswoman List Topped By Nita Ambani
i. Reliance Industries director Nita Ambani and State Bank of India chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya have been ranked top two in Forbes’ “Asia 50 Power Businesswomen 2016” list, which acknowledges the inroads women are making in the business world, despite gender inequalities.

ii. American magazine Forbes has released 2016 “Asia’s 50 Power Businesswomen” list featuring business women from 14 countries.
iii. According to list, 6 other Indian business women have also been included in the list- at no. 14-Mu Sigma CEO Ambiga Dhiraj, 16- Dipali Goenka CEO Welspun India, 18- Vinita Gupta CEO Lupin, 22-Chanda Kochhar ICICI Bank Managing Director, 26-Vandana Luthra VLCC Health Care Founder, 28- Kiran Mazumdar Shaw Biocon Founder.

5. HP Unveils World's Thinnest Laptop
i. American multinational information technology company HR Inc (Hewlett-Packard) has launched eight new personal products including the world thinnest laptop.

ii. The laptop is having 10.4 mm thickness.
iii. According to the company ‘Spectre’ is the world’s thinnest laptop and has a battery life of up to nine and a half hours.
iv. Another USP of the laptop is its copper design combined with carbon fiber that gives the laptop a premium look.
v. It features 13.3-inch full HD screen with Corning Gorilla Glass. The laptop comes with 8GB LDDR3 RAM and 512GB SSD storage and runs on 6th generation Intel Core i5 and i7 processors. According to the company the laptop includes 3 Type-C USB I/O ports and the price of the laptop is around $1,249 (Rs 83,121 approx).

6. CCEA Approved Andrew Yule Proposal To Convert Bank of Baroda's Loan Into Equity
i. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) cleared conversion of Working Capital Term Loan (WCTL) of Bank of Baroda's (BoB) 29.91 crore rupees loan to Andrew Yule & Co. Ltd. (AYCL) into equity shares.

ii. This approval was granted during the CCEA meet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
iii. Price of equity shares will be based on market price determined as per Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) Guidelines on the date of acquiring of shares by Bank of Baroda with face value of 2 rupees per share.
iv. This conversion of WCTL will pave the way for disinvestment of the Kolkata-based PSU in the next three months. The conversion of loan to equity would help bring down the cost of servicing of debt by 2.86 crore rupees per annum, resulting in improved profitability and liquidity of Andrew Yule in coming years.
v. This will provide an opportunity to finance working capital needs of existing and new businesses. It will also result in improved Debt Equity ratio for AYCL and will enhance the strength of its balance sheet.

7. Snapdeal launches donation program ‘Sunshine’
i. Snapdeal has partnered with 9 non governmental organisations (NGOs) to launch Snapdeal Sunshine, a platform where users can make donations to causes under education, health, sports, women empowerment, disaster relief and old age care.

ii. These organisations include Magic Bus, Akshaya Patra, Care India, Teach For India and HelpAge India, which will list required products for ongoing projects.
iii. At face value, it doesn’t look like Snapdeal is charging a fee for this service, but the products needed by the NGOs are from Snapdeal’s inventory and currently include cooking, education, sports, study, clothing, stationery, housing and other miscellaneous supplies.
iv. The products will be sent to the partner after the donation is accepted, and donors will be able to track the progress on Snapdeal.
v. The company says that it launched the platform based on ‘studies indicating that Indians would like to give more to society but faced constraints like lack of visibility of end utilisation of their donations’. Users can donate by selecting the cause or the NGO they wish to support and its products, decide an amount for donation, process payment and Snapdeal will deliver the products to the NGO’s location.

8. Hashim Thaci Sworn In As New President Of Kosovo
i. Hashim Thaci , Foreign Minister of Kosovo has been sworn in as the President of Kosovo by the members of Parliament of the country in the 3rd round.

ii. Mr. Thaci succeeded Atifete Jahjaga in the voting held in Pristina.
iii. With this, he becomes fourth President of Kosovo after the European country had unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in 2008. Prior getting elected as President he was serving as Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister in the Government led by Isa Mustafa.
iv. Thaci born on April 24, 1968 in the Drenica region of central Kosovo.
v. In the early 1990s he was a leader of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), which fought a guerrilla war against Serbia from 1998-99.

