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Showing posts with label
March 2015 Current Affairs updates.
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Showing posts with label
March 2015 Current Affairs updates.
Show all posts
National Affairs
- The Gujarat Assembly today passed the controversial Gujarat Control of Terrorism and Organised Crime (GCTOC) Bill 2015, a modified version of a 2003 legislation that was rejected by two presidents earlier for violating basic principles of justice.
- The law, once pursued aggressively by Narendra Modi when he was Gujarat Chief Minister and passed for the fourth time in the last 12 years, gives the police far-reaching powers, including making arbitrary arrests, present confessions made in custody as evidence before courts and intercept phone calls.
- The Supreme Court today issued notice to senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader LK Advani and 19 others on a petition challenging the 2010 Allahabad High Court verdict discharging them of criminal conspiracy in the demolition of Babri Masjid on December 06, 1992.
- Besides Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Union Minister Uma Bharti and Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh also have been issued notice.
- The Supreme Court today dismissed a plea of Jat students seeking benefits of reservation under Other Backward Class (OBC) in the ongoing process of admission in post-graduate (PG) medical and dental courses.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch Air Quality Index on 6th April 2015 to inform public about air quality in simple understandable form.
- Available on the ministry's website after the launch, the
colour-coded index indicating air quality will provide a real-time data
detailing the level of pollution in a given city.
- Launched in phases, the initial phase would cover only 10 cities with plans of expansion to other cities in subsequent phases.
- Environment Minister : Prakash Javadekar
- The Kerala High Court today upheld the liquor policy of the state government and dismissed a petition filed by the Kerala Bar Hotel Owners Association, allowing only 24 five-star hotels in the state to serve liquor.
- PM Narendra Modi to inaugurate the Rs. 12,000 crore modernisation project of Rourkela Steel Plant in Odisha tomorrow
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International Affairs
- India and Japan held their Defence Ministerial Meeting in Tokyo today and agreed on several steps to step up their cooperation and exchanges in this area as part of the efforts to enhance Special Strategic and Global Partnership between the two countries.
- Indian Defence Minister : Manohar Parrikar
- Japanese Defence Minister : Gen Nakatani
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International Affairs
- The 9th edition of Earth Hour was observed.
- People across the globe show their growing concern over climate change by switching off the lights for an hour.
- Earth Hour is a worldwide movement for the planet organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
- The event is held worldwide annually encouraging individuals, communities, households and businesses to turn off their non-essential lights for one hour, from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m
- This event observed on the last Saturday in March, as a symbol for our commitment to the planet
- Singapore bids final adieu to its founding father Lee Kuan Yew.
- World leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi attend the funeral.
- Prime Minister meets Israeli President Reuven Rivlin in Singapore, discusses bilateral relations.
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National Affairs
- The Rajasthan Assembly has passed a law that bans the slaughter, trading and unauthorised transportation of Camels.
- The Rajasthan Camel (Prohibition of Slaughter and Regulation of Temporary Migration or Export) Bill, 2015 also makes causing injury to camel punishable.
- Important Note : Camel had been declared as Rajasthan's State animal last year.
- Rajasthan became the first State in the country to fix a minimum educational qualification for contesting elections to the Panchayati Raj Institutions.
- The Assembly has passed the Rajasthan Panchayati Raj (amendment) Bill, 2015, which makes,
- Class VIII pass mandatory for the post of sarpanch elections (except in tribal reserved areas, where the minimum qualification is Class V)
- Class X for Zila Parishad or Panchayat Samiti elections.
- PM Narendra Modi is leaving for Singapore tonight to attend the funeral of former PM of Singapore Lee Kuan Yew.
- Govt has already declared national mourning tomorrow as mark of respect to Lee Kuan Yew.
- National flag will be flown at half-mast throughout the country and there will be no official entertainment.
- 91-year-old Lee, Singapore's founding father who dominated the country's politics for more than half a century,died of severe pneumonia on 23rd of this month.
- The number of world famous one-horned rhinos in Assam's Kaziranga National Park has increased to over 2,400, according to a latest census released today.
- The census, conducted by Assam's forest department, counted 2,401 rhinos, which indicated increase of 71 rhinos in the park in the past two years.
Awards & Honors
- Ace shuttler Saina Nehwal creates history by becoming first Indian woman to be World
Number 1 Badminton Player.
- Indian-American
biology professor, Murty S Kambhampati, chosen for prestigious US
presidential award for excellence in the field of science, mathematics
and engineering mentoring.
- India's space agency -- Indian Space
Research Organisation (ISRO) -- has been selected for the Gandhi Peace
Prize for the year 2014.
