28th March Current Affairs for Bank Exam

• Demat share transfer to be effective from 1st April

• Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) said that the transfer of shares of listed companies can be done only in dematerialised form from April 1 but investors are not barred from holding shares in the physical form. 

• In December 2018, the capital markets watchdog extended the deadline for transfer of shares of listed companies only in dematerialised (demat) form to April 1. Now, it has been decided not to extend the deadline.  The decision that the transfer of shares has to be compulsorily in demat form was taken way back in March 2018. SEBI also said that the measure would come into effect from April 1, 2019.

• Assam launched initiatives to educate voter

• Assam State government has launched initiatives to educate voters. Folk song competitions, quiz programmes and appeals by celebrities are some of the initiatives being undertaken by the election office in Assam for attracting women, first-time voters, people with physical disabilities and senior citizens to cast their votes. Sprinter Hima Das, Whitley Awardee and environmentalist Purnima Devi Barman, singer Tarali Sarma, body builder Golap Rabha and actor Kopil Bora have been roped in as State icons to create awareness about the election process. District election officers have been directed to reach out to the maximum number of voters in the constituencies under their jurisdiction. 

• Polling stations with low female voter turn-out have been identified and ‘mahila voter rallies’ are being held.

• Cabinet approved additional posts for NCLAT

• Cabinet approved a proposal of six additional posts of judicial and technical members in the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT). The tribunal hears appeals against rulings of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT).  The Cabinet cleared a proposal for the creation of three additional posts each for judicial members and technical members in the NCLAT. The new posts would ensure meeting the mandate provided to NCLAT by the Finance Act, 2017, the Companies Act, the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 and the time frame provided for disposal of cases.

• Gujarat ATS and Indian Coast Guard capture 9 international smugglers with heroin worth Rs 500 crore

• The Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad and the Indian Coast Guard captured nine international drug smugglers. The smugglers were reportedly carrying 100 kgs of contraband worth Rs 500 crore in the boat, which they had destroyed after they were trapped by the agencies.    

• As per the press statement, the Gujarat ATS had received a tip-off that an illegal consignment of narcotic drugs, Heroin, is going to be smuggled in Gujarat through Coast.

• India, US Ink Pact To Check Tax Evasion By MNCs

• India and the US signed an agreement for the exchange of country-by-country (CBC) report. The move will give huge relief to subsidiaries of US-headquartered companies in the taxation-related matter. 

• The agreement was signed by PC Mody, Chairman, Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), and Kenneth I Juster, US Ambassador to India.

• Delhi International Airport is to be transformed with world-class amenities

• Delhi world’s 12th busiest hub, the Indira Gandhi International Airport, transiting between the various terminals of IGI Airport, will become a breeze in a few years’ time, with the airport operator finalizing the route of an “air train” connecting the terminals as well as Aerocity, the hotel center. It connects the Aerocity’s Airport Metro Express station to all the major Hotels and Offices with Aerocity's Hospitality District through an experiential walkway. 

• It not only connects all the buildings but also provides a well-designed public space for everyone to enjoy. It promotes an active lifestyle and enables access to open spaces, shaded areas for casual breakouts and many other amenities. 

• The air train is becoming a must for IGIA due to its sheer passenger volume and transit traffic. Despite severe infrastructure constraints at the moment, in terms of the capacity of terminals and runways, IGIA was the world’s 12th busiest airport last year when it handled just under 7 crore flyers.

• Eight newly appointed members of Lokpal took oath of office

• Lokpal Chairperson, Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose administered the oath of office to them. Besides Chairperson, the President Ram Nath Kovind had appointed four Judicial members and four Non-Judicial members as Lokpal. 

