8th March 2015 Daily Current Affairs Updates

1) All England Badminton Championship: Saina Nehwal lost to Carolina Marin

--> Saina Nehwal lost the women's singles final of the $500,000 All England Open Badminton Championships to Spain's Carolina on 5 March 2015.

--> In her attempt to become the first Indian woman to win the prestigious Super Series Premier event, she took off well to win the opening game and lead in the second.

--> However, a major turnaround saw the reigning World Champion demonstrate pure skill and class to earn a come-from-behind 16-21, 21-14, 21-7 win in an hour and two minutes.

2) International Women’s Day celebrated:

--> International Women’s Day was celebrated across the world on 8 March 2015. 

--> The theme for the year 2015 is Make it Happen and it encourages effective action for advancing and recognizing women.

--> The day represents an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of women while calling for greater equality.

3) Stree Shakti Puraskar and Nari Shakti Puraskar presented:

--> Six illustrious women have been awarded 'Stree Shakti Puraskar' and eight women have been awarded 'Nari Shakti Puraskar' for the year 2015, by the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee, on the International Women's Day (March 8,2015) at Rashtrapati Bhawan.

--> The awardees were nominated by the state governments, MPs, VIPs as well as on suo-moto basis which were then selected by a national level Screening Committee.

--> Stree Shakti Puraskar has been conferred:

1) Anyay Rahit Zindagian NGO of Goa has been conferred with Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Award

2) Rani Lakshmibai Award has been presented to Seema Prakash of Madhya Pradesh

3) Astha Sansthan , NGO of Rajasthan has been awarded Rani Rudramma Devi

4) Chandraprabha Bokey from Maharashtra has been conferred Mata Jijabai Award

5) Dr. P Bhanumati of Kerala has been presented with Kannagi Award

6) Sister while Mariola from Rajasthan has been awarded Rani Gaidinliu Zeliang

4) Veteran journalist Vinod Mehta passed away:

--> Veteran journalist and author Vinod Mehta passed away after prolonged illness on 8 March 2015.

--> Mr. Mehta, 72, who had founded the Outlook Magazine and served as its Editor-in-Chief, last held the post of editorial Chairman of the publication.

--> An eminent political commentator, Mr. Mehta was served as the editor of several publications, including The Pioneer, The Sunday Observer, The Independent and The Indian Post.

5) Kumar Sangakkara announced retirement from Test cricket:

--> Sri Lanka batsman Kumar Sangakkara on 9 March 2015 announced that he will retire from Test cricket “by the end of August” whe Sri Lanka hosts India in a three-match series.

--> The 37-year-old wicketkeeper has already announced retirement from One-Day International (ODI) and Twenty-20 cricket.

--> In 130 Tests, Sangakkara has 12,203 runs, which makes him the fifth highest scorer. Only Sachin Tendulkar (15,921), Ricky Ponting (13,378), Jacques Kallis (13,289) and Rahul Dravid (13,288) are above him in the elite list.

6) India-Nepal Combined Exercise Surya Kiran VIII concluded:

-->  The 14-day-long 8th India-Nepal Combined Exercise Surya Kiran VIII concluded on 8 March 2015 at Salijhandi in Nepal.

--> The exercise carried out under the support of Nepalese Army aimed to create a greater understanding between Indian Army & Nepalese Army and develop interoperability in Jungle Warfare and Counter Terrorism operations in mountainous terrain.

7) 'Aapki Beti Humari Beti' scheme launched in Haryana:

--> Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on 8 March 2015 launched a scheme for girl child - 'Aapki Beti Humari Beti' - with an aim to combat the problem of declining child sex ratio in the state.

--> The scheme was announced at a state-level function on the occasion of International Women's Day at Panchkula.

--> 'Aapki Beti Humari Beti' will be implemented in both rural and urban areas of the state covering first-born girl child of Scheduled Caste (SC) and Below Poverty Line (BPL) families and all second girl child born on or after January 22, 2015 of all families.

--> Under this scheme, the first girl child born on or after January 22, 2015, in SC and BPL families will be eligible to receive Rs 21,000.

--> Khattar also launched 'Haryana Kanya Kosh' for the welfare and development of girl child and women in the state.

