Current Affairs Daily Digest – March 13 2019
1. India Pavilion inaugurated at London Book Fair
Ms. Sadhana Rout, Director General, Publications Division & Shri Vikram Sahay, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting inaugurated the India Pavilion at London Book Fair .The Fair is being held in the London Olympia from 12th to 14th March.
The India Pavilion lays special focus on 150thBirth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. It displays the digital version of the Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, apart from various other titles on Culture, History and Folklore of India. An interactive digital media experience on life and times of Mahatma Gandhi, Statue of Unity and other major achievements of India is also available at the Pavilion.
2. India beat Maldives by 6-0 in 5th SAFF Women’s Championship
Defending champion India defeated Maldives by 6-0 in the 5th South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Women’s Championship. Keeping its unbeaten record India easily defeated Maldives in its first group match in Nepal’s Biratnagar.
Indian girls dominated the first half and took a 5-0 lead. In the second half, India could manage only a single goal. India has remained unbeaten in SAFF championship since the beginning of the tournament in 2010.
3. HDFC Bank Becomes 3rd Indian Firm To Cross Rs6 trillion Market Cap
India’s most valued lender HDFC Bank Ltd crossed the Rs6 trillion market capitalisation for the first time , making it only the country’s third firm to achieve the milestone.
Intra-day, the stock touched a fresh record high of Rs2,233 on the BSE, up 2.87% from its previous close. The scrip closed at Rs2,226.10 on the BSE, up 2.56%, with a market capitalisation of Rs6.06 trillion. The Sensex rose 0.58% to end at 37,752.17 points.
HDFC Bank’s stock gained for the fifth session in a row, rising as much as 6% during the period. Year-to-date, it has advanced 5%.
4. Axis Bank names Rakesh Makhija as new Chairman
Private sector lender Axis Bank named Rakesh Makhija as its new Non-Executive Part-Time Chairman. Makhija, who is the Chairman of SKF India, will take over from current Axis Bank Chairman Sanjiv Mishra, when his term comes to an end on July 17.
Makhija, 67 is also a Director on the board of Tata Tech, Tata Marcopolo Motors and ATREDS, and has been an Independent Director on the board of Axis since October 2015.
5. SEBI lifts foreign investment cap in corporate bonds
Markets regulator SEBI withdrew the 20 per cent limit on investments by Foreign Portfolio Investors in corporate bonds of an entity. In a notification, the regulator said the restriction is being withdrawn in accordance with a circular issued by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
In June last year, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) had mandated that no Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) shall have an exposure of more than 20 per cent of its corporate bond portfolio to a single corporate.
To give effect to the directions of the RBI, the regulator said provisions of its June 2018 circulars with respect to exposure of more than 20 per cent “stands withdrawn with immediate effect”.
6. Internet of Things India Congress 2019 to be held in Bengaluru on August 22-23, 2019
The IoT India Congress 2019 will include tracks on segments such as healthcare, manufacturing, telecom, smart cities, energy, retail, cyber security, skills and development, IoT Standards, legal and regulatory, and agriculture. The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) IoT Panel held a conference to announce the upcoming 4th edition of the IoT India Congress.
7. Delhi: High-level committee set up to reform higher education
The Delhi government’s Dialogue and Development Commission (DDC), a think-tank that advises the government on key issues, has set up a 17-member high-level committee to “reform higher education” in the capital. The committee, chaired by DDC vice-chairperson Jasmine Shah, will “recommend goals, metrics, policies, and actionable plans for reforming Delhi’s higher education system within a year”.
Nalanda 2.0, a non-profit policy think tank with a “mission to making India’s higher education system world class”, is collaborating with the DDC as the knowledge partner in the initiative.
8. Sailor Upamanyu Dutta clinches bronze in Asian regatta
Young Mumbai sailor Upamanyu Dutta bagged the bronze medal in the Laser Standard race for men in the Laser Asian Sailing Championship which concluded in Singapore . Nethra Kumanan of Chennai achieved a creditable 4th position in the Laser Radial event for women. The championship saw tight racing between the top Asian Laser sailors who used the event to warm up before the Olympic sailing qualifier event for the upcoming Laser class scheduled in Japan.
