IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF MARCH 1, 2017

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF MARCH 1, 2017

Author Neil Gaiman Named U.N. Goodwill Ambassador

i. The author Neil Gaiman has been appointed as a global Goodwill Ambassador of the UN Refugee Agency,UNHCR by Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. 
ii. He has appointed to raise awareness about the plight of forcibly displaced people and to generate much needed funds.

Delhi: India’s first heliport inaugurated in Rohini

i. Built by Pawan Hans Limited, a Public Sector Undertaking of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, India’s first heliport has been inaugurated in north Delhi’s Rohini. Union Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju inaugurated the heliport. 

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 28, 2017

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 28, 2017

National Science Day: 28 February

i. National Science Day is celebrated all over India with great enthusiasm on 28th of February every year in order to commemorate the invention of the Raman Effect in India by the Indian physicist, Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman on the same day in the year 1928. 

ii. For his great success in the field of science in India, Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman was honored with the Nobel Prize in the Physics in the year 1930.

India & Ukraine to strengthen bilateral cooperation through Cinema 

i. Minister for Information & Broadcasting M Venkaiah Naidu and Member of the Parliament of Ukraine and Chairman of the National Council of Television Ukraine Mr. Iurii Artemenko have agreed to strengthen the bilateral cooperation between the two countries through the medium of Cinema in New Delhi. 

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 27, 2016

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 27, 2017

OSCAR AWARDS 2017

i. The 89th Academy Awards ceremony (commonly referred as Oscar Awards) , presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to honor the best films of 2016, in 24 categories, held at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, California. 

ii. The ceremony, televised in the United States by ABC, produced by Michael De Luca and Jennifer Todd and Directed by Glenn Weiss. Comedian Jimmy Kimmel hosted the ceremony for the first time.

Chandra Shekhar Azad's 86th Martyrdom Day observed: 27th February

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 23, 2017

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 23, 2017

Cabinet approvals: 23 February 2017

i. Cabinet approves MoU between India and Australia for promotion and development of cooperation in civil aviation security.

ii. Cabinet approves signing of Air Services Agreement between India and Greece 

iii. Cabinet approves signing of an Agreement between India and Poland on cooperation in the field of agriculture and allied sectors.

India's GDP projected to slow to 6.6% due to demonetization Strains: IMF

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 22,23, 2017

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 22, 23, 2017

Health Ministry launches ‘Saathiya Kits’ to improve adolescent health

i. Union Health Secretary C.K. Mishra has launched “Saathiya Resource Kits” that will provide information on adolescent related issues such as puberty and mental health, among others.

ii. The resource kit comprises of an Activity Book, Bhranti-Kranti Game, a Question-Answer  Saathiya KitsBook and a Peer Educator Diary.

iii. Mishra also launched the mobile app ‘Saathiya Salah‘ for adolescents. The initiative, launched as part of the Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK) program.

Cabinet approves signing of Air Services Agreement between India and Greece

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 20, 2017

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 20, 2017

Cash withdrawal limit for savings account increases to Rs 50,000 per week

i. Savings accounts holders will now be able to withdraw up to Rs 50,000 per week. An RBI notification, issued on January 30,2017  announced that from February 20, 2017 the cash withdrawal limit for savings accounts will be raised to Rs 50,000 from Rs 24,000 a week. ii. The limits on cash withdrawals from savings bank account will be withdrawn completely from March 13, 2017. Till now, there is no limit on current account and there is a cap of Rs 50,000 for farmers a week and Rs 2.5 lakh for marriage.

31st state hood day of Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram: 20 February

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 18,19, 2017

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 18, 19, 2017

harkhand signs MoU with Microsoft in ‘Momentum Jharkhand’

i. Jharkhand government and Microsoft India has inked an MoU for the state government to explore cloud, machine learning and mobile based solutions to improve citizen services and provide better facilities in the fields of education and agriculture.

ii. The MoU was signed at the ‘Momentum Jharkhand: Global Investors’ Summit & Trade Exhibition’.

