Current Affairs Update – 1st – 4th April, 2016

Hello and welcome to ExamPundit. Here are the Important Current Affairs from 1st to 4th April, 2016. These are important for the upcoming NABARD Assistant Manager and SBI Clerical Grade Exam 2016.
Current Affairs at a Glance – 1st to 4th April, 2016
  1. India and Germany’s Development Bank KfW on 1 April 2016 signed an agreement to provide loan assistance of 500
    million Euro (about 3750 crore rupees)
    for the modern and
    sustainable metro system for Nagpur city.
    This is the
    first German assistance to Metro project in the country
    .
  2. India and Saudi Arabia on 3 April 2016 inked five agreements to boost the bilateral cooperation between the
    two nations.
  3. Telecom operator Aircel
    has signed 2G intra-circle roaming agreement with state-owned BSNL
    on pan-India basis.
  4. Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) on today said that it has
    become the top coal producer in the country by producing a record 138 mt of dry
    fuel in the financial year 2015-16
    , contributing 39 per cent to
    the incremental growth of Coal India Limited (CIL).
  5. The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) under
    Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry on 31 March 2016 launched
    the Startup India portal http://startupindia.gov.in  and mobile app
    in New Delhi.
  6. Union Power, Coal and New and
    Renewable Energy Minister of State (Independent Charge) Piyush Goyal on 31
    March 2016 launched Vidyut PRAVAH- Electricity, Price
    Availability and Highlights mobile application in New Delhi
    . The
    mobile application provides highlights of the power availability in India on
    real time basis.
  7. E-commerce giant Flipkart on 1 April 2016 announced that
    it has acquired payments start-up PhonePe Internet
    Pvt. Ltd
    .
  8. The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI)
    announced on 1 April 2016 that it has inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
    with Australia India Business Council
    (AIBC).
    The MoU aims at strengthening and promoting business ties with
    Australia.
  9. Amazon, the global e-commerce and cloud services firm, on 30 March
    2016 commenced work on its biggest campus at Hyderabad in
    India
    . It is the largest campus outside the United States (US)
    for Amazon.
  10. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 4
    April 2016 returned to New Delhi after concluding his official visit to
    Belgium, United States and Saudi Arabia.
  11. IIT-Madras was ranked number one
    amongst Research and Teaching Institutions in Engineering
    amongst
    several other similar institutions in India.
  12. India and Sri Lanka on 31 March 2016 signed a Memorandum of
    Understanding (MoU) to provide 150 fishing boats and fishing equipment to 300
    Tamil fishermen from Mullaithivu in North Sri Lanka
    .
  13. Union Minister for Environment
    and Forests Prakash Javdekar on 3 April 2016 inaugurated a White Tiger Safari at Mukundpur in Satna district of
    Madhya Pradesh
    . The Safari is situated adjacent to the Mukundpur Zoo which is spread over 75 hectares.
  14. Kachhabali village in
    Bhim tehsil of Rajsamand District became the first in Rajasthan to vote to close down its only liquor shop.
  15. Mehbooba Mufti was on 4 April 2016 sworn in as the Chief Minister
    (CM) of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) at Raj Bhawan in Jammu
    . With this,
    the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti became the first woman CM of J&K.
  16. Senior IAS officer and Additional Chief Secretary to Odisha government
    R Balakrishnan
    has been appointed as Chairman of Bhubaneswar Smart
    City Limited (BSCL),
    the special purpose vehicle (SPV) set up to execute
    projects for making the state capital a smart city.
  17. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on 3 April 2016 conferred the King Abdulaziz Sash honour by Saudi Arabia.
    It is the highest civilian honour of the country
    .
  18. PEN America on 31 March 2016 announced that it will confer the PEN/Barbey
    Freedom to Write Award upon imprisoned Egyptian novelist and journalist Ahmed
    Naji
    .
  19. West Indies on 3 April 2016 won the ICC Cricket World T-20 Men’s Cup
    2016
    . In the final clash at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, West Indies defeated
    England by 4 wickets.
  20. Victoria Azarenka of Belarusia and World No 1 Novak Djokovic of Serbia
    won women’s and men’s singles titles of the
    2016 Miami Open
    at the Crandon Tennis Center in Miami on 2 and 3 April 2016
    respectively.
  21. The
    World Autism Awareness Day 2016
    was
    celebrated across the world on 2 April
    2016
    . The 2016 theme for the day is Autism and the 2030 Agenda: Inclusion
    and Neurodiversity
  22. International
    Day of Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action
    was observed on
    4 April
    2016 across the world. The theme of the year 2016 is Mine Action is
    Humanitarian Action.
  23. #PanamaPapers was in news because
    a new investigation by the International Consortium of Investigative
    Journalists (ICIJ)
    and more than 100 other news organisations around
    the globe revealed offshore links of some of the planet’s most prominent
    people, including over 500 from India.
  24. The former A.C. Milan defender and
    Italy manager Cesare Maldini died on 3 April 2016 in Milan,
    Italy. He was 84.
  25. Ranjan Baindoor, former
    Bombay Ranji Trophy allrounder, passed away here on Monday morning. Baindoor
    was 60.
  26. Patty Duke, an acclaimed
    actress who won an Oscar for her role of Helen Keller in The
    Miracle Worker, died of sepsis from a ruptured intestine on 29 March 2016. She
    was 69.

