Current Affairs of 11 April 2015

1. India elected to four United Nations agencies
India was elected to four important United Nations (UN) agencies . These agencies are United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), World Food Program (WFP), Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) and the Governing Council of UN-Habitat.
India was elected to these bodies at the Coordination and Management Meeting (CMM) of UNECOSOC (the United Nations Economic and Social Council) held at the UN headquarters in New York, USA.
India was elected by acclamation, which is a form of election that doesn’t use a ballot.

2. Social Progress Index 2015 released by Social Progress Imperative
Social Progress Index (SPI) 2015 was released by the US-based non-profit organisation Social Progress Imperative . On population-weighted basis, the SPI score for the whole world stands at 61 and at 64.39 when SPI scores are based on simple average of countries.
The SPI 2015 ranks 133 countries in terms of social progress from highest to lowest which are classified into six tiers from Very High Social Progress to Very Low Social Progress. These 133 countries cover 94 percent of the world’s population.
India with a score of 53.06 is ranked 101st and is placed in the Low Social Progress Group. In 2014, India with a score of 50.24 was ranked 102 out of 132 countries.

3. Seoul won WWF’s Earth Hour City Challenge to become the Global Earth Hour Capital 2015

Seoul city, the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea, was awarded the title of Global Earth hour Capital 2015 after it won the Earth Hour City Challenge (EHCC) of World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The challenge saw the participation of 163 cities from 16 countries.
The award ceremony was held in Seoul, South Korea.
The city of Balikpapan, Indonesia was recognized as the Most Loveable City for 2015 and Thane city was named as the National Earth Hour Capital 2015 of India.
Seoul was chosen as the winner by EHCC jury of international experts for its comprehensive approach to tackle climate change and its determination to ramp up use of renewable energy.

4. France to assist India on semi-high speed rail projects, station upgrade
France will partner India in a study for upgrading the speed on the 
Delhi-Chandigarh rail line to 200 km per hour and help in the re-development of Ambala and Ludhiana railway stations.
France will also help in development of Smart Cities in India to be identified by the host government. These were among the outcomes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s talks with French President Francois Hollande here yesterday.
The two sides signed a Railway protocol which seeks to establish cooperation between Indian and French Railways for semi-high speed rail and station renovation.
Under the protocol, Indian Railways and French National Railways (SNCF) will co-finance an execution study by SNCF for a semi-high speed project on upgradation of the Delhi-Chandigarh line to 200 km per hour and re-development of the Ambala and Ludhiana railway stations in Punjab.
The Shatabdi Express between Chandigarh and New Delhi is the fastest train on the route and currently runs at an average speed of 79.80 kmph.

5. Uttarakhand to provide free seeds to farmers
Chief Minister Harish Rawat today announced fresh measures to provide relief to rain-hit farmers in the state including free distribution of seeds among them and an increased subsidy on ginger and turmeric seeds.
These measures which also include 75 per cent subsidy on turmeric and ginger seeds are in addition to the six-month waiver of interest on loans taken by farmers from cooperative banks announced by the state government earlier, Rawat told reporters here.
Subsidy provided to farmers on ginger and turmeric seeds earlier stood at 50 per cent.
“A seed mini kit will be provided for free to all farmers and horticulturists and a 75 per cent subsidy will be given to farmers who want to grow turmeric and ginger,” he said.
The Chief Minister also clarified that the reliefs announced by the state government apply to both farmers and horticulturists as garden cultivation in the state has also suffered because of unseasonal rains and inclement weather.
Besides, a revolving fund of Rs. 25 crore has been allocated to the agriculture and horticulture department to come to the aid of farmers wherever required, he said.

6. RBI cautions against use of ‘balance enquiry app’

 The Reserve Bank of India has cautioned members of the public that an app (application) with the title 'All Bank Balance Enquiry No', which purportedly facilitates checking of balance in customers' bank accounts, has not been developed by it.
Members of the public are, therefore, advised to use the application, if at all, at their own risk, the central bank said in a statement.
RBI said an app (application) with its logo and the title 'All Bank Balance Enquiry No' is doing the rounds on Whatsapp. The app has listed several banks with a mobile or a call centre number.