India win silver at Asian Women's Rugby Sevens Trophy

i. The Indian Women's team won a silver after getting defeated by South Kores, at the Asian Rugby Sevens Trophy tournament at Vientiane, Laos.

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 16, 17, 2017

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 16, 17, 2017

Cabinet Approvals on 17 February 2017

i. The Union Government chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi approved setting up of Food Legumes Research Platform (FLRP) at Amlaha, Sehore in Madhya Pradesh for meeting the emerging food security challenges.

ii. The Cabinet approved the signing of Air Services Agreement between India and Rwanda which will enable the airlines of the two countries to operate services in each others’ territory.

iii. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs gave its approval to award contract in 31 contract areas under Discovered Small Fields Policy 2016 undertaken last year

iv. The Union Cabinet approved the merger of the State Bank of India with its 5 subsidiary banks namely State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur; State Bank of Hyderabad; State Bank of Mysore; State Bank of Patiala and State Bank of Travancore.

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 15, 2017

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 15, 2017

PSLV-C37 carrying CARTOSAT-2 series earth observation satellite lifts off from Sriharikota: ISRO

i. PSLV-C37 carrying CARTOSAT-2 series earth observation satellite and 103 nano satellites has lifted off from Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.

ii. PSLV-C37 successfully placed in orbit India’s CARTOSAT-2 series satellite and two other satellites.India successfully launched record 104 satellites, including CARTOSAT-2 series weather observation satellite, in a single mission onboard PSLV-C37 rocket.

Haryana govt imposes curbs on liquor consumption

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 14, 2017

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 14, 2017

• Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar today inaugurated the 11th biennial edition of International Aerospace and Defence Exhibition and declared the Aero India 2017 open at Air Force Station, Yelahanka in Bengaluru. 
• Highlights of this Event : 
• This edition of Aero India, for the first time, combines the defence and civil aviation segments into a holistic event with the co involvement of the defence and civil aviation ministries in the event.  
• This exhibition sees the participation of 549 companies with 53 Aircraft gracing the event. 