9. Rudy launches Transnational Skill Standards aligned to UK
i. Union Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy Launches Transnational Skill Standards in India Union Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy launched Transnational Skill Standards benchmarked to the United Kingdom across 82 identified job roles, aiming to to support international mobility of Indian workforce.

ii. Besides, the launch also signing of Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) that will enable sharing of best practice, staff exchange, and development of new models to increase employer engagement and investment in skills.
iii. India and the UK have been collaborating on skill development since a long time now and this is yet another effort to bring more quality in vocational education which will open more avenues for employment across countries for the youth.

10. Debraj Pradhan appointed as the next Ambassador of India to Norway
i. Debraj Pradhan appointed as the next Ambassador of India to Norway. Mr. Debraj Pradhan , Presently Ambassador of India to Chile, has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to Norway.

ii. He is expected to take up his assignment shortly.
iii. From August 1995 to July 1998, he was posted as First Secretary and later Counsellor overseeing Commercial matters in Embassy of India, Buenos Aires.
iv. He became Deputy High Commissioner of India, Lagos from September 1998 to July 2001.
v. From August 2001 to December 2005 he was moved to Embassy of India, The Hague as Counselor and then as Minister.

11. TNCA Has Appointed Mr. D. Vasu As Its New Director
i. Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) Academy has appointed D. Vasu as its new director for a period of two years.

ii. TNCA is the governing body of Cricket activities in the Tamil Nadu state of India and the Tamil Nadu cricket team.
iii. It is affiliated with the Board of Control for Cricket in India.
iv. The former Tamil Nadu and South Zone all-rounder Mr. Vasu will be in charge of coaching at the various age-group levels and in the districts.
v. Earlier, Mr. D.Vasu has been the chairman of the selection panel in the TNCA at the various age-group levels, from under-13, to under -19 and under -23.

12. Book Launched By Arvind Kejriwal Co-Authored By Imran Hashmi
i. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has launched the book "The Kiss of Life: How a superhero and my son defeated cancer" in New Delhi.

ii. The book is written by Bilal Siddiqi and co authored by Emraan Hashmi.
iii. The book has been published by Penguin Books India in three languages.
iv. The book narrates the story of Emraan’s life when his family dealt with the horrific struggle as his six-year-old son Ayaan battled his way through cancer.
v. The book is about hope to all cancer patients who loses hope, his or her body starts to give up.

13. GoJavas Appointed Amitabh Coomar As Its New CEO
i. Gojavas, the logistics and supply chain solutions company has announced the appointment of Mr. Amitabh Coomar as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

ii. The appointment of Coomar came after the departure of Vijay Ghadge, who was the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the company.
iii. Ghadge left the company to start his own venture.
iv. Amitabh Coomar is an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad and having impressive track record of 19 years spread between the Indian Army and ITC Limited.
v. Besides, Coomar, Jai Vohra, an IIT-Kharagpur and ISB Hyderabad alumnus will now head the company's Strategy and Planning functions. Prior to this appointment Vohra was working with tha Jabong.com as a Head of marketplace.

14. Veteran Journalist Yogendra Bali Is No More
i. The veteran journalist and author Yogendra Bali has passed away on Thursday due to a heart attack. He was 85 year old.

ii. Mr. Bali was a member of the general council of the Lalit Kala Akademi and a member of its committees on Art Education, Publications, the Triennele and International Exhibitions.
iii. In his long and success career, Mr. Bali has served The Times of India as its roving correspondent till retirement.
iv. He was also associated with a number of dailies and publications like The Tribune, Current Weekly, Probe, Sunday Mail, etc.
v. Mr. Bali has written many books which include The Communal Bogey' with foreword by late prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, 'Chandra Shekhar: A Political Biography,' 'Pawan Chamling: Daring To Be Different,' and 'Sri Satguru Ram Singh Ji and Freedom Movement of India'.

15. American country music legend Merle Haggard died
i. American country music legend Merle Haggard died of pneumonia at his home in Northern California, the day was his 79th birthday.
ii. Born on 6 April 1937 in California, Haggard along with Buck Owens and his band the Strangers is credited to define the Bakersfield sound, country music with a distinctive twang and lack of sophisticated production.
iii. Haggard wrote songs, sang and played fiddle and guitar, usually singing about American pride and outlaws.
iv. He recorded about three dozen number one country hits in a musical career that spanned six decades, from the 1960s into the 2010s.
v. His top hits include Mama Tried, The Fugitive, If We Make It Through December, Okie from Muskogee and Fightin' Side of Me. Legacy and honors. He received numerous awards from the Academy of Country Music, Country Music Association, and National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (Grammy Awards).

