1. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Stand Up India Scheme
i. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 5 April 2016 launched Stand Up India Scheme to promote entrepreneurship among Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribes and Women entrepreneurs.
ii. On this occasion, the Prime Minister also inaugurated a Kaushal Kendra (Skilling Center) under Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojna in Noida.
iii. The Scheme is intended to facilitate at least two projects per bank branch, on an average one for each category of entrepreneur. It is expected to benefit at least 2.5 lakh borrowers within 36 months.
iv. It provides for refinance window through Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) with an initial amount of 10000 crore rupees. It will create credit guarantee mechanism through the National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company (NCGTC).
v. It will provide support for borrowers both at the pre loan stage and during operations. Its focus is on handholding support for both SC/ST and Women borrowers. The aim is to leverage institutional credit structure to reach out under-served sectors of the population by facilitating bank loans repayable up to 7 years and between 10 lakh rupees- 100 lakh rupees for greenfield enterprises in non farm sector set up by such SC, ST and Women borrowers.
2. National Geoscience Awards – 2014 Presented By President
i. Pranab Mukherjee, the President of India conferred the National Geoscience Awards 2014 at a function to be held at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.
ii. These awards are presented to honour individuals and team of scientists for their outstanding contributions in the field of fundamental or applied Geosciences, Mining and Allied areas.
iii. The National Geoscience Awards was previously known as the National Mineral Awards and was instituted by the Ministry of Mines in 1966.
iv. For 2014, Professor Ashok Kumar Singhvi was conferred with the highest honour National Geoscience Award for Excellence for his outstanding contributions in the field of sedimentary technologies. While Dr IndraSekharSen have awarded with Young Scientist Award.
v. Along with him, 31 other geoscientists were being given the awards in 13 Various Disciplines including Mining Technology, Basic Geosciences, Geo-Information System, etc.
3. Madhukar Gupta committee constituted to suggest ways to strengthen security along Indo-Pak border
i. The Union Government on 5 April 2016 constituted a high-level committee to suggest ways to strengthen the border protection along the border with Pakistan.
ii. It will also address the issue of gaps and vulnerability in border fencing along Indo-Pakistan border.
iii. The committee will be headed by former Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta and will submit its report in three months.
iv. The mandate of the committee is to study all types of gaps in fencing and all other vulnerabilities in the International Border on Indo-Pakistan Border.
v. It will suggest comprehensive approach to fix the gaps in fencing and other vulnerabilities on interim and permanent basis. The government’s move comes three months after terrorists belonging to Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed had breached the Indo-Pak border in Punjab and attacked the Pathankot airbase killing seven security personnel.
4. Odisha Government launches 100 Adarsha Vidyalayas
i. Odisha government has launched 100 Adarsha Vidyalayas and CBSE-affiliated English medium schools in 14 districts of the state.
ii. Chief minister Naveen Patnaik has formally inaugurated the first model school at Hinjli in Ganjam district of Odisha. He has inaugurated the remaining 99 schools online.
iii. These schools will be functional from the upcoming session. Students of these model schools would get free education and all facilities like mid-day meal, uniform and textbooks free of cost like other state government-run schools.
iv. These schools will have the patterns of the Kendriya Vidyalays to students of backward regions and the schools with hostel facilities will follow the CBSE syllabus with English as the first language and Odia as the second language.
v. These schools will reserve 50 % seats for scheduled categories and girl students. According to the scheme, there will be one model school in the headquarters of each block. The next phase of such schools for remaining 214 blocks would be set up very soon.
