07 March 2017 - Daily Current Affairs

07 March 2017 - Daily Current Affairs

National Appointments

Neiphiu Rio appointed Nagaland Chief Minister

• The Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) leader Neiphiu Rio (67-year) has been appointed as the new Chief Minister of Nagaland by Governor P.B. Acharya under clause (1) of Article 164 of the Constitution of India.
• Governor of Nagaland has proposed to administer the Oath of Office and Secrecy to the council of ministers on 8^th March at Khouchiezie.
• The Governor also requested the Chief Minister-elect to prove majority on the House floor on or before 16th March.
• The NDPP won 16 seats, BJP (11 seats), National Development Front (NDF), 27 seats and others four seats in the election, paving way for the Rio-led party to form the next government.

National Affairs

UNICEF: India’s child marriage numbers dropped sharply

• According to the latest report of UNICEF, the proportion of girls getting married in India has nearly halved in a decade (2006-16) which has contributed significantly to a global decline in child marriage.
• 25 million child marriages were prevented worldwide in the last decade, where India was at the forefront.
• India constitutes more than 20% of the world’s adolescent population and accounts for the highest number of child marriages in South Asia.
• Now, 27% of girls (around 1.5 million girls) get married before they turn 18 in India, sharp decline from 47% a decade ago.
• UNICEF estimates that 12 million girls a year are married globally.

Note:

• The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is a United Nations (UN) programme that provides humanitarian and developmental assistance to children and mothers in developing countries.

Health Ministry extends the last date of submission for Logo and Tagline Competition

• The Health Ministry has extended the last date of submission for Logo and Tagline Competition for Ayushman Bharat until 18th March (earlier 6^th March).
• The competition will be done through a digital crowdsourcing campaign on MyGov portal. 
• The main theme of the logo will be ‘Ayushman Bharat’ and the guiding principle will be 'Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah, Sarve Santu Niramayah'.
• The objective of the competition is to generate awareness among the population about the health sector initiatives and engage them towards ownership in shaping a healthy India.

NFAI to host Women's Film Festival in Pune

• The National Film Archives of India (NFAI) will organize a Women's Film Festival from (9–11^th) March at Pune.
• The theme of the 9th edition of the festival is Travelling Women.
• A tribute will be paid to the iconic actress Sridevi.
• The festival will feature other acclaimed films including Away We Go, Under the Tuscan Sun, and Wild.

Sukhad Yatra App & Toll-free number for Highway users launched

• The Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari has launched a mobile App ‘Sukhad Yatra App’ and a Toll-free Emergency number (1033) for Highway users in New Delhi.
• Sukhad Yatra mobile application has been prepared by National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to empower Highway user.
• Its key feature includes provision for the user to enter road quality-related information and to report any accident or pothole on the highway.
• It can also be used by users to purchase FASTag tag and further facilitate highway user experience.
• The Toll-free number (1033) will enable users to report an emergency condition and highway-related feedback.
• The service is supported by a multi-lingual support and user location tracking features to provide the user with accurate and responsive complaint resolution.

Global Firepower ranks India’s military as fourth strongest

• India’s military is placed at fourth on a Global Firepower (GFP) list 2017.
• Now, 133 countries included in the Global Firepower (GFP) list in 2017 on the basis of their global military powers.
• Pakistan ranked 13th in the Global Firepower (GFP) list 2017.
• India has managed to maintain its position among the top five military powers in the world.
• The list is topped by the US followed by Russia and China respectfully.

International Affairs

The Marshall Islands become the first Country to adopt a Cryptocurrency as its Official Currency

• The Pacific island nation “Marshall Islands” has become the first Country in the world to adopt a Cryptocurrency SOV (Sovereign) as its Official Currency.
• In February 2018, Venezuela became the first country to launch its own cryptocurrency when it launched the ‘virtual Petro’, backed by crude oil reserves.
• The Republic of the Marshall Islands is an island country located near the equator in the Pacific Ocean, slightly west of the International Date Line.
• Geographically, the country is part of the larger island group of Micronesia.

Note:

• A cryptocurrency is a digital asset designed to work as a medium of exchange using cryptography to secure the transactions and to control the creation of additional units of the currency.
• Bitcoin became the first decentralized cryptocurrency in 2009.

European Development Bank approves India’s membership

• India is all set to become the 69th member of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) after shareholders of the international financial institution gave their nod to the country’s candidature.
• The EBRD’s Board of Governors voted in favour of India’s membership application.
• The minimum initial investment towards the membership of EBRD will be approximately €1 (one) million.
• However, this assumption is based on India deciding to buy the minimum number of shares (100) required for obtaining the membership.

Note:

• The EBRD was founded in April 1991 by representatives of 40 nations from 3 continents and two European institutions, the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Economic Community (EEC, now European Union – EU).

Sports

Manu Bhaker & Om Prakash Mitharval bag gold at ISSF Shooting World Cup

• India’s Manu Bhaker partnering with Om Prakash Mitharval bagged Gold in the 10 meter Air Pistol Mixed team event in the ISSF shooting World Cup in Mexico.
• Earlier, Manu also won the coveted yellow metal in the 10 meter Air Pistol Individual event.
• Besides Manu, Shahzar Rizvi has also won a Gold in the ongoing tournament in the 10 meter Air Pistol event.