27th March 2017, Important Daily Current Affairs

Important Current affairs dated 27th March 2017 for Competitive Exams in India.
Hello Readers, We bring you another issue of current affairs that covers the important news in Current Affairs Today Section.
Current Affairs help in your preparing yourself for the various Competitive Exams in India. UPSCSuccess.com wishes all the readers best of luck. These Current Affairs coverage will help you to Score Good Marks in Competitive Exams such as UPSC, and other PSCs.

Indian Affairs

Navy’s iconic Tupolev aircraft to be decommissioned

• The Navy’s iconic Tupolev-142M anti-submarine warfare aircraft will be decommissioned On Wednesday 29th March 2017.
• The planes have been the mainstay in guarding the Indian Ocean region for almost three decades.
• The Soviet-era aircraft, one of the most formidable airborne reconnaissance platforms around the world, has been part of major operations since its induction in 1988.

Court denies woman maintenance hike

• A Delhi court has refused to enhance the monthly interim maintenance awarded to a woman in a domestic violence case, saying she was not supposed to sit idle at home and be a parasite on the husband’s earnings.
• A magisterial court had in 2008 awarded Rs. 5,000 per month to the woman. In 2015, the amount was enhanced by 10 per cent.
• The woman had appealed against the orders seeking further enhancement to Rs. 25,000.

Gopalpur becomes a canvas for murals

• Gopalpur, the serene beach resort in Ganjam district of Odisha, has got a beautiful artistic look through Public Arts in Gopalpur (PAGo), an innovative two-day programme.
• PAGo is an initiative of the Berhampur Development Authority (BDA) to revive Gopalpur as an art and eco-tourism hub. The BDA joined hands with the department of handlooms, textiles and handicraft as well as the State Tourism Department to organise this two-day long artistic event.
• The small town of Gopalpur had a colourful transformation. During the two days, more than 5000 sq ft of wall at this beach resort got converted into a canvas for murals.
• This event was named PAGo as its pronunciation coincides with a common Odia word that means enhancing taste of a curry through addition of suitable spices. Through the initiative, we have attempted the same at Gopalpur to make it more attractive for tourists.
• The focus was to depiction of rich cultural tradition of Gopalpur and Ganjam district.
• These artists tried to portray it through contemporary graphic style as well as traditional fine art. Famous Bagha Nacha or tiger dance of Ganjam district, flexible brass metal fish, artistic ganjapa playing cards, silk weaving tradition of Berhampur found place in the murals.
• Some of these paintings also depicted Gopalpur’s maritime history as well as its devastation during Phailin cyclone of 2013.

Government and World Bank Sign US $100 million Agreement for Better Healthcare in Uttarakhand

• The Government of India, the Government of Uttarakhand and the World Bank signed a credit agreement for the US$100 million Uttarakhand Health Systems Development Project to improve access to and quality of health care services in all 13 districts of Uttarakhand, a mountain state richly endowed with natural resources.
• The agreement for the Project was signed by Raj Kumar, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, on behalf of the Government of India; Neeraj Kharwal, Additional Secretary, Health and Project Director for the Uttarakhand Health Systems Development Project, on behalf of the Government of Uttarakhand; and Hisham Abdo Kahin, Operations Manager and Acting Country Director, World Bank India, on behalf of the World Bank.

International Affairs

Hong Kong chooses irst woman head

• Beijing-backed Carrie Lam elected as Chief Executive amid pro-democracy protests.
• A Beijing-backed civil servant, Carrie Lam, was chosen to be Hong Kong’s next leader.
• The majority of the China-ruled city’s 7.3 million people have no say in deciding their leader, who is chosen from among several candidates by a 1,200-person “election committee” stacked with pro-Beijing and pro-establishment loyalists.
• Ms. Lam, who will become Hong Kong’s first woman Chief Executive when she takes office on July 1, won 777 votes compared with 365 for her closest rival, former financial secretary John Tsang, who polls show is more popular.

Appointments & Resigns

IAS Officer B Chandrakala Becomes Director Of PM Modi’s ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’

• District Magistrate of Meerut, B Chandrakala, has now been appointed as director of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dream project ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’.
• In 2014, Chandrakala, became famous in the social media after she publicly pulled up civic officials and contractors for sub-standard road construction.
• she has now become the director of `Swacch Bharat Mission` and deputy secretary, Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation.
• While discharging her duties as the DM of Bulandshahr, Bijnor and Meerut, she had extensively worked for ‘Clean India’ campaign. Apparently, it is Chandrakala’s dedication for her work which earned her this reward.

Randeep Guleria appointed Delhi AIIMS director

• Dr Randeep Guleria, a renowned pulmonologist, is the new director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences.
• He joined AIIMS in 1992 as an assistant professor in the department of medicine. He has held several positions in the institute over the last 23 years, including that of professor and head of pulmonary medicine and sleep disorders.
• Guleria served as personal physician to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for over three decades.
• He has done pioneering work on respiratory muscle functions, lung cancer, asthma and COPD and has more than 400 publications in international and national journals.
• Guleria is a member of many key government panels, including a joint monitoring committee to monitor outbreaks of new diseases. Dr Guleria succeeds Dr M C Misra who retired as AIIMS director in January.

