21st April 2015 - Important Current Affairs updates

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National Affairs

• The Urban Development Ministry‬ has issued Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) to ensure cleanliness during and after public meetings and gatherings.
• • Under the SOP, organizers have been made accountable for ensuring cleanliness.
  • The Ministry has taken a serious note of spoiling of public places through littering of water bottles, left- over food items, packaging material and wrappers during public gatherings and meetings.
• With an aim of monitoring implementation of various ongoing projects including Rail Budget proposals, The Indian Rrailways today launched E-Samiksha, an online monitoring mechanism.
• • Designed by NIC, the software is currently being used by Cabinet Secretariat, PMO and other Ministries for monitoring progress implementation of various programmes and follow-up of meetings.
  • NIC - National Informatics Centre
  • Railway Minister : Suresh Prabhu
• Today (21st April 2015) is Civil Service Day. 
  
• • It is observed by all Civil Services.  
  • Purpose for this day : To rededicate and recommit themselves to the cause of the people.
  • The day provides an unique opportunity for introspection as also for working out future strategies to deal with the challenges being posed by the ever changing times.
• Following a flood of complaints about the anomalies in the Mumbai Development Plan, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, today, scrapped the future town planning document.
• • This document was prepared by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
  • The decision came after the Chief Minister had appointed a committee headed by the State Chief Secretary to review the plan and submit a preliminary report in three days.
• The Tamil Nadu government has cancelled the plots allotted to Coca-Cola's beverages manufacturing facility in the State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu Limited (SIPCOT) Industrial Growth Centre in Perundurai.
• • The allotment was triggered a spate of protests from residents of Perundurai and Chennimalai towns and farmers in the area, who feared groundwater depletion and discharge into the water courses.

Science & Technology

• Japan's state-of-the-art maglev train clocked a new world speed record today in a test run near Mount Fuji, smashing through the 600 kilometre (373 miles) per hour mark.
• • Maglev - Magnetic Levitation

Business & Economy

• ICICI Bank in collaboration with Tech Mahindra launched a payment service called ‘Tap-n-Pay’. 
• • It is essentially based on the near-field communications (NFC) technology, enabling customers make over-the-counter payments without using cash.
  • It can be used for merchant payments by merely tapping a NFC-enabled mobile phone or a tag on the counter.

People in News

• An Egyptian court has sentenced ousted President Mohammed Morsi to 20 years in jail for ordering the arrest and torture of protesters during his rule.
• • It is the first verdict he has received since his overthrow and is one of several trials he faces.

Deaths

• Three-time Chief Minister of Odisha & senior Congress leader Janaki Ballabh Patnaik (89) passed away.
• • He was Chief Minister of Odisha from 1980 to 1989 and again from 1995 to 1999, holding that post for the longest time on record before Naveen Patnaik.

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