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 13, 2017

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 13, 2017

• PM Narendra Modi extends greetings on World Radio Day 2017
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his greetings on the World Radio Day on 13 February 2017. Terming radio as “a wonderful way to interact, learn & communicate”, the PM stated.  The theme for the 2017 edition of World Radio Day is 'Radio is You'.
• World Radio Day is observed every year on February 13 to celebrate radio as a forum for entertainment and information, as a bridge of communication for remote communities and its role in empowering people. 
• In 2011, the Unesco General Conference had proclaimed February 13 as World Radio Day, the day United Nations Radio was established in 1946. Radio is the most prevalent mass medium, with the ability to reach up to 95 percent of the world’s population.
• National Women’s Parliament begins in Andhra Pradesh
• The three-day National Women’s Parliament, being organised by Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly with the theme of ‘Empowering Women - Strengthening Democracy’, began  in the state capital region Amaravati. 
• The vision of NWP is to enable and encourage social, political and economic empowerment of women in all strata of the society.
• One of the objectives of NWP is to generate new ideas, concepts, theories and ideologies for women empowerment.An ‘International Woman Icon of the World’ award and 12 best young achievers awards for women in different fields will be presented at the NWP.
• MRPL launches skill development centre
• Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL) launched a skill development centre (Kaushal Vikas Kendra) in Mangaluru. Speaking at the alunch programme, H Kumar, Managing Director of MRPL stated that the centre will train 60 youths in areas such as ‘industrial electrician’ and ‘CNC operator-turning’.
• He also stated that all expenses, including food, lodging, tutorial expenses, will be borne by MRPL Kaushal Vikas Kendra. MRPL has got the approval to launch a start-up fund of ₹10 crore, which will be used to support the new ventures and start-ups. 
• At another function, Nalin Kumar Kateel, MP from Dakshina Kannada, launched the smoke-free village campaign of MRPL. As a part of oil and gas conservation month, MRPL has identified villages under four panchayats in its surroundings to make them smoke-free.
• Under this campaign, families in the below poverty level category are identified and given free LPG kits and gas stoves. MRPL will bear the cost of the gas kit and the gas stove provided to these beneficiaries. In the first phase, the company distributed free LPG kits to nearly 200 families from Soorinje and Chelaru village panchayats.
• Second edition of International Spice Conference Begins at Thiruvanantapuram
• The second edition of the International Spice Conference began at Kovalam in Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala from February 12, 2017.
• The three days conference has been hosted by All India Spices Exporters Forum (AISEF) in association with the Cochin Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The conference was inaugurated by the Nestle India Limited Chairman and Managing director Suresh Narayanan. 
• The theme of the conference is '21st Century Spic Industry-Disrupt or be Disrupted' the main aim of the event is to deliberate on effective strategies and innovative technologies to improve the livelihood of spice farmers, address spice industry challenges, food safety concern, demand supply disparity and foster sustainable growth.
• Government Approves Setting Rs. 6,831 crore Electronics Development Fund 
• The centre has approved setting up the Electronic Development Fund Tele communication Ministerwith a total corpus of Rs. 6,831 crore to support entrepreneurship and innovation in electronics and IT.
• The Minister of Law and IT, Ravi Shankar Prasad approved a seed capital of Rs 681 crore on the basis of which more venture capital will be raised.The Electronic Development Fund will help to contribute to various other funds under it forthose who invest the money in companies for creation of intellectual property rights in the field of electronics and IT.
• FSSAI sets up panel to finalise laws on food fortification
• The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has set up a 11 member scientific panel to frame final regulations on fortification of foods and prepare strategies to address malnutrition problem.
• Fortification means deliberately adding or increasing the content of essential micro nutrients in food items to improve quality.The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has already issued the draft guidelines on fortification for five food items including salt, milk, wheat flour, rice and edible oil to boost production and consumption of fortified foods.
• Sandeep Jajodia appointed Assocham president
• Monnet Ispat & Energy Ltd. CMD Sandeep Jajodia has been appointed the new president of industry chamber Assocham. Balkrishan Goenka, Chairman, Welspun Group and Kiran Kumar Grandhi, vice-chairman of GMR Infrastructure Ltd, have taken over as senior vice-president and vice-president respectively. 
• Assocham will continue to play a transformational role both nationally and globally and the chamber will empower Indian enterprises by focusing on the most critical and relevant issues in a highly impact-oriented manner stated Jajodia who took over from Sunil Kanoria former President of ASSOCHAM
• Narinder Chauhan appointed as Ambassador of India to the Republic of Philippines
• Former IFS officer Narinder Chauhan  has been appointed as the next Ambassador of lndia to the Republic of the Philippines .
• Currently Narinder is working as the Ambassador of lndia to the Republic of Serbia.
• Diego Maradona Gets Ambassador Role at FIFA.
• The FIFA governing body has named Argentina’s former soccer player Diego Maradona as the new Ambassador of the FIFA .The 56 year old will have major role in FIFA’s activities to promote the game across the globe and will also be be involved in relevant development projects. 
• The Fédération Internationale de Football Association is the international governing body of association football, futsal, and beach soccer. President is Gianni Infantino and Headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland
• Yo-Yo Ma and his ensemble win Best World Music Grammy
• Cello virtuoso Yo-Yo Ma won a Grammy with his Silk Road Ensemble for Sing Me Home, an exploration of the musical connections across Eurasia.
• The French-born Chinese American cellist had previously won an impressive 17 Grammys, but his latest is his first for Best World Music Album.
• Ma set up The Silk Road Ensemble to bring together musicians from the historic route that connected the Middle East and Asia, in hopes both of finding artistic commonalities and furthering the cause of intercultural understanding.
• BAFTA 2017: La La Land takes 5 trophies, Dev Patel wins for Lion
• Director Damien Chazelle’s musical 'La La Land' continued its award dominance by taking five trophies, including the best film and best actress for Emma Stone, at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) awards , which also recognised British-Indian star Dev Patel in the best supporting actor category for 'Lion'.
• 'La La Land', which also won Chazelle a best director Bafta, is expected to sustain its momentum at the Oscars on February 26 where it has scored a record 14 nominations.
• Eminent journalist and Laughter Persona Pandit Dharmsheel Chaturvedi Dies 
• The eminent thinker, writer and journalist Pandit Dharmsheel Chaturvedi passed away. 
• The Hindi Kavi Pt. Dharmsheel Chaturvedi was considered ‘Swayam Mein Benaras’ means ‘Banaras in Himslef’ in elite circle.
• Jiro Taniguchi, a Japanese manga legend Dies at 69
• Jiro Taniguchi, a Japanese manga writer died in Tokyo on February 11, 2017. He was 69.
• Taniguchi began his career as an assistant to the artist Kyota Ishikawa.
• His own first piece of manga was published in the year 1970 named 'A Desiccated Summer'.
•  Taniguchi first shot to fame in Japan at the end of the 1980s with the first volume of 'The Times of Botchan'
•  Ravichandran Ashwin Becomes Fastest Bowler To Claim 250 Wickets
• Indian off-spin specialist Ravichandran Ashwin became the fastest cricketer to take 250 wickets in Test matches. 
• He achieved this feat in his 45th test match against Bangladesh on 12 February 2017, when he dismissed captain of Bangladesh team Mushfiqur Rahim at the Rajiv Gandhi International stadium in Hyderabad.
• Ashwin surpassed Australian fast bowler Dennis Keith Lillee, who played 48 matches to reach the milestone of 250 Test wicket.
• NBA & Take Two to Launch NBA 2K E-League
• The National Basketball Association (NBA), an American professional basketball league is creating a brand new e-sports league called NBA 2K e-League in partnership with Take-Two Interactive Software Inc., the developers of the popular NBA 2K video games.
• This is the first time that a professional sports organization will operate an e-sports league. The competitive gaming league will be launched in 2018.
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IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 11, 12, 2017

