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Daily GK Update : 3rd March, 2016 For LIC AAO & Other Exams

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1. Mega Military Exercise Of ASEAN Plus Countries Begins In Pune
i. The multinational mega Military Exercise Force 18 conducted by Indian Army has started in Pune, Maharashtra from 2nd March. 
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ii. The theme of the exercise is `Humanitarian Mine Action’ (HMA) and `Peacekeeping Operations’ (PKO). 
iii. The exercise will conclude on 8th March, 2016 with around 300 participants from 18 ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations ) Plus countries.
iv. Participating ASEAN countries along with ASEAN Plus nations are India, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, China, South Korea, Russia and US . The ten ASEAN countries from South East Asia are Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
v. The Exercise Force Eighteen is the largest multinational exercise ever conducted by the ground on Indian soil on Humanitarian Mine Action (HMA) and Peace Keeping Operatios (PKO). It is conducted by India as part of its ambitious Look (Act) East policy. The exercise will allow the armies of these countries to develop a common understanding in handling any complex situation.

2. India Signs Financing Agreement With World Bank For US$ 3OO Million
i. A financing agreement for International Development Association (IDA) credit of US$ 300 (equivalent) for the Madhya Pradesh Higher Education Quality Improvement Project was signed with the World Bank.
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ii. The Financing Agreement was signed by Mr. Raj Kumar (Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs) on behalf of Government of India and Onno Ruhl, Country Director, World Bank, India on behalf of the World Bank. 
iii. Objective of this project is to improve student outcomes especially of disadvantaged groups in selected Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and to increase the effectiveness of the Higher Education System in Madhya Pradesh.
iv. The project has three component- (1) State Level Initiatives, (2) Improving System Management and (3) Grants Support to Higher Education Institutions.

3. NHAI ties up with ISB for skill development
i. NHAI has taken a significant step in ensuring development of management competencies of its technical and managerial manpower, with a tie up with Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad.
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ii. With the Government’s ambitious plans for infrastructure development in the country, road sector is seen as one of the thrust areas to achieve the objective and ensure sustained economic growth.
iii. The programme on “Leadership Programme in Infrastructure Management” in ISB aims at developing skills and competencies relating to multiple disciplines : Strategic Planning, Finance, Economics, Law, Social and Environmental issues, Public Policy etc. in Infrastructure Management.
iv. Indian School of Business (ISB) has selected eight NHAI officers after stringent scrutiny and evaluation. Four officers which includes Chief General Managers, General Manager and Dy General Manager, have commenced training in “Leadership Programme in Infrastructure Management” this year with funding support from NHAI.
v. NHAI is planning to create a pool of officers who can play a critical role in ensuring the utmost professional capability to shoulder the responsibilities at senior management level and guide the NHAI towards its long term vision.
4. Government Cancels IRB Contract
i. Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari has cancelled a contract to build a $1.5 billion tunnel in Himalayas after the opposition politician  alleged irregularities in bidding for India most expensive road project.
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ii. IRB Infrastructure Developers Ltd, which recently won the bid to build South Asia’s longest Zoji La Pass tunnel in Jammu and Kashmir.The government has cancelled the award without mentioning any reason. 
iii. In january 2016  IRB won the bid for an all-weather Zoji La Pass tunnel road, which was to connect Srinagar to Ladakh region that remains cut off during winters. 
iv. With the estimated cost of Rs.10,050 crore, the 14.08-km tunnel was considered India’s most expensive road project, to be completed in seven years.
v. The Zoji La project had landed in a controversy as soon as it was awarded, with Congress leader Digvijaya Singh alleging that the promoters of IRB were close to Union roads minister Nitin Gadkari. Digvijaya Singh wrote to the prime minister and approached Central Vigilance Commission seeking a federal investigation into the matter. Gadkari has rejected all charges as false.