- ISRO Chairman : A.S. Kiran Kumar
- Gandhi Peace Prize :
- The
Gandhi Peace Prize was instituted in 1995.
- It is given to individual or
organisation for making social, economic and political transformation
through non-violence means.
- The award comprises of cash prize of Rs one crore and a citation.
- Some
of the previous awardees of Gandhi Peace Prize were Nelson Mandela, Vaclav Havel, Julius
K. Nyerere, Baba Amte, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Grameen Bank of
Bangladesh, Bharatiya Vidya Bhawan and Ramkrishna Mission.
People in News
- Mizoram Governor Dr Aziz Qureshi was sacked from his post by President Pranab Mukherjee today.
- Until further appointment of another Governor in Mizoram, West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi would hold additional charge of the state.
- Social activist Medha Patkar quits Aam Aadmi Party .
- Following the ouster of Aam Aadmi Party founder members Yogendra
Yadav & Prashant Bhushan, she took this decision.
Deaths
- Former Mizoram chief minister Brig Thenphunga Sailo (93) passed away.
- He worked in the British Indian army in 1942 as a junior officer.
- He was promoted to the rank of brigadier of Indian army in 1966
- He formed a political party called Mizoram Peoples Conference in April 17, 1975 and it won the Mizoram union territory elections in 1977 and he became the second chief minister of the state.
Science & Technology
- India successfully launches 4th navigation satellite-IRNSS-1D
- Launched by Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C27)
- IRNSS-1D is 4th in the series of 7 navigation satellites meant to create India’s own navigation system.
Sports
- World Cup
- Co-hosts of World Cup, Australia and New Zealand to fight for ICC World Cup tomorrow at iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground.
- Important Point to Note : Australian skipper Michael Clarke to retire from ODI cricket after this match.
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International Affairs
- Today (27th March) is World Theatre Day (WTD).
- This day was initiated in 1961 by the International Theatre Institute.
- Indian Government has decided to observe National Mourning on 29th March 2015 (Sunday) to mark respect to the Former Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew.
- The National Flag will be flown at half-mast throughout the country and there will be no official entertainment on the day.
- Lee Kuan Yew, the statesman and founding father of Singapore, who transformed Singapore from a small port city into a wealthy global hub, died at the age of 91 on 23rd of this month.
- Mr Lee served as the city-state's prime minister for 31 years and continued to work in government until 2011.
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International Affairs
- Saudi Arabia launches a military operation against Houthi rebels to defend legitimate government in Yemen.
- Sri Lanka’s new president Maithripala Sirisena held talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping amid a push to recalibrate his predecessor’s strongly pro-China policies and a review of major Chinese projects in the island nation.
- Mr. Sirisena and Mr. Xi reaffirmed longstanding ties between their countries at the start of their meeting at the Great Hall of the People in central Beijing.
- The talks kicked off Sirisena’s first visit to China since taking office in January and follow his recent trip to India.
- The two sides were likely to discuss a $1.5 billion China-funded port city project in Colombo which Mr. Sirisena’s government suspended pending scrutiny of environment impacts and alleged corruption.
- US aircraft have launched bombing raids to support Iraqi forces fighting to recapture Tikrit from the Islamic State (IS) group, after Baghdad issued a request for air power.
- Tikrit : Executed dictator Saddam Hussein's home town
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International Affairs
- Prime minister Narendra Modi holds delegation level talks with Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani in New Delhi today.
- India and Qatar signed Six agreements. Those are,
- Transfer of sentenced prisoners
- MoU for Cooperation in the field of Information and Communication Technology
- MoU between the ministry of earth sciences and Qatar Meteorological Department for Scientific and Technical cooperation
- MoU between Diplomatic Institute of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Qatar and Foreign Service Institute of the ministry of external affairs
- MoU for cooperation in the field of Radio and Television
- An agreement for Mutual Cooperation and Exchange of News
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit France, Germany and Canada next month, on a tour expected to focus on attracting investment to the country.
- France : 9th to 12th April 2015
- Germany: 12th to 14th April 2015
- Canada: 14th to 16th April 2015
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International Affairs
- Today (24th March) is World Tuberculosis Day (TB Day).
- This day is designed to build public awareness about the global
epidemic of tuberculosis (TB) and efforts to eliminate the disease.
- This day is one of eight official global public health campaigns marked by the World Health Organization (WHO). The remaining 7 are,
- World Health Day
- World Blood Donor Day
- World Immunization Week
- World Malaria Day
- World No Tobacco Day
- World Hepatitis Day
- World AIDS Day.
- 4U 9525, a Germanwings Flight carrying 150 people crashed today in a mountain range in Southern France.
