Current Affairs: 2 March 2017

LPG prices raised by Rs 86, steepest hike in India's history 

  • The price of non-subsidised cooking gas (LPG) was hiked by a steep Rs 86 per cylinder 
  • Non-subsidised LPG, bought by those who have either given up their subsidies or exhausted the quota of 12 bottles of 14.2-kg in a year at below market price, will now cost Rs 737.50. 
  • It was priced at Rs 651.50 per 14.2-kg cylinder till yesterday, according to state-owned oil companies. 
  • This hike, steepest in India's history, comes on the back of Rs 66.5 per cylinder increase which was brought into effect from February 1. 
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HDFC Bank, others resume levy on cash transactions 

  • Some banks, including HDFC Bank, have begun charging a minimum amount of Rs 150 per transaction for cash deposits and withdrawals beyond four free transactions in a month.
  • The new charges would apply to savings as well as salary accounts effective from today
  • The bank would also cap the third party cash transactions at Rs 25,000 per day, while cash handling charges would be withdrawn effective today, the circular added.
  • In case of several banks, including ICICI Bank and Axis Bank, these charges came into effect early in January and are same as they were before the demonetisation move announced on 8 November, while there is an increase in such fees in case of some others, including HDFC Bank
  • For the basic no-frills accounts, maximum four cash withdrawals would continue to remain free and there would be no fees for cash deposits.
  • For non-home branches, ICICI Bank would not charge anything for first cash withdrawal of a calendar month and Rs 5 per thousand rupees thereafter subject to a minimum of Rs 150.

R Subramania Kumar to hold addl charge of MD & CEO of IOB

  • R Subramania Kumar was today given additional charge of the post of Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Indian Overseas Bank for three more months. 
  • Kumar is at present Executive Director in the IOB. He was in November last year given additional charge of the post of MD and CEO of the bank for three months.
  • The Appointments Committee of Cabinet has approved the proposal of Department of Financial Services for extending the additional charge of the post of MD and CEO, IOB for a period of another three months, an order issued by personnel 

'Swachh Shakti Saptah' launched in Haryana

  • Union minister Narender Singh Tomar Launched the 'Swachh Shakti Saptah' in Haryana, "Swachhta" (cleanliness) has become a movement which now needs to made a mass movement. 
  • Owing to the priority given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, 'Swachhta' has become a movement in the country and now it needs to made a mass movement with significant contribution of women
  • Women sarpanches, Anganwadi workers, ANMs, ASHA workers and members of women self-help groups of all six districts of Gurugram division participated in the programme. 
  • An exhibition was also organised at the venue to educate women participants about benefits of cashless transactions. 
  • An Aadhaar Enrolment machine was placed in one of the stalls for women who were still not enrolled,

World Civil Defence Day: March 1

  • World Civil Defence Day, created by decision of the ICDO General Assembly in 1990, is celebrated every year on the 1st of March. 
  • This Day commemorates the entry into force of the ICDO Constitution as an intergovernmental organisation in 1972 and has two main purposes:
  • that of bringing to the attention of the world public the vital importance of Civil Protection and of raising awareness of the preparedness for, and prevention and self-protection measures in the event of accidents or disasters;
  • that of paying tribute to the efforts, sacrifices and accomplishments of all the national services responsible for the fight against disasters.

Lipstick Under My Burkha Wins Award at Glasgow Film Fest

  • Indian filmmaker Alankrita Shrivastava's Lipstick Under My Burkha, which has been denied a certificate by the country's movie censor board, has bagged the Audience Award at the Glasgow Film Festival 2017
  • Scottish actor David Tennant presented Shrivastava with the award, which was voted for by the festival's audience
  • The Prakash Jha production, starring Konkona Sen Sharma and Ratna Pathak Shah, chronicles the secret lives of four women of different ages in a small town in India as they search for different kinds of freedom.

Reliance General Insurance, Catholic Syrian Bank tie up

  • Reliance General Insurance (RGI), a part of Reliance Capital, has entered into a bancassurance tie-up with Catholic Syrian Bank.
  • With this tie-up, RGI will offer its general insurance products to Catholic Syrian Bank's 1.5 million customer base spread across its 430 branches in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.
  • The strategic partnership with Reliance General Insurance will make it extremely easy for our customers to access a comprehensive selection of customised general insurance solutions at affordable rates. 
  • The corporate alliance will enable Catholic Syrian Bank serve our customers banking and insurance needs under one roof

Kohli, Ashwin win top BCCI awards

  • Virat Kohli will become the first player to receive the Polly Umrigar Award - given to the International Cricketer of the Year - for the third time, at the BCCI Annual Awards in Bangalore on March 8. Kohli first received the award in 2011-12 and in 2014-15.
  • R Ashwin, the No. 1 ranked bowler and allrounder by the ICC in Tests, will become the first player to receive the Dilip Sardesai Award twice. 
  • Ashwin first won the award, instituted to honour the best performance in the bilateral series between India and West Indies, after he was named the Man of the Series in the three-Test series in 2011. 
  • Last year, Ashwin was again named the Man of the Series in the four-Test series in West Indies after he struck two centuries and finished with 17 wickets, including two five-wicket hauls.

Kripa Shankar Bishnoi appointed international match referee

  • Former India wrestler Kripa Shankar Bishnoi has been appointed an international match referee by United World Wrestling (UWW), the sport’s global governing body.
  • Bishnoi was selected by the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) for the annual training course for match referees conducted by the UWW.
  • The former national champion, who has won the Arjuna Award, underwent the course in Germany last year and has cleared the test which was held in Dortmund
  • Bishnoi is the first international match referee from his native Madhya Pradesh.
  • The 40-year-old had trained Bollywood star Aamir Khan and other actors for their roles in the wrestling-based film ‘Dangal’.

J.S. Deepak is India’s WTO ambassador

  • Telecom Secretary J.S. Deepak has been appointed as country's permanent representative to World Trade Organization (WTO).
  • Mr. Deepak will take over his new assignment from June 1, 2017 and till then he will be Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the Department of Commerce in the Ministry of Commerce and Industries with immediate effect.
  • Earlier, as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Commerce, Mr. Deepak, a 1982-batch IAS of UP cadre, handled WTO and other international agencies.
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