1. PM Modi launched Gram Uday Se Bharat Uday Abhiyan on Dr. Ambedkar's birth anniversary
1. PM Narendra Modi launched 'Gram Uday Se Bharat Uday Abhiyan' at Mhow, Madhya Pradesh. The Abhiyan (campaign) was launched on the 125th birth anniversary of Babasaheb Ambedkar at his birthplace to strengthen Panchayati Raj in villages and ensure social harmony in villages.
1. PM Narendra Modi launched 'Gram Uday Se Bharat Uday Abhiyan' at Mhow, Madhya Pradesh. The Abhiyan (campaign) was launched on the 125th birth anniversary of Babasaheb Ambedkar at his birthplace to strengthen Panchayati Raj in villages and ensure social harmony in villages.
The campaign also seeks to promote rural development and foster farmers’ welfare and livelihoods to poor.
2. The 11-day campaign (from 14 April to 24 April 2016) will focus on generating nationwide efforts on promoting the aim of the programme. The campaign will be run jointly by the Ministries of Rural Development, Agriculture, Social Justice, Labour and Information and Broadcasting along with the States.
3. “Gramoday Se Bharat Uday Abhiyan” includes
• It will be conducted across the country, beginning with the Birth Anniversary of Dr. BR Ambedkar on 14 April 2016, culminating in “National Panchayati Raj Day” on 24 April 2016.
• The aim of this campaign is to make nationwide efforts to strengthen Panchayati Raj and through it, boost social harmony in the villages, promote rural development and foster farmers’ welfare & livelihoods of the poor.
• Prime Minister will address all Gram Sabhas on 24 April 2016 and the address will be telecast and aired to all villages across the country, and villagers will gather together to hear it.
• During the campaign, various Panchayat level and national level programmes will be held across the country.
2. Nuclear-capable K-4 undersea ballistic missile successfully test fired from INS Arihant
1. Nuclear capable undersea ballistic missile, code named K-4, was successfully test fired on 31 March 2016 from an undisclosed location in the Bay of Bengal. The test was conducted nearly 45 nautical miles away from Vishakhapatnam coast in Andhra Pradesh.
2. The trial was carried out with the support of the personnel of Strategic Forces Command (SFC) while the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) provided all logistics.
The missile was fired from 20-meter deep and covered more than 700 km before zeroing on the target with high accuracy reaching close to zero Circular Error Probability (CEP).
3. K-4 is a nuclear capable intermediate-range submarine-launched ballistic missile under development by DRDO to arm the Arihant-class submarines. The missile has a reported effective range of over 3500 km.
3. Maharashtra Legislative Assembly approved Social Boycott Bill 2016
1. Maharashtra Legislative Assembly on 13 April 2016 unanimously approved the Prohibition of Social Boycott Bill, 2016. The bill seeks to crack down on extra-judicial bodies like caste and community panchayats.
2. Features of the Bill
• In this bill, Indulging in social boycott is treated as a crime.
• The bill provides for prohibition of social boycott of a person or group of persons, including their family members as an individual or as a group like caste panchayat.
• The bill states that social boycott is prohibited and its commission shall be an offence.
• The maximum punishment for the offence will be seven years in prison or fine up to 5 lakh rupees or both.
• It also states that maximum punishment for extending aid in relation to the commission of offence will be three years or 3 lakh rupees or both.
4. India world’s largest remittance recipient in 2015: World Bank
1. As per recently report of World Bank, India remained the world’s largest remittance recipient in 2015. It was revealed by the World Bank’s annual report Migration and Development Brief. 2. In 2015, India attracted about 69 billion US dollars in remittances, down from 70 billion in 2014.
3. Other large remittance recipients in 2015 were China (64 billion dollars), Philippines (28 billion), Mexico (25 billion) and Nigeria (21 billion dollar).
5. India ranks 44th in 2016 Global Connectivity Index
1. India ranked 44th with total score of 30 among 50 different countries in the 2016 Global Connectivity Index (GCI) report compiled by Chinese telecom giant Huawei. The GCI analyzes the full spectrum of measurements for connectivity and provides a detailed map of the global digital economy.
2. The index benchmarks 50 countries on the basis of its ICT infrastructure including broadband, data centers, cloud services, big data and IoT in the scale ranging from 0 to 100. These 50 countries, account for 90 percent of global GDP.
