Current Affairs Update – 15th March, 2015

• As many as 1.80 lakh accounts have been opened under 'Sukanya Samridhi Scheme' in less than two months of launch of the special programme for girl child, with the maximum number of accounts in Karnataka and the least in Bihar.
• On January 22, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched a small deposit scheme for girl child, as part of the 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' campaign. The deposits would fetch an interest rate of 9.1 per cent and provide income tax rebate as well.
• As per data available with the Finance Ministry, 56,471 accounts have been opened in Karnataka, followed by 43,362 accounts in Tamil Nadu and 15,877 accounts in Andhra Pradesh.
• However, Bihar accounted for the least number of accounts opened at just 204, followed by Kerala 222 and West Bengal 334, the data showed.
• National Capital Delhi saw 2,054 accounts being opened, 4,177 accounts in Haryana while 7,620 accounts have been opened in Uttar Pradesh.

• As per the details of the scheme, 'Sukanya Samridhi Account' can be opened at any time from the birth of a girl child till she attains the age of 10 years, with a minimum deposit of Rs 1,000. A maximum of Rs 1.5 lakh can be deposited during the financial year.
• The account can be opened in any post office or authorised branches of commercial banks.
• The account will remain operative for 21 years from the date of opening of the account or marriage of the girl child after attaining 18 years of age.
• To meet the requirement of higher education expenses, partial withdrawal of 50 per cent of the balance would be allowed after the girl child has attended 18 years of age.

• In a decision that could spark nationwide outrage, the BJP government in Goa has dropped Gandhi Jayanti on October 2 from the list of public holidays.
• Gandhi Jayanti, the birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation, has not been marked as a holiday in the current year's calendar, released yesterday.
• The decision has triggered strong reactions from a section of legislators in the state.
• Interestingly, Gandhi Jayanti disappeared from the list of commercial and industrial holidays released on a day when the Mahatma's statue was unveiled in London.
• Gandhi Jayanti has been celebrated all over the country for decades, with the entire nation gratefully recalling the services of the Mahatma, who led the struggle against the British rule through non-violent means.

• The city of New Delhi got its name on December 31, 1926, according to archival documents of the period at the National Archives of India (NAI) here.
• When British monarch King George V and his consort Queen Mary held one of the grandest durbars on December 12, 1911, where he assumed the crown of India and announced the shifting of the imperial capital from Calcutta (now Kolkata) to Delhi, the new capital had remained unchristened.
• On December 15, the King and the Queen, the first monarchs to attend their coronation durbar in India, laid two plain foundation stones of the new city, bearing just the date “December 15, 1911” engraved on it.
• It was only 15 years after his coronation as the King-Emperor of India that King George V named the city ‘New Delhi’. Until then, the city had in common parlance been referred to just as the ‘new capital’ or ‘new imperial capital’ or ‘imperial city’.

• Young Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth clinched the Swiss Grand Prix Gold championship title after overcoming a strong challenge from Viktor Alexson in a hard-fought men's singles final here today.
• World No. 4 Srikanth showed nerves of steel to prevail over his Danish opponent, ranked sixth in the world, 21-15 12-21 21-14 in the thrilling summit clash of the USD 120,000 event as the contest lasted 47 minutes.
• Srikanth, who created a major upset in the final of the 2014 China Open Super Series Premier by beating five-time World champion and two-time Olympic gold medallist Lin Dan, kept his nerves to make a strong comeback after going down tamely in the second game.
• Earlier, Srikanth had won a Grand Prix Gold title in Thailand Open in 2013, while finished runners-up at the 2014 India Open Grand Prix Gold event in Lucknow.

• Putting up a dominating show, India scored in three of the four quarters to outplay Poland 3-1 to clinch the FIH World Hockey League Round 2 at Major Dhyan Chand stadium on Sunday.
• Vandana Kataria put India ahead by scoring a field goal in the dying minutes of the opening quarter.
• The Polish girls struck back immediately at the start of the second period as Oriana Walasek struck level in the 17th minute by converting a penalty corner.
• The third period remained goalless for long before Rani put the hosts ahead again with her field goal in the 44th minute.
• India skipper Ritu Rani then celebrated her 200th International appearance by finding the net in the 59th minute to seal the title for her side.

• Noted Gandhian and former Chancellor of Gujarat Vidyapith, Narayan Desai, died at a private hospital in Surat today.
• 90--year-old Desai, son of Mahatma Gandhi's diarist Mahadev Desai, is survived by daughter Sanghmitra and sons Nachiketa and Aflatoon.
• Narayan Desai was born on December 24, 1924, at Valsad in Gujarat and brought up at Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad.
• He imbibed Gandhian ideals of non-violence and truth from his father Mahadev Desai, who was the personal secretary and diarist of Mahatma Gandhi.
• Desai was also associated with Vinoba Bhave's Bhoodan (land gift) movement and Jayprakash Narayan's 'total revolution' movement.
• He was popular for reciting 'Gandhi-Katha'(narratives on the life of Mahatma Gandhi) across the world which he began in 2004.
• Desai served as Gujarat Vidyapith Chancellor since July 23, 2007, but resigned from the post in November last year.

• Lia Van Leer, an Israeli cinema pioneer and Israel Prize laureate, has died in a Jerusalem hospital aged 90, a close friend said.
• Van Leer died on Friday and had been hospitalised after returning from Germany, where she attended the Berlinale film festival last month, Carol Dreyfus, who worked with her, said yesterday.
• Born in Romania, Van Leer moved to Israel and studied at Hebrew University where she met her future husband, Dutch filmmaker and engineer Wim van Leer. They founded Israel's first cinema club in the 1950s.
• The two travelled extensively, collecting movies from around the world, which led to her founding the Israel Film Archives.
• In 1973, she created the Jerusalem Cinematheque and, 10 years later, started the Jerusalem Film Festival.
• Van Leer was awarded the Israel Prize in 2004 for her life's achievements and the President's Medal last year.

• A California-based institution has become the US' first officially recognised Muslim college after receiving formal academic accreditation.
• Zaytuna College, which operates out of two rented buildings in Berkeley, California, and had an enrolment of 30 in 2013, was officially accredited last week by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges -- one of the six academic organisations responsible for authorising public and private colleges and universities in the US.
• The certification means the institution can apply for various federal and private grants, issue visas to international students and allow students to transfer credits to or from other accredited schools.
• Zaytuna College, which was founded in 2008 and began holding classes the next year, offers liberal arts courses in politics, religion and ethics.

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