2nd March 2015 - Important Current Affairs updates

sponsored links

National Affairs

• The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2015, a Bill to amend the Citizenship Act, one of the six items on which government had issued ordinances, was today passed by the Lok Sabha.
• This bill seeks to remove disparity between Persons of Indian Origin cardholders and Overseas Citizens of India cardholders.
• 63rd All India Police wrestling cluster started in Delhi.
• A total of 1600 sports personnel from 37 teams of various police forces took part.
• Hosted by the Indo Tibetan Border Police Force.
• The Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting, Col. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore addressed the inaugural ceremony
• The Minister of Railways Suresh Prabhu today launched a ‘Customer Complaint Web Portal and Mobile Application’ (android/windows based mobile App),
• The Complaint Management System (COMS) portal consists of the following applications:-
• A mobile app based complaints and suggestions application (currently on the android platform).
• A web based complaints and suggestions application on URL www.coms.indianrailways.gov.in.
• A SMS based complaints and suggestions application on the number +91-9717630982.
• A link to Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) will also be provided.
• Soon after taking oath, J&K Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has stoked a controversy saying Hurriyat, militant outfits and “people from across the border”, an oblique reference to Pakistan, allowed conducive atmosphere for assembly polls, drawing uproar in Parliament.
  
• Social activist Anna Hazare has announced a 1,100-km foot march – on the lines of the historic Dandi March by Mahatma Gandhi – to put pressure on the BJP government at the Centre to stay clear of amending Land Acquisition Act.
• This protest was organized under the banner of Hazare’s organisation Bhrashtachar Virodhi Jan Andolan Nyas and was supported by several other farmers’ groups.
• Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar will visit Islamabad tomorrow on a two-day visit as part of his 'SAARC Yatra'

New Appointments

• India has named Arun Singh, currently its Ambassador to France, as its next top envoy to the US and has informed the American government  in this regard.
• A 1979-batch IFS officer, Mr Singh will be replacing S Jaishankar, who was appointed as Foreign Secretary on 28th January this year.
• Mohan Kumar, Indian Ambassador to Bahrain will replace Mr Singh as France Ambassador.
• After series of poll debacles Congress appoints new PCC chiefs in five states.
• Ajay Maken - Delhi.
• Ashok Chavan - Maharashtra
• Ghulam Ahmed Mir - Jammu and Kashmir
• Bharatsinh Solanki - Gujarat
• Uttam Reddy - Telangana

Awards & Honors

• The outgoing Namibian President Hifikepunye Pohamba has won the world's most valuable individual award, the Mo Ibrahim prize for African leadership.
• The $5m (£3.2m) award is given each year to an elected leader who governed well, raised living standards and then left office.

Science & Technology

• A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the world’s first all-electric communications satellites successfully launched this morning, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.
• The rocket was carrying two all-electric commercial satellites built by Boeing. 
• The satellites are owned by the French satellite provider Eutelsat and Asia Broadcast Satellite (ABS).
• SpaceX - Space Exploration

Business and Economy

• Ola today acquired TaxiForSure for $200 million in a cash and equity deal, signaling consolidation in the $11 billion taxi industry.
• Ola and TaxiForSure will continue to operate as separate entities.
• China has launched a massive $79.8 billion infrastructure project in the northwest province of Gansu which will facilitate trade and people exchanges between China and central Asia as part of its ambitious Silk Road plan.
• Though the province does not share its borders with any central Asian countries, it will be an important stretch of the Silk Road Economic Belt.
• The six-year development project will add more than 60,000 kilometres of road, including 4,070 km expressways, and improve the connectivity of the existing transportation network.

Sports

• Jagmohan Dalmiya unanimously elected as President of the Board of Control for Cricket
• BJP leader Anurag Thakur elected as Secretary.
• New ICC ODI Rankings
• Australia maintains its top position with 120 points
• Followed by India with 116 points.
• Top 5
• Australia - 120
• India - 116
• South Africa - 113
• Sri Lanka - 108
• New Zealand - 107

Read more Daily Current Affairs updates from here

sponsored links