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Current Affairs : February 16 2017

INDIAN AFFAIRS

Cabinet Approvals on February 15, 2017

i. The Union Government chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra

Modi on February 15, 2017 approved setting up of Food

Legumes Research Platform (FLRP) at Amlaha, Sehore

inMadhya Pradesh for meeting the emerging food security

challenges.

ii. The Cabinet approved the signing of Air Services

Agreement between India and Rwanda which will enable the

airlines of the two countries to operate services in each others‟

territory.

iii. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs gave its approval

to award contract in 31 contract areas under Discovered

Small Fields Policy 2016 undertaken last year

iv. The Union Cabinet approved the merger of the State Bank

of India with its 5 subsidiary banks namely State Bank of

Bikaner and Jaipur; State Bank of Hyderabad; State Bank of

Mysore; State Bank of Patiala and State Bank of Travancore.

Indian Panaroma Film Festival Begins in Port Blair

i. The Indian Panorama Film Festival kicked off in Port

Blair on February 15, 2017.

ii. The five day film festival has been organized by the

Directorate of Information, Publicity & Tourism, Andaman &

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Nicobar Administrationin association with the Ministry of

Information & Broadcasting and Directorate of Film

Festivals/IFFI, New Delhi, Govt of India.

iii .The festival was inaugurated by the Chief Secretary, Andaman

& Nicobar Administration,Shri Anindo Majumdar at DBRAIT

Auditorium, Dollygunj, Port Blair.

iv. The inauguration was followed by screening of the film

Bahubali (Telegu) directed by SS. Rajamauli.

v. About 15 films of different languages and different genre will

be screened at two different venues including PBMC Auditorium

and ITF Ground during the festival.

vi. The event will conclude on February 19, 2017.

Himachal Pradesh Governor Inaugurates Campaign against

Drug Addiction

i. The Himachal Pradesh Governor Acharya Devvrat inaugurated

a Campaign againstDrug Addiction on February 15, 2017

organized by Shimla Press Club in Shimla.

ii. The campaign aims to make the state drug free.

iii .The Governor has announced to grant Rs 1 lakh to the Press

Club Shimla for organising the campaign against drugs

iv. Through the campaign, the state will make effort to eradicate

drugs that not only affect the physical and mental health of the

addict but also lead them towards increase in crime.

Hill stations in Himachal Pradesh

Manali, Shimla, Kufri & Chail, Kasauli, Kaso



Kerala cabinet Gives In-Principle Approval for Greenfield

Airport at Sabarimala

i. The Kerala cabinet gave its in-principle approval on February

15, 2017 for setting up aGreenfield Airport at pilgrim centre

Sabarimala located at the Periyar Tiger Reserve in the Western

Ghat mountain ranges of Pathanamthitta District, Kerala.

ii. The state government has also directed Kerala State

Industrial Development Corp (KSIDC) to conduct a study on

the proposed airport.

iii. Lakhs of devotees visits the Sabarimala hill shrine each year

and in recent years the number of pilgrims visiting the temple

had gone up especially during November-JanuaryMandala-

Makaravilakku pilgrim festival season.

iv. Thus the airport will cater to the needs of lakhs of devotees

who visit the famous Lord Ayyappa hill shrine every year

by reducing the traffic congestion. Currently, only road ways

medium is available to reach the hill shrine.

Airports in Kerala

♦ Cochin International Airport, Thiruvananthapuram International

Airport, Calicut International Airport, Kannur Airport, Kollam

Airport.

Shri Radha Mohan Singh Inaugurated 2017 Indian Seed

Congress in Kolkata

i. The Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri

Radha Mohan Singh inaugurated the Indian Seed Congress



2017 in Kolkata on February 12, 2017.

ii. The theme of Seed Congress is “Seed of Joy”.

iii. The theme is in line with vision of PM Modi government to

bring happiness and prosperity in the lives of farmers by doubling

their farm income by 2022.

iv. The minister emphasized that to enhance the productivity of

good quality seeds the centre has directed the state governments

to prepare variety wise seed rolling plants to meet year wise,

season wise requirements of quality seeds.

v. These rolling plants would help in improving the Seed

replacement rate along with Variety replacement rate so that

sustainable agricultural production and productivity could be

ensured.

vi. Besides vegetable seeds, the conclave also stressed on the

production of hybrid seeds of maize, paddy, pearl millet and

cotton for export to African countries.

vii. Indian seed industry has the potential to become a major

industry to supply quality seeds in global markets.