Finance/Industry/Economy –
India signed agreement with Germany’s KfW for 500 million Euro loan to
Nagpur Metro

  • India and Germany’s Development
    Bank KfW on 1 April 2016 signed an agreement to provide loan assistance of 500
    million Euro (about 3750 crore rupees) for the modern and sustainable metro
    system for Nagpur city. This is the first German assistance to Metro project in
    the country.
  • The loan period is of 20 years
    with a moratorium of five years and disbursal will be based on the progress of
    the project over three years.
  • Costing 1240 million Euro (8680
    crore rupees), Nagpur Metro is the first metro to be financed under the
    Indo-German partnership for clean, socially inclusive and climate friendly
    mobility for people in cities. Work on Nagpur Metro is being executed by Nagpur
    Metro Rail Corporation Limited (NMRCL).
  • Sanctioned by the Union
    Government in August 2014, Nagpur Metro Project envisages two corridors and
    they are 19.70 km North-South section from Automotive Square to Khapri and
    18.60 km long line between Prajapati Nagar and Lokmanya Nagar.

India, Saudi Arabia signed five agreements to boost bilateral co-operation

  • India and Saudi Arabia on 3 April
    2016 inked five agreements to boost the bilateral cooperation between the two
    nations. The agreements were signed in Riyadh during the two day visit of Prime
    Minister Narendra Modi to Saudi Arabia from 2 April to 3 April 2016.
  • The visit to Saudi Arabia was
    part of Modi’s three-nation visit to Belgium, the United States and Saudi
    Arabia from 30 March to 3 April 2016.

Details of the five agreements
  • Agreement on Labour Co-operation
    between the Ministry of Labour, Saudi Arabia and Ministry of External Affairs,
    India for recruitment of general category workers.
  • Technical Cooperation Program
    between the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and the Saudi Standards, Metrology
    and Quality Organization (SASO).

Aircel, BSNL sign pan India 2G roaming pact
  • Telecom operator Aircel has
    signed 2G intra-circle roaming agreement with state-owned BSNL on pan-India
    basis.
  • “This is a first agreement
    between a state owned operator and a private telecom player. With this
    strategic tie up, both organizations will be able to enhance customer
    experience besides utilizing each other’s assets and network strength,” Aircel
    said in a statement today.
  • The pact will lead to improved
    network connectivity as well as quality.
  • The agreement will help Aircel
    widen its reach as BSNL has about 1.14 lakh mobile towers across country.
  • BSNL has second highest number of
    mobile towers in the country and also premium 900 Mhz spectrum that it is using
    for 2G services. With continued investment BSNL expects to have around 1,35,000
    mobile towers, maximum owned by a company.

MCL becomes number 1 coal producer of India in FY16
  • Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL)
    on today said that it has become the top coal producer in the country by
    producing a record 138 mt of dry fuel in the financial year 2015-16,
    contributing 39 per cent to the incremental growth of Coal India Limited (CIL).
  • The MCL that celebrates Silver
    Jubilee Foundation Day on today started its journey in 1992 as a 23 mt coal
    producing company and the youngest subsidiary of CIL, MCL said in a statement.
  • The year ended March 31, 2016,
    remained an eventful year for MCL as it has become the flagship subsidiary of
    CIL, it said.

Union Government launched Startup India Portal and Mobile App

  • The Department of Industrial
    Policy and Promotion (DIPP) under Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry on 31
    March 2016 launched the Startup India portal http://startupindia.gov.in  and mobile app in New Delhi.

