Anushka Sharma appointed ambassador of Swachh Bharat campaign
The Union Urban Development Ministry has appointed Bollywood actress ‘Anushka Sharma’ as the new female ambassador of the ‘Swachh Bharat Campaign’.
She will highlight the women-centric aspects of open defecation in the rural and semi-rural area.
Anushka will join the campaign with Amitabh Bachchan, who is also the brand ambassador of this campaign.
IDFC MD Vikram Limaye the new CEO, MD of NSE
The board of directors of India’s National Stock Exchange (NSE) has selected IDFC chief Vikram Limaye as its new CEO (chief executive officer) and MD (Managing Director).
However, formalities are to be completed at IDFC’s end.
Limaye is a Chartered Accountant and an MBA from Wharton School and over 25 years of experience working with global investment banks, international commercial bank and global accounting firms.
Note:
The National Stock Exchange of India Limited (NSE) is the leading stock exchange of India, located in Mumbai.
NSE was established in 1992 as the first demutualised electronic exchange in the country.
NSE was the first exchange in the country to provide a modern, fully automated screen-based electronic trading system which offered easy trading facility to the investors spread across the length and breadth of the country.
Former CBI chief Joginder Singh passes away
Former Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) chief Joginder Singh (77 years) has passed away after prolong illness.
Singh,1961 batch IPS officer of Karnataka cadre was chosen to head the premier investigative agency CBI on July 31, 1996.
He oversaw the investigation of several high-profile cases including Bofors scam, Bihar's fodder scam, the JMM MPs bribery scandal, Urea scam, telecom deals by the then Union minister Sukh Ram and others.
He was a prolific writer and penned over 25 books on various subjects after retiring from the service.
National Affairs
NEET 2017 to be counted as first attempt: CBSE
The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) Under Graduate 2017 for admission to medical colleges across the country will be considered as the first out of three available attempts for all candidates.
The Medical Council of India has clarified that the attempts made by candidates for All India Pre-Medical Test/NEET prior to 2017 should not be counted.
All candidates who could not fill up the application form due to the condition of three attempts at AIPMT/NEET will now be able to fill up their application form.
The exam will be conducted in 10 different languages on 7th May.
Air India to start 3 flights a week non-stop from Delhi to Washington
Air India (AI) will start three non-stop flights a week from New Delhi to Dulles International Airport in the suburb of Washington DC (USA) this summer.
The move will bring 30,000 people from India to America every year for economic, commercial and family purposes.
The direct flights will attract students from India to come and study at universities in Virginia and other parts of the United States.
President Pranab Mukherjee to open annual Udyanotsav of Rashtrapati Bhavan
Today, President Pranab Mukherjee has opened the annual ‘Udyanotsav’ of the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi.
The highlights of this year’s ‘Udyanotsav’ include two new varieties of roses named after President Mukherjee and his late wife Suvra Mukherjee.
Mughal gardens in Rashtrapati Bhavan to be open for public from today.
About 14,000 Tulip bulbs in seven different colors have been planted in Mughal Gardens.
Flower Carpets in magnificent designs will be on display in the Central Lawns revealing the skill and craft of the gardeners of Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Note:
The Mughal Gardens will remain open for general public from 12 February to 19 March, (except on Mondays) between 9.30 AM to 4 PM.
About 4.68 lakh people had visited Mughal Gardens last year.
International Affairs
Mexico, Turkey agree to speed up negotiations for free trade agreement
Mexico and Turkey have agreed to speed up negotiations for a free trade agreement in the wake of protectionist threats from US President Donald Trump.
Both countries have agreed to give a faster impetus to the search for an agreement.
He also proposed to strengthen the MIKTA forum, a political and trade forum that includes Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, Turkey and Australia.
Canada and Mexico are preparing to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) as demanded by Mr Trump, who calls the pact a catastrophe for his country.
Honour & Awards
Lucideus wins Best IT Startup of India award
An IT risk assessment and digital security services provider startup company Lucideus has bagged the government’s ‘Best IT Startup of India’
Lucideus is behind the security for BHIM (Bharat Interface for Money) app, an Aadhaar-based mobile payment platform.
The company bagged the award under the IT and ITES (IT-Enabled Services) category at the National Entrepreneurship Award 2016 organized here by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
Note:
Lucideus has been co-founded by its CEO Saket Modi and was incubated out of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay.
India lead New Zealand 2-0 in Davis Cup
In the Asia /Oceania Group-I Davis Cup tie India has taken a 2-0 lead against New Zealand at Pune.
Yuki Bhambri defeated Finn Tearney, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 and Ramanathan beat Jose Statham 6-3, 6-4, 6-3.
Today, Leander Paes will play alongside Vishnu Vardhan to seal the tie for the hosts.
Leander Paes eying a world record 43 doubles wins in the Davis Cup history
Pankaj Advani wins his 29th National Snooker Championship title
Pankaj Advani (31-year) has won the Indian National Snooker Championship with a 6-0 win over Pandurangaiah of Railways.
Now, he has become the only Indian men's cueist to be the holder of all national billiards and snooker titles at the same time - Billiards, 6-red Snooker and 15-red Snooker.
The final top 3 standings of the National Snooker Championships are Pankaj Advani , Pandurangaiah ,Malkeet Singh.