Daily GK Update : 7th April 2016 For All The Upcoming Exams

1. 7th April : World Health Day
i. 7th April is celebrated each year globally as World Health Day under the sponsorship of the World Health Organization (WHO).

ii. The day aims to draw attention to important health issues facing the world each year.
iii. This time the themes of World Health Days for 2016 is Halt the rise: beat diabetes.
iv. In 1948, World Health Assembly was first held in Geneva by the WHO where it was decided to celebrate the World Health Day annually on 7th of April. It was first celebrated worldwide in the year 1950 as the World Health Day.
v. World Health Day is celebrated worldwide by the government, non-government, NGOs including various health organizations at many places by organizing programmes relating to the public health issues and awareness. Varieties of activities are done in the conference of health workers to encourage people to maintain their health.

2. PM chairs meeting of CSIR Society
i. The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, chaired a meeting of the CSIR society in New Delhi.

ii. The Prime Minister was given an overview of the work done by CSIR in addressing national challenges, and its recognition as a major Indian innovator.
iii. Members mentioned the potential that exists for a large number of start-ups to emerge from the research being done by CSIR labs.
iv. They stressed the importance of converting lab research to commercial applications. Medical device manufacturing, energy, and waste management were some of the areas mentioned where CSIR could play a key role.
v. The Prime Minister called for laying down parameters to assess the performance of CSIR labs; and a mechanism whereby there could be internal competition among various labs. He called upon the scientific community at CSIR to list at least one hundred problems being faced by people in various parts of India, and take up the challenge of solving them technologically within a specified time period.

3. 3rd phase of Mission Indradhanush begins today
i. The third phase of Union Health Ministry’s universal vaccination programme Mission Indradhanush began on 7 April, 2016.

ii. It will cover 216 Districts across several States including Bihar, Gujarat, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh.
iii. Under it, children against seven vaccine preventable diseases will be vaccinated against seven preventable diseases.
iv. The last two phases nearly 39 lakh children have been fully immunised across the country.
v. Mission Indradhanush depicts 7 colours of the rainbow which aims to cover all those children by 2020 who are either unvaccinated, or are partially vaccinated against 7 vaccine preventable diseases. The diseases include diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio, tuberculosis, measles and hepatitis B. Under this universal vaccination programme, all vaccines will be made available free of cost.

4. ECoR becomes largest freight loading railway zone
i. East Coast Railway (ECoR) has emerged as the largest freight loading railway zone of Indian Railways in 2015-16. ECoR loaded 173.49 million tonnes of freight compared to 161.91 million tonnes achieved in the corresponding period previous year and registered an increase of 7.1 per cent, its officials said.

ii. On the earnings side, ECoR earned about Rs 15,978.28 crore which is 14.13 per cent more than the corresponding period of previous financial year, they said.
iii. In coal loading, ECoR carried 79.4 rakes per day from its jurisdiction against 72.7 rakes per day in last fiscal.
iv. The coal loading from Talcher was 40.8 rakes per day followed by Visakhapatnam Port 8.7 rakes, Gangavaram Port 7.7 rakes, Paradeep Port 11.7 rakes, Dhamara 9.5 rakes and at other places 1.1 rakes per day during 2015-16.
v. In iron ore loading, it loaded 14 rakes per day in 2015-16 - 5.2 rakes per day from iron ore belts under Khurda Road Division and 8.8 rakes day from KK Line under Waltair Division. Altogether East Coast Railways has carried 131.2 rakes loading per day from its jurisdiction against 122.4 rakes per day in 2014-15 financial year. These include coal, iron ore, cement, food grains, POL and other commodities.

5. Irani unveils bronze bust of Aryabhatta at UNESCO HQ
i. A bronze bust of ancient Indian mathematician and astronomer Aryabhatta has been unveiled at the UNESCO Headquarters.

ii. The bust, sculpted by renowned Indian sculptor Ram Sutar, was unveiled yesterday by HRD Minister Smriti Irani.
iii. She was in the French capital to attend the high-level segment of the 'International Conference on Zero' held from April 4-5.
iv. Sutar was recently awarded the Padma Bhushan, one of the highest civilian awards in India, for his contribution to the world of art.
v. The two-day conference, organised by the Permanent Delegation of India to UNESCO, was held to share the rich and remarkable history of mathematics through participation of some of the brilliant minds, resonating with the UNESCO's mandate to advance, transfer and share knowledge for the greater global good.

