Current Affairs Update – 24th-25th March, 2016

Hello and welcome to ExamPundit. Here are the important Current Affairs of 24th and 25th March, 2016.
Current Affairs at a Glance – 24-25th
March, 2016
  1. Union Cabinet chaired by Prime
    Minister Narendra Modi on 23 March 2016 approved
    the 1500 million US dollar project of World Bank to support Swachh Bharat
    Mission – Gramin (SBM-G)
    .
  2. Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), has successfully commissioned
    a 600 Mw coal-based thermal power plant “Singareni
    thermal power project”
    in Telangana.
  3. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on 21 March 2016
    established the Gadanki Ionospheric Radar Interferometer (GIRI) near Tirupati in
    Andhra Pradesh
    .
  4. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on
    23 March 2016 inaugurated broadband connectivity to North Eastern States via
    Bangladesh to strengthen telecom services in the region
    .
  5. The Fast Patrol Vessel (FPV), ICGS Arnvesh, of the Indian Coast
    Guard (ICG) was commissioned on 21 March 2016 in Visakhapatnam.
  6. The Ministry of Health and Family
    Welfare on 22 March 2016 launched the Longitudinal
    Ageing Study in India (LASI).
  7. National Green Tribunal (NGT) on
    22 March 2016 fined 20 lakh rupees on
    Uttarakhand-based Darrameks Hotels and Developers Pvt Ltd (DHDPL)
    for
    construction on Ganga floodplains.
  8. World Tuberculosis Day (WTD) 2016 was globally observed on 24 March 2016 with the theme Unite to
    End TB.
  9. International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the
    Transatlantic Slave Trade 2016 was observed globally on 25 March
    2016.
  10. Arvind Kejriwal has been named among the world’s 50 greatest leaders ‘World’s
    50 Greatest Leaders’  by
    Fortune magazine with the Delhi Chief
    Minister being the sole Indian leader on the list topped by Amazon CEO Jeff
    Bezos. The 47-year-old Aam Aadmi Party chief is ranked 42nd on the list and is the sole leader from India.
  11. The Appointments Committee of the
    Cabinet (ACC) on 23 March 2016 approved the appointment of Justice (retd) Permod Kohli as the Chairman of Central
    Administrative Tribunal (CAT).
    He is a former Chief Justice of Sikkim High
    Court.
  12. Australia’s Shane Watson on 24 March
    2016 announced that he will retire from
    international cricket at the end of the 2016 World Twenty20 Tournament.
  13. The Netherland’s soccer legend Johan Cruyff died of  lung cancer
    on 24 March 2016 in Barcelona, Spain.
Finance/Industry –
Union Cabinet approved World Bank’s $1500 million support to Swachh
Bharat Mission – Gramin

  • Union Cabinet chaired by Prime
    Minister Narendra Modi on 23 March 2016 approved the 1500 million US dollar
    project of World Bank to support Swachh Bharat Mission – Gramin (SBM-G).
  • The approval seeks to provide for
    the mechanism of incentivisation of States under the SBM-G through World Bank
    credit.   The incentivisation of the
    States on the basis of their performance under the SBM-G was approved by the
    Union Cabinet on 24 September 2014.
  • Under the project, the
    performance of the States will be gauged through certain performance
    indicators, called the Disbursement-Linked Indicators (DLIs).

Following are three DLIs.
  •  Reduction in the prevalence of open
    defecation: The funds under this result area shall be released to the States on
    the basis of reduction in prevalence of open defecation amongst rural
    households in the State, compared to the previous year.
  •  Sustaining Open Defecation Free (ODF) status
    in Villages: The funds under this result area, shall be released on the basis
    of estimated population residing in ODF villages.
  •  Increase in percentage of rural population
    served by improved Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM): The funds under
    this will be based on the population served with acceptable level of SLWM
    services.