5. Government Plans Too Setup More Nuclear Power Plants
i. To meet the need of the country, the Government of India plans to set up nuclear power plants in Haryana, Bihar and Punjab. 
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ii. The government aims to increase nuclear power generation capacity by three times in 10 years. 
iii. As per this nuclear power programme, the government is considering setting up new plants in areas which is not covered before. 
iv. For this, a site has been identified to built a nuclear plant at Razauli in Bihar’s Nawada district in the last 18-19 months of the current government but there has been a delay due to water shortage. Since the current level of water is not sufficient for the project. 
v. The other places which are listed out by the Minister include Patiala (Punjab), Dehradun (Uttarakhand) and Bulandshahar (Uttar Pradesh), Patiala and the areas explored in Haryana.

6. Parliament passes Carriage by Air amendment Bill, 2015 
i. Parliament has passed the Carriage by Air (Amendment) Bill, 2015 to empower Union government to revise the limits of liability for airlines and compensation as per the Montreal Convention which India accepted in 2009. 
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ii. The bill was first passed by the Lok Sabha in December 2015 and later it was passed by the Rajya in March 2016. 
iii. Now it will go for the Presidential assent as per Article 111 of Constitution. 
iv. The Bill seeks to amend the Carriage by Air Act, 1972 to revise the limits of liability for airlines and compensation in order adhere with the global counterparts. Empowers Union government to revise the limits of liability for airlines and compensation as per the Montreal Convention. 
v. Empowers Union Government to make rules to carry out provisions of the Act. The Bill intends to raise the liability limit for damage in case of delay, injury or death to each person. It also intends to revise the liability limits in case of damage, loss, or delay of baggage and cargo as per global counterparts. 

7. India Ranks 90 In Terms Of Energy Security
i. India has been ranked at the 90th place in a list of 126 countries in terms of Energy Security complied by World Economic Forum (WEF). 
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ii. The list is topped by Switzerland followed by Norway on the basis of the ability to deliver secure, affordable and sustainable energy. 
iii. It was  revealed by Global Energy Architecture Performance Index (GEAPI) and Report compiled by WEF.
iv. Others in the top 10 include  Sweden (3rd), France (4th), Denmark (5th), Austria (6th), Spain (7th), Colombia (8th), New Zealand (9th) and Uruguay (10th). 
v. Among the BRIC nations, Brazil was the top performer as it was ranked at the 25th place, followed by Russia (52nd), India (90th), China (94).

8. Chennai Gets India’s First Self Cleaning Smart Toilets
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i. A total of 183 self cleaning public eToilets have been installed in the Chennai City. Chennai is the 1st city in India to gets smart Toilets. 
ii. These toilets are free for Public use. 
iii. Each toilet automatically cleans itself before entry and after use and sensors enable consumption of less water and power with each use. 
iv. An Indian social enterprise, Eram Scientific Solution is the brains behind the project and has already installed over 1,600 eToilets in private buildings and schools across 18 Indian states. 
v. In 2012, it even won a grant of $450,000 from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. 

9. Three British scientists win 2016 Brain Prize
i. Three British scientists have won a prestigious 2016 Grete Lundbeck European Brain Research Prize (also known as Brain Prize) for giving vital insight how the human brain remembers, learns and navigates. 

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ii. These scientists are Timothy Bliss: He is a visiting worker at the Crick Institute in London. Graham Collingridge: He is professor of neuroscience in anatomy at the University of Bristol. He is also head of the Department of Physiology at the University of Toronto. Richard Morris: He is a professor of neuroscience at the University of Edinburgh 
iii. Prize criteria: It is awarded to scientist of any nationality although, research for which they are nominated must be carried in Europe or in collaboration with European researchers.

10. South Korea Lawmakers Pass Contentious Anti-Terror Bill
i. South Korea’s parliament Passed the country’s first anti-terror bill, with opposition lawmakers leaving the plenary chamber after ending the nine-day marathon speeches.
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ii. Among almost 300 parliamentary seats, only 156 ruling Saenuri Party lawmakers and one minority party member participated in a vote on the country’s first anti-terrorism legislation, which was passed through the National Assembly with 156 in favour. 
iii. One dissenting vote was cast by the minority party member.
iv. Opposition lawmakers launched nonstop speeches to delay the vote on the country’s first anti-terror bill from February 23 when the parliamentary speaker sought to put the bill on a vote with his own authority.
v. Lee Jong-Geol, floor leader of the main opposition Minju Party and the last speaker of the filibuster, set a record for his marathon speech that did not stop for 12 hours and 31 minutes. 