8) Kerala Tourism won Golden Gate award in Germany:

--> Kerala Tourism's popular global multimedia campaign to promote the backwaters has won the Golden Gate award at the Internationale Tourismus-Borse Berlin (ITB-Berlin) - 2015, the world's leading travel trade event.

9) Arun Singh appointed India's ambassador to US:

--> Arun Singh has been appointed as India’s ambassador to the U.S. succeeding S. Jaishankar, who was named the Foreign Secretary in January, the External Affairs Ministry announced on 8 March 2015.

--> Currently India’s Ambassador to France, the 1979-batch IFS officer is expected to take up his assignment shortly, the Ministry said.

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Daily Current Affairs Quiz: 8 March 2015

1) K.S. Lavkumar Khachar who died in Rajkot on 2 March 2015 was a famous?

(A) Ornithologist

(B) Historian

(C) Lawyer

(D) Politician

2) Union Government and Reserve Bank of India (RBI) recently signed an agreement on?

(A) Printing of Notes

(B) Monetary Policy Framework

(C) Lending Rates

(D) Appoitment of Bank Heads

3)  Government of India has recently decided to establish a National Marine Police Training Institute in which state?

(A) Andhra Pradesh

(B) Kerala

(C) Gujarat

(D) Rajasthan

4) In the Rail Budget 2014-15, Government has announced its plan to set up an innovation council called ______ for business re-engineering and introducing a spirit of innovation in the Indian Railways?

(A) Kayakalp

(B) Sankalp

(C) Navvishwas

(D) None of these

5) The newly announced monetary policy committee, which will set the inflation target, will have ____ members?

(A) Four

(B) SIx

(C) Ten

(D) Eight 

6) India’s fourth Navigation Satellite IRNSS-1D will soon be launched onboard which launch vehicle?

(A) GSLV - D5

(B) PSLV-C27

(C) PSLV- C26

(D) GSLV - D7

7) Who recently became the first ever film personality to be felicitated with a National award for creating awareness about child trafficking?

(A) Priyanka Chopra

(B) Aamir Khan

(C) Kareena Kapoor

(D) Rani Mukerji

8) Which Indian mobile company has recently entered into a partnership with China Mobile, for jointly sourcing devices and equipment as well as developing 4G technology and standards?

(A) Reliance

(B) Idea

(C) Vodafone

(D) Airtel

9) Which movie has won the Oscar 2015 for best Foreign Language Film?

(A) Jal

(B) Birdman

(C) Ida

(D) Boyhood

10) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 5 March 2015 inaugurated two units each of 600 MW of Shree Singaji Thermal Power Plant in which state?

(A) Madhya Pradesh

(B) Tamil Nadu

(C) Jammu and Kashmir

(D) Telangana

Answers

1) Ans. (A) Ornithologist

2) Ans. (B) Monetary Policy Framework

3) Ans. (C) Gujarat

4) Ans. (A) Kayakalp

5) Ans. (D) Eight

6) Ans. (B) PSLV-C27

7) Ans. (D) Rani Mukerji

8) Ans. (D) Airtel

9) Ans. (C) Ida

10) Ans. (A) Madhya Pradesh

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Employment News: 07 March 2015 to 13 March 2015

1. Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board        

Name of Post -Deputy Director General, Assistant Director General etc. 

No. of Post- 72

Last Date-24.03.2015

2. NMDC Limited

Name of Post-Executives Trainees.

No. of Post-250

Last Date-24.03.2015

3. Steel Authority of India Limited.

Name of Post-Management Trainees.

No. of Post-346

Last Date-  18.03.2015                       

4. Atomic Energy Education Society.            

Name of Post-Principal, PGT, TGT etc.

No. of Post-48

Last Date-21 days after publication

5. NEPA LTD.

Name of Post-General Manager, Dy. General Manager etc.

No. of Post-29

Last Date- 15 days after publication      

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Daily Current Affairs Updates: 07 March 2015

1) Kerala Assembly speaker G Karthikeyan passed away:

--> Senior Congress leader and Kerala Assembly Speaker G Karthikeyan passed away in Bangalore, Karnataka. He was 66.

--> A prominent Congress leader in Kerala, Karthikeyan has entered into politics through Kerala Students Union, the student outfit of Congress.

--> He had been elected to the state assembly in 1982, 1991, 1996, 2001, 2006 and 2011.