The key features of the portal and app are:
Information Availability:
  • The portal and mobile app provide
    timely information on various notifications and circulars issued by various
    Government ministries and departments, towards creation of a conducive
    ecosystem for Startups.
  • They also provide information
    regarding incubators and funding agencies recognized for the purpose of
    recommending Startups.
  • A comprehensive list of FAQs is
    also available to help Startups, Incubators and Funding Agencies use the portal
    and mobile app more effectively.

Startup India Hub:
  • The Startup India Hub was
    established within Invest India will be a single point of contact for the
    entire Startup ecosystem which would enable exchange of knowledge.
  • The Hub will work in a hub and
    spoke model with Governments, VCs, Angel Funds, Incubators, Mentors, etc.
  • It will assist Startups through
    their lifecycle, on all aspects, such as providing mentorship, incubator
    facilities, IPR support, funding etc.
  • The Hub will be operational from
    10:00 AM to 5:30 PM on working days and can be reached via the toll free
    number: 1800115565 or the email ID: dipp-startups@nic.in

Application for Startup Recognition:
  • Entities that fulfil the criteria
    as per the definition of Startup and are incorporated or registered in India,
    can obtain recognition as a Startup to avail various benefits listed in the
    Startup India Action Plan.
  • The process of recognition is
    simple and user friendly and involves a single page application form that a
    user can fill either through a web interface or through mobile app.

Union Government launched Vidyut PRAVAH Mobile App to empower People to
demand 24×7 Power

  • Union Power, Coal and New and
    Renewable Energy Minister of State (Independent Charge) Piyush Goyal on 31
    March 2016 launched Vidyut PRAVAH- Electricity, Price Availability and
    Highlights mobile application in New Delhi. The mobile application provides
    highlights of the power availability in India on real time basis.
  • The app will empower common
    people to demand 24X7 power from the states and will take transparency to the
    next level and make state governments more accountable.

Salient Feature of Vidyut PRAVAH mobile app
  • The main features include
    dashboard for All India summary, link for each states from All India Map and
    state specific pages on single click.
  • It provides a wealth of
    information pertaining to the current demand met, shortages if any, surplus
    power available and the prices in the Power Exchange.
  • The real time data and comparison
    with previous day or year data is also available.

Flipkart acquired UPI-based payments start-up PhonePe
  • E-commerce giant Flipkart on 1
    April 2016 announced that it has acquired payments start-up PhonePe Internet
    Pvt. Ltd.
  • The start-up PhonePe was launched
    in December 2015 by former Flipkart executives Sameer Nigam, Rahul Chari and
    Burzin Engineer.
  • As per the deal of acquisition,
    PhonePe will function as an independent business unit. The details of the
    transaction were not disclosed, however, the deal is not cash transaction.
  • PhonePe is Flipkart’s third major
    acquisition in payments, after it bought payments start-up NGPay in 2014, and
    FX Mart Pvt. Ltd, which owns a prepaid wallet licence, in August 2015.

FICCI, AIBC signed MoU to strengthen business ties
  • The Federation of Indian Chambers
    of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) announced on 1 April 2016 that it has inked
    a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Australia India Business Council
    (AIBC). The MoU aims at strengthening and promoting business ties with
    Australia.
  • The agreement was signed in the
    presence of the visiting Finance Minister Arun Jaitley during the Invest in
    India Round Table Conference in Melbourne, Australia.
  • Key highlights of the MoU
  • The agreement reinvigorates the
    ongoing relationship between the two organisations to further promote,
    facilitate and grow the trade and investment relationship between India and
    Australia.
  • It also solidifies the
    partnership for the upcoming Engaging with India conference, which will be held
    on 16 May and 17 May 2016.

Union Government extended safeguard duty on steel imports
  • Union Finance Ministry on 30
    March 2016 extended the safeguard duty on steel imports until March 2018. The
    duty was imposed to protect domestic manufacturers from cheap Chinese imports.
  • The central board of excise and
    customs in its notification said that the duty will apply to hot-rolled flat
    products of non-alloy and other alloy steel in coils of 600 mm width. The
    safeguard duty will not be imposed on goods that are imported at minimum import
    price.
  • The safeguard duty will be 20
    percent minus any existing dumping duty till September 2016, following which it
    will be reduced to 18 percent till March 2017, then brought down to 15 percent
    till September 2017 and eventually to 10 percent by March 2018.

