Current Affairs 02nd and 3rd March 2018: Daily GK Update

1. Centre approves Rs 2900 crore to make cities safer for women

• The Nirbhaya Fund was set up in the aftermath of the gruesome gangrape and murder of a paramedical student in Delhi in 2012, and aims at improving safety for women. 
• Maneka Sanjay Gandhi is the Union Cabinet Minister for Women & Child Development.
• Manoj Kumar Arora is Private Secretary to Mrs Maneka Sanjay Gandhi, Minister for Women and Child.

ii. The two sides will sign MoUs in the areas of nuclear energy, agriculture and trade and investment. This is Tran’s first visit to India as president.

• Vietnam Capital- Hanoi, Currency- Vietnamese dong.

i. The Karnataka government inaugurated the first phase of a 2,000 megawatts (MW) solar park in the drought-prone district, Tumkur. The first phase of the Rs16,500 crore park called “Shakti Sthala” will generate 600MW, while the balance 1,400MW is expected to be commissioned by the end of 2018.

ii. The solar project is the largest in the world, is spread over 13,000 acres and five villages. It is part of the “Karnataka Solar Policy 2014-2021” which aims to decrease dependence on traditional power sources and move to environmentally friendly ones to meet the growing power needs of the state. The park ties in with the centre’s scheme to generate 100 gigawatts (GW) of solar power by 2020.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for Canara Bank PO 2018 Exam-

• Karnataka CM- Siddaramaiah, Governor- Vajubhai Vala.

6. India, Bangladesh, Russia Sign Pact for Rooppur Atomic Plant

i. Indian companies can now participate in construction and installation works in the “non-critical” category for the Rooppur nuclear power plant in Bangladesh, according to the Russian atomic energy agency Rosatom.

ii. The Rooppur project is the first initiative under an Indo-Russian deal to undertake atomic energy projects in third countries. This will also be the first time Indian companies will be able to participate in a nuclear power project abroad. India, Bangladesh and Russia signed an agreement in this regard in Moscow, Russia.

7. Armen Sarkisian Elected Next Armenian President

i. Armenian lawmakers elected Armen Sarkisian as the new president of Armenia. He will succeed Serzh Sarkisian. Armen Sarkisian was the ambassador to the United Kingdom.

ii. He will assume presidential duties after his predecessor steps down in April 2018. The political shift comes after President Sarkisian in 2015 initiated controversial constitutional amendments to turn the impoverished Moscow-allied country into a parliamentary republic with a powerful Prime Minister.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for Canara Bank PO 2018 Exam-

• Armenia Capital- Yerevan, Currency- Armenian dram.

Banking/Economy News 

• MCLR stands for- Marginal Cost of funds based Lending Rate.

9. SBI hikes lending rate to 8.15%

i. The State Bank raised its lending rates by 20 basis points to 8(point)15 per cent, with immediate effect, setting the tone for the industry to follow suit. This is likely to make home and car loans costlier. 

ii. This is the first lending revision by the bank since April 2016 and comes a day after it massively raised the retail and bulk deposit rates.

10. Navjot Kaur 1st Indian Woman to Win Gold in Asian Wrestling Championship

• Malaysia Capital- Kuala Lumpur, Currency- Malaysian ringgit.

i. International Olympic Committee (IOC) has restored Russia’s Olympic membership with immediate effect following its suspension from the Winter Olympics at Pyeongchang in South Korea. Russia was banned from February’s Games by the IOC over state-sponsored doping. 

ii. Before closing ceremony of Winter Olympics, the IOC had stated that the ban would be lifted, as long as there were no more anti-doping violations.