--> In Congress government headed by A K Antony in 1995, Karthikeyan had been power minister. He had served as civil supplies minister in the Congress government in 2001.

2) Snooker shortlisted for Tokyo 2020 Olympics:

--> The green baize game of snooker, played with multi-coloured balls, has been short-listed among three sports to be included in the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, according to Captain P.V.K. Mohan, president of the International Billiards and Snooker Federation (IBSF). 

3) Saina Nehwal advanced to All England Badminton Final:

--> Saina Nehwal became the first Indian in 14 years to reach the final of the All England Open Badminton Championships by virtue of a straight games win over China's Sun Yu here on 7 March 2015.

--> The third seed became the first Indian woman to enter the summit clash of the prestigious $500,000 tournament by defeating the tall Chinese 21-13, 21-13 in 50 minutes at the Barclaycard Arena, taking a 2-1 lead in career meetings.

--> Only two Indians -- Pullela Gopichand (2001) and Prakash Padukone (1980) -- have won the tournament till date.

4) NASA's Dawn spacecraft reached dwarf planet Ceres:

--> NASA's Dawn spacecraft has created history by becoming the first mission to achieve orbit around the dwarf planet Ceres with an aim of providing new insights and capturing images from the distant world.

--> The spacecraft was approximately 61,000 kilometres from Ceres when it was captured by the dwarf planet's gravity, NASA said.

5) Walmart India appoints Ashwin Mittal as CFO:

--> Walmart India has appointed Ashwin Mittal as chief operating officer and Javier Rojo as real estate and business development head.

--> Mittal will replace Jill Anderson who will soon repatriate back to Walmart in US, said the company in a statement.

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MCQ on Current Affairs: 7 March 2015

1) On 3 March 2015, for the _____ time in Rajya Sabha’s history that an amendment moved by the opposition to the motion of thanks to the President’s address has been passed?

(A) First

(B) Second

(C) Third

(D) Fourth

2) Which country recently unveiled a new political theory named “Four Comprehensives”?

(A) China

(B) Brazil

(C) Cuba

(D) Uruguay

3) _____ on 3 March 2015 launched National Electoral Roll Purification and Authentication Programme (NERPAP) throughout India?

(A) Union Home Ministry

(B) Ministry of Panchayati Raj

(C) Election Commission of India

(D) Department of Posts

4) A bill banning the cow slaughter in which state received the President's assent on 4 March 2015?

(A) Haryana

(B) Jammu and Kashmir

(C) Himachal Pradesh

(D) Maharashtra

5) Ratings agency Moody’s has recently downgraded ratings for which banks?

(A) Union Bank Of India and Indian Bank

(B) State Bank of India and Vijaya Bank

(C) Central Bank of India and Indian Overseas Bank

(D) Bank of Baroda and Punjab National Bank

6) World's largest and tallest Indian tricolour was unfurled at Town Park in Faridabad on 3 March 2015. Faridabad is in which Indian state?

(A) Punjab

(B) Haryana

(C) Uttar Pradesh

(D) Gujarat

7) M C Mary Kom on 3 March 2015 said she has decided to quit boxing after the 2016 Olympic Games. 2016 Olympic Games will be held at?

(A) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

(B) Tokyo, Japan

(C) Durban, South Africa

(D) Beijing, China 

8) “Bharat-Nepal Maitri Bus Seva” was flagged off by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav in Varanasi on 4 March 2015. This bus service will connect Varanasi to?

(A) Nepalgunj

(B) Pokhara

(C) Butwal

(D) Kathmandu

9) Lok Sabha on 4 March 2015 passed the Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2015. This bill provides for raising the foreign investment cap from 26 per cent to ___ per cent?

(A) 51

(B) 75

(C) 49

(D) 100

10) Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 4 March 2015 has cut down repo rate by 25 basis points to?

(A) 7.75

(B) 7.50

(C) 7.25

(D) 7.00 

Answers

1) Ans. (D) Fourth

2) Ans. (A) China

3) Ans. (C) Election Commission of India

4) Ans. (D) Maharashtra

5) Ans. (C) Central Bank of India and Indian Overseas Bank

6) Ans. (B) Haryana

7) Ans. (A) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

8) Ans. (D) Kathmandu

9) Ans. (C) 49

10) Ans. (B) 7.50

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Daily Current Affairs: 6 March 2015

1) Prime Minister Narendra Modi among 30 most influential people on internet: Time Magazine

--> Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been named among the 30 most influential people on the internet by Time magazine in a list which also features US President Barack Obama.