5. Complete Ban On Alcohol In Bihar Imposed By State CM
i. The Chief Minister of Bihar Mr. Nitish Kumar has declared total ban on the sale of all forms of alcohol with immediate effect.
ii. CM also said that while the alcohol licences of hotels, clubs and bars would be revoked, this ban would not affect army cantonments, as they are allowed to regulate the consumption and sale of liquor independently.
iii. So far around 4,933 people including consumers and illegal manufacturers have been imprisoned since prohibition was introduced in the state. About 1.17 crore ‘promise papers’ have been submitted by school students, after making their parents promise not to consume alcohol. iv. Kumar has set up a high-level committee to address the impact of the ban on the workers who make liquor from fermented toddy. The committee will work out how to make the use of toddy tree products more profitable. The committee is expected to produce a scheme to be put into action from 2017. In addition, the state government has promised to provide technical and financial support to these workers.
v. Bihar has become the fourth state after Gujarat, Nagaland and Mizoram states to impose ban on liquor. Although, Bihar will suffer an annual revenue loss of about Rs. 4,000 crore following prohibition.
6. Government to develop 25 regional airports : Arun Jaitley
i. To improve air connectivity, government plans to develop 25 regional airports.
ii. Government is looking to develop 15 airstrips owned by the state governments and 10 that are with the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
iii. There are around 160 airstrips that are lying unused, he said while talking about the steps taken by the government for infrastructure development in the country.
iv. According to the Union minister Arun Jaitley, AAI would be able to fund itself from the money coming from Delhi and Mumbai airports.
7. Researchers developed world’s smallest diode
i. Researchers from the University of Georgia and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) developed the world’s smallest diode, the size of a single molecule.
ii. The breakthrough could impact the development of molecular electronic devices. Their study was published in journal Nature Chemistry on 4 April 2016.
iii. The nanoscale diode or molecular rectifier operates like a valve to facilitate electronic current flow in one direction.
iv. A collection of these nanoscale diodes, or molecules, contains properties that resemble traditional electronic components, such as a wire, transistor or rectifier.
v. Professor Bingqian Xu from the College of Engineering at the University of Georgia and his team of researchers took a single DNA molecule made from 11 base pairs and connected it to an electronic circuit just a few nanometers in size.
8. India signs $100 million draft export pact with IDB
i. India has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) for a possible $100 million line of credit to simplify exports to IDB’s member countries.
ii. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) CEO Khaled Al-Aboodi, and the Export-Import Bank of India (EXIM Bank) Tarun Sharma, regional head on behalf the EXIM Bank.
iii. This MoU will also be achieved through the exchange of information on trade-related matters and the identification of business opportunities for Indian companies to pursue in ICD’s member countries
iv. The Islamic Development Bank (IDB) is a multilateral development financing institution located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
v. It was founded in 1973 by the Finance Ministers at the first Organisation of the Islamic Conference (now called the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation) with the support of the king of Saudi Arabia at the time (Faisal), and began its activities on 20 October 1975.
9. BHEL commissions tiltable canal top solar plant in Andhra
i. Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has commissioned a seasonwise tiltable canal top solar PV plant at Bhimavaram in Andhra Pradesh.
ii. This is the first canal top project in Andhra Pradesh and also first such project executed by the company, the state-run power equipment maker said in a release.
iii. The project is developed by NREDCAP (New and Renewable Energy Development Corporation of AP Ltd). Power generation is about 10 per cent more than a fixed Module Mounting Arrangement (MMA), BHEL said. The elevated control room with bottom cable entry prevents ingress of water during floods, it said.
iv. The Module Mounting Structure (MMS) is a unique design incorporating additional functionalities like lighting, cable support and fencing into the MMS.
v. Another feature is the movable walkway which facilitates efficient maintenance of the plant by providing easy access, it added.
10. Mumbai gets its first-ever AC local train
i. Mumbai has got its first air-conditioned suburban local train. which was flagged off from Integral Coach Factory in Chennai on March 31, has finally arrived in the metropolis, and its trial run would take place within a week.
ii. The train is parked at the Kurla car shed of Central Railway and local train does not have any general or first class compartments and fare between Rs 60 to Rs 70 from CST to Panvel.
iii. It will undergo software and technical updates in the coming month, and speed trials for another five to six months. Coaches are connected by vestibules in two parts of six each while the seats are similar to the previous Bombardier rake.
iv. In case of an emergency, each coach has a system installed that lets the passenger connect to the motorman and guard, and an LED destination board is present to alert the motorman.
v. There is also a manual door opening system in each coach that can be accessed even when the train is in movement.