Upamanyu, who is currently training in Europe under coach Trevor Millar, entered the event in Singapore as one of the favoured contenders, having won the Euromed Championship in Malta last month.
9. Indian Embassy awards 200 scholarships to meritorious Nepali students
The Embassy of India, Kathmandu awarded 200 Golden Jubilee Scholarships to meritorious Nepali students for continuing their studies in various undergraduate courses at different Universities and Colleges in Nepal.
Awarding the certificates to meritorious students in Kathmandu , Nepal’s Secretary of Education Khaga Raj Baral said India has been providing valuable support for the development of education in Nepal. He said with the Government of India scholarships Nepali students have excelled in various fields and it has helped in human resource development of Nepal.
This year the scholarships recipients covered for 36 undergraduate courses including MBBS, BDS, BE, BSc, BBA and BCom etc. The students have been shortlisted from 50 districts of Nepal. They include around 45% girls and 8% differently able students.
10. SBI launches doorstep banking service for senior citizens over 70 & differently-abled
State Bank of India (SBI) has launched doorstep banking service for senior citizens over 70 years of age and differently-abled customers. Eligible customers can avail this service at a nominal fee of 100 rupees per transaction for financial transactions and 60rupees for non-financial transactions.
doorstep banking services are available to KYC- compliant account holders, with a valid mobile number registered with the bank and residing within 5 kilometres radius from their home branch. This service will not be available for accounts operated jointly, minor accounts, and accounts of non-personal nature.
Cash pickup and deliver, check pickup, checkbook slip, life certificate and form 15 pickup are some of the services that will be provided.
11. Cultural festival to celebrate Indo-Thai relations
The Royal Thai Embassy is organising a cultural fest – ‘Namaste Thailand Festival’ to commemorate 72 years of Indo-Thai diplomatic relations. The festival of Thai food, products, music, performances and culture is all set to offer a unique Thai experience, the organisers of the festival said.
“India and Thailand have a history of good and cooperative relations. To strengthen these relations we need to co-opt culturally and understand each other. The festival is a move in this direction.
12. Google phases out instant messaging app ‘Allo’
After pausing investments in its “Allo” mobile messaging app, Google has finally bid goodbye to the platform that was launched with much fanfare in 2016.
13. Airtel to transfer 32% stake in Bharti Infratel to Nettle
Bharti Airtel Ltd will transfer as much as 32% stake it owns in tower company Bharti Infratel Ltd to wholly owned unit Nettle Infrastructure Investments Ltd to explore opportunities to monetize the asset, the telecom operator said on Tuesday.
Airtel and Nettle own 50.33% and 3.18%, respectively, in Bharti Infratel now. After the transfer of stake, which is scheduled to be completed on or after 18 March, Airtel and Nettle will own 18.33% and 35.18%, respectively.
14. Digital media powered growth in India’s M&E industry in 2018: Report
India’s media and entertainment (M&E) sector grew 13.4% year-on-year to touch Rs1.67 trillion in 2018, powered by digital platforms that grew 42% to Rs16,900 crore during the period. The M&E sector in India is expected to cross Rs2.35 trillion ($33.6 billion) by 2021, at a compounded annual growth rate of 11.6%, according to the report by lobby group Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci) and consulting firm EY.
Digital will continue its scorching pace of growth to overtake filmed entertainment in 2019 and print by 2021, said the report titled A Billion Screens of Opportunity, released in Mumbai at Ficci Frames, an yearly media and entertainment industry event.
15. First Ayodhya mediation panel meet today
The first meeting of the three-member mediation committee on Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute case was held at Ayodhya .
The committee headed by former Supreme court judge Justice Fakkir Mohamed Ibrahim Kalifulla was attended by panel members spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and senior advocate Sriram Panchu and several litigants from both sides.