--> The list, which analysed social-media followings, site traffic and overall ability to drive news, also includes British author of the Harry Potter series J K Rowling and singers Taylor Swift and Beyonce.

--> Time said the Indian Prime Minister has roughly 38 million followers on social networking sites Twitter and Facebook, putting him ahead of any other leaders in the world except Obama.

2) NPCI linked 15 crore bank accounts with Aadhaar number:

--> National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) on 6 March 2015 said it has linked 15 crore bank accounts with Aadhaar number.

--> NPCI is the nodal agency for all retail payment systems under the Jan Dhan scheme.

--> "NPCI, the umbrella organisation for all retail payments system in India, reached a major milestone of successfully linking 15 crore bank accounts with Aadhaar number," it said in a statement.

3) Former Bihar Chief Minister Ram Sundar Das passed away:

--> Former Bihar Chief Minister and senior JD(U) leader Ram Sundar Das died on 6 March 2015 due to age-related problems.

--> Das was chief minister of Bihar as the head of the Janata Party government in 1979.

--> He had defeated Ram Vilas Paswan in the Hajipur (SC) Lok Sabha seat in 2009, but in the parliamentary polls last year, had lost to the latter.

4) RBI eased norms for home loans for up to Rs 10 lakh:

--> Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 5 March 2015 eased the norms for home loans for up to Rs.10 lakh by allowing banks to include stamp duty and registration charges to the cost of a unit.

--> These charges form around 15 per cent of the cost of the house and place a burden on borrowers.

--> As per the current practice, banks do not include stamp duty, registration and other documentation charges in the cost of housing property.

5) UST Global launched mobile app for women's safety:

--> UST Global has launched its mobile app for women's safety.

-->  iSafe has been rolled out for the Thiruvananthapuram City Police.

--> The app is currently available for Android phones and will soon be available on other platforms.

--> Through the app, women will be able to send instant alerts to the police control room by using the Panic Button or just by the long press of volume key of their mobile phones.

--> The police then immediately dispatches help via the police CRV (Control Room Vehicle)

6) Flipkart aquired mobile ad network AdIQuity:

--> Flipkart on 6 March 2015 acquired mobile ad network AdiQuity.

--> The acquisition is aimed at increasing advertising muscle of Flipkart.

--> The deal amount was not disclosed by both the companies. The deal marked the online retailer's first acquisition in 2015 so far.

7) Hyderabad best city to live in India: Study

--> Leaving behind India's more traditional business centres such as Mumbai and Bangalore, the city of pearls Hyderabad is the best city to live in the country, says a global survey.

--> According to consultancy firm Mercer's 'Quality of Living Report-2015', notwithstanding its top rank among Indian cities, Hyderabad globally ranks at 138th position in a list of 230 cities around the world in terms of standard of living.

--> The list is topped by Vienna for the second consecutive year.

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Current Affairs February 2015 (Second Week): PDF Download

Download as PDF: Click Here

1) Who was chosen for the Jnanpith Award 2014 by the Jnanpith Selection Board on 6 February 2015? - Bhalchandra Nemade

Note: He is an Eminent Marathi writer. He will be the 50th recipient of Jnanpith award, the highest literary honour of India and he will receive the award in April 2015.

2) Which bank on 10 February 2015 launched India’s first digital Bank on mobile phone named Pockets? - ICICI Bank

Note: Pockets, the digital e-wallet uses a virtual VISA card that enables the users to transact on any website or mobile application in India.

3) Social networking giant Facebook on 10 February 2015 tied-up with which mobile operator to offer free internet access to people in India through the Facebook's initiative, Internet.org? - Reliance Communications Limited

4) Who took charge as the Director General (DG) of the border guarding force Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) on 11 February 2015? - Krishna Chaudhary

Note: He succeeded Subhas Goswami.

