Daily Current Affairs Updates – 5th April 2017

Daily Current Affairs Updates– 5th April 2017:

Daily Current affairs News Updates about the National and International events were listed here. Candidates those who are preparing for IBPS/SBI/PO/Clerk exam and all other competitive exams can use this.

DAYS TO REMEMBER:

National Maritime Day - 5th April

April 5: National Maritime Day , India On this day in 1919 navigation history was created when SS Loyalty, the first ship of the Scindia Steam Navigation Company, journeyed to the United Kingdom. The National Maritime Day was first celebrated on 5th April, 1964. Notable Note: In USA National Maritime Day is celebrated on May 22, the date that the American steamship Savannah set sail from Savannah, Georgia on the first ever transoceanic voyage under steam power. The holiday was created by the United States Congress on May 20, 1933.

1st express highway to be built in Northeast worth Rs.40,000 cr

Union Road Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday said the first express highway project in India's Northeast region will be developed along the Brahmaputra river in Assam at an estimated cost of Rs.40,000 crore. Making the announcement at the closing ceremony of 'Namami Brahmaputra' festival in Guwahati, Gadkari requested Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal to undertake land acquisition work for the road.

Ministry : Ministry for Road Transport and Highways and Shipping

Head : Nitin Gadkari

Constituency : Nagpur

New category of visas introduced for foreign filmmakers by Govt :

Union Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore on Monday announced a new category of visas for foreign filmmakers. "Both the Film Visa and the Film Facilitation Office have been aimed to promote India as an attractive filming destination to the world," he said. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh announced liberalised visa regulations allowing tourists with e-visas to increasing their stay to two months.

Minimum wages for workers increased by Madhya Pradesh govt :

The Madhya Pradesh government has increased the minimum wages of workers on the basis of the revised dearness allowance (DA) rates in the state with effect from April 1, an official said on Tuesday. As per the new rates, unskilled workers would get Rs.7,125/month at the rate of Rs.274/day, while semi-skilled workers would get Rs.7,982/month at the rate of Rs.307/day.

State : Madhya Pradesh

Capital : Bhopal

CM : Shivraj Singh Chouhan

Governor : Om Prakash Kohli (Additional charge)

Staying period for Foreign tourists with e-visa increased to 2 months in India :

Foreign tourists visiting India on e-visa can now stay up to 60 days instead of 30 days earlier, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said. The window for applications under the e-visa scheme was also increased from 30 days to 120 days. Under the regulations effective from April 1, business and medical visas will be granted within 48 hours upon urgent requests.

Yogi Adityanath waives farmers' loan upto Rs.1 lakh in UP :

During the first Cabinet meeting of the new Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday, CM Yogi Adityanath waived farmers' loan of up to Rs.1 lakh. The state will spend around Rs.36,000 crore to fund the loan waiver which will benefit around 86 lakh farmers. Loan waiver for farmers was one of the biggest poll promises of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

State : Uttar Pradesh

Capital : Lucknow

CM : Yogi Adityanath

Governor : Ram Naik

Over two crore LPG connections released to BPL women under PMUY :

The government today said, public sector oil marketing companies have released more than two crore LPG connections to the eligible adult woman of the BPL households under Pradhan Mantri Ujiwala Yojana (PMUY) till 3rd of this month. In a written reply in Rajya Sabha, Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said so far sizeable number of connections have been released in Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, where the LPG coverage was significantly lower at the time of launch of PMUY.

National conference on Communicating starts today in New Delhi :

A day-long national conference on Communicating India is being held in New Delhi today. The three main themes for the conference are 'Telling India's story to the world', 'Communicating via Journalism' and 'Dialogue with Diaspora'.

Addressing the function, Member of Parliament Jay Panda said GST is the single biggest economic event in the recent times which is going to turn the country into a single market. He said, India is seen as a beacon with its fast growing economy.

I&B ministry to increase grants for Community radio stations:

Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, Col Rajyavardhan Rathore has said, his ministry has taken decisions to increase grants for Community radio stations especially for North-East, to increase grants from 75 per cent to 90 per cent, with upper cap of 7.5 lakh rupees.

