22nd March 2017 Important Daily Current Affairs

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Dear Great Ambitionists, here are today's (22nd March 2017) Important Current Affairs updates. Happy Reading :)

Daily Current Affairs of 22nd March 2017

International Current Affairs

• Today (22nd March) is World Water Day.
• This day is observed every year to spread message of preservation and rational consumption of water.
• Theme of World Water Day 2017 : ‘Why Waste Water ?’
• India was ranked 131 in the 2016 Human Development Index (HDI) among the 188 countries. 
• India scored 0.624 and was placed in medium human development category.
• Norway ranked first while Australia and Switzerland jointly ranked second.
• Top 10 Countries in the list :
• Norway,
• Australia, Switzerland
• Germany
• Denmark, Singapore
  
• Netherlands
• Ireland
• Iceland
• Canada
• Nepal will provide GPS tracking devices to mountaineers attempting to scale Mount Everest in an effort to track climbers in distress and prevent them from making false summit claims.
• The pilot project, which requires photographic proof of the climbers' ascent, comes after an Indian couple doctored photographs and lied about climbing Mount Everest.
• The UK has announced a ban on electronic devices larger than mobiles, including laptops and tablets, from cabin baggage on flights from six Middle Eastern countries. 
• The ban affects travellers from Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia.

National Current Affairs

• The Rajya Sabha today passed the HIV and AIDS (Prevention and Control) Bill, 2014, by a voice vote.
• The bill seeks to ensure equal rights of HIV and AIDS-affected people in getting treatment, admission in educational institutions, and getting jobs.
• Juri, a village in Jharkhand's East Singhbhum district, has initiated the practice of naming its lanes after its most educated girls.
• Sumita Bhattacharya, who is pursuing a master's degree in history, was picked as the first girl to have a lane named after her. 
• Note : Despite not having a high school, the village's literacy rate is higher than the state average.
• The newly appointed Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today banned the consumption of gutkha, paan, and paan masala in all government offices across the state. 
• He also ordered police officials to enforce a complete ban on cow smuggling in the state. 
• He further directed officials to prepare an action plan for the closure of illegal slaughterhouses across the state.
• Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal has launched an initiative to develop Majuli, the world's largest river island, as India's first carbon neutral district and a biodiversity heritage site. 
• Starting from April 1, Railways will let waitlisted passengers travel in the next alternative train going towards the same destination the ticket is booked for. 
• Passengers will be allowed to take Rajdhani or Shatabdi trains even if they booked a ticket for other mail or express trains. 
• No extra charge or difference in the fare will be collected by Railways.

Awards & Honors

• French mathematician Yves Meyer has been awarded the 2017 Abel Prize for his work on wavelets (small waves or ripples), a mathematical theory with applications in data compression, medical imaging and gravitational waves' detection. 
• Meyer will be presented with ₹4.6 crore cash prize from the Norwegian King at an award ceremony in the capital city of Oslo on May 23.

Science & Technology

• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) commissioned a one-metre hypersonic wind tunnel and shock tunnel, the world's third largest such facility, at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram. 
• Aerospace vehicles re-enter the Earth's atmosphere at high speeds, creating shock waves which can be simulated in the tunnel for optimising aircraft design.

Business & Economic Affairs

• The 2017 Finance Bill presented by the Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley was today passed in the Lok Sabha, making the Aadhaar card mandatory for filing Income Tax returns and getting a PAN. 
• The move is aimed at keeping a check on the tax evaders, Jaitley cited. The bill had also proposed banning cash transactions above ₹2 lakh.
• Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today said in Lok Sabha that the remonetisation process is almost over and added that the government is making all attempts to implement GST from July 1. 
• State-run housing finance company Housing and Urban Development Corporation Limited (Hudco) has received Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) approval to raise funds through an IPO.
• IDBI Capital, Nomura Financial Advisory and Securities, SBI Capital Markets and ICICI Securities will manage the company's public issue. 
• Note : Hudco's IPO is a part of the government's disinvestment plan.
• The Centre today proposed to lower the limit of cash transactions to ₹2 lakh from the earlier proposal of ₹3 lakh in the Union Budget. 
• The penalty for violating it will be a fine equivalent to the amount of transaction.
• The move aims to discourage cash payments, as well as to curb black money.

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