NIC – National Informatics Centre , Railway Minister

107.Following a flood of complaints about the anomalies in the Mumbai Development Plan, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, today, scrapped the future town planning document.This document was prepared by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).The decision came after the Chief Minister had appointed a committee headed by the State Chief Secretary to review the plan and submit a preliminary report in three days.

108.The Tamil Nadu government has cancelled the plots allotted to Coca-Cola’s beverages manufacturing facility in the State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu Limited (SIPCOT) Industrial Growth Centre in Perundurai.

Note : The allotment was triggered a spate of protests from residents of Perundurai and Chennimalai towns and farmers in the area, who feared groundwater depletion and discharge into the water courses.

109.ICICI Bank in collaboration with Tech Mahindra launched a payment service called ‘Tap-n-Pay’. It is essentially based on the near-field communications (NFC) technology, enabling customers make over-the-counter payments without using cash.It can be used for merchant payments by merely tapping a NFC-enabled mobile phone or a tag on the counter.

110.Japan’s state-of-the-art maglev train clocked a new world speed record today in a test run near Mount Fuji, smashing through the 600 kilometre (373 miles) per hour mark.

Maglev – Magnetic Levitation

111.An Egyptian court has sentenced ousted President Mohammed Morsi to 20 years in jail for ordering the arrest and torture of protesters during his rule.It is the first verdict he has received since his overthrow and is one of several trials he faces.

112.Three-time Chief Minister of Odisha & senior Congress leader Janaki Ballabh Patnaik (89) passed away.He was Chief Minister of Odisha from 1980 to 1989 and again from 1995 to 1999, holding that post for the longest time on record before Naveen Patnaik.

113.Today (21st April 2015) is Civil Service Day. It is observed by all Civil Services.  

114.Bharatiya Mahila Bank inks MoUs with LIC, New India Assurance

Bharatiya Mahila Bank Ltd has entered into MoUs with New India Assurance Company Ltd and Life Insurance Corporation of India to provide insurance cover to its accountholders.

The insurance covers are being provided under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Suraksha Bima Yojana and the Pradhan Mantri Jeevanjyoti Bima Yojana schemes respectively.

The insurance option is voluntary and comes at a premium of Rs. 12 for the PM Jan Suraksha Bima Yojana and Rs. 330 for the PM Jeevanjyoti Bima Yojana.

The age eligibility under the former is 18-70 years and under the latter 18-50 years. The enrolment period under the schemes will be from June 1, 2015, to August 31, 2015.

115.E-Samiksha launched to monitor rail projects online

With an aim of monitoring implementation of various ongoing projects including Rail Budget proposals, railways today launched E-Samiksha, an online monitoring mechanism.

Now each and every project implementation can be monitored on real-time basis, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu said here after launching the system.

Designed by NIC, the software is currently being used by Cabinet Secretariat, PMO and other Ministries for monitoring progress implementation of various programmes and follow-up of meetings.

Apart from budget-related projects, the E-Samiksha can also be used for monitoring the infrastructure target and board meeting follow-up.

116.Japan maglev train breaks world speed record again

A Japanese magnetic levitation train has broken its own world speed record, hitting 603km/h (374mph) in a test run near Mount Fuji.

The train beat the 590km/h speed it had set last week in another test.

Japan is known for its shinkansen that run on steel rails, but has been investing in maglev technology which it is hoping to sell overseas.

Central Japan Railway which owns the trains, wants to introduce the service between Tokyo and the central city of Nagoya by 2027.

117.Sulekha.com raises Rs 175 crore from GIC, NVP

Chennai-based local listing services provider Sulekha.com has raised Rs. 175 crore from the sovereign wealth fund of Singapore-GIC and Norwest Venture Partners.

The Chennai-based company has about 50 lakh businesses listed on its platform.

Satya Prabhakar is the Founder and CEO of Sulekha.com.

118.Interest rate for GPF retained at 8.7% for current fiscal

The government of India retained the rate of interest for General Provident Fund (GPF) and other related schemes at 8.7% for the current fiscal. According to the notification issued by the Finance Ministry; he 8.7 percent interest will apply on Provident Funds of central government employees, railways and defence forces. The rate of interest will be effective from 1st April 2015, it added.

