Daily Current Affairs 8th March, 2018

Daily Current Affairs 8 March 2018 for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.

NATIONAL NEWS

Centre approves 2% DA for government employees

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime MinisterNarendra Modi approved 2% Dearness Allowance (DA) to Central Government employees and Dearness Relief (DR) to pensioners.

• This will benefit about 48.41 lakh Central Government employees and 61.17 lakh, pensioners.

Government announces launch of ‘SUVIDHA’, 100% Oxo-biodegradable Sanitary Napkin

Union Minister for Chemicals & Fertilizers and Parliamentary Affairs, Shri Ananthkumar announced the launch of ‘Suvidha’, the 100% Oxo-biodegradable Sanitary Napkin, under the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP).

• The affordable sanitary napkin will be available for Rs. 2.50 per pad at over 3200 Janaushadhi Kendrasacross India and would ensure ‘Swachhta, Swasthya and Suvidha’for the underprivileged Women of India.
• SUVIDHA napkins would be physically available at all Janaushadhi Kendras in the country by May 28, 2018 – World Menstrual Hygiene Day.

Udyam Sakhi Portal Launched for Women Entrepreneurs

On the occasion of International Women’s Day, March 8,the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises(MSME) launched a portal for women entrepreneursof India: www.udyamsakhi.org. 

• The portal is a network for nurturing entrepreneurship and creating business models for low cost products and services in order to empower women and make them self-reliant and self-sufficient.
• The portal provides assistance through its platform for entrepreneurship learning tools, incubation facility,training programs for fund raising, providing mentors, one-on-one investor meet, provide market survey facility and technical assistance.

PM launches National Nutrition Mission, and pan India expansion of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao

On the occasion of International Women’s Day, PM Narendra Modi launched the National Nutrition Mission and Pan India Expansion of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) covering all 640 districts of the Country at a mega event held at Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan.

• The Prime Minister also awarded ten districts for showing outstanding performance in the areas of effective community engagement, enforcement of PC&PNDT Act and enabling education of the girl child.

Deadline for Ayushman Bharat logo competition extended

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare extended till March 18 the deadline for the competition to design a logo and tagline for the Ayushman Bharat programme.

• The Ayushman Bharat programme is the world’s largest government-funded health programme that includes the National Health Protection Scheme (NHPS), under which 10 crore poor families will be provided medical coverage of up to Rs 5 lakh per family per year.

Karnataka Govt. unveils new Karnataka flag

The Karnataka government has unveiled a state flag. The flag design will now be sent to the Central Government for approval, following which it will be announced as the state flag.

• The unveiled flag consists of three colors- red, white and yellow and has state emblem “Ganda Bherunda”, a two-headed mythical bird in the middle.
• Karnataka previously had an unofficial yellow and red flag. But after repeated demands for a separate flag, the state government formed a nine-member committee to work upon a design for the official state flag in July 2017.

Mumbai ranks 47th on global ‘city wealth index’: Report

According to the independent global property consultancy Knight Frank’s Wealth Report 2018, Mumbai ranked 47th on the “city wealth index” among 314 cities in the world.  The “city wealth index” is drawn from four major indicators — wealth, investments, lifestyle and future.

• Guangzhou, a city in China, tops the list with property prices appreciating by 27.4% in the last one year.

India ranks 52 in Mastercard women entrepreneurs index

India ranked 52 among 57 countries studied for the Mastercard Index of Women Entrepreneurs (MIWE), according to the findings of its second edition.

• Ghana (46.4 percent) ranks first in the world with the highest number of women business owners, followed by Russia (34.6 percent), Uganda (33.8 percent), New Zealand (33 percent) and Australia (32.1 percent).

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

India seals agreement with UN to build homes for Nepal quake victims

In a reconstruction bid for earthquake-ravaged Nepal, the Government of India has sealed an agreement with United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) to build 50, 000 homes for quake victims.

• The agreement signed will provide socio- technical facilitation to the earthquake victims of Gorkha, the epicenter of 2015’s earthquake and the Nuwakot district of Nepal.

BUSINESS

NERL, BoB in tie-up for pledge finance

The National E-Repository, a subsidiary of National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange, has tied up with Bank of Baroda to facilitate pledge finance on its electronic negotiable receipt issued against goods stored in the accredited warehouses.

Canara HSBC OBC Life Insurance partners Can Fin Homes to sell policies

Canara HSBC Oriental Bank of Commerce Life Insurance has joined hands with Can Fin Homes for a three-year corporate agency tie up to sell its policies to potential home buyers. All the life insurance products of the company would be made available to customers of Can Fin Homes.

Ficci, NITI Aayog tie-up for ‘women entrepreneurship platform’

The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci) has tied-up with NITI Aayog for the Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) initiative.

• Through a joint programme, Ficci and NITI Aayog shall provide hand-holding, mentorship, capacity building, scaling up and networking support to 100 technology led women enterprises over a period of five years.

RBI slaps SBI with monetary penalty

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a monetary penalty of Rs. 40 lakh on State Bank of India (SBI) for non-compliance of its directions on detection and impounding of counterfeit notes.

TECHNOLOGY

TCS ranked as the fastest growing IT services brand in 2018

Leading global IT services organisation, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) was named as the fastest growing IT services brand in the world in an assessment done by leading brand valuation firm, Brand Finance.
This puts TCS in a unique group of businesses with a brand valuation over USD 10 billion mark.

AWARDS

Justice Gita Mittal conferred ‘Nari Shakti’ award

Delhi High Court acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal has been conferred with “Nari Shakti Puraskar”. Justice Mittal is one of the 30 individual awardees who have been selected for the Puraskar.

• This year, 30 individual awardees and nine institutional awardees are selected for these Puraskars. The Ministry of Women and Child Development announces these national level awards for eminent women, organisations and institutions.

Indian architect Balkrishna Doshi wins 2018 Pritzker Prize

Indian architect Balkrishna Doshi was awarded this year’s Pritzker Prize for being able to interpret architecture and transform it into buildings that respect Eastern culture, at the same time that he has improved the quality of life in his homeland.  He is the first Indian to win the award.

• The Pritzker Prize is regarded as architecture’s equivalent to the Nobel Prize.

IMPORTANT DAYS

International Women’s Day: 8 March

International Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8 every year. Before the UN adopted it in 1977, the day was mostly celebrated in socialist and Communist countries. 

• The Day is dedicated to celebrating womanhood, their social, political, cultural, economic achievements and their significant contributions to society. The day also emphasises the importance of gender equality.
• The International Women’s Day 2018 theme is “Time is Now: Rural and urban activists transforming women’s lives”.

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