Union Government released Indian Intellectual Property Panorama

  • Union Government on 31 March 2016
    released the Indian Intellectual Property (IP) Panorama in New Delhi. It is a
    single window interface for information on Intellectual Property and guidance
    on leveraging it for competitive advantage.
  • The Indian IP Panorama can be
    accessed on
  • It seeks to increase awareness
    and build sensitivity towards Intellectual Property, among stakeholders in the
    SME sector, academia and researchers.

The following five modules of the Indian IP Panorama were released:
  1. Importance of IP for SMEs,
  2. Trademark,
  3. Industrial design,
  4. Invention and Patent and
  5. Patent Information

Amazon commenced work on its biggest campus in Hyderabad

  • Amazon, the global e-commerce and
    cloud services firm, on 30 March 2016 commenced work on its biggest campus at
    Hyderabad in India. It is the largest campus outside the United States (US) for
    Amazon.
  • The campus spread over 10 acres
    of land in Gachibowli is part of 2 billion dollar investment announced by the
    company in India.
  • Telangana IT and Panchayat Raj
    Minister KT Rama Rao laid the foundation stone for this India’s biggest Campus.
  • This is Amazon’s second
    significant investment in Telangana in one year. In June 2015, it had
    inaugurated one of its biggest fulfillment centres in Hyderabad.

India –
PM Modi concluded three-nation visit to Belgium, United States and
Saudi Arabia
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 4
    April 2016 returned to New Delhi after concluding his official visit to
    Belgium, United States and Saudi Arabia.
  • During the five day tour from 30
    March to 3 April 2016 Modi met several leaders and also participated in two
    different summits, namely India-EU summit in Brussels and 4th Nuclear Security
    Summit in Washington DC.

Major Highlights of the visit to Belgium
  • In the first leg of his visit to
    Belgium, Modi was given a ceremonial welcome at Egmont Palace in Brussels.
    Brussels is the headquarters of European Union and NATO.
  • He attended 13th India-EU summit
    and held meeting with Belgium Prime Minister Charles Michel

Major Highlights of the visit to the United States
  • In the second leg of his tour to
    three nations, Modi visited the United States where he attended the 4th Nuclear
    Security Summit in Washington DC. The summit focused on a gamut of issues
    pertaining to nuclear security.
  • The two-day summit highlighted
    achievements and commitments of several countries towards safeguarding nuclear
    devices and technologies and reducing the threat of nuclear terrorism.

Major Highlights of the visit to Saudi Arabia
  • Prime Minister inspected the
    guard of honour at the Ceremonial Welcome in Riyadh.
  • India and Saudi Arabia signed
    five agreements and MoUs.
  • During the visit, Modi met with
    Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud a gold-plated replica of the Cheraman
    Juma Masjid of Kerala. Situated in Thrissur district, the mosque is believed to
    be the first mosque built in India by Arab traders around 629 AD.

IIT Madras ranked first in India Rankings 2016 for engineering

  • IIT-Madras was ranked number one
    amongst Research and Teaching Institutions in Engineering amongst several other
    similar institutions in India. The Rankings 2016 was released today by the
    Minister for Human Resource Development.
  • The National Institutional
    Ranking Framework was created by the Ministry of Human Resources Development in
    2015, outlines a methodology to rank institutions across the country.
  • The parameters used for ranking
    broadly cover “Teaching, Learning and Resources,” “Research and
    Professional Practices,” “Graduation Outcomes,” “Outreach
    and Inclusivity,” and “Perception”.
  • IIM-Bangalore lead among
    management institutions.
  • The National Institutional
    Ranking Framework (NIRF) covering 3,500 different institutes in four different
    categories was released by HRD minister Smriti Irani.

India, Sri Lanka signed MoU to provide 150 boats & fishing
equipment to Mullaithivu fishermen

  • India and Sri Lanka on 31 March
    2016 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to provide 150 fishing boats
    and fishing equipment to 300 Tamil fishermen from Mullaithivu in North Sri
    Lanka.
  • The boats and equipment will be
    provided as a part of India’s development assistance programme in Sri Lanka.
  • The MoU was inked in Colombo at
    the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development.
  • Now, the Indian High Commission
    to Sri Lanka will float a tender to procure the items through a competitive
    bidding process. The project will cost 100 million Sri Lankan Rupees.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal launched Phase I of Green Delhi
initiative

  • Delhi Chief Minister Arvind
    Kejriwal on 31 March 2016 launched the Phase I of Green Delhi initiative by
    planting trees at the Triangular Park at the ITO Chowk.
  • The launch of the initiative is
    in tune with the Detailed Action Plan (DAP) that was submitted by the Delhi
    Government to the Supreme Court in December 2015.
  • The DAP deals with the steps
    being taken to improve air quality and reduce air pollution in the National
    Capital.

