31 March 2018 - Daily Current Affairs
Rosemary DiCarlo becomes first female UN political chief
- Former diplomat of United States Rosemary DiCarlo appointed as the Chief of UN Political Affairs.
- With this, she became the first woman to head UN political affairs, one of the most high-profile positions at the world body.
- She will succeed American Jeffrey Feltman who held the post of under-secretary-general for political affairs since 2012.
Important Takeaway:
- DiCarlo also served as deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs and director for United Nations affairs at the national security council in Washington.
- Since 2015, She is the president of the National Committee on American Foreign Policy, an organization dedicated to conflict resolution.
Chandra Bhushan Kumar appointed as Deputy Election Commissioner
- As part of a major bureaucratic reshuffle effected by the government, Chandra Bhushan Kumar has been appointed as Deputy Election Commissioner.
- Chandra Bhushan Kumar is a 1995 batch IAS officer of union territories cadre, has been appointed to the post for five years.
- The Election Commissioners are assisted by Deputy Election Commissioners.
- A total of 13 officers have been appointed as joint secretaries in different central government departments.
Important Takeaway:
- The Election Commission of India was formed on 25 January 1950 is an autonomous constitutional authority responsible for administering election processes in India.
- Election Commission headquarters is in New Delhi
- The current Chief Election Commissioner of India is Om Prakash Rawat.
- Under Chief Election Commissioner, there are two Election Commissioner – Sunil Arora and Ashok Lavasa.
India receives the first consignment of LNG from the United States
- India received the first liquefied natural gas cargo from the United States at the Dabhol regasification terminal in Maharashtra.
- Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan received the first-ever shipment of 1.2 lakh tonne LNG.
- Under the long-term contract of 20 years, Gail will be getting 22-24 shipments per annum till the breakwater is built. Once that is done we will be handling 80-90 ships a year.
- Currently, due to lack of the breakwater, the Dabhol terminal can operate only eight months.
Important Takeaway:
- Gail signed two, 20-year LNG supply agreements potentially worth $32 billion for LNG exports from the Dominion Cove Point project in Maryland and the Sabine Pass project in Louisiana in 2011 and 2013 respectively.
Kadaknath chicken of Madhya Pradesh state gets GI tag
- Kadaknath chicken of Madhya Pradesh state got the Geographical Indication (GI) Tag.
- After receiving GI tag, now no one else can use the name Kadaknath Chicken while selling any other black chicken.
- The GI tag was awarded by the Chennai based Geographical Indication Registry and Intellectual Property India.
- The demand of Kadaknath chicken very high because of its low cholesterol and high protein content.
- The breed is native to Jhabua, Alirajpur and parts of Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh.
5. Madhya Pradesh raised the retirement age of state government employees to 62
- The Madhya Pradesh government raised the retirement age of state government employees to 62 years from 60 years.
- The announcement made by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan while speaking to reporters in Bhopal.
Important Takeaway:
- Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister – Shivraj Singh Chouhan
- The capital of Madhya Pradesh – Bhopal
- Governor of Madhya Pradesh - Anandiben Patel
Former Manipur CM R K Dorendra Singh passes away
- Former Manipur Chief Minister R K Dorendra Singh passed away. He was 83 years old.
- He was the Chief Minister of Manipur state four times between 1974 to 1993.
- Before becoming the chief minister, he was the Speaker of Manipur Assembly.
NASA to send the first mission to study ‘heart’ of Mars
- NASA is all set to send the first-ever mission dedicated to exploring the deep interior of Mars.
- InSight — a stationary lander — will also be the first NASA mission since the Apollo moon landings to place a seismometer a device that measures quakes, on the soil of another planet.
- InSight is like a scientific time machine that will bring back information about the earliest stages of Mars’ formation 4.5 billion years ago.
‘KHANJAR V’ Indo-Kyrgyzstan joint training exercise conclude in Mizoram
- The 5th Indo-Kyrgyzstan joint training exercise ‘Khanjar V’ conclude at Counter Insurgency Jungle Warfare School, Vairengte Mizoram.
- “The exercise was a success and has taught valuable lessons to the troops of both the countries.”
- The exercise involved insertion of troops by slithering from helicopters and destroying a terrorist hideout.
- It demonstrated the commitment of both armies in working closely with each other to address the growing issue of global terrorism in all its forms.