Replying to supplementaries in the Lok Sabha, Col. Rathore said, long duration advertisements for sustenance of the model has also been allowed. He said, even NGOs can be given licences.

Gunotsav programme launched today in 8 districts of Assam :

In Assam, Gunotsav programme was launched in 8 districts of the state today. The state government has launched the initiative to improve elementary education. The districts include Dibrugarh, Lakhimpur, Barpeta and Kamrup Metro. State Education Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, over 9 lakh students in 2,000 schools will be covered under the programme in the next 3 days in the first phase. Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, his ministerial colleagues and all senior officials will visit the schools and interact with students and their guardians.

State : Assam

Capital : Dispur

CM : Sarbananda Sonowal

Governor : Banwarilal Purohit

INTERNATIONAL:

Bahrain approves military trials for civilians :

Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa has approved a constitutional amendment granting military courts the right to try civilians protesting against the government. Officials said it would affect only those accused of acts of terrorism, however, critics claimed the measure is so vaguely worded that it could even be used to prosecute peaceful activists.

Country : Bahrain

Capital: Manama

Currency: Bahraini dinar

King : Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa

New Malaysian visas allow Indians to travel to ASEAN nations :

Malaysian PM Mohd Najib Tun Razak on Monday announced the launch of multiple-entry e-visas, allowing Indians to fly to Malaysia and visit South Thailand, Singapore, and Indonesia using just one visa. Malaysia will serve as the gateway to ASEAN for Indians, officials said. Malaysia also decided to not charge visa fees and approve online applications within 48 hours for Indians.

Country : Malaysia

Capital: Kuala Lumpur

Currency: Malaysian ringgit

Prime Minister : Mohd Najib Tun Razak

Ecuador presidential election won by Leftist Moreno :

Ecuadorean leftist Lenin Moreno won Sunday's presidential election after a tight contest with his right-wing opponent. The country's electoral council said this today. According to the council, Moreno pocketed 51.16 per cent of valid votes versus 48.84 per cent for conservative challenger Guillermo Lasso, with 99.65 per cent of votes counted. The results are "irreversible," electoral council president Juan Pablo Pozo said, adding there was no indication of fraud.

Country : Ecuador

Capital: Quito

Currency: United States Dollar

President : leftist Lenin Moreno

BANKING NEWS:

RBI issues licence for Aditya Birla Group for its payments bank :

The Aditya Birla Group said on Tuesday it has received licence from the Reserve Bank of India to start its payments bank. Headed by Kumar Mangalam Birla, Aditya Birla Nuvo had set up a joint venture with telecom major Idea called Aditya Birla Idea Payments Bank. At present, Airtel and India Post are offering payments bank services in the country.

Company : Aditya Birla Group

Headquarters: Mumbai

Chairman : Aditya Vikram Kumar Mangalam Birla

Bank : Reserve Bank of India

Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra

Governor : Urjit Patel

APPOINTMENTS:

SoftBank appoints Lydia Bly Jett to Snapdeal's board :

SoftBank has appointed its second director, Lydia Bly Jett, to Snapdeal's board. Last month, SoftBank executive Kabir Misra was appointed to Snapdeal's board. Snapdeal's seven-member board includes representation from investors SoftBank, Kalaari Capital and Nexus Venture Partners, and Co-founders Kunal Bahl and Rohit Bansal. Reports claim that SoftBank is preparing for Snapdeal's sale to Flipkart.

Company : SoftBank

CEO: Masayoshi Son

Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan

SPORTS NEWS:

12-yr-old athlete misses world record by 2 secs in 200m :

Brianna Lyston, a 12-year-old Jamaican sprinter, completed a 200-metre sprint in 23.72 seconds, two seconds short of the world record set at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Brianna set the record in the U-13 girls 200-metre sprint at the 2017 Boys and Girls Championships. It is the same event in which Usain Bolt won his first school championships medal in 2001.

Kings XI Punjab players inaugurate toilets for Swachh Bharat :

Kings XI Punjab players visited a government school in Indore and inaugurated toilets as part of the Swachh Bharat campaign, ahead of the IPL which begins on Wednesday. South Africa's David Miller, pacer Varun Aaron and mentor Virender Sehwag were part of the contingent that visited the school. Indore is hosting three home games for Punjab this season.