• The judicial members who took the oath are: ♦ Former Chief Justices - Dilip B. Bhosale, ♦ Pradip Kumar Mohanty, and ♦ Abhilasha Kumari and ♦ sitting Chief Justice of Chhattisgarh High Court Ajay Kumar Tripathi The non-judicial members are: ♦ Former first woman Chief of Sashastra Seema Bal - Archana Ramasundaram, ♦ ex-Maharashtra Chief Secretary Dinesh Kumar Jain, ♦ former IRS officer Mahender Singh and ♦ ex-IAS officer Indrajeet Prasad Gautam. 

• Lokpal which means caretaker of people is an anti-corruption authority or body of ombudsman who represents the public interest in the Republic of India.

• Facebook launched Candidate Connect and Share You Voted

• Social Media giant, Facebook has launched two new India-specific tools viz. "Candidate Connect" and "Share You Voted" to boost civic engagement on its platform during the Lok Sabha elections 2019 that commence in April. Both these tools will be made available in 12 local languages.  

• Candidate Connect feature will provide contesting candidates to upload 20 second videos in which they can introduce themselves and highlight how they will address outstanding challenges in their constituencies if elected to office. Voters will be able to watch these videos of candidates contesting from their respective constituencies and also from other constituencies. 

• Candidate Connect feature aims to provide an opportunity for candidates to engage with the electorate.  Share You Voted feature will provide people with polling information and enable them to announce and celebrate the fact that they have voted. Facebook will send out reminders to people on polling dates in their constituencies under 'Share You Voted' tag. The Share You Vote feature is aimed at amplifying the voting spirit.

• Maruti Suzuki board re appointed Kenichi Ayukawa as MD and CEO for 3 years

• This would be Kenichi Ayukawa's third three-year term as MD and CEO of Maruti. He first took over as MD and CEO of the company in March 2013 as Shinzo Nakanishi had attained the age of retirement. He played a major role in expanding the company's market share beyond 50 per cent.

• MPI 2018 report says Indias povert rate has reduced drastically

• According to the Multi-dimensional Poverty Index 2018 report, the four poorest states namely Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh were still home to 196 million MPI poor people, which was over half of all the MPI poor people in India. 

• The Multi-dimensional Poverty Index 2018 report prepared by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative makes the following observations about India: India has reduced its poverty rate drastically from 55% to 28% in 10 years, with 271 million people moving out of poverty between 2005-06 and 2015-16. 

• Jharkhand had shown the greatest improvement, followed by Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, and Nagaland. Kerala, one of the least poor regions in 2006, reduced its MPI by around 92%.

• Bank of Baroda to launch Baroda Kisan

• Public sector Bank, Bank of Baroda has made an announcement about developing an agri-digital platform called 'Baroda Kisan'. The platform is to provide solutions for all major agricultural requirements.  

• The project aims to provide a holistic approach towards solving agricultural plights by means of providing reliable and customised information, inputs for use, the convenience of renting farm equipment and market linkage for sale of agri-produces. Bank of Baroda has signed a memorandum of understanding (Mou) with Six companies viz. Skymet Weather Services, Weather Risk Management Services, BigHaat, Agrostar India, EM3 Agri Services and Poorti Agri Services for the project. The agri-digital platform will be executed by IT Centre of Excellence (ITCoE) of Bank of Baroda in partnership with IBM India. Baroda Kisan is aimed at digitization of digital services.

• Manu and Saurabh won gold in 12th Asian Airgun Championship in Taoyuan, Taipei

• Indian shooting stars Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary smashed the qualification world record before clinching the 10m air pistol mixed team gold in the 12th Asian Airgun Championship in Taoyuan, Taipei. 

• The Indians then went on to win the five-team final with a score of 484.8. Hwang Seongeun and Kim Mose of Korea won the silver with a score of 481.1 while Wu Chia Ying and Kou Kuan-Ting claimed the bronze for the host country with a score of 413.3.  

• This win comes a month after they won the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup stage gold in the same event in Delhi. Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary broke the record set by Russians Vitalina Batsarashkina and Artem Chernousov at the European Championships held recently. 

