Daily Current Affairs: 9 March 2015

1) Rupee 1 note back in circulation after 20 Years:

--> After a gap of over 20 years, Re 1 note has been released in the country and it bears the signature of Finance Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi.

--> Incidentally, the note was released at Shrinathji temple in Nathdwara, Rajasthan, on March 6 by Mehrishi.

--> The re-launched one rupee notes will be made up of 100 per cent cotton rag content. It will weigh 90 grams per square metre and have thickness of 110 microns.

--> The colour of one Rupee Currency Note is predominantly pink green on obverse and reverse in combination with others.

--> In November 1994, printing of Re 1 note was stopped mainly due to higher cost and for freeing capacity to print currency notes of higher denomination.

2) New schemes PRASAD and SWADESH DARSHAN launched by the government:

--> New schemes PRASAD and SWADESH DARSHAN launched by the government to promote tourism in the country.

--> Prasad stands for 'Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive'.

--> Under PRASAD, initially, twelve cities namely Amritsar, Ajmer, Amaravati, Dwaraka, Gaya, Kanchipuram, Kedarnath, Kamakhya, Mathura, Puri, Varanasi and Vellankani have been identified for development. 

3) Veerappa Moily selected for Saraswati Samman 2014:

--> Former Union minister and senior Congress leader M Veerappa Moily has been selected for the prestigious Saraswati Samman for 2014 for his famous Kannada poem 'Ramayana Mahanveshanam'.

--> Divided into five volumes, 'Ramayana Mahanveshanam' was first published in 2007 in Kannada.

--> The poem has been translated into English, Hindi, Telegu and Tamil.

--> Instituted by the K K Birla Foundation in 1991, Saraswati Samman is given annually for an outstanding literary work in any Indian language mentioned in the Schedule VIII of the Constitution.

--> The award carries a cash purse of Rs 10 lakh, a citation and a plaque.

--> The selection for the award was made by a 13-member panel of scholars and writers headed by former Chief Justice of India R C Lahoti.

--> The award would make Mr. M. Veerappa Moily the second Kannada author to receive the honour after S. L. Bhyrappa (2010).

4) Prime Minister launched India's first indigenously developed rotavirus vaccine Rotavac:

--> The oral rotavirus vaccine Rotavac, which has been developed by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech and the department of biotechnology to combat diarrhoea, will be available for sale from next week in India.

--> Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the vaccine in New Delhi on 9 March 2015.

--> Half of the world’s rotavirus diarrhoeal deaths are reported from India; the three-dose indigenously developed vaccine is expected to bring down the number.

5) Saudi Arabia becomes world's biggest arms importer:

--> Saudi Arabia overtook India in 2014 as the world’s biggest importer of defence equipment, fuelled by tensions in the Middle East, according to a study published.

6) Solar Impulse – 2 started its historic 35,000-km round-the-world journey:

--> Solar Impulse – 2, the solar-powered plane started its historic 35,000-km round-the-world journey from Abu Dhabi on 9 March 2015.

--> The Solar Impulse 2, piloted by Andre Borschberg of Switzerland, took off at 7:12 am (0412 GMT) from Al-Bateen airport and headed to Muscat, the capital of Oman, in its first leg of the journey.

--> Solar Impulse 2 is not the first solar airplane, but the first to fly across oceans and continents.

--> In India the flight will stop in Ahmedabad and Varanasi.

7) Maharashtra launched 'Bhagyashree' scheme for girl child:

--> Maharashtra Government on 8 March 2015 launched 'Bhagyashree' scheme in place of the Sukanya scheme which caters to girls from Below Poverty Line (BPL) families.

--> Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Bollywood actress Bhagyashree, the brand ambassador of the scheme, were present.

8) TCS ranked as top employer in Europe for third year:

-->  Tata Consultancy Services has been named as the top employer in Europe for the third consecutive year by a top employers certification agency, citing the Indian IT major as an "exceptional performer" in nine core human resources areas.

--> TCS, the leading IT services, consulting and business solutions organisation, has been certified as top employer in eight European countries - the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark and Norway by Top Employers Institute.