2. Top 10 countries in 2016 GCI: United States (score-74), Singapore (72), Sweden (70), Switzerland (68), United Kingdom (65), Denmark (64), South Korea (63), Netherlands (63) and Japan (62).
6. Nauru becomes 189th member of IMF, World Bank
1. The Republic of Nauru, a tiny South Pacific island nation in Pacific Ocean became the 189th member of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank i.e. Bretton-Woods institutions. Nauru had applied for membership in the Washington-based IMF and World Bank in April 2014.
2. Its initial subscription quota for IMF will be of SDR (Special Drawing rights) 2 million or about $2.81 million. It will be the second smallest member of the Fund, after Tuvalu.
7. Sushila Karki: First female Chief Justice of Nepal’s Supreme Court
1. The Constitutional Council of Nepal has selected Justice Sushila Karki (63) for the post of Chief Justice (CJ) of the Supreme Court of the country.
2. With this selection she will become 26th chief justice of the apex court and the first female CJ in Nepal’s history. However, her nomination is expected to be confirmed by a Parliamentary Hearings Committee which endorses the recommendation.
3. She will succeed Kalyan Shrestha who retired from the top post. She shall have tenure of 1 year and retire in June 2017 upon reaching the age limit.
8. NPCI launches Unified Payments Interface
1. The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has launched “Unified Payments Interface (UPI)” to revolutionise mobile payment system in the country.
2. It was launched by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Raghuram Rajan. 29 banks have agreed to join the platform. UPI seeks to provide uniform mobile payment system by leveraging digital trends such as increasing smart phone adoption and deeper penetration of mobile data.
3. Key features of UPI
-The UPI is for mobile based payment method that powers multiple bank accounts into a single mobile application (of any bank) of a participating bank.
-It merges several banking features, seamless fund routing and merchant payments into one hood. Thus, it will be a single app for accessing different bank accounts.
-UIP is an advanced version of NPCI’s Immediate Payment Service (IMPS) which is a 24X7 funds transfer service. It provides round the clock availability and faster checkout.
9. Maharashtra CM Fadnavis launched Mission Drinking Water
1. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis launched ‘Mission Drinking Water.
2. The mission was launched in the backdrop of recurring droughts and severe water crisis in Marathwada and Vidarbha region of the state.
3. Highlights of the mission
• The government has adopted a two-pronged strategy to scale up drought mitigation through Mission Drinking Water.
• The mission ensures changes in crop pattern to sustain wholistic development, which includes greater investments in agriculture and industries.
• Every remote village in drought districts had been provided a roadmap and adequate budget.
10. Kane Williamson named Wisden Almanack's Cricketer of the Year
1. New Zealand’s Kane Williamson was named the Wisden's Leading Cricketer in the World for the year 2015.
2. On the other hand, White Ferns captain Suzie Bates was named the Leading Women's Cricketer in the World for 2015.
3. For the first time two New Zealand players - Williamson and Brendon McCullum - were named among the Wisden Almanack's Five Cricketers of the Year. England's Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow, and Australia's Steve Smith completed the list of Five Cricketers of the Year.
11. India, South Korea signed MoU for cooperation and mutual assistance in development of Ports
1. Union Road, Transport and Highways and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari and South Korea Oceans and Fisheries Minister Kim Young Suk signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Mumbai.
2. This MoU is for cooperation and mutual assistance between India and Republic of Korea in port related matters and their developments.The Union Cabinet approved the proposal of the Shipping Ministry for signing of this MoU on 6 April 2016.
2. The 11-day campaign (from 14 April to 24 April 2016) will focus on generating nationwide efforts on promoting the aim of the programme. The campaign will be run jointly by the Ministries of Rural Development, Agriculture, Social Justice, Labour and Information and Broadcasting along with the States.
3. “Gramoday Se Bharat Uday Abhiyan” includes
• It will be conducted across the country, beginning with the Birth Anniversary of Dr. BR Ambedkar on 14 April 2016, culminating in “National Panchayati Raj Day” on 24 April 2016.
• The aim of this campaign is to make nationwide efforts to strengthen Panchayati Raj and through it, boost social harmony in the villages, promote rural development and foster farmers’ welfare & livelihoods of the poor.
