1. Mahavir Jayanti being
celebrated today
i. Mahavir
Jayanti, the birth anniversary of 24th and last Jain Tirthankar Bhagwan Mahavir
is being celebrated across the country today.
ii. President, Vice President
and the Prime Minister have greeted the nation on the occasion.
iii. In
his message, President Pranab Mukherjee said “When the world is faced with
multiple challenges, the philosophy and teachings of ahimsa, truth and
compassion enunciated by Bhagwan Mahavira hold great significance.
iv. He
called on people to ceaselessly strive for harmony and amity in the country and
across the world.
2. Amaravathi to
be new capital of Andhra Pradesh Cabinet
i. Amaravathi will be the new capital city of Andhra
Pradesh state which was approved by Andhra Pradesh Cabinet chaired by Chief
Minister N Chandrababu.
ii. The capital will come up at Tullur in
Vijayawada-Guntur region of the state.
iii. Amaravathi, located on the banks of river Krishna,
derives its name from Lord Amareswara temple in the village and it is known as
Dakshina Kashi (Kashi of the South).
iv. It was the
ancient seat of power of the Satavahanas for 400 years who ruled the country
way back in 230 BCE.
v. It also means
the City of Gods (in Sanskrit, it literally means the Abode of Immortals) and
as per Puranas, the city was ruled by Lord Indra
3. India ranks 119 on FM Global Resilience Index
i. India has been ranked at 119 out of 130
countries in the FM Global Resilience Index 2015.
ii. Norway has topped the Resilience
Index for being the country best suited for companies seeking to avoid
disruptions in their global supply chain operations. Venezuela is ranked last
on the list.
iii. The Index measures business
resilience of nations based on economic, risk quality and supply chain factors.
4. Assam achieves 100 % success in implementing
PM Jan Dhan Yojna
i. Assam has
achieved 100 percent success in implementing ambitious Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan
Yojna.
ii. Giving details on the scheme, bank officials
said that over 41 lakh 64 thousand new accounts have been opened.
iii. Both rural and urban population
have given good response to the financial inclusion scheme by opening new bank
accounts.
iv. Over 30 lakh rural accounts have been
opended while in urban area the figure is over 11 lakh. Rs. 329 crore
have been deposited through these new accounts in bank.
v. Altogether 28 banks both from private and
public sectors have contributed in the success of the scheme.
5. Harvard University set to open office in Mumbai
i. The US’
prestigious Harvard University is set to open its international offices in
India,
ii. Harvard is
awaiting approval from the Indian government for its School of Public Health to
open an office in Mumbai, a report in the college newspaper The Harvard Crimson
said.
iii. China and
South Africa to facilitate research and academic work for its affiliates in
those regions.
iv. The Centre
for African Studies is expected to open an office in Cape Town by the end of
2015 or early 2016 and an expected office in Beijing would be connected to the
existing Harvard Centre Shanghai.
6. Subadhra
Devi Rai named for 2015 International Achievement Award
i. Dr Subadhra Devi Rai, an Indian-origin Singaporean
nurse was named for the 2015 International Achievement Award by the Florence
Nightingale International Foundation (FNIF) of the International Council of
Nurses.
ii. She was named for the award for her work in the healthcare sector of
women and refugees and will receive the award on 21 June 2015 at a conference
in Seoul.
iii. She
became the first Singaporean to get the prestigious biennial prize since its
introduction in 1999.
7. Government
launched FAME-India scheme to boost electric, hybrid vehicle sales
i. Government of India launched on Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of
Hybrid and Electric vehicles (FAME) – India Scheme.
ii. The
scheme was launched with an aim to boost sales of eco-friendly vehicles in the
country. It is a part of the National Mission for Electric Mobility.
iii. The
scheme envisages providing 795 crore rupees support till 2020 for the
manufacturing and sale of electric and hybrid vehicles.
8. Justice
Sunil Kumar Sinha appointed as Chief Justice of the Sikkim High Court
i. Justice Sunil Kumar Sinha appointed as the new Chief Justice of the Sikkim High Court (HC). Before
this appointment he was serving as the acting Chief Justice of the Sikkim HC
since October 2014.
ii. He
was appointed by the President Pranab Mukherjee in accordance with the Article
217 (1) of the Constitution of India.
9. IPL season 8 to kick start from 8th April
i. The 8th season of the Indian Premiere League
(IPL) will kick start on the 8th of this month. The first match will be played
between Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians.
ii. Yuvraj Singh is the
costlier player of IPL history. Delhi Daredevils buy him for 16 crores.
iii. This IPL
season consists of 8 teams, which are, Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight
Riders, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kings
XI Punjab, Delhi Daredevils and Rajasthan Royals.