International Conference on NexGen Technologies for

Mining and Fuel Industries-NxGnMiFu-2017 inaugurated in

New Delhi

i. Union Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Science Dr.

Harsh Vardhan has inaugurated the three day International

Conference on “NexGen Technologies for Mining and Fuel

Industries” (NxGnMiFu-2017) in New Delhi on February 15,



2017

ii. Aim : To innovate new techniques, technologies and

applications for clean, safe, symbiotic sustenance of society,

environment and industries in post-2020 era.

iii. The conference was organised by CSIR-Central Institute of

Mining and Fuel Research, Dhanbad as a part of CSIR-Platinum

Jubilee Celebration to commemorate 75th year of its

foundation.

iv. An industrial exhibition is also being organised in the Vigyan

Bhawan lawns and will run in parallel with the technical sessions.

v. Eight distinguished luminaries from the mining, fuel sectors,

800 delegates from India and 50 delegates from countries like,

UK, Australia, China, Republic of Korea, Czech Republic,

Germany, USA, Japan, Canada, South Africa, Nigeria etc. have

expected to participante in the event.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

India Ranked 143 in the 2017 Index of Economic Freedom

Index

i. India has been ranked 143 out of 186 economies in the

annual Index of Economic Freedom 2017 released by top US

based Think Tank, The Heritage Foundation.The Index

measures the degree of economic freedom in the countries of the

world.

ii. Hong Kong, Singapore and New Zealand are the top three

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nations in the Index respectively.

iii. India has been placed in the category of “Mostly Unfree”

Economies in which the points ranges from 50.0-59.9.

iv. Among South Asian countries, only Afghanistan (163) and

Maldives (157) were ranked below India. Nepal (125), Sri Lanka

(112), Pakistan (141), Bhutan (107), and Bangladesh (128)

surpassed India in economic freedom

UNICEF Makes $110 Million Appeal for Sudan Children

i. The United Nations Children‟s Fund (UNICEF) has launched

a $110 million appeal on February 15, 2017 to help two million

acutely malnourished children across Sudan including

hundreds of thousands living in conflict areas

ii. Sudan is home to around 13 percent of all children suffering

from acute malnutrition across Africa. Two million children under

five in Sudan are acutely malnourished.

iii .They have been displaced due to violence in Darfur, Regions

of South and North Kordofan, Blue Nile and Abyei while many

separated from their relatives and affected by grave violations.

iv. UNICEF has spent about $500 million in Sudan over the past

five years and increasingly aims to tap funds from inside Sudan.

United Nations International Children‟s Fund

♦ The United Nations International Children‟s Fund is a United

Nations programme that provides humanitarian and

developmental assistance to children and mothers in developing



countries.

♦ Headquarters: New York City, United States

♦ CEO: Anthony Lake

♦ Founded: 11 December 1946

BANKING & FINANCE

RBI will Reimburse Banks MDR Charges Effective January

1, 2017

i. The Reserve Bank of India has decided to

reimburse banks Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) charges on

debit cards used by citizens for payment with effect from January

1, 2017.

ii .In December 2016, the government had decided to absorb the

merchant discount rate (MDR) charges in respect of debit

card transactions for making payments to it to encourage people

to use digital payments post demonetisation.

iii. RBI has directed the banks to forward their claim for

reimbursement of MDR along with statutory auditor‟s certificate

to RBI‟s Nagpur office on a quarterly basis.

iv .For the quarter ending March 2017, the banks have been

asked to file claim by April 30.

v. Also, the banks will have to certify that MDR charges for

transaction amounts up to Rs 1 lakh have not been collected from

the payer.

