(DAILY NEWS INDIA)
1. ARUN JAITLEY LAUNCHES PRADHAN MANTRI VAYA VANDANA YOJANA
PENSION SCHEME WITH 8% FIXED RATE
i. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley formally launched Pradhan
Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana, a pension scheme exclusively for senior citizens
(60 years and above) with 8% fixed rate of interest on their savings.
ii. Life Insurance Corporation of India which has been given
the sole privilege to operate this scheme started offering the scheme from May
4, 2017. The scheme will remain open till May 3, 2018.
iii. Pension is payable at the end of each period, during
the policy term of 10 years, as per the frequency of monthly, quarterly,
half-yearly, yearly as chosen by the pensioner at the time of purchase.
2. UP ASSEMBLY PASSES RESOLUTIONS ON RENAMING TWO AIRPORTS
i. The Uttar Pradesh Assembly has adopted 2 resolutions on
re- naming the Kanpur and Bareilly airports after freedom fighter Ganesh Shanker
Vidyarthi and as Nath Nagri respectively.
ii. The resolutions, moved by Minister for Civil Aviation
Nand Gopal Gupta were passed by a voice vote in the absence of the opposition
members.
iii. According to the minister the contributions of social
worker and freedom fighter Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi who stayed in Kanpur and
fought with the British through his writings Chakeri airport be named after
him.
iv. He also said the civil terminal at the Bareilly airport
should be re-named as Nath Nagri after the cultural name of the city.
3. PRESIDENT OF INDIA INAUGURATES THE 200TH ANNIVERSARY
CELEBRATIONS OF THE PAIKA REBELLION OF ODISHA
i. The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee has
inaugurated the 200th anniversary celebrations of the Paika Rebellion of Odisha
in New Delhi.
ii. Pranab Mukherjee congratulated the people of the country
and especially those of Odisha on the occasion. The President said that it was
indeed a privilege for him to be present on the occasion of inauguration of year-long celebration of
Bi-Centenary of the Paika Bidroha of Odisha.
iii. It is a time to remember the great history of our
country and pay respect to our great heroes. It is time to pay respects to
other great warriors of Paika Bidroha who fought side by side such as Dinabandhu
Samantray Mohapatra, Samanta Madhaba, Dama Subudhi Manjaraj and many more
heroes of Paika Bidroha.
iv. Many scholars, researchers and historians have observed
that the Paika Rebellion of 1817 was India’s first organized armed rebellion
against British Raj. It was aimed at upholding the rights of the Odia people
and sovereignty of Odisha.
4. INDIA, JAPAN CIVIL NUCLEAR COOP DEAL COMES INTO FORCE
i. The civil nuclear cooperation deal between Japan and
India that provides for collaboration between their industries in the field
came into force.
ii. To make operationalisation of the pact Foreign Secretary
S Jaishankar and Japanese Ambassador Kenji Hiramatsu exchanged diplomatic
notes.
iii. This agreement will pave the way for enhanced
cooperation in energy security and clean energy. The civil nuclear cooperation
agreement was signed last November during PM Narendra Modi’s visit to Tokyo.
iv. The agreement will bring full cooperation between the
two countries in the development and uses of nuclear energy for peaceful
purposes on a stable, reliable and predictable basis.
v. The deal allows Japan to export nuclear technology to
India and will become the first non-NPT signatory to have such a deal with
Tokyo.
vi. Other nations who have signed civil nuclear deal with
India include the US, Russia, Mangolia, South Korea, France, Canada, Namibia,
Argentina, Kazakhstan and Australia.
5. SEBI INKS PACT WITH ESMA FOR INFORMATION EXCHANGE ON CCPS
i. Markets regulator SEBI has signed a pact with the
European Securities and Markets Authority for exchange of information Central
Counterparties.
ii. The Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between
the Securities and Exchange Board of India and ESMA under the European Markets
Infrastructure Regulation.
iii. Central counter parties are entities that help to ease
clearing and settlement activities. EMIR provides for signing of a cooperation
arrangement between ESMA and the relevant non-EU authorities.
iv. The MoU establishes cooperation arrangements, including
the exchange of information regarding Central Counter parties. These are
established and recognised in India by SEBI, and which have applied for EU
recognition under EMIR.
6. BOB SIGNS MOU WITH DGS&D FOR SERVICES TO GOVT’S
E-MARKETPLACE
i. Bank of Baroda has signed an agreement with Directorate
General of Supplies & Disposal.
ii. The MoU has been signed for extending various banking
services to Government e-Marketplace.
iii. It will benefit all stakeholders and ensure a support
system including a dedicated team for seamless functioning of the portal.