Features of Green Delhi initiative
  • Vaccum cleaning of all Public
    Works Department (PWD) roads will be started at regular intervals starting from
    1 April 2016.
  • To avoid dust rising from unpaved
    footpaths and central verges, the central verges of the 1260 kilometres of road
    maintained by the PWD will be bedded with grass and greenery. This initiative
    will include kutcha portion under flyovers.

World’s first White Tiger Safari inaugurated in Madhya Pradesh

  • Union Minister for Environment
    and Forests Prakash Javdekar on 3 April 2016 inaugurated a White Tiger Safari
    at Mukundpur in Satna district of Madhya Pradesh.
  • The Safari is situated adjacent
    to the Mukundpur Zoo which is spread over 75 hectares.
  • The first of its kind safari has
    cost 50 crore rupees and is spread over an area of 25 hectares.
  • With its inauguration, the safari
    houses three white tigers, including one male named Raghu and two females named
    Vindhya and Radha.

Trimbakeshwar Temple Trust barred entry for all men & women
  • The Shri Trimbakeshwar Devasthan
    Trust (STDT) passed a resolution on 3 April 2016 that bars all persons, men and
    women from entering the sanctum till the next decision.
  • Only the traditional and
    hereditary priests will be allowed to enter the sanctum of the Trimbakeshwar
    temple in Nashik district of Maharashtra.
  • A trustee said that owing to the
    geographical positioning of the temple, steps leading to the sanctum sanctorum
    are not be in the best of condition and therefore from now on both men and
    women devotees will not be allowed inside.

Kachabali village became first liquor-free village in Rajasthan
  • Kachhabali village in Bhim tehsil
    of Rajsamand District became the first in Rajasthan to vote to close down its
    only liquor shop.
  • The polling was conducted by the
    excise department of the state on 29 March 2016 and around 94% of the voters
    said that they want a complete ban on the sale of alcohol in the village.
  • The vote was carried out under
    the Rajasthan Excise Rules, according to which any panchayat can decide to
    close a liquor shop in the village if 50% of its residents vote for it.
  • The poll was the result of a
    campaign that started on Republic Day in 2016, led by Geeta, the sarpanch,
    under whose guidance a voting session had also been organised on 29 February
    2016.

Union Government launched Inclusiveness and Accessibility Index for
Persons with Disabilities
  • The Department of Empowerment of
    Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) of the Ministry Social Justice and
    Empowerment on 31 March 2016 launched the Inclusiveness and Accessibility
    Index.
  • The index seeks to help the
    industries and corporates to participate in the Accessible India Campaign (AIC)
    by voluntarily evaluating their readiness for making the workplace accessible
    for Persons with Disabilities.

Features of Inclusiveness and Accessibility Index
  • It enables the organisations to
    introspect over their inclusive policies and organisational culture in aid of
    PwDs, employment of such workforce and adaptations to meet the needs of PwDs.
  • The index toolkit aims at
    assessing the current stage of inclusiveness and accessibility of persons with
    disabilities by an organisation.
  • It can also act as a guide for
    taking progressive steps to increase support, inclusiveness and accessibility
    towards persons/employees with disabilities.
  • It can be applied and used by
    organisations irrespective of their size and scale.

Appointments –
Mehbooba Mufti took oath as first woman Chief Minister of Jammu &
Kashmir

  • Mehbooba Mufti was on 4 April
    2016 sworn in as the Chief Minister (CM) of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) at Raj
    Bhawan in Jammu. The swearing-in ceremony was presided over by J&K Governor
    NN Vohra.
  • With this, the Peoples Democratic
    Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti became the first woman CM of J&K.
  • Bharathiya Janata Party (BJP)
    legislator Nirmal Singh took oath as Deputy Chief Minister.

R Balakrishnan appointed BSCL Chairman

  • Senior IAS officer and Additional
    Chief Secretary to Odisha government R Balakrishnan has been appointed as
    Chairman of Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited (BSCL), the special purpose vehicle
    (SPV) set up to execute projects for making the state capital a smart city.
  • Bhubaneswar, which became the
    first city to have its SPV take off, had also topped the list of first batch of
    20 smart cities selected by Urban Development Ministry in January this year.
  • BSCL will have authorised a
    capital of Rs 500 crore, divided in to 5 crore shares of Rs 100 each.
  • Of this, Odisha government and
    Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation will have a share of Rs 112.50 crore each
    while Bhubaneswar Development Authority will contribute share capital of Rs 250
    crore.