Merchant Discount Rate (MDR)



♦ MDR is a charge to a merchant by a bank for accepting payment

from their customers in credit and debit cards every time a card

is used for payments (like swiping) in their stores.

Citi Bank launches instant chat service for customers

i. Mumbai based Citi Bank has launched instant chat services for

customers named Citibank Online (CBOL) on February 16,

2017. With this India become the first country in Asia Pacific

within the Citi network to have this kind of service.

ii. CBOL will focuses on resolving queries instantly regarding

cards,loans, domestic and non-resident accounts, and online

transactions.

iii. It will features a regular chat facility for generic query

resolutions. It does not require additional verification for the

customer once logged in and authenticated.

Citi Bank :

♦ Headquarters: Mumbai

♦ Founded: 1902

♦ CEO: Pramit Jhaveri

RBI Doubles Gold Loan Limit for Regional Rural Banks to

Rs. 2 lakhs

i. The Reserve Bank of India increased the gold loan

limit for RRBs (Regional Rural Banks) to Rs 2 lakh from the

current Rs 1 lakh on February 16, 2017 to help the farmers and

artisans have access to credit who are willing to pledge gold as



collateral.

ii. The limit has been doubled for the loans not exceeding 12

months from the date of sanction.

iii. Besides, the facility will be available with bullet repayment

scheme. Under the scheme, while interest will be charged on a

monthly basis on the total outstanding, it will become due for

payment along with principal only at the end of 12 months from

the date of sanction.

iv. However, RBI has also directed that the gold loans should not

exceed 75% of the value of the gold pledged for taking the loan.

Reserve Bank of India (RBI)

♦ Headquarter: Mumbai, Maharashtra

♦ Founded: April 1935

♦ Governor: Urjit Patel

Name and Shame Campaign of Catholic Syrian Bank Starts

Paying Dividends

i. The Name and Shame Campaign initiated by Catholic

Syrian Bank Employees and Retirees against willful Defaulters

in Kerala have started paying dividends.

ii. As per the bank, of the 30 defaulters identified with dues of

more than Rs. 50 lakh each, about 10 borrowers have

approached the bank with settlement proposals and the bank has

also received firm assurance for payments worth Rs. 25

crore from defaulters.

iii. The bank is now looking at getting these accounts closed



before March. However, non-availability of adequate cash with

the borrowers post demonetization is posing a challenge.

iv. Through the campaign, the bank is succeeding in spreading

the message to defaulters not to avoid loan repayments.

Catholic Syrian Bank Limited

The Catholic Syrian Bank Limited is an Indian private sector bank

and one of the oldest banks in India. The bank has a network of

over 430 branches and more than 240 ATMs across India.

♦ Headquarters: Thrissur ♦ Founded: 26 November 1920

♦ CEO: Anand Krishnamurthy ♦ Motto: Support all the way

BUSINESS

Tata Motors Signs Strategic Technological Agreement with

Microsoft

i. Tata Motors Ltd and Microsoft India entered into strategic

agreement on February 16, 2017 to collaborate on the

technology front for making driving a more personalized

experiences for the customers.

ii. As per the agreement, Microsoft will make use of its IoT

(internet of things), AI (artificial intelligence) and machine

learning technologies to develop a highly personalized, smart

vehicle for the customers.

iii. The first vehicle showcasing such technological advancements

will be unveiled at the Geneva International Motor show on March

7, 2017.



iv. The tie-up will act as a new revenue opportunity for the

company as car buyers increasingly look for value-added

services.

Tata Motors Ltd.

♦ Tata Motors Limited is an Indian multinational automotive

manufacturing company in India and a member of the Tata

Group.

♦ CEO: Guenter Butschek

♦ Founded: 1945

♦ Headquarter: Mumbai

MCX signs MoU with Singapore Diamond Investment

Exchange

i. Mumbai based Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX)

and Singapore Diamond Investment Exchange have signed

Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore areas of

cooperation on February 16, 2017.

ii. The agreement will to facilitate cooperation between the two

exchanges in areas such as knowledge sharing and research,

standardisation of the product for Indian markets

iii. It will enhancing transparency in pricing, besides exploring

further areas of collaboration.