The interest rate for GPF is in line with the interest rate fixed for Public Provident Fund (PPF) at 8.7 percent for 2015-16.The interest earning for Kisan Vikas Patra has been retained at 8.7 percent.

Note: i. The government had, however, raised the interest rates for other small saving schemes.

The interest rate for senior citizens savings scheme was hiked from 9.2 percent to 9.3 percent and for Sukanya Samriddhi Account, the special deposit scheme for girl child, the interest rate has been hiked from 9.1 percent to 9.2 percent, respectively.

119.NASA to send submarine to Saturn’s moon Titan

NASA is planning to send a nuclear-powered submarine to explore one of the methane seas located on Saturn’s moon Titan.The single-ton concept robot submarine is equipped with a seafloor camera and sampling system.

120. Moody’s forecast 7.5 % GDP growth for Indian economy

International credit rating agency Moody’s has forecasted India’s growth to be 7.5 percent for the year 2015. A Moody’s analyst said low inflation enabled the Reserve Bank of India to cut interest rates by 50 basis points easing pressure on the private sector.

He further added that lower rates as well as the government’s infrastructure and disinvestment programmes should provide a boost to domestic-oriented industries.

Earlier this week, International Monetary Fund projected that India will overtake China as the fastest growing emerging economy in 2015-16.

121.Sugarcane fair price hikes to Rs 230 per quintal for 2015-16

The government today hiked the sugarcane has revised the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of sugarcane for the sugar season 2015-16 to Rs 230 per quintal.The FRP for the last sugar season was Rs 220 per quintal.

According to the Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution “Ram Vilas Paswan” this decision has been taken on the basis of recommendations of Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) and after consultations with concerned state governments and other stake holders.

122.Maharashtra Government announced the target of 14400 MW power generation by 2019

Maharashtra Government on 20 April 2015 announced the target of 14400 MW power generation by 2019.

Out of the 14400 MW electricity target, the state government has proposed that 75000 MW of electricity will be generated from solar energy while wind mills will generate 5000 MW of power.

Sugar industries will help in creating 1000 MW, cogeneration will generate 200 MW, biogas will generate 300 MW and industrial waste will generate 400 MW.

For instance, there are many sugar factories located in western Maharashtra, thus 1000 MW electricity will be generated from that region Also to meet the target, the power generated by private players will be purchased by the government as well.

123.2015 Pulitzer Prize Winners

The 2015 Pulitzer Prizes were awarded by the Pulitzer Prize Board for work during the 2014 calendar year. Prize winners and nominated finalists were announced on April 20, 2015.

Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting in Journalism: The New York Times Staff

124.Virat Kohli announced to set up chain of gyms with the investment of 90 crore rupees

Indian Cricketer Virat Kohli on 20 April 2015 announced to set up his chain of gyms and fitness centres with the investment of 90 crore rupees.

The gyms will be launched under the brand name Chisel. The brand is jointly owned by Kohli, Chisel Fitness and CSE, the sister concern of Cornerstone Sport & Entertainment.

It is to be known that India’s ODI captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni already has his fitness chain across the country. Also, Kohli co-owns Indian Super League football franchise FC Goa and also has his clothing line for youths Wrogn.
The country’s fitness industry comprising branded fitness chains and standalone gyms is pegged at around 1300 crore rupees.

125.Neeraj Kumar appointed as Chief Adviser of Anti-Corruption & Security Unit of BCCI

Former Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar was on 20 April 2015 appointed as chief adviser of the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) Anti-Corruption & Security Unit (ACSU). He will have a term of one year, that is, till 2016. Kumar succeeded Ravi Sawant.

His appointment was made during Governing Council Meeting of the Indian Premier League (IPL) chaired by IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla in New Delhi.

Neeraj Kumar is a 1976 batch IPS officer of the AGMU cadre. Earlier, he has served as the Delhi Police commissioner for 13 months i.e. from June 2012 to July 2013.