GoAir promotes CEO Wolfgang Prock-Schauer to managing director
  • Wadia-group run budget airline
    GoAir has elevated its chief executive officer Wolfgang Prock-Schauer to the
    post of managing director. The redesignation takes place as the airline
    prepares for an initial public offer. Prock-Schauer will continue to hold post
    of CEO as well.
  • Prock-Schauer, who joined the
    airline last June, will hold the managing director’s post along with airline
    promoter Jeh Wadia. An airline spokesperson confirmed Prock-Schauer’s
    appointment as the managing director and added that it was subject to statutory
    approvals. The airline did not share reasons behind the move. Prock-Schauer was
    chief executive officer of Jet Airways for six years till 2009.
  • Industry watchers said with these
    changes GoAir wants to demonstrate stability and consistency in its top
    management and indicate it is ready for massive expansion.

Jitendra Jagota appointed Chairman of IDSA

  • Indian Direct Selling Association
    (IDSA) on 29 March 2016 named Jitendra Jagota, Director Legal & Government
    Affairs at Avon Beauty Products, as its Chairman.
  • Jagota succeeds Rajat Banerji,
    who serves as National Head, Corporate Affairs at Amway India.
  • Jagota was appointed the Chairman
    during the Association’s new Executive Committee was announced at the General
    Body Meeting held in New Delhi.
  • The new Executive Committee
    comprised of Vivek Katoch as Vice Chairman, Rajat Banerji as Treasurer, and
    Rini Sanyal as Secretary.
  • The elected members of the IDSA
    will each serve one-year term for financial year 2016-17.

J Geetha Reddy appointed as PAC Chairperson of Telangana
  • Congress senior MLA J Geeta Reddy
    was on 31 March 2016 appointed as the Chairperson of the Public Accounts
    Committee (PAC) of Telangana.
  • She will be the first woman
    legislator to be appointed for the post in India.
  • Previously, Congress MLA Patolla
    Kista Reddy was the first chairman of PAC of newly formed Telangana State.
    After his death, the post was occupied by Ramreddy Venkat Reddy who was also a
    senior leader from Congress. But the position fell vacant again after Venkat Reddy
    passed away on 4 March 2016 due to illness.

Kallol Roy appointed CMD of Bhartiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam
  • Kallol Roy on 31 March 2016 was
    appointed the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Bhartiya Nabhikiya Vidyut
    Nigam Ltd (BHAVINI).
  • Roy assumed the position
    following the superannuation of Perumal Chellapandi.
  • Kallol Roy had served as the Head
    of the Research Reactor Maintenance Division, Reactor Group, BARC. He was
    responsible for total maintenance management of all plant systems and
    equipment, carrying out modifications and upgrading mechanical and electrical systems
    and computerising various plant systems.

Awards & Honors –
PM Modi conferred highest civilian award of Saudi Arabia

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi was
    on 3 April 2016 conferred the King Abdulaziz Sash honour by Saudi Arabia. It is
    the highest civilian honour of the country.
  • The prestigious award was awarded
    by King Salman bin Abdulaziz at the Royal Court in Riyadh where the two nations
    heads held extensive talks on a range of bilateral, regional and international
    issues.
  • The award is named after
    Abdulaziz Al Saud. He was the founder of the modern Saudi state. It is awarded
    to citizens of Saudi Arabia and foreigners for meritorious service to the
    Kingdom.
  • The other prominent personalities
    who were conferred with this award earlier are Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo
    Abe, British Prime Minister David Cameron, US President Barack Obama, Russian
    President Vladimir Putin and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

Jailed Egyptian Novelist Ahmed Naji to receive PEN/Barbey Freedom to
Write Award

  • PEN America on 31 March 2016
    announced that it will confer the PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award upon
    imprisoned Egyptian novelist and journalist Ahmed Naji.
  • The award will be presented to
    Naji at Pen America’s annual Literary Gala on 16 May 2016 at the American
    Museum of Natural History in New York.
  • PEN America’s 16 May 2016
    Literary Gala will also salute Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling with the 2016
    PEN/Allen Foundation Literary Service Award for engendering a love of
    literature among children worldwide.
  • Naji is the author of three books
    and a journalist at the state-funded Akhbar al-Adab literary magazine.