• Azali Assoumani re elected as the President of Comoros

• Azali Assoumani was re-elected as the President of Comoros after defeating his closest rival, Mahamadou Ahamada in the election held by the electoral commission of the Indian Ocean Archipelago. 

• 66 years old, Azali Assoumani who first took office in 2016, was credited with 60.77 percent votes whereas Mahamadou Ahamada got only 14.62 percent votes. The Comoros is a volcanic archipelago off Africa’s east coast, in the warm Indian Ocean waters of the Mozambique Channel. About Comoros: ♦ Capital: Moroni ♦ Currency: Comorian franc ♦ Official languages: French, Comorian, Arabic

• Infosys joined hands with Roland-Garros to provide digital solution for French Open tennis tournament

• IT company Infosys joined hands with Roland-Garros with a three-year partnership agreement to provide a digital solution for French Open tennis tournament, also called Roland-Garros. 

• This agreement will enhance the game by providing fans, players and coaches with a new experience in digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data and analytics, mobility, virtual and augmented reality. About Infosys ♦ CEO: Salil Parekh ♦ Headquarters: Bengaluru ♦ Founded: 7 July 1981

• Tashigang is worlds highest polling station

• The Tashigang polling station in Himachal Pradesh falls in Buddhist-dominated Lahaul-Spiti, one of the 17 assembly segments that form the Mandi Lok Sabha seat, the second largest constituency in India. 

• Situated at about 29 km from the India-China border, the polling station covers two villages— Tashigang and Gete. As per the revised electoral rolls, the two villages have 48 voters, of which 30 are men and 18 women. 

• Earlier the tiny settlement of Hikkim in the same district located at an altitude of about 14,400 feet was the highest polling station in the country. About Himachal Pradesh: ♦ Capital: Shimla ♦ Chief minister: Jai Ram Thakur ♦ Districts‎: ‎12 ♦ Governor: Kaptan Singh Solanki

• Vedanta Limited has discovered oil in the Krishna Godavari basin

• Anil Agarwal-led Vedanta Limited has discovered oil in the Krishna Godavari basin on India’s east coast. The company has notified the management committee, Directorate General of Hydrocarbons and Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas of an oil discovery in the second exploratory well H2, located in block KG-OSN-2009/3, Krishna-Godavari Basin, east coast of India.  Vedanta Limited holds 100% participating interest in the block. 

• The first exploration well, A3-2, drilled in the block was a gas discovery. Vedanta Limited: ♦ Industry type: Mining ♦ Founded in: 1979 (as Sesa Goa) ♦ Headquarters: Mumbai, India ♦ Chairman Emeritus: Anil Agarwal ♦ Chairman: Navin Agarwal ♦ CEO: Srinivasan Venkatakrishnan ♦ CFO: Arun Kumar ♦ Vedanta Limited is a mining company based in India

• Adani becomes first Indian port operator to record 200 million tonnes cargo 

• Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) has claimed that its portfolio of nine ports and terminals handled 200 million metric tonnes (MMT) of cargo in 2018-19, becoming the first Indian port operator to achieve the milestone. 

• The Gautam Adani-led company doubled its cargo handling from 100 MMT reached in 2013-14. About APSEZ: ♦ APSEZ- Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone ♦ It is a part of Adani Group, and is the largest port developer and operator in India. ♦ APSEZ's Mundra Port in Gujarat is India's largest private port. ♦ Founder: Gautam Adani ♦ Founded: 1998 ♦ CEO: Karan Adani

• India becomes the 4th country to test Anti satellite missile system Mission Shakti 

• India successfully completed 'Mission Shakti' operation where it destroyed a live satellite on a low earth orbit (LEO) using an Anti-Satellite (ASAT) missile in three minutes. 

• India has become the 4th country after the US, Russia and China in the world to achieve this historic feat. 

• Anti Satellite weapons also called the ASAT are developed to destroy satellites. Mission Shakti is a joint programme of DRDO and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Mission Shakti will help the country in standing strong and secure. It will further protect the nation from disharmony and bring peace.