5) World Radio Day was observed globally on? - February 13

6) Which players were on 13 February 2015 awarded with the All India Football Federations (AIFF) 2014 Player of the Year trophy in men and women category, respectively? - Sunil Chhetri and Bala Devi

7) Who was sworn-in as Chief Minister of Delhi on 14 February 2015? - Arvind Kejriwal

8) India on 14 February 2015 successfully test-fired a BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from Indian Navy's latest destroyer named? - INS Kolkata

9) Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan’s name was included in the LIMCA book of records in the first week of February 2015 for what reason? - For being the only woman of the country to represent the same Lok Sabha constituency on the same party ticket for eight times in a row.

Note: As a leader of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), she represents the Indore constituency of Lok Sabha in Madhya Pradesh. For the first time she was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1989. Since then she has been re-elected to the Lok Sabha in 1991, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2004, 2009 and finally to the 16th Lok Sabha on 18 May 2014.

10) First World Ocean Science Congress (WOSC) was held from 5 February 2015 to 8 February 2015 at? - Kochi, Kerala

11) Union Government recently declared 10 February as? - National Deworming Day

12) Rajasthan Government and which company on 9 February 2015 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly set up India’s largest solar park with capacity of 10000 MW of electricity in Rajasthan? - Adani Enterprises Ltd (AEL)

13) First Robot-staffed Hotel of the World was recently announced to open in which country? – Japan

14) Who was on 8 February 2015 appointed as the Brand Director of German sportswear brand Adidas Group, India? - Damyant Singh

15) Union Government on 7 February 2015 decided to infuse 6990 crore rupees in how many Public Sector Banks to enhance their capital and meet global risk norms? – nine

 Prepared by: www.currentaffairs4examz.com

16) Who was awarded with Yash Bharti Samman 2015 by UP Government on 9 February 2015? - Vinod Mehta

Note: Vinod Mehta is a distinguished journalist.

17) Who was appointed as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Vodafone India on 9 February 2015? - Naveen Chopra.

18) ____th Annual Grammy Awards were held on 8 February 2015 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California? – 57

19) Which media company on 11 February 2015 acquired the Telugu television channel network Maa Television Network Ltd (MTNL) including its brand, assets and four channels for an undisclosed amount? - Star India Pvt. Ltd

20) Union Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports on 11 February 2015 revised which scheme? - Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar Scheme.

21) Who was on 9 February 2015 appointed as the Chairman of Indraprastha Gas Ltd, the firm that sells CNG in New Delhi? - M Ravindran

22) Name mascot of India’s 35th National Games, which was included in the LIMCA Book of Records? - Ammu, Hornbill

Note: The mascot found its place in the record books for its play, Kalikkunna Kuttikalkkayi Bharatham Kathirikkunnu (India Awaits Children Who Play) featuring the bird in lead role. The play was staged in 147 schools in Kerala.

23) ICICI Bank Limited on 12 February 2015 tied up with which global payment solutions company to offer an instant bank transfer service named FLASHremit? - UAE Exchange

24) India Cements Limited on 11 February 2015 transferred the Indian Premier League (IPL) team Chennai Super Kings Cricket (CSK) franchise to its new subsidiary named? - Chennai Super Kings Cricket (CSKC) Limited.

25) What was India's position in the World Press Freedom Index (WPFI) 2015 released recently? - 136

Note: Finland was on the 1st position followed by Norway and Denmark.

26) The Reserve Bank of India on 13 February 2015 announced that soon the currency notes of one rupees denomination will be in circulation. The notes will be printed by? - Government of India

Note: Other notes are printed by RBI.

27) Experimental aerospace firm SpaceX on 12 February 2015 successfully launched which rocket from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida? - Falcon 9

28) Election Commission of India (ECI) on 10 February 2015 declared the results of Delhi Legislative Assembly Elections 2015. Which party emerged the winner by winning 67 seats in the house of 70 seats? - Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)

29) 68th British Academy Films Awards (BAFTA) was announced on 8 February 2015. The BAFTA Awards were handed out at? - Royal Opera House in London.

30) Name the Veteran Marathi theatre artist and film actor who died on 7 February 2015? - Atmaram Govind Bhende

31) Union Ministry of Home Affairs on 12 February 2015 constituted a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) for re-investigation of the 1984 anti-Sikh riot cases. Who will head it? - Pramod Asthana, an IPS officer of 1986 batch.

32) Name the Indian-origin scientist who was on 27 January 2015 presented with the prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER award? - Gurpreet Singh 

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