Sports –
West Indies defeated England to win ICC World T20 Men’s title

  • West Indies on 3 April 2016 won
    the ICC Cricket World T-20 Men’s Cup 2016. In the final clash at Eden Gardens,
    Kolkata, West Indies defeated England by 4 wickets.
  • England batting first was bowled
    out at a score of 155 for 9 wickets and in reply to the target West Indies
    scored 161 at the loss of 4 wickets in 19.4 over.
  • Player of the match – Marlon
    Samuels (West Indies)
  • Player of the series – Virat
    Kohli (India)
  • With this win, West Indies became
    the only team so far to win the ICC World Twenty20 title twice, having secured
    it last in 2012.

West Indies won Women’s title of ICC World T20 2016
  • West Indies Women’s on 3 April
    2016 won their maiden Women’s Cricket World T-20 title. In the final clash at
    Eden Gardens, Kolkata, West Indies defeated reigning champions Australia by 8
    wickets.
  • Batting first Australia was
    bowled out at a score of 148 for 5 wickets and in reply West Indies scored 149
    at the loss of 2 wickets in 19.3 over.
  • Player of the match – Hayley Matthews (West Indies Women)
  • Player of the series – Stafanie Taylor (West Indies Women)

Novak Djokovic and Victoria Azarenka won 2016 Miami Open titles

  • Victoria Azarenka of Belarusia
    and World No 1 Novak Djokovic of Serbia won women’s and men’s singles titles of
    the 2016 Miami Open at the Crandon Tennis Center in Miami on 2 and 3 April 2016
    respectively.
  • Novak Djokovic defeated Kei
    Nishikori of Japan 6-3, 6-3 in the men’s final while Victoria Azarenka defeated
    Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia 6-4, 6-4.
  • Djokovic won his sixth title in
    Miami and became the first player to win three straight Miami titles since
    Agassi from 2001-2004.
  • This championship title made him
    the new career ATP Masters 1000 title leader. Behind him comes Rafael Nadal
    with 27 titles, Roger Federer with 24, and Andre Agassi with 17.

Shiva Thapa won Silver at Asian/Oceania Qualifying event in China
  • Indian boxer Shiva Thapa on 1
    April 2016 won silver medal in the 56 kilogram category at the Asian/Oceania
    Qualifying Tournament in Qian’an, China.
  • Thapa defeated Kazakhstan’s
    Kairat Yeraliyev in the semi-finals to earn the medal.
  • With this win, the 22-year-old
    Thapa became the first Indian boxer to book a seat in the Rio Olympics.
  • In the final clash, Thapa faced
    0-3 defeat to Thailand’s Chatchai Butdee. Butdee is the reigning Asian champion
    while Thapa is a World Championship bronze-medallist.

Days –
World Autism Awareness Day 2016 celebrated across the world

  • The World Autism Awareness Day
    2016 was celebrated across the world on 2 April 2016. The 2016 theme for the
    day is Autism and the 2030 Agenda: Inclusion and Neurodiversity.
  • World Autism Awareness Day is an
    internationally recognised day, encouraging Member States of the United Nations
    to take measures to raise awareness about children with autism throughout the
    world.
  • It was designated by the United
    Nations General Assembly resolution 62/139. World Autism Awareness Day, passed
    in council on 1 November 2007 and adopted on 18 December 2007.
  • This resolution was passed and
    adopted without a vote in the UN General Assembly, mainly as a supplement to
    previous UN initiatives to improve human rights.

International Day of Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action
observed

  • International Day of Mine
    Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action was observed on 4 April 2016 across the
    world. The theme of the year 2016 is Mine Action is Humanitarian Action.
  • The theme of the day draws people
    across the world to work together to advance the goal of a world free of the
    threat of mines and explosive remnants of war. It is because mine action saves
    lives.

World –
Panama Papers link global politicians in offshore deals, several
Indians named

  • A new investigation by the
    International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and more than 100
    other news organisations around the globe reveal offshore links of some of the
    planet’s most prominent people, including over 500 from India.
  • “In terms of size, the
    Panama Papers is likely the biggest leak of inside information in history –
    more than 11.5 million documents – and it is equally likely to be one of the
    most explosive in the nature of its revelations,” the consortium said of
    its investigation published on Sunday.
  • In India, The Indian Express ran
    several pages of the investigation reports alleging among other names that
    bollywood superstars Amitabh Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai were directors in
    companies in Panama. The two did not immediately respond despite efforts to
    contact them. Rai’s media adviser told the newspaper that the information was
    false.
  • In 2004, India legally allowed
    investments abroad by companies, and later individuals, through the Liberalised
    Remittance Scheme.