Acquisitions & Mergers

Pawan Hans ties-up with HAL to train helicopter pilots

• State-run Pawan Hans has joined hands with public sector chopper maker Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) to train helicopter pilots.
• Pawan Hans is a joint venture where state-owned ONGC holds 49 per cent. Pawan Hans also tied-up with Mumbai University to offer a Bachelor’s degree in aeronautical engineering recently.
• Pawan Hans ties-up with HAL to train helicopter pilots
• HAL- the Company which had its origin as the Hindustan Aircraft Company was incorporated on 23 Dec 1940 at Bangalore by Shri Walchand Hirachand
• Shri T. Suvarna Raju is the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of HAL

Business

India eyes Dhruv’s foreign market

• As part of efforts to enhance defence cooperation and boost exports with friendly countries, India is in discussions with Sri Lanka and several Southeast Asian nations for the supply of Dhruv, the indigenously developed advanced light helicopter (ALH).
• India is putting specific emphasis on maintenance and training in view of its experience of Dhruv sales to Ecuador, which got embroiled in legal issues.
• Amid much fanfare in 2009, India bagged a deal to supply seven of these helicopters to Ecuador worth $45.2 million after defeating several global platforms.
• However, the euphoria was short-lived as four of them crashed. In October 2015, Ecuador unilaterally terminated the contract and in 2016, put the three helicopters on sale.
• Dhruv, designed and developed by the HAL, is powered by the Shakti engine jointly developed by it and Turbomeca of France. Over 200 helicopters are in service with the Indian military.
• The three Services have constantly complained about lack of spares and support for the fleet. The situation has slightly improved in recent times.
• To increase the delivery rate, the HAL recently set up a second assembly line in Kanpur, which is expected to produce 12 helicopters a year.

Environment

Biodiesel body calls for lower state taxes

• According to the Biodiesel Association of India, High state taxes on biodiesel are effectively rendering the green fuel significantly more expensive than regular diesel.
• President of the Biodiesel Association of India (BDAI) Said that the industry is just not moving ahead because of skewed rates of taxation, which continue to be a major hurdle.
• The taxes by the state government are very high. As soon as biodiesel is blended with diesel, the taxes can go as high as 20-30% depending on the state government. The biodiesel itself becomes ₹7-8 more expensive than diesel because of the tax element.
• The annual consumption of biodiesel in India is about 80 lakh litres.
• Out of the 16 zonal railways, 15 started using biodiesel.
• However, a few states, including Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal, have taken the initiative and have reduced the tax rates.

Biodiesel Association of India (BDAI)
President: Sandeep Chaturvedi

Uttarakhand govt to ensure safety of Corbett park wildlife

• The Uttarakhand government has said that it will ensure that wildlife at the Corbett National Park is not harmed with the construction of the Kandi road which passes through it.
• The Kandi road project which will pass through the national park will reduce the distance between Garhwal and Kumaon by around 70km.
• Uttarakhand Forest Minister Harak Singh Rawat said, “The government is trying to find a solution to the Kandi road project issue by which the safety of wildlife is ensured while keeping the convenience of people in mind,”
• With the construction of the Kandi road, the route from Kotdwar in Pauri Garhwal to Ramnagar in Kumaon will be shortened from the present 162 km to about 90 km.
• The Supreme Court had ordered the Public Works Department of the Uttarakhand government to prepare a new alignment of the project.

Sports

West Bengal wins 2017 Santosh Trophy

• Bengal today lifted the Santosh Trophy for the 32nd time after Manvir Singh struck in the 119th minute for a 1-0 win over Goa, extending their domination in the premier domestic football tournament.
• After playing out a goalless 90 minutes, Manvir finally came good in the dying moments of extra time to leave the home crowd shocked at the GMC Stadium.
• Playing in front of a vociferous home crowd, five-time winners Goa tried their best and controlled the match, but ran out of steam in the extra time. The hosts had their chances to score but the rival keeper pulled off some great saves.
• Bengal, thus, ended a six-year wait having last won the title in 2011. Goa last won it in 2009.
• Goa, who had hosted the tournament thrice prior to the 2016-17 edition, lost to Bengal in the semi-final in 1972 and the final in 1996, while won against Kerala in 1990.

About Santosh Trophy:

The Santosh Trophy is an association football knock-out competition contested by the regional state associations and government institutions under the All India Football Federation (AIFF), the sport’s governing body in India.
The tournament was started in 1941 and is named after the president of the Indian Football Association (West Bengal’s football association) at the time, Sir Manmatha Nath Roy Chowdhary of Santosh.
 
 

Sebastian Vettel beats Lewis Hamilton to win Australian Grand Prix

• Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel beat mercedes driven Lewis Hamilton to win the 2017 F1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix.
• It was held on 26 March 2017, at Albert Park in Melbourne.
• Besides, Mercedes’s Valtteri Bottas completed the podium at third position, This is the vettel’s 43rd race victory of his career and first victory since the 2015 singapore Grand Prix with a gap of Just 9.9 to runner-up Hamilton.

 
 

Obituary

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