- India and China today agreed to take steps needed to maintain peace and tranquillity along the border areas, emphasizing it was a pre-requisite for continued growth of bilateral relations.
- It was decided to increase contact between the forces on the two sides of the border.
- Special Representative of India : Ajit Doval
- Special Representative of China : Yang Jeichi
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International Affairs
- Today is World Meteorological Day.
- This day is celebrated every year on 23 March to commemorate the entry into force in 1950 of the convention that created the World Meteorological Organization.
- Last Year's (2014) Theme : Weather and climate: engaging youth
- This Year's (2015) Theme : Climate Knowledge for Climate Action
- Today (23rd March) is Pakistan Day.
- This day commemorates the historic Pakistan Resolution on March 23, 1940 - a day which marks the the birth of a separate state for Muslims.
- India and China today held the 18th round of talks on the vexed boundary issue, the first such meeting after Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power last year.
- Special Representative on the Boundary Question and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval held talks with his Chinese counterpart and State Councillor Yang Jiechi.
- The fresh round of discussion on the issue is taking place nearly six months after Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit in New Delhi.
- The First Vice President of Republic of Cuba, Mr. Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez Mario called on the Prime Minister Narendra Modi today.
- Modi received him and expressed support for greater cooperation, including in the areas of trade and investment, health, biotechnology, renewable energy, sports and human resource development between the two countries.
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International Affairs
- Today (22nd March 2015) is World Water Day.
- This day is a United Nations initiative to celebrate clean water and bring attention to those who don’t have enough of it.
- It's also a day to understand the valuable significance of water, discuss and conserve this finite resource in the future.
- It's important to remember that a drop of water is powerful and life giving.
- This year's theme : "Water and Sustainable Development"
- India and China will hold the 18th round of border talks in Delhi from Monday (23rd March)— the first round of negotiations after Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power last year — where the two sides are expected to focus on clarification of the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
- Special Representative and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval would hold talks with his Chinese counterpart and State Councillor Yang Jiechi amid hopes to clinch a solution under the strong leadership in both the countries.
- The two-day talks is taking place in the backdrop of candid discussions between Mr. Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping during latter’s visit to Delhi in September
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National Affairs
- The Union Cabinet has approved the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana to provide skills training to youth across the country.
- The scheme will be implemented by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship through the National Skill Development Corporation with an outlay of 1, 500 crore rupees.
- The focus under this Yojana will be on improved curricula, better pedagogy and better-trained instructors.
- The Cabinet also cleared introducing of the Appropriation Acts Repeal Bill, 2015 in Parliament.
- The Bill aims at repealing 758 Appropriation Acts.
- Noticing that some TV channels have been covering live anti terrorist operations, the Information and Broadcasting ministry has asked news broadcasters to restrict such telecasts to periodic briefing by officials till the operation concludes.
- The three-day long International Conference on Counter Terrorism organised in Jaipur concludes today.
- The conference was organized by Rajasthan Government in
collaboration with India Foundation and Sardar Patel University of
Police, Security and Criminal Justice.
- Inaugurated by Rajnath Singh (Union Home Minister) on 19th March 2015.
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National Affairs
- Delhi will become the first state in the country to launch an E-ration card service next week.
- The E-ration card will be linked with Aadhaar cards with a view to curb corruption and increase transparency in the system.
- Rajya Sabha passes Mines and Minerals Amendment Bill.
- This is the second major reform measure to receive the approval of the legislature in the first half of the Budget Session.
- The Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill, seeking to hike FDI in insurance sector was the first reform measure passed by Parliament.
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International Affairs
- IMF chief Christine Lagarde's China visit begins today
- During this visit she will meet top Chinese leadership and senior officials.
- Sri Lankan government has said that it may lift a ban on several Tamil diaspora groups and individuals imposed by the previous Mahinda Rajapaksa regime for their alleged links to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to achieve reconciliation with the country’s largest ethnic minority.
- Srilankan Foreign Minister : Mangala Samaraweera
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International Affairs
- China has become the world's third largest exporter of arms after the US and Russia.
- China overtook Germany, France and the UK in exporting weapons between 2010 and 2014, according to a report published by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- China now accounts for about 5% of the world's exports of arms.
- Top 10 Largest Exporters of Major Weapons :
- US - 31%
- Russia - 27%
- China - 5%
- Germany - 5%
- France - 5%
- UK - 4%
- Spain - 3%
- Italy - 3%
- Ukraine - 3%
- Israel - 2%
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party claims victory in Israel parliamentary elections.
