6th March Current Affairs Updates

Published for http://www.jobentra.blogspot.com

1.    Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Passes away-

i. Venezuela has begun seven days of mourning for Hugo Chavez, who has died at the age of 58, after 14 years as President.

ii. Hundreds of Mr Chavez's supporters took to the streets of Caracas to express their grief. Mr Chavez had been seriously ill with cancer for more than a year. 

iii. His body will be taken in a procession to the Military Academy in Caracas where it will lie in state until a state funeral on Friday. All schools and Universities have been shut for the week.

iv. Vice-President Maduro will assume the presidency until an election is called within 30 days. 

About Hugo Chavez 

i. Hugo Chavez was the President of Venezuela from 1999 till his death in 2013

ii. He was the leader of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela

iii. He was responsible for the promotion of the Bolivarian cause of social revolution and started the secretive Revolutionary Bolivarian Movement-200 (MBR-200) in early 1980s

iv. Served as the President of Venezuela for three times    

       

2.    India Proposed Hydrocarbon Pipeline from Kazakhstan

i. India proposed the idea of a hydrocarbon pipeline with Kazakhstan that is intended to bring fuel through a five-nation route.

ii. The concept of the pipeline, unveiled could be in future extended to Russia

iii. Currently most hydrocarbon pipelines from Central Asia are on an east-west axis. 

iv. This pipeline will, like TAPI, be on a north-south axis, providing a new route to South Asia for hydrocarbons extracted from Central Asia.

NOTE: India and Kazakhstan also plan to cooperate closely in Afghanistan where New Delhi’s aid model has been appreciated by the Central Asian countries all of whom have a vital stake in stabilising the country.

3.    President of India Conferred With the Liberation War Honour Award by Bangladesh

i. The President of India, Pranab Mukherjee was on 4 March 2013 conferred with the Liberation War Honour Award by the President of Bangladesh, Zillur Rahman.

ii. The award was conferred upon him for his contribution to 1971 war.

iii. The award was given away to Pranab Mukherjee for contributions to the Liberation War.

iv. Earlier, the top most honour of Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Freedom Honour was conferred upon former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi posthumously in 2011 for contributing towards creation of Bangladesh. 

4.    UPSC Changed the Scheme of Civil Services MAIN Examination 2013

i. Union Public Service Commission in its latest notification released on 6 March 2013 changed the Scheme of Civil Services {MAIN (Written+Interview/Personality Test)} Examination, 2013.

ii. The commission had also made some changes in the choice of language medium in the Civil Services (Main) Examination. 

iii. For the first time in the history of Civil Services the candidates planning to apply for the Civil Services Examination or Indian Forest Service Examination or both will have to fill in this common Application Form.

New topics added to the syllabus include

i. In Paper I Section 2 - English Précis of Matriculation or 10th standard level had been added

ii. In Paper II General Studies – I part the History and Geography of the World and Society had been added

iii. In Paper IV General Studies – III Disaster Management had been added along with Technology, Economic Development, Bio-diversity, Environment and Security

iv. In Paper-V General Studies –IV Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude has been added    

Analysis

The weightage of marks of the interview have been kept at the same standard of 13 percent, i.e.  i. Previously the Interview Carried: 300/2300*100=13 percent approx ii. At Present 275/2075*100=13 percent approx
Similarly the weightage of the Optional Paper had been reduced from 52 percent to 24 percent, i.e. i. Previously it was 1200/2300*100=52%approx ii. And now it is 500/2075*100=24%approx
In case of the General Studies Paper the Weightage of Marks have gone up to 48 percent from 26 percent, i.e. i.  Previously it was 600/2300*100=26%; ii.  And now it is 1000/2075*100=48%

5.    I&B forms committee to look into allegations made by Radio Presenter

i. The Information and Broadcasting Ministry has constituted a three member Committee headed by a Joint Secretary level officer to look into the allegations made by the Radio Presenters, represented by AIR Broadcasting Professionals Association at FM Gold of All India Radio.

ii. The Committee has been constituted in the light of a report appearing in certain sections of the press alleging sexual harassment at FM Gold.  

iii. The Committee also includes two senior lady officers. It will look into the specific allegation made by the Radio Presenters and the issues relating to safety at workplace of women employees working in FM Gold. The Committee will submit its report within 3 days of its constitution.