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 11,12, 2017

• Neelu Rohmetra is the first woman to be appointed director of an IIM at Sirmaur
• The government recently appointed heads of 10 Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), including the first woman to head one of the 20 premier B-schools in the country.
• The IIMs that got new directors are in Bodhgaya (Bihar), Sirmaur (Himachal Pradesh), Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), Trichy (Tamil Nadu), Nagpur (Maharashtra), Sambalpur (Odisha), Raipur (Chhattisgarh), Rohtak (Haryana), Ranchi (Jharkhand) and Bangalore.
• Prof Neelu Rohmetra of Jammu University is the first woman to be appointed director of an IIM at Sirmaur. She specialises in HRD and cross-culture management. 

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 10, 2017

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 10, 2017

1. National Women’s Parliament begins in Amaravati

• Today, India’s first a-political three days National Women’s Parliament (NWP) has begun in the new capital of Andhra PradeshAmaravati.
• The theme of the conference is 'Empowering Women - Strengthening Democracy'.
• The conclave will be a common platform for women from diverse backgrounds like politics, arts and culture, sports, education, industry, media, cinema, judiciary and social sector to share their knowledge and research in the area of women's social, economic and political empowerment.

2. Govt. decides to open 56 Post Office Passport Seva Kendras

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 9, 2017

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 9, 2017

• Cabinet approves 'PM Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan' for digital education
• The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved 'Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan' (PMGDISHA) to make 6 crore rural households digitally literate. The outlay for this project is Rs.2,351.38 crore to usher in digital literacy in rural India by March 2019. This is in line with the announcement made by Finance Minister in the Union Budget 2016-17. 
• PMGDISHA is expected to be one of the largest digital literacy programmes in the world. Under the scheme, 25 lakh candidates will be trained in the FY 2016-17; 275 lakh in the FY 2017-18; and 300 lakh in the FY 2018-19. To ensure equitable geographical reach, each of the 250,000 Gram Panchayats would be expected to register an average of 200-300 candidates. 