BHEL commissions 600 Mw power plant in Telangana

  • Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited
    (BHEL), a Maharatna central public sector enterprise, has successfully
    commissioned a 600 Mw coal-based thermal power plant in Telangana, the company
    said on Friday.
  • “The unit has been commissioned
    at the upcoming 2×600 Mw Singareni thermal power project located in Adilabad
    district,” the power plant equipment manufacturer said in a BSE filing.
  • The company has built 600 Mw
    rating sets which comprise of a four cylinder turbine, designed in-house.
  • With the commissioning of the
    unit, Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL) has successfully diversified into
    the power generation business.
  • According to the filing, the
    second unit of Singareni is also in an advanced stage of construction and is
    expected to be commissioned shortly.

Union Cabinet approved India’s accession to the Ashgabat Agreement

  • The Union Cabinet chaired by
    Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 23 March 2016 gave its approval for India to
    accede to the Ashgabat Agreement. The Agreement is an international and transit
    corridor facilitating transportation of goods between Central Asia and the
    Persian Gulf.
  • India’s accession to the
    Agreement would enable it to utilise this existing transport and transit
    corridor to facilitate trade and commercial interaction with the Eurasian
    region.
  • Further, it would also
    synchronise India’s efforts to implement the International North South
    Transport Corridor (INSTC) for enhanced connectivity.

India –
ISRO established GIRI Radar System at Tirupati

  • The Indian Space Research
    Organisation (ISRO) on 21 March 2016 established the Gadanki Ionospheric Radar
    Interferometer (GIRI) near Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh.
  • It was set up at the National
    Atmospheric Research Laboratory (NARL) which is an autonomous research
    institute of the Department of Space.

Features of GIRI System
  1. It is a 30 MHz
    radar system that will be engaged in meteor and space weather research in a
    comprehensive way.
  2. It consists of a
    rectangular antenna array of 160 two-element Yagi-antenna, arranged in a 20×8
    matrix, 20 transmitter units, 6 digital receivers including data processing
    systems, a radar controller, and a host computer.
  3. Its primary
    objective is to carry out unattended observations towards studying the forcing
    from the sun like variation in solar flux, solar flare and magnetic storm on
    the ionospheric irregularities.
  4. It also seeks to
    study unattended observations from the underneath atmosphere (e.g., waves
    generated by weather phenomena) on the ionospheric irregularities.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated broadband connectivity to NE
States via Bangladesh

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi on
    23 March 2016 inaugurated broadband connectivity to North Eastern States via
    Bangladesh to strengthen telecom services in the region.
  • Under the project, an
    international gateway for broadband connectivity will be set up at Agartala in
    Tripura.
  • Using this platform, connectivity
    will be provided to other North Eastern States like Manipur, Nagaland, etc
    through Bangladesh.
  • The cost of the project is around
    19 crore rupees and BSNL will bear annual operational expenditure of around
    seven crore rupees from its own resources.

Indian Coast Guard vessel Arnvesh commissioned

  • The Fast Patrol Vessel (FPV),
    ICGS Arnvesh, of the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) was commissioned on 21 March 2016
    in Visakhapatnam.
  • The vessel was commissioned by
    the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Naval Command, Vice-Admiral
    HCS Bisht.
  • The ship is mainly intended to
    undertake surveillance at sea, coastal patrol, anti-smuggling and anti-piracy
    operations.
  • Arnvesh is the 16th vessel among
    the 20 vessels in this category being constructed by Cochin Shipyard Limited.
  • The 300-tonne and 50-m long
    vessel is propelled by triple Rolls Royce Kamewa water jets and can achieve a
    maximum speed of 33 knots.

Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched Longitudinal
Ageing Study in India

  • The Ministry of Health and Family
    Welfare on 22 March 2016 launched the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India
    (LASI).
  • The Longitudinal Ageing Study is
    the largest survey of its kind. It will survey more than 60000 elderly over 25
    years plan. The survey will provide scientifically validated data on various
    issues of the elderly.
  • The study will be important as it
    will investigate various health structures, and impact of social determinants
    on health of the elderly. It will also help in framing evidence-based policy.

NGT fined Uttarakhand-based developer DHDPL 20 lakh rupees for
construction on Ganga floodplain
  • National Green Tribunal (NGT) on
    22 March 2016 fined 20 lakh rupees on Uttarakhand-based Darrameks Hotels and
    Developers Pvt Ltd (DHDPL) for construction on Ganga floodplains.
  • It was fined for constructing a
    hotel within 200 meters from the Ganga river bank.