Singapore Diamond Investment Exchange

♦ Singapore Diamond Investment Exchange (SDiX),

headquartered in Singapore, is the world‟s first commodity

exchange in physically settled diamonds.



♦ This is the first of its kind globally, will utilize proven exchange

technology to create a new marketplace for the global diamond

trade.

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

AIIMS, New Delhi Wins First Prize for Sanitation & Hygiene

under Kayakalp Awards

i. India‟s premier health institute the All India Institutes of

Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi was awarded the first

prize of the Government‟s Kayakalp Award under theCentral

Government Hospitals category on February 15, 2017 in New

Delhi for maintaining high standards of sanitation and hygiene.

ii .The award was presented by the Union Minister for Health and

Family Welfare, Shri J P Nadda and the All India Institutes of

Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi received a cash prize ofRs. 5

crore.

iii. The second prize was received by North Eastern Indira

Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences

(NEIGRIHMS), Shillong, which got a cash prize of Rs 3 crore.

iv. Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and

Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, received the third prize of Rs

1 crore.

v. Besides, commendation awards of Rs 50 lakh each were

given to AIIMS, Raipur, AIIMS, Jodhpur and National Institute of

Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases (NITRD), Delhi.



vi. The health minister also felicitated the District Hospitals, PHCs

and CHCs for winning the awards in their respective states and

union territory.

vii. The Kayakalp award scheme was launched in 2015 so as to

improve the culture of sanitation and cleanliness in India‟s health

care facilities.

Indian-origin Shand Panesar Wins UK‟s Bravery Award

i. An Indian-origin Scotland Yard officer Shand Panesar along

with his colleague Craig Nicholson was honored with the 2017

Outstanding Bravery of the Year Award on February 10, 2017

in central London during a special award ceremony of the Total

Excellence in Policing Awards.

ii. The duo were honored the top bravery award in the United

Kingdom for risking their own life to save a family trapped in a

burning house in Hillingdon in September 2016

iii. Although the officers had no fire safety equipment or

protective clothing they still acted in the best traditions of the

Metropolitan Police.

iv. The coveted Total Excellence in Policing Awards recognizes a

host of dedicated police work across14 separate

categories including Outstanding Bravery, Best Detective, Thief

Taker of the Year, and Excellence in Victim Care among others.

United Kingdom

♦ Currency: Pound sterling



♦ Capital: London

♦ Prime minister: Theresa May

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNS

Edappadi K Palaniswami Appointed as the New Chief

Minister of Tamil Nadu

i. The Tamil Nadu Governor C Vidyasagar

Rao appointed Edappadi K Palaniswami as 13th chief

minister of the state on February 16, 2017. His appointment is

in acceptance of the letter submitted by Palaniswami on February

14, 2017 that he was elected as the leader of the

AIADMK legislature party at a meeting of the party MLAs.

ii. The Governor has invited him to form the ministry at the

earliest as well as requested him to seek the vote confidence of

the assembly within 15 days.

iii. O Panneerselvam was appointed as the Chief Minister within

hours of death of AIDMK supremo and Chief Minister J

Jayalalithaa on December 5, 2016. Later on February 5, 2017

Panneerselvam stepped down paving the way for Sasikala to be

elected its legislature party leader who was already

chosen AIADMK general secretary.

Vikas Swarup appointed India‟s next envoy to Canada

i. The Indian Foreign Service (IFS) Vikas Swarup was appointed

as India‟s High Commissioner to Canada on February 16, 2017.

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He will replace Syed Akabarudddin who is who is moved as

serving as India‟s Permanent representative in the United Nations

ii. Vikas is currently working as the spokesperson of Ministry of

External Affairs (MEA).He had served the country‟s in several

embassies including US and Turkey.

iii. He has penned few books is best known for his novel „Q&A‟

which was later adopted into a movie „Slumdog Millionaire‟.