• Prime Minister will address all Gram Sabhas on 24 April 2016 and the address will be telecast and aired to all villages across the country, and villagers will gather together to hear it.
• During the campaign, various Panchayat level and national level programmes will be held across the country.
2. Nuclear-capable K-4 undersea ballistic missile successfully test fired from INS Arihant
1. Nuclear capable undersea ballistic missile, code named K-4, was successfully test fired on 31 March 2016 from an undisclosed location in the Bay of Bengal. The test was conducted nearly 45 nautical miles away from Vishakhapatnam coast in Andhra Pradesh.
2. The trial was carried out with the support of the personnel of Strategic Forces Command (SFC) while the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) provided all logistics.
The missile was fired from 20-meter deep and covered more than 700 km before zeroing on the target with high accuracy reaching close to zero Circular Error Probability (CEP).
3. K-4 is a nuclear capable intermediate-range submarine-launched ballistic missile under development by DRDO to arm the Arihant-class submarines. The missile has a reported effective range of over 3500 km.
3. Maharashtra Legislative Assembly approved Social Boycott Bill 2016
1. Maharashtra Legislative Assembly on 13 April 2016 unanimously approved the Prohibition of Social Boycott Bill, 2016. The bill seeks to crack down on extra-judicial bodies like caste and community panchayats.
2. Features of the Bill
• In this bill, Indulging in social boycott is treated as a crime.
• The bill provides for prohibition of social boycott of a person or group of persons, including their family members as an individual or as a group like caste panchayat.
• The bill states that social boycott is prohibited and its commission shall be an offence.
• The maximum punishment for the offence will be seven years in prison or fine up to 5 lakh rupees or both.
• It also states that maximum punishment for extending aid in relation to the commission of offence will be three years or 3 lakh rupees or both.
4. India world’s largest remittance recipient in 2015: World Bank
1. As per recently report of World Bank, India remained the world’s largest remittance recipient in 2015. It was revealed by the World Bank’s annual report Migration and Development Brief. 2. In 2015, India attracted about 69 billion US dollars in remittances, down from 70 billion in 2014.
3. Other large remittance recipients in 2015 were China (64 billion dollars), Philippines (28 billion), Mexico (25 billion) and Nigeria (21 billion dollar).
5. India ranks 44th in 2016 Global Connectivity Index
1. India ranked 44th with total score of 30 among 50 different countries in the 2016 Global Connectivity Index (GCI) report compiled by Chinese telecom giant Huawei. The GCI analyzes the full spectrum of measurements for connectivity and provides a detailed map of the global digital economy.
2. The index benchmarks 50 countries on the basis of its ICT infrastructure including broadband, data centers, cloud services, big data and IoT in the scale ranging from 0 to 100. These 50 countries, account for 90 percent of global GDP.
2. Top 10 countries in 2016 GCI: United States (score-74), Singapore (72), Sweden (70), Switzerland (68), United Kingdom (65), Denmark (64), South Korea (63), Netherlands (63) and Japan (62).
6. Nauru becomes 189th member of IMF, World Bank
1. The Republic of Nauru, a tiny South Pacific island nation in Pacific Ocean became the 189th member of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank i.e. Bretton-Woods institutions. Nauru had applied for membership in the Washington-based IMF and World Bank in April 2014.
2. Its initial subscription quota for IMF will be of SDR (Special Drawing rights) 2 million or about $2.81 million. It will be the second smallest member of the Fund, after Tuvalu.
7. Sushila Karki: First female Chief Justice of Nepal’s Supreme Court
1. The Constitutional Council of Nepal has selected Justice Sushila Karki (63) for the post of Chief Justice (CJ) of the Supreme Court of the country.
2. With this selection she will become 26th chief justice of the apex court and the first female CJ in Nepal’s history. However, her nomination is expected to be confirmed by a Parliamentary Hearings Committee which endorses the recommendation.
3. She will succeed Kalyan Shrestha who retired from the top post. She shall have tenure of 1 year and retire in June 2017 upon reaching the age limit.
8. NPCI launches Unified Payments Interface
1. The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has launched “Unified Payments Interface (UPI)” to revolutionise mobile payment system in the country.