7. Varun Dhawan to promote new-look Maaza
 Coca-Cola India has roped in Bollywood actors Varun Dhawan and Gulshan Grover for its latest ad campaign for Maaza, its mango drink. Also, the company has decided to revamp Maaza’s packaging and labelling.
Debabrata Mukherjee, Vice President-Marketing and Commercial, Coca-Cola India and South West Asia, said that the new Maaza visual identity has been designed to enhance the brand appeal and portray the true essence of the beverage. The new label will also have fun facts, like the fact that it is made of mango pulp instead of fruit concentrate and is made of hand-picked Alphonsos.
Project Unnati is the initiative through which Maaza has partnered with Jain Irrigation to help farmers adopt best farming practices to increase yield and quality of mangoes. The company said Maaza has been growing ahead of the juice category and it has been looking to further grow its distribution.
Meanwhile, the new Maaza campaign with the theme, “ HarMausamAam, HarMausamLove”, starring Varun Dhawan and Gulshan Grover is set to hit airwaves

8. Syndicate Bank, LIC tie up
Syndicate Bank and Life Insurance Corporation have signed a memorandum of understanding to implement the ‘Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana’. LIC will provide a life cover of ₹2 lakh in case of death of the insured person at a nominal premium of ₹330 per annum. Savings bank account holders of the bank, in the age group of 18 to 50 years, can avail themselves of the product. The scheme will come into effect from June 1, the bank said.

9. Apurvi Chandela wins Bronze in ISSF Rifle and Pistol World Cup
Indian shooter Apurvi Chandela on Saturday qualified for next year's Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro after clinching a 10m air rifle bronze in the ISSF World Cup (Rifle/Pistol) in Changwon, Korea.
After qualifying fifth for the final round, Chandela shot a score of 185.6 to finish third in an eight-strong list, from which the top six made the cut for the Olympics.
She thus became the second Indian shooter after Jitu Rai to qualify for Rio Olympic .
The gold medal in Chandela's event was clinched by Croatia's Snjezana Pjecic (209.1), while the silver went to Serbia's Ivana Maksimovic (207.7).

10.  India’s first IFSC becomes operational at GIFT City in Gujarat
India’s first International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) became operational at Gujarat International Finance Tec (GIFT) City in Gandhinagar district of Gujarat. It became operational after Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley unveiled the rules and regulations for this global financial hub.


1. India elected to four United Nations agencies
India was elected to four important United Nations (UN) agencies . These agencies are United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), World Food Program (WFP), Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) and the Governing Council of UN-Habitat.
India was elected to these bodies at the Coordination and Management Meeting (CMM) of UNECOSOC (the United Nations Economic and Social Council) held at the UN headquarters in New York, USA.
India was elected by acclamation, which is a form of election that doesn’t use a ballot.

2. Social Progress Index 2015 released by Social Progress Imperative
Social Progress Index (SPI) 2015 was released by the US-based non-profit organisation Social Progress Imperative . On population-weighted basis, the SPI score for the whole world stands at 61 and at 64.39 when SPI scores are based on simple average of countries.
The SPI 2015 ranks 133 countries in terms of social progress from highest to lowest which are classified into six tiers from Very High Social Progress to Very Low Social Progress. These 133 countries cover 94 percent of the world’s population.
India with a score of 53.06 is ranked 101st and is placed in the Low Social Progress Group. In 2014, India with a score of 50.24 was ranked 102 out of 132 countries.

3. Seoul won WWF’s Earth Hour City Challenge to become the Global Earth Hour Capital 2015

Seoul city, the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea, was awarded the title of Global Earth hour Capital 2015 after it won the Earth Hour City Challenge (EHCC) of World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The challenge saw the participation of 163 cities from 16 countries.
The award ceremony was held in Seoul, South Korea.
The city of Balikpapan, Indonesia was recognized as the Most Loveable City for 2015 and Thane city was named as the National Earth Hour Capital 2015 of India.
Seoul was chosen as the winner by EHCC jury of international experts for its comprehensive approach to tackle climate change and its determination to ramp up use of renewable energy.