11. Peru declares emergency after oil spill hits rivers
i. Peru has declared an emergency three weeks after a major oil pipeline burst, affecting two rivers in the country’s northwest. 

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ii. The pipeline spilled 3,000 barrels of crude oil into the Chiriaco and Morona rivers, which are the main source of water and food for several indigenous communities. 
iii. The government has told these communities not to eat fish from the polluted waters. 
iv. The broken pipeline reportedly used to transport between 5,000 and 6,000 oil barrels per day. The pipeline is owned by Petro Peru, a state-owned oil company.
v. The oil company has been accused of a slow reaction to the spill – it only started providing food, water and medical attention weeks after the crisis, which has affected the health of more than 200 people. Peru’s main oil pipeline was built more than 30 years ago. This has been the third oil spill in less than a month.

12. International Finance Corporation Launches Masala Bonds
i. International Finance Corporation (IFC), an part of the World Bank group launched its first Uridashi Masala bonds ( Japanese Bonds ) to mobilize R30 crore (or $4.3 million) directly from Japanese household investors to promote private sector development in India.  
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ii. The 3 year bond builds on IFC’s  Masala bond program which has raised the approx $1.7 billion from international investors for investment in India. 
iii. Masala bonds are rupee denominated instruments sold only to offshore investors, while Uridashi bonds are sold to Japanese household investors. 
iv. The steps from IFC’s Uridashi Masala bonds will be used to support private sector investment in India. 
v. JP Morgan is the sole arranger of the bonds and Daisen Hinomaru Securities is its distributor. 


13. Historic Old War Office In London Acquired By Hinduja Group
i. The Hinduja Group is a global conglomerate company acquired the heritage Old War Office in London that was once inhabited by Winston Churchill.

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ii. In this Acquirestion with Spanish company Obrascon Huarte Lain Desarrollos (OHLD) on a 250-year lease from the ministry of defence, the plan is to convert it into a hotel and luxury residences. 
iii. As per the ministry on the sale of the Old War Office was for “in excess of £350 million following a competitive marketing process”. 
iv. At this occasion were Indian High Commissioner Navtej Singh Sarna and former Indian National Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan.

14. Bihari Puraskar 2015 To Be Given To Dr. Bhagwati Lal Vyas
i. Poet Dr Bhagwati Lal Vyas has been chosen for the 2015 Bihari Puraskar for his anthology of Rajasthani poems ‘Katha Sun Aawe Hai Sabad’ Published in 2010.
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ii. A recipient of Sahitya Akademi Award, Dr Vyas has highlighted the increasing tendencies of commercialization and degradation of human values through his poetry.
iii. Dr Vyas’s works reflect the unpleasant changes in human relations, social disparity and loss of human values although positivity and his faith in human life also shine through the vast collection of his poetry.
iv. Dr Bhagwati Lal Vyas best known works  authored several short stories and an eminent translator, are compendium of poems titled ‘Shatabdi Niforruttar’ (1977), ‘Footpath Par Chiriya Nachti Hai’ (1984) and a collection of short stories ‘Suraj Leelti Ghatiyan’ stand out. 

15. New Zealand Cricket Legend Martin Crowe Dead Dies Aged 53 After Losing Cancer Battle
i.New Zealand Cricketer Martin Crowe passed away after a prolonged battle with cancer that eventually proved one attack the gifted cricketer couldn’t see off. 
ii. The cricket great had been suffering from lymphoma since September 2014.
iii. He Born on September 22, 1962, in Henderson, Auckland, Crowe’s father was former domestic cricketer Dave, while brother Jeff also went on to captain the New Zealand cricket side. 
iv. He received the all-clear from the disease in 2012 but confirmed in September 2014 that it had returned. 
v. Auckland-born Crowe is widely regarded as one of New Zealand’s best ever batsman, having scored 17 centuries and 5,444 runs in 77 Tests at an average of 45.36.Crowe captained his country from 1990-1993.
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