- Sri Lankan authorities handed over 168 Indian fishermen and 51 boats to the Indian Coast Guard at the International Maritime Boundary Line.
- India will hold one of the biggest global yoga meets in China to celebrate the UN’s first International Day of Yoga.
- Over 10,000 yoga enthusiasts are expected to take part in the meet being organised in Dujiangyan in Chengdu, China’s Sichuan province from 17th June to 21st June 2015.
- China was one of the 170 countries voted for the UN Yoga Day proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014.
- Germany, France and Italy followed Britain in announcing that they plan to join a proposed Chinese-led Asian regional bank, swinging Europe's biggest economic powers behind a project that is viewed with concern in Washington.
- Britain last week became the first major Western country to seek membership in the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
- The announcement of the three major countries brings three more members of the Group of Seven industrial powers on board.
Awards & Honors
- Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani was named Young Global Leader (YGL) from India by the World Economic Forum (WEF)
- She "rose from sweeping floors in a fast food restaurant to become a top politician in India", WEF said.
- Others who have been named Young Global Leader (YGL) in the past include British Prime Minister David Cameron, Alibaba Group chief Jack Ma, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, Google chief Larry Page, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.
- In the list of 187 YGLs for 2015 from across the world, Irani is
accompanied by 10 other Indians, including Gaurav Gogoi, an MP and son
of Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi.
National Affairs
- The government has proposed a one-time amnesty for all those who have stashed black money abroad.
- The Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets (Imposition of New Tax) Bill, 2015 cleared by the Cabinet also proposes stringent action against offenders, including rigorous imprisonment of up to 10 years.
- One-time compliance opportunity to those who have stashed illicit money abroad will be provided.
- The evader will be allowed to pay tax and penalty on the amount.
- The Delhi High Court has once again refused to stay ban on BBC documentary ‘India’s Daugher’.
- The court also asked the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to issue an advisory over the ban.
- It has fixed 15th April for next hearing.
- The National Green Tribunal has passed a string of directions to clear the Railways of the filth which gives it the tag of “biggest open toilet.”
- The Tribunal empowered the Railways to impose a fine of Rs. 5,000 on anyone found littering or engaging in any other act such as open defecation on tracks or platforms.
- The fine would also be imposed on those residing along the tracks and disposing of waste on railway tracks or property.
- Rate of Railway platform ticket will be increased from 5 to 10 rupees per person from April, 2015.
- Maharashtra has announced Local Body Tax (LBT) would be abolished from August 1 and extended tax exemption on essential commodities like rice and wheat in Budget 2015-16.
- As regards LBT, a compensation of Rs. 6,875 crore will be given to the municipal corporations, excluding Mumbai.
- This was one of the main electoral promises of the BJP.
New Appointments
- Kavinder Gupta, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator, was elected as the speaker of the Jammu and Kashmir legislative assembly.
Science & Technology
- The indigenously developed Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air missile, Astra, was successfully launched from Sukhoi-30 fighter aircraft to hit a simulated target at the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur in Odisha.
- The missile was tested to prove the manoeuvring capability against a simulated target and also to validate various subsystems.
- All the subsystems like propulsion, navigation, guidance as also the smooth separation of the missile from the aircraft were proved.
- The all-weather, state-of-the-art missile developed by DRDO can engage and destroy enemy aircraft at supersonic speed ( 1.2 Mach to 1.4 Mach) in head-on (up to 80 km) and tail-chase (up to 20 km) modes.
- The 3.8 metre tall Astra is the smallest of the DRDO-developed missiles and can be launched from different altitudes.
- It can reach up to 110 km when fired from an altitude of 15 km, 44 km when launched from an altitude of eight km and 21 km when fired from sea level.
Sports
World Cup
- South Africa storm into semifinals thrashing Sri Lanka by 9 wickets in Sydney
- Kumar Sangakkara & Mahela Jayawardhane bid farewell to ODIs
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International Affairs
- Pakistan today hanged 12 convicts, the largest number put to death in a single day since the country temporarily lifted a moratorium on the death penalty.
- At least 27 convicts have been executed since Pakistan resumed executions on December 17 after a Taliban attack on an army school in Peshawar that killed more than 150 people, mostly children.
- There are more than 8,000 death row prisoners in the country.
- India and Kyrgyzstan today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to boost up the cooperation in the textiles sector.
- Indian Minister of State (MoS) for Textiles : Santosh Kumar Gangwar
- Minister of Energy and Industry of Kyrgyzstan : Kubanychbek Turdubaev
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International Affairs
- IMF Chief Christine Lagarde’s two-day India visit began today.
- She called on President of India Pranab Mukherjee and PM Narendra Modi today.