Main Highlights of the Order
  • It slapped the
    environmental compensation on the developer for violating the order passed by
    Uttarakhand High Court. In the said order, the HC had prohibited construction
    of any commercial unit within 200 meter of the river bank.
  • DHDPL also
    violated the conditions set in the Consent to Establish issued by the
    Uttarakhand Environment Protection and Pollution Control Board (UEPPCB).

Days –
World Tuberculosis Day 2016 observed with theme Unite to End TB

  • World Tuberculosis Day (WTD) 2016
    was globally observed on 24 March 2016 with the theme Unite to End TB.
  • The theme was selected against
    the backdrop of the adoption of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda by the
    United Nations General Assembly in September 2015.
  • The Goal 3 of the Agenda aspires to
    ensure health and well-being for all, including a bold commitment to end the
    epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and other communicable diseases by
    2030.

International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and
Transatlantic Slave Trade 2016
observed

  • International Day of Remembrance
    of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade 2016 was observed
    globally on 25 March 2016. The theme for the year 2016 is Remember Slavery:
    Celebrating the Heritage and Culture of the African Diaspora and its Roots.
  • The theme draws attention to the
    rich African culture and traditions that have impacted life in countries that
    were involved in the slave trade and where the African Diaspora continues to
    make major contribution in all aspects of life. It also highlights the cultural
    linkages that exist among people of African descent throughout the world.

Lists/Reports –
Kejriwal named among world’s 50 greatest leaders by Fortune

  • Arvind Kejriwal has been named
    among the world’s 50 greatest leaders by Fortune magazine with the Delhi Chief
    Minister being the sole Indian leader on the list topped by Amazon CEO Jeff
    Bezos.
  • Fortune’s third annual ‘World’s
    50 Greatest Leaders’ list features men and women from across the globe from the
    fields of business, government, philanthropy and the arts who are
    “transforming the world and inspiring others to do the same.”
  • The 47-year-old Aam Aadmi Party
    chief is ranked 42nd on the list and is the sole leader from India.
  • However, South Carolina’s
    Indian-American Governor Nikki Haley is also on the list at 17th while another
    Indian- American Resham Saujani is at the 20th spot.
  • Fortune credits Kejriwal for his
    efforts to curb pollution in New Delhi through the scheme of allowing vehicles
    of odd and even numbers on alternate days on the city’s roads.

Appointments –
Justice (retd) Permod Kohli appointed Chairman of Central
Administrative Tribunal

  • The Appointments Committee of the
    Cabinet (ACC) on 23 March 2016 approved the appointment of Justice (retd)
    Permod Kohli as the Chairman of Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT). He is a
    former Chief Justice of Sikkim High Court.
  • He was appointed for a period of
    five years with effect from the date of assumption of charge of the post, or
    till attaining the age of 68 year, whichever is earlier.

Sports –
Australia’s Shane Watson announced retirement from international
cricket

  • Australia’s Shane Watson on 24
    March 2016 announced that he will retire from international cricket at the end
    of the 2016 World Twenty20 Tournament.
  • Watson retired from test cricket
    in September 2015 and since then he didn’t play any One Day Internationals
    also.

9th International Abilympics started in France

  • 9th International Abilympics
    started on 23 March 2016 at Bordeaux in France. Abilympics is coined from
    Olympics of abilities of persons with disabilities.
  • It is a global work skills
    competition held every four years. The event aims to promote social awareness
    in the field of skills development and employment both locally and
    internationally, and foster friendship among the competing nations.
  • The name Abilympics comes from
    the idea of organizing a competition to promote the skills of persons with
    disabilities. It combines Abilities with the idea of the Olympics.

Obituaries –
Dutch soccer legend Johan Cruyff died

  • The Netherland’s soccer legend
    Johan Cruyff died of  lung cancer on 24
    March 2016 in Barcelona, Spain. He was 68.
  • Cruyff’s talent was such that he
    is comfortably placed alongside Pele, Diego Maradona, Franz Beckenbauer and
    Lionel Messi as the best footballers of all time.
  • He was considered as one of the
    best player, coach, thinker, speaker and mentor in the football world.

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This post was last modified on July 20, 2019 10:16 am