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 7,8, 2017

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 7, 8, 2017

• RBI's Monetory Policy February 2017 : Keeps repo rate unchanged at 6.25%
• RBI governor Urjit Patel led Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) kept the key repo rate unchanged at 6.25% in the first monetary policy review of 2017 and after Budget 2017. 
• Limit on cash withdrawal from savings banks accounts to be relaxed in 2 stages. From 20 February, 2017 limit to be increased from Rs 24k to Rs 50K. From 13 March, 2017 there will be no limit on cash withdrawal from savings bank accounts. 
• 9.92 lakh crore new notes infused into market as on January 27, 2017.Inflation seen at 4-4.5% for April-September,2017. For January-March, 2017 CPI stay below 5%
• Policy rates:
• Repo Rate- 6.25%
• Reverse Repo Rate- 5.75%

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 6, 2017

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 6, 2017

• Health Ministry launches Measles Rubella vaccination campaign
• Health Ministry launched Measles Rubella vaccination campaign in the country at a function in Bengaluru.
• The campaign against these two diseases Measles and Rubella will start from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Goa and Lakshadweep, covering nearly 3.6 crore children.
• Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Faggan Singh Kulaste launched this initiative at a function in Bengaluru, Speaking on the occasion, Mr Kulaste stated that the centre is committed to eradicating Measles and Rubella from the country. 
• Vijay Goel lays foundation stone of 1st centre of excellence for differently abled sportsmen

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 3, 2017

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 3, 2017

• Rs 10,000 penalty for late filing of income tax returns
• As with the presentation of the Union Budget 2017, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has made it easier for the small tax-payers, the budget has however proposed a fee for delayed filing of income tax return. If the income tax return is furnished after the due date but on or before the December 31 of the assessment year, there will be a fine of Rs 5,000 imposed. In other cases, there will be an imposition of a fine of Rs 10,000. 
• However, in a case where the total income does not exceed Rs 5 lakh, the Budget proposed that the fee amount shall not exceed Rs 1,000.
• Sanjeev Sanyal appointed Principal Economic Adviser

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF JAN 5, 2017

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF JAN 5, 2017

• On Jan 4, 2017 World Braille Day was observed.
• World Braille Day celebrates the 208th Birth anniversary of French Innovator Louis Braille (4 January 1809 – 6 January 1852).
• He was a French educator and inventor of a system of reading and writing for use by the visually impaired.
• His system remains known worldwide simply as braille.
• Myanmar celebrated 69th Independence Day On Jan 4, 2017.
• European Union lifts its 3-year ban on import of some vegetables including bittergourd, snakegourd& aubergines from India.

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF DECEMBER 6, 2016

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF DECEMBER 5, 2016

• On December 5, 2016 World Soil Day was observed.
• Theme of 2016 : 'Soils and pulses, a symbiosis for life'
• On December 5, 2016 International Volunteer Day was observed.
• This day is an international observance designated by the United Nations since 1985.
• It offers an opportunity for volunteer organizations and individual volunteers to make visible their contributions - at local, national and international levels - to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF DECEMBER 4,5, 2016

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF DECEMBER 4, 5, 2016

• India is going to train the Qatari police for handling the security during the FIFA World Cup in the nation, scheduled to be held in 2022. 
• The agreement for the training was reached upon by the visiting Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani and India's Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh On December 4, 2016.
• The US Senate has unanimously passed a legislation to extend sanctions against Iran by 10 years. 
• It was forwarded to President Barack Obama, who is expected to sign it into law delaying any potentially tougher actions until next year.