Canada :

♦ Capital: Ottawa

♦ Currency: Canadian dollar

♦ Prime minister: Justin Trudeau

Government appoints 5 new judges to Supreme Court

Five new judges are appointed to the Supreme Court by

the President Pranab Mukherjee.Now the total number of

judges in the Supreme Court raised to 28 from 23

New Judges are :

1.Madras High Court Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul

2.Rajasthan HC Chief Justice Naveen Sinha

3.Kerala HC Chief Justice Mohan M Shantanagouder

4.Chhattisgarh HC Chief Justice Dipak Gupta

5.Karnataka HC judge S Abdul Nazeer.

Supreme Court :

♦ The Supreme Court of India is the highest judicial forum and

final court of appeal under the Constitution of India, the highest

constitutional court, with the power of constitutional review. SC



consisting of the Chief Justice of India and 30 other judges

♦ SC judge is appointed to the Supreme Court by the President

♦ Supreme Court judges retire at the age of 65

♦ Article 125 of the Indian Constitution leaves it to the Indian

Parliament to determine the salary, other allowances, leave of

absence, pension, etc. of the Supreme Court judges.

FIBA Appoints Norman Isaac as its First Indian Technical

Delegate

i. The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) has

promoted Norman Isaac as theTechnical Delegate (TD) of the

sport‟s worldwide governing body.

ii. He has become the first Indian to be ever appointed to the

post. In 2006, FIBA appointed him as the FIBA Commissioner at

Muscat, Oman.

iii .Isaac has been appointed as the Technical Delegate (TD)

after he along with a select few aspirants from across the globe

successfully cleared a series of tests in Doha, Qatar.

iv. He will be responsible to prepare the preliminary rounds

of matches in the qualifiers to kick off in November 2017 and

then the first ever FIBA World Cup in China in 2019.

v. He will be assigned to any country except his own during his

tenure as TD and will be responsible for conduct of an entire

event, ranging from actual competition management to every

related aspect, from media arrangements to logistics.

International Basketball Federation



♦ The International Basketball Federation commonly known as

FIBA is an association of national organizations which

governs international competition in basketball.

♦ Founded: 18 June 1932

♦ Headquarter: Mies, Switzerland

♦ President: Horacio Muratore

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Scientists „Unmask‟ Protein Shielding Superbug Against

Antibiotics

i. The Scientists from University of Western Australian have

mapped the molecular structure of a protein that protects

the superbugs from all the antibiotics includingColistin, which is

an antibiotic used when all other treatments fail.

ii. The scientist found that the protein EptA provides resistance

to the bacteria even against last resort antibiotic Colistin.

iii. Using a technique called X-ray Crystallography scientists

mapped the three-dimensional structure of EptA.

iv. The research may help to develop new drugs for antibiotic-

resistant bacteria strains and lead to all new method of

treatment.

v. The research was published in the journal Proceedings of the

National Academy of Sciences. It was funded by the National

Health and Medical Research Council of Australia and

involved several other universities and organisations.



ENVIRONMENT

NASA Scientists Record January 2017 as Third Warmest

January in 137 years

i. According to the Monthly Analysis of Global

Temperatures report published by theNASA scientists at

Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), New York, January

2017has been recorded as the third warmest January in 137

years of modern record-keeping.

ii. As per the report, January 2016 was the hottest month with

a temperature of 1.12 degree Celsius warmer than the mean

January temperature from 1951-1980.

iii. This was followed by January 2007 at 0.96 degree Celsius

and finally January 2017 with a temperature of 0.92 degree

Celsius warmer than mean January temperature.

iv .The monthly analysis by the GISS team is based on the data

acquired by about 6,300 meteorological stations around the

world, ship- and buoy-based instruments measuring sea surface

temperature, and Antarctic research stations.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

♦ The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is

an independent agency of the executive branch of the United

States federal government responsible for the civilian space

program as well as aeronautics and aerospace research.

♦ Founded: July 29, 1958

♦ Headquarter: Washington, D.C.

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