126.Nishan-e-Pakistan award conferred on Xi Jinping

Pakistan on Tuesday conferred its top civilian award ‘Nishan-e-Pakistan’ on Chinese President Xi Jinping for his outstanding contribution in promotion of relationship between the two countries.

The ceremony was organised at the President House where President Mamnoon Hussain conferred the award on Mr. Xi.The ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Federal Ministers, Members of National Assembly and Senate, Services Chiefs and Chinese delegation.

Mr. Xi was given warm welcome on his arrival in the President House in a traditional buggy drawn by horses.
He also held bilateral talks with Mr. Hussain, who later hosted a luncheon in his honour.

127.Cleartrip becomes first Indian online travel agency to feature on Apple Watch

Since its launch for iOS in August 2012, Cleartrip has been committed to offer iOS users the best travel app experience possible on iOS devices.

From being the first to support Passbook on iOS, to the first to redesign the app for iOS 7, and the first travel app in India to have a universal app for iPhone and iPad, the Cleartrip app for Apple Watch is another big first to add to that list.

The idea with the Watch app is to give users the information they need, when they need it, in the most lightweight manner possible.Opening the Cleartrip app on the Apple Watch will show travellers a concise list of all their upcoming flights.

The app can also be enabled through the Watch app on your iPhone which, in turn, can be synced with your Apple Watch.

128.Mohan Kumar appointed as new Indian Ambassador to France

Senior diplomat Mohan Kumar, currently India’s top envoy to Bahrain, has been appointed the next Ambassador to France to succeed Arun Kumar.

129.Assam to be ‘kept out for now’ from land boundary agreement with Bangladesh

Assam will be “kept out for now” from the ambit of the land boundary agreement (LBA) with Bangladesh. There were “lot of protests and problems” in Assam over the LBA”.

130.Agni-III successfully test-fired from Odisha coast

India test-fired its nuclear-capable Agni-III ballistic missile, with a range of over 3,000 km, from a base in Odisha. The surface-to-surface missile was fired from a launch complex at the Inner Wheeler Island off the coast of Dhamra in Bhadrak district, about 200 km from here. Agni-III is capable of carrying warheads weighing up to 1.5 tonnes. It is 16 metres in length and weighs 48 tonnes. The missile has a two-stage solid propellant system. It can re-enter the atmosphere at a very high velocity.Agni-III is a rail mobile system capable missile and can be launched from anywhere in India.

131.BHEL commissions 2,400 MW OP Jindal thermal power project

State-run power equipment maker BHEL has fully commissioned 2,400 MW OP Jindal thermal power project in Chhattisgarh. “The unit has been commissioned at Jindal Power Limited (JPL) s OP Jindal 4X600 thermal power plant located at Tamnar in Raigarh district of Chhattisgarh.

132.Canada will supply uranium to India for next five years

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Canadian PM Stephen Harper issued a joint statement, according to which both the countries have agreed to a uranium supply deal worth hundreds of millions of dollars that will see Canadian producer Cameco Corp. provide fuel for Indian reactors over the next five years. Supply of uranium will begin this year itself.

133.Canada’s Stephen Harper returns 900-year-old Khajuraho temple sculpture to PM Narendra Modi

A 900-year-old piece of sculpture from Khajuraho temple, which had somehow reached Canada, was returned by Prime Minister Stephen Harper when his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.The sculpture, known as ‘Parrot Lady’, was handed over by Harper to Modi in accordance with 1970 UNESCO Convention.

134.Rosetta mission: comet 67P may not be magnetized

Researchers of the Rosetta Mission have made a sensational discovery — the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko may not have a magnetic field.This discovery is important because it calls into question some of the theories of formation of structures, such as our solar system, in which magnetic field is crucial to the formation of clumps of matter which later grew to become large celestial bodies.

135.Green tea and apples could protect health with the help of polyphenols

Researchers have found how polyphenols in green tea and apples affect a key signalling molecule, which could explain how polyphenol-rich foods reduce risks of chronic diseases.

136.India among AIIB’s founder-members

India and many influential western nations are among the 57 founder members of the $50 billion Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), while the U.S. and Japan stayed away from the China-backed multilateral lender, according to the final list of members released.

