04 March 2020 - Daily Current Affairs
1. Ajay Bhushan Pandey appointed as the new Finance Secretary
- Revenue secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey has been appointed as the new Finance Secretary of India replacing Rajiv Kumar by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet.
- Ajay Kumar, IAS officer of Maharashtra cadre (1984 batch), had earlier worked as chief executive officer of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), the organization behind the Aadhaar.
Honours & Awards
2. President conferred 61st annual Lalit Kala Akademi's awards
- President Ram Nath Kovind conferred 61st annual Lalit Kala Akademi's awards on 15 artists at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
- The awardees include Anoop Kumar Manzukhi Gopi from Kerala, David Malakar (West Bengal), Hari Ram Kumbhawat (Rajasthan), Devendra Kumar Khare (Gujarat), Dinesh Pandya (Maharashtra), Mohan Kumar (Karnataka) and Yashwant Singh (Delhi).
- Lalit Kala Akademi organises art exhibitions and award ceremonies every year to promote art as well as to honour talents.
Important Dates
3. National Safety Day being observed today
- National Safety Day is celebrated on 4 March commemorating the foundation day of the National Safety Council of India.
- National Safety Week campaign is organized from 4 March to highlight the safety measures required to reduce the accidents and any kind of mishaps.
Sports
4. All India Police Athletic Championship began in Haryana
- Union Minister Kiren Rijiju inaugurated 68th edition of All India Police Athletic Championship began at Bhanu in Panchkula District of Haryana.
- The main aim of the championship is to bring India in top 10 in the Olympics scheduled in 2028.
- Government has identified 15,000 plus children and started their training across 284 Sports Authority of India (SAI) training centres across the country.
National Affairs
5. RBL Bank, Zomato and Mastercard partner to launch co-branded credit card
- Online food ordering and delivery app Zomato in partnership with RBL Bank and Master Card will launch a co-branded credit card.
- The card that starts with an annual membership of ₹500 (plus taxes) for the basic edition will also offer a complimentary Zomato Gold membership.
- The card comes under two variants, the basic Edition Classic card and a more premium Edition Card.
International Affairs
6. World Bank declared aid to help coronavirus outbreak
- World Bank has unveiled 12 billion dollar aid package that will provide fast-track funds to help countries combat the coronavirus outbreak.
- World Bank President David Malpass announced that the fund can be used for medical equipment or health services and will include expertise and policy advice helping in fast and effective recovery.
Sports
7. Shafali Verma gained the top spot in the ICC women's T20I rankings
- Teen sensation Shafali Verma rises to top in ICC women’s T20 rankings, riding on her stellar run at the ongoing World Cup scoring a total of 161 runs in four innings.
- She has become only the second India player after Mithali Raj to top the women's T20 International rankings.
- The 16-year-old Shafali has replaced New Zealand's Suzie Bates, who had been at the top of batting charts since October 2018.
National Affairs
8. Bureau of Energy Efficiency launched Star Rating programme in New Delhi
- Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), an agency of the Government of India, under the Ministry of Power, has launched Star Rating Programme for Light Commercial Air Conditioners (LCAC) and Deep Freezers, in its 19th foundation day in New Delhi.
- BEE also launched Urja Dakshata Information Tool (UDIT) (www.udit.beeindia.gov.in) developed in association with US (United States) based World Resources Institute (WRI), to facilitate a database on energy efficiency.
Summits & Conferences
9. Pune will host the 108th Indian Science Congress
- Pune will host the annual session of 108th Indian Science Congress in January 2021 for the fourth time since it’s inception.
- The theme of the Indian Science Congress will be on ‘Science and Technology for Sustainable Development with Women Empowerment’.
- It will be held at Symbiosis International University’s Lavale campus between January 3 and 7 next year.
Sports
10. BharatPe has signed up 11 Indian cricket players as brand endorsers
- Fintech platform ‘BharatPe’ has signed up 11 Indian national level cricket players as its brand ambassadors.
- The players comprise Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Suresh Raina, Jasprit Bumrah, Shreyas Iyer, Prithvi Shaw, Sanju Samson, Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Shubhman Gill.
- The Delhi-based platform had brought actor Salman Khan as brand ambassador last year.
National Affairs
11. Union Cabinet approved Foreign Direct Investment policy on civil aviation
- To permit 100% stakes of Air India to non-resident Indian nationals, Union Cabinet approved amended Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) policy on civil aviation.
- This is a part of strategic disinvestment of Air India.
- FDI up to 100% is permitted on the automatic route in most sectors/activities
Sports
12. Jaydev Unadkat broke 21-year-old record in Ranji Trophy
- Left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat broke a 21-year-old record in history of Ranji Trophy to emerge as the highest-wicket taking pacer in a single season.
- With his 10 wickets in the semis, three in the first innings and seven in the second, Unadkat took his tally of wickets to 65 in the 2019/20 season as he surpassed Karnataka's Dodda Ganesh who had 62 wickets in 1998/99.