2. It was launched by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Raghuram Rajan. 29 banks have agreed to join the platform. UPI seeks to provide uniform mobile payment system by leveraging digital trends such as increasing smart phone adoption and deeper penetration of mobile data.
3. Key features of UPI
-The UPI is for mobile based payment method that powers multiple bank accounts into a single mobile application (of any bank) of a participating bank.
-It merges several banking features, seamless fund routing and merchant payments into one hood. Thus, it will be a single app for accessing different bank accounts.
-UIP is an advanced version of NPCI’s Immediate Payment Service (IMPS) which is a 24X7 funds transfer service. It provides round the clock availability and faster checkout.
9. Maharashtra CM Fadnavis launched Mission Drinking Water
1. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis launched ‘Mission Drinking Water.
2. The mission was launched in the backdrop of recurring droughts and severe water crisis in Marathwada and Vidarbha region of the state.
3. Highlights of the mission
• The government has adopted a two-pronged strategy to scale up drought mitigation through Mission Drinking Water.
• The mission ensures changes in crop pattern to sustain wholistic development, which includes greater investments in agriculture and industries.
• Every remote village in drought districts had been provided a roadmap and adequate budget.
10. Kane Williamson named Wisden Almanack's Cricketer of the Year
1. New Zealand’s Kane Williamson was named the Wisden's Leading Cricketer in the World for the year 2015.
2. On the other hand, White Ferns captain Suzie Bates was named the Leading Women's Cricketer in the World for 2015.
3. For the first time two New Zealand players - Williamson and Brendon McCullum - were named among the Wisden Almanack's Five Cricketers of the Year. England's Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow, and Australia's Steve Smith completed the list of Five Cricketers of the Year.
11. India, South Korea signed MoU for cooperation and mutual assistance in development of Ports
1. Union Road, Transport and Highways and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari and South Korea Oceans and Fisheries Minister Kim Young Suk signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Mumbai.
2. This MoU is for cooperation and mutual assistance between India and Republic of Korea in port related matters and their developments.The Union Cabinet approved the proposal of the Shipping Ministry for signing of this MoU on 6 April 2016.
1. PM Modi launched Gram Uday Se Bharat Uday Abhiyan on Dr. Ambedkar's birth anniversary
1. PM Narendra Modi launched 'Gram Uday Se Bharat Uday Abhiyan' at Mhow, Madhya Pradesh. The Abhiyan (campaign) was launched on the 125th birth anniversary of Babasaheb Ambedkar at his birthplace to strengthen Panchayati Raj in villages and ensure social harmony in villages.
1. PM Narendra Modi launched 'Gram Uday Se Bharat Uday Abhiyan' at Mhow, Madhya Pradesh. The Abhiyan (campaign) was launched on the 125th birth anniversary of Babasaheb Ambedkar at his birthplace to strengthen Panchayati Raj in villages and ensure social harmony in villages.
The campaign also seeks to promote rural development and foster farmers’ welfare and livelihoods to poor.
2. The 11-day campaign (from 14 April to 24 April 2016) will focus on generating nationwide efforts on promoting the aim of the programme. The campaign will be run jointly by the Ministries of Rural Development, Agriculture, Social Justice, Labour and Information and Broadcasting along with the States.
3. “Gramoday Se Bharat Uday Abhiyan” includes
• It will be conducted across the country, beginning with the Birth Anniversary of Dr. BR Ambedkar on 14 April 2016, culminating in “National Panchayati Raj Day” on 24 April 2016.
• The aim of this campaign is to make nationwide efforts to strengthen Panchayati Raj and through it, boost social harmony in the villages, promote rural development and foster farmers’ welfare & livelihoods of the poor.
• Prime Minister will address all Gram Sabhas on 24 April 2016 and the address will be telecast and aired to all villages across the country, and villagers will gather together to hear it.
• During the campaign, various Panchayat level and national level programmes will be held across the country.
2. Nuclear-capable K-4 undersea ballistic missile successfully test fired from INS Arihant
1. Nuclear capable undersea ballistic missile, code named K-4, was successfully test fired on 31 March 2016 from an undisclosed location in the Bay of Bengal. The test was conducted nearly 45 nautical miles away from Vishakhapatnam coast in Andhra Pradesh.