137.87 Year Old Ex PM of Nepal Passes Away
87 year old Surya Bahadur Thapa, former PM of Nepal has passed away.He served as the PM of Nepal for 5 terms
138.New Blood Test Can Predict Breast Cancer Early

A new blood test can correctly predict if a woman can get breast cancer within the next 2 to 5 years and contribute to a paradigm shift in early diagnosis of this chronic disease.While mammography can detect newly developed breast cancer correctly 75% of the time, new metabolic blood profile is able to predict the likelihood of breast cancer 80% of the time

China To Ban Water Polluting Industries

China will ban water polluting paper mills, pesticide producers, oil refineries and other industrial plants towards the close of 2016, it has announced.

First Colour Image of Pluto Taken

NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft has sent the first colour image of the dwarf planet Pluto and its largest moon Charon.NASA’s Planetary Science Division has said that the image was taken from a distance of 115 million km.

139.Karnataka Health Minister U.T. Khader has inaugurated two-wheeler ambulances in Bengaluru.

He termed this bike ambulance project as a “platinum ten minutes” trauma care initiative.

Aimed at reducing deaths due to road accidents, the platinum trauma care initiative is useful for negotiating heavy traffic in urban areas where it will be difficult for four-wheeler ambulances to reach the accident spot at the earliest.

140.Justice Meenakshi Madan Rai sworn in as first lady judge of Sikkim HC

Meenakshi Madan Rai sworn in as the first lady judge of the Sikkim High Court. Her oath of the office was administered by the Governor Srinivas Patil at Ashirwad Hall at Raj Bhavan in Gangtok.
Rai is also the third High Court judge who hails from the small border state.

This appointment of Rai as the judge of the Sikkim High Court has helped the state to get its full strength of three judges after a gap of about one year.

141.Wholesale prices contract 2.33% in March

India’s wholesale price index-based inflation (WPI) provisionally stood at -2.33 per cent for March, government data showed on Wednesday. This compares with -2.06 per cent for February and 6 per cent for the same period last year.

This is the fifth consecutive month of deflation in wholesale prices, a clear reflection of lower commodity prices.

Earlier Consumer Price Index-based (CPI) inflation for March eased to 5.17 per cent, the lowest in three months.

142.Govt forms panel to review Official Secrets Act

The government has formed an inter-ministerial committee headed by cabinet secretary to review the Official Secrets Act in context of demands to declassify files related to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s death or disappearance.

RAW, IB, Union home ministry and PMO officials will be part of the panel.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had met Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s grandnephew, Surya Bose, in Berlin and promised to examine the request for declassification of all files related to events since his death or disappearance in Taiwan on August 18, 1945.

143.Zomato acquires cloud-based data firm MaplePOS

Online restaurant guide Zomato announced the acquisition of MaplePOS, a cloud-based point of sale product for restaurants developed by a group of techies from Delhi.

Gurgaon based Zomato has already renamed the MaplePOS product to ‘Zomato Base’ which will help the company and its restaurant partners to manage business into online orders and payments.

MaplePos, a sale product offers various features of restaurants such as inventory and menu management, and has in-built payment solution to accept debit and credit card payments.

144.RBI allows differential interest rate on deposits

The Reserve Bank of India said banks will have the discretion to offer differential interest rates based on whether the term deposits are with or without-premature-withdrawal-facility, subject to conditions.

All term deposits of individuals (held singly or jointly) of Rs. 15 lakh and below should, necessarily, have premature withdrawal facility.

For all term deposits above Rs. 15 lakh banks can offer deposits without the option of premature withdrawal as well.

145.Agni-III missile test-fired successfully by SFC

India on Thursday successfully test-fired nuclear weapons-capable Agni-III ballistic missile from the Wheeler Island off Odisha coast. Although the missile has a strike range of more than 3,000 k.m.

it was tested for a lesser range, in today’s mission.

Agni-III is one of the sophisticated and accurate missiles of its class and has already been inducted into armed forces.