Nuclear Security Summit 2016 concluded in Washington DC
  • The 2016 Nuclear Security Summit
    concluded on 1 April 2016 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center,
    Washington, D.C., United States.
  • The fourth edition of the
    conference, which commenced on 31 March 2016, succeeded the 2014 Nuclear
    Security Summit. The summit was organised by the Nuclear Energy Institute
    (NEI).
  • The summit was attended by over
    50 World leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi. At the summit, the
    world leaders pledged to reduce nuclear stocks and protect the active
    inventories from falling into the hands of terrorists, which could prove to be
    catastrophic. However, leaders or representatives of Russia, North Korea, Iran
    and Belarus remained absent from the summit.

Obituaries –
Former AC Milan player Cesare Maldini died

  • The former A.C. Milan defender and
    Italy manager Cesare Maldini died on 3 April 2016 in Milan, Italy. He was 84.
  • At club level, Maldini won 4
    Serie A league titles and 1 European Cup with Milan. Internationally, he played
    for the Italian national team, earning 14 caps and participating in the 1962
    World Cup.
  • As a coach, he had a successful
    career in charge of the Italian Under-21 side, winning the European Under-21
    Championship a record three consecutive times.

Former Bombay Ranji player Ranjan Baindoor passes away

  • Ranjan Baindoor, former Bombay
    Ranji Trophy allrounder, passed away here on Monday morning. Baindoor was 60.
  • Baindoor was the chairman of the
    MCA under-19 selection committee.
  • Baindoor underwent a prostrate
    operation last January, but still travelled to see the Mumbai under-19 team in
    action against Uttar Pradesh in the Cooch Behar Trophy final at the Sachin Tendulkar
    Gymkhana at Kandivali.
  • Baindoor played four matches for
    Railways in 1974-75 and 12 matches (267 runs & 19 wkts) for Bombay from
    1975-76 to 1983-84. He was in the Sunil Gavaskar led Ranji Trophy winning
    Bombay against Delhi in 1983-84. After being hit on his right hand in the
    second innings, Baindoor, did not bowl and thereafter he retired from first
    class cricket.

British comedian Ronnie Corbett passed away
  • British entertainer Ronnie
    Corbett, best known for BBC comedy sketch show The Two Ronnies, died on 31
    March 2016. He was 85.
  • Corbett achieved prominence in
    David Frost’s 1960s satirical comedy programme The Frost Report and subsequently
    starred in sitcoms such as No – That’s Me Over Here!, Now Look Here and Sorry!.

Oscar winning actress Patty Duke died
  • Patty Duke, an acclaimed actress
    who won an Oscar for her role of Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker, died of
    sepsis from a ruptured intestine on 29 March 2016. She was 69.
  • Duke struggled with mental
    illness, having been diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 1982. Later, she turned
    up to be an advocate of mental health issues and wrote a book highlighting
    bipolar disorder and its treatments. She also used her fame to fight for others
    struggling with the disease.

Renowned Iraqi-British Architect Zaha Hadid died
  • Zaha Hadid, the first woman to
    receive the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) gold medal, died on 31
    March 2016 due to heart attack in Miami. The Iraqi-born British architect died
    at the age of 65.
  • In 2004, Hadid became the first
    woman and first Muslim recipient to win the Pritzker Prize, known as the Nobel
    for architecture.

Renowned journalist Babu Bharadwaj died
  • Veteran journalist and writer
    Babu Bharadwaj died of cardiac arrest on 30 April 2016 in Kozhikode. He was 68.
  • Bharadwaj had been a part of
    prominent print and television media in Kerala. Kalapangalkkoru Grihapadam, a
    novel penned by him, won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi award in 2006.
  • Bharadwaj’s other famous works
    include Pravasiyude Kurippukal, Shavaghoshayathra (novelettes), Puppet Theatre
    (short story collection), Pravasiyude Vazhiyambalangal and Adrushya Nagarangal.
  • The writer had also produced a
    Malayalam movie named Iniyum Marichittillatha Nammal in 1980. It was directed
    by Chintha Ravi.

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This post was last modified on March 19, 2021 9:42 am