6. NTPC Suspends Power Generation From Farakka
i. Partial suspension of power generation at the NTPC's Farakka plant in West Bengal's Murshidabad district owing to shortage of water is likely to continue till April 10.

ii. The power producer was forced to temporarily shut five units (1,600 MW) of its 6 units (2,100 MW) at Farakka after water level at Farakka feeder canal receded due to "diversion of water to Bangladesh as per the international treaty and one unit of 500 MW is under operation.
iii. Total allocation to West Bengal from NTPC stations is 786 MW, which can be fully met by the company from its stations, if power is requisitioned by the state.
iv. NTPC Limited (previously known as National Thermal Power Corporation Limited is an Indian central Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) under the Ministry of Power, Government of India, engaged in the business of generation of electricity and allied activities.

7. Gujrat CM Anandiben Patel launches 'Maa Annapurna Yojna'
i. Gujarat chief Minister Anandiben Patel officially launched the state-wide implementation of National Food Security Act, which has been renamed as Maa Annapurna Yojna (Scheme) by the state government.

ii. Under the Maa Annapurna Yojna, 3.82 crore people of Gujarat will be benefited. Each of them will get rice at Rs 3 per Kg and wheat at Rs 2 per Kg.
iii. Out of 35 kg given at subsidised rates during Congress rule, only 16 kg of food-grain was given at those rates, while for the remaining 19 kg, government used to charge Rs 7.70. Now, PM Modi removed this condition and has announced to give the entire 35 kg of food-grain at subsidised rates.
iv. only 11 states had implemented the National Food Security Act and that too they had not implemented totally.
v. The number of states has increased from 11 to 21, including Gujarat, which will implement it by April 1, 2016," Paswan told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting organised here with Food Corporation of India (FCI) officials of Gujarat.

8. Santosh Gangwar Inaugurates 3 Mega Projects in Nagaland
i. Union Minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar inaugurated 3 mega textile projects in Nagaland.

ii. These 3 projects included Apparel and Garment Making Centre in Dimapur, Muga P3 Basic Seed Station Kobulong in Mokokchung district and newly approved Integrated Eri Silk Development Project under North East Textile Promotion Scheme (NERTPS).
iii. The Union Minister of State for Textiles formally launched the three mega projects at District Industries Centre Complex in Dimapur district in the presence of Nagaland Chief Minister T R Zeliang.
iv. The Apparel and Garment Making Centre for Nagaland was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 1, 2014 during his maiden visit to the state for inauguration of Hornbill Festival.
v. As per Gangwar the project will benefit more than 5,000 cultivators engaged in plantation of these three varieties of silk.

9. Future Group Has Acquired FabFurnish
i. Future Group has acquired online home furnishings and décor business company FabFurnish for an undisclosed amount.

ii. The buyout could range between Rs.15 crore and Rs. 20 crore in cash. But the Future Group will retain the FabFurnish brand and will use the store's online platform to take its Home Town retail stores online.
iii. This is the first consumer startup acquisition made by Future Group led by Kishore Biyani and also marks the first exit for Berlin based investor Rocket Internet which also backs Foodpanda and Jabong.
iv. But this acquisition will make the India's largest home décor e-marketplace.
v. The take over also include the FabFurnish’s management team and about 100 employees who are likely to join the Future Group.

10. Foundation stone for Haryana’s first Horticulture University laid in Karnal
i. Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Radha Mohan Singhlaid the foundation stone of Haryana State University of Horticultural Sciences at Karnal.

ii. It is the first Horticulture University in the state that will cater the needs to support the gap between research, teaching and extension activities in the state.
iii. The Horticulture University will be built on 118 acres to disseminate latest technology and horticulture education to the young generation.
iv. It will help in improving productivity levels by promoting adaptation of appropriate crop diversification to suit the agro climatic conditions of the region.
v. It will also act as a skill development centre in order to cater the larger demand for skilled (trained) manpower in the production, post-harvest and processing industries.