It is capable of carrying a payload weighing 1.5 tonnes to a distance of more than 3,000 k.m.

146.Asia Cup 2016 to be played in T20 format

Asia Cup 2016 is set to undergo a radical change and will be a Twenty20 competition instead of the 50-over game.

It would be revamped to include more Associate nations and to give some practice prior to the T 20 World Cup .

The tournament would then revert to a 50-over tournament in 2018 ahead of the 2019 World Cup in England and be played as a T20 competition again in 2020.

147.Sachin Tendulkar elected as member of Laureus Sports Academy

Indian cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar was inducted as one of the five new members into the prestigious Laureus Sports Academy in a glittering annual award ceremony at the Shanghai Grand theatre.

Besides Tendulkar, retired Chinese professional basketball player Yao Ming, Kenyan long-distance runner Tegla Loroupe, Chinese gymnast Li Xiaopeng and former Chinese short track speed skater Yang Yang were the other athletes to be inducted into the Laureus academy.

Tendulkar, who made his ODI debut against Pakistan way back in 1989, retired from the format after the Asia Cup in 2013 after completing a century of international hundreds.

148.Hevesy Medal Award 2015

Professor Susanta Lahiri has received the prestegious Hevesy Medal Award 2015.He received this award for his outstanding contributions to heavy ion induced radioisotope production, tracer packet technique, converter targets, and green chemistry.

149.Jamal Benomar, has resigned

The UN peace envoy to Yemen, Jamal Benomar, has resigned.The Moroccan diplomat had been UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s special envoy for Yemen since 2012.Benomar’s departure came after the UN Security Council adopted a resolution calling for the swift resumption of peace talks and an end to violence in Yemen.Mauritanian diplomat Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed,who currently heads the UN Ebola mission in Accra may take his place.

Saina, the first Indian woman shuttler to be world number one after her India Open Grand Prix Gold triumph earlier this month, had dropped to the second place following her semifinal finish in the Malaysia Open Super Series.In the men’s rankings, K. Srikanth retained the fourth spot.

151.India builds first “smart” city

India’s push to accommodate a booming urban population and attract investment rests in large part with dozens of “smart” cities like the one being built on the dusty banks of the Sabarmati river. So far, it boasts modern underground infrastructure, two office blocks and not much else.

152.Dharamshala to be first Assembly Constituency to get CCTV cover

Dharamsala would soon become the first Assembly Constituency in the country to be brought under 24/7 CCTV camera surveillance.

International:

153.Iran to get 1st woman ambassador since 1979

Iran will appoint its first woman ambassador abroad since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. The post would go to foreign ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham, one of Iran’s most high-profile female public figures.

Business & Economy:

154.India’s economic growth likely to outpace China in 2016 too, predicts IMF and World Bank

India’s economic growth clip this year and next will be better than previously assumed, overtaking China in 2015 to become the world’s fastest growing major economy and widening the gap further in 2016, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank have said in separate forecasts.

155.India 19th in the list of top 30 merchandise exporters

India’s rank remained unchanged at 19th in 2014 among the top 30 merchandise exporters of the world, while China continues to hold the top slot, according to the WTO report. Similarly, New Delhi’s rank as a leading importer too has not changed in 2014 at 12th position. In imports, the US topped the list.

Sports:

156.Roland Garros prize money increased

157.Tech Mahindra Partners Comverse for R&D

Information technology conglomerate Tech Mahindra has collaborated with US Israeli firm Comverse Inc for establishing a research and development centre in Israel.Financial details were not disclosed by the two companies

158.Blue Book To Deal With Cyclones Launched

Government has released a Blue Book on dealing with cyclones.This book follows the report of a committee formed by PMO based on experience of Cyclone Hudhud last October in Andhra Pradesh

159.Chinese E-Commerce Firm Injects Online Operations to Affiliate

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group has injected online pharmacy operations into affiliate Alibaba Health Information Technology listed in Hong Kong in a USD 2.5 billion deal

