Daily Current Affairs 7th March, 2020

Daily Current Affairs 7 March 2020 for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.

NATIONAL NEWS

Namaste Orchha festival commences in Madhya Pradesh
The three-day-long Namaste Orchha festival kick-started in Madhya Pradesh to promote tourism by showcasing the rich culture and history of the town.

• The festival was organised by Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board to promote the state as a leading tourism destination.

Aurangabad airport to be Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj Airport
Maharashtra government approved renaming the airport at Aurangabad as Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj Airport.Sambhaji Maharaj was the son of Maratha warrior king Chhtrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

• The decision was taken at a meeting of the state cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

International Conference on Nano Science and Technology 2020 (ICONSAT) was held in Kolkata, West Bengal
International Conference on Nano Science and Technology” (ICONSAT) held at Kolkata in West Bengal which was organized by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) Nano Mission that functions under the Ministry of Science and Technology.

• The Conference highlighted the current need of India in the field of Nano-Science. It includes 5Ms namely Material, Mechanical, Manufacturing, Manpower and Machines.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Freedom in the world 2020 report: India ranked 83rd among least free democracies; Finland tops
The Freedom in the World 2020 report ranks India at the 83rd position, along with Timor-Leste and Senegal. This is near the bottom of the pile among the countries categorised as “Free”, with only Tunisia receiving a lower score. India’s score fell by four points to 71, the worst decline among the world’s 25 largest democracies this year.

• While, Finland topped the list as the free democratic country followed by Norway a d Sweden.

BANKING & FINANCE

Women’s ownership of bank accounts rose to 77% in 2017 under PMJDY: MSC Report
Consulting firm MicroSave Consulting (MSC) in a report titled ‘The real story of women’s financial inclusion in India’ says the Modi government’s flagship scheme, Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), has helped raise women’s ownership of bank accounts from 43 per cent in 2014 to 77 per cent in 2017.

• Neighbouring countries such as Bangladesh and Pakistanare far behind with just 36 per cent and 7 per cent share in account ownership by women.

SPORTS

Indian shuttlers Tasnim & Mansi wins historic bronze at Yonex Dutch Junior Intl 2020 held in Netherlands
Young Indian shuttlers Tasnim Mir and Mansi Singh won a bronze medal each in the girls’ singles Badminton event at the Yonex Dutch Junior International 2020 in Haarlem, Netherlands.  It was the first time India won two bronze medals in girls’ singles at this BWF Junior International Grand Prix tournament.

• Mir was defeated by third seed So Yul Lee of Korea 19-21,  10-22 in the semifinal to settle for Bronze yesterday. Mansi lost to Indonesia’s Saifi Rizka Nurhidayah 11-21, 16-21 in the semifinal.

Philippines will host the Badminton Asia Championships
The Badminton World Federation (BWF) shifted the Asia Championships 2020 from Wuhan, China, the epicentre of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, to Manila, in the Philippines.

• The decision was confirmed by Badminton Asia and the event will now be held from April 21-26, 2020.

World Half Marathon Championships in Gdynia postponed due to coronavirus scare
World Athletics agreed with the Mayor of Gdynia and the organisers of the World Athletics Half Marathon Championships Gdynia 2020 to postponed the event until October due to coronavirus scare

• The event was originally scheduled to happen on March 29 but now it will take place on October 17

ISSF World Cup in New Delhi postponed amid coronavirus outbreak
The International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) World Cup, scheduled to be held in New Delhi from March 15 to 26, has been postponed amid coronavirus outbreak, National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) confirmed.

• However, the fresh dates for the event are yet to be announced.

APPOINTMENTS

Anurag Srivastava to replace Raveesh Kumar as MEA spokesperson
Anurag Srivastava will replace Raveesh Kumar as the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

• Anurag Srivastava is from the 1999 batch of the Indian Foreign Service.He is currently serving as the Indian ambassador to Ethiopia and the African Union.

Kareena Kapoor becomes new brand ambassador of Puma
German sportswear brand Puma has signed Bollywood actor Kareena Kapoor Khan as its new brand ambassador. With this association, Khan joins the brand’s roster of women personalities such as Sara Ali Khan, MC Mary Kom, Dutee Chand in India and Adriana Lima, Selena Gomez as well as Cara Delevingne globally who endorse the brand.

• The new partnership is aimed at encouraging more women to lead a fit and healthy lifestyle.

SBI Life Insurance Company re-appoints Sanjeev Nautiyal as MD & CEO
SBI Life Insurance said it has re-appointed Sanjeev Nautiyal as managing director and chief executive officer of the company with effect from March 10, 2020.

• Presently, he holds the grade of Deputy Managing Director at State Bank of India and is deputed as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the SBI Life since March 10, 2018.

Denys Shmygal becomes new PM of Ukraine
The Ukrainian Parliament selected Denys Shmygal to be the country’s new prime minister after President Volodymyr Zelensky asked for and received the resignation of Oleksiy Honcharuk.

• The appointment comes amid a major government shakeup as President Volodymyr Zelensky attempts to speed up reforms.

Singapore’s Daren Tang elected as WIPO’s Director General
Mr Daren Tang is set to be the new director-general of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) after winning a vote in Geneva. He will replace Australian Francis Gurry

• This is the first time a Singaporean has been nominated for the leadership position of a UN Agency.

Bimal Julka takes oath as Chief Information Commissioner
President Ram Nath Kovind administered the oath of office to Bimal Julka as Chief Information Commissioner (CIC). The post was vacant after the transparency watchdog chief Sudhir Bhargava retired on January 11.

• Julka, who has earlier served as the Union Information and Broadcasting Secretary, was administered the oath of the office at a ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
• Later, Julka administered the oath of office to Amita Pandove as Information Commissioner

AWARDS

IIFA 2020 postponed amid COVID-19 scare
The International Indian Film Academy Awards (IIFA) which was scheduled to be held in Indore Madhya Pradesh at the end of March, has now been postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak

PV Sindhu is TOISA Sportsperson of Year 2019, Rohit Sharma named cricketer of the year
World champion shuttler PV Sindhu named Sportsperson of the Year while India’s star batsman Rohit Sharma was named the cricketer of the year at the fourth Times of India Sports Awards (TOISA) 2019.

• Former India football captain Bhaichung Bhutia was given the Lifetime Achievement award, while hockey legend and three-time Olympic gold medallist Balbir Singh Sr was honoured with the Icon of the Century award.
• National badminton coach Pulella Gopichand won the Mentor of the Year award, while former shooter Jaspal Rana was recognised as the Coach of the Year.
• The Olympic-bound Indian men’s hockey was adjudged Team of the Year while the women’s hockey side skipper Rani won the Inspiration of the Year award.
• Young shooter Anish Bhanwala and women’s hockey team forward Lalremsiami were selected for the Emerging Players of the Year awards.

IMPORTANT DAYS

New Delhi hosts India Smart Utility Week 2020 (ISUW)
The India Smart Grid Forum is organizing the India Smart Utility Week (ISUW) 2020 from 3rd March to 7th March 2020 at The Lalit Hotel, Barakhamba Road, New Delhi. This Utility Week is organized as an International Conference and Exhibition on Smart Utilities for Smarter Cities.

• ISUW 2020 will bring together India’s leading Electricity, Gas and Water Utilities, Policy Makers, Regulators, Investors and world’s top-notch Smart Energy Experts, and Researchers to discuss trends, share best practices and showcase next-generation technologies and products in smart energy and smart cities domains.

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