4. France to assist India on semi-high speed rail projects, station upgrade
France will partner India in a study for upgrading the speed on the 
Delhi-Chandigarh rail line to 200 km per hour and help in the re-development of Ambala and Ludhiana railway stations.
France will also help in development of Smart Cities in India to be identified by the host government. These were among the outcomes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s talks with French President Francois Hollande here yesterday.
The two sides signed a Railway protocol which seeks to establish cooperation between Indian and French Railways for semi-high speed rail and station renovation.
Under the protocol, Indian Railways and French National Railways (SNCF) will co-finance an execution study by SNCF for a semi-high speed project on upgradation of the Delhi-Chandigarh line to 200 km per hour and re-development of the Ambala and Ludhiana railway stations in Punjab.
The Shatabdi Express between Chandigarh and New Delhi is the fastest train on the route and currently runs at an average speed of 79.80 kmph.

5. Uttarakhand to provide free seeds to farmers
Chief Minister Harish Rawat today announced fresh measures to provide relief to rain-hit farmers in the state including free distribution of seeds among them and an increased subsidy on ginger and turmeric seeds.
These measures which also include 75 per cent subsidy on turmeric and ginger seeds are in addition to the six-month waiver of interest on loans taken by farmers from cooperative banks announced by the state government earlier, Rawat told reporters here.
Subsidy provided to farmers on ginger and turmeric seeds earlier stood at 50 per cent.
“A seed mini kit will be provided for free to all farmers and horticulturists and a 75 per cent subsidy will be given to farmers who want to grow turmeric and ginger,” he said.
The Chief Minister also clarified that the reliefs announced by the state government apply to both farmers and horticulturists as garden cultivation in the state has also suffered because of unseasonal rains and inclement weather.
Besides, a revolving fund of Rs. 25 crore has been allocated to the agriculture and horticulture department to come to the aid of farmers wherever required, he said.

6. RBI cautions against use of ‘balance enquiry app’

 The Reserve Bank of India has cautioned members of the public that an app (application) with the title 'All Bank Balance Enquiry No', which purportedly facilitates checking of balance in customers' bank accounts, has not been developed by it.
Members of the public are, therefore, advised to use the application, if at all, at their own risk, the central bank said in a statement.
RBI said an app (application) with its logo and the title 'All Bank Balance Enquiry No' is doing the rounds on Whatsapp. The app has listed several banks with a mobile or a call centre number.

7. Varun Dhawan to promote new-look Maaza
 Coca-Cola India has roped in Bollywood actors Varun Dhawan and Gulshan Grover for its latest ad campaign for Maaza, its mango drink. Also, the company has decided to revamp Maaza’s packaging and labelling.
Debabrata Mukherjee, Vice President-Marketing and Commercial, Coca-Cola India and South West Asia, said that the new Maaza visual identity has been designed to enhance the brand appeal and portray the true essence of the beverage. The new label will also have fun facts, like the fact that it is made of mango pulp instead of fruit concentrate and is made of hand-picked Alphonsos.
Project Unnati is the initiative through which Maaza has partnered with Jain Irrigation to help farmers adopt best farming practices to increase yield and quality of mangoes. The company said Maaza has been growing ahead of the juice category and it has been looking to further grow its distribution.
Meanwhile, the new Maaza campaign with the theme, “ HarMausamAam, HarMausamLove”, starring Varun Dhawan and Gulshan Grover is set to hit airwaves

8. Syndicate Bank, LIC tie up
Syndicate Bank and Life Insurance Corporation have signed a memorandum of understanding to implement the ‘Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana’. LIC will provide a life cover of ₹2 lakh in case of death of the insured person at a nominal premium of ₹330 per annum. Savings bank account holders of the bank, in the age group of 18 to 50 years, can avail themselves of the product. The scheme will come into effect from June 1, the bank said.

9. Apurvi Chandela wins Bronze in ISSF Rifle and Pistol World Cup
Indian shooter Apurvi Chandela on Saturday qualified for next year's Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro after clinching a 10m air rifle bronze in the ISSF World Cup (Rifle/Pistol) in Changwon, Korea.
After qualifying fifth for the final round, Chandela shot a score of 185.6 to finish third in an eight-strong list, from which the top six made the cut for the Olympics.
She thus became the second Indian shooter after Jitu Rai to qualify for Rio Olympic .
The gold medal in Chandela's event was clinched by Croatia's Snjezana Pjecic (209.1), while the silver went to Serbia's Ivana Maksimovic (207.7).

10.  India’s first IFSC becomes operational at GIFT City in Gujarat
India’s first International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) became operational at Gujarat International Finance Tec (GIFT) City in Gandhinagar district of Gujarat. It became operational after Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley unveiled the rules and regulations for this global financial hub.


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