6.    FIPB approves AirAsia's India investment plans  

i. The Finance Ministry has  cleared the investment proposal of Malaysian budget carrier AirAsia which seeks to enter India through a joint venture with Tata Group and another company.

ii. A senior government official said “AirAsia's proposal has been cleared. It is as per the policy (which allows) up to 49 per cent FDI. Rs 80 crore is initial investment," 

iii. The Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB), headed by DEA Secretary Arvind Mayaram, approved the proposal at its meeting in New Delhi.

iv. AirAsia has applied to FIPB to take 49 per cent in a venture with Tata Sons Ltd and Arun Bhatia's Telestra Tradeplace Pvt Ltd.

NOTE: i. The carrier will now have to approach the aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for further clearances.

ii. This would be the first entry of a foreign carrier in the domestic aviation sector after the liberalisation of FDI policy in September last year.

7.    E-filing mandatory for those earning above Rs.5 lakh

i. The taxation authorities in India has made it mandatory for all the taxpayers in the country who earn more than Rs. 5 lakh per annum to file their tax returns online.

ii. Revenue secretary Sumit Bose said, "Income tax returns for the group above Rs. 5 lakh will have to be e-filed.

iii. The Income Tax Department is working to expand the tax net in the country and is already working to identify penholders who have not filed their returns. 

iv. The government had introduced the e-filing of returns for taxpayers earning more than Rs. 10 lakh.

8.    Punjab, Haryana, Delhi & Himachal rank top in Well Being Index

i. Punjab, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana have been ranked at the top of the Well Being Index (WBI), while southern states, Gujarat and most of the north-eastern states emerged as the most secure ones for women in the Female Security Index (FSI)

ii. This was found by Tata Strategic Management Group which analysed multiple government sources and surveys to publish its 2013 edition of Well Being Index (WBI) and Female Security Index (FSI) for India in Mumbai on Wednesday.

iii. The states of Punjab, Delhi, HP, Haryana and Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh were ranked at the top of the WBI, while Chhattisgarh, Assam, Jharkhand and Bihar appeared at the bottom, 

iv. On the Female Security Index (FSI), Hyderabad and Delhi were the lowest-ranked amongst the metro cities, while Chennai and Bangalore were at the top.

v. Southern states, Gujarat and most of the north-eastern states emerged as the most secure for women, while Haryana, MP, Punjab, Delhi and Rajasthan states had the lowest ranking on FSI

9.    MRP Rao took charge as the Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO) in NTPC

i. MRP Rao took over as the Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO) in National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) on 5 March 2013. 

About MRP Rao

i. MRP Rao completed Bachelor of Engineering in Mining (Gold Medalist) from Osmania University, Hyderabad. 

ii. He worked for 4 years as the Production Incharge in Singareni Collieries Co. Ltd (SCCL). 

iii. He joined Indian Forest Service from the 1986 batch, Uttar Pradesh cadre

10.  Asian Cycling C'ship set to roll out tomorrow

i. Gradually gaining in confidence after increased exposure, Indian cyclists will be pitted against the region's best when the 33rd Asian Championships begin in New Delhi from Thursday.

ii. The 33rd senior and 20th junior Championships will roll out in two venues till March 17.

iii. The track events will be held at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium's velodrome followed by the road races at the Buddh International Circuit, the state-of-the-art Formula One venue.

11.  Delhi clinch Vijay Hazare Trophy

i. India's under-19 World Cup winning captain Unmukt Chand cracked a brilliant 116 to help Delhi clinch the Vijay Hazare Trophy after convincingly defeating Assam by 75 runs in the summit clash on Sunday.

ii. The 19-year-old blasted eight boundaries and three sixes in his 133-ball innings and was engaged in a 97-run opening partnership with Puneet Bisht (52) as Delhi posted a mammoth 290 for nine after being put into bat.

 iii. Chasing the challenging target, Dheeraj Jadhav top-scored with 87 off 114 balls and his knock was studded with five fours and one six, but Assam could not get the momentum going and folded for 215 in 44.2 overs.