Daily GK Update : 24th March 2017

Important Dates

1. 24th March: World Tuberculosis Day

• The "World Tuberculosis Day" observed every year on 24th March.
• The main aim behind the celebration of this day is to fight tuberculosis and eradicate this deadly disease that has been claiming millions of lives.
• World TB Day is one of eight official global public health campaigns marked by the World Health Organization (WHO).
• The theme for World Tuberculosis Day 2017 is ‘Unite to End TB’.
• Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis(MTB).
• Tuberculosis is spread through the air when people who have active TB in their lungs cough, spit, speak, or sneeze.

Note:

• Tuberculosis was first discovered by the Dr. Robert Koch in the year 1882 and amazingly announced by him to the small group of scientists at “the University of Berlin’s Institute of Hygiene” about the cause of tuberculosis means the TB bacillus.
• It claims more than 1.7 million lives every year all over the world and India contributes to about 25% of these deaths.

National Affairs

2. Suresh Prabhu announced scaling up of ‘VIKALP Scheme’ for Railway Passengers

• The Union Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu has announced the scaling up of ‘VIKALP Scheme’ for waitlisted passengers at a progrmme held in New Delhi.
• The scheme will become effective on 1st April 2017.
• Prabhu has also released the Water Management Policy of Indian Railways to improve water use efficiency by setting up water recycling plants, rainwater harvesting plants, sewage treatment plants and effluent treatment plants on railway land.
• He also presented GreenCo Certificates to three units of Indian Railways.

Note:

• ‘VIKALP Scheme’ is a transparent scheme as confirmed reservation tickets will be provided in alternate trains without giving extra fare.

 3. CCEA approved North East Road Network Connectivity Project Phase- I

• The cabinet committee on economic affairs (CCEA) chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the Phase - I of the North-East Road Network Connectivity Project in New Delhi.
• The National Highways (NHs) of 403 kilometers will be developed in Meghalaya (52km) and Mizoram (351km).
• The civil works are expected to be completed by 2021 and the maintenance works are expected to be completed by 2025.

4. ISRO commissioned world’s third largest hypersonic wind tunnel

• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman AS Kiran Kumar has commissioned the world’s third largest hypersonic wind tunnel at Thiruvananthapuram’s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in Kerala.
• He commissioned two facilities at the center, one-metre Hypersonic Wind Tunnel, and one-metre Shock Tunnel.
• The facilities comprise 500 valves, 2 km long pipelines, 41 electric motors, 35 pumps, 320 instruments and 10 km of cables.

5. NCST approves proposal for 5 additional seat for tribal in Sikkim Assembly

• The National Commission for Schedule Tribes (NCST) has approved the proposal for five additional seats for tribal in the Sikkim Assembly.
• The proposal of increasing reserve seats for Schedule Tribes from 12 to 17 in 32 members in Sikkim Assembly and now it would be increased to 40.
• The five seats would be reserved for Limbu and Tamang

 6. Five Indian cities included in World Heritage List

• According to Union Minister of State for Culture and Tourism (Independent Charge) Dr. Mahesh Sharma, five Indian cities were included in the Tentative List of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
• The five Indian cities included in the list are Ahmedabad, Delhi, Jaipur, Bhubaneswar and Mumbai.

Honours & Awards

7. Raghu Rai honored with Lifetime Achievement at National Photography Awards

• Renowned photojournalist Raghu Rai has conferred with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 6th National Photography Awards organized by the photo division of the I&B ministry in New Delhi.
• He began his career in photography in 1965 and served as the Director of Photography for India Today.
• Rai has also served on the jury of World Press Photo and UNESCO’s International Photo Contest.
• He is known for his books, Raghu Rai's India: Reflections in Colour and Reflections in Black and White.

Note:

• Raghu Rai was born in the village of Jhang, Punjab (now in Pakistan).
• National Photography Awards is an annual event organized by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to promote art, the technique of photography and to encourage professional and amateur photographers from all corners of the country.

 International Affairs

8. UNHRC grants Sri Lanka’s request for two-year extension to deliver war probe

• The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has granted South Asian country, Sri Lanka a two-year extension to fulfill obligation relating to reconciliation and accountability on war crimes during the civil war which ended in 2009.
• The resolution granting the country the extension was approved by 40 including the United States and the United Kingdom.
• It welcomed the steps taken by Sri Lanka to implement UNHRC resolution, adopted in October,2015.
• Minority groups and human rights activists have been critical of Sri Lankan government for slow progress in war crimes probe and accountability measures.

Obituaries

9. Noted Writer Ashokamitran passes away

• Noted Tamil writer Ashokamitran (86-year) passed away in Chennai after a brief illness.
• He was given the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1996 for his work 'Appavin Snegidhar'(collection of short stories).
• Earlier, he was given the Tiru Vi Ka Award in 2014 for his contribution to Tamil literature

Banking & Finance

10. Bharti Airtel acquires 4G business of Tikona Networks

•  Indian global telecommunications services company Bharti Airtel has acquired 4G business of Tikona Networks including the Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) business for Rs 1,600 crore.
• Tikona has 20 MHz spectrum in the 2300 MHz band in Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh (East), Uttar Pradesh (West), Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh circles.
• The 2300 Mhz band has the second largest ecosystem of 4G devices.
• After the deal, Airtel will have 30 MHz in the 2300 MHz band in 13 circles.

11. The Union Cabinet approves proposal for amendments to NABARD Act, 1981

• The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the proposal for Amendments to the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) Act, 1981.
• Amendments to NABARD Act, 1981 include provisions that enable Union Government to increase the authorized capital of NABARD from Rs 5000 crore to Rs 30000 crore.
• It also proposes the transfer of 0.4% shareholding of RBI in NABARD to the Union Government.

Note:

• NABARD is an apex development bank in India, headquartered at Mumbai.
• The Bank has been entrusted with matters concerning policy, planning and operations in the field of credit for agriculture and other economic activities in rural areas in India.

 "Thought of the Day"

“Three things cannot be long hidden - the sun, the moon, and the truth.”

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