2. The trial was carried out with the support of the personnel of Strategic Forces Command (SFC) while the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) provided all logistics.
The missile was fired from 20-meter deep and covered more than 700 km before zeroing on the target with high accuracy reaching close to zero Circular Error Probability (CEP).
3. K-4 is a nuclear capable intermediate-range submarine-launched ballistic missile under development by DRDO to arm the Arihant-class submarines. The missile has a reported effective range of over 3500 km.
3. Maharashtra Legislative Assembly approved Social Boycott Bill 2016
1. Maharashtra Legislative Assembly on 13 April 2016 unanimously approved the Prohibition of Social Boycott Bill, 2016. The bill seeks to crack down on extra-judicial bodies like caste and community panchayats.
2. Features of the Bill
• In this bill, Indulging in social boycott is treated as a crime.
• The bill provides for prohibition of social boycott of a person or group of persons, including their family members as an individual or as a group like caste panchayat.
• The bill states that social boycott is prohibited and its commission shall be an offence.
• The maximum punishment for the offence will be seven years in prison or fine up to 5 lakh rupees or both.
• It also states that maximum punishment for extending aid in relation to the commission of offence will be three years or 3 lakh rupees or both.
4. India world’s largest remittance recipient in 2015: World Bank
1. As per recently report of World Bank, India remained the world’s largest remittance recipient in 2015. It was revealed by the World Bank’s annual report Migration and Development Brief. 2. In 2015, India attracted about 69 billion US dollars in remittances, down from 70 billion in 2014.
3. Other large remittance recipients in 2015 were China (64 billion dollars), Philippines (28 billion), Mexico (25 billion) and Nigeria (21 billion dollar).
5. India ranks 44th in 2016 Global Connectivity Index
1. India ranked 44th with total score of 30 among 50 different countries in the 2016 Global Connectivity Index (GCI) report compiled by Chinese telecom giant Huawei. The GCI analyzes the full spectrum of measurements for connectivity and provides a detailed map of the global digital economy.
2. The index benchmarks 50 countries on the basis of its ICT infrastructure including broadband, data centers, cloud services, big data and IoT in the scale ranging from 0 to 100. These 50 countries, account for 90 percent of global GDP.
2. Top 10 countries in 2016 GCI: United States (score-74), Singapore (72), Sweden (70), Switzerland (68), United Kingdom (65), Denmark (64), South Korea (63), Netherlands (63) and Japan (62).
6. Nauru becomes 189th member of IMF, World Bank
1. The Republic of Nauru, a tiny South Pacific island nation in Pacific Ocean became the 189th member of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank i.e. Bretton-Woods institutions. Nauru had applied for membership in the Washington-based IMF and World Bank in April 2014.
2. Its initial subscription quota for IMF will be of SDR (Special Drawing rights) 2 million or about $2.81 million. It will be the second smallest member of the Fund, after Tuvalu.
7. Sushila Karki: First female Chief Justice of Nepal’s Supreme Court
1. The Constitutional Council of Nepal has selected Justice Sushila Karki (63) for the post of Chief Justice (CJ) of the Supreme Court of the country.
2. With this selection she will become 26th chief justice of the apex court and the first female CJ in Nepal’s history. However, her nomination is expected to be confirmed by a Parliamentary Hearings Committee which endorses the recommendation.
3. She will succeed Kalyan Shrestha who retired from the top post. She shall have tenure of 1 year and retire in June 2017 upon reaching the age limit.
8. NPCI launches Unified Payments Interface
1. The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has launched “Unified Payments Interface (UPI)” to revolutionise mobile payment system in the country.
2. It was launched by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Raghuram Rajan. 29 banks have agreed to join the platform. UPI seeks to provide uniform mobile payment system by leveraging digital trends such as increasing smart phone adoption and deeper penetration of mobile data.
3. Key features of UPI
-The UPI is for mobile based payment method that powers multiple bank accounts into a single mobile application (of any bank) of a participating bank.
-It merges several banking features, seamless fund routing and merchant payments into one hood. Thus, it will be a single app for accessing different bank accounts.
-UIP is an advanced version of NPCI’s Immediate Payment Service (IMPS) which is a 24X7 funds transfer service. It provides round the clock availability and faster checkout.