DGS&D has been mandated to set up GeM. It is an initiative to bring greater
transparency and efficiency in public procurements.
iv. The GeM SPV has been established as National Public
Procurement Portal to provide an end-to-end online marketplace for central and
state government their public sector undertakings, autonomous institutions and
local bodies departments for procurement of common goods and services in a
transparent and efficient manner.
7. ARUN JAITLEY RELEASES NATIONAL TRADE FACILITATION ACTION PLAN
i. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley released the National Trade
Facilitation Action Plan and said WTO-Trade Facilitation Agreement coming into
force on February 22, 2017 was a major milestone for the global trading system.
ii. The national action plan aims to transform cross border
clearance ecosystem through efficient, transparent, coordinated, risk based,
digital, seamless and technology driven procedures which are supported by
state-of-the-art sea ports, airports and land borders.
iii. NTFAP also covers many activities in the areas of
infrastructure augmentation; particularly the road and rail infrastructure
leading to ports and the infrastructure within ports, airports, land customs
stations for which various ministries like shipping, railways, civil aviation,
road transport and highways, home affairs, finance and commerce have been
assigned specified targets.
8. ISRAEL TO PARTNER DRDO FOR DEVELOPING MISSILE DEFENCE SYSTEM
FOR INDIA
i. The Indian Army has signed a MoU with the Defence
Research and Development Organisation to raise one regiment of the advanced
Medium Range Surface to Air Missiles.
ii. The system will be jointly developed by Israel Aerospace
Industries and DRDO with the involvement of private sectors and DPSUs.
iii. The army plans to have a total of 5 regiments of this
air defence system, which will be deployed opposite to China and Pakistan. The
MRSAM is an advanced, all weather, mobile, land-based air defence system. Each
MRSAM system comprises a command-and-control system, missiles, a tracking radar
and mobile launchers.
iv. The system can shoot down enemy ballistic missiles,
aircraft, helicopters, drones, surveillance aircraft and Airborne Warning and
Control System aircraft. It is capable of engaging multiple aerial targets at
ranges of more than 50 km. The entire project has a total cost of Rs 17,000 cr.
9. RUSSIA’S KAZAN TO HOST 2022 WORLD SHORT COURSE SWIMMING
CHAMPIONSHIPS
i. Russia’s Kazan has been selected to host the 2022 World
Short Course Swimming Championships.
ii. The President of the International Swimming Federation
Julio Maglione has announced at a press conference in Budapest.
iii. The 2024 Short Course Worlds will be held in the
Hungarian capital, which currently hosts the 17th FINA World Championships.
OBJECTIVE QUESTIONS BASED ON TODAY’S NEWS
Q1. FINANCE MINISTER ARUN JAITLEY FORMALLY LAUNCHED PRADHAN
MANTRI VAYA VANDANA YOJANA, A PENSION SCHEME EXCLUSIVELY FOR SENIOR CITIZENS
(60 YEARS AND ABOVE) WITH ____% FIXED RATE OF INTEREST ON THEIR SAVINGS?
a) 9%
b) 7%
c) 10%
d) 8%
Q2. MARKETS REGULATOR SEBI ENTERED INTO A PACT WITH WHICH ENTITY
FOR EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION CONCERNING CENTRAL COUNTER PARTIES?
a) African Securities
and Markets Authority
b) South American
Securities and Markets Authority
c) European
Securities and Markets Authority
d) North American
Securities and Markets Authority
Q3. PRESIDENT PRANAB MUKHERJEE INAUGURATED THE 200TH ANNIVERSARY
CELEBRATIONS OF THE PAIKA REBELLION WHICH BROKE OUT IN 1817 IN?
a) Madhya Pradesh
b) Odisha
c) Karnataka
d) Jharkhand
Q4. FINANCE MINISTER ARUN JAITLEY RELEASED THE NTFAP WHICH AIMS
TO TRANSFORM CROSS BORDER CLEARANCE ECOSYSTEM THROUGH EFFICIENT, TRANSPARENT,
RISK BASED, COORDINATED, DIGITAL, SEAMLESS AND TECHNOLOGY DRIVEN PROCEDURES.
ABBREVIATION NTFAP STANDS FOR?
a) National Trade
Facilitation Action Plan
b) National Trade
Facilitation Agency Plan
c) National
Transaction Facilitation Action Plan
d) National Trade
Facilitation Authority Plan
Q5. WHICH RUSSIAN CITY HAS BEEN SELECTED TO HOST THE 2022 WORLD
SHORT COURSE SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS?
a) Volgograd
b) Nizhny
c) Kazan
d) Vladivostok
ANSWERS:
1 - D 2
- C 3 - B 4 - A 5 - C