11. Memorial for Abdul Kalam to be opened at Dilli Haat
i. Delhi government has passed a proposal to build a memorial for late President APJ Abdul Kalam at Dilli Haat, south Delhi.
ii. This memorial will include the notes, books, clothes and other personal items of the former president, will be opened to the public on July 27 Kalam’s death anniversary.
iii. Government of Delhi had constituted a team to safely bring Kalam’s belongings back from Rameswaram.
iv. They were sent to his family members in Rameshwaram when the bungalow was allotted to Union Tourism and Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma.
v. Bharat Ratna Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam, generally known as Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, was the 11th President of India (2002-07). By profession he was a scientist and an administrator in India. He worked with Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Defense Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) as an aerospace engineer before becoming the President of India.
12. Philippines Launches World’s First Mass Dengue Vaccination
i. The world’s first public dengue vaccination programme was launched in the Philippines as nurses began injecting the first batch of a million children with a French drug to combat the sometimes deadly disease.
ii. Several hundred children aged nine to 10 queued in front of government health workers at a public school in eastern Manila for the injections, capping a 20-year, 1.5-billion-euro ($1.8 billion) effort by French drug manufacturer Sanofi to develop the vaccine.
iii. The Philippines had the highest dengue incidence in the WHO’s Western Pacific region from 2013 to 2015, recording 200,415 cases last year, according to the Department of Health.
iv. Dengvaxia, developed by the French pharmaceutical company Sanofi Pasteur, obtained its first license in Mexico in December 2015 for use in individuals aged 9 to 45.
13. Manish Sharma first Indian to be Executive Officer Panasonic Corporation
i. Japanese electronics giant Panasonic has appointed senior executive Manish Sharma to its global executive council, inducting an Indian onto the coveted decision-making body of the $80-billion company for the first time ever.
ii. Sharma is the first Indian and fourth non-Japanese member of the 50-member Council headed by a global president.
iii. Panasonic is not the first Japanese electronics company to give a key global role to an Indian.
iv. In April last year, Sony had also elevated Sunil Nayyar, sales head of its Indian business, to lead its consumer electronics business in the US, its largest market.
v. Panasonic also appointed Daizo Ito, previously president of the Indian business, as managing executive officer, Panasonic Corporation.
14. M H P Rao, The Architect Of Madras Atomic Power Station Passed Away
i. The Architect or father of the Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS), Mr. Myneni Hari Prasad Rao has passed away in Chennai. He was 88 year old. He is survived by three daughters and a son.
ii. Mr. MHP Rao, was born in Edlalanka village near Avanigadda.
iii. He is a retired Director of the Nuclear Power Board (now known as NPCIL) of DAE, Mumbai, India.
iv. He has served for many years as a member of Southern, Western and Northern Indian Regional electricity boards.
v. In 1984, he was honoured with the Padma Shri. He was also awarded with the Sanjay Gandhi for contribution in Science and Technology in 1983.
15. Mother Dairy Partners Delhi Daredevils As Principal Sponsor
i. Mother Dairy, an Indian FMCG company has partnered with Indian Premium League (IPL) cricket team Delhi Daredevils as its principal sponsor.
ii. With this association, the brand Mother Dairy will be seen on Delhi Daredevils team jersey, along with the visibility at key spots in the stadium on match days.
iii. Delhi Daredevils had recently appointed Zaheer Khan as the captain of the franchise for the 2016 season and will soon launch a mass campaign at company’s select booths across the national capital region in partnership with Mother Dairy.
iv. This association will be a fantastic platform to connect with our consumers and cricket fans.
v. The company will also offer products during the matches.
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