9. Maharashtra CM Fadnavis launched Mission Drinking Water
1. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis launched ‘Mission Drinking Water.
2. The mission was launched in the backdrop of recurring droughts and severe water crisis in Marathwada and Vidarbha region of the state.
3. Highlights of the mission
• The government has adopted a two-pronged strategy to scale up drought mitigation through Mission Drinking Water.
• The mission ensures changes in crop pattern to sustain wholistic development, which includes greater investments in agriculture and industries.
• Every remote village in drought districts had been provided a roadmap and adequate budget.
10. Kane Williamson named Wisden Almanack's Cricketer of the Year
1. New Zealand’s Kane Williamson was named the Wisden's Leading Cricketer in the World for the year 2015.
2. On the other hand, White Ferns captain Suzie Bates was named the Leading Women's Cricketer in the World for 2015.
3. For the first time two New Zealand players - Williamson and Brendon McCullum - were named among the Wisden Almanack's Five Cricketers of the Year. England's Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow, and Australia's Steve Smith completed the list of Five Cricketers of the Year.
11. India, South Korea signed MoU for cooperation and mutual assistance in development of Ports
1. Union Road, Transport and Highways and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari and South Korea Oceans and Fisheries Minister Kim Young Suk signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Mumbai.
2. This MoU is for cooperation and mutual assistance between India and Republic of Korea in port related matters and their developments.The Union Cabinet approved the proposal of the Shipping Ministry for signing of this MoU on 6 April 2016.
2. The 11-day campaign (from 14 April to 24 April 2016) will focus on generating nationwide efforts on promoting the aim of the programme. The campaign will be run jointly by the Ministries of Rural Development, Agriculture, Social Justice, Labour and Information and Broadcasting along with the States.
3. “Gramoday Se Bharat Uday Abhiyan” includes
• It will be conducted across the country, beginning with the Birth Anniversary of Dr. BR Ambedkar on 14 April 2016, culminating in “National Panchayati Raj Day” on 24 April 2016.
• The aim of this campaign is to make nationwide efforts to strengthen Panchayati Raj and through it, boost social harmony in the villages, promote rural development and foster farmers’ welfare & livelihoods of the poor.
• Prime Minister will address all Gram Sabhas on 24 April 2016 and the address will be telecast and aired to all villages across the country, and villagers will gather together to hear it.
• During the campaign, various Panchayat level and national level programmes will be held across the country.
2. Nuclear-capable K-4 undersea ballistic missile successfully test fired from INS Arihant
1. Nuclear capable undersea ballistic missile, code named K-4, was successfully test fired on 31 March 2016 from an undisclosed location in the Bay of Bengal. The test was conducted nearly 45 nautical miles away from Vishakhapatnam coast in Andhra Pradesh.
2. The trial was carried out with the support of the personnel of Strategic Forces Command (SFC) while the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) provided all logistics.
The missile was fired from 20-meter deep and covered more than 700 km before zeroing on the target with high accuracy reaching close to zero Circular Error Probability (CEP).
3. K-4 is a nuclear capable intermediate-range submarine-launched ballistic missile under development by DRDO to arm the Arihant-class submarines. The missile has a reported effective range of over 3500 km.
3. Maharashtra Legislative Assembly approved Social Boycott Bill 2016
1. Maharashtra Legislative Assembly on 13 April 2016 unanimously approved the Prohibition of Social Boycott Bill, 2016. The bill seeks to crack down on extra-judicial bodies like caste and community panchayats.
2. Features of the Bill
• In this bill, Indulging in social boycott is treated as a crime.
• The bill provides for prohibition of social boycott of a person or group of persons, including their family members as an individual or as a group like caste panchayat.
• The bill states that social boycott is prohibited and its commission shall be an offence.
• The maximum punishment for the offence will be seven years in prison or fine up to 5 lakh rupees or both.
• It also states that maximum punishment for extending aid in relation to the commission of offence will be three years or 3 lakh rupees or both.
4. India world’s largest remittance recipient in 2015: World Bank
1. As per recently report of World Bank, India remained the world’s largest remittance recipient in 2015. It was revealed by the World Bank’s annual report Migration and Development Brief. 2. In 2015, India attracted about 69 billion US dollars in remittances, down from 70 billion in 2014.