- The Indian economy, whose size is $2 trillion as of now, is poised to overtake the combined GDP of Japan and Germany in the next four years on the back of recent policy reforms and improved business confidence in the country, she said.
- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met in Switzerland today for crucial talks to secure an agreement on Iran's controversial nuclear program.
- The meeting comes before an end-of-March deadline for the framework of a deal that would curb Iran's nuclear ambitions in exchange for relief from international sanctions.
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National Affairs
- The Haryana Govt is going to introduce teaching of Bhagavad Gita in schools across the state from coming academic session.
- The government will also introduce a bill with "stringent punishment for cow slaughter in the on-going budget session of the assembly."
- Haryana Chief Minister : Manohar Lal Khattar
- Haryana Agriculture Minister : Om Prakash Dhankhad
- In order to ensure women safety, Delhi government has ordered all taxi operators to install GPS in their vehicles, failing which fitness certificate will not be issued to them.
- The decision came months after a 25-year-old woman was allegedly raped by a driver enlisted with the US-based cab service, Uber, in December last year inside the taxi in which GPS was not installed.
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International Affairs
- Today (March 14th) is Pi Day.
- This day is observed on March 14 as the number 3/14 in the month/day date format represents the first three digits of π (3.14).
- Modi's Srilanka Visit
- Modi inaugurates the restored North-South Sri Lankan Rail link at Thalaimannar.
- He handed 27000 houses at Jaffna built with Indian assistance to the people of the civil war ravaged Tamil heartland in northern Sri Lanka.
- He also visited Sri Lanka's historical city Anuradhapura and offered prayers at the sacred Bodhi tree.
- The sacred Bodhi tree was planted in Anuradhapura over two thousand years ago (planted in 288 BC) .
- It is a sapling of the original Bodhi tree, under which Lord Gautam Buddha meditated and achieved enlightenment.
- The shrine is one of the most sacred places in Buddhism.
- Srilankan President Maitripala Sirisena accompanied Mr. Modi during the prayer ceremony.
- This is for the first time that an Indian Prime Minister is visiting Anuradhapura.
- It is also the first time that Sri Lankan President is accompanying a foreign dignitary during such prayers.
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International Affairs
- Today is World Sleep Day.
- This day is observed on the Friday of the second week of March
- This day is being organized by the World Sleep Day Committee of the World Association of Sleep Medicine (WASM) since the year 2008.
- The aim of this day is to celebrate the benefits of good and healthy sleep and to draw society attention to the burden of sleep problems and their medicine, education and social aspects; to promote sleep disorders prevention and management.
- India asks Pakistan to take all legal steps to ensure that 26/11 Mumbai terror attack mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi does not come out of jail as Islamabad High Court orders his release.
- Pakistan High Commissioner - Abdul Basit
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in Colombo on a two-day visit to Sri Lanka.
- This is Narendra Modi's maiden visit to the country
- This is also the first bilateral tour by an Indian premier in 28 years.
- Modi visits IPKF (Indian Peace Keeping Force) memorial near to Sri Lankan Parliament at Colombo to pay homage to Indian soldiers who lost their lives while discharging their responsibilities in Sri Lanka during 1987 to 1990.
- IPKF was formed under the mandate of the Indo-Sri Lankan Accord signed between India and Sri Lanka in 1987 that aimed to end the Sri Lankan Civil War.
- The memorial has been constructed by the Sri Lankan government in 2008.
- India and Sri Lanka signed four agreements, those are
- Exemption from visa for holders of diplomatic passports
- Cooperation in mutual assistance in customs
- MoU for youth development
- To establish Rabindranath Tagore museum at a Sri Lanka university
- FinanceMinister Arun Jaitley is on a three-day visit to UK
- He met UK Chancellor George Osborne and reviewed progress made since 2010 in strengthening and deepening cooperation between Britain and India on economic and financial issues, including increased inward investment in each other's economies.
- This is his first official visit to UK.
- Osborne hailed the "increasingly important" relationship between Britain and India's economies.
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New Appointments
- The government today approved appointment of nine Executive Directors (EDs) in various public sector banks, including BoB, BoI and Canara Bank.
- Allahabad Bank - NK Sahoo
- Bank of Baroda - K Venkata Rama Moorthy
- Bank of India- RP Marathe
- Canara Bank - Harideesh Kumar B
- Central Bank of India - RC Lodha
- Indian Overseas Bank - Pawan Kumar Bajaj
- Syndicate Bank - Ravi Shankar Pandey
- UCO Bank - Charan Singh
- Union Bank of India - Kishore Piraji Khara
- Note : Andhra Bank's ED post is still vacant.
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