MHA Renames Tourist Visa Scheme

Union Ministry of Home Affairs/MHA made the decision to rename Tourist Visa on Arrival Electronic Travel Authorization/TVoA-ETA scheme as eTV or e-Tourist Visa
– The new scheme will come into effect from April 15th, 2015

Janata Parivar Announces Merger with Mulayam Singh Yadav as Head

Samajwadi Party Chief Mulayam Singh Yadav will lead the Janata Parivar formed comprising the following parties:

SP, the Janata Dal (United)/JD(U), the Rashtriya Janata Dal/RJD, the Janata Dal (Secular), the Samajwadi Janata Party and the Indian National Lok Dal/INLD

President Obama to Remove Cuba From State Sponsored Terrorism List

President Obama has announced he will be removing Cuba from the list of State sponsors of terrorism

BHEL Signs MoU with INTMA

Centre Established Task Force for Interlinking of Rivers

The Centre has established a task force for examining the numerous contentious issues pertaining to interlinking of rivers. The task force is chaired by former UPSC member B. N. Navalawala

Government Forms Panel for Reviewing Official Secrets Act

Government of India has formed an inter-ministerial committee under the Cabinet Secretary for reviewing the Official Secrets Act in light of the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose related files

Comet 67P/Churyumov Gerasimenko Found

The comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko has been discovered to be non-magnetic
– ESA’s Rosetta Spacecraft Philae lander touched down on this comet and used magnetometers to assess its magnetism

Cosmologists Map Dark Matter

In the first initiative of its kind, cosmologists have mapped the distribution of dark matter in the universe tracing invisible substances through monitoring of gravitational effects on light
– The mapping was done through a 570 megapixel camera at Chile’s Cerro Tololo Inter American Observatory, around two million galaxies have been photographed

Spitzer Space Telescope Finds Remote Gas Planet

NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope has teamed up with ground telescope to find one of the most distant planets, a remote gas planet located 13,000 light years away

Indian Scientists Win Hevesy Medal

Prof. Susanta Lahiri from the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics in Kolkata and Prof. K. V Katti from Centre for Radiological Research University of Missouri have won the Hevesy Medal awarded at the 10th international conference on methods and applications of radio analytical chemistry.

160.Chinnaswamy Stadium Becomes First Sports Venue to Go Green in India

Chinnaswamy Stadium became the first sporting venue to launch a 400KV rooftop solar power system
– It has become the first sporting venue in the nation to go green

Temasek Holdings Completes Acquisition of SVB Financial Group Arm

Temasek Holdings, the investment unit of the Singapore has completed the acquisition of Mumbai based SVB India Finance, an arm of NASDAQ listed SVB Financial Group for INR 300 crore
– The entity has been renamed InnoVen Capital India

Nokia Announces Agreement to Purchase Alcatel-Lucent

Finnish network equipment company Nokia has made the agreement to purchase Alcatel-Lucent in a transaction valuing the French company at 15.6 billion euros or USD 16.58 billion

Nokia will be providing Alcatel-Lucent shareholders 0.55 shares in the new company for each of their shares

This means 33.5% of the entity will be with Alcatel while Nokia will have 66.5% if public exchange offer is completely taken up

IBM Announces Alliances with Apple, 2 Others

IBM announced an alliance with Apple, Medtronic and Johnson & Johnson for using the Watson artificial intelligence system to provide users insights and advice from personal health data obtained from fitness trackers, smartphones, implants as well as other devices

161.Government notifies NJAC, puts an end to collegium

The Union government notified the National Judicial Appointments Commission law and effectively brought to an end the two-decades-old collegium system of appointing judges. The notification brings into immediate effect the National Judicial Appointments Commission Act, 2014, and the 99th Constitution Amendment Act. Now, the political class and civil society have an equal voice, along with the judiciary, in the appointment and transfer of judges in the highest judiciary.

162.Panel to look into post-66A security concerns

In the wake of the recent Supreme Court directive striking down Section 66A of the Information Technology Act, the Union Home Ministry has set up a committee to recommend measures for addressing national security concerns. “After the apex court declared Section 66A of the Information Technology Act unconstitutional, security agencies raised concerns about activities on digital media that threaten national security and inciting violence.