11. ASCI upholds 51 complaints against misleading ads
i. The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) upheld complaints against 51 out of 102 advertisements.

ii. The advertising industry watchdog's Consumer Complaint Council (CCC) found the claims in various categories advertisers to be either misleading or false or not adequately / scientifically substantiated and hence violating ASCI’s Code.
iii. Out of 51 advertisements against which complaints were upheld, 13 belonged to the Education category, 12 to the Food & Beverages category, followed by 11 in the Healthcare category, 6 in the E-commerce category and 9 advertisements from other categories.
iv. In education category advertisements of Rice Education, Adamas Career, Tathagat, Think & Learn etc. were upheld, while in Healthcare segment advertisement of the brands such as Emami, Dabur India, Patanjali Ayurved, Mosons and Uttam Dawakhana were upheld.
v. Advertisements of following ecommerce brands were also upheld PortMart, Xeroin Retail, Amazon, Ibibo Group and HolidayIQ.Apart from these, advertisements from Balaji Telefilms, Viacom18 and Times on India were also upheld.

12. CP Gurnani appointed as Nasscom chairman
i. CP Gurnani, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Tech Mahindra, is the new Chairman of the National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) for 2016-17 with effect from Wednesday.

ii. He would focus on programmes aimed at making India a digital and innovation hub.
iii. He identified start-ups, cyber security and analytics as emerging areas for the Indian IT industry. “Nasscom of tomorrow is representative of product companies, start-ups, among others and not just service providers.’’
iv. According to Nasscom projections, IT industry, which directly employs 3.9 million professionals, is expected to grow at about 14 per cent during the present financial year with a likely intake of 2.5 lakh new employees. In 2015-16, industry crossed $100 billion mark in exports.
v. Referring to ongoing programmes, Nasscom is working closely with State governments with regard to innovation hubs in various cities including Bengaluru, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kolkata and Pune.

13. S Balaji Arunkumar new KoPT deputy chairman
i. S Balaji Arunkumar, An IRTS officer of 1997 batch, has taken over as deputy chairman of Kolkata Dock System under Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) with effect from April 4.

ii. He was senior general manager of Container Corporation of India, Chennai, before assuming his new charge.
iii. R P S Kahlon lost his job as chairman of KoPT after he was arrested on alleged graft charges on March 9 from a hotel in the city.
iv. He had allegedly received bribe from a private firm that handles containers at Kolkata Dock System (KDS).
v. M T Krishna Babu, the chairman of Visakhapatnam Port Trust, has taken over as the new chairman of KoPT as an additional charge.

14. Sigurdur Ingi Johannsson named as new PM of Iceland
i. Iceland ruling coalition Government has named Sigurdur Ingi Johannsson (53) as the new Prime Minister after igmundur Gunnlaugsson had stepped down .

ii. Prior to this, he was Agriculture and Fisheries Minister (since 2013) and deputy leader of the Progressive Party of the Ireland.
iii. Earlier from May 2013 to December 2014 he also had served as Minister for the Environment and Natural Resources.
iv. Sigurdur Ingi Johannsson’s appointment comes after Sigmundur Gunnlaugsson had stepped down as PM in the wake of the leaked Panama Papers. The leaks of Panama Papers from Panama law firm Mossack Fonseca, a law firm specialises in setting up offshore companies showed Gunnlaugsson owned an offshore firm with his wife.
v. Gunnlaugsson was the first casualty after the explosive leaks of confidential documents from Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca surfaced. The leak had disclosed up to 11 million documents revealing how the rich and powerful people across the world hide their wealth, potentially to evade taxes.

15. India Men win Asian Nations Cup Chess tournament
i. Indian men have won the 2016 Asian Nations Cup Chess tournament by defeating Vietnam in the final round by 3-1 score played in Abu Dhabi.
ii. In the final round match, Indian Grandmasters S P Sethuraman and K Sasikiran won on the 2nd and 4th boards while, B Adhiban and Vidit Santosh Gujrathi drew their respective matches on top and 3rd boards.
iii. With this win India gained 17 points, two more than World and Olympiad champions China. India drew Mongolia and beat the rest of the teams in a 22-team tournament.
iv. It was overall third time, Indian men won the event earlier they had won at Esfahan, Iran in 2005 and Kolkata 2009.
v. In the women’s section, top seed China won the title with 15 points followed by Uzbekistan (14 points) at second Kazakhstan (13 points) at third position respectively. Indian women finished fourth position with 12 points.