3. Other large remittance recipients in 2015 were China (64 billion dollars), Philippines (28 billion), Mexico (25 billion) and Nigeria (21 billion dollar).
5. India ranks 44th in 2016 Global Connectivity Index
1. India ranked 44th with total score of 30 among 50 different countries in the 2016 Global Connectivity Index (GCI) report compiled by Chinese telecom giant Huawei. The GCI analyzes the full spectrum of measurements for connectivity and provides a detailed map of the global digital economy.
2. The index benchmarks 50 countries on the basis of its ICT infrastructure including broadband, data centers, cloud services, big data and IoT in the scale ranging from 0 to 100. These 50 countries, account for 90 percent of global GDP.
2. Top 10 countries in 2016 GCI: United States (score-74), Singapore (72), Sweden (70), Switzerland (68), United Kingdom (65), Denmark (64), South Korea (63), Netherlands (63) and Japan (62).
6. Nauru becomes 189th member of IMF, World Bank
1. The Republic of Nauru, a tiny South Pacific island nation in Pacific Ocean became the 189th member of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank i.e. Bretton-Woods institutions. Nauru had applied for membership in the Washington-based IMF and World Bank in April 2014.
2. Its initial subscription quota for IMF will be of SDR (Special Drawing rights) 2 million or about $2.81 million. It will be the second smallest member of the Fund, after Tuvalu.
7. Sushila Karki: First female Chief Justice of Nepal’s Supreme Court
1. The Constitutional Council of Nepal has selected Justice Sushila Karki (63) for the post of Chief Justice (CJ) of the Supreme Court of the country.
2. With this selection she will become 26th chief justice of the apex court and the first female CJ in Nepal’s history. However, her nomination is expected to be confirmed by a Parliamentary Hearings Committee which endorses the recommendation.
3. She will succeed Kalyan Shrestha who retired from the top post. She shall have tenure of 1 year and retire in June 2017 upon reaching the age limit.
8. NPCI launches Unified Payments Interface
1. The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has launched “Unified Payments Interface (UPI)” to revolutionise mobile payment system in the country.
2. It was launched by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Raghuram Rajan. 29 banks have agreed to join the platform. UPI seeks to provide uniform mobile payment system by leveraging digital trends such as increasing smart phone adoption and deeper penetration of mobile data.
3. Key features of UPI
-The UPI is for mobile based payment method that powers multiple bank accounts into a single mobile application (of any bank) of a participating bank.
-It merges several banking features, seamless fund routing and merchant payments into one hood. Thus, it will be a single app for accessing different bank accounts.
-UIP is an advanced version of NPCI’s Immediate Payment Service (IMPS) which is a 24X7 funds transfer service. It provides round the clock availability and faster checkout.
9. Maharashtra CM Fadnavis launched Mission Drinking Water
1. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis launched ‘Mission Drinking Water.
2. The mission was launched in the backdrop of recurring droughts and severe water crisis in Marathwada and Vidarbha region of the state.
3. Highlights of the mission
• The government has adopted a two-pronged strategy to scale up drought mitigation through Mission Drinking Water.
• The mission ensures changes in crop pattern to sustain wholistic development, which includes greater investments in agriculture and industries.
• Every remote village in drought districts had been provided a roadmap and adequate budget.
10. Kane Williamson named Wisden Almanack's Cricketer of the Year
1. New Zealand’s Kane Williamson was named the Wisden's Leading Cricketer in the World for the year 2015.
2. On the other hand, White Ferns captain Suzie Bates was named the Leading Women's Cricketer in the World for 2015.
3. For the first time two New Zealand players - Williamson and Brendon McCullum - were named among the Wisden Almanack's Five Cricketers of the Year. England's Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow, and Australia's Steve Smith completed the list of Five Cricketers of the Year.
11. India, South Korea signed MoU for cooperation and mutual assistance in development of Ports
1. Union Road, Transport and Highways and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari and South Korea Oceans and Fisheries Minister Kim Young Suk signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Mumbai.
2. This MoU is for cooperation and mutual assistance between India and Republic of Korea in port related matters and their developments.The Union Cabinet approved the proposal of the Shipping